Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000018
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00:20 Social scientists are telling us
00:23 that every 2-1/2 years 00:25 the total amount of information 00:28 available to the human race 00:30 actually doubles. 00:32 That 2-1/2 years from today 00:34 all that there is to know will have doubled. 00:38 No one can know it all. 00:40 Paul talks in his letter to Timothy, 00:44 II Timothy chapter 3 I think about verse 7 00:47 he talks about those who are ever learning 00:49 but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. 00:52 And so since we cannot learn it all, 00:56 God has made us responsible for learning the truth. 01:02 Pilate once asked Christ: "What is truth? " 01:05 And Christ had already stated 01:06 that "I am the Way AND the Truth. " 01:09 We must always follow the truth. 01:12 We must pursue the truth. 01:14 And certainly we have been hearing truth 01:18 these last several nights. 01:20 We learned among other things 01:22 that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. 01:25 And so the Sabbath is the day of which Jesus is Lord 01:29 so that makes the Sabbath the Lord's day. 01:32 Now that's truth, and we are to walk in the light of the truth. 01:36 There's a very famous line from a movie, 01:38 I don't remember the name, where someone asks about 01:41 the truth and the response is given: 01:43 "You can't handle the truth. " 01:46 I think the question that we each ought to ask ourselves 01:50 whenever truth is presented: "Can we handle the truth? " 01:53 Are we ready to handle the truth? 01:56 Are we ready to walk in the truth 01:59 as truth has been presented? 02:01 And you'll have to agree with me that our presenter, 02:04 our pastor, our friend, Evangelist Cox has presented 02:08 the clear Word of God... the truth, the whole truth, 02:11 and nothing but the truth from the Word of God. 02:15 And once we know the truth, 02:16 we are responsible to walk in the truth. 02:19 Can you say amen? 02:20 So then we can say from that truth, truly that this 02:24 is the day that the Lord hath made. 02:27 We can say that with joy and with Biblical justification: 02:31 "we will be glad and rejoice in it. " 02:35 We've been talking about the Sabbath, 02:37 and today we get to hear Baptized Paganism II. 02:43 Last night was a fabulous presentation, 02:45 and we're excited to hear more about it today. 02:47 But before Elder Cox comes, 02:48 our friend Joe Pearles, one of the finest, beautiful 02:52 baritone voices that God has created to sing to His glory, 02:55 will sing a very beautiful song. 02:57 And it is entitled: Let Me Take You to the Cross. 03:28 You wonder if God really loves you. 03:34 Why did things turn out this way? 03:41 Does He even listen 03:46 each and every time you pray? 03:52 You keep looking for His presence 03:57 in the trials that bring you loss. 04:03 My friend, I know God loves you; 04:09 let me take you to the cross. 04:19 He cares for little children 04:24 and He marks the place they fall. 04:30 He knows how the flowers grow 04:36 and grows them one and all. 04:42 He even goes out searching 04:47 for the sheep that wanders off. 04:53 But if you want to know what love is, 04:59 let me take you to the cross. 05:22 You try so hard to go back to the place 05:28 where you first saw the light. 05:35 But someone's burned the bridges... 05:40 not a crossing is in sight. 05:46 Love shone through back then so clearly, 05:52 but somehow your way's been lost. 05:58 But if you want to know God's love again, 06:04 let me take you to the cross. 06:13 He cares for little sparrows, 06:18 and He marks the place they fall. 06:24 He knows how the flowers grow 06:31 and grows them one and all. 06:37 He even goes out searching 06:42 for the sheep that wanders off. 06:48 But if you want to know what love is, 06:53 let me take you to the cross. 07:02 My friend, Jesus loves you; 07:08 let me take you to the cross. 07:23 Amen! 07:25 Thank you, Joe! 07:26 And good morning to each of you. 07:28 Very happy to welcome you back. Appreciate you being here 07:32 as we are continuing on this series about the Sabbath. 07:37 And this morning we're doing the second part 07:40 of the presentation Baptized Paganism. 07:44 That's what we're looking at today. 07:46 And we hope that as we go through this particular series 07:50 that you will be able to see God's leading and His hand 07:53 as He has taken us through the scripture 07:56 and we've been looking at what God's Word says. 07:58 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 08:02 This should my only question be. 08:05 God gave us the Sabbath to bless and to remind us. 08:09 What says the Book of God to me? 08:12 That's what you and I need to be looking at 08:15 and seeing exactly what does God's Word tell us 08:19 and to follow what He tells us. 08:23 This morning we're in part 2 08:26 of Baptized Paganism. 08:30 As we've looked at the Sabbath, 08:32 our next presentation is going 08:35 to be The Sabbath Covenant. 08:37 The Sabbath Covenant. 08:39 God wants to make a covenant with you. 08:42 If the Lord was to say this to you: 08:45 "If you'll obey My voice, keep My commandments, 08:48 you will be a special treasure to Me 08:52 above all the people of the earth. " 08:54 Would that mean anything to you? 08:56 And that's exactly the promise He gives. 09:00 And so the covenant that God makes with you and with me 09:05 is very, very important. 09:08 Scripture says that when Jesus comes back 09:10 He's coming... describes Him in Revelation 19 as coming back 09:14 on a white horse, and it says 09:17 that He has His name written on His robe 09:20 and on His thigh. 09:23 Why would He do that? 09:25 Why would He have His name written on His robe 09:28 and on His thigh? 09:30 Well as we look at this question of the covenant 09:33 in our next presentation, you'll find out why. 09:37 So we hope that you'll be able to join us as we take a look 09:40 at this very, very vital and important subject. 09:44 This morning, what are you looking for? 09:47 What are you trying to find in Baptized Paganism II? 09:53 What you need to see is 09:57 as we looked in our last presentation 10:00 about the influence of paganism and what it did 10:04 and how it influenced God's people down through the years, 10:10 this morning you're going to see how it has invaded 10:14 and how that many of us do things 10:18 and celebrate certain things 10:21 totally based on pagan philosophy and pagan customs 10:26 rather than on the Word of God. 10:28 So we hope it will help you. As you understand God's Word, 10:32 it will open up and let you see what is happening 10:35 and taking place. 10:37 We have enjoyed during this series having Joe Pearles 10:41 with us. Been a special blessing and I know you've been blessed 10:45 as he sang for you each evening. 10:48 This morning he's going to sing a beautiful song entitled 10:52 Let the Blood of Calvary. 11:06 When the harvest has been gathered 11:12 and all my work is done. 11:17 When the last mile's been traveled 11:21 and I've sung my final song. 11:27 When I'm called to give an answer 11:32 at heaven's judgment seat, 11:36 then let the blood of Calvary 11:43 speak for me. 11:50 May He write me down as righteous 11:54 where no righteousness has been. 12:00 Shielding me from wrath and judgment 12:04 as it covers all my sin. 12:10 There's no work that I've accomplished 12:14 nor my goodness would I plead. 12:20 Just let the blood of Calvary 12:25 speak for me. 12:37 There may be some friends who've witnessed 12:42 and speak a word so kind. 12:47 Yet their voice would seem so feeble 12:52 at such an awesome time. 12:57 But there's a voice that calls for mercy 13:02 ringing through eternity. 13:07 Just let the blood of Calvary 13:12 speak for me. 13:19 May He write me down as righteous 13:24 where no righteousness has been. 13:29 Shielding me from wrath and judgment 13:34 as it covers all my sin. 13:39 There's no work that I've accomplished 13:44 nor my goodness would I plead. 13:49 Just let the blood of Calvary 13:54 speak for me. 14:01 There's no work that I've accomplished 14:06 nor my goodness would I plead. 14:11 Just let the blood of Calvary 14:16 speak for me. 14:22 Jesus, let the blood of Calvary 14:29 speak for me. 14:50 Amen! 15:00 Heavenly Father, 15:03 as we come to you today, we come, Lord, 15:07 first inviting Your presence to be among us. 15:11 Asking that we each might purpose in our hearts 15:18 to follow You, walk with You... 15:21 to give You our lives. 15:24 Bless us this morning. 15:26 May Your Spirit be present. 15:30 May it open our eyes, enlighten our minds. 15:37 May we desire to follow You. 15:42 To do Your will in all that we do. 15:46 Bless us as we study Your Word 15:48 we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 15:58 When Christ gave the commission 16:01 and told the disciples and the commission to you and to me, 16:06 "Go ye therefore and 16:08 teach all nations, 16:09 baptizing them in the name of 16:11 the Father and of the Son 16:12 and of the Holy Spirit, " 16:14 He gave that commission 16:16 for them to take the gospel 16:17 and with that the gospel spread. 16:20 I mean it went everywhere. 16:22 It crossed all national boundaries. 16:25 All of a sudden the gospel or the teaching of God 16:29 that had been confined to that of the Jewish nation 16:32 broke loose and it went everyplace. 16:35 I mean to Roman and to Greek and to all the people. 16:39 And they reached out and they accepted Jesus Christ 16:42 as their personal Savior. 16:44 It was no longer confined to a group of people, but it 16:48 spread with great rapidity everywhere. 16:52 And men and women in faith reached out and accepted Jesus 16:55 Christ as their personal Savior. 16:59 By the time we reach 300 A.D., 17:04 almost half of the Roman Empire 17:08 has become Christian. 17:11 At this time, Constantine is the emperor of Rome. 17:16 Constantine is a pagan, 17:19 but he can see that his empire is turning towards Christianity 17:24 and he realizes that it would be politically advantageous 17:28 for him to accept Christianity. 17:31 So he told the people that he had had a dream 17:35 and in the dream he had seen a cross 17:38 and that he was going to accept Christ... 17:40 although there's no record that he ever did. 17:43 But he saw that he needed to do something 17:46 to make Christianity appealing to the pagans. 17:51 So in 321 A.D. 17:56 Constantine signed into effect 17:58 what was called the Edict of Constantine 18:02 which simply said this: 18:12 And he took the day 18:15 that the pagans worshiped the sun god on 18:19 and he took that day and put it in place 18:23 of the Sabbath as a day of worship 18:27 and told the people they were to worship on Sunday 18:31 not on the Sabbath... 18:33 trying to make Christianity appealing to the pagans. 18:39 And thus that transfer was made in 321 A.D. 18:45 When Constantine died, 18:48 the authority and all was turned more towards the church 18:52 and we read here 18:53 a book entitled the Professor of History in Rome. 18:57 And it says: 19:08 And so now we find the church 19:11 in pretty much the driver's seat 19:14 concerning what is going to happen in the Roman Empire. 19:18 And we find that about 40 years after Constantine 19:23 the church at the Council of Laodicea 19:26 accepted what Constantine had done and put their blessing 19:31 upon it with these words: 19:49 And so it says here that they placed their blessing. 19:54 What happened here is what one person said 19:58 that if you let the camel 20:02 get his nose into your tent 20:05 he will sleep with you that night. 20:08 And that's pretty much what happened because 20:11 as paganism moved in here 20:14 all of a sudden it came rolling into the church with 20:17 all of its teachings and so forth. 20:19 And so you read in history these words: 20:52 And so you find that paganism 20:54 that before had been totally outside the church 20:59 and in every respect taught against what the church believed 21:05 all of a sudden has now moved into the church. 21:08 I'm sure most of you remember the book the DaVinci Code 21:12 Brown wrote... Dan Brown? 21:15 And you remember in his effort to try to 21:19 discredit Christianity, he uses this illustration. 21:25 Notice what he says: 21:54 Said they are going there without any cognizance 21:59 that they're doing that out of worship to a pagan god 22:03 because it was transferred from that to Sunday. 22:08 With... knowing that, 22:11 it becomes necessary that you and I take a look 22:16 at every scripture there is in the Word of God 22:20 that mentions the first day of the week 22:23 and see if there's any credibility 22:28 or any reason based on those scriptures 22:31 to honor or keep the first day of the week. 22:34 We're going to take a look at those this morning 22:37 and see what the Word of God says. 22:39 Very interesting observation that Luke makes. 22:43 I want you to notice what he say very carefully. 22:52 Now Luke says here he made a record of how much? 22:56 Huh? 22:59 Yeah, of ALL that Jesus both "began both to do and teach" 23:12 So Luke says "I have made a recording of this. " 23:15 So to start with today, we're going to go to Luke 23:18 and see if Luke says anything here 23:20 about the first day of the week. 23:22 In Luke the 24th chapter it says... 23rd chapter, excuse me: 23:30 that was Joseph of Arimathea 23:41 So he just simply said that Joseph of Arimathea 23:43 went, got the body of Christ. Took it and put it in the tomb. 23:54 Now it says the day on which they did this 23:58 was called the Preparation Day. 24:00 The Preparation Day was the day before the Sabbath. 24:05 And at Easter time we refer to that day as... 24:10 Good Friday. 24:12 That's the day on which Jesus died, 24:16 and so we refer to it as Good Friday. 24:19 This was the day before the Sabbath. 24:22 It says the Sabbath "drew nigh. " 24:32 So the women got there; they looked... 24:34 saw how that Christ had been placed in the tomb. 24:44 So they got there. They saw where Christ was placed. 24:49 They went back home, made the preparations that were 24:52 necessary to take care of His body, 24:54 and they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. 24:59 So we've got the Preparation Day which is referred to as 25:03 Good Friday. We've got the Sabbath when they rested. 25:07 And then Luke continues and says 25:18 They got there; they found the stone rolled away. 25:21 Christ had risen. 25:23 And it tells us this took place on when? 25:26 The first day of the week 25:28 or, as we refer to it, as Easter Sunday. 25:33 So those were the steps that took place there 25:36 just exactly as God's Word says. 25:39 This is what Luke says. 25:42 There's nothing here, folks. 25:45 There's nothing in the gospel of Luke 25:47 that says God took 25:49 the first day of the week 25:51 and He blessed it, 25:52 He hallowed it, 25:54 and He sanctified it 25:55 and set it aside as a day of worship. 25:57 Not a word. 25:59 That's it in Luke. 26:01 So let's go to the gospel of Matthew. 26:04 See what Matthew says. 26:06 Matthew 28 verse 1: 26:15 So here it says that these women came on the 26:20 first day of the week 26:23 to see the tomb. It says they have come early. 26:28 That's all that Matthew says. 26:31 I mean, he does not mention the first day of the week again. 26:35 That's the only observation he's making 26:38 that they came on the first day of the week. 26:41 Do you know when the gospel of Matthew was written? 26:45 Well the gospel of Matthew was written in 70 A.D. 26:49 This, dear friends, is 39 years 26:55 after the death of Jesus. 26:57 If there had been a change in the day of worship, 27:00 Matthew certainly would have said something about it. 27:03 He would have said there's been a change made. 27:06 This is what took place. 27:07 But he's absolutely silent. 27:09 He doesn't say a word about it. 27:11 He just simply says they came early. 27:13 OK. 27:16 Let's go to the gospel of Mark. 27:18 See what Mark has to say. 27:21 Mark 16 verse 1: 27:33 So it says here that these women have come early on the 27:38 first day of the week that they might anoint Christ. 27:42 Prepare His body for burial. 27:44 That's what they're coming there to do. 27:48 They're not coming there to worship. 27:52 They're coming there to... work. 27:57 They're not coming there for worship, 27:59 they're coming there to work. 28:01 They're coming early that they might anoint Him. 28:04 It goes on and says: 28:11 Let me ask you a question. 28:12 Why are they coming so early? 28:16 I mean, why are they coming early in the morning? 28:19 Well, they're coming early in the morning 28:23 for several reasons. 28:25 One, they need to take care of His body while it's cool. 28:32 They need to take care of it quickly because He's been dead 28:35 several hours so rigor mortis is already setting in. 28:41 They need to take care of His body there 28:45 because... before it gets real hot. 28:48 So they've come early in the morning 28:50 to take care of His body. 28:51 They're coming there for work. 28:53 This is hard work; this is not something that's easy. 28:56 It took about 300 pounds of spices 29:01 to prepare somebody's body for burial. 29:04 In fact, it says here in John 19:39: 29:16 So it says that Nicodemus himself brought 100 pounds 29:20 to help prepare the body of Jesus. 29:23 So what I'm trying to tell you is this was not something 29:26 that was simple. This was hard work; 29:30 they were not coming to the tomb to worship. 29:34 Mark goes on and says: 29:44 So Mark is just making the observation Christ arose 29:48 on the first day of the week. And what took place there? 29:51 This is all that Mark says. 29:54 There's nothing here... 29:56 absolutely nothing here that says God took that day 29:59 and blessed it, hallowed it, sanctified it. 30:02 Doesn't say that, folks. 30:04 Well, one more in the gospel... 30:07 that's the gospel of John. 30:09 John says: 30:16 How early? 30:24 So she has gotten there before the sun has even come up. 30:29 Christ has already risen from the grave. 30:33 Stone's already been rolled away. 30:36 In fact, it says here: 30:48 So she ran and told Peter and John 30:51 that the tomb was empty. 30:54 The stone was rolled away. 30:56 Christ wasn't there. She didn't know what had happened to Him. 30:59 There is not any evidence here 31:03 that those women were coming there to worship. 31:07 In fact, folks, all the hopes, 31:11 all the plans, all the ambition, 31:16 all the things that these people believed in 31:19 died with Christ. 31:21 They believed that He was the Messiah. 31:24 They believed He was going to set up a kingdom. 31:26 They believed He was the Deliverer. 31:28 And for Him to be dead was totally something that they 31:33 couldn't fathom. 31:34 They're not coming there for the purpose of worshiping. 31:39 That... what John says. One other: 31:59 First day of the week. Christ appeared to the disciples 32:03 after His resurrection. 32:04 All this is saying... the doors were shut. 32:08 Those disciples are not there... they're not there worshiping. 32:14 They're there for what reason? 32:17 For fear of the Jews. 32:19 They're afraid. 32:21 They're afraid they're going to be taken and crucified 32:24 as their Lord was. 32:25 They're hiding... 32:26 they're not worshiping. 32:28 So there is nothing here, folks, 32:31 that says that God blessed, God hallowed, 32:35 God sanctified the first day of the week. 32:38 Now, I have shared with you all the texts there are 32:42 in the gospels. 32:44 There's really only two more in the New Testament. 32:47 That's all. 32:49 On these two, probably 95% 32:53 of all the reasons you hear 32:57 for worshiping on the first day of the week is given. 33:00 So look at them carefully as we take a look at them 33:04 what they say. 33:05 One more, I'm sorry, here in John. 33:13 This is the one of them: I Corinthians the 16th chapter 33:18 verse 1: 33:37 Now I've heard people read that text and say 33:39 well that means you're to take your offering to the church 33:42 on the first day of the week. 33:44 Well, let's look at the text 33:47 and see exactly what it's talking about 33:50 because there's something involved here. 33:52 This is what it says: 34:05 Now there's a question here of taking an offering 34:08 and taking a gift to Jerusalem. 34:11 We need to find out why... 34:13 what's taking place here. 34:35 So Agabus prophesied there was going to be a great famine 34:39 and there was a famine, and these churches 34:44 were taking an offering to send to Jerusalem 34:48 for the believers there because they didn't have enough to eat. 34:52 There was a real problem. 35:00 They said: "We're going to take an offering. 35:01 We're going to send it. " And this what Paul has written 35:05 and said: "You select somebody there to go with us, 35:08 and we'll take it down to Jerusalem. " 35:10 So let's see what happens here. 35:20 So this is how it was to be taken. 35:23 So let's go back and take a look at that text in detail. 35:38 Now I highlighted laying something aside. 35:41 That didn't mean a church. 35:44 When it told them they were to lay something aside 35:48 basically it's talking about at home. In fact, 35:56 In other words, they were to figure out how God had 35:59 blessed them and they were to lay that offering aside 36:03 so that when Paul came it would be ready. 36:07 That's what it's saying. 36:09 It's not saying that they were to go to church, 36:12 take an offering. Why does it say the first day of the week? 36:14 Simply because as they went through the week 36:18 they got to the end of the week they had the Sabbath. 36:21 When the Sabbath was over, Paul is telling them 36:24 "Sit down. Figure out how God blessed you this past week. 36:28 And if you want to give something for the poor 36:31 in Jerusalem, set that aside. " 36:34 That's what Paul is saying to them. 36:36 Watch as it continues here. 36:49 Now, was he saying "we're not going to take an offering? " 36:53 Is that what he said: 36:54 "There'll be no collections when I come? " 36:57 No, that's not what he's saying. 36:59 You see back then, very very few people had money. 37:05 There was gold coins that was used, 37:09 but that was pretty much among the leaders of the country 37:14 and the common people they didn't have that. 37:17 They used something called 37:19 the bartering system. 37:21 That meant you went down to the 37:23 market and you traded 37:27 the old hen, chicken, 37:30 for a half a bushel of corn. 37:33 Or you went down and traded a bushel of wheat 37:38 for two bushels of barley. 37:41 They used a bartering system, so what Paul is saying 37:45 is: "If you've got a half a bushel of wheat 37:47 you want to give to the people down in Jerusalem, 37:50 then set that aside 37:53 so there won't be collections when I come. " 37:55 He said: "Have it ready so that we don't have to 37:58 collect all this. " 37:59 This is what that text is talking about. 38:02 It's not talking about taking the first day of the week 38:04 and setting... and it becoming a special day of worship. 38:08 Let's look: 38:14 Huh? 38:16 No, it doesn't say that. 38:18 OK? 38:24 No, doesn't do that. 38:33 No, none of those are there. 38:35 So that's not in that text, folks. 38:38 Just... just not there. 38:40 One more text in the New Testament. 38:43 That's found in Acts 20. 39:04 Remember that text... important! 39:19 So this meeting is taking place on the third story. 39:24 It's taking place what time of day? 39:26 At night, because there's many lights in the upper chamber. 39:30 And it must be a warm summer evening. 39:34 This young man is sitting in the window. 39:36 And Paul is speaking, and he goes to sleep 39:39 and he falls out and it kills him. 39:42 Now, there's two things to be learned from that text. 39:45 OK? 39:47 One... don't go to sleep on the preacher. 39:50 That's dangerous! 39:51 Secondly, the preacher shouldn't be long-winded. 39:54 Those are the two things you are to learn from that text. 39:58 But it goes on and says: 40:05 Paul went down and prayed for him. 40:07 God gave him back his life. 40:21 So they went back up; they were comforted 40:24 over the fact that the young man was alive. 40:26 All right... let's look at some facts. 40:31 Important - put it down... a night meeting! 40:39 I don't know if you can follow it or not, 40:41 but on the screen - on the map - that red line 40:45 represents Paul's third missionary journey. 40:48 He has gone clear on down here to Corinth 40:51 some of those areas and he is now on his way back 40:55 to Jerusalem. 40:57 That's where he's at; he's on his way back to Jerusalem 41:00 at this time. 41:01 OK? 41:05 He's going there because it's a special feast 41:09 for the Jewish people. 41:10 He knows the Jewish people will be coming in from everywhere 41:13 and it gives him an opportunity to talk to them 41:16 about Jesus Christ. 41:18 That's the reason he's going. 41:25 OK? That's what you need to establish... 41:28 a farewell meeting for Paul. 41:36 So let's watch as it puts it all together. 41:49 So what's happening here and how is this possible? 41:52 Well, this incident has happened folks in a place called Troas. 41:57 Paul has gone to Troas; he's preached the gospel. 42:00 He has raised this church up, 42:03 so these people look upon Paul as their father 42:06 because he's the one that introduced them to Jesus Christ. 42:09 They love him. Paul is on his way back; 42:12 He has stopped here in Troas. 42:15 These people are very much aware 42:19 that they're not going to see Paul again. 42:23 They're aware of that, 42:26 so this is a farewell meeting. 42:29 Why did his companions catch a ship to Assos 42:33 and Paul intended to go by foot? 42:35 Well if you look at it there on the screen, 42:38 you'll find that that is a peninsula that sticks out there. 42:42 And so Paul's companions caught a ship in Troas 42:46 sailed around the peninsula to Assos. 42:50 Paul, the next morning - Sunday morning - 42:53 walked 19 miles from Troas over to Assos. 42:58 That's what's going on here. 43:12 This is the reason they stayed up all night long... 43:14 because this is a farewell meeting for Paul. 43:19 It's taking place at night. 43:24 What day is this taking place on? 43:29 First day of the week. 43:31 First day of the week. 43:33 Get that clear in your mind. 43:34 This is when it's taking place. 43:36 Now we're going to look at the only text - 43:39 the only text in the Old Testament 43:42 that mentions the first day of the week 43:45 as far as the weekly cycle is concerned. 43:48 Genesis 1 verse 5: 43:58 The thing that's important about this text 44:00 other than just stating that it's the first day of the week 44:03 it tells you when the day starts. 44:05 When does the day start? 44:09 Well it says evening and morning. 44:11 And as you pick up your Bible and you read through it, 44:14 you'll find it always talks about time 44:17 as far as the day is concerned 44:19 that it starts in the evening. 44:22 That's the reason it says in Leviticus 23:32: 44:29 That was the day; it meant from sunset to sunset 44:32 you are to celebrate your Sabbath. 44:34 This is the way it was to be kept: from sunset to sunset. 44:38 So I ask you the question: 44:40 If this is taking place at night, which it is 44:44 because there was many lights in the upper chambers, 44:46 and it's taking place at night 44:48 and it's the first day of the week, 44:50 then when is it? 44:53 It has to be Saturday night 44:58 because the day begins at sunset, 45:01 goes to sunset, 45:03 It you move me to sunset on Sunday, 45:07 that's the beginning of the second day of the week. 45:11 In fact, some Bible translators recognize that because in the 45:15 New English Bible it says: 45:22 They recognize this took place on Saturday night. 45:25 And that is - by the way, don't misunderstand me - 45:28 that is the first day of the week according to the Bible. 45:32 So this took place on Saturday night... 45:34 a farewell meeting for Paul 45:38 because they realized that he was leaving. 45:40 And they never saw him again, folks. 45:43 That was the last meeting they had with Paul. 45:46 It was his third missionary journey. 46:01 No such thing. 46:03 We live in a computer age 46:07 where you can, you know, just get things very quickly. 46:11 I went to the computer and just typed in 46:14 the first day of the week and asked them to give me 46:16 all the texts in the Bible 46:17 that mention the first day of the week. 46:20 And it did... 46:22 the ones I have just shared with you. 46:23 Nine of them. Gave them all to me 46:26 right there on a sheet of paper. 46:28 Those are the ones that mention the first day of the week. 46:30 I also just typed in and asked the computer to give me 46:33 all the texts in the Bible that mention the Sabbath. 46:37 And it did. 46:44 So if you want to take a look at... 46:52 So if you want to look at where the abundance of evidence rests, 46:57 folks, it's not with the first day of the week... 46:59 it's with the Sabbath. 47:02 That's where it is. 47:04 But what do other churches say about this? 47:10 Let me share quickly with you what they say. 48:18 That's what he said. So what I've shared with you 48:20 this morning is not something that other people weren't 48:24 very much aware of. 48:26 Let's look at another one: 48:50 And this is basically what happened. As time went on 48:53 it became more aware. 49:01 Catholic. Listen to what they say very, very carefully. 49:34 They said they did that. 49:37 They were responsible for doing this... to make the change. 49:40 Continuing... this is what they say: 49:59 Changed it. Not by a command of God's Word 50:05 but by their own authority. 50:10 Martin Luther. Martin Luther had some real questions. 50:16 Of course you all know that Martin Luther died 50:19 at a fairly young age. 50:21 Didn't live long. 50:22 I think he was 50-something 50:24 when he died. 50:25 But he had real questions. 50:26 I want you to listen to what he says about this. 50:28 This is in the Augsburg Confession: 50:46 He goes on: 50:57 So the question that you and I need to ask ourselves today 51:03 is where do I build my faith? 51:06 Do I build it on the Word of God? 51:11 Is this where I stand... on the Word of God? 51:14 Or do I stand on tradition? 51:19 Where do I base my faith? 51:21 What says the Bible, 51:23 the blessed Bible? 51:25 This should my only question be. 51:29 The teachings of men so often mislead us. 51:33 What says the Word of God to me? 51:41 Where He leads me, I will 51:46 follow. 51:49 Where He leads me, I 51:54 will follow. 51:57 Where He leads me, I 52:02 will follow. 52:06 I'll go with Him 52:09 all the way. 52:17 Let us pray. 52:19 Father in Heaven, 52:21 we come to You today realizing that we live 52:27 in a world that has taken and mixed 52:34 what Your Word teaches 52:37 with the philosophy of paganism. 52:41 Help us, Lord, to be true to You. 52:46 To stand upon Your Word. 52:49 To be willing to be Your disciple. 52:54 To walk with You... 52:58 to follow You. 53:00 May we see and may we understand 53:04 that You are Lord 53:07 and that You should give guidance and direction 53:11 to our lives. 53:12 That we - each one - would walk with You 53:18 and follow You as You lead 53:21 rather than to let the traditions of man 53:24 give us direction and guidance for our lives. 53:27 Bless each one: 53:29 those that are watching by television, 53:32 those that are listening on the radio. 53:35 May they pick up Your Word. 53:38 May they search it, 53:41 and may they know what Your Word teaches 53:45 and may their faith in You be strong. 53:48 For these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ 53:53 our Lord, Amen. 53:58 Our next presentation is that on the covenant... 54:03 The Sabbath Covenant. 54:04 The covenant that God wants to make with you and with me. 54:09 This covenant, folks, is extremely important. 54:12 It's something that God desires. 54:15 He's a covenant-keeping God, 54:18 and He makes that covenant. 54:19 And He even says that if you and I will keep His covenant 54:23 that it will be well with us. 54:27 That's a promise He makes. 54:28 And you'll find that is very, very true that if you and I 54:32 enter into a covenant with Him and say: 54:35 "I'll walk with You; I'll follow You; I'll keep Your covenant, " 54:39 then God will bless. In fact, His throne 54:43 is staked on the fulfillment of His word. 54:46 So we hope that each one of you will be sure and be with us 54:49 as we talk about The Sabbath Covenant. 54:51 May God bless you. 54:53 Take care. Keep yourself close to the Lord. 54:56 Jesus said in Luke chapter 8 54:59 a sower went out to sow his seed. 55:01 And as he sowed, 55:03 some fell by the wayside 55:05 and it was trampled down 55:06 and the birds of the air devoured it. 55:09 Some fell on rock 55:10 and as soon as it sprang up it withered 55:13 because it lacked moisture. 55:14 And some fell among thorns 55:16 and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 55:21 But others fell on good ground, 55:23 sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundred-fold. 55:27 Jesus Christ came to sow the seed of truth 55:30 into this world. 55:32 And just as every seed has life in it, 55:34 the Word of God is also life. 55:37 Jesus said in John 6:63 55:39 "The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit 55:42 and they are life. " 55:44 But sadly in this day and age 55:47 many professed ministers of the gospel 55:49 don't accept the Bible as God's inspired Word. 55:52 Because its plain teachings condemn their practices 55:56 they have tried to make it appear mysterious 55:59 and obscure in order to excuse their own transgressions 56:02 of God's law. 56:03 There are those who try to make everything seem 56:06 pleasant and positive. 56:07 They gloss over or ignore the warnings of God, 56:10 and thus they strip the Bible of the power to convict 56:14 sinners of their need of salvation. 56:17 But no matter how brilliant and how pleasant they sound 56:20 their message cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger 56:24 of a true seeker. 56:27 The truth is that ever since the fall of man 56:31 Satan has been busy sowing the seed of error. 56:34 But friends, when the Word of God is preached 56:37 in simplicity and sincerity, 56:39 it's powerful. 56:40 Instead of pointing out the errors of others 56:43 or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel, 56:46 we must follow the example of Christ 56:48 and simply sow the seeds of truth. 56:51 Oh, yes, there will be seeds that will fall by the wayside, 56:56 be eaten by the birds. 56:58 Other seeds will sprout in stony soil 57:01 only to dry up for the lack of water. 57:03 Still others will fall among the thorns, 57:06 but many will spring up to bear an abundant fruit. 57:11 The sower's job is to sow seed. 57:14 And believe me, there is no greater joy 57:17 than to see the lives transformed under the influence 57:21 of the Holy Spirit. 57:22 It's an experience all of us can have, 57:25 and it's the only goal we have as a ministry team. 57:29 We have a marvelous opportunity 57:31 to sow by broadcasting these wonderful seeds of life 57:35 to the whole world. 57:36 Jesus gave all of us the gospel commission. 57:40 Won't you join us in this effort? 57:43 Please consider what you can do 57:45 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:48 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:50 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:04 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 58:07 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17