Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. This is Dale Jackson welcoming you to the Lamp and Light Broadcast, coming to you from the studios of Central Baptist Church in beautiful Ocala, Florida. Lamp and Light is a ministry. It takes a book of the Bible, verse by verse, teaching it as it is to men as they are, without compromise or apology. Seeking the truth and love is our purpose, and to give the lamp and light to all. Now here is our teacher and pastor, Dr. Andy Bloom. Last week in our question and answer series, I was talking about God's agape love for us. Let's start the week at that point today. when you go to John chapter 10 verse 17 he says therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life and I might take it again remember he'll later go on to say no man take from me I lay it down okay so this is now revealing the highest form of love that God had this is his benevolent love that gives for the complete need of those he loves In 1 John 2 verse 2 it says, He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. My friend, that is a benevolent love, in that it meets the need of the object love that the object could not obtain on their own. That's God's agape love for us. So, in this passage, we see Jesus speaking of other sheep, I have, which are not of this fold. He is there speaking of Jews as the fold and other sheep as Gentile. This design is from the foundations of the world, is being fulfilled in Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. It is interesting that Jesus said in the last half of verse 17, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. I lay down my life speaks of his humanity. That I might take it again speaks of his deity. Now verse 18 helps us to understand that much better. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down to myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. This is a declaration that Jesus, who is God come to flesh, will raise himself up from the dead. He made a similar declaration in John 2, when he said to destroy this temple and I will rise it up again in three days. Understanding that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. You see, he will be the only human who could pay the penalty for sin because only he is impeccable. Only he lived an impeccable life. A spotless lamb of God. No sin at all. So the father is now using agape, the highest form of benevolent love of His Son for us. It's the same the Father has for us in devising the plan for the foundation of the world within the Trinity. Therefore, in His humanity, Jesus is not only liked by His Father, He is benevolently loved by Him. Therefore, in his humanity, Jesus will inherit all things. And, Romans 8, 17, 18, we can be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. When you look at the Pharisees in Luke 14, 23, We see that agape to describe their love is accurate in that it says, woe to you Pharisees, for you love the uppermost seats in synagogues and greetings in the market. The agape love they had was for fame and the highest seats to be recognized as important among men. Their love is for their self and their promotion. They, more than they like themselves, they have an agape benevolent love for self to give themselves everything that builds their ego as they live in a world in which they want to be emperors over groups of people in order to form their own little empire. They love the seats and the greetings for what it does for them. But there is something for others. And that is why Matthew 23, 6 shows that they also love Phileo, the uppermost runes of peace, and the chief seat in the synagogues. Oh, they like those things. Now, my dear brother, thank you for this question. It has helped many of us to go back and empty ourselves of so much of ourself and be full of His Spirit that we may love others, that we may love the work of God within a gopila. So thank you for that question. And by the way, thank you for listening. That encourages and blesses my heart. And hopefully, it is something that will be an encouragement and a blessing to the hearts of many others who listen to this program. So again, I want to thank you today for listening to this program and for sending that question. Well, let's go on to another question here today. And we're going to, again, just keep on keeping on with these questions. I love these things that are coming in to us. This one says, a gentleman asked me about our stand on fundamental music as opposed to his contemporary music. He wanted to know my biblical reason for saying melody, then harmony, and finally beat. Can you give me some help with this? Okay, well, I guess from what I can deduct from this is that this man listened to our broadcast on that, one of the programs of music, between Christian music and I call it ungodly or worldly religious music. They say contemporary Christian music. I call it religious rock music, what I call it. But nonetheless, somehow they got discussion. One guy is contemporary and the other guy evidently being a fundamentalist. There's no radio broadcast. They got discussion about that. So they wanted to ask me about why I said about melody must be first, then harmony, and then finally beat. Now, when we sing Amazing Grace, and you know how that goes as it was written, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Now, I'm not going to sing that for you because it might destroy your radio, but what I'm just saying is this, that we know that tune. When we hear it, we can just hear the music, we know that that music is to Amazing Grace. And yet Amazing Grace has beat. No matter how it was written, it has beat because all music. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, God bless you, happy birthday to you. That happy birthday to you has beat. All music has beat. Problem is, when the beat becomes dominant instead of the melody then that is something that the devil has used for many years so I think there ought to be a Bible reason for that and there is Psalm 68 25 says this the singers went before the players on instruments followed after among them were the damsels playing with timbrel now singers are the melody Players are on the instruments. They are the harmony. Think, for example, a piano or orchestra. And they're playing amazing great. All four parts of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass are heard. Yet the melody is very, very distinct. So that is where you have the distinctive melody and then the harmony with all the various soprano, alto, bass and so forth being in there. The tabret, the timbrels are somewhat as the tambourine and they represent B. Again, all music, even as Amazing Grace has B. even in its original score. Isaiah 23, verse 16, he says, take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that has been forgotten, make sweet melody, sing many song that thou mayest be remembered. Melody is best to help remember the word, hence for remembering. Isaiah 51 3 for come for the Lord shall comfort Zion he will comfort all her waste place and will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord and joy and gladness shall shall be found therein Thanksgiving and the Voice of Melody. Now, each show of melody, and that is the stress of it, as to communicate a message. And that's what the melody does, it communicates a message clearly. In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 19 we read, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Well, the Word of God, by this verse, should be the basis for our music and singing unto the Lord, and it should be in melody. So we see the importance to God of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and they are all messages from God's Word in verbatim, quote, or doctrinal teaching, there to be in the heart. For of the abundance of the heart what hath the mouth speak? Since an imperative command is seen for Christians in 1 Peter 1, verses 15 and 16, but as he which is called you is holy, so be ye holy in all matter of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. That's an imperative command, by the way, which means do this, don't stop doing it, and you'll be called to account about it when you get to heaven. Biblical singing will appeal to our spirit instead of driving the flesh. Music that drives the flesh, makes it want to dance, make it want to shake and make it want to tap its foot instead of something that works in the heart. That is the difference. A high school example is Galatians 5, 16 and 17. This I say then, walking the spirit, you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, for the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, so that they cannot do the things that ye would. This is your radio pastor, Pastor Andy Bloom saying, may the word of God be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway today. We want to thank you for listening to the Lamp and Light broadcast. If you would like a CD copy of today's message by Dr. Bloom, send us your name and mailing address and include the radio station by which you are listening and the date of the broadcast. We would appreciate a gift of $5 to Lamp and Light Broadcast, 1714 SE 36th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471. You may also visit us by our website and freely download the sermons by clicking on the sermon library. That site is www.centralbaptistocalla.org Again, the address of Lamp and Light Broadcast is 1714 SE 36th Ave OCALA FL 34471 and our website is www.centralbaptistocalla.org. This is your announcer Dale Jackson saying, may God's peace be with all who are in Christ Jesus. Stats! Berkeley Stats!