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well tonight I was going to talk originally about the Lord's Supper the whole time but I think we'll just do a variety of different topics it's almost kind of random night
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I have a few things that I'd like to speak about and we'll almost set it up in Q &A style Sunday mornings when
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I ask a question they're rhetorical questions I'm just trying to get you to think you can think about four hundred words a minute you can listen to about you can speak about one hundred words a minute and so I try to ask questions on Sunday morning to prompt you to stick along with me and not think about the bills that you have to pay the
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Patriots beating the bills or any of those kind of things and so I ask those questions but on Sunday night when
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I ask a question you can raise your hand and answer your question answer the question and we'll work it that way in case you don't know the format the first question
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I have tonight for the congregation what are the four different views of the Lord's Supper I think I'll have about ten questions maybe we'll see how far we get what are the different views of the
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Lord's Supper and why does it really matter remember what we believe matters but it just depends how we get to the end of that and it has to be through a biblical means what are the different views of the
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Lord's Supper there are a variety of different views yes John okay well that would be kind of who gets to take them but in terms of what they mean when someone takes the
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Lord's Supper there are four main views on what it means to take the bread or the wine or the juice yes
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Bruce okay consubstantiation transubstantiation those sound like big words memorial good alright does anybody know the fourth we're going to take a look at those tonight well but without telling you what those four are the
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Lord's Supper is also called communion it's called breaking of bread it's called the Lord's table it is also called for you
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Protestants you may throw stones at me now it is also called the Eucharist because first Corinthians 11 it says when he had given thanks and basically that's what
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Eucharist means in Greek to give thanks and so if you say this is a giving thanks that would be fine it is not proper to call the
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Last Supper because that Last Supper was only one time it is not proper to call it a mass but we come to the
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Bible and why don't we just turn our Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 11 and I want to talk a little bit about what we should think about when we take communion what actually happens and there are four views and of course in post -modernism if long as your view is true for you it's true but we don't believe in post -modernism in terms of that we believe in truth real truth and so all four could be wrong but all four could not be right and so there are four different views and I want to make sure that when we have communion in two weeks on Sunday night that you're approaching the table thinking things that are biblical and first Corinthians chapter 11 does discuss this who else talks about communion besides Paul does anyone know?
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it is found also in three other books Christ speaks of communion yes in Matthew and Luke and Mark the first view of the
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Lord's Supper as Bruce said is transubstantiation and what does that actually mean without Bruce giving us that what is transubstantiation mean and if you don't remember the word that's okay okay the blood and excuse me the bread and the cup are actually the body and blood of Christ and which major denomination or religion would believe that Roman Catholics yes transubstantiation is when the bread turns into the literal body of Christ and the wine turns into a blood if you've been to a mass before and you hear that little tinkling of the bell that's the exact moment when it turns into those things
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Lefranc in one thousand five the Archbishop of Canterbury said quote the very body of Christ was truly held in the priest's hand broken and chewed by the teeth of the faithful is that true or false and why
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Jesus said in John chapter six unless you eat of my body and drink of my blood you will have no part with me does it actually turn into that no and why doesn't it turn into it or why don't we need it to turn into the real blood and body of Christ Christ died once certainly
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Hebrews makes that clear he's not going to have to be offered up again where is Jesus by the way he's in heaven he's not there at the time yes it is we don't need some kind of sacrifice as Dallas said to satisfy the demands of God we are doing this as a memorial for some of you that know
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Latin when I would read this it would be this is my body hoc est meum corpum this is my body and some of the people would come along and say if the priest says that this is my body and in fact has turned into Christ's body that is not hoc est meum corpum that is hoc est poc est and you think
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I'm making that up but I'm not making that up the priest must be ordained properly it is a double miracle actually changing
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Jesus's blood changing the wine into his blood but not changing the appearance of that and we would not believe that transubstantiation could be found the main reason you'll find it and I know
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I told you to turn to 1 Corinthians 11 but if you'll turn to John chapter 6 just quickly because I want to give you a reason that you might answer some of your friends and family members who are
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Roman Catholic certainly you want to be kind to them and give them a real answer you just don't have to slap them around with some kind of statement but you want to explain to them
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Jesus way before Passover was taking place way before he had the
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Lord's Supper ordained was talking in a certain way when you look at the words to the
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Jews in John chapter 6 verse 41 therefore the
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Jews were grumbling about Jesus because he said I am the bread that came down from out of heaven they were saying is this not
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Jesus the son of Joseph whose father and mother we know how can this Jesus be this person he's a local boy he's a regular man how does he the son of Joseph the person whose father and mother we know say
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I have come down from heaven Jesus answered and said to them do not grumble among yourselves no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I raise him up on the last day it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught of God everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me not that anyone has seen the father except the one who is from God he has seen the father truly truly
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I say to you he who believes has eternal life I am the bread of life now stop right there for a second when
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Jesus says I am the bread of life what what kind of language is he using what figure of speech would
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Jesus be using when he says I am the bread of life I am bread anyone is a metaphor or a simile if he said
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I am like bread it would be a simile if he says I am bread it's a metaphor he is not saying
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I am really bread he is saying something quite different using metaphorical languages language and he says there in verse 49 your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died this is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat of it and not die moving from temporal to spiritual
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I am the living bread that came down out of heaven if anyone eats this bread he's talking about him he will live forever and the bread of bread also which
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I give for the life of the world is my flesh well the Jews how did they respond then the
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Jews began to argue with one another saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat I mean what's he gonna do cut off part of his arm so Jesus said to them truly truly
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I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in yourselves hence the
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Roman Catholic passage where if you're not eating his literal body and blood you don't have any part of Jesus verse 55 for my flesh is true food in my body is true drink he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him verse 58 this is the bread which came down out of heaven not as the fathers ate and died he who eats this bread will live forever and just as Jesus used metaphorical language to say
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I am the shepherd I am the door I am the bread of life he says to that you must partake of me to have eternal life he's not saying you actually have to eat of me so faulty reasoning from the get -go the second view of communion
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I grew up with and it's not called transubstantiation it is called consubstantiation if you don't remember the word that's fine and this is basically a
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Lutheran idea and the Luther realized that the forgiveness of sins could not be found in a piece of bread and some wine actually getting turned into the actual body and blood of Christ but there had to be something there and so Luther pretty much reasoned this way true or false
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God is omnipresent if God is omnipresent true or false then
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God is in the bread I mean we start working over the kind of pantheism here and a wrong view of omniscience where you know he's in the tree he's in the wood and basically
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Luther was a sacramentalist and he said sadly in the shorter catechism that in the sacrament forgiveness of sins life and salvation are given us and so the
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Lutherans would believe that the body of Christ is in with and under the elements he would not think you had to sacrifice
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Jesus again but he would see a real presence of Christ in the elements the third view that nobody got today is the reform view our spiritual presence view and you think is this class?
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is this a seminary class? well I think it's interesting to know there is no physical presence in the elements but there's some kind of of grace conferred to the people this was
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Calvin's view Robert Soce said not a physical eating and drinking but an inner communion with this person which uses the outward action as an expression of inward spiritual faith that is the reform view and then finally the
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Zwinglian view Ulrich Zwingli from Zurich is the memorial view and that's what we do there's a memorial and there's no grace conveyed at any time well let's go back to first Corinthians chapter eleven and talk a little bit about communion when it comes to this memorial view we do it as a memorial first corinthians eleven twenty four and when
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Jesus had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me and then you see also congregation verse twenty five do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me how many people think the original
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Bible is written in English how many people think it might be good to look up a word that is in our
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English Bible but find out what the Greek or the Hebrew or the Aramaic might actually say what word do you think would be really good to look up in these verses so we would get the right view of communion remember what is happening when the
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Bible says I want you to remember something oh you know the light goes on you know continually do it okay anybody else do you remember the four presidents on Mount Rushmore is it that kind of remembering what is to remember is it an action is it all cognitive intellectual remembrance well let's find out how about Genesis chapter eight let's try to explain the
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Bible with the Bible it's kind of a good way to do it Genesis chapter eight the key to all of the flood account
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Genesis six seven and eight is found in Genesis chapter eight by the way as we're turning there another trick question that I like to think about when we're discussing
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Noah why did God choose Noah to be the one who would be on the ark any reason because he was good because he could oh
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I thought you said because he's good and I was gonna say how long have you been coming to the church God chose Noah because he was good because he could yes that's always good because God can do whatever he pleases anytime he pleases the way he pleases because he could if you go back to Genesis chapter six verse nine the typical answer is this is why
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God chose Noah because Noah was a righteous man blameless in his time and Noah walked with God basically
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God looked at Noah and said Noah you have such a good life you get to be the one who's on the ark with your wife with your three sons and their wives that's it eight shut the door but we know that's not the case because there is a verse before verse nine we know a little bit about Noah and we know that Noah was like us dead in trespasses and sins fallen his mind will emotions and everything were fallen and sinful and here is why
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God chose Noah and the answer really is what Pat said but Noah found favor our what's the synonym for favor there in verse eight grace in the eyes of the
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Lord he didn't merit it he didn't earn it he found grace in the eyes of the Lord and because God did grace him he was blameless righteous and he walked with God so here we have this man
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Noah and in the middle of all the flood story you see chapter 8 verse 1 now the water is prevailing the flesh has perished has been on the land he's blotted out every living thing in verse 23 of chapter 7 and from man to animals to creeping things to birds in the sky they were blotted out from the earth and only
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Noah was left together with those who were with him in the ark the water prevailed upon the earth 150 days but God did what remembered
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Noah oh yeah I kinda was was doing a bunch of spiritual warfare with Satan and I was thinking about people in the future and I was talking to Jesus an inner trinity trinitarian discussion and I forgot about Noah and so for a hundred and fifty days he was forgetting
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Noah and then he he had a V8 moment he remembered Noah and thought yeah that's right how can remember just be remember recall to bring to our minds it doesn't mean some kind of objective memory image of something can't just be that listen to these verses as I'm trying to develop this judges 1628 then
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Samson called to the Lord and said oh Lord God please remember me and please strengthen me just this time oh
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God that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines from my two eyes
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Samson said God remember me Hannah said in chapter 1 of 1st
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Samuel and she made a vow and said oh Lord of hosts if thou will indeed look on my affliction of thy maidservant and remember me and not forget thy maidservant but will give thy maidservant a son then
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I will give to him the Lord all the days of my life and a razor shall never touch his head when the thief on the cross was there he looked over at Jesus and said
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Jesus what remember me when you come in your kingdom remembering in the
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Bible especially here in the Old Testament is more of an action that is directed towards someone else it is not some kind of psychological thing when
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God remembers Noah it spurs him on to do something in this case send the wind
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God remembered Noah by what? sending the wind you see it in chapter 8 verse 1 of Genesis but God remembered
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Noah and all the beast and all the cattle that were with him in the ark and since he remembered him God did something about it
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God caused a wind to pass over the earth and the water subsided when
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God does something when God remembers he does something about it so now let's think about for us when we are having communion and it's remembering time do this remembers me would it be good to say
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God I'm taking the bread now or I'm taking the cup and I remember that I'm sinful and my only way of salvation was your son
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I'm remembering that would that be good to do yes would it be good to say God thank you for Jesus because without him there's no other way that I could be right in your eyes and I remember that would that be good to do yes would it be good to say
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I'm glad Jesus had to only die once and there was a great propitiatory sacrifice
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God your wrath was poured out on Jesus he drank the cup to the fullest and he did that in my place and I would have killed you
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God if I could have but Jesus love me more than than my hate was for you and I remember that and I'm so unworthy thank you would that be good to remember and the list could go on and on and on but if Hebrew idea of remembering means there's action involved what would be the good action when you come to the
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Lord's table and say God I'm remembering what you have done now what should the action be anybody would be some good action on our part when we remember
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Jesus Christ do this in remembrance of me God give me a greater grace so I might obey you
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God I know I have fallen short and I've sinned this week and I don't want to and God grant me obedience
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I am pledging to you obedience now that would be good any other action that should be involved repentance okay good
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I think you're getting the idea God would you help me to live with greater dependence on you in every aspect of my life
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God would you help me to stop relying on my own self and rely fully on you so when
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Jesus says and then Paul says in 1st Corinthians 11 do this in remembrance of me there's a mental part and then there's an action oriented part and so all that to say when you come to the table you don't get grace put in you it's like me being
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Lutheran I told you the story I could be drunk and walk up to the front and then have the bread and wine
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I feel like it would go in me and I could feel the kind of the hot wine the wine wasn't hot but it seemed like that it had the hot alcohol feeling go down in my throat
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I could feel almost as it were in my mind this is all wrong but in my mind I could feel the presence of the
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Spirit of God and God's grace kind of go down into my stomach and I would think I am pleasing
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God by taking that on the flip side we're doing this is a memorial remembering what
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Jesus have has done and then saying with a new pledge I want to be greater in my degree of faithfulness to you alright well by the way when it comes to to using the symbols should we use wine or grape juice does it matter there was a
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Methodist dentist and he didn't like it that the church used fermented wine in communion service and he wanted to come up with a non -alcoholic grape beverage because there were none at the time and his name was
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Dr. Thomas Welch and he came up with Dr. Welch's unfermented wine and he tried to go to the church officials and persuade them but they thought it was kind of innovation you know anything new must not be any good a son
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Charles who is also a dentist changed the name to Welch's grape juice and he set up the production facility in a barn behind the family home response was so overwhelming that he gave up dentistry and devoted himself full -time to making grape juice we use juice if you go to a church that uses wine sometimes they'll have on the inner circle the wine on the outer circle the juice we just use grape juice here we try to use unleavened bread because one time someone came to me and said this is bread that has leaven in it leaven is always evil when
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I take leaven bread I think of evil and I can't see any leaven or evil in Jesus when I take the bread and so it's kind of messing my conscience up and so I said well you're so immature get behind me
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Satan is what I said no I didn't say that and I just thought you know what for the sake of the one that was thinking about all this leaven leaven isn't always sinful sometimes leaven is just a permeating influence well then why don't we just use unleavened bread and we'll break that and that'll be fine and so why do we do that just we're not told that we have to use wine we have to use actual
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Passover bread cooked in two thousand -year -old kilns or anything like that alright question number two tonight what would you respond to with more fervent obedience
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God's audible voice or God's written word if God spoke to you from Sinai or you read
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Psalm 1 which one would you attempt to obey quicker and faster and why this almost ties into this morning's message there is basically a movement and it's very broad and so I can't speak for all of them but there's an emergent church scene coming on very quickly and permeating everything and certainly it's been around for several years and there's overall not in every case but overall a very negative view of scripture and if God would say something from Sinai or say it in his word
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I think I should have the same due diligence and determination to obey him what's the difference there is no difference but the emergent church they're saying things about the
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Bible that I don't like for instance in a book called velvet Elvis repainting the Christian faith this man said and I won't say his name because it would shame him it is not possible to simply do what the
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Bible says we must first make decisions about what it means at this time in this place for these people he talked about how
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Bible could be used to defend slavery and mistreating women and then he said sometimes quote when
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I hear people quote the Bible I just want to throw up well
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I believe all scripture is inspired I believe it is profitable for teaching reproof correction for training in righteousness
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I believe that Paul was recognized as a scripture writer when Peter said some things are very difficult that Paul writes but they are scripture
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I believe that Paul in 1st Timothy chapter 5 quoted Jesus and Deuteronomy within the same set of verses saying this is what scripture says and I believe church history has shown that Christian people believe that the
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Word of God is exactly that the Word of God George Marsden who's no evangelical surveyed 85 percent of the students in a large evangelical seminary and they said they do not believe in the inerrancy of scripture beyond that he pulled 10 ,000 clergymen in the
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US 74 percent replied and they said this when asked the question do you believe the scriptures are inspired and inerrant in faith history and secular matters the
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Episcopalians of which 95 percent said no the students who are Methodist 87 percent said no the
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Presbyterian said 82 percent no 77 percent of American Lutheran said no 67 percent of American Baptist said no what do you say it is amazing to me that people will mess around with the
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Word of God when we have the Bible in Matthew chapter 5 6 and 7
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Jesus speaking or any place else would those words be Jesus's exact words
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I'm talking exact words or does it even matter are you ready for the big seminary a words for tonight you thought transubstantiation and consubstantiation were bigger here's the controversy
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I'll tell you the controversy in the big words to kinda impress you no I won't do that I'm way beyond that not that my heart's beyond trying to impress you but you already know me too well for that to happen these are the two perspectives and then we'll talk about it so if you ever read some commentary and they're talking about it you'll understand there are two views about Jesus's words are they his literal words verbatim or are they the gist of things kinda close are they just talking about here we go if Sissema box or at Sissema verba it's just kinda fun to say those words
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I feel like I'm speaking in tongues if Sissema verba or Sissema box are these the voice of Jesus generally the general tenor of Jesus box is it the voice of Jesus we know he's speaking but it might not be exactly that if Sissema box or are these the exact words of Jesus if Sissema verba the exact words are just the voice of why would it even matter
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I mean come on do we really need to have the exact words of Jesus or is just the voice fine what do we do do you think
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Matthew chapter 5 when Jesus gives the Beatitudes are his exact words I mean exact are they just the voice of Jesus we kinda have an idea well here's what people will say would you believe that evangelicals in America to the high 90s well
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I'm just making up things but yeah I'm using hyperbolic language there are very many people at big seminaries large seminaries institutions that are big and large and have been faithful for a long time found in Texas and other places that would say mainly it is
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Sissema box the voice of Jesus not the words of Jesus and they would say how can we have the real words of Jesus when
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Jesus spoke in Aramaic and the New Testaments in Greek what would you say to someone who said you know how can we know anyway he spoke in Aramaic and the things written in Greek something had to be lost in the translation how would you respond to such reasoning anyone yes okay so the words are inspired yes
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I think that's a good response you could give them the sermon from this morning might be a response here's what
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Jesus thought about the historicity of the Old Testament can you prove that Jesus glad to go ahead okay the preservation of God's Word but come on Jesus spoke in Aramaic and the text is in Greek okay so now we don't know we have superintending the translation now well that's pretty good so now you've got a
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God who reveals inspires illumines and then oversees translation wow that's in Sissema translation nine yes
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Bruce alright there were three main languages of the day and the burden of proof is the
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P on the people who somehow say Jesus spoke Aramaic did Jesus speak
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Aramaic yes did he speak Hebrew yes and he speak Greek yes that's the argument you always hear from people we do not have the real words of Jesus it's the voice as one scholar said
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Darrell Bach it's the gist of what Jesus said in an article called is it live or is it Memorex it's the gist of it all when he says
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Jesus spoke Aramaic how could he really have the words of Jesus I think that is frightening Jesus actually was trilingual
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Hebrew Aramaic and Greek remember Alexander the Great was a conquer and what did he bring into the
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Middle East he brought in all kinds of things the legal lingua franca of the day was certainly in the
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Roman Empire at this time Greek when you see the writer of Hebrews quoting the
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Old Testament I wonder what language he quotes he quotes the
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Greek version of the Hebrew language that the Hebrew Christians in Israel used when
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Jesus speaks of the Old Testament most of the time he quotes the Greek version of the
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Hebrew language do any of the Apostles have Greek names Andrew and Philip Peter had three names one
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Hebrew one Aramaic and one Greek he was named Simon Cephas and Peter he wrote two epistles
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Peter did in Greek in Matthew 1618 in the
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Greek text Jesus plays on the difference between the words Petras and Petra in Greek where in Aramaic and in Hebrew you couldn't do the word play
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Stephen in Acts 7 quotes the Greek Old Testament James in Acts 15 quotes the
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Greek Old Testament Jesus must have spoke Greek when he was talking to the Syrophoenician woman who was a
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Greek the Roman centurion Pilate did he sometimes speak
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Aramaic yes and we hear from the text in Aramaic Talitha Koum which is translated little girl to you
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I say arise those few transliterations in languages other than Greek should support that it was not customary for Jesus to speak in Aramaic because now we're getting the translation they're making a point that this is an exceptional case
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Dr. Robert Thomas said quote no one has an airtight case for concluding whether they are Jesus's very words are there the gist of what
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Jesus said for one whose predisposition is toward evangelicalism and its primary focus on the human element of inspiration scripture he will incline toward if system a box the voice of Jesus for the one whose inclination leads him to place a high premium on the spirit
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Spartan inspiration he will certainly lean towards its system verbal yes it's a document put together written by men but it's overseen by the inspiration of the
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Holy Spirit do I believe these are the exact words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount I believe they're exact and I believe he preached them in Greek so you could write them down up in Greek comments about that a question she think what does it matter
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I'm just trying to let you know you could trust the Bible and don't let anybody tell you it's the voice of Jesus not his actual words we call that something else we call that neo -orthodoxy when someone says these parts of the
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Bible over here about God's wrath and judgment all that stuff they're not really scripture but these parts over here that he loves me with an everlasting love those speak to me therefore they must be true we believe all the
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Bible is all true yes yes it's a moral problem isn't it that's exactly right we either stand under the text or over it yes
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I'll never forget when Ligon Duncan got up in front of three thousand preachers last March and said if you can take the
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Bible where Paul says in a church context and church setting where I do not allow women to exercise authority over men and you can turn it into I do allow women to exercise authority over men then you can make the
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Bible say anything so we either stand under it or over it okay here's my next question are you a
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Hindu? what kind of question is that? all right let me temper it a little bit has
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Hinduism influenced your Christianity? has Hinduism affected
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America at all as we have had this religion come over to America has it affected
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Christianity, religion at large or has it affected even you? now when
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I went over to India a couple times and Lord willing I'll be going over in January I just got my tickets I thought it was interesting when
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I saw Western influence in India Bollywood, Bombay Hollywood put the words together you get
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Bollywood they make many many movies more than maybe Hollywood now yes true Bollywood I'd go over there and when
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I couldn't take curry anymore for breakfast lunch and dinner I like Indian food but I just had to slip away for a subway sandwich or a pizza hut a tikka chicken pizza
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I saw boy we've influenced this country some but more than that I've been struck by the influence of Hinduism in mainstream
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Christianity we kind of think it's some kind of religion that's different but we have been infiltrated big time on a secular level you tell me who said this the force is an energy field created by all living things it surrounds us penetrates us it binds the galaxy together it is all -powerful and controls everything
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Obi -Wan Kenobi Star Wars character very good the television series
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Dharma and Greg Dharma means what by the way it is a
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Hindu term for moral duty the Lion King I don't know what's so funny young man but I'll try to make it funnier so your laugh will match up to what
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I say how about the Lion King there's no creator we have a circle of what circle of life all is one the stars are
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Simba's father it does sound funny doesn't it once you start laughing you just can't go back
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Hindu chant George Harrison of the Beatles my sweet what Lord what's going on back there
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Brian that's why
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I usually don't point to the sound booth and ask for wisecracks my karma ran over my dogma well it certainly affected society but what about the church
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Satan is very tricky he is very clever and I like what the Puritan John Flavel said by entertaining strange persons men sometimes entertain angels unawares but by entertaining strange doctrines many have entertained devils unaware
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Satan wants us to think like a Hindu especially in this regard that there is no truth your truth is your truth my truth is my truth there is nothing black and white right or wrong antithetical thinking is out the window
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New Age people claim no external source of authority only the internal one the
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God within as Shirley MacLaine said it's all in the plane truth as an objective reality simply does not exist when
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I was a kid I used to listen to the radio a lot and we would listen to a song and it would go this is the dawning of the age the age of what?
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Aquarius and the age of Aquarius is no evil, no good liberation from all kinds of ethics we don't want the guilt we want to explore ourselves sexually forget the mores, forget
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God absolutism is passé and so are truths and as Timothy Leary said in 1968 the
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LSD guru, reality is whatever you make it this is
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Hinduism, this is pantheism or as Crosby, Stills and Nash said in 1969 love the one year how about President Clinton to Georgetown University several years ago nobody's got the truth you're at a university which basically believes that no one ever has the whole truth ever we are incapable of ever having the entire truth
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I just have one question, is that a true statement? as one man called it in the church we now have a fish and chips theology you guys have the giggles
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I haven't given the punchline yet we all fish around for truth and everyone chips in in what they think truth is and I believe you just have to keep preaching through it and now the
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Johansons have the giggles Johansons and Bertrands, do you guys know each other? when you get together after the service
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I think Jeremiah 23, 36 is indicative of this kind of thinking for you will no longer remember the oracle of the
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Lord because every man's own word will become the oracle and you have perverted the words of the living
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God, the Lord of hosts, our God there's no oracle of God to be remembered because what you say is the oracle and as Samuel Butler said the
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Bible may be the truth but it is not the whole truth and nothing but I mean think about it, we live in the
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Jerry Springer culture no taboos praise God people say for Jerry Springer because I know
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I'm warped and perverted and wacky but compared to Jerry Springer people sit at home thinking they're normal, they're righteous the only people who really should be on Jerry Springer are those who believe that there are taboos they'd be laughed at too people at the end of the day when they think they have the truth they do not want
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God invading their lives they do not want God to tell them how to live, how to worship, who to marry or anything else and Voltaire was very true as he indicated this kind of thinking not until the last priest is hanged with the entrails of the last king will mankind finally be free we want no authority over us and then
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God's word is proclaimed and basically it is truth from Sinai and we should respond with fear and awe the answer to the question do we think like Hindus?
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too often I think the answer is yes let me give you three premises that I want you to consider premise number one about the inerrancy of scripture truth is an attribute of God John chapter 1 verse 14 and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory glory as of the only begotten from the
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Father full of grace and truth premise number one truth is an attribute of God and I'm gonna try to get you to see from these three premises that scripture is inerrant inferred by these three premises number one, truth is an attribute of God number two,
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God speaks truthfully numbers 23 would say God is not a man that he should lie first Samuel 15
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God of Israel, the glory of Israel will not lie premise one, truth is an attribute of God two,
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God speaks truthfully so the inferred premise number three is scripture is breathed out by God Proverbs 30 says every word of God is tested he is a shield to those who take refuge in him if God is truth he speaks truth then what he speaks the
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Bible is true and what happens when this truth is rejected
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I'll tell you what happens it gets back to India two times ago I'm sitting there
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I told you the story there's a big screen up on the stage and we're hearing John MacArthur preach from California live there's a video camera going to John's face there's a video camera going to our face, the congregation and you see his picture up on the stage on this big projection screen so John can see us, we can see him but we're separated by how many miles is it to India?
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8 ,000? something like that, I don't know it's a long way two long, long flights and I saw a guy stumbling around and he was kind of walking around it almost looked like he was drunk but I thought maybe something's wrong with his leg and I don't want to cause a big fuss and I'm not an elder here
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I'm just a guest and I wanted to sit in the back but I was an honored guest and I had to sit right up in the front
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I wasn't allowed to go anywhere else I had to sit in the front so the screen comes on there's John John looked down and said
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Hi Mike, how are you? Hi John, how are you? 9 ,000 miles apart then this guy starts stumbling around as John is preaching and John is preaching that there's one way to heaven
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Jesus is the only sin bearer man here in India John is saying I want you to preach that the scriptures are authoritative that Jesus is the only way that Jesus was raised from the dead by God etc, etc and I saw this guy who's doing this kind of two -step shuffle walking back and forth and the next thing
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I know he comes up to the platform, the stage and stands up walks over to the projection screen when
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John is preaching and he takes it and he knocks a thing down and he knocked it down on the floor and started stomping on John's face except John's face was still up here but it was back on the wall trying to just stomp on that and I couldn't believe what
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I was seeing later, one of the doctors who was one of the Indians there he said yeah, that man has epilepsy and he was attracted to the light kind of like, you know the moths to the flame kind of thing and I thought epilepsy?
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he was disdaining the word of God there were other lights there here's John dogmatic, antithetical right and wrong no relative truth it's all absolute
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Jesus is the only way narrow, inclusive and the guy's up there knocking that down I thought that is the person's response to we will not have this man rule over us and I don't mean
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John I mean the Bible that John was preaching when you get rid of truth the first thing that comes in you get rid of truth and there's a new
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God that replaces truth and let me tell you what that God is His name is toleration when you get rid of truth the new
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God's name is toleration no one is ever wrong the only thing intolerable is an intolerant person named a
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Christian they are intolerant so we can say we can be intolerant towards them the great writer
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Dorothy Sayers said in the world it is called tolerance but in hell it is called despair the sin that believes in nothing cares for nothing seeks to know nothing interferes with nothing enjoys nothing hates nothing finds purpose in nothing lives for nothing and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die there's another
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God that comes in when truth is rejected not just toleration but it's called personal experience
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I've experienced something and it's got to be true truth isn't some black and white thing on the pages of a book it is
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I've experienced something and theology turns into autobiography I've had it happen to me therefore it must be true that's right out of Hinduism that is like the 1993
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Minneapolis conference where people showed up from mainline churches to reimagine their
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Christian faith it's true because I've felt it along those same lines because mysticism comes right in sadly when there's no truth people aren't mature anymore people can't discern anymore by the way it's bad to discern because you're making a judgment on someone so if you don't discern
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I have a word for you that if you're not a discerning person are you ready? when
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I see somebody who can't discern do you know what it makes me think of? if you haven't been paying attention so far this will make you pay attention you would be called one thing you would be called a baby that's exactly right because when you meet a baby what's one of the first things they do?
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oh that would be good to put in my mouth oh you know in it goes oh just anything there yet God says in 1st
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Thessalonians 5 .21 but examine everything carefully hold fast to that which is good abstain from every form of evil embrace truth with a passion reject evil in every way shape or form
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I think the church has been influenced by Hinduism and I think the evangelical
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Christians in India probably know it better than we do as the story goes I never forgot when
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I got off the plane you've heard me tell the story many times and I just everywhere I looked when I got off the plane
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I saw all these gods and goddesses and people worshiping them and I was really sick to my stomach
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I didn't get some kind of feeling this is spiritual warfare and there's demons all around but I just thought I am sick to my stomach there are so many gods in this place
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I cannot hardly take it I just thought my whole life has changed after this flight to India and I got off this plane and I am just sick to my stomach there are gods and worshippers and idols every single place every nook and cranny and the place where I was was
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Logan Airport we're too sophisticated to put a little idol here and say well you know he's kind of got an elephant's head and we better throw him in the river once in a while and we'll name him
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Ganesh and I'll bow down to him but we've replaced the extreme idols with idols of our own choosing if you turn to Colossians chapter 3 we need to close but Colossians chapter 3 when it comes to idolatry when it comes to God wanting our full orbed attention and devotion after all if he's our creator and sustainer and judge and then savior we are to worship him with our heart, soul, mind and strength when we deviate to some kind of idolatry what
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I wonder does God call it what does God call idolatry well that's amazing
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Colossians chapter 3 the God of America is found right here in this dusty old book
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Paul writing to the church of Colossae we have the exact words of Paul he says in chapter 3 verse 1 therefore if you have been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God set your mind on the things above not on the things which are on earth why?
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because you've died and your life is hidden with Christ and God and then Paul can't contain himself he's talking about a different topic but now he's talking about Christ and he just almost has this ejaculatory phrase he says in verse 4 when
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Christ who is our life I've got to just stop and say he's our life when he's revealed then you also will be revealed with him in glory therefore since we have this position we're in Christ consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality impurity passion evil desire and what's the next one?
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greed and in God's eyes what is greed? Michael Douglas in his eyes greed is what?
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greed is good whatever movie that's from what's the name of the movie? so I know Wall Street I think
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I saw it before I was a Christian when I saw it greed is good and you want to know why
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I see so many idols? this is not some anti -capitalism sermon God forbid capitalism isn't the issue but greed is the issue and what does
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God call greed? isn't that amazing? idolatry and God isn't the
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George Burns God he's not just the God of love this kind of characterized lifestyle this kind of lifestyle that does not look to Christ for forgiveness this kind of lifestyle that says you know what?
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I'll take my chances on the day when I die and I think I'm better than everybody else so I'll just try to hope it out forgets verse 6 for it is because of these things immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire greed which is idolatry that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience and very very thankfully verse 7 and in them you who are
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Christians you also once walked it was your manner of life when you were living in them but now you are not who you used to be thankfully put them all aside anger, wrath, malice, slander abusive speech from your mouth do not lie to one another since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices you're dead the old you is gone and have put on the new self which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him and it's a great image by the way that knows no distinction verse 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised barbarian,
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Scythian, slave and freeman but Christ is all and in all and then he keeps going on hey we're
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Christians we used to act that way here's how we act now so as those who have been chosen of God holy and beloved put on a heart of compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience bearing with one another and forgiving each other whoever has a complaint against anyone just as the
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Lord forgave you so also should you beyond all these things put on love so far removed from greed which is the perfect bond of unity let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful and the best thing you can do is have the word of God which is the real words of God richly dwell within you and all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the
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Lord Jesus giving thanks through him to God the Father well, tonight we just looked at a variety of different passages and we are people who are redeemed and we are people who believe that there is truth black and white truth and my exhortation to you is if you study the truth
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God will change your life absolutely change your life well, let's go ahead and pray and sing one final song
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Lord, we would just ask tonight that you seal the truth to our hearts certainly Lord, we don't want to be affected by Hinduism and we would pray that in spite of persecution in spite of losing friends in spite of having people not like us that in a kind way we would tell them of their only hope
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Christ Jesus the Savior Lord, would you help us be like Christ and point people away from their sins to the
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Passover lamb that was slain before all eternity Christ Jesus and we would ask
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Lord that you would be generous to our congregation that we would be people who would speak the truth not just with boldness but we would speak the truth to others in love thank you for protecting us we could be in England or in India or here in Massachusetts worshiping trees and bugs and crawling things we could be worshiping money and Lord, you have allowed us to worship you we thank you purify our worship in Jesus name,