Participants: John Lomacang, John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL130023
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:03 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of "House Calls". 00:21 Welcome to "House Calls". I'm house, he is calls. 00:26 Actually I'm John and John. 00:28 So good to have you tune in today 00:29 for another program 00:30 of walking through the Bible together 00:32 as the Lord leads us through His word 00:34 and the Holy Spirit inspires us to understand 00:36 how He's leading us through this journey. 00:39 Thank you, for tuning in, 00:40 get your friends and get your family members 00:42 for another thoughtful hour 00:43 of studying the word of God together. 00:45 Good to have you here, John. It's good to be here. 00:47 I tell you we are not matching at all today. 00:50 No, I think we're different color 00:51 we're complementing, not matching. 00:52 You're like I'm John where you're picnic. 00:54 We're complementing. That's good. 00:57 We're glad to be able to sit down and do this together. 00:59 We've been doing this program for a number of years. Yeah. 01:01 And the Lord has blessed every step of the way 01:03 and it's always good to have you in hot seat with me. 01:06 Yeah, absolutely. It's good to be here. 01:08 And you know, friends, we always enjoy this program. 01:11 If you've tuned in before, 01:12 you know that we enjoy ourselves 01:14 because the Bible brings joy to us 01:16 whenever we walk through it 01:17 and the pages always open our hearts 01:20 to a greater understanding of God's love for us. 01:22 But before we do any questions or anything else, 01:25 we always like to have prayer 01:26 and John is the one that prays on air. 01:29 So, John... Okay, let's pray. 01:31 Our Father in Heaven, 01:32 we are thankful again for another day of life 01:35 and just the blessing of being able 01:37 to spend time in your word, spend time with You. 01:41 Lord, we ask for Your spirit 01:42 to direct our thoughts especially toward Jesus. 01:46 We want to keep Him as the focus of our life 01:48 and our motive for not only studying the word 01:50 but obeying its perception. 01:52 So Father, we just thank You and look forward to this time 01:56 that You'll spend with us here today 01:57 in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. 02:01 And as you know a big part 02:02 of our program is Bible questions. 02:04 I have some very interesting ones today 02:06 and I know that John does also, 02:08 but if you have any questions you want to send us, 02:10 we have an email address 02:12 that will help you accomplish that, 02:14 it is housecalls@3abn.org. 02:17 That's housecalls@3abn.org 02:20 and that's the place where we open the door 02:23 and receive from you your thoughts and your comments. 02:26 And once again if you've not tuned in before, 02:28 you know that one of the things 02:29 we like to encourage our viewers 02:30 and our audience to do is to make the question short 02:33 and concise as possible. 02:35 But thank you, for anything that you send. 02:37 Even if you send it by letter 02:39 and if you do send that to P.O. Box 220, 02:43 West Frankfort, Illinois, 62896, 02:46 attention House Calls. 02:48 John, what do we have today? 02:50 Well, I've got a question here. 02:51 First one is in regard to prayer. All right. 02:54 And comes from Wendy and she says, 02:56 "Hi, John and John, does reading on the Lord 02:59 after morning worship mean to sit quietly there and then. 03:04 And if you have to get ready to go to work, what then?" 03:11 So anyway a good question 03:14 'cause we encourage many times in the word of God, 03:17 it says to wait on the Lord. 03:21 And what does that mean? 03:24 You know, a very, very good question. 03:25 Just a few texts about this, Psalm says this often. 03:30 Psalm 28:14, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, 03:33 and he shall strengthen your heart, 03:35 I say, wait on the Lord." 03:38 Here's one, Psalm 37:9, "For evildoers shall be cut off, 03:42 but those who wait on the Lord, 03:44 they shall inherit the earth." 03:46 Few verses later in verse 34 of that same chapter, 03:49 "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, 03:51 and he shall exalt you to inherit the land." Okay. 03:55 Anyway frequently, Isaiah, "And I'll wait on the Lord, 04:00 but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." 04:03 Of course, this is a very wonderful promise, 04:06 "Shall renew their strength, 04:07 shall mount up with wings like eagles, 04:10 and shall run and not be weary, 04:12 and shall walk and not be faint." 04:15 What is it mean to wait on the Lord? 04:17 There is a waiting element here 04:19 and I'm not, we do want to connect it, 04:22 there is a time to wait and to descend 04:26 how the Lord might be speaking to us. 04:28 There is a time that we can meditate on the word of God 04:30 through our devotionals 04:32 as your saying here, morning worship 04:34 and then a pause to reflect on those things 04:37 and allow the Lord to speak to our heart at that time. 04:40 And so there is that element of waiting. 04:43 But in the context of the different waiting 04:45 that we just read about in the Bible from the Psalmist, 04:48 from Isaiah the Prophet, 04:50 we find that waiting often means 04:54 don't move ahead of God. Okay. 04:56 Don't step ahead of Him to train, 04:58 do something that only He can do for you. 05:00 Sometimes when we ask for specific answers to prayers 05:05 and we have a prescription for God 05:07 even sometimes to answer those prayers 05:09 and so part of our quest is do this specifically, 05:13 and we don't see it happen. 05:14 We feel compelled a step forward 05:16 and try and do something about it. 05:18 And God is asking us in many of those times, just wait. 05:21 Just wait for Me. 05:22 I've got this in control, let Me move, 05:25 I didn't answer it according to exactly 05:27 how you asked for the prayer, 05:29 you know, in the prayer to be answered 05:30 but I'm gonna move forward 05:33 and make sure that what is best is done. 05:35 And waiting on the Lord involves differing to Him 05:38 and letting Him workout His purposes. 05:40 True, that's true. 05:42 I think that you really put it together very well. 05:47 We're not a people that like to wait, 05:48 not this nanosecond society. 05:52 You'll notice that every time a new device comes out, 05:54 one of the major things that sell of this how fast is it. 05:58 And because we are locking into this fast moving society, 06:02 God's got to get with it or get out of the way. 06:05 That's kind of the attitude that modern man has. 06:08 I don't have time to wait on Lord 06:10 and, but not only modern man, 06:13 you have some examples in the Bible 06:15 where there were saints of all 06:17 that didn't wait on the Lord. 06:18 Abraham was one of those who God had made a promise 06:21 that He will bless him but he said, Lord, 06:23 what is it gonna be, when I'm 150? 06:25 You got to do something about this. 06:26 Got to do something about this so he made his own plan 06:28 and we have still to this very day, 06:31 two nations that are fighting over preeminence, 06:35 the Dome of the Rock, 06:36 all claiming to be inherits of that 06:38 because Abraham didn't wait. 06:41 And you have a number of other examples 06:43 in the Scriptures about people whether they are a nanosecond, 06:46 highly electronic societies, 06:48 or people that are just prisoners of human nature 06:50 which is just be anxious for nothing, 06:52 the Bible says but in everything 06:54 with prayer and supplication, with giving thanks 06:57 make you request bemay known to God 07:00 and the peace of God that passes 07:02 all understanding will guard your hearts. 07:04 Lot of times people don't want to wait, 07:06 they have anxieties. 07:08 Even David says, I know my anxieties, what do I do? 07:13 And we've had instances in our lives, 07:15 I have-- where we prayed and we said 07:17 but I need an answer, what do I do? 07:20 But you'll find that waiting is not 07:22 so much to change the Lord but it's a blessing to us. 07:26 Because even Jesus, when He spoke to His disciples, 07:31 He in His own life exemplified coming aside 07:34 and resting a while, go out to a quiet place 07:38 and you'll discover that much of your Christian walk 07:43 will be impacted in a positive way 07:45 if you just learn how to wait. 07:46 I don't know if you answer the question 07:47 about what do we do if we've to get to work in a hurry. 07:51 Yeah, I mean that's part of the question there, 07:53 is having to go and if she has to sit there 07:55 and wait how does that all work together? 07:57 Yeah, do I go to work and say to my boss, 08:00 well, I'm only late because I was waiting on the Lord. 08:02 So take it up with Him. 08:04 That's not really the case, sometimes you say, Lord, 08:07 I'm gonna put this matter in Your hand 08:10 and I'll wait patiently. 08:11 And when we wait patiently, 08:14 reminds me of the person who says, 08:15 Lord, I need patience and I need it now. 08:19 See, let's just, it's an art 08:22 that has been lost in our society today. 08:25 What we do sometimes to wait on the Lord, 08:28 when my wife and I ready our Bibles. 08:30 We just leave everything off. 08:31 We just leave all the media off, 08:33 we play soft music in the background 08:35 and we just allow what we've just read to sink in. 08:39 And out of that comes some great revelations 08:42 where if we have just rushed into the day 08:44 out of that we would have missed the thing 08:46 that God was trying to tell us. 08:47 And a part of waiting could also be embraced 08:49 in the art called meditation. 08:52 Now I don't mean, hmm, don't mean that at all 08:56 but meditation on God's word. 08:58 David said he meditated on God's law day and night. 09:02 That's keeping our minds on Him 09:04 and as Isaiah says He will keep us 09:06 in perfect peace if you practice that. 09:08 So, hey, if you're in a hurry, set your schedule, 09:12 we have some people that I know that 09:14 work here at 3ABN, they get up early 09:16 in the morning but they go to bed early. 09:18 Sometimes they go to bed at 8:30 or 9 o'clock. 09:20 I'm from New York, I can't do that. 09:23 I know just, I think I'm missing 09:25 everything happening in the world. 09:27 I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning 09:28 what I've missed but some people 09:30 are able to go to bed at 9 o'clock. 09:32 I know somebody that I called once at 8:30 09:34 and I woke them up. 09:36 And I thought, wow, and they said 09:38 they get up at 4:30 in the morning 09:39 so they could spend a good hour and a half in the word. 09:44 Then I thought, wow, that is really good. 09:47 Giving credit for that, that's good. 09:49 Then I thought that's great. They are not rushing. 09:51 They said they read the word and they sit down 09:54 and they just meditate on that. 09:56 So by the time they get to work, 09:58 they're all prayed up and strengthened, 10:01 so that's a good thing. 10:02 Practice it and God will bless you 10:05 in this anxious society. 10:07 The Lord will bless you as you wait up on the Lord. 10:10 I have a question here John, 10:13 that has to do with saints. 10:15 Somebody asked the question what is a saint? 10:18 And I qualify this by going back to my 10:21 little bit of family roots here. 10:23 My family being predominantly Catholic, 10:27 saint meant something different 10:29 in certain religious communities 10:33 that it does in others. 10:35 But let me read a couple of texts in the Bible 10:37 so that we can set the stage 10:39 because well, let me just go ahead 10:41 and read the verses. 10:42 I read one here in 1 Corinthians 14:33 10:47 where the Bible says, 10:50 "For God is not the author of confusion 10:53 but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." 10:59 And then another one in 1 Corinthians 16:1, 11:02 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, 11:07 I have given order to the churches of Galatia, 11:10 even so ye do." 11:13 These two scriptures makes it 11:14 very, very clear what a saint is. 11:16 A word for a saint, 11:18 Christian is a word that means the called out ones, 11:22 saint means the consecrated ones. 11:26 You find a different word in Greek 11:29 and a different word in Hebrew. 11:31 But hagios is the word in Greek for the-- 11:36 to think the other word saint. 11:38 It means those who are holy, those who are consecrated, 11:43 those who are religious and those who are morally pure. 11:48 And so a saint simply is a Christian, 11:50 a person who gives his or her life to Christ. 11:53 The cleansing process takes place 11:55 and they are now referred to as saints. 11:58 You find a number of other passages in the Bible. 12:01 Here's one in Ephesians 1:15, 12:04 "Wherefore I also, 12:05 after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, 12:08 and love unto all the saints." 12:13 Also another one in Ephesians 2:29, 12:16 "Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, 12:19 but fellow citizens with the saints 12:22 of the household of God." 12:23 So you see clearly saints, those who are in the church, 12:28 those who are in different communities of Christians, 12:31 that's what a saint really is. 12:32 Now, let me just encourage you here 12:34 because sometimes people say don't act like 12:36 what do you think you're saint? 12:38 And they throw that terminology out there in a very loose way, 12:40 almost like to condescend and say, 12:42 what do you think, you're perfect? 12:43 Saints are not perfect, saints have been consecrated, 12:46 have been set aside by the Lord. 12:49 Saints are ones that are 12:50 called to be in a community of people 12:52 that are living moral lives. 12:54 So somebody may, 12:56 you know, are using other terminology 12:57 or somebody may say to a person that used to be a, 13:00 you know, an alcoholic or carouser, 13:02 or drink a very lovely person, 13:04 and somebody say, whoa, now you're saint. 13:08 That means they recognize that this person 13:09 no longer lives the way that he or she used to live. 13:12 So the word saint is not a word that is applied to people 13:16 that have been exalted to sainthood, 13:19 like Saint Peter or Saint Thomas or Saint Paul. 13:25 These are terms used in the catholic community 13:28 for people that have now been elevated to a higher 13:31 and holier setting which in fact, like, 13:35 when Pope John Paul was elevated to sainthood. 13:38 Pope John Paul II after he died. 13:40 Now these are not saints that we pray to, 13:43 we don't pray to the saints, 13:44 the saints pray to the Lord, you see. 13:47 And one of the examples in the Book of Revelation, 13:51 let me give you this example here 13:54 speaking about the incense in Revelation 8:3, 14:00 and it says, "And another angel came 14:02 and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, 14:06 and there was given unto him much incense, 14:09 that he should offer it 14:10 with the prayers of all the saints 14:13 upon the golden altar which was before the throne." 14:17 When saints pray 14:18 and then it says in the next verse, verse 4, 14:20 "And the smoke of the incense, 14:23 which came with the prayers of the saints, 14:25 ascended up before God out of the angel's hands." 14:29 So you see clearly when we pray 14:32 and that is taking before the Lord, 14:34 the altar of incense was an indication 14:36 that God accepts the prayers of the saint. 14:39 That means the people of God 14:41 their prayers are demonstrated in the rising of sweet incense 14:45 before the presence of the Lord. 14:47 So in a nutshell, a saint is a Christian, 14:50 a chosen one, a person called to be 14:52 a part of the morally pure community, 14:55 one that is consecrated one that is set aside. 14:58 And part of the body of Christ. 15:02 Right, very integrative of those who are of the body of Christ. 15:05 So if you're attending a church 15:06 and you have all these church members, 15:08 they're saints in the eyes of God. 15:10 Perfect no, but saints called to be prepared sacred, 15:14 morally pure, religious consecrated 15:19 and holy in the presence of the Lord 15:21 but not perfect. All right. 15:23 Except by the righteousness as Christ. 15:25 And they're saints not because of their 15:26 own inherent abilities. Right. 15:29 And righteousness, but they're saints 15:30 because of the righteousness of Christ 15:33 that has been imparted to them 15:34 and as they've been set aside for a holy purpose 15:38 for the mission of God's church. Right. 15:41 And you don't have phrases in the Bible like Saint Elijah 15:43 and Saint Moses and all that, 15:45 in certain religious communities, 15:47 that is seen as an elevation to a standard 15:50 where by they finally attained the level of perfection 15:53 or they're finally arrived 15:56 and that's not what the bible refers to as a saint. 15:59 What do you have, what else do you have, John? 16:00 I have a question here I won't give the name of the person 16:04 who's sending the question. 16:05 Oh, its one of those questions. 16:07 Yeah, I'm reading it 16:08 because it's really indicative of several questions, 16:11 many questions that we get 16:13 and I just want to read a little bit of it 16:16 and then I want to share 16:18 a little bit that comes from my heart-- 16:19 a pastor's heart, I know I won't speak for John here 16:23 but I know he thinks very much the same way. 16:27 And it says, Dear John and John, 16:29 and then he mentions that he likes our program 16:32 but then after giving some quotations about 16:35 what our life should look like 16:39 in regard to being a saint of God, 16:42 to use the word from the question we just answered. 16:46 This person mentions this and I'm gonna quote here. 16:51 "I wonder why people including staffs of SDA channels, 16:55 we see as godly decorate themselves with lipstick, 17:01 shadow on their eyes, paint on nails, 17:03 and makeup, things like that." 17:08 John, I know that we've had discussions before that, 17:14 we've been highly criticized, not just myself, 17:18 not just you, anybody specifically here 17:21 and then I'm gonna mention at 3ABN. 17:22 But criticism often comes with programs 17:25 for people in regard to make-up 17:27 or hair color or glasses they wear. 17:29 I remember for a while there, 17:31 it was about a year after this program began, 17:33 someone wrote in 17:35 and said that why do they have me doing this program 17:40 when my glasses are clearly focused on style 17:44 rather than purpose? I remember that. 17:46 In other words they were too stylish 17:49 and that was confirming to the world 17:51 and somehow that way. 17:52 And in other case, in other case, 17:55 we had a situation where 17:57 there was a little bit of a disagreement 17:59 with a member of a church that I was patoring. 18:02 And they took it to another level, 18:04 they didn't say anything to me 18:05 but they wrote to 3ABN and said, well, 18:09 how can you have this pastor associated with your work 18:11 because he doesn't believe in this, this and this. 18:15 And we're not talking about any doctrine, 18:16 we're just talking about lifestyle practice. Right. 18:20 And we don't all believe exactly the same 18:22 contrary to what some believe. 18:24 We're to be like minded 18:25 but we're not to be same. Right. 18:27 And so I mentioned this here because when we focus on others, 18:33 we tend to take our eyes off Jesus. 18:35 When you move to looking at something 18:37 your brother or your sister is doing that you disagree with, 18:40 you take your eye off but when you should be 18:42 looking at who is Jesus himself. 18:44 And I'm gonna go to Matthew Chapter 7 18:46 and just read a quick passage here 18:48 that I think really connects in with this. 18:52 It's Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged. 18:58 For with what judgment you judge, 19:00 you will be judged, 19:02 and with the measure you use it, 19:04 it will be measured back to you. 19:06 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, 19:10 but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 19:13 Or how can you say to your brother, 19:14 'Let me remove the speck from your eye', 19:16 and look, a plank is in your own eye? 19:19 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, 19:23 and then you will see clearly to remove the speck 19:25 from your brother's eye." 19:28 All right, very, very important counsel here 19:31 and its in regard to judging 19:33 And some-- John, I've heard sometimes 19:35 we say we bow down to judgment, 19:37 just as eternal, you know, 19:39 judging one's eternal state, condition, 19:42 but to me that's a little bit of a cop out. Right. 19:44 Because it give us a latitude that to judge things 19:47 or lifestyle issues about another person 19:49 and then say, well, I'm not saying that 19:51 they are going to hell or anything like that 19:52 but you're still judging. Right. 19:55 You're still judging according to the word of God. 19:58 Jesus is not talking about 20:00 someone's eternal salvation here in this passage we just read. 20:02 He's talking about pointing out some errors 20:05 or some issues with your brother. Right. 20:07 And you yourself have them. 20:10 And so I share this 20:11 because I think one of the struggles 20:13 that we have as a church and this is with any church, 20:16 it's not just the Seventh-day Adventist church 20:18 but we have as a church amongst each other. 20:21 The members of the church is that 20:24 we sin tend to judge others 20:26 before ourselves, we extend mercy 20:28 and we think lot of problem is in as bad as that 20:30 and we don't realize we've got issues too. 20:33 And the Holy Spirit is the one to convict. 20:35 John, you know, over and over again 20:37 we have seen and know this, 20:41 you know, even just thinking about it we know this is true. 20:45 What positive change in behavior has ever come about 20:50 by pointing out someone's error 20:53 rather than focusing on the good parts? 20:57 In other words with young people, 20:59 you know, someone comes back in from doing something wrong, 21:02 or they--you know, they broke a window, 21:06 and they shouldn't be throwing rocks. 21:07 Here we have a young kid, 21:08 they come in, they are sent to their room 21:11 and all the parent does is talk about 21:13 what a horrible thing that kid did. 21:15 Oh, Johnny, you shouldn't have done this 21:16 and I can't believe you did this, 21:17 and you let me down, and you're just, 21:19 you know, you don't pick up a rock. 21:21 Harping on the problem doesn't change the behavior. No. 21:25 Jesus tended with, He does this with us, 21:28 He's asking us put your arms around those that are strained. 21:33 Come along side of them. Get to know them. 21:35 Shield them from criticism, 21:38 especially, those that want to cast stones. 21:41 Jesus mentioned about the woman that was caught in adultery, 21:45 whoever without sin cast the first stone. 21:48 And we cast stones and we think that we're not doing it. 21:52 You know, I can point out the errors, 21:53 why are we doing this or that? 21:54 You know what, this is God's issue. 21:57 It's His problem if it is a problem, 21:59 it's he's to correct. That's right. 22:01 And it's not for you or for me 22:03 to point out the errors of someone else to correct. 22:05 I'm gonna read just one statement here. 22:09 Just real quickly that hopefully will resonate 22:13 with some who take this approach. 22:17 This is counsel give in our church way back, 22:20 "Men may speak fluently upon doctrines, 22:23 and may express strong faith in theories, 22:26 but do they possess Christ like meekness and love? 22:31 If they reveal a harsh, critical spirit, 22:35 they are denying Christ. 22:37 If they are not kind, tenderhearted, 22:39 long-suffering, they are not like Jesus, 22:42 they are deceiving their own souls." 22:46 That's strong counsel. That is. 22:48 Somewhere else I don't have the quote in front of me 22:49 but we are told that even Christ Himself 22:55 if He were to judge us the way we judge others, 22:58 we would perceive Him 23:00 as harsh and critical judgmental. Right. 23:04 And Jesus does not like that. Yes, He wants the best for us. 23:09 Yes, He's working in the lives of people 23:11 to bring them closer to Him. 23:13 Yes, He wants to have, us to have a lifestyle 23:15 that is uplifting Christ 23:17 and is representing His character. 23:19 But it's not for you to judge them, 23:21 it's for Him to work on it with them. 23:23 Well, I can hear someone saying right now 23:25 well, someone has to tell him 23:26 if no one tells them, they're not gonna know. 23:29 Well, here's the biggest, 23:34 what I say, probably the condition upon 23:36 which someone is allowed to bring 23:38 a fault to a brother or sister. 23:40 And so here's this what I say. 23:42 The first question is, do you know them? 23:45 Do you know them personally? 23:48 Have you gotten to know them as a friend? 23:50 If you know them as a friend, 23:51 if you've invested in time in that relationship, 23:54 then God may call you to step forward 23:57 and point out an issue 23:58 that you see them struggling with 24:01 that would help and encourage them 24:02 to take another direction. 24:04 But if you don't know that person, 24:06 and you're casting a stone 24:07 from the other side of the church 24:08 or across the air waves to this network with somebody 24:12 or anywhere in the church, 24:14 you have no right to come forward 24:16 and to point out the error of someone's ways. 24:19 Because what that is doing is that is judging, 24:21 it's a critical fault finding spirit 24:23 and you deny Christ Himself. 24:25 Now this may come across as strong, 24:28 John, but I'm reading counsel, 24:30 I'm reading the word of God, 24:31 what I find is we do some of these things 24:33 in the name of righteousness. Right. 24:36 And it should not be 24:38 and we would be able to corporate 24:39 and get along and do so much more in our churches today 24:42 if we would love each other, unify with each other 24:45 and help each other 24:46 along this narrow path of life. That's right. 24:49 I'm glad I've given you room to unfold 24:51 'cause I've been thinking here-- 24:52 So I preaching a little bit here 24:54 but I just-- it's on my heart 24:55 and I see this so much that it hurts 24:57 and destroys relationships in the church. It does. 25:00 People often, you know, there's so much counsel on the word 25:02 and I just want to walk through 25:03 some of the scriptures that I put together here. 25:05 One of the first ones, 1 Corinthians 11:28, 25:08 the Bible says, "Let a man examine himself." Yes. 25:12 See that's when we come to the communion service, 25:14 I always read that at our communion service 25:16 because we come to communion services 25:18 and in some cases people feel unworthy 25:21 and they don't come to communion 25:22 because they know somebody else is gonna examine 25:24 and judge them and say, 25:26 she shouldn't be taking communion. 25:27 He shouldn't be taking communion. 25:29 And what happens as we throw up these barriers 25:32 and one of the things we fail to realize 25:34 and I learn this when I studied about the 12 tribes of Israel. 25:38 One of those tribes, if you read Genesis Chapter 49 25:41 and then read Revelation Chapter 7, 25:43 you will notice there's a name that's not there 25:45 and the name is Dan. 25:47 The Bible says, Dan shall be like an adder in the path, 25:50 a serpent by the way that bites the horse's heel 25:54 so that the rider falls back. 25:57 Dan, he said--Bible says he shall judge his people. 26:01 He's critical, he's faultfinding. 26:02 He was the one that always 26:04 focused on everybody else's sin 26:06 therefore, he never even discovered his own sin 26:09 and those who can't discover their own sin 26:12 can't repent of sin, can't be saved from sin. 26:15 He examined everybody else. 26:17 So Paul, here's another one, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 26:21 "Examine yourselves 26:24 as to whether you are in the faith test yourselves. 26:28 Do you not know yourselves that 26:29 Christ is in you unless indeed you are disqualified?" 26:32 See the examination 26:34 and what so wonderful about the time 26:35 in which we live as a church is we're living in the day of-- 26:37 we're living in the antitypical day of atonement 26:39 where the people were told to examine themselves. 26:42 Flush out their position before God. 26:46 And John pointed out in a very real way 26:48 how the mote in our eye 26:51 is probably a lot bigger than the speck 26:53 in our brother's eye. 26:55 But sometimes, we have established 26:57 a set rules of righteous, set standard of righteousness 27:02 and anybody that weirs off course 27:03 or moves around or any other particular direction 27:06 that doesn't harmonize with us, 27:09 we cast that stone. 27:11 But here's another one and I'm gonna give a few more. 27:14 Galatians 6:4, "But let each one examine his own work, 27:18 and then he will have rejoicing in himself, 27:21 and not in another." 27:23 Matthew, "For by your words you will be justified, 27:26 by your words you will be condemned." 27:29 That measure, you read the one about the measure, 27:31 it shall be measured to you again. Yeah. 27:34 If we measure a large spoon of criticism towards someone, 27:38 that large spoon of criticism 27:40 will be turned against us one day. 27:41 You have that text because I didn't-- 27:42 that wasn't part of. Okay, I'll give it to you. 27:46 And then the other one in John 8:10, 27:49 this was the most moving example in the Bible. 27:51 This was the woman caught in adultery. 27:53 Now let's just think about that for a moment. 27:56 What could be more qualified 28:00 as an active condemnation than being caught in adultery? 28:04 And look at how Jesus dealt with that airing woman. 28:07 That woman who became 28:10 such a component of the spreading of the gospel 28:14 and then later on he said 28:15 wherever the gospel is mentioned 28:16 this woman's name will be remembered. 28:19 Here's what he said, John 8:10, 28:22 "When Jesus had raised Himself up 28:24 and saw no one but the woman, 28:27 He said to her" and by the way the situation was 28:29 they were saying to Jesus stone her. 28:32 "He said to her, 'Woman, 28:34 where are those accusers of yours? 28:37 Has no one condemned you?'" 28:39 And then he said in verse 11 of John 8, 28:41 "She said, 'No one, Lord.' 28:43 And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you, 28:46 go and sin no more.'" 28:49 So when we deal with those 28:50 who are airing like those who are struggling 28:53 or those who are not yet as strong as they could be, 28:56 let's be less condemning and more encouraging, 29:01 to the young people. 29:03 One person once-- I never forget this story 29:06 where a church was, one person that was very, 29:11 there was a particular church that was very good at 29:14 cutting down this one young lady 29:16 who had a baby out of wedlock. 29:19 And while they didn't support that, 29:21 somebody came to that church one day 29:23 and said to the church members 29:25 who are condemning this young lady. 29:28 They said to her, They said to them, 29:30 where were you when she was struggling? 29:32 Where were you when there was no one to give her direction? 29:34 Where were you? 29:35 You could have prevented her from going down this path, 29:39 had you been in a role years before 29:42 of encouraging and guiding 29:44 and strengthening and giving support to. 29:47 You could have prevented this many years later, 29:48 had she's this places, a place of support and love 29:51 and respect and not a place of blame 29:55 and condemnation and judgment. 29:58 It goes back to the investment of time in someone's life. 30:01 If you don't know that person-- Yeah. 30:03 And you haven't had some investment in that relationship 30:07 and to get to know them, 30:08 you have no right to point out any errors. Right. 30:11 You'll just let it go. Right. 30:14 You know we've heard story after story of the woman 30:17 or the young girl that comes with a skirt little too high 30:20 or maybe the dress a little too low 30:22 and the dear "saint comes over and says, 30:25 honey, you better get out of the door 30:26 and go home and get something else on 30:28 before you come back to this church." Right. 30:30 What is that gonna do to her? 30:31 You think that's actually gonna cause her to go home, 30:34 change and come back. No. 30:35 No, that's gonna push her right out of the door, 30:38 she may never come back. Right. 30:40 And you know what? 30:42 Her soul is on your head. That's right. 30:47 And you don't even realize what you've just did. 30:50 And we've gotto move away from judging 30:52 and throwing stones and let the Lord do the work 30:54 that He's gonna do. That's right. 30:56 And He starts with us, and He starts with us. 30:58 So we wanted to make that clear, 31:00 we talk about lot of doctrines, we talk about heaven, hell, 31:03 you know, judgment and all these things 31:04 but this is a very important one 31:06 because this one is on the basis of our daily 31:10 practical Christianity in action. 31:12 What does the Bible say? 31:13 That we should be love, joy, peace, 31:17 longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, patience, 31:21 again such the bible says there's no law. 31:24 There is so much in this topic, 31:26 we could do a whole program on it. Oh, yeah. 31:27 I'm even hesitating now to go in this topic 31:29 because I can see our time is slipping away. 31:31 Right, that's right. Yeah. 31:33 So anyway thank you for that question. 31:34 It did give us an opportunity to address some things that 31:37 normally we don't necessarily talk about. 31:41 But many people are injured 31:43 and hurt on a weekly basis in churches 31:46 and if places of fellowship because they feel condemned 31:50 or somebody has outright condemned them 31:53 and assigned them to a category that shouldn't be so. 31:58 Show the love of Christ, win that person 32:01 and then you'll be able, and somebody once said, 32:03 and this is so amazing, in order to-- 32:05 you said in order to help a person change, 32:07 you got to hug them. 32:09 In order to be able to show them 32:12 that you really care about them, 32:13 what about a hug, greet the saints, 32:16 you know, hug the saints, 32:17 encourage the saints that they may-- 32:22 that they may see in you a person 32:23 whose path is straight so that those who're lame 32:26 will not be turned out of the way. 32:27 Most of the conviction I've had in life 32:29 about things that has fallen off 32:31 as I've traveled this path 32:33 have not come from someone else telling me, 32:35 it's come from personal conviction. Right. 32:37 The things I listen to, the things I would wear, 32:40 all that stuff, tend to fall off 32:42 as I was reading the word of God 32:43 and I saw that, you know what, 32:44 this isn't harmony with the way 32:45 God wants me to be. That's true. 32:47 But I need time and individuals need time to go on the Lord. 32:51 I'm so glad you gave of wearing skits 32:53 that was really embarrassing. 32:54 Yes, yes, yes. Anyway, Anyway 32:57 on that note, on the light-hearted note, 32:59 we're gonna transition but thank you 33:00 for your questions and comments. 33:02 And do remember and all that you do pray 33:05 and work diligently 33:06 for the saving of somebody else's soul. 33:08 There is no greater sermon in the life that you live. 33:11 If you have any more questions or comments 33:12 you like to sent to us, 33:13 send those questions and comments 33:15 to housecalls@3abn.org, that's housecalls@3abn.org 33:20 and we do appreciate that very, very much. 33:23 Now our topic today, John, is on the topic of what? 33:26 Baptism. Baptism, man, I love. 33:28 That's a really good one. 33:31 And because it is the entrance 33:33 into one of our earlier questions 33:35 what is a saint. 33:36 It is the entrance into the household of saints. 33:39 Now the perfect ones but the called out ones, 33:43 the consecrated ones, 33:46 another word for saint is a person who's been added 33:53 to the conveyor belt of the God's work. 33:55 He begins the work and He guarantees that 33:58 before we make it into the kingdom, 33:59 that work is going to be ended. 34:01 Well, walk us through, John, 34:03 kind of give us a catapult into this topic 34:05 and where do you think we should begin? 34:07 Well, though we get questions from time to time on baptism, 34:10 is it required? When should I be baptized? 34:14 What is baptism mean? 34:16 These are the things that we're gonna cover in this program 34:18 and I think the best place to start 34:20 is really to see that this part 34:21 of the great commission of the church. All right. 34:24 It's what God, Jesus Himself charge the disciples to do 34:28 was not only to preach and teach 34:30 but also to baptize. That's right. 34:32 And so let start with the great commission. All right. 34:36 Matthew Chapter 28 34:38 and we'll start with verse 18. Okay. 34:42 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 34:44 All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 34:49 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 34:52 baptizing them in the name of the Father 34:54 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 34:57 teaching them to observe all things 34:58 that I have commanded you, 34:59 and lo, I am with you sometimes." 35:02 Now always. 35:04 How long? Always. 35:05 "I am with you always, 35:06 even to the end of the age." That's right. 35:10 I like that last part of it and I did that for affect, 35:13 obviously sometimes 35:14 because we forget that Jesus is with us 35:17 as much as He was 35:18 with that early church. That's right. 35:20 After Pentecost, we see it explode 35:21 in the Book of Acts and wonderful things happening, 35:23 the baptisms that occurred it says 35:25 thousands were baptized in a day. That's right. 35:27 The same spirit is still with us today. 35:30 And He wants to do the same work today 35:32 and He's calling us still to go make disciples 35:37 preaching and teaching, baptizing. That's right. 35:41 One thing, a gentleman that you will remember, 35:43 I'm gonna say his name 35:44 'cause we're talking about him in a very good light, 35:46 Opanin Gyaami. 35:49 Remember, Opanin? Oh, yeah. 35:51 He was a dentist that in the church 35:54 that John pastored in back in California. 35:57 Opanin Gyaami. Yes, Opanin Gyaami. 36:01 He would stand upfront, 36:02 he was a personal ministries leader. 36:03 He would stand upfront 36:05 and he would say almost every week that he was there, 36:09 he said, Jesus said, go, not come and sit. 36:15 He said, go where have you gone this last week? 36:18 Exactly. 36:19 And he would encourage the saints to go, 36:22 would it be about the mission of going every week. 36:25 Part of that mission of course involves 36:27 the sharing of the gospel 36:29 but the results of sharing the gospel 36:30 we'll find is as we go through the book of Acts 36:32 and some other text is baptism 36:34 of new members into the faith. 36:36 That's right. That is so wonderful. 36:40 The Lord that called the disciples 36:43 didn't call them to stay, He called them to go 36:46 and He had a work predetermined for them to do 36:49 before they even went. 36:51 And one of those is to familiarize, 36:53 "Go ye therefore, and make disciples." 36:56 Another translation says, go therefore 36:58 and teach all nations baptizing them, 37:00 then teaching them to observe 37:02 all things that I command you. 37:03 When we teach a person 37:05 we are in fact discipling that individual, 37:08 discipleship, this is something that is amazing. 37:14 Discipling begins before baptism and continues after baptism. 37:21 When you focus on an individual 37:23 and you're giving them Bible studies 37:24 or you're sharing with them anything about Christ, 37:27 they've already entered into the role of a disciple. 37:29 They're being discipled. 37:31 You're the discipler, they're the disciplee 37:34 and but then after they come 37:35 to the knowledge of the truth of God's word, 37:38 then they now are baptized and then the teaching continues. 37:43 Well, why is baptism necessary? 37:46 Mark 16:16 tells us why. 37:49 There's a passage in Mark 16:16. 37:51 And it gives us a kind of prerequisite 37:53 for baptism as well. Right. 37:55 Okay, Mark 16:16 here it is. 37:59 And the bible says, 38:02 well, I'll read verse 15 to lead into that. 38:06 "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world 38:08 and preach the gospel to every creature.' 38:12 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, 38:16 but he who does not believe will be condemned." 38:19 Whereas John says, 38:20 this condemned already John 3:18. 38:23 So he who believes and is baptized. 38:28 So the prerequisite of baptism is what? 38:30 Leading in Jesus. Right. 38:32 Then you baptize and the result is you're saved. 38:35 See often times people forget that 38:36 the prerequisites are not the end result of baptism 38:40 or not the last thing 38:42 that happens before a person is baptized. 38:45 That's just the beginning of baptism 38:47 and the reason I mentioned that is 38:48 because a lot of times when people come to this place 38:50 where they understand doctrines, 38:52 they think oh, great, 38:53 I have that fundamental doctrines 38:56 and they're all clear and I understand them all 39:00 so therefore I must be ready for baptism. 39:04 The prerequisite for baptism 39:05 is first getting to know who Christ is. 39:08 And so often people get all the doctrines 39:10 put in place, you can't argue with directions, 39:12 directions are always gonna be correct, 39:14 you can't argue with 2 x 2 that will always be 4. 39:17 So these doctrines are in our church 28 fundamentals. 39:20 Those are always going to be clear 39:22 whether you believe them or not but having a-- 39:26 having an understanding of who Christ is 39:28 and yielding your heart 39:29 and your life to him really is a major prerequisite. 39:33 And there's a learning process that comes even after baptism. 39:36 A lot of people say well, you shouldn't baptize 39:38 somebody until you cover this, this, this and this 39:42 and it's a very knowledge based kind of an approach. 39:45 But there are some who come in to knowing Christ 39:48 and they're so excited about their relationship with Jesus, 39:50 they love Him and we put them off. Right. 39:53 Because well, you don't know 39:54 all of our fundamental beliefs at this point. 39:57 I don't think there's a single prescription for everyone 40:00 but we do need to acknowledge and especially, 40:04 we need to be cognizant of-- 40:05 has the connection with Christ happened 40:08 because that's the first part. 40:10 That's the part believing in Jesus, 40:12 trusting in Him, having that love for Him, 40:15 that's the part that results in a decision for baptism. 40:20 And I'm not dismissing if some of our truths 40:22 need to be taught before 40:23 'cause you need to know who Christ is 40:24 and part of that is, 40:26 knowing His teachings. That's right. 40:28 But not everything has to be done before baptism. 40:32 There's a constant learning afterward and so I like that. 40:37 There's a particular text in the Book of Acts 40:38 you've mentioned earlier. 40:39 Yeah, Acts 2 and then this is another piece 40:44 that helps us prepare 40:46 or recognize our need for baptism. 40:49 Acts 2:37, now this comes after the day-- 40:54 on the day of Pentecost 40:55 when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. 40:59 And then they began to preach 41:01 and Peter here is preaching to a number of people. 41:05 They all have different dialects 41:06 and then we have little things about tongues 41:08 and being other languages here. 41:10 But look at the response of the people 41:12 immediately when they heard this, 41:14 verse 37, "Now when they heard this, 41:16 they were cut to the heart," notice conviction came, 41:20 "and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 41:23 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' 41:27 Then Peter said to them, 41:28 'Repent, and let every one of you be,'" what? 41:31 Baptized. 41:32 "Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 41:34 for the remission of sins, 41:37 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 41:40 All right, so the response 41:43 to recognition of our sin is repentance 41:47 and repentance comes as well as belief in Christ 41:50 for that repentance before decision to be baptized. 41:54 But baptism is next. Right. 41:57 There wasn't a big 41:58 all encompassing Bible study here, 42:01 there was a knowing of Christ and Peter did teach 42:03 some of the principles of Christianity there 42:05 before the baptism occurred. 42:07 But notice the main connection here was repentance, 42:10 connection with Jesus belief in him and then baptism. 42:14 And, you know, what also in this particular incident 42:17 what makes this kind of unique that 42:19 Peter didn't have to go through all these particular doctrines. 42:22 This was the feast of Pentecost. 42:26 These were Jews, devout men, 42:28 out of every nation under heaven. 42:30 They knew the thing that was so significant here 42:33 is they knew what their requirements were 42:35 because these were Jews 42:36 and the devout men out of every nation and heaven. 42:39 They came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost 42:43 and there, they knew all these requirements 42:48 they had, understood these for many, many years, 42:50 kind of like the rich and ruler that said 42:52 all these things I've been doing 42:53 since I was a youth 42:54 and then the Lord says go sell all you having, 42:56 give it to the poor and then follow Me. 42:57 So they had educational knowledge 43:01 but they did not repent 43:03 and repentance was so necessary 43:05 that's why I want a transition from this one here, John, 43:09 and if you look at the end of that story, 43:10 that day 3,000 souls were added 43:13 and that's a round number. 43:15 Surely, could have been 3,005 or 2,999 43:19 but what a massive baptism happened that day, 3,000. 43:24 I wonder where and how long it took that baptism to happen. 43:28 You ever thought about that? Yeah. 43:30 How long was it? Yeah. 43:31 And if all the apostles were involved, 43:35 you know, you could see that happen with 3,000 people 43:38 that's an amazing thing. 43:39 That's-- and if they have to say 43:42 I baptize you in the name of the Father, 43:44 oh, that was a long baptism. 43:46 But now here's something I want to also transition to, 43:49 what is baptism? 43:51 We know what it does, we know what baptism is for 43:55 but what actually happens, what is a baptism a symbol of? 43:59 Let's go to Romans Chapter 6. 44:02 Romans Chapter 6 44:03 and I want to walk through this chapter 44:06 some by methodically 44:07 because a lot of times people get baptized 44:09 and they don't really know what to expect. 44:11 They know that okay, now, 44:13 I understand the teachings of the church, 44:15 now they're really clear to me 44:16 but what actually happens in baptism 44:19 is described in a beautiful way here. 44:22 Now I want to transition 44:24 from Chapter 5 into Chapter 6, all right. Okay. 44:30 And I want to go ahead 44:32 and start with verse 19 in Chapter 5. 44:36 "For as by one man's--" 44:37 This is Romans 5:19, 44:39 "For as by one man's disobedience 44:42 many were made sinners, 44:46 so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." 44:51 You have disobedience and you have righteousness. 44:55 The disobedience of Adam and the righteousness of Christ, 44:59 going on, verse 20, 45:02 "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. 45:06 But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 45:11 so that as sin reigned in death, 45:14 even so grace might reign through righteousness 45:18 to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." 45:21 So Paul is addressing clearly, 45:23 well, if you think things were terrible with Adam 45:26 just look how much more in compression 45:28 they will be wonderful with Christ. 45:31 The law, yes, the law was there to let you know 45:33 how badly you need Christ 45:35 but understand this that as powerfully as death reign 45:39 righteousness is gonna reign even more victoriously. 45:43 And so he enters chapter 6 almost with a question. 45:46 "What shall we say then to these things? 45:49 What shall we say?" 45:50 In other words, I'll just share with you 45:51 so what do we say what do we do. 45:53 "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" 45:56 He's continuing on the thought of grace 45:59 this grace that reigns through righteousness 46:01 to eternal life in Christ Jesus. 46:03 "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" 46:05 And the answer is, "Certainly not!" in verse 2, 46:09 "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" 46:14 So I'm gonna stop there and I'm gonna have John read 46:16 from this point to just to change the voice tone 46:19 but let me just emphasize this in the transitions 46:21 the key element here is. 46:23 "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" 46:28 Dead just take a look at this death now the very next verse. 46:32 Look at verse 3, 46:33 "Or do you not know that as many of us 46:36 as were baptized into Christ Jesus 46:39 were baptized into His death? 46:41 Therefore we were buried with Him 46:44 through baptism into death, 46:46 that just as Christ was raised from the dead 46:49 by the glory of the Father, 46:51 even so we also should walk in newness of life. 46:55 For if we have been" unified together. 46:58 Oh, not united. 46:59 Excuse me, "united together in the likeness of His death, 47:02 certainly we also shall be 47:04 in the likeness of His resurrection." 47:06 Okay, let's stop there notice what this-- 47:09 we talk about death, we talk about burial, 47:12 we talk about resurrection. 47:14 So what happens here 47:17 lot of times people don't know that 47:18 baptism is a symbol of death and burial. 47:23 Dead to sin, burial in the water represents that watery grave 47:28 but then you don't stay there. 47:31 Amen, for that. All right, you'll be drown. 47:35 What you drowning is your sin, 47:37 what you laying down in the watery grave is your sin 47:40 and that is we are being united together 47:42 in the likeness of his death that's what verse 5 talks about. 47:45 So when you go down in that grave, 47:47 that watery grave, 47:48 if Christ is not a part of that confession, 47:50 you can go down to dry, you can go down dry sinner, 47:53 come up wet sinner, 47:54 you have to understand what this is all about. 47:56 You're not entering into the walk 47:58 and that's why it says in verse 5, 48:01 "If we've been united together in the likeness of His death, 48:04 we'd be in the likeness of His resurrection." 48:06 So what happens now? 48:08 Okay, we see what we need, 48:09 we need to dead to sin, 48:12 buried come forth in the newness of life. 48:14 So who is not going to be with us 48:16 on the other side of that resurrection? 48:18 Look at the next verse, John. Read that for us. 48:22 Verse 6? Mm-hmm. 48:23 "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, 48:27 that the body of sin might be done away with, 48:30 that we should no longer be slaves of sin." 48:32 And verse 7. 48:33 "For he who has died has been freed from sin." Wow. 48:37 So when we go to Galatians 2:20, 48:40 "He who has died has been freed from sin, 48:44 crucified with Christ." 48:46 Let's look at Galatians 2:20, 48:48 so now when you look at this picture, 48:50 this picture is presenting such a wonderful thing. 48:53 Here's what it's saying to us, it says up until this point, 48:55 you have not been able to do what's right. 48:58 So baptism is not a second chance to do 49:01 what you couldn't do the first time. 49:03 If that were the case then we'd just simply say try harder. 49:07 If you simply try harder, 49:08 you'll get it but baptism is not a try hard method. 49:12 Baptism is that I cannot do it, 49:14 therefore, the instrument that I use 49:16 that caused me to be failing all the time 49:19 is the very thing I'm getting rid off 49:21 and I'm taking the hold of the very instrument 49:24 that causes me now to be victorious. 49:26 That's what baptism is. 49:28 In this body and in this mind and in my efforts I failed, 49:31 so I've got to get rid of that 49:33 and now partake of that which will bring success to me 49:36 that's what Galatians 2:20 is there. 49:38 One of my favorite passages, 49:42 Galatians 2:20 speaking about this crucifixion 49:45 because we are, you know, 49:47 we are we partake of His death, this is what it means. 49:51 Here it says, "I have been crucified with Christ," 49:55 nevertheless, "it is no longer I who live 49:59 but Christ lives in me. 50:02 And the life which I now live in the flesh 50:05 I live by the faith in the Son of God 50:07 who loved me and gave himself," what? 50:10 "For me." 50:12 What does that mean? What does that mean clearly? 50:14 It says John when you gave your live to Christ 50:19 it was no longer John working on it now. 50:22 So when I used to go back to Brooklyn 50:24 and I would walk on the streets 50:25 where I used to before and that path to the house 50:29 where my father lived before he passed away. 50:33 I would go around that I see the same guys 50:35 the same guys in the pools halls 50:36 of you know, playing billiards and gambling 50:39 hanging out on the street corners. 50:41 And they say hey, John, 50:43 how are you doing? And I would say, fine. 50:44 They would say, is that you? Man you look? 50:47 I said, well, yes and no. 50:50 I'm not the same guy I may be the same DNA 50:53 but I'm not the same guy. 50:55 The guy you knew is dead this is who is alive in Christ. 50:59 And they didn't know how to handle that. 51:01 So then I discombobulation of the moment they said 51:05 just lend me $5, you have $5. 51:07 So they didn't know what to say to that 51:08 because, man, you look good. 51:11 What you been doing? What you doing now? 51:12 And you say well, I'm a minister, I'm a pastor. 51:16 It's hard for them to grasp. 51:19 You are pastor and they you know, they are thinking, 51:22 we used to gamble together, we used to play pool together, 51:25 we hung out and party together you're pastor, you. 51:31 Well, the answer is, 51:32 you know, that old guy is not pastor the new guy is. 51:36 See that's what baptism does. 51:37 It takes you from the realm of failure 51:41 to a place that you look back and you say 51:43 I cannot believe. I'm actually doing this. 51:47 Remember in the prior program 51:49 we talked about the definition of grace. 51:51 Grace is anytime that God reaches down 51:53 to do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves 51:56 to save us, to empower us, to strengthen us. 51:59 Anytime He reaches down that's grace 52:01 and when we come out of that watery grave 52:04 leaving our sinful life behind that fleshly life that-- 52:08 not the flesh itself but reliance on the flesh 52:11 to live our lives we leave behind. 52:13 We now reach and depend upon the grace of Christ 52:17 who reaches down to gives us 52:18 the power and strength that we need. 52:19 Our dependence is totally different 52:21 which is why the very next verse in Galatians 2 says this, 52:24 "I do not set aside the grace of God, 52:28 for if righteousness comes through the law, 52:31 then Christ died in vain." 52:32 So he is saying here essentially that 52:37 grace takes over. That's right. 52:41 I don't depend up on the flesh anymore that died 52:43 I now depend upon the grace of God. 52:47 Him reaching down to do for me what I can not do for myself 52:51 and that doesn't involve 52:53 the righteousness I have doesn't involve 52:55 keeping the law to attain righteousness. 52:58 It's the righteousness Christ gives me 53:00 and the grace He gives me to empower me 53:02 to live in harmony with God's law. 53:05 Here's a person said to me recently 53:06 that help me understand the role of the law 53:08 in this whole thing. 53:11 And the comment was just powerful 53:13 I've kept it with me. 53:14 He said, "The law is diagnostic never therapeutic." 53:20 That's a good one. Isn't that good? 53:23 The law is diagnostic not therapeutic. 53:28 Therapy is what we receive 53:31 that helps us live the Christian life. 53:34 The law tells us we're lost or conditioned 53:37 what our problem is 53:38 but the therapy is Jesus in his grace 53:41 provided for me to live in harmony with that law 53:45 that's the therapy. 53:46 So we no longer breakers of the law of God 53:50 we receive the therapy of Christ through His grace 53:52 and we become the keepers of His law. 53:54 I think that was powerful and I've kept that with me. 53:56 I really like that because you know 53:58 that's what Paul meant when he says Romans 3:13, 54:02 "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law." 54:06 The law condemns us the law diagnoses us and says, 54:09 hey, you're on a road to death. 54:12 There is no hope of you to be saved 54:15 except you get therapy. 54:17 That's right. You see. 54:19 And that's see I just jumped on that right away. 54:21 Where is that therapy come from? Christ. 54:24 And so Christ now He says, 54:26 okay, here's what I'm gonna do. 54:28 Philippians let's go there. 54:30 Okay, here is what I'm going to do, 54:32 oh, I tell you, 54:34 Philippians really one of my favorite books. 54:37 You guys probably would say which one is his favorite book. 54:40 I say favorite so much so you guys may get confused. 54:43 Philippians, okay, this is the-- 54:50 okay, here it is, here's Philippians 1, 54:56 this is the therapy, 54:59 "Being confident of this very thing." 55:01 Verse 6, "Being confident of this very thing 55:05 that he who has begun a good work in you 55:10 will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 55:14 So this therapy I mean, 55:16 Christ now is hands on He is working in you 55:20 both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 55:23 And He says I know I have started this work 55:26 for it is God who works in you Philippians 2:13, 55:29 "For it is God who works in you 55:31 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 55:36 I've got plans for you that I got get you ready for 55:39 and I couldn't do it as long as 55:41 you were the way you are before. 55:42 And every therapy makes us stronger, doesn't it? 55:45 That's right it does. 55:46 And the grace of God that provides that therapy for us. 55:49 Him doing the work, 55:50 Him strengthening us and helping us 55:53 and preparing us and not only beginning 55:55 and initiating our faith 55:56 but ending that faith through His therapy program 55:59 and we keep using therapy 56:00 because we using the law as diagnostic. 56:03 And unless we understand the proper role of each 56:06 then the gospel gets distorted, doesn't it? 56:09 It does. 56:11 It makes it almost seem as though 56:12 it's our responsibility to carry these things out. 56:15 Matter of fact once we are baptized 56:17 it is no longer I who live, Galatians 2:20, 56:20 it is no longer us who is doing this we are dead 56:24 and you never seen a dead man 56:25 follow you home from a funereal. That's right. 56:28 Here is my point 56:30 and we're gonna go into this even further 56:31 in another program here is my point. 56:33 When we say we're dead we're saying 56:35 it is no longer us who live. 56:37 We got to put aside and John, 56:38 one of the greatest road blocks to a person getting baptized 56:42 is the thought of you mean I can't do that any more, 56:45 I can't--you don't have to try to stop anything 56:50 you just got to die 56:51 and the person that dies stops everything, 56:54 can't go any further. That's right. 56:55 Well, I think the biggest thing the devil does upon baptism is 56:59 he tries to get us to stop going back to Christ 57:01 for His grace to stop at to going to therapy. 57:05 If he get us out of therapy then he takes away the strength 57:08 that we need in Christ to live this life. 57:11 And so just because you've been baptized 57:13 doesn't mean that devil's not working. 57:14 He's gonna work harder 57:15 but trust and lay a hold of Christ. 57:17 That right and like my chiropractor 57:19 once said man, you haven't been here 57:21 for therapy in a long time. 57:22 Well, friends I'll tell you what, 57:24 as we begin this topic on baptism 57:26 Jesus wants to make a difference in your live. 57:28 He wants to work on you. 57:29 Invite Him that He could work from the inside out 57:32 make that decision today. 57:34 God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17