1 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,160 So please turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,120 And there are some slides and there's a few verses we're going 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,200 to look at. So that's our this is our 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:23,440 mainstay, our foundation because I don't know about you, but 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,560 there's a lot of confusion and depending on what church you 6 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,240 grew up in or where you came from or what it is about the 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:37,280 gifts of the Holy Spirit. And Paul says in one Corinthians 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:45,000 12 verse one now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren says 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,720 talking to the church, I do not want you to be ignorant. 10 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,440 There's too many people in church that are ignorant of 11 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,320 God's word. You know, they have all these 12 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,960 well, I believe this and I I think that and I don't believe 13 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,880 the Bible says this is what I think about the Bible doesn't it 14 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,720 doesn't care what I think what my opinion is what others say. 15 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,440 It's what the Bible says Calvary Chapel pastors, we find out what 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:15,120 the text is teach the text. The text only has one meaning. 17 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,240 And so the question we want to answer tonight about the 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:24,640 spiritual gifts is this. Are the gifts of the Holy Spirit 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,640 no longer given to the church today? 20 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:38,800 The gifts, instead of being a blessing to the church, often 21 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,560 the discussion even of the gifts have caused more problems. 22 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:43,640 You don't believe in that, do you? 23 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,080 You're not, you're not, you're not one of those tongues people 24 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,240 or one of those prophecy peoples or discern or miracle people. 25 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,880 Are you or, or you mean you don't believe in the gifts at 26 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,200 all? And so there's this swinging 27 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,920 pendulum and the gifts have become a problem, shouldn't be 28 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,720 they've become an issue. And actually they've become a 29 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,880 point of division. While this church doesn't 30 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:10,759 believe in this. So we don't have that. 31 00:02:10,759 --> 00:02:11,880 And this church believes in this. 32 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,320 So, and it's about the gifts and instead of being a blessing is 33 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:21,320 what they're supposed to be, they've become an issue. 34 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:27,560 Paul taught us not to be ignorant of three things. 35 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:34,520 Three things 1 he says do not be ignorant of God's plan for 36 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,800 Israel. Many people today are ignorant 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,920 of what's happening to Israel. Many churches stay, they don't, 38 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,040 they don't believe Israel is the God's people anymore. 39 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:44,760 They think God's finished with them. 40 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,480 They don't know what's going on, and so they believe every time. 41 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,400 Now Israel was mentioned in the Old Testament, it's spiritual 42 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,880 Israel, it's the church. And Oh no, that was for Israel. 43 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,560 But since they did this, now where is, well, the church has 44 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,840 become Israel. And it tells me initially that 45 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:06,080 they haven't taught the book of Genesis because you get your 46 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,360 bearings at the beginning. You know, when you set off on a 47 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,320 course, you want to have your bearing set. 48 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,520 This is the compass, this is the direction, and you stick to that 49 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,120 course. You've got to have your bearings 50 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:17,840 right. Genesis is the book of 51 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,200 beginnings. It's the book where we get our 52 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,520 theology correct. For the rest of the 65 books of 53 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,560 the Bible, Paul said do not be ignorant of God's plan for 54 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,400 Israel. Romans Chapter 11, verse 25. 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,320 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of 56 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,000 this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion. 57 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:43,480 Oh, everyone's got an opinion that blindness in part has 58 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,320 happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has 59 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:52,200 come in, until the work of the church is done, the church is 60 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:56,000 taken out. And then the 70th year of 61 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,880 Daniel, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, the 69 lots of seven 62 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,000 year periods, the clock, prophetic clock has stopped when 63 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,040 the church has raptured that last seven year period, the 64 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,440 tribulation period. If you read the book of Daniel 65 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:15,000 and you see how it matches with Thessalonians and with the Book 66 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,680 of Revelation, you see that it's all about Israel in the 67 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:23,200 tribulation period. Second thing, Paul says, I don't 68 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,240 want, do not want you to be ignorant of spiritual grips, 69 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,840 gifts. Oh, it's too difficult. 70 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,440 It's too hard. I mean, I can't work out, you 71 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,280 know, gifts of discernment, gifts of tongues. 72 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:34,560 It's all whoa, it's a bit hokey, pokey for me. 73 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,760 Paul says, now that's that's wrong. 74 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,400 He says, I don't want you to be ignorant of such things. 75 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,600 Thirdly, he says do not be ignorant about the second coming 76 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,040 of Jesus. Oh, well, we've heard this for 77 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,520 years. Every time I hear someone say 78 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,400 we've heard this so and so, it's people saying, you know, you're 79 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,520 expecting Jesus to come. Calvary chapel's a begun on the 80 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:57,840 coming of the Lord. And each time they hear that 81 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,320 it's another notch that I believe we're closer to the 82 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,280 coming of Christ because Peter says people will say in the last 83 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:06,920 days we've heard this for how long? 84 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:14,360 Nothing's changed. They're proving the point Paul 85 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,120 wrote to the church in Thessalonica. 86 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:21,040 He says, I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning 87 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,040 those who have fallen asleep, those who have died, lest you 88 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:24,680 sorrow as others who have no hope. 89 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:30,840 Christ is coming again. Gifts dividing both 90 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:35,000 theologically and spiritually. There are some who think that 91 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,480 those who believe all the gifts are put today, and they used to 92 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,520 be called, not so much now, but back a few years, they were 93 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,400 called Charismatics. Who's heard that term 94 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:48,200 Charismatic or Charismania or Pentecostals? 95 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,240 Who's who's heard that term? Pentecostals? 96 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,120 Maybe you've come from a Pentecostal background or know 97 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,560 about it. And many believe all those 98 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,920 people, Charismatics, Pentecostal, they're deceived by 99 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,480 Satan because they do all those weird stuff. 100 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,320 It's satanic. Wow, big statement. 101 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:08,800 Then there are others who think those who believe some of the 102 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,560 gifts are no longer given are unspiritual and dead in the 103 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,200 walk. So those who are Pentecostal, 104 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,560 charismatic say, well, if you don't believe in the gifts, man, 105 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,360 you're just dead, man, you're dead in your walk. 106 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,080 And so there's this this dichotomy, there's this A&Z, 107 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:30,720 there's this this great chasm. Calvary chapels are respected 108 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,280 for the biblical balance because we teach through the Word of 109 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:36,560 God. Expository book by book, chapter 110 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,160 by chapter, verse by verse. When it comes to the gifts of 111 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,040 the Holy Spirit we've seen Calgary chapels are seen to have 112 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,200 a balance and their place in church life. 113 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,880 Because we believe the gifts do have a place in church life. 114 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:54,960 Calgary chapels have sometimes been rightly seen as two 115 00:06:54,960 --> 00:07:00,960 Pentecostal for the Baptists, 2 Baptists for the Pentecostals. 116 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,400 We've been called Panty Baptist or bapticostals. 117 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:08,800 Now. Balance. 118 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:14,480 Finding the balance is meaningless unless it's biblical 119 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:15,560 balance. You just don't go. 120 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,200 Well, let's, let's park over here. 121 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,400 That's just safe. No balance is found through the 122 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,080 Bible. We don't want to strike a 123 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,040 balance between heresy and truth. 124 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,360 We want the truth. The truth sets the balance. 125 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,640 So let's dig in tonight, Work through it biblically. 126 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:37,880 Are the gifts still relevant for today in today's church? 127 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:40,360 Have they finished? Did they finished? 128 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:45,280 Finished with the apostles? Now No, Christian, doesn't 129 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:49,600 matter where back what background you have believes all 130 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,560 the gifts have ceased in the church today, all Christians 131 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,080 believe the gifts of teaching. Otherwise, there'd be no 132 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,760 teaching in a church and administration. 133 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,720 In other words, those who guide and pastor and help look after 134 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,160 the church, deacons, etcetera. Gifts in that way are given and 135 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,520 needed in the church today. Everyone thinks, yeah, they're 136 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,160 still, they're still going, yeah, that they're gifts. 137 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,000 It's the other stuff that we, we don't know about. 138 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:24,000 It is the gifts that have a miraculous nature which are in 139 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,640 dispute. Paul gives them in details in 140 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,760 one Corinthians 12. He lists them and then he talks 141 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,159 about love, how to do them. Make sure you you're just not 142 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,320 going off and doing stuff without the love of God being 143 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:42,080 the guide. He says also that in chapter 12 144 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,800 of 1 Corinthians that gifts are given by the Holy Spirit. 145 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:47,160 It's not something. Let me see. 146 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:48,680 I've got a Bay Marie of gifts here. 147 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,800 Everybody come in, pick out the gift that you want when you're 148 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,960 going to use it. No, no, the gifts are given as 149 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,600 God wills them for the time and the need that God wants to use 150 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,920 them. I don't park a a gift. 151 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,200 I'm, I'm the healer man or I'm this or I'm that. 152 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,120 No. God gives them out by the Holy 153 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:14,560 Spirit as he wills, so it's the miraculous ones that are in 154 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:19,000 dispute. People often also seek to divide 155 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,360 the gifts in the categories, compartmentalise them. 156 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:28,360 There are no such divisions and categories in the Bible. 157 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:34,280 It's not biblical, Paul says. There are diversities of gifts. 158 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,480 It's the same Holy Spirit. There are differences of 159 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:40,360 ministries, but it's the same law. 160 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,600 There are diversities of activities, how they operate, 161 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,560 but it's the same God who works All in all, because it's the 162 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:52,320 Holy Spirit who is giving and guiding and operating how they 163 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,720 should be. So it says there are diversities 164 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,680 of gifts. Paul will go on in One 165 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:03,920 Corinthians 12 to list some 9 spiritual gifts for the sake of 166 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,600 time, you know them. We won't go through with them 167 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:07,960 tonight. Read them out. 168 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,600 But they're in One Corinthians 12. 169 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:15,280 And then in One Corinthians 14, Paul says this is how they to 170 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,920 operate in a church service or things are wrong. 171 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,680 There's a way that they are to operate. 172 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:27,520 And so Paul lists some 9 spiritual gifts in the following 173 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,640 verses and more in other places. People always say, well, how 174 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:33,520 many spiritual gifts there are? I'm waiting to see what your 175 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,960 answer is. There's not No, there's 12 and 176 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:42,400 there's this, this, this play on of whatever, how many, how many 177 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,960 you want to number of it. It's irrelevant. 178 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,600 There is only one giver, the Holy Spirit, who works through 179 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,800 the diverse gifts. So again, the real question is, 180 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:59,560 are all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today, 2025, That's 181 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:03,080 the issue. Are some of them no longer being 182 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,040 given by God? He used to give them out and he 183 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:06,440 said, no, I'm not doing that anymore. 184 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:12,040 Those who teach against the miraculous gifts of the Holy 185 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:19,720 Spirit definitely believe they have the gifts of teaching, 186 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,160 obviously because they're teaching. 187 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,280 So they'll say we're going to study the Bible. 188 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:27,560 We believe the gifts finished at this time they're teaching. 189 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:29,040 So they believe in the gift of teaching. 190 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,760 They also believe God still gives that gift today, the gift 191 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,440 of teaching past the teachers visions. 4 But what does the 192 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:44,320 Bible say on the matter? In Mark 16 verses 17 to 18, 193 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:51,080 Jesus made a promise and there was no timeline on this, He 194 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,200 said. And these signs will follow 195 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:58,560 those who believe in my name. They will cast out demons, they 196 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:03,040 will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents. 197 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:07,800 And if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt 198 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,560 them. They will lay hands on the sick 199 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,840 and they will recover. Now let me clarify this because 200 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:14,880 here you go. You go. 201 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:16,560 Hang on. Hey, wait a minute. 202 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:20,400 It's a wacko stuff in here. There's wacko stuff in America 203 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,560 where churches down in the Deep South actually get out. 204 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:24,880 Tigers. Not tigers. 205 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,000 Snakes, so they don't have them. Rattlesnakes. 206 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,760 And they pass them around the church and they're dancing. 207 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:32,680 It's freaky. And people die. 208 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,080 And then there's the tragedy of Jonestown. 209 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:48,840 Remember, they drank poison. They all died and so people will 210 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,480 see because of that this can't be on now hang on a minute. 211 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:56,680 You see, it's kind of like I was working for one of the big 212 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,280 government departments. I won't mention which one. 213 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,240 And one guy decided he because he needed a car, they they work 214 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,280 on call outs. He said, I'll take the car home 215 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,760 because I got call out. And then and they said, no, you 216 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,800 can't take cars home anymore. So all the cars you now have to 217 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,280 catch a bus, catch a taxi, whatever it is, go to the 218 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:19,440 headquarters there, you'll get your car. 219 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:23,200 So the guy said, OK, we're not using the cars. 220 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,840 We'll just take buses and and however long it takes me to get 221 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,680 by public transport to the place. 222 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,480 And so they threw out the baby with the bathwater. 223 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,760 You know, they go, well, no one's taking any cars home. 224 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,560 And so they made this stupid statements. 225 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,640 And this is what often happens. People go, well, that that could 226 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,680 be look what happens in the Deep South and look what happened 227 00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:44,600 with Jonestown. So we're not doing any of that. 228 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,840 Well, that's just and wise to think that way. 229 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:55,600 This is a simple, what Jesus says, straightforward promise in 230 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,360 context given to those who are involved in spreading the 231 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,720 gospel. We know what happened to Paul, 232 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:03,840 didn't he? He's washed up, remember? 233 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,320 He's the first surf surfing that occurs in the Bible. 234 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,280 They hopped on their boards and they went to the ocean and made 235 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,600 it to the island. He's picking up firewood. 236 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,120 A Viper comes out and it's venomous, latches onto him. 237 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,400 He shakes it off and everyone says, well, he's going to die. 238 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,680 He must be a bad guy. He's been in a shipwreck and now 239 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:22,800 snake's bitten. He's going to, he's gone. 240 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,080 He doesn't die, and everyone says he must be a God. 241 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,480 So it's God's overall power working through people who are 242 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,320 proclaiming the gospel as they went throughout the world. 243 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,320 Paul laid hands on the sick and people were healed. 244 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:44,360 Not all it's a simple and straightforward promise that 245 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:50,440 Jesus gave to the church, that is those who are involved in 246 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,160 spreading the gospel. They will be unstoppable. 247 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:59,280 God will even use when he thinks right miraculous means to 248 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:05,080 protect them and make them effective in the book of Acts 249 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:10,320 Acts chapter 2 verse 33. Therefore, being exalted to the 250 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,680 right hand of God and having received from the Father the 251 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,440 promise of the Holy Spirit, he, Jesus poured out this which you 252 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,640 now see in here, the day of Pentecost, tongues of fire. 253 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,280 The they're speaking in languages that they don't know 254 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:28,680 and other people are hearing them. 255 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,720 And at that time in the book of Acts chapter 2, every time they 256 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,480 heard it, it wasn't a word to the people. 257 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,600 It was words proclaiming and praising the goodness of God. 258 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:44,400 Read that at that time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a 259 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,520 day of Pentecost, Peter, this is Peter's words going on with 260 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,720 Peter. He says in Acts 2 verse 39 for 261 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,680 the promises to you and to your children and to all who are far 262 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,960 off as many as the Lord our God will call. 263 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,720 In other words, it wasn't well this has just happened for these 264 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,680 people. That's it just them ask for and 265 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,160 no more. The promise is what the Bible 266 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:13,560 says to the your children and and your on to their children. 267 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,080 So the promise of the Holy Spirit is ongoing. 268 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,080 The book of Acts has no Amen at the end of it. 269 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,200 So the promise of the Holy Spirit, specifically including 270 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:31,640 miraculous gifts as Peter was referring to, is a promise to 271 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,120 all generations. That's what the Bible says. 1 272 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:42,040 Corinthians 14 verse 12. Paul says this to the church at 273 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:46,640 Corinth because they were operating out of order. 274 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,160 They had the gifts operating, but man, it was a madhouse. 275 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:55,560 SO1 Corinthians 14, Paul details, Hey, if someone speaks 276 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,520 in this language or whatever, this is how it's to work. 277 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,960 This is when it happens, the way it happens. 278 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:09,599 Paul says this Even so you Christian Church Corinth, since 279 00:17:09,599 --> 00:17:11,880 you are zealous for spiritual gifts. 280 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:14,760 That's why, man, they wanted the gifts. 281 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:17,760 They really sought the gifts of God. 282 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,920 Then Paul says this, let it be for what? 283 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:27,200 What are the gifts for the edification that is the building 284 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,200 up of the church that you seek to excel. 285 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,560 And what's happened today is people just gone up the gift. 286 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:38,320 Oh, I have this gift and we put up a sign. 287 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,920 Come and hear me. Come and speak at so and so. 288 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:45,200 I had the gift of this. No, you don't, because God gives 289 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:49,560 the gifts out as He wills, and the gift is not for your 290 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:54,760 ministry, your edification. It's for every gift. 1 291 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:59,760 Corinthians 12/13 and 14 is for the building up of everybody 292 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,000 else. Whatever gift God gives you, 293 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:06,040 it's not for you, it's for everybody else. 294 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,400 It's God gives you a certain gift and he says I'm going to 295 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,720 allow you to operate in this way so that you can bless the rest 296 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,240 of the body of Christ, build them up. 297 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:23,400 We read here by Paul the purpose, and that's important 298 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:29,120 for spiritual gifts, even the miraculous gifts, is the 299 00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:33,440 building up of the body of Christ and individual 300 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,120 Christians. That need remains today. 301 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:43,680 Today the church still needs the gifts operating, building up, 302 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:50,760 edifying, encouraging. The constant testimony the New 303 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:55,560 Testament gives is that the miraculous gifts described in 304 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,720 the New Testament have not been retracted. 305 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:03,320 There's nowhere it says, by the way, these gifts finish on the 306 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:09,360 14th of February 1970 or these gifts finish with when these 307 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:16,120 guys die. That's it doesn't say that no 308 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:21,240 one with a fresh reading you. And that means I was talking to 309 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:22,840 someone this morning about the Bible. 310 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,040 I says, and they're thinking of coming to the church. 311 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:27,400 I said, here's the here's the deal. 312 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,440 You and I will never have disagreements until you come up 313 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,200 and say such and such and I'll go, That's not in the Bible. 314 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:40,400 That's not what the Bible says. Then I'll disagree the moment 315 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,720 you go home and you just read the Bible and you say the Bible 316 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,120 says and I'll go, yes, the Bible does say that. 317 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,440 We are in agreement. It's not my opinion that counts, 318 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:53,840 nor your opinion. It's what does the Bible say on 319 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:59,920 the matter? So the purpose for the spiritual 320 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,320 gifts, even the miraculous, is the building up of the body. 321 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,840 No one with a fresh reading of the Scriptures could ever come 322 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:12,120 to such an understanding to say the gifts have finished. 323 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,400 How could you do that? There's no biblical passages or 324 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,520 chapters or books to say, yeah, yeah. 325 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,520 And it's it's stop here because it doesn't. 326 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:27,040 There is no indication that miraculous gifts. 327 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:31,120 Would die out when the apostles died, it doesn't say anywhere. 328 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,160 And by the way, when the apostles all drop dead and John 329 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,920 was the last, he was 90 odd years old. 330 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,560 He's on the Isle of Patmos. Then he's set free again. 331 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,520 He goes to live in Ephesus with Mary the mother of Jesus there. 332 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,640 They died of old age. It doesn't say. 333 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:48,760 And when he died, the church went there's no more gifts that 334 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:50,280 was. It doesn't say that. 335 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:59,080 There is no distinction also made between sign gifts or 336 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:03,320 miraculous gifts and other gifts in the New Testament. 337 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,320 They come always and only as a package. 338 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:13,560 The Holy Spirit brings them as a package. 1 Corinthians 12 Little 339 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:19,200 is said in the Bible about the continuation of all the gifts 340 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,640 because why? Well, why does it say the gifts 341 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,760 will carry on? Well, little is given to say 342 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:27,600 about the continuation of all the gifts. 343 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:29,800 Why? Because it was a given. 344 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:33,920 The gifts carry on. The church carries on until 345 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,640 when? Until the church has wrapped it 346 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,760 out. So it just carries on. 347 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:42,080 That's why again, the book of Acts has no and this is the end 348 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,880 of the church. Jesus came. 349 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:51,680 No, you might as well, if you use that sort of thinking, ask, 350 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:56,000 well, where is the scriptural evidence using the same line of 351 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,240 thinking, and that's what you got to do when you make a 352 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,800 statement, it should carry on and be the truth all the way 353 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,840 along. You should say, if the gifts 354 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,280 finished that way, well, where is the scriptural evidence that 355 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,000 someone can be saved beyond the time of the apostles? 356 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:13,960 Because when the apostles were dead, that was the end of it. 357 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,920 Jesus just picked 12 go out and preach the gospel and when they 358 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,840 died that was the end. No more salvation you go well 359 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,480 that's stupid. No, it's the same logic used to 360 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,520 the ceasing of the spiritual gifts with the death of the 361 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,480 apostles. One would be hard pressed to 362 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:37,480 find one conclusive verse to refute the argument because it 363 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:44,960 was simply assumed salvation carried on after the apostles 364 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:49,600 died. So the question again is, well, 365 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,560 why do some Christians believe some gifts of the Holy Spirit 366 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,400 are no longer given by today? You know, I had someone asked me 367 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,920 a little while back, they come and said, you know, you know, we 368 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,040 don't see the gifts of healing of miracles anymore. 369 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:09,360 And I went, well, actually, I don't know about that. 370 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,640 That's your opinion. But each time I see a baby born, 371 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,320 I think that's a pretty powerful miracle gift of life. 372 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,400 And then in our Wednesday night prayer groups, you and I have 373 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:27,120 known how many miracles has God carried out in this fellowship 374 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:32,360 alone without and, and, and the other thing is a lot of times 375 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:37,560 God's working miraculously in answer to prayer or whatever in 376 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,680 the church and the person who's touched by it doesn't mention 377 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:45,360 it. It's happened, it's happened, 378 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:50,200 God has done it, but there's been a, by the way, everybody, 379 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,120 here's what happened to me. I don't know, you know. 380 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:59,400 And so such folk who say that gifts are finished, I believe 381 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,400 have a wrong understanding of history and they believe that 382 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,880 historically. So let's look at history. 383 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:10,560 They'll say the miraculous gifts actually did cease when the 384 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,680 apostles died because they haven't seen, because they think 385 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:15,680 in missionaries they're looking for the, you know, the raising 386 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,920 of the dead and stuff. You know, the people to talk to 387 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,680 about gifts are people in Africa, China, and places that 388 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,840 we don't know about. Don't go, go with until you bump 389 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,040 into someone and they'll tell you, Oh my goodness, God has 390 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,920 worked miraculously. The fact that I'm still alive, 391 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,480 the fact that this happened, it happened, it happened, it 392 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,760 happened and on and on and on. The people on the mission front, 393 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,440 they're the ones who can tell us the great deal what people are 394 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,200 wanting. Well, how come we don't see it 395 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,960 in the church? You know, you know this woo Hoo, 396 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:52,760 you know, that sort of stuff. It's because the church is 397 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:58,960 ignorant of spiritual gifts. It doesn't know what to do with 398 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,680 them. And it's either over the top and 399 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,040 it's chaotic mess. God can't work on that, or it's, 400 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,600 well, we don't believe in them. They're satanic. 401 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,080 We don't we don't have an understanding of them. 402 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,920 So people have a wrong understanding. 403 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,000 For example, 1 Corinthians 13/8, which says, well, it says there 404 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,160 the tongues will cease. So what are you going to say 405 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,760 about that? Or read the context because it 406 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,000 says that something else will see cease as well. 407 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,040 There's a couple other things that will cease. 408 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:31,720 Love won't cease, but it says other things will cease 409 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,480 something. And John MacArthur, I, he's one 410 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,440 of the best Bible commentators that I know. 411 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:41,240 I have a lot of his books. But John MacArthur, he says, and 412 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:44,440 I don't agree with him, that the gift stopped with the apostles. 413 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,040 John MacArthur is not the Pope. He's a good Bible teacher, but 414 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:51,560 in this area, I don't think he's right. 415 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:56,640 John MacArthur claims tongue ceased in the Apostolic age and 416 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,920 that when they stopped, they stopped for good. 417 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,760 But this passage passage doesn't tell us about tongues, that 418 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:07,680 tongues will stop by themselves. It tells us tongues will cease 419 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,240 only when that which has perfect has come. 420 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:14,000 And they go, oh, there you go, we got the Bible. 421 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:18,320 Now you know this is, and they say incorrectly, the Bible is 422 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:23,840 that which is perfect. No, When we look at what does 423 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,920 that which is perfect means, Paul says when that which is 424 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,840 perfect has come, then the gifts, yes, will be 425 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,880 discontinued. They won't need to be operating. 426 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,360 But what is that which is perfect? 427 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,080 It's not the Bible. I'm not saying that the Bible 428 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,720 isn't perfect, but I'm saying that's not what he's talking 429 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,440 about. In that context, though, some 430 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:49,040 believe that believe miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles, 431 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,200 say it refers to the completion of the New Testament. 432 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,280 I don't think I don't believe that they're biblically correct. 433 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,960 I think they're wrong. Virtually all commentators agree 434 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,800 that that which is perfect is fulfilled when we are in the 435 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,520 eternal presence of the perfect one. 436 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:12,120 We looked at that in Revelation chapter 5 when we were in heaven 437 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,560 with the Lord. Because you won't need tongues, 438 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:16,960 you know, we won't need the gift of healing. 439 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,400 You won't need gifts of interpretation. 440 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,880 You won't need the gift of, of, of pastors and teachers and 441 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:24,280 apostles and all that sort of stuff. 442 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,600 We're in heaven. We're with the Lord, the perfect 443 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,800 one. When we're with the Lord forever 444 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,200 through the return, either by the return of Christ or 445 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,880 graduation to the Eternal, that which is perfect is Him. 446 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,080 Now the same people have a wrong understanding, and they usually 447 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:46,440 say, well, what about Hebrews chapter 2, verse 3, where it 448 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:51,920 says, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, 449 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,960 which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, was 450 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,320 confirmed to us by those who heard Him. 451 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:05,800 God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, with 452 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:10,320 various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His 453 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,600 own will. So people take that verse, pull 454 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,080 it out, and here's what you do. That's how you make a pretext 455 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:18,960 instead of putting it in the context. 456 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:23,520 People take this verse incorrectly to say that the only 457 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:29,120 real reason miracles and gifts were given was to authenticate 458 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:36,160 Revelation, the Word, and there is now no longer a need for that 459 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:41,560 because we have it. But if miracles only happened 460 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,560 around certain times of revelation, that's what they're 461 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:50,040 saying, then there is a substantial amount of revelation 462 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:54,080 that is unaccounted or supported by miracles. 463 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:58,200 In fact, everything in the Bible from the book of Judges through 464 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,000 to the Song of Solomon, that's a fair chunk. 465 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:07,760 So if miracles do authenticate revelation, you put yourself on 466 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,680 dangerous ground by saying, well, if it's a miracle that 467 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,080 occurs, that's that's support that it's a revel. 468 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:18,280 That's the word from God. Be careful of that because false 469 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:24,800 prophets can and do perform authenticating miracles. 470 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:31,720 In the book of Exodus, Pharaoh got his wise, called his wise 471 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:37,680 men and his sorcerers to do magic to copy Moses. 472 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:42,120 Remember that Same again in Deuteronomy. 473 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:47,800 In Second Thessalonians, taking us further to the future, we're 474 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:52,320 warned of the lawless ones coming, the Antichrist who will 475 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,560 have the prophet, the false prophet with him and what will 476 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:59,960 he do to the world to authenticate he's the real 477 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:04,360 Messiah even and even the Jewish nation will believe he is 478 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,720 miracles called fire down from heaven. 479 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,560 Read it. Paul warns, hey, don't be duped 480 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:15,360 by miraculous things, saying well, it must be God because 481 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,320 look at the miraculous outpouring. 482 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,840 No, that's in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9 483 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,320 to 10. And that's how the lawless one 484 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,240 comes. So the primary purpose of 485 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:33,560 miracles, especially as they are seen in the New Testament, was 486 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:39,280 not to authenticate God's messages, though there is a 487 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:44,240 secondary purpose. The primary purpose of miracles 488 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,320 was to. And here's where we miss the 489 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:50,080 forest for the trees or the trees for the forest, whatever 490 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,560 that word is. The primary purpose of miracles, 491 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,320 you know what it was for was to humbly meet the needs of the 492 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,160 people. God's paralysed. 493 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:03,800 Been lying by the pool of Bethesda. 494 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,280 He's been there for years or he's been paralysed for years. 495 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:11,920 Jesus heals him. Why? 496 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,080 Because he's paralysed. He didn't do it. 497 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:19,000 I'm just doing it because of this. 498 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,040 It was to meet the needs of the people. 499 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:27,880 For example, in Matthew chapter 12 verses 3840. 500 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:34,960 I'll read it to you shortly. Jesus actually condemned those 501 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:41,960 who sought authenticate revelation by miraculous signs. 502 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,120 In other words, if you are who you say you are, give us a 503 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,160 miracle. Pull a rabbit out of the hat or 504 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,520 do something. Jesus offered them no other 505 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,920 signs other than his own resurrection. 506 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:59,360 He says that's the sign. Matthew 1238. 507 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,240 Some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered saying, 508 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,000 Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. 509 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,920 Come on, whip something up. Jesus answered and said to them, 510 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:14,640 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, 511 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:20,080 and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet 512 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,840 Jonah. For his Jonah was 3 days and 513 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,000 three nights in the belly of the great fish. 514 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:29,640 So will the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of 515 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,920 the earth. In John chapter 2 verse 18 to 516 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:42,480 19, Jesus provided 1 miraculous sign to the seeking his 517 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,560 resurrection. In John chapter 2 he said this 518 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:52,440 early, destroy this temple, his body and in three days I'll 519 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,640 raise it up. That's it. 520 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:59,520 I remember working with a guy, interesting fella witnessing to 521 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:03,400 him. He said look, don't give me 522 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,160 that. He said until someone comes back 523 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:06,840 from the dead, then I'll believe. 524 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:12,120 And I went, actually someone has, you see, it doesn't matter. 525 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:19,560 And people who go on prove and prove God to me, OK, no, he 526 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,040 already has. It's the sign. 527 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,400 That's the sign. That's the proof. 528 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:30,280 The resurrection is the proof. Beware, Jesus says in the last 529 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,880 days of those who deceive because they're going to deceive 530 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,280 many. It says many will be deceived. 531 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:39,840 Why look at the miraculous things that are happening there. 532 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:41,440 Wow. And I've heard it. 533 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,560 It's been sweeping in the years that how long I have been saved 534 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,200 in in the ministry, 40 something plus 45 years. 535 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:53,080 Whatever it is, we've seen sweep after sweep of oh, this church 536 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:54,960 is on fire. You know why? 537 00:33:54,960 --> 00:34:00,440 Well, people are jumping off the roof and and surviving, falling 538 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:02,480 onto the grass where they're tucking their neck in as they 539 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,600 roll over. And this is how, oh, it's 540 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,040 happening. And it disappeared, gone. 541 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:15,199 And the next movement and people just chase after where where's 542 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:15,760 that? Where's that? 543 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,719 Chuck Smith used to say when you put on a show like that, each 544 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:24,719 week you gather the crowd, but the following week you're going 545 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:28,560 to have a better show. You got to put a better show on 546 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:34,679 each time to keep the crowd. You know, in John 6 verse 29, 547 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:41,280 Jesus has just fed more than 5000 people and they followed 548 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,080 Jesus. Why were they following him? 549 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:46,159 You get free bread if you follow this guy. 550 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,320 Come on. Yeah, well, he's hot, man. 551 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:51,920 This is the place to be. You know what? 552 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:54,480 It's funny how we haven't had any more people since we got a 553 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:56,600 lot of bread, have we? Maybe we need to put some 554 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,480 sardines at the front when we get the bread. 555 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,320 That's a in house joke for people who are watching online. 556 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:13,720 Jesus rebuked them pretty harshly and rebuked them for 557 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:19,320 their refusal to believe in him. To see what Jesus has already 558 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,160 done, they said. Come on, do something else. 559 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,440 They said you just spoke to me with a mouthful of bread and 560 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,880 fish spattered me all over and you go viewers from on the moon 561 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,000 throw something. You already got a belly full of 562 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:37,640 fish and bread. In one Corinthians one verse 22, 563 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:45,800 when Paul notes that the Jews request a sign, he says they 564 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:47,560 don't mean it in a positive sense. 565 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:50,240 He says it's a poor thing that they seeking out for a sign. 566 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:57,080 Miracles are an insufficient evidence of authentic 567 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,520 revelation. In other words, this is the 568 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:04,080 argument. They can always be explained 569 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:06,800 away by an unbelieving heart. Well, yeah, but it didn't really 570 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:10,080 happen. And the unbelieving heart will 571 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,960 always be asking for more miracles. 572 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,240 Well, so yeah, if God does this, then I'll believe no. 573 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,560 And then he does this and you've heard people say to you, well, 574 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:21,440 you know, well, let's pray about that. 575 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:22,760 What happened? Well, God did do it. 576 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:24,400 So do you still believe? Oh no, I won't. 577 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:26,080 I won't believe until he does this. 578 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:28,520 It's not the dog chasing his tail. 579 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:33,360 I got around and ran around to prove God. 580 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:40,880 And in John chapter 12 verse 37, Jesus says, but although he had 581 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:47,280 done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. 582 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:50,800 Miracles don't make believers. I've only had, you know, 583 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,360 miracles and people. No, no. 584 00:36:55,080 --> 00:37:01,720 We agree, however, that miracles have a purpose in impressing 585 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:05,040 unbelievers and believers with the power of God. 586 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,200 But that is clearly their secondary purpose. 587 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:14,160 If this were the primary purpose of miracles, one could argue 588 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:18,400 that since we have the completed revelation of God's Word, we 589 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:22,840 would no longer need miracles to authenticate further revelation. 590 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:27,240 But they make a wrong application of the truth that 591 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:31,000 things like speaking in tongues, and I've heard it, you've heard 592 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,160 it. Some of you have demonic 593 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:35,120 counterparts. Well, only you know. 594 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:39,680 I know just cults do that. They're not unique to 595 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:41,560 Christianity. Speaking in tongues. 596 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:46,440 Well, that's certainly true and recognised by scripture. 597 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:51,240 Because there are false. However, the existence of a 598 00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:57,320 counterfeit tends to prove the existence of the genuine, not 599 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:00,920 deny it. False teachers, false prophets. 600 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:03,520 Why? Because they were true prophets 601 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:08,680 and true teachers. The other thing is the 602 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:11,120 Antichrist. He's coming purely on the 603 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,480 premise of him being the real Christ, which he isn't. 604 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,560 So does the history of Christianity, when you look at 605 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:25,080 it, demonstrate that some of the gifts have passed away? 606 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,560 If so, when and how? Although the issue is finally 607 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:31,160 settled with what the Bible says. 608 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:34,080 So we've dealt with that. The voice of history, history 609 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:36,520 itself is also compelling about the gifts. 610 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:41,640 Those who believe the miraculous gifts ceased claim the testimony 611 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,240 of history supports them. That's their argument. 612 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:50,240 For example, again, John MacArthur wrote in his book The 613 00:38:50,240 --> 00:38:54,440 Charismatics, he said this and I quote by the 2nd century, the 614 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:56,960 apostles were gone, things were changed. 615 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,680 Another fellow, Alba MacLean, said when the church appears in 616 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:04,920 the 2nd century, the situation as regards the miraculous is so 617 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:07,920 changed that we seem to be in another world. 618 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,520 The Apostolic age, he was saying, was unique. 619 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:16,360 It ended. History says it, they saying 620 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:20,880 Jesus says it, they say theology says it, and the New Testament 621 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:24,280 self attest to the fact. So we're told that's their 622 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:29,040 argument. But you know, it's interesting. 623 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,080 And one thing I learned when I was with the police is that 624 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,280 there are always three sides to the story. 625 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,280 No, that's not mine. No, I haven't touched that. 626 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:39,840 I never went there. I never touched that. 627 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:41,640 I never stole that. I never. 628 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,800 Oh, no, that's not mine. I I wasn't there at any time. 629 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,280 There are three sides to the truth. 630 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:53,560 History has another testimony. And if we will just look at 631 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,720 history, and I think it's an important thing for us to do and 632 00:39:56,720 --> 00:40:03,120 let history alone speak, we find that Clement of Rome, Ignatius, 633 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:09,000 Justin Martyr. Iranus, Churchillian all speak 634 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:14,240 powerfully to the existence of miraculous gifts of the Holy 635 00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:19,720 Spirit in their own day. Actually, the idea, the concept 636 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:24,920 that the miraculous gifts from God ceased with the apostles 637 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:29,160 didn't arise in the church itself until the middle of the 638 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:36,280 4th century, AD 350 or so on. Later, at the end of the 4th 639 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:40,600 century and into the Middle Ages, the gifts were said to 640 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:44,200 have ceased and there was certainly is the problem 641 00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:48,640 neglected because it's the period when people neglected the 642 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,240 Word of God. The demise of the church and all 643 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:55,880 the moving and the power of God is always what the neglect of 644 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:58,600 the Word, the neglect of the Word. 645 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:06,040 But that wasn't God's desire. It was the result of people who 646 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:11,040 convinced themselves, and we do that, that the supernatural 647 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:16,760 working of the Holy Spirit was too dangerous for the 648 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,920 institutional church. It's safer to just ban it. 649 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:23,240 Ban it. And that's dumb. 650 00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:33,840 It sounds like what Jesus said to two cities at the north of 651 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,560 the Sea of Galilee. Some of my, one of my favourite 652 00:41:36,720 --> 00:41:41,720 places we go to where Jesus did all these miracles in Bethsaida 653 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:46,480 and Corazon, and he did more miracles there. 654 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:50,200 And he said, you know what, if I had done this many miracles in 655 00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:52,320 Sodom and Gomorrah, they'd still be around. 656 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:56,960 I would have believed. But you guys, I've lived here, 657 00:41:57,240 --> 00:42:02,440 I've performed more miracles than both, and I say woe to you, 658 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,280 judgement is coming because you've had the proof before your 659 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:10,440 eyes and you've chosen to say no, I don't believe it. 660 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,320 Now other factors were involved, but if you had gone up to a 661 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,240 Christian in ID 250 and said to them, hey mate, visiting from 662 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:25,120 2025, tell me the gifts, did they die with the apostles? 663 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:30,640 And you said we all know that miraculous gifts cease with the 664 00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:33,360 apostles. He would probably tell you, you 665 00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:35,760 know what you're talking about, mate, you know what you're 666 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,880 talking about. You see, it's how we come to a 667 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:43,440 place and then we neglect the work of God. 668 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:48,080 I want to throw in here today, I think one of them, it's not 669 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:52,000 mentioned in the gifts and such, but it's something that's so 670 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:57,440 neglected and we see that the art come of the weak church we 671 00:42:57,440 --> 00:42:59,440 have in the Western world now is pray. 672 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,840 Well, why pray? It's not going to do any good. 673 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:05,840 You know, it doesn't change anything. 674 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:09,760 I mean, seriously, when the apostles prayed, wow, things 675 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,320 happen. But when you pray, nothing 676 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:13,560 happens. God doesn't hear you. 677 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,320 It's all done and dusted. He only answered the prayers of 678 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:20,400 Daniel and and Peter and John and all those people. 679 00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:25,320 No, we've neglected prayer. We've neglected the power of 680 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:28,120 prayer. And thus the church is at its 681 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:31,120 weakest in the Western world than it's ever been. 682 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:38,240 Spiritual gifts aren't to be treated as toys. 683 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,560 And that's the that's the other swing of the pendulum, isn't it? 684 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:45,840 You know, you go to its service being invited to some, and you 685 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:48,000 frightened. You know what's going on. 686 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,600 You don't know what's going to come running down the aisle or 687 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:52,600 who's going to come jumping off the stage. 688 00:43:53,040 --> 00:44:02,000 You know, Holy Spirit, you need a crash hat. 689 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:06,320 Oh, the spirit's really moving. Yeah, so am I. 690 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:10,440 I'm out of here. That's what Paul said. 691 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,480 When things get out of hand in chapter 14, people would go you 692 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:21,880 Mama crazy without a hand. So spiritual gifts aren't to be 693 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:25,320 treated as toys to play with. Here's the deal. 694 00:44:25,720 --> 00:44:30,360 This is the problem. But rather as tools to build 695 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:38,160 with you are to pray, seek God. God, use me, use the gifts. 696 00:44:38,240 --> 00:44:41,440 Use me to what? You can be a blessing to the 697 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,000 church like you've never ever known. 698 00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:48,880 You can be the channel through which God can use you in the 699 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:53,080 gifts that are written down here to bring blessing, strength, 700 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:57,080 power, majesty to the body of Christ. 701 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:06,520 That's what's lacking today. And if the gifts ceased the 702 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:14,720 death of the apostles, tell me, why does Paul write and go into 703 00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:20,120 such great detail about the body of Christ following on from 12 704 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:23,880 when he mentions the gift being an actual body and every part 705 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:27,840 has a part, how every part plays a vital part, parts that can be 706 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:30,440 seen, parts that can't be seen. We can't all be eyes. 707 00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:33,440 We can't all be hands and legs and all that sort of stuff. 708 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:35,560 Why does Paul go into that detail? 709 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:39,880 He just said, look guys, you know John, he's going to be dead 710 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:43,840 soon. So just we don't need this 711 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:45,400 stuff. We don't need to know this 712 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:48,400 stuff. It's, it's God phasing it out. 713 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:50,960 As soon as John is dead, it's gone. 714 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:58,320 It's done. Because God wants us to have a 715 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:03,280 wonderful range of gifts from the Holy Spirit and an 716 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:07,120 impressive variety of people to manifest them. 717 00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:11,640 What for? For God's glory and the church's 718 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:20,280 benefit, How much are we missing out on because of our ignorance 719 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:26,040 of spiritual gifts? Why did Paul go into great 720 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:30,320 detail in chapter 14 about how they're to operate? 721 00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:33,520 Why did he say I'm not going to go into that's a waste of time. 722 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:35,640 You know, we don't have to go, but that's just a few 723 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:38,280 generations or a few years and they're all done and dusted. 724 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:40,520 We don't need to go. Be careful how the tongue should 725 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:43,160 work should be interpretation. Be careful that there's no 726 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:44,720 believers and believers around what? 727 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:48,280 Why go into that detail? That's three chapters of the of 728 00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:56,800 the book of Corinthians because there the gifts are to operate 729 00:46:58,040 --> 00:47:03,000 and Paul wanted to make sure that they were done decently and 730 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:11,920 in order. 1 Corinthians 1440. So tonight as we close, how do 731 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:15,200 we see the body of Christ? How I see it in the Western 732 00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:19,760 world again, not in the third world, not in places where in 733 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:25,280 missionary fields with in our words, the salvation and the the 734 00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:28,000 risking life and death simply by being believer. 735 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:32,120 But today I see the body of Christ is disabled. 736 00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:36,480 We used to have a term and you can't use it now. 737 00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:41,560 It's not not adequate or properly the term now. 738 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:46,360 It used to be handicapped. The church today is is so 739 00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:49,680 disabled. Why? 740 00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:57,200 Because of ignorance and abuse. We've either ignored it, thrown 741 00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:05,120 it out, don't know what about, or we've abused the gifts and 742 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:06,680 God says that's like, that's the word. 743 00:48:06,720 --> 00:48:10,920 That's not gifts. The spiritual gifts of the Holy 744 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:15,560 Spirit. When through God's Word are 745 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:24,680 used, we can see the body of Christ healthy, strong and 746 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:27,680 mature. That's how the church should be.