1 00:00:30,019 --> 00:00:30,999 So thank you. 2 00:00:32,979 --> 00:00:35,119 If you would, in your Bibles, turn to Matthew. 3 00:00:37,219 --> 00:00:40,399 Actually, it's not Matthew, it's Timothy. 4 00:00:41,299 --> 00:00:43,319 First Timothy, chapter three. 5 00:00:46,499 --> 00:00:48,959 That's a way to put brother Donaldson on the spot. 6 00:00:51,939 --> 00:00:53,719 Aren't you glad he came to us? 7 00:00:54,019 --> 00:00:55,399 We couldn't go to him. 8 00:00:55,869 --> 00:00:58,449 He loved us before we loved him. 9 00:00:59,229 --> 00:01:02,329 Sacrifice that he made on Calvary. 10 00:01:02,909 --> 00:01:04,609 First Timothy, chapter three. 11 00:01:05,389 --> 00:01:07,849 Again, the Baptist distinctives. 12 00:01:09,629 --> 00:01:11,089 Look at verse 14. 13 00:01:12,029 --> 00:01:14,373 This has been our text the last three Wednesday nights. 14 00:01:14,421 --> 00:01:19,429 So these things write, I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. 15 00:01:19,589 --> 00:01:22,917 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to 16 00:01:22,973 --> 00:01:26,037 behave thyself in the house of God. 17 00:01:26,213 --> 00:01:31,333 Now notice again the house of God, which is the church of the living 18 00:01:31,381 --> 00:01:35,557 God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 19 00:01:35,653 --> 00:01:41,605 The church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. 20 00:01:41,797 --> 00:01:42,325 Let's pray. 21 00:01:42,357 --> 00:01:46,341 Heavenly Father, we do thank you for the church. 22 00:01:46,485 --> 00:01:51,663 We thank you for our church, family and Lord, what a blessing 23 00:01:51,711 --> 00:01:52,459 it is. 24 00:01:52,759 --> 00:01:57,391 And I pray, Lord, again that we would see the importance of understanding 25 00:01:57,455 --> 00:02:02,339 this most important doctrine and interpreting these Scriptures 26 00:02:03,079 --> 00:02:05,967 biblically and interpreting them right. 27 00:02:06,103 --> 00:02:09,807 Or may the Holy Spirit do the guiding tonight. 28 00:02:09,983 --> 00:02:14,687 I do ask that you would just encourage us and help us to be unified 29 00:02:14,783 --> 00:02:19,011 and work, working together for the cause of the great commission 30 00:02:19,115 --> 00:02:23,731 of leading people to Jesus, seeing him baptized and Lord discipled. 31 00:02:23,795 --> 00:02:24,979 We thank you and love you again. 32 00:02:25,019 --> 00:02:26,839 In Jesus name, Amen. 33 00:02:27,339 --> 00:02:31,811 The Baptist distinctives are a collection of biblical truth unique 34 00:02:31,875 --> 00:02:32,947 to Baptists. 35 00:02:33,123 --> 00:02:37,539 I'm not saying that each one of these doctrines are unique to 36 00:02:37,659 --> 00:02:38,163 Baptists. 37 00:02:38,211 --> 00:02:42,617 I'm saying the collection of them is unique to Baptists and that's 38 00:02:42,633 --> 00:02:44,553 why they're called the Baptist distinctives. 39 00:02:44,601 --> 00:02:46,857 We've covered several doctrines already. 40 00:02:46,913 --> 00:02:48,617 I will not review those tonight. 41 00:02:48,713 --> 00:02:50,441 We'll do that next Wednesday night. 42 00:02:50,545 --> 00:02:52,857 But tonight I want to hop right back into number six. 43 00:02:52,913 --> 00:02:57,001 So we're on number six, and that is the doctrine of the church. 44 00:02:57,145 --> 00:03:01,401 In second Timothy, chapter two, verse two, again Paul says to 45 00:03:01,425 --> 00:03:04,825 Timothy, the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses 46 00:03:04,937 --> 00:03:08,801 the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to 47 00:03:08,825 --> 00:03:09,553 teach others. 48 00:03:09,641 --> 00:03:13,681 Also, I want to again remind you the Bible makes it clear that 49 00:03:13,705 --> 00:03:19,425 the church, the churches are to be the caretakers of the truths 50 00:03:19,457 --> 00:03:22,721 of the Bible, that we are to pass them the things that we have 51 00:03:22,745 --> 00:03:25,537 heard and learned, we're to pass them to the next generation. 52 00:03:25,633 --> 00:03:29,041 And they in turn should pass them to the next generation and to 53 00:03:29,065 --> 00:03:29,745 teach others. 54 00:03:29,817 --> 00:03:30,429 Also. 55 00:03:30,809 --> 00:03:33,749 When we think about the doctrine of the church and the biblical 56 00:03:35,469 --> 00:03:41,061 definition of the church, and that is there is one kind of church 57 00:03:41,125 --> 00:03:42,405 described in the Bible. 58 00:03:42,517 --> 00:03:47,849 And that is a local, visible assembly, a local visible church, 59 00:03:48,909 --> 00:03:55,557 the universal, invisible, made up of the saved, has become an accepted 60 00:03:55,733 --> 00:03:58,341 belief of many Protestants and some Baptists. 61 00:03:58,405 --> 00:04:03,695 So the again, what's being taught out there by most Protestant 62 00:04:03,727 --> 00:04:08,047 churches and even some Baptists is that the church is universal. 63 00:04:08,143 --> 00:04:10,739 It's invisible that it's made up of all the saved. 64 00:04:11,879 --> 00:04:13,647 The Catholic Church is a. 65 00:04:13,703 --> 00:04:16,847 They believe in the universal, visible church, that they are the 66 00:04:16,903 --> 00:04:21,179 church, the universal, visible church, and the Pope is the head. 67 00:04:21,719 --> 00:04:25,697 When the Protestants came out of Catholicism, they're the ones 68 00:04:25,713 --> 00:04:30,389 who came up with this ideal that, well, there's not a physical 69 00:04:30,969 --> 00:04:37,201 universal church, it's really an invisible universal church, some 70 00:04:37,225 --> 00:04:41,217 kind of mystical church out there that all the saved are a part 71 00:04:41,273 --> 00:04:41,869 of. 72 00:04:42,489 --> 00:04:43,793 What is a church? 73 00:04:43,921 --> 00:04:46,161 What is the Bible definition of a church? 74 00:04:46,305 --> 00:04:50,561 Well, based upon the Greek, again, the word ekklesia, which is 75 00:04:50,585 --> 00:04:54,559 found 115 times in the Bible, it's a called out assembly. 76 00:04:54,639 --> 00:04:57,551 That's what the word ekklesia means in the Greek. 77 00:04:57,695 --> 00:05:01,183 And here Jesus said, I will build my church. 78 00:05:01,231 --> 00:05:03,039 He speaks about my church. 79 00:05:03,119 --> 00:05:03,839 What does that mean? 80 00:05:03,879 --> 00:05:10,831 Well, again, mine meaning a called out assembly of believers, 81 00:05:10,975 --> 00:05:15,551 baptized believers fulfilling Christ's commands or fulfilling the 82 00:05:15,575 --> 00:05:16,335 Great Commission. 83 00:05:16,487 --> 00:05:21,241 And that is the purpose of the church is to spread the gospel, to 84 00:05:21,265 --> 00:05:26,025 teach the gospel, to win others and win people to Jesus, to 85 00:05:26,097 --> 00:05:32,137 baptize them in the water by immersion only because baptism means 86 00:05:32,273 --> 00:05:35,833 to plunge under and then to disciple them. 87 00:05:35,921 --> 00:05:42,473 So the purpose of any church is to evangelize, to baptize and 88 00:05:42,561 --> 00:05:44,567 then disciple or stabilize. 89 00:05:44,753 --> 00:05:51,643 And so by definition, and by the word ekklesia, again, an ecclesia 90 00:05:51,691 --> 00:05:54,475 is an assembly, an assembly. 91 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:58,331 And by definition, it must be local and visible. 92 00:05:58,475 --> 00:06:01,519 You can't have an unassembled assembly. 93 00:06:03,139 --> 00:06:04,919 That's a contradiction of terms. 94 00:06:05,699 --> 00:06:09,259 Kind of hard to fit that in the definition and in keeping with 95 00:06:09,299 --> 00:06:14,491 Paul's three analogies that he gives us, and those analogies of 96 00:06:14,515 --> 00:06:17,163 the church are a body, a building and a bride. 97 00:06:17,211 --> 00:06:19,163 And we'll cover those a little more in a minute. 98 00:06:19,211 --> 00:06:23,595 But again, that illustrates that by way of the body of Christ, 99 00:06:23,667 --> 00:06:26,891 Paul uses a body again for churches. 100 00:06:26,955 --> 00:06:28,919 And I'm going to cover that at the end. 101 00:06:29,219 --> 00:06:35,755 But again, you can't have a body that's made up of, you know, 102 00:06:35,827 --> 00:06:39,651 bones over there and muscle over there and blood over there. 103 00:06:39,755 --> 00:06:43,199 In order to be a body, it's got to be assembled together. 104 00:06:43,499 --> 00:06:46,323 You can't have a building where the lumber's over there and 105 00:06:46,331 --> 00:06:48,627 the cement's over there and the nails are over there. 106 00:06:48,683 --> 00:06:52,771 And you know, it's got to be assembled in order to be a building. 107 00:06:52,955 --> 00:06:57,279 Who wants to marry a universal invisible bride, Right? 108 00:06:57,659 --> 00:07:00,599 You want to marry a bride that's invisible? 109 00:07:01,099 --> 00:07:05,129 Nobody, you know. 110 00:07:05,589 --> 00:07:12,333 So again, in meeting with the analogies that Paul makes, word pictures 111 00:07:12,381 --> 00:07:16,461 that Paul makes, in order for us to understand the church and how 112 00:07:16,485 --> 00:07:22,285 it functions even better, it certainly points towards a visible 113 00:07:22,477 --> 00:07:24,973 church, a local visible church. 114 00:07:25,021 --> 00:07:28,461 The first church established by Christ again is our example. 115 00:07:28,525 --> 00:07:32,071 And that is again, Jesus Christ said, I will build my church. 116 00:07:32,245 --> 00:07:32,819 Again. 117 00:07:32,939 --> 00:07:35,763 The church was not started by Peter. 118 00:07:35,811 --> 00:07:37,731 It was not started in Acts chapter 2. 119 00:07:37,755 --> 00:07:42,515 It was started by Christ before Luke chapter 6:8, in which 120 00:07:42,587 --> 00:07:48,291 the apostles were chosen out of them and that them was the church, 121 00:07:48,435 --> 00:07:51,523 because Corinthians tells us that he placed in the church first 122 00:07:51,691 --> 00:07:52,659 apostles. 123 00:07:52,819 --> 00:07:57,395 And so once, I believe, the church was started around John chapter 124 00:07:57,427 --> 00:08:02,307 four, when Jesus and his disciples began evangelizing, began 125 00:08:02,483 --> 00:08:06,419 baptizing, began building the church, that's when it started. 126 00:08:06,539 --> 00:08:08,771 And they started, of course, with the materials that John the 127 00:08:08,795 --> 00:08:09,795 Baptist gathered. 128 00:08:09,907 --> 00:08:13,379 And so again, the Bible definition of a church is a called 129 00:08:13,419 --> 00:08:18,559 out assembly of baptized believers fulfilling the Great Commission. 130 00:08:18,859 --> 00:08:21,891 And I won't go through all the different illustrations I've given, 131 00:08:21,995 --> 00:08:25,485 especially the Hula Hoop illustration, but not all churches 132 00:08:25,517 --> 00:08:28,573 with a sign out front that says church on them are biblically 133 00:08:28,621 --> 00:08:29,293 a church. 134 00:08:29,421 --> 00:08:32,749 You have to be fulfilling the purpose of a biblical church in order 135 00:08:32,789 --> 00:08:34,449 to be a church. 136 00:08:34,869 --> 00:08:40,169 You might just be more of a fellowship or more of a, you know, 137 00:08:41,029 --> 00:08:47,501 a place to come and eat, a place to come and meet people, a 138 00:08:47,525 --> 00:08:48,829 country club, whatever. 139 00:08:48,989 --> 00:08:51,431 But maybe, maybe not by definition a church. 140 00:08:51,495 --> 00:08:56,871 They again, around 300 AD, we have the rise of the Catholic Church. 141 00:08:57,015 --> 00:09:00,407 And because of that, the Catholic Church began to try to get 142 00:09:00,463 --> 00:09:04,887 everyone under their umbrella, this universal, visible church ideal 143 00:09:04,983 --> 00:09:09,143 with pope and this hierarchy that was put in place. 144 00:09:09,311 --> 00:09:14,311 And so those who would not gather into the fold began to be 145 00:09:14,335 --> 00:09:16,785 persecuted by the Catholic Church. 146 00:09:16,817 --> 00:09:19,233 And that's why you have the Dark ages. 147 00:09:19,361 --> 00:09:28,449 From around 500 AD to 1500 AD, the Catholic Church was the big, 148 00:09:28,569 --> 00:09:30,817 you know, the big bull in town. 149 00:09:30,873 --> 00:09:33,201 They were the ones who were in charge. 150 00:09:33,265 --> 00:09:37,745 If you weren't a part of them, then you were going to suffer. 151 00:09:37,937 --> 00:09:44,031 Whether, for instance, if they found scripture in your house, that 152 00:09:44,055 --> 00:09:47,183 was in your language, if you found scripture in your house that 153 00:09:47,191 --> 00:09:49,167 was English, you were going to die. 154 00:09:49,263 --> 00:09:50,303 That was the penalty. 155 00:09:50,351 --> 00:09:51,103 You died. 156 00:09:51,231 --> 00:09:54,991 You didn't get to have a Bible in your own language. 157 00:09:55,135 --> 00:09:58,735 They only wanted them, they only wanted the priests to have Bibles. 158 00:09:58,767 --> 00:10:01,039 And they were all in Latin and Whatever the case is. 159 00:10:01,079 --> 00:10:06,671 And so just now we've renamed it the Middle Ages, or instead of 160 00:10:06,695 --> 00:10:10,383 the Dark Ages, because it's not politically correct to call it 161 00:10:10,391 --> 00:10:13,295 the Dark Ages, even though millions of people were slaughtered 162 00:10:13,487 --> 00:10:15,471 by the Catholic Church. 163 00:10:15,615 --> 00:10:20,351 And so, again, that's where the rise of this universal ideal. 164 00:10:20,415 --> 00:10:21,487 So what happened? 165 00:10:21,583 --> 00:10:23,439 Well, we have the Protestant Reformation. 166 00:10:23,519 --> 00:10:27,471 We have Martin Luther and so many others who broke away from the 167 00:10:27,495 --> 00:10:28,383 Catholic Church. 168 00:10:28,511 --> 00:10:30,607 And as they broke away from the Catholic Church, they carried 169 00:10:30,623 --> 00:10:32,031 a little bit of baggage with them. 170 00:10:32,135 --> 00:10:34,415 And we're so thankful for the Protestant Reformation. 171 00:10:34,527 --> 00:10:38,311 I, praise the Lord, woke everybody up. 172 00:10:38,495 --> 00:10:43,255 And William Tyndale and so many others gave their life martyred 173 00:10:43,367 --> 00:10:44,775 for the cause of Christ. 174 00:10:44,927 --> 00:10:47,879 In fact, what you hold in your lap, if you hold a King James Bible 175 00:10:47,959 --> 00:10:53,063 in your lap, it's 90% of William Tyndale's work, who was burned 176 00:10:53,111 --> 00:10:56,299 at the stake for doing it by the Catholic Church. 177 00:10:57,519 --> 00:11:00,099 It's amazing the price that was paid for this. 178 00:11:01,369 --> 00:11:05,873 And so these men who risked life and limb, Martin Luther, again, 179 00:11:05,961 --> 00:11:11,457 so many others who protested against the Catholic Church started 180 00:11:11,513 --> 00:11:11,905 the movement. 181 00:11:11,937 --> 00:11:14,273 But I would again tell you, there were people who went through 182 00:11:14,361 --> 00:11:18,721 the Dark Ages who never protested anything in the 1500s because 183 00:11:18,905 --> 00:11:21,393 they didn't need to protest because they never became a part 184 00:11:21,401 --> 00:11:22,257 of the Catholic Church. 185 00:11:22,353 --> 00:11:25,233 And that was those who believe like we do. 186 00:11:25,401 --> 00:11:26,247 Baptists. 187 00:11:26,393 --> 00:11:29,755 We had many names during the Middle Ages, during the Dark Ages, 188 00:11:29,867 --> 00:11:32,123 and most of those names were given to us by the Catholic Church. 189 00:11:32,171 --> 00:11:36,299 Whether it was Dantist or Montanist or Anabaptist was the, 190 00:11:36,339 --> 00:11:38,699 you know, became kind of that again, re. 191 00:11:38,739 --> 00:11:39,467 Baptizers. 192 00:11:39,483 --> 00:11:40,811 That's where we get our Baptist name. 193 00:11:40,835 --> 00:11:42,219 We don't get it from John the Baptist. 194 00:11:42,299 --> 00:11:43,119 Okay? 195 00:11:43,539 --> 00:11:45,675 Some people say, well, you know, we call him Baptist Church 196 00:11:45,707 --> 00:11:47,211 because it's John the Baptist. 197 00:11:47,355 --> 00:11:48,539 He is the Baptist. 198 00:11:48,619 --> 00:11:50,399 That means he was the baptizer. 199 00:11:50,819 --> 00:11:53,879 We get our name honestly from. 200 00:11:55,619 --> 00:11:58,299 In a negative way, from the Catholic Church. 201 00:11:58,459 --> 00:12:03,355 And so again, as we think about the visible universal church 202 00:12:03,387 --> 00:12:07,051 that Catholicism put in place, and now the Protestants break away, 203 00:12:07,235 --> 00:12:10,811 and instead of breaking away completely and go into what the Bible 204 00:12:10,875 --> 00:12:15,279 says, they come up with this universal, invisible church. 205 00:12:15,619 --> 00:12:19,909 And many of the Protestants did have some hierarchy where you 206 00:12:19,949 --> 00:12:22,677 have bishops and you have cardinals and other things that. 207 00:12:22,813 --> 00:12:28,293 And, you know, the local congregation doesn't have autonomy. 208 00:12:28,341 --> 00:12:30,009 They're not independent. 209 00:12:31,709 --> 00:12:38,085 So in light of this, we also talked about last Wednesday night 210 00:12:38,237 --> 00:12:42,533 and preached about how Holy Spirit baptism and that doctrine 211 00:12:42,581 --> 00:12:46,137 has taken such a misinterpretation from the Bible. 212 00:12:46,313 --> 00:12:52,041 Again, John the Baptist prophesied of the baptism by Jesus 213 00:12:52,105 --> 00:12:53,145 with the Holy Spirit. 214 00:12:53,177 --> 00:12:57,241 In other words, Jesus Christ was going to baptize them in the 215 00:12:57,265 --> 00:13:00,329 Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit. 216 00:13:00,409 --> 00:13:03,109 And that happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. 217 00:13:03,649 --> 00:13:07,097 And that's why Acts chapter one, verse eight says, and you shall 218 00:13:07,113 --> 00:13:12,405 receive power not because the Holy Ghost comes upon you, but after 219 00:13:12,477 --> 00:13:14,165 the Holy Ghost comes upon you. 220 00:13:14,317 --> 00:13:16,853 And so in Acts chapter two, what you have is not the start of 221 00:13:16,861 --> 00:13:17,125 the Church. 222 00:13:17,157 --> 00:13:21,653 You have the empowerment of the Church in that which the baptism 223 00:13:21,701 --> 00:13:22,885 of the Holy Spirit took place. 224 00:13:22,957 --> 00:13:25,269 And after that we had the feeling of the Holy Spirit. 225 00:13:25,349 --> 00:13:28,021 And it says that Peter was filled the Spirit and stood up and 226 00:13:28,045 --> 00:13:28,693 preached. 227 00:13:28,821 --> 00:13:35,397 The man who denied Christ 50 days earlier denied Christ, stands 228 00:13:35,413 --> 00:13:39,089 up and preaches to this crowd of thousands, thousands calls them 229 00:13:39,129 --> 00:13:40,069 murderers. 230 00:13:41,289 --> 00:13:44,993 The man who denied Christ three times stands up and preaches. 231 00:13:45,041 --> 00:13:45,489 Why? 232 00:13:45,609 --> 00:13:46,961 Because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? 233 00:13:47,025 --> 00:13:49,589 No, because of the feeling of the Holy Spirit. 234 00:13:50,009 --> 00:13:52,641 And so what are we as Christians supposed to do? 235 00:13:52,665 --> 00:13:54,545 Are we to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit? 236 00:13:54,577 --> 00:13:57,441 No, we're just seek the feeling of the Holy Spirit, you say? 237 00:13:57,465 --> 00:13:59,761 Well, you just parse in words. 238 00:13:59,825 --> 00:14:01,825 No, this is not parsing words. 239 00:14:01,937 --> 00:14:06,683 There's been a lot of wrong doctrine. 240 00:14:06,731 --> 00:14:11,479 Come out of this baptism, Holy Spirit stuff and understand that 241 00:14:11,779 --> 00:14:13,387 we are commanded. 242 00:14:13,563 --> 00:14:15,659 Paul says in Ephesians to be filled. 243 00:14:15,739 --> 00:14:19,291 Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with 244 00:14:19,315 --> 00:14:20,107 the Spirit. 245 00:14:20,203 --> 00:14:22,559 And we should seek the filling of the Spirit. 246 00:14:23,059 --> 00:14:25,947 Again, it's not about how much of the Holy Spirit we have, it's 247 00:14:25,963 --> 00:14:28,011 how much of the Holy Spirit has a hold of us. 248 00:14:28,195 --> 00:14:31,159 When you got saved, the Holy Spirit came and indwelt you. 249 00:14:31,969 --> 00:14:33,269 So thankful for that. 250 00:14:34,929 --> 00:14:37,353 And what the feeling of the Holy Spirit is, is how much of the 251 00:14:37,361 --> 00:14:39,669 Holy Spirit has of you. 252 00:14:40,209 --> 00:14:42,745 Are you letting him into every room of your life? 253 00:14:42,897 --> 00:14:45,657 Have you presented your body a living sacrifice? 254 00:14:45,833 --> 00:14:47,961 Are you totally yielded to him? 255 00:14:48,145 --> 00:14:49,721 And so we come to that. 256 00:14:49,745 --> 00:14:52,233 And I was going to spend a little more time on the baptism, 257 00:14:52,281 --> 00:14:54,633 but we're going to move on because tonight I want to get to 258 00:14:54,641 --> 00:14:55,641 the practical aspects. 259 00:14:55,705 --> 00:14:57,029 Why is this important? 260 00:14:57,599 --> 00:14:58,903 Why is this important? 261 00:14:58,991 --> 00:15:03,031 Why is it important that you understand that the church did not 262 00:15:03,055 --> 00:15:05,831 begin on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, but began in the Gospels, 263 00:15:05,895 --> 00:15:10,059 because the Bible says it, number one, Jesus said it himself. 264 00:15:10,399 --> 00:15:13,019 Jesus began and started the church. 265 00:15:13,519 --> 00:15:16,099 There's no birthday candles in Acts chapter two. 266 00:15:16,399 --> 00:15:20,231 And then it impacts many other doctrines if you're not careful whether 267 00:15:20,255 --> 00:15:21,847 it's the Holy Spirit baptism. 268 00:15:22,023 --> 00:15:23,911 But practically it impacts it. 269 00:15:23,935 --> 00:15:25,915 So I'm going to give you some practical things tonight. 270 00:15:26,087 --> 00:15:28,979 So number one, why does this matter? 271 00:15:29,019 --> 00:15:31,203 Why does it matter whether we believe in a universal, invisible 272 00:15:31,251 --> 00:15:34,147 church or a local visible church? 273 00:15:34,323 --> 00:15:41,475 Well, because the universal, invisible church idea, it's not Bible, 274 00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:43,639 demeans the local church. 275 00:15:44,219 --> 00:15:46,627 In other words, when you think about universal, you think about 276 00:15:46,683 --> 00:15:51,279 bigger, and therefore the local assembly is subject to it. 277 00:15:51,669 --> 00:15:56,573 It's like we're saying, if all the saved make up the church, by 278 00:15:56,581 --> 00:15:59,901 the way, that would be a lousy, as I've said so already the 279 00:15:59,925 --> 00:16:03,181 last couple of weeks, if all the saved make up the church, that 280 00:16:03,205 --> 00:16:06,509 would be a lousy pillar and ground of the truth because there 281 00:16:06,549 --> 00:16:10,333 are so many different views, so many different interpretations 282 00:16:10,381 --> 00:16:11,729 out there of the scriptures. 283 00:16:12,549 --> 00:16:14,169 I mean, vastly different. 284 00:16:14,949 --> 00:16:19,977 And so it's important that we understand that that saying there's 285 00:16:19,993 --> 00:16:23,417 a universal, invisible church out there demeans the local church 286 00:16:23,513 --> 00:16:30,069 and that it gives the ideal that the universal, the larger, should 287 00:16:30,449 --> 00:16:32,589 be superior over the smaller. 288 00:16:33,569 --> 00:16:35,545 You say, well, how does that matter? 289 00:16:35,697 --> 00:16:39,609 Well, the universal visible church we think about again, the 290 00:16:39,649 --> 00:16:44,871 Catholic Church, as the Protestants again broke away, but 291 00:16:44,895 --> 00:16:48,647 they kept some of the hierarchy, the hierarchical system 292 00:16:48,783 --> 00:16:49,463 in place. 293 00:16:49,551 --> 00:16:50,183 Why? 294 00:16:50,351 --> 00:16:53,575 Well, because they still believed in a universal church. 295 00:16:53,767 --> 00:16:56,839 And therefore, if it's universal, then all the same, and 296 00:16:56,879 --> 00:17:01,179 therefore one man could have authority over several churches, 297 00:17:01,599 --> 00:17:02,551 several churches. 298 00:17:02,615 --> 00:17:07,319 So the Pope in the universal visible concept is over all those 299 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:07,735 churches. 300 00:17:07,767 --> 00:17:09,219 A billion people. 301 00:17:09,689 --> 00:17:11,309 That's amazing, isn't it? 302 00:17:12,169 --> 00:17:15,889 And then the universal church, ideal, invisible church is you have 303 00:17:15,929 --> 00:17:19,601 these hierarchical systems within Protestant denominations like 304 00:17:19,625 --> 00:17:22,401 the Methodist Church or the Lutheran Church or some of these 305 00:17:22,425 --> 00:17:22,945 others. 306 00:17:23,097 --> 00:17:24,109 And so. 307 00:17:25,049 --> 00:17:26,705 And get that idea. 308 00:17:26,897 --> 00:17:30,509 So it sets it up. 309 00:17:31,689 --> 00:17:38,651 It sets it up to again, the system of people influencing churches 310 00:17:38,795 --> 00:17:41,039 who are not even in those churches. 311 00:17:42,419 --> 00:17:46,587 That somebody sitting in an office in Austin or somebody that's 312 00:17:46,603 --> 00:17:48,219 a little political, but I wasn't going to go there. 313 00:17:48,339 --> 00:17:53,115 Somebody sitting in an office in Des Moines, Iowa, Ohio, whatever, 314 00:17:53,227 --> 00:17:56,719 is making up the rules for our church. 315 00:17:58,819 --> 00:18:02,969 That's what happens, that they have control, that they can move 316 00:18:03,009 --> 00:18:05,833 their pastors around like the Methodist church moves their pastors 317 00:18:05,881 --> 00:18:06,425 around. 318 00:18:06,577 --> 00:18:09,449 The congregation doesn't get to decide per se. 319 00:18:09,569 --> 00:18:11,749 They don't just move them around. 320 00:18:12,689 --> 00:18:14,749 That's not what the Bible. 321 00:18:15,729 --> 00:18:17,829 That's not what the Bible implicates at all. 322 00:18:19,089 --> 00:18:25,433 It shows us that each church, the body of Christ is each individual 323 00:18:25,481 --> 00:18:26,109 church. 324 00:18:27,409 --> 00:18:30,229 Heritage Baptist Church, you are the body of Christ. 325 00:18:32,159 --> 00:18:33,847 Victory Baptist Church at Weatherford. 326 00:18:33,943 --> 00:18:37,975 They are the body of Christ with Christ as the head of Victory, 327 00:18:38,087 --> 00:18:41,351 as Christ is the head of Heritage and Christ is the head of 328 00:18:41,375 --> 00:18:42,279 Worth Baptist. 329 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,223 Christ is the Head of Central Baptist and Denton, Christ the head. 330 00:18:45,311 --> 00:18:47,379 You know, and I could go on and on and on. 331 00:18:47,919 --> 00:18:49,815 You say, well, how can Christ have so many heads? 332 00:18:49,847 --> 00:18:53,059 Well, the Bible also says that Christ is the head of every man, 333 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:54,071 so be careful. 334 00:18:54,135 --> 00:18:57,553 This, it's an analogy, is helping us to understand the church's 335 00:18:57,601 --> 00:18:59,069 relationship with Jesus Christ. 336 00:18:59,449 --> 00:19:03,793 And he should be the head of each church in that he governs it 337 00:19:03,801 --> 00:19:05,089 by way of his scriptures. 338 00:19:05,249 --> 00:19:09,473 All right, so by the way, you say, well, the Bible says there's 339 00:19:09,521 --> 00:19:11,153 pastors, bishops and elders. 340 00:19:11,201 --> 00:19:15,921 Well, pastor, the word pastor, bishop, and elder all refer to the 341 00:19:15,945 --> 00:19:16,829 same office. 342 00:19:17,209 --> 00:19:20,109 And in this church, this is the office that I hold. 343 00:19:20,979 --> 00:19:22,359 But it's the same office. 344 00:19:22,739 --> 00:19:26,315 It's different way or different way of describing the office 345 00:19:26,387 --> 00:19:27,227 that I hold. 346 00:19:27,363 --> 00:19:31,355 Pastor, bishop, or elder. 347 00:19:31,467 --> 00:19:32,319 Okay. 348 00:19:34,179 --> 00:19:37,099 You say, well, are there still apostles around? 349 00:19:37,219 --> 00:19:39,531 If there's still apostles around, then yes, there could be 350 00:19:39,555 --> 00:19:42,731 a hierarchical system because the apostles had authority over all 351 00:19:42,755 --> 00:19:43,599 the churches. 352 00:19:44,019 --> 00:19:46,187 Well, the apostles, one of the. 353 00:19:46,243 --> 00:19:50,579 Again, as I've said this before, Acts tells us that in order 354 00:19:50,619 --> 00:19:54,099 to be an apostle, you would have had to seen Jesus Christ in 355 00:19:54,139 --> 00:19:54,919 the flesh. 356 00:19:56,139 --> 00:19:57,715 And about 100 A.D. 357 00:19:57,867 --> 00:20:02,755 we know that John the Revelator, the apostle, died. 358 00:20:02,947 --> 00:20:05,603 And with him died the apostleship. 359 00:20:05,651 --> 00:20:10,531 There was no more apostles, no need for the apostles, because now 360 00:20:10,555 --> 00:20:12,371 you had Christ as the head. 361 00:20:12,475 --> 00:20:14,621 Through his Word. 362 00:20:14,685 --> 00:20:17,453 When that which is perfect has come, that which is a part will be 363 00:20:17,461 --> 00:20:18,413 done away with. 364 00:20:18,581 --> 00:20:21,009 Right now I look through a glass darkly. 365 00:20:21,989 --> 00:20:23,729 That verse is so misused. 366 00:20:25,109 --> 00:20:28,429 That verse saying, I look through a glass darkly but then face 367 00:20:28,469 --> 00:20:29,245 to face. 368 00:20:29,397 --> 00:20:34,093 That verse is referring to the church in its infancy, the church 369 00:20:34,141 --> 00:20:39,769 as a toddler, when it wasn't clear, when there was a need for 370 00:20:40,079 --> 00:20:43,767 God to reveal himself directly to mankind through tongues and through 371 00:20:43,823 --> 00:20:44,679 prophecies. 372 00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:47,831 But there in Corinthians, it says, when that which is perfect 373 00:20:47,895 --> 00:20:50,151 has come, that which is in part will be done away with. 374 00:20:50,255 --> 00:20:53,639 And it says, tongues shall cease, prophecy shall be done away 375 00:20:53,679 --> 00:20:54,119 with. 376 00:20:54,239 --> 00:20:55,447 All those were done away with. 377 00:20:55,503 --> 00:20:59,399 Because now we no longer look through a glass darkly because we 378 00:20:59,439 --> 00:21:00,823 have the completed Word of God. 379 00:21:00,871 --> 00:21:04,903 When that which is perfect has come, that is not referring to Jesus 380 00:21:04,951 --> 00:21:05,539 Christ. 381 00:21:05,979 --> 00:21:07,155 That is not an it. 382 00:21:07,227 --> 00:21:08,499 Jesus is not an it. 383 00:21:08,619 --> 00:21:09,679 He's a he. 384 00:21:10,779 --> 00:21:11,919 This is an it. 385 00:21:12,299 --> 00:21:14,099 This is the perfect Word of God. 386 00:21:14,259 --> 00:21:17,199 Complete around 990 A.D. 387 00:21:17,499 --> 00:21:22,099 everything we need for the church to function, everything we 388 00:21:22,139 --> 00:21:26,291 need for the church to function in every aspect is found 389 00:21:26,395 --> 00:21:27,635 in the Word of God. 390 00:21:27,747 --> 00:21:32,259 No longer a need for apostles, no longer a need for this hierarchical 391 00:21:32,339 --> 00:21:32,959 system. 392 00:21:33,389 --> 00:21:36,261 And by the way, there was really no hierarchical system in 393 00:21:36,285 --> 00:21:38,949 the New Testament either you just had apostles and then it was 394 00:21:38,989 --> 00:21:44,245 pastors because pastor, elder, bishop again is the same office and 395 00:21:44,317 --> 00:21:46,629 so no longer have those. 396 00:21:46,669 --> 00:21:48,245 I've gone a little too long on that point. 397 00:21:48,317 --> 00:21:50,709 So again, why does it matter? 398 00:21:50,829 --> 00:21:52,261 It demeans the local church. 399 00:21:52,325 --> 00:21:56,009 Number two, it misinterprets and therefore distorts the application. 400 00:21:56,349 --> 00:22:00,621 Again, if a universal or universal, visible or invisible can 401 00:22:00,645 --> 00:22:04,141 apply to which one applies. 402 00:22:04,205 --> 00:22:08,701 In other words, what verses apply to the universal church and 403 00:22:08,725 --> 00:22:10,689 what applies to the local church? 404 00:22:13,749 --> 00:22:15,289 You ever thought of it that way? 405 00:22:18,629 --> 00:22:23,821 You know, for the church to operate properly and be effective, 406 00:22:23,965 --> 00:22:25,809 its true nature needs to be understood. 407 00:22:26,139 --> 00:22:30,759 Again in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, if the universal invisible 408 00:22:31,099 --> 00:22:40,323 church so called, then how can all the the Bible in 1 Corinthians 409 00:22:40,371 --> 00:22:45,571 12, in 1st Corinthians 12 and you have that also in Romans 12 you 410 00:22:45,595 --> 00:22:48,451 have the the Bible refers to as the gifts that were given to the 411 00:22:48,475 --> 00:22:49,011 church. 412 00:22:49,155 --> 00:22:49,411 Right? 413 00:22:49,435 --> 00:22:50,919 To members of the churches. 414 00:22:51,429 --> 00:22:56,685 All right, so it says some are hands, some are feet, some are taught, 415 00:22:56,717 --> 00:22:58,525 but all members of the body. 416 00:22:58,677 --> 00:23:03,293 Everybody remember the analogy Paul gives in both instances, right? 417 00:23:03,461 --> 00:23:05,389 And it says whether one member suffer. 418 00:23:05,469 --> 00:23:06,573 What does it say? 419 00:23:06,741 --> 00:23:08,525 All the members suffer? 420 00:23:08,717 --> 00:23:13,485 Well, if it's a universal invisible church, how would one person 421 00:23:13,557 --> 00:23:15,649 know that another person is suffering? 422 00:23:16,149 --> 00:23:19,699 If it's a universal invisible church and I'm and there's a one 423 00:23:19,739 --> 00:23:22,611 sided person who's saved over in the Middle east, which we know 424 00:23:22,635 --> 00:23:24,599 this is going on, who's suffering? 425 00:23:25,019 --> 00:23:26,759 How am I going to know they're suffering? 426 00:23:27,899 --> 00:23:30,359 Whether one member suffer, they all suffer. 427 00:23:30,939 --> 00:23:34,387 I know that sounds silly because it is silly because again 428 00:23:34,443 --> 00:23:37,667 as you think through it, you're going, then it has to be local, 429 00:23:37,723 --> 00:23:42,039 visible, it has to apply to each individual church. 430 00:23:45,909 --> 00:23:48,729 There are many examples that we could do and give. 431 00:23:49,589 --> 00:23:51,309 Let me look at some of the others I wrote down. 432 00:23:51,349 --> 00:23:56,409 But again, because the application is that we are a body. 433 00:23:57,029 --> 00:23:58,925 That's what analogy that Paul uses. 434 00:23:58,957 --> 00:24:00,957 That's the word picture Paul uses. 435 00:24:01,133 --> 00:24:05,037 And I did not bring my other sheet down here, but it speaks about 436 00:24:05,093 --> 00:24:09,629 some being eyes and some being arms and that the church would be 437 00:24:09,669 --> 00:24:10,989 what have unity. 438 00:24:11,149 --> 00:24:13,769 The church would unify, work together. 439 00:24:15,189 --> 00:24:20,249 Is there unity among all the saved today? 440 00:24:21,989 --> 00:24:23,769 Oh no, not even close. 441 00:24:25,189 --> 00:24:26,461 Not even close. 442 00:24:26,645 --> 00:24:31,933 We have many and I will say majority of churches in America preaching 443 00:24:31,981 --> 00:24:37,239 a false gospel, preaching works for salvation, the that you 444 00:24:37,279 --> 00:24:39,819 got to do this and this and this in order to be saved. 445 00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:41,979 So there's not unity. 446 00:24:42,799 --> 00:24:46,983 Well then there must be something wrong because we are commanded 447 00:24:47,031 --> 00:24:51,031 to have unity in the Church, that when one member suffers, we 448 00:24:51,055 --> 00:24:51,831 all suffer. 449 00:24:51,975 --> 00:24:57,939 That one member shouldn't be put above another member. 450 00:24:58,639 --> 00:25:03,287 That each gift that has been given to each member is as important 451 00:25:03,343 --> 00:25:04,779 as any other gift. 452 00:25:06,129 --> 00:25:06,873 Praise the Lord. 453 00:25:06,921 --> 00:25:07,321 Right. 454 00:25:07,425 --> 00:25:12,457 And that God has given those gifts to each member as he saw fit. 455 00:25:12,553 --> 00:25:13,545 I'm summarizing. 456 00:25:13,577 --> 00:25:17,945 But in other words, we as believers have been given the gift, 457 00:25:18,137 --> 00:25:20,841 our gifts from the Lord at salvation. 458 00:25:20,985 --> 00:25:24,905 And those gifts are to be used in the church, in the body of Christ, 459 00:25:25,057 --> 00:25:34,115 to build up the church, to equip members of the church, to encourage 460 00:25:34,227 --> 00:25:37,959 members of the church, to provoke members of the church. 461 00:25:38,939 --> 00:25:39,679 Right. 462 00:25:40,139 --> 00:25:42,787 Maybe some have one gift, some may have three or four. 463 00:25:42,923 --> 00:25:46,403 And even there in First Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul 464 00:25:46,451 --> 00:25:49,107 encouraged them, said, hey, no one should be jealous of another 465 00:25:49,163 --> 00:25:52,531 person's gift, because again, God is the one who gives those gifts 466 00:25:52,595 --> 00:25:54,119 as he sees fit. 467 00:25:54,699 --> 00:25:57,203 And then he goes on to say, but everybody should use their gift. 468 00:25:57,251 --> 00:25:59,651 I'm summarizing, really summarizing. 469 00:25:59,795 --> 00:26:01,635 Everybody should use your gift. 470 00:26:01,827 --> 00:26:03,235 Everybody should be a part. 471 00:26:03,307 --> 00:26:09,891 Everybody should be a part of ministering to one another in the 472 00:26:09,915 --> 00:26:10,959 body of Christ. 473 00:26:12,139 --> 00:26:14,239 Everybody should want to do that. 474 00:26:14,859 --> 00:26:17,123 We should want to encourage each other. 475 00:26:17,291 --> 00:26:19,279 We should want to work together. 476 00:26:19,899 --> 00:26:22,403 And this is usually where I use a silly analogy, that there are 477 00:26:22,411 --> 00:26:24,519 some churches who fight over the colored carpet. 478 00:26:25,379 --> 00:26:29,083 That should never happen because our purpose is to spread 479 00:26:29,131 --> 00:26:29,915 the Gospel. 480 00:26:30,027 --> 00:26:33,611 And as long as we are focused on our purpose, we're not going to 481 00:26:33,635 --> 00:26:37,675 have schisms and little skirmishes over stuff that doesn't 482 00:26:37,707 --> 00:26:39,279 matter to a hill of beans. 483 00:26:40,579 --> 00:26:41,439 Amen. 484 00:26:41,939 --> 00:26:42,779 Amen. 485 00:26:42,939 --> 00:26:44,315 That we hupitas. 486 00:26:44,347 --> 00:26:47,979 So we line up as soldiers of the Lord, as soldiers of the cross, 487 00:26:48,139 --> 00:26:51,849 and fulfill the Great Commission baptizing believers. 488 00:26:54,269 --> 00:26:55,429 Then number three. 489 00:26:55,549 --> 00:26:57,733 Why is it important or why does it matter? 490 00:26:57,901 --> 00:27:00,277 Well, because the Great Commission was given in Matthew 28 491 00:27:00,333 --> 00:27:02,409 was also given the other three Gospels. 492 00:27:02,749 --> 00:27:07,253 If the commission and the Gospels was given and the church 493 00:27:07,301 --> 00:27:10,885 was not already in existence, then who was the commission given 494 00:27:10,957 --> 00:27:11,569 to? 495 00:27:13,149 --> 00:27:15,129 Was it given to all the saved? 496 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:20,079 Well, if that's the case, then it's going to be kind of hard to 497 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:27,939 defend or hard to argue or hard to debate who is authorized 498 00:27:28,999 --> 00:27:33,059 to give the ordinances to baptize and give the Lord's Supper. 499 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,663 The Bible makes it clear that the church is the one who has the 500 00:27:37,671 --> 00:27:39,179 authority to do so. 501 00:27:39,639 --> 00:27:42,495 But if all the saved of the church, then that means each individual 502 00:27:42,527 --> 00:27:46,529 could just go baptize our Son in the bathtub at home. 503 00:27:48,189 --> 00:27:49,397 Is that Bible? 504 00:27:49,573 --> 00:27:50,289 No. 505 00:27:50,909 --> 00:27:54,405 You just go in your refrigerator, take out some grape 506 00:27:54,437 --> 00:27:58,485 juice, and, you know, get you some bread and have the Lord's Supper 507 00:27:58,517 --> 00:27:59,329 at the house. 508 00:27:59,709 --> 00:28:01,509 No, no, no. 509 00:28:01,549 --> 00:28:06,389 We know that the ordinances, those things ordained by God, that 510 00:28:06,429 --> 00:28:10,379 commission, or that those ordinances were given to churches. 511 00:28:10,879 --> 00:28:11,899 Churches. 512 00:28:12,239 --> 00:28:17,319 The church is the only one authorized to again give those ordinances. 513 00:28:17,399 --> 00:28:18,871 It's not even me, by the way. 514 00:28:18,895 --> 00:28:23,223 When we baptize, I don't have the authority to go home and baptize. 515 00:28:23,271 --> 00:28:26,135 The authority to baptize is not given to the pastor. 516 00:28:26,247 --> 00:28:28,219 It's given to Heritage Baptist Church. 517 00:28:28,559 --> 00:28:32,311 Do you realize over the years we've had people baptized who were 518 00:28:32,335 --> 00:28:33,383 not even on our staff? 519 00:28:33,471 --> 00:28:35,175 And this is very, very few exceptions. 520 00:28:35,207 --> 00:28:36,877 We wouldn't do this normally at all, but. 521 00:28:36,903 --> 00:28:39,409 But there have been a few exceptions where the church could 522 00:28:39,449 --> 00:28:45,105 vote literally to have anyone in the congregation baptize someone. 523 00:28:45,257 --> 00:28:46,509 You could do that. 524 00:28:49,129 --> 00:28:52,193 The church is the one who has the authority to send missionaries 525 00:28:52,241 --> 00:28:53,137 out, right? 526 00:28:53,273 --> 00:28:56,629 It's the one who has the authority to start other churches. 527 00:28:57,769 --> 00:29:00,593 And so who has the authority to ordain ministers? 528 00:29:00,641 --> 00:29:03,865 We know that the epistles teach very clearly that. 529 00:29:03,897 --> 00:29:07,369 That the churches are the ones who have the authority to ordain 530 00:29:07,449 --> 00:29:08,429 ministers. 531 00:29:09,649 --> 00:29:11,749 Otherwise, anybody could just do it. 532 00:29:14,209 --> 00:29:15,869 It's a novel concept. 533 00:29:18,369 --> 00:29:21,561 That's why when we ordain, when we ordained Jonathan Moore or 534 00:29:21,585 --> 00:29:25,417 we ordained Jesse Latta, it was really. 535 00:29:25,553 --> 00:29:28,489 You had to vote on it if you were at the ordination service. 536 00:29:28,529 --> 00:29:33,321 If you'll remember, we had the church vote because the church is 537 00:29:33,345 --> 00:29:34,749 the one doing the ordaining. 538 00:29:35,969 --> 00:29:40,633 We're just making sure, as the presbyter, as the preachers, to make 539 00:29:40,641 --> 00:29:44,569 sure they're qualified and to recommend to the church that you 540 00:29:44,609 --> 00:29:46,869 ordain that man. 541 00:29:47,409 --> 00:29:48,589 Isn't that cool? 542 00:29:49,969 --> 00:29:51,709 The authority is in the church. 543 00:29:53,089 --> 00:29:55,629 Jesus started the church. 544 00:29:58,289 --> 00:30:01,065 So again, the Great Commission was given to the church. 545 00:30:01,097 --> 00:30:03,497 And then lastly, there's about seven or eight of these, but I'm 546 00:30:03,513 --> 00:30:04,629 just going to give you four. 547 00:30:06,209 --> 00:30:09,769 And this one is so apparent in our day and age. 548 00:30:09,889 --> 00:30:11,113 Why does it matter? 549 00:30:11,281 --> 00:30:14,681 Well, it matters because a universal, invisible church concept 550 00:30:14,745 --> 00:30:17,469 tends towards denominationalism. 551 00:30:18,369 --> 00:30:22,321 Denominationalism, in other words, as we've already talked about, 552 00:30:22,345 --> 00:30:25,829 a little bit, control of churches by outside officers. 553 00:30:26,569 --> 00:30:27,665 Outside officers. 554 00:30:27,697 --> 00:30:32,209 In other words, churches giving up their autonomy, their independence 555 00:30:32,369 --> 00:30:41,185 to an outside source and therefore having to tolerate doctrinal 556 00:30:41,217 --> 00:30:46,429 differences for the sake of the all. 557 00:30:49,379 --> 00:30:52,199 And we would call this the ecumenical movement today. 558 00:30:53,379 --> 00:30:57,067 The ecumenical movement's been around a long, long time, but it's 559 00:30:57,083 --> 00:30:59,479 become very popular in the last 50 years. 560 00:31:00,819 --> 00:31:03,659 Many of them associated with strong movements. 561 00:31:03,739 --> 00:31:07,467 You know, I forget the name of the Men's movement. 562 00:31:07,563 --> 00:31:11,083 Several years ago there was meeting in the, you know, NFL stadiums 563 00:31:11,131 --> 00:31:14,459 and yeah, Promise keepers, many of those type of things. 564 00:31:14,499 --> 00:31:19,243 And many of those have, have good ambitions and even good goals. 565 00:31:19,371 --> 00:31:24,411 But the problem is there had to be a compromise in order for that 566 00:31:24,435 --> 00:31:25,159 to happen. 567 00:31:25,939 --> 00:31:29,083 And if we're compromising whether or not I like Dr. 568 00:31:29,131 --> 00:31:37,003 Pepper, but you like Coke, not a big deal, but we have a Catholic 569 00:31:37,051 --> 00:31:45,139 priest sitting on the platform with a Protestant bishop. 570 00:31:46,359 --> 00:31:49,423 And then, and I could go on down the line and then you had the 571 00:31:49,431 --> 00:31:51,659 Baptist sitting over here with, with all of them. 572 00:31:52,599 --> 00:31:55,039 You said, well, what makes Baptists any better than any of them? 573 00:31:55,159 --> 00:32:00,659 The doctrine they teach, the Catholics teach works for salvation. 574 00:32:01,799 --> 00:32:06,211 You have to do this, this and this in order to go to heaven, by 575 00:32:06,235 --> 00:32:06,691 the way. 576 00:32:06,795 --> 00:32:07,679 We're not. 577 00:32:08,059 --> 00:32:09,747 There are a lot of good Catholics out there and there'll 578 00:32:09,763 --> 00:32:11,731 be Catholics in heaven as long as they're putting their trust in 579 00:32:11,755 --> 00:32:15,159 Jesus Christ and not in the Pope and not in their priests. 580 00:32:15,579 --> 00:32:16,835 I'm telling you, we're gonna get to heaven. 581 00:32:16,867 --> 00:32:17,523 We're gonna be surprised. 582 00:32:17,571 --> 00:32:19,795 We're like, that guy went to the Catholic Church. 583 00:32:19,827 --> 00:32:20,719 How's he here? 584 00:32:21,099 --> 00:32:22,883 Well, he put his faith and trust in Jesus. 585 00:32:22,931 --> 00:32:23,839 Instead of the. 586 00:32:26,299 --> 00:32:29,491 You say, well, is there enough truth in Catholic doctrine for them 587 00:32:29,515 --> 00:32:30,479 to be able to. 588 00:32:31,049 --> 00:32:35,537 There's a tiny, itsy bitsy piece of it. 589 00:32:35,673 --> 00:32:37,825 And there's some of them that get it. 590 00:32:37,977 --> 00:32:40,657 Same thing with the Lutherans or whatever else you want to say. 591 00:32:40,793 --> 00:32:43,665 You have this other guy over here, this Protestant who believes 592 00:32:43,697 --> 00:32:45,309 that baptism saves you. 593 00:32:47,529 --> 00:32:49,989 Baptism getting wet doesn't get you to heaven. 594 00:32:51,689 --> 00:32:53,585 It don't get you any closer than you were. 595 00:32:53,657 --> 00:32:55,671 You just got really, really wet. 596 00:32:55,865 --> 00:32:56,599 Right? 597 00:32:58,099 --> 00:33:02,267 I'm telling you, we have the ecumenical movement that the universal 598 00:33:02,363 --> 00:33:06,123 invisible church concept or even the visible church concept tends 599 00:33:06,171 --> 00:33:09,199 towards doctrinal compromise. 600 00:33:10,419 --> 00:33:16,799 And we are told, we are told to steadfast in the faith. 601 00:33:17,139 --> 00:33:19,723 We are told to not let it slip. 602 00:33:19,851 --> 00:33:22,647 We're told not to be cared about by every window doctrine. 603 00:33:22,763 --> 00:33:28,799 We're told to keep the faith, be strong in the faith, quit you 604 00:33:28,839 --> 00:33:31,739 like men, be strong. 605 00:33:32,679 --> 00:33:35,539 We're not to compromise when it comes to Bible doctrine. 606 00:33:35,879 --> 00:33:38,659 We're not to compromise when it comes to Bible truth. 607 00:33:38,999 --> 00:33:43,359 And we certainly shouldn't get up and sit on the platform and let 608 00:33:43,399 --> 00:33:48,543 somebody get up here and speak in a very, a very watered down version 609 00:33:48,591 --> 00:33:49,151 of anything. 610 00:33:49,215 --> 00:33:51,023 Because he didn't want to offend the Catholics. 611 00:33:51,071 --> 00:33:53,653 He don't want to offend the Church of Christ and he don't want 612 00:33:53,661 --> 00:33:54,933 to offend the Baptist. 613 00:33:54,981 --> 00:33:56,373 So he's preaching something. 614 00:33:56,541 --> 00:34:02,117 It's really, it's just a watered down social gospel that doesn't 615 00:34:02,133 --> 00:34:04,085 have enough truth in it for anybody to get saved. 616 00:34:04,117 --> 00:34:05,957 It's not a Billy Graham crusade. 617 00:34:06,133 --> 00:34:08,005 We could all have a conversation about Billy Graham, 618 00:34:08,037 --> 00:34:12,213 but my goodness, what, what a fiery evangelist who preached, by 619 00:34:12,221 --> 00:34:15,061 the way, he was led to the Lord by independent Baptists and 620 00:34:15,085 --> 00:34:18,375 started out as an independent Baptist man. 621 00:34:18,517 --> 00:34:21,651 As time has gone on, ecumenical movement has asked for 622 00:34:21,675 --> 00:34:24,279 everybody just to kind of lay down your arms. 623 00:34:24,699 --> 00:34:26,399 Why can't we all get along? 624 00:34:29,739 --> 00:34:33,731 There are points of interest that we can help and do when it comes 625 00:34:33,755 --> 00:34:39,347 to helping people from a poverty point of view. 626 00:34:39,403 --> 00:34:42,147 And there's some things we might be able to help, but I'm telling 627 00:34:42,163 --> 00:34:45,305 you, we should never compromise and set on the platform 628 00:34:45,417 --> 00:34:50,229 or have an Easter program with others. 629 00:34:51,009 --> 00:34:54,409 Preachers, priests, whatever you want to call them, and other 630 00:34:54,449 --> 00:34:58,921 denominations and other entities who do not preach the truth 631 00:34:58,985 --> 00:35:02,793 of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who do not believe that we are saved 632 00:35:02,841 --> 00:35:06,909 by grace through faith, never should compromise. 633 00:35:07,809 --> 00:35:13,138 And as I've already stated to you, all doctrine is important, all 634 00:35:13,178 --> 00:35:14,130 teaching is important. 635 00:35:14,234 --> 00:35:18,598 I'm talking about Bible truth and we shouldn't compromise any truth 636 00:35:19,018 --> 00:35:20,518 found in the word of God. 637 00:35:21,498 --> 00:35:25,878 So this universal concept tends towards this denominationalism. 638 00:35:26,298 --> 00:35:27,698 Again, a oneness. 639 00:35:27,858 --> 00:35:32,530 If Paul is using the analogy of the body of Christ and says we 640 00:35:32,554 --> 00:35:36,170 ought to be unified, we ought to be one in the body of Christ, 641 00:35:36,314 --> 00:35:38,891 and that applies to everyone, then there's going to have to be 642 00:35:38,915 --> 00:35:39,759 compromise. 643 00:35:40,659 --> 00:35:42,507 There'll have to be compromise. 644 00:35:42,683 --> 00:35:43,995 And what does that lead to? 645 00:35:44,067 --> 00:35:45,399 We know it's going to happen. 646 00:35:46,419 --> 00:35:50,839 It's already been prophesied, it's going to happen. 647 00:35:51,539 --> 00:35:55,563 There is a one world church coming, there's a one world government 648 00:35:55,651 --> 00:35:58,999 coming, and there's a one world church coming. 649 00:35:59,459 --> 00:36:02,105 And the way that's going to happen is we're already seeing it 650 00:36:02,187 --> 00:36:03,689 and it's been going on for years. 651 00:36:06,309 --> 00:36:08,077 And now we see it politically too. 652 00:36:08,133 --> 00:36:11,741 Because now those of us who believe and practice the word of 653 00:36:11,765 --> 00:36:17,469 God as it's written, when it comes to morality, hello, we are 654 00:36:17,509 --> 00:36:20,609 now being ostracized. 655 00:36:21,509 --> 00:36:24,525 I mean, there's some places that wouldn't even let Christians 656 00:36:24,557 --> 00:36:27,089 who believe like we do come and eat in their restaurant. 657 00:36:27,919 --> 00:36:32,151 If you believe that killing a baby in the womb is murder, there 658 00:36:32,175 --> 00:36:34,359 are people, there was restaurant owners that wouldn't let 659 00:36:34,399 --> 00:36:35,527 people in there. 660 00:36:35,663 --> 00:36:38,179 I'm telling you folks, it's gonna get there. 661 00:36:39,039 --> 00:36:40,419 It's gonna get there. 662 00:36:40,879 --> 00:36:46,695 By the way, life begins at conception to kill, to abort a fetus 663 00:36:46,727 --> 00:36:48,459 at any Point is murder. 664 00:36:50,639 --> 00:36:52,379 I'm thankful God forgives. 665 00:36:53,529 --> 00:36:55,281 By the way, Paul was a murderer. 666 00:36:55,345 --> 00:36:57,189 He wrote over half the New Testament. 667 00:36:58,569 --> 00:37:01,633 I just remind you that if you've been through an abortion and 668 00:37:01,641 --> 00:37:04,945 you've gone through that man, God is a loving and wonderful God 669 00:37:04,977 --> 00:37:05,909 who forgives. 670 00:37:07,369 --> 00:37:09,349 Moses was a murderer. 671 00:37:10,729 --> 00:37:11,829 Y'all remember? 672 00:37:13,209 --> 00:37:16,145 Let me go throughout the Old and New Testament tell you who all 673 00:37:16,217 --> 00:37:19,601 were murderers, but God forgave them and God used them mightily 674 00:37:19,665 --> 00:37:20,289 even after that. 675 00:37:20,329 --> 00:37:21,269 Isn't that amazing? 676 00:37:21,409 --> 00:37:22,929 We have such a great God. 677 00:37:23,829 --> 00:37:27,649 But let us Heritage Baptist Church never compromise. 678 00:37:27,989 --> 00:37:34,169 Let us never give in to the political correctness of today. 679 00:37:34,469 --> 00:37:36,649 And that why can't we all just get along? 680 00:37:37,589 --> 00:37:40,769 And again, I think we can be content without being contentious. 681 00:37:41,109 --> 00:37:42,925 We can disagree without being disagreeable. 682 00:37:42,957 --> 00:37:44,669 We need to be loving, preach the truth in love. 683 00:37:44,709 --> 00:37:47,933 The Bible says there are some churches out there and some movements 684 00:37:47,981 --> 00:37:49,891 out there that are just meant. 685 00:37:50,065 --> 00:37:54,431 And a Christian should never be identified or be described as 686 00:37:54,455 --> 00:37:56,179 being mean and hateful. 687 00:37:57,479 --> 00:37:58,259 Hello. 688 00:38:00,439 --> 00:38:02,979 But not at the expense of compromise. 689 00:38:04,039 --> 00:38:05,259 Never give in. 690 00:38:07,159 --> 00:38:10,559 115 times the word ecclesia is used in the New Testament. 691 00:38:10,639 --> 00:38:16,361 A hundred of those speaks of a definite local church. 692 00:38:16,425 --> 00:38:20,105 In other words, the church at Philippi or the church at Colossae 693 00:38:20,137 --> 00:38:21,609 or the churches of Galatia. 694 00:38:21,689 --> 00:38:25,705 It refers to an individual church of the 15 times it speaks 695 00:38:25,737 --> 00:38:27,789 of the church as an institution. 696 00:38:29,169 --> 00:38:31,629 As an institution or in abstract. 697 00:38:32,609 --> 00:38:36,617 Again, the metaphors that Paul uses bodybuilding and bride help 698 00:38:36,673 --> 00:38:39,989 us to apply and understand what a true church is. 699 00:38:40,299 --> 00:38:42,835 That in order to be an assembly, it has to be assembled 700 00:38:42,867 --> 00:38:43,299 together. 701 00:38:43,419 --> 00:38:46,243 I'm thankful for our livestream tonight. 702 00:38:46,291 --> 00:38:48,355 I'm thankful that people can watch online. 703 00:38:48,507 --> 00:38:49,491 I'm so thankful for that. 704 00:38:49,515 --> 00:38:52,355 And we've come a long ways by the way, we started live streaming 705 00:38:52,387 --> 00:38:53,759 in 2006. 706 00:38:56,299 --> 00:38:57,731 I'm thankful for it. 707 00:38:57,915 --> 00:38:59,507 We have shut ins at the house. 708 00:38:59,563 --> 00:39:00,819 I think about the clems. 709 00:39:00,979 --> 00:39:05,971 I know that watch and so many others that watch at home because 710 00:39:05,995 --> 00:39:07,247 they cannot be here. 711 00:39:07,403 --> 00:39:08,103 Praise the Lord. 712 00:39:08,151 --> 00:39:10,259 I'm thankful for a ministry like that. 713 00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:15,191 But I'm sorry, the Bible makes it clear that if you're watching 714 00:39:15,255 --> 00:39:19,979 from online or you're watching a TV program, you're not in church. 715 00:39:20,319 --> 00:39:23,975 Because a church is a called out assembly of born again baptized 716 00:39:24,007 --> 00:39:24,859 believers. 717 00:39:25,359 --> 00:39:27,939 And I'm telling you it makes a difference, doesn't it? 718 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:30,979 When you are in here rather than watching it online? 719 00:39:31,439 --> 00:39:33,059 We found that out in Covid. 720 00:39:34,609 --> 00:39:35,869 There's a difference. 721 00:39:38,049 --> 00:39:41,385 There's oneness of all believers. 722 00:39:41,417 --> 00:39:42,789 Listen and I'm done. 723 00:39:43,089 --> 00:39:45,389 There is a oneness of all believers. 724 00:39:46,049 --> 00:39:46,617 All Right. 725 00:39:46,673 --> 00:39:48,489 So let me clear. 726 00:39:48,609 --> 00:39:50,089 I'm not even parsing words here. 727 00:39:50,129 --> 00:39:50,869 This is. 728 00:39:51,249 --> 00:39:55,481 There is a oneness of all believers in that we're all a part 729 00:39:55,505 --> 00:39:56,909 of the family of God. 730 00:39:59,499 --> 00:40:04,451 If you're saved, the Bible says we become children of God, we 731 00:40:04,475 --> 00:40:05,439 become family. 732 00:40:06,459 --> 00:40:07,171 So be careful. 733 00:40:07,235 --> 00:40:09,715 That Lutheran that accepted Christ as their savior and truly 734 00:40:09,747 --> 00:40:11,759 accepted Christ, they're part of the family. 735 00:40:12,059 --> 00:40:13,235 They're part of the family of God. 736 00:40:13,267 --> 00:40:16,323 That Catholic who accepted, didn't put his faith in the Pope 737 00:40:16,371 --> 00:40:19,395 or in some priests in a telephone booth, but it put his faith 738 00:40:19,427 --> 00:40:22,099 and trust in Jesus Christ and his life, his death and his resurrection. 739 00:40:22,179 --> 00:40:24,919 He's part of the family, or she's part of the family of God. 740 00:40:25,529 --> 00:40:28,481 The Bible would also refer to the phrase called the kingdom of 741 00:40:28,505 --> 00:40:29,089 God. 742 00:40:29,249 --> 00:40:30,097 The kingdom of God. 743 00:40:30,113 --> 00:40:31,217 We are part of the family of God. 744 00:40:31,233 --> 00:40:32,353 We're part of the kingdom of God. 745 00:40:32,401 --> 00:40:35,989 All the saved are part of the family of God. 746 00:40:36,489 --> 00:40:39,789 And therefore we ought to love one another as family. 747 00:40:48,089 --> 00:40:51,089 Bill Gaither, who's an Arminian, by the way, doesn't believe 748 00:40:51,129 --> 00:40:56,261 in salvation by grace through faith or Armenian. 749 00:40:56,325 --> 00:41:00,581 Sorry, not Calvinist. 750 00:41:00,645 --> 00:41:02,501 No, Arminian, that's right. 751 00:41:02,685 --> 00:41:04,569 He believes and works for salvation. 752 00:41:05,229 --> 00:41:12,009 He publicly says it, but he wrote a song, and it's a good song. 753 00:41:12,349 --> 00:41:18,169 I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. 754 00:41:18,549 --> 00:41:24,941 I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by his blood and 755 00:41:24,965 --> 00:41:27,581 I won't sing the whole thing, but joint heirs with Jesus as we 756 00:41:27,605 --> 00:41:28,621 gather this far. 757 00:41:28,725 --> 00:41:32,365 I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. 758 00:41:32,477 --> 00:41:36,717 You may notice we say brother and sister around here. 759 00:41:36,853 --> 00:41:40,289 It's because we're a family and our hearts are so dear. 760 00:41:40,629 --> 00:41:41,369 Right. 761 00:41:42,789 --> 00:41:45,789 The country church I was raised in, it was brother so and 762 00:41:45,829 --> 00:41:47,363 so and sister so and so. 763 00:41:47,501 --> 00:41:48,775 That's how you addressed everybody. 764 00:41:48,807 --> 00:41:50,951 I don't think necessarily we have to do that. 765 00:41:50,975 --> 00:41:54,855 I'm not saying that, but we are brothers and sisters. 766 00:41:54,887 --> 00:41:59,383 It helps remind us we are brothers and sisters in Christ, joint 767 00:41:59,431 --> 00:42:00,979 heirs with Jesus Christ. 768 00:42:01,279 --> 00:42:03,099 Jesus Christ is our big brother. 769 00:42:03,679 --> 00:42:05,239 And that's not being heretical at all. 770 00:42:05,279 --> 00:42:06,999 That is what the Bible says. 771 00:42:07,039 --> 00:42:08,247 He is our brother. 772 00:42:08,423 --> 00:42:10,619 It's amazing, amazing truth. 773 00:42:11,519 --> 00:42:14,675 Each member is a part of the body, and we ought to be working 774 00:42:14,747 --> 00:42:18,755 together, functioning together for the good of the church. 775 00:42:18,947 --> 00:42:19,907 Unity. 776 00:42:20,083 --> 00:42:20,979 One purpose. 777 00:42:21,059 --> 00:42:24,547 When one person gets sick, we all feel it. 778 00:42:24,683 --> 00:42:25,779 You know, I think about Ms. 779 00:42:25,819 --> 00:42:28,771 Gibson and just recently, again, a little setback and back 780 00:42:28,795 --> 00:42:30,979 in the hospital, going on dialysis. 781 00:42:31,059 --> 00:42:33,459 I pray for her every week. 782 00:42:33,499 --> 00:42:34,771 I pray for her. 783 00:42:34,955 --> 00:42:38,003 I think about the clems I have several. 784 00:42:38,171 --> 00:42:39,641 I think about Ms. 785 00:42:39,795 --> 00:42:41,725 Chalene and so many others. 786 00:42:41,797 --> 00:42:44,769 Just praying for when one member hurts, we ought to hurt. 787 00:42:45,349 --> 00:42:46,109 It's like when. 788 00:42:46,149 --> 00:42:47,005 You know, when I have. 789 00:42:47,077 --> 00:42:50,249 When my mother was sick so much I felt for her. 790 00:42:51,029 --> 00:42:51,769 Right. 791 00:42:52,229 --> 00:42:54,009 And we feel for each other. 792 00:42:55,269 --> 00:42:56,717 We need to be careful. 793 00:42:56,893 --> 00:42:59,005 We also take strength in one another. 794 00:42:59,157 --> 00:43:01,449 We also take encouragement with one another. 795 00:43:02,069 --> 00:43:04,169 We take help with one another. 796 00:43:04,549 --> 00:43:08,295 We're to love one another, encourage one another. 797 00:43:08,447 --> 00:43:09,939 Fellowship with one another. 798 00:43:10,479 --> 00:43:11,895 Part of the family of God. 799 00:43:12,007 --> 00:43:12,859 Amen. 800 00:43:13,439 --> 00:43:18,979 Striving together laboring together with God let's all stand 801 00:43:20,079 --> 00:43:25,259 let's sing a verse invitation hymn 500 pass me not O gentle Savior 802 00:43:26,319 --> 00:43:28,419 after we pray Heavenly Father, we. 803 00:43:28,959 --> 00:43:32,991 I hope tonight that we've made it clear I hope tonight it's been 804 00:43:33,015 --> 00:43:34,259 in the right spirit. 805 00:43:35,319 --> 00:43:43,219 Lord, we so thankful for those who in any denomination or any institution. 806 00:43:44,199 --> 00:43:46,479 We're so thankful for those who put their faith and trust in 807 00:43:46,519 --> 00:43:51,739 you and you alone, Lord, I'm thankful for my church family. 808 00:43:52,919 --> 00:43:55,727 Thankful that we have a church family who loves one another and 809 00:43:55,783 --> 00:43:58,469 works together to fulfill the Great Commission. 810 00:43:59,089 --> 00:44:04,789 Lord, may you continue, Lord, to unify us. 811 00:44:05,809 --> 00:44:12,393 May you continue to help us to be one body that we might fulfill 812 00:44:12,441 --> 00:44:15,429 your commission in a greater way. 813 00:44:15,809 --> 00:44:17,001 We love you and we thank you. 814 00:44:17,025 --> 00:44:18,249 In Jesus name, amen.