38 Burst results for "Greek"
Postcards to the Universe with Melisa
Dr. Raymond Moody & Paul Perry Join Melisa to Discuss What Happens When We Die
"So I have Dr. Raymond Moody and Paul Perry. Raymond A. Moody Jr. MD PhD is the leading authority of near -death experiences and the author of several books, including the seminal Life After Life. The founder of the Life After Life Institute, Moody has lectured on the topic throughout the world and is a counselor in private practice. He has appeared on many programs, including Today and Turning Point. Paul Perry has co -written several New York Times bestsellers, including The Light Beyond and Evidence of the Afterlife. He is also a documentary filmmaker, and for his film and the book about Salvador Dali. He has been knighted in Portugal, oh, that's interesting, a groundbreaking book, this is, that combines nearly 50 years of afterlife and near -death experience research to provide proof of the existence of the soul and life after death from psychiatrist and bestselling author of Life After Life. Dr. Raymond Moody and New York Times bestselling author, Paul Perry, after spending nearly five decades studying near -death experiences, Moody finally has the answer to humanity's most pressing question, what happens when we die? And in this book, Proof of Life After Life, both authors reveal that consciousness survives after the death of the body, featuring in -depth case studies, the latest research, and eye -opening interviews with experts. Proof explores everything from common paranormal signs to shared death experiences and much more. And you can learn more about each of these authors if you go to lifeafterlife .com or paulperryproductions .com. Welcome gentlemen, thank you so much for being with me today. Hi, thank you, nice introduction, appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much. So, first of all, okay, so, Raymond, you've been doing this since the 70s, am I correct in that? I'll just ask you each, you've been doing this work since the 70s? And what got you into wanting to explore near -death experiences? Well, fortunately, I was not exposed to religion when I was a kid, except very minimally. And so, I grew up with no idea of an afterlife. And so, I went to the University of Virginia at age 18 with intending to study astronomy, but took a philosophy course and immediately got hooked. And particular the book was Plato's Republic, which is, oddly, about a near -death experience. It culminates in a near -death experience of a warrior. And not just having no idea that anybody took the notion of an afterlife seriously, I asked my professor and he said that early Greek philosophers knew about cases of people who were believed dead and resuscitated. But had I no idea it still applied, but in 1965, in Charlottesville, I met a man who had such an experience, he was a professor of psychiatry there, and that really got me hooked and subsequent to that time, through my PhD in philosophy and then three years of teaching philosophy at a university, and then going to medical school and ultimately going into forensic psychiatry. But throughout that career, I've interviewed thousands and thousands of people who came to the brink of death and had these astonishing experiences. So that's how I got into it. It's amazing. It's really interesting. I can imagine it is a long process. And Paul, I'm going to ask you the same question. What made you interested in exploring this? Well, I was editing American Health magazine in New York City, this was in 1988, and Raymond and I shared the same agent, same book agent. One day our agent, Nat Sobel, called me and he said, would you like to write a book with Dr. Raymond Moody? And I said, I have no idea who Raymond Moody is. And he said, well, he's a man who named and defined the near -death experience. And I said, I'm sorry, I don't know what that is. And he said, well, you know, for a guy who's the editor of a major health magazine, you really need to get educated on things like the near -death experience, which was an offhand insult for an agent to talk like that. And so I said, sure, OK, I'll go meet Raymond. And Raymond was living in Georgia at the time. And I flew down to meet him and, you know, Raymond is an amazing person from the first time you meet him. And so we started writing this book called The Light Beyond, and I just got entranced by Raymond's account of near -death experiences and the stories we would hear. People would come by his house and tell their stories. And it just got amazing. So anyway, we wrapped up the book, The Light Beyond, and there was, in my estimation, a piece missing. And that was there was nothing in the book about children and near -death experiences. And Raymond said, well, nobody's done much research on that yet, except for one guy, a pediatrician in Seattle, Melvin Morris. And he connected me with Melvin. And I did a book with him called Closer to the Light. And it's all about children and near -death experiences. And after that, I wrote that book and then I thought, well, there's something missing here. There needs to be a larger study about people who have had near -death experiences and how they affect them during their life. So we wrote a book about that and on and on. Every book I would write, I would find a gap that needed to be filled. And that's gone now through, I think, 15 books on near -death experiences.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
Fresh update on "greek" discussed on Evangelism on SermonAudio
"And that's where the wheat and the tares are going to get sifted. Who's really in? Who's really out? I think of Romans that encourages me, and I pray it encourages you. Romans chapter 8, write this down, verse 31 through 39. Listen to these great encouraging words that I pray will encourage you as perhaps you're going to be attacked as early as tomorrow at the water cooler at work, because they're gonna challenge you and they're gonna go, hey what do you think about the new Disney stuff coming out, Christian? What do you think? Where do you land on that one? And they put you under the microscope in front of all your buddies. Well, go back to the Word. What then shall we say to these things? Paul asks, if God, it's translated better, since God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who, here it is, who shall bring any charge against God's elect? Who shall attack with the intent to harm God's people? It is God who justifies, who is to condemn. Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who's at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Church, do you understand that? We're gonna pause here for a moment. Right now, for the true believers in this room today, Jesus Christ by his power, by his righteousness, in the midst of the attacks that you're facing for saying, you know what? Biblical boldness is the oxygen of the hour. I'm willing to stand. I'm willing to stand. If no one stands with me, I'm standing. Again, burn me at the stake if you need to do it. For those that are willing to take that courageous stand, here's the great news. Jesus himself is interceding for you. I don't know about you, but that's a Baptist amen moment. Because who else do you need standing for you and with you when Jesus is standing for you and with you? Paul goes on and says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? He asked that question and then he drills down. Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of the sword, as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long. Sounds fun, doesn't it? We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. And then here it is, here's the hammer. He says, no. He says, no. In all these things, not apart from these things. In, in what? Well, there it is. Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness or danger of the sword. In all these things, church, the true believer, we are more than conquerors. The Bible says this in the Greek that it literally is hyper victory if your kids ever played tee-ball or soccer or football and one team was winning 35 to nothing at halftime. We called that what? The mercy rule, didn't we? Actually, we called it another thing. That's a good old-fashioned beating is what it was, you know what I mean? Well, here's what happens. I want you to picture the greatest mercy rule in history when you read that verse. That in these things, not apart from them, because sometimes Jesus, as much as we pray, we may plead three times for the thorn to be removed and sometimes God goes, my grace is sufficient. That's hard, but there's times in the midst of the fire he goes, I'm going to hold in the fire and we want to get out of the fire, but many times God goes, I'm going to hold you in there, I'm refining, I'm pruning, I'm making you more like my son Jesus. In all these things, not apart from these things, but in these things, we are more than conquerors. Now you want to talk about a testimony at the water cooler on Monday morning. Anybody can go God's way when he's going their way, but when you're in the midst of the furnace and the heat keeps getting turned up and you're still able to praise Jesus in your storm, that's going to preach a thousand sermons. People are looking for anything to dull the pain and fill the voids in life. And then lastly he says in 38 and 39, for I am sure, did you catch that? I love that phrase. It means this, there's a definitive confidence. Paul says, for I am sure. So he didn't say, hey guys, you know, we're hoping. He didn't say, these are tough times and, you know, we're just going to cross our fingers, our toes, and our eyes and just wish this thing works out. No, he says this, for I am sure, for I am confident, I am determined that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers, you get the visual here, nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Man, that's good, isn't it? I mean, you can't get excited about that. That's it right there. He'll go, where can we get the confidence from? From God's Word. Not more entertainment, not more more of the world. I'm telling you, it's a dead end. It's the wide path and many are going in by it. There's deceived. Let's call it what it is, deceived. We've been deceived from the Garden of Eden and it continues to this day. Finally, Peter goes back, he repeats in verses 9b through 10. So he repeats this doom and this destruction of the righteous. Interesting, why would he repeat it? Well, it's important. He puts an exclamation point. Look at this, verses 9b through 10 about the description of the depravity, the deception, the delusion of these people, false teachers, false converts. That's what's gonna happen. 9b, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of doom, especially those who indulge in the lust. It means this, it's an unbridled desire. Could it be sexual? Of course, but not necessarily. You have a lust and a bridal desire for anything. But here's the key, and they despise authority. Wow. Don't tell me what to do. Bold and willful, they don't tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones. Key number three, write this down. Several marks of a false Christian are that they have unbridled desires for ungodly things. They reject godly authority. They have a rebellious attitude, and they speak evil of spiritual things. Write this down. Key number three, this is gonna be very important if you're gonna identify the false from the true. This is just from verse 9b through 10. Several marks, not all, but several marks of a false Christian are they have this unbridled desire, these desires for ungodly things. They reject godly authority, and they have a rebellious attitude, and they speak evil of spiritual things. Now I have to say this point, so listen closely. It is totally possible to have these characteristics, listen closely, and do all of these characteristics very covertly, very stealthily. I'm gonna push against godly authority. I can still smile while I push. And that's often how it plays out. I've said this over the years, many years now, not the first time, I said this for years. I would much appreciate if you just punched me in the mouth, then talk about me behind my back. At least I know where you stood, right? It's just how this thing works, because that's the enemy. He slithers even I believe it to be true, but in my life, in your life, for every true believer here, what he's doing is he goes around to the house of your life. And just like the burglar on the movie, he checks every little window, doesn't he? That one's locked. Rats. Next window. But he finally gets around to a window that's unlocked. And now he has an open door. And now he starts planting seeds. You're not getting what you want. Yeah, you should be envious of that person, because yeah, you deserve that. And all we're signing up for is James 3 16, which is not on your screen, but where there's envy, and where there's selfishness, confusion, and every evil thing will be there. I've never counseled anyone in all of my years of ministry that had an amazing marriage, amazing home, was living for the gospel, and they were envious and selfish. I've met some other people who've had amazing marriages, amazing homes, amazing ministries in their personal life, the most selfless people I can talk about, and there's not an envy bone in their body. You see how the enemy works, and yet in this culture that we live in, there are strong delusions that we're living under. Delusions. There's this prideful arrogance. You got to remember that you become who you hang out with, and that's just not for kids. You become who you hang out with. That's why you've got to identify, is this person who's professing Christ, are they really a Christ follower? Because you will become like them. They will wear off on you. Now here's the good news, if they don't want to chatter with you, whether it be through gossip or lies or whatever, if they don't come up to you, that's actually a good sign. Because they can detect who they can saddle up next to, and they also detect who's not going to deal with it. That's Peter tells us this as we're on our guard. If you talk negatively about godly people, be careful you don't get sucked in. It's like a whirlpool that it just sucks you in. You got to be on your guard. Second Timothy, listen to these words that Paul pours into young Timothy, chapter three, one through nine. He says this, but understand this, that in the last days there will be and there will come times of difficulty. Well here's the description. Tell me if this sounds familiar to anybody, besides me. For people will be lovers of themselves. Welcome to America. Lovers of money. Proud. Arrogant. Abusive. Disobedience to their parents. Ungrateful. Unholy. There's the unholy that we're pursuing, the holiness that we're pursuing. Heartless. Unappeasable. Never happy. Slanderous. Gossipers. Without self-control. Brutal. Not loving good. They're treacherous. They're reckless. They're swollen with conceit. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having, here it is, we finally found it, having the appearance of godliness. But denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households. The burdened with sins and led astray by various passions. Always learning, here it is, but never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth. But their foolish hearts are darkened, that's why. They never really gave their life to Jesus. Just as Janus and Jambress opposed Moses, so these men also opposed the truth. Men corrupt in mind and they're disqualified regarding the faith. But here's the promise for those people that are inflicting and attacking you, the true believer, but they will not get very far. For their foolish follies, what that means, will be plain to all, as it was of those two men. Let me read this key one more time. Key number three. Several marks of false Christian, not inclusive. They have unbridled desires, uncontrolled desires, from godly things. Well, what things? Well, name them. Selfishness, envy, bitterness, gossip, slander, on and on we go. They reject godly authority. If godly authority tries to say, no we need to go this direction. They go, but wait a minute, no, no we don't. No we don't. Okay. They have a rebellious attitude and often, let me chime this in, when I've seen kids that are rebellious, not all the time, but many times I also see rebellion in the house. When they speak of evil things, even all with a smile. Write this down, 2 Corinthians chapter 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11, 13 through 15. Listen to Paul as he writes of the church in Corinth. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves, there it is, it's a charade, as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Take heart, dear one, their end will correspond to their deeds. It's frightening. I can't tell you the number of examples, I've lost count, of the well. But time is the great exposure of who we all really are. And it just took some time, years in many cases, to expose that they really weren't in. I mean we're talking, I could give you some examples that would make your head spin. You'd say you're lying, you're making this up. I'd say no I'm not. Like we're talking wicked demonic stuff all under the banner of Jesus. That's the thing. You've got to be able to identify this. Because you're in a culture where you're no longer gonna be able to go to the water cooler and just somehow just kind of, you know, get out of the conversation. You are now in the minority as a believer. You're in the minority. Like they're coming, they're gunning, and you're gonna be held accountable. If you're not sure, if you're not sure, if you're not in the Word, if you're not a self-feeder, you're just making yourself weaker. But you get in the Word, and the Word's in you. And when, the Bible says this, Jesus says it, when they persecute you, don't worry what you will say. Don't worry about it. He says, you will have the words by the power of the Holy Spirit. That what was hidden will be revealed. Everything will be made known, made plain at some point on that day. And that's why in Judges chapter 21, 25, our last verse, Judges 21, 25, you talk about where we are in our culture today. Here it is. In those days, there was no king in Israel. You go, wait a minute, that's Old Testament. Yeah, but listen to the next phrase. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Well, that's where we are today. Everyone, we're just gonna do what we want. You just do what you want. And there's gonna be a heavy price to pay. Church, as the truth and the darkness continue to violently collide inside our homes, as the truth and the darkness continues to violently collide inside churches all across our country, I am fervently and I'm urgently pleading with you, I'm begging you, I'm beseeching you, I'm praying for each of you that you will tenaciously hold the line, that you will tenaciously hold the line and be willing to be mocked, be willing to be slandered, be willing to be gossiped about, be willing to be persecuted for standing for the gospel, because it's the gospel that has a life-giving power to set us free. May God find you, I pray this over you right now as I'm talking, may God find you unwaveringly faithful, unwaveringly faithful as you run hard after his glory and pursue his holiness. As was once said, the only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. May we not sit on our spiritual hands any longer. We can't do everything, but let's refuse to do nothing. Biblical boldness, as I said earlier, is the oxygen of the hour. May you doggedly resolve today to count everything else's loss and be determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Totally trust God today, church, I pray this over you, totally trust God with all the inevitable consequences that are going to follow of being a fully obedient disciple of Jesus, because here's the deal, he will hold you fast. He will hold you fast, and may the Lord, may the Lord rescue the godly, amen. I love quotes and I close with these quotes. I read this several weeks ago, but it needs to be repeated. The Prince of Preachers, Spurgeon, said it like this, the same sun which melts wax hardens clay, and the same gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others and their sins. G.K. Chesterton said it like this, a dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it. And I never thought I quote this last name inside a church, but I'm going to. Costi Hen, a relative of Benny Hen, false teacher himself, Benny Hen. Here's what relative says after being under that teaching and seeing the deadly poison that he witnessed firsthand for years. Here's what he said, leave a church if your pastor won't call out blatant false teaching and dangers, and has a track record for remaining silent when the fight for the truth is on, end quote. We are in a serious hour. As I said before, this is no time to be sleeping in the pulpit, and this is no time to be sleeping in the pews. We are in a serious hour, and I pray by the power of the Holy Spirit today that you would live for Jesus all the days of your life. Father, we come before you. Lord, if I asked how many people could we think of that have true biblical courage to stand for the truth and the truth tellers in the midst of the battle, it would most likely be a small number. Oh, Lord, I pray you'd increase that number starting today. I pray we would see the dire seriousness we're in spiritually in our country. Father, help us to realize that we're not in a situation or country that can be blamed on the economy. It cannot be blamed on who is or who isn't in the White House. It cannot be blamed on any other factors, only one. We are in a spiritual crisis, and God, I believe this, if we continue to mock you by rationalized sin in our homes and churches, God, I believe that your judgment is looming. So, Father, I ask a simple prayer. I pray there would be one, just one today that would just say, I'm standing for the gospel. And if it cost me my job, if it cost me my family, no matter what it costs me, I'm willing to pay the price. Oh, Father, I pray for that. I pray for that courage right now. Lord, if there's one here today that's never given their life to you, I pray that they would understand the gospel, and the gospel's not about having this figured out on the front end. The gospel's about giving our life to you first, and then you help us figure it out on the back end. And so speak to those hearts today that have never truly surrendered their lives to you. Maybe there's a dad here today that you, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God, have illuminated where they need to begin to pastor their families, pastor their family like you've called them to God. Maybe there's a woman here today that needs to repent of sin. Maybe there's a child, a student, that just simply has heard your call today. Oh, God, help us. Help us, God. We can't do anything apart from you, but with you all things are possible. And so, God, as you move in this time, don't allow us to rebel. Don't allow us to despise your authority in our lives. Don't allow us to be willful and disobedient. But, God, give me, give every person in this room, a soft, tender heart. Oh, Father, we give this time to you, and we pray this in Jesus' name. You've been listening to This Day in the Word, the radio teaching ministry of This Day Ministries. Don't forget that all of these messages are archived and are free to download at thisdayministries.org. That's thisdayministries.org. In addition, if you have been blessed by the teaching of God's Word during This Day in the Word, we would love to hear from you. Our email address is info at thisdayministries.org. Thanks again for listening as we strive to honor Christ and impact our world as we spend this day in the Word.
The Mason Minute
Corned Beef Hash (MM #4630)
"I've often said it's the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure. Last weekend, we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we went to a Greek diner for breakfast on Saturday. And on their menu was corned beef hash. Now, it's one of my favorite foods. I don't know why. I had a restaurant I used to go to in Ohio called Charlie's that had a good corned beef hash. And I love a good breakfast, so I used to get it all the time. But when I moved back south, I had a hard time finding corned beef hash. But when I saw it on the menu last weekend, something said, order it. So, I did. And it was incredible. In fact, the hash I had was some of the best corned beef hash I'd had in a long time. Because it was crispy on the edges and just firm enough and just mushy enough and a lot of flavor. And wow, it is the simple things in life. I often wonder where I start liking things like corned beef hash. When was the first time I ate it? It's not one of those things, unless it's like a family tradition, that you try. I saw it on a menu and I tried it 30, 40 years ago. I don't know. But every now and again, I got a taste for it. Now, of course, I had great hash last weekend and I want it again. I'm nowhere near that restaurant. Boy, corned beef hash sounds real good.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
Fresh update on "greek" discussed on Evangelism on SermonAudio
"I got in my car yesterday and I drove to those neighborhoods we go to. And as I walked and prayed, I couldn't help but think about that verse. And that house over there, I wonder, have they ever given their life to Jesus? Because if they haven't, God's going to release His wrath on them. And that house over there, it's a big house, but it must be doing amazing. Have they given their life to Jesus? Oh, how my heart was just heavy. Because Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit here, revealed so beautifully, but so vividly, that when He comes on that day, verse 10, to be glorified in His saints. Did you see that? For you that are real and true in Him, going to be marveled at? When Jesus comes, are we all going to sit there and go, man, that was cool. Hey, Jesus, good to see you. You're a little late. But is that what's going to happen when Jesus comes? Oh, no. I mean, can you imagine what's going to happen when Jesus comes? All His might and glory and His fame. There's Jesus. Been waiting for this day. All the pain, all the suffering will be worth it all. And we stand with Jesus. Amen, church. And then He says, lastly, in that text, to this end, verse 11, we always pray for you. Here it is. Don't miss this. That our God may make you worthy of His calling. Paul is who makes who worthy of the call. Not a trick question. He does. And may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by power, His power. Why? Here's the so that. Remember, when you see so that, you know this as we've studied this inductively over the years. Here it is. So that. Here's the why. The why. If you want to know the big why in this section of verses in 1 Thessalonians, here it is. So that. The name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said. Amen. Key number one. Because God is a God of both grace and wrath, we must remember that He will make an example. Warning. Warning. Play games with them of the ungodly and the terror, the devastating, horrific, unfathomable terror they will face unless they repent. Look at verses 7 and 2 Peter 2 through 9a. Peter shifts his focus now to the power of God to rescue the righteous. So here we go. Verse 7. And if he rescued righteous Lot, not perfect. We know Lot's story. He wasn't perfect. Greatly distressed by the central conduct of the wicked. Anyone else distressed with the central conduct in our world today? Verse 8. For as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds. It's burdened. But he saw and heard. Here it is. Verse 9a. Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. Can we get an amen on that last part? It's interesting. So, rescue. It means this in Hebrew and in the Greek. It means this to be saved. So when someone says, I got saved, what they're saying, whether they know it or not, is I got rescued. We know this, we've talked about this before, that no one rescues themselves. That'd be weird. Hey, how'd your day go, honey? It was great. Well, what'd you do? Well, I rescued myself. Oh, you did. Great. That'd be strange. How was your day today? It was crazy. Then I got trapped and then some people came and they rescued me. That's the whole point. You get rescued. You don't rescue yourselves. And the enemy, though, he'll play those mind games. He'll say, well, here, if you just do this and do that and, you know, again, good works and, you know, you just don't measure up here, you don't measure up there. But finally, when you do, then you can be in the club. That's just not how this thing processes out. It's all about a life saying, look, I realize that I need you, Jesus. I'm gonna throw myself upon you, Jesus. Now you do the rest of the work. And he begins to change from the inside out. But it's very intriguing, this word trials. This word trials, look in your Bible here, 9 verse 9a. Let me read it. Then the Lord knows how to rescue. So he knows, God knows what he's doing. We don't have to help him. He knows what he's doing. To rescue the godly, the righteous, those that live in holiness and walk in that, not perfect, but pursuing through Christ Jesus from trials. Here's what that Greek word means. It means this. It's an attack with the aim to destroy. Now it's interesting because often we'll think of trials as in my garage door won't shut. The car won't start. We ran out of chocolate chip cookies. Whatever it is, right? Those are trials we call in life. We're on I-95, Friday evening, 5 p.m. That might be able to be argued as a trial. Amen. I get it. I totally get your point. That's not what he's meaning here. That's why you got to study Scripture. Peter's talking to a group of people that are saying, you know what, if none go with us, we're gonna follow Jesus. They're being attacked from other people with the intent to be harmed. Physically, perhaps. Emotionally, perhaps. Mentally, perhaps. Definitely spiritually. That's why the key number two is so important in your notes. And here it is. Write this down. If my life is bearing habitual Christ-honoring fruit and giving testimony of a true conversion, I can live with confidence knowing that the Lord knows how to rescue me from my trials. Now you say, where are you getting this from? Well, read it again and then we'll go right back to the scripture and I'm gonna show you exactly where we got this from. Key number two. If my life is bearing habitual Christ-honoring fruit and giving testimony of a true conversion, I can live with confidence knowing that the Lord knows how to rescue me from my trials. Look for a moment in the Bible in front of you. 9a. Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. The word godly there means this. Those that are bearing Christ- those that are giving a testimony from their life, not perfect, we all struggle, we all fail, we're stumbling forward, but there's evidence of a true conversion. There will now be confidence from that that God knows how to rescue me from my trials. I don't know about you, but just knowing the fact that God can, he may not choose to in this earthly life, but knowing the fact that he can rescue you when people attack you for standing for the gospel, does that make anyone else smile besides me? That's awesome, isn't it? Because here's the deal, the Bible says this, that all that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, there's that word godly, will suffer persecution. So if you are a true Christ follower, especially in this culture today, when things are spiraling more and more out of control by the day, here's the bad news. The bad news is this, is if you really are a Christian, there's no way around this, except to not really be a Christ follower.
The Mason Minute
Corned Beef Hash (MM #4630)
"I've often said it's the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure. Last weekend, we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we went to a Greek diner for breakfast on Saturday. And on their menu was corned beef hash. Now, it's one of my favorite foods. I don't know why. I had a restaurant I used to go to in Ohio called Charlie's that had a good corned beef hash. And I love a good breakfast, so I used to get it all the time. But when I moved back south, I had a hard time finding corned beef hash. But when I saw it on the menu last weekend, something said, order it. So, I did. And it was incredible. In fact, the hash I had was some of the best corned beef hash I'd had in a long time. Because it was crispy on the edges and just firm enough and just mushy enough and a lot of flavor. And wow, it is the simple things in life. I often wonder where I start liking things like corned beef hash. When was the first time I ate it? It's not one of those things, unless it's like a family tradition, that you try. I saw it on a menu and I tried it 30, 40 years ago. I don't know. But every now and again, I got a taste for it. Now, of course, I had great hash last weekend and I want it again. I'm nowhere near that restaurant. Boy, corned beef hash sounds real good.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
Fresh update on "greek" discussed on Evangelism on SermonAudio
"We're so glad that you're here. We're gonna be in the book of Colossians in chapter one, so if you turn there and your Bible's with me. And our theme tonight is such a challenging one. I really believe, I know it is for me personally, to think about this concept of prayer. It's very convicting when we think about the way that the Bible describes prayer, and then I think about sometimes the way my prayer life ends up, and I know others I've talked to have the same struggle. And tonight we're going to look at it in detail, at least in part, of course the Bible has so much to say on the topic. We're just barely scratching the surface tonight, but we want to look at it from this aspect, that prayer is battle. Prayer is battle. When we bow our heads, when we pray, or we're driving in the car and praying, anytime we're talking to the Lord, we're engaging in spiritual battle. And so tonight we're going to see this theme, the prayer warrior's armory, these weapons that God has given to us when we bow the knee, if you will, either literally or figuratively, and we cry out to our God. And we want to see how God tells us to do that. This quote from Don Whitney said, to abandon prayer is to fight the battle with our own resources at best, and to lose interest in the battle at worst. Do we have a correct understanding of prayer? And does that understanding guide our lives forward? How are we doing in our prayer life? That's what we want to look at. We enter prayer so often, filled with distractions. Weighty matters. How many times have you been praying and your mind just begins to wander off, right, into some other thing that you have coming up that day or that week, or some other distraction, some notification comes up. And we struggle at times to know just what to pray for. Sometimes the content of our prayers is a struggle, and our time with the Lord feels this kind of disconnected. It doesn't feel like we're really connecting with the Lord. And what I find myself returning to more and more are the scriptures themselves, and that's what we're gonna do tonight. The scriptures can become the subject matter for our prayer, and I think they should do that more often than not. God has given us his words, his scripture, and he is honored when we take his word and pray it back to him. And so we're gonna look tonight at this series of prayers that Paul prayed for the church at Colossae. And these are prayers that we can also pray for our church and for our families and for our loved ones and for ourselves. So as we dive into this, we're gonna study these four weapons. I see four weapons here of prayer warfare. First of all, that we pray to be filled by God, then that we would walk with God, that we would get our strength from God, and lastly, that we would be thankful to God. Of course, prayer is so much more than these. This is not exhaustive by any means, but I think these are the weapons, if you will, that Paul gives us in these verses out of Colossians 1. So let's open in prayer and ask God to bless our time. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, so much for the privilege of prayer. Lord, right now, I am speaking to my Heavenly Father and so many others across the globe are speaking to you as well, yet you hear each prayer as if it were the only one. And we come into your presence, Lord, we come to the throne of grace every time we pray. We wield these weapons of prayer. Help us to see the importance of it tonight. Please use your word to penetrate our hearts and minds and help us to grasp what you want us to learn about prayer. Help us to see prayer in a new light, perhaps, and be re-energized and reinvigorated to be people of prayer. Lord, please speak to us through your word tonight, and we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So let's dive right in here. First of all, Paul prays this prayer, and we're gonna start in Colossians 1, and we're gonna start in verse number nine. He prays, first of all, that we would be filled by God. Now, each of these four weapons, if you will, have some subcategories, some subpoints that we'll be working through. But first of all, we need to understand that we need to pray that God would fill us, and we're gonna see the content of that filling as we work through the text. So Colossians 1, 9 says this. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. So first of all, we see that we need to be filled by God's will. That's the prayer here, filled with the knowledge of his will. Do you find yourself praying that? God, fill me with the knowledge of your will. I wanna know your will for my life, for the lives of those around me. The word filled here means to be generously supplied with. Lord, not just give me some of it or partial or a portion of it, give me a generous supply, an overwhelming amount. And it's in the passive voice, meaning that we do not do this filling ourselves, we are filled from external source, which is God. So we're asking him, Lord, do something I can't do for myself. I cannot fill myself with the knowledge of God's will, apart from God. I need him to do that. And that's the prayer here. And Paul is getting that across in the text. It's to have the understanding of the will of God, what he wants us to do. And how do we get this understanding? It's by prayer. I think sometimes we believe that prayer is kind of this accessory. You know, when you buy a device or a home or a car, anything that's like a big purchase item, you sometimes buy accessories to go along with it, but they're not really vital to the function of the device, whatever that might be. You buy a phone and you get a case to put in it, put it in or something like that. It will work just fine without it, but it's nice to have. And sometimes I think that's how we view prayer. It's like an accessory to the Christian life. Like I can get through the Christian life just fine. And when I need to, I can just pull out prayer and have that be a part of it. It's accessory, I'm doing fine without it. It's an optional component. And sadly, and truthfully, actually, that is not true. Sadly, we believe that's true. But honestly, that is not the case. Prayer is an essential element of our faith. It is a core part of our walk with the Lord. It's not an accessory. It's not an optional thing. It is absolutely essential and necessary. So if you're wondering what God's will is, pray. And I know many of you do have robust prayer lives. But keep doing it, keep praying, pray for God's will. Secondly, God's wisdom. Look back at our verse here. So we're filled by God, we wanna be filled by his will, we wanna be filled with his wisdom. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and understanding. That word wisdom, God's wisdom is so important. We need to pray for it. We need wisdom. As we grow in our knowledge of God's will, we need to know how and when to apply it. That's where wisdom comes in. We've asked for the knowledge of his will, now we need to know how to use that. It's the processing of the knowledge to an expected result. Wisdom is the practical application of the knowledge of God. And that is what we desperately need to be praying about. Spiritual understanding, it's the ability to see past the outer physical actions and into the inner spiritual truth that God wants us to understand. How do we attain this wisdom and spiritual understanding? By wielding the weapon of prayer. This is Paul's fervent prayer for this church. It needs to be our fervent prayer for ourselves. So we ask God to fill us with his will and with his wisdom and then he uses this other word, understanding. And this word carries the idea of a faculty of comprehension, intelligence, shrewdness, if you will. In our modern world, just as in Paul's ancient world, there's a concerted effort for understanding in many areas. People are always wanting to understand and learn about different things. People that are interested in finances try to understand the markets, don't they? And they watch that, they observe it. They carefully monitor what's happening on Wall Street, for example. People are trying to understand their hobbies and interests and their pursuits of life, to try to gain more understanding. They're always searching. In Paul's day, knowledge was of supreme importance. In fact, he describes them in his speech there on Mars Hill. Paul says, or actually Luke is commenting here on the situation. It says, for all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. It's the same today. As people want knowledge, they're pursuing this understanding in their lives. People like knowing things, don't they? We like knowing things, knowing about things. Hey, have you heard about this new, fill in the blank? But what if we began to pursue the knowledge of God the way we pursue the other things in life? What if we pursued that knowledge like we pursue other knowledge? And coming to the understanding that the pursuit of God should be our highest pursuit. It should be our highest priority, our supreme priority. Going back to our verse here, all of this falls under, and we've mentioned this already, but all of this falls under the passive voice verbal command, be filled. It's any other knowledge and understanding can be sought out and learned by oneself. If we wanna go and learn about whatever it is we're interested in in this life, we can go and learn about it. We can look it up on the internet and YouTube. We can look it up in books. We can go to the library. We can research it. We can talk to other people that are familiar with whatever topic it is we're trying to learn about. And we can gain this knowledge and become experts in a certain field. And that happens all the time. And many of you, many of us have pursued these different pursuits of knowledge. But this kind of spiritual understanding must be revealed to us by God. We can't attain, reach up into heaven and research heaven's library, if you will. We can't Google heaven. We can't search it out ourselves in the same sense that we can search out the wisdom of this earth. Spiritual understanding must be revealed to us by God. And that is what we need to pray for. Lord, fill me with these things. Fill me with your knowledge. Fill me with your wisdom. Fill me with your understanding. I can't get there on my own. I need you to reveal it to me. And being filled by God's wisdom is a weapon that we cannot fight this battle without. We cannot go out there into the battlefield unarmed without God's wisdom. So we need to ask to be filled by that wisdom. Secondly, we need to pray that we would walk with God. We would walk with God. A lot of times we look at walk with God as like the action steps, the stuff we're supposed to live out. And in a sense, that's true, but it needs to begin in prayer. That's where it begins. And we find that in Colossians 1.10. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. This is the next section of prayer that Paul prays. Our walk here is our lifestyle. It's the way that we live on a daily basis. The way that we think, the way that we emote, the way that we choose, and it has to do with our motivations for all of those things. That's our walk. Think of this word worthy, that you may walk worthy of the Lord. It means to act in a way that is suitable, to act in a way that is appropriate, in a manner becoming one's situation. Our lifestyle is supposed to be worthy, becoming suitable, appropriate of the Lord Jesus. That's how we're supposed to be living. What a high standard. And it's like, well, how can we attain that? We pray for it. We pray for it. Maybe that sounds too easy. It kind of does from a human perspective. It's like, well, we should have to like do something and work for it. No, Paul says this is what he's praying for, for this other church. And so that's what we need to do. It's the example. And he's saying this under the inspiration of who? The Holy Spirit, God, right on. So we know it's true. It's prayer that makes the difference in our lifestyle. Prayer is our means and our method for living in a way that is worthy of Christ. If you're struggling to walk worthy of Christ, it's probably because you have not been praying for that. It's not been part of your prayer life. And so he kind of breaks these things down here. So walking with God, first of all, we wanna be pleasing him. And we're just gonna walk through these verses kind of phrase by phrase. So it says that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him. Another convicting statement, right? Does our life truly please God in everything that we do? I was thinking about this in terms of the very, very practical everyday stuff. Every time I pick up my phone, every time I pick up my phone, does that please God? When I thought of that, it hit hard. Every conversation, every comment out of my mouth, every statement, every action, every deed, does that please God? It's like a filter that he's put up in front of my mouth, so to speak. Does everything truly please God? Parents desire that their children do the things that please them, correct? That's the goal anyways, doesn't happen always. And an obedient child is such a pleasure to be with. Wouldn't you agree? When a child is quick to obey and they struggle, they're learning, that's part of the process of growing up. But an obedient child is such a pleasure to be with, and that's what God is asking us to do. He says, will you please me with your obedience? This is another weapon. We have to see it that way. I think it motivates us to understand that pleasing God is a weapon in our arsenal that we should be praying for. Father, please help me to please you and everything I do. Every word, every action, every thought. There are some things that we think about that maybe are not what we should be thinking about, maybe even sinful thoughts. There's some sins we do only in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Somebody said that to me recently, and man, it has stuck with me. There are some sins we do only in the presence of the Holy Spirit, because is there anything he doesn't see? No, he sees it all. And then Paul quickly breaks it down a little bit further. He adds two complimentary ways that we can please God. Living fruitful lives of good works and enjoying a close intimate relationship with God. So under pleasing God, he breaks it down a little bit further. He says, I want you to be productive for God. I want you to produce fruit. And that's that next phrase that you may walk worthy of the Lord. How do we do that? By fully pleasing him. How do we please him? Number one, by being fruitful in every good work. These are the things that we do that please the Lord. This is the fruit of our lives. This is the out showing, outer works that we do, the good things that we do for others out of a love for God. It's the fruit that he's looking for. In Mark 4.8, Jesus is giving the parable of the sower. Really, it's the parable of the soils and the seed. The sower is just part of it. It says, but other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that spring up, increased and produced some 30 fold, some 60 and some 100. God desires to see good fruit growing in our lives. It's another thing that we need to be praying for. Lord, I wanna be fruitful. I wanna please you by the good works that I do in my life. You know, before Christ, what are good works worth? Nothing, they're filthy rags to him. But after Christ, good works mean everything. They don't take away or give us more or less salvation. That's settled once and for all upon faith in Christ. But the good works that we do, God cares about those. He wants that. He wants to see that fruit in our life. And good fruit is a powerful weapon against the enemy. Remember, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That's our weapon. This good fruit that he's asking us to live out in our life is a powerful weapon against the enemy. So under pleasing God, we wanna be productive for God, but then we also wanna be perceptive of God. And that last phrase in verse 10 says that we not only please him by being fruitful in every good work, but also that we please him by increasing in the knowledge of God. How can we please a God that we don't know? We must know him. How can we produce the fruit God wants if we don't know the God that defines what the fruit is? He gets to call that. He gets to define the fruit and we have to know him to understand that. The word increasing here is in the present tense, meaning it is an ongoing action with no assessment of the actions ending. There's no intention of it having enough good fruit. Well, I've produced enough fruit for this week. There's nothing like that in the verse. Also, just like we looked at in verse nine, this word is in the passive voice, meaning this kind of knowledge, this kind of knowledge of God is received, not researched. It must come from him. It's his supernatural revelation that we can increase in knowledge of him. It's his action and we just simply receive it. So we must ask him for it. You have not because you ask not. Knowledge of God, so critical, so important. And we must pray for it. And when we do that, it becomes another weapon to utilize in the spiritual battle we are in. We have to grasp that we're in a battle. And I know I said it at the beginning, we've been talking about it, but I just wanna highlight it. We are in a spiritual battle all the time. I saw, I guess it would be an illustration of a cruise ship versus a battleship. I don't know if you've seen that picture. It's floating around. The front half of it looks like a carnival cruise ship and then it slowly morphs into the back part of the ship and it looks like a battleship with guns. And a lot of times we view the Christian life like a cruise ship. And I'm all about taking a cruise. That's a great way to vacation, okay? But I'm talking about the Christian life. It's not a cruise ship. It's a battleship. It's all hands on deck. That's what God is calling us to do. And we need to use the weapon, not of guns and shells and other things. It's the weapon of prayer. And he's given us this arsenal of things that we need to be praying about. We need to pray that we're filled by God, that we walk with God. Number three, that we have strength from God. And we see that in verse 11. We're gonna break this down to a couple different sub points as well. So this kind of under this title of strength from God, the first word we wanna look at is this power. God's power in our life. Look with me at verse number 11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power. Once again, this word strengthened is in the passive voice. It is something we receive. The strengthening is supposed to come from outside of us. But it's also again in the present tense, which means it's an ongoing process. It's the sanctification process making us more and more like Christ over time, with no thought to the end in this life. So this is God's working in us to produce the strength that we need. And notice that it is according to his glorious power. Oh, the power of God is glorious power. It's not just any power, it's glorious power. It is unmatched in the universe. And God desires to bring that unmatched power, that glorious power to bear upon our hearts and lives, so that we can live out the life that we're supposed to live. The word might and power. Strengthened with all might and power is just slightly different. The word for might, dunamis, which is the noun form of the word for strengthened, dunamu in the Greek. So this is God saying, I'm gonna multiply my power in your life. I'm gonna power you with my power. It's the same word, just different forms of it, making it so clear. The word for might is kratos, which means a strength of force, a display of might, a display of dominion, the power to rule. It's about authority. It's God's forcefulness that he desires to inundate our lives with. And he has that authority and he wants to infuse us with that power. So when we're struggling and we're feeling weak, we need to learn to bring out the weapon of prayer for God's power. Do you pray for God's power on a regular basis? Lord, I need your power. I don't have it in myself. We need power. Secondly, under the strength from God, we need patience. That's the next phrase there in verse number 11. Strengthen with all might according to his glorious power for, this is what we need the power for, for all patience. This is the ability to bear up in the face of difficulty. It's the capacity to hold out, to be steadfast when times are tough. That's what this means. And we've looked at the different words for strength and might and power. Now we see why we need it. We need that power because we're gonna come into situations where patience is gonna be key to success in that situation. When it seems impossible to be steadfast, it's time to pray for God's power. Our prayers become our weapons that are used against those enemies in our lives. So our difficulties in our trials, we need to pray for this. Pray daily, pray hourly, pray moment by moment, pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5.17. It's a continual mindset of prayer and how we need patience, don't we? We need it so desperately for Christians to have patience with other Christians, especially within the body. We try one another's patience. We desperately need to be patient with one another. So we ask for the strength from God, we ask for power, patience, and thirdly, perseverance, perseverance. We see this at the end of verse 11. Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power for all patience and here's the other reason we need that power, long suffering with joy. Long suffering, but not just any long suffering, long suffering with joy. It's similar to patience, this word long suffering, but it has a specific nuance. A lot of times we use patience and long suffering interchangeably, right? Like synonyms, but here it's actually different words. The nuance of long suffering means not just any patience or patience with a loved one or something like this, but it specifically means to be patient with our enemies. And that is sometimes the hardest thing to have patience with. Hence the word translated long what? Suffering. This means to be provoked without reacting, to face irritation without complaining. Or taking revenge. That's tough and in fact, it's almost impossible in our human strength. That's why we need to be praying for God's power, his glorious power so that we can have long suffering, so we can be provoked without reacting, that knee jerk response. We can be irritated without complaining. And we can be wounded without taking revenge. And notice that little three letter word at the end of the verse, what is it? Joy, it's like Paul, why'd you have to put that in there? I can get the provoked, but man, joy provoked without reacting, but do it with joy? Yes, doing it with joy. Can we have joy when we're being irritated? Can we have joy when we're being provoked? Can we have joy when we're being attacked? Can we respond in love when enemies attack and taunt us? Yes, but only by praying for God's power. Praying for God's power. Oh, it's so convicting. I hope I'm not the only one in this room convicted by this right now. Now, I do wanna make a disclaimer, because it's so important, because verses like this, at times, can be taken out of context and applied in ways that God never intended. This is not talking about a situation of personal, physical, or emotional danger. It's not talking about that, where you or someone you love is in real danger. We don't say, well, just, you know, long suffering with joy, no. We believe in the sanctity of life, right? So we need to love and protect that. And if that means helping a person get to someplace that's safe, away from danger, then that's what needs to happen. This verse is not saying, well, you just gotta stay in a horribly abusive situation that you are literally in danger. Please don't take that to mean this, or to mean something like that. Real danger needs to be dealt with differently. Can there be healing? Can there be joy still? Sure, there can be by God's grace, by His power, but we need to respond to a real true danger with caution and intervention. There's other steps to take is what I'm saying. I hope that makes sense. This verse is referring to those situations in life, the irritants, the irritations, the confrontations, provocations that happen as a result of people living in their selfish flesh, or just plain rudeness that we encounter from both outside and inside the body, because it happens in both places. How do we respond to that? Can we respond to joy? Yes, that's why we desperately need the weapon of prayer and the weapon of long suffering and the way we wield the weapon, I should say, is by prayer. We must grasp that. Let's move on to number four, which is thankful to God. Thankful to God, and we'll move into verse number 12. It says, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Man, there's a lot of great stuff in here. First of all, he talks right off the bat, giving thanks, never underestimate the power of thankfulness. It is a powerful weapon that we can wield. Thankfulness is a powerful force in the ongoing battle of the Christian life. It changes everything when we're thankful. When we find the things in life that God has done and we begin to thank him for those things, it quickly dissolves all of the irritation, okay? And I like that this is right after we're told to have long suffering with joy and he brings in being thankful. Here's a way to help you, stimulate you to be able to have long suffering with joy. Dr. Ryrie said this, that spirituality will be seen in one's attitudes. A spiritual Christian will exhibit at least two basic attitudes throughout life. The first is an attitude of thankfulness. That's what he puts as number one and I don't disagree. I do agree with that. By the way, the second one is unity within the body. But the first is thankfulness. And back to our verse here, the phrase here, giving thanks, that's two words. It's a phrase in English. It's one word in the Greek text. Euchariste, which means to give thanks, for things to be made a matter of thankfulness. Whatever situation we're in, we can look at and say, I'm gonna make this situation a matter of thankfulness. Yeah, but it's really negative and you're not getting treated right and it's not fair. I'm still gonna make it a matter of thankfulness. I'm still gonna approach this with a thankful heart. It's not that we're thankful for other people's sin. We're thankful for a God that loves us in our sin and God that loves that person in their sin and knowing that Jesus went to the cross for that and we can be thankful and as we begin to build up an attitude of thankfulness, we begin to lose that frustration that begins to melt away. It's the same expression used by Christ at the Last Supper and Paul recorded that in 1 Corinthians 11, which we often turn to when we observe the Lord's Supper. But in 1 Corinthians 11, 24, Jesus had the bread there and it says, and when he had what? Given thanks, same exact word. He broke it and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me. And often the Lord's Supper is referred to as what? The Eucharist, right? Now other belief systems and denominational systems view that differently, which we're not getting into tonight. It's a symbol of his body. It's something that we also should give thanks and we do it every single time. We have that wafer, what do we do before we partake? We pray and we give thanks for what Christ has done. So we need to be thankful. He breaks down thankfulness into some sub areas here. So let's look at those. First of all, we're thankful to God for our competence. For our competence, look at verse 12. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Notice that our inheritance is only available to us and we're talking about our future inheritance, our permanent inheritance in the heavenly places. It's only available to us because of our sufficiency, our qualification, our competence that is found only in Christ. What a thing to be thankful for. Never ever forget what God has done for you. That's the message here. That's the challenge and so easy to forget that and it's hard to imagine it but it's just true. We struggle to remember the things that God has done for us. We lose track of it in all of the messiness of life. We lose track of remembering what God has done and when we struggle to be thankful for things in our life, it's likely because in that moment, we have forgotten what God has done for us. Are you struggling with thankfulness? You maybe in the moment forgot what God did for you. You forgot what Jesus did for you on the cross. Never forget that. Jonah's prayer after he was swallowed by that great fish, it's very messianic actually but he says this, when my soul fainted within me, I what? I remembered the Lord and my prayer went up to you in your holy temple, referring to heaven. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord. Over and over and over in scripture we're called, remember the Lord, bring him to mind, bring him to remembrance. We need to be thankful to God for the competence he has given to us. Secondly, our conveyance, our conveyance. Verse 13, he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love. Before Jesus, we were destined for darkness. We were destined for hell before Christ. And not just darkness, the power of darkness. Do you see that? The power of darkness is what the unbeliever is destined for. There's something deeper there than just darkness. And we had no power of our own to overcome that. That's the point. The power of darkness always overwhelms the power of mankind. Human strength has nothing against the power of darkness. We cannot stand against it. We cannot fight against it. We cannot have victory over it in any way, both in this life and certainly not for the next one. Without Christ, we are at, I will say the mercy tongue and cheek of the power of darkness. There's no mercy there. We're in its clutches. This verse here is so rich with God's mercy and his faithful love and his grace. The word conveyed here, we're talking about our conveyance. The word conveyed here means a change of position or to cause, to change sides. So we were on the side of darkness in our sins and now we are on the side of light in Christ. That needs to be celebrated constantly in the Christian life. We need to remember that and bring that back to our memory constantly. We are now citizens of the kingdom of Christ because of what he did on the cross. So our prayers, they must be saturated with thankfulness for God, for demonstrating his love for us. Even while we were in our sins, even while we were yet sinners, he loved us, why? So he could convey us into his kingdom. So we're thankful to God for our competence. We're thankful for our conveyance and thirdly, we're thankful for our conservation and that's in verse 14. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. So we've been working our way up to this point here. So lastly, we must be thankful to God for our conservation, our redemption through Jesus' blood. Do we celebrate that? We must never cease to give thanks to God for the forgiveness of our sins, all sins, past, present and future sins, all under the blood at the cross, amen? We have been totally redeemed through his blood. We've been conserved by him. And this question came to my mind and it put a sense of conviction in my heart so I'm just gonna share with you so you can be convicted along with me. But when was the last time that you prayed to the Lord for no other reason? Not that it's wrong to pray for other things but when was the last time you prayed to the Lord for no other reason but to thank him for your salvation? When we give thanks to the Father for sending his son and for the indwelling, sealing work of the Spirit, when we thank him for that, we have wielded a weapon of unstoppable force. Thankfulness, thankfulness. What a powerful, powerful weapon. The story is told of two men walking through a field one day and they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly, they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldn't make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, put up a prayer, John, we're in for it. John answered, I can't. I've never made a public prayer in my life. But you must now implored his companion. The bull is catching up to us. All right, panted John. I'll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table, oh Lord, for what we are about to receive make us truly thankful. Little humor to end, but thankfulness on a serious note is so important. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, running through a pasture or going through a really deep trial, in life, suffering, watching our loved ones suffer, losing a loved one, whatever it might be, God says, I want you to constantly remember what I have done for you so that that thankfulness can be that powerful weapon in your armory against the enemies around you. As we conclude this evening, I hope you've been thinking about your prayer life. I know as I prepared this, I certainly have been. And like I said at the beginning, sometimes prayer feels disconnected. We don't always have the feeling that goes along with the action. And maybe you haven't had that, but I certainly have. And I've talked to others and I know that's a reality. We go through life, we know we're supposed to pray, so we do what we know we're supposed to do, but just the feeling isn't there. Can I just tell you, don't stop praying. The feeling will catch up at some point. The feeling will follow. I heard the Christian life described this way of three men running along the top of a wall and facts is in the front. And then faith is in the middle and feelings is in the last. And if you can picture them all grasping their hands, I'll turn this way. And they're running along this top of this wall. And as long as faith keeps his eyes on facts, everything is fine. It's when he turns his head to see how feelings is doing that he loses his balance and faith and feelings go tumbling off while facts is standing there waiting for them to climb back up. Our faith is in the facts, not in our feelings. If your prayer life is struggling because the feeling isn't there, don't stop praying. We need to continue to be people of prayer and to be a church of prayer. I'm so thankful for those that gather downstairs before the service every Sunday. And I don't know if we've mentioned it in a little while, but there's a group of folks that meets down in one of the classrooms downstairs before every morning service to pray for the service, to pray for the people, pray for a pastor, to pray for all parts of the service. I think that's really, I know that's making a huge impact. So if you're interested in that, that is available as a ministry downstairs. I think they meet, I don't remember the time, Larry, mezzanine? Okay, they meet at 8.30 Sunday morning in the mezzanine classroom, which is all the way down at the end across from the nursery. I think they pray for about 20 minutes, if I'm not mistaken, about 8.50, that way people have time to get in and find a seat. But that ministry of prayer is so important, but it's not just that. Say, well, I can't make it here, but can you pray? We can pray anytime. It's the beauty of this weapon of prayer. It doesn't need a specific place, a location, it doesn't matter. God's always there, he's always with us. Are we people of prayer? Are we a church of prayer? So if God's been speaking to you, maybe making you even uncomfortable, like he's done with me, about some part of your prayer armory that's been lacking, maybe something on this list here that we've looked at, needs to be enriched. So let's take a moment, let's ask God for forgiveness. Let's confess that to him, let's repent of it, and let's make the changes that need to be made. And ask God that our hearts will be hearts of prayer as we enter this week. So in these final moments, as you consider your prayer life, this is a very personal thing, and I get that. It's something very, very personal, even private, between you and God alone. If he's speaking to you right now in the moment, don't wait, make that connection in your life. Lastly, perhaps you don't have a prayer armory because you've never met the God that hears our prayers by placing your faith in Jesus. If that's you tonight, if that's you right now in the moment, all that we've talked about is available, but only after you put your faith in Christ. That has to happen first. A couple of verses as we conclude here. Titus 3, 4, and 5 says, but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared in the person of Christ, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, not by works of righteousness. Remember, before Christ, those works are meaningless. They're worthless. After Christ, they mean a lot. They're really important to God, but before Christ, God's not even looking at those works. He's looking at our hearts to see if faith in Christ is there. If you've never placed your faith in Christ, what is stopping you? What's stopping you? What's in the way? Why not do that right now? Whether you're here, whether you're watching, why not make today the day you put your faith in Christ? It's a free gift of eternal life by Christ. We'll finish with this well-known verse. John 3.16, for God so loved the world, that's all of us. That's everybody, that's you. Put your name in there. For God so loved you, the world that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, that whoever does a bunch of good works and gets baptized and takes communion, no. Whoever believes in him should not perish, should not go to the eternal lake of fire, but have everlasting eternal life. Believe on Jesus right now. You can just do it right there and take the gift of eternal life. Let's pray as we finish tonight. Father, thank you, Lord, so much for the weapon of prayer. Thank you for the power of prayer in our lives, Lord. We're so grateful that you've given us that. Please help us as we go out this week to take inventory of our prayer life and be with us, Lord, be with me, be with all of us, Lord, that we would take our prayer life seriously, take it to a new level, Lord. Help us to grow deeper and deeper in our knowledge and our understanding of prayer so that we might wield it as a weapon in this battle that we are in every day. Be with those that are on the fence about putting their faith in Christ. Perhaps they've been hearing about this for a while or perhaps the first time tonight and they've never actually put their faith in you. They know about you, they know the Bible stories perhaps, they know some things, but they've never personally put their personal faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, would you please help them to do that today? Would you please help them delay? We're not promised tomorrow. Lord, work in our hearts.
The Mason Minute
Corned Beef Hash (MM #4630)
"I've often said it's the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure. Last weekend, we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we went to a Greek diner for breakfast on Saturday. And on their menu was corned beef hash. Now, it's one of my favorite foods. I don't know why. I had a restaurant I used to go to in Ohio called Charlie's that had a good corned beef hash. And I love a good breakfast, so I used to get it all the time. But when I moved back south, I had a hard time finding corned beef hash. But when I saw it on the menu last weekend, something said, order it. So, I did. And it was incredible. In fact, the hash I had was some of the best corned beef hash I'd had in a long time. Because it was crispy on the edges and just firm enough and just mushy enough and a lot of flavor. And wow, it is the simple things in life. I often wonder where I start liking things like corned beef hash. When was the first time I ate it? It's not one of those things, unless it's like a family tradition, that you try. I saw it on a menu and I tried it 30, 40 years ago. I don't know. But every now and again, I got a taste for it. Now, of course, I had great hash last weekend and I want it again. I'm nowhere near that restaurant. Boy, corned beef hash sounds real good.
The Mason Minute
Corned Beef Hash (MM #4630)
"I've often said it's the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure. Last weekend, we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we went to a Greek diner for breakfast on Saturday. And on their menu was corned beef hash. Now, it's one of my favorite foods. I don't know why. I had a restaurant I used to go to in Ohio called Charlie's that had a good corned beef hash. And I love a good breakfast, so I used to get it all the time. But when I moved back south, I had a hard time finding corned beef hash. But when I saw it on the menu last weekend, something said, order it. So, I did. And it was incredible. In fact, the hash I had was some of the best corned beef hash I'd had in a long time. Because it was crispy on the edges and just firm enough and just mushy enough and a lot of flavor. And wow, it is the simple things in life. I often wonder where I start liking things like corned beef hash. When was the first time I ate it? It's not one of those things, unless it's like a family tradition, that you try. I saw it on a menu and I tried it 30, 40 years ago. I don't know. But every now and again, I got a taste for it. Now, of course, I had great hash last weekend and I want it again. I'm nowhere near that restaurant. Boy, corned beef hash sounds real good.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from I Will Seek the Salvation of the Unconverted
"Good morning. I counted a privilege to be here today in front of you and pray this would be an encouragement and very practical for us all. If you wanna turn, open in your Bibles to Ephesians 6, familiar passage, Ephesians 6. For most of us, our greatest focus in all the world is ourselves. If we're honest, particularly in the Western world, we spend most of our time and most of our money on earth striving to be healthy and wealthy and increasing our collection of things that help us to become more comfortable here on earth. Our sin nature drives us not to serve others but to serve ourselves first. If I was to ask you this, what does your calendar show and what does your bank statement show is most important to you? God has put us on this earth for a specific purpose. It's to live for Him and to point others to Him. As Pastor Nate said, we're gonna be preaching through our church covenant if you've got one of these. We're on number four and five here. We encourage you to grab one off the table if you get a chance even after the service. Our covenant sets before us the biblical commitments I will bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord such as may be under my care and I will seek the salvation of the unconverted. God wants us to bring up our children in the gospel and also share the gospel with the lost. So in Ephesians six where you are, starting in verse one, familiar passage. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So we'll continue with the same template that Pastor Nate's been using. First, we wanna make sure that we realize that our church covenant, and if you're not familiar with this is, this is a covenant that members of Omaha Baptist covenant together to uphold as long as you're a member here but it's not just a man -made document that we picked out of the sky. We wanna show that it's biblical and it's root. So the biblical commitment that God wants to keep the gospel first at your home. In the passage here in Ephesians six, we see that raising children is broken down to a couple categories, discipline and instruction. If I was to ask you which one of you desires to be disciplined, who here has ever said, yay, I get to be disciplined today? I'm going to assume no one. My younger brother was the only one who was never disciplined in our home. Because he's sinless is what he would say, that's not the case. The desire not to be disciplined is nothing new though. We see this all the way back to the garden. It's rooted in our very sin nature. If this wasn't the case when Adam and Eve fell in sin and Adam was confronted, he wouldn't have immediately turned to blame his wife Eve and he certainly wouldn't have deflected to blame God for making Eve. So knowing that discipline is not generally enjoyable and it's not something we desire to have, is it negative and should be avoided at all costs? In Hebrews, in Hebrews 12, verse 11, we read a verse that would clear that up for us. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. So we see the negative. But, as we continue, but later it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. So what does proper discipline yield? It yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness. Take notice as well the link between discipline and training. Right living is something that's trained into a person through the process of discipline. It's not something that they just organically have when they come into this world. They have quite the opposite. So here we can see how by continually pointing our children to Christ, and when we bring them under the authority of God's word, we're training them in a life through the lens of the gospel. If you look at Ephesians 6 again, we see that it addresses both parties at the home, both the children and the parents. For the sake of time, we won't tackle the children's side of things, but it does start with children. And children, I would just say this, that by honoring your parents, whether you see them as honor worthy or not, you are honoring the Lord who put them in that position of authority. Though it speaks to both children and parents, fathers specifically are pointed out in verse four. It says, fathers do not provoke your children to anger. Fathers are held responsible for leading the charge in the home, just as Adam was specifically addressed in Genesis 3. Though Eve was the first one to sin, God said, Adam, where are you? Fathers are called to discipline their children, but not in a way that causes anger and resentment. The purpose of discipline, and when God disciplines us, it needs to be restorative in nature and never done in anger. It's been said, and this stuck with me when I heard this, I thought, is this not true? It's been said that in a home, if you have all rules with no relationship, you end up with rebellion. But if you have a home that has all relationship with no rules, you end up creating resentment. A father's discipline needs to be carried out in the context of a loving relationship where you have a relationship, but also the clear expectation of what God's word calls us to do. If you find yourself disciplining your child as a hypocrite, doing something that, asking them to do something that you wouldn't do or not modeling it before them, you will provoke your children to anger. But it's not just discipline, and there's also, it speaks to us in Ephesians about the instruction also in home, so gospel instruction we wanna bring in home. I realize that many of you here don't have children, or maybe your children are now out of the home. It's important to think of this call in our covenant not limited only to the child -parent relationship. The exhortation is much broader than that. I think the word it uses here is such may be under my care. It could refer to our relationship for Christ with virtually any relationship that we have. Other people looking to us, whether to raise them physically or even in the spiritual sense. If you wanna turn with me to 2 Timothy 1 .5, I think we see a really interesting illustration of this, how it's played out in scripture. So 2 Timothy 1 .5, this is Paul speaking to Timothy, I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I'm sure dwells in you as well. Timothy's father's not even in the picture, we're not sure, we're not told why, we don't know what happened to him, but his mother, pardon me, his grandmother, Lois, stepped into the gap and is played a part in Timothy being brought up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. The apostle Paul also played a huge part in training Timothy without a father in the picture. Both the books, 1 and 2 Timothy, are letters from Paul to this young pastor, training him in the way he should go, just as a parent would train a child. Paul shows his heart towards Timothy by referring to him as his true child in the faith. So whether you've got biological children or not, we're all called to provide gospel instruction to those that may be under our care. There is, however, special onus on parents bringing the gospel into their own home. You'll notice when we read Ephesians 6 that it's not, it's parent -child language used, it's not Sunday school teacher child used, or pastor child, or government child. It's parent -child. God's design is for a father and a mother to raise their own children and pointing them to the Lord as their primary responsibility, not a responsibility they pass off to somebody else. So if I was to ask these questions, are you modeling the gospel at home before your children? Actions speak louder than words. If I was to ask your children what they see in your home, what would they tell me? Do your children know the gospel? Ask them to explain the gospel to you and then check. Is it on point or is there things they're confused about? This is a great question to expose whether we understand what that gospel actually is. It's quite possible that you can be here thinking you know it and don't, or believing some kind of version of a false gospel. That's skewed. When somebody's sinned against in the home, does the gospel that saved you shape how you respond to that? Do our kids, when they sin against each other, does the gospel speak into that relationship? Does it speak into how we correct that behavior? Does the gospel come up regularly in your conversation at home? If the gospel is the lens that we wanna give our children to see the world, then it should be commonplace in our conversations. Let's meditate on those questions as we move on. God doesn't just want us to keep the gospel first at home. He wants us to keep the gospel first in all of our relationships. You can flip over to Matthew 28, very familiar passage, the Great Commission, Matthew 28, verse 16 is where we'll start. Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when he saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. So here God clearly calls us to go make disciples. If you're a follower of Christ here today, I'm assuming that you agree that making disciples is a clear teaching of scripture and you agree that we should be doing it. The million dollar question is, are we doing it? We'll get to some of the reasons why we don't do it and the reasons that threaten us in a minute, but let's look at first what a disciple is. The Greek term for disciple in the New Testament is mathiteus, I'm no Greek scholar, but we're going with that, which basically means student or learner, but a disciple is also a follower, someone who adheres completely to the teaching of another, making them his rule of life and conduct. So if you're a disciple of Christ or if you're to make disciples of Christ, a Christ follower is someone who adheres completely to the teachings of Christ, making Christ his rule of life and conduct. So how do we make disciples? Well, in verse 19, we read that we're commanded to go. We're not told that potential disciples will come and find us and seek us out. No, the disciples were charged with the command to go. Don't just sit around and wait for this to happen. And if you're familiar with the start of the church in the book of Acts, this wasn't something that they were super keen on doing until they were more or less forced to do that through persecution. I was thinking of an illustration of this, and I was meeting with a young man once who was of the age that he'd finished school and was in the workforce now, and he explained to me that he was desiring to find a godly woman, which was a noble desire, so I said, well, how's that going? And it wasn't going well, so I said, well, what are you doing to make this happen? Nothing, just crickets. So I said, well, you realize the chances of a godly woman coming to your house, breaking in, coming into the basement, interrupting your video games, tapping you on the shoulder and introducing yourself, it's not real high. So maybe it would be smart if you went, go, and did something, took some initiative to find a godly woman, and it's the same with evangelism. There is times where the Lord and his providence will literally draw people in our lap, but generally speaking, it has to be something that we're willing to do, to go, a desire that's gotta come from within. Second, we don't need to go, we need to make sure that we're pointing people to Christ and not to ourselves. It seems obvious that this is the case, but it's something that we often miss the mark on. We might feel the pressure of closing the deal, so to speak, as if you're a salesman on a sales call and you gotta close the deal and make that sale. But if we're to make disciples of Christ, we just need to show them Christ. So how do we do that? If you wanna turn, Romans 10, we'll be going through this a little bit here, 10, 17, where's where we'll start, and then we'll step back a bit. Romans 10, 17 says, so faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. So if somebody's to come to saving faith, they need to first hear the word. Not my words, not the words of Greg and whatever clever thing I can say, but God's word. So that's 10, 17, but if we were to back up a few verses, let's look at the context of what Paul's saying here. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, you notice the Great Commission language here, that going to all nations, both Jew and Greek, everybody. There's no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How will they call on him and who they have not believed, and how are they to believe in him and who they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news? But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. So we need to point them to the only thing that can pierce their heart, the heart of any sinner, it's God's word, and the only thing that pierces that is the sword of the spirit, and this verse has already come up in previous messages, but Hebrews 4 .12, for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any tumbled sword, piercing through the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Give the people the word of God and let God's word do the work. But God doesn't just say, go make disciples, he says to teach the disciples. So if the Lord in his mercy does open the eyes of somebody that we're evangelizing, even if that's our own children or somebody outside of the home, in so many ways the work is just getting started. This idea of teaching is an ongoing interaction, right? In verse 20 it reads, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. This is only possible through ongoing fellowship, doing life together. Remember I said, if it's not like the salesman who's closing the deal and then onto the next deal, if that's not what it is, think of it more like a journeyman -apprenticeship relationship, a relationship where you're bringing somebody along, somebody new in the faith, to come and do life together. You're modeling before them what it is to live for Christ and the way that they should go. If you're doing this properly, you should be able to do as Paul did, or that's what Paul was doing with Timothy, and should be able to say, be imitators of me as I imitate Christ. So it's a biblical commitment, but if we move on, it's also a very threatened commitment. So we see this commitment threatened in our own home as far as raising our children in the Lord. We can all be very guilty of just assuming that our children will just organically come to Christ sort of by living with us, maybe coming to church, maybe you generally just hang around most of the time with Christian people, and you might figure that that's good enough. If you want to turn with me to the Old Testament, passage you're probably less familiar with, judges, judges two, we'll see a sobering account here of why this isn't the case. So the Jewish people have, God's people have just come into the land, and the land that he miraculously gave them, the promised land, and a generation, the first generation is coming to an end. We pick up in verse seven. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had sent all the great work the Lord had done for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at age 110. Now if we jump down to verse 10, we read these sobering words. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. So we see in one generation, the people of God, God's chosen people, went from following the Lord, and seeing him work in unbelievably miraculous ways, and bringing them into the promised land, to not even knowing the Lord, or even recognizing the work that he had done. I know when I read that, I was thinking, how is that even possible? There's probably lots of reasons why this is possible, and this speaks to our own home. There's probably lots of reasons why our kids can be in the same place that God's people were there. Let's just look at a couple of them. First off, I thought, in my own life, what are the things, it's just, first thing I thought of, it's just easier not to. Parenting is hard work. Life is busy, and parenting is hard. Being intentional in your parenting, and takes discipline of yourself. None of us like to discipline ourselves. It's sometimes easier to discipline somebody else. If you're like me, and you've worked all day, and you come home, the last thing you probably feel like doing is having intentional gospel conversations with your wife and kids. That's probably at war with your own sloth. It's just easier maybe to turn your brain off, and turn the TV on. I think we can feel like, maybe like the Israelites did when they got into the land finally, that the worst is behind us. God's been good, let's get comfortable, and mail it in. But when we do that, we fail to notice that if we're not intentionally teaching our kids, don't be deceived, somebody else is. Somebody else is gonna fill that gap. Joshua obviously felt, that generation obviously assumed that their children would just learn through osmosis, being around them, that they would learn what it was to follow God. And they did learn through osmosis, the scripture tells us that, but they didn't learn from mom and dad, they learned from the pagans around them. They learned to worship Baal instead of the living God. I think another threat we have to this, and again I'm speaking to myself in this, is we're just too distracted. We live in a world that's never had more distractions. This smartphone alone has the ability to take our complete attention at any time. Funny cat videos, need I say anymore? My wife and I often talk about just how different it is as we're looking to raise kids now when we grew up. And I know there's people here with grayer hair than me. But we had no TV or TV with three channels that were all fuzzy. No stores were open on Sunday. The stores that were open closed at five o 'clock. And I could go on and now my smartphone alone allows me to watch more videos than I could watch in an entire lifetime even if I wanted to. I can buy whatever I want from all over the globe and have it delivered to my door in a day or less. The battle for our focus on being intentional in anything in the Lord, especially parenting, is real and it's not going away. And the next generation is gonna face it in a way even more difficult than ours. So I think it's also important though too that some of the distractions that we have as far as being intentional in parenting, and keep in mind when I'm talking parenting, again, this could be discipling somebody that's not your own child. That some of the stuff that's at war with us can be good things. We can be distracted doing all kinds of good things for or people even pouring into other people at the very neglect of our own children and our wives. I think the log spec principle in Matthew 7 where we're to make sure to get the giant two by four out of our eyes before we remove the speck out of our brother's eyes to make sure that we're pouring into our family at home. If you're a father in particular, that's your primary goal to be pouring in at home and not busy fixing everybody else's problem and neglecting your own children. I think you see this, unfortunately, in a lot of pastors' kids who resent the church, I think because dad was never around, busy helping everybody. So it's something that's real, not just for pastors. Another thing that causes real war in this area is parents not being on the same page. And this is a particularly hard one and I'm gonna be sensitive here because I know there's lots of people here that have unsafe spouses. But you can have, we can even be both safe parents at home and we can be just biblically unaware or maybe unconvinced that the scripture has much direction in this area. If this is you and you're not certain what the scripture says about parenting, there's more than just Ephesians that are brought up here. We're actually currently in table time, so after the service, we're doing a parenting class and this is our third time through it. It's not our own class that I dreamt up, don't worry. It's a paltra parenting class, but it's speaking specifically about the heart of the situation. So the heart of the child, which is desperately lost, can only be saved through the gospel. And it's a 10 -week video series and it's been fantastic in growing my own understanding of what it is to be a parent. And my wife and I talk about how it would have been great to have watched this 17 years ago. But I would encourage you to do that. If you're a saved couple here, put the time in and grow in your understanding of this. The Bible's not silent in the errand of parenting, so treat it as such and pour some time into it. But it's possible too that there's friction at home because your spouse isn't a believer and I know that's a lot of people here. And maybe you deeply wanna raise your kids in the gospel, but your spouse is pushing against that. And there's obviously no quick fix, easy answer here. Your first priority is to pray for the salvation of your lost spouse. That's the heart of the issue right there now. And I know there's many of you that have been doing that for years. So continue to do that, but I think what can be more difficult even than praying for a lost person for years is particularly in a home is living in a way that points them to Christ on a daily basis. So to model that devotion to Christ in a kind way before them, 1 Peter 3, this is speaking of wives, but 1 Peter 3, 1, calls on believing wives to live in a godly fashion so that their lost husbands might be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Paul's Testimony of Jesus
"Acts chapter 21, beginning at verse 37. As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, may I say something to you? And he said, do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the 4 ,000 men of the assassins out into the wilderness? Paul replied, I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people. And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying, brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you. And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said, I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel, according to the strict manner of the law of your fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering to prison, both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them, I received letters to the brothers and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished. As I was on my way and drew near Damascus, about noon, a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. Now those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, rise and go into Damascus and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do. And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, well -spoken of by all the Jews who lived there came to me and standing by me, said to me, brother Saul, receive your sight. And at that very hour, I received my sight and saw him. And he said, the God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the righteous one and to hear a voice from his mouth, for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. When I had returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the temple and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly because they will not accept your testimony about me. And I said, Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another, I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen, your witness, was being shed on my, was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him. And he said to me, go for I will send you far away to the Gentiles. We can all recognize, I think, the weighty significance of the fruitful labors of those high profile missionaries who were and still are used so mightily of God in the hardest of places in the advance of the gospel, while at the same time, perhaps failing to appreciate the same weight and significance of the witness borne by those persecuted and imprisoned saints who are no less used of God to testify of the reality of the gospel through their patient endurance of suffering in chains for Christ's sake. Well, it is the case actually that in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, we find both of these dynamics as the remainder of Luke's account is now given over to Paul's time in chains. And in light of that, it is good to recognize the amount of space that the inspired writer gives to Paul's years in the custody of the Roman authorities and to the several defenses that Paul makes as he is dragged from one jurisdiction to another. In doing so, Luke is in no way detracting from the importance and significance of Paul's three missionary journeys that came before. However, at the same time, Luke is highlighting for us, I think, the importance and the power of faithful gospel witness in the midst of patient endurance of suffering for Christ's sake. And oh, what an example we have in the apostle Paul, in the imprisoned Paul, in the way that he has peacefully placed himself under the mighty sovereign hand of his God and consciously is constrained by the love of Christ for him. In order to fulfill this call that is now upon the apostle Paul to suffer in chains and to preach Christ, to bear witness to Jesus, no matter the cost to himself. And before us this morning then is the apostles very first defense, a defense I would submit to you that is not a defense of himself in the end, but rather a defense of the Christian faith, a defense of the way. For reasons that if Paul's chief concern here was simply to make a defense of himself to the Roman Tribune that now held him captive, surely he would not have addressed the crowd here in Aramaic but rather would have continued in Greek that his Roman captor might actually appreciate his defense, understanding what he was saying. However, Paul's chief concern here, even while in chains and even after almost being killed by the very Jews before which he is now speaking, Paul's main concern here is not his freedom but rather the salvation of his kinsmen in the flesh. And so Paul speaks directly to the crowd here, directly to the Jews and in that Paul labors to offer no unnecessary offense to them, addressing them as brothers and fathers, chapter 22 verse one and addressing them as well in their native tongue, not the speech of the Gentile nations. And I would have us analyze Paul's defense of the way under four headings this morning. Number one, Christianity is no direct threat to Rome. Christianity is no direct threat to the state. Number two, Christianity as a direct threat, however, to all other religions. And number three, Christianity as a religion of conversion. And lastly, Christianity as a religion of hope for any. Christianity as no direct threat to the state, Christianity as a direct threat to all other religions, Christianity as a religion of conversion and Christianity as a religion of hope for any. First, Christianity is no direct threat to the state or in the words of our Lord Jesus to Pilate from John 18, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from this world. While it might not have been initially on Paul's front burner at this point to make a defense of the Christian movement as not a direct threat to Rome, it is fair to assume, I think, that it is in the scope of Luke's apologetic in writing this account. For it is actually the Roman Tribune that forces the issue here and Luke is careful to record the details. Verse 37, as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the Tribune, may I say something to you? And he said, do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian then who recently stirred up a revolt and led the 4 ,000 men of the assassins out into the wilderness? The Jewish historian Josephus tells of this Egyptian Jewish rebel that the Tribune is referencing here. This man was basically a false Messiah who only a few years before this had gathered quite a following to himself. And he did so with his claim that he would stand upon the Mount of Olives and bring down the walls of Jerusalem in Jericho fashion and then march on the city and overtake the Roman guard within the city. And he indeed gathered thousands to himself and gathered them to the Mount of Olives but was quickly overrun by the Romans. Hundreds of his followers killed, many imprisoned, he himself fleeing and escaping. Now, Greek was widely spoken in Egypt and so as Paul addresses the Tribune in Greek, the Tribune concludes that Paul must be this same Egyptian rebel. Return now to Jerusalem and the Jews having found him out are for good reason enraged by his returning to them. And so in response, Paul will make it clear to the Tribune that he is no threat to Rome. And the point here is that Christianity as a religious movement is not like those many political religious movements of the day. Christianity is different. As the leader of the way, Jesus Christ is not like those many false messiahs. Rather in Jesus Christ is the true Messiah come to deliver his people from their own sins. Christianity is in no way a threat to Rome, not a direct threat, not then in Paul's day nor should it be in our day. The church is not called up to take arms as the sword belongs not to the church but to the state and does so according to the will of God, the sovereign decree of our God. Our God in whose sovereignty we Christians patiently endure whatever suffering he would ordain. The same Jesus who on his way to the cross stated, if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting but my kingdom is not from this world is the same Jesus whom we now follow after. Brethren, to our cross, the followers of Jesus do not kill. Rather we are killed. All the day long we are killed. All the day long we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Introduction to Philippians
"Brothers and sisters, I would encourage you to open up your Bibles this evening to Philippians. We're going to be taking a look at Philippians chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2. We are beginning the book of Philippians. Today will be more of an introduction to that particular book than anything else. I will attempt to talk about the author, the themes, the aim of the epistle, the things that we can learn from it without spoiling too much of the content so that later on as we preach on individual portions, it becomes anticlimax after anticlimax. I don't want to give away the entire book, but I do want you to have an idea of where it came from, why it is so very important to us today, what we can learn from it, and to see the similarities that exist between this book and indeed our own time. As I'll be discussing in the sermon, Philippi was actually a military colony, and you may have noticed we live in a military colony for the most part. So the resemblances between us and the Philippians, apart from the fact that we have microwaves and cell phones and things like that, and they did not, are very strong. They are still the same kind of people who deal with the same kind of difficulties. They too had a state which was sometimes nice to them and sometimes which oppressed them very badly. They also dealt with the problems of relationships and all of the things that the fall has brought in. So as we look at Philippians and we hear Paul writing to this beloved congregation of his, let us seek to apply it to our own time, but before we come to the word of God, let go us to the God who has given us this word and let's ask him to bless it. Please join me. Oh sovereign Lord, we do pray now that you would be the illuminator of our minds, that you would help us to understand your word. I pray that you would help me to divide it to write, that you would give me liberty and power and unction as I do so, that oh Lord, I would not say anything that goes against your word. I know I am a man with feet of clay. I am capable of interpreting the word or wrong, but I pray Lord that you would prevent me from doing so. I do pray also Lord that you would give me the sustaining power to go through this book, a right, and to apply it to your people. May you give us ears to hear and hearts to receive all that you have to tell us. We pray this in Jesus' holy name. Amen and amen. Philippians chapter one and I'll be reading verses one and two. It says the word of the Lord. Paul and Timothy bond servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. I wonder if say 10 or 11 years from now, if I was in jail in Washington for my preaching of the gospel and possibly facing the federal death penalty and this congregation had sent me a gift in jail to help me along and I was writing a letter in reply to your generous gift. What would that letter sound like? What would I say? How would I come across in writing to you? Would it be complaining about the government and my situation? Would I be going on and on about the unfairness of it all? And speaking about how my liberties had been infringed or would I be writing to you to know a little about how I was doing and then spend the vast majority, not talking about myself and my own situation as dire as it was, but to spend the vast majority of my letter attempting to stir you up to joy and in the Lord to encourage you to be full of peace and grace and joy even in the midst of adversity. Would I think so little of myself that my letter would seek to lovingly correct problems of disunity that I knew about in the congregation? Would I push back against those who perhaps were on the fringes or in the congregation itself who were teaching bad doctrine in the community? And above all, would I urge you to keep the person and power of the Lord Jesus Christ at the center of everything you did? I hope that I would. I hope I would not send you a letter merely of whining or a simple thank you note that said very little. In my case, though, we're going to have to find out. But in the case of Paul and the Philippian Christians, we already know how he spoke in the midst of those circumstances because that is the letter that we have in front of us. Paul is in the midst of serious adversity, serious difficulty. He is struggling, we know, with loneliness, with persecution, and he writes a letter to his much beloved Philippines that is full of joy and encouragement in spite of all of those difficulties that stood against him in the world. So much so this letter is so full of joy that it has been often called the epistle of joy. Paul writing from jail, remember, and a Roman jail was not like the jails today. We speak today of jails as being three hots and a cot. You have TV, recreation yards, things like that. In Paul's day, that was not the case. You either had to pay for a place to stay if the charges weren't that serious yourself or if you were thrown into a Roman dungeon, you could often die of exposure. You went in with the clothes on your back, and if your friends and your family did not provide you with the things that you needed, including food in jail, you could die very, very easily while awaiting your trial. But Paul, writing from that kind of jail, he uses the Greek words for joy and rejoice, imploring the Philippian saints to rejoice. He uses those words kara and kairo more than a dozen times, and this is just a four -chapter letter, remember. So joy is one of the most prominent themes in what he is writing. He is, as I said, in a Roman jail. This is possibly the second time. I think it's probably the first time that he was there. He is waiting a trial on a capital charge of treason, and the people who will judge him are members of Emperor Nero's brutal and corrupt administration. And as we know, Paul was not somebody who was going to give them a bribe, so there's no way out of his imprisonment that way. And yet, as we shall see, Paul is able to look well beyond the circumstances that surround him, and he's able to actually see Christ in heaven and the work that Christ is doing in the world and indeed in Philippi and throughout the church and to know that God throughout is in control and that all of God's promises are coming to pass. Let me just stop and ask that question right now of you. Do you know those things as well? Do you have that solid trust no matter what your circumstances are in the Lord Jesus Christ, that no matter what afflictions, adversities, difficulties, diseases you're dealing with today, yet still you know that the Lord is in control and that his will is coming to pass and that none of his promises will ever fail. I pray that that is the case, and if not, I pray that you will take encouragement from Paul. He was writing to encourage the Philippians, but we remember that he wasn't writing just to the Philippian congregation. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was writing to us as well. And so I pray that he would be encouraging you in whatever situation you are in. But we see him trusting absolutely in God, trusting in the Christ whom he knew and that therefore there was this inner principle of joy in his heart, an inner principle that no one could take away and that he still wants to share with others. He wants that joy inexpressible that we heard about this morning to overflow to others. The Romans might take his life. They could do that, but they cannot take away his joy or his peace. That is one of the great promises that is given to the Christian. Nobody can take away the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. Nobody can take away your salvation, and nobody can steal your joy and your peace in those things. But let's take a moment now to discuss how all of this came to pass, how he came to be writing this letter from jail. Where is Philippi? What was it like? Who were the Philippians, and how did Paul come to know them? Incidentally, this is a picture of the Philippian ruins that you will find in Macedonia. I am told they are amazing. It is a UNESCO historic site. Maybe one day as I got to see Ephesus, I will also have a chance to see Philippi. But in the meantime, let's talk about the city. Philippi was originally founded as a colony in northeastern Macedonia by colonists from the island of Thanos. They were called Thacians in 359 BC. But it was captured by Alexander the Great's father, Philip, and renamed Philippi three years later. So it didn't have much of a long run of independence. But in saying that, I have told you very little about Philippi itself. Because the Philippi that Paul knew came along much later on. It is like me telling you that Fayetteville was settled by colonists from Scotland. Because almost 400 years had passed between the founding of Philippi and the time that Paul was writing. Just as almost 400 years have passed between the time of the founding of Fayetteville in our own time. So the Philippi that Paul first visited in around 51 or 52 AD was a very different place. The Romans had captured it from the Macedonians in 168 BC. And in 42 BC during the Roman Civil War that brought an end to the Roman Republic. It was the scene of the final defeat of the forces of Brutus and Cassius by the forces of Anthony and Octavian. Who later of course became Augustus Caesar. And that final battle occurred just outside of this city. This was critical because after the city Octavian turned Philippi into a Roman colony and a military outpost. They released some of their veteran soldiers. The war to defeat the men who had stabbed Caesar had finished as far as they were concerned. And they released some of their legionaries from Legion 28 to colonize the city. Which was founded and I apologize for my terrible Latin here. Colonia Victrix Philippensium meaning the colony of the victory of Philippi. From that point onwards it was a place where Italian veterans from the Roman army were given land. And it sat upon an important Roman road called the Via Ignatia. Which was a road that was constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. Incidentally I learned while we were on our trip that the Greeks joke particularly in Cyprus. That the only roads in Greece that last were built by the Romans. The modern ones all fall apart. It crossed through Illyricum, Macedonia, Thracia and runs into the territory that is now part of Albania. North Macedonia, Greece and European Turkey. Why is that important? Well it's important because it meant that Philippi was a center not only of trade. And they had mines we'll talk about in a little while where they mined gold and silver. But it was a place where it was possible to go from Philippi to other areas of Macedonia. Or to turn south and to go into Greece. They had their own route 95 so to speak running right through the city. That allowed them to have concourse with all the people in Greece and up in Macedonia and into the Roman Empire. This meant that the Lord in founding his church there. Put it in a place where the inhabitants could as they did their daily trade. Carry not only letters to Rome but they could also carry the gospel to the surrounding areas. Now the citizens of this colony were regarded as citizens of Rome. And they were given a number of special privileges that ordinary inhabitants of the empire didn't have. It was in many senses a miniature Rome. Literally because they were under the municipal law of Rome. It was as though they were a colony that was in Italy actually attached to Rome. That was the way the law functioned. And they were governed by two military officers the Duumviri who were appointed directly from Rome. And the colony itself although it was relatively small. It was only about 10 ,000 people when Paul reached it. It was very wealthy as a general rule. They had gold and silver mines just outside the city. And those mines were still productive in Paul's day. It was as I said a little Rome in the midst of Macedonia. And not just in the government. It was laid out like a Roman city. And so to this day you can see that they have a Roman forum in addition to a Greek Agora. But how did Paul get to this city? How did he get there? Well let's read a little from Acts 16 which actually tells us. So if you would turn in your Bible to Acts chapter 16. And I want to begin with verse one which will tell us that Paul was actually when this all started. He was in Asia Minor. He was over in modern day Turkey on his second missionary journey. We read then he came to Derby in Lystra and behold a certain disciple was there named Timothy. The son of a certain Jewish woman who believed but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go with him and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region. For they all knew that his father was Greek. And as they went through the cities they delivered to them the decrees to keep which were determined by the apostles and elders of Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia they tried to go into Bithynia but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia they came down to Troas and a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him saying come over to Macedonia and help us. Now many people have speculated just as an aside that this is Luke who was speaking to Paul in a vision. Now after he had seen the vision immediately we sought to go to Macedonia concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore sailing from Troas we ran a straight course to Samothrace and the next day came to Neapolis and from there to Philippi which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days and on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside where prayer was customarily made and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul and when she and her household were baptized she begged us saying if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord come to my house and stay so she persuaded us. And we know that Paul and Timothy stayed with Lydia for some days. They had some other encounters. I'm not going to read the rest of chapter 16 but I would encourage you to actually read all of chapter 16 tonight. It won't take you that long but you will read about the exorcism of the demon possessed slave girl which unfortunately got them into trouble because the demon allowed her unfortunately to know about things that men didn't know about. And so her owners used to get money from her that way. We'll also tell you about Paul and Silas's unjust imprisonment and then the household baptism of the Philippian jailer which is marvelous and of course one of those household baptisms that shows us that we are to be baptizing not just parents on their confession of faith but also their children. This was the first church established in Europe. Note that. And that at the explicit direction of the Holy Spirit who made it very clear that Paul was to turn the direction of his labors from Asia Minor which is modern day Turkey to Europe. He goes through Macedonia and then after that he goes into Greece and brings the gospel into Europe. Now the bond as you will read through the Philippi you can't help but notice the friendship, the love that exists between Paul and this congregation. It was peculiarly close though others had abandoned him in his imprisonment as we shall see these Philippians had not. They continued to pray for him and they continued to provide for his needs in this world. They sent him a gift. As I said I don't want to give away too many spoilers but they had sent a man by the name of Epaphroditus with a gift for him in jail and then he had sent Epaphroditus back to them with this letter. That's how he got it. And as I mentioned this letter was written from Rome during his imprisonment. The beginning of that is related in Acts 28. The reference to Caesar's household which you will read in Philippians 4 22 and the palace in Philippians 1 13. In the Greek it's Praetorium. It was probably the barrack of the Praetorium guard attached to the palace of Nero and that confirms this. So I tend to think it was during his first imprisonment at Rome. That would tend to sit with the mention of the Praetorium and that he was in the custody of the Praetorium prefect and his situation agrees with the situation in the first two years of his imprisonment that you can read about in Acts. In Acts 28 30 and 31. It's not that important whether it was the first or the second imprisonment. The fact is he's in prison. He's in prison for his faith. He's in prison for his preaching. But he does not allow that to destroy him or even to to drive him down or to change the nature of his ministry. Many people might have switched over perhaps to a martyr's ministry at this point in time and yet he does not. He continues to encourage the people to go about their their business preaching the gospel and being members of the church no matter what the circumstances are. Now the tone of this letter as we go through it you'll notice this. It's unlike most of his other letters. It contains no long doctrinal discussions. It contains no rebukes of evils that were festering in the particular church. But it is an outpouring rather of happy love and also confidence in these brothers and sisters. He loves them. He is confident in them and he wants them to be confident not in themselves. He wants them to be confident in Christ and in his promises. Like all of Paul's epistles, as you saw, it starts with a salutation. Our letters, of course, and with the identification of the person who's sending it. But the letters back there started with who this letter was from. And like most of his letters, it also starts with a prayer for the people that he is writing to. He isn't just in intending to give them information. He wants to bless them, to bless them with his letter and to bless them with his prayer. And one commentator calls the entire letter a long gush of love towards the Philippians. And it is. There's nothing wrong with that. Verses 1 and 2 that we read there, they contain an apostolic greeting. The senders are identified there. Timothy is associated with Paul. Timothy was with Paul, therefore, in his imprisonment. We remember from 2 Timothy in his second imprisonment that Paul noted that only Timothy had stayed with him. Or rather that he wanted Timothy to come to him in his imprisonment to bring things to him. Timothy remained loyal to Paul no matter what. Timothy also, you remember, was going to become very important to Paul in the Ephesian church and building them up and so on. Timothy was a genuine, he was more than just an amanuensis or a secretary for Paul. He was a helper to Paul. He was a brother in Christ, somebody who would stand with him in thick or thin. Now, Paul mentions him and he often does that. He brings the friends who are about him into prominence. That also indicates that the people in Philippi knew of him and would be interested to hear how he was doing. Timothy is in Rome with Paul when the letter is being dictated. And although Timothy is not the one who is inspired to write the letter, Paul is using him as his secretary to take it down. It's very possible that Paul had an eye disease, which made it very difficult for him to write. He calls Timothy and himself, he addresses himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Now, that's a nice little word, bondservant. It conjures up the idea of indentured bondage, the idea that we're just working off a debt. But when he says bondservant, he's actually using the Greek word doulos. Doulos means literally slave. He is a slave of Christ. Some prefer the translation bondservant to kind of neaten it up. We don't like the idea of Paul calling himself a slave of Christ because of the bad connotations of that. But we remember that most of the Roman Empire, in fact, 20 % of the city there, and this would have had, as a Roman colony, a military colony, Philippi would have had a lower than normal slave population, more free men than slaves. But they still speculate that at least 20 % of those 10 ,000 people within the colony were slaves. And here is Paul saying, I too am a slave. But who is he a slave of? He's a slave of Jesus Christ. He and Timothy are slaves, and they aren't complaining about that. They understood that they were bought with a price by the Lord Jesus Christ in his sacrifice for their sake, and therefore they were owned by their master. They are completely dependent upon him, and they give him their undivided allegiance. They love this master of theirs, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul clearly, he views it as the highest honor that we can attain to serve Christ, to have his light yoke upon us instead of the heavy chains of sin which he takes away. And he is bound to absolute submission to this Lord who is all worthy and who gave everything for his sake. Paul, note in all of his letters, never forgot what Christ had done for him, never forgot where he was when Christ found him, how he was an enemy of the church, a persecutor of the church. Somebody whom Christ, you remember, addressed on the road to Damascus saying, Paul, Paul, or rather at that time, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Jesus associates himself so keenly with his people that to persecute them is to persecute him. I was thinking about that as we were hearing about how the Pakistanis are wretchedly persecuted. What their persecutors in Pakistan, the Muslims, do not recognize or realize is that in persecuting them, they are persecuting God the Son. And it will not go well for them to be counted amongst the persecutors on the last day. But he had once been a persecutor. Now he is no longer. He is a slave, a willing servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who loves him with all of his heart. Now note also at the beginning, he doesn't mention that he's an apostle. And so there's a great contrast here between letters like Galatians where he asserts his apostolic authority when he's teaching them. This is a very friendly letter. He doesn't actually need to. He knows they know that he's an apostle of the Lord. Jesus greets all of the saints in Christ. Jesus, who are in Philippi, and he abused them. He calls them saints. And what is he talking about there when he calls them saints? Haggai, literally holy ones. These are people who he considers as they are in Christ. Have you ever thought about this? We may think of ourselves as wretches. We may think of ourselves as people in whom there is nothing worthy of praise. And yet the way that the Lord looks at us is his holy ones, his ones who are set apart. His chosen ones who are even now being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. If you are in Christ, that is who you are. You are one of his special people. In the Old Testament, the word was segula, his special treasure. Brothers and sisters, the devil wants us to think of ourselves as only what we can accomplish by our meager efforts. And let's face it, that's not much. Isaiah, at the end of his long, his long prophetic letter in Isaiah 66, he talks about righteousness, the righteousness that a holy man like himself might be able to accomplish by himself. And he says these things, our righteousnesses are but filthy rags. But Christ, what does he do? He endows us with robes of righteousness. He enrobes us, as Luther put it so very well, so that when we stand before God on the last day, the saints are seen as they are in Christ. That is who Paul sees them as. They are people who are called to be holy and who are being made holy. We have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are also, and this will come out from this letter, we are also being conformed to the image of Christ. It is as that example that was given to us a little while ago of the, as we were going through the Bible study of the princess who had been made, or rather the commoner who had been made into the queen. She was given the title, but then gradually she was taught the courtly graces and made into somebody who everybody understood and saw was the wife of the king. They are the people of God. They are the saints of Christ and that because of their union with the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the saints together in their communal sense are being addressed by Paul. This letter would have been probably read just as we read it in the midst of worship and so on, and then copied and passed on to the other congregations, the other saints throughout the world.
Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
A highlight from The Sympathy of Jesus
"Welcome to Gospel in Life. For many of us, trusting Jesus with our lives is challenging. How can we trust Him in light of so much suffering and pain? How can we know He is the One who will make things right, both in our lives and in the world? Today on Gospel in Life, Tim Keller continues looking at the Gospels to show us who the The passage on which our teaching is based this morning is printed in your bulletin. It's Mark chapter 7 verses 24 through 37. Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, yet He could not keep His presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about Him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syria and Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. First let the children eat all they want, He told her, for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs. Yes, Lord, she replied, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. Then He told her, for such a reply you may go, the demon has left your daughter. And she went home and found her child lying on the bed and the demon gone. Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Him to place His hand on the man. After He took him away, away from the crowd, Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears. Then He spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, Ephphatha, which means be opened. At this the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone, but the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well, they said. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. This is God's Word. What we've been doing here on these morning services over these weeks is we're actually building a biography of Jesus, where we're putting together a life of Jesus, and so we're looking at the main events of His life. Now, these few weeks right before Christmas is the time in which the Church looks at the grand miracle of the Incarnation. It looks at the fact that Jesus Christ is God become human, and for these weeks before Christmas, what we're going to do is we're going to look at events in the life of Jesus that show His humanity, who show His solidarity with us. And the interesting thing about this particular event, or these two stories of healing, which Mark puts back -to -back, is this is the only time that we know of, there might have been other times, but it's the only time we know of that Jesus ever left His country. This is the only time that Jesus ever went abroad, the only time that He ever left the boundaries of Israel. He did so for a purpose, and He did so to teach us something, and let's take a look at it. There's two stories, the healing of the little daughter, the healing of the deaf mute. Let's look at them and see what they teach us. Now first of all, we see, and let me show you here in the very beginning, Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. Now this is a Hellenistic area, a Gentile area, and the reason that Jesus went there is only really possible to understand if you read the first part of chapter 7. Let me give you a synopsis. The first part of chapter 7 of the Gospel of Mark, immediately before this passage, Jesus has a knock -down, drag -out fight with the Pharisees about cleanliness, about ritual cleanness. The Pharisees, the religious leaders, came to Jesus and said, why don't your disciples follow the laws of ritual purity? What were the laws of ritual purity? Well they were the laws that had to do with washing your hands continually, only eating certain foods, only wearing certain garments and clothes, and not touching or dealing with Gentiles or with the sick or with deformed people. And the reason that the Pharisee had developed these elaborate rules was because in the Old Testament, when God set up the worship in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament before you would go into God, before you go into the temple, you had to cleanse yourself. You had to wash. There was a large laver, sort of like a huge bathtub in a sense, right before you came into the holy place, into the sanctuary. You had to wash. And there were a number of rules that God gave to the Israelites to say, now cleanse yourself before you go in. And these rules were visual aids to remind you that you needed not just to go into God, but you needed repentance, you needed to be cleansed of your sin.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from The Preeminence of Christ in Evangelism
"Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 17. Well, this verse, verse 17, is a Campbellite killer. But I'm not going to preach on that tonight, even though the part of me really wants to. Paul said, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Verse 21, For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. I want to preach tonight a message titled, The Preeminence of Christ in Evangelism. Paul the Apostle boldly proclaims that the primary function of his life and ministry was to preach the plain gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The personal work of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially as revealed in his perfect life, his sacrificial death, his burial and his glorious resurrection, would be the consistent theme of his preaching and his ministry. He said as much, Christ and Him crucified was the preeminent message in all of Paul's evangelistic endeavors. Look at chapter 2 and verse 1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now what does it mean when we assign preeminence to something? When I say the preeminence of Christ in our message, in our evangelism, what do I mean by that? Well, when we assign preeminence to something, we are saying that it is to be first in importance, rank and influence. It is to be above everything else, superior, peerless, supreme, the greatest and most noble of all missionaries in the Bible, consistently appointed men, women, boys and girls of every race, creed, and social position to the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should be committed to doing the same. I fear that much of modern day preaching that passes for evangelism does not assign preeminence to Christ and His finished work. Instead the focus has become so man -centered, it has devolved into a mere exercise of persuading someone to make a profession of faith. The focus is on getting a decision from that person, and as a result, religious assemblies all across the world, not just in America, but all across the world are filled with professors who responded to some psychological techniques and a promise of heaven. You don't want to go to hell, do you? No. You want to go to heaven, don't you? Yes. Well, just follow this simple formula. Follow these simple steps. Repeat after me. Embrace the formula of easy believism and voila! They are hastily assured of their eternal security. Do you really believe that exists? I've knocked on so many doors. I've visited house to house, found people who will tell me right to my face that they're saved. I said, well, tell me about it. Well, I went forward. When they had the invitation, I went forward. I shook the preacher's hand. He told me what to say and I said it. And I said, so are you faithfully serving the Lord? Are you attending church? Do you love the Lord? Well, I don't ever go to church. That's a huge problem. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. When somebody is saved, their life changes forever. And that won't happen by merely repeating a formula. There has to be an inward work of grace in the heart. You're not saved by... You don't get people to be saved by psychological techniques. They're saved because God uses the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring men to an end of themselves and draw them invincibly where they desire to know Christ and the free pardon of sin. May God help us to see that we cannot, we must not trifle with or change the message or the methods that are prescribed in the Holy Book, in the Word of God, regarding evangelism. We are not to water down the claims of Christ and the gospel. We must proclaim it boldly, accurately, plainly. And praying that God would open hearts to receive the truth as it is in Jesus. The preeminence of Christ in our evangelism must be revealed, first of all, in the message that we preach. I'm going to tell you something. If you're wrong about the message, if you don't know and obey the gospel, if you don't understand, this is something you can't be wrong about and go to heaven. It's an impossibility. There are certain doctrines that you may not fully understand, but this is something you cannot be mistaken about because there's only one message of salvation. Paul emphatically states that the message of the gospel is centered around the cross. He's not talking about a piece of jewelry. It was an instrument of execution. It signified a horrific death. And the cross represents the death of Jesus Christ, His redemptive work for sinners, His suffering, His bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, His offering of His body and soul in order for us to be saved. The cross is a message of Christ's sacrifice that He offered Himself literally in the stead of His people. He, instead of me receiving all of the wrath of God, it fell upon His worthy head and body and soul. I'm the one that should have spent an eternity in the lake of fire, tormented day and night forever and ever. But while Jesus Christ was on the cross, He suffered the equivalent of what I would deserve in the lake of fire and not just for my sins, but for all that the Father gave Him, for all the way from Adam until the very last person is saved. Can you imagine the weight and the magnitude of that debt that He paid? But He did it with His life and His blood. His merits were offered. He died in the stead of His people acting as their surety, their substitute. You understand what a substitute is. It's someone who takes the place of another and assumes all of their obligations, all of their responsibilities. And that's what He did for me with regards to the law and the condemnation of God. He was my propitiation. He appeased the wrath of God on my behalf, and if you're saved, He did the same for you. You see, this message was considered by the world and by the elites and by the educated to be foolishness. To the Jews it was a stumbling block, and also to the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. I'm going to tell you something. If lost people understand the gospel, then you're probably not preaching it right. Now, what I'm saying is this. Lost people, they want you to tell them, give me a little step -by -step formula, how to join the church, how to be a better person. We're telling them, here's the real issue here. You're wicked. You're broken. You're polluted with sin. Your only hope is to trust. You have no ability in and of yourself to save yourself. You're wretched. That's just not a popular message. But it's one that has to be preached. And then we tell men, women, boys and girls, don't look to yourself. Look outside of yourself. What did John the Baptist preach when he saw Jesus the first time? Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The message was look to Him, trust Him, believe on Him. Not on yourself, not on your religion, not on your works. The message is all about Christ. He's the only Savior of sinners. And this message must be accurate. It must be biblically authentic and authoritative. It must be pure without the admixture of man's wisdom or supposed innovation. And he states it so clearly. You're not saved any other way than by faith in the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing else qualifies. Here's what he said. I mean, I don't know how anybody can read 1 Corinthians 15 and not see what the truth is about this. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. By the way, there's not many gospels. There's not a gospel for different disciplines. There is one gospel. Which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved. Delivered from the penalty, the power, and ultimately the presence of sin. That's the magnitude of this work that Christ did. You're saved. If you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain, for I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. It's according to the Word of God. This is our authority. this Look, was the message consistently preached by the early churches in the book of Acts. Think about the message of the book of Acts. You don't ever hear a preacher get up and say, God's done all He could do. I've done all I can do. Now it's all up to you to bow your head. They didn't even say, I've often thought about Noah, and he preached righteousness. And, you know, he was mocked, he was derided. But I don't think he ever put any bumper stickers on the ark that said, Smile, God loves you. I mean, he is warning people of the judgment to come. The wrath of God's about to be poured out. You need to get in the ark. There's only one door. Only one way. It's a serious matter. But let's look at just a couple of verses. Well, maybe more than a couple. But Acts 2, 23 and 24, it says, Him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now didn't that sound just like something I was saying? You're wicked, you're guilty of the death of Christ, but he was crucified, he was slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. And then the same chapter, Acts chapter 2 and verse 36, he says this, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. The message is all centered on the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at chapter 3 and verse 13. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his son Jesus, whom ye delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One in just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you and killed the Prince of Life whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are all witnesses, and his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know, yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. You see, Peter and John gave no credit to themselves. They were just pointing to the work of Christ. That was their mission. That was their message. It's all about Jesus Christ. Verse 19, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Acts 030 - Power Through Purity
"All right, well good evening everyone. Let's open our Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 5 and verse 12. I want to invite the men in the room to our men's fellowship breakfast 8 a .m. Saturday. Paul Scharf is going to be presenting. And then we have a family fun day I think in the afternoon, right? So we're trying to put the word fun back into fundamentalism. That's our new motto here. So big day Saturday. But for this evening, let's open our Bibles to Acts chapter 5 verse 12. And verses 1 through 11, Ananias and Sapphira have been slain in the Holy Spirit as we saw last time. Don't mean to make light of that. So there was sort of an issue of purity within the church. As you had these two people that were kind of bringing in sin into the church and the Lord dealt with them through maximum divine discipline. And then what typically happens is when the issue of purity is handled correctly, then the church sort of takes on new power. So you have, beginning with the rest of the chapter, the power of the church. There's a tremendous description of its power in verses 12 through 16. But as typically happens when God starts to bless or use somebody, it invokes jealousy. And so you'll see jealousy there in verse 17 amongst the Sadducees leading to persecution. So the rest of chapter 5, you can kind of divide it up as the apostles' power, verses 12 through 16. And then how they were consequently persecuted, verses 17 through 42. So let's go ahead and start off here with the apostles' power. Here's a little outline of the apostles' power, verses 12 through 16. And we start off with apostolic authority, verse 12. It says, At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico. So the first thing you see here, verse 12, is apostolic signs. And again, the apostolic signs are following how the Lord dealt with purity. So the church is now practically purified with Ananias and Sapphira, who were bringing Satan's agenda into the church, now out of the scene. And then the church takes on new authority or new power. So I guess one point of application for us is if we want to see the Lord's power in our lives, we need to maybe, I don't know, spend less time seeking power and more time seeking purity, because God uses pure vessels. And the more we give ourselves to the issue of practical sanctification, the more we give room for the Lord to work through us via his power. And the power here in the first century was manifested through the apostles. Signs and wonders were taking place. This is a sign gift. You have to understand a lot of these things in the book of Acts in the context of it's the apostles on the earth. They are sort of foundational to the outworking of the church. And so what you see in the book of Acts is miracles, signs and wonders will cluster around the apostles. Paul in Ephesians 2 verse 20 says of the apostles, having built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. So the first, in this metaphorical temple, the first stone that goes in is the cornerstone. And then the cornerstone, and that's Jesus. The cornerstone is very important because through the cornerstone, you arrange all the other stones in the whole structure of the temple. And after the cornerstone is put in, then you put in the foundation stones. And so the Lord built the church, first putting in the cornerstone, Jesus, the most important stone. The stone by which all other stones are gauged and measured. And then after he was put in, in this metaphor that Paul is using, as he analogizes the church to a temple, in came the foundational stones of the apostles. And so that's what you see happening here. 2 Corinthians 12 and verse 12 talks about the signs of a true apostle. It says, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance by signs, wonders, and miracles. So that's what's taking place here. And one of the things to understand as we go through the book of Acts is every single miracle that happens in the book of Acts was performed either by an apostle, or it was performed by someone operating under the delegated authority of an apostle. So Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes of verse 12. He says verse 12 provides evidence of apostolic authority. The account of the second persecution of the church begins with apostolic signs. Again, it is important to note that in the book of Acts, only the apostles and the apostolic delegates who were appointed by the apostles by the laying on of hands were able to perform miracles, signs, and wonders. This fact has come out four times before in the book of Acts, and he's got the verses there in parenthesis. Acts 2, 43, Acts 3, 6, and 7. Acts 4, 22, and 33. And then he says, and now it's once again repeated in this verse. So you see these apostolic signs taking place, and then you see the oneness that the believers here had with each other. You get a glimpse of their spirit of unity, because the rest of verse 12 says, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico, Solomon's porch. Now when the church was just getting ready to start, because it was birthed on the day of Pentecost, just prior to that, in Acts 1, verse 13, they were meeting in the upper room. It says, when they had entered the city, they went to the upper room, where they were staying, and then it lists the 12 apostles. Well, by the time you get to Acts chapter 3, you can't cram everybody into the upper room. Peter preached that opening sermon on the day of Pentecost, where about 3 ,000 were saved. And according to our last numerical count, Acts 4, 4, now at least 5 ,000 are saved. And now we're in Acts chapter 5, some estimate that there could be as many as 10 ,000. So the church, just like was predicted, once the spirit fell, would start to grow exponentially. And so they couldn't fit in the upper room anymore. So they had to move to the portico, or the porch of Solomon, within the temple. You see them doing that in Acts 3, verse 11. It says, while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so -called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. So part of the temple was named the porch of Solomon, because Solomon was the builder of the first temple, all the way back in 966 BC. And one of the things that's interesting is the early church had no problem meeting in the temple. They weren't saying, you know, we've got to get out of here, you know, we need to become Methodists as fast as we can, we need to become Presbyterians as fast as we can, we need to become Episcopalians as fast as we can, we're going to need some stained glass windows. Let's get rid of all this Jewish stuff. They had no intention to separate themselves from Judaism. All the believers at this point are Jewish. And you don't even have a Gentile converted in the book of Acts until in Cornelius Acts chapter 10. And as Jews, they had no problem celebrating Yeshua. Jim, in his opening prayer, used the word Yeshua, which is just the Hebrew name for Jesus. Jesus is the Greek name. But they had no problem celebrating their newfound life in Yeshua, in the temple, because they saw Jesus as the fulfillment of Judaism. Judaism points to Jesus. The whole purpose of the nation of Israel, one of its major purposes, is to bring Jesus into the world. So, you know, we sort of have drawn this, as Gentiles, this sort of line between us and the Jews, but the early church never did that. They didn't see the need to because they saw Christianity. In fact, this movement isn't even called Christianity yet. The word Christian is not even going to be used until Acts 11. They're just believers in Yeshua, or Jesus. And they saw that as being connected to Judaism. Judaism pointed to that, and they had no ambition to, you know, disconnect themselves from the temple in Israel. And then this expression, one accord, is very interesting to me, because that's what Jesus said would happen in the upper room. He said in John 17, verses 20 through 23, just a few days before his death, when he prayed, and he prayed there the Lord's Prayer. John 17 is the Lord's Prayer, right? Because that's the Lord praying. Matthew 6 is not the Lord's Prayer, although we errantly call it the Lord's Prayer, because Jesus never prayed that prayer in Matthew 6. That's the disciples' prayer. He was teaching the disciples how to pray. And I hope he didn't pray that prayer, because one of the lines in it is, Forgive us our debts. Jesus was sinless. So if you really want the true Lord's Prayer, read John 17, where he prays first for himself, verses 1 through 5, and then he prays for the 12, really the 11, because Judas left the room, verses 6 through 19, and then from there, I think to verse 26, the end of the chapter, he prays for the church, or those that would believe through the ministry of the apostles. And as he's praying for the future church, he mentions the unity that the Holy Spirit would bring to the church. He says in John 17, verse 20, he says, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those who believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them that they may be one, just as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me, and love them even as you love me. So there's a prayer there in his true Lord's Prayer, where he says, everyone that's going to be affected by the ministry of the 11, I pray that they would be just as unified as we members of the Trinity.
Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
A highlight from Lord of the Wine
"Jesus was the most influential man to ever walk the earth. Is it possible to really know him? And how does he change our relationship with our Heavenly Father, our relationships with family and friends, and our approach to our work and service to others? Find out today on Gospel and Life as Tim Keller looks at the life of Jesus. The passage of scripture on which the teaching is based is printed in your bullet in there. It's John chapter 2. We're going to look at verses 1 through 11. John chapter 2, verses 1 to 11. On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. And Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, They have no more wine. Dear woman, why do you involve me? Jesus replied, My time has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water. So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so. And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first, then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best till now. This, the first of his miraculous signs Jesus performed in Cana in Galilee, he thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. This is God's word. We're looking at the life of Jesus, and what we're really doing is we're building a biography. We're looking not so much at his teachings, which is often what we do here, but we're looking at the events of his life, the main events of his life. And we're developing, therefore, a biography of the single most influential person that ever walked the face of the earth. I think that's an uncontroversial statement. And anyone who wants to live intelligently in this world would want to know something about something, a person like that, and so we're doing that. Now, why do we talk about this one? We have to be selective in a biography, so why do we come after this one? Why do we bring this particular one up? And the answer is, this is not just a miracle, but as you see down in verse 11, look. If you see down in verse 11, it's not just a miracle, but a miraculous sign. It is a picture, and it was chosen by Jesus to be the first sign, and because it was the first miracle, it's a picture, almost a parable, an acted -out picture of all that he is and all that Christianity is. Now, if you want the evidence for that, recently I was reading a very interesting book by Reynolds Price. He's a Duke University English professor, very prominent. put He recently out a book in which he translated the Gospels, some of the Gospels, and it was very well -reviewed here in the New York Times. It's quite an interesting book, but he writes fairly lengthy introductions, and in the introduction to the Gospel of John, which he translated, he looks at this and he says, if you just read this, and if you're a writer yourself, you know this must have happened, and the way he puts it is this. He says, if you were inventing a biography of Jesus Christ, you would never invent for your inaugural sign a miraculous solution to a mere social embarrassment. Now, here's what he says, the only logical explanation for this particular sign being the first one is that it must have happened, because he said, I as a writer, I know this, if I was inventing a life of Jesus, I would want to make sure that the first miracle was extremely quintessential. Any leader of a great new movement, when they make their first public presentation, they take tremendous care to give a balanced exact picture of what the movement's all about. And therefore, since Jesus was clearly the greatest movement leader in the history of the world, obviously the very first sign, the very first thing he did, not walking on water, not raising somebody from the dead, not all the other possibilities, far more dramatic, but instead, what you have here is a not very big deal. A party looks like it's going to go two days instead of three days, wow, what a shame. If you were going to develop your own, if you were going to fabricate your own first miracle for Jesus, he says, you would never in a million years do this, but Jesus did. Why? Why did Jesus do this miracle? Why did he do it this way? Why was this the first one? How does this reveal his glory? If you ask that question, oh, there's so much in it, you have the whole nine yards here, who he came to be, what he came to do, what he has to offer, how we can receive it, it's all here. Look, first of all, first this passage shows us who he was. Well, who was he? Take a look here at verse 8 and 9. There's a very interesting term here that you don't find anywhere else in the New Testament. At the very, it says after he told them, draw some of it out here in verse 8, and he says, now, take it to the master of the banquet, and we're told they did so. In verse 9 it says, the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine and so on. Now, what's the master of the banquet? This is a term, it's one word in Greek and it's translated this way. Essentially, this is close to what we might call a master of ceremonies, it's close to what we would call the toast master. It was the person to preside, but this is, in a sense, this is a hired life of the party. You know, if you're having a really good party, and it's a big party, you want someone to preside, and a presider has to be someone who's a very hail, fellow, well -met kind of person, you know. The master of ceremonies is someone who says, now let's do this, and let's do this, and here we go, and you know, you have to be the person who gets things stirred up and makes it a great party. Now, this party is about to fall absolutely flat, and Jesus saves this guy's hide. And because he provides what is necessary for the party, he reveals himself to be the true master of the banquet, the real Lord of the feast. Now, let's ask the question point blank. Why would Jesus Christ, in his first miracle, his calling card, as it were, why would he do this to show the world who he was and to show us who he was, to create 150 gallons or so of the most delicious, headiest wine in order to make a dying party into an incredible party, lifting it to new heights? Why is that his very first miracle? Because what he's saying is, I come as Lord of the feast. He says, yes, I come to do self -denial, I come to suffer, and I come to be humbled, and if you follow me, you will, too. There'll be plenty of self -denial and suffering and humbling, too, but these are just means to an end. Here's the end. As master of the banquet, as Lord of the feast, I'm come. Jesus, in a sense, says this in this miracle, which is a parable. He says, you know all those old stories, all those old Dionysian tales that you find in all the old ancient traditions of days in which the forest would run with wine and there would be feasting and dancing and revelry? He says, kid stuff compared to what I have come to do. He says, haven't you read what the prophets said about my day? Isaiah 25, in that day, the Lord of hosts will make for his people a feast of the finest meats and wine well -refined. And on this mountain, he will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and your reproach and shame will be taken away forever, for the Lord God has spoken.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Nine Gospel Truths
"I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 10. Take a break this week from Exodus and take a look at this wonderful passage in Romans chapter 10. Reading Romans 10 verse 9 through verse 17, though as we dig into it we'll really just be looking at 14 through 17. Romans chapter 10 beginning in verse 9. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news, that they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Let's bow together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come to ask you that you'd bless this word to our hearts. You give us an understanding by your Spirit of us and we believe in rich, strengthened in our faith. Pray for those who perhaps have no faith this morning that this would be the time that you would stir in a new life that they might believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to call on his name and be saved. Father, I pray that you would encourage everyone here and give us all attentiveness to your word and pray in Jesus' name, Amen. The question at hand in this passage is pretty straightforward and it is this, it is how will anyone personally experience the gift of salvation from the wrath of God and receive the gift of eternal life? It's a basic question. It's really a fundamental question to the whole of scripture. Some people come to a religious kind of mood or spiritualism and have different conjectures about how they would answer that question. Some people think that every last person on the planet will be saved. That's universalism. That is a doctrine that finds absolutely no credibility in scripture. Jesus states pretty clearly that the path to life is narrow and few find it. Some people think that salvation, eternal life, comes to those who are good enough. That is self -righteousness. The Bible likewise gives absolutely no credibility to that doctrine and obliterates it almost from the very start by condemning mankind as a whole because of our sin and makes it absolutely clear that no amount of good works can ever dig you out of the hole of the sin that you have gotten yourself into. Some in this room right now have a lack of eternal life. You do not possess it and you need it. Because if you do not have it, then the whole of your life is a complete and utter failure and only headed towards eternal condemnation. Some of you know the Lord Jesus Christ and have received his salvation and you know it's not of yourself. You know it's completely of grace and the only merit to your life is that God has intervened incredibly and miraculously to save you from the path of destruction you were on. And you know personally the urgency of the Gospel message because you yourself have experienced salvation from condemnation and given the gift of eternal life and a relationship with God and you know that there are others around you who do not have that and it's not as though they have an infinite amount of time to figure out life and eternal life because in a moment their life will be snuffed out like the flame of a candle and they head into eternity either with Christ or without Christ and what's going to make the difference? This text is really about that problem. How does anyone receive eternal life, the gift of God? In the context of the book of Romans there is a very significant theological question that is being wrestled with in Romans 9, 10, and 11 and the question that's being wrestled with is this, God says that he is a faithful God who makes promises to his people that he is going to take care of them, protect them, save them. The people that he made those promises to in the Old Testament was the people of Israel and yet the people of Israel by and large had at the time of Paul's writing rejected God's salvation in Jesus Christ and so the question arises, is God going to make good on his promises? Is God someone who can be trusted? He said he would take care of this people and then when salvation comes they reject it and so can we trust God? In Romans chapter 9 verses 4 and 5 describes how God has singled out that people of Israel, that he made great and powerful promises to them. Romans 9 verse 4 says they are Israelites and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, and the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs and from their race according to the flesh is the Christ.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Evangelism 101
"Gospel is a way of life. As believers, we should be intentional. It should be something we do, is share the gospel. So maybe you're like this when the term of evangelism and sharing the gospel comes up. You're like the guy here on the left that as soon as somebody talks about evangelism, you're like, I'm out. That's it. I'm out. Or you may be kind of like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, like the guy on your right that seems like the gospel is this burden that just sits on our back, and if we don't share it perfectly, if we don't get them to conversion, all of a sudden we have failed. And these are two avenues that have plagued us quite often when we look at us as believers. But I want to share with you today as the first part of this, this is a burden that's really been on my heart when it comes to sharing the gospel, is I want to remove that backpack from you. And part of the way to do that today as we work through this is we're going to talk about whose role is it anyway when it comes to the gospel. I'm going to take a look at what is the gospel. Oftentimes I think we don't share the gospel because one, we don't know the gospel or we can't articulate the gospel. And then I want to talk about, I object. What are some of the most common objections I've heard? There's really only one that I'd like you to focus in on because in one way shape or form this comes into play every time I've talked with somebody. Turn, turn, turn! What are some ways that we can turn gospel conversations in everyday life? And then talking about just some of the common witnessing scenarios that I've encountered throughout my ministry. So whose role is it anyway? Defining roles in evangelism. If we look back at God's Word itself, John 1, 11 through 13, He came to His own and His own people did not receive Him. But to many that did receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave them the authority to become children of God. Who were born not of blood, not of will, nor of the flesh, but of who? God. It's God who gives people the right to become children of God. We don't. It's God who saves. Jeremiah 31, the new covenant. I'm not going to read the whole thing throughout this, but you will see I've bolded some words. Who's the I will? Yahweh God. I will make a new covenant. I will make with the house of Israel. I will put my law in their hearts. I will write it on them. I will be their God and they will be my people. I will forgive their iniquity and I will no longer remember their sins. What part do you play in that? Nothing. Nothing. John 6, 35 through 39. Jesus says, I'm the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never hunger. The one who believes in me will never thirst again. But I say to you that you have seen and yet do not believe. Everyone when the Father gives me and comes to me and the one who comes to me I will never throw out because I have come down from heaven. Not that I should do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. Now this is the will of the one who sent me that everyone whom He has given life, I will not lose any of them. But I will raise them up on the last day. And a very familiar verse, John 6, 44. No one is able to come to me unless who? God. Yahweh God the Father draws him. Are you getting a sense of hopefully like Christian that burden is coming off your back? What part do we play in this? Well, first of all, don't fear. God is with you even in our miserable failings of sharing the gospel. At the same time, what role do we play? Well, the beautiful thing is Yahweh God the Father orchestrated this plan from the beginning before the foundation of the world. Jesus Christ the Son accomplished the plan on the cross. The Holy Spirit applies that plan. What role do you play? John alluded to it in his prayer. You deliver the mail. You declare the plan. You don't change the heart. You don't convince people. You don't convert people. It's a beautiful thing that I get to share with people when I preach in the open air. I tell them right out, right off the gate. I don't convert people. I don't convince people and they look at me weird like, why are you out here? Because I'm here to declare the one who can. And that's what we're there to do. Declare the one who can convert the heart. The one who can convince them of their unbelief to belief. So hopefully the burden if you haven't felt it that you will continue to feel it. It's it's not our role. Our role is just to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ. So what is the good news of Jesus Christ? If I were to ask you, what is the gospel? What would you tell me? Yes. Yeah, what would you tell me? Good news. Okay, what else? Okay, we're all born sinners. We need Jesus as our Savior in order to get to heaven. What else? There's judgment if you reject, okay. What else? Died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. What else? We need to be reconciled to God. Okay, we were purchased at a great price. Good. Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. Okay, not by works. Can you articulate the gospel in 30 seconds? Can you articulate the gospel in a minute or five minutes? Can you articulate the gospel in 45 minutes? These are things we hopefully should be able to do with as much time or as little time as someone gives us. The Bible declares 30 second gospel message Christ died for the ungodly. You leave that with somebody, they'll ponder it. Who's Christ? Who are the ungodly? Why did he die? Those several words sum up the gospel message Christ died for the ungodly and all of this that you've talked about encompasses in the gospel. But it's not just pieces of it. I know one of the things when we think about the gospel we think about the death burial and resurrection of Christ and that's it. But the gospel is not just the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's certainly no less than that. But that is the anchor point of who the person and work of Jesus Christ is. His whole life is the gospel. It's the person and work of Jesus Christ that is foundational in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So let's take a look at what is the gospel message determining the gospel message. The beginning of Mark I know here currently in a sermon series on Mark. So Mark 1 1 the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ Mark tells you that all of his 16 chapters are going to be about what? The gospel of Jesus Christ. He lays out the foundation for us. Luke 24 the road to Emmaus toward the end Jesus said to them thus it is written that Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day and repentance and forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to the nation's beginning from Jerusalem and you are my witnesses of these things earlier in the road to Emmaus. Jesus says that the law the writings and the prophets testify to who to him that means the coal cannon the whole Bible testifies to Jesus Christ. Romans 1 16 through 17 Paul declaring I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes the beautiful thing about this is oftentimes we quote 116 but 17 goes on to explain what the gospel is. To everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek for the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith as it is written the just or the one who is righteous by faith will live. First Corinthians 15 you're very familiar with it Paul opening up or should might be familiar with it. I don't know if you are not but I'm not going to make a blanket statement. But in case you're not familiar with it now, I know make known to you brothers the gospel which I proclaim to you which you've also received in which you also stand by which we're also being saved if you hold fast to the message I proclaim to you unless you believed to no purpose for I passed on to you as the first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and then he was buried and then he was raised upon the third day according to the scriptures. These are all verses that we look at when we think about the gospel itself, but there's four things to think about if you had an outline and I don't like outlines that much they help me get started. I won't negate the fact that they've helped me get started. But as you understand scripture and as you start reading through in your daily time, you're going to start to see things that are like wait a minute. That's really good. I could have I could have used that in that conversation. So you put it in your back pocket. And you have another opportunity and then you get to bring it out of your back pocket and share it with somebody because it's something that God is placed on your heart as to how he can move and work throughout the gospel anybody familiar with what is the gospel the book by Greg Gilbert? Great book. It's a great book. He includes this in page 32. He says whatever else the Apostles might say there are the issues that seem to lie at the heart of their presentation of the gospel. Context change angles change words change and approaches change but somehow in some way the earliest Christians always seem to get at these four issues. We are accountable to God who created us we have sinned against that God and will be judged but God has acted in Jesus Christ to save us and we will take hold of that salvation by repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from God Comes to Man_05PT4
"Hi, I'm Darrell Bailey, thank you for tuning in on the Gospel of John as we continue our Wednesday in the Word, the identity or the deity of Jesus. Here as we're talking about chapter 1, we're talking about God comes to man. Here this is the fifth in the series, part 4 of God comes to man. We pick up with verse 35 going all the way down to verse 51 to the end of chapter 1. When we look at Genesis of the New Testament. And so when we look and we begin to realize, now John mentions the first in John 2, which is basically the most unique thing about the book of John. When you look at all the comparisons of the portrait of Jesus as the king, the servant, the teacher and the son of God. John in the fourth column. Here we see that his key phrase is believe and but what you can't see is right down where my face is located is the most unique thing about the book or the Gospel of John is there's three Passovers involved in it. In the Synoptics of Matthew, Mark and Luke, there's only one Passover mentioned. Remember, Jesus mentions or John the Apostle mentions so many things that were unique in the Gospel of John. He talks about his sermons. He only mentions seven miracles where there's only two that coincide with the Synoptics of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And so John mentions the first in John chapter 2 and the second Passover is in John chapter 6 verse 4 and the third Passover is in John chapter 11 verse 55. It extends on into John chapter 12 verse 1, John chapter 13 verse 1, oh so as it hits back on John chapter 18 verse 28 and 39 and John chapter 19 verse 14. This third Passover was really the one that occurred on the night before Jesus died and it was the one recorded by all four Gospel writers in conjunction with the Last Supper and the death of Jesus Christ. So the first Passover is only recorded in John's Gospel and it may have been the Passover around April the 18th, 8029, the first year of Jesus's public ministry and so as these three Passovers occur in the three years of Jesus's earthly ministry, John alone records the three separate Passover celebrations that he mentions again as I said a while ago. The first one, John 2, the second Passover is in John 6 verse 4, then the third one extends from chapter 11, 12, 13, 18 and chapter 19. And so what an extraordinary writings of the book of John that we see that's in front of us and so this is very, very unique because the Passover as the Jew that obeyed the Mosaic law according to Deuteronomy chapter 16 in keeping with the mission to fulfill the law, the first Passover John records, he's running out the money changers and so in John chapter 2 verse 12 that I said a while ago that after he went down to Capernaum, he and his mother and his brothers and his disciples, they stayed there a few days and so it deals with that first Passover in John chapter 2 and how he deals with things there as well. And so you can compare this to Luke's account of Jesus is doing the same thing two years later in Luke chapter 19 and you know as he was throwing the money changer that my house shall be a house of prayer but you've made it a robber's den and so each and every one of us when we look at the different accounts that each begins to transpire, the most unique thing again I say that in the Gospel of John is there's three Passovers where the synoptic of Matthew, Mark and Luke only have one Passover. Now John tells about the witnesses to the revelation of Jesus Christ, John begins his Gospel by talking about the deity of Christ. He describes the ministry of John the Baptist and then Jesus is baptized and he calls his very first disciples and so Matthew emphasizes his kingship to portray Jesus as the son of David, the Messiah, the king of the Jews and it's directed especially toward a Jewish audience. The genealogy traces the Lord's family tree from Mary all the way back to Abraham and the key word as we said of Matthew is fulfilled because the messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ then we see Mark in his servanthood and in that it betrays the Lord as this suffering servant with the Roman reader in mind it opens the beginning of public ministry of Christ and it records even events of his life that's the key word of straightaway meaning and indicating immediate action and so when we look at Luke and his manhood the Gospel of Luke portrays Christ as the son of man that emphasizes his humanity and of Christ it traces the genealogy of the Lord back to Adam and has the Greek and the Gentile reader in mind. The first three Gospels as we said the synoptics of Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the events and the life of the Lord Jesus Christ but when we come to the Gospel of John, John his godhood, we find that he emphasizes the meaning of the events in the Gospels that he records much of what is unsaid. He portrays Jesus as the son of God tracing not to Abraham, not to Adam, but before time there was no genealogy, there was no major scene, there was no boyhood, there was no baptism, there was no temptation, there was no amount of transfiguration, there was no guessing domain in the book of John, there was nothing, no publicers, no demonics, there was no parables. The Gospel of John was written with the church in mind. I thank God Pastor Keith preaches a great deal out of the Gospel of John, amen. And so when we look and begin to realize as we said then we noted that every chapter in the book of John emphasizes the Hebrew alphabet. There's only 21 chapters so it leaves off it doesn't get all 22 because there's only 21 chapters but the first chapter everything about that chapter deals with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the aff, the symbol of God as the creator and the master of the universe. When you get to chapter 2, when you get to chapter 3, every one of them follows the lead on the standing of the Hebrew alphabet of what it says in verse 34. Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the witness of Andrew verses 35 to 41. And so remember what we said in Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. This is the record of John the Baptist of the synoptics of his baptism that he was baptized, amen. And Mark the same in Mark chapter 1 verses 9 through 11, the second of the synoptics of Mark where it talks about how Jesus was baptized. Then of the third synoptics of Luke chapter 3 verses 21 through 22 that it talks about where Jesus was baptized. These took place in the synoptics but notice the events that recorded the record of John the Baptist and his baptism that Jesus occurs not only in Matthew chapter 3, not only in Mark chapter 1 verses 9 through 11, not only that but in Luke 3 verses 21 and 22 that we see the testimony of Jesus baptized. Here the events take us back to that day because John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River immediately after Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This is verse 35 but as we get on down it can jump back to verse 29, amen. If you go back into verse 29 you'll see that because even in verse 29 it said the next day and I thank God that Satan appears before Jesus with three Pacific temptations when Jesus resists these temptations Satan leaves him in time and so I'm glad in verse 29 if you go back to it it says the next day John says Jesus coming unto him and said behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. That's verse 29 the next day but when we start up in verse 35 in just a minute you're going to see the phrase again the next day and these are the events that transpired. I'm glad that we see again. Meanwhile back at the Jordan John speaks to the delegation from Jerusalem about his ministry and verses 19 through 28 that's already the 40th day. The 41st day was the 29th of the next day that you look and you'll see that all the way down to verse 34 that John had already publicly introduced Jesus and described the events that took place 31 days earlier at that baptism, amen. And so I'm glad that as we see this on the 42nd day we actually get to verse 35. John points out Jesus to two of his disciples and they follow him that day with him and later that day one of them they bring their brother to Jesus which is Andrew that brings Simon Peter and so as we get all the way to the end you get to the 43rd day that Philip and Nathaniel meet Jesus. Remember this because this is what's so unique about John because here we see the three temptations of Jesus by Satan. Stones in the bread in John chapter 6 verses 26 and verse 31 to make the bread in the wilderness jump from the temple and thirdly the kingdoms of the world in John chapter 6 verse 15 to take the kingdom by force. What a temptation that the devil tried upon him. The testing and trying that he went through just like the Paschal lamb went through for those 40 days. And again what did I say? It's the same as in verse 29 here you see in verse 35 and again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples the day after he made the previous statements Andrew and no doubt John who at that time they were disciples of John the Baptist. The two disciples were with John immediately they became disciples of the Lord they followed Jesus they may have been Andrew I know and I believe they were John and Andrew and so John did not give his own name nor did he refer to himself by name in the Gospel of John. His experience was very simple of he basically as many of us are that we come to Christ and so Andrew he stood where preaching was.
Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts
A highlight from POA11 Keep the Enemy Out of the Camp Put On The Armor A Manual for Spiritual Warfare w/Dr. Paul Thigpen Ph.D. Discerning Hears Catholic Podcasts
"Discerninghearts .com, in cooperation with TAN Books, presents Put on the Armor, A Manual for Spiritual Warfare, with Dr. Paul Thickepen. Dr. Thickepen is an internationally known speaker, bestselling author, and award -winning journalist who has published 43 books in a wide variety of genres and subjects, including The Rapture Trap, A Catholic Response to End Times Fever, and The Manual for Spiritual Warfare, the book on which this series is based. In 2008, Dr. Thickepen was appointed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to their National Advisory Council. He has served the Church as a theologian, historian, apologist, evangelist, and catechist in a number of settings, speaking frequently in Catholic and secular media broadcasts and at conferences, seminars, parish missions, and scholarly gatherings. Put on the Armor, A Manual for Spiritual Warfare, with Dr. Paul Thickepen. I'm your host, Chris McGregor. Paul, thanks for joining me. Chris, great to be here. God bless. Keep the enemy out of the camp. Boy, now that's solid spiritual advice, isn't it? Well, you know, if you're going to win, you just don't want to be opening the doors of your fortress to the enemy. You know, the Scripture talk about the Trojan Horse, that well -known story of how you had the Greeks besieging the city of Troy for years and years, and they couldn't get in, they couldn't get in. And the way they finally got in was by creating a very beautiful horse figure that was large enough for them to put troops inside and leaving it on the gates of the city and making it look like they had abandoned the fight. And the Trojans, the people of Troy, were so taken in by the beauty of it, and they thought, oh, this lovely gift, let's bring it in. And then overnight the Greeks came out and they were inside the city and they destroyed it. It's a great image. You know, it's from classical files, not from Scripture, but I think it's the perfect image of a spiritual reality that we can do all the defending we want to of this castle that is our soul, this fortress. But there's some things we can do that are kind of, you know, not too wise, not too smart, that will actually invite the enemy inside, where we're opening the door to him and saying, come on in. And those things we have to be aware of. It is a very powerful section, though it's a small one, in the Manual for Spiritual Warfare, because the focus on it is the actual direct battle. But those Trojan horses, as you say, as others may describe them as entry points, even demonic entry points, it's important that we identify those and guard against them, isn't it? It is because the temptation will be that the devil will tempt us to embrace what looks like a gift, you know, looks like a desirable thing. But despite the attractive appearance, it's a catastrophe waiting for an invitation to invade. So it's just so important because, I mean, some of the things we can talk about will actually just open the door to demonic activity in your life. It really is. I mean, it can begin with just even simple things, the images and the things we view with our eyes in areas, whether it's horrifically violent or even areas of pornography or pornographic material, that it doesn't have to be as explicit in the beginning. But it's like a slippery slope, isn't it? It is, in part because our memories are such powerful things that we allow the thing in and it doesn't go back out. It stays. It's like the Trojan horse that stays behind the doors. But also, when we get into certain, you know, addictive, destructive habits, the way we're hardwired given the fall now is that a little bit will satisfy for a while, but then it demands more. And so we give it a little more, a little more. And it's that slippery slope you're talking about that ends up, can start out with something so small, end up with something so powerful. It's that notion of the vice again, that it makes a rut in your soul so deep that it's almost impossible to get out of it. It can start very early in our lives, can it? I mean, the exposure to these Trojan horses can happen in the lives of children, maybe through the activities of parents, maybe just being left alone and exposed to things that seem harmless in the beginning. They do, I think, especially Ouija boards. I was very sad to hear that there was, for Christmas shopping this year, there was this great spike in the sale of Ouija boards that probably can be attributed, at least in part, to some recent movie about a Ouija board. And even though the movie portrayed the Ouija board as this portal into something demonic, it sparked still interest on the part of a lot of people. I had one when I was a kid. I regret that day, but we didn't realize it. But it was this fun little parlor game we thought that we brought right inside the fortress of our home, and it wasn't a good thing. So that kind of thing, or you've probably heard of the children's game Bloody Mary or those kinds of things. They may seem harmless. And some people may have done it and not exposed themselves, but it's happened too often. It's such a dangerous thing that we have to make sure that our children especially are not exposed to those. And what our kids watch in other homes, I remember when my daughter was about four, I was in grad school and we didn't even have television and we were so careful to make sure we knew that whatever went into her mind by way of a screen was something healthy. And she went to visit with a little friend one day and they were playing in the back of a room where the father was watching, not something pornographic, but something very graphically violent. And she happened to turn right at that moment and look at the screen and see a man stab another man. And it just terrified her. She'd never seen anything like it. And it took us the longest time to help her get healed of that. So it's a small thing, but we just have to be very vigilant with our children and with ourselves. Today, Paul, I mean, our children are exposed to graphic violence on a scale that we've never really have ever experienced maybe in human tradition. I know people will bring up in conversation what ancient Rome did, but considering how between video games, movies, television, is it any wonder that a violent surge can take over and plant itself in the hearts of our young as well as the old? And yeah, I mean, iPhones, you know, and pads and pods, we can bring it with us wherever we go. It's the kind of thing, you know, when I was a child, I only dreamed of that you would have a, you know, Dick Tracy wristwatch that would actually have a little TV on it or something. But we've basically got that now, you know, with the images that can be wherever we are. And so it's all that harder for parents to track what our kids are doing, kids sending texts back and forth to each other. You know, it just goes on and on. It's ubiquitous. What an assault on the family, an assault on our individual characters.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Persecuted Apostles, Prevailing Gospel
"When I was a child there was a time in which trick birthday candles were all the rage. It was always somewhat interesting to watch someone's face as they tried and tried and tried again to blow out those candles but to no avail. Some of us tried with all of our might and no matter how hard we tried the light that we had thought that we had snuffed out came back. It's been like that throughout as history different leaders have tried to snuff out God's Word. Whether it's Antiochus or Diocletian, whether it's philosophers or false religious systems or communist regimes, many have tried throughout history either to chain or to cut off the Word of God. Some have tried to prohibit transmissions, others have tried to cut off translations, but they all have one thing in common. They have all ultimately failed and that long list of failure you might say in the New Testament Church begins right here in Acts chapter 4. As we make our way into the text first I want to briefly create some context. We have been studying Acts chapter 3. We just finished that. We're making our way into Acts chapter 4 but I want to remind you what happened in Acts 3. There was a man who had been crippled for over 40 years. He was lame from his mother's womb and he was miraculously healed. You'll remember that a crowd ensued as a result of marveling at the miracle and that a massed audience provided an occasion for Peter's evangelistic preaching. Those who played a part, some role or another, when you look at Peter's speech, Peter's preaching, some who had some role or another in Jesus's crucifixion were actually given an opportunity to have that sin and all of their other sins blotted out, wiped away. They could have left in that time. If they would have heard the gospel and repented they could have left being like those who would come to sing in later generations that hymn, my sins are blotted out I know. And there would be many that day that would respond to the gospel by God's grace but there would also be those who would add to their guilt. And I'm not simply referring to those who would hear Peter's message and then in an unwise and undiscerning way not respond to it with faith by God's grace. I'm talking about persons that we know. Familiar villains will reemerge on the scene in our study of Acts chapter four and they are going to try to snuff out what was to them a familiar name. We'll see all of that and more as we get into our text today. We begin in Acts chapter 4 verse 1 where we read, Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them. So in the beginning of verse 1 of chapter 4 you see it says now as they spoke to the people. Doubtless this refers to Peter and John. You're going to see that the lame man was with them. He was with them on this day and he's actually going to be with them when they appear before the Sanhedrin, before the Jewish Supreme Court if you will the next day. But right here you get the idea that Peter and John at least primarily are the ones who are doing the preaching and teaching because look at verse 2 they were teaching the people and they were also preaching in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Now before we get to verse 2 just a little note here a couple of notes about these parties that were involved in coming upon Peter and John. If you look at verse 1 we have three groups mentioned. The first one is the priests. The priests. They were the ones who essentially functioned in different roles at the temple. They had different responsibilities in the service at the temple. They might burn incense, offer sacrifices, teach the people, do whatever tasks pertained to the sanctuary. Now there were in 1st And now interestingly it looks as though they would serve in kind of rotations. So it could have worked out in one of two ways people usually say. It could have been that they served for two weeks during the course of a year. They would go to the temple and officiate at the temple because remember these were priests and Levites and remember they were scattered throughout the land of Israel to teach the people the law and so on. But two weeks out of the year they would come to the temple and they would serve at the temple. You also have the possibility that they would go to serve at the temple once every two years and they'd stay there for a month. So that's the first group here. The priests. They officiated in the temple. They offered sacrifices, burned incense, taught the law. Then you have the second group or a second person. The captain of the temple. Now he was essentially the chief of security and if you look through commentaries you find over and over again this role was a highly regarded one. It is repeatedly said that his position was second to the high priest. That's how prominent this role was. He served over the temple guard. He was kind of over the Levitical police force if you will. So he's there. And then you have the last group, a group that many of you doubtless are familiar with, the Sadducees. They were a religious group in Israel. Power brokers if you will. They had a lot of political clout and they also had a lot of religious clout within the nation of Israel but I think they are best known for what they didn't believe. Remember the Sadducees are those who did not believe in a resurrection. They are not they are those who do not believe in angels or demons. They did not believe in an afterlife. They only believed in the first five books of Moses it is often said as being divinely inspired. They had a lot of sad beliefs and like my grandpa used to joke that is why they are sad you see. They had a lot of sad erroneous beliefs. They were also political opportunists. They were those who were in positions of power. It appears that they came to their power after the period of the Maccabees, that intertestamental period. They're like a group of priestly families that get connected with the power brokers in the land and they try to solidify their power. That's why they tried to keep things nice and calm with Rome because they had a nice set up for them and they didn't want anybody rocking the boat. They're also have said to have been a pretty cruel group. Josephus had noted and I saw this in the pulpit commentary that the Sadducees were more severe and cruel in their administration of justice than any other Jews. They went on to note their tenant of no life to come made them look to severe punishments in this life and doubtless they would have looked for severe punishments right away for Peter and John but you're going to see in God's Providence God set it up in such a way in which they weren't going to be able to do what they wanted to do. The Lord will and will see that in future studying. So that brings us to verse 2. They make haste these three groups the priests the captain of the temple in the Sadducees and the reasons for their haste are found in verse 2 where we read being greatly disturbed in other words they were greatly annoyed in the Greek here this verb annoyed or irritated or angered and it's compounded by the preposition dia so they were very upset very disturbed and we're told that they were disturbed because they Peter and John taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead so this is why they were angry reason number one Peter and John are teaching and they're like who are these guys well we didn't give them the green light to teach we are in control we are the Sadducees they did not go through the rabbinical teaching system who was their rabbi we don't know who these people are so they were bothered that these people were teaching and they didn't have the the right to it as it were the religious leadership of that day they hated anything that infringed upon their authority that's one of the reasons why they hated Jesus he infringed upon their authority and they thought he needed to be stopped well Peter and John were doing so and they thought they needed to be stopped as well second reason why they were upset is basically I think this was multifaceted because Peter and John were preaching in Jesus the resurrection from the dead I think there's a lot of aspects to why this made them upset first they were a part of the Sanhedrin many note a primary part of the Sanhedrin the majority part of the Jewish religious ruling council that wrongly sentenced Jesus to death and handed him over to Pilate so a lot of these Sadducees were the very people who looked at the Son of God the Messiah and said he deserves to die and now Peter and John are preaching no no no Jesus has risen from the dead so they were upset doubtless they were also upset because they didn't believe in a resurrection and now they're teaching people that Jesus has rose from the dead and that's going to undercut their erroneous message and if you undercut their erroneous message you're going to undercut their clout and they didn't want their clout to be undercut being right wasn't the priority as much as having power and wealth and influence being right was incidental if they were right along the way that was great but protecting their power was the priority think about this you see this even in Matthew 28 remember after the soldiers come back and they are telling to the religious leadership what happened and they're saying that the tomb is empty and so on what does the religious leadership tell them they create a lie for them Matthew 28 verse 12 they give them money they give them a large sum of money Matthew 28 verse 12 they tell them the lie Matthew 28 verse 13 and they assured them that if this ever got to Pilate that they would cover for them suffice it to say the Sadducees in this case did not have righteous indignation one other possibility as well and maybe they're all together these aren't mutually exclusive is that they thought if word got around to the Romans that a Messiah was being preached who rose from the dead the Romans could esteem this as being somewhat revolutionary and what would be the problem with that it could ruin the nice gig that the Sadducees had so maybe to one degree or another all of these things are what bothered them in Peter and John preaching in Christ the resurrection but you'll find in verse three their indignation didn't just stay mental they weren't just upset on the inside it manifested itself physically look at verse three and they laid hands on them please know this wasn't a good kind of laying on of hands you know they weren't praying for them they weren't like ordaining them to ministry they weren't doing any kind of a good laying on of hands or so on this was a laying on of hands that was a seizing interestingly the word that's used here in the Greek epi ballo that word ballo means to cast to throw epi you think typically of being a preposition that means upon it's like they threw their hands upon them they seized them so that's the picture that I think is meant to be painted here they come down they laid hands on them now I just want to tell you something that I would do if I was a filmmaker and if I were recreating this scene in the kind of movie where we're trying to depict acts chapter four what I would do is that the moment that acts for three happens the beginning of it and they laid hands on them at that moment I would all of a sudden insert a flashback to Jesus's teaching on the Mount of Olives where he said but before all of these things they will lay hands on you and persecute you delivering you up to synagogues and prisons you will be brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake here is the initial fulfillment of those very words and it would keep manifesting itself but I want to remind you here that this was a prophecy that Jesus made this was the initial fulfillment of it and his word always comes to pass you can believe it you can believe the words of scripture you could believe every word that Jesus said he has a perfect streak that will never be broken some of you might remember my favorite pitcher when I was younger oral her shizer he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers believe he's a professing Christian brother in Christ and in 1998 he had an amazing year the Dodgers go on to win the World Series I believe he won the Cy Young Award that year and that year he pitched what I believe still is the record for number of innings pitched without giving up a run 59 innings pitched without a run being given up and if you were a baseball fan if you were oral her shizer fan then you were watching those games saying it's the street going to continue is it going to continue and when it did you were excited but eventually you were disappointed because that streak like other streaks in professional sports don't go on forever but with Jesus you will never be disappointed his perfect streak of having his words fulfilled will always stay it will never be broken and this is a witness to that right here in Acts chapter 4 verse 3 so they seized them and they put them in custody until the next day so the Sanhedrin had a rule they had a law that they essentially subscribe to that they would not try people at night before dawn didn't stop them when they wanted to kill Jesus that rule so they were okay with breaking their own rules probably they based this rule on Jeremiah 21 12 and ministered justice every morning and it didn't stop them from persecuting Jesus and having their kangaroo courts happen during the night but in this case they were going to wait they needed some sleep perhaps and they were going to wait until the next day Peter and John are put in custody until then and then we're told to get a it was late to use language from Matthew 14 15 notice a little bit of context here this event began at around 3 p .m. because remember that Peter and John were going up to the temple around the ninth hour that was 3 p .m. now that it's late now that it's evening you know that it's at least 6 p .m.
Evangelism on SermonAudio
A highlight from Ministry Life | 2 Corinthians
"Stay awake and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears. Stay awake. Watch. There was another time Paul preached all the way until midnight and some kid fell asleep, fell out of the windowsill, crashed and killed himself. Paul went to him, got him up, got him back from the dead and finished his message. He said, stay awake this time, boy. 2 Timothy chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 5, Paul says to Timothy, I'm leaving. You stay awake. Watch thou in all things. Stay awake and do your afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry. Know your ministry by experience. Teach it, but not just with words, with an example. Make full proof of your ministry and fastings. Let's glance back at chapter 14 of Acts. Chapter 14 of Acts, this page 1169, verse 23, when they had ordained them elders. This is Paul and Barnabas going back through all the places they had preached, even the ones that had rioted against him. When they preached the gospel in Derby, then they went back again to Lystra, which is where he was stoned, and Iconium and Antioch and Cilicia, confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, say it's going to be a lot of trouble. And when they had ordained elders in every city and prayed with fasting, they said, we're not going to eat right now, we're going to just pray, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. We read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 already, I think. We went through verse 25. Let's look at this, 2nd Corinthians 11, verse 27. I did read this already. He said, watchings often and fastings often. He just often did without what we consider normal things. We get back to this chapter 6 passage here and look again what comes next. Oops, that was not the right button. This is the right button. He says, after watchings and fastings, we have all these things that says, buy. Everything before there was in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, and now we get to buy. In truth, in the Greek language, this is still in until you get down to, I wrote it down here, give me a second. The armor in verse 7, that's where the word changes from in to buy. But here in chapter 6, verse 6 and the beginning of verse 7, it's still in. In pureness, in knowledge, in long -suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Ghost, in love unfeigned, in the Word of truth, in the power of God, and then it goes to the other word, buy. Not a huge difference, and the translators were not wrong in saying buy, because they did translate words that meant the same thing by different words sometimes, so it's okay. That's all right. We're in, according to the King James text, by pureness. This ministry has an aspect where you need to be pure, by pureness. First Timothy chapter 4, verse 12, Paul exhorts his young, calls him son in the Lord, he says, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in love, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. I think perhaps young men and old men alike need be exhorted to purity. It's one of those words that's hard to define, because the only thing you can say about it is, it's not dirty. Purity. Doing right, because it's right. Well, the clock is running out on us here in another minute and a half or so. All these things Paul gives as aspects of his ministry, and he's going to go on for a bit longer, but what this ministry was, he explained at the end of chapter 5, and we've talked about this many times at the wrong part of the thing here, at the end of chapter 5, we have the ministry. In verse 18, he says he's given to us the ministry of reconciliation, and then he says in verse 19, this is what it is, to wit. I want to explain to you what that is. That's what to wit means. God was in Christ. There's the incarnation. God in heaven became a man. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, reconciling the world unto himself. What was in between the Father and the Son, the sin that separated them, the Son took the sin out of the way so that the world could be with him again. The sin of all mankind, he says he's not imputing their trespasses unto them, but not all mankind goes to heaven. There's a word of reconciliation, the explanation of this salvation that God has provided. He calls the word of reconciliation. In verse 20, he says we are the representatives. We're the ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you, lost person that doesn't know about the payment for sin, we pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled to God. He already took the sin out of the way. Be reconciled to God, and he explains it again in verse 21. He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Just as Jesus said to Nicodemus, God so loved the world, sin and all, that he gave his only begotten Son. Jesus took the sin on himself. He died, he was buried, he rose again, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's the ministry of reconciliation. God did the work and says we are to present, to explain it. We are ambassadors for Christ, and just the way as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you, we beg you in the stead of Jesus Christ, be reconciled to God. He did the work. All that is left is to believe in him. Father in heaven, thank you for this morning's message and lesson. We pray for the preparation of our pastor, that you'll bless it and increase the effect of your word, because he speaks it with boldness and clarity, and bring those who are on their way safely here to be with us and enjoy and share their gifts to build the church, to edify, to add to and build up, strengthen the other believers. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Myths and Legends
"greek" Discussed on Myths and Legends
"As the chair pulled her into the darkness of the cave. We'll see what happens when Olympus comes knocking, but that will, once again, be right after this.
Two Friends Talk History
"greek" Discussed on Two Friends Talk History
"And because of this new type of opinion leader which you have increased elias clayton important role in how the dealt with rome idea of broom being told what to do by small confederacies cities never know so there are tensions there and apparently also the fact that there are some doubts about the akin to rome during the third macedonian war because there were police mentioned that there are some greeks who actually agree with versus the last macedonian king but actually sort of starts this whole process of rome's discontent with the qin's with many of the greeks and results in the banishment of libya's and other about a thousand key to rome. When's leaves this this whole room. For new generation of of qian leaders that apparently chose the wrong path to go down and which is also describes as demagogues who just use the league for their own political and who don't have the wisdom of dealing with rome that previous generations had done all experienced politicians are stuck in rome. It's an interesting aspect of how local politics kind of in my opinion local politics contributed to this this deterioration in relationships between the greeks and the romans in the buildup to koren's all has to do with how individuals perceived and thought they should deal with an ally or a powered that was way bigger than them and they didn't know how to deal with it. You can also see that if you look at the war itself. They're totally unprepared. They have to actually use slaves as an army and there there no way match rome which kind of indicates to me that at no point they were actually gonna go through with award. It didn't actually think that there was going to be a war and then they realize at the last second. Oh my god. They're they're coming here. Well then they're just instead of running away screaming they said okay. Let's pretend this is a battle for greek freedom and then you see we you can see like a heroic glass stand but yeah and so says accounting of it isn't even if he's got his own personal life story that colors how he views the events like sound entirely like he's wrong. It's sounds like there was. They did not accurately or adequately size up the situation they were facing and what was a likely outcome of that but i mean fair enough in a way because there have been so few examples up to that point of rome turning an ally like that or maybe they didn't see it coming which seems odd. 'cause obviously those are not too far away twice..
Two Friends Talk History
"greek" Discussed on Two Friends Talk History
"There was there was some sort of rebuke or insult given to the embassy and that was the pretense for attacking corns and mattel's gets booted out when the other general probably somewhat competitively mumias takes over the army there and says you go back up to mastodon. I've got this. And he starts attacking corinth and the akins had won a really early victory in this conflict. So they had rallied to corn going to defend the city. The akins fought valiantly in the face of a hugely larger army. And apparently there was a few days before the romans actually got into the city and just pillaged it absolutely obliterated because they thought there might be like trapper something like that. But basically the violence that followed when mummy s raised cords and enslave the population after successfully capturing the city resulted in the killing of allegedly all the adult males and all the women and children so other illness kingdoms faced unprecedented destruction in that. Same year Corinth was effectively. Obliterated in the same year that carthage was destroyed by skip. Your million is so there was a bad year. here for people going against rome There's some ripple effects that this this actual destruction of corinth has for you later. Romans and how they interact with greek things. So it's through this conflict with the akins and the sack of carthage. The romans begin filling up their city with the spoils of these hellenistic kingdoms and greek art. More broadly and that's one of the side effects. I guess of this is mama's campaign. Brought like hitherto unimaginable amounts of greek art and wealth into the rome this kind of the snare that horace describes in that famous line like captains greece two captive her savage conqueror but the arts to rustic latte him. While we know that it's not one hundred percent obviously. They had their own art and culture but so much of greece in this period because now several greek cities and macedonian cities had fallen to the romans was being transported out and appropriated into their city and Super famous paintings and sculptures..
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"He couldn't go and that's that's the part that makes it. The most terrible is when homer uses the irony of it and has ironies kinda tongue-in-cheek irony. You're starting to kind of see that is not pro. War homer is showing what you lose when you have to go to war for something so silly something so trivial as a king's wife getting stolen because somebody decided some god was prettier than another god or goddess and some here also usually when something is and to if it will be anti. It's the depictions of violence in war is also current. 'cause it graphically tells you how people don exactly and it's not glorious. It's actually rather visceral. So that's another reason why it could be you know anti-war because the depictions of the deaths very very they were very very very descriptive and so with with the the aspects of the descriptions also so the iliad said is the the part where it's the human human condition in our struggles to cope with it. The odyssey is the life that goes on still and we see that disa- struggles with that a lot or this is constantly struggling to not be achilles. He even he realizes with the cyclops. He's trying to not be the same person he could. He could throw his body adam and try to kill them and then everyone would be dead and they'd be stuck there. You see this time and time again. Even the sirens the sirens. There is arguments that the the greek words that they use is that they're the sirens are trying to call him back almost to the times of glory because it's a song about his glory so it's almost like he's still trying to fight and escape that warrior within him and the next one is already covered a little bit the inescapable aspects of the war. These men are in a society. Where the only thing that you can do to outlast. Your death is becoming immortal by gaining more klaus than other people so they are forced to go into the situation where they are dying young. They're forced to to fight for everything just to become famous or else their society doesn't recognize them is. It's a shame culture not a culture that is by glory. And that's that's the most important and you'll see this to.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"So after that little exchange they enter the palace were. This is where it gets. Sad buckle up yea odysseas old dog argos who will discus left before he was grown to detroi- and he sees him sitting there on a pile a dengue lee ridden ridden homer pulls out all the stops on this this metaphor flea ridden sad candy move. That's the part he's flea ridden. But he sees odysseus near any knows. It's him he wags his tail and drops both ears. But he doesn't have the strength to come to him and odysseus actually sheds a tear and wipes it away and he swiftly conceals it before you may ask and see what he did. Yeah but you know. I'm a dog lover and you know if i was gone for that long and i saw odin laying on a pile of dung flea bitten. Couldn't move man. I almost shed a tear. When i read this real talk. He even goes. He asked about the doll. This ask you mace about the dog and you may says impasse times. Young men would take him on the chase for goats deer and hares. Now he's just laying neglected on a pile of dung full flees. The maid servants stopped taking care of him. And you know you just wasn't neglected and he's just been waiting for deceit to come home for twenty years and that's always been waiting for cody. He's gonna say we don't have time but you know what cody sucks here. Let's go ahead and read it. Destined have it. Yeah you says now. Just read the the actual text about the the dog. Because i don't know that summaries do justice because it's pretty there's a pretty good one. Yeah i'll go to cody will live. Cody will live so they converse together but a dog lying near lifted his head in ears argo. So was the dog of harpo dishes whom long ago he reared but never used for. The dog was grown. Odysseus went to sacred troy. In the times past young men would take him on the chase for wild goats deer and hares. But now he lay neglected his master gone away upon a pile of dung which had been dropped before the door by mules and oxen. And which lay there in a heap for slaves to carry off and fertilize the broad lands of odysseus. Here lay the dog this argos full of fleas yet even now seeing odysseus near he wagged his tail and drop both ears but tortoise master he had not strength to move odysseus turned aside and wiped away a tear swiftly concealing from you may us what he did then it wants thus he questioned you may as it is strange. This dog lies on the dunghill. His form is good. But i'm not sure if he is speed of foot two matches beauty or if he is merely what the table dogs become which masters keep for show. You may have answered him. And said i truly that is the dog of one who died a far if he were as good inform and action as when odysseus left him and went away to troy. You would be much surprised to see his speed and strength where nothing could escape him. In the forest depth no.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Loan athena comes to the hut and signals for odysseus to come outside now telemacus. Can't see athena goes the way it is in greek mythology. Is the gods choose who they reveal themselves to so it can be a group full of people but if they want one person to see them only that one person's going to see him and fina loves theatrics. Yes athena loves to put on a show. Yes so she comes down to the entrance to the hut probably probably sprinkled down like a fairy godmother noise mess coming down slowly one key at a time and a piano. Do i can see that. Maybe maybe i dunno. I dunno briley chopsticks. Girl assault drugging. Make sure chopsticks anyway. So so she's she's at the hukou insurance and only odysseus concere she kind of signals for him to come outside so he does he just gets up and walks out there no out. There athena tells odysseus then he needs to go meet tell lamarcus undisguised so she uses her little wand. It says that she uses the won- touches him any returns to his glorious aerobic self then he walks into the hut. And if i tell him okkas can't believe his eyes as like okay. What he's you were just an old beggar. We're already close and now he's like you gotta be a god. I mean also keep in mind that he can't see athena so he he gets up on his own wants outside for no reason at all. Yeah hearing to him and then comes back. Yuck in slater as a different person okay. What so he's like. Oh he's like. Oh i know if this is your god and you're turning into my dad because you feel like i'm not suffering enough and this is some you know beguiling rooster bring me more sorrow. And that's that's where our intro that is where our intro quote comes a have quotas. What odysseus back pretty much says. I'm the only odysseus has ever come back all right so question and.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"And that is when he is told to seek out. You may as the swineherd. So that is where he is heading and this is where we begin our episode book. Sixteen than magical homecoming. Whoa yeah but to reunite so book succeed starts with you. Miss an odysseus who is disguised as a beggar. He is preparing breakfast. They are preparing for breakfast. Got some hogs cook and cook some bacon and notices that you may mace's dogs are kinda wagging their tails and genro ansi. But they're not barking like they did it him. They're like excited. So odysseus tells is like a comb because your dogs are acting real excited. Well no sir did you say that then tell lamarcus come comes through the hut and you may as is so excited and happy to see you may as our telemakos. I'm sorry he gives them a hug and like plants. Much of kisses on it was like. Oh i'm so happy you're home and it's got interesting. Telemakos refers to you may assess father during this whole. Hold on there talking you. I whom his father and as this use in there disguised as a beggar. That's kinda got it. Th that's gotta stink a little bit. I mean he. I'm sure he doesn't take it personal but it does got hurt a little bit. yeah homer. Actually this part's kind of cool. Because we don't get to see this part and our translation. But the the greek word that homer uses his oughta so the oughta word is. It's baby talk for father. So the first word as odysseus is sitting here after twenty years of seeing his son is m using this This pretty much slang for father so think about it as a as a father the first words that your son usually will say is father in an english language. So he's saying maybe talk to someone in front of them and he can't react to. It's the beautiful irony of and win until lamarcus season sees him. He's embraced by the swineherd and the language that he uses his like as if he had traveled for and been gone for long. And it's it's beautiful the way it. Yeah the irony very well said so after telemakos and you may as you know kind of hogue and say their hollows. I guess is what you call it. Odysseus offers telemacus his seat to lamarcus. Don't worry about it. You just keeps in there you're out. You're good old timer. So you may as sets up a little see with like brushing stuff for democracy. Sit on so. He sits down and tell him okkas asks. You may us what. The stranger story is those interesting. He didn't directly. Ask again it again. He says father who is a stranger. Which is that double. Meaning you got the irony and the funniest part two is. It's another dual part. Because the first thing he's calling father we learned in the last episode was actually a descendant of an actual royal so in all accounts this is complete flips of the reversal. Because this this is nia and when when this is tried to get up. He was trying to test a sign. You know. he's like all right. I need to see if my son's been raised. Ray because i've been gone for a bit. You know he's like how's it going to act and he he he nails it. He says. no now. don't worry about it. i'll have someone or i'll have him. Give me see so you passed with flying. Yes he does so after..
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Odysseus in athena kind of this interesting moment because she kinda he. He's pretty much like. Oh yeah fina i remember. You helped me out a lot during the trojan war for insurance right now. Is that whereas all you a familiar. Yeah so you troy because you helped us out a lot and then didn't see you for about ten years. Lot's happened since then. So what's the deal. What's good and she's like all pows daddy. I was distracted at all that. Don't worry about it. I was mad because little ajax raped. Cassandra my temple. And then i was like you know what i'm not helping greeks anymore and then ten years later and let you know what odysseas ena guy. Maybe i'll help them out. I'll throw him a bone and this is something like oh died makes me feel real good insane and before you go much further. The funniest part with that is just that whole argument like you know. I've i've always been on your side but have you because at this point. This is pretty mad. Why don't you don't questioned the authority of the gods unless you're pretty mad and but luckily so is and she's like buddhists that armor while you're still okay right now and i'd be like yeah you know you said you're gonna keep me. Kim's trojan war wasn't been ten years. And i feel like you weren't there that range in this homers kind of evoking. He's expecting us to know certain things. And he's expecting us to know what happened in between the trojan war and the odyssey and during that this is when when the whole incident with ajax the lesser happened is right about when he ended up stabbing polyphemus. So it's important to note that the gods of the greek mythology. They're not omnipotent there. They are all knowing when they're focused but if they're distracted and they're not focused on you then they're not there to help because she would have been there and i'm like hey maybe don't tell them your name but she wasn't there.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Not because that they're stronger or more powerful. It's because it's their duty and that's what they should deal and you know throughout human history. We have a way of kind of lying to ourselves so this a little bit deeper thought so gust indeed. Has that read cabinet. Take it away all right. It's the last episode. We start off book tin and in booked in The odysseus and his crew they sail from the land of the cyclops after blinding. Polyphemus and they come to the island of where a oldest dwells who is kind of the he's like a lesser god but he controls the winds. And they're for he. He gives odysseus a bag filled with all the winds so that way all the winds except for the south wind because the south wind is the one he left out of the bag. Because that's gonna take them home straight to ithaca like thanks a super bowl. Let's let's let's get back to you guys give dope presence. Yeah well he neglects to tell us crew. What's in the bag. And while they're approaching the shores of ethica they're so close that they can see like fires from the shore odysseus decides to take a nap and while he's asleep has cruise. Like you know what i bet. There's treasure in that bag and he's not going to share that. Sob is not going to share that treasure. We should we should look in there and take what's ours and everyone's like. Oh yeah man. it's let's good idea. He hasn't been a very good leader at all. Yeah 'cause he really hasn't we're gonna take this. Treasure has not inspired confidence and his men. No he is not so the men get the bag they open it when they open it they let out all all the other three wins. That aren't the south and it whips up this huge storm and blows them off course blows them all the way back to ails island. They go back to talk to ellis and he's not as hospitable or receptive this time. He he kicks him out. He's like well. You guys are obviously correspond. The gods this unfortunate so get the hell out saw. They saw him early leave. They had out and from there. They land at the island of certainty. And they're they send a little scouting party of about twenty two twenty three people and all of them get turned into pigs except one who comes back until issues. What happened dishes like all right. We'll leave me back there. And he's like no no leany back. There are just turn into pigs. You're on your own. They kind of have a little little beef little spat and then he goes. He goes to see sursee all the way there. Hermes disguised as a youth gives him a an herb that will.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"And all you comrades ear. Allow me to sing my praises for a moment. Say it's the wine that leads me on the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs. Laugh like a fool it drives the man dancing it even tempts him to blurt out stories. Better never told. But now that i'm sounding off. I can't hold back omega me. Young again and the strength inside me steady as a rock. Just as i was that day we sprang a sudden ambush against the trojans youthful steady dislike iraq. Dustin just like iraq all right so last time we left jawf odysseus at just finished his tail. His entire journey is over. He'd gone to the underworld and back. So officially odysseus has made it to the upper echelon of the heroes because remember the only heros that have ever made it to the underworld and back and survive is herrick lease theseus and orpheus so all automatically homers put him up there with them and there's some some certain aspects to this. This is obviously a berth for odysseus. And you start to see that here because the the first parts of this book books one through thirteen even though the flashbacks in the most famous tales of odysseus they actually are still shorter than this part of the story. So when you think about like this this this whole the final books are only gonna be about getting back reconciling with his son and his wife but yet the detail is here. There's so much more into it. So homer immediately pumps the brakes so this is a new odyssey. This is the odysseus odyssey into his rebirth. his spiritual journey in a couple of thoughts. Here we'll see it a little bit in book fourteen and fifteen some of the things that we associate odysseus with that he's most famous for is kind of ironic because we associate odysseus as this person who is a journeyman and his journey but in book fifteen he explicitly tells us that there's nothing worse for a man than a journey so it's kind of funny that his experiences accurate and the most terrible part about that is the only way for a hero to reconcile with death.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Yeah so it's almost like cassia sucks. Yeah pretty much option one is. We'll go through the wall whirlpool and wall. Shirley dai or two. Let's stick to the other side. In hogue the little plateau were scylla dwells instills got six heads fewest not snatched. Six people up for you doing math at home. That's six people so we're only going to lose six. If we go. Her side will lose more if we go to the whirlpool now. This does not tell the he's like you know what they don't need to know that. Yeah they don't need to know that because then they're going to be scared to go to the whirlpool and then we're all gonna die. I do win. When seriously told him this he goes. Okay what if. I thought it. And she goes he does say that. Wow say wow i off while odysseus okay. You don't just go fighting mosser's it's not true anymore. Okay were you gonna do put a giant wooden horse or it's not gonna work just got six heads. Okay and she's a mortal and she's immortal. Why because i cursed her. He doesn't say that part. But she did cursor cursor. She tries to be like motherly. The whole story is was in love with cilla. Abe went to her for help to see an but it turns out the seriously also loved glaucous. Who didn't love her bag and she cursed her to be a monster forever. So there's no big no big deal. So this is arms himself. When they get close to sylla's little plateau but not as crew. He's got his a whole shebang on his arm shield weapon. He's ready to go and he's he's got his eye on the on the plateau just our them heads headse- at this point so i think he's not telling us he's awfully shaped you over there. He is i on that plateau pretty hard and he was very adamant that all i needed was my or something sullivan..
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Is she dead. And that's what homer is doing. He's like you know. I'll give you some clues. i'll let you guys know that some of its there but at the same time you have to decide how much of it's true is some of his stretch. Did he really see heracles. Did hairclips really say you. what you sack troy. That's almost like killing the hydra. No like the. I is that true. I don't know because it is a little weird that he's sitting there on a platform away from god's or from the spirits and then all of a sudden he's seeing tant allows and seeing the punishment of sisyphus and all these other things and then he's like i dipped out real quick. It seems a little weird. Yeah but also liens it. They're also the the parts where he purposely says. I couldn't be blamed. I went to sleep. You know and because he does go to sleep quite or his his His his crewmates that when against his wishes the sweeping part. That's actually. That's an element of the forgetting that i wanted you guys to see so. That's another part. I wanted to go into anytime time that something has come up. It's due to the the memory aspect of it. That's the biggest theme so one thing that we've seen athena do twice now to help them. Cope help penelope and His son actually cope with the loss or the the anxiety as she puts them to sleep. So right away homers leading us. Now keep this in mind for later. This is the same as forgetting and then all of a sudden here is odysseus on three different occasions in this book. He has said this book itself but the whole like actual work of art is said how he longs to start seeing the the landmarks of ethica. He can't wait to see it and then he gets to where he can see the fires and then he goes to sleep and by mentioning that earlier. This is important because it's letting us know. Hold up you're forgetting your city. You're forgetting your people right now and we'll see that he does this a lot. There's also went the first time when he actually makes it home. He utters three. Words are the words that he always says On three different places so he only says it on the first time where he lands on famous island where he says. Is this a place of zenia. Are they savages or will they welcomed me and give me gifts. He says that there and then the next place he says it is with the fishing's and he i think says there and he makes it back in and he doesn't know he's at ithaca that's the first thing he says so immediately the audience tunes in he has these little like little sleeper phrases. That the first time like okay got it. That was kind of a interesting and the second time you're like okay. Maybe that's starting to get a little bit more important and then the third time we like. Okay something big's come and this is where we start tune in songs. I had no and interest. The i say this every single time. I'm sure probably gets old but this is just the genius and he's just flexing right now. This is this is poetic prowess. This isn't a timeframe. I've said this before where.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Slain and fight wearing their bloodstain armor in crowds around the pit. They flocked from every side with awful whale pale terror sees them nevertheless inspiring my man. I bathed them take the sheep now. Lying there slain by the ruthless sword. Infla- in burn them and call upon the gods on powerful hades and on dread percents jeannie while i myself during my sharp sword from my thigh sat still and did not let the strength list dead approached the blood till i had made inquiry of tyree. Ceus got pretty dark right. There goes back to that Halloween episode gotta give him some blow. Yeah they need that blue. So after this ritual is performed the dead start coming towards him and the first dead person actually member of odysseus is crew. That they didn't even know was dead. He goes bro. Why are you on the boat. Yeah his name is eleanor and he was actually the youngest for eleanor. How recent and it was at that moment that he realized that he was the least important group because not only was he not buried not only was he not there but it was just confirmed to him that no one even noticed he was gone. Yeah what are you show. this is like. Hey where'd you go from you. Got here faster by food than we did by shift man and he's just like yeah. I died back on surfaces island. I was drunk and fell asleep on a rooftop. And when i heard you guys shuffling leave i want to go after you and fell and broke my neck so not only. Did you not notice. I wasn't there but you didn't notice leader is like to remember like the way i picture. This meeting is this. He's walking me goes. Hey pal remember me. And he's like. I thought you were actually watching. The boat can't be denied. Literally just told you you. Shouldn't you should watch the boat. So i gave you an order. Yeah well eleanor has a request and that.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"I don't know why this does this but he then looks at the bar dacas and asked him if he knows any songs of the trojan horse in the sack of troy and if he does what he kindly sing them. This part is kind of funny to me. In because he compliments the bard does and he tells them how great bards are and above all of the others. Because if you guys remember you know there's a hierarchy that goes on. For the way that the the greeks saw the world. So there's the immortal gods who know almost everything that's going to happen and then there's the humans who are just kinda like in their way through things like hulk smash hoping that they make it but there's the bars are that are in between the bards are given through the muses inspiration to seeing and retail the stale or the tail. So bars are at a higher level and they are blessed by the gods to be able to tell these tales to sing. And all that. So we've got a poem by a writing about the star character. Telling about how awesome poets are and how they are way better than anybody else for. They can see where no one else can. While odysseus is begging for the poet to praise his deeds. Like it's just like this is like there was a law going. There's there's a lot of this is inception. Bs right yeah. There's a lotta pat yourself on the back. Going on here in. Multiple layers hilarious is like a song about the great test sacher of troy three you bards are unlike any other. Yup there's a lotta praise larry's so the bar does know song starts singing it well. This causes odysseus to yet again. Begin to weep and again. I'll send us notices but this time he's not gonna keep quiet. I was like all right stranger this twice now that he's saying about troy and you've started crying so who are you. Where do you come from and where do you need to go like. were you at the battle troy. Did you lose a son. A brother a friend. What's your deal this ridiculous and he calls them out from everybody. This is behind closed doors. This is in front of the whole city not to put sodas in a sticky situation and that is how book eight ends now. Book nine picks up with odious being. Like i don't really want to say but i'm back in between the rock and hard place right now. I literally told me not to do this. But like you said in. I think it was the last episode of the episode before odysseus always gets two choices and both of them suck so in this case he bites the bullet and he's like all right. I'm gonna tell them who i am. So he looked like. I said he reluctantly decides that the jig is up and he reveals that he is overseas of ethica any then. He begins to tell the physicians his sorrowful tale. He says from troy. The winds brought him to isthmus which is the city of the Sony's and at one of these cities him and his men plundered the the the land of their women and treasure and provisions but instead of leaving immediately they lingered long enough for the citizens to gather reinforcements from the neighboring town and attack them back so they bring overwhelming force. This time like. Oh you wanted to sack one of our cities and then hang around. This is what's going to happen.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Here and hurries he. Kinda elbow nudges. Apollo hey eligible areas right. Now i mean and like i would kill to be. I want superintendent positions we would discover together is like i would just i would literally kill. What are we talking about. Railing his wife in front of him as he caught another man railing his wife. Poor office catch a break in the worst part is there's a line in there that i wanna i wanna read again. I read it last time. it made it. It's just so brutal. Because he goes father. Zeus in other blessed god that forever come hither and yet he may see the laughable matter in a monstrous even how aphrodite daughter of zeus scorns. Me for that. I am lame. Get loves destructive areas because he is coming and strong of lamb whereas i was born. Misshapen yet this is none other to blame but my two parents were. They had never gotten me. But ye shall see that these two have gone up into my bed and sleep together and love. And i'm troubled at the site yet. I think they will not wish to lie longer. Thus and not for one longer minute hermit minute but yeah it pretty pretty brutal. Because he's even saying that you know. She's she scorns me because of my foot. I don't think it's your foot of s. But i mean you know what that's your insecurity. You probably don't like to limp. I don't believe in there. He didn't choose to be that way. I just love that. She scorns me. Because i'm lame loves destructive areas because he's come in strong. I really just don't think it's the unless it's you know something else. Maybe she. she's that child she's got a foot fetish. We learn this through this whole tax. Dear figured it out all right. Continuing story doesn't you are a scholar. My i gotta see dustin you just reading the words you gotta read what the words gotta read between the lines. Yeah foot-fetishists hidden in the test. Probably that's probably the position they're stuck in is aries foot or not foot. That's like a greek mythology. Sherlock holmes is middle toe with her lips wrapped around it. And then you indeed.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Odysseus. Who's trying very hard to conceal that. He is weeping you know. He's looking down covering his eyes. You know he doesn't want anyone to notice he's weeping i'll cintas is in fact the only one who does notice and he quickly ends the feast right there and you know he does it to appease the deceased because he's like this is upsetting him so let's just nip it in about right here and let's get the game's going. Let's switch subjects if you will so. The first event is the foot race. Which is his son Plutonium wins by a mile. It's not even fair. There is a bunch of other people in the race but doesn't matter because none of them come close to Cla onea's now feisty. Youth named yuri olice. He wins the wrestling competition. Pretty handily the long jumping M m fallas. He wins that pretty and then boxing was won by also other son lead so we got a winner to no one's good at everything. Everyone's just go to one thing soleil adamas after after his a him winning the boxing championship. Or whatever you wanna call it. He then asked this to join in the discus games and still overcome by hardships. Odysseus respectfully declined. You know what. I've been through a lot. You guys go nuts. I'll sit this one out. Well all he didn't insults yes he does he yeah it's pretty brazen to. He says no indeed stranger. You do not look like one expert in games much as these count with men more like a person moving to and fro on ships of many oars. Captain of trading semen. One who's mind is on his cargo watching freights and greedy gains. You are not like an athlete. Now these words actually upset odysseus quite a bit. He'd takes hard offense was i. It's important to note that the whole purpose of the gymnasium to the ancient greeks was to practice for warfare. Yeah so by saying that he does not look like someone who would excel in these types of things the same warrior and this is the perfect society so these are just men playing at war and he's like hold up young pup. Do you know what. I have seen sitting here playing war and i have killed men less than you than you. I that wrong. It's so he would have gotten. That's why we're not exactly. That's why i'm diabetes level.
Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"greek" Discussed on Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes
"Odysseus. Who's trying very hard to conceal that. He is weeping you know. He's looking down covering his eyes. You know he doesn't want anyone to notice he's weeping were i'll cintas is in fact the only one who does notice and he quickly ends the and you know he does it to appease the deceased because he's like this is upsetting him. So let's just nip it in about right here and let's get the game's going. Let's switch subjects if you will so. The first event is the foot race. Which is his son Plutonium wins by a mile. It's not even fair. There is a bunch of other people in the race but doesn't matter because none of them come close to Clintonistas now feisty. Youth named yuri hollis. He wins the wrestling competition. Pretty handily the long jumping M m fallas. He wins that pretty and then boxing was won by also other son adamas so we got a winner to no one's good at everything. Everyone's just go to one thing soleil adamas after after his a him winning the boxing championship. Or whatever you wanna call it. He then asked this to join in the discus games and still overcome by hardships. Odysseus respectfully declined. Like you know what. I've been through a lot. You guys go nuts. i'll sit this one out. will you all. He didn't insults odysseus. Yes he does he yeah it's pretty brazen to. He says no indeed stranger. You do not look like one expert in games much as these count with men more like a person moving to and fro on ships of many oars. Captain of trading semen. One who's mind is on his cargo watching freights and greedy gains. You are not like an athlete. Now these words actually upset odysseus quite a bit. He takes hard offense was i. It's important to note that the whole purpose of the gymnasium to the ancient greeks was to practice for warfare. Yeah so by saying that he does not look like someone who would excel in these types of things the same warrior and this is the perfect society so these are just men playing at war and he's like hold up young pup you're right. Do you know what. I have seen sitting here playing war and i have killed men less than you than you. I that wrong. It's so he would have gotten. That's why we're not exactly. That's why i'm diabetes level.