back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 04.21.24
00:07:36.220 |
- Okay, good morning, church family, happy Lord's Day. 00:07:47.960 |
As always, it is a joy and a privilege for us 00:07:52.500 |
and to remember what he has done for us in Christ Jesus. 00:08:10.260 |
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 00:08:13.500 |
but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant 00:08:24.540 |
to the point of death, even death on a cross. 00:08:31.380 |
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 00:08:34.800 |
so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, 00:08:38.080 |
of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 00:08:41.580 |
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord 00:12:13.580 |
Let me get to a few announcements before we get started. 00:12:22.560 |
there is a lunch fundraiser that is prepared. 00:12:36.880 |
There are four or five different kinds of chili. 00:12:45.080 |
That's all being sold for $10 for adults and $5 for kids. 00:12:57.660 |
you can grab the lunch and then stick around. 00:13:02.500 |
But let me explain a little bit about what's going on. 00:13:12.540 |
was a crucial part of the life of the church. 00:13:23.960 |
and we know we have missions that we have doing in Japan 00:13:30.400 |
and possibly Taiwan is also opening up in October, 00:13:43.940 |
you're gonna be getting like from all these people. 00:13:47.900 |
what we've decided to do is try to raise funds 00:13:53.940 |
And so that's why we have all these fundraisers 00:13:59.420 |
that's gonna support our summer mission team. 00:14:04.900 |
and this also with the auction that's happening 00:14:08.460 |
and we're hoping that if we can raise enough funds 00:14:16.480 |
So they're raising funds if they can outside the church, 00:14:19.800 |
but inside the church, we're trying to do it collectively 00:14:23.800 |
Otherwise we're gonna end up like sending letters 00:14:30.800 |
So hopefully if we raise enough funds, that'll be it. 00:14:34.200 |
If not, we may ask for maybe an offering taken 00:14:38.540 |
that'll kind of cover the rest of what we need, 00:14:40.780 |
but that's going forward, not only for Japan, 00:14:44.820 |
sorry, Korea and Taiwan and other mission opportunities 00:15:03.260 |
you can go and ask or if you have any questions about that. 00:15:08.060 |
a more of a thorough explanation of what's going on. 00:15:18.820 |
is doing round two of the Bible reading fellowship together. 00:15:27.560 |
If you haven't done it and you wanna participate, 00:15:30.580 |
Yeah, in the first service, I said it was the Old Testament, 00:15:33.220 |
but it actually is further New Testament Acts 00:15:40.460 |
And also for the special seminar that's going on 00:15:43.220 |
in May 4th, abortion, birth control, and IVF. 00:15:45.920 |
If you haven't signed up for that, we wanna encourage, 00:15:47.900 |
we wanna try to get as many of the church members 00:15:55.580 |
And then our brother Caleb Sang is gonna come up, 00:15:58.220 |
give his testimony and be baptized this morning. 00:16:11.500 |
beyond our comprehension, how you persevere with us, 00:16:18.940 |
I pray, Father God, that our worship that we give you 00:16:23.940 |
would not simply be putting in our time or singing songs, 00:16:28.460 |
but that it would be an overflow of gratitude in our hearts 00:16:38.140 |
bless even this giving, that it would be given to you 00:16:40.940 |
in thanksgiving as an overflow of gratitude to you. 00:16:44.340 |
May your name and your name alone be magnified. 00:17:27.220 |
and take a moment to say hello to those around you, 00:18:48.200 |
♪ My soul will wait, my soul will wait for you ♪ 00:19:37.020 |
♪ My soul will wait, my soul will wait for you ♪ 00:19:45.700 |
♪ When my bones are broken, I feel forsaken ♪ 00:19:54.900 |
♪ My soul will wait, my soul will wait for you ♪ 00:20:43.780 |
♪ My soul will wait, my soul will wait for you ♪ 00:20:48.780 |
♪ When my bones are broken, I feel forsaken ♪ 00:21:01.540 |
♪ My soul will wait, my soul will wait for you ♪ 00:22:51.580 |
♪ My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus ♪ 00:26:30.640 |
My name is Caleb Tsang, and this is my testimony. 00:26:36.380 |
some might even say a very Christian household. 00:26:39.180 |
I went to church, youth group, Awana, retreats, 00:26:42.380 |
and I even grew up in a Christian private school 00:26:46.020 |
My grandparents were also missionaries in China, 00:26:49.320 |
living in persecution under a communist government. 00:26:52.200 |
My grandfather was imprisoned for over 20 years 00:27:02.940 |
of faithfulness, memorizing countless Bible verses, 00:27:07.680 |
I did not see the slightest application to my own life. 00:27:10.680 |
It all seemed like a story for the adults to talk about. 00:27:13.480 |
That is, until seventh grade, I was afraid of dying. 00:27:25.860 |
I frantically explained to her my fear of death 00:27:28.240 |
and asked her how I might be able to save myself. 00:27:31.200 |
She lovingly shared with me the verse 1 John 4:18, 00:27:34.640 |
which says that God's perfect love casts out fear. 00:27:42.160 |
I did not care about loving God back or serving him. 00:27:45.440 |
I was a prideful young kid who thought he was smart. 00:27:48.320 |
In Bible class, I imagined the hardest questions 00:27:54.160 |
My arrogance overflowed whenever I would judge 00:27:56.400 |
my hypocritical, so-called Christian friends. 00:27:59.280 |
When I transitioned into a public high school, 00:28:09.840 |
to indulge in my flesh and worldly pleasures. 00:28:12.220 |
As I became busy with schoolwork and extracurriculars, 00:28:18.700 |
My church, or sorry, my heart was continually hardened, 00:28:24.980 |
There'd be times where I would be in the shower 00:28:38.640 |
During the college ministry's Galatians Bible study, 00:28:50.680 |
After studying this verse, I was severely offended. 00:28:54.120 |
For many years, I thought I knew what it meant to have faith. 00:29:05.300 |
and I could not think of a single time in my life 00:29:07.600 |
that I had wanted to live for God out of a love for him. 00:29:10.440 |
I'd hated God, and I realized my faithless life 00:29:14.920 |
It was during one sermon from Pastor Peter Kim 00:29:19.280 |
He played a video of an 18-year-old boy in the courtroom 00:29:25.860 |
by violently gunning him down in his own home. 00:29:29.320 |
But the younger brother spoke lovingly to her. 00:30:35.280 |
for him to count, but he has forgiven every one of my sins. 00:30:39.240 |
In Romans 7, Paul writes, "Wretched man that I am, 00:30:45.720 |
"who will deliver me from this body of death." 00:30:48.400 |
Thanks be to God, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. 00:31:02.660 |
straight into hell, and this would have been just. 00:31:13.340 |
Jesus saw my lust, my arrogance, my bitterness, 00:31:17.660 |
and he took it upon himself, upon his own life. 00:31:20.660 |
And the good news of Jesus dying in my wretched place 00:31:25.300 |
Romans 6.23 says that for the wages of sin is death, 00:31:32.220 |
And throughout my first quarter at UC Irvine, 00:31:40.100 |
or the God of my parents, or the God of my grandparents. 00:31:44.140 |
He's my God that I love and that I will put my faith in. 00:31:57.020 |
There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 00:32:09.980 |
But what I do know is that a perfect man named Jesus 00:32:14.900 |
And I know that after I fall asleep for the last time, 00:32:22.260 |
After being released from 23 years of prison, 00:32:27.060 |
my grandpa and his family immigrated to the United States. 00:32:30.780 |
He passed away a little more than 10 years ago, 00:32:36.780 |
on a piece of paper, showing them to me and my siblings. 00:32:41.100 |
It reads, "To love the Lord, to serve the Lord, 00:32:49.500 |
Jesus is my Savior and the master of my life, thank you. 00:33:22.060 |
and you're the United Christ's life, Christ's death, 00:33:25.020 |
then you're coming out the United Christ's resurrected life. 00:33:28.940 |
I baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:33:39.340 |
- All right, thank you, Caleb, for that powerful testimony. 00:33:53.060 |
If you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter eight, 00:33:55.940 |
I'm gonna be reading from verse four to verse 11. 00:34:16.440 |
and those from the various cities were journeying to him. 00:34:36.800 |
and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 00:34:39.540 |
Other seeds fell on the good soil and grew up 00:34:41.580 |
and produced a crop a hundred times as great. 00:35:04.420 |
Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God. 00:35:08.780 |
Father, we pray for deeper and truer understanding 00:35:15.100 |
of who you are, and the very thing that you have ordained 00:35:19.420 |
for the hearers, Lord God, of the first century, 00:35:22.740 |
that you would help us to understand as well. 00:35:24.600 |
So we lift this time to you, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 00:35:36.240 |
but this is basically the picture of the wheat and the tares. 00:35:39.160 |
And so on the surface, it's very difficult to tell, 00:35:42.000 |
and Jesus gives a parable of the wheat and the tares, 00:35:44.200 |
and how we have to be careful in distinguishing them two. 00:35:57.480 |
that you can't really tell the difference between the two 00:36:02.120 |
So the wheat, when the wheat begins to come in, 00:36:12.320 |
and then tares, because the wheat doesn't come in, 00:36:20.780 |
And by fruit, it says you will know what they really are. 00:36:32.680 |
So almost every event that Luke records up to this point 00:36:36.960 |
begins by telling us that the crowd is growing. 00:36:44.600 |
maybe in the thousands, are coming to Christ, 00:36:52.380 |
So the purpose of this parable is very clear. 00:37:00.520 |
that just because they are gathering because of him 00:37:12.820 |
some of them are soil that falls to the side, 00:37:18.960 |
and some of them, some of them will persevere 00:37:37.780 |
And that's a mistake that we make in the church, 00:37:45.160 |
and it begins to grow, something must be happening. 00:37:48.080 |
And so most books that are written about church growth, 00:37:51.320 |
or maybe that's a church that we need to model after, 00:37:55.920 |
So whether it's 1,000, or 10,000, or maybe it's 50,000, 00:37:58.920 |
so there must be something that they're doing 00:38:00.640 |
that we must learn, and so what ends up happening 00:38:09.880 |
we have greater audience, and books are written about us, 00:38:17.240 |
and there is a concern that this isn't real fruit. 00:38:22.440 |
And in time, many of them are gonna be weeded out, in time. 00:38:32.940 |
because you can imagine how excited the disciples are. 00:38:36.440 |
You know, they connected with the right master, 00:38:39.360 |
and more and more, it seems like he's the Messiah, 00:38:42.560 |
and these are small fishermen from a small town, 00:38:47.360 |
and all of a sudden, their master's a celebrity, 00:38:53.000 |
and so obviously, the disciples are also getting known, 00:38:55.880 |
and he's preparing the disciples that in due time, 00:39:00.200 |
in due time, this crowd is going to be weeded out. 00:39:09.200 |
and time will test to see the quality of their faith. 00:39:19.380 |
The way we do evangelism, if we're not careful, 00:39:24.440 |
that we try to gather as many people as possible, 00:39:30.040 |
they weren't church, and then now, they're church, 00:39:36.640 |
We see clearly that that was not Jesus' focus. 00:39:40.000 |
Jesus' focus is to make sure that true fruit, 00:39:52.240 |
is that because God has given us the Great Commission, 00:39:54.840 |
and this is something that we wanna take seriously 00:40:00.160 |
with a church filled with people who are unconverted. 00:40:03.320 |
Coming to church doesn't mean you've converted. 00:40:09.540 |
doesn't mean that you've genuinely converted. 00:40:16.080 |
He says, there are many people who will come. 00:40:18.720 |
Some will drop away early, some will look like fruit, 00:40:30.480 |
will choke their wheat out, but the problem is, 00:40:37.920 |
Now, if we were in a church where we were persecuted, 00:40:40.700 |
and your livelihood, and your physical health 00:40:46.980 |
but because we're not, we live in a post-Christian culture, 00:41:11.840 |
Well, this morning, our attention is not going 00:41:22.300 |
in what God uses to distinguish the four soils, 00:41:25.660 |
and which is the seed, and it clearly tells us 00:41:29.020 |
that the seed is the word of God, like in verse 11, 00:41:36.620 |
and the church down the street, we're about evangelism, 00:41:39.060 |
church down the street over there, we're about counseling, 00:41:42.820 |
as if God kinda set a set for us, a smorgasbord, 00:41:46.740 |
and then whatever you're hungry for, you can choose. 00:41:52.460 |
that God uses to distinguish and to bring salvation, 00:41:57.620 |
is, before we jump into the details of the parable, 00:42:08.700 |
when I say fruit, we're talking about salvation, 00:42:10.540 |
is initiated, is the word of God, it's the seed. 00:42:21.980 |
but he's not quite human yet until this happens, 00:42:24.700 |
in verse seven, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust 00:42:27.460 |
"from the ground and breathed into his nostrils 00:42:29.760 |
"the breath of life, and man became a living being." 00:42:39.420 |
but what distinguishes us from the rest of creation 00:42:46.700 |
but as you know, God said that if you disobey me, 00:42:54.480 |
How do we distinguish when somebody's living or not? 00:42:58.140 |
Now, I know we have technology and we hook them up 00:43:00.360 |
to see, you know, the heartbeat and all the stuff, 00:43:03.140 |
but generally, you can tell if they're breathing or not, 00:43:09.540 |
if they're not breathing, we know right away, 00:43:12.360 |
there is no breath, and so life has departed them. 00:43:16.780 |
The Bible says what gave us life is his own breath, 00:43:27.400 |
"for correction, for training in righteousness." 00:43:29.780 |
What's interesting is that word for inspired by God, 00:43:32.620 |
the literal translation of that is God breathed, 00:43:44.660 |
or the NIV just straight up says it is God breathed, 00:43:47.580 |
so I don't know if you're already making the connection. 00:43:52.300 |
What distinguishes us from the rest of creation 00:43:56.600 |
Now, because of sin, sin reigns and death reigns on mankind, 00:44:01.420 |
and in order to bring regeneration to this man, 00:44:04.540 |
God needs to breathe his breath back into man, 00:44:08.180 |
and he has said he has ordained the word of God. 00:44:20.960 |
So the primary agent in which life is given back 00:44:24.660 |
to a fallen man is through the word of God, the seed, 00:44:29.940 |
and Romans 10, 17, it says so faith comes from hearing, 00:44:33.100 |
and the hearing, what, by the word of Christ. 00:44:39.140 |
something is reignited, and the breath of God 00:44:41.820 |
comes into you, and that springs up into eternal life. 00:44:45.540 |
John 17, 17, it says sanctify them by the truth. 00:44:51.620 |
And I can spend the rest of my time this morning 00:44:54.760 |
just going over passage after passage after passage 00:45:04.980 |
If we're not careful, we think that the word of God 00:45:17.340 |
from the word of God because they say it's not effective. 00:45:26.380 |
where their attention span is like, what, 15 seconds? 00:45:32.120 |
to exposit the word of God and to tell you the meaning 00:45:35.420 |
and the history behind it, it's just not effective. 00:45:44.980 |
and maybe if we have clubs and various things, 00:46:06.340 |
only the word of God has been given as an agency 00:46:09.780 |
to bring the breath of God back into a sinner. 00:46:13.060 |
Not only is the word of God used to bring life, 00:46:30.180 |
"to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, 00:46:38.400 |
He says the word of God not only softens the heart of men 00:46:46.700 |
and they hear the word of God, it hardens them. 00:46:53.080 |
and you've seen the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:47:19.300 |
But to an unconverted, uncommitted, unrepentant person, 00:47:34.600 |
people who've been in a Bible-teaching church 00:47:37.840 |
all their life, unrepentant, are hardest people to reach. 00:47:49.240 |
but people who have been hardened by the word of God 00:47:54.540 |
They hear the word of God, but they are unrepentant. 00:47:57.220 |
They pick and choose what they want from Christ, 00:47:59.980 |
and the things that they don't want from Christ, 00:48:08.420 |
and they highlight the things that they are doing. 00:48:14.220 |
and yet they know they have not fully surrendered to God. 00:48:25.940 |
their hearts become harder and harder and harder. 00:48:29.180 |
You know what's interesting in Isaiah chapter six, 00:48:43.060 |
After all that drama of seeing the glory of his throne, 00:48:55.660 |
"Render the hearts of this people insensitive." 00:49:01.900 |
And then he says, "Render their hearts insensitive." 00:49:06.140 |
Like, why, first of all, why would you send me 00:49:09.140 |
to tell these people who aren't gonna listen, right? 00:49:12.820 |
He said, "Part of the work is to warn sinners, 00:49:19.340 |
"they realize that God was pleading with them to repent, 00:49:26.340 |
But he says, "Render their hearts insensitive." 00:49:48.380 |
Judgment is coming because of your unrepentant sin. 00:50:25.420 |
You are more difficult to reach with the word of God 00:50:28.180 |
than you were five years ago and 10 years ago. 00:50:35.100 |
You hear information that's coming from the word of God, 00:50:43.560 |
because you refuse to surrender your life to Christ. 00:50:51.880 |
but it hardens the heart of sinners who are unrepentant. 00:50:55.760 |
The same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay. 00:51:03.520 |
that what attracts sinners to Christ is his word. 00:51:09.980 |
And what causes sinners to reject Christ is also his word. 00:51:33.660 |
Because that's the agency in which God has given us. 00:51:38.020 |
I remember years ago, when I was in seminary, 00:51:40.160 |
when the Seeker Friendly Movement was coming in, 00:51:42.960 |
and we were being taught how to market the church, 00:51:46.720 |
and they were saying there's different levels 00:51:55.680 |
and they were telling us how to market the word of God, 00:52:04.360 |
just being wide open, I had no idea what this was, 00:52:08.960 |
And I remember an older lady in the classroom 00:52:22.840 |
we were just like, something seems a little bit off. 00:52:33.340 |
there was nobody who was saying anything against it, 00:52:49.400 |
and maybe even supposedly committed to the church, 00:53:04.960 |
because she felt like she was manipulated into Christ, 00:53:22.000 |
must first and foremost be committed to the word of God. 00:53:26.440 |
It is the seed that is planted that bears fruit. 00:54:01.920 |
Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. 00:54:05.400 |
You know what in season and out of season means? 00:54:14.880 |
Whether you think it works or it doesn't work. 00:54:19.220 |
He said, you preach the word in season and out of season. 00:54:29.420 |
Are people doing more of this because we did this? 00:54:37.860 |
and then we will drift away from the word of God, 00:54:42.340 |
When he says preach the word in season and out of season, 00:54:48.200 |
Whether people convert or they persecute you. 00:54:52.160 |
Whether it makes you feel happy or discouraged. 00:54:57.300 |
Whether you are rebuked or whether you feel encouraged. 00:55:01.740 |
You preach the word in season and out of season. 00:55:09.300 |
where he put his breath to bring life to repentant sinners 00:55:20.260 |
so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. 00:55:35.820 |
because he's trying to get sinners to the word. 00:55:38.840 |
I've preached sermons where I've had interpreters. 00:55:44.380 |
You know, whether it was in a Vietnamese church 00:55:53.500 |
And usually I can only tell if they're doing a good job 00:55:58.820 |
So if I say something, I've had good interpreters. 00:56:06.940 |
And I can tell by the reaction from the people. 00:56:13.740 |
because I don't understand what they're saying. 00:56:16.740 |
But lately I've been trying to improve my Korean 00:56:28.580 |
But in Korea, where they can't understand any English, 00:56:40.680 |
And I remember oftentimes I would say something 00:56:54.540 |
and some of the Korean mission team was there 00:56:57.740 |
and I said something very crucial to the sermon 00:57:20.980 |
because obviously they're not gonna understand what I say 00:57:24.720 |
What you're hearing right now is an interpretation, 00:57:30.260 |
Somebody who's read the Word of God and understood it 00:57:51.340 |
because we're trying to get you to see the Word of God. 00:57:54.460 |
Is there a difference between hearing from me 00:58:10.460 |
with the idea of being in love with the Word of God. 00:58:13.000 |
I know so many people who grew up in churches 00:58:33.900 |
of other people who are interpreting for you. 00:58:42.940 |
Not just on Wednesday, but Monday through Friday, 00:58:55.220 |
Now, it's great because that's the accumulation 00:59:05.920 |
Or else, I'm just gonna have to tell you to trust me. 00:59:18.940 |
I don't trust myself, so why would you trust me? 00:59:29.660 |
all scripture is given by God, and God breathed, 00:59:45.140 |
therefore the Word of God is a living and active, 00:59:47.500 |
living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. 00:59:53.860 |
is because they don't see it as living and active. 00:59:56.360 |
And the reason why it's not living and active for many, 01:00:13.920 |
And so you are holding on to a certain aspect of your life 01:00:19.560 |
that you know that if you were in the presence of God, 01:00:25.120 |
the first thing that's gonna come out of his mouth 01:00:33.600 |
that these are things that I can give to God, 01:00:34.960 |
and these are things I'm not gonna give to God, 01:00:42.040 |
But as a result of that, your heart has become hardened, 01:00:53.300 |
It is not because you're not exposed to the Word of God. 01:00:57.040 |
It's because you have shut the door of your heart 01:01:01.120 |
And it says, it is sharper than any double-edged sword. 01:01:04.360 |
The vision of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, 01:01:06.360 |
unable to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 01:01:12.940 |
Judges thoughts and intentions of their heart? 01:01:15.500 |
No, you can only see what they're doing externally. 01:01:32.500 |
So when an individual is intaking the Word of God, 01:01:55.760 |
They're not acting like, they're not living like this. 01:01:57.840 |
And so you are unaware of your own bitterness, 01:02:08.280 |
had more compassion to the tax collectors and the sinners, 01:02:18.120 |
The people that he rebuked sharply over and over 01:02:22.000 |
were the Pharisees, who knew the Word of God. 01:02:35.480 |
are people who are in the church week in and week out, 01:02:50.160 |
is the greatest hindrance to religious people 01:02:53.040 |
from experiencing the living and active Word of God. 01:03:03.980 |
is to make the Word of God known and to make it clear. 01:03:06.220 |
You know, it says in 1 Corinthians 2, 1 through 5, 01:03:14.180 |
brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech 01:03:17.020 |
or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 01:03:27.140 |
when wisdom and knowledge was put on a pedestal, 01:03:40.420 |
to stand in a marketplace and debate other scholars. 01:03:48.100 |
and they didn't have phones back then, right? 01:04:03.940 |
if they, the remains of their old cities remains, 01:04:16.980 |
and people would sit there and just watch them. 01:04:19.500 |
And they were the LeBron James of that generation, right? 01:04:31.780 |
I did not come in persuasive words of wisdom, 01:04:47.700 |
So if Apostle Paul wanted to destroy people with philosophy, 01:04:56.780 |
He said, I did not come with persuasive words of wisdom, 01:05:00.320 |
but I determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ, 01:05:18.920 |
but in demonstration of the spirit and of the power, 01:05:23.160 |
and that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of man, 01:05:40.460 |
but if you look at the record in a year and a half 01:05:46.500 |
If anything, he says in Acts 18.5, and in Corinthians, 01:05:50.540 |
that he devoted himself to the complete teaching 01:05:54.820 |
We project what power is based upon our weakness. 01:06:01.880 |
So we can't walk on water, so obviously that's power. 01:06:13.820 |
He just, by his word, he can tell the weather to change. 01:06:23.900 |
And he wasn't exhausted, he didn't need to take a break. 01:06:30.740 |
And that's exactly what he said when they came 01:06:42.740 |
"To say your sins are forgiven, or to heal this man? 01:06:57.620 |
was not some magic, was not some healing, it was him. 01:07:06.180 |
How was a man who had so much hatred in his heart, 01:07:08.980 |
who was willing to murder for the name of God, 01:07:11.220 |
and now is willing to be murdered to preach about this God? 01:07:16.460 |
The greatest of sinners, according to his own mouth, 01:07:42.100 |
walk a humiliating life, and then to be mocked, 01:08:15.140 |
and I can tell you 10 different ways to share the gospel. 01:08:30.420 |
How is your life any different because you met Christ? 01:08:52.100 |
and the witness of the power of the Word of God. 01:08:57.280 |
Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. 01:09:06.580 |
The power is not in our experience, in our education. 01:09:15.060 |
But let me summarize all of this with the fifth 01:09:27.900 |
You can spend all your life studying the Word of God 01:09:32.180 |
and be more miserable because of the Word of God 01:09:39.100 |
If the Word of God does not bring you to Christ. 01:09:41.500 |
Some of the most miserable people to be around 01:09:49.860 |
they've memorized it, and they know how to apply it 01:09:53.860 |
this is wrong 'cause of this, that's wrong 'cause of this, 01:09:55.620 |
you didn't think right, this is the right theology, 01:10:01.300 |
but they themselves have not been affected by Christ. 01:10:06.700 |
It says in John 1:1 that in the beginning was the Word 01:10:09.140 |
and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 01:10:15.020 |
And then in John 1:14 it says, and the Word became flesh. 01:10:26.540 |
glory as to the only begotten from the Father, 01:10:48.100 |
The whole reason why so many of the first century Jews, 01:10:52.840 |
the Pharisees, the scribes, the teachers of the law 01:10:55.380 |
missed him is because they were so focused on 01:10:58.860 |
how to become righteous through the Word of God. 01:11:06.820 |
You're evangelizing, you're praying, you're tithing, 01:11:27.300 |
and the intake of the Word of God causes you to be proud, 01:11:37.940 |
because of experience, because of giftedness. 01:11:43.800 |
but when you meet Christ, you can't be proud. 01:11:48.580 |
Automatically, you get humbled in the presence of God. 01:12:01.820 |
How can you be proud in the presence of that God? 01:12:09.460 |
if our whole purpose of salvation is to draw near to him 01:12:18.340 |
A proud man who is filled with the Word of God 01:12:21.900 |
is more dangerous than a person who knows nothing 01:12:31.700 |
Have you ever met somebody who knows the Bible so well 01:12:38.180 |
I don't wanna go to that church that teaches the Bible 01:12:51.100 |
not only to Christ, but the Word of God itself, 01:13:07.820 |
to fall in love with Christ, to worship Christ, 01:13:10.940 |
to obey Christ, to exalt Christ, to declare Christ. 01:13:14.900 |
If you miss that, you don't miss something important, 01:13:26.980 |
"in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord." 01:13:31.540 |
Not only our salvation, but our sanctification, 01:13:35.220 |
our continued growth, he says, "In the knowledge." 01:13:39.820 |
and then they would put an epi in front of it, 01:13:42.260 |
and whenever you see an epi in front of a word, 01:13:45.420 |
So basically it means in a personal relationship 01:13:50.860 |
with Jesus Christ, and an epi means intensely. 01:14:05.700 |
I don't care how much theology that you can present. 01:14:09.940 |
I don't care how much you know, I just don't care. 01:14:13.260 |
If Christ is not exuding, if you are not the aroma of Christ 01:14:21.020 |
You know, I know there's quite a few Dodgers fans in here, 01:14:36.260 |
'Cause the Posers know everything about Otani. 01:14:39.300 |
They've memorized statistics, and they know all this stuff, 01:14:44.460 |
but you know, I can tell if somebody is a true Dodgers fan 01:15:06.740 |
You can tell if somebody's in love with this team, 01:15:11.300 |
or they love the idea of being in love with this team. 01:15:22.940 |
who has put it in their mind that I want to be known 01:15:34.180 |
You could tell when the name of Christ comes up. 01:15:58.140 |
in a Bible-teaching church is where you think 01:16:00.700 |
that if we take a lot of intake of the Word of God, 01:16:10.700 |
through the Word of God, you're missing the whole point. 01:16:15.700 |
"This is eternal life, that they may know you." 01:16:22.860 |
The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 01:16:27.820 |
This is eternal life, to know Christ, to love Christ, 01:16:32.820 |
to honor Christ, to proclaim Christ, to worship Christ. 01:17:20.220 |
concerned and worried for the affairs of this world. 01:17:23.100 |
So we pray, Father God, that you would lift up our eyes, 01:17:27.540 |
teach us, guide us, mold us, rebuke us, correct us, 01:17:32.320 |
that we may persevere, Lord God, on the right path. 01:18:15.900 |
♪ Your glorious cause, oh God, engages our hearts ♪ 01:18:20.900 |
♪ May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are ♪ 01:18:29.060 |
♪ We ask not for ourselves, but for your renown ♪ 01:18:50.620 |
♪ Let your kingdom come, let your will be done ♪ 01:19:04.420 |
♪ Let your song be heard everywhere on earth ♪ 01:19:13.780 |
♪ Tell your song will work on earth this time ♪ 01:19:24.600 |
♪ Give us your strength, oh God, and courage to speak ♪ 01:19:39.580 |
♪ Perform your wondrous deeds through those who are weak ♪ 01:19:44.580 |
♪ Lord, use us as you once, whatever the test ♪ 01:19:54.020 |
♪ By grace we'll preach your gospel to our dying breath ♪ 01:20:08.020 |
♪ Let your kingdom come, let your will be done ♪ 01:20:21.020 |
♪ Let your song be heard everywhere on earth ♪ 01:20:29.420 |
♪ Tell your song will work on earth this time ♪ 01:20:38.540 |
♪ Let your kingdom come, let your will be done ♪ 01:20:54.540 |
♪ Let your song, let your song be heard everywhere on earth ♪ 01:21:05.540 |
♪ Tell your song will work on earth this time ♪ 01:21:10.540 |
♪ Let your kingdom come, let your kingdom come ♪ 01:21:30.540 |
♪ Let your song be heard everywhere on earth ♪ 01:21:35.540 |
♪ Tell your song will work on earth this time ♪ 01:21:43.540 |
♪ Let your kingdom come, let your kingdom come ♪ 01:22:07.540 |
Rest, restore, strengthen and encourage the people of God 01:22:12.540 |
that we may be the aroma of Christ wherever you send us. 01:22:46.540 |
♪ An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives ♪ 01:23:37.540 |
♪ You shouted death and freedom from our fears ♪