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Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000115S
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00:00 - You might not know this,
00:01 but you might just be the executor 00:04 of someone's last will and testament. 00:06 This is a show you're not gonna wanna miss. 00:09 [mellow music] 00:30 A lot of folks don't really know this, 00:31 but one of the services we offer at the Voice of Prophecy 00:34 is to help people get their final affairs in order. 00:37 And we like to do that, well, 00:39 well in advance of the moment 00:40 when it might actually become, well, urgent. 00:43 When that day comes that your doctor 00:45 finally gives you some really bad news 00:47 and you realize you've run out of time 00:49 just like everybody else, 00:51 the last thing you wanna do 00:52 is be forced into a position 00:54 where you have to plan your final wishes under pressure. 00:57 Because then, it's an emergency, 00:59 and you're not always gonna do your best thinking 01:02 in an emergency. 01:03 So, what we tend to do is encourage people 01:05 to think about this well in advance 01:07 so you can sit down quietly and really think things through. 01:11 And I know it's not a comfortable subject, 01:13 but trust me, 01:14 you're gonna have to deal with it at some point. 01:16 And of course, when you're drawing up your estate plan, 01:19 we do like it when you think about 01:20 the needs of this ministry. 01:21 But listen, we'll help you whether or not 01:24 you feel like including us. 01:26 Death is a part of life for absolutely everybody. 01:29 And if we're gonna make the effort 01:31 to help you live in authentic human life, 01:32 then we really want to help you 01:34 with the final phase as well. 01:37 So, as a result of this, 01:39 the ministry has become the executor 01:40 for a lot of estates over the decades, 01:43 which makes it our responsibility to make sure 01:45 that your final wishes become reality. 01:48 It's a responsibility we take very seriously, 01:51 because there's something sacred 01:53 about a person's final wishes, 01:55 something that most of us consider inviolable. 01:59 Of course, sometimes that can create 02:01 a tiny bit of friction with friends and family 02:03 who aren't entirely happy with what you decided. 02:06 "What do you mean, I only get a third? 02:08 I took care of mom in the end, 02:09 so I deserve more than all my siblings!" 02:12 You know, that kind of stuff. 02:14 And so, sometimes, 02:15 people will try to get us to waffle on the will. 02:16 But at the end of the day, 02:18 there's no way we're willing to do that, 02:19 because our job 02:21 is to stick to the wishes of the deceased. 02:24 It's their will, it's their wishes. 02:26 An executor who starts to play loose with a will 02:29 is doing something really inappropriate. 02:31 [soft music] 02:33 Most of us recognize that a final will and testament 02:35 is a really solemn thing, 02:37 something that should not be altered, ever. 02:40 It is, after all, your final word to the world. 02:43 It's the last thing you do. 02:45 The possessions you have the day you die 02:47 are a huge part of what you actually 02:49 traded your time for in this world. 02:51 Of course, I'm not such a materialist 02:54 that I believe you are only the sum of the things you own, 02:56 because, well, that would be incredibly shallow 02:58 and tragically inadequate. 03:00 In fact, you might remember that on one occasion 03:02 when somebody was disputing his share 03:04 of his father's estate, 03:06 Jesus warned him, 03:07 "Take care, and be on your guard against covetousness, 03:10 for one's life does not consist 03:12 in the abundance of his possessions." 03:15 In other words, 03:16 the definition of you is greater than the stuff you own. 03:20 But of course, that doesn't mean 03:22 that the stuff you leave behind isn't important. 03:25 Most of us trade the majority of our lives earning wages, 03:28 and we use those wages to buy the things we need. 03:32 And that's a completely honorable way to spend your life. 03:35 I mean, the alternative is to demand 03:37 that somebody else works to provide for your needs, 03:39 and that is not the right way to live. 03:42 So, you trade your labor for the things you need. 03:45 And at one point in history, 03:46 way back when, 03:47 some economic genius came up 03:49 with a universal means of exchange, 03:52 money. 03:54 Now, I know the subject of money on a religious show 03:56 always seems a little shady. 03:58 I'll be the first to admit that a lot of modern preachers 04:00 have actually made a farce of the Christian faith 04:02 in the way they talk about it. 04:04 As a minister, I'm usually deeply embarrassed 04:07 by the prosperity preachers 04:08 who prey on the weak, the sick, and the poor 04:11 by telling them that God will make them incredibly wealthy 04:14 or even heal them if they only send in their meager funds. 04:18 And of course, that same preacher 04:19 then suddenly moves into a bigger house 04:22 and the promised miracle never seems to materialize. 04:25 It's despicable. 04:27 And I'm personally convinced 04:28 that God will hold these people accountable, 04:30 and I wouldn't wanna be in their shoes on judgment day. 04:33 And I don't think I need to name names, 04:35 because most of you already know 04:37 exactly which preachers I'm talking about. 04:39 So, yeah, terrible people have given the faith 04:42 a bit of a black eye when it comes to the subject of money. 04:45 Skeptics tend to think of the church 04:47 as a moneymaking scheme, 04:49 and they're not entirely wrong. 04:50 Given the absolute garbage I've seen, 04:52 I can understand why somebody might think that. 04:55 But is the subject of money really a dirty subject? 05:00 Well, absolutely not. 05:01 In fact, as I mentioned a moment ago, 05:03 the invention of money was kind of genius, 05:05 because it solved a lot of problems. 05:07 It created a lot of problems, too, 05:10 but at the end of the day, 05:11 it was a pretty good idea. 05:13 I mean, let's just think about it. 05:14 Let's say that I raise chickens 05:17 and my chickens lay a lot of eggs. 05:18 In fact, they lay more eggs than I can use. 05:21 So, here I am. 05:22 I'm egg rich, but I'm shelter poor. 05:25 So, I approach some guy who owns a sawmill, and I say, 05:27 "Look, I'd like to trade some of these eggs 05:29 for some of your lumber." 05:31 And because he doesn't have enough food, he makes a deal. 05:34 But what would happen if the guy said, 05:36 "I don't want your eggs, I got lots to eat." 05:38 Well, then, what am I supposed to do? 05:40 Well, maybe I go looking for a seamstress 05:43 and I offer to trade eggs for clothes, and she agrees. 05:46 Now, I don't need clothes, 05:48 but the guy at the sawmill does, 05:50 and now I have something he wants, 05:51 and we can cut a deal. 05:53 Now, all of that is very inconvenient, 05:56 and some days I might have to barter 05:57 with 15 or 20 different people to actually get what I want. 06:01 The invention of money solved that problem. 06:04 Suddenly, we had a universal medium of exchange, 06:07 something that everybody can use, 06:09 and it eliminates the need 06:11 for a whole bunch of unnecessary effort. 06:13 But of course, the big question, 06:15 is money evil? 06:17 A lot of people think so, 06:18 but not according to the Bible. 06:20 According to scripture, 06:22 money is a brilliant tool if you put it in the hands 06:24 of decent and honest people. 06:26 And I know what some of you are thinking. 06:28 "Doesn't the Bible say that money is the root of all evil?" 06:31 Well, no, it doesn't. 06:33 Here's what it actually says 06:35 in Paul's first letter to Timothy, 06:37 where he writes, 06:39 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. 06:42 It is through this craving 06:44 that some have wandered away from the faith 06:45 and pierced themselves with many pangs." 06:49 Now, history teaches us that Paul was absolutely right. 06:52 Loving money can cause a world of hurt. 06:55 And given the way that a lot of religious hucksters 06:57 have taken it upon themselves to get rich off the gospel, 07:00 perverting the teachings of Christ for personal gain, 07:04 well, Paul's passage pretty much speaks for itself. 07:07 And God alone knows how many people have been hurt 07:10 as these shysters operate. 07:13 But now, I'm kind of digressing a little 07:15 from where we started. 07:16 We were talking about your last will and testament 07:18 and the fact that most people consider these things 07:21 to be solemn and sacred. 07:23 Most of us instinctively know 07:25 you're not supposed to mess with somebody's will. 07:27 And after years of watching some families go to war, 07:30 I'm convinced that even some 07:32 of the most combative, self-centered people 07:34 somehow realize under all their vitriol 07:36 that what they're doing by contesting a will is wrong. 07:40 A person's final wishes are not a trivial matter. 07:42 After all, what someone leaves behind is a congealed life. 07:47 Their possessions, at least in part, 07:49 is what they exchanged their time on earth for. 07:51 It's more than just stuff. 07:53 It's a snapshot of who that person was. 07:56 For example, if it's a house, 07:58 then you know this person exchanged 07:59 his or her life to build a home. 08:01 It was important to them. 08:03 If it's a library, 08:04 which is about the only thing I'm ever gonna leave behind, 08:07 you know they prized learning. 08:09 If it's money, 08:10 it's another way to keep their influence alive 08:11 after they're gone. 08:12 It becomes an extension, 08:14 a way to do something good one last time. 08:18 Honestly, if you agree to be somebody's executor, 08:21 it's gonna be one of the most solemn responsibilities 08:23 you'll ever have. 08:25 And wouldn't you know it? 08:26 There's a sense in which you are 08:28 already somebody's executor, 08:30 and I'll be right back after this to explain it. 08:33 [mellow music] 08:35 [upbeat music] 08:37 - [Announcer] Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 08:38 we're committed to creating top-quality programming 08:40 for the whole family, 08:42 like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain". 08:45 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 08:47 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 08:50 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 08:52 from this small mountain summer camp and town 08:55 with 24 seasonal episodes every year 08:58 and fresh content every week. 09:00 There's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 09:06 - Most of you are at least a little bit familiar 09:08 with some of the words Jesus spoke 09:10 the night before his crucifixion, 09:12 found in Luke 22. 09:14 It says: 09:15 And he took bread, 09:17 and when he had given thanks, 09:18 he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 09:20 "This is my body, which is given for you. 09:23 Do this in remembrance of me." 09:25 And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, 09:28 "This cup that is poured out for you 09:30 is the new covenant in my blood." 09:34 In the Bible, 09:35 the idea of a covenant is a really, really big deal. 09:39 Over the years, theologians have pointed 09:41 to any number of covenants that God made with humanity. 09:44 There's a covenant with Adam, a covenant with Noah, 09:47 a covenant with Abraham, and so on. 09:51 But what we find here in the story of the Last Supper 09:54 is mention of the new covenant. 09:57 And another word for covenant is testament, 10:00 as in the Old and New Testaments. 10:03 And what do we call it when we write our final wishes 10:05 and have witnesses testify to its authenticity? 10:08 It's our last will and testament. 10:13 So, it turns out Jesus actually has one of those, 10:15 and the church that he started holds the role of executor. 10:18 It is up to believers 10:20 to execute Christ's will in this world, 10:22 the will that took effect 10:24 at the very moment of his death. 10:26 This is a thought that will open up 10:28 all kinds of possibilities 10:29 and broaden your understanding 10:31 of what it actually means to be a believer. 10:34 First of all, 10:35 it becomes very important to know 10:37 what the will actually says. 10:38 What exactly did Jesus want? 10:41 As an executor, 10:43 you don't get to operate by gut feeling 10:45 or redefine the work of the church. 10:47 You're expected to know what God actually wants. 10:50 It's not enough to feel like you're doing the right thing, 10:53 because, well, 10:54 we all know feelings can be remarkably deceptive. 10:57 I mean, I've heard all kinds of people say, 10:59 "I'm doing such and such because the Spirit told me to." 11:03 And sometimes, as I listen to them, I've gotta say, 11:04 "Well, maybe God told you to do that, 11:07 but maybe he didn't." 11:09 None of us has been given a license to go off-script. 11:12 What matters most is what this document says. 11:16 If I was a betting man, 11:18 and I'm not, I'm not a betting man, 11:19 but if I was, 11:21 I'd wager that a rather large percentage 11:23 of the harm done by Christians 11:25 is because they were operating by personal instinct 11:28 instead of sticking to what the will says. 11:31 And once you throw aside the will, 11:33 it's really all a matter of instinct, 11:35 and that's where the trouble starts. 11:38 I mean, imagine being the executor of an estate, 11:41 and the will says that Mike 11:42 gets the old piano in the living room. 11:45 But personally, you don't like Mike, 11:47 so you decide Sarah gets the piano instead 11:49 because she really, really wants it, 11:52 and, well, you kinda like her. 11:54 From that point forward, 11:55 what reason could you possibly give 11:58 to deny anybody's personal request? 12:00 Good luck preventing a civil war in that family. 12:05 And sadly, the church sometimes does something similar, 12:08 picking and choosing some favorite doctrines 12:10 or favorite groups of people. 12:12 Once you play loose with the terms of the covenant, 12:15 what chance would you have 12:17 of revealing an authentic Christ to the world? 12:19 What you're really doing is revealing yourself instead. 12:23 "Oh, wait a minute, though. 12:24 Isn't the church supposed to be dynamic? 12:26 Isn't it supposed to change with the times 12:28 and stay culturally relevant?" 12:30 Well, yeah, that's absolutely true. 12:33 The founding documents of the church were written 12:35 during the peak of power for the Roman Empire. 12:38 And so, of course, 12:39 our culture is somewhat different now 12:41 than it was 2,000 years ago. 12:43 But not as different as some people might think, 12:45 because there's a lot more Rome 12:47 hanging around in our culture than you might think. 12:49 And personally, as a side note, 12:51 I think that might be the reason 12:52 that when Western Rome splits into the nations of Europe 12:55 in the prophecy of Daniel 2, 12:58 you get iron mixed with clay in the feet, 13:00 because there's something left of iron Rome 13:02 in the cultures that emerge from that empire. 13:05 But even then, 13:07 culture changes from generation to generation. 13:10 What doesn't change is God. 13:13 The Bible assures us that he is the same 13:14 yesterday, today, and forever. 13:17 What the church needs to do 13:19 is apply eternal principles 13:20 to the culture they're living in, 13:22 and that's when the hard work begins. 13:25 It's one thing to say, 13:26 "I guess this part of the Bible is no longer true," 13:29 but it's a much different thing to say, 13:31 "How is this part of the Bible true, 13:33 given our current circumstances?" 13:35 Because the terms of the covenant do not change. 13:41 Now, do I have any biblical proof for that? 13:42 Well, yeah, I do. 13:44 Take a look at Hebrews 9, 13:45 where the author is explaining how the ministry of Christ 13:48 is the higher reality 13:50 behind the rituals of the Old Testament temple. 13:53 The sacrifices that took place under that old covenant 13:56 were symbols pointing forward 13:57 to the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of all of us. 14:01 The priests who worked in the temple were shadows or types 14:04 pointing forward to the work of Christ in heaven. 14:07 All of it was an object lesson 14:09 in the work of the coming Messiah 14:11 who would ultimately ratify the new covenant 14:13 with his own life. 14:15 So, now listen to what the author says 14:17 with regard to the testament of Christ, 14:19 his final will and testament, if you like. 14:22 This is Hebrews 9. 14:24 It says, "Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, 14:27 so that those who are called may receive 14:29 the promised eternal inheritance, 14:31 since a death has occurred that redeems them 14:34 from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." 14:37 Now, here comes the important part, 14:39 at least for our study today. 14:40 It says, 14:41 "For where a will is involved, 14:44 the death of the one who made it must be established. 14:47 For a will takes effect only at death, 14:49 since it is not in force 14:51 as long as the one who made it is alive." 14:54 What the author's telling us 14:55 is that the new covenant was ratified, or took effect, 14:59 at the moment of Christ's death. 15:01 It's really a lot like your will and testament, 15:04 if you think about it. 15:05 Up to the moment you die, 15:06 it's just a statement of your intentions. 15:09 But when you die, it becomes legally binding. 15:12 It comes into full effect. 15:14 And of course, once the author of the covenant dies, 15:17 you really can't change it anymore. 15:19 It's permanent. 15:21 That's why the job of executor is so very solemn. 15:23 There's no going back. 15:24 There are no changes once the testator, 15:27 or the author of the will, actually dies. 15:29 And again, you find this principle taught in the Bible. 15:32 Listen to what Paul says 15:34 in his letter to the church in Galatia. 15:36 "To give a human example, brothers," he writes: 15:40 Even with a manmade covenant, 15:41 no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 15:45 Now, the promises were made 15:46 to Abraham and to his offspring. 15:48 It does not say, "And to offsprings," 15:50 referring to many, 15:52 but referring to one, 15:53 "And to your offspring," who is Christ. 15:56 Now, there's an awful lot of information 15:58 packed in that little statement. 16:00 And maybe one of these days, 16:01 we should just start working our way 16:02 through the whole Book of Galatians, 16:04 because it's easily one of the trickiest letters 16:07 that Paul ever wrote. 16:08 The metaphors he chose to use 16:10 have caused a lot of misunderstanding in some circles. 16:13 And I've seen a bad reading of Galatians 16:16 produce some, well, really bad theology. 16:19 But for now, let's just focus on the way 16:21 that Paul says that God's will and testament 16:23 are completely irrevocable. 16:25 Once the testator dies, you're not allowed to change it. 16:29 And that should make Christians very careful 16:32 before they decide that something in the Bible 16:34 no longer applies in the modern world. 16:36 Cultures change, yes, they do, 16:39 but the will of God does not. 16:41 And that brings me right back to the concept of covenants. 16:44 But there's something else that doesn't change, 16:46 and that's the clock on the wall here in the studio. 16:49 So, hang tight. 16:50 I'll be right back after this. 16:51 [mellow music] 16:55 [uplifting music] 16:56 - [Announcer] Life can throw a lot at us. 16:58 Sometimes, we don't have all the answers. 17:01 But that's where the Bible comes in. 17:04 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 17:07 Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 17:08 we've created the "Discover" Bible guides 17:10 to be your guide to the Bible. 17:12 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 17:14 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 17:17 and they're absolutely free. 17:20 So, jump online now or give us a call 17:22 and start your journey of discovery. 17:25 - All right, just before the break, 17:26 I told you there was a clock on the wall. 17:27 And my crew called me a liar when we went to break 17:30 because it is not, in fact, on the wall. 17:32 It is standing on a stand near the wall. 17:35 All right, that aside, 17:37 many years ago, I was invited to visit this guy 17:39 because he was struggling to understand the Bible. 17:42 He'd been asking me about the role of the 10 Commandments 17:45 in the life of the Christian. 17:47 He'd been hearing from somebody that the 10 Commandments 17:50 no longer applied to believers after the cross of Christ, 17:53 and he found that kind of confusing, 17:56 because, after all, 17:57 the 10 Commandments appear to be 17:59 evergreen, universal principles. 18:01 If committing adultery or murdering was wrong 18:03 before the death of Christ, 18:05 surely, it's still wrong afterwards! 18:08 And that's true. 18:10 If you've got an unchanging God, 18:12 what he says is wrong is always going to be wrong, 18:15 because if you really examine what the Bible teaches, 18:18 you'll discover that the moral principles 18:20 espoused in those commandments 18:22 are really a description of God's own character. 18:25 When it tells you that murder is wrong, 18:28 what it's telling you is that God values life. 18:31 When it says that stealing is a sin, 18:33 it's a reminder that God values things 18:35 like honesty and personal dignity. 18:38 Those commandments are a picture of God himself. 18:42 But sometimes, we get confused, 18:44 because some modern Christians 18:46 have stopped reading the entire Bible. 18:49 Honestly, I think that's one of the worst problems 18:51 that Christendom has today. 18:53 We no longer read the entire document. 18:56 If you want a simple explanation for why we have 18:59 thousands of denominations in Christianity today 19:02 instead of the unified church that Jesus talked about, 19:05 well, that would be it. 19:07 We've adopted a buffet method to reading the scriptures. 19:10 It's like we're only reading the part of the will 19:12 that gives us dad's enormous bank account, 19:14 but we skip over the more uncomfortable parts, 19:17 like the fact that we've been made responsible 19:19 for the welfare of our siblings. 19:22 The passage my friend was curious about 19:24 came from the Book of Colossians. 19:25 I'll read this from the old King James Version 19:27 because that's where some of the confusion 19:29 actually comes from. 19:31 Here's what it says in Colossians 2: 19:34 And you being, dead in your sins 19:36 and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 19:38 hath he quickened together with him, 19:40 having forgiven you all trespasses, 19:42 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances 19:45 that was against us, 19:46 which was contrary to us, 19:48 and took it out of the way, 19:49 nailing it to his cross. 19:52 Now, over the course of the 20th century, 19:54 what some Christians did was read that out of context. 19:57 They brought a new interpretation to it. 19:59 What they did was proclaim 20:01 that we now live under grace instead of the law. 20:04 And they said that because of that, 20:07 the 10 Commandment moral law is now completely abolished. 20:10 To this day, you'll hear some people say, 20:12 "The 10 Commandments were nailed to the cross." 20:15 But that's not even close to what Paul's talking about. 20:18 Go back and read it again. 20:20 It never mentions the 10 Commandments at all. 20:24 What some people have done is take that phrase, 20:26 "The handwriting of ordinances that was against us," 20:29 and they've insisted that's talking 20:31 about the moral law of God. 20:33 But that would create a real problem 20:35 with the teachings of Christ, who said: 20:37 Until heaven and earth pass away, 20:39 not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law 20:42 until all is accomplished. 20:44 Therefore, whoever relaxes 20:46 one of the least of these commandments 20:47 and teaches others to do the same 20:49 will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. 20:53 Of course, you'll notice that he didn't point to the cross 20:56 as some kind of decisive moment 20:58 when the moral law would suddenly go away, 21:00 because that never happened. 21:03 So, how do we understand what it says in Colossians 2? 21:06 Well, there's a key concept in the original Greek language 21:09 that you can see in some modern translations, 21:12 and it's the word that's translated handwriting. 21:15 The Greek word is cheirographon, 21:17 which was an ancient bill of debt. 21:20 If you were a prisoner, for example, 21:21 there would be a document by your prison cell 21:23 spelling out your debt to society, 21:25 like, "Mike has three years in jail for stealing." 21:29 That's the judgment against you, the cheirographon. 21:32 And that's precisely what Jesus nailed to the cross, 21:36 your bill of debt. 21:37 He took what you owed, 21:39 your debt to the universe, 21:41 and nailed it to his cross. 21:43 He took your sentence on himself 21:45 and paid the penalty for you. 21:47 Now, let's read that passage again 21:48 in a more recent translation. 21:50 I think you'll see what it's actually saying: 21:53 And you who were dead in your trespasses 21:55 and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 21:57 God made alive together with him, 21:59 having forgiven us all our trespasses, 22:02 by canceling the record of debt 22:04 that stood against us with its legal demands. 22:07 This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 22:12 If a cop gives you a warning instead of a ticket, 22:15 that would be a pardon you didn't actually deserve. 22:18 But the fact that the cop let you skate on speeding 22:20 does not mean that the speed limit no longer applies to you. 22:24 In fact, it's exactly the opposite. 22:26 The act of forgiveness should make you more likely 22:29 to obey the law from that point forward. 22:33 God just doesn't change, 22:35 and neither do his moral standards. 22:37 To suggest otherwise 22:38 is to change the will and testament of Christ, 22:41 who never, ever taught that the moral law is abolished. 22:45 The man I was visiting had been told that the grace of God 22:48 releases us from the obligation to live by God's moral code, 22:51 because everything's been forgiven. 22:54 But that's not really what grace is, 22:56 not even close. 22:58 And that kind of thinking has made some Christians, 23:01 well, let's just say it's hard to see the difference 23:03 between those people and the rest of the world, 23:05 because they appear to cheat and steal like everybody else, 23:09 and sometimes worse. 23:11 That's not grace. 23:12 That's foolishness. 23:14 I'll be right back after this. 23:15 [mellow music] 23:18 [stirring music] 23:20 - [Announcer] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues. 23:24 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 23:28 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 23:30 and come away scratching your head, 23:32 you're not alone. 23:33 Our free "Focus on Prophecy" guides 23:36 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 23:39 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 23:41 for you and our world. 23:43 Study online or request them by mail 23:45 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 23:49 - You know, there was a day in the not-too-distant past 23:51 when I really didn't have to spend much time 23:53 convincing people that there's such a thing 23:56 as a universal code of morality. 23:58 Go back through the writings of the ancient past, 24:01 go read the pagan philosophers, 24:03 read the Ancient Greek playwrights, 24:06 the great classics of European literature, 24:09 and you can't help but find it, 24:11 a universal acknowledgement 24:12 that there is a moral code that all of us must answer to. 24:17 There is something out there beyond us, 24:19 something that serves as an external reference point 24:23 for the human race, 24:24 a moral code that is higher than us. 24:28 The Greek philosophers might have called 24:29 that something out there the logos, 24:32 a universal principle that binds the universe together. 24:35 You'll find that word still conveniently located 24:38 in a lot of the terms we use 24:40 to describe the rational pursuit of ideas. 24:44 We talk about things like biology, 24:46 which is the systematic study of life, 24:48 or theology, which is the systematic study of God. 24:53 Those words are a tribute to the Greeks 24:55 who spoke of the logos. 24:57 Logos appears in those words. 25:00 And wouldn't you know it, it's fascinating. 25:02 The Apostle John also uses that word 25:05 in the opening words 25:06 of his remarkable account of the life of Christ, 25:09 which begins like this. 25:11 "In the beginning was the Word, 25:13 and the Word was with God, 25:15 and the Word was God. 25:16 He was in the beginning with God. 25:19 All things were made through him, 25:21 and without him was not anything made that was made." 25:28 Now, most of us know that as John is using that language, 25:30 he's actually talking about the Son of God. 25:33 And he reveals in those opening verses 25:35 that Christ is the one who, first of all, 25:38 created the world we live in, 25:40 and secondly, continues to keep it together. 25:43 Jesus turns out to be the universal principle, 25:47 the one to whom everything else owes its existence. 25:51 He's also the one who met Moses at the burning bush 25:54 and etched out a copy of his moral requirements 25:57 in tables of stone. 25:59 So, the moral law, 26:01 quite contrary to the teachings of some modern Christians, 26:05 is not in opposition to Christ. 26:07 We have it because of Christ. 26:11 Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us, 26:14 is the same yesterday and today and forever. 26:18 That's why you will never find a statement from Christ 26:22 abrogating the moral standards of God. 26:24 You will never find a Bible verse where Jesus, 26:27 "You know that 10 Commandment moral law? 26:30 Done, that's gone. 26:31 Don't even think about it." 26:33 If that was even possible, 26:35 wouldn't it have been easier to just change the law 26:37 than die for us? 26:39 But the law can't be changed 26:41 because it's actually a portrait of who Christ is. 26:45 The gospel is not the story of changing standards. 26:49 It's the story of changing hearts. 26:52 It's the story of forgiveness. 26:53 It's the story of restoration. 26:56 It's the story of a God who doesn't change, changing us. 27:00 And that is the will and testament of Christ, 27:03 to let the world know that he's made it possible 27:05 to come back home 27:07 without ever having to compromise who he actually is. 27:11 Now, you have the responsibility to go out there 27:15 and be a faithful executor 27:17 of the last will and testament of Christ. 27:19 And if you want a little help getting started on that, 27:22 visit our website, BibleStudies.com. 27:25 You'll find amazing resources provided for free to you 27:29 by the good people at the Voice of Prophecy. 27:31 Honest and for true, 27:33 there is no cost, no obligation. 27:35 We just want you to start reading this book 27:38 and actually understand what it is that you're reading. 27:41 Thanks for watching today. 27:42 I'm Shawn Boonstra, 27:44 and this has been another episode of "Authentic". 27:47 [mellow music] 28:07 [mellow music] |
Revised 2024-10-28