♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
I'm glad you joined us, we're in the middle
of a series on "The Gospel in Galatians."
Actually, we just started,
but we're already learning amazing lessons
for our lives today -
the precious Good News,
and how, when we try to share it,
sometimes people resist the truth
as it is in Jesus.
Our topic today: Paul's Authority and Gospel,
and there are amazing lessons for us.
So we're glad you joined us for Hope Sabbath School.
And hello to the team; we're back again.
The Gospel in Galatians;
what did we learn
from the first part of our series
about Paul being transformed?
What was the most important takeaway lesson for you?
Well, we'll share that as we study today.
I hope you were with us.
If you missed the first part of this series,
you can go to our website: hopetv.org/hopess.
You can watch part one
of "The Gospel in Galatians."
And we're always happy to hear from you.
You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
Here are just a few emails.
You know, we know of 150 countries.
You say, "Derek, how do you know?"
Well, we have one Android app
that's being used in 150 countries,
so there's a lot of people joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.
And we've got an Apple app.
By the way, for those of you
who have an iPhone or an iPad,
you can download Hope Sabbath School.
It's free, and you can access the program.
Got an email just a few weeks ago
from someone who, in China, watched one program,
went back and watched 100 hours
of interactive Bible studies in our archives.
So it's there for you.
Here are a few notes.
One from Albert in Namibia,
that's former German West Africa,
you know, just north of South Africa,
and Albert writes, "It's so edifying
to watch and listen
to you explain the Bible so clearly.
My wife and I enjoy
your Bible study every Friday evening
in preparation for the Sabbath.
I am a teacher, and I gain
a lot of knowledge from your classes,
which I apply during my class." Good?
That's what we want, download the outline.
"What I want to know
is whether your class is consisting
of all student pastors,
because you all seem to know the Bible."
I guess you could tell, Albert, by the way
that everybody laughed,
that they're not all student pastors.
"May the Good Lord continue blessing
and giving you spiritual wisdom
as you share the Good News
with the whole world." Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) So what's the takeaway there?
And the answer is,
we can all do something for Jesus, right?
Whether we're teachers or counselors
or physicians or homemakers
or construction workers or pastors, right? Bible teachers.
We can all do something for Jesus.
Thanks for writing to us, Albert.
Here's a note from Kwasi in Ghana.
Anyone with Ghanaian roots?
Oh, Joshua! Ghanaian roots, all right.
Have a little wave here for Kwasi. Okay.
"I live in Accra," he writes.
"Your Sabbath School discussion
has made me an extraordinary Christian
and has blessed me.
It's built my personal relationship with Jesus."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "It's made me a Bible student!"
This is all good, isn't it?
"It's helped me organize
some children in my community
to share the Word of God with them."
It gets better and better, doesn't it, Mario?
"Every Sunday morning we do exercise
with the children, also,
to strengthen our physical bodies."
It sounds like a pretty holistic approach, right?
Teach the Word of God,
help them to be healthy.
"It's my desire that the Hope Sabbath School discussion
will be translated into different languages
around the world; the program is amazing."
Well, I want to tell you
that it's already happening
in different part of the world,
that Hope Sabbath School
is being broadcast in other languages,
also with closed captioning,
but you pray for us, Kwasi,
because we're praying it could go
to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Thanks for being part of the miracle.
Here's a note from Ludwig in Peru.
He's written to us before.
Ludwig says, "I'm always instructed
by your Friday evening Bible study.
I thank God for all of you.
This program is so didactic and instructive."
I think he looked up a few words, there, for us.
"Big hug to all of you, and God bless you all." Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for writing.
I know, Ludwig, you said you've been learning a lot of English, too,
while you've been watching the broadcast.
Here's a note from Tammy in New Jersey
in the United States of America.
She says, "Thank you so much
for what you do; it's an encouragement.
I love Hope Sabbath School.
I watched the first episode
of Hope Sabbath School in December 2016
during a Sabbath school breakfast
I'd planned for our church.
I'd heard of Hope Channel,
but not having a television,
I'd never seen it before," -
never seen Hope Sabbath School -
"Well, I loved it, and I was thrilled
when I found out you could get it online."
It's easy; you can get the app,
or you can watch it online, hopetv.org/hopess.
And she concludes, "May God continue abundantly
to bless your ministry.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I love being a member
of Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) All right, and by the way,
she's involved in a children's ministry
there in New Jersey,
and so she can do
an interactive Bible study with us
as part of Hope Sabbath School.
One last note, from Trinidad and Tobago.
That's in the beautiful Caribbean.
Just a short note, Leslie Ann writes
and says, "I'm from the island of Trinidad and Tobago."
I guess that's considered one country, isn't it?
"I enjoy watching and doing the lesson.
I also enjoy watching Jason
sing the Scripture songs."
Well, Jason, why don't you wave to Leslie Ann,
and we're going to sing
the Scripture song right now, actually.
We've got a brand new song for this series
from the Gospel in Galatians.
It's taken from Galatians, chapter 2,
which says, "I have been crucified with Christ,
and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me," it's a miracle.
If you haven't learned the song,
go to our website, download the song,
the sheet music, so you can sing along.
We're going to sing it right now.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) There's so much included
in that one verse from Galatians 2:20, 21.
The Son of God loves you
and gave Himself for you; isn't that awesome?
I just want to pray
that Jesus would be lifted up today
as we study the Gospel in Galatians.
Father in Heaven, thank You.
Thank You that God so loved the world
that You sent Your one and only Son
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.
We see sickness and death all around us.
We know that sin
brings death and destruction,
but I thank You
that You've given us hope in Your Word,
even today, hope in Jesus.
And I pray as we study
the Gospel in Galatians,
as we study "Paul's Authority and Gospel,"
that You would work in supernatural ways
in each of our hearts,
Hope Sabbath School members
all around the world.
May lives be blessed today
to bring honor to Your name.
I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Now before we go into Paul's authority,
I want to go back
to our previous study, Nicole.
How could it be
that God could take a rebel
who was forcing people
to blaspheme and wreaking havoc
(you remember that word?) in the church
and call him "My chosen servant"
to be an ambassador
for the Gospel message?
How can that happen?
(Nicole) Because God loves each and every one of us and wants us all to be saved.
So He uses us wherever we are to spread His Word to those He wants to save.
In terms of this case, He knew he was a Zealot, even knew he was a Zealot
in the time before he was transformed, and he was doing evil things.
God knew that he was a Zealot and when he was actually changed,
he'd be a Zealot for Him.
And so God was like, "I know the end from the beginning, and so, therefore,
this person's going to be the person I need at this time
to bring my Word to those who need it."
(Derek) Is that encouraging?
That God sees the potential
even in the midst of all our stumblings?
We're going to talk about Paul
as he writes now.
Many think this was
one of the earliest documents
that we have in what we call the New Testament,
about 49-50 A.D.
And it's written because of a problem in the church,
but by then, even at that time,
we're going to see
that the Christian church recognized
the Holy Spirit working in this man,
name changed from Saul of Tarsus to...?
(Team) Paul.
(Derek) ...to Paul the Apostle.
So let's start in 2 Peter, chapter 3.
We're going to come back to Galatians, here,
but Jonathan, would you read for us
2 Peter 3, verses 15 and 16.
I want you to listen carefully as Peter,
in some ways a little humorous,
he says, "Paul is not always easy to understand,"
but there's a testimony
about the authority of his work.
(Jonathan) I'm reading from the New International Version:
(Derek) So, I've always read that
and thought, "Oh, it's not always easy
to understand Paul," which is true.
Sometimes I read a text, and I go,
"What does that mean?"
Maybe I need to come to Hope Sabbath School
and get a little help from some sisters and brothers.
But there were a couple of little phrases, there,
that showed that Peter,
one of the church leaders, an apostle,
recognized the work of the Apostle Paul
as being from God.
What did you hear?
Laurel, did you hear something that caught your attention?
(Laurel) It just was amazing that Peter,
who was part of the original twelve with Jesus,
recognized that Paul was also called,
even though he wasn't with Christ
when He was physically on Earth.
(Derek) That's right; He wasn't one of the twelve, right?
So he has seen something in his ministry.
Didn't Jesus say, "By their fruit..."
(Derek, Team) "...you'll know them."
(Derek) So he had seen something from the fruit of his ministry
that said, "He's an apostle."
What does apostle mean, by the way? Do you know?
One who's sent out, right?
"He's an apostle of Jesus Christ," okay?
What else, even in the wording of the passage,
did you see something?
Christine, and then Marcus.
(Christine) It says here in verse 15
that God gave Paul the wisdom and the knowledge...
(Derek) Aha, wisdom, I think the way Jonathan read it,
wisdom that comes from God, all right?
Anywhere else, a little clue? Jason?
(Jason) In verse 16, he talks about those
who twist and distort the meaning,
and he's saying they do it
to their own destruction.
And so, you can deduce from that,
if you understand it correctly,
that's the way to salvation.
He's preaching the message of God.
(Derek) That's an interesting thought,
and actually there's another phrase attached to there which is important, too.
Did you notice it, Peter?
(Peter) It says, "as the rest of the Scripture."
(Derek) Okay, so he's including Paul's testimonies,
not only as a wisdom from God, like Christine said,
but as part of Scripture, God-breathed.
It's Peter who says all Scripture
is God-breathed, right?
No private interpretation,
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
All right, but that's interesting.
Also, implicitly he's saying,
"If you listen, it's for your salvation,"
that gives it authority.
"If you twist it,
it's for your destruction."
All right, so Paul is recognized
by at least Peter, but I think
we could say by the Christian community.
God's at work in him,
and God is speaking through him.
We're going to look at one of his letters in this series,
the Gospel to the Galatians.
The standard format of a letter...
did you find this from your study?
What's the standard format of a letter
back in those times, Tricia Lee?
(Tricia Lee) I don't know about back then, but I do know, like, when you're
in grammar school, you're taught that you start with a greeting or some type
of salutation, then you have who it's to and the subject of the message,
and you kind of end off with some type of, you know...
(Derek) Farewell or closing remark or?
Is that pretty much, Jason,
the way it looked in these letters
during the New Testament era?
(Jason) Largely yes, and you generally start with the positive, too.
So you'll say, "Oh, you guys, this is a nice thing about you,"
whether you're writing a letter now or these letters of Paul.
They're always saying,
"This is a good thing that you have."
"This is what I like about you."
(Derek) That would probably still work today, right?
If you've got a problem with someone, you can say, "Here are some things
I really appreciate about you, but," and talk about a problem.
And that's pretty much standard format,
greeting, some word of thanksgiving,
body of the letter,
and then some closing remark,
and typically with Paul
it would include, "the grace of the Lord
be with you," right, something like that.
Let's see how he begins
the letter to the Galatians.
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 and 2,
and, Alyssa, if you'd read that for us,
and then we'll compare that.
If someone could find Ephesians 1, verse 1,
and Colossians 1, verse 1,
let's see if they're similar
or if there are some differences.
By the way, all of those letters
were written by the Apostle Paul.
(Alyssa) In the New International Version it says:
(Derek) Okay, that's his greeting there.
Keep that in mind.
Does someone have Ephesians?
Joshua, chapter 1 and verse 1.
(Joshua) I'll be reading from the New King James Version.
The Bible says:
(Derek) All right, so that's to the church in Ephesus,
then he writes to the church in Colossae,
we call that Colossians, Marcus, verse 1.
(Marcus) I'll be reading from the King James Version:
(Derek) So what did they have in common,
those three opening salutations?
What did they have in common?
(Harold) He's an apostle.
(Derek) Okay so, Paul, an apostle - gives his name,
like we do even today, right?
Gives a name and says
he's an apostle of Jesus.
What was different, Mario?
What did you see different
in the Galatian intro?
(Mario) He expounds on that.
He says not by the will of man
but of God, you know.
So you can tell
that he needs to clarify something.
(Derek) Why would he have to do that, anybody?
He didn't do it to Ephesus or to Colossae.
Why would he have to do that for Galatia? Alyssa?
(Alyssa) This is still early.
Remember, he had to go to all those places
and represent himself anew
to each new church,
so maybe he was still kind of having to defend
that God did call him.
(Derek) Possibly. Of course,
we haven't read the letter yet, have we?
That is a possibility, though.
He's like, "You may not know me,"
but actually there's something else
going on here. Nicole?
(Nicole) His letter talks about false teachings,
so in this case he's saying, "Listen, I'm from God.
I'm an apostle of God.
I'm bringing you the truth and the Word
that you need to hear,
and I want you all to be careful
of what else is going on around you
that may draw you away from Christ."
(Derek) And implied (stay with me now),
implied is that these people
who are giving these false teachings
are saying what, about Paul?
(Team) That he's not from God.
(Derek) He's not a true apostle, right?
Or he's sent by man and not sent by God. Jonathan?
(Jonathan) It seems like multiple times
throughout this that he's emphasizing this,
that, "My authority doesn't come
based on other people; it's God."
It's the truth that matters and not people.
(Derek) Well let's take a look as we read on in Galatians.
Jason, if you could read
the first six verses,
it will include the initial salutation that we read,
verses 1 through 6.
He's going to go past
saying thank you about anything,
and he's going to come right to the issue at hand.
Let's take a look, Galatians 1:1-6.
(Jason) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 through 6:
(Derek) Whoa! So something's up here.
We're going to get right to it,
but he has kind of given us the Gospel message
right in those first few verses.
How would you summarize the Gospel message
from those verses? Peter.
(Peter) The salutation that he gives there, grace and peace,
is very interesting to me,
and is actually used
almost in every letter,
and Peter uses it,
"Grace and peace to you."
""Grace and peace to you."
And it's almost like, the heart of God,
full of grace, brings something
to our hearts - peace,
and He does that through forgiveness,
and this is given to all men.
(Derek) So even in the greeting you're seeing a message.
Many Bible scholars would say
grace would be a more typical New Testament,
and shalom, or peace,
would be more from the Hebrew heritage,
but we're bringing both
in Christ Jesus, right?
What's the message?
What did you hear
in the first six verses, anybody? Yes, Alyssa?
(Alyssa) Christ died for us, but in accordance
that God the whole Trinity is working together also, he mentions that.
And that when we've been transformed by that message,
we give glory back to Him.
(Derek) Yeah, "He gave Himself for our sins,"
is the way my Bible translates it,
"that he might deliver us from..."?
(Team) Evil.
(Derek) "...this present evil age, according to the will
of God our Father, to whom be glory," and then he, like, "God is awesome."
You know, he kind of ends his little statement there.
But he, up front, says,
"This is God's plan of salvation, through Jesus...," right?
"...to deliver us from the present evil age.
What is wrong with you?" (Thank you, Nicole.)
"Where did you get some other gospel?"
Some other...what does the word gospel mean, do you know?
(Team) Good News.
(Derek) "Where do you find some other news that isn't good news at all?"
So he obviously is dealing, immediately, with a challenge.
Now before we go into that,
a revelation about the Good News
was not only given to him, right?
Let's go back; in our first study in this series,
we looked at that amazing concise statement by Peter.
Do you remember that?
Guided by the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 10, verses 34 to 43.
I want to hear that again.
I'm always amazed - Nicole,
if you could read it for us -
I'm always amazed at the brilliance
of this concise statement
about the Gospel message.
And we know it's not because Peter says,
"Well, I'm a great scholar."
No, no, he was a fisherman
who wholly surrendered his life to God,
and by the Spirit he's speaking.
So let's hear his testimony.
(Nicole) I'm reading Acts 10, verses 34 through 43,
and I'm reading from the New International Version, and it says:
(Derek) I love that; it's so powerful, isn't it?
And by the way, when he says, "as all the prophets,"
he kind of says that it's the testimony
of the whole Scripture.
It reminds me of a Bible study that Jesus gave.
Do you remember when that was, Tricia Lee?
(Tricia Lee) When they were walking to Emmaus.
(Derek) Right, first to Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus,
but then with the disciples
in the Upper Room.
And He said, "All of these prophecies,
all of the Scriptures," what?
(Team) "Testify about Me."
(Derek) Yeah, they "testify about Me, and not only about Me
but that I had to suffer." Why?
He suffered for our sins, right?
He bore our sins that He might...?
What was that wonderful word?
(Team Member) Deliver us.
(Derek) Deliver us from this present evil age.
Wonderful news, but all of that...
You say, "That's a great summary;
I'm going to write it down, Acts 10:34-43.
If anybody, non-Christian, comes and says,
'Could you give it to me
in like just a couple of minutes?'"
You say, "Well, let me read to you what the Holy Spirit said through Peter."
But we could get even more concise than that.
Someone have John 3:16,
who would read it for us?
Anybody have John 3:16?
You say, "I'd like to repeat it."
John 3:16, got a volunteer?
Jason, read it for us, please.
(Jason) I'll be reading from the New King James Version, John 3:16:
(Derek) Well, that challenges
the whole idea that it's
just for the Jews, right?
It says "whoever."
God so loved the...?
(Team) World.
(Derek) I mean it's right there
in that very simple statement.
So, I have a question for you, Mario.
Why do people make the Gospel message,
the Good News about what God has done
for us in Jesus,
why do people make it so complicated?
(Mario) Oh, wow, we have something inside of us
that wants to give out steps or processes to accomplish things.
I mean, in our jobs and in school,
there's this system that tells us, you know,
you have to do this and this and this,
and then you can get what you want.
So it's hard for us to conceive
that a God can love us
and give something to us
without us having to do something to earn it,
but that it is a gift
if we would just submit to His will...
(Derek) Now the New Testament
and especially the writings of Paul
are all about a new creation.
They're all about deliverance
from the present evil age,
but that is the fruit
of accepting the Gospel message.
Somehow we try to make it
more complicated than "whoever believes in Him."
We've got several hands.
Let's take a moment to reflect on this.
(Harold) One way, and we have seen this, actually,
throughout the New Testament,
what we studied last time, traditions.
At times we fall into a routine,
as Tricia Lee mentioned in a previous study,
that at times we are so ingrained...
we get so comfortable that we believe
that that's the way to go to be saved.
(Derek) That's maybe even what the Bible teaches, right?
Because we've done it for so long,
or what our religious teacher told us.
(Harold) Yes, and Jesus even rebuked the Pharisees
because, "You come to Me,"
you know, "with your mouth;
you're worshiping with your mouth and everything,
but yet you come to Me
by the commandments of men."
And this is found in Matthew, chapter 15.
(Derek) Right, so that could happen
for us, too, right? Tricia Lee?
(Tricia Lee) He's reminding us that we're in an evil age.
The devil is out there trying to deceive us.
From the garden he said, "Did God really say?"
And when we have simple truths about salvation, that doubt comes
into our minds like, is it really that easy to be saved through Christ?
You can hang your doubts on anything, but it's just like, we have to believe
the true Word that God says, and not question this simple path
that God already laid out.
(Derek) I guess there's two approaches that the devil could bring.
One would be to say,
it's not that simple, right? It's more complicated,
or it's not even true.
This is not true,
but it's not that simple, you know?
(Tricia Lee) Is He really going to forgive you if you ask Him?
(Derek) Or maybe it's for someone else,
but would it really be for you?
Anybody else? Why do we make it so complicated, Jonathan?
(Jonathan) I think sometimes we really want it to be...
It's an issue of pride.
I mean like, if I can make all these so wonderful thoughts and ideas,
then it becomes about me and about what I'm doing or what I'm thinking
or having the right knowledge, but this is so simple, like a child can understand.
(Derek) Didn't Jesus say something about we need to become as little children
if we would enter the Kingdom?
(Jonathan) That's humbling.
(Derek) It requires humility?
(Jonathan) Yeah.
(Derek) Yes, Peter.
(Peter) I was thinking, too, that sometimes maybe...
can God be that good?
Can it be that good?
(Derek) You mean a distorted picture
of the character of God
could hold me back
from believing that God could be
that good to me.
(Peter) Right, right.
(Derek) Part of the reason
we study the Bible
is to find out the truth about God, right?
Joshua?
(Joshua) I believe it was along the lines
of what Jonathan said.
He mentioned that, you know,
the Gospel is even for little children,
as easy that they can understand it.
And I remember as a child
I always saw the Gospel
as something that was easy to digest,
like Jesus loves me,
He wants to save us from our sins,
we're going to Heaven one day,
and it was that simple.
But then as I got older,
things started to become more and more and more complicated.
People are like, "Oh! This prophecy, that prophecy."
"We have to be saved through this."
"If you do this, this is going to happen to you."
And your mind just has this,
for some people, a spiritual breakdown.
Like, "Whoa, it takes all of that now?
Every move that I make now,
I have to be worried
if God is going to like me or not like me?
Is He going to strike me from Heaven?"
And I think that we lose touch
of that real essence of who Christ is,
making things complicated, as we've been discussing.
(Derek) "Whoever believes in Him
should not perish."
But of course we need Scripture
to know who He is.
Otherwise we could make up some Jesus, right?
The Bible is crucial,
and Jesus, when He said, "Baptize
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,"
He did say, "Teach them
to observe all things I've commanded you."
But all of that is an outgrowth
of my relationship with Him
as my Savior, right?
Well, let's go back
to the letter of Galatians,
and, Laurel, could you read
Galatians 1, verses 6 through 9?
Like we noticed in the first part
(we read verse 6 already, but read it again),
he skips over, "I'm really thankful
for so much about you,"
and comes in - boom!
"We've got a problem here."
Let's read verses 6 through 9 of Galatians 1.
(Alyssa) I'll be reading from the New King James Version:
(Derek) Now that word accursed,
I've got in my margin there
is the word anathema.
I mean, it's not like,
"That's not a good thing to do."
It's like really strong language.
Why is Paul...and someone could say,
"Well, that's your perspective;
this is my perspective"...
why is he so intense about people...
"You cannot preach some other gospel
other than what was manifested through Jesus," Marcus?
(Marcus) Because that would portray a false Christ.
Just like you said earlier as well,
you said that it's not the same Christ
if you pervert the Gospel,
and this is the early church.
So, what comes out of this
may affect future churches in the next generation.
(Derek) So it's not so much
that, "You don't like my teaching,"
as "You're saying something about God that isn't true!"
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) And...? And what?
What's the implication of that?
Destruction for people!
This is life and death!
It's not just, "Do you like your sermon or your sermon?"
This is life and death;
we're talking about how people can be
set right with God, right? Yes, Mario.
(Mario) I just feel like
I need to highlight
the same applies to us today.
This is about the character of Christ
as perceived in someone else's eyes through our testimony,
and we get hung up on our doctrine
as a means to salvation.
And there are so many things that we try
to hang the hat of salvation on,
but we've got to preach Christ
and Him crucified, as Paul said, you know,
and we have to be careful about that.
(Derek) Now some people might get
a little offended with Paul.
They'd say, "Paul, that's a little,"
(we have an expression in English),
"over the top. Please."
But let's look at a couple of places
where Jesus was fairly (what could I say) direct
when He felt the same issue,
"You're getting in the way
of people learning the truth about God."
Mark, chapter 9, verse 42,
Harold, do you have that?
Again I do believe that Jesus,
He spoke with love in His heart.
I don't like if He's portrayed
as some kind of angry Savior,
but He spoke strongly here, didn't He? Mark 5:42?
(Harold) I'll be reading from the New King James Version:
(Derek) Now, Bible students have discussed
whether the little ones He's talking about
are children or new believers.
What do you think?
(Team) Both.
(Derek) Multiple choice, right?
"All of the above," right?
If you cause a child to stumble
that they can't, as children do,
just say, "Jesus, I trust You,
and I want You to save me,
and I want to be with You forever,"
and the Savior says, "Amen," right?
But also the new believer?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) So, we want the new believers to learn everything
that Jesus taught, right?
So, how do we do that
without making a stumbling block for them?
What is crucially important
when we're teaching them all those things?
Are you stretching your fingers, Nicole? Yes, tell me.
(Nicole) I think that it starts with us praying and asking for the Spirit
to fill us with what we need in order to reach those that we're dealing with.
And so we don't become a stumbling block ourselves, we have to have
that connection with Christ to lead us the right way.
(Derek) Okay, but we want to teach them
to observe all things.
So how do we do that without (what's the word)
damaging the Gospel or mutating the Gospel
or proclaiming some other Gospel?
How do we do that, Alyssa?
(Alyssa) Well, first, everything has to come from Scripture.
Don't try to show them anything that isn't here.
And also, if they're not secure yet in their salvation,
first things have to come first.
(Derek) So I believe in Bible prophecy, it's wonderful.
By the way, I've met many people
who believe in the authenticity of the Bible by Bible prophecy,
but you're saying, "I'm going to tell them about Jesus
and how to have
a living connection with Him,"
and then we talk about how do we live as a Christian
rather than, "Here's the list of things
that can maybe earn God's love and favor
or maybe earn your way to Heaven."
(Tricia Lee) It's a great question, and I think that churches struggle
with how to disciple and how to teach our new believers.
We should never be afraid of teaching what the Bible says or what Jesus says,
but there's a big difference between teaching what Jesus taught and lived
and then now trying to force people to make those changes and believing
that we somehow now take on the role of the Holy Spirit in converting people.
I can teach you and show you, and I should never hide what the Bible says,
but I have to understand my role is to teach; my role is not to convert.
I cannot force someone to make a change that it might have taken me many years
to come to myself.
So we have to have patience and humility and realize that we are only
pointing people to the Bible teachings and allowing the Holy Spirit to work
that miracle in their life just like He worked in our lives.
But we shouldn't be afraid to show somebody what the Bible says
just because it might be too much; maybe we should hide it from them now - no.
The Bible teaches all these things; it's okay to teach it, but we should never
feel like we have to force someone to make the same change just like we have.
(Derek) And would it be okay to say we always need to remind them
what the foundation of our faith... where it is?
It's in Jesus, right? Our Savior.
Saved by His grace through faith?
Let's talk about healthful living,
or let's talk about...
you could name something else...
how Jesus is coming back,
but first I have to talk about the Gospel message, right?
And the assurance of salvation.
Several hands raised, Peter?
(Peter) I was just going to say when we talk about, like, we're saying doctrine
or anything, living, Jesus sits for His portrait, and how we present
the teachings of the Bible.
And what portrait of Jesus are you painting in your doctrine,
in your lifestyle that you're coaching,
whatever it is, X, Y, Z - fill it in -
what portrait of Jesus are you painting?
(Derek) First I have to know
the truth about Jesus and who He was. Jonathan.
(Jonathan) I was thinking how, in a musical, you can have the same notes,
even in the same order, but if you change, like maybe if you start
with a different emphasis, or if you put it in a different bass note or something,
the music totally changes.
You can be saying the same things, but if you're emphasizing
without that foundation of who God is, His love for us, and salvation,
then you're communicating a different song, a different tone.
(Derek) One other text
where Jesus spoke rather strongly,
in Matthew 23:13,14, He was saying,
"Don't get in the way of people
knowing the truth about Me."
Christine, do you have Matthew 23, verses 13 and 14?
(Christine) I'll be reading from the New King James Version,
Matthew, chapter 23, verses 13 and 14; it says:
(Derek) And what does it say at the end?
"You will receive" what?
(Derek, Team) A greater condemnation.
(Derek) You know, you will be held accountable.
Isn't that what it's saying?
For getting in the way
of people knowing the truth.
Now I don't know about you,
but we're here, and this is an in-depth, interactive Bible study;
we've got a lot of people watching this.
That would cause me to be praying,
"Oh, Lord, help us
to tell the truth about You," right?
"To tell the truth about Your Gospel,
to tell the truth about the Christian life
in response to the grace
that's been shown to us," and all of that.
We want to go now
and look at where Paul gets his message
because, as someone pointed out
(Laurel, I think you mentioned earlier),
he wasn't one of the 12 Disciples.
So where does he get his message?
Well let's take a look
at his own testimony,
and we're looking in Galatians, chapter 1,
verses 11 through 17,
and then we'll read on in the chapter
and also testimony from his letter to the Corinthians.
But first, Galatians, chapter 1,
and, Peter, if you could read that for us,
verses 11 through 17.
(Peter) I'm reading Galatians, chapter 1, verses 11 to 17,
in the New King James Version:
(Derek) What's he saying?
(Harold) He was called through God's grace.
(Derek) He was called through God's grace,
but more than that, what's he saying?
This revelation...?
(Nicole) Is not from man.
(Derek) "...is not from man.
I didn't learn it from anyone except Jesus!"
In that sense he's saying,
"I may not have walked with Him
when He was here on Earth,
but I've walked with Him
since He ascended to Heaven."
That's a startling claim, isn't it?
But that's what he's saying,
"The way I received the message."
Let's keep reading; Mario, if you could read,
as he continues now, in verses 18 through 24.
Again, they're saying, "You're not a real apostle."
"You weren't one of the twelve," right?
"You weren't there; in fact, your history
shows you've been fighting against the truth."
Because, by the way, these Judaizers
are believers in Jesus.
So they're not just like those
who are opposed to Jesus,
but they're saying, "But there's more,
and you're not telling the whole story."
Paul says, "I got it from Jesus."
Reading on, verses 18, is it?
(Mario) Through 24, reading Galatians,
chapter 1, 18 through 24,
in the New King James Version:
(Derek) That's his testimony, "I've been changed."
Now let's look at one example
of a revelation given to him, 1 Corinthians 11.
He's talking here about the beginning
of what we call the Lord's Supper
or the Communion service.
Now again, obvious question,
but was he there in the Upper Room?
(Derek, Team) No.
(Derek) So, how is he
going to tell the believers about that?
Well, let's see what he says.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Joshua.
(Joshua) The Bible says:
(Derek) That's very specific, isn't it?
It's not like, "Well, and there was
this little service in the Upper Room
before Jesus was crucified."
It's actually quoting Jesus, what He said,
and explaining what it meant.
So I have a question for you.
He says, "I received it from the Lord."
How did Jesus reveal that to him?
Did He appear to him
like on the Damascus road?
Did He give him a vision?
You know, a vision, he's still awake,
but he receives a message from Heaven.
Or a dream, we think of like,
dreams were given to prophets, too?
How did Jesus reveal that to him,
what happened in the Upper Room?
The answer is?
(Derek, Team) We don't know.
(Derek) Could it have been
any one of those?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) Could the Lord Himself have come like He did
on the Damascus road?
Or have given him a vision?
But what is Paul absolutely convinced about?
(Team) That it's from Christ.
(Derek) That it's a revelation from Jesus, right?
So, both that little piece
of what happened in the Upper Room,
but actually the entire message he's proclaiming,
he said, "This doesn't come from me;
it comes from God."
So why is that so important
as he's about to speak to the Galatians
who were listening to false teaching?
Why is it important that he asserts
the source of his message?
Wouldn't it be enough to say,
"I learned it from the apostles"?
Jason, what do you think?
(Jason) Because he's being attacked as not being connected with Jesus,
as not being part of that origin.
They're saying, "You came in after the fact,
and you're trying to proclaim to us this stuff
even though you haven't experienced it yourself.
In fact, you were even one of our persecutors,
so how do we know
that you're actually genuine?"
And they're basically challenging him
by bringing this other gospel in.
And he's saying, "Look, this is from Jesus,
and here's the evidence for it."
(Derek) We're going to study
about the whole conflict and the message
in the Gospel to the Galatians,
but I just want to pause and ask,
does it startle you
that Jesus would call someone
who'd been such a fierce opponent?
Would it be fair to say to almost become a primary witness?
I mean, how many books
of the New Testament
did - let's choose some of the Apostles - Peter.
How many books of the New Testament did Peter write?
Well we've got 1 and 2 Peter, right?
That's the clue, right?
Give me another Apostle.
(Derek, Team) John.
(Derek) Okay, how many books
of the New Testament did John write?
Five? Okay, you've got
the Gospel of John,
1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and?
(Team) Revelation.
(Derek) He says, the Revelation of Jesus Christ
through His servant John."
Okay, so you've got five there.
Give me another Apostle besides Peter and John.
Not Timothy, he was not an Apostle, right?
But Matthew was...Matthew, how many did he write?
(Team) One.
(Derek) One that bears his name,
an important Gospel, right?
Give me another Apostle.
Philip? How many did he write?
(Derek, Team) None.
(Derek) Give me another one.
James, the brother of John,
that's not the one who wrote
the book of James, right?
So, many of the Apostles
didn't write any books
of the New Testament, right?
And how many did you say again
the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write?
(Team) Thirteen.
(Derek) Doesn't it startle you?
What does that tell you about God?
Not just about Paul.
You say, "He was obviously a changed man."
What does that tell you about God? Christine.
(Christine) That God can use anyone
to get them to proclaim the message.
(Derek) He can use anyone.
Can we complete that sentence, Tricia Lee?
(Tricia Lee) Even me.
(Derek) Okay, yeah.
God can use anyone, even me.
I still need a little qualifier in there, Nicole?
God can use anyone, even me...?
(Nicole) If you're willing... if you're willing to be used.
(Derek) If I'm willing.
And how is that willingness revealed?
How is that willingness revealed?
How is it apparent that I am willing
to be used by God, even me,
to proclaim the Good News about Jesus?
(Joshua) By doing the work.
(Derek) I think before I do the work, no?
(Nicole) It's choosing.
(Tricia Lee) Believing.
(Derek) Choosing, believing.
(Team Member) Responding to the call.
(Derek) How do I respond to the call?
(Team Member) You listen.
(Derek) I listen?
(Team Member) Repent first.
(Derek) I repent. I...?
(Nicole) Pray?
(Derek) Pray. I surrender?
I humble myself before God.
This message is not about me; it's about Jesus.
"And God, You're going to have to work supernaturally
because I don't want to mess that up."
I certainly don't want to proclaim
a false gospel, right?
I humble myself...So, I'm willing.
Surrender? Even me?
That Paul could do that?
And God could use him in such an amazing way? Joshua?
(Joshua) This is helping me to think
because if you think about the most well-known pastors and evangelists
that you hear about
throughout the Christian church,
many of them were not raised as Christians.
(Derek) Yeah.
(Joshua) Many of them actually converted to Christianity,
and through the experience
that they had with Jesus,
they just went full force,
and that goes across the board.
And I think it just goes to show
that when we have that true conversion,
our past is no longer a priority.
Our past is just a shadow of who we were,
and we are now new in Christ.
(Derek) Doesn't Paul say somewhere,
"I consider all of that..."
What was the word he used?
I think a literal translation is "cow dung,"
but "rubbish" would be a little more...
It's garbage compared to the excellency of knowing Christ.
Not just knowing about Him, right?
But knowing Him.
It's like he can't keep quiet.
And if we're willing...even me? Even me.
So in the last few minutes we've got,
I want you to give a testimony
of how you have been blessed,
not only to know Jesus,
have that relationship,
but you've been blessed
that God would use you
to share the truth about Jesus
with someone else, okay?
And you may share a specific instance.
You may share something
that's happening to you right now.
So let's talk about that.
We can't share what we don't know, right?
So, coming to know Him and sharing.
Who can share a testimony of being blessed
as a result of that?
We'll start with you, Harold.
(Harold) One day I was going to Radio Shack
(that's like an electronics store),
and they were closing down.
The thought came, "Well, since it's closing down,
there's some people who are there,"
and I'm a type that I like to talk one-on-one.
And usually the store's kind of empty.
There was this lady,
and I had this material,
and I started talking to her,
like saying, "Hey, I have this material for you,
if you're interested."
(Derek) So this was something about the Bible?
(Harold) Yeah, all about the Bible.
Actually that lasted like an hour or more, the conversation.
(Derek) It must have been a quiet day at the store.
(Harold) No, it was interesting.
There were more customers coming in.
It was so inspiring
that I started even asking,
"Hey, customers, would you be interested?"
I was not afraid; I was really so blessed
because the lady was asking so many questions,
even asked for material
that I had at home; this was interesting.
I purchased the material
thinking that I would read it,
and then she mentioned to me,
"I remember reading this book
back in the day by this person."
And I'm like, "Wow, interesting!"
I have this book at home, and I just bought one,
thinking that I would use it,
and I brought it for her.
She was so blessed and was acknowledging
all the truth that was being shared
that I felt blessed.
It was like, wow, somebody received God's truth today,
even the people who were around us listening
or even receiving the material.
That made my day,
and I thank God for that.
(Derek) For those of you in the second row,
you couldn't see he was smiling.
He was blessed to be used
to bless someone else,
and it sounds like God was at work even in him getting that book
that they wanted to read,
and it was already there.
In some ways you might think,
"Well, that's not as dramatic as the Damascus road."
But it was dramatic for you, wasn't it?
Anybody else, being blessed? Joshua.
(Joshua) Years ago I was
in Antigua visiting family,
and I was sitting in my Aunt Nola's house,
and I saw Hope Sabbath School
for the first time.
As I watched the people...
(Derek) Was that before you ever became a participant?
(Joshua) Oh, yeah, this was before that.
I was watching the show, and I said,
"I can't really relate to these people;
they look too holy."
And I said, "You know what?
They're going into all these deep things about the Bible,"
so I just kept watching it.
I had no idea that God was ever
going to put me on this show
to do this same exact work.
And now I know that we're not all perfect
and that through media God can reach
so many people across the world.
I'm very thankful to be here,
and I met my wife on this show.
(Derek) Oh, you did,
and she's not here,
just in case the viewers are trying to guess which one it is.
But back to what you said, Tricia Lee,
"Even me." "Even me." Isn't that amazing?
Surrendered to God, you're watching the show,
and, you know, our producer Elroy,
when he was in grad school,
he said, "I wish I could...,"
He was watching Hope Sabbath School,
and he was really blessed.
He was saying, "I wish I could produce a program like that,"
and today he's our producer.
Isn't that awesome!
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) That's the kind of people we want to be a part of the team, right?
That we believe God is working in miraculous ways.
One last testimony, yes, Nicole.
(Nicole) I would continue what Joshua said in saying I'm blessed to be
on this program also, and it's funny because I met you
at a church here locally, and I hadn't really heard of Hope Sabbath School,
and you actually talked about it in church.
I was like, "Let me see what he's talking about," and I watched
this program a couple of times.
I just think that the Lord really led me to that church, He led me
to meet with you that day, and put me in this program, and it's just been
a blessing because I'm meeting people who have seen the programs, and they're
very blessed by the program.
So it's this great blessing to me that I can be a part of this ministry.
(Derek) I think that's why the Apostle Paul was so passionate, because he's like,
"It's not just about me being saved;
it's about sharing that blessing,
the grace of God I've come to know and experience.
I want to share that with everybody,
even if they try to kill me,"
which, by the way, happened quite frequently to the Apostle Paul.
And when people tried to distort
the truth of the Gospel,
he got really upset
because he wanted people to know
the true character of God and God's plan.
I want to share the truth
about Jesus, too, don't you?
Let's pray that he'll work in us in wonderful ways.
Father in Heaven, thank You
for the beautiful truth of the Gospel.
Forgive us if we've made it complicated
or a stumbling block put in the way of someone
so they don't hear the truth.
Help us to continue to study Your Word,
to learn the truth of the Gospel
to be able to share it in a way
that will bless many lives, including ours.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, thanks for joining us for Hope Sabbath School.
We have so much to learn, but you know?
God loves us, and He will be with us
each step of the journey.
Take what you're learning
and be a blessing to those around you.
♪ theme music ♪