Foundations - Part 1: Rooted in the Word | Pastor Pablo Morales

And now we pray that you are blessed by this

week's sermon. Good morning. So we are beginning

a new series this month called Foundations. We

will be studying for the rest of the month four

different areas that are very important for us

as a ministry. If any of these four areas were

not to be there, we would cease to be who we

are. And that's why we call them foundations

because they are convictions that are foundational

to God's calling for our lives. And today we

are going to be talking about the first of those

four foundations. Before I start this study,

I would like to show you a picture. It's a sinkhole

and a house right next to it, almost on top of

it. Would you build a house next to a sinkhole?

Would you? I would say, Pastor Pablo, what kind

of question is that? I would be foolish to build

a house next to a sinkhole. Well, and you know

that Jesus precisely made that point. He says,

anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey

it is foolish. Like a person who builds a house

on sand. You may not be building a house, but

you are building your life. Decision after decision.

you're building your life. And those decisions

are being shaped by convictions. And if those

convictions are not shaped by the words of Jesus,

if those convictions are not aligned with what

God says, then you are building your life next

to a sinkhole. That's why we say that the first

foundation for us is to be rooted in the word.

We believe that the word of God, the scriptures,

the Bible is foundational for all of the decisions

that we make and how we think of life, how we

see who we are, how we see the future, the past.

It defines our worldview. And therefore, it is

very important for us as a ministry And for us

as followers of Jesus, that we are rooted in

the word because Jesus said so. But to understand

what this means, we will have to go back to the

time in which the Apostle Paul started preaching

the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. He is

the first... to start sharing the gospel in many

of these places, telling people about Jesus.

And then people started believing in Jesus and

following Jesus just like you and I did. But

in one of those trips, he got all the way to

Greece to a place called Thessalonica. And next

to it, also a place called Beria. And in fact,

you can still go to these places today. You can

still go to Thessaloniki and be in the city.

Still real places. But Paul was the first one

to get there and take the gospel with his team.

And we are told that something happened. When

Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis

and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where

there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom,

Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath

days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.

Three weekends in a row, Saturday after Saturday

after Saturday, going to the same place to reason

from where? From the Scriptures. With these people.

Reasoning about what? Well, explaining and proving

that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from

the dead. This Jesus I am proclaiming to you

is the Messiah, he said. So he was engaging from

the scriptures with them to tell them Jesus is

really the truth. It was prophesied that he was

going to come and suffer. And you can see all

of these things are found right here. And as

he was reasoning from the scriptures with them,

it says that some of the Jews were persuaded

and joined Paul and Silas. and did a large number

of good fearing Greeks, and quite a few prominent

women. So some people did believe and started

following Jesus because they trusted in the authority

that the scriptures could determine what was

true from what was false. And because the scriptures

did show that Jesus was prophesied, To be born

in a certain place, to suffer a certain way,

to be crucified, to raise from the dead, that

he came to take away the sins of the world. And

all of these things, they were able to see it.

But some people didn't agree with it. And not

only didn't agree with it, they didn't like it.

So they started causing a riot. And they started

accusing Paul and his friends from bringing rebellion

against Caesar because they were saying that

there was another Lord. apart from Caesar. And

there was a whole riot in the city. So Paul's

friends were able to hide him. And then at night,

they sent him away. And that's how he got from

Thessalonica to Berea. And in Berea, we are told

that as soon as it was night, the brothers sent

Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there,

they went to the Jewish synagogue, just like

they had done in Thessalonica. To do what? Same

thing. Show them through the scriptures that

Jesus was the Messiah. Now the Bereans were of

more noble character than the Thessalonians.

Huh, that's a nice detail. For they received

the message with great eagerness and examined

the scriptures every day to see if what Paul

was saying was true. What were they concerned

about? What were they really wanting to confirm?

Truth. Is this true or not? You see, these were

not just religious people that wanted a religion

to make them feel better. No, they believe in

the scriptures and they wanted to know whether

what Paul was saying was true or not according

to the scriptures. And that's why the name of

the Bereans has become... This verse has become

very famous because it describes the Berean as

people of noble character who care for truth.

And that is the type of Christian that we want

to be. This is the vision that we have for ACB.

We are people that are rooted in the word and

we believe in the authority of the scriptures

and we engage with the scriptures to reason together

because we care about truth. And the result of

this says there are many of the Jews believed.

And there are also a number of prominent Greek

women and many Greek men. And the outcome was

great. Because as the Apostle Paul went and preached

the gospel in that area, he was with his team

engaging with all of these things. And there

was one member in his team that was one of the

younger ones. This was his mentee. And Paul got

very close to him. Do you know what his name

was? Timothy. Timothy was Paul's mentee. And

as they started serving together and experienced

these different things, eventually the apostle

Paul went to prison. And as he was in prison,

one of the last letters that he wrote before

he died at the hands of the Romans, was a letter

to this dear friend. Did you know what that letter

was? 2 Timothy. So whenever you read 2 Timothy,

you have to picture the Apostle Paul writing

from prison before he died, the last thing he

wrote. Because what he's going to write here

is words for Timothy that will help us understand

why the scriptures were so essential and so central

to the ministry of the Apostle Paul? And why

did he want Timothy to really know these things

very well? Why would these things about the scriptures

matter so much? So let's take a look at that

letter that he wrote to Timothy. Timothy, my

friend. Remember all those trips that we took

together when we went to Thessalonica and Berea?

Remember how we had to escape at night because

of the riot in Thessalonica and how we reasoned

with people through the scriptures? Do you remember

those Bereans? I like them better than the Thessalonians.

They were more noble. Remember them? And we reasoned

with them and they were so eager to learn from

the scriptures. Oh, those times, sweet memories.

Timothy, you must remain faithful to the things

you have been taught. You know they are true.

For you know you can trust those who taught you.

Me. I'm the real thing. And you can trust the

scriptures and we have what we have learned together

because it's true. You have been taught the Holy

Scriptures from childhood. And they have given

you the wisdom to receive the salvation that

comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. Oh, Timothy,

you have a privilege that many don't. You were

taught the Scriptures since you were little.

And it was because you knew the Scriptures that

when you came to understand that they were pointing

to Jesus, you believe in Jesus as your Savior.

What a blessing. But I have to tell you, all

scripture, the ones that you were taught since

you were little, all the scripture is inspired

by God. And it's useful to teach us what is true

and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.

It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches

us to do what is right. The scriptures are very

powerful. Because they are inspired directly

by God and they have this effect in our lives.

God uses it to prepare and to equip his people

to do every good work. It's a tool that he designs

so people will start growing and maturing and

becoming more like him. It's a very powerful

tool. So I solemnly urge you. In the presence

of God and Christ Jesus will someday judge the

living and the dead when he comes to set up his

kingdom. In the name of Jesus himself, I'm going

to charge you, Timothy, pay attention to this

letter. Pay attention to these words I'm writing

to you. Preach the word of God. Whatever you

do, these scriptures that you were taught, That

you saw me using and engaging with people. You,

Timothy, preach the word of God. Be prepared

whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently

correct, rebuke, encourage your people with good

teaching. You must do this, Timothy. There are

times in which you will be exhausted. It will

feel like an inconvenience. It doesn't matter.

Go and preach the word. There are moments in

which you want to rest, but go and preach the

word. If you have a headache and you think, oh,

I wish I didn't have to do this, go and preach

the word. Whether you feel like it or don't,

whether things are great or they are not, preach

the word. And you are going to teach it to the

people and you're going to help them patiently

understand it. And you're going to correct them

and you're going to help them grow so that they

will be equipped for every good work. This is

so important, Timothy, that you do this because

you have to understand that down the road, a

time is coming when people will no longer listen

to sound and wholesome teaching because they

don't care anymore. They will follow their own

desires. What they feel, that's what they will

do. They will come up with their own versions

of truth rather than the truth from God's word.

And will also look for teachers who will tell

them whatever their itching ears want to hear.

They will come to you with a question and say,

oh, I don't like that answer because it's not

what I want to believe. So let me find someone

that can teach me what I already believe. They

will not care about truth anymore. They will

reject the truth. And chase after myths. But

you Timothy. You don't go after myths. You should

keep a clear mind in every situation. Always

aligning your life with God's word. The scriptures

that were inspired by God. Were given to you

since childhood. You know it. Align yourself

with it. Don't fall for the myths. Proclaimed

by people. That are going after their own feelings

and their own teachings and their own invented

truths. Don't be afraid of suffering for the

Lord. Work at telling others the good news. And

fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Because you will feel at many moments like a

fish swimming against the current. You believe

in the scriptures and other people don't. And

you will say truth that you believe is from the

scripture. And they will look at you saying,

you're weird. You believe in myths. And they

will think that you are the one that believe

in myths. Not the other way around. And some

people won't like you. And they will oppress

you. They will persecute you because of it. But

even then, don't be afraid of suffering for the

Lord. As for me, well, that's another story.

You're young, you're in the prime time of your

ministry. I'm older, more tired. And you know,

in reality, my life has already been put out

as an offering to God. The time of my death is

near. I can smell it. It's just coming around

the corner. I have fought the good fight. I have

finished the race and have remained faithful

to God. To the scriptures. I have remained faithful

to his calling. And now the prize awaits me.

The crown of righteousness. Which the Lord the

righteous judge. Will give me. On the day of

his return. But that prize is not just for me.

But for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

Including you Timothy. This is for you too. So

remain. Faithful. To your calling. And stay rooted

in the word. As you can see, the apostle Paul

is telling Timothy to be rooted in the word because

there's going to be a time in which people will

no longer care about this as much anymore. And

not only they won't care about it as much, but

the number of teachers that will not be teaching

the scriptures will increase. And the number

of people that will be telling you myths. Things

that they have invented. So that you can hear

what you already want to hear. They will multiply.

And in those moments therefore. To have followers

of Jesus that know the word. To have followers

of Jesus that are rooted in the word. That are

willing to stand up for truth. Matters most.

Because they become fewer and fewer. And the

others become more and more. And what is interesting

is that even though this was written in the first

century for a young Christian called Timothy,

these words can describe the very day we're living

in today. Many people that have abandoned the

scriptures to go after myths. Many people that

now are looking for teachers to tell them what

they want to hear. And now we have programs and

apps designed specifically to tell you what you

want to hear. You watch a video on that topic,

I'll give you a hundred more. You write a post,

oh, this is what you like, this is what you think.

Let me give you more ads about this so that you

can hear more about what you already believe.

And now we are bombarded more and more by voices

from all the spectrum. And Paul says, yep, I

knew that was coming. Therefore, follower of

Jesus, you be rooted in the word. Don't build

your life next to the sinkhole. What does this

look like? What the Apostle Paul just explained

to Timothy is that the scriptures matter and

you have to pay attention to them because they

are inspired by God. This is the nature of the

scriptures. I have talked to some people that

are learning and seeking more about God. They

want to understand. And often they say things

like, well, but isn't the Bible, you know. Full

of errors. And it wasn't just written by humans.

What do you call it? God's word. That makes no

sense to me. And isn't like old. Full of myths

and stuff. Do you really believe in that book?

Well this is what Paul tells Timothy. Says Timothy.

These scriptures. They are. By God. What that

Greek word means. It means they are exhaled by

God. Now, I want you to put your hand in front

of your mouth like this. And not too far, you

know, close enough. Because next thing I'm going

to ask you to do is to exhale. Go. And make sure

your hand is closed in case your breath is not

that nice. Okay. Maybe coffee breath like my

wife says to me. Okay. So, go like that again.

It's just the honestos. And Paul says the word

of God, the scriptures, where did they come from?

From God himself. That's why we call it the word

of God. It's because God is behind the authorship

of the scriptures. But isn't it true that humans

actually wrote it? Yes. And that's why in biblical

theology we talk about the dual nature of authorship.

You have the person who wrote it, but you have

God who inspired it. The apostle Peter uses the

imagery saying that, yeah, the prophets wrote,

but they wrote being led by the Holy Spirit.

So when we talk about the scriptures being God's

word, we're not denying that God is human. To

write it. What the word of God is saying is that

God did not just use humans to write it. He is

the intellectual author of the scriptures himself.

And that's why they are the source of truth.

And that's why we listen to it. We pay attention

to it. Because aligning ourselves with the scriptures

is aligning ourselves with the Holy Spirit. Do

you want to have an encounter with the Holy Spirit?

Then start by paying attention to the scriptures.

Because he inspired them. And not only the nature

of the scriptures is God's word inspired by him,

but he tells us the purpose of the scripture

is very specific. It says the scriptures are

useful. They were designed, they were implemented

for this reason, to teach us what is true. Are

you interested in true? In that which is true,

are you interested in seeking truth? Are you

perhaps in the stage of your spiritual journey

in which you are wondering, is this Christianity

thing true or not? Is this Jesus true or not?

Can I trust the Bible or not? If you are interested

in truth, then you have to understand that the

Bible was designed specifically by God for that

purpose. To teach you that which is true. And

to make us realize also what is wrong in our

lives. It's going to be like an MRI of your soul.

And that's a very uncomfortable space. Because

you start realizing like, oh, I'm a sinner. I'm

not a good person as I thought I was. And you

start feeling convicted. It's like, oh, what

is that sexual holiness thing? I don't think

of sex as holiness. You know, it's like, does

God want me to stop doing that? And suddenly

you start feeling convicted because the word

of God was designed specifically to lead you

to truth. And it corrects you when you are wrong.

It takes you now to this side and it teaches

you to do what is right. For many years, I worked

in college as a I said not many years, but three

years, as a guitar teacher. I learned to play

guitar since I was nine years old. So that was

part of my work in college to help pay for my

education. And I remember that I had some students

that were gifted. It was a joy to teach them.

They would learn so quick. And others that didn't

have the gift. But they were as committed and

passionate about, I want to learn to play guitar.

And I remember this particular student that it

was hard, but she really wanted to learn it.

And I will say in the first sessions, okay, this

is the guitar. You start teaching them what they

do not know. This is a guitar. These are the

six strings. This is the note for each one. This

is how it works. So I'm just teaching them. And

then I have to tell them, okay, to make this

chord, let's say C major, we're going to do like

this. You need to put this finger here, that

one there, that one there. Okay, no, no, no,

here, a little bit lower. Okay, there. Okay,

that's C major. Remove your fingers, do it again.

No, no, no, no, no. This one goes, ah, relax

the finger. Okay, there, that string, and then

there. Okay, I'm correcting them. You're doing

it wrong. I'm like, you are doing it wrong. You

are going to hell because of, no. It's like,

oh, you are doing it wrong. Look. And now I'm

correcting them. This is the right way to do

it. Okay, now there. C major. Do it again. Okay,

again. This here, that there. Okay, do it again.

There, that's good. Now you got it. C major.

Now let's play. It's like terrible. Because to

get the sound, you need to press strong, you

know, the strings. So it's like, okay, that's

nice. So at that moment, they get tired because

you have to press so hard, and so this starts

hurting. And that's when some students stop learning

altogether. It hurts too much. Do I need to cut

my nails? They're so pretty. You know, it's like,

yeah, you need to cut, you know. But my nails,

you know, it's like, pretty or guitar? Choose,

you know. I have to, if they want to learn guitar,

you're going to speak truth to them. You're not

there to make them feel nice. You're there to

teach them play well. And, ah, it was such a

satisfaction at the end. When all these students,

no matter whether gifted or not, finished the

semester, and they could play songs. It was so

nice. D major, G major, they had to learn 21

chords. And that experience taught me something

that Paul is telling us here. That's exactly

what God designed the scriptures for, is to equip

us. And that's why the scripture is truth. It's

because if you're going to do C major, there's

only one way that it's going to sound right.

If you change one note, It's not going to be

C major anymore and it's going to sound terrible.

This is true C major. If you come to me and say,

well, this is my personal truth of C major. It's

like, no, that's not going to work. Call it whatever

you want. It's not going to sound like C major.

You're out of my class. F. The word of God. It

says God uses it to prepare and equip his people

to do every good work. The more you know it,

the more you are being equipped. The more you

are being transformed. And suddenly you start

discovering life as God sees it. Suddenly you

start seeing yourself as God sees you. Suddenly

you start thinking about life not from here till

grave. But you start thinking eternal perspective.

Now you start understanding the true history

of the universe. The true history of beginnings.

You start understanding what Jesus came to do.

And suddenly you start learning the scriptures.

And they shape the way you start playing your

life. And now you sound like... Oh, you sound

like Jesus. That's nice. Wow, play it again.

Wow, I like that. Where did you learn to live

that way? I'm a follower of Jesus and I'm rooted

in the word. And the word has equipped me now

to be more gentle, to be more wise, to be more

patient. Now I understand my true identity. This

is why the scriptures were so important. And

that's why Paul says to Timothy, Timothy, remember

that these other people, they will reject the

truth and they will chase after myths. They are

the ones following myths, not you. But you keep

a clear mind in every situation because what

we are after is truth. Because if you're going

to build your life on a foundation, let that

foundation be truth, not sand. That's why when

Jesus said these things, what he's talking about

is that you build your foundation not on sand,

but on the rock. And his word is that rock. Because

his word is truth. So when you go back to that

idea. You might understand why at ECB we had

written it down in a doctrinal statement this

way. By the way, you can find our doctrinal statement

in our website. But this is what we say. This

is our conviction. This is what we believe. Would

you read it with me? The Old and New Testaments.

Inerrant as originally given. Were verbally inspired

by God. And are a complete revelation of his

will for the salvation of people. They constitute

the divine and only rule of Christian faith and

practice. Why do we say this? Because this is

what Paul just told Timothy. And this is where

Christian churches will start going in different

ways. Some won't believe that the Bible is God's

Word. Some will believe that it's kind of God's

Word in some parts, others are not. Some will

believe that, yeah, it's God's Word, but it's

full of errors. You know, that really didn't

happen. You cannot trust it historically. And

you're going to have a whole spectrum. Well,

let me tell you right now so that you know who

we are. We believe that God's Word... It's inspired

by him and therefore is the only authority, the

ultimate authority for life. Not Pastor Pablo,

not his interpretation of it, but God's word

itself. Like the Bereans, we engage with the

scriptures. We reason through it. We are not

just a multi -international church, but we're

also a multi -denominational church. We have

so many denominations here represented from all

over the world. So we understand that we don't

agree on every single thing. But we agree to

disagree. You have the Calvinist right here.

And you have the free will person right next

to them. And we all worship God together. And

we follow Jesus the same. But we believe in the

authority of the scriptures. And we understand

that there are things that are complex. We have

no problem engaging. But there is such a thing

as truth. And with truth, we don't compromise.

If it's not biblical, it's not biblical. Period.

This is how we see it. And we are committed,

therefore, to preach the word, proclaim it in

season and out of season because that is what

Jesus called us, his followers, to do. We are

representatives of truth in every environment

we are because we are followers of Jesus. That's

why when Jesus says, look, if anyone who hears

my teaching and doesn't obey it, is foolish like

a person who builds a house on sand. We refuse

to build our ministry and we refuse to teach

you to build your life next to a sinkhole. We

won't. But what does the sinkhole look like?

What does it look like not to believe in the

scriptures and not to build your life on it?

There are three common traits that will happen.

And I want to point them out to you in case you

didn't realize that there's a single forming

next to you. Ignorance, distrust, and disobedience.

Ignorance is that you didn't even look at the

terrain before you built the house. You just

start building. And you are building your life

without really knowing the scriptures. And you

are making decisions without even consulting

what God says about it. You need to know the

scriptures because ignorance will keep you from

the right path or will lead you and mislead you

in the wrong path. Let me give you an example.

I have two statements here. A, there is no God.

B, God helps those who help themselves. Okay,

I'm going to give you a few seconds to read it

again. That means thumbs up. Okay. Now, I mean

thumbs up, I should say. Now, which one of those

two assertions are you going to find in the Bible?

You have to tell me. Well, you don't tell me,

okay, but you have to answer it. Yeah. Say, Pastor

Pablo, this is so easy. Come on. Are you trying

to trick me? Of course the Bible doesn't say

there's no God. I mean, we know Jesus is God,

right? Right? Right? And yeah, God helps those

who help themselves. Of course. I remember hearing,

what was it, like the pastor the other time?

He mentioned that and when we prayed or something.

Isn't that found in Philippians 1 .6? Okay, so

if you said B is going to be found in the Bible,

you're wrong. That's a common saying that many

Christians will say here and there, but that

doesn't appear in the Bible. It's actually poor

theology as well. But this is a common saying

the Bible doesn't say. A, the Bible does say

there is no God. What? You say, no, I'm uncomfortable.

Should we fire you now? Yeah. The Bible says

there's no God. Did you know that? I'll show

you. Psalm 53 .1. The fool says in his heart,

there is no God. You see how anyone can quote

the Bible and mislead you into a teaching that

is not true. And just because the person published

a book with a view doesn't make it true. You

and I need to be like the Bereans. We need to

know the scriptures. Read it. Study it. Learn

it. Because if we don't, we will become susceptible

to the myths and deceptions that many people

will follow. And God doesn't want you to be one

of them. He wants you to be rooted in the word.

But then there's the second one. Distrust. Distrust

is this idea that you slowly start thinking.

Yeah, I see what it says, but no, I don't think

that really happened. No, that's too good to

be true. No, that, if I do that, will really

lead me to a good future. No, maybe God didn't

mean that. And you slowly start distrusting the

word. And you don't engage with it as if it's

God's inspired word. You engage with it as if

it's full of misleading information that is going

to lead you to the wrong place. It's like you

trust Google Maps more than you trust the Bible,

you know, when you're driving around Bangkok.

Okay, Google says something must be true, you

know, and then you go until you realize, what?

Right? That is not right here. You know, it's

like you have no idea what you're doing. You

find yourself talking to the phone. You know,

the Bible is not like Google Maps. It will never

mislead you. And when God says, this is the truth,

then God means it. This is the truth. You can

trust it. There was a man that grew up in a Christian

home, at least with a Christian mother. And so

he went to church. He believed in the Bible.

He would read the Bible. And he started growing

a little bit older. He became a young adult.

And he loved science. So he started studying

biology and he started traveling around the world

in these ships. And people would make fun of

him because he believed in the Bible. So slowly

he started thinking, maybe it is weird to believe

in the Bible. Maybe I shouldn't believe in the

Bible. Maybe the Bible is not true. So he started

questioning. And then he started thinking, but

in reality, how do I know this is true? There's

no archaeological evidence that says any of these

things are true. No evidence at all. So he would

go to bed at night, imagining it would be cool

if we discover something like a coin or something

from the Roman period that would show that the

Bible is true. Wouldn't that be great? So he

will make up in his mind evidence that was never

found. Until one day, he became convinced that

the Bible wasn't true. It was just another myth.

That he had been deceived. And that the idea

that this Jesus had come and died for people,

even though he kind of believed it a little bit

here and there growing up, now he realized, nah.

That cannot be true. How God would send people

to hell just for not believing in him. That man

died an agnostic. And his name is Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwin was the proponent of the theory

of evolution. And he lived in the 1800s where

there was no archaeological discoveries yet because

archaeology as a field was not even started yet

as it is today. But I studied his life. I spent

years also studying the theory of evolution.

And last time I visited London, I went to his

house, which is a museum, and I walked into his

room. I got to see the bed where he died. And

I reflected on so many things about his life

because he had a daughter that died out of an

illness and God didn't heal her. And that also

impacted his faith. He felt deeply disappointed

with God. But he wrote his autobiography. And

he tells us this journey in his own words. And

I want you to see it because in these words you

capture. What this process that Paul is warning

Timothy about happens. I have gradually come

by this time to see that the Old Testament from

its false history of the world was no more to

be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindus

or the beliefs of any barbarian. Just another

myth. Beautiful is the morality of the New Testament.

It can hardly be denied. That its perfection

depends in part on the interpretation which we

now put on metaphors and allegories. Because

that's all it is, just a metaphor, an allegory.

I can well remember often inventing daydreams

of all letters between distinguished Romans and

manuscripts being discovered which confirmed

in the most striking manner all that was written

in the Gospels. Of course. He didn't know about

the Dead Sea Scrolls at that time. But I found

it more and more difficult with free scope given

to my imagination to invent evidence which would

suffice to convince me. Thus, this belief crept

over me at a very slow rate but was at last complete.

The raid was so slow that I felt no distress

and have never since doubted, even for a single

second, that my conclusion was correct. I can

indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity

to be true. For if so, the plain language of

the text seems to show that the men who do not

believe, and this would include my father, my

brother, and almost all my best friends, they

will be everlastingly punished. And this is a

damnable doctrine. By such reflections as these,

I gradually came to disbelieve in Christianity

as a divine revelation. And that's it. Can you

hear the process of disbelief creeping in him?

The sad thing is that if he would have lived

in the next century, it would be a whole different

story. Because all the archaeological evidence

that we have abundantly today that corroborates

ancient history from the Old Testament, starting

even in the book of Genesis, the life of Abraham

and Joseph, all the way until the New Testament,

is abundant. Let me show you a couple of them

quickly in case you did not know any of these

things. You can go to the ruins of the city of

Jericho today that have been already studied

for many decades. And more and more evidence

is being discovered that corroborates the account

of Joshua. How it was destroyed and all these

things and the timeline of these events. Today

you can actually see little things like a seal

that has the name of King Hezekiah of the Old

Testament. Or also prophet Isaiah from the Old

Testament. These are things outside the Bible

itself. And they are all 2 ,700 years before

Christ. One of the latest discoveries from early

Christianity corroborates that Christians from

the first century already believed that Jesus

was truly God. And there's this mosaic called

the Megiddo mosaic that was discovered in Israel

from all places in a prison. And when they discovered

this mosaic, they had to now do restoration and

then they were able to remove it. And it says

very specifically there, God, Jesus Christ is

the first. Assertion of Jesus being divine by

people that worship him that way. Early attestation

of these things. There are archaeological societies

that you can find today. That you can go to their

website or you can buy their magazines. You can

go to YouTube. There are a couple of YouTubes

that are very helpful that I want to share with

you. I often watch some of these things because

I love these things. This is my area of study

as well. But Patterns of Evidence is a man that

did all these excellent documentaries. to analyze

what is the archaeological and historical evidence

for the Pentateuch, for Moses, for the escaping

of Egypt, going into the Promised Land. All of

that, absolutely well done. And you get to hear

from all the different people involved in those

fields, from those that deny that there's any

biblical evidence, to those that corroborate

and say, yeah, here it is. If you want to learn

more about that, go to Patterns of Evidence.

Expedition Bible is an archaeologist, Joel Kramer,

who takes you to lots of different places and

he shows you what is the archaeological discovery

and how it corroborates with the biblical evidence.

Amazing. You will love all of these. You can

even see the biblical evidence and the archaeological

evidence for who is the pharaoh of Egypt. The

one that... His son died because of the plagues.

And when Moses is leaving, all of this stuff

is out there. Unbelievable. Sergio and Rod in

Israel is a couple of Christians that live in

Nazareth. And they have created all these videos

where they show you different places of biblical

significance. And they're fun. It's like a reality

TV show kind of thing. It's just fun to watch

them. If you are interested in learning more

about any of these things, go to these places.

But even better, We have a gift for you that

we want to give you because we want you to be

like the Bereans. We want you to engage with

the word. And we have something that is called

Right Now Media. Imagine like Netflix, but Christian.

It's a selection of videos that has documentaries

and Bible studies and different things for children

and adults alike. Just do this QR code and you

will be able to create your account that is sponsored

by ECB. And no strings attached. There's not

a little footprint. There's no cost for you,

really. We want you to have access to this information.

Do not let ignorance or distrust push you into

this thing hole. But the last one is disobedience.

It's when you start learning what God says and

you decide not to do it. And oh man, thou will

always grab you in. Can I tell you one more story

before I finish this study? It's a fascinating

story that I love when I read the words of it.

Because it's also an autobiography. But not like

Charles Darwin's. It doesn't take you into the

sinkhole. It gets you out of it. This is a man

that was an atheist. or agnostic man, who was

living a sexually promiscuous life. He was selling

drugs. And then he ended up in prison. And he

comes to know Jesus while he's in prison. And

from being this agnostic man, drug dealer, he

becomes a follower of Jesus, a professor of theology

at Moody Bible Institute. It's like, how do you

get from there to here? Remember the scriptures

to equip you for every good work. So this is

what Christopher says. That night as I lay in

prison, in a prison cell bed, I noticed something

scribbled on the metal bank above me. If you're

bored, read Jeremiah 29, 11. So I did and was

intrigued by the promise I read there. I know

the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you

a future and a hope. Can you imagine him reading

the word of God, inspired by God, designed to

teach him truth and correct his wrong so that

he can be fully equipped for every good work?

And he is there reading these words. This is

what he says. I read the Bible more and more.

As I did, I realized I'd placed my identity in

the wrong thing. The world tells those of us

with same -sex attraction that our sexuality

is the core of who we are. But God's word paints

quite a different picture. Genesis 127 informs

us that we are all created. In the image of God.

And the apostle Paul says that in Christ we live

and move and have our being. Thus my identity

is not gay or ex -gay or even straight. My true

identity is in Jesus Christ alone. Clarity comes

not by trying to decide which approach is more

compassionate. But by observing which approach

is grounded. In the correct version of truth.

God's truth. With good intentions. We may rush

into doing. What's right. But if we don't begin.

With right thinking. There's a good chance. We

could be doing. What's wrong. Living in disobedience.

Until the word of God started convicting him.

Transforming his perspective. And he allowed

it. And because he allowed the work of the word

of God to start transforming his heart and he

repented. He aligned himself with the word. Time

after time after time. Suddenly his life changed

completely. You can read. His story and more

about now his full understanding of sexuality

in his book, Holy Sexuality and the Gospel. And

if you do not know anything about him, you can

go to YouTube and find Christopher Yuan and you

will find his testimony, powerful stuff. But

ignorance, distrust or disobedience will drag

you into the sinkhole. And I'm here to remind

you, ECB is a place where we believe. In the

conviction of being rooted in the word. We understand

that there's a wrestling in the journey. And

we are here to wrestle with you. We are here

not to hit you with the Bible on the head. We

are here to open it so we can reason together.

Because God wants you to know and understand

truth. Because the Holy Spirit is the spirit

of truth. And he will guide you into all truth.

And we will walk this journey together. But whatever

you do. Don't be foolish. And build your life

next to the single. So I conclude this study

with this simple question. Are you rooted in

the word? Lord. Thank you for your word. And

for the reminder that. Yes, there are hundreds

of voices out there telling us their own truth.

But you did not say that you want to teach us

your version of truth or your own truth. You

told us you want to teach us the truth. Because

Jesus, you said, I am the way, the truth, and

the life. No one comes to the Father except through

me. You said that the Holy Spirit that you will

give us is the spirit of truth. You said that

your word was inspired by God to teach us what

is true. So Lord, we are here to align ourselves

with you. And if there's anything that is holding

back from being rooted in the word, please do

whatever it takes. that we may be aligned with

you in Jesus' name. Amen. If God is calling you

to support our ministries, you will find giving

options on our website. And remember to join

us next week. God bless you.