Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL150002A
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:02 and sit back as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:23 Welcome to House Calls. 00:25 Those of you who are sitting at your televisions, 00:27 or if you are on the radio, welcome, 00:29 don't look to the left or the right, 00:31 keep your eyes on the road. 00:32 John and John chiming in here. 00:34 Hello, John. 00:36 Good to see you, John. 00:37 Yeah, good to see you too. 00:39 It seems like, it'd be nice to be able to do this everyday 00:42 but it's a challenge distance wise. 00:44 That's right. 00:46 John lives out west, we met at west, 00:48 he decided to move out west into the upper Columbia region 00:52 where the trees are taller than mountains and more beautiful 00:55 and I live in the un-indescribable Midwest. 01:01 I'll leave it there. 01:03 Good to have you in our program today. 01:04 We thank you for tuning in. 01:06 We love it here, 01:07 because it's where God has called us. 01:09 One day it's gonna be just as beautiful as California. 01:13 If you live in Illinois, forgive me. 01:15 But we're gonna get into the Bible program today 01:17 that really makes a difference. 01:19 We love House Calls and that's why 01:20 we're glad that you've chosen to tune in. 01:22 And we have Bible questions, 01:24 we're gonna continue on our topic 01:26 which is about God, what a topic, John. 01:29 What a topic? God's character. 01:30 Yeah. The character of God, 01:31 we're gonna talk about that 01:33 and we're gonna share with you, 01:34 what is, send your questions and your comments 01:36 and just a moment, but before we do any of that, 01:38 John always has prayer for us. 01:39 So let's bow our heads... 01:40 Let's do that. 01:42 Father in heaven, 01:43 we again appeal for your presence here today. 01:45 We ask that you would send your Spirit 01:48 to feed us through Your word with a knowledge of You, 01:51 because we know that as finite human beings, 01:53 we're just incapable of fully understanding things 01:56 unless you give us that insight 01:58 and so, Lord, we trust Your word, 02:00 we trust You to lead us through this program 02:03 in Jesus' name, amen. 02:04 Amen. 02:06 Friends, I want to thank you 02:08 for your questions and comments 02:09 that you send to us, 02:10 and if you have any that's going around 02:12 in your mind right now, 02:14 we get snail mail, we get computer printouts, 02:18 we get those text that continue to come into us. 02:21 If you have any questions 02:22 that you're thinking about sending to us, 02:23 here is the email address. 02:25 Send those to housecalls@3abn.org. 02:28 That's housecalls@3abn.org, 02:32 and we will do our best to respond to them, 02:34 which means John is up to the batter's box. 02:39 Go ahead and let's catch the first question. 02:42 Find out what do we have today. 02:44 All right. 02:45 This question comes from Lan 02:48 and he says after being presented with this question, 02:50 I'm not sure how to answer it, 02:51 I was hoping you could help. 02:53 As we read the story of creation 02:55 in the Book of Genesis, 02:56 God is identified by the pronoun He 02:58 in Genesis 1:26, 27, 03:01 the Father, Son and Holy Spirit 03:03 collaborated to create male and female in their own image. 03:07 The question is, 03:09 how could both male and female be patterned after 03:12 or created after their own image, 03:15 if there were no female God, if you will, 03:18 for Eve to be patterned after 03:20 and no model to exemplify the feminine half 03:23 of the family unit for humanity. 03:26 Is it wrong to think off 03:28 the male God had as one would think of human males, 03:31 since they were the ones Adam was patterned after. 03:34 So good question, good question. 03:36 I'm gonna resist until you answer. 03:38 Go ahead. 03:40 Well, we both have different things 03:41 and there's lots of ways to answer this question 03:43 as there are with many of the questions 03:44 that we get here on House Calls, 03:46 and we thank you for sending those in. 03:48 But one of the things we forget is, 03:52 God is not just talking about, 03:53 when He is talking about images, 03:55 He is not just saying that the image is our physique 03:59 or even how we think. 04:01 It's the whole person, 04:03 is the image of God 04:04 and the person who would have God 04:07 does include male and female attributes. 04:12 Okay, now God is thought of 04:14 and he presents Himself as a male, 04:18 as the head of all of creation. 04:23 But throughout scripture you'll find many times 04:25 where God uses language, John, 04:28 that includes a femininity, sort of speak. 04:31 Also we have to be careful 04:33 not to boil down God to how we look. 04:37 Because God is spirit and it goes far beyond 04:39 what we can comprehend. 04:41 uses the term 'El Shaddai' 04:46 which in literal translation is the many breasted one, 04:50 it's as if someone 04:51 he is holding and caring for someone 04:55 as a mother does up to her breasts, 04:58 nurturing and feeding and providing security. 05:01 So in that respect, 05:02 God is pictured as a woman caring for her child. 05:08 It's further elaborated on that very same concept 05:11 in Isaiah 49:15. 05:15 Can a woman forget her suckling child, 05:18 that she should not have compassion 05:19 on the son of her womb? 05:21 Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 05:24 So he can't forget the ones he has created 05:27 as a woman would create a child. 05:29 So you know, we can't just limit... 05:31 Procreate. 05:33 Re-procreate as... 05:34 I mean, obviously we're not 05:36 putting bring the resistance that aren't, 05:38 but clearly he, 05:41 his image includes all the attributes 05:43 of man and woman in Adam and Eve 05:46 that have been passed down through history. 05:48 And you find that throughout scripture. 05:51 Now the main analogy of course we find is God 05:53 as head as the man, 05:57 and he is the husband of the wife, His church, 06:02 He also speaks of the New Jerusalem 06:04 as being a bride. 06:06 So in that way, the Bible presents to us, 06:09 um, you know, his "maleness" 06:14 but to just simply say well, you know, 06:16 God is like males and not like females is incorrect, 06:20 because he even himself portrays a likeness 06:23 to many of the attributes of females as well. 06:26 It's the whole person, it's the whole 06:28 and all of humanity 06:30 as God reveals Himself in His character. 06:33 Okay, so when Isaiah says, 06:35 I'm God and there is none like me. 06:39 One of the things 06:40 that we have to put into perspective there is, 06:42 the adverb, 06:45 there is none like me is using that description. 06:48 When you think of God's creative ability, 06:52 and this is something 06:53 that I think you addressed a moment ago, 06:55 someone asking well, what about male and female, 06:57 well, God is a not a tree either, 06:59 but He created the tree, 07:01 God is not a fish either but He created a fish. 07:03 Everything that God did in creation, 07:05 He did it so that they could procreate. 07:08 You know, the seed of the orange 07:10 creates another orange 07:11 but the orange didn't create the orange, 07:13 what came first, the orange or the seed, 07:15 you know, we say the chicken or the egg. 07:16 Everything that God did in creation 07:19 was to procreate to bring forth after its kind, 07:23 you see in Genesis. 07:24 So you had the mother and the father 07:26 to bring forth son and the daughter 07:28 after their kind. 07:29 So when one of the things that 07:32 when you tiptoe through this topic, 07:34 you don't want to call God dual gender, 07:37 but both genders came forth from God, 07:41 'cause that's widely important to understand. 07:43 So who is God? 07:44 He is the creator and His diversity 07:46 and His ability creates everything 07:48 that we have in our society, 07:49 but I want to also add this component here, 07:52 and this is in the modern context. 07:54 One of the reasons 07:55 why that's so widely important to understand 07:57 that God created the male and the females 07:59 because He created them to procreate. 08:03 So now today in the context of modern society 08:06 today where much emphasis is put on 08:08 same sex marriage. 08:11 You see, man with man, woman with woman. 08:14 If that was God's plan, there will be no procreation. 08:17 The human race would have ceased 08:18 to procreate centuries ago. 08:21 So the purpose of God 08:23 and one of the ways I heard preacher say 08:25 this which is so profound, he says 08:27 when man and woman comes together, 08:30 they complete the image of God in the human race. 08:33 And they have become one. 08:35 Right. 08:36 So as the father and the son... 08:38 as we are one, 08:39 so that the world will know that we sent you by your unity, 08:44 by the man and the woman being joined together 08:46 to complete the image of God in the human race. 08:50 And then the unity in the church 08:53 to show that God sent us, 08:56 so God is into unity. 08:57 But anytime that unity is distorted, 09:01 which is I mentioned this briefly, 09:03 there is a occult image called Baphomet, 09:07 Baphometi in the Latin 09:10 or in the Italian which is a dual gender, 09:12 beast of, Satanic beast of dual gender. 09:15 That's not... 09:17 that doesn't represent the true God. 09:18 That's a distortion of the true God, 09:20 because that is the catalyst 09:23 by which many of the components of concepts today, 09:26 that it doesn't really matter, 09:27 man with man, woman with woman. 09:29 Well, and I think the other thing 09:30 that goes to say is analogies have limits. 09:32 You know, you can go too far with just about any analogy, 09:34 and I think you can go so far in this 09:36 sometimes that then people try to, 09:38 you know, create the duality of God, 09:41 male and female and all those other things 09:42 but analogies only go so far. 09:44 And we have to be careful 09:46 not to go beyond what the Bible says. 09:48 Wonderful, John, go to John 13, 09:50 a question came in 09:53 and I think this is a very basic 09:54 short answer if you really, 09:56 what do you think about it. 09:57 Recently I saw in 3ABN a communion service 10:01 and there was no foot washing. 10:03 I thought this was always done. 10:05 Please explain. 10:07 Well, because of the air time. 10:09 Because of air time the foot washing was done 10:11 before that 10:13 and then the airtime was appropriately used 10:15 for the purpose of having the communion service, 10:19 the ceremonial part of it, 10:21 the bread and the wine 10:22 and putting the sermons together. 10:24 But surely we completely support the examples 10:27 that are left by Jesus in John chapter 13, 10:30 where He said, um, 10:32 He gave us an example that we should follow as He has. 10:37 So when He girded Himself, 10:40 put His towel on wash the feet of His disciples, 10:43 we still look at that as the ordinance of humility. 10:47 So that's the quick answer there. 10:48 Yes, the reason why it wasn't done on air 10:51 because of the value, 10:52 the valuable nature of airtime 10:54 rather than people watching us wash 10:57 each other's feet 10:58 and you can really communicate that on radio. 11:00 So we have to be mindful of the fact that 11:02 whatever we do on television, 11:04 when it's duplicated for radio 11:06 and you hear the swashing of water and... 11:08 what are they doing. 11:09 You really can't communicate that in a media setting. 11:12 That's the only reason why that wasn't done. 11:14 That's right, that's right. 11:15 Another question here, 11:17 it surrounds John 14:1-3 11:21 and this is from Denise, 11:23 she says that 11:24 her sister is a Jehovah's Witness 11:25 and believes that John 14:1-3 is specifically aimed 11:29 at the disciples and not for everyone else. 11:31 Okay. 11:32 And Jesus is talking only to the disciples. 11:37 How do we know that Jesus wants to include the church 11:40 in what he says here. 11:42 And she says for context, 11:44 she says as you know Jehovah's Witnesses 11:46 believe that only the 144,000 are going to heaven, 11:48 those are joining that church in that movement. 11:52 So they're more of an exclusive sectarian in that perspective. 11:55 So this is the approach that they have... 11:57 she says I haven't done a lot of studying 11:59 into this specific verse 12:00 and their teachings on it, 12:01 but the quick answer there is 12:05 how do we know this pertains to the church. 12:06 Well, everything Jesus taught the disciples 12:12 was to prepare them for their leadership in the church. 12:18 Okay, so when we are talking about the teachings of Jesus 12:21 and what he is saying to the disciples 12:23 who then keep in mind, 12:26 wrote down these words in the Gospels for who? 12:30 For the church. For the church. 12:32 They themselves understood Jesus to be teaching them 12:36 for the church to then learn them. 12:38 That's right. 12:40 So, you can't exclude that passage 12:45 and separated from 12:46 what the church receives as a message 12:49 because God always designed 12:52 when He pulled His disciples together 12:53 to teach them things that 12:55 they would then pass on to the church. 12:56 He even said, you know, 12:58 these things you won't remember, 13:00 but later you remember 'em. 13:02 Because God will bring them to mind through his spirit 13:05 so they can then share them with the church. 13:07 And that's where the gospels were written. 13:09 You even find in Matthew, 13:14 let's see 13:15 in Matthew Chapter 16, 13:21 it says there that 13:25 Jesus answering Peter says, 13:29 "Blessed are you, Simon for flesh and blood 13:33 has not received into thee, 13:34 but my Father which is in heaven I say to you, 13:36 thou art Peter..." 13:38 A verse often misconstrued to mean, 13:41 the establishment of the Roman Church but, 13:44 he saying here up on this rock, I will build my Church 13:47 and the gates of hell should not prevail against it. 13:49 And I would give you the keys 13:51 unto the keys of the kingdom of heaven 13:53 and whatsoever you shall bind on earth 13:55 shall be bound in heaven. 13:56 Whatsoever you shall loose on earth 13:58 shall be loosed in heaven. 13:59 This is an expanded view John of the church itself. 14:02 He is not saying on Peter the rock I'll build my church, 14:05 but on Christ, on me, 14:07 on this rock I will build my church, 14:10 but He is giving the keys to who, 14:13 the disciples. 14:14 That's right. 14:16 Who then established the church with the gospel 14:20 and so you could say here, someone could argue here well, 14:24 he was just meeting with the disciples here, 14:26 he was just telling the disciples 14:27 this is in for the church. 14:28 But clearly God always spoken, 14:30 and he always taught in the context of his mission 14:33 that would continue through them to reach the world 14:36 and establish a church for the main purpose, 14:38 the primary purpose 14:40 of spreading the everlasting gospel. 14:41 That's right. 14:42 So this kingdom idea, 14:44 which is very wonderfully handled in the Bible. 14:48 John 3-16, 14:50 the most quoted scripture of all time. 14:53 Let me just begin with this one. 14:55 "For God so loved the world 14:59 that He gave His only begotten Son, 15:02 that whosoever believeth in Him 15:05 shall have everlasting life." 15:08 Okay. 15:10 "Shall not perish but shall have everlasting life." 15:13 Whoever, 15:14 it was not narrowed down to just the disciples 15:18 and then when Jesus commission the disciples, 15:22 He says go therefore and teach all nations 15:25 baptizing them in the name of the Father 15:27 and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 15:29 Another controverted issue 15:30 among some denominations about the baptism. 15:33 But He said the gospel is for the whole world. 15:35 Why is the gospel for the whole world? 15:37 Why he is believing in baptizing 15:39 for the whole world? 15:40 Go again. 15:41 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, 15:44 so the salvation is for the whole world, 15:46 not just for the disciples 15:47 and what's gonna happen 15:49 at the end result of that salvation road. 15:51 Matthew 25:34, 15:53 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 15:56 'Come, you blessed of my Father, 15:58 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 16:01 from the foundation of the world." 16:03 Whoever, who is ever, who has ever, 16:06 whoever has accepted him 16:07 will be inheritors of the kingdom, 16:09 Matthew 24:31... 16:11 Are you saying that gospel is inclusive? 16:13 The gospel is inclusive. 16:14 It's not exclusive. No. 16:16 It's inclusive. 16:17 I love the language that you're using there from the Bible. 16:20 Matthew 24:31, 16:21 "And he will send his angels 16:23 with a great sound of a trumpet, 16:24 and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, 16:28 from one end of heaven to the other. 16:30 Not just 12 disciples, so when the church grew, 16:34 the Bible says in Acts Chapter 2 16:36 and the Lord added to the church daily 16:39 such as should be saved. 16:41 3000, 5000 so many more were added 16:44 then all they could say was multitudes were added. 16:47 And so the kingdom gospel is not as narrow minded 16:50 as some try to portray it, 16:52 that they're the only ones who gonna be there, 16:54 only the 144,000. 16:56 No, when David the Psalmist says, 16:59 open wide the gate, 17:00 so that the nation that keepeth the truth may enter in. 17:04 See. 17:05 And you know what, the idea of remnant... 17:08 Right. 17:09 Throughout the Bible is never in the context 17:13 of the only ones saved. 17:15 It's always in the context of whom God 17:18 will use to save and reach the world, 17:21 with the gospel of salvation. 17:23 So the remnant are the ones 17:25 He is using to deliver a message, 17:27 to bring salvation to the world. 17:29 In fact, with Israel itself, 17:31 He said, I've chosen you 17:33 and of course it pertains to Christ initially 17:34 but then Peter used it at the day of Pentecost 17:38 in the context of the church. 17:40 That's right. 17:41 That you will bring to the world my salvation 17:46 and that is the concept of remnant, 17:48 and so lot of people skew this idea of remnant 17:50 as the only one saved 17:52 and that is absolutely not true, 17:54 the remnant is one used by God to deliver that gospel, 17:58 to deliver the message of salvation to the world. 18:01 And that whole concept, 18:03 let me add another one, by the way, 18:05 the reference I just made to open wide the gates 18:07 is Isaiah 26:2, 18:09 "Open the gates that the righteous nation 18:11 which keeps the truth may enter in." 18:13 What gates? 18:14 That's the gates into the New Jerusalem. 18:16 Blessed are they that keep his commandments 18:17 that they may enter through the gates into the city, 18:21 that they may have a right to the tree of life 18:22 and may enter through the gates into the city. 18:25 So the gates we're talking about here 18:26 is the gates of whoever enters in will be those 18:30 who honor the truth. 18:32 That's what that is talked about, 18:34 but also you find here in 1 Peter 2:9, 18:38 "But you are a chosen nation, 18:40 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 18:43 his own special people 18:45 that you may proclaim the praises of him 18:47 who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 18:50 And this very same people that Peter is referring to says 18:53 these are the ones that looked forward 18:55 to a new heaven and a new earth. 18:58 In 1 Peter he carries on the gospel 19:00 looking for an hastening 19:02 of the coming of the day of God. 19:03 So what manner of conversation we should be in 19:06 if we're looking forward to that, 19:08 everyone of us is looking forward to the kingdom 19:09 to being fulfilled, 19:11 and nobody is gonna perish 19:13 that has accepted Jesus Christ and His truth. 19:16 And this doesn't minimize that the truth doesn't save. 19:19 Okay, this doesn't minimize 19:21 that the truth isn't important to believe and act upon. 19:25 Okay, just because, you know, 19:27 we're saying that the salvation of God 19:30 and the gospel is inclusive not exclusive 19:33 and that all who come 19:34 and are baptizing to Christ will be saved 19:36 that somehow God doesn't have a specific truth 19:41 that is not only for the present day 19:43 but something that a church and an individual 19:46 who is a disciple of Christ shouldn't, 19:48 you know, adhere 19:50 or at least order their life to follow. 19:52 So, you know, I think sometimes 19:54 with these unique ideas of remnant 19:58 and things that you see out there 19:59 and they're the only ones being saved I think, 20:01 it surrounds typically a truth that if you don't believe it, 20:05 then you can't be saved 20:06 and that's not necessarily true. 20:10 There are truths. 20:12 I would say there is truths that are hill to die on. 20:14 Right. 20:16 And then there are teachings 20:17 that we have some differences on. 20:19 Right. 20:20 And our salvation is not dependent upon those teachings, 20:23 it's dependent upon the hill to die on. 20:25 Right. 20:27 The Gospel of Christ, His salvation, redemption, 20:29 the law of God, you know, 20:31 the love of God, His character, 20:33 those things that are present truth for this day. 20:36 One guy said and I'm not gonna say this 20:37 because this is not an important topic 20:39 but one person speaking about the pre-tribulation, 20:42 post-tribulation, 20:43 pre-tribulation pre-millennialist, 20:44 post-tribulation pre-millennialist, 20:46 don't ask the question right now, 20:48 because I'm not gonna answer it. 20:49 He says I'm a pan tribulation, 20:51 it's all gonna pan out in the end. 20:53 He said, in other words we gonna all be saved 20:56 so whether it's post-tribulation 20:57 pre-millennialist 20:59 which in fact, 21:00 that means when is Jesus going to come, 21:02 He's gonna come after the tribulation 21:04 before the millennium. 21:06 That's what post-tribulation pre-millennialism. 21:09 I know it's a tongue twister 21:11 but we are post-tribulation pre-millennialist. 21:14 Some people teach Jesus is gonna 21:16 come before the tribulation 21:17 and take the church out of the way secretly, 21:19 that's pre-tribulation pre-millennialism. 21:22 You know, I do want to still do the program on dispensation. 21:27 What is difference between 21:28 the dispensationalist view today 21:30 that's preponderant in Christianity 21:32 and the biblical view? 21:34 That's right. So, wow! 21:35 Stay tuned for that one. That's gonna be a good topic. 21:37 Adding to that again also I have a question here, um, 21:42 Martha from Minnesota, sent from my iPad, okay. 21:48 I am amazed that how afraid and I'm reading her comments. 21:53 I am amazed that how afraid you two are 21:56 of the issue of speaking in tongues 21:58 and what it says in the Bible. 22:00 I have asked many Seventh-day Adventists 22:02 about the issue 22:04 and they respond exactly the way that two of you do 22:06 which is avoid the one verse 22:09 that talks about speaking in tongue, 22:11 speaking in tongues edifying oneself. 22:14 We're not gonna avoid the verse. 22:15 We haven't avoided in past 22:18 but you have avoided the other verses around it. 22:21 This text and there is context. 22:24 I can make a single verse say anything, 22:26 but you got to put the context together. 22:28 Okay, so I'll... 22:30 anyway let me just, 22:31 let me give you a perfect example. 22:33 John is here today, oh, which one? 22:37 There are two of us. 22:39 Let's get specific, 22:40 the tall one, that 6'9.5'' flatfooted, 22:43 6'10'' he is never barefooted, that's John Stanton. 22:47 The shorter one, that's John Lomacang. 22:49 But if I said, go ask John, 22:51 in this building you create a chaos 22:53 because there is so many in this building name John. 22:56 The context, 22:57 go ask John the electrician that works in specific... 23:02 That's how the Bible is in context. 23:04 So for you to pull out one verse, 23:06 and we're gonna read that verse, 23:07 but we're gonna put it back into context 23:09 only as you put the battery in the car 23:10 does it have a meaning. 23:12 A car without a battery is not going anywhere. 23:15 Let's go ahead and read this. 23:16 It says and it says, 23:17 they always skip right to the verse 23:20 that talks about speaking in tongues 23:21 and interpreting the different languages. 23:23 That's included, what's wrong with that. 23:26 You have to, that's part of the context. 23:28 You can't just ignore something 23:30 that is clearly written in the Bible 23:32 just because it doesn't agree with your doctrine, 23:34 we're not. 23:35 Aren't you supposed to be scholars of the Bible? 23:38 Why do you ignore the verse that 23:40 very clearly states 1 Corinthians 14:13 23:43 speaking in tongues is a way to edify yourself 23:46 and to pray in the spirit. 23:48 There is absolutely nothing wrong 23:49 with speaking in tongues 23:51 to edify your spirit when you are alone. 23:53 Don't throw out the baby with a bathwater. 23:55 Okay, now the first question I want to ask is why... 23:59 and I want you to respond back to me 24:01 because I have the answer 24:02 but since this is your question 24:03 I want you to respond back. 24:05 Why do you need to edify your spirit 24:06 and what do you mean by that? 24:08 Why do you need to edify your spirit 24:10 and what do you mean by that? 24:12 When the Bible, 24:13 when 1 Corinthians 11, 12, 13 and 14 24:16 or make it even narrower 24:17 12, 13, 14 it's talking about the church. 24:20 Chapter 12 deals with the all the gifts of the spirit. 24:23 Chapter 13 narrows down one of those gifts, love. 24:26 It amplifies how important it is about prophecy, 24:29 different languages, different spirits. 24:31 It amplifies how important love is, 24:33 the tongues have failed, 24:34 the prophecy was ceased 24:36 and the greatest of all those is love. 24:38 Now we get down to chapter 14 24:40 which the gift of tongues is talked about. 24:42 Now let me go ahead 24:43 and make a very clear point here. 24:44 Gift, what is a gift? 24:47 Isn't the gift something that someone gives you? 24:50 Now, let's go ahead and break this down. 24:52 If someone gives you a gift 24:54 do you at Christmas time or your birthday, 24:58 do you say to all your friends go to my website, 25:01 those are the only gifts that I want. 25:03 If you give me anything else, I'm not gonna accept it. 25:06 Nobody does that. 25:07 Now people have bridal showers and pre wedding showers 25:13 they got whole lot of stuff that I need, 25:16 so if you pick form any of those, fine. 25:18 But if not, hey I accept the gift anyway. 25:21 Why did the Lord give gifts anyway? 25:25 Ephesians Chapter 4 makes it clear why He gave... 25:28 John, go to Ephesians Chapter 4. 25:30 I want to put this all together 25:32 so we can make this really, really clear 25:34 what verse 13 is about 25:37 and we're gonna keep it in context. 25:38 That's the most important part of it 25:40 and then as you're going to Ephesians Chapter 4, 25:43 you know, about He gave 25:44 some to be a apostles and prophets. 25:46 Are you there? Yup. 25:47 Okay, so as John reads that, 25:48 we're gonna come back to this and see. 25:50 Now one thing I want to lay the foundation on here is 25:53 one of the misconceptions about speaking in tongues is that 25:56 it is the evidence of the Holy Spirit. 26:00 That is not true. 26:01 Speaking in tongues is not the evidence of the Holy Spirit. 26:04 The evidence is the fruit, not the gift, 26:08 by their fruits you will know them, 26:12 not by their gifts. 26:14 Matthew 7. 26:16 By their fruits you know them and here is... 26:18 to prove that 26:20 the day of Pentecost on was 26:23 when the gift of tongues was given 26:26 to people that didn't have 26:27 that ability to speak in those languages. 26:30 You know, I would say, 26:31 what you see at Pentecost is the practical application 26:35 of the gift of tongues. 26:36 Right. 26:38 The other scriptures are alluding to the gift 26:40 but it doesn't show you the practical application. 26:41 Right. 26:43 So if you want to know how it's used 26:44 in the context in which it's used, 26:45 that's where you go. 26:47 If I took training for three and half years 26:48 and the lawyer says, now I'm sending you to Germany. 26:50 Huh, Germany, I'm English. 26:52 Don't worry, 26:54 I'll give you the gift of tongues, 26:56 you will be able to speak in tongues 26:58 and they will be able to understand. 27:00 But, but if they don't understand and... 27:04 somebody's got to interpret this. 27:05 We're gonna talk about that 27:07 but let me just make this first point, 27:08 and I'm gonna have John read this. 27:10 In John 20:22 27:12 you see many people think that Acts 1:8 was 27:16 where the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, not so, 27:20 John 20:22 speaking of Jesus and His disciples 27:23 and when He had said this, 27:26 He breathed on them 27:28 and said to them receive the Holy Spirit. 27:33 They did not go away speaking in anything but Galilean. 27:37 They didn't speak any other language. 27:39 So what's the difference between 27:41 receiving the Holy Spirit then 27:43 and the Holy Spirit being poured out 27:44 on the day of Pentecost? 27:46 The difference is, 27:48 they were still in their native land, 27:50 on the day of Pentecost, 27:51 He was going to send them to the rest of the world. 27:53 Okay, but go ahead and read that, 27:55 now we're gonna understand why He gave these... 27:57 Ephesians 4:11... 27:58 Exactly. 28:00 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, 28:02 some prophets, some evangelists, 28:04 and some pastors and teachers, 28:06 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, 28:09 for the edifying of the body of Christ." 28:12 Okay. 28:14 So the question is, 28:15 why do you want to edify yourself, 28:17 that's the question I asked. 28:18 Gifts are not given for personal edification. 28:21 Gifts are given for the edification 28:23 of the body of Christ. 28:25 If I was a preacher 28:26 and I stayed home and preached in my house, 28:28 who am I edifying. 28:29 No one, not even myself. That's right. 28:32 Because I'm saying, you know, 28:35 you heard of the phrase speaking to the choir. 28:37 Well, a choir of one is a waste as one person says 28:41 the smallest gift is a man wrapped up in himself. 28:44 So now you have Christians that are by themselves 28:47 and they feel the need to speak in a tongue to who? 28:52 And not only that, 28:53 they're speaking in a language they don't understand. 28:56 I'm gonna get to that. Okay. 28:58 So the first thing 28:59 I want to emphasize is the edification. 29:01 These gifts were given for the purpose, 29:03 were given for the purpose, 29:04 let me not talk like a New Yorker, 29:06 I'll speak like a Californian. 29:08 Were given for the purpose of edifying the church, 29:12 not personal edification. 29:14 The reason why, now we're gonna read, 29:16 now I'm gonna go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 29:19 then we're gonna jump on to the verse. 29:20 I'm gonna read verses 8 down to verse 10. 29:26 "For to one is given the word of wisdom, 29:28 1 Corinthians 12:8, 29:31 through the Spirit, 29:32 to another the word of knowledge 29:34 through the same Spirit, 29:37 to another faith by the same Spirit 29:40 to another the gift of healings by the same Spirit." 29:44 You'll think that Paul, 29:45 you would say that I got it Paul, 29:46 I know it's the same spirit 29:48 but he's trying to make a point here. 29:49 "To another the working of miracles verse 10 29:51 to another prophecy 29:53 to another discerning of spirits 29:56 to another different kinds of tongues 29:59 to another the interpretation of tongues." 30:02 verse 11, 30:04 "But one and the same spirit works all these things 30:09 distributing to each one individually as he wills." 30:14 And what's the purpose of it? 30:16 You go all the way back to the very beginning, 30:18 he makes it clear, the purpose of this, 30:19 is for the purpose of ministries, 30:21 for the edifying of the church, 30:23 for the building up of the church. 30:25 So the question is, now let's go ahead, 30:27 we're gonna pick that one verse out of 1 Corinthians 14:13, 30:31 and then we're gonna put it back in the context 30:33 and finish the picture. 30:34 In any time you're ready to chime in, John, you can. 30:37 Okay, let's go to 1 Corinthians 14, all right. 30:39 Here we go. 30:41 And we're gonna read verse 13. 30:43 "Therefore let him 30:44 who speaks in a tongue pray 30:50 that he may interpret." 30:53 Now, why would he pray that he may interpret, 30:58 because he doesn't even have personal edification. 31:03 Because what needs to happen for him 31:05 to have personal edification, 31:07 there needs to be some interpretation. 31:10 You have to know, what it's being spoken. 31:12 Right. 31:14 So now, why is it so significant in Corinth, 31:17 because Corinth was a multinational city 31:21 by a seaport? 31:23 The Corinthian experience was a Church of inter... 31:26 inter ethnicity. 31:28 Various languages met there. 31:30 That's why when you put this whole thing together. 31:33 Now let's go to verse 14, "For if I pray in a tongue, 31:37 my spirit prays, 31:40 but my understanding is unfruitful." 31:43 Once again you still don't have personal edification 31:45 'cause you don't know what you're saying. 31:47 Now what does that mean? 31:50 So why would I pray in a spirit and not understand? 31:53 The Lord is saying... 31:54 Paul is saying here 31:56 and this is what I want to emphasize very carefully, 31:58 he is not saying, 32:00 he is not talking about something that happens. 32:02 He is saying, okay, let's just say, 32:04 let's just say, 32:05 you go ahead and pray in a spirit. 32:07 What's the benefit? 32:08 You don't even know what you're talking about. 32:10 He is not citing something that happens, 32:12 he is trying to prevent a person from doing that, 32:15 because in the Corinth's Church, 32:16 you had a Greek here, 32:18 you had a Roman here, you had an Italian here, 32:21 you had a person from Antioch here, 32:23 they had all these different languages 32:24 and they preferred to speak in their own language. 32:28 Paul said wait a minute, 32:29 wait a minute, wait a minute, 32:30 if anyone speaks in a tongue, 32:32 let it be by two or at the most by three 32:34 and let somebody interpret. 32:36 If there is no interpretation, shoo... 32:38 keep silent. 32:40 That's the context of the story. 32:41 See. 32:43 And so now let's go down to the context, 32:45 let's go down, this fully go down, 32:47 so verse 13 is not saying 32:49 that they're speaking in tongues 32:50 and edifying themselves. 32:51 Verse 13 is saying, if you speak in a tongue, 32:54 you need to pray that somebody interprets, 32:56 because you won't even know what you're saying. 32:59 So now, if you don't know what you're saying, 33:01 what language are you speaking, 33:04 that's what Paul in essence saying. 33:05 He's not saying this is happening, 33:07 he says if you begin to speak in a tongue, 33:09 that God gifts you with, pray for interpretation. 33:12 Why? 33:13 Because he would not gift you with this 33:14 unless there is interpretation. 33:17 That's why it says pray that there is an interpreter. 33:19 And verse 13 and 14 illustrates the very same thing. 33:21 So lastly, now to show you this is not some strange 33:24 ethereal language 33:26 that's from out of space somewhere 33:27 that you don't understand, 33:28 that's a way of communicating between you and God, 33:30 I'll emphasize that. 33:31 And, John, if you got Romans 8? 33:34 Romans 8? 33:35 And we often read Romans 8:28, you know, 33:37 all things go together. 33:39 I want you to go to Romans 8:26 and 25, 33:42 we're gonna show you 33:43 what the spirit actually does 33:45 when it comes to prayer, all right. 33:46 But now verse 18 of 1 Corinthians Chapter 14. 33:49 Look what Paul says and Paul in verse 18 says, 33:53 he's gonna show you, he says guys, 33:55 I want you to know, 33:56 I speak in so many different languages 33:59 and this more languages than any of you speak in, 34:04 but that is not gonna do any good, 34:06 if I'm gonna come and speak in a language 34:07 that nobody understands. 34:08 Look at verse 18, 34:10 I thank my God 1 Corinthians 14, 34:12 I speak with tongues more than all of you." 34:16 But verse 19, 34:18 "Yet in the church 34:19 I would rather speak five words with my understanding, 34:23 that I may teach others also, 34:26 than ten thousand words in a tongue." 34:29 And by the way if we look at the King James Version 34:31 it says in an unknown tongue. 34:33 So Paul is in essence saying here, 34:35 I got the ability... 34:37 I speak in so many different languages, 34:38 but what good is that going to do 34:39 if I come into a place 34:41 and there is nobody there to understand that. 34:42 So he is not talking about something that's strange. 34:45 The reason why Paul was more gifted than the Galileans 34:47 as Paul was more learned, 34:49 and he did have the ability 34:50 to speak in different languages, 34:52 but the Galileans, 34:53 fishermen and tax collectors 34:54 and people that didn't menial work, 34:57 they didn't have the education. 34:58 So God gifted them instantly with the ability 35:01 to communicate to the world. 35:02 Now here is the question, John gonna answer it. 35:05 Do we need a special tongue to speak to God in prayer? 35:08 Read the verses for me, John. 35:11 "Likewise the spirit also helps in our weaknesses, 35:14 for we do not know what we should pray for as we out, 35:17 but the spirit himself makes intersession for us 35:19 with groaning which cannot be uttered." 35:21 Okay, stop there. 35:23 We want to do what only the spirit can do. 35:25 We want to groan as only the spirit can, 35:29 with groanings which cannot be uttered. 35:32 So that means, 35:33 you can say what you want 35:35 and do it how you want 35:36 but you can't do it 35:37 because only the spirit does it. 35:39 Go on. 35:40 "Now he who searches the hearts 35:43 knows what the mind of the spirit is 35:46 because he makes intercession 35:47 for the saints according to the will of God." 35:48 Okay. 35:50 So when I pray, 35:51 even when I pray, 35:53 what seems clear to me 35:55 the spirit takes that prayer and fixes it up 35:59 and he does it with groanings which I can never utter. 36:02 So this idea that speaking in tongues 36:05 is an utterance to communicate 36:07 in a secret language to God 36:09 is not supported by scripture. 36:11 That something in the Greek called glossolalia 36:14 which is the confusion of tongues. 36:16 Not a special prayer language. 36:18 Hopefully we answered your question, 36:20 but if you read the whole context 36:22 you'll simply see that 36:26 God was saying in the Church of Corinth, 36:29 there needs to be things done in order. 36:32 Interpret only when a tongue is used, no interpretation, 36:39 please don't use the tongue. 36:41 And the tongue by the way was a gift. 36:43 Hopefully I made it clear. 36:44 I think so. 36:46 Good job, 36:47 in fact we have answered these questions 36:49 in fairly good detail 36:51 because we have less time for our topic 36:52 but we do need to finish it up 36:54 and we have 20 minutes to do it. 36:55 Okay, so if you have any more questions, 36:57 were you gonna send them, housecalls@3abn.org. 37:00 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 37:03 I have to slow down like a Californian, 37:05 I used to live there. 37:07 John take the topic away from me now. 37:09 We've been talking about the character of God. 37:12 It was our topic in the last program 37:15 and today we're gonna finish that up in this program, 37:17 and specifically 37:19 how the character of God has been misrepresented. 37:24 Not only is it misunderstood by those that don't follow God, 37:28 but it's been misrepresented by those who say they do. 37:32 And so we have a big challenge here in Christianity today 37:36 how you can weigh a gospel. 37:39 If you number one, 37:40 don't have the right gospel 37:41 and the true God in His character. 37:44 And number two, you have a people 37:45 who already think they know who God is 37:47 and don't want anything to do 37:49 with the God that they think they know. 37:51 Let me read you just a brief couple of sentences 37:55 from the book Steps to Christ. 37:56 I think this says a lot, 37:57 I couldn't say any better than this. 37:59 Okay. 38:04 "God has bound our hearts to Him 38:06 by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. 38:08 Through the things of nature, 38:10 the deepest and tenderest earthly ties 38:12 that human hearts can know, 38:14 He has sought to reveal Himself to us. 38:17 Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. 38:20 Though all these evidences, 38:21 though all these evidences have been given, 38:23 the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, 38:27 so that they looked upon God with fear; 38:29 they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. 38:33 Satan led men to conceive of God 38:35 as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice, 38:39 one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. 38:44 He pictured the Creator as a being 38:46 who is watching with jealous eye 38:49 to discern the errors and mistakes of men, 38:51 that He may visit judgments upon them." 38:54 And then notice this, this is a key thing. 38:56 "It was to remove this dark shadow, 38:58 by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, 39:02 that Jesus came to live among men." 39:04 Praise the Lord. 39:07 That is the reason Jesus came 39:09 as first and foremost reason to show us the Father, 39:13 to reveal who God really is. 39:15 And let me tell you, John, today, 39:17 we have no greater need than this 39:20 that people reveal or that they see a true, 39:24 the true character of God again, 39:26 His love, His kindness, 39:28 His forgiveness, 39:30 that they maybe drawn to Him, 39:32 accept the salvation that He freely offers to them all 39:35 and to be saved, 39:36 because this world is wrapping up. 39:39 You know, John, I look around 39:41 and I see the disasters happening in this world. 39:43 The increase in tornadoes 39:44 and the earthquakes that are happening, 39:46 the destruction, 39:47 the pain caused to men and women, 39:49 around this world by many things going on, 39:52 and we attributed to climate change. 39:55 And I don't deny climate change, 39:57 I mean, our world is changing, 39:59 but the reason for the climate change has less to do about 40:02 what we are doing to it 40:03 although we certainly contribute to it, 40:06 but it's less to do with that 40:07 than it does with the world now 40:09 in its age falling apart. 40:12 Sin has taken its toll 40:15 and sin is not only having a effect on our hearts 40:19 but it's having an effect on this world 40:21 where it is growing seeking deliverance 40:24 from the pain of sin. 40:27 And you're seeing the groanings acted out in the disasters 40:31 that are coming upon this earth. 40:32 It is acting out what it is feeling 40:36 and the death that it is suffering from. 40:39 It is less about God doing these things 40:42 than the fact that He is trying to hold the earth together 40:46 long enough to get the gospel out 40:48 before the earth simply falls apart. 40:50 And so the earth is falling apart, 40:53 this gospel needs to go out 40:54 and a key part of it is the character of God. 40:58 If we go out there and just say God is... 41:00 he is angry at sinners 41:02 and he is destroying people that are living in sin. 41:05 Right. 41:06 That's not the picture, 41:08 that's not the whole picture at all, 41:09 that's a skewed picture of God. 41:11 God in his love is trying to get a message out 41:14 so that we might be delivered from a world 41:15 that is falling apart. 41:16 Very good point. 41:18 I like the way you put that, 41:19 because lot of people say, 41:21 and I want to use a term, 41:22 I want to shock you a little bit. 41:25 One of the most horrible pictures 41:27 I saw of God was 41:28 a guy in the military died, I don't know, 41:31 I don't remember what the cause was, 41:32 I think he died in battle. 41:34 And his funeral was being held in one of our states 41:37 and a church, 41:39 a local church had signs God hates fags 41:43 and God killed him and, you know, 41:45 that is just not who God is. 41:48 That is so unlike God, that is not God at all. 41:52 God doesn't go out assassinating people. 41:55 That is the misrepresentation of God on that extreme end 41:59 and some Christians "Christians" 42:02 who have misrepresented God will say 42:05 God killed fags or God killed the gays. 42:07 God doesn't hate gays and hate fags. 42:10 God doesn't hate the murderer. 42:12 God doesn't hate the thief. 42:13 God does not... 42:15 God hates the sin. 42:17 And note as he label people these things, you know, 42:19 when we're saying these words obviously the world understands 42:21 what it mean, but God has no labels. 42:23 No. 42:25 All of us have sin and fallen short of the glory of God. 42:28 And the point you made a moment ago, 42:29 which I was going back to. 42:30 The Lord wants to deliver us from certain destruction 42:34 which is coming. 42:35 The illusion you made Romans 8:22, 42:38 all of creation groans, 42:40 like with labor pains until now, 42:43 even creation, the earthquakes, 42:44 the floods, the increase of violence, 42:46 the tremors in the ground. 42:48 When you are robbing the world 42:49 of its natural resources the way we are, 42:51 the world is being literally raked, 42:53 free of its resources. 42:55 When you're polluting the atmosphere 42:56 with so much carbon 42:58 and so much radio waves are going through 43:01 and you're trying to control the rain 43:02 by shooting beams to make clouds, 43:05 when you're just manipulating what God has placed here 43:07 to be naturally occurring, 43:12 the world is gonna respond to that. 43:14 You know, if you try to take a chicken 43:16 and turn into a dog, 43:19 it may bite you. 43:20 You know, that's a terrible illustration 43:23 but here is the point I want to make. 43:24 The reason why we've chosen to bring this out 43:27 because even the disciples hiccupped 43:30 when it came to knowing that 43:31 Jesus came to reveal the Father. 43:33 John 14:9 Jesus said to him, 43:37 "Have I been with you so long, 43:39 and yet you have not known Me, Philip? 43:42 He who has seen Me has seen the Father, 43:45 so how can you say, 'Show us the Father?" 43:49 ' See that's what happening today. 43:50 People are misrepresenting God and some of them like Philip 43:54 claim to be with Jesus 43:56 and they still haven't seen him. 43:58 Matter of fact even the night on the lake 44:00 when the terrible winds 44:01 and the storms beat up against the boat, 44:04 when Jesus calm the winds and the waves, the disciples, 44:07 the disciple said who can this be, 44:11 that even the winds and the waves obey his voice. 44:13 Even they have... 44:14 so for Christians today to be in the same boat 44:17 as the disciples is not an odd thing, 44:20 so for those of us 44:21 who have been called to uplift the name of Jesus 44:25 and give the world a revelation of His love, 44:26 that's what we're doing. 44:28 You know, and Jesus had a lot to teach the disciples, 44:30 that's why he said, 44:32 I've been with you so long 44:33 and you ask me to show you the Father. 44:36 The reason why is because I mean, 44:38 know what's in the heart of these disciples. 44:40 They had some that disagree with them 44:41 and they said to Jesus, 44:43 should we call fire down from heaven and devour them now. 44:45 I mean, their mentality was this judgmental 44:48 exacting God that we just read about and Jesus is saying, 44:53 I have been with you so long that you don't know, 44:56 that's not God. 44:57 That's the devil. 44:59 In fact when it comes to any of the issues 45:02 that we've gone throughout life, 45:04 you know, morality is definitely getting 45:09 worse and worse. 45:11 I mean, our immorality 45:12 I should say is growing in this world 45:15 and God's word has a lot to say about 45:17 what those immoral acts are, 45:19 but those immoral acts are responded to, 45:23 they are appealed to the people that are acting out like that, 45:26 they are appealed to by God who loves them 45:27 and doesn't want them to perish. 45:29 And everything that Jesus did, you know, 45:32 He was accused of eating and drinking with sinners. 45:35 How can you eat and drink with those sinners? 45:37 He did that because He loved them, 45:40 He wanted to save them. 45:41 And let me tell you the church, 45:44 what somebody said, you know, 45:46 if you're looking for a perfect church 45:47 the moment you get there, 45:48 it's not perfect anymore. 45:51 None of us are perfect and we all have our issues. 45:54 In fact the closer you get to Jesus, 45:56 the more of your imperfections you're gonna see. 45:58 The more we see how much we need him. 46:00 And so you know, just to pick one issue out 46:02 and one of the issues of the day, 46:03 the challenges of the day is LGBT, 46:05 you know, gay, lesbian and we call it, you know, 46:08 preferred to is their agenda, you know, 46:10 and there maybe some agendas going on 46:11 something is going on there, 46:13 but let me tell you, 46:14 God's response to that is to eat, 46:16 drink with them and to share His love with them. 46:20 I'm so glad you brought that up 46:21 because it's so easy for us to label them. 46:25 It sounds just like the Pharisee who prayed, 46:28 thank God, I'm not like other men. 46:31 And the publican, 46:33 Lord be merciful to me a sinner. 46:36 Daily we must ask for God's mercy, 46:38 and I love the way you point it out. 46:40 His mercies are new every morning. 46:43 Every morning, John, the point that, 46:45 what this world need 46:47 so badly today is a revelation of the character of God's love. 46:50 Prophecies have their right place 46:52 and then the prophecies are gonna be fulfilled 46:54 because the Lord has given them to be fulfilled 46:56 to let us know in the timeline of human history, 46:59 where we are as it relates to man's hope 47:01 and the time that they have 47:03 to make a decision to accept Christ. 47:05 But here is God and sometime people say 47:08 this is something else, 47:09 I want to illustrate this 47:10 because lot of times people say, 47:12 you know, when you talk about my New Testament Christians, 47:14 they tend to say that like well, 47:16 we're just dealing with the God of love 47:18 because the Old Testament God was angry. 47:20 But let me read you some Old Testament scriptures, 47:22 Jeremiah 31:3, 47:24 "The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: 47:28 "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love, 47:33 therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you. 47:37 Thus that mean angry God of the Old Testament. 47:40 So the Lord, that's even in a New Testament 47:42 when Jesus is on the earth every reference 47:44 He made was to the Old Testament. 47:47 You know, and sometimes, John, I mean, 47:48 we read the Old Testament verses that are about God 47:51 and His judgments or against certain people 47:54 and groups of people, nations even, 47:56 whole nation is wiping them out. 47:58 And using his people to do that. 48:00 That is there, 48:01 that doesn't mean it's a different God. 48:04 God in every judgment is acting in a loving way. 48:08 But in a sovereign way. 48:10 Absolutely, completely sovereign 48:12 but he is also doing in a protective way, 48:14 I mean, you who have children, 48:16 who want to protect them, 48:18 if you see that someone is gonna do them harm, 48:21 what are you gonna do? 48:22 Are you gonna invite them into your home 48:24 and just have dinner with them, 48:25 and say everything is okay, you know, 48:26 that's just their lifestyle. 48:28 You're gonna protect them 48:29 and God in his way 48:31 when he send them into the land 48:32 that he gave them, the land of Canaan, 48:34 God knew there were nations there were evil. 48:37 I mean, through and through to the very core. 48:40 And the phrase I like to use is, 48:42 I use frequently is that God 48:44 extended judgment early to them. 48:47 It was a prejudgment judgment really, 48:50 not that he did not judge it right, 48:53 he absolutely judges, he knows everything, 48:56 but these group, these nations that he judged, 48:59 you can read about what they were doing, 49:00 they were sacrificing their children. 49:03 I mean, they were walking in fire 49:04 and calling the Gods in the spirit world 49:07 down into mix and mingle with them, 49:09 they were corrupt, 49:11 they were so sexually driven in their moral, 49:13 in fact like a lot of societies today, 49:15 that God said to his people stay away from them 49:18 unless you become like them, 49:20 and what God did in some of them 49:22 that went so far beyond the boundary 49:24 that he set for morality, 49:26 that they were unredeemable. 49:29 Now it's hard to believe that some will be unredeemable 49:31 but that's the case with some people 49:32 at actually get to that point 49:34 where God knows that there is no point of return. 49:37 And you know, Romans 1 says that 49:40 God gave them up to their wild imaginations 49:43 and there foolish hearts were darkened. 49:45 And his heart was paining giving them up. 49:48 Don't think that God sitting and going, it's time, 49:50 I'm gonna go after them. 49:51 No, He with the tear in His eye, 49:54 He brought destruction upon them 49:55 and is the same thing that will happen in the future 49:57 when the wicked are consumed by the fire 50:00 that comes out of heaven. 50:02 Revelation 20, they're consumed 50:03 because they have held on to their sin 50:05 and it's their sin that needs to be destroyed 50:08 and they because they held to it have... 50:12 they have been consumed by it. 50:14 I would say they've been consumed more by the sin 50:17 that is in them than by the God that is sending the fire. 50:21 But anyway this approach, 50:23 this understanding of God is so necessary today 50:27 that we see that these are, 50:28 even those acts are acts 50:30 of love and compassion for his people, 50:32 he is protective of them, 50:34 he is caring for them as a father would his children 50:36 and he wants us to come to him 50:39 and then the devil turns around and pings him 50:41 as a judgmental exacting God that is vengeful 50:46 and that is a picture of him to a tee, 50:50 not the God we serve. 50:51 That's why when the Lord reveals Satan in his, 50:54 in all of his exploits, he says, 50:56 he was a liar, 50:58 he was a murderer from the beginning, 51:00 he abode an evil and then the devil comes along 51:04 and tries to paint God as this horrendous, 51:08 well, if you think I'm evil, 51:10 who do you think is gonna burn you 51:11 for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. 51:13 Me or him, 51:15 he is even going to burn me 51:16 and people never come to the conclusion 51:19 that even Satan himself is not gonna burn 51:21 for ever and ever. 51:23 He is gonna be destroyed, 51:24 so why would God burn the victims of Satan sin longer 51:28 and with more intensity than the devil himself. 51:31 So this is ridiculous. 51:33 Serving God throughout eternity and loving him 51:34 knowing that over 51:36 on the other side of the universe 51:37 that your loved ones that he is keeping them alive 51:39 to inflict pain, it just, 51:42 it doesn't compute, it doesn't make any sense. 51:45 Can we kind of... 51:46 maybe wrap, 51:48 start to wrap this up by talking about the cross, 51:50 because what Jesus was doing there 51:54 needs to also be correct in our minds, in our hearts. 51:58 All right. Sure. 51:59 There is this idea out there that Jesus, 52:03 the good cop, you know, 52:05 you've heard the terms good cops, bad cops, 52:07 Jesus the good cop was at the cross, 52:10 He suffered, 52:12 God poured out His vengeance upon Him, 52:13 the Father did, 52:15 so that He could be appeased and that He would then love us. 52:20 When in fact, 52:23 God the Father was in Jesus 52:25 revealing His love to humanity, drawing them to Him, 52:30 and Jesus was pointing to the Father 52:32 as the one that love them 52:33 through His act of giving up His life. 52:36 Jesus, God, the Father gave His Son to us. 52:40 He gave Him to us because He loved us. 52:47 John 16, 52:50 if you have a comment go ahead and make... 52:52 I'll do this but you've heard that statement, 52:54 you know, this appeasing God, 52:56 this thing is there. 52:57 I hear it frequently even from pulpits 52:59 and it makes me cringe every time I hear it. 53:01 Why would God say to us, 53:03 I will never leave you nor forsake you 53:05 but forsake His Son at the hour of His greatest need. 53:08 What Jesus experience was would anyone 53:10 who turns away from God will experience 53:13 this separation from God 53:15 but my understanding of the cross 53:18 and I will give you my understanding now. 53:21 This is my interpretation, 53:22 I have no scripture to support this 53:24 but I believe one of the reason why the clouds were so dark 53:27 because if God said 53:28 I will never leave your nor forsake you, 53:30 I believe one of the reasons 53:31 why the clouds were so dark that day 53:33 is because God the Father was so close to His Son, 53:35 that if His glory was revealed, 53:36 He would have consumed everyone on that mountain 53:39 in the presence of His Son. 53:40 Jesus died because He felt 53:43 the weight of the sins of the world 53:45 and that those sins that He knows are horrible to God 53:50 would cause him to be separated for ever from His God, 53:54 and He experienced that separation of Himself. 53:56 He experienced that 53:58 with the weight of the sin of the world, 53:59 but the Father still loved Him. 54:00 What is the issue of that? 54:02 That was never an issue 54:05 but Jesus did experience that second death for us. 54:08 That's right. 54:09 I founded the text here from John 16:25, 54:12 Jesus obviously taught the disciples many things 54:15 and He says here in these words, 54:16 these things I have spoken to you 54:18 in a figurative language, 54:20 you know, sometimes in parables, 54:21 sometimes in prophetic kind of signals, 54:23 other things that He spoke didn't really understand 54:26 and He considered figurative 54:27 but He said but the time is coming 54:29 when I will no longer speak to in a figurative language 54:31 but I will tell you plainly about the father. 54:34 In that day you will ask in my name 54:36 and I do not say to you 54:37 that I will pray the Father for you, why? 54:41 For the father Himself loves you 54:44 because you have loved me 54:45 and have believe that I came forth from God. 54:48 I come forth from the Father and have come into the world, 54:52 again I leave the world and go to the Father. 54:55 Jesus is saying I'm so one with Him, 54:56 what I do is what He would do. 54:58 He sent me to redeem you, He send me to save you. 55:01 He loves you as much as He loves me and I love you. 55:05 It's all about the love of the Father. 55:07 He didn't need to be appeased 55:09 but He knew that sin must be paid for as a price. 55:13 To pay for that rebellion in that sin 55:15 and Jesus was willing to be that perpetuation, 55:18 not to appease God 55:20 but to pay the penalty for sin 55:22 that was demanded by the law 55:24 and now you have a gospel, 55:25 not only that portrays Christ in a different way 55:27 but you have a gospel that is actually getting 55:29 rid of the very law that Jesus Himself went there 55:35 to respond or at least to provide justice for. 55:39 Jesus would not have to go to the cross 55:42 if the law could have been done away with. 55:44 Right, very, very important point. 55:46 If He could have abrogated 55:47 the thing that would have prevented his death and ours, 55:50 he would have said, 55:51 let me just nail this law to the cross 55:53 and get it out of the way 55:55 and he said that's another way 55:56 that God is being misrepresented John, 55:58 I said that's another program all together, 55:59 but the reason why the law of God still exists today is 56:02 because he is showing that 56:03 God is a God of mercy 56:06 but God is a God of justice also. 56:08 Because He is a God of mercy and justice, 56:10 the law is still there. 56:12 Why would he say, the wages of sin is death, 56:15 if there is no law to point out sin. 56:18 I throw back to you before we go. 56:19 Well, I know that too 56:21 that we have the classic experience 56:23 where they're pointing to the saints 56:24 in the end of time versus here, 56:27 the patience of the saints are those 56:28 who keep the commandments of God 56:30 and the faith of Jesus. 56:33 So you have what, 56:35 our evangelical friends will say, 56:37 we have faith now, 56:38 we live in this era of faith and grace, 56:40 not at the law and you have a clearly 56:42 a people at the end of time that 56:43 not only keep the law of God, 56:44 they're obedient but they do it with the faith of Christ. 56:47 it's both together, it's harmony, 56:49 it's not either or. 56:50 It's one of those apparent dichotomies 56:52 that only God can understand 56:54 and know fully but we need to I think embrace 56:58 and true to truly understand His character. 57:00 You know what John? 57:01 We could not even be who we are, 57:03 had it not been for the grace and the love of God. 57:05 We cannot even claim to be children to be royal, 57:09 and I like 2 Peter 2:10, 57:11 "Who once were not a people but now a people of God 57:13 who had not obtain mercy but now have obtained mercy." 57:16 Friends, we are only able to receive 57:18 God's mercy because of Jesus, 57:21 He is the conduit of mercy, 57:22 the author of love and compassion 57:25 so keep trusting Him 57:26 because one day when He comes, 57:28 He wants to meet you in peace. 57:30 God bless you until we see you again. |
Revised 2016-09-26