← ArchiveSunday, November 24, 2013DateNovember 24, 2013SpeakerChris BurnsTextJohnPassages in this sermonHebrews 1:1–511:49Hebrews 112:00John 112:56John 315:34Matthew 1516:252 Corinthians 518:08Galatians 121:342 Timothy 4:1–223:06Acts 6:228:17John 1230:05Galatians 1:1137:572 Peter 1:1638:11Acts 1742:07TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Thank you, choir and Brother Rick, for reminding us of what our duty is to the Lord, and that's to give Him praise. There are a lot of ways that we can praise the Lord, and there are a lot of ways that we can give thanks to the Lord. Now, this is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so you would anticipate a Thanksgiving sermon. But as I thought about, and as I think about this week being the week before Thanksgiving,0:29what's the one thing that you always do with your family at Thanksgiving, or you do in your Sunday school classes, especially with children and sometimes with adults, you go around the room, and so everybody just get ready and give us one thing that you're thankful for, and by the time we get through this, we'll be through for the day, amen? All right, and wrong, but that's what we do.0:58We go around and we think, and as I watched the video, and I thought it was a very thought provoking, as the gentleman just kind of steps out of himself, and he looks at what's going on around him, and it's time to give thanks to the Lord. And, you know, I thought to myself, what's going on in his life? And I'm sure you had your thoughts as well, and especially when he's in the minivan, and he's the one delivering the kids to school.1:27I don't know about y'all, but that's not the most exciting thing to do in Moody, amen, is delivering your children to school in that long line or picking them up. And, undoubtedly, he didn't have a spouse. His spouse had passed away or something with the cemetery. But in all things, give thanks. And so we go around and we ask ourselves, what are you truly thankful for? And there are going to be a lot of things that everybody says. And you look around and you say, well, man, I'm thankful for my husband.1:56I'm thankful for my wife. We're thankful for our children. We're thankful for our parents. We're thankful for our church. We're thankful for this. We're thankful for that. Well, you know, today may be a day we needed to stop and say, you know, here's what I'm thankful for today. I'm thankful for God. But then again, I thought, well, that'd be great. We can be thankful for God. We should be thankful. But how did you know about God? And I thought, well, we learned about God.2:26Many of us learned about God on the knees of our grandparents and our parents, and I literally did. I guess the first remembrance is my grandmother teaching me about God. I don't think my parents did, and I believe they probably did. It's just I don't remember that well and that far back. They probably taught me earlier than that. But I remember going to my grandmother's house, and I remember my grandmother's thick old Bible that she had, and she would read it to us. And I thought, well, wait a minute.2:56So am I thankful for my grandparents because she taught me about God? No. There's even a source that's as great as all those things. But to get down to it, I don't know how to make it in what line of priority, and that is I'm thankful for the Word of God. Because it is the Word of God that my grandmother learned, what she learned, that she taught me. And it was the Word of God that she taught my parents or my mom that my mom taught me.3:20And it was faithful preachers that we, where we went to church, that preached from the Word of God, that taught us about the Word of God. So it is the Word of God that is very important. Now, that's not to say that there are Christians in other parts of the world that are sharing their personal testimonies about what God has done for them. And it is a very powerful testimony.3:49And they did it without having the Word of God. But for the most part, it is God's Word that the Bible tells us that when it goes out, it will not come back for us. Christians have a very strong understanding of the ministry of the Word of God. That's why they give it to fifth graders. That's why they give it to nurses. That's why they give it to put it in motels and hotels and all around.4:16And the tragedy is today the Bible has found its competition. And you say, yeah, I've been to those same motels. And I believe that the competition for the Bible is just as you're about to say. It's the Koran. You know, the Koran is no competition for the Bible. It's really not. There are books in some of these motels now that I don't even know who they're by.4:49Hindu books and such that everybody wants their piece of action in the motels and various public places around the world. But to me, one of the greatest challenges to the Word of God is not another source.5:08It's us. It's us and how we read it. It's us and how we study it. Or you could say it's us and the lack of. You know, I could get everybody in here just a hoot and a holler and real fast if I were to hold up and say,5:37Hey, how many of y'all believe the Word of God? Say amen. That's right. How many of y'all love the Word of God? Thank you for those of you that are awake. How many of y'all own the Word of God? Listen, I grew up in the 70s. In seminary. In college. And I was at the Southern Baptist Conventions when the battle was over God's Word.6:06Literally. I remember packing in with Dr. Thomas that was here this past week. He and I and his wife and Gail took off to Dallas for the Southern Baptist Convention, which was going to be one of the most important conventions of all. Because there we were going to vote on a president. And one of those, we were going to vote on men.6:36Two of them. Three of them probably. I think it was actually three that were nominated. One of them was Charles Stanley who stood on the Word of God. Another one, I don't even remember his name. I don't know if it was Honeycutt or someone else. But then there was another one that was supposed to pull people that were from the conservative point of view away from Dr. Stanley so that the liberal might get it because there were those who challenged the truth of and not the validity so much as the source of God's Word.7:02There were those who believed so dogmatically and textual criticism and other things that there are literally commentaries. And just to show you how vicious it was, when I first came to this church, there was a very7:27liberal individual, and I don't remember his name, thank God, but he borrowed my number one volume to Broadman Commentary, which was Genesis, which is Honeycutt, wrote a commentary in there which actually said that there are miracles in the Bible that were not really miracles, they were just embellishments. For instance, when the axe head floated, and I'm sure, Frank, you remember some of these.7:54You may have the first Genesis, and you do. And it says in there that what Elijah did is he probed with his axe head under the water until he actually found the axe head, found the stick, and it made its way rather than it actually floating. So there was embellishments to get, and all these embellishments were there to garner attention instead of actually God producing the miracle.8:21So to me, then, the greatest enemy comes to the individual who takes God's word and diminishes it from being God's word. Because if we truly believe that it's God's word, then we've got to believe what it says. Amen? And then if we believe what it says, then we're going to do what it says. Amen? And if we're going to do what it says, then we're going to be examples of God's word.8:48Amen? There are two basic beliefs today. One of them we studied in our group this past week, if those of you that did your workbook and talked about it, the one word that really tears at my heart because as I studied, last week, I began to wonder if that's the kind of Christian that I am.9:18But the other one is another dangerous thought and belief, and one of them is relativism, and the other one is pragmatism. Now, relativism, and I might be a little off, but that means that, you know, the word of God has to be relative for the event that you're in. So I have to make God's word meet where my need is rather than allow God's word to actually9:45speak. Let me tell you, I believe God's word is very relative today as it was 2,000 years ago. I think the problem is we change. And so we want to interpret it according to what we believe is relative rather than let God's word stand. For instance, we would believe without a doubt that God's word says, thou shalt not commit adultery. Amen? And we know that's wrong and that's sin.10:14And we look, we frown upon it. I don't think there's anybody in here that would disagree with that. Well, what about, do we truly believe that fornication is as strong a sin as adultery? You say, but what's fornication? That's sexual relationships outside of marriage when you're not married. And yet we live in a society today that says, well, that's just not relative to our society10:43anymore. We've progressed as a society to this point that, you know, we find ourselves single again at an age when we still are burning within. And we want to be relative. And being relative to our society is saying, you know, we've gone through the sexual revolution and there are just some things that are ambiguous in the, in the Bible that need to be relative to where we are today. My friend, the Bible is clear that not only idolaters and adulterers and fornicators and11:10liars and drunkards are not going to heaven. All of them are there together. And the Bible still means what it means then. If you practice those particular sins, the Bible is as relative as it was when it was written. And you're not going there. You say, wait a minute, Brother Chris. Well, I bowed the head and said the prayer.11:38Was your life changed? Were you born again? Look at Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1 through 5. So relative today. Hebrews 1, verses 1 through 5. God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets.12:05In other words, the writer of Hebrews is giving validity to the relativity of what God said then as being true as to what God is saying then. Not trying to make their lives relative to the gospel, but the word of God being relative to their lives. Am I making myself clear? God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways.12:39In these last days has spoken to us in his son. So the writer of Hebrews is saying now God has spoken clearly. And we go back to John chapter 1. And John chapter 1 says, in the beginning was the, and the word was with God. And the word was. So he says, now God has spoken to us very powerfully through his son, whom he appointed heir of all things,13:07through whom also he made the worlds. He clarified again what John said in chapter 1. And in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God. And not all things were created by him. Without him nothing was made that was made, John says. So it says, through him he also made all the worlds. And he is the radiance of his glory, the exact representation of his nature.13:35Exact representation of the nature of God. When we see Christ, he is the exact representation. He's not a relative representation. He is the exact representation of God. And upholds all things by the word of his power. So he's also adding validity to Colossians where he says, not only did he create all things, but through him all things are what? Held together.14:04Held together. So the writer of Hebrews is upholding. Notice how God's word continually builds on itself and gives clarity to itself. So he goes on. And when he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels as he has inherited, more excellent name than them all. And then he goes on and gives credibility there. But when he had made purification for sins.14:33And so here we see the power of the Son of God as God is a clear, exact representation of himself, in himself, which is his Son. And he himself is the sacrifice for our sins. And just as powerful as it was that day, it is today. And we can find our source and our authority for salvation in God's word.15:00Amen. And so when we study like we studied a few weeks ago, we talked about Nicodemus' confrontation with the Lord Jesus. And Jesus said to Nicodemus, or Nicodemus said to Jesus, how can a man enter the kingdom of heaven? And we can go back. And Jesus said, you must be born again.15:30And you can go back and read that. John 3 and verses 3 and following. And so there is a clear understanding of the source of salvation and the reality of salvation being in Christ Jesus alone. We do not have to put those little signs on the back of our car that have little split moons and crosses and sickles and whatever else they have on those things.15:50Saying that, you know, all religions lead to the same place. I beg to differ according to the word of God. They don't. And so we need to be, we need to be astute. And we need to be students of the word of God.16:19And we need to understand it. Because here's what's going to happen. In Matthew chapter 15 and verse 9, Jesus confronted by the Pharisees, standing before the Pharisees. Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, why do your disciples break the traditions of the elders? You know, they were real concerned about the fact that the disciples of Jesus were very, you know, they're off base here. For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.16:48And he answered and said to them, why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions? For God said, honor your father and mother. And he who speaks evil of father and mother is to be put to death. But whoa. Did y'all know that? Y'all up for a stoning. He who speaks evil of his father and mother is to be put to death.17:19But you say, whoever says to his father and mother, whatever I have that would help you has been given to God. And he is not to honor his father and his mother. And listen to what he says. This is to me the key. And by this you invalidate the word of God for the sake of your traditions. I wonder how many religions invalidate the word of God for the sake of their traditions instead of what God's word actually says.17:40How many of us invalidate God in our own lives by claiming to be something that we've never been? Because we know we've never changed. We know that according to the word of God, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 15, and verse 10, old things pass away.18:08We become a new creation. We ask ourselves, you know, nothing's ever really become new to me. Being born again. You know, if I'm born again, it's like being born the first time. And my little three-week-old grandson is here this morning. And I want to tell you something. He's the oddest looking thing you've ever seen in his life.18:37He's got one eye pointing this way, one eye pointing this way. And they kind of focus every now and then. And you're not sure whether he's looking at you. And he's always trying to find something to eat. And every time I pick him up, he messes on me. And I thought, just like most church members. I mean, no, no. But, no, I'm just kidding. But he's new. But he's changing every day. He's changing.19:06He's changing. They feed him. They change him. He's changing every day. And one day, he's going to be like his bigger brothers. And then he's going to be like them. And, you know, when you really begin to think, one day, they're going to be like we are. One day, they're going to be like us. They're going to do like we do. They're going to talk like we talk. How many of you have been around somebody's child that you've not been around in a while. But when you hear them talk, it's not that they sound like their parent.19:36But they sound just like their parent. Because that's what they've heard. And that's what they're speaking. And they act a lot like their parents. And so we're not careful with our lives. We can invalidate the word of God for the sake of traditions. He says, you hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you? And then he gives a very horrendous judgment.20:02But what I want to talk about, what I want to get to real quickly is the Bible. And we need to clarify it. We need to say that this is going to be the source of our teaching in our Sunday school classes. And we don't have a problem with this. This needs to be a source of our preaching. I hope we don't ever have a problem with this. This is going to be a source of my living.20:30And I'm not going to try to interpret it to meet my need so that my need can be condoned. But I will allow God's word to be exactly what it is. The Bible is the word of God. That is the validity, the foundation, the understanding that I have of who Christ Jesus is.20:52If somebody comes into my life and says, wait a minute, there's something missing in the Bible that you need to add to the characteristics of God,21:20then I want to take very careful note of where that person came from. If somebody comes in and they add, which they tried to do, and Paul responded in Galatians chapter 1, and says to me, you're almost there, you've just about got salvation pegged, but you lack something more. And I actually had someone to do that one time.21:51I actually, when we had one of our, I'll never forget, we had one of our Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames church packed. Fifty people or so came forward. We took them over into the choir room where we did counseling. And I had a gentleman come up to me and he said, man, go fill the baptistry up. We need to get these folks baptized now. And I looked at him and said, he wasn't a member of our church. I said, excuse me. He said, yes.22:20He said, if they've gotten, if they're giving their heart to God, they need to get saved or they need to get baptized to be saved. I said, sir, we don't believe that. I said, we believe that by faith through grace is a man saved, not of works least any man should boast or help in. It is a gift from God. And he frustratedly walked out that door right there.22:51Shaking his head, wondering in the world how all those people were going to go to Heaven without getting baptized. This is how important the Word of God was to Paul and to the people of the Bible. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 1 through 2, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the Word.23:19Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove. Rebuke. Exhort. With great patience and instructions. This had to be written. I just believe with all my heart Timothy was a Baptist. Why? Well, with great patience and instructions. And then I got to talking to some of my other brothers that are Bible-believing preachers.23:49And it doesn't really matter what a denomination you are. When you teach the Word of God, you must do it with great patience. But I want to tell you something. What bothers me that is going on in our world today, that is going on in churches today. And it's why this church may not be as full as some churches. And some churches may do it. And therefore, I'm not knocking big churches. I'm not knocking little churches. I'm just saying that I've listened to preachers. And I've heard them preach. And I'm wondering where their reproof and rebuking come in.24:17We don't like to be rebuked. My wife rebukes me from time to time. It's not nice when she does it. At least, I don't feel like it is. She may feel real good about it. But then again, there are times I rebuke her. And I know she don't like it. We don't like rebuking. I didn't like it when I was 14 years old. And now that I'm almost 60 years old, I like it even less.24:46I don't like for someone to point out my errors or my misgivings or my sins. I like for everybody to think, hey, he's 59 years old. He's old enough to know. But I just let him go. He's all right. He'll go. No. We need someone to stand with the Word of God over us and teach us through the influence and the work of the Holy Spirit what God's Word says and be obedient.25:16And if it rebukes, if there's a rebuke in it, accept it and let the Holy Spirit change us. If it's reproof, look at it and turn and go a different direction. We do not need to try to make the Bible make us feel good in a day when we're sinning against God. Oh, we live in a day when this book of antiquity has no relativism about it at all for our society today.25:43Well, we misunderstand it when we think people are to be heterosexual in their relationships. That's a pagan, ungodly. No, no, that's what the Bible says. Listen, my friend, I didn't write it. I was just called to preach it. And unless we hear the Bible.26:12You know, I'll tell you something else the Bible says. It doesn't give you an option. It says that we know we pass from death into life because we have what? Love for the brethren. That's right. Because we keep his commandments. Because we walk not in darkness but in? Well, hello. Are we doing those things? Do I love my brethren? I'm not saying that you may not disagree with your brothers.26:39I just walked over to two of my most awesome brothers in my life. I said, after today, we're not talking until next Sunday. And I'll decide next Sunday if we talk again. Now, some of y'all don't have a clue what I'm talking about, do you? Well, I'm just kidding. Amen. It would be much more appropriate. But, you know, the tragedy is we want to pick and choose how we love, who we love, when we love, and our love.27:05We want to pick and choose forgiveness. We want to forgive where forgiveness is okay. But, you know, do you understand what the definition of forgiveness is? Well, you said, oh, it's to release. No, it's not just to release. It's to also accept the pain that that other person is throwing at you and not to hold that against them. Does God hold your pain of your sin that has been thrust at him against you?27:33Or does he forgive you? As far as the east is from the, why didn't he say the north from the south? They do meet. But the east and the west, I don't care how far east you go. I went to Russia one time, and they were talking about going out west. I'm thinking, well, yeah, get us a cowboy. No, they were just talking about going to Germany.28:06Some of y'all will catch on to that later.28:13Let's look at how important God's word is. Acts chapter 6, verses 2 and 3. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, it is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God. Can I tell you, people who become pragmatists in their lifestyle, people who become relative in their living, trying to make everything work out according to their pleasure, do not study the word of God. They neglected. They said, if we're going to be the men that God is going to need us to be28:43as the ultimate elders of the church, which were these apostles, because this was in the day of the apostle, we cannot neglect the word of God. It reminds me of the monk who moves their libraries to the top of mountains and they surround themselves. Now, the tragedy is that you become totally irrelevant to everything when you only study the word of God29:12and don't allow the word of God to be lived out through you. But my friend, you can't let it be lived out through you unless you first studied it. And we need to be people of the word of God. We don't only need to own Bibles, we need to read them. We need to mark them. Let me tell you, that Bible is not holy in that you cannot write in it. It is holy against you drawing pictures of the preacher in it.29:39But you can write in it, you can underline it, you can mark it, you can ask it questions, and I'll guarantee you, ask it a question in one verse, and in a few verses down, you'll find the answer to it. That's what it's there for. It's to be studied. John 12, verse 44, Jesus cried out and said, He who believes in me does not believe in me, but in him who sent me.30:07He who sees the one who sent me, I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I do not come to the world to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings, he has one who judges him.30:36The word I spoke is what will judge him at the last days. The word I spoke, my friend, we have everything we need to understand the plan of God for salvation, the plan of God for living, the plan of God for dying, and the plan of God for living after death.31:03And I want to tell you something, we don't need. Now, I'm not saying that there are not some good books up there. I'm not saying that they're not great studies. I think we've got one of the, two of the best studies that I've seen come down the pike in a long time. They'll be offered again in January. I challenge you to be a part of the Truth Project, which is going on now, to be taught again, and also be a chart of Behold Your God.31:32That's another study. That's the one I'm going through right now that so challenged me this past week on pragmatism, and I'm trying to work it into my sermon. Because I think we've become a pragmatic church instead of a church who totally derives its source and strength, its life, and its hope, and its help from God's word. And in this week's study, and those of you that have read it will know he'll just, you just say, well, he's just repeating what he read.32:00It's true. Here's someone who believes and trusts the word of God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If they had just bowed down, they wouldn't have had to have been put in a fiery furnace. Amen? But when they refused to bow down, what happens? But what happened before that? Oh, king, let it be known that we're going to go in the furnace, and if we die, we die.32:24But at least we died obeying God's word. And so they put them in a furnace, and what happened? The Son of God was in there with them. They came out. And we can go on. But what about the men who crossed over into the promised land to spy it out? Were they pragmatists, or were they men of faith?32:53Ten of them were pragmatists. Two of them were men of faith. Why? Well, all 12 of them go out. All 12 of them come back. Ten of them, all 12 of them. Excuse me. All 12 of them said, land flowing with milk and honey. No doubt about it. It's got everything you'd ever need. Got the hugest fruits. It is beautiful. They all agreed with that.33:22All agreed. Got fortified cities. Got Nephilims there. Sons of Nephilims. Those are big, giant people. We know they're there. Later on, David will find out more about them than that. But we know they're there. We know there are many, many different fortified cities and different communities. Different types of people there. And ten people said, looking at it pragmatically, let's be pragmatists.33:43We can't take it. They're bigger than we are. They're fortified cities. They're warriors. And we're just not what we need to be. Two of them said, don't forget, God promised it to us. All we've got to do is go over, and he said he'd fight for us.34:14And they put it to a vote. And the people stayed put. Folks, as a church, I want to ask you something. Do you come to church pragmatically when it's comfortable and you feel good? Or you're hoping you're going to get a blessing? Or do you come to church knowing that that's what God wants you to do?34:42You don't really feel like it, but that's where you need to be. Not so that you can be a, the preacher can bless your life, but so you can bless God's life by sitting with your Bible open and studying about him. Do we come because it's in spite of the bad weather and in spite of the cold weather or in spite of the falling rain or in spite of the fact that we don't feel exactly like we ought to feel?35:01Maybe we're hurting somewhere and we don't want to come because, you know, I just know I'm going to be uncomfortable. Or do I come? Not because the Bible lays down a law that I have to be there, but because I know that that's where I'm going to find my strength, being among God's people. That's where I'm going to be able to strengthen other people.35:31That's what God would have me to do because I know he said, forsake not, in Hebrews, the gathering together of yourself. Am I going to do it in spite? Do I give pragmatically or do I give faithfully? Pragmatic says, well, you got $10. You know you're going to need nine of them, so you might have to have one first. So I'll just wait until next time.35:59Faith says, you know, I'm going to give because God said I can't out give him. And I'm going to trust God. Do you realize that some of us have greater credit card debt than we do giving to the church debt? That's not a sermon on giving. I'm asking you how you give. Pragmatically, you go to work every day. You stand around the cooler or the coffee pot or wherever, and there's a group of people standing around, and they say, hey, come here.36:28Have you heard this one? You say, no, I haven't, but I really don't want to. Or do I go, well, you know, I'm never really going to be able to reach these people unless I listen to their dirty jokes. You see, a faithful person says, you know, I've never, no, I don't want to stand there. I'm going to stand over here. That gives that person that you're not listening to more credibility with you than if you had stood there and listened to them.36:54Listen, I fell into that trip years and years and years and years and years ago where I felt like, well, you know, if you've got to go to a party where they're drinking, get you a Coca-Cola and drink with them. Get you a bottle of clear water and show them for a fact you're not drinking with them. You don't have to be like the world. And you say, well, Paul says, I've become all things to all people.37:24No, I want to tell you something. Paul did not become an adulterer to reach adulterers. Paul did not come an idolater to reach idolaters. Paul did not become a homosexual to reach homosexuals. He did not become a liar to reach liars. He did not become a robber to reach robbers. What Paul was not afraid to do was to go where people were to reach them. Paul was not afraid to stand among the Greeks and expound on the word of God. Galatians 1.11 says, for would you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man?37:57For I neither received it from man nor was I taught it, but I received it through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1.16, for we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.38:24Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. Have you ever thought about why your life is empty? Why it just seems like you're not catching on?38:54Why things just seem to pass you by? You can't forgive. You don't have peace. You know, you could say there are a lot of people like that. There are TV programs out there that are based on the fear of man. I mean, these bunker people. I hope if, you know, some of you say, well, I'm building me a bunker. I got my three years' worth of food.39:24You build your bunker. I'm going to be in heaven with Jesus. And while you're lasting it out down here, I'm going to be rejoicing it up there. And while we're all rejoicing, me and Bud are going to be having a good time up there rejoicing it. And what we're going to be wondering is if you really were saved or not. Because you're still alive in your bunker. Pragmatic living, faith living, Bible believing, are just Bible holders.39:48Do I believe that God's word says life is important? Or do I believe that being pragmatic with a little relative thrown in, mixed up, the Bible can just meet me where I'm at or I can meet the Bible where I'm at and we can work it out.40:17My folks, I want to tell you something. When David Platt wrote radical, the Bible did not just all of a sudden become radical. It's been radical for over 2,000 years. The problem is too many pragmatic, relative, psychological people have gotten the Bible out of whack.40:39And we don't want to hear about our sins. What we want to hear is how good you are. And my friend, if there's any goodness in you, it's because Jesus lives in you. But outside of him, there is no goodness. There is no hope.41:08There is no life. There's only darkness. Now I'm going to flip over to the back half of the sermon. And we'll finish. What can you do? I want you to listen. See to it that you take no... See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception. According to the traditions of men. According to the elementary principles of the world.41:37Rather than according to Christ. Trust the word of God. But prove yourselves doers of the word. And not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, He is like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror. For once he has looked at himself and gone away, He has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. Acts 17.42:07Acts 17. Now when they had traveled through Amphilus and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul's custom, he went to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures. Explaining, giving evidence that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Saying, This Jesus whom I'm proclaiming to you is the Christ.42:35My friend, we don't change the word of God. We obey the word of God. The word of God is relative in that it was good for the apostles. It's good for us. And to know Christ is to know him according to the scriptures.43:04Not according to vain philosophies. To live for Christ is to see the word of God working itself out in us. Loving our enemies. Turning the other cheeks. Crying and praying for the lost. Going out and sharing our faith where God opens the door and gives us opportunity. Reaching over and hugging someone.43:33And letting God's love flow through us when we see someone hurting. God in me is changing me every day. Or I've become so stale and stymied by the lack of the word of God in my life. That I am like stale bread. In need of a fresh touch of the Savior. My friend, are you Bible believing?44:03Are you Bible obeying? Are you Bible living? Is it the source of all that you are? Or is it just a textbook that when you need it, you pull it down? And when it doesn't say what you want it to say, you just read over it. And say, that's not relevant for today. That's not relevant for today. Let me tell you, the Ten Commandments are as relative today as they were when they were written by Moses.44:32You say, wait a minute, I didn't, no. They're not our means of salvation. But they do teach us the heart of God. Let us pray.More sermons on John →
