Transcript for:
Galatians 1:1,5 -Right Of Passage- Pastor Rick Beaudry 2025-07-06

We're in the book of Galatians now. We're starting Galatians. And, would you please stand with me as we read God's holy word together, the book of Galatians. Love this book. It's a great book. All the books of the Bible are great. But I'm excited to, get into this book because we're watching, a whole lot of people preaching a false gospel. And that's what was happening in the churches of Galatia. And Paul had to lay out what the gospel is and try and bring correction to the church that he and Barnabas had planted there. So verse one, chapter one verse one. Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the father who raised him from the dead. And all the brethren which are with me unto the churches of Galatia, grace be to you and peace from God the father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God and our father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Father, thank you for your holy word. And, Lord, it's, truly humbling to, be a Christian, humbling to be handling your word and looking, looking into the scripture today. And, Lord, we know that our sufficiency is of Christ and that you would be our teacher today, that you'd open the scriptures and teach us, Lord, equip us and strengthen us. Lord, help us as we're equipped to be able to be used of you to do the work of the ministry. Lord, we pray that you remove all fear, all doubt, all, anxiety, Lord, that people may be going through. And Lord, that we'd experience your peace, your great peace that surpasses all understanding, would guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We pray, Lord, that we'd experience joy today. The joy of knowing that you're coming soon for us, your bride, and that nothing of this world will be able to hold us down and and, rip us off and keep us from entering all that you have for us, Lord. Our rite of passage that we can boldly come before your throne of grace to find help, to find grace, to find mercy in our time of need, Lord. Lord, we need you. Bless, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Would you please be seated? The letter to the churches, plural, of the area of Galatia. Galatia, the Gauls are the ones that not the Greeks, but the Gaul, area of the Gauls, a Roman province. And about forty eight AD by the apostle Paul. And at the time of the writing, this was, as I said, a Roman province encompassing the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derby. And you remember in Acts, you know, thirteen and fourteen there, the apostle Paul with Barnabas there. And this is where, they came out at him at at Derby, at Iconium and, Antioch in that region. And they began to worship the Apostle Paul in Barnabas because there was a man that was lame in his feet, and they healed him. And then all of a sudden, the priest came and these guys were these guys were brutal. They were pretty aggressive. And the priest came out and and they, called Paul Jupiter and Barnabas Mercurius. And they said, no, we're men of like passions as ye don't worship us, worship God and all. And they they got them to calm down in regard to offering animals under them as the gods came down to speak to us and all. But then, some of the Judaizers came down thereafter. Judaizers are Jews that follow the apostle Paul around and they bring the Mosaic law, they bring Judaism into regions where the churches are starting to flourish, starting to grow. And so the churches of Galatia there, they're young and this is a circulator being being circulated to the churches in that area, these various cities. And, they begin to undermine the gospel. And they undermine the apostle Paul. And they begin to say that you've gotta mix the law with grace. And, you know, grace isn't enough. And the finished work of Jesus upon the cross isn't enough, that you're gonna have to keep the law. And not only that, to be saved, you gotta keep the law. But there after, to be holy, to be perfect, you're gonna have to keep the law. So Paul is very upset that these guys are undermining him. And when Barnabas and, Paul encountered them, they actually stoned the apostle Paul at Lystra, and they dragged him out of the city there. And there's a circle of guys around him, and then Paul gets back up. And then he what's he wanna do? He wants to go right back in to those cities that he just ministered unto, all beaten up. And this is where Paul, I believe, where he talked in the third person. I knew a man, whether in the body or not in the body, caught up in the third heaven, seeing things that were, you know, you couldn't even mention. I'll remember how he studied that. And, and at that point, then he then he wakes back up. He's resuscitated, raised from the dead, if you will. And he goes right back into the city. And he goes into these cities and these people must have just been so astounded. And then he lets all of us as Christians know that we through much affliction enter into the kingdom of God. That we through great tribulation, not the tribulation, but tribulation pressure like Jesus promised, enter into the kingdom of God. So don't think it's strange concerning these fiery trials later. You know, we'll we'll read about, you know, and as James talks about it, these trials are are for everybody, especially if you are standing for the truth. If you're standing for the truth in this day and age, expect to be attacked. Expect to be divided. Expect even the enemies be of your own household in many cases, people wanting to divide and all. Now the way to get along, to go along and get along is to compromise. Paul could have compromised with the Judaizers. They could have watered down the gospel and found a way to please everybody. You know? They could have found a way to make their church's nickels and noses just grow so big and no more stoning of anybody. No more no more, you know, martyrdom or any of that. We we can appease everybody. We just gotta give in to everybody and make sure that we don't talk about any triggers, anything that might trigger somebody to, you know, wanna stone me or whatever. But problem with that is then you're a false prophet if you do that, if you compromise. You can't compromise. And Jesus said, if they've hated me, they're gonna hate you. So you gotta get ready. You gotta get ready. And so the Apostle Paul is very hated, so much so that the devil, we fight not against flesh and blood, but against spirits and principalities of the air. And so the church, these brand new believers, are being infiltrated by Judaizers that are wanting to steal the joy and the blessing of this church that was planted by Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. And, they were basically saying that the Apostle Paul was unqualified, in that he wasn't an apostle. He really wasn't an apostle. The word apostle means one sent. And secondly, as I said, your gospel is incomplete. You've, left out the Mosaic law. And thirdly, you've left out the Mosaic law to bring glory. The the Mosaic law brings glory unto God. And by you not, including the Mosaic law, the 613 precepts of the Old Testament, you know, you are you are denying God the glory that's due his name. So they were denying Paul his rite of passage. They were saying, you don't you don't get to go this way. You don't get to be an apostle. You don't get to the privilege of preaching the gospel. You're disqualified. You're unqualified. You don't deserve to do that even though he's the one that planted this church. Your ministry is a fraud. Your message is incomplete. Your motives are being called into question. And so Paul comes back with a defense. And so we asked the question, what is the basis of Paul's authority? Number one, his ministry is ordained of God. Is your ministry ordained of God? When you go with the gospel, you remember that the king of kings and lord of lords gave you the great commission. He told you to go. He told you and I, all of us, not just an apostle. An apostle is one that sent. So Paul has the function of apostle, but also the office of an apostle, in that he's seen the risen Christ. And he's a an apostle born out of due time, if you will, and that the Lord met him on the road to Damascus. But in the general sense, Barnabas being an apostle, not the office of an apostle. And you and I, in an apostolic role, were were sent by God with the good news of his coming kingdom. And so you and I are ordained of God to preach the gospel, to proclaim the good news of his coming kingdom, each and every one of us. Now in the tribulation period, the 144,000, 12,000 of each tribe, they have the privilege and the blessing of being ordained of God to share the glorious gospel to those in the tribulation period. And there's also an angel that's flying overhead with the glorious gospel. And then there's two witnesses that are giving the glorious gospel to the planet. And, and there's an innumerable multitude of people, isn't there? The greatest revival ever beneath the throne of God who gave up their heads, who gave up their lives for the glorious gospel, for the good news of Jesus Christ. And so Paul, the first is that he's ordained of God. Verse one, Paul, an apostle. And notice he says, not of men, neither by men, not of nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead. So if there's any confusion out there of where I got my ordination, I didn't get it from a cemetery, attending cemetery. I didn't get it from some friends or online. Nowadays, a lot of guys go online. And they go online and they wanna do your wedding, and they go online and they get ordained real quick. And and now they're qualified, they're ordained to do a wedding, do a funeral, do whatever they want, you know. And I got no problem with that. I sometimes, I tell people, you know what? You'd be better off just go to the courthouse. Go to the courthouse. You know? I don't think, you know, necessarily I'm comfortable doing your wedding, you know? And, no problem you go in the courthouse and, go go there. And then if you wanna come back and be discipled, because, because, you know, you really been living with your girlfriend and living with your boyfriend and now you want me to Christianize that thing. No. I'm not very comfortable about that. So go find one of those guys with the ordination certificate from, from online or, or go to the courthouse, you know, because we we take this, more serious than that, you know. And, so the apostle Paul, he's, he's saying, you know, I I got my ordination straight from Jesus. The Lord Jesus appeared to me on the road to Damascus, he's able to tell people. And then he's he's, goes on into Damascus. He's blinded. And, Ananias, we're gonna read about in a second here. But Ananias, the prophet, God told him, you know, go down to the street, which is called Straight, and find the soul of Tarsus. Behold, he prayeth. You know? And Ananias is like, wait a minute, man. He's a hit man. He's a hit man. Don't that guy's dangerous. He he incarcerates people, but no. He's a chosen vessel unto me. Show him what things he must suffer for my namesake, and and, and lay hands on him to that he might receive his sight. And then thereafter, the apostle Paul, as he got out of Damascus, spent three years we're gonna see in this book here, Galatia the Galatians, that he spent three years in the Arabian Desert. So we're talking about his his, ordination, his ministry here, his calling, but then we're gonna talk about his message. Where did he get his message? Well, the Lord taught him the gospel directly. In that three years of sitting there, the Holy Spirit is teaching the Apostle Paul. Now he's raised at the feet of Gamaliel, most brilliant one of the most brilliant rabbis of the time. And he's raised in the city called Tarsus, which is a great, educational city, just as like Moses being raised in all the things of Egypt earlier, you know. So he's a very educated man, and yet he doesn't know Jesus. Doesn't know him. Doesn't have a personal relationship with him. And so it took the Lord actually invading Paul's comfort zone. The Apostle Paul as Saul of Tarsus tormented by the face of Stephen, shining bright like that of an angel looking up to heaven. Lord, lay not the sin on their charge. And they laid their coats at the feet of one Saul of Tarsus. And he's he's going crazy. I had a guy, contact me yesterday, and and, the poor guy, I my heart really goes out to him. He, when he was younger, his mother committed suicide and, really left him bereft, you know, left him just deep, deep, deep pain within his heart. And thereafter, his father and and he had some sisters, you know, he wound up going one of the Calvary Chapels and he's by his own admission, he used to be a bible thumper and all that. And they helped him to get through it, you know, and all. And, and then later as he's entering into adulthood, he goes into the navy and and, and he's trying to process everything, trying to figure things out, and he's hurt. Just deeply, deeply, deeply hurt inside. And, he told me when I tried to minister to him that, no. I used to be a Bible thumper, but that doesn't work for me and all. But he's trying to put his life together, and his dad recently died. And then now, I just learned that, his wife of two years, they're divorcing. And he wants to find himself. He he's lost. And, and I wrote to him and I said, you know, you're resisting the Holy Spirit. You you're blood bought. You belong to Jesus. And if you wanna go insane, then keep resisting the Holy Spirit. And that's the apostle Paul. He was resisting the Holy Spirit. And he was becoming more and more angry. Not that my friend my friend's not angry, but he's just he's just bewildered and he's trying to make of himself a good guy. In every area of his life, he wants to achieve and be a good guy. But there's that gnawing, that emptiness inside, that resisting of the Holy Spirit. And nothing he achieves is ever gonna fill that void and that emptiness. And and his wife must also be bewildered, you know. Just what is it? Why why aren't you content? Why that emptiness? Why the with your dad dying recently to stir it up again, is is that stirring that's happened. You know, the devil has a field day on us if we don't if we're not, you know, embraced in the Lord. If the Lord can't protect us, you know, who is gonna protect us? And, the Lord Jesus is there to comfort you today. He doesn't want you to carry those burdens. He doesn't want you to carry that pain. He wants you as you learn of him, as you get to know him, he wants to carry that burden. He wants you to continually cast your cares upon him for he cares for you. You weren't designed. You don't have shoulders to carry that weight, that burden of the law. Jesus looked at the multitudes of people and and, they were they were burdened. They were sheep as having no shepherd. In Matthew 11, he says, come on to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden. They were carrying this burden of the law that the Judaizers, the Jews were placing upon them. And, later, in chapter 15 of the book of Acts, there was a council that was given and there was a debate about whether gentiles should be circumcised to become Christians or not. And, Peter chimes in and says, why should we put a burden upon them that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? So they recognize, no, we can't impose the law, you know, upon these Gentiles. And so for the sake of fellowship, just get them to refrain from all the fornication they're committing. It was stumbling the Jews that the Gentiles were so much into pornography. It was stumbling them from from a moral standpoint. Imagine that. You're gonna tell the church, people in the church, new believers, hey, don't do your fornication around the Jews. It stumbles them. And don't eat meat that's, been strangled. Make sure that it's been drained properly if you're gonna eat meat around Gentiles because in their dietary ways that they eat and all, it stumbles them and all. So these two things just that's okay. Just move on from there. Don't impose a law upon them. But Jesus said, come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I'm meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest under your souls. For my yoke is easy, his yoke is kind, and my burden is light. You're not designed to carry the burden of the law. You're not designed to carry the burden of guilt by being a sinner. You gotta be able to continually confess your sin, cast your sin, not receive any of that condemnation from the wicked one when you sin, and just remind the wicked one, if he's trying to condemn you, of the blood. It's the blood of Jesus Christ. Not that I want you talking to the devil, but whatever that voice is, whatever that voice of condemnation is that that that trying to neutralize you, condemn you, get you to quit, it's the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son continually cleanses me of all unrighteousness. Jesus said, it is finished to tell us I paid in full. All my sins, past, present, and future are dealt with. Now these Judaizers come in and they wanna heap a burden back on the people. And the reason they wanna do that is to bring them into bondage once again, because it's a business form, nickels and noses. And we can control them this way. And the apostle Paul's a threat to our business, just as Jesus was a threat to our business. It was expedient that one man die for the nation, Caiaphas said, the high priest that year. Right? And so they're conspiring. They're conspiring to kill Jesus. And Pilate offers Barabbas, the son of the father, the son of the devil. But no, they crucify him, crucify him, crucify him. And Pilate knew for envy they crucified him, but they felt threatened because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And if we don't deal with this, guys, they're gonna draw all men under themselves. And then later in the book of Acts, Peter, James, and John, and the apostle Paul and the others, Philip, they're turning the world upside down. Right? They're turning the world upside down. People are coming to Christ. Great is Diana of the Ephesians in the in the city of Ephesus. The silversmiths are freaking out because these Christians are here. People are leaving idolatry. They're coming to Christ. And also, you see the infiltration, as Paul said in Acts 20, of the wolves from the outside, the Judaizers, the Gnostics, the the pseudo intellectuals, the YouTube prophets, you know. And when I say prophets, p r o f I t s, you know. It's all about the money, nickels and noses. And Paul Paul needs to be undermined. We need to undermine him. We need to assassinate his character. There's too much truth that he's bringing forth, and their hatred of him is irrational. It's unreasonable. You know, they can't find anything biblically, so to speak, but they wanna change the gospel. So Paul's going to lay the gospel out and he's gonna say, hey. If anybody comes along, including an angel, let him be accursed. There's no change in the gospel. The gospel comes directly from the Lord, and and we're not gonna tolerate that. So Paul has to defend his very ministry that he received directly from God, and so he didn't receive it. It's not from men, either by men, but from God. That word apostle means one sent. So Paul was appointed. Paul was ordained. Paul was commissioned just as you've been appointed. You may not have the office of a pastor. The you may not have the office of an evangelist. Because in Ephesians four, we see the gifted men and women. And I say women, not women pastors. But women can be deaconesses. Right? And then there's a in the plural or in the feminine, Junius is of note among the apostles in the book of Romans chapter 16. So we don't know if there was a female apostle in that one like Barnabas, one that sent. But this Junius in the feminine was known among the apostles. So known as in she's an apostle, one that sent. We know that Philip had four daughters, virgins, and they were evangelists. Right? Prophetesses, speaking forth the word of God. So in Ephesians four, he gave some apostles. God gave some apostles to the church. We thank the Lord for the 12. Right? And then he gave some prophets. There's prophets in the church. He's gave some evangelists. And I'm not an evangelist. I don't have the office, the gifting of evangelists. But Paul told Timothy, do the work of an evangelist. So you pastors out there, you Christians out there, anybody out there, you may not have the gifting of a Billy Graham or pastor Greg Laurie or pastor Raul Rees, those obvious evangelists that that tons of people come to Christ through the preaching, you know, in their events and such, you know, the church and all. But, but do the work of an evangelist. So don't let that don't let that hinder you. So Kathy and I, from the very time we came here, we just go for it. You just go for it. You just get up there like you know everything, but you don't. But you just go for it. Nobody nobody cares. You know, they don't know. And you just I I was I was so blessed when we had the Roxy Inn that I would challenge men in the church to get up there and share the gospel. And it's a great thing. When I went down to Mexico to teach the, book of Romans, one of the things, the practical application of teaching the book of Romans, since the theme is the gospel, my practicum, the thing I that that they had to do for their their test, their final test, you know, at the end of the course, was preach the gospel. So I taught them what the gospel is, then I taught them how to preach the gospel, and then I had them preach the gospel in front of their peers. That's a big deal. That's I mean, Carl's a a guy that preaches the gospel down at the ferry terminal. A lot of you guys are Ivan gives out tracts and preaches the gospel. A lot of you preach the gospel to people. You're you're street evangelists and all, and you have been for years. And guess what? 99. 9% of the time, you're rejected. This is Kitsap County. But it doesn't stop you, does it? So if I go down to Huntington Beach, I see the pier covered with Christians there sharing the gospel. It's receptive. People are receiving it. Couple years ago when I was down there, there was an elderly lady, which means she's way older than me. And they've got a they've got a wheelbarrow there, a wheelbarrow with Bibles in it. Right there on PCH, right at the pier. And they're giving out free Bibles to people. They got placards. They got young people over here singing worship songs and stuff. I mean, it's on. It's it's exciting. But God has his people everywhere. In the shipyard, Bangor, Keyport, you're the evangelist. Now you may not have the office. You may not have the Billy Graham Association. You know? But you're God's man. You're God's woman, that he sends you in there to share the glorious good news of his coming kingdom. And he gave pastors teachers. And I didn't know that I was supposed to be a pastor. I I didn't know. And then the Lord made it clear to me. The Lord, over the course of time, I spent the first eight years sitting in the pews. And I kept trying to discover, because pastor Chuck kept saying, God wants to use your life. God wants to use your life. God wants to use your life. You know? And but where? How? What do I do? So I I started teaching Sunday school to two year olds. You know how hard that is? Do you know what two year olds do? They cry and they bite. They just and you got 30 of them, man. It's it's all you can do with you and your wife, brand new wife, you know, and she's pregnant, trying to keep these two year olds. We're getting training of what it means to have kids, and she's pregnant. And, man, they're just biting each other all the time, you know? And, and we're trying to teach them the gospel. We're trying to share with them, sing them songs, and teach them. And then we go from there, and a little bit later, we're teaching, fourth graders. I taught Sunday school for four years. Taught home bible studies. And it began to get a hold of me. And then the Lord, you know, is putting a desire in my heart. He puts in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So I'm still not confident. I still don't have the the confidence in doing that. And and even Saturday, even still today, Saturday, when we're getting ready to do the podcast with with Vicky and Rob and and Mark and and Shelley, I said to Vicky or Rob, I said to somebody, you know, I don't I don't feel like I'm ready. I don't feel sufficient for this. I don't I don't I don't think I'm ready. I don't think I can do this. And I heard somebody say, I don't know who it was. Might have been Rob. Our sufficiencies of Christ. Oh, wonder where they heard that from. You know? And as soon as it started, as soon as Vicky says, pastor and the Holy Spirit just helped me start in Genesis and move on through in in regard to the Abrahamic covenant in the nation of Israel. It was just so easy. Just so easy because the Lord had taught me this. The Lord continues to teach me and we all feel inadequate. But when we exercise and do what God's called us to do, regardless of who thinks we're not a pastor, who thinks we're a devil, who hates us, we continue to minister as unto the Lord because he's called us. If we if we get our marching orders from false prophets and other people, all of us are gonna quit. Because the devil's always gonna send people that try to undermine you and ridicule you and mock you and try every which way they can to get you to stop doing what God's called you to do. And so for me in Kitsap County, I remember what pastor Chuck taught us. He said, men, outlive your detractors. You're always gonna have detractors. You're always gonna have people that mock and belittle and say it's too long. It's this, it's that, and the other, these critiques and all. And anymore, I like to say to them, if for instance, I'll say this again one more time. You only hear it one time. Okay? One more time. When they told me I was too old to go to Costa Rica and that I needed to get on a treadmill and work out and and get ready for the heat and all that kind of stuff. And then when one of the guys chimed in, well, he goes to the gym, and he posts stuff for him at the gym, and then they all started laughing at me and all. I posted on Facebook me bench pressing 305 pounds. And then I said to the guy that was mocking me, the guy that was stirring that up in the Zoom meeting with all these pastors, how much you bench? And that's the only time I need to say that is when people say I'm too old. K? Carl here, he golfed his age the other day, 70. The plot of it's pretty good. To golf your age on a par what? What's the course? Par 70 one. He golfed 70. Now so if if it's like people undermining you, would anybody dare undermine him as a golfer now and say you're too old? You know, they'd be crazy to do that. But people are gonna find so many reasons. Jerry Jerry, you're too old. You can't surf anymore. What? I can still surf, you know? I mean, who are they to undermine you and what God's called you to do and the gifting you have? Who who are they to stop you? You know? And yet, people would love to stop you from attending church, stop you from exercising your gifts. I mean, what's Paul gonna do if he quits the ministry? What what would I do if I quit the ministry at this at 65 years old, almost 60? What would I do? Some people call it retirement. What am I gonna do? I don't wanna retire. I wanna do this till like pastor Chuck did, where he had the oxygen in his nose sitting there, you know? He preached on a Sunday, went home to be with Jesus on a Tuesday, you know? Because this is the most fun thing that a guy that's called to do it could do. But it doesn't mean it's easy and it doesn't mean everybody appreciates it. It means along the way, there's gonna be a whole lot of effort to stop you if you preach the truth. If you don't preach the truth, you'd be let alone. And the devil lets you get wealthy. And you'll have lots of nickels and noses. And you'll look from the outside to be prosperous. But if you're a man, a woman that's going to preach the truth and never water it down and not fear their faces, you're gonna be a hated man, especially in a time of apostasy, the time that we're living in now. And so the apostle Paul, he's he's gotta really be on his game here. He's trying to head off at the past, these guys that are trying to ruin this ministry in this new church that, that he and Barnabas had planted. And, they're being infiltrated by these YouTube prophets sowing all sorts of lies and all sorts of heretical teaching that there is no millennium. You know? There's no millennium. We're already in the millennium or dominion kingdom now theology that's permeating through the new apostolic reformation and and other groups. You know? And, there's no rapture. There's no rapture. That's that's Darby and McDonald and blah blah blah blah blah. You know? Well, well, prove it through the scriptures. It's called the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great god and savior. Why are people so afraid prophetically of the soon return of Jesus Christ? And so Paul's been sent by god. He's chosen. He's a chosen vessel unto me, he said to Ananias. Show him what great things he must suffer for my namesake. He's a trophy of my grace. Paul said he wasted the church. He's the chiefest of sinners. He's a blasphemer for forcing people to blaspheme Jesus. Why would God choose this guy? And he's well known. He's well known among the Jews. He is possibly a member of the Sanhedrin already and being groomed to reach the upper echelons of Judaism. And now the Lord arrests him, grabs hold of him, stops him. It's like some of you used to be drug dealers, used to be in the wickedness. Maybe you were very religious, but unsaved and or whatever. But the Lord stops you in your tracks and he saves you. And now all your old friends and family what happened to you? I liked you better when you were drunk. When Kathy and I got saved, we were so zealous, so excited about Jesus that, you know, our family, we liked you better before. And we're so afraid. You're you're so happy and you're so filled with joy. We're afraid when you come down from that that you're gonna commit suicide. Oh, or whoo hoo. You know? But then they began to investigate and look at it. Hey. It's not a cult. Chuck Smith's not a cult leader. You know? And, they we let them know we're at Costa Mesa, pastor Chuck Smith. Chuck Smith, well, who's he? You know? So, you know, he'll take attacks. People attack, and they'll attack the the the messenger. And they'll try to discredit the messenger. Oh, he's not even called. He's not even a not even a pastor, you know? And, and so where's your credentials? And Paul's saying, neither by men, but from God. I've been chosen of God, sent by God. And so his credentials did not come through the mail. As I said, he didn't attend cemetery, not ordained by men, no board of elders or religious hierarchy selecting him. Not even the other apostles knew having cast lots for Matthias. So even the other apostles in Acts chapter one, they're saying Peter's waxing eloquent. And he's saying, hey, you know, we're supposed to have 12. And Judas went out and hung himself. Now we're only 11. We need a 12. So how did they discern who is gonna be that twelfth person casting lots? They went to the casino with Ray and Betty. They alright. Let's see. If it's a white one or a black stone. A black one, white one. The and the thummin. You know? Now, so interesting in Acts chapter two sorry about that. Sorry. You're anointed. I'm getting everybody in the sermon today. I got I got stuff for Jim. I got stuff for everybody. No. So in Acts chapter two, the Holy Spirit came upon our church. In Acts chapter 13, when they're at Antioch and they're praying, the elders are praying, it says, and the Holy Spirit said, separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work where have I called them. Now in Acts chapter one, they don't hear the Holy Spirit lead and guide like that. How do they discern God's will? Casting of lots, an old testament way of discerning God's will. And so they get Matthias. Now, did they ever come to think that God has a twelfth man in mind? That he would meet him in chapter nine on the road to Damascus, you know? And so Paul's saying, not even by the other apostles was I chosen. Not even by them, but directly by God. So next chapter nine verse 11, arise and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth. I guess so. After meeting Jesus in the Shekinah glory of God shining bright and hearing Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who art thou lord? I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting. Can you continue to resist the Holy Spirit? Can you continue to kick against the goads, Saul of Tarsus? No. And so he he's made blind and then he's walked into the city to this house of Judas in the street called Straight. And then God's speaking to Ananias as Paul's praying. God's moving and working. As you're praying, God's moving and working with the people that you don't even know yet that are gonna come into your life. People are praying for you. And God sees you in your blindness. He sees you in your brokenness. He sees you right where you're at. And he's come to seek and to save those who are lost. He's come to bind up those that are bruised and and to heal the brokenhearted. Behold, he prayeth. And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. Boy, I'd love to go to the hospital today and lay hands on Joe and pray and ask the Lord to remove those tumors. Wouldn't you? Do you believe? Do you believe God's the same yesterday, today, and forever? I told Kathy driving in, I said, we really need Wayne and Britney and these young people to start bringing in some young people because, man, I think I'll be doing a lot of funerals. We're getting old around here. We're gonna be in the ground if the rapture doesn't happen soon. Right? And, I'm not looking forward to it. And so it may be much better if I could go over and pray if we could go over and pray and anoint Sally with oil and lay hands on her and James and and pray for Sally and and for the Lord to remove those tumors, to remove that cancer. Do you believe he can heal? Yeah. We believe he can. Do you believe he will heal? Well, that's the sovereignty of God. I don't know. I can't be presumptuous and say he will every time, nor did the Apostle Paul, nor was he able to heal every time. Even his own self, when he was that messenger of Satan that was buffeted him, he prayed three times, the Lord will remove it. Lord said, no. No. No. He answered that prayer, but he said, no. We prayed for my dad and the Lord said, no. I got a better idea. I'm gonna take him home to be with me. But we do the best we can. We pray. Father, if you're willing, remove this cup from me, but nevertheless, not as I will, but thy will be done. That's not unbelief. That's faith. I'm leaving my faith. I'm leaving my life into the sovereignty of God. Lord, you choose. You decide. Boy, I'd sure love to be able to say silver and gold have I none, but the name of Jesus Christ stand up and walk, man. Wouldn't that be amazing to see the Lord glorified and healing the sick? And Paul's there and he's blind, I mean, blind. He doesn't have any of those new AI glasses on or any of that stuff, man. He's blind. Doesn't have a Neuralink, Neurochip. It's not a transhuman action here. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The devil's a counterfeit. Lying signs and wonders are coming. You know? And we applaud the medical technology that's coming. We thank the Lord that the paralyzed people may be able to move and operate and stuff like that. But you know what? No matter how much the technocrats wanna take control, no matter how much they dream and envision, they're not god. They can't change a person's soul. They can't change a person's heart. Only god can transform a person from within. That's a God thing. Only God. And this apostle Paul, the Saul of Tarsus, he's being transformed. He already is transformed from within. The Lord had to slow him down. Can you imagine this guy? How type a, if we can use that, how crazy he is, you know? I gotta slow this guy down a bit. I'm gonna give him some blindness. He'll just chill a bit and start to pray. Maybe God's given you a infirmity to slow you down a bit, to get you to spend more time in prayer with him. You used to be so busy, so everywhere, all over the place. And the Lord's saying, I want you to slow down a bit. I want you to meditate upon me. Get rid of your phone. Spend time with me. And he has seen in the vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered the lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he has done to the saints at Jerusalem. This guy's a hit man. And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on your name. Lord, I think you got the wrong guy. Let me point you to a more noble, a better guy. The false the Judaizers are right. Paul is disqualified. He's not the right guy. And God says, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me. Now in John 15, Jesus said, you didn't choose me, but I chose you. Don't you love that? You didn't choose me. I chose you. And I've ordained that you bring forth fruit, that your fruit remain. That was who asked the father in my name, he may give it you. I didn't choose Jesus. Jesus chose me. I wasn't looking for I wasn't looking for God. I wasn't looking for salvation. I went to a concert and a guy got up there and shared the gospel. I thought it was a concert with a lot of pretty girls there. That's all that I was attracted to. But this guy got up there and shared the gospel. It's the first time I ever heard it. First time anybody ever breathed it to me. And I responded. And had I rejected it, I could have in my free will, but I'd have went insane because it was so overwhelming. Are you resisting the Holy Spirit? Have you dedicated a lifetime of resisting the Holy Spirit? You're incomplete. You're not in sync. You're not in harmony. You live in a life of emptiness, discontentment. It's when you surrender. It's when you surrender, when you yield your life to the creator of the universe, when you yield your life to the true living god, that you experience that peace that surpasses all understanding. If you get off track, you come right back to square one, putting Jesus first and that peace that surpasses all understanding is gonna guard your heart and mind, gonna lead your steps. He's a chosen vessel unto me. Now, I don't think what the Lord's gonna say next, he got from Joel Olsteen. I don't think he got it from him. I know Joel's a big dude, big church, 40 some thousand people go to listen to him. But I don't think Paul's being given your best life now. He says, you're a chosen vessel and to be bear my name before gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. This is the part that isn't in your promise jar. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my namesake. Oh, scratch that out. Edit that out. That doesn't sell. Can't build a church on that one. No. I want my best life now. I wanna rub Jesus a certain way, and I wanna be healthy, wealthy, and wise my whole life long. Show him what great things Do you have the privilege of suffering for Jesus? Are you filling up his sufferings? When people see the suffering, the scars upon your body, are they reminded of the cross? As you're able to sing, as you're able to harmonize, as you're able to to flow with the Holy Spirit, knowing you're in God's will? Knowing it isn't because you sinned, as the devil says to, you know, to God, if if you if you afflict him, take away all this stuff, and he'll curse you to your face. Make him sick, and he'll curse you to your face. Not true. We love God because of who he is, and he gives us the strength to go through the valley of the shadow of death. Right? We don't fear the evil. We're just going through. We're just passing through. It might be the avenue by which I go to be with the Lord. We're not gonna recant now. We're not gonna deny him now. We're not gonna blast him now. Eighty years he's been faithful unto me. Why would I do it now? Polycarp says. Not now. No way. I've counted the cost. I've taken my cross daily. I'm following Jesus. And I'm and I'm enjoying I posted a a little thing from Joni Eareckson Tada, and she described pain and suffering and how it actually stimulates her fellowship with Jesus. Well, that's what Paul said in Philippians three verse 10, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection. Yeah. In the fellowship of his sufferings. Oh, plural. Being made conformable unto his death. Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. For my grace for my strength's perfected in weakness. Paul's saying, hey, I embrace infirmity. I embrace suffering. Because when I'm suffering, that's when I'm strong. Because now I I'm not relying on my tutelage that I got at the feet of Gamaliel anymore. I'm not relying on my great intellect and how gifted I am naturally. I'm relying upon the Holy Spirit. I'm relying upon Jesus to anoint and use me for what he's called me to do. An apostle, one who sent. Paul says in first Corinthians 15 verse eight, in defense to the church at Corinth, he had to defend his apostleship also. I imagine I'm gonna have to defend the reason for my existence till I finally die. I imagine pastor Chuck always says, let the lord defend you. So a lot of times, I'm quiet and passive. Just, alright. But it's never gonna stop. My daughter, Britney, she's been here thirty years with me. She says, dad, they hate us. It's hard on pastor's kids. Even though all of you love her and you love my grandkids, you love them all. But for them, they're evaluating their mom and dad's life and the years they've spent laboring in this field. And they're like, is it worth it? Is it worth it to keep laboring here when so few people are responding to the truth, responding to the gospel? They can't go into the other churches because they've been spoiled. They've been spoiled by this church. They know the truth. What are they gonna do? They gotta be faithful to what God's called them to do. And I hope and pray what God's called them to do is co labor with us because there's a lot of work still to do. Last of all, it was seen of me also as one born out of due time. First Corinthians 15 verse eight. For I am the least of all the apostles that I'm not meet to be called an apostle. Why? Because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. By the grace of God, I am what I am. I don't have to sit there and defend myself about being pastor Rick in Calvary, Bremerton. You think I'm disqualified? You think you'd do better or whatever? By the grace of God. It's only by God's grace that we're able to continue in this work. Only by God's grace. We never were qualified. We were never good enough. We never graduated and then, alright, you got this gift certificate. You got this certificate and this plaque to put on the wall that, you know, you're you're the guy. And all of us also know that we could be disqualified. That's what Paul says in first Corinthians nine. That he that he keeps his body and keeps it in submission, lest he be adokimas. We looked at that word last week, the reprobate mind, the disqualified. So like an athlete, he lives his life like an athlete with that strict discipline, lest he be disqualified. He's speaking of spiritual discipline that that, hey, I better not, mess around with the gold. I better better not steal God's glory. And, I better stay away from the girls like Samson might take me down. I'd be disqualified. Can't call yourself. Only God can call you to the ministry. God calls. Many, many people today in the church are not called of God to be pastors. They don't have how do I know? If I look at Spurgeon's book that I read over and over again, his section on calling, because I wasn't sure if I was called. Still not sure sometimes. And he talks in there about being able to gauge whether you're called or not. And one of the things will be a train of circumstances that push you in that direction, that move you in that direction. Check. That's happened to me. Secondly, there'd be a confirmation for men. Check. I kept having a bunch of people tell me that I had a gift that I didn't know I had. Third one, if God's called you to be a pastor, don't lower yourself to be a king. Is there anything else you'd rather do? What if the devil presents a way for you to make lots of money and live a sweet life? You're gonna say yes to it or no to it? Don't even have to worry about it. It's not a question. I love serving Jesus. And then the fourth one, which I slightly mentioned, was the gifting. Spurgeon said, God didn't make Behemoth to fly. So Behemoth is big dinosaur. Right? He didn't design him to fly. Has God how's God designed you? How's he made you? Has he given you the gifting? So then I take and I Rob sends me a video of a guy talking, a clown show. And immediately, the guy I see has no working knowledge of the scripture. He's butchering the bible, misquoting all over the place, saying there's no way we need to study the rapture. No way we just need to study the book of Revelations, plural. And I'm like, he just said he read it four times, but he's calling it Revelations. Every time I hear that, I know somebody's never studied the book because it's in Revelation. They're revealing the apocalypse, the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Shine away from it. Shine away from 30% of the Bible. And then he begins to describe angels out of Isaiah six, but he puts it in the book of Revelation. He's all over the place. And he's discouraging people from coming up to him asking about the rapture and eschatology and end time events and all. And he's trying his best to present a case that he's doing the right thing by not doing it. But then he goes on to emphasize devotion. And what he means by devotion, being devoted to Jesus is give more money. It's always about the money with this guy. It's always about the money with these guys. Every time they talk, it's a salesman trying to get money out of people. It's not trying to edify and build them up and strengthen them. The guy is not called. By definition, he's a false prophet. He's making merchandise of the people. So Peter said, you'll know who the false prophets are because of an inordinate emphasis upon money. Always trying to nickel nose you to get money out of people. And that's what this guy does over and over and over and over. More of a salesman. His gifting is a salesman. A salesman for the devil, but not for Jesus. And they're everywhere. It's the Rick Warren model. It's everywhere, this purpose driven stuff. It's deeds, not creeds. The people don't know their bibles because the pastors don't teach the bible. They're not called to be pastors. How do I know? Job description. What's a pastor? A shepherd. Tends the sheep, cares for the sheep. And it's not psychology. The content of food is the bible. Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep. That's the job description. To Timothy, Paul says, study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed. I felt ashamed when this guy was trying to play with the scriptures, toy with the scriptures. I was ashamed for him and myself that 1,100 people call him a pastor. Shameful. Absolutely shameful. And he's gonna give account before God one day. And these people can't cope as life changes, as as life becomes more difficult. They can't cope, so now we're gonna have to hire more counselors. And we're gonna call them Christian counselors who deal with people that are melting down because they don't know the scripture and they don't know how to yield to the Holy Spirit and depend upon the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to transform and change them from within. Paul, I wanna show you what great things you might you're gonna suffer for my namesake. Well, Lord, I I I my dad didn't hug me enough. And my mom, you know, some bad things happened to me. Bunch of bad things happened to him while he was the apostle Paul. You you you whatever has happened to you has gotta be set aside, and you've gotta look at the good that God's bringing. The good he's bringing is so much greater than the past. Woes and hurts. And up ahead, there might be some things that are far more painful than anything you've ever experienced. Are you ready for that? Or do you want the government to pay a church, give them money to hire counselors to teach you what Freud and Royden, the latest greatest psychobabble? Is that what you want? You're you're gonna have an arrested state of development. You're gonna be a babe in Christ the rest of your life, if you're even in Christ, if you're even saved. And what's the problem? The people are heaping the dissolved teachers having itching ears. They're wanting these pastors to teach them smooth things. They can't deal with reality. So I want them to lie to me and tell me everything's gonna be okay and that we're gonna vote our way out of this. Don't go there, pastor Ricky. You'll use more people. I told you, I have to tell the truth. It's a different gospel. It's a false gospel. You can't vote your way out of immorality. Can't vote your way out of this. It's a problem of the heart. And the church is filthy. The church is weak and selfish, spoiled brats. So my job is to what? Humble you. Remind you of the cross. Remind you of Jesus. Remind you of how great it is to serve him, to be real in the times we're living. And the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to go through hard times and hard things. That's a rare thing today. I don't think these guys had a bunch of pills they could pop to cope with being a Christian, when the Romans are after them. I mean, maybe some of them are leaning toward wine or something. I don't know. But basically, for the church, it's the gospel. It's Jesus. He's alive. He's risen. And he's real. And he'll help us get through this. I I read Fox's Book of Martyrs and I see these mothers and fathers and children in in the stadium and wild beasts are there. And these people are singing songs unto the Lord. They're worshiping Jesus. What a quality. What a what a quality of Christianity. What happened to that quality of Christianity? It's because we don't have pastors. We don't have shepherds laying down their lives for the sheep and feeding the sheep so that the sheep are healthy enough to reproduce and to overcome sin and to overcome the world and the devil. In Hebrews five verse four, it says, no man takes this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. So speaking of the priesthood, we have a priest in Jesus, prophet, priest, and king after the order of Melchizedek. But this office of the priesthood, even being a pastor, the office of being a pastor is given by God. You can't take it under yourself. And that's why I approached it with fear and trembling because I didn't wanna be presumptuous and call myself into the ministry. And I went up to, Applegate with pastor John Corson up there when I was in school. And I said, you know, I mean, I was really wrestling with this. Is it presumptuous of me to think that God's called me to be a pastor? And he said, well, he said, becoming a pastor, becoming a captain of the faith, one of his generals is like crawling through a sewer. He said when David wanted to take Jerusalem, the Jebusites were there. And David had, as a king, operated from Hebron for seven years. And he wanted Jerusalem to be his headquarters. He wanted to take the city. And the Jebusites were there and the Jebusites said that, you know, even our our place is so impregnable that even, we could defend it with transvestites. Nobody could penetrate this. We could defend it with wimpy people, with whatever you wanna degrade or the lowest moniker, the lowest level of defense. We could we could defend it, whatever. And so David said, alright. He said, the first guy that figures out a way into the city to take the city, I'll make my general. And so pastor John told me that, thinking of his name, a starts with an a. Help me. Joab and Joab, not an a. Jo Joab Had a brother. What's his brother's name, Marlene? Joab and so Joab. Joab figured a way in the city. He crawled through the waterway and the waterway was the sewer. And when he got up into the city, they conquered the city, and God made him or David made him his general. And so that's what John told me. He said, you find a way into the city, you find a way into Bremerton, and you basically start the bible study, and then you go to LA State Park. And if people start to come and people get saved, it starts to grow or whatever, then that's confirmation that God's called you as a pastor. And so Kathy and I took the step of faith and we've been walking by faith for thirty years. And if ever there's a Sunday where nobody shows up, where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the midst. So we've been down to 10 people. And I'd say to Chris, do you think God's still in this? Do you think he's still in this? Do you think the Holy Spirit's still here? And she say, yeah, Pastor Rick. The Holy Spirit's still here. And so we continue by faith. We continue to go. And so no man takes this honor on himself. You gotta be called of God. In second Chronicles twenty six eighteen, King Uzziah, who was just a young buck, a young guy, when he started. And in chapter 25, the last verse talks about that when he got strong, then he got filled with pride. And when he got filled with pride, that's when he became weak. Because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. So King Uzziah and you remember, Isaiah talked about the year that King Uzziah died in Isaiah chapter six? He saw the Lord and his train filled the temple. He got a vision in that in that year. And, so King Uzziah, he made a huge mistake. He already was the king. And he went into the, sanctuary and he gathered some incense, and he was gonna offer incense at the at the altar. And Azariah, the priest, said, no. No. No. No. No. You're not called to be a priest. You're not called to do this. You're overstepping your bounds, King Uzziah. And 84 score in the King James. 80 other priests came there to stop King Uzziah from usurping authority that wasn't his. He wasn't called to be a priest, but he wasn't a part of the Aaronic priesthood. And it says that Uzziah was wroth. He's angry. Took the censer to offer it anyway. And it says his forehead broke out in leprosy. And not only not only wasn't he a priest, but thereafter, he had to be exiled to away from everybody else so he couldn't even go into the temple to worship God thereafter. Couldn't fellowship with God corporately, collectively with the people because he was unclean with with leprosy. He was a leper until the day of his death, we're told. What is the basis of Paul's authority? Number one, his ministry is ordained of God. Secondly, his message originated with God. He says, verse three, grace be to you and peace from God the Father, from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God our father. So you mean Jesus is gonna deliver us from this present evil world? Two thousand years ago, that's part of the gospel message. Wait a minute. I thought we're supposed to Christianize the world. I thought we're to usher in the millennium with Kingdom Now Dominion Theology with the NER and Paula White and everybody. I thought we're to show share the gospel with everybody that they all get saved. And then Jesus will come back. And so we get to we get to clean up the world and keep the world, and then Jesus will come back. Well, how about the opposite being true? How about perilous times will come and men will, hearts failing them for fear which is coming upon the earth? How about a degradation of depravity coming upon the planet much like in Genesis six where it repented God that even made man. How about the Jesus saying, except those days be short, no flesh should be saved. But for the elect's sake, Jesus intervenes before we destroy everything. That's a greater reality of the apostasy of the church, the falling away, the depravity, the degradation that's taking place today. It's not getting better. It's getting worse, gang. It's gonna take Jesus to intervene to save us. And he's gonna save us from the world, the flesh, and the devil. This present evil age is waxing worse and worse. And that's a hope I have when I'm with Kathy and my grandkids is that, you know what? I can't fix this. I can't fix this by voting. The schools, the whole thing's putrid. It's corrupt. The salt has lost its savor. It's good for nothing to be but to be trodden under the foot of men. Yeah. There might be pockets, and there might be times in a church service or in a remnant or a group of people that I'm like minded with and we're secure and that we're following the Lord, but we're not gonna be able to overthrow the wickedness of this world. Only Jesus. He's our savior. We're gonna do the best we can till that happens. But really, really, if I if I want security, peace and security, the only way I'm getting it is with the turn of Jesus Christ. That's the only way to deliver me from this present evil world. I'm just the messenger. The message originated with God. God's message to mankind is good news. The word grace is unmerited favor. Unmerited. You don't deserve it. And you don't mix the grace of God with the law, you can't do that. That's a false gospel and that's what the Judaizers were doing. You have unmerited favor. You don't merit it. You didn't earn it. You don't you don't get it. It it only comes from God. It's a gift. Salvation is a free gift. So the church of Ephesus, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. So the grace is unmerited favor poured out upon you. He quickens you because you were dead in your sins and trespasses. You didn't have any spiritual ability to respond, but he quickens you. And at the same time, he makes himself known to you. He gives you a measure of faith to respond to and you respond to that conversion. And in that conversion, that moment of conversion, you're turning from your sins, you're crying out to God, God be merciful to me a sinner. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. The old things are passed away, all things have become new. You're born again. You have the Holy Spirit living and dwelling within you. God is speaking to you. You're in a relationship with him at that moment. And how did it happen? Did you earn it? Did you climb the 16 chapels on your knees? Did you knock on enough doors? Did you pray long enough, hard enough? Did you give enough money? No. It's a free gift. Why? Lest any man should boast. It's a gift. Can you imagine getting to heaven and people boasting of how or why they were saved? Yeah. You know, he saved me because I did this for him. He saved me because I did that for him. Yeah. I built an ark. That's why he saved me, Noah. Yeah. I spent a hundred and twenty years. Eight people got in the boat, all the animals. But he's saved me because he knew. And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Well, the same Noah after that, all that event, he's drunk and naked thereafter. There's a whole lot of grapes growing after the after the whole ark experience. He's a sinner, just like any one of us. Right? He didn't deserve it. He wasn't better than anybody else, nor was Moses or any of us. We're all sinners. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's none righteous. No, not one. We all come by way of Jesus as he said, it is finished. He paid the price. He had his blood shed to pay for our sins. Titus three five, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regenerating regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So again, describing conversion. It wasn't because you were righteous. It wasn't because you reached the point of being savable. No. It's while you're in your sins, in your iniquity, while you were an enemy of God, he saved you. He gets the glory. The Judaizers are trying to bring in a works relationship, mix it in there. So grace and peace, Siamese twins. Peace speaks of rest, speaks of harmony. Colossians one twenty, having made peace through the blood of his cross. So we have to have peace with God, and then we experience the peace of God. So we're enemies of the cross. We're enemies of Jesus. And while we're enemies, Jesus died for us. Jesus died for the ungodly. Why we're enemies. He didn't wait for you to be at peace with him. It's why we were an enemy. And so we experienced peace with God, the reconciliation, being reconciled unto God. Not God reconciled to me. God's never gonna say I'm sorry. He's never gonna say oops. He's never gonna apologize for the things that we've gone through in suffering. We don't deserve eternal life. We deserve hell. You want justice? You get hell. If you want grace, if you want mercy, you get salvation. Grace is unmerited favor, receiving what you don't deserve. Mercy is not receiving what you do deserve. And the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Lord, I don't want justice. I want grace. I want mercy. Thank you, Lord. And then a thankful heart. By him to reconcile all things unto himself by him peace with God. So you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled the atonement, the atonement, the communion, reconciled unto God. Jesus said, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jesus, the prince of peace. In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. So his message to you is one of peace. He says verse four, who gave himself for our sins, the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth before even made the world. He knew he was going to the cross. He knew that he would be slain. He's the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world as John the Baptist says. Revelation one five, unto him that loved us loved in the past tense pointing back to the cross. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. It's impossible that the blood of bulls and the bullocks of animals could take away sin. So in the typology, it was pointing future of Jesus, the lamb of God, who doesn't cover sin, but takes away the sins of the world. Cast from the East to the West, remembers them no more, that he might deliver us from this present evil world. Do you love this world? If you love this world, you're an enemy of God. Do you love this world? Are you in love with this world? Is that why you don't want Jesus to come back? Is that why you don't like the doctrine of the rapture? Is that why you don't like the prophecy? I know that you do because you're here. You're trying to hide, trying to live in denial, trying to act like it's not gonna happen because you don't want it to happen? Because you want your best life now, and you're looking for political solutions to spiritual problems, sets you up. It sets you up to be deceived. Don't listen to a false gospel. Stay away from it. Be not deceived. And we're told directly, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. All that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, the pride of life is not of the father but of the world. Do you love the world? Are you sad that it's ending? Do you yearn for everything to continue as it always has? Are you yearning for normal to return? Second Peter three, knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts. People scoffing me, scoffing you, because we're trying to educate them prophetically. We're trying to get them to understand that a one world global economic system's in the horizon. We're trying to let them understand who Peter Thiel is, and Alex Karp, and and Elon Musk with Peter Thiel, and the the lieutenants that Trump's just tapped. These technocrats, these guys that want to bring a blockchain digital ability to track and trace and to track and trace every single purchase. So we take them to Revelation thirteen sixteen through 18. No man's gonna be able to buy or sell without this mark of the beast. Right? Tattoo or implant or whatever. So we're showing them eventually where it's gonna land in the tribulation period. But the birth pangs, according to Matthew 24, when you see these things, the birth pangs, the the morphine, the development area thereof, then you know the it's close. You know the rapture's close. When you see the tribulation period coming into view, you know it's close, the rapture. Because no man knows the day or the hour of the rapture. We're not subject under God's wrath, but we could see the beast system developing. We can see the nation of Israel primed and getting ready to build a temple. We know that Jesus said in Matthew twenty four fifteen, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, well, there's no temple yet. But if they're planning on building a temple, then we're getting close to the tribulation period. But people don't wanna hear that. They say we're scoffers because where is the promise of his coming? Because why? Because they love this present evil world. God sent his son to deliver us from this present evil world. And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. For this, they are willingly ignorant of that by the word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the world then was being overflowed with water perished. So the Noahic flood. But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day of judgment, the perdition of godly men. So he's saying, hey, Noah was a preacher of righteousness for a hundred and twenty years. Didn't happen immediately, but God gave him space, gave people time to get into the boat, to get in the ark, to get in Christ. And that's why the delay is taking place now because he's not willing that any would perish. He's long suffering, not willing that any would perish, but that all would come to repentance. So that's why God hasn't brought it down yet. That's why Jesus hasn't returned yet for his church because he's waiting until the fullness of the gentiles become in. And maybe you're holding it back. Maybe you need to surrender your heart and life to Christ so that we can all get on with this. Get moving. Get out of here. So it's not God's intention to allow this world to continue in its in its expansion of evil. God's not giving you access to the tree of life, Elon Musk, Jared Kushner, Peter Thiel, all you technocrats. He's not giving you access to the tree of life that you would live eternally in your depravity. No. He sent an angel to guard the tree of life so that Adam and Eve could not get to that tree because he's loving and kind and gracious. And he said, I'm gonna send my son and he's gonna hang on a tree. He's gonna be the curse that sets you free for all eternity. He's gonna come again in judgment delivering us from this present evil world. Revelation five says, who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? Who has the right of passage? Who who who gets to open this book? The seals. Who's worthy? And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. John the beloved weeping there in heaven. Revelation five chapter four, he says, come up hither. He's called up to heaven. In verse five of Revelation five, weep not. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book, that's Jesus, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld and lo, in the midst of the throne and the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain. Jesus still bearing the scars of Calvary there in heaven. Having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and he took the book out of the right hand to him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down, the church representatives there before the lamb, having every one of them harps. So that's where singing with the harps. And golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, your prayers, the incense, go up as incense. And they sang a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, and has made us under our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. The right of passage for you and I to rule and reign with Jesus, to reign upon the earth. And then he says the third part of verse c, according to the will of God and of our father. So it's God's idea to save us. It's God's idea. In Ephesians one verse four, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. God chose me before that night in January of nineteen eighty. God chose me before the foundation of the earth. And he chose you. And he predestined you. He called you. In his foreknowledge, he knew you. You haven't chose me, but I chose you, Jesus said. Now that no matter what kind of family I come from, no matter what kind of marriage I'm in, no matter what kind of victim I am, I'm a winner because Jesus chose me. And he's never gonna divorce me. He's never gonna abuse me. Never gonna hurt me. He came to seek and to save those that are lost. He came to stop the bleeding. He came to stop the pain, to wipe away all tears. He's your savior. That we should be holy and without blame before him in love, our citizenship being in heaven. What is the basis of Paul's authority? Number one, his ministry is ordained of God. Number two, his message originated with God. And thirdly, his motive. They were questioning Paul's motive. His motive is the opportunity to glorify God. Do you want the opportunity to glorify God? Do you wanna be a vessel of honor that bring God's glory? He says in verse five, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 21 verse one, and I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. So here's the overview. We're in the church age presently. We're in the times of the Gentiles. Luke twenty one twenty four, meaning Gentile world rule. We're moving in a direction where the 77 of Daniel's gonna take place. The time of Jacob's trouble. The nation of Israel's in the land. 05/14/1948, fulfillment Ezekiel thirty six and thirty seven. Whether you like prophecy or not, it's happening folks. It's happening all over the place. There's 500 more prophecies to be fulfilled estimated. 300 were fulfilled in his first coming. I posted an article about this. Why are pastors so afraid of prophecy from Harbingers? It's on the Calvary Chapel Of Remington Facebook page for you to read. Why would you be so afraid of a blessed hope? Why wouldn't you teach that Jesus is coming? Is it because you're in love with this world? Keep coming back to that. To bring God the glory. And so we we're in this dispensation that blindness of part is happening unto Israel until the fullness of the gentiles become in. In Romans eleven twenty five, the rapture of the church. And then the 77 of Daniel takes place, which is the signing of the peace treaty in Daniel nine twenty five through 27, that the Antichrist in place of Jesus Christ is gonna sign peace and safety he's gonna promise the world. And that shifts or that starts the seven year tribulation period. Twelve hundred and sixty days in from that is the middle of the tribulation period where the antichrist goes into the temple, declares himself to be God, demands to be worshiped as God, and twelve hundred and sixty days after that is the second coming of Jesus Christ. And blessed is he that makes it to the thirteen hundred and thirty fifth day, a 75 interval where the lord judges the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, and I believe moves the curse and sets the world up ready for the marriage supper of the lamb and the inauguration, the beginning of the one thousand year, Revelation 20, the millennial rule and reign of Jesus Christ for a thousand years. Then Revelation twenty one and twenty two, the eternal state. There's gonna be a new heaven and new earth after that thousand years and the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Revelation twenty one twenty seven, there shall in no wise enter in into it. So no right of passage in this new Jerusalem. There shall no wise enter into it anything that defiles neither whatsoever works abomination or makes a lie, but they which are written in the lamb's book of life. Is your name in the lamb's book of life? If If your name's in the lamb's book of life, then you have access. You have right of passage. Paul has right of passage as an apostle. God called him and God gave him a message and the opportunity to glorify God. The motive is for God's kingdom and for God's glory. Is your name in the lamb's book of life? When the book is open, will you have the right of passage? Revelation twenty two fourteen. Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life. Do you have right of passage? Do you have right to the tree of life? Because Jesus has given you access that they may enter through the gates into the city. Revelation twenty two seventeen, and the spirit and the bride said, come. Let him that hearsay come. Let him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. Can you hear? Are you thirsty? Do you want Jesus? Jesus said on the great day of feast, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. As the scripture has said, he that believes in me shall have torrents of living water flowing through him. He told the woman at the well in John four, I have living water. You'll never thirst again. If any man thirst, let him let him come. The spirit and the bride say, come. The veil is torn in the temple when Jesus was crucified. Speaking of access, open to you, right of passage, you can boldly come according to Hebrews four to his throne of grace, not of judgment. Throne of grace, unmerited favor for you and I. The rite of passage is open for you today for those who choose Jesus. He is the door. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but through him. Let's pray. Father, thank you. For the book of Galatians, we pray that, Lord, evermore that you help these truths to sink down deep within our heart. We pray that you would allow distinctions that we'd know what it is to be in the world, but not of the world, Lord. We pray that we'd know what it means to occupy, to be about our father's business until you come. Help us, Lord, to not merge the nation of Israel with the church, that we'd understand these distinctions, lord, that we're in the church age, and that, lord, your promises to the nation of Israel are yes or yay and amen, That you're gonna fulfill your unconditional covenant in Jeremiah 31. You're gonna write your law within their heart. And so, lord, we pray as the church, as the bride of Christ, that the priority is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. And Lord, we pray evermore that as we share the glorious gospel, that people's ears would be open, their hearts would be open. That Lord, you, before the foundation of the earth, have ordained that people would come to you and that we would be that instrument, that tool in your hand, that mouthpiece to share the glorious good news. And that we would share with the angels of heaven. Lord, when one sinner repents, there's rejoicing in heaven among the angels of heaven. We pray that we'd share in that celebration of somebody coming to know you. Even one. Just one, lord. Give us one more. And while your heads are bowed and your eyes are closed, if there's anybody here that doesn't know Jesus Christ, you don't have a relationship with Jesus, you have no right or access to heaven. The door is shut on you, just as Noah, a preacher of righteousness. And once that door was shut, there was nobody out there of the millions, maybe billions of people clamoring, trying to get into the boat that could get in. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow, you're gonna die. Tomorrow, you're gonna be separated from God. It's appointed unto all men once to die and then the judgment. But you have an opportunity now. You have the opportunity to go through that that veil that's been rent into and to have access unto God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is your door. Jesus is the way. You come through Jesus. Your good works can't get you there. You're being baptized as an infant doesn't get you there. Being religious doesn't get you there. It's a personal relationship with Jesus that the Holy Spirit's showing you the cross of Calvary. He's showing you that your sins are paid for. The Holy Spirit's showing you your need of Jesus. The Holy Spirit's knocking on the door of your heart saying, open your heart unto me now. Anyone here this morning? You're turning from your sins. You're crying out to God. God, be merciful to me a sinner. The bible says in John chapter one, as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Do you believe on his name? Are you receiving Christ? Just lift your hand up. We wanna pray with you. Anyone this morning? Lord bless you in the back there. Anybody else? There's rejoicing in heaven among the angels when just one sinner repents. I'd rather have one person in heaven that got to heaven as the Lord privileged me to share the gospel with them Then 500 who aren't there that I thought were saved, who attended the church that I pastored. Where are they? They weren't saved, Rick. You watered the gospel down. You made them feel comfortable in their sin. They're not here. But that one, two, or three are real or genuine, because they heard the gospel. Someone asked me the other day how my dad got saved. And I said, oh, I had the privilege of sharing the gospel. And he responded. Now, I had the privilege as the key word. He was gonna get saved. He was in the process of being saved. God was gonna save him through me or somebody else, but I had the privilege, the blessing of being the vessel that shared with him. Another person could share the gospel a million times with their dad, their mom, their family member, and they don't respond. They don't get saved. It's not because you did something wrong. And it's not because I did something right. It's because we're just there. We're just a tool in the toolbox. And the Lord lets us be in that process. So it's a blessing to have the glorious gospel, to have the message of his kingdom, and to open our mouth, to share our heart, and to invite people to receive Christ. There's nothing like a new baby in Christ. So we encourage you. We encourage you to go forth with the gospel. You have the right of passage. Jesus commissioned you to go and make disciples of all nations. Teaching them to observe all things I've commanded you and long with you always even to the end of the age. We're at the end of the church age and Jesus here with us. And we've been ordained. We've been called to go. So father, thank you. Thank you for the privilege and the blessing of being Christians, being saved. And Lord, if we're still breathing, you still have a a work, a job, a privilege of of us to be a part of. So anoint us, Lord. We can't do it. Without me, you can do nothing, you said. But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So strengthen me, Lord. Help me. Our sufficiency is of Christ. Prepare their hearts, Lord. Prepare the soil of their hearts to receive the glorious gospel this week. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.