1 00:00:30,739 --> 00:00:36,419 Open your Bibles tonight turn to Acts 2:41, the book of Acts 2:41, 2 00:00:36,419 --> 00:00:42,499 and continue our series on the Baptist distinctives. I did a Brother 3 00:00:42,499 --> 00:00:46,339 Stewart thing, and actually it's Brother Stewart's chart on the 4 00:00:46,339 --> 00:00:49,179 Baptist distinctives. There a paper back there at the bookstore 5 00:00:49,179 --> 00:00:52,219 here on the right side of the bookstore on the counter. You can 6 00:00:52,219 --> 00:00:56,649 pick that up. And it has the 12 Baptist distinctives that again, 7 00:00:56,649 --> 00:01:01,649 that Brother Stewart has. He has. He kind of expands it a little 8 00:01:01,649 --> 00:01:04,849 bit. I think normally if you were to Google this and look this 9 00:01:04,849 --> 00:01:08,969 up, you'll find that most. Some of these categories, other preachers 10 00:01:08,969 --> 00:01:12,089 put them together. And so usually there's around eight of them 11 00:01:12,489 --> 00:01:16,969 and the same distinctives. But sometimes they incorporate some of 12 00:01:16,969 --> 00:01:20,169 these together. But if you would like to have those, they're 13 00:01:20,169 --> 00:01:22,809 back there in the back. It gives you all 12 of them, and it 14 00:01:22,809 --> 00:01:27,419 gives you kind of a view of what that is and then what it is 15 00:01:27,419 --> 00:01:31,379 not. And so it's a really a good little chart. Brother Stewart's 16 00:01:31,379 --> 00:01:35,779 always good at that. My friend Brother Stewart. And these lessons, 17 00:01:35,779 --> 00:01:39,659 I want to remind you, these lessons are based off a series that 18 00:01:39,659 --> 00:01:43,699 he. That he has. So I want to give credit where credit's due. So. 19 00:01:44,019 --> 00:01:48,619 But I will say again, you can literally Google this. You can Google 20 00:01:48,619 --> 00:01:52,789 Baptist distinctives. There'll be multiple places in which you can 21 00:01:52,789 --> 00:01:57,629 go look and study if you would like to. And tonight's a really kind 22 00:01:57,629 --> 00:02:01,349 of a simple one. At least we take it for granted that if you're 23 00:02:01,349 --> 00:02:04,949 going to be a member of the church, then you ought to be saved 24 00:02:04,949 --> 00:02:09,709 and baptized. But that's not always the case in other denominations 25 00:02:09,709 --> 00:02:14,429 and other organizations that say they're a church. But we believe, 26 00:02:14,429 --> 00:02:17,909 and we know the Bible teaches that in order to be a member of the 27 00:02:17,909 --> 00:02:21,489 church, you need to be saved. You need to know Jesus Christ as 28 00:02:21,489 --> 00:02:24,649 your personal savior, and you need to be baptized. So look at Acts 29 00:02:24,649 --> 00:02:29,889 2:41. This is the verse I use when I am dealing with in my baptismal 30 00:02:29,889 --> 00:02:33,489 class with those candidates for baptism. And if you'll remember, 31 00:02:33,489 --> 00:02:36,849 Acts 2:41, Acts chapter two, it's Peter Standing up and preaching 32 00:02:37,009 --> 00:02:40,409 there on the day of Pentecost. And he's preaching to a very, very 33 00:02:40,409 --> 00:02:43,729 large crowd, thousands and thousands of people. This is one 34 00:02:43,729 --> 00:02:48,119 of the feast days of Israel. And. And so the Israelites were required 35 00:02:48,119 --> 00:02:51,959 to come back to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. 36 00:02:52,599 --> 00:02:57,959 And as this group from all around that area came back for that 37 00:02:57,959 --> 00:03:03,119 feast, it's 50 days after Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. 38 00:03:03,119 --> 00:03:08,439 So 50 days later, after Peter had denied Christ three times, he 39 00:03:08,439 --> 00:03:12,679 stands up and he preaches full of the Holy Spirit. It was the power 40 00:03:12,679 --> 00:03:15,879 of the Holy Spirit, the feeling of the Spirit that gave him 41 00:03:15,879 --> 00:03:21,199 the power as he preached. And he basically said, here, this is 42 00:03:21,199 --> 00:03:25,639 what's going on. You murdered the Messiah. That crowd, he calls 43 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:30,839 him a murderer, murderers. You missed out that he was indeed the 44 00:03:30,839 --> 00:03:34,279 Messiah. And he gives examples of how he was the Messiah. And then 45 00:03:34,279 --> 00:03:39,349 he says, you have missed out on the prophecy from Joel. And so. 46 00:03:40,069 --> 00:03:43,589 And after he had finished speaking, after he finished preaching, 47 00:03:43,589 --> 00:03:47,389 the Bible says here in Acts 2. 41. And with other. Look at verse 48 00:03:47,389 --> 00:03:50,669 40. And with other words, and with many other words did he testify 49 00:03:50,669 --> 00:03:53,989 and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation. 50 00:03:54,709 --> 00:04:00,069 Then they that gladly received his word. All right, so if I was 51 00:04:00,069 --> 00:04:05,379 to come down the stairs and hand my wife a pen, she would receive 52 00:04:05,379 --> 00:04:12,099 it. She received it, she took it, she accepted it. Those who heard 53 00:04:12,179 --> 00:04:16,139 Peter preach and accepted the message. What was the message? Jesus 54 00:04:16,139 --> 00:04:21,739 was the Messiah. You killed him. And he rose from the dead. He 55 00:04:21,739 --> 00:04:28,299 preached the gospel to them. Good stuff. Those who received the 56 00:04:28,299 --> 00:04:32,909 message, those who believed the message, those who by faith trusted 57 00:04:32,909 --> 00:04:35,989 that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, that he lived, he died, 58 00:04:35,989 --> 00:04:40,109 and he rose again. It says, look at there again. Then they that 59 00:04:40,109 --> 00:04:44,589 gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day they were 60 00:04:44,589 --> 00:04:49,309 added unto them. The them is the church there in Jerusalem. About 61 00:04:49,309 --> 00:04:52,229 3,000 souls. How do we know that them is the church in Jerusalem? 62 00:04:52,229 --> 00:04:56,549 Well, we've already established that there is only one 63 00:04:56,869 --> 00:05:00,759 kind of church described in the Bible in the New Testament, and 64 00:05:00,759 --> 00:05:05,879 that is a local, visible church. And there is no universal 65 00:05:05,879 --> 00:05:08,959 and visible church described in the New Testament. There's no 66 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:13,159 visible, universal church, as the Catholics believe found in the 67 00:05:13,159 --> 00:05:18,319 New Testament, but only local, visible. Local, visible. I'm glad 68 00:05:18,319 --> 00:05:22,559 I'm a member of a local, visible church, an autonomous church. 69 00:05:22,799 --> 00:05:26,279 There's no hierarchy out here that's telling us what we can and 70 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:30,689 cannot do. We follow the head of the church, which is Jesus Christ, 71 00:05:31,169 --> 00:05:36,489 and we follow him as the head by his Word. His word leads us, the 72 00:05:36,489 --> 00:05:39,809 word of God. And so, so thankful for that. But so again, 73 00:05:40,449 --> 00:05:44,369 they accepted the Word, then they were baptized, then they were 74 00:05:44,369 --> 00:05:48,609 added to the church. That is the progression. That is the pathway 75 00:05:48,609 --> 00:05:53,009 to being a member of a church, saved, baptized, added to the church. 76 00:05:53,009 --> 00:05:56,379 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you again for. For your 77 00:05:56,379 --> 00:05:59,139 love. And we just pray tonight as we look at this most important 78 00:05:59,219 --> 00:06:03,539 subject, though for us, very familiar to most. I pray, Lord, that 79 00:06:03,539 --> 00:06:07,059 it would become fresh to us again and that we'd see the importance 80 00:06:07,219 --> 00:06:14,339 of a saved and baptized congregation. In Jesus name. Amen. 81 00:06:15,059 --> 00:06:18,579 The Baptist distinctives are a collection of biblical truths unique 82 00:06:18,579 --> 00:06:22,139 to Baptists. And I know I clarify this every Wednesday. We're 83 00:06:22,139 --> 00:06:25,899 not saying that some of these doctrines are not taught in other 84 00:06:25,899 --> 00:06:28,859 denominations and other churches, but what we're saying is 85 00:06:28,859 --> 00:06:31,379 the collection of these 12, and I've given you the list back 86 00:06:31,379 --> 00:06:33,619 there at the bookstore, you can pick those up. The collection 87 00:06:33,619 --> 00:06:38,459 of these 12 are unique to Baptists only. And so we think again 88 00:06:38,459 --> 00:06:41,659 about this. The theme is Second Timothy, chapter two, verse 89 00:06:41,659 --> 00:06:46,099 two. And Paul says to young Timothy, the things that thou hast 90 00:06:46,099 --> 00:06:50,259 heard among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men 91 00:06:50,419 --> 00:06:56,179 who shall be able to teach others also. The churches, the true 92 00:06:56,179 --> 00:07:01,179 New Testament churches are to be the caretakers. Right? If you 93 00:07:01,179 --> 00:07:05,339 would. The protectors, the caretakers of biblical truth, of 94 00:07:05,339 --> 00:07:10,219 biblical truth. And they're cheating. Everybody's cheating a 95 00:07:10,219 --> 00:07:12,699 biblical truth. And then we're to take that biblical truth and pass 96 00:07:12,699 --> 00:07:16,659 it to the next generation and there to protect that truth and pass 97 00:07:16,659 --> 00:07:19,899 it to the next generation to teach others also the things that 98 00:07:19,899 --> 00:07:25,059 were committed to them. So we as a church are to again be a caretaker 99 00:07:25,059 --> 00:07:28,579 of the truth, biblical truth. The Bible says there, we used it 100 00:07:28,579 --> 00:07:32,099 the last three Wednesday nights, that the church is the what, 101 00:07:32,099 --> 00:07:35,819 pillar and ground of the truth. And so we are to be caretakers 102 00:07:35,819 --> 00:07:39,819 of that truth. Now, again tonight, the Baptist distinctive 103 00:07:39,819 --> 00:07:44,489 is world number seven. That is that it's. We believe the Bible teaches 104 00:07:44,489 --> 00:07:49,569 in a saved and scripturally baptized church membership, saved 105 00:07:49,569 --> 00:07:53,329 and scripturally baptized church membership. And we take that 106 00:07:53,329 --> 00:07:57,648 for granted as Baptists, that that is what the Bible says, because 107 00:07:57,648 --> 00:08:02,489 it is what the Bible says. But that is not practiced in other denominations 108 00:08:03,689 --> 00:08:08,249 as far as being a member of that church or some of these churches. 109 00:08:08,769 --> 00:08:12,649 And so defining this, of course, defining salvation's easy. 110 00:08:12,649 --> 00:08:16,209 We all know that. One believing in the Lord Jesus Christ 111 00:08:16,209 --> 00:08:19,249 and thou shalt be saved, putting your faith and trust in him 112 00:08:19,249 --> 00:08:23,449 and him alone, his life, his death, his resurrection, being rescued 113 00:08:23,449 --> 00:08:28,209 from the wrath of God for our sins by way of faith, trusting in 114 00:08:28,209 --> 00:08:33,609 Jesus Christ and him alone and then baptized. That means those immersed 115 00:08:33,609 --> 00:08:37,379 under the authority of a true New Testament church. That's important 116 00:08:37,379 --> 00:08:42,459 too. Number one, it's not a baptism, a true baptism, unless you 117 00:08:42,459 --> 00:08:47,059 are scripturally baptized. And by that we mean by the, by what the 118 00:08:47,059 --> 00:08:51,938 Bible says. Have you been immersed? Have you been plunged under? 119 00:08:52,579 --> 00:08:56,699 Or did you get sprinkled or poured on? Being sprinkled or poured 120 00:08:56,699 --> 00:08:59,939 on is not a true New Testament baptism. It's nowhere found in the 121 00:08:59,939 --> 00:09:03,939 New Testament. And so therefore it's not a true baptism. 122 00:09:04,969 --> 00:09:07,449 It's not Bible. It's not true. Right? 123 00:09:08,249 --> 00:09:08,889 Amen. 124 00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:13,689 Help me out, everybody. Be awake. I'm awake tonight. Just drank 125 00:09:13,929 --> 00:09:18,849 one of them fancy coffees. I could feel the caffeine and sugar 126 00:09:18,849 --> 00:09:26,649 rushing through my veins. It's amazing. Both salvation and baptism 127 00:09:26,809 --> 00:09:31,689 are required in order to be a member of a church. Again. I've already 128 00:09:31,689 --> 00:09:35,259 said it. We take that for granted. But that is not the case 129 00:09:35,579 --> 00:09:41,419 in so many other churches and denominations. Another thing we take 130 00:09:41,419 --> 00:09:44,139 for granted, and we believe because the Bible teaches it, is 131 00:09:44,139 --> 00:09:49,578 in order to be baptized, you must be saved first. So we believe 132 00:09:49,578 --> 00:09:54,619 in what? We believe in believer's baptism. That you can't 133 00:09:54,699 --> 00:10:01,309 dunk a baby and call that a baptism. A person, a child, has to 134 00:10:01,309 --> 00:10:04,309 come to the realization that they are a sinner in need of a savior 135 00:10:04,309 --> 00:10:08,469 and accept Christ as their Savior personally before they can 136 00:10:08,469 --> 00:10:13,749 be baptized. Right. And so because baptism does not save you, 137 00:10:14,469 --> 00:10:17,669 baptism is simply a picture of the life, death and resurrection. 138 00:10:17,829 --> 00:10:23,269 It's an act of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, it's 139 00:10:23,269 --> 00:10:27,429 acknowledging that I'm a Jesus follower and it's a passageway into 140 00:10:27,429 --> 00:10:31,869 the church. But baptism requires a saved person immersed 141 00:10:31,869 --> 00:10:39,349 again under the authority of a local church. And we have spent three 142 00:10:39,349 --> 00:10:45,109 weeks on this. But understand that the church is true. New Testament 143 00:10:45,109 --> 00:10:49,029 churches are the only ones with the authority to baptize. You 144 00:10:49,029 --> 00:10:54,199 can't go home and baptize your grandkid and in the bathtub. You 145 00:10:54,199 --> 00:10:57,479 don't have the authority to do that. Only the church does. By the 146 00:10:57,479 --> 00:11:02,039 way, and I did clarify this. The pastor doesn't have the authority 147 00:11:02,039 --> 00:11:05,119 to baptize. It's the church that has the authority to baptize. 148 00:11:05,439 --> 00:11:08,559 We could have a meeting tonight. We could decide and we could 149 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:13,599 vote. And any one of the men in the auditorium we could vote on 150 00:11:13,599 --> 00:11:18,209 to baptize somebody if we wanted to. Everybody see that? Because 151 00:11:18,209 --> 00:11:20,929 the church's authority. We talked about ordination. Who truly 152 00:11:20,929 --> 00:11:24,729 ordains? We've ordained many here at our church. But who really 153 00:11:24,729 --> 00:11:27,169 did the ordaining? Was it the presbyter? Was it all these preachers 154 00:11:27,169 --> 00:11:32,489 sitting up here in the choir that we tricked into being here to. 155 00:11:32,809 --> 00:11:37,929 I'm just kidding. To help qualify this individual to be ordained. 156 00:11:38,889 --> 00:11:43,369 No, no. It was the presbyter, the preachers who line up here and 157 00:11:43,369 --> 00:11:46,399 ask lots of questions to the man who's being ordained to make 158 00:11:46,399 --> 00:11:50,519 sure he's qualified. All we do is recommend to the church for his 159 00:11:50,519 --> 00:11:56,799 ordination and the church votes on it. That's good, isn't it? 160 00:11:57,199 --> 00:12:00,119 That's the way it's supposed to be. The church is the one with 161 00:12:00,119 --> 00:12:05,279 the authority, not an individual, not the pastor. And so 162 00:12:05,439 --> 00:12:09,879 again, as we think about the requirements in being baptized is 163 00:12:09,879 --> 00:12:13,759 that it be a saved person. The requirement is the understanding 164 00:12:14,349 --> 00:12:19,709 that it's in a church. And by the way, also the meaning. It really 165 00:12:19,709 --> 00:12:23,069 is meaningless if you get up in the baptistry and you're dunked 166 00:12:23,069 --> 00:12:26,509 and you come back up and you don't know even why you did it or 167 00:12:26,509 --> 00:12:30,549 what it meant. It's nothing more than a ritual. If that's the 168 00:12:30,549 --> 00:12:33,869 case, that's why we do. And we have practiced since we started heritage 169 00:12:33,869 --> 00:12:38,469 of having a baptismal class. And very few have slipped by without 170 00:12:38,469 --> 00:12:40,789 going to the baptismal class. Because I want them to know what 171 00:12:40,789 --> 00:12:43,569 they believe and, and why. I want them to know why they're being 172 00:12:43,569 --> 00:12:47,649 dumped. I want to know why. And again, mainly it's the picture 173 00:12:47,649 --> 00:12:50,129 of the death, burial and resurrection. The church is more 174 00:12:50,129 --> 00:12:54,769 than just a gathering place of professing Christians. Say that again. 175 00:12:54,849 --> 00:12:58,809 The church is more than just a gathering place for professing Christians. 176 00:12:58,809 --> 00:13:01,609 You say, well, I'm a Christian, I'm a Christian, I want 177 00:13:01,609 --> 00:13:06,129 to. Well, it's more than that. Again, the definition of a church, 178 00:13:06,129 --> 00:13:09,929 what's the biblical definition of church? It's a called out assembly, 179 00:13:09,929 --> 00:13:13,729 ekklesia, the Greek word, a called out assembly of born again 180 00:13:13,809 --> 00:13:19,249 baptized believers fulfilling Christ's commands and in this case, 181 00:13:19,329 --> 00:13:23,489 fulfilling the Great commission of what? Evangelizing 182 00:13:24,369 --> 00:13:30,369 the world, baptizing those who accept him as Savior and then discipling 183 00:13:30,369 --> 00:13:31,929 them. That's the Great Commission. The Great Commission 184 00:13:31,929 --> 00:13:35,209 is threefold. That commission was given to us by the Lord Jesus 185 00:13:35,209 --> 00:13:40,589 Christ. It was given to us, to his churches. And so again, by definition, 186 00:13:40,589 --> 00:13:43,069 the called out assembly of baptized believers fulfilling the 187 00:13:43,069 --> 00:13:48,269 commands of Christ to the church, given to the church is what 188 00:13:48,269 --> 00:13:52,628 makes a church, what makes a church. And without that, in other 189 00:13:52,628 --> 00:13:56,069 words, if organization is not fulfilling their purpose, then it's 190 00:13:56,069 --> 00:13:59,709 no longer whatever that is. And we use the tire shop as the example. 191 00:14:01,629 --> 00:14:07,509 So the church is a people called to holiness, called to separation, 192 00:14:08,789 --> 00:14:13,389 commissioned to bring others to salvation, commissioned to bring 193 00:14:13,389 --> 00:14:18,269 others to service, to serve the Lord. And this is why we were 194 00:14:18,269 --> 00:14:24,149 directed all that, in other words, that commission, that purpose, 195 00:14:24,789 --> 00:14:30,189 reaching others with the gospel preaching, baptizing the discipling, 196 00:14:30,269 --> 00:14:35,229 all that directed and empowered, if you would. The Bible 197 00:14:35,229 --> 00:14:39,109 says by the Holy Spirit, directed by the Spirit of Christ 198 00:14:39,109 --> 00:14:44,549 by the Holy Spirit. In other words, to fulfill its function and 199 00:14:44,549 --> 00:14:50,429 by. The church's function is primarily spiritual. The church's 200 00:14:50,429 --> 00:14:54,709 function is primarily spiritual. Just had the discussion 201 00:14:54,709 --> 00:14:58,969 with the Jameses. We talked about it a little bit. It's wonderful 202 00:14:59,049 --> 00:15:06,249 to be able to do some help physically for people. It's wonderful 203 00:15:06,249 --> 00:15:10,729 to be able to do some charity work, as the world would call that. 204 00:15:12,169 --> 00:15:15,209 But that is not the primary purpose and function of the church. 205 00:15:16,009 --> 00:15:18,569 The primary purpose and function of the church is primarily 206 00:15:18,569 --> 00:15:23,409 spiritual and that is to give people the gospel. Now what we do 207 00:15:23,409 --> 00:15:28,009 in medical missions is we do what Jesus did. Jesus met their physical 208 00:15:28,009 --> 00:15:31,889 needs and then. But his primary purpose was to meet their 209 00:15:31,889 --> 00:15:35,609 spiritual needs and to give them the gospel. To give them the 210 00:15:35,609 --> 00:15:42,249 gospel. That is the work of the churches. It's primarily spiritual. 211 00:15:43,369 --> 00:15:47,289 Okay, so now this is where we can kind of get into some stuff. 212 00:15:47,289 --> 00:15:51,849 I hope that'll be a blessing to you. If the church's function, 213 00:15:51,849 --> 00:15:54,329 and we know this is true because the Bible makes it true. 214 00:15:54,569 --> 00:15:59,089 If the church's function is primary spiritual, then the church 215 00:15:59,089 --> 00:16:03,689 needs to be made up of spiritual people. By that I mean 216 00:16:04,889 --> 00:16:11,209 people who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If your, if a church 217 00:16:11,209 --> 00:16:17,509 is not, if a requirement for a church is not to be saved, then those 218 00:16:17,509 --> 00:16:21,469 who are in the church potentially could be there and not 219 00:16:21,469 --> 00:16:26,309 have a new nature. In other words, you could end up with people 220 00:16:26,549 --> 00:16:31,229 in the chairs and in the pews who do not have the Holy Spirit living 221 00:16:31,229 --> 00:16:39,909 in them. Everybody see that? So it's very important because the 222 00:16:39,909 --> 00:16:46,289 church's function is primarily spiritual, very important that that 223 00:16:46,289 --> 00:16:51,849 church be made up of people who are saved. Because it's only 224 00:16:51,849 --> 00:16:55,249 through salvation that we receive the Holy Spirit. It's only 225 00:16:55,249 --> 00:16:59,329 through salvation that we receive a new nature. That old man 226 00:17:00,769 --> 00:17:03,609 is pushed to the side to become a new man, a new creature 227 00:17:03,609 --> 00:17:06,489 in Christ. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have 228 00:17:06,489 --> 00:17:12,539 become new. Amen. We have a new nature. We have a new appetite, 229 00:17:13,819 --> 00:17:19,259 a new appetite. We had an appetite for the things of the world 230 00:17:20,139 --> 00:17:23,259 before salvation, after salvation, the Holy Spirit gives 231 00:17:23,259 --> 00:17:27,859 us an appetite for the things of God. You as a Christian, you as 232 00:17:27,859 --> 00:17:34,219 a born again believer, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, should 233 00:17:34,219 --> 00:17:38,909 have an appetite for this. Now let's say you don't and you still 234 00:17:38,909 --> 00:17:41,669 profess to be a Christian. Well, that means you might be a little 235 00:17:41,669 --> 00:17:46,989 spiritually sick. When I get physically sick, sometimes I lose 236 00:17:46,989 --> 00:17:50,909 my appetite. Notice I said sometimes I can still be sick and 237 00:17:50,909 --> 00:17:55,749 sometimes still be hungry. It's a weird thing, isn't It Sometimes 238 00:17:55,749 --> 00:18:03,879 I can be nauseated and still hungry. But most of the time when 239 00:18:03,879 --> 00:18:07,839 you get really sick, you lose your appetite. And sometimes as Christians, 240 00:18:07,839 --> 00:18:10,559 we can get in a position in our life where we're not walking 241 00:18:10,559 --> 00:18:13,319 with God as we should. And maybe our spiritual appetite is not 242 00:18:13,319 --> 00:18:17,439 what it should be. But you still have the Holy Spirit in you 243 00:18:18,079 --> 00:18:23,519 if you're saved. It's important. It's very, very important. 244 00:18:24,879 --> 00:18:29,649 In other words, without the Holy Spirit, God cannot lead you 245 00:18:31,089 --> 00:18:36,609 because it's the Holy Spirit who leads us. Some of y' all are 246 00:18:36,609 --> 00:18:38,729 jumping to conclusions. You're jumping to the right conclusions 247 00:18:38,729 --> 00:18:42,489 that I'm heading that way. So keep on trucking. Romans, chapter 248 00:18:42,489 --> 00:18:45,889 8, verse 7 says, the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it 249 00:18:45,889 --> 00:18:53,539 is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. In other 250 00:18:53,539 --> 00:18:57,139 words, you can preach to that person all day long. And until they 251 00:18:57,139 --> 00:19:01,659 get saved, they're not going to receive spiritual things because 252 00:19:01,659 --> 00:19:06,459 they're carnal. They don't have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit 253 00:19:06,459 --> 00:19:10,179 is there. What? When we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes and 254 00:19:10,179 --> 00:19:14,099 indwells us to illuminate, to give us understanding concerning 255 00:19:14,099 --> 00:19:18,019 the word of God. It's an amazing thing, isn't it? When you 256 00:19:18,019 --> 00:19:21,899 read your Bible as a Christian and the spirit of God shows you something 257 00:19:22,599 --> 00:19:24,359 that you didn't see before. I don't know how many times I've read 258 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,399 through my Bible and I still read through it. Every time I read 259 00:19:26,399 --> 00:19:29,399 through it, I find something else. Holy Spirit illuminates it 260 00:19:29,399 --> 00:19:32,719 for me. The Holy Spirit is there to illuminate us. He's there 261 00:19:32,719 --> 00:19:38,558 to empower us. Empower us as he fills us. He's there. So many 262 00:19:38,558 --> 00:19:42,119 different functions that the Holy Spirit does for us. And if a 263 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,599 person is lost, if they're not saved, then how is the Holy Spirit? 264 00:19:46,599 --> 00:19:51,259 The Holy Spirit is not there to lead them. So now we're just going 265 00:19:51,259 --> 00:19:55,979 to another conclusion in light of that. Unity in the church is derived 266 00:19:56,699 --> 00:20:04,219 from or the result of being taught the word of God, being taught 267 00:20:04,219 --> 00:20:10,099 the word of God about God and all wanting and all its membership 268 00:20:10,099 --> 00:20:18,509 wanting all of its membership, desiring to willingly live what the 269 00:20:18,509 --> 00:20:24,509 Bible teaches. I wrote it out because I want to make sure I said 270 00:20:24,509 --> 00:20:28,629 that right. Did y' all get that one? Let me say it again. So 271 00:20:28,629 --> 00:20:31,509 when we think so, there's a lot of talk about unity. And we did 272 00:20:31,509 --> 00:20:34,029 that the last three weeks. We talked about the church being local, 273 00:20:34,029 --> 00:20:39,839 visible, and that if it's invisible, universal, and the Bible 274 00:20:39,839 --> 00:20:43,359 makes it clear there ought to be unity in the church, that we ought 275 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,239 to be unified as a body of Christ. We ought to be unified together. 276 00:20:46,319 --> 00:20:49,919 The hand shouldn't tell the other hand what to do. The mouth 277 00:20:49,919 --> 00:20:53,599 doesn't tell the brain what to do. No, the body functions together. 278 00:20:53,599 --> 00:20:58,439 I don't choke myself right because my hand does what I tell 279 00:20:58,439 --> 00:21:08,089 it to do most of the time, unless it hurts real bad. Every member 280 00:21:08,089 --> 00:21:12,649 is important. No member is more important than the other. Again, 281 00:21:12,649 --> 00:21:15,089 we're talking First Corinthians 12 and Romans chapter 282 00:21:15,089 --> 00:21:18,889 12. Everybody has a place, everybody has a function given to 283 00:21:18,889 --> 00:21:24,729 them by the Holy Spirit. And unity is not some universal, invisible 284 00:21:24,729 --> 00:21:29,729 concept in which all the saved and all the world are to be unified 285 00:21:29,729 --> 00:21:33,369 together. That's not what the Bible's saying. Because there is 286 00:21:33,369 --> 00:21:37,009 no universal, invisible church made up of all the saved. It's talking 287 00:21:37,009 --> 00:21:42,809 about each individual. Church is the body of Christ and ought to 288 00:21:42,809 --> 00:21:44,929 be unified in that body. 289 00:21:45,969 --> 00:21:46,609 Amen. 290 00:21:47,169 --> 00:21:50,849 There ought to be unity. Well, how does that unity happen? Unity 291 00:21:50,849 --> 00:21:55,369 in the church is derived from or results from being taught the 292 00:21:55,369 --> 00:21:58,699 word of God. Right. Sunday school, your teacher's teaching you 293 00:21:58,699 --> 00:22:01,579 the word of God. Maybe you are a Sunday school teacher. You're being 294 00:22:01,579 --> 00:22:02,979 taught the word of God as you study. 295 00:22:04,179 --> 00:22:04,819 Amen. 296 00:22:04,819 --> 00:22:07,499 Come on Wednesday nights, you get preached too. Come on Sunday 297 00:22:07,499 --> 00:22:09,819 nights, you get preached to. Sunday morning, preach to. And as 298 00:22:09,819 --> 00:22:13,578 you are taught the word of God, unity happens because it's the 299 00:22:13,578 --> 00:22:19,459 result of being taught the word of God about God and the willingness 300 00:22:19,619 --> 00:22:24,979 of that person who is filled with the Spirit to apply that word 301 00:22:24,979 --> 00:22:28,899 to their own lives. They're willing to do it. In fact, I would 302 00:22:28,899 --> 00:22:31,819 tell you, because of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we want 303 00:22:31,819 --> 00:22:35,459 to do it. Paul described this in Romans chapter 7. He said, the 304 00:22:35,459 --> 00:22:37,619 things I don't do, those are the things I do. The things I want 305 00:22:37,619 --> 00:22:40,099 to do, those are the things I don't do. And he says, oh, wretched 306 00:22:40,099 --> 00:22:43,619 man that I am right. We have this war in between us. But because 307 00:22:43,619 --> 00:22:46,859 of the new nature, we want to do right. We want to live right. 308 00:22:46,939 --> 00:22:51,419 We want to follow God's law. In fact, as we grow in the Lord Jesus 309 00:22:51,419 --> 00:22:56,409 Christ, the Bible says we'll delight in the things of God, that 310 00:22:56,489 --> 00:23:00,849 our duty will no longer be a duty, but a delight. That's the way 311 00:23:00,849 --> 00:23:01,729 we ought to grow in Christ. 312 00:23:01,729 --> 00:23:02,329 Amen. 313 00:23:02,969 --> 00:23:07,649 But think about this. If a person's not saved, they don't have 314 00:23:07,649 --> 00:23:10,649 the Holy Spirit inside of them. So the Holy Spirit, the Lord 315 00:23:10,649 --> 00:23:15,889 can't direct them, and they are members of the church. What's 316 00:23:15,889 --> 00:23:22,589 going to happen? Well, how can you have unity if you have part of 317 00:23:22,589 --> 00:23:27,029 your membership who are not saved, who don't have a spiritual 318 00:23:27,029 --> 00:23:37,589 appetite? So what happens? This is important. Again, Acts 2:41, 319 00:23:37,669 --> 00:23:43,829 we have this picture. So not only is the primary purpose of being 320 00:23:43,829 --> 00:23:49,129 baptized, according to Romans, Chapter six is picturing the life, 321 00:23:49,529 --> 00:23:51,929 the death, the burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ. 322 00:23:52,089 --> 00:23:52,729 Amen. 323 00:23:53,129 --> 00:23:56,129 You go up in the baptister, you come down to the water. The water's 324 00:23:56,129 --> 00:24:00,529 a picture of a grave. You're put under the water, you're put into 325 00:24:00,529 --> 00:24:04,209 the grave, and you come out of the water picturing the resurrection 326 00:24:04,209 --> 00:24:06,969 of Jesus Christ. You're picturing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 327 00:24:07,609 --> 00:24:10,129 You're telling the congregation, those who watch to 328 00:24:10,129 --> 00:24:13,669 be baptized, that you're identifying with Jesus Christ, that 329 00:24:13,669 --> 00:24:17,109 you believe he lived, he died and he rose again, or else you wouldn't 330 00:24:17,109 --> 00:24:22,189 get baptized. Baptism again. The most important thing about baptism 331 00:24:22,189 --> 00:24:26,029 is the picture. And that picture is the death, burial and 332 00:24:26,029 --> 00:24:30,309 resurrection of Jesus Christ. But can I tell you that the Lord's 333 00:24:30,309 --> 00:24:35,789 Supper and baptism can serve as a filter for the church? This 334 00:24:35,789 --> 00:24:41,379 has been the case in every ministry that follows the Bible, 335 00:24:42,819 --> 00:24:47,059 that follows the biblical basis for baptism and the Lord's 336 00:24:47,059 --> 00:24:52,659 Supper, that both ordinances can serve as a filter. In other words, 337 00:24:52,659 --> 00:24:57,299 it keeps out those who are not ready for membership. If they're 338 00:24:57,299 --> 00:25:01,539 not going to submit to baptism, they're not going to submit 339 00:25:01,539 --> 00:25:06,629 to the authority of the church. Let that sink in a little 340 00:25:06,629 --> 00:25:13,389 bit. Submitting to the authority of the church by baptizing 341 00:25:13,389 --> 00:25:19,549 them, it identifies with the church because a person who does, 342 00:25:19,949 --> 00:25:22,829 let's say that we'll just use our church as example. A person who 343 00:25:23,229 --> 00:25:27,149 gets baptized at our church is identifying themselves with Jesus 344 00:25:27,149 --> 00:25:30,509 Christ, primarily the picture of his life, death and resurrection. 345 00:25:31,389 --> 00:25:34,989 But he also, that person is submitting to the authority of that 346 00:25:34,989 --> 00:25:41,589 local church, also identifying with the church's doctrine. In other 347 00:25:41,589 --> 00:25:44,509 words, you're saying when you get baptized at Heritage, you're 348 00:25:44,509 --> 00:25:49,869 saying, I believe what y' all teach is the Bible. That's true Bible 349 00:25:49,869 --> 00:25:53,269 doctrine. I'm identifying with the doctrines of Heritage Baptist 350 00:25:53,269 --> 00:25:57,509 Church. By the way, any church you get baptized in, you're identifying 351 00:25:57,509 --> 00:26:00,139 with that particular. Particular churches. We would call 352 00:26:00,139 --> 00:26:03,699 it Articles of faith, their Bible doctrine. What do they believe, 353 00:26:05,699 --> 00:26:11,299 you're saying? That's what I believe. It's also, again, an evidence 354 00:26:11,539 --> 00:26:17,259 that they're committed to Christ. Again, First Peter says those 355 00:26:17,259 --> 00:26:23,499 who do not get baptized, that the Holy Spirit will prod them. It's 356 00:26:23,499 --> 00:26:26,179 an answer of a good conscience towards God. Everybody know the verse? 357 00:26:27,109 --> 00:26:31,589 And so it's Saying that I am going to submit or I am committed 358 00:26:31,589 --> 00:26:35,349 to Christ, but I'm also committed to his church, committed 359 00:26:35,349 --> 00:26:42,189 to his church. So baptism is again in keeping those out who don't 360 00:26:42,189 --> 00:26:44,589 need to be members because they don't want to submit to the 361 00:26:44,589 --> 00:26:47,509 authority. They don't necessarily want to identify with 362 00:26:47,509 --> 00:26:51,989 the doctrines of that church. They don't want to be a committed 363 00:26:51,989 --> 00:26:55,369 Christian and therefore they're not ready to be baptized. 364 00:26:56,809 --> 00:27:01,129 Some churches teach, and I can remember even as a kid a lot of push 365 00:27:01,129 --> 00:27:05,169 was that they would use a phrase that baptism is the first 366 00:27:05,169 --> 00:27:09,369 act of obedience. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. Nowhere 367 00:27:09,369 --> 00:27:12,089 in the Bible does it say that baptism is the first act of obedience 368 00:27:12,089 --> 00:27:15,369 for a Christian. And I don't believe, I personally don't believe. 369 00:27:15,369 --> 00:27:21,089 It's my opinion that when you get saved that you have to be baptized 370 00:27:21,089 --> 00:27:24,899 right away. Now, I think as an adult, I think that you should be 371 00:27:24,899 --> 00:27:27,619 able to make that decision again. First Peter says if you don't 372 00:27:27,619 --> 00:27:31,059 get baptized, the Holy Spirit's going to bother you because 373 00:27:31,059 --> 00:27:34,379 again, you're not submitting to the authority of the Lord Jesus 374 00:27:34,379 --> 00:27:37,219 Christ. You're not being a committed follower of Jesus Christ 375 00:27:37,219 --> 00:27:40,699 because he's commanded us to be baptized after we get saved and 376 00:27:40,699 --> 00:27:44,539 we ought to get baptized. But we're not saying again that it's 377 00:27:44,539 --> 00:27:48,549 the first act of obedience. I might obey some other command of 378 00:27:48,549 --> 00:27:51,589 Christ before that and it might be the first act of obedience. 379 00:27:51,589 --> 00:27:56,189 I'm just, I'm just parsing words now. Everybody good? All right, 380 00:27:57,149 --> 00:28:02,669 so to fulfill the purpose, a member needs to be on the same page. 381 00:28:02,669 --> 00:28:05,309 All right, so to fulfill the purpose, the church is a called out 382 00:28:05,309 --> 00:28:08,149 assembly of born again baptized believers fulfilling Christ's 383 00:28:08,149 --> 00:28:11,789 commands, fulfilling the Great Commission. And therefore all members 384 00:28:11,789 --> 00:28:16,109 need to be born again believers. Fulfillment indwelled 385 00:28:16,109 --> 00:28:20,429 by the Holy Spirit. And that again would allow for all of us to 386 00:28:20,429 --> 00:28:24,069 be on the same page. That is the basis for unity. The basis for 387 00:28:24,069 --> 00:28:28,029 unity in a church is spiritual in that we each have the spirit of 388 00:28:28,029 --> 00:28:32,549 God in us. And therefore because of that, we're going to be 389 00:28:32,549 --> 00:28:35,749 taught the word of God. Follow the word of God and be on the same 390 00:28:35,749 --> 00:28:36,189 page. 391 00:28:37,149 --> 00:28:37,709 Amen. 392 00:28:39,549 --> 00:28:43,829 Doesn't mean. No, I'm just kidding. I'm not going to go there. 393 00:28:44,469 --> 00:28:50,709 So the Bible gives us three examples or pictures of those people 394 00:28:50,709 --> 00:28:56,228 or individuals who are, who can and will and do harm the church. 395 00:28:56,228 --> 00:29:00,349 All right, so here's the picture. The Bible refers to the 396 00:29:00,349 --> 00:29:05,349 church as a flock. We're a flock. And then there are three animals 397 00:29:06,239 --> 00:29:09,639 that are Illustrated for us in the New Testament, that can do harm 398 00:29:09,639 --> 00:29:14,319 to the flock. So the pastor, again, is the under shepherd again, 399 00:29:14,719 --> 00:29:18,719 Christ being the chief shepherd. But there are threats within. 400 00:29:18,719 --> 00:29:24,679 There are threats also without, to the church, to the congregation, 401 00:29:24,679 --> 00:29:31,239 to the flock. We have goats at our house, a bunch of them. But we 402 00:29:31,239 --> 00:29:35,699 also have a Great Pyrenees. We have two of them, those big white 403 00:29:35,699 --> 00:29:41,699 dogs. And they are guardian dogs, and they're amazing. Just the 404 00:29:41,699 --> 00:29:44,019 other night, I may have already said this, but just the other 405 00:29:44,019 --> 00:29:48,538 night, we heard a commotion outside. It was dark, couldn't see, 406 00:29:49,339 --> 00:29:54,139 but we did hear a dog. And we heard a yelp. And in fact, it was 407 00:29:54,139 --> 00:29:56,579 so loud, our neighbors across the street heard it. And they came 408 00:29:56,579 --> 00:30:00,549 out of their house. And sure enough, a coyote had jumped our fence. 409 00:30:01,589 --> 00:30:05,669 And our Great Pyrenees did his job, went over there and roughed 410 00:30:05,669 --> 00:30:10,269 up that coyote. That coyote ran for his life. And I got out there 411 00:30:10,269 --> 00:30:14,949 just in time to see a lot of it with my spotlight. Y' all don't 412 00:30:14,949 --> 00:30:21,109 want me to go there. Cordless spotlights. Why didn't we always 413 00:30:21,109 --> 00:30:27,509 have them? 2,500 lumens. I can land a plane at my house. Brother 414 00:30:27,509 --> 00:30:30,829 Collins would just land a plane at my house with that big old 415 00:30:30,829 --> 00:30:33,189 spotlight. Anyway, I shined the light over there. I could see 416 00:30:33,189 --> 00:30:37,189 the coyote. I saw our Great Pyrenees still trying to crawl through 417 00:30:37,189 --> 00:30:42,349 the fence to get him. And the coyote was limping. Thank the Lord, 418 00:30:42,989 --> 00:30:47,509 didn't get any of our goats. Our Great Pyrenees was protecting 419 00:30:47,509 --> 00:30:51,559 his flock, doing his job. And that's what the Bible refers to as 420 00:30:51,639 --> 00:30:56,439 the pastor shepherding, watching over the flock again, Christ 421 00:30:56,439 --> 00:30:59,319 being the chief shepherd. Because we do have these. Number 422 00:30:59,319 --> 00:31:03,519 one is vipers. I don't have time. We're already almost out of 423 00:31:03,519 --> 00:31:05,878 time to look up all these scriptures. But most of you will 424 00:31:05,878 --> 00:31:09,119 remember the references. John the Baptist referred to the religious 425 00:31:09,119 --> 00:31:12,199 leaders, the Jewish religious leaders, as a generation. He said, 426 00:31:12,199 --> 00:31:15,439 old generation of vipers found in Matthew 3:7, if you want to look 427 00:31:15,439 --> 00:31:20,579 these up later. Matthew 3:7, Matthew 12:34. And then Jesus himself 428 00:31:20,579 --> 00:31:24,459 called them serpents and vipers. And that is found in Matthew 429 00:31:24,459 --> 00:31:39,659 23, verse 33. Religious but theologically poisonous vipers. Oh, 430 00:31:39,739 --> 00:31:53,189 religious, but a serpent that bites and messes you up. I'm astounded 431 00:31:54,549 --> 00:32:03,909 by how many preachers come across my social media who seemingly 432 00:32:04,789 --> 00:32:11,679 outwardly look very, very religious, speak and talk the language. 433 00:32:12,559 --> 00:32:15,759 If you see them, maybe they're not in a podium like this. Maybe, 434 00:32:16,079 --> 00:32:20,239 you know, a smaller podium, and they're speaking to a big crowd, 435 00:32:20,239 --> 00:32:26,199 and it'll come across my feed Maybe it is the King James. It comes 436 00:32:26,199 --> 00:32:29,439 across my feed, King James Version. And man, I'm kind of interested 437 00:32:29,439 --> 00:32:34,929 in that. Pop on it. And sure enough, it's a very, very intellectual, 438 00:32:34,929 --> 00:32:38,889 very religious person teaching on the King James. And nine times 439 00:32:38,889 --> 00:32:44,449 out of ten, why, it's not the best translation, but they seemingly 440 00:32:44,449 --> 00:32:47,689 have authority. They come across as very professional. They 441 00:32:47,689 --> 00:32:51,809 got a great crowd in front of them. This could go along with. And 442 00:32:51,809 --> 00:32:55,449 one that's become very popular here in the last few years is the 443 00:32:55,449 --> 00:33:02,559 pre Trib. You know, it'll come across my feed. Mid Trib or post 444 00:33:02,559 --> 00:33:07,159 Trib or Mid Trib, Post wrath. Preliminary. I don't know, there's 445 00:33:07,159 --> 00:33:10,839 all sorts of silly titles and it'll come across my feed. I'll pop 446 00:33:10,839 --> 00:33:13,479 on it. The guy looks very professional. He's got a big. Maybe 447 00:33:13,479 --> 00:33:17,119 even has a big church and he's teaching. And it looks very religious 448 00:33:17,918 --> 00:33:29,559 and so wrong. So wrong. Poisonous. A viper. By the way, we're 449 00:33:29,559 --> 00:33:34,839 pre Trib. I'm thankful the church is not appointed unto wrath. 450 00:33:35,879 --> 00:33:41,879 The trumpet will sound before the great Tribulation, before the 451 00:33:41,879 --> 00:33:46,319 seven years we are out of here. Oh, you say, well, that's only 452 00:33:46,319 --> 00:33:47,519 19th century theology. 453 00:33:47,519 --> 00:33:48,599 No, no, no, no, no. 454 00:33:48,759 --> 00:33:53,079 That's a lie from the pits of hell. Go look it up. By the way, 455 00:33:53,079 --> 00:33:59,129 when it comes to prophecy, as time goes forward, we receive more 456 00:33:59,129 --> 00:34:03,409 light because more prophecies come about and more prophecies are 457 00:34:03,409 --> 00:34:07,529 fulfilled. We know more about prophecy today than we did 10 years 458 00:34:07,529 --> 00:34:13,489 ago. And so. Okay, I'll get off of that grace. Grace is another 459 00:34:13,489 --> 00:34:21,529 one. A subject that really has become such a subject that's being 460 00:34:22,019 --> 00:34:26,419 maligned and misused and abused. And so all of these things 461 00:34:27,219 --> 00:34:30,979 I would put under the heading or the picture here of a viper, a 462 00:34:30,979 --> 00:34:36,179 serpent again, outside the church, not somebody inside who seemingly 463 00:34:36,259 --> 00:34:39,819 has their act together, preaching. Very charismatic, many 464 00:34:39,819 --> 00:34:43,939 of them. And you have to be careful. Please don't be carried 465 00:34:43,939 --> 00:34:50,059 about by every wind of doctrine. Number two is goats. I 466 00:34:50,059 --> 00:34:53,219 won't go into that one. No, I'm just kidding. Primarily, this 467 00:34:53,219 --> 00:34:56,939 speaks of in Matthew 25, that at the end of the tribulation, God 468 00:34:56,939 --> 00:35:00,099 will separate the sheep from the goats. Right. But it is referring 469 00:35:00,099 --> 00:35:05,619 to the churches and that there are those who are in the churches 470 00:35:06,259 --> 00:35:12,259 whom are goats. What does this mean? Well, it means they're not 471 00:35:12,259 --> 00:35:19,629 saved. By the way, Jesus said himself that many will come to heaven. 472 00:35:19,869 --> 00:35:23,749 Say Jesus said, depart from me, I never knew you. And they'll 473 00:35:23,749 --> 00:35:26,549 say, didn't I prophesy in your name? Didn't I do all these things 474 00:35:26,549 --> 00:35:29,829 in your name, but they never truly trusted in Jesus Christ, his 475 00:35:29,829 --> 00:35:33,909 life, death and resurrection. Somebody can profess to be saved 476 00:35:33,909 --> 00:35:44,259 but not possess salvation. Goats are headstrong. I have lots 477 00:35:44,259 --> 00:35:54,139 of examples. Goats love to headbutt each other. The little bitty 478 00:35:54,139 --> 00:35:58,739 ones. Pow, pow. I mean they just. Man, it is something to behold. 479 00:35:58,739 --> 00:36:04,059 You got to come to our house and watch them. It's cool. Goats 480 00:36:04,059 --> 00:36:13,829 are not as docile a sheep. So the picture here is again, the goat 481 00:36:13,829 --> 00:36:20,829 is a picture of an unrepentant person. Unsubmissive, self willed. 482 00:36:21,708 --> 00:36:25,269 Yes, herd animal, and we call them that. They are. Goats are herd 483 00:36:25,269 --> 00:36:31,709 animals, but doesn't mean they get along at all. Our goats constantly 484 00:36:31,709 --> 00:36:34,899 fighting each other, constantly hitting each other in 485 00:36:34,899 --> 00:36:37,379 the head. They love to hit each other in the head. It's so funny. 486 00:36:37,379 --> 00:36:43,779 It's awesome. Gotta come watch it. Flock life. The life of a flock. 487 00:36:45,059 --> 00:36:48,858 Again, somebody who is a goat is somebody who has no spirit of 488 00:36:48,858 --> 00:36:52,899 God, no appetite for the things of God. And they just love 489 00:36:52,899 --> 00:36:57,619 headbutting people. They just love disagreeing with people and 490 00:36:57,619 --> 00:37:02,369 just, they want to be the catalyst behind, you know, the disunity. 491 00:37:03,089 --> 00:37:07,049 That's a good word. Everybody's getting quiet. Everybody 492 00:37:07,049 --> 00:37:13,969 stay with me. We need to be careful. Every flock has them. And 493 00:37:13,969 --> 00:37:16,569 then lastly, wolves. This is the one we're probably most familiar 494 00:37:16,569 --> 00:37:20,809 with. The Bible speaks about wolves in sheep's clothing. Matthew 495 00:37:20,809 --> 00:37:25,489 7:14, Acts 20:29. We know this, we ought to be aware of this, 496 00:37:25,649 --> 00:37:29,329 that there are those who sneak into the church, those who, who come 497 00:37:29,329 --> 00:37:33,889 under and become members of the church in disguise, who truly 498 00:37:33,889 --> 00:37:39,289 do not believe and practice the word of God, especially as this 499 00:37:39,289 --> 00:37:43,889 church sees it, identifying with this church. And that's why 500 00:37:43,889 --> 00:37:47,129 we need to be careful. And that's why you got a pastor, hopefully, 501 00:37:47,689 --> 00:37:50,489 who will stand up and say that's not right or this is not right. 502 00:37:50,809 --> 00:37:54,089 Bible. This is what the Bible says. Preach the Bible just as it 503 00:37:54,089 --> 00:37:57,319 says amen. And you want a preacher like that, whether it's 504 00:37:57,319 --> 00:38:01,399 me or someone else. And by the way, those wolves in sheep clothing 505 00:38:01,879 --> 00:38:05,959 has happened at Heritage Baptist Church many times. I don't 506 00:38:05,959 --> 00:38:10,959 know how many times I've had people walk in who believe just some 507 00:38:10,959 --> 00:38:13,359 weird things. And then they'll trap some of our members out here 508 00:38:13,359 --> 00:38:17,159 on the sidewalk and talk to them about it. And you got to chase 509 00:38:17,159 --> 00:38:19,719 them down and say, you know what? We don't believe that way. 510 00:38:20,039 --> 00:38:23,189 You know, probably be better if you didn't. Maybe you should go 511 00:38:23,189 --> 00:38:26,909 look somewhere else for a church. And so, you know, protecting 512 00:38:26,909 --> 00:38:31,669 the Flock, right? Amen. More I could say about that. But we're out 513 00:38:31,669 --> 00:38:36,629 of time. A flock of sheep have enough problems getting along with 514 00:38:36,629 --> 00:38:42,509 each other than it has to do with dealing with the wolves, the 515 00:38:42,509 --> 00:38:48,289 vipers and the goats. Again, every member is on a different spiritual 516 00:38:48,289 --> 00:38:55,409 level and we need to all take that into account. Sometimes we will 517 00:38:55,409 --> 00:39:00,809 judge a member by what they've done, but again, not taking into 518 00:39:00,809 --> 00:39:05,809 consideration that each member of the flock is on a different spiritual 519 00:39:05,809 --> 00:39:11,609 level. Be careful. Be careful. Just because you may be here or there 520 00:39:11,689 --> 00:39:18,369 and they may be here. We're all one body working together. We 521 00:39:18,369 --> 00:39:20,729 ought to love every member of Heritage Baptist Church if you're 522 00:39:20,729 --> 00:39:24,729 a member here. Now, we always make the illustration. The illustration 523 00:39:24,729 --> 00:39:30,329 works. That my family, my biological family, I have a brother, 524 00:39:30,329 --> 00:39:33,369 older brother, who's four years older than me. I love my brother, 525 00:39:33,849 --> 00:39:38,089 love him. Him and I don't agree on everything, but I love him. 526 00:39:38,889 --> 00:39:39,529 Amen. 527 00:39:40,819 --> 00:39:46,779 Nobody has siblings like that, huh? Yes, we all do, Right? We all 528 00:39:46,779 --> 00:39:50,419 have family like that, but there's still family. I have family. 529 00:39:52,979 --> 00:39:57,099 Outer perimeter family, you know, cousins, whatever. That I would 530 00:39:57,099 --> 00:40:00,819 even say that don't even practice the Bible. But I love them. 531 00:40:01,059 --> 00:40:03,539 If they called me at 2 o' clock in the morning, they were broke 532 00:40:03,539 --> 00:40:04,979 down on 8, 20, I'd go help them. 533 00:40:05,539 --> 00:40:06,139 Amen. 534 00:40:06,139 --> 00:40:11,519 1 why? Because they're family. It's the right thing to do. We love 535 00:40:11,919 --> 00:40:16,959 each other. Take into consideration the various stages 536 00:40:16,959 --> 00:40:23,759 and levels of Christian growth. Plus understand there are 537 00:40:23,759 --> 00:40:28,159 vipers and goats and wolves. The church's programs need to remain 538 00:40:28,159 --> 00:40:32,689 spiritual because the church's function is primary spiritual. Again, 539 00:40:32,689 --> 00:40:35,449 we need to be careful about not feeding the flesh. I'm not talking 540 00:40:35,449 --> 00:40:39,089 about having a potluck after lunch. I'm talking about feeding 541 00:40:39,089 --> 00:40:44,609 the flesh as it pertains to what comes from this platform and 542 00:40:44,609 --> 00:40:47,329 what comes from the teaching in their Sunday school and what comes 543 00:40:47,329 --> 00:40:49,369 from the teaching in the children's church and what comes 544 00:40:49,529 --> 00:40:52,209 from the teaching over in the youth department. What the youth 545 00:40:52,209 --> 00:40:54,169 department teaches should be nothing different than what they're 546 00:40:54,169 --> 00:40:57,489 getting in here. In fact, I would tell you we have practiced 547 00:40:57,489 --> 00:41:00,689 at Heritage for many, many years that even the music that they 548 00:41:00,689 --> 00:41:03,449 get over there, for the most part, is the same they get here. 549 00:41:04,539 --> 00:41:07,499 That the youth don't have their own music and their own band 550 00:41:07,499 --> 00:41:11,579 and their own. That I'm telling you, go ahead. And I'll warn 551 00:41:11,579 --> 00:41:18,059 you, if you want the modern music and that whole thing, it nearly 552 00:41:18,059 --> 00:41:21,379 always starts. And that's a good English. It nearly always starts. 553 00:41:21,379 --> 00:41:24,619 It's another good English in The youth department. Be careful 554 00:41:24,619 --> 00:41:27,699 what happens in the youth department. If you start doing it 555 00:41:27,699 --> 00:41:36,149 over there, it eventually ends up here. I'll stop. I have some strong 556 00:41:36,149 --> 00:41:40,069 opinions. Not feeding the flesh. It's sermons, it's songs, 557 00:41:40,069 --> 00:41:42,949 it's activities, it's ministries. All should be Christ 558 00:41:42,949 --> 00:41:47,109 centered and being careful that our ministries, whatever they 559 00:41:47,109 --> 00:41:53,349 may be, pertain unto spiritual, spiritualness, spirituality. 560 00:41:53,989 --> 00:41:54,629 Amen. 561 00:41:54,949 --> 00:41:57,829 It's easy and sometimes we cross the line. I'll tell people 562 00:41:57,829 --> 00:42:02,109 I love our music. I believe we do our very best to have Christ honoring 563 00:42:02,109 --> 00:42:07,189 music at our church. We do. Sometimes we cross the line. Everybody's 564 00:42:07,189 --> 00:42:12,389 going to do it from time to time. Lastly, we must continue to 565 00:42:12,389 --> 00:42:19,789 grow. We must continue to offer green pastures to our church. 566 00:42:19,789 --> 00:42:28,169 Family still waters places for them to grow. Romans, chapter 16, 567 00:42:28,249 --> 00:42:35,729 verses 17 through 18. Why? Because if the church is made up 568 00:42:35,729 --> 00:42:41,049 of born again believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they 569 00:42:41,049 --> 00:42:47,209 will be receptive to spiritual things. What's happening a lot out 570 00:42:47,209 --> 00:42:54,939 there in other denominations and churches is the appeal is not 571 00:42:54,939 --> 00:43:01,099 spiritual. The appeal is physical. Coming to church is not 572 00:43:01,099 --> 00:43:07,059 primarily a spiritual function, but primarily to meet the 573 00:43:07,059 --> 00:43:10,379 physical appetite, the fleshly, the physical maybe not the 574 00:43:10,379 --> 00:43:13,579 right word, the fleshly appetite of a person. May we never 575 00:43:13,579 --> 00:43:21,439 cross the line. May we always, always believe in the primacy of 576 00:43:21,439 --> 00:43:28,199 preaching in every service. May we always believe in the primacy 577 00:43:28,199 --> 00:43:34,639 of the Gospel being presented at every function. Every ministry's 578 00:43:34,639 --> 00:43:38,599 primary purpose is to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 579 00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:43,599 Every special day, every special event. If that's not the 580 00:43:43,599 --> 00:43:48,929 case, then we shouldn't be doing it. Heritage Christian Academy 581 00:43:49,009 --> 00:43:53,649 exists primarily to reach kids with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 582 00:43:56,289 --> 00:43:56,929 Amen. 583 00:43:57,409 --> 00:44:01,729 Every ministry, if that's not the primary purpose, don't need it. 584 00:44:03,249 --> 00:44:07,049 Because the church's primary function is spiritual and we need 585 00:44:07,049 --> 00:44:13,339 to keep it that way. Let's all Stan, I just kept hitting the same 586 00:44:13,339 --> 00:44:19,939 nail tonight and it is important that we understand that 587 00:44:19,939 --> 00:44:25,059 the church is made up of born again believers who are indwelt by 588 00:44:25,059 --> 00:44:33,419 the Holy Spirit so that we all can be led by the Spirit and be unified 589 00:44:33,419 --> 00:44:40,379 together as the Body of Christ. And may we always work together 590 00:44:40,939 --> 00:44:44,979 to fulfill the Great Commission. Heavenly Father, we thank 591 00:44:44,979 --> 00:44:49,179 you that you've clearly defined for us what a church is in 592 00:44:49,179 --> 00:44:54,379 the Bible and you've clearly defined our purpose. And Lord, you 593 00:44:54,379 --> 00:44:59,019 have made it abundantly clear that as a church we should be led 594 00:44:59,019 --> 00:45:02,459 by the Spirit and God. I pray that as we continue to go forward 595 00:45:02,459 --> 00:45:08,599 as a church that we continue to function on a spiritual basis, 596 00:45:08,679 --> 00:45:12,399 continue to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ May we 597 00:45:12,399 --> 00:45:16,759 always keep the main thing the main thing In Jesus name, Amen. All 598 00:45:16,759 --> 00:45:17,479 right. Hymn.