here and talk about the correct use of the Word of God. Its correct use. Its correct use. Now, in all experience, we have said, is subject to the Word of God, haven't we? Second Corinthians 5.7, we walk by faith and not by sight. And Hebrews 4.12, God's Word judges our thoughts and intentions. So we all live under two axioms. If we experience yes and God says no, we hold no to be true. We do not hold our experience to be true. If we experience that we are falling in love with a church secretary and God says no, then we don't do it. All the things that we've been doing with the secretary, we do to our wife and we resign our position and flee like Joseph did and go somewhere else. It is a sin. Marital fidelity is very important to God and it doesn't matter what we're feeling. If we experience no and God says yes, we hold yes to be true. If God says as he does in Philippians, let your forebearing spirit be made known to all, the Lord is near. If he says as he does in Revelation 22, behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me. and it doesn't seem like the Lord is near and it doesn't seem like he's coming quickly, we nevertheless believe yes and we reject our feelings of no. Now that's very important. Because when we're teaching the Bible, we may find things in the Bible that contradict what we believe. And then we have to repent of those false beliefs and embrace the true teaching. And you may find yourself saying, well, you know, for a long time I believed this, but in studying of the Word of God, I have come to understand that this is true. And we submit ourselves to that. Now, when we're teaching the Bible, there are five questions that we ask ourselves. The first questions we ask ourselves is, is it a new covenant or an old covenant passage? Now, the Bible does speak clearly of the new covenant. Turn with me, if you would, to Hebrews 8. Now, a new covenant is different than New Testament, and we'll look at that. But in Hebrews 8, verse 6 and 7, but now he has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as he is also a mediator of a better covenant, or a new covenant. and acted on better promises. For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would not have been no occasion for a second covenant. So we are talking here about a new covenant, okay? Okay, we're back in business. We see here from this passage that there are two covenants. Again in verse 13 it says, when he said a new covenant, he has made the first obsolete. So, there is a new covenant, but there also is an old covenant. That is different from the New Testament and Old Testament. The testament divisions are historical. Genesis to Malachi, and then at Malachi, revelation of Holy Scripture ceased for 400 years as Israel waited for the birth of the Messiah. And then the historical progression of the revelation of God, written revelation of God, again began, and we are given the culmination of the ages in the book of Revelation. That's the New and Old Testament. That is a historical timeline. But when we talk about the New and Old Covenant, that is a doctrinal division. We see an example of what the Old Covenant is as taught in those passages in Hebrews 8. In Hebrews 9.15, For this reason, he is mediator of a new covenant, so that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, the old covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of eternal life. And in Hebrews 9, 1, you can see a rundown of the temple. Now, even the first covenant, that would be the old covenant, had regulations of divine worship and earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, the sacred bread, which is also called the holy place. So there you have a picture of the exterior courtyard Behind the second veil, that's the Holy of Holies. which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense, the Ark of the Covenant, covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar, holding the manna, Aaron's rod, which budded, and the tables of the Covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot speak now in detail. So, God the Holy Spirit says, this is about all the information we have, besides the law and what it looked like. Not a lot of detail given, but the information is given. That's the temple system of the old covenant. Now, what did Jesus Christ say in Matthew 5, 17? Let's look at that, shall we? Matthew 5, verse 17. In Matthew 5.17, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said, do not think that I came to abolish the law of the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but fulfill. Now that's a key passage. What aspects of the old covenant do we apply in the church today? Will we apply those aspects we set aside those aspects that Christ has fulfilled and we apply those aspects which remain. You see the old covenant was like a shadow. Turn back to Hebrews with me. Now I know this is heavy stuff that you're having to think about. But this is not story time. This is feeding on the rich meat of the Word of God, which is for the mature. So let's look in Hebrews. about what the Bible says in Hebrews 10 verse 1. For the law, since it is only a shadow of the good things to come. So the old covenant, the law, was like a shadow. Hebrews 9.9 represents it like a symbol, a representation Look at what Hebrews 8, 5 says. It says, "...who serve as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things." So that was the law. It was a symbol. It was a representation. It was a shadow and copy. But, when Christ came, those aspects of the law, which He fulfilled, are done away with. and we walk away from them. Doesn't mean they don't have value, but it does mean that we don't take direct application from them. We can praise God for them, we can explain how Christ fulfilled them, take devotional application of the importance of the blood, the importance of the faithfulness of the priest, but we don't sacrifice animals anymore. Christ fulfilled that, didn't he? Now, some people will say, well, I'm a New Testament Christian. If the New Testament says it, I believe it, that settles it. I'm a New Testament Christian. Okay, let's look at Luke 1. You're a New Testament Christian. Let's look at Luke 1, verses 8 through 10. What does that say? Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of the division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by law to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. and while the whole multitude of people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. So, well, we're New Testament Christians. I guess we need a temple. I guess we need to burn incense. I guess we need priests. We need to cast lots to decide who the priest is who's gonna burn the incense. No, no. All of this has been fulfilled in Christ. Now, if you don't understand this, and you tell somebody you're a New Testament Christian, and he shows you this verse, and he says, why don't you do this? Well, you might say, well, I don't know why I don't do that. But you do know. You can say with confidence, this Hebrews chapter 9 says that this was all fulfilled by Christ. When Christ entered a temple not made by human hands, entering into heaven itself to offer himself as a sacrifice, it fulfilled all this. So that's an example. of the Old Covenant in the New Testament. How about an example of the New Covenant in the Old Testament? Well, you know, the Old Testament, that was for the Jews. I don't believe that. And yet, we all use it for witnessing, don't we? Isaiah 53 6 all we like sheep have gone astray Each of us has turned to his own way But the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all we use that in witnessing That is a new covenant doctrine, but it is found in the Old Testament That's very important for us to realize. Otherwise, we can find ourselves teaching error. Let's look at an example of this. Turn to Psalm 51 with me. Psalm 51. Verse 11, do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Now, if you were to say somebody, you know, the Holy Spirit will never leave me. I'm sealed in the Holy Spirit. And they said, yeah, but I guess you don't believe the Bible. Because David prayed in Psalm 51, do not take your Holy Spirit away from me. Well, how are you going to respond to that? Well, first, why was David concerned? What had he witnessed? He had seen the Holy Spirit depart from Saul, hadn't he? And so, of course, that was a great concern in 1 Samuel 16, 14. The Holy Spirit departed from Saul. David, according to Deuteronomy, had a copy of Scripture with him, and he kept it with him and read it all the time. In Judges 16.20, Samson did not know that the Holy Spirit had left him, did he? So David had read this in Holy Scripture, he had seen it happen firsthand, and he was concerned that it might happen to him. And it was a valid concern. Why is it not a concern for us? In the Old Covenant, where did the Holy Spirit dwell? Where did it dwell? It dwelt in the temple, didn't it? in the tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies. That was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit would anoint people to write scripture, to perform great acts of strength, to bring, to preach, to bring the nation, to fulfill God's will, but they were not born again. The Holy Spirit did not indwell and seal them. It simply rested upon them because its dwelling place was in the temple. But what about us today? What is the new covenant fulfillment of the temple? If you said the church building, well, you're wrong. You cannot show me a verse in the Bible that says the new covenant fulfillment of the temple is the church building. It is the believer. First Corinthians 3, 16. Do you not know that you are God's temple? That God's Spirit dwells in you? And I think that's a good question. Do you not know? Many people don't know. They're still praying that the Holy Spirit would fill their temple, which they believe is the church, like the Shekinah glory did in the days of Moses and in the days of Solomon. But that building is nothing more than the brick and mortar structure in which the church is meeting. It is not the church. First Corinthians 6.19, God the Holy Spirit repeats himself. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don't you know this? Don't you realize this? So, the Holy Spirit dwelled in the temple and anointed people in the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, when we are born again, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. We are not anointed. In Ephesians 1, verse 13 and 14, God, the Holy Spirit, Verse 13 and 14, God the Holy Spirit says, in him you also after listening, so you're also listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. So you're hearing the message of truth. Having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. So, we're not anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sealed. It is our seal. And it is a pledge of our inheritance of eternal life. And it is no wonder that those false teachers who would tell you that you do not have the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation would also tell you that you can lose your salvation. Let's take two verses. First, John 5, 24. John 5, 24. John 5, 24 says, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me, that's an equal sign, has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but passes out of death into life. How are you going to lose your salvation if you're not going to come into judgment? Romans 8.1 says, there's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you write in your Bibles, circle does not commit to judgment, and in the margin, write Romans 8.1. That doesn't mean that we will not stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but it does mean our judgment will be not guilty. There will be no condemnation. Now let's look at Ephesians 1.13. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, so we are here, then what happens? Having also believed, what happens? You are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, aren't you? And that is your guarantee of your inheritance. Our inheritance is eternal life. So that we are sealed, that means that we will have eternal life. What could be clearer? And so you see that those who teach that you do not have the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation also teach that you can lose your salvation, both of which are in contradiction to the teachings of God in Holy Scripture. There may be some listening to this who believe they can lose your salvation, but I bet when you teach on losing your salvation, you never say, don't lose your salvation like I have. You're always standing judgment of other people and say, don't lose your salvation like that guy over there. But I've got news for you. You are not the standard. And the more you sin, the lower the standard becomes because you're not losing your salvation, are you? But our salvation is based on our sins being forgiven. That's why Ephesians 2.8.9 says that we're saved by grace, not by works that no man should boast. And those who teach that you can lose your salvation are also boasting at the same time that they haven't lost their salvation. So you can see that if you don't understand Old Covenant doctrine, you could end up teaching that the Holy Spirit will leave you. So it's very important to understand that. Let's look at another example of Old Covenant doctrine In the New Testament, we're going to do another worksheet here, which I think you will find helpful. I'll be sending you these worksheets. Here's our project. I was flying to Colorado Springs and I was sitting next to a person who was reviewing verse cards in the Hebrew language. I thought they might be Jewish or they might be a seminary student. So I asked them what they were doing. And he said, well, he translated one of the verse cards for me, and it was Isaiah 7, 14. So let's turn to Isaiah 7, 14 and see what it says. Isaiah 7, verse 14. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call his name Emmanuel." And this Jewish individual was praying for the coming of the Messiah. Now, is this verse in the Bible? Yes. Is it God's Word? Yes. Is it inspired by God? Yes. Is it true? Yes. Is it eternal? Yes. Should we pray for the coming of the Messiah? Should we? No. Because of Matthew 5.17, Christ said, I did not come to do away with the law, so we still have Isaiah 7.14, but I have come to fulfill it. Isaiah 7.14 has been fulfilled, hasn't it? It has been fulfilled. So, we have Isaiah, okay, let's think of a timeline here. So, here's a timeline. Here's Isaiah, he's living, right here. And he gives us, in this timeline, Isaiah 7.14. Can Jeremiah pray that verse? Yes. How about Ezekiel? Yes. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and then for 400 years, weren't they? Then all of a sudden, then all of a sudden, in Matthew 1, there in the virgin, there in the manger, let's continue our timeline here, we have the manger, Jesus is born. So do we continue praying that verse? No, now we thank God, we praise God for the fulfillment of that verse, but we don't keep praying it. This poor Jewish person was praying for something that had already been fulfilled. And I took the opportunity to share the gospel with him, but he did not accept it. He said, no, we're still waiting for the Messiah. So can you see you have a prophecy, you have it fulfilled at the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1.18-2.1, and then you stop praying and you start praising, don't you? Well, let's turn to Matthew 3.11 and look at a verse on the Holy Spirit, shall we? Let's take a look at that. Matthew 3.11 Jesus says in Matthew 3.11 That's Malachi 3.11. I thought it did not look familiar. In Matthew 3.11. As for me, I baptize... This is John the Baptist. I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier in the night. I am not fit to remove his single. And he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. So that's a promise, isn't it? You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Was it fulfilled by John the Baptist? No. So his disciples can pray for that, can't they? Yes. The coming of Jesus's ministry and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Well, we move along on this timeline here. This is Roman numeral three. and we see another promise in Matt Luke 11 verse 13 If you then, being evil, know what to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? If someone were to say to me, have you asked for the Holy Spirit? I would say no. This is a promise of something that was going to happen in the future. So how do we know this? Look, we keep going along the timeline and we see another teaching in the Gospel on the Holy Spirit. John 7. So we go to John 7. Verse 39. but he spoke of the spirit whom those believed him were to receive for the spirit was not yet given for jesus was not yet glorified so john the baptist promised the spirit so his disciples begin praying for it jesus promises it and his disciples begin praying for it but he says the god the holy spirit says they're going to pray for it but it's not given yet just like Isaiah prayed for the birth of Jesus and Jeremiah did, but they didn't have a guarantee that it would come in their lifetime, did they? And Jeremiah said, well, Isaiah said in Isaiah 7.14, the virgin cows shall conceive. So it has happened, and he's out there somewhere. No! He's waiting for the fulfillment. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah, Hosea, Michael, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, 400 years of Jews praying over Isaiah 14. After that, 900 years after Isaiah, and now Jesus has come. John the Baptist said, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, if you ask for the Holy Spirit, the Father will give it to you. But the Holy Spirit says in John 39, that it hasn't been given yet. So they keep praying. So let's move forward on the timeline. Praying, praying, praying for the Holy Spirit. Now we're over here in Luke. We've moved along in the timeline and we're at loop 2449. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of my Father upon you, but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power on high. So as in Luke 24, has the Holy Spirit been given? No, they're still supposed to pray, I think. And they're given more specific information. Stay in the city. So they keep praying. Then Acts 1, 3 through 5 comes along. All things came into being. So we go over to Acts. We're still in this timeline. Zipping along. And then Acts 3. To these he also presented himself alive after his suffering. So this is after the resurrection. many convincing proofs appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which he said you heard from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So, There just, has it been fulfilled yet? Nope, here we have it. John the Baptist, Jesus' ministry, they're still praying on Jesus' death, birth, and resurrection. They're still praying Jesus' earthly ministry after his resurrection. They are still praying. Now Jesus is ascending. They are still praying, aren't they? Acts 1.8, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Ah, so it hasn't come yet. So, they are still praying. Then we find in verse 12, Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered the city, they went up into the upper room where they were staying. That is, Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, the son of James. These were all with one man, were continuing devoting themselves to prayer. So they're obeying Jesus and they're still praying, aren't they? So John the Baptist says Jesus will come and give the Holy Spirit. So they begin praying. Jesus says, you will receive the Holy Spirit if you pray. So they are praying. God the Holy Spirit says in John 7, 39, keep praying, it's not given yet. So they're still praying. Jesus resurrects? Nope, hasn't come yet. Still praying. Right before he descends, stay right where you are, keep praying, it hasn't come yet. Now, what happens then in Acts 2? When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And what happens in verse four? They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. So now the Holy Spirit is given, isn't it? Do you pray that Jesus will be born? That's God the Son. No, you don't. It's been fulfilled. Well, you don't pray Luke 11, 13 because it was fulfilled at Acts 2. What is the promise of the Holy Spirit for the church age for you? It's Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. In him, you also, after listening to the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed with him in the Holy Spirit. Now, you'll say, yes, John, but in the book of Acts, and then you'll share with me some verses, and I'll say yes. There were many manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, as God gave evidence that the Holy Spirit was given. Just like in the time of Christ, there were many miracles done by Christ, giving evidence that He was the Son of God. But that doesn't mean we can do those things. That doesn't mean, because these were historical events, they were not taught as universal events. The doctrine, the universal event, is the giving of the Holy Spirit. Now, you can see here, that if you don't understand this, if you don't understand that Luke 11.13 was fulfilled because John 7 39 is clear they were to pray because the Holy Spirit was not yet given and then you can you will receive that chart if you send me an email and you can do it for yourself and then it was fulfilled in Acts 2 you can see the danger of confusing the old covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit and the new. The new covenant was ushered in and we entered into the church age with the giving of the Holy Spirit. And so it's very important when we're reading the Holy Scriptures to ask ourselves, is this an old covenant passage which has been fulfilled, such as our relationship to the Holy Spirit, Or is it a new covenant passage which is universal for all? Which is it? The second question we ask ourselves is, is this a doctrinal revelation? That's when the Bible is teaching us, like from a pulpit. Or is it historical revelation? That's when something is happening in scripture. And I would say it's like watching it on the movie or the TV. You say, well, you know, if God did it, I can do it too. Well, let's take a, Let's take a historically repetitive event. Parting of water. Did Moses part the Red Sea? Yes. Did Joshua part the Jordan? Yes. Did Elisha part the Jordan? Yes. Did Elisha part the Jordan? Yes. Did Jesus walk on water? Yes. Did Peter walk on water? Yes. So can you say that there is a blue thread running through scripture that men of faith have power over water? No, you can't say that. All you can say is that God did those things. You do not have power over water. And I'll say that, and usually it's in the student ministry, and somebody will say, oh, yes, I can. Yeah, yeah. I'll say, great. I'll bring a bucket. You don't have to part this water in this bucket or stand on the water. Well, I can't do that. So you can't do it. Oh, yes, I can do it. OK, do it. Well, I can't do it. Well, no, I do it right now. I'm not trying to embarrass you. You're saying I'm wrong? Do it. I say this is a historical event that God has not promised for all believers. He's just showing his power over nature. You are saying no, that walking on water, power by faith, anyone can do it. So do it. Well, I can't do it. Then you agree with me. No, I don't. Well, you see that nonsensical cyclical discussion we're having? he's afraid to admit that he can't do it because then maybe he'll lose his miracle. Is that the God we serve? No. We accept that there are many historical events that happen in scripture whereby God is revealing his power through his patriarchs, through the judges, through the kings, through the prophets, through the apostles. But that doesn't mean we can do those things. Doctrine teaches us what we can do. Doctrine teaches us what applies to us. That is the direct teaching of Holy Scripture towards us. And that is why these people don't talk about cold doctrine and cold theology, because they are being limited by God to being servants of Jesus and not being little gods themselves. So we have to remember that. When it occurs in the Holy Scripture, if it is a historical event, it is true, it is eternal. It did happen. But we are not confident that we ourselves are able to do this unless we have a doctoral passage that substantiates it for ourself. Miracles do happen, but we take devotional application from historical events in the Bible and we take direct application from doctrine. And people say, oh, no, no, I'm a miracle worker. I say, great. How about the miracle of Acts 1A? You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. That's the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, that people who are filled with the Holy Spirit share Christ with other people. Is it a spirit-filled church? It's one that is typified by sharing Christ. Is it a spirit-filled man? It's one that's typified by sharing Christ. Are you walking in the Spirit? Then you are sharing Christ. Are you being led by the Spirit? Then you are sharing Christ. But know what we want are miracles, don't we? Those are historical events. You may never do a miracle. In fact, the Bible says that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet who ever lived. Greater than Elijah, greater than Daniel, greater than Moses, greater than any prophet. Yet he never did a single miracle. But he did preach Jesus. And that is what God is calling us to do. Proclaim Christ, bring men to repentance, disciple them, and then set them loose to make disciples. That's the doctrine. But Satan wants you chasing around for other people's experiences, both in the scripture and out of it, rather than mastering the doctrinal passages of scripture and living in obedience of faith. Romans 1-5. So we have to remember in the Holy Scripture that words have meaning. Without introduction, without explanation, God revealed himself through words, through the written word. That means all of our interpretation of Holy Scripture is subject to the definition of the words. We cannot just say, that's not what that verse means to me. That's not my interpretation of that verse. When Joshua 1.8 says, This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate upon it day and night, that you might be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. And my application for that is every day to read the word of the Lord, and to meditate on what I've read throughout the day, seeking to obey it, you can't say, well, you know, that's not what that verse means to me. All that verse means to me is as I go through my day, see if God will speak to me. Well, no. The book of the law has a definition. Meditate as a definition. Not let it depart out of your mouth as a definition. Meditate, day and night. These words have definition. It's kind of like if you received an email from Bami and it said, you know, it's a beautiful day outside. It's predicted to be very pleasant on Sunday. So we're going to go ahead Sunday afternoon and have the ministry picnic. And so you send out an email to everybody in the ministry canceling the picnic. And Bobby said, well, why did you do that? I said it was going to be a beautiful day. It's going to be mild and sunny. And we'll have the picnic. You can't say, well, that's not what that means to me. To me, it means it's going to be cold and rainy. And we're not having the picnic. Are you free to do that? No. That's nonsensical. And you are not free simply to make a verse mean what it doesn't mean because you don't like what it says. John 5.24 says, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him that sent me has eternal life. Now you are not free to say, well, You can lose your salvation. That's not what that verse means to me. Well, to me, that verse means that if we believe in Christ and live faithfully in Christ till when we die, we'll go to heaven. Well, no, that's not what that verse says. That verse says, truly, truly, Jesus is saying, this is the truth. This is the truth. First, you have to hear the word of God. And then you have to believe. And those who hear the word of God, who believe, who receive Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have something. They have eternal life. The word eternal has a definition. It means forever. You do not come into judgment. Not as a definition. It means it will not occur. Judgment as a definition. That is the verdict of guilty upon the unbeliever. And that will not happen to the unbeliever. you will pass out of death into life. Death has a meaning, spiritual death, but now you are alive in Christ for eternity. You are not free simply to ignore the definitions of the words in John 5.25 and reinterpret them according to your preconceived notion of what God should or should not do. No. We submit to God. We submit to His decisions. And one of the early disciplines of teaching the Bible is that you find the key words in the passage you are going to teach, and you find the definition of those words. And your teaching of that passage and your interpretation of that passage does not exceed the definition of the words. We also remember that in the Holy Scripture there are revealed and hidden things. Deuteronomy 29.29 says, the secret of things belong to the Lord, the things revealed belong to man and all his generations. There are secret things that God is not going to tell us. And the Bible doesn't say, is the single hardest statement of the teacher. The Bible doesn't say. Because we always want to fill in the blanks, don't we? How many wise men were there? The Bible doesn't say. You say there are three. Ah. Who revealed that to you? It's not in the Bible. Somebody can find the three wise men, give me their names, or the numeral three next to the word wise men, I'll buy you a milkshake and a pizza. Jesus said that it is easier to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. What's the eye of the needle? Well, the Bible doesn't say. Some people say, oh yeah, the Bible says that. There was this gate, it was on the east gate, it's called the eye of the needle. and that the camels that came through that gate, they had to be unloaded, got down on their knees, came through to the other side, then they were loaded back up. And Jesus was saying, just like rich people have to unload their camels and get the camels on their knees, so rich people have to be willing to surrender everything to Christ on their knees, and many times God will give it back. Well, the Bible doesn't say that. That's not in the Bible. There's no eye of the needle. And in the study of the geography and the history of the temple, there's no eye of the needle gate. It's just made up because Bible teachers could not bring themselves to say, the Bible doesn't say. Well, a priest would go into the Holy of Holies and we know that when the Ark of the Covenant was being transported, a man steadied the Ark and got struck in death. Well, what happens if a priest desecrates the Holy of Holies and drops dead? Nobody can go in there. Pretty soon the Holy of Holies will be filled up with dead bodies. What they did was that they tied a rope around the priest, and he had dangles on his vestments, and they put bells on there, and as long as they could hear the bells ringing, they knew everything was alright, and if the bells stopped ringing, they would pull him out. Well, no, the Bible doesn't say that. That's just made up. The question was, well, what happens if something goes wrong in the Holy of Holies? And the answer is, the Bible doesn't say. We don't just make up things. We accept that there are limitations to the revelation of God. Pentecostal and charismatic false prophets. They say they have the answer to that. They know the secrets. But they don't know the secrets. The secret things belong to God. The things revealed belong to man and all his generation. There are also higher things in Isaiah 55, 8 and 9. God says his thoughts aren't our thoughts. His ways aren't our ways. Prophecy in 2 Peter 1, 19 through 21. We cannot understand prophetic scripture unless God reveals it to us. Let me give you an example of that. Turn with me to Jeremiah 31, 15. We're just about to stop here. Look at Jeremiah 31, verse 15. Now, you are a disciple of Jeremiah. You don't have any of the Bible beyond the book of Jeremiah. That's it. You read in Jeremiah 31, 15, Thus says the Lord, a voice is heard in Ramah, a lamentation and bitter grieving, Rachel is weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children because they are no more. What does that mean? What does that mean? It's a prophecy. What does it mean? Well, turn to Matthew 2, verse 18. In Matthew 2, 18, We'll start with 16. Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became enraged, and he sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted because they are no more. Now, if you lived in the time of Jeremiah and you read verse 15, which you say, oh yeah, that's really clear. The virgin in Isaiah is going to be born, and their magi are going to come, and the king wants to kill them, so God is going to tell Joseph in a dream to escape into Egypt, and Herod is going to get mad and go up and kill all the babies. Could you get that from this verse? Could you? No, you certainly could not. because you don't have the mind of God. If you had the mind of God, you could. That's not a contrived verse. That is a fulfilled prophecy. But that is why people continually, over the years, embarrass themselves by speaking with confidence on what the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation mean when God, the Holy Spirit, has not revealed the meaning. So if something is higher, you simply say, the Bible doesn't say. That is the single hardest thing for Bible teachers to learn. When I was teaching my seminary class in St. Petersburg, I would tell the students on the very first day, this is the hardest thing you as a pastor will have to learn. The Bible doesn't say. The Bible says plenty of things. Let's go with that. Don't go with all of the superstitious, secret, higher, so-called revelations and explanations that continue to embarrass the church when they don't happen. Just say the Bible doesn't say, and get on with it. Adam, closing illustration. Adam could have spent his whole life exploring the earth, couldn't they? He could have spent an entire lifetime just digging tunnels and discovering all the minerals, couldn't he? He could have spent another time just discovering all of the stars, couldn't he? He could have spent another lifetime in macro biology, just studying all of the plant species and insects and all the things. Then he could have spent another time in micro biology, all cell structures, and he could have spent a lifetime studying hydrology of the rivers and the oceans and the currents, couldn't he? He could have spent another lifetime studying the weather. and all of the weather patterns and all of the intricacies of the rains and everything. He had a thousand lifetimes before him, didn't he? But where did you find him? At the one thing God told him not to do, the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, didn't he? Well, we have the Holy Scripture. You could spend a whole lifetime just trying to memorize and review it, and another lifetime reading it and mastering the cross-references, and another lifetime studying and mastering the original languages, and another lifetime doing a systematic Bible study on each chapter, and another lifetime doing a systematic verse-by-verse study and another lifetime doing a systematic word study of all the words in the Bible, and doing another lifetime putting together a theology, and another lifetime compiling all of the doctrines, and another lifetime putting together all of the historical events in the Bible. And you would have just begun, but where do you find yourself? The Holy Spirit crusade with some guy talking to demons when he's forbidden to talk to demons. Wanting to know things that are not in the Bible. Listening to prophecies that are not in the Bible. Believing teachings that are not in the Bible. You see, it is possible to know that which is forbidden. Can you know pornography? Can you know pornography? Is it possible? Yes. Is it forbidden? Yes. Can you no gossip? Yes. Is it forbidden? Yes. Can you hack into people's computers and learn their PIN numbers and steal their money? Yes. That knowledge is possible. Is it forbidden? Yes. Turn with me to First Timothy. Turn with me. to 1st Timothy chapter 4. The Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. Did Jesus talk to demons? Yes. Are we as ministers of the gospel allowed to talk to demons? No, it's forbidden. Are we as ministers of the gospel allowed to learn their teachings and pass them on? No, it's forbidden. Is it possible? Yes, it is forbidden. but the next Holy Spirit deliverance crusade false prophet that comes along and has these poor demon possessed people up there and he makes a spectacle of them as they writhe and shout and rather than casting the demon out he talks to the demon and the demon talks and he gains knowledge from the demon and then he casts out the demon and then he writes books passing on the information about demons that are not in scripture and tells you all of the hierarchy of demons and all about these demons when it's forbidden and you go there and lap it up enjoying and rejoicing over forbidden knowledge. It would be the same as if someone said, remember when I gave the talk on marriage, on sexual intimacy? But what if I had then said, now this is an example of it, and shown a pornographic movie? That is forbidden, isn't it? I covered what was in Proverbs and Song of Solomon. But that is forbidden. You would have walked away, you would have rebuked me, shut the book, turned it off, whatever it is. Someone's teaching on how gossip is a sin, but then, as example, they begin sharing gossip and slander about people in the church. You walk away, you shut it, you turn it off, you throw it away. It's forbidden. But people begin talking about demons and they talk about the demon of greed. There's no demon of greed in the Bible. They have to have talked to a demon and then passed along the teaching of demons. And in 1 Timothy chapter 4, that's forbidden. And in verse 1 and in verse 2, it says, the people who do those things have had their conscience seared as with Adar. Now that's what the Bible says, but are you still going to do it? Are you going to go to those meetings? Are you going to read those books? Well, that is our talk on the authority, finality, and sufficiency of God's written word. And I hope, as we went through this, you can see how this conviction can keep you from a wrong perspective and end up doing and teaching things which are forbidden. May God add His blessing on His Holy Word. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.