Our call to worship this morning is from Romans chapter six. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your moral body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace. Praise the Lord. And let's pray. O Lord our God, we praise your holy name, that you are God and there is no other. You will not share your glory with another. And Lord, this passage is true for many of us. And so we ask that you would help us to praise your name this day, to worship you, to give you the glory that is due. because of who you are and because of what you've done. Lord, please meet with us. Help us to worship you. Bless our time. Bless our worship. Please be in our midst and bless the reading of your word, the singing of it, the praying, the preaching. Come and be in our midst now for your glory and for our good. To the praise of your name, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. You should have a bulletin insert for a song called Before the Throne of God Above. And stand with me if you're able, and let's sing. My name is My name is written on His heart, I know that while in heav'n He stands, no tongue can defend. The world I look and see a prayer Who made a name on all my sins Because the sinless lay or die My sinful soul is counted free For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me To look on Him and pardon me My perfect spotless righteousness The great unchangeable I am The King of glory and of grace One with Himself I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hidden with Christ on high Please remain standing in turn with me in the back of your continue to look at the shorter catechism and This week will be on question 67, 68 and 69 on the sixth amendment. Page 874. Get there. Question 67, which is the Sixth Commandment? The Sixth Commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. Question 68, what is required in the Sixth Commandment? The Sixth Commandment requires all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life and the life of others. Question 69. What is forbidden in the Sixth Commandment? The Sixth Commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life or the life of our neighbor unjustly or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. Thank you. Please be seated. The old language there, whatever tendeth ne'er unto, basically means whatever happens that could cause the death of ourselves or others. And so we need to be careful. And Jesus teaches us that this commandment is far has far more scope than just murder or manslaughter, but it's a heart. It's a commandment that impacts how we think and speak to those around us also. So let's go to the Lord in prayer together. O Lord our God, how we praise you for your kindness and your mercy. that we could be called your sons and daughters. Lord, we praise you that we can come to you as your sons and daughters and acknowledge our sin. Lord, we can confess. You've told us to confess that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So Lord, we come to you and confess that we have broken this sixth commandment. Lord, Maybe none of us in here, it's very likely that none of us have caused the death of one of our neighbors, anyone, any human being. And yet, Lord, we have to be frank with ourselves and acknowledge that we have hated those around us, that we have even said things that are hateful, probably even in our own household. And so, Lord, We ask that you would help us by your spirit to understand how far this commandment reaches into our very hearts, Lord, that we have sinned against you and sinned against those around us. Lord, please forgive us and thank you that there is forgiveness in Christ, whose blood and righteousness, whose blood washes away our sins and whose righteousness is placed upon us like a robe whenever we're trusting in Him. And so, Lord, help us to trust and obey, like the old hymn says, Lord. And thank You for Your mercy. Thank You that there is hope of forgiveness and that there is repentance granted to those who trust in You. And so help us to learn by Your grace to walk in repentance. Lord, we praise You for Your kindness, and we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. The assurance of forgiveness this morning is also from Romans chapter 6, verses 17 and 18. But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. And so may we no longer be slaves to sin, but slaves of righteousness to the glory of God. Turn with me, if you would, in your hymnal to hymn 264. Jesus, keep me near the cross. 264, stand with me if you're able. Peace lies deeply near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all that even dreams. rest beyond the Near the cross a trembling soul, love and mercy found me. There the bright and morning star his beams around me. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. near the cross, O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me. Help me walk from day to day with its shadow be my glory ever till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river Near the cross I'll watch and wait, Hoping, trusting ever, Till I reach the golden strand. beyond the river. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever. Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. Let's go to the Lord in prayer again together. Most holy God, we praise your holy name that we can come to you in prayer and that you hear us. And that in Christ, we can even come boldly and with confidence, because apart from Christ, we would not be able to stand before you. because you are a holy God, and we are sinners, and you cannot bear sin. And so, in the fullness of time, you sent your Son to be born of a woman, to take on human flesh in order to live a life perfect, without sin. but then to die a sinner's death on the cross, bearing the sin of all who ever have, do, or will trust in You. And so, Lord, because our debt of sin has been paid in full by the very blood of Christ, and because we are clothed in His righteousness, not our own, We have a standing before you and we can come to you and make our requests known and give you praises and. And Thanksgiving. In Lord, thank you again for. your kind mercies to bless us in this congregation. Small though we are, you have knit us together and we ask that you would continue to do that. Lord, you have given us a sweet fellowship and we got to enjoy that yesterday afternoon with these dear ones. How I praise you for each one. Thank you for your hand of protection. Thank you for the those in this congregation. You've given such servants hearts, Lord, to to love and show love to one another. I praise you for each one. Please help us to continue to grow in that, to love one another, to love one another in this congregation, to love those outside of this congregation, our friends, neighbors, coworkers, people we meet at the grocery store or whatever it is. Help us to speak and live according to your gospel truth, Lord, written in your word. And may your spirit lead us in the paths of righteousness for your namesake, Lord. Lord, we pray for Joe Hall, who's traveling with his sister. We pray your hand of protection upon them and ask your blessings upon his family as well, that your gospel would come to bear. in that family. Lord, we pray for the Lukers and ask your healing hand to be upon Mrs. Luker, that you would help her to keep trusting in you. Lord, we pray for those of us that have health concerns, that you would help us to be trusting in you. Lord, help us to Trust you no matter what, but we do pray for your healing hand, Lord. We ask that you would help us as we go about our week to seek to please you in all that we do. because of your great mercy to us, not to gain your mercy and your grace. Lord, we can't earn your blessing. Jesus earned blessing for us, and because of that, we want to do what is pleasing. We want to do what brings praise to your name. Lord, we beg your mercies on our nation. and the other nations around the world. Lord, this culture is in such a spiritual state of clinching. Lord, we ask that you would draw people to yourself, that you would cause people to see their sin for what it is and to run to you, Lord Jesus. and that You would heal them, that You would give them the peace and justice and joy and hope that they long for. Everyone wants what you have to offer, but they want it on their own terms, Lord. It's the same sin that was in the garden to be a God unto themselves. We do the same thing every time we sin against You. We try to be our own God, Lord. We're not good at it. Lord, we need you. We need to bow the knee to you, O Lord. And that's where our dignity is. That's where our joy is. That's where our satisfaction is. Lord, please spark a revival in this land. Please even start in our own hearts, Lord, in this congregation, even on this campus. Lord, we pray for the FCA group that has had an influence and we ask your blessings on that group, that you would help them to be faithful and that you would use them to draw students and faculty alike to you. Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters around this world, even in this nation who are persecuted for calling upon the name of Jesus. Please have mercy on our brothers and sisters. Help them to stand firm. Think of places like Nigeria and India, China, many other places. Lord, please hold on to your children. Help them to be faithful. Help all of us to be faithful. Lord, we pray that you would bless Pastor Thornton as he opens your word to us this day. Please come and preach through him how we praise you for the Thorntons and their love for you and for us. Thank you for their diligent labors in your kingdom. Lord, we even pray for the evangelistic efforts from yesterday that you would bless those who heard the preaching of the Word, who had Gospel conversations, who even maybe received a tract. I pray that you would use the seeds that were planted to plant your Word by your Spirit in their hearts, and that you would turn people to Christ. Lord, bless us now as we continue to worship you, and we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Turn with me, if you would, for our Old Testament reading to Isaiah chapter 35. I'll read verses 5 through 10. Isaiah chapter 35, verses 5 through 10. Please give careful attention to God's very Word. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. In the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way. Even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come upon it. They shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. What a sweet promise. from the book of Isaiah that is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ for all who call upon Him. Turn with me, if you would, in your hymnals to hymn 347, The Church's One Foundation, 347. Jesus Christ of them he gave and sought her to be his holy bride. With his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died. He lent from every nation, one faith, one birth. One holy name she blesses, a taste of holy food. And to an oath she presses, with every and soon against you. and the and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O happy ones and holy, forgive us, grace that we, like them, loving and lowly, Amen. Please be seated. Brother Dave is going to come read the New Testament passage for us. He said the microphone works. I'm not sure it's going to load it with that, though. I've noticed that I'm always a little bit too quiet, no matter how much I think I'm projecting. And today, these are the last paragraphs of Paul's letter to the Galatians, and I'm sure that Pastor will use a translation. What I'm going to be reading from is the Living Bible, because there are a number of terms in here that aren't immediately meaningful off the top of most of our heads. Well, at least off the top of my head. So when you hear it repeated in pastors, perhaps it will make it easier to believe. Paul said, I will write these closing words in my own handwriting. See how large I have to make the letters? Those teachers of yours who are trying to convince you to be circumcised are doing it for just one reason. so that they can be popular and avoid the persecution they will get if they admit that the cross of Christ alone can save them. And even those teachers who submit to circumcision don't try to keep the other Jewish laws, but they want you to be circumcised in order that they can boast that you are their disciple. As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in all the attractive things of the world was killed long ago. And the world's interest in me is also long dead. It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. May God's mercy and peace be upon all of you who live by this principle and upon those everywhere who are really God's own. From now on, please do not argue with me about these things. For I carry on my body the scars of whippings and wounds from Jesus' enemies that mark me as his slave. Dear brothers, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Sincerely, Paul. Okay, I have just a few announcements, and one of them is the Shorter Catechism is a summary of what the Bible teaches, okay? That's why we read it. However, when it says, thou shalt not kill, especially in this military community, we need to emphasize something, that that means thou shalt not murder. In other words, soldiers have a duty to kill. Policemen have a duty to kill, okay? And even in self-defense. Say somebody knocks your door down, and they're coming in to do harm to your family. You have a right and responsibility to defend your family, even if that involves killing somebody. So let's just be clear, now how do we know this? Well, Romans 13 in the New Testament says the magistrate or the government does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God's will that the good government, and I'm not talking about the perfect government, that the good government has the responsibility to bear the sword, the rifle, the missile, et cetera, et cetera, okay, the bomb. And that's what's known as a just war, okay? So that needed to be said, I felt like. Because people get the wrong idea, and we have conscientious objectors who really shouldn't be conscientious objectors. Because if they're basing it on this commandment, they're misguided. All right. Now, Nita, I mentioned that God has raised up armies. God Himself has raised up armies who would bear the sword. In other words, they killed people. They didn't murder. Now, murder is against the law. Murder is a personal choice, an individual choice. It's an unjust thing to murder. But to kill is different. Now, the second thing I wanted to say was I told y'all last week that I would be reading a little bit of this book during lunch. And I'm asking that we all get our food and quietly sit down and just give me a few minutes to read this by this old Navy chaplain, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices. And I mentioned to you last week that there would be rewards for children asking questions. And so I got these snicker bars. And I thought the parents would approve of this because it's got protein in it, nuts. With the chocolate, there are nuts, okay? So, here's the deal. So, no child will be left behind. What we're gonna do is if I can get five questions from children or adults, now children, be careful, these need to be serious questions and not unserious, just say it that way. If I get five good questions, everybody will receive one of these at once, okay? All right, so I hope everybody's pleased with that. Also, I want to say, we will go live for the reading, but not for the questions. People who want to ask questions online, they can do that, and I'll answer them later. The video will die as soon as I read it. Melissa will turn it off, please. So don't think you're going to be asking your questions in front of, sometimes we have hundreds of people who eventually watch our videos. So, anyway. Having said that, my next announcement is that I had planned on preaching the whole summary, the whole ending of the Epistle to Galatians, but I'm actually just going to preach on one verse. Because I think what we have here is we have the key in this conclusion to understanding the entire epistle of Galatians. We have what helps us to understand everything that Paul was getting at right here in the conclusion. And it was just too much for one sermon. So I'm actually preaching on one verse. Now, having said that, The outline here is still going to be very useful going forward over the next Sunday or two or three, whatever it takes. So it's not a total waste, but not a waste at all. But we are on this journey, on this highway of holiness, as Isaiah says in the reading there, we saw a minute ago. There is a prescribed way. You know, Jesus said, I am the way. He didn't say I am a way. He said, I am the way, the one way to get to heaven, to get to heaven. The one way. There's not different ways, but it is a like a highway. And you know what I find myself doing? in my travels is looking at some of the mile markers. So a lot of times, Melissa will be driving, I've got my head down studying, and I'll look up to see where we are and how far it is and focus. Because they've got good gas prices. And nice facility. So the mile markers, we have mile markers on this way, this Christian way. And that's very important and very useful. And I think we get confused sometimes because geographically God calls some of us over here and some of us over there and some of us, you know, anywhere in the world. God may call us and then we have different occupations and some of us have different struggles than other people, but there's so much similarity that we need to be careful. So when we read here where he says, and all, this is verse 16 there of chapter six, and all who follow this rule, he's not putting us back under the law. This rule is like a mile marker. You know, when we leave Johnson City to come here, we're not guessing, is it 1,000 miles? Is it 500 miles? How many miles? We know. We know how many miles it is. We know how long it takes normally. So when it comes to the Christian life, there are mileposts. There are mile markers. There are things that we all have in common. And so, the first thing I'm going to get to in just a moment after we pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word, the very Word of God, the message of God that has been given to us because you love us. And because you didn't want us wandering around like we read in Isaiah 35 as fools on the highway. But thank you that the highway is so well marked, even a fool could find their way. Lord, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Spirit who helps us with Your Word and that every single believer has received the Holy Spirit and a desire to know You better. So help us to that end, we pray. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen. Okay, so the first thing that we look at in his conclusion here, and the thing that I am going to emphasize today, is a very unusual verse, verse 11, which says this, See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand. See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand." What in the world? What's he talking about? Why? Why does he want the people to look at these large letters that he has written with his own hand? Because it's him. Because it's him. Because it's Paul. Now my father used to write Large letters block all the time. And I never really paid much attention to it. I was more interested in what he was saying. And he was usually labeling something. It wasn't like it was a personal letter or anything. But the emphasis is not on the letters and the size of the letters. I noticed a lot of commentators get distracted by this. They talk about, why would the letters be large instead of small? Well, we do know that Paul had some eye trouble. And he spoke to some people in the scriptures and said, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. So he had some vision problems, most likely. And maybe that's why he wrote with large letters. But why? He could have just had his secretary write this. But he wanted people to see that he was signing off on what this epistle says. He's signing off on it. It is authoritative. It's authoritative. And this is the key to understanding this, because Paul was an apostle. Now, I had a guy here on campus tell me five or six weeks ago that his girlfriend had become an apostle. And I was like, I can't wait to tell this guy the truth. that we don't have apostles today. Why? Because we don't. How do we know this? Well, you look at Scripture. You look at Timothy and Titus where churches are being set up. And what's Timothy and Titus told to do? Told to appoint elders and deacons. You don't see anything about apostles, right? Now when Judas defected, deconstructed, when Judas did this and betrayed Jesus with a kiss, he had to be replaced. And why didn't they just add ten more apostles? Because The number was limited because the office required that somebody had seen the Lord Jesus. You had to have visually seen Jesus to be an apostle. Now, Paul didn't see Him until the road to Damascus. And so, Paul saw Him. But, we don't have apostles today. And I think some churches are flattering people, telling them, oh, you're an apostle now. No, we have elders and we have deacons. And we have pastor-teachers and we have evangelists. But we don't have apostles. So in Galatians 1.1, Paul, who writes with these large letters, says, Paul, an apostle! not sent from men or through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead. You see, Paul was appointed an apostle by Jesus Christ. Now, in the church, we have elders and deacons selected and voted upon by the church. hopefully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And pastors too. But not apostles. Paul was an apostle. He was an authority. Now, elders and deacons, especially elders, may be authorities, but they're not apostles. These apostles were involved in revelation. God revealing Himself Can you imagine if God had not revealed Himself and His Word, the chaos that there would be? There would be tremendous chaos. I mean, one man's opinion would be as good as another. In the church, how are we going to do church? Well, the Bible tells us how to do church. The Bible tells us how to worship God. That's what it's all about. Worshipping God and building up the body of Christ. And us learning. And growing. And growing in knowledge of God from His Word. What kind of a God would just let that go? I mean, look, we've got enough trouble as it is with opinions of people who call themselves Christians. And sometimes in the church, we might get a little conceited or arrogant and think, well, my opinion is better than somebody else's, even though it's not based upon Scripture. That's a problem. So Paul says in verse 11 of chapter 6, see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. I and my. I am writing with my own hand. Paul is emphasizing that it is him. It is the apostle who is writing this epistle, even though he may be using a secretary. In Acts 2.42, I want you to realize how the apostolic teaching was important. and how the apostolic teaching was received in the early church. Acts chapter 2, verses 40 and 42. When Peter was preaching, it says this, and with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them saying, be saved from this perverse generation. So then those who had received his word were baptized And there were added that day about 3,000 souls, and they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to breaking of the bread, and prayer. What were they devoting themselves to, Daly? The apostles' teaching. Daly, they were devoted to it. Let me ask you, how devoted are you to the apostles' teaching today? This is what God has set up. Peter had preached on the day of Pentecost, shortly after Jesus was crucified. What gave him the courage to get out there and preach? They had been in hiding. You know this? Peter and the apostles were scared to death after the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter had even denied Him three times. Where was their courage? Where was their bravery? It was absent until something happened. They saw the risen Lord Jesus. They realized death has been swallowed up in victory for the Christian. So, all of a sudden, bravery, courage, And so what's going on? The people who saw Peter and heard Peter preaching the Word of God, many of them were saved and transformed. About 3,000 that day. Well, they needed help. They needed the preaching of the Word. They needed the fellowship of the believers. A group devoted to the apostolic teaching. The large letters, Paul says, that I write with my own hand. You see, these people had experienced a change. And that's what happens when you become a Christian. You're changed. You're born again. You're not just forgiven of your sins and given the righteousness of Jesus Christ in justification by faith, which is extremely important, but you're changed. You become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Something has happened to you. I remember my own testimony. I asked my Christian girlfriend how she could be so happy when we didn't get along. She said, Jesus, I immediately bent over that handrail on that boardwalk in Garden City, South Carolina, and I said, Jesus, if you're really real, I want you to show me. Before that, I had been mocking God. I had been mocking preachers. All of a sudden, me praying like that? What happened? And then, all I wanted to know if he was really real. Suddenly, I had a thirst for knowledge. My brother had to bribe me to graduate from high school. He told me he'd buy me a motorcycle, and if you're listening, I'm still waiting. Because I did graduate. But I was so non-academic, non-intellectual, But all of a sudden, I had this thirst for knowledge. I didn't understand it. I didn't even question it. I just wanted to read everything, whether it was a novel. I didn't care what it was. Just suddenly, I was like a baby wanting the milk. And finally, I came to Josh McDowell and Evidence Demands a Verdict. And I read that book, and I said, this is true. all the evidence for Jesus being who He said He was, all the evidence for the Bible, I became a Christian. And I still didn't understand it all. Suddenly, I loved what I had hated, and I hated what I had loved. I had loved sin. I hated sin now. I didn't understand that. I didn't question it either. But then I loved God. I had to find a church. I had to. I was changed. You see, these people on the day of Pentecost hearing Peter preach, they were changed when they believed. They were born again by the Word of God. Have you experienced the change, my friends? Make sure you have. And see, now these people, the most important thing in their life, why were they devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching? The most important thing in their life now was to know Jesus Christ and to understand what had happened to them. Now, I don't have anything original today, but this is good stuff. You know, people were probably wondering when the Christians gathered together, what did they come here for? Here were these people who had come out of the world. to join this group of people called disciples. And they formed the first church there. But what is the Christian church for? What does she do? What does she provide? Do we come together for socials and dancing and games and raffles and dramatic performances and lectures on politics? and literature and sociology. No, we come together to hear the Word of God and to grow by the Word of God. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with some of those things, but the church is to deliver the Word of God and to have fellowship and to have prayer and to worship and to sing unto the Lord and to serve. So many churches, so-called churches today, are not like this. They're not what they're supposed to be. But these people here in Acts chapter 2, they continue in the apostles' doctrine, the teaching and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer, spiritual activities. spiritual activities. You know, when I was a kid, I just went to church because my parents made me. I was not spiritual. I didn't have a spiritual thought. I just went there and sat in the pew until it was over. It was all physical. Just be present. Just be there. You know, Jesus said to the woman at the well, He said, you worship that which you do not know. We worship that which we know. For salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming and now is. When the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit, and truth. For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Do you know that God seeks people to worship Him? That's not egotistical. That's not shameful. God is worthy of worship and anything else would be idolatry for God to say, well, I'm just going to be so humble, don't worship me, worship someone. There's nothing better for human beings than to worship God and He knows it. And that's what's best for us. So some people try to label God egotistical for this. He's seeking worshipers. By the way, the word worship comes from the word worth it. When we worship, we're saying that God is worth it. He's worth it. He's absolutely worth it. True worshippers who worship the Father in spirit and in truth. You see, this was the problem in the Old Testament. So many times the Jews who were not saved were just going through the motions and just adding some idolatry to it too. And God was furious. That's why He sent them into captivity with the Babylonians and the Assyrians. He sent them the prophets to preach repentance to them. They would not listen. They even persecuted the prophets and killed some of them. They persecuted Jeremiah. And so, they weren't worshiping God in the Spirit. Not that Abraham was. Jeremiah was, I mean there was Christians. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But the majority, the great vast majority were just going through the motions. Physically, not spiritually. So I ask you, do you desire the apostles doctrine? Have you had this experience of being born again that needs to be explained? It needs to be explained to people who don't know you. Because you've changed. If you become a Christian as a child, you're different. And by the way, we're all, all Christians are different from the world. But we have this common journey, this common highway that we're on. And that's what this has now become a series of sermons. That's what this is about. The rule, as he says, the yardstick, the cannon, the mile markers. We're on this thing. No matter where we may be in the world, we're on this journey. Like Abraham, we're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. You know, we're not looking for a little paradise over here in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where a lot of people went over there and built vacation homes and beautiful homes over here in Western, the beautiful mountains, never thinking that a hurricane would just hover over them and destroy all sorts of people and property. Now we're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. This can't be taken away by a corrupt government. It can't be washed out by a storm. The city of God is permanent. It's heaven. That's what we're looking for. Now the church was not the emergent church. As a matter of fact, the emergent church, I would say, is not even a church according to the Bible. Because the emergent church, which I'm going to come to in a few minutes, denies that Jesus died for our sins. denies that God has spoken, denies the apostolic teaching. That's what the emergent church does. That's what the liberal church does. And as Machen wrote nearly a hundred years ago, the liberal church is really not even a church. Why? Because they deny the apostolic doctrine. They deny what the Bible teaches. Further explanation? You know, a baby does not understand their desire for milk. You know what the Scripture says? 1 Peter 2.2, like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. Now how bad does a baby want milk? Well, pretty bad. I would say the baby even demands milk. Yes? Yes. It's built into nature. It's instinct. Like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. You see, this salvation is something we grow in. Just like we grow a baby, it grows into an adult, hopefully, right? Well, as Christians, we start out, and the Bible calls us babes in Christ. and we need to grow. And how are we going to do it? By the pure milk of the Word, of the apostolic teaching. Okay, now, a baby doesn't understand, but has this instinct for milk and wants it. And this is proof of the fact that this is a child and not an adult, is this desire and demand for milk. And one can simply not be a Christian and have no desire for the Word of God and the apostolic teaching. If you're a Christian, you want this, and you've got to have it. Now, the question that some of the emergents raise, they think that The Bible is just a bunch of people talking, trying to figure out God. And that things change with culture and with us learning more about things. But I want to direct your attention to Revelation 14, 6. And I want you to listen to how the Gospel is described in this verse. And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. An eternal gospel. The gospel does not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So these people who were there on the day of Pentecost. They had heard something marvelous, they had heard something wonderful, the gospel of Jesus Christ, that your sins are forgiven when you call upon the Lord Jesus and you're born again, you're changed out. They were experiencing this, the change, and they had heard what Jesus had done on the cross. You know, actually, I was preaching this yesterday on campus, and here's what I was saying. I was saying, you know, not all believers are going to heaven. Not all believers are going to heaven. You know why? Because James says, even the demons believe and show. The demons are not saved, but they believe. They believe all the facts, all the theology of the Bible. But they're not saved. They don't have a saving faith. They're not changed. They're not born again. And so I was warning people on campus yesterday. Don't think. People tell me, I'm good. I believe. Well, are you changed? Are you born again? Are you longing for the pure milk of the Word? You see, this is a test for all of us. And the Christians, the early Christians who were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, the large letters, you know, Paul was saying, look, this is my teaching, I'm an apostle, I got this from Jesus Christ. Something wonderful had happened. But the preachers had said, there's more! I cannot tell it all to you now. So the people came together and they were afraid of missing something. You know, when I was a student in graduate school, I was afraid to miss class because I was afraid the professor would say something that might be on the test or might announce a test. I was always afraid to miss class. They were afraid to miss the father teaching, the apostolic teaching that they might miss something. Praise the Lord. They were suddenly aware that they needed to know more. Most of them had been in favor of Christ being crucified just a short period before this. And now, they love Him. What has happened? How do you explain this? Well, Jesus said this, truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. You've got to become like a child. And admitting to needing to know You know how the young children are always asking questions like, why? Why? Why is the sky blue? Why are we going to church? What's that communion stuff? What's he talking about? You know, all these questions. Why? Why? Why? Why? Great questions. Love it. He says you Unless you're converted and become like that, like a child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3, 18. By the Holy Spirit, he said, let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. You see, for those who are ashamed of the gospel and they think the gospel is not good enough for today, better not be deceived like that. They think they're wise. Let them become foolish that they may become wise. What is God like? Who is He? How does He reveal Himself? You know, God has revealed Himself in nature. You know, the heavens are declaring the glory of God, the firmament His handiwork. All you've got to do is look around. You can't get something from nothing, and yet we've got something. We've got a universe out here. We've got a world out here that contains beauty and intelligence. and things working together, design, obviously design. Then we have that sense of right and wrong. Where did that come from? Because the law of God is written on the hearts of His creatures. And if there's a law, there's a lawgiver. We know this. Everybody in the world knows this, but they suppress the truth and unrighteousness like holding a beach ball beneath the water. Because people hate God. A lot of them will even deny that. And I think I myself would have, but it's true. God reveals Himself also through history. The Lord Jesus Christ came down and took on human flesh. He was born of the Virgin Mary. And lived a sinless life that no man could live if it wasn't Him, the God-man. And then He was so hated because He declared the truth. They crucified Him because He said their deeds were evil. And He said He was God, and He was God in human flesh. And so, God revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. And then the resurrection, three days after He died on that cross. He rose again from the dead. And those cowardly apostles and disciples became so courageous that God used them to turn the world upside down. Praise the Lord. And we can have that kind of courage. And we can face death the way they did without being overwhelmed by it or being swallowed up by it. Death itself is swallowed up in victory. They wanted to come together. They didn't want to walk in darkness anymore. They wanted understanding. And so they had the understanding that God gives through His Spirit in the Word of God. And so these people were devoted to the apostolic teaching, the apostolic doctrine. They wanted to understand more and more about this tremendous thing that had happened to them. The natural question is, what is this? What happened to me? They were newborn babes. They wanted to understand and to have some explanation. They had come into this new realm, the realm of grace, this wonderful life. And so it's quite natural to be wanting to know more about it. And when you have something really good, you want more of it. And so they began to realize, this is only the beginning. I want to hear more. Like a newborn babe, I want to grow and develop. And there was another reason that they were coming together. Their eyes had been opened, and they had seen the peril of their situation, and they had loved ones. They had loved ones who were not saved. And they were worried and troubled about that. They wanted to help them, but how could they? How can I explain what happened to me? When I got saved, my parents were not easy to talk to. I got a little fold-up chalkboard. It was about this big. And I would take chalk and I would write scripture on it and put it in the living room where they forgot to sleep. Because I had to get the Word to them. And I remember, one day I said to my mother, I said, Mom, if you died today, would you go to heaven? She said, No. She said, I'm not good enough. I said, Oh, Mom. I said, It's a free gift. The Scripture says, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. not as a result of words lest any man should boast." And she couldn't say a word. There was no answer back. There was nothing. And years later, after her and Dad had both become Christians, she was on her deathbed. I said, Mom, I said, do you want to go and be with Dad? And she said, yes. And shortly thereafter, she was. What about you, my friend? What about you? Newborn babes are not in a position to answer. So you got some child screaming for the milk. Ask them, what's the matter? You're wasting your words, right? What's the matter? They can't describe it. That's why they were coming. That's why they wanted the apostolic teaching. So that they might be able to help others. Now Jesus prepared the church for this. And this is something the emergents miss. They want to take the gospels, and of course they want to ignore some of the things that Jesus said, but they want to say, they want to throw Paul out. And they want to say that Jesus had a different message than what He really had. So let me tell you how Jesus prepared the church for this. Here's what He said in John 16, 12. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. In other words, Jesus had plenty He wanted to tell them, but they couldn't handle it right now. They weren't ready for it. That was going to be the job of the Holy Spirit and the apostles. So he said that. And you know, the emergence will tell you that there's not much doctrinal teaching in the Gospels. But the Gospels themselves do have. Teaching that the emergence ignore. Such as. Jesus said you must be born again. What's up with that? In other words, man is in such need, men, women, and children must be made new. There's no alternative. You must be born again. Have you experienced a new life, my friends? Listen to what Jesus also said about preparing His church for this apostolic teaching. He said this, but when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall take of Mine and disclose it to you." What's he saying? The Spirit of the Living God is coming after I leave And He's going to guide you into all the truth. And it's not going to be His. It's going to be He shall glorify me. He's going to take of mine and disclose it to you. You see, the emergent church is wrong. Jesus not only said you have to be born again, But in John 3, verse 6, He said, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You see, the people who are born of the flesh are in distinction to the people who are born of the Spirit. Now, if you want to know what it means to be born of the flesh, just look around this world. And if you became a Christian at an older age, look at your life before you became a Christian. You were living in the flesh. You were living after your own sinful desires. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life. That's what it was. That's what it means. But, you know, being born of the flesh. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. But that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. You see, there's something wrong with mankind. And Jesus is making it very clear. Mark 7, he says, out of the heart. And you know what our culture says, follow your heart. It was in my heart. I've got to follow my heart. You know what Jesus said about your heart? Oh, man. It's terrible. And it's very deceitful. That's why our people think it's so good to follow. It's very deceitful, the heart. Out of the heart comes fornication, murder, lying, adultery. Still, all this comes out of the human heart. I think the emergents are ignoring that. How about this one? Jesus said in John 8.44, you are of your father the devil. And the lust of your father you will do. John 8.44. He's telling these unbelievers You are of the devil. Your Father is the devil. And then, he said in Luke 19, 10, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Lost. That's it. All of this teaches the fall of mankind. The problem with mankind is taught by Jesus too. And then the emergent church denies the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. And this is part of the apostolic doctrine, the apostolic teaching. And so the scripture says there in Acts chapter 2, they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. And all these apostles were preaching the same thing. This is very important. Read the book of Acts. They continued to preach it. Now at times there seemed to be a little difference and they had the council in Acts 15, which is where we get Presbyterianism. There's an accountability in Presbyterianism. And we have Presbyterians and we have General Assemblies to deal with the apostolic teaching and to make sure that we hold to it and to settle any controversies in the church. That's where we get Presbyterianism and the idea of elders. Presbyters, elders. Okay. Read about it in Acts chapter 15. You see, these apostles believed the same truth and they made statements about it. Paul was questioned in Corinth as to whether he was really an apostle at all. Here's how he answers. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, and by which also you are saved, if you keep the memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed and veined." 1 Corinthians 15, 1 and 2. And Paul reminds his readers of the content of the gospel, and goes on to make this claim, I am the least of the apostles. that am not meek to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God, but by the grace of God I am what I am. And His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all yet, not I, but the grace of God which was within me." Acts 15, 9-10. They preached the same message. And then Peter refers to Paul's teaching as Scripture. And here's what he says in 2 Peter 3, 15 and 16. And regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation. Just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do the rest of Scripture, to their own destruction." So Paul, I mean Peter, refers to Paul as Scripture. This man was anointed with the Spirit of God. He was called to be an apostle and he was speaking and writing Scripture. It's another reason we don't have apostles today. So, you know, like I told you, I was told some teenage girl on the campus here is an apostle. I wonder what she comes up with. Now, finally, I want to close with this. This is so important, what I'm about to say. Please don't miss it. The Apostle Paul says this about the church in Ephesians 2.20, that the church, the people of God, he said the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. It has no other foundation. This is not a shifting foundation. It says in verse 20 there of Ephesians 2, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone. So you've got Jesus as the sturdy, rock-solid cornerstone. And then you have the apostles and prophets with Him, in union with Him, in agreement with Him. And the church is built upon this. So you want to know why Paul is concluding the book of Galatians and saying what he says about his writing. You see what large letters I have written to you with my own hand? The emphasis is not upon the artistic handwriting. The emphasis is upon this is the apostle Paul commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ who has given us this teaching. And it's not changing. It is the eternal gospel. We've got a place to stand. We have a firm foundation for our faith. The church is one foundation. is Jesus Christ, her Lord, we sing. Let us each examine our own hearts and make sure that we value this teaching, that we desire this teaching, that we have confidence in this apostolic doctrine and teaching as those everywhere, try to put it down. Let's pray. Gracious God, our Heavenly Father, we thank you for how firm a foundation that you have spoken through your apostles, your prophets and through the Lord Jesus. We have a sure foundation for our faith and we can trust your word, your promises, May we facilitate our hunger for the pure milk of the Word by prayer, asking You to help us because we still have the old nature to contend with. We still have the world, the flesh, and the devil against us. Help us, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. And now, to remind us of what the Lord Jesus did.