1 00:00:01,300 --> 00:00:03,900 Once again, we welcome you to our assembly. 2 00:00:04,300 --> 00:00:07,100 We're thankful for the presence of everyone who is here tonight, 3 00:00:07,100 --> 00:00:09,800 we're going to study again about the history of the church. 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,400 And what we want to do is we want to rewind just a little bit 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,000 and talk about how the departure actually occurred talk about 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,900 some of the things that occurred. 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,900 Well, before we do that, I want to review the facts of how and 8 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:28,600 what the church was we know that the church in the Bible is 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,500 called The Church of Christ. Just Romans chapter 16 and 16. 10 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:35,600 We know that the church began in the city of Jerusalem as the 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,600 prophets foretold in Isaiah chapter 2, and not a chi chapter 12 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:44,800 2 and, of course, we have the history of this event in Acts 13 00:00:44,900 --> 00:00:50,400 chapter 2, we know that it occurred about a t-33 after the 14 00:00:50,700 --> 00:00:53,100 first Pentecost on the first Pentecost. 15 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:57,200 After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that Peter began 16 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,100 to preach somewhere around 9 a.m. in the In Acts chapter 2, 17 00:01:01,300 --> 00:01:04,599 verse 15, we know that Jesus Christ is the Builder. 18 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:08,000 We know that he is the foundation, he's the Cornerstone 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,500 along with the apostles and the prophets, the Bible says, the 20 00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:15,500 foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself 21 00:01:15,500 --> 00:01:19,300 being the Chief Cornerstone. Now, we know that even though 22 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:22,900 there was only one church had one Faith, some departed from 23 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:25,400 that Faith, some left, that faith. 24 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,600 And we were warned about this early before it happened. 25 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,700 We know that these men Follow doctrines of demons or doctrines 26 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:35,000 that came from the Devil Himself. 27 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,100 Now we know that the Bible identified, the second Church in 28 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,400 identified the departure by stating that this subgroup of 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,200 people would forbid, some to marry and command certain foods 30 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,900 not to be eaten. So here we have the Church of 31 00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:53,200 Jesus Christ and we have a departure predicted. 32 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,900 And at first there were no denominations. 33 00:01:56,100 --> 00:02:00,100 There were no no religious sectarian Ins. 34 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:04,200 There was only one body, there was only one church now. 35 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,800 I think we need to understand something the word church 36 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,500 ekklesia means called out and literally translated it should 37 00:02:12,500 --> 00:02:16,700 have been assembly. In fact, if you study the Bible 38 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,900 and you look to Acts chapter 19, you'll notice that the word 39 00:02:20,900 --> 00:02:25,200 ekklesia is translated in reference to a town meeting. 40 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:30,200 And all the word means is assembly so it's not wrong to 41 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,100 say the Baptist Church because that is the Baptist assembly, 42 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:37,400 but it's wrong to call it the Church of Christ because it's 43 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,100 not the Lord's assembly. And so when we talk about one 44 00:02:41,100 --> 00:02:44,100 Church, we're talking about one saving Church. 45 00:02:44,100 --> 00:02:47,400 There are many religious bodies. There are many assemblies in the 46 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,300 world but they will not save. You only the church that you 47 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:54,300 read about in the Bible only the religious institution that is 48 00:02:54,300 --> 00:02:57,400 recorded in the scriptures and we pointed out last evening 49 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,500 there are 3,000 Mainline churches. 50 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,800 Well how was it that the Church of Jesus Christ? 51 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,100 Those who were brothers and sisters in the body and ranks of 52 00:03:06,100 --> 00:03:09,900 Our Lord left the true faith and entered into darkness friends. 53 00:03:09,900 --> 00:03:12,900 It was not one giant leap Into Darkness. 54 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:18,300 It was one small step at a time. One day after another one, small 55 00:03:18,300 --> 00:03:21,600 error after another and of course, over a period of 100 56 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,300 years, all of those steps became such a Giant Mountain. 57 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,300 Those You were born under that hundred-year departure had no 58 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:33,200 idea of what the truth even was they didn't know how to get back 59 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:35,800 and so that's of course how the departure occurred. 60 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,100 So we want to talk about some of those details. 61 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:41,300 Listen to what Paul says to the church at Ephesus. 62 00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:43,600 He's talking about this, same problem, you see? 63 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:47,200 The problem is still real. It's still an issue today that's 64 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,900 why the old preachers told us Brethren were drifting. 65 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,500 It reminded us of the fact that we need to be aware of the fact 66 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:55,900 that we can drift away from the truth that we can leave. 67 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,800 Leave the truth and we can do it in such a unconscious way. 68 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:04,500 We don't even realize that it's occurring until it's too late. 69 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,400 You know, what's so dangerous about leaving the truth? 70 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:14,200 You know, the best way to illustrate it. 71 00:04:15,100 --> 00:04:17,000 You know I've been in the church long enough now to see this 72 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,200 happen, many times, I mean a woman decide they're not 73 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,000 satisfied at the truth and so they leave. 74 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:29,000 Maybe they go into what we call the digressive church, maybe 75 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,000 they going to denominationalism, they'd been raised in the truth 76 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:39,500 and they go off in into the world away from the truth and 77 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:43,800 raise their families and Finn finally one day they wake up. 78 00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:48,500 And they come back. But the children stay where they 79 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:52,300 were. That's what drifty. 80 00:04:52,300 --> 00:04:56,300 That's one of the reasons why drifting is so dangerous. 81 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,400 It's not just where we are going, but where is the next 82 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,200 Generation going to go? And often the next or the second 83 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,500 generation, the third generation. 84 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:13,300 They are so far removed from the pure that they don't know how to 85 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:16,600 get back. Now, think about this, this is 86 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:18,900 very important. Therefore Paul says he's talking 87 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,300 to the elders at Ephesus. He's called them to my leaders. 88 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,600 He's hastening his journey to get to Jerusalem by certain 89 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,800 time. And so he sends word ahead for 90 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,100 these men to meet him, at the Seacoast, town of my letus and 91 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,100 he gives them A Farewell Address. 92 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:37,200 He thinks that this is the last time he's going to see them, but 93 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,800 it isn't the last time he sees them several other occasions. 94 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,500 Now, this is the same church that he had spit. 95 00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:49,800 Some Three years working among, and working with a previous to 96 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,300 this, he had established this church, and he had gone in there 97 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:57,100 later, and spent three years of working and laboring among them. 98 00:05:57,100 --> 00:06:00,200 Now, notice what the Bible says, therefore take heed to 99 00:06:00,207 --> 00:06:02,400 yourselves talking to the leaders of the church, the 100 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,500 elders, take heed, therefore unto yourselves and to all the 101 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:09,300 flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to 102 00:06:09,300 --> 00:06:12,600 Shepherd the Church of God, which he purchased with his own 103 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:14,700 blood for. I know this that after my 104 00:06:14,900 --> 00:06:19,300 Departure Savage wolves will come in among you not sparing 105 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:22,700 the flock, listen to this. Also from among yourselves. 106 00:06:22,700 --> 00:06:27,100 Men will rise up speaking perverse, things to draw away to 107 00:06:27,100 --> 00:06:32,400 the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember 108 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,500 that for three years. I did not cease to warn every 109 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:39,100 one night and day with tears. Notice now, Paul says they're 110 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:40,900 going to be problems in the church. 111 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,000 Both from without, and from within Now, I'm not so afraid of 112 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,000 the problems out there of the enemy out there because we know 113 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,000 who he is. But, you know, the people that 114 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,200 are dangerous are people who are on the inside people, we love 115 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:02,100 People, we esteem people, that we believe are faithful who do 116 00:07:02,100 --> 00:07:06,300 their Dirty Work behind the scenes in secret, so, to speak. 117 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:14,100 That's the way it always is. Who work on prey on the weak who 118 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:19,500 work and prey on those who are troubled and have problems. 119 00:07:19,900 --> 00:07:22,700 Paul says, there's going to be trouble on the inside and on the 120 00:07:22,700 --> 00:07:24,100 outside, that's the way. It's always been. 121 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:27,500 There's going to be trouble ahead, it plans wrong, we have 122 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:30,700 to face that fact. There's going to be problems in 123 00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:33,600 the church in the future. There always will be. 124 00:07:34,700 --> 00:07:40,500 The Bible says that evil men, and seducers shall wax worse and 125 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:43,800 worse deceiving and being deceived. 126 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,400 And so we have to recognize that fact, at first, the church was 127 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:52,500 pure and John told the rather. He said you try the spirits and 128 00:07:52,500 --> 00:07:55,100 he qualifies with those Spirits were by saying that they were 129 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:58,600 preachers or teachers in the church, they were false prophets 130 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:00,800 that had gone. The word he says, test. 131 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,700 It put them to the test, try to make sure they are what they 132 00:08:04,700 --> 00:08:08,300 claim they ought to be. Now again, I want to emphasize 133 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:14,200 at first, the church was pure, but there was one small change 134 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:16,100 after another. Now, what's interesting about 135 00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:20,300 this, if you go through and you study this we there's no we 136 00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:23,700 don't have time tonight to talk about all of it but every one of 137 00:08:23,700 --> 00:08:28,000 these early departures had something that they affected 138 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,299 that it affected later on. Long and this apostasy grew and 139 00:08:32,299 --> 00:08:35,900 grew and grew until you had the Roman church and it was one 140 00:08:35,900 --> 00:08:39,700 little step at a time that maybe people didn't have much thought 141 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:42,500 about or concerned about now, one of the first things that was 142 00:08:42,500 --> 00:08:46,300 introduced was about 20 years after the last Apostle died. 143 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,700 And that was holy water. Now, how did that start? 144 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,800 I don't know for sure but I will tell you this. 145 00:08:56,500 --> 00:09:00,100 I noticed one day and Zambia. Well, they always pray before 146 00:09:00,100 --> 00:09:01,700 they you know, we pray afterwards. 147 00:09:01,700 --> 00:09:04,100 They do too, but they prayed before they baptized too. 148 00:09:05,300 --> 00:09:07,800 I don't always understand. Didn't always wasn't always able 149 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,700 to hear. What was being said by? 150 00:09:09,700 --> 00:09:13,500 Notice one day the brother said, Lord, will you bless the water? 151 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,100 And I thought, hmm. And so, you know, we have 152 00:09:19,100 --> 00:09:23,500 studied, we had studies and we had dialogue. 153 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:28,600 We've got too sophisticated for that, kind of teaching you in 154 00:09:28,608 --> 00:09:31,800 America, you know. But Paul the Bible says, talk 155 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,900 did and that word taught means that he dialogue with him and 156 00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:37,800 acts 20:7. It was not just getting up. 157 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,100 And given the 45-minute discourse, he actually dialogue 158 00:09:41,100 --> 00:09:43,700 with brethren in the audience. That's what we do. 159 00:09:43,700 --> 00:09:47,000 This van via Bill Davis taught me how to do that and there's a 160 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,700 great deal of learning when that happens. 161 00:09:50,300 --> 00:09:54,600 Well, anyway, we're dialoguing about this and I Ask the 162 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,500 Brethren. I said how do you think people 163 00:09:57,500 --> 00:10:00,500 started blessing the water in the first century? 164 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:03,100 How do you think holy water came about? 165 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:05,900 And you know there were some in that audience. 166 00:10:05,900 --> 00:10:08,700 So these are all church leaders about 100 church leaders and 167 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:11,100 there were some in that audience that thought when the brother 168 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:14,300 was praying for the lord, to bless the water that he was. 169 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:17,900 He was creating holy water. Now, the brother who made that 170 00:10:17,900 --> 00:10:21,800 prayer said he didn't mean anything, but he was just he 171 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,200 just asking the Lord's blessing on what they're about to. 172 00:10:24,300 --> 00:10:25,600 Do. That's all he meant by what he 173 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:31,000 said, but you see sometimes good intentions lead to bad things. 174 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:36,800 We have to realize that. Maybe that's how holy water came 175 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,400 into Vogue in the first century, I don't know, or the second 176 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,200 century actually. Maybe that's how holy water was 177 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,700 introduced, I don't know, maybe it was innocent. 178 00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:49,400 It was still water. It still was the same water 179 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,100 after they blessed it as it was before it still had the same 180 00:10:53,300 --> 00:10:57,600 saving power. But of course, it's set them up 181 00:10:58,100 --> 00:11:01,800 for other changes later on and we'll talk about that. 182 00:11:02,100 --> 00:11:05,700 Another departure that came about. 140 was lent and Easter 183 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,300 another departure and 157 ad was the doctrine of penance. 184 00:11:10,300 --> 00:11:13,300 Now, this developed from something that was good and 185 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:17,100 right. you know, when somebody commits a sin, their 186 00:11:17,100 --> 00:11:21,700 consequences, When a church leader is immoral. 187 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:27,300 He don't make a confession this Sunday because he got caught. 188 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:30,800 And then next Monday, you have him up there leading singing and 189 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,500 praying and leading the service in the teaching. 190 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,600 That's not the way it works. The Bible says, you know, those 191 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,300 who labor among you, if a man's an immoral person? 192 00:11:42,300 --> 00:11:44,500 What do you know about him, when you put him up there, the next 193 00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:47,500 Sunday, you know, he's young person that said I'm sorry and 194 00:11:47,500 --> 00:11:49,100 that you know that he's an immoral man. 195 00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:53,300 That's what All about him. Now we need to put it in proper 196 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:56,200 perspective. Bible says, test the spirits. 197 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,100 That means something that's not put in there to fill in space. 198 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:04,900 We are too quick to put men in positions of authority. 199 00:12:04,900 --> 00:12:09,800 Now, listen to me, when a man's a gospel preacher, If I go out 200 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,300 here and commit adultery and I have a meeting plans, Road, you 201 00:12:12,300 --> 00:12:14,200 don't cancel it. You're going to be accountable 202 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,200 to the Lord for that. It doesn't matter if I make 203 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:21,400 10,000 confessions, there are consequences for my action? 204 00:12:22,300 --> 00:12:27,700 Yes, I can be forgiven. Yes, I can be forgiven but there 205 00:12:27,700 --> 00:12:32,100 are consequences to my action and I need to be responsible and 206 00:12:32,100 --> 00:12:35,900 when I'm in a trusted position and I betrayed that trust it's 207 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:41,400 very very difficult to know if I really he repented because if I 208 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:45,600 repented after I got caught, that might be the only reason I 209 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:53,200 repented And I know that happens and we're too quick to put 210 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,400 people in the Pulpit too quick to put people back in a position 211 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:01,200 of authority when they when they spoil that position. 212 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:06,100 Now, that's where that dr. Drew Pinsky came from. 213 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,800 It was good intentions. It just wasn't enough for him to 214 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,800 make a confession and sit on the bench. 215 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,600 She see. They started having different 216 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:20,200 things. Sometimes, they paid money. 217 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:24,900 That's where the idea of paying money for sin, came from it 218 00:13:24,900 --> 00:13:27,000 developed into all kinds of corrupt fames. 219 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,100 Well, the doctor appendix was forward to. 220 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,100 The Bible is forward to the teaching of the Bible. 221 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:35,300 Now there's some there's some connection to the Bible in that 222 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:38,400 Doctrine, but it's carrying the gospel too far carrying, what's 223 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:42,900 written too far, 1980, the Apostles Creed was developed in 224 00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:45,900 the year 200. Now this is interesting and I in 225 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:47,300 fact, Act. I want to write this on the 226 00:13:47,300 --> 00:13:50,200 board because I want you to keep this in your heart and in your 227 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,200 mind in the New Testament Church. 228 00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:57,000 There were elders. And of course, those Elders were 229 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,200 known as Shepherds. Those Shepherds were known as 230 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:08,500 pastors. Those pastors were known as As 231 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:13,200 let's see, there's another term. We receive a shepherd's pastors. 232 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,000 O Bishops. And there were Bishops in the 233 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,500 church. Now, all of these terms refer to 234 00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:25,200 the same thing All of them referred to the same offers for 235 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,200 the same work, but now think about this. 236 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:33,000 What men decided was the ownership is not. 237 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,200 It is not have the respect, it needs. 238 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,600 It does not have the authority. That it needs. 239 00:14:39,700 --> 00:14:42,100 People didn't listen to the eldership like they should. 240 00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:45,900 And so they took a breath and to task instead of teaching them, 241 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,600 the what they needed to know instead of teaching them the 242 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:53,100 truth. They of course, Decided, this is 243 00:14:53,100 --> 00:14:57,100 what we'll do. Will change the name of the 244 00:14:57,100 --> 00:15:03,500 Elder to priest will exalt him. Now, they might have recent like 245 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:07,900 this, the Elder is a priest because all Christians are 246 00:15:07,900 --> 00:15:13,000 priests in 1st Peter, chapter 2. The Bible says that we make up a 247 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,700 royal priesthood. We're all individual priests. 248 00:15:15,900 --> 00:15:18,900 And we're to all offer up spiritual sacrifices under the 249 00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:21,000 Lord. There is no clergy laity 250 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,700 relationship in the Church of Christ. 251 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,600 This is one of the main differences between us and the 252 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:29,600 rest of the religious World. There are no big eyes and little 253 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,200 use. We're all members one of 254 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,700 another, they're all connected, one to the other, but in the 255 00:15:35,708 --> 00:15:40,700 year 200 ad, they exalted the leadership and started 256 00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:45,600 designating the local Elders as priest separate from the church 257 00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:49,800 separate from the membership. Now, that was a major change, it 258 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:54,100 seem like small but that's what led to the great apostasy or one 259 00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:57,800 of the things that led to the great apostasy into 2080 260 00:15:57,900 --> 00:16:01,000 Purgatory was introduced now. Of course, that was R. 261 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:05,000 If you had a loved one who was lost, he go to hell or go to 262 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,000 Purgatory for a period of time and after a while he suffered 263 00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:12,900 and he endured a great deal of pain but you could actually buy 264 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:16,700 his way into heaven. And that was a Doctrine people 265 00:16:16,700 --> 00:16:19,500 wanted rich. People were willing to pay for 266 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:23,100 that. We rich people were willing to 267 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,600 donate, lots of money to the apostate church because of this 268 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,300 Doctrine. Well, it was rejected in the 269 00:16:30,300 --> 00:16:33,700 beginning but it was reintroduced in 1070 ad in the 270 00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:37,000 Cayman part of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. 271 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,900 Well, now, I'm 250 ad. Now, you can see a connection 272 00:16:39,900 --> 00:16:43,900 here. The water were using is Holy. 273 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:50,300 You know, it might be that we want we don't have a priest down 274 00:16:50,900 --> 00:16:56,200 at so-and-so place, but we got a priest here and he's he's he's 275 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,300 blessed. This water, it's become holy 276 00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:01,100 water, we don't have to dump people anymore. 277 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,400 So, and so's on a sick bed and he's not able to be immersed in 278 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,300 water. So we got this holy water. 279 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:13,800 Let's just sprinkle them See how it works, one departure 280 00:17:14,099 --> 00:17:17,400 encourages a donor. That's why it's so important to 281 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,099 investigate everything, we practice everything we believe 282 00:17:21,099 --> 00:17:23,800 and make sure that what we're doing is according to the 283 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,900 dictates of God's word and not just something that Mom and Dad 284 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:30,100 did or that. The preacher says, we ought to 285 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:33,000 do. Well, the departure from the New 286 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:37,100 Testament pattern is very slow. There a lot of other things that 287 00:17:37,100 --> 00:17:40,800 I could talk about but I don't have the time But it's one step 288 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:44,600 at a time, one minut change at a time. 289 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:50,100 One day after day, one change after change and through the 290 00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:54,800 years the departure becomes a terrible thing and it actually 291 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:59,100 develops into what we call the apostate Church, its gradual and 292 00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:02,700 it takes a long time. However, something changed that 293 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:05,000 help this departure now, according to mr. 294 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,500 Brownback the public functions of religion were solely 295 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,400 entrusted to this. Babish, Ministers of the church, 296 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:17,100 the Bishops and the presbyters. Now, look at this, you see into 297 00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:24,100 20 or so, they took elders and decided that their priests. 298 00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:28,200 Now what they've done that elevated the, the elders above 299 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,000 the membership, just a little bit. 300 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:36,800 Now, the next step is these. This clergy that's developing 301 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:39,700 decides. That not everybody has a right 302 00:18:39,700 --> 00:18:45,200 to wait at the Lord's table. Have you ever discussed with the 303 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:50,000 Catholic priest about the communion, you know, they 304 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,400 believe that, that none of us eat the Lord's body bread 305 00:18:53,500 --> 00:18:57,400 because you have to have that connection to Peter all the way 306 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:02,600 back to Peter and you have to be a certain individual that's had 307 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,100 that Authority passed down through him to him, through the 308 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:07,500 ages to bless it and make it the Lord's body. 309 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:10,300 In the Lord's. Blood And of course the Bible 310 00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:13,100 doesn't teach that it is the Lord's body or it is the Lord's 311 00:19:13,100 --> 00:19:18,300 blood anyway, the word is in Matthew, 26, 26, and 27 is a 312 00:19:18,300 --> 00:19:22,300 copula and it means it's a symbol of representation. 313 00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:25,900 It represents the body of Jesus, it represents the blood of 314 00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:30,200 Jesus, it does not become the blood of Jesus nearing. 315 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:35,600 The communion, when we bless the law of it is a representative of 316 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:38,400 the body of Jesus, and it remains that representative 317 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,500 until Party in the assembly. Each from that one loaf. 318 00:19:43,100 --> 00:19:46,500 When the last person eats from that one love, it's finished and 319 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:48,600 it's no longer the body of Christ. 320 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,800 And we get that all confused and we have great debates about what 321 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,200 you got to do with the bread, when the service is over. 322 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:02,200 But it's just bread and the service is over. and we get that 323 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,100 from the Catholic idea that it becomes the body of Christ, 324 00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:10,600 whether we want to admit that or not, we better be careful. 325 00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:16,700 Now, what they do next, they take away the jobs from the 326 00:20:16,700 --> 00:20:20,300 church, the clergy starts leading all the singing. 327 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:23,600 They start leading all the parade, they start waiting at 328 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,700 the Lord's. Supper they start doing all the 329 00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:28,900 preaching and so they're developing its clergy laity 330 00:20:28,900 --> 00:20:32,200 relationship, they're making a distinction, the separation 331 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:35,000 between those who lead the church and those who attend 332 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,600 church. That's the beginning of them of 333 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,500 the Catholic Church, taking the Bible away from people. 334 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,400 You know, when they took the Bible away from people, you know 335 00:20:45,408 --> 00:20:49,400 how they did that. They made Bibles and Latin 336 00:20:49,700 --> 00:20:52,000 language that had been dead for hundreds of years. 337 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,100 Nobody could read it when a Wycliffe translated the Bible, 338 00:20:56,100 --> 00:21:00,400 he was so hated that 75 years after he was dead, they dug up 339 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,900 his bones and burn them and stir them to the Four Winds. 340 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,200 I don't know what difference has it made, but they hated him so 341 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,200 much because he translated the Bible. 342 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:17,900 They did that as an act of of hatred toward him because they 343 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:22,800 said people said the authority of the church said, the common 344 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,800 man can't read the Bible. He can't serve God. 345 00:21:25,900 --> 00:21:28,700 You got to have a special people, a special group. 346 00:21:28,700 --> 00:21:34,500 Now listen to me. The Bible says we're all priests 347 00:21:36,300 --> 00:21:41,000 When you sin, you had a right to approach God and ask him to 348 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:46,300 forgive you. There's not a clergy laity 349 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:49,800 relationship in the church. Some people have this idea that 350 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,800 they have to have the preacher pray for. 351 00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:54,300 I'm gonna tell you something. That is not the Bible. 352 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:59,300 That is our thinking from this idea of clergy laity 353 00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:02,200 relationship. Now, don't misunderstand. 354 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:03,800 Me. If you committed public, seeing 355 00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:05,900 you need to publicly acknowledge that sin. 356 00:22:06,900 --> 00:22:10,000 But if you realize you send on Monday, you don't have to wait 357 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,600 till Sunday to pray. To God, to forgive you, and wait 358 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,000 till Sunday to be forgiven because you're a priest. 359 00:22:16,100 --> 00:22:19,500 If you're Christian seeming, you're a priest in Lord service 360 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,300 and you have access to God. Now, I want to give you an 361 00:22:23,308 --> 00:22:27,200 example of that, under the Old Testament during the makes the, 362 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,100 the morals of suppose a college. They had a priesthood, the 363 00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:33,400 descendants of Aaron, during the patriarchal age, they had no 364 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:37,700 priesthood. In that sense, but the patriarch 365 00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:42,500 of the family served as the priest he offered the sacrifice. 366 00:22:42,500 --> 00:22:45,900 For example, in job, the first chapter, the Bible says that job 367 00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:50,200 made sacrifices for his sons, just in case they send, you see 368 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,900 why there is no priesthood as such the patriarch acted in the 369 00:22:53,900 --> 00:22:58,900 place of the priest. Now, Abraham was a patriarch. 370 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:04,600 Now, he went down to Egypt and he told Pharaoh, Sarah. 371 00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:12,000 Sarah is my sister. Now, what did your dad do when 372 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,800 he found out? You told half of the truth and 373 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,400 you told half of the truth because you wanted to fool him 374 00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:24,100 and then he found out that you told him half the truth so that 375 00:23:24,100 --> 00:23:26,600 you wouldn't get in trouble. What did he do? 376 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000 I'll pay with my dad. Did he took his belt off? 377 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,100 And he wore my bottle bath. Because a half, truth is a lie. 378 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:39,800 Abraham lied to pharaoh. Now it's true. 379 00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:47,000 That Sarah was his half-sister. They had the same father but not 380 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:52,000 the same mother. But now listen folks, he lied. 381 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:56,300 Now, Pharaoh took Sarah to be his wife. 382 00:23:57,300 --> 00:24:00,700 Now, evidently he didn't commit any immorality with her but it 383 00:24:00,700 --> 00:24:04,500 just took her into his house and when that happened, the Bible 384 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,200 says that God calls plagues to fall, upon pharaoh. 385 00:24:09,300 --> 00:24:12,600 Now, Pharaoh did this in ignorance, he didn't know that 386 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:16,600 he had a man's wife. But because he took Sarah 387 00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:20,200 pledge, were put down upon his house, and he realized that he 388 00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:23,800 had made God unhappy. And so, he found out from the 389 00:24:23,808 --> 00:24:26,100 Lord, that Sarah was Abraham's wife. 390 00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:28,500 In addition to being his sister, and he brought him in here 391 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:31,600 addicted. But you know what happened? 392 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,400 When, when Pharaoh wanted to be one of this plague to be 393 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,300 removed, you know what God Said. He said you have Abraham, the 394 00:24:39,300 --> 00:24:43,300 priest, the Prophet, The Prodigal or the patron of the 395 00:24:45,300 --> 00:24:50,400 patriarchal of the, his family, the go-between for you. 396 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,600 And God, he said you had him off or sacrifice for you. 397 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,300 Now, the point is this, the point I'm trying to make is this 398 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,600 when I sin, because I'm a priest, even though I've sinned, 399 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,600 if I approach God according to his terms, I can ask for 400 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,300 forgiveness. And it doesn't matter if I have 401 00:25:08,300 --> 00:25:13,900 sinned, I can still ask God, I can still pray to God just like 402 00:25:13,900 --> 00:25:19,200 Abraham did for Pharaoh. Well, that's a sideline but I 403 00:25:19,208 --> 00:25:22,200 think we need to talk about that like we did when I was a kid. 404 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,800 I remember dr. McCord, if the sizing that 405 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,600 meetings that he held, I remember Linwood emphasizing 406 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:31,000 that in meetings held him and we didn't have a problem with it. 407 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,400 They had like we have sometimes. Now people have this idea that 408 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,400 that you got to walk down. In the island and confess your 409 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,300 sins. But that is not what the Bible 410 00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:42,300 teaches. The Bible teaches that there is 411 00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:47,600 no priesthood separate from the church, every Christian is a 412 00:25:47,608 --> 00:25:50,100 priest. Well, the point is, they took 413 00:25:50,100 --> 00:25:54,200 the work away from the members as small change in church, 414 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,100 government occurs, the elders are elevated. 415 00:25:57,100 --> 00:26:00,400 They're called priests now. And of course, the work of the 416 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,100 church was done by all qualified members, but now it was only 417 00:26:04,100 --> 00:26:09,100 those who were Sanctified for that purpose in the eyes of men 418 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,600 notice now, Romans 15:4. It says they were able also to 419 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,200 admonish one another. That is to teach one another 420 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:19,500 therefore comfort each other first Thessalonians 5:11 each 421 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:22,100 other and edify. One another just as you also are 422 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:24,700 doing. In other words, everybody in 423 00:26:24,700 --> 00:26:28,600 early church who was qualified. Every man in the early church, 424 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,300 who is qualified, could serve at the Lord's table. 425 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:35,100 Every man who was qualified and faithful Could Teach the 426 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:39,100 audience, Every man who had the ability every man who had the 427 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:42,500 faithfulness could stand and lead the assembly in a song. 428 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:46,200 There was no clergy laity relationship all were equal as 429 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,800 far as the church is concerned. So the leadership takes all the 430 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,300 work from the membership and this started about 100 years 431 00:26:53,300 --> 00:26:59,300 after the last Apostle died. Just about the time 100 years 432 00:26:59,300 --> 00:27:01,800 after the last Apostle died, I remember what Paul said. 433 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,100 He said Sun would rise up Among Us, speaking perverse, things to 434 00:27:07,100 --> 00:27:10,900 draw away disciples after them, this truly was the beginning of 435 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:16,300 the end. Now The Bible says our history 436 00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:20,900 tells us rather that in the major metropolitan areas, they 437 00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:24,400 had large churches now just like it is today. 438 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,900 The church at plans Road, the Church of Brundage Lane. 439 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:35,300 Sends help to hatch be right. Y'all help help set right door. 440 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Set right. Darrell innocent you guys help 441 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,400 to hatch me they don't said help them here. 442 00:27:43,100 --> 00:27:45,600 You see any help up there because their country Church 443 00:27:45,900 --> 00:27:48,500 small Church. Well, that's the way it was in 444 00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:52,200 the first in about the third Century, you had these large 445 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:56,500 shirt, large churches and you had these churches in the 446 00:27:56,508 --> 00:28:01,300 country side, and what would happen is the churches in the 447 00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:03,900 country, didn't always have the leadership they needed, and so 448 00:28:03,900 --> 00:28:05,900 they sought help from other places. 449 00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:10,000 It was it wrong for these other places to help them but that set 450 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,200 them up for a great departure from the truth. 451 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,500 And so the elders have been exalted Excuse me. 452 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:22,300 They took the work away from the people and then they decided 453 00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:25,900 that when there was a problem but among the elders, that could 454 00:28:25,900 --> 00:28:28,400 not be settled. That what they should do is 455 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:35,500 exalt one of the Elders above the others and called him Bishop 456 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:41,000 now In every church or in a lot of the congregation's, what 457 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:46,100 developed was a head Elder? That's what they had. 458 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:49,400 They, that they had five elders and they ran into a problem. 459 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,500 Couldn't be solved. They had one man that made the 460 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,200 final decision. Now, it's natural for some men 461 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,900 to have more influence than other men. 462 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,400 It depends obviously on their ability. 463 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:01,700 It depends on how much time they spend in the work. 464 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,700 It's natural for some men have more influence than others. 465 00:29:05,100 --> 00:29:07,700 But what happened was? They took that That simple 466 00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:11,000 logical thing and made it more than it should have been exalted 467 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,300 him as Chief Elder. Now that of course led to 468 00:29:14,300 --> 00:29:19,200 something else. In fact, what they did is, they 469 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,200 develop their brought in a new name, they borrowed a name from 470 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:26,000 the Old Testament, Patriarchs and made one of the elders in 471 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,500 the local eldership. A patriarch. 472 00:29:28,700 --> 00:29:32,400 Now, we have the scriptural situation, Elders, ruling in 473 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,800 every Church, Deacon serving under the eldership. 474 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:40,700 And of course the bishop was an elder he was equal to the Elder. 475 00:29:40,700 --> 00:29:44,400 He was not over the Elder but of course this attitude of the 476 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,600 apostate Church LED. They just Parcher from the 477 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,600 truth. And so now all of these churches 478 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,400 are looking to these to these Town churches for assistance. 479 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:59,700 And now the town Church, appoints a man to be over all 480 00:29:59,700 --> 00:30:02,900 these country churches and he develops, what is called a 481 00:30:02,908 --> 00:30:05,900 diocese and they have an Archbishop. 482 00:30:06,300 --> 00:30:11,000 And this we know historically occurred in Rome constant Noble 483 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:15,500 Ephesus, Antioch and Alexandria. Now the next step is logical. 484 00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:19,600 Because you see what happened, was the church at Alexandria, 485 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,900 had a problem out here in the country somewhere? 486 00:30:22,100 --> 00:30:24,600 They couldn't get it solved. They've been working on for a 487 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,500 long time. Couldn't be solved so they 488 00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:30,600 called over to Antioch and pretty soon, maybe the church at 489 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,600 Ephesus call over to constant Noble, they couldn't get the 490 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,400 problem solved so they had to put somebody else over all the 491 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,700 churches. And finally, it ended up that 492 00:30:39,700 --> 00:30:43,700 there was a papa in the city of Rome. 493 00:30:43,700 --> 00:30:49,400 Now this was caused by a lack of knowledge, not by the people in 494 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:53,600 charge, but by the membership you see there has to be a check 495 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:58,700 and balance situation and if there's not Then we're headed 496 00:30:58,700 --> 00:31:01,400 for trouble. Every member has a 497 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,600 responsibility. You have an obligation. 498 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,600 When I teach something, it's wrong to talk to me about that, 499 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,700 listen to me. If you're a teacher in the 500 00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:11,900 church and you don't like it when people object to something 501 00:31:11,900 --> 00:31:14,600 you've said or talk to you about, what's what you said, 502 00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:16,100 then you better change your attitude. 503 00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:22,700 Because the audience has a right to question everything that said 504 00:31:22,700 --> 00:31:26,400 publicly. And if I is a gospel preacher or 505 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,000 as a teacher leader in the church and not willing to be 506 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,100 question that I have not had no right to even teach because the 507 00:31:34,100 --> 00:31:37,200 church is to protect the truth, your to protect the pulpit. 508 00:31:37,300 --> 00:31:39,600 Listen folks, it's still just Frankie's job. 509 00:31:41,100 --> 00:31:44,200 It's your job brother. It's your job. 510 00:31:45,100 --> 00:31:48,500 It's your responsibility. And that's how the church is 511 00:31:48,500 --> 00:31:50,800 protected. That's why I'm the Church of 512 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,300 Christ. We don't have this cool clergy 513 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,600 lady relationship, we're all members. 514 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,300 One of another. Now we all have ability and 515 00:31:58,300 --> 00:32:01,700 sometimes because of our ability we may develop more influence 516 00:32:01,700 --> 00:32:05,500 than someone else, but we had no Authority that the Bible is not 517 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:11,500 give us Authority comes from the Bible and this problem was 518 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:13,400 caused because people didn't study. 519 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:16,100 I'm going to tell you something, if we don't, if we don't have a 520 00:32:16,108 --> 00:32:18,400 knowledge of the Bible, we're headed for trouble. 521 00:32:19,100 --> 00:32:22,600 Hosea said, my people are destroyed for a lack of 522 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,100 knowledge. Me ask you a question. 523 00:32:28,500 --> 00:32:31,300 If you're a teacher in the church Brundage or your teacher 524 00:32:31,300 --> 00:32:35,000 of the church here at plans Road, Have you read the New 525 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:41,600 Testament through? How many times have you read it 526 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,100 through? How about if your sister here? 527 00:32:46,900 --> 00:32:51,400 Now you're not a public teacher. You don't teach? 528 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:56,800 In the church. Your responsibility in any 529 00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,900 public situation. As far as the Bible's concern is 530 00:32:59,900 --> 00:33:03,600 silence and submission. But you supposed to have a Bible 531 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,800 knowledge so you can teach your children so you could teach your 532 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,800 neighbor. How many times have you read the 533 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:15,000 New Testament through? Do you realize that if you're a 534 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:20,300 slow reader and you spend 20 minutes a day now who among us? 535 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,700 Could not get up, 20 minutes earlier than we normally do in, 536 00:33:24,700 --> 00:33:29,500 read the Bible for 20 minutes. What's 20 minutes? 537 00:33:33,100 --> 00:33:37,500 if you read 20 minutes a day every day and one year, you read 538 00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:43,000 the Bible through But suppose you're really slow reader and 539 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,800 you only get halfway through. So what read it in two years. 540 00:33:48,500 --> 00:33:55,800 But make it your lifetime goal. To continue absorbing the will 541 00:33:55,900 --> 00:34:01,400 of God. David said, Thy word? 542 00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:06,000 Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. 543 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:12,000 David said, the entrance of Thy word, giveth light, when have we 544 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,400 ever lived in a time? When we needed a lot more 545 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,100 desperately? We need to know what the light 546 00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:20,400 says. We need to absorb the light. 547 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,199 We need to memorize it. We need to. 548 00:34:22,300 --> 00:34:23,800 Read it. We need to think about it when 549 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:29,699 you discuss it. The departure occurred because 550 00:34:29,699 --> 00:34:33,600 people didn't study. There are a lot of reasons why 551 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:34,800 we don't have the Bible knowledge. 552 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:40,300 We used to have but the main reason, is because we're not 553 00:34:40,300 --> 00:34:45,100 studying, we've gotten so busy It's so incredible, how busy we 554 00:34:45,100 --> 00:34:51,900 are. We spend our life. and the 555 00:34:51,900 --> 00:34:55,600 things that are most important sometimes remain on the back 556 00:34:55,600 --> 00:35:02,900 burner and our life passes by Well, another thing that caused 557 00:35:02,900 --> 00:35:05,600 this problem was a desire for preeminence. 558 00:35:07,300 --> 00:35:10,700 You know, anybody in the church wants to be the boss, I do. 559 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:20,600 That's dangerous. Leadership is not being the boss 560 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,500 folks. In fact, Jesus teaches us that 561 00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:30,600 leadership is servant ship. A Bible leader that's going to 562 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:34,500 lead the church and the right way is serving the church is 563 00:35:34,500 --> 00:35:38,100 exhausting his life in service. That's what a leader is in God's 564 00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:40,900 eyes. It's not being the boss but all 565 00:35:40,900 --> 00:35:44,900 the doctor fees Have not passed away, have they? 566 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,900 Preeminence that also led to the departure a desire for a new way 567 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:55,400 of worship. Be careful when you want to 568 00:35:55,408 --> 00:35:59,300 change studies. It's not always bad to change 569 00:35:59,300 --> 00:36:02,500 unless the changes compared to this book. 570 00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:07,800 So, be careful when you change things because that attitude 571 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:09,800 might lead you in the wrong direction. 572 00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:13,200 Well, there's no denominations, there's only one Church all of 573 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,400 these departures occur, many others that we could talk about, 574 00:36:16,500 --> 00:36:19,900 and then of course, they put pop ahead of the whole church 575 00:36:19,900 --> 00:36:23,900 universally and in 60 680. He was appointed and they called 576 00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:25,700 it. The Roman Catholic Church. 577 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:28,400 The headquarters was in Rome Italy. 578 00:36:28,700 --> 00:36:34,000 And of course some believe that the papacy success And when all 579 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,600 the way back to Peter, but of course, we know that the Bible 580 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:39,100 does not teach this. Now it's interesting. 581 00:36:39,100 --> 00:36:42,000 There's only one church now, I don't know exactly when this 582 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,600 occurred but there was a division in the Roman Church 583 00:36:44,700 --> 00:36:49,200 between the Western Empire and the Roman Empire and the Eastern 584 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,200 Empire. And when that division occurred, 585 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,800 there were three churches. And of course there's the Roman 586 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:57,100 Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic church and the Church 587 00:36:57,100 --> 00:37:03,700 of Christ for over 1,000 years. There's only three churches. 588 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,600 An amazing Church down here at church guy came tonight. 589 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,300 He's looking for a church on plans, road, we tried to get him 590 00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:17,500 to stay, but he's looking for somebody else, somewhere else 591 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,300 that was supposed to be right here in this area. 592 00:37:21,300 --> 00:37:24,600 Well, there's every flavor of church that you can imagine or 593 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:29,100 desire, but there's only three there. 594 00:37:30,500 --> 00:37:38,500 For over 1,000 years. And then Luther took a trip to 595 00:37:38,500 --> 00:37:46,000 Rome. and when he got to Rome, And he saw what had been done 596 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,700 with the Indulgence has, it was more than he could stand. 597 00:37:50,100 --> 00:37:52,900 In fact it's kind of interesting to read his history. 598 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:56,800 A few years back, there was a major writing in the in the 599 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,400 National Geographic about Luther. 600 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:02,300 You know at first he thought when all this corruption occur 601 00:38:02,300 --> 00:38:05,400 to the Catholic church that the pope surely didn't know about it 602 00:38:06,300 --> 00:38:08,600 and of course when he made his trip to Rome he found out that 603 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:12,500 he was right the middle of it. Now, Luther did not have a 604 00:38:12,508 --> 00:38:15,500 desire to start a church. That was not his desire. 605 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,700 In fact, he told people don't call yourselves Lutheran's, call 606 00:38:18,700 --> 00:38:23,100 yourself Christians, his thought was to reform the mother church, 607 00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:25,300 but listen, folks, it had gone too far. 608 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,300 They were so far away from the truth. 609 00:38:28,300 --> 00:38:30,600 There was no way to bring that church back. 610 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,900 There was no way to reform it in such a way that they, it could 611 00:38:34,900 --> 00:38:39,700 come back to the truth. Well, when he died in 1534, the 612 00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:42,600 followers of Luther organized, the Lutheran church. 613 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:47,900 Now we have four churches. Now a few years later, Henry 614 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,400 King Henry, the 8th wanted to divorce his wife. 615 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:55,500 Now he's still connected to the Roman Church and so he writes it 616 00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:59,200 appeal to the to the pope and he says he wants to divorce his 617 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:01,700 wife and the pope wrote back and said Ed. 618 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:12,100 No. well, Old King Henry, the 8th decided That he wasn't a 619 00:39:12,107 --> 00:39:15,600 listen to that and he wrote a letter to Parliament and he 620 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:20,100 said, you're going to separate the Church of England from the 621 00:39:20,100 --> 00:39:23,200 Roman Church and you're going to make me the Pope. 622 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:25,700 Are you know what's good for you? 623 00:39:27,100 --> 00:39:31,100 And so he formed the Church of England that was in 1538. 624 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:39,200 Now John Wesley saw the ritualistic form of worship the 625 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,600 empty form of worship that existed in the Church of England 626 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,400 and so he started What's called the Methodist Church in 1795. 627 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,600 The Baptist Churches were organized in Europe and 1605 by 628 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,900 a man by the name of John Smith now. 629 00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:57,000 These names and dates are given in the encyclopedia. 630 00:39:57,500 --> 00:39:59,600 You can't find them in the Bible. 631 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,600 You can read about the Church of our lord of the Bible but you 632 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,400 can't find these other churches in the Bible but you can find 633 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,500 them in secular history. The SDA as they like to call 634 00:40:08,500 --> 00:40:12,400 themselves and Sandia, or The Seventh-Day Adventist started in 635 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:16,300 the mid 19th century. They were led by a man with the 636 00:40:16,300 --> 00:40:19,800 name of William Miller. Now at first, they weren't 637 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:22,000 called The Seventh-Day Adventist, they were called 638 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:26,000 millerites. But now Miller predicted just 639 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:27,700 like this fellow that's predicted. 640 00:40:27,700 --> 00:40:32,200 Jesus would come a few days ago that Jesus is going to come back 641 00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:38,300 in 1843 well that day came and went and Jesus didn't come and 642 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:41,000 guess what Miller became a backslide. 643 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:48,200 And when he died in 18-49 lmg white, her husband took up his 644 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:53,200 cause and they changed the name to Seventh-day Adventist. 645 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:55,800 Well, there's a lot of other churches we talked about the 646 00:40:55,808 --> 00:40:58,200 fact that there are three thousand churches. 647 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:02,800 But the problem is all of these churches where the wrong name, 648 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,500 all of these churches started in the wrong place. 649 00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:08,500 All of these churches are too late for the Church of our Lord 650 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:10,400 and Savior. Jesus Christ, all of these 651 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:13,900 churches have Earthly heads, other, Then the Lord, Jesus 652 00:41:13,900 --> 00:41:19,200 Christ, wrong name wrong place wrong time wrong man. 653 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,900 They're not the church that you read about in the will of God in 654 00:41:23,900 --> 00:41:28,300 the Church of Jesus Christ that started in Jerusalem. 8033 this 655 00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:31,700 is the one saving Church, the one saving body. 656 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:35,300 The one saving Christ, he built his church and that of course is 657 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,100 the Church of Christ. Now, listen to this. 658 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:40,900 Therefore in conclusion, listen to this. 659 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:46,100 Therefore whoever here as these sayings of mine and does them, I 660 00:41:46,100 --> 00:41:50,800 will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and 661 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,400 the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat 662 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:57,000 on that house and he did not fall for it was founded on the 663 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,600 Rock. But everyone who hears these 664 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:02,900 sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man 665 00:42:03,100 --> 00:42:06,500 who built his house on the sand and the rain, descended the 666 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:09,200 floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it 667 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,900 fell and great. Was its fall. 668 00:42:13,100 --> 00:42:18,100 Now we have a choice tonight, we can build on the Rock of Ages, 669 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:22,000 or we can build on this, and there's only one saving church. 670 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,900 And tonight, if you're not a member of that one saving 671 00:42:25,900 --> 00:42:28,100 church, we invite you to become a member. 672 00:42:28,700 --> 00:42:30,500 Now listen to the words of Jesus. 673 00:42:30,900 --> 00:42:35,800 Jesus said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. 674 00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:40,700 Jesus said look 13 Verse 3, I tell you nay but except ye 675 00:42:40,700 --> 00:42:43,400 repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 676 00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:48,400 Obviously repentance has to do with changing our minds and then 677 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,600 as a result of repentance, we change your life. 678 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:55,600 And that's evidence of our dependents. 679 00:42:56,700 --> 00:43:01,300 Jesus said whosoever shall deny me before men him alive. 680 00:43:01,300 --> 00:43:05,100 And I also before my father who is in heaven whosoever, 681 00:43:05,100 --> 00:43:07,700 therefore, shall confess me before men him will? 682 00:43:07,700 --> 00:43:11,200 I confess also before my father who is in heaven, once you make 683 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:14,800 that good confession tonight, if you've never done that, and then 684 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:18,000 be buried with him in baptism for Jesus says that baptism 685 00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:22,000 saves us. We thank you for listening to 686 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:26,800 our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. 687 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:30,300 Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional 688 00:43:30,300 --> 00:43:33,600 information or you would like to receive a free Bible 689 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:39,000 correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True 690 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,500 Church of Christ Bakersfield.com. 691 00:43:42,100 --> 00:43:47,400 Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 692 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:51,800 Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us. 693 00:43:52,300 --> 00:43:54,500 We would love for you to be our honored guest.