Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24455 - 3 Signs of Empty Religion - Acts 11:1-18

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#24455 - 3 Signs of Empty Religion - Acts 11:1-18 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen, take your Bibles, open
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them to the book of Acts. Would you chapter 11 Acts
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chapter 11? We start a new chapter today in
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our verse by verse study, through the book of Acts.
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And I've entitled our Bible study three signs of empty
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religion, or we could also call it three signs of man-made,
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religion, or we could also tie to it, three signs of Bad
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Religion. And we learn this through the
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life of Peter and the salvation of Cornelius and his family.
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As the gospel now is going to explode on the Gentiles.
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We learn this in some of the resistance, the resistance that
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comes when Peters sharing the great and marvelous work of God,
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um, in Cornelius is home, but it's important that you realize
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there is a lot to learn, as we're following Jesus, even here
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in the first century. Remember in the first century
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that a Jewish mind that the Jewish thinking, even the Jewish
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religious thinking, there were two groups of people on the
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Earth. The Jews, of course, were the
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group number one. These are God's chosen blessed
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people and the other group was everyone else, or commonly known
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as the Gentiles. The Gentiles if you were a
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gentile in the Jewish mind, you were born into a very sad lot in
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life. And instead of being a light to
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the Was the Jews, especially the Jewish religious leaders.
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They failed greatly and viewed the Gentiles as unclean and
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unworthy. And for some they even believed
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and taught that the Gentiles were born, basically to fuel the
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fires of hell, but God intervened, even in man's
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failure. God intervene.
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God interrupted Peters prepared, you know, Peter is sent to
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Cornelius. Melius prepared.
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His family gets saved generational, change takes place
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and it continues on even today at this phase in this place in
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the book of Acts. It's important for us to see
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that. Man is not orchestrating this
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later on man is going to get involved.
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Because, you know, we have a way of messing up what God is doing.
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Can I get an amen on that? Have you seen that?
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Like we have a way of messing things up, trying to organize,
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trying to improve on God. When really we just need to
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continue to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Lord is
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at work on the Earth today. All we need to do is open our
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eyes and Operate with what God is already doing.
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But we have the part of us, the Bible, declares it describes as
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the Flesh and the flush just jumps in and tries to fix
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things. But at this place in the book of
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Acts, you see that man isn't in control even though sometimes we
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think we need to jump in and fix things and help God out a little
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bit. That's not happening here.
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You know, you don't see the church at this early stage doing
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anything to try to control what's happening?
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They're trying to keep up with God, they're trying to keep up
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with what he's doing. Peter needs to be convinced to
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do something new. He's not he's not at that place
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of venturing out. God has convincing him that this
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is his will and you don't read and you never really do in the
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book of Acts at all. It's something that happens now.
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But you don't see the early church.
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Going to growth Church growth seminars, and creating systems
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and programs. No, they're trying to keep up
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with what God is doing by simply living their life.
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Abiding in Christ. The holy spirit is truly
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orchestrating at all. And I believe that that hasn't
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changed that the holy spirit is still orchestrating God's work
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on the Earth today, but it leaves us with a choice.
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Will we follow along and even get into the realm of trying to
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keep up with what God is doing or will.
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We try to orchestrate it all and try to put it all together and
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try to develop something and make?
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Something happen if you've been in our church, for any length of
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time, you know, by now I have no desire to make things happen.
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I choose the previous one, I choose to follow the lord and
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want to see him work beyond our abilities.
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And yet, we still need to fight the flesh, and we need to walk
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in the spirit, not fulfilling the lusts of our flesh, because
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God is a missionary God, and you'll see God working as people
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are getting Saved. Cornelius is salvation is the
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beginning of World missions, will see it happen in Acts 13 as
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the Holy Spirit speaks and World missions.
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Begins with Paul and Barnabas. But really, it starts here with
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Peter Peter, having to be confronted with his own
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Prejudice. His own partiality in a place
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where he needed to be convinced that it was God's heart to reach
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the Gentiles. It has always been God's heart
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to reach the general. Gentiles and a previous study,
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we learned how partiality and Prejudice is directly against
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the character of God, it is taught from early on, in the old
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Covenant. That it's God's heart to reach
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the world and maturity is seen in your life and mine as we find
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ourselves, talking about the things of the Lord, more than
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the things of this world, it is a sign of immaturity, when you
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go through the motions, And become a religious person.
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It happens in that church that church that church and this
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church As we're speaking about the things that we're going to
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learn. Today, I want you to be careful.
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Not to believe, it's only for other churches.
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It's for us. These are things.
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We must guard against, we must guard against empty, religion in
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our own lives. First of all, we need a guard
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against it in our own lives externally with each other.
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That we don't treat church as something to add to our life and
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will become a better moral person and will give a great
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little example to our children, because we'll go to church and
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we'll make sure that that mount of time is dedicated to God.
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And I might even open a Bible and I might even sing a song,
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but when I leave, I'm gonna go do my own thing.
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That's simply unacceptable before God, it is not.
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What God's will is for your life.
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His desire is for a All life changing relationship with him.
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An encounter with the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ who came to
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die for your sins, that his blood was shed for you.
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I mean the purpose of the shedding of the blood of Jesus
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Christ is a so that you would be forever changed.
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Remember what Jesus said? Jesus said that he came to give
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life and what life? More abundantly, it's God's
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desire for you not to live. A place where well, you know, I
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outwardly I look very religious but inwardly, I'm so distant
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from God. That's not God's heart for you.
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It's not his desire. It's a position of immaturity,
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if you find yourself in that place today, and let's just say
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you are born again, then you, you need to grow up.
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It's time to grow up in the lore and get serious.
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About the things of God. By the end of chapter 10, here
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in the book of Acts, Peter has come to a new understanding of
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the mission. Heart Of God.
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That it was. The Gospel will not merely for
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the Jews, but for also the Gentiles Peter learned, a very
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valuable important lesson, God is no respecter of persons.
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He learned that God desires and accepts every man Every Woman,
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every child from every family and every nation, every race,
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every skin color, every language that call upon his name,
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believing in his son, you're accepted in the Beloved.
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He had a very life-changing experience in his life walls of
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prejudice and separation and exclusion fell very rapidly,
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very quickly. He's going to give this
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testimony to a group of people who were Resistant to this fresh
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work, of the Holy Spirit, he's going to share it, we studied it
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last time, but the Traditions that once held him in bondage,
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are now replaced with the love and the grace of Jesus.
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His heart is filled with a missionary love for all people,
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even though this will be an area that God continues to work in
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his life, this will be an area that will pop up from time to
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time where God will need to remind.
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Him of his heart and it's the same true for you.
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And me, there are things that we get victory in but then along
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the way, we need to be reminded of them.
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We need to learn to live in Victory to continue to forsake
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our past and walk in the newness of life.
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So, notice with me in verse 1 of chapter 11, in the book of Acts,
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it says, now the apostles and Brethren who in Judea heard
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that. The Gentiles had also received
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the word of God and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of
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the circumcision. Contended, with him saying, you
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went into uncircumcised men and ate with them, and I just want
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to emphasize exclamation point. We don't get to see the body
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language, or how this was delivered, but I'm pretty sure
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this was not a comfortable conversation.
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Peter, they heard about the work of God in Cornelius house.
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A family was saved. Aha.
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Household was saved, Peter was used.
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And what do they say? Hey, we heard you went to eat
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with uncircumcised people, they contended with him.
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Did you notice that word, the translators of the original
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language here in the Greek? The English translators that we
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have our new King James Bible, they use the word contended,
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because I believe, they want to understand that this was an
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argument, the original word speaks of separation and
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division. So they are perpetuating the
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division Of the Gentiles and the Jews by arguing or contending
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with Peter here. It's almost like, hey, we heard
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about things happen will Cornelius butt.
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Are you serious? You ate with them.
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You went into their house. What were you thinking now?
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Look, Peter here is walking in the footsteps of his Savior,
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Jesus. You remember one of the
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accusations that came against Jesus, don't you?
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They accused him of eating and hanging out with sinners.
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That was one of the things that they held against him and it's
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it's really a foolish. It's really a foolish place
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where they are right now. It's such a dumb thing to say
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and I was thinking of what could be an example of what you might
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experience where or God is doing a great work in your life legit.
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And so I thought you're here and one of the songs that we sang to
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gate today, together, I was actually back in the back here,
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singing the last song, I love that song it.
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Ministers them. I had so much so one of the
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songs ministered to you, maybe even made you cry.
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You got so emotional and you had such an experience before the
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Bible was ever open. God is speaking to your heart,
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through music, through the lyrics of the song, and you just
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want to share with somebody. So you got a friend at another
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church and you get together for coffee this week.
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And you're talking about what you both learned in church and
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then you start sharing. Well, you won't believe you
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won't believe this song. It made me cry.
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Was so emotional minister to my heart and your friends
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responses. Oh really.
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What's the name of the song? And you share his?
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I don't know. I think it's this song.
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Well, when will it well, who wrote it?
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What do you mean? Who wrote it?
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Like, we're talking about God, ministering to my heart, what do
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you, what do you well? Let's look it up, who wrote it,
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and you look it up and he's like, well, so and so this, this
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ministry wrote it, oh, we can't sing songs like that.
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We don't sing those songs and then you're sitting there, like,
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are you serious? Did you not hear?
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What I said, God meant it. I mean, we're reading the
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lyrics, the lyrics are accurate, their biblical and because it
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came from there, you don't say. that song that that's what you'd
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be dealing with right here or, you know, hey this Bible study,
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Pastor was teaching and I was so ministered to the Bible study
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and then the question and had coffee is well what Bible
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version does he use Well, I think it's the new King James.
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Oh you nope? Nope.
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I don't even want to hear what he has to say.
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New King James. We don't use that version and I
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mean it's just silly. It's silly us where they're at
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Peter comes. They heard about Peter hasn't
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even shared yet? They heard about the great work
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that's going on and all they can say is you ate with them?
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And you say, like are you serious?
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Did you not hear? What I said God Is On The Move
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lives are changing. A whole generation is going to
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change and you are worried about who I hung out with and these
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are Believers. By the way, it says right there
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in verse 1, these are Apostles and Brethren.
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Well, Apostles and brother, the word is getting through, Judea
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all the way up into Jerusalem and so when it says those of the
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circumcision these are Jewish believers Who are still what we
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would say today. These are Jewish Believers that
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still have a lot of baggage from their previous experience, a lot
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of baggage and I find today. Lot of Christians carry with
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them, a lot of religious, baggage with them, that God is
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wanting to deliver you from wanting to help you with
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wanting, you not to have such a heavy burden on your Life from
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some of the things that you grew up with are you were taught that
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God wants you to unlearn these things and learn Grace?
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And understand the grace of God. This great and marvelous
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testimony was met with resistance and arguing and may
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it not be so among us. There are always those that love
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to throw a wet blanket on. God, doing something new, and
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fresh, or different, than what they're used to, where you're
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describing your personal experience, and they're only
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seeing it through the filters. What we have a word for it and
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that is legalism. They see it through the filters
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of their own experience. And sometimes that experience is
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a legalistic approach to things and artificial here's a simple
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definition of legalism and artificial set of rules and
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regulations that must be met in order to be considered right
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with God. It's not as simple as Ephesians
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chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 and 10 that we are saved by grace
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through faith. And it's not of Works, lest any
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man should boast But as I shared earlier, we easily.
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Find ourselves falling into the Trap of our own flesh and
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whether you realize it or not. We've all set up a few rules of
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righteousness and Holiness in our life that God has
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continually going after and testing us on and expanding.
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For some of you it's going to be like Peter.
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You need to be hungry and fall asleep, so God can give you a
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vision. So you can set its traits for
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some. It's going to be a Bible study,
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you'll hear something in a Bible study, for the very first time,
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you're flipping through the radio dropping.
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On a station, you didn't even know was full of Bible studies
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and you're hearing my voice right now and God is undoing
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years of what is fashion. Informed you through empty
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religion through man-made Traditions through someone
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teaching you the Commandments of men as if they were the very
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words of God and let me repeat. Even now this is not just for
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those out there, it's for us. That we learn to walk in Grace
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learning to walk in the agape. Love the word religion has in
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its definition, the idea of binding up and let me clarify
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the there isn't only - uses of the word religion.
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We're going to see a negative aspect of it today, but you can
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use the word religion. I mean, when you're trying to
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distinguish your beliefs, as opposed to world religions and
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somebody asked you, what your religion is.
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You can say my I'm a Christian, I'm a Christianity, that's my
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religion, that would be a positive use of this word but
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what were using today is not a positive use of it.
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What we're trying to, I'm trying to Define for you how easily
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man-made Traditions can be then turned into what someone says,
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that's what the Bible teaches, and it's not always what the
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Bible teaches. It's actually what a man teaches
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that's been adopted, and followed and then, read back
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into the scripture. So let me give you a few things.
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Taking notes. Let me give you a few things.
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Three to be exact three signs that we see here in this text of
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empty, religion, or man-made religion, or you could say,
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Traditions number one, number one empty religion, emphasizes
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the outward, over the n-word, the outward.
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Over the N word, there will always be a measuring of how you
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appear. Before what's going on on the
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inside, we see that here in this contention where they're not
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really even concerned about any kind of life change.
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They were only dealing with the outward perception of Peter.
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What are you hanging out with with Gentiles for what?
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Why would you even think of doing that?
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You weren't supposed to be doing that, that looks bad on the
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outside. They're not really even worried
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about the life change. That was happening with
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Cornelius at this point. They're just like you went into
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uncircumcised people. What's your problem?
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What are you thinking? You can't do that.
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But do you know, if you read through the scriptures, Genesis
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Exodus, Leviticus Deuteronomy numbers.
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If you read through the first five books of the Old Testament,
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do you know what? You won't find.
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You won't find any prohibition, eating with uncircumcised
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people. There's no law, no, where in the
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first five books, what would be known as the Torah.
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There's nowhere in the law where that's forbidden.
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It is a man-made tradition and assumption.
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This is something that that Jesus came to correct, and he
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did very often. Let me show you, I want to show
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you a few things. Would you turn over to Matthew
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15 with me? Matthew chapter 15?
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This is something he called the Pharisees and the scribes to
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account on many many times. And here is a perfect example of
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this here in Matthew. Chapter 15 in verse 1.
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Pick up with me, Matthew, 15 and verse 1.
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Then the scribes and the Pharisees who were from
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Jerusalem. Came to Jesus saying why do your
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disciples transgress mark this word, the tradition of the
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elders for, they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
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So, let's pause here for a second because reading is in
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reading this in the 21st century you would like, oh, of course,
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it makes sense. We should wash our hands before
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we eat. It's very hygienic.
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That's not wood. Refer to here.
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This would be a ceremonial outward washing for the
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appearance of being wholly before you eat.
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It was a very elaborate way to wash your hands with a little
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bit of water. So you could in the presence of
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other people. So they could see how holy you
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were before you ate. And it was noticed that the
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apostles, the followers of Jesus, didn't do those
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ceremonies, they just ate. And I noticed the answer of
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Jesus in verse 3, He answered and said to them, why do you
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also transgress the Commandment of God because of your
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tradition? Then he goes deep on them.
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He talks about how they treat their mom and dad, notice what
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he says. God commanded saying, honour,
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your father and mother and he who curses father or mother, let
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him be put to death but you say Whoever says to his father or
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mother, whatever profit you might have received from, he has
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been dedicated to the temple, is released from honoring his
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father or mother, and here's the conclusion.
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Thus, you have made the Commandment of God of no effect
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by your tradition Hypocrites. Now again, you know, this is
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going to be a hard conversation that Jesus has.
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If you have ever had someone, look you in the eye and call you
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a hypocrite, you know how comfortable uncomfortable that
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really is But here are the religious rulers of the day, who
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are so caught up on whether you wash your hands ceremony.
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So you can eat food at the same time, have found a way to create
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a set of teachings that release them from honoring, their mom
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and dad. And they're don't even care
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because that's what empty religion will do.
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They don't care. They don't care, as long as it
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looks good on the outside. It really doesn't matter what
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the inside. Let's go even further.
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Turn over in Matthew. Go to Matthew chapter 23 with
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me. Jesus, the whole chapter 23 is
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about this topic. Outward versus the n word, But
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here you have the significance of all these outward rituals and
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prayers and actions and markings.
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Where now everybody thinks I'm doing good with God, but inside,
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you're not alive. Notice what he says here, pick
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up with me in verse 23. Matthew 23, Jesus says woe to
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you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you, pay the
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tithe of mint and a nice and cumin What if neglected, the
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weightier matters of the law, Justice, and mercy and Faith.
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These you ought to have done without leaving the others
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undone blind guides and this is exactly what's Happening Here.
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Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, what would be the not here
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you ate. Would you wait with the
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uncircumcised to Peter? You strain out a gnat but you
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swallow a camel, you're going to live Yourself in sin and be
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judging everyone else by what they're doing outwardly notice
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what he says. Next verse 25, woe to you
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scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites, for you cleanse, the
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outside of the cup and the dish. But inside they're full of
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extortion. And self-indulgence blind
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Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that
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the outside may also be clean. And That is how God works in.
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You and me he works on the inside first and wants the
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inside is clean. The outside becomes clean But
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many people, bring it at home today.
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Many people in the church love to have the outside clean but
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inside have no connection with God.
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So that when we see you and watch you, we would come to the
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conclusion. Oh, very moral upright, good
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Christian. But inside you're very far from
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God and that's just not God's will for you.
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That's not his desire for you to go through the motions.
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It's really not the Abundant Life or the rivers of Living
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Water. That Jesus promises to eat.
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That's not why you were saved. That's not why Jesus died.
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And his blood was shed for you so that we can just add
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Christianity or whatever. Christianity might mean to you
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to your life. So that for a few minutes, you
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can be here and and pay your respects to God.
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But then the rest of the week do your own thing.
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It's just a waste of a life, you're throwing your life away,
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your life means so much more and can mean so much more to so many
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others Peter, when he meets these legalistic narrow-minded
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people, He's met with resistance.
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You know why? Because there are those who just
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love to throw a wet blanket. Over the work and the excitement
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of God. One of the reasons why is
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there's no excitement in their life.
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The religious person do not living an exciting life in the
25:55
Lord. It's not that Dynamic Faith
25:57
Steps of Faith, Faith, filled life, that God, offers to you,
26:01
and me the unpredictable, you don't know what a they will
26:04
bring, because you don't know what the Lord wants to do.
26:06
You're not sure where he's going to lead you who he's going to
26:08
bring into your life who you're going to be sharing.
26:11
The religious person just so stuck in their ways.
26:15
That they may Wyatt. Try to throw a wet blanket on
26:17
the excitement of your life so that you can be stuck to that's
26:20
a come on over and be stuck with me and you're like no thanks.
26:24
I want to follow the lord. Alright, number two, number two.
26:31
Empty man-made, religion. Or the traditions of men adds to
26:36
the word of God, they add to the word of God.
26:39
So much that what they add actually becomes the word of God
26:43
to them. The traditions of men.
26:46
I'll read this one to, you can jot it down in, Mark, chapter 7
26:49
and verse 6. It says he answered and said to
26:52
them. Well, did Isaiah prophesy of you
26:54
Hypocrites as it is written. This people honors me with their
26:59
lips, but their heart is far from me.
27:02
And in vain, Vain, they worship me teaching as doctrines, the
27:07
Commandments of men for laying aside.
27:10
The Commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the
27:13
washing of pitchers and cups, and many other things you do.
27:19
Again, the Bible never forbids eating with Gentiles as we see
27:23
it never says, Peter couldn't do that.
27:26
There was no quote from a Leviticus or the Torah.
27:29
They just assume these conclusions based on rabbinic
27:32
teachings and conclusions that were given to them that they
27:35
held too. They divided in separated and
27:39
use God's word to show Prejudice and partiality.
27:44
Imagine not using God's word to substantiate sinful Behavior
27:50
exactly what they were doing. When you're under a system of
27:54
religion that adds to the word of God, then people begin to
27:58
believe the dogmas of men over the word of God.
28:02
And if you bring to them you know you just kind of open the
28:05
Bible and go. No.
28:06
This is what the Bible says they'll say.
28:07
But no that's not what so-and-so says and that's not what their
28:11
Systematic Theology says. And that's not how I was raised
28:14
says, and you'll find in churches like this.
28:18
Men are elevated. Men are quoted too.
28:22
Auditions are stressed. A Church's history is
28:26
emphasized. And before you know it it's no
28:30
longer the Simplicity. This what the Bible says, this
28:33
is what the Bible says. That's what we need to come back
28:36
to. We need to come back to what the
28:38
Bible says. Before we even interpret it,
28:40
just read it, just let it say what it says, instead of always
28:45
appealing to will, but know this is what we believe because this
28:48
is what so-and-so said and this is what so-and-so taught.
28:50
And this, I mean the name of the church is named after this
28:53
person like no, we have to get back to Simplicity.
28:56
What did the Bible say? Because that's what we want to
28:59
follow. We want to follow as close as we
29:02
can. What God's word says.
29:06
And this is how I teach the men of this church to lead the
29:10
church and to serve the church. I've summarized it in a
29:13
question, in a when it comes to this particular Point, I've
29:16
tried to summarize it in a sentence for them.
29:18
Anyone that teaches here men or women and I would put it this
29:23
way. We are to teach the Bible and
29:25
occasionally, quote men, we are not to teach men's doctrines and
29:30
occasionally quote, the Bible and I'm telling you can hear the
29:33
difference. You can hear the difference.
29:36
We teach the Bible here and we will quote men because God has
29:40
given the gift of Pastor teacher to men in every generation.
29:44
So their commentaries and different perspectives on the
29:46
Bible that sure we can quote to substantiate a point.
29:50
But we are not to teach men's doctrines and they go.
29:53
Oh, by the way, it's somewhere in the Bible, you know, I know
29:55
what this man said and he said all of this about this one
29:58
verse, but rather were to go through the Bible.
30:00
Verse by verse by verse by verse and let the Holy Spirit.
30:05
Teach us and along the way, we'll say, hey, this guy said
30:08
this and it was really good and this guy said this, and it's
30:10
really good, but this is really what the Bible says.
30:13
It's very important that you listen for that, as the Lord is
30:17
leading you in an expression. You want to watch out for this
30:20
when it comes to adding to the word of God, because if you're
30:23
in a church that operates this way you want to be careful
30:27
because when God is leading you in a new direction or this
30:29
revelation of the church, it's biblical it's wholesome, it's a
30:34
revelation. The church from his word but
30:37
it's change but it's changed often.
30:40
You might hear in response to change or a different point of
30:44
view. You might hear what we've always
30:47
done it this way to which we answer will.
30:50
Maybe it's time to change but we've always done it that way.
30:55
And if you find yourself in a place where you, that's how you
30:57
respond, just understand what you're doing, you're trying to
31:00
cling to something, you're trying to cling to something and
31:04
not let go. Go and you want to be careful.
31:08
I mean you may need to cling to it.
31:09
You a notic need to clean to it, but if there is good biblical.
31:15
Support for the change. Then why would you want to hang
31:18
on to anything? Because you can have it's not
31:21
even either or it could be both. But what if what if it was and
31:26
this testimony is shared with me many many times over the years.
31:30
Whereas, the Bible is taught verse by verse whether it's in
31:33
this church or on the radio and you're hearing the Bible taught
31:36
for the first time. Many people will share with me
31:40
that they are coming to the conclusion that they were taught
31:43
incorrectly. And they are now in the mode of
31:47
unlearning things, that they were taught along the way and I
31:51
know it's a very humbling thing. Is it picks up against your
31:54
pride? Because you're like, wait a
31:56
minute. I mean, I'm this old in my life
31:59
and I have to unlearn things. We all do even Peter.
32:04
Even Peter an apostle is still learning and Done learning like
32:10
even a person. It was hanging out with Jesus.
32:13
For three years is still on the wheel.
32:15
Remember, with Jeremiah, he's on the wheel and ask clay.
32:18
He's being fashion and mold and none of us ever come to the
32:22
place where we've got it all. We've arrived, we're always
32:26
learning and growing you. And I have much to learn
32:31
especially if we've been taught in correctly which leads us to
32:36
the third Point here. The third point is empty
32:41
religion man-made religion Traditions they add they set up
32:48
artificial barriers between you and God.
32:52
They set up artificial barriers between you and God here the
32:56
Gentiles could only go so far. If they wanted to be right with
33:01
God, they had to go through a whole series of decisions and
33:05
things that would necessarily would be Acetate it upon them so
33:10
that they could come to the Lord.
33:12
And now in the New Covenant because the New Covenant has
33:14
started now in the New Covenant, these Jewish Believers were
33:19
holding to the old Covenant and unwilling to change.
33:23
They're setting up barriers religion tends to hinder
33:28
progress instead of help it. For example today, in this
33:33
moment, any True born-again Believer has direct access
33:38
Access to the father. Did you know that that is your
33:41
gift. You do not need a priest or a
33:43
pastor to get to God. You can go there right now
33:46
through the blood of Jesus Christ, you have free complete
33:49
access to enter into the throne room of Grace to find help.
33:53
In time of need, you don't need anybody to help you.
33:56
You don't need to go through anybody.
33:58
You don't need to be ask anybody's permission.
34:00
Any human being that stands in your way.
34:03
Needs to move out of the way so you can have access to the
34:06
father. It's yours.
34:08
It is yours by gift. Is a gift of Grace.
34:10
It's yours. Not because you earned it, or
34:12
deserve it, but because it comes with a package, it comes with
34:18
the package. You remember, when Jesus died on
34:22
the cross that the veil that separated the holy of holies
34:26
from the outside. You remember, what happened?
34:28
It was tour from the top down. To signify you have now complete
34:33
access to come right into the holy of holies.
34:35
Why? Because Jesus is your holy of
34:37
holies. You can come right now.
34:39
And, you know, to try to set up a system.
34:41
Like, for example, if you, if you are heavy hearted today, you
34:45
are heavy laden. The you are carrying the burden
34:48
of sin today. Like you just got sending her
34:50
life, you need to confess. I'm going to tell you right now.
34:53
You do not need to sit in a dark box and confess to a man, you
34:58
can confess to the Lord Jesus Christ right now.
35:00
And if If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
35:04
forgive us of our sins. And to cleanse us from all
35:08
unrighteousness. Where did that come from?
35:12
Some man made it up. It is not from God.
35:16
It is nowhere in the scriptures that you have to confess to a
35:20
man. That's the only way you can be
35:22
forgiven. That's actually no way.
35:24
It's not the only way, it's no way to be forgiven.
35:27
No man has the power to forgive you of your sins.
35:30
None, I don't care what title, they bring upon themselves.
35:33
How many classes they've taken how many degrees are on their
35:36
wall with It doesn't matter that the Holy Spirit works in your
35:42
life from the inside out. Isn't that good is so good?
35:47
He's available to you all the time.
35:50
There's so many things that need to be unlearned.
35:52
I remember, as a new believer myself, it was such a dramatic
35:56
change in. My life is so dramatic.
35:59
And my parents are watching me, you know, I was an adult by the
36:02
time I got saved but they're watching me and they're see me
36:06
go to church more often. Oh and they're seeing me read
36:09
the Bible and their hearing me talk about the Bible.
36:12
And you know what their conclusion was?
36:13
They thought I was in a cult, they go.
36:17
What are you doing? Want mom.
36:18
I'm a I'm a born-again Believer now.
36:20
I'm reading the Bible us which we do well, why are you always
36:23
at church? Because I love to be able
36:25
Believers and I want to learn the Bible.
36:26
I've never looked like I'm doing exactly mom.
36:29
Mom. You know, the Bible that we have
36:31
where you press flowers and put our birth certificates.
36:33
I'm reading that I'm reading not the one that's been under the
36:38
TV, all these years. And they were they were
36:42
cautious. They had you know, we were they
36:44
were raised. My parents were raised in but
36:45
specifically my mom was raised in a very legalistic church that
36:49
they stopped going to ferment. You know after about when I was
36:51
10 or 11 years old and she had a lot of that filter in her life
36:57
and then it took time for her to see all heads.
37:01
You know my son is just not into another thing, he's not just
37:03
there, he's not involved in a cult.
37:05
This is what the Bible says. Many many times I would open up
37:09
the Bible I turn around And for her.
37:11
And that's where I got it from. And I say, see Mom, it's right
37:13
here and just read it. I'm not, you don't even need to
37:16
listen to my pastor. You don't need to listen to me.
37:18
Just read the Bible. It's right here.
37:20
Tell me what you think about this verse and it was through a
37:23
series of those times with my mom that she finally came around
37:27
and understood that God is alive in her son's life and wants to
37:30
be alive in her life too. And that's what's Happening
37:33
Here. There we have to be careful not
37:35
to set up artificial bount barriers and boundaries to try
37:38
to prevent people And then, the only way you can come to God as
37:42
this, this and this, and this, no, no one way we try to
37:46
communicate that to our community.
37:47
Here in the life of our church is that, everyone from Every
37:52
Walk of Life, as welcome in this church, you're listening on the
37:56
radio right now, you are watching online.
37:59
I want you to know, you are, welcome in this church, it
38:02
doesn't matter where you've come from it.
38:04
Doesn't matter what's in your involved in it doesn't matter
38:07
what's happening in your life, how far you think you are?
38:10
Um God you are welcome in this church.
38:14
However, however however, listen, let's be careful here.
38:19
Because not to be confused with what's happening.
38:22
Culturally, here we need to add. You are, welcome in this church
38:27
to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and repent of your sins.
38:32
You're not, welcome to come, and just live in sin.
38:35
And mock God. You're not welcome to come, and
38:38
do your own thing and call it religion, you're not welcome to
38:41
rewrite the Bible and you're not welcome there.
38:45
But, you know, for those that are struggling, those that are
38:48
wrestling, those that are wondering, those that are are
38:51
living with the effects of their sin.
38:53
Those that are crushing the parts of their parents, those
38:56
that are crushing the hearts of their spouse, those that are
38:59
addicted. Those are under the way you're
39:01
welcome. To come to a place where you
39:04
will hear of the life-giving work of God and that he's ready
39:09
to change you from the inside out.
39:11
You're welcome here. It's very important that we
39:14
understand. We don't want, we don't want to
39:16
create artificial barriers for you.
39:19
But at the same time, we're not going to erase with the Bible.
39:22
Says we're not going to pretend that.
39:25
That's not God's heart for you. He, we know God's heart, not
39:28
because we made it up, but because we read it right here,
39:32
We know God's heart for you, God's heart for you, is that you
39:35
experience his love. And how do you do that with the
39:39
Bible? Says that.
39:40
God. So loved the world that he gave
39:41
his only begotten son That whosoever would believe in him
39:47
would not perish but have everlasting life.
39:50
The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth, the
39:52
Lord Jesus. And you believe in your heart,
39:55
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved for with
39:58
the heart. One Believes unto righteousness,
40:01
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
40:06
We want you to know that we believe and we are not ashamed
40:11
of the Gospel. Because it is the power of God
40:14
unto salvation for everyone, who believes for the Jew first.
40:19
And also, for the Greek like everyone's welcome here.
40:24
There are no, you don't need to clean yourself up before you
40:27
come to church, just come Just come.
40:31
But, you know, they'll be those churches, they'll be those
40:34
Gathering of Believers that when somebody does come all beat up
40:36
in bloodied and and dirtied by sin, that they'll be all kinds
40:41
of external. Judgments.
40:43
You know, we have to be careful because we do make external
40:46
judgments and we have to be careful.
40:49
You be involved with churches that will hey you can't be
40:52
righteous unless your hair is a certain length you know ladies
40:55
cut your hair or certain link and what is the length of your
40:58
skirt? Make sure it's down by the
41:00
ankles where? Let me see your ankle you know
41:01
what are you serious? And you know what?
41:05
Don't don't don't you dare wear shorts to church.
41:08
No way. Oh you can't be righteous and
41:11
wear shorts or even in a like you might be this is your first
41:15
time here and you're wondering what are you doing up there,
41:18
man? Pastor Man Without a suit on.
41:22
I'll get, you know what, I guess you get to learn.
41:24
Something pastors can be pastors without suits.
41:30
Well, maybe you're unconvinced but I'm telling you, it's true
41:33
and if you I do wear suits on Christmas and Easter because I
41:37
know there's a lot of visitors here and I want to bring as many
41:39
people to the gospel as possible, but it is not required
41:44
that pastors wear suits. Can I get an amen on that?
41:47
I mean would you be more? Are you more?
41:50
Are you more concerned with the way that I'm dressing?
41:55
Then you are concerned that. I've been praying and studying
41:58
the Bible. Prepare a Bible study for you
42:00
all week. I mean, think about that.
42:03
So I don't think I can receive from you.
42:05
Well, there's guy standing in suits of, don't study the Bible.
42:07
They steal their messages from some online, sermon.com place
42:12
and what they got a suit on. Or do you want somebody studying
42:15
the Bible and praying for you? And serving you but hey you know
42:21
he's got a shirt that's not I remember the first time I can't
42:23
believe you don't tuck your shirt in.
42:25
Come on bro seriously. Why don't you tuck your shirt
42:29
in? It's a very simple answer.
42:31
You ready? I don't want it.
42:35
That's it. It's not it's no big deal.
42:36
It's like well, well, you know I tuck my shirt in bless you
42:42
Doesn't bother me at all one way or the other.
42:44
And you can see how silly things get and I use a silly example so
42:49
that we might step back a few things and examine ourselves,
42:52
right? I wonder what we're doing.
42:55
That would add other barriers. Imagine the person walking in
42:58
all jacked up and the first thing they hear from someone, I
43:02
can't believe you're dressed like that.
43:03
Look, this is what I think when you come to church, would you
43:06
just please get dressed just come dressed?
43:11
Come with what you have, don't even worry about it.
43:13
Just come with what you have, you know, the Bible talks about
43:16
modesty in the scriptures and I would say yes, be modest, but
43:19
you got to understand people walk in the doors, they don't
43:21
even know what modesty is. They don't even know and the
43:25
first thing they get is, I can't believe it.
43:27
Look at all the little gossip and you can see how even
43:30
churches can do that. Even this church can do that and
43:33
we just got to be careful walk in the spirit and not fulfill
43:35
the lusts of our flesh. You guys with me Church.
43:38
All right, so let's move on to the rest.
43:39
Yes I agree. Let's move on because we have a
43:42
few more verses. So Peters response.
43:44
All right, so he's got this friction in this challenge,
43:47
they're contending with them. Asking them a silly question.
43:50
They don't, they're not excited with them and then come back to
43:53
It's 11:00 and look at his response, I believe it instructs
43:57
us on how to respond ourselves to this type of stuff, he says,
44:03
but Peter explained it to them in the order from the beginning.
44:07
You what did he do? He shared his testimony, he
44:10
didn't fight with them. He didn't argue with them.
44:12
He didn't jump into the mud with them and all he just said, you
44:16
guys need to hear this and this is what he said.
44:18
I was in the city of Joppa praying.
44:20
And in a trance, I saw a vision and object is sending like a
44:24
great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners.
44:27
And it came to me when I observed it intently and
44:30
considered it. I saw four-footed animals of the
44:33
earth, while Beast creeping things, and birds of the air, I
44:37
Heard a Voice saying to me, rise, Peter kill and eat, but I
44:41
said not so Lord For Nothing common or unclean has ever
44:44
entered at any time. In heard my mouth verse 9 but
44:48
the voice answered and said again, what?
44:50
God has cleansed, you must not call common.
44:52
Now this was done through. Three times and all were drawn
44:55
up again, into heaven at that very moment.
44:57
Three men, stood before the house where I was having been
45:00
sent to me from caesarea, then the spirit told me to go with
45:04
them doubting nothing. Moreover, the six Brethren
45:09
accompanying me and we entered that man's house and he told us
45:13
how he had seen an angel standing in his house who said
45:16
to him, send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose surname is
45:19
Peter. Who will tell you the words by
45:21
which you and all your household will be saved and verse 15, as I
45:26
began to speak the Holy Spirit, fell upon them as upon us at the
45:31
beginning, keyword us. Because what is he?
45:36
He's taking them back to the day of Pentecost.
45:40
Remember what happened to us? It happened to them just like it
45:43
happened to us verse 16. Then I remembered the word of
45:47
the Lord, how he said John indeed, baptized with water, but
45:51
you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
45:53
If therefore, God gave them the same gift as he gave us.
45:58
When we believed on the Lord, Jesus Christ, mark this phrase.
46:00
If you like to write in your Bibles, who was I?
46:04
That I could withstand. Oh God, this could be a whole
46:07
different Bible study all together.
46:08
But I would ask you to consider this.
46:11
When's the last time you were so involved in something from the
46:15
Lord that your response was, how could I would stand God?
46:19
I'm going to do it. This is from God.
46:22
Every people might not see it that way.
46:24
They may not agree with but this is from God, who am I to stand
46:28
against the word and the leading of God I love this verse.
46:32
And then Verse 18, when they heard these things silence, the
46:37
testimony of Peter silence them. If you're getting, if you're
46:41
taking notes, six things that Peter says here that silence
46:44
them, they didn't have an answer.
46:47
First of all, number one in verse 5, Peter received a vision
46:51
and then secondly in verses 7 through 10.
46:54
He heard the Holy Spirit speak thirdly the men showed up at
46:58
that very moment and the spirit spoke again, verses 11 through
47:02
12 fourthly he ends up going to the house that called for him
47:08
and Cornelius confirmed everything and so God was
47:11
working both ends and neighbors confirmation in the house.
47:14
Then he began to share similar to What he did on the day of
47:18
Pentecost. And number five, the Holy Spirit
47:21
interrupted and saved those people.
47:24
He, if the Holy Spirit affirmed their faith and before they even
47:28
confessed anything he saved them and then sixth this is the key
47:34
in verse 16. He remembered the word.
47:38
The validation of this experience was based upon the
47:42
word of God. All the experiences all were
47:46
came to the end where God's word confirmed it.
47:52
It's incredible because God gave him the validation and really I
47:57
think Peter doesn't understand and didn't know yet that he's
48:00
going to get all this resistance you know all these confirmations
48:03
were for Peter. They were for him when he starts
48:08
to doubt when he starts to wonder when his old ways come
48:12
back. Because you know this is going
48:14
to be this Prejudice and stuff is a problem with Peter.
48:17
It will come up again even as God has delivered you for a few
48:20
things. But Temptations, come your way
48:23
and old thought patterns come your way and you're
48:25
uncomfortable and even even, as you are wanting to step out in
48:29
faith and move forward, and become a woman of the word, and
48:32
become a man of God's word. You'll have these other these,
48:35
these tenants These rise up. And what does God do?
48:37
He gives you confirmation after confirmation after confirmation?
48:41
And then he solidifies it with his word and you can trust his
48:45
word. even as I wrote in that dedication Bible today, I wrote
48:53
any time we have a child dedication, I write a fresh note
48:56
in their Bible. It's almost always the same
48:58
thing in terms of the generally, the same thing.
49:02
But like yesterday, when I was riding in that Bible, I wrote,
49:05
it's a little guy. I wrote to him, I said, Jesus
49:09
loves you very much. And he's giving you his word.
49:16
And I want you to read your Bible and pray everyday because
49:20
the more you read it, the more you'll learn of his love. and
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whether it's a baby appear or a four year old or a 50 year old
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It's the same advice. The key to progress in your life
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is to know God's word. How will you ever be able to
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test all things and hold fast to what is good unless you know the
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word so that the spirit of God can lead you and teach you
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through God's word, where you can take everything I said today
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and you can measure it by God's word.
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You can ask questions of God's word and you can use it in your
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life. God's word in prayer is like,
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breathing. If you hold your breath long
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enough, you're going to pass out, you're going to be
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ineffective and unusable. And if you pass out at the wrong
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time, you can bring danger to other people that say, you hold
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your breath while you're driving and you pass out driving, you
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could hurt other people and spiritually.
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You can hurt other people. When you're not in God's word,
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when you're not ready, being built up.
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And so Peter had this strength of his word.
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I remembered what Jesus said, and he's in.
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Cornelius is housed in a very uncomfortable place himself and
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he's like, I remember, this is what God Said to.
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Jesus told us this would happen. Oh, and he's living it out.
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Trying to keep up with God and it's Silence.
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The Critics you want to Silence the Critics in your life, live
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in the spirit, just be involved in what God's doing because
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there's a lot of critics today of Christianity wanting to
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minimize wanting, to make you feel dumb and foolish that you
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believe such things wanting to you to just turn your back on
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the Savior that gave his life for you.
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And the way that you prepare yourself against that as you
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live in a daily relationship with him growing in your love
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and surrender and sacrifice toward him, it's Silence the
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Critics and they glorify God saying the God then Verse 18
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then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.
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Can I just say a few things before we leave?
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First of all, understand this Peter learn, this very, very
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quickly. So let's not be so hard on those
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with over carrying baggage, because they still needed to
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learn it and they did learn it later through the testimony.
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So I don't want to be so hard with them.
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I know you have to understand, you're surrounded with people
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that are less mature than you, no matter where you are.
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You will be dead. I'm a pretty immature person.
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There's still someone that is less mature than you are, were
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all growing. Being at different stages.
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So there are people that don't know what, you know they haven't
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come to that. They haven't had the same
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experience, they haven't had the same upbringing.
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They don't have the same background, they haven't read.
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As much of the Bible. Like there are people that need
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you not to, you know, maybe they do.
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Like maybe that person. I use that illustration, maybe
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that person you're sharing with is like, I can't believe you're
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singing that song we don't sing songs from that.
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What they don't need is for you to respond in.
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Kind what they do need is for you to explain why this
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Substance of the song is more important than the outward.
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The n-word is more important than the outward.
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You get the chance to disciple people, not argue with them.
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You guys with me because it's easier to argue, I can't believe
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it, get out of that church. Well that's probably not going
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to happen, but if you take the time carefully to explain to
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them and read every single word and just every word is this
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wrong, is this riotous on the radio recently?
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Someone had a question about a song and so I just looked it up.
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Up and I said, let's read it together.
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Read the line is this wrong know, is this wrong know?
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Is this wrong know? And let the truth of the matter?
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Be the convincing let the Holy Spirit.
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Use truth to convince someone to broaden perhaps their view of
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things so they can live unhindered.
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It's a Biblical principle by the way.
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Would you turn over to Romans 14?
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Romans 14 we have run out of time but I don't want to skip
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these. You might have come to this
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Bible study today to hear just this of everything.
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It's just this truth in the first verse of Romans 14.
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But to a city like Rome that was just filled with debauchery in
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difficulty. The church was told by Paul the
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Holy Spirit through Paul receive one, this is Romans 14.
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One receive one who is weak in the faith but not to disputes
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over doubtful things. Don't argue with people just
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receive those that are weaker than you and take time to
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explain to them, take the time, to walk them through, take the
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time to give them your testimony, your perspective of
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how you came to this conclusion because they may not be where
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you're at. Peter got it first but then in a
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moment of time they got it, which leads me to the last thing
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and that's this God can work very quickly.
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I know you might be waiting for something and have been waiting
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for A long time. But when it happens, when the
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answer to prayer happens or the desire of your heart comes, it's
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going to happen pretty quickly just like that, boom.
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You just like, whoa, look how fast first of all, they Scott,
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they were silenced and then they began to glorify God because God
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can work that fast. So, ask for the faith to believe
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that God cannot that fast, because it's right here.
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All throughout the Bible, fast fast, fast, fast, fast.
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Even though there are those periods of waiting and
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difficulty. Amen.
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Amen. Full Bible study.
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Father, thank you for the strength, to finish and to share
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and to laugh and maybe even to cry little bit over our
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condition Lord, we can become so religious And we can look to men
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more than we look to God to you. We can elevate.
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Systems and movements and people.
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And just muddy the Waters of the dynamic.
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Amazing thing. You want to do in this day.
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You're not done. It's not just something that's
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happening in Acts. We are living in the days of
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Acts, you are alive and Powerful.
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You are with us today. And so I just pray God that you
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would teach us and guard us and help us that we would live more
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and more in relationship than we do in religion, Jesus name.
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Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
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sanctuary of calvary. Church for prayer call us at
56:17
877. 30 Grace. That's eight 77304, 2:53 to
56:25
listen to this message in its entirety or to join us for our
56:28
live stream Services. Visit us online at Calvary.
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Co dot church or download our free Calvary Church app be
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blessed as you worship Jesus this week.
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Church for prayer call us at 877. 30 Grace.
56:20
That's eight 77304, 2:53 to listen to this message in its
56:26
entirety or to join us for our live stream Services.
56:30
Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
56:35
free Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus
56:38
this week.