Examining Scripture: A Look at That Little Greek Word; IF. - Part 2

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Welcome to Examining Scripture. We seek to encourage
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believers in Jesus Christ to drink from the Word
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of Life. As God's revelation to mankind, we want
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to demystify the Bible and help you find what
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God has to say about the circumstances you're
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facing. We're not pastors or theologians. We're
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sinners just like you who, by the grace of God,
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have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. If
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we can thirst for Scripture, so can you. Hi,
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I'm your host, Bob Redd. along with co -host
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Anne Birt. Thank you for joining us in another
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episode of Examining Scripture. Morning, Anne.
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Good morning, Bob. How are you? I'm doing great.
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Bit of news that our son's wife is pregnant with
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child and middle four and a half. months or so.
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So she's well on her way. We just continue to
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pray for her healthy provision and a healthy
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baby to be delivered in the future. So, yeah,
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great, great for that. And how was your summer?
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It was good. It was a summer and I'm a little
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bit sad it's over, but fall is a wonderful season
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here and I'm looking forward to all the fun times
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that this next part of the year will bring. Yeah,
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we are here in fall and Buffalo is a wonderful
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place to be for the fall. It's a gorgeous time
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of year. We've been studying the word if and
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the word in the ancient Greek for if is actually
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two words. One is a and one is an. The word a
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is what we traditionally in the English language
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think of if as a conditional. So it's if this
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then that. The word an is more certain or more
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uncertain. right? In the same way a condition
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of if and that could be positive or negative,
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and could be certain or uncertain. So when we
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come across the word if, if we replace if with
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since, since is a word of certainty and not conditional.
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And it'll be very helpful if you come across
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the word if as you read scripture. to see is
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scripture using a conditional here, if this then
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that, or is the word English word if, should
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it really be read like since, S -I -N -C -E.
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And that's what we've been studying here in the
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earlier, the last podcast, and we're going to
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cover in this podcast. What's interesting is
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in the Greek, there are many words that are specific,
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whereas in our language there's only one word.
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Another example would be the word love, which
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is our word. Love has four different words in
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the ancient Greek. The first is Phyllo, which
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is from the root word of Philadelphia, which
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is a brotherly love. The second is Eros. which
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is a physical love. The third is Storge, which
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is a familial love, the kind of love we'd have
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for our brother, our sister, our sons and daughters.
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And then the most highest level, the most important
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love is Agape love, and that's an intimate love.
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It's the kind of love that God has in the Godhead,
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the God for the Son, the God, the Father for
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the Spirit. each to the other. And it's the same
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love we have, for example, between husband and
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wife. So that's an example where there's our
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one English word, love, and in Scripture it can
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have four different meanings. That's the kind
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of thing we're talking about today as it relates
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to that one word, if. And so last podcast we
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looked at several different scriptures where
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those two ifs were being used, one conditional
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and one with a certain probability. Let's look
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at a couple more examples in this podcast Anne
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to see if we can't make it a little clearer.
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And the other thing we stated before, and we've
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done it not only in the last podcast, but our
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podcasts series on therefore, is scripture is
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not meant necessarily to be read like a book,
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like we would any other form of literature. There
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are times, and it's most appropriate to say,
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maybe we have to stop and better understand what
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we just read. And we talked about that a bit,
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Anne, didn't we? What is the value of that when
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we're reading and going through scripture? Well,
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I would say that when we're reading scripture,
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there are parts of scripture that are written
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like a story, like a narrative. But there are
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other kinds of books, poetic books, history books,
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and other styles of writing where sometimes you
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can't just read from start to finish. You have
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to read and reread or go back or go forward and
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use the surrounding text to try to interpret
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and understand a particular verse that you're
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reading or that might not seem clear or that
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just makes you pause and wonder. When I'm reading
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for fun and I just have a fiction book from the
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library, I started page one and I go all the
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way to the end, but the Bible is a different
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kind of reading, different kind of studying.
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The whole purpose of our podcast is to help us
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be able to dive in and explore and study different
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passages in different ways just so that the Holy
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Spirit can speak to us and help us figure out
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what God wants us to understand from each passage.
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That's a wonderful way to put it. It really is
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true that We just sometimes need to stop and
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consider what we've read. And it's, I think,
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a measure of the fact that not only is the Bible
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very, very broad in what God has to say to us,
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but it's incredibly deep. And it's those times
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where we stop or we contemplate what we've read,
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or we try to go to other parts of Scripture to
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better understand what we've just read that helps
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to open up the depths of what Scripture says
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to us. So when we're talking about if, let's
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go to a place that I think is real easy to understand
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the conditional, and we'll find that in Deuteronomy
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chapter 28. And if you could read verse 2 of
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Deuteronomy 28, Anne, let's just look at that first.
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All these blessings will come upon you and accompany
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you if you obey the Lord your God. So it's pretty
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simple and straightforward, isn't it? It is.
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And even if you go back to verse one, if you
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fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow
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all his commands, I give you today the Lord your
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God will set you high above all the nations of
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the earth. And if you continue on with verses
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three to 14, he lists a lot of the other promises.
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You will be blessed in the city. The fruit of
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your womb will be blessed. Your enemies will
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be defeated before you. We'll bless your barns.
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We'll bless your lands. He shares many wonderful
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promises and things that will happen as a result
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of us or the children of Israel obeying his commands.
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And then you come along to verse 15 and how does
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that read? That verse says, however, if you do
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not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully
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follow all his commands and decrees I am giving
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you today, All these curses will come upon you
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and overtake you. And there's lots of verses
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that tell of all the bad things that will happen.
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Yeah, right. 16 through 68 through the rest of
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the chapter are just amplification of the bad
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things that will come upon the nation Israel,
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right? That's right. Well, it seems yeah, this
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seems like one of those spaces where it's a pretty
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straightforward conditional if statement, if
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this then that. Yeah, exactly. And the one thing
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I would say about this is what is the history
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of the nation Israel as it relates to their God?
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Well, from my understanding is that they start
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off obeying God and good things are happening
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and then they disobey and all sorts of bad stuff
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happens and then they come to their senses and
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they obey again. And they're just on this cycle
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of following the Lord and not following the Lord.
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I guess they didn't. The grandmas and grandpas
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didn't tell their kids enough of their history
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to keep them from making the same mistakes twice.
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Yeah. And so I think that in a nutshell captures
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what Moses, through the inspiration of the Holy
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Spirit, was writing here in Deuteronomy. Right?
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He spells out both the good condition and the
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bad condition. But what we could interpret here
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is, well, it's a one way street, meaning if I'm
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doing good, I'm going to do good. And if I'm
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not doing good, I'm going to do bad. And it's
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a choice that the Israelites had to make as the
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life of Moses was coming to a close. But in reality,
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what these two statements were, an affirmation
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of the condition of the behavior of Israel in
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its history each time they went along. And you're
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exactly right. We have so many times where Israel's
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history was just so focused and tied in to the
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Lord God Almighty. And then the next generation
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starts to slide, and the next generation starts
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to slide, and sooner or later they're not following
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the ways of their God, and bad things happen,
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and then there becomes a revival, and it becomes
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a cycle historically that we see in the Bible.
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And I think that's really important. Sometimes
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we might read an if statement in Scripture and
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say, well, it's going to be this way. And if
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you don't, it's going to be that way. But it's
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really that case, But it also is a pendulum in that it can
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swing back and forth that, yes, it can be negative
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as it has been in the history of Israel, yet
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God, His love continues to bring them back. And
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there's a revival and they have this this great
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desire to follow the Lord, their God. Right.
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It's true. Yeah, so when we read these if statements
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they are conditional for sure, but they're not
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absolute meaning Just because it's one way it
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doesn't necessarily have to always be that way
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and if it's if it's the other way it doesn't
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also also always have to be that way which really
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Helps us step into our next if statement reading.
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Let's turn to Romans chapter 10. You actually
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mentioned this in the last podcast, which is
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why I thought it was really brilliant to point
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to it. Anne, obviously, the if statement is contained
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in Romans 10, 9 and 10, but I also want us to
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look at it all the way through verse 17. All
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right. Romans 10, 9, that if you confess with
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your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in
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your heart that God raised him from the dead,
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you will be saved. For it is with your heart
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that you believe and are justified, and it is
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with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
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As the scripture says, anyone who trusted him
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will never be put to shame. For there is no difference
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between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord
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of all, and richly blesses all who call on him.
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For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
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will be saved. How then can they call on the
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one they have not believed in? And how can they
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believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
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And how can they hear without someone preaching
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to them? And how can they preach unless they
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are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are
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the feet of those who bring good news. But not
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all the Israelites accepted the good news. For
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Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?
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Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message
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and the message is heard through the word of
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Christ. Yeah, so let's back up to that if statement
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first off. So that's conditional? I believe it
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is. If you confess and believe, then you will
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be saved. This is a promise from God, who is
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the giver of the gift of salvation. Yeah, yeah,
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so that is really how we know as a believer,
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other believers. If we hear someone say, I believe
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in God, but they don't confess Jesus is Lord,
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they don't openly talk about the Lord, our Lord
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and Savior Jesus, there's a question mark there,
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right? The term we hear in the general public
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is, well, I'm spiritual. I believe in a God,
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right? And really what they're saying is, I believe
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in a God of my own making. It could be that they
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believe that they've heard of the Bible and they've
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been exposed and they believe that God exists,
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but they don't necessarily have a relationship
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with Jesus or think that they even have a need
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to have a personal relationship with Jesus because
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believing in God is enough and I'm a good person.
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Right. And so why the rest of what you read is
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so important is for those of us, well, it gives
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you the condition, right? And then in the very
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next verse, verse 10, it says for You know, with
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a heart a person believes leading to righteousness,
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right? We seek to be... When we hear the term
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in Scripture, leading to righteousness, the other
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way I like to think of it is leading to Christ
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-likeness. We can never be like Christ, but as
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true believers and followers of Jesus Christ,
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our desire, our heart, deep in our soul is to
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be more like Him, inasmuch as we can do so in
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this imperfect world, in these imperfect... bodies.
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But it also says, so believing leads to righteousness
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and to confess leads to salvation. And that's
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the key. If one is uncertain or incapable of
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associating themselves with the Lord, our Savior,
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Jesus Christ, then there's a question to be made.
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Why can't you profess that Jesus is your Lord.
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And you said it best, Anne, that they may not
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feel there's a need or they may not fully understand
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who Christ is and what he can bring to the innermost
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being of a person. The thing I like to say, I
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had a conversation with my sister-in-law about
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a month ago and her comment was, and she's not
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a believer, she said, well, I'm spiritual. And
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the problem I have is with religion. And isn't
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that the case? Her term for religion, I think,
00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.620
really was an honest term. She was really saying,
00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:33.039
the problem with religion is people. And the
00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:37.879
reason is because religion is man -made. In the
00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:41.500
sense, I think she meant it. She was very correct.
00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:44.779
And I said to her, I said, well, you know, the
00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:48.539
difference between religion And followers of
00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:52.600
Jesus Christ starts first and foremost at the
00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:55.879
innermost being, at the individual level. We
00:16:55.879 --> 00:17:00.080
who are followers of Jesus Christ first recognized
00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:04.180
our condition that we were sinners, that we might
00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.180
be good people, we might want to think we're
00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:08.400
good people, we might be bad people, it doesn't
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:10.839
matter. We're just human beings and we're all
00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:14.970
imperfect. When we became a follower of Jesus
00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:18.430
Christ, we first recognized we need a Savior.
00:17:18.849 --> 00:17:24.529
We need someone beyond ourselves, because in
00:17:24.529 --> 00:17:28.430
and of ourselves, we can't be holy enough to
00:17:28.430 --> 00:17:33.269
come before a holy and living God. And it's Jesus
00:17:33.269 --> 00:17:36.930
Christ. that does that for us, a recognition
00:17:36.930 --> 00:17:40.250
that we're sinners, that we have a need to repent,
00:17:40.390 --> 00:17:43.390
and that we have a great God who sent His Son
00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:47.089
on this earth to pay the penalty of our sin so
00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:50.690
that we could be in the eyes of the Almighty
00:17:50.690 --> 00:17:55.190
God, holy and righteous. And so I explained to
00:17:55.190 --> 00:17:57.549
her that the difference between religion and
00:17:57.549 --> 00:18:00.470
Christianity, or what I like to say is the difference
00:18:00.470 --> 00:18:04.190
between religion and believers of Jesus Christ
00:18:04.190 --> 00:18:07.230
as it starts at the individual level. Now, once
00:18:07.230 --> 00:18:10.549
we come to saving faith, we seek out and want
00:18:10.549 --> 00:18:14.829
to congregate with other believers. We want to
00:18:14.829 --> 00:18:18.730
do that because the second part of our new life,
00:18:18.829 --> 00:18:21.549
if you will, in Christ Jesus is we want to share
00:18:21.549 --> 00:18:24.309
that with other people, don't we? We ought to.
00:18:24.509 --> 00:18:27.089
Yes, we should be so excited that we can't help
00:18:27.089 --> 00:18:31.140
sharing about Jesus. That's right. And so what
00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:35.380
Paul writes in Romans from 11 through 17 is really,
00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:39.319
okay, having come to saving faith, we have a
00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:43.319
role. And the role is recognizing that in the
00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:47.839
same way that we came to saving faith, we have
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:53.059
a duty, if you will, to recognize that Others
00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:56.420
can't just simply decide to come to saving faith
00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:58.720
without hearing the good news of the gospel,
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:02.480
without hearing about the word of Christ, right?
00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:06.960
And what he did at the cross. And I think that,
00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:09.960
you know, when you go back to look more carefully
00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:14.359
at verse nine, it's not just believing, it's
00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:16.720
believing that God raised him from the dead,
00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:19.880
because that's the critical point too, right?
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.660
We talked about how Jesus came to save us. Well,
00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:24.920
how did he save us? He did that at the cross,
00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:27.779
but he didn't just die. Because if he had died
00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:29.619
and that was the end of the story, we'd be in
00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:32.240
trouble still. Right, Bob? He'd be like every
00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:35.200
other martyr that religions are based on, right?
00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.740
Right. So it's important that we believe that
00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:41.319
God raised him from the dead. And that's the
00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.480
difference. That's right. And there's other scriptures
00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:48.200
that we can look at that we'll explore that a
00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.839
little more. Yeah, let's go there. I think the
00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:54.920
best place to go is 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:59.779
and I'd like you to read. Is it one through 19?
00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:04.799
I believe I can do that. Now, brothers, I want
00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.480
to remind you of the gospel I preach to you,
00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:09.819
which you received and on which you have taken
00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:13.259
your stand by this gospel. You are saved if you
00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:16.420
hold firmly to the word I preach to you. Otherwise
00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:19.140
you have believed in vain. For what I received
00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:22.180
I passed on to you as of first importance, that
00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:25.380
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:29.160
that he was buried, that he was raised on the
00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:32.339
third day according to the scriptures, and that
00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:34.660
he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve.
00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:38.440
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred
00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:41.400
of the brothers at the same time, most of whom
00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:44.180
are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:48.420
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles
00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:52.099
and last of all he appeared to me also as to
00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:55.900
one abnormally born. For I am the least of the
00:20:55.900 --> 00:20:58.059
apostles and do not even deserve to be called
00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:00.940
an apostle because I persecuted the church of
00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:06.220
God. But by the grace of God I am what I am and
00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:10.259
his grace to me was not without effect. No, I
00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:13.740
worked harder than all of them, yet not I but
00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:17.240
the grace of God that was with me. Whether then
00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:21.079
it was I or they, this is what we preach, and
00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:25.000
this is what you believe. But if it is preached
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:27.880
that Christ has been raised from the dead, how
00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:30.400
can some of you say that there is no resurrection
00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.660
of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the
00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:37.019
dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And
00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:40.200
if Christ has not been raised, our preaching
00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:44.140
is useless, and so is your faith. More than that,
00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:46.819
We are then found to be false witnesses about
00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:49.779
God, for we have testified about God that he
00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:52.799
raised Christ from the dead, but he did not raise
00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:56.740
him if, in fact, the dead are not raised. For
00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:59.400
if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not
00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:01.779
been raised either. And if Christ has not been
00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:04.359
raised, your faith is futile, you are still in
00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:07.160
your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep
00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:10.819
in Christ are lost. If only for this life we
00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:13.750
have hope in Christ, we are to be pity more than
00:22:13.750 --> 00:22:20.529
all men. Wow. So if I was going to write a foundational
00:22:20.529 --> 00:22:24.970
piece of work to say, you need to believe in
00:22:24.970 --> 00:22:27.750
this religion, I'm not sure I would first start
00:22:27.750 --> 00:22:32.029
by refuting the whole thing of why it is that
00:22:32.029 --> 00:22:34.450
you should believe in this religion. And that's
00:22:34.450 --> 00:22:37.250
what Paul does. What are all those ifs about?
00:22:37.529 --> 00:22:43.849
How do you dissect and take all those ifs? I
00:22:43.849 --> 00:22:47.829
think, in my opinion, most of these ifs are conditional
00:22:47.829 --> 00:22:51.309
statements. But I think there's one, at least,
00:22:51.490 --> 00:22:54.190
that's a since. And I think that's the one in
00:22:54.190 --> 00:22:59.150
verse 12. At the beginning of chapter 15, he's
00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:02.329
saying, you know, we've preached that Jesus is
00:23:02.329 --> 00:23:04.109
raised from the dead, and this is what you're
00:23:04.109 --> 00:23:06.250
standing on, and it's what I'm standing on. This
00:23:06.250 --> 00:23:09.920
is why I believe that. There's no body, the tomb
00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:14.019
is empty, and all these people saw him after
00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:16.160
he was raised from the dead. And some of them
00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:17.819
are still alive, and if you want to go talk to
00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:19.559
them yourself, you can probably find them and
00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:24.559
ask them. But Paul is convinced that Jesus is
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:28.759
alive. That's right. He's saying in verse 12,
00:23:29.619 --> 00:23:31.759
but... If it's preached that Christ has been
00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:33.819
raised from the dead, how can you say there's
00:23:33.819 --> 00:23:36.839
no resurrection? Since Jesus is alive and that's
00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:38.640
what we're preaching and that's what you've heard,
00:23:38.980 --> 00:23:42.259
how can you not believe that there's no resurrection
00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:46.400
from the dead? I think that's the certainty of
00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.059
it for those of us who are Christians. That's
00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:52.660
right. One of the things that is difficult for
00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:57.319
people to understand about the resurrection is
00:23:57.319 --> 00:24:02.450
that Christ's is alive, that we worship a true
00:24:02.450 --> 00:24:08.009
and living God, right? Our God is eternal. He
00:24:08.009 --> 00:24:13.130
was, He is, and will always be. And that Godhead,
00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:16.630
because God is one, as we're taught in Scripture,
00:24:16.950 --> 00:24:20.990
is in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
00:24:21.130 --> 00:24:27.029
So as Paul is saying here, without the resurrection,
00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:33.339
God the Father could not have approved or accepted
00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:39.119
Christ's work on the cross as taking on our sin
00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:44.519
and imputing, big word, by putting on us His
00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:50.119
righteousness. And so when one looks at what
00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:53.740
the whole concept of God would be, oh, I believe
00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:57.859
in God. OK, good. God is everything we're not.
00:24:58.089 --> 00:25:03.829
right and God is holy God is just and Because
00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:08.130
we're not any of that and God cannot look on
00:25:08.130 --> 00:25:12.269
sin and therefore sinful man Then the only way
00:25:12.269 --> 00:25:15.049
in which we can come before a holy and living
00:25:15.049 --> 00:25:19.670
God Is to be righteous and the only way that
00:25:19.670 --> 00:25:24.630
we can be seen by God in that full clothing of
00:25:24.630 --> 00:25:29.480
righteousness if I put that metaphor is through
00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:34.500
the sin that Christ bore on the cross for our
00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:38.119
sin, both past, present, and future. Very hard
00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:42.980
concept to comprehend that, in fact, He bore
00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:47.319
sins and the sins He bore are the sins of those
00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:51.839
who come to Him, that come to saving faith in
00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:55.980
Him, and that are then given this righteousness
00:25:56.430 --> 00:25:59.369
that allows us to go before a holy and living
00:25:59.369 --> 00:26:02.309
God, an awesome God, and to be able to have a
00:26:02.309 --> 00:26:06.130
direct and absolute relationship with Him now
00:26:06.130 --> 00:26:09.609
and in the future. We talked a little bit about
00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:12.849
this idea of since in the earlier podcast, and
00:26:12.849 --> 00:26:15.710
I don't think we really have amplified it here
00:26:15.710 --> 00:26:20.009
yet until you just did. And that is for the readers
00:26:20.009 --> 00:26:23.470
of Scripture, yeah, if is generally conditional.
00:26:23.470 --> 00:26:25.869
It's pretty straightforward if this and that.
00:26:25.849 --> 00:26:29.470
positive or negative. Sometimes in Scripture
00:26:29.470 --> 00:26:35.190
where we see if, as Anne noted in verse 12, it's
00:26:35.190 --> 00:26:39.789
really not a condition. It's a statement of fact,
00:26:39.890 --> 00:26:44.789
or it's a statement of certainty. And it's exactly
00:26:44.789 --> 00:26:47.289
what Paul is saying here. He's saying because
00:26:47.289 --> 00:26:53.329
we believe in the resurrection that we know these
00:26:53.329 --> 00:26:58.819
things. It's important not just to speak Christ's
00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:01.559
name, it's not just enough to acknowledge Christ
00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:05.180
as our Lord and Savior, but it's equally important
00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:09.660
for us to understand that's half the story. The
00:27:09.660 --> 00:27:12.980
other story is that God accepted Christ's payment
00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:16.119
on our behalf, raised him from the dead. Could
00:27:16.119 --> 00:27:19.079
Christ have raised himself from the dead? Absolutely.
00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:24.119
But the Father needed to acknowledge the payment
00:27:24.119 --> 00:27:29.420
of our debt through Christ on our behalf. If
00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:32.720
you will, the example is like having you take
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:37.680
out a loan and you owe this money of debt to
00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:41.599
the bank, and you have a benefactor come and
00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:45.359
pay your debt, but that benefactor has to pay
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.880
the debt in exactly the kind of currency that
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:53.509
the bank loaned or it's not a paid debt. They
00:27:53.509 --> 00:27:56.329
couldn't pay in metal slugs. They would have
00:27:56.329 --> 00:27:58.789
to pay in the currency that they accept. But
00:27:58.789 --> 00:28:02.269
once the bank owner accepts the benefactor having
00:28:02.269 --> 00:28:05.890
paid your loan, the loan is canceled. And that
00:28:05.890 --> 00:28:10.329
is the concept of this important theological
00:28:10.329 --> 00:28:15.710
idea that Christ's work on the cross, so immeasurably
00:28:15.710 --> 00:28:20.819
important, so immeasurably full of grace, and
00:28:20.819 --> 00:28:24.980
the mercy of our great God and Father, accepting
00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:28.259
His penalty on our behalf through the resurrection.
00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:33.079
Yes. And Christ was the only one who could bear
00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:35.839
all of our sin because He had none of His own.
00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:41.079
He was the perfect sacrifice. And Paul reiterates
00:28:41.079 --> 00:28:44.660
with all these other if statements that if Christ
00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:48.019
hasn't, if He didn't come back from the dead,
00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.869
right, then it wouldn't have been an acceptable
00:28:50.869 --> 00:28:54.289
payment and we would still be in our sins and
00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:56.029
our faith would be futile and it would be useless
00:28:56.029 --> 00:28:58.730
to be preaching this. But we know that he was
00:28:58.730 --> 00:29:01.869
raised from the dead. A lot of people will also
00:29:01.869 --> 00:29:05.390
acknowledge that Jesus was a good teacher and
00:29:05.390 --> 00:29:08.509
he was a prophet and he did walk the earth, but
00:29:08.509 --> 00:29:11.670
unless you believe the part about he died from
00:29:11.670 --> 00:29:15.809
my sin and he was raised from the dead, then
00:29:15.809 --> 00:29:18.190
you're still missing out. right? You can believe
00:29:18.190 --> 00:29:19.829
in God and you can believe in Jesus, but you
00:29:19.829 --> 00:29:22.970
have to believe that He did it for you in order
00:29:22.970 --> 00:29:25.750
to be saved. Yeah, and we said that in the earlier
00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:29.589
podcast where we mentioned the demoniacs, right?
00:29:29.589 --> 00:29:31.750
And we mentioned the demons and we talked about
00:29:31.750 --> 00:29:36.730
how accurate and right the demon's theology is.
00:29:36.769 --> 00:29:40.029
After all, they were angels created in heaven
00:29:40.029 --> 00:29:43.170
and were thrown out of heaven because they wanted
00:29:43.170 --> 00:29:47.930
to follow Satan. Their theology is correct, but
00:29:47.930 --> 00:29:51.970
they're damned because their change of heart
00:29:51.970 --> 00:29:56.910
was to be like God, to follow Satan, who is the
00:29:56.910 --> 00:30:00.369
ultimate deceiver, who ultimately wanted to become
00:30:00.369 --> 00:30:04.710
like God. I like how you put that about how Christ
00:30:04.710 --> 00:30:08.190
was the perfect sacrifice all throughout the
00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:12.650
Old Testament. We have this image of sacrifice,
00:30:12.990 --> 00:30:18.529
sacrificial animals, doves, bulls, lambs, and
00:30:18.529 --> 00:30:21.289
so forth. And I like how the reader of Hebrews
00:30:21.289 --> 00:30:25.650
puts this in chapter 4, 12 through 16. It says,
00:30:25.890 --> 00:30:28.230
For the word of God is living and active and
00:30:28.230 --> 00:30:30.809
sharper than any two -edged sword, and piercing
00:30:30.809 --> 00:30:33.650
as far as the division of soul and spirit of
00:30:33.650 --> 00:30:36.410
both joints and marrow, and able to judge the
00:30:36.410 --> 00:30:38.650
thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there
00:30:38.650 --> 00:30:42.609
is no creature hidden from His sight, but all
00:30:42.609 --> 00:30:45.730
things are open and laid bare to the eyes of
00:30:45.730 --> 00:30:49.829
Him with whom we have to do. Therefore, since
00:30:49.829 --> 00:30:52.650
we have a great High Priest who has passed through
00:30:52.650 --> 00:30:56.250
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold
00:30:56.250 --> 00:30:59.349
fast our confession. For we do not have a High
00:30:59.349 --> 00:31:02.150
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
00:31:02.410 --> 00:31:05.730
but one who has been tempted in all things as
00:31:05.730 --> 00:31:10.329
we are. yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw
00:31:10.329 --> 00:31:13.250
near with confidence to the throne of grace so
00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:16.849
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help
00:31:16.849 --> 00:31:21.509
in times of need." I really love how the writer
00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:25.029
of Hebrews says, for we do not have a high priest
00:31:25.029 --> 00:31:27.869
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
00:31:27.869 --> 00:31:30.690
one who has been tempted in all things as we
00:31:30.690 --> 00:31:34.309
are yet without sin. Now, Anne, you mentioned
00:31:34.309 --> 00:31:38.329
this idea of the exclusivity that people are
00:31:38.329 --> 00:31:41.410
uncomfortable with. Let's point, let's go to
00:31:41.410 --> 00:31:44.789
John chapter 14. I think it really highlights
00:31:44.789 --> 00:31:48.970
that point and probably two really important
00:31:48.970 --> 00:31:52.609
things that we can draw out of John 14. Let's
00:31:52.609 --> 00:31:56.990
read, I believe it's verse one through seven.
00:31:57.410 --> 00:32:00.369
All right. Do not let your hearts be troubled.
00:32:00.730 --> 00:32:04.589
Trust in God. Trust also in me. In my father's
00:32:04.589 --> 00:32:08.150
house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would
00:32:08.150 --> 00:32:11.630
have told you. I am going there to prepare a
00:32:11.630 --> 00:32:15.029
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
00:32:15.029 --> 00:32:18.430
for you, I will come back and take you to be
00:32:18.430 --> 00:32:21.750
with me, that you also may be where I am. You
00:32:21.750 --> 00:32:24.930
know the way to the place where I'm going. Thomas
00:32:24.930 --> 00:32:27.230
said to him, Lord, we don't know where you're
00:32:27.230 --> 00:32:30.049
going, so how can we know the way? Jesus answered,
00:32:30.450 --> 00:32:34.440
I am the way. and the truth and the life, no
00:32:34.440 --> 00:32:37.880
one comes to the Father except through me. If
00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:40.279
you really knew me, you would know my Father
00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:44.039
as well. From now on, you do know him, and you
00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:47.559
have seen him. So there are three if statements
00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:52.039
there. Can you break it down for us? So our first
00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:55.980
if is in verse two. If it were not so, I would
00:32:55.980 --> 00:32:58.880
have told you. So I think this is a conditional
00:32:58.880 --> 00:33:01.700
one. Jesus is telling us, There's many rooms
00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.740
in his father's house, and if that weren't the
00:33:04.740 --> 00:33:07.299
case, I wouldn't be saying it, right? He's not
00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:10.220
going to tell us stories. Jesus is telling us
00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:12.920
the truth. And what are these rooms? Who are
00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:16.819
these rooms for? These rooms are for the people
00:33:16.819 --> 00:33:19.740
that have believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior
00:33:19.740 --> 00:33:23.539
and Lord. Amen. The people that believe the Romans
00:33:23.539 --> 00:33:26.380
verse,, Romans 10, 9, and 10. And then he says
00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:29.680
in verse 3, And if I go and prepare a place for
00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.470
you, I will come back and take you to be with
00:33:32.470 --> 00:33:36.630
me. But I think that's one of those since -ifs,
00:33:36.970 --> 00:33:41.089
Bob. We know that Jesus did go to heaven, and
00:33:41.089 --> 00:33:43.470
we believe that he's coming back. Since I'm going
00:33:43.470 --> 00:33:46.730
there to prepare a place for you, I'm going to
00:33:46.730 --> 00:33:49.809
come back and take you to be with me. So that's
00:33:49.809 --> 00:33:52.849
not conditional then, is it? No, that's not.
00:33:52.930 --> 00:33:55.910
That's a promise that Jesus made to us. It's
00:33:55.910 --> 00:33:59.869
a promise. Yeah, yeah. And then... Where's the
00:33:59.869 --> 00:34:07.289
last one? Verse seven. So, when Jesus says, you
00:34:07.289 --> 00:34:09.170
know the way to the place where I'm going, now
00:34:09.170 --> 00:34:12.510
the disciples are confused again. But Jesus has
00:34:12.510 --> 00:34:16.849
to explain that Jesus says, I am the way, the
00:34:16.849 --> 00:34:18.630
truth, and the life, and no one comes to the
00:34:18.630 --> 00:34:25.989
Father except through me. And Jesus says, I think
00:34:25.989 --> 00:34:28.590
can sort of be interpreted as a conditional statement,
00:34:29.030 --> 00:34:32.070
but I think he's like saying to the disciples,
00:34:32.150 --> 00:34:35.210
you know better. Like, if you know me, I'm the
00:34:35.210 --> 00:34:38.250
father. I've told you that I'm the father are
00:34:38.250 --> 00:34:42.210
one. And so when you see me, you see God. So
00:34:42.210 --> 00:34:45.449
from now on, stop questioning whether you know
00:34:45.449 --> 00:34:48.969
God or not, because you do, because I've shown
00:34:48.969 --> 00:34:53.590
him to you. I am the revelation of God to you.
00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:59.800
Yeah, I think that is so on point. Keep in mind
00:34:59.800 --> 00:35:01.960
the setting, and this is back to what Anne and
00:35:01.960 --> 00:35:05.739
I also want to continue to remind you, the listener,
00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:08.500
as you're reading Scripture, it's important to
00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:14.179
know where you are in the context, not only locality,
00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:17.780
but where you are in the timing of things. And
00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:22.400
here in John chapter 14, we're at the table.
00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:29.239
We are in the upper room. This is the night that
00:35:29.239 --> 00:35:33.519
Christ is going to be betrayed. All things are
00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:36.340
being revealed and have been revealed to the
00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:39.659
disciples, three -year journey with them. And
00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:43.880
he's really saying, you've been with me this
00:35:43.880 --> 00:35:46.760
long and you've seen the Father. And we won't
00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:51.380
read it, but it's kind of once again shows the
00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:55.159
the fact that sometimes disciples don't get it.
00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:58.480
And we see the humanness of them, because just
00:35:58.480 --> 00:36:02.820
after that, Philip says, well, Lord, show us
00:36:02.820 --> 00:36:08.039
the Father. And Jesus is saying, Philip, have
00:36:08.039 --> 00:36:11.679
I been with you so long that you don't understand?
00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.679
after all that I've taught, all that I've showed
00:36:14.679 --> 00:36:17.760
you, all that I've done, that I and the Father
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:22.139
are one. And we even see it in the humanity of
00:36:22.139 --> 00:36:26.099
Peter who confesses, I'll never leave you. All
00:36:26.099 --> 00:36:28.559
the others will fall away, Lord, but not me.
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.059
And then he ends up denying Christ three times.
00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:38.300
So it again exemplifies the fragile humanity.
00:36:39.159 --> 00:36:44.119
of the disciples and how even in all of this
00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:48.599
Jesus continues to teach and preach to them and
00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:53.280
show them that they are His appointed ones and
00:36:53.280 --> 00:36:55.960
that they will carry His message throughout the
00:36:55.960 --> 00:36:59.360
rest of the world as has happened for the last
00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:04.360
2 000 years as we are here Anne sharing the scripture
00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:08.360
with others that are listening to this podcast.
00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:11.880
And I think it's really important to understand
00:37:11.880 --> 00:37:15.119
when we talked about this exclusivity that in
00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:20.920
John chapter 14 verse 6 is perhaps the most exclusive
00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:24.000
sentence in all of scripture that makes those
00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:28.019
who are not followers of Jesus Christ so uncomfortable.
00:37:29.179 --> 00:37:32.579
It is. It does make people uncomfortable. But
00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:35.519
if that's something that a person is struggling
00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:39.340
with, they only need to ask the Lord to really
00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:42.420
make it clear and and to help them understand
00:37:42.420 --> 00:37:46.139
what the truth is and and we've talked many times
00:37:46.139 --> 00:37:48.039
about that verse of Peter about God doesn't want
00:37:48.039 --> 00:37:51.920
anyone to perish and so a genuinely seeking heart
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:54.219
a person that draws close to the Lord and is
00:37:54.219 --> 00:37:57.320
really seeking him out God will help them understand
00:37:57.320 --> 00:38:02.780
that this verse is not meant to disturb or exclude
00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:05.949
it's just meant to give us hope that Jesus is
00:38:05.949 --> 00:38:08.969
the way and we can know him and we can have a
00:38:08.969 --> 00:38:11.210
relationship with him and we can be certain of
00:38:11.210 --> 00:38:14.510
our salvation because of what he did, because
00:38:14.510 --> 00:38:16.489
of who he is, because of what he tells us in
00:38:16.489 --> 00:38:21.550
the Bible. And if God has a way and it's the
00:38:21.550 --> 00:38:25.250
only way, how selfish of those who understand
00:38:25.250 --> 00:38:28.889
that not to share it. And that we should also
00:38:28.889 --> 00:38:32.030
be thankful that there is a way because we don't
00:38:32.030 --> 00:38:36.489
deserve it at all. Amen to that. Anne this has
00:38:36.489 --> 00:38:40.070
been a great study. We hope that this has been
00:38:40.070 --> 00:38:44.869
helpful for many of you who maybe are going into
00:38:44.869 --> 00:38:48.090
Scripture and get a bit perplexed at all these
00:38:48.090 --> 00:38:51.190
if statements and trying to make sense of it.
00:38:51.349 --> 00:38:55.730
Will you take us out in prayer? Absolutely. Father,
00:38:55.750 --> 00:38:58.110
thank you so much for this time where we could
00:38:58.110 --> 00:39:00.829
dive into your Word. and explore a little bit
00:39:00.829 --> 00:39:03.070
more, and try to understand a little bit better
00:39:03.070 --> 00:39:07.050
the truth that you have for us. Lord, we want
00:39:07.050 --> 00:39:09.650
to know you more. We want to learn who you are
00:39:09.650 --> 00:39:11.769
through the scriptures. And so we pray that as
00:39:11.769 --> 00:39:13.809
we read it, you would send your Holy Spirit to
00:39:13.809 --> 00:39:19.190
be our teacher. Lord, John 14, verse one is a
00:39:19.190 --> 00:39:22.309
good reminder for all of us to not let our hearts
00:39:22.309 --> 00:39:24.989
be troubled. There are so many things happening
00:39:24.989 --> 00:39:27.750
in the world that are troubling. There are things
00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:31.059
happening in our country. and our state, and
00:39:31.059 --> 00:39:34.239
our own families. Lord, there are hard things
00:39:34.239 --> 00:39:36.320
in each one of our lives that we wrestle with
00:39:36.320 --> 00:39:38.820
and we wonder about. We question, how can you
00:39:38.820 --> 00:39:41.340
let these things be happening? But you tell us
00:39:41.340 --> 00:39:45.119
to trust in you. Tell us to trust in Jesus. We
00:39:45.119 --> 00:39:47.699
want to do that. We know that you are sovereign,
00:39:47.780 --> 00:39:51.659
that you are in control, and that once we know
00:39:51.659 --> 00:39:53.480
you and have a relationship with you, that you
00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:56.480
can give us peace through all these troubling
00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:59.650
times. And we thank you for that, Lord. We thank
00:39:59.650 --> 00:40:02.570
you for your peace and your grace, your mercy
00:40:02.570 --> 00:40:04.590
and your love. And we pray that you would give
00:40:04.590 --> 00:40:07.789
us courage to share that love and that good news
00:40:07.789 --> 00:40:11.210
of Jesus with other people. In Jesus' name we
00:40:11.210 --> 00:40:16.030
pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Anne. My pleasure,
00:40:16.190 --> 00:40:21.400
Bob. Well, there you have it. We've enjoyed our
00:40:21.400 --> 00:40:24.039
conversation today and hope that you feel more
00:40:24.039 --> 00:40:27.019
equipped to examine scripture to find what God
00:40:27.019 --> 00:40:29.519
has to say about the important circumstances
00:40:29.519 --> 00:40:33.719
you're facing in your life. Until next time,
00:40:34.219 --> 00:40:36.960
examine the scripture, drink from the word of
00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:39.320
life, and let the Bible feed your spirit.