1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,720 Jesus said I am the way, I am the truth. 6 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,680 I'm the life. No man cometh to the Father but 7 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,920 through me. It's not through any church 8 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:52,160 system, it's not through any Sacramento rights, it's not 9 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:55,280 through any kind of works of righteousness, which we have 10 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,240 done, but it's according to His mercy. 11 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,520 He has saved us and these are serious issues. 12 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,160 We might take it for granted because we are in a Bible church 13 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,920 and there's many churches still like this out there. 14 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,040 Thank God for that. We usually find ourselves 15 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,640 crafting our own set of rules. Some might believe that just 16 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,640 showing up at church or racking up good deeds is the ticket to 17 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,720 heaven. But spiritual maturity is all 18 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,360 about realizing that the key to eternal life begins with 19 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:30,640 receiving Jesus into your heart. Today, Pastor Clark shares 20 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,240 insights on how Jesus is the only way to heaven. 21 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,920 He hung on that cross bearing the weight of your sins. 22 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,040 Without him, there's no chance for your sins to be wiped clean 23 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,920 and heaven will be out of reach. Now here's Pastor Clark in Acts 24 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,440 chapter 15 as he continues his message, the gospel of grace. 25 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,640 So there's this problem in the church. 26 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:56,600 Some people are saying, well, what do we do? 27 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,720 What's the truth? There's a problem here. 28 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:02,880 So Peter and Barnabas are getting them calmed down, 29 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,320 reinforcing the truth of the gospel, and they're going to go 30 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,840 up to Jerusalem and present this issue, this problem that's 31 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,920 arisen in the New Testament church at the time of this idea 32 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,640 of circumcision being part of what saves someone from their 33 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:24,720 sin. Now at this time, there was this 34 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,520 growth of the New Testament church. 35 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,560 Church is being planted everywhere. 36 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,440 Headquarters was sort of Jerusalem, but there really was 37 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,000 never any headquarters in the church on earth. 38 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,320 The headquarters of the church is in heaven, and that's God the 39 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,320 Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. 40 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,760 They are the ones that lead and run the church. 41 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:50,640 We don't need a hierarchy to keep things under control. 42 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:55,440 We don't need a a place in Rome to tell us what's right or 43 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,160 what's wrong. We don't need a place in Costa 44 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,280 Mesa where Calvary Chapel started that tells us what's 45 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,080 right or wrong. We know this word tells us 46 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,000 what's right and wrong right. And so we are accountable to 47 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,320 what the Bible teaches. And soon as something is being 48 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:16,200 taught contrary to the Bible, then it all goes S very, very 49 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,280 quickly. James was the half brother of 50 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,840 Jesus and he was sort of the main guy in the church in 51 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,840 Jerusalem, the first among equals if you may. 52 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,200 And so he would sort of preside over this council that they were 53 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,040 going to have regarding this issue of circumcision. 54 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,000 This is a big deal because it's going to wreck the church if it 55 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,880 isn't straightened out. Just like if a heresy came in 56 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,240 here and someone started teaching something that wasn't 57 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,840 biblical, it would wreck the church and scatter the sheep. 58 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,000 So being sent on their way by the church, they were sent up by 59 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,400 this church in Antioch. They passed through Phoenicia 60 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,560 and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles and 61 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,200 how they caused great joy to all the brethren. 62 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,840 So it was so wonderful how all these people were getting saved 63 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,960 miraculously in these church plants that the Paul and 64 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,040 Barnabas were establishing. It was like a revival. 65 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,720 It was just amazing how this, the preaching of the simple 66 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,040 gospel, was convicting people and bringing them to faith in 67 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:21,720 Jesus Christ. There was no rituals, there was 68 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:26,640 no ceremonies. There was no hierarchy of people 69 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,440 telling them, yeah, you put your faith in Christ, but then you 70 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,280 got to do these three things or four things in order to make 71 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:35,040 sure you're really saved. That wasn't happening. 72 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:36,840 Verse 4. And when they had come to 73 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,040 Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and 74 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,080 the elders, and they reported all the things that God had done 75 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:45,320 with them. But some of the sect of the 76 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,600 Pharisees, and this is the false cult of the Pharisees, the 77 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,960 Judaizers who believe rose up saying it is necessary to 78 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:58,320 circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. 79 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:03,240 Paul tells us in Galatians and in this book of Galatians was 80 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,080 written to communicate these issues and problems that we're 81 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,280 continuing in the early stages of the church. 82 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,520 And he's very emphatic and what he says here in Galatians 83 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,320 chapter one, verse 6 through 9, this ties right into this. 84 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,320 Paul says, I marvel that you were turning away so soon from 85 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:26,600 him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, 86 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,520 which is not another. But there are some who trouble 87 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,480 you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 88 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,520 But even if we are an Angel from heaven, preach any other gospel 89 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,400 to you than what we have preached you. 90 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,000 Let him be accursed, as we have said before. 91 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,200 So now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you 92 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,960 than what you have received, let him be accursed. 93 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:57,240 That's pretty deep and pretty powerful, what he said there. 94 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,000 And so I run into people, you run into people. 95 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,920 Unfortunately, the body of Christ on the earth is so 96 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,840 fragmented between so many different denominations and so 97 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:12,640 many different opinions and so many different liturgies and 98 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:16,360 rituals and ways of doing things and way of not doing things. 99 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:22,880 But anytime a ritual supersedes the gospel, it's a heresy. 100 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,560 Nothing wrong with the ritual. Some people use candles and 101 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,240 incense. Some people use drums and 102 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,120 guitars to worship God. There's nothing inherently wrong 103 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,320 in any of that. But if we lift any of the ritual 104 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:37,440 above the truth of the Word of God, we've become false 105 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,920 teachers. So you have different groups 106 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:47,360 that say you cannot be saved unless you confess your sins to 107 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,240 a priest maybe? Or you can't be saved unless you 108 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:55,320 speak in tongues. Or you can't be saved unless 109 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,480 you've received the second blessing and called the holiness 110 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,920 doctrine. And these people teach that you 111 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,080 have this experience, you'll never sin again. 112 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:06,480 I mean, it's craziness, you know. 113 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,840 And so you have all these people with these different agendas 114 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,960 and, and different ways of adding things to what the 115 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,120 Scriptures say. And so as a result, the 116 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:21,200 simplicity of the gospel is corrupted by the gospel being 117 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:27,200 Jesus plus something else. And the gospel is that Christ 118 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,280 died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was 119 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,560 buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the 120 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,800 Scriptures. Jesus said I am the way, I am 121 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,280 the truth, I'm the life. No man cometh to the Father but 122 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,400 through me. It's not through any church 123 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:51,520 system, it's not through any Sacramento rights, it's not 124 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,600 through any kind of works of righteousness, which we have 125 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,480 done, but it's according to His mercy. 126 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,760 He has saved us. And these are serious issues. 127 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,440 We might take it for granted because we are in a Bible church 128 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,000 and there's many churches still like this out there. 129 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,440 Thank God for that. Bible churches that teach the 130 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,960 Bible, not man's ideas of what the Bible says, are teaching 131 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,800 things that aren't in the Bible. I'm amazed at how many people 132 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,640 look at tradition, and I don't care what the tradition could 133 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,600 be. It could be the tradition of 134 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:29,080 Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy or Reformation theology. 135 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,440 As soon as you make something more superior, a system to the 136 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,840 truth of the simplicity of the gospel, which Paul was worried 137 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,600 about, the thing that bothered in the most is that our minds 138 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,480 would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ 139 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:50,840 Jesus. It is enough that Jesus died and 140 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,720 that he died for me. That's enough. 141 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,600 But all these other things, they make people religious, they make 142 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,840 them proud, they make them self-righteous. 143 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,240 So this brother said to me, you know, how could they tell me, 144 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,200 you know, what's the basis of me losing my salvation? 145 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:12,600 What sin is it that I could lose my salvation? 146 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:21,520 David committed the worst of sins, adultery and murder, and 147 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,280 yet because he was a man after God's own heart, the Spirit 148 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,680 convicted him, and he repented of his sin, and God still 149 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:33,160 declared him even after his sin, that he was a man after God's 150 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,320 own heart. Aren't you glad? 151 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,760 Psalm 50 ones in the Bible, restore unto me the joy of my 152 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,160 salvation. Create in me a clean heart, O 153 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,080 God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 154 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,840 A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise. 155 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,960 There's no sin once you've become a believer in Jesus 156 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,960 Christ that would prevent you from entering into the Kingdom 157 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:05,400 of heaven. Now I don't recommend you sin 158 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:08,480 because you have this security in Christ. 159 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:10,480 If you love Christ, you don't want a sin. 160 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,280 If you love Christ, you'll send less. 161 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,000 If someone says they're a believer and they decide they no 162 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,040 longer want to follow Christ, you pray for them and pray that 163 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:23,600 the Holy Spirit will convict them. 164 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,920 God inscribes us in the palm of our hands. 165 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,200 He promises He will never leave us or forsake us. 166 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:38,360 He doesn't make us a son or a daughter and then disown us. 167 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,400 So these teachings are really very, very dangerous out there. 168 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,360 You cannot lose your salvation. If you could lose it, you never 169 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:54,640 had it. And so this is a big issue at 170 00:10:54,640 --> 00:11:00,160 this time. And this sect is evil and 171 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,000 they're trying to cause problems. 172 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,880 In verse 6 now the apostles and elders came together to consider 173 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:10,200 this matter and when they had had been much dispute, Peter 174 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,600 rose up and said to them, and it must have been a chaotic 175 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:16,120 environment. The Judaizers yelling, the true 176 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,760 believers arguing it wasn't probably a real calm room and 177 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:22,400 meeting. I mean people really pretty 178 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,400 uptight about this because they were both passionate on both 179 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,280 sides. Peter rose up and said to them, 180 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:29,880 of course we know Peter was a Jew. 181 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,840 He had that vision of on the rooftop of don't call something, 182 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,920 it's clean, unclean. I mean, he had this revelation 183 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,960 all the sudden that there is no difference between Jew and 184 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,120 Gentile. There is no preference from God 185 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,720 between those who are kosher and those who aren't. 186 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,600 Thank the Lord for that vision. Men and brethren, you know that 187 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,560 a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentile 188 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:54,800 should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 189 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,520 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them 190 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:02,560 the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction 191 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:05,000 between us and them. In other words, again, there is 192 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:10,600 no distinction between the Jew and the Gentile purifying their 193 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,360 hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test 194 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,240 God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which 195 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:21,440 neither our fathers nor we were able to bear, but we believe 196 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,840 that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be 197 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,520 saved in the same manner as they. 198 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,000 Then all the multitude kept silent, and listened to Barnabas 199 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,400 and Paul, declaring how many miracles and wonders God had 200 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:37,880 worked through them among the Gentiles, and after they had 201 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,080 become silent, James. And of course this is the half 202 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,480 brother of Jesus, the one who wrote the book of James as well 203 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,320 answered, saying, Men and brethren, listen to me. 204 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,200 Simon had declared how God at first visited the Gentiles to 205 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,920 take out of them a people for his name. 206 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,960 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is 207 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:00,440 written. And this is from the book of 208 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,800 Amos. After this I will return and 209 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,080 will rebuild the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. 210 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,600 I will rebuild its ruins. I will set it up so that the 211 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:12,880 rest of mankind may seek the Lord. 212 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:16,720 Even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the 213 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:22,200 Lord, who does all these things known to God from eternity are 214 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,160 all his works. Therefore, I judge that we 215 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,520 should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are 216 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,840 turning to God, but that we write to them, they're going to 217 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,160 give them direction. Now, these are the things that 218 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:38,840 are important to to understand once you're born again and 219 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,600 you're saved and you got this group of Jews and Gentiles 220 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:46,200 learning how to worship together, realizing that to 221 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,200 Jewish people growing up in Judaism, being kosher was 222 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,120 important. Being gentile. 223 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:55,720 We'd eat pigs, we'd eat whatever, you know, we didn't 224 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:00,080 care about that didn't make us any better or less holy or 225 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,320 didn't make them any more holy. But it was a tradition of their 226 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,560 upbringing. And so the wisdom of the 227 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:08,960 apostles and James and all those who got together was they gave 228 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:13,640 them some direction here. Abstain from things polluted by 229 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,760 idols. In other words, don't 230 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:21,240 necessarily intentionally eat in the presence of your Jewish 231 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,600 brothers and sisters who are in Christ things of food that would 232 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,360 have been offered the idols. And Paul gets into that later in 233 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,440 the book of Corinthians. We'll get to that again. 234 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:34,560 It's a sensitivity of conscience that you don't want to stumble 235 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:41,440 people unnecessarily about what you do or what you like Or 236 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,720 they're called mores. What is right and wrong for the 237 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,920 child of God according to the word of God? 238 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,760 Some of you in here probably don't go to movies anymore. 239 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:55,880 You probably haven't stepped your feet into a theater in 240 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,200 probably years. And that's a big issue for you 241 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:03,160 because of how you perceive, you know, Hollywood and graphic 242 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,800 violence or immorality that's depicted in most movies. 243 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:12,760 But everybody has a conscience. Some people can watch a movie, 244 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,840 and it's not that they condone those kind of things, but 245 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,680 they're looking at the storyline and, you know, they're focusing 246 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,080 on, you know, the good parts of the movie, whatever. 247 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,160 So but someone maybe would see you going to a movie theater and 248 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,160 say, well, you can't be a Christian if you're going to 249 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,360 movies. Some people act that way or 250 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:34,560 playing cards. What are you doing tonight? 251 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,720 I'm I'm going to play 5 stud poker, 5 card poker with my my 252 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,440 neighbor. What don't you know that's 253 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,800 gambling or you know you you shouldn't be playing. 254 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,240 We were in Bible cards. They taught us we could play 255 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,840 cards, but we only could play Rook or Melbourne. 256 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,280 We couldn't play face cards because face cards were sinful 257 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,920 crazy. We were told that we couldn't 258 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:03,400 listen to any music other than Christian hymn music. 259 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,120 You couldn't listen to country, you couldn't listen to rock, you 260 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,560 couldn't listen to jazz, you couldn't listen to classical. 261 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:15,200 I mean, it's crazy Legalism, and legalism is a horrible thing to 262 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:21,880 be under bondage to now. When I was in Bible college, I 263 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,560 liked rock. I still like some of it now, but 264 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,400 in order to listen to it without stumbling someone, I hadn't 265 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,520 remember those old stereo headphones you put on. 266 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,680 You put this big plug in, you know you. 267 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,080 So I was listening to bread, you know, that was far from rock. 268 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,640 It don't matter to me. Remember that this calm music, 269 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,640 but the Bible call you just thought that was evil music. 270 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:44,960 I could see Metallica or maybe some of that stuff would be out 271 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:46,600 there. But, you know, there's nothing 272 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,840 wrong with bread, you know, or America or some of these 273 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:53,840 different calm bands. But anyway, if you were caught 274 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,360 listening to that kind of music, people would question your 275 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:02,640 salvation. Or you're in a restaurant and 276 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,359 you're looking around. Well, I don't see anybody here 277 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,960 that knows me. I guess I could have a, a Miller 278 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,079 Lite or I could have a Cabernet or I could have a Merlot. 279 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:12,319 And, you know, I'm just going to have one And, and that should be 280 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:14,520 OK. But someone comes in all of a 281 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,440 sudden. Did you see such and such? 282 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,960 They had a beer on their table. I mean, come on. 283 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,920 You know, the Bible teaches moderation, but it doesn't teach 284 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,920 abstinence. So all these things are all part 285 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:35,000 of this thing of adding something to what it is that 286 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,920 makes us acceptable to God. At the end of the day, I don't 287 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:43,040 care how perfect a life you live and how holy you think you are, 288 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,480 if God still shows you what's in you, you would scream. 289 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:51,320 We are depraved people, as soon as we don't understand it, we 290 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,440 still have a sinful nature and we are totally unholy compared 291 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,520 to the holiness of God. No matter how good we work and 292 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:02,560 how hard we try, at the end of the day, we are still falling 293 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:03,440 creatures. Amen. 294 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:08,360 And I mean defend you if you think you're perfect in here 295 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,200 today. And I have to tell you, you're 296 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:11,720 seriously disillusioned, you know? 297 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:17,400 So what makes you acceptable to God is Jesus Christ. 298 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,520 He's your holiness. He's your righteousness. 299 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,600 He's your redemption. It's because we are in Christ 300 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:27,400 that we've been made acceptable to God. 301 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:31,520 But we forget, well, I'm going to really try to be a good 302 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,400 Christian and we should want to be faithful to God and not 303 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,640 dishonor him. But if at the end of the day, 304 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,200 you think of all the stuff you've done and you lay your 305 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:41,920 head down the pillow, well, God, I did a pretty good job today. 306 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,920 I didn't swear, I didn't lust, I didn't think this, I didn't 307 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,320 judge, you know, and, and, and the Lord's just up there 308 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:48,680 smiling. Well, let's see how tomorrow 309 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,960 goes, because eventually you're going to break. 310 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,080 You're just human. You're going to break. 311 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:58,080 So churches that teach these kind of things, and in this 312 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,800 instance we got this issue of circumcision, but it's anything 313 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,720 that tries to make you feel righteous by something you've 314 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:11,280 done versus what he's done. Ephesians 289 says for by grace 315 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:15,480 you've been saved through faith. And this is not yourselves. 316 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:21,120 It's a gift of God, not a works. So no one compose, no one 317 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:25,480 compose, and then he says, for we are his workmanship created 318 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,440 in Christ Jesus unto good works which got us before ordained 319 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,360 that we should walk in it. So the Holy Spirit's job is to 320 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,880 transform us and to make us more into the likeness of Jesus 321 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:36,680 Christ. And he does that through the 322 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,040 teaching of the Word. Our minds are renewed. 323 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,120 We begin to think more like God thinks. 324 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,960 You got a new believer that doesn't know much about the word 325 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:45,280 yet. They're going to make a lot of 326 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,200 mistakes and do a lot of stupid things, just like we did in our 327 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,120 early stages of our development in Christ. 328 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,280 You got to be patient. They're going judging them and 329 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,920 condemning them and giving them a list of do's and don'ts. 330 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,360 The Holy Spirit will be faithful to convict them. 331 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:01,320 And they might come up and say, you know, I'm really having a 332 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:02,800 problem with this area in my life. 333 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:04,920 And you can say, yeah, I used to too. 334 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,760 And this is what I discovered is the Lord worked in my life and 335 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:12,000 set me free from this besetting sin and gave me grace to become. 336 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:14,840 A little bit more like Jesus every day. 337 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:16,360 And, you know, I don't even think about that. 338 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:18,600 I don't even want that anymore. I don't like it anymore. 339 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,440 And so, you know, the apostles here are telling the people, 340 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,800 this is the ruling here. Don't eat foods offered to 341 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,280 idols. Abstain from sexual immorality 342 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,160 and from things strangled and from blood. 343 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:36,600 So the Jewish people would not eat anything that had any kind 344 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,280 of trace of blood in because it would be seen as unclean. 345 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,320 And so they had agape lunches. I like medium rare steak. 346 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,880 You guys, every meter. You don't want to sit down with 347 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,520 a kosher Jew and have a dinner and they're eating, I don't 348 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,800 know, whatever they're eating a kosher and your steaks bleeding 349 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,440 all over the plate. There's nothing wrong with them 350 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,600 or medium rare meat, but that stumbles. 351 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,000 So they would have these meals and they would try to like, OK, 352 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,240 how can we have some degree of compromise on mores? 353 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,120 What's right and wrong for the child of God according to the 354 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:11,160 word of God? So the Jews, you know, they were 355 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,920 brought up kosher. Like, I have this one account in 356 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,240 Pittsburgh. He's a great guy. 357 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,240 And I said, hey, you know, we want to try to get more business 358 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,360 and we'll take you to the Capital Grill. 359 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:23,120 He says, Clark, I can't go there. 360 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,680 I'm not kosher. I said, OK, well, then you tell 361 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,160 us where you want to go, and then we'll go where you want to 362 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,720 go. So you want to be sensitive, You 363 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:33,400 don't want to be judging, OK, that kind of stuff. 364 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,680 So anyway, it says for Moses has throughout many generations, 365 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,640 those who preach him in every city being read in the synagogue 366 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:46,240 every Sabbath. So the the wisdom of these 367 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:52,520 leaders at the time came down to the path that there needed to be 368 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,680 this understanding that there was no need for circumcision to 369 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:58,360 be saved. That's clarified. 370 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,200 Then it please the apostles and elders with the whole church to 371 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,120 send chosen men of their own company, Verse 22, to Antioch 372 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:10,840 with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, who also named Barsabbas 373 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,040 and Silas, leading men among the brethren. 374 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,040 They wrote letter by them, the apostles, the elders and the 375 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:17,840 brethren. This letter went out to the 376 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,320 brethren who are the Gentiles and Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. 377 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,160 Greetings. Since we have heard that some 378 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,600 who went out from us have troubled you with words 379 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:31,280 unsettling your souls, saying you must be circumcised and keep 380 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,200 the law, to whom we gave no such commandment. 381 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,520 It seemed good to us, being assembled with 1 accord, to send 382 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:43,600 chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men 383 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,120 who have risked their lives through the name of our Lord 384 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:48,960 Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and 385 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,040 Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 386 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,280 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you 387 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,680 no greater burden than these necessary things, that you 388 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:03,600 abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things 389 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,520 strangled, and from sexual immorality. 390 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,160 If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. 391 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,360 Farewell. Nothing added, nothing 392 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,160 subtracted from the simplicity of the centrality of Christ and 393 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,560 the gospel. So when they were sent off, they 394 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,120 came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude 395 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,960 together, they delivered the letter, and when they had read 396 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,360 it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. 397 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,480 What a relief it had to be for these people now to not be 398 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,080 worried about needing to get circumcised now. 399 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,760 Judas and Silas themselves being prophets also exhorted and 400 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,880 strengthened the brethren with many words, and after they had 401 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,480 stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings 402 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:45,360 from the brethren to the apostles. 403 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,160 However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. 404 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,760 Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch teaching and 405 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,320 preaching the word of the Lord with many others also. 406 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,400 Thanks for joining us on today's edition of Living Waters of 407 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,560 Grace, a ministry of Calvary Chapel, Westmoreland. 408 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,240 Today, Pastor Clark is teaching about the book of Acts. 409 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,800 And as we learn more about Acts, it becomes clear that the early 410 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,760 church didn't miss a single opportunity to share the gospel. 411 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:18,840 In nearly every chapter, you see apostles like Peter and Paul 412 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:22,640 stepping into conversations, crowds, and crises with 413 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,160 boldness, ready to proclaim the name of Jesus. 414 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,280 Their example challenges us to consider how we might step into 415 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:35,040 gospel moments in our own lives. What doors might God open this 416 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,720 week for you to speak truth, offer hope, or live out your 417 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,000 faith in a way that points others to Him? 418 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:44,560 The story of Acts reminds us we are part of the same mission. 419 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:49,240 Today, let's live with eyes open and hearts ready to respond. 420 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,040 We hope you are challenged by today's message. 421 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,680 If you're in the Greensburg, PA area, we'd love to see you in 422 00:24:55,680 --> 00:25:00,640 person this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St. 423 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,120 Unit 6B. For more information, visit 424 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,160 calvarychapelonline.com. You could also join our e-mail 425 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,880 list, give online, or submit a prayer request right from the 426 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,120 site. 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