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Distinguishing Truth from Error Msg 1316 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: God's word is alive and active and sharper than a
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Speaker 1: two-edged sword. It is able to pierce beyond the soul
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Speaker 1: and spirit into the joints and marrow. And it is
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Speaker 1: a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
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Speaker 1: Because of that, we... bow before the authority of the
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Speaker 1: word each time we gather, at each class we teach,
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Speaker 1: and certainly whenever our worship turns our attention to this time,
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Speaker 1: it is God's word that is more important than any
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Speaker 1: human opinion, any media message, any counsel from some authority,
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Speaker 1: God's word alone is inspired of God. The word is God-breathed.
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Speaker 1: So it's with respect we handle God's word and it's
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Speaker 1: with an intentional sense of passion that we teach it
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Speaker 1: and believe it. Turn, if you will, to 1 John
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Speaker 1: chapter 4. Not the gospel of John, but his letter.
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Speaker 1: He wrote three of them, and this is the first
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Speaker 1: of the three. We're looking at the fourth chapter. That's
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Speaker 1: over toward the end of the New Testament. If you're
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Speaker 1: not familiar with your Bible, it's understandable. You wouldn't know
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Speaker 1: about the little letter of 1 John, often overlooked. 1
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Speaker 1: John chapter 4, and with others around you, may we
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Speaker 1: stand together for the reading of God's inerrant word. Beloved,
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Speaker 1: do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
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Speaker 1: see whether they are from God, because many false prophets
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Speaker 1: have gone out into the world. By this you know
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Speaker 1: the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
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Speaker 1: Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And
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Speaker 1: every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
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Speaker 1: This is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you
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Speaker 1: have heard that it is coming, and now it is
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Speaker 1: already in the world. You are from God, little children,
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Speaker 1: and have overcome them, because greater is he who is
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Speaker 1: in you than he who is in the world. They
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Speaker 1: are from the world. Therefore, they speak as from the world,
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Speaker 1: and the world listens to them. We are from God.
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Speaker 1: He who knows God listens to us. He who is
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Speaker 1: not from God does not listen to us. By this,
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Speaker 1: we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
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Speaker 1: Serious words we use. Take seriously today. You may be seated.
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Speaker 1: If you've never heard this before, hear it today for
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Speaker 1: the first time. Everything significant in the spiritual life revolves
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Speaker 1: around Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. It is through Jesus we
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Speaker 1: pray to our Heavenly Father. It is because of Jesus'
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Speaker 1: death we can have eternal life by trusting in that
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Speaker 1: death that paid the complete penalty for sin. What a
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Speaker 1: great thought. It is to Jesus we look in troubled times.
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Speaker 1: It's Jesus we anticipate in the future who will break
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Speaker 1: through the clouds and will return as he promised to
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Speaker 1: do at any moment, at any time. It is called
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Speaker 1: the eminent return of Jesus. Sometimes I find myself saying,
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Speaker 1: as many of you, just give me Jesus. In a
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Speaker 1: time like this, just give me Jesus. There's an old
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Speaker 1: spiritual that will be sung for us in a moment
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Speaker 1: with those words. Let's prepare for this offering and continuing
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Speaker 1: worship by bowing in prayer to our Father through Jesus.
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Speaker 1: Ours is a rich heritage, O Lord, and we stand
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Speaker 1: on the shoulders of strong-hearted, great-thinking, biblically sound men and
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Speaker 1: women of the past who forged out their faith, anchored
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Speaker 1: in sound doctrine and the historic truths that have made
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Speaker 1: the church great. But it is your church, O Lord.
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Speaker 1: It was your son, Jesus, who said, I will build
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Speaker 1: my church. The gates of hell will never prevail against it.
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Speaker 1: And so today, our Father, we do pause to thank
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Speaker 1: you this weekend for those crosses, row on row, That
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Speaker 1: mark their place. Where within the sky the birds above
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Speaker 1: them fly. As we honor those who died. That we
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Speaker 1: might be free. Thank you for brave women and men.
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Speaker 1: For hard decisions. Ruggedness of battle. faithfulness to serve their country.
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Speaker 1: We pray that same spirit of patriotism will never be
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Speaker 1: lost in this era where our culture about us is
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Speaker 1: losing its way. Give us strong hearted men and women
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Speaker 1: today now who think clearly and see through the phony
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Speaker 1: and stand for the truth. These gifts we give our Father,
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Speaker 1: we give that that kind of teaching might continue, that
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Speaker 1: the word might reach out, that even though in this
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Speaker 1: time when hearts grow cold, that there might be a
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Speaker 1: fanning of the flame of righteousness and godliness biblical authority
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Speaker 1: and spirit indwelt guidance just give us Jesus give us
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Speaker 1: all of him and more as we endure and as
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Speaker 1: we serve you with vigor and vision and hope and
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Speaker 1: passion in the name of Jesus We pray. And all
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Speaker 1: his people said, amen. Some statements in the scriptures are haunting.
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Speaker 1: Matter of fact, if we take them seriously, I mean
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Speaker 1: really seriously, there's enough about them to keep us awake
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Speaker 1: through the night. They warn of impending trouble and alarmingly
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Speaker 1: difficult times. Jesus himself made these statements. You will be
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Speaker 1: hated by all nations because of my name. Many false
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Speaker 1: prophets will arise and will mislead many because lawlessness is
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Speaker 1: increased Most people's love will grow cold. False Christs and
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Speaker 1: false prophets will arise and will show great signs and
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Speaker 1: wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold,
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Speaker 1: I have told you in advance, Matthew 24. And again,
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Speaker 1: Jesus said, they will make you outcasts, but an hour
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Speaker 1: is coming when everyone who kills you will think they
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Speaker 1: are doing God a service. these things they will do
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Speaker 1: because they have not known the father or me in
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Speaker 1: the world you will have tribulation John 16 The Apostle Paul,
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Speaker 1: at the zenith of his ministry, while writing to his
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Speaker 1: longtime friend and companion, Timothy, warned, the Spirit explicitly says
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Speaker 1: that in later times, some will fall away from the faith,
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Speaker 1: paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. 1
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Speaker 1: Timothy 4. And then very near the edge of his
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Speaker 1: last hours on the planet, Paul took the time in
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Speaker 1: the dungeon in Rome to write his friend once again.
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Speaker 1: The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine,
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Speaker 1: but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate
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Speaker 1: for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and
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Speaker 1: will turn away their ears from the truth and will
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Speaker 1: turn aside to myths. I'm often asked, what's happening? What's
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Speaker 1: happening in this old world of ours? What's happening at
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Speaker 1: the churches? What's happening in religion? I have a quick
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Speaker 1: and simple answer. It doesn't solve the problem, but it
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Speaker 1: is the answer. What is happening is exactly what was predicted. Exactly.
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Speaker 1: Peter himself said, don't be surprised at the fiery trial,
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Speaker 1: which is to try you as though some strange thing
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Speaker 1: happened unto you. 1 Peter chapter 4. Haunting words. So
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Speaker 1: when they killed in the name of their God, he
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Speaker 1: told us it would happen. And when they come to
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Speaker 1: get us We need to be ready. Haunting words, serious words.
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Speaker 1: Eugene Peterson in his rendering of the Bible titled The
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Speaker 1: Message handles Paul's words to Timothy out of the second letter.
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Speaker 1: You're going to find that there will be times when
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Speaker 1: people will have no stomach for solid teaching but will
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Speaker 1: fill up on spiritual junk food, catchy opinions that tickle
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Speaker 1: their fancy. They will turn their backs on truth and
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Speaker 1: will chase after mirages. I've lived long enough to watch
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Speaker 1: a frightening erosion occurring. The church I entered back in
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Speaker 1: the 50s, seriously entered, and with ministry in mind in
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Speaker 1: the 60s, is not the same church as today's church
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Speaker 1: in the 21st century. The church is now market-driven, a
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Speaker 1: strange mixture of corporate America, silly skits, show business techniques
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Speaker 1: that have replaced the systematic teaching of the word of God.
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Speaker 1: There are exceptions, but that's the tragedy. They are exceptions,
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Speaker 1: not the rule. Instead of solid meat based on sound doctrine,
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Speaker 1: the world of entertainment has invaded the ranks of the
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Speaker 1: house of worship. A consumer mentality is now acceptable substitute
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Speaker 1: for theological thinking and biblical understanding. Biblically ignorant individuals gather
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Speaker 1: to hear what they want to hear. Back to Paul's
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Speaker 1: words to have their ears tickled. It seems that some
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Speaker 1: pastors today will stop at nothing to entertain their audiences.
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Speaker 1: Not congregations. Audiences. Audiences. I've just finished reading a magnificent
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Speaker 1: book by David Wells titled The Courage to be Protestant.
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Speaker 1: In a chapter titled Christianity for Sale, he writes, It
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Speaker 1: is Easter morning 2006, and there lurking in the shadows
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Speaker 1: is a figure rarely seen in church. It's Superman. Yes, Superman. Superman.
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Speaker 1: He who leaps tall buildings in a single bound as
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Speaker 1: he pursues evil doers. No, wait a minute. It's not him. Actually,
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Speaker 1: it's only the senior pastor. The senior pastor all decked
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Speaker 1: out as Superman, ready to communicate the gospel to a
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Speaker 1: new generation. Superman, you see, is a Christ figure, quote unquote,
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Speaker 1: a Christ figure. who is peculiarly adapted to conveying the
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Speaker 1: Christian message to generations raised on Sesame Street, cartoons and
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Speaker 1: superhero action figures. So on this day, the pastor was
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Speaker 1: poised to begin his instruction in a new series on
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Speaker 1: how to leap over discouragement. How to overcome doubts. defeat odds,
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Speaker 1: and rise from the ashes as Superman had on many occasions.
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Speaker 1: Spiritual feats of this magnitude seem much more likely, wouldn't
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Speaker 1: you agree, when prompted by the sight of resplendent Superman
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Speaker 1: in his red tights and regalia? Some of you are
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Speaker 1: trying to picture me in red tights and regalia coming in. Please.
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Speaker 1: This is a video-crazed, image-driven, picture-conscious culture. Dr. Wells writes...
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Speaker 1: not a literate one. Our minds are entirely inert, lifeless,
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Speaker 1: and useless until prodded into action by the sight of
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Speaker 1: something eye-popping. Images are the fuel that, when injected into
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Speaker 1: the motor, kick it all into life. Without them, our
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Speaker 1: minds are as limp as deflated balloons. Well, that at
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Speaker 1: least is the theory invoked by those who want to
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Speaker 1: do stunts like this. Is this an anecdote plucked from
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Speaker 1: an obscure part of the evangelical vineyard in America, he asks?
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Speaker 1: Did it really happen? Is it so bizarre as to
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Speaker 1: be unrepresentative? This incident actually happened in a church that
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Speaker 1: received a Rick Warren Award for Church of the Year. Besides,
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Speaker 1: this opting of showbiz, still reading, this opting of showbiz,
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Speaker 1: this transformation of Christianity into entertainment is rapidly becoming the
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Speaker 1: norm today, not the exception. Pastors are straining to outdo
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Speaker 1: each other in becoming as chic and slick as any
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Speaker 1: show in Las Vegas. Now, a little disclaimer here. I
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Speaker 1: love Rick Warren. I've known Rick for years. Rick was
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Speaker 1: in my class when I was teaching preaching at Talbot
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Speaker 1: Seminary years ago. Sharp, bright, very competent young man. Still
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Speaker 1: very keen. God's using him. This is not about Rick Warren.
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Speaker 1: This is about what's happening in the church today. Listen
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Speaker 1: to me, men and women. This is about being set
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Speaker 1: up for all kinds of eroding experiences rather than being
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Speaker 1: riveted to the truth of God that holds us responsible.
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Speaker 1: No matter what you may be told, What bothers me
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Speaker 1: is the tasteless re-imaging of holy things. Repeat. What bothers
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Speaker 1: me is the tasteless re-imaging of holy things. No matter
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Speaker 1: what you may be told, what we're seeing is the
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Speaker 1: deliberate dumbing down of historic Christianity into a shallow level
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Speaker 1: to keep the people coming and to keep the entertainment going.
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Speaker 1: That's why screens dance with activity. That's why you never
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Speaker 1: have a break for silence. Keep the show going. It's
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Speaker 1: all about the show or they won't be coming. After all,
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Speaker 1: it's a television age. We need to appeal to what
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Speaker 1: they're used to. Their attention spans are just short 50.
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Speaker 1: maybe 10-minute segments, and then they need a commercial. Really?
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Speaker 1: Who's they? How insulting to you who think, who have brains.
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Speaker 1: who love Jesus deeply and want to grow in him,
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Speaker 1: who have a respect for his word that can hardly
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Speaker 1: be built into terms. Worst of all, it dulls the
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Speaker 1: edge of discernment. It fuels the appetite for gullibility. Gullibility,
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Speaker 1: if you question that, look at the size of churches
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Speaker 1: that entertain They're often massive, which means nothing. Size means nothing.
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Speaker 1: As Junior used to say in Hee Haw, if it
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Speaker 1: meant something, a cow could outrun a rabbit. Size don't
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Speaker 1: mean nothing. Don't ever be impressed by size. Believe it
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Speaker 1: or not, it is that erosion which concerned the Apostle
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Speaker 1: John in the first century. Amazing, huh? I found myself
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Speaker 1: this week saying, John, if I could possibly bring you back,
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Speaker 1: I'd like to introduce you to what you described. I'd
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Speaker 1: like you to see it in spades. Click, click, click.
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Speaker 1: The passage we're looking at calls a spade a spade.
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Speaker 1: John is not interested in winning friends and influencing people.
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Speaker 1: He's not concerned about making you feel good, thank God.
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Speaker 1: He's concerned about communicating the truth. If the truth helps
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Speaker 1: you feel great, wonderful. But if you need to hear
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Speaker 1: what you want to hear, you're moving in the wrong
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Speaker 1: direction and erosion is already happening. We bow before the
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Speaker 1: authority of the word and we meet immediately two commands.
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Speaker 1: The first is negative and the second is positive. I
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Speaker 1: provided you with an outline that you can follow. They
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Speaker 1: are serious commands we are to obey. Please observe the
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Speaker 1: first one very briefly. Do not believe every spirit. Oh, wait,
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Speaker 1: I missed a word. Beloved. Beloved. What does that mean?
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Speaker 1: It's written to believers. If you don't know Christ, what
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Speaker 1: I'm going to be saying will be nonsense to you.
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Speaker 1: It will be, as Paul used the word, moronic. I mean,
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Speaker 1: I'll sound like a dinosaur. I'll be so irrelevant and
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Speaker 1: out of touch you'll think, boy, Chuck, get into the
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Speaker 1: 21st century. I'm in it. I live in it. I read, beloved,
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Speaker 1: for believers, do not believe every In fact, it's called
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Speaker 1: a present imperative, stop believing every spirit. So some, to
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Speaker 1: whom John wrote, were already believing him. Whatever came down
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Speaker 1: the pike, yeah, that sounds great. Whatever the preacher said, yeah,
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Speaker 1: that sounds good. This visiting itinerant prophet would come in, yeah,
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Speaker 1: that's good. Have you heard it? He's got a voice
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Speaker 1: like a thousand Niagara Falls. This guy is incredible. Let
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Speaker 1: me listen to him. Wait. Don't believe every spirit. John
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Speaker 1: has already talked about love, and he said love needs
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Speaker 1: to be discriminant. You're to love God with your whole heart.
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Speaker 1: You're to love one another. Absolutely. In the family of God, absolutely.
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Speaker 1: But you're not to love everything. Charles Rivey was right
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Speaker 1: when he said love is like a river, and it
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Speaker 1: flows between the banks of truth and discernment. However, when
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Speaker 1: it floods and leaves those banks... It becomes a dangerous thing.
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Speaker 1: Your love must be discerning. You can't give your love
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Speaker 1: to the world. He has a whole section on don't
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Speaker 1: love the world or the things in the world. If
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Speaker 1: anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
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Speaker 1: not in it. Meaning, love must be discriminant. Well, if
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Speaker 1: love must be discriminant, so must faith. So, don't believe
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Speaker 1: every spirit. We have an everyday saying that says, don't
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Speaker 1: believe everything you see or hear. Remember the teacher who
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Speaker 1: used to say, put your thinking cap on. My mom
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Speaker 1: or my dad used to say, look before you leap.
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Speaker 1: Don't believe everything you hear. Think of it this way.
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Speaker 1: Everyone who is teaching is a mouthpiece for either truth
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Speaker 1: or error. Every individual represents the spirit of truth or
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Speaker 1: the spirit of error. When you speak for the spirit
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Speaker 1: of truth, you are representing the living God. When you
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Speaker 1: speak error, you are representing the adversary himself. Everyone who
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Speaker 1: teaches is either representing truth or error, so don't believe
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Speaker 1: every spirit. But test the spirits. Here's the second command.
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Speaker 1: Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.
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Speaker 1: You know what this calls for? I call it the moment.
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Speaker 1: And I think of a Doberman Pinscher. If you have
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Speaker 1: a Doberman Pinscher, you don't even need an illustration. But
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Speaker 1: those of us who don't, maybe do. I've never seen
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Speaker 1: a lazy Doberman Pinscher. Yawning, sounds in the night. Oh,
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Speaker 1: I'm not going to worry with that. Man, I got
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Speaker 1: a full tummy in. I'm not going to get up.
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Speaker 1: Light goes by. I'm not going to. Well, good night.
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Speaker 1: Who cares? Lots of traffic on this road. You know
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Speaker 1: what Dobermans do? Their ears and their eyes. They will
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Speaker 1: look through steel. We got a call one night years ago.
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Speaker 1: Insight for Living had been... vandalized and they called us
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Speaker 1: and we went down there middle of the night and
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Speaker 1: the officers were there with canines always loved it to
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Speaker 1: watch this work because i love hunting and i and
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Speaker 1: i love hounds and so he happened to have a
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Speaker 1: doberman and this room was dark okay it's two in
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Speaker 1: the morning and uh there's somebody in there but you
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Speaker 1: can't see him because it's dark this doberman is like
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Speaker 1: And all he needs is gold. And he, boom, is
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Speaker 1: in that room like lightning. I say, is he afraid
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Speaker 1: of anything? He says, no, he's a Doberman. Cop tells
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Speaker 1: me that. No, he's a Doberman. And I hear, I'm thinking, oh, Lord,
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Speaker 1: right now. That turned into, why? Because he discerned a problem.
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Speaker 1: Test the spirits. Test the spirits. See if it's truth.
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Speaker 1: Don't go by crowds. Don't go by titles. Don't go
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Speaker 1: by letters after names. Don't go by beauty of the robe.
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Speaker 1: Don't go by the collar. Don't go by name or tradition.
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Speaker 1: Don't go by any of that. Go by the book.
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Speaker 1: The book. The word of God is what he's saying
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Speaker 1: true to the word. You say, good night, Chuck. That's
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Speaker 1: kind of narrow, isn't it? Well, let's see. Hold on
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Speaker 1: and go back to Acts chapter 17, okay? Let's go
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Speaker 1: back there. Acts 17. You'll see it's not narrow. It's
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Speaker 1: really noble-minded. Paul is on a journey. He's been to
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Speaker 1: several places, and now verse 10 tells us, that the
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Speaker 1: brothers immediately sent him and Silas away. I'm in Acts 17, 10.
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Speaker 1: Please look. They sent Paul and Silas away by night
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Speaker 1: to Berea. Ah, watch closely. And when they arrived, they
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Speaker 1: went into the synagogue of the Jews. Okay. Now, these
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Speaker 1: were more noble, not narrow people, These were more noble-minded
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Speaker 1: than those in Thessalonica. That's where they had just been,
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Speaker 1: who apparently were more gullible. Whatever came down the pike,
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Speaker 1: they were ready to take it, latch onto it. These
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Speaker 1: were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. Why? For, see
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Speaker 1: the little connective? That's the explanatory connective, because, for, what?
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Speaker 1: Because they welcomed the word with great eagerness. See, they
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Speaker 1: weren't suspicious of everything. They welcomed the word, but then
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Speaker 1: they examined the scriptures daily to see whether these things
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Speaker 1: were so. Anakrino is a word that means to sift
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Speaker 1: up and down to make a careful and exacting search.
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Speaker 1: They searched. Is this what Isaiah is teaching? Is this
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Speaker 1: what David meant when he wrote this psalm? Paul is
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Speaker 1: very effective. Is that what Moses was saying? Does that
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Speaker 1: square with the scriptures? They were more noble minded because
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Speaker 1: they examined the scriptures daily to see if those things
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Speaker 1: were so. It is the word of God that guides us.
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Speaker 1: Don't believe it because I said it. Believe it because
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Speaker 1: it can be backed up in the scriptures. So when
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Speaker 1: you listen, just all on your own, go. Okay. Watch
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Speaker 1: those little ears perk up. Why? It's called discerning. You're
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Speaker 1: testing the spirit to see if it's truth or error.
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Speaker 1: On your way back, go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. See,
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Speaker 1: you compare scripture with scripture to determine the truth. 1
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Speaker 1: Thessalonians 5, 18 through 21. Or 19 to 21. Do
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Speaker 1: not quench the spirit. Okay. Do not despise prophetic utterances.
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Speaker 1: So what does that mean? It means don't turn off
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Speaker 1: every preacher because many are false. It says don't despise
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Speaker 1: prophetic utterances. Okay. But what? There's a connective contrast. See
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Speaker 1: the word but? Rather than despising prophetic utterances... Examine everything carefully.
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Speaker 1: Hold fast to that which is good. See the word examine?
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Speaker 1: It's the same Greek word back in 1 John 4,
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Speaker 1: 1 rendered test. Test the spirit. Dakimazo. It's a wonderful word.
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Speaker 1: It means to make a critical analysis to determine the
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Speaker 1: genuineness of something for the purpose of approving it. to
31:58
Speaker 1: make a critical analysis to determine the genuineness of something
32:02
Speaker 1: for the purpose of approving it. A gemologist will look
32:07
Speaker 1: at a diamond and make a decision, or a decision. Sorry,
32:14
Speaker 1: I got my words mixed up, my decision. He's looking
32:17
Speaker 1: as if, anyway, the diamond, is it real? Is it clear?
32:21
Speaker 1: Is it number four? Is it number three? Is it yellow?
32:24
Speaker 1: Is it almost white? Is it clear? Is it white? Whatever, whatever.
32:28
Speaker 1: He's making a critical examination to determine the genuineness of
32:34
Speaker 1: it for the purpose of approving it. But we're not
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Speaker 1: working with gems. We're working with message, truth, error. Back
32:42
Speaker 1: to 1 John 4, verse 1. Why do we do this?
32:52
Speaker 1: Why do I urge you to be discerning believers? Why
32:55
Speaker 1: do I ask you to perk up, pay attention, Don't sleep.
33:00
Speaker 1: Why do I urge you to be testing the Spirit?
33:05
Speaker 1: See the word because in the middle of verse 1?
33:08
Speaker 1: That's a term that introduces a reason. Very helpful literary clue.
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Speaker 1: Because many pseudo-prophetites, pseudo-prophets, many false prophets have gone out
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Speaker 1: into the world. All of a sudden, we remember our
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Speaker 1: Lord's prediction. Matthew 24, 11, many false prophets will arise
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Speaker 1: and mislead many. It's the end of the first century
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Speaker 1: when John writes. It was around 30, AD 30, when
33:45
Speaker 1: Jesus said what he did. And here we are in
33:48
Speaker 1: 60 years or so. 70 years almost. And already there
33:56
Speaker 1: are many prophets, a fulfillment of exactly what Jesus said.
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Speaker 1: Now to make matters more confusing, stay with me. The
34:15
Speaker 1: enemy of our souls can speak through the clergy. People
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Speaker 1: who were once trusted People who believed the truth, stood
34:29
Speaker 1: for the truth, and if there was anybody in the
34:31
Speaker 1: community you could rely on, it was the person with
34:33
Speaker 1: the collar. It was the clergy. No longer. Well, how
34:42
Speaker 1: do I know the difference? We'll get to that in
34:44
Speaker 1: a moment. But I want you to let the haunting
34:48
Speaker 1: thought of that sink in. When I happened to be
34:53
Speaker 1: in the military, we had chaplains Who were responsible for
34:57
Speaker 1: the outfit. And I knew one who knew Christ. The
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Speaker 1: rest of them could drink you under the table. The
35:07
Speaker 1: rest of them could cuss like a sailor. But they
35:10
Speaker 1: wore the collar. They were false prophets. The one that
35:16
Speaker 1: spoke the truth. The general on our island sent him
35:20
Speaker 1: off the island. He couldn't take the truth.
35:22
Speaker 2: Why?
35:24
Speaker 1: Why? Because he didn't like hearing what was said in
35:27
Speaker 1: the chapel on Sunday morning. True prophets tell you what
35:33
Speaker 1: you need to hear. False prophets tell you what you
35:37
Speaker 1: want to hear. One more turn, will you? 2 Corinthians 11.
35:45
Speaker 1: It's really worth it. 2 Corinthians 11. Verse 13 through
35:54
Speaker 1: verse 15. 2 Corinthians 11, 13. Paul is defending himself
36:05
Speaker 1: because there are those who have taken their shots at
36:09
Speaker 1: him for being not what he claims to be. And
36:13
Speaker 1: he says of those men, such men, 2 Corinthians 11, 13,
36:18
Speaker 1: such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, look closely, disguising
36:25
Speaker 1: themselves as apostles of Christ. And before your jaw drops
36:30
Speaker 1: down in your chest, Paul says, no wonder. For even
36:36
Speaker 1: Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. What? An
36:48
Speaker 1: angel of light. Well, I thought he was this little
36:53
Speaker 1: guy in a red suit with a pitchfork that whispered
36:56
Speaker 1: nasty little things in this ear and This little white
36:59
Speaker 1: creature with wings, whispers sweet little things in his ear. Nonsense.
37:04
Speaker 1: He wants you to think that. He is an angel
37:09
Speaker 1: of light. His specialty is subtlety. He is brilliant. The
37:17
Speaker 1: little kid in the red suit can't fool anybody. Everybody
37:22
Speaker 1: knows it's an imp. Nothing to it. That's exactly what
37:26
Speaker 1: he wants you to believe. But a person who's suave
37:33
Speaker 1: and appealing and attractive and winsome and educated and can
37:40
Speaker 1: deliver a message that can hold you on the edge
37:43
Speaker 1: of your seat, that's his man. See what he says? Therefore,
37:48
Speaker 1: it's not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as
37:53
Speaker 1: servants of righteousness whose end will be according to their deeds.
37:57
Speaker 1: You've got it right there. I don't know if you've
38:00
Speaker 1: read C.S. Lewis much, but years ago he wrote a
38:03
Speaker 1: terrific satire called The Screwtape Letters. In it, the senior
38:10
Speaker 1: demon named Screwtape is mentoring the junior demon named Wormwood. Now,
38:18
Speaker 1: wait a minute. You've got to reverse everything when you
38:20
Speaker 1: read The Screwtape Letters because in The Screwtape Letters, the
38:25
Speaker 1: devil is the champion and the Christian is the enemy.
38:30
Speaker 1: So all the way through this brilliant piece of writing, C.S.
38:33
Speaker 1: Lewis has you think of their world as they see it. Now,
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Speaker 1: I'm breaking into a conversation between Screwtape and Wormwood. Quote,
38:47
Speaker 1: Screwtape says to Wormwood, the fact that devils are predominantly
38:51
Speaker 1: comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If
38:57
Speaker 1: any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in
39:01
Speaker 1: his mind, meaning the Christian's mind, suggest to him a
39:05
Speaker 1: picture of something in red tights and persuade him that
39:11
Speaker 1: since he cannot believe in that, he therefore cannot believe
39:15
Speaker 1: in you. Brilliant. Brilliant counterfeit. 1 John chapter 4. How
39:30
Speaker 1: do I know whether it's truth or error? Doesn't that
39:33
Speaker 1: seem to be a logical question? Why? What's the way
39:38
Speaker 1: of finding this out? What's the ticket? What's the secret? Well,
39:43
Speaker 1: by this you know. Look at how great the Bible is.
39:46
Speaker 1: Verse 2 begins, with a statement that says, here's how
39:49
Speaker 1: you can know. By this you know the Spirit of God, colon.
39:56
Speaker 1: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in
40:01
Speaker 1: the flesh is from God. Remember, it's about Jesus. The
40:07
Speaker 1: litmus test is theological. Does this person who's delivering this
40:13
Speaker 1: teaching confess Jesus as God incarnate? Does he see Christ
40:20
Speaker 1: as deity? Does he represent the Lord Jesus Christ predominantly
40:27
Speaker 1: and that he is God in human flesh? And does
40:30
Speaker 1: he profess his or her own faith in the Son
40:34
Speaker 1: of God personally? That's the litmus test. Check out the cults.
40:40
Speaker 1: Talk to the leaders. Talk to the followers. They will
40:43
Speaker 1: not declare that Jesus is deity. They will, in fact,
40:46
Speaker 1: stand against it. They will have very convincing arguments and
40:54
Speaker 1: they will even use scripture, I should say half verses,
40:57
Speaker 1: to prove their point. Because they are not of the
41:03
Speaker 1: Spirit of God. That's how you can tell the difference.
41:10
Speaker 1: Now let verse 3 say what it says. Let's not
41:13
Speaker 1: try to change it. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus,
41:19
Speaker 1: meaning Jesus is God, is not from God. This is
41:25
Speaker 1: the spirit of the Antichrist of which you have heard
41:29
Speaker 1: that it is coming and now is already in the world.
41:36
Speaker 1: Indeed it is, John. That verse is politically incorrect. One
41:46
Speaker 1: of the reasons I love it. It's a wonderful verse
41:49
Speaker 1: of scripture. Why? Because it's narrow. Every spirit that refuses
41:57
Speaker 1: to acknowledge Jesus as God is of the enemy. Mark
42:02
Speaker 1: it down. There may be crowds. There may be all
42:06
Speaker 1: kinds of following. There may be a convincing message. I mean,
42:11
Speaker 1: it may be appealing and it may It may just
42:15
Speaker 1: draw on your emotions. Is it representing Jesus as God?
42:19
Speaker 1: Is Jesus God? Is the Lord Jesus Christ the preeminent one?
42:25
Speaker 1: Predominating the message. It isn't about the speaker. It's about Christ.
42:32
Speaker 1: Will you never forget that the church is the earthly
42:35
Speaker 1: custodian of biblical truth. It is both our mandate and
42:42
Speaker 1: our mission as a church to support the truth of
42:47
Speaker 1: the scriptures. We are not a cafeteria offering Christianity light.
42:56
Speaker 1: We are not an entertainment center that appeals to the
42:59
Speaker 1: consumer's likes and dislikes. I appreciate the way one man
43:04
Speaker 1: put it. In an age of entertainment such as our
43:08
Speaker 1: age in the West, We have to be funny, engaging, likable,
43:13
Speaker 1: and light to succeed. So seriousness must be banished. Preserve
43:19
Speaker 1: the taste, but cut the calories. This matches the change
43:25
Speaker 1: Miller Brewing Company made from regular beer to Miller Lite
43:30
Speaker 1: when Americans became more weight conscious. Regular Christianity may now think,
43:36
Speaker 1: many now think, does not go down easily and smoothly.
43:39
Speaker 1: Christianity light does. There's really no end to the innovations
43:44
Speaker 1: that are possible as churches think of different ways to
43:47
Speaker 1: attract and accommodate consumers. Next week we'll do this. The
43:54
Speaker 1: following week we'll do that. Come, see the show. And
43:59
Speaker 1: you will not grow spiritually. Well, We have to say
44:09
Speaker 1: something about the followers. And he does. Let me show
44:15
Speaker 1: you something. You need to circle in your Bible. Beginning
44:17
Speaker 1: of verse 4, you. Beginning of verse 5, they. Beginning
44:23
Speaker 1: of verse 6, we. Verse 6 obviously brings John in
44:27
Speaker 1: the picture. You would be the audience, the congregation, the
44:31
Speaker 1: people to whom John was ministering. You are from God.
44:34
Speaker 1: He's not afraid to say it, nor am I afraid
44:37
Speaker 1: to say it. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ
44:40
Speaker 1: as your Savior, your Master, the God of your life,
44:43
Speaker 1: you are from God. You are from God, little children,
44:49
Speaker 1: and you have overcome them. Who's them? The vast number
44:53
Speaker 1: of those who aren't from God, those who intimidate, those
44:57
Speaker 1: who make you fearful. Look at that great promise, because
45:00
Speaker 1: greater is he who is in you than he who
45:02
Speaker 1: is in the world. What does that mean? The Spirit
45:05
Speaker 1: of God within you is greater than any force that
45:07
Speaker 1: can come up against you. Greater force than any other
45:11
Speaker 1: force on the planet. You alone represent a greater force
45:17
Speaker 1: of divine power than a whole room full of those
45:21
Speaker 1: who do not have the Savior. Greater is he who
45:24
Speaker 1: is in you than he who is in the world.
45:27
Speaker 1: So that's the you. Now he says they, verse 5. They,
45:35
Speaker 1: those who don't know the Savior, who don't acknowledge Jesus,
45:38
Speaker 1: as Lord, are from the world. Therefore, they speak as
45:41
Speaker 1: from the world, and the world listens to them. They
45:44
Speaker 1: talk to themselves. They are in agreement. If they're in
45:47
Speaker 1: the academic world, the academic world agrees with them. If
45:50
Speaker 1: they're in the intelligentsia, intelligentsia agrees. If they're scientists, the
45:53
Speaker 1: scientists agree with them. And you let one voice of
45:56
Speaker 1: Christianity emerge, and it's like, who does he think he is?
46:00
Speaker 1: The guy is out to lunch. There's a whole raft
46:04
Speaker 1: of the majority saying that. And here this one individual
46:07
Speaker 1: has greater power within him than all of those who
46:09
Speaker 1: are in the world. But there are many of them.
46:12
Speaker 1: In fact, far more in number. God's work is always
46:16
Speaker 1: with the remnant. Always in the minority. So we are
46:21
Speaker 1: from God and he who knows God listens to us.
46:25
Speaker 1: What a great comfort. That's why those who listen who
46:29
Speaker 1: don't know Christ are turned off by what I say.
46:32
Speaker 1: Or what any preacher says that stands for the truth.
46:37
Speaker 1: it's beyond them to sit through it. But those who
46:40
Speaker 1: love it say, give it to us, teach us. In fact,
46:45
Speaker 1: Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me.
46:48
Speaker 1: He even added, I know my own and my own
46:51
Speaker 1: know me. John 10, 14. Those who are from, we
46:56
Speaker 1: who are from God, We are the ones who listen,
47:00
Speaker 1: and God listens to us. We know God. He knows us.
47:04
Speaker 1: He who is not from God does not listen to us.
47:07
Speaker 1: By this we know the spirit of truth and the
47:09
Speaker 1: spirit of error. Now I'm ready for the principle. If
47:12
Speaker 1: you miss everything else, don't miss this. Please write it down.
47:16
Speaker 1: Here is the principle that is essential to remember. When
47:21
Speaker 1: you are searching for truth, when you are searching for truth,
47:29
Speaker 1: Listen carefully to the one who is teaching and look
47:34
Speaker 1: closely at those who are following. When searching for the truth,
47:45
Speaker 1: listen carefully to the one who is teaching. I might add,
47:49
Speaker 1: listen to what is said and what is not said.
47:52
Speaker 1: Listen to what is conveniently left out. Listen to the wording.
47:57
Speaker 1: Listen to the subtle phrases. Listen to the implications. Listen. Listen.
48:08
Speaker 1: And then look at those who are following. They got
48:13
Speaker 1: their Bibles. They following along. They serious about their faith.
48:19
Speaker 1: They sharing Christ. They in the battle. You'll be able
48:24
Speaker 1: to tell. Now, without wanting to sound like the prophet
48:29
Speaker 1: of doom, I close with six statements that are my credo.
48:35
Speaker 1: Find a place. If you want to write them down,
48:37
Speaker 1: you don't have to. I just wrote them yesterday. They're
48:39
Speaker 1: not inspired. Okay? So here's what I really believe. Number one,
48:49
Speaker 1: we're living in treacherous times. Well, duh. Scripture predicts it.
48:57
Speaker 1: we're living in them. We're living in treacherous times too.
49:01
Speaker 1: Discernment plays a vital role in surviving treacherous times. Discernment
49:08
Speaker 1: plays a vital role in surviving treacherous times. I'm not
49:14
Speaker 1: worried about method here as much as I'm worried about
49:16
Speaker 1: the body of truth. There are all different ways of
49:19
Speaker 1: presenting truth and all different kinds of interesting ways of
49:22
Speaker 1: presenting it. I'm not down on one method or down
49:25
Speaker 1: on another. I'm against whatever waters down the truth and
49:28
Speaker 1: takes the time and attention from the word of God.
49:32
Speaker 1: So discernment plays a vital role in our survival. Three,
49:36
Speaker 1: it gets more complicated. Historical roots and doctrinal truths must
49:44
Speaker 1: continue to be valued and embraced. Historical roots and doctrinal
49:52
Speaker 1: truths must continue to be valued and embraced. Times will change,
50:00
Speaker 1: not truth. Methods will change, not history. Here's the tough one.
50:09
Speaker 1: Number four. Each generation of believers has a serious responsibility.
50:18
Speaker 1: Each generation of believers has a serious responsibility. To do what?
50:25
Speaker 1: Don't miss this. To forge out its beliefs anchored in
50:33
Speaker 1: the unchanging doctrines laid out in the scriptures. Each generation
50:39
Speaker 1: has a serious responsibility. What is it? To forge out
50:44
Speaker 1: our beliefs anchored in the unchanging doctrines laid out in
50:50
Speaker 1: the scriptures, which do not change and do not lie.
51:01
Speaker 1: I pause for a little application. Are you forging out yours?
51:06
Speaker 1: If you have, do your children know it? If they do,
51:11
Speaker 1: do their children know it? God has no grandchildren. He
51:18
Speaker 1: just has children. Maybe you blew it with your family. Well,
51:25
Speaker 1: you've got grandkids now. Go there. Maybe you don't have
51:29
Speaker 1: a family. You've got friends, don't you? Forge out what
51:33
Speaker 1: you believe based on the unchanging doctrines of what's set
51:38
Speaker 1: forth in the unchanging scriptures. Number five. It is the
51:41
Speaker 1: job of the church's leaders to guide and guard the church.
51:48
Speaker 1: It is the job of the church's leaders to guide
51:51
Speaker 1: and to guard the ministry. We guide it by making
51:57
Speaker 1: sure that we are moving in the right direction. We
52:00
Speaker 1: are maintaining a balance between intake and output. We are
52:05
Speaker 1: reaching out to the lost. We are feeding the saved.
52:08
Speaker 1: We are modeling lives of Christ-like character. We are dealing
52:12
Speaker 1: with those who must be dealt with. We are facing
52:15
Speaker 1: error whenever it arises. It's our job to guide the
52:19
Speaker 1: church in that direction. Second, to guard it. It means
52:22
Speaker 1: we watch over what is being taught. Who teaches what?
52:27
Speaker 1: We stand against those who would sabotage the church. We
52:31
Speaker 1: don't hesitate to stand against them. It's an unhappy and
52:35
Speaker 1: it's an unpopular decision to make, but you gotta make
52:38
Speaker 1: it or the church isn't guarded. We react wisely and
52:43
Speaker 1: forthrightly when we encounter spiritual predators. That is my job.
52:49
Speaker 1: That is the job of our elders. That is the
52:52
Speaker 1: role of our teachers. That is what we do. I
52:56
Speaker 1: think of it in the daytime. I dream of it
52:59
Speaker 1: at night. It is my passion 365, 24 seven. It
53:06
Speaker 1: is my passion to guard and guide this church in
53:13
Speaker 1: the way I'm convinced it should go. Number six, finally,
53:18
Speaker 1: you'll be glad to hear finally. Finally, A strong and
53:23
Speaker 1: healthy church today is no guarantee of a strong and
53:28
Speaker 1: healthy church. Next word. Tomorrow. Good for you. We may
53:35
Speaker 1: be right on the money right now. Oh, we've got areas.
53:38
Speaker 1: We've got areas we deal with. I mean, we're people,
53:41
Speaker 1: aren't we? There will always be something. Gilda Radner was right.
53:45
Speaker 1: It's always something. It's always something. But today's strength is
53:55
Speaker 1: not tomorrow's strength unless what we do today has tomorrow
54:01
Speaker 1: in mind. And what we do tomorrow fits what we
54:06
Speaker 1: did yesterday and the day before. Consistently standing for the truth.
54:14
Speaker 1: You're a patient body of people. Bow with me, please.
54:21
Speaker 1: Thank you, Father, for trust. Thank you that you have
54:26
Speaker 1: never broken a promise. Thank you that you've never said
54:32
Speaker 1: something you didn't mean. You've never predicted any error. You've
54:40
Speaker 1: never manipulated us. You've never gone back on what you
54:45
Speaker 1: said earlier. Thank you for trust. Make us people like that.
54:53
Speaker 1: Where we have failed, may we be quick to admit it.
54:58
Speaker 1: Where we have been passive, permitting error, may we stop
55:03
Speaker 1: that nonsense and become passionate, concerned, decisive, forthcoming, full of conviction,
55:14
Speaker 1: done in love, but done. And may this church continue
55:20
Speaker 1: to be a model Of what your word teaches. I
55:26
Speaker 1: commit that. Lord to the rest of my life. I
55:30
Speaker 1: commit myself to that. And we as a body do
55:32
Speaker 1: the same. In the matchless name of Jesus. Our savior.
55:40
Speaker 1: Our master. Everyone said. Amen.
55:46
Speaker 2: The preceding message. Distinguishing truth from error. And the sound recording.
55:52
Speaker 2: were copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R.
55:54
Speaker 1: Swindoll, Inc.
55:56
Speaker 2: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
56:01
Speaker 2: commercial use is strictly prohibited.