WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.560 So today, Wes, they were talking about when a wrestler 2 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:04.559 is on the ground and it's that moment where he 3 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:06.679 shouts out mercy, mercy. 4 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:11.880 Well sort of, we're actually talking about God's mercy on Israel. Wesley, 5 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.720 this is Chris and this is the Daily Bible Guys. 6 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:29.879 All right, So Wesley, you were a part of our 7 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:33.520 previous podcast title, which is HC Daily, which we've been 8 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.640 now swapped over to the Daily Bible Guys for quite 9 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:40.000 some time. And so now today you're officially a Daily 10 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.200 Bible Guy. You're a Bible Guy. Yeah, congratulations, but yeah, yeah. 11 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:46.799 This is awesome. As a feel it feels I feel honored. 12 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:53.920 Esteem Actually it feels the same. It's like, okay, so well, 13 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.200 Jeff is out of town and so today you know, 14 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.280 Wesley is a filling in for Jeff spot and Wesley 15 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:04.000 has been at our church that we serve at much 16 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.599 much longer than I have in thirteen twenty thirteen. Wow, 17 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:10.439 so ten years now. Tell us real quick, this would 18 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:12.480 be a great segment today if we got to know 19 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:13.319 Wesley a little bit. 20 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:13.799 Yeah. 21 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:16.519 So for our listeners who've never met you, are new 22 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:21.079 to you, tell us one highlight or funny story or 23 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:23.280 memorable moment in your ministry. 24 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.480 Oh man, you've been in ministry for a while, you've 25 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.680 got like fifty of those. But I'll just share one 26 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.280 really quick. 27 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:28.680 Yeah. 28 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.239 So there was this old church that I used to 29 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:35.599 be a part of years ago in Detroit, and periodically 30 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:38.799 we would have to light the boiler. So I go 31 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:41.079 into the boiler room in this huge, heavy door. I 32 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:44.040 open up the door, I go in. You have to 33 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:48.040 first turn the gas on. Wow, grab the matches and 34 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.760 light it. Open the door, turn the gas on, open 35 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:55.920 the lid to the huge boiler. But I didn't have 36 00:01:55.959 --> 00:02:00.000 any matches, So I walked away and started looking every 37 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:03.200 reware from matches and I'm searching hot yeah you know 38 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:07.799 where this is going, searching everywhere, can't find any matches. 39 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:12.159 Finally I did find one. I walked to the door 40 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:17.120 way of the boiler room, lit the match in. Who 41 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.680 like a fireball like shot out. Maybe that's why I 42 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:25.840 don't have hair right now. Wow, that was my funny story. 43 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:28.840 So never turn on the gas and walk away. That's 44 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:29.840 a disclaimer right there. 45 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:32.280 Yeah, I think it was, because that must have been. 46 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:35.599 It was just I just remember just fire shooting out. 47 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.800 So yeah, wow, yeah, you know, I lived were you 48 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:40.719 when you did that? Oh? 49 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:40.960 Man? 50 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:47.919 Probably thirty something, wow, like maybe thirty one. 51 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.960 And the funny thing is you've never made that mistake again. 52 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:52.639 Never ever again. 53 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.800 You have to get your eyebrows singed off once, did 54 00:02:57.840 --> 00:02:58.000 you have? 55 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:00.800 Actually that's hilarious. 56 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:04.400 Yeah, that's really great. Yeah, I've done that with like grills. 57 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:06.639 I've done that with grills before, and I've done that 58 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:10.560 with a home fireplace. And yeah, that's just it's not 59 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:11.039 a good day. 60 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:13.680 So that's a life lesson right there. Ladies and gentlemen, 61 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:16.199 do not walk away when the gas is over. 62 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.159 Right right, really bad. So today we are actually continuing 63 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:25.199 in Romans, chapter number eleven, and as just as a 64 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:29.080 reminder to our listeners, we're chronologically walking through the Book 65 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.960 of Acts even though we're in Romans. And the reason 66 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:35.159 why is because the Book of Acts is a summary, 67 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.159 it's an overview of the birth of the Church, and 68 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.080 included in that as the life of Paul, who wrote 69 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:46.000 more than half of the New Testament. So chronologically along 70 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:49.280 the way, Paul takes his first missionary journey, his second one, 71 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:51.719 his third one, and then of course he goes around 72 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.639 the Mediterranean rim he plants churches, and his whole job, 73 00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:59.319 his whole assignment was God had called him to bring 74 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.400 the message of the Gospel to gentiles who are non 75 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:07.240 Jewish people. So imagine that. So Paul's main mission or 76 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:11.759 assignment was tell everybody that God's love and that Christ's 77 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:15.319 message and that Christ's sacrifice is not just for the 78 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.920 Jewish people, because there's even references today or even this 79 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:21.959 week where God talks about the Jewish people being his 80 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:26.519 chosen people. In the Old Testament, God, you know that 81 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.680 God was even known by his people. You know that 82 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:33.279 it was the God of Israel, member and so it 83 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.399 was tied to a certain people group no longer after 84 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:39.480 Jesus comes. So anyway, this is Paul's mission. So he 85 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:43.040 goes around planting churches, telling people about the good News, 86 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.800 and when those churches start, what he does is he 87 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.560 continues to leave and go from city to city. But 88 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:51.839 then he would write letters back to those churches. But 89 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:55.560 in this particular case that Roman says, I believe the 90 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.600 only letter where he is writing to a church he's 91 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.480 never been at yet. So he's actually writing to a 92 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.839 church that he is anticipating visiting, because there was a 93 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:09.040 church that started in Rome that grew to prominence apparently, 94 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:12.399 and he was trying to introduce himself, lay down theology, 95 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.319 and let them know just who he is. So he's 96 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:19.560 sort of walking through just what he believes and everything 97 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:23.839 about him and more importantly, what we believe about God. 98 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.480 So anyway, so yeah, we're going to go Romans eleven 99 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:30.360 one through twenty four from the New Living Translation version. 100 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:31.839 You want to kick us off. 101 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:32.600 Yeah, I'll kick us off. 102 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:33.000 Yeah. 103 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:34.519 So this is starting at verse one. 104 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.560 In verse eleven, it says, I asked, then, has God 105 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:41.920 rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course 106 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.959 not I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham 107 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:49.720 in a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God 108 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:52.959 has not rejected his own people. He chose from the 109 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.399 very beginning. Do you realize what the scriptures say about this. 110 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:00.680 Elijah the prophet complaining to God about the people of Israel, 111 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:04.360 and said, Lord, they have killed your prophets in torn 112 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:07.920 down your altars. I am the only one left, and 113 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.519 now they are trying to kill me two verse four. 114 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:15.759 And do you remember God's reply, He said, no, I 115 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:19.800 have seven thousand others who have never bowed down to bail. 116 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:24.839 Verse five. It is the same today. For a few 117 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.800 people of Israel have remained faithful because of God's grace 118 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:33.399 is undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is 119 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.680 through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works, 120 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:39.959 for in that case God's grace would not be what 121 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.680 it really is, free and undeserved. So this is the situation. 122 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:47.720 Most of the people of Israel have not found the 123 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:51.199 favor of God they are looking for, so earnestly a 124 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:53.480 few have the ones God has chosen. 125 00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:55.680 But the hearts of the rest were heartened. 126 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.079 As the scriptures say, God has put them into a 127 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:02.079 deep sleep to this day. He has shut their eyes 128 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:05.639 and so they do not see, and close their ears 129 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:09.680 so they do not hear. Verse nine, blackwise David said, 130 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:13.120 let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that 131 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:16.399 makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause 132 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:19.199 them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. 133 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:22.360 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and 134 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:26.720 let their backs be bent forever God's people stumble and 135 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:31.319 fall beyond recovery. Of course, not they were disobedient, So 136 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:35.439 God made salvation available to the gentiles but he wanted 137 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:40.439 his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now, 138 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:43.680 if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel 139 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:47.560 turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater 140 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:51.439 a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. 141 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:56.040 I am saying all this especially for you gentiles. God 142 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:59.120 has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. 143 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:00.759 I stress this for. 144 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:03.959 I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous 145 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:07.759 of what you gentiles have, so I might save some 146 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.199 of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered 147 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.560 salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will 148 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:18.319 be even more wonderful. It will be life for those 149 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:22.240 who are dead. And since Abraham and the other patriarchs 150 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.959 were holy, their descendants will also be holy, just as 151 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.120 the entire batch of dough is holy, because the portion 152 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:32.720 given as an offering is holy. For if the roots 153 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.399 of the tree are holy, the branches will be two. 154 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:39.279 But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some of 155 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:43.120 the people of Israel have been broken off, and you, gentiles, 156 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.360 who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been 157 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.960 grafted in. So now you also received the blessing. God 158 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:53.279 has promised Abraham and his children sharing in the rich 159 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:57.200 nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree. But 160 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:59.879 you must not brag about being grafted in to replace 161 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:03.320 the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, 162 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:07.399 not the root. Well, you may say those branches were 163 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:10.639 broken off to make room for me, yes, but remember 164 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.559 those branches were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, 165 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.120 and you are there because you do believe. So don't 166 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.759 think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For 167 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:25.159 if God did not spare the original branches, he won't 168 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:28.799 spare you either. Verse twenty two. Notice how God is 169 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:32.720 both kind and severe. Is severe toward those who disobeyed, 170 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.679 but kind to you if you continue to trust in 171 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:39.440 His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will 172 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:42.120 be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn 173 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:45.519 from their unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God 174 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:48.080 has the power to graft them back into the tree. 175 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:52.159 You by nature or a branch cut from a wild 176 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:55.559 olive tree. So if God was willing to do something 177 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:59.639 contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, 178 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.679 he will by far, he will be far more eager 179 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.360 to graft the original branches back into the tree where 180 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:08.120 they belong. 181 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:10.759 Okay, well, first of all, I just want to say this, 182 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:14.879 I will never read any passage again compared to your 183 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:20.480 awesome reading. Just great. As soon as you started and 184 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.320 you were like, you're like, let's read Roman chapter eleven, 185 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:29.600 You're like, I asked, then has God rejected his own people? 186 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.519 And I thought, holy cow, man, I can't even stand 187 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:33.039 up to that. 188 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:36.480 I keep saying, I want that w w J guy's job. 189 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:43.440 It's so incredible. So okay, so we have a pretty. 190 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:45.720 Uh yeah, there's a lot happening in here. 191 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:49.240 Yeah, there's there's a it's a pretty specific and uh 192 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:51.879 in some ways hard to understand type of scripture. 193 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:52.559 Uh. 194 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:56.240 And first of all, the main thing that that encapsulated 195 00:10:56.279 --> 00:11:00.480 this whole uh, this whole passage is in illustrate that 196 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:06.320 quite frankly, almost everybody in the first century understood right Like, 197 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:09.519 there wasn't probably a person that was listening to this 198 00:11:09.639 --> 00:11:13.840 reading or reading this letter that didn't understand exactly what 199 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.960 it means to craft branches into an olive tree or 200 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:19.480 you know, or into a vine or anything else. And 201 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:22.080 the only thing that and By the way, the only 202 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:25.039 context that we have, most of us in the Western 203 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:28.279 world is if you've seen like a TikTok video or 204 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:30.600 a video on Facebook. You know that's spit up in 205 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:33.080 fast motion where they sort of like cut off a 206 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:36.799 branch and they go and they sort of like, you know, 207 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:38.960 piece it together and they put another branch in there. 208 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.159 But all of a sudden, they go fast motion that thing. 209 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:42.879 Have you ever seen those, and all of a sudden 210 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:45.080 it just sort of grafts in and you're like, wow, 211 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.360 they just it's amazing, Like I didn't know that, you know, 212 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:52.320 people could do that. But every gardener understands that. Everybody 213 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:55.639 everybody knows what it means to prune, everybody know what 214 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.960 it means to graft all those things, and so you know, 215 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.000 it's hard for us to understand. But basically what he's 216 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:04.840 talking about is he's talking about how dead branches need 217 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:08.600 to be removed, and how some branches, even from from 218 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:12.120 a different root system, can be made to be a 219 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:16.039 part of a plant by by by grafting it. Right. 220 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:19.720 So so that's things that we don't necessarily relate to. 221 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:22.279 But if you think about it, it was a perfect 222 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:26.720 word picture or exactly what was happening. So, uh, you know, 223 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.000 there are other parts of the scripture where Jesus talks 224 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:32.320 about him being the vine. Right, what is that? 225 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:34.519 That was the first one that I thought of. I'm 226 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:35.679 the vine, you are the branches. 227 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:39.200 Yeah, yeah, Matthew five. I think it is where Jesus 228 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.080 talks about how he is the root, He is the 229 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.840 He is the vine where the branches and every branch 230 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:45.639 that is not a part of me will be cut off, 231 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:47.799 you know, and and and he talks about all that 232 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.200 stuff and pruned and everything else. But the point of 233 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.799 the of the pick of the word picture is that 234 00:12:53.919 --> 00:12:56.960 Jesus is the root and we are the ones who 235 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:00.720 are getting life from him. You know. This reminds me 236 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:04.240 of how often in ministry has anybody ever come to 237 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:07.279 you and they've asked you the question like which churches 238 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:12.200 are cults? Which churches are like like, you know, affiliated 239 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:15.960 with us? Which churches are would you consider are Christians 240 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:18.919 versus other ones? And are the other ones good? Are 241 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.720 they bad? You know? Do all religions lead to heaven? 242 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:24.840 Do all faiths lead to heaven? You know? You know, 243 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:27.240 don't we all just can't we just all get along 244 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.519 and all be the same the different faiths and belief systems. 245 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:33.600 Have you found that difficult to navigate throughout your ministry 246 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.919 because there's a lot of nuances out there. 247 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.080 Yeah, there are a lot of nuances, and people have 248 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.639 lots of different questions about even within what we would 249 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:46.960 consider Christian denominations. You know, what's the difference between this 250 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:48.879 one and that one? Well, it sounds a lot alike, 251 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:52.919 where it might be one small thing that's different. But 252 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:57.039 the beauty in all of it is that for all 253 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:01.480 those different Christian denominations, we have one central thing in common. So, yes, 254 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:03.960 there can be some differences on the edges over here, 255 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:09.120 and maybe this particular denomination adheres to this verse more 256 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:12.120 is their key like foundational verse. But there's one thing 257 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:15.919 in common, Jesus Christ. That's the central theme with all 258 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:17.120 the Christian denominations. 259 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:20.480 That's exactly right. And it's also important to understand what 260 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:23.759 Wesley was just saying, which is there are faiths out 261 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:26.879 there that do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God. 262 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:29.720 They don't recognize Jesus as the way to heaven, and 263 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.120 that really is what defines any church as a church 264 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:36.519 that's Christian because Christian, of course means little Christ. Yes, 265 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:39.360 and so little Christ, you know, means we believe, we 266 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:43.039 are imitators of Christ. We follow Christ, we hear, we 267 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.879 believe in Christ. And so just understanding what the Bible 268 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:48.879 says about how to get to heaven, and the Bible 269 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:51.399 says we don't get to heaven by ourselves, get to 270 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:55.080 heaven by believing in the gift given and you know, 271 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:59.679 aid for by Jesus sacrifice. So that's what makes a 272 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.440 religon and actually a religion is any any person who 273 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.399 actually says, yeah, I know exactly how to get to heaven. 274 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:09.360 And to your point, there's a lot of nuances about people, 275 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.279 you know, saying well I think that. You know, in fact, 276 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:15.320 I remember growing up as an independent Baptist and and 277 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:18.759 people would say, well, is that like Southern Baptists. I'd say, well, yeah, 278 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:21.919 it's almost exactly alike. And they would say, what's the difference, 279 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.679 And I'd say, Lottie Moon, And if you if you 280 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.200 know anything about something Baptists, it's like it's really how 281 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:30.080 they just choose to do their missions. Right. So an 282 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:33.120 independent Baptist, we would just support missionaries by ourselves, and 283 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:35.960 Southern Baptists just gives money to the Southern Baptist Convention 284 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:40.240 and they have a self governing board that sort of 285 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.519 you know, has their own system, and so really that's 286 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:47.200 just about it, you know. So it's pretty crazy how 287 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:50.639 similar they are and yet they seem different. Anyway, all 288 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:54.720 that to say, you know, think about this other scripture 289 00:15:54.759 --> 00:16:00.919 that came to mind. Do you remember when Jesus asked Peter, uh, 290 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:03.440 you know, who do you say that I am? Remember that? 291 00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:07.440 And it was getting irritated, like no, and Jesus often 292 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.840 did that with where he's really pressing in and that 293 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:14.519 like well when he had when Jesus asked him, also, 294 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:16.399 do you love me? 295 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:16.399 You love me? 296 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:17.159 And you know, he's. 297 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:19.399 Pressing into him, and Peter's almost why are you even 298 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:20.279 asking this question? 299 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:20.759 Right? 300 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:23.080 Peter did not say that I'm pure forre you right? 301 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:27.000 Right? Yeah, well you're right. It's very similar because he says, 302 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:28.600 who do you say that I am? And then and 303 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.600 they all responded and he says, well, some say you're 304 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.200 Elijah and some say you're you know this other prophet 305 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.279 And he says, okay, now who do you say that 306 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:35.519 I am? 307 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.399 Jesus Like I got that, But he. 308 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:40.720 Continues to press in and then Peter comes up with 309 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:43.960 the right answer. And Peter says, I believe that you 310 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.919 are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And 311 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:49.759 it's like ding ding ding ding. And then Jesus responds 312 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.120 to him and says, you know, this answer was not 313 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.039 given to you by men, given to you by God 314 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.440 the Father, you know, and you have a divine answer here. 315 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:01.480 And then he makes this incre to a proclamation and 316 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:05.400 he says, and on this, I'm going to build my church. 317 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:06.920 And there's a lot of debate about what the word 318 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:07.400 this is. 319 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:09.480 Yeah, I did a lot of studying about that. 320 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:12.279 I did too, And you're looking in the Greek like, okay, 321 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.960 exactly what was Jesus saying, right and. 322 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.319 The word this? Some people say, well that that's based 323 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:21.119 on a person, you know, like it's based on Peter 324 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:23.119 and his answer, you know, the gates of hell and 325 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:24.680 the keys of the kingdom will be given to this 326 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:29.079 one person. But you know, I very firmly believe after 327 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:32.119 my study as well, when he said and on this 328 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:35.039 I will build my church, I believe this is the 329 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:37.680 answer that he was asking the question to. He said, 330 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.480 you know, who do you say that I am? And 331 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:43.759 it's the only thing that really theologically makes any sense. 332 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:48.079 And Peter says, you know, you are the Christ. He says, 333 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.400 on this, I will build my church and the gates 334 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.519 of Hell shall not prevail against it. So here's here's 335 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.000 the point. I'm coming full circle on this. So think 336 00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:02.039 about this. So the church movement was started in a 337 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:06.000 circle with a group of guys. Right, there's just a 338 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.839 group of guys just sitting around in the middle of Israel. 339 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:10.519 They could have never imagined and. 340 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:13.480 They were like unlikely characters, you know what I mean. 341 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.960 I don't know if if Jesus put me in that group, 342 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.839 I don't know if I wouldn't have felt qualified. These 343 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:24.799 were just normal fishermen. These were normal dock workers, normal and. 344 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:30.240 Centers, like tax collectives everybody despised, right, So these were broken, 345 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:33.359 ordinary men. And he says, in all this, I would 346 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:35.799 build my church and the gates of Elchera pavail against it. 347 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:37.720 And here we are, two thousand years later, and we're 348 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:40.519 connected to this one moment, the birth of the church. 349 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:42.599 And yet there's just a group of guys, like there's 350 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:44.839 like twelve of them. They're sitting around and like a 351 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:47.480 dusty field, you know, all of them with the same 352 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:50.119 beard and haircut, you know, just thinking like, how's this 353 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.079 going to happen? And yet here we are two thousand 354 00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:55.279 years later and we are very very different, right. We 355 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:59.640 have different denominations, different styles of buildings of churches, different 356 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:03.960 ways of worship, different ways of communion, receiving communion, we 357 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:06.839 go to we send our kids to different colleges. Uh, 358 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:12.000 There's different methods of baptism. There's different opinions on salvation 359 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.480 in terms of you know, one saved, always saved. There's 360 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:20.720 there's debate about predestination. There's all these different different, different, different, 361 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:24.279 different different that we dress different, we respond different, we 362 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:26.839 worship different. Everything is different, different, different. But you put 363 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:29.279 us all in a room together that are Christians, and 364 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:31.119 what is the one thing that we have in common. 365 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:34.640 We all believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of 366 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:38.559 the Living God. And on this statement, I will build 367 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:40.839 my church. And I think that's the heart of this 368 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.039 passage because he's talking about Jews and Gentiles, and he's 369 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.720 talking about different cultures and they could not be more different, 370 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:52.119 and their histories are different, and they're coming together and 371 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:53.799 they're in there and they're a part of this church. 372 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:56.960 And now there are some Jews who paulicying clearly who 373 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:00.799 don't believe. And there are Jews who says, no, no, Jesus 374 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:04.680 is not the Messiah. No, we're waiting on our other messiah. Right, 375 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:06.920 we're gonna we're gonna hold out for the real guy 376 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:11.640 because Jesus wasn't the real guy. And Paul's clearly addressing that, 377 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:13.880 and he's saying, they're part of there are people the 378 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:16.960 part of the Jewish faith that do not believe. They're 379 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.799 part of the gentiles that do believe. And so these 380 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:23.319 guys are pruned off, these guys are sort of grafted in, 381 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.160 and then they start growing. But don't be proud because 382 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.319 you've taken the place of some who don't believe of 383 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:34.640 that reputation or category or faith, or you know, just 384 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:38.160 because they're Jewish. He says. Remember the focus is we're 385 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:39.240 all connected to the route. 386 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.720 Yeah, and that's a key point you just made. I 387 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.839 think it's dangerous territory for us to step into. Once 388 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:50.079 we get to the point where we believe, now we 389 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:53.160 feel like we've got it all together, and then you 390 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:56.839 see some others over there, and well, they're not like me, 391 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.240 you know, I've got it all together. I've got it right. 392 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:01.960 You know, I'm leaving in Christ. I'm looking down on them. 393 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:06.000 They're of another denomination, and Paul is warning against doing 394 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.039 that here. You know, we're all one family in the 395 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:12.400 Body of Christ. Many members, they all those members serve 396 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:15.759 specific functions in the body. But it's not for the 397 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:20.039 thumb to look down upon, you know, the toe and say, well, 398 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:22.640 you know what, I'm better than you, which sometimes can 399 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.960 happen in religious circles. But we're being warned against that 400 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.880 there because you can be plucked off the branch just 401 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:30.920