Give Me the Bible

Baptized Paganism, Part 2

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox

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Series Code: GMTB

Program Code: GMTB000018


00:20 Social scientists are telling us
00:23 that every 2-1/2 years
00:25 the total amount of information
00:28 available to the human race
00:30 actually doubles.
00:32 That 2-1/2 years from today
00:34 all that there is to know will have doubled.
00:38 No one can know it all.
00:40 Paul talks in his letter to Timothy,
00:44 II Timothy chapter 3 I think about verse 7
00:47 he talks about those who are ever learning
00:49 but never coming to a knowledge of the truth.
00:52 And so since we cannot learn it all,
00:56 God has made us responsible for learning the truth.
01:02 Pilate once asked Christ: "What is truth? "
01:05 And Christ had already stated
01:06 that "I am the Way AND the Truth. "
01:09 We must always follow the truth.
01:12 We must pursue the truth.
01:14 And certainly we have been hearing truth
01:18 these last several nights.
01:20 We learned among other things
01:22 that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
01:25 And so the Sabbath is the day of which Jesus is Lord
01:29 so that makes the Sabbath the Lord's day.
01:32 Now that's truth, and we are to walk in the light of the truth.
01:36 There's a very famous line from a movie,
01:38 I don't remember the name, where someone asks about
01:41 the truth and the response is given:
01:43 "You can't handle the truth. "
01:46 I think the question that we each ought to ask ourselves
01:50 whenever truth is presented: "Can we handle the truth? "
01:53 Are we ready to handle the truth?
01:56 Are we ready to walk in the truth
01:59 as truth has been presented?
02:01 And you'll have to agree with me that our presenter,
02:04 our pastor, our friend, Evangelist Cox has presented
02:08 the clear Word of God... the truth, the whole truth,
02:11 and nothing but the truth from the Word of God.
02:15 And once we know the truth,
02:16 we are responsible to walk in the truth.
02:19 Can you say amen?
02:20 So then we can say from that truth, truly that this
02:24 is the day that the Lord hath made.
02:27 We can say that with joy and with Biblical justification:
02:31 "we will be glad and rejoice in it. "
02:35 We've been talking about the Sabbath,
02:37 and today we get to hear Baptized Paganism II.
02:43 Last night was a fabulous presentation,
02:45 and we're excited to hear more about it today.
02:47 But before Elder Cox comes,
02:48 our friend Joe Pearles, one of the finest, beautiful
02:52 baritone voices that God has created to sing to His glory,
02:55 will sing a very beautiful song.
02:57 And it is entitled: Let Me Take You to the Cross.
03:28 You wonder if God really loves you.
03:34 Why did things turn out this way?
03:41 Does He even listen
03:46 each and every time you pray?
03:52 You keep looking for His presence
03:57 in the trials that bring you loss.
04:03 My friend, I know God loves you;
04:09 let me take you to the cross.
04:19 He cares for little children
04:24 and He marks the place they fall.
04:30 He knows how the flowers grow
04:36 and grows them one and all.
04:42 He even goes out searching
04:47 for the sheep that wanders off.
04:53 But if you want to know what love is,
04:59 let me take you to the cross.
05:22 You try so hard to go back to the place
05:28 where you first saw the light.
05:35 But someone's burned the bridges...
05:40 not a crossing is in sight.
05:46 Love shone through back then so clearly,
05:52 but somehow your way's been lost.
05:58 But if you want to know God's love again,
06:04 let me take you to the cross.
06:13 He cares for little sparrows,
06:18 and He marks the place they fall.
06:24 He knows how the flowers grow
06:31 and grows them one and all.
06:37 He even goes out searching
06:42 for the sheep that wanders off.
06:48 But if you want to know what love is,
06:53 let me take you to the cross.
07:02 My friend, Jesus loves you;
07:08 let me take you to the cross.
07:23 Amen!
07:25 Thank you, Joe!
07:26 And good morning to each of you.
07:28 Very happy to welcome you back. Appreciate you being here
07:32 as we are continuing on this series about the Sabbath.
07:37 And this morning we're doing the second part
07:40 of the presentation Baptized Paganism.
07:44 That's what we're looking at today.
07:46 And we hope that as we go through this particular series
07:50 that you will be able to see God's leading and His hand
07:53 as He has taken us through the scripture
07:56 and we've been looking at what God's Word says.
07:58 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible?
08:02 This should my only question be.
08:05 God gave us the Sabbath to bless and to remind us.
08:09 What says the Book of God to me?
08:12 That's what you and I need to be looking at
08:15 and seeing exactly what does God's Word tell us
08:19 and to follow what He tells us.
08:23 This morning we're in part 2
08:26 of Baptized Paganism.
08:30 As we've looked at the Sabbath,
08:32 our next presentation is going
08:35 to be The Sabbath Covenant.
08:37 The Sabbath Covenant.
08:39 God wants to make a covenant with you.
08:42 If the Lord was to say this to you:
08:45 "If you'll obey My voice, keep My commandments,
08:48 you will be a special treasure to Me
08:52 above all the people of the earth. "
08:54 Would that mean anything to you?
08:56 And that's exactly the promise He gives.
09:00 And so the covenant that God makes with you and with me
09:05 is very, very important.
09:08 Scripture says that when Jesus comes back
09:10 He's coming... describes Him in Revelation 19 as coming back
09:14 on a white horse, and it says
09:17 that He has His name written on His robe
09:20 and on His thigh.
09:23 Why would He do that?
09:25 Why would He have His name written on His robe
09:28 and on His thigh?
09:30 Well as we look at this question of the covenant
09:33 in our next presentation, you'll find out why.
09:37 So we hope that you'll be able to join us as we take a look
09:40 at this very, very vital and important subject.
09:44 This morning, what are you looking for?
09:47 What are you trying to find in Baptized Paganism II?
09:53 What you need to see is
09:57 as we looked in our last presentation
10:00 about the influence of paganism and what it did
10:04 and how it influenced God's people down through the years,
10:10 this morning you're going to see how it has invaded
10:14 and how that many of us do things
10:18 and celebrate certain things
10:21 totally based on pagan philosophy and pagan customs
10:26 rather than on the Word of God.
10:28 So we hope it will help you. As you understand God's Word,
10:32 it will open up and let you see what is happening
10:35 and taking place.
10:37 We have enjoyed during this series having Joe Pearles
10:41 with us. Been a special blessing and I know you've been blessed
10:45 as he sang for you each evening.
10:48 This morning he's going to sing a beautiful song entitled
10:52 Let the Blood of Calvary.
11:06 When the harvest has been gathered
11:12 and all my work is done.
11:17 When the last mile's been traveled
11:21 and I've sung my final song.
11:27 When I'm called to give an answer
11:32 at heaven's judgment seat,
11:36 then let the blood of Calvary
11:43 speak for me.
11:50 May He write me down as righteous
11:54 where no righteousness has been.
12:00 Shielding me from wrath and judgment
12:04 as it covers all my sin.
12:10 There's no work that I've accomplished
12:14 nor my goodness would I plead.
12:20 Just let the blood of Calvary
12:25 speak for me.
12:37 There may be some friends who've witnessed
12:42 and speak a word so kind.
12:47 Yet their voice would seem so feeble
12:52 at such an awesome time.
12:57 But there's a voice that calls for mercy
13:02 ringing through eternity.
13:07 Just let the blood of Calvary
13:12 speak for me.
13:19 May He write me down as righteous
13:24 where no righteousness has been.
13:29 Shielding me from wrath and judgment
13:34 as it covers all my sin.
13:39 There's no work that I've accomplished
13:44 nor my goodness would I plead.
13:49 Just let the blood of Calvary
13:54 speak for me.
14:01 There's no work that I've accomplished
14:06 nor my goodness would I plead.
14:11 Just let the blood of Calvary
14:16 speak for me.
14:22 Jesus, let the blood of Calvary
14:29 speak for me.
14:50 Amen!
15:00 Heavenly Father,
15:03 as we come to you today, we come, Lord,
15:07 first inviting Your presence to be among us.
15:11 Asking that we each might purpose in our hearts
15:18 to follow You, walk with You...
15:21 to give You our lives.
15:24 Bless us this morning.
15:26 May Your Spirit be present.
15:30 May it open our eyes, enlighten our minds.
15:37 May we desire to follow You.
15:42 To do Your will in all that we do.
15:46 Bless us as we study Your Word
15:48 we ask in Christ's name, Amen.
15:58 When Christ gave the commission
16:01 and told the disciples and the commission to you and to me,
16:06 "Go ye therefore and
16:08 teach all nations,
16:09 baptizing them in the name of
16:11 the Father and of the Son
16:12 and of the Holy Spirit, "
16:14 He gave that commission
16:16 for them to take the gospel
16:17 and with that the gospel spread.
16:20 I mean it went everywhere.
16:22 It crossed all national boundaries.
16:25 All of a sudden the gospel or the teaching of God
16:29 that had been confined to that of the Jewish nation
16:32 broke loose and it went everyplace.
16:35 I mean to Roman and to Greek and to all the people.
16:39 And they reached out and they accepted Jesus Christ
16:42 as their personal Savior.
16:44 It was no longer confined to a group of people, but it
16:48 spread with great rapidity everywhere.
16:52 And men and women in faith reached out and accepted Jesus
16:55 Christ as their personal Savior.
16:59 By the time we reach 300 A.D.,
17:04 almost half of the Roman Empire
17:08 has become Christian.
17:11 At this time, Constantine is the emperor of Rome.
17:16 Constantine is a pagan,
17:19 but he can see that his empire is turning towards Christianity
17:24 and he realizes that it would be politically advantageous
17:28 for him to accept Christianity.
17:31 So he told the people that he had had a dream
17:35 and in the dream he had seen a cross
17:38 and that he was going to accept Christ...
17:40 although there's no record that he ever did.
17:43 But he saw that he needed to do something
17:46 to make Christianity appealing to the pagans.
17:51 So in 321 A.D.
17:56 Constantine signed into effect
17:58 what was called the Edict of Constantine
18:02 which simply said this:
18:12 And he took the day
18:15 that the pagans worshiped the sun god on
18:19 and he took that day and put it in place
18:23 of the Sabbath as a day of worship
18:27 and told the people they were to worship on Sunday
18:31 not on the Sabbath...
18:33 trying to make Christianity appealing to the pagans.
18:39 And thus that transfer was made in 321 A.D.
18:45 When Constantine died,
18:48 the authority and all was turned more towards the church
18:52 and we read here
18:53 a book entitled the Professor of History in Rome.
18:57 And it says:
19:08 And so now we find the church
19:11 in pretty much the driver's seat
19:14 concerning what is going to happen in the Roman Empire.
19:18 And we find that about 40 years after Constantine
19:23 the church at the Council of Laodicea
19:26 accepted what Constantine had done and put their blessing
19:31 upon it with these words:
19:49 And so it says here that they placed their blessing.
19:54 What happened here is what one person said
19:58 that if you let the camel
20:02 get his nose into your tent
20:05 he will sleep with you that night.
20:08 And that's pretty much what happened because
20:11 as paganism moved in here
20:14 all of a sudden it came rolling into the church with
20:17 all of its teachings and so forth.
20:19 And so you read in history these words:
20:52 And so you find that paganism
20:54 that before had been totally outside the church
20:59 and in every respect taught against what the church believed
21:05 all of a sudden has now moved into the church.
21:08 I'm sure most of you remember the book the DaVinci Code
21:12 Brown wrote... Dan Brown?
21:15 And you remember in his effort to try to
21:19 discredit Christianity, he uses this illustration.
21:25 Notice what he says:
21:54 Said they are going there without any cognizance
21:59 that they're doing that out of worship to a pagan god
22:03 because it was transferred from that to Sunday.
22:08 With... knowing that,
22:11 it becomes necessary that you and I take a look
22:16 at every scripture there is in the Word of God
22:20 that mentions the first day of the week
22:23 and see if there's any credibility
22:28 or any reason based on those scriptures
22:31 to honor or keep the first day of the week.
22:34 We're going to take a look at those this morning
22:37 and see what the Word of God says.
22:39 Very interesting observation that Luke makes.
22:43 I want you to notice what he say very carefully.
22:52 Now Luke says here he made a record of how much?
22:56 Huh?
22:59 Yeah, of ALL that Jesus both "began both to do and teach"
23:12 So Luke says "I have made a recording of this. "
23:15 So to start with today, we're going to go to Luke
23:18 and see if Luke says anything here
23:20 about the first day of the week.
23:22 In Luke the 24th chapter it says... 23rd chapter, excuse me:
23:30 that was Joseph of Arimathea
23:41 So he just simply said that Joseph of Arimathea
23:43 went, got the body of Christ. Took it and put it in the tomb.
23:54 Now it says the day on which they did this
23:58 was called the Preparation Day.
24:00 The Preparation Day was the day before the Sabbath.
24:05 And at Easter time we refer to that day as...
24:10 Good Friday.
24:12 That's the day on which Jesus died,
24:16 and so we refer to it as Good Friday.
24:19 This was the day before the Sabbath.
24:22 It says the Sabbath "drew nigh. "
24:32 So the women got there; they looked...
24:34 saw how that Christ had been placed in the tomb.
24:44 So they got there. They saw where Christ was placed.
24:49 They went back home, made the preparations that were
24:52 necessary to take care of His body,
24:54 and they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
24:59 So we've got the Preparation Day which is referred to as
25:03 Good Friday. We've got the Sabbath when they rested.
25:07 And then Luke continues and says
25:18 They got there; they found the stone rolled away.
25:21 Christ had risen.
25:23 And it tells us this took place on when?
25:26 The first day of the week
25:28 or, as we refer to it, as Easter Sunday.
25:33 So those were the steps that took place there
25:36 just exactly as God's Word says.
25:39 This is what Luke says.
25:42 There's nothing here, folks.
25:45 There's nothing in the gospel of Luke
25:47 that says God took
25:49 the first day of the week
25:51 and He blessed it,
25:52 He hallowed it,
25:54 and He sanctified it
25:55 and set it aside as a day of worship.
25:57 Not a word.
25:59 That's it in Luke.
26:01 So let's go to the gospel of Matthew.
26:04 See what Matthew says.
26:06 Matthew 28 verse 1:
26:15 So here it says that these women came on the
26:20 first day of the week
26:23 to see the tomb. It says they have come early.
26:28 That's all that Matthew says.
26:31 I mean, he does not mention the first day of the week again.
26:35 That's the only observation he's making
26:38 that they came on the first day of the week.
26:41 Do you know when the gospel of Matthew was written?
26:45 Well the gospel of Matthew was written in 70 A.D.
26:49 This, dear friends, is 39 years
26:55 after the death of Jesus.
26:57 If there had been a change in the day of worship,
27:00 Matthew certainly would have said something about it.
27:03 He would have said there's been a change made.
27:06 This is what took place.
27:07 But he's absolutely silent.
27:09 He doesn't say a word about it.
27:11 He just simply says they came early.
27:13 OK.
27:16 Let's go to the gospel of Mark.
27:18 See what Mark has to say.
27:21 Mark 16 verse 1:
27:33 So it says here that these women have come early on the
27:38 first day of the week that they might anoint Christ.
27:42 Prepare His body for burial.
27:44 That's what they're coming there to do.
27:48 They're not coming there to worship.
27:52 They're coming there to... work.
27:57 They're not coming there for worship,
27:59 they're coming there to work.
28:01 They're coming early that they might anoint Him.
28:04 It goes on and says:
28:11 Let me ask you a question.
28:12 Why are they coming so early?
28:16 I mean, why are they coming early in the morning?
28:19 Well, they're coming early in the morning
28:23 for several reasons.
28:25 One, they need to take care of His body while it's cool.
28:32 They need to take care of it quickly because He's been dead
28:35 several hours so rigor mortis is already setting in.
28:41 They need to take care of His body there
28:45 because... before it gets real hot.
28:48 So they've come early in the morning
28:50 to take care of His body.
28:51 They're coming there for work.
28:53 This is hard work; this is not something that's easy.
28:56 It took about 300 pounds of spices
29:01 to prepare somebody's body for burial.
29:04 In fact, it says here in John 19:39:
29:16 So it says that Nicodemus himself brought 100 pounds
29:20 to help prepare the body of Jesus.
29:23 So what I'm trying to tell you is this was not something
29:26 that was simple. This was hard work;
29:30 they were not coming to the tomb to worship.
29:34 Mark goes on and says:
29:44 So Mark is just making the observation Christ arose
29:48 on the first day of the week. And what took place there?
29:51 This is all that Mark says.
29:54 There's nothing here...
29:56 absolutely nothing here that says God took that day
29:59 and blessed it, hallowed it, sanctified it.
30:02 Doesn't say that, folks.
30:04 Well, one more in the gospel...
30:07 that's the gospel of John.
30:09 John says:
30:16 How early?
30:24 So she has gotten there before the sun has even come up.
30:29 Christ has already risen from the grave.
30:33 Stone's already been rolled away.
30:36 In fact, it says here:
30:48 So she ran and told Peter and John
30:51 that the tomb was empty.
30:54 The stone was rolled away.
30:56 Christ wasn't there. She didn't know what had happened to Him.
30:59 There is not any evidence here
31:03 that those women were coming there to worship.
31:07 In fact, folks, all the hopes,
31:11 all the plans, all the ambition,
31:16 all the things that these people believed in
31:19 died with Christ.
31:21 They believed that He was the Messiah.
31:24 They believed He was going to set up a kingdom.
31:26 They believed He was the Deliverer.
31:28 And for Him to be dead was totally something that they
31:33 couldn't fathom.
31:34 They're not coming there for the purpose of worshiping.
31:39 That... what John says. One other:
31:59 First day of the week. Christ appeared to the disciples
32:03 after His resurrection.
32:04 All this is saying... the doors were shut.
32:08 Those disciples are not there... they're not there worshiping.
32:14 They're there for what reason?
32:17 For fear of the Jews.
32:19 They're afraid.
32:21 They're afraid they're going to be taken and crucified
32:24 as their Lord was.
32:25 They're hiding...
32:26 they're not worshiping.
32:28 So there is nothing here, folks,
32:31 that says that God blessed, God hallowed,
32:35 God sanctified the first day of the week.
32:38 Now, I have shared with you all the texts there are
32:42 in the gospels.
32:44 There's really only two more in the New Testament.
32:47 That's all.
32:49 On these two, probably 95%
32:53 of all the reasons you hear
32:57 for worshiping on the first day of the week is given.
33:00 So look at them carefully as we take a look at them
33:04 what they say.
33:05 One more, I'm sorry, here in John.
33:13 This is the one of them: I Corinthians the 16th chapter
33:18 verse 1:
33:37 Now I've heard people read that text and say
33:39 well that means you're to take your offering to the church
33:42 on the first day of the week.
33:44 Well, let's look at the text
33:47 and see exactly what it's talking about
33:50 because there's something involved here.
33:52 This is what it says:
34:05 Now there's a question here of taking an offering
34:08 and taking a gift to Jerusalem.
34:11 We need to find out why...
34:13 what's taking place here.
34:35 So Agabus prophesied there was going to be a great famine
34:39 and there was a famine, and these churches
34:44 were taking an offering to send to Jerusalem
34:48 for the believers there because they didn't have enough to eat.
34:52 There was a real problem.
35:00 They said: "We're going to take an offering.
35:01 We're going to send it. " And this what Paul has written
35:05 and said: "You select somebody there to go with us,
35:08 and we'll take it down to Jerusalem. "
35:10 So let's see what happens here.
35:20 So this is how it was to be taken.
35:23 So let's go back and take a look at that text in detail.
35:38 Now I highlighted laying something aside.
35:41 That didn't mean a church.
35:44 When it told them they were to lay something aside
35:48 basically it's talking about at home. In fact,
35:56 In other words, they were to figure out how God had
35:59 blessed them and they were to lay that offering aside
36:03 so that when Paul came it would be ready.
36:07 That's what it's saying.
36:09 It's not saying that they were to go to church,
36:12 take an offering. Why does it say the first day of the week?
36:14 Simply because as they went through the week
36:18 they got to the end of the week they had the Sabbath.
36:21 When the Sabbath was over, Paul is telling them
36:24 "Sit down. Figure out how God blessed you this past week.
36:28 And if you want to give something for the poor
36:31 in Jerusalem, set that aside. "
36:34 That's what Paul is saying to them.
36:36 Watch as it continues here.
36:49 Now, was he saying "we're not going to take an offering? "
36:53 Is that what he said:
36:54 "There'll be no collections when I come? "
36:57 No, that's not what he's saying.
36:59 You see back then, very very few people had money.
37:05 There was gold coins that was used,
37:09 but that was pretty much among the leaders of the country
37:14 and the common people they didn't have that.
37:17 They used something called
37:19 the bartering system.
37:21 That meant you went down to the
37:23 market and you traded
37:27 the old hen, chicken,
37:30 for a half a bushel of corn.
37:33 Or you went down and traded a bushel of wheat
37:38 for two bushels of barley.
37:41 They used a bartering system, so what Paul is saying
37:45 is: "If you've got a half a bushel of wheat
37:47 you want to give to the people down in Jerusalem,
37:50 then set that aside
37:53 so there won't be collections when I come. "
37:55 He said: "Have it ready so that we don't have to
37:58 collect all this. "
37:59 This is what that text is talking about.
38:02 It's not talking about taking the first day of the week
38:04 and setting... and it becoming a special day of worship.
38:08 Let's look:
38:14 Huh?
38:16 No, it doesn't say that.
38:18 OK?
38:24 No, doesn't do that.
38:33 No, none of those are there.
38:35 So that's not in that text, folks.
38:38 Just... just not there.
38:40 One more text in the New Testament.
38:43 That's found in Acts 20.
39:04 Remember that text... important!
39:19 So this meeting is taking place on the third story.
39:24 It's taking place what time of day?
39:26 At night, because there's many lights in the upper chamber.
39:30 And it must be a warm summer evening.
39:34 This young man is sitting in the window.
39:36 And Paul is speaking, and he goes to sleep
39:39 and he falls out and it kills him.
39:42 Now, there's two things to be learned from that text.
39:45 OK?
39:47 One... don't go to sleep on the preacher.
39:50 That's dangerous!
39:51 Secondly, the preacher shouldn't be long-winded.
39:54 Those are the two things you are to learn from that text.
39:58 But it goes on and says:
40:05 Paul went down and prayed for him.
40:07 God gave him back his life.
40:21 So they went back up; they were comforted
40:24 over the fact that the young man was alive.
40:26 All right... let's look at some facts.
40:31 Important - put it down... a night meeting!
40:39 I don't know if you can follow it or not,
40:41 but on the screen - on the map - that red line
40:45 represents Paul's third missionary journey.
40:48 He has gone clear on down here to Corinth
40:51 some of those areas and he is now on his way back
40:55 to Jerusalem.
40:57 That's where he's at; he's on his way back to Jerusalem
41:00 at this time.
41:01 OK?
41:05 He's going there because it's a special feast
41:09 for the Jewish people.
41:10 He knows the Jewish people will be coming in from everywhere
41:13 and it gives him an opportunity to talk to them
41:16 about Jesus Christ.
41:18 That's the reason he's going.
41:25 OK? That's what you need to establish...
41:28 a farewell meeting for Paul.
41:36 So let's watch as it puts it all together.
41:49 So what's happening here and how is this possible?
41:52 Well, this incident has happened folks in a place called Troas.
41:57 Paul has gone to Troas; he's preached the gospel.
42:00 He has raised this church up,
42:03 so these people look upon Paul as their father
42:06 because he's the one that introduced them to Jesus Christ.
42:09 They love him. Paul is on his way back;
42:12 He has stopped here in Troas.
42:15 These people are very much aware
42:19 that they're not going to see Paul again.
42:23 They're aware of that,
42:26 so this is a farewell meeting.
42:29 Why did his companions catch a ship to Assos
42:33 and Paul intended to go by foot?
42:35 Well if you look at it there on the screen,
42:38 you'll find that that is a peninsula that sticks out there.
42:42 And so Paul's companions caught a ship in Troas
42:46 sailed around the peninsula to Assos.
42:50 Paul, the next morning - Sunday morning -
42:53 walked 19 miles from Troas over to Assos.
42:58 That's what's going on here.
43:12 This is the reason they stayed up all night long...
43:14 because this is a farewell meeting for Paul.
43:19 It's taking place at night.
43:24 What day is this taking place on?
43:29 First day of the week.
43:31 First day of the week.
43:33 Get that clear in your mind.
43:34 This is when it's taking place.
43:36 Now we're going to look at the only text -
43:39 the only text in the Old Testament
43:42 that mentions the first day of the week
43:45 as far as the weekly cycle is concerned.
43:48 Genesis 1 verse 5:
43:58 The thing that's important about this text
44:00 other than just stating that it's the first day of the week
44:03 it tells you when the day starts.
44:05 When does the day start?
44:09 Well it says evening and morning.
44:11 And as you pick up your Bible and you read through it,
44:14 you'll find it always talks about time
44:17 as far as the day is concerned
44:19 that it starts in the evening.
44:22 That's the reason it says in Leviticus 23:32:
44:29 That was the day; it meant from sunset to sunset
44:32 you are to celebrate your Sabbath.
44:34 This is the way it was to be kept: from sunset to sunset.
44:38 So I ask you the question:
44:40 If this is taking place at night, which it is
44:44 because there was many lights in the upper chambers,
44:46 and it's taking place at night
44:48 and it's the first day of the week,
44:50 then when is it?
44:53 It has to be Saturday night
44:58 because the day begins at sunset,
45:01 goes to sunset,
45:03 It you move me to sunset on Sunday,
45:07 that's the beginning of the second day of the week.
45:11 In fact, some Bible translators recognize that because in the
45:15 New English Bible it says:
45:22 They recognize this took place on Saturday night.
45:25 And that is - by the way, don't misunderstand me -
45:28 that is the first day of the week according to the Bible.
45:32 So this took place on Saturday night...
45:34 a farewell meeting for Paul
45:38 because they realized that he was leaving.
45:40 And they never saw him again, folks.
45:43 That was the last meeting they had with Paul.
45:46 It was his third missionary journey.
46:01 No such thing.
46:03 We live in a computer age
46:07 where you can, you know, just get things very quickly.
46:11 I went to the computer and just typed in
46:14 the first day of the week and asked them to give me
46:16 all the texts in the Bible
46:17 that mention the first day of the week.
46:20 And it did...
46:22 the ones I have just shared with you.
46:23 Nine of them. Gave them all to me
46:26 right there on a sheet of paper.
46:28 Those are the ones that mention the first day of the week.
46:30 I also just typed in and asked the computer to give me
46:33 all the texts in the Bible that mention the Sabbath.
46:37 And it did.
46:44 So if you want to take a look at...
46:52 So if you want to look at where the abundance of evidence rests,
46:57 folks, it's not with the first day of the week...
46:59 it's with the Sabbath.
47:02 That's where it is.
47:04 But what do other churches say about this?
47:10 Let me share quickly with you what they say.
48:18 That's what he said. So what I've shared with you
48:20 this morning is not something that other people weren't
48:24 very much aware of.
48:26 Let's look at another one:
48:50 And this is basically what happened. As time went on
48:53 it became more aware.
49:01 Catholic. Listen to what they say very, very carefully.
49:34 They said they did that.
49:37 They were responsible for doing this... to make the change.
49:40 Continuing... this is what they say:
49:59 Changed it. Not by a command of God's Word
50:05 but by their own authority.
50:10 Martin Luther. Martin Luther had some real questions.
50:16 Of course you all know that Martin Luther died
50:19 at a fairly young age.
50:21 Didn't live long.
50:22 I think he was 50-something
50:24 when he died.
50:25 But he had real questions.
50:26 I want you to listen to what he says about this.
50:28 This is in the Augsburg Confession:
50:46 He goes on:
50:57 So the question that you and I need to ask ourselves today
51:03 is where do I build my faith?
51:06 Do I build it on the Word of God?
51:11 Is this where I stand... on the Word of God?
51:14 Or do I stand on tradition?
51:19 Where do I base my faith?
51:21 What says the Bible,
51:23 the blessed Bible?
51:25 This should my only question be.
51:29 The teachings of men so often mislead us.
51:33 What says the Word of God to me?
51:41 Where He leads me, I will
51:46 follow.
51:49 Where He leads me, I
51:54 will follow.
51:57 Where He leads me, I
52:02 will follow.
52:06 I'll go with Him
52:09 all the way.
52:17 Let us pray.
52:19 Father in Heaven,
52:21 we come to You today realizing that we live
52:27 in a world that has taken and mixed
52:34 what Your Word teaches
52:37 with the philosophy of paganism.
52:41 Help us, Lord, to be true to You.
52:46 To stand upon Your Word.
52:49 To be willing to be Your disciple.
52:54 To walk with You...
52:58 to follow You.
53:00 May we see and may we understand
53:04 that You are Lord
53:07 and that You should give guidance and direction
53:11 to our lives.
53:12 That we - each one - would walk with You
53:18 and follow You as You lead
53:21 rather than to let the traditions of man
53:24 give us direction and guidance for our lives.
53:27 Bless each one:
53:29 those that are watching by television,
53:32 those that are listening on the radio.
53:35 May they pick up Your Word.
53:38 May they search it,
53:41 and may they know what Your Word teaches
53:45 and may their faith in You be strong.
53:48 For these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ
53:53 our Lord, Amen.
53:58 Our next presentation is that on the covenant...
54:03 The Sabbath Covenant.
54:04 The covenant that God wants to make with you and with me.
54:09 This covenant, folks, is extremely important.
54:12 It's something that God desires.
54:15 He's a covenant-keeping God,
54:18 and He makes that covenant.
54:19 And He even says that if you and I will keep His covenant
54:23 that it will be well with us.
54:27 That's a promise He makes.
54:28 And you'll find that is very, very true that if you and I
54:32 enter into a covenant with Him and say:
54:35 "I'll walk with You; I'll follow You; I'll keep Your covenant, "
54:39 then God will bless. In fact, His throne
54:43 is staked on the fulfillment of His word.
54:46 So we hope that each one of you will be sure and be with us
54:49 as we talk about The Sabbath Covenant.
54:51 May God bless you.
54:53 Take care. Keep yourself close to the Lord.
54:56 Jesus said in Luke chapter 8
54:59 a sower went out to sow his seed.
55:01 And as he sowed,
55:03 some fell by the wayside
55:05 and it was trampled down
55:06 and the birds of the air devoured it.
55:09 Some fell on rock
55:10 and as soon as it sprang up it withered
55:13 because it lacked moisture.
55:14 And some fell among thorns
55:16 and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
55:21 But others fell on good ground,
55:23 sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundred-fold.
55:27 Jesus Christ came to sow the seed of truth
55:30 into this world.
55:32 And just as every seed has life in it,
55:34 the Word of God is also life.
55:37 Jesus said in John 6:63
55:39 "The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit
55:42 and they are life. "
55:44 But sadly in this day and age
55:47 many professed ministers of the gospel
55:49 don't accept the Bible as God's inspired Word.
55:52 Because its plain teachings condemn their practices
55:56 they have tried to make it appear mysterious
55:59 and obscure in order to excuse their own transgressions
56:02 of God's law.
56:03 There are those who try to make everything seem
56:06 pleasant and positive.
56:07 They gloss over or ignore the warnings of God,
56:10 and thus they strip the Bible of the power to convict
56:14 sinners of their need of salvation.
56:17 But no matter how brilliant and how pleasant they sound
56:20 their message cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger
56:24 of a true seeker.
56:27 The truth is that ever since the fall of man
56:31 Satan has been busy sowing the seed of error.
56:34 But friends, when the Word of God is preached
56:37 in simplicity and sincerity,
56:39 it's powerful.
56:40 Instead of pointing out the errors of others
56:43 or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel,
56:46 we must follow the example of Christ
56:48 and simply sow the seeds of truth.
56:51 Oh, yes, there will be seeds that will fall by the wayside,
56:56 be eaten by the birds.
56:58 Other seeds will sprout in stony soil
57:01 only to dry up for the lack of water.
57:03 Still others will fall among the thorns,
57:06 but many will spring up to bear an abundant fruit.
57:11 The sower's job is to sow seed.
57:14 And believe me, there is no greater joy
57:17 than to see the lives transformed under the influence
57:21 of the Holy Spirit.
57:22 It's an experience all of us can have,
57:25 and it's the only goal we have as a ministry team.
57:29 We have a marvelous opportunity
57:31 to sow by broadcasting these wonderful seeds of life
57:35 to the whole world.
57:36 Jesus gave all of us the gospel commission.
57:40 Won't you join us in this effort?
57:43 Please consider what you can do
57:45 for those who still don't know about Jesus.
57:48 As the Holy Spirit impresses,
57:50 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
58:04 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope
58:07 to millions all around the world.


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Revised 2014-12-17