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♪ theme music ♪

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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

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an in-depth, interactive study

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of the Word of God.

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I'm glad you joined us[br]we're in the middle

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of a series on "The gospel in Galatians."

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Actually, we just started,

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but we're already learning amazing lessons

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for our lives today,

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The precious Good News,

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and how when we try to share it,

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sometimes people resist the truth

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as it is in Jesus.

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Our topic today: Paul's Authority[br]and Gospel,

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and there are amazing lessons for us.

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So we're glad you joined us[br]for Hope Sabbath School.

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And hello to the team;[br]we're back again.

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The Gospel in Galatians,

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what did we learn

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from the first part of our series

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about Paul being transformed?

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What was the most important[br]takeaway lesson for you?

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Well, we'll share that as we study today.

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I hope you were with us.

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If you missed the first part[br]of this series,

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you can go to our website:[br]hopetv.org/hopess.

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You can watch part one

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of "The Gospel in Galatians."

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And we're always happy to hear from you.

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You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.

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Here are just a few emails.

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You know, we know of 150 countries.

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You say, "Derek, how do you know?"

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Well, we have one Android app

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that's being used in 150 countries,

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so there's a lot of people joining us

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for Hope Sabbath School.

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And we've got an Apple app.

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By the way, for those of you

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who have an iPhone or an iPad,

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you can download Hope Sabbath School.

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It's free, and you can access the program.

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Got an email just a few weeks ago

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from someone who in China watched[br]one program,

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went back and watched 100 hours

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of interactive Bible studies[br]in our archives.

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So it's there for you.

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Here are a few notes.

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One from Albert in Namibia,

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that's former German West Africa,

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you know, just north of South Africa,

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and Albert writes, "It's so edifying

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to watch and listen

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to you explain the Bible so clearly.

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My wife and I enjoy

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your Bible study every Friday evening

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in preparation for the Sabbath.

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I am a teacher, and I gain

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a lot of knowledge from your classes,

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which I apply during my class," good?

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That's what we want, download the outline.

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"What I want to know is

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whether your class is consisting

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of all student pastors

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because you all seem to know the Bible."

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I guess you could tell, Albert, by the way

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that everybody laughed

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that they're not all student pastors.

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"May the Good Lord continue blessing

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and giving you spiritual wisdom

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as you share the Good News

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with the whole world," amen?

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) So what's the takeaway there?

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And the answer is,

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we can all do something for Jesus, right?

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Whether we're teachers or counselors

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or physicians or homemakers

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or construction workers or pastors, right?[br]Bible teachers.

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We can all do something for Jesus.

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Thanks for writing to us, Albert.

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Here's a note from Kwasi in Ghana.

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Anyone with Ghanaian roots?

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Oh, Joshua! Ghanaian roots, all right.

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Have a little wave here for Kwasi. Okay.

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"I live in Accra," he writes.

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"Your Sabbath School discussion

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has made me an extraordinary Christian

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and has blessed me.

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It's built my personal relationship[br]with Jesus."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "It's made me a Bible student!"

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This is all good, isn't it?

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"It's helped me organize

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some children in my community

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to share the Word of God with them."

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It gets better and better,[br]doesn't it, Mario?

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"Every Sunday morning we do exercise

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with the children also

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to strengthen our physical bodies."

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It sounds like a pretty holistic approach,[br]right?

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Teach the Word of God,

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help them to be healthy.

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"It's my desire that the Hope[br]Sabbath School discussion

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will be translated[br]into different languages

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around the world; the program is amazing."

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Well, I want to tell you

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that it's already happening

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in different part of the world,

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that Hope Sabbath School

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is being broadcast in other languages,

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also with closed captioning,

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but you pray for us, Kwasi,

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because we're praying it could go

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to every nation, kindred, tongue,[br]and people.

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Thanks for being part of the miracle.

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Here's a note from Ludwig in Peru.

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He's written to us before.

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Ludwig says, "I'm always instructed

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by your Friday evening Bible study.

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I thank God for all of you.

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This program is so didactic[br]and instructive."

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I think he looked up a few words there[br]for us.

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"Big hug to all of you,

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and God bless you all," amen?

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Thanks for writing.

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I know, Ludwig, you said

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you've been learning

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a lot of English, too,

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while you've been watching the broadcast.

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Here's a note from Tammy in New Jersey

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in the United States of America.

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She says, "Thank you so much

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for what you do; it's an encouragement.

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I love Hope Sabbath School.

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I watched the first episode

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of Hope Sabbath School in December 2016

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during a Sabbath school breakfast

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I'd planned for our church.

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I'd heard of Hope Channel,

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but not having a television,

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I'd never seen it before

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and never seen Hope Sabbath School.

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Well, I loved it, and I was thrilled

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when I found out you could get it online."

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It's easy; you can get the app,

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or you can watch it online,[br]hopetv.org/hopess.

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And she concludes, "May God[br]continue abundantly

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to bless your ministry.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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I love being a member

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of Hope Sabbath School."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) All right, and by the way,

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she's involved in a children's ministry

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there in New Jersey,

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and so she can do

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an interactive Bible study with us

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as part of Hope Sabbath School.

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One last note, from Trinidad and Tobago.

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That's in the beautiful Caribbean.

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Just a short note, Leslie Ann writes

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and says, "I'm from the island[br]of Trinidad and Tobago."

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I guess that's considered one country,[br]isn't it?

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"I enjoy watching and doing the lesson.

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I also enjoy watching Jason

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sing the Scripture songs."

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Well, Jason, why don't you wave[br]to Leslie Ann,

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and we're going to sing

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the Scripture song right now, actually.

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We've got a brand new song for this series

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from the gospel in Galatians.

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It's taken from Galatians, chapter 2,

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which says, "I have been crucified[br]with Christ,

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and I no longer live,

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but Christ lives in me," it's a miracle.

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If you haven't learned the song,

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go to our website, download the song,

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the sheet music, so you can sing along.

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We're going to sing it right now.

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♪ music ♪

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(Derek) There's so much included

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in that one verse in Galatians 2:20,21.

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The Son of God loves you

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and gave Himself for you;[br]isn't that awesome?!

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I just want to pray

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that Jesus would be lifted up today

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as we study the gospel in Galatians.

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Father in Heaven, thank You.

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Thank You that God so loved the world

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that You sent Your one and only Son

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that whoever believes in Him[br]should not perish

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but have everlasting life.

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We see sickness and death all around us.

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We know that sin

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brings death and destruction,

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but I thank You

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that You've given us hope in Your Word

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even today, hope in Jesus.

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And I pray as we study

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the Gospel in Galatians,

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as we study Paul's authority and gospel,

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that You would work in supernatural ways

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in each of our hearts,

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Hope Sabbath School members

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all around the world.

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May lives be blessed today

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to bring honor to Your name.

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I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Now before we go[br]into Paul authority,

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I want to go back

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to our previous study, Nicole.

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How could it be

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that God could take a rebel

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who was forcing people

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to blaspheme and wreaking havoc

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(you remember that word?)[br]in the church

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and call him "My chosen servant"

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to be an ambassador

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for the Gospel message?

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How can that happen?

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(Nicole) Because God loves each and every[br]one of us and wants us all to be saved.

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And so He uses us wherever we are to[br]spread His Word to those He wants to save.

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In terms of this case, He knew he was[br]a Zealot, even if it was a Zealot

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in the time before he was transformed,[br]and he was doing evil things.

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God knew that he was a Zealot[br]and when he was actually changed,

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he'd be a Zealot for Him.

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And so God was like, "I know the end[br]from the beginning, and so, therefore,

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this person's going to be the person[br]I need at this time to bring my Word

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to those who need it."

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(Derek) Is that encouraging?

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That God sees the potential

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even in the midst of all our stumblings?

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We're going to talk about Paul

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as he writes now.

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Many think this was

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
one of the earliest documents

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that we have in what we call[br]the New Testament,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about 49-50 A.D.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And it's written because of a problem[br]in the church,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but by then, even at that time,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we're going to see

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that the Christian church recognized

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Holy Spirit working in this man,

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name changed from Saul of Tarsus to...?

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(Team) Paul.

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(Derek) Paul the Apostle.

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So let's start in 2 Peter, chapter 3.

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We're going to come back[br]to Galatians here,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but Jonathan, would you read for us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
2 Peter 3, verses 15 and 16.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I want you to listen carefully as Peter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in some ways a little humorous,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he says, "Paul is not always easy[br]to understand,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but there's a testimony

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about the authority of his work.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jonathan) I'm reading[br]from the New International Version:

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(Derek) So, I've always read that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and though, "Oh, it's not always easy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to understand Paul," which is true.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Sometimes I read a text, and I go,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"What does that mean?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Maybe I need to come

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to Hope Sabbath School

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and get a little help

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from sisters and brothers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But there were a couple[br]of little phrases there

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that showed that Peter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
one of the church leaders and apostle,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
recognized the work of the Apostle Paul

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as being from God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What did you hear?

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Laurel, did you hear something

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that caught your attention?

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(Laurel) It just was amazing that Peter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who was part of the original 12[br]with Jesus,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
recognized that Paul was also called,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even though he wasn't with Christ

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when He was physically on Earth.

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(Derek) That's right; He wasn't

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
one of the twelve, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So he has seen something in his ministry.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Didn't Jesus say, "By their fruit..."

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(Derek, Team) "...you shall know them."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So he had seen something

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from the fruit of his ministry

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that said, "He's an apostle."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What does <i>apostle</i> mean, by the way?[br]Do you know?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
One who's sent out, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"He's an apostle of Jesus Christ," okay?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What else, even in the wording[br]of the passage,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
did you see something?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Christine and then Marcus.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Christine) It says here in verse 15

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that God gave Paul the wisdom[br]and the knowledge...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Aha, wisdom, I think the way[br]Jonathan read it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
wisdom comes from God, all right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Anywhere else, a little clue, Jason?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jason) In verse 16, he talks about those

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who twist and distort the meaning,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and he's saying they do it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to their own destruction.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so, you can deduce from that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if you understand it correctly,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's the way to salvation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He's preaching the message of God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) That's an interesting thought,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and actually there's another phrase[br]attached to there

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which is important, too.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Did you notice it, Peter?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Peter) It says, "as the rest[br]of the Scripture."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Okay, so he's including[br]Paul's testimonies,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not only as a wisdom from God[br]like Christine said

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but as part of Scripture, God breathed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's Peter who says all Scripture

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is God breathed, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No private interpretation,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All right, but that's interesting.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Also, implicitly he's saying,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"If you listen, it's for your salvation,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that gives it authority.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"If you twist it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's for your destruction."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All right, so Paul is recognized

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by at least Peter, but I think

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we could say by the Christian community.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
God's at work in him,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and God is speaking through him.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're going to look at one of his letters[br]in this series,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the gospel to the Galatians.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The standard format of a letter...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
did you find this from your study?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What's the standard format of a letter

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
back in those times, Tricia Lee?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Tricia Lee) I don't know about back then,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I do know like when you're[br]in grammar school,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you're taught that you start[br]with a greeting...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Okay.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Tricia Lee) ...or some type[br]of salutation,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then you have who it's to

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then the subject of the message,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and you kind of end off with some type of,[br]you know...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Farewell or closing remark or?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Is that pretty much, Jason,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the way it looked in these letters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
during the New Testament era?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jason) Largely yes, and you generally

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
start with the positive, too.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So you'll say, "Oh, you guys,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is a nice thing about you,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
whether you're writing a letter now

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or these letters of Paul.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They're always saying,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"This is a good thing that you have,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"This is what I like about you."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) That would probably

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
still work today, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If you've got a problem with someone,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you can say, "Here's some things

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I really appreciate about you, but,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and talk about a problem.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And that's pretty much standard format,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
greeting, some word of thanksgiving,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
body of the letter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then some closing remark,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and typically with Paul

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it would include, "the grace of the Lord

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
be with you," right, something like that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's see how he begins

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the letter to the Galatians.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 and 2,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and, Alyssa, if you'd read that for us,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then we'll compare that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If someone could find[br]Ephesians 1, verse 1,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and Colossians 1, verse 1,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
let's see if they're similar

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or if there are some differences.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
By the way, all of those letters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
were written by the Apostle Paul.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Alyssa) In the New International Version[br]it says:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Okay, that's his greeting there.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Keep that in mind.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Does someone have Ephesians?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Joshua, chapter 1 and verse 1.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Joshua) I'll be reading from the New[br]King James Version.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Bible says:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) All right, so that's to the church[br]in Ephesus,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
then he writes to the church in Colossae,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we call that Colossians, Marcus, verse 1.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Marcus) I'll be reading from the King[br]James Version:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) So what did they have in common,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
those three opening salutations?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What did they have in common?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team Member) He's an apostle.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Okay so, Paul, an apostle,[br]gives his name

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like we do even today, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Gives the name and says

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he's an apostle of Jesus.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What was different, Mario?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What did you see different

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the Galatian intro?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Mario) He expounds on that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He says not by the will of man

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but of God, you know.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So you can tell

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that he needs to clarify something.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Why would he have to do that,[br]anybody?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He didn't do it to Ephesus or to Colossae.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Why would he have to do that for Galatia,[br]Alyssa?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Alyssa) This is still early.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Remember, he had to go to all those places

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and represent himself anew

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to each new church,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so maybe he was still kind of having[br]to defend

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that God did call him.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Possibly, of course we haven't

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
read the letter yet, have we?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That is a possibility, though.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He's like, "You may not know me,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but actually there's something else

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
going on here. Nicole?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Nicole) His letter talks[br]about false teachings,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so in this case he's saying, "Listen,[br]I'm from God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm an apostle of God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm bringing you the truth and the Word

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that you need to hear,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I want you all to be careful

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of what else is going on around you

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that may draw you away from Christ."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) And implied (stay with me now),

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
implied is that these people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who are giving these false teachings

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are saying what about Paul?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team) That he's not from God.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) He's not a true apostle, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or he's sent by man and not sent by God.[br]Jonathan?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jonathan) It seems like multiple times[br]throughout this that he's

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
emphasizing this, that, "My authority[br]doesn't come

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
based on other people; it's God."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's the truth that matters[br]and not the people.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Well let's take a look

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as we read on in Galatians.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Jason, if you could read

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the first six verses,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it will include the initial salutation[br]that we read,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
verses 1 through 6.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He's going to go pass

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
saying thank you about anything,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and he's going to come right to the issue[br]at hand.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's take a look, Galatians 1:1-6.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jason) I'll be reading

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from the New King James Version,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 through 6:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Whoa! So something's up here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're going to get right to it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but he has kind of given us[br]the gospel message

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
right in those first few verses.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How would you summarize[br]the gospel message

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from those verses? Peter.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Peter) The salutation[br]that he gives there, grace and peace,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is very interesting to me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and is actually used

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
almost in every letter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and Peter uses it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Grace and peace to you."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
""Grace and peace to you."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And it's almost like, the heart of God,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
full of grace, brings something

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to our hearts, peace,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and He does that through forgiveness,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and this is given to all men.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) So even in the greeting[br]you're seeing a message.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Many Bible scholars would say

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
grace would be a more typical[br]New Testament,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and shalom, or peace,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
would be more from the Hebrew heritage,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but we're bringing both

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in Christ Jesus, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What's the message?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What did you hear

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the first six verses, anybody?[br]Yes, Alyssa?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Alyssa) Christ died for us,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but in accordance that God[br]the whole Trinity is working together.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Also he mentions that when we've been[br]transformed by that message,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we give glory back to Him.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Yeah, "He gave Himself[br]for our sins,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is the way my Bible translates it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"that he might deliver us from..."?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team) Evil.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) "...this present evil age,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
according to the will of our God[br]and Father,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to whom be glory,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then he, like, "God is awesome."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You know, he kind of ends

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
his little statement there.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But he up front says,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"This is God's plan of salvation,[br]through Jesus," right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"...to deliver us[br]from the present evil age.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What is wrong with you?!"[br](Thank you, Nicole.)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Where did you get some other gospel?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Some other...what does[br]the word <i>gospel</i> mean, do you know?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team) Good News.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) "Where do you find some other news

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that isn't good news at all?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So he obviously is dealing immediately[br]with a challenge.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now before we go into that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a revelation about the Good News

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
was not only given to him, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's go back; in our first study[br]in this series,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we looked at that amazing[br]concise statement by Peter.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do you remember that?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Guided by the Holy Spirit.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In Acts 10, verses 34 to 43.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I want to hear that again.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm always amazed, Nicole,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if you could it for us...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm always amazed at the brilliance

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of this concise statement

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about the Gospel message.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we know it's not because Peter says,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Well, I'm a great scholar."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No, no, he was a fisherman

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who wholly surrendered his life to God,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and by the Spirit he's speaking.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So let's hear his testimony.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Nicole) I'm reading Acts 10,[br]verses 34 through 43,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I'm reading from the New[br]International Version, and it says:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) I love that;[br]it's so powerful, isn't it?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And by the way, when he says,[br]"as all the prophets,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he kind of says that it's the testimony

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the whole Scripture.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It reminds me of a Bible study[br]that Jesus gave.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do you remember when that was,[br]Tricia Lee?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Tricia Lee) When they were[br]walking to Emmaus.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Right, first to Cleopas

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the other disciple

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
on the road to Emmaus,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but then with the disciples

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the Upper Room.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And He said all of these prophecies,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all of the Scriptures, what?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team) "Testify about Me."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Yeah, they "testify about Me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and not only about Me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but that I had to suffer." Why?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He suffered for our sins, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He bore our sins that He might...?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What was that wonderful word?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team Member) Deliver us.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Deliver us[br]from this present evil age.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Wonderful news, but all of that...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You say, "That's a great summary;

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm going to write it down, Acts 10:34-43.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If anybody non-Christian come and says,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
'Could you give it to me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in like just a couple of minutes?'"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You say, "Well, let me read to you

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what the Holy Spirit said through Peter."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But we could get even more concise[br]than that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Someone have John 3:16,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
would read it for us?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Anybody have John 3:16?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You say, "I'd like to repeat it."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
John 3:16, got a volunteer?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Jason, read it for us, please.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Jason) I'll be reading from the New[br]King James Version, John 3:16:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Well that challenges

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the whole idea that it's

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
just for the Jews, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It says "whoever."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
God so loved the...?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Team) World.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) I mean it's right there

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in that very simple statement.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, I have a question for you, Mario.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Why do people make the Gospel message,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Good News about what God has done

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for us in Jesus,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
why do people make it so complicated?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Mario) Oh, wow, we have something[br]inside of us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that wants to give out steps or processes[br]to accomplish things.

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I mean, in our jobs and in school,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there's this system that tells us,[br]you know,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you have to do this and this and this,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then you can get what you want.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it's hard for us to conceive

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that a God can love us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and give something to us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
without us having to do something[br]to earn it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but that it is a gift

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if we would just submit to His will...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Now the New Testament

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and especially the writings of Paul

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are all about a new creation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They're all about deliverance

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from the present evil age,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but that is the <i>fruit</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of accepting the Gospel message.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Somehow we try to make it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
more complicated than "whoever believes[br]in Him."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We've got several hands.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's take a moment to reflect on this.

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(Harold) One way, and we have[br]seen this, actually,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
throughout the New Testament,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what we studied last time, traditions.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
At times we fall into a routine,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as Tricia Lee mentioned[br]in a previous study,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that at times we are so ingrained...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we get so comfortable that we believe

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that that's the way to go to be saved.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) That's maybe even

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what the Bible teaches, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because we've done it for so long,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or what our religious teacher told us.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Harold) Yes, and Jesus even rebuked[br]the Pharisees

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because, "You come to Me,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know, with your mouth;

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you're worshiping with your mouth[br]and everything.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But yet you come to Me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by the commandments of men."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this is found in Matthew,[br]chapter 15.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Derek) Right, so that could happen

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for us, too, right?