1 00:00:35,139 --> 00:00:44,475 Not all testing. What a blessing. I appreciate our the talent 2 00:00:44,507 --> 00:00:48,811 that God's given our church. And those who play the instruments 3 00:00:48,875 --> 00:00:52,491 do a fantastic job. Appreciate that so very much. We go to your 4 00:00:52,515 --> 00:00:56,549 Bibles. Turn to Matthew, chapter 16. We'll start a series 5 00:00:56,589 --> 00:01:00,037 of messages tonight on the Baptist Distinctives. Some of these 6 00:01:00,093 --> 00:01:07,221 will be simple for a lot of you, and then again, some of them 7 00:01:07,325 --> 00:01:14,853 won't be. Tonight will be the introduction again, encouraging us 8 00:01:14,941 --> 00:01:22,399 as church, as a church family, that God has entrusted us with, with 9 00:01:22,439 --> 00:01:27,903 the doctrines and with the truths of the Bible, the faith. So 10 00:01:27,911 --> 00:01:31,391 look with me. Matthew 16, verse 13. We read this particular 11 00:01:31,495 --> 00:01:35,871 group of verses on Heritage Sunday last November. So let's read 12 00:01:35,895 --> 00:01:40,607 them again. Ready? Matthew 16, verse 13. And when Jesus came into 13 00:01:40,663 --> 00:01:44,159 the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples 14 00:01:44,239 --> 00:01:50,157 saying, whom do men say that I, the son of man am? And they said, 15 00:01:50,293 --> 00:01:56,209 some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, others Jeremias 16 00:01:56,869 --> 00:02:00,909 are one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, but whom say 17 00:02:00,949 --> 00:02:06,157 ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, 18 00:02:06,293 --> 00:02:17,047 the son of the living God. Peter just amazing man. Amazing courage, 19 00:02:17,223 --> 00:02:24,567 strength, understanding. Yeah, sometimes. And then other times he's 20 00:02:24,583 --> 00:02:27,031 sticking his foot in his mouth. But thou art the Christ, the 21 00:02:27,055 --> 00:02:30,295 Son of the living God. Verse 17. And Jesus answered and said unto 22 00:02:30,327 --> 00:02:34,295 him, blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood hath 23 00:02:34,327 --> 00:02:39,063 not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Verse 24 00:02:39,111 --> 00:02:44,399 18. So such an important verse. And I say also unto thee that 25 00:02:44,439 --> 00:02:49,711 thou art Peter. And upon this rock I will build my church. And 26 00:02:49,735 --> 00:02:53,471 the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give 27 00:02:53,495 --> 00:02:56,783 unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever 28 00:02:56,831 --> 00:03:03,615 thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever 29 00:03:03,647 --> 00:03:08,213 thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged 30 00:03:08,261 --> 00:03:12,101 he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus 31 00:03:12,165 --> 00:03:14,869 the Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, again we come to 32 00:03:14,909 --> 00:03:18,821 you thanking you for your word. Pray Lord, that you would bless 33 00:03:18,885 --> 00:03:21,717 tonight the reading of your word, the preaching in Jesus name. 34 00:03:21,853 --> 00:03:28,197 Amen. Verse 18. I know we have gone over this verse many, many times. 35 00:03:28,253 --> 00:03:33,071 But it should never get old. And it. It's good to be review as 36 00:03:33,095 --> 00:03:36,575 the best teacher. Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. 37 00:03:36,607 --> 00:03:42,079 He was indeed the Messiah who was to come. And he said to Peter, 38 00:03:42,159 --> 00:03:46,191 thou art Peter, a little rock. But upon this rock. He's speaking 39 00:03:46,255 --> 00:03:51,727 of himself. Petra. A boulder. I will build my church. He's not 40 00:03:51,783 --> 00:03:55,151 saying that Peter's going to Build the church. Peter is not the 41 00:03:55,175 --> 00:04:01,253 first pope, but upon this rock. Jesus Christ himself established 42 00:04:01,301 --> 00:04:05,381 the first church. The first church. The church there in Jerusalem. 43 00:04:05,445 --> 00:04:10,133 He started it. He established it somewhere around John Chapter 44 00:04:10,181 --> 00:04:14,069 three, when you see the apostles who are already there in 45 00:04:14,109 --> 00:04:18,341 place, and they began to baptize somewhere around there, at 46 00:04:18,365 --> 00:04:21,333 least before Luke chapter six, because that's when he chose the 47 00:04:21,341 --> 00:04:24,525 apostles. When the Bible says and Corinthians that the apostles 48 00:04:24,557 --> 00:04:28,045 were chosen out of the church. Well, you can't choose the apostles 49 00:04:28,077 --> 00:04:32,769 out of the church if there's no church in existence. And so pretty, 50 00:04:33,189 --> 00:04:38,929 just a few cross references and you get all of that. And emphatically, 51 00:04:39,829 --> 00:04:45,053 without a doubt, emphatically, the church did not begin in Acts 52 00:04:45,101 --> 00:04:49,255 Chapter two. And there are so many books that you will pick up 53 00:04:49,357 --> 00:04:53,459 good commentaries. You'll pick up Warren Wiersbe, I mean, even John 54 00:04:53,499 --> 00:04:58,147 Phillips, one of my favorite commentaries that put the book of 55 00:04:58,203 --> 00:05:01,779 Acts, Acts, Chapter two, as the birthday of the church. And that 56 00:05:01,819 --> 00:05:05,795 is just simply not the case. Jesus said, I will build my church 57 00:05:05,907 --> 00:05:08,803 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It's important 58 00:05:08,891 --> 00:05:11,891 as we go forward in this lesson for you to kind of get that 59 00:05:11,995 --> 00:05:17,043 in your brain and understand that Jesus Christ himself. Have I 60 00:05:17,051 --> 00:05:21,941 said that yet established the church? The Baptist distinctives 61 00:05:22,005 --> 00:05:27,861 are the backbone to unity and the stability of the church, of the 62 00:05:27,885 --> 00:05:31,701 church. In other words, doctrine matters. And I know, for 63 00:05:31,725 --> 00:05:38,997 us, we know that. But again, if you take the churches of America 64 00:05:39,093 --> 00:05:42,725 and you were to do a survey and you were to go to their websites 65 00:05:42,757 --> 00:05:46,585 and look through their websites, you'll find. You'll find 66 00:05:46,657 --> 00:05:53,465 phrases like core teachings, or you'll find phrases like essential 67 00:05:53,577 --> 00:05:58,665 doctrine. So I'm just telling you, if you find a church that puts 68 00:05:58,697 --> 00:06:02,121 that in their deal, and they're referring to. This is what 69 00:06:02,145 --> 00:06:04,441 they're referring to many times, not all the time, but most 70 00:06:04,465 --> 00:06:08,489 of the time they're referring to is these are our core doctrines. 71 00:06:08,569 --> 00:06:11,635 And, and as long as you believe in these core doctrines, 72 00:06:11,827 --> 00:06:17,907 we're fine. Or as long as you believe in these essentials, it's 73 00:06:17,923 --> 00:06:21,235 okay to be a member here, even though you may believe something 74 00:06:21,307 --> 00:06:25,359 else, because these are the essential doctrines, which means 75 00:06:26,139 --> 00:06:30,079 that the others are not. Now, they don't say that in their website, 76 00:06:30,379 --> 00:06:32,947 but when you say these are the essential doctrines and the other. 77 00:06:33,003 --> 00:06:38,685 Anyway, I can go on and on. There's. There's just many other 78 00:06:38,837 --> 00:06:43,837 phrases that are used a lot by the modern churches today. And I'm 79 00:06:43,853 --> 00:06:46,733 telling you independent Baptist churches as well, I know 80 00:06:46,901 --> 00:06:51,309 several of them. The Metroplex who have adopted these. Core. Like 81 00:06:51,349 --> 00:06:54,621 the core. They say this is the core as long as you have these four 82 00:06:54,645 --> 00:06:59,197 or five things. Now, we believe in the fundamentals to salvation, 83 00:06:59,373 --> 00:07:03,607 but we're not discounting any doctrine. What they're doing is saying 84 00:07:03,663 --> 00:07:07,271 these are the doctrines we believe that are essential or that 85 00:07:07,295 --> 00:07:11,447 are core. And if you believe something else besides those, we're 86 00:07:11,463 --> 00:07:16,295 good with that. Have I said that yet? I'm just saying all doctrine 87 00:07:16,327 --> 00:07:22,871 is essential. Every truth in the Bible is essential in light of 88 00:07:22,895 --> 00:07:27,943 what we're fixing to teach. Because Jesus said and well, Paul 89 00:07:27,991 --> 00:07:33,489 tells Timothy that we're to pass on this truth to the next generation. 90 00:07:34,629 --> 00:07:39,741 Part of the truth or just the ones you think are the core or the 91 00:07:39,765 --> 00:07:44,269 ones we think are essential? No, all truth, because all truth 92 00:07:44,429 --> 00:07:47,997 is essential. Christ founded the first church and commissioned 93 00:07:48,013 --> 00:07:51,501 it. Not just. We talk a lot about, and we preach a lot about 94 00:07:51,605 --> 00:07:56,731 how that the church was commissioned by Christ to spread 95 00:07:56,795 --> 00:08:00,107 the gospel. And that is paramount, isn't it? I mean, that's 96 00:08:00,123 --> 00:08:03,659 the purpose of the church. The primary purpose of the church is 97 00:08:03,699 --> 00:08:07,451 to spread the gospel, to share the good news of Jesus Christ. But 98 00:08:07,475 --> 00:08:10,395 I'd like to remind you tonight that we're also commissioned. We're 99 00:08:10,427 --> 00:08:16,939 also commissioned to pass on the faith. To pass on the faith. 100 00:08:17,019 --> 00:08:22,111 In other words, we are to be caretakers of the faith. That we 101 00:08:22,135 --> 00:08:30,351 are to be stewards of the body of doctrine found in the word, stewards 102 00:08:30,415 --> 00:08:35,471 of it. And that we are to pass that on to the next generation. Two 103 00:08:35,495 --> 00:08:38,495 thousand years ago, Christ founded and commissioned the church 104 00:08:38,527 --> 00:08:44,079 to pass on truth to the next generation. 2,000 years now. And 105 00:08:44,119 --> 00:08:47,961 yet look, we have it still. We have the truth still. We still have 106 00:08:47,985 --> 00:08:50,841 it. Isn't that amazing? It's been passed on to us and we're to 107 00:08:50,865 --> 00:08:57,481 pass that same truth on to the next generation. In Acts 17:6 it 108 00:08:57,505 --> 00:09:02,121 says, it alludes to or refers to, or at least inference is made 109 00:09:02,225 --> 00:09:07,001 that the first church reproduced itself. And by 50 AD the 110 00:09:07,025 --> 00:09:11,113 verse says in Acts 17, verse 6, that they had turned the world 111 00:09:11,201 --> 00:09:18,387 upside down. And we would say that the then known world was reached 112 00:09:18,403 --> 00:09:23,959 with the gospel. That's amazing thought, isn't it? Amazing 113 00:09:25,099 --> 00:09:28,419 that one generation, if you would, if you say generations 25 114 00:09:28,459 --> 00:09:32,003 or generations 40, but almost one generation turned the world upside 115 00:09:32,051 --> 00:09:41,289 down. The truths passed on ideally were to have the same effect 116 00:09:41,909 --> 00:09:47,501 on future generations. Think about it for a moment. So the truths 117 00:09:47,565 --> 00:09:51,853 of the first century church that were given to them by Christ 118 00:09:51,941 --> 00:09:55,901 himself, that we find in the word of God and then written by the 119 00:09:55,925 --> 00:09:58,141 apostles or written by some of the apostles, written in the New 120 00:09:58,165 --> 00:10:01,821 Testament. Truths that were written and given to the first century 121 00:10:01,885 --> 00:10:07,471 church as it continued to reproduce itself, the impact it had 122 00:10:07,495 --> 00:10:12,623 on them should have the same impact on us. What it produced in 123 00:10:12,631 --> 00:10:16,815 them, it should produce in us. Does that make sense? The truths 124 00:10:16,847 --> 00:10:19,631 passed on ideally should have the same effect on us that it had 125 00:10:19,655 --> 00:10:24,095 on them. Our theme verse for the study will be second Timothy 126 00:10:24,127 --> 00:10:26,815 chapter two. So turn over there if you would. Second Timothy 127 00:10:26,847 --> 00:10:30,847 chapter two. You will know the verse once you get there. And I am 128 00:10:30,903 --> 00:10:33,599 adopting some of Brother Stewart's lessons on this. So if 129 00:10:33,639 --> 00:10:36,441 you're, if you come across something and you say, hey, that 130 00:10:36,465 --> 00:10:42,633 looks like Brother Stewart. Yep, good job. Always give honor 131 00:10:42,681 --> 00:10:50,069 where honors do. First Timothy, chapter two, verse two. 132 00:10:53,169 --> 00:11:00,521 I'm sorry, verse 22. Didn't I write a wrong verse on that down 133 00:11:00,545 --> 00:11:13,561 the other day? Second Timothy, Chapter two, verse. Don't get me 134 00:11:13,585 --> 00:11:20,201 going now. That's because I was looking at the wrong it. Actually 135 00:11:20,225 --> 00:11:23,193 I said it right the first time. Let me say it again to you 136 00:11:23,201 --> 00:11:37,347 guys. Ready? Second Timothy, chapter two, verse two. And the things 137 00:11:37,403 --> 00:11:41,763 that thou hast heard of me, among many witnesses the same commit 138 00:11:41,811 --> 00:11:48,707 thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others. Also. We've 139 00:11:48,723 --> 00:11:54,189 heard this verse many, many times. When we had our theme continue 140 00:11:54,309 --> 00:11:58,889 a few years back, we used this verse many times, as well as others 141 00:11:59,189 --> 00:12:02,589 continuing in the faith, committing that faith to the next 142 00:12:02,629 --> 00:12:07,549 generation, passing that faith on to the next generation. It says 143 00:12:07,589 --> 00:12:12,349 the things, if you could put quotes around that, the things which 144 00:12:12,389 --> 00:12:15,693 thou has heard of me. What things? Well, the body of doctrine, 145 00:12:15,741 --> 00:12:21,293 the body of truth, the teachings that thou hast heard of 146 00:12:21,461 --> 00:12:27,689 me. Paul's saying, the Apostle Paul, among many witnesses the same. 147 00:12:28,069 --> 00:12:35,609 So the things are now those same things commit to faithful men 148 00:12:36,069 --> 00:12:43,213 who shall be able to teach others. Also, Paul is saying to Timothy, 149 00:12:43,261 --> 00:12:47,503 your responsibility is to take that body of truth that's been taught 150 00:12:47,551 --> 00:12:52,559 to you and to teach that same body of truth, the things that have 151 00:12:52,599 --> 00:12:56,175 been committed to you. To teach that to others, to teach that, 152 00:12:56,247 --> 00:13:01,551 to pass it on, to preach that and teach it to others. We're to 153 00:13:01,575 --> 00:13:06,399 preach and teach today. Again, what we preach and teach today should 154 00:13:06,439 --> 00:13:14,169 be the same as what Christ taught, what Christ preached, what 155 00:13:14,289 --> 00:13:18,249 the apostles taught, what the apostles preached, what Paul taught, 156 00:13:18,329 --> 00:13:21,721 what Paul preached. It should be the same. Amen. And we should 157 00:13:21,745 --> 00:13:24,153 search the scriptures that they are and make sure they're the 158 00:13:24,161 --> 00:13:27,497 same. In other words, we're not going by tradition of men. We're 159 00:13:27,513 --> 00:13:30,825 not taking the apocrypha or we're taking some other writings 160 00:13:30,857 --> 00:13:34,521 of somebody else or whomever it may be, and putting them alongside. 161 00:13:34,585 --> 00:13:38,757 No, no, no, no. The body of truth found in the Word of God. The 162 00:13:38,813 --> 00:13:42,261 same that Christ taught, the same that Paul taught, the same that 163 00:13:42,285 --> 00:13:48,357 the apostles taught. Those truths are to be taught again and 164 00:13:48,413 --> 00:13:52,889 passed on to faithful men, to be passed on to the next generation 165 00:13:53,309 --> 00:13:56,437 again. When it says it's saying mankind, it means everyone. 166 00:13:56,493 --> 00:14:04,805 It's to be passed on, passed on. And the Bible actually, it guarantees 167 00:14:04,917 --> 00:14:07,541 not only the Bible preservation, that we'll always have 168 00:14:07,565 --> 00:14:11,493 a Bible until Christ returns, but that there will always be true 169 00:14:11,541 --> 00:14:15,365 followers as well. There will always be a remnant. There will always 170 00:14:15,437 --> 00:14:23,141 be a remnant of true, distinct those standing on the Word of God, 171 00:14:23,205 --> 00:14:27,125 standing on the truths of the Word of God, true churches until 172 00:14:27,197 --> 00:14:33,391 the Lord returns. Think about that for a moment. Churches still 173 00:14:33,415 --> 00:14:37,119 in existence, still linked to the first century church, the first 174 00:14:37,159 --> 00:14:42,079 New Testament Church. That church was given authority. Now turn 175 00:14:42,119 --> 00:14:47,151 back over to Matthew 28, a verse again that you know so well. 176 00:14:47,335 --> 00:14:51,503 We call it the Great Commission. As we think about teaching 177 00:14:51,551 --> 00:14:56,133 others also or passing on these truths to others, this verse 178 00:14:56,181 --> 00:14:59,093 comes to mind. Now we use this verse again, just like we used the 179 00:14:59,101 --> 00:15:04,053 other verse, mainly to teach about the church and its existence. 180 00:15:04,181 --> 00:15:07,461 But here we mostly use this one about spreading the gospel as 181 00:15:07,485 --> 00:15:10,597 well. Well, it's not that we were just commissioned to spread 182 00:15:10,613 --> 00:15:13,765 the gospel. We're also commissioned again to be a steward 183 00:15:13,877 --> 00:15:17,045 of the truths found in the Word of God. But here definitely 184 00:15:17,077 --> 00:15:20,117 we are commissioned to spread the gospel. So look back with me 185 00:15:20,173 --> 00:15:23,871 and at the Great Commission. Matthew, chapter 28, verse 18. And 186 00:15:23,895 --> 00:15:26,319 Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given 187 00:15:26,359 --> 00:15:31,919 to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 188 00:15:32,079 --> 00:15:35,695 baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy 189 00:15:35,727 --> 00:15:39,659 Ghost, teaching them to observe. What does it say there? 190 00:15:40,439 --> 00:15:46,095 All things whatsoever. I have commanded you all things. And lo, 191 00:15:46,167 --> 00:15:50,471 I am with you alway even unto the end the world. And even though 192 00:15:50,495 --> 00:15:54,791 we emphasize here the Great Commission, that we're to share the 193 00:15:54,815 --> 00:15:58,103 gospel with those in our community, and we're to share the 194 00:15:58,111 --> 00:16:00,519 gospel with those in our state, and we're to share the gospel 195 00:16:00,599 --> 00:16:03,063 with those in America, we share the gospel around the world. 196 00:16:03,151 --> 00:16:08,311 It's also saying that we share all things. Again, it goes back to 197 00:16:08,335 --> 00:16:11,655 the second Timothy, that all things that thou has heard of me, 198 00:16:11,727 --> 00:16:19,329 all things should be taught to others also. And so we take this 199 00:16:19,449 --> 00:16:22,465 as a commission. It's a commission. It's a commission from 200 00:16:22,537 --> 00:16:29,041 Jesus Christ, commanded Again, primarily to the churches. And therefore, 201 00:16:29,105 --> 00:16:31,233 because it's commanded to the churches, of course, churches are 202 00:16:31,241 --> 00:16:35,281 made up of peoples. And so that commission comes down to you 203 00:16:35,385 --> 00:16:40,851 and that commission comes down to me, that we are to again, share 204 00:16:41,025 --> 00:16:45,935 the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But we are so to share 205 00:16:46,007 --> 00:16:51,071 all things, all the teachings. And let me remind you, I didn't clarify 206 00:16:51,135 --> 00:16:55,631 the word doctrine just means teaching all the teachings in the 207 00:16:55,655 --> 00:17:00,819 Bible. We're to share those, by the way, as they are in the Bible. 208 00:17:02,679 --> 00:17:07,319 Not what some others think. But what does the Bible say, the 209 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:11,879 literal interpretation, what does the Bible say? The church, again, 210 00:17:11,919 --> 00:17:15,495 is given authority and ability to carry out the Great Commission. 211 00:17:15,647 --> 00:17:19,751 And again, that commission is not just spreading the gospel, but 212 00:17:19,775 --> 00:17:28,311 it is to teach all things, share that body of truth. So think 213 00:17:28,335 --> 00:17:33,079 about this again, as we think about an analogy, we can think about 214 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:38,501 dominoes. Dominoes are not just for playing. I'm talking about 215 00:17:38,525 --> 00:17:42,213 playing dominoes. But dominoes are also fun to set up and knock 216 00:17:42,261 --> 00:17:49,929 down. Isn't that cool? You set them up in a line for 3,000 miles, 217 00:17:50,829 --> 00:17:58,289 push one, and just a chain reaction takes place, doesn't it? 218 00:17:58,909 --> 00:18:06,481 The domino effect, Right? And we think about the illustration here 219 00:18:06,505 --> 00:18:10,721 that brother Stewart uses in his material is a nuclear bomb. We 220 00:18:10,745 --> 00:18:15,649 think about a chain reaction. When the first nuclear bomb was put 221 00:18:15,689 --> 00:18:20,017 together, invented, ready to go, there were many scientists around 222 00:18:20,073 --> 00:18:26,541 the world who thought that if they detonated the atomic bomb that 223 00:18:26,565 --> 00:18:31,469 it might cause a chain reaction and literally blow up the 224 00:18:31,509 --> 00:18:36,285 Earth. You can go read about it. I got it written down somewhere. 225 00:18:36,317 --> 00:18:42,861 But a chain reaction, blow up the entire Earth? Well, we know that 226 00:18:42,885 --> 00:18:49,181 didn't happen. But there was scientists, real scientists, who 227 00:18:49,205 --> 00:18:55,671 believed that. I'm telling you, the effects of the Bible have 228 00:18:55,695 --> 00:18:59,895 a chain reaction. And if we're not careful, that chain reaction 229 00:18:59,927 --> 00:19:04,023 can be broken. In other words, we want the domino to fall to the 230 00:19:04,031 --> 00:19:08,743 next group. We want the domino to fall to the next group. Have you 231 00:19:08,751 --> 00:19:11,899 ever set up a bunch of dominoes and then your little brother 232 00:19:12,319 --> 00:19:18,419 takes one out? Stinking little brother, and they all don't fall? 233 00:19:19,109 --> 00:19:24,813 Never happened to y'all. Maybe a little sister. Well, that's what 234 00:19:24,821 --> 00:19:29,693 happens when we, a generation doesn't share the truth with the 235 00:19:29,701 --> 00:19:35,549 next. Then the dominoes don't fall no more. There's no longer any 236 00:19:35,589 --> 00:19:40,669 chain reaction. A generation's lost. And I can tell you, I think 237 00:19:40,709 --> 00:19:48,151 that's. We've seen that somewhat. We, as the Church of the 238 00:19:48,175 --> 00:19:53,463 Living God, must understand that we're caretakers of the truths 239 00:19:53,591 --> 00:19:57,271 of the Bible and that we are to share Those truths to the next 240 00:19:57,295 --> 00:20:00,711 generation. I know, I'm preaching to the choir. Our church, 241 00:20:00,855 --> 00:20:03,943 I believe, is one of the greatest churches in the nation. 242 00:20:04,031 --> 00:20:08,919 Amen. I mean, if you compare. If you just take and said, okay, 243 00:20:08,999 --> 00:20:13,611 our church compared to blah, blah, blah, oh, man. Because we are 244 00:20:13,635 --> 00:20:17,067 teaching the truth, because we are sharing the truth. We are taking 245 00:20:17,123 --> 00:20:20,379 the body of faith and sharing it. There are churches who do not 246 00:20:20,419 --> 00:20:24,987 teach the Bible anymore. I mean, there is a large group of churches 247 00:20:25,163 --> 00:20:30,651 that don't teach the Bible as it is. And then we'll cover that. 248 00:20:30,675 --> 00:20:34,763 But you guys know that I'm thankful for a church that stands 249 00:20:34,811 --> 00:20:38,039 on the truth of the word of God and passes that truth on to others. 250 00:20:39,099 --> 00:20:44,003 We as a church are to be again passing on the truth. Passing on 251 00:20:44,011 --> 00:20:47,347 the truth, passing it to the next generation. By the way, we're 252 00:20:47,363 --> 00:20:50,547 supposed to be passing on that truth till the end of the age, till 253 00:20:50,563 --> 00:20:54,883 the Lord comes back, till the millennial kingdom. We're just passing 254 00:20:54,931 --> 00:20:58,611 on the truth. And we as a church are to guard the truth. The 255 00:20:58,635 --> 00:21:03,235 Bible says we are to strive for the faith. We are to. And there's 256 00:21:03,267 --> 00:21:07,219 many other. The Bible references protecting the truth and 257 00:21:07,259 --> 00:21:14,959 keeping the faith. The faith, that body of truth. Again, our responsibility 258 00:21:15,039 --> 00:21:21,311 is to teach all things just as it is. And here's the crux of it, 259 00:21:21,495 --> 00:21:26,559 not to reduce or ignore them in light of the world we live in 260 00:21:26,599 --> 00:21:30,687 today. And that's the key. That's what's happened, and that's 261 00:21:30,703 --> 00:21:35,761 what happens in history. We find Christianity is popular for 262 00:21:35,785 --> 00:21:38,433 a while and then comes back down, and popular for a while and 263 00:21:38,441 --> 00:21:44,465 then comes back down. And when it's at its low point, you see churches 264 00:21:44,657 --> 00:21:50,961 compromise. We see churches compromise the faith compromise the 265 00:21:50,985 --> 00:22:01,155 body of truth because it's not accepted by the world out there or 266 00:22:01,227 --> 00:22:08,179 it's not politically correct. Let me put it that way, right in 267 00:22:08,219 --> 00:22:15,763 America and around the world, is the biblical home readily, readily 268 00:22:15,811 --> 00:22:22,947 accepted today by the majority? You may say, well, maybe 269 00:22:22,963 --> 00:22:28,295 it's 50, 50, I don't know. But I'm saying there is a huge portion 270 00:22:28,327 --> 00:22:35,559 of the world today who would not adhere to the truth and laugh 271 00:22:35,639 --> 00:22:41,143 even at the truth of the biblical family that God ordained 272 00:22:41,191 --> 00:22:45,591 that God instituted a man and a woman marrying each other for a 273 00:22:45,615 --> 00:22:52,381 lifetime, having kids, or the role that each one has given by God, 274 00:22:52,495 --> 00:23:01,857 that the man is the head of the house. The feminists go, well, 275 00:23:01,993 --> 00:23:06,321 it's Bible. It's what the Bible says. When you go against the 276 00:23:06,345 --> 00:23:11,089 authority of your husband, you're going against God. I'm just 277 00:23:11,129 --> 00:23:16,673 saying what the Bible says, don't shoot the messenger. By the 278 00:23:16,681 --> 00:23:20,927 way, Paul says that. He says, because I tell you the truth, you're 279 00:23:20,943 --> 00:23:27,935 gonna. Right, See, even in here I can see it. Right? I mean, 280 00:23:28,007 --> 00:23:32,191 again, but in society as a whole doesn't want to accept those 281 00:23:32,215 --> 00:23:36,703 things. And so what happens is the church kind of. It kind of shrinks 282 00:23:36,751 --> 00:23:40,111 back and says, okay, if society isn't going to accept the 283 00:23:40,135 --> 00:23:44,159 biblical model, the biblical institution that God set up and the 284 00:23:44,199 --> 00:23:47,599 role that God ordained for the man and God ordained for the woman 285 00:23:47,639 --> 00:23:55,615 and God ordained for the children, then we'll just. We'll 286 00:23:55,647 --> 00:24:02,351 just teach family light. We won't teach it the. We won't give 287 00:24:02,375 --> 00:24:05,391 it the fullest biblical sense. We'll just. We'll just. We'll just 288 00:24:05,415 --> 00:24:10,191 skim it. Is that right, Man? I know, I'm just going to hammer it 289 00:24:10,215 --> 00:24:17,129 some more because got people praying and everything, but this 290 00:24:17,169 --> 00:24:20,073 applies. You could. I mean, you. I could sit down with you and 291 00:24:20,081 --> 00:24:23,353 you could come up with 10 biblical truths that this applies 292 00:24:23,401 --> 00:24:29,161 to in our society today. Easily. The gender issues and all 293 00:24:29,185 --> 00:24:32,473 the other things going on in our society today. Homosexuality 294 00:24:32,521 --> 00:24:40,681 and many of the churches accepting sin. Let me say too, when 295 00:24:40,705 --> 00:24:44,185 we address homosexuality and we address some of these others, 296 00:24:44,257 --> 00:24:48,025 just to be reminded that if a man and a woman live together, it's 297 00:24:48,057 --> 00:24:53,065 just as much a sin as two men. Everybody with me, we got churches 298 00:24:53,097 --> 00:25:00,041 accepting that they won't call anybody out because they shirk back 299 00:25:00,065 --> 00:25:11,891 from the truth. Sometimes as individuals, we do this because we 300 00:25:11,915 --> 00:25:15,747 don't want to seem as though we're being mean to someone as we 301 00:25:15,803 --> 00:25:20,211 present truth to them. We need to be careful. Of course we ought 302 00:25:20,235 --> 00:25:26,931 to preach the truth in love. But also, you don't do that to the 303 00:25:26,955 --> 00:25:35,325 extent of giving up the truth or diminishing the truth. Not anywhere 304 00:25:35,357 --> 00:25:43,693 in your authority to diminish the truth. Amen. I need to stay some 305 00:25:43,701 --> 00:25:48,861 more on this one. I know, again, I'm preaching to the choir. 306 00:25:49,005 --> 00:25:53,965 But understand that it's not just impacting the churches out there. 307 00:25:54,037 --> 00:26:03,207 It impacts us too. It impacts us too. I believe the Bible gives 308 00:26:03,223 --> 00:26:07,527 us two ordinances, by the way. I'm not the one who just believes 309 00:26:07,543 --> 00:26:11,623 that. Historically, the church has only had two ordinances. Baptism 310 00:26:11,671 --> 00:26:16,007 and the Lord's Supper. I mean, that means our forefathers believed 311 00:26:16,023 --> 00:26:19,699 it that way. Our forefathers forefathers believed it that way. 312 00:26:20,239 --> 00:26:24,545 Two ordinances. And if those ordinances were given to the churches, 313 00:26:24,687 --> 00:26:28,445 not to an individual, so that means the Lord's Supper. You can't 314 00:26:28,477 --> 00:26:33,597 go to your home and pass out Grape juice and unleavened bread 315 00:26:33,613 --> 00:26:36,973 to your kids and take the Lord's Supper. You have no authority 316 00:26:37,021 --> 00:26:39,613 to do that. You don't have the authority to go home and baptize 317 00:26:39,661 --> 00:26:43,729 your children in the pond, in the backyard, or in your bathtub 318 00:26:44,149 --> 00:26:47,245 because the churches were given that authority by the Lord 319 00:26:47,277 --> 00:26:52,631 himself. But I'm telling you, that's a. That's a hot issue today, 320 00:26:52,735 --> 00:26:57,175 especially the baptismal part. I don't know how many people we have 321 00:26:57,247 --> 00:27:01,223 had not join this church because they were not scripturally 322 00:27:01,271 --> 00:27:04,535 baptized. And I went to them and said, in order for you to join 323 00:27:04,567 --> 00:27:10,823 our church, you have to be scripturally baptized. There are 324 00:27:10,911 --> 00:27:15,895 dozens, maybe even a hundred over the last 25 years who haven't 325 00:27:15,927 --> 00:27:20,859 joined our church because we've stood and said, the Bible makes 326 00:27:20,899 --> 00:27:25,131 it clear that only churches have the authority to baptize and 327 00:27:25,155 --> 00:27:29,451 that baptism has to be done by immersion and has to have the proper 328 00:27:29,635 --> 00:27:33,451 authority, but also the proper mode. In other words, if you got 329 00:27:33,475 --> 00:27:37,131 baptized before you got saved, that baptism is meaningless. You 330 00:27:37,155 --> 00:27:43,243 gotta get baptized after you get saved. So that's what I mean. 331 00:27:43,331 --> 00:27:50,829 We are all affected by pressure from society outside these 332 00:27:50,869 --> 00:27:57,725 doors who do not feel and do not hold to the biblical truths. 333 00:27:57,837 --> 00:28:02,849 But we are required, we are commissioned by Jesus Christ himself 334 00:28:05,989 --> 00:28:10,941 to safeguard. It's a good way to put it, safeguard the truths found 335 00:28:10,965 --> 00:28:16,729 in the Bible, whether we think, whether we like them or not. 336 00:28:17,829 --> 00:28:25,981 Amen. Amen. Help me out, everybody. Good. So if we're not 337 00:28:26,005 --> 00:28:29,117 careful, a chain reaction will happen. And that is, one generation 338 00:28:29,213 --> 00:28:31,661 will not get the truth. And therefore the next generation, the 339 00:28:31,685 --> 00:28:33,965 next generation, the next generation won't receive the truth. 340 00:28:33,997 --> 00:28:36,973 And so we have to be a steward of that truth. We have to safeguard 341 00:28:37,101 --> 00:28:45,101 responsibility to teach the things to that next generation. The 342 00:28:45,125 --> 00:28:49,309 Bible says there's one way to heaven. Jesus said himself, I am 343 00:28:49,349 --> 00:28:55,341 the way. And that truth alone causes much friction out there in 344 00:28:55,365 --> 00:29:04,621 society today. They'll call you a bigot. They'll say mean things 345 00:29:04,645 --> 00:29:07,597 to you like, well, you're telling me that everyone who doesn't 346 00:29:07,613 --> 00:29:11,051 put their faith and trust in Christ is going to hell. And your 347 00:29:11,075 --> 00:29:20,731 answer is yes. Yes, I am telling you tonight and again, most 348 00:29:20,755 --> 00:29:23,979 of you know this, that there were many who willingly gave their 349 00:29:24,019 --> 00:29:29,211 lives and to pass on the biblical truth. The apostles, all 350 00:29:29,235 --> 00:29:36,101 of them, except one, history tells us, were martyred for the faith. 351 00:29:36,275 --> 00:29:39,585 And John, who was the exception, was exiled to the Isle 352 00:29:39,617 --> 00:29:45,617 of Patmos. The torch has been carried and carried forward by many 353 00:29:45,673 --> 00:29:48,961 true believers throughout the first, second, third century and 354 00:29:48,985 --> 00:29:52,401 on and on and on up until the day and hour in which we live. And 355 00:29:52,425 --> 00:29:56,529 I'm thankful for those who stood by the stuff and stood for 356 00:29:56,569 --> 00:29:59,505 truth and biblical truth and were willing to give their lives. 357 00:29:59,577 --> 00:30:04,483 BH Carroll we passed out and gave the trail of blood free to everybody 358 00:30:04,531 --> 00:30:08,163 on Heritage Day. And BH Carroll says, and you can historically 359 00:30:08,211 --> 00:30:12,355 go back and look at this and you can surmise what the numbers 360 00:30:12,387 --> 00:30:17,779 were like, but 50 million that died for the cause of CHRIST between 361 00:30:17,819 --> 00:30:21,919 the first century and the 1500s when the Reformation started, 362 00:30:22,539 --> 00:30:27,629 50 million, those men and women and children came, gave their 363 00:30:27,669 --> 00:30:31,009 lives standing for the faith, standing for the truth of the faith, 364 00:30:31,349 --> 00:30:35,629 standing for this body of truth. And we need not take that 365 00:30:35,669 --> 00:30:39,981 lightly. So the role of the church is to be a steward of the 366 00:30:40,005 --> 00:30:45,165 New Testament revelation to steward the truth, to pass that truth 367 00:30:45,197 --> 00:30:48,237 on to the next generation. We are commissioned to pass that on. 368 00:30:48,373 --> 00:30:51,181 The Red Cross isn't commissioned to pass it on. The Salvation 369 00:30:51,245 --> 00:30:53,771 army isn't commissioned to pass it on. We are commissioned to 370 00:30:53,795 --> 00:31:06,411 pass it on. We represent the cause of Christ. The church is the 371 00:31:06,435 --> 00:31:11,499 instrument in which God chose to temporarily replace Israel as 372 00:31:11,539 --> 00:31:16,171 the mouthpiece for spreading the gospel around the world. And 373 00:31:16,355 --> 00:31:22,189 as the conservator, the. The one who again stewards and safeguards 374 00:31:23,089 --> 00:31:32,041 the body of truth, the New Testament body of truth. By the way, 375 00:31:32,065 --> 00:31:39,109 one day Israel, God's chosen people, will be put back on track 376 00:31:40,689 --> 00:31:44,989 and they will see Christ as their Messiah and they will be restored. 377 00:31:46,779 --> 00:31:52,931 But until that time, we as churches are to be the light. So 378 00:31:53,035 --> 00:31:57,491 in conclusion, we, Heritage Baptist Church should seek to be 379 00:31:57,515 --> 00:32:02,387 a first century church. Are we a first century church? I was just, 380 00:32:02,443 --> 00:32:07,939 again, I'm a YouTube guy and other things, I just, I hardly even 381 00:32:07,979 --> 00:32:13,581 like Real TV anymore because you can go on YouTube and pick out 382 00:32:13,605 --> 00:32:16,941 what you want to watch or what you want to learn about. So I saw 383 00:32:16,965 --> 00:32:19,261 one of them come across there and somebody said, well, you know, 384 00:32:19,285 --> 00:32:22,733 let's go back to the first century church. And this is a preacher. 385 00:32:22,781 --> 00:32:25,261 He said, if we went back to the first century church, what would 386 00:32:25,285 --> 00:32:28,701 that look like? Well, he said one of the first things he said is 387 00:32:28,725 --> 00:32:35,789 there'd be no music. Pardon me. They sang psalms and hymns and 388 00:32:35,829 --> 00:32:39,107 spiritual songs. You just don't. Here's a preacher doesn't 389 00:32:39,123 --> 00:32:44,399 know his Bible, but what would the first century church look like? 390 00:32:44,699 --> 00:32:48,119 What would they be teaching? And I'm telling you I'm a Baptist 391 00:32:48,859 --> 00:32:55,719 because I believe Baptist. Historic Baptist faith is the closest 392 00:32:56,219 --> 00:33:01,347 to what the first century church taught. And that's why we're 393 00:33:01,363 --> 00:33:03,939 teaching the Baptist distinctives. It's not that some 394 00:33:03,979 --> 00:33:09,021 other denominations don't teach some of these things, but Baptists 395 00:33:09,085 --> 00:33:14,653 exclusively teach them all and we'll cover all 12 of them. Say it's 396 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:19,213 when you put them all together that you say that's what makes Baptists 397 00:33:19,261 --> 00:33:22,125 distinct from other denominations. That's why I'm a Baptist. 398 00:33:22,157 --> 00:33:25,325 I'm Baptist, born Baptist bread. When I'm dead, I'll be Baptist, 399 00:33:25,357 --> 00:33:31,133 dead Baptist. I'm Baptist with a capital P. I don't like when churches 400 00:33:31,181 --> 00:33:35,039 put change their names number one and take Baptist off. But I also 401 00:33:35,079 --> 00:33:38,767 don't like it when they put their Baptist name down in little 402 00:33:38,823 --> 00:33:41,647 bitty letters at the bottom like you can't hardly see it. Like, 403 00:33:41,703 --> 00:33:44,783 I'm ashamed to be a Baptist. Well, preacher, you know, if you 404 00:33:44,791 --> 00:33:47,727 didn't have Baptist on the sign out front, there'd be some people, 405 00:33:47,863 --> 00:33:50,259 you know, who would come because they wouldn't be offended. 406 00:33:51,319 --> 00:33:57,791 I get that. And that's why we don't have King James 16:11, you 407 00:33:57,815 --> 00:34:03,231 know, out on our sign and some other things that to me doesn't need 408 00:34:03,255 --> 00:34:09,739 to be like the forefront or the focus, but Baptists, 50 million 409 00:34:11,079 --> 00:34:15,823 true believers giving their lives for the Baptist distinctives 410 00:34:15,871 --> 00:34:19,743 that we're going to be teaching. 50 million who were burned 411 00:34:19,791 --> 00:34:27,449 at the stake, torn asunder, boiled in oil, stretched out. I mean 412 00:34:27,489 --> 00:34:31,753 literally stretched apart. Go read the Fox's Book of Martyrs. It 413 00:34:31,761 --> 00:34:35,161 will light your fire. You'll be so like, why in the world did 414 00:34:35,185 --> 00:34:38,361 all that happen? Simply because they wanted to, you know, 415 00:34:38,385 --> 00:34:42,309 read the Bible in their own language and just on and on and on. 416 00:34:43,569 --> 00:34:47,481 I'm proud to be a Baptist and I believe over the next 12 weeks 417 00:34:47,505 --> 00:34:52,111 or so we'll show you. Hey, this is why we're Baptists and this 418 00:34:52,135 --> 00:34:55,919 is why it's important to keep the name Baptist on the sign out 419 00:34:55,959 --> 00:35:01,279 front and hold it dear, not worship it. Of course. And I've said, 420 00:35:01,319 --> 00:35:05,823 and I said, Sunday we get to heaven absolutely 100% there are 421 00:35:05,831 --> 00:35:08,287 going to be some Baptists who are really shocked because there's 422 00:35:08,303 --> 00:35:12,863 going to be other denominations up there. Again, salvation 423 00:35:12,911 --> 00:35:15,889 is not found in being a Baptist or Methodist or whatever. 424 00:35:16,039 --> 00:35:21,209 Found in Jesus Christ. Amen. But I am proud to be a Baptist and 425 00:35:22,229 --> 00:35:26,509 proud to carry on and to safeguard that body of truth which 426 00:35:26,549 --> 00:35:30,077 has been entrusted to us. The truths of the Bible are timeless. 427 00:35:30,253 --> 00:35:35,389 Our God is unchanging. The Word is incorruptible. And for us 428 00:35:35,429 --> 00:35:41,249 to drop any of it as non essential has eternal consequences. 429 00:35:42,639 --> 00:35:46,263 We need to keep the faith. We need to strive for the faith. We 430 00:35:46,271 --> 00:35:49,863 need to safeguard the faith. Let's all stand and we'll have verse 431 00:35:49,911 --> 00:35:52,079 invitation hymn 163 only trust him.