Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL150010A
|
00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend,
00:02 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:26 Welcome to the Bible program. 00:31 Do I need to say anything else? 00:32 So glad to have you here. A Bible program. 00:34 Welcome to the Bible program. 00:36 This is House Calls. 00:37 You know, House Calls is something that 00:39 doctors used to do. 00:41 Yes. 00:42 House Calls are something we still do. 00:43 Isn't it nice? 00:45 I like it. I like it. 00:46 This is John and John in your living room, 00:47 in your house, in your church 00:49 or wherever you may be watching this program from 00:50 or maybe in your car if you're driving. 00:52 Don't pull over unless you have a television, 00:54 but we are going to talk about something today 00:56 that is straight from the Word of God. 00:58 And we are glad that you have taken the time to tune in, 01:00 so get your Bibles, pens, your family and your friends, 01:03 that's my run and enjoy this program 01:05 for the next 56 minutes and 24 seconds. 01:09 But we don't do anything until John has prayer, 01:11 and after that we'll talk about out Bible questions 01:14 and how you can send your questions 01:15 and comments to both of us. 01:17 So, John, begin with the word of prayer. 01:18 Let's do that. 01:19 Dear Father in heaven as we always do, 01:21 we turn our hearts towards You for guidance. 01:24 And so we pray that You'd pour out your spirit upon us, 01:27 over this program today in every aspect, 01:29 and those that are hearing and viewing this program 01:32 as well that we may understand Your Word more clearly 01:36 and that we may hear Your voice 01:38 as we go through the topics 01:40 that we have to cover here today 01:41 in Jesus' name, amen. 01:43 Amen. 01:45 Now we get Bible questions from you wonderful people 01:50 and I have a Bible question, a series of them today. 01:53 Well, what I'd like you to know now, 01:55 if you have any questions 01:56 that are going around in your mind, 01:58 you can send them to this following address. 02:00 You can send them to housecalls@3abn.org, 02:03 that's housecalls@3abn.org. 02:06 That's where we download the questions 02:08 and we try to respond to them from the Word of God, 02:11 the best source of answers for any question 02:14 that you can come up with, 02:15 whether it's a scriptural question 02:17 or a question about ethics or life, 02:21 what decisions you have to make, 02:22 we believe the Word of God has many of those answers 02:25 if not all of them. 02:26 And we try our best to give you those answers. 02:29 And, John, what do we have today? 02:32 What kind of questions do we have? 02:33 Well, we've got a question here that comes from Kelly. 02:37 And she is asking, 02:39 she is having some little bit struggle 02:40 with the local church that she has there. 02:42 She's young and I'll tell you, 02:44 I sympathize with some of her situation here 02:47 because I think some of our rural churches 02:49 really struggle with how to integrate 02:52 and adopt their programming, their services 02:55 and other things to reach young people. 02:57 It's a hard thing. 02:58 And so, she's talking about that here in, 03:02 having some trouble with the church issue 03:05 but more that, she says, 03:06 she is worrying lately about 03:08 whether or not she'll be in heaven. 03:12 She says, she has done things in my past, 03:15 that I regret and ask for forgiveness, 03:17 but I don't feel like 03:18 I have a true relationship with Jesus yet. 03:23 She has a family member 03:25 who has been mentioning a few things 03:27 about the last days with her and this has freaked her out. 03:30 She says, "I am freaked out about that, 03:33 it's hard to concentrate, 03:35 I feel like even as I battle over this, 03:37 Satan's probably putting thoughts in my head like, 03:39 is God even real, it's all fake, 03:41 don't worry about it, but she is worrying about that. 03:45 And she says, she's not baptized 03:47 and she gets nervous that people focus on her 03:49 and some of the things, 03:51 the challenges that she's going through. 03:52 So, I bring this up 03:56 and give what she is saying here 03:57 'cause she is not alone, 03:59 there are many who are going through this struggle. 04:02 And so, it is hard to know, 04:08 to feel, I should say this, 04:10 it's hard to feel saved all the time. 04:13 We're not perfect human beings 04:16 and we struggle and we have our challenges 04:19 but we shouldn't be gauging always our feelings 04:22 on the situation, the true situation 04:24 that we are in our relationship with the Lord. 04:28 I will say this though, 04:30 most of the time that I feel, 04:32 and I used the word feel deliberately 04:34 that I'm sensing, feeling, 04:36 little bit of distance from God, 04:37 there is usually a cause of that. 04:39 You know, I need to find 04:40 and get back to the route and get back to basics, 04:42 and get back in the word, 04:43 get back in the more prayer and things. 04:45 And so I think that's 04:46 one of the things certainly that she can do. 04:50 But the other thing that she can do, 04:51 in what I am sensing here, 04:53 I'm trying to read a little 04:54 between the lines is there is a, 04:56 almost a withholding of full surrender to God. 05:00 This church is in the way that it is not really adapted 05:03 in providing an environment conducive for her 05:07 family experience, you know, to church family 05:10 and someone that's supportive 05:11 and loving is probably causing her 05:13 to hold back a little bit. 05:14 And so, we give a couple of texts here, 05:17 but I just want to encourage her to, 05:21 not look at just the individual members of the family 05:23 but understand that her family of God 05:25 is a worldwide family of God. 05:27 And that she should not feel like 05:29 she needs to disconnect 05:30 or she wants to disconnect from the church 05:33 but connect with a body of Christ 05:35 and let those who will in that church minister to her 05:39 and whether she needs to be ministered too, 05:40 to find connections so that, that can happen. 05:44 Did you bring something up because I know that, 05:46 we'll share a few texts here and I have some. 05:48 We'll go ahead and read the one that you have there. 05:50 One of the ones that came to my mind. 05:52 What is her name? 05:53 Kelly Kelly. 05:54 One of the ones that came to my mind, 05:56 Kelly is 1 John 4:18, 05:58 and I want to share this with you 06:00 and make some application. 06:02 "There is no fear in love, 06:06 but perfect love casts out fear." 06:10 Before I go to the next part of that... 06:14 When you pray for a love, relationship with the Lord, 06:18 we got to first begin at the point of relationship 06:20 and I think some of the points you made. 06:22 Well, I'm not sure God exists or not, 06:26 was that included in that? 06:28 Yeah. Okay. 06:29 That was a temptation that devil's putting in her. 06:30 The temptation. 06:32 Yeah, are you sure that God even exist? 06:33 Well, you know, let me show you 06:35 one of the most evidentiary ways 06:36 that you can get it instant response 06:38 to the fact that God does exist is through prayer. 06:42 Now, let me show you, prayer. 06:44 Don't pray for new car, new boat, 06:49 new job, new cell phone, 06:52 increase in salary, pray this simple prayer. 06:54 Lord, I want you to make yourself known to me, 06:58 and here is what I want you to do. 07:00 And when we put our desires before Lord, 07:03 if you say, Lord, give me the desire. 07:06 I am giving you the permission 07:08 to awaken within me the desire to know You. 07:13 You know, that is the prayer 07:14 that's can be answered so quickly 07:16 that you are going to wonder. 07:18 Why didn't I asked that long time ago. 07:21 Think of it this way. 07:24 And I'm going to use this 07:25 in the context of a young man, young lady. 07:28 Sometimes a young man will pursue a young lady 07:30 that they just are so enamored by, 07:32 she is cute, she is gorgeous, 07:34 whatever the case may be, she is the ideal girl. 07:37 Right now, it's just that you're for a place in his life 07:39 and he doesn't know how to get her attention. 07:41 So he looks at her from a distance, 07:42 and when she is walking past his classroom, 07:45 he kind of acts like he is leaning 07:47 or one they're in the same classroom, 07:48 he bends forward to do his notes 07:50 but he looks over at her. 07:51 He is doing everything he possibly 07:53 could to keep her in his mind, in his view. 07:55 You know, that is somehow, 07:57 the Lord is like that husband man 08:02 trying to get the attention 08:03 of the woman he loves, his church. 08:06 And, but until she gives him her affection, 08:10 until she says okay, all right. 08:14 I am going to give you the opportunity 08:16 to have a relationship with me. 08:18 I want to get to know you. 08:19 And that's what the Bible says, 08:21 and this is life eternal that we know God. 08:23 That we know, Him, yeah. 08:25 That we know God 08:26 and that we know the only true God 08:29 and Jesus Christ whom He sent. 08:31 So, the doctrinal part, that's going to come, 08:34 if that's important, 08:36 that is important, let me rephrase that. 08:38 But if you say, Lord, 08:40 I am giving you the permission to reveal Yourself to me, 08:44 to give me the desire to know You. 08:47 You're going to find, 08:48 He is going to create opportunities, 08:50 and then you say, Lord, secondly in that desire, 08:53 please awaken within me a desire to read Your Word. 08:57 Now, I've often said the reading of God's Word 08:59 should always begin as a school assignment. 09:02 Read the Word of God because you have to 09:05 and then you'll get to the point 09:06 where you read the Word of God because you want to. 09:10 All these habits have a cycle, when you apply yourself, 09:14 ask the Lord to awaken within you a desire 09:18 for you to know Him, 09:19 then secondly to be want to read His Word. 09:22 That is the prayer that's going to be answered quickly, 09:25 and the doubts, and the fears 09:28 and the pressures about the future 09:30 and about the end time events won't haunt you anymore. 09:33 And it says here, 09:34 "Because fear involves torment," 09:36 that's why, the fear is bringing to you torment, 09:39 "But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." 09:44 Lord, lead me in a loving relationship with You 09:47 and that fear would disappear like hot water, like cold water 09:51 that's being warmed up in a tea kettle. 09:52 It will just evaporate away with no trace. 09:54 And I would take comparing verse to that 09:56 from the Old Testament is Psalm 34:4 09:58 "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 10:00 And delivered me from all my fears." 10:03 So in seeking God, 10:05 he delivers us from a fearful approach 10:08 or fearful thought in regard to where we stand with God. 10:12 Is it 34:17 where it says, 10:13 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." 10:17 "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, 10:19 and delivers them out of all their troubles." 10:21 Okay, which one is this, 16? 10:23 That was 16. Okay. 10:25 Seventeen, excuse me. 34:17. 10:26 And 16, is what? 10:27 "The face of the lord is against those who do evil." 10:29 Okay. All right. 10:30 Yeah. 10:31 The other one I was thinking about was Jeremiah 29:13, 10:36 "And you will seek Me and find Me 10:38 when you search for Me with all your heart." 10:41 And I think sometimes you know, 10:44 we've all as pastors, 10:45 we had discussions with someone or other 10:47 who is atheist who just doesn't believe that God exists. 10:49 It's hard to find out a way to kind of guide 10:51 and kind of send them in the right direction. 10:54 And one of the things I've come to say 10:56 in some occasions where I felt impressed is that 10:59 you can't prove God and you can't disprove God 11:03 purely from some evidentiary proof. 11:06 But I have proved God because I have experienced Him. 11:10 So only by my experience, 11:12 only by once experience can you truly prove God... 11:15 Okay. And His existence. 11:16 And that's where it says, 11:18 when you search for Me, you'll find Me. 11:20 When you search Me with all your heart, 11:22 He will manifest Himself, 11:23 He will reveal Himself in your search 11:26 and in the act of trusting in Him. 11:28 I also like... 11:29 What is this, Psalms 37:3? 11:32 "Trust in the Lord and do good. 11:33 Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. 11:36 Delight yourself in the Lord, 11:37 And He will give you the desires of your heart. 11:41 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, 11:43 and he shall bring it to pass." 11:45 Let me use an equation here really briefly, 11:47 and I think that somebody watching this program 11:48 might benefit from it about... 11:51 You don't really need a lot of proof. 11:53 You don't really need a lot of evidence 11:55 to prove that God exist. 11:56 Let me just use this quick exercise, 11:58 say, you, you know, 12:00 we often talk about, well, I need proof. 12:04 Let me use the word atheist agnostic and believer. 12:07 Let me use these three words, 12:08 atheist, agnostic and believer. 12:11 An atheist doesn't believe in the existence of God 12:14 and agnostic doesn't know what to believe 12:16 'cause they haven't... 12:17 An agnostic is a person who had... 12:19 He has opened the door for higher power 12:20 but we can't know it. 12:21 Right, but an atheist... 12:23 but an agnostic hasn't, not aware of the evidence 12:24 because he is not sure about the evidence 12:26 and the believer is the one who has decided, 12:29 I do believe that God exist. 12:31 But let me just go ahead and use this equation 12:32 very, very quickly, and show you 12:33 how easy it is to prove the existence of God. 12:37 How easy it is to prove the existence of God. 12:39 Not to say, I think, okay, now, I think He does exist, 12:42 but to prove the existence of God, 12:44 let's use the most classic one. 12:45 People say if God exist, 12:49 why there is so much pain and death. 12:52 So the thesis says, 12:57 if God did exist there wouldn't be pain and death, 13:01 there would be joy and pleasure. 13:05 So pain and death. 13:07 Do we have pain and death? 13:08 So if we only have pain and death, 13:10 the atheist says 13:12 that's evidence that God does not exists, 13:14 because if God exist, 13:15 there wouldn't be pain and death. 13:17 But let me add it to the equation, 13:18 but there is joy, and there is also pleasure. 13:22 So if you equate joy and pleasure 13:25 to the existence of God 13:27 and pain and death to the non existence of God, 13:31 the presence of joy and pleasure 13:35 is evidence that God exists. 13:40 But the presence of pain and death 13:42 is the evidence that Satan, 13:44 there is a power that comes from that, 13:46 everything has its root. 13:48 So because there is joy and pleasure, 13:51 God has to exist for these things to occur, 13:54 because the atheist says, if He did exist, 13:57 there would be joy and pleasure, 13:59 there would not be pain and death. 14:01 But let me go to one last step. 14:03 Say you had a 10 room house and you came home, 14:06 and you came from your garage 14:09 to the foyer where you took your coat off, 14:12 you went to the basement, turn the heat on, 14:15 then you went to the bedroom, change your clothes, 14:17 then you went to the kitchen. 14:18 And while you were in the kitchen, 14:19 you saw three little black dots on the kitchen counter 14:23 next to your toaster. 14:25 Well, most of us would may have concluded, 14:29 "What are these three black dots, 14:30 let me look really close and we think, 14:32 oh no, it isn't. 14:38 There's a mouse in our house. 14:42 Three little dots, three tiny little black dots, 14:47 just about this little bigger than black pepper. 14:51 Three little tiny dots. 14:53 So what they did now is they go on this full investigation, 14:58 they go to the basement, to each bedroom, 15:00 to each living room, to the family room, 15:02 to the dining room, they see no more dots. 15:06 And they come back to that one spot, 15:08 because there are no more dots in all those other rooms, 15:12 can they say there is no mouse in this house? 15:15 Can't say that, no. 15:17 No, only those three dots on that kitchen counter 15:20 out of one of the ten rooms is evidence enough 15:23 to conclude that it could not have gotten there 15:27 except a mouse put it there. 15:30 Everything that exist in this world 15:33 could not have gotten here 15:35 except somebody put it here. 15:37 You may not find it everywhere, 15:39 but everything that exist in the world, 15:42 every tree, every plant, every... 15:44 And then scientist said, sorry not... 15:47 Scientists have concluded that in order for all the properties 15:51 of a single cell to be produced. 15:56 Now they say just one of the enzymes to be produced, 15:59 if the Big Bang theory really was true, 16:02 they would have to been 36 different enzymes 16:07 present at the same exact time for one single cell, 16:11 for one single portion of a cell to be created. 16:16 How could that possibly be? 16:19 They all have to be there at the same exact time 16:21 for that cell to be created. 16:24 They say the chances of that occurring are 10 16:26 to the 33,333rd power. 16:31 We have nothing to equate to that at all. 16:33 So in other words, scientists are saying 16:35 that it's virtually impossible 16:36 that that single cell could have been created 16:38 except all the properties needed to create it 16:41 was there at the same exact time, 16:43 which proves that evolution 16:44 could not have created that particular cell. 16:48 In other words, the scientific probability 16:50 is an impossibility. 16:53 In connection with what she writes here, 16:55 I find that often in the most times, 16:57 most times when people resist the idea of God, 17:00 or try to find evidence of that 17:02 is because they simply don't want God to exist. 17:04 Right. 17:05 It's to enable them to continue their life 17:07 as it goes on in some immoral act 17:10 or something like that. 17:12 And so, Satan does this, 17:13 he tempts people with this thought that, 17:16 this doubt that God even exist, 17:18 and it's always, that's almost always 17:20 in the context of just allowing them to continue on 17:22 as they are to not worry about things. 17:24 Right. 17:25 And that's where the battle comes in. 17:27 Absolutely. 17:28 My lifestyle is interrupting my knowledge that God exists. 17:34 I know God exists and I had that battle 17:36 when I was a young man, 17:37 when I was involved in the disc jockey world. 17:40 I was looking for a church 17:41 where I could still disc jockey and still be saved. 17:43 And God, I bounced around to three different churches, 17:47 I couldn't find one, so here I am. 17:49 He said "You cannot hold on to the world 17:51 and still be saved, 17:52 just don't fool yourself." 17:54 And I won't say 17:55 the denominations that I tested out. 17:57 But here I am, because I realized, I love this. 18:01 My natural tendency is to not want to do good. 18:04 That's everybody's natural tendency. 18:05 I don't want righteousness, 18:07 there is none that seeks after good. 18:09 We don't want to surrender ourselves. 18:10 Don't want to surrender, don't want that stuff. 18:12 My natural tendency is to, 18:14 I'll go to dark, that's who we are. 18:16 So if I like darkness, but I know God exists, 18:21 that's where the battle comes in. 18:22 And the devil says, 18:23 eliminate God and enjoy yourself. 18:25 And that's the battle is going on there but praise the Lord. 18:28 Just ask for God to bring it to that point of submission 18:31 and believe me, you'll find it. 18:33 This is a very quick question from Billy, from Billy. 18:37 There is a billion Billys in the world. 18:40 So I won't give his last name. 18:42 Billion? 18:44 Billys. 18:47 Every sixth person is Billy. 18:51 One out of every six people is named Billy. 18:54 Sorry, I was just trying to chuckle a little over this. 18:58 Which is a billion Billys in the world. 19:00 Okay, please, we are not going to stop the program, 19:03 we're going to get through this. 19:05 But since there are three commands, to go, 19:08 rebuilt the city, that is Jerusalem, 19:11 Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, 19:15 they put Xerxes, Artaxerxes, they put Xerxes, 19:20 what is your rationale for using only the last one? 19:26 Thank you for asking the question. 19:27 Let's go to Daniel 9 very quickly. 19:30 Let me keep my book and answer here. 19:32 Daniel 9, now, the rationale behind accepting 19:39 the one from Artaxerxes is this. 19:42 I am at Daniel 9. 19:43 Here it is, 19:44 Daniel 9:24. 19:49 Now, let me put the context together. 19:51 Let me read it first of all, Daniel 9:24, 19:54 "Seventy weeks are determined" 19:57 that is Daniel is in captivity, 20:01 he is asking the Lord how long is it going to be 20:03 before these things are about to be revealed, 20:05 they're gonna happen. 20:07 So the Lord said, "Seventy weeks are determined" 20:09 That means cut off allotted for your people 20:12 and for your holy city, for Daniel and for the Jews. 20:17 Here are the things that the Lord wanted them to do, 20:20 to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, 20:22 to make reconciliation for iniquity, 20:25 to bring in everlasting righteousness, 20:27 to seal up the vision and prophecy, 20:29 and to anoint the most Holy. 20:32 Those are the six things that the Lord said, 20:34 they want them to do within the 490-year period. 20:39 So 70 weeks are 70 weeks, 70 times seven is 490. 20:43 The Lord says Daniel, I'm giving you and Israel 490, 20:47 I am giving your people 490 years to do this. 20:50 Not you because you can't live for 490 years 20:52 but I'm giving Israel 490 years to do these things, 20:55 that is prepare themselves to anoint the most holy. 20:58 All these are preparatory to accepting the Messiah 21:01 when He comes, anointing the most holy. 21:03 Now in order to know 21:06 all the things that are laid out. 21:08 Let's go to the next portion of this prophecy. 21:10 Now, "Know therefore," verse 25, "and understand, 21:14 that from the going forth of the command 21:16 to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, 21:20 there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two." 21:23 Okay, seven and sixty-two is sixty-nine. 21:26 The street shall be built again and the wall 21:29 even in trouble sometimes or troublous times. 21:32 Now the reason why the Bible breaks it down, 21:34 remember 70 weeks were given but until Messiah, 21:38 the 69 weeks will bring you up to Messiah. 21:40 So if you have 70 weeks 21:42 and if you follow those 69 weeks or 483 years 21:46 and the last one brings you to the Messiah, 21:49 you only have seven left. 21:51 So the Lord is saying seven weeks and sixty-two. 21:55 Why seven and sixty-two? 21:56 The Bible is specific about its numerology. 21:59 Jerusalem was built within 7 weeks or 49 years 22:04 from the time it began to the time 22:06 that Nehemiah went and helped them finish it. 22:09 It took only 49 years, that's the 7 weeks. 22:13 Then you have the 62 weeks left after that, 22:18 which will bring the total down to 483 years, 22:24 which means you only have seven years left. 22:27 Now let's see what's going to happen 22:28 to look at this timeframe. 22:30 Look, so now verse 26. 22:33 Now after 62 weeks, 7 and 62, after the 62 week 22:39 Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself, 22:43 and the people of the Prince who is to come 22:45 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. 22:48 The end of it shall be with the flood 22:50 and till the end of the wars desolations are determined. 22:56 Then he shall confirm a covenant 22:59 with many for one week. 23:01 But in the middle of the week, 23:02 he shall bring in to sacrifice and offering. 23:06 And on the weighing of abominations 23:08 shall be one who makes distillate. 23:12 Even until the consummation, 23:13 which is determined is poured out on the desolate. 23:17 Sounds like a lot of unbelievable terminologies. 23:20 But let me just make it very simple, here we are. 23:24 The Lord gave the Jews 490 years. 23:30 Forty nine of those led to the building of the temple 23:34 in Jerusalem. 23:36 I have it right in front of me, so I will keep myself in. 23:38 Forty nine years of those led 23:40 to the building of the temple in Jerusalem. 23:43 Then you had, out of the 49, 23:48 434 is left 23:50 to bring you to the time that the Messiah shows up. 23:54 Jesus shows up in the year 27 AD 23:58 and then you have this phrase, in the fifteenth year 24:03 of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 24:05 that's when Jesus was anointed. 24:06 Tiberius Caesar began to co-reign in the year 12 AD. 24:10 Twelve and 15 are what. 24:15 Twenty seven, so in the year 27 AD, 24:17 Jesus was anointed, anointed means the Messiah, 24:21 the Messiah means the anointed one. 24:23 So exactly in the year 27 AD, 24:26 Jesus was anointed to begin His ministry. 24:28 But the Bible says, in the middle of the week 24:31 He will be cut off. 24:32 So how many days are in a week? 24:34 Seven days. 24:36 How many days, so if you go to the middle of the week, 24:38 how many days is that? 24:39 Three and half days later. 24:40 Three and half years after Jesus began His ministry 24:44 in the year 31 AD, 24:45 He was crucified in the middle of the week. 24:49 But how is it going to confirm now. 24:51 Look at verse 27, 24:52 "But he shall confirm a covenant 24:54 with many for one week." 24:56 Well, how will Jesus confirm this covenant for one week, 24:59 if He died in the middle of the week? 25:02 Let's go to Hebrews 2. 25:04 Hebrews 2 very quickly. 25:08 Here we are, listen to this. 25:11 Okay, how is he going to do this? 25:13 How is he going to confirm a covenant 25:15 with many for one week? 25:16 Listen to this, Hebrews 2:3, 25:20 "How shall we escape, 25:22 if we neglect so great a salvation, 25:26 which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord..." 25:33 Who started it, John? 25:34 The Lord. 25:36 "And was confirmed to us by those who that heard Him." 25:42 Who heard Him? 25:44 His disciples. 25:45 So three and half years, Jesus does this confirming, 25:49 the disciples continue for the next three and half years 25:52 and His covenant is confirmed for the entire week. 25:55 Now let me get to the answer of the question. 25:59 If you try the date of Cyrus, 26:03 to begin the rebuilding 26:04 and the restoration of Jerusalem, 26:06 this prophecy never happens, and you come up with a gap. 26:10 Nothing occurs, then you start applying 26:13 different people to this prophecy 26:14 rather than applying the prophecy 26:16 particularly to the Messiah. 26:18 This prophecy is all about the Most Holy, 26:20 the Messiah, the Messiah, the Prince. 26:23 It's a Messianic Prophecy. 26:24 It's a Messianic Prophecy. 26:25 When you start with the date that Cyrus gives, 26:27 Cyrus gave the commission to build the walls. 26:31 Darius gave the commission to build the temple. 26:34 Artaxerxes gave the commission 26:36 to completely restore the whole city... 26:38 And send the Jews back. 26:41 And provide the Jews everything 26:42 they need to now go back to their homeland. 26:45 So the command was not to rebuilt 26:47 the temple, nor the city, 26:49 the command was to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem. 26:52 I always add to that, 26:54 what is the city without people in it. 26:56 Nothing. 26:58 And Artaxerxes is the one that released 27:00 the people to go back to their homeland. 27:01 And when you go to Ezra 7, 27:03 you see the entire letter, Ezra 7. 27:06 You'll read that from verse 12 all the way down to verse 28, 27:09 you'll read the letter and then Nehemiah, 27:12 when you go to Nehemiah 1-12, 27:15 you see the Nehemiah made this appeal. 27:17 I need these supplies and yes, 27:19 and Artaxerxes gives him the commission 27:21 to go and help finish the building, 27:24 not only begin it but to help finish the building 27:27 and the restoration of Jerusalem. 27:29 So here is the reason why we answered the question 27:30 or how I answered the question. 27:32 Cyrus didn't give the complete commission, 27:34 Darius did not give the complete commission, 27:37 only Artaxerxes and when you use 27:39 the year 457 BC everything happens. 27:44 457 BC, 69 or 483 years later 27:49 take you to the year 27 AD. 27:53 Three and half years later take you to 31 AD. 27:56 Three and half years later take you to 34 AD 27:59 and the whole 490 year prophecy is fulfilled. 28:03 The reason why the secret rapture exist today is because, 28:08 I'm going to say it again, 28:09 the reason why the secret rapture 28:11 and the seven year tribulation exist today, 28:15 is because theologians have taken 28:18 the decree of Cyrus and Darius 28:21 and the prophecy never had been fulfilled. 28:24 So they come up with a gap, 28:26 and that's where the seven years of tribulation 28:28 have been created out off. 28:30 They come up with an unfulfilled prophecy 28:32 and instead of applying the prophecy 28:34 to the Messiah, the Prince. 28:37 Instead of applying it to the Christ, 28:39 they apply it to the antichrist. 28:42 So now, here's the question. 28:43 That's even more sinister. 28:45 That's even more sinister. 28:46 So now, here's the question. 28:48 If Jesus was anointed, if Jesus was crucified, 28:51 if Jesus did have the gospel commission 28:53 finished by the disciples in the year 34 AD, 28:57 when Steven was stoned, if that really did happen. 28:59 Now, that's a rhetorical statement, 29:03 because it did happened, he did get anointed, 29:05 he was crucified and the Jews did stoned 29:08 Steven in the year 34 AD. 29:10 The gospel then went to the gentiles. 29:12 So the prophecy was completely fulfilled. 29:14 Here's the point, if that did happened. 29:17 Bulletin, I don't want you to miss this. 29:19 There is no room for a secret rapture. 29:22 There is no room for a seven year tribulation. 29:26 And Francisco Ribera who formulated the Rapture Theory, 29:32 by the commission of the Roman Catholic Church 29:35 did that to get the eyes of the Protestant reformers 29:39 off of the fact that Rome fulfills 29:42 the fourth beast of Daniel. 29:43 They created this whole gap theory, 29:45 this whole secret rapture 29:47 to get the eyes of the reformers off of Rome, 29:51 bulletin nutshell. 29:53 There is no seven year tribulation in the future. 29:54 There is no secret rapture coming. 29:56 It's all a misapplication of this prophecy. 29:59 When you begin with Cyrus and begin with Darius, 30:02 the prophecy never is completed. 30:04 But when you begin with Artaxerxes, 30:06 every single time element is completely fulfilled. 30:10 So therefore, it's already been fulfilled. 30:12 There is no gap of seven years coming down in the future. 30:14 And I hear another question echoing here, 30:17 and I think I would just add this piece to it. 30:20 Well, how do you know that the 70 weeks is 490 years? 30:25 Well we know that because of the day you're principled 30:27 that commonly used normally by Jews back then, 30:31 Israelites back then, 30:33 even some who are traditional in their views today, 30:37 but it's something that the Bible 30:39 wholeheartedly endorses. 30:41 The second thing too you'll find is that 30:43 the 70 week prophecy is only the beginning 30:46 of the longer prophecy of 2300 days... 30:48 Thank you. Okay, great. 30:49 Which is in Daniel 8. Right. 30:52 And the reason why we know 30:53 they are part and parcel is because 30:55 the Bible themselves goes back. 30:57 The angel that came to Daniel the first time comes back 31:00 and helps him understand the vision from the beginning. 31:02 In other words, the first vision 31:04 which was for Daniel 7 of the four kingdoms, 31:08 the rise and fall coming to the little horn power. 31:10 Very good point. 31:12 Daniel 8 comes in and he gives him the 2300 days 31:13 tying it back to that and then Daniel 9 happens 31:16 which is a revisit of the 2300 days, 31:19 all these comes together 31:21 and the way we know it's day for years 31:23 because if you take 2300 days 31:25 which raptures try to do from Cyrus, 31:28 they try to take literal days. 31:30 They basically, because it says 31:32 evenings and mornings, 31:33 they don't take it as a whole day, 31:35 they take it as half, so it becomes 1150, 31:39 then it gets them kind of in the area 31:43 of the Titus epiphanies, but they miss it by 15 days. 31:47 So they have to do just kind of do a lot of maneuvering 31:50 and shifting to make this thing fit. 31:53 And it's no longer 2300 days, it's 1150. 31:55 Right. 31:56 And what they miss entirely 31:58 as the prophecy says several times, 32:00 this is a prophecy that takes us down 32:02 to the later days, to the end of time. 32:06 And the Titus epiphanies was not involved 32:07 with the end of time. 32:09 The end of time is our day today. 32:11 And so, John, reason why those numbers... 32:13 It's got to be day for a year, 32:15 you can't have just literal days. 32:17 And the Bible says 32:19 is one of the first places you find the day 32:21 for the year principle, 32:22 the Lord when the Israelites were in transgression 32:25 he says, for the 40 days 32:26 that you wandered in the wilderness, 32:29 I'll give you a day for a year 32:30 and they wandered for 40 years. 32:31 Numbers 14:34m, 32:33 "For each ye shall bear your guilt one year, 32:36 namely forty years." 32:38 And then also you find in Ezekiel, 32:41 you find the day year principle supported there, 32:42 but here's the point that John brought out, 32:43 very, very important. 32:45 I'm glad you brought this out. 32:46 Whoo! 32:48 This 490 year period was cut off 32:53 from a larger period. 32:55 I'm going to try to put in. 32:56 This 490 year period was cut off 32:58 from a larger period. 33:00 And that cut off in that is not part of it. 33:03 No, it was allocated. 33:04 We're talking about this piece from the larger picture. 33:07 It was allocated from a larger period. 33:10 This portion was just for the Jews, 33:12 for Daniel's people. 33:14 Beyond that was leading to the time of the end. 33:18 Now, here is the challenge now. 33:20 Here is the challenge. 33:21 If according to the rapture theory, 33:23 this was never finished. 33:25 We have at least 1810 years 33:29 before we are living in the time of the end. 33:31 Do you see the deficit over there. 33:33 If according to the rapturous, if this little small period, 33:37 now this is the 490 years, 33:39 let's bring it down to the one week. 33:40 If the rapture says this one week 33:41 of the 490 was not yet completed. 33:43 Well, they're in essence saying, 33:45 after that's done, 33:46 then we still have 1810 left 33:49 before we get to the time of the end, 33:51 so you see the deficit. 33:52 So this is pushing the coming of the Lord 33:54 2000 more years in the future almost. 33:57 But according to the Bible, that was completed 34:00 and then this followed naturally 34:02 and we're now living in the time of the end. 34:04 That's right. 34:05 So that's where the deficit comes in. 34:07 So why do you choose Artaxerxes? 34:08 Artaxerxes completely fulfills the prophecy to the, 34:13 iota to the date. 34:15 Where as Cyrus said, just build the temple, 34:17 Darius said, just build the walls, 34:19 Artaxerxes said restore the whole city, 34:22 it's government, it's monetary system 34:24 and send the Jews back home. 34:26 And finish the wall. And finish the wall. 34:28 'Cause the walls weren't quite done 34:29 even though they started the walls. 34:30 And they finished the walls, 34:32 they finished the whole project, 34:33 49 years after 457 BC 34:36 and then the rest of the time led to the anointing of Jesus, 34:39 His crucifixion, 34:41 the gospel going to the gentiles 34:42 and then the time of the judgment 34:44 beginning 1810 years later. 34:46 We're living in the time of the judgment, 34:47 Jesus is soon to come. 34:48 You don't hear 34:50 and this is the crazy part about it, John, 34:51 I know we spend a little time with this. 34:52 But today, you hear every preacher 34:55 and every denomination saying 34:56 Jesus is soon to come. 34:58 But those same denominations embrace the rapture. 35:01 And they are talking about different things. 35:03 Right, completely different. 35:04 When they say Jesus is going to come. 35:05 They're all thinking different things. 35:07 They're thinking the church is going to be 35:08 snatched out of here. 35:10 The deficit with that is it can happen 35:12 if this prophecy was fulfilled. 35:15 And so there is no room at all 35:17 for a seven year decree with the antichrist, 35:21 the Jews are converted. 35:23 I heard it on the news, I heard on the radio 35:25 this morning when I was coming to, 35:28 it's only a two minute ride, 35:29 but I was listening to one of the stations 35:31 where our preachers on they talk about, 35:33 you know the church could disappear any moment. 35:34 Now the rapture could happen any moment. 35:36 Now when I'm thinking, 35:37 don't you know that the Catholic Church 35:39 put this theory together 35:40 to just keep you guys in the dark. 35:42 And lastly, National Geographic's 35:46 five years ago did a whole one hour special 35:50 on the secret rapture. 35:52 And they began the program by saying, 35:54 this theory formulated nearly 500 years ago by Rome, 36:01 has been embraced by millions of Christians 36:03 and it's only a theory. 36:06 There you go. 36:07 It's crazy. And we agree. 36:09 And the entire Left Behind Series of books put in, 36:12 put together by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. 36:14 Now if people would just simply turn the book around 36:16 and look on the bottom it says, it says fiction. 36:20 But it's all embraced as though it's a doctrine. 36:22 It's amazing. Yeah. 36:24 Anyway thank you for your questions and comments. 36:26 If you have any more, 36:27 send them to this following email address, 36:29 housecalls@3abn.org, that's housecalls@3abn.org. 36:34 We appreciate it. 36:35 Now we know the good thing about this, John, 36:37 is we don't have to finish the topic in one sitting. 36:40 But what's our topic for today. 36:42 The topic is Baptism. Wow. 36:44 And it's coming on the heels of another program 36:46 we did very recently and that is on repentance. 36:49 Baptism is one of the rites of repentance you should say. 36:56 That starts with the beginning of the life 36:58 as one dedicates himself or herself to Jesus 37:01 and to live a life of holiness instead of the former life, 37:04 that they repented of evil, wickedness 37:08 and other things that are part of our natural tendency to be, 37:11 so baptism is, it is a rite 37:15 but that word doesn't describe all its meaning 37:18 until we get into the scriptures 37:19 and really understand the fullness of baptism, 37:21 because it's a beautiful service. 37:23 It's a beautiful institution. 37:25 Let me define the word right though, 37:26 not right or write 37:29 but rite as in a rite. 37:32 And we don't want to use the word ritual 37:33 because it's not a ritual. 37:35 It's a rite, you know a practice, 37:36 an established rite. 37:38 The Lord says, this is something 37:39 that you need to do 37:41 and baptism is so vitally important, 37:43 let me give a couple of texts. 37:44 Go first of all to Mark 16:16. 37:48 Look at Mark 16:156. 37:50 We're going to walk through some of these things 37:51 and baptism is such a powerful, beautiful, 37:54 but Mark 16:16 shows in the words of Jesus, 37:58 how imperative baptism is. 38:02 And I want to lead into that by saying, 38:05 it is so imperative that without the merits of baptism, 38:09 no one will be saved. 38:11 Mark 16:16, read that, John. 38:13 "He who has believes and is baptized will be saved, 38:16 but he who does not believe will be condemned." 38:18 Okay, will be, will be, will be, not might be. 38:22 Will be saved, will be condemned. 38:24 It is so imperative, it is so, it is like saying, 38:30 do I need tires for my car 38:33 or could I just forego tires this week? 38:35 I got a nice car, I don't need tires. 38:38 I mean tires. 38:40 You know, without tires, a 100,000 dollar car, 38:44 a million dollar car can't go anywhere. 38:47 Tires are imperative to that vehicle 38:52 getting from point A to point B. 38:55 Baptism is imperative for the Christian 38:58 to get from here to eternity. 39:00 And so, I use a phrase the merits of baptism 39:04 because not everybody is in the position 39:06 where they could physically get down into the baptistery. 39:08 And there are some unique situations throughout time, 39:11 but let's begin with the most core scripture 39:14 that talks about baptism and that's in Romans 6. 39:18 We're going to begin with the most core scripture 39:21 that specifically talks about baptism 39:23 and Romans 6 is where... 39:26 I'm gonna have John, 39:28 begin to read Romans 6 39:31 and we're going to walk through this together 39:33 and your commentary and my commentary together. 39:37 It first begins, 39:39 verse 3 actually starts addressing it. 39:42 But I want the verse 1 and 2. 39:43 Yeah, one and two really establishes the context here. 39:45 And I like the way Paul starts it off. 39:47 Go ahead the way he starts it off. 39:49 "What shall we say then? 39:51 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 39:54 Certainly not! 39:55 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" 39:58 Okay, that's right. 40:00 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 40:03 So he evidently is going to talk about, 40:07 how we can get to the place where we don't continue in sin. 40:10 Because he says, shall we continue in sin 40:13 that grace may abound. 40:14 Of course not, certainly not. 40:17 Okay, so what then, how do we accomplish that Paul, 40:19 because the real issue is, how do we discontinue in sin. 40:25 You can have a sermon call, sin shall be discontinued, 40:29 okay, well how? 40:31 Go ahead and put the formula, verse 3. 40:34 Verse 3, "Or do you not know that as many of us 40:37 as were baptized into Christ Jesus 40:39 were baptized into His death? 40:41 Therefore we were buried with Him 40:44 through baptism into death, 40:46 that just as Christ was raised from the dead 40:49 by the glory of the Father, 40:50 even so we also should walk in the newness of life." 40:53 Go to all way to 6. 40:55 "For if we have been united together 40:57 in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be 41:00 in the likeness of His resurrection. 41:03 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, 41:06 that the body of sin might be done away with, 41:09 so that we should no longer be slaves of sin." 41:13 That's right. 41:14 So now when you look at this, 41:16 you have a couple of components that are very important. 41:17 What do you see jumping out immediately 41:19 in this particular passage? 41:21 Well, there's a direct link between baptism 41:24 and the two parts of it going down into the water 41:27 and coming up from the water. 41:29 Okay. 41:30 Going down into the water 41:32 is the ceasing from the old life. 41:33 It's being buried to self, 41:37 dying to self and the old sinful habits. 41:40 And then they're coming up 41:41 from the water is being resurrected 41:43 into the newness of life. 41:45 So baptism, the reason why it's by immersion... 41:49 Let me say it again, it's by what, John, immersion. 41:52 In other words, completely immersed in waters 41:54 because the symbol doesn't have 41:56 a fall effect if just sprinkled. 41:59 Because the reasoning behind the rite, 42:01 what it's portraying is a complete death 42:05 which people, when you die, 42:07 you are buried in the ground, 42:08 a complete death to sin going into the water 42:11 and then resurrection into a newness of life, 42:14 which is of the spiritual life that we can now trust 42:18 and rely on in Jesus through His spirit 42:20 to live on from that point going forward. 42:23 And you know. 42:24 So there's a clear link there, that's what I'm saying, 42:26 that's what jumps out of me first. 42:27 And you know, let start with it. 42:29 I want to start with that, 42:30 they're going down and coming up part 42:31 and I want to do that by going to the story 42:33 where the baptism that matter the most occurred. 42:39 Matthew 3. 42:41 The baptism that mattered the most occurred 42:46 in Matthew 3. 42:49 All right. 42:51 Matthew 3, 42:53 we are going to look at verse 13. 42:57 "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John, 43:03 at the Jordon to be baptized by him. 43:06 And John tried to prevent him, 43:09 saying, I have need to be baptized by you, 43:13 and now you coming to me? 43:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, 43:18 'Permit it be so now, 43:20 for thus it is fitting for us 43:24 to fulfill all righteousness.' 43:27 '' Then he allowed him. 43:29 I'm gonna stop there and let me go to verse 16. 43:32 "Then Jesus, when he had been baptized, came up. 43:36 See, he would have to go down to came up. 43:38 Came up immediately from the water. 43:41 And behold the heavens opened to him 43:43 and he saw the Spirit of God 43:45 descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 43:47 And I'll just finish verse 17, that make application. 43:50 And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, 43:53 "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 43:58 Now, I want to focus on verse 15. 44:01 Just so, we could find out... 44:02 Just so we could know why he said, what he said. 44:06 Because if baptism is the symbolization 44:09 of the end of the sinful life, 44:11 and the beginning of righteous life. 44:14 Was Jesus ending a sinful life? 44:17 And the answer is yes. 44:19 But not His sinful life. 44:21 Right. Okay. 44:23 Isaiah 53:6 Go there quickly, 44:25 read that for us, John, Isaiah 53:6. 44:27 We got to understand, why he said, 44:31 "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us 44:34 to fulfill all righteousness." 44:36 Well, how do you fulfill righteousness 44:38 except you get rid of sin. 44:40 What was he doing? 44:42 Why did he say that? 44:43 If this has to happen for righteousness 44:46 to be fulfilled in other words, 44:47 for righteousness to come to pass, 44:49 I got to do this. 44:51 Look at what he was doing, Why was he baptizing? 44:54 Why was he getting baptized? 44:56 Look at what He did. 44:57 Look what happened, Isaiah 53:6. 44:59 "All we like sheep have gone astray, 45:03 we have turned every one to his own way, 45:05 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." 45:08 Oh now, you want to get that, you want to get this. 45:12 What was laid on Him? 45:15 The iniquity of all of us. 45:16 Okay, so laid on him now, 45:18 he became sin for us, 45:22 that we might become 45:23 the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. 45:26 So now, He is going into the water 45:28 with whose sin on Him? 45:32 The world's. The world's. 45:34 He's fulfilling the plan of salvation in stages. 45:38 He's saying, okay, I'm taking this sin, 45:40 we're going into this baptismal pool, 45:42 I'm coming up now to walk, and as Paul says, 45:47 Jesus Christ, he came to walk in the newness of life. 45:50 Not only that, from the resurrectional point, 45:53 but he is now taking our sin, 45:55 He is going into this watery grave, 45:56 He said, this is the rite 45:58 by which all righteousness is fulfilled. 46:00 When we go into the watery grave, 46:02 we are going into the death. 46:05 We are now through the same rite, 46:07 baptism as Jesus participated, 46:09 we're going into the same rite as Jesus participated. 46:14 He took with him the iniquity of a soul. 46:17 He took that, 46:18 he was carrying that in human form. 46:20 He carried that from his baptism to the cross. 46:24 And then, look what happened. 46:25 Let's go back to Romans 6. 46:27 What was he carrying? 46:29 Verse 4, Romans 6:4, 46:31 "Therefore we are buried with Him 46:33 through baptism into death, 46:36 that just as Christ was raised from the dead 46:39 by the glory of the Father, 46:41 even so we also should walk in newness of life." 46:43 Now, I want you to get this. 46:45 He was raised from spiritual death 46:52 at baptism from physical death at the cross. 46:57 Follow this carefully. 47:00 At the baptismal pool 47:02 that is that death to the old man. 47:05 He has been put to death there. 47:07 Jesus went into that grave, 47:10 then He went into the physical grave 47:11 and he survived them both. 47:13 He came up to show that 47:15 we come forth anointed now at our baptism 47:17 to walk in this new life 47:19 and He came forth from the grave to say, 47:21 "Now I've conquered sin completely. 47:24 Now you can have new life. 47:26 New life after baptism 47:27 and new life in the kingdom eternally. 47:29 So baptism here is the entrance into a new life. 47:35 But I want to go on further. 47:36 So let's look at 47:38 what are the passages do we have here. 47:40 Mark 16:16, 47:42 what happens in this deliverance from sin, 47:46 We're delivered from sin, but what are we delivered to? 47:50 To salvation. 47:52 Okay, let's go ahead and do that one, 47:55 1 Peter 2:9 and 10. 47:57 Okay, "But you are a chosen generation, 48:00 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 48:02 His own special people; 48:03 that you may proclaim the praises of him 48:05 who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 48:08 Okay. 48:10 "Who once were not a people, but are now the people of God; 48:13 Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 48:17 Okay, so what's happening here is in the mercy of the Lord, 48:22 you find that He is calling us 48:24 out of something into something. 48:26 He is calling us out of what into what, 48:28 according to this verse? Darkness into light. 48:30 Out of darkness into light. 48:31 So now, prior to baptism, you were in darkness. 48:37 Post baptism, you are now walking in... 48:40 To light. 48:41 Okay, any evidence of that? 48:42 Go to 1 John. 48:44 Look at 1 John 1. 48:48 1 John 1:6. 48:51 Okay. 48:52 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, 48:54 and walk in darkness, 48:56 we lie and do not practice the truth." 48:59 Okay, and then in the next verse, 49:01 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, 49:04 we have fellowship with one another, 49:06 and the blood of Jesus Christ, 49:08 His Son cleanses us from all sin." 49:12 So the fellowship with darkness is what we have before Christ, 49:17 the fellowship in light is what we have after Christ. 49:20 If we walk in the light as he is in the light, 49:22 we have fellowship with one another. 49:25 But what I want to bring out is 1 John 1:9. 49:29 Are you thinking? 49:30 No, you just go ahead and read this 49:32 and then I'll come in, 49:33 and I'm going to go back to Romans. 49:34 Okay, well, 1 John 1:9, 49:36 "If we confess our sins..." 49:38 "He is faithful and just..." 49:39 "To forgive us our sins and to cleanse us 49:41 from all unrighteousness." 49:45 So that process of baptism, 49:48 the unrighteousness that existed 49:50 prior to baptism has been cleansed away 49:53 through the rite of baptism. 49:56 That's what that whole death, 49:59 burial and resurrection is all about. 50:01 You want to go back to Romans 6. 50:02 Well, the reason why is because 50:04 Romans is Paul's thesis, 50:08 his thesis on salvation, redemption. 50:14 And baptism is right at the forefront of that. 50:17 I mean, that's a key part of it and so, 50:19 we just read from Romans 6 50:22 and as he describes coming up 50:25 out of the watery grave into new life, 50:27 he then begins to talk about the new life experiences about. 50:30 Right. 50:32 And Chapter 7, he talks about the battle, 50:34 that even though we come in a new life, 50:36 the old life wants to get us back. 50:39 So you have this constantly going back and forth, 50:41 what I want to do, I don't do 50:43 but yet what I desire to do, 50:45 I don't find the will in myself to do it. 50:47 And then in Chapter 8, 50:49 he describes how it can be done, 50:51 which is walking in the spirit not in the flesh. 50:54 In our recent program we said, 50:56 if you want to know what that word flesh means, 50:57 take off the H and read it backwards, it's self. 51:01 And so they are walking in the newness of life 51:06 when we come up out of baptism, 51:08 is being described here in Chapter 8, 51:11 as a walk in the spirit now, not in the flesh 51:15 or in the propensity that self just drives us to sin, 51:22 that old self, which is always there. 51:24 So if I am reading here then, 51:26 because we've connected the old man and the new man 51:29 with baptism being in between. 51:31 We can read baptism into everything 51:33 that is coming and what follows Chapter 6, right? 51:36 True, we can. 51:37 So if we read then, Romans 8, listen to this. 51:40 "There is therefore now no condemnation 51:42 to those who are in Christ Jesus." 51:44 Now, Paul uses this over and over again, 51:46 in Christ, in Christ. 51:47 It is repeated by him over and over again, 51:49 describing those who have come out of the watery grave 51:52 from baptism into the new life. 51:55 Right, you're in Christ, that's right. 51:57 "Who do not walk according to the flesh 51:58 but according to the spirit. 52:00 For the law of spirit of life in Christ Jesus 52:02 has made me free from the law of sin and death. 52:06 For what the law could not do, 52:08 and that it was weak through the flesh, 52:09 God did by sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh 52:12 and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh." 52:14 That's right. So... 52:17 This is an amazing, 52:19 this whole description here of this walk. 52:22 He is really describing pre-baptism, 52:25 post-baptism spiritual experience. 52:28 Everything Paul has here in the following chapters 52:32 after six is initiated, 52:35 it's the right that initiates this experience is baptism. 52:40 That's why I like to clarify something 52:43 that often gets misconstrued. 52:47 Let me go ahead and look at here, Romans 6. 52:50 Look at Romans 6. 52:53 And I want to just go ahead and answer this 52:58 because this text in the midst of the baptism, 53:01 the practice of the believers. 53:02 This text has been used by so many, 53:07 so falsely and so unjustly 53:09 to kind of make it appear... 53:11 Let me just set it up. 53:12 Why do we need to be saved? 53:15 Because we are lost. 53:17 What are we being saved from? 53:19 The penalty of sin. 53:21 What is sin? 53:22 The violation of God's law. 53:24 So now let's go ahead and put this together. 53:26 If there is no law, there is no sin. 53:30 If there is no sin, there is no need for salvation. 53:33 So then, baptism needs to be cancelled. 53:35 So if your church teaches 53:37 that God's law has been done away with, 53:40 you don't need to be baptized, you're already righteous, 53:43 'cause there's no law. 53:45 If there is no law, there is no sin. 53:47 So if they say that God's law has been done away with, 53:51 and you're free from the law, 53:52 then you don't need to be baptized. 53:54 And matter of fact, you don't need to be Christian 53:57 because everybody else then now since there is no law, 53:59 and nobody is a sinner. 54:00 In fact I would even suggest that, 54:01 Jesus would never have initiated the right of baptism, 54:04 had there been a doing away with the law. 54:07 So now, I want to read this text 54:08 and put it in the proper context. 54:11 Romans 6:14. 54:16 And then I'm gonna put it in the context. 54:18 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, 54:24 for you are not under the law but under grace. 54:28 What then? 54:29 Shall we sin because we are not under the law 54:32 but under grace? 54:33 Certainly not." 54:35 Okay, so now get this. 54:38 We are not under the law, but under grace. 54:41 What a lot of people don't understand, 54:42 is Paul is talking about the condemnation. 54:46 You look at the law, and you say I am a sinner, 54:50 it condemns me, 54:51 but now when you are in Christ, the condemnation is gone. 54:57 You just read Romans 8. 54:58 Read it again in the context of it. 55:00 There is therefore no condemnation 55:01 to those in Christ Jesus. 55:02 So we are not under the law but we are under grace. 55:06 The law no longer condemns us. 55:08 What do you think the rest of that verse 55:10 at least in the New King James Version is 55:12 "Who walk not according to the flesh 55:13 but according to the spirit." 55:15 Right. 55:16 Is 'cause the condemnation 55:18 is there when you walk in the flesh. 55:19 That's right. 55:20 Because the law is in force, and it condemns you. 55:24 But you are no longer under that condemnation 55:27 because the law although it is enforced 55:29 and doesn't condemn you because you're in Christ. 55:31 That's what Paul is saying. 55:33 Powerful, when you are in Christ, 55:35 the condemnation is no longer over you head. 55:37 Let me use one beautiful illustration. 55:39 Being on death row, 55:40 if anybody has ever heard the phrase 55:42 death row or being imprisoned, 55:43 or let's use death row, 55:45 that's the most appropriate example here. 55:48 And all the sudden your sentence is commuted 55:51 and you are now set free, you have been justified, 55:54 you've been set free, you've been let go. 55:57 Has the laws of the land, 55:58 all been just eliminated to get you out of there? 56:01 No. 56:02 The laws of the land had not been eliminated 56:04 to get you out of there. 56:05 You have been set free 56:07 but the laws of land still apply. 56:08 You cannot get off the death row 56:10 and now go commit murder. 56:11 Because you instantly remember, 56:14 oh, I just got set free from death row 56:16 and I just kill somebody. 56:18 The law is still in effect. 56:19 When you get out, you are no longer 56:21 under the condemnation of the law. 56:25 You've been set free but if you violate it, 56:28 you'll be back under its condemnation again 56:30 and you'll be back, it's called the recidivism rate. 56:33 And it even goes further than that. 56:35 The law in respect to how we view it has changed. 56:40 Because in Romans 8:2 it says, 56:42 "For the law of the spirit of life 56:44 in Christ Jesus has made me free 56:46 from the law of sin and death." 56:47 Same law but before Christ 56:49 it was a law that was of sin and death. 56:52 After Christ, 56:53 it's the law of the spirit that sets me free. 56:56 It's a same law, but it's a different effect 56:59 is to how it is viewed by the individual 57:01 in Christ versus not in Christ. 57:03 Right, because the commandments of Lord 57:05 no longer becomes offensive after because you're free. 57:08 You can look at us and tell, 57:09 Hey, I'm living in harmony with the commandments of God, 57:11 but the law of sin and death 57:13 and the law of the spirit of life, 57:15 we're gonna deal with that in specific, 57:17 so you know exactly what that is in particular 57:19 but friends, what an exciting topic to know 57:21 that through baptism, 57:23 we can be all that the Lord intends for us to be. 57:26 So when the House Calls comes to you, 57:28 respond by asking Christ into your life. 57:30 God bless you. |
Revised 2016-08-15