Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP211106S
|
00:13 Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.
00:17 As we sing, I just invite you to stand and join us 00:20 as we sing power in the blood and the rest of songs. 00:33 Would you be free 00:35 From your burden of sin 00:38 There's power in the blood 00:41 Power in the blood 00:44 Would you o'er evil a victory win 00:48 There's wonderful power in the blood 00:53 Sing there is power, power Wonder-working power 00:58 In the blood of the Lamb 01:03 There is power, power Wonder-working power 01:09 In the precious blood of the Lamb 01:25 Would you be free From your passion and pride 01:30 There's power in the blood 01:33 Power in the blood 01:36 Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide 01:41 There's wonderful power in the blood 01:45 Sing there is power, 01:48 power Wonder-working power 01:51 In the blood of the Lamb 01:56 There is power, power Wonder-working power 02:01 In the precious blood of the Lamb 02:07 Would you be whiter Much whiter than snow 02:12 There's power in the blood Power in the blood 02:18 Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow 02:23 There's wonderful power in the blood 02:27 Sing there is power, power Wonder-working power 02:33 In the blood of the Lamb 02:38 There is power, power Wonder-working power 02:43 In the precious blood of the Lamb 02:49 Would you do service For Jesus your King 02:54 There's power in the blood Power in the blood 03:00 Would you live daily His praises to sing 03:05 There's wonderful power in the blood 03:09 Sing there is power, power Wonder-working power 03:15 In the blood of the Lamb 03:20 There is power, power Wonder-working power 03:25 In the precious blood of the Lamb 03:30 Sing there is power, power Wonder-working power 03:36 In the blood of the Lamb 03:41 Sing there is power, power Wonder-working power 03:46 In the precious blood of the Lamb 03:52 In the precious blood of the Lamb 03:57 In the precious blood In the precious blood 04:03 In the precious blood 04:06 Of the Lamb 04:11 Amen. Amen. 04:31 Who am I that You are mindful of me 04:37 That You hear me 04:41 when I call 04:46 Is it true that You are thinking of me 04:52 How you love me 04:57 It's amazing 04:59 Who am I Who am I 05:02 That You are mindful of me 05:08 That You hear me 05:11 When I call 05:16 Is it true that You are thinking of me 05:23 How you love me 05:27 It's amazing 05:30 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 05:34 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 05:36 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 05:42 He calls me friend 05:45 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 05:51 I am a friend of God 05:55 I am a friend of God He calls me friend 06:01 Who am I Who am 06:03 I that You are mindful of me 06:09 That You hear me 06:13 When I call 06:18 Is it true that You are thinking of me 06:25 How you love me It's amazing 06:29 It's amazing 06:31 It's amazing 06:33 It's amazing It's amazing 06:37 It's amazing 06:42 I am a friend of God 06:46 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 06:52 He calls me friend 06:55 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 06:59 I am a friend of God I am a friend of God 07:05 I am a friend of God 07:07 He calls me friend 07:13 God Almighty 07:17 Lord of Glory 07:21 You have called me friend 07:26 God Almighty 07:29 God Almighty 07:33 Lord of Glory 07:37 You have called me friend 07:42 God Almighty 07:45 God Almighty 07:49 Lord of Glory 07:53 You have called me friend 07:58 God Almighty 08:01 God Almighty 08:05 Lord of Glory 08:09 You have called me friend 08:13 I am a friend of God 08:17 I am a friend of God 08:20 I am a friend of God 08:24 I am a friend of God 08:27 He calls me friend 08:29 I am a friend of God 08:32 I am a friend of God 08:36 I am a friend of God 08:40 I am a friend of God 08:42 He calls me friend 08:44 He calls me friend 08:46 He calls me friend 08:48 He calls me friend 08:50 He calls me friend 08:52 He calls me friend 08:56 He calls me friend 09:18 In the darkness we were waiting 09:22 Without hope without light 09:26 Till from heaven You came running 09:29 There was mercy in Your eyes 09:34 To fulfill the law and prophets 09:37 To a virgin came the Word 09:41 From a throne of endless glory 09:45 To a cradle in the dirt 09:55 Praise the Father 09:59 Praise the Son 10:03 Praise the Spirit 10:06 Three in one 10:10 God of Glory, 10:14 Majesty Praise forever 10:21 to the King of kings 10:30 To reveal the kingdom coming 10:34 And to reconcile the lost 10:38 To redeem the whole creation 10:41 You did not despise the cross 10:45 For even in Your suffering 10:49 You saw to the other side 10:53 Knowing this was our salvation 10:57 Jesus for our sake You died 11:07 Praise the Father 11:11 Praise the Son 11:15 Praise the Spirit 11:18 Three in one 11:22 God of Glory, 11:26 Majesty Praise forever 11:32 To the King of kings 11:42 And the morning that You rose 11:46 All of heaven held its breath 11:50 Till that stone was moved for good 11:53 For the Lamb had conquered death 11:58 And the dead rose from their tombs 12:01 And the angels stood in awe 12:05 For the souls of all who'd come 12:09 To the Father are restored 12:13 And the Church of Christ was born 12:16 Then the Spirit lit the flame 12:20 Now this gospel truth of old 12:23 Shall not kneel shall not faint 12:27 By His blood and in His Name 12:31 In His freedom I am free 12:35 For the love of Jesus Christ 12:38 Who has resurrected me 12:48 Praise the Father 12:52 Praise the Son 12:55 Praise the Spirit 12:59 Three in one 13:03 God of Glory, 13:06 Majesty Praise forever 13:13 To the King of kings 13:18 Praise the Father 13:21 Praise the Son 13:25 Praise the Spirit 13:28 Three in one 13:32 God of Glory, Majesty 13:39 Praise forever 13:42 To the King of kings 13:47 Praise forever 13:50 To the King of kings 13:57 Amen. 14:05 Later when Peter came to Antioch, 14:08 I had a face to face confrontation with him 14:11 because he was clearly out of line. 14:13 Here's a situation. 14:15 Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, 14:19 Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. 14:23 But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, 14:26 he cautiously pulled back 14:28 and put as much distance as he could manage 14:30 between himself and his non-Jewish friends. 14:33 That's how fearful he was 14:34 of the conservative Jewish clique that's been pushing 14:37 the old system of circumcision, 14:40 but when I saw that they were not maintaining 14:43 a steady straight course according to the message, 14:46 I spoke up to Peter in front of them all. 14:48 If you ain't Jew, live like a non-Jew 14:51 when you're not being observed 14:53 by the watchdogs from Jerusalem. 14:55 What right do you have to require non-Jews to conform 14:59 to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression 15:02 on your old Jerusalem buddies. 15:19 How to get along with the brethren. 15:24 That's just a code word 15:27 for church leaders. 15:30 Someone once quipped to dwell, 15:34 to dwell with the saints above, 15:36 oh, that will be glory. 15:41 But to live with the saints below, well, 15:44 that's another story. 15:48 We're gonna go to that another story right now. 15:52 Because it's a story you have never heard 15:54 presented from a pulpit. 15:57 I am certain. 16:00 It's the story of the church leaders 16:04 failing Paul in the moment 16:08 of his most critical need. 16:12 Let's pray. 16:14 Oh, God, truth is we all fail, don't we? 16:19 Yep. 16:21 But from this failure, may we all learn 16:27 to live together in Jesus 16:30 right now. 16:33 Amen. 16:35 Once upon a time, the church that Jesus built, 16:38 and then died for, and then rose for 16:41 and returned to heaven for, 16:43 the church was divided. 16:46 You have the Jewish Christians here. 16:48 You have the Gentile Christians here. 16:53 First of all, it was the Hellenists 16:54 or the Greek widows 16:56 who were complaining to the Jewish leaders 16:57 of the newly established Christian community and church, 17:01 that they are being ignored in the distribution of food. 17:05 And so the brethren, that would be the apostles 17:07 and the elders gathered together. 17:11 And actually, under the inspiration 17:12 of the Spirit, devise a most ingenious solution, 17:16 a food delivery system, 17:18 a love on the move system called deacons. 17:21 And it was a smashing success. 17:24 And then an angel showed up to Peter 17:27 and instructed him to go to, get this, 17:30 a Gentile pagan Roman centurion's home, 17:36 and teach that family the gospel. 17:39 And wouldn't you know it? 17:41 When Peter stands in Cornelius's ornate mansion, 17:47 the Holy Spirit pours himself out, 17:50 pours himself out on those unclean Gentiles 17:53 the same way he had already poured himself out 17:56 on the Jewish brethren in the upper room in Pentecost. 18:00 My, my, my! 18:02 What is going on in the church? 18:05 And then Paul and Barnabas come back 18:06 from that missionary tour through Asia Minor 18:09 that we relived last Sabbath. 18:11 And they are telling stories about Gentiles coming in 18:15 and Gentiles and Gentiles and Gentiles becoming followers 18:19 of Jesus Christ. 18:20 Hallelujah. 18:23 Well, the brethren in Jerusalem decide we have got 18:26 to have a church council, 18:28 because there were some of the brethren 18:30 who were declaring that unless these new Gentile believers 18:36 become circumcised, and that's a little action 18:39 on the outside of a male, 18:41 unless these new Gentile members become circumcised, 18:45 they cannot be full-fledged card carrying Christians. 18:49 No way, Jose. 18:51 But there was another group of the brethren that said, 18:53 "Wait a minute, wait a minute, of course they are." 18:56 So it was a big deal that gathering 18:59 in the city of Jerusalem. 19:02 First they heard the stories from Paul and Barnabas. 19:04 Then Peter gets up and tells the story about Cornelius 19:07 all over again. 19:09 And after hearing all the stories, 19:10 James who's the numero uno of the brethren, 19:14 he's the head. 19:17 James gets up and says quiet, quiet. 19:21 You know what? 19:22 We must not make it so hard for the Gentiles 19:24 to come into the church of our Lord. 19:27 So I recommend these three concessions. 19:31 We will limit our requirements to one abstaining 19:34 from food offered to idols and two, 19:38 abstaining from sexual immorality, and three, 19:41 eating only kosher that's no blood in it meat. 19:47 And all the people prayed. 19:49 And then they said amen. 19:51 And the word went out. 19:53 We've entered a new era in the life of the church. 19:57 A few months later, 19:59 after Paul and Barnabas have returned to Antioch 20:01 that church plant that very hybrid church plant, 20:04 which is half Jewish Christian 20:06 and half Gentile Christian. 20:08 A few months later, Peter, 20:10 one of the brethren comes up from Jerusalem to the city. 20:15 They're in northern Syria. 20:18 And oh, Peter, remember now 20:19 Peter at the Jerusalem Council has made it clear 20:22 defending Gentile Christians' right to join the church. 20:26 And so Peter sits down 20:27 with these new Gentile Christian members, 20:30 and he eats with them. 20:32 And he laughs with them, and he prays with them, 20:34 and he tells stories of Jesus with them. 20:37 He just loved fellow shipping with those new saints. 20:42 But then, dun, dun, dun. 20:47 Then unexpectedly, 20:51 a delegation from the brethren in Jerusalem 20:54 shows up. 20:58 And the moment Peter sees it, 21:02 they're probably from the circumcision party. 21:04 They're probably from the Pharisee party 21:07 of the new Christian church. 21:09 And the moment Peter sees them, 21:13 he slips away, he slips away 21:17 from the Gentile Christians and now only fellowships 21:21 with the Jewish Christians, 21:23 and Paul saw it all. 21:27 And he's not going to sit still. 21:29 Open your Bible with me 21:31 to that dramatic story. 21:32 Galatians Chapter 2, 21:33 come on, find it in your Bible. 21:35 It's on your lap right now. 21:36 Pull that Bible out on your device. 21:38 Galatians Chapter 2, 21:39 you got to see it to believe it. 21:40 This is 2:11, drop down to verse 11. 21:44 I'll be in the New International Version 21:46 as we begin reading here. 21:49 Galatians 2:11, 21:50 "And when Cephas came to Antioch..." 21:53 Now Cephas is Peter's Aramaic nickname. 21:57 It's not a crazy name. 21:59 It just meant stone like Peter does, 22:00 rock. 22:02 So we can read, "When Peter came to Antioch," 22:06 Paul's writing here," I opposed him to his face, 22:09 because he stood condemned. 22:12 For before certain men came from James, 22:14 he used to eat with the Gentiles. 22:16 But when they arrived, he began to draw back 22:19 and separate himself from the Gentiles 22:21 because he was afraid of those 22:22 who belong to the circumcision group. 22:25 The other Jews joined Peter in his hypocrisy, 22:28 so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas," 22:32 I'm talking about my friend Barnabas, 22:34 "even Barnabas was led astray. 22:36 And when I saw that they were not acting in line 22:38 with the truth of the gospel, oh boy, 22:40 I said to Peter, in front of them all, 22:43 'You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile 22:46 and not like a Jew. 22:47 So how was it then that you force the Gentiles 22:51 to follow Jewish customs?" 22:53 Come on, Pete. 22:55 That's exactly what you're modeling, 22:57 you are enjoying, you were enjoying fellowship 22:59 without racial or religious segregation. 23:01 But as soon as this delegation shows up from the brethren, 23:05 you turn tail, 23:07 what's going on here? 23:10 And by the way, by that act, it appears that 23:12 you are now telling the Gentile Christians, 23:14 you cannot have full fellowship with us 23:17 unless you are circumcised like the rest of us. 23:20 Shame on you, Peter. 23:23 Wow! It was a... 23:26 Come on, we all can imagine it was a painful moment for Peter, 23:30 a painful moment for Paul, for Barnabas, 23:33 and for everybody in that room 23:34 when Paul is led by the Holy Spirit 23:36 to call a spade a spade. 23:40 And stands up for what is right. 23:43 But let's be honest, 23:45 the brethren are as mortal as you and I are. 23:50 And at the end of a long day, 23:52 when they take off their sandals, 23:54 they have feet of clay, just like you and me, 23:57 meaning they carry the same weaknesses 24:02 and foibles we all carry. 24:05 And that's why by the way, 24:06 we love the brethren, 24:08 I love the brethren because they're just like me, 24:10 they're just like you. 24:12 How to live with the brethren? 24:15 Let me share with you now five vital ways 24:18 from Paul himself and his life 24:22 and how you and I might live with the church leaders, 24:24 how we might respond to our church leaders, 24:27 how we might get along and sometimes not get along 24:29 so well with our church leaders, 24:31 five how to's. 24:33 Let's share them right now. 24:35 How to number one, you must know who you are, 24:40 begins with you. 24:41 Paul knows who he is. 24:42 In fact, let's read this line from 1 Corinthians 15:9-10. 24:48 Paul writes to his church plant in Corinth for, 24:51 hey, listen guys, I remind you, 24:53 I am the least of the apostles 24:55 and I do not even deserve to be called an apostle 24:57 because I persecuted the church of God. 25:00 Yes, I did. 25:01 But by the grace of God who has forgiven me, 25:03 I am what I am. 25:06 And his grace to me was not without effect. 25:09 No, I worked harder than all of them, 25:11 yet not I but the grace of God 25:14 that was in me. 25:16 I am what I am. 25:19 Let me just let that line hang in front of you and me 25:21 because I need to get this as well. 25:23 By the grace of God, I am what I am. 25:27 There is no more secure position in life 25:30 than to be yourself. 25:32 Please. 25:34 It is a man, it is a woman, 25:36 it is a teen 25:37 who is always trying so hard to be like someone else 25:39 that is the most insecure human in our bunch right now. 25:44 Yeah, of course, sometimes our parents, 25:49 and we love our parents, 25:50 and we seek to please our parents as we should. 25:53 But sometimes our parents want us to go one way. 25:57 And but there's something deep inside of us. 25:58 And we even think it might be the Spirit of God 26:01 inside of us says, no, no, no, no, 26:02 you need to go this way. 26:05 Only you and God can decide what you were wired to be. 26:08 What Paul is reminding us 26:09 is that by the grace of God, I am what I am. 26:12 I was wired this way. 26:13 I cannot be Cephas, I cannot be James, 26:17 I cannot be Barnabas, I cannot be nobody but me. 26:20 I am what I am, because I was made, 26:23 I was wired. 26:24 I have to respond to life this way. 26:26 And by the way, I want to tell you something, 26:28 if you don't show up, 26:30 listen to me carefully. 26:31 If you don't show up, I'm talking about you 26:33 that was wired a certain way 26:35 and you're fighting your wiring right now. 26:37 You're fighting it. 26:38 You're letting others tell you no, no, no, 26:40 you can't be what you're wired to be. 26:42 If you don't show up, 26:43 nobody will have what you have. 26:48 Because like snowflakes, the Creator of us all 26:51 makes every single one of us unique. 26:55 And if you don't show up, 26:56 we'll never have a Milan ever, ever, ever. 27:00 I read a story once about a rabbi, 27:03 a rabbi named Ben Ezra. 27:05 And this was so appreciate that I scribbled it down. 27:08 Ben Ezra, Ben Ezra wrote, 27:11 When I get to heaven, gave Rabbi Ben Ezra, 27:16 when I get to heaven, 27:17 God is not going to ask me, 27:19 why weren't you more like Moses? 27:23 No, God is gonna ask me. 27:25 Why weren't you more like Ben Ezra? 27:29 Have you been spending your life personally, 27:33 or professionally trying to be like somebody else? 27:36 Quit the charade. 27:38 You were wired to be who you are right now. 27:41 By the grace of God, I am what I am. 27:46 And I thank God for it. 27:49 Now the brethren, I love the brethren, 27:50 some of my best friends are brethren. 27:54 The brethren once in a while over the course 27:56 of my short life have been in touch with me. 27:59 They say, hey, Dwight, we want you to here. 28:02 Hey, Dwight, we want you over there. 28:04 Hey, Dwight, come and be with us. 28:07 And I'm always honored. 28:08 And I always say, thank you, no. 28:12 You know why? 28:14 Because I'm not that. 28:16 I'm a little pastor evangelist. 28:19 That's all I know how to do. 28:22 And so that's all I'm going to do. 28:24 By the grace of God, I am what I am, 28:27 and I thank God. 28:29 You can say the same by the grace of God, 28:32 I am what I am, and I thank God. 28:34 There's nobody like you in the world. 28:35 If you don't show up, we will miss you forever, 28:39 because God will never repeat it. 28:41 He never repeat it, like the bells. 28:42 This was beautiful by the way, wasn't it? 28:44 This was beautiful. 28:46 You take if just one of those bells, 28:48 if you take just one of these bells, okay? 28:54 If we have everybody that plays this note, 28:57 if everybody plays this note, 28:59 this is the most boring music on earth. 29:03 You got to have another one, you got to have another one 29:05 and you got to have another one. 29:07 If one of those does not show up, 29:09 we don't have complete music. 29:11 Am I telling the truth or what? 29:13 Of course, by the grace of God. 29:17 I'm this note. 29:19 And I'm part, I'm part of a choir 29:23 of friends of Jesus as we just sang, 29:25 I am a friend of God. 29:27 I'm a part of a choir, 29:28 a bell choir that covers this planet 29:31 and every note is crucial 29:34 for the music to be complete. 29:38 Okay, five ways, five how to's. 29:42 Deliver the brethren. 29:43 Number one, you must know who you are. 29:46 Number two, respect your leaders. 29:48 Scribble that down in your mind. 29:50 And so Paul does here in Galatia. 29:51 In fact, the story that we just read in the opening 29:54 all around it are these verses, 29:56 I put them on the screen for you, 29:57 Galatians 1:10, 29:58 "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings 30:00 or of God?" 30:02 I don't want to prove, I don't want to... 30:04 I don't need your approval, I need only God's, 30:06 that's what Paul is saying. 30:07 It's a good way to live. 30:09 "Or am I trying to please people?" 30:10 We got a lot of people pleasers in this culture. 30:14 You don't have to be. 30:16 "Or am I trying to please people? 30:17 If I were still trying to please people, 30:19 I would not be a servant of Christ." 30:21 Keep reading. 30:22 "As for those who were held in high esteem, 30:24 whatever they were makes no difference to me, 30:26 God doesn't show favoritism." 30:28 If you're this part of the brethren 30:30 or this part or not even part of the brethren at all, 30:32 God doesn't care. 30:33 "God does not show favoritism. 30:36 They added nothing to my message." 30:38 Keep reading. 30:39 "James, Cephas and John..." 30:41 Now this is not James, the brother of John. 30:42 He's been beheaded. He's dead. 30:44 He was the first of the disciples to be martyred. 30:46 This is James the stepbrother of Jesus, 30:48 James, Peter and John. 30:51 Well, we know John boy, of course. 30:53 "These esteemed as pillars gave me and Barnabas 30:57 the right hand of fellowship 30:58 when they recognize the grace given to me. 31:00 They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, 31:02 and they should go to the circumcised." 31:04 Anybody have a problem with that? 31:06 Not at all. 31:08 I am what I am, but I respect my leaders. 31:12 In fact, there'll be an episode 31:17 where Paul will be arrested in Jerusalem. 31:21 He will end up before the Sanhedrin, 31:24 the very judicial body 31:26 he was once a member of they hate Paul, 31:29 because he's a turncoat. 31:32 He will show up before the Sanhedrin 31:35 and when he goes on trial, 31:37 the retired high priest Ananias commands one of the guards, 31:42 slap that boy in the face. 31:45 Paul hears this man, 31:47 ask the stranger maybe a soldier nearby 31:50 slap Paul in the face and Paul turns, 31:52 Paul turns and he cries at you whitewashed wall, 31:56 God will strike you. 31:58 And somebody said, "Don't you know 32:00 that's the high priest." 32:02 Paul immediately apologizes, 32:05 "My lord, I've made a mistake." 32:07 Watch this. I'm not making this up. 32:09 This is in the trial, Acts 23:5, 32:10 "Paul replied, 'Hey, brothers, 32:12 I did not realize that he was the high priest, 32:15 for it is written in Exodus 22, 32:18 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" 32:22 Let me iso that line 32:23 so that it hangs in front of your comprehending mind 32:26 for a moment, do not speak evil 32:28 about the leader of your people. 32:30 I'm going to tell you the truth. 32:32 I have sought to live by that lie, 32:34 by that line in my ministry. 32:39 Do not speak evil about the leader of your people. 32:41 Only the line I learned it's identical to it. 32:44 But it happened in the Old Testament. 32:45 And David is hiding in a cave with his gorilla warriors. 32:50 And Saul, King Saul. 32:53 Paul, whose name was Saul 32:55 was named after the first king of Israel. 32:57 Saul comes into this cave to relieve himself, 33:00 and David is there. 33:02 And his guerrilla warriors are there, this is the chance. 33:05 Saul comes in and David doesn't flinch. 33:10 Emotions is made, don't move. 33:13 And finally Saul leaves. 33:15 And they said, "Master, what are you thinking? 33:18 This guy has, is out to destroy you. 33:20 And you could have taken him out 33:22 and ended this bitter war." 33:24 And David's reply, and this is what I memorize 33:26 to my young ministry. 33:28 David's reply, "How can I put forth my hand 33:33 and touch the anointed. 33:36 I will not touch the anointed." 33:38 And I made that the motto of my life for the brethren, 33:41 any leader, any leader, 33:44 I will not put forth my hand 33:47 and touch the anointed. 33:50 Jesus says, if you have something against somebody, 33:55 you go to him, you go to her 34:00 and you tell her privately your concern. 34:05 I will not publicly or privately 34:08 take a leader down verbally, 34:11 or any other way. 34:13 I know that's uncomfortable. 34:15 And I sat in a group once it was tearing apart a leader 34:17 who was not present. 34:18 My philosophy is if the leader is not here, 34:20 if she is not here, 34:21 if he is not here, 34:23 we're not talking about him. 34:24 You can ask my staff, get him in a corner, 34:26 say tell me the truth. 34:28 That's the truth. 34:29 If you're not in the room, we don't talk about you. 34:32 If you're a leader raised up by God, 34:35 I don't wanna stretch forth my hand 34:37 and touch the Lord's anointed. 34:41 You know, what happens, don't you? 34:44 It is a coward to intimidate to speak up 34:48 to leaders that tears down that leader 34:50 when the leader is not presence. 34:53 That's coward that's doing that. 34:56 Don't be a coward. 34:57 Matthew 18 says, you got something, go. 35:00 Take care of it. 35:03 Wow. Respect your leaders. 35:06 And by the way, if you're going to respect your leaders, 35:07 I do hope you'll pray for them. 35:08 I do. 35:10 I'm at the bottom of the food chain. 35:12 So I start up way at the top. 35:14 And I know the leader and his wife and I go down, 35:16 I go down every level 35:18 and I pray for the leader and his wife, 35:19 the leader and his wife, the leader and his wife 35:21 all the way down to me 35:22 and then I pray for the leader on this campus as well, 35:24 that's no big deal. 35:26 But I have found 35:27 that if you're praying for somebody, 35:29 you are less likely to tear them 35:32 apart and criticize them privately. 35:36 Pray for your leaders. 35:37 That's what it means to respect your leader. 35:39 All right. 35:42 There're three of these. 35:44 Here comes number three, you must know who you are. 35:46 Number one, respect your leaders. 35:48 Number two, number three, 35:49 stand up for what you believe is right. 35:53 No matter who the leader is. 35:55 That's what Paul does with Peter, 35:57 believing rightfully that Peter's example 35:58 will destroy the power of the gospel 36:00 they have been preaching. 36:01 And when Barnabas is led astray, 36:03 it just blows Paul's mind and breaks his heart. 36:08 N.T. Wright in that marvelous biography of Paul, 36:11 captures the moment when Paul says in Galatians, 36:14 even Barnabas, watch this. 36:18 Here's Wright dealing with it. 36:19 "The lasting shock of this moment is concentrated 36:21 in Paul's use of the word even. 36:24 There is pain in that word, 36:26 like someone trying to take a step on a foot 36:28 with a broken bone in it. 36:30 Even Barnabas! Barnabas had been with Paul 36:34 through the joys and trials of the mission in Galatia. 36:36 They had shared everything, 36:38 they had prayed and worked and celebrated 36:41 and suffered side by side. 36:43 They had themselves welcomed many non-Jews into the family. 36:48 And now this," 36:49 Barnabas goes slinking away following Peter. 36:57 Heartbroken, even Barnabas. 37:02 Paul has to speak up. 37:03 Because if you must, because you must stand up 37:05 for what you believe. 37:07 If you don't speak up, 37:08 if you don't stand up, who will? 37:11 Everybody's waiting for you, you might as well do it. 37:14 Speak up, stand up for what you believe. 37:19 In this day and age in which the culture wars 37:21 of America have pitted the wealthy against the poor, 37:24 the resident against the immigrant, 37:26 the insider against the outsider, 37:28 the white against the black, 37:30 the male against the female, 37:31 somebody has to become a voice for the voiceless, 37:35 for the disenfranchised, for the marginalized, 37:37 for the alienated and that somebody is you, 37:40 speak up. 37:44 Be that voice for God 37:46 and stand up for what you believe is right. 37:49 Number four, 37:50 disagree agreeably. 37:55 Paul wrote these words, was it Ephesians 4:29. 37:59 Good counsel by the way. 38:01 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, 38:06 but only what is helpful for building others up 38:08 according to their needs that it may benefit 38:11 those who listen." 38:13 Listen, never say in the morning, 38:16 or in the afternoon what you will regret 38:19 when you crawl into bed at night. 38:23 Just don't say it. 38:25 You're no hero. 38:28 Just don't say it. 38:31 And your conscience will tell you 38:32 whether to say it or not, trust the Holy Spirit. 38:37 We will not always agree, I get it. 38:39 But we must always be agreeable. 38:42 Paul and Barnabas fall apart over the decision, 38:45 we let John Mark come back onto our team or not? 38:49 Paul says, no way after that, 38:52 that boy who couldn't stand the heat, 38:54 who can't stand hardship. 38:56 No, we're not letting him back on the team. 38:57 Barnabas says, "Come on, Paul, 38:59 give me a break that he's just a boy. 39:01 He's maturing, he'll be..." 39:03 No, yes. 39:04 No, yes. 39:06 It gets so intense that this word is, 39:09 this word is actually in the Bible, 39:11 Acts 15:39. "They had such a sharp, 39:17 such a sharp disagreement that they parted company." 39:21 And as far as we know, 39:22 they never worked together again. 39:28 It's okay. 39:31 Jesus says it's okay to disagree. 39:35 But disagree in an agreeable way. 39:39 Treat each other like you'd want to be treated. 39:42 Finally, number five. 39:46 You must know who you are. 39:50 You want to picture that screen you'll have these five, 39:53 you must know who you are, number one. 39:56 Number two, respect your leaders. 39:59 Number three, 40:00 stand up for what you believe is right. 40:02 Number four, disagree agreeably. 40:05 And finally, number five, 40:07 follow the Leader and notice the L is capitalized. 40:12 Because we come to this heartbreaking story. 40:16 Most people ignore it. 40:18 But not a little book called Sketches on the Life of Paul, 40:22 the veil is pulled aside and we see dynamics 40:26 that we can easily recognize ourselves. 40:30 It's one of the saddest stories in Paul's life. 40:33 What happened to him when he went 40:35 to all these Gentile church plants 40:37 that he has personally planted along with his sidekicks? 40:42 And he says, "Guys, 40:43 they're having this devastating famine in Jerusalem. 40:47 The brethren are there. 40:49 Let's take an offering for them." 40:51 Now, Paul's intention is by the Gentile Christians 40:53 doing this act of grace, this act of love, 40:56 it will win the hearts, 40:58 it will move the brethren and they'll say you know what? 41:02 They're part of the family like us. 41:06 That's what Paul is hoping and praying. 41:07 But guess what happens when he walks into Jerusalem? 41:11 We'll let sketches take over from this point on. 41:15 Let me put it on the screen for you. 41:16 Fills in the blanks of a very sad, sad story. 41:20 Sketches from the Life of Paul. 41:21 "The Spirit of God impressed the minds of the brethren," 41:24 there it is, "and affected their hearts 41:27 as they listen to Paul's report," 41:29 as he's given the offering. 41:32 "But beneath this apparent harmony, prejudice 41:35 and dissatisfaction were still smoldering." 41:39 Fire hasn't gone out. 41:41 "Some in the church were still striving 41:44 to mold Christianity after their old customs 41:47 and ceremonies that were to pass away 41:49 at the death of Christ." 41:53 Isn't that amazing? 41:55 The church is still the same, 41:57 2000 years, 41:59 we have not changed. 42:02 What you're talking about? 42:04 Oh, it says here, some are still trying 42:05 to preserve the old customs and ceremonies. 42:07 The truth is, we still have a hard time 42:10 in letting those customs and ceremonies go. 42:15 I think of the church today, 42:17 relying upon ancient customs 42:18 and traditions to defend practice that remands 42:22 a segment of its members 42:23 from sharing in the ministry of the gospel. 42:25 No, no, no, no, no, you, you can't serve that way. 42:29 That's only for us. 42:31 You cannot serve that way. 42:33 That's for us. 42:38 "The elders of the church had been at fault 42:41 in allowing themselves to be influenced 42:43 by the enemies of the apostles." 42:46 The Sanhedrin and its spies, they've colored 42:48 the whole brethren in Jerusalem. 42:52 "Now was the golden opportunity," 42:54 at the end of Paul's report, 42:55 "for these leading men to frankly confess 42:58 that they had been wronged, 43:00 that God had wrought through Paul, 43:03 and that they were wrong in permitting the reports 43:06 of his enemies to create jealousy and prejudice 43:09 against him." 43:10 Oftentimes, the debates of the church 43:13 are about jealousy and pride. 43:15 Not every time. 43:17 Of course not. 43:19 That's what took down Paul, 43:22 jealousy, prejudice. 43:27 We can't change now. 43:31 And instead, what happens? 43:34 James, the stepbrother of Jesus, 43:36 the leader of the brethren, 43:38 sets Paul up to have to compromise 43:42 his strong conviction that Mosaic Law 43:44 was no longer binding on the church. 43:46 Paul, thank you so much for everything you've done. 43:49 Listen, we have a little something 43:51 we need you to do. 43:52 Just go through some of those old purification rites, 43:54 you know, the Mosaic Law, 43:57 will take you about seven days, 43:58 it won't cost you much. 43:59 Just do it. 44:01 Let everybody out there know you're not down on Moses. 44:04 Okay? 44:06 And Paul, so longing 44:10 to accommodate the brethren says okay. 44:19 Sketches again. 44:21 "But the advice given by James to Paul was not consistent 44:25 with what that decision in Acts 15 had decided. 44:28 The Spirit of God did not prompt this advice. 44:31 It was the fruit of cowardice." 44:37 Cowardice. 44:39 The brethren were afraid of the political consequences. 44:44 And so in a political maneuver, 44:47 for the sake of political expediency, 44:49 the brethren convinced this intrepid warrior 44:52 for Christ to compromise his strong conviction, 44:55 all because the brethren were afraid 44:58 of what the people might say. 45:04 And the authorities might do. 45:07 And Paul, God bless him, 45:10 was willing to go along, 45:13 hoping that they might then change their ways 45:16 and amend their strategy, 45:18 so that the full church could participate 45:23 in the life of the church. 45:30 "Paul felt that if he could by any lawful concession 45:33 on his part win the brethren to the truth, 45:36 he would remove a very great obstacle 45:39 to the success of the gospel in other places." 45:42 So he compromises his own conviction, 45:45 but he was, listen to this. 45:48 No punches pull for you to side. 45:50 "But he was not authorized of God 45:53 to concede so much as they had asked. 45:57 His advisers were not infallible." 46:00 Now keep reading. 46:02 "Though some of these men wrote 46:04 under the inspiration of the Spirit of God..." 46:06 Hit the pause button right there. 46:07 Okay, who in the brethren in that room, 46:11 who would write under the inspiration of God? 46:12 Well, that would be Peter for sure. 46:14 Right? Peter. 46:15 That would be James and we have a book 46:17 of the New Testament named after James, 46:19 the stepbrother. 46:20 Jude, the other stepbrother of Jesus 46:22 has also a book in the Bible. 46:24 John boy who was one of the try, 46:27 try leaders, leadership team, 46:31 John boy who wrote the gospel 46:33 and Revelation. 46:37 Oh, my, what's going on here? Keep reading. 46:38 "Though some of these men wrote 46:40 under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, 46:42 yet when not under its direct influence 46:46 they sometimes erred." 46:49 And now we know that you can be an inspired writer. 46:54 And when you're not under the inspiration of the spirit, 46:58 give poor counsel. 47:01 Every word is not inspired. 47:03 It wasn't of Peter, it wasn't of James, 47:05 it wasn't of John, 47:06 it isn't anybody else you might think 47:08 of that you consider an inspired writer. 47:14 I didn't say that. 47:20 They were wrong. 47:23 Cowardice held them back and the church was set back 47:27 by these beloved leaders called the brethren. 47:31 In fact, after Paul was arrested. 47:34 At the end of the seven days, 47:35 they should have known this is the most recognizable face 47:36 in the Roman Empire right now. 47:38 This guy's gone to every major city he's shown up 47:41 everybody knows, there's no social media, 47:42 but they know this face and he was spotted. 47:46 He almost lost his life. 47:50 There was a plot to assassinate him on the way to court. 47:59 After Paul was arrested, and he came, 48:01 and he comes this close to being executed. 48:06 There's little angle here that only Sketches points out. 48:09 And I thought you might need to know. 48:12 "When Peter had been made a prisoner 48:15 and condemned to death, 48:17 the brethren had offered earnest prayer to God day 48:20 and night for his deliverance." 48:22 That's Acts Chapter 12. 48:25 "But no such interest was manifested in behalf of Paul, 48:30 who was looked upon as an apostate for Moses, 48:32 a teacher of dangerous doctrines. 48:35 It was not to the elders whose counsel had brought him 48:39 into this dangerous position that Paul owed his escape 48:44 from a violent death." 48:45 They did not pray for him, 48:48 jealousy and pride. 48:51 We haven't changed at all. 48:56 They didn't even pray for him. 48:59 This champion without whom you and I 49:03 would not be here today. 49:06 We would not be here. 49:07 There's not a Jew in this building. 49:11 It took somebody to break out of the old customs 49:14 and traditions and say no, 49:17 let them in. 49:19 Let them in. 49:23 And yet guess what? 49:24 Paul forgave the brethren. 49:29 Turns out, it's a prayer of the cross, 49:31 Father forgive them, 49:34 for they don't know 49:35 what they are doing. 49:40 The prayer of Calvary, 49:42 bloodstain pressed from the agonizing heart 49:47 of the Savior Himself before He died. 49:50 That prayer of Calvary for forgiveness was for you. 49:54 That prayer of Calvary for forgiveness is for me. 49:57 And that prayer from Calvary is for the brethren today. 50:02 He forgave us all. 50:04 Jesus forgave us all. 50:09 It's why Paul could forgive. 50:16 When you can always follow a leader 50:18 you can and must follow the capital L, Leader. 50:22 Don't follow me. 50:23 I'm a part of the brethren now. 50:25 Don't follow me. 50:28 You follow the capital L, Leader. 50:30 That's who you follow. 50:32 Paul makes the point himself in 1 Corinthians 11:1, 50:35 "Follow my example, 50:37 as I follow the example of Christ." 50:41 Follow the Leader. 50:43 And what is the mindset of a Leader, 50:45 the capital L, Leader? 50:46 Last line before I sit down, Philippians 2, 50:49 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 50:53 who made Himself nothing 50:55 by taking the very nature of a servant." 50:57 You want to be a servant leader, 50:59 then this is what you do. 51:02 "Jesus who humbled Himself 51:06 and became obedient to death, 51:09 even the death of the cross." 51:13 Follow the leader, the capital L, Leader. 51:17 Follow the Leader. 51:19 And by the way, when you do, 51:22 it will always lead you 51:26 to the cross 51:28 as we will find out next week. 51:31 Let us pray. 51:33 Oh, God, 51:36 give us the heart of Jesus 51:38 that we might love all, we might forgive all, 51:43 we might embrace all, 51:45 and we might unite with all in the high calling 51:48 of this hour at the end of human history. 51:52 We cannot go to heaven divided and we won't. 51:56 So grant us the capital L, Leader's grace, 52:02 to follow Him. 52:04 We pray in His name. 52:08 Amen. 52:09 Amen. 52:12 Connect Paul 6 please to this number 52:15 for your electronic Connect card 52:17 269-281-2345. 52:20 When you do, you'll find these next steps. 52:24 Number one, I want to follow the leader capital L, Leader, 52:27 even if it means to the cross, of course, I do too. 52:30 I put a check mark there. 52:32 Number two, I will pray for the brethren 52:34 by name and position. 52:36 I invite you to do that please. 52:38 Love them through your prayers. 52:39 And finally, number three, 52:41 I want to follow Jesus in baptism. 52:43 Some of you are thinking, 52:44 baptism is the next step for me. 52:46 Good for you. 52:49 269-281-2345, 52:51 it's all you have to do is text, 52:53 Paul 6 to that number. 52:56 And then you check. I want to be baptized. 52:59 I want to be a leader like Jesus. 53:02 I am who I am by His grace 53:03 and by His grace I will live for Him 53:06 till He comes. 53:07 Amen. Come on singers, lead us in that song. 53:14 We invite you all to stand 53:16 as we sing the last song. 53:41 Make us one, 53:45 Make us one 53:50 Your will be done 53:55 Make us one 54:19 One with the Father 54:21 One with the Spirit 54:23 One with the Son of God 54:28 One with our sister 54:30 One with our brother 54:32 One family by the blood 54:35 Make us one, 54:40 Make us one 54:44 Your will be done 54:49 Make us one 55:03 One heart with heaven 55:06 One mind connected 55:08 One body unified 55:13 Bind us together now and forever 55:17 Jesus be glorified 55:20 Make us one, 55:25 Make us one 55:29 Your will be done, 55:34 Make us one 55:38 Make us one, 55:42 Make us one 55:47 Your will be done, 55:51 Make us one 55:57 We confess all our offenses 55:59 We confess we've been afraid 56:01 We repent of all our pride 56:04 Let all the hurt be washed away 56:06 For all the wars and violence 56:08 Against our enemy 56:10 Come heal our land With Your great river 56:13 Restore the family and make us one 56:18 Make us one 56:23 Your will be done 56:27 Make us one 56:32 Make us one, 56:36 Make us one 56:40 Oh, make us one 56:45 Make us one 56:49 Let Your kingdom come 56:53 Make us one 56:58 Oh, make us one 57:07 We've been really blessed by the financial support 57:09 that comes from our viewers, 57:11 and we've made a conscious decision 57:12 not to continually appeal to you for that support. 57:16 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, 57:18 we're needing to make constant upgrades to our technology. 57:22 So if God has blessed you 57:23 and you'd like to further the work of this ministry, 57:25 we invite you to partner with us. 57:27 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:30 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission 57:32 of blessing your community and our world. 57:35 You can donate on our website, newperceptions.tv 57:38 or call the number. 57:39 You know the number 877-HIS-WILL. 57:42 Again, that number is 877, 57:44 the two words HIS-WILL. 57:46 And may the God who has blessed you 57:48 continue to pour into your life 57:49 the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:52 Thank you. 57:54 And I'm looking forward to seeing you, 57:55 right here, again, next time. |
Revised 2022-01-06