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.