Well we are back here
for the Sabbath School Panel,
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and our study continues with
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Sister Mollie Sue.
Thank you, thank you!
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I have got the privilege
of teaching today on the...
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"Unity in One Body" and
that's Tuesday's lesson.
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Now did you hear all of those
Scriptures that Shelley shared?
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Every one of those
Scriptures was Paul speaking
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to that Ephesians Church,
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telling them who they are
in Christ Jesus. That's right.
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Now in the letters Paul
writes to different churches,
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he addresses issues that
those churches are facing.
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When addressing the
issues, he is very practical
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in the way he expresses himself.
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Now these Ephesians,
these believers who were heirs
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to the promises -
Shelley you made that so clear,
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they were now heirs to
the covenant blessings,
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and to the promises of
God that had formerly been
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only for who? For
the Jewish nation!
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But they hadn't grasped
the truth and were living
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as second-rate Christians.
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Second-rate children of God.
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That's why Paul
keeps telling them...
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who they are in
Christ, who they are in Christ.
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Ooo, I love that Scripture,
this isn't even in my lesson,
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but I'm going to share
this one that Shelley shared,
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and that's Ephesians 2:19...
He says to them, "Therefore
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you are no longer
strangers and foreigners,
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but fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the
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household of God." (he
is stressing that to them)
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Paul is dispelling erroneous
thinking and to dispel an
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error, you have to go
to the root of that error
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and pull those roots out.
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And then, Paul is sharing truth;
the entrance of God's word
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gives life; truth dispels error,
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and so that is
what Paul is doing.
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Now they feel that
they are second-rate;
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they haven't grasped the truth
that they are fellow citizens
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in the Kingdom of God.
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Now some years ago, I read
a book by Coretta Scott King.
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She is the wife of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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And, this is what she
said... she was talking about
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racism and she said, "Racism
is a coin that's got two sides.
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One side of that
coin says, "I'm superior;
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the other side of that
coin says, "I'm inferior."
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And what Sister King said
was, "Both sides are error,
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both sides are wrong.
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There is no superiority
and there is no inferiority
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in the Kingdom of
God. That's right!
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And that's what
Paul is addressing here.
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Now the superiority - you
know he touched on that too
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those that may would
feel that they're superior,
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and that's when he talks
about the breaking down of the
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middle wall of partition...
that middle wall of separation.
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Those Jews that were
reading this - they were raised
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in this culture and
they knew very well what that
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middle wall meant. What
did that middle wall mean?
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It meant that you can't
come any further because
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this is where
only the Jews can go;
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This is where only we can go.
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Paul is saying... "Oh no,
that wall has been broken down."
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That means that the
Jewish people and the Gentiles
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that make Jesus Christ
the Lord of their life,
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they are now one
and they are equal...
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there is no more separation.
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Now bringing down that wall,
it reminded me of another wall
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that's been brought down.
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What was the
purpose of the Berlin Wall?
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Do you remember the
bringing down... I remember
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when that happened... I
think that makes me very old.
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But... No, I remember it!
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Jill... Then that makes you
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very old too!
She's not very old.
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But what that wall did was...
did it not separate East Berlin
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from West Berlin?
Separated families.
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It caused disunity. Yes.
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Okay, when the wall came
down, then there was what?
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There was unity!
And so that's what Paul
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is saying - with the
coming down of that wall,
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there is unity! That's right.
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He expresses clearly to those
Gentiles... see the church and
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Ephesians were Gentile
believers that the oneness,
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the unity that now
exists between the Jewish
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believers and the Gentile
believers wasn't just a theory.
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Like sometimes we think good
theory, but not really fact.
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No, he's saying, this is a fact,
and then he goes on to say...
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Go to Ephesians 4, I
want us to look at this...
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Ephesians 4, we're
going to read verses 1-3,
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and here's what Paul says...
"I, therefore, the prisoner
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of the Lord, (you
know, where is Paul writing
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this letter from? He's
in prison. This is how he
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communicates to those
churches in the other areas
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where he had been and as
an apostle had established
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these churches)... a prisoner
in the Lord, beseech you
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to do what? To walk
worthy of the calling
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with which you were called...
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(Walk worthy -
the calling is that of
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not being a second-rate citizen,
but that of being an heir,
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and a joint heir with
Christ, as a child of God,
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and we ARE - we are
what the word says we are.
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If the word says it, it's the
truth - God's word is the truth.
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And if God says we are
overcomers by the blood of
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the Lamb and the word of
our testimony, guess what?
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We are overcomers by
the blood of the Lamb
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and the word of our testimony!
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This is what he's saying
to those Ephesian believers
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and that is what He
is saying to us today...
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Don't live beneath what
Christ has accomplished for you!
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That is negating the
power of the blood that Christ
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shed for you on
Calvary.) Let's go on...
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Verse 2... (But He
doesn't want you to become
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proud or puffed
up, listen at this...)
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... with all lowliness and
gentleness, with longsuffering,
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bearing with one another
in love (there's the love,
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remember my title
is "Unity in One Body,"
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what is the root of
all unity? It's LOVE!)
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... endeavoring to
keep the unity of the
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Spirit in the bond of peace.
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These attributes are all
rooted in love and I want us
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to turn to 1 Corinthians
13; can't teach on love without
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going to 1 Corinthians
13, I'm going to begin in
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verse 3... "And though
I bestow all my goods to
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feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned,
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but have not love, it
profits me what? Nothing.
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It profits me nothing!
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Without love, it
profits you nothing.
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Love suffers long and is
kind; love does not envy;
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love does not parade
itself, is not puffed up;
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does not behave
rudely, does not seek its own,
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is not provoked, thinks no evil;
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does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth;
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bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things,
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endures all things."
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This is the love - the
love of God has been shed abroad
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in our hearts - by the
Holy Ghost which was given.
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So that love is in there.
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Let's go on... "Love preserves
relationships among brothers
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and sisters and promotes
peace and unity in the Christian
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community and beyond.
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If those, outside our church,
let me make this statement...
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If those outside our church,
outside our local church,
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Pastor John, look into
our church and they see
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strife and disunity, are
they going to want to join
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themselves to us? No.
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Of course they're not.
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What was the last thing
that Jesus, or one of the last
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things Jesus told His disciples?
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That's John
13:34... "A new commandment
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(the eleventh commandment) A
new commandment I give to you
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that you do something,
that you love one another
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as I have loved you, that
you also love one another."
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Now I want to finish this
with a quote from Sister White.
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In the exhortation of
Paul at Ephesus, she asks us
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a very serious question.
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Sister White tells
us... "Divisions in the church
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dishonor the religion
of Christ before the world,
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and give occasion to the
enemies of truth to justify
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their course. Paul's
instructions were not
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written alone for the
church in his day, God designed
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that they should
be sent down to us."
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Here is her question
for you and for me...
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"What are we doing to preserve
the unity in the bond of peace?"
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Good question! Good
thing to think about. Amen!
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Pastor John... Thank
you, Mollie, for that
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segue about unity because
this whole lesson is telling us,
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in various ways from
the cultural differences
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and all the things that Shelley
brought out, breaking down
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that middle wall - a partition
separating the Gentiles
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from the Jews - so
glad to hear you talk about
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how the coin had two
sides and both sides are wrong
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in the sense of racism.
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And now we talk about the
tools that God is going to give
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to the church to bring
about the unity that it needs.
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I like building
things... I'm not a contractor,
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but I, through the
years, build things.
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I have a desk at
my house I built.
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I have a six dresser
drawer I built - a tall one.
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I like to do woodwork.
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I don't tell everybody that the
strongest dresser in my house
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is the one that I built
because I took the time,
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I put the best materials
into it and the desk I built
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is still there - it goes from
place to place and it doesn't
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even move - it's rigid.
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But when I see building projects
like churches being built,
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this sanctuary being
built, it brings together people
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that have, until that
point, not known each other.
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It brings together
people that are professionals on
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roofing, painting,
laying foundations and the whole
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purpose of it - Jesus being the
architect pulls us all together
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with various gifts.
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And the church is built
best when those gifts...
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if somebody says, "We're
going to try to do the roof
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ourselves," but somebody
says, "But you're a painter,"
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"Aww, I could do roofs,"
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"Have you ever
done a roof before?"
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"No, but I don't think it
would be that much difficult,"
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and the roof falls in.
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And somebody says, "The
reason why the roof fell in is
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you don't have the
gift of doing roofs."
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"You should leave it
to the professionals."
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Well God thought about
His church in that sense
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in Ephesians 4,
let's look at this.
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I'm going to begin with
verse 13, actually verse 12...
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and then I'm going to pedal
back to the gifts as outlined
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and see that the Lord
looked at the building up of
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the body of Christ and He
says, When I made my people
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different color eyes,
different color hair, different
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backgrounds, different
experiences and we know the
00:12:11.56\00:12:14.50
gospel really is, in
fact, the synopsis of the life
00:12:14.53\00:12:18.03
of Jesus from the perspective
of four different men,
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but they were all with
the same Lord. That's right!
00:12:21.27\00:12:23.74
Looking at it from
different corners...
00:12:23.77\00:12:25.41
north, east, south and west.
00:12:25.44\00:12:26.78
Verse 12- speaking
about these gifts...
00:12:26.81\00:12:29.41
"... for the equipping of
the saints (they need a specific
00:12:29.44\00:12:32.38
kind of equipment) for the work
of the ministry for the edifying
00:12:32.41\00:12:37.35
(or the building up)
of the body of Christ..."
00:12:37.39\00:12:39.05
(And notice, when the guy with
the saw and the hammer and the
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paint and the roof material and
the foundation-laying material
00:12:42.19\00:12:45.16
all come together, they
come together)... till we come
00:12:45.19\00:12:48.73
to unity of the faith and of
the knowledge of the Son of God,
00:12:48.76\00:12:53.20
to a perfect man, (a completed
project) to the measure
00:12:53.23\00:12:57.11
of the stature of
the fullness of Christ...
00:12:57.14\00:12:58.91
(clean lines and even
when the outside is done,
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I was like this... when
you see the building outside,
00:13:01.88\00:13:04.08
people said, "Is it
done?" They said, "No."
00:13:04.11\00:13:06.11
It's working on the inside.
00:13:06.15\00:13:07.58
And that's how we are, the Lord
gives us gifts and when people
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look at the outside,
"He's got a nice suit on,
00:13:11.65\00:13:13.52
wonderful jacket; I like that
outfit; Shelley, you look great;
00:13:13.56\00:13:16.02
Pastor Dinzey, I like that tie."
00:13:16.06\00:13:18.49
The Lord is still working
on the inside, isn't that nice?
00:13:18.53\00:13:20.70
We're still under construction.
Still under construction!
00:13:21.40\00:13:24.47
So I like my favorite
passage in the Bible...
00:13:24.50\00:13:27.10
I'm going to look at
this very quickly... 1 John 3,
00:13:27.14\00:13:31.17
my favorite
Scripture in the Bible.
00:13:31.21\00:13:35.18
It used to be Romans
13:11-14, that's a good one too,
00:13:35.21\00:13:38.51
but my favorite verse in
the Bible shows what the unity
00:13:38.55\00:13:42.38
of the faith is going
to do; what the end product
00:13:42.42\00:13:44.89
is going to be.
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Jill, do you have
it? 1 John 3:1-2...
00:13:46.82\00:13:53.40
"Behold what manner of love
the Father has bestowed on us,
00:13:53.43\00:13:57.67
that we should be
called children of God!
00:13:57.70\00:13:59.67
Therefore the world does
not know us because it did not
00:13:59.70\00:14:02.60
know Him. (now here's the key)
Beloved, now we are children
00:14:02.64\00:14:06.41
of God; (when?)
(now!) (right, right now)
00:14:06.44\00:14:09.48
and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be,
00:14:09.51\00:14:12.01
but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him,
00:14:12.05\00:14:14.88
for we shall see Him as He is."
00:14:14.92\00:14:16.82
Okay, that program on
television, "Extreme Makeovers,"
00:14:16.85\00:14:19.55
they would say, "Move the bus!"
00:14:19.59\00:14:21.96
One day, Heaven is going
to say, "Move the bus!" Amen?
00:14:21.99\00:14:27.43
And then all the
heavenly hosts are going to say,
00:14:27.46\00:14:30.93
"Look at what Jesus did." Amen!
00:14:30.97\00:14:35.00
Because if I was an angel,
I'd say, "Now wait a minute,
00:14:35.04\00:14:37.47
wait a minute, wait a minute;
are you really going to let
00:14:37.51\00:14:41.51
John Lomacang in heaven?"
00:14:41.54\00:14:43.21
The Lord says,
"I'm not done yet."
00:14:43.24\00:14:46.15
"He who has begun a good
work in us, will complete it."
00:14:46.18\00:14:49.78
And part of the
process of completing that
00:14:49.82\00:14:52.75
is He's got to give the church
00:14:52.79\00:14:54.22
the tools so we
can work together.
00:14:54.26\00:14:57.03
If I could saw and hammer
and build and paint and put on
00:14:58.79\00:15:01.23
roofs and foundations,
I wouldn't need anybody
00:15:01.26\00:15:03.40
to help me, but I can't do
what Shelley does and I can't do
00:15:03.43\00:15:06.03
what Mollie does,
and Jill and I can't
00:15:06.07\00:15:07.40
do what Pastor Dinzey
does, so He gives us all these
00:15:07.44\00:15:09.64
different things, so He
says, "Try to build that church
00:15:09.67\00:15:13.31
by yourself and
see what happens."
00:15:13.34\00:15:15.11
"Can't do it, Lord, so I
need Shelley, I need Mollie,
00:15:15.14\00:15:18.65
I need Jill, I need
Danny, I need everybody."
00:15:18.68\00:15:20.72
Everybody has a particular gift.
00:15:21.05\00:15:23.05
And then He says... If
you think anyone of those are
00:15:23.08\00:15:25.25
insignificant... Let's
go to 1 Corinthians 12.
00:15:25.29\00:15:28.06
If you think any one
of those is insignificant,
00:15:28.09\00:15:30.19
look at 1 Corinthians 12.
00:15:30.23\00:15:32.96
Do you think you
can do it by yourself?
00:15:32.99\00:15:35.40
Look at 1 Corinthians
12, okay here we are...
00:15:35.43\00:15:38.97
I'm going to read
starting with verse 4...
00:15:39.00\00:15:42.50
"There are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit.
00:15:42.54\00:15:46.07
There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord.
00:15:46.11\00:15:49.34
And there are diversities
of activities, but it is the
00:15:49.38\00:15:52.01
same God who does what, who
works all in all. (He's working)
00:15:52.05\00:15:57.19
But the manifestation of
the Spirit is given to EACH
00:15:57.22\00:16:00.96
for the profit of all...
00:16:00.99\00:16:02.69
The first point I want
to make: Don't ever think
00:16:02.72\00:16:05.19
the gift that God has given
to you is for your benefit. Amen
00:16:05.23\00:16:09.30
The gift I have is to benefit
Shelley, Mollie and Jill and
00:16:10.63\00:16:13.80
Pastor Dinzey - my gift
is not given for my benefit.
00:16:13.84\00:16:17.27
A point that's very
important to make because I'm
00:16:17.31\00:16:19.04
going to read the
rest of the passage...
00:16:19.07\00:16:20.81
because people today are
taught in some of the Christian
00:16:20.84\00:16:23.28
walks of life - some of
the churches, that if I don't
00:16:23.31\00:16:26.31
have a particular
gift, then I'm not saved.
00:16:26.35\00:16:29.48
No! The Lord says even
as He outlines the gift,
00:16:29.52\00:16:33.66
He's going to say in
1 Corinthians at the end
00:16:33.69\00:16:35.49
of chapter 12, "... a desire,
earnestly desire the best
00:16:35.52\00:16:40.26
gifts and yet I show
you a more excellent way."
00:16:40.30\00:16:43.90
In other words, as Mollie said,
"Love... you can have all the
00:16:43.93\00:16:46.80
gifts in the world but if
you don't have love - which is
00:16:46.84\00:16:48.60
not a gift but a fruit...
we're not known by our gifts,
00:16:48.64\00:16:52.47
we're known by our... Fruits!
00:16:52.51\00:16:54.68
"By their fruit,
you will know them."
00:16:54.71\00:16:56.51
So if you're being taught
in your community that it's by
00:16:56.54\00:16:59.78
your gift that you identify
with God, that's not scriptural.
00:16:59.81\00:17:03.05
It is by your FRUIT... "By their
fruits you will know them."
00:17:03.08\00:17:06.35
You will know them by their
fruits - does a tree gather
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.32
thorns and thistles?
No... it doesn't have the...
00:17:09.36\00:17:11.26
Now rose bushes, yes,
but that's not a fruit.
00:17:11.29\00:17:14.56
That's a flower!
00:17:14.60\00:17:16.00
By their fruits
you'll know them.
00:17:16.03\00:17:17.57
Look at this...let's go
to some of the other ones,
00:17:17.60\00:17:19.60
and we can't go
through all of them because
00:17:19.63\00:17:21.07
you know, the Lord gave
apostles, prophets, evangelists,
00:17:21.10\00:17:23.61
pastors, teachers, all
are needed in Ephesians 4,
00:17:23.64\00:17:26.21
they're all needed but
here's why they're needed...
00:17:26.24\00:17:28.74
It says, down to verse
8... "For to one is given the
00:17:28.78\00:17:33.98
word of wisdom through the
Spirit, to another the word of
00:17:34.02\00:17:36.35
knowledge through the
same Spirit, to another faith
00:17:36.38\00:17:39.29
by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healings by the
00:17:39.32\00:17:42.16
same Spirit, to another
the working of miracles,
00:17:42.19\00:17:44.06
to another prophecy, to
another discerning of spirits,
00:17:44.09\00:17:46.53
to another different
kinds of tongues, to another
00:17:46.56\00:17:49.26
the interpretation of tongues.
00:17:49.30\00:17:51.07
But one and the same
Spirit works all these things,
00:17:51.10\00:17:56.64
(here's the key...) distributing
to each one individually
00:17:56.67\00:18:00.91
as HE wills."
00:18:00.94\00:18:02.78
He decides... Jill needs
the gift of administration,
00:18:02.81\00:18:06.25
Pastor Dinzey needs
the gift of tongues...
00:18:06.28\00:18:08.72
I'm a bilingual
illiterate, I can't speak in two
00:18:10.29\00:18:12.55
languages...Figure that out!
00:18:12.59\00:18:15.02
Mollie needs the gift of
an Alabamian - she could speak
00:18:15.09\00:18:19.13
in many languages!
00:18:19.16\00:18:21.60
But we all have various
gifts... Shelley has so many
00:18:21.63\00:18:23.87
hats, we don't know which
one she has on on what day,
00:18:23.90\00:18:26.23
but those are gifts
that God gave her and said,
00:18:26.27\00:18:28.17
"Send her with those
gifts to 3ABN - they need it."
00:18:28.20\00:18:31.77
These are gifts, but
is to benefit everyone,
00:18:31.81\00:18:34.38
and He decides as He
wills who needs what.
00:18:34.41\00:18:39.35
But the one thing I want
to point out as I wind up
00:18:39.38\00:18:42.88
is Ephesians 4:12
because when we get these gifts,
00:18:42.92\00:18:48.69
it says in Ephesians
4:12... "For the equipping of
00:18:48.72\00:18:51.46
the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the
00:18:51.49\00:18:54.10
edifying of the body of Christ."
00:18:54.13\00:18:56.77
And we like to say, "For
by grace are we saved through
00:18:56.80\00:18:59.27
faith, that not of ourselves,
it is the gift of God,
00:18:59.30\00:19:02.77
not of works lest
anyone should boast."
00:19:02.80\00:19:04.91
We are not saved BY
works, we are saved... Shelley,
00:19:04.94\00:19:08.08
you know where I'm going,
we're saved... what Shelley,
00:19:08.11\00:19:09.94
FOR works!
00:19:09.98\00:19:12.91
Ephesians 2:10... "For we
are His workmanship created in
00:19:12.95\00:19:16.99
Christ Jesus for good
works which God prepared
00:19:17.02\00:19:20.09
beforehand that we
should walk in them. Amen!
00:19:20.12\00:19:23.19
So on that note, the Lord
put church leaders together
00:19:23.22\00:19:27.33
to equip the church.
00:19:27.36\00:19:29.10
The church is to equip
the community and it's a
00:19:29.13\00:19:32.90
reciprocal
process, go out, come in.
00:19:32.93\00:19:36.10
Come unto Me - go
into all the world.
00:19:36.14\00:19:38.37
Come unto Me -
GO... that's the gospel,
00:19:38.41\00:19:40.18
two words - come and go!
00:19:40.21\00:19:41.68
And when we come
and receive these gifts,
00:19:41.71\00:19:43.85
we can go and continue
building of the Kingdom of God
00:19:43.88\00:19:46.92
and here's the
point: Nobody is exempt!
00:19:46.95\00:19:49.38
Amen! Thank you
so much Pastor John.
00:19:49.42\00:19:52.75
What an incredible foundation!
00:19:52.79\00:19:54.39
I love the concept
of the different gifts,
00:19:54.42\00:19:57.36
and then the fruit
that God has given to us
00:19:57.39\00:19:59.63
but the gifts that we
have within the body of Christ.
00:19:59.66\00:20:02.23
My day is Thursday,
"Human Relationships in Christ"
00:20:02.26\00:20:07.04
We're looking at a long
passage and I don't know how
00:20:07.07\00:20:10.74
we're going to get through
this, but we're in Ephesians 5.
00:20:10.77\00:20:13.54
So jump over one
chapter, Ephesians 5,
00:20:13.58\00:20:15.54
we're going to begin in
verse 15 and go all the way
00:20:15.58\00:20:18.55
to chapter 6, verse 9.
00:20:18.58\00:20:20.45
We won't read each
verse, but that's our subject
00:20:20.48\00:20:23.85
for today... "Human
Relationships in Christ"
00:20:23.89\00:20:26.05
We'll look at relationships
as friends and acquaintances,
00:20:26.09\00:20:29.29
and fellow Christians
as husbands and wives,
00:20:29.32\00:20:31.99
as parents and
children, as masters and slaves.
00:20:32.03\00:20:37.07
Christianity is a religion
of relationship because it's
00:20:37.10\00:20:40.74
all about the relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:20:40.77\00:20:43.81
and then how we are to
live out the relationship
00:20:43.84\00:20:46.68
we already have with
Jesus with other people in the
00:20:46.71\00:20:49.64
context of community.
00:20:49.68\00:20:51.31
So let's begin
in Ephesians 5:15...
00:20:51.35\00:20:53.92
"See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools,
00:20:53.95\00:20:57.65
but as wise redeeming the
time because the days are evil."
00:20:57.69\00:21:02.42
How are we to live in
relationship with others?
00:21:02.46\00:21:05.13
We are to live with
eternity in view with a proper
00:21:05.16\00:21:09.13
understanding of the
times in which we live.
00:21:09.16\00:21:11.63
Verse 17... "Do not
be unwise, but understand
00:21:11.67\00:21:15.04
what the will of the Lord is."
00:21:15.07\00:21:16.84
We are to understand the
will of the Lord for our lives.
00:21:16.87\00:21:20.54
"And do not be drunk with
wine in which is dissipation;
00:21:20.58\00:21:23.78
but be filled with the Spirit,"
00:21:23.81\00:21:25.15
Now in Greek, Pastor John,
that's continuous action...
00:21:25.18\00:21:28.15
Not that I was filled
this morning and then that's
00:21:28.18\00:21:31.22
going to last me for
the rest of my life...
00:21:31.25\00:21:32.99
we're to be continually
filled with the Holy Spirit.
00:21:33.02\00:21:36.52
Verse 19... "Speaking to
one another in psalms and hymns
00:21:36.56\00:21:39.69
and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your
00:21:39.73\00:21:43.30
heart to the Lord, giving
thanks always for all things
00:21:43.33\00:21:46.87
to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
00:21:46.90\00:21:49.77
We are to live with gratitude.
00:21:49.80\00:21:51.64
We are to live with
praise in the context of
00:21:51.67\00:21:55.28
community of believers.
00:21:55.31\00:21:56.81
And then the next verse...
"Submitting to one another in
00:21:56.85\00:21:59.65
the fear of the Lord."
00:21:59.68\00:22:01.62
A mutual submission
in the body of Christ
00:22:01.65\00:22:04.55
I think is important and
that only comes as a result
00:22:04.59\00:22:06.89
of the Holy Spirit living
in us and us willing to walk
00:22:06.92\00:22:10.96
in humility toward
out brothers and sisters.
00:22:10.99\00:22:14.13
Now we get to the subject
of marriage, Christ in the
00:22:14.16\00:22:17.93
church and husbands
and wives relationship.
00:22:17.97\00:22:22.60
Several years ago, there was an
article in the "Saturday Evening
00:22:22.64\00:22:25.64
Post," it was called "The
Seven Ages of the Married Cold."
00:22:25.67\00:22:29.28
The married what?
00:22:29.31\00:22:30.81
"Cold," as in
sniffles, you get a cold. Okay
00:22:30.85\00:22:33.72
Year #1... The husband
says, "Sugar Dumpling, I'm
00:22:33.75\00:22:38.45
really worried about you,
my baby girl; you've got a
00:22:38.49\00:22:40.79
bad sniffle; I'm going to
check you into the hospital
00:22:40.82\00:22:43.02
and ensure you
get good treatment."
00:22:43.06\00:22:44.66
Year #2... She gets a
cold. He says, "Listen darling,
00:22:44.69\00:22:48.63
I don't like the sound of
that cough, I called the doctor,
00:22:48.66\00:22:51.80
and he's coming to
check you out now."
00:22:51.83\00:22:54.00
Year #3... He says, "Maybe
you better lie down, honey.
00:22:54.04\00:22:57.47
Nothing like a little rest
when you're feeling wiped out."
00:22:57.51\00:23:01.04
Year #4... He says, "Now look
dear, be sensible - after you've
00:23:01.08\00:23:06.35
fed the kids and done the
dishes and cleaned the floor,
00:23:06.38\00:23:09.12
then you better go lie down."
00:23:09.15\00:23:11.15
Year #5... He says, "Why don't
you take a couple of aspirin."
00:23:11.19\00:23:14.59
Year #6... He says, "I
wish you'd gargle or something
00:23:14.62\00:23:18.13
instead of sitting around all
evening barking like a seal."
00:23:18.16\00:23:22.73
Year #7... "Stop
sneezing, are you trying
00:23:22.76\00:23:26.33
to give me pneumonia."
00:23:26.37\00:23:27.70
Now we laugh about that,
but that is not God's design
00:23:27.74\00:23:32.47
or God's desire for marriage.
00:23:32.51\00:23:35.58
He intends from the
beginning, the love is to deepen
00:23:35.61\00:23:38.81
and grow and
strengthen, and lengthen,
00:23:38.85\00:23:41.85
and our commitment to
each other, our joy and our
00:23:41.88\00:23:47.19
unity in marriage is
to become even deeper
00:23:47.22\00:23:50.56
each year as it goes by.
00:23:50.59\00:23:52.09
We're in Ephesians 5:22...
"Wives submit to your own
00:23:52.13\00:23:56.13
husbands as to the
Lord. For the husband is
00:23:56.16\00:23:58.57
head of the wife as also
Christ is head of the church;
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.37
and He is the
Savior of the body.
00:24:01.40\00:24:04.14
Therefore, just as the
church is subject to Christ,
00:24:04.17\00:24:06.88
so let the wives be to their
own husbands in everything.
00:24:06.91\00:24:10.45
Husbands love your wives,
just as Christ also loved the
00:24:10.48\00:24:13.68
church and gave Himself
for her, that He might sanctify
00:24:13.72\00:24:17.29
and cleanse her with the
washing of water by the word,
00:24:17.32\00:24:19.89
that He might present her
to Himself a glorious church,
00:24:19.92\00:24:23.59
not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing,
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.23
but that she should be
holy and without blemish.
00:24:26.26\00:24:29.93
So husbands ought to
love their own wives as their
00:24:29.96\00:24:32.60
own bodies; he who
loves his wife loves himself."
00:24:32.63\00:24:36.30
So first I want to talk to
the wives and being a woman,
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.17
maybe this is a little
easier because it's a woman
00:24:39.21\00:24:41.38
talking to - if you're
a woman watching at home.
00:24:41.41\00:24:44.08
The wife's role is two-fold;
first, we are to submit to our
00:24:44.11\00:24:48.68
husbands as unto the Lord.
00:24:48.72\00:24:50.69
Submission to our husband is
part of obedience to God. Amen!
00:24:50.72\00:24:56.49
Role #2... We are to respect
the authority of our husband
00:24:56.52\00:25:01.93
as priest of our home.
00:25:01.96\00:25:05.23
Now if you think
about submission,
00:25:05.27\00:25:06.74
many times when I've talked
about this concept or discussed
00:25:06.77\00:25:11.14
it, you know with your
girlfriends, they say, "Well,
00:25:11.17\00:25:12.81
submission means that,
I'm going to be humiliated."
00:25:12.84\00:25:17.08
Submission may result in
degradation, but it does not.
00:25:17.11\00:25:20.32
Submission results in the wife's
glory... why do I say that?
00:25:20.35\00:25:24.89
Verse 27... What does it
say? "... that He might present
00:25:24.92\00:25:28.19
her to Himself a
glorious church."
00:25:28.22\00:25:29.72
Now this is a symbol of the
husband and wife relationship
00:25:29.76\00:25:33.26
as Christ in the church.
00:25:33.29\00:25:35.16
Submission results in
the wife's favor and glory.
00:25:35.20\00:25:39.77
Submission results in the wife's
joy - it's not a cross that we
00:25:39.80\00:25:44.84
glumly bear - it
is a path to joy.
00:25:44.87\00:25:48.38
Submission results in
an example to the world.
00:25:48.41\00:25:51.05
The wife joyfully submitting
to her husband and the husband
00:25:51.08\00:25:54.55
tenderly and
selflessly loving his wife.
00:25:54.58\00:25:58.25
Submission involves
respecting your husband
00:25:58.29\00:26:00.66
instead of attacking
him or putting him down.
00:26:00.69\00:26:03.49
It involves seeking
to please your husband
00:26:03.53\00:26:05.99
instead of competing with him.
00:26:06.03\00:26:08.23
It involves honesty and openness
00:26:08.26\00:26:10.83
instead of whining,
deception or manipulation.
00:26:10.87\00:26:15.30
It involves responding
to him with appreciation
00:26:15.34\00:26:18.34
instead of criticism or apathy.
00:26:18.37\00:26:21.38
Now when I read that
list, I can tell you I have done
00:26:21.41\00:26:24.41
some of those
negative things in my marriage,
00:26:24.45\00:26:26.51
so I'm not sitting
here saying that I have done
00:26:26.55\00:26:29.58
this job perfectly cause
I can assure you I have not.
00:26:29.62\00:26:32.65
But this is God's ideal
and goal for us and when we
00:26:32.69\00:26:36.99
respond this way, there is joy,
there is glory, there is oneness
00:26:37.03\00:26:43.10
and unity.
00:26:43.13\00:26:44.47
Submission does
not involve passivity.
00:26:44.50\00:26:46.74
A wife can influence her
husband and should do it...
00:26:46.77\00:26:49.67
but in the right way with
a meek and a quiet spirit.
00:26:49.70\00:26:53.17
Submission does not
involve apathy or indolence
00:26:53.21\00:26:56.21
or laziness - a wife
can actively use the gifts
00:26:56.24\00:27:00.12
that God has given to her.
00:27:00.15\00:27:01.48
We see that in
the Proverbs 31 woman.
00:27:01.52\00:27:03.52
And submission does not
involve burying a wife's
00:27:03.55\00:27:07.19
spiritual gifts or calling.
00:27:07.22\00:27:08.59
Now let's talk to
the husbands a moment...
00:27:08.62\00:27:10.83
Husbands are called - now
of course, I'm a woman here
00:27:10.86\00:27:14.20
so a pastor would be
more equipped to do this,
00:27:14.23\00:27:16.03
but husbands are called
to love your wife as Christ
00:27:16.06\00:27:20.57
loves the church.
00:27:20.60\00:27:22.00
Husbands are called to
sacrifice for their wives.
00:27:22.04\00:27:25.71
And I don't believe the
sacrifice is in the form
00:27:25.74\00:27:27.74
of being a martyr and
neither do husbands sacrifice
00:27:27.78\00:27:30.91
in order to make
their wife happy.
00:27:30.95\00:27:33.31
I believe husbands sacrifice
and husbands love their wives
00:27:33.35\00:27:37.32
in order that she can
bloom as God intended.
00:27:37.35\00:27:43.12
The purpose of love is what?
The perfecting of the beloved.
00:27:43.16\00:27:47.30
So what was the purpose of
Christ's love for the church?
00:27:47.33\00:27:49.56
It was to sanctify
her, to set her apart.
00:27:49.60\00:27:52.83
When you get married, you
take your wife out of the world,
00:27:52.87\00:27:55.40
as it were, and
you set her apart.
00:27:55.44\00:27:57.91
She's yours, she belongs
to you and you want to devote
00:27:57.94\00:28:01.58
that special attention to her.
00:28:01.61\00:28:03.31
The purpose of love is
the perfecting of the beloved,
00:28:03.35\00:28:07.08
to present her in glory,
not having spot or wrinkle,
00:28:07.12\00:28:10.29
to make her holy and blameless.
00:28:10.32\00:28:12.25
1 Peter 3 says... "We
are to live with our wives
00:28:12.29\00:28:15.12
according to
knowledge, know what she needs,
00:28:15.16\00:28:18.26
know what she's good
at, know what help she needs
00:28:18.29\00:28:20.80
in order to develop
what God has given to her.
00:28:20.83\00:28:24.03
Now for children in Ephesians 6.
It says... "Children obey your
00:28:24.07\00:28:27.34
parents in the Lord
for this is right and honor
00:28:27.37\00:28:31.14
your mother and your father."
00:28:31.17\00:28:32.71
Parents though are not supposed
to provoke their children
00:28:32.74\00:28:36.28
to anger or to wrath.
00:28:36.31\00:28:37.78
In the Greek, it literally
means to push someone's buttons.
00:28:37.81\00:28:41.35
So as parents, don't
provoke your children
00:28:41.38\00:28:43.79
or try to "push their buttons."
00:28:43.82\00:28:45.95
Then we move on to
slaves and masters.
00:28:45.99\00:28:49.22
Slaves are to walk in
obedience to their masters.
00:28:49.26\00:28:52.59
They are to do it for
Christ and not for men - not to
00:28:52.63\00:28:56.93
please men, but they do
everything they do for Christ.
00:28:56.97\00:29:00.07
They are to watch their
motivation - that we do it
00:29:00.10\00:29:03.24
only for Christ and to
trust God for the reward. Amen!
00:29:03.27\00:29:06.78
And then masters are to
recognize that they are in
00:29:07.08\00:29:09.64
subjection to a
higher authority...
00:29:09.68\00:29:12.51
that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:29:12.55\00:29:14.82
They are not to threaten
people who are under them or to
00:29:14.85\00:29:17.95
make them afraid
and they are not to show
00:29:17.99\00:29:20.86
favoritism or partiality.
00:29:20.89\00:29:23.46
So there's a great
deal in this passage
00:29:23.49\00:29:25.46
in Ephesians 5 and
Ephesians 6 on walking in unity;
00:29:25.49\00:29:30.30
walking in harmony and
it all comes as a result
00:29:30.33\00:29:33.77
of us submitting to the Lord
Jesus Christ and allowing Him
00:29:33.80\00:29:37.97
to do His
perfect work in us. Amen!
00:29:38.01\00:29:41.34
Wonderful, thank you so
much every one of you...
00:29:41.38\00:29:43.28
And if you've just
walked in, we are studying the
00:29:43.31\00:29:46.21
lesson - "Oneness in Christ,"
00:29:46.25\00:29:47.95
lesson #4, "The Key to Unity,"
00:29:47.98\00:29:50.82
and remember, you
can get this from:
00:29:50.85\00:29:52.85
ABSG.Adventist.org
00:29:52.89\00:29:55.59
And, we'd like to take
a few moments to see...
00:29:55.62\00:29:57.29
Give us a little
summary of what you've
00:29:57.33\00:29:59.66
captured from this lesson.
00:29:59.69\00:30:01.03
My lesson was "Breaking
Down the Wall," and it was
00:30:01.06\00:30:04.07
speaking of what
separated Jews from Gentiles,
00:30:04.10\00:30:07.27
but I just wanted to add
that sometimes we can put up
00:30:07.30\00:30:11.77
a wall of self-preservation
around our own lives
00:30:11.81\00:30:17.05
because we don't want to submit
in a certain area to the Lord.
00:30:17.08\00:30:22.25
So this is something that
only Jesus, only the Holy Spirit
00:30:22.28\00:30:26.02
can help us bring down any
wall between us and the Lord.
00:30:26.05\00:30:30.63
Well I looked at
"Unity in One Body,"
00:30:31.56\00:30:34.63
and, you know, I think
I'm going to ask the question
00:30:34.66\00:30:37.07
that Sister White asked us.
00:30:37.10\00:30:39.37
I'm going to ask
that question again...
00:30:39.40\00:30:41.00
And the Scripture
was Ephesians 4:3...
00:30:41.04\00:30:43.67
"...endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond
00:30:43.71\00:30:46.78
of peace," and her
question to us was...
00:30:46.81\00:30:50.28
"What are we doing to preserve
the unity in the bond of peace?"
00:30:50.31\00:30:54.68
And I just thought that was
a thought-provoking question!
00:30:54.72\00:30:57.95
Mine simply is - Whatever
gift you have, always use it
00:30:57.99\00:31:01.06
in the context of
God's love." Amen!
00:31:01.09\00:31:04.59
Mine would be - Only as we
surrender to the Lord Jesus
00:31:04.63\00:31:07.56
Christ can we truly
love each other. Amen!
00:31:07.60\00:31:10.53
Thank you so
much every one of you.
00:31:10.57\00:31:12.10
I'd like to read this from
"Testimonies to the Church,
00:31:12.13\00:31:14.80
Vol. 9, page 190, and it
says, "The life of Christ
00:31:14.84\00:31:18.31
established a religion
in which there is no cast,
00:31:18.34\00:31:20.41
a religion by which Jew
and Gentile, free and bond
00:31:20.44\00:31:22.91
are linked in a
common brotherhood
00:31:22.94\00:31:24.71
equal before God. God bless you.
00:31:24.75\00:31:26.18