Becoming Better Theologians (part 11)

Father in heaven Lord, we come before you this morning. Just thankful for all that you have given us

Thinking about this season What it represents your son

Taking on a human body Coming here to do your will and to redeem your people

Father we praise you for that and praise you for this time that we have to study your word this morning and to look at things that some people find offensive and Other people find comforting

Lord. I pray that you would just bless this time as we look to your word in Christ's name. Amen Well, I received this this week

And I'm not gonna read the whole deal, but I wanted to share it with you. This woman has written a book on How she basically became a

Christian. Let me see. Here's the author heaven without her Without her.

Let me enunciate a Desperate daughter's search for the heart of her mother's faith this woman's mother died the mother was a

Christian the daughter was not and you know, she subsequently talks about her Conversion and the

Situation that arose after her mom's death, but Here's how she advises people to evangelize in light of her conversion

Step number one pray I say hey, that's a good step number one Step number two when you're discussing the gospel of someone or when you're trying to actually what she say

Here's here's what you're trying to do you're trying to reach reason -based seekers, okay

Step number two help frame the questions seekers often don't know what questions to ask

Okay, that was certainly one of my major problems as a seeker I've been addressing two fundamental questions.

I think these are good questions. Is there a God and if so, which God? You know as I read this, I just thought

I don't know about you, but I know that when I got saved this is actually before I got saved.

But when I got saved I knew two things Number one, this is again before salvation.

I knew that there was a God. I Didn't really have any good reason for believing that there was a God I just believed that there was

God but the second thing I knew was I didn't know who he was So I think that's fine step number three point to a creator.

I like that step But now listen to this American seekers born after 1950 have a distinct disadvantage because they were taught that evolution alone explains the universe

I Don't know what that has to do with anything In her case the key proof was the anthropic principle

Which I'm sure we're all familiar with let me just tell you what what it is Every variable in the universe is fine -tuned to accommodate life on earth tweak just one and it falls apart

You know things like that We don't often consider if the the poles of the earth were just a little bit different Life couldn't exist the way it was what way it does or the earth would wobble so bad that nobody could survive, etc

Step number four clarify the alternatives. Okay, there's a God but how can we know which one is the real deal? Here's the path

I took. I Came across a book providing overviews of all major worldviews from Hinduism and Islam to Existentialism and Christianity it helped me see that there are only a really a handful of basic scenarios

And that because they contradict contradict each other in key tenets only one could be a hundred percent true, okay

Step number five tailor your tips. The first alleged proofs I came across were based entirely on Logic I wasted many hours trying it's all this

You know reasoning back to a first cause and things that we've talked about and I just find that all very disturbing step number six explain the gospel and And this is where I think the whole thing really goes off the rails this what she says she says maybe

I'm dense But it took me several years and in an evangelism course to grasp the gospel

That should never be allowed to happen if seekers learn nothing else from us. They should walk away with a clear understanding from the gospel

If you read this whole article, she thinks it was years after she got saved that she learned the gospel I don't know how that's possible.

And then she says Pray some more and I you know, overall, I don't have a real big problem with this except I just think the focus on an

Evidence and on, you know researching all these other religions complete waste of time. Anyway, we've been talking about free will and You know hot reprobation we started talking about that and then we kind of went on this little detour

And so we're gonna go on a bigger detour this morning I call this the excursus on free will and I said, you know if anybody has any free will versus Let me know and we'll talk about them next

Sunday morning. So here we are to talk about them Let's open our Bibles to Romans 10 by the way, these would not have been the ones that I would have picked if I were doing a study on free will but I digress

Romans 10 9 Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is

Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead You will be saved Was that verse true good answer

Why or why not does this or wire How do I want to say this? What does it imply free will or if it doesn't imply free will why doesn't it?

It's based on faith. Okay. Well Wouldn't that mean that you could choose to believe them? Okay It starts out

Peggy points out in chapter 10 brothers My heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

So he's talking to We already know this the wrote the church at Rome and in this particular area here of this book.

He's talking about Israel about Jews and he says brothers my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved

For I bear them witness and he goes on and talks about them and then he says says what he says in verse 9, but Other thoughts about this.

I think that's true. It is addressed toward believers Okay, Pam says you do choose to believe the question is what causes you to choose of thoughts?

Because I think that's that's that's on the money. But it Here's another just maybe a thought here, which is what do we see here?

This is him describing He's describing what we would see or what occurs in the life of a believer

He's not talking about how someone gets saved. He's talking about this is what we we hear somebody say and what we

Yeah, it's it's evidence of the working of God in their heart already, you know, for example pastor

Michael say with somebody gets baptized It's not the baptism that saves them. It's not even their Testimony or their profession of faith on that day that saves them

It's an outward sign of what's already happened inwardly. So when we say if you confess with your mouth

Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead You will be saved what we're really saying is if you say what's already happened in your heart, you know

Will be saved you God will save you ultimately from judgment Listen what kiss to mock grass to say he says in verse 9 the confession on the lips

In other words what people say what Christians say when they get saved Precedes the faith in the heart.

In other words, he goes you could think that it's this profession of faith that generates faith

But he says in verse 10 the opposite sequence prevails, so let's read verse 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved

What happens at the moment of Regeneration What's that?

New birth new heart. Okay, and so a heart that was previously predisposed to Be anti God is now in favor of God irrevocably in favor of God as we will study

I hope this morning and So Regenerated gets a new heart turns to The cross that he wants shunned and hated and now loves it and flees joyfully to the cross

But let's see what else he says here Oh probable reason he gives Okay, let's

Leon Morris says this Paul proceeds to speak of confessing and believing We would have expected the reverse order

But we should probably not make too much of this the two are in the order of mouth and hearts in the passage

Paul has just quoted right before verse 9 and he goes on to put them in the order we would expect namely that something is transformed our inner person and therefore we respond

With our outward confession in any case We should understand them to be closely related as the outward and inward aspects of the same thing

Paul is not referring to the kind of confession that is unaccompanied by faith as in Matthew 7

Many will say Lord Lord. Did we not do this? Did we not do that? Both the outward and the inward are important.

No one is saved by merely the outward that is just saying I Believe that Jesus is

Lord The state of the heart is important, but Paul does not contemplate an interstate that is not reflected in outward conduct

And we're going to see that over and over again. You can't be a Christian on the inside While you're outside is not in other words.

There's a consistency to the Christian life And Like I said,

I don't really see this as a connection necessarily to free will it is a choice but here's it let's just Bring this down to its most elemental level free will

Does not mean or if I say I don't believe that man has free will it does not mean I do not believe that people

Well, let me take all the knots out of there We make a choice Mankind makes a choice believers make a choice

Unbelievers make a choice The key word is that free will to me, and I'm willing to you know hear anybody else's

Description of free will but free will means I am unfettered I Can either choose

God or I can choose sin, and I am completely free. There's nothing pulling me either way. I'm floating in space free to turn

You know my rocket ship any way I want I know that wasn't me, but it's a good reminder to turn my cell phone off.

Oh It is oh no sound okay But anyway,

I so so I think this idea of free will is not necessarily here It is there is an exercise of the will but again notice what happens you confess something that is already transpired in your heart

God regenerates you Gives you faith, and you say I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ John wrote what that no one can say

Jesus is Lord except By virtue of the Holy Spirit, that's my paraphrase there in 1st

John Let's look at I received another one revelation 320 and this is one that's often used in evangelism

Yeah, and and what I want to do is read verses 14 to 22 and who would like to read that revelation

Chapter 3 verses 14 to 22 Bruce 20 through 22, please

And the reason I wanted to go to verse 22 by the way, it's just that last phrase there So that we understand the context both in the beginning

Verse 14 and to the angel of the church and laid to see it and then at the end he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the Churches so what Jesus says Stand I stand at the door and knock

Is he making an appeal a freewill appeal in terms of evangelism?

He's talking to the churches and any and he speaks to this church and lay it at sea and they've got real issues

And what is it? Well, what's their number one issue? They're lukewarm

Yeah, they're just completely indifferent. And and so when you say Verse 17 when you see things like this for you say

I am rich. I have prospered. I need nothing Well, they might have been rich in what way

Material ways not realizing that you are wretched pitiable poor blind and naked when

Jesus often talked like this in the Gospels, he would say I did not come for the For the well for the healthy but for the sick for those who know that they need a physician

He talked a lot of times about people's spiritual condition and described it in physical terms

So anyway, let me read just a couple comments here. Kiss the marker says Look, I stand at the door and knock being shut out from the spiritual life of the individual members of the

Laodicean Church Jesus figuratively stands outside the door of their heart and knocks to gain entrance

He persistently knocks to gain their attention so that no one will ever be able to say the Lord failed to call them

He calls them individually by continually rapping on the doors of their hearts as the owners are asleep

The stress is on human responsibility to go to the door and answer the one who is seeking entrance

The Lord opened Lydia's heart at 1614, but here he waits for the sinner to do so Here is the crux of divine action and human

Responsibility Dr. Thomas says the above discussion identifies this response with the repentance commanded in verse 19

This is the climactic decision of a lost person attorney in Christ for salvation It is not a plea for the straying

Christian to return to fellowship with Christ nor is in a general invitation to Christians and non -christians alike

The probable existence of a faithful remnant at Laodicea as in other cities

Though they are not mentioned has already been noted. They do not need to open the door again

They have already done. So Christ will enter at a second Advent This is an opportunity for those who have yet not experienced conversion of Christ to do so and thereby make ready for his return

Think about he's talking to this church of Laodicea. He says he offers to sell them what

I Counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich Well, wait a minute they already thought they were rich and if they weren't physically rich then how could they afford to buy gold?

Spiritual riches Charlie obtain that which really matters, you know good works

Having to do with spiritual Regeneration and he says and white garments so that you may clothe yourself

I mean that just so obviously sounds like what white garments that you may clothe yourself

Clothe clothe yourself in your own righteousness, right? No in the righteousness of Christ Yeah Yeah, John the

Apostle John also wrote in John 10 He says, you know my sheep hear my voice and so this is this is very reminiscent of that passage

You know, if you are his sheep and you hear his voice you will respond when he's at the door you will respond

MacArthur notes and in the MacArthur study Bible rather than allowing for the common interpretation of Christ knocking on a

Person's heart as it's used in evangelism The context demands that Christ was seeking to enter this church that bore his name

But lacked a single true believer This poignant letter was his knocking if one member would recognize his spiritual bankruptcy and respond in saving faith

He would enter the church So a couple different free will verses again

I I think this is an appeal to a will to make a choice I don't think we see a clear indication of free will

Bruce Well, I like MacArthur's note here

He says indicate these verses indicate that he was speaking here to unbelievers God certainly loves the unconverted and reprove and discipline often referred to God's convicting and punishing the unregenerate

He disciplines those whom he loves those who are his sons and daughters

He brings them back around if they err But he would also bring about conviction if they were his children, so I just think that this is

I mean, you're right That is interesting verse but I don't Love I reprove and discipline.

So be zealous and repent. Well, there's the command to to repent, but I don't I Don't see that as You know really being on free will again, but Is it true that God reproves and disciplines those who he loves?

Yes so He could be but but on the other hand if you look at it the other way if you are

One of his children then you will respond to his call for action, right?

I mean he says There's a therefore there He says those whom

I love are reprove and discipline so be zealous and repent Well there we have the divine

Action and there we have the human response. And so the question is is he reproving and disciplining this church?

I don't know. I don't I don't see that we see that here We just see that he's angry with them, but we don't see that there is a reproof and a discipline of them in other words

They're lukewarm we don't see anything here that indicates he has Enacted a judgment upon them.

So That is a difficult issue whether it's believers or unbelievers. I don't know.

I haven't really studied that To see that Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right he who has an ear

Right. So so that would in verse 22 he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches Well who has an ear who has spiritual ears? Believers Let him hear what the

Spirit says the churches But there seems to be you look at Laodicea there doesn't really seem to be any indication that there is a

Believer there Right Peggy points out them the pegger of this

And the pegger of the power and the beam in the parable of the sower and the seed that those who appear to be

Saved sometimes or not. So Yeah, right

Which would indicate what I mean, it could be come on Laodicea in church get with it

But then why would he spit him out of their mouth out of his mouth? Because they're not living what they believe which be an indication of They're living what they believe which is in true faith.

Yes Yeah, I think

I think this is I think that's a reasonable Understanding of it that it might be some kind of general call verse 19 those whom

I love I were proven discipline so be zealous and repent in other words show that I love you by Repenting Yeah, it's pretty it's in other words it's pretty hard for me to see

Yeah, why would they need to repent it's pretty hard for me to see how this could be a church

You know filled with believers who simply just aren't you know, just need a little kick in the pants so to speak, you know

Get with it be just because This language here in verse 16.

So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold. I will spit you out of my mouth That doesn't really sound like you know, they're just not getting the job done

Hmm why would they be called a church then? Okay, but let's just stay on the issue of why it looked why would it be called a church

I mean it every one of these churches faithful to the Word of God in Revelation No You know chapter 3 and in the angel of the church of Sardis writes the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars

I know your works, you know the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Well, they're still called a church.

I Don't know says wake up and strengthens what remains and is about to die for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my

God so they were obviously in need of You know some effort there so it's not

You mentioned the church at Ephesus in chapter 2 I know your works your toil and your patient endurance and how you cannot bear with those who are evil

But I've tested those who call themselves apostle and are not and found them to be false I know you are patiently enduring and bearing up for my namesake and you have not grown weary But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first So, I mean these are these are churches but they have you know various problems ranging from minor ones to major ones

Is it a church under the name of Christ only or are they believers who need to observe?

Well, yeah, I mean could could there be believers there? Yes but the question is, you know, I think we're making too much out of the the

Term church if we expect that everyone who's in the church is a believer I don't think that's what that's what he's addressing.

And in fact, there may be very few In a church that are actually believers and I think these are kind of that's kind of more consistent with what he's talking about What Dave was saying where it's really kind of a faithful remnant

It's hard to say that I mean in other words, we know what exactly what we see

In Laodicea that would make us think there there must be there could be believers there, but must there be

I Don't know Yeah Yeah if any if there were any it would be in verse 22 where he says he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says in the churches and then they would respond so But it's not it's not altogether clear.

I mean, that's clearly not a spiritually thriving church Yeah, I'm sure

I'm sure it's a gathering, you know large gathering but I don't know that that would really help us

Bruce Right and and and that's so again

I I don't know that we can say that there are absolutely no believers anywhere in Laodicea But we certainly know that it's a it's a struggling place.

I Don't know. So you're you're saying that you think this is a believing church, but they're just not performing acts of keeping with their position

Okay, I I do think that Bruce raises a lot of issues that I think would be a problem for that Right, but I but I think the

I think the issue would be back in verse 17 for you say I am rich I have prospered and I need nothing

Not realizing that you are so in other words they had Again, I don't think this Fits, I don't think this fits their physical condition.

I think it fits their spiritual condition and I don't know how that could possibly be a saved person a saved person doesn't have a spiritual condition of being wretched pitiable poor blind and naked

Okay, well next week we're going to come here and I'm gonna we're we're gonna preach out of Revelation 3 and we'll come to a conclusion on that but for now, we're getting lost in the weeds because this really is about free will and ultimately

Ultimately this passage has nothing to do with free will all right, so Enough All right.

I have a question for you. What do the following have in common now? Listen this list carefully How many know who

Creflo dollar is? Mean my dad knows who Creflo dollar is It's like what about that Creflo dollar?

Jack Hayford, anybody know a Jack Hayford Jack Van Impey, I mean you heard of this guy

Rick Warren Okay now listen to this list Ray Comfort John MacArthur John Calvin Billy Graham Dave Hunt James White And you know what?

Every single one of them is a false teacher From the false teachers to the good teachers.

They're all false teachers according to evangelical outreach org Some website somebody shared with me last week and I went there and it was quite entertaining

They're All false teachers And you know why they're false teachers because they teach eternal security

Yes, they teach eternal security and that makes them false teachers Let me let me just give you from the website here in other words once saved always saved that's eternal security in spite of the clarity of Teaching that you can lose your salvation shown throughout the scriptures

False teachers want to convince us. Otherwise of this group the most deadly false teacher of all

For those who have been born again are the eternal security teachers because of the popularity of this doctrine

And these teachers often being exalted as spokesmen and apologists for evangelical Christianity many

Bible believers Just accept their sinister teaching and security and sin with salvation theology such dangerously deceived people are usually very casual readers of Scripture at best and Just implicitly trust their pastor

Radio teachers, etc for the truth instead of reading the New Testament for themselves and putting into practice its life -giving message

Scripture actually says that there are people who will seek out false teachers to say what their sinful ears want to hear

So you cannot have salvation and still sin that's what he ultimately gets to and Let me read you one more section and then we'll get to Get back to the

Bible the missing part of the plan of salvation in our day among Bible believers primarily is a

True Christian must endure to the end for salvation's sake. Is that true? Yes Because many people receive that gift of salvation don't endure and remain faithful But some others do the only difference can be in what they themselves do and believe after getting born again

Many don't even know about final salvation or acting upon vital spiritual safeguards found in Scripture to enter

God's kingdom Such is foreign to their concept of salvation and Christian life.

What we're going to see as I develop this I guess we'll probably get to Revelation 3 The week after next but what we're going to see is as as this develops and turn to Luke 15

We're gonna look at the prodigal or the parable of the prodigal son or the prodigal of the parable son What we're gonna see is

That this man is consistent here this Dan corner because he's consistent. He says listen if you've got a free will

That is a will that's not impinged upon by any force. You are that You know innocent free will person

Neither drawn to sin nor drawn to God but able to Rationalize in your own mind and to sort things out for yourself

You are a complete Morally, you're a complete moral free agent neutral that if you can choose to believe

God and Therefore he regenerates you and gives you a new hearts that you can choose to Disobey God and therefore

You know, it's kind of like you are your own heart surgeon God puts in that heart of flesh and you cut it out and restick that's heart of stone back in there

And this is this is basically why he's able to call all those other people heretics now

Luke Yes, you start with a heart of you start with a heart of stone, but then you believe on your own

God gives you a heart of flesh and then you remove that heart of flesh put the heart of stone back in and Then when you repent you allow

God to put the heart, you know, it's very confusing but You go oh, yes you do and we're gonna see that you go back and forth during your lifetime.

You just don't realize it Luke 15 parable of the prodigal son

Now I'm gonna do this I'm not gonna be fair I'm gonna put it in context unlike what the gentleman will do here

Look at verse 1 Because this sets up all three parables here the parable of the lost sheep lost coin and the lost son

Verse 1 now the tax collectors and sinners were all get we're all drawing near to hear him

And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying this man receives sinners and eats with them

So the point of these parables and we will see he says it over and over again

Look at verse 7 just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over One sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance the issue and why he taught these parables was because the

Pharisees and scribes were upset with Jesus for hanging out with the lowest of the low and he said you guys

Have exactly the opposite view that God does God is delighted when these people get saved and you are indifferent to them

In fact, you're hostile toward them. You wouldn't you wouldn't give them Of course, they wouldn't know the gospel But you wouldn't preach good news or repentance to them if it was the last thing on earth that you could do because to you

They're they're useless and God says or Jesus says God doesn't view it that way.

So Luke 15 verse 11 And he said there was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father father give me the share of the property that is coming to me and he divided his property between them and as you

Probably know by now that is in essence or the equivalent of wishing that his father were dead in that culture

It's a huge insult So It goes on and he divided his property between them nevertheless the father does this

Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property and reckless living and when he had spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need so He went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs

Which again in the Jewish mindset would be the lowest possible form of work? 16 and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything

Pigs are eating better than he is Verse 17, but when he came to himself, he said how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread

But I perish here with hunger I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him father

I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son

Treat me as one of your hired servants and he arose and came to his father but while his while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion and Ran and embraced him and kissed him and the son said to him father

I have sinned against heaven and before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the

Fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this. My son was dead and is alive again

He was lost and is found and they began to celebrate Echoing what Jesus would saying would happen in heaven verse 25

Now his older son was in the field and he as he came in and drew near the house He heard music and dancing and he called one of the servants and asked him what these things meant

And he said to him your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he he has received him back safe and sound but he the son the second son was angry and Refused to go in his father came out and entreated and begged him

But he answered his father look These many years I have served you and I never disobeyed your command

Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends But when this son of yours came who has devoured your property with prostitutes you killed the fattened calf for him

And he said to him son You were always with me and all that is mine is yours

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this brother This but this your brother was dead and is alive.

He was lost and is found So that's the setting and the parable

Now listen to a couple common comments here from Dan corner verse regarding verses 11 and 12

Says even though it would be detrimental for the father to give the youngest son his share of the property to go astray the father still did

Now listen to this God honors man's free will and choice to do right or wrong

God will not force us to love and to be faithful to him The prodigal was about to wreck his life and the loving father let him do it

What's what's wrong with that Chuck It's like you studied hermeneutics or something

That's that's dead -on. This is a parable. What are parables meant to do? I mean what this man is going to do

Dan corner is going to do is turn this and not into a parable buddy or but an

Allegory a one -for -one correspondence, and we're gonna see that more and more And there are a lot of problems with making this an allegory first, you know

I mean the one I I picture is this I don't see God, you know, this is like the evangelist God takes 99 steps towards you.

He's sprinting towards you. You just take that one step towards him And that's just not the case at all

There was something else even when I was reading it oh Yeah, how about this one in verse 18 talking about a one -for -one correspondence

I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him father. I have sinned against heaven and before you That echoes to be the words of the psalmist who says against thee and the only have

I sinned only here He says, you know heaven because a Jew would naturally say not against God but against heaven and you well if the father was

God then that would be Redundant and that's not what it but anyway

Yeah, the point is it's a parable and parables are not meant to make a one -for -one correspondence like an allegory but to illustrate a

Point or two and the main point here had nothing to do with God's decision to give man free will which we can talk about later

Because that's not taught here What it had to do with? was the

Pharisees and the scribes and their opposition in fact that are more than opposition their absolute hatred of those who were not saved and were seen as Sinners, you know those outside of the

Jewish Community who were the lowest of the low how could Jesus hang out with them and they had exactly the wrong view anyway, he says

God honors man's free will and choice to do right or wrong. God will not force us to love and to be faithful to him

The prodigal was about well, God doesn't force us to love and to be faithful to him.

It's not force That's right, it's a new nature when

God gives you a new nature the way I Phrase it sometimes is it?

You know, he inclines your will You have a will and it's bent on one thing on fulfilling yourself on making yourself happy on pleasing yourself

People say well, what about people who commit suicide? I'll tell you having talked to them.

They are the most self -focused people because it's they're not concerned about anyone else Every time you read about a suicide, what do you see?

Almost without exception, you know, there's some there was a suicide here Just a few days ago not here, but and the man

Man's wife was gone. She was out of the country or whatever. Oh, yeah. I was a Bernie Madoff son

Killed himself and What was the the really gripping part of the story for me was what?

There's a two -year -old in the next room. Hey, make sure you check on your two -year -old son Hi, you know how self -focus can you be

Yeah, it's a it's a complete transformation that takes place in where he's putting these unreasonable demands

In fact when I'm pretty confident that if we could understand the Jewish mindset and go back there and hear

Jesus teach this for The first time when he said that this man demanded of his father. Give me half of my inheritance now everybody would have been like Like that, you know, you just don't do that Because they would understand that would be the equivalent of wishing the father dead

And so then to see him later come back and say not, you know, hey gee, sorry.

I squandered that money How about a little love alone? How about some forgiveness? Can I sleep in the barn?

He says no make me one of your servants so it's completely different attitude from gimme gimme gimme to I'll take anything.

I'll work from you know, dawn till dusk. Just give me something to eat One more thought from Dan corner and then what look at verse 17 and this is what corner says about it

When he came to himself, he says when he woke up so to speak from the delusion he had been in He realized the father's hired hands had foodie that he didn't have

Then he knows in parenthesis people in sin and away from God are in a deluded spiritual state or they would desire to be in God's presence

The misery regret and pain of living outside of God's will is also shown in the life of the prodigal

Well, I think I think both are true You know the the prodigal does have a change of heart as Pam notices

But it is about physical circumstances and so what are we then to Imply well, it is about physical circumstances

But it's also about spiritual condition because what else did he say he says I've sinned against you and against heaven or heaven and you

But but this idea here people in sin and away from God are in a deluded spiritual state

Well, they're in a deluded spiritual state Yeah, it's called dead. It's called spiritual slavery

We're gonna see more of that next week because what he he and other people actually say is that spiritually dead people

Can make decisions They can make spiritual decisions, I mean if we if we were to say

I mean this is just kind of This is simple. But if we were to say that dead physically dead people can make decisions.

We don't mock that idea So I don't understand why spiritually dead people should be able to make decisions that you know spiritual decisions.

That doesn't make any sense But they're in a deluded spiritual state it's it's worse than that, you know having the wrong idea about God They do have the wrong idea about God.

They have the wrong idea about themselves But that's not the issue and and again,

I think hermeneutics and we're gonna see this as we Finish this up next week. We're gonna see this hermeneutics is so important In other words how you interpret the

Bible because if you don't employ proper hermeneutics and what are the first three rules of hermeneutics?

Context context context and like I said in the beginning, I'm not going to be fan fair to Dan corner in this sense

I'm gonna point out that the context of this whole thing has nothing to do with what he wants it to be about Which is free will?

but has to do with The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him

Jesus and The Pharisees and scribes grumbled saying this man receives sinners and eats with them

So he told them this parable therefore in light of that Nothing to do with free will and there is nothing in here that teaches free will again.

There is a will the question is Is it free? And the answer is no it is not and we're going to Explore this next week as well

And then we'll get back to Revelation 3, all right, let's pray father we thank you so much for the clarity of your word

We think they thank you that throughout the ages you have given us men who have been Able willing and equipped to divide rightly your word

To write down their understanding of it not just Their own musings but by actually studying the culture the language

The authorial intent Father we praise you that you have given gifts to the church

Lord we praise you that you did not leave us To our own devices that you did not leave us in a spiritually dead state

Father I thank you personally that you did not allow me to To Just do what

I wanted to do that you changed my mind even as you changed Physically the minds of men like Jonah and like Saul of Tarsus Father we thank you that you are a sovereign

God one who sovereignly loves one who sovereignly draws one who sovereignly regenerates and Father one who sovereignly keeps those he has

Brought to life to the very end so that you may receive all the praise rightly in Christ's name.