1
00:00:00,650 --> 00:00:02,930
Hello, this is Brother Denny.

2
00:00:03,730 --> 00:00:05,470
Welcome to Charity Ministries.

3
00:00:06,470 --> 00:00:09,290
Our desire is that your life would be

4
00:00:09,290 --> 00:00:11,670
blessed and changed by this message.

5
00:00:12,610 --> 00:00:15,770
This message is not copyrighted and is not

6
00:00:15,770 --> 00:00:16,830
to be bought or sold.

7
00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:19,730
You are welcome to make copies for your

8
00:00:19,730 --> 00:00:20,630
friends and neighbors.

9
00:00:21,710 --> 00:00:24,890
If you would like additional messages, please go

10
00:00:24,890 --> 00:00:28,270
to our website for a complete listing at

11
00:00:28,270 --> 00:00:31,890
www.charityministries.org.

12
00:00:32,710 --> 00:00:34,570
If you would like a catalog of other

13
00:00:34,570 --> 00:00:41,130
sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or

14
00:00:41,130 --> 00:00:45,570
write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street,

15
00:00:45,990 --> 00:00:49,710
Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522.

16
00:00:50,850 --> 00:00:54,130
These messages are offered to all without charge

17
00:00:54,130 --> 00:00:56,370
by the free will offerings of God's people.

18
00:00:56,370 --> 00:00:59,450
A special thank you to all who support

19
00:00:59,450 --> 00:01:00,250
this ministry.

20
00:01:07,620 --> 00:01:08,180
Amen.

21
00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:12,440
Beloved brethren, I just love the fellowship.

22
00:01:15,460 --> 00:01:18,440
It is sweet to every two years and

23
00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,460
many times in between for myself also and

24
00:01:21,460 --> 00:01:25,580
traveling to other places and meetings and church

25
00:01:25,580 --> 00:01:27,140
planning work.

26
00:01:27,660 --> 00:01:30,260
It is so wonderful to see the body

27
00:01:30,260 --> 00:01:33,100
of Christ on a bigger scale than just

28
00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:35,500
our local congregation and that is what we

29
00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:37,980
have here today represented.

30
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,360
It seems like sometimes we find our hearts

31
00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,140
growing cold toward each other when we just

32
00:01:45,140 --> 00:01:47,700
don't fellowship or don't see each other, you

33
00:01:47,700 --> 00:01:50,520
know, but when we have that acquaintance, then

34
00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:51,920
that all warms up.

35
00:01:52,780 --> 00:01:53,920
Praise God for that.

36
00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,320
All right, shall we bow our heads for

37
00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:56,620
prayer?

38
00:01:58,220 --> 00:02:01,360
Oh, God, thank you for the centrality of

39
00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:01,780
Christ.

40
00:02:01,780 --> 00:02:05,840
Thank you for the entrance into the kingdom

41
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:06,740
through Christ.

42
00:02:07,479 --> 00:02:10,940
Thank you, dear God, for sanctification through Christ.

43
00:02:11,860 --> 00:02:14,280
Oh, thank you, dear God, for being our

44
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,680
head and guiding us through this dark world

45
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,060
and helping us attain unto eternal life.

46
00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,300
Oh, Father, we have that blessed hope and

47
00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:26,460
glorious appearing of our God and Savior Jesus

48
00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:29,280
Christ that we look forward to when the

49
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:30,300
fight will be over.

50
00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:33,580
We can lay down the battle lines and

51
00:02:33,580 --> 00:02:37,000
enjoy the glories of heaven for all eternity.

52
00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,900
Thank you, dear God, for all the things

53
00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:42,580
that happened last night as men heard the

54
00:02:42,580 --> 00:02:45,520
gospel preached and then responded in their own

55
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:46,020
hearts.

56
00:02:46,380 --> 00:02:48,780
And we pray that much more work, God,

57
00:02:48,860 --> 00:02:50,340
would be done in all of our hearts

58
00:02:50,340 --> 00:02:52,160
together to make us what you want us

59
00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:52,480
to be.

60
00:02:53,060 --> 00:02:55,280
We pray again, break the bread of life

61
00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,700
today and watch over the things we say

62
00:02:58,700 --> 00:03:01,180
that we may say those things which are

63
00:03:01,180 --> 00:03:02,160
truth and right.

64
00:03:02,660 --> 00:03:05,180
We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

65
00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,060
Yeah, just a couple of things here that

66
00:03:11,060 --> 00:03:12,340
I would like to mention.

67
00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,820
I have enjoyed some very interesting conversations and

68
00:03:17,820 --> 00:03:20,580
questions that have come my way since yesterday.

69
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,040
One of them is a brother came to

70
00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,360
me and I just thought I would clarify

71
00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:25,860
that.

72
00:03:25,860 --> 00:03:32,560
When I preached that out of Daniel 2

73
00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,200
on the stone cut out of the mountain,

74
00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,500
smiting the image at the feet, I want

75
00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:43,100
you to notice that Jesus Christ came in

76
00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:44,180
the Roman Empire.

77
00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,340
Christ was cut out of the mountain and

78
00:03:47,340 --> 00:03:50,170
hit the image during the Roman Empire.

79
00:03:50,910 --> 00:03:54,570
That was the beginning of the crumbling of

80
00:03:54,570 --> 00:03:58,490
the four world kingdoms, although his ultimate end

81
00:03:58,490 --> 00:04:01,430
is down at the toes when the Antichrist

82
00:04:01,430 --> 00:04:03,190
kingdom will be destroyed.

83
00:04:03,770 --> 00:04:05,330
But I just wanted to make sure you

84
00:04:05,330 --> 00:04:09,930
have that picture correct, that the stone hits

85
00:04:09,930 --> 00:04:13,230
the image in the Roman Empire first at

86
00:04:13,230 --> 00:04:15,829
the feet and the image begins to fall

87
00:04:15,829 --> 00:04:19,070
apart and a new kingdom and a new

88
00:04:19,070 --> 00:04:22,810
dominion, which is that of Jesus Christ and

89
00:04:22,810 --> 00:04:27,250
him crucified in his church, begins and continues

90
00:04:27,250 --> 00:04:29,330
until it reigns triumphantly.

91
00:04:30,470 --> 00:04:34,290
Another thing that has been interesting to me

92
00:04:34,290 --> 00:04:38,990
is the subject of the hybrid, a hybrid

93
00:04:38,990 --> 00:04:39,530
church.

94
00:04:39,530 --> 00:04:43,170
And I would very much encourage your study

95
00:04:43,170 --> 00:04:47,670
of that, very deep study, that you determine

96
00:04:47,670 --> 00:04:52,450
basically while you're here as to whether you're

97
00:04:52,450 --> 00:04:54,330
a part of a true church of Jesus

98
00:04:54,330 --> 00:04:56,930
Christ or part of a hybrid.

99
00:04:58,530 --> 00:05:00,730
I believe that is important.

100
00:05:00,730 --> 00:05:06,330
Someone even asked whether I would list or

101
00:05:06,330 --> 00:05:08,550
give a list of the hybrid churches, which

102
00:05:08,550 --> 00:05:09,490
is impossible.

103
00:05:10,050 --> 00:05:11,970
I'm sure you know, but I did want

104
00:05:11,970 --> 00:05:13,830
to give you a few more examples.

105
00:05:14,070 --> 00:05:17,790
I myself come from the Old Oral Amish,

106
00:05:17,810 --> 00:05:19,630
was born and raised among the Old Oral

107
00:05:19,630 --> 00:05:23,630
Horsenbuggy Amish, and that is the epitome of

108
00:05:23,630 --> 00:05:24,650
a hybrid church.

109
00:05:24,650 --> 00:05:28,270
They believe in baptism and communion and church

110
00:05:28,270 --> 00:05:31,650
membership and they believe in Christ, they believe

111
00:05:31,650 --> 00:05:34,770
that Christ came 2,000 years ago and

112
00:05:34,770 --> 00:05:36,790
all that, but they are a hybrid church

113
00:05:36,790 --> 00:05:40,470
because they even have come so far in

114
00:05:40,470 --> 00:05:46,290
the last generation, especially that they consider converted

115
00:05:46,290 --> 00:05:49,230
people to have a strange belief and will

116
00:05:49,230 --> 00:05:52,110
excommunicate them out of the church, not all

117
00:05:52,110 --> 00:05:56,290
of them nationwide, but here locally they will

118
00:05:56,290 --> 00:05:59,630
excommunicate you out of the church for this

119
00:05:59,630 --> 00:06:03,210
strange belief or for being converted or for

120
00:06:03,210 --> 00:06:06,350
having Bible studies and prayer meetings or for

121
00:06:06,350 --> 00:06:08,150
having assurance of salvation.

122
00:06:08,990 --> 00:06:10,970
And so they are so much a hybrid

123
00:06:10,970 --> 00:06:13,070
church that they are over on the work

124
00:06:13,070 --> 00:06:13,590
side.

125
00:06:13,590 --> 00:06:16,210
Basically what they say is we need the

126
00:06:16,210 --> 00:06:19,150
grace of God, we need to do the

127
00:06:19,150 --> 00:06:21,770
best we can and God's grace will cover

128
00:06:21,770 --> 00:06:22,430
the rest.

129
00:06:22,950 --> 00:06:26,670
So the emphasis is on human attempt to

130
00:06:26,670 --> 00:06:29,910
live a godly life and not through the

131
00:06:29,910 --> 00:06:31,070
power of the Holy Spirit.

132
00:06:31,570 --> 00:06:33,850
Well, those kind of things and many others,

133
00:06:33,970 --> 00:06:36,990
I could mention the Hutterites likewise, where they

134
00:06:36,990 --> 00:06:40,570
have taken the gospel and brought it into

135
00:06:40,570 --> 00:06:43,750
the ark of God is the church, which

136
00:06:43,750 --> 00:06:45,870
is the living communally.

137
00:06:46,190 --> 00:06:50,190
So if you don't live communally, you're not

138
00:06:50,190 --> 00:06:52,870
in the ark and therefore not in the

139
00:06:52,870 --> 00:06:53,350
church.

140
00:06:54,070 --> 00:06:58,550
And it's just amazing the ignorance of those

141
00:06:58,550 --> 00:06:58,930
people.

142
00:06:59,230 --> 00:07:01,770
We were talking to an old grandma in

143
00:07:01,770 --> 00:07:04,390
southern Alberta one time and it was just

144
00:07:04,390 --> 00:07:08,350
the epitome again of the Hutterite history there.

145
00:07:08,610 --> 00:07:10,230
And like I say, there again you have

146
00:07:10,230 --> 00:07:13,130
many variations of people who wouldn't take it

147
00:07:13,130 --> 00:07:13,770
that far.

148
00:07:14,130 --> 00:07:17,050
But we got in the conversation, well, if

149
00:07:17,050 --> 00:07:20,150
the colony is the ark, what are the

150
00:07:20,150 --> 00:07:22,170
people supposed to do in California?

151
00:07:22,690 --> 00:07:25,290
And she in a curt word just let

152
00:07:25,290 --> 00:07:27,690
us know there is absolutely no hope for

153
00:07:27,690 --> 00:07:30,870
anybody down there if they don't live communally,

154
00:07:30,950 --> 00:07:31,290
you know.

155
00:07:31,290 --> 00:07:34,110
And that's the way these poor people believe

156
00:07:34,110 --> 00:07:34,950
and are deceived.

157
00:07:35,310 --> 00:07:37,930
And there are many hybrids and you know

158
00:07:37,930 --> 00:07:38,290
them.

159
00:07:38,670 --> 00:07:41,870
But what Leonard Verdine does in his book

160
00:07:41,870 --> 00:07:43,850
on the anatomy of a hybrid is to

161
00:07:43,850 --> 00:07:47,210
show how men actually have attempted to come

162
00:07:47,210 --> 00:07:49,970
back out of the Catholic church and to

163
00:07:49,970 --> 00:07:52,050
redo and revive the church.

164
00:07:52,770 --> 00:07:56,050
But they have done that without centering on

165
00:07:56,050 --> 00:07:57,510
Christ and His Word.

166
00:07:57,510 --> 00:07:59,270
And so they have made a lot of

167
00:07:59,270 --> 00:08:02,370
corrections and there was some fresh breath of

168
00:08:02,370 --> 00:08:04,550
air that a lot of these hybrids brought.

169
00:08:04,990 --> 00:08:06,930
But they are a hybrid because they would

170
00:08:06,930 --> 00:08:10,430
not submit themselves fully and completely to the

171
00:08:10,430 --> 00:08:12,510
obedience of the Word of God.

172
00:08:13,610 --> 00:08:17,290
And that basically produces a hybrid.

173
00:08:17,930 --> 00:08:20,110
And I've had numerous people come to me

174
00:08:20,110 --> 00:08:23,410
here and testify that they were part of

175
00:08:23,410 --> 00:08:26,270
a hybrid church and why they were and

176
00:08:26,270 --> 00:08:27,970
just sharing with me those things.

177
00:08:28,170 --> 00:08:29,270
And that was very interesting.

178
00:08:29,470 --> 00:08:31,350
I wish you could all hear some of

179
00:08:31,350 --> 00:08:32,409
those testimonies.

180
00:08:33,809 --> 00:08:36,309
But this morning I'd like to go into

181
00:08:36,309 --> 00:08:39,390
a message on the distinctive of the kingdom,

182
00:08:39,669 --> 00:08:41,630
of Christ's church or Christ's kingdom.

183
00:08:43,770 --> 00:08:47,230
I think the title for the CD will

184
00:08:47,230 --> 00:08:49,770
be Distinctives of Christ's Kingdom.

185
00:08:51,610 --> 00:08:54,870
I return our Bibles to Matthew chapter 5.

186
00:08:56,070 --> 00:08:58,810
And I would just like to emphasize that

187
00:08:58,810 --> 00:09:01,370
here again we have the anatomy of a

188
00:09:01,370 --> 00:09:03,590
hybrid popping up very, very quickly.

189
00:09:04,210 --> 00:09:06,890
To those who may believe that the Sermon

190
00:09:06,890 --> 00:09:09,730
on the Mount is relegated to another age.

191
00:09:10,950 --> 00:09:13,590
If you believe that and do not begin

192
00:09:13,590 --> 00:09:17,610
to see the paradigm shift that is made

193
00:09:17,610 --> 00:09:21,410
between the Testaments here and the Old Testament

194
00:09:21,410 --> 00:09:23,270
is based on the old law.

195
00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:28,710
The law came by Moses but grace and

196
00:09:28,710 --> 00:09:30,190
truth by Jesus Christ.

197
00:09:30,810 --> 00:09:35,430
And that division takes place basically in Matthew

198
00:09:35,430 --> 00:09:38,570
chapter 5 as we have the unfolding of

199
00:09:38,570 --> 00:09:41,930
all at once a brand new teaching and

200
00:09:41,930 --> 00:09:43,110
philosophy of life.

201
00:09:43,630 --> 00:09:45,890
Or reality of life is a better word.

202
00:09:45,890 --> 00:09:48,430
And that's what we want to look at.

203
00:09:48,530 --> 00:09:51,690
And if you belong to a theology or

204
00:09:51,690 --> 00:09:55,450
theological persuasion that does not embrace the Sermon

205
00:09:55,450 --> 00:09:58,910
on the Mount, then you're in trouble with

206
00:09:58,910 --> 00:10:00,730
your church or with your theology.

207
00:10:00,910 --> 00:10:05,870
Because I actually believe that the warnings given

208
00:10:05,870 --> 00:10:09,210
of bewaring of false prophets in the book

209
00:10:09,210 --> 00:10:12,530
of Matthew is a warning of men who

210
00:10:12,530 --> 00:10:15,250
will not teach this doctrine and this truth

211
00:10:15,250 --> 00:10:16,450
that Jesus brought.

212
00:10:17,110 --> 00:10:18,710
This shift, this change.

213
00:10:19,070 --> 00:10:21,870
It has been said, but I say unto

214
00:10:21,870 --> 00:10:25,050
you, ye have heard of old, but now

215
00:10:25,050 --> 00:10:26,110
this is the way.

216
00:10:26,630 --> 00:10:30,210
And Jesus Christ brought that change about when

217
00:10:30,210 --> 00:10:32,750
He came to earth and began to sit

218
00:10:32,750 --> 00:10:35,930
down and teach the people this new teaching.

219
00:10:35,930 --> 00:10:39,010
And the Sermon on the Mount is a

220
00:10:39,010 --> 00:10:46,130
broad compilation of those teachings and very, very

221
00:10:46,130 --> 00:10:49,470
important to those who are the hybrids that

222
00:10:49,470 --> 00:10:50,890
we identified yesterday.

223
00:10:51,350 --> 00:10:54,010
They go back and they take the Old

224
00:10:54,010 --> 00:10:54,550
Testament.

225
00:10:55,190 --> 00:10:58,210
And what burdens me the worst there is

226
00:10:58,210 --> 00:11:00,650
not that there are not many good and

227
00:11:00,650 --> 00:11:03,570
right principles of God and teaching that are

228
00:11:03,570 --> 00:11:07,290
compatible with the teachings of Christ in the

229
00:11:07,290 --> 00:11:10,110
Old Testament, such as the Psalms and Proverbs

230
00:11:10,110 --> 00:11:13,430
and even the law is brought over and

231
00:11:13,430 --> 00:11:15,110
fulfilled in two commandments.

232
00:11:15,930 --> 00:11:17,430
You know, and we have all of that.

233
00:11:17,770 --> 00:11:22,050
However, men who go back and pick and

234
00:11:22,050 --> 00:11:25,270
choose out of the old Mosaic law and

235
00:11:25,270 --> 00:11:27,250
bring it over and have it brought to

236
00:11:27,250 --> 00:11:29,550
bear upon your conscience that you can't even

237
00:11:29,550 --> 00:11:33,350
live right or free because of Old Testament

238
00:11:33,350 --> 00:11:35,930
law being brought over into the new covenant,

239
00:11:36,430 --> 00:11:37,310
that's a hybrid.

240
00:11:38,370 --> 00:11:40,770
It produces a hybrid and will not come

241
00:11:40,770 --> 00:11:41,330
out right.

242
00:11:41,750 --> 00:11:44,070
And what they always do is pick and

243
00:11:44,070 --> 00:11:44,490
choose.

244
00:11:44,850 --> 00:11:49,610
Nobody will not light a fire on the

245
00:11:49,610 --> 00:11:52,690
Sabbath day, on Saturday, as was commanded under

246
00:11:52,690 --> 00:11:53,630
the old law.

247
00:11:54,050 --> 00:11:56,410
Hardly anyone will take it to that extent,

248
00:11:56,550 --> 00:11:57,690
but yet they pick and choose.

249
00:11:57,690 --> 00:12:00,550
But the Bible says, if you do not

250
00:12:00,550 --> 00:12:03,310
keep everything, you're guilty of it all.

251
00:12:04,450 --> 00:12:07,190
And so it's very important that you understand

252
00:12:07,190 --> 00:12:10,070
what Jesus was doing in Matthew chapter 5.

253
00:12:10,470 --> 00:12:13,190
Let us begin to read here in some

254
00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:15,130
of the distinctives of the kingdom.

255
00:12:15,250 --> 00:12:17,650
And I'm going to abbreviate this a lot

256
00:12:17,650 --> 00:12:20,670
because I do need to be moving on.

257
00:12:20,670 --> 00:12:23,530
Again, we are talking of the kingdom of

258
00:12:23,530 --> 00:12:26,090
God, the kingdom of Christ, or the church

259
00:12:26,090 --> 00:12:30,210
of Jesus Christ interchangeably here.

260
00:12:30,550 --> 00:12:33,070
Because we believe here's where the shift took

261
00:12:33,070 --> 00:12:36,390
place and Christ started to build His church

262
00:12:36,390 --> 00:12:37,570
and build His kingdom.

263
00:12:38,290 --> 00:12:40,170
And that is what we are in yet

264
00:12:40,170 --> 00:12:40,770
today.

265
00:12:40,910 --> 00:12:43,870
In 2008, we are in the kingdom of

266
00:12:43,870 --> 00:12:44,190
Christ.

267
00:12:44,190 --> 00:12:47,030
The kingdom of God is excellent and alive

268
00:12:47,030 --> 00:12:49,950
and well among the remnant of God's people

269
00:12:49,950 --> 00:12:51,370
across the face of the earth.

270
00:12:51,790 --> 00:12:54,830
And they are those which believe the practical

271
00:12:54,830 --> 00:12:57,230
issues of the teachings of the Lord Jesus

272
00:12:57,230 --> 00:12:57,790
Christ.

273
00:12:58,270 --> 00:13:01,290
First of all, you bring His centrality, as

274
00:13:01,290 --> 00:13:03,990
Brother Denny preached here this morning, and you

275
00:13:03,990 --> 00:13:06,910
have a living experience with the Lord Jesus

276
00:13:06,910 --> 00:13:07,850
in a conversion.

277
00:13:07,850 --> 00:13:13,030
And then you follow the word of God

278
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:15,710
and allow it to instruct you in the

279
00:13:15,710 --> 00:13:18,770
ways of God into sanctification and true holiness.

280
00:13:20,050 --> 00:13:23,330
It is truly a holy nation, a peculiar

281
00:13:23,330 --> 00:13:26,090
people that are zealous of good works.

282
00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:28,290
All right, Matthew chapter 5.

283
00:13:28,410 --> 00:13:31,470
Here we have the change taking place where

284
00:13:31,470 --> 00:13:34,210
we have the word in verse 1.

285
00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:36,370
We have in seeing the multitudes He went

286
00:13:36,370 --> 00:13:37,390
up into a mountain.

287
00:13:37,970 --> 00:13:40,110
And when He was set, His disciples came

288
00:13:40,110 --> 00:13:42,150
unto Him, and He opened His mouth and

289
00:13:42,150 --> 00:13:45,030
taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in

290
00:13:45,030 --> 00:13:47,350
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

291
00:13:49,660 --> 00:13:52,360
Now, humility is taught in the Old Testament

292
00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,460
to a degree, but this is a drastic

293
00:13:56,460 --> 00:13:56,730
change.

294
00:13:57,550 --> 00:14:02,450
To see that the poor in spirit are

295
00:14:02,450 --> 00:14:07,290
addressed in a specific way this way, and

296
00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:09,450
theirs is the kingdom of heaven, that the

297
00:14:09,450 --> 00:14:12,070
way in or the entrance into the kingdom

298
00:14:12,070 --> 00:14:16,910
of God is always closer and quicker to

299
00:14:16,910 --> 00:14:19,330
the poor in spirit than to anybody else

300
00:14:19,330 --> 00:14:19,970
on earth.

301
00:14:19,970 --> 00:14:24,870
When we see ourselves as a sinner, and

302
00:14:24,870 --> 00:14:27,330
we see our need of a Savior, and

303
00:14:27,330 --> 00:14:32,390
our proud and arrogant and boastful spirit begins

304
00:14:32,390 --> 00:14:35,810
to collapse, and we come before the Lord

305
00:14:35,810 --> 00:14:38,190
and recognize that I am a needy man,

306
00:14:38,450 --> 00:14:40,650
we are close to the kingdom of God.

307
00:14:41,110 --> 00:14:43,330
And that's the way this whole thing is

308
00:14:43,330 --> 00:14:44,570
laid out this way.

309
00:14:44,570 --> 00:14:47,670
The poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom

310
00:14:47,670 --> 00:14:48,330
of heaven.

311
00:14:49,130 --> 00:14:51,810
Yes, the kingdom of heaven.

312
00:14:55,130 --> 00:14:57,350
And then in verse 4 it says, Blessed

313
00:14:57,350 --> 00:14:59,790
are they that mourn, for they shall be

314
00:14:59,790 --> 00:15:00,330
comforted.

315
00:15:00,450 --> 00:15:02,630
And you just get the picture, wow, this

316
00:15:02,630 --> 00:15:03,530
is strange.

317
00:15:03,910 --> 00:15:06,250
We're now looking for men who mourn.

318
00:15:06,570 --> 00:15:07,490
Mourn over what?

319
00:15:07,650 --> 00:15:10,370
Mourn over their need, mourn over their sin,

320
00:15:10,810 --> 00:15:13,210
mourn in repentance before God.

321
00:15:13,210 --> 00:15:15,990
And are beginning to say, whoa, wait a

322
00:15:15,990 --> 00:15:18,690
minute, how am I living, what am I

323
00:15:18,690 --> 00:15:20,850
doing, I'm not going the right direction, I

324
00:15:20,850 --> 00:15:22,490
need help, I need somebody.

325
00:15:22,870 --> 00:15:26,350
A supernatural help and power and grace like

326
00:15:26,350 --> 00:15:28,550
the man who tried and tried to stop

327
00:15:28,550 --> 00:15:31,970
drinking, stop smoking, stop adultery and all that.

328
00:15:32,290 --> 00:15:33,970
And he finally just comes to the end

329
00:15:33,970 --> 00:15:36,670
and said, I can't quit, help, I need

330
00:15:36,670 --> 00:15:36,950
help.

331
00:15:37,230 --> 00:15:39,090
And that's what he did, and he begins

332
00:15:39,090 --> 00:15:41,330
to be poor in spirit, and he begins

333
00:15:41,330 --> 00:15:41,930
to mourn.

334
00:15:41,930 --> 00:15:44,790
And that is the great paradigm shift that

335
00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:47,030
the Sermon on the Mount brings to humanity.

336
00:15:47,470 --> 00:15:50,810
When Jesus started his earthly ministry, he lived

337
00:15:50,810 --> 00:15:54,510
obediently under the law and worked in the

338
00:15:54,510 --> 00:15:56,650
carpenter's shop up to 30 years of age.

339
00:15:56,770 --> 00:15:59,130
But when he sat down and began to

340
00:15:59,130 --> 00:16:01,570
teach the people, you have a major shift

341
00:16:01,570 --> 00:16:03,770
in theology that is brought to the people.

342
00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:06,430
Back in the Old Testament, it seemed like

343
00:16:06,430 --> 00:16:08,470
many times it was the rich and the

344
00:16:08,470 --> 00:16:11,170
famous and, you know, the Abrahams and men

345
00:16:11,170 --> 00:16:13,950
like that, the Isaacs and Jacob, the patriarchs

346
00:16:13,950 --> 00:16:16,690
that were the men of God and all

347
00:16:16,690 --> 00:16:16,970
that.

348
00:16:17,070 --> 00:16:20,470
But here you reach down to the slave,

349
00:16:20,750 --> 00:16:23,250
you reach down to the lowly, you reach

350
00:16:23,250 --> 00:16:25,270
down to the hungry and the thirsty, and

351
00:16:25,270 --> 00:16:26,210
that is brought here.

352
00:16:26,870 --> 00:16:31,090
Also, we have in verse 5, blessed are

353
00:16:31,090 --> 00:16:31,710
the meek.

354
00:16:31,830 --> 00:16:32,550
Look at that.

355
00:16:33,030 --> 00:16:35,290
Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the

356
00:16:35,290 --> 00:16:35,510
earth.

357
00:16:35,510 --> 00:16:37,970
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst

358
00:16:37,970 --> 00:16:40,590
after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

359
00:16:41,190 --> 00:16:43,850
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain

360
00:16:43,850 --> 00:16:44,290
mercy.

361
00:16:44,670 --> 00:16:47,410
And it just brings everything as a lowly,

362
00:16:47,510 --> 00:16:51,490
simple life of reality at the foot of

363
00:16:51,490 --> 00:16:52,210
the cross.

364
00:16:52,670 --> 00:16:55,030
And there we become poor in spirit, and

365
00:16:55,030 --> 00:16:58,010
we become meek and mild and needy, and

366
00:16:58,010 --> 00:17:00,990
we hunger and thirst after God, and there

367
00:17:00,990 --> 00:17:04,089
is the new kingdom opening up to humanity.

368
00:17:04,089 --> 00:17:07,130
And the church of Jesus Christ is based

369
00:17:07,130 --> 00:17:09,670
on that doctrine and on that experience.

370
00:17:13,260 --> 00:17:15,520
Peacemakers we have mentioned there too.

371
00:17:15,740 --> 00:17:18,119
And then we go on into verse 10,

372
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,079
and we have, blessed are they which are

373
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,680
persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the

374
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:25,619
kingdom of heaven.

375
00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,100
And there again we have, you know, in

376
00:17:29,100 --> 00:17:31,200
the Old Testament, and this is why we

377
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,880
just cannot accept the theology of a flat

378
00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,220
Bible, is because in the Old Testament, if

379
00:17:37,220 --> 00:17:41,280
an army come against you, and somebody destroyed

380
00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,340
your city by night and gave you a

381
00:17:43,340 --> 00:17:46,220
problem, you know, you rallied your men together

382
00:17:46,220 --> 00:17:48,440
and went and fought back the next day.

383
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,380
And that's the theme throughout the Old Testament,

384
00:17:51,380 --> 00:17:54,660
by and large through the Chronicles and Kings

385
00:17:54,660 --> 00:17:59,460
and Judges and many of the Old Testament

386
00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:05,080
books that are given like that.

387
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:06,280
But here it's very different.

388
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:11,140
Now we accept persecution, we accept a misunderstanding,

389
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,840
we accept the cross upon our lives, we

390
00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,160
accept the fact which Jesus was a perfect

391
00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:19,340
example of.

392
00:18:19,340 --> 00:18:25,340
And we do that all without fighting back

393
00:18:25,340 --> 00:18:27,460
and to be non-resistant and love our

394
00:18:27,460 --> 00:18:27,780
enemies.

395
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:29,820
And we have all those things here which

396
00:18:29,820 --> 00:18:31,120
we want to just mention.

397
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,640
I received a very interesting phone call the

398
00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:36,200
other night.

399
00:18:36,260 --> 00:18:40,320
A man living out in central Pennsylvania somewhere

400
00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,980
went out on a cold winter night to

401
00:18:42,980 --> 00:18:45,040
his phone channel and called me up, and

402
00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:46,420
we talked for quite a while.

403
00:18:46,420 --> 00:18:49,700
And one of the things he said, My,

404
00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:52,940
you fellas in there, you have quite a

405
00:18:52,940 --> 00:18:53,560
bad reputation.

406
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:56,520
And I forget what he said.

407
00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:58,780
Do you realize what people are saying?

408
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,900
You know what, you really have some reputation.

409
00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:03,740
But yet the man had come to the

410
00:19:03,740 --> 00:19:06,260
light and gotten born again, and he wanted

411
00:19:06,260 --> 00:19:08,380
to talk for quite a while because it

412
00:19:08,380 --> 00:19:10,640
seemed like he also was coming to this

413
00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,300
point where he saw that perhaps those are

414
00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:15,440
the people that might be able to help

415
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,940
me or might have the light that I

416
00:19:17,940 --> 00:19:19,420
would like to be a part of.

417
00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,900
And that is the way we should accept

418
00:19:22,900 --> 00:19:23,280
that.

419
00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:25,860
Woe is us when all men speak well

420
00:19:25,860 --> 00:19:26,520
of us.

421
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,280
And we should be able to accept that

422
00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,080
like the Scripture says here, Blessed are they

423
00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:35,100
which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs

424
00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:36,360
is the kingdom of heaven.

425
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,580
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you

426
00:19:39,580 --> 00:19:41,860
and persecute you and say all manner of

427
00:19:41,860 --> 00:19:44,180
evil against you falsely for my sake.

428
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,520
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and this is

429
00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,280
really the beauty of this whole thing, for

430
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,700
great is your reward in heaven for so

431
00:19:52,700 --> 00:19:55,480
persecuted they the prophets that were before you.

432
00:19:56,460 --> 00:20:00,020
If you want to identify a hybrid today

433
00:20:00,020 --> 00:20:02,720
versus the true church of Jesus Christ, this

434
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,720
is a very important point to see whether

435
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:10,460
they will accept the sufferings of humanity upon

436
00:20:10,460 --> 00:20:13,860
their life, upon their church, and be ridiculed

437
00:20:13,860 --> 00:20:16,100
and talked about and their name cast out

438
00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:18,580
as evil, and they can take it patiently

439
00:20:18,580 --> 00:20:21,660
and they can even smile and rejoice and

440
00:20:21,660 --> 00:20:25,200
be excited that they have the opportunity to

441
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,320
suffer with the Lord in that way without

442
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,320
always retaliating and trying to get back and

443
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,860
figuring out how we can give them the

444
00:20:34,860 --> 00:20:36,900
next punch or something like that.

445
00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:40,400
And that is often the identification, again, of

446
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,740
a hybrid to those who will not believe

447
00:20:42,740 --> 00:20:43,080
this.

448
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,400
And like one man said, I can't put

449
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:47,860
up with this, so I don't have to

450
00:20:47,860 --> 00:20:51,200
put up with this, being talked to like

451
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,360
that or being treated like that.

452
00:20:53,420 --> 00:20:55,500
And that's the attitude of the hybrid many

453
00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,140
times, and they will want to fight back.

454
00:21:00,340 --> 00:21:02,480
All right, furthermore, so we have that.

455
00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:04,940
And if you go back, it's very easy

456
00:21:04,940 --> 00:21:07,680
for you if you study church history to

457
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,180
go back over the last 2,000 years.

458
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,840
And, brethren, it is not hard to identify

459
00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,420
that line of people who were opposed and

460
00:21:17,420 --> 00:21:21,980
persecuted and hunted down and their material goods

461
00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:24,780
confiscated and their houses burned down and they're

462
00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:26,680
put in the prison and they were beheaded

463
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,000
and they were at the stake and all

464
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:29,400
of that.

465
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:34,940
And today you are persecuted and opposed for

466
00:21:34,940 --> 00:21:38,660
even visiting or joining that group, a group

467
00:21:38,660 --> 00:21:39,780
of people like that.

468
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:41,680
That is the line of history.

469
00:21:42,180 --> 00:21:44,080
And not only that, but in the future,

470
00:21:44,740 --> 00:21:48,420
according to the book of Revelation, we will

471
00:21:48,420 --> 00:21:52,180
have great difficulty coming upon us, yet in

472
00:21:52,180 --> 00:21:54,260
the future, I believe, as the church of

473
00:21:54,260 --> 00:21:57,640
Jesus Christ, for the faith, when it becomes

474
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,040
more and more intolerable by the world, and

475
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:03,520
we see that happening before our very eyes,

476
00:22:03,580 --> 00:22:05,760
that there is less and less toleration for

477
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:06,320
the Christian.

478
00:22:07,340 --> 00:22:10,260
Today you can get up and read the

479
00:22:10,260 --> 00:22:15,100
Koran in school and you can read Harry

480
00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:18,560
Potter and you can read the Sons of

481
00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,620
Wicca and anything you want to read, but

482
00:22:20,620 --> 00:22:23,700
don't bring that Bible into the church, into

483
00:22:23,700 --> 00:22:25,860
the school and read it in front of

484
00:22:25,860 --> 00:22:26,240
the students.

485
00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:28,980
You can't even quote a scripture hardly in

486
00:22:28,980 --> 00:22:33,860
commencement exercises of graduation in our nation anymore.

487
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:35,960
And that shows you what's happening in that

488
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:36,280
way.

489
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:39,360
All right, then he further says in verse

490
00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,560
13, You are the salt of the earth

491
00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,060
and you are the light of the world.

492
00:22:44,060 --> 00:22:47,560
And this is again a great difference, a

493
00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,240
great shift from the Old Testament saints.

494
00:22:50,820 --> 00:22:52,400
They used to live in a city and

495
00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:56,160
they'd build walls around themselves to defend themselves.

496
00:22:57,620 --> 00:22:59,820
But all at once you have a city

497
00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:01,940
set on a hill and there's no walls

498
00:23:01,940 --> 00:23:03,700
and there's no fence.

499
00:23:03,860 --> 00:23:05,800
You simply have an open heaven and an

500
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,220
open door and you try to beam the

501
00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:10,060
lights of truth and the lights of the

502
00:23:10,060 --> 00:23:12,440
gospel out across the known world.

503
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:13,760
That is ahead of you.

504
00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,380
And I just love the illustration, somebody mentioned

505
00:23:17,380 --> 00:23:20,460
it maybe on Sunday or yesterday already, how

506
00:23:20,460 --> 00:23:26,320
that, I think the communists, how that they

507
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,580
built walls to keep their people in.

508
00:23:29,020 --> 00:23:32,380
And it's been interesting in the analogy of

509
00:23:32,380 --> 00:23:34,800
the United States versus Russia.

510
00:23:34,980 --> 00:23:38,120
You know, they build a wall to keep

511
00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,140
the people in and we're putting walls in

512
00:23:40,140 --> 00:23:41,880
Mexico to keep the people out.

513
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,060
They all want to come in.

514
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,740
And that's because if you have what you

515
00:23:45,740 --> 00:23:47,620
need, then the people want to come in

516
00:23:47,620 --> 00:23:49,740
because they love the life and they love

517
00:23:49,740 --> 00:23:50,540
what you have.

518
00:23:50,900 --> 00:23:52,220
And that's the way the light of the

519
00:23:52,220 --> 00:23:53,320
gospel should be.

520
00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,580
We should have sinners that want to come

521
00:23:55,580 --> 00:23:57,220
in because they can get rid of their

522
00:23:57,220 --> 00:23:59,880
sin and they can have victory over it

523
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,380
and they can stop their sinning business and

524
00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:05,480
their adultery and their fornications and their stealings

525
00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,720
and their smoking and drinking and all that.

526
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,720
And that's what the church should represent.

527
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,100
Hey, power over the human nature and over

528
00:24:15,100 --> 00:24:17,560
the messes we get ourselves into in our

529
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:19,120
youth, in our young years.

530
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,020
A city that is set on a hill

531
00:24:23,020 --> 00:24:28,260
and the light of the world, a city

532
00:24:28,260 --> 00:24:32,440
that is set on a hill cannot be

533
00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:32,920
hid.

534
00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:35,440
And also there the salt of the earth.

535
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,880
Salt, by the way, is a preservative.

536
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:48,220
And I do believe that the matter of

537
00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:50,700
the true church and the Christians that are

538
00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:53,500
left in this world have been the preserving

539
00:24:53,500 --> 00:24:57,060
element of not having fallen under the major

540
00:24:57,060 --> 00:24:58,860
outpouring of the wrath of God already.

541
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,440
And it's because of you and I here

542
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:04,560
in the United States and many more like

543
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,960
us yet, that God has held back His

544
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,780
wrath as much as He had because salt

545
00:25:09,780 --> 00:25:15,240
preserves in that way.

546
00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:17,200
But if the salt is lost its flavor,

547
00:25:17,300 --> 00:25:18,760
then I believe the wrath of God is

548
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:19,460
going to come.

549
00:25:21,660 --> 00:25:26,680
Also very interesting, in that same subject, I'm

550
00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,000
hoping I have time to address a little

551
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,380
bit the conflict due to many in us,

552
00:25:33,660 --> 00:25:37,840
many who have heard the accusations here over

553
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,320
the years against us because we don't have

554
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,360
these written laws or written standards.

555
00:25:43,140 --> 00:25:46,400
We have over our last 25 years here

556
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:50,020
tried to maintain that Christianity is that of

557
00:25:50,020 --> 00:25:50,560
the heart.

558
00:25:51,260 --> 00:25:53,000
You know, and that if we don't have

559
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,320
the people's hearts, it's just hard to fence

560
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,120
them in and to make them stay there

561
00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,220
and to make them behave in certain ways

562
00:26:00,220 --> 00:26:01,600
with rules and regulations.

563
00:26:02,660 --> 00:26:04,300
And maybe I'll get to talk about that,

564
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,180
but Brother Emanuel Lapp when he had the

565
00:26:06,180 --> 00:26:09,660
opening meditation brought out this wonderful scripture in

566
00:26:09,660 --> 00:26:13,580
Isaiah, salvation now has to be determined for

567
00:26:13,580 --> 00:26:15,120
walls and for bulwarks.

568
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:21,540
And that's still the unique part of the

569
00:26:21,540 --> 00:26:24,140
true church or the unique doctrine or practice

570
00:26:24,140 --> 00:26:27,220
of the true church is that salvation should

571
00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:30,340
be thorough enough and an experience in our

572
00:26:30,340 --> 00:26:35,420
lives that we want to live godly.

573
00:26:35,500 --> 00:26:37,280
We don't have to be fenced in and

574
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,420
hemmed in and baked and bartered and all

575
00:26:40,420 --> 00:26:42,840
to live a certain way and not go

576
00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:44,480
here and not go there and not do

577
00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:45,380
this and not do that.

578
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,180
Salvation is for walls and for bulwarks.

579
00:26:49,180 --> 00:26:52,300
And that brings the salvation itself, brings the

580
00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:55,340
separation from the world and our desires change

581
00:26:55,340 --> 00:26:56,600
and we don't want to be in the

582
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,240
middle of the world and go to the

583
00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,400
places they do and do the things they

584
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:01,700
do.

585
00:27:02,140 --> 00:27:05,340
Examine yourself whether you have had that kind

586
00:27:05,340 --> 00:27:10,020
of a sin-killing experience in your life,

587
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,080
whether salvation that you have is good enough

588
00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:14,880
and great enough to be a wall and

589
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:16,180
a bulwark for your life.

590
00:27:17,420 --> 00:27:20,240
Of course, in the New Testament theology, we

591
00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:22,800
know that's accomplished through the Spirit of the

592
00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,400
God living in the midst of the believer.

593
00:27:28,020 --> 00:27:29,900
Salvation for walls and bulwarks.

594
00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:36,460
But here throughout this sermon and various times

595
00:27:36,460 --> 00:27:38,600
here in the New Testament, I just love

596
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,060
it that we have this major shift in

597
00:27:41,060 --> 00:27:43,340
it has been said, but I say unto

598
00:27:43,340 --> 00:27:43,760
you.

599
00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:49,380
And so we notice that that negates or

600
00:27:49,380 --> 00:27:53,540
puts to fulfillment and finality a form of

601
00:27:53,540 --> 00:27:55,900
commandment and raises up a new one.

602
00:27:56,380 --> 00:27:58,880
And we must see that change as we

603
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,760
read the Bible, lest we will be confused

604
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:05,900
with Old Testament law that formerly was a

605
00:28:05,900 --> 00:28:08,820
practice, but now there is a new practice

606
00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:11,500
brought upon us through the gospel of our

607
00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:12,760
Lord Jesus Christ.

608
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,700
Here in this sermon, we have the fact

609
00:28:17,700 --> 00:28:19,960
that you cannot be angry with your brother

610
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:20,500
anymore.

611
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,380
In the Old Testament, I believe that was

612
00:28:23,380 --> 00:28:24,020
allowable.

613
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,180
You could get angry with your brother.

614
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,620
And there were times I realized that in

615
00:28:29,620 --> 00:28:32,920
the case with Joab, when he smote two

616
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,060
of his fellow countrymen there under the fifth

617
00:28:36,060 --> 00:28:37,200
rib and so on.

618
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,480
You know, we have that finally dealt with

619
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:41,720
at the end of his life.

620
00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:44,700
But there was a lot of anger back

621
00:28:44,700 --> 00:28:48,720
and forth even amongst godly men against their

622
00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:49,160
enemies.

623
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,940
They taught the hating of their enemies.

624
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,160
And there is a major shift and a

625
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,360
major change in the Sermon on the Mount

626
00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,560
where he tells us that we cannot be

627
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:01,140
angry with our brother anymore.

628
00:29:01,660 --> 00:29:03,620
And Brother Aaron mentioned it last night.

629
00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:05,120
I won't spend a lot of time on

630
00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:06,520
it, that you cannot.

631
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,440
It used to be said that you can't

632
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:10,400
commit adultery.

633
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:14,000
And as far as you need to restrain

634
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,320
yourself from the very act, but now if

635
00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:17,960
you look on a woman, the lust after

636
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,780
her, you have committed adultery already in your

637
00:29:20,780 --> 00:29:21,240
heart.

638
00:29:21,980 --> 00:29:25,880
We see that the commandment is actually strengthening

639
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,300
and increasing in some of these areas.

640
00:29:28,940 --> 00:29:30,880
And that is very important that we see

641
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:32,560
that change taking place.

642
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:36,780
We can see a radical change.

643
00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:39,100
That word was used last night and I'd

644
00:29:39,100 --> 00:29:40,940
like to underscore it again today.

645
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:45,540
The New Testament lifestyle, the New Testament experience

646
00:29:45,540 --> 00:29:49,280
is a radical change in human life, and

647
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,360
in church life, and in personal life.

648
00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:54,740
And we need to see that.

649
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,280
You used to be able to give a

650
00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,240
writing of divorce, but you had a hardness

651
00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:00,860
in your heart and you didn't like the

652
00:30:00,860 --> 00:30:02,020
woman you were living with.

653
00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,400
You could find an excuse if she burned

654
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,620
your food in a New Testament time, you

655
00:30:06,620 --> 00:30:07,700
could put her away.

656
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,340
But all at once the Lord Jesus sits

657
00:30:10,340 --> 00:30:12,440
on the hill and says, No more.

658
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,520
You can't divorce your wife and go marry

659
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:15,860
another.

660
00:30:15,860 --> 00:30:17,900
Other than that, you will be living in

661
00:30:17,900 --> 00:30:18,400
adultery.

662
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,080
You'll cause her to commit adultery and you

663
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:22,840
will be living in adultery if you do

664
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:23,180
that.

665
00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:26,740
Don't listen to the hybrids.

666
00:30:28,060 --> 00:30:30,740
Don't listen to the hybrids that are setting

667
00:30:30,740 --> 00:30:33,320
aside the Sermon on the Mount and trying

668
00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:35,180
to find a way out around it.

669
00:30:38,820 --> 00:30:41,220
You can't even swear an oath anymore.

670
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,100
Oaths were very prevalent in the Old Testament

671
00:30:45,100 --> 00:30:45,900
times.

672
00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:50,020
But now it's yea, yea, nay, nay, and

673
00:30:50,020 --> 00:30:52,240
whatsoever is more than that cometh of evil.

674
00:30:53,460 --> 00:30:56,560
You may affirm things and you may say,

675
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,500
I'm speaking the truth, I tell you the

676
00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:01,900
truth, and perhaps some of those things are

677
00:31:01,900 --> 00:31:05,900
acceptable, but basically we should be known for

678
00:31:05,900 --> 00:31:08,240
our honesty that we say it is so,

679
00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:10,260
it is believed to be so.

680
00:31:10,260 --> 00:31:14,080
And there is no question or no emphasis

681
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:15,800
needed further than that.

682
00:31:17,530 --> 00:31:19,890
You cannot resist evil anymore.

683
00:31:20,810 --> 00:31:23,190
You are commanded now to love your enemies.

684
00:31:24,630 --> 00:31:27,490
And that is often, somebody goes down into

685
00:31:27,490 --> 00:31:29,610
the details of that and tries to take

686
00:31:29,610 --> 00:31:32,550
it apart and give you hypothetical situations of

687
00:31:32,550 --> 00:31:35,310
men attacking your wife and all of that

688
00:31:35,310 --> 00:31:37,890
and try to make it sound absurd and

689
00:31:37,890 --> 00:31:39,990
it doesn't mean what it says, but the

690
00:31:39,990 --> 00:31:42,950
Bible says, resist not evil, and it says,

691
00:31:43,070 --> 00:31:44,830
if your enemy hunger, feed him, and if

692
00:31:44,830 --> 00:31:46,090
he thirsts, give him drink.

693
00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:53,200
Some time ago, a farmer out in, I

694
00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,700
think it was in the Franklin County area,

695
00:31:56,020 --> 00:31:59,540
some years ago, had trouble with things being

696
00:31:59,540 --> 00:32:02,720
stolen and finally his gas tank started emptying

697
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:03,040
out.

698
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,280
He just noticed that he believes somebody is

699
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:06,240
stealing gas.

700
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,880
And so on Sunday morning he decided, I'm

701
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:10,360
going to stay home and see if I

702
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:11,380
can catch this fellow.

703
00:32:12,100 --> 00:32:15,020
Sure enough, sometime, it happened while he normally

704
00:32:15,020 --> 00:32:17,200
went to church on Sunday morning and the

705
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,520
neighbor knew it, and so he came in

706
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,560
there and he backs up to the gas

707
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:24,740
pump and he didn't, apparently didn't have it

708
00:32:24,740 --> 00:32:28,060
padlocked or whatever, and he starts pumping gas

709
00:32:28,060 --> 00:32:28,980
into his tank.

710
00:32:29,100 --> 00:32:31,440
The farmer got up, went out to walks,

711
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:33,100
said, here, let me help you.

712
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,120
Got a hold of the crank and crank

713
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:37,700
continued to crank.

714
00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:40,020
My man was so ashamed, he didn't know

715
00:32:40,020 --> 00:32:42,000
what to do, and he said, please, don't

716
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:42,880
report me.

717
00:32:43,420 --> 00:32:45,100
And the man said, I'll do that on

718
00:32:45,100 --> 00:32:47,000
one occasion if you come to my house

719
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:47,640
for lunch.

720
00:32:54,580 --> 00:32:58,340
He went home, got his family, the farmer

721
00:32:58,340 --> 00:33:02,000
demanded the whole family comes, and he came

722
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:03,920
that next week in the evening for supper,

723
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:04,920
I believe it was.

724
00:33:06,060 --> 00:33:07,660
And that's all that was done.

725
00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:10,140
He just gave him a meal and sent

726
00:33:10,140 --> 00:33:11,060
him on his way.

727
00:33:12,060 --> 00:33:14,200
But a few nights later, a whole pile

728
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,460
of goods showed up back on the farm.

729
00:33:20,290 --> 00:33:21,630
It even works.

730
00:33:22,370 --> 00:33:24,530
But whether it works or not, you're still

731
00:33:24,530 --> 00:33:25,610
called to do it.

732
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,240
And anything else than that is a hybrid.

733
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:34,540
That is what Jesus taught.

734
00:33:38,580 --> 00:33:39,960
That is what Jesus taught.

735
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,740
Once again, you can take your church history

736
00:33:43,740 --> 00:33:48,720
books for the last 2,000 years, and

737
00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:52,820
it's even called uniquely so, the defenseless Christians.

738
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,440
The story of the martyrs, Mira.

739
00:33:57,560 --> 00:33:59,320
The defenseless Christians.

740
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:04,880
Those who will suffer all kinds of things.

741
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,880
I was just reading about Diocletian, I think

742
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:09,780
it was there the other day, pouring hot

743
00:34:09,780 --> 00:34:11,520
lead down people's throats, you know.

744
00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:14,620
And I just tried for a moment to

745
00:34:14,620 --> 00:34:15,219
imagine that.

746
00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:15,960
I cannot.

747
00:34:16,260 --> 00:34:18,340
I cannot imagine those kind of things.

748
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:24,739
But this is what men patiently endured, patiently

749
00:34:24,739 --> 00:34:28,139
took as their role in life, saying, my

750
00:34:28,139 --> 00:34:31,100
master has suffered for me on a cruel

751
00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:34,860
cross, and endured all those things in rejection,

752
00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,040
and he was a righteous and perfect man.

753
00:34:37,820 --> 00:34:39,600
Here at least I am not a righteous

754
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:42,940
and a perfect man, and yet he followed

755
00:34:42,940 --> 00:34:46,480
in his footsteps and wrote the books, the

756
00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:47,760
defenseless Christians.

757
00:34:49,100 --> 00:34:51,620
Jesus further said in the book of Matthew,

758
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,920
wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

759
00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:57,880
He did not allow a man to rally

760
00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,680
his buddies around him and get a machine

761
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:02,880
gun and blow somebody's head off on the

762
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:03,600
other side.

763
00:35:04,140 --> 00:35:07,480
You know, it's very interesting, if you study

764
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,160
the history of the Civil War, that there

765
00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:14,280
were pauses in fighting, that the Northern Army

766
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,960
went to the Confederates, and the Confederates came

767
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,320
over to the Northern, and brothers sat in

768
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,980
the tent and visited and chatted together, even

769
00:35:23,980 --> 00:35:26,740
it is known that fathers lived in Pennsylvania,

770
00:35:26,740 --> 00:35:29,640
and their sons may have lived in Maryland,

771
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,280
so the sons were with the Confederates, and

772
00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:37,580
the father was in Pennsylvania with the Northern

773
00:35:37,580 --> 00:35:40,140
Army, and they took a pause for a

774
00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:42,980
Sunday, and the people sat there and visited,

775
00:35:43,220 --> 00:35:45,480
maybe read their Bibles and all that, and

776
00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:48,200
on Monday mornings slaughtered each other by the

777
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:48,760
thousands.

778
00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:52,840
Doesn't make sense.

779
00:35:53,660 --> 00:35:56,460
Not in my kingdom, the Lord says.

780
00:35:56,460 --> 00:35:58,460
Things don't operate that way.

781
00:36:01,850 --> 00:36:02,710
Not anymore.

782
00:36:03,250 --> 00:36:05,070
Used to be that way, an eye for

783
00:36:05,070 --> 00:36:07,090
an eye and a tooth for a tooth,

784
00:36:07,230 --> 00:36:08,050
but not anymore.

785
00:36:08,710 --> 00:36:09,610
That's all over.

786
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,080
The same is true for laying up treasures

787
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:15,760
in heaven rather than on earth.

788
00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:18,400
Brother Aaron mentioned that last night, and I

789
00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:19,840
won't say a lot about that.

790
00:36:21,020 --> 00:36:25,200
You cannot serve God in mammon, and you

791
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:28,040
can't even take anxious thought about tomorrow.

792
00:36:28,620 --> 00:36:30,940
You can't just sit at home and worry

793
00:36:30,940 --> 00:36:33,700
about what I'm going to do next year

794
00:36:33,700 --> 00:36:36,760
or next winter or something like that, and

795
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,280
I do not believe in his teaching that

796
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,580
a person can't cut wood for the summer,

797
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:43,780
for the winter heating season.

798
00:36:44,460 --> 00:36:47,720
But his anxious thought, that thing of fretting

799
00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:49,760
and worrying, you know, what am I going

800
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:51,240
to do, and how is it going to

801
00:36:51,240 --> 00:36:53,580
work out, and oh my, and oh me,

802
00:36:53,660 --> 00:36:55,900
and we sit down and bring calamity upon

803
00:36:55,900 --> 00:36:58,440
our whole nervous system and body because we

804
00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:00,700
worry and fret and do not trust the

805
00:37:00,700 --> 00:37:03,500
God of heaven for the future.

806
00:37:05,140 --> 00:37:09,420
But especially we have an attack upon laying

807
00:37:09,420 --> 00:37:13,440
up treasures where moth and rust is corrupt

808
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,500
and thieves break through and steal, and yet

809
00:37:16,500 --> 00:37:21,020
our whole society is looking for early retirement

810
00:37:21,020 --> 00:37:25,000
and substantial retirement and all those things to

811
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,320
try to have their nest egg well padded,

812
00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:31,680
and they even try to equate the rate

813
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:34,180
of inflation that is going on so they

814
00:37:34,180 --> 00:37:36,580
are sure it's going to reach when they're

815
00:37:36,580 --> 00:37:37,040
old.

816
00:37:38,620 --> 00:37:43,730
And they kill the security that old men

817
00:37:43,730 --> 00:37:45,510
used to have, and that was children.

818
00:37:46,710 --> 00:37:47,590
Isn't that something?

819
00:37:47,990 --> 00:37:51,110
How the world can get twisted so drastically

820
00:37:51,110 --> 00:37:51,830
out of order.

821
00:37:57,660 --> 00:38:00,000
Matthew 12, 46.

822
00:38:01,940 --> 00:38:05,940
We have another strange thing going on here.

823
00:38:08,630 --> 00:38:10,510
The distinctives of the kingdom.

824
00:38:10,730 --> 00:38:13,170
Verse 44, Again, the kingdom of heaven is

825
00:38:13,170 --> 00:38:17,170
like unto a treasure hidden afield, that which

826
00:38:17,170 --> 00:38:19,170
the man hath found he hideth, and for

827
00:38:19,170 --> 00:38:21,610
joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he

828
00:38:21,610 --> 00:38:22,990
hath and buyeth that field.

829
00:38:23,530 --> 00:38:24,910
What is he saying?

830
00:38:25,830 --> 00:38:28,270
A man has found eternal life.

831
00:38:28,630 --> 00:38:30,590
A man has found the reality of the

832
00:38:30,590 --> 00:38:36,230
Christianity to be so precious that he lets

833
00:38:36,230 --> 00:38:39,490
hold of that thing, and his father says,

834
00:38:39,590 --> 00:38:41,230
Now, son, if you're going to do that,

835
00:38:41,290 --> 00:38:42,990
you're going to lose the family farm.

836
00:38:43,670 --> 00:38:46,250
And he doesn't care anymore whether he loses

837
00:38:46,250 --> 00:38:48,410
the family farm or whatever he loses.

838
00:38:48,790 --> 00:38:51,990
He has found that great treasure, and he's

839
00:38:51,990 --> 00:38:53,870
willing to part with everything.

840
00:38:55,770 --> 00:38:57,990
Radical, radical Christianity.

841
00:38:59,010 --> 00:39:01,270
Oh, what a shift that is from what

842
00:39:01,270 --> 00:39:02,990
we knew had been said.

843
00:39:03,530 --> 00:39:05,970
But now I say unto you, Look at

844
00:39:05,970 --> 00:39:06,710
the next one.

845
00:39:08,090 --> 00:39:10,790
Basically saying the same, or very similar.

846
00:39:10,930 --> 00:39:13,450
Again, the kingdom of heaven, the church of

847
00:39:13,450 --> 00:39:16,790
Jesus Christ, this new belief, this new way

848
00:39:16,790 --> 00:39:17,910
of looking at things.

849
00:39:17,910 --> 00:39:20,430
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto

850
00:39:20,430 --> 00:39:23,530
a merchant seeking goodly pearls, who when he

851
00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,230
has found one pearl of great price, went

852
00:39:26,230 --> 00:39:28,030
and sold all that he had and bought

853
00:39:28,030 --> 00:39:28,270
it.

854
00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:35,140
Christianity is so high, so beautiful, so wonderful,

855
00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:38,900
that it's right for you to leave everything

856
00:39:38,900 --> 00:39:40,620
in order to get it.

857
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:43,640
That's the teachings of the kingdom.

858
00:39:44,420 --> 00:39:48,980
Nothing should stop us from embracing the kingdom

859
00:39:48,980 --> 00:39:51,100
of God, the kingdom of heaven, the church

860
00:39:51,100 --> 00:39:54,020
of Jesus Christ, the new life in Christ.

861
00:39:57,490 --> 00:39:58,770
And so it goes on.

862
00:39:58,850 --> 00:40:02,210
I mentioned verse 47 yesterday about the kingdom

863
00:40:02,210 --> 00:40:03,230
of heaven there.

864
00:40:03,650 --> 00:40:06,250
And that indeed is some of the radical

865
00:40:06,250 --> 00:40:07,010
Christianity.

866
00:40:07,290 --> 00:40:10,810
Matthew chapter 10 talks about trouble in the

867
00:40:10,810 --> 00:40:15,090
family, and clearly lays out that the family

868
00:40:15,090 --> 00:40:19,830
of God, brothers, is higher than earthly family.

869
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:26,440
Jesus was preaching one time, and I think

870
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:28,100
one of his disciples came in and said,

871
00:40:28,220 --> 00:40:29,800
Hey, thy mother and thy brothers are out

872
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:30,860
there and they seek you.

873
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:33,440
They wanted him to stop the meeting and

874
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:34,620
go out and talk to them.

875
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,240
And he looked across the crowd and he

876
00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:43,020
said, Behold, my mother and my brethren, this

877
00:40:43,020 --> 00:40:44,200
is my family.

878
00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:47,300
And it's more important than this family.

879
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:50,340
You know, we have other records that his

880
00:40:50,340 --> 00:40:52,600
brothers didn't believe him, they were offended at

881
00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:53,400
him and all that.

882
00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:56,280
And he had a right reason to say

883
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,100
what he wanted to say there, because it

884
00:40:58,100 --> 00:40:59,200
was real to him.

885
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,540
They were embarrassed by brother Jesus, the way

886
00:41:02,540 --> 00:41:04,360
he's talking and the way he's acting.

887
00:41:04,540 --> 00:41:05,860
Ah, we're embarrassed.

888
00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:08,680
He makes himself sound like he's somebody special,

889
00:41:09,140 --> 00:41:11,260
and he's bringing a special message, and he's

890
00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:14,140
going around healing and preaching people and putting

891
00:41:14,140 --> 00:41:18,200
all this focus, and the people wonder who

892
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:19,820
we are and what kind of a family

893
00:41:19,820 --> 00:41:20,380
this is.

894
00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:22,600
You know how the scribes and the Pharisees

895
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:24,000
looked down on him, and they had to

896
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:25,380
suffer some shame for that.

897
00:41:25,980 --> 00:41:27,140
And they didn't like it.

898
00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:30,980
But the secret that he's given out, and

899
00:41:30,980 --> 00:41:33,060
this is something many of us still can

900
00:41:33,060 --> 00:41:35,860
hardly come to grips with, that the family

901
00:41:35,860 --> 00:41:39,280
of God is higher and more important and

902
00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:41,240
more precious than our earthly family.

903
00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:46,780
And it is not right when the earthly

904
00:41:46,780 --> 00:41:49,620
family and the earthly brothers and sisters, especially

905
00:41:49,620 --> 00:41:53,620
when they are not converted, are pulling you

906
00:41:53,620 --> 00:41:57,180
away from all kinds of godliness and church

907
00:41:57,180 --> 00:42:00,660
meetings and things that you should be attending

908
00:42:00,660 --> 00:42:03,060
to and the things of God, and saying,

909
00:42:03,180 --> 00:42:05,200
well, my family, they don't like it when

910
00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:05,720
I do that.

911
00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:08,200
Let me first go and bury my dad,

912
00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:09,500
then I'll come and follow you.

913
00:42:10,340 --> 00:42:13,260
He that put his hand on a plow

914
00:42:13,260 --> 00:42:15,540
and looked back is not fit for the

915
00:42:15,540 --> 00:42:16,340
kingdom of heaven.

916
00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:19,680
My kingdom is exclusive.

917
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,280
The distinctives of my kingdom will demand a

918
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:26,960
loyalty you will not see anywhere else.

919
00:42:29,100 --> 00:42:31,720
And I've seen some pretty high loyalties of

920
00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:34,060
what family members will do to family members

921
00:42:34,060 --> 00:42:36,500
in the world for each other.

922
00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:39,580
But God is calling for a higher one

923
00:42:39,580 --> 00:42:41,560
on the church of Jesus Christ.

924
00:42:43,020 --> 00:42:46,400
In fact, in 1 John, he goes so

925
00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,900
radically far that he asks us to lay

926
00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:50,200
our lives down for the brethren.

927
00:42:53,190 --> 00:42:54,730
That's what the scripture teaches.

928
00:42:55,090 --> 00:42:57,010
Oh, radical Christianity.

929
00:42:58,690 --> 00:43:02,290
Those who trespass or who have been trespassed

930
00:43:02,290 --> 00:43:07,230
against must actually forgive those trespasses before they

931
00:43:07,230 --> 00:43:08,010
can be forgiven.

932
00:43:08,890 --> 00:43:09,370
Wow!

933
00:43:09,890 --> 00:43:11,050
How is that possible?

934
00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:15,480
And it has led many of our soul

935
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,600
winners in this building, I believe, that have

936
00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:20,620
been active in that, and wrestling through with

937
00:43:20,620 --> 00:43:22,580
a soul that's trying to come to Christ,

938
00:43:22,660 --> 00:43:25,140
and they get up against a block, and

939
00:43:25,140 --> 00:43:27,280
nothing is happening, and they can't break through

940
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:29,900
unto God, to ask the question, what are

941
00:43:29,900 --> 00:43:31,820
the people in your life you cannot forgive?

942
00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:34,280
They have wounded you and harmed you, and

943
00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:35,840
you're holding a grudge against them.

944
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:39,180
And all at once, here they come.

945
00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:40,600
Here they come.

946
00:43:41,020 --> 00:43:42,080
Oh, yes.

947
00:43:42,740 --> 00:43:43,920
Oh, yes.

948
00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:47,920
I did that once to a 70-year

949
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,300
-old lady sitting across the table from me

950
00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:51,800
at a fellowship meal in the state of

951
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:52,420
Wisconsin.

952
00:43:53,740 --> 00:43:55,060
Old and gray haired.

953
00:43:55,140 --> 00:43:55,800
There she sat.

954
00:43:56,420 --> 00:43:58,720
And she was struggling to believe and struggling

955
00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:00,100
to have assurance of salvation.

956
00:44:00,700 --> 00:44:02,320
And I happened just to ask her that

957
00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:06,100
question, and immediately she identified it and said,

958
00:44:06,220 --> 00:44:08,820
oh, something had happened to me in my

959
00:44:08,820 --> 00:44:10,980
life, and I have never been able to

960
00:44:10,980 --> 00:44:11,260
forgive.

961
00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:14,400
And that day, as far as I know,

962
00:44:14,460 --> 00:44:17,580
she found peace and forgiveness by being able

963
00:44:17,580 --> 00:44:20,100
to forgive that individual on her knees before

964
00:44:20,100 --> 00:44:21,440
God, there or in prayer.

965
00:44:23,790 --> 00:44:25,610
And you know, you just have to let

966
00:44:25,610 --> 00:44:26,030
it go.

967
00:44:26,250 --> 00:44:27,230
You can't fix it.

968
00:44:27,310 --> 00:44:28,250
You can't solve it.

969
00:44:28,310 --> 00:44:29,070
You don't need to.

970
00:44:29,690 --> 00:44:31,790
You can't say, well, what about them?

971
00:44:32,110 --> 00:44:34,510
You just kind of let it go and

972
00:44:34,510 --> 00:44:36,410
release it from your heart and say, okay,

973
00:44:36,710 --> 00:44:37,150
okay.

974
00:44:37,850 --> 00:44:38,970
I forgive them.

975
00:44:39,510 --> 00:44:41,310
They may not have realized how they hurt

976
00:44:41,310 --> 00:44:42,550
me or what they did to me.

977
00:44:42,790 --> 00:44:43,770
We ought to let it go.

978
00:44:49,940 --> 00:44:52,840
The church of Jesus Christ is not a

979
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:54,440
building of brick and stone.

980
00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:57,620
He dwelt not in temples made with hands.

981
00:44:57,940 --> 00:45:00,620
It hath been that he dwelt between the

982
00:45:00,620 --> 00:45:03,160
serapims in the holy place with a veil.

983
00:45:03,940 --> 00:45:06,300
And only the high priest went in once

984
00:45:06,300 --> 00:45:07,580
a year, and then he had a going

985
00:45:07,580 --> 00:45:08,660
sprinkling with blood.

986
00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:11,000
But now he dwelleth not in temples made

987
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:11,580
with hands.

988
00:45:12,780 --> 00:45:14,580
And it's not wise to make a lot

989
00:45:14,580 --> 00:45:16,980
about a building to say that's the church.

990
00:45:17,900 --> 00:45:21,500
The church of Jesus Christ is we, His

991
00:45:21,500 --> 00:45:25,560
children, that have been born again and changed

992
00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:27,340
by God's power and life.

993
00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:34,900
It's not just a set of rules and

994
00:45:34,900 --> 00:45:36,980
regulations, do's and don'ts.

995
00:45:36,980 --> 00:45:40,520
It is a living reality with a living

996
00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:43,520
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

997
00:45:44,080 --> 00:45:46,340
It's a holy nation.

998
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,940
And back in Hebrews 8, it again makes

999
00:45:50,940 --> 00:45:54,440
that great distinction of the two covenants when

1000
00:45:54,440 --> 00:46:00,200
it says in verse 8, for finding fault

1001
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:02,500
with them, he says, speaking about the old,

1002
00:46:02,940 --> 00:46:05,120
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when

1003
00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:06,780
I will make a new covenant with the

1004
00:46:06,780 --> 00:46:08,360
house of Israel and with the house of

1005
00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:11,100
Judah, not according to the covenant that I

1006
00:46:11,100 --> 00:46:13,340
made with their fathers in the day when

1007
00:46:13,340 --> 00:46:15,000
I took them by the hand to lead

1008
00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:16,420
them out of the land of Egypt.

1009
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,720
Because they continued not in my covenant and

1010
00:46:20,720 --> 00:46:22,660
I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

1011
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,280
For this is the covenant that I will

1012
00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:27,660
make with the house of Israel after those

1013
00:46:27,660 --> 00:46:28,640
days, saith the Lord.

1014
00:46:29,380 --> 00:46:32,640
I will put my laws in their hearts

1015
00:46:34,150 --> 00:46:36,150
or in their mind.

1016
00:46:37,030 --> 00:46:40,130
And I will put my laws into their

1017
00:46:40,130 --> 00:46:42,510
mind and write them in their hearts.

1018
00:46:43,590 --> 00:46:46,610
And I have to say, as a minister,

1019
00:46:46,890 --> 00:46:51,270
church life is depressing many times or discouraging

1020
00:46:51,270 --> 00:46:54,790
and worrisome when you're trying to get people

1021
00:46:54,790 --> 00:46:56,730
to walk the ways of God and they

1022
00:46:56,730 --> 00:46:58,630
don't have this thing written in their heart.

1023
00:46:59,690 --> 00:47:01,410
That is burdensome work.

1024
00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:06,380
Trying to get people to love the Lord

1025
00:47:06,380 --> 00:47:09,320
when they just nonchalantly sit back in the

1026
00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:11,960
back bench, kick up their heels, slouch down

1027
00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:14,140
in their seat and wait for the service

1028
00:47:14,140 --> 00:47:14,860
to get over.

1029
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:17,860
But they still want to get baptized because

1030
00:47:17,860 --> 00:47:20,520
they still like to, you know, well, they

1031
00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:22,900
like to get a wife, you know, and

1032
00:47:22,900 --> 00:47:26,340
come get one of our young girls and

1033
00:47:26,340 --> 00:47:29,520
sometimes one that's pretty dedicated and consecrated.

1034
00:47:30,020 --> 00:47:32,100
And I'll tell you, that's hard work.

1035
00:47:32,100 --> 00:47:34,540
To try to get them to see the

1036
00:47:34,540 --> 00:47:35,980
condition that they're in.

1037
00:47:37,220 --> 00:47:37,920
And why?

1038
00:47:38,100 --> 00:47:40,200
That we're not very excited about a beginning

1039
00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:41,840
of courtship in that condition.

1040
00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:48,060
But oh, when you see people that are

1041
00:47:48,060 --> 00:47:51,620
excited about the gospel and excited about their

1042
00:47:51,620 --> 00:47:52,280
salvation.

1043
00:47:52,780 --> 00:47:55,160
And salvation is walls and bulwarks.

1044
00:47:55,540 --> 00:47:58,420
And they say, because I'm born again and

1045
00:47:58,420 --> 00:48:00,460
God is living in me, I can't go

1046
00:48:00,460 --> 00:48:00,760
there.

1047
00:48:00,940 --> 00:48:01,960
I can't have that.

1048
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:03,060
I can't do this.

1049
00:48:03,060 --> 00:48:05,800
And they have these laws written in their

1050
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:07,660
heart and in their mind and they're full

1051
00:48:07,660 --> 00:48:08,000
of it.

1052
00:48:08,340 --> 00:48:11,300
That's the kind of standard in Christianity we

1053
00:48:11,300 --> 00:48:12,620
must contend for.

1054
00:48:17,270 --> 00:48:20,050
I think some pretty radical thoughts sometimes, you

1055
00:48:20,050 --> 00:48:22,470
know, when I get into places where it's

1056
00:48:22,470 --> 00:48:25,450
so much of the other side that you

1057
00:48:25,450 --> 00:48:28,830
just feel like shutting everything down and going

1058
00:48:28,830 --> 00:48:32,350
home until somebody's ready to get serious for

1059
00:48:32,350 --> 00:48:32,650
God.

1060
00:48:33,230 --> 00:48:34,230
That's how you feel.

1061
00:48:40,220 --> 00:48:43,780
It's like counseling, trying to counsel a married

1062
00:48:43,780 --> 00:48:45,720
couple when love is gone.

1063
00:48:46,100 --> 00:48:47,260
Have you ever tried to do that?

1064
00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:49,260
Oh, my.

1065
00:48:49,420 --> 00:48:52,260
The hours and hours you can burn up

1066
00:48:52,260 --> 00:48:53,340
when love is gone.

1067
00:48:53,940 --> 00:48:56,200
And it's not there and it's tit for

1068
00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:58,360
tat and he said and she said and

1069
00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:00,340
he did and she did and back and

1070
00:49:00,340 --> 00:49:01,000
forth you go.

1071
00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:03,160
And love is not there.

1072
00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:05,540
And that's the way it is with our

1073
00:49:05,540 --> 00:49:05,920
people.

1074
00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:07,920
If the love of the Lord Jesus is

1075
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,460
not there and the love for His Word,

1076
00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:13,540
we just spin our wheels and consume our

1077
00:49:13,540 --> 00:49:15,380
time and we're not getting anywhere.

1078
00:49:18,470 --> 00:49:23,710
Much time could be spent perhaps on how

1079
00:49:23,710 --> 00:49:25,470
to bring a change about there.

1080
00:49:25,890 --> 00:49:29,350
It would be very good to hear many

1081
00:49:29,350 --> 00:49:30,490
messages on that.

1082
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:43,830
Matthew chapter, excuse me here, John

1083
00:49:43,830 --> 00:49:47,330
chapter 3.

1084
00:49:49,550 --> 00:49:51,090
How do we get into the kingdom?

1085
00:49:53,850 --> 00:49:55,830
How do we get into the kingdom?

1086
00:49:55,950 --> 00:49:57,590
Just want to spend a little bit of

1087
00:49:57,590 --> 00:50:02,290
time on that because it is so important

1088
00:50:02,290 --> 00:50:06,490
of what Jesus warns us of in His

1089
00:50:06,490 --> 00:50:07,070
teaching.

1090
00:50:07,230 --> 00:50:09,570
And again, it is radical teaching and let's

1091
00:50:09,570 --> 00:50:10,710
just hear what He says.

1092
00:50:12,070 --> 00:50:15,150
John 3, 3, Jesus answered and said unto

1093
00:50:15,150 --> 00:50:18,230
them after Nicodemus had asked the question, Verily,

1094
00:50:18,510 --> 00:50:20,850
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man

1095
00:50:20,850 --> 00:50:23,210
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom

1096
00:50:23,210 --> 00:50:23,730
of God.

1097
00:50:23,830 --> 00:50:24,690
And there you have it.

1098
00:50:25,010 --> 00:50:28,490
So clearly, you have the individual seeing God's

1099
00:50:28,490 --> 00:50:28,830
kingdom.

1100
00:50:29,750 --> 00:50:31,270
He can't even see it.

1101
00:50:31,990 --> 00:50:33,950
Have you ever tried to figure out what's

1102
00:50:33,950 --> 00:50:37,070
going on in a newborn Christian, a baby

1103
00:50:37,070 --> 00:50:39,890
Christian, a new convert that has just been

1104
00:50:39,890 --> 00:50:43,790
converted out of deep traditionalism and pharisaical religion

1105
00:50:43,790 --> 00:50:46,730
and nobody can figure out what in the

1106
00:50:46,730 --> 00:50:47,670
world is going on.

1107
00:50:47,670 --> 00:50:50,290
They are accusing us that we are brainwashing

1108
00:50:50,290 --> 00:50:56,500
the people and they don't understand that they

1109
00:50:56,500 --> 00:50:58,140
have been in touch with God and they

1110
00:50:58,140 --> 00:50:59,120
have been born again.

1111
00:50:59,580 --> 00:51:01,220
And all at once they see the kingdom

1112
00:51:01,220 --> 00:51:01,860
of God.

1113
00:51:01,980 --> 00:51:04,460
They see a whole dimension, a whole life,

1114
00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:07,380
a whole reality they never saw before.

1115
00:51:07,940 --> 00:51:10,560
Except you be born again, you cannot see

1116
00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:12,040
the kingdom of God.

1117
00:51:12,340 --> 00:51:13,740
And then I like the other word.

1118
00:51:14,220 --> 00:51:17,440
In verse 5, Jesus answered, Verily I say

1119
00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:19,200
unto you, except a man be born of

1120
00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:23,420
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter

1121
00:51:23,420 --> 00:51:24,980
the kingdom of God.

1122
00:51:29,300 --> 00:51:31,100
It's so hard to work with some of

1123
00:51:31,100 --> 00:51:34,080
these religious people who are actually enlightened.

1124
00:51:36,940 --> 00:51:38,820
And many of you sitting in this room,

1125
00:51:38,820 --> 00:51:41,020
I know, can identify with this subject.

1126
00:51:41,820 --> 00:51:43,440
And you know that's the way it is.

1127
00:51:43,500 --> 00:51:45,720
We are trying to figure out what to

1128
00:51:45,720 --> 00:51:48,660
do with people, many times that are enlightened

1129
00:51:48,660 --> 00:51:50,980
and they are kind of growing into the

1130
00:51:50,980 --> 00:51:53,280
kingdom, but they haven't been born into it.

1131
00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:56,240
And it makes it difficult and complicated.

1132
00:51:56,620 --> 00:52:00,060
Make sure, my beloved brethren and sisters, or

1133
00:52:00,060 --> 00:52:05,300
brethren here today, that you are contending for

1134
00:52:05,300 --> 00:52:07,380
a birth into the kingdom and not a

1135
00:52:07,380 --> 00:52:10,320
gradual learning of the kingdom, or growing into

1136
00:52:10,320 --> 00:52:10,840
the kingdom.

1137
00:52:10,980 --> 00:52:12,760
We must be born into it.

1138
00:52:13,940 --> 00:52:16,340
And a person growing into the kingdom can

1139
00:52:16,340 --> 00:52:18,380
learn a lot of things about the kingdom

1140
00:52:18,380 --> 00:52:20,860
and can actually accomplish a lot of doings

1141
00:52:20,860 --> 00:52:22,960
of the kingdom in his life.

1142
00:52:23,080 --> 00:52:25,600
But if he's growing into it rather than

1143
00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:28,340
being born into it, there's always something missing,

1144
00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:29,300
it seems.

1145
00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:34,400
So I wanted to emphasize the fact of

1146
00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:37,640
the new birth and how one enters into

1147
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:38,180
the kingdom.

1148
00:52:38,620 --> 00:52:40,560
And some of you come from far and

1149
00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:43,180
wide, and I'm sure a crowd of this

1150
00:52:43,180 --> 00:52:45,780
size, that there would be those who are

1151
00:52:45,780 --> 00:52:46,940
not born again.

1152
00:52:46,940 --> 00:52:49,880
You are still shackled by sin, or have

1153
00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:52,300
been, at least prior to last night.

1154
00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:54,680
But the question is, have you been born

1155
00:52:54,680 --> 00:52:55,460
into the kingdom?

1156
00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:57,540
And that was that you need to see

1157
00:52:57,540 --> 00:53:00,520
yourself as a sinner before God and be

1158
00:53:00,520 --> 00:53:02,620
poor in spirit and be meek and be

1159
00:53:02,620 --> 00:53:03,940
humble and lowly enough.

1160
00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:06,180
And see your need of a savior.

1161
00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:09,240
And then simply ask the Lord to come

1162
00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:11,320
in and change you and to make you

1163
00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:13,680
a new creature and to give you that

1164
00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:16,480
born-again experience and a peace and assurance

1165
00:53:16,480 --> 00:53:19,700
and salvation that comes from Him, not worked

1166
00:53:19,700 --> 00:53:21,040
up here in life.

1167
00:53:24,410 --> 00:53:27,650
Jesus said in John 10, if I can

1168
00:53:27,650 --> 00:53:29,870
flip over there and just use His precious

1169
00:53:29,870 --> 00:53:34,210
words, verse 7, Jesus then said, Jesus, unto

1170
00:53:34,210 --> 00:53:36,770
them, verily, verily, I say unto you, I

1171
00:53:36,770 --> 00:53:38,410
am the door of the sheep.

1172
00:53:39,670 --> 00:53:42,690
Christ the Lord is the door into the

1173
00:53:42,690 --> 00:53:43,010
kingdom.

1174
00:53:43,450 --> 00:53:45,770
He is the door into the church.

1175
00:53:46,630 --> 00:53:49,470
He is the door into the family of

1176
00:53:49,470 --> 00:53:50,010
God.

1177
00:53:51,790 --> 00:53:54,330
And any others that come there, as He

1178
00:53:54,330 --> 00:53:56,190
says over in verse 9, I am the

1179
00:53:56,190 --> 00:53:58,070
door, by me if any man enter in,

1180
00:53:58,390 --> 00:54:03,610
he shall be saved and go in and

1181
00:54:03,610 --> 00:54:04,930
out and find green pastures.

1182
00:54:05,050 --> 00:54:05,910
I missed verse 8.

1183
00:54:06,170 --> 00:54:09,930
All that ever came before me or all

1184
00:54:09,930 --> 00:54:12,570
that ever come any other way besides Jesus

1185
00:54:12,570 --> 00:54:14,630
being the door are thieves and robbers.

1186
00:54:14,630 --> 00:54:16,250
And there you have your hybrids.

1187
00:54:18,130 --> 00:54:20,690
Again, trying to get into the kingdom without

1188
00:54:20,690 --> 00:54:22,510
coming in through Jesus the door.

1189
00:54:23,050 --> 00:54:24,050
And that's a hybrid.

1190
00:54:25,490 --> 00:54:27,190
You may have ever so good of a

1191
00:54:27,190 --> 00:54:27,890
moral life.

1192
00:54:28,730 --> 00:54:30,430
You may have even laid some of your

1193
00:54:30,430 --> 00:54:31,690
major sins aside.

1194
00:54:32,470 --> 00:54:33,910
You're a pretty good boy.

1195
00:54:34,950 --> 00:54:37,270
But good boys are lost unless they come

1196
00:54:37,270 --> 00:54:38,130
in through the door.

1197
00:54:40,290 --> 00:54:42,530
And may I just reiterate, I think what

1198
00:54:42,530 --> 00:54:46,110
has already been given before, you cannot go

1199
00:54:46,110 --> 00:54:48,450
into all the world and teach the heathen

1200
00:54:48,450 --> 00:54:51,150
that they must believe only in the Creator

1201
00:54:51,150 --> 00:54:51,790
God.

1202
00:54:53,690 --> 00:54:55,890
If they don't come in through His Son,

1203
00:54:56,270 --> 00:54:57,230
they can't come in.

1204
00:55:00,540 --> 00:55:02,640
Now they need to learn about the Creator

1205
00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:03,180
God.

1206
00:55:03,440 --> 00:55:05,020
And some of them don't know the first

1207
00:55:05,020 --> 00:55:05,780
thing about Him.

1208
00:55:06,080 --> 00:55:08,420
And to start there and teach them that

1209
00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:11,560
God created heaven and earth, but you're not

1210
00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:13,720
going to bring people into the kingdom until

1211
00:55:13,720 --> 00:55:16,540
you come to the Son who made the

1212
00:55:16,540 --> 00:55:19,960
sacrifice for their sins and by believing on

1213
00:55:19,960 --> 00:55:22,440
Him, whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,

1214
00:55:22,520 --> 00:55:24,440
but have everlasting life.

1215
00:55:29,030 --> 00:55:29,730
We cannot.

1216
00:55:31,050 --> 00:55:34,290
And that's the way the whole, seems almost

1217
00:55:34,290 --> 00:55:37,690
like most of the evangelical world is going

1218
00:55:37,690 --> 00:55:40,170
to be satisfied with anybody who believes in

1219
00:55:40,170 --> 00:55:41,190
a Creator God.

1220
00:55:42,110 --> 00:55:43,150
That that's good enough.

1221
00:55:43,250 --> 00:55:43,670
He's in.

1222
00:55:43,850 --> 00:55:44,790
He's alright.

1223
00:55:47,050 --> 00:55:49,270
And they're even going beyond that as long

1224
00:55:49,270 --> 00:55:51,530
as they believe in a supreme being and

1225
00:55:51,530 --> 00:55:54,530
they're not even requiring the Creator God anymore.

1226
00:55:55,910 --> 00:55:59,750
In the case of Allah, Allah's not a

1227
00:55:59,750 --> 00:56:00,510
Creator God.

1228
00:56:09,220 --> 00:56:11,400
One of the first things that should happen

1229
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:14,460
after we have entered into the kingdom and

1230
00:56:14,460 --> 00:56:17,360
we want to just break the ice here

1231
00:56:17,360 --> 00:56:19,380
a little bit for our message tomorrow because

1232
00:56:19,380 --> 00:56:21,460
it is time tomorrow to get down to

1233
00:56:21,460 --> 00:56:25,220
the practical issues of church life, the church

1234
00:56:25,220 --> 00:56:28,160
and church life that we do not want

1235
00:56:28,160 --> 00:56:28,520
to miss.

1236
00:56:28,660 --> 00:56:31,140
We know that's the practical side that many

1237
00:56:31,140 --> 00:56:35,160
of you will need or benefit from and

1238
00:56:35,160 --> 00:56:37,620
have benefited from and are waiting also to

1239
00:56:37,620 --> 00:56:39,600
hear and think about.

1240
00:56:39,940 --> 00:56:45,960
But when I was converted as a young

1241
00:56:45,960 --> 00:56:48,940
man, at fifteen and a half years of

1242
00:56:48,940 --> 00:56:50,740
age, I was in a setting where I

1243
00:56:50,740 --> 00:56:51,920
had zero fellowship.

1244
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,400
I did not know of another born again

1245
00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:56,780
Christian in my church.

1246
00:56:56,940 --> 00:56:57,560
Not one.

1247
00:56:58,240 --> 00:57:00,220
My father was open to the truth at

1248
00:57:00,220 --> 00:57:03,280
that time and was searching, but he testified

1249
00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:05,300
later on that he believes that I got

1250
00:57:05,300 --> 00:57:06,680
born again before he did.

1251
00:57:07,740 --> 00:57:09,940
Even though he invited me to the revival

1252
00:57:09,940 --> 00:57:11,440
meeting where I was born again.

1253
00:57:11,520 --> 00:57:12,520
That was wonderful.

1254
00:57:13,620 --> 00:57:15,500
That we were out working on a cold

1255
00:57:15,500 --> 00:57:19,640
winter night, working in the tobacco shed and

1256
00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:21,860
he said, would you go along to the

1257
00:57:21,860 --> 00:57:22,180
meeting?

1258
00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,140
The first week of revival meetings held by

1259
00:57:26,140 --> 00:57:27,660
a local church in the area.

1260
00:57:28,220 --> 00:57:31,280
They had not had any before that, protracted

1261
00:57:31,280 --> 00:57:32,300
meetings like that.

1262
00:57:32,620 --> 00:57:35,300
And at that first week, I went on

1263
00:57:35,300 --> 00:57:37,220
a Friday night and gave my heart to

1264
00:57:37,220 --> 00:57:38,180
the Lord that night.

1265
00:57:38,900 --> 00:57:42,020
But the strangest thing began to happen to

1266
00:57:42,020 --> 00:57:43,300
me after that night.

1267
00:57:43,480 --> 00:57:46,120
There was two more nights and I would

1268
00:57:46,120 --> 00:57:48,300
have walked for miles to get to that

1269
00:57:48,300 --> 00:57:48,580
meeting.

1270
00:57:49,640 --> 00:57:54,280
The desire for fellowship immediately surfaced into my

1271
00:57:54,280 --> 00:57:54,780
heart.

1272
00:57:57,120 --> 00:57:59,800
Anything else, I have to say, is probably

1273
00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:01,200
a part of a hybrid again.

1274
00:58:02,100 --> 00:58:05,040
There must be a desire to meet with

1275
00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:08,980
God's people, not forsaking the assembly of yourselves

1276
00:58:08,980 --> 00:58:12,040
together even so much the more as you

1277
00:58:12,040 --> 00:58:14,820
see the day approaching which I'm going to

1278
00:58:14,820 --> 00:58:17,980
interpret that is more important in this deceptive

1279
00:58:17,980 --> 00:58:20,440
day than what it might have been 500

1280
00:58:20,440 --> 00:58:21,480
years ago.

1281
00:58:23,760 --> 00:58:26,300
But I remembered I so longed to go

1282
00:58:26,300 --> 00:58:26,940
and I did.

1283
00:58:27,020 --> 00:58:29,320
I finally got over again on Sunday night.

1284
00:58:29,680 --> 00:58:31,900
And the strangest thing happened to me.

1285
00:58:32,060 --> 00:58:33,700
I was 15 and a half years of

1286
00:58:33,700 --> 00:58:34,080
age.

1287
00:58:34,520 --> 00:58:36,360
I was in a strange place.

1288
00:58:36,580 --> 00:58:38,640
On Friday night when I got born again,

1289
00:58:38,700 --> 00:58:40,060
I was so scared of everything.

1290
00:58:40,240 --> 00:58:41,500
Everything was so strange.

1291
00:58:41,580 --> 00:58:43,360
I didn't hardly know anybody in the building.

1292
00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:48,560
I was ashamed to walk the aisle and

1293
00:58:48,560 --> 00:58:48,940
go up.

1294
00:58:49,080 --> 00:58:51,080
I mean, I was a fish out of

1295
00:58:51,080 --> 00:58:53,160
water as far as my culture.

1296
00:58:53,660 --> 00:58:56,140
And society was concerned at that time because

1297
00:58:56,140 --> 00:58:58,720
I was in another setting here with another

1298
00:58:58,720 --> 00:58:59,520
group of people.

1299
00:58:59,900 --> 00:59:01,380
And so I went home and I cried

1300
00:59:01,380 --> 00:59:02,300
out to God alone.

1301
00:59:02,540 --> 00:59:04,660
But on Sunday night when I went back

1302
00:59:04,660 --> 00:59:08,900
and some concerned men and boys gathered around

1303
00:59:08,900 --> 00:59:10,880
me and talked to me about what God

1304
00:59:10,880 --> 00:59:12,400
is doing in my heart and all that.

1305
00:59:12,400 --> 00:59:15,240
And I felt their love and concern for

1306
00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:15,440
me.

1307
00:59:15,580 --> 00:59:16,840
I melted to pieces.

1308
00:59:18,780 --> 00:59:21,600
And I experienced for the first time the

1309
00:59:21,600 --> 00:59:23,980
reality of love in my life.

1310
00:59:24,460 --> 00:59:26,820
In the former setting where I was, there

1311
00:59:26,820 --> 00:59:33,240
was cutting statements made, nicknames given, and you

1312
00:59:33,240 --> 00:59:36,540
were harassed and pushed around perhaps and made

1313
00:59:36,540 --> 00:59:38,140
a fool of and all that kind of

1314
00:59:38,140 --> 00:59:38,340
stuff.

1315
00:59:38,400 --> 00:59:39,600
And that's the life I knew.

1316
00:59:39,600 --> 00:59:41,400
When we got together at a ball game

1317
00:59:41,400 --> 00:59:43,800
in the community in our local church, you

1318
00:59:43,800 --> 00:59:46,360
know, they would call me a nickname if

1319
00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:49,580
I missed the ball or didn't hit the

1320
00:59:49,580 --> 00:59:51,560
ball right or something like that, you know.

1321
00:59:51,720 --> 00:59:54,080
And I never knew love and acceptance and

1322
00:59:54,080 --> 00:59:56,600
warmth and concern for my soul by any

1323
00:59:56,600 --> 00:59:57,000
of them.

1324
00:59:57,840 --> 01:00:00,580
But when I experienced the fellowship of believers

1325
01:00:00,580 --> 01:00:02,940
for the first time, and this was a

1326
01:00:02,940 --> 01:00:05,920
great distinctive of the faith and a distinctive

1327
01:00:05,920 --> 01:00:09,180
of the church of Jesus Christ, that love

1328
01:00:09,180 --> 01:00:13,820
should emanate and reach the seeker and reach

1329
01:00:13,820 --> 01:00:16,360
the hungry and reach the thirsty for God.

1330
01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:20,680
And I've heard these statements being made over

1331
01:00:20,680 --> 01:00:24,140
and over again in the Christian church that

1332
01:00:24,140 --> 01:00:27,460
we felt loved, we felt accepted, we felt

1333
01:00:27,460 --> 01:00:28,680
warmth there.

1334
01:00:29,320 --> 01:00:34,660
And that is a very important part of

1335
01:00:34,660 --> 01:00:37,160
the experience of the body of Christ.

1336
01:00:37,860 --> 01:00:39,900
First of all, that we enter in through

1337
01:00:39,900 --> 01:00:42,360
the door into the sheepfold.

1338
01:00:42,740 --> 01:00:44,840
And remember, if you try to climb out

1339
01:00:44,840 --> 01:00:48,020
some other way by some other doctrine, some

1340
01:00:48,020 --> 01:00:50,820
other method and some other belief or work

1341
01:00:50,820 --> 01:00:53,720
salvation or whatever, you are a thief and

1342
01:00:53,720 --> 01:00:55,180
a robber.

1343
01:00:55,280 --> 01:00:57,920
I love the explanation I read years ago

1344
01:00:57,920 --> 01:01:00,120
about the man who tried to get in.

1345
01:01:00,160 --> 01:01:02,140
He heard the music upstairs and he went

1346
01:01:02,140 --> 01:01:04,720
down into the basement and got into the

1347
01:01:04,720 --> 01:01:07,260
coal bin and dirty and black and he

1348
01:01:07,260 --> 01:01:09,080
heard the music up there, but he tried

1349
01:01:09,080 --> 01:01:10,380
to go in through the basement.

1350
01:01:11,020 --> 01:01:12,800
And then another fellow went up and he

1351
01:01:12,800 --> 01:01:14,840
crawled into an upstairs window and he was

1352
01:01:14,840 --> 01:01:16,220
up in the attic or up in the

1353
01:01:16,220 --> 01:01:19,200
upstairs, and he heard the music downstairs and

1354
01:01:19,200 --> 01:01:21,040
he heard all the beautiful things going on,

1355
01:01:21,220 --> 01:01:22,880
but he was in the upstairs and he

1356
01:01:22,880 --> 01:01:25,200
couldn't find his way down because he hadn't

1357
01:01:25,200 --> 01:01:26,440
entered in by the door.

1358
01:01:26,440 --> 01:01:31,520
And brethren, today the door is wide open

1359
01:01:31,520 --> 01:01:34,080
and Jesus is standing at the door and

1360
01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:35,960
inviting us all to come in through the

1361
01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,880
door, but we try to enter in some

1362
01:01:38,880 --> 01:01:41,140
other way and save ourselves.

1363
01:01:42,520 --> 01:01:44,200
That is not going to work.

1364
01:01:45,520 --> 01:01:48,360
We should have a loving relationship first of

1365
01:01:48,360 --> 01:01:51,660
all with God and His Word in our

1366
01:01:51,660 --> 01:01:54,480
new birth experience, and right on the heels

1367
01:01:54,480 --> 01:01:56,400
of that there ought to be a love

1368
01:01:56,400 --> 01:01:58,560
to be together with others.

1369
01:02:01,040 --> 01:02:03,200
And that's what makes church life and that's

1370
01:02:03,200 --> 01:02:05,320
my introduction to my subject tomorrow.

1371
01:02:06,280 --> 01:02:12,660
A strong desire to have some concern shown

1372
01:02:12,660 --> 01:02:17,900
our ways for like-mindedness, to be discipled,

1373
01:02:18,040 --> 01:02:20,180
to be taught in the ways of God.

1374
01:02:21,220 --> 01:02:23,040
A desire for baptism.

1375
01:02:23,620 --> 01:02:25,960
One of the first things as a young

1376
01:02:25,960 --> 01:02:28,280
boy, I longed to be baptized.

1377
01:02:30,100 --> 01:02:33,160
Have you been baptized upon your confession of

1378
01:02:33,160 --> 01:02:33,560
faith?

1379
01:02:34,280 --> 01:02:36,480
Don't put it off any longer if you're

1380
01:02:36,480 --> 01:02:38,380
sitting here unbaptized.

1381
01:02:39,120 --> 01:02:42,460
The Bible says, Believe and be baptized and

1382
01:02:42,460 --> 01:02:43,460
thou shalt be saved.

1383
01:02:43,680 --> 01:02:45,920
If you're not willing, there again in obedience

1384
01:02:46,200 --> 01:02:49,100
to walk with God and obey the commandments,

1385
01:02:49,260 --> 01:02:50,520
you're producing a hybrid.

1386
01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:54,960
And it's not the true church of Jesus

1387
01:02:54,960 --> 01:02:57,320
Christ and not the true faith.

1388
01:02:57,420 --> 01:02:59,520
If you have been born again, you want

1389
01:02:59,520 --> 01:03:05,380
to be baptized openly on your confession of

1390
01:03:05,380 --> 01:03:06,440
faith in Christ.

1391
01:03:12,520 --> 01:03:13,000
Amen.

1392
01:03:14,420 --> 01:03:18,600
May God bless us as we continue to

1393
01:03:18,600 --> 01:03:21,300
walk with Him and to seek His will

1394
01:03:21,300 --> 01:03:22,040
this week.

1395
01:03:22,460 --> 01:03:25,400
Thank you for your attention and your desire

1396
01:03:25,400 --> 01:03:26,020
for God.

1397
01:03:26,660 --> 01:03:27,000
Amen.