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You're listening to Key Life 
Fellowships Pulpit ministry 

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podcast. 
We thank you for tuning in as we

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learn from God's Word together. 
If you would like more 

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information regarding Key Life 
or to speak with one of our 

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pastors, please visit us at 
keylifefellow-ship.com. 

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Amen. 
We sing a song. 

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It speaks of being satisfied in 
Christ and in Christ alone. 

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I think it appropriate to ask 
that question. 

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Are you satisfied in Christ 
alone? 

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I'm not asking you to give me an
applause, though I appreciate 

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it. 
I'm asking you to really ask 

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yourself that question. 
If you were to look into your 

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life, does your life show that 
you're satisfied in Christ 

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alone? 
We can all come into a church 

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service. 
We can all sing a catchy tune. 

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May we be challenged by the 
words of these songs. 

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Maybe ask ourselves the 
difficult questions that many 

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nominal only professing 
Christians are afraid to ask 

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themselves. 
Are you really satisfied in 

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Christ alone? 
If everything else was stripped 

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from you this very day, would 
you still clap? 

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Would you still say woo Hoo? 
Would you still say Amen? 

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You truly find satisfaction in 
Christ? 

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I pray that you do. 
If you have your Bibles, if you 

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would turn to First Timothy 
chapter 3, we will continue our 

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study and looking at the 
pastoral epistles. 

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Paul has been giving 
instructions to the church thus 

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far. 
He will continue to give 

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instructions after our message 
today and give us great wisdom 

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and how to handle not only the 
affairs of our lives, but the 

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the affairs and the dealings of 
the church. 

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And today we're going to 
specifically see Paul, Paul take

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a pause here from the 
instructions that he has been 

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pouring out to. 
But Timothy and those who will 

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be reading this letter know that
there is a point to what he is 

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saying, to know that there is a 
reason for these specific 

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instructions and he's. 
Eager to teach them that. 

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And we should be eager to teach 
that, shouldn't we? 

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Those of us who are teachers, 
right. 

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We shouldn't just teach and and 
throw out a bunch of words, 

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salad and Christianese just for 
the sake of doing it. 

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There ought to be reason for our
instruction. 

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Paul's going to give specific 
reason for his instructions. 

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He's going to tell them things 
that I've been telling you and 

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the things that I'm going to 
tell you. 

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These, these are not just me 
talking. 

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He's not Charlie Brown's 
teacher, right? 

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Just wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. 
No, he is saying specific things

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for a specific reason. 
We're going to see what that 

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reason is, and it's very 
important that we see that so 

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that we don't think that, well, 
maybe this just doesn't apply to

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us. 
You know, we're not Timothy, and

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we're not believers in Ephesus, 
and things are different now. 

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But may we see this so that 
we'll know exactly what this 

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means to us and for us. 
What are the reasons for Paul's 

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instructions? 
First Timothy, chapter 3. 

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We jump in very quickly because 
we have a lot of ground to cover

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Verse 14, as we look at the last
few verses of this chapter that 

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I hope you have learned 
something in as we've looked in 

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this chapter at the roles of the
overseers and the deacons as 

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they lead in the church and as 
they serve in the church. 

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But he says this in verse 14. 
He says, Although I hope to come

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to you soon, I am writing you 
these instructions so that if I 

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am delayed you will know how 
people ought to conduct 

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themselves in God's household, 
which is the Church of the 

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living God, the pillar and 
foundation of the truth. 

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Beyond all question. 
The mystery of godliness is 

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great. 
He appeared in a body, was 

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vindicated by the Spirit, was 
seen by angels, was preached 

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among the nations, was believed 
on in the world. 

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Was taken up to glory. 
Let's pray together. 

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Father, in the name of Jesus, we
thank you for your word. 

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We thank you for what you're 
going to teach us in your word 

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today As we see these truths 
poured out the reasons for 

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Paul's instructions that he's 
giving to Timothy that would be 

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given to the church not only 
there in Ephesus, but throughout

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the ages. 
God, may we pay close attention 

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to these instructions. 
May these instructions impact 

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our lives and affect our service
to you. 

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May we rejoice truly and knowing
Christ and being a part of His 

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plan on this earth as His 
Church. 

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God, I pray for the unbeliever 
who's here today who is outside 

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of the church, although they be 
inside of the walls here today. 

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They are outside of fellowship 
and communion with you because 

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they are outside of Christ. 
They are in their sin. 

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They are alienated from God. 
They are cut off from all things

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that are lovely and holy and 
righteous. 

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God, I pray today that by your 
mercy you would rescue them from

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their sin, the penalty therein, 
and you would draw them unto 

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Christ for salvation this 
morning, bringing them in to 

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fellowship with you, fellowship 
with your Son, fellowship for 

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all eternity, forgiving them, 
cleansing them of all their sin 

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and granting them the eternal 
life that you died for them to 

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have. 
God, may we, we be careful as we

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study your word to apply it to 
our lives and live it for your 

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glory. 
We pray these things in Christ's

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name, Amen. 
So Paul here in these few short 

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verses, he gets quickly to the 
point. 

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He's very clear, he's very 
simple. 

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I am writing you these things 
for a reason. 

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I want to come to you and I hope
that I get to come to you. 

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However, if I am delayed, you 
know what Paul's doing there. 

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He's not assuming that he has it
tomorrow. 

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Very wise, isn't it? 
He's actually practicing what 

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James taught the church to 
practice. 

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And that's not to say tomorrow 
I'll go here and tomorrow I'll 

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go there. 
He's not saying. 

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Hey, tomorrow I'm coming to 
Ephesus. 

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He's saying if I get to, that's 
great, I would love to. 

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That would be fine. 
I have some things I could teach

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you, but I might be delayed or 
this may never happen. 

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He was content with God's 
Providence. 

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God's will and he says, so if I 
don't make it or if I don't make

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it in a timely fashion, I want 
you to understand why you're 

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receiving this letter. 
I want you to understand why you

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are receiving these 
instructions, why I have written

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these things to you and he 
starts with this, the reasons 

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for his instructions. 
The first thing is the conduct 

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of the church. 
He says in verse 14, he says, 

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although I hope to come to you 
soon, I'm writing you these 

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instructions so that. 
If I am delayed. 

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In case I don't make it, you 
will know how people ought to 

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conduct themselves in God's 
household, which is the church. 

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Now anytime we talk about the. 
Church we, we come across a 

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dilemma, right? 
Because we have this idea, some 

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people have the idea that I'm 
the church because I'm in Christ

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and, and, and I'm the church in 
and of myself because I am the 

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temple of the Holy Spirit, God's
Spirit living in me. 

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I am blood bought, purchased by 
Christ. 

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I am the church. 
So even on the outside world, 

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I'm still the church. 
And then you have the other 

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person who says, no, the church 
is is the collective group of 

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people that Jesus has has died 
for to save. 

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And when we come together now in
this assembly, we see all these 

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these people in this 
congregation. 

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This is the church. 
And the problem is, Paul doesn't

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make either one of those. 
Mistakes. 

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He doesn't make us choose an 
either or, but he includes the 

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both. 
And did you know this? 

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You are individually the church.
You are part of the invisible 

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church because you are in 
Christ, but you were also a part

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of the church that assembles the
congregation and that that's 

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come here this morning on the 
Lord's day. 

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They come together and to 
worship the Lord and Paul's 

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going to give instructions to 
the individual believer who yes 

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is the church, but he's also 
giving instructions and going to

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continue to give instructions to
the whole the assembly which is 

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the church and so this. 
Entire letter This entire letter

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is so that the church, her 
leaders, her members, the lay 

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people, and the church as a 
whole will conduct themselves 

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the way that God intends for 
them to conduct themselves as 

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the household. 
Of God, the family of God. 

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So he's giving instructions, 
yes. 

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First, for our behavior as the 
church. 

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That means this, our individual 
behavior. 

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When you leave here today, 
you're going to be the church 

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out in the world. 
Did you know that? 

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You're representing Christ? 
You are an ambassador of Christ.

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Wherever you go, the church goes
with you. 

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Why? 
Because you belong to Christ. 

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He purchased you by his blood. 
You are a part of his church. 

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And so we need to. 
Give some thought to our 

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individual obedience and our 
Christian behavior because he's 

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going to teach much in this 
letter. 

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He's already taught some about 
men and women in the church and 

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how they're to act and how 
they're to pray. 

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But he's going to continue to 
give more instructions that will

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affect you individually. 
But we know this, the the 

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individual always affects the 
whole, doesn't it? 

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Ultimately, all of you and your 
Christian lives, if you will 

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focus on your individual 
behavior as an individual in the

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church, a Christian, one who has
been born again, one who is in 

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the body of Christ, if you will 
focus on that, then the church 

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as an assembly as a whole will 
be greater for it. 

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Is that not true? 
Of course that's true. 

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And so as members of God's 
family, he talks about 

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conducting themselves in God's 
household. 

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Don't. 
Don't you love that term, that 

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familial term, family, that we 
are all individuals who have 

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been saved from our own sin by 
the person and the work of Jesus

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Christ and were brought into 
this family, therefore our 

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individual Christian behavior? 
Is important as we read in our 

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scripture reading a moment ago. 
We're to live a life. 

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Worthy of the calling that we 
have received. 

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Meaning that we were 
individually called right to 

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leave our life of sin and to 
cling to Christ. 

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We're to live a life that's 
worthy as a member of his 

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church. 
Ephesians 51. 

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He says follow God's example. 
Therefore, as dearly loved 

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children. 
Where do we see God's example? 

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We see that example in Christ 
and those followers of Christ 

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that we see in Scripture. 
It's important that as we learn 

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to conduct ourselves as the 
church right. 

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This individual part first, that
we mimic Christ, that we see Him

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as our example. 
People ask me from time to time,

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how should I live the Christian 
life? 

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Look to Christ, look to Christ. 
He is the example of how we are 

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to live. 
He has set that in stone for us.

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That is part of the reason for 
His humanity and coming to this 

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Earth, to leave us with that 
example to continually follow, 

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and He has preserved it 
perfectly in His word. 

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So our individual obedience in 
the church is very important. 

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Colossians 312 says this 
therefore is God's chosen 

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people, right? 
That could be the individual. 

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How many? 
Of you are individually chosen, 

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how many of us are collectively 
chosen? 

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You see, it's always both. 
You were individually called out

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from your sin, you were 
individually saved, and you were

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saved as a part of the whole. 
So he says, as God's chosen 

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people, wholly and dearly loved,
clothe yourself with compassion,

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kindness, humility, gentleness, 
patience. 

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Bear with each other and forgive
one another. 

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If any of you has a grievance 
against anyone, forgive as the 

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Lord forgave you. 
And over all these virtues put 

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on love, which binds them all 
together in perfect unity. 

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How should a Christian live? 
Look at that example there. 

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Clothe yourself with those 
things. 

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Why, Those are the garments that
Christ wore. 

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That is the garment of 
righteousness. 

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That is our lives being pleasing
unto the Lord according to the 

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Word of God. 
So as members of God's family, 

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we must individually think about
our own conduct before you look 

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at the whole. 
How you fit in the hole. 

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Look at the individual, look at 
your own life. 

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I don't look at the individual 
next to you, look at your own 

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life. 
Paul is writing this letter so 

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they'll know how to conduct 
themselves as the church we're 

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going to see in a moment and in 
the church, but first as the 

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church, as those individuals who
make up the whole asking 

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ourselves difficult questions 
like. 

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Are our personal. 
Lives and our personal 

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testimonies portraying a good 
and clear reflection of Christ 

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00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:39,120
are we truly living a life 
worthy of the Lord as Paul says 

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00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,080
in Colossians chapter one verse 
10 where he says so that you 

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may. 
Live a life worthy of the Lord 

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and please Him in every way, 
bearing fruit in every good 

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word, growing in knowledge of 
God. 

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Is this happening in your life? 
Are you conducting yourselves as

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individuals the way that you 
should? 

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00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,200
Paul is saying I'm going to 
write this letter and continue 

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00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:06,480
writing this letter so that you 
can and so that you will behave 

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as the church and you will be 
obedient in your duties as the 

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parts of the body that you are, 
That you will be those stones, 

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00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,360
those living stones that that 
Peter talks about in First Peter

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00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:24,040
chapter 2. 
He says this you also like 

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00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,360
living stones, are being built 
into a spiritual house to be a 

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00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,160
holy priesthood offering 
spiritual sacrifices acceptable 

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to God through Jesus Christ. 
What is he saying there? 

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He's saying that you're being 
built into the household of God,

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00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,680
but you were being built as 
individual stones, and the 

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00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,560
individual stone has to be in 
its proper place. 

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00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,120
If it's not, did you know this 
one stone removed from a 

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00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,200
Stonewall could cause the whole 
wall to fall down? 

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00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,160
How many of you played that 
game, Jinga, right? 

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00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,960
If you move that one piece, the 
whole thing could come tumbling 

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00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,560
down. 
And so before we ever get to and

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before Paul ever addresses the 
church as a whole, we must look 

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00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,760
at the church as each 
individual, our behavior in our 

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00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,840
lives. 
Are we representing Christ as 

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00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,720
those living stones? 
Are we living our lives as true 

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temples of the Holy Spirit? 
Watch what he says in First 

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00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,160
Corinthians chapter 3. 
He says this in verse 16. 

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00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,840
Don't you know that you 
yourselves are God's temple and 

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that God's Spirit dwells in your
midst? 

265
00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,400
If anyone destroys God's temple,
God will destroy that person, 

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00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:38,200
for God's temple is sacred, and 
you together are the temple. 

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00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:39,520
You see what he's doing? 
He's talking about the 

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00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,800
individuals that make up the 
temple, and then he talks about 

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00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,240
the whole making up the temple. 
And he's saying this, that the 

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00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:47,920
individual needs to be concerned
with the fact that he is the 

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00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,120
temple of God, that he is 
representing God, that his life 

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00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,880
and his conduct ought to look 
like Christ, and that if he's 

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00:15:54,880 --> 00:16:00,880
not, you're actually affecting 
the entire body of Christ. 

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00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,400
Very strong statement. 
So when we understand that we're

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00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:09,320
the temple of the Holy Spirit as
individuals, and if each of you 

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00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,960
are the temple of the Holy 
Spirit as individuals, of 

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00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:16,080
course, what it does, it reveals
to us God's characteristic of 

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00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,360
omnipresence because he is in 
all of us all at the same time. 

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00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:24,360
Are you thankful for that? 
And it is important that we as 

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00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:29,480
individuals yield to that Holy 
Spirit in our lives so that we 

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00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:35,560
as a whole would also be the 
temple of the Holy Spirit as a 

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00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,960
church. 
So he's speaking about behavior 

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00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,320
as the church, but then he's 
also talking about behavior in 

284
00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,000
the church. 
He said, I'm giving you these 

285
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,720
instructions. 
I'm writing these things to you 

286
00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,960
so that if I'm delayed you will 
know how people, that individual

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00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:55,040
ought to conduct themselves in 
God's household, which is the 

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00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:57,120
church. 
Now he was talking about 

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00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,600
individuals who make up a 
family. 

290
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,680
Now he's talking about 
specifically the assembly. 

291
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,720
How are we to function in the 
assembly? 

292
00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,359
Paul is saying, I've written 
these things and I am writing 

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00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,359
these things so that you can 
conduct yourselves as you 

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00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:13,240
should. 
He has just taught us about how 

295
00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,160
are overseers supposed to be? 
What are they supposed to do? 

296
00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:18,599
What are their lives supposed to
look at? 

297
00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,960
What are deacons supposed to do 
and to be? 

298
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,920
What do their lives look like 
and what should they look like? 

299
00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,040
How are they to operate and 
function in the church? 

300
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,120
He's already gone over these 
things and he's gone over these 

301
00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:31,200
things. 
So as the whole, as the 

302
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,960
assembly, the ecclesia, that's 
what that word literally means, 

303
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,640
the church. 
And it means this, the assembly 

304
00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,840
of called out ones. 
How many of you know we are all 

305
00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:46,880
individually called out by God? 
And now as a church, the local 

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00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,840
body, we are brought together as
an assembly. 

307
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,200
That's what all the people say. 
It's not important that you 

308
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,920
assemble as a church. 
The word means assembly. 

309
00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:57,480
What do you mean it's not 
important? 

310
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:00,720
He's saying you're the 
individual who's been bought by 

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00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:02,800
the blood of the Lamb. 
You are a part of God's 

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00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,360
household. 
You were brought into the family

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00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:09,400
and you are brought into the 
assembly of the believers, that 

314
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,600
local church. 
And this is where you need to 

315
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:17,360
know how to function, how to 
conduct yourselves, how to live 

316
00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:19,960
your lives, how to minister to 
one another. 

317
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,320
How to serve one another? 
Isn't that what we do 

318
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,760
collectively in the church? 
RC Sproule said this. 

319
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:28,960
He said the Christian life is 
not a solitary life. 

320
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:35,880
We are called into fellowship, 
into the body of Christ. 

321
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,760
It is the body of Christ to 
which we have been called into, 

322
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:43,400
to assemble and to serve him, 
bringing him glory. 

323
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,200
Paul is teaching us. 
How that ought to? 

324
00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:48,600
Happen, he said. 
That's the reason for these 

325
00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,520
instructions, how you ought to 
conduct yourself as a whole. 

326
00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,280
And we know this, he's talking 
to Timothy who will be leading 

327
00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,080
those people in Ephesus and how 
they are to conduct themselves 

328
00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,520
as individuals and as the 
church. 

329
00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,440
But he's not limited to that. 
Did you know this? 

330
00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:05,960
He's also talking to those in 
Crete. 

331
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,000
He's also talking to those in 
Macedonia. 

332
00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:09,920
He's also talking to those in 
Thyatira. 

333
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,400
Whoever may hear about this, 
Paul is talking to all the 

334
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,720
churches. 
He's talking to Key Life 

335
00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:17,440
Fellowship in New Caney, TX 
today. 

336
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,600
Well, just because we're 2000 
years removed from this doesn't 

337
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:22,880
mean that we're removed from 
this. 

338
00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,000
This applies to us. 
This is the reason that he's 

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00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,960
writing so that we as members of
his church, blood bought Saints.

340
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:34,760
We'll live our individual lives 
the way that we're supposed to, 

341
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,640
but we as a church will also 
conduct ourselves the way that 

342
00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,520
we're supposed to so that there 
will be unity in the assembly, 

343
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:44,200
unity in the body of Christ. 
It's very important. 

344
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:49,760
He wants us and God wants us to 
conduct ourselves properly. 

345
00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,360
Now I know this. 
I know that that's not very 

346
00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:58,560
important to so many in today's 
so-called churches. 

347
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,400
In fact, I am amazed, I am 
astonished that that churches 

348
00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:05,440
don't give any thought to this 
right to ask this question. 

349
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,120
What does God want us to be as a
church? 

350
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,680
What does God want us to be as a
church? 

351
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:15,600
Now there are many people who 
want to be a church. 

352
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,880
But they don't consult the 
Scriptures on what it means to 

353
00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:20,680
be a church. 
And So what they are, yeah, 

354
00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,800
they're a group of people. 
They might be doing some good 

355
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:29,600
things, but they're not 
conducting themselves as a 

356
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,600
church. 
Paul is showing us exactly. 

357
00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:37,320
How we must conduct ourselves 
biblically as ministers and 

358
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:41,360
ministry. 
What we are to do according to 

359
00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:43,840
the Word of God. 
I've been asked this question 

360
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,040
lots of times. 
In fact, when I'm asked a 

361
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,360
question, I feel rather stupid. 
People will ask me. 

362
00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:53,560
Most of the time it's pastors 
and I know they mean well. 

363
00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,280
They will ask me. 
They will say something to the 

364
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,360
degree, you know, it looks like 
Key Life Fellowship's seeing a 

365
00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:03,920
lot of success or people there. 
You're growing, people are being

366
00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:09,000
saved and baptized. 
And then they'll ask me this 

367
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,560
question. 
What church model are you using?

368
00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:15,720
What church growth model have 
you read about? 

369
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,000
What are you applying? 
And, and, and this is where I 

370
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:23,320
really feel not so smart. 
And I look at them and I say, 

371
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,520
you know, we go, we go, we take 
the book of Acts and we see what

372
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:31,600
the Lord did there and how 
impactful it was when they just 

373
00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,000
actually obeyed Jesus and what 
he taught them to do. 

374
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,600
And then we model that. 
And try to do our best, though 

375
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,040
we're not perfect in it. 
We, we, we, we look back to that

376
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:42,520
constantly. 
And then, and then you know what

377
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:43,600
we do? 
We, we read through like the 

378
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,120
pastoral epistles and that's how
our leadership is set up. 

379
00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,800
We, we look at the pastoral 
epistles and we say, this is 

380
00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,680
what God says. 
These are things that he says 

381
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:54,720
have to be this way. 
This is how we are to conduct 

382
00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,920
ourselves as the church. 
And then we apply those things. 

383
00:21:58,000 --> 00:21:59,880
Now I'll tell them this. 
We don't apply those things 

384
00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:01,480
perfectly. 
You know how I know that? 

385
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,840
Because I'm in the equation and 
I don't apply anything 

386
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:05,240
perfectly. 
Because I'm flawed. 

387
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,960
But we do our best to be 
biblical in the church, 

388
00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,440
conducting ourselves the way 
that we ought to do. 

389
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,160
I've had people literally look 
me in the face and say, oh, come

390
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:16,960
on, pastor, there's got to be 
more to it than that. 

391
00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,080
I guess they think we're 
offering people flat screen 

392
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:24,760
TV's, offering large sums of 
money. 

393
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,600
I don't know. 
No, what we're doing is we're 

394
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,440
preaching the Word of God and 
we're teaching the church to be 

395
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:33,440
the church as individuals and as
a whole. 

396
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,240
And God does everything else as 
he aligns our life with what it 

397
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:37,320
is. 
That he will. 

398
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,280
It's. 
Not that complicated. 

399
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,880
And Paul's intention of this 
letter is to equip the church, 

400
00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:48,320
the leadership as well as the 
lay people, as well as the 

401
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,400
entire assembly on how to 
conduct themselves properly. 

402
00:22:54,960 --> 00:23:00,000
Properly meaning biblically. 
How we live our lives is 

403
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,960
crucial, how we live our lives 
as individuals who make up the 

404
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,640
church, when we walk out these 
doors, every time we walk out 

405
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,640
the doors, and how we live our 
lives and conduct ourselves 

406
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,840
inside the assembly. 
Those things are crucial. 

407
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,720
Those things are important. 
And that's something just to, 

408
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:16,920
you know, haphazardly give no 
thought. 

409
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,200
To no, you know what I want to 
be? 

410
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,320
I want to be a biblical member 
of God's church. 

411
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:24,320
I want to. 
Operate and I want to function 

412
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,360
the way that he wants me to 
operate and function. 

413
00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:28,680
That's why Paul is taking the 
time to write these things to 

414
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:35,120
the church, because that's the 
proper desire, isn't it? 

415
00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:39,160
At the end of the day, people 
don't care about what you say 

416
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:43,240
near as much as what you do. 
So it's important that we 

417
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:52,000
conduct ourselves as the church 
with inside the assembly and 

418
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:57,000
outside of the assembly. 
He begins with the conduct of 

419
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,960
the church. 
First reason for his 

420
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:04,280
instructions is simply that the 
conduct of the church. 

421
00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,000
Examine your life. 
Examine your life as one who 

422
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,040
claims to be one of the called 
out ones. 

423
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,800
Are you living a life that looks
like you have been called out? 

424
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,240
Are you living that life and 
purity and obedience to the Lord

425
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,880
and are you living that life 
properly within the church, 

426
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,960
doing the things that he has 
called us to do? 

427
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,760
Paul says, I'm writing these 
things so that you will, so that

428
00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,440
you can. 
Secondly, Paul then moves to the

429
00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:32,320
concern of the church. 
Paul wants the church to 

430
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,360
understand what they need to be 
concerned with. 

431
00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,360
Isn't it true? 
So many times throughout history

432
00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:42,960
and even now, churches have 
become concerned about things 

433
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:48,440
that don't matter. 
Trivial things, worldly things, 

434
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,720
meaningless earthly. 
Things instead of being 

435
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:57,800
concerned with what God desires 
for His church to be concerned 

436
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,120
with. 
Truth be told, there are many 

437
00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:05,360
churches right now who are 
concerned with all of their 

438
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:09,160
agendas, right with the with the
reintroduction of the social 

439
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:13,600
justice gospel that we see so 
prevalent in our time, concerned

440
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,880
with so many things. 
Those things may be good thing, 

441
00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:22,640
but should they be the chief 
concern of the church? 

442
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:28,120
Paul is going to give us the 
concern of the church here in 

443
00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:31,760
the second part of verse 15. 
He says again, which is the 

444
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:37,280
church, the assembly of the 
living God, the pillar and 

445
00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:42,200
foundation of the truth. 
Now don't just read through this

446
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,080
and miss what's going on here. 
Paul wants the church. 

447
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,800
To understand what they need to 
be concerned with. 

448
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:55,360
And he makes it clear. 
But their first concern? 

449
00:25:55,360 --> 00:26:04,600
Ought to be doxology, worship of
the one true and living God when

450
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:10,160
he uses the term the living God.
You write this in the margin of 

451
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,280
your notes. 
Not just a catchy term, not just

452
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:20,680
a nickname for God, but a term 
that sets him apart from all 

453
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:25,600
other false gods who claim to be
God, who are not God at all. 

454
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,920
It sets him apart from every 
single idol that ever has 

455
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:36,960
existed or ever will exist. 
It is a term of worship in 

456
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,960
doxology. 
Deuteronomy 5-6. 

457
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,680
He's called the living God 
because he spoke from the fire. 

458
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:51,840
Joshua 310 he's called the 
living God speaking with power. 

459
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:56,960
Psalm 42 Two, the psalmist says 
this, my soul thirsts for God, 

460
00:26:57,120 --> 00:26:59,080
for the living God. 
Why? 

461
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,120
Why are they putting such an 
emphasis on the fact that God is

462
00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:06,560
living? 
Because he is the only one true 

463
00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,960
and living God, Jesus Christ. 
Prove that even by his 

464
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,800
resurrection. 
He is the one true and living 

465
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,760
God. 
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 31. 

466
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:22,120
It says it's a dreadful. 
Thing to fall into the hands of 

467
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:30,560
not just any old God, not the 
hands of some man made God, not 

468
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:34,520
the hands of some idol or false 
God or some goddess. 

469
00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,280
No, it's a dreadful thing to 
fall into the hands of the 

470
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,040
living God, the one who is 
worthy of all of our. 

471
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,160
Praise and all of our honor and 
all of the glory. 

472
00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:50,640
He is the only one who is worthy
of doxology, and it is the 

473
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:55,640
Church's role to give him the 
doxa that he deserves. 

474
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:57,880
All of the. 
Glory. 

475
00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:01,520
Why? 
Because He is the living God. 

476
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,800
Paul is teaching here that the 
church should worship him, 

477
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,240
having a high view of who Yahweh
really is. 

478
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:15,920
He's not some dead, some 
powerless, some lifeless idol, 

479
00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,520
some mockery, some fallacy that 
claims to be God, or all the 

480
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,880
other many options that people 
seem to choose from these days. 

481
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:30,560
He is the only living God. 
Again, the one who deserves all 

482
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:32,600
glory and all honor and all 
praise. 

483
00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:36,240
He has proven this time and time
and time again. 

484
00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:38,600
You just go back through the 
scriptures, you go back through 

485
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,280
history and you will see he has 
proven that when other gods who 

486
00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:46,320
claim to be alive faltered, he 
never has faltered. 

487
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,080
He's. 
The living God. 

488
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,840
In fact, when I think about 
that, I go back in my mind to 

489
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,240
1st Kings 18. 
I think about Elijah. 

490
00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,280
The prophets of Baal and the 
showdown there at Mount Carmel, 

491
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,720
one of, of course, my favorite 
stories, but probably your 

492
00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,200
favorite stories in all of 
Scripture because we like to be 

493
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:07,480
on the winning team and our God 
who is the living God always 

494
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,280
wins. 
Oh, you remember that account 

495
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,880
there? 
Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

496
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,680
The prophets of Baal claiming 
that their God is the one true 

497
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,000
God, Baal. 
And Elijah claiming that Yahweh 

498
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,680
is the one true God. 
So Elijah does something 

499
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:24,760
spectacular. 
He says let's make this easy. 

500
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,640
He you call fire down from 
heaven from your God. 

501
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,840
See what he does. 
I'll call fire down from heaven 

502
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:31,640
to my God. 
See what he does? 

503
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,800
You know how the story goes. 
And they chant, They cut 

504
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:36,720
themselves. 
The prophets of Bell danced 

505
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,680
around screaming and hollering, 
hoping that their God can ignite

506
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:41,360
this altar of wood. 
And he never does. 

507
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:42,440
Why? 
He's not alive. 

508
00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,880
And then when it's Yahweh's 
turn, Elijah says, now we're 

509
00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:50,960
going to do this. 
You cover all that with water. 

510
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,960
You put water on it because 
everybody knows water doesn't 

511
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,600
burn. 
I'm going to show you how alive 

512
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,240
my God really is. 
And we know this, as the story 

513
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,600
goes, the truth that we see 
there in Scripture. 

514
00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:05,240
Yahweh consumes the altar and 
consumes the sacrifice and 

515
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,840
consumes all the wood and laps 
up all the water with his power 

516
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,600
and his might and His glory, 
proving that He is the living 

517
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:16,320
God. 
So when Paul speaks of the 

518
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:20,680
living God to the church, the 
church needs to pay attention to

519
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,800
this because a true church is 
going to have an exalted and a 

520
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,760
high view of God. 
They are going to hold him in 

521
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:32,920
the highest of esteem. 
He is not just a way to eternal 

522
00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,160
life. 
He is not just a way to 

523
00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,440
forgiveness. 
He is not just a God. 

524
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:39,520
Just stand alongside of other 
gods. 

525
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,120
He is the one true and living 
God. 

526
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:47,760
Period. 
He deserves all of our worship 

527
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:52,800
and so we see that doxology 
should be a concern of the 

528
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,640
church worshipping the living 
God, as Jeremiah says. 

529
00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,920
Jeremiah 1010. 
But the Lord is the. 

530
00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,000
True God. 
He is the living God, the 

531
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,240
eternal King, recognizing him 
for who he is. 

532
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:04,760
When he's angry, the earth 
trembles. 

533
00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:06,960
The nations cannot endure his 
wrath. 

534
00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,960
Jeremiah knew the living God and
he worshipped him accordingly. 

535
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:15,440
First Timothy chapter one, verse
17, Paul says this about our 

536
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:17,760
God. 
Now to the king, eternal, 

537
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,200
immortal, He never ceases. 
He's always living. 

538
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,640
And aren't you thankful that 
He's always living to make 

539
00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,680
intercession for me and for you 
in Christ? 

540
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:32,440
Says he's immortal, invisible, 
the only God be honor and glory 

541
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:34,760
forever and ever. 
Amen. 

542
00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:39,720
Because he is the living God, He
is worthy of our doxology, our 

543
00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:42,680
worship. 
And in a world full of false 

544
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:48,960
idols and false religion and all
kind of belief system, may we be

545
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,680
dead set as a church, the 
individual who's in the church 

546
00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:58,320
and the church as a whole to 
give God the proper doxology 

547
00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,320
that He deserves as the living 
God. 

548
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,800
Thessalonica. 
Paul wrote to them in chapter 1 

549
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:11,040
and verse 9 commending them 
because he had received a report

550
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,160
on them of how they had turned 
to God from idols. 

551
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,480
These people had been following 
these false idols their entire 

552
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,280
Roman lives. 
Now they were turning from these

553
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,120
false idols. 
And Paul says this to serve the 

554
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:29,560
living and true God. 
The church needs to remember 

555
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:35,080
that, that in Christ we have 
been enabled to serve and to 

556
00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,520
worship the one true and living 
God. 

557
00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:42,960
May we rejoice in that. 
May we praise Him as He 

558
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:48,000
deserves, giving Him proper 
doxology focused on worshiping 

559
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:54,000
Him, fixed on glorifying Him, 
the living God in every area of 

560
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:59,480
our lives, our service in our 
ministry, any way that we may 

561
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:00,880
bring glory to Him. 
Why? 

562
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,840
Because He's due that glory, 
isn't He? 

563
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,760
Hebrews 9/14 it says how much 
more than then will the blood of

564
00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,040
Christ, through the eternal 
Spirit, offered himself 

565
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,960
unblemished to God, cleanse our 
consciences from acts that lead 

566
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,320
to death so that we may serve 
the living God. 

567
00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,920
Know this? 
Jesus Christ went to the extent 

568
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,960
of giving Himself as a sacrifice
on the cross so that we can 

569
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,160
worship and serve the living 
God. 

570
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,360
Don't take that for granted. 
And don't think that when Paul 

571
00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,080
uses this term, the living God. 
That's just something we need to

572
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,920
look over, you know, that's 
something that ever calls us to 

573
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,400
fall on her face and to fall on 
her knees and say, God, thank 

574
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:41,840
you. 
Thank you that in Christ you 

575
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,120
didn't save me to follow after 
some dead, lifeless idol who 

576
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,200
means nothing and has no power. 
But in Christ you have allowed 

577
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:53,520
me the privilege to bow my knee 
to the sovereign King of kings 

578
00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,400
and Lord of Lords, the living 
God who always has existed, who 

579
00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,080
exists now and will exist for 
all eternity. 

580
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:03,040
He is the one who was and is and
is to come, just as Scripture 

581
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,640
declares He is the eternal, 
living God. 

582
00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:08,880
The Church should be concerned 
with this. 

583
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:12,400
When we come in on Sunday 
mornings and we assemble 

584
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:15,679
together, we ought to be fired 
up. 

585
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,560
Decided to know that we get to 
join with our brothers and 

586
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:22,480
sisters to worship the Living 
God. 

587
00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:25,560
When you wake up every morning 
as an individual, the same ought

588
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:27,040
to happen. 
You ought to be fired up that 

589
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,159
today you get to serve the 
Living God because you once were

590
00:34:31,159 --> 00:34:35,159
dead and lifeless in your sin. 
But the living God breathed life

591
00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:37,600
into you. 
He regenerated you so that you 

592
00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,800
can have faith to believe in the
one and only Son of God who 

593
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:45,440
offered himself for you and be 
saved is the Living God. 

594
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:54,760
Secondly, second concern of the 
church, one being doxology, 2 

595
00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:58,960
being doctrine, he says, which 
is the Church of the living God.

596
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:04,920
And he says the pillar and 
foundation of the truth, the 

597
00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:08,400
pillar and foundation of the 
truth. 

598
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,800
He's telling us this, that the 
church should be built upon 

599
00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:17,320
sound doctrine, upon truth, and 
this is the truth that is 

600
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:22,520
revealed in scriptures and it 
cannot be compromised or ignored

601
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:25,440
in the church. 
Now there are so-called churches

602
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:32,880
building themselves on 
everything under the sun, but 

603
00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:38,280
few will actually be concerned 
with building his church on 

604
00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:42,400
sound doctrine. 
People say, well pastor, if all 

605
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:46,640
you do is preach sound doctrine,
people are even tired of hearing

606
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:51,400
that lost people will. 
They want self help, don't they?

607
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,520
They want psychology. 
But you know what sound doctrine

608
00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:56,200
does? 
It changes the believer 

609
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:57,480
sanctifies us. 
Why? 

610
00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:59,760
Because that's what Jesus said 
John 1717. 

611
00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:04,200
He says sanctify them by truth. 
Your word is truth. 

612
00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:08,560
Sound doctrine sets us apart as 
believers. 

613
00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:13,240
It sanctifies us, and Paul says 
here that the church should be 

614
00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:18,880
the pillar and foundation of the
truth, reminding us that we 

615
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:25,320
cannot compromise on scriptural,
true and sound doctrine in any 

616
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:29,560
way, shape or form. 
We must be contending for the 

617
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:33,320
faith always. 
Just as Jude said there in the 

618
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,680
third verse of that short 
letter, he said, dear friends, 

619
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,240
although I I was very eager to 
write to you about the salvation

620
00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:43,680
we share, I felt compelled to 
write and urge you to contend 

621
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:48,560
for the faith that was once for 
all entrusted to God's holy 

622
00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:51,480
people. 
We have been entrusted with the 

623
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:54,200
truth of the Gospel of the Lord 
Jesus. 

624
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,920
Christ and we must protect that 
truth, and in order to protect 

625
00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:01,960
that truth, we must be sound in 
our. 

626
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:10,440
Doctrine, today's time, we see 
so much compromise in regard to 

627
00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:14,040
the gospel, don't we? 
We want to make the gospel a 

628
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,800
little more palatable because, 
pastor, if you say it like that,

629
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:24,080
it might turn people away. 
You mean if I say it like it, it

630
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,240
says it in Scripture. 
You know, you're very right. 

631
00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:31,840
It might turn people away. 
But you know what else Scripture

632
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:33,800
allows us to know? 
That it will do. 

633
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:38,680
It will also draw people unto 
God through the preaching of 

634
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,800
uncompromised Scripture. 
And you know who it draws? 

635
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,440
It draws those God desires to 
draw unto Himself. 

636
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,080
That's why we preach the truth 
of the gospel and we don't alter

637
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:54,560
it so that people will buy into 
some type of easy believism and 

638
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,320
think that they've come into the
church when they haven't come 

639
00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,720
into the church at all. 
You know what I mean? 

640
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:04,040
Just ask Jesus into your heart. 
He'll take away all your 

641
00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:08,000
anxiety. 
How many times do we hear this 

642
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:14,400
these days? 
Jesus didn't die to free you 

643
00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:20,600
from your anxiety, He died to 
save you from your sin. 

644
00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:27,320
When you know Him, you got 
nothing to be anxious about 

645
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:33,160
anymore. 
So many times we get this 

646
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,200
twisted because we won't be 
sound in doctrine. 

647
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,400
We don't want to push anyone 
away. 

648
00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,320
I'm not in a position to push 
anybody away, and I'm not in a 

649
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:48,640
position to draw anybody in, but
I am in a position to preach and

650
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:52,000
to teach sound doctrine. 
And you the same to know the 

651
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,760
gospel and to know the gospel 
properly according to the word 

652
00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,200
of God, and to preach the gospel
properly according to the word 

653
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,760
of God, and to preach all the 
other truths of Scripture that 

654
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,960
point to Christ accurately and 
truthfully. 

655
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,960
Why? 
This is the pillar and the 

656
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:12,720
foundation of the truth. 
It all starts with pillar and 

657
00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:15,200
then he ends with foundation. 
But we know it all starts with 

658
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:18,240
foundation, doesn't it? 
I'm a son of a cement finisher. 

659
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:22,320
I know this. 
And that big elaborate building 

660
00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,680
was done, and everybody was 
doing and awning about it. 

661
00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,400
Nobody was thinking about the 
Gray concrete that was covered 

662
00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,080
up with some kind of fancy 
flooring. 

663
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,320
But that Gray concrete wasn't 
right. 

664
00:39:36,720 --> 00:39:39,760
The building wouldn't last. 
So when we talk about the 

665
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:41,480
foundation of truth, what are we
talking about? 

666
00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:44,000
The truth of the one true, 
living God who came to this 

667
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:49,360
earth, The Lord Jesus Christ. 
We put on flesh and died in our.

668
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:54,560
Place to rescue us from our sin.
Ephesians 2 verse 19 says this. 

669
00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:56,720
Consequently, you are no longer 
foreigners and strangers with 

670
00:39:56,720 --> 00:39:59,080
fellow citizens, with God's 
people and also members of his 

671
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:01,400
household. 
And this household is built on 

672
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,400
the foundation of the apostles 
and the prophets, a very firm 

673
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:05,720
foundation. 
What did they build their 

674
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:07,000
foundation on? 
Truth. 

675
00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:11,480
Now watch this with Christ Jesus
himself as the chief 

676
00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:14,440
cornerstone. 
If the cornerstone is off, if 

677
00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,160
the cornerstone is not what it 
needs to be, the whole 

678
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:19,720
foundation collapses and the 
building that's built on the 

679
00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:21,760
foundation collapses underneath 
it. 

680
00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:26,560
And so when Paul is saying the 
reason that I am writing you and

681
00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:30,720
giving you these instructions so
you'll know what you need to be 

682
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,560
concerned with, and that concern
ought to be doctrinal truth in 

683
00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,840
regard to the gospel, in regard 
to who Jesus Christ is and what 

684
00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:42,280
he actually really came to do, 
what Scripture teaches about. 

685
00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:45,400
Him what Scripture teaches and 
reveals about God. 

686
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,960
Let that be our concern. 
Let us not be concerned with 

687
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,120
entertaining goats while they're
on their way to hell. 

688
00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:57,360
Let us not be concerned with 
making the Assembly of God some 

689
00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:01,040
worldly affair that entertains 
people, stirs their emotions. 

690
00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:07,720
Let us be built on a doxology of
praise for the one living God 

691
00:41:07,720 --> 00:41:11,960
and on sound doctrine points to 
the Lord Jesus Christ and to the

692
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:16,000
true gospel. 
It's when Christ and his gospel 

693
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:22,280
are compromised in the church. 
Entire foundation is weak and 

694
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,120
all that's built upon it. 
We'll falter. 

695
00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:32,320
Just be committed sound doctrine
to sound teaching, not tolerate 

696
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,640
the false things that we see in 
our time, false teachings and 

697
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:41,240
the false ideologies. 
He says that the Church of the 

698
00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:44,400
living God is a pillar and 
foundation of truth. 

699
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,880
I want to give you a little 
insight on this. 

700
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:51,600
When he said pillar to the 
Ephesians, they would have 

701
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,040
perked up because every day 
they're in Ephesus, they would 

702
00:41:55,040 --> 00:42:01,760
have looked around them and 
there were in their view pillars

703
00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,600
at the temple of Artemis or 
Diana, false goddess that they 

704
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:09,960
worshipped ferociously back. 
Their whole community was 

705
00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:12,520
consumed by the worship of 
Diana. 

706
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:16,080
And there were 127 of these 
pillars. 

707
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,800
In fact, if you go to ancient 
Ephesus today, you will see the 

708
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:20,920
ruins. 
You will see parts of these 

709
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,520
pillars that are still there 
existing now. 

710
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:28,400
Those 127 pillars, they were 
given to the Temple of Artemis. 

711
00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:33,840
They were given by 127 kings or 
leaders in the world in those 

712
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:36,160
days. 
And so they stood out in the 

713
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:38,200
midst of all the people there at
Ephesus. 

714
00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:41,640
Now, when Paul began to say 
things like the pillar and the 

715
00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:46,760
foundation of truth, their 
minds, if not literally their 

716
00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:51,840
eyes, would have went to those 
127 pillars there at the temple 

717
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,320
of Diana Ornaments. 
And what is Paul? 

718
00:42:55,320 --> 00:43:01,920
Saying by this statement he's 
saying, though you see those 

719
00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:08,440
beautiful pillars standing tall,
carved and etched in such a 

720
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:14,440
beautiful and magnificent way, 
the foundation underneath them 

721
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:20,480
is not truth and they will fall.
You can go there today and they 

722
00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,800
have fallen. 
But did you know this? 

723
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:29,280
The pillar and the foundation of
the church, the truth of the 

724
00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:32,640
Word of God, shall stand 
forever. 

725
00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:36,440
Though the grass Withers and the
flowers fade, the Word of God 

726
00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:39,200
endures forever. 
That's what Paul is. 

727
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:41,680
Telling the churcher that's what
you need to be concerned with. 

728
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:43,520
That's why the scriptures are so
important. 

729
00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:45,880
That's why you don't need to 
come on Sunday mornings just to 

730
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:47,720
entertain people. 
That's why you don't need to 

731
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,040
stand in the pulpit and just be 
a comedian. 

732
00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:55,160
Just tell stories and give fancy
or catchy illustrations. 

733
00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:58,840
No preach the word of God in 
season and out of season. 

734
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,280
Why? 
Because there will be a time 

735
00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:05,840
where men will not endure sound 
doctrine heap to themselves. 

736
00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:10,480
Teachers having itching ears. 
Concern of the church ought to 

737
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:14,880
be doxology and doctrine 
concerned with exalting the one 

738
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:17,440
true and living God. 
Concerned with the truth of the 

739
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:22,720
scriptures, giving all of their 
energy and effort to those two 

740
00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:27,080
concerns. 
Thirdly, Paul moves now to the 

741
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:32,040
confidence of the church. 
He says in verse 16, beyond all 

742
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:35,200
question, the mystery of 
godliness is great. 

743
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,560
He appeared in body, was 
vindicated by the Spirit, was 

744
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,040
seen by angels, was preached 
among the nations, was believed 

745
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:43,840
on in the world, was taken up in
glory. 

746
00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:48,080
Paul is here speaking about the 
confidence of the church and the

747
00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:52,400
confidence of Church of the 
church is Christ himself, right?

748
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:55,000
We can have confidence that we 
know the truth because of 

749
00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:56,640
Christ. 
We can have confidence that we 

750
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:58,320
are resting in the truth because
of Christ. 

751
00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:01,240
We can have confidence that we 
are truly saved and forgiven and

752
00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:03,680
have eternal life because of 
Christ. 

753
00:45:04,880 --> 00:45:09,280
So Paul takes the time to point 
his listeners to Christ and he 

754
00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:11,720
does it in an interesting way. 
He says beyond all question, the

755
00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:15,600
mystery of godliness is great. 
How can a person? 

756
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:17,520
Be godly, How can they be 
righteous? 

757
00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:24,200
And then what he does, he 
transitions for us into an 

758
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:30,280
ancient hymn. 
He begins to describe for us 

759
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:34,200
what Christ did so that our 
confidence can rest in Christ 

760
00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,720
and Christ alone. 
Beyond our question, the mystery

761
00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:41,520
of godliness is great. 
But then we read Romans 321. 

762
00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:44,600
But now, apart from the law, the
righteousness of God has been 

763
00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,200
made known, to which the law and
the prophets testify. 

764
00:45:47,560 --> 00:45:49,800
The righteousness is given 
through faith in Jesus Christ to

765
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:51,920
all who believe. 
There is no difference between 

766
00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:53,680
Jew and Gentile. 
What is Paul saying there? 

767
00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:58,360
The mystery has been unveiled. 
The mystery to godliness, and 

768
00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:00,120
that mystery to godliness that 
has been unveiled. 

769
00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,880
How can a person be righteous? 
How can a person be godly? 

770
00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:05,240
Right for all of sin and come 
short of the glory of God. 

771
00:46:05,720 --> 00:46:07,320
There's none righteous. 
No, not one. 

772
00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:13,480
And how can a person be godly? 
What at one time was a great 

773
00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:17,120
mystery, wasn't it? 
As a prophet spoke of the one 

774
00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:19,480
who was to come, they spoke of a
greater righteousness. 

775
00:46:19,640 --> 00:46:22,160
Paul is saying this, that now 
there's a righteousness that 

776
00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:24,480
comes from God apart from the 
law. 

777
00:46:24,480 --> 00:46:26,920
That righteousness has been 
provided for us in Christ. 

778
00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:30,800
So we see this, that our 
confidence as a church is in 

779
00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:33,920
Christ, who is a revealed 
mystery. 

780
00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:37,440
The key to our righteousness and
godliness as the body, as 

781
00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:41,160
individuals in the body once was
hidden, but now is revealed. 

782
00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:46,080
And this section describes for 
us Christ's work and this 

783
00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:50,880
manifestation of Christ that 
actually unveiled the mystery 

784
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:56,560
that was kept hidden for a time,
a foretold mystery. 

785
00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:00,360
This mystery was proclaimed way 
back in Genesis chapter 3, verse

786
00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:02,320
15. 
Are you remembered there in 

787
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:05,600
Genesis 315? 
But the Lord says this to the 

788
00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:07,320
serpent. 
I will put enmity between you 

789
00:47:07,360 --> 00:47:09,720
and the woman, and between your 
offspring and hers, and he will 

790
00:47:09,720 --> 00:47:12,200
crush your head, and you will 
strike his heel. 

791
00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:16,040
That is the prophecy of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the head crusher. 

792
00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:19,800
Who we know for thousands of 
years would would be a mystery. 

793
00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:22,960
Who is this head crusher? 
Where will this head crusher 

794
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,080
come from? 
And we would get little glimmers

795
00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:26,680
and little hints along the way, 
right? 

796
00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:28,600
Bethlehem. 
He, he's going to come from 

797
00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:30,280
Bethlehem. 
In fact, when they inquired 

798
00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:32,040
about where Christ was going to 
be born, they went back to the 

799
00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:33,760
prophets and said, oh, 
Bethlehem. 

800
00:47:34,960 --> 00:47:39,080
And these little hints along the
way, slowly but surely unveiling

801
00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,800
this this mystery of the head 
crusher. 

802
00:47:44,200 --> 00:47:48,280
Yet now we know that in Christ 
this proclaimed mystery has been

803
00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:52,000
revealed. 
It was proclaimed in Genesis, 

804
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,400
prophesied in Isaiah 53. 
If you have time, go back and 

805
00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,920
read all of Isaiah 53. 
You'll see the suffering servant

806
00:47:56,920 --> 00:48:00,480
there that points to none other 
than Christ. 

807
00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:03,160
Now at the time when they would 
read Isaiah 53, prior to Christ,

808
00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:06,440
they didn't know who that they 
were talking about, what they 

809
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:08,520
were pointing to, in fact, the 
manner of death that is 

810
00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:10,440
described. 
Was not even a manner of death 

811
00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:12,080
that they would even be familiar
with. 

812
00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:20,440
Yet in Christ this mystery has 
been revealed, the foretold 

813
00:48:20,440 --> 00:48:25,840
mystery. 
It's also a fulfilled mystery 

814
00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:28,880
Romans 117 Paul make sure we 
know that this mystery has been 

815
00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:30,400
fulfilled. 
He says this from the gospel. 

816
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:33,160
The righteousness of God is 
revealed, right? 

817
00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:35,800
Doesn't he pose that force 
beyond our question? 

818
00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:37,440
The mystery of godliness is 
great. 

819
00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:39,160
There's not a greater question 
in the world. 

820
00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:42,040
How can 1 be godly? 
How can he be considered 

821
00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:44,040
righteous when we know we're. 
All sinners. 

822
00:48:46,080 --> 00:48:48,200
Paul says, Friend, the gospel, 
the righteousness of God is 

823
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:50,840
revealed, the righteousness that
is by faith from first to last, 

824
00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:53,360
just as it is written, the 
righteous will live by faith. 

825
00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:55,000
What is he saying? 
The Old Testament said the 

826
00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:56,760
righteousness, the righteous 
will live by faith. 

827
00:48:56,960 --> 00:49:00,040
And now in Christ the righteous 
live by faith, and they live by 

828
00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:02,320
faith in the Son of God. 
And because they live by faith 

829
00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:03,880
in the Son of God, His 
righteousness, His. 

830
00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:06,000
Perfect righteousness has been 
imputed to them. 

831
00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:10,760
We'll see what he's saying here.
It's the confidence of the 

832
00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:14,120
church, the fulfilled mystery of
Christ. 

833
00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:19,400
Not only did Paul proclaim that 
this mystery has been fulfilled,

834
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:23,480
Jesus himself did. 
Luke chapter 24 verse 27 as he 

835
00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:25,680
encounters 2 men on the road to 
to Emmaus. 

836
00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:28,880
It says this in verse 27 and 
beginning with Moses and all the

837
00:49:28,880 --> 00:49:31,600
prophets, he explained to them 
what was said in all the 

838
00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:36,880
scriptures concerning him Cell. 
What did Jesus say? 

839
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:41,440
The mystery has been revealed. 
When I walked out of that tomb, 

840
00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:45,360
you don't have to wonder who the
living God who would come to 

841
00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:48,440
this earth to rescue sinners 
from their sin is. 

842
00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:51,960
I am He. 
And He told them everything in 

843
00:49:51,960 --> 00:49:56,440
Scripture that pointed to Him. 
Just a few verses down from 

844
00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,880
that, in verse 44, we see Him 
talking to His disciples. 

845
00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:02,920
Remember this is all after His 
resurrection. 

846
00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:06,120
And he said to them in verse 44,
This is what I told you while I 

847
00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:08,280
was still with you. 
Everything must be fulfilled 

848
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:10,880
that is written about me and the
Law of Moses, the prophets and 

849
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:12,600
the Psalms that was written 
about him. 

850
00:50:12,720 --> 00:50:15,600
What was written about him, His 
death, His burial, and His 

851
00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:19,760
resurrection all included 
throughout the Law of Moses, the

852
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:22,560
prophets and the Psalms. 
And then He opened their minds 

853
00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:25,560
so they can understand the 
Scriptures and He told them, 

854
00:50:25,640 --> 00:50:29,000
this is what is written. 
The Messiah will suffer and rise

855
00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:33,320
from the dead on the third day. 
What was Jesus doing here? 

856
00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:39,000
He was saying mystery revealed. 
You want to know the key to 

857
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:41,120
godliness? 
Do you want to unlock this 

858
00:50:41,120 --> 00:50:43,600
mystery? 
I am the key. 

859
00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:47,120
I am the door. 
I am the gate. 

860
00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:50,720
All of the things that Jesus 
said in His earthly ministry now

861
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:57,480
begin to matter, don't they? 
Field ministry acknowledged by 

862
00:50:57,480 --> 00:50:58,920
Christ himself. 
What about Peter? 

863
00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:04,480
Peter acknowledged it first 
Peter chapter one verse 10. 

864
00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:06,880
It says concerning the 
salvation. 

865
00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:09,280
The prophets who spoke of the 
grace that was to come to you 

866
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:11,960
searched intently and with great
care. 

867
00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:18,960
You know what they didn't find 
anything did they was a mystery.

868
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,320
Well, Peter goes on to say is 
that this mystery has been 

869
00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:29,160
unveiled in Christ. 
First Peter chapter 2, verse 24,

870
00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:32,280
he says this. 
He himself bore our sins in His 

871
00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:36,160
body on the cross so that we 
might die to sins and live for 

872
00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:38,800
righteousness. 
By His wounds you have been 

873
00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:39,840
healed. 
What is he doing there? 

874
00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:43,120
He's quoting the prophet Isaiah,
and you know what he's saying, 

875
00:51:43,680 --> 00:51:45,520
the mystery that Isaiah wrote 
about. 

876
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,440
The one who would heal us by his
wounds. 

877
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:54,160
It is Christ, and Christ is the 
confidence of the church. 

878
00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:56,600
Without Christ, we don't have 
confidence that we can worship 

879
00:51:56,600 --> 00:51:58,000
the living God. 
Without Christ, we don't have 

880
00:51:58,000 --> 00:51:59,920
confidence that we'll really be 
forgiven of our sin. 

881
00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:02,720
Without Christ we don't have 
confidence in. 

882
00:52:02,720 --> 00:52:07,160
Anything but in Christ we have 
confidence as his church. 

883
00:52:08,160 --> 00:52:13,280
His revealed mystery. 
John also gives testimony to 

884
00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:16,880
this. 
And 1st John he says chapter 1, 

885
00:52:16,880 --> 00:52:18,640
verse one, that which was from 
the beginning, which we have 

886
00:52:18,640 --> 00:52:20,840
heard, which we have seen with 
our eyes, which we have looked 

887
00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:24,440
at, and our hands of touch, This
we've proclaimed concerning the 

888
00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:26,880
word of life. 
The life appeared. 

889
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:31,240
We have seen it and testified to
it, and we proclaim to you the 

890
00:52:31,240 --> 00:52:35,600
eternal life which was with the 
Father and has appeared to us. 

891
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:38,360
What is John saying? 
The mystery that we all have 

892
00:52:38,360 --> 00:52:41,560
been waiting on. 
We've seen it with our own eyes.

893
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:46,200
We beheld His glory. 
We sat down and we ate a meal 

894
00:52:46,200 --> 00:52:49,280
with Him. 
We walked along the shore of 

895
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:52,960
Galilee with Him. 
We traveled to and fro with Him.

896
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:56,200
We listened to the Word and the 
lessons that He taught us. 

897
00:52:57,480 --> 00:53:02,440
We've seen him, Paul then, over 
and over in his ministry, 

898
00:53:02,440 --> 00:53:06,280
probably more than anyone, 
referencing our confidence in 

899
00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:10,520
Christ as the fulfillment of 
this mystery. 

900
00:53:11,840 --> 00:53:15,760
He says in Romans 1625. 
Now to him who is able to 

901
00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:19,400
establish you in accordance with
my gospel, the message I 

902
00:53:19,400 --> 00:53:22,200
proclaim about Jesus Christ in 
keeping with the revelation of 

903
00:53:22,200 --> 00:53:26,400
the mystery hidden for long ages
past, but now revealed and made 

904
00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:28,800
known through the prophetic 
writings by the command of the 

905
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:31,840
eternal God, so that all the 
Gentiles might come to the 

906
00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:34,960
obedience that comes from faith.
What is Paul saying here? 

907
00:53:35,520 --> 00:53:40,560
Jesus Christ is the revelation 
of that mystery and salvation 

908
00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:43,000
through Jesus Christ. 
Godliness and righteousness 

909
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:46,640
through Jesus Christ is not only
for the Jew, as many people 

910
00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:51,640
thought mistakenly. 
But it's also for the Gentile. 

911
00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:54,000
Just as the prophetic writings 
said. 

912
00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:56,000
He's saying this mystery has 
been revealed. 

913
00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:57,160
Why? 
Because they didn't understand 

914
00:53:57,240 --> 00:54:00,720
why, Hosea said. 
I will call them who are not my 

915
00:54:00,720 --> 00:54:03,680
people, my people. 
Now it's beginning to all come 

916
00:54:03,680 --> 00:54:06,040
together. 
He is calling the Gentile his 

917
00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:07,920
people. 
And why are they his people? 

918
00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:13,200
Because their confidence is in 
Christ, the mystery revealed and

919
00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:17,320
fulfilled in Jesus. 
So the confidence of the Church 

920
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:22,400
is in a revealed mystery, and 
that revealed mystery is Christ 

921
00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:25,440
and Christ. 
Is a risen Messiah. 

922
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,040
So our confidence is in a 
revealed mystery, and our 

923
00:54:28,040 --> 00:54:30,480
confidence is in a risen 
Messiah. 

924
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:32,840
This is where Paul takes this 
ancient hymn. 

925
00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:37,600
And he just writes. 
Down the lyrics and he writes 

926
00:54:37,600 --> 00:54:42,200
down these lyrics so that the 
church there an Ephesus who was 

927
00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:47,040
probably familiar with singing 
these lyrics will get the point.

928
00:54:47,880 --> 00:54:55,240
About Christ, the risen Messiah.
He begins by the first line 

929
00:54:55,240 --> 00:54:59,680
describing Christ. 
He appeared in body. 

930
00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:05,160
He's of course referring to the 
incarnation of God in Christ 

931
00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:07,200
Jesus. 
We know what John chapter one 

932
00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:12,160
verse 14 says right in the Word.
It became flesh and dwelt among 

933
00:55:12,160 --> 00:55:13,600
us. 
If you need to know who the Word

934
00:55:13,600 --> 00:55:17,840
is, the Word is God. 
Go back and read 11 And he 

935
00:55:17,840 --> 00:55:20,960
became flesh, and he dwelt among
us. 

936
00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:25,480
He is talking about the fact 
that God came Incarnate to this 

937
00:55:25,480 --> 00:55:29,360
earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the second person of the Triune 

938
00:55:29,360 --> 00:55:33,400
Godhead, being fully and truly 
God and at the same time being 

939
00:55:33,400 --> 00:55:37,560
fully and truly man, Offering 
himself as a sacrifice on a 

940
00:55:37,560 --> 00:55:40,640
cross after living a perfect 
life and giving us a perfect 

941
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:45,200
example, doing exactly what the 
Law had commanded, fulfilling 

942
00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:48,720
our righteousness for us. 
So don't forget that. 

943
00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:52,320
Don't forget we, we often times 
get so caught up in the fact 

944
00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:54,000
that we have imputed 
righteousness. 

945
00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:57,400
But didn't you know, there's an 
acceptable standard And Jesus 

946
00:55:57,400 --> 00:56:00,160
met that acceptable standard for
us. 

947
00:56:00,480 --> 00:56:04,400
He was our substitution not only
in death, but also in life. 

948
00:56:05,440 --> 00:56:08,800
When I mess up the godly life, 
know this, it's not held to my 

949
00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:09,440
charge. 
Why? 

950
00:56:09,600 --> 00:56:13,640
Because Jesus has already lived 
a life for me that I can't live.

951
00:56:15,360 --> 00:56:24,880
That's the biblical truth. 
He who knew no sin became sin so

952
00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:27,920
that I might become the 
righteousness of God. 

953
00:56:29,560 --> 00:56:32,320
What a picture we see of the 
risen Messiah here appearing in 

954
00:56:32,320 --> 00:56:41,160
body, condescending to this 
earth God of gods, coming to 

955
00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:48,120
this earth to die in the place 
of wretched sinners, who on 

956
00:56:48,120 --> 00:56:52,280
their own wills would rather 
have the disgust of their sin 

957
00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:54,640
than to be in a right 
relationship with God. 

958
00:56:56,120 --> 00:57:00,600
Yet even in spite of that, He 
died in our place to bring us 

959
00:57:00,600 --> 00:57:02,840
into a right relationship with 
God. 

960
00:57:02,840 --> 00:57:09,440
The mystery of God we appeared 
in body goes on and says, then 

961
00:57:10,320 --> 00:57:12,800
vindicated or proven by the 
Spirit. 

962
00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:16,400
Scholars differ in what this 
might mean, and I think they're 

963
00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:19,240
all right to a degree, and I'm 
going to jump in and just kind 

964
00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:22,040
of collaborate it all together 
with the things that I have 

965
00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:24,760
studied about this. 
When we look at the vindication 

966
00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:29,400
of the Spirit, we know that the 
Spirit vindicated or proved who 

967
00:57:29,400 --> 00:57:33,400
Christ really is all throughout 
his life and earthly ministry. 

968
00:57:34,640 --> 00:57:37,640
We see it as baptism when the 
Spirit descended upon him and 

969
00:57:37,640 --> 00:57:40,600
the Father said, this is my Son 
in whom I am well pleased. 

970
00:57:40,600 --> 00:57:44,000
The Spirit descending on Christ 
was a sign that he truly is the 

971
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:46,960
Son of God. 
We know also that the Spirit was

972
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:52,960
active in his earthly ministry. 
Know this, every time that Jesus

973
00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:57,960
performed a miracle, it was the 
second person of the Triune 

974
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:02,960
Godhead working in complete 
oneness and unity with the third

975
00:58:02,960 --> 00:58:06,840
person of the Triune Godhead to 
perform that miracle. 

976
00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:11,520
The power that He received and 
the power that He applied came 

977
00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:16,800
from the Holy Spirit just as the
mission that He was on came from

978
00:58:16,920 --> 00:58:22,160
the Father all in one accord and
in the essence agreeing that 

979
00:58:22,160 --> 00:58:25,840
this is what is going to take 
place and the prophets long ago 

980
00:58:26,000 --> 00:58:28,640
since that it would he's going 
to come and he's going to heal 

981
00:58:28,640 --> 00:58:31,440
people. 
What did Jesus do under the 

982
00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:37,000
power of the Holy Spirit He 
healed people, proving by the 

983
00:58:37,000 --> 00:58:40,400
Holy Spirit and his power in his
life, vindicating him and the 

984
00:58:40,400 --> 00:58:43,400
fact that he. 
Is truly the Messiah who was to 

985
00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:45,880
come, the risen Messiah, the 
Savior. 

986
00:58:47,120 --> 00:58:52,040
It is the Spirit's power that 
allowed him to suffer, to 

987
00:58:52,040 --> 00:58:54,560
experience intense agony and 
pain. 

988
00:58:55,600 --> 00:58:58,000
Oh, please know this. 
Don't erase the humanity of 

989
00:58:58,000 --> 00:59:01,040
Christ and think that those 
crowns didn't hurt when they 

990
00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:04,800
were shoved into his skull, 
those thorns on that crown. 

991
00:59:05,640 --> 00:59:08,000
Don't think that the nails when 
they went in his hand, that that

992
00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:10,520
he was some kind of Superman 
with some power to not feel the 

993
00:59:10,520 --> 00:59:14,080
pain. 
He was fully God and at the same

994
00:59:14,080 --> 00:59:17,960
time fully man, and it was only 
by the Spirit's power that He 

995
00:59:17,960 --> 00:59:20,920
was able to endure the 
punishment that belonged on my 

996
00:59:20,920 --> 00:59:26,920
back, to endure the death. 
He was vindicated by the Spirit 

997
00:59:28,080 --> 00:59:32,760
as all of this was going on 
suffer in a way that no normal 

998
00:59:33,280 --> 00:59:35,160
human being should ever have to 
suffer. 

999
00:59:36,840 --> 00:59:38,880
And then we know that ultimately
He was. 

1000
00:59:38,880 --> 00:59:44,200
The Holy Spirit's power had 
raised him from the dead on that

1001
00:59:44,200 --> 00:59:46,960
resurrection Sunday morning. 
Romans 14. 

1002
00:59:47,920 --> 00:59:52,720
Paul speaks of this in Romans in
that first chapter, and he says,

1003
00:59:52,720 --> 00:59:55,080
in who through the Spirit of 
holiness was appointed the Son 

1004
00:59:55,080 --> 00:59:58,520
of God in power by his 
resurrection from the dead, 

1005
00:59:58,560 --> 01:00:00,440
Jesus Christ our Lord. 
What is he saying there? 

1006
01:00:00,680 --> 01:00:03,880
The Spirit proved at the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ 

1007
01:00:03,880 --> 01:00:08,800
that Jesus is truly the Son of 
the living God, that is truly 

1008
01:00:09,120 --> 01:00:12,000
the risen Messiah, vindicated by
the Spirit. 

1009
01:00:12,000 --> 01:00:14,600
He goes on and he says, seen by 
the angels, that word there is 

1010
01:00:14,600 --> 01:00:15,840
better understood. 
Beheld. 

1011
01:00:16,640 --> 01:00:19,400
What do you mean beheld by the 
angels eternally beheld? 

1012
01:00:20,240 --> 01:00:21,880
Right, because there is no 
beginning for the Son. 

1013
01:00:21,880 --> 01:00:24,160
He always has existed. 
He always will exist. 

1014
01:00:25,840 --> 01:00:29,760
The angels have always 
entertained and worship Him 

1015
01:00:29,760 --> 01:00:33,960
since He created them. 
And so now we see this. 

1016
01:00:34,480 --> 01:00:37,080
There's a deeper and a fuller 
meaning to this. 

1017
01:00:38,120 --> 01:00:40,680
The angels beholding Him also 
has reference to this. 

1018
01:00:40,920 --> 01:00:43,880
They were there when His birth 
was announced, weren't they? 

1019
01:00:44,320 --> 01:00:47,040
In fact, that's how Mary 
received the information. 

1020
01:00:47,640 --> 01:00:51,640
That's how Joseph knew that that
he was going to name him Jesus, 

1021
01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:53,600
the angels. 
Were all active in working in 

1022
01:00:53,600 --> 01:00:56,040
this. 
That's how others knew to go to 

1023
01:00:56,040 --> 01:00:58,360
those fields on the night that 
Jesus was born. 

1024
01:00:59,320 --> 01:01:03,120
So the angels beheld him. 
He beheld His glory as the 

1025
01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:05,440
Incarnate Son of God at His 
birth. 

1026
01:01:06,600 --> 01:01:09,080
Not only that, they ministered 
to Him during His earthly 

1027
01:01:09,080 --> 01:01:11,080
ministry. 
Remember that following His 

1028
01:01:11,080 --> 01:01:16,000
temptation, He was tempted for 
40 days and 40 nights. 

1029
01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:20,520
And then what happened? 
He resists to Satan ultimately. 

1030
01:01:21,120 --> 01:01:23,840
And then the angels came and 
they attended him. 

1031
01:01:23,840 --> 01:01:29,920
They ministered to Christ, they 
beheld Him, they saw what he 

1032
01:01:29,920 --> 01:01:33,240
went through, and they were able
to aid and to assist him, to 

1033
01:01:33,240 --> 01:01:36,280
raise him back up. 
You say, what do you mean, raise

1034
01:01:36,280 --> 01:01:38,960
him back up? 
Oh, just as all humans become 

1035
01:01:38,960 --> 01:01:43,560
weak in their temptation and in 
their struggle, so did Christ. 

1036
01:01:43,560 --> 01:01:47,400
Again, He's fully God and fully 
man all at the same time. 

1037
01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:51,720
The angels beheld Him. 
They beheld him not only in 

1038
01:01:51,720 --> 01:01:56,920
those places. 
What about there in the Garden 

1039
01:01:56,920 --> 01:02:02,680
of Gethsemane as He was 
approaching the nearing cross 

1040
01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:08,920
and His death and His suffering?
It says that the angels came and

1041
01:02:08,920 --> 01:02:13,480
strengthened Him, propping Him 
up, aiding Him and leading Him 

1042
01:02:13,480 --> 01:02:16,680
to continue to do the will of 
the Father, confirming again 

1043
01:02:16,680 --> 01:02:20,720
that this is the one who the 
Father has sent to redeem the 

1044
01:02:20,720 --> 01:02:25,880
Sinner, also being present and 
witnessing both His resurrection

1045
01:02:27,040 --> 01:02:29,640
and His ascension. 
There were angels at both 

1046
01:02:29,640 --> 01:02:32,120
events. 
In fact, we know that testimony 

1047
01:02:32,120 --> 01:02:34,200
says it was an Angel that rolled
the stone away. 

1048
01:02:34,200 --> 01:02:37,760
It was an Angel who sat there 
who communicated with those who 

1049
01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:41,880
first came to the tomb. 
So the angels beheld the fact 

1050
01:02:41,880 --> 01:02:44,000
that the tomb was empty and 
Christ was gone. 

1051
01:02:44,800 --> 01:02:52,520
Prison by the power of God seen 
by the angels, goes on then to 

1052
01:02:52,520 --> 01:02:57,960
say, preached among the nations.
Why should our confidence as a 

1053
01:02:57,960 --> 01:03:00,280
church be in Christ because of 
these things? 

1054
01:03:00,280 --> 01:03:02,760
Preached among the nations just 
as He proclaimed He would be? 

1055
01:03:03,240 --> 01:03:05,560
Did you know this? 
2000 years later, here I am 

1056
01:03:05,560 --> 01:03:08,080
standing in a pulpit all the way
across the ocean from where all 

1057
01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:11,320
of this had taken place. 
What am I doing? 

1058
01:03:12,640 --> 01:03:17,640
Preaching to another nation. 
Preaching to another nation? 

1059
01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:20,840
Just as Jesus said. 
What happened? 

1060
01:03:20,960 --> 01:03:24,520
He'll be preached among the 
nations, just as he proclaimed 

1061
01:03:26,760 --> 01:03:30,440
Matthew 2819. 
In fact, it's he who sends his 

1062
01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:33,560
disciples out to do just that. 
He says, therefore go and make 

1063
01:03:33,560 --> 01:03:36,600
disciples of all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of 

1064
01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:38,680
the Father and the Son and the 
Holy Spirit. 

1065
01:03:38,680 --> 01:03:41,400
Don't just stop at one. 
Keep going and keep going and 

1066
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:43,640
keep going and keep going. 
And aren't you glad that He did?

1067
01:03:45,600 --> 01:03:48,920
Here we are on the other side of
the world, and our hope is 

1068
01:03:48,920 --> 01:03:54,920
rested upon our confidence in 
Christ as individuals in the 

1069
01:03:54,920 --> 01:04:00,280
Church and as the church 
assembled, preached among the 

1070
01:04:00,280 --> 01:04:04,640
nations in Acts chapter 1. 
Lord says, but you will receive 

1071
01:04:04,640 --> 01:04:07,240
power when the Holy Spirit comes
on you, and you will be my 

1072
01:04:07,240 --> 01:04:10,240
witnesses in Jerusalem and in 
all Judea and Samaria and to the

1073
01:04:10,240 --> 01:04:12,280
ends of the earth. 
Did Jesus not say that He would 

1074
01:04:12,280 --> 01:04:16,480
be preached in all the nations? 
And just as he said, He has been

1075
01:04:16,480 --> 01:04:18,040
preached in all the nations. 
What? 

1076
01:04:18,200 --> 01:04:22,080
What confidence we have from 
that, What confidence that we 

1077
01:04:22,080 --> 01:04:24,600
have that He truly is the risen 
Messiah. 

1078
01:04:24,600 --> 01:04:26,560
He's not some fake, He's not 
some phony. 

1079
01:04:27,760 --> 01:04:29,800
He's the one that is. 
Still being preached to the 

1080
01:04:29,800 --> 01:04:32,880
nation. 
Goes on and it says this 

1081
01:04:33,440 --> 01:04:36,080
believed on in the world. 
Might it be one thing if we just

1082
01:04:36,080 --> 01:04:38,800
went out and preached this Jesus
and nobody ever believed him? 

1083
01:04:39,360 --> 01:04:43,160
Did you know this? 
There are believers all over 

1084
01:04:43,360 --> 01:04:46,880
this world. 
There are believers all over 

1085
01:04:46,880 --> 01:04:47,640
this world. 
Why? 

1086
01:04:47,640 --> 01:04:53,080
Because he said that he would be
believed by all the nations, 

1087
01:04:53,080 --> 01:04:57,760
believed on in the world. 
And we see the first sign of 

1088
01:04:57,760 --> 01:05:01,640
that in Acts chapter 2, verse 
41, where it says this. 

1089
01:05:01,640 --> 01:05:05,480
Those who accepted his message, 
Peter wants a coward now boldly 

1090
01:05:05,480 --> 01:05:07,840
standing at the southern gates 
of Jerusalem, there at the 

1091
01:05:07,840 --> 01:05:10,880
temple, preaching the gospel of 
Jesus Christ, empowered by the 

1092
01:05:10,880 --> 01:05:14,320
Holy Spirit, being that bold 
witness that Jesus said that he 

1093
01:05:14,320 --> 01:05:16,160
would be when the Spirit came 
upon him. 

1094
01:05:16,400 --> 01:05:19,480
And he preaches the first gospel
message since Christ has 

1095
01:05:19,480 --> 01:05:22,360
ascended into heaven. 
And when he preaches this 

1096
01:05:22,360 --> 01:05:25,360
message, 3000 people were saved 
that day. 

1097
01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:27,360
Now I want you to go back and I 
want you to look at that 

1098
01:05:27,360 --> 01:05:29,600
account. 
It wasn't 3000 residents of 

1099
01:05:29,600 --> 01:05:34,000
Jerusalem, it was 3000 people 
from all over the world. 

1100
01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:36,960
And you know what they did? 
They left there and they went 

1101
01:05:36,960 --> 01:05:39,440
back to wherever it was that 
they came from, and their lives 

1102
01:05:39,440 --> 01:05:41,480
were changed forever. 
And they told their relatives 

1103
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:44,280
and their friends about this 
Jesus of Nazareth who came and 

1104
01:05:44,280 --> 01:05:46,920
who died on a cross in their 
place to rescue them from their 

1105
01:05:46,920 --> 01:05:50,400
sin, and how evil men tortured 
him according to the plan of 

1106
01:05:50,400 --> 01:05:52,000
God. 
But that torture should have 

1107
01:05:52,000 --> 01:05:54,760
been on our backs, but it was on
the back of the perfect one, and

1108
01:05:54,760 --> 01:05:57,480
He died in our place to rescue 
us and to forgive us. 

1109
01:05:57,520 --> 01:06:01,920
He atoned for our sin as a 
perfect propitiation satisfying 

1110
01:06:01,920 --> 01:06:05,040
to the Father. 
Would you like me to tell you 

1111
01:06:05,040 --> 01:06:12,000
about this Jesus and how he can 
save you preached among the 

1112
01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:15,440
nations believed on in the 
world. 

1113
01:06:15,440 --> 01:06:16,760
People are still believing 
today. 

1114
01:06:16,760 --> 01:06:20,920
My prayers that one of you this 
morning would even believe you 

1115
01:06:20,920 --> 01:06:23,440
surrender your life to Jesus 
Christ and repent of your sin. 

1116
01:06:24,480 --> 01:06:30,840
He goes on and then he says 
next, taken up to glory here, 

1117
01:06:30,840 --> 01:06:33,680
what he's doing, he's declaring 
not only his ascension and we 

1118
01:06:33,680 --> 01:06:36,280
see in Acts chapter 1 where he 
ascended back into heaven, but 

1119
01:06:36,280 --> 01:06:41,800
also his exaltation, his return 
to the glory with the Father 

1120
01:06:41,800 --> 01:06:44,400
that he left to come to this 
earth. 

1121
01:06:45,040 --> 01:06:48,240
It's interesting that Paul's 
using an old helm here that 

1122
01:06:48,240 --> 01:06:51,240
would have been familiar to the 
church because Paul also does 

1123
01:06:51,240 --> 01:06:55,320
the same thing in Philippians 
with a helm known as the Carmen 

1124
01:06:55,320 --> 01:06:58,960
Christie or the helm of Christ. 
And what he does in that he 

1125
01:06:58,960 --> 01:07:02,920
covers. 
Christ, and he covers Christ 

1126
01:07:02,920 --> 01:07:07,720
from his incarnation all the way
to his exaltation here in this 

1127
01:07:07,880 --> 01:07:12,320
film, doing the same exact 
thing, Christ ascending into 

1128
01:07:12,320 --> 01:07:15,040
heaven, being exalted, taken up 
to glory. 

1129
01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:18,720
Had Christ not been taken up to 
glory, had others not testified 

1130
01:07:18,720 --> 01:07:23,000
like Stephen when he saw heaven 
open up and they're standing at 

1131
01:07:23,000 --> 01:07:25,080
the right hand of the Father was
the Son? 

1132
01:07:27,320 --> 01:07:31,400
Had the disciples not seen his 
ascension into heaven, we'd have

1133
01:07:31,400 --> 01:07:33,480
no proof of this. 
We'd have no confidence in this.

1134
01:07:34,840 --> 01:07:37,840
We have great confidence in this
because eyewitnesses declare 

1135
01:07:37,840 --> 01:07:41,200
that he was truly taken up to 
glory. 

1136
01:07:42,720 --> 01:07:46,120
John and his account in 
Revelation confirms. 

1137
01:07:46,120 --> 01:07:50,240
The latest evidence we have is 
God gave him a magnificent 

1138
01:07:50,240 --> 01:07:51,680
vision into the throne room of 
heaven. 

1139
01:07:51,680 --> 01:07:55,400
And what did he see there? 
The lion of the tribe of Judah 

1140
01:07:56,200 --> 01:08:03,960
look as if he had been slain, 
standing by the throne alive and

1141
01:08:03,960 --> 01:08:06,720
well. 
The risen Savior who was taken 

1142
01:08:06,720 --> 01:08:10,040
up to glory, who condescended to
this earth, and who took on 

1143
01:08:10,040 --> 01:08:13,600
flesh, and who humbled himself, 
became a servant, and then 

1144
01:08:13,600 --> 01:08:17,640
humbled himself even to the 
lowest point of dying on the 

1145
01:08:17,640 --> 01:08:19,680
cross. 
Paul wants the church to see 

1146
01:08:19,680 --> 01:08:20,359
this. 
Why? 

1147
01:08:20,359 --> 01:08:23,680
Because. 
This is our confidence without 

1148
01:08:23,680 --> 01:08:25,680
Christ. 
Why are we even here without 

1149
01:08:25,680 --> 01:08:27,960
Christ? 
Why do we do what we do without 

1150
01:08:27,960 --> 01:08:30,000
Christ? 
Why do we even get out of bed 

1151
01:08:30,000 --> 01:08:35,600
every day? 
Let Christ be our confidence, 

1152
01:08:38,240 --> 01:08:43,439
the true risen Messiah, our 
reason for life, our reason for 

1153
01:08:43,439 --> 01:08:50,880
existence, the one who has. 
Peter says first Peter chapter 

1154
01:08:50,880 --> 01:08:56,800
322 gone into heaven. 
It was at God's right hand, with

1155
01:08:56,800 --> 01:08:59,479
angels, authorities and powers 
in submission to Him. 

1156
01:09:00,640 --> 01:09:03,399
Hebrews 1/3 says the sun is the 
radiance of God's glory in the 

1157
01:09:03,399 --> 01:09:06,319
exact representation of His 
being, sustaining all things by 

1158
01:09:06,319 --> 01:09:08,319
His powerful word. 
And after he had provided 

1159
01:09:08,319 --> 01:09:12,359
purifications for sins, he sat 
down at the right hand of the 

1160
01:09:12,359 --> 01:09:15,680
majesty in heaven. 
Paul here in first Timothy 

1161
01:09:15,680 --> 01:09:18,760
giving us the confidence of 
Christ, reminding us that He has

1162
01:09:18,760 --> 01:09:24,319
been taken up to glory. 
This glory was nothing new to 

1163
01:09:24,319 --> 01:09:29,640
him. 
He returned to the glory that 

1164
01:09:29,640 --> 01:09:35,760
was rightfully his all eternity.
Philippians chapter 2 verse 6. 

1165
01:09:35,760 --> 01:09:40,000
And that ancient him, he says, 
who being in very nature, God 

1166
01:09:40,000 --> 01:09:42,640
did not consider equality with 
God something to be grasped. 

1167
01:09:42,640 --> 01:09:48,040
He didn't hold on to it, but 
made himself nothing, taking on 

1168
01:09:48,040 --> 01:09:50,479
the very nature of a servant 
being made in human likeness. 

1169
01:09:51,080 --> 01:09:53,600
Being found in appearance as a 
man, he humbled himself and 

1170
01:09:53,600 --> 01:09:55,960
became obedient to death, even 
death on a cross. 

1171
01:09:57,480 --> 01:10:02,680
Therefore, because of this, He 
was taken up. 

1172
01:10:03,600 --> 01:10:05,880
Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place and gave him the 

1173
01:10:05,880 --> 01:10:09,200
name that is above every name. 
Then at the name of Jesus every 

1174
01:10:09,200 --> 01:10:11,600
knee should bow in heaven, and 
on earth and under the earth. 

1175
01:10:11,600 --> 01:10:14,840
And every tongue confessed that 
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the 

1176
01:10:14,840 --> 01:10:20,200
glory of God the Father. 2 
ancient hymns in our lessons 

1177
01:10:20,200 --> 01:10:24,480
today, both of them tracing 
Christ from His incarnation all 

1178
01:10:24,480 --> 01:10:29,320
the way to His exaltation. 
What a beautiful picture that 

1179
01:10:29,320 --> 01:10:31,360
is, but let it bring you great 
confidence. 

1180
01:10:32,280 --> 01:10:33,920
Why? 
Because He has been exalted. 

1181
01:10:33,920 --> 01:10:38,240
He is interceding. 
He is mediating for you and for 

1182
01:10:38,240 --> 01:10:39,960
me. 
Those of us who are in Christ, 

1183
01:10:40,640 --> 01:10:44,080
He lives forever to intercede on
our behalf. 

1184
01:10:44,320 --> 01:10:45,720
Are you thankful for that this 
morning? 

1185
01:10:46,760 --> 01:10:49,840
Oh, He is our confidence. 
He's our confidence in life. 

1186
01:10:51,200 --> 01:10:53,440
He's our confidence in death. 
Why? 

1187
01:10:53,440 --> 01:10:57,520
Because of the fact that He is 
the revealed mystery, the one 

1188
01:10:57,520 --> 01:11:00,040
that the prophet spoke of for 
hundreds of years, hundreds of 

1189
01:11:00,040 --> 01:11:02,280
years prior to Christ coming to 
this earth. 

1190
01:11:02,280 --> 01:11:04,680
He is that revealed mystery 
played out. 

1191
01:11:07,160 --> 01:11:11,880
He is the risen Messiah, the one
true and living God who came to 

1192
01:11:11,880 --> 01:11:15,600
this earth to rescue sinners and
paupers like myself. 

1193
01:11:18,120 --> 01:11:22,600
May He rescue you today as He 
turns your heart to Him. 

1194
01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:29,120
So let's wrap this up trade that
we'll have a clearer grasp on 

1195
01:11:29,120 --> 01:11:32,400
the exact reasons why we are 
studying and why it's important 

1196
01:11:32,400 --> 01:11:36,360
that we read First Timothy. 
That we will have a clearer 

1197
01:11:36,360 --> 01:11:44,280
grasp as to the reason for 
Paul's instruction, the conduct 

1198
01:11:44,280 --> 01:11:47,920
of the church, how we conduct 
ourselves as individuals and how

1199
01:11:47,920 --> 01:11:52,640
we conduct ourselves as a whole.
The concern of the church. 

1200
01:11:52,640 --> 01:11:54,960
That our concern will be what it
needs to be. 

1201
01:11:54,960 --> 01:11:58,360
Proper doxology and proper 
doctrine don't complicate that. 

1202
01:11:59,480 --> 01:12:03,200
That our confidence will be 
where our confidence needs to 

1203
01:12:03,200 --> 01:12:06,800
be. 
That it will rest the all 

1204
01:12:06,800 --> 01:12:09,120
sufficient merit of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

1205
01:12:10,520 --> 01:12:14,160
Believers, I pray that you're 
challenged by this. 

1206
01:12:15,960 --> 01:12:18,400
To walk and to conduct yourself 
as you should. 

1207
01:12:19,560 --> 01:12:21,360
Ask yourself that difficult 
question. 

1208
01:12:21,360 --> 01:12:27,200
Am I conducting myself the way I
need to conduct myself, whether 

1209
01:12:27,200 --> 01:12:30,320
in my individual life as a 
member of His church or in the 

1210
01:12:30,320 --> 01:12:32,600
church as a whole? 
Am I serving and ministering to 

1211
01:12:32,600 --> 01:12:34,080
others as He would have me to 
do? 

1212
01:12:37,360 --> 01:12:40,720
This is the reason for this. 
This is why we studied this, not

1213
01:12:40,720 --> 01:12:45,720
to fill our head with a bunch of
knowledge to bring glory to God 

1214
01:12:45,720 --> 01:12:48,560
on this earth as we serve in His
body. 

1215
01:12:49,200 --> 01:12:53,640
To the unbeliever who has not 
surrendered to Jesus Christ as 

1216
01:12:53,640 --> 01:12:57,640
Lord and Savior, I pray today 
that God would have mercy on 

1217
01:12:57,640 --> 01:13:00,760
your soul. 
I pray that He would open your 

1218
01:13:00,760 --> 01:13:03,800
eyes by the power of the Holy 
Spirit to see the truth that you

1219
01:13:03,800 --> 01:13:06,000
are a Sinner and you are in need
of a Savior. 

1220
01:13:07,080 --> 01:13:10,720
I pray that He will show you how
detestable you are to a holy God

1221
01:13:10,720 --> 01:13:15,280
and that there is one way to be 
confident that you have been 

1222
01:13:15,280 --> 01:13:19,360
made clean before God and that 
is only through Jesus Christ, 

1223
01:13:19,360 --> 01:13:21,680
through His death, His burial, 
and His resurrection. 

1224
01:13:21,680 --> 01:13:24,720
He is our only hope. 
And I pray today that in that 

1225
01:13:25,400 --> 01:13:29,480
you would cry out to Jesus in 
desperation before you eternally

1226
01:13:29,480 --> 01:13:33,600
face the wrath of God, you will 
trust in the mercy of God that 

1227
01:13:33,600 --> 01:13:37,200
was given to us in Christ 2000 
years ago. 

1228
01:13:37,720 --> 01:13:39,840
Would you trust in Jesus today? 
Let's pray together. 

1229
01:13:39,840 --> 01:13:41,960
Father, in the name of Jesus, we
thank you for your word. 

1230
01:13:43,200 --> 01:13:46,360
We know that it will accomplish 
exactly what you desire for it 

1231
01:13:46,360 --> 01:13:48,520
to accomplish. 
It has gone forth. 

1232
01:13:49,560 --> 01:13:51,560
Lord Jesus, I've done all that I
can do. 

1233
01:13:52,680 --> 01:13:58,440
I trust in your spirit now to do
the work of God that only you 

1234
01:13:58,440 --> 01:14:02,000
can do. 
May you receive all glory and 

1235
01:14:02,000 --> 01:14:05,400
honor and praise for it. 
And we pray these things in 

1236
01:14:05,400 --> 01:14:07,120
Christ's name. 
Amen. 

1237
01:14:15,990 --> 01:14:18,270
Once again, we'd like to thank 
you for joining us online this 

1238
01:14:18,270 --> 01:14:20,110
morning. 
We pray that if you have any 

1239
01:14:20,110 --> 01:14:23,350
questions about the sermon today
or perhaps you would like more 

1240
01:14:23,350 --> 01:14:26,990
information on how to know Jesus
as your Lord and Savior, please 

1241
01:14:27,030 --> 01:14:30,070
click on the QR code there on 
the screen and it will give you 

1242
01:14:30,070 --> 01:14:31,550
all the information that you 
need. 

1243
01:14:32,270 --> 01:14:35,190
Also, if you have any prayer 
requests or would like to talk 

1244
01:14:35,190 --> 01:14:37,950
to a pastor, we would love to 
hear from you. 

1245
01:14:38,680 --> 01:14:41,880
And again, May God bless you as 
you seek Him and His will for 

1246
01:14:41,880 --> 01:15:00,000
your life. 
You've been listening to Key 

1247
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:02,760
Life Fellowships Pulpit ministry
podcast. 

1248
01:15:03,120 --> 01:15:06,320
Join us each week for more 
teaching from God's Word.