Myths Christians Are Tempted To Believe (part 2)

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Myths Christians Are Tempted To Believe (part 3)

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Well tonight we're continuing our series Dispelling Christian myths,
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I've been in first Thessalonians at night, but since I've come back from California I thought we'd do some
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Christian myth busters. I've never seen the show myth busters on Discovery Channel. Is it any good? Oh It is very good.
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Okay, some people admit that they watch heathen TV Other I only watch Christian programming myself.
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I have to divide on that later according to Romans 14 So tonight we're gonna look at some more myths last week
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I asked you about some of the myths that were out there that Christians could be tempted to believe and Instead of asking you again tonight.
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I'll just continue with my list of myths and I think you'll find it Encouraging tonight because it'll be fast paced if you don't like one of the myths will be on to one of the other ones quick Enough it'll kind of go like a
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Q &A I will ask some questions and when I ask questions if you'll give me some feedback, I would appreciate it so Christian Christians are often tempted to believe these and so we'll use what we need to use to dispel those
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Myths and that is not my opinion Not what the elder board thinks not what confessions of faith say those are good things
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I hope for the most part, but what does the Word of God say? What does God's Word say?
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Christian myth least tonight for number one number one tonight Christian myth faith precedes regeneration most
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Christians believe that faith precedes or comes before Regeneration who could tell me why you think that's a myth or frankly if you want to say why you think it's true
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I'd be glad to listen and Talk about it faith precedes regeneration.
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Why is that a myth Steve? Okay So if you're I'll try to repeat if I forget to repeat Say something because this week someone emailed me and said please repeat the questions
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So you if you're dead and trespasses and sins according to Colossians chapter 2 and Ephesians chapter 2 1 through 3
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Then how can a dead man believe so you have to be alive first so you can exercise any kind of faith our
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Regeneration or something like that good any other comments before we look up some verses. Yes Okay, so God does grant faith he grants repentance by grace they believed okay good
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Barry I'm so happy to pastor Bethlehem Bible Church Have you ever been to an
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IBS class at all Institute for biblical studies or study church history? What Barry said for the sake of the tape?
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I guess we can call them tapes Can't we that's what I call them a tape what's an eight track a tape for the sake of the tape?
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There's just something in man Isn't there something in men and women that we want to have a credit we want to say to God we helped you we did it
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We did something to contribute to our salvation. We weren't just completely Recipients we weren't just passive in regeneration we helped
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It's okay if God gets 99 % of the glory, but we want to have maybe 1 % before we look at the verse tonight for this myth or to dispel this myth
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Kim and I and the kids Went camping in Yosemite I guess it's about a month ago
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And I had never been to Yosemite before and I knew there were bears in Yosemite lots of bears
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Bear signs don't don't speed you might kill a bear. There isn't hot. There's a hierarchy there.
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There's an ecosystem There's a hermeneutic and that is bears rule around here and bears pretty much are almost more important than people because We've got a love nature and love the habitat and all that so we were told that night
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We had a tent we were told to put all our Food and things that look like food in the anti bear deal
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And you didn't have to put it up over a tree. They have these things It's like a safety deposit box and bears can't pick these locks
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And you put everything in there, and you couldn't leave anything in your car a thing a tide
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They think it's bear food You couldn't have anything in your tent so I had a backpack
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And I usually carry Protein bars with me that couldn't be there, and they said some bears will even get into your tent if you have cherry
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Chapstick in your tent with you, and I just thought you know what I don't really need any bears in the tent and so they said now in the middle of the night because there's a lot of bears around here if you hear a gunshot they're trying to scare the bears and So sure enough in the middle of the night by the way
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I put in earplugs and didn't hear any of this too bad because it would have been a good sermon illustration But I knew people get up at four o 'clock when they camp so in went the earplugs, but allegedly at 3 a .m.
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People heard the gunshot and at 315 they yelled bear bear bear
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And I walked right through our campground I talked to the guy the next day, and I said do bears come around often.
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They said oh, yeah every night Blue 62 comes walking through here every night looking for stuff, and I go blue 62
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It's like a zombie song or something back in the 60s I didn't know what blue 62 was blue tag number 62 every single night walks through here
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Sniffing out whatever it can find it's not a grizzly bear, so it's not trying to kill people it wants food
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And it wants to sniff it out And you know what I like about the doctrine of grace and the Bible Paul the
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Apostle Peter and others They sniff out by the spirits prompting any little inkling of human
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Works that add to the cross It's unacceptable for them Nothing plus the cross equals salvation.
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It's the cross alone I want you to turn your Bibles to 1st John chapter 5 I could take you to Ephesians 2 he made us alive
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I could take you to you must be born again John chapter 3 I could take you to Colossians 2
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Ephesians 2 being made alive, but let's go to this passage that not many go to when they want to teach that logically
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Regeneration must precede faith. We have to be born again to exercise any kind of faith
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We at this church believe in monergistic regeneration mono -alone mono erg
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Mono alone God works, and he makes us born again
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And of course the response is faith and repentance and love and praise
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But logically faith must come after regeneration How about Rome 1st
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John chapter 5 verse 1 everyone who believes that Jesus is the
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Christ We know something about that person has been born of God Everyone who loves the
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Father loves whoever has been born of him. Let me read that again
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Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been if you want me to read it interpretively has already been born of God So you're born of God.
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He changes your nature He gives you a new desire to love him and to follow him and to be impressed with the
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Son You're born again, and your response is faith Faith does not precede regeneration.
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It's the other way around Now if you're smart, you'll be saying this to me well pastor
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Mike faith and regeneration which one comes first If Mike what you're saying is true
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Logically, I understand it, but what about chronologically could you have somebody who's born again that doesn't believe yet?
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Because if faith comes Second is there a time what do you do with that?
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How does it work when you're first born again? Then you believe is there a split second where you're born again unbeliever follow me
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And the answer is we're looking at this logically where you have to be born again So you can respond and you will respond immediately with faith turn to first Peter chapter one
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Please as we continue to just flesh this out a little bit. We live in a works
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Righteousness society church history as Barry has said has taught us that very thing all kinds of isms and schisms
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Have tried to somehow say it's grace plus But here we see even when it comes to the doctrine of being born.
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Why do you think? God used even that idea that metaphor that picture of salvation
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Who here has been in? labor and delivery and seen a live birth Well all the mothers just raise their hand
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There's a lot of drapes, maybe you didn't see Babies are born and we get that idea and Jesus gave us the idea because it's something that is done to them passivity in Regeneration they are being born.
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They are not burying themselves. I ask you the question active or passive When did you bury yourself?
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And that sound weird. Well, I bore myself in 1960. When did you bury yourself? No, I was born it was it happened to me and that's exactly what
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Peter says here in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 3 Blessed be
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God and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ. This is just like Ephesians were in the original it's just as big long sentence and it's a eulogy.
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It's to speak. Well of God Blessed be the God and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ According to his great mercy and don't ever forget this part here.
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He has caused us to be born again Just stop and let that sink in.
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Why are you born again? He caused it. He made it happen. He is the actor We are the recipients.
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He is active We are passive born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading
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Kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded not because of faith
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But through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
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Common myth in Christianity is faith comes first I now believe now God is able and allowed and now has my permission
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To save me and it's exactly the other way around and when God gives you a new heart
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You say what I love you, I believe I repent I follow number two.
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I Looked around. It doesn't look like anybody had a comment. So I'm gonna go Number two. Oh, this is
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I this is one of my favorite all -time topics in the world So, let's see if I can phrase this as a myth my problem is
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I don't run things past. Mr. Cooley because When I do he phrases them well and when
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I don't you get what I do every Sunday the myth is that the temptation of Jesus Primarily helps us
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When we're tempted the primary teaching of the temptation of Jesus is That it helps us in our temptations.
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Let's go to Matthew chapter 4 and find out that is an illusion That is an illusion, of course
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Secondarily, can we see that Jesus uses the Word of God in his temptation?
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Of course, and we'll talk about that in a second Matthew chapter 4 the temptation of Jesus is primarily about the temptation of Jesus Adam tempted failed
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Israel tempted failed We tempted failed
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Will anybody not fail a temptation? Is there anybody who can stand up to the world and the flesh and sin and Satan and not fail a temptation?
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And when you pray Lord lead me not into temptation
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That sound like a familiar prayer to you the disciples prayer lead me not into temptation and You read this.
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It's the exact opposite because Jesus is led into temptation. Take a look at it
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Matthew chapter 4 then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil
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When we see temptation, here's what we're supposed to do run Flee Get out
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Get away wide berth and when Jesus Has this coming temptations that we will never face?
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He goes He's the aggressor He's not some victim
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We say lead us not into temptation and Immediately after the baptism of Jesus and Jesus is inaugurated into public ministry see it in chapter 3 verse 16 and when
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Jesus was baptized immediately he went up from the water and behold the heavens were open to him
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He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove probably sacrificial language
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And coming to rest on him and behold a voice from heaven said
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This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased then
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Jesus was led up by the Spirit I'll just read part of this passage here and look at these temptations and see if you see any themes or see if you see
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Things that you would learn from this or do you see Jesus the one who is tempted by the worst things?
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many of these things Israel Failed and now he is successful after fasting 40 days and 40 nights.
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He was hungry. I Mean right there that should tell you as well Secondly besides lead us not in temptation and now
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Jesus is led into temptation Secondly if you're ever tempted I have some advice for you, and that is don't stop eating for 40 days
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I have a big decision to make and I think you know how what should I do? I'll get some encouragement from other
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Christians and some counsel from a multitude of Counselors, and I just won't eat for a long time.
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That'll help my decision -making process 40 days and 40 nights understatement
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He was hungry The tempter came and said to him if you are the
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Son of God The languages you are the Son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread
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But he answered it is written man shall not live by bread alone But by every word that comes from the mouth of God is it good that he used
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Deuteronomy of course Should we use the Word of God when we're tempted of course? But that's missing the passage if you only look at that if you think that's the main thing
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Then the devil took him to the Holy City and set him on the pinnacle of a temple That's something we're never gonna get tempted by and he said to him if you're the
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Son of God throw yourself down It's written. He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands
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They will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone Jesus said to him again.
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It is written. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory
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And he said to him all these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me Jesus said to him be gone
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Satan for it is written You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve
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Then the devil left him and behold angels came and were ministering to him
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When we read the scriptures too often we see it with our own eyes, and we say
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I just need some principles for living Jesus tempted I'm tempted.
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What could I learn from that and you can learn of course he uses the Word of God but the big picture is
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Jesus didn't fail in the temptation we have the last Adam who succeeds the first Adam falls
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Jesus doesn't myth number three See so far aren't you having fun.
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I'm having a great time Let's talk about the Lord Jesus. How about that when
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I went to the wedding on Friday night and pastor Harry was Officiating he was up in the big pulpit, and it was at least
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By denomination it's a liberal church And I just thought it is so good to hear somebody stand up in the pulpit of this church and bellow out
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You're a great sinner, but there's a greater Savior Jesus Christ That was the last time that came from such a pulpit the extolling of Christ Jesus the only
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Savior number three
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Real worship starts with the emotions myth number three real worship starts with the emotions
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Are for some it starts with a bass drum or bass guitar Could really feel the spirit moving and it was really a guitar tell me why real worship
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Starts with the emotions is is popular today. Why is it a myth? Why is it wrong?
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Talk to me Somebody first that hasn't already given us like four points alliteration and descending order with dosatism and so sinionism
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Yes Okay, one of the things is we can't trust our our hearts and so if we can't trust our hearts that can't be then the driver or the
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Catalyst or the initiative for my worship because there are days that I feel dry there are days
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I don't feel like worshiping there are days. I mean think I think about it in terms of my wife as well
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Some days I feel married and some days. I don't but I'm still married, and I need to live in light of Something else not just my feelings
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Okay, good. What else yes? Okay, theology leads to methodology leads to doxology, and so if you want to have the right feelings it starts elsewhere
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Right what happens in Romans chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 that we saw a few weeks ago It's your spiritual our reasonable our
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Logical form of worship to say God and light of the mercies found in Romans chapter 1 to 11
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I present myself to you a what? living Sacrifice don't you love weddings when people are up there, and they you give them all the vows
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You give them all the wows right pretty and boy these today are wows because it's
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Husbands love your wives and wives submit to your husband's Wow and so I love just to give these vows and One of the things
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I like is when the couple responds individually, and they say what I do
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That is Romans chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 Now I guess the spouse could say up here
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You know do you promise to have and to hold her to stay forth? You know love and sickness, but you know good goodness in it
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I Guess they could say I surrender I Yield But I like it when they say
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I do and that's the force of Romans chapter 12 I do and it's the right kind of thing for thinking
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But one of the places that I love to go is Luke chapter 24 let's turn their real worship in this particular case
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Starts with Jesus opening up the scriptures, and then the hearts burn you want a burning heart
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It's related to who God is just like Nyada said It's who
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God is What he's done, and you study it, and then your hearts burn
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You could say God. Give me a heart that burns for you. How do you then get that to happen?
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You slain in the spirit or some shortcut? some worship experience
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Let's just jump in at verse 28 of Luke chapter 24. We could start up in verse 13.
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Oh Let's just do it. It's such a wonderful passage Luke 24 verse 13
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That very day two of them of course the resurrection has already happened We're going to a village named
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Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem And they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened
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Well, they were talking and discussing Jesus himself drew near and went with them
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But their eyes were kept from recognizing him And he said to them what is this conversation that you were holding with each other as you walk
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They stood still looking sad Then one of them named Cleopas Answered him are you the only visitor in Jerusalem are to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?
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And he said to them what things They said to him concerning Jesus of Nazareth a man who was a prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and Crucified him, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem
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Israel Yes, and besides all this it is now the third day since these things happened Moreover some of the women of our company amazed us.
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They were at the tomb early in the morning And when they did not find his body they came back saying that they had seen
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Even a vision of angels who said he was alive Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as a woman had said, but him they did not see
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Verse 25 and he said to them Oh foolish ones slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken
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Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself
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So they drew near to the village to which they were going he acted as if he was going further But they urged him strongly saying stay with us for its tour.
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It is toward evening and the day is now far spent So he went in to stay with them when he was at table with them he took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them and their eyes were opened and They recognized him and he vanished from their sight
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They said to each other Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?
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while he opened the to us the scriptures and And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem and they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together
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Saying the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread friends if you want a heart emotional
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Feeling I don't mind that at all, but it's just directly connected to who
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God is and your mind I don't want to be robotic. I want to have all kinds of emotions.
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Do you like emotions? I hope you do, but they're all tied to who God is in his scriptures
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All right. I have quite a few more. Let's just keep going All right, how am
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I gonna phrase this Let's see the doctrine of free will has no implications on eternal security
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That's the myth that Christians believe they don't say it But they have to believe it the doctrine of free will has no implication on eternal security
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The doctrine of free will has implication on eternal security What is the implication of free will on eternal security if you believe in eternal security?
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you cannot Believe in the ultimate freedom of the will because if God saves you and you still have the ultimate free will
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Then you aren't going to make it to the end unless you Want to make it to the end?
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Free will if you really believe in the doctrine of free will now we'll parse this out in a second You can't even believe in the security of heaven
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Because guess what in heaven There's no free will in heaven for some people free will is such an idol if you can't have free will on this earth then
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Who who would want heaven if there's no free will in heaven? Can you imagine no free will in heaven?
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Will it still be heaven to you? Now we better ask the question. What is free will? So I don't have conversations after the service like I had conversations after this morning service
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I thought it was a fine sir. I Didn't know it was worthy of a certain kind of response so the will
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We believe when Adam sinned That Adam fell completely and the fall of Adam affected not just Eve because of Adams federal headship not just the
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Creation because of Adams federal headship, but it affected Adam and it affected him completely it affected his mind
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It's got a fallen mind now. It affected his emotions and it affected his what?
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will Now if you say to me, let's talk about an unbeliever for a second then we'll look at some scripture unbelievers have free will
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I Will say to you What do you mean by free will because the word free will today it's really not too good if you say
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Freedom of the will means you can choose anything your nature allows you to choose.
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Will I like that now definition? I will like that definition now. I Changed my word order like the
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Greek to make certain words more emphatic. I Have a nature as an unbeliever and that nature is unbelieving dead
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Slave to sin, etc And I can freely choose all kinds of things to do and by my own free will that's tied to my nature
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But I could never as an unbeliever freely choose to worship God on My own why?
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Well, let's look up a few verses and you know these verses but I'm just trying to get you to think out loud because I have so many friends who are
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Chalminian and They believe in eternal security.
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Okay, call it preservation by God call it perseverance of the Saints. They believe in eternal security. They're one -point chalminions eternal security, but they will
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Fight you like a bear in Yosemite for the freedom of the will and I'm trying to tell them
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You can't have both because if your will is free and you're a
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Christian Well, you've got to make decisions all the way to the end and if you freely say kind of Allah Rob Bell We've got trouble.
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So 2nd Timothy chapter 2. I don't believe we're robots.
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I believe we're clay. I Don't believe God Forces us to love him.
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He changes our hearts and we freely love him I just want you to realize that unbelievers are slaves.
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They're not free. So To whom are they in slavery to well found in 2nd
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Timothy chapter 2 verse 24 And if you disagree with me tonight and you want to talk with me afterwards
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I'll try to do what this passage says the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone able to teach
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Now when it's for Opponents it wouldn't be you tonight if you talk to me, but now we're thinking about real opponents patiently enduring evil correcting his opponents with gentleness
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God may perhaps Grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth and they may come to their sentence senses
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This is an unbeliever and escape from the snare of the devil After being captured by him to do his will
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Just how free is an unbeliever who is a pawn of Satan? Unbelievers do what
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Satan wants they're slaves to Satan. They do his will how free can that be?
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true or false Unbelievers are slaves to their own indwelling sin. I thought this is a pretty good congregation
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But I guess Barry just got up. So Barry would say yes slaves to sin Romans 6
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People have a nature and if that nature is an unbelieving nature They're free to make all kinds of decisions on their own
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But they're not free because they don't have the ability to say I now will believe in the
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Lord Jesus Christ Say well
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How do I work through the issue of free will if I'm struggling with it and what you need to work through is the doctrine of depravity our total inability
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Spiritual inability. I have no ability to say yes to God. That's why I need Calvary That's why
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I need the Calvary to come I need to be saved because left to myself I will freely and always as an unbeliever never choose
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God So I want my Eternal security Flint friends to realize that if you believe in eternal security
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You can't believe in free will because God keeps us to the end By the way, if you could lose your salvation, would you lose it?
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I've been a Christian now since 1989. I would have lost mine 1989. I Would have lost my salvation, but Christ can't lose the
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South Christ can't lose a Christian not one Okay, let's see.
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What else do I have? Okay next
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Christian Misconceptions number what numbers this this one might take the rest of time because it's on my mind
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Myth What'd you say it was for? Five, okay good You can make
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Christianity cool. That's a myth.
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You can make Christianity cool now being in California for the summer I've been around a lot of youth groups and they want to try to do that I remember when
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I first got saved and I was in Burbank, California, and I had a home Bible study And here's the home Bible study me is the teacher
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It's the first bad thing my wife because she was forced and One other couple.
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I don't think they'll be listening. So I'll tell you their names and Grady and Carolyn and we just pooled ignorance and we just sat and talked and Grady said to me one day, you know
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He really liked James Dean He was older than I was and I don't know if he was around when James Dean was around I think so and he liked the kind of biker deal.
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He liked the leather jackets and kind of the White t -shirt rolled up and you could put some
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Camels there or something there, you know No filters the
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Christians divide on cigarettes being filtered and unfiltered I don't know but probably and He said, you know,
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I like James Dean and he's cool I mean, I think James Dean was in terms of the persona on the
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Big screen. Okay, cool, and he goes Rebel without a cause Jesus was the rebel with a call and so as we like to look up to rebels
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Jesus was the ultimate kind of cool rebel. How do you make
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Christianity cool? Christianity isn't cool I've got news for you if you're a young person and you are going to public school
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Are you gonna go to college or something like that? You're gonna move away People are going to think that you're wacky
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People are think you're crazy People are going to think that you're an idiot
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People are going to think you're foolish Now do your best of course to disavow them of these kind of notions and be kind and all these kind of things
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But at the end of the day you believe that How can you make well,
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I guess we switch the sanctuary around a piece of Something that you execute people on cool.
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I've got to make this cool Well, if you want to make things cool Christianity isn't for you.
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Maybe Hinduism is or something else, but why don't you turn to 1st? Corinthians chapter 1
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I Not going to reprieve through Corinthians But like Romans 1 to me it solves almost all theological questions, right
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Steve Nelson I have this thing where somebody ever ask you a question Theologically and you don't know what to do. Just say
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Romans 1 because you're gonna get the answer, right? It's Romans 1 that solves it 1st
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Corinthians 1 I often go back as well because it solves so many theological conundrums baptismal regeneration
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Romans 1 excuse me 1st Corinthians 1 Slays it does
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God need cool people for the kingdom. That'd be another myth. It's slayed by 1st Corinthians chapter 1
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But it also reminds me About really what the cross is and how
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I need to preach the cross for what it is And no matter how much
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I get out the block plane and try to plane the rough corners of the gospel
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They still exist 1st Corinthians 1 18 for the word of the cross.
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That is a pack theological word If you're a computer guru,
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I was gonna say computer geek But if you're a computer guru That's like a zip drive full of all kinds of stuff and you just double -click on that and it just unzips
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With all kinds of messages about the cross This is not just a piece of wood
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This is a theological word, it's shorthand for, you know substitutionary atonement penal substitution
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Jesus dying on our behalf the wrath of God poured out on the Son the innocent
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Son the word of the cross is Folly to those who are perishing.
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I Mean to me if you think about it for long enough, I'll tell you what the cross is for me the old rugged cross
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It's kind of a thing I sing about it could be sentimental. I love the cross
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There's nothing wrong with singing the old rugged cross, especially if you love George Beverly Shea I mean it is more sentimental than other songs, but we think of crosses on Stained -glass windows or maybe you have a little gold charm on your neck across But to an unbeliever the cross was
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Repugnant back in those days. Look at the text is folly to those who are perishing, of course to us who are being saved
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We've been saved. We are being saved. We will be saved justification sanctification glorification. It is the power of God.
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Yes to us It's wonderful to us. There's an emotional attachment theological attachment. We know it's the power of God But to unbelievers, it's
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Moriah Moriah where we get the word what?
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Moronic it's stupid. It's nonsensical. There's God's wisdom for you.
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Jesus the Son dying on a cross Very very interesting the word moros are foolish occurs in Paul's letters
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Only in chapters 1 3 & 4 of 1st Corinthians, but 36 times
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It's in the Greek version of the Old Testament what we call the Septuagint and in those 36 times
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It's used Quote where the fool is skewered for being oblivious to self -destructive
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Behavior quote where the fool is skewered for being oblivious to self -destructive behavior
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I Some things like this happen in Santa Cruz. I need to say to the kids I mean this is hard to do because it's like don't touch wet paint
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But you'll see something going on in Santa Cruz downtown you go kids. I don't want you to look nobody look over there
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I mean if I was a kid You just not say anything and they're probably just looking around look at the moon over there kids
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But really bad things that were happening if you were at That you were in the time of the cross and you saw a crucifixion not even
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Jesus's but Jesus's as well You would say don't look hide the eyes of the children.
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This is embarrassing. This is reprehensible. This is shameful you kill slaves and Miscreants on this thing no wonder there's graffiti in Rome that shows a worshipper standing before a crucified figure
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With the body of a man and the head of a jackass Alex Amenas worships his
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God. I mean that saves No wonder Cicero Said this the very word cross should be far removed not only from the person of a
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Roman citizen But from his thoughts his eyes his ears Cicero didn't think it was cool
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When you look at the cross you go just how cool is it this guy can't even save himself. He saved others.
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He can't save himself One man said it's hardly a message.
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That is the cross for the ambitious And even though I think
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Nietzsche wasn't right about a lot of things I think he probably was right when he described Christianity as the metaphysics of a hangman
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I mean just how stupid can you get you mean to tell me what I believe about this guy who died on a cross there
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Were 29 ,000 other Jews who died on the cross? But what I believe about him being the Son of God and the Messiah determines my eternal destiny forever.
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Yeah, right and it gets worse because the Cross is foolish to people because guess what
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Jesus the suffering Messiah who gets persecuted for righteousness sake has Followers like you and like me who get the same treatment.
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That's the explanation exclamation mark last night last time
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I checked we had 37 states that have death penalty statutes, but Does any place outside of Texas even do it?
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We can't even stand or stomach the death penalty So what do we do? Look down at verse 22
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First Corinthians chapter 1 this helps us when we think about outreach. It helps us when we think about evangelism trying to be cool
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For indeed Jews ask for signs Greek search for wisdom, but we preach
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Christ Crucified why not Christ resurrected? I mean, isn't he off the great isn't he off the cross?
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I Might get myself in trouble here. But most of you aren't visitors. And so I'll just be blunt to make the point.
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I Despise Roman Catholic crucifixes
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That symbolized Jesus has to be slain again Every day week year in the face of Hebrews chapter 9 in Hebrews chapter 10
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I can't stand it when I see especially when I first got saved and I would go into a I worked in hospitals for a lot of my life and I would go into hospital rooms and You know the good news
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Catholic hospitals don't do abortions. The bad news is there's a crucifix in every single room crucifix mania
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Jesus's death wasn't good enough when Jesus said it was finished. It really wasn't and the mass bothers me like no other
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But after looking at this passage we preach Christ crucified I Understand now what
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I do is I take the crucifix and say I know they mean it For re slain the
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Son of God again, but the way I see it again is this is Christianity When I talk to people it's a
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Savior who's not Ascended a Savior who's not resurrected. Although those are both true.
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It's a Savior who gets crucified naked on a cross He didn't say here and we preach
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Jesus resurrected from the dead He could have but the point is these people want signs these people want wisdom and here's a stick in your eye
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Jesus and if you don't think forgiveness is the most important thing in the world I have nothing to offer you if you want cool if you want success if you want money if you want prayer rugs
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I I can't help you. But if you die, you're dying for forgiveness. I can point you to the
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Savior Anybody need forgiveness? So we give people what they don't want
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Jews want signs. That's exactly what verse 22 says Give us signs give us wonders.
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Hey make that poison stew better Make that see split give us manna from heaven
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One writer said this very time during which
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Paul was writing produced a crop of false Messiahs And all of them had beguiled the people and accepting them by the promise of wonders
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In 8045 a man called Thoedus had emerged He had persuaded thousands of the people to abandon their homes and follow him out to the
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Jordan by promise of wonders Promising that at his word of command the Jordan would divide and he would lead them across dry shod land in 8054 a man from Egypt arrived in Jerusalem claiming to be the prophet
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He persuaded 30 ,000 people to follow him out to the Mount of Olives by promising that at his word of command the walls of Jerusalem would fall down That was the kind of thing the
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Jews were looking for in Jesus they saw the one who was meek and lowly Who deliberately avoided the spectacular?
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Who served and who ended on a cross and it seemed to them an impossible picture of the chosen one of God?
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I Mean at least maybe give us some lightning or thunder or something. Maybe a little earthquake
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Something apocalyptic something revolutionary something triumphal
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We want empirical evidence Some of the scribes and Pharisees answered
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Jesus saying teacher. We wish to see a sign from you But he answered what did Jesus say meek and lowly loving
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Jesus. We want to see a sign He answered them an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of the
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Prophet Jonah John chapter 6 I'm sure pastor Steve's gonna be here soon
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They said therefore to him. What then do you do for a what sign that we may see and believe you?
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What work do you perform? He's just fed 20 ,000 people but you only fed him one time and Moses has fed them allegedly
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Moses is God through Moses has given a man a 14 ,600 days
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Big deal one day versus 14 ,000 and the Greeks. What did the
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Greeks want? They want wisdom Incarnation God becoming man was wrong.
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You can't do that Celsus said in 2nd century AD God is good and beautiful and happy and it is in that which is most beautiful and best if God Descends to men it involves a change for him and change from good to bad from beautiful to ugly from happiness to unhappiness
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From what is best to what is worst? Who would choose such a change for morality it is only nature to alter and be changed
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But for the immortal to abide the same forever. God would never accept such a change the incarnation
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Wasn't too cool for Celsus So what do we do we preach
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Christ crucified by the way look at verse 23 again, please Crucified perfect participle.
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He was once crucified, but he stands in the character as still Crucified there's a lamb standing in heaven and he's standing as if what?
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Slain I read this week. There's only one thing in heaven That's man -made and only one thing and that's the scars in the hands and feet inside of Jesus Paul knew the
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Jews didn't like this. He knew they wouldn't think it was cool But he says I'm gonna preach to you Christ the one who remains the crucified one.
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How about one of the rabbis? who said sir these and such like passages of Scripture compel us to await one who is great and glorious and Takes the everlasting kingdom from the ancient of days a son of man
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But this your so -called Christ is without honor and glory So that he has even fallen into the uttermost curse that is in the law of God for he was crucified
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Curse it is everyone who hangs on a what tree that's cool. Now.
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I will readily admit That I don't want my friends to think ill of me.
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I want to be popular with them. I want to be liked high school friends people that I meet but eventually
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I Know unless God is working in them and through them
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That if I say the things I need to say about Jesus it's going to be offensive because the cross offends
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The world's going to say we're crazy that just comes with the territory and probably we are but we're forgiven
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You really mean to think that when they look at Jesus and they said he is mad and he has a demon
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They're gonna look at you and go you're cool. Why don't you be my buddy? The Savior gets you've got a demon in you now,
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I'm not saying we should be Deodorant less is that a word?
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deodorant less I'm not saying we go around with chips on our shoulders.
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I think we should be winsome and kind I think Jim Elliott was right when he said I want to live in such a way where people say
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Whoever his God is that God has blessed him Infinitely both spiritually and materially that is to say just whole life
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Shalom But we've got the crucified Jesus that we preach
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That's why it's so wrong to set up a worship service that says come to Jesus and your marriage gets fixed
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No, come to Jesus and you're forgiven and then even if your marriage tanks
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You still say at least I don't have to expend eternity in hell for my sins
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Right. I think that's the last one. I'm gonna do tonight. I had other ones The Old Testament God is different than the
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New Testament God. I Had how are you saved in the Old Testament? Is it by faith or by works and I think we're just gonna stop
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There okay. No, you know what? Let's do one more fast one Super fast.
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I just thought of it this morning first John, please turn your Bibles there first John verse 10 of chapter 4 the myth is
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I can understand the love of God apart from propitiation
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The myth is God is love and whatever love is to you era store gay fillet
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Oh, I don't know what love is Love the one you're with I mean, I don't know whatever people sing about and say and write if you don't understand the love of God Tied in with the concept of propitiation at least according to the
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Apostle John. You don't understand love He says in first John 4 9 in this the love of God was made clear or obvious or visible or manifest among us that God sent his only
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Son into the world that we might live through him in this is love not that we have loved
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God, but that he loved us and Sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins
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Beloved if God so loved us. He loved us so much that the son became the wrath bearer
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We ought to love one another and so when you want to understand the love of God Oh the deep deep love of Jesus I want you to think of first John chapter 4 every single time where love and propitiation are tied together
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Because that gives you enough theological weight in your mind to say now my heart burns.
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I Love my wife, I love you. I love raw steak
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I love carbon fiber bicycles, I Love my kids.
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I love love. I love life We have all these different ideas, but when you think of the love of God John says don't forget propitiation
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Don't forget about propitiation Let's pray father.
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We do. Thank you for our time tonight where we can just get in the word and understand you and your mind We're thankful that you love us
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That love was certainly a gap a love And at your expense
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You initiated that great Sacrifice and then you completed it and father for us.
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We're thankful that even though we used to think Christianity was foolish Stumbling block we now think of Christianity as precious because it highlights the
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Son Jesus Christ I pray for everyone here tonight. Maybe there's someone here tonight. That's not a Christian With all this talk about Christianity and Jesus.
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I pray that you would turn their hearts to receive the gospel message that Jesus Christ died on behalf of sinners like them and was raised from the dead and their response needs to Be repentance and faith.