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
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rightly dividing
the Word of truth."
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Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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Our study today is
the Gospel of Galatians.
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Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn,
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and we are so glad
that you are joining us
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for Sabbath
School Panel this week,
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and I believe that you
are going to enjoy this study
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because we've got a great
panel of wonderful friends
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and brothers and
sisters in the Lord,
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but before I introduce them,
I just want to welcome you.
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Hope you have the
Bible and your pen,
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and I hope you already
have a Sabbath School quarterly.
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You know, even if this is
your first time to tune in
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and if you don't
have one of these,
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even though we are at the end,
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nearly we've got
just three more lessons,
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or two more lessons to do.
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But I want to encourage you
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to get this
Sabbath School quarterly
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because we are
studying the gospel,
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the good news in
Galatians of salvation
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by grace through Jesus Christ.
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So if you want to get this,
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if you haven't gone to your
Seventh-day Adventist church
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or a local church to get one,
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you can go to ABSG,
Adult Bible Study Guide,
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ABSG.Adventist.org
and download that,
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so you can follow along today
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and throughout the
remainder of the study.
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Let me introduce
without further ado
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our wonderful panel.
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Next to me, I have
Pastor Johnny Dinzey.
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We're so glad
you're with us, Johnny.
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Thank you.
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It's a great
pleasure to be here.
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Then Sister Jill Morikone,
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I started to say
Sister Jill Quinn,
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I don't know
where that came from.
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I received that.
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I think it's a
blessing to be here.
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And then we have
Pastor Tom Ferguson.
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Hi.
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And Pastor CA Murray
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who I'm going to ask
to open in prayer, please.
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Glad to do so, shall we pray?
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Father God, how we
thank You for Your Word
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which is a lamp unto our feet
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and a light unto our path.
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We thank You, Father,
that we can know Your Word,
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and understand Your Word,
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and put Your Word into practice
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and that in doing so, we
are made like Christ Jesus.
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We receive Him into our hearts,
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and that the power of the
Word can convict and convert us.
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Thank you,
Father, for this study
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in the Book of Galatians
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so that we can see
Paul's burden for his church
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and we can see Your
burden for Your church.
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And we are convicted once again
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that we are Your
people and You are our God.
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Bless us, Father, as we study.
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Bless us as we open this Word.
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May Christ be
seen and glorified,
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and we thank You, dear
Father, in Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen. Amen and Amen.
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Okay, so we are
on lesson number 13,
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the gospel and the church.
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And in the
opening here for Sabbath,
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it's talking about an article
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from the International
Student Fellowship newsletter
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from March 2007.
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And basically
it's telling the story
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of some vegetable farmers
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who as they are
producing their crops,
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they were keeping the biggest
vegetables for themselves,
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and they were
planting the smaller ones
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using those for seeds.
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And what happened after a
few disappointing harvests,
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they found out that their crops
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just kept getting smaller,
and smaller, and smaller.
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So the important
lesson, it's a life lesson,
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a law of life
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is that the harvest
reflects the planting.
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If we selfishly hold on to
the big things for ourselves
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and we only plant
the little things,
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we're going to be disappointed
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because it'll be a
poor spiritual harvest.
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In a similar vein, we're going
to get to our memory text here,
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so be prepared.
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But what Paul is showing us
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is similar to this
in Galatians 6:1-10.
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He's saying, "You
reap what you sow.
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You sow to the
flesh, reap corruption.
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Sow to the spirit, you're
going to reap everlasting life."
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And he's saying, "Don't get
weary in doing good to others
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because even if they
don't seem to appreciate it,
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you will reap the
spiritual harvest."
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So our memory
text is Galatians 6:10.
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Let's say that together.
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"So then, as we
have opportunity,
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let us do good to everyone,
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and especially to those
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who are of the
household of faith."
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Amen.
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So here he's not
seeking justification by works
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but living a life of abundance
that God has planned for us.
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We want to turn to
Sunday's lesson now,
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"Restoring the Falling".
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And I'm going to
begin with Galatians 5.
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It would be
helpful to be turned there,
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Galatians 5:16.
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Paul says, "I say
then, 'Walk in the Spirit
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and you shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh."
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There are two
natures within every human,
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every Christian I should say.
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Every Christian has a nature
that's the old selfish nature
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that we want to please ourself,
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and then there is the
born-again spiritual nature.
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Day by day we have to make
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a constant, deliberate decision
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to surrender
control of our lives to God
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because as we do that,
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we studied last time
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that the Holy Spirit,
when he is in control,
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he will produce the
fruit of the Spirit.
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And this is the only way
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that we can
conquer our self life
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because God will work in us
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by us hearing His Word
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and responding to His Spirit,
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He will work in us to will
and to do His good pleasure.
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Amen.
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But, you know, one
thing that I think about
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is that the mind of Christ
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is, "We've been given the
mind of Christ," Paul says.
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And I think of
that as the Word of God
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and the Holy Spirit.
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So we've got the Word
and the Spirit to guide us.
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And even so, this idea
of walking in the Spirit
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and never fulfilling
the lust of the flesh,
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is it something that
every Christian you just say,
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"Okay, that's it.
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I'm not going to, you
know, I'm crucified with Christ.
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That old nature is dead."
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You think? I wish.
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Okay.
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So what we're saying is
that old ugly sin nature
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can rear its ugly
head every now and then,
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so let's look at what
Paul is going to tell us
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what to do
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when a fellow Christian
falls into sinful behavior.
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In Galatians 6:1,
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he says, "Brethren,
if a man is overtaken
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in any trespass,
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you who are spiritual,
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restore such a one in
a spirit of gentleness,
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considering yourself
lest you are also tempted."
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Now let's kind of, unpack that.
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In the Greek, the
word here for overtaken,
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it can mean that
you've been caught,
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you've been detected,
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or it can mean you
are overtaken by surprise.
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And in context, this would be,
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I would say that
this is something
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that suddenly came upon somebody
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that they are being overtaken,
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it's a sudden
temptation that seized them
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and they fell into a sin.
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Now, the word in the Greek here
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for trespass is paraptoma,
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and that means a sin
or a fault or trespass,
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and it doesn't
refer to a deliberate sin.
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So that's why I'm
saying the overtaken here
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is that somebody
was, they didn't mean to,
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they've been
walking a straight path
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but somehow, it's not
a deliberate defiant sin,
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but they've stumbled into sin,
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you might say,
they've made a false step
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and were caught off-guard.
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So he said, "You
who are spiritual,"
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what does it mean
we who are spiritual?
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It's those who are
being led by the Holy Spirit,
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if you are
walking by the Spirit,
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you know, this is the one
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that should go to
restore your brother.
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And again, looking at the Greek,
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I just love
looking at the Greek words,
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Catharsis, it
means when he says,
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"You who are spiritual,
restore your brother,"
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that word "restore"
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is the same word that they use
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when they were talking
about mending a fishing net.
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It was also used
in Greek literature
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when it was
talking about a doctor
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that would put a
broken leg back into place.
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So our proper
response when we see a brother
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who's been walking by the Spirit
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who stumbles and falls,
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is not that we should be
gossiping and criticizing,
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but that we who have a
relationship with the Lord,
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should be like a doctor,
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or one who's going to
help them set that broken leg,
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or mend their fish net,
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go to them in gentleness,
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showing the fruit of the spirit,
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the kindness, the gentleness,
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and the humility that we have,
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to go before them
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and help them
see their way back,
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all the while
keeping an eye on ourselves
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so that we recognize,
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"Hey, we're not immune
to temptation ourselves
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so we shouldn't be judgmental."
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Now let's look at Matthew 18.
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And, Jill, would you
read verses 15 and 16.
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Matthew 18:15 and 16.
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Mathew 18:15 and 16,
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"Moreover if your
brother sins against you,
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go and tell him his fault
between you and him alone.
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If he hears you, you
have gained your brother.
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But if he will not hear,
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take with you one or two more
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that by the mouth of
two or three witnesses
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every word may be established."
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Okay, so these are Jesus' words.
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These are His guidelines
for conflict resolution.
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And it's interesting.
00:10:58.69\00:11:00.09
He says, "First, go
talk to him by yourself."
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And this is not,
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I mean, this is
having a straightforward,
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honest
conversation with someone to...
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It's not really
a confrontational.
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I mean it shouldn't be
confrontational and vindictive.
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It should be going to have
a gentle conversation with him
00:11:17.97\00:11:22.88
because otherwise you're
going to really create a mess,
00:11:22.91\00:11:25.65
but don't gossip,
don't be resentful,
00:11:25.68\00:11:28.98
don't seek revenge.
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You go first to your brother
but now it's interesting.
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He says in the next verse
00:11:34.82\00:11:36.83
if that brother
won't listen to you,
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your brother or sister,
00:11:38.56\00:11:40.26
if he just
doesn't listen to reason,
00:11:40.30\00:11:42.63
he says, "Take
with you one or two,"
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and then he quotes
from Deuteronomy 19:15,
00:11:45.23\00:11:49.77
"By the mouth of
two or three witnesses,
00:11:49.80\00:11:51.84
every word may be established."
00:11:51.87\00:11:53.74
That's a direct...
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Let me read Deuteronomy 19:15.
00:11:55.14\00:11:57.85
"One witness shall not rise
00:11:57.88\00:11:59.48
against a man
concerning any iniquity
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or any sin that he commits,
00:12:01.68\00:12:03.28
by the mouth of
two or three witnesses,
00:12:03.32\00:12:06.09
the matter
shall be established."
00:12:06.12\00:12:07.89
You know, it's interesting to me
00:12:07.92\00:12:09.66
because we talk about
the Mosaic Law is no longer,
00:12:09.69\00:12:13.96
I mean, the New
Covenant supersedes that, right?
00:12:14.00\00:12:16.93
But the point is this is
sensible practical information.
00:12:16.97\00:12:22.47
You don't throw the
baby out with the bath water,
00:12:22.50\00:12:24.61
you bring in all the good things
00:12:24.64\00:12:26.68
so we're still using this.
00:12:26.71\00:12:28.44
And then so he's saying,
00:12:28.48\00:12:30.11
you know, "Okay, first you
go have a private conversation
00:12:30.15\00:12:32.88
to avoid harboring bitterness.
00:12:32.91\00:12:36.25
Now, take a couple of
people with you from the church.
00:12:36.28\00:12:39.92
If they don't respond to that,
go with a couple of brethren."
00:12:39.95\00:12:43.39
Then he says if in
verse 17, Matthew 18:17,
00:12:43.43\00:12:47.96
"If he refuses to hear
them, tell it to the church.
00:12:48.00\00:12:52.00
But if he refuses
even to hear the church,
00:12:52.03\00:12:55.17
let him be to you like a
heathen and a tax collector."
00:12:55.20\00:12:59.41
In other words,
he's not a true believer.
00:12:59.44\00:13:02.24
So basically, if
somebody... obstinately,
00:13:02.28\00:13:06.21
if you've tried to talk
with him in a gentle way,
00:13:06.25\00:13:08.92
you've taken somebody,
00:13:08.95\00:13:10.29
a couple of others with
you to try to talk to them,
00:13:10.32\00:13:12.82
and then you
present to the church
00:13:12.85\00:13:14.29
and they will not come around,
00:13:14.36\00:13:16.83
then cut them off
temporarily from fellowship
00:13:16.86\00:13:20.60
is basically what he's saying
00:13:20.63\00:13:22.66
but we know that
Paul in Corinthians
00:13:22.70\00:13:25.07
when he was writing to Timothy,
00:13:25.10\00:13:27.00
it was to be something where
you cut him off temporarily
00:13:27.04\00:13:30.37
then try to restore them again
00:13:30.41\00:13:33.61
because the goal is forgiveness.
00:13:33.64\00:13:37.91
The goal is reconciliation
00:13:37.95\00:13:40.65
so that all
Christians can live in harmony.
00:13:40.68\00:13:44.45
Brother, Johnny?
00:13:44.49\00:13:46.19
Thank you so much.
00:13:46.22\00:13:48.02
You know, you may be
walking down the road
00:13:48.06\00:13:49.96
or may have done this already
00:13:49.99\00:13:52.23
and as you're
passing by some homes,
00:13:52.26\00:13:54.93
you see the sign that
says, "Beware of dog."
00:13:54.96\00:13:59.73
And surely, you take notice
and you know to be careful
00:13:59.77\00:14:03.24
because there's a dog in there.
00:14:03.27\00:14:05.67
And, of course, they don't
tell you what size the dog is
00:14:05.71\00:14:07.98
because some homes
have a little tiny dog,
00:14:08.04\00:14:10.65
but the sign is
there, "Beware of dog."
00:14:10.68\00:14:13.25
So you are warned
that you may be in danger.
00:14:13.28\00:14:18.59
The lesson for
Monday is entitled,
00:14:18.62\00:14:21.32
"Beware of Temptation".
00:14:21.36\00:14:24.03
And so when we
look at Galatians 6:1,
00:14:24.06\00:14:27.96
which is the scripture
00:14:27.96\00:14:31.00
that Sister Shelley
already worked through,
00:14:31.03\00:14:33.27
but we're going to take a
look at the last part this time.
00:14:33.30\00:14:36.60
So let's look at it
again, Galatians 6:1,
00:14:36.64\00:14:40.04
"Brethren, if a man is overtaken
00:14:40.08\00:14:42.11
in any trespass or fault,
00:14:42.14\00:14:44.05
you who are spiritual,
00:14:44.08\00:14:45.71
restore such a one in
the spirit of gentleness
00:14:45.75\00:14:49.85
considering yourselves
lest you also be tempted."
00:14:49.88\00:14:54.29
So here is a warning for
us that if someone falls,
00:14:54.32\00:14:58.79
you also have to be careful
00:14:58.83\00:15:00.96
because you may
be tempted as well.
00:15:01.00\00:15:03.90
So this is a warning that
Paul wisely gives to Christians,
00:15:03.93\00:15:08.27
wisely gives to us
00:15:08.30\00:15:10.34
so that we can be careful.
00:15:10.37\00:15:12.91
So when we look at
the word translated
00:15:12.94\00:15:15.54
considering the
lesson points out
00:15:15.58\00:15:18.38
or another word is "take care,"
00:15:18.41\00:15:20.85
literally means
to look at carefully,
00:15:20.88\00:15:23.99
pay careful attention to.
00:15:24.02\00:15:27.56
You can look at Romans 16:17
00:15:27.59\00:15:31.06
and we're going to ask
someone to read that for us.
00:15:31.09\00:15:34.73
And who is ready,
please go ahead and do so.
00:15:34.73\00:15:37.57
Romans 16:17.
00:15:37.60\00:15:41.74
"Now I urge you, brethren,
00:15:41.77\00:15:43.10
note those who cause
divisions and offenses
00:15:43.14\00:15:45.97
contrary to the
doctrine which you have learned
00:15:46.01\00:15:48.28
and avoid them."
00:15:48.31\00:15:50.58
Now that is a very
powerful scripture as well.
00:15:50.61\00:15:54.32
Now this word "note" or "mark"
as it is in some versions,
00:15:54.35\00:15:58.99
is the same word
"mark" or "note,"
00:15:59.02\00:16:03.63
those which cause divisions.
00:16:03.66\00:16:05.73
And so we need to
be aware of temptation.
00:16:05.76\00:16:09.60
In other words, we
need to be watchful
00:16:09.63\00:16:12.20
and we need to be
considerate of others.
00:16:12.23\00:16:15.04
You know, this scripture
that we read, Galatians 6:1,
00:16:15.07\00:16:21.21
and it says,
"Through the Spirit,"
00:16:21.28\00:16:23.48
and it uses the word gentleness.
00:16:23.51\00:16:26.95
Now for some people,
that is something they need.
00:16:26.98\00:16:31.92
Unfortunately, some
people go a little too far
00:16:31.99\00:16:34.39
and they almost make excuse
00:16:34.46\00:16:37.19
for what the person has done
00:16:37.23\00:16:38.99
which can harm the person.
00:16:39.03\00:16:42.00
We are to gently help them along
00:16:42.03\00:16:45.13
so that they will
walk again with the Lord.
00:16:45.17\00:16:47.60
Let's go again
to the word "beware"
00:16:47.64\00:16:50.31
or to be considering ourselves.
00:16:50.34\00:16:54.58
When I look at this
concept or this idea
00:16:54.64\00:16:58.41
to be considerate
of yourself as well,
00:16:58.45\00:17:01.72
I think of 1 Peter 5:8.
00:17:01.75\00:17:04.35
In 1 Peter 5:8,
00:17:04.39\00:17:06.82
and, Sister Jill, who
was it that read last time?
00:17:06.86\00:17:09.86
I read last time.
00:17:09.89\00:17:11.23
You read last time,
okay, Pastor Tom Ferguson,
00:17:11.26\00:17:13.66
if you can help me with 1 Peter?
00:17:13.70\00:17:15.00
"Be sober, be vigilant
00:17:15.06\00:17:16.50
because your adversary,
00:17:16.53\00:17:17.87
the devil, walks
about like a roaring lion,
00:17:17.93\00:17:19.77
seeking whom he may devour."
00:17:19.80\00:17:21.30
Thank you so much.
00:17:21.34\00:17:22.67
So in this scripture
it's not the same Greek word,
00:17:22.70\00:17:26.14
however it
conveys the same thing
00:17:26.17\00:17:28.28
that we are to be watchful
00:17:28.34\00:17:30.48
because of temptations.
00:17:30.51\00:17:32.15
Why?
00:17:32.18\00:17:33.52
Because your adversary,
00:17:33.55\00:17:34.88
the devil is
seeking whom he may devour.
00:17:34.92\00:17:37.95
And the terrible thing
that is about the devil
00:17:37.99\00:17:41.92
that his object
is to destroy you
00:17:41.96\00:17:46.03
and he uses things
that may taste good,
00:17:46.06\00:17:49.66
things that may look
good, things that may feel good.
00:17:49.70\00:17:53.44
So it's one of those...
Temporary pleasures of sin.
00:17:53.47\00:17:55.50
Temporary pleasures of sin
00:17:55.54\00:17:56.91
so that the people doing
it are enjoying themselves
00:17:56.94\00:18:01.28
but they're working
out their own destruction
00:18:01.31\00:18:03.88
and that's why this
"beware of temptation"
00:18:03.91\00:18:07.45
is one that we need to
take a look at carefully
00:18:07.48\00:18:11.35
because the devil knows
00:18:11.39\00:18:12.85
as some people say,
how to push those buttons.
00:18:12.89\00:18:15.86
He has studied us.
00:18:15.89\00:18:17.23
He knows what
can lead us astray.
00:18:17.26\00:18:20.63
And let's continue this idea
00:18:20.66\00:18:24.07
as we look at the time,
00:18:24.10\00:18:26.84
I see that we
have very little time.
00:18:26.87\00:18:28.80
In Galatians 5:26.
00:18:28.84\00:18:32.34
Let's go back to Galatians.
00:18:32.37\00:18:33.71
In Galatians 5:26,
00:18:33.74\00:18:36.38
it brings another thought
00:18:36.41\00:18:38.68
about this whole idea
of considering thyself.
00:18:38.71\00:18:42.82
Galatians 5:26
states the following,
00:18:42.85\00:18:48.29
"Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another,
00:18:48.32\00:18:53.60
envying one another."
00:18:53.63\00:18:56.93
This scripture
helps us to understand
00:18:56.97\00:19:00.20
that when we see
somebody fall in temptation,
00:19:00.24\00:19:05.74
we should not
consider ourselves well,
00:19:05.77\00:19:08.34
"I wouldn't do that."
00:19:08.41\00:19:10.55
The devil takes note of
those things by the way.
00:19:10.58\00:19:12.61
"I would... How could you?
00:19:12.65\00:19:14.32
How could you possibly do that?"
00:19:14.35\00:19:16.82
We need to be careful.
00:19:16.85\00:19:18.22
And the Lord is warning us here.
00:19:18.25\00:19:20.52
Paul is warning us
00:19:20.56\00:19:21.99
that we need to be
mindful and be careful.
00:19:22.02\00:19:24.89
And so I encourage everyone
00:19:24.96\00:19:27.20
to take a look at
this carefully as well.
00:19:27.23\00:19:30.60
When somebody falls,
00:19:30.63\00:19:33.37
you who are spiritual,
00:19:33.40\00:19:34.74
restore such a one in a
spirit of meekness, gentleness,
00:19:34.77\00:19:38.71
so that you also do
not fall in the same thing.
00:19:38.74\00:19:41.61
When I look at the scripture,
00:19:41.68\00:19:43.11
I'm also reminded of the danger
00:19:43.14\00:19:45.95
of thinking
that you have arrived
00:19:45.98\00:19:48.82
and you could not
possibly do certain things
00:19:48.85\00:19:52.65
that others do,
00:19:52.69\00:19:54.12
and I want to take a
quick look at Revelation 3
00:19:54.16\00:19:58.73
concerning this
00:19:58.76\00:20:00.10
and this is familiar scripture
to most Seventh-day Adventists
00:20:00.13\00:20:06.13
and most
Christians, I would say.
00:20:06.17\00:20:08.74
In Revelation 3,
00:20:08.80\00:20:11.07
we are warned
about being lukewarm.
00:20:11.11\00:20:16.31
And so, I'll read
through that quickly
00:20:16.34\00:20:19.81
beginning at verse 14,
00:20:19.85\00:20:21.78
"And to the angel of the
Church of the Laodiceans write:
00:20:21.82\00:20:24.45
These things says the Amen,
the faithful and true witness,
00:20:24.49\00:20:27.92
the beginning of
the creation of God,
00:20:27.96\00:20:30.19
"I know your works,
00:20:30.23\00:20:31.69
that you are
neither cold nor hot.
00:20:31.73\00:20:33.90
I wish that you
were cold or hot,
00:20:33.93\00:20:36.80
so then because
you are lukewarm,
00:20:36.83\00:20:38.63
neither cold nor hot,
00:20:38.70\00:20:40.04
I will vomit you out of my mouth
00:20:40.07\00:20:41.57
because you say, "I am rich.
00:20:41.60\00:20:43.74
I have become wealthy
and have need of nothing,
00:20:43.77\00:20:45.91
and do not know
that you are wretched,
00:20:45.94\00:20:48.31
and miserable,
poor, blind, and naked.
00:20:48.34\00:20:52.28
I counsel you to buy of me gold
00:20:52.31\00:20:54.65
refined in the fire
that you may be rich,
00:20:54.68\00:20:57.09
and white garments
that you may be clothed,
00:20:57.12\00:21:00.42
and that the
shame of your nakedness
00:21:00.46\00:21:02.22
may not be revealed,
00:21:02.26\00:21:03.59
and anoint your eyes
00:21:03.63\00:21:04.96
with eyes salve
that you may see.
00:21:04.99\00:21:07.10
As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten.
00:21:07.13\00:21:10.20
Therefore be zealous and repent.
00:21:10.23\00:21:12.63
Behold, I stand at
the door and knock.
00:21:12.67\00:21:15.30
If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door,
00:21:15.37\00:21:17.57
I will come in to
him and dine with him,"
00:21:17.61\00:21:20.31
in the King James,
00:21:20.34\00:21:22.61
"Sup with him and he with me."'
00:21:22.64\00:21:25.51
So the Laodiceans
have this danger also.
00:21:25.55\00:21:29.98
Not necessarily being conceited
but in the sense of, "I'm okay.
00:21:30.02\00:21:35.09
I don't need to be concerned.
00:21:35.12\00:21:37.03
Oh, that's
brother, so and so fellow,
00:21:37.06\00:21:39.33
but I'm not
going to fall that way.
00:21:39.36\00:21:41.53
I'm okay."
00:21:41.60\00:21:43.83
And you may also
remember Peter in this.
00:21:43.87\00:21:48.44
It may be not
necessarily conceit,
00:21:48.47\00:21:50.81
but Jesus told them,
00:21:50.84\00:21:52.17
"I am going to go to Jerusalem."
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.21
They're going to crucify me.
00:21:54.24\00:21:55.98
And after three
days, I will rise again."
00:21:56.01\00:22:01.28
And later Jesus...
00:22:01.32\00:22:05.92
Well, anyway, Peter says,
00:22:05.95\00:22:08.89
"All of you are going
to, you know, run away,"
00:22:08.92\00:22:11.86
basically Jesus
said, "Run away."
00:22:11.89\00:22:13.40
And Peter says,
00:22:13.43\00:22:14.93
"Although all men
forsake thee, Lord,
00:22:15.00\00:22:18.30
I will never forsake thee."
00:22:18.37\00:22:21.00
And so what was Peter
thinking when he says that.
00:22:21.04\00:22:25.01
"I'm okay.
00:22:25.04\00:22:26.37
I can handle this.
00:22:26.41\00:22:27.74
I love you so much, Lord,
00:22:27.78\00:22:29.11
that I would not
dare to do that."
00:22:29.14\00:22:31.15
But Peter did not know himself,
00:22:31.18\00:22:33.11
and so for all of
us there is this danger
00:22:33.15\00:22:36.18
that when we take
our eyes off Jesus,
00:22:36.22\00:22:39.62
when we take our eyes off Jesus,
00:22:39.65\00:22:41.19
we can fall,
00:22:41.22\00:22:42.76
and so the danger is there.
00:22:42.79\00:22:45.23
And so what should we do?
00:22:45.26\00:22:47.13
Well, I like to think
of the scripture that says
00:22:47.13\00:22:49.40
that Jesus is the author
and finisher of our faith.
00:22:49.43\00:22:52.13
So it says how...
00:22:52.17\00:22:54.00
I say, "How shall
we face temptation?
00:22:54.04\00:22:56.71
Looking unto Jesus,
00:22:56.74\00:22:59.07
the author and
finisher of our faith."
00:22:59.11\00:23:01.74
So the warning is there for us
00:23:01.81\00:23:03.24
and we should take heed.
00:23:03.28\00:23:04.75
There is another scripture
00:23:04.78\00:23:06.48
that I would like to bring out,
00:23:06.51\00:23:08.62
1 Corinthians 10:12
to finish this woman off.
00:23:08.65\00:23:13.72
1 Corinthians 10:12,
00:23:13.76\00:23:16.19
and it seems like Sister Shelley
00:23:16.22\00:23:17.56
might be able to
quote this from memory.
00:23:17.59\00:23:20.63
Thank you, Stan. Yes.
00:23:20.66\00:23:22.93
Amen. You're in trouble.
00:23:22.96\00:23:24.73
You're in trouble
too. If you read it for us?
00:23:24.77\00:23:27.07
Oh, certainly.
00:23:27.10\00:23:28.44
"Therefore, let him
who thinks he stands
00:23:28.50\00:23:31.57
take heed lest he fall."
00:23:31.61\00:23:33.17
Thank you so much.
00:23:33.21\00:23:34.54
So you have to take that
into context and it says,
00:23:34.58\00:23:38.55
"If you think you stand,
take heed lest you fall."
00:23:38.61\00:23:41.78
Stay close to Jesus,
keep your eyes on Him,
00:23:41.82\00:23:44.95
and you will have
victory through Jesus.
00:23:44.99\00:23:46.86
Amen. Amen.
00:23:46.89\00:23:48.22
Thank you, Brother
John, and that's powerful.
00:23:48.26\00:23:49.69
What I like about what
we're studying this week,
00:23:49.72\00:23:52.76
the first, you can say,
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.10
10 verses of the
Chapter in Galatians 6
00:23:54.13\00:23:57.93
is that it's
practical Christianity.
00:23:58.00\00:24:01.30
Paul has done
scripture arguments,
00:24:01.34\00:24:03.44
he's done other things.
00:24:03.47\00:24:05.11
He's come at the topic
of justification by faith
00:24:05.17\00:24:07.84
from many different angles,
00:24:07.88\00:24:09.21
but to me this
is just practical.
00:24:09.24\00:24:10.68
What you talked about is
00:24:10.71\00:24:12.05
what do we do
when someone falls?
00:24:12.11\00:24:13.45
That's practical Christianity.
00:24:13.48\00:24:14.92
That happens in the church.
00:24:14.98\00:24:17.25
What you talked
about, handling temptation.
00:24:17.29\00:24:19.59
What are you supposed to do?
00:24:19.62\00:24:20.96
That's practical.
00:24:20.99\00:24:22.32
And my part is
practical too on Tuesday.
00:24:22.36\00:24:24.26
We're in burden bearing.
00:24:24.29\00:24:25.79
Turn back to Galatians 6.
00:24:25.83\00:24:28.93
In Galatians 6, and I
was just telling Pastor Tom
00:24:28.96\00:24:31.73
before we started,
00:24:31.80\00:24:33.13
we have some of the same verses,
00:24:33.17\00:24:35.60
so hopefully we'll come at
it from a different perspective
00:24:35.67\00:24:38.14
because we don't really
know what's going to come forth.
00:24:38.17\00:24:41.08
Galatians 6, mine
is burden bearing,
00:24:41.11\00:24:44.15
and yours is the law of Christ.
00:24:44.18\00:24:45.68
And they're both
contained in the same verse.
00:24:45.71\00:24:48.15
Galatians 6:2,
00:24:48.18\00:24:50.35
"Bear one another's burdens
00:24:50.39\00:24:53.25
and so fulfill
the law of Christ."
00:24:53.29\00:24:56.93
The Greek word for burden,
00:24:56.96\00:24:58.29
the lesson
brought out is "baros".
00:24:58.36\00:25:00.53
It literally refers
to a heavy weight or load
00:25:00.56\00:25:03.87
that someone had
to carry a long time.
00:25:03.90\00:25:06.17
Not only that, it
could refer to the weariness
00:25:06.20\00:25:09.77
or the heavy
labor during the day,
00:25:09.80\00:25:12.57
a burden, trouble,
load, or even a moral fault.
00:25:12.61\00:25:16.88
And I know you
referred to that in verse 1,
00:25:16.91\00:25:19.41
being someone who would
slip up and slip into sin.
00:25:19.45\00:25:23.12
This word occurs six
times in the New Testament.
00:25:23.15\00:25:26.59
And when someone staggers,
00:25:26.62\00:25:29.09
we want to help steady the load.
00:25:29.12\00:25:31.56
If they're straining under it,
00:25:31.59\00:25:33.93
we want to help bear the burden.
00:25:33.96\00:25:36.20
If they stumble, we
want to lift them up.
00:25:36.23\00:25:39.97
Carrying
burdens, in ancient days
00:25:40.00\00:25:42.70
for a soldier or a
slave was mandatory.
00:25:42.74\00:25:46.17
But Paul is saying,
00:25:46.21\00:25:47.81
"Don't do it
because you have to,
00:25:47.84\00:25:49.81
do it to fulfill the law,"
00:25:49.84\00:25:51.68
what does it say, "So
fulfill the law of Christ."
00:25:51.75\00:25:54.02
Do it out of love for Christ.
00:25:54.05\00:25:56.08
It reminds me of Romans 13:10.
00:25:56.12\00:25:58.59
"Love does no
harm to a neighbor,
00:25:58.62\00:26:00.69
therefore, love is the
fulfilling of the law."
00:26:00.72\00:26:05.16
I remember, in college,
we did some agriculture work.
00:26:05.19\00:26:09.66
And one day, we had
all these hanging baskets,
00:26:09.70\00:26:14.27
and I don't
remember how big they were,
00:26:14.30\00:26:15.87
but they were full of
dirt, they had the plants.
00:26:15.90\00:26:18.24
We were transporting them.
00:26:18.31\00:26:20.04
My job was to reach down,
pick up the hanging basket,
00:26:20.08\00:26:23.71
and reach it out to
the person across the,
00:26:23.75\00:26:26.48
it was like a row
here across the aisle,
00:26:26.51\00:26:28.62
so I'm reaching out
with this heavy basket.
00:26:28.65\00:26:31.79
Now, it didn't seem
very heavy at the beginning.
00:26:31.82\00:26:34.76
It's only this.
That's not too bad.
00:26:34.79\00:26:37.66
We did these 10
baskets, 20 baskets,
00:26:37.69\00:26:41.66
50 baskets, a 100 baskets.
00:26:41.70\00:26:44.37
You know what started to happen?
00:26:44.40\00:26:46.07
I started to shake.
00:26:46.10\00:26:47.54
And I was kind of
embarrassed about it.
00:26:47.57\00:26:49.54
I'm reaching out with a basket
00:26:49.57\00:26:51.34
and the gentleman
who picked up the basket,
00:26:51.37\00:26:53.41
and incidentally,
00:26:53.44\00:26:54.78
he's a pastor now in
the Michigan Conference
00:26:54.81\00:26:56.68
and he's reaching to pick it up
00:26:56.71\00:26:58.35
and I'm going like
this, my hand literally,
00:26:58.41\00:27:00.75
because my muscles are so tired
from carrying those baskets.
00:27:00.78\00:27:04.75
And I was embarrassed.
00:27:04.79\00:27:06.15
I thought, "Jill,
surely you can do this."
00:27:06.19\00:27:09.36
But I couldn't and I
could not stop the shake.
00:27:09.39\00:27:11.59
And I'm going like this
00:27:11.63\00:27:12.96
and he says, "Sister Jill,
I see what's going on here.
00:27:12.99\00:27:17.03
The burden is becoming heavy."
00:27:17.07\00:27:20.84
So Paul says, "Bear
you one another's burdens."
00:27:20.87\00:27:24.41
There's one other
thing I want to look at.
00:27:24.44\00:27:26.37
And then we'll
look at the burdens
00:27:26.41\00:27:27.74
that we carry for each other.
00:27:27.78\00:27:29.68
It says, "Bear one
another's burdens."
00:27:29.71\00:27:33.68
In the Greek, you know in
the Greek, you look at it.
00:27:33.72\00:27:35.82
And sometimes, it
says it's a noun or a verb.
00:27:35.88\00:27:39.29
This is a reciprocal pronoun.
00:27:39.32\00:27:43.22
Now if you think
about a reciprocal pronoun,
00:27:43.26\00:27:46.23
that would be used to indicate
00:27:46.26\00:27:47.60
two or more people
carrying out an action
00:27:47.66\00:27:49.90
but they both receive benefits
00:27:49.93\00:27:52.30
or consequences of that action.
00:27:52.33\00:27:54.90
For instance,
Brother Johnny, I could say,
00:27:54.97\00:27:57.17
"You and I are
talking to each other,"
00:27:57.21\00:27:59.71
meaning, I'm talking
but you're talking as well.
00:27:59.74\00:28:02.81
Or I could say,
"Shelley, we are...
00:28:02.84\00:28:05.15
You and I are
giving each other gifts,"
00:28:05.21\00:28:07.78
meaning, I give you a gift
00:28:07.82\00:28:09.52
but you give me a gift as well.
00:28:09.55\00:28:10.99
So I think, that's
important to keep in mind
00:28:11.02\00:28:13.39
when we look at Galatians 2.
00:28:13.42\00:28:15.46
Paul is not saying,
00:28:15.52\00:28:16.86
"I'm supposed to
bear Pastor Tom's burdens
00:28:16.89\00:28:19.49
and then he goes his merry way,
00:28:19.53\00:28:21.06
and then I bear
Pastor CA's burdens
00:28:21.10\00:28:23.57
and he goes on his way,
00:28:23.60\00:28:24.93
and then I bear
Brother Johnny's burdens,"
00:28:24.97\00:28:27.04
we're supposed to
bear each other's burdens.
00:28:27.07\00:28:31.84
What burdens do we carry?
00:28:31.87\00:28:33.21
Of course, there
is the burden of sin.
00:28:33.24\00:28:34.78
You touched on that, Shelley,
if someone slips up into sin,
00:28:34.81\00:28:38.48
there's that burden of sin.
00:28:38.51\00:28:40.98
There is also a
burden of sickness.
00:28:41.02\00:28:43.59
I think of the paralytic,
00:28:43.62\00:28:44.95
remember the four men
who came and helped carry,
00:28:44.99\00:28:49.29
they broke open the roof
00:28:49.32\00:28:50.89
where Jesus was teaching
00:28:50.93\00:28:52.29
and they lowered that down.
00:28:52.36\00:28:54.83
They literally carried him,
00:28:54.86\00:28:56.93
bore his burden,
carrying him to Jesus.
00:28:56.97\00:28:59.40
Now he had a heavy burden of sin
00:28:59.43\00:29:01.50
and he bore that weight.
00:29:01.54\00:29:03.07
So that's why Jesus said,
00:29:03.10\00:29:04.44
"First your sins
are forgiven you."
00:29:04.47\00:29:06.27
But He also had
the burden of sickness
00:29:06.31\00:29:09.01
that Jesus healed as well.
00:29:09.04\00:29:11.61
Sometimes it's a
moral or spiritual burden,
00:29:11.65\00:29:14.25
maybe it's the
burden of guilt or shame,
00:29:14.28\00:29:16.38
or it could even be
financial or employment
00:29:16.42\00:29:19.42
or some other burden,
00:29:19.45\00:29:21.22
so how do we carry
someone else's burdens?
00:29:21.26\00:29:25.06
I don't know.
00:29:25.09\00:29:26.43
Sometimes I think we become busy
00:29:26.46\00:29:29.70
and it's hard to
see outside yourself
00:29:29.73\00:29:32.30
and see when
someone else is struggling,
00:29:32.37\00:29:35.84
someone else has a
burden that they are bearing.
00:29:35.87\00:29:38.27
Not only that, I believe
that because of media today
00:29:38.31\00:29:42.41
we are overloaded,
00:29:42.48\00:29:44.51
you could say, with the
burdens of everyone in society.
00:29:44.55\00:29:48.92
Remember Jesus said,
"Don't worry about tomorrow.
00:29:48.95\00:29:52.29
Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof."
00:29:52.32\00:29:54.49
But you think about what
did they know about evil.
00:29:54.52\00:29:57.03
They knew in their own
immediate family circle,
00:29:57.06\00:29:59.36
they would know in
their synagogue or temple
00:29:59.43\00:30:01.63
what was going on, and perhaps
if something happened in Rome
00:30:01.66\00:30:05.27
that was of vital importance
they would hear about it
00:30:05.33\00:30:07.94
if the news would filter to them
00:30:07.97\00:30:09.40
and they would find out.
00:30:09.44\00:30:10.77
But today we
find out everywhere,
00:30:10.81\00:30:13.98
all over the world
00:30:14.01\00:30:15.54
someone was
killed, someone went in
00:30:15.58\00:30:17.35
and there was
this school shootings,
00:30:17.38\00:30:18.81
someone was
raped, someone was...
00:30:18.85\00:30:20.75
a constantly instead of
just your own little circle
00:30:20.78\00:30:23.69
we're bombarded with that.
00:30:23.72\00:30:25.29
And I think because of
that we become almost apathetic
00:30:25.35\00:30:29.52
or indifferent to the burdens
of our brothers and sisters,
00:30:29.56\00:30:34.56
so I think the beautiful thing
00:30:34.56\00:30:37.33
if God calls us to
bear each other's burdens
00:30:37.37\00:30:40.30
and I'm apathetic
00:30:40.34\00:30:41.90
or I'm too busy
and I look inward,
00:30:41.97\00:30:45.34
God calls me to look
at my brother and sister
00:30:45.37\00:30:48.91
instead of turning in.
00:30:48.94\00:30:50.28
But let's look at Philippians.
Philippians 2, verses...
00:30:50.31\00:30:55.98
we'll read more than verse 4.
00:30:56.05\00:30:59.02
I love this
passage, the mind of Christ.
00:30:59.05\00:31:04.73
Philippians 2:2,
00:31:04.76\00:31:08.53
"Fulfill my joy
by being likeminded,
00:31:08.56\00:31:11.93
having the same love,
00:31:12.00\00:31:14.07
being of one
accord, of one mind.
00:31:14.10\00:31:17.11
Let nothing be done
00:31:17.14\00:31:18.64
through selfish
ambition or conceit,
00:31:18.67\00:31:21.11
but in lowliness of
mind, let each esteem others
00:31:21.14\00:31:23.88
better than himself.
00:31:23.91\00:31:26.28
Let each of you look out
not only for his own interest,
00:31:26.31\00:31:29.68
but also for the
interest of others."
00:31:29.72\00:31:31.95
And then verse 5,
00:31:32.02\00:31:33.36
"Let this mind be in you
which was in Christ Jesus."
00:31:33.39\00:31:36.09
So God calls us to get
out of my own self-interest,
00:31:36.12\00:31:40.03
my own busyness,
my own burdens even,
00:31:40.06\00:31:43.63
and look at the
needs of other people,
00:31:43.67\00:31:47.64
bear each other's burdens.
00:31:47.67\00:31:49.50
But in addition we
talked about in Galatians 2,
00:31:49.54\00:31:51.94
we're to bear each other,
00:31:52.01\00:31:53.34
so it's not only me reaching out
00:31:53.38\00:31:55.71
and bearing
someone else's burden,
00:31:55.78\00:31:58.28
now to do that we
could pray for the person,
00:31:58.31\00:32:00.88
we could not gossip about
them, we could not judge them
00:32:00.92\00:32:05.22
but to reach out in
love, in gentleness.
00:32:05.25\00:32:08.32
Maybe they need help,
00:32:08.36\00:32:09.69
maybe we could
reach out physically
00:32:09.72\00:32:11.33
and do some
physical help as well,
00:32:11.36\00:32:14.00
but not only does
God call us to reach out,
00:32:14.00\00:32:17.13
we are to give other people
00:32:17.17\00:32:18.67
we could say the privilege
of bearing our burdens.
00:32:18.70\00:32:22.54
Now I'm just
being honest with you.
00:32:22.57\00:32:24.17
This is a difficult one for me.
00:32:24.21\00:32:26.21
It's easier for me to
say, "Oh, what's your issue
00:32:26.24\00:32:30.41
and let me pray for you."
00:32:30.45\00:32:31.95
But it's difficult for
me to sometimes open up
00:32:31.98\00:32:36.82
and to share, "You know what?
00:32:36.85\00:32:38.35
I'm struggling here. Or
I need special prayer here.
00:32:38.39\00:32:42.56
I'm having a burden here."
00:32:42.59\00:32:44.69
I think certain things keep me
00:32:44.73\00:32:47.30
from allowing other
people to carry my burden.
00:32:47.36\00:32:49.70
Sometimes it's my pride,
00:32:49.73\00:32:51.43
I want to seem like
I got it all together
00:32:51.47\00:32:53.40
and I don't want to tell people,
00:32:53.44\00:32:55.07
in my own self-sufficiency
I got this, I can do this,
00:32:55.10\00:32:59.21
sometimes it's my shame
and guilt over something,
00:32:59.27\00:33:02.71
and sometimes it may be
fear or can I trust this person,
00:33:02.74\00:33:07.65
and that's a very valid concern
00:33:07.68\00:33:10.22
because not
everyone can bear a burden,
00:33:10.25\00:33:13.22
not everyone we
should trust our stuff with.
00:33:13.25\00:33:17.26
So that's the thing too to find,
00:33:17.29\00:33:20.03
who is safe, and
who we can trust with.
00:33:20.06\00:33:21.96
So I think Paul's
counsel to the Galatians church
00:33:22.00\00:33:24.87
here is to bear
each other's burdens
00:33:24.90\00:33:27.87
and by doing that, we
fulfill the Law of Christ
00:33:27.90\00:33:30.21
which is esteeming other
people as better than ourselves.
00:33:30.24\00:33:33.34
Pastor, Tom.
00:33:33.38\00:33:34.71
Well, before I get
into what I was going to do,
00:33:34.74\00:33:36.08
I just want to say that I
think as you grow as a Christian
00:33:36.14\00:33:38.71
and in pastoral ministry
00:33:38.75\00:33:40.08
you got to watch
out for what you said
00:33:40.12\00:33:41.45
being too proud
to be ministered to
00:33:41.48\00:33:43.32
because you're busy
giving, giving, giving,
00:33:43.35\00:33:45.49
and that is if you see someone
00:33:45.55\00:33:48.39
that maybe
struggles with depression,
00:33:48.42\00:33:51.23
make sure you
reach and encourage them.
00:33:51.26\00:33:52.93
If the Holy Spirit
pricks your conscience,
00:33:52.96\00:33:55.20
just do something for them.
00:33:55.23\00:33:56.93
Maybe it's a
shut in that's lonely
00:33:56.97\00:33:59.00
and you know that no
one's recalling them,
00:33:59.03\00:34:01.44
no one's reaching out,
00:34:01.47\00:34:03.14
not only encourage
others but do it yourself.
00:34:03.17\00:34:05.87
If it's someone that hasn't
been in church for a while,
00:34:05.91\00:34:08.11
maybe it's a single parent,
00:34:08.14\00:34:09.91
you find that things
are happening around you
00:34:09.94\00:34:12.75
and if you have a ministry
mindset in your thinking
00:34:12.81\00:34:15.68
that you are loving people
00:34:15.72\00:34:17.05
as God would
calls us to love them,
00:34:17.09\00:34:18.42
He's empowering you to do so,
00:34:18.45\00:34:19.99
you're sensitive to all of that
00:34:20.02\00:34:21.99
and that's what
I wanted to share.
00:34:22.02\00:34:24.33
Let's go to Matthew 22,
00:34:24.36\00:34:28.00
the law of Christ...
00:34:28.03\00:34:29.90
and I want us to
look at verses 37-39.
00:34:33.57\00:34:39.17
But before we start reading it,
00:34:39.24\00:34:40.68
I was wondering if, Pastor John,
00:34:40.71\00:34:42.94
if you'd be willing
to read those verses
00:34:43.01\00:34:44.48
when we get into that.
00:34:44.51\00:34:46.08
But you know
what's happening here
00:34:46.11\00:34:47.45
is there's an
argument taking place.
00:34:47.48\00:34:49.55
The Sadducees and Pharisees
are trying to trip Jesus up,
00:34:49.58\00:34:52.82
they're trying to get Him.
00:34:52.85\00:34:54.19
Now, there's about 630 laws
00:34:54.22\00:34:56.32
and they're
arguing the finer points.
00:34:56.36\00:34:58.36
I think there's five
different sects or groups
00:34:58.39\00:35:00.36
that are actually
arguing the finer points.
00:35:00.40\00:35:02.00
It was one of their exercises
to get into this debate
00:35:02.06\00:35:05.73
at what was the most important.
00:35:05.80\00:35:07.14
Well, then
there's the rogue Jesus.
00:35:07.17\00:35:09.37
Let's see what He has to say.
00:35:09.40\00:35:11.41
So the question is,
what is the greatest law?
00:35:11.44\00:35:14.51
And let's go ahead
and read what He says.
00:35:14.54\00:35:17.55
This is the law of Christ, now.
00:35:17.58\00:35:19.58
Matthew 20...?
00:35:19.61\00:35:20.95
22:37-39. Very good.
00:35:20.98\00:35:24.19
"Jesus said to him,
00:35:24.22\00:35:26.02
'You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart
00:35:26.05\00:35:29.22
and all your soul
and with all your mind,
00:35:29.29\00:35:31.53
this is the first
and great commandment
00:35:31.56\00:35:33.40
and the second is like it:
00:35:33.43\00:35:34.96
You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."'
00:35:35.00\00:35:38.37
And then He says that,
00:35:38.40\00:35:39.73
"On these two commandments
00:35:39.77\00:35:41.10
hang all the law
and the prophets."
00:35:41.14\00:35:43.77
It sums it all up.
00:35:43.81\00:35:45.54
And it's interesting
because He's quoting,
00:35:45.61\00:35:47.51
is He quoting from the
New Testament by the way?
00:35:47.54\00:35:49.48
It didn't exist then?
00:35:49.51\00:35:50.85
He's quoting from
the Old Testament.
00:35:50.88\00:35:52.25
That's right.
00:35:52.28\00:35:53.62
And, of course, they
tell me He's answering well,
00:35:53.65\00:35:56.12
this is a great answer.
00:35:56.15\00:35:57.49
But He's saying to them
00:35:57.52\00:35:59.09
the first thing
of the law of Jesus
00:35:59.12\00:36:00.96
was to love the Father
00:36:00.99\00:36:02.92
with all of his
heart, mind, and soul.
00:36:02.96\00:36:04.99
And the second thing,
that is a product of that,
00:36:05.03\00:36:08.36
is to love the
neighbor as himself.
00:36:08.40\00:36:11.07
And what an amazing...
00:36:11.10\00:36:12.67
Not only call on His
life but a call on our lives
00:36:12.70\00:36:15.57
to be like Christ in all things.
00:36:15.64\00:36:18.01
And love...
00:36:18.04\00:36:20.41
He also says in John 15:12,
00:36:20.44\00:36:23.08
"To love one another
as I have loved you."
00:36:23.11\00:36:25.41
Let's go to John 15.
00:36:25.45\00:36:27.02
And verse...
00:36:30.52\00:36:31.85
Let's read verse 12 and 13.
00:36:31.89\00:36:33.76
Jill, would you be so kind.
00:36:33.79\00:36:35.56
"This is My commandment,
00:36:35.59\00:36:36.93
that you love one
another as I have loved you.
00:36:36.96\00:36:40.40
Greater love
has no one than this
00:36:40.43\00:36:43.23
than to lay down
one's life for his friends."
00:36:43.26\00:36:45.97
Lay down your
life for your friends.
00:36:46.03\00:36:48.84
And in other words
don't be so self-absorbed
00:36:48.90\00:36:52.37
that you're
insensitive to the needs
00:36:52.41\00:36:53.74
of the people around you.
00:36:53.78\00:36:55.11
Lay down your
life for your friends.
00:36:55.14\00:36:56.48
And God's call
to that is different
00:36:56.51\00:36:58.08
at different times in our lives.
00:36:58.11\00:36:59.81
And it is a reciprocal thing,
as it was mentioned before.
00:36:59.85\00:37:03.52
If it's a one-way street,
00:37:03.55\00:37:04.95
you're wearing
out one of the saints
00:37:04.99\00:37:06.69
in order to have
another saint feel totally full,
00:37:06.72\00:37:09.66
and eventually you
burn out from that and you,
00:37:09.69\00:37:12.09
sometimes you retract
00:37:12.13\00:37:13.56
and you don't
want to do it again.
00:37:13.60\00:37:15.03
But it's a reciprocal thing
00:37:15.06\00:37:16.40
if everyone is
responding to the Spirit.
00:37:16.46\00:37:20.00
You know, in Micah
6:8, God says to love mercy.
00:37:20.04\00:37:23.87
In Matthew 5:44, He
says, love your enemies.
00:37:23.91\00:37:27.98
Let's go to Matthew 5.
00:37:28.01\00:37:34.02
And we're going
to look at verse 44.
00:37:34.05\00:37:36.32
5:44? Yeah.
00:37:40.62\00:37:43.26
"But I say to
you, love your enemies,
00:37:43.29\00:37:47.30
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
00:37:47.36\00:37:51.73
and pray for those
00:37:51.77\00:37:53.10
who spitefully use
and persecute you."
00:37:53.13\00:37:56.07
Wow.
00:37:56.10\00:37:57.44
You know, it made me
go to something else.
00:37:57.47\00:37:59.44
I thought about
that and I thought
00:37:59.47\00:38:01.88
well there's another
verse in a different study
00:38:01.91\00:38:04.08
that I had looked up
00:38:04.11\00:38:05.45
and I believe it was
earlier in our quarter
00:38:05.48\00:38:07.35
and I was preparing to
present wasn't involved,
00:38:07.38\00:38:10.79
but I looked it
up for preparation.
00:38:10.82\00:38:13.05
Let's go to Proverbs 25.
00:38:13.09\00:38:14.82
And we're going to
look at verses 21 and 22.
00:38:19.89\00:38:22.43
Proverbs 25
beginning with verse 21
00:38:27.34\00:38:30.17
and, Pastor CA, would
you be so kind to read that?
00:38:30.21\00:38:34.44
"If your enemy is
hungry, give him bread to eat,
00:38:34.48\00:38:37.81
and if he is thirsty,
give him water to drink."
00:38:37.85\00:38:41.12
22, "For so, you will heap
00:38:41.15\00:38:46.99
coals of fire on his head,
00:38:47.02\00:38:49.52
and the Lord will reward you."
00:38:49.59\00:38:51.93
That reminds me of
on a previous lesson
00:38:51.96\00:38:54.00
when Shelley was saying,
"I don't get mad, I get even."
00:38:54.00\00:38:56.67
You know, it's sort of
like you could read that...
00:38:56.70\00:38:58.43
I didn't say that,
I ever said, I'd say.
00:38:58.47\00:38:59.80
No, no, no, no. I
knew she was wrong.
00:38:59.87\00:39:01.97
No, no, no, no, that's not me...
00:39:02.00\00:39:03.41
I knew that was
coming. Yes, I also...
00:39:03.44\00:39:04.77
Least favorite statement. Yeah.
00:39:04.81\00:39:06.54
Sorry. Sorry.
00:39:06.57\00:39:07.91
I have to be
very exact, I forgot.
00:39:07.94\00:39:09.71
Yes.
00:39:09.74\00:39:11.08
Yes, she does not like
that statement but referenced it
00:39:11.11\00:39:13.62
that a lot of times we say
we don't get mad, we get even.
00:39:13.65\00:39:16.25
And this text here, if
you're in that mindset,
00:39:16.28\00:39:18.09
you read that and you go,
00:39:18.12\00:39:19.45
"All right, coals on their head
and God's going to reward me
00:39:19.52\00:39:23.22
because I'm doing stuff
that is really contrary."
00:39:23.29\00:39:26.19
But is that really
what God is saying?
00:39:26.26\00:39:28.06
As a matter of
fact, if you go to,
00:39:28.10\00:39:29.50
let's go to Romans 12.
00:39:29.53\00:39:31.50
Could I add something
here? Yes, go right ahead.
00:39:31.53\00:39:33.27
Did you know
that during that time
00:39:33.30\00:39:36.84
when someone was
walking in repentance,
00:39:36.87\00:39:39.41
they would tie
this pan to their head
00:39:39.44\00:39:43.28
and they would put
coals of fire on their head
00:39:43.31\00:39:46.85
and that meant they
were walking in repentance.
00:39:46.88\00:39:49.45
So when he's saying that
when you are good to your enemy
00:39:49.52\00:39:53.52
and that is
heaping coals of fire,
00:39:53.56\00:39:56.66
that's what
brings him to repentance,
00:39:56.69\00:39:58.43
that's what, you
know, softens their heart
00:39:58.46\00:40:01.33
'cause suddenly they realize...
00:40:01.36\00:40:03.97
Thank you for sharing that
00:40:04.00\00:40:05.33
because I was
doing a study on it.
00:40:05.37\00:40:06.70
I'm going to
share some of the things
00:40:06.74\00:40:08.07
I came up with.
00:40:08.10\00:40:09.44
What you said is a
great background to that.
00:40:09.50\00:40:11.57
Let's go to Romans 12:20-21.
00:40:11.61\00:40:16.85
Shelley, would you, obviously
be kind to us to read that one?
00:40:16.88\00:40:18.31
Yes.
00:40:18.35\00:40:19.71
Romans 12:20-21 says this,
00:40:19.75\00:40:24.45
"Well said, because of
unbelief they were broken off
00:40:24.49\00:40:27.62
and you stand by
faith do not be haughty
00:40:27.66\00:40:30.59
but fear for if God did not..."
00:40:30.63\00:40:33.03
Is that Romans 12?
00:40:33.09\00:40:34.40
That's a beautiful
text but it's not Romans...
00:40:34.46\00:40:35.76
Romans 11 is where I'm
reading. It's still a good text.
00:40:35.80\00:40:39.20
Romans 12...
00:40:39.23\00:40:41.17
That happens to
all of us, doesn't it?
00:40:41.20\00:40:42.97
20, 21.
00:40:43.00\00:40:44.34
"Therefore if your
enemy is hungry feed him,
00:40:44.37\00:40:46.78
if he's thirsty
give him a drink.
00:40:46.81\00:40:48.71
For in doing this you will
heap coals of fire on his head.
00:40:48.74\00:40:53.45
Do not be overcome by evil
but overcome evil with good."
00:40:53.48\00:40:57.45
So there's an overcoming evil
00:40:57.49\00:40:59.32
that is occurring as a
result of the ill will.
00:40:59.35\00:41:01.42
You know, one of the things
00:41:01.46\00:41:02.79
that I get out
of our commentaries
00:41:02.86\00:41:04.26
as I was reading through this is
00:41:04.29\00:41:05.63
coals will burn up the
ill will of the offender.
00:41:05.66\00:41:09.83
Amen. Okay?
00:41:09.86\00:41:11.20
And that is
where the commentators,
00:41:11.23\00:41:13.03
kind of, settle on that.
00:41:13.10\00:41:14.44
Now, I'm going to do
something a little risky,
00:41:14.47\00:41:16.07
I'm going to go a
little further on that
00:41:16.10\00:41:17.51
because remember
what Jesus on the cross,
00:41:17.54\00:41:20.94
what did He say?
Forgive them for...
00:41:20.98\00:41:23.41
"Forgive them for they
know not what they do."
00:41:23.45\00:41:26.18
Yeah.
00:41:26.21\00:41:27.55
So when you do good to
someone who's your enemy,
00:41:27.58\00:41:30.29
you're actually forgiving them.
00:41:30.32\00:41:32.72
It's actually... it's a...
00:41:32.75\00:41:34.36
it has a
transformational effect.
00:41:34.39\00:41:36.79
It does. Amen.
00:41:36.83\00:41:38.16
Okay?
00:41:38.19\00:41:39.56
And then we see that
that is not only something
00:41:39.59\00:41:40.93
that Jesus was able
to do, it's something
00:41:40.96\00:41:43.00
that His followers
are able to do, Stephen,
00:41:43.03\00:41:46.07
he says, "Do not hold
this sin against them."
00:41:46.10\00:41:48.97
Now, who was in the
crowd when Stephen said that?
00:41:49.00\00:41:51.41
Paul. Saul.
00:41:51.44\00:41:52.81
Saul turned Paul.
00:41:52.84\00:41:54.18
And it had, as a matter of fact,
00:41:54.21\00:41:56.48
if you read in
Acts of the Apostles
00:41:56.51\00:41:58.81
you discover that when Stephen
went through that experience
00:41:58.85\00:42:01.75
and Paul saw it, it
had an impact on him.
00:42:01.78\00:42:03.59
Yes. It did. Yes.
00:42:03.62\00:42:04.95
That eventually he was
thinking through things,
00:42:04.99\00:42:07.06
it did not have a
full converting effect
00:42:07.09\00:42:09.19
but the encounter
with Christ thereafter did,
00:42:09.22\00:42:11.56
so that was
transformational forgiveness,
00:42:11.59\00:42:15.63
which will
bring that repentance.
00:42:15.66\00:42:17.97
In other words, why
is it that we love God?
00:42:18.00\00:42:20.64
Because He first loved us.
00:42:20.67\00:42:22.64
He calls us His friends.
00:42:22.67\00:42:24.01
The wretched refuse that we are,
00:42:24.04\00:42:25.67
we are His friends
that He will die for.
00:42:25.71\00:42:28.18
And I look at the fact that
when we are good to the enemy,
00:42:28.21\00:42:32.85
we're actually
all enemies of God
00:42:32.88\00:42:35.95
and He is good to us
00:42:36.02\00:42:37.52
and it has a
transformational effect on us.
00:42:37.55\00:42:40.52
He can actually through
us, through that forgiveness
00:42:40.56\00:42:43.96
that He gives us
towards someone else
00:42:43.99\00:42:45.63
which is truly forgiving
them that only He can produce,
00:42:45.66\00:42:48.80
that will have a
transformational effect
00:42:48.83\00:42:50.40
on them.
00:42:50.43\00:42:51.77
Amen.
00:42:51.80\00:42:53.13
And it can be someone
who maybe is your spouse
00:42:53.17\00:42:55.34
who is not
converted, that is abusive,
00:42:55.37\00:42:59.07
and under the wrong spirit,
00:42:59.11\00:43:00.51
the spirit of the enemy,
00:43:00.54\00:43:01.88
you exercise that
forgiving spirit towards them
00:43:01.91\00:43:03.95
and in time it will
have a converting effect.
00:43:03.98\00:43:07.02
They can be your co-worker
00:43:07.05\00:43:08.98
that maybe or
maybe your immediate boss
00:43:09.02\00:43:12.35
that just feels
this is their chance
00:43:12.39\00:43:14.82
to be bullying
everyone else around them.
00:43:14.86\00:43:17.33
You can have a transformational
effect on those around you
00:43:17.36\00:43:21.13
that do not know God
00:43:21.16\00:43:22.86
and maybe some of them
are even in the church.
00:43:22.90\00:43:26.13
And it's something
that God calls us to.
00:43:26.17\00:43:29.24
This is the law of Christ.
00:43:29.30\00:43:30.94
The love of God with all
your heart, mind, and soul
00:43:30.97\00:43:33.48
and love your enemy, I
mean, love your neighbor,
00:43:33.51\00:43:36.85
and the ultimate
is to love the enemy.
00:43:36.88\00:43:38.88
Amen.
00:43:38.91\00:43:40.25
And Abraham Lincoln,
I think, it was said,
00:43:40.28\00:43:42.02
how do you destroy your enemies?
00:43:42.05\00:43:44.69
You know, by
making them your friends.
00:43:44.72\00:43:47.99
And you know, he had an opponent
00:43:48.02\00:43:50.36
that fought him tooth and nail
00:43:50.39\00:43:51.86
that later on he
had in his cabinet.
00:43:51.89\00:43:53.76
And they asked him why?
00:43:53.80\00:43:55.10
"It's because
he's good at his job."
00:43:55.13\00:43:56.67
And God sees what we can be,
00:43:56.73\00:43:59.07
not where we are apart from Him.
00:43:59.10\00:44:00.90
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:44:00.94\00:44:02.27
Amen. Well said.
00:44:02.30\00:44:04.77
Thursday we deal
with sowing and reaping.
00:44:04.81\00:44:08.84
And as has been stated,
00:44:08.88\00:44:14.25
Paul is moving into
pragmatic Christianity,
00:44:14.28\00:44:18.22
just bedrock,
00:44:18.25\00:44:19.59
rubber meets the
road applied Christianity.
00:44:19.65\00:44:23.02
And I need to say this
idea of sowing and reaping
00:44:23.06\00:44:25.29
is really a transcultural idea.
00:44:25.33\00:44:27.86
Paul has it here but
there were other cultures
00:44:27.93\00:44:29.56
that had that same idea
that you reap what you sow.
00:44:29.63\00:44:32.17
And perhaps the
Galatians had even been familiar
00:44:32.20\00:44:36.47
with this kind of idea
00:44:36.50\00:44:38.31
because there
were several cultures
00:44:38.34\00:44:39.77
that had this idea
00:44:39.84\00:44:41.18
that you don't sort
of get off scot-free.
00:44:41.21\00:44:43.21
You can't put out
a lot of negativity
00:44:43.24\00:44:44.71
and expect positive
to come back to you.
00:44:44.75\00:44:47.65
I want to read Galatians 6
00:44:47.68\00:44:52.75
and we're picking up,
00:44:52.82\00:44:55.32
or we'll go 6 through 9
00:44:55.36\00:44:56.73
since we read 10 as
our scripture lesson,
00:44:56.79\00:44:58.99
our memory text
a little bit ago.
00:44:59.03\00:45:00.60
To him, who has
taught the word share
00:45:00.63\00:45:03.57
in all good things,
with him who teaches.
00:45:03.60\00:45:07.54
"Do not be deceived.
00:45:07.57\00:45:08.90
God is not mocked,
00:45:08.94\00:45:10.37
for whatever a man sows
that he will also reap."
00:45:10.41\00:45:13.34
I'm reading from
the New King James.
00:45:13.38\00:45:15.54
"For he who sows to his flesh
00:45:15.58\00:45:17.25
will of the
flesh reap corruption,
00:45:17.28\00:45:20.08
but he who sows to the Spirit
00:45:20.12\00:45:22.05
will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life."
00:45:22.08\00:45:24.52
And 9, "And let us not
grow weary while doing good,
00:45:24.55\00:45:29.99
for in due season we shall
reap if we do not lose heart."
00:45:30.03\00:45:35.66
Amen.
00:45:35.70\00:45:37.47
The lesson talks
about this word mocked
00:45:37.50\00:45:40.77
or God is not mocked.
00:45:40.80\00:45:42.84
Mukterizo, it occurs
only here in the New Testament
00:45:42.87\00:45:47.48
which I found was interesting
00:45:47.51\00:45:49.11
though it often appears
00:45:49.14\00:45:50.68
in the Greek translation
of the Old Testament.
00:45:50.71\00:45:54.15
It means
literally the lesson gives
00:45:54.18\00:45:56.95
to turn one's
nose up in contempt.
00:45:57.02\00:45:59.89
Now, that's a uniquely
American kind of thing,
00:45:59.92\00:46:02.92
you know, the
turning your nose up.
00:46:02.96\00:46:04.63
So I did a little
research into the root word,
00:46:04.66\00:46:07.60
which I found is
very interesting.
00:46:07.66\00:46:09.90
It comes from a root
00:46:09.93\00:46:12.10
that means the
bellowing of an animal.
00:46:12.13\00:46:15.80
The lowing of a cow or
the loud noise of an animal
00:46:15.84\00:46:19.11
or noise coming from
the snout of an animal
00:46:19.14\00:46:22.88
which I thought was
very, very interesting that,
00:46:22.91\00:46:26.35
this distasteful noise
that comes from an animal.
00:46:26.38\00:46:33.19
Jeremiah 30:7
talks about this also.
00:46:33.22\00:46:38.53
Jeremiah says
everybody derides me,
00:46:38.56\00:46:39.93
of course, you know,
00:46:39.96\00:46:41.26
Jeremiah's
ministry was a tough one
00:46:41.30\00:46:42.76
because he was trying to
correct some evils and ills
00:46:42.80\00:46:46.43
that had become
resident in Jewish society
00:46:46.47\00:46:48.47
and he's pushing
back against that.
00:46:48.50\00:46:50.11
So he's saying
everybody is deriding me
00:46:50.14\00:46:52.57
and everybody is mocking me.
00:46:52.61\00:46:55.41
The Hebrew word there is lawag
00:46:55.44\00:47:02.42
and it means
interestingly enough
00:47:02.45\00:47:06.39
it has to do with derision,
00:47:06.42\00:47:08.52
but also acting
like a foreigner.
00:47:08.56\00:47:12.46
It's sort of a pejorative
term that when you mock someone,
00:47:12.49\00:47:17.50
you're acting like a foreigner,
00:47:17.53\00:47:18.87
and it kind of shows
sadly the contempt sometimes
00:47:18.90\00:47:21.64
which the Jewish
nation had for foreign people.
00:47:21.67\00:47:24.04
But that's, you
are speaking babble,
00:47:24.07\00:47:26.47
you're acting like a foreigner,
you're acting uncharacteristic
00:47:26.51\00:47:29.44
and that's what
Jeremiah was trying to say.
00:47:29.48\00:47:33.82
And then we have another
text in 2 Chronicles 36:16,
00:47:33.85\00:47:37.49
won't take time to go to that.
00:47:37.52\00:47:38.95
But there is a point
in lesson I want to say.
00:47:38.99\00:47:42.02
I want you to take a look at.
00:47:42.06\00:47:43.43
Paul's point is that
people may ignore God
00:47:43.46\00:47:46.59
or even flout His commandments,
but they cannot outwit God.
00:47:46.63\00:47:51.87
I remember once I got
a pretty good spanking
00:47:51.90\00:47:55.20
and I think I got extra lashes
00:47:55.24\00:47:58.34
because my father thought
I was trying to outfox him.
00:47:58.37\00:48:02.21
It wasn't that you
committed this infraction,
00:48:02.24\00:48:04.88
that's bad enough, but
now you think I'm stupid,
00:48:04.91\00:48:07.52
you know, and so,
00:48:07.55\00:48:09.68
I'm going to tap you
a couple of extra times
00:48:09.72\00:48:11.65
because you think
I'm as dumb as you
00:48:11.69\00:48:13.46
and you know that kind of thing,
00:48:13.49\00:48:15.79
basically I lived a little long,
00:48:15.82\00:48:17.16
you know, I've seen this before,
00:48:17.23\00:48:18.56
you know, so you can't do that.
00:48:18.59\00:48:20.96
So Paul's point is
here that you can ignore
00:48:21.00\00:48:25.80
and you can front,
but you can't outwit Him.
00:48:25.83\00:48:29.34
If we can keep
records on computer,
00:48:29.37\00:48:31.11
certainly God can
keep records of our lives.
00:48:31.14\00:48:34.78
He is the ultimate judge,
and in the end we'll have to...
00:48:34.81\00:48:39.98
And in the end we'll
have to pay the price
00:48:40.02\00:48:42.75
for their actions.
00:48:42.78\00:48:47.12
Paul goes on to talk
about sowing to the flesh
00:48:47.16\00:48:51.43
and reaping in the flesh
00:48:51.46\00:48:53.16
and the examples
that he gives are,
00:48:53.19\00:48:54.93
they're really too
long to have us to read
00:48:54.93\00:48:57.20
but in Acts 5:1-5,
00:48:57.23\00:49:00.14
you know, we're dealing
with Ananias and Sapphira story.
00:49:00.17\00:49:03.00
Yes. Oh, yes.
00:49:03.04\00:49:04.44
And what's sad about that is
00:49:04.47\00:49:06.11
they conspired among themselves
to hold back the price
00:49:06.14\00:49:09.71
and they didn't have to.
00:49:09.74\00:49:11.08
There was no reason
to develop that cabal.
00:49:11.11\00:49:16.05
You can give what you want.
00:49:16.08\00:49:17.42
You know, you sell a
land, I'm going to give you half
00:49:17.45\00:49:19.05
and I'm going to keep half
for a rainy day or whatever
00:49:19.09\00:49:21.29
but then to say
I'm giving you all
00:49:21.32\00:49:22.82
and then hold it
back, you know...
00:49:22.86\00:49:26.86
you're lying to the Holy Spirit
00:49:26.90\00:49:28.70
because I don't know
what's in your heart.
00:49:28.73\00:49:30.40
So the only person that knows
the truth is the Holy Spirit,
00:49:30.43\00:49:32.63
you're not lying to
me, you're lying to God.
00:49:32.67\00:49:34.44
And I think one of
the things we can say
00:49:34.47\00:49:37.07
is that anytime we prevaricate,
anytime we lie, anytime we sin,
00:49:37.14\00:49:42.54
there is an object to that sin.
00:49:42.58\00:49:45.78
But the ultimate
object is to, is to God.
00:49:45.81\00:49:49.52
Joseph said how can I sin
and do this great wickedness
00:49:49.55\00:49:52.52
and sin against God.
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.79
So the ultimate
accountability is to God.
00:49:54.82\00:49:59.83
Luke 22:3
00:49:59.86\00:50:03.37
is the betrayal
of Judas on Christ.
00:50:03.40\00:50:08.27
Again, if you look
at the overall context,
00:50:08.30\00:50:11.77
he figured he's
making a pretty good bargain.
00:50:11.81\00:50:15.61
Pick up a couple
pieces of silver,
00:50:15.64\00:50:17.58
get Jesus to do
what I know he should do,
00:50:17.61\00:50:20.12
and they're
shocked and surprised
00:50:20.15\00:50:22.12
and Christ allows
Himself to be taken
00:50:22.15\00:50:24.52
because He's
training, His mindset was,
00:50:24.55\00:50:27.52
He's going to sit on the throne
00:50:27.56\00:50:29.02
and I'm going to
give him a little push.
00:50:29.06\00:50:31.19
And then he realized
00:50:31.23\00:50:32.56
that he had
made a grand mistake.
00:50:32.59\00:50:34.20
Well, in contrast,
we also have Daniel 1:8.
00:50:34.20\00:50:38.20
This is Daniel
purposing in his heart
00:50:38.23\00:50:40.94
that he will not defile
himself with the king's meat.
00:50:40.97\00:50:45.34
And then finally Matthew 4:1
00:50:45.37\00:50:50.01
which is Jesus in the wilderness
00:50:50.05\00:50:51.65
resisting
temptation by the devil.
00:50:51.68\00:50:53.78
The point being that...
00:50:53.82\00:50:55.68
if you sow to the flesh,
you will reap to the flesh.
00:51:00.19\00:51:02.89
If you sow to
the flesh negativity
00:51:02.92\00:51:06.90
and a negative
result has to happen.
00:51:06.93\00:51:10.03
If you show to the spirit,
00:51:10.07\00:51:11.40
it is a spiritual law
00:51:11.43\00:51:13.44
that put in good,
good will come out.
00:51:13.50\00:51:17.07
Amen.
00:51:17.11\00:51:18.44
Lead with Christ,
it's going to be good.
00:51:18.47\00:51:20.88
I remember years ago a
fellow came to our church
00:51:20.91\00:51:23.55
and he said,
00:51:23.61\00:51:24.95
"If you eat fat greasy food,
00:51:24.98\00:51:26.31
you're going to be
a fat greasy dude."
00:51:26.35\00:51:27.88
And that was 50 years
ago, I just remember that.
00:51:30.35\00:51:32.85
Never forget
that one, would you?
00:51:32.89\00:51:34.92
It was a health lecture,
00:51:34.96\00:51:36.69
you know,
garbage in garbage out.
00:51:36.73\00:51:38.56
If you sow to the
flesh, you're going to reap,
00:51:38.59\00:51:41.36
and I hadn't thought
about that in almost 50 years,
00:51:41.40\00:51:43.30
I was a kid.
00:51:43.33\00:51:44.67
He said, you
eat fat greasy food,
00:51:44.70\00:51:46.03
you're going to
be a fat greasy dude.
00:51:46.07\00:51:48.77
Basically if you
sow to the flesh,
00:51:48.80\00:51:50.77
you will reap to the flesh.
00:51:50.81\00:51:52.14
Yes.
00:51:52.17\00:51:53.51
Couple more
things and then I'm done.
00:51:53.54\00:51:56.01
The lesson also says this,
00:51:56.04\00:51:57.98
a modern equivalent is
that we are free to choose
00:51:58.01\00:52:02.32
but we are not free to choose
the consequences of our choice.
00:52:02.35\00:52:05.19
Now that's, that's
very, very important.
00:52:05.22\00:52:06.92
Yes.
00:52:06.96\00:52:08.36
You can choose to
reject, neglect God.
00:52:08.39\00:52:14.60
We are free moral agents.
00:52:14.63\00:52:16.70
But the truth is
00:52:16.73\00:52:18.40
there are a
series of consequences
00:52:18.43\00:52:20.70
that accrue from that rejection
00:52:20.74\00:52:24.04
and you have no
control over that.
00:52:24.07\00:52:26.17
You know, you don't.
00:52:26.21\00:52:27.54
You can reject the commandment
00:52:27.58\00:52:31.31
to be faithful to your wife
00:52:31.35\00:52:34.05
and you can go and
sleep in, in my book,
00:52:34.08\00:52:37.62
thou shall fear no evil.
00:52:37.65\00:52:39.39
I had a woman in my
church, beautiful, lovely,
00:52:39.42\00:52:42.69
monogamous, heterosexual woman
00:52:42.72\00:52:45.63
whose husband chose to go out
00:52:45.66\00:52:48.26
and brought back
AIDS to the marriage.
00:52:48.30\00:52:51.03
Now when he left,
00:52:51.07\00:52:54.87
I don't think it
was his intention
00:52:54.90\00:52:58.21
to bring that back to his wife
00:52:58.24\00:53:00.44
but when you step
outside the commandments
00:53:00.48\00:53:02.44
you have no, you have no control
00:53:02.48\00:53:04.38
over where that's going to end.
00:53:04.41\00:53:06.01
You try something,
00:53:06.05\00:53:07.38
you experiment with something
00:53:07.45\00:53:08.85
and then there are consequences
00:53:08.88\00:53:11.29
that you simply
have no control over.
00:53:11.32\00:53:13.09
So you can choose to reject God.
00:53:13.12\00:53:15.69
Yeah.
00:53:15.72\00:53:17.06
You can choose
to go away from God,
00:53:17.09\00:53:19.26
but then you open the door
to a series of consequences
00:53:19.29\00:53:21.73
and you never know
where it's going to lead.
00:53:21.76\00:53:24.20
You have no control which
is, which is why if you look at,
00:53:24.23\00:53:27.04
if you look at
all the sins today
00:53:27.07\00:53:29.64
that accrue from rejecting
the commandments of God.
00:53:29.67\00:53:33.58
What a world
pastor this would be?
00:53:33.61\00:53:35.61
Shelley, Jill, Johnny,
00:53:35.64\00:53:37.95
if everyone kept
the commandments of God,
00:53:37.98\00:53:41.25
could you imagine
00:53:41.28\00:53:43.12
the kind of
world we would be in...
00:53:43.18\00:53:44.69
Heaven on earth.
00:53:44.72\00:53:46.05
It truly would
be heaven on earth.
00:53:46.09\00:53:47.46
Yes.
00:53:47.49\00:53:48.82
We wouldn't have
to lock our doors,
00:53:48.86\00:53:50.19
we don't have to
worry about so many things
00:53:50.23\00:53:52.19
that are just a
part of our life now.
00:53:52.23\00:53:54.60
And I'll close with this.
00:53:54.63\00:53:55.96
I don't know what
heaven is going to be like
00:53:56.00\00:54:00.07
and nobody does.
00:54:00.10\00:54:01.50
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard.
00:54:01.54\00:54:03.47
I simply know what
it's not going to be like.
00:54:03.54\00:54:05.54
Amen.
00:54:05.57\00:54:06.91
You know, it's not going to
be like what I see every day.
00:54:06.98\00:54:09.18
It's not going to
be like this earth.
00:54:09.21\00:54:10.75
It's not going to be like
00:54:10.78\00:54:12.11
what I hear on
the news every night.
00:54:12.15\00:54:13.48
It's not going to be
like what I have to experience
00:54:13.52\00:54:15.38
and wade through each
and every day of my life
00:54:15.42\00:54:17.65
and that is enough for me.
00:54:17.69\00:54:19.82
The fact that it's
not going to be this,
00:54:19.85\00:54:22.19
that's good.
00:54:22.22\00:54:24.13
I know there are
some things I don't know
00:54:24.16\00:54:26.06
but what I do know I don't like
00:54:26.09\00:54:27.60
and it's not going to be
that, so praise the Lord.
00:54:27.60\00:54:29.13
Amen.
00:54:29.16\00:54:30.53
You know, so be not deceived.
00:54:30.57\00:54:32.67
Don't fool yourself.
00:54:32.70\00:54:34.67
God is not mocked.
00:54:34.70\00:54:36.34
If you live to the flesh,
00:54:36.37\00:54:37.71
you're going to
die in the flesh.
00:54:37.74\00:54:40.54
You're going to
reap what you sow.
00:54:40.58\00:54:41.91
But praise God,
00:54:41.94\00:54:43.65
the truth is also
that if I walk with Jesus
00:54:43.71\00:54:48.15
and I talk with Jesus
and I live with Jesus,
00:54:48.18\00:54:52.42
it has been
predestined, predetermined
00:54:52.45\00:54:56.09
that one day I
will reign with Jesus.
00:54:56.12\00:54:58.43
Amen. Amen.
00:54:58.46\00:54:59.79
And that is as solid as
the God who made that promise.
00:54:59.83\00:55:03.37
Amen. So I need not fear.
00:55:03.40\00:55:05.17
I need not be afraid
00:55:05.20\00:55:07.04
because all of
the promises are...
00:55:07.10\00:55:09.77
Yes and amen. Yes and amen.
00:55:09.80\00:55:11.34
Christ Jesus. Hallelujah,
thank you so much for that.
00:55:11.37\00:55:14.54
You know, last week we
studied "Living by the Spirit".
00:55:14.58\00:55:18.88
And now what we've
done in this week's lesson
00:55:18.91\00:55:24.25
is the gospel in the Church.
00:55:24.29\00:55:26.09
We are seeing if
we're living by the Spirit,
00:55:26.12\00:55:29.46
how it will be
manifested in the church.
00:55:29.49\00:55:33.23
When we live by the Spirit,
we will forgive one another,
00:55:33.26\00:55:36.90
we'll bear each other's burdens.
00:55:36.93\00:55:39.20
We're going to
fulfill the law of Christ
00:55:39.23\00:55:42.00
by loving others
like we love ourself,
00:55:42.04\00:55:45.17
and it's so wonderful
00:55:45.21\00:55:46.91
when you think of this
sowing and reaping principle
00:55:46.94\00:55:50.58
is the law of life.
00:55:50.61\00:55:51.95
I mean, you can't sow
corn and expect to reap wheat.
00:55:51.98\00:55:54.35
So this is just something
00:55:54.38\00:55:56.92
that we all need to be aware
00:55:56.95\00:56:02.59
that God wants us to have
00:56:02.62\00:56:06.90
this personal
experience with Him,
00:56:06.96\00:56:10.00
this love experience,
00:56:10.03\00:56:12.30
so that He can pour
His love into our hearts
00:56:12.33\00:56:14.37
by the power of the Holy Spirit
00:56:14.40\00:56:15.97
and we can turn
around and love others
00:56:16.00\00:56:18.01
and introduce them
to the love experience.
00:56:18.04\00:56:20.71
It's just beautiful.
00:56:20.74\00:56:22.08
Well, I just want to thank you
00:56:22.11\00:56:26.05
especially for joining us today.
00:56:26.08\00:56:27.92
But I want to thank our
panel, Brother John Dinzey,
00:56:27.95\00:56:31.19
Sister Jill Morikone,
00:56:31.22\00:56:33.79
and we thank you so
much Pastor Tom Ferguson
00:56:33.82\00:56:36.39
for coming to join us.
00:56:36.42\00:56:37.76
That's very special.
00:56:37.79\00:56:39.43
Well, we're glad
to have, you know,
00:56:39.46\00:56:40.86
I've had a number
of people who have said
00:56:40.93\00:56:43.00
you've been a great
addition to this panel.
00:56:43.03\00:56:44.73
That's right. Amen.
00:56:44.77\00:56:46.10
Praise the Lord. Praise God.
00:56:46.13\00:56:47.47
And then Pastor
CA Murray. Pleasure.
00:56:47.54\00:56:49.50
Our prayer for
you as always is that
00:56:49.54\00:56:52.41
you are enjoying the
programs that 3ABN airs.
00:56:52.44\00:56:59.05
We try to produce
00:56:59.08\00:57:01.32
Christ-centered
programs for you,
00:57:01.35\00:57:03.28
and we want to thank you
for demonstrating your love
00:57:03.32\00:57:06.49
by praying for us
00:57:06.52\00:57:07.86
and through your
offerings to this ministry,
00:57:07.89\00:57:13.06
but we want you to know
that our prayer for you is that
00:57:13.09\00:57:16.87
you will have that
intimate relationship
00:57:16.90\00:57:19.23
with our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
00:57:19.27\00:57:21.64
And our prayer is that
00:57:21.67\00:57:23.54
the grace of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ,
00:57:23.61\00:57:25.97
the love of the
Father and the fellowship
00:57:26.01\00:57:27.94
of the Holy
Spirit will be with you,
00:57:27.98\00:57:30.95
not only today but always.
00:57:30.98\00:57:33.55
Please join us next time
00:57:33.62\00:57:35.22
as we study
Boasting in the Cross.
00:57:35.25\00:57:38.29