The Lord Arrested Saul on the Road to Damascus, Blinded Him with Light from Heaven, and Called Him by Name. He Took the Chief of Sinners and Made Him a Chosen Vessel to Bear His Name Before Kings and Gentiles. He Revealed Through Paul the Mysteries of the Church: That Jew and Gentile Are One Body in Christ, That Christ Now Lives Inside Every Believer, and That the Church Will Be Caught Up to Meet the Lord at His Coming. The Lord Used Paul to Write the Doctrine That Grounds the Church in Truth.
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00:00All right, well, if you have your Bible, turn to the book of Matthew, chapter 4, Matthew, chapter 4, verse number 23, Matthew, the publican, first book of the New Testament, Matthew, chapter 4, and verse number 23.
00:30The scripture says,
01:00And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee and from Decapolis and from Jerusalem and from Judea and from beyond Jordan.
01:12Father, bless your word now in your holy name. Amen.
01:15What I'm going to do is take you just a little bit of history now to set in context what I'll be bringing you to.
01:23What you just read here is the beginning or the opening of the New Testament narrative, and it starts with Matthew, and it starts with the offering of the kingdom.
01:31The offering of the kingdom was given to the Jews, the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
01:35It was never given to the Gentiles, but given to the Jews.
01:38The Jews rejected it.
01:40And when they rejected the kingdom, here's what happened to them.
01:44Matthew, chapter 13, and verse number 3.
01:48Now, I know I'll be moving quickly, but this is to kind of give you a panoramic view.
01:52Sometimes a panoramic view is good to give you a broad perspective, and then you can begin to put the pieces together.
02:00Matthew, chapter 13, verse number 3.
02:03He spake many things unto them in, now watch this, parables, saying,
02:09Behold, a sower went forth to sow.
02:12Now, go on down with me to verse number 11.
02:16He answered and said unto them.
02:19They had questioned.
02:21They had questioned him in verse 10.
02:23Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
02:26Why use something of that nature?
02:29His answer,
02:31Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
02:35but to them it is not given.
02:38Which, of course, should start you thinking,
02:40because obviously the Almighty intends to reveal certain things to certain people,
02:46but hide it from others.
02:48Now, it didn't start that way.
02:49It started with the offering of the kingdom.
02:51They rejected it.
02:52So it went into what's called a parabolic state.
02:55You've heard messages on the parables time and time and time again.
02:59And they're all fine, well and good.
03:01But the purpose of the parable was to blind the Jewish people
03:05to the purpose of God and the kingdom of heaven for that time.
03:10And to move it forward.
03:12When we get into the book of Acts,
03:14we find the second offer of the kingdom.
03:17And we find the second offer of the kingdom
03:19when the apostle Peter got up and preached in Acts chapter number 2.
03:23And he talked about you men of Galilee,
03:26you men of Israel.
03:27He offered the kingdom to them the second time.
03:30And all the way up into the seventh chapter of the book of Acts,
03:33it's all Israel.
03:36It's all about Israel.
03:37This is not to say that Gentiles were not saved.
03:41Absolutely, anyone could be saved.
03:42But the force, the vision, the movement of the gospel and the kingdom
03:48and the word of God was to the Jewish people.
03:51But they rejected the Son of God and they rejected Him the second time.
03:57And because they rejected Him the second time,
03:59we find the Lord turning then to Saul of Tarsus.
04:04Now, to this very day,
04:06if you try to witness to a Jew about the Lord Jesus Christ,
04:10he will not run to the Bible, to the Tanakh,
04:14which is his Old Testament.
04:15He will run to the Talmud.
04:17And in the Talmud, the Lord Jesus Christ is demonized.
04:21And a lot of times in coded fashion.
04:24And He's demonized throughout the Talmud.
04:28And this has been their source for 2,000 years
04:30to reject the Son of God.
04:33Not based on Scripture.
04:35Not at all.
04:37You'll hardly ever find one that will debate with you about the Bible.
04:42It's always what the Talmud has to say.
04:44But in any event, they rejected Him the second time.
04:48And then when they rejected Him the second time,
04:50we are introduced to Saul of Tarsus.
04:54All right?
04:54Now, Saul of Tarsus is a Pharisee.
04:57He's a Jew.
04:58He's a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he said of himself.
05:00He was well-educated, set at the feet of Gamaliel.
05:04He knew his Bible.
05:05He knew the Jewish religion.
05:06He said he profited in the Jews' religion above all of his equals.
05:10He knew exactly who he was,
05:11what he believed, and what he was doing.
05:13There was a vast difference between him and the Apostle Peter.
05:17The Apostle Peter was a fisherman.
05:18And he did not have the education that Paul had.
05:21But God had a ministry for Peter,
05:23as He had one for Paul.
05:25As He has for all of us.
05:27Every last one of us in this house today
05:29have a calling from God.
05:31There's a reason for you being here.
05:32God has a purpose in your life.
05:34You're not a mistake.
05:36I'm sure the world would have you believe that.
05:38But you're not.
05:38You're no mistake.
05:39God makes no mistakes.
05:40You're here today because God Almighty
05:42would have you be here.
05:44But what does this man do?
05:46What does Saul of Tarsus do?
05:48Well, he sets about to destroy the Christian religion.
05:51He takes it upon himself
05:52to literally wipe it from the face of the earth.
05:54Now, you need to know that.
05:55Most of you already do know that.
05:58But the man who wrote
05:5913 books of the New Testament,
06:02the man who wrote this New Testament
06:04you hold in your hand,
06:06was a despiser of the Lord Jesus Christ.
06:08He hated him
06:10in every possible way that he could.
06:13And the scripture says
06:14that he would go into the houses
06:15and he used the word hailing,
06:18H-I-L-I-N-G,
06:20literally to take hold of them
06:22by the hair of the head
06:24or some other fashion
06:26and drag them out of the house
06:29and drag them off
06:30to be locked up
06:32and to be persecuted
06:33and many times to be stoned to death.
06:36This is what this man did.
06:37He was a persecutor of Christians.
06:39I'll come back to that in a moment.
06:41But he had an encounter with God.
06:43On the road to Damascus,
06:45he had letters from the synagogue,
06:46from the high priest and the Jews,
06:48people of authority,
06:49to take any that he found in that way.
06:52That's what they called them
06:53before they were called Christians at Antioch.
06:55To take any found in that way
06:57and to bring them back to Jerusalem.
07:00Now, imagine this.
07:01Imagine going off to Syria.
07:03Imagine going off to a foreign country
07:06and dragging people back to Jerusalem
07:09to be persecuted
07:10and many times stoned to death.
07:12And this is exactly what he was doing.
07:14This man was a killer.
07:16This man had blood on his hands.
07:17And you could even possibly say
07:19that he was a murderer.
07:21Now, think about this man.
07:22Here's a man who hated the Lord Jesus Christ
07:25with a passion.
07:26And he hated the people
07:29who were his believers,
07:31who believed in him.
07:32And they were called of that way.
07:34And so the scripture says
07:35that he was on the road to Damascus.
07:38But it was time for God to intervene,
07:41as he always does.
07:43He intervened.
07:45God had other plans for Saul of Tarsus.
07:48Saul of Tarsus has set about on his agenda,
07:52but he was, that day when he got up that morning,
07:54had no idea that what was about to happen to him that day
07:57had never happened to him before in his life.
08:00He was about to come face to face with God.
08:02And he was kind of,
08:03he's about to come face to face
08:05with a resurrected God,
08:06with a resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.
08:09Amen.
08:10And my dear friends,
08:11you don't want to play with him.
08:12If that resurrected Lord Jesus Christ
08:15shows up in your life,
08:16he's not joking.
08:17He's got a reason for being there.
08:19Yes, he does.
08:20And he did with Saul of Tarsus.
08:22And he said to him,
08:23Saul, why persecutest thou me?
08:27And of course, meekly, Saul said,
08:30who are you?
08:31To paraphrase it,
08:33to put it in today's,
08:34who am I talking to?
08:35He said, I'm Jesus,
08:37whom thou persecutest.
08:39It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
08:43Saul of Tarsus,
08:44this is Jesus.
08:46Uh-oh.
08:48Uh-oh.
08:49I've been wrong,
08:51haven't I?
08:52Yeah, you've been going down the wrong road, Saul.
08:54Yeah, I've been going 180 degrees
08:57in the opposite direction,
08:58haven't I?
08:59Yes, you have.
09:00You're in the wrong road, Saul.
09:02I know you mean well.
09:03I know you're dedicated to it.
09:05I know your life is absolutely given to it.
09:08But you're wrong.
09:10You're wrong.
09:12You're wrong.
09:14And he blinded him.
09:15And of course, the story goes,
09:16he went in Damascus
09:17and found one Ananias
09:18and he had scales on his eyes.
09:20And Ananias said,
09:21now Lord, you know good and well
09:22this man's in a pose.
09:23He's a destroyer of the church.
09:26You want me to go up and pray for him?
09:29And the Lord said,
09:31I'll take care of it.
09:32Don't worry about it.
09:33And he did, of course.
09:34And he baptized him.
09:35The scales fell from his eyes.
09:37He said to Ananias,
09:38he's a chosen vessel unto me
09:40to bear my name to the Gentiles.
09:42And so he was.
09:44And so this man,
09:45this man who was a despiser
09:48and hater of Christianity
09:50began to write scripture.
09:53He was a missionary.
09:54He made three missionary journeys.
09:56Three of them.
09:57He went out in established churches.
09:59He says in the book of Romans,
10:00he said,
10:01I did not go and build
10:02on another man's foundation.
10:05No, he said,
10:05I would never do that.
10:06I would not go into a church
10:08and drag a bunch of people
10:10out of that church
10:10and start another church.
10:12I wouldn't do that.
10:13That's ungodly.
10:14I would not go build
10:16on a missionary's work
10:17and try to drive
10:18that missionary from his work.
10:19If God has established
10:21that missionary,
10:22I would never do that.
10:24The apostle Paul said,
10:25no, I will only go
10:26where God's word,
10:29Christ has never been preached before.
10:31And that's where he went.
10:32And God blessed him
10:33when he did that.
10:34Amen.
10:35Isn't that a wonderful thing?
10:37And he wrote scripture.
10:38The apostle Paul wrote
10:39the book of Romans.
10:40The book of Romans
10:41is the just shall live by faith.
10:43Starting with the fall of man,
10:44the rejection of the gospel of Christ.
10:46He wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians.
10:48It has to do with the problems.
10:50Corinthians,
10:51the church at Corinth
10:51was one of the most corrupt churches
10:53in the New Testament.
10:54Amen.
10:55If you want to feel good,
10:56compare your church to Corinth.
10:58That's all you got to do.
11:00He wrote the book of Galatians.
11:01Galatians,
11:02he presents to us
11:04the seed of Abraham.
11:05He wrote the book of Ephesians.
11:08He lifts us off of the earth
11:10into heaven
11:10and shows us the great purpose
11:12and eternal purpose
11:14of Almighty God.
11:15He wrote the book of Philippians.
11:17The book of Philippians
11:18has to do with Christ himself
11:21taking upon himself
11:22humility and human flesh
11:24and coming down
11:24to dwell among us.
11:26But then he wrote
11:26the book of Colossians
11:27which exalts the Lord Jesus Christ
11:29and lifts him up
11:30as the very creator
11:31and the reason
11:32for the existence
11:33of everything.
11:34He wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians
11:36that has to do
11:37with the second coming
11:38of the Lord Jesus Christ.
11:391 and 2 Timothy
11:40that has to do
11:41with the structure
11:42and the calling
11:43of the New Testament church
11:44and the officers
11:45in that church.
11:46And the book of Titus
11:47essentially reiterates
11:48the same thing.
11:49The book of Philemon
11:50has to do
11:51with a runaway slave
11:52named Onesimus
11:53and how he was to be treated.
11:55And then the apostle Paul
11:56probably wrote
11:57the book of Hebrews.
11:59And the book of Hebrews
12:00is my friend,
12:01it gets into the doctrine
12:03of the eternal purpose
12:04of God
12:05and the manifestation
12:06of God in flesh
12:07and the Melchizedekan priesthood
12:09and how that God
12:10has a purpose
12:11in his son
12:12coming into this world
12:13and none of these things
12:15are happening to us
12:15by chance
12:16that the almighty
12:17is going to do
12:18exactly what he intends
12:19to do
12:19and I'm glad
12:20for the fact
12:21that it says
12:21in Hebrews chapter number 12
12:23those I love
12:24I chasten
12:25and scourge
12:26every son
12:27that I receive.
12:28So the apostle Paul
12:29gave us the mysteries.
12:31Now the mysteries
12:32have to do
12:32with something
12:33that you don't know
12:34unless God reveals
12:35them to you.
12:36Clarence Larkin
12:37over a hundred years ago
12:38listed the mysteries
12:39and he does a good job
12:41of it.
12:41He talks about
12:42the mystery
12:42of the incarnation.
12:44The apostle Paul
12:45had that revealed to him.
12:46What's that?
12:47This is God
12:48becoming flesh
12:49and dwelling among us.
12:50There's no Old Testament
12:51doctrine.
12:52No Jew believed that.
12:53There's not a Jew
12:54in the Old Testament
12:55that had any idea
12:55what you're talking about.
12:57Hear your Israel
12:57he says in Deuteronomy 6
12:59verse number 4.
13:00The Lord your God
13:01is one Lord.
13:02What do you mean
13:03God becomes flesh?
13:04This is the problem
13:05with the Muslim today.
13:06The Muslim believes
13:07that Jesus Christ
13:08is a prophet
13:09that marries his mother.
13:10They believe
13:11a lot of great things
13:12about the Lord Jesus
13:13but they do not believe
13:15that he's the son of God.
13:18God has no son
13:19according to the Muslim
13:20but this is the mystery
13:21of the incarnation.
13:23The mystery
13:23of the divine indwelling.
13:25This is Christ in you.
13:26What is this?
13:27This is the new birth.
13:29When you are born
13:30of the spirit
13:31of the living God.
13:32And this is a mystery indeed.
13:35For the scripture says
13:36he's seated
13:36at the right hand
13:37of the father
13:37but he's also in you.
13:38How's this happen?
13:40He's there
13:40and he's here too.
13:42You've got to keep in mind
13:43he's there
13:44but he's here too.
13:45Yes sir
13:46if any man have not
13:46the spirit of Christ
13:47he's none of his.
13:49Christ in you
13:50the hope of glory.
13:51Yet he's at the right hand
13:53of the father.
13:54This is one of those
13:54great truths
13:55of the New Testament
13:56that aren't easy
13:57to grasp
13:57but I believe them.
13:59I believe there will be
14:00a lot to reveal to us
14:01when that day comes
14:02and we see him
14:03face to face.
14:04The mystery of the union
14:05of the Jews and Gentiles
14:07in one body
14:08called the church.
14:09Today that doesn't mean
14:10much to us
14:11but 2,000 years ago
14:12imagine the hatred
14:13that Saul of Tarsus
14:14had for Gentiles.
14:16Imagine.
14:17Imagine the hatred
14:18he had for the Jews
14:20that were believers.
14:22You remember
14:22what Peter said
14:23when the Lord said
14:24I want you to go
14:24to the house
14:25of Cornelius?
14:26Not so Lord.
14:27Not so.
14:29Not so.
14:29A Gentile was a dog.
14:32He was a goyene.
14:33And to this day
14:34they refer to Gentiles
14:36as goyene.
14:37No way.
14:38Who are you kidding?
14:39Well this goes against
14:40everything that you teach
14:41in the Old Testament.
14:42So what do we have here?
14:43And the apostle Paul
14:44comes out with this mystery
14:46and says Jew
14:47and Gentile
14:48in one body.
14:49And that's exactly
14:50who we are.
14:51You don't have
14:51a Jewish church
14:52and a Gentile church.
14:54You don't have that folks.
14:56You're getting out
14:57of the scripture.
14:58When you start
14:59into this Hebrew roots business
15:00and you try to drag stuff in
15:03and add anything
15:04to the finished work
15:05of the Lord Jesus Christ
15:06you are making a mistake.
15:09Now you may
15:09you may have
15:10great faith in the Lord.
15:12You may love the Lord.
15:13I'm not questioning
15:14your motives.
15:15But I'm telling you this.
15:16The Lord Jesus Christ
15:17plus nothing.
15:20Plus nothing.
15:21You don't need
15:22any Sabbath days.
15:23You don't need
15:24any feast days.
15:25You don't need
15:26any commandments.
15:27You need nothing.
15:28The Lord Jesus Christ
15:29and Him alone
15:30will satisfy
15:31the righteousness
15:32the justice
15:33the propitiation
15:34the salvation
15:35the peace
15:36the grace of God.
15:38It is all
15:38in one band.
15:40Son of God.
15:41Amen.
15:42Amen.
15:42Amen.
15:42Amen.
15:43Amen.
15:43Amen.
15:44Then he talks about
15:45the mystery
15:46of the translation
15:47of the living saints
15:48as Brother Larkin
15:49puts it.
15:50What is that?
15:50That is the rapture
15:52of the church of God.
15:53That's a mystery.
15:54You see that
15:55anyone think about
15:55a rapture in the Old Testament?
15:57The fact of the matter is
15:58when you study Sheol
16:00which is the Hebrew word
16:02for grave
16:03or
16:04state of the
16:06unseen state
16:07of the dead
16:07or
16:08departed place
16:09of the souls
16:10of the saints
16:10you get into the idea
16:12well it's a darkened place
16:14it's not something
16:14we know a whole lot about
16:16and that's exactly right.
16:17You don't.
16:18The Old Testament
16:19doctrine of Sheol
16:20is clouded in mystery
16:21but the Bible says
16:22that the Lord Jesus Christ
16:24has brought these things
16:24to light.
16:26When he arose
16:26from the dead
16:27he led captivity captive.
16:28He emptied that place
16:30and carried them up
16:30into the presence of God.
16:32Now to be absent
16:33from the body
16:33is to be present
16:34with the Lord.
16:35Hallelujah to God.
16:36Thank God for that.
16:37Absent and present.
16:39Well preacher
16:39my loved one's
16:40buried out here
16:41in the graveyard.
16:43No they're not.
16:44Even if they're ungodly
16:46they're not out there.
16:47No there's nothing
16:49out there folks
16:50that the only thing
16:51out there in the graveyard
16:52and I want to be
16:53as kind and gracious
16:55as I know how to be
16:56because I've got
16:57many loved ones
16:57that have passed on too.
16:59The only thing
16:59buried in the graveyard
17:00is that which came
17:01from the dust
17:02and returns to the dust.
17:04From dust thou art
17:05and into dust
17:06thou shalt return.
17:07Nobody is in that graveyard.
17:09Now there's an awful lot
17:10of spirit stuff
17:11that goes on around there.
17:12You can make
17:13no mistake about that.
17:15Anything that has to do
17:16with this nether state
17:18between life and death
17:19where you talk
17:20to the departed saints
17:21the unfamiliar
17:22spirits that talks
17:24about them
17:24and stuff like that.
17:26Oh yeah
17:26we've got an issue
17:27going on with that.
17:28But my dear friend
17:29when it comes to the Bible
17:30to be absent
17:31from the body
17:31is to be present
17:32with the Lord.
17:33The moment you leave
17:34this body
17:35you're with the Lord.
17:36Your mama going on
17:37to be with the Lord
17:38you're holding her hand
17:38when she left here
17:39and you kissed her goodbye
17:40she's with the Lord Jesus now.
17:43You hear this sister
17:44talking about her little boy
17:45that passed away
17:45a few months back
17:46he's with the Lord.
17:48And what about her daddy?
17:49I was there for both of them.
17:50He's with the Lord.
17:51I've been here a long time.
17:53I've been to the graveside
17:54many times folks
17:55in 48 years
17:56and they're with the Lord.
17:57That's where they are
17:58if they're born again.
17:59Isn't that wonderful?
18:00When you walk away
18:01from the graveside
18:02and you've got a casket out here
18:05and you've got a funeral
18:06and you think to yourself
18:07my this is the last time
18:08I'm going to see them.
18:09The last time you saw them
18:10is when you looked
18:11into their eyes.
18:14That's the last time
18:16you saw them.
18:17You looked into their eyes
18:18and they looked into your eyes
18:20or they responded
18:21and you spoke to them.
18:23That's that person
18:24living inside
18:25that empty shell
18:26today.
18:28They're gone.
18:30And if you want to be
18:31if you want to do something
18:32for your mother
18:33next Sunday
18:35would be a good time
18:36to do it.
18:38If you're having
18:40if you're having
18:41if you're having
18:42problems in your family
18:44don't let a day go by
18:46that you don't get it settled
18:47because you do not know
18:49what a day may bring forth.
18:51You may not have
18:52your mother next Sunday.
18:53My mother's been gone
18:54since 1980.
18:55You may not have
18:56your mother next Sunday.
18:58And if you need
18:59to do something about it
19:00you ought to go ahead
19:01and do it.
19:02If I've learned anything
19:03about this life
19:04I've learned this.
19:05I've learned that
19:07time and life
19:10is so uncertain.
19:14You do not know
19:16what a day may bring forth.
19:18That child that you
19:19hold in your hands
19:20that son or that daughter
19:21that's sitting by your side
19:22that husband or that wife
19:24you better show them
19:25the love that you
19:26should show them today
19:27and don't let the sun
19:28go down on a
19:29on a marital relationship
19:30get it right
19:31before you go to bed tonight
19:33because you may not
19:35have them tomorrow
19:35and then you'd have
19:37to live a long time
19:38in this life
19:38with guilt
19:39eaten up with guilt.
19:41I've been to funerals
19:42my dear friend.
19:43I've had funerals
19:44where people come up
19:45and they weep
19:46on the casket.
19:47They cry.
19:48They weep.
19:49Their heart's broken.
19:50It's not so much
19:51because that person's gone.
19:52It's because
19:53they're eaten up with guilt.
19:55Guilt
19:56from what they've done
19:57what they've said
19:57how they've treated them.
19:58And I'll tell you
20:00something else
20:00I've seen at funerals too.
20:03I've seen dog fights
20:04like you wouldn't believe.
20:06You wouldn't believe
20:08the dog fights
20:08I've seen at funerals
20:10where you have
20:11children, siblings
20:12that come together
20:13and I mean
20:14they are angry
20:15with each other.
20:17Oh boy
20:18I mean
20:19they are angry
20:20with each other.
20:21And it happens.
20:22Don't let it happen to you.
20:24It doesn't have to happen to you.
20:25You can do something about it.
20:27He said
20:28I show you a mystery
20:29we shall not all sleep.
20:31He gives us
20:31the mystery
20:32of Israel's blindness.
20:34He said
20:34Israel
20:35is blind
20:37in part
20:38it's happened to Israel.
20:39That tells me
20:40where the Jew is
20:41and what God's going to do
20:41with the Jew.
20:43Amen.
20:44I'm glad for that.
20:45I'm glad
20:46that the Word of God
20:47has something to say
20:48about every bunch
20:49or every group
20:50of people
20:51on this earth.
20:52Aren't you?
20:53If you just take
20:54the time to read it
20:55and ask God
20:57to show you
20:57what's in that book
20:58I believe you'd be surprised
21:00at how
21:01before he ever
21:01made the first man
21:02he'd already settled
21:03what he was going to do
21:04with all mankind.
21:05That's a good thing to know.
21:07It really is.
21:08Israel's blindness
21:09then the mystery of iniquity
21:10that already worketh.
21:13What is that?
21:13That's a satanic trinity.
21:15How many of you know
21:16there's something going on?
21:17There's something bad
21:18going on?
21:19Have you seen
21:20that robot
21:21on YouTube?
21:23There's a robot
21:24on YouTube.
21:25I saw it yesterday.
21:26This thing starts
21:27frailing its arms
21:28just like this.
21:28I mean it goes
21:29completely out of
21:30it goes wild.
21:32And I mean
21:33one of those arms
21:34that hit you
21:34you'd be hurt bad.
21:37What happened?
21:39What happened?
21:41You see
21:41don't put your trust
21:42in technology.
21:46Artificial intelligence
21:47as I've said to you before
21:48may be leading us
21:49down a primrose path
21:51to destruction.
21:51be careful.
21:53Man doesn't have
21:54the answer.
21:55God's the answer.
21:56But I appreciate
21:57anything that artificial
21:58intelligence can do
21:59in medicine
22:01and anything else.
22:02And we are benefits
22:03of it right now.
22:04We're beneficiaries
22:05of artificial intelligence
22:07at this very moment.
22:08No question about it.
22:10But be careful
22:11because this may be
22:13the very tool
22:14that Satan uses
22:15to bring in his kingdom.
22:17And then there's
22:18the mystery
22:19of the bride of Christ.
22:21What's this?
22:22This is the bride of Christ.
22:24Did you know
22:24that when Satan
22:25not Satan but Adam
22:26when God made Adam
22:27all of you in this house
22:29today are children of Adam?
22:30That's right.
22:31We're all related
22:32every one of us.
22:33Think about it.
22:35Yes.
22:36We're all related.
22:38I know it goes back
22:38a few thousand years
22:39but we've all got
22:41the same daddy.
22:42We all came
22:43from the same place.
22:44Adam.
22:45Did you know
22:45that scientists
22:46came out here
22:47not too long ago?
22:47I'll never forget
22:48reading this.
22:49About six months ago
22:50or a year ago
22:51they came in
22:52and they said
22:53you know what?
22:55We've done some research
22:56into DNA
22:56and we've come
22:57to the conclusion
22:58that there was
22:59only one woman
23:00that was the mother
23:04of all humanity.
23:07I thought to myself
23:07what a thing.
23:09All you've got to do
23:10is read the Bible.
23:13One woman.
23:14That's right.
23:15Her name was Eve.
23:16And so we've all
23:17got the same mother,
23:18right?
23:19Yes we do.
23:20When it's physical
23:21that's what it is.
23:23But the scripture
23:23goes a little further
23:24than that.
23:26Isaiah chapter 53
23:27says
23:27in verse number 7
23:29he was taken
23:30from prison
23:30and from judgment
23:31and who shall
23:32declare his generation?
23:34For he was cut off
23:35out of the land
23:35of the living
23:36for the transgression
23:37of my people
23:38was he stricken.
23:40Now watch this.
23:42Our Lord Jesus Christ
23:43is called
23:43the last Adam
23:44second man.
23:46Last Adam
23:46second man.
23:48So what does that mean?
23:49Well the first Adam
23:49had children
23:50maybe the last Adam
23:51has children too.
23:53Yes?
23:54Maybe he does.
23:55Why does he have a bride?
23:56What does he need
23:56a bride for?
23:58See?
23:58We have a bride.
24:00We have the last Adam.
24:01And here's what it says
24:02in Isaiah 53
24:03verse number 10.
24:05Yet it pleased
24:05the Lord to bruise him.
24:06He shall put him
24:07to grief
24:07when he shall make
24:08his soul an offering
24:09for sin.
24:10He shall see
24:11his seed.
24:13He shall prolong
24:14his days
24:14and the pleasure
24:15of the Lord
24:15shall prosper
24:16in his hand.
24:18Isaiah chapter 8
24:19verse 18
24:19said behold
24:20I and the children
24:23whom the Lord
24:24has given me
24:25are for signs
24:27and wonders
24:28in Israel.
24:30Here he's talking.
24:31He's saying
24:32that he has children
24:33given to him.
24:35In Psalm 22
24:36verse 29
24:37it says
24:38And they that be fat
24:40upon the earth
24:40shall eat and worship.
24:42All they that go down
24:43to the dust
24:44shall bow before him
24:45and none can keep alive
24:47his own soul.
24:49A seed
24:50shall serve him.
24:52It shall be accounted
24:53to the Lord
24:54for a generation.
24:57That's me.
24:58That's you.
25:00We are his children.
25:02We are his children
25:03in a spiritual sense
25:04through the last Adam
25:06and the bride of Christ.
25:09And the fact of the matter
25:10is this
25:10that everyone
25:12in the future
25:12that will ever be born again
25:14will come the same way.
25:16They'll come through
25:16the bride of Christ
25:17and they'll come through
25:19the last Adam.
25:20In plainer words
25:21we are the church
25:22of the firstborn.
25:24Yes.
25:25Right here.
25:26Sitting here in this house today.
25:27The church of the firstborn.
25:29All humanity
25:30that will ever live
25:32in the future
25:33will come through
25:34our Lord Jesus Christ
25:36and his bride
25:37with a spiritual union
25:39and a spiritual birth.
25:41I'm glad for that.
25:43I'm glad for that.
25:45He says
25:45this is a great mystery
25:46but I speak
25:48concerning Christ
25:49and the church.
25:51So that's a great mystery
25:52that God has given us.
25:54Now I want you to listen to this.
25:56In the book of Acts
25:57chapter number 8
25:57and verse number 3
25:59here's what the apostle says.
26:02As for Saul
26:04he made havoc
26:05of the church
26:06entering into every house
26:08and hailing men and women
26:10committed them
26:11to prison.
26:12the record is clear.
26:16He was a dirty
26:17low down killer.
26:19He had blood on his hands
26:21and he's not afraid
26:23to tell you about it either.
26:25In Acts chapter number 22
26:26and verse number 19
26:28here's what he says.
26:30And I said
26:32Lord
26:33thou know
26:35they know
26:37that I am prisoned
26:38and beat in every synagogue
26:40them that believed
26:42on thee.
26:43And he said
26:44the blood of thy martyr
26:46Stephen was shed
26:47I also was standing by
26:49and consenting
26:50unto his death.
26:52How do you live
26:53when you see little
26:55children
26:56say mama
26:57what are they going to do to us?
26:58what's happening?
27:01What have we done?
27:04Mama's crying
27:05and they gather
27:06the little children
27:07around them
27:08and they get taken out
27:10in the back somewhere
27:11and the Jews
27:12pick up the stones
27:13and they begin
27:14to stone them to death.
27:17Saul of Tarsus
27:18was instrumental in that.
27:21He brought them
27:21to that place.
27:23Acts chapter number
27:2426
27:26and verse number 9
27:28he said this
27:30Acts 26
27:33and verse 9
27:34I verily thought
27:36with myself
27:37that I ought
27:39to do many things
27:40contrary
27:41to the name
27:41of Jesus
27:42of Nazareth.
27:45He hated that name.
27:47How do you live
27:47with something like that?
27:491 Timothy 1.13
27:50Here's what he says.
27:541 Timothy 1.13
27:55He said
27:57I was before
27:58a blasphemer
27:59a persecutor
28:00and injurious
28:02but I obtained mercy
28:03because I did it
28:05ignorantly
28:05in unbelief.
28:08Can you imagine?
28:10This Bible
28:11that you hold
28:13in your hands
28:14was written
28:16by a killer.
28:17It didn't come
28:20from some group
28:20of well healed
28:23well trained
28:24the best of society
28:27wonderful people
28:29who sat down
28:31one day
28:31and said
28:31now we're going
28:32to write out
28:32how we think
28:33men should live.
28:35No.
28:36This Bible
28:36was written
28:37by a killer.
28:41The biggest part
28:42of the New Testament
28:42had blood
28:43on his hands.
28:44When you read
28:46in the New Testament
28:47about the grace
28:48of God
28:48you're reading it
28:50from a man
28:50who knew
28:51what the grace
28:51of God
28:51was all about.
28:54As a matter
28:55of fact
28:55I firmly believe
28:59that the New Testament
29:00was written
29:02by the grace
29:03of God.
29:06Oh yeah.
29:07that appeals
29:09to be.
29:11How many of you
29:12lived long enough
29:12to where your past
29:15ever comes up
29:16before you
29:16and begins
29:18to work on you?
29:21Boy,
29:22mine does.
29:24I can't forget it.
29:25I try to.
29:27It didn't come
29:27from God.
29:29It comes
29:30from my brain.
29:31Those memory banks
29:32in my brain.
29:34I'm going to live
29:35with it
29:35for the rest
29:35of my life.
29:37The Apostle Paul
29:38says in such
29:38you'll have
29:39problems in the flesh.
29:41Certain things
29:41that you do
29:42before you're saved
29:43they make an
29:44indelible impression
29:45in your life
29:45and you're going
29:46to live with it
29:46the rest of your life.
29:48I warn you
29:48young people
29:49there's a lot
29:50of things
29:51that you should
29:51not do
29:52because when
29:52you do it
29:53it's going
29:54to be part
29:54of your life
29:55from here on out.
29:57Even though
29:58you're cleansed
29:58of it
29:59you're forgiven
29:59of it
30:00and thanks be
30:01unto God
30:01for it
30:02and he no longer
30:03holds you accountable
30:04and he doesn't
30:05see you that way
30:06anymore either.
30:07You're a son
30:08of God
30:08accepted freely
30:09and completely
30:09at the table
30:11like Mephibosheth
30:11was.
30:12You're there.
30:13That can't be
30:13taken away from you
30:14but those memory
30:15banks are still
30:16there.
30:17This is why
30:18the Apostle Paul
30:18says of all
30:19the sinners
30:20on this earth
30:21of all of them
30:22he said
30:23he said I'm chief
30:24I'm the dirtiest
30:26low down thing
30:27in the world.
30:28I'm sure he
30:29thought to himself
30:30many times
30:30why would God
30:32choose somebody
30:32like me
30:33to write the
30:35New Testament?
30:36Well let me tell
30:37you one of the
30:37reasons God
30:38chose somebody
30:38like him
30:39to write the
30:39New Testament.
30:41Anybody in this
30:42house got blood
30:43on your hand?
30:44No you have to
30:45raise your hand
30:46now.
30:46Don't you raise
30:46your hand.
30:48Did you pull
30:48some dirty
30:49low down
30:49stinking garbage
30:50before you got
30:51saved?
30:52You got blood
30:53on your hands?
30:55What about it?
30:57You persecute
30:57people.
30:58You hurt them.
30:59Beat them.
31:02Thief.
31:04Fornicator.
31:05How many homes
31:06did you break up?
31:08Liar.
31:10What kind of life
31:10did you live
31:11before you got
31:11saved?
31:14I'll never forget
31:15radio station
31:1745 years ago
31:19one of the
31:21announcers on
31:22WKXV
31:22I think I preached
31:24up there or
31:25something and
31:25when I got done
31:26he came to me
31:27and he said
31:27now preacher
31:27he said I was
31:30in the war
31:31he said I
31:32killed people
31:33he said I
31:34killed them
31:35he says I
31:36can't get that
31:37off my mind
31:37he said I
31:39got to live
31:39with that the
31:39rest of my
31:40life
31:40I said yeah
31:42you're in war
31:42when you go
31:43off in a war
31:44that happens
31:44to you
31:45I'm not here
31:47to justify
31:47war believe
31:48me I
31:49am no
31:49war monger
31:50but there
31:51are times
31:52that you
31:52get thrown
31:52into a
31:53situation
31:53like that
31:54I said
31:55all you
31:56can do
31:56is give
31:56it to
31:57God
31:57he forgives
31:59you
31:59he'll
32:00lend you
32:01and you
32:02can have
32:03peace in
32:03your soul
32:04but it's
32:04got to
32:05come from
32:05God
32:06it's got
32:07to come
32:07from the
32:07Lord
32:08amen
32:09I'm not
32:10telling you
32:11this morning
32:11that it's
32:11some horrible
32:12horrible sin
32:13when you're
32:14on the
32:14battlefield
32:15and you
32:16have to
32:16go to
32:16war
32:17we'll
32:18leave
32:18that to
32:18God
32:18we'll
32:19leave the
32:20judgment
32:20of that
32:20to the
32:20almighty
32:21an honorable
32:22man
32:23who serves
32:24on the
32:24battlefield
32:25you find
32:25them in
32:25the old
32:26testament
32:26time and
32:27time and
32:27time again
32:28they're not
32:28murderers
32:29they shed
32:30the blood
32:30of war
32:30during war
32:31it's plain
32:32in the old
32:32testament
32:33when one
32:33shed
32:34the blood
32:35of war
32:35during a
32:35time of
32:36peace
32:36and
32:37God judged
32:38him for
32:39it
32:39because the
32:40war was
32:40over
32:40they had
32:41their wars
32:42among
32:44themselves
32:45but what I
32:46am telling
32:46you is
32:46this
32:47the only
32:49peace that
32:49you'll ever
32:50really know
32:50is to
32:51accept the
32:51Lord Jesus
32:52and trust
32:54him
32:54trust him
32:55to take
32:56trust him
32:57to take
32:58as much
32:58of that
32:58as he
32:59can
32:59from your
32:59mind
33:00and that's
33:01the only
33:01way it
33:02can happen
33:03because
33:03you don't
33:04have the
33:04power to
33:05do it
33:05I don't
33:06have it
33:06and you
33:06don't
33:06have it
33:07but I
33:08want it
33:08gone
33:08it would
33:09be wonderful
33:10for me
33:10tomorrow
33:10morning
33:11if I
33:11wake up
33:12and I
33:13can't
33:13remember
33:13a thing
33:14that happened
33:14to me
33:14before
33:151973
33:15that'd
33:17be
33:17wonderful
33:18first
33:1927
33:20years
33:20of my
33:20life
33:21that'd
33:22be
33:22wonderful
33:22but it's
33:23not like
33:24that
33:24fact is
33:25I can't
33:25remember
33:25where I
33:26ate
33:26yesterday
33:26but I
33:27can remember
33:27what happened
33:2855 years
33:28ago
33:29that's
33:30the truth
33:30that's
33:31the truth
33:31long term
33:33memory
33:34still with
33:34me
33:34where are
33:36you
33:36today
33:36the
33:37apostle
33:37Paul
33:38wrote
33:38scripture
33:39even though
33:39he didn't
33:40feel
33:40qualified
33:41he did
33:41not feel
33:42like he
33:42should
33:42be
33:43he didn't
33:43feel like
33:44he should
33:44be the
33:44man to
33:45do it
33:45but he
33:45wrote it
33:46because God
33:48gave you a
33:48book dear
33:49friend
33:49that appeals
33:51and applies
33:52to sinners
33:53amen
33:55father bless
33:55your word
33:56thank you
33:57lord
33:57the time
33:58we have
33:58in your
33:59house
33:59thank you
34:00for what
34:00you've
34:01done
34:01for us
34:01thank you
34:03in Jesus
34:03name
34:04thank you
34:05lord for
34:06helping me
34:06and being
34:06with me
34:07the lord
34:07this morning
34:08I needed
34:08you
34:09oh
34:10how I
34:10needed
34:10you
34:11I pray
34:12now in
34:13Jesus name
34:13bless
34:14your word
34:15in the
34:15holy name
34:16amen
34:17amen