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Undertsanding the Bible Series 12 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to the NECF Podcast, where we share our weekly sermons and faithfully interpret
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the Bible to encourage and direct you on your spiritual path.
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We are devoted pastors and special guests devout to the depths of the Bible, exploring
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its profound lessons and useful applications for your daily life.
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Join us as we explore the timeless truth that have the power to change people's hearts
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and minds, promoting a closer relationship with God and a firm belief in His promises.
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Glory to God.
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Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made
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foolish the wisdom of this world? For sins and the wisdom of God, the world through the
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wisdom or through wisdom did not know God. It pleases God through the foolishness of
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the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign and the Greeks seek
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after wisdom. We preach Christ crucified. The Jews is a stumbling block and to the Greek
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foolishness. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God
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and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, the weakness of God
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is stronger than men. So we began what we are trying to clarify what we call the Gnostic
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Gospel last week and we try to understand what is Gnostic Gospel because it is something
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that is being discussed currently since its discovery or the books that have been discovered
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in 1945. We noted that these materials open another chapter of debates and discussion and
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some people who have been enemies of the cross use the opportunity to further their narrative
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and to bring about some more confusion for those who are undecided or those who are yet
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to come to the Lord. For those who are even coming to the Lord or who have come to the
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Lord, we have seen that kind of way of their faith shaken and most of the times this is
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key that we discuss today, it's key that we go through all this to bring some clarity
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in this area. So we noted last week that Gnostic Gospel, they are ancient religious writings
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that unfortunately claim that they were written by prominent biblical figures or biblical
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characters and we also clarify that they were initially resisted by the early church
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and probably this is the reason why they went hiding and those books were also
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hidden and they were hidden for probably more than 1,000 years and then were discovered in a
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near Egyptian town, we call it Naqnomandi and in 1945 that's why they are called the Naqnomandi
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Library. Those collections of books, they are about I guess around 13 and consist of several other
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small collections of books also, about 52 Gnostic texts and we noted that although the word Gnostic
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Gospel are used to describe them, there is nothing gospel in there, perhaps the word Gnostic
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will qualify those things and we said also the word Gnostics are just used to describe all the
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materials that are collected in that or found among the Naqnomandi Library. However, not all of them
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actually Gnostics because we describe Gnostics or Gnosticism as something that seems to be
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a secret knowledge that is only for the elite, it's an elite knowledge that is not common to everyone
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but that cannot be because the gospel is accessible to everyone, the knowledge of the gospel
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is open, is for everyone. Christ didn't come for specific people and the knowledge of Christ
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is not just something that is reserved for some elite in the society. The Bible says for the
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grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men, meaning that this grace of God is
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for all men, it's not for some certain people. So and this is why we preach the gospel. If the
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gospel is not for everyone that cannot be the gospel of Jesus Christ. What makes the gospel
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the gospel is that it is a gospel for everyone and that's why we go to preach to all nations.
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But these Gnostics gospel or the Gnosticism seems to prefer to
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prefer to alleviate some certain knowledge specific to what we call elite knowledge,
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some secret knowledge that we've seen as I described last Wednesday. So we also looked at
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many things that these teachings try to undermine. Remember we noted that although the idea has been
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since the time of the apostles, in fact we said that Gnosticism didn't start
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when the apostles were around, it actually began even before Jesus. So it is a combination of all
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kinds of ideas and confusion all mixed together, concocted. So it is important that we note that
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one. And then we also looked at some few scripture that seems to describe that. We saw how we read
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Colossians 8-9, we saw how in that kind the knowledge of Christ is downplayed, the revelation
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of his incarnation and we saw how philosophies are promoted. We saw how philosophies are promoted,
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this idea of speciality and unfortunately up to today we still see that those kind of things,
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where some people in the body of Christ try to claim speciality, try to claim that they have
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access to some certain knowledge that others do not. And we said that is Gnosticism in some way.
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And each time you practice that kind of thing, you feel that you have access to some certain
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secret knowledge that others do not have. Because we normally talked about the Holy Spirit in you is
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the Holy Spirit in me. The difference between the leaders in the church who expresses probably the
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Holy Spirit, the demonstrations of the Holy Spirit beyond others is because they are grown.
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And that's why in the church those ones who are grown, then they are leaders, they are meant to
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train those ones who are actually not yet grown in God. And that's how the idea of God. But that's
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not to say the one who is grown has some special knowledge or some special revelation or some special
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gifts that others do not have. We have one Lord, one Spirit, we have one message, we have one baptism
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in the sun. And so we have to differentiate between growth and the expression of the Holy Spirit
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depending on how much we have known about it again and also the idea that is being encroached
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into the church. You see, we must not practice our Christianity based on philosophies. It's supposed
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to be based on the written word, based according to proper interpretation. And that's why we are
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taking this time to look at so many things that we need to, as God helps us. Now today I will
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talk about something that is very, very important. And I think it is good that we go this way.
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Now, one of the claims of these people who have promoted this idea or this Antichrist message,
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because Antichrist is not something that will come someday. Already is here, is an idea.
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Antichrist, anyone that anything, any knowledge that discredits the knowledge of Christ,
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his incarnation, his suffering, his death and resurrection, that's an Antichrist.
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That's an Antichrist. And so I want us to know that. Now the Gnostic gospel promotes something,
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and especially now some people have had these, immediately after this document we have found in
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1945, there have been some voices actually shouting loudly that actually these Gnostic
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gospel are lost books of the Bible. Remember we took time to prove that 27 books are the
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actually canon of the New Testament, the section of the Bible we call the New Testament. Now there
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have been some movement, moving that no, it is not just 27 in the sun. Part of those books that
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we are, we are rejected by the Church Fathers when they are compiling the canon is because,
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is this, I mean, is this lost Gnostics gospels. And so they call those Gnostics gospel,
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the lost books of the Bible. And they just go, they are, they went into the Bible,
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they'll find some texts here and there, which we are going to look at them, that seems to
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point out that there are some portions of the writings, either of the apostles that has not
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been found. We don't have record of them up to today. But they are, they are, they are
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found. And so they look at and say, Oh, there are some scenes. That's why I told you they wrote,
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that's why they use the Gnostics gospel use names of prominent people and apostles. And so I say,
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look at apostle Paul, he missed some things. But this one is called the prayer of the prayer of
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Paul. Remember I showed you some, the revelation of Paul. This one is the gospel according to
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Thomas. And but we still have other ones, even in this Bible we are holding up that there are
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some places that is saying that we don't have record of what some, some of them wrote. So that
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means this, this were the other ones that were lost. So that's the argument. And they kept arguing
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concerning that. Now let's look at those things and look at the argument and see whether it hold
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any credibility or not. So we have many people, atheists, skeptics, Gnostics, and so on that.
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Now keep talking about that the lost book of the Bible. Okay. Now lost books of the Bible. What are
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these lost books of the Bible? What are these lost books of the Bible? Now, and sincerely we have
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about probably at least at least up to 30 different works mentioned in the Bible that we do not
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have them again, or we do not have record of them about 30 or let's say at least 30. As we read the
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Bible carefully, you will see that there are a lot and lot of places, but majority are in the Old
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Testament, about 28, probably just two are in the New Testament and first Corinthians chapter five,
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first Corinthians chapter five. That's the first one that was noted in the new, the epistles,
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particularly first Corinthians chapter five. Look at verse nine. Look at verse nine. I wrote to you in the epistle.
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Let me start again. I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexual immoral people.
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Now when he said, I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexual immoral people.
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I hear the apostles is likely mentioning because this is the first letter to the Corinthians.
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So it must have been talking that he wrote to them in a separate letter, which we do not have record of.
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I want to read that please in other versions. Let me read maybe in NLT. He said, when I wrote to you
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before, NLT says that, when I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with the people who
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indulge in sexual sin. So this just indicated or indicates that there was a writing of the apostle
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prior this one. So he wrote to them earlier on that do not associate with the those who indulge
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in sexual sin. But the question is that where is that epistle that was written earlier on?
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We don't have record of it. Glory to God. Colossians chapter 16. That's the next one.
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Colossians chapter 16. Why am I making the verses, the chapter today? Glory to God.
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Maybe I'm not part of the Gnostics. I don't want anything to be added to the scripture.
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Colossians chapter 4 verse 16. Glory to God. Colossians chapter 4 verse 16. He said,
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now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the
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Laodicean and that you likewise read the epistle from the Laodicean. So this indicated that of
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course, you know, we took time to talk about how we even saw the church Colossi is the Laodicea is
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just a neighboring town. And Paul said that you should, when you read this Colossians just pass
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it to the church in Laodicea. And then as well also, so this verse give an indication
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that there was a letter to the Laodiceans which Paul wanted also the Colossians to read.
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And they also, they should pass this Colossians to the Laodiceans as well. They should also read
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the epistle to the Laodiceans. Now the question is that where is the epistle to the Laodiceans?
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Probably would have had Laodiceans also just like we have Colossians. However, we don't have a record
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of it. Okay. Now is that a problem? So this is just the ones in the record in the part of scripture
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we call the New Testament or we can just say in the epistles. I told you several in the about
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more of them in around 28 which are about in the Old Testament. Is that a problem since we don't
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have records of these? Does these scriptures justify then that the Nostra's gospels should
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have been the ones that should fill in these gaps that have been so to say lost? No, not at all.
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Now this is not the, I'll show you this is not the only place I show that there are certain things
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that have not been recorded. So this is not an alarm on anything at all. Now their unavailability
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did not undermine anyway the revelation of Jesus Christ that salvation is by faith through,
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I mean salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ. So whether we don't have them now, it is no way,
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it doesn't reduce or add to the message at all because whatever Paul wrote it was what all his
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writings if you see that's why we have overlap. So most of sometimes what Paul wrote to some churches
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is actually what he wrote to other churches is the same Jesus he preached. It is the same Jesus
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he preached. It is the same revelation of Christ. You understand? Look at Colossians chapter 1.
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Look at Colossians chapter 1 verse 14. Colossians chapter 1 verse 14. In whom we have redemption
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through his blood the forgiveness of sins. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness
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of sins. And go back to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Look at verse 7. In him we have
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redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Did you
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see that? So I mean I just saw one portion. So he wrote it to the the gospel to Colossians the
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same thing. You can see almost there are many passages from these places. Because we are not
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doing that's not our focus today. You will see that they are almost like a replica of those also
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verses in other places. Like if you see this verse verse 14 of Colossians 1 and then verse 7 of
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Colossians Ephesians chapter 1. You will discover that they are just like a copy and paste. The
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only difference likely is just the latter part he said which Paul added in Ephesians according
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to the riches of his grace. And of course even though he didn't put it in Colossians it definitely
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is according to the riches of his grace. So the fact that we don't have the epistles in
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Laodiceans or the earlier writings of Paul to the Corinthians asking them that they should not
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keep company with those who indulge in sexual sin doesn't actually take anything away from
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the gospel. Everything that a man needs to be saved is available. That's the most important thing.
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Glory to God. John chapter 20. John chapter 20. So I want you to know that it's not everything that
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God ever did that he actually just preserved. There are many things that God did he chose not
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to preserve the writings or what was done. So is a prerogative of God. If we do not have those ones
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it's because God just chose that those things will not be preserved. And as I said they actually
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did not reduce anything from the gospel. Neither did they add anything. So whether they are available
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is still the gospel. Whether they are not available the gospel is still available. Glory to God.
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Amen. Can you look at that John 20? I want to read just two verses there. John 20 verse 30.
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And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written
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in this book. Do you see that? So there are many things Jesus did but they were not recorded which
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were not. This shows that they lack their ability. No, no. It's just like a decision that they will
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not be covered at all. They were not recorded in this book. But look at but verse 31. But these
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were written. That means there is a like a direction of writing. This shows to us that the writing was
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not just like something done haphazardly like accidental. They just occur like that. No.
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That the the writings were deliberate. There was a goal for the writing. So when the Holy Spirit
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was moving these men to write there was a deliberateness. There was a goal of each of
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the writings. And that's why if you read through every book you will never miss why the book was
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written. It was always so why the book was written. Whether it was written to an individual or to a
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church. They said but these were written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of
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God and that by believing you may have life in his name. These were written that you might believe
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that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God that by believing you may have life in his name. So the
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question is that all that has been written all that has been written concerning the Christ is
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sufficient for us to believe and have life in his name. Oh yes. Is it sufficient that the nature of
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God is revealed? Who God is is no longer in type and shadows. That God has been revealed. Christ has
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been revealed to us. We don't need extra materials to know who Jesus is. No he's not mysterious.
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You know some people say we don't know know how God is. He's the Son. He might appear this way.
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He might appear that way. No brother you didn't read your Bible very well. God is the same
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yesterday today and forever. He does not appear this way. He does not appear this way. No no no
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no no no. Yes we have record and this is the reason why we spend huge time and we label a lot
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to really present clearly clearly I mean what God revealed about himself because especially when you
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look at the the writings in the Old Testament a lot has been modeled up. It is light in the
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Old Testament. It is light in that place. You will see you will see light here all covered by a lot
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of things and some of the word has spoken by prophet. In fact they use and the Lord said so
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the fact that the the the portion of the Bible you know and say and the Lord says so when you read
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the Old Testament you will you will seem to see a God that contradict himself. He said here I love
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you after a little while he said I will kill you. I will destroy you. You understand? I hate you. I
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will squeeze you. I mean the question you need to ask is that which type of God is this? Like a
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bipolar person he moved this way when they are you move the other way but you don't see those kind of
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contradictions in the in the in the epistles. You don't see the apostle speaking of God as loving
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and then speaking of God again as one who is going to do you understand saying but now because he
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has been revealed fully he has been revealed fully. So it's not today that Luke chapter 9 is not today
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that we started to to see that. So both we must subject the words of the prophets all they said
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that's why Jesus what Jesus did is to sieve those things concerning himself because it's not everything
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they said that is concerning him. Oh ye foolish of heart I mean slow of heart oh ye fools or foolish
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ones slow of heart to believe all that the prophet have spoken or not Christ in the sun to suffer
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and then to enter his glory and beginning at Moses beginning at Moses and all the prophet
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he expounded he explained expounded unto them the things concerning him he expounded unto them
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the things concerning him is the things concerning him and the things concerning him Jesus got
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you went through the text and said this one is about me this one is about me this one no I'm
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not the one who said it although the prophet said it but he's not talking about me innocent. So he
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was putting a disclaimer and then going into those things but now that we have the Holy Spirit we have
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the ability to know that which was freely given to us that which is freely given to us to those in the
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past eyes have not seen ears have not heard it has never come to the heart of man what God has preserved
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for those who loved him but he has opened to them open these things to us by his spirit to others
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they don't know we will know it and that's how we can confidently go through scriptures and know
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that I say no this one is not actually the the the the words of God to us hallelujah amen. So we have
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everything we need we have everything we need glory to God I'm just happy to know that
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nothing is missing that God has has he has kept everything for me as a very in fact as a responsible
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father he has everything we need in Christ everything we need in Christ. Second Peter chapter 1 verse 3
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second Peter chapter 1 verse 3 but let me read from verse 1 Simon Peter a born servant and apostle
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of Jesus Christ to those who have obtained like precious faith oh I love this one in always on
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people feel that that there are some certain things the some people have they don't have you see what
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the apostle say he say those who have obtained like precious faith like judeo say common salvation
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he said like precious faith doesn't mean the faith he has the same thing he is writing to
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to these men that are all scattered around Asia besides say we we all have like precious faith
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he said with us he said by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ verse 2 grace and
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peace be multiplied to you or really be you understand in the knowledge of Christ and of
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Jesus Christ our Lord verse 3 as his divine power has given us not he will give us his divine power
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he said has given us we have it already glory to God he has given to us all things that pertains
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to life and godliness how did we come into this all things he said it is by the knowledge
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of him who has called us to glory who has called us by glory and virtue that means these all things
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are in Christ we access them through the knowledge of Jesus Christ this knowledge talking about
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through the believing of Christ through coming into God through the the the the rebirth of the
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spirit that's how we access it when we believe we come we come he said that they might know him
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the only true God he's talking about that they might believe in him that's what he's saying
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so we access these all things that is needed for our life is through his knowledge the knowledge
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of Christ who himself have called us by glory and virtue and by which we have been given to us
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exceedingly great and precious promises that through this you might be partakers or we are
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partakers of his divine nature he said having escaped we have escaped already he said having
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escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust we have escaped the corruption
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we have already we have precious we are partakers of his divine nature we are not going to be
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partakers we are partakers we have everything that we need in life for our godliness we have it
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no cause for alarm we have a precious God who has given us all things but I don't be concerned
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because you have everything oh I have everything everything I need for my sojourn here everything
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I need for life and ministry everything I need to do God's will I have it you don't need to be
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bothered those things in fact apostle john told us that this we are written that means those ones
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that have been preserved for us he said they are written that we might believe and we have believed
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and he said again even as we come into him already everything we need is available
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everything we need is available glory to Jesus now there's something that is also important
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and I need to touch it also is the citation aside the issue of what is a lost books which now yes
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we will just say that they are materials which have not been preserved you understand as we have
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done through this series you should know that to have this bible in this form is definitely an act
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of God no bible I mean no material on earth has been sold as a scripture since the beginning of
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the printing press and no material we have seen how this has preserved and astute hostile men
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hostile emperors hostile nations they wanted to destroy this material and destroy
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the work of God on the earth but it's not possible is God that preserved his words and he did that
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because he loved us God cannot preserve these 66 books and then you say he's mysterious I mean how
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how can you I mean it means that I was I don't know how to there's one of my my my my professor
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back in school he said he does not believe lazy people will make him
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and that's exactly because probably he looked at he knew that only I mean hard working people
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will definitely pay attention to what God is saying in the sun glory to Jesus now the point
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is that how then do we come into another I mean to defend another argument what is argument
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does the citation or allusion of some um some materials extra biblical materials extra canon
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uh uh extra canon materials or or extra inspired materials not inspired material non-inspired
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materials into the into the scripture uh shows that they also are scriptures because we have
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a number of places in the bible we are materials let me call it quote-unquote
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uh a secular materials that has been quoted by the prophet and apostles in the bible those are
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shows that just because they quote from those portion of those uh a uninspired materials
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what I mean uninspired means uninspired by God because definitely it has been inspired by the
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men who wrote them in the sun whatever inspired them whether they themselves were the only
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inspired themselves or something else inspired them the point is that they are materials in which
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they are not scriptures but we see apostles and prophets quoting them so when when apostolic
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quote them or make reference or allude to these materials do they shows or are they indicating
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that those material also have equal authority with the bible because there are some skeptics
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trying to bring some things back they're gonna say ah if this one was not an authority why did
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the apostle quote it or why did the prophet make reference to it so we want to now look at these
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those things and see and prove that the fact that the apostle make reference to such materials
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does not equate them or does not bring them at the same authority with the scriptures glory to God
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amen now first there are no biblical sources which have been repeatedly quoted in the old
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testament let's start from the old testament and see a number of them numbers to 21 numbers to 21
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from verse 13 and 14 numbers 21 13 and 14 I'll just move somewhere else and find a place
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and stop for the day but I believe that God is bringing light to us and we're seeing reasons why
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I mean how we can be able to stand and defend the faith yes you must not be a passive believer
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you must you must defend the faith is part of the faith to defend the faith and defending the faith
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is by bringing sound argument sound knowledge of God's words to counteract lies and evil and to
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show that what God has done is eternal a universe 13 of 20 21 of numbers is the number of the
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it says therefore it is said in the book of the walls of the law will help is shuffa the book of
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the unknown and the slope of the brook that reaches to the dwelling of air and lies on the border of
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moab did you see that one it has been said in the book of the walls of the law which one is a book
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of the wars of the lord so we have a material which the prophet quoted in where he said in the
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books he said it it is said in the book of the wars of the law we don't have that book
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whatever that book moses got you go he have access to those books amen so we have one material that
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was noted the books of the wars of the lord another one is the books the book of joshua joshua chapter
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10 verse 13 joshua chapter 10 verse 13 the book of joshua let's see joshua 10 verse 13
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he says so the sun stood still and the moon stopped i don't want to go into trouble in this one i know
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there's some confusion happening here you know when you don't read carefully you think that the sun
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stops and then please don't go and be disgracing us in the sun leave science alone and forget about
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science please i beg you let's focus on the bible and leave science till the people science knows
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how to arrange themselves in the sun because if you are a scientist you know you know how
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that scientists have a way of rearranging themselves in the sun even if a thought they have held for
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decades and for centuries overnight they will overturn it and continue in other direction so
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don't go and be disgracing yourself on the issue of scientists leave them in the sun they know how
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to arrange themselves and come back to the truth and continue even after a long time amen glory to
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jesus so he said till the people had avenged upon their enemies is this not written in the book of
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joshua and i'm just of course concerned about joshua the book of joshua that means this was written
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in the book of joshua of course it also makes reference to second um second samuel second samuel
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second samuel 1 18 let me start reading from verse 17 then david lamented with this lamentation
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over soul and over jonathan his son i believe you know the the story when somebody came i mean
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someone came and gave him a story that he was the one who killed our soul and he told them to
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them to to teach the children of judah the song of bar indeed it is written in the book of what
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joshua is it the beauty of israel you are in you are in and you know this prominent
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parliamentarian i mean you you know this you you will know this given a lot of scripture he
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popularized them in the floor of the at the house the beauty of israel is learned upon on on your
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high places how the mighty are falling tell it not in god proclaim it not in the stretch of ashkalon
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let the daughters of the philistine rejoice let the daughters of this uncircumcised triumph and
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then you can continue still talking about what was written there in the book of joshua i mean
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there is another one let me just read it also is it the book of the act of solomon first king the
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books of the act of solomon the books of the act of solomon first king chapter 11 first king 11
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verse 41 first king 11 verse 41 now the rest of the acts of solomon and all he did
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and his wisdom are they not written in the book of the act of solomon are they not written in the
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book of the act of solomon then we have what we call the annals or the chronicles of david's
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of king david's first chronicles 27 24 first chronicles 27 24 the annals or chronicles of
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king david 24 joab the son of zerua began a census but he did not finish for that came upon israel
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because of the census nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of king david
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or the annals of king david now the issue is that these are all we see all quotation from all these
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materials although these are non-canonical books non-canonical books they still have some truth
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of course what was quoted is to make reference to some things they have some truth there now why do
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i say that sometimes those quotations have some truth let's go to me to first peter let me show
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you a verse that is not just only books because those books were written by men although they are
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non-canonical they still sometimes contain truth just the same way like you can have a wicked man
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but still has some truth in truth the fact that it can is from a wicked person doesn't mean that
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they just because he speaks the truth and then that means whatever he said is is is also wicked
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or evil no in the sense truth is truth it doesn't matter which mouth it came from you have to because
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truth is not validated by a person truth is not validated by a person whether it's righteous or
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wicked truth is validated by itself so if if the if the if the evil spirit that followed the apostles
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and he was shouting and said these were the men of this they are here them here you can imagine
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evil spirit is a here the apostle you know but truly the evil spirit is even saying the right thing
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you know what i'm saying but it's not that the opposite god annoyed because it's just disturbing
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them they the lady just keep pestering them anywhere they enter she started the first day
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the second day she was disturbing them they also got annoyed and say i thought and commanded the
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spirit to leave the lady so they you cannot say just because it was evil spirit who were saying
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he didn't say no it's not the truth it's wickedness no no no no hallelujah glory to jesus second
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peter that's the second peter yes second peter chapter 2 verse 15 look at a man called balam balam
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is an interesting figure in the sun whereby there are some there have been some warning everywhere
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concerning him balam is not an example at all second peter 2 15 he said they have forsaken the
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right way and gone astray following the way of balam the son of world who loved the wages of
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unrighteousness who loved the wages of unrighteousness jute one of course verse 11 jute verse 11 or jute 1
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11 war to them for they have gone in the way of cain leave cain aside i'm just focusing on
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on balam first focusing on balam have run greedily in the error of balam for profit
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and perish in the rebellion of corral to leave corral leave cain and focusing on balam because
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i'm just trying to make a point that someone can be wicked someone can be unrighteous someone can
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be in error but sometimes can speak the truth but that the fact that is wicked unrighteous
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and and often speak lies when he speaks the truth doesn't qualify the truth to be lied just because
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he has been a liar no no because the truth is not qualified by the person who said it
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the truth is validated by itself revelation chapter 2 verse 14 revelation 2 14 revelation 2 14 but i
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have a few things against you because you have because you have there those who hold the doctrine
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of balam who taught balak to put a stumbling block before the children of israel to eat the things
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sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality now let's go back to numbers let's see what balam
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said you know what he has been saying although look at him he has caused israel to stumble to
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eat those things sacrificed to idol and as well to commit sexual immorality he has been a man who
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is unrighteous who actually collect the wages of unrighteousness are we together he's a man of error
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he has a way and the way has become a doctrine you see that his way has become a doctrine
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glory be to god oh thank you lord number 24 maybe let me read some portion from verse one
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and then i will jump and then reach verse 14 and i think that is uh he said now verse 24
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verse one now when when balam saw that it pleases the lord to bless israel he did not go as at other
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times to seek to use sorcery so you can see the man has been using sorcery the sorcerer but he set
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his face toward the wilderness and balam raised his eyes and saw israel encamp according to their
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tribes the spirit of god came upon him then he took up his oracle and said the utterance of balam
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the son of boar the utterance of the man whose eyes are open the utterance of him who hears the
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word of god who sees the vision of almighty who falls down with eyes wide open how lovely are your
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tents oh jacob your dwellings oh israel like valley that stretches out that stretch out like guarding
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the like gardens by the riverside like aloes planted by the lord like sida beside the waters
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he shall pour waters from his pocket and he sit shall be in many waters his king shall be
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he higher than agak and his kingdom shall be exalted verse eight god brings him out of egypt
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he has strength like a wild horse he shall consume the nation nations his enemies he shall bring
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break their bones and pierce them with his arrow he bows down he lies down as a lion
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and i say lion who shall arouse you bless is he who bless you and cause is he who causes you
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then he said then balak got angry then balak's anger was aroused against balam and he stroke his
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hand together and just like this stroke his hands together and balak said to bala i call you to cause
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my enemies and look you have bountifully blessed them these three times now look at john i want you
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to jump after balak finished lamenting i was angry look at verse 14 and now indeed i am going to my
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people come i will advise you what these people would do your people in the latter days so he took
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so he took up his oracles and said that is balam took uh up his oracles and said the
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utterance of balam just the same way like he did in verse three the oracles of balam the son of
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boa the utterance of the man whose eyes are open the utterance of him who's a hey who hears the
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word of the lord and has the knowledge of the most high who sees the visions of the almighty
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who falls down with his eyes wide open verse 17 where i will stop he said i see him but not now
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but i behold him but not near a star shall come out of jacob a scepter shall arise out of israel
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and better the bros the bro of muak and destroy all the sons of tumor you can imagine what this
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man is saying this is the same man who is wicked this is someone who is unrighteous this is same
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man understand who you have seen that his ways have turned to they have done they have done to
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doctrine is that they started as a way of error but now it has become a a doctrine again look at
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what he's saying this does not invalidate what he said the fact that he's wicked and all that
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does not invalidate this truth about israel about the sons of jacob glory to god so god can even
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speak through donkeys have you seen that place when god spoke to through donkey not even human
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the same number just move backward a bit where you just read numbers 20
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22 28 look at numbers 22 28 you see where donkeys spoke then the lord opened the mouth of the donkey
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and said to balam what have i done to you that you have struck me this three times and balance
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continue to speak and we saw so many times where they don't i mean where the lotto so even the
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donkey spoke just to teach this unrighteous man better things you know he was just trying to
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be wicked to the donkey now as i said truth is truth doesn't matter which mouth it came from
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it came from no matter where it is from also sometimes you find out that um non-biblical
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resources or sources are repeatedly used in different places so when we come next week we
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will look at those ones that appear in the uh new testament in fact they are the most crucial one
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most of the argument brought by the by the 80s and some skeptics they actually use uh interestingly
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some of the things we call the northeastern gospel in fact there are some quotation that allude
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that the quotation were from those there were one or two books on those northeastern gospel
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we're going to look at it and then bring the argument to show that the fact that just like
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we saw many other materials the prophet used and quote this is not that they continue to quote from
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there as if they are they make reference to certain things in those materials and then they
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return and then we'll make see how that is not an issue at all except you just want to for the sake
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of argument keep making argument because you want to confuse many people you know and the people you
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confuse are those people who wants to do evil but they are looking for an opportunity you understand
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most times when somebody wants to do something he doesn't have i remember in church here sometimes
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people will be in leadership you know you are dragging them they are dragging you you are dragging
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them they are not being or they don't want to do things i said these people are not here is this
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thing immediately you remove that leadership you see them they will disappear from the church that
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shows i see you they have been keeping them all so what i'm trying to say is that when somebody
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wants to do evil or when somebody wants to go his own way he's looking for an opportunity to do it
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you understand the condition might not be in order but once the person had the opportunity
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he just moves away in the sun and then you will now use that as an excuse no he's not an excuse
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he's not earlier on you have been wanting to do it in the sun so brother follow your heart but know
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that like uh what's that the person who says that um uh i think it's solomon but remember
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after you follow your heart and there is consequences to it whatever you follow hallelujah
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the lord will help us in jesus name amen can we just pray thank you father we appreciate you because
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you are wonderful and you are wonderful beyond measure beyond expectation thank you for preserving
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the truth for us all that we need for life and ministry all that we need to do your will is
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available to us thank you father because we will serve you in our day before our time is over before
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this flesh would give way thank you because we are strengthened in our inner man we're encouraged in
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whatever situation we are but may our eyes continue to see you to see you and to see you
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and to see ourselves in you thank you lord amen
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thank you for listening to our sermon today we hope you were blessed by this teaching if you want to
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