Transcript: Episode 0065
This transcript:
- Was machine generated.
- Has not been checked for errors.
- May not be entirely accurate.
WEBVTT 00:00:37.292 --> 00:00:39.472Welcome to the Stone Choir Podcast. 00:00:39.772 --> 00:00:40.752 I am Corey J. 00:00:40.772 --> 00:00:41.192 Mahler. 00:00:41.792 --> 00:00:43.012 And I'm still, whoa. 00:00:45.412 --> 00:00:59.772 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 00:01:00.652 --> 00:01:10.192 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 00:01:10.952 --> 00:01:16.892 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom. 00:01:17.472 --> 00:01:24.412 But they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 00:01:25.232 --> 00:01:32.972 Then these men said, We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel, unless we find it in connection with the law of his God. 00:01:33.792 --> 00:01:40.352 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, O King Darius, live forever. 00:01:41.092 --> 00:01:58.492 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 00:01:59.192 --> 00:02:02.852 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document. 00:02:03.212 --> 00:02:09.012 So that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked. 00:02:10.092 --> 00:02:13.072 Therefore, King Darius signed the document and injunction. 00:02:13.812 --> 00:02:20.572 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house, where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. 00:02:21.072 --> 00:02:27.852 He got down on his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his god, as he had done previously. 00:02:28.532 --> 00:02:33.592 Then these men came by agreement, and found Daniel making petition and plea before his god. 00:02:34.272 --> 00:02:49.072 Then they came near, and said before the king, concerning the injunction, O King, did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man, within thirty days except to you, O King, shall be cast into the den of lions? 00:02:49.832 --> 00:02:56.892 The king answered and said, The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked. 00:02:57.612 --> 00:03:09.452 Then they answered and said before the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O King, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day. 00:03:10.492 --> 00:03:16.032 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed, and set his mind to deliver Daniel. 00:03:16.452 --> 00:03:18.992 And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 00:03:19.632 --> 00:03:30.912 Then these men came by agreement to the king, and said to the king, Know, O King, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed. 00:03:32.032 --> 00:03:36.512 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. 00:03:37.012 --> 00:03:42.392 The king declared to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you. 00:03:44.152 --> 00:03:59.892 The story of Daniel as he was serving his king is instructive for this week's episode, because although Jesus obviously correctly calls Daniel a prophet, Daniel's day job was not as a prophet. 00:04:00.252 --> 00:04:01.472 He was a public employee. 00:04:01.592 --> 00:04:02.592 He worked for the king. 00:04:02.612 --> 00:04:04.212 He worked for a pagan king. 00:04:04.752 --> 00:04:11.672 All of his coworkers, the men whom he served and whom he supervised, they were all pagans. 00:04:12.252 --> 00:04:13.632 And so he just had a public job. 00:04:14.292 --> 00:04:26.072 And we're opening with this passage from Daniel 6 today, because it is a prime example of what we as Christians are faced with in our own day, in current year. 00:04:26.352 --> 00:04:32.072 And in fact, in the past week, a circumstance similar to this has arisen in one of the states in the United States. 00:04:32.672 --> 00:04:39.172 When Daniel was faced with these evil pagan men who hated him because God had blessed him. 00:04:39.472 --> 00:04:46.372 And even though the king was not a Christian, was not a believer in the true God, he still respected Daniel for the gifts he'd been given. 00:04:47.032 --> 00:04:51.952 So those men set about to change the law in order to destroy Daniel. 00:04:52.492 --> 00:05:03.252 And the destruction they hoped would take the form of Daniel violating the law, which prohibited praying to anyone but the king for a period of 30 days. 00:05:03.772 --> 00:05:10.692 The reason this is instructive for us is that a law was passed and a believer in the true God responded. 00:05:11.512 --> 00:05:19.292 The impetus for today's episode, this week's episode is a law that was passed last week in the state of South Dakota. 00:05:19.852 --> 00:05:26.892 It was a law that was modeled after an international definition of anti-Semitism that was ratified in 2016. 00:05:27.272 --> 00:05:36.812 It's been upheld as a model for stamping out hate globally by the UN, by the European Commission, by a bunch of other groups. 00:05:37.152 --> 00:05:42.492 Lots of acronyms, lots of very serious faces, all saying anti-Semitism is very bad. 00:05:42.512 --> 00:05:43.372 We got to stamp it out. 00:05:44.092 --> 00:05:56.212 The reason we're talking about it this week is that one of the provisions, and that law, which we're going to discuss in a bit, but the reason we're talking about this today is that that law effectively makes the Bible illegal in the state of South Dakota. 00:05:56.412 --> 00:05:57.552 We'll talk about the details. 00:05:57.972 --> 00:06:00.872 They don't really matter all that much in terms of legality. 00:06:01.192 --> 00:06:08.832 And that's one of the first points I want to make here, because when you look at the example of Daniel, he didn't think like an American. 00:06:09.252 --> 00:06:13.472 He didn't think, oh, they've passed a law that impinges upon my freedom of religion. 00:06:13.492 --> 00:06:17.932 I need to petition the ruler to get the law changed. 00:06:18.392 --> 00:06:18.952 What did he do? 00:06:19.172 --> 00:06:20.172 He did what he always did. 00:06:20.372 --> 00:06:25.012 He prayed to his Lord three times a day, and he did it in front of the window, because that was his habit. 00:06:25.312 --> 00:06:29.912 He wasn't making a spectacle, which is something that's condemned in the New Testament correctly. 00:06:30.132 --> 00:06:31.952 He wasn't putting on a show. 00:06:32.152 --> 00:06:33.972 He just wasn't hiding when he was praying. 00:06:34.152 --> 00:06:35.052 He had always done it. 00:06:35.412 --> 00:06:45.012 The other evil satraps knew that, and they knew that if he continued to be faithful to his God, they'd be able to catch him and accuse him, take him for the king, and see him killed. 00:06:45.412 --> 00:06:46.532 That was their principal goal. 00:06:48.032 --> 00:07:00.192 However, they could also destroy Daniel if he obeyed the law, if he stopped praying to his God, and if he did pray to the king instead of to the true God, that would also be a victory. 00:07:00.552 --> 00:07:03.852 They probably would have been more satisfied with him being thrown into the lion's den. 00:07:04.152 --> 00:07:05.912 That's always principally what evil men want. 00:07:05.932 --> 00:07:08.352 They want to see the physical destruction of their enemies. 00:07:08.892 --> 00:07:15.372 But to see their enemy Daniel humiliated by causing him to apostatize would have been very satisfying. 00:07:15.672 --> 00:07:29.112 Frankly, in the long term, that may have been even more satisfying to them because it would have permitted them to co-opt him, to make him one of them, and then to pull him into their evil schemes and to separate him from the true God. 00:07:29.992 --> 00:07:30.912 So what did Daniel do? 00:07:31.432 --> 00:07:32.892 He did not pray to the king. 00:07:33.252 --> 00:07:35.112 That would have been adherence to the law. 00:07:35.912 --> 00:07:38.612 He did not take a prayer fast. 00:07:38.952 --> 00:07:39.772 He didn't say, you know what? 00:07:39.792 --> 00:07:41.372 I'm just not going to pray for 30 days. 00:07:41.672 --> 00:07:46.052 I'm not going to disobey the law, but I'm not going to obey it either. 00:07:46.292 --> 00:07:54.132 He didn't try to split the difference and stay out of trouble, which in the case of this kingdom, legal trouble meant execution. 00:07:54.492 --> 00:07:56.032 So he could have just stopped praying. 00:07:56.272 --> 00:07:57.132 He could have said, you know what? 00:07:57.332 --> 00:07:58.392 I'm not going to pray to the king. 00:07:58.412 --> 00:08:02.732 I'll just not pray for anything, or I'll pray in my head, but they won't know. 00:08:03.032 --> 00:08:06.892 God knows what's in my heart, so I don't need anyone to find out about it. 00:08:07.172 --> 00:08:09.252 He could have done that, and he didn't. 00:08:09.732 --> 00:08:19.052 And the model that Daniel provides is the model that we need to have in mind as we're confronting everything that happens in the world going forward from this day on. 00:08:20.512 --> 00:08:33.772 One of the things that I said on Telegram in response to this when I came out, somebody said something, and I'm going to use a few responses to this story as it was breaking from guys who listen to Stone Choir and interact with me on Telegram or on Twitter. 00:08:34.392 --> 00:08:36.712 Please don't feel like I'm picking on you, not in the slightest. 00:08:37.052 --> 00:08:40.872 The things that were said were prime examples of the way we're all taught to think. 00:08:41.872 --> 00:08:48.052 Somebody basically made some reference to the obvious American solution of, well, this has got to be litigated. 00:08:48.392 --> 00:08:56.452 Clearly, the South Dakota law that says that the classic anti-Semitism and the specific of the law says that the Jews killed Christ. 00:08:56.732 --> 00:08:58.252 That is classic anti-Semitism. 00:08:58.712 --> 00:09:03.872 It is illegal to say that in their context in which you can be punished legally in the state of South Dakota. 00:09:04.412 --> 00:09:10.432 The typical American response is, well, that obviously violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. 00:09:11.012 --> 00:09:12.392 I want to see this litigated. 00:09:12.412 --> 00:09:18.992 You know, maybe someone would choose to violate it knowing that it was going to be litigated and they could be the poster child defendant. 00:09:19.772 --> 00:09:28.932 The problem with that and the thing that I rebuked at the time and I subsequently said on Twitter, I'm going to say here, stop thinking like an American and start thinking like a Christian. 00:09:29.532 --> 00:09:36.192 Look to Daniel for an example when anything like this comes up that impinges upon our spiritual duties to God. 00:09:36.432 --> 00:09:37.312 What did Daniel do? 00:09:37.852 --> 00:09:48.132 He didn't go to the king and say, Oh, mighty king, if I obey this law, I will be violating my conscience and praying in a manner that I find to be untenable. 00:09:48.432 --> 00:09:51.312 I can't worship you and I must continue to worship my God. 00:09:51.332 --> 00:09:52.832 Please don't throw me into the lions den. 00:09:53.272 --> 00:09:54.712 He didn't ask for reprieve. 00:09:55.232 --> 00:09:56.392 He didn't ask for an excuse. 00:09:56.412 --> 00:09:58.112 He didn't ask for the law to be changed. 00:09:58.812 --> 00:10:00.952 He did exactly what he always did. 00:10:01.732 --> 00:10:08.632 That is the Christian response in the case of something where you were told to apostatize, which is precisely what the law was. 00:10:09.092 --> 00:10:13.412 The law was no one may pray to any God except for the king for 30 days. 00:10:14.212 --> 00:10:17.212 It didn't say you had to replace your God with another God. 00:10:17.492 --> 00:10:21.272 It specifically said don't pray to another God except for the king for 30 days. 00:10:21.652 --> 00:10:22.572 It was time limited. 00:10:22.592 --> 00:10:24.312 They had a sunset clause. 00:10:24.852 --> 00:10:30.532 It was not exclusive in terms of belief or even confession. 00:10:30.552 --> 00:10:31.352 It was just prayer. 00:10:31.732 --> 00:10:35.752 Don't offer petitions to anyone except for the king, as God, as a deity. 00:10:36.492 --> 00:10:39.932 The legal outs there, if you're thinking like an American, are abundant. 00:10:40.312 --> 00:10:41.372 You cannot pray. 00:10:41.452 --> 00:10:43.372 You can pray secretly so that no one knows. 00:10:43.712 --> 00:10:50.952 You can pray publicly, hoping to challenge it in court so that you can assert your rights and fight back in that way. 00:10:51.612 --> 00:10:52.912 None of those occurred to Daniel. 00:10:53.392 --> 00:10:54.152 He said nothing. 00:10:54.172 --> 00:10:55.552 You know, he didn't argue. 00:10:55.932 --> 00:11:04.852 He was basically led like a lamb to the slaughter simply by doing what he always did, which was to pray three times a day to the true God, and he was thrown into the lions den for it. 00:11:05.472 --> 00:11:20.372 This is an example for us today simply by virtue of the fact of all the things that Daniel didn't do, because the instincts that we have all been given today are to focus on things that are going to keep us out of trouble. 00:11:20.932 --> 00:11:31.332 And just as happened last year in the context of Stone Choir itself and the Church more broadly, satanic attacks often occur during Lent, during the Easter season. 00:11:32.012 --> 00:11:43.832 We did an episode just at the end of last calendar year about the liturgical life where we talked about the Church calendar, which is held by almost all churches, and it should be held by all because it's a useful teaching tool. 00:11:44.512 --> 00:12:12.572 And we point out in that episode, and something that's reiterated here by example, when you look at the Church calendar that has seasons of Easter and Lent and Christmas and then Pentecost, which is the big one that fills most of the year, each of these seasons is designed to emphasize a different part of the faith, a different part of the story of God and creation and Christ's sacrifice for us and all the teachings of Scripture. 00:12:13.472 --> 00:12:19.432 The reason we have to spread it out is that there's so much in the Bible that you can never possibly fit it all into one Sunday. 00:12:19.692 --> 00:12:21.692 You can't fit the whole Bible into one sermon. 00:12:22.032 --> 00:12:24.392 You can't fit the whole Bible into one lifetime. 00:12:24.752 --> 00:12:30.332 There are men who dedicate entire lives to studying a couple books of the Bible and they never get to the bottom of them. 00:12:30.652 --> 00:12:39.192 They can bring together a lot of connections, but the depth of the richness and wisdom and knowledge of God, it's more than a human mind can comprehend. 00:12:39.212 --> 00:12:40.252 And it's a blessing. 00:12:40.732 --> 00:12:49.772 So the church calendar gives us structure by saying, you know what, in this time, particularly as we're recording this now, it's during Lent, we have Palm Sunday coming up in just a couple weeks. 00:12:51.132 --> 00:13:02.612 In this penitential season, we're particularly focused on the crucifixion of Christ, on the events that led to it, and reflecting on the fact that the reason for the crucifixion was our sin. 00:13:02.932 --> 00:13:04.372 That's why it's a penitential season. 00:13:04.832 --> 00:13:05.532 It's a downer. 00:13:05.832 --> 00:13:14.692 It is something that weighs on consciences, rightly, that our sin caused Christ to have to sacrifice himself for us. 00:13:15.332 --> 00:13:23.672 And that's also the Gospel, that God loved us so much that while we were yet his enemies, he did this, the ultimate act of love in all of history. 00:13:24.172 --> 00:13:34.212 To do something for people who were nailing him to the cross by our wickedness, he did it so that we could be saved from the penalties for the very wickedness that he was paying. 00:13:35.532 --> 00:13:41.912 That is the law, that is the Gospel, that is the entire arc of the Christian faith in one moment. 00:13:42.212 --> 00:13:42.992 That is the cross. 00:13:43.532 --> 00:13:46.892 And so oftentimes in the church, we will focus on something like the cross. 00:13:47.152 --> 00:13:49.392 We'll point to Good Friday, which is coming up soon. 00:13:49.692 --> 00:13:52.532 And we'll also point to Easter, which happens a few days later. 00:13:52.932 --> 00:13:58.092 Because if Jesus is dead in the tomb, and that's the end of the story, that's the hope of the world. 00:13:58.112 --> 00:13:58.992 That's no hope at all. 00:13:59.172 --> 00:14:00.252 It's just death and then you're gone. 00:14:00.532 --> 00:14:01.752 That's basically nihilism. 00:14:03.232 --> 00:14:06.332 The story of the Christian faith is that there's an Easter Sunday. 00:14:06.892 --> 00:14:11.032 When the sun rises three days later, the tomb is empty. 00:14:11.652 --> 00:14:20.012 And the celebration and the joy that we feel in that moment is that God had fulfilled all the promises that led to the cross, led to the crucifixion. 00:14:20.292 --> 00:14:26.192 And so all the miracles were performed, all of the prophecies were fulfilled. 00:14:26.812 --> 00:14:33.072 The fact that Christ raised from the dead is the ultimate proof that everything was kept. 00:14:33.472 --> 00:14:35.212 Everything He said He was going to do, He did. 00:14:35.552 --> 00:14:36.412 And He proved it. 00:14:36.912 --> 00:14:40.992 And so we can count on every promise that God makes to us because it's from God. 00:14:41.232 --> 00:14:42.692 And He proved it and He delivered. 00:14:43.292 --> 00:14:56.392 But if your church is only Easter every Sunday, if every Sunday is Easter at your church, and the cry is always Christ has risen, He has risen indeed, hallelujah, something we all know, the call and response is baked into our hearts. 00:14:57.172 --> 00:15:02.892 If every single Sunday is only about Easter, how do you understand why the tomb is empty? 00:15:02.912 --> 00:15:04.132 Why is there a tomb in the first place? 00:15:04.152 --> 00:15:04.832 Well, it's because He died. 00:15:05.092 --> 00:15:05.812 Why did He die? 00:15:05.832 --> 00:15:06.712 Because He was crucified. 00:15:06.892 --> 00:15:07.852 Why was He crucified? 00:15:07.992 --> 00:15:12.332 So you have to work back through the entire story to understand any of it. 00:15:12.652 --> 00:15:14.632 You can't understand the joy of Easter. 00:15:14.652 --> 00:15:22.192 You can't have the joy of Easter if you don't first have the weight of the sin and the death that came to that moment. 00:15:22.692 --> 00:15:26.632 The joy is in contrast to that which led to it. 00:15:27.772 --> 00:15:35.192 And so the problem that we have in the church that is really the point of this episode is something that I referred to a couple of weeks ago. 00:15:35.212 --> 00:15:36.952 It's going to become a recurring theme now. 00:15:37.332 --> 00:15:40.692 And that is doctrine versus emphasis. 00:15:41.432 --> 00:15:48.512 Because the problem that we have in the Christian church today is that every denomination has its particular doctrines. 00:15:48.932 --> 00:15:52.152 It has these are the temple features of the Christian faith. 00:15:52.552 --> 00:15:54.312 This is how we orient our lives. 00:15:54.332 --> 00:15:55.712 It's how we orient our belief. 00:15:56.272 --> 00:15:58.852 Everything that we do, everything we know revolves around this. 00:15:59.332 --> 00:16:00.412 That's not inherently bad. 00:16:01.272 --> 00:16:09.672 The problem is when those doctrines are permitted to have an emphasis that obscures the rest of scripture. 00:16:10.432 --> 00:16:15.412 Because if every Sunday your church is Easter Sunday, I'm sorry, but you're not a Christian. 00:16:15.432 --> 00:16:16.652 That's not a Christian church. 00:16:17.352 --> 00:16:21.792 Because there's more to the Christian life than Easter Sunday as the entire story. 00:16:22.112 --> 00:16:24.872 It doesn't make sense without Good Friday. 00:16:25.112 --> 00:16:27.772 It doesn't make sense without everything that led up to it. 00:16:28.892 --> 00:16:36.692 So for the Christian, it is imperative for us to focus on these various doctrines at certain times so that we don't forget them, so that we incorporate them. 00:16:37.172 --> 00:16:39.912 But that emphasis cannot be exclusive. 00:16:40.652 --> 00:16:50.352 And the problem that we have today that's exemplified by this one law and by the example of Daniel is that he could have emphasized the doctrine, well, I'm not going to pray to that king. 00:16:50.372 --> 00:16:51.152 That would be idolatry. 00:16:51.172 --> 00:16:51.732 That would be sin. 00:16:51.952 --> 00:16:53.292 I will absolutely not do that. 00:16:54.172 --> 00:16:55.892 But I don't need to make a big deal out of it. 00:16:56.172 --> 00:16:58.132 I don't need to say anything publicly. 00:16:58.152 --> 00:16:59.172 I can stay out of trouble. 00:16:59.412 --> 00:17:01.352 I can just keep my head down for 30 days. 00:17:01.652 --> 00:17:04.452 The law is going to sunset, and I can go back to praying to God. 00:17:04.472 --> 00:17:06.152 I'm never going to pray to anyone else. 00:17:06.172 --> 00:17:07.772 I'm just going to take a fast from prayer. 00:17:08.032 --> 00:17:10.072 It's kind of what we all did during COVID, isn't it? 00:17:10.672 --> 00:17:26.172 The problem with that is that the doctrine that is true, that why I haven't prayed to other gods, is at odds with the doctrine of, you know, for example, remembering the Sabbath day, to pray, praise and give thanks to God in all times and in all places. 00:17:26.732 --> 00:17:30.972 And particularly when the world says you can't do it. 00:17:31.592 --> 00:17:41.072 And that's the reason we're doing this episode today, is that we in current year are faced with the circumstances in the world where the world is now saying there are parts of the Bible that are illegal. 00:17:41.352 --> 00:17:43.992 There are parts of the Bible that are classic anti-Semitism. 00:17:44.272 --> 00:17:47.792 And therefore, be a good little Christian, you can't say that. 00:17:48.192 --> 00:17:59.952 And the problem that is occurring is that when the world says, well, that's anti-Semitism, say the Jews killed Christ, if the response, which is what someone gave me on Twitter, and again, I'm not picking on you at all. 00:17:59.972 --> 00:18:02.632 Please don't feel like this is being singled out for this. 00:18:02.812 --> 00:18:04.152 It's a perfectly natural response. 00:18:05.132 --> 00:18:08.232 Somebody said, my sins crucified Christ. 00:18:09.172 --> 00:18:10.932 And that's the entire point of this episode. 00:18:11.152 --> 00:18:15.692 That is entirely true doctrine, and it is a completely false confession. 00:18:16.752 --> 00:18:17.292 Here's why. 00:18:18.012 --> 00:18:20.212 There are five things that are true about the crucifixion. 00:18:20.572 --> 00:18:23.852 My sins crucified Christ, just as yours did. 00:18:24.492 --> 00:18:26.352 Pontius Pilate crucified Christ. 00:18:26.752 --> 00:18:28.932 The Roman centurions crucified Christ. 00:18:29.212 --> 00:18:31.092 The Pharisees crucified Christ. 00:18:31.392 --> 00:18:34.352 The crowd of braying Jews crucified Christ. 00:18:34.792 --> 00:18:36.692 All five of those facts are true. 00:18:36.952 --> 00:18:38.432 All five of them are scriptural. 00:18:38.992 --> 00:18:42.492 It is entirely permissible to say all five of them as a Christian. 00:18:43.232 --> 00:18:47.952 And yet the world only cares about the last two, and especially the last one. 00:18:48.452 --> 00:18:51.312 You can say, my sins crucified Christ, all you want. 00:18:51.652 --> 00:18:53.172 You won't get banned from Twitter for it. 00:18:53.392 --> 00:18:54.472 The UN won't care. 00:18:54.792 --> 00:18:55.732 Satan doesn't care. 00:18:55.752 --> 00:18:59.692 And I think that's the crucial point that we need to get through today. 00:19:00.092 --> 00:19:04.692 There are certain confessions of the Christian faith that the world is completely fine with. 00:19:05.052 --> 00:19:09.492 You can say something that's completely Christian, and Satan's like, yeah, keep that up. 00:19:10.232 --> 00:19:12.112 That's why we're doing this episode today. 00:19:12.432 --> 00:19:15.672 Why is it that Satan cares about some confessions, but not others? 00:19:16.352 --> 00:19:19.392 If I say that I crucified Christ with my sins, Satan's like, great. 00:19:19.792 --> 00:19:22.752 If I blame the Romans, okay, yeah, that's a great excuse. 00:19:22.952 --> 00:19:24.492 It keeps the Jews out of the spotlight. 00:19:25.012 --> 00:19:29.552 If I say the Pharisees did it, well, that's kind of anti-Semitic, because they were the leaders of the Jews. 00:19:29.852 --> 00:19:31.132 But at least it's not all Jews. 00:19:31.512 --> 00:19:41.332 But if I say what scripture also says, which is that the Jews, the crowd of praying Jews, all of them called for Christ's blood, that is impermissible. 00:19:41.752 --> 00:19:50.472 And I've said before, I've actually heard Lutheran pastors in the pulpit change the text of that story to remove Jews and say Pharisees. 00:19:51.512 --> 00:19:58.012 That is a false confession, because the question is not which of those five is the most important. 00:19:58.332 --> 00:19:59.972 The most important one is my sins. 00:20:00.372 --> 00:20:02.992 The Christian faith is that it's my sins that crucified Christ. 00:20:03.652 --> 00:20:04.652 No argument there. 00:20:05.092 --> 00:20:12.332 But when someone in the world attacks one of the others, that becomes the crucial Christian confession for a moment. 00:20:12.552 --> 00:20:24.252 Not in replacement of, but when we continue to cling to the emphasis on the traditional correct doctrine that Christ died for our sins, Satan's like, yeah, that's great. 00:20:24.472 --> 00:20:25.352 Keep on doing that. 00:20:25.692 --> 00:20:27.312 Just don't say the Jews killed Christ. 00:20:27.652 --> 00:20:37.232 Just by example, there's one place where the emphasis of a true doctrine, it becomes a false confession by omission of the truth that is also in Scripture. 00:20:37.592 --> 00:20:39.532 So that's the reason we're talking about this today. 00:20:41.372 --> 00:20:58.052 Essentially, any problem that we are going to face when it comes to religion or really almost any issue, can be derived from statements in Scripture or supported by them once otherwise derived. 00:20:59.552 --> 00:21:05.192 Now, I want to be very clear about what I am saying with those twin statements. 00:21:05.812 --> 00:21:12.832 I am not saying that every truth is contained in Scripture because not every truth is contained in Scripture. 00:21:13.412 --> 00:21:18.372 Scripture is not meant to be a comprehensive statement of truth. 00:21:19.672 --> 00:21:27.172 Scripture first and foremost is a statement of religious truth, of doctrinal truth, of theological truth. 00:21:27.572 --> 00:21:35.412 So anything having to do with those subjects can be derived from or supported by a statement in Scripture. 00:21:37.512 --> 00:21:51.032 The reason that I am making those two statements, those twin statements, is because it is not always the case that every single thing is going to be grounded explicitly in a verse that addresses it explicitly. 00:21:52.152 --> 00:22:04.132 For instance, headship as a doctrine, as an entire area of theology, quite frankly, is derived from many places in Scripture, from many verses. 00:22:05.232 --> 00:22:10.392 If you read through all of those sections, you will come away with the right understanding. 00:22:11.012 --> 00:22:21.432