Guys, as we launch
into the conversation
00:00:20.85\00:00:22.58
that we're going to have today
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one of the crew
members had an excellent idea
00:00:24.15\00:00:27.49
and that is that we
would employ the "Go-Pro"
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and give a shout out to
all those who are viewers
00:00:31.06\00:00:33.19
of Table Talk who are
engaged in the study with us.
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Just a great idea.
We've got cameras out there
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so now we have a camera
on the table. On the table!
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Yeah, we get some
close-ups of the facial hair
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and we can pay attention
to all the "dudeliness. "
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There's a lot of
facial hair around this table.
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I'm the only one clean shaven.
Clean shaven; looking good!
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Yeah, if anybody has
any opinions out there
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in Table Talk world
about it, let us know.
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But we're going to launch into
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the... Looks right on me, huh?
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Yeah, we're going to
launch in to a subject
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that I think is
pretty provocative. OK.
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So I'll just say the question
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and I think the weight of
this idea will immediately
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be evident. "Can those who have
never heard the name of Jesus
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be saved? " It's a
serious question. Um-hmm.
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Can those - yeah- who've
never heard the name of Jesus
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be saved? OK. In my
mind... There's a foundation...
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there's a foundation
to this question. OK.
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There's something there.
Frame it a little bit for us.
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Well, Jeffrey: are there
scriptures that explicitly say
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that Jesus is the only way?
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Well, I think we can
start with some passages.
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One of them is
in John chapter 14.
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Um-hmm. Which is pretty clear
and provocative and challenging.
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It's where Jesus
mentions His promise
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and in John 14 verse 6
Jesus said: "I am the Way,
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the Truth, and the Life.
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No one comes to the
Father except through Me. "
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Um-hmm. So He doesn't say:
"I am A way, A truth, A life. "
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"I am THE Way, THE Truth, THE
Life. " That's very exclusive.
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And no man... "And no man comes
to the Father except through
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Me. " So that
kind of sounds like
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what it sounds like.
What does it sound like?
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Sounds very exclusive.
That without knowing Jesus
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you cannot be saved. Now
some people would view that...
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without... What does it not say?
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Without hearing; without
knowing; without learning;
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without dot dot dot.
Well it says what it says
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but it doesn't say... I know
that you were just trying to
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articulate this view that
we're going to expound on here.
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It sounds like... exactly. OK,
so that is a text that is used.
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It would be helpful for
me if we just sort of made it
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very clear that there
is a... to our listeners -
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and many of our listeners
are going to have heard this -
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some of our listeners
might believe this - um-hmm -
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and we're going to do our
best to try and dissuade them
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to believe what we
believe Scripture teaches -
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and that is the idea that if you
don't literally bring your lips
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your mouth to say:
"I accept Jesus as my
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personal Savior" or
some equivalent thereof...
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Pray the Sinner's Prayer...
you know, that thing...
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that you are by
that... by that lack of act
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excluded from even the
possibility of salvation.
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Right. That's the point. Yeah.
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Now what Jesus is
saying there in John 14 verse 6
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doesn't in any way
teach that in my view.
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We'll get to that, but that
is a text that is used - yeah -
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to say: "Hey, you
want to come to the Father
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you have to go through Jesus. "
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OK... that's true.
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But does it mean
thereby that you have to say,
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you know, there's some
formula... some mantra...
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Is it possible to? In other
words, an extension of what
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you're saying: is it
possible to encounter
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Jesus to different
degrees and in different ways?
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I like the word
ways better than degrees.
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Ways... in different ways.
You're not born in Christian
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America or in Christian
Europe. Maybe you're born in
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a different part of the
world. But are there instances?
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Because He says here: "I
am the Way, the Truth... "
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Maybe in Miami! "I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. "
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So is it possible to
encounter the essence of life
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in Christ, truth in Christ,
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without even having
heard the name of Jesus? "
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That's the question.
Well, let me frame the problem
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in a way that will maybe even
feel a little bit more weighty
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to those who are out
there looking at this subject
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with us. I read an
article a number of years ago
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by an American cartoonist.
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And he's drawing pictures
and captions for "funnies"
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in the papers across America.
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And he was known
to be a Christian.
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And so a journalist
interviewed this guy
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and said: "You're a Christian? "
He said: "Yes I'm a Christian. "
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If you're a
Christian, do you believe
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that Jesus is the only
way for people to be saved? "
00:05:02.30\00:05:07.17
He said: "Yes, I believe that. "
00:05:07.37\00:05:08.70
Then the journalist followed up
and he said: "What about all the
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people who lived in the
thousands of years of human
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history prior to Jesus' coming
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and never even
heard the name of Jesus?
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Are all of them automatically
by virtue of the unfortunate
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reality that they were
born in that time in history
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are they automatically lost? "
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And then the journalist
went a step further and said:
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"And there are people in
the world today even after
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Jesus came as a
historical figure
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for the last 2,000 years
who lived in circumstances
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where they never
heard about Jesus...
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Are all of them
automatically thereby lost? "
00:05:43.07\00:05:46.14
And he said: "You
know, that sounds really hard
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but yeah, that's what I believe.
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I believe that
Jesus is the only Savior
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so it is unfortunate
but people who have never
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heard the name of Jesus are
going to burn in hell forever. "
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The guy said it like that?
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Yeah! Well, the
journalist was asking
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"What about eternal torment? "
00:06:05.99\00:06:07.33
The question... I mean,
I'm giving my own wording of it
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concerning eternal torment.
And he said: "Yeah, they're
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going to be in hell forever. "
00:06:12.50\00:06:14.87
That reminds me about I
was telling you guys a story
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of a guy who
goes into an art show
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and there's a
portrait/painting of Gandhi
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and he's presented there
at the art show as a hero.
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But it's a Christian art show?
Yes, it's a Christian thing.
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And so somebody - presumably a
Christian - writes with a marker
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on the actual picture...
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Oh, that was on a note that
was placed on the picture...
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Is that what it was? Yeah,
it was a sticky note that was
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placed on the picture. That
sound probably more like it.
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And they wrote down
something like: "Hello,
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you - slash - he's
burning in hell. " Right now.
00:06:47.50\00:06:50.54
Yeah, Gandhi. Gandhi... right.
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And the implication was
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how could Gandhi be saved
when he wasn't a professed
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follower of Jesus? Right.
00:07:00.75\00:07:02.82
So that's kind of a
hard... hard core conclusion.
00:07:03.32\00:07:07.26
I have my own story
that's very similar to that.
00:07:07.46\00:07:10.13
Very similar to that actually.
00:07:10.33\00:07:11.66
So I was working as
a... I was working in an
00:07:11.69\00:07:16.33
adventure sports store, so we
were selling rock climbing gear,
00:07:16.53\00:07:19.13
mountain bikes, snow boards,
00:07:19.33\00:07:21.24
and this was just
prior to my conversion.
00:07:21.64\00:07:22.97
I was 21 years old.
I gave my life to Jesus
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when I was 23, so this is
two years before my conversion.
00:07:25.74\00:07:27.64
But I was already
at least preliminarily
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aware of or interested in
spiritual things to some degree.
00:07:30.25\00:07:33.38
At least things of social
interest or political interest
00:07:33.58\00:07:37.12
or whatever. And I wasn't
an overtly spiritual person
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but I was a
spiritually sensitive person.
00:07:39.45\00:07:41.09
That would be the
way I'd put it. OK...
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So I'm working there at
this place called PJ's Adventure
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Sport in Rapid City, SD.
00:07:44.99\00:07:46.33
And there was a friend of mine
who I went to high school with
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who actually lived just
down the street from me.
00:07:49.16\00:07:50.50
He was a well-known
Christian in our high school.
00:07:50.63\00:07:53.23
Great guy; his name was Tim.
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And he was also a
bit of a rock climber.
00:07:55.10\00:07:56.91
In fact, he's the one
that got me into rock climbing.
00:07:57.11\00:07:58.47
So he came in and we would just
chat it up every now and then.
00:07:58.67\00:08:00.68
And he came into the
store and I was working.
00:08:00.88\00:08:02.21
And in the course
of the conversation
00:08:02.58\00:08:03.91
Tim says to me...
starts to witness to me.
00:08:04.01\00:08:07.45
"Do you know Jesus as
your personal Savior? "
00:08:07.65\00:08:09.55
To which I say: "I don't
even know what that means. "
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I had just the whole thing
when people say: "Jesus Saves"
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I would feel like: "Well for
what? That's unclear to me. "
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As somebody who didn't
have a theological background
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or a real strong
Biblical foundation
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a lot of these
platitudes just went off...
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I was like:
"What does that mean? "
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So he starts kind of
trying to witness to me.
00:08:25.63\00:08:27.34
And in the course
of that conversation
00:08:27.74\00:08:29.37
I asked this very question
of him. I said: "OK, well Tim
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here's the problem I
have. What about the Buddhists,
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the Muslims, the irreligious
people in the world...
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not who don't know but who've
never had a chance to know? "
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Right. And his response
was exactly as you just said
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the journalist's was. His was:
"Well then they would be lost. "
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And I said: "Well that
strikes me as, you know,
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fantastically unfair. " Yeah.
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And then I said... And
then my follow-up question was
00:08:53.96\00:08:55.66
exactly... That's why
I was so: "Like really?
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The journalist said it?
" 'Cause my question was:
00:08:57.60\00:08:58.97
"Do you also believe
that those who don't make that
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verbal specific
profession/confession
00:09:03.14\00:09:06.47
that they will go
to hell for eternity?
00:09:06.68\00:09:08.98
Like an eternal torment...
a conscious torment? "
00:09:09.18\00:09:12.78
And he said: "Yeah. "
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Which by the way is one of our
questions later in this series.
00:09:14.35\00:09:16.35
Later in the series. Will God
burn people up forever in hell?
00:09:16.55\00:09:18.75
But I didn't know
anything about the Bible.
00:09:18.95\00:09:20.66
And at that moment...
That does not sound right.
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I just said: "Well
whatever it is that you believe
00:09:23.93\00:09:25.69
it's a guarantee that
that belief alone right there
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precludes me from even the
possibility of believing. "
00:09:28.76\00:09:31.37
Um-hmm. 'Cause I couldn't...
I wasn't this sophisticated yet
00:09:31.57\00:09:34.60
in my belief. But this
is what I would have been
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thinking in a
visceral, intuitive sense
00:09:37.24\00:09:39.67
but now I'll put language on it.
00:09:39.87\00:09:41.21
I could never
love, worship, admire
00:09:41.34\00:09:45.38
a being that would
make a decision like that.
00:09:45.58\00:09:47.75
That would rule
the universe like that.
00:09:47.95\00:09:49.58
That's
arbitrary... I can't do that.
00:09:49.78\00:09:51.45
I did do a little
push-back but he was just...
00:09:51.85\00:09:54.02
he was a stone wall. Right.
00:09:54.42\00:09:55.92
He said: "That's
what the Bible teaches. "
00:09:56.12\00:09:57.46
Um-hmm. Back to the thing
we talked about yesterday.
00:09:57.53\00:09:59.36
"The Bible says it, therefore"
in this sort of authoritative
00:09:59.56\00:10:02.26
sense rather than:
"Come, let us reason together,
00:10:02.46\00:10:03.97
Let's think this through" sense.
00:10:04.17\00:10:05.63
And rather than the
narrative of Scripture
00:10:05.83\00:10:07.34
because what many Christians
have trained themselves to do
00:10:07.54\00:10:12.04
is to focus on a
verse, a sentence, a line
00:10:12.24\00:10:15.91
and to build a
conceptual framework or a belief
00:10:16.31\00:10:19.71
on that verse, that
sentence, that line.
00:10:19.91\00:10:21.98
Without looking at the whole...
Jeffrey just gave one, yeah.
00:10:22.18\00:10:23.92
"I am the Way, the Truth,
and the Life. No man comes
00:10:24.32\00:10:26.19
to the Father but by Me. "
00:10:26.39\00:10:27.72
There's one or two ways you
can look at that verse, though.
00:10:27.76\00:10:29.66
You can look at it
in the narrow context
00:10:29.86\00:10:33.73
that it's saying: "If
you don't have an encounter
00:10:33.93\00:10:37.57
with the historical
figure Jesus and speak His name
00:10:37.77\00:10:40.74
you can't be saved. "
OR you could hear Jesus
00:10:40.94\00:10:43.64
enunciating the fact
that in Him is embodied
00:10:43.84\00:10:47.44
the principles and the
character and the reality
00:10:47.64\00:10:50.48
of truth and life and the way
00:10:50.68\00:10:53.68
and that people can encounter
Jesus prior to Him coming
00:10:53.88\00:10:58.19
2,000 years ago as
the historical figure
00:10:58.39\00:11:00.22
that we know by
the name Jesus Christ.
00:11:00.42\00:11:01.82
Jesus was active prior to
His incarnation in the world.
00:11:02.22\00:11:07.40
I'd like to look at a
verse on that - yeah -
00:11:07.60\00:11:09.06
that I really appreciate.
It's found in Daniel chapter 3.
00:11:09.26\00:11:11.97
And this is going to the
Old Testament but it's also
00:11:12.37\00:11:14.30
going... so it's going
pre-Christ, pre-incarnation
00:11:14.50\00:11:17.54
but it's also going
to a non-Hebrew person.
00:11:17.94\00:11:21.48
This is a story that
involves a heathen king.
00:11:21.68\00:11:24.78
And the name of the
heathen king is Nebuchadnezzar.
00:11:25.18\00:11:27.85
Nebuchadnezzar was
actually sent by God
00:11:28.05\00:11:30.25
on a mission to bring
God's people into captivity
00:11:30.45\00:11:33.62
so they could do some
evangelism and reach people
00:11:33.82\00:11:35.69
with the message
because God loved Nebuchadnezzar
00:11:35.89\00:11:38.63
and wanted him and
others to be saved.
00:11:38.83\00:11:40.20
And Nebuchadnezzar...
At this point in the story
00:11:40.40\00:11:42.96
in Daniel chapter
3 Nebuchadnezzar is
00:11:43.16\00:11:45.20
doing this little
bit of pride thing
00:11:45.40\00:11:47.14
with God and with His people.
He set up an image on this
00:11:47.54\00:11:51.31
plain of Dura, and he's forcing
everyone to worship the image
00:11:51.51\00:11:55.34
on the pain of death. Um-hmm.
00:11:55.54\00:11:56.95
And if they don't
worship the image they die.
00:11:57.15\00:11:58.98
And Daniel's three
friends - the Hebrews -
00:11:59.28\00:12:02.52
aren't willing to worship that
image because they follow God.
00:12:02.72\00:12:05.25
And so how the narrative
goes is the king gets upset
00:12:05.45\00:12:08.26
with them, heats the
furnace seven times hotter,
00:12:08.46\00:12:10.93
throws them into the furnace
00:12:11.13\00:12:12.56
thinking that they're
going to be completely consumed
00:12:12.76\00:12:14.30
because the mighty men of
the kingdom have been consumed
00:12:14.46\00:12:16.80
just throwing
them into the furnace.
00:12:17.00\00:12:18.33
And then he goes, and as
he's going over to the furnace
00:12:18.73\00:12:21.60
and we just pick it up
right here in verse 25:
00:12:21.80\00:12:25.11
He asked his
counselors... verse 24...
00:12:25.31\00:12:27.31
he's astonished and
he asked his counselors:
00:12:27.51\00:12:29.11
"Didn't we throw three men
bound into the furnace? " Hmm.
00:12:29.31\00:12:32.61
And his counselors
answer and say: "Yes. "
00:12:32.81\00:12:34.38
And then he says...
in verse 25 he says,
00:12:34.58\00:12:36.55
Daniel chapter 3:
"He answered and he said:
00:12:36.75\00:12:39.42
'Lo, I see four men loose
00:12:39.62\00:12:41.92
walking in the midst of the fire
00:12:42.32\00:12:43.83
and they have no hurt.
And the form of the fourth
00:12:44.03\00:12:46.70
is like the Son of God. ' "
00:12:46.90\00:12:49.33
So there it is! There's
the Son of God right there.
00:12:49.53\00:12:51.97
Same word that is used -
same phrase that is used.
00:12:52.17\00:12:54.54
There's the Son
of God right there.
00:12:54.74\00:12:56.07
Not only is He there
with those three Hebrews
00:12:56.27\00:12:58.74
but Nebuchadnezzar,
heathen king, recognizes Him.
00:12:58.94\00:13:01.81
He says:
"There's the Son of God! "
00:13:02.01\00:13:04.15
We have an Old Testament
figure, a heathen king,
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.88
who recognizes the Son of God.
00:13:08.28\00:13:10.05
He recognizes Jesus.
And I think the reason why
00:13:10.25\00:13:12.02
he recognizes Jesus is because
00:13:12.22\00:13:14.52
he knew enough about
the true God through Daniel
00:13:14.72\00:13:19.26
and his friends and the
knowledge that they had given
00:13:19.46\00:13:21.66
to Nebuchadnezzar to recognize
Him when He was manifest
00:13:21.86\00:13:24.27
with these three Hebrews. Yeah.
So it's an Old Testament example
00:13:24.47\00:13:27.84
of the manifestation of Christ.
00:13:28.04\00:13:29.80
Now... Without the name
of Jesus being mentioned.
00:13:30.01\00:13:32.17
Yeah. One other verse
though I want to bring up,
00:13:32.37\00:13:33.71
and that is I Corinthians 10:4.
00:13:33.74\00:13:35.18
You're familiar with that verse?
00:13:35.38\00:13:36.71
Paul is recounting the
history of the Old Testament.
00:13:36.95\00:13:40.08
He's recounting the
history of the world
00:13:40.28\00:13:41.62
and he's recounting
the history of the Jews
00:13:41.65\00:13:43.08
as they came out of Egypt.
And he says there was a "Rock"
00:13:43.28\00:13:45.79
that was with them, there was
a pillar of fire that was there.
00:13:45.99\00:13:48.22
And he says that Rock that
followed them, that Rock was
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.36
Christ. Christ, yeah.
So Christ was manifest.
00:13:51.56\00:13:54.00
He was available
through the Old Testament.
00:13:54.20\00:13:56.03
He was also seen in types
and symbols, we know that.
00:13:56.23\00:13:59.00
But I just think this is a
powerful story. It is! It is!
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.60
That's a great story.
That's why I was asking
00:14:01.80\00:14:03.14
the thing about the journalist.
That seems... the journalist,
00:14:03.17\00:14:05.67
I think went a step too far
there in the story that you were
00:14:05.87\00:14:07.54
describing. Yes! Because I
wouldn't think my friend Tim
00:14:07.74\00:14:09.18
would have said
that somebody that was
00:14:09.38\00:14:12.08
chronologically or historically
before the time of Jesus
00:14:12.28\00:14:15.45
could have never been...
I think he would have said
00:14:15.65\00:14:18.12
"Subsequent to Jesus coming
that's a ripple now in time,
00:14:18.32\00:14:22.72
it's a ripple now
in history. " Yeah.
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.53
Prior to that... I
don't know, I'm just guessing.
00:14:24.73\00:14:27.33
I didn't even think
to ask that question.
00:14:27.53\00:14:28.86
I wish I would have.
But that would seem...
00:14:29.03\00:14:30.37
If Tim's position was
absurd, and to me it is
00:14:30.57\00:14:33.44
and it's not Biblical, um-hmm,
then this journalist's position
00:14:33.64\00:14:35.87
that you just have to be
anachronistically formed:
00:14:36.07\00:14:39.17
"You know, wrong time,
sorry... wrong place. "
00:14:39.37\00:14:41.64
That's like...
that's beyond absurd.
00:14:41.84\00:14:43.38
But in most
mainstream Christian thought
00:14:43.58\00:14:47.02
there is something
called dispensationalism
00:14:47.22\00:14:49.15
which actually complicates
the situation further.
00:14:49.35\00:14:52.05
And in that view
it's basically believed
00:14:52.59\00:14:56.06
that you can only be saved
00:14:56.26\00:14:58.86
New Testament time onward
00:14:59.06\00:15:01.20
by encountering and
confessing the name of Jesus.
00:15:01.40\00:15:04.13
And those who were
saved prior to that
00:15:04.53\00:15:06.53
were saved in the Old
Testament dispensation - right -
00:15:06.74\00:15:09.77
by keeping the law. That's
probably what my friend Tim
00:15:09.97\00:15:12.27
would have thought or
something analogous to that.
00:15:12.47\00:15:13.88
So still Jesus is not the
00:15:14.08\00:15:17.68
universal Savior that
transcends the testaments -
00:15:17.88\00:15:21.98
these two periods, these
two epochs in human history -
00:15:22.18\00:15:24.72
And so it's a
very muddled theology.
00:15:25.12\00:15:30.13
It doesn't take
into consideration
00:15:30.33\00:15:32.69
the mercy and
the fairness of God.
00:15:32.89\00:15:36.43
And it doesn't take
into consideration the fact
00:15:36.63\00:15:39.00
that God has been active
throughout all of human history
00:15:39.20\00:15:43.34
impacting, impacting, impacting
people in homes and villages
00:15:43.74\00:15:47.58
and societies and
nations all through history.
00:15:47.78\00:15:52.01
And every single human being.
00:15:52.21\00:15:54.22
If we were to ask a
Christian with that belief
00:15:54.42\00:15:57.92
in the dispensational approach
where Christ is not present
00:15:58.12\00:16:01.22
both before or after
Old Testament/New Testament,
00:16:01.42\00:16:03.99
if we were to ask
them what is the gospel -
00:16:04.19\00:16:06.66
um-hmm - what would the
typical mainstream cliché
00:16:06.86\00:16:10.57
answer be to that?
What is the gospel?
00:16:10.77\00:16:14.04
Usually it would be... it would
involve the name of Jesus -
00:16:14.44\00:16:16.91
right - Jesus came to
die for our sins. It would be
00:16:17.11\00:16:19.47
something like that. And
the reason I think that's
00:16:19.67\00:16:21.88
fascinating is
because in Galatians chapter 3
00:16:22.08\00:16:25.05
Paul says that the gospel
"was preached to Abraham. "
00:16:25.25\00:16:30.15
Yeah... exactly.
00:16:30.55\00:16:32.12
So if the gospel is Jesus
00:16:33.12\00:16:36.79
dying for sins and that's
the avenue to salvation...
00:16:36.99\00:16:40.20
Yeah. Paul... New
Testament theology...
00:16:40.40\00:16:43.43
said that very gospel
was preached to Abraham.
00:16:43.63\00:16:46.63
Yeah. But the name Jesus
wasn't mentioned to Abraham
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.80
but the gospel was
preached to Abraham.
00:16:50.21\00:16:51.71
Which we... we're going back
to the point: Is it possible
00:16:51.91\00:16:54.41
to rub
shoulders with salvation -
00:16:54.61\00:16:57.48
with the gospel - without
the specific name of Jesus?
00:16:57.68\00:17:02.08
Umm. And clearly it is
because in the Old Testament
00:17:02.28\00:17:05.29
we're told the
gospel was revealed.
00:17:05.49\00:17:07.16
And that's before
Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
00:17:07.56\00:17:09.89
You know, there's another point
here that I think we need to
00:17:10.09\00:17:11.49
connect with that... what
you're saying, and that is in
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.83
the Bible names are
significant of character.
00:17:14.03\00:17:16.40
People are named according
to the type of person they are
00:17:16.60\00:17:19.80
or perhaps even the
thing they would accomplish.
00:17:20.00\00:17:22.40
And when you look in
Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21
00:17:22.60\00:17:25.37
there's a specific
name that is given to Jesus.
00:17:25.57\00:17:28.14
Or let me say it this way:
00:17:28.54\00:17:30.85
the Messiah is given the name
Jesus for a specific reason.
00:17:31.25\00:17:34.95
And that is: "You
shall call His name Jesus
00:17:35.15\00:17:39.05
because He will save His
people from their sins. "
00:17:39.25\00:17:41.49
Jesus is Jesus because
He saves people from sin.
00:17:41.69\00:17:44.89
And if the gospel
includes the world - John 3:16-
00:17:45.09\00:17:48.46
"For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten
00:17:48.66\00:17:50.40
Son that whoever
believes in Him might not perish
00:17:50.60\00:17:52.33
but have everlasting life. "
And Jesus is named Jesus because
00:17:52.53\00:17:55.17
He saves people from sin
00:17:55.37\00:17:56.77
that name is more than
just a literal 5-digit word -
00:17:57.17\00:18:03.11
you know, letter -
5- letter word. Oh yeah.
00:18:03.31\00:18:05.08
That name is significant of
His purpose to save the world
00:18:05.28\00:18:08.88
from sin. That's right. I
think there's explicit Scripture
00:18:09.08\00:18:12.35
that gets at the last two
points that you guys have made,
00:18:12.55\00:18:17.69
and that's John chapter
1. Um-hmm. And this requires
00:18:17.89\00:18:22.36
that we get into the
text and think about it.
00:18:22.76\00:18:25.13
But just follow the reasoning
here. I'll read the text
00:18:25.33\00:18:27.40
and then I'll tell
you what I think it means
00:18:27.60\00:18:29.00
and see if you guys
think that that's actually here
00:18:29.20\00:18:32.21
in the text.
Notice... What verse are you in?
00:18:32.41\00:18:34.81
John chapter 1 verse 1.
00:18:35.01\00:18:36.34
It says: "In the
beginning was the Word
00:18:36.61\00:18:38.35
and the Word was with God
00:18:39.18\00:18:41.18
and the Word WAS God.
00:18:41.38\00:18:43.08
The same was in
the beginning with God.
00:18:43.28\00:18:45.25
All things were made
through Him, and without Him
00:18:45.45\00:18:47.76
nothing was made that was made.
00:18:47.96\00:18:49.76
In Him was life
00:18:50.16\00:18:51.63
and the life was
the light of men.
00:18:51.83\00:18:53.66
And the light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness
00:18:53.86\00:18:57.20
did not comprehend it. "
That's verses 1 through 5.
00:18:57.40\00:18:59.63
Now this is interesting.
00:18:59.83\00:19:01.37
Here is the gospel of John.
00:19:01.77\00:19:03.41
It was about to tell
the story of who? Jesus.
00:19:03.61\00:19:07.08
But in the first five verses
he's not using the name Jesus.
00:19:07.58\00:19:11.91
He's saying:
"OK... let me tell you
00:19:12.11\00:19:13.68
about this One that
I'm about to explain. "
00:19:14.58\00:19:18.19
This is good! "He's the
Word, um-hmm, He's the Light,
00:19:18.39\00:19:21.02
and He's been the Word and the
Light from way way way back. "
00:19:21.62\00:19:25.76
"He's been actively
speaking" This is it right here!
00:19:25.96\00:19:29.70
"to human situations all
along through human history. "
00:19:29.90\00:19:32.93
Yes! "And He is the Light.
He's been giving enlightenment
00:19:33.13\00:19:36.97
to people's minds. He's
the Word. He's been speaking
00:19:37.17\00:19:39.37
to peoples' minds. "
But verse 5 is amazing.
00:19:39.57\00:19:41.71
Five, five, five. Hold
on... I have to say something.
00:19:41.91\00:19:43.71
I've never... These texts
are just coming alive for me.
00:19:43.91\00:19:47.62
I mean, I've read
them over and over again.
00:19:47.82\00:19:49.45
I've understood them in
broader and broader, deeper
00:19:49.65\00:19:51.85
senses, but this is the first
time I'm seeing it this way.
00:19:52.05\00:19:54.46
Really? These verses are
probably the most profound
00:19:54.66\00:19:58.96
answer to this
question. Think about it! Yeah.
00:19:59.16\00:20:01.56
The name of Jesus
and then John says
00:20:01.76\00:20:04.27
"Jesus... let me
describe who Jesus is. " Yeah.
00:20:04.47\00:20:07.00
"He's that Word that goes
all the way back to the very
00:20:07.20\00:20:09.90
beginning. That's who
Jesus... No one can be said...
00:20:10.11\00:20:11.84
There's no other way than this
Word that goes all the way... "
00:20:12.04\00:20:14.68
Are you getting a
sense? So Jesus is... yes!
00:20:14.88\00:20:17.15
in fact the only way.
00:20:17.35\00:20:19.91
Jesus is in
fact the only Savior.
00:20:20.12\00:20:22.58
It's not as if all religious
roads and all philosophies
00:20:22.78\00:20:27.06
lead to heaven.
Jesus is the only Savior.
00:20:27.26\00:20:29.79
He's the only way. But Jesus,
the only Savior and the only way
00:20:29.99\00:20:32.89
can be encountered by various
different modes of being.
00:20:33.09\00:20:38.33
One is enlightenment
in human conscience.
00:20:38.77\00:20:40.87
The idea is the
speaking, the ongoing whispering
00:20:41.07\00:20:45.41
in human hearts, is distinguish-
ing between right and wrong
00:20:45.61\00:20:48.68
and longing for
something better.
00:20:48.88\00:20:50.41
But verse 5 is amazing. Um-hmm.
This is the part that really
00:20:50.61\00:20:53.78
just opened this for me.
00:20:53.98\00:20:56.22
It said: "And the
light shines in the darkness
00:20:56.42\00:20:58.45
and the darkness
did not comprehend it. "
00:20:58.65\00:21:00.09
That's very difficult language.
I'm reading the NKJ version.
00:21:00.29\00:21:02.76
If you look at other versions
and you look at the Greek,
00:21:03.16\00:21:05.59
this is literally saying
"This Word and this Light
00:21:05.79\00:21:08.53
has been - past tense - shining
00:21:08.73\00:21:11.90
in the darkness all along
00:21:12.10\00:21:13.64
and the darkness... " This is
how it says it in the Greek...
00:21:13.84\00:21:15.90
the darkness never
extinguished it... the light.
00:21:16.10\00:21:18.97
The darkness never
overcame the light. "
00:21:19.17\00:21:21.38
So this Scripture is literally
saying Jesus has been around
00:21:21.58\00:21:24.38
all along. Jesus
has been saving people
00:21:24.58\00:21:25.91
down through human history. Yes!
00:21:26.01\00:21:27.35
The darkness has been
trying to steal souls from Him
00:21:27.45\00:21:31.59
but He continues to speak
light into human consciousness
00:21:31.79\00:21:35.09
and the darkness is
never... has never been able
00:21:35.29\00:21:39.66
to overcome the light.
00:21:39.86\00:21:41.20
And you're going to read verse
9, right? YOU read verse 9.
00:21:41.40\00:21:43.13
This is amazing.
Verse 9 just blows it up.
00:21:43.33\00:21:45.27
"That was the true Light
00:21:45.47\00:21:47.07
which lights every man
that comes into the world. "
00:21:47.27\00:21:50.47
No one's left out.
Yeah! No one's left out.
00:21:50.67\00:21:52.74
Including those that never
heard the name of Jesus. Yes!
00:21:52.94\00:21:54.78
Absolutely. And still He hasn't
used the name Jesus. Right!
00:21:54.98\00:21:58.75
He's telling all this
background, this back story,
00:21:58.95\00:22:02.12
to what has been going on prior
to the incarnation of Christ.
00:22:02.32\00:22:05.89
In all that back story
he's describing Word and Light.
00:22:06.79\00:22:10.46
Um-hmm. And then you
come to verse 14. It says:
00:22:10.66\00:22:12.66
"And then guess
what? The Word became flesh
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.26
and dwelt among us. "
Here He came into the world:
00:22:16.46\00:22:18.97
the very One who'd been
actively pursuing human hearts
00:22:19.17\00:22:22.64
all along through history.
00:22:22.84\00:22:24.67
Isn't that just? It's powerful!
I just love it! It IS powerful!
00:22:24.87\00:22:27.38
Love it; love it; love it!
00:22:27.61\00:22:28.94
And it makes so much sense
00:22:29.14\00:22:31.05
now when you read
scriptures like Acts chapter 4
00:22:31.25\00:22:34.75
verse 12, yeah: "There is
no name given among men...
00:22:34.95\00:22:39.15
no other name given among
men whereby we must be saved
00:22:39.35\00:22:42.29
but the name of Jesus. " Yeah.
00:22:42.49\00:22:43.83
Jesus is the only Savior.
00:22:43.99\00:22:46.59
But He's been actively pursuing
and people have been actively
00:22:46.80\00:22:50.77
encountering Him in
their hearts and their minds -
00:22:50.97\00:22:52.63
and no man's been left out - all
along. Every man. That's right.
00:22:52.83\00:22:55.44
We're so excited about this
00:22:55.64\00:22:58.07
that we're
forgetting about our break.
00:22:58.27\00:22:59.61
We have to take a break.
00:22:59.67\00:23:01.01
We have to take a break
and then we'll come right back.
00:23:01.04\00:23:02.61
This is the story of Naiema
00:23:10.12\00:23:12.89
who took a bus to the doctor
00:23:13.09\00:23:14.76
and found a piece of paper
with words of hope about Jesus
00:23:14.96\00:23:19.63
which was left by a
church member who unpacked a box
00:23:20.23\00:23:23.67
that came from a truck
which drove in from Durban
00:23:23.87\00:23:27.34
where a ship was docked
that sailed from Seattle
00:23:27.54\00:23:30.91
loaded with containers stacked
high with millions of tracts.
00:23:31.11\00:23:35.44
The truck came from the
Light Bearers Publishing House
00:23:35.64\00:23:38.81
where more than 600 million
pieces of gospel literature
00:23:39.21\00:23:42.88
have been printed
in forty-two languages.
00:23:43.08\00:23:45.59
Light Bearers distributes
this literature free of charge
00:23:48.39\00:23:51.23
all over the world.
00:23:51.73\00:23:53.76
And each piece costs only 5
pennies to print, transport,
00:23:53.96\00:23:57.60
and deliver. Every
day millions of people
00:23:57.80\00:24:02.60
buy a $5 cup of coffee.
00:24:02.80\00:24:04.57
Five dollars a cup five
days a week: it adds up fast.
00:24:04.97\00:24:09.71
But at just 5 cents
a piece that same $25
00:24:10.51\00:24:14.72
can also ship 500
pieces of literature
00:24:14.92\00:24:17.69
and give hope to
people like Naiema
00:24:18.45\00:24:21.49
who shared that
paper with a classmate
00:24:22.82\00:24:24.93
who gave it to her cousin
00:24:25.13\00:24:26.83
who shared it with his boss
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.93
who passed it to her grandmother
00:24:29.33\00:24:31.23
who left it on another bus
00:24:31.63\00:24:33.94
where it will be
found by someone else.
00:24:34.34\00:24:36.94
And the story continues.
00:24:38.04\00:24:39.84
Five cents doesn't
buy a lot these days.
00:24:41.78\00:24:44.15
But in other parts of the
world your nickel could change
00:24:44.35\00:24:47.18
someone's life.
00:24:47.38\00:24:48.72
Your gift of $25 a month
00:24:49.02\00:24:51.59
sends out 6,000 pieces of
gospel literature each year.
00:24:51.79\00:24:55.09
Fifty dollars sends out 12,000.
00:24:55.49\00:24:58.09
And $100 a month sends
out 24,000 messages of hope
00:24:58.49\00:25:03.10
every year all over the world.
00:25:03.30\00:25:06.74
Empower Light Bearers
to continue this story.
00:25:07.64\00:25:10.51
Send your gifts to
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Who knew 5 little
pennies could do so much?
00:25:18.78\00:25:22.42
So we ended on a
very exciting note.
00:25:28.22\00:25:30.06
John chapter 1 is so powerful
in bringing to our attention
00:25:30.26\00:25:33.93
the fact that Jesus
is the Word and the Light
00:25:34.13\00:25:37.17
that has been
actively pursuing people
00:25:37.37\00:25:39.87
in their thoughts, in
their minds, in their hearts
00:25:40.07\00:25:42.50
bringing illumination
all through history.
00:25:42.70\00:25:44.94
The John chapter 1
concept is also present in
00:25:45.34\00:25:49.54
two other passages that I want
to see what you guys think of.
00:25:49.74\00:25:51.71
Now here it's The
Word, right? Yeah.
00:25:51.91\00:25:54.12
In Deuteronomy chapter
30... listen to these words.
00:25:54.42\00:25:57.92
It'll just click. This
is in Deuteronomy chapter 30
00:25:58.12\00:26:01.22
starting with verse 11.
00:26:01.42\00:26:02.76
This is Moses speaking
to the children of Israel.
00:26:03.09\00:26:05.09
He's been instructing
them and telling them
00:26:05.29\00:26:06.86
everything from the Ten Command-
ments to all kinds of teachings.
00:26:07.06\00:26:09.26
And he says:
"For this commandment
00:26:09.46\00:26:11.37
which I command you today
is not too mysterious for you
00:26:11.57\00:26:14.77
nor is it far off.
00:26:14.97\00:26:16.77
It is not up in
heaven that you should say:
00:26:17.17\00:26:19.77
'Who will ascend into
heaven for us and bring it... '
00:26:19.97\00:26:22.08
that is, this Word,
this Truth... 'down for us
00:26:22.28\00:26:24.88
that we should hear it? '
00:26:25.08\00:26:26.58
Nor is it beyond the
sea that you should say:
00:26:26.78\00:26:29.28
'Who will go over the
sea for us and bring it? ' "
00:26:29.48\00:26:31.55
That is this commandment,
this Word, this Truth, to us.
00:26:31.75\00:26:33.56
Who will bring this to
us from over across the sea?
00:26:33.76\00:26:35.62
But notice this... he says:
00:26:35.82\00:26:37.19
"But... " verse 14...
"The Word... " The what?
00:26:38.19\00:26:41.46
"The Word is very near you.
00:26:41.66\00:26:44.83
It is in your
mouth and in your heart
00:26:45.03\00:26:48.90
that you may do it. "
00:26:49.10\00:26:50.44
Do you hear what
Moses is saying here?
00:26:50.61\00:26:52.11
He's saying: "Listen, all this
stuff I've been teaching you,
00:26:52.31\00:26:55.48
all this instruction,
00:26:56.44\00:26:57.91
it's not mysterious.
00:26:58.11\00:26:59.98
You just need to pay attention
00:27:00.18\00:27:02.22
to The Word that's been
speaking to you even before
00:27:02.42\00:27:04.55
I began
instructing you. " Um-hmm.
00:27:04.75\00:27:06.25
"You need to pay attention
to The Word that's been
00:27:06.45\00:27:08.32
on your own tongue
and in your own heart. "
00:27:08.52\00:27:12.19
What does he mean
"on your own tongue? "
00:27:12.39\00:27:13.76
Human beings even
apart from the declarations
00:27:14.16\00:27:18.57
of Scripture, they don't
have the Bible before them
00:27:18.77\00:27:21.10
necessarily but on their
lips they're holding one another
00:27:21.30\00:27:24.07
accountable. "Why did you just
treat me like that? " Um-hmm.
00:27:24.27\00:27:26.17
"That was inappropriate
the way you treated... "
00:27:26.57\00:27:29.11
So the word of
truth is coming out of us
00:27:29.51\00:27:33.48
in calling one another
to account on issues of
00:27:33.68\00:27:37.15
mercy and justice. It was
written on the conscience.
00:27:37.35\00:27:39.59
And he says: "And
it's in your heart. "
00:27:39.79\00:27:41.22
"The Word is in your heart.
You don't need to go up there
00:27:41.42\00:27:43.29
or over there to get it.
Just pay attention to what
00:27:43.49\00:27:45.03
God is telling you. "
Wow! I have several thoughts
00:27:45.23\00:27:47.56
and they're bubbling
over. The first thought is
00:27:47.76\00:27:49.33
is that what you just said
there, Ty, is hugely significant
00:27:49.53\00:27:53.27
when you couple
that with the fact
00:27:53.47\00:27:55.00
that Jesus and Paul
said that the summary...
00:27:55.20\00:27:58.34
the summation, the distillation
of the Old Testament is
00:27:58.54\00:28:01.18
to do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.
00:28:01.58\00:28:03.98
Umm. Right? That's
Galatians what is? Five or six?
00:28:04.18\00:28:06.41
And Jesus in the
Sermon on the Mount.
00:28:06.61\00:28:08.22
"This is the law and the
prophets: " - yeah, um-hmm -
00:28:08.42\00:28:10.39
"do unto men as you
would have them do unto you. "
00:28:10.59\00:28:12.62
So the point that you're saying
there is that this isn't some
00:28:12.82\00:28:15.72
thing you have to climb
to the top of a mountain
00:28:15.92\00:28:17.49
or sail across the sea to get.
You know; this is inside of you.
00:28:17.69\00:28:21.13
It's intuitive to you. Yeah.
Now here's the second point
00:28:21.33\00:28:23.77
that's bubbling over.
Paul quotes that very text
00:28:23.97\00:28:26.87
in Deuteronomy, and I see you're
going to Proverbs in a second.
00:28:27.07\00:28:28.60
But that text that you
just found in Deuteronomy
00:28:28.80\00:28:30.74
Paul quotes that in Romans 10.
00:28:30.94\00:28:32.57
That's right. I'll
just read it, but then
00:28:32.77\00:28:34.64
it's fascinating
where he goes with it.
00:28:34.84\00:28:36.48
Romans chapter 10 he says:
00:28:36.68\00:28:38.58
"Do not say in your
heart... " I'm in verse 6...
00:28:38.78\00:28:40.72
"Do not say in your heart: 'who
will ascend into heaven... '
00:28:40.92\00:28:43.15
he's quoting Deuteronomy...
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That is, to bring
Christ down from above.
00:28:44.72\00:28:46.92
Now you say: "That's Christ! "
00:28:47.12\00:28:48.46
That Word... yeah...
he said: "That's Christ. "
00:28:48.49\00:28:50.06
He said: "Or who will
descend into the abyss? "
00:28:50.26\00:28:52.89
That is, to bring
Christ up from the dead.
00:28:53.09\00:28:55.63
So then he says:
"But what should you say?
00:28:55.83\00:28:58.20
The Word is... " The WORD...
he just said it's Christ.
00:28:58.60\00:29:02.04
John said it's Christ.
00:29:02.24\00:29:03.57
Moses is saying
it's Christ. Powerful!
00:29:03.61\00:29:05.44
"That Word is near
you; it's in your mouth
00:29:05.64\00:29:07.84
it's in your heart.
This is the Word of faith
00:29:08.04\00:29:10.31
which we are preaching. "
And then he says in verse 9,
00:29:10.51\00:29:13.42
and this is a verse
that's actually used to teach
00:29:13.62\00:29:15.55
the exact opposite. I've
gotta take notes on this.
00:29:15.75\00:29:17.72
He says in verse 9 that:
"If you confess with your mouth
00:29:17.92\00:29:20.49
the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God
00:29:20.69\00:29:23.19
raised Him from the
dead... " four words...
00:29:23.39\00:29:24.76
"you will be saved! "
00:29:24.96\00:29:27.10
This is amazing! It's huge!
00:29:27.30\00:29:29.13
So what now? Romans
10 beginning in verse 6
00:29:29.33\00:29:33.03
and then Deuteronomy 30.
00:29:33.23\00:29:35.04
And the thing that's
so big to me there is that
00:29:35.24\00:29:37.31
Paul tells you what the Word is.
00:29:37.51\00:29:39.41
He says: "That is to
bring Christ down from above. "
00:29:39.61\00:29:41.64
"That is to bring Christ up
from... " No, it's right there.
00:29:41.84\00:29:43.88
It's next to you. "
You wouldn't say there's
00:29:44.08\00:29:45.91
a contradiction in verse 9
"If you confess with your mouth
00:29:46.11\00:29:48.82
that Jesus... " No, because
Paul is writing to people
00:29:49.02\00:29:51.82
who do historically
know the name of Jesus.
00:29:52.02\00:29:54.09
He's writing to a church in Rome
00:29:54.29\00:29:56.12
and in that circumstance he's
saying: "If you confess with
00:29:56.32\00:29:58.13
your mouth that
Jesus... " But the point is
00:29:58.33\00:30:00.40
that he's drawing on this
idea that God through Christ
00:30:00.60\00:30:03.30
has pervasively been working
in the whole of human history.
00:30:03.50\00:30:05.90
He's the Light that lights every
man that comes into the world.
00:30:06.10\00:30:07.87
Now we should
bring this point out:
00:30:08.07\00:30:09.67
did the Jews in a sense
have a special dispensation?
00:30:09.87\00:30:13.68
Did the Jews in a sense have
a special... maybe that's even
00:30:13.88\00:30:15.78
the wrong word to use.
Did they have a privilege?
00:30:15.98\00:30:18.41
Paul actually says
that. In Romans - yes, yes -
00:30:18.61\00:30:20.62
Paul is saying 'cause
he's basically saying:
00:30:20.82\00:30:22.32
"Hey, look,
circumcision doesn't help you.
00:30:22.52\00:30:23.85
That's not the
thing. " So Paul understands
00:30:23.92\00:30:25.99
and then he says in chapter 3
verse 1 of Romans, Romans 3:1,
00:30:26.19\00:30:30.23
he said: "Well what advantage
then does the Jew have?
00:30:30.43\00:30:32.66
Or what profit is
there in circumcision? "
00:30:32.86\00:30:34.70
And he says: "Well,
mainly this... " Um-hmm.
00:30:34.90\00:30:37.17
"that they
receive the Word of God. "
00:30:37.37\00:30:39.47
Um-hmm. So while it's possible
for somebody that does not have
00:30:39.87\00:30:42.80
the actual exposure
of God's works in history
00:30:43.00\00:30:46.01
both Old and New
Testament to respond
00:30:46.21\00:30:48.88
to the sense in their heart.
And Paul's going to say that
00:30:49.08\00:30:51.55
in Romans 2, which I'm
sure we'll get there eventually.
00:30:51.75\00:30:53.18
It's easier if we have
the written record of...
00:30:53.58\00:30:56.58
but that doesn't mean that
God can't work in various ways.
00:30:56.79\00:30:59.75
Doesn't mean that he's not
working. And He IS working.
00:30:59.95\00:31:02.02
Yeah. I mean, we quoted
in an earlier presentation
00:31:02.22\00:31:04.83
that: "The heavens
declare the glory of God
00:31:05.03\00:31:06.70
and the firmament
shows His handiwork.
00:31:06.90\00:31:08.50
Day unto day utters...
" Speech... the word...
00:31:08.70\00:31:11.50
"night unto night
shows forth knowledge. "
00:31:11.70\00:31:13.80
And even the context of
what you're saying, David,
00:31:14.00\00:31:15.57
is so profound because
it's talking in the context
00:31:15.77\00:31:18.17
about how Christ is
the end of the law...
00:31:18.37\00:31:19.81
He's the goal of the law.
00:31:20.01\00:31:21.34
Christ is the goal of the
law, and then previous to that
00:31:22.41\00:31:25.18
he says: "What
shall we say, then? "
00:31:25.38\00:31:27.08
Verse 30 of Romans chapter 9
00:31:27.28\00:31:29.28
that the Gentiles which
followed not after righteousness
00:31:29.48\00:31:32.25
have attained to righteousness,
even the righteousness of the
00:31:32.45\00:31:34.96
the Gentiles. The Gentiles,
in other words the non-Jewish
00:31:35.16\00:31:36.52
people. The non-Jewish people
because the goal, the whole
00:31:36.73\00:31:39.73
reason why Moses
was given the law
00:31:39.93\00:31:42.13
was to lead to Jesus Christ.
That's the goal of the law;
00:31:42.33\00:31:43.80
that's what it
leads to. Yeah... yeah.
00:31:44.00\00:31:45.93
So I said I had two scriptures.
00:31:46.13\00:31:47.97
OK, that was a big parenthetical
statement. Back to you.
00:31:48.17\00:31:50.27
OK... two scriptures
that correlate with John 1.
00:31:50.47\00:31:54.11
OK. The first was Deuteronomy
00:31:54.31\00:31:56.24
and then you took us
forward to Paul in Romans 10.
00:31:56.44\00:31:59.65
All right. But
listen to this, you guys.
00:31:59.85\00:32:01.45
So if Jesus is The
Word in chapter 1 of John,
00:32:01.65\00:32:05.72
listen to this
language from Proverbs.
00:32:05.92\00:32:08.06
What's happening in Proverbs
chapter 4 through chapter 8
00:32:08.26\00:32:11.33
is Wisdom with a capital W
00:32:11.53\00:32:15.53
is being personified
as if wisdom is a person.
00:32:15.73\00:32:19.10
OK. Now we think of wisdom
00:32:19.30\00:32:21.24
as just information and data.
00:32:21.44\00:32:24.84
But here it's very
interesting because in chapter 4
00:32:25.04\00:32:28.54
the person who's writing
this... Solomon is saying
00:32:28.74\00:32:31.95
"Wisdom is crying out
in the streets. " Um-hmm.
00:32:32.15\00:32:37.02
"Wisdom is over by the
city gate declaring justice
00:32:37.22\00:32:41.32
through the men who pass
sentence on people who commit
00:32:41.52\00:32:44.46
crime. Wisdom is
heard in the marketplace
00:32:44.66\00:32:48.53
when you're doing deals
with people and you're about to
00:32:48.73\00:32:51.53
exchange money for
product Wisdom is actively... "
00:32:51.73\00:32:55.47
Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom
is in every aspect of life.
00:32:55.67\00:32:59.61
And then it's interesting.
00:32:59.81\00:33:01.38
He says of this Wisdom:
00:33:01.58\00:33:03.88
"Love her and
she will keep you. "
00:33:04.08\00:33:06.95
What verse are you
in? I'm in verse 6 and 7.
00:33:07.15\00:33:09.95
"Love her... " The latter part.
Well I'll read all of 6 and 7.
00:33:10.35\00:33:13.42
"Do not forsake
her - that is, Wisdom -
00:33:13.62\00:33:15.52
and she will preserve you.
00:33:15.72\00:33:17.69
Love her and she will keep you.
00:33:17.89\00:33:19.29
Wisdom is the principal
thing; therefore, get wisdom.
00:33:19.49\00:33:22.90
and with all your
getting get understanding. "
00:33:23.13\00:33:25.97
Now, just hold that in your
mind and go over to chapter 8
00:33:26.17\00:33:28.87
'cause we don't have
time, of course, to go through
00:33:29.07\00:33:30.97
all his explanation
of Wisdom's activities.
00:33:31.17\00:33:34.38
But then when
you come to chapter 8
00:33:34.78\00:33:36.48
he says in verse 1:
"Does not Wisdom cry out?
00:33:36.68\00:33:39.95
and understanding
lift up her voice? "
00:33:40.15\00:33:42.42
And then in verse 3:
"She cries out at the gate. "
00:33:42.62\00:33:46.12
I mentioned that. And
he's just going on. In verse 7:
00:33:46.32\00:33:48.76
"For my mouth will speak truth
and wickedness as an abomination
00:33:49.36\00:33:53.66
to my lips. " All this is going
on in the human experience.
00:33:53.86\00:33:56.46
Let me put it that way.
I got you. OK, then come to
00:33:56.67\00:33:58.60
verses 35 and 36.
00:33:58.80\00:34:00.60
Wisdom is speaking
now in the first person.
00:34:01.57\00:34:04.17
OK... "For whoever finds me -
00:34:04.57\00:34:07.94
Wisdom - finds life
and obtains favor... "
00:34:08.14\00:34:13.45
That's grace... "from the Lord.
00:34:13.65\00:34:16.12
And whoever sins against me
00:34:16.32\00:34:18.62
wrongs his own soul. All
who hate me love death. "
00:34:18.82\00:34:23.83
When we come to
the New Testament
00:34:24.23\00:34:26.06
in I Corinthians
chapter 1 verse 24
00:34:26.26\00:34:28.93
Paul says that "Christ is
the wisdom of God. " Um-hmm.
00:34:29.33\00:34:34.10
He's the very One who is
personified here in the book
00:34:34.30\00:34:38.81
of Proverbs. Jesus
in the New Testament is
00:34:39.01\00:34:41.81
the source of life: "I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. "
00:34:42.01\00:34:44.01
But here wisdom...
if you latch onto wisdom
00:34:44.21\00:34:46.78
there's life in wisdom.
00:34:46.98\00:34:48.38
That's not saying that
wisdom detached from personhood
00:34:48.58\00:34:53.25
has salvation. It's
saying that all wisdom
00:34:53.46\00:34:56.39
has its source in the
person that is Christ.
00:34:56.59\00:35:00.10
What you were saying:
is it possible to run into
00:35:00.30\00:35:02.46
Jesus - yeah - and it is!
00:35:02.66\00:35:05.63
Right? Wisdom comes from Christ.
00:35:05.83\00:35:07.17
So discovering wisdom
allows you in a sense to
00:35:07.34\00:35:10.04
rub shoulders with Jesus. Yeah.
00:35:10.24\00:35:12.14
Even more than that, I
Corinthians chapter 1 is
00:35:12.34\00:35:14.28
saying: "For Christ is our
wisdom and our righteousness. "
00:35:14.48\00:35:17.78
He IS wisdom...
wisdom personified in a sense
00:35:17.98\00:35:20.52
because it talks about how
wisdom here in chapter 9 has
00:35:20.72\00:35:22.82
built her house,
etc., etc. Right.
00:35:23.02\00:35:25.25
In other words,
God is putting Himself
00:35:25.72\00:35:28.79
in this
personification of wisdom.
00:35:28.99\00:35:30.73
"I am Wisdom. If you
love Me, you love life.
00:35:30.93\00:35:32.83
If you hate Me, you
love death. I am wisdom. "
00:35:33.03\00:35:35.70
And then Paul says that wisdom
that the Old Testament was
00:35:35.90\00:35:37.97
talking about, was personifying,
Paul says that wisdom
00:35:38.17\00:35:40.34
was Jesus. Yeah.
00:35:40.54\00:35:42.04
So all those Old Testament
preachers and prophets...
00:35:42.24\00:35:44.01
I'm just... Just go to...
00:35:44.21\00:35:46.91
Get 'em out there; get 'em
out there; get 'em out there!
00:35:50.98\00:35:53.25
We want to explain this with
clarity and we want to get it
00:35:53.82\00:35:56.08
so bad! All these
verses in Proverbs
00:35:56.28\00:35:58.19
that are talking about wisdom
and we say: "It's Solomon. "
00:35:58.39\00:36:00.29
No, no, no, it's NOT Solomon!
00:36:00.49\00:36:01.82
That's Jesus. That's
God speaking right there.
00:36:02.06\00:36:04.66
Just as a word on that,
recall that... and we said this
00:36:04.86\00:36:07.53
in a previous conversation
but it bears mentioning here
00:36:07.73\00:36:10.23
that "In the beginning
was the Word" is the logos.
00:36:10.43\00:36:12.83
Yeah. That doesn't just
mean... It doesn't mean only
00:36:13.03\00:36:15.67
a word. It's the same root
word from which we get like
00:36:15.87\00:36:19.27
biology or theology
00:36:19.47\00:36:23.71
or anthropology.
The logy part at the end
00:36:23.91\00:36:27.22
is, for example:
biology is the word
00:36:27.42\00:36:29.62
or the study about life.
00:36:29.82\00:36:31.49
Anthropology:
the study about man.
00:36:31.69\00:36:33.86
Knowledge... wisdom... theology.
00:36:34.06\00:36:37.63
That's right.
Knowledge, wisdom of God.
00:36:37.83\00:36:39.66
Many believe that...
Many scholars believe that
00:36:39.86\00:36:42.63
John is intentionally
here utilizing a Greek idea,
00:36:42.83\00:36:45.50
a Greek concept, to
speak to people about
00:36:45.70\00:36:48.40
that thing... that pervasive,
ubiquitous: that is Jesus.
00:36:48.60\00:36:53.64
And there's something I
wanted to say about the light
00:36:53.84\00:36:55.18
and the dark. He
says two things in John 1.
00:36:55.34\00:36:57.51
He's the Light that lights every
man that comes into the world
00:36:57.71\00:37:00.38
and He is The Word. OK, so
then on the most basic level
00:37:00.58\00:37:03.45
what is the purpose of light?
00:37:03.65\00:37:04.99
To dispel darkness.
00:37:05.22\00:37:06.55
And on the most basic level
what's the purpose of a word?
00:37:07.29\00:37:09.62
To communicate. Um-hmm.
00:37:09.82\00:37:11.76
So God is dispelling darkness
00:37:11.96\00:37:14.80
and He's communicating
through the whole of the human
00:37:15.00\00:37:18.07
experience, through
the whole of human history,
00:37:18.27\00:37:20.34
through... And we have to
get to these texts eventually
00:37:20.54\00:37:23.27
that talk about how He
does it through creation,
00:37:23.47\00:37:25.11
He does it through
our innermost conscience.
00:37:25.31\00:37:27.48
Doesn't He also do it through
the Word? Of course He does!
00:37:27.68\00:37:29.58
Does He do it through
Christians? Occasionally
00:37:29.78\00:37:32.05
He does get
through through persons.
00:37:32.25\00:37:33.85
So... And the point is
that there is this pervasive
00:37:35.98\00:37:40.19
sense in which God is
not playing favorites.
00:37:40.39\00:37:42.92
I love those texts that
say God is not a respecter
00:37:43.12\00:37:45.63
of persons. He's not setting
this nation aside and saying:
00:37:45.83\00:37:48.53
"Ah, phooey on all
those other nations.
00:37:48.73\00:37:50.23
This is My nation;
you're the really special one. "
00:37:50.43\00:37:52.93
In fact, God did not just
give truth to the descendants of
00:37:53.13\00:37:56.44
Abraham and Israel.
His intention of calling
00:37:56.64\00:37:58.77
Abraham and Israel was to give
truth through - yeah - Abraham
00:37:58.97\00:38:02.34
and Israel - yeah -
the descendants of Abraham.
00:38:02.54\00:38:05.08
You go for it
but one quick thought
00:38:05.28\00:38:07.55
and in the book of
Daniel that is another point
00:38:07.75\00:38:09.88
because the first person to
get a prophetic dream in Daniel
00:38:10.09\00:38:12.32
is not Daniel; it's not
Daniel's friends. That's right.
00:38:12.52\00:38:14.12
It's
Nebuchadnezzar; it's the king!
00:38:14.32\00:38:15.66
And God is saying:
"I love that guy! "
00:38:15.82\00:38:17.89
Pagan, murderous,
dictatorial... Yeah!
00:38:18.09\00:38:20.63
Gets a prophetic vision!
00:38:20.83\00:38:22.16
And what I love in Daniel 4...
00:38:22.36\00:38:24.27
I love in Daniel 4 where he
penned this vision... You know,
00:38:24.47\00:38:26.70
the vision of the tree
that's cut and all that.
00:38:26.90\00:38:28.60
We don't have to get
into that, but Daniel says:
00:38:28.80\00:38:30.54
"God has done this... "
Is this Daniel 2 or 4? Four.
00:38:30.74\00:38:34.08
"to show you the
thoughts of your heart. "
00:38:34.28\00:38:36.64
So God was communicating.
00:38:36.85\00:38:38.18
"God is reaching out
to you, Nebuchadnezzar!
00:38:38.31\00:38:40.12
You're a pagan,
idolatrous, murderous king
00:38:40.32\00:38:42.95
and yet God loves you! "
00:38:43.15\00:38:44.49
And the tree is going to
be cut down but the band is
00:38:44.55\00:38:45.95
going to... It remains!
00:38:46.15\00:38:48.02
And then we get to Daniel
chapter... what is it? Six
00:38:48.22\00:38:50.59
where Nebuchadnezzar
writes the chapter.
00:38:50.99\00:38:53.13
Is that 5 or?
That's four... that's four!
00:38:53.33\00:38:54.90
Where he is saying:
"I extol the Most High. "
00:38:55.10\00:38:57.50
Poor Jeffrey over there...
he wants to make a point.
00:38:57.70\00:38:59.47
The heathen author of
scripture in the Old Testament.
00:38:59.67\00:39:02.94
It's Nebuchadnezzar. Um-hmm.
00:39:03.14\00:39:04.71
Well most of you know
that chapter 4 was written by
00:39:04.91\00:39:06.31
Nebuchadnezzar, right?
That came as a shock to me.
00:39:06.51\00:39:08.38
OK. I need to go
to Acts chapter 17
00:39:08.78\00:39:10.75
because I think it wraps
everything we've been saying.
00:39:10.95\00:39:12.98
This is where
Paul goes to Athens
00:39:13.18\00:39:14.88
and he... the intellectual
capital of the world...
00:39:15.08\00:39:17.89
he's in the hub
of... you mentioned Greek.
00:39:18.09\00:39:20.82
John purposely uses
this Greek idea, but
00:39:21.02\00:39:24.49
in Acts 17 Paul is in Athens,
00:39:24.69\00:39:27.30
the mecca of
this Greek philosophy,
00:39:27.66\00:39:31.00
and as he's there
he's just overwhelmed
00:39:31.20\00:39:35.40
by how people are just
searching and searching
00:39:35.60\00:39:38.67
and trying to arrive at this
thing we've been talking about:
00:39:38.87\00:39:42.51
the logos. OK... keep going.
00:39:42.71\00:39:45.98
Faster, though, 'cause
I've got something to say.
00:39:46.18\00:39:47.92
Hurry, hurry, hurry! In
Act's 17, I'm purposely going
00:39:49.95\00:39:52.39
to go slow mo. Man,
this is going to kill me.
00:39:52.59\00:39:54.96
In verse 23 he says
that he finds an inscription
00:39:55.16\00:39:57.46
"to the unknown God. "
Right? Which I think we should
00:39:57.66\00:39:59.96
we should dwell on
that. But in verse 26
00:40:00.16\00:40:04.17
he said: "We're going to
encounter this in creation. "
00:40:04.33\00:40:06.70
Verse 26: "He has
made from one blood
00:40:06.90\00:40:11.07
every nation of men
to dwell on all the face
00:40:11.27\00:40:14.24
of the earth and has determined
their pre-appointed time
00:40:14.44\00:40:17.51
and boundaries of
their dwelling. " Ooh!
00:40:17.71\00:40:21.12
So there's time there
and there's geography.
00:40:21.32\00:40:23.42
So God is in the business of
positioning people at the right
00:40:23.82\00:40:27.12
time in history and in
the right places. Yeah, yeah.
00:40:27.32\00:40:30.29
For the purpose of
what we would ask Paul.
00:40:30.49\00:40:32.33
Providential orchestration.
00:40:32.53\00:40:33.86
That's right. And
the purpose is, verse 27:
00:40:33.90\00:40:35.96
So that... God is doing this
for the purpose... "that they
00:40:36.16\00:40:40.94
should seek the Lord in
the hope that they might
00:40:41.14\00:40:45.24
grope for Him and find
Him. " And I want to just say
00:40:45.44\00:40:48.58
a few things
here. "Grope for Him. "
00:40:48.78\00:40:50.98
Take your time. This
idea of "groping" for God...
00:40:51.18\00:40:54.88
We've been on light
and darkness. Yeah, right.
00:40:55.08\00:40:56.85
I'm imagining
entering into my house.
00:40:57.05\00:40:58.79
When I get home at night it's
dark, and I'm in my room and I'm
00:40:58.99\00:41:01.22
groping around trying to
find my way to the light switch.
00:41:01.42\00:41:04.03
Right? So they're groping
around trying to find Him.
00:41:04.23\00:41:07.36
And then it says:
"that they might find Him
00:41:08.36\00:41:10.60
though He is not far
from each one of us. "
00:41:10.80\00:41:14.57
Speaking of John chapter 1
fast forward, the last thing
00:41:14.77\00:41:18.04
I'll say then you guys
can just get out of your cage.
00:41:18.24\00:41:20.08
In Hebrews 3- we've
gotta take a break -
00:41:20.28\00:41:22.91
"Truly the times of
ignorance God overlooked...
00:41:23.11\00:41:25.78
Um-hmm. "but now
commands all men to repent. "
00:41:25.98\00:41:28.32
Seems to me that
that's a powerful passage!
00:41:28.52\00:41:30.62
It shows and affirms every-
thing we've been laying down.
00:41:30.82\00:41:33.59
Yeah. That God has
been working from day one.
00:41:33.79\00:41:36.19
It's not just the manifestation
of Jesus in Bethlehem
00:41:36.39\00:41:38.39
and onward. Right. But that
God has been in the business
00:41:38.59\00:41:41.36
of interacting with humanity
00:41:41.56\00:41:44.43
throughout different time
eras and throughout different
00:41:44.63\00:41:47.24
locations for the
simple purpose of making Him
00:41:47.44\00:41:50.57
as the logos, as the Word,
00:41:50.77\00:41:52.71
as the Light
accessible to people... Um-hmm!
00:41:52.91\00:41:55.11
And people in their
ignorance - um-hmm -
00:41:55.31\00:41:57.65
have been rubbing
shoulders with Jesus
00:41:57.81\00:42:00.05
and He's accepted
that. But then he says:
00:42:00.25\00:42:02.68
God winked at that ignorance
00:42:02.88\00:42:04.22
but His ultimate goal is
to bring them one step further
00:42:04.39\00:42:06.76
for the honor of His
name. And He says that He is not
00:42:06.96\00:42:09.49
"far from any one
of you" in Acts 17.
00:42:09.69\00:42:12.26
That's the very
point that Paul was making,
00:42:12.46\00:42:14.06
the very point
that Moses was making.
00:42:14.30\00:42:15.63
You don't have to ascend into
the heavens to bring it down.
00:42:15.66\00:42:17.50
You don't have to sail
across the sea to get it.
00:42:17.70\00:42:19.03
It's right
there! That He's near.
00:42:19.23\00:42:21.34
One other thing, though.
Jeffrey missed this verse
00:42:21.54\00:42:23.74
but it's verse 23. By the
way, we're two minutes over
00:42:23.94\00:42:26.07
for the break, but go
and finish this one point
00:42:26.27\00:42:28.08
we'll take the break.
Well, verse 25 says that
00:42:28.28\00:42:30.68
"In Him we have life
and breath and all things. "
00:42:30.88\00:42:32.71
And Jeffrey mentioned...
he's saying, Jeffrey's saying,
00:42:33.11\00:42:35.68
he's suggesting these verses
show us that God has been active
00:42:35.88\00:42:38.49
through all time
with all different people.
00:42:38.69\00:42:40.19
And he says "In him we have life
and breath and all things. "
00:42:40.39\00:42:42.16
You just go back
to Daniel chapter 5.
00:42:42.56\00:42:44.49
This guy cannot
stay away from Daniel!
00:42:44.69\00:42:46.23
Daniel chapter 5.
This is coming to the end
00:42:46.43\00:42:50.37
of the reign of Babylon, OK?
00:42:50.57\00:42:53.57
The king here, Belshazzar,
is being confronted by a dream.
00:42:53.77\00:42:56.74
Not a dream but a
hand that has written.
00:42:56.94\00:43:00.54
And Daniel comes in to interpret
it, and this is what Daniel says
00:43:00.74\00:43:03.08
to him. Daniel says to
him: "You know the history of
00:43:03.28\00:43:05.15
your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar.
00:43:05.35\00:43:06.92
You haven't humbled yourself.
You've lifted up yourself
00:43:07.12\00:43:09.72
against the Lord of heaven.
You've brought the vessels
00:43:09.92\00:43:11.69
of His house before you.
You've eaten... your lords
00:43:11.89\00:43:14.66
and wives have
drunk out of them.
00:43:14.86\00:43:16.56
You've prayed to
gods of silver and gold,
00:43:16.76\00:43:18.16
the gods of stone that
see not nor hear not. "
00:43:18.36\00:43:20.96
Then he says this:
"But the God in whose hands
00:43:21.16\00:43:23.77
thy breath is and
whose are all thy ways
00:43:23.97\00:43:26.74
thou hast not glorified. "
Yeah! And in the context of that
00:43:26.94\00:43:29.70
he says: "Even
though you knew this. "
00:43:29.90\00:43:31.57
Jeffrey, you said
people have been ignorant...
00:43:31.97\00:43:33.48
But some people
have NOT been ignorant.
00:43:33.68\00:43:35.54
God has manifest Himself to
heathen kings and told them:
00:43:35.74\00:43:39.25
"I've given you life
and breath and all things. "
00:43:39.45\00:43:40.92
And the entire court of
Babylon is hearing this.
00:43:41.12\00:43:43.59
Yeah, wow! The
entire Medo-Persian empire
00:43:43.79\00:43:45.72
hears about this God.
Everyone hears about this God.
00:43:45.92\00:43:48.72
We don't want to take a break
but we have to take a break.
00:43:48.92\00:43:52.59
It's painful! It's painful
and we'll come right back.
00:43:52.79\00:43:54.60
So just push the pause button.
00:43:54.80\00:43:57.40
The Light Bearers story is
a short, award-winning video
00:43:58.67\00:44:02.10
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00:44:07.74\00:44:10.78
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00:44:45.11\00:44:47.62
So you all know that something
really... literally exciting
00:44:53.15\00:44:56.83
happened in the break. What?
00:44:57.03\00:44:59.33
I don't know what
you're talking about.
00:44:59.73\00:45:01.06
Just so our viewers know
we were getting the program
00:45:01.16\00:45:03.53
going and we got
about 2 minutes into it
00:45:03.73\00:45:05.97
and this
lightness above us went blue
00:45:06.17\00:45:08.70
and then it went boom! I thought
it was the second coming.
00:45:08.90\00:45:11.84
You had the
craziest look on your face.
00:45:12.87\00:45:14.61
Your eyes just went
bloop! I think you were making
00:45:14.81\00:45:18.21
such a powerful point
that it emitted enough energy
00:45:18.41\00:45:21.68
to blow that bulb.
00:45:21.88\00:45:23.49
Well somewhere on our Instagram
or on our website or something
00:45:24.09\00:45:26.42
we'll put up my face 'cause it
was like: "What has happened? "
00:45:26.62\00:45:29.36
Boom! It was like the
end of the world was coming.
00:45:29.56\00:45:31.06
It was "end of the world" stuff.
00:45:31.26\00:45:32.59
So what was the
point? So here's the point:
00:45:32.79\00:45:34.53
OK... So Jeffrey left us
off in Acts 17. What I love
00:45:34.73\00:45:37.47
about Acts 17 is
not just the fact that
00:45:37.63\00:45:40.50
the Word is near and
He's close and you can grope.
00:45:40.70\00:45:43.47
And I like to say that if
you can grope and find something
00:45:43.67\00:45:45.94
it can't be difficult to find.
00:45:46.14\00:45:47.61
It can't be far. If you
put somebody in a totally dark
00:45:47.81\00:45:50.61
room and say: "OK, there
is a dime in that room...
00:45:50.81\00:45:53.82
find it. " Well, that's
going to be a tall order:
00:45:54.02\00:45:56.52
to grope and find a dime in
a perfectly pitch dark room.
00:45:56.72\00:45:59.12
But if you say:
"OK... find the wall. "
00:45:59.32\00:46:01.59
OK... you can
grope and find the wall.
00:46:01.79\00:46:04.16
And the fact that
Paul uses that imagery
00:46:04.36\00:46:06.16
says that and his point
is it's not far from you.
00:46:06.36\00:46:08.73
Right. Which was Moses'
point. You don't have to sail
00:46:08.93\00:46:10.97
or you don't have to ascend.
OK... what I love is that Paul
00:46:11.17\00:46:14.97
uses points of connectivity
with the culture that he's in.
00:46:15.17\00:46:18.77
Paul was a master
of contextualization.
00:46:18.97\00:46:20.94
So Paul said: "Some of
your own poets have said"
00:46:21.14\00:46:23.41
to the Athenian
philosophers in Acts 17...
00:46:23.61\00:46:25.35
He says: "Your own
sculpture to the unknown God
00:46:25.55\00:46:29.28
in all things I perceive
that you are very religious. "
00:46:29.48\00:46:31.42
So he's drawing
points of connectivity.
00:46:31.62\00:46:33.42
He's trying to find those
redeemable elements in their
00:46:33.62\00:46:36.86
culture. Yeah. And even if
they're not perfectly redeemable
00:46:37.06\00:46:40.36
he grabs them, twists them,
00:46:40.56\00:46:42.76
and forces them into the gospel.
00:46:42.96\00:46:44.67
He's like: "This is pointing
to Jesus; this is pointing to
00:46:44.87\00:46:46.50
the Word; this is
pointing to the light. "
00:46:46.70\00:46:48.04
OK. Every relic of truth
is eventually pointing to
00:46:48.07\00:46:50.41
the same truth. All
truth is God's truth.
00:46:50.61\00:46:52.77
Yeah, that's the point.
Regardless of where it's found.
00:46:52.97\00:46:56.01
All truth is God's truth;
all beauty is God's beauty.
00:46:56.21\00:46:58.91
Now check this out: right now
at my local church that I pastor
00:46:59.11\00:47:02.98
the Kingscliff SDA church...
just want to give a shout out
00:47:03.18\00:47:04.89
to my people - Kingscliff.
00:47:05.09\00:47:06.59
We're preaching right
now through the book of Acts
00:47:06.99\00:47:08.89
and we did that at our
Light Bearers Convocation
00:47:09.09\00:47:11.49
a couple of years ago. Um-hmm.
Well, I just recently preached
00:47:11.69\00:47:13.73
before I came here
on Acts 12, 13, and 14.
00:47:13.93\00:47:16.93
And in Acts chapter 13-
00:47:17.13\00:47:19.80
follow this - Paul here is
the master of contextualization
00:47:20.00\00:47:22.44
and building bridges
to communicate the gospel,
00:47:22.64\00:47:24.94
he says: "If by any means
that I might draw or direct
00:47:25.14\00:47:28.74
somebody's attention to
Jesus... " He was so passionate!
00:47:28.94\00:47:31.28
"To the Jew I become a
Jew; to the Greek as a Greek.
00:47:31.48\00:47:33.42
Under the law as under the
law; without the law as without
00:47:33.62\00:47:35.35
the law. " So in Acts chapter 13
00:47:35.55\00:47:37.65
Paul goes into the
synagogue. This was his custom.
00:47:38.05\00:47:41.32
He's in Antioch; he
goes into the synagogue.
00:47:41.52\00:47:42.92
And even though there's about
30 speeches recorded in the book
00:47:43.12\00:47:47.36
of Acts, most of... I think
about 12 of which were Paul...
00:47:47.56\00:47:50.67
this is the only speech
or sermon that Luke records
00:47:50.87\00:47:54.90
Paul as speaking in a
synagogue. This is it.
00:47:55.10\00:47:57.37
Hmm. And just take a guess
without looking at the text
00:47:57.57\00:48:00.18
what do you think?
He's in a synagogue;
00:48:00.38\00:48:02.31
he's speaking to Jews, Jewish
context. He himself was a Jew.
00:48:02.51\00:48:04.95
How do you think he
tells the gospel story?
00:48:05.15\00:48:06.95
What words is he going to
use? What people is he going to
00:48:08.42\00:48:10.82
talk about? He's going to
reference the people of Israel.
00:48:11.02\00:48:13.25
Exactly! He says: "Israel,
Israel, Israel, Israel. "
00:48:13.46\00:48:16.16
"Abraham, Abraham,
men of Israel, Israel. "
00:48:16.56\00:48:19.19
The whole thing is built
around Abraham and Israel.
00:48:19.39\00:48:21.40
OK. He then travels from Antioch
to the south and the east
00:48:21.60\00:48:24.87
and he comes to three
cities. He comes to Iconium,
00:48:25.07\00:48:27.34
Lystra, and Derbe.
00:48:27.54\00:48:28.87
And this is the place you'll
remember when he comes into
00:48:29.00\00:48:30.87
Lystra where they say: "Oh,
these are the gods that have
00:48:31.07\00:48:33.64
come down among us. "
Now Paul doesn't go into the
00:48:33.84\00:48:36.01
synagogue in Lystra. Guess why?
00:48:36.21\00:48:37.98
There isn't one. There's
a temple of Zeus in Lystra.
00:48:38.38\00:48:40.95
So he begins to preach, this
man is healed, and the people
00:48:41.35\00:48:44.09
are like: "Whoa! The
gods have come down to us. "
00:48:44.29\00:48:46.22
Now this is contextualization
that's a bit too far.
00:48:46.42\00:48:48.62
Paul is not going to
pretend like he is Zeus.
00:48:48.82\00:48:51.43
He's not going to pretend like
Barnabas is Hermes or Mercury.
00:48:51.63\00:48:54.76
Now this is amazing.
00:48:55.16\00:48:56.67
I'm in verse 13.
"Then the priest of Zeus
00:48:56.87\00:48:59.67
whose temple was in front
of their city brought oxen
00:48:59.87\00:49:01.60
and garlands to the
gates intending to sacrifice
00:49:01.80\00:49:03.64
to the multitudes. But when
the apostles, Barnabas and Paul,
00:49:03.84\00:49:06.31
heard this they tore their
clothes and ran out into the...
00:49:06.51\00:49:08.38
among the
multitude crying out. "
00:49:08.58\00:49:10.35
In other words, just seren-
dipitously there's a sacrifice
00:49:10.75\00:49:13.48
a garland sacrifice all
decorated... Where are you?
00:49:13.68\00:49:16.35
I'm in Acts 14 verse 13. OK.
00:49:16.55\00:49:18.75
This just happens to be going
by and the priests in the city
00:49:18.95\00:49:21.52
come out and say: "Oh,
we'll offer this sacrifice
00:49:21.72\00:49:24.66
to these gods that have
just come down 'cause this guy
00:49:24.86\00:49:26.59
was just healed. "
Paul runs into the midst
00:49:26.80\00:49:28.63
in an act of very Jewish
symbolism tears his clothes.
00:49:28.83\00:49:32.07
Right? This is an abomination.
00:49:32.27\00:49:34.27
Verse 15... now watch this:
00:49:34.47\00:49:35.80
"Men, why are you
doing these things?
00:49:36.00\00:49:38.11
We are also men the
same nature as you. "
00:49:38.31\00:49:42.08
Notice
connectivity. Um-hmm... um-hmm.
00:49:42.28\00:49:44.01
"And we preach to you that you
should turn from these useless
00:49:44.21\00:49:47.25
things to the living God.
" Now watch where he starts
00:49:47.45\00:49:49.98
speaking not to
Jews, not in the synagogue,
00:49:50.19\00:49:52.22
not to people that under-
stand this religious context:
00:49:52.42\00:49:54.32
"useless things
to the living God
00:49:54.72\00:49:57.33
who made the heavens,
the earth, the sea, and all
00:49:57.53\00:50:00.26
the things that are in
them. " Where does he start?
00:50:00.46\00:50:01.80
He starts at creation.
00:50:02.46\00:50:03.80
Um-hmm. Now look at this:
00:50:04.03\00:50:05.37
"Who in bygone
generations allowed all nations
00:50:05.40\00:50:07.67
to walk in their own
ways. Nevertheless He did not
00:50:07.87\00:50:10.61
leave Himself without
witness in that He did good. "
00:50:10.81\00:50:13.14
How did He do good to us?
00:50:13.34\00:50:14.84
He... aw, this is awesome:
"He gave us rain from heaven,
00:50:15.04\00:50:19.21
fruit for our seasons
filling our hearts with food and
00:50:19.41\00:50:21.22
gladness. " And look at this.
They loved what he was saying:
00:50:21.42\00:50:23.85
"With these sayings they could
scarcely restrain the multitude
00:50:24.82\00:50:27.49
from sacrificing to
them. " Now our point is huge!
00:50:27.69\00:50:30.39
When Paul speaks to the Athenian
philosophers what does he say?
00:50:30.69\00:50:32.96
"Greek culture, Greek
culture, Greek culture. "
00:50:33.36\00:50:34.96
God is trying to get
even the Greeks' attention.
00:50:35.16\00:50:38.27
When he goes into a Jewish
synagogue what does he say?
00:50:38.47\00:50:40.04
"Abraham, Israel,
Abraham, Israel. "
00:50:40.24\00:50:41.74
When he's even
in a pagan society
00:50:42.14\00:50:43.77
that's getting it all
wrong trying to worship him
00:50:43.97\00:50:45.51
he's like: "No, no, no,
no. " Where did he direct them?
00:50:45.71\00:50:48.38
He directs them to creation.
He directs them to the rain,
00:50:48.58\00:50:50.58
to the fruitful field, to
the food that fills our belly.
00:50:50.78\00:50:53.72
Um-hmm. Paul didn't come
with a patently Jewish message
00:50:53.92\00:50:57.49
and try to force the
culture of Judaism into...
00:50:57.69\00:51:01.82
You see what I'm saying.
And we need to be so careful
00:51:03.16\00:51:05.36
we don't do that.
What do we want to do?
00:51:05.56\00:51:06.90
We want to say: "Sit
in buildings with pews
00:51:06.93\00:51:09.50
that have steeples and
a man in a suit with a tie
00:51:09.70\00:51:12.57
standing behind a pulpit singing
Onward Christian Soldiers
00:51:12.77\00:51:15.20
and now you're saved. "
00:51:15.40\00:51:16.74
Not that there's
anything wrong with any of that.
00:51:17.11\00:51:18.97
But God didn't call us to
make Westerners out of people.
00:51:19.47\00:51:21.88
He didn't call us to
turn people into our culture.
00:51:22.08\00:51:24.58
He told us: "Point people
to the Messiah that's been
00:51:24.98\00:51:27.48
speaking to them in
their culture, in their heart,
00:51:27.68\00:51:29.38
in their family, in
their life... the whole time. "
00:51:29.58\00:51:32.32
Yeah. Powerful! Love
it, David... beautiful!
00:51:32.52\00:51:35.56
Man, I'm just so on fire about
it! Right in the context of Acts
00:51:35.76\00:51:39.86
and the story
that's unfolding here
00:51:40.06\00:51:42.63
if you just back up... I
don't know if you guys have
00:51:42.83\00:51:44.57
noticed this scripture. It just
came to me a few minutes ago.
00:51:44.77\00:51:47.84
Back in chapter
10 Peter is talking
00:51:48.24\00:51:51.71
and he, of course,
is preaching Christ.
00:51:52.11\00:51:54.68
Jesus is the Savior of the world
00:51:54.88\00:51:57.35
and he's going on and on and on
00:51:57.55\00:51:59.11
but then he
throws this curve ball.
00:51:59.31\00:52:01.05
"Peter opened his mouth...
" chapter 10 verse 34...
00:52:01.25\00:52:03.35
"Peter opened his mouth and
he said: 'In truth I perceive
00:52:03.55\00:52:06.86
that God shows no
partiality. ' " That's right!
00:52:07.06\00:52:10.16
Now this is interesting.
00:52:10.36\00:52:11.69
"God shows no partiality... "
verse 35... "but in every nation
00:52:11.73\00:52:16.10
whoever fears Him
and works righteousness
00:52:16.30\00:52:19.00
is accepted by Him. " That's it!
00:52:19.20\00:52:20.77
This is very clear that
he's saying: "Right now in this
00:52:20.97\00:52:23.17
moment I'm
preaching Jesus to you.
00:52:23.37\00:52:25.41
And the gospel that
we're preaching about Jesus
00:52:25.61\00:52:28.14
is going to all nations,
is going to the Gentiles"
00:52:28.34\00:52:30.71
but Peter says: "but I'm
here to tell you that all along
00:52:30.91\00:52:33.98
God is accepting
anybody in any nation
00:52:34.18\00:52:36.62
who responds... " Who
fears... Yeah, "who fears God or
00:52:36.82\00:52:40.12
reverences God and
does what's right. "
00:52:40.32\00:52:43.59
It's just astounding. Not
only that but what's really
00:52:43.79\00:52:47.16
interesting to me:
there's this seed that was sown.
00:52:47.36\00:52:50.13
David, when you were sharing
that there was a seed sown
00:52:50.33\00:52:52.47
and it took me back to a
book in the Old Testament:
00:52:52.67\00:52:54.30
and it's the book of Daniel.
Daniel is it? That's right!
00:52:54.50\00:52:58.27
What a surprise! I don't
think there's any other book
00:52:58.47\00:53:00.28
in his Bible. It's just Daniel.
There's like a New Testament
00:53:00.48\00:53:02.58
and then the Old
Testament is by Daniel.
00:53:02.78\00:53:04.21
But here's the
interesting thing:
00:53:06.82\00:53:08.35
you... the seed that was
sown when you were talking was
00:53:08.55\00:53:12.45
Paul contextualized. He
didn't speak to the Gentiles
00:53:12.65\00:53:16.86
about things that
he used with the Jews:
00:53:17.06\00:53:18.86
Abraham, Jacob, Isaac.
00:53:19.06\00:53:20.63
He didn't speak to the Jews
about things he talked with...
00:53:20.83\00:53:23.30
No. Creation. He contextualized.
00:53:23.50\00:53:25.73
Well, God did the same
thing in the book of Daniel.
00:53:26.13\00:53:28.24
So when God sends His man
00:53:28.64\00:53:31.67
to evangelize in Babylon
00:53:31.87\00:53:34.48
what does God use as a tool
to reach them in evangelism?
00:53:34.68\00:53:38.31
What is it that He uses to
communicate? He uses a statue.
00:53:39.15\00:53:42.08
Yeah, but what does
that statue represent?
00:53:42.28\00:53:44.12
Nations... The history
of nations! OK... got it!
00:53:45.19\00:53:47.29
So He gives
Nebuchadnezzar this revelation
00:53:47.49\00:53:49.49
of his history.
"Nebuchadnezzar, this is you.
00:53:49.69\00:53:51.93
This is your history. "
He's speaking his language.
00:53:52.13\00:53:53.96
He's speaking his language!
Using what the Jews would
00:53:54.16\00:53:56.77
regard as an idol
but God is using to...
00:53:56.97\00:53:59.50
He's using to... YES!
He's using his language.
00:53:59.70\00:54:02.60
I'm thinking 'cause you were
talking about this in relation
00:54:02.80\00:54:04.31
to evangelism and how
we need to contextualize.
00:54:04.51\00:54:06.11
I'm just thinking: "This is am-
zing! This is so consistent. "
00:54:06.31\00:54:09.01
And the other thing that's
really interesting I think
00:54:09.21\00:54:11.31
in the context of
what we're saying here
00:54:11.51\00:54:12.85
is that if you read
Joel chapter 2 carefully,
00:54:12.91\00:54:16.38
you'll understand that it's
a prediction of the very thing
00:54:16.58\00:54:18.85
that
Nebuchadnezzar accomplished.
00:54:19.05\00:54:20.76
And in Joel chapter 2
God describes Nebuchadnezzar
00:54:20.96\00:54:23.56
and his men as "His army. "
He says: "This is My army. "
00:54:23.76\00:54:26.53
In other words, God will
actually use Gentile people
00:54:26.93\00:54:30.20
to accomplish His purposes.
God will give Gentile people
00:54:30.40\00:54:33.03
dreams. God will...
He's no respecter of persons.
00:54:33.23\00:54:35.70
This is what Ty is bringing out.
00:54:35.90\00:54:37.24
He's no respecter of persons.
00:54:37.37\00:54:38.71
So this idea that there's
no other name under heaven,
00:54:38.87\00:54:41.54
this idea that only the people
who knew this certain name
00:54:41.74\00:54:44.21
is completely
bankrupt when you look at it.
00:54:44.41\00:54:47.22
Yeah! The wit, the
tenor, the evidence in Scripture
00:54:47.45\00:54:50.82
is overwhelmingly taking
us in a different direction.
00:54:51.02\00:54:53.52
I'm going to say very
quickly: and some might think
00:54:53.72\00:54:56.32
that this idea would
diminish the uniqueness
00:54:56.52\00:54:59.69
and the potency and the
special, beautiful, wonderful
00:54:59.89\00:55:03.33
peerless thing
that is Jesus Christ.
00:55:03.53\00:55:05.83
On the contrary, it magnifies it
00:55:06.03\00:55:08.90
so that it's not just
this little formulaic,
00:55:09.10\00:55:11.74
this almost mantra
secret recipe that you say
00:55:11.94\00:55:15.58
and then it's like:
"OK... you're good. "
00:55:15.78\00:55:17.11
Yeah, Jesus is not a lucky
charm; He's not a magic name.
00:55:17.25\00:55:22.92
It's not words that you
speak and something happens.
00:55:23.12\00:55:27.12
Jesus embodies the
principles of grace and truth
00:55:27.32\00:55:31.56
by which salvation
comes to a human being.
00:55:31.76\00:55:34.70
And He's been approaching
people all through history.
00:55:34.90\00:55:37.53
That's what we're realizing.
00:55:37.73\00:55:39.43
There will be people...
We mentioned in the break
00:55:39.63\00:55:41.90
yesterday a book that I've read.
I think Ty's read it as well.
00:55:42.10\00:55:45.51
Maybe you guys have. A book by
Don Richardson called Eternity
00:55:45.71\00:55:47.44
in Their Hearts. And
he basically documents
00:55:47.64\00:55:50.61
where there are instances
of where missionaries have
00:55:50.81\00:55:53.55
arrived to cultures
that had no exposure...
00:55:53.75\00:55:56.45
previous exposure to
Christ or the message of Christ
00:55:56.65\00:55:59.19
and yet they had
redemptive gospel elements
00:55:59.39\00:56:02.92
in their culture.
And he's basically saying
00:56:03.12\00:56:05.09
"Eternity in their
heart, eternity in their heart,
00:56:05.29\00:56:07.16
eternity in their heart. "
What's that? Ecclesiastes 7?
00:56:07.36\00:56:09.33
Or is that Ecclesiastes
3? Chapter 3 verse 5.
00:56:09.53\00:56:12.20
God has placed a
longing, a sense of otherness,
00:56:12.40\00:56:16.74
of "out-there-ness,
" of truth, of grace,
00:56:16.94\00:56:19.11
of egalitarianism: treating
others as you yourself would
00:56:19.31\00:56:21.74
want to be treated.
He's placed that in everyone.
00:56:21.94\00:56:24.05
And He is reaching,
longing, hoping that
00:56:24.45\00:56:27.42
anyone will respond
to the spark of interest.
00:56:27.62\00:56:29.95
Yeah. There will be
people who will walk up to Jesus
00:56:30.15\00:56:32.82
in the courts of heaven
00:56:33.02\00:56:34.52
and introduce themself.
"Hi, I'm Tom and You are? "
00:56:34.72\00:56:39.63
"I'm Jesus and I've
got a story to tell you. "
00:56:40.70\00:56:42.26
Yeah. That's exactly what
we see in Zechariah chapter 13
00:56:42.46\00:56:45.93
and verse 6.
Um-hmm. This is a prophecy
00:56:46.13\00:56:49.17
of people. I mean,
try to imagine this.
00:56:50.27\00:56:53.21
People who will ask the question
00:56:53.41\00:56:56.01
"What are these
wounds in Your hands? "
00:56:56.21\00:56:59.01
Now think about
that for a minute. Wow!
00:56:59.21\00:57:00.72
You and I... we
get into the kingdom,
00:57:00.92\00:57:03.89
into heaven let's say,
00:57:04.09\00:57:06.35
I'm not going to ask:
"Jesus, why do you have scars
00:57:06.86\00:57:09.29
on Your hands? " Um-hmm.
Why? Because I know that story.
00:57:09.49\00:57:12.26
I live at a time in history...
00:57:12.46\00:57:13.80
My experience unfolded in
such a way that I encountered
00:57:14.00\00:57:16.87
Jesus by name and the
story of His life in the text.
00:57:17.07\00:57:21.20
So I know why He
has scars in His hands.
00:57:21.60\00:57:24.01
But some people would actually
ask: "Why do You have scars
00:57:24.21\00:57:26.81
in Your hands? " And
the implication is that
00:57:27.01\00:57:29.41
they will be meeting
Jesus by the name Jesus
00:57:29.61\00:57:33.08
for the very first
time and He's saying:
00:57:33.28\00:57:35.42
"Well I'm Jesus. I'm
your eternal Savior. "
00:57:35.62\00:57:37.89
"You saved me? Well
how did You save me? "
00:57:38.09\00:57:41.29
"Well do you remember when
00:57:41.49\00:57:44.16
and you were
thinking and you were feeling
00:57:44.36\00:57:47.40
and then you were regretful and
then you changed your course?
00:57:47.60\00:57:51.27
Later people will
call that repentance.
00:57:51.67\00:57:54.14
They have some theological
language they apply to this
00:57:54.34\00:57:56.10
but you were turning in your
heart. Do you remember all? "
00:57:56.30\00:57:58.64
"Yeah, I remember
feeling dissatisfied. "
00:57:58.84\00:58:01.31
You were groping!
00:58:01.51\00:58:03.11
I wish we had
Jesus. And then Jesus says:
00:58:03.31\00:58:07.32
"That was Me... that
was Me, the wordless Word,
00:58:07.52\00:58:11.62
the whispering in
your heart: that was Me.
00:58:11.82\00:58:14.72
The conviction you were
sensing, that was Me all... "
00:58:14.92\00:58:17.16
"That was You? " "That
was Me; I'm your Savior.
00:58:17.36\00:58:19.63
You're here
because you responded
00:58:19.83\00:58:24.13
to My overture to
you. I took the initiative
00:58:24.33\00:58:27.50
and on some level of your
heart you said 'Yes' to Me. "
00:58:27.70\00:58:30.24
I love that by the
way, and I can even sense
00:58:31.14\00:58:34.48
that in that
fictitious scenario there,
00:58:34.68\00:58:36.64
that imaginative scenario
there, that they would say:
00:58:36.85\00:58:38.88
"You know, I was never
quite comfortable with the way
00:58:39.08\00:58:40.82
the world operated. " Um-hmm.
"There was injustice, oppression
00:58:41.02\00:58:43.89
and You mean to tell me
You're the One? " "I'm the One.
00:58:44.09\00:58:45.92
Here's the story.
" Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:58:46.12\00:58:48.52
Because there is...
For many of us this world,
00:58:48.72\00:58:51.29
many in the world not
just Christians, this world
00:58:51.49\00:58:53.60
fits like a garment
that doesn't fit right. Yeah.
00:58:53.80\00:58:56.46
Something's wrong; it's broken;
this world isn't our home.
00:58:56.67\00:58:59.93
We've realized in
this time together that
00:59:00.14\00:59:02.54
Jesus is the only Savior. Yes!
00:59:02.74\00:59:04.71
But we've discovered
that He has been active,
00:59:05.11\00:59:08.38
I would even say aggressive,
00:59:08.58\00:59:10.51
all through history in
every time, in every nation,
00:59:10.71\00:59:13.55
in every culture
pursuing people and giving them
00:59:13.75\00:59:16.45
an opportunity to know Him.
00:59:16.65\00:59:18.52
Yes. Hallelujah! Amen.
00:59:18.72\00:59:20.56