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00:00 There is no greater way to get to know God,
00:05 his character, his nature, his goodness,
00:10 and the life that he has for you
00:14 than reading his living word.
00:18 And yet, most people don't do it, right?
00:24 People around the world, and with good reason,
00:29 they would say, "Well, I don't really believe it,"
00:31 in their own mind, and so, because they don't believe it,
00:34 they don't do it, or some Christians might say,
00:38 "Well, I tried to read the Bible, and it was boring to me,"
00:42 or, "It didn't really apply to my life."
00:45 And so, people have access to God's word,
00:49 and yet, either don't take time to do it,
00:51 or when they try, they don't really understand it.
00:54 I would argue that, especially for Christians,
00:56 that the biggest reason that so many Christians
01:00 don't faithfully study the Bible,
01:03 besides the devil trying to talk them out of it,
01:06 is that they don't know how to do it.
01:09 Where do you start if you're gonna study the Bible,
01:12 and how do you study the Bible?
01:14 So, what a lot of people do, I found,
01:16 just in my experience, is they typically do
01:18 one of two different things.
01:20 They'll do what I did as a kid, and I thought,
01:22 "Okay, I need to read the Bible,"
01:24 and so they start at the very beginning.
01:27 They start in Genesis, and it's relatively interesting
01:30 and exciting, and they read Exodus,
01:32 and it's pretty interesting and kind of exciting.
01:35 Then they get to the book of Leviticus,
01:38 and they die in the book of Leviticus.
01:41 They put it down in the book of Leviticus,
01:43 and if you're not laughing right now,
01:45 it's because you've never read the book of Leviticus.
01:50 And so, a lot of people will try like that,
01:52 and they kind of get into it, and they don't get very far,
01:55 and so they stop.
01:56 Or, there's kind of a second thing that a lot of people do.
02:00 I call it the lucky dip method.
02:04 The lucky dip method is when they say,
02:06 "I'm just gonna open up the Bible,
02:08 "and I'm just gonna point my finger to a verse,
02:11 "and whatever that verse says, I will do what it says."
02:14 I'm gonna do it right now, just so you know.
02:15 The lucky dip method, whatever this verse says,
02:18 I will do it.
02:20 Ezekiel 4:12,
02:23 "And you shall eat it as a barley cake,
02:29 "baking it in their sight on human dung."
02:33 (audience laughing)
02:36 That is in the Bible, and I actually pre-planned that.
02:41 I actually put it there, but that is a real verse,
02:44 and that's typically what happens
02:46 as people just put their finger in there.
02:48 They just kind of end up in a weird place.
02:50 That is a method, but it's not the best method.
02:53 So, I have a very, very, very strong goal,
02:58 and what I wanna do over the next couple of weeks
03:00 is I want to sincerely and very practically
03:03 help you learn how to study the Bible.
03:07 And when I tell you that this could be
03:09 two of the most important weeks in your journey with God,
03:12 that is not an overstatement at all.
03:17 What I'm gonna ask you to do,
03:18 and I know this could be a big ask for a lot of you,
03:19 is to not just be at church this weekend,
03:22 but we're gonna go for two weeks in a row.
03:25 Crazy, I know, like, (imitates explosion)
03:27 but two weeks in a row.
03:31 And if you can't do it because the weather's too nice
03:34 next weekend or the weather's too bad
03:36 or the game's too good,
03:38 could you at least pick it up online,
03:43 take it seriously,
03:45 because if you learn to study the Word of God,
03:48 it can be one of the most important things you ever do
03:50 in your journey with God.
03:53 Here's what we're gonna do.
03:54 We're gonna talk about how do we study it,
03:55 and we're actually going to study it.
03:57 We're gonna talk about how to do it,
03:58 and we're gonna apply it.
03:59 We're gonna study a short book in the New Testament.
04:03 We're gonna study the book of Philemonion
04:06 in the New Testament,
04:07 which is not really Philemonion, it's really Philemon,
04:10 and we're gonna learn how to pronounce
04:12 the books of the Bible.
04:13 For example, the book of Job in the Old Testament
04:17 is actually the book of Job,
04:19 but I called it the book of Job
04:20 when I was 20 years old in a Bible study,
04:23 and that was embarrassing.
04:24 We're gonna learn how to pronounce it,
04:26 but I'm very, very excited to teach you the Word of God.
04:29 And the reason is because the Word of God is living.
04:34 That's what it says about itself.
04:36 It's living, it's active, it's powerful,
04:41 it's sharper than a double-edged sword.
04:44 The Word of God will speak to you, it will guide you,
04:48 it will protect you, it will empower you,
04:52 it will guard you against temptation,
04:56 it will renew your mind, it will build your faith,
05:00 it will show you every heavenly richness
05:03 that you have in Christ Jesus.
05:06 It is truth, and it is the truth that will set you free.
05:11 Today, we talk about how to study the Bible,
05:16 and we're gonna get really, really practical.
05:18 Let me give you five thoughts we're gonna look at today,
05:20 and then we're actually gonna apply it
05:21 in the book of Philemon.
05:22 The first thing you wanna do, number one,
05:24 is you wanna choose a translation that you understand.
05:29 The second thing you're gonna wanna do
05:30 is you're gonna wanna choose a time, a place,
05:35 and a plan to study the Bible.
05:38 The third thing that we're gonna talk about today
05:40 is we're gonna seek to understand the context.
05:44 We're not just gonna read a verse out of context,
05:47 but we're gonna understand the context as we do.
05:49 The fourth thing is we're gonna read slowly,
05:52 and we're actually gonna ask questions of the text
05:55 and to God as we read.
05:57 And then number five, we're gonna pray for God
06:00 to speak to you, and we're gonna apply what he shows you.
06:04 We're gonna do these five things,
06:06 choose a translation, a time, a place,
06:09 understand the context, read slowly and ask questions,
06:11 and ask God to speak to us and apply what he shows us.
06:15 So we're gonna do that in the book of Philemon,
06:17 and we're gonna start in verses seven and eight.
06:20 What I'd love for you to do is wherever you are,
06:23 those online too, it's no fun without you,
06:25 everybody, let's read these two verses aloud together.
06:29 Are you ready?
06:30 If you're ready, say, "I'm ready."
06:32 Online, type it in the comment section, "I'm ready."
06:34 Type it in, "I'm ready."
06:35 Are you ready?
06:36 Let's do it, read it aloud.
06:38 For we have such great joy and consolation in thy love,
06:43 because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee,
06:48 brother, wherefore thou, though I might be much bold
06:53 in Christ, to enjoin thee that which is convenient.
06:57 Wow, that was awkward.
07:02 That didn't make any sense at all.
07:05 Why did that not make any sense?
07:08 Thought number one, choose a translation you understand.
07:13 That was the King James translation.
07:18 Some of you may say, "Now, why in the world
07:20 "are there different translations
07:22 "and what is a translation?"
07:23 Let's try to understand this.
07:25 The Bible is actually a book
07:28 written in three original languages.
07:30 It's written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
07:34 And so there are Bible scholars
07:37 who translate a word in Hebrew
07:39 and the word could mean this or it kind of means this.
07:43 And so they'll choose the best and most accurate words.
07:48 How many of you noticed that language changes over time?
07:52 When do you think the King James translation was translated?
07:55 Anybody know the answer?
07:56 The year is 1611, 1611.
07:58 Do you think the English language has changed any
08:02 since the year 1611?
08:04 I don't know about you,
08:05 but I think it's changed since this morning.
08:08 Like I got Gen Zers in my home
08:10 and I just found out somebody told me I had Riz.
08:13 I didn't know if that was dandruff.
08:15 I had no idea.
08:16 That's charisma.
08:17 I got Riz.
08:18 In case you know, I got Riz.
08:21 So language changes over time.
08:24 If you go back to 1611 and you look at this text,
08:28 it says, "Because the bowels of the saints
08:31 "are refreshed by thee."
08:32 Back at that time, people thought that humans
08:35 felt emotions in their bowels.
08:38 Today, people would say,
08:39 "Well, you probably feel emotions in your heart."
08:43 So a modern translation would take the original word
08:46 and would translate it into a language today
08:50 based on the original intent.
08:52 Now, there were over 3,000 different translations
08:57 on the YouVirginBible app alone.
08:59 How in the world do you choose one?
09:01 And the answer is, I'll give you some advice.
09:05 I'll tell you what I like.
09:06 And my advice is just my opinion.
09:09 There are a lot of different opinions.
09:10 People would disagree with me.
09:12 You're gonna read some stuff that says,
09:13 "These are bad, these are bad," whatever.
09:15 I'm gonna give you my opinion based on a lot of study.
09:18 I'll recommend four to you.
09:19 I'm gonna recommend to you the NIV, the NLT,
09:22 the New King James, and the ESV, English Standard Version.
09:27 NIV and NLT would be on the side
09:30 of more current language,
09:33 accurate, but more like people speak today.
09:37 New King James and ESV and also the NASV
09:40 are more on the very accurate, accurate, accurate side
09:44 without being as current in the language.
09:46 So I personally study NIV, NLT,
09:49 and then I'll look at other ones to see along the way.
09:52 In my opinion, those are all very, very strong translations.
09:57 My top two I like to read are NIV and NLT.
10:01 You can choose your own as you go.
10:03 But we're gonna start with choosing a translation
10:05 that we understand.
10:07 The second thing we're gonna do
10:08 is we're gonna choose a time, a place,
10:11 and a plan to study the Bible.
10:14 Here's what I really recommend,
10:16 that you have a consistent time and place.
10:20 Doesn't really matter when or where,
10:23 but I would recommend that it's consistent.
10:25 If you don't have a consistent time and a place,
10:28 you're not likely to do it.
10:30 If you ask my opinion,
10:31 I would recommend when possible to do the morning.
10:35 And the reason I like the morning
10:36 is because you're starting your day with God's Word
10:40 that will align your heart, renew your mind,
10:43 and direct your steps.
10:45 That may not be possible with your schedule,
10:46 but when it is, that would be my recommendation.
10:50 Then I'd recommend you have a place.
10:51 It might be your favorite chair.
10:53 It might be your kitchen table
10:55 with your Hebrews coffee mug.
10:59 Little New Testament joke there
11:01 for those of you that are Bible scholars in the New Testament.
11:03 You might look at what you prefer as far as the method.
11:07 For example, some people prefer a paper Bible
11:10 so you can write in it and you can feel it
11:12 and turn the pages.
11:13 Other people might just have time on a commute.
11:16 They prefer to listen,
11:18 or reading might not be as easy for them.
11:20 You might prefer digital
11:21 because you have the Bible with you
11:23 everywhere you have your phone.
11:26 You might go through a book of the Bible.
11:28 We're studying through maybe 1 Corinthians.
11:31 Or you might have a devotional,
11:33 a little book that you read.
11:34 You might have a YouVersion Bible plan,
11:37 over 32,000 of those available to you
11:41 to go through something that could be helpful to you.
11:43 So what we're gonna do
11:44 is we're going to pick a translation that we understand.
11:48 We're gonna choose a time, a place, and a plan.
11:50 The third thing we're gonna do
11:52 is we're gonna understand the context of what we read.
11:56 And what I wanna do is I wanna try to show you
11:58 why this is so important.
12:01 It's more important than I can describe to you.
12:04 I'll illustrate it this way.
12:06 What would you think if I told you
12:10 that someone took a photo of me
12:15 with another woman who is not my wife
12:20 out of town all alone at a restaurant?
12:24 That would probably raise concern.
12:29 And that really happened.
12:31 It's really true.
12:33 But context matters more than you can imagine.
12:37 Because I was caught having dinner
12:40 alone with another woman out of town,
12:42 all alone at a restaurant,
12:44 and this woman was my daughter, Mandy.
12:46 (audience laughing)
12:49 I was so happy about this time
12:52 at a ministry event in Denver with her,
12:55 and she was so happy about sushi,
12:58 I took this picture to remember it.
13:00 We were all alone on a snowy night,
13:03 only one other couple in the restaurant,
13:05 who unbeknownst to me took a photo of me
13:08 and sent it to a volunteer saying this.
13:12 Does this look like Craig?
13:15 It is Craig.
13:16 And the next one says this.
13:18 And he's with another chick.
13:20 (audience laughing)
13:23 Amazingly, the volunteer happened to say,
13:26 funny, yes, it's his daughter, where are you?
13:29 And then they said introduce themselves.
13:30 Of all the odds, as they were accusing me
13:33 of being with another chick,
13:34 they happened to send it to a volunteer who knew Mandy,
13:38 texted it to Mandy at the table while I was sitting there
13:42 and turned and looked over at that other couple.
13:46 (audience laughing)
13:49 Context matters more than you can imagine.
13:56 There's a really sad day when I realized
13:58 that I cannot eat with one of my daughters
14:00 without getting accused,
14:02 or I have to hold up a sign that says this is my daughter,
14:04 or I have to say, forget you,
14:06 I don't care, I'm eating with my daughter.
14:08 Context matters more than you can imagine.
14:11 So let's talk about the broad picture
14:13 of context for the Bible.
14:15 Let's start here.
14:16 The Bible, we need to understand, is a library.
14:19 It's not just a single book.
14:21 In fact, I'll explain it this way.
14:23 The Bible is a collection of 66 different books.
14:28 It's written in three languages across three continents
14:34 over a 1,500 year period by 40 different authors,
14:39 including shepherds and farmers and tip makers
14:43 and doctors and fishermen and priests and philosophers
14:46 and kings and on and on.
14:48 What is it?
14:49 It's actually a collection of poems, prophecies,
14:53 letters, laws, histories, and biographies
14:57 written by people and inspired by God
15:02 telling one unified story that shows us our need for Jesus
15:07 and teaches us to become like Him.
15:12 So we understand what the Bible is,
15:14 then we wanna understand the context of what we're reading,
15:17 and we're gonna ask essentially
15:19 three simple questions every time.
15:22 We wanna know who wrote it,
15:24 we wanna know to whom was it written,
15:27 and we wanna know what is its purpose.
15:30 Who wrote it?
15:31 To whom was it written?
15:32 And what is the main story of the book of the Bible
15:35 that we're reading?
15:36 And so we'll start with Philemon,
15:38 and we'll try to get the context as we're reading Philemon,
15:41 and we'll start in verses one and two
15:44 and see if you can pick up the context as we go here.
15:46 What do we see?
15:47 We see Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
15:52 and Timothy, our brother.
15:54 To, who is he writing to?
15:55 He's writing to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker
16:00 and the church that meets in your home.
16:05 If you wanna learn a little more context,
16:08 you might get some extra resources.
16:10 There is a QR code that's gonna come up
16:12 on the screen in a moment.
16:14 You can go ahead and capture this now.
16:16 If you don't capture it now,
16:18 your campus pastor will give it to you
16:19 at the end of the message,
16:21 and those of you online,
16:22 it will come up again at the end of the message for you.
16:25 On the other side of this QR code,
16:29 we have several resources and a very detailed study
16:33 to help you learn how to study the Bible.
16:36 For example, you'll see on there the YouVersion Bible app
16:39 created by our church.
16:41 If you wanna learn the context of the Book of Philemon,
16:43 there's actually 11 studies on the Book of Philemon
16:47 in the YouVersion Bible app.
16:49 You may get what I have here, and this is a study Bible.
16:52 For example, this is Philemon,
16:54 and if you turn right over here one page earlier,
16:57 you have the context of Philemon,
17:00 and read things like it consists of 303 Hebrew words,
17:04 and it explains the context very simply to you.
17:07 If you do a very, very, very simple study like this,
17:10 what you're gonna find out very quickly
17:12 about the Bible is this.
17:14 You're gonna find out that Paul wrote Philemon's.
17:18 Paul wrote it.
17:19 He says up there that he wrote it.
17:21 You're gonna find that it's the shortest letter
17:23 that he wrote.
17:24 What's interesting is you're gonna see
17:26 that he was actually, he says,
17:27 Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
17:30 He doesn't say Paul an apostle.
17:33 Almost every other time he writes an epistle,
17:36 he'll say Paul the apostle,
17:38 and the reason he's doing this is he doesn't want
17:41 to pull his official rank on his friend Philemon.
17:45 He's writing this letter as a very, very dear friend.
17:49 So if we're gonna summarize what we find out,
17:52 we'd find out this.
17:52 We're gonna find out that Philemon was written by Paul
17:56 from a Roman prison.
17:57 Remember he said a prisoner of Christ?
17:59 To a wealthy man named Philemon who led a church
18:03 in his home.
18:04 We're gonna discover that it was written about,
18:07 and this is if you just read through Philemon,
18:09 you're gonna see this guy named Onesimus
18:11 who was a runaway slave.
18:12 We're gonna see that it was written about Onesimus,
18:14 a runaway slave who had evidently stolen from Philemon.
18:19 We're gonna discover that Onesimus, this runaway slave,
18:23 he stole something.
18:24 He runs to Rome, and by the providence of God,
18:29 he meets Paul, and Paul leads Onesimus,
18:33 the runaway slave, to Christ.
18:35 Then we're gonna discover the purpose of this letter.
18:38 Paul's purpose, and this is crazy,
18:40 was to encourage Philemon, the small group leader,
18:44 or the church pastor and wealthy business owner.
18:47 He was gonna encourage Philemon to forgive Onesimus,
18:50 the runaway slave, and accept a slave
18:55 as a brother in Christ.
19:00 With a little bit of research, you're gonna go,
19:02 this is a really big deal,
19:04 because you might discover in a study Bible
19:07 or from watching a video on YouTube
19:10 that there were about 60 million slaves in Rome at that time.
19:14 Slavery is never right, it's never been right,
19:17 wasn't right then, it's not right now.
19:20 That's a whole 'nother point, but at that time,
19:22 because there were so many,
19:23 if the slave owner didn't deal with a rebellious slave,
19:27 the slaves might revolt.
19:29 And so you'll learn with just a little bit of research
19:31 that any time a slave runs away,
19:33 they would brand F on their brow,
19:36 which stands for fugitivist,
19:38 which we get our word fugitive, this guy would be branded.
19:42 That'd be the very least thing they would do.
19:43 And then sadly, and this is horrible, and we hate it,
19:47 but they could beat the slave
19:48 or they could actually kill the slave.
19:51 So here's what Paul's gonna say.
19:52 He's gonna say, hey, Philemon,
19:55 this guy who stole from you,
19:57 who escaped to put you at risk, who embarrassed you,
20:02 I want you to receive him back
20:06 and treat him not as a slave, but as an equal.
20:10 Treat him as a brother.
20:12 And so when you know that, reading Philemon,
20:15 it shapes the words you're gonna see.
20:19 I'm gonna show you in verse four,
20:22 and you tell me, is Paul being very, very sincere
20:26 or is he buttering up Philemon?
20:29 I don't know.
20:30 But you ask that question.
20:32 Probably because of my nature,
20:35 being a little bit skeptical,
20:37 I think he's buttering him up, but we don't know.
20:39 Paul may be way more godly than I am,
20:42 but I'm asking myself, what are his motives?
20:44 And here's what we see.
20:45 He says, Philemon, I always thank God
20:49 as I remember you in my prayers.
20:52 Sounds like he's buttering up.
20:53 Maybe he's being sincere, we don't know.
20:55 Because I hear about your love for all his holy people
20:59 and your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
21:01 You're so loving and you're so holy.
21:03 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement
21:07 because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts
21:10 of the Lord's people.
21:11 You're so loving, you're amazing.
21:12 Or maybe he's just being really sincere.
21:14 I always thank God for you, my prayers.
21:17 You're so loving, your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
21:19 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement.
21:21 Maybe he's just being very sincere, maybe he's buttering up.
21:23 But when you understand the context,
21:25 you start to ask some very real questions.
21:28 So we know the context.
21:29 Then the fourth thing we're gonna do
21:31 is we're gonna read slowly and we're gonna ask questions.
21:35 And let me tell you what we're gonna ask.
21:36 The two biggest questions we're always gonna ask
21:40 of anything we're reading in the Bible
21:41 is we're always gonna ask, what does this say about God
21:46 and what is God saying to me?
21:48 If you ask anything every time,
21:50 what does this say about the character,
21:52 the nature, the goodness of God,
21:55 and what is God saying to me?
21:58 If you wanna go a little bit deeper,
22:00 someone else came up with this.
22:02 I don't know who it is, I'll give him credit.
22:03 But it's called the SPECK questions, S-P-E-C-K, SPECK.
22:08 And what you can do is S, you can ask,
22:12 is there a sin to be avoided?
22:15 It's a good question to ask.
22:17 P, you can ask, is there a promise to be claimed?
22:22 This is really, really helpful.
22:23 If you wanna take out your phone to take a picture
22:24 when we get all through, you can,
22:26 because this can be a game changer
22:28 when you're studying the Bible.
22:29 E, is there an example to follow?
22:33 C, is there a command to obey?
22:37 And finally, K, is there something to know about God?
22:42 As you're going through the text,
22:43 is there a sin to be avoided?
22:46 Is there a promise to be claimed?
22:48 Is there an example to follow?
22:49 Is there a command to obey?
22:51 Is there something to know about the character,
22:54 the nature, and the goodness of God?
22:56 Now, since you're all gonna be back next week,
23:00 I'm gonna tell you that next week,
23:02 this is gonna come alive to you in a way
23:05 that to me is almost mind-blowing.
23:08 Today, we're setting it up.
23:10 Next week, we're gonna come back to this,
23:12 and you're gonna see how studying the Bible
23:16 in context, empowered by God, the Holy Spirit,
23:20 can speak to you, can form you to the image of Christ,
23:23 direct your steps, renew your mind,
23:26 change your heart, make you more like Jesus,
23:29 and literally change your life.
23:32 But you gotta come back next week to get that.
23:36 So let's review.
23:38 We're going step-by-step, making it really practical.
23:40 We're gonna choose a translation you understand.
23:42 We're gonna choose a time, a place,
23:44 and a plan to study the Bible.
23:46 We're gonna seek to understand the context.
23:48 We're gonna read it really slowly and ask questions.
23:51 And number five, we're gonna pray for God to speak to you
23:55 and apply whatever He shows you.
23:58 So that's what we're gonna do right now.
24:00 God, we ask that as we continue to study Your Word,
24:04 that You show us more about You and that You speak to us.
24:10 God, I pray that even somehow in these few verses
24:14 and the next few minutes that You would speak to people
24:16 in a way that would help conform them
24:18 to the image of Your Son, Jesus.
24:20 We pray this in Your name.
24:21 And everybody said?
24:23 Amen, amen, amen.
24:25 Those online, you can type it in the comment section.
24:27 Amen and amen.
24:28 So let's look at verses eight and 10
24:30 and see what we find out.
24:32 Here's what we see.
24:34 Therefore, therefore, although in Christ,
24:36 watch what Paul says.
24:37 He's talking to Philemon.
24:39 He's gonna ask him to forgive.
24:41 I could be bold and I could order you
24:43 to do what you ought to do.
24:44 Remember, I'm an apostle.
24:45 I outrank you, I could tell you,
24:47 but I'm not gonna do it that way.
24:48 He says, "I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love."
24:51 Now watch what he does.
24:52 And again, this is why I think he's actually,
24:54 he's pulling on every heartstring.
24:57 Watch what Paul says.
24:58 He says, "It's none other than Paul, an old man."
25:03 I've been serving Jesus for a long time
25:05 and I'm maybe in the end of my life.
25:07 An old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
25:12 I've been serving God for a long time
25:14 and I'm writing you from prison.
25:15 I'm in prison for Christ.
25:16 So maybe he's using that as a little leverage.
25:18 We don't know for sure.
25:19 He said, "It's on these terms that I appeal to you."
25:22 And watch what he calls Onesimus.
25:24 My son, my son, Onesimus,
25:28 who became my son while I was in chains.
25:32 I led your runaway slave to Christ.
25:36 And now this slave is a son in the faith to me.
25:42 This is massive because Onesimus stole from Philemon.
25:46 What do we know?
25:47 He runs to Rome, he meets Paul,
25:50 Paul leads him to Christ.
25:51 And now he's saying, "I don't see him as a slave.
25:54 "I see him as a son."
25:56 If you go a little deeper and you can just do this,
26:00 you can Google the Greek language.
26:03 What does it say in the Greek?
26:04 And if you do that, you'll find what I call
26:07 a buried treasure or an Easter egg.
26:10 If you Google, what does Onesimus mean, his name?
26:14 Anybody know what his name means?
26:16 His name means useful or profitable.
26:19 That's what the name means.
26:20 And if you read verse 8 and 11,
26:23 says, "Formerly he was useless to you,
26:28 "but now he's become useful both to you and to me."
26:32 Other versions translate it as profitable.
26:35 Paul is evidently using a play on words.
26:38 He's taking the name Onesimus, which means useful.
26:42 And he's saying, formerly he was useless,
26:46 now he's useful.
26:47 Now he's profitable.
26:50 Because I'm a little bit of a nerd
26:52 and because preachers only work on Sundays,
26:55 I researched some more.
26:58 I like the words formerly and but now.
27:01 I like the tension.
27:02 Formerly there was this, but now there was that.
27:06 So I looked up those words.
27:07 I just like the way they sound.
27:08 Like literally that's it.
27:10 Formerly is a Greek word pote.
27:12 Everybody say pote.
27:14 But now is the word denuny.
27:15 Everybody say denuny.
27:17 Now put them together, pote denuny.
27:20 One more time, pote denuny.
27:22 Pote denuny.
27:23 And what I like to say in my own notes is this.
27:27 You can't have the denuny without the pote.
27:29 I could do a lot with that.
27:32 Some of it would probably be embarrassing,
27:34 but if we just say it that way,
27:36 you can't have the denuny without the pote.
27:38 You can't have the but now without the formerly.
27:43 Formerly, Onesimus was a slave.
27:46 He was useless.
27:47 But now because of the power and the providence of God,
27:51 he's profitable.
27:52 So if I'm reading this and I'm asking,
27:55 what is the nature of God?
27:57 And what is God saying to me?
27:59 I'm probably saying, well,
28:01 your life was formerly one thing,
28:04 but now God took that thing that you didn't want
28:07 and made it profitable or useful.
28:10 In fact, in the margins of my Bible back years and years ago,
28:14 I wrote these words right here.
28:16 Ask God what not why.
28:22 That's what I wrote years ago.
28:23 So as I'm going through this,
28:24 years ago, God was speaking to me
28:25 about formerly it was one thing, but now it's something else.
28:29 Instead of asking God, why is this happening?
28:32 What do you want to say to me?
28:34 And I would ask you, what is God showing you?
28:39 How is God maybe using something right now
28:43 that you don't want to do something in you?
28:46 Or you may look back because the providence of God
28:49 is like Hebrews, often best read backwards.
28:51 How did God use something in your past formerly,
28:55 but now it's much different?
28:57 For example, let's take Mandy.
29:00 From this trip, it was more meaningful to me
29:03 than you could ever imagine.
29:05 This was us on our plane, driving out there.
29:08 This was us in the gym.
29:09 And then she posted this and it meant so much to me.
29:12 I actually captured it because I didn't want to forget it.
29:15 She said, "The cold never bothered us anyway.
29:17 "Thankful for quality time
29:18 "with the greatest dad in history."
29:20 The reason that trip was so special to me,
29:24 it was because it was our last trip we had alone.
29:29 Because shortly after that, Mandy got sick
29:33 and has been dealing with an ongoing,
29:35 very severe chronic illness.
29:38 That's the formerly where she was.
29:43 But now she is getting better.
29:46 But to the glory of God, He's actually using her
29:51 to make a difference in the lives of people
29:52 all over the world.
29:53 Because she wasn't just sick,
29:55 but she actually saw herself sick,
29:58 moving toward healing with a purpose.
30:00 She got a degree in health and she started posting online.
30:03 And now when I go to different places and I'm around,
30:06 they might say, "Thank you to the church
30:08 "for your generosity of free resource."
30:10 Or, "Thank you for you," they're always thanking you.
30:12 They never even mention my sermons, but they're thanking you.
30:15 Or they'll say, "Would you tell Mandy,"
30:16 and I hear this over and again,
30:17 "Would you tell Mandy, thank you
30:18 "because she helped my daughter.
30:19 "Thank you because she helped me,"
30:21 over and over and over again.
30:23 Because God took what was formerly something
30:25 that was useless and made it very, very profitable.
30:28 What does God wanna show you?
30:31 You can't have the denouni without the pote.
30:34 Next week, this will come to life.
30:38 God is writing your story.
30:41 Some of you, your story might change.
30:47 Because formerly you were sick,
30:50 but now by the power of the great physician,
30:54 the name that is above every name,
30:55 the one who can do all things,
30:57 you might be healed by the power
30:59 and the goodness and the glory of God.
31:02 There are some of you that formerly
31:04 you might have been addicted,
31:05 but now because of the grace of Jesus in your life,
31:08 you have a day sober or two days sober or three days sober,
31:11 and you're on your journey to a testimony
31:14 of one who has overcome the power of addiction
31:17 through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
31:19 Or formerly, you battled with depression,
31:24 but now the peace and the presence of God
31:27 guards your heart, your mind and souls in Christ Jesus,
31:31 and you experience a peace that goes
31:33 beyond your human ability to understand.
31:36 There may be those of you that right now
31:39 your marriage is hanging by a thread,
31:41 but one day your story is formerly we were in trouble,
31:45 but now we've been healed by Jesus.
31:47 We are closer and stronger than we ever have been before,
31:50 serving together in church,
31:52 leading a life with real spiritual depth and intimacy.
31:56 And some of you, your story changes today
31:59 because your story is formerly I was lost,
32:05 and formerly I was broken, and formerly I was ashamed,
32:10 but now I've been changed by the grace of our Lord,
32:15 Jesus Christ, who makes all things new.
32:22 God will write your story.
32:24 When will He write it?
32:27 He writes your story as you read His Word,
32:31 as you feed on His Word, His living Word,
32:35 His active Word, His powerful Word
32:38 that will speak to you and guide you
32:42 and protect you and empower you
32:47 and guard you from temptation and renew your mind
32:52 and build your faith and show you every heavenly riches
32:57 that you have in Christ Jesus.
32:59 Because God's Word is truth,
33:02 and it's the truth that will set you free.
33:05 So my question for you is this.
33:09 How many of you will pick a translation you understand,
33:14 pick a time and a place, open it up,
33:17 study it every day this week, and come back next week
33:21 and see what God starts to do?
33:23 How many of you will say yes?
33:26 Once a day, a time and a place.
33:29 Lift up your hands right now.
33:30 Lift up your hands.
33:31 Online type, "I will study the Word every day this week."
33:34 Just type in the comment section.
33:36 And God, I ask that even starting now,
33:38 our lives would be different because we're in Your Word.
33:44 As you keep praying today,
33:45 let me tell you the story of God.
33:48 In the beginning was the Word,
33:51 and the Word was God, and the Word was with God,
33:57 and the Word became flesh among us.
34:02 Jesus is the living Word of God.
34:06 Who is He?
34:07 He's the Lamb of God, perfect in every way.
34:09 If you've ever felt guilty for your sins,
34:12 it's because we've all sinned against God.
34:14 And Jesus is the one who never sinned.
34:17 Therefore, as the Word says,
34:19 "God so loved the world that He gave His one
34:21 and only Son, Jesus, that whosoever believes in Him
34:25 would not perish, but would have eternal life."
34:28 Wherever you're watching from today,
34:29 there are those of you, it's time for new life.
34:32 Your story's about to change.
34:34 Formerly you were this, and now you are new.
34:37 Formerly you were dead in your sins,
34:39 but now you've been forgiven.
34:41 Wherever you're watching from today,
34:42 those who need the grace of Jesus,
34:44 ready to step away from the old life,
34:46 when you call on His name, He hears your prayers,
34:48 He forgives all of your sins, He makes you brand new,
34:51 He fills you with the Spirit.
34:52 You will never be the same, you're not here by accident.
34:56 Pote de nuni, formerly you were that,
34:59 and now you're being saved by Jesus wherever you are.
35:01 Those who say, "Yes, I need Jesus, yes, today I surrender,
35:04 I give my life to Him," that's your prayer.
35:06 Lift your hands high right now, all over the place,
35:08 and say, "Yes, that's my prayer."
35:09 Praise God for you, and right back there, and up here.
35:11 Oh man, others of you today say, "Yes, Jesus,
35:14 I need your grace."
35:15 Lift up your hands and say, "I surrender to Him."
35:18 Those of you online, type it in the comment section,
35:20 I'm surrendering my life to Jesus, and as you do,
35:25 let's all pray aloud, pray, Heavenly Father,
35:27 I'm coming back next week, I'm a student of Your Word,
35:32 forgive me of my sins, save me, fill me with Your Spirit
35:37 so I could live for You, renew my mind with Your truth
35:42 so I could show Your love, and all I do,
35:46 my life is not my own, I give it to You.
35:49 Thank You for new life, You have all of mine,
35:53 in Jesus' name I pray.
35:55 Somebody give God praise,
35:57 welcome those born into the family.
35:59 (congregation applauding)
36:02 (congregation cheering)
36:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]