1 00:00:29,939 --> 00:00:31,451 Jesus was the final sacrifice. 2 00:00:31,515 --> 00:00:32,107 Amen. 3 00:00:32,203 --> 00:00:35,211 If you want your Bibles tonight, turn to Timothy, the book 4 00:00:35,235 --> 00:00:39,919 of Timothy, and we'll continue our series on the Baptist distinctives 5 00:00:40,259 --> 00:00:41,199 tonight. 6 00:00:41,619 --> 00:00:44,759 And we'll probably carry this out for a few weeks. 7 00:00:45,219 --> 00:00:49,131 This particular Baptist distinctive on the subject of the 8 00:00:49,155 --> 00:00:52,875 church, this has been one of my hobby horses over the years, and 9 00:00:52,947 --> 00:00:56,541 we're going to continue to ride that horse because it's one 10 00:00:56,565 --> 00:01:01,197 of the most misunderstood doctrines among even among Baptists. 11 00:01:01,373 --> 00:01:03,421 And historically it wasn't. 12 00:01:03,485 --> 00:01:07,165 It's only been in the last, you know, 50 or so years in which 13 00:01:07,317 --> 00:01:14,365 there's been a significant shift in what many believe concerning 14 00:01:14,397 --> 00:01:15,101 the church. 15 00:01:15,245 --> 00:01:20,893 And so I want to just again clarify and give you the biblical 16 00:01:20,941 --> 00:01:27,551 stance of what is a biblical church, what is a church and the 17 00:01:27,575 --> 00:01:30,063 word church in the Bible, what does it mean, and so forth. 18 00:01:30,111 --> 00:01:33,647 So we'll take a few weeks and cover this subject. 19 00:01:33,823 --> 00:01:37,419 First Timothy, first Timothy, chapter three. 20 00:01:38,279 --> 00:01:48,783 And look with me in verse 14, these things write I unto thee, hoping 21 00:01:48,831 --> 00:01:50,419 to come unto thee shortly. 22 00:01:51,519 --> 00:01:54,951 But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to 23 00:01:54,975 --> 00:01:59,539 behave thyself in the house of God, we can spend some time there, 24 00:02:00,399 --> 00:02:05,703 which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground 25 00:02:05,871 --> 00:02:07,179 of the truth. 26 00:02:07,679 --> 00:02:12,055 The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 27 00:02:12,087 --> 00:02:14,059 I'm glad tonight I'm in the house of God. 28 00:02:14,479 --> 00:02:17,829 But it's the house of God because our church is gathered, not 29 00:02:17,869 --> 00:02:18,929 because of the building. 30 00:02:19,469 --> 00:02:24,021 And again, it's very important that we understand this. 31 00:02:24,125 --> 00:02:26,757 And I'll give you some reasons why tonight too. 32 00:02:26,813 --> 00:02:27,205 Let's pray. 33 00:02:27,237 --> 00:02:28,629 Heavenly Father, again, we love you. 34 00:02:28,669 --> 00:02:31,365 Pray that you'd bless, Lord, the reading of your word. 35 00:02:31,397 --> 00:02:32,597 Bless the message tonight. 36 00:02:32,693 --> 00:02:36,693 Help us again over the next few weeks to get a clear understanding 37 00:02:36,821 --> 00:02:38,501 of your church. 38 00:02:38,565 --> 00:02:41,449 We love you and we thank you in Jesus name, Amen. 39 00:02:43,399 --> 00:02:48,927 If all the saved are quote, unquote, the church, then that's 40 00:02:49,023 --> 00:02:52,979 a very poor representation of the pillar and ground of the truth. 41 00:02:53,399 --> 00:02:56,419 If the church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of truth, 42 00:02:56,759 --> 00:03:02,335 then if all the saved are the church, that would be a poor representation 43 00:03:02,367 --> 00:03:03,503 of the pillar and ground of the truth. 44 00:03:03,551 --> 00:03:07,439 Because there are so many different beliefs out there. 45 00:03:07,559 --> 00:03:10,449 There's so many varying beliefs among Christians. 46 00:03:10,599 --> 00:03:13,101 How can we be the pillar of ground of truth if the church is 47 00:03:13,125 --> 00:03:19,005 all the saved, if there are so many various beliefs and way in which 48 00:03:19,077 --> 00:03:20,009 people believe? 49 00:03:20,389 --> 00:03:22,237 So again, clarify. 50 00:03:22,413 --> 00:03:27,129 Lutherans don't believe like Baptists in several areas. 51 00:03:27,669 --> 00:03:30,237 Methodists don't believe like Baptists in several areas. 52 00:03:30,373 --> 00:03:32,109 And I could Go on and on and on. 53 00:03:32,229 --> 00:03:35,741 Especially Catholics don't believe like Protestants or like 54 00:03:35,765 --> 00:03:36,517 Baptists. 55 00:03:36,653 --> 00:03:41,157 And so how can all the saved be the church and still be the pillar 56 00:03:41,253 --> 00:03:46,501 and ground of the truth with all the varying differences in beliefs? 57 00:03:46,645 --> 00:03:49,109 Again, as we think about Baptist distinctives, we think about 58 00:03:49,149 --> 00:03:52,549 a collection of biblical truth unique to Baptists. 59 00:03:52,709 --> 00:03:57,013 So we're not saying that other denominations or other non denominations 60 00:03:57,061 --> 00:04:03,525 and other whatever, varying titles on their churches or maybe 61 00:04:03,557 --> 00:04:06,949 no title on their churches that they don't believe some of these 62 00:04:06,989 --> 00:04:07,189 things. 63 00:04:07,229 --> 00:04:10,501 What we're saying is if you take the collection of the beliefs, 64 00:04:10,645 --> 00:04:14,249 this is what Baptists historically have believed. 65 00:04:14,749 --> 00:04:19,349 And it's unique to Baptists if you take them all together, collectively. 66 00:04:19,509 --> 00:04:22,005 All right, so understand that I've already been some confusion 67 00:04:22,037 --> 00:04:22,581 in that. 68 00:04:22,685 --> 00:04:26,757 And I'm not saying again, don't, you know, put into what I'm 69 00:04:26,773 --> 00:04:27,637 not saying. 70 00:04:27,773 --> 00:04:31,225 I'm saying that this is the collection of all these truths together. 71 00:04:31,297 --> 00:04:33,869 By the way, they're Bible truths. 72 00:04:35,089 --> 00:04:37,269 If they're not, then we shouldn't be teaching them. 73 00:04:38,209 --> 00:04:41,401 Again, if I didn't think Baptists were as close to what the 74 00:04:41,425 --> 00:04:46,905 Bible teaches as any other denomination or any other churches 75 00:04:46,937 --> 00:04:48,137 out there, I would be something else. 76 00:04:48,153 --> 00:04:49,513 I would be whatever that is. 77 00:04:49,681 --> 00:04:55,117 But I believe absolutely 100% that Baptists historically, and I'm 78 00:04:55,133 --> 00:04:58,845 talking about historic Baptist doctrine as as close to the Bible 79 00:04:58,957 --> 00:05:02,589 as any other group or any other entity. 80 00:05:02,749 --> 00:05:04,445 And therefore I'm a Baptist. 81 00:05:04,477 --> 00:05:06,733 I'm a Baptist from the sole of my feet to the top of my head. 82 00:05:06,821 --> 00:05:09,373 I'm Baptist, born Baptist, bread when I die. 83 00:05:09,421 --> 00:05:13,325 We're Baptist, dead Baptist, Baptist with a capital B. 84 00:05:13,397 --> 00:05:15,757 You'll never see Heritage Baptist Church again. 85 00:05:15,813 --> 00:05:18,509 Put Baptist in little letters at the bottom of our sign. 86 00:05:18,549 --> 00:05:21,511 You'll never see us change our name as long as you, you allow me 87 00:05:21,535 --> 00:05:24,779 to pastor here, to change our name to Heritage Church. 88 00:05:26,159 --> 00:05:27,271 No, no, no. 89 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:31,303 And sometimes we'll say we're going to Heritage whatever, but Baptist 90 00:05:31,351 --> 00:05:32,279 will always be on the name. 91 00:05:32,319 --> 00:05:32,903 I'm thankful. 92 00:05:32,951 --> 00:05:35,431 I am so thankful for our Baptist heritage. 93 00:05:35,575 --> 00:05:38,775 I am so thankful for the price that was paid for our Baptist heritage, 94 00:05:38,807 --> 00:05:44,519 the millions upon millions who died for the collection of these 95 00:05:44,559 --> 00:05:46,725 beliefs that we hold dear today. 96 00:05:46,887 --> 00:05:50,697 And literally millions died, especially during the Dark Ages, 97 00:05:50,793 --> 00:05:53,993 now called to be politically correct, you got to call them the 98 00:05:54,001 --> 00:05:54,989 Middle Ages. 99 00:05:55,409 --> 00:05:57,225 And so there we are. 100 00:05:57,377 --> 00:06:02,617 This series of messages is kind of based upon Brother Stewart's 101 00:06:02,633 --> 00:06:06,473 Sunday school lessons called Chain Link Christianity. 102 00:06:06,601 --> 00:06:08,425 And I'll explain maybe that a little bit tonight. 103 00:06:08,457 --> 00:06:09,977 I haven't really gone through that. 104 00:06:10,113 --> 00:06:14,255 And our theme verse is 2nd Timothy 2:2 the things that thou 105 00:06:14,287 --> 00:06:19,151 hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to 106 00:06:19,175 --> 00:06:24,831 faithful men who shall be able to teach others also the things that 107 00:06:24,855 --> 00:06:28,767 I have heard and among many witnesses, those are the same things 108 00:06:28,823 --> 00:06:30,239 that I'm to teach to others. 109 00:06:30,359 --> 00:06:32,991 I'm to take what I've been taught and I'm going to teach that 110 00:06:33,015 --> 00:06:33,455 to others. 111 00:06:33,527 --> 00:06:36,255 And again, teaching biblical truth. 112 00:06:36,367 --> 00:06:39,023 The first Baptist distinctive we covered and I believe review is 113 00:06:39,031 --> 00:06:39,583 the best teacher. 114 00:06:39,631 --> 00:06:42,019 If everybody with me review is the best teacher. 115 00:06:42,599 --> 00:06:45,871 Number one is the Bible is the final authority for our faith and 116 00:06:45,895 --> 00:06:46,543 practice. 117 00:06:46,671 --> 00:06:49,059 This is our authority. 118 00:06:49,719 --> 00:06:51,759 This is our authority for truth. 119 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:55,663 This is our authority for the practice of that truth. 120 00:06:55,791 --> 00:06:58,447 By the way, we ought to be practicing the truth. 121 00:06:58,623 --> 00:07:01,471 We ought to be practicing the Bible, not just learning the Bible. 122 00:07:01,615 --> 00:07:03,839 I never want to be a Dead Sea Christian. 123 00:07:03,999 --> 00:07:05,611 The Dead Sea has no outlet. 124 00:07:05,695 --> 00:07:07,539 If you're a Dead Sea Christian, it just means you're taking 125 00:07:07,579 --> 00:07:11,811 in but you're not applying or you're not giving out what you have 126 00:07:11,835 --> 00:07:12,115 learned. 127 00:07:12,147 --> 00:07:14,963 And so again we ought to do that again. 128 00:07:15,051 --> 00:07:17,683 The Bible is the final authority for our faith and practice. 129 00:07:17,731 --> 00:07:20,771 Number two, salvation is by grace, through faith only in the 130 00:07:20,795 --> 00:07:23,843 life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 131 00:07:24,011 --> 00:07:27,011 It's by grace that we were saved through faith and that not 132 00:07:27,035 --> 00:07:27,475 of ourselves. 133 00:07:27,507 --> 00:07:30,243 It's a gift of God, not a works lest any man should boast. 134 00:07:30,291 --> 00:07:31,081 Amen. 135 00:07:31,275 --> 00:07:33,661 And we believe that these two doctrines. 136 00:07:33,725 --> 00:07:36,125 There's nobody in this room, there's not really any controversies 137 00:07:36,157 --> 00:07:37,289 about these two. 138 00:07:38,149 --> 00:07:40,717 We would all amen and say absolutely, that's what it is. 139 00:07:40,773 --> 00:07:43,261 Number three, eternal security of the believer. 140 00:07:43,405 --> 00:07:47,849 Once saved, always saved again. 141 00:07:48,309 --> 00:07:51,049 We got saved, we got everlasting life. 142 00:07:51,509 --> 00:07:55,661 No man can pluck us out of the Father's hand Again, over and over 143 00:07:55,685 --> 00:07:59,447 again we covered Romans chapter four and five and we talked 144 00:07:59,463 --> 00:08:03,335 about how David was saved and how Abraham was saved and the righteousness 145 00:08:03,367 --> 00:08:04,775 that was imputed to our account. 146 00:08:04,927 --> 00:08:08,887 And so if you believe you can lose your salvation, then you're 147 00:08:08,903 --> 00:08:10,423 doing something to keep it. 148 00:08:10,591 --> 00:08:12,711 And therefore you are works for salvation. 149 00:08:12,775 --> 00:08:14,059 That means you're not saved. 150 00:08:14,399 --> 00:08:18,487 Everybody see that if you believe you can lose it, then you're 151 00:08:18,503 --> 00:08:21,047 doing something to gain it, you're doing something to continue 152 00:08:21,103 --> 00:08:22,907 it, you're doing something to keep it. 153 00:08:23,023 --> 00:08:24,739 That's works based salvation. 154 00:08:24,899 --> 00:08:28,147 And the Bible in no way teaches that. 155 00:08:28,203 --> 00:08:30,679 It's by grace and grace alone. 156 00:08:31,579 --> 00:08:35,811 And then number four, the soul, liberty and competency. 157 00:08:35,955 --> 00:08:39,859 And this could be really mashed in with the other one, which 158 00:08:39,899 --> 00:08:43,795 is the separate and equal priesthood of all Believers, we covered 159 00:08:43,827 --> 00:08:46,867 them separately because Brother Stewart likes to be very 160 00:08:46,923 --> 00:08:49,399 detailed in his writing. 161 00:08:49,719 --> 00:08:50,687 And so. 162 00:08:50,823 --> 00:08:53,535 But if you go look up other Baptist distinctives, you'll notice 163 00:08:53,567 --> 00:08:55,311 that most of the time these two are put together. 164 00:08:55,495 --> 00:08:58,831 But understanding that each of us are personally responsible and 165 00:08:58,855 --> 00:09:04,111 accountable to God, including the children we're raising, as we 166 00:09:04,135 --> 00:09:07,407 raise our children, they have to make their own decision whether 167 00:09:07,463 --> 00:09:09,459 to accept or reject the gospel. 168 00:09:09,879 --> 00:09:11,979 We can't get them saved for them. 169 00:09:12,519 --> 00:09:14,191 You could sprinkle them as a baby. 170 00:09:14,255 --> 00:09:15,899 You could pour on them as a baby. 171 00:09:15,999 --> 00:09:18,003 Doesn't get him any closer to heaven than they were. 172 00:09:18,091 --> 00:09:20,947 Now, we believe and we know the Bible teaches the age of accountability, 173 00:09:21,123 --> 00:09:24,643 that is, that babies or those who are not to the age of understanding 174 00:09:24,691 --> 00:09:25,155 go to heaven. 175 00:09:25,187 --> 00:09:25,891 Amen. 176 00:09:26,035 --> 00:09:30,291 David said of the baby that he had with Bathsheba that he would 177 00:09:30,315 --> 00:09:31,507 see that baby again. 178 00:09:31,643 --> 00:09:33,843 And so we know that, that Bible doctrine. 179 00:09:33,891 --> 00:09:38,787 But again, each person has individual soul, liberty and a free 180 00:09:38,843 --> 00:09:39,155 will. 181 00:09:39,227 --> 00:09:44,493 So each person decides and is accountable God and then separate 182 00:09:44,541 --> 00:09:46,605 and equal priesthood of all believers. 183 00:09:46,797 --> 00:09:49,629 Understand that we have equal. 184 00:09:49,789 --> 00:09:53,169 As believers, we have equal access to God. 185 00:09:53,669 --> 00:09:57,261 The preacher doesn't have any better access than the person in 186 00:09:57,285 --> 00:09:58,049 the pew. 187 00:09:58,629 --> 00:10:01,741 You don't need somebody sitting in a telephone booth with 188 00:10:01,765 --> 00:10:04,429 a call to turn around backwards to help you get a hold 189 00:10:04,469 --> 00:10:08,121 of God or to ask how to ask for forgiveness. 190 00:10:08,285 --> 00:10:09,617 No, no, no, no. 191 00:10:09,673 --> 00:10:11,377 We go directly to God. 192 00:10:11,553 --> 00:10:13,389 Through Jesus Christ. 193 00:10:13,929 --> 00:10:15,153 Through Jesus Christ. 194 00:10:15,241 --> 00:10:18,705 And so you can pray and you can ask for forgiveness. 195 00:10:18,817 --> 00:10:24,097 The Bible says if, again, if we confess our sins, he is faithful 196 00:10:24,113 --> 00:10:27,281 and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 197 00:10:27,425 --> 00:10:29,009 We can go to God on our own. 198 00:10:29,129 --> 00:10:31,349 You don't have to come and confess it to the pastor. 199 00:10:31,689 --> 00:10:32,529 Aren't you glad of that? 200 00:10:32,569 --> 00:10:33,269 Amen. 201 00:10:34,259 --> 00:10:35,199 Amen. 202 00:10:35,699 --> 00:10:40,619 It also means that no one has a corner on God. 203 00:10:40,779 --> 00:10:45,919 No one has a special liberty or whatever with God. 204 00:10:47,699 --> 00:10:51,355 There's not like, I got something special that you don't 205 00:10:51,387 --> 00:10:55,275 have, or Brother Stone has something special that you don't 206 00:10:55,307 --> 00:11:00,091 have, or Brother John doesn't have something special that the rest 207 00:11:00,115 --> 00:11:01,399 of you guys don't have. 208 00:11:02,349 --> 00:11:07,285 I mean, it's important to understand that I have been given 209 00:11:07,357 --> 00:11:10,501 just as much and you have been given just as much of the Holy Spirit 210 00:11:10,645 --> 00:11:12,049 as you'll ever have. 211 00:11:12,429 --> 00:11:16,997 And it's the Holy Spirit that illuminates as you read the word 212 00:11:17,013 --> 00:11:17,333 of God. 213 00:11:17,381 --> 00:11:20,165 He's the one that illuminates and helps you to understand God's 214 00:11:20,197 --> 00:11:20,809 Word. 215 00:11:22,029 --> 00:11:23,589 He's the one who helps. 216 00:11:23,669 --> 00:11:24,773 And we covered this. 217 00:11:24,861 --> 00:11:26,889 He's the one who helps you when you pray. 218 00:11:27,639 --> 00:11:30,863 In fact, it says, the Bible says if you don't know what to pray, 219 00:11:30,991 --> 00:11:32,319 he'll pray it for you. 220 00:11:32,439 --> 00:11:33,699 Isn't that amazing? 221 00:11:34,759 --> 00:11:38,099 So again, we are priests. 222 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:43,859 We are, the Bible says, a royal priesthood, and we go to God 223 00:11:44,199 --> 00:11:45,339 on our own. 224 00:11:45,879 --> 00:11:48,099 Come boldly before the throne of grace. 225 00:11:48,599 --> 00:11:50,415 I'm so thankful for that, aren't you? 226 00:11:50,567 --> 00:11:54,217 That you might find help, grace in the time of need. 227 00:11:54,273 --> 00:11:59,769 I'm thankful for individual so liberty and separate and equal priesthood 228 00:11:59,929 --> 00:12:01,629 of all believers. 229 00:12:02,209 --> 00:12:08,921 Old Testament priests were put in a position where the Jews, the 230 00:12:08,945 --> 00:12:15,017 Israelites and those who came to Judaism had to come to Jerusalem 231 00:12:15,033 --> 00:12:17,609 in order to worship if you were going to talk to God. 232 00:12:17,689 --> 00:12:19,923 And in that Old Testament economy, that Old Testament system, 233 00:12:20,011 --> 00:12:22,531 you came through the priests and through the tabernacle and through 234 00:12:22,555 --> 00:12:23,399 the temple. 235 00:12:24,139 --> 00:12:28,211 And once the tabernacle, the Mosaic law was put in place, you 236 00:12:28,235 --> 00:12:31,587 were to come to the temple in order to make a sacrifice. 237 00:12:31,683 --> 00:12:38,419 You couldn't make a sacrifice in your backyard versus the New Testament 238 00:12:38,579 --> 00:12:39,635 versus the New Testament. 239 00:12:39,667 --> 00:12:42,931 I'm thankful again that I can bring my petitions before God on 240 00:12:42,955 --> 00:12:48,319 my own, in my room or in my office or in my car, and I can bring 241 00:12:48,359 --> 00:12:49,375 them straight to God. 242 00:12:49,407 --> 00:12:52,639 I don't have to go to the temple and through a priest. 243 00:12:52,799 --> 00:12:54,703 Then there's the temple versus the church. 244 00:12:54,831 --> 00:12:57,311 In the Old Testament again, if you were going to worship, you had 245 00:12:57,335 --> 00:13:00,015 to go to the temple, you had to travel to Jerusalem. 246 00:13:00,047 --> 00:13:03,663 Imagine if you lived in Galilee or you had to travel and 247 00:13:03,751 --> 00:13:07,379 you had to come down to the temple in order to worship. 248 00:13:09,089 --> 00:13:09,961 Interesting. 249 00:13:10,105 --> 00:13:12,937 How would you like to live in that economy, in that system, under 250 00:13:12,993 --> 00:13:18,265 that covenant, but in the New Testament, the New Testament contract, 251 00:13:18,337 --> 00:13:21,549 the New Testament covenant, we are the temple. 252 00:13:22,369 --> 00:13:24,985 Know you not that your body's the temple of the Holy Spirit? 253 00:13:25,177 --> 00:13:27,109 We make up a what? 254 00:13:27,409 --> 00:13:32,121 We make up a spiritual tabernacle to the Lord as we gather 255 00:13:32,185 --> 00:13:33,465 together as a church. 256 00:13:33,657 --> 00:13:35,971 And so as we gather together, we. 257 00:13:36,025 --> 00:13:36,911 We are a temple. 258 00:13:36,975 --> 00:13:41,819 And so we can worship God in spirit and truth anywhere you want. 259 00:13:42,199 --> 00:13:43,139 Amen. 260 00:13:43,719 --> 00:13:45,215 I don't have to look to the temple. 261 00:13:45,247 --> 00:13:47,535 I don't have to bow to the East. 262 00:13:47,567 --> 00:13:48,383 I don't have to do. 263 00:13:48,471 --> 00:13:50,031 No, I can worship the Lord. 264 00:13:50,175 --> 00:13:53,743 And then corporately, we come together to worship God together 265 00:13:53,911 --> 00:13:54,779 as we. 266 00:13:55,079 --> 00:13:56,351 And that could be anywhere too. 267 00:13:56,375 --> 00:14:00,959 It could be again in a park, anywhere we want to meet because 268 00:14:00,999 --> 00:14:02,539 the church is not the building. 269 00:14:03,119 --> 00:14:04,579 The church is the people. 270 00:14:04,879 --> 00:14:10,823 Tonight there is one kind of biblical church and that is local 271 00:14:10,911 --> 00:14:11,819 and visible. 272 00:14:12,239 --> 00:14:18,219 One kind, a biblical church that is local and Visible. 273 00:14:18,639 --> 00:14:22,839 There is no such thing as a universal, invisible church. 274 00:14:22,999 --> 00:14:26,299 There's no such thing as a universal, visible church. 275 00:14:26,639 --> 00:14:30,049 There is only the local vision, visible church. 276 00:14:30,709 --> 00:14:32,765 Again, this has been one of my hobby horses. 277 00:14:32,877 --> 00:14:38,573 But it does impact so many other doctrines and teachings of 278 00:14:38,581 --> 00:14:39,357 the Bible. 279 00:14:39,533 --> 00:14:43,661 And so it is important that you understand the doctrine of the 280 00:14:43,685 --> 00:14:49,917 church biblically if you take in what others teach. 281 00:14:50,093 --> 00:14:54,649 And most of those are Protestants and even people like 282 00:14:56,049 --> 00:15:00,185 John Phillips, who's one of my favorite commentators, he passed 283 00:15:00,217 --> 00:15:01,337 away just a few years ago. 284 00:15:01,393 --> 00:15:02,921 I have all of his commentaries. 285 00:15:02,985 --> 00:15:04,473 I think he's very intelligent. 286 00:15:04,521 --> 00:15:07,977 He's a Baptist, good man, but he's universal church. 287 00:15:08,073 --> 00:15:12,105 Warren Wiersbe, whom I think is a great commentator, universal 288 00:15:12,137 --> 00:15:12,345 church. 289 00:15:12,377 --> 00:15:16,249 And I can go on and on and on, and not necessarily Baptist, but 290 00:15:16,289 --> 00:15:17,817 Protestant writers as well. 291 00:15:17,953 --> 00:15:23,731 And there are so many in the last 40 or 50 years who have kind 292 00:15:23,755 --> 00:15:25,139 of varied. 293 00:15:25,299 --> 00:15:29,719 And a lot of that influence is from the Scofield Bible. 294 00:15:30,459 --> 00:15:35,123 From the Scofield Bible, I think it's 1917 when that Scofield 295 00:15:35,171 --> 00:15:36,399 Bible first came out. 296 00:15:36,699 --> 00:15:43,187 And it's Scofield who, one of the first really major guys who put 297 00:15:43,243 --> 00:15:47,007 forth this universal invisible church idea. 298 00:15:47,183 --> 00:15:50,063 And because the Scofield Bible was used by so many, by the way, 299 00:15:50,071 --> 00:15:50,703 it's a good. 300 00:15:50,791 --> 00:15:53,967 It's still a great study Bible and I still recommend it. 301 00:15:54,023 --> 00:15:56,415 Now, I recommend the old Scofield. 302 00:15:56,447 --> 00:15:56,815 Be careful. 303 00:15:56,847 --> 00:15:59,247 You'll go to a bookstore and you'll pick up a Scofield Bible. 304 00:15:59,263 --> 00:16:00,671 You say, well, here's Scofield Bible. 305 00:16:00,735 --> 00:16:02,239 And you find out it's not a king. 306 00:16:02,319 --> 00:16:04,863 They say King James on the front, but it's not a King James 307 00:16:04,911 --> 00:16:05,135 Bible. 308 00:16:05,167 --> 00:16:06,019 Be careful. 309 00:16:06,919 --> 00:16:08,703 But it's still a great study Bible. 310 00:16:08,751 --> 00:16:14,007 But again, some of these guys had influence and they were influenced 311 00:16:14,103 --> 00:16:17,739 by Protestants, by Protestant writers. 312 00:16:18,159 --> 00:16:25,095 So if you, if you take in and believe that the church is a universal, 313 00:16:25,127 --> 00:16:29,655 invisible church and that all the saved are a part of that universal 314 00:16:29,687 --> 00:16:31,351 church that lends towards. 315 00:16:31,495 --> 00:16:35,511 Again, as we're seeing this one world coming together, we see 316 00:16:35,535 --> 00:16:36,899 it politically, don't we? 317 00:16:37,359 --> 00:16:40,279 We see it now that we see a little space of grace happening right 318 00:16:40,319 --> 00:16:46,869 now, maybe, but it's not going to thwart God's plan. 319 00:16:46,909 --> 00:16:49,093 Remember I mentioned Sunday about one of the mega themes of the 320 00:16:49,101 --> 00:16:50,757 Bible is consummationism. 321 00:16:50,933 --> 00:16:53,509 God has a plan, and the plan's already in place. 322 00:16:53,549 --> 00:16:56,565 And we already know that one day all the world will come together. 323 00:16:56,637 --> 00:16:59,189 There'll be a one world government and there'll be a one 324 00:16:59,229 --> 00:17:00,693 world religion. 325 00:17:00,821 --> 00:17:04,773 Well, in order to have a one world religion, you're going to have 326 00:17:04,781 --> 00:17:08,641 to drop some beliefs by some others. 327 00:17:08,825 --> 00:17:10,033 There's going to have to be a shift. 328 00:17:10,081 --> 00:17:12,497 There's going to have to be a falling away, if you would. 329 00:17:12,633 --> 00:17:15,329 And so one of the things that lends that way is because of this 330 00:17:15,369 --> 00:17:19,009 universal, invisible church concept that all the saved apart 331 00:17:19,089 --> 00:17:21,457 are the church or the body of Christ. 332 00:17:21,593 --> 00:17:25,105 Well, if that's the case, then if we are all the saved are the church 333 00:17:25,137 --> 00:17:28,081 and all the saved are the body of Christ, then I'm going to have 334 00:17:28,105 --> 00:17:35,055 to make some concessions in order to get along with the Lutheran 335 00:17:35,247 --> 00:17:38,271 church and their beliefs or the Methodist church and their beliefs. 336 00:17:38,335 --> 00:17:39,743 Everybody kind of see what I'm talking about. 337 00:17:39,831 --> 00:17:47,151 I'm going to have to drop some of my biblical, foundational, even 338 00:17:47,255 --> 00:17:49,103 truths in the Bible. 339 00:17:49,231 --> 00:17:52,447 And so it lends itself in order for there to eventually be 340 00:17:52,503 --> 00:17:56,143 this one world church, especially when it comes to Catholicism 341 00:17:56,191 --> 00:17:57,023 as well. 342 00:17:57,191 --> 00:18:00,271 Number two, it lends itself to doctrinal shifts for the sake of 343 00:18:00,295 --> 00:18:00,975 unity in the church. 344 00:18:01,007 --> 00:18:02,591 In other words, if we're going to have unity in the church, then 345 00:18:02,615 --> 00:18:07,171 we have to, we have to again, we have to drop some things that 346 00:18:07,195 --> 00:18:08,279 we hold dear. 347 00:18:08,699 --> 00:18:12,675 And we've seen this over and over and over again here throughout 348 00:18:12,707 --> 00:18:17,159 the last, I don't know, forever, that shift. 349 00:18:17,579 --> 00:18:20,099 Let's all hold hands, sing Kubaya. 350 00:18:20,259 --> 00:18:21,747 Why can't we all get along? 351 00:18:21,883 --> 00:18:24,787 And I'm not saying we shouldn't get along and we can't 352 00:18:24,803 --> 00:18:25,187 be kind. 353 00:18:25,243 --> 00:18:29,581 We ought to be kind, but we ought not to compromise either. 354 00:18:29,755 --> 00:18:34,473 We don't compromise biblical truth for the sake of unity. 355 00:18:34,601 --> 00:18:35,909 And here's the key. 356 00:18:36,449 --> 00:18:38,825 The church is local and visible only. 357 00:18:38,977 --> 00:18:42,153 And when the Bible calls for unity in the church, it's not calling 358 00:18:42,201 --> 00:18:45,225 for unity in the church in some mystical, invisible church. 359 00:18:45,337 --> 00:18:48,809 It's calling for unity in this local church, Heritage Baptist Church. 360 00:18:48,969 --> 00:18:52,313 When the Bible calls for unity, it's calling for unity in 361 00:18:52,401 --> 00:18:55,675 Victory Baptist Church in Weatherford, Texas, it's calling 362 00:18:55,707 --> 00:18:57,371 for unity in that church. 363 00:18:57,515 --> 00:19:01,239 When the Bible calls for unity, it's calling for unity in 364 00:19:01,699 --> 00:19:03,035 Worth Baptist Church. 365 00:19:03,147 --> 00:19:04,907 I'm talking about some sister churches. 366 00:19:05,003 --> 00:19:08,475 It's not talking about some invisible, universal, mystical church 367 00:19:08,507 --> 00:19:09,899 out there that nobody can see. 368 00:19:10,019 --> 00:19:11,755 He's talking about the individual churches. 369 00:19:11,787 --> 00:19:12,955 When he calls for unity. 370 00:19:12,987 --> 00:19:18,155 And there ought to be unity in the church, there ought to be unity. 371 00:19:18,187 --> 00:19:19,759 There should be no schisms. 372 00:19:20,429 --> 00:19:23,733 And we as Christians, we as fellow believers, we as part of the 373 00:19:23,741 --> 00:19:24,645 body of Christ. 374 00:19:24,797 --> 00:19:27,045 And that body of Christ is Heritage Baptist Church. 375 00:19:27,077 --> 00:19:30,849 If you're a member here, then we ought to get along. 376 00:19:31,629 --> 00:19:34,929 We ought to Work together. 377 00:19:35,309 --> 00:19:40,261 We ought to put aside personal differences in order to accomplish 378 00:19:40,325 --> 00:19:43,349 the goal of reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 379 00:19:43,469 --> 00:19:48,163 I always use this illustration because it's funny and sad at the 380 00:19:48,171 --> 00:19:49,039 same time. 381 00:19:49,979 --> 00:19:52,199 We shouldn't fight about the color of carpet. 382 00:19:53,019 --> 00:19:55,119 Do you realize churches do that? 383 00:19:56,699 --> 00:19:59,971 I don't go one year usually or even two years without hearing of 384 00:19:59,995 --> 00:20:03,123 another church fighting over the color of carpet or fighting over 385 00:20:03,291 --> 00:20:04,739 something silly. 386 00:20:04,899 --> 00:20:05,799 I don't. 387 00:20:06,139 --> 00:20:10,079 It just blows me away, really. 388 00:20:10,779 --> 00:20:13,143 We decided to go with squares for carpet. 389 00:20:13,251 --> 00:20:15,231 Do you understand why we decided to go with squares when we 390 00:20:15,255 --> 00:20:16,579 refreshed the auditorium. 391 00:20:17,879 --> 00:20:24,159 So nice if one of those carpet squares gets stained so bad that 392 00:20:24,199 --> 00:20:26,431 we can't get it out with a rug. 393 00:20:26,495 --> 00:20:27,488 Dr. 394 00:20:27,709 --> 00:20:28,703 Dr. 395 00:20:28,751 --> 00:20:31,299 Day was in here the other day, rug doctoring. 396 00:20:32,039 --> 00:20:33,311 Guess what we can do? 397 00:20:33,415 --> 00:20:36,399 We can pull up a square and put down another one. 398 00:20:36,519 --> 00:20:39,299 It's an amazing, amazing, amazing thing. 399 00:20:39,479 --> 00:20:44,319 And we have a stack of these about 10 foot high, extra ones. 400 00:20:45,779 --> 00:20:47,999 There's no need to fight over little stuff. 401 00:20:49,219 --> 00:20:50,891 No need to fight over little stuff. 402 00:20:50,955 --> 00:20:54,139 And that's where again, there ought to be unity in the church because 403 00:20:54,259 --> 00:20:57,579 we ought to all line up together, working together, not allow 404 00:20:57,619 --> 00:21:03,691 the devil to get us sidetracked on stuff that really 405 00:21:03,715 --> 00:21:05,679 doesn't amount to a hill of beans. 406 00:21:06,349 --> 00:21:09,061 Don't you like that southern expression? 407 00:21:09,205 --> 00:21:09,621 I do. 408 00:21:09,645 --> 00:21:10,181 I like that one. 409 00:21:10,205 --> 00:21:11,289 A hill of beans. 410 00:21:11,629 --> 00:21:14,421 And keep our eyes on him. 411 00:21:14,525 --> 00:21:18,769 Keep our eyes on reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 412 00:21:19,309 --> 00:21:21,717 And so that's where we're at. 413 00:21:21,773 --> 00:21:25,013 I wanted to give you some of the conclusion at the beginning of 414 00:21:25,021 --> 00:21:25,589 the message. 415 00:21:25,669 --> 00:21:27,289 That was some of the conclusion. 416 00:21:27,869 --> 00:21:30,689 Why is this doctrine important? 417 00:21:32,039 --> 00:21:33,455 Define some words. 418 00:21:33,647 --> 00:21:36,447 Most of you know this, but we do have new members. 419 00:21:36,503 --> 00:21:41,391 And so just the word church comes from the Greek word what most 420 00:21:41,415 --> 00:21:43,519 of you know it, ekklesia, right? 421 00:21:43,639 --> 00:21:45,247 We've taught this so many times. 422 00:21:45,383 --> 00:21:48,351 The word ekklesia, the Greek word means an assembly. 423 00:21:48,415 --> 00:21:53,503 And it was associated with the assembly of, you know, a city assembling 424 00:21:53,631 --> 00:21:54,299 together. 425 00:21:54,759 --> 00:21:59,707 Then Jesus says, my ekklesia, so that he says my church. 426 00:21:59,903 --> 00:22:05,795 And so the definition of the word ekklesia, plus Jesus defining 427 00:22:05,827 --> 00:22:08,979 it as my ecclesia, and that is this. 428 00:22:09,019 --> 00:22:12,243 It's a called out assembly, all right? 429 00:22:12,331 --> 00:22:16,851 A called out assembly of born again baptized believers fulfilling 430 00:22:16,915 --> 00:22:20,239 Christ's commands, fulfilling the great commission. 431 00:22:20,859 --> 00:22:24,759 That is the definition of a church. 432 00:22:25,429 --> 00:22:29,613 And we've gone over this so many times too, but it doesn't. 433 00:22:29,741 --> 00:22:31,485 Review is the best teacher. 434 00:22:31,677 --> 00:22:32,733 Just be reminded. 435 00:22:32,781 --> 00:22:37,709 Just because an organization puts a sign out in front of their 436 00:22:37,749 --> 00:22:43,101 building that says such and such church does not necessarily 437 00:22:43,165 --> 00:22:44,849 make them a biblical church. 438 00:22:45,349 --> 00:22:50,349 A biblical church by definition is one that is, number 439 00:22:50,389 --> 00:22:51,699 one, called out. 440 00:22:51,869 --> 00:22:55,351 But number two, fulfilling Christ's commands, especially when 441 00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:56,295 it comes to the Great Commission. 442 00:22:56,367 --> 00:22:59,063 Fulfilling the Great Commission, that is the ultimate 443 00:22:59,111 --> 00:23:03,047 purpose of the church is to win people to Jesus to baptize them 444 00:23:03,103 --> 00:23:04,471 and disciple them. 445 00:23:04,655 --> 00:23:09,511 If a organization that has church as church sign out in front 446 00:23:09,535 --> 00:23:13,671 of the building, if their main goal is not reaching people with 447 00:23:13,695 --> 00:23:17,589 the gospel of Jesus Christ and baptizing them and discipling them, 448 00:23:17,719 --> 00:23:20,649 by Bible definition, they are not a church. 449 00:23:20,809 --> 00:23:22,809 They may be a good organization. 450 00:23:22,969 --> 00:23:30,089 They may be, you know, more like a, you know, an organization 451 00:23:30,169 --> 00:23:34,249 that feeds people or organization that helps clothe people. 452 00:23:34,369 --> 00:23:38,857 An organization that provides, you know, fellowship and those type 453 00:23:38,873 --> 00:23:39,209 of things. 454 00:23:39,249 --> 00:23:42,469 Well, a lot of that stuff you can get in other organizations too. 455 00:23:43,019 --> 00:23:46,675 I used Camp Gladiator as an illustration years ago. 456 00:23:46,827 --> 00:23:50,435 Some of y'all know that organization, they do like CrossFit 457 00:23:50,467 --> 00:23:53,171 kind of stuff in parking lots across the metroplex. 458 00:23:53,235 --> 00:23:54,839 I think they're still going somewhere. 459 00:23:55,419 --> 00:23:57,443 And, you know, they would get together. 460 00:23:57,531 --> 00:23:59,731 I know some other exercise groups that do this. 461 00:23:59,755 --> 00:24:02,595 They all get together, they exercise together, they go fellowship 462 00:24:02,627 --> 00:24:07,091 together, they encourage each other, they call each other, they're 463 00:24:07,155 --> 00:24:08,479 there for each other. 464 00:24:09,349 --> 00:24:09,805 So. 465 00:24:09,877 --> 00:24:10,909 But they're not a church. 466 00:24:10,989 --> 00:24:15,689 But that's what a lot of churches are doing. 467 00:24:16,069 --> 00:24:21,981 They're just providing a place for people to be encouraged to fellowship 468 00:24:22,125 --> 00:24:25,533 and all those things the church does, but it's not its primary 469 00:24:25,581 --> 00:24:26,289 purpose. 470 00:24:26,789 --> 00:24:31,901 Its primary purpose is to win people to Jesus, to baptize them 471 00:24:31,925 --> 00:24:32,909 and disciple them. 472 00:24:33,029 --> 00:24:34,061 I've used this illustration. 473 00:24:34,125 --> 00:24:35,389 I wish Kevin Davis was here. 474 00:24:35,429 --> 00:24:38,551 I would say to him, if you went to Calzer Tire Monday, what 475 00:24:38,575 --> 00:24:38,919 is today? 476 00:24:38,959 --> 00:24:39,255 Wednesday. 477 00:24:39,327 --> 00:24:42,423 If you went to Kelser Tire in the morning, Thursday morning, and 478 00:24:42,511 --> 00:24:47,191 you walked into Calzer Tire and you needed some tires, but you 479 00:24:47,215 --> 00:24:50,539 went in and all they had inside of the building was hula hoops. 480 00:24:50,879 --> 00:24:53,979 Because Kevin Davis is now hula hooping. 481 00:24:54,319 --> 00:24:56,919 And you went in and there was no tires in there. 482 00:24:56,959 --> 00:24:58,999 They still had cals or tire on the sign. 483 00:24:59,039 --> 00:25:01,979 It said Goodyear, bf, Good, Ranch, whatever else. 484 00:25:02,569 --> 00:25:03,313 Hankook. 485 00:25:03,361 --> 00:25:04,721 It said all that on the sign. 486 00:25:04,825 --> 00:25:07,265 But you walk in and all there is is hula hoops. 487 00:25:07,377 --> 00:25:09,505 Well, they're no longer a tire store. 488 00:25:09,537 --> 00:25:11,009 They're a hula hoop store. 489 00:25:11,089 --> 00:25:13,297 You could put whatever you want to on the sign. 490 00:25:13,433 --> 00:25:15,041 But what are you actually producing? 491 00:25:15,105 --> 00:25:16,513 What are you actually selling? 492 00:25:16,641 --> 00:25:17,681 What is your purpose? 493 00:25:17,745 --> 00:25:19,505 Well, their purpose is selling hula hoops. 494 00:25:19,537 --> 00:25:21,309 Now they need to change the sign. 495 00:25:22,169 --> 00:25:25,905 And there are majority of churches have no problem saying this, 496 00:25:26,057 --> 00:25:26,833 using the word. 497 00:25:26,881 --> 00:25:30,345 Majority of churches in America today that are no longer 498 00:25:30,457 --> 00:25:34,889 true genuine biblical churches and you have to say amen. 499 00:25:34,969 --> 00:25:35,705 You do. 500 00:25:35,857 --> 00:25:36,909 It's the truth. 501 00:25:37,249 --> 00:25:44,057 And they have become nothing but a country club or whatever else 502 00:25:44,073 --> 00:25:45,189 you want to call it. 503 00:25:46,369 --> 00:25:48,669 Their main goal is not winning people to Jesus. 504 00:25:49,249 --> 00:25:53,669 Their main goal is to tickle the ears of their congregation and 505 00:25:54,299 --> 00:25:56,839 bring in the tithe and whatever else. 506 00:25:58,619 --> 00:25:59,839 I'll move on. 507 00:26:00,539 --> 00:26:03,635 But that is important that you understand the biblical definition. 508 00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:08,307 The word ecclesia is found 115 times in the New Testament. 509 00:26:08,403 --> 00:26:11,795 Again referring to a called out assembly fulfilling Christ's 510 00:26:11,827 --> 00:26:12,115 commands. 511 00:26:12,147 --> 00:26:14,675 The word local, of course, that's easy to define. 512 00:26:14,787 --> 00:26:17,079 Physically assembled in one location. 513 00:26:17,739 --> 00:26:18,099 Right? 514 00:26:18,139 --> 00:26:19,075 That's what we're here tonight. 515 00:26:19,107 --> 00:26:21,225 We're physically assembled in one location. 516 00:26:21,387 --> 00:26:24,941 By the way, this would kind of hurt some satellite churches, but 517 00:26:24,965 --> 00:26:26,609 I won't go into that tonight. 518 00:26:28,309 --> 00:26:30,329 I don't get, I don't get it. 519 00:26:32,069 --> 00:26:36,541 Can I say that why you would want to go to a church where the 520 00:26:36,565 --> 00:26:43,085 pastor preaches on the screen from another city 10 miles or 5 miles 521 00:26:43,117 --> 00:26:43,689 away? 522 00:26:45,509 --> 00:26:47,249 I don't, I don't, I don't. 523 00:26:48,469 --> 00:26:49,689 I'll move on. 524 00:26:51,269 --> 00:26:55,885 A local assembly physically assembled together versus an unassembled 525 00:26:55,917 --> 00:26:58,365 number that can't meet in one place. 526 00:26:58,437 --> 00:27:03,821 Alright, so it's those who are assembled together physically versus 527 00:27:03,965 --> 00:27:07,609 this mystical invisible church that nobody can see. 528 00:27:07,989 --> 00:27:13,767 And then visible, of course, A physical gathering versus a spiritual, 529 00:27:13,943 --> 00:27:16,439 mystical invisible gathering. 530 00:27:16,519 --> 00:27:19,159 So local church. 531 00:27:19,319 --> 00:27:22,711 Only Baptists have historically believed this. 532 00:27:22,895 --> 00:27:24,023 There are three views. 533 00:27:24,071 --> 00:27:25,415 Again I've already mentioned these. 534 00:27:25,487 --> 00:27:26,711 The local visible church. 535 00:27:26,775 --> 00:27:30,503 Most Baptists believe that universal visible church. 536 00:27:30,551 --> 00:27:33,351 That's the Catholic Church, by the way. 537 00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:37,511 The Catholic, the word Catholic means basically all millennial, 538 00:27:37,575 --> 00:27:40,979 all Catholic, all visible churches are Catholic. 539 00:27:41,139 --> 00:27:44,243 And then number three, universal invisible churches. 540 00:27:44,371 --> 00:27:46,819 Historically that's been a Protestant belief. 541 00:27:46,979 --> 00:27:50,039 And yes, I do believe Baptists are not Protestants. 542 00:27:50,859 --> 00:27:52,759 We never protested anything. 543 00:27:53,179 --> 00:27:58,199 We came through the Reformation, we did not have to reform. 544 00:27:59,579 --> 00:28:01,331 I haven't said this in a while either. 545 00:28:01,475 --> 00:28:03,879 Somebody has to be right and somebody has to be wrong. 546 00:28:04,549 --> 00:28:05,549 We don't say that much. 547 00:28:05,589 --> 00:28:07,421 As much as I probably should. 548 00:28:07,605 --> 00:28:08,845 You should say it a lot. 549 00:28:08,917 --> 00:28:11,469 But I was wanting tell you tonight somebody has to be right. 550 00:28:11,509 --> 00:28:12,621 Somebody has to be wrong. 551 00:28:12,765 --> 00:28:16,269 And this affects a lot of other Bible doctrines. 552 00:28:16,429 --> 00:28:20,685 And when you have vastly different views, and that is a vastly 553 00:28:20,717 --> 00:28:25,005 different view, having the ideal that there's only one church 554 00:28:25,197 --> 00:28:29,341 that is visible, that's the Catholic belief that they are the 555 00:28:29,365 --> 00:28:34,129 only church, that's what they believe, is a vastly different view 556 00:28:34,169 --> 00:28:35,229 than what we believe. 557 00:28:37,049 --> 00:28:43,729 So we believe in a visible church and that each individual assembly 558 00:28:43,889 --> 00:28:49,617 that has gathered together is a church independent of the other 559 00:28:49,673 --> 00:28:52,673 churches and still the body of Christ. 560 00:28:52,761 --> 00:28:55,229 Each one is the body of Christ. 561 00:28:55,529 --> 00:28:56,429 All right. 562 00:28:56,839 --> 00:28:57,899 And so. 563 00:28:59,399 --> 00:29:05,327 Well, you say, preacher, come on, you know, and I want to address 564 00:29:05,383 --> 00:29:08,223 this too, because this is happening a lot in churches now. 565 00:29:08,311 --> 00:29:10,079 They'll say, well, preacher, we just want. 566 00:29:10,199 --> 00:29:13,151 We want our missionaries just to believe in our core beliefs. 567 00:29:13,215 --> 00:29:14,895 They use that word, core beliefs. 568 00:29:14,927 --> 00:29:16,687 This is our core beliefs. 569 00:29:16,863 --> 00:29:17,759 These are. 570 00:29:17,879 --> 00:29:20,927 Even though might use the word essential beliefs. 571 00:29:21,103 --> 00:29:22,543 And I get that, right? 572 00:29:22,631 --> 00:29:22,801 I. 573 00:29:22,815 --> 00:29:24,813 I believe in the fundamentals of the faith. 574 00:29:24,861 --> 00:29:25,849 We all do. 575 00:29:26,229 --> 00:29:28,529 There are fundamentals in the faith. 576 00:29:30,389 --> 00:29:35,569 The internal combustion engine before the electric motor. 577 00:29:36,549 --> 00:29:41,949 And some dodges still run on one, but they don't run very good 578 00:29:41,989 --> 00:29:42,589 on one. 579 00:29:42,709 --> 00:29:44,009 They tick a lot. 580 00:29:44,629 --> 00:29:47,101 But the internal combustion engine. 581 00:29:47,245 --> 00:29:47,997 Let's go down. 582 00:29:48,053 --> 00:29:52,445 Let's scale it down to a lawn mower that has a carburetor on it. 583 00:29:52,597 --> 00:29:53,725 The carburetor. 584 00:29:53,837 --> 00:29:54,653 Sorry, Brother Clay. 585 00:29:54,701 --> 00:29:55,213 Here we go. 586 00:29:55,301 --> 00:29:59,165 The carburetor has a little floaty thingy in it. 587 00:29:59,317 --> 00:30:00,317 A little needle. 588 00:30:00,413 --> 00:30:01,261 A little needle. 589 00:30:01,325 --> 00:30:02,669 A little needle thingy in it. 590 00:30:02,709 --> 00:30:03,965 Some of them don't have the needle thingy. 591 00:30:03,997 --> 00:30:05,773 It has like a injection thingy. 592 00:30:05,821 --> 00:30:05,997 Bob. 593 00:30:06,013 --> 00:30:06,621 Bob. 594 00:30:06,765 --> 00:30:08,029 But let's go back old school. 595 00:30:08,069 --> 00:30:10,845 They all used to have a float and a needle. 596 00:30:10,957 --> 00:30:14,701 And in order for an internal combustion engine to run, it has 597 00:30:14,725 --> 00:30:15,629 to have three things, right? 598 00:30:15,669 --> 00:30:16,859 I was taught that as a kid. 599 00:30:16,989 --> 00:30:17,935 Has to have three things. 600 00:30:18,007 --> 00:30:18,895 Has to have three things. 601 00:30:18,967 --> 00:30:20,671 If you don't have those three, it won't run. 602 00:30:20,775 --> 00:30:21,887 And it has to have what? 603 00:30:21,943 --> 00:30:25,103 Has to have air in order to run, because you're going to have 604 00:30:25,111 --> 00:30:25,855 to ignite a fire. 605 00:30:25,927 --> 00:30:28,191 You got to have oxygen to ignite a fire. 606 00:30:28,295 --> 00:30:33,519 It has to have gas or some kind of volatile, you know, liquid 607 00:30:33,679 --> 00:30:34,939 to run. 608 00:30:35,719 --> 00:30:37,071 Brother Clay likes this. 609 00:30:37,175 --> 00:30:38,639 And then what does it have to have? 610 00:30:38,679 --> 00:30:39,499 Number three? 611 00:30:39,799 --> 00:30:40,655 Fire, right? 612 00:30:40,727 --> 00:30:41,279 Has to have fire. 613 00:30:41,319 --> 00:30:45,823 It has to have a spark to ignite the volatile liquid and to 614 00:30:45,911 --> 00:30:50,511 mix with the oxygen and create a combustion in order to move the 615 00:30:50,535 --> 00:30:53,099 piston and make that motor run, right? 616 00:30:53,639 --> 00:30:58,799 How many of y'all's kids when you lawnmower wouldn't start and 617 00:30:58,839 --> 00:30:59,887 dad and mom weren't home. 618 00:30:59,943 --> 00:31:01,023 Dad told you to mow the yard. 619 00:31:01,071 --> 00:31:02,591 You go to the lawnmower, you try to start. 620 00:31:02,615 --> 00:31:03,659 It wouldn't start. 621 00:31:04,439 --> 00:31:07,859 Dad gets home, mind them yard mode. 622 00:31:08,289 --> 00:31:09,989 I couldn't get the mower to start. 623 00:31:12,849 --> 00:31:14,669 He goes over the lawn mower. 624 00:31:15,809 --> 00:31:16,889 Boom, right? 625 00:31:16,929 --> 00:31:17,709 Startup. 626 00:31:18,529 --> 00:31:20,149 Just sad, isn't it? 627 00:31:22,049 --> 00:31:23,289 What was the first thing you did? 628 00:31:23,329 --> 00:31:26,153 Some of you know, some of you don't, but you can learn this. 629 00:31:26,241 --> 00:31:28,569 What was the first thing you did if the mower wouldn't start? 630 00:31:28,609 --> 00:31:30,489 Well, you check the gas has gas. 631 00:31:30,569 --> 00:31:34,505 You take the little air filter off and make sure it's clean and. 632 00:31:34,657 --> 00:31:37,177 And whatever the case is, put it back on. 633 00:31:37,313 --> 00:31:40,909 And then the third thing you checked with the old spark plug, 634 00:31:41,329 --> 00:31:45,353 Take the little wire off the spark plug, tell your little brother 635 00:31:45,401 --> 00:31:46,949 to stick his finger in there. 636 00:31:47,249 --> 00:31:49,257 Hey, stick your finger in there. 637 00:31:49,393 --> 00:31:53,689 And then you pull the thing and watch your little brother light 638 00:31:53,729 --> 00:31:56,521 on fire, electrocute him, right? 639 00:31:56,705 --> 00:31:58,009 No, no, no, you put a. 640 00:31:58,049 --> 00:32:03,651 You put a, you know, you know, put a screwdriver or something in 641 00:32:03,675 --> 00:32:07,523 there and put the screwdriver up against the metal housing of the 642 00:32:07,611 --> 00:32:13,507 motor, and you get somebody to pull the rod and you see if there's 643 00:32:13,523 --> 00:32:16,547 any spark coming out, hitting the motor. 644 00:32:16,563 --> 00:32:17,919 How many of y'all done that? 645 00:32:18,219 --> 00:32:20,639 How many have no idea what I'm talking about? 646 00:32:21,179 --> 00:32:22,119 Awesome. 647 00:32:22,859 --> 00:32:27,153 I'm thankful I grew up in a time in which you actually had to 648 00:32:27,161 --> 00:32:28,869 do something anyway. 649 00:32:29,609 --> 00:32:31,473 But, man, you wanted that motor to start. 650 00:32:31,561 --> 00:32:31,953 Required. 651 00:32:32,001 --> 00:32:36,529 The fundamentals of an internal combustion engine is those 652 00:32:36,569 --> 00:32:36,817 three. 653 00:32:36,873 --> 00:32:39,937 You got to have those three or it's not going to start. 654 00:32:39,993 --> 00:32:43,201 Of course, there's some other issues and other problems that could 655 00:32:43,225 --> 00:32:46,049 contribute to that, whether it's bad rings or whatever the case 656 00:32:46,089 --> 00:32:46,625 is. 657 00:32:46,777 --> 00:32:49,377 But those three fundamentals, you're not going to get a start without 658 00:32:49,433 --> 00:32:49,697 that. 659 00:32:49,753 --> 00:32:51,841 And there are absolutely fundamentals of the faith that we 660 00:32:51,865 --> 00:32:52,929 will never, ever, ever. 661 00:32:52,969 --> 00:32:55,339 And you can never, never, never give on. 662 00:32:55,379 --> 00:33:00,027 And that is the verbal inspiration of the scriptures. 663 00:33:00,203 --> 00:33:03,371 The Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God. 664 00:33:03,515 --> 00:33:05,499 Number two is the virgin birth. 665 00:33:05,659 --> 00:33:07,243 Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. 666 00:33:07,291 --> 00:33:10,379 If he wasn't, then we can't have salvation because that means 667 00:33:10,419 --> 00:33:11,759 he had a sinful nature. 668 00:33:12,099 --> 00:33:15,739 And then number three, that is the vicarious death of Jesus Christ 669 00:33:15,859 --> 00:33:18,731 and that he suffered, bled, and died for me. 670 00:33:18,915 --> 00:33:22,379 Number four is the victorious resurrection and that on the third 671 00:33:22,419 --> 00:33:24,939 day he rose from the dead. 672 00:33:25,099 --> 00:33:27,499 We're going to celebrate that in a great way. 673 00:33:27,539 --> 00:33:27,787 Sunday. 674 00:33:27,843 --> 00:33:28,411 We ought to be. 675 00:33:28,435 --> 00:33:30,411 We celebrate it every Sunday, by the way. 676 00:33:30,595 --> 00:33:33,115 And then number five, the visible return of Jesus Christ. 677 00:33:33,187 --> 00:33:34,363 These are the things we know. 678 00:33:34,451 --> 00:33:35,515 These are the fundamentals. 679 00:33:35,547 --> 00:33:36,315 These are going to happen. 680 00:33:36,387 --> 00:33:38,747 This is what happens, and so forth. 681 00:33:38,843 --> 00:33:42,331 But I want to encourage you when it comes to Bible beliefs, Bible 682 00:33:42,395 --> 00:33:47,541 truth, Bible doctrine, that all Bible doctrine is important and 683 00:33:47,565 --> 00:33:50,533 the interpretation of the Scripture and the interpretation 684 00:33:50,581 --> 00:33:53,649 of the truths of the Scripture, that all of it is important 685 00:33:54,029 --> 00:33:56,449 and that we shouldn't give way to any. 686 00:33:57,469 --> 00:34:00,889 We shouldn't compromise on any Bible doctrine. 687 00:34:01,469 --> 00:34:02,409 Amen. 688 00:34:03,149 --> 00:34:06,389 And that's what happens in this universal church concept as 689 00:34:06,429 --> 00:34:07,061 time goes on. 690 00:34:07,085 --> 00:34:11,429 And we've seen it in the last 50, 60, 70 years, we've seen this 691 00:34:11,469 --> 00:34:15,951 happening and people saying, well, you just need to drop your 692 00:34:15,975 --> 00:34:16,303 differences. 693 00:34:16,351 --> 00:34:18,639 You know, we kind of believe the same on this and we kind of believe 694 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:19,359 the same on this. 695 00:34:19,399 --> 00:34:25,407 And we kind of seen and we see all this compromise carried about 696 00:34:25,463 --> 00:34:27,139 by every wind of doctrine. 697 00:34:27,479 --> 00:34:32,127 No longer steadfast and unmovable, no longer striving for 698 00:34:32,263 --> 00:34:38,579 the faith, no longer keeping the faith, but compromise. 699 00:34:39,609 --> 00:34:41,829 And I'm telling you, we should never compromise. 700 00:34:42,249 --> 00:34:46,229 The church is to be what, the pillar and ground of truth. 701 00:34:47,369 --> 00:34:53,857 And though some of our brethren of the past may have done 702 00:34:53,913 --> 00:34:58,481 so in a mean way, and we ought to again preach the truth in love 703 00:34:58,505 --> 00:35:03,749 and be kind and gracious, but that does not equate to compromise, 704 00:35:04,409 --> 00:35:08,321 does not equal giving up biblical truth. 705 00:35:08,465 --> 00:35:10,833 Because we are the caretakers of truth. 706 00:35:10,881 --> 00:35:13,297 The church is the caretaker of truth, biblical truth. 707 00:35:13,313 --> 00:35:15,441 And we're to pass that on to the next generation. 708 00:35:15,585 --> 00:35:17,265 And we are not to give it up. 709 00:35:17,417 --> 00:35:20,849 We're not to be beholden to these other belief systems and these 710 00:35:20,889 --> 00:35:25,633 other denominations who are compromised and who do compromise. 711 00:35:25,761 --> 00:35:27,669 But we're to stay by the stuff. 712 00:35:28,249 --> 00:35:29,313 Stay by the stuff. 713 00:35:29,361 --> 00:35:31,759 Stay by the stuff. 714 00:35:32,099 --> 00:35:36,603 We know the Bible refers to Satan as being the author of confusion 715 00:35:36,651 --> 00:35:38,587 because God is not the author of confusion. 716 00:35:38,683 --> 00:35:39,707 That would equate to that. 717 00:35:39,763 --> 00:35:41,547 Satan is the author of confusion. 718 00:35:41,643 --> 00:35:43,515 He counterfeits everything. 719 00:35:43,667 --> 00:35:45,563 He alters everything. 720 00:35:45,651 --> 00:35:48,971 He just takes, you know, he takes the scripture and he twists 721 00:35:49,035 --> 00:35:49,639 it. 722 00:35:50,419 --> 00:35:52,251 He takes the prophets and he twists them. 723 00:35:52,275 --> 00:35:53,483 He takes the gospel. 724 00:35:53,611 --> 00:35:55,239 He has a gospel too. 725 00:35:57,149 --> 00:35:59,329 He just took the gospel and twisted it. 726 00:36:00,909 --> 00:36:03,329 He takes baptism and he twists it. 727 00:36:04,109 --> 00:36:14,037 Understand, Understand that as he has distorted many other Bible 728 00:36:14,133 --> 00:36:20,949 truths, Satan has distorted the concept of the church to the 729 00:36:20,989 --> 00:36:26,207 confusion the believer, and especially to the lost people. 730 00:36:26,343 --> 00:36:29,983 Can you imagine the difference between our church and some of the 731 00:36:29,991 --> 00:36:31,299 churches you see on tv? 732 00:36:31,639 --> 00:36:34,223 Can you imagine somebody who's been exposed to. 733 00:36:34,311 --> 00:36:37,695 I know I pick on him all the time, but he is definitely worthy 734 00:36:37,727 --> 00:36:39,135 to be picked on somebody. 735 00:36:39,167 --> 00:36:41,699 Watch Kenneth Copeland and then come to our church. 736 00:36:42,039 --> 00:36:45,779 Somebody who thinks that our tbn, the old tbn. 737 00:36:46,519 --> 00:36:47,509 Oh, my goodness. 738 00:36:47,639 --> 00:36:49,989 And they think that's what Christianity is. 739 00:36:50,689 --> 00:36:51,989 You see what I mean? 740 00:36:52,929 --> 00:36:57,705 We have to understand that Satan, Second Corinthians, chapter 741 00:36:57,737 --> 00:36:57,929 11. 742 00:36:57,969 --> 00:36:59,017 Most of you know this. 743 00:36:59,153 --> 00:37:02,505 The Bible says, for Satan himself is transformed as an angel 744 00:37:02,537 --> 00:37:03,269 of light. 745 00:37:04,289 --> 00:37:07,309 Again, he likes to counterfeit all biblical truth. 746 00:37:08,929 --> 00:37:10,121 Our Job as a church. 747 00:37:10,185 --> 00:37:13,629 Our definition, our purpose as a church is to fulfill Christ's commands, 748 00:37:14,169 --> 00:37:17,761 to spread the gospel, to baptize and disciple converts and 749 00:37:17,785 --> 00:37:22,065 believers, to realize that in the Old Testament, the Jew was chosen, 750 00:37:22,177 --> 00:37:26,785 Abraham was chosen by God to be the lighthouse, to be the conveyor 751 00:37:26,897 --> 00:37:29,089 of the gospel and biblical truth. 752 00:37:29,249 --> 00:37:32,513 The Jews, as time went on, dropped that. 753 00:37:32,601 --> 00:37:33,777 They dropped the ball. 754 00:37:33,913 --> 00:37:36,017 And God said, okay, if you're going to drop the ball, then I'll 755 00:37:36,033 --> 00:37:40,511 raise up another instrument and to be a light and to be the one 756 00:37:40,535 --> 00:37:41,503 who spread the gospel. 757 00:37:41,551 --> 00:37:43,023 And he started. 758 00:37:43,111 --> 00:37:45,839 Jesus Christ started the church to be that. 759 00:37:45,959 --> 00:37:47,939 Now, we don't believe in replacement theology. 760 00:37:48,599 --> 00:37:49,919 That is a farce. 761 00:37:50,079 --> 00:37:53,295 That means that we believe that the Jews are still God's chosen 762 00:37:53,327 --> 00:37:56,671 people because the Bible teaches that and that God is going 763 00:37:56,695 --> 00:37:59,739 to use them again in a great way. 764 00:38:00,199 --> 00:38:02,739 And by the way, that might start anytime. 765 00:38:04,119 --> 00:38:08,827 Once the rapture happens, once we're called out of here, the Jews 766 00:38:08,843 --> 00:38:10,091 are going to be used in a great way. 767 00:38:10,115 --> 00:38:14,811 The 144,000 that's mentioned in the Tribulation, those are Jewish 768 00:38:14,875 --> 00:38:15,919 evangelists. 769 00:38:16,579 --> 00:38:22,619 And the Jews again will be the caretakers and the ones in which 770 00:38:22,659 --> 00:38:24,219 will spread the gospel. 771 00:38:24,379 --> 00:38:25,531 During the Great Tribulation. 772 00:38:25,595 --> 00:38:29,291 There will be millions of people saved during the tribulation 773 00:38:29,355 --> 00:38:29,867 time. 774 00:38:30,003 --> 00:38:32,783 There'll be a lot of awful things happen too, but there's going 775 00:38:32,791 --> 00:38:33,791 to be a lot saved. 776 00:38:33,855 --> 00:38:34,719 I'm so thankful for that. 777 00:38:34,759 --> 00:38:35,579 Aren't you? 778 00:38:37,799 --> 00:38:42,879 We as a church are called and commissioned to be separated and 779 00:38:42,919 --> 00:38:46,659 to be instruments used of God in this for the New Testament ministry. 780 00:38:47,319 --> 00:38:51,739 And again, the church is the visible local church only. 781 00:38:54,199 --> 00:38:56,899 Almost all the New Testament books are written to a church. 782 00:38:57,809 --> 00:39:01,309 Visible church or visible churches. 783 00:39:02,129 --> 00:39:08,905 The churches of Galatia, the offices of a church, officers, pastor 784 00:39:08,937 --> 00:39:09,869 and deacons. 785 00:39:10,209 --> 00:39:12,829 Kind of hard to be an invisible pastor, deacon. 786 00:39:16,849 --> 00:39:20,857 We should strive to keep the church as close to the biblical design 787 00:39:20,913 --> 00:39:21,749 as we can. 788 00:39:22,369 --> 00:39:25,643 We're going to see God's desire and purpose for his church 789 00:39:25,691 --> 00:39:26,459 carried out. 790 00:39:26,579 --> 00:39:32,875 We must keep it as close to the biblical design that God entails 791 00:39:32,907 --> 00:39:33,919 in His Word. 792 00:39:34,979 --> 00:39:39,627 The local visible church is the biblical nature of a church. 793 00:39:39,803 --> 00:39:42,987 Each assembly is the church. 794 00:39:43,163 --> 00:39:46,119 Each assembly is the body of Christ. 795 00:39:47,059 --> 00:39:49,479 Carrying out the Great Commission. 796 00:39:50,469 --> 00:39:51,645 Carrying out the Great Commission. 797 00:39:51,717 --> 00:39:53,709 We'll cover this some more, but let's all stand. 798 00:39:53,829 --> 00:39:55,409 We have a verse invitation. 799 00:39:58,869 --> 00:40:01,773 We are commissioned. 800 00:40:01,821 --> 00:40:08,129 We are commanded as a church to be the caretakers of God's truth, 801 00:40:09,509 --> 00:40:13,197 to spread the gospel and to baptize converts. 802 00:40:13,213 --> 00:40:15,841 It was so wonderful to see four baptized Sunday morning. 803 00:40:16,005 --> 00:40:20,041 God's been so good to us last year and even so far this year to 804 00:40:20,065 --> 00:40:21,949 see people saved and baptized. 805 00:40:23,489 --> 00:40:26,681 You know, we take it for granted there's churches who have 806 00:40:26,705 --> 00:40:28,429 cobwebs in their baptistry. 807 00:40:28,929 --> 00:40:30,549 God's so good to us. 808 00:40:31,889 --> 00:40:36,505 And then disciple, may we continue to fulfill the Great commission. 809 00:40:36,577 --> 00:40:38,553 Heavenly Father, we love you and we thank you. 810 00:40:38,721 --> 00:40:44,499 Thank you for your word and Lord, may we seek to never, never 811 00:40:44,619 --> 00:40:45,971 give up biblical truth. 812 00:40:46,035 --> 00:40:47,039 May we stand. 813 00:40:48,219 --> 00:40:49,919 May we quit you like men. 814 00:40:50,219 --> 00:40:52,275 We thank you again in Jesus name. 815 00:40:52,347 --> 00:40:53,043 Amen. 816 00:40:53,171 --> 00:40:53,379 Let's.