Latest / Simply Christ Podcast / The Study of the Book of Colossians Part 1 - Simply Christ Podcast

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The Study of the Book of Colossians Part 1 - Simply Christ Podcast · Simply Christ Podcast

0:07
Welcome back to the Simply Christ podcast hosted by Leon
0:10
Martin, along with Aaron Keaton, Melvin Martin, Andrew Schrock
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and Dan Blatz. Let's get right to it.
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Sounds good. We're going to kick this thing
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off couple minutes late, little bit of technical difficulties,
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but we'll make it work. So welcome tonight to the
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webinar Bible Study, Face Movement Trees.
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You guys can obviously, like I always say, check out previous
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episodes at Simply Christ Ministries.
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We got our website there with links to all the different media
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that we put out and produce from this podcast and it's a lot of
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fun. We have been started off going
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through the book of Hebrews and then we did a bunch of subjects
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ending with the works of the Holy Spirit kinda, and we
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decided that we're going to go through the book of Colossians
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kind of short and sweet and packed full of stuff that would
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pertain to Christians. I think in today's world
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especially probably, but I'm sure it's for everybody and at
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all times here, but pretty relevant, I think.
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So before we get started though, I'm going to open up with a word
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of prayer. God, we love you.
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We thank you that you have made a way for us by the blood of
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Jesus God. We thank you that you didn't
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leave us, You didn't forsake us, but you.
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Kept us. And by the power of your word,
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you say and the God we just tonight as we look at Your word,
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pray that you would guide us, lead us, give us clear minds and
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that we could speak Your word forth accurately.
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And God, I just agree that you would give our audience open
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ears that they can hear and understand your word.
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God, just pray for your blessing upon tonight's study in Jesus
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name. All righty.
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So in general, and I'll let you go ahead on on your thoughts on
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this, but generally speaking, kind of overview of the book of
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Colossians. This is a book that was written
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by Paul while he was, if I understand it right, he was in
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prison and he was writing to the church there.
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And some of the things that these guys were struggling with,
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as you can see by what he writes in the letter, is legalism,
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maybe a little bit that kind of works banks out it.
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He was convincing them of the sufficiency of Christ and also
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some mysticism maybe. Angel worship, actually.
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In a sense, I don't know what you think about this, but just
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listening through it multiple times today as I was driving, it
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entered my mind that it's actually a kind of a condensed
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version of the book of Hebrews in a in a sense, it hits a lot
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of the kind of same topics. And I guess it would because
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it's the same author, while some people think it's the same
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author anyway. So.
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But a very good book, condensed, packaged and ready to devour.
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So Andrew, any other thoughts on the Book of Colossians?
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It's one of my favorite books because I got safe studying the
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book of Colossians. So obviously I'm pretty biased
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to this book. It's changed my life.
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I think it's a really good book if you're kind of caught up in
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the like in the Judaism or just works like man made traditions.
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He talks a lot about traditions in here and especially in
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chapter 2 where he talks about how that it's he kind of exposes
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what it really is. He says, yeah, it has a show of
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wisdom and world worship it. It looks good before man.
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It looks like you're not honoring or satisfying the
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flesh, which got me all excited when I was studying it, thinking
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I finally found the verses that support my Amish lifestyle.
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See, it's not in any honor to satisfy this flag or it looks
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good. It's humble until I realized
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that it's a negative. So it's a really good book if
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you're caught up in works. And he spends a lot of time in
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wanting us to have some spiritual wisdom, spiritual
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understanding. He prays that we would
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continually grow in knowledge and spiritual understanding.
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Paul is convinced if we get to know the sufficiency and the
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completion in the work of Christ, that is going to change
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our life and it's going to bring forth much fruit.
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He uses that word fruit, a lot of fruit.
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And the way that the fruit is going to come about in his mind,
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which is God's mind is if we understand.
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So I was just thinking today, if I know I have, if the only water
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source that I know of is 2 miles down the road down a steep bank
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in a big hole, and I have to go down there and draw out water
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and carry it on my back and bring it all the way back.
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But then I find out there's a well down this little path that
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is up above my house and I could just pipe it down.
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I would obviously take that route.
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But if I don't know it, I don't take advantage of it.
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So that's kind of the way I would look at it with the book
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of Colossians. God is saying, look, the reason
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you're in bondage, the reason you're guilty, your conscience
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is bothered, your conscience is defiled.
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It's because you don't understand.
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So remember the woman at the well, God was like, I'll give
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you water, you know, I'll give you water.
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I'll put a well inside you and you go, man, that sounds good.
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I want that. I don't have to come here and
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draw anymore. And that's what God is trying to
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still tell us today, is that I will put a well of water that
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never dries up inside of you so you don't have to go carry
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anymore. And it's, it's, it's, it's
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better, It's, it's complete. There's no more lacking.
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And I think that's the definition between law versus
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grace. Grace is someone led by the
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Spirit that performs, that produces a fruit that is should
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far exceed someone that is going down to the well and drawing out
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water. I don't know if you see what I'm
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trying to say there. And you know, that's kind of the
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overview that I get from the book of Colossians.
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It will free you up and you're no longer a slave.
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You're you're a follower of Jesus Christ and you worship Him
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in truth. Yeah, it's an excellent book.
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If you're sick of works and you're sick of doing things and
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doing religion, this thing will set you.
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Free it? Sure.
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Will good illustration, Andrew. Thank all Air.
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Yeah, I guess I I don't really, I hate to add what you all said.
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I think you both did a pretty good job of doing it.
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The thing I'll say I like about it is what you mentioned, Leon
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is I feel like it's it's it's so packed and yet it's such a short
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book. Like I'd feel like it is so
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crammed full of all these important details.
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He gives very clear gospel. He addresses, as you all already
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said, getting caught up in in the in the works of law.
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He ends it with some really good practical.
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This is how you have a good marriage.
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This is how you know, like it. It's just, I don't know, Like I
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said, it's just a great little book that's full of all kinds of
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of good gospel. Plus, like I said, kind of ends
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and and I'll say this. That's what I really appreciate
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about Paul's writings is he tells you, I know we've all said
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this, but are all heard it, but he tells you what to believe and
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then how you ought to be applying that at the end.
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And and it's just, I just appreciate the way he does that
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here as well. Yeah, that's exactly how he does
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it, Melvin. Yeah, I don't have a whole lot
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to say. I just want to say this.
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It seemed like Paul was probably when he wrote this, he might
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have been, you know, in the mood where he wasn't one to mess
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around. Like he got to the point, right.
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I mean, he lays it down right in a very short book.
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He I mean, this thing is so chock full.
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I like it touches legalism, it touches marriage, it touches
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mysticism. It it touches so many different
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things in this small. Book.
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And what I one of the things that stand out to me is he uses
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words like fullness in this book and complete and in him and, and
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all words like that that are just very empowering to
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believers of where we are in Christ and what it is, what it
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looks like, what our life looks like in Christ, right?
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And so that's what I appreciate about this book.
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Yes, absolutely gives us a good position.
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Damn. Yeah, the Book of Colossians is
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is pretty near and dear to my heart as well.
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I'm coming through clear enough. Yeah, Yeah.
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It was the the first time I was ever asked by someone to lead in
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a Bible study. I decided to go through the Book
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of Colossians and it was it was digging into it for the first
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time or really getting the context and, and looking at each
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verse and looking at each word and pulling it apart and then
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trying to expound on and expand on it to other people.
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It really had an effect on my own life.
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But just to see the supremacy of Christ, the the Christ hymn of
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chapter 1, how he's before all things by him, all things
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consist. He's really trying to elevate
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our thinking to not so naturally minded of touch, not taste, not
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handle, not he's trying to distract our mind away from
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being excited about making progress here on earth, but
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forgetting the things that are in heaven, right.
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So he he really sets our affection and our attention on
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things that are above as well. Obviously, see, but it was very
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impactful for me, said similar to Andrew, where after I became
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a Christian, I kind of got into some of this asceticism style of
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Christianity where I needed to deprive myself of all pleasure
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to stop any kind of fun activities fast as much as
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possible. I would feel guilty almost every
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time I ate just because I'm trying to be more humble, more
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godly, more sincere, more outwardly dedicated.
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And then I came to this revelation of Christ being
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sufficient and I'm complete and perfect in Him as as Melvin
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meant. And just to have my affection,
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my attention set on those things rather than on the touch.
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Not taste, not and a lot. It really left an impression on
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me for sure. Yeah, that's that's good.
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So good. All right, let's dig right into
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it. First 2 verses say this Paul an
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apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our
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brother, so very clear who it is and and who was written by to
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the Saints and the faithful brethren in Christ which are at
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Colossae. Grace be unto you and peace from
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God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And I'll let you draw anything out of there you want Andrew,
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but this is a, a pretty typical opening statement for Paul,
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isn't it? I, I love it.
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It's it's so good. Yeah, I'll start with Galatians
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1. He started out similar, but
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it'll it amplifies even more of what he's saying here where he
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says Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by
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Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the bed.
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And then a little further down, he says in verse 11, but I
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certify you brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me
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is not after man for I neither received it of man, neither was
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I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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The reason, the reason I want to know what Paul has to say is
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he's the last guy that Jesus Christ revealed his plan to
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before he went to heaven. The last guy, he's the last main
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convert that he lived and converted to Christianity in a
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very powerful way. And God, Jesus revealed the
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gospel to him in a mystery. He will say later and often in
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other books, he tells us about that mystery that is going to be
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revealed and that is revealed through him.
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Jesus Christ did something with Paul that he didn't do with any
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of the other apostles. That's very clear and very
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obvious. And I know a lot of us don't
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like to hear that, but it is true that Jesus Christ revealed
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the gospel to Paul in a way that Paul actually had to stand up to
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Peter and say, look, you're either in the gospel or you're
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not. Stop having your foot in each
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side here of the law and of grace.
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Like, you know, you're you're acting like you believe the
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gospel when certain people around and when other people
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come around, you're moved like make up your mind.
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And you know, Paul had more understanding and he got clear
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revelations straight from Jesus Christ.
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So I just think it's great how that we get to hear what Jesus
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Christ himself, not Peter, not Matthew, not Luke, not John, not
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some of the other disciples taught Paul.
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He goes further in Galatians saying how that he was not he
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didn't go up to Jerusalem and find the apostles previously to
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be taught. So when we're reading this book
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of Colossians, we're going through his this is
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understanding and revelation straight from Jesus Christ.
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And I think that is a very powerful thing to know.
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So when he's speaking going through here and talking about
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the completion that is in Christ, he didn't come up with
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that on his own. God told him and I that's that's
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solid man, so I'm excited. Yeah, that's right.
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Yep, Paul came that the gospel was delivered to him, it says in
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one spot. Yeah, but.
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Yeah, I, I don't really have anything really to add to it.
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Just I always appreciate how Paul wishes grace and peace all,
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all the people he's writing to. And, you know, I just, I guess
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he all, he basically always does that.
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But yeah, I guess I would just kind of, I don't know, I guess I
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would just try to use that as a, do we, do we feel that way?
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Like, 'cause I think he really had a heart for all the, all the
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churches that he preached at regardless, or all the places
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that he went to kind of regardless whatever their
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troubles was, even though he would be hard on them, you know,
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and I don't know, I just appreciate his, his care for all
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those people. You know he always wishes that
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grace and peace on him and. I just I think that's that's
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notable. Sure is.
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Yep, Melvin. Yeah, I just one thing I want to
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point out is what he uses, he's used the word Saints there he
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says to the Saints and the faithful brethren in Christ.
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There's another scripture in Corinthians where he says, he
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says on to the Church of God, which is at Corinth and to them
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that are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be Saints.
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And with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus
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Christ or lower both theirs and ours.
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So all of us that have called on the enigma Jesus for salvation
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and that are in Christ are Saints.
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And I think that's pretty noteworthy, I think, because a
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lot of people say, oh, I'm just, you know, a Sinner saved by
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grace and well, I'm you actually are a Saint.
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Paul uses that word another scripture as well in his
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openings. And that doesn't mean that we're
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going to live perfectly, right? I mean, the Bible says that we
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have tendencies to walk after the flesh, right?
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And we we should be walking after the Spirit.
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But I'd like to think that and appreciate what Paul says here
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and calls the believers that they are Saints and faithful
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brethren. Yeah.
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Right and. Yeah, I liked pointing out the
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fact that the apostle Paul thought it extraordinary that he
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would be considered an apostle. If you look at First Timothy
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chapter 2, seven, he says about the gospel, he says whereunto I
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am ordained A preacher and an apostle.
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And then he says in brackets or parentheses, he says I speak the
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truth in Christ and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles and
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faith and Verity. He he was kind of pushed into
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this position. He didn't do it of his own will.
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He was heading to Damascus for the opposite mission, and God
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took hold of him. Christ said, you know, it's hard
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for you to kick against the pricks.
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And he was drastically, radically converted and
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immediately given a mission and slowly given a revelation over
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the next several years about who God actually is and what Christ
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actually accomplished. Many Christians, it seems like,
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especially of the Mennonite sort, put a heavier emphasis on
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the Lord Jesus's teachings and on his word.
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And they would almost take the apostle Paul's words with a
18:19
grain of salt and say, OK, yes, but we got to make sure we we
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fit it together with Jesus's words.
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And we got to take, you know, Jesus's words are more
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important. And yet, like Andrew already
18:29
pointed out, this was a direct revelation from the Lord Jesus.
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God himself got a hold of Paul and gave him this mission.
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He didn't do it of his own will. He's an apostle by the will of
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God, an apostle meaning ascent, one God.
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Christ said to him, I'm going to show you what great things you
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must suffer for my name's sake, and how you're going to stand
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before kings and people that are in authority, and you're going
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to testify of me before many great men.
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And he was sent out into the Gentile nations for to be this
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great apostle. And it wasn't something that he
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willed like Andrew read in Galatians, not of men, neither
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by men. It was an extraordinary calling
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that he had upon his life. Not many people since that day
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would be able to say that they've been separated from
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their mother's womb to do a mission like this, like some of
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us feel very particularly called to a certain people group or
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whatever. But the apostle clearly like he
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caught, was caught up into the third heavens, saw things that
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were unlawful for him to speak of, and and he had a clear
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concise revelation of the Gospel that seemed to have a been a
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clearer and deeper revelation than the other apostles even.
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But in Ephesians chapter 3, he says that the Gospel and other
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ages was not made known unto the sons of men, but it as it is now
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revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
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So he's sitting a lot when he says I'm an apostle.
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And then just to touch very briefly on the things that Aaron
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mentioned there as well to the Saints and faithful brethren, I
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like or Andrew or sorry, Melvin mentioned the Saints.
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I like that he calls us Saints. First of all, I can call myself
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St. Daniel.
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But then grace and peace. And if you kind of dissect that,
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you come to realize and understand the gospel that all
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of us need grace. Before we can have any kind of
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peace, and Paul always says it in that order, grace comes
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first. We cannot have peace and then
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grace. We're not looking for peace,
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we're looking first for grace. Whether you're a non Christian
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or a Christian, you first and foremost above all things you
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need the grace of God. And so Paul, when he introduces
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the letter, he says grace be unto you and peace from God the
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Father. And so the only way we can have
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peace in our hearts, the only way we can have peace with the
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Father is through the extraordinary grace of God that
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comes to us through Christ. So a lot is being said in these
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little introductory things that come across almost like just the
20:59
way to open a letter, but there's a lot more in it than
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just a nice little intro. Yeah, yeah.
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And that's that's what I like about having you guys on here.
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It's amazing to me what all comes out of us innocent looking
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little verse like that and I see Andrew jumped the line.
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He's when first night he wants to go last to get on the same
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worst. Mikey, Scooter fight.
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Yeah, I figured that's what happened.
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No, I just rubbing you, Andrew. Yeah, I was.
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I I'm. Kind of stuck on this whole
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thing about Paul, you know, getting the word straight from
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the horse's mouth here in First Corinthians 15.
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He says, for I delivered unto you first of all, that which I
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also receive there. He came to have first delivered
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this and and he says how that Christ died for our sins
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according to the Scriptures. So it's really interesting.
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He takes that and he proclaims that he was first knowing this
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and broadcasting it to the rest of the world.
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So that's that's good. I think.
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I think that's somebody that definitely bears us our
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attention that we should turn our attention to.
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I got some more to say about that if you want.
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Sure I have. I have ran into a bunch of
22:17
legalistic people like the the one with a real radical Torah
22:23
observer. And all those guys, when you
22:29
quote Paul, they just like you can see the frustration.
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It just really aggravates them because Paul just dismantles any
22:39
of that stuff. Like if you go to what Paul said
22:44
to like a 7th day Adventist or a Messianic Jew or the tour
22:51
observers, all those guys like Jehovah's Witness, I could name
22:57
a whole list of them. Every one of them, they'll
23:01
start. I've had many.
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I actually started saying, oh, you're probably going to be
23:05
appalling like a Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul.
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And I was like, you know what? If you can't accept the fact
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that Jesus Christ knocked this guy off of a horse and blinded
23:15
him and then take the blindness off of his eyes, takes him to
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the 3rd heaven like Daniel was saying, and he has this gospel
23:24
that is liberating thousands of people and you can't handle it,
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you don't want to hear about it, then there's a real problem.
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And I just hope that the audience here can get past the
23:35
idea that Jesus Christ taught Paul and talk and Paul's
23:39
writings are legit. You can trust Him and you can
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put your faith in what God is saying through Paul and be
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delivered. Yeah.
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Because it goes back to what we were saying in about Hebrews,
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you know, it says by the will of God.
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So, you know, Paul wasn't writing or saying anything here
23:57
that was outside of the will of God anyway, is what he's
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claiming here. So all right, Aaron, I'll let
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you go on verse 3. And a couple more words here.
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All right, the word Saints it, it's some it really shocked me
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when I first saw this. This we get 20 years ago.
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The word St. is the same word that's translated holy in the
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words Holy Spirit. And so the Catholic Church has
24:23
this system of canonization. They they can officially declare
24:27
someone a St. through a process called canonization, which
24:31
typically occurs after the person has been deceased for at
24:34
least five years. And they have to have been
24:37
involved in several stages, including being declared
24:41
venerable, and then they have to be declared blessed, and then
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finally the canonization of them being called a St., which
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requires evidence that they had some kind of miraculous
24:51
experience or effect on someone's life.
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And so their, their canonization, their sainthood is
24:58
like their status, their godliness, like they really
25:01
achieved something. You don't even ever want to call
25:03
somebody a St. as long as they live, unless they all of a
25:06
sudden would become proud of their sainthood, right?
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They got to be dead and gone for at least five years before you
25:11
start talking to the Saints. And here are these these brand
25:14
new baby born again Christians. And Paul calls them Saints holy
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in the same way that God is holy.
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It's, it's a beautiful large statement, right?
25:23
Wow, that's radical good. That is good.
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I don't know how to cut this up because it goes on till verse 8
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all but I'll just read verse three and four.
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We give thanks to God and and the Father of our Lord Jesus
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Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in
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Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have to All Saints.
25:51
So I, I find this interesting. You know, he says that he gave
25:55
thanks or gives thanks to God and he prays for them and he
26:00
commends them on having heard about their faith.
26:03
And yet as you read through here, you'll notice that
26:08
everything wasn't good or he probably wouldn't have wrote all
26:11
this instruction to this. So that's something that, you
26:16
know, too often I get critical when I see somebody not doing
26:19
the right way. And that is not that was not
26:21
Paul's way of I mean, he spoke the truth in love, yes, like he
26:26
countered somebody, but he loved them and he prayed for that.
26:29
That that's something we can all learn a lesson, though.
26:32
Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, I know.
26:34
I totally agree. I think that's kind of what I
26:36
was pointing at in that second verse as well.
26:39
But but I do think that that is it's easy for us, as you kind of
26:48
said, to be just critical of people and to not, but not be
26:55
thankful that people are hearing and believing the gospel, even
27:00
if they don't do things exact like you think they should or,
27:04
or whatever he he really does. I mean, well, I'll say it like
27:08
this. I'll be honest, I don't, I fail
27:12
in this. I don't pray for all the
27:16
different groups of people I know that are really believers.
27:19
Like I don't bring him up before God like he's saying he does
27:21
here. And I mean, I think that that's,
27:24
you know, that's just, that's impressive that he because,
27:28
because Paul says that about different people.
27:30
And I think he really meant that.
27:31
I think when he was well, he was praying to God, he would
27:34
remember all these people, maybe not individuals, but all the
27:38
places he had been and, and bring them up and ask for God to
27:42
be with them. And I'm just impressed by that.
27:45
Like I said, I'm impressed for his that, well, I've always been
27:48
impressed because he, he gives that list of things maybe in
27:53
Second Corinthians. I'm not sure what it is right
27:55
now, but he gives that list of all those things that he's went
27:58
through, like the, the beatings and the all that.
28:02
And the last thing he says is the care of all the churches.
28:06
And like, that's always impressed me because he put, he
28:10
put the, the literal thinking about praying for, you know,
28:16
caring for all these different churches that he had went and
28:20
established as as way up there as a, as a, you know, a, a
28:25
weight or a, you know, an important thing to him.
28:28
And, and like I said, I think you see it in verses like this
28:31
that he's always praying for them since he had heard of their
28:34
faith in Christ Jesus and the love which they have to the
28:38
Saints. So he, he's heard, he's just,
28:41
he's heard about their faith and he is bringing them up before
28:45
God and asking God to, to be with them and, you know, to
28:50
maybe give them understanding or give them, well, I already said,
28:53
you know, grace. And peace.
28:54
So, yeah, Amen, Melvin. Yeah, I think a lot of people
29:00
that I hear talk about Paul say that he's, you know, very harsh
29:04
or and and he was sometimes in some of these letters.
29:08
But you know, if you read his introductions here, he always
29:13
has a pretty lengthy introduction into his letters,
29:16
it seems like. And it I see him as if I would
29:21
meet Paul, This is how I would visualize.
29:23
I don't know if this is how he was exactly, but this is kind of
29:25
how I would visualize him as being is that he's very, I was a
29:30
very godly man, but he was very humble and kind is what I would
29:35
visualize Paul as being because you can see here that he has a
29:39
heart for believers, you know, for the body of Christ, right?
29:44
And he's just he's commenting them.
29:47
They obviously had some issues, right, The church here in Kalash
29:51
Colossi. But he is complimenting them,
29:56
first of all, praying for them and he's thanking God for them,
30:00
you know, and that that's convicting to me, like you were
30:03
saying. And you know, that it that he
30:06
took the time to bring them to God, obviously on a regular
30:12
basis. And then he commented them on
30:14
their faith and their love to all the Saints.
30:20
Another thing I see here is that he says, since we heard of your
30:24
faith, he obviously did not convert this church.
30:29
I don't think 'cause I he later he used, he says in verse 7, he,
30:35
he uses the name Epaphras. I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing
30:39
that right. He says a dear fellow servant
30:41
who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.
30:44
So that's kind of it seemed like who actually brought the gospel
30:49
to Colossi and Paul was just didn't actually bring the gospel
30:54
to them, but he was writing this letter to them.
30:58
Yeah, that's what I learned too, was that Epaphras started
31:02
founded this church. Damn.
31:06
Yeah, the the Colossian Church and you guys have said this
31:08
already was the cause of Paul giving thanks to God the Father.
31:12
And that kind of stuff, I think holds more weight than we
31:16
realize. When you are the cause of
31:18
someone else giving thanks to God, that's a monumental thing.
31:21
It's not something that's insignificant.
31:24
And also what what I'm convicted about some of the same things
31:27
that Aaron and and Melvin have already said.
31:29
But typically when I remember to pray for somebody is when
31:34
they're really down and out, when they're struggling.
31:36
I, I've heard that they're sick, I've heard that they're
31:39
struggling with sin. I've heard that they're in some
31:41
kind of financial difficulty. And then I can't help but pray
31:44
for them. But what are my prayers then?
31:46
They're they're pleading their, their desperation, their
31:49
frustration, their sadness, whatever it might be.
31:52
The apostle made it a point to give thanks regularly.
31:55
And I, I think it's interesting that when he heard that they had
31:59
faith and love, which to me are two good signs of someone
32:03
genuinely being saved. If faith toward God and love
32:06
toward the Saints. That's the time when you should
32:09
start praying and giving thanks to, for someone.
32:11
And it's, it's very convicting to me because I think of you
32:14
guys and from what I can gather, you guys love your brothers
32:18
around you and your love the word of God.
32:20
You love God and you're sharing the gospel, but I don't offer
32:23
lift you guys up in prayer. You guys should be the
32:25
stimulation for me to be giving thanks to God regularly.
32:30
And so we ought not to wait for people to fall into the ditch
32:33
before we start praying to God. And it's in fact, when they're
32:37
in faith and walking in faithfulness to God and loving
32:40
the Saints is when they are most vulnerable perhaps, or are most
32:44
likely to be attacked as well. And so there's cause for
32:48
Thanksgiving there. And there's plenty of reason to
32:50
pray for somebody who's doing well, not waiting till they're
32:53
kind of struggling, right? That's that's a good point.
32:57
Wow, Andrew, but you're muted. That always puts me to shame,
33:05
too, when I read these. Like, man, he remembers all
33:08
these Saints. He actually tells God about
33:11
their faith. And, you know, he's basically
33:13
bragging to God about these believers.
33:15
And yeah, I'm just like, yeah, I'm like you guys.
33:18
I, I just don't get it done. And I noticed that people that
33:23
are really in the ministry and are have done it for a long time
33:29
and have that amazing passion, they think that way more like I
33:36
hear quite often from no greater joy that they're lifting up me
33:42
and Hannah all the time, every day they're lifting us up.
33:46
That that really, really does something to you.
33:49
Like it makes you cry. It makes you, you know, that a
33:52
ministry to that level takes the time to remember us still
33:57
greenhorns out here trying to deliver the gospel.
34:03
That means a lot. And I can't imagine what's
34:06
happening because of it, you know what I mean?
34:09
Or what's not happening because of it.
34:11
You know what? How protected are we because of
34:15
that? And also I want more of that
34:20
passion that Paul has where it's it is that kind of humility
34:25
where in the book of Corinth, First Corinthians, he telling us
34:30
there that he he's willing to become whatever he has to be to
34:33
gain some. He can look past any kind of
34:36
religion, any kind of false doctrines.
34:39
If he can line up enough with your false teaching to win you,
34:44
he'll do it. He'll do it.
34:46
He's not going to be like, oh, those guys are weird.
34:49
It's not even worth my time. If he can get close enough to a
34:54
false believer or a deceived person to where that person will
34:59
listen to him, he'll do it. I don't know if I'm there, you
35:03
know, I hope I am, but I have a hard time not getting a little
35:07
frustrated with these false, you know, teachers Now, the false
35:12
teachers. He didn't have a lot of grace
35:14
for the teachers. It's the people, the people he
35:17
would try to win. False teachers, man.
35:19
He told them straight up like you guys are your, your God is
35:23
your belly and blah, blah, blah. So yeah, he was harsh in those
35:26
ways, but Jesus Christ was too. Let's not forget that.
35:30
How did he respond to the false teachers, the Pharisees?
35:33
He wasn't very nice here either. So but when Paul would find
35:37
someone with a little bit of faith and the love of God, and
35:39
then man, he went all out. He became whatever he had to be
35:43
to be able to minister to you. And I think that's a good thing.
35:48
That is good. I remember now this, I almost
35:51
forgot this, but back when we first started going to a local
35:55
family camp here, Melvin's were there a couple of times.
35:58
There was a single guy that was in his 30s maybe or so that he
36:03
would, he would literally write down if he didn't know them, he
36:07
would write down the names of all our kids, of all the
36:11
families that were at the family camp.
36:13
And he would pray over that specific name every day all
36:18
year. And that was his ministry.
36:20
And that, that what that just made me feel so good.
36:26
I mean, that is a, that is actually a really real thing.
36:30
I had almost forgot that he did that.
36:32
So yeah, He's the Lord for that. Hey, I'm going to read 4 again
36:38
just to get a running start into five and six, Since we heard of
36:41
your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have to
36:44
All Saints. Or the hope which is laid up for
36:48
you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth
36:53
of the gospel, which is coming to you as it is in all the
36:57
world, and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you, since
37:02
the day ye heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth.
37:06
And now you can just come in on five if you want, or 6, whatever
37:09
you want to focus. I know there's a lot in those,
37:12
but it just flows together. I don't know where to cut it off
37:14
really. And it's all part of the same
37:17
thing there and so good. Aaron, any thoughts on that?
37:22
Actually going to pick up something on verse 4 just
37:25
because as you ready to hit me. He says that they had love for
37:30
all the Saints. You know, we were just talking
37:32
about how he was lifting up the people in prayer, but he's heard
37:35
that they were praying for other people evidently, or at least
37:38
they had love for him because that's what he says and of the
37:41
love which ye have to all the Saints, you know.
37:44
So they evidently had that same affection for all the other
37:48
believers as well. But anyway, I'm like you.
37:53
It's like, I don't know how you could you could about bust five
37:57
and six up into a whole sermon. I guess that's but I do think
38:03
that that's that is a great that is a great verse in verse 5 when
38:10
he says that the the hope which is laid up for you in heaven
38:16
wherever you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,
38:20
like they, they heard as as they heard the gospel, they heard
38:25
about a hope. And I've always I'll never
38:30
forget hearing or understanding for the first time that that I
38:36
didn't know what the word hope really meant.
38:38
Like I, we, I never, I don't know that I ever used the word
38:42
hope. Like the Bible uses it, you
38:44
know, like I always said it like it might or might not happen,
38:48
you know, like I hope it'll rain today.
38:50
I mean, there's a 50% chance. Like if, you know, you were, I
38:53
were hoping that something might happen.
38:56
There's just as good a chance that will as it won't.
38:58
But that's not the way the Bible talks about a hope, is it?
39:01
I mean, it, it is a, it is a sure thing.
39:04
It's a confident, it's something you're waiting on, but you have
39:07
all confidence that is going to happen.
39:10
And he says that they heard about that in the word of truth
39:16
of the gospel. So they heard about a hope laid
39:19
up for them now. And I just think that that's
39:24
like I said, I really, I remember that standing out to me
39:29
when I first realized that that's what the word hope
39:31
actually mean means. Because I'm sure this is common
39:36
to you all, you know, like if you would ask somebody if they
39:39
were saved in, in the church that I went, they'd probably all
39:43
say, well, I hope so, you know, like I hope so.
39:46
And that's what they meant. Like I might or might not be.
39:48
I'll have to wait and see. And that's not what he's saying
39:51
here. You know, he's telling them that
39:53
they have a sure hope, a steadfast hope that is laid up
39:57
in heaven. And they've heard about that
39:58
hope in the gospel. But I'll just stop verse 5.
40:03
Yeah, it's not. It's not something that might be
40:05
there. When you get there, it says that
40:07
hope that is laid up for you. It is there.
40:11
It is there. Belton yeah, that that word hope
40:15
is we've been for for me coming out of the, you know, a very a
40:22
Mennonite, very legalistic setting where we work.
40:28
Heard the word hope over and over again where it was used,
40:32
you know, like we can only hope that we can go to heaven and the
40:36
the biblical understanding for hope is that it is going to
40:40
happen. Like it it's not it might happen
40:43
or it could happen. I like in first Timothy, it says
40:50
this again is a introduction that Paul is giving.
40:54
He says Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment
40:57
of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope,
41:01
right? So that that pretty much lays it
41:04
down right there, right. So that's what he is get telling
41:09
them here and reminding them. I like the way Paul reminds is
41:12
reminding them over and over again that he of their faith, of
41:17
their love. And now he's complimenting on
41:20
the hope they have in Christ. So he's setting all this up, you
41:25
know, for later verses. Did you read you read verse 6
41:31
too? Right.
41:32
I think I did, yeah. Yeah.
41:34
It's too much. It is.
41:36
It is. I'm going to stop there.
41:37
I'll let you. I'll let you.
41:39
Yeah. I was thinking too, that goes no
41:43
way I'm going to be able to in my 2 two minutes time, you're
41:46
going to be able to touch on the five and six.
41:48
Just that hope and maybe I'll be just reiterating what you guys
41:52
have said, but kind of giving my slant on it.
41:54
But hope is a confident expectation in Ephesians.
41:57
The parallel passage of this he says, in whom ye also trusted.
42:02
After that ye heard the word of truth.
42:04
So this is the order of events here you hear the word of truth
42:08
and then you trust in it, and then the gospel of your
42:11
salvation produces this hope, in whom also you believed you were
42:15
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
42:18
But what are the best descriptors of the word hope for
42:20
me is in first Peter chapter 1. And I talked about this a bit at
42:23
your camp last year, but it says in these few verses, I'll just
42:27
read them 'cause they're some of the most beautifully written
42:29
words. It almost seems like the apostle
42:31
Peter was was very gifted with his way of communicating here.
42:35
He says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
42:39
which according to his abundant mercy have begotten us again
42:44
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
42:48
from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.
42:53
That fate is not a way reserved in heaven for you who are kept
42:57
by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
43:01
revealed in the last time. And that's like obviously that's
43:05
a sermon or two in itself. So I won't get into all of it,
43:08
but it gives this impression, this idea that our hope is as
43:13
sure as Christ's resurrection. Like Melvin already said, Christ
43:17
is our hope. So are you, are we sure that
43:20
Christ was raised from the dead? Well, yeah, of course.
43:22
That's what we're all banking on.
43:24
Well, then, how sure is my hope in heaven?
43:27
It's the it's built on the same very thing.
43:30
If Christ is raised from the dead and he's seated in heavenly
43:33
places, that's what my eternity is based on.
43:36
So when you say, are you a Christian, you have eternal
43:38
life, are you going to heaven? For me to say, well, I hope so
43:41
is to deny the very, very reality of Christ having been
43:45
crucified, raised again and seated in the heavenly places.
43:48
If we're sure that he's seated and we're sure that we have
43:51
eternal life, it's built on that very thing and it and it's
43:55
reserved in heaven. So we can't corrupt it.
43:57
We can't defile it. It won't fade away.
44:00
We are kept by his power unto salvation, right to be revealed
44:04
in the last time. So when Paula starts praying for
44:06
the Colossians, he's giving thanks to them.
44:08
He loves their love to the Saints, and now he's thankful
44:11
for the hope that is laid out for them in heaven, which you've
44:14
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel and those
44:17
words again, word of the truth of the gospel.
44:19
I'll let Andrew have some room here yet too.
44:22
But just you could go on and on about the beauty of this.
44:25
Verse right here. Oh, for sure, absolutely.
44:28
Actually the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, the second the
44:33
second point that it says it says confidence in a future
44:37
event, the highest degree of well founded expectation of good
44:42
as a hope founded on God's promises that that's pretty well
44:47
in my opinion. I like that and.
44:51
Yeah, that verse is so packed full.
44:53
I mean, I can't believe our time's almost up already.
44:55
That's kind of a bummer. One thing that well clarify very
45:04
quickly, whether you have the hope of the Bible or the hope
45:07
that the Amish half that I grew up with, it's laid up in heaven.
45:13
That's already a dead giveaway right there.
45:16
If it's the kind of hope that we're talking about, it's not
45:19
laid up in heaven. It's down here.
45:23
Now, if it's laid up in heaven, then whose hope is it?
45:27
That's not even our hope, right? Jesus Christ is our hope and
45:31
where is he at? He's in heaven.
45:35
He's he's also in us through the spirit, which is kind of like a
45:39
down payment. He says.
45:40
He says he's gifts that Holy Spirit in us until the time that
45:46
we'll be actually joint and be married to him like a bride.
45:51
In I think Romans, here in Romans 8824, it says for we are
45:59
saved. We are safe not being saved, not
46:02
might be saved, but it says we are saved by hope.
46:08
But hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth.
46:12
Why does he yet hope for? What if we hope for that we see
46:17
not, then do we as patients wait for So we're not hoping that
46:22
hope is there when we die. That's the hope that most
46:28
legalistic people have. We're we're hoping, No, we're
46:34
not hoping. We're believing in a hope that
46:38
is already there laid up for us in heaven.
46:40
Jesus Christ. Like you guys were saying, it's
46:43
our hope. If he is our hope, then it's not
46:45
the kind of hope that it's like, well, I hope I put my faith in
46:48
Christ. You know, that's the kind of
46:51
hope that a lot of us have, which it's like if it's up to me
46:57
that I put my faith in Christ, if it's up to me based on my
47:00
lifestyle to clarify or to witness that I am in the faith
47:05
and that I have been forgiven. If I do enough good things that
47:09
justifies me saying that I think I'm a believer, then that's a
47:14
considered a hope. But when you read the Bible, you
47:17
realize that that is actually not a hope.
47:21
When you start measuring yourself up to the righteousness
47:23
of God, you'll quickly lose all hope.
47:26
So the kind of hope that we are taught is actually not even a
47:30
hope, It's a false hope. It's a lie.
47:36
If they say when, when we say that I hope that God's grace
47:41
will cover my sin based on the fact that I have done this and
47:45
this and this. I know I've fallen short, but
47:48
I've tried to make it right. I've confessed my sins and I've
47:51
tried to repent, and I just hope that I have reached a point to
47:57
where God can just have mercy and grace on my life.
48:01
That's the hope that I was taught.
48:03
But that kind of hope is a lie. That's not even real.
48:08
That's a false, fake hope. God will tell us very quickly
48:12
that that is not a hope and you're lost.
48:16
It's based on you. The hope that the Bible talks
48:18
about is all based on Jesus Christ and Him giving us that
48:23
hope. And that hope is stored.
48:26
It's laid up in heaven, like Dan was saying, and it does not fade
48:30
away. And it's the answer.
48:33
And we have hope even though we don't see it.
48:36
We have salvation. We are saved even though right
48:39
now we see it not, but we know exactly where it's at.
48:44
And later in this book, he tells us that that's where we look to.
48:48
That's where we set up our affections.
48:49
That's where that's what we live off of is that hope that is up
48:53
in heaven. And that's our focus.
48:55
Amen. That's good.
48:59
We went. We started a little bit late so
49:00
we can go a little bit long. Verse 6 says, which is coming to
49:04
you talking about the word of the truth of the gospel is
49:07
coming to you as it is in all the world and bringeth forth
49:11
fruit. He is confident that this kind
49:14
of gospel is going to bear a fruit as you can see the way he
49:18
writes that as it doth also in you since the day you heard of
49:23
it and knew the grace of God in truth and but Aaron, you can go
49:28
without them and but what Andrew was saying.
49:31
You know if if we have to if we have to make a decision to serve
49:38
Christ and whether like we get we've got it.
49:41
We choose our destination in this life.
49:44
And if, if the only hope that we have is we can say, and while we
49:47
hope that, you know, what I did was sufficient or the church I
49:51
went to is sufficient or whatever, and then we get up
49:53
there disappointed. If that's the only hope that God
49:56
gave us, then he is not fair because you know, he's going to
49:59
wait till it's too late to do anything about it.
50:02
You know, So the hope that he gave us is sure, it's steadfast,
50:06
it's guaranteed, it's positive because it's based on the
50:08
promises of God. And you can say with confidence
50:11
that, yes, if I die today, I'm going to go be with Jesus
50:14
because he said, you know, that's, I mean, you confidently
50:19
care. It's a it's a guarantee as a
50:21
promise that he gave us is not something that while we hope so
50:24
when we get there, Well, what if not, you know, it's too late to
50:28
do anything about it at that point.
50:29
So, yeah, just that that's, that's important stuff.
50:32
If somebody isn't sure or is waiting to find out whether what
50:36
they did is good enough, you're on the wrong track, man.
50:39
Talk with somebody. There's a better way.
50:41
There's a better way. That's called the gospel of
50:43
Jesus. And I guarantee you it's
50:45
important that you get that thing settled right now, because
50:49
if you wait till that, it's too late if you happen to be wrong.
50:52
So anyway, that's my little tangent anyway.
50:54
Very. Good, Very good.
50:59
Yeah, I would just say when he says in verse 6, which has come
51:08
unto you as it is in all the world and bringeth forth fruit
51:14
as it does also in you since the day you heard it and knew the
51:18
grace of God in truth. Like I think the verse is kind
51:25
of pointing out that they're not just kind of pointing out, it is
51:28
pointing out that that when they when they believed this hope it
51:37
affected them, right? Like it did affect them.
51:40
It brought forth something in them.
51:42
And I mean, it's, I think it's so true.
51:45
And like we may lose sight of it.
51:47
I mean, I may, I may get, you know, bummed out by life or
51:51
whatever and get this get distracted from one day to the
51:56
next. And so that I I don't know so
52:01
that my so that my mind gets off of it and maybe I need a
52:07
refresher in the into that hope. But he's saying that when you
52:11
actually hear this gospel, you believe that hope it does
52:16
produce a fruit in a person. Now what that like the problem
52:20
is, is everybody wants just like all these different groups want
52:25
to say, well, here's the right fruit.
52:27
It or be producing, you know, like we talked about a few weeks
52:29
ago, it or be producing some kind of gift to the spirit or it
52:33
or be producing this. And and I'm not trying to to
52:36
point my finger to some outward appearance or something that you
52:43
can look at and say, Oh yeah, evidently that's what it
52:46
produced to that person. I'm just saying if you actually
52:49
realize the truth that is in the gospel of Christ promising you a
52:58
resurrection from the dead, just like he, just like he did
53:02
himself, it is going to affect your life like it is going to
53:06
produce something in you. You are going to be moved by
53:11
that thing. I mean, I think that's what he's
53:12
saying in that verse. You know, it's, it's come unto
53:15
you as visnall the world. It bringeth forth fruit as it
53:18
does also in you since the day he heard it.
53:21
In other words, it's like to me, it's an immediate effect.
53:25
Now, you know, like obviously he's not saying that a that a
53:30
person is is not going to maybe even grow in the effect that it
53:36
has on them. I'll tell you, I'll give you a
53:38
good example or I think I don't know if you all know the song or
53:42
not or not, but there's this song in our song book.
53:46
It's I think it's called if, if ever I love thee, my Jesus, Tis
53:51
now you know that song and like, I love that song because it's
53:55
like the, the, the point of each verse is when they first heard
54:00
the gospel and got saved, they thought, man, now I really love
54:04
Jesus. And then they grow in their
54:07
understanding and they're like, Oh, no, no, and how I really
54:09
love Jesus. And then they get to actually
54:12
see him in heaven. Then they're like, Oh, no, I, I
54:14
mean, I thought I loved him before, but now I really love
54:17
him, you know, and I, and I just think that that's, I think that
54:20
can be true. I think you can grow in your,
54:23
your not grow in your hope in the sense that you gain New
54:28
Hope, but I think you can grow in your understanding and
54:30
appreciate the hope more and more, right?
54:33
You know, you can grow in your understanding of that.
54:36
But but I but the point that I'm making is he said it was an had
54:41
an immediate effect on him right now.
54:44
Is that saying that the effect never stopped or didn't grow or
54:47
didn't change. He's just saying it did have an
54:49
immediate effect on them. And I think that that's the true
54:52
with any of us is when we actually see the gospel, it does
54:55
have an immediate effect on us. Yeah.
54:58
Absolutely, Yeah. I mean, if you take a good seed
55:02
and you put it in soil, good soil, you will get fruit, right?
55:06
I mean, that is, that is a promise.
55:08
That is all. God set it up.
55:11
And so, you know, bearing some kind of oddity where, you know,
55:16
it's hard soil or whatever. We, if you go back to the the
55:19
parable of the sower, you know, a good and an honest heart.
55:23
It says and and if a seed gets put into that, it's going to
55:27
bring forth fruit. And he says like he's, he says
55:30
it as in it says it bringeth forth fruit in the world the
55:34
same as it doth in you. Like he's not saying, well, if
55:38
you know, if I could, it might bring forth fruit.
55:40
No, he's saying it does. All he needs is some good soil.
55:45
Yeah, that's so good that what stands out to me is just so if
55:49
we believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the death and the
55:53
resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope that we just got done
55:57
describing, then it says that it will bring forth fruit.
56:01
Now so many times we as Christians, we get saved and
56:08
then we're like, we read this scripture where, you know, in
56:11
John where it says Jesus said I am the a vine and year of the
56:16
branches, you know, and that you're going to bring forth much
56:19
fruit. And if you don't, I'm going to
56:21
cast you off and throw you in the fire.
56:22
And then we're like, Oh, no, we got to produce fruit, right.
56:25
And so we focus on fruit. Well, the reality is we need to
56:30
focus on Christ and I think is what Paul is is trying to get
56:34
across here and is going to through this whole book,
56:37
Colossians, when we focus on Christ and the hope that is in
56:41
Christ, it will bring forth fruit, just like you said.
56:44
And it doesn't say it might or it could or it should or it will
56:49
bring forth fruit. So what I get out of this is
56:52
that we need to keep our focus on hope, the real hope that is
56:57
stored for us up in heaven in Christ.
56:59
And forget your focus about the fruit and you will produce
57:03
fruit. Yeah, a tree never produces
57:05
fruit by focusing on it. It it produces fruit by being a
57:08
tree, right and? Yeah, so the there is the fruit
57:13
of the spirit that Galatians speaks to us of like Lovejoy,
57:17
peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, all those things are
57:19
there. And there's several of those
57:21
fruits that he's mentioned here now already where he said that
57:24
they believe the gospel, they love the Saints, and they have
57:28
hope laid up front. So those love, faith, hope and
57:32
love, as First Corinthians 13 speaks of, are all already
57:35
spoken of here as well. So the that fruit was being
57:38
produced in believers individually.
57:40
But I think what he's saying here is that when you preach the
57:43
word as Paul is doing in all the world, and we will probably have
57:47
time to get into the all the world aspect of it today.
57:50
But Paul had preached the gospel faithfully, fully in all the
57:53
world. And it says that when the gospel
57:56
is preached, there will be fruit.
57:59
And so to me, that's very comforting.
58:00
As a preacher of the gospel, sometimes I don't see immediate
58:04
results. So not now.
58:05
I'm not talking about Lovejoy and peace necessarily being
58:09
produced in somebody, but when I preach the gospel and I'm sowing
58:12
the seed of the Word of God into good hearts, it will produce
58:17
believers. It will the results will be
58:20
there and Colossians is proof of that.
58:22
The city of Colossae was proof of the fact that when the gospel
58:25
is preached in a particular place, it will produce fruit.
58:29
It's not a dead thing. His word will not return void.
58:33
And so there will be conversions that it it produce fruit in the
58:37
Colossians city. And now when they're sharing the
58:39
gospel with people around them, it's still producing fruit with
58:42
them also. And so we have a power in a
58:45
message, not in some man, not in some formula, but we talk about
58:50
a man who was crucified and buried and raised again.
58:53
And we tell what people of the good news of the hope that is
58:56
laid up for us in heaven in that just telling that story produces
59:01
fruit and it has to life produces life and it's it's
59:05
completely unearned. He says when you knew the grace
59:08
of God and truth. Grace is completely unmerited
59:11
favor we it's telling people that they are loved and they
59:15
don't deserve it telling people that Christ died for them and
59:17
they're not worthy of it and that message of Christ it will
59:21
produce fruit. Once people know the grace of
59:23
God and truth it, it has results.
59:27
Oh, that is such a good truth. Wow, Andrew.
59:32
So good. How do you start it?
59:36
It the hope, the truth of the word, of the truth of the
59:42
gospel, which is coming to you as it is in all the world, this
59:46
gospel that we have. It doesn't matter where you're
59:48
preaching, doesn't matter what background to Gentile bond free,
59:53
whatever Amish, non Amish, whatever.
59:57
This gospel that brings grace and peace to you is from God our
1:00:02
Lord Jesus Christ, from God, from God our Father and the Lord
1:00:06
Jesus Christ. Like you guys were saying, it's
1:00:09
not OK. You go to that church, it will
1:00:12
change your life. Maybe it will in the good way or
1:00:17
bad way if they preach the gospel of the truth that is from
1:00:21
our Father and. By the Lord Jesus Christ, it
1:00:24
will change your life in a good way.
1:00:27
But I'm glad that I don't have to find a church.
1:00:29
I don't have to find the right people.
1:00:31
I don't have to find the right doctrine.
1:00:33
I have to find Jesus Christ. He is the one that gives me
1:00:37
grace. He's the one that gives me
1:00:40
peace. You want true peace.
1:00:43
You find this gospel that everyone in the world that it's
1:00:46
heard and believed and received. This brings forth fruit and the
1:00:51
first fruit that it brings is peace, grace and peace.
1:00:55
I think that's the first thing I still remember when I had peace
1:00:58
for the first time. Like the the work is done, it's
1:01:03
finished, I'm off the hook, He took my place.
1:01:07
It's not me, it's not it, It's by the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:01:14
The Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:01:16
My hope is now Jesus Christ sent by God, and the hope is in
1:01:21
Christ. It it's I'm out of it, I'm off.
1:01:27
I'm no longer responsible for my actions.
1:01:31
With that too far, I'm no longer going to pay the penalty for my
1:01:36
actions. He took my spot.
1:01:40
He put me in him and made me complete in him, and He seated
1:01:46
me in heavenly places in Christ Jesus up where that hope's late.
1:01:50
I'm there. He put me there.
1:01:52
I didn't put myself there. I didn't roll around in the dirt
1:01:56
trying to repent and confess and cry and mourn until he said, OK,
1:02:01
I guess I'll set him up there. He looked at his son and he
1:02:05
said, yeah, that works. My son paid the ultimate price
1:02:10
and that person is complete and it's just so good.
1:02:14
And I like how that it does not matter where you're coming from,
1:02:18
all the world, if you hear it now, you're gonna have to have
1:02:21
ears that can hear. I don't think I think a lot of
1:02:24
people hear the sound of it, but they don't hear it.
1:02:27
Otherwise they'd be free. You remember how the Bible tells
1:02:30
us that you can have ears that don't hear and eyes that don't
1:02:34
see? Challenge everyone hear, like
1:02:38
actually open your heart to receive ears that can hear this
1:02:44
gospel. Don't let a pastor or a friends
1:02:48
or a volleyball team or your peers that are going to Shank
1:02:57
you. Don't let any of those things
1:02:59
keep you from hearing and embracing this gospel you.
1:03:02
It's not worth. Yep.
1:03:04
Your life depends on them, man. It sure does.
1:03:08
Alrighty, I guess we're going to stop there.
1:03:11
Eight O 7 it is already. So anyway, all right, we'll see
1:03:15
you next time. Thank you for your time.
1:03:18
And I don't know of any good way to shut this off.
1:03:20
We're just going to cut it off. We'll resume next week come back
1:03:23
and listen in. I think it's going to be really
1:03:26
good. I I really do.
1:03:27
This is this is so good. And we've only just got through
1:03:29
6 of ours. So anyway, yeah, God bless you
1:03:32
guys. We look forward to next week.
1:03:34
Same time same place. See you later.
1:03:36
Have a great week.