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Mark 16:9-20 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  Good to see everyone this morning.
• 0:02
  Just join me in prayer, just briefly, before we get going.
• 0:05
  ! Holy Father, we thank you for our chance to be together this morning.
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  ! You have brought us from so many different places,
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  so many different stages of life and things that we're dealing with.
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  And God, we come together to not just dwell on the things that burden us
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  and make us anxious that we've come to dwell on you
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  and to behold your glory and your word.
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  And God, I just ask this morning that you would use me
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  and to build up your people.
• 0:45
  And God, I just thank you for this opportunity.
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  So, Holy Spirit, work in and through us today for Christ's sake.
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  And we pray that in His name. Amen.
• 0:55
  Amen. So, Mark 16.
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  We're going to start in verse 9.
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  It says,
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  Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week,
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  He first appeared to Mary Magdalene,
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  from whom He cast out seven demons.
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  She went and reported to those who had been with Him
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  while they were mourning and weeping.
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  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her,
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  they refused to believe it.
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  After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them
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  while walking along the road in the country.
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  And they went away and reported to others,
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  but they did not believe them either.
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  And afterward, He appeared to the eleven themselves,
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  and they were reclining at the table.
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  And He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart,
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  because they had not believed those who had seen Him,
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  that He had risen.
• 1:54
  And He said to them,
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  Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
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  He who has believed has been baptized and will be saved,
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  but who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
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  And these signs will accompany those who have believed.
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  In My name they will cast out demons,
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  they will speak with new tongues,
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  they will pick up serpents,
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  and if they drink deadly poison,
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  it shall not hurt them.
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  They will lay their hands in the sick,
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  and they will recover.
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  So then when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them,
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  He was received up into heaven,
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  and He sat down at the right hand of God.
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  And they went out and preached everywhere,
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  while the Lord worked with them
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  and confirmed the Word by signs that followed.
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  So, that's kind of what we're dealing with today.
• 2:44
  But if you have a study Bible,
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  or a New American Standard Bible,
• 2:48
  or an ESV Bible,
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  there probably is a footnote
• 2:52
  connected to this passage.
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  If you can find it, just look at it.
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  And it says,
• 2:58
  basically,
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  most of, or some of,
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  the early manuscripts do not contain
• 3:05
  verses 9 through 20.
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  So, what do we do with that?
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  Well, we're definitely going to deal with that this morning.
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  But,
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  right off the bat,
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  I just kind of want to say just two things,
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  two goals
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  that I really hope and pray
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  that will happen this morning
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  for me and for you.
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  The first one is that we would increase
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  our love and our wonder
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  for God and His Word,
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  the Scripture.
• 3:33
  and also to
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  bring maybe a proper ending
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  to the Gospel of Mark
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  that we've been in for a long time now
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  and to increase our love
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  and wonder for the Savior.
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  So, with that in mind,
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  I really hope that
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  you treasure the Word of God.
• 3:56
  when I first became a believer,
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  probably around 2001,
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  I couldn't put it down.
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  It was just something
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  I was always wanting to be in,
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  something I always wanted to read
• 4:08
  and have my mind in.
• 4:11
  This was my first copy I had
• 4:14
  that I started reading
• 4:16
  when I first became a believer.
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  It started falling apart
• 4:20
  and good many years ago,
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  my grandmother took it from me
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  and had it rebound
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  and she put
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  Solideo Gloria on the back of it
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  to God alone be the glory.
• 4:30
  This is the new American standard.
• 4:32
  Back in my early days
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  as a believer,
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  I was like a highlighting maniac.
• 4:38
  I highlighted everything
• 4:39
  before the whole book
• 4:41
  was kind of highlighting.
• 4:42
  There was really no point
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  in highlighting.
• 4:45
  And I loved the Word of God.
• 4:47
  I spent many nights
• 4:48
  in the hospital
• 4:51
  kind of battling
• 4:51
  with life and death
• 4:52
  with this Bible.
• 4:53
  And I just put my face
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  in it every night.
• 4:56
  And the promises
• 4:57
  that were in it
• 4:58
  gave me hope.
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  And it speaks to us today.
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  This is not a book
• 5:04
  that is not relevant
• 5:05
  to our lives,
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  but in fact,
• 5:07
  most relevant.
• 5:09
  Those of you
• 5:10
  who have been to my house
• 5:11
  and been in my room
• 5:13
  and seen,
• 5:14
  I have this on my desk,
• 5:16
  but it's something
• 5:16
  that my mother wrote
• 5:18
  to me a long time ago.
• 5:19
  She used to give
• 5:20
  my brother and I
• 5:21
  scripture.
• 5:23
  I mostly got this
• 5:23
  when I was at least
• 5:24
  five or six,
• 5:25
  but it has Joshua 1,
• 5:27
  8 and 9 on it.
• 5:28
  Do not let this book
• 5:30
  of the law
• 5:30
  depart from your mouth
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  and meditate on it
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  day and night
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  so that you may be careful
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  to do everything
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  that is written in it.
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  Then you will be prosperous
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  and succeed
• 5:39
  and will have success.
• 5:42
  Have I not commanded you?
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  Do be strong
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  and courageous.
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  Do not be terrified.
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  Do not be discouraged
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  for the Lord your God
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  will be with you
• 5:49
  wherever you go.
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  And I'm just telling you
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  that this is such
• 5:54
  a precious gift
• 5:55
  and so few people
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  have any idea
• 5:58
  about how we actually
• 5:59
  got this in front of us.
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  It didn't just shoot
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  out of a factory
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  and just come before you.
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  It has been a process.
• 6:08
  The stuff that we just
• 6:09
  sang about
• 6:09
  are you listened to
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  more or less.
• 6:12
  Ancient Words
• 6:12
  is such an awesome song
• 6:14
  of how we got the Scripture.
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  So,
• 6:18
  that's kind of the goals
• 6:19
  for this morning.
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  And so,
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  hold that in your hand.
• 6:23
  Hold the Word of God
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  in your hand
• 6:24
  and participate
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  in a little activity
• 6:27
  but just hold the Word
• 6:28
  in your hand.
• 6:29
  If you have it on your phone,
• 6:30
  you can't participate
• 6:31
  in this activity.
• 6:34
  Just kidding.
• 6:35
  But,
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  just to be encouraged
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  by an older brother
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  in the faith.
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  So,
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  when I first became
• 6:45
  a believer,
• 6:46
  I was introduced
• 6:48
  to the writings
• 6:50
  of a man
• 6:51
  who had a huge impact
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  on my life.
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  He's dead now
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  but he still speaks.
• 6:58
  And,
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  those of you
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  who love John Piper,
• 7:01
  this is where
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  John Piper gets
• 7:02
  a lot of his stuff
• 7:03
  from.
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  But,
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  Jonathan Edwards
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  is one of my heroes.
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  And if you guys,
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  particularly college students
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  who are really into
• 7:10
  wanting to read
• 7:12
  some stuff
• 7:12
  that's really scripturally
• 7:13
  in-depth
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  and cause you
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  to want to live for God
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  and die for God,
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  get into Jonathan Edwards.
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  Edwards
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  was a Puritan pastor
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  in colonial America.
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  He went to Yale
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  when he was 13.
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  And he graduated
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  at the top of his class
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  when he was 17.
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  He knew Greek,
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  Latin,
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  and Hebrew.
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  He pastored a church
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  in Connecticut.
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  And,
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  in 1758,
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  he became
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  the president
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  of Princeton.
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  So,
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  pretty smart guy.
• 7:51
  Encyclopedia
• 7:51
  Britannica,
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  which is not
• 7:54
  a Christian source,
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  I remind you.
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  It voted
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  Jonathan Edwards
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  the most brilliant mind
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  America has ever produced.
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  So,
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  all these things
• 8:03
  are,
• 8:04
  these stats
• 8:04
  are impressive.
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  But,
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  those of you
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  who really want
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  to know Edwards
• 8:08
  will see more
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  of his heart
• 8:09
  rather than
• 8:10
  just
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  these stats.
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  See,
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  this man
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  loves
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  and adored
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  the Savior.
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  So much so
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  that even after
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  he experienced
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  some rejection
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  from his church,
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  he went to be
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  a missionary
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  to the Indians
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  in colonial America.
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  And,
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  he loved the Savior.
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  And,
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  the things
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  around his mind
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  that you hear him
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  say the most
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  are the glory
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  of God.
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  How can I live
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  for the glory
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  of God?
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  So,
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  as you hold the Bible
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  in your hands
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  this morning,
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  just listen to something
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  he says
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  about the Scripture.
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  He says,
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  you all have
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  by you,
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  this,
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  a treasure
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  of divine knowledge
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  and that you
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  have your Bible
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  in your hands.
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  Therefore,
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  do not be
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  contented
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  with just
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  possessing a little
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  bit of this
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  treasure.
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  God has spoken
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  much to you
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  in Scripture.
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  Labor
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  to understand
• 9:04
  as much
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  of what he
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  has said
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  as you can.
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  God has made
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  you all
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  reasonable
• 9:10
  creatures.
• 9:12
  Therefore,
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  let not
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  the noble
• 9:14
  faculty of
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  reason
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  or understanding
• 9:17
  lie
• 9:17
  neglected.
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  Content
• 9:19
  not yourselves
• 9:20
  with divine
• 9:21
  truth
• 9:21
  you accidentally
• 9:23
  gained in
• 9:24
  conversation,
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  but
• 9:26
  let it be
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  very much
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  your business
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  to search
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  for it
• 9:30
  and that
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  with the
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  same
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  diligence
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  and labor
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  with which
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  men ought
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  to dig
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  in the
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  mines
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  for silver
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  or gold.
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  This is
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  such a
• 9:38
  precious
• 9:39
  gift
• 9:39
  and we
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  need to
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  have our
• 9:41
  minds
• 9:41
  and our
• 9:42
  hearts
• 9:42
  in it
• 9:42
  on a
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  daily
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  basis
• 9:44
  and to
• 9:45
  labor
• 9:45
  for it
• 9:46
  the way
• 9:46
  that men
• 9:47
  labor for
• 9:47
  silver
• 9:48
  and gold
• 9:48
  to have
• 9:49
  divine
• 9:50
  truth.
• 9:51
  As a joke,
• 9:52
  some of you
• 9:53
  in the earlier
• 9:53
  days don't
• 9:53
  remember,
• 9:54
  I like
• 9:55
  Jonathan
• 9:55
  Ewers so
• 9:55
  much that
• 9:56
  a friend
• 9:56
  of mine
• 9:56
  in Ireland
• 9:57
  bought me
• 9:57
  this.
• 9:59
  Jonathan
• 9:59
  Ewers is
• 9:59
  my own
• 10:00
  boy.
• 10:01
  It's a
• 10:01
  little too
• 10:01
  small for
• 10:02
  me right
• 10:03
  now,
• 10:03
  so this
• 10:04
  is the
• 10:04
  only thing
• 10:04
  I can
• 10:05
  use it
• 10:05
  for.
• 10:05
  Something
• 10:06
  like
• 10:06
  this.
• 10:08
  So to
• 10:10
  keep in
• 10:11
  mind,
• 10:11
  we're going
• 10:11
  to talk
• 10:11
  about just
• 10:12
  the Word
• 10:12
  of God
• 10:13
  this morning
• 10:14
  and then
• 10:14
  at the
• 10:14
  end kind
• 10:15
  of bring
• 10:15
  it back
• 10:15
  into the
• 10:16
  Gospel of
• 10:17
  Mark.
• 10:17
  But we
• 10:18
  need to
• 10:18
  understand
• 10:19
  that because
• 10:21
  of our
• 10:21
  sin and
• 10:23
  because of
• 10:23
  our rebellion
• 10:24
  against such
• 10:25
  a wonderful
• 10:26
  Creator,
• 10:27
  we don't
• 10:28
  deserve
• 10:29
  anything.
• 10:30
  God could
• 10:31
  have just
• 10:31
  chosen to
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  keep us
• 10:32
  in the
• 10:33
  dark,
• 10:33
  keep us
• 10:34
  in silence,
• 10:36
  dealing with
• 10:37
  the consequences
• 10:38
  of our sin,
• 10:38
  left in
• 10:39
  eternal
• 10:39
  darkness,
• 10:41
  left us to
• 10:41
  our sin
• 10:42
  indefinitely.
• 10:44
  He could
• 10:44
  have.
• 10:46
  Y'all
• 10:46
  understand
• 10:47
  that when
• 10:47
  the angels
• 10:48
  rebelled
• 10:48
  against God,
• 10:49
  God did
• 10:49
  not save
• 10:50
  one of
• 10:50
  them,
• 10:51
  not one,
• 10:52
  to the
• 10:52
  fact that
• 10:52
  He even
• 10:53
  tries or
• 10:55
  is going
• 10:56
  to work
• 10:56
  in the
• 10:56
  hearts of
• 10:57
  man,
• 10:58
  such a
• 10:59
  grace.
• 11:00
  So God
• 11:00
  could have
• 11:01
  left us
• 11:01
  in silence
• 11:02
  and in
• 11:02
  the darkness,
• 11:03
  but yet
• 11:03
  He spoke.
• 11:05
  He chose
• 11:06
  to speak
• 11:06
  to us,
• 11:08
  foretelling
• 11:08
  of a Savior
• 11:09
  to save
• 11:09
  us,
• 11:10
  to bring
• 11:11
  redemption.
• 11:12
  And so we
• 11:13
  have to see
• 11:13
  this book
• 11:14
  as a
• 11:14
  precious gift
• 11:15
  of grace.
• 11:16
  It really
• 11:17
  is.
• 11:17
  And it
• 11:18
  hasn't come
• 11:18
  to us
• 11:18
  really in
• 11:20
  an easy
• 11:20
  way.
• 11:22
  Martyrs,
• 11:22
  people who
• 11:23
  have shed
• 11:24
  blood to
• 11:25
  bring the
• 11:25
  word to
• 11:26
  us.
• 11:27
  Scripture
• 11:27
  is such a
• 11:28
  gift.
• 11:28
  So many
• 11:29
  people in
• 11:29
  the world
• 11:29
  don't have
• 11:30
  it,
• 11:30
  as some
• 11:30
  of you
• 11:30
  are aware.
• 11:32
  But Scripture
• 11:33
  is what we
• 11:34
  call a specific
• 11:34
  revelation.
• 11:36
  Nature is
• 11:37
  general revelation.
• 11:38
  It's enough
• 11:39
  to tell us
• 11:40
  that there
• 11:40
  is a God,
• 11:40
  that He
• 11:41
  is powerful,
• 11:42
  that He
• 11:42
  should be
• 11:42
  adored.
• 11:44
  That's why
• 11:45
  you can go
• 11:45
  to many
• 11:46
  places in
• 11:46
  the world
• 11:46
  and they
• 11:47
  know that
• 11:47
  there's a
• 11:47
  God,
• 11:48
  they know
• 11:48
  that there
• 11:49
  is a
• 11:49
  Creator.
• 11:50
  I always
• 11:51
  use the
• 11:51
  Native
• 11:52
  Americans
• 11:52
  as an
• 11:52
  example.
• 11:53
  I really
• 11:54
  love the
• 11:54
  Cherokee
• 11:54
  a lot.
• 11:55
  I go up
• 11:56
  there a
• 11:56
  good bit
• 11:57
  and they
• 11:58
  believe
• 11:59
  that there
• 12:00
  is an
• 12:00
  ancient
• 12:01
  Creator
• 12:01
  who made
• 12:02
  all things.
• 12:03
  He needs
• 12:03
  to be loved
• 12:03
  and revered.
• 12:05
  Out west,
• 12:06
  the Apaches,
• 12:08
  some of you
• 12:08
  have heard of
• 12:08
  the Apaches
• 12:09
  before,
• 12:10
  Geronimo,
• 12:11
  Cochise,
• 12:11
  all of them.
• 12:12
  They believed
• 12:14
  in Yosin
• 12:14
  who is the
• 12:15
  one God
• 12:15
  and the
• 12:15
  Father of
• 12:16
  all men.
• 12:18
  So that is
• 12:18
  what general
• 12:19
  revelation is,
• 12:20
  but Scripture
• 12:21
  is specific
• 12:22
  because it
• 12:22
  tells us
• 12:23
  who God
• 12:23
  is,
• 12:24
  who we
• 12:25
  are,
• 12:25
  and what
• 12:25
  we have
• 12:26
  to do
• 12:26
  to live
• 12:26
  right before
• 12:27
  Him and
• 12:28
  to be
• 12:28
  saved by
• 12:29
  Him.
• 12:30
  You can't
• 12:30
  get that
• 12:31
  in nature
• 12:31
  alone.
• 12:33
  So this
• 12:34
  is specific
• 12:35
  revelation.
• 12:36
  And before
• 12:37
  we go
• 12:37
  further,
• 12:38
  I know
• 12:39
  there's a lot
• 12:39
  of questions
• 12:40
  that you're
• 12:40
  going to
• 12:40
  have that
• 12:41
  I won't
• 12:41
  be able to
• 12:41
  answer this
• 12:42
  morning.
• 12:42
  I'm already
• 12:43
  worried I'm
• 12:43
  going to go
• 12:44
  over time,
• 12:44
  so if I
• 12:45
  start,
• 12:45
  Daniel Swanson
• 12:46
  Esquire is
• 12:47
  going to let
• 12:47
  me know if I'm
• 12:48
  going over time
• 12:48
  this morning.
• 12:51
  But just,
• 12:52
  I'm always about
• 12:53
  resources,
• 12:54
  but one book
• 12:55
  you can look at
• 12:56
  is called
• 12:56
  Nothing But
• 12:57
  the Truth,
• 12:58
  The Inspiration,
• 13:00
  The Authority,
• 13:00
  and The History
• 13:01
  of the Bible
• 13:01
  by Brian Edwards,
• 13:03
  Nothing But
• 13:04
  the Truth.
• 13:05
  So,
• 13:07
  this is called
• 13:08
  the Word of
• 13:08
  God,
• 13:09
  and it's not
• 13:10
  called that
• 13:11
  for no reason.
• 13:13
  God Himself
• 13:13
  defines truth,
• 13:14
  has inspired
• 13:15
  truth in this
• 13:16
  Word,
• 13:17
  and He's
• 13:18
  revealed it to
• 13:18
  us,
• 13:19
  though we were
• 13:20
  lost and
• 13:21
  separated from
• 13:22
  Him.
• 13:23
  Holy Scripture
• 13:24
  is a witness
• 13:25
  to us about
• 13:28
  who God
• 13:28
  is,
• 13:30
  the true
• 13:30
  knowledge of
• 13:31
  God and how
• 13:31
  He relates
• 13:32
  to us.
• 13:33
  So,
• 13:33
  unlike any
• 13:33
  other book,
• 13:34
  it claims to
• 13:35
  be the Word
• 13:35
  of God.
• 13:36
  In the Old
• 13:37
  Testament alone,
• 13:38
  that phrase is
• 13:39
  used 2,000 times
• 13:40
  alone.
• 13:42
  In the New
• 13:43
  Testament,
• 13:43
  the term Word
• 13:44
  of God is
• 13:44
  used 40 times.
• 13:46
  So,
• 13:46
  it is an
• 13:47
  actual book
• 13:47
  that calls
• 13:48
  itself the
• 13:49
  Word of
• 13:50
  God,
• 13:51
  over and
• 13:52
  over.
• 13:53
  So,
• 13:54
  I'm pretty
• 13:55
  sure you
• 13:55
  only have
• 13:56
  like two
• 13:56
  or three
• 13:56
  places to
• 13:57
  look this
• 13:57
  morning,
• 13:58
  but look
• 13:58
  at 2 Timothy
• 14:00
  chapter 3,
• 14:02
  verse 16.
• 14:09
  Paul writing
• 14:10
  to his
• 14:10
  young
• 14:11
  apprentice
• 14:11
  Timothy.
• 14:14
  So,
• 14:15
  those of you
• 14:16
  who are
• 14:16
  around here
• 14:16
  are no
• 14:17
  strangers to
• 14:18
  this verse,
• 14:20
  but I'm
• 14:21
  begging you
• 14:21
  to refuse
• 14:23
  for it to be
• 14:24
  familiar to
• 14:25
  you.
• 14:28
  Don't allow
• 14:29
  it to be
• 14:30
  familiar.
• 14:30
  When you
• 14:30
  really put
• 14:31
  your mind
• 14:32
  on what
• 14:32
  this says,
• 14:33
  it will
• 14:33
  just spin
• 14:35
  your world
• 14:35
  around.
• 14:37
  So,
• 14:38
  chapter 3,
• 14:39
  verse 16,
• 14:41
  says,
• 14:41
  all scripture
• 14:42
  is breathed
• 14:44
  out by
• 14:44
  God and
• 14:45
  is profitable
• 14:46
  for teaching,
• 14:47
  for reproof,
• 14:48
  for correction,
• 14:49
  for training
• 14:50
  in righteousness,
• 14:51
  that the man
• 14:52
  of God may
• 14:53
  be complete,
• 14:54
  equipped for
• 14:54
  every good
• 14:55
  work.
• 14:58
  So,
• 14:58
  amazing words.
• 15:00
  All of
• 15:00
  scripture is
• 15:02
  there,
• 15:03
  again,
• 15:03
  for us to
• 15:04
  know God,
• 15:04
  to be saved
• 15:05
  by Him,
• 15:06
  to live
• 15:06
  rightly before
• 15:07
  Him.
• 15:07
  And if you
• 15:08
  see here,
• 15:08
  it is all
• 15:09
  valuable,
• 15:10
  it is profitable,
• 15:11
  and it is
• 15:11
  useful.
• 15:11
  There are
• 15:11
  not parts
• 15:12
  of it that
• 15:13
  don't have
• 15:14
  some meaning
• 15:15
  for us
• 15:15
  today.
• 15:16
  It all is
• 15:17
  relevant and
• 15:17
  speaks just as
• 15:18
  loud today.
• 15:20
  But the
• 15:20
  phrase I want
• 15:21
  you to really
• 15:21
  look at is
• 15:23
  right at the
• 15:23
  beginning.
• 15:24
  It says,
• 15:24
  scripture is
• 15:25
  breathed out
• 15:25
  by God.
• 15:29
  And in
• 15:29
  this text,
• 15:30
  Paul uses
• 15:31
  a word that
• 15:33
  is not used
• 15:34
  in any other
• 15:34
  ancient Greek
• 15:35
  text.
• 15:35
  and it's
• 15:37
  not used
• 15:38
  in any
• 15:38
  other Bible
• 15:39
  Greek text.
• 15:40
  So,
• 15:41
  it's almost
• 15:41
  saying like
• 15:42
  he put this
• 15:42
  word together
• 15:43
  to really
• 15:44
  emphasize
• 15:45
  a point.
• 15:48
  This is the
• 15:48
  word
• 15:49
  theopneustos,
• 15:51
  God,
• 15:51
  theopneustos,
• 15:53
  which is where
• 15:53
  we get our
• 15:54
  word pneumatic
• 15:54
  or pneumonia
• 15:55
  from,
• 15:56
  this idea of
• 15:57
  breathing out.
• 15:59
  That's what it
• 15:59
  means.
• 15:59
  It means that
• 16:00
  God literally
• 16:00
  breathed out
• 16:01
  that God
• 16:01
  spoke to us
• 16:04
  in the dark.
• 16:05
  of sin.
• 16:07
  It expresses
• 16:08
  the divine
• 16:08
  origin,
• 16:09
  inspiration,
• 16:11
  authority of
• 16:12
  scripture.
• 16:13
  So,
• 16:14
  it's a huge,
• 16:15
  huge word
• 16:16
  that he put
• 16:16
  together to
• 16:17
  emphasize a
• 16:18
  point that
• 16:18
  scripture has
• 16:19
  a divine
• 16:19
  origin.
• 16:21
  All of it
• 16:22
  is beneficial
• 16:23
  for our
• 16:24
  souls and
• 16:25
  to help us
• 16:26
  to know
• 16:27
  God.
• 16:28
  Very
• 16:28
  similarly,
• 16:30
  flip over
• 16:31
  to 2 Peter.
• 16:32
  We're doing
• 16:33
  all eternity
• 16:33
  now and you
• 16:34
  can just
• 16:34
  listen the
• 16:35
  rest of
• 16:35
  the time.
• 16:35
  But,
• 16:36
  2 Peter
• 16:37
  chapter 1,
• 16:39
  2 Peter
• 16:44
  chapter 1,
• 16:46
  verse 19.
• 16:52
  Alright,
• 16:53
  Peter just
• 16:54
  described the
• 16:54
  transfiguration
• 16:55
  and how they
• 16:57
  were with
• 16:58
  Christ on the
• 16:58
  mountain.
• 16:59
  verse 19.
• 17:02
  He says,
• 17:03
  And we
• 17:03
  have the
• 17:05
  prophetic word
• 17:06
  more fully
• 17:07
  confirmed,
• 17:08
  to which you
• 17:09
  would do
• 17:10
  well to pay
• 17:11
  attention,
• 17:12
  as a lamp
• 17:12
  shining in a
• 17:13
  dark place,
• 17:15
  until the day
• 17:15
  dawns and the
• 17:16
  morning star
• 17:17
  rises in your
• 17:18
  hearts.
• 17:19
  Knowing this,
• 17:20
  first of all,
• 17:21
  that no
• 17:21
  scripture,
• 17:22
  no prophecy
• 17:23
  of scripture
• 17:23
  comes from
• 17:24
  one's own
• 17:25
  interpretation.
• 17:25
  For no
• 17:26
  prophecy was
• 17:27
  ever produced
• 17:28
  by the
• 17:28
  will of
• 17:29
  man.
• 17:29
  You see
• 17:29
  that?
• 17:30
  Like,
• 17:30
  man did
• 17:31
  not do
• 17:31
  this,
• 17:32
  but man
• 17:33
  spoke from
• 17:33
  God as
• 17:34
  they were
• 17:34
  carried along
• 17:35
  by the
• 17:36
  Holy Spirit.
• 17:38
  Look at
• 17:39
  verse 19.
• 17:41
  It gives
• 17:42
  us the idea
• 17:42
  that paints a
• 17:45
  picture of the
• 17:45
  darkness of a
• 17:46
  fallen world
• 17:47
  and sin,
• 17:48
  right?
• 17:49
  And that the
• 17:50
  word of God
• 17:51
  is the lamp
• 17:51
  that shines
• 17:53
  light into the
• 17:54
  darkness.
• 17:55
  Into the
• 17:56
  dark places.
• 17:57
  God spoke.
• 17:59
  Alright?
• 18:00
  And then it
• 18:00
  says,
• 18:00
  as the day
• 18:01
  dawns,
• 18:01
  until the day
• 18:02
  dawns,
• 18:03
  and the
• 18:03
  morning star
• 18:04
  rises.
• 18:04
  So God's
• 18:05
  word is like
• 18:05
  bringing about
• 18:06
  a new creation,
• 18:08
  a new heaven
• 18:08
  and a new
• 18:09
  earth,
• 18:09
  and it is a
• 18:10
  process.
• 18:10
  It is here
• 18:11
  now and it
• 18:12
  is now coming.
• 18:14
  It will be
• 18:14
  fully here one
• 18:15
  day when Christ
• 18:16
  returns.
• 18:17
  But then he
• 18:18
  goes on and he
• 18:19
  says that this
• 18:19
  has not come
• 18:20
  from man.
• 18:21
  This is something
• 18:22
  that God has
• 18:23
  done.
• 18:24
  So where we get
• 18:25
  our term,
• 18:26
  the idea of
• 18:27
  inspiration of
• 18:28
  scripture.
• 18:30
  Now, when
• 18:31
  man wrote God's
• 18:32
  word, it
• 18:33
  wasn't like he
• 18:33
  just sort of
• 18:34
  possessed them
• 18:35
  and they became
• 18:36
  just a machine
• 18:36
  and they started
• 18:37
  writing stuff.
• 18:38
  And they were
• 18:38
  like out of
• 18:39
  their minds.
• 18:40
  God used
• 18:41
  them.
• 18:42
  This phrase
• 18:43
  here where it
• 18:43
  says carried
• 18:44
  along by the
• 18:45
  spirit.
• 18:46
  It's this idea
• 18:47
  of a leaf or
• 18:50
  something else
• 18:50
  like that that
• 18:51
  could be in a
• 18:52
  river that's being
• 18:52
  carried along by
• 18:53
  this flow of
• 18:56
  the river.
• 18:57
  And God is
• 18:58
  involving them in
• 18:59
  the process of
• 18:59
  writing his word.
• 19:00
  He used their
• 19:01
  experiences, their
• 19:02
  own vocabulary.
• 19:04
  He used their
• 19:04
  backgrounds.
• 19:06
  Everything unique.
• 19:08
  But God involved
• 19:09
  them in the process
• 19:10
  so that all the
• 19:11
  Bible writers could
• 19:13
  say, like David
• 19:14
  said in 2 Samuel
• 19:16
  23, David said,
• 19:17
  the spirit of the
• 19:18
  Lord speaks by
• 19:19
  me.
• 19:20
  His word is on
• 19:22
  my tongue.
• 19:23
  The God of
• 19:24
  Israel has spoken.
• 19:26
  The rock of
• 19:26
  Israel has said
• 19:27
  to me.
• 19:28
  Right?
• 19:29
  So God worked
• 19:30
  in the hearts of
• 19:31
  men and the
• 19:31
  souls of men and
• 19:32
  they spoke and
• 19:34
  wrote the words
• 19:35
  of God.
• 19:37
  And it's amazing
• 19:39
  because I hope
• 19:40
  you realize that
• 19:41
  your very life
• 19:42
  right now,
• 19:44
  very life,
• 19:44
  like the
• 19:45
  heartbeat you have,
• 19:46
  the air in your
• 19:46
  lungs, is being
• 19:47
  sustained by the
• 19:49
  word of God.
• 19:50
  When Jesus says,
• 19:53
  man shall not
• 19:53
  live by bread
• 19:54
  alone, but on
• 19:56
  every word that
• 19:57
  proceeds out of
• 19:58
  the mouth of
• 19:58
  God, it's like an
• 19:59
  active tense of
• 20:00
  God speaking.
• 20:02
  All right?
• 20:02
  So literally, in
• 20:03
  him we live and
• 20:04
  move and have our
• 20:05
  being.
• 20:06
  And in him is our
• 20:07
  life, breath, and
• 20:08
  everything.
• 20:10
  He sustains us by
• 20:11
  his word.
• 20:12
  By his word.
• 20:14
  So the Bible
• 20:15
  really has no
• 20:17
  equal.
• 20:18
  There's no other
• 20:18
  text in ancient or
• 20:20
  modern literature at
• 20:21
  all that compares to
• 20:24
  the Scripture.
• 20:25
  It's not written by
• 20:26
  one man in a short
• 20:28
  period of time who
• 20:29
  claims that he heard
• 20:30
  from God, like the
• 20:32
  Koran, for instance.
• 20:34
  But rather, the
• 20:35
  Bible was written
• 20:36
  over the course of
• 20:37
  1,500 years,
• 20:38
  roughly.
• 20:39
  It has 66 different
• 20:41
  documents that span
• 20:42
  that 1,500 years,
• 20:44
  and at least 40
• 20:46
  different authors
• 20:46
  that contributed to
• 20:48
  this.
• 20:49
  And what's crazy is
• 20:50
  like you have that
• 20:50
  large span of time,
• 20:52
  all these different
• 20:52
  men telling you the
• 20:54
  same story, that
• 20:55
  there is a creator,
• 20:57
  that we have rebelled
• 20:58
  against him, that
• 20:58
  there is sin, that
• 20:59
  there is a Messiah
• 21:00
  coming.
• 21:01
  That's crazy.
• 21:02
  That's just simply
• 21:03
  astounding.
• 21:05
  And including in
• 21:06
  that, the Bible is
• 21:08
  composed of many
• 21:09
  different types of
• 21:10
  literature, law, poetry,
• 21:12
  history, everything in
• 21:14
  there, prophecy.
• 21:15
  It's all there.
• 21:17
  So, such a variety
• 21:19
  just in the Bible
• 21:20
  itself, literature.
• 21:22
  And when we talk
• 21:22
  about this idea
• 21:25
  that no matter the
• 21:27
  1,500 years that
• 21:28
  God has done this,
• 21:29
  the Bible is
• 21:30
  astoundingly
• 21:31
  consistent in its
• 21:32
  themes, its message,
• 21:34
  and its truthfulness.
• 21:36
  Right?
• 21:36
  That's what we refer
• 21:37
  to by, you've heard
• 21:38
  the term inerrancy.
• 21:39
  We could talk about
• 21:40
  inerrancy a long
• 21:41
  time, but it really
• 21:42
  just means that the
• 21:43
  original Bible
• 21:44
  manuscripts, okay,
• 21:46
  the original Bible
• 21:47
  manuscripts do not
• 21:49
  affirm anything
• 21:49
  contrary to fact or
• 21:51
  truth.
• 21:52
  Right?
• 21:52
  That it was literally
• 21:53
  from God and that
• 21:55
  they wrote it down.
• 21:56
  So, the harmony of
• 21:58
  the Bible is, it
• 21:59
  kind of, it blows
• 22:01
  us away.
• 22:01
  It is so consistent.
• 22:04
  And those of you
• 22:04
  who looked and really
• 22:05
  read, like, you
• 22:07
  learn that the Bible
• 22:07
  is also a very real
• 22:08
  book.
• 22:09
  It shows the
• 22:10
  ugliness of sin,
• 22:11
  how there's no hero
• 22:13
  in the Bible that
• 22:14
  doesn't have some
• 22:14
  serious screw-up.
• 22:16
  Abraham sold his
• 22:17
  wife out, at least
• 22:19
  twice, and was a
• 22:21
  coward and ran.
• 22:23
  David committed
• 22:24
  adultery, murder,
• 22:25
  and scandal.
• 22:26
  The Bible is a very
• 22:27
  real book.
• 22:28
  Very real book.
• 22:30
  And it exposes how
• 22:33
  needy we are, okay?
• 22:36
  It's unlike fantasy at
• 22:37
  all.
• 22:38
  One writer said,
• 22:40
  Behold, the works of
• 22:41
  all our philosophers
• 22:42
  with all their pompous
• 22:44
  dictum, how mean and
• 22:46
  contemptible they are in
• 22:47
  comparison with the
• 22:48
  scriptures.
• 22:50
  It is possible that a
• 22:52
  book at once so simple
• 22:54
  and sublime should never
• 22:56
  be merely the work of
• 22:57
  man.
• 22:59
  Another writer, he
• 23:01
  says, the Bible is not
• 23:02
  such a book a man would
• 23:03
  write if he could, or
• 23:05
  could write if he
• 23:06
  would.
• 23:08
  It's just not
• 23:09
  possible.
• 23:11
  And so today, we
• 23:12
  could talk about the
• 23:14
  Old and New Testament,
• 23:15
  but just because we're
• 23:16
  in Mark, we're going to
• 23:17
  focus on the New
• 23:18
  Testament particularly.
• 23:21
  So we're just going to
• 23:22
  look at three questions.
• 23:24
  So, the first one won't
• 23:30
  take as long to answer,
• 23:32
  but what are the origins
• 23:33
  of the New Testament
• 23:34
  manuscripts?
• 23:36
  Where do we get the New
• 23:37
  Testament?
• 23:39
  Well, for the originals,
• 23:42
  God's own word was
• 23:43
  written by men who were
• 23:44
  chosen and prepared by the
• 23:46
  Spirit of God to do
• 23:48
  this.
• 23:49
  The original copies of
• 23:50
  the Old Testament were
• 23:51
  written in the first
• 23:51
  century, A.D., the same
• 23:53
  time as Christ lived and
• 23:55
  walked the earth, days of
• 23:57
  the early, early church.
• 23:59
  And it's not reflecting
• 24:01
  back on events that
• 24:02
  happened hundreds and
• 24:04
  thousands of years ago.
• 24:05
  It's reflecting on
• 24:06
  recent events that
• 24:08
  happened.
• 24:09
  So, those of you who
• 24:11
  study history know that
• 24:12
  the longer the time
• 24:13
  gaps, the more danger
• 24:14
  you would have being
• 24:15
  inconsistent.
• 24:17
  And God shows his joy
• 24:19
  and his wisdom by
• 24:21
  choosing a large variety
• 24:22
  of different types of
• 24:23
  men to write.
• 24:24
  Rabbis, tax collectors,
• 24:26
  fishermen, doctors,
• 24:28
  scholars, all contributed
• 24:30
  to the New Testament.
• 24:32
  God loves variety, and so
• 24:34
  he elected these men.
• 24:37
  So, we're blessed to have
• 24:39
  this New Testament.
• 24:42
  And God chose also to pick
• 24:43
  one of the most descriptive
• 24:44
  and precise of all languages
• 24:47
  that's ever been around.
• 24:49
  Koine Greek, most of the New
• 24:50
  Testament written in Koine Greek,
• 24:52
  a very precise language,
• 24:54
  that God would choose that
• 24:55
  language to write the
• 24:56
  Scripture.
• 24:57
  Pretty awesome.
• 24:58
  So, that's a very simple
• 25:00
  answer to that one.
• 25:01
  What are the origins?
• 25:02
  So, these men in the first
• 25:03
  century wrote the New
• 25:06
  Testament.
• 25:07
  Okay?
• 25:09
  So, a little bit longer here.
• 25:11
  Number two, how do we get
• 25:14
  our current New Testament?
• 25:15
  Like, how do we get this?
• 25:17
  Alright?
• 25:19
  Because, there are no original
• 25:23
  manuscripts left.
• 25:25
  Alright?
• 25:26
  We have no original copies of
• 25:28
  any of the New Testament.
• 25:30
  But don't be alarmed by that.
• 25:31
  We're going to get into that.
• 25:32
  So, there's two reasons mainly
• 25:34
  why we don't.
• 25:36
  The first one is the materials
• 25:37
  that they use to write,
• 25:39
  papyrus or papyri,
• 25:41
  not the most durable material.
• 25:44
  It would crack and crumble
• 25:46
  pretty easily.
• 25:48
  And most ancient writings
• 25:50
  are written in that.
• 25:52
  There's no originals that exist.
• 25:54
  Any kind of physical mistreatment
• 25:56
  or bad weather can destroy
• 25:58
  papyri.
• 25:59
  And secondly,
• 26:02
  in the second and third
• 26:04
  centuries particularly,
• 26:06
  there was immense
• 26:07
  persecution.
• 26:09
  And not just
• 26:11
  on the believers themselves,
• 26:13
  but on the Scripture.
• 26:14
  Particularly under Domitian,
• 26:16
  Trajan, Marcus Aurelius.
• 26:17
  They really tried to
• 26:19
  annihilate the Scriptures.
• 26:20
  Like, find all that we can
• 26:22
  and burn them.
• 26:23
  Just destroy them.
• 26:25
  So, there was an immense
• 26:26
  persecution
• 26:26
  in those early centuries.
• 26:29
  They felt like it was
• 26:30
  their responsibility
• 26:31
  to stamp out
• 26:32
  Christianity
• 26:33
  and the Scriptures.
• 26:35
  So,
• 26:36
  are we lost
• 26:38
  because we don't have
• 26:39
  any of the originals?
• 26:41
  The answer is no,
• 26:42
  we are not.
• 26:44
  And why?
• 26:44
  Because we have
• 26:45
  copies
• 26:46
  upon copies
• 26:48
  upon copies
• 26:49
  of the originals.
• 26:51
  Alright?
• 26:52
  If you went to
• 26:53
  some of the college
• 26:54
  you guys have heard
• 26:55
  some of this stuff before,
• 26:56
  but
• 26:56
  I can just get over it
• 26:57
  and hear it again.
• 26:58
  If you went to
• 27:00
  Washington, D.C.
• 27:02
  And,
• 27:02
  I love colonial history
• 27:05
  in America,
• 27:06
  but if you went to
• 27:06
  Washington, D.C.
• 27:08
  and you saw the,
• 27:09
  you can go and see it,
• 27:10
  the Declaration of Independence.
• 27:12
  Right there.
• 27:13
  I've seen it.
• 27:14
  With these very eyes.
• 27:15
  I've seen the
• 27:16
  Declaration of Independence.
• 27:16
  Yeah.
• 27:21
  You can go and see it.
• 27:22
  So,
• 27:23
  let's just say
• 27:23
  that there was
• 27:25
  a massive fire
• 27:26
  that occurred
• 27:27
  and
• 27:28
  something happened
• 27:29
  and the Declaration
• 27:30
  of Independence
• 27:30
  was completely
• 27:32
  obliterated.
• 27:35
  So,
• 27:35
  would we
• 27:36
  at one time
• 27:37
  say,
• 27:38
  wow,
• 27:39
  I guess we just
• 27:40
  don't know
• 27:40
  what the Declaration
• 27:41
  of Independence
• 27:41
  says anymore.
• 27:43
  And,
• 27:43
  and why is that
• 27:44
  so,
• 27:44
  you know,
• 27:45
  absurd?
• 27:46
  And,
• 27:46
  the reason is
• 27:46
  we have
• 27:47
  copies of copies
• 27:48
  of copies
• 27:49
  of the Declaration
• 27:50
  of Independence.
• 27:51
  Tons of them.
• 27:53
  So many
• 27:54
  that if there was
• 27:54
  a small difference
• 27:55
  we could tell
• 27:56
  because of the other
• 27:56
  99.99% of them
• 27:59
  say this
• 27:59
  and not that.
• 28:01
  So,
• 28:02
  God
• 28:02
  is the sovereign
• 28:04
  preserver
• 28:04
  of Scripture.
• 28:06
  Y'all do,
• 28:06
  y'all do know
• 28:07
  that like he says,
• 28:08
  like when I have
• 28:08
  a purpose
• 28:09
  that cannot be thwarted.
• 28:11
  I've declared
• 28:11
  the beginning
• 28:12
  from the end.
• 28:13
  I work all things
• 28:14
  according to the
• 28:15
  counsel of my will.
• 28:17
  No man can stop me
• 28:18
  or say,
• 28:19
  what have you done?
• 28:20
  This is God.
• 28:22
  So,
• 28:22
  even though
• 28:23
  Satan
• 28:24
  and the world
• 28:25
  have sought
• 28:26
  to destroy
• 28:26
  the Word of God
• 28:28
  by persecution,
• 28:31
  listen to this,
• 28:31
  there are roughly
• 28:32
  5,366 copies
• 28:35
  made of the original
• 28:36
  New Testament
• 28:38
  manuscript.
• 28:40
  Alright?
• 28:42
  So,
• 28:42
  just as God
• 28:43
  is the author
• 28:43
  of Scripture,
• 28:44
  he also is
• 28:44
  the preserver
• 28:45
  of Scripture
• 28:45
  to pass down
• 28:47
  to us
• 28:47
  his Word.
• 28:50
  Alright?
• 28:50
  He moved
• 28:51
  on the preservers
• 28:52
  to make sure
• 28:53
  the Scripture
• 28:53
  stayed true
• 28:54
  and pure
• 28:55
  throughout history.
• 28:57
  Some of the
• 28:58
  early church fathers,
• 29:00
  when you get
• 29:00
  into the 4th century,
• 29:02
  particularly,
• 29:04
  the emperor
• 29:05
  Constantine
• 29:05
  made Christianity
• 29:07
  kind of like
• 29:08
  the state religion.
• 29:09
  Maybe it wasn't
• 29:10
  even the best thing
• 29:11
  that could have
• 29:11
  happened,
• 29:11
  actually,
• 29:12
  but probably
• 29:14
  not,
• 29:14
  definitely not
• 29:15
  a Christian.
• 29:17
  But,
• 29:17
  he made it
• 29:18
  legal
• 29:19
  to follow Christ
• 29:20
  and
• 29:21
  when that happened,
• 29:23
  copies of the Scripture
• 29:24
  began to pop up
• 29:25
  everywhere.
• 29:25
  There was a huge
• 29:26
  kind of resurgence.
• 29:28
  And around
• 29:28
  325,
• 29:29
  the Council of Nicaea,
• 29:31
  there was two
• 29:32
  manuscripts,
• 29:32
  particularly,
• 29:33
  of the New Testament.
• 29:35
  Alright?
• 29:35
  The first one
• 29:35
  is called
• 29:36
  Synecetus
• 29:38
  and it's actually
• 29:38
  in a British
• 29:39
  museum today
• 29:39
  and it's about
• 29:41
  350 A.D.
• 29:43
  and it's the
• 29:43
  entire New Testament.
• 29:45
  Entire New Testament.
• 29:47
  The second
• 29:48
  is called
• 29:49
  Vaticanus
• 29:49
  and it's actually
• 29:50
  at the Vatican
• 29:50
  in Rome
• 29:51
  325 A.D.
• 29:53
  and it's also
• 29:54
  the whole Bible.
• 29:56
  So,
• 29:56
  these two
• 29:56
  full,
• 29:57
  complete
• 29:58
  New Testaments
• 29:59
  are there
• 30:00
  for us to see
• 30:01
  and very close
• 30:03
  to,
• 30:03
  again,
• 30:04
  the originals.
• 30:05
  So,
• 30:06
  think about this.
• 30:08
  The writings
• 30:08
  of the early
• 30:09
  church fathers,
• 30:11
  alright?
• 30:11
  We're talking
• 30:12
  just in
• 30:13
  the second,
• 30:14
  third,
• 30:14
  fourth centuries.
• 30:16
  They quote
• 30:16
  from the New Testament,
• 30:19
  direct quotations
• 30:19
  from the New Testament
• 30:20
  32,000 times.
• 30:23
  Alright?
• 30:24
  Their writings
• 30:24
  are contained
• 30:25
  in libraries,
• 30:26
  museums,
• 30:26
  you can go
• 30:26
  and see it.
• 30:28
  And there's
• 30:28
  so many
• 30:30
  quotations
• 30:31
  of the New Testament
• 30:31
  that you literally
• 30:33
  can reconstruct
• 30:34
  the entire
• 30:34
  New Testament
• 30:35
  just on their
• 30:36
  quotations.
• 30:38
  Pretty awesome.
• 30:40
  And there's
• 30:40
  over 19,000
• 30:41
  quotations
• 30:42
  from the
• 30:42
  Gospel writings.
• 30:44
  So,
• 30:44
  the early
• 30:45
  church fathers,
• 30:46
  again,
• 30:46
  preserved,
• 30:48
  helped preserve
• 30:48
  the New Testament.
• 30:50
  So,
• 30:51
  in our New Testament,
• 30:52
  you can always
• 30:53
  look at your
• 30:53
  table of contents,
• 30:55
  but what you see
• 30:56
  in front of you,
• 30:58
  I remember
• 30:58
  when I was
• 30:58
  an early
• 31:00
  Christian,
• 31:00
  every Bible study,
• 31:01
  I went to
• 31:01
  turn to
• 31:02
  so-and-so,
• 31:02
  and everybody
• 31:03
  like,
• 31:03
  I'd be like,
• 31:05
  you know,
• 31:07
  didn't know
• 31:07
  where to turn.
• 31:08
  But you look
• 31:09
  at the
• 31:10
  table of contents
• 31:11
  and the New Testament
• 31:11
  that you see
• 31:12
  before you
• 31:12
  was kind of
• 31:14
  decided on.
• 31:16
  There was a
• 31:16
  series of
• 31:16
  church councils
• 31:17
  that met,
• 31:19
  and one
• 31:20
  particularly,
• 31:20
  397 A.D.,
• 31:21
  the Council
• 31:22
  of Carthage,
• 31:23
  they used
• 31:24
  certain criteria
• 31:24
  to decide
• 31:26
  whether or not
• 31:27
  books belonged
• 31:28
  in the Scriptures
• 31:28
  or not.
• 31:30
  So,
• 31:30
  here's these
• 31:31
  three criteria,
• 31:32
  and they're
• 31:32
  very good.
• 31:32
  You couldn't
• 31:33
  come up
• 31:33
  with better
• 31:33
  criteria.
• 31:35
  The first
• 31:35
  one was
• 31:36
  whether or
• 31:37
  not the
• 31:38
  document was
• 31:39
  written by
• 31:40
  an apostle
• 31:40
  or one
• 31:42
  in close
• 31:42
  association
• 31:43
  with an
• 31:43
  apostle.
• 31:44
  So,
• 31:44
  he was one
• 31:45
  or he talked
• 31:46
  to the guy
• 31:46
  who was
• 31:46
  there.
• 31:48
  So,
• 31:48
  not from
• 31:49
  this guy,
• 31:49
  from this guy,
• 31:50
  from that guy.
• 31:51
  Very close
• 31:51
  to the
• 31:53
  knowledge
• 31:53
  itself.
• 31:55
  Secondly,
• 31:56
  whether or
• 31:57
  not the
• 31:57
  document was
• 31:58
  recognized as
• 31:59
  authoritative
• 32:00
  by the early
• 32:01
  church.
• 32:02
  meaning that
• 32:04
  if there was
• 32:04
  some crazy
• 32:05
  writing out
• 32:05
  there,
• 32:06
  that the
• 32:07
  apostles could
• 32:08
  have said,
• 32:08
  like,
• 32:08
  that writing,
• 32:09
  stay away
• 32:10
  from it.
• 32:10
  This guy,
• 32:11
  stay away
• 32:11
  from it.
• 32:12
  And did they
• 32:13
  use those,
• 32:15
  did they
• 32:15
  affirm each
• 32:16
  other?
• 32:17
  Peter and
• 32:17
  Paul actually
• 32:18
  talk about
• 32:18
  each other
• 32:19
  in their
• 32:19
  letters.
• 32:19
  They say,
• 32:20
  what Peter
• 32:20
  says,
• 32:21
  what Paul
• 32:21
  says.
• 32:22
  They affirm
• 32:22
  the truth
• 32:24
  back and
• 32:24
  forth.
• 32:25
  And thirdly,
• 32:28
  a good
• 32:29
  blanket one
• 32:29
  here,
• 32:30
  whether or
• 32:30
  not the
• 32:31
  document
• 32:31
  conformed to
• 32:33
  the high
• 32:34
  standards and
• 32:34
  truths taught
• 32:36
  already by
• 32:37
  recognized
• 32:38
  scripture.
• 32:39
  Is it
• 32:39
  consistent with
• 32:40
  what we know
• 32:41
  is scripture?
• 32:42
  Alright,
• 32:42
  so from what we
• 32:43
  know about the
• 32:43
  character of God
• 32:44
  from the Old
• 32:45
  Testament,
• 32:45
  what we know
• 32:45
  about the
• 32:46
  writings of
• 32:47
  John and
• 32:47
  Mark and
• 32:49
  guys who
• 32:49
  were there,
• 32:50
  is it
• 32:50
  consistent?
• 32:51
  Does it
• 32:51
  tell the same
• 32:52
  story?
• 32:53
  right?
• 32:55
  So those are
• 32:56
  great criteria,
• 32:57
  and that's
• 32:57
  how you get
• 32:58
  your New
• 32:58
  Testament.
• 33:00
  And so
• 33:01
  just for
• 33:03
  fun,
• 33:04
  this is
• 33:04
  definitely,
• 33:05
  this is just
• 33:05
  where I nerd
• 33:06
  out,
• 33:06
  so sorry,
• 33:07
  it's just,
• 33:08
  I'm a history
• 33:08
  guy,
• 33:08
  and this is
• 33:09
  kind of where
• 33:09
  I nerd out.
• 33:10
  But the
• 33:12
  New Testament
• 33:12
  manuscripts
• 33:13
  compared to
• 33:15
  other ancient
• 33:15
  writings from
• 33:16
  the ancient
• 33:16
  world,
• 33:18
  there's nothing
• 33:19
  that compares
• 33:19
  to them.
• 33:20
  There really
• 33:21
  isn't.
• 33:22
  Both in
• 33:22
  their uniformity
• 33:23
  and consistency,
• 33:25
  all right?
• 33:25
  So you
• 33:26
  should just
• 33:26
  know that
• 33:26
  we have no
• 33:27
  copies of
• 33:29
  any original
• 33:29
  ancient writing,
• 33:30
  none whatsoever.
• 33:32
  So let's
• 33:33
  just take a
• 33:33
  well-known
• 33:34
  one,
• 33:34
  Homer's
• 33:35
  Iliad,
• 33:37
  what was
• 33:38
  written in
• 33:38
  the archaic
• 33:39
  period of
• 33:39
  Greece,
• 33:40
  800 B.C.
• 33:41
  is when he
• 33:42
  was supposedly
• 33:43
  penned the
• 33:44
  Iliad,
• 33:45
  all right?
• 33:47
  So,
• 33:47
  but the
• 33:48
  earliest copy
• 33:49
  we have of
• 33:49
  the Iliad
• 33:50
  is from
• 33:50
  400 B.C.
• 33:52
  So there's
• 33:52
  a 400-year
• 33:53
  time gap
• 33:54
  between when
• 33:55
  he wrote
• 33:55
  his original
• 33:56
  and the
• 33:57
  ones we
• 33:58
  actually have
• 33:58
  today.
• 34:00
  And then
• 34:00
  there's only
• 34:00
  643 copies
• 34:02
  of it,
• 34:04
  all right?
• 34:05
  Herodotus,
• 34:06
  who wrote
• 34:06
  about the
• 34:06
  Persian Wars,
• 34:07
  you know,
• 34:07
  Leonidas,
• 34:08
  Thermopylae,
• 34:09
  all of that,
• 34:10
  Marathon,
• 34:12
  he wrote in
• 34:12
  480 B.C.
• 34:15
  And the
• 34:16
  earliest copy
• 34:16
  we have of
• 34:17
  Herodotus is
• 34:17
  in 900 A.D.,
• 34:19
  the
• 34:20
  1300-year
• 34:21
  gap,
• 34:22
  and there's
• 34:23
  only eight
• 34:23
  copies.
• 34:25
  Plato,
• 34:26
  from the
• 34:27
  classical
• 34:27
  Greek period,
• 34:28
  400 B.C.
• 34:29
  is when he
• 34:29
  supposedly wrote
• 34:30
  his stuff.
• 34:32
  The earliest
• 34:32
  copy we have
• 34:33
  is 900 A.D.,
• 34:34
  again,
• 34:35
  a 1300-year
• 34:36
  gap,
• 34:37
  and there's
• 34:37
  only seven
• 34:38
  copies of
• 34:38
  Plato.
• 34:40
  And so,
• 34:41
  compare that
• 34:41
  to the New
• 34:42
  Testament.
• 34:43
  The largest
• 34:44
  time gap,
• 34:45
  it was written
• 34:46
  around 50 to
• 34:47
  100 A.D.,
• 34:48
  the New
• 34:48
  Testament,
• 34:49
  and we
• 34:51
  have anywhere
• 34:52
  from 50 to
• 34:52
  100 years
• 34:53
  in the time
• 34:53
  gaps.
• 34:54
  It's not
• 34:55
  hundreds,
• 34:55
  not thousands.
• 34:57
  The New
• 34:57
  Testament has
• 34:57
  the shortest
• 34:58
  time gaps
• 34:59
  between the
• 35:00
  originals and
• 35:01
  the ones we
• 35:01
  have today,
• 35:03
  so you're
• 35:03
  looking at
• 35:04
  a huge
• 35:05
  difference
• 35:05
  there,
• 35:06
  and there's
• 35:07
  5,366
• 35:09
  copies of
• 35:10
  it,
• 35:11
  which dwarf
• 35:12
  all the
• 35:12
  others put
• 35:12
  together.
• 35:14
  643 copies
• 35:15
  of the
• 35:16
  Ilias,
• 35:16
  nothing
• 35:16
  compared to
• 35:17
  5,366
• 35:19
  copies of
• 35:19
  the New
• 35:19
  Testament.
• 35:21
  So,
• 35:21
  think about
• 35:22
  that.
• 35:23
  So,
• 35:23
  these Greek
• 35:23
  manuscripts
• 35:24
  that we
• 35:24
  have today
• 35:25
  are from
• 35:26
  the 2nd
• 35:26
  and 3rd
• 35:27
  century.
• 35:27
  Christ
• 35:28
  walked the
• 35:28
  earth in
• 35:29
  the 1st
• 35:29
  century.
• 35:30
  That is a
• 35:30
  tiny,
• 35:31
  tiny time
• 35:32
  gap.
• 35:33
  So,
• 35:34
  we have
• 35:35
  large fragments
• 35:36
  of the
• 35:36
  Gospel of
• 35:37
  John that
• 35:37
  were found
• 35:38
  from 100
• 35:39
  A.D.
• 35:40
  in Christ,
• 35:41
  oh,
• 35:41
  excuse me,
• 35:41
  John wrote
• 35:42
  that in
• 35:42
  the 90s,
• 35:43
  and that's
• 35:43
  the earliest
• 35:44
  copy we
• 35:44
  have,
• 35:44
  it's like
• 35:45
  from 100
• 35:45
  A.D.
• 35:46
  very close
• 35:47
  to the
• 35:47
  originals.
• 35:48
  So,
• 35:49
  if that's
• 35:49
  an argument,
• 35:50
  then it's
• 35:50
  a really
• 35:51
  terrible one
• 35:52
  because you
• 35:52
  have to
• 35:52
  throw away
• 35:53
  all the
• 35:53
  stuff from
• 35:54
  ancient history
• 35:55
  along with
• 35:56
  it.
• 35:57
  Very poor
• 35:58
  argument.
• 35:59
  So,
• 36:00
  praise God
• 36:00
  for his
• 36:01
  preservations.
• 36:02
  So,
• 36:03
  with such,
• 36:03
  here's a
• 36:04
  question that
• 36:05
  may come
• 36:05
  up.
• 36:06
  You may
• 36:06
  ask,
• 36:07
  with such
• 36:07
  a large
• 36:08
  wealth of
• 36:08
  copies,
• 36:09
  are there
• 36:10
  any errors
• 36:10
  or discrepancies
• 36:11
  at all
• 36:11
  in the
• 36:12
  copies?
• 36:12
  And the
• 36:14
  answer is
• 36:15
  yes,
• 36:15
  but they
• 36:15
  are very
• 36:16
  small and
• 36:17
  insignificant.
• 36:19
  Scribes may
• 36:20
  have put in
• 36:20
  a wrong
• 36:21
  word,
• 36:22
  a wrong
• 36:22
  spelling,
• 36:23
  and they
• 36:23
  might have
• 36:24
  tried to
• 36:25
  clarify what
• 36:26
  a writer
• 36:26
  was saying,
• 36:28
  but even
• 36:29
  those minor
• 36:29
  discrepancies
• 36:30
  don't threaten
• 36:31
  anything really.
• 36:33
  And the
• 36:33
  reason why is
• 36:33
  because we
• 36:34
  have so
• 36:34
  many
• 36:35
  manuscripts.
• 36:35
  again,
• 36:37
  if you
• 36:37
  have,
• 36:37
  I mean,
• 36:38
  this is an
• 36:38
  example,
• 36:38
  if you
• 36:39
  have,
• 36:40
  let's
• 36:41
  say,
• 36:42
  you know,
• 36:43
  99
• 36:43
  manuscripts
• 36:44
  that say
• 36:45
  all the
• 36:46
  same
• 36:46
  thing,
• 36:47
  and you
• 36:47
  have one
• 36:48
  that has
• 36:48
  a tiny
• 36:49
  little
• 36:49
  discrepancy,
• 36:50
  what are
• 36:51
  you going
• 36:51
  to do?
• 36:52
  Like,
• 36:52
  what do
• 36:52
  you do?
• 36:53
  By logic,
• 36:54
  like,
• 36:54
  you take
• 36:54
  what the
• 36:55
  99 says
• 36:56
  and you
• 36:56
  correct that
• 36:56
  one.
• 36:57
  It's
• 36:57
  very simple,
• 36:59
  it's not
• 36:59
  rocket science
• 37:00
  at all,
• 37:01
  it's just
• 37:02
  how it is.
• 37:03
  There are
• 37:03
  so many
• 37:04
  copies of
• 37:04
  it.
• 37:05
  In our
• 37:06
  English
• 37:06
  translation,
• 37:07
  this is a
• 37:07
  whole other
• 37:08
  deal,
• 37:09
  how we
• 37:09
  got our
• 37:09
  English
• 37:10
  Bibles,
• 37:10
  but the
• 37:11
  translations
• 37:11
  that you
• 37:12
  have in
• 37:12
  your hand,
• 37:14
  if it's
• 37:14
  one of the
• 37:15
  literal
• 37:15
  equivalent
• 37:16
  translations,
• 37:18
  English
• 37:18
  Standard
• 37:18
  Version,
• 37:20
  New
• 37:20
  American
• 37:20
  Standard
• 37:20
  Version,
• 37:22
  King
• 37:22
  James,
• 37:23
  just a few
• 37:24
  of the
• 37:24
  literal
• 37:24
  translations,
• 37:25
  you're
• 37:25
  holding a
• 37:26
  very accurate
• 37:26
  translation in
• 37:28
  your hand.
• 37:30
  English
• 37:30
  language is a
• 37:31
  very rich
• 37:31
  language,
• 37:32
  and can give
• 37:33
  us very
• 37:33
  close to what
• 37:34
  the original
• 37:34
  writers meant,
• 37:35
  in a lot
• 37:35
  of ways.
• 37:37
  That's why
• 37:37
  you can look
• 37:38
  up the
• 37:38
  Greek,
• 37:38
  and you'll
• 37:38
  be like,
• 37:39
  what's the
• 37:39
  Greek say?
• 37:39
  It says
• 37:40
  exactly what
• 37:40
  the English
• 37:40
  says a lot
• 37:42
  of the time.
• 37:44
  But if you
• 37:45
  hold certain
• 37:46
  translations in
• 37:47
  your hands,
• 37:48
  you may have a
• 37:48
  paraphrase or
• 37:49
  something like
• 37:50
  that.
• 37:51
  It's called a
• 37:52
  paraphrase for a
• 37:53
  reason.
• 37:54
  It's not as
• 37:55
  close to the
• 37:55
  original as you
• 37:56
  can get,
• 37:56
  so I really
• 37:56
  encourage you to
• 37:57
  get an ESV or
• 37:59
  a New American
• 37:59
  Standard.
• 38:01
  There's a whole
• 38:02
  other, all
• 38:03
  kind of stuff I
• 38:04
  can say on
• 38:04
  that.
• 38:04
  But one
• 38:05
  scholar says,
• 38:06
  named A.T.
• 38:07
  Robertson,
• 38:09
  the vast array
• 38:10
  of manuscripts
• 38:11
  has enabled
• 38:13
  textual scholars
• 38:14
  to accurately
• 38:15
  reconstruct the
• 38:16
  original text
• 38:17
  more than
• 38:17
  99.9%
• 38:20
  accuracy.
• 38:21
  Pretty crazy.
• 38:23
  So we have
• 38:24
  a great gift
• 38:25
  in front of us,
• 38:26
  and it's come
• 38:27
  by way of
• 38:27
  that.
• 38:28
  So, third
• 38:30
  question, what
• 38:32
  should we do
• 38:32
  with this
• 38:32
  postscript and
• 38:33
  mark?
• 38:34
  What do we do
• 38:36
  when there is
• 38:37
  something like
• 38:37
  this in
• 38:38
  Scripture?
• 38:40
  So, just
• 38:42
  personally,
• 38:43
  after I've
• 38:43
  studied this,
• 38:44
  I don't think
• 38:45
  it belongs
• 38:46
  there.
• 38:46
  I don't think
• 38:47
  that it's a
• 38:48
  part of the
• 38:48
  original
• 38:48
  manuscript of
• 38:50
  Mark.
• 38:52
  And there's
• 38:52
  three reasons
• 38:53
  why.
• 38:53
  Firstly,
• 38:56
  it is not
• 38:57
  in the
• 38:58
  earliest
• 38:58
  manuscripts
• 38:59
  we have
• 38:59
  of Mark.
• 39:01
  The oldest
• 39:02
  one is from
• 39:02
  100 A.D.,
• 39:04
  and it's
• 39:05
  excluded from
• 39:06
  that one.
• 39:07
  And then the
• 39:08
  two most
• 39:08
  important ones
• 39:09
  we have that
• 39:09
  I mentioned
• 39:10
  earlier,
• 39:11
  the ones you
• 39:11
  can see at
• 39:11
  the Vatican
• 39:12
  and at the
• 39:12
  British Museum,
• 39:14
  they also
• 39:14
  end at
• 39:15
  verse 8.
• 39:17
  They don't
• 39:18
  continue.
• 39:20
  And then,
• 39:21
  secondly,
• 39:22
  the early
• 39:24
  church fathers,
• 39:26
  they wrote
• 39:27
  all the
• 39:28
  Greek manuscripts
• 39:28
  down to the
• 39:29
  New Testament,
• 39:30
  and most
• 39:31
  all of them
• 39:32
  end at
• 39:32
  verse 8,
• 39:33
  again.
• 39:34
  So it's not
• 39:34
  really recognized
• 39:35
  by a lot of
• 39:36
  the early
• 39:36
  church fathers
• 39:37
  that it was
• 39:37
  there.
• 39:38
  And
• 39:38
  Ysidobos
• 39:39
  wrote,
• 39:40
  the Greek
• 39:41
  manuscripts
• 39:41
  do not
• 39:42
  include these
• 39:42
  endings,
• 39:44
  and they are
• 39:44
  not a part
• 39:45
  of the
• 39:45
  originals.
• 39:46
  That's in
• 39:46
  the 4th
• 39:47
  century when
• 39:47
  he wrote
• 39:47
  that.
• 39:49
  And then,
• 39:50
  thirdly,
• 39:51
  it's kind
• 39:51
  of disjointed
• 39:52
  it from
• 39:52
  the other
• 39:53
  gospel accounts.
• 39:55
  It kind
• 39:55
  of just
• 39:55
  seems like
• 39:56
  it was
• 39:56
  just thrown
• 39:57
  in there
• 39:57
  at the
• 39:58
  very end
• 39:58
  of the
• 39:59
  gospel of
• 39:59
  Mark.
• 40:00
  So this
• 40:00
  doesn't
• 40:01
  really flow
• 40:01
  that well
• 40:02
  really from
• 40:03
  a literary
• 40:04
  standpoint.
• 40:06
  So,
• 40:06
  understand,
• 40:08
  those are the
• 40:08
  three main
• 40:09
  reasons that
• 40:09
  most people
• 40:10
  don't think
• 40:10
  they belong
• 40:11
  there.
• 40:12
  But,
• 40:12
  here's why
• 40:13
  we include
• 40:14
  them,
• 40:15
  okay?
• 40:16
  First of
• 40:16
  all,
• 40:17
  just honesty,
• 40:19
  alright?
• 40:19
  The vast
• 40:21
  majority of
• 40:21
  scholars,
• 40:22
  though they
• 40:22
  don't believe
• 40:23
  it belongs
• 40:23
  there,
• 40:24
  they're just
• 40:25
  trying to
• 40:25
  say,
• 40:26
  look,
• 40:26
  this is
• 40:26
  out here,
• 40:27
  we're not
• 40:28
  trying to
• 40:28
  hide it
• 40:28
  from you,
• 40:29
  here it
• 40:30
  is,
• 40:30
  this is
• 40:31
  what we
• 40:31
  think about
• 40:31
  it.
• 40:33
  So I think
• 40:33
  that's actually
• 40:34
  pretty cool.
• 40:35
  They're just
• 40:35
  kind of wanting
• 40:36
  to keep
• 40:36
  stuff out in
• 40:36
  the open
• 40:37
  and say,
• 40:38
  here it is.
• 40:39
  And they
• 40:40
  also encourage
• 40:41
  you to read
• 40:41
  it with
• 40:42
  caution.
• 40:43
  You know,
• 40:44
  on the way
• 40:45
  here,
• 40:45
  I was just
• 40:46
  joking with
• 40:46
  Daniel,
• 40:47
  he asked,
• 40:48
  are we going
• 40:48
  to have
• 40:48
  some snakes
• 40:49
  busted out
• 40:50
  at the end
• 40:50
  and some
• 40:50
  other things?
• 40:51
  And I said
• 40:52
  no,
• 40:52
  and he
• 40:53
  wanted me
• 40:53
  to take
• 40:53
  them home
• 40:53
  because we
• 40:54
  weren't
• 40:54
  going to
• 40:54
  have
• 40:54
  snakes.
• 40:56
  So,
• 40:57
  like,
• 40:58
  some weird
• 40:58
  stuff can
• 40:59
  be drawn
• 40:59
  out of
• 40:59
  these
• 41:00
  verses,
• 41:01
  for sure.
• 41:03
  But,
• 41:04
  here's the
• 41:05
  other reason
• 41:05
  why we
• 41:05
  include it,
• 41:06
  number two,
• 41:08
  is there's
• 41:08
  no serious
• 41:09
  doctrine
• 41:10
  compromised,
• 41:12
  okay?
• 41:13
  So,
• 41:13
  in other
• 41:14
  words,
• 41:15
  regardless of
• 41:16
  whether this
• 41:16
  postscript is
• 41:17
  authentic or
• 41:17
  not,
• 41:19
  it doesn't
• 41:20
  contradict any
• 41:21
  kind of
• 41:21
  Christian doctrine
• 41:22
  that we
• 41:22
  believe.
• 41:22
  Nothing is
• 41:23
  threatened by
• 41:24
  it being
• 41:24
  there or
• 41:25
  not being
• 41:25
  there.
• 41:26
  All right?
• 41:26
  That's really
• 41:27
  just kind of
• 41:27
  the point.
• 41:29
  So,
• 41:29
  just the
• 41:31
  text absence
• 41:31
  or presence
• 41:32
  doesn't threaten
• 41:33
  anything we
• 41:34
  believe,
• 41:34
  necessarily.
• 41:36
  And one
• 41:37
  textual scholar
• 41:39
  named Christopher
• 41:41
  Ash wrote
• 41:41
  this,
• 41:42
  says,
• 41:42
  since we
• 41:43
  do not
• 41:43
  have access
• 41:44
  to any
• 41:44
  of the
• 41:44
  original
• 41:45
  manuscripts,
• 41:46
  this means
• 41:47
  that scholarly
• 41:48
  work of
• 41:49
  textual
• 41:49
  criticism
• 41:50
  is necessary.
• 41:52
  Textual
• 41:52
  criticism is
• 41:53
  the discipline
• 41:54
  of examining
• 41:54
  manuscripts
• 41:55
  we don't
• 41:57
  have while
• 41:58
  working back
• 41:59
  from those
• 41:59
  that we do
• 42:01
  have from
• 42:01
  the originals.
• 42:02
  It is an
• 42:03
  honorable skill
• 42:04
  and one that
• 42:05
  has been well
• 42:05
  honed over the
• 42:06
  years.
• 42:07
  And this is what
• 42:08
  he says here,
• 42:08
  thank God we
• 42:09
  have excellent
• 42:10
  and strong
• 42:11
  manuscript evidence
• 42:12
  that it is not
• 42:13
  difficult to
• 42:15
  become very
• 42:15
  confident indeed
• 42:16
  about the
• 42:17
  large majority
• 42:19
  of the Bible's
• 42:19
  words.
• 42:21
  No Christian
• 42:21
  doctrine depends
• 42:22
  on those
• 42:24
  parts where
• 42:25
  there are
• 42:25
  small
• 42:27
  uncertainties.
• 42:28
  So,
• 42:28
  meaning that,
• 42:29
  like,
• 42:29
  we don't base
• 42:30
  our whole belief
• 42:30
  system on a
• 42:31
  tiny little deal,
• 42:32
  I guess,
• 42:32
  based on what
• 42:33
  the whole thing
• 42:34
  says.
• 42:35
  And that's
• 42:36
  very clear.
• 42:37
  So,
• 42:38
  that's why
• 42:38
  we keep it
• 42:38
  in there,
• 42:39
  those two
• 42:39
  reasons.
• 42:40
  Honesty and
• 42:41
  then no
• 42:41
  doctrinal compromise,
• 42:43
  really.
• 42:45
  So,
• 42:45
  just look
• 42:47
  back at
• 42:48
  Mark,
• 42:49
  Mark 16,
• 42:51
  and how
• 42:52
  should we
• 42:54
  end the
• 42:54
  Gospel of
• 42:55
  Mark,
• 42:56
  what we've
• 42:56
  been in for
• 42:57
  quite a while
• 42:57
  now.
• 43:01
  Alright.
• 43:03
  If you just
• 43:03
  look at it,
• 43:04
  there's,
• 43:05
  it's very,
• 43:06
  very clear
• 43:07
  that you
• 43:10
  can find
• 43:11
  most of
• 43:12
  all this
• 43:12
  just in
• 43:12
  other
• 43:12
  Gospel
• 43:13
  accounts.
• 43:14
  Okay?
• 43:15
  For
• 43:15
  example,
• 43:17
  verse 12
• 43:17
  is taken
• 43:19
  from Luke
• 43:19
  24,
• 43:20
  the road
• 43:21
  to Emmaus.
• 43:22
  Very clear.
• 43:23
  He appeared
• 43:24
  to them on
• 43:24
  the road,
• 43:24
  two of them
• 43:25
  while walking.
• 43:26
  And then
• 43:27
  verse 12,
• 43:30
  or excuse me,
• 43:30
  verse 15
• 43:31
  is really the
• 43:32
  Great Commission
• 43:32
  right out
• 43:34
  of Matthew
• 43:34
  28.
• 43:36
  Like I
• 43:36
  said,
• 43:36
  verse 17
• 43:37
  and 18
• 43:37
  are definitely
• 43:38
  just a little
• 43:39
  odd.
• 43:40
  If we
• 43:40
  lean on that
• 43:42
  too much,
• 43:42
  we're going
• 43:43
  to be
• 43:43
  breaking the
• 43:44
  commandment
• 43:45
  by putting
• 43:45
  God to
• 43:45
  the test.
• 43:46
  the early
• 43:49
  apostles did
• 43:49
  have the
• 43:50
  power to
• 43:50
  do some
• 43:51
  of these
• 43:51
  things.
• 43:52
  If
• 43:53
  Pentecost,
• 43:53
  this kind
• 43:54
  of stuff
• 43:54
  happened.
• 43:55
  But at the
• 43:56
  same time,
• 43:56
  just realize
• 43:57
  that we can
• 43:58
  reconstruct this
• 43:59
  entire section
• 44:00
  just based on
• 44:01
  what other
• 44:01
  Gospel accounts
• 44:02
  say.
• 44:03
  So again,
• 44:04
  not really
• 44:04
  too big of a
• 44:06
  problem.
• 44:07
  But just at
• 44:08
  some point,
• 44:09
  at some point,
• 44:11
  some of these
• 44:11
  guys who were
• 44:12
  writing down Mark
• 44:12
  felt like there
• 44:14
  should be a better
• 44:14
  ending to the
• 44:15
  Gospel of
• 44:16
  Mark.
• 44:17
  And so they
• 44:17
  probably added
• 44:19
  this in,
• 44:20
  more than
• 44:20
  likely.
• 44:22
  But when you
• 44:25
  think about it,
• 44:26
  look at
• 44:26
  verse 8.
• 44:28
  That's what I
• 44:28
  just kind of
• 44:28
  want to focus
• 44:29
  on, which is
• 44:30
  where Mark
• 44:31
  probably ended
• 44:32
  his Gospel.
• 44:33
  Okay?
• 44:37
  It says,
• 44:38
  And they went
• 44:39
  out and fled
• 44:40
  from the tomb,
• 44:41
  for trembling
• 44:42
  and astonishment
• 44:43
  had seized
• 44:44
  them.
• 44:45
  And they
• 44:45
  said nothing
• 44:46
  to anyone,
• 44:47
  for they were
• 44:48
  afraid.
• 44:50
  Alright?
• 44:51
  So, that's
• 44:52
  where Mark
• 44:53
  probably ended
• 44:53
  his Gospel.
• 44:54
  But is that
• 44:55
  a bad ending?
• 44:56
  And I really
• 44:57
  don't believe
• 44:58
  so at all.
• 44:59
  The resurrection
• 45:00
  is shocking.
• 45:02
  If you were
• 45:03
  there, I don't
• 45:03
  know what you
• 45:04
  would have
• 45:04
  done.
• 45:05
  You probably
• 45:05
  would have
• 45:05
  done the
• 45:06
  same.
• 45:07
  That's why
• 45:07
  the angels
• 45:08
  and everybody
• 45:09
  else is like,
• 45:10
  fear not,
• 45:10
  don't be alarmed,
• 45:11
  don't be afraid,
• 45:12
  because people
• 45:12
  are literally
• 45:13
  terrified.
• 45:14
  That word
• 45:16
  for afraid
• 45:16
  is like the
• 45:17
  word phobia,
• 45:18
  right?
• 45:19
  It's where we
• 45:19
  get this
• 45:20
  bewildering,
• 45:21
  irrational
• 45:22
  experience.
• 45:23
  We just
• 45:23
  can't explain
• 45:24
  it.
• 45:25
  And they're
• 45:25
  left speechless.
• 45:27
  They're overwhelmed
• 45:27
  and they run.
• 45:28
  They're terrified.
• 45:29
  And so,
• 45:31
  is the resurrection
• 45:32
  to me and
• 45:33
  to you,
• 45:33
  is it
• 45:34
  overwhelming?
• 45:36
  Does it
• 45:36
  astonish us?
• 45:38
  Are we
• 45:39
  amazed that
• 45:40
  Christ is
• 45:42
  risen in
• 45:42
  his love for
• 45:43
  us?
• 45:44
  Right?
• 45:46
  This morning,
• 45:47
  like this morning,
• 45:48
  the saddest
• 45:48
  cases here are
• 45:50
  people who have
• 45:51
  been lovingly
• 45:53
  chosen by the
• 45:53
  Father,
• 45:55
  graciously saved
• 45:55
  by the Son and
• 45:56
  his blood,
• 45:57
  and dwelt by the
• 45:58
  Spirit and have
• 45:59
  lost the wonder
• 46:00
  of that.
• 46:01
  A lot of us
• 46:02
  have.
• 46:04
  It'll show
• 46:05
  probably in the
• 46:05
  next few hours
• 46:06
  about what you
• 46:06
  talk about,
• 46:07
  how quickly it's
• 46:08
  just snuffed out
• 46:09
  after you leave
• 46:10
  here.
• 46:12
  It's sad.
• 46:13
  Our faith has
• 46:14
  become thin,
• 46:16
  drab,
• 46:17
  colorless,
• 46:18
  stale,
• 46:19
  unimaginative.
• 46:20
  we know it
• 46:22
  all,
• 46:22
  we've heard it
• 46:23
  already,
• 46:23
  and we've
• 46:24
  lost the
• 46:24
  wonder of the
• 46:25
  Savior.
• 46:27
  One writer,
• 46:28
  he said,
• 46:28
  sometimes I
• 46:29
  think the
• 46:29
  people to
• 46:30
  feel the
• 46:31
  most satisfied
• 46:31
  for are
• 46:33
  people who
• 46:33
  once knew
• 46:34
  what profoundness
• 46:35
  was,
• 46:36
  but who
• 46:36
  lost or
• 46:37
  become numb
• 46:38
  to the
• 46:38
  sensation of
• 46:39
  wonder.
• 46:41
  We have to
• 46:41
  be bewildered
• 46:42
  at the
• 46:43
  resurrection
• 46:43
  that our
• 46:45
  Savior lives
• 46:46
  today.
• 46:47
  I struggle
• 46:48
  to keep
• 46:49
  Christ in
• 46:50
  the forefront
• 46:50
  of my mind
• 46:51
  on a daily
• 46:52
  basis.
• 46:53
  I struggle
• 46:53
  with all the
• 46:54
  same stuff
• 46:54
  you do.
• 46:55
  Some of you
• 46:55
  students kind
• 46:55
  of put me
• 46:56
  up in a
• 46:57
  higher place,
• 46:57
  and it is
• 46:59
  not that way.
• 47:00
  Those of you
• 47:00
  who know me
• 47:00
  well know
• 47:01
  that's not
• 47:01
  true.
• 47:02
  I have
• 47:02
  fears.
• 47:04
  I have
• 47:04
  sin in my
• 47:05
  life.
• 47:06
  I struggle,
• 47:07
  and I need
• 47:08
  a risen Savior
• 47:08
  to save me.
• 47:11
  But I know
• 47:12
  at the same
• 47:12
  time,
• 47:13
  all that's
• 47:13
  true,
• 47:14
  that when I
• 47:16
  put my
• 47:16
  mind and
• 47:16
  my heart
• 47:17
  on Christ,
• 47:19
  love for
• 47:19
  Him and
• 47:20
  all of
• 47:20
  Him begins
• 47:21
  to take
• 47:23
  me over,
• 47:24
  and His
• 47:25
  fellowship drives
• 47:26
  away any
• 47:26
  darkness that
• 47:27
  I'm presently
• 47:27
  living in,
• 47:29
  and that's
• 47:30
  the power
• 47:30
  of the
• 47:31
  risen Lord.
• 47:32
  And I'm
• 47:33
  ready after
• 47:33
  those moments
• 47:34
  when I know
• 47:35
  that Christ
• 47:35
  is with me,
• 47:36
  I'm ready to
• 47:37
  live for Him
• 47:37
  and die for
• 47:39
  Him in any
• 47:39
  context He
• 47:40
  asked me to,
• 47:41
  to engage
• 47:42
  the lost,
• 47:43
  to make
• 47:43
  disciples for
• 47:44
  His glory.
• 47:44
  the risen
• 47:46
  Lord is
• 47:47
  with us
• 47:47
  today,
• 47:48
  He is
• 47:48
  present with
• 47:49
  us.
• 47:50
  Don't lose
• 47:51
  the wonder
• 47:51
  of that.
• 47:52
  Ask that
• 47:52
  God rekindle
• 47:53
  your wonder
• 47:54
  in your
• 47:54
  all,
• 47:56
  and live
• 47:56
  for Christ.
• 47:58
  Let the
• 47:58
  present reality
• 47:59
  of the living
• 48:00
  King change
• 48:01
  you,
• 48:02
  right?
• 48:03
  So with
• 48:04
  that,
• 48:04
  let's just
• 48:05
  devote ourselves
• 48:05
  to Christ
• 48:06
  this morning
• 48:07
  anew.
• 48:08
  Just close
• 48:09
  with me in
• 48:09
  prayer.
• 48:09
  Amen.
• 48:09
  Amen.
• 48:11
  Amen.