24-1218wc Transcript

Teacher: Scott Reynolds

(0:04) It is about almost exactly an hour of video. (0:08) We’ll cut it in two. (0:11) And the midpoint, 30 minutes, he’s still talking about a (0:17) topic, so it goes really to like 33, 51, almost 34 minutes (0:23) for what we’ll watch.

(0:26) But what he’s talking about is an important segment. (0:33) He started out, lesson one, on truth, what truth is and how (0:39) important the Bible places the emphasis on truth. (0:43) God is true.

(0:45) And then this lesson deals with philosophy and ethics. (0:52) And the scripture, I found it out this week, there are five (0:59) scriptures that go along with this lesson. (1:01) The first two deal with what we’ll be talking about (1:05) tonight, the other three will be in the second half.

(1:10) So let’s real quick take a look at the first two passages. (1:17) The first one is 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 24 through (1:26) 26, I’m reading from the New King James, and the servant of (1:31) the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to (1:35) teach, patient in humility, correcting those who are in (1:41) opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so (1:46) that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their (1:50) senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken (1:55) captive by him to do his will. (2:00) So the outsiders are dealing with those outside of Christ (2:08) and those that have a different viewpoint than us.

(2:12) We need to, we’re being told to be humble when we correct (2:17) people, and patient and humble when we correct people. (2:22) And actually, you probably should pray that God will grant (2:25) them repentance, so that they may know the truth, because (2:29) they have been taken captive by the devil to do his will. (2:34) So there we, in the first lesson, Del was talking about (2:40) how we should view outsiders, we should view them in prison (2:45) clothes, and as captives, as the devil has taken them (2:52) captive to do his will.

(2:54) So how does he do that? (2:57) In Colossians chapter 2, verse 8, it says Paul is talking to (3:03) the Colossians and saying, beware, lest anyone cheat you (3:07) through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the (3:11) tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the (3:14) world, but not according to Christ. (3:18) And in this one, he’ll be talking about that. (3:21) But philosophy is a way that can deceive us.

(3:28) We’re being warned. (3:29) Don’t be taken captive through philosophy and empty (3:32) deception, according to the traditions of men, according to (3:36) the elementary principles of the world. (3:39) So that would be world philosophy and principles of (3:44) the world, rather than according to Christ.

(3:47) So philosophies are able to deceive. (3:52) And that’s what we’ll be talking about today, is (3:55) philosophy and ethics. (3:57) All right, so let me set this up, and we’ll start.

(4:05) So that’s where we’re going to stop. (4:07) OK, so just to bring to memory again that we’ve been warned (4:15) that one of the ways that we need to be on guard deals with (4:21) philosophy, so we need to understand what that means. (4:26) And as he’s been pointing it out, we can start to perceive (4:33) the messages that we’re receiving from our society.

(4:37) With Carl Sagan, the cosmos, the cosmos is all the material. (4:44) We would state it, Christians would state it, (4:48) cosmos is God’s creation. (4:50) It’s what he created, everything that he created.

(4:54) And so the naturalist, one who only believes in the natural (5:02) realm, remember from my sermon just last Sunday, we were (5:08) talking about the natural and spiritual realm. (5:11) The naturalist throws the spiritual realm out. (5:15) We can’t see it.

(5:17) Our sensors, and we have five of them, touch, smell, eyes, (5:23) ears, taste, are all tuned to the natural realm. (5:30) And we are even forbidden information from the spiritual (5:35) realm, God has forbidden to be told here, because he wants us (5:42) to make our decisions based on faith, not by sight. (5:46) So we are not given the amount of evidence (5:52) that angels are given.

(5:55) Angels live in the spiritual realm. (5:58) They are spirits in the spiritual realm. (6:01) They have, they walk by sight.

(6:04) And I think, as I tried to point out, I hope you got the (6:08) message Sunday, and I think that’s the difference, why God (6:13) does not offer salvation to angels who have all that (6:19) information and walk by sight and sin, and they reject with (6:27) no ignorance, having the information and reject God. (6:33) They’re not offered salvation. (6:36) And us, in the physical realm, cut off from the spiritual (6:41) realm, and can only take that by revelation from God.

(6:46) We only know that a spiritual realm exists because God told (6:52) us, but he doesn’t show us. (6:56) So we have to take that on faith, believing what he said. (7:02) And to those who walk by faith, salvation is offered.

(7:08) And to me, I think that’s the bigger question of being saved (7:12) by faith. (7:14) Being saved by faith is, we are in a position where we can (7:20) only, we’re in the physical realm, and the information of (7:25) the spiritual realm is totally by faith. (7:29) So if we’re going to believe it, it’s going to be based on (7:34) his arguments, God’s arguments, period.

(7:40) So to me, that’s what I see there. (7:44) But the naturalist, then, doesn’t have the sensors. (7:51) We don’t have the sensors to see the spiritual realm, and he (7:56) just throws it out because, to me, all that I see, that’s all (8:02) that exists.

(8:05) All of this has always been here, is here now, and will (8:10) always be. (8:13) And that’s not where the answers are. (8:16) And that’s what he’s calling, Dell’s calling, the cosmic (8:19) cube.

(8:20) Cosmic cube is the entire creation of God. (8:23) The natural realm is the cosmic cube. (8:28) And as he was pointing out, there are, obviously, a lot of (8:34) people who believe in, religiously, you had a lot of (8:42) idol worshipers.

(8:43) What were idol worshipers? (8:45) What were they worshiping? (8:47) Were they worshiping God? (8:49) And transcendent is, God’s not in the box. (8:53) He’s not part of his creation. (8:55) He’s above.

(8:56) He’s super. (8:57) He’s not natural. (8:58) He’s supernatural.

(8:59) He’s above nature. (9:02) So he’s not part of that. (9:04) That’s why he exists out there.

(9:06) But when he’s talking about the cosmic cube, and looking for (9:10) the answers in the cube, the naturalist is looking for the (9:15) answers from nature, period. (9:18) And they can’t answer. (9:21) They can’t answer, where did the first come from come from? (9:26) There’s no answer in the box.

(9:30) I asked Grok, the AI, about Carl Sagan’s statement, and (9:38) talking about nature being eternal. (9:41) Then it pointed out, you also need to remember that Carl (9:45) Sagan also believed in the Big Bang Theory, which implies (9:49) that there is a beginning to nature. (9:52) There’s a beginning to material, which means (9:55) it’s not eternal.

(9:57) And so where did that come from? (9:59) Where did the material come from? (10:01) Out of nothing, as Tom was pointing out in his series of (10:05) lessons, the answers aren’t in the box. (10:08) And you can’t find them. (10:09) They have to go outside the box.

(10:12) And that’s what the Bible says. (10:14) And that’s why he said, Bell said, we have the answers. (10:18) What’s the meaning of life? (10:20) God tells us what that is.

(10:22) How did we get here? (10:23) He tells us where we came from. (10:26) Where did the universe come from? (10:29) He tells us that. (10:31) He tells us about him, that he is from ever.

(10:34) Something has to be forever existent. (10:38) But what is forever existent isn’t material. (10:41) God’s not material.

(10:43) He’s not his creation. (10:45) The creation wasn’t here forever. (10:46) And it doesn’t look like it can be, or it was.

(10:50) So you get some of those ideas. (10:53) So look that stuff over in the outline. (10:58) We got through the first two points, which is (11:02) introduction and philosophy.

(11:05) And postmodernism, point number three, where it says, (11:08) can you live it? (11:09) And he’s going to show the hypocrisy of those who (11:13) actually believe this, that nature is all that

there is. (11:17) And you’ll see that what’s the meaning of life? (11:21) They can’t come up with the meaning of life from nature. (11:24) So they say there is no meaning to life.

(11:28) And you’ll see, can they actually live that? (11:31) Some of their ideas. (11:34) And so we’ll see that the next time, the rest of the video. (11:38) Well, that’s basically it for tonight.

(11:41) Let’s close with a prayer.