Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL130007
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible
00:02 and a friend and sit back 00:04 as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of "House Calls." 00:22 Welcome to "House Calls" again. 00:24 If you've tuned in before that again applies to you, 00:26 but if you've never tuned in before, 00:28 welcome to "House Calls." 00:30 This is the place where you can trust the word of God 00:32 and that's the only book that we use actually for the program. 00:35 My name is John, but it's not a unique name, 00:38 because he has the same name. 00:39 How are you doing, John? 00:40 Good to be here. 00:42 Man, I tell you we have been doing this program 00:43 for a good bit of time together. 00:45 Eight years. Eight years, all right? 00:46 Eight years, yeah. Wow, wow. That's wonderful. 00:49 Well, I'm glad if you've chosen to tune in today. 00:51 If this is your first time, welcome to a program 00:54 that has been marinating 00:56 under the direction of the Holy Spirit. 00:58 We are excited about using the Bible. 01:00 So get your Bibles and get your pens. 01:02 And for the next hour, 01:04 so sit down with us and walk through. 01:05 If you don't know the format of the program, 01:07 first half is Bible questions, second half is our Bible topic. 01:11 And today we're gonna be talking about 01:14 "The Church, a Biblical View." 01:16 What does the Bible say about the church? 01:19 Not so much the diversity of the church, 01:21 we're gonna talk about it in various aspects. 01:23 But we're also are gonna cover your questions 01:25 and we'll let you know a little bit more about that 01:27 right after we have prayer. 01:29 So, John. Let's have prayer. 01:30 Father in Heaven, we thank you for this day of life 01:33 and for the blessings that You bring to each one of us. 01:36 And as we open Your word today, 01:38 we just pray that You'd pour out Your spirit upon us, 01:41 may You guide and direct our thoughts 01:42 are hearts toward You, toward heaven, 01:44 toward spiritual things that are spiritually discerned. 01:47 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. 01:51 You know, many of you tune into the program 01:53 and some of you send Bible questions. 01:55 We get those, anytime you send them, 01:57 they come to our website. 01:59 But for those of you that 02:00 want to send some more questions or comments, 02:02 here is the information that you need. 02:04 You can send them to housecalls@3abn.org. 02:08 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 02:10 And we download those. We also still accept snail mail. 02:13 If you want to send it via the post office, 02:17 PO Box 220, West Frankfort, Illinois, 62896. 02:22 Obviously, put 3ABN-House Calls. 02:26 Well, John, what do you have for us today? 02:28 Well, I got a question here 02:29 from Lucky and comes from South Africa. 02:33 Actually, a couple of questions here 02:35 and they're both very good. 02:37 I think we'll probably take both of them here if we can. 02:40 But the first one says, "What was the lesson 02:42 that Jesus wanted to teach 02:44 the 72 disciples in Luke 10:18 and 19, 02:49 when He told them about the fall of Satan? 02:52 What lesson did Jesus want to teach the 72 disciples?" 02:56 Let's go to Luke Chapter 10 and we'll read verses 17 and 18. 03:00 In fact, we need to read through verse 20 03:03 to really understand the lesson 03:05 that Jesus is trying to teach His disciples. 03:08 So I'm gonna read beginning with verse 17. 03:09 It says, "Then the 70 returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, 03:14 even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' 03:18 And He said to them," that is, Jesus replied, 03:21 "'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 03:24 Behold, I give you the authority 03:26 to trample on serpents and scorpions, 03:29 and over all the power of the enemy, 03:31 and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 03:34 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, 03:36 that the spirits are subject to you, 03:38 but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'" 03:42 Okay. 03:44 You know, it has to be an amazing thought 03:49 for these disciples to see that the power of Christ, 03:53 the one they have followed as their master 03:57 had been transitioning now into them, 03:59 as they used His name and seeing that 04:01 demons were subject to them 04:03 and the power of God that worked through their lives, 04:05 they must have been somewhat surprised. 04:10 Not shocked, in that, they didn't think it would happen, 04:12 but just this is an amazing, a very affirming thing. 04:15 Our master has this kind of power. Right. 04:18 But I think to a degree, 04:19 there also were some elements here of pride, 04:21 'cause we know through the disciples, 04:23 the 12 that were around Him. 04:24 There were a lot of prideful moments 04:26 that Christ had to kind of work around and bring them through 04:29 and help to teach them lessons out of. 04:33 And the same thing is happening I believe here with the 70 04:35 and that they're coming back and reporting 04:37 that all these things are happening in Your name, 04:40 that the demons fled at Your name 04:42 and they were just amazed by this whole thing. 04:46 The response that Christ brings to their statement here 04:49 seems to indicate what the lesson was 04:51 that He was trying to teach them. 04:53 And really what-- in essence 04:54 if I were to use the shortest term 04:55 possible here in His lesson, 04:57 it would be that I am--it's by My authority, 05:00 it's because of Me, it's because of My Father in Heaven, 05:03 His Spirit that these miracles 05:05 are happening, not because of you. 05:08 It is all about the Son of God. 05:11 Because He is saying here in His response, 05:14 "I saw lightning--Satan fall like lightning from heaven." 05:16 I was there when Satan fell. 05:19 So I know about how demons are subject 05:22 to My Father in Heaven 05:24 and to the authority of the Godhead. 05:26 That's right. 05:27 And then He goes, He transitions on 05:29 to that by saying, "I give you this authority." 05:32 In other words, it's My authority given to you, 05:35 so that you can trample on serpents and scorpions 05:38 and over all the power of the enemy, 05:40 that nothing can happen to you or anything hurt you. 05:44 But the lesson then is drawn in verse 20 which is, 05:47 "Nevertheless," in other words, 05:49 now although I give you all this authority, 05:51 remember this, "Don't rejoice just because you got power, 05:55 but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 05:58 In other words, I'm the one that gives you the power. 06:00 I'm the one that gives you the strength. 06:03 My Father is the one 06:04 that is performing these miracles for you. 06:06 Don't get too heady about this, 06:09 because the rejoicing you should have is that 06:12 God has saved you, He's redeemed you, 06:14 and He has written your names in the Book of Life. 06:16 Okay. And so I think there's a little bit of a-- 06:19 trying to bring them back to a position of humility here 06:22 rather than being headstrong or prideful about 06:26 what's happening with the power 06:28 they now had in Christ. 06:30 So this person's initial question was what-- 06:32 What was the lesson Jesus was trying to teach 06:34 by saying, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven?" 06:37 So they're pretty much saying that all the authority 06:43 to evict Satan in essence is in God's hand. 06:47 Comes from God, not what they're doing. 06:49 Not in the hands of man. 06:50 You know, I don't really have a whole lot to add to that. 06:52 I think it's a good lesson for us, too, right? 06:55 I mean, we need to remember that God's on the throne, 06:57 through Christ we have everything 06:59 that we need and it is His power. 07:01 And I think we need to be very careful, 07:03 because we can get into this trap, too, John. 07:04 We've heard, you know, 07:06 if you just speak Jesus' name and rebuke in Jesus' name, 07:09 it's almost like this power that they--that we innately have, 07:12 because we believe in Jesus to fight demons. 07:15 But I think that can get us in trouble. 07:17 Even Jesus said when contending for the body of Moses, 07:20 "The Lord rebuke you." 07:22 Right? Right. 07:24 Even when Satan came to tempt Him, 07:25 He said, "It is written." 07:27 So He didn't say in His authority. 07:30 He was referring to the word that had power, 07:32 the authority of His Father that had power, 07:34 the Godhead who provides the power here. 07:37 And we need to remember that, we are dependent upon God 07:38 every moment of every day to fight the enemy. 07:41 So that's anyway, that's a good lesson for us to know. 07:43 So thank you for that question. 07:45 Okay. Now this one-- 07:47 this is a question from Audrey, and they ask this question. 07:52 "I am a bit confused with where exactly 07:55 the golden altar of incense stood in the sanctuary. 07:59 In Exodus 30:6, the Bible says 08:02 that it was placed in the Holy Place. 08:05 However, when we read the Bible, in Hebrews 9:3 and 4, 08:09 it seems that the golden altar of incense 08:12 was placed in the Most Holy Place. 08:15 Which is which, the Holy Place or the Most Holy Place?" 08:20 So I said, Audrey--Aubrey-- 08:23 well, the answer to that, Aubrey, is really clear. 08:26 The altar of incense was in the Holy Place, 08:29 right before the curtain 08:31 that separated the Holy from the Most Holy, 08:34 because the incense from the golden altar 08:36 was to rise and enter into the Most Holy Place. 08:42 So the apparent contradiction 08:46 in the language that you find in Hebrews 08:49 is not intended to remove 08:53 the original position of the altar of incense. 08:57 It was never in the Most Holy Place. 08:59 It was right before the curtain of the Most Holy Place. 09:02 It was always the last piece of furniture 09:05 before you get into the Most Holy Place, 09:07 right in front of the curtain. 09:09 And the rising of the incense, 09:11 in fact, the sweet smelling incense represented 09:15 the rising of the prayers of the saints. 09:18 So as you look at that and let me just go ahead and read 09:22 Hebrews 9 just to go it and give both of the views 09:26 that are spoken of here. 09:29 It says in Hebrews 9, I'll begin with verse 1. 09:33 "Then indeed, even the first covenant 09:35 had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 09:40 For a tabernacle was prepared, 09:42 the first part, in which was the lampstand, 09:45 the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary. 09:52 And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle 09:54 which is called the holiest of all, 09:56 which had the golden altar of incense 09:58 and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, 10:05 in which were the golden pot that had manna, 10:08 Aaron's rod that budded, 10:10 and the tablets of the covenants, 10:12 and above it were the cherubim of glory 10:14 overshadowing the mercy seat. 10:16 Of these things we cannot now speak in detail." 10:19 When you go to the Book of Leviticus 10:22 and you go to Exodus where the actual instructions 10:25 are given as to where to place it, 10:27 you find the reference you gave earlier perfectly 10:31 determines where that is located. 10:33 What we find in Hebrews here 10:34 is the summary of the old covenant, 10:38 not so much that the actual placement 10:41 of all the articles of furniture. 10:43 And as he said here, 10:45 "The details of which I cannot now speak in detail." 10:48 But look at the first five Books of the Bible, 10:51 and those are where the specific instructions 10:53 are given as to where these articles are to be placed. 10:57 And in summary, it's right before the curtain, 10:59 before you get into the Most Holy Place. 11:02 I did some study on this not too long ago. 11:05 This specific question because I had the same question. 11:09 And you're absolutely right. 11:11 Hebrews 9 is more of a summary of the service, 11:14 not where the articles were actually placed, 11:18 although it's part of that. It's included here. 11:21 But what I found is--I read some commentary on this 11:24 from other theologians and things. 11:26 In the Book of Hebrews Chapter 9 11:28 he's specifically talking about the ministry 11:30 that occurs before God's presence. 11:33 Right. 11:35 And you have a ministry delineated by the priest 11:39 who would come in and you had the candlestick 11:41 and you had the altar, 11:43 I mean, the table with the showbread on it, 11:45 but then you move forward toward the Most Holy Place. 11:49 Even though you don't go into the Most Holy, 11:51 you move toward the Most Holy 11:53 as you arrive at the altar of incense. 11:55 And the priest viewed the ministry there 11:58 of the burning of incense as connected with God's presence, 12:02 because what they were burning on there, 12:06 the incense, was mixed and then burned 12:09 and float into, as a sweet smelling aroma, 12:12 into the Most Holy Place. 12:14 Right. 12:15 So their view of the ministry 12:17 connected with the altar of incense 12:18 was very much connected to the Most Holy. 12:21 Exactly. And so this individual-- 12:23 this is a specific statement here by the writer of Hebrews, 12:26 he's really talking about the ministry 12:28 and walking through the sanctuary 12:30 and how the ministry that takes place there, 12:32 even though it was on a daily basis 12:34 at the altar of incense, 12:36 it really was connected with God's presence 12:38 and what was happening in the Most Holy. 12:40 They couldn't go there, 12:42 but the prayers of the saints 12:43 mixed with the righteousness of Christ 12:45 would appear before the Father in Heaven. 12:48 That's right. And so that's what we're seeing here. 12:50 So don't take it in a literal sense, 12:51 take it more as a perspective 12:54 on the ministry of the sanctuary services. 12:56 Okay, thank you. What else do you have for us? 13:00 "Who does Psalms 8:4 and 5 and Hebrews 2:5-7 apply to? 13:08 Does it apply to Jesus Christ or mortal mankind? 13:12 I've heard so many interpretations 13:13 surrounding these verses." 13:15 John, you have Psalms 8:4 and 5? 13:18 Okay. Read that one if you could. 13:22 They're both actually, Hebrews 2:5-7 13:25 is quoting from Psalms 8:4 and 5. 13:29 So I have you read Psalms 8:4 and 5 13:31 and then I'll elaborate on. 13:32 Okay, Psalm 8:4 and 5. 13:35 "What is man that You are mindful of him, 13:38 and the Son of Man that You visit him? 13:41 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, 13:45 and You have crowned him with glory and honor." 13:49 All right? Now you read that and you can-- 13:51 at first, it might appear 13:53 that the writer is talking about mankind. 13:56 Right. 13:58 But if you go to the Book of Hebrews 13:59 and Hebrews connects them directly with Psalms 8:4 and 5. 14:06 You find in the Book of Hebrews, 14:07 it's specifically connected to Christ 14:10 and what He as the representative of mankind 14:14 was sent to this earth to do. 14:16 And so I'm reading here now again from Hebrews 2, 14:20 I'll start with verse 5, but I'll read on beyond that, 14:22 so you'll see the context here. 14:24 "For He," that is capital H, 14:26 "has not put the world to come, 14:29 of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 14:32 But one testified in a certain place, saying, 14:35 'What is man that You are mindful of him, 14:37 or the Son of Man that You take care of him? 14:40 You have made him a little lower than the angels. 14:42 You have crowned him with glory and honor, 14:44 and set him over the works of Your hands. 14:46 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.' 14:49 For in that He put all in subjection under him. 14:54 He left nothing that is not put under him. 14:57 But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 15:01 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels." 15:05 Definition right there. Right. 15:07 We know by this statement here 15:08 that Psalms is actually referring to Christ Himself, 15:12 the Son of God. 15:15 And in the broader sense or in an exploded sense 15:19 when we refer to Jesus as the Son of Man, 15:22 He takes the very position as man. 15:24 That's right, as man. 15:26 So the definition that you find here in Psalms 15:29 applies to Him now because in this context being made 15:32 a little lower than the angels, 15:33 you're speaking about Him as the Son of Man. 15:36 Right. This is not speaking about Him in His preexistence. 15:39 This is speaking about Him 15:41 as He condescended and came to the earth 15:43 to be involved in the earthly ministry. 15:44 So it fits perfectly into the context. 15:46 Man made lower than the angels. 15:48 Jesus becoming man, lower than the angels. 15:50 And in respect to Psalms Chapter 8, it also refers to mankind. 15:56 Exactly. So it's not exclusively Christ, 15:58 although Hebrews uses it in the context of Christ 16:01 who was the Son of Man as our representative. 16:03 So hopefully that provides 16:06 a little clarification on that text. 16:09 And, you know, when we think about the position of Christ, 16:15 you find if you go to Hebrews Chapter 1, 16:18 this outlines it really well here. 16:20 And what I'd like to read in Hebrews Chapter 1, 16:24 is it's showing you clearly-- 16:28 well, let's just go and read it. 16:29 I'm trying not to say it, 16:31 but I'm gonna go ahead and read it 16:32 so that the Bible will be the voice of its own content. 16:38 It says in verse 1, "God, who at various times 16:40 and in different ways spoke in time past 16:44 to the fathers by the prophet, 16:46 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, 16:50 whom He had appointed heir of all things, 16:52 through whom He also made the worlds. 16:55 Who being the brightness of His glory." 16:57 Remember the word glory 16:59 that was talked about here in Hebrews Chapter 2, 17:04 it talks about "You crowned him with glory and honor." 17:07 And verse 1-- verse 3 of Chapter 1. 17:10 "Who being the brightness of His glory, 17:12 and the express image of His person, 17:14 and upholding all things by the word of His power, 17:17 when He had by Himself purged our sins, 17:21 sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high." 17:25 Now this, get this, look at this. 17:27 "Having become so much better than the angels, 17:31 as He by inheritance 17:33 obtained a more excellent name than they." 17:36 So you find here in the condescended sense, 17:39 lower than the angels. 17:41 In the glorified sense, as He conquered sin 17:44 then He has become better than the angels. 17:47 And that's what the term 'ark angel' means, 17:50 higher than the angels. 17:52 So when you see that term in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 17:55 for the ark angel, for the voice of the ark angel, 17:58 the one who is above the ark angel, 18:00 the one who is above the angels. 18:02 And so you see two pictures being presented here, 18:05 Hebrews Chapter 2 in the condescended sense, 18:08 Hebrews Chapter 1 in the exalted sense. 18:10 After He purged our sins, 18:12 He was now exalted to be the commander, 18:15 to be where He was before. 18:17 Because remember this battle that's-- 18:18 that had gone on in heaven 18:20 was between Michael and Satan. 18:23 And who is Michael? 18:24 The one who is above the angels, that is in fact Christ. 18:28 So you clearly see here, but let me continue. 18:31 "For of which angel," verse 5 of Hebrews 1. 18:34 "For of which of the angels did he ever say 'You are my Son, 18:38 today I have begotten you'? 18:40 And again 'I will be to Him a Father 18:42 and He shall be to Me a Son'? 18:45 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, 18:49 He says, 'Let all the angels of God worship Him,' 18:52 and of the angels he says, 'Who makes His angels spirits, 18:56 and His ministers a flame of fire.'" 19:00 Verse 8. 19:02 "But to the Son He says, 19:03 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. 19:07 A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 19:10 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. 19:13 Therefore God, Your God, 19:14 has anointed You with the oil of gladness 19:16 more than Your companions.'" 19:18 And so you look at the position in Hebrews 2, 19:24 condescended to be the set of man. 19:26 But after he conquered sin, 19:28 once again exalted back to be the Son of God, 19:33 the One who is above the angels. 19:35 Never the two were separated, but in two particular functions 19:40 you find the terminologies being applied. 19:42 So that's why Psalms 8 and Hebrews 2 19:45 are not in conflict with each other. 19:48 Very good. Okay. 19:49 Very good. I think that's--I think-- 19:53 Yeah, let's segue into our topic. 19:54 Because we've given more time to our Bible questions 19:56 on a fewer programs or earlier programs. 19:59 Well, we went through our questions pretty fast today. 20:02 Yeah. So thank you for those quick questions. 20:04 And I should say, praise the Lord 20:06 we gave you quicker answers. 20:08 Hopefully we were able to make some sense 20:10 out of what we talked about here today. 20:12 But if you have any Bible comments 20:13 or questions you'd like to send to us, 20:15 send those to housecalls@3abn.org. 20:19 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 20:23 And we thank you so much for all you do, for your prayers 20:26 and your financial support of this network. 20:30 John, we're talking about the church today, 20:31 lay some foundation for us. 20:33 Yeah, it's about time we-- 20:35 I don't think we've ever covered this topic really, 20:37 the church and the Biblical view of the church. 20:42 Today, I think, at times I am convinced as a pastor 20:47 that there is too much emphasis and dependence 20:51 upon the leader of the church. 20:54 I'm talking about church on a local level. Right. 20:57 You know, he is the one that does the preaching 20:59 and he is the one that does the teaching, 21:00 he is the one that does Bible studies, 21:02 he is the one that does this and that. 21:04 And we sit there 21:05 as members of that church, as an audience, 21:10 almost as spectators of what happens. 21:12 And we clap and we rejoice in what we see going on. 21:16 A spectacle. And it's very much like that. 21:19 You know, we always use this analogy and, 21:22 you know, even people have been upset at us for it, 21:24 but you know the sports team, 21:27 you know, we're the spectators in the stands. 21:30 We're not actually getting on the field 21:32 to engage in the game. 21:33 Right. 21:35 But the issue we have to ask or address here is, 21:38 is this the Biblical view? 21:40 Is this what the Bible had in mind? No. 21:43 Is this what Jesus had in mind through His word 21:46 when He gave the charge to the disciples to go out 21:50 and which is where we're gonna start 21:51 with, the Great Commission here in Matthew 28, 21:53 to go out and make disciples of all nations. 21:57 There clearly is this picture of the church 22:00 and the charge given to the apostles 22:03 to grow God's kingdom on earth through His church. 22:06 And that it would--the message would go out to all the world. 22:10 Matthew 24 talks about, 22:12 and this gospel will be preached to all the world 22:16 and then the end would come. 22:18 So there's even purpose wrapped up 22:19 in that prophecy of Matthew 24, 22:22 that the message given to the church 22:24 to take to the world would one day go to the world 22:26 and the world would then end. 22:28 So we're gonna talk about 22:30 some different aspects today about the church. 22:32 And I want to have each one of you 22:34 just kind of consider in your own mind, 22:36 is this the picture of my church that I am in today? 22:40 Is this--are we following the Biblical view, 22:43 perspective of the church 22:45 and what Christ has in mind for His church? 22:48 Okay. So we'll look at several passages 22:50 and we even get back even to the Old Testament 22:52 and see that the church was actually planted way, 22:54 way back when, intended by God Himself and exciting stuff. 23:00 Let's turn to Matthew Chapter 28. 23:02 Okay. Matthew 28, a good place to start. 23:06 Wow. 23:10 All right, verse 18, 23:13 known as the Great Commission. 23:17 It says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them," 23:20 that is the 12 disciples, 23:22 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 23:27 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 23:31 baptizing them in the name of the Father 23:33 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 23:35 teaching them to observe all things 23:37 that I have commanded you, 23:39 and lo, I am with you always, even to," 23:42 How far? The end of the age. 23:43 "The end of the age or the end of the world" 23:46 as some translations say. 23:47 So this commission began with Jesus' 23:51 words to the disciples and continues on how long. 23:53 To the very end. To the very end, which includes today. 23:58 This great commission is as much for us 24:01 as members of the church as it was for the disciples. 24:05 And I want to emphasize that, 24:06 because what you find in this commission 24:08 isn't a call to come, it's a call to go. 24:13 Remember our good friend, Kopanang Giamani. 24:17 Oh, Kopanang Giamani. 24:20 He would stand up there 24:21 as a personal ministry director of our church 24:23 and he would say repeatedly, because I remember distinctly. 24:27 He would say, "Church, 24:30 God said, go. He said, go. 24:34 Where did you go this week?" 24:38 And it was his way of causing people, 24:41 the church members to think in terms of going 24:44 and being the disciples God wants us to be. 24:46 Right. 24:48 And being from that personal ministry's perspective, 24:50 I know what he was trying to accomplish here. 24:52 He was trying to say, 24:53 it's not about just inviting people 24:54 to come and hear a message. 24:56 It's about going and sharing Christ 24:58 with the world through our words, through our deeds, 25:01 through everything we do. 25:03 And this is something to a great degree, 25:06 I think, within the church today 25:09 that we're not seeing as much of as we should. 25:11 We're starting to get to a model of "come and see", 25:14 and I know the words of Christ are-- 25:18 He did make that statement, 25:19 but that wasn't in this context of evangelism. 25:23 It's not about come and see, 25:24 listen to me so I can persuade you of the truth 25:27 and then maybe you'll accept it and follow Christ. 25:29 It's about going and bringing the gospel 25:32 to the people where they are. 25:33 Right. Because there are many today, 25:35 especially within the United States, 25:37 America and other countries, 25:39 I know we're not alone in this. 25:41 The society today does not want to step into a church, 25:44 most of them. 25:45 So the gospel's got to go to them, 25:47 and that's what Jesus was saying when He said, go. 25:49 Wow. 25:51 And so when you look-- when you look at this, 25:53 I think of the commission and He is saying, 25:56 "All authority is-- has been give unto me 25:59 in heaven and in earth." 26:01 One of the things that I like to begin 26:03 by talking about is the church, 26:05 the foundation of the church. 26:07 Now we know the foundation of the church is Christ. 26:10 He is the cornerstone. 26:12 He is the rock upon which the church is built. 26:15 And I want to reiterate that by reading Matthew 16 26:19 because here's a passage that's often times misunderstood 26:23 and I want to put it in the proper context 26:27 in which it is presented. 26:30 All right, Matthew Chapter 16, beginning with verse 17. 26:37 And the Bible says, "Jesus answered and said to him, 26:42 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, 26:46 for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.'" 26:49 That is when Peter responded, "You are the Son of God. 26:53 You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 26:57 "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, 26:59 but My Father who is in Heaven. 27:01 And I also say to you that you are Peter, 27:05 and on this rock I will build My church, 27:07 and the gates of hell or Hades shall not prevail against it. 27:11 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven 27:14 and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, 27:17 and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 27:22 When you look at the context of this text, 27:25 people come away with the idea 27:27 that Christ was building the church on Peter. 27:31 But you find clearly, now we go to 1 Corinthians. 27:35 Let's go there. And I'd like you to read that for me, John. 27:38 I want to look for another text. 27:40 We'll go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 10. 27:43 Here I am now. 1 Corinthians Chapter 10. 27:48 And I'd like you to read verses 1 down to verse 4. 27:53 All right. 27:55 "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware 27:58 that all our fathers were under the cloud, 28:01 all passed through the sea, 28:03 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 28:07 all ate the same spiritual food, 28:09 and all drank the same spiritual drink. 28:12 For they drank of that spiritual Rock 28:15 that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." 28:18 Okay. So the Rock, you're talking-- 28:21 the Rock here and putting the text into context, 28:26 when Jesus made the statement, 28:27 Peter wasn't even yet converted. 28:32 He wasn't even converted yet. 28:33 He had made a declaration even after that statement. 28:37 So the authority that was given 28:39 and this is something that we have to come to grips on. 28:42 The church is built on Christ, 28:44 but the church does have an authority. 28:46 And one of the things that we have to look at today 28:49 and understand the context of the church, 28:50 and I know we're gonna go 28:52 in a little different direction here in just a moment, 28:53 but I want to establish that what we're talking about. 28:55 The reason why the church has the authority to prepare 28:59 its members for the fulfillment of the commission 29:02 is because God gave them that authority, 29:05 but the foundation is Christ. 29:07 1 Corinthians 3:11. 29:09 "For no other foundation can anyone lay 29:13 than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 29:16 1 Corinthians 3:11. 29:18 So when you think about the foundation, 29:20 you could truly sing the song, 29:22 "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand." 29:25 Now if Peter were the foundation of the church, 29:28 then the church would have passed off the scene 29:31 when Peter died or the foundation 29:33 would've failed when Peter failed, 29:35 but the foundation never failed, 29:37 because no other foundation can be laid 29:40 than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. 29:43 'Cause I just want to make that very clear, 29:44 'cause a lot of times people say, well--they ask questions. 29:48 And people have asked this to us today, 29:49 because there's a misconception about how our church began. 29:52 Some people say, "Well, 29:53 did Ellen White begin your church?" 29:56 No. We said, "No, our church is built on the Bible. 29:59 Our church is built on Christ. 30:01 He is the Rock of the church." 30:03 And of course you have people say, 30:04 "Well, you know, Martin Luther began this movement 30:06 and this one came out of that person 30:08 and this one came out of that person." 30:10 And we give titles to humans that start movements. 30:15 But in reality, the foundation of the church is Christ. 30:20 No other foundation can anybody lay. 30:22 But now taking it to the next level, 30:24 John, we're gonna talk about 30:25 some of this commission here today, 30:27 because the church is still with individuals 30:29 that to a large degree the church in America, 30:31 in particular, and other parts of the world has become-- 30:35 church going has become a spectator sport rather than-- 30:41 what's another phrase I could use? 30:43 Church members come more to see 30:46 what the pastor's gonna say than come to prepare to go. 30:51 But that's not what the Lord has intended for them to do. 30:54 And I think you had a text 30:55 in Ephesians Chapter 4 that talks about that. 30:58 Yeah, Ephesians Chapter 4, we'll begin with verse 11 here. 31:02 And it really begins to expand 31:04 the role of every member in the church. 31:06 We know--and we're not gonna cover all these, 31:08 but we know that the church 31:09 is made up of Christ as the head 31:12 and then the members as the body. 31:16 You know, some are feet, some are legs, some are hands, 31:18 some are arms, you know, 31:20 all these different things that make up the church 31:22 and we're dependent upon all of them. 31:24 Right. So the question is, does that-- 31:27 is that indicative of a body of believers 31:30 that is a-- that are spectators 31:32 or is that indicative of a body of believers 31:35 that are all active in doing something? 31:36 Okay. And so beginning with verse 11 31:39 in Ephesians Chapter 4 providing this picture of Paul 31:42 gives us of the church. 31:45 It says, "He Himself," that is Jesus, 31:47 "gave some to be apostles, 31:50 some prophets, some evangelists, 31:53 and some pastors and teachers, 31:55 for the equipping of the saints for the work of," 31:58 what's that word? 32:00 "Ministry." "Ministry." Okay. 32:01 Let's stop there for just a second. 32:03 According to what we've just read, who does ministry? 32:08 The members. The members do. 32:09 Right. Absolutely. 32:12 There are leaders of the church 32:13 that God ordains for the purpose 32:16 of edifying that church, 32:18 but their role, which includes 32:19 pastors, are to equip the members for ministry. 32:23 Ministry. 32:25 So in some respects the minister isn't the only ministry. 32:28 They're the one that does ministry. Right. 32:30 Everybody does ministry. 32:32 The pastor is the one that takes 32:34 that leadership role in equipping the members 32:36 for their work, to find their spiritual gift, 32:40 to find some way to engage in service for Christ. 32:43 "And it's all for the edifying of the body of Christ 32:46 till we all come to the unity of the faith 32:49 and of the knowledge of the Son of God 32:50 to a perfect man to the measure 32:52 of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 32:55 That is the rest of verse 13. 32:58 So according to this verse, there's lots of things here, 33:00 but the one thing I wanted to bring up here is that, 33:03 this is the one place, as far as 33:07 the King James Version of the Bible, 33:09 where the word pastor appears. 33:11 Okay. It doesn't appear anywhere else. 33:14 This is the verse for pastors. 33:17 Now the interesting thing what you'll find here is 33:19 if you read this verse carefully, it says, 33:21 some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, 33:26 all with different functions, by the way. 33:28 That's true. And some pastors and teachers. 33:31 Notice, what word occurs before teachers. Pastors. 33:37 There is no word, some, is there? 33:41 Some apostles, some prophets, 33:44 some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. 33:47 Right. 33:48 Teachers is not an afterthought here 33:50 and it's not a separate category either. 33:51 If you read this Greek, 33:53 you'll find that most theologians agree, 33:56 the reading is some pastors as teachers. 33:59 Okay. 34:01 The pastors are for teaching, 34:04 for equipping, for training, 34:07 for helping the saints find their ministry. 34:11 And it's beautiful in that, 34:12 because we shouldn't be looking at the pastor 34:14 to do all these different things. 34:17 His role is primarily to help me find out 34:20 what I can do for Jesus 34:22 within the context of the church 34:23 and within the context of my personal ministry, 34:26 individual ministry with those around me in my community. 34:30 And that's why in context 34:32 with that I'd like to go to Romans Chapter 12. 34:35 We often read Romans 12:1-2. 34:38 When the Lord talked about reasonable service 34:40 presenting your body as a living sacrifice-- 34:42 And we're gonna end up coming back to this one, too. 34:43 Well, let's go and get there and we'll-- 34:45 Okay. We'll read here, but-- 34:46 All right, all right. Go for it. 34:48 I want to go to verse 4, 34:50 because many people have read verse 1 and 2. Oh, yes. 34:53 It says, "For as we have many members in one body, 35:00 but all the members do not have the same function." 35:03 All right. 35:05 "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, 35:09 and individually members of one another." 35:12 Notice, we're one body in Christ. 35:14 Once again emphasizing that Christ is the head. 35:16 Yeah. He didn't make Peter the head. 35:19 And I say that in the context of this major focus right now 35:22 of the shifting of Popes around the world. 35:25 People are so, who's gonna be the-- who's gonna be-- 35:27 you know, as long as Christ is there, 35:29 that's all it really matters. 35:30 Their earthly power is not the focus, 35:33 it is the heavenly power that is the focus. 35:35 In verse 6, "Having then gifts differing 35:40 according to the grace that is given to us, 35:43 let us use them." 35:45 And now notice, "If prophecy, 35:47 let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry, 35:52 let us use it in our ministering. 35:55 He who teaches, in teaching, 35:57 he who exhorts, in exhortation, 36:00 he who gives, with liberality." 36:03 It's amazing how they use giving as a ministry, 36:06 because there are some people that are great givers. 36:08 "God loves a cheerful giver," the Bible says. 36:11 "He who gives, with liberality, he who leads, with diligence, 36:14 he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 36:19 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, 36:22 cling to what is good." 36:23 And these are all the parameters of the church. 36:26 "Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love, 36:30 and honor giving preference to one another. 36:33 Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, 36:36 serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, 36:39 patient in tribulation, 36:40 continuing steadfast in prayer, 36:43 distributing to the needs of the saints, 36:45 given to hospitality. 36:48 Bless those who persecute you, 36:50 and bless and do not curse. 36:54 Rejoice with those who rejoice, 36:55 and weep with those who weep. 36:57 Be of the same mind toward one another. 37:00 Do not set your mind on high things, 37:04 but associate with the humble. 37:06 Do not be wise in your own opinion. 37:09 Repay no one evil for evil. 37:11 Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 37:15 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, 37:18 live peaceably with all men." 37:21 And finally it winds up. 37:23 "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, 37:25 but rather give place to wrath. 37:27 For it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, 37:29 I will repay,' says the Lord." 37:31 And so it goes on and we know the one-- 37:33 It's a beautiful model of the Christian, isn't it? 37:36 You know, if you look at the church and say, 37:37 "Okay, here's the kind of church 37:39 we're gonna have," boom, 37:40 you outlined it with all this capacity. 37:41 This is what we want to have 37:43 as far as our fellowship is concerned. 37:44 We don't want person. We don't want-- 37:46 we need to have-- this is what we need to do. 37:48 This is how you need to do it. 37:50 It's a wonderful specific model. That's right. 37:52 So you say, "Well, what do you believe?" 37:54 Well, here's our beliefs. 37:55 But how does your church function? 37:57 Romans 12, this is what we want 37:59 as far as our model is concerned. 38:01 And it clearly is the use of gifts, 38:03 spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. 38:05 I had a gentleman come up to me one time 38:07 from my congregation and he said to me. 38:11 "Pastor, I'm a little confused about 38:12 what you're talking about 38:14 and little uncomfortable with what you're saying here, 38:15 because my witness at work with people around me, 38:19 my family, my friends is who Christ-- 38:23 how Christ has changed me, who He has made me. 38:26 And so I'm loving, I'm more kind, 38:29 I'm more happy, I'm joyful, 38:31 I'm just a different person and they can see that." 38:35 And I said, "Praise the Lord." 38:37 I said, "We all should be Christians 38:38 of that kind of character to be Christlike." 38:42 But what he was not-- what he was saying was that 38:46 I don't have to preach. 38:49 I don't have to necessarily get out there 38:51 and say something about Christ. 38:52 My witness is who I am. 38:55 And I beg to differ on this point with him, 38:58 because Jesus when He left this world 39:03 He promised to give the Holy Spirit 39:04 to the church, which He did. 39:06 The Holy Spirit brings two things 39:08 to us as church members. 39:10 He gives us fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, 39:14 goodness, kindness, meekness, 39:16 temperance, which is self-control. 39:19 So all those things He gave to us as church members. 39:24 What is the purpose of that fruit? 39:26 To change us from within. Right. 39:29 To make us Christlike. 39:32 But He didn't stop with fruit. Right. 39:34 He gave gifts. That's true. 39:35 And the gifts aren't for the edifying of the body, 39:39 the changing of the character, gifts are for ministry, 39:43 for the edifying of the church body 39:45 and expanding of the church and the delivering 39:48 of the everlasting gospel to the world. 39:51 You will not find the gospel being delivered through fruit. 39:57 No. The New Testament, it is not there. 40:00 The gospel comes through the use of gifts 40:02 imparted to believers. 40:03 The proclaimed gospel comes through the gifts. 40:06 Always. The, the-- 40:08 The living. The living gospel comes 40:10 through the fruits. 40:11 And so it's wonderful 40:13 how the Lord gives the fruits first. 40:16 And this is really important. 40:17 A very good point you brought up, 40:19 because a lot of times people are saying, 40:20 "By their gifts you will know them." 40:22 Well, the Bible says, 40:23 "By their fruits you will know them." 40:25 See, the fruits come first. 40:27 The fruits are evidence 40:28 that we are connected to the vine, you know. 40:30 They have to come first. 40:31 Imagine, if the gifts came first. 40:33 Oh. Chaos. 40:35 Somebody says, "I want to preach. 40:36 I'm a very angry person. I don't want to preach." 40:39 You're not loving, you're not kind, 40:41 you're not patient. 40:42 Well, get me up there. Exactly, well, get me-- 40:44 So the whole key is the fruit is evident that--evidence 40:48 that you're connected to the living vine. 40:50 That's right. It produces that. 40:51 And by the way, I want to just make this clear. 40:54 The fruit of the Spirit 40:57 is one fruit-- That was smorgasbord. Right. 41:00 And so probably you'd say, what fruit do you have? 41:03 I only have one fruit. 41:04 So when you think about it in that context, 41:06 which is the way the Bible says it, 41:09 the fruit of the Spirit. 41:11 But when it talks about the fleshy-- 41:14 the carnal world, it says 41:15 the works of the flesh are these, but the fruit. 41:19 So if somebody can say, 41:20 "Well, the fruit that I have is love, 41:23 but I don't have joy and peace." 41:25 You know, in that one fruit all of these ingredient-- 41:27 all the ingredients-- 41:28 You can't select which ones you have. 41:31 You can say, "Well, I'm working on patience, 41:33 but I have a lot of joy. 41:34 I'm looking at love, 41:36 but I don't have that other one yet." 41:38 It's a fruit, a single fruit. 41:39 It's nourished with all those capacities. 41:42 And so going now to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 41:44 this is beautiful, John, 41:46 because what we're talking about right now 41:47 is how God has equipped the church. 41:49 And why would He give us all these equipments 41:51 if He intends for us to do nothing with it. 41:53 He really wouldn't. 41:55 He wouldn't give us all these things 41:57 and say, "Well, now that you have all these equipment, 42:00 you got lawnmowers, you got tree cutters, 42:02 you have pruners, you have shovels, 42:03 you have rakes, you have bags of seed. Sit down." 42:09 No, absolutely not. Here's what He says here. 42:12 Romans Chapter 12-- I'm sorry, 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. 42:14 Isn't it funny, 42:16 Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12? 42:18 It's really the way that it's sectioned out. 42:21 Verse 1, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, 42:24 I do not want you to be ignorant. 42:26 You know that you were Gentiles, 42:28 carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 42:33 Therefore I make known to you that 42:35 no one speaking by the Spirit of God 42:37 calls Jesus accursed." 42:39 That's anathema. 42:40 "And no one can say that Jesus is Lord 42:43 except by the Holy Spirit." 42:46 So we know the Spirit of God is leading you, 42:48 because you say that Jesus is Lord. That's wonderful. 42:51 But what about what God has called you to do. 42:53 You want to start with verse 4, John? 42:55 "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 43:00 There are diversities of ministries, 43:01 but the same Lord. 43:03 And there are diversities of activities, 43:04 but it is the same God who works all in all. 43:08 But the manifestation of the Spirit 43:10 is given to each one for the profit of all. 43:13 For to one"-- 43:14 Yeah, anyway he goes on 43:16 and talks about the different gifts. 43:17 Well, no, no. I want you to stop on verse 7 real quickly. 43:19 "But the manifestation of the Spirit 43:21 is given to each one for the profit of all." 43:24 That's what you were talking about a moment ago. 43:26 So when he said the body, 43:27 these gifts are not given for this body, 43:30 the gifts are given for the church body, 43:33 so everybody could profit from it. 43:35 So let's gives some examples 43:36 before we read the list here, verse 8-10. 43:39 What are some of the-- what are some of the examples 43:41 of a gift that profits everyone? 43:44 The gift of encouragement. Okay. 43:48 Why is that a profit to everyone else in the church? 43:51 Well, we've already-- we've always been around those 43:53 who have the gift of criticism, 43:56 not given by the Spirit by any means, 43:59 and how much that destroys and tears down the church. 44:01 But the gift of encouragement-- 44:03 I tell you there's nothing like walking into a church 44:05 that is full of hope and encouragement 44:07 and joy and just things that help to lift it up 44:10 and edify it and to grow it, 44:13 but that's just one and there's several others. 44:14 And as we look at the list here in verse 8, 44:16 starting with verse 8. 44:18 "For to one is given the word of wisdom 44:20 through the Spirit." 44:21 I want to emphasize that. 44:23 "Through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge 44:25 through the same Spirit, 44:28 to another faith by the same Spirit, 44:31 to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, 44:35 another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, 44:39 to another discerning of spirits, 44:41 to another different kinds of tongues, 44:44 to another the interpretation of tongues. 44:47 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, 44:51 distributing to each one individually as He wills." 44:57 And then verse 12 says, 44:58 "For as the body is one and has many members, 45:02 but all members of that one body being many, 45:05 are one body, so also is Christ." 45:08 So who is the head? Christ. 45:11 So we have the arms of the church. 45:13 And when you go down, 45:15 there's the another passage I'll share in just a moment. 45:17 The eye, a lot of people say, 45:19 "Well, how significant are the parts of the church?" 45:22 Well, the other question will be, 45:24 how significant are the parts of the body? 45:26 The eye and a hand. 45:28 Say the eye and a hand have a-- say the eye have a-- 45:30 has an argument with the feet. 45:34 And the eye said, "I'm tired. 45:37 I'm gonna just stay closed." Will the feet know where to go? 45:40 Absolutely not. 45:42 And you'll have this discombobulated body. 45:45 You'll have a body that is in conflict with itself. 45:48 So when the functions that God has outlined 45:50 doesn't operate in the church 45:51 the way He intended for it to operate, 45:53 then the church is discombobulated. 45:55 It's like a body that's atrophy. 45:57 It's a dysfunctional body. 45:58 It can't complete the mission that God has given it. 46:00 Can't complete the mission. Yeah. 46:03 So as far as the picture that we're seeing of the church, 46:08 this isn't a study of spiritual gifts, 46:09 but we know that each member has a ministry 46:13 that he or even she can bring 46:16 to the edification of the church, 46:18 for the growing of the church for-- 46:20 for not only spiritual growth, 46:22 but numerical growth of the church on earth. 46:25 But as we make that statement, 46:29 people would say, "Well, I agree with that." 46:32 But we need to put a little more meat on this, 46:34 because this is the plan that God had from the very beginning 46:38 for His people on this earth. 46:40 And we're gonna go back now to Exodus Chapter 19. 46:44 Okay. 46:46 And start laying the foundation 46:47 for the model that God has for His body, 46:53 His people here on this earth. 46:55 Exodus 19, it's situated right before 46:59 God speaks the Ten Commandments 47:01 from the top of Mount Sinai on-- 47:04 on Mount Sinai in Chapter 20. All right. 47:07 So here Moses is talking with the Lord 47:11 and we find in verse 5 and 6, these words, 47:15 "Now therefore, if you will indeed 47:17 obey My voice and keep My covenant, 47:20 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 47:23 above all people, for all the earth is Mine. 47:26 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of," 47:29 what's the word there? Priests. 47:31 "Priests and a holy nation. 47:34 These are the words 47:36 which you shall speak to the children of Israel." 47:37 Which is what He told Moses 47:39 who then brought it to the children of Israel. 47:42 "You shall be a kingdom of priest and a holy nation." 47:46 Now notice this, John, as we unpack this, 47:48 lights are gonna start going on, 47:50 'cause they certainly do with me 47:52 as I delve into this very, very important topic. 47:56 God's original design. And this is Christ, 48:00 the I Am speaking with Moses. 48:03 Only is not Christ revealed 48:05 that we see on earth from the New Testament. 48:07 He's still Christ, the I Am. All right. 48:09 He's talking to Moses and He says, 48:11 "You'll be a kingdom of priests." 48:13 Is there an exclusion there of anyone? 48:16 No. None. 48:18 The whole kingdom are to engage in the priesthood 48:23 as a holy nation. 48:26 This was God's original design. Right. 48:29 Now the interesting thing is, 48:32 that as the people heard Moses, these words from God, 48:35 especially after Mount Sinai experience with God thundering-- 48:39 can you imagine just 48:40 the thundering voice from Mount Sinai 48:42 and delivering the Ten Commandments-- 48:43 the response of the people, 48:45 if you read this, I wish we had time 48:46 to get to the details here, but if you read all of this, 48:50 the response of the people to God was, 48:51 "Moses, you go talk to God. We're gonna stay back here. 48:55 Hey, everything He said, we'll do it, 48:57 but you go talk with God." 48:58 They were sending a message back to God 49:00 that they did not want to be the kingdom of priests. 49:04 But they wanted someone else to intercede for them. 49:07 Who did they send? Moses. 49:10 "Moses, you go talk to God, 49:11 because we're gonna die if we get anywhere close." 49:14 And as you go on through this story, 49:16 you'll find a continual rejection of God's call 49:19 to have all of them become a kingdom of priests 49:21 and a holy nation to Him. True. 49:24 Then Moses comes down after a few chapters later, 49:27 his experience on the mountain, 49:28 receiving the tables of stone, 49:30 and what does he find the Israelites doing? 49:33 Worshiping a golden calf. 49:35 And so he says, "Okay." Lord goes, "Okay, plan B." 49:41 All of you have rejected this kingdom of priest notion. 49:44 I am going to select the ones that didn't rebel. 49:46 I'm selecting who? 49:48 The Levitical priesthood. Right. 49:50 He chose the tribe of Levi. 49:52 And that tribe then became the kingdom of priests 49:55 and then Aaron and his descendants 49:57 were selected for the role of high priest, 50:00 overseeing the priesthood that was of all the Levites there 50:04 or the family of Aaron. 50:08 So only one acting high priest at a time, 50:11 but the priesthood and those assisting the priesthood 50:13 were often the Levites. Right. 50:15 And I'm glad you mentioned that 50:16 because when you read the statement in 1 Peter 2:9, 50:19 "But you are a holy generation, a royal priesthood-- 50:22 But you are a chosen generation, 50:24 a royal priesthood, a holy nation. 50:26 His own special people, that you may proclaim 50:28 the praises of Him who called you out of darkness 50:30 into this marvelous light or into His marvelous light," 50:33 when you read that, the Lord is saying okay, 50:36 what I intended from the very beginning is 50:37 what I want my church to be." 50:40 And so when you read this passage here, 50:43 God intended for all of the people 50:45 to be involved in proclaiming the message. 50:48 So how fast would the message have gone-- 50:52 If all of them accepted that role. 50:54 But they rejected that role. They really did. 50:56 And then it narrowed down to a select group. 51:00 Now here's the exciting thing about it. 51:03 Revelation 1:5-6 51:06 is using the very language from Exodus Chapter 19. 51:12 And Revelation 1:5-6 says, "To Him," that is Jesus, 51:15 "who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 51:18 and has made us." 51:19 Who is He speaking about? 51:21 The church. The church. 51:22 "Made us kings and priests to His God and Father, 51:26 to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." 51:28 In the church, God has come back to His original plan, 51:33 which was there will be a nation, 51:35 a people of kings and priests to me. 51:39 And so this is why Peter uses that language 51:42 that you just spoke of here. 51:44 Right, holy nation. 51:45 Read that verse again, 1 Peter 2:9. 51:47 "But you are a chosen generation, 51:49 a royal priesthood, a holy nation 51:53 His own special people 51:56 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 51:58 who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 52:03 So when Jesus established His church, 52:06 He was accomplishing what He wanted 52:09 to accomplish back with the Israelites. 52:12 And I said this statement several times before 52:14 and I know that some have 52:16 maybe even been a little uncomfortable with it, 52:17 but it is absolutely true. 52:20 Had the nation of Israel fulfilled their role 52:22 that God had given them from the beginning 52:24 and had they accepted Christ as their Messiah, 52:27 there would have been no church as we know it today. 52:31 The Gentiles would have received the message 52:34 through Israel, the nation 52:36 and it would have been a combined ushering forward 52:40 of God's truth through a greater number of people, 52:43 now with the Gentiles included, 52:44 to finish and proclaim the everlasting gospel. 52:46 Wow. 52:48 But instead, Paul, as he says in the Book of Acts, 52:50 because you rejected this, thus we turned to the Gentiles. 52:55 And the church was established 52:57 based on this foundation of Christ as the living stone 53:00 and it was established as a kingdom of priests, 53:04 a royal priesthood, Peter says, 53:07 then to give sacrifices back to God. 53:10 And in fact, if you back up a little bit 53:12 in 1 Peter 2:4-5, it says, 53:15 "Coming to Him as to a living stone, 53:18 rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 53:22 you also," speaking to the church, "as living stones, 53:26 are being built up a spiritual house, 53:28 a holy priesthood, to offer up," what? 53:31 Spiritual sacrifices. 53:32 "Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God 53:35 through Jesus Christ." 53:37 The question is, 53:38 do we as a church, as members of the priesthood, 53:40 do we have sacrifices to offer still? 53:43 Our lives are living sacrifice. 53:46 A living sacrifice, absolutely. 53:48 There are spiritual sacrifices, 53:49 there aren't the blood of bulls and goats again, 53:51 but that doesn't mean we have sacrifices that we can offer. 53:55 That's right. Present your body as a living sacrifice. 53:57 And there is where we get back to Romans Chapter 12. 54:00 That's why you were saying 54:02 you want to go back to Romans Chapter 12. 54:03 Yeah. Now we're not gonna get done with this, 54:06 I think in one program. Okay. 54:08 But let's transition this to then Romans 12:1, 54:11 let's go ahead and end with Romans 12:1 here. 54:15 Taking this idea of spiritual sacrifices 54:18 offered by the priesthood, the church today, 54:21 Paul says these words, 54:22 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 54:24 by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies 54:27 a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, 54:32 which is your reasonable service." 54:35 NIV says, "your spiritual act of"-- 54:38 Worship. "Worship." 54:39 That's right. 54:40 So to say as a church member in the pews 54:43 I don't have something to offer to God, is simply not biblical. 54:47 Right, because you have to. 54:49 You've been given a gift and we return that gift. 54:52 In fact it even brings more light 54:54 to the parable of the talents where God had given gifts. 54:58 And what did the one that received 55:00 only the one gift do with it? 55:01 Buried it. He buried it. 55:03 And when the master came back and he heard that he buried it 55:07 and didn't use it, what was the response? 55:10 He took it-- You wicked servant. 55:12 That's right. He took it from and gave it to somebody 55:15 who used the gift he'd given. Yeah. 55:17 And the expanded picture then of that is that, 55:20 are we given gifts that we're not using 55:22 and that's not honoring God? 55:25 I think in every respect when we're looking at this topic, 55:29 we need to be serious about 55:30 offering the spiritual sacrifices of ourselves 55:33 back to God in whatever way He has given us 55:35 to further and advance the gospel. 55:37 When earlier we read a text he brought us 55:39 out of darkness into His marvelous light, 55:42 this marvelous light is a part of the gospel. 55:44 The marvelous light is not just the gospel that's lived, 55:48 but also the gospel that's proclaimed the glory of God. 55:51 You know, fear God and give glory to Him 55:54 for the hour of His judgment has come. 55:56 We're living in that judgment hour. 55:57 And so God wants the glory that He has entrusted to us 56:01 through the proclaiming and the living gospel 56:03 to be seen and present it to the world. 56:05 Isaiah 60 is a part of that 56:08 where we speak about the effect of allowing the God 56:11 that we have chosen to work through us. 56:13 It says, "Arise and shine, for your light has come, 56:16 and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 56:19 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 56:22 and deep darkness or gross darkness the people. 56:24 But the Lord will arise over you 56:27 and His glory will be seen upon you. 56:29 The Gentiles shall come to your light, 56:32 and the kings to the brightness of your rising. 56:35 Lift up your eyes all around, and see, 56:37 they all gather together, they come to you." 56:40 And so it talks about 56:41 this light that God has given to everyone of us. 56:44 Let your light so shine. 56:45 This is the end result of allowing the gift 56:48 that God has given to us to be seen in the active 56:52 and witnessing function of the chosen believer. Wow. 56:57 And not only that, the Book of Acts 56:59 when Peter is giving that sermon 57:01 in Acts Chapter 2, 57:03 he references that passage, in another words says, 57:06 you'll be light--you'll be a light to the Gentiles 57:09 for salvation to the ends of the earth. 57:11 And he speaks of that in the context of the church 57:13 borrowing from the Old Testament model of Israel. 57:17 God--God never intends for the church to sit still. 57:19 And so, friends, if you're thinking about 57:21 what your function is, 57:22 the Lord has not called you to stay, 57:24 He's called you to go. You responded. 57:27 Now today is the day to begin following Christ. 57:29 And so follow Christ today and He will bless you. 57:32 Have a great day in Him. |
Revised 2014-12-17