The Simplicity That is in Christ: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 Today we’re going to look at the simplicity that is then Jesus Christ second Corinthians 11:3. And today we’re going to deal with the subject. In John 16:33 and me Jesus said you will have peace. In me you may have peace I’m sorry you might have peace why do you use the word me I mean may instead of the word will. Because it’s your decision whether you’re going to accept him and follow him you may have peace but it takes a commitment. But he definitely said the last part of the statement in the world you will have trouble.

▶ 0:53 How many of you are married out there. How many got problems in the marriage conflicts. Troubles. Okay if you work you got conflicts you got problems at work if you got kids you got problems there in the world it isn’t may have problems is you will have problems okay. So what is the simplicity simplicity means. That. There’s no complexness in this thing all right there’s nothing complicated. So Jesus is not complicated. And when people don’t know him they complicate him when people don’t know the Bible they complicate the Bible that’s a that’s a tremendous sign that they don’t know Jesus or the Bible when they got to complicate everything.

▶ 1:53 Because the Bible is simple and Christ is simple plain easy basic to understand now we’re going to go. Back to the days of the early church when Christ came the Roman empire. Was the empire that Christ came in and it was at its peak in 117 A.D. the Mongolian empire came in in 1279 it was much bigger than the Roman empire but both of these empires forced people to join their empire. Okay they conquered them they took the young men and made them soldiers or killed them you either serve in the military to conquer the next nation or we’re just going to kill you it was that simple others they enslaved because they had to have supplies for this army and so they enslaved.

▶ 2:51 So Rome was a corrupt empire a corrupt nation it had slaves it had state religion it had discrimination it had abortion women would would either deliver the child and throw it in a river or take chemicals to abort the child you see abortion isn’t new all right immoral sex back in the Roman empire prostitution was not a crime it was a career. Young boys. Satisfied the pleasure of older men young girls also satisfied the sexual pleasures of old men. Sexual immorality was rampant in the Roman empire. And Rome gave the peasants the low class enough food to keep him from rebelling.

▶ 3:50 It’s called welfare. But in all this the early church grew. And lived morally. For Jesus Christ. Even when it was persecuted thrown into the lion’s den crucified, put on a cross and crucified and and slaughtered and had to scatter from persecution the church grew in the middle of a corrupt nation. Like Russia it has to force its people to stay there China North Korea Cuba they use force. Now in America we’ve showed you that the united states has had problems.

▶ 4:45 And we’re going to show you that it has problems we haven’t gotten real of all of our problems yet we showed you that they mistreated women we showed you that they mistreated the indians and the african-American and we showed you that they mistreated neutral people that really didn’t rise up against the nation they just had different beliefs of government and so forth and religion and different things. But it was not an armed difference it was just a philosophical difference and they mistreated him because they didn’t believe the way they believed. But also you got to know that in the 20s and the 30s the Jews in America were discriminated against. Okay you would see signs like this the Jew is our social peril get rid of Roosevelt and his Jews eliminate Jews from public office you would go to the beach and the beach sign would say Gentiles only.

▶ 5:40 You may want to go to a bar or some merchandise store said no Jews allowed Jews were beat up in the city neighborhoods by protestant children. Jews were persecuted by Christian because you dirty Jews you killed Jesus. Now people don’t bring this out but it’s true. And in the meantime Hitler’s over there in Germany. Which we talk about being a real bad atrocity he is picking on the Jews he is blaming the Jews for their loss in the first world war and blaming the Jews for the problems of Germany we got to get rid of the Jew so they first made him put a Mark on them a star that everybody knew they were a Jew then they started arresting them then they started putting them in concentration camps and then in work camps and then in death camps and they killed six million Jews Germany did but what other people don’t tell you is they killed seven million other people mostly Slavs.

▶ 6:50 Slavs were Czechoslovakians polish people and russians. Hitler had declared that the Slavs were inferior race. And no one brings it up why because the Jews stood up for their rights and the other ones just went on about business. But there were more of them killed literally seven million of them slaughtered in the same camps that the Jews were getting slaughtered in. So we go to war. And Germany starts taking over france and these other nations and as they do the Jews. Left the nations they became refugees to the world the world nations didn’t want them including America. So Britain.

▶ 7:44 Through the u.n and so forth made an agreement to put him in Palestine let them go there and so both loads of Jews came from europe to Palestine living among the Arabs who were muslim okay. So. Then Britain partitioned Palestine into two areas. One area for the Jews one area for the Arabs the Arabs said we’re not given this up we hate Jews and regardless of what president Bush jr said and Obama said. Muslim is not a peaceful religion. They are a sectarian bigoted. Discriminatory religion they hate Jews they hate Gentiles.

▶ 8:38 And so when the Jews declared their independence for their territory in 1948 the arab nations Egypt. Lebanon. Syria. Iraq. and Transjordan declared war on them you have a population of almost 30 million Arabs muslims against 650. 000 population of Jews. They declared war on them and they invaded the Israel from the north the east and the south they invaded them the egyptian army got 30 miles from the capital of Israel.

▶ 9:30 America would not allow any arms sold to Israel. Truman. Created an embargo no arms could be sold but the Arabs could buy arms from europe. Is that discrimination. Yeah. So. American Jews. Who were told if they got involved would lose their citizenship bought salvaged world war ii airplanes and ammunition and weapons smuggled them out of America through south America over to europe and then in to Israel.

▶ 10:27 Some American world war ii ex-pilots and ex-Jewish pilots they bought planes over here for five thousand dollars they could get a plane now five thousand dollars doesn’t sound like much today but at that time that was it was a bargain but it’s still some money cost about 170 000 to make one of those planes back then they flew them over through south America and europe and down into Israel Egypt is 30 miles away we got a army of sixty thousand trained in Israel. To face five armies that have planes and tanks and Israel doesn’t have any these guys are smuggling them over and the war’s on. But these American Jews went into the air.

▶ 11:22 And they shot down some egyptian planes and one of the planes malfunctioned and shot the prop off you know the bullet went between the props well when the bullet don’t complete the props guess what happens you shoot the prop off and then what happened. And that guy died and killed himself but the other planes bombed and scraped that egyptian army that was lined up on the highway you can see it in the in the news things for miles they’re coming up this this road this lined up going into Israel basically unopposed and the egyptian commander got so panicked and so frustrated he stopped the advancement now all they had was three planes.

▶ 12:16 And one got shot down. I mean one shot himself down. But what people don’t understand is God is the one that said Israel would lose their nation and God is the one that said Israel would get back their land and the they’re fighting against God. And so more planes came in and they they confronted the jordanian army the iraqi army and so forth with their tanks and everything and in other words and and in a year the Jews had won and basically exists as it everybody in Israel was a soldier so their population was 650 000. But Egypt sent a 10 000 force in and I think Iraq or Jordan sent a 20 000 force in and so forth but Israel had a 550.

▶ 13:15 000 army women everybody had gone and they shot them they weren’t they weren’t nurses they were out there. Why it was a matter of life or death. And they defeated them. And America did not help. We accepted them as a nation but we did not help them. And so folks. What I’m trying to tell you. Is America has its problems. And it’s had its problems. But people still desire to live in America the african didn’t go back to africa or some other nation. All right the indians didn’t leave America they didn’t go to mexico so far.

▶ 14:16 The women didn’t leave America. There’s something in this nation that you want to live in it and be here with its problems. And I submit to you that’s the way the kingdom of God is there’s something about the kingdom of God in spite of its problems and the church and God’s people that keeps drawing people into it. America does not have to force people to be here people want to be here and they even come in illegally to be here. Amen. So somewhere in the midst of this mess in America there’s something good in America that people want to stay. And they want to improve it and make it good I submit to you that the last day church can grow and live morally in America and it is growing.

▶ 15:13 And living morally throughout the world there’s a revival in other nations. Jesus’s Bible church even with its mistakes. Of teaching prosperity and purpose driven and possibility thinking and positive thinking and personal prophecy a week. Penance. Instead of asking you got to do some kind of painful thing to be forgiven poverty. Is spirituality and faith and grace is all you need in spite of those mistakes. It’s still desired and it’s growing. And no one is physically forcing them to join the church or physically forcing them not to leave like the muslims and other religions there’s divisions in the church we got the catholics and you got the protestants that divided from the catholics then you got the protestant that divided from protestant that divided from protestant that divided from protestant you got the lutheran the presbyterian the baptist the methodist you got the pentecostals then you got the independent man you got more denominations in America than the world has nations.

▶ 16:33 We’re very divided and everybody thinks they’re right. And they preach. Their differences as if anybody outside of us is going to hell they’re just not the real church you know if they get into heaven they’re going to barely make it in by the hair of their chinny chin chin we’re the ones we’re the select of the elect. In spite of that division in spite of corruption where catholic priests have sex with children. Where protestant ministers have sex with people in the congregation. Where protestant ministers take the church’s money and live high on the hog on it. Where members of the church. Lie steal commit adultery shack up with people.

▶ 17:29 Embrace homosexuality not and all this corruption in spite of it all somehow God can get through and make his church and his kingdom still desirable Ecclesiastes 2:13 says wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. Jude 1:25 says. Now unto the king eternal immortal invisible the only wise God he is a king he is a governor he does not decay he does not die he is eternal. And he’s invisible he is a spirit you don’t see him unless he opens your eyes to see him. So God excels foolishness stupidity.

▶ 18:24 As light excels darkness. Deuteronomy 4:5 God says teach and keep my statutes and my judgments people say don’t judge don’t judge don’t judge I heard it in the democratic party last night don’t judge don’t judge that is foolish the democratic debate that is foolish you’ve got to judge. And the Bible says if you keep his rules and you make judgments. This was is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations this is the wisdom that excels above foolishness. Is keeping God’s rules and making judgments about them.

▶ 19:17 And in the sight of the nations they will see your actions your teaching and you’re backing up your teaching and they will say this great nation is a wise and understanding people they are a people that excels darkness. That excels foolishness people that follow God’s rules and make sound judgment they don’t have sexually transmitted diseases. Because they keep sex in the marriage and they stay faithful in the marriage and if you do that you don’t get sexually transmitted diseases and the heathens see that and say wow what a wise in understanding people while they’re dying in America at almost 30 000 a year from sexually transmitted diseases we don’t have a problem with addiction. The Bible says that drunkenness intoxication is a hell sin.

▶ 20:15 And not even look on the wine when it’s read in the cup flee the appearance of evil and so the church doesn’t get into prescription drugs illegal drugs or the alcohol department. And so they don’t wreck their life and they’re not in rehabs trying to get you know salvaged again and they’re not costing the nation billions of dollars every year. You see light excels foolishness wisdom excels foolishness light excels darkness are you with me that’s the simplicity of this gospel. Hallelujah. They don’t steal. They don’t ask somebody to take their money give it to the government to give it to them.

▶ 21:12 It’s called welfare folks. And I heard it last night in the democratic debate well we’re going to make the rich Hillary Clinton she’s going to make the rich pay for free college he’s going to make the rich pay for the in health insurance she’s going to make the rich do all this stuff. How many know that stealing. When you take something from someone without their permission that’s stealing. Divorce. We sign up for a lifetime commitment yes we may have problems but we hang in there we work things out we stick to it and we don’t abuse kids. We’re not the people that kill 1600 kids a year we’re not the people that abuse 600 000 kids a year physically emotionally and mentally we don’t do that to our kids.

▶ 22:17 We treat our kids right our kids are the are the the focus of our family we enjoy them and we raise them up to be responsible adults and we pay the price real Christian parents they sacrificed their time their money and everything that their kids can get the best opportunity. That’s why the nations they admit. That are stand for morals is a wise stand but they still vote. For people who have no morals to have a right to do it and destroyed America it’s just crazy it’s foolishness in America we know. That the smallest light shines bright even in the deepest darkness we know that for a fact okay Matthew 5:16 says let your light so shine before men that they may see your good work your wisdom wisdom excels foolishness.

▶ 23:18 Light excels darkness they may see your good works your light. Your behavior and glorify your father which is in heaven. I submit to you that people that are lost in the dark these people that get lost in the wilderness they head toward the tiniest flicker of light because they know there’s there’s civilization there they know there are answers to their hunger and they’re cold and and their lost direction they know. That there’s help there and I submit to you today no matter how little you think your light is for Christ just remember when a person in darkness they’re going to see the tiniest. Smallest light. And follow and go head toward that way so we got to quit putting down on ourselves and realize that if there is anything good in us the world can see it hallelujah they’re not going to see your problems because your problems are darkness and they got that dark doesn’t chase dark.

▶ 24:30 They’re going to go to that area of your life that you shine. Isn’t that a relief hallelujah. Now. It is a scientific fact that on a dark night you can see a candle flame flickering up to 30 miles away okay. This is the ratio. You see that little flickering. Can you see it in the back all right that that is a small it’s the same light as this it’s just in proportion 30 miles away and you can still see it. And you know there’s times in my Christian life where I felt such like a weak Christian and such a big letdown to Christ but you know Christ would pick me up and say listen bud you got this good in you and you got that good in you and we’ll work on this area.

▶ 25:31 Amen. Yes sometimes we need to see our own light Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night the lesser light is the moon it’s a reflective light the greater lights the greater light is the sun which is a source of life through chemical reaction okay it is a source of life it produces light the moon does not produce light it’s not a source of light it reflects life. And we’re going to liken that lesser light reflecting of light to the followers of Jesus Christ. Now as you probably know apologetics have been trying to explain this away for decades and the atheists try to use it as the Bible is a bunch of myths and mistakes and errors in Genesis 1:3 God already said let there be light.

▶ 26:27 And then he created light on the fourth day and said the sun and the moon and the stars were lights. And God saw that the light was good now we can say that Jesus is the light so he is the light he was the light back there and you could be close to being accurate Revelations 21:23 says the new Jerusalem the city coming down from heaven the church has no need of the sun or moon to shine in it for the glory of God and the glory of the lamb Jesus shines in it so we could say God was the light the problem is God saw the light was good. If he is the light why did he have to see the light good. I will continue Psalm 74:6.

▶ 27:22 This is a side thing I’ll get back to the focus here in a minute Psalm 74:16 you have prepared what the light and the sun well if the sun was what was shining on the first day why did he repeat himself and say he prepared he made he created both the light and the sun later. You got to watch your apologetics books folks. When you go at these things with natural understanding you can be wrong. I’m going to give you another proof. Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember your creator before the son or what the light and the moon or the stars go out or be darkened he separated again what the first light from the second light of the sun and the moon so on day one he either created a light or he just brought forth what we call natural light without a source it functions on its own whatever it is there is a separate source of light there and we know the earth is rotating because the evening in the morning was the first day and God.

▶ 28:49 Said it was good just like he said that the plants in the dry land was good he saw it was good the fish and the fowl in the fifth day saw that was good he created man on the six days and animals on and he saw that was good. And he saw this first light was good and he saw that the second set of lights were good. And he shows us in the Psalms who are written by the by the spirit. That there’s a difference between the light on the first day and the sun and the moon and the stars on the fourth day just threw that out there because that’s the simplicity of Christ you can’t go to. Uh earthly scientists to give you the meaning of Genesis 1. And you can’t go to ignorant Christians to give you the meaning of Genesis 1 they will say that will the day could have been a long day it says the evening and the morning were the first day the earth rotated evening morning day one day two day three and then he repeats himself and says in six days God made the heavens and the earth.

▶ 30:05 How many days six. And apologetics need to correct some things. You need to get into the mind of Christ Matthew 5:14 you are the light of the world hallelujah. Light. Excels darkness wisdom excels foolishness. Now. John 9:5 as Jesus said as long as I am in the world I am the light of the world. We know that if you look at this sun. You will damage your eyes because it’s bright it’s too bright for you to stare at and look at this is the great light. Jesus is the great light and I’ll show you. Isaiah 9:2 the people that walked in darkness have seen a what great light talking about.

▶ 31:04 Naphtali of Galilee where Jesus and two of the gospels brings us out when Jesus was in Galilee. See what did they see they saw Jesus and they called it what a great light. They saw Jesus and he taught the word and he lived the word therefore people would say he as a what wise and understanding king of unwise and understanding nation the kingdom of God and they were drawn to him they were drawn to his light again Acts 22:6. At noon day the the brightest part of the day the sun shines its brightest at noon so Paul’s on his road to Damascus and they’re shown from heaven a what great light.

▶ 32:03 A great light. What is this great light Paul said I heard a voice saying Saul why do you persecute me and Saul says who are you Lord Jesus said I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting. I am Jesus who is the great light. Jesus who is the great light here Jesus. Jesus is the great light he is the source of light he generates the light he generates the moral standards he generates what’s right he generates uh what’s good. And we in our actions reflect his light. Hallelujah. That’s the simplicity that’s in Christ.