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Hey everybody, this is Pastor 
John Ewart from Inglewood 

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Baptist Church in Rocky 
Mountain, North Carolina. 

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Thank you so much for tuning 
into our podcast. 

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You're going to hear from God 
today as we share from his word 

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about important issues facing 
your life that can guide you 

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according to the Bible. 
So tonight as we begin, I'm so 

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thankful that you've joined us. 
If you're listening to this 

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online, then then welcome. 
Thank you. 

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I hope that you'll go back and 
listen to the entire series if 

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you haven't done that. 
I appreciate those who are here 

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physically in the room as we 
record this. 

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I'm also appreciative for those,
some of you who are here 

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physically this time. 
But you know what you're it's 

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the season of year for vacation 
and it's always, it's always 

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encouraging to me to hear the 
testimonies of people who are 

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listening to these things when 
they're on vacation and they're 

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away. 
And I just want to encourage 

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you. 
I also want to encourage 

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everybody who's listening. 
And for those of you here that 

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we are recording another series 
of podcasts right now called 

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Walking in Prayer to it that 
would actually accompany you 

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either for your personal daily 
quiet time when you pray. 

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You could use it just for that 
in your living room or as you're

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taking a walk around your 
neighborhood or the track or the

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mall or wherever you might walk.
This, this would actually be a 

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prayer guide that would guide 
you in various prayer 

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experiences. 
We have some that are general 

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prayers. 
We're going to have some praying

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for lost people. 
We're going to have some praying

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for those Christians who have, 
who have kind of gone wayward. 

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We're going to have one coming 
up on worship. 

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Another one. 
How do I pray for sick people? 

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And about 8 of them that the, 
the, the pastors and I are 

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putting together. 
So for those listening to the 

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podcast, check those out too. 
You'll enjoy those. 

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Take the dog out, wives, take 
your husbands out, drag them 

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along and you all listen and and
pray as you walk through your 

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neighborhood. 
So it'll not only help your 

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prayer walk, but it'll just help
you walk and pray, you know, 

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and, and you'll just, I think it
really enjoy that. 

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We've really enjoyed putting 
those together for you and 

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appreciate that. 
But as we move through this 

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series called core training that
we're in session 3 now and I 

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call, I'm still referring to 
primary doctrines. 

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I refer to this as the hill of 
authority because there are 

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certain hills worth dying on. 
And as we move through this 

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series on theological doctrine, 
and sometimes I think of that 

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word and I think, does that bore
people? 

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I mean, does that just make 
people not want to study that 

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word doctrine? 
Because I know sometimes that 

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can be kind of a highbrow type 
of word or maybe. 

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But all I'm talking about it is 
this is what we believe as a 

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believer. 
This is what we need to believe 

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according to the Bible in order 
to be a believer. 

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So don't make that word a 
barrier of any kind for anybody.

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But, but these are also 
priorities and there's certain 

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things that need to be primaries
and, and a couple of reasons we 

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these are apologetically 
significant. 

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What I mean by that is, and I've
been talking about this to some 

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of these doctoral students that 
I teach when we're dealing with 

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this, this post postmodern pre 
Christian world, which is what I

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label our culture as now. 
And I promise, I keep telling 

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you, one of these days I'm 
really going to parse that out. 

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But when we're talking to this 
world out there, we need to not 

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only kind of understand where 
they're coming from, but we 

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really need to know what we 
believe and we need to know why.

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And, and so one of those issues 
that we really need to 

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understand is what do I believe 
about this book? 

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What do I believe about this 
book? 

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And why does that matter? 
And so thank you so much for for

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listening and for being here for
this, because this is really 

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important because some hills 
really are worth dying on. 

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When Jesus was on trial before 
the Roman leader Pilate, in John

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chapter 18 verses 38 or 37 to 
38, it says this. 

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Then Pilate said to him, so 
you're a king. 

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And Jesus answered, you say that
I'm a king for this purpose I 

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was born. 
And for this purpose, I have 

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come into the world to bear 
witness to the truth. 

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Everyone who is of the truth 
listens to my voice. 

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And Pilate said to him, what's 
truth? 

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And that's the question of this 
world. 

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The the question of this world 
is what is the truth? 

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Or is there the truth? 
Can I make up my own truth? 

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Do I get to pull this piece and 
this piece in some syncretic way

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and and put together a jigsaw 
puzzle of my own truth? 

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This is one of the reasons and 
and this is one of the things 

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that makes us a post postmodern 
culture. 

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I'm sorry if that didn't make 
any sense. 

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Messiologist talk. 
But after 9-11 and then after 

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some other episodes that have 
happened in our culture, we live

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in a world now that has a fear 
base to it. 

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And they're looking for what I 
call pure communities of truth. 

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And that's a phrase worth 
remembering because that's why 

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social media works, and that's 
why reality TV works. 

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And there's an entire generation
that, frankly doesn't understand

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it. 
There's an entire generation of 

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why in the world would anybody 
care? 

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What, for me to take a picture 
of what I had for breakfast and 

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post it on the Internet? 
Why does anybody care that I 

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just left my house and I'm on my
way to another house? 

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Yeah. 
And yet there are people who are

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constantly letting you know 
where they are, what they're 

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doing, why they're doing it. 
And here's a photograph, often 

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selfies. 
And one of the reasons that 

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works is that is they have a 
network of followers. 

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Think about the language. 
They have followers. 

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And there are people who are 
they're in a community with and 

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for the lost World. 
This is often their source of 

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truth. 
They're looking for people who 

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agree with them about their 
truth. 

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And this is also why they're 
fixated on reality TV because 

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they also derive that same 
thing. 

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So what is truth? 
It's a vital question. 

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I'll get off culture. 
And so it's it's a question and 

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it's maybe the question of our 
world today. 

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And the answer determines how 
you're going to live and it 

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determines where you're going to
spend eternity. 

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The answer to that question will
determine what happens to you 

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after you die because either you
believe a certain truth or you 

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don't and you have to believe a 
certain truth in order to be 

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saved. 
We're going to talk about that. 

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So not simply what do you 
believe, which which we're 

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talking about in this series, 
obviously, but why do you 

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believe that? 
And how does that determine the 

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way? 
I must now listen to my verbs, 

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though? 
How did that determines the way 

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I must act? 
I must decide. 

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I must choose. 
I have no choice but to choose 

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this because of this truth I've 
shared with some of you before 

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about a story. 
I'm sharing it today in class. 

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And so I'm sorry sometimes for 
my redundancy, but, but, but 

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these stories drive home truth. 
I'm on an airplane. 

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I'll hop an earlier flight 
because, you know, I used to 

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live in airplanes and I'm I'm by
the window, which is not 

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Normandy for me. 
I don't fit there too well. 

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But I'm in, in by the window and
a guy comes and sits down in the

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seat and he's obviously from 
Germany. 

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You can tell by his accent. 
Plane takes off. 

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I have people who pray for me 
that whoever sits next to Doctor

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Ewart will start the 
conversation. 

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So it's very common for somebody
to turn to me and says, what do 

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you do for a living? 
So at that point, I'm telling, 

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you know, I'll tell him what I 
do. 

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And I eventually get to the 
place to where I say I'm a 

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Southern Baptist professor, 
pastor. 

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Oh, Now, I learned along the way
that he was a physician in that 

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initial conversation. 
So he's a medical doctor. 

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But then he says, you're going 
to hate me. 

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And I said, why would I hate 
you? 

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I just now met you. 
He goes because I'm gay and I 

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know you people hate gay people.
So then I go on a fake rant. 

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How dare you judge me so harshly
without even knowing me. 

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And I go on and on and on. 
He starts laughing because he 

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knows what I'm doing. 
He I'm reversing what often gets

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thrown on us back on him. 
He's laughing. 

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He goes, I surrender. 
I get it. 

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I get it. 
I get it. 

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And I said listen, I don't hate 
you. 

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I said, would you like me to 
actually tell you why I can't 

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condone an active homosexual 
lifestyle because of what the 

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Bible teaches? 
And I believe the Bible's the 

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truth. 
And so I and so I can't condone 

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it. 
I must choose the way. 

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I must choose because of God's 
Word. 

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He goes, yeah, I'd really like 
to hear that. 

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So I take him to Romans, one in 
several different passages where

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it's very, very clear. 
Listen, one of the dumbest 

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things I've ever seen in media 
is when a politician stands up 

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and says you want to hear what 
Jesus says about homosexuality. 

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Then he does this silent thing 
that's just ridiculous. 

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The Bible is very clear about 
what it believes about same sex 

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marriage and homosexual 
homosexuality, etcetera. 

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Now, that's not tonight's 
lesson. 

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We can do that some other time 
maybe. 

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But anyway, I'll walk him 
through several passages of 

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Scripture. 
And I said, but that's really 

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not the issue. 
The issue is you. 

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You think I hate you. 
And, and I said, how dare you 

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judge me like that? 
I mean, I'm just pushing him 

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because I mean, I'm smiling and 
I'm joking because he knows what

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I'm doing, because he knows that
that's how he feels like I'm 

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doing to him. 
And and I said, listen, I want 

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to talk to you about the 
difference between not condoning

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a sin and still loving the 
Sinner. 

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And I talked about the woman 
caught an adultery story and 

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several things about Jesus. 
Now listen, I'm telling you at 

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this point, I had every row 
around me turning around 

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listening to me because I don't 
hear too well out of one ear. 

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And when I'm on an airplane, I 
don't hear well at all. 

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So I was going about like this 
probably didn't he? 

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I wasn't trying to be. 
I'm just telling everybody 

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people are. 
I mean, everybody there, people 

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across the everybody. 
Here's the bottom line. 

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Bottom line wasn't the 
conversation then we can talk 

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about that some of the time. 
The bottom line was we, we have 

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this, this very intelligent, 
sincere, honest conversation. 

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And I talk about how, because I 
believe this is the Bible, I 

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can't, I can't have any other 
decision about an active 

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homosexual lifestyle like that. 
So we land and he gets up and he

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turns around and says, John, I 
want to shake your hand. 

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And I said, why? 
I thought you thought I hated 

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you. 
I'm still pushing him and he 

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laughs and he goes. 
I just want you to know this is 

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the first time I've ever had an 
intelligent conversation with a 

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Christian. 
And for that, I thank you. 

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We need to know why we believe 
what we believe. 

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We need to know where it comes 
from so that we can have honest,

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intelligent conversations in an 
authentic way with people who 

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are, who are not believers, 
right? 

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So we recognize this, that, that
it's not simply what do we 

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believe, but why do we believe 
it? 

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And that determines everything. 
And, and this world doesn't 

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understand the biblical answers.
And the world's going to seek to

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redefine and dismiss those 
answers, often because they want

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to create their own truth. 
In fact, this world will condemn

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Christians for condemning 
anything, which is ironic and a 

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little hypocritical. 
So we get condemned for 

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believing in something, but 
we're told to be tolerant of 

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everything else everybody else 
believes in. 

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And so it seems like at times 
every other belief is valid. 

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Every other belief is to be 
supported and upheld except 

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biblical Christianity. 
And so it really is kind of a 

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fascinating hypocrisy that Satan
has done a good job of 

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performing. 
It's it's art, it's satanic 

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artwork. 
And so we're judged for being 

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judgmental. 
And that irony is lost on the 

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lost because they're spiritually
blind. 

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So we're, we can be ridiculed 
and we can be dismissed as 

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ignorant, backward people of 
superstition and myth. 

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I mean, you got to think about 
the questions that the world 

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throws at us. 
How can, how can we believe in a

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loving God while there's so much
suffering in the world? 

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How can we be so hateful to be 
against a woman's right to 

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choose or for people to identify
with and or engage in any and 

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every active lifestyle of their 
choosing? 

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Right. 
Or how can I believe in the 

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Bible when it's obviously so 
full of errors and science has 

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obviously disproved it right? 
And perhaps it's partly our 

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fault. 
Perhaps as Christians, we're not

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always good about talking about 
what we're for. 

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We spend a lot of time talking 
about what we're against. 

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And maybe some of it's our 
fault. 

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Maybe we need to spend more time
talking about in a proactive, 

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loving, joyful way, about what 
it is that we love. 

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But accusations like this grow 
daily in the news and media 

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00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:43,480
platforms. 
Therefore, there are some key 

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doctrinal issues I need to 
resolve in my own heart and be 

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00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:49,480
able to articulate to others if 
I'm going to answer these 

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questions biblically, if I'm 
going to have gospel impact, I 

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may never completely understand 
the why of the world. 

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00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,280
I may not completely ever 
understand the way the world 

252
00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,160
thinks or again, why they 
believe what they believe. 

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But I need to be certain I know 
what I believe and why I believe

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00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:11,840
it. 
And thus this series. 

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So let's focus on one doctrinal 
hill worth dying on tonight, a 

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primary issue that we must nail 
down. 

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What do you believe about the 
Bible? 

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What do you believe about its 
authority, and why does it 

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00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,560
really matter? 
Remember, I showed you last time

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I believe a a show I mentioned a
short list of major doctrines 

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00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,520
found in some very popular 
conservative evangelical 

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00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,760
theological textbooks. 
You have things like the Word of

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God, you have revelation, you 
have the doctrine of God itself,

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00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,520
doctrine of creation, doctrine 
of humanity and sin. 

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You have the doctrine of Christ,
the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

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00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,960
If you had last week's handout, 
you'll have these Trinity 

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00:14:56,080 --> 00:15:00,040
Salvation Church last things. 
So the Word of God and the 

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00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,320
doctrine of revelation are 
obviously members of a primary 

269
00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:05,960
list. 
So we need to fully understand 

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00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,320
as these as well as be able to 
tell them to tell to somebody 

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00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,760
else what we believe. 
And the right answer falls 

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00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,200
within the understanding this is
important sentence. 

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The right answer falls within an
understanding that every single 

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human being follows some source 
of authority. 

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And that's just the truth. 
We all follow some source of 

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00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:32,680
authority, even those who would 
deny that still do. 

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00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,320
Our authority is going to 
provide the foundation. 

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00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,480
Our authority is going to be our
guide from which decisions are 

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00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:44,240
made, beliefs, values are 
formed, and then our acts are 

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00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:48,760
conducted the way we live. 
So our authority therefore must 

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00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,960
be true in order for the rest of
our life to be based on 

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00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,680
objective, reliable truth. 
But in our world today, the 

283
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,320
concept of that source of 
authority is totally subjective.

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00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,520
It's totally it's abstract. 
Who gets to define and determine

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00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:10,200
truth? 
Yourself, Someone else, social 

286
00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,960
media, your experience. 
And so people justify decisions 

287
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:19,800
and actions with. 
I was true to myself, I followed

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00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,320
my personal truth. 
And they believe they get to 

289
00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:28,280
vote on what the actual truth 
is, that somehow there's some 

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00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,440
ballot out there and I get to 
vote on what truth is right. 

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00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,080
And so the problem with that is,
is your life and eternity are 

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00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,840
defined and determined by your 
authoritative truth. 

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00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:44,120
Questions like what is sin? 
Which that word might not even 

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00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,880
be known to the world in that 
way, but to us we would call it 

295
00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:49,560
that. 
What is sin and who gets to 

296
00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,360
define that? 
Who decides what's right and 

297
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:57,400
what's wrong and how right? 
What's holy? 

298
00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:00,920
What what? 
What do you value? 

299
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,160
What do you love? 
What do you fear? 

300
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,440
What is your purpose? 
How do you find peace? 

301
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,599
How do you find hope? 
These are all defined and 

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00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:13,960
determined by your authority. 
It's either yourself, someone 

303
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:18,319
else, or something else. 
So being true only to yourself 

304
00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:21,240
and following just your own 
truth, I unfortunately have to 

305
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:22,800
say out loud. 
It's just going to lead you 

306
00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,760
straight to hell. 
It will not save you. 

307
00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,400
That's not the truth. 
Are you really smart enough? 

308
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,840
Are you really self-contained 
and self-sufficient enough with 

309
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,680
everything else around you? 
You alone? 

310
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:43,880
You're so self confident and so 
able all by yourself to be the 

311
00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,960
sole source of your own 
authority. 

312
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,920
This is really a very old issue.
It's not new. 

313
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:53,600
It's not just a part of this 
culture. 

314
00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:57,440
It's always been around. 
It's a very, very old issue. 

315
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:01,200
Eve thought so in the garden. 
She thought she got to the 

316
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,600
truth. 
I really get to define what God 

317
00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,080
really said. 
I get to define what's right and

318
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,400
what's wrong. 
So this goes back to the very 

319
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,920
beginning. 
It it is a root of sin. 

320
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,800
And so we recognize that this is
a big deal. 

321
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,600
And so throughout history, 
humanity has just made the same 

322
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,360
mistake as it searches for the 
truth. 

323
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,960
And as a result, they've 
dismissed, perhaps even attacked

324
00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,200
the Word of God throughout 
history on multiple levels. 

325
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,360
And you may never convince a 
lost person to believe what you 

326
00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,320
believe about the Bible. 
They may not be able to grasp 

327
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,560
what your authority is or that 
the word of God is the truth. 

328
00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:45,400
But my plea is simply this, that
you know and that you're willing

329
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:50,960
to die on that hill and then you
share with them in a loving and 

330
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,600
truthful and authentic way and 
allow the Holy Spirit to work in

331
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:59,880
their hearts. 
So the Bible teaches that God is

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00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:05,160
sovereignly omnipotent. 
He's all powerful, he's 

333
00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,880
omnipresent, he's everywhere and
he's omniscient. 

334
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:13,760
He knows everything and and as 
as such, he is creator and 

335
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:20,200
Savior and he deserves the right
to determine truth and to be our

336
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:25,000
ultimate authority. 
See, he's earned that right as 

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00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,720
creator, as savior, as 
omnipotent, as omniscient, as 

338
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:34,520
omnipresent. 
And so just what is this ancient

339
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:39,000
book? 
So one other story that I know 

340
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,000
I've shared with some of you 
before, but again, it'd be good 

341
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,400
to get it on the podcast is is 
one time out in Arizona, I was 

342
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,640
asked to speak in a comparative 
religions class. 

343
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,560
I was the token Christian the 
week before was a Buddhist monk.

344
00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:54,680
The week after was a Native 
American shaman. 

345
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,240
So each week they had a 
representative from a different 

346
00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:02,200
religion and the invitation. 
I was a pastor there and that we

347
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,480
had connections at this major 
junior college, huge junior 

348
00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,400
college. 
And the idea was is that. 

349
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:12,080
Is that I would come in and I 
would share basic principles of 

350
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,840
Christianity for 20 minutes and 
take questions for 20 minutes. 

351
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,160
So in other words, I'm going to 
show the gospel to a bunch of 

352
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:19,680
people who need to hear it in a 
classroom. 

353
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,160
And so I get there's a huge 
amphitheater room 150 students, 

354
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,640
and there's a little lab table 
down at the front. 

355
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:29,240
I've set my Bible in my notes 
there. 

356
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,680
I know some of you've heard this
before and this was my 

357
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:34,800
introduction. 
The professor comes up, he picks

358
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,880
up my Bible and he says this is 
John, blah blah blah. 

359
00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:42,840
He talks where I am. 
He goes, this guy actually 

360
00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:48,440
believes this ancient book is 
the literal word of God and it 

361
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,960
defines truth instead of our 
culture. 

362
00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,640
And he slams my Bible down on 
the lab table, says I can't wait

363
00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,400
to hear this. 
So that was my introduction. 

364
00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,480
And so I realized I needed to 
backtrack a little bit and talk 

365
00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:07,480
about why I believe the Bible is
an authority first. 

366
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:09,200
So I do that and then I walk 
through the whole grand 

367
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,440
narrative from Genesis to 
Revelation about how the story 

368
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:15,160
is all about Jesus. 
And I show the gospel 150 people

369
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:17,320
in the room. 
And you can understand in this 

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00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,320
part of Arizona, there's a lot 
of it's Mormon dominated and New

371
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,920
Age movement dominated. 
And a lot of these kids were 

372
00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,760
actually in a New Age cult and 
the priestess was in the 

373
00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,560
classroom. 
I found out later a Wiccan 

374
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,760
witch, new age priestess 
combination thing. 

375
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,440
And a little girl in the back 
who's a part of this raises her 

376
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,720
hand and says, why do you 
Baptist think Jesus hated women?

377
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,400
Now, I hadn't said anything 
about any of that, but I knew 

378
00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,360
where she was getting it and she
was getting it out of the media.

379
00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:49,480
There was some stuff about 
gender roles in church and 

380
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,760
whatnot, and I shared with her a
little bit about what the Bible 

381
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:54,760
actually taught about women. 
I won't go into all that right 

382
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:55,800
now. 
And then I also talked about 

383
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,080
she's actually talking about 
Ephesians, 5 wives submitting to

384
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,640
husbands, that kind of stuff. 
So I, I walk through all that 

385
00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,560
and I'm done. 
Use the whiteboard, give a, give

386
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,280
a Bible lesson on what she's 
talking about. 

387
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,600
Well, then the priestess stands 
up. 

388
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:15,280
She looks like a priestess and 
she points her finger at me. 

389
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,440
She says, I don't agree with 
you. 

390
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:22,440
As I've said to you before, God 
had to shut my mouth at that 

391
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:29,480
point because I was about to 
say, well, duh, but listen to 

392
00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:30,360
her. 
And I've said this to you 

393
00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:33,080
before. 
Listen to what she said, she 

394
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:37,520
says, But for the first time in 
my life, I understand that if a 

395
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,520
person believes the Bible is 
really the word of God, that you

396
00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,160
must believe what you believe. 
And for that, I thank you. 

397
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,440
And she and I could have sat 
down over herbal tea and talked 

398
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:52,640
about Jesus. 
You know, all I can be is true 

399
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,760
to the truth. 
So let's talk about this. 

400
00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,680
So let me share some truth with 
you about the Bible. 

401
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,200
The first thing we see is that 
it's the revelation of God's 

402
00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,640
truth. 
Volumes have been written about 

403
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,720
the doctrine of revelation. 
So I don't have time for volume 

404
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:12,520
for volumes, obviously, tonight.
David Dockery, who's the right 

405
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,000
now the president of 
Southwestern Baptist Theological

406
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,920
Seminary in Fort Worth. 
He's been the president of Union

407
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,120
University and several worked at
Southern when I first got there.

408
00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,840
But he says this revelation 
means an uncovering, a removal 

409
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:29,840
of the veil, a disclosure of 
what was previously unknown. 

410
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,040
Now, it's really important. 
And some of you would have 

411
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,280
already taught this and know 
this, but you got to understand 

412
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,440
there are two different kinds of
revelation. 

413
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,840
And this actually will also help
us later on when we talk about 

414
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,960
the problem of evil. 
There's what we would call, and 

415
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:44,800
they're different names for 
this, but let me just use the 

416
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,640
most common. 
There's general revelation and 

417
00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,080
specific revelation. 
General revelation is God's 

418
00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:52,880
revelation of himself to 
everybody. 

419
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,360
Millard Erickson, Doctor 
Erickson, who wrote a 

420
00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,320
significant systematic theology 
book that's used by a lot of 

421
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:03,280
conservatives. 
He says because man is finite, 

422
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,760
if man is to know God, it must 
come come about by God's 

423
00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:11,040
revelation of himself to man. 
In other words, God reveals his 

424
00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,040
presence, and he does it through
nature, He does it through 

425
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,120
history, and he does it in the 
nature of man himself. 

426
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,160
In other words, there's 
something innate in us that 

427
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,840
often thinks of the divine, 
which is one reason why there's 

428
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,160
some form of religion in every 
single culture. 

429
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,640
And so there's a there's an 
aspect of general revelation 

430
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,560
that is even out there in 
nature. 

431
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,880
And this is and there, there's 
something within our created 

432
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,880
being, something within our 
conscience that recognizes this 

433
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,440
need. 
And God speaks in his word of 

434
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,640
general revelation. 
The psalmist wrote in Psalm 19, 

435
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,640
one the heavens declare the 
glory of God in the sky above 

436
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,600
proclaims his handiwork. 
Again, in Romans 1, it says, for

437
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,400
what can be known about God is 
plain to them because God has 

438
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,360
shown it to them. 
For his invisible attributes, 

439
00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:02,440
namely his eternal power and 
divine nature have been clearly 

440
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,520
perceived ever since the 
creation of the world and the 

441
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,000
things that have been made. 
So they are without excuse. 

442
00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,200
This also deals with your 
question about the person who's 

443
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:18,080
never heard about Christ. 
And so here's the kicker though,

444
00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,440
and you got to understand this, 
you cannot be saved through 

445
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,680
general revelation. 
So even though you can't be 

446
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,520
saved through general 
revelation, 1 is held 

447
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,600
accountable by it. 
And we can grow in our awareness

448
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,600
of and the presence of God and 
the reality of God through 

449
00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:36,400
general revelation. 
But this misinterpretation or 

450
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,720
distortion of general revelation
has also led to a lot of heresy.

451
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,880
So man tends to worship 
sometimes the creation rather 

452
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:50,760
than the creator, idol worship, 
nature worship, etcetera, or or 

453
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,400
man may even worship himself as 
part of the creation. 

454
00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:58,160
So specific revelation is 
absolutely necessary for us to 

455
00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,600
personally know God and to be 
saved. 

456
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,920
And God specifically reveals 
himself so that we can know his 

457
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,680
truth. 
And so obviously the most 

458
00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,280
important culmination, the most 
clear culmination of specific 

459
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,720
revelation is Jesus Christ and 
who he really is as God 

460
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,400
Incarnate. 
So the gospel story is his 

461
00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:23,760
specific story of specific 
revelation and the, and the plan

462
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:27,480
of truth. 
Now, unfortunately, I, I don't 

463
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,160
have time in this session. 
I may do this later. 

464
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,720
I actually do have teachings 
about this that I'd like to do 

465
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,040
with you all sometime. 
I I don't have time in these 

466
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,240
sessions to talk about how our 
present Bible came to be in its 

467
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:45,560
current form, the Canon of 
Scripture, how the various books

468
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,320
were chosen, the various church 
councils that were involved, the

469
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,040
transfer, even translations, 
different things like that. 

470
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,440
I'd like to do that sometime in 
the future though, with you 

471
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:58,120
because the, the it's not an 
important and, and these are 

472
00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:01,360
trustworthy processes by which 
it occurred. 

473
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:05,880
I have no, no doubts about them 
as I've studied them, but that's

474
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:07,800
an entire study in and of 
itself. 

475
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:11,440
I've done an entire series on 
how we got the Bible in its 

476
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:15,040
current form, and some have 
created other versions. 

477
00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:18,840
Frankly, some have some really 
bad translations that they've 

478
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:22,800
made-up themselves and the 
differences and those various 

479
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:28,560
differences have led them to all
kinds of false teaching and and 

480
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:34,400
heretical truths. 
But today we need to address 

481
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:39,480
what we believe about the Bible 
as we have it in the evangelical

482
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:44,000
church, the Bible you and I use 
and know we've got to focus on 

483
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,600
that because of time and what we
have here today. 

484
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:52,680
So Paul discussed sources of 
strength with Timothy as, as, as

485
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:56,200
he kind of faced A downward 
slide of society. 

486
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,960
If you think that we're living 
in the worst culture or the 

487
00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:02,600
worst time in history, you, you 
need to study history. 

488
00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,920
History does cycle and that's 
why I refer to us as a post 

489
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:10,720
postmodern pre Christian 
culture. 

490
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:12,440
I'll never use the word post 
Christ. 

491
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:14,200
I don't like that word. 
I don't believe in that word. 

492
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,360
Jesus is always on his throne 
and the Bible says people are 

493
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:20,520
always going to be getting saved
and so until the end of time. 

494
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:21,880
So I don't believe in a post 
Christian. 

495
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:23,960
That's a common thing and I 
understand what they mean. 

496
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,680
But I'm going to talk about pre 
Christian because I actually 

497
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:30,160
think we're much more like the 
1st century than we ever have 

498
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,120
been where people just don't 
know. 

499
00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:37,520
People don't have a clue. 
But Paul's encouraging him as as

500
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,760
Timothy was in a in a downward 
cycle of society and increasing 

501
00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:43,880
persecution. 
And Paul spoke of harsh times 

502
00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:47,320
ahead and he pointed out the 
characteristics of ungodliness 

503
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,120
that are going to be running 
rampant, including those who 

504
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,200
invent and teach false truth. 
It's very much like our world 

505
00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,320
today. 
It just sounds all too familiar 

506
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,680
as Paul shared the example that 
he sought to be for Timothy. 

507
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,240
So and who he wanted Timothy to 
be. 

508
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,960
And and then there's a passage 
that I shared with you recently 

509
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,920
in Second Timothy chapter 3 and 
in verse 14, he says, But As for

510
00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,280
you, continue in what you have 
learned and have firmly 

511
00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,000
believed, knowing from whom you 
learned it and how from 

512
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,400
childhood you have been 
acquainted with the sacred 

513
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,920
writings which are able to make 
you wise for salvation through 

514
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,040
faith in Christ Jesus. 
So we need to learn and firmly 

515
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,960
believe in this real truth. 
And you can see the crucial 

516
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,920
discipleship that he's trying to
put into Timothy's life. 

517
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,840
And you can see how crucial 
discipleship and continual 

518
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,720
learning from the sacred 
writings, as he would call them 

519
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,440
here, which would have been the 
Old Testament writings primarily

520
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,720
for Timothy, but but for him to 
continue in that discipleship 

521
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,040
and how significant that becomes
for a healthy church. 

522
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,240
Listen, I'm telling you all week
long in a doctoral seminar that 

523
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:53,520
I've been teaching, we were 
talking about the top critical 

524
00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,680
issues in church health. 
That was basically what the 

525
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,160
seminar was about, critical 
issues in church revitalization.

526
00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,600
And, and we have a list, we, we 
ended up with about 30 different

527
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:04,840
key issues. 
And I promise you, the lack of 

528
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,600
discipleship is right at the 
top. 

529
00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:10,960
And so if you think I'm being 
redundant and you think I'm 

530
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,920
being obnoxious and you think 
I'm being, I'm meddling in your 

531
00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,760
life by telling you to be in a 
Connect group, there's a reason 

532
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,920
for that community together. 
It's not just because I'm trying

533
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:26,760
to build up the attendance of 
Connect groups. 

534
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,840
I'm trying to get you into a 
best discipleship place. 

535
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,040
So Paul focused on this 
influential teaching in 

536
00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,480
Timothy's life. 
They taught him the truth. 

537
00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:37,800
Timothy needed to continue in 
that truth, right? 

538
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:42,560
And the word continue that he 
uses in that, in that, in that 

539
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:46,520
verse actually means to hold on 
to or to remain. 

540
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:48,720
It means to be steadfast in 
something. 

541
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,200
And the way it was written, it 
means to continue to remain. 

542
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:56,720
Don't ever leave you continue 
and continue and continue in 

543
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,200
that study and learning of those
sacred writings. 

544
00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,520
Don't you ever leave it. 
Don't you ever run away from it.

545
00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:06,120
So following Christ is obviously
not someone time event kind of 

546
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,600
thing. 
It's not sometime some kind of 

547
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,920
one time event of salvation. 
It's a life of continual 

548
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:13,520
dependence. 
It's a life of continual 

549
00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:15,360
obedience. 
It's a it's a life where I'm 

550
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:19,680
constantly seeking after the 
truth and the word of God that 

551
00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,880
belongs to Christ my King. 
And, and, and it also says that 

552
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:28,000
he had firmly believed and what 
that wording can mean is he was 

553
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,520
convinced that that word 
actually can mean being 

554
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,320
convinced in my. 
So he was absolutely convinced 

555
00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:37,960
this was the truth. 
He knew it was and he staked his

556
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,440
life upon it and he lived in it 
and he remained in it. 

557
00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,680
And that that that word 
believed, that's in that verse 

558
00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,880
is that same word I've shared 
with you 400 times. 

559
00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,640
It's that verb form of faith. 
He faith in it. 

560
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:52,600
And he remained in that faith 
thing. 

561
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:54,880
I'm going to faith in the word 
of God. 

562
00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:58,360
I'm convinced that it's the word
of God and I'm going to live in 

563
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,400
that word and I'm going to 
continue to live in that word. 

564
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,600
That's how that verse is 
actually flowing. 

565
00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:07,400
So the real truth brings wisdom 
leading to salvation. 

566
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,120
So the source of that truth was 
the again, for him, it would 

567
00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,400
have been primarily the Old 
Testament oral writings and 

568
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,480
stories about Jesus. 
The gospels were coming out and 

569
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:20,720
Paul's letters were obviously 
being written, but we don't have

570
00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,480
the entire New Testament yet. 
So it's an interesting time in 

571
00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,600
history. 
So something that's really 

572
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:29,800
important for you to understand 
and I'm going to give you three 

573
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,840
ways that are not original with 
me, but these are about as 

574
00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,600
simple as I can find. 
How do I actually see the Bible?

575
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:41,160
Let me give you 3 options. 
The first option is called human

576
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,320
constructivist. 
These are fancy words. 

577
00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:44,680
Those are on your sheet, 
correct? 

578
00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,480
Those are on your handout. 
Human constructivist. 

579
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:50,520
Don't don't make that hard. 
It means it Constructed by who? 

580
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:52,560
Humans. 
That's right. 

581
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:56,600
This is a completely human book.
This is no different than Harry 

582
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,480
Potter. 
This is no different than Lord 

583
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,760
of the Rings. 
It's just a work of fiction that

584
00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:03,960
human beings wrote, right? 
And that's one way to look at 

585
00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,000
the Bible. 
And there are many people who 

586
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,200
look at the Bible that way. 
It's the best selling work of 

587
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,320
pure fiction in history. 
And it continues to be the it's 

588
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:13,760
the best selling book of all 
time. 

589
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,920
It will continue to be the best 
selling book of all time. 

590
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,200
Nothing even comes close to 
Bible sales. 

591
00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,160
In fact, Bible sales in the 
United States are actually up 

592
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,120
dramatically right now, 
amazingly. 

593
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:28,560
And so it's the best selling 
work of fiction, but it's simply

594
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:32,920
an expression of fantasy. 
So you can go to just about any 

595
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:38,920
secular university and you can 
take a literature course on the 

596
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,920
Bible as literature where they 
look at the incredible poetry, 

597
00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:47,080
they'll look at the stories, but
it's nothing more than any other

598
00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:50,480
any other work of fiction. 
It's like Greek literature, 

599
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,640
Roman literature. 
It's just an ancient work of 

600
00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:55,320
fantasy and fiction, human 
constructivist. 

601
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:59,680
You can imagine this is an anti 
supernatural, extremely liberal 

602
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:04,680
or lost view of the Bible. 
The middle one is the scary one.

603
00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,600
It's called human response. 
Now follow this. 

604
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:13,880
God spoke in part, man responded
and wrote the Bible. 

605
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,280
So here's the sentence that's 
always used about this 

606
00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:21,440
perspective. 
The Bible delivers God's Word, 

607
00:34:21,639 --> 00:34:24,080
but it is not literally God's 
Word. 

608
00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,520
So it contains all kinds of 
errors and mistakes put in there

609
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,159
by man. 
And it's always interesting to 

610
00:34:31,159 --> 00:34:37,400
me because as I've travelled the
world 462,000 times, I get into 

611
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,760
conversations with people and 
airports and airport lounges and

612
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:44,080
airplanes and hotels and 
restaurants, etcetera. 

613
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,960
And I'll have people talk to me 
about the errors or the mistakes

614
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,960
in the Bible. 
Always interesting to me because

615
00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:54,280
the first thing I'll always ask 
him is show me 3. 

616
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,320
And you know, I've never had 
anybody be able to do that yet. 

617
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,600
Now, every now and then I'll run
into somebody in academic life 

618
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:06,920
who actually has things that 
they want to point out. 

619
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,320
They've researched it and they 
think they have ideas about 

620
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,720
mistakes in the Bible. 
Usually it'll be about the 

621
00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:15,000
number of people killed in some 
Old Testament battle or 

622
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:18,240
something like that, You know, 
kings versus Samuel or 

623
00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:21,320
something. 
Nothing at all that affects any 

624
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,280
kind of theology or anything at 
all. 

625
00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,040
And so it's always fascinating 
to me that they're going to 

626
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:30,080
stake their eternity on 
something they read on the 

627
00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:34,400
interwebs, something they heard 
from somebody, something that 

628
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,920
was once told to them by 
somebody without any evidence 

629
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,120
whatsoever that it's actually 
fact. 

630
00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,040
And so it's interesting because 
the Bible is full of that. 

631
00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,520
They, they flippantly say that. 
And this leads me to the idea 

632
00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:51,200
that I get to decide which parts
are God and which parts are just

633
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,280
man. 
This view, it's Jeffersonian 

634
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:56,640
again. 
At Monticello, they used to have

635
00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,040
it on display. 
I don't know if it's still there

636
00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,520
or not. 
The Jefferson Bible where he cut

637
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:02,840
sections out, if he didn't like 
it, he just cut it out and threw

638
00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:07,400
it away. 
And so I get to decide, what's 

639
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:08,920
God? 
There used to be a seminar. 

640
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:09,840
I don't know, they still do or 
not. 

641
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:11,720
There used to be a group of 
quote UN quote scholars who met 

642
00:36:11,720 --> 00:36:14,120
together and they voted with 
black marbles and white marbles.

643
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:15,520
Did Jesus really say that or 
not? 

644
00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,320
And they'd vote with black 
marbles and white marble. 

645
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,360
And so it's always interesting 
to me because I've been around 

646
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,200
these kinds of scholars in my 
academic life and and they have 

647
00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:29,760
no justification for where 
they're coming from with this 

648
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,520
other than their own opinion 
based upon their own perspective

649
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,480
of truth. 
They're bringing massive filters

650
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:42,800
into it in their prejudgments. 
So the Bible is not my source of

651
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:47,320
truth in this, in this kind of 
response, I am, I'm my source of

652
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:49,600
truth. 
I get to decide, I'm deciding 

653
00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:51,440
what what parts of the Bible are
true or not. 

654
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,360
I'm the editor. 
I'm the one who decides truth. 

655
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,240
I'm my own authority in this 
view of the Bible. 

656
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,200
But this is this is a liberal to
moderate view of the Bible in 

657
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:05,680
churches today as well. 
So be careful. 

658
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:08,960
And then the third area, which 
is where I land is obviously 

659
00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:11,440
divine inspiration. 
The Bible is God's inspired, 

660
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:13,240
infallible, literal word. 
It's inerrant. 

661
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,880
I can trust the whole story, the
entire Canon of Scripture, of 

662
00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,720
the whole grand mythological 
narrative that God has revealed 

663
00:37:20,720 --> 00:37:23,200
to us. 
And, and I can depend upon it, 

664
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,920
every word of it as truth, the 
truth. 

665
00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:29,520
And this true understanding of 
Scripture then leads me to 

666
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,880
wisdom. 
It leads me to true salvation 

667
00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:34,400
and helps me in terms of 
understanding. 

668
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,880
It's revelation. 
But the second thing we want to 

669
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,920
talk about for a few moments is 
the inspiration of God's truth. 

670
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,880
So Second Timothy chapter 3, 
verse 16 says all Scripture is 

671
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,360
breathed by, out by God and 
profitable for teaching, for 

672
00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:48,520
reproof, for correction, and for
training and righteousness. 

673
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,760
It's God breathed. 
Newt Larson, who's a theologian,

674
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:54,520
said this. 
He said the power of the Bible 

675
00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:58,840
to affect change and demand 
obedience resides in the fact 

676
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,800
that all Scripture is inspired. 
God breathed, it's from him. 

677
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,360
Peter wrote this in second Peter
1. 

678
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,240
He said, for no prophecy was 
ever produced by the will of 

679
00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:13,800
man, but men spoke from God as 
they were carried along by the 

680
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,000
Holy Spirit. 
I mean, that's a great image of 

681
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,400
this, that that Greek word 
carried along is, is just that 

682
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,040
what you might think it is. 
It's a sailboat being pushed by 

683
00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,160
the wind. 
Always remember that the Greek 

684
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,840
word for wind and the Greek word
for spirit are the same thing. 

685
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:28,400
Pneuma. 
It's the same word. 

686
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:32,120
And so and so it's pushing them,
blowing them along. 

687
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,640
So God is speaking, blowing them
along, right? 

688
00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:42,440
And so men, men wrote the words,
but the words and the substance 

689
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,240
they wrote came directly from 
God. 

690
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:45,840
Now Ericsson really helps us 
here. 

691
00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,080
Listen to this. 
This is good. 

692
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:49,240
This is you. 
You'll want to remember this 

693
00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:52,240
one. 
Inspiration is the preservation 

694
00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:56,320
of revelation. 
That's a great phrase by 

695
00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,720
inspiration of Scripture. 
We for natural influence of the 

696
00:38:59,720 --> 00:39:03,680
Holy Spirit upon the Scripture 
writers which rendered their 

697
00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,000
writings an accurate record of 
the revelation, or which 

698
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,200
resulted in what they wrote 
actually being the Word of God. 

699
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:14,960
Inspiration guarantees that what
the Bible says is just what God 

700
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:17,280
would say if He were to speak 
directly. 

701
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:19,600
Now, lost people are going to 
fight this. 

702
00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:23,040
They're going to fight this for 
a lot of different reasons, but 

703
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,520
one of the reasons they're going
to fight this is because then 

704
00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:28,960
they would have to admit the 
Bible, Bibles, and thus God's 

705
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:33,160
authority over them, and they 
would then have to admit that 

706
00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,800
they're accountable for their 
sins to God. 

707
00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:39,800
Lost world doesn't want that. 
The lost world doesn't want 

708
00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,200
accountability. 
The lost world wants to be able 

709
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:47,400
to do what it wants to do yet 
yet the Bible itself claims also

710
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:48,880
to be the word of God. 
Don't miss this. 

711
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,040
Jesus knew it when it, when, 
what it was. 

712
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,120
Jesus knew what it was when he 
prayed in John 1717. 

713
00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:57,440
Sanctify them and the truth, 
your word is truth doesn't get 

714
00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,760
much simpler than that. 
Why? 

715
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:04,520
Because all of it. 
Every word is the inspired word 

716
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,000
of God. 
Not parts, but all of it. 

717
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,120
So we don't have the authority 
to pick and choose what we will 

718
00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,440
follow. 
And because this is God's word 

719
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:15,960
and God does not lie, we believe
in what's called absolute 

720
00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:20,320
inerrancy. 
Wayne Grudem, who wrote another 

721
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:25,400
large theological systematic 
theology textbook, says this. 

722
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:28,320
He says the inerrancy of 
Scripture means that Scripture 

723
00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:32,080
is God's Word, and God's Word is
the ultimate definition of what 

724
00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:36,440
is true and what is not true. 
God's Word is itself truth. 

725
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,400
Thus we are to think of the 
Bible as the ultimate standard 

726
00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,680
of truth, the reference point by
which every other claim to 

727
00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:47,360
truthfulness is to be measured. 
And since the Bible is inspired 

728
00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:51,160
like this, then he can go on in 
that passage in Second Timothy 3

729
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:55,280
and say that the inerrant truth 
of God is indeed profitable. 

730
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,600
It's profitable. 
It, it's helpful. 

731
00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:02,440
It, it's useful. 
It, it, it, it teaches us and, 

732
00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:04,960
and, and, and reproofs us and 
corrects us. 

733
00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:06,280
So let's talk about that for a 
minute. 

734
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,520
It's the inspiration of 
Scripture, the truth that is the

735
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:13,320
truth, because it's God's truth 
that makes it true. 

736
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:20,320
And then it's truly profitable 
for my life, truly see. 

737
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,040
So let's talk about #3 the 
instruction from God's truth for

738
00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,360
a minute. 
So it's profitable for teaching 

739
00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:30,080
and training. 
That verse says the Bible is the

740
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,720
source of true doctrine and 
theology. 

741
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:35,880
Again, don't let those words 
throw you. 

742
00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:38,080
It just means what we should 
believe. 

743
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,720
It's the basis for this entire 
midweek series. 

744
00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,240
The word training. 
There's the same word that's 

745
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:48,120
used in Ephesians chapter 6 with
parents and children. 

746
00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:52,880
We're used to train them develop
Christian truth in the child. 

747
00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:56,000
So the the Bible should lead us 
to believe, to live, to make 

748
00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:00,000
decisions and define issues and 
to interpret events in a very 

749
00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:02,720
certain, very specific, very 
truthful way. 

750
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,760
I have to believe the way I 
believe and I have to choose the

751
00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:09,160
way I choose. 
And I have to condone or condemn

752
00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:10,760
what I have to condone and 
condemn. 

753
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:13,960
Now I can do it in a way that's 
loving. 

754
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:19,920
I can speak the truth in love. 
So the way I address people is 

755
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:24,400
it is another matter. 
But what I have to believe is 

756
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:28,000
uncompromisable. 
I can't, I can't, I can't I, I 

757
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:33,920
can't compromise on that. 
So remember, sin is anything 

758
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:38,400
that we think, do or say that is
contrary to this word, that 

759
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:42,680
contrary to the will of God. 
And so the word is a standard 

760
00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:45,400
that we compare all of life to. 
And of course we all know, and 

761
00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:47,480
we've talked about this a lot, 
that we're all sinners and the 

762
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,800
wages of sin is death. 
So we depend upon God to deal 

763
00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,080
with that sin and death problem 
through the cross and the 

764
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,840
resurrection. 
And he does that because Jesus, 

765
00:42:57,240 --> 00:43:03,480
who himself says He is the way, 
the what, the truth and the 

766
00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,840
life. 
And nobody can come to the 

767
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:10,320
Father but through me. 
John 14, six. 

768
00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:14,600
So we recognize that. 
But listen to what the writer of

769
00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,360
Hebrews said. 
We can talk one day about who we

770
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:21,600
think that is. 
For the word of God is alive and

771
00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,720
active. 
This is Hebrews 412 and 13. 

772
00:43:23,720 --> 00:43:25,480
Sharper than any double edged 
sword. 

773
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:30,920
It penetrates even to dividing 
soul and spirit joints and 

774
00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:33,280
Morrow. 
It judges the thoughts and 

775
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:36,200
attitudes of the heart. 
Nothing in all creation is 

776
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,920
hidden from God's sight. 
Everything is uncovered and laid

777
00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:44,280
bare before the eyes of him to 
whom we must give account. 

778
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:47,600
So the Bible is alive, it's 
active. 

779
00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,000
And and this, this makes it 
totally different than Harry 

780
00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:54,480
Potter, makes it totally 
different than Lord of the 

781
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:57,760
Rings, makes it totally 
different than any other writing

782
00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:02,040
ever in history. 
The word for active here is our 

783
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:05,280
English word for energy. 
It has energy. 

784
00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:07,600
Chuck Swindoll once said this 
about it. 

785
00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:11,000
The Bible is no dead book. 
The gospel message is no empty 

786
00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:14,520
mantra, and Jesus is no mere 
figure of history buried by 

787
00:44:14,520 --> 00:44:18,920
centuries of myths and legends. 
Jesus is alive, the gospel 

788
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:22,400
saves, and the Bible is always 
relevant to everyday life. 

789
00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,640
Why? 
Because it's inspired. 

790
00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:31,480
Because it's breathed by God. 
We're actually taking in the 

791
00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:33,840
breath of God. 
Now think about this. 

792
00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:36,400
How did he create? 
How did he create life? 

793
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,160
He breathed life. 
This is life. 

794
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:44,960
See, so God created man in 
Genesis, gave him breath. 

795
00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:47,680
He created the heavens and the 
earth with a word. 

796
00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,680
And so the word of God is alive 
because God is alive, and this 

797
00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:53,720
word carries out his will. 
That's not a guess. 

798
00:44:53,720 --> 00:44:57,280
Listen to the prophet Isaiah in 
Isaiah chapter 55. 

799
00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,720
For as the rain and snow come 
down from heaven, and do not 

800
00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:04,800
return there, but water the 
earth, making it bring forth and

801
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:08,720
sprout, giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater, so shall

802
00:45:08,720 --> 00:45:11,280
my word be that goes out from my
mouth. 

803
00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:14,800
It shall not return to me empty.
Or a lot of your translations 

804
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,560
will say void. 
You might know it that way, but 

805
00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:20,560
it shall accomplish. 
This is often, yeah, people 

806
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,040
often stop there. 
You got to keep going in the 

807
00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,120
verse. 
But it shall accomplish that 

808
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:29,280
which I purpose and shall 
succeed in the thing for which I

809
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,480
sent it. 
I mean, it's like a living 

810
00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:33,840
creature. 
I've sent it out to accomplish 

811
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:36,800
something. 
His word accomplishes things. 

812
00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:40,600
See? 
So the ultimate expression of 

813
00:45:40,600 --> 00:45:45,520
this obviously is Jesus as the 
Word who became flesh in John 

814
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,640
one. 
But also we recognize that the 

815
00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:51,800
Bible is a sharp sword in that 
description. 

816
00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:56,440
It penetrates, it invades, it 
pierces, it judges and it 

817
00:45:56,440 --> 00:46:00,120
convicts. 
And my friend, Satan worked so 

818
00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:08,640
hard to tempt and to encourage 
the world to hate it, to, to 

819
00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:14,600
ignore it, to dismiss it, 
because he knows that the Bible 

820
00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,160
can change lives. 
He knows that and it can lead 

821
00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:20,640
them away from him. 
And so he will work to do 

822
00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:23,320
anything to keep lost people 
from the Word of God. 

823
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,520
And he'll do anything he can to 
keep you a saved people from 

824
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,040
studying the Word of God. 
He'll give you every 

825
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:31,200
distraction. 
He'll give you every boredom. 

826
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:33,520
He'll give you everything in 
your world to keep you from your

827
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:39,080
personal Bible study. 
Doctor Mohler said this 

828
00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:43,960
scripture untangles the human 
heart and unearth sin like no 

829
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:46,440
other book can. 
No other book can discern the 

830
00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:48,280
thoughts and intentions of our 
hearts. 

831
00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:51,880
Only God's Word can do that. 
Scripture is like a scalpel 

832
00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:54,480
wielded by God to perform 
spiritual surgery. 

833
00:46:56,520 --> 00:47:01,320
So the Word of God and the Holy 
Spirit combine to cut through 

834
00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:04,400
sin and to restore spiritual 
health. 

835
00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:09,200
It it strips away the falsehood 
because it is the revealed 

836
00:47:09,640 --> 00:47:12,640
truth. 
It changes lives. 

837
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:15,880
And we can depend upon that 
clarification of Scripture. 

838
00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:18,960
We we can know what we believe. 
We can know why we believe. 

839
00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:22,640
The Bible's profitable for 
teaching and training. 

840
00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:24,960
It's also profitable for reproof
and correction. 

841
00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:31,760
So correction, this is the only 
time the word is ever used here.

842
00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:35,240
So by the time we move into 
this, this point #4 this 

843
00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:38,880
correction point that we've been
in, we recognize that that's the

844
00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:41,280
only time this word. 
And, and, and a person can not 

845
00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:44,880
only be shown what they they're 
doing wrong, but the Bible can 

846
00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,880
also help us to restore us to do
what's right. 

847
00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:51,440
It can correct us. 
It can put us back on the path. 

848
00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:56,920
It can put us back in the proper
perspective with God so we can 

849
00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,840
be restored to to that which we 
had forfeited. 

850
00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:03,280
And we need to graciously and 
lovingly but truthfully seek to 

851
00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:07,040
guide other people into this, 
which again is why I want us to 

852
00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:08,920
be in Bible study communities 
together. 

853
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:12,760
To be in that obedience. 
We need to be fully engaged with

854
00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:16,760
the word ourselves and together 
as a church, as a community. 

855
00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:21,240
Paul wasn't done with Timothy. 
He said in Second Timothy 

856
00:48:21,240 --> 00:48:26,240
chapter 3 verse 17 that the man 
of God may be complete equipped 

857
00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:29,080
for every good work. 
The the word here means to be in

858
00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:32,160
shape. 
It means to be in fit condition.

859
00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,640
We, we need to complete this to 
be complete to accomplish the 

860
00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:38,560
purpose for which we have been 
created. 

861
00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:41,480
In other words, for what are we 
designed for? 

862
00:48:41,480 --> 00:48:45,080
For why were we born? 
What is our purpose in life? 

863
00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:48,160
Why, why do you exist? 
Why do you get to breathe air? 

864
00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:50,720
There's a reason there's a 
purpose here and we're to be 

865
00:48:50,720 --> 00:48:54,080
completely furnished to do that.
We're we're, we're completely to

866
00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:56,080
be, to be able to live that that
out. 

867
00:48:56,080 --> 00:48:57,680
And the word of God helps us do 
that. 

868
00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:02,600
I don't know who you are, all of
you, and I don't know why you're

869
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:03,800
here. 
Some of you and I don't know 

870
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:06,520
where you are spiritually, but I
do know this about every single 

871
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:08,680
one of us in this room, every 
single one of the people 

872
00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:13,200
listening to this podcast. 
God has designed you. 

873
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:20,000
God has created you, and he has 
a very significant purpose for 

874
00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:23,400
you that He wants you to 
accomplish. 

875
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:26,520
And I watch humanity toss it 
aside. 

876
00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:30,680
I watch humanity ignore it. 
But I also watch Christians do 

877
00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:32,840
that sometimes. 
I watch Christians wasted. 

878
00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:39,120
We can't be apathetic. 
We can't be comfortable. 

879
00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:42,440
We need to be desperate, 
desperate to understand what is 

880
00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:45,120
it you want me to do? 
In fact, in the Greek language 

881
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:48,360
in this verse, it indicates an 
abiding connection where we're 

882
00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:52,800
constantly being in strong 
spiritual shape. 

883
00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:57,520
We're constantly working out 
spiritually in the word of God. 

884
00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:02,240
And this demands intentional 
discipleship to be fully and 

885
00:50:02,240 --> 00:50:06,800
constantly prepared in order to 
to face this world, to be able 

886
00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:10,600
to face it's false authority, 
you know, and enable to to face 

887
00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:13,320
the false truths that are out 
there. 

888
00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:16,360
We've got to be in shape. 
We got to be fit, we got to be 

889
00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:20,000
strong. 
And people who neglect, ignore, 

890
00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:24,760
dismiss the truth, those who 
reject the authority of God's 

891
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:27,840
word and his purpose for their 
life, they do so at great risk. 

892
00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:30,200
At great risk. 
It's perilous. 

893
00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:34,480
So later Paul even continues his
challenge to Timothy in Second 

894
00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:37,560
Timothy chapter 4. 
He says this in verse one. 

895
00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:42,320
I charge you in the presence of 
God and of Christ Jesus, who is 

896
00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:45,480
to judge the living and the 
dead, and by His appearing in 

897
00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:48,320
His Kingdom. 
Preach the Word, be ready in 

898
00:50:48,320 --> 00:50:51,640
season and out of season 
reproof, rebuke and exhort with 

899
00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:54,880
complete patience and teaching. 
For the time is coming when 

900
00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:58,280
people will not endure sound 
teaching, but have itching ears.

901
00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:01,120
They will accumulate for 
themselves teachers to suit 

902
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,120
their own passions, and will 
turn away from listening to the 

903
00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:10,280
truth and wander off into myths.
We live in that world and 

904
00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:13,440
sometimes even in the church, we
live in that world. 

905
00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:16,840
And then the fifth point here, 
let's just look at some of the 

906
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,520
marching orders of God's truth 
from that passage because the 

907
00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:23,440
language here, Paul's actually 
sharing 5 military commands and 

908
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:26,520
the way it's written, these are 
in commanding tones. 

909
00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:28,400
These are, these are 
imperatives. 

910
00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:31,920
These are, these are these are 
orders that he's giving Timothy.

911
00:51:32,520 --> 00:51:34,880
We're commanded to act. 
He says preach the word. 

912
00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:37,960
He says proclaim this truth. 
Don't proclaim any other truth. 

913
00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:39,800
This is the truth to proclaim 
nothing else. 

914
00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:45,440
And he says be ready, literally,
to stand guard, to protect from 

915
00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:49,720
attack. 
Be ready, be, be steadfast, be 

916
00:51:49,720 --> 00:51:51,760
on guard. 
There's an idea of urgency. 

917
00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:56,280
There's an idea of vigilance 
here to stand strong by 

918
00:51:56,280 --> 00:51:59,600
preparing, being prepared 
yourself and by helping others 

919
00:51:59,600 --> 00:52:02,240
to be prepared. 
And then he says this is this is

920
00:52:02,440 --> 00:52:04,920
be ready to reprove. 
It means to convince. 

921
00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:08,080
It means to prove the idea here.
Now follow me here. 

922
00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:11,800
The idea is I'm replacing 
incorrect ideas with the true 

923
00:52:11,800 --> 00:52:13,640
ideas. 
You got to take the incorrect 

924
00:52:13,640 --> 00:52:16,680
ideas out and, and replace them 
with the true ideas. 

925
00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:19,640
That's what that word means in 
Greek. 

926
00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:22,920
I got to help understand, help 
people understand the truth 

927
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:25,120
about their sin. 
All right. 

928
00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:28,840
And we rebuke, we call attention
to wrongdoing, we assign 

929
00:52:28,840 --> 00:52:31,480
responsibility, we take 
responsibility, but we also 

930
00:52:31,480 --> 00:52:33,640
exhort. 
And that means that we're going 

931
00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,480
to walk alongside somebody. 
The root of that word is the 

932
00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:38,280
same word used for the Holy 
Spirit. 

933
00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:40,120
We're going to walk alongside 
somebody. 

934
00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:41,800
We're going to coach them. 
We're going to help them. 

935
00:52:41,800 --> 00:52:43,040
So we're not just going to judge
you. 

936
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:44,440
We're not just going to condemn 
you. 

937
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:46,320
We're going to pick you up and 
help correct you. 

938
00:52:46,320 --> 00:52:49,120
We're going to put our arm 
around you and walk right beside

939
00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:51,400
you and help you walk the way 
you ought to walk. 

940
00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:59,760
That's the church why you need 
to be in a community to have 

941
00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:06,080
people in your life who can help
you, encourage you, pick you up,

942
00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:11,120
catch you sometimes, right. 
So we've got to help people see 

943
00:53:11,120 --> 00:53:14,160
their lostness and their sin and
their truth, but we also got to 

944
00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:20,640
help lead them out of it. 
So sometimes in our secondary 

945
00:53:20,640 --> 00:53:23,800
and tertiary opinions and 
theories, we, they, they might 

946
00:53:23,800 --> 00:53:27,120
make for dramatic conversations,
but the mandates of Scripture 

947
00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:31,040
are so essential for salvation 
that we've got to prioritize 

948
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:34,040
some of these things first. 
Now listen, some people are not 

949
00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:35,840
going to listen to the truth 
because they don't want to 

950
00:53:35,840 --> 00:53:38,600
believe the Bible is what it 
really is. 

951
00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:40,120
They, they, they're like that 
professor. 

952
00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:43,000
They just want to slam it down 
on a table and mock it. 

953
00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:47,520
They want to please themselves 
and they want to support their 

954
00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:51,200
false truth, right? 
They want to live their own way.

955
00:53:51,200 --> 00:53:54,480
They want they want to follow 
their own self appointed self 

956
00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:59,960
defined authority. 
I get to decide it's not new. 

957
00:54:01,080 --> 00:54:06,400
Again, listen to the prophet 
Isaiah, for they are rebellious 

958
00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:11,120
people, lying children, children
unwilling to hear the 

959
00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:15,080
instruction of the Lord, who say
to the seers do not see, and to 

960
00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:17,760
the prophets do not prophecy to 
us what is right. 

961
00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:21,680
Now listen to this. 
Speak to us smooth things, 

962
00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:26,760
prophecy, illusions. 
Leave the way. 

963
00:54:26,760 --> 00:54:29,520
Turn aside from the path. 
Let us hear no more about the 

964
00:54:29,520 --> 00:54:33,120
Holy One of Israel. 
And there's a world in which we 

965
00:54:33,120 --> 00:54:38,120
now live. 
Humanity works hard to fortify 

966
00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:41,760
itself against truth. 
This world works hard to 

967
00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:45,200
rationalize and self justify. 
They deceive themselves. 

968
00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:48,320
They turn away, as they said 
back in Timothy, they wander off

969
00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:51,720
into myths. 
It's interesting that word back 

970
00:54:51,720 --> 00:54:55,760
in Second Timothy 4, to wander 
off is a strong medical term. 

971
00:54:55,840 --> 00:54:59,160
It actually means to sprain your
ankle or to twist your knee. 

972
00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:02,560
It's so strong they're going to 
twist their ankles and blow out 

973
00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:06,240
their knees to get to get to 
their myths rather than the 

974
00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:08,880
truth. 
They're going to work that hard 

975
00:55:09,560 --> 00:55:16,160
to not listen and to run away, 
but because others refuse to 

976
00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:23,640
believe cannot deter us from the
way we believe and what we're 

977
00:55:23,640 --> 00:55:27,400
going to share with them and the
way we're going to act again, 

978
00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:29,200
Second Timothy, chapter 4, verse
5. 

979
00:55:29,240 --> 00:55:33,520
As for you, always be sober 
minded, endure suffering, do the

980
00:55:33,520 --> 00:55:35,600
work of an evangelist, fulfill 
your ministry. 

981
00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:39,880
So we must keep our head on 
straight and act on truth with a

982
00:55:39,880 --> 00:55:44,440
continual need for alertness 
while we share. 

983
00:55:44,600 --> 00:55:47,240
Again, Chuck Swan Doll says this
steady as she goes. 

984
00:55:48,440 --> 00:55:51,680
Stay balanced. 
Remain a model of self-control. 

985
00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:54,600
Don't attempt to compete with 
the ear ticklers. 

986
00:55:55,440 --> 00:55:58,840
An insane world needs a steady 
voice. 

987
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:04,240
So regardless of how difficult 
it might seem, keep sharing the 

988
00:56:04,240 --> 00:56:07,760
truth. 
Keep sharing the gospel, believe

989
00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:12,280
in this book, believe in this 
word, right and I promise you 

990
00:56:12,280 --> 00:56:18,120
lives will be changed if nobody 
else's yours will be. 

991
00:56:20,120 --> 00:56:23,080
And so we were to fulfil. 
He says we're to do the work of 

992
00:56:23,240 --> 00:56:25,080
that an evangelist, fulfil your 
ministry. 

993
00:56:25,080 --> 00:56:28,320
The word there means to bring to
complete fullness, to bring to 

994
00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:32,120
satisfaction, to live out that 
purpose and calling over and 

995
00:56:32,120 --> 00:56:34,760
over again. 
Paul says you got a purpose and 

996
00:56:34,760 --> 00:56:36,760
you need to live it out 
according to what God wants you 

997
00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:44,550
to do with your life. 
We're too sinful to fully 

998
00:56:44,550 --> 00:56:47,670
understand. 
Sometimes we need the help of 

999
00:56:47,670 --> 00:56:52,120
the Holy Spirit, but so do the 
lost people. 

1000
00:56:52,160 --> 00:56:54,200
And This is why they can't 
always understand. 

1001
00:56:54,600 --> 00:56:57,360
This is why they disagree 
according to their own truth, 

1002
00:56:57,480 --> 00:57:00,160
because they don't have the Holy
Spirit living inside of them 

1003
00:57:00,160 --> 00:57:02,720
yet. 
They don't have His help and so 

1004
00:57:02,720 --> 00:57:05,640
they're not saved. 
They are spiritually blind. 

1005
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:08,960
And so the Bible, the truth, 
makes this very clear. 

1006
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:11,480
Listen to what Paul wrote to the
church at Corinth and 2nd 

1007
00:57:11,480 --> 00:57:14,920
Corinthians 4/4. 
He said in their case, the God 

1008
00:57:14,920 --> 00:57:18,760
of this world has blinded the 
minds of the unbelievers to keep

1009
00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:20,760
them from seeing the light of 
the gospel of the glory of 

1010
00:57:20,760 --> 00:57:24,120
Christ, who is the image of God.
Our First Corinthians chapter 2,

1011
00:57:24,120 --> 00:57:27,680
verse 14, the natural person 
does not accept the things of 

1012
00:57:27,680 --> 00:57:30,960
the Spirit of God, for they are 
folly to him, and he is not able

1013
00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:34,040
to understand them because they 
are spiritually discerned. 

1014
00:57:34,200 --> 00:57:37,520
They don't know the right way to
go to get out of where they are 

1015
00:57:37,520 --> 00:57:41,160
or to get to the right spot, 
because they're still dwelling 

1016
00:57:41,160 --> 00:57:46,120
in that sinful nature, in the 
fog, in their blindness. 

1017
00:57:47,480 --> 00:57:51,920
We're born with a sin nature. 
We commit personal sin on top of

1018
00:57:51,920 --> 00:57:57,560
that, and the resulting 
spiritual blindness adds up. 

1019
00:57:58,440 --> 00:58:00,360
So people think they know the 
truth. 

1020
00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:04,200
I can, I got this covered. 
I can handle this. 

1021
00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:07,280
You know how many men have told 
me that kind of thing? 

1022
00:58:08,280 --> 00:58:09,840
But all they see is a blurry 
image. 

1023
00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:15,040
They can't see clearly. 
They don't know what the truth 

1024
00:58:15,280 --> 00:58:18,080
you, you need the clear, 
truthful focus of the Holy 

1025
00:58:18,080 --> 00:58:20,520
Spirit and the gospel truth. 
So Paul shared one more 

1026
00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:26,160
challenge to Timothy. 
We should see, he says in Second

1027
00:58:26,160 --> 00:58:30,120
Timothy 2:15, do your best to 
present yourself to God as one 

1028
00:58:30,120 --> 00:58:34,720
approved a worker who has no 
need to be ashamed, rightly 

1029
00:58:34,720 --> 00:58:39,480
handling the word of truth. 
So in contrast to the false 

1030
00:58:39,480 --> 00:58:43,600
teachers that were all around 
him and to the Pagan backgrounds

1031
00:58:43,600 --> 00:58:47,080
that were often a part of the 
believers lives, these false 

1032
00:58:47,080 --> 00:58:51,200
teachers who would invent their 
own truth, we must know how to 

1033
00:58:51,200 --> 00:58:55,280
rightly handle the Bible. 
And that word means to cut it 

1034
00:58:55,280 --> 00:58:57,720
straight. 
It means to to cut straight 

1035
00:58:57,720 --> 00:59:01,040
through the false ideas, to cut 
straight through the inaccurate 

1036
00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:03,360
opinions. 
You cut it straight when you 

1037
00:59:03,360 --> 00:59:07,160
handle the word of God this way.
And God shows his approval to 

1038
00:59:07,160 --> 00:59:10,680
the one who can cut it straight 
and handle the word of God 

1039
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:13,280
correctly in that way. 
We bring in glory when we do 

1040
00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:16,200
this and, and, and we have 
nothing to fear when we do this.

1041
00:59:16,280 --> 00:59:18,680
If we proclaim, we believe in 
the truth of the Bible. 

1042
00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:22,880
So why do I believe the way I do
and why does it really matter? 

1043
00:59:22,880 --> 00:59:27,080
Why must I act the way I do? 
Why must I oppose certain things

1044
00:59:27,080 --> 00:59:30,480
that our world supports and for 
which it also condemns? 

1045
00:59:31,480 --> 00:59:33,160
Because my authority is not 
myself. 

1046
00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:36,720
My authority is not the world's 
opinion. 

1047
00:59:38,160 --> 00:59:41,080
My authority is not in what 
someone writes about their truth

1048
00:59:41,080 --> 00:59:46,280
online, my truths from the 
Bible, because I firmly stake my

1049
00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:50,160
life and I reside, I stake my 
eternity on the fact that the 

1050
00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:54,440
Bible is the inspired, 
infallible and an arrant word of

1051
00:59:54,440 --> 00:59:56,960
God. 
Therefore I cannot believe 

1052
00:59:56,960 --> 01:00:01,560
otherwise, Grudem again writes. 
He says the authority of 

1053
01:00:01,560 --> 01:00:04,560
Scripture means that all the 
words in Scripture are God's 

1054
01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:09,240
words in such a way that it that
to disbelieve or disobey any 

1055
01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:12,680
word of Scripture is to 
disbelieve or disobey God. 

1056
01:00:13,520 --> 01:00:16,040
We call this the absolute 
sufficiency. 

1057
01:00:16,040 --> 01:00:17,760
I don't know if you've ever 
heard that phrase before. 

1058
01:00:18,000 --> 01:00:20,440
That's what you call the 
absolute sufficiency of 

1059
01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:23,240
Scripture. 
It means that it contains all 

1060
01:00:23,240 --> 01:00:28,080
the words of God He intended for
people to have at each stage of 

1061
01:00:28,080 --> 01:00:31,760
redemptive history, and it now 
contains all the words of God we

1062
01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:35,120
need for salvation and all the 
words we need to obey Him 

1063
01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:37,520
perfectly in discipleship. 
It has everything we need. 

1064
01:00:38,160 --> 01:00:44,000
It's absolutely sufficient, and 
I not only don't have to hide or

1065
01:00:44,000 --> 01:00:46,720
be ashamed of my belief in God's
Word, but I can take it and 

1066
01:00:46,720 --> 01:00:48,640
proactively impact this world 
with it. 

1067
01:00:49,280 --> 01:00:52,480
Ephesians 6 even tells me that 
our offensive weaponry to face 

1068
01:00:52,480 --> 01:00:54,880
this life includes the Word of 
God, the sword of the Spirit. 

1069
01:00:55,160 --> 01:00:59,720
Because this world is fragile, 
this world is fleeting, but real

1070
01:00:59,720 --> 01:01:04,760
truth is not. 
In fact, the Gospel of Matthew 

1071
01:01:04,760 --> 01:01:08,760
writes Matthew 2435. 
Heaven and earth will pass away,

1072
01:01:08,800 --> 01:01:14,280
but my words will not pass away.
They're eternal because they're 

1073
01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:15,480
alive. 
They're active. 

1074
01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:17,960
Truth is eternal. 
It's not self defined. 

1075
01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:21,280
Even Adam twisted it when Satan 
tempted him and they were 

1076
01:01:21,280 --> 01:01:24,560
defeated in the garden. 
Follow this Satan, Adam and Eve 

1077
01:01:24,560 --> 01:01:27,240
twisted it and they were 
defeated by Satan in the garden.

1078
01:01:27,720 --> 01:01:31,040
Jesus used it truthfully to 
defeat Satan out in the 

1079
01:01:31,040 --> 01:01:35,000
wilderness. 
You got to choose which will be 

1080
01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:39,480
your story. 
You're going to fall prey or are

1081
01:01:39,480 --> 01:01:43,000
you going to be victorious 
again? 

1082
01:01:43,000 --> 01:01:47,680
The prophet Isaiah and 48 says 
the grass Withers, the flower 

1083
01:01:47,680 --> 01:01:51,760
fades and so will this world and
its self-made self appointed 

1084
01:01:51,760 --> 01:01:55,840
truth. 
But the word of our God will 

1085
01:01:55,840 --> 01:02:00,280
stand forever. 
So Inglewood again 

1086
01:02:00,280 --> 01:02:02,880
constitutionally says that we 
believe in the Baptist Faith and

1087
01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:05,920
Message 2000, which is a summary
statement of what most Southern 

1088
01:02:05,920 --> 01:02:08,760
Baptists believe. 
This is what it says about the 

1089
01:02:08,760 --> 01:02:11,520
Bible. 
So this is an official doctrinal

1090
01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:15,880
statement of our church. 
We affirm the Holy Bible as the 

1091
01:02:15,880 --> 01:02:19,280
inspired, infallible, inerrant 
Word of God, and it's the only 

1092
01:02:19,280 --> 01:02:24,080
basis for our beliefs, which is 
represented by the 66 canonical 

1093
01:02:24,080 --> 01:02:26,720
books of the Old and New 
Testaments. 

1094
01:02:27,880 --> 01:02:32,200
So united we stand under the 
authority of God's Word, by 

1095
01:02:32,200 --> 01:02:36,400
grace and love to fulfill God's 
mission to make disciples, and 

1096
01:02:36,400 --> 01:02:41,760
we seek to bring him great glory
in Christ's name. 

1097
01:02:43,280 --> 01:02:48,560
So that's why I believe what I 
believe about the Bible, and 

1098
01:02:48,560 --> 01:02:55,480
that's why it matters. 
When I was first saved, I didn't

1099
01:02:55,480 --> 01:03:00,240
own a Bible. 
You got to stand where I've been

1100
01:03:00,240 --> 01:03:05,080
and what I've been doing. 
But back in about fifth grade, 

1101
01:03:06,480 --> 01:03:11,080
some men were able in those days
to come right to my school and 

1102
01:03:11,080 --> 01:03:13,040
they gave me one of those little
New Testaments. 

1103
01:03:13,960 --> 01:03:18,560
Remember them? 
And I looked in a drawer and I 

1104
01:03:18,560 --> 01:03:21,480
found that little New Testament 
King James version. 

1105
01:03:21,480 --> 01:03:24,520
Can't remember if it was the red
one or the green one. 

1106
01:03:25,400 --> 01:03:27,920
Red one. 
I've got it in my office, but I 

1107
01:03:27,920 --> 01:03:30,320
have a green one and a red one. 
I get confused which one's 

1108
01:03:30,320 --> 01:03:32,600
which. 
I still have it, but it's but I 

1109
01:03:32,600 --> 01:03:35,000
have both colors and I couldn't,
I can't remember which one was 

1110
01:03:35,000 --> 01:03:39,200
which. 
And I read that dude, I read it 

1111
01:03:39,200 --> 01:03:42,960
from cover to cover and I 
learned these and vowels like 

1112
01:03:42,960 --> 01:03:45,120
you wouldn't believe. 
I was the in and thou and 

1113
01:03:45,120 --> 01:03:53,320
everybody Then friends came 
along and gave me some other 

1114
01:03:53,720 --> 01:03:56,520
translations in a complete Bible
so I could study more. 

1115
01:03:59,040 --> 01:04:00,640
And so I just want to share with
you what I do. 

1116
01:04:00,640 --> 01:04:02,760
And I'm not telling you this is 
what you ought to do, but I want

1117
01:04:02,760 --> 01:04:04,400
to close with this. 
I just want to tell you what I 

1118
01:04:04,400 --> 01:04:07,400
do. 
This is what I do and Teresa, I 

1119
01:04:07,400 --> 01:04:09,360
hope will be a testimony and a 
witness to me. 

1120
01:04:10,000 --> 01:04:13,480
I journal. 
I don't write anything important

1121
01:04:13,480 --> 01:04:16,400
ever, but I journal on my 
personal quiet time. 

1122
01:04:17,360 --> 01:04:20,720
And so I I I'm probably and 
don't I don't recommend this. 

1123
01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:22,320
If that were you, stick to one 
book. 

1124
01:04:22,320 --> 01:04:24,800
I tend to read about 5 different
books of the Bible at the same 

1125
01:04:24,800 --> 01:04:30,360
time, but that's, you got to 
understand there's some ADDOCD 

1126
01:04:30,360 --> 01:04:31,840
schizophrenia stuff going on in 
here. 

1127
01:04:33,240 --> 01:04:38,200
So but anyway, so but, but, but 
I write and I've got a Bible on 

1128
01:04:38,200 --> 01:04:41,000
my desk here where I study some 
books in the Bible. 

1129
01:04:41,000 --> 01:04:44,000
And then I have journals at home
where I study at least two books

1130
01:04:44,000 --> 01:04:47,720
at the same time, an Old 
Testament, New Testament, and I 

1131
01:04:47,720 --> 01:04:51,120
try to spend every morning in 
that word. 

1132
01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:53,800
Now some of you read the Bible 
throughout the year. 

1133
01:04:53,800 --> 01:04:55,920
We have Bible reading plans on 
our website and that's 

1134
01:04:55,920 --> 01:04:57,240
fantastic. 
I'm all for it. 

1135
01:04:57,240 --> 01:04:59,000
I'm not. 
And if that's what you do, do 

1136
01:04:59,000 --> 01:05:00,720
it, keep doing it. 
I don't do that. 

1137
01:05:00,720 --> 01:05:04,640
I'm sorry. 
What I do is I look at the 

1138
01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:08,040
subheadings and I look at 
context. 

1139
01:05:08,480 --> 01:05:11,960
And so some days I'll read that 
much because that's where that 

1140
01:05:11,960 --> 01:05:14,360
subheading hits. 
Sometimes the subheadings are 

1141
01:05:14,360 --> 01:05:15,840
true. 
Sometimes you got to work around

1142
01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:17,800
them because they're not always 
great because they're not 

1143
01:05:17,800 --> 01:05:20,080
inspired. 
And so, but I, I read a 

1144
01:05:20,080 --> 01:05:23,200
contextual story out of this 
book and I want to chew on that.

1145
01:05:23,520 --> 01:05:25,680
I want to think about that 
passage of scripture. 

1146
01:05:26,080 --> 01:05:30,280
So it could take me a year to 
work through Matthew right now. 

1147
01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:34,600
I don't recommend that. 
That's totally descriptive, not 

1148
01:05:35,080 --> 01:05:37,120
prescriptive. 
Here's what's prescriptive. 

1149
01:05:37,640 --> 01:05:42,600
Read your Bible every day and 
study it and then and then be in

1150
01:05:42,600 --> 01:05:48,440
church in the most in the in the
most possible number of 

1151
01:05:48,440 --> 01:05:51,400
opportunities. 
You have to study the word of 

1152
01:05:51,400 --> 01:05:54,520
God with people and learn from 
one another. 

1153
01:05:56,040 --> 01:06:00,080
It's vital and and everything 
out there is going to tell you 

1154
01:06:00,080 --> 01:06:02,000
don't do that. 
Everybody out there will say 

1155
01:06:02,000 --> 01:06:03,480
don't do it. 
Satan is going to try not to get

1156
01:06:03,480 --> 01:06:05,200
you. 
Satan does not want you to do 

1157
01:06:05,200 --> 01:06:08,600
that. 
But if you want to be, if you 

1158
01:06:08,600 --> 01:06:12,080
want to be strong in life, if 
you want to be able to stand up 

1159
01:06:12,080 --> 01:06:14,960
and articulate what you believe,
you've got to be in the word. 

1160
01:06:16,000 --> 01:06:18,000
It's got to drive us. 
One of the number one issues in 

1161
01:06:18,000 --> 01:06:21,360
the last three days breaks my 
heart. 

1162
01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:26,440
I couldn't disagree with him, 
but one of the pastors said my 

1163
01:06:26,440 --> 01:06:28,240
church has turned away from the 
word of God. 

1164
01:06:31,160 --> 01:06:36,280
He's in a church up in some 
northern states that's it's not 

1165
01:06:36,280 --> 01:06:39,000
their fault, location's not 
their fault, just happens to be 

1166
01:06:39,000 --> 01:06:42,960
where he is. 
And he has to argue with his 

1167
01:06:42,960 --> 01:06:48,120
church members about everything 
that world believes in because 

1168
01:06:48,120 --> 01:06:54,240
they want to adopt it, because 
their truth is being defined by 

1169
01:06:54,240 --> 01:06:58,000
a different authority. 
Their culture is defining their 

1170
01:06:58,000 --> 01:07:01,840
truth. 
And either they're too scared to

1171
01:07:01,840 --> 01:07:05,320
stand up for that or they too 
ignorant and they don't know, or

1172
01:07:05,320 --> 01:07:06,880
they're lost and they're too 
blind. 

1173
01:07:09,320 --> 01:07:13,200
You want to be equipped? 
You better take up the sword of 

1174
01:07:13,200 --> 01:07:17,320
the Spirit. 
Jesus used this word to defeat 

1175
01:07:17,320 --> 01:07:19,800
Satan. 
It's a that's an example for us.

1176
01:07:21,080 --> 01:07:26,240
Paul beaded into Timothy, be in 
that word, be in that word, be 

1177
01:07:26,240 --> 01:07:27,640
in that word, stand on that 
word. 

1178
01:07:28,760 --> 01:07:30,480
I can't over emphasize it 
enough. 

1179
01:07:33,880 --> 01:07:37,360
Next week we're going to talk in
a very similar way about who is 

1180
01:07:37,440 --> 01:07:41,200
Jesus really. 
I, I need you to understand why 

1181
01:07:41,760 --> 01:07:43,600
not? 
I know you might think you know 

1182
01:07:43,600 --> 01:07:46,400
this, but we really need to talk
about this doctrine of the 

1183
01:07:46,400 --> 01:07:48,200
incarnation. 
We don't do it enough. 

1184
01:07:48,200 --> 01:07:52,040
It's, it's interesting to me, we
talk about the crucifixion, we 

1185
01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,720
talk about the resurrection, we 
don't talk about the incarnation

1186
01:07:54,720 --> 01:07:58,400
and the ascension enough. 
And so we've really got to 

1187
01:07:58,400 --> 01:08:01,400
understand who is Jesus really? 
And that's what makes all the 

1188
01:08:01,400 --> 01:08:03,800
difference. 
How did that work? 

1189
01:08:03,800 --> 01:08:07,960
What, who was he really? 
And how did and what did he 

1190
01:08:07,960 --> 01:08:09,920
really do for us? 
And what do we really need to 

1191
01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:13,000
believe about him? 
It's primary. 

1192
01:08:14,360 --> 01:08:19,040
These are hills worth dying on. 
These are hills worth 

1193
01:08:19,040 --> 01:08:23,120
proclaiming. 
If I could sing, I could. 

1194
01:08:23,880 --> 01:08:25,720
I could talk about how the hills
are alive. 

1195
01:08:27,479 --> 01:08:31,040
But instead, instead, I won't 
twirl. 

1196
01:08:32,880 --> 01:08:34,560
Some of you are too young. 
It's like, what is he talking 

1197
01:08:34,560 --> 01:08:38,120
about? 
Let me pray for it. 

1198
01:08:39,880 --> 01:08:43,760
Father. 
We're so grateful now. 

1199
01:08:43,760 --> 01:08:46,640
Father, we really got to we 
really got to digest this. 

1200
01:08:47,760 --> 01:08:51,080
You spoke all of this into 
existence with a word. 

1201
01:08:53,080 --> 01:08:57,920
You breathe a life into human 
that human beings with your 

1202
01:08:57,920 --> 01:09:02,880
breath. 
And Father, you have created 

1203
01:09:02,880 --> 01:09:05,960
revelation for us to see you to 
know you. 

1204
01:09:07,680 --> 01:09:10,880
Father, you show us the reality 
of your existence by everything 

1205
01:09:10,880 --> 01:09:15,960
around us. 
And then, Father, the Word 

1206
01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:21,160
became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld his glory. 

1207
01:09:21,160 --> 01:09:26,720
Glory is the only begotten Son, 
full of grace and truth. 

1208
01:09:29,160 --> 01:09:35,840
And Jesus died for us. 
And Father, I'm sorry that he 

1209
01:09:35,840 --> 01:09:38,279
had to do that. 
I'm sorry that you, you had to 

1210
01:09:38,439 --> 01:09:41,000
enact that plan. 
I'm sorry, Father, that we have 

1211
01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:46,279
failed you so many times. 
But Father, thank you so much 

1212
01:09:46,279 --> 01:09:52,840
for grace. 
And Father, surely, surely we 

1213
01:09:52,840 --> 01:09:58,080
owe you the time and the effort 
and the focus to read what 

1214
01:09:58,080 --> 01:10:03,440
you've given to us. 
Father, I'm mindful of the fact 

1215
01:10:03,440 --> 01:10:08,480
that all around the world, the 
Father, if, if we were to 

1216
01:10:08,480 --> 01:10:11,560
dissect every language and 
dialect of the world, we'd be 

1217
01:10:11,560 --> 01:10:17,320
somewhere in the 11 to 12,000 
languages and dialects and that 

1218
01:10:17,320 --> 01:10:20,880
your incomplete Bible has only 
been translated in somewhere 

1219
01:10:20,880 --> 01:10:24,640
around 500 of those. 
I mean, they're just, they're 

1220
01:10:24,640 --> 01:10:29,080
just millions and millions of 
even believers who don't have 

1221
01:10:29,080 --> 01:10:31,040
the whole Bible in their heart 
language. 

1222
01:10:31,200 --> 01:10:33,840
They couldn't hold one of these 
books in their hands in their 

1223
01:10:33,840 --> 01:10:36,880
own private possession. 
They, they, they live in a place

1224
01:10:36,880 --> 01:10:39,440
where if they did that, they 
could be arrested or, or that 

1225
01:10:39,440 --> 01:10:43,520
it's just not available. 
Father, there are people all 

1226
01:10:43,520 --> 01:10:46,920
around the world who would love 
to have one of these that they 

1227
01:10:46,920 --> 01:10:49,760
could read, one of these that 
they could take home and pour 

1228
01:10:49,760 --> 01:10:51,360
over. 
Father, I know believers who 

1229
01:10:51,360 --> 01:10:55,920
have to share Bibles, churches 
that have one Bible for the 

1230
01:10:55,920 --> 01:11:01,840
whole church. 
And Father, I look on my shelves

1231
01:11:03,400 --> 01:11:07,760
at all that I own. 
So Father, I better take 

1232
01:11:07,760 --> 01:11:11,960
advantage of that luxury. 
I better take advantage of that 

1233
01:11:11,960 --> 01:11:15,800
opportunity because Father, when
much has been given, much is 

1234
01:11:15,800 --> 01:11:18,960
going to be expected. 
And we live in a place where 

1235
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:21,400
we've been given much, we've 
been given much, we've been 

1236
01:11:21,400 --> 01:11:24,480
given much and much is going to 
be expected of us. 

1237
01:11:26,120 --> 01:11:29,800
So we don't have time to waste. 
We don't have an ounce of energy

1238
01:11:29,800 --> 01:11:31,480
to waste. 
Father, we've got to share with 

1239
01:11:31,480 --> 01:11:33,640
people this truth. 
We've got to tell people about 

1240
01:11:33,640 --> 01:11:35,240
this truth. 
We need to study it. 

1241
01:11:35,240 --> 01:11:40,160
We need to feed on it. 
We need to help one another live

1242
01:11:40,160 --> 01:11:43,640
it out. 
So thank you for the church. 

1243
01:11:45,160 --> 01:11:49,160
Thank you for this church. 
Thank you for these people who 

1244
01:11:49,160 --> 01:11:52,520
have come this night or who are 
listening to this online because

1245
01:11:52,520 --> 01:11:57,960
they want to know you more. 
I pray, Father, that if anyone 

1246
01:11:57,960 --> 01:12:01,920
here needs to talk to me about 
knowing you, that they would do 

1247
01:12:01,920 --> 01:12:05,720
so, because Father, I'd love to 
share your truth with them. 

1248
01:12:07,800 --> 01:12:10,600
And Father, I thank you that the
only way we can even do any of 

1249
01:12:10,600 --> 01:12:12,960
this, the only way we can be 
saved, the only way we can even 

1250
01:12:12,960 --> 01:12:16,760
pray, is because the Word became
flesh, died for us. 

1251
01:12:17,320 --> 01:12:22,000
And because of what He did, we 
can pray in His name that we're 

1252
01:12:22,000 --> 01:12:26,200
allowed to come, that the veil 
has been torn, the barrier has 

1253
01:12:26,200 --> 01:12:28,640
been removed, and we can come to
you. 

1254
01:12:30,520 --> 01:12:36,000
And so we dare do that only in 
the name of Jesus, Amen. 

1255
01:12:37,240 --> 01:12:39,280
All right, God bless you all. 
Thank you all so much. 

1256
01:12:42,120 --> 01:12:43,760
Thank you so much for listening 
today. 

1257
01:12:43,760 --> 01:12:45,080
And I also hope that you'll go 
to 

1258
01:12:45,080 --> 01:12:48,880
ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com 
as well as our app and find many

1259
01:12:48,880 --> 01:12:51,240
other resources that will bless 
you and your families. 

1260
01:12:51,400 --> 01:12:52,440
Thank you once again.