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Acts 23:6-11

Acts 23:6-11.

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Acts 23:6-11

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  1. Acts 23:6-11 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial." And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?" And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome."

  2. Reality Or Fantasy In What Do You Live?

  3. What Is Fantasy? • something that is produced by the imagination : an idea about doing something that is far removed from normal reality • : the act of imagining something • : a book, movie, etc., that tells a story about things that happen in an imaginary world

  4. What Is Reality? • Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. • [1] In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. • A still more broad definition includes everything that has existed, exists, or will exist.

  5. Reality Exists • Whether seen or unseen • Heard or unheard • Known or unknown • Learned or ignorant • God Is Or He Is Not – He Is Real or Fake – He Exist or He does not. 1. One of these is reality, things as they actually exist. 2. Our agreement or disagreement does not form the basis of reality. 3. Our agreement or disagreement does form the basis of our reality. 4. It is from this reality that we think, believe, live, act, die and will be raised.

  6. We Must Live In Reality

  7. Scripture Enjoins Upon Us To Learn Reality And Live In It • 1. In Scripture learning and living by this reality is called Faith. • 2. By faith we understand (reality) • 3. Faith is our spiritual man’s sight – for our spiritual man faith is sight. • 4. Developing the ability to see spiritually – begins by accepting the evidence of the physical reality we see.

  8. Hebrews 11:1-3 • Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence KJV) of things not seen. • For by it the people of old received their commendation. • By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

  9. Proofs of the Position What We See Demands God!

  10. Life Is Eternal 1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. • If ever there was absolutely nothing there would still be nothing because nothing produces nothing. • Something exists which means something has always existed.

  11. The Effects We See Demands God • (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Hebrews 3:4 • The Law of Cause and Effect • Simply put, the law of cause and effect states that every material effect must have an adequate cause that existed before the effect. Material effects without adequate causes do not exist. Also, causes never occur after the effect. In addition, the effect never is greater than the cause. That is why scientists say that every material effect must have an adequate cause. The river did not turn muddy because the frog jumped in; the book did not fall off the table because the fly landed on it. These are not adequate causes. For whatever effects we see, we must present adequate causes (AP).

  12. The Design We See Demands God • The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both (Proverbs 20:12; see also Psalm 139). • In logic, the Law of Teleology affirms that “where there is design, there must be a designer”— • Paley contended that if one were walking through a waste area and came upon a stone he might, without evidence to the contrary, assume that it simply had lain there forever. On the other hand, if one stumbled upon a watch, due to the fact that the timepiece had integrated parts that moved in concert for the purpose of marking time, one would be forced to conclude that this object was not an accident; rather, it had been designed, and therefore had a designer. Paley then proceeded, by analogy, to argue that the design apparent in nature was evidence of a Grand Designer, namely, God.

  13. Objective Morality Demands God • And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18). • in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began (Titus 1:2). • This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). • See Romans 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8; 1 John 3:4

  14. Some Things Are Objectively Wrong Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

  15. Our Nature Demands We See Reality

  16. Six Points About Our Nature • 1. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). • 2. We are made from the dust (Genesis 2:7). • 3. We are body and spirit (soul) (Matthew 10:28). • 4. The Godhead is Spirit (John 4:24; Acts 17:28-29). • 5. God formed our spirit (Zech. 12:1). • 6. God is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9).

  17. God Has Provided For Both Men • 1. The world and the word are made for us. • 2. God warns us not to love the world and miss the eternal reality. 3. Our physical man can see the physical world and miss the spiritual world. 4. Failure to see and live spiritually is to live in fantasy.

  18. Warnings and Pleas

  19. Matthew 6:19-25 • "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, • but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. • For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. • The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! • No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. • "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

  20. Colossians 3:1-6 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

  21. 1 John 2:15-17 • Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. • For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. • And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

  22. Spiritual Blindness Is Strongly Warned Against

  23. God’s People Refused to See The Spiritual Reality "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house (Ezk 12:2). "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not (Jer. 5:21). This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' (Matt. 13:13-15).

  24. Not Seeing Spiritually Is Devastating

  25. Israel and Judah were destroyed • One who can’t see spiritually will have limited knowledge (Prov. 3:5). • He will walk in darkness (Eph. 4:17-19). • He will go his own way and direct his own steps (Prov. 16:25; Jer. 10:23). d. He will oppose God (Acts 26:9). e. He will suffer much hurt, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually (Prov 13:15). f. He will lose his soul (Prov. 20:9).

  26. We Are Whether We Can See It Or Not Scripture Speaks Of Both a Physical Man and Spiritual Man

  27. The Same Words Are Used To Describe Both 1. Both are born (John 3:3-5) 2. Both are babes (1 Pet 2:2) 3. Both are designed to grow (1 Pet 3:18) 4. Both have eyes, ears, feet and hands (Rom. 10:15; 1 Tim. 2:8). 5. Both have the need for food and water (John 4, 6) 6. Both are intended to work (Eph 2:10) 7. Both belong to God (Rom 14:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:20) 8. Both can die and be raised (John 5:25-29).

  28. Developing The Ability To See Spiritually Demands An Understanding of Grace and Faith

  29. God Comes First – Therefore Grace Comes First 1. We can never justify ourselves because we need God’s grace first. 2. Understanding Grace is accomplished by understanding that the Spiritual is eternal (1 John 1:1-3). 3. God created us: We sinned against God: We had no way back to God. 4. God moved toward us- He gave His grace (see Noah Gen 6:8). 5. This is the reason no one can ever boast before God. 6. Because all of the good man ever does always comes after God’s Grace is given to him.

  30. God’s Grace Teaches (Titus 2:11-13) 1. See Noah (Gen. 6:14-17) 2. Grace always gives commands. 3. Those commands lead to faith 4. Thus we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-10). 5. Faith is trusting God and doing what grace commands. 6. Neither grace nor faith only saves. 7. Without grace there can be no faith and without faith there can be no acceptance of God’s grace. 8. Spiritual sight is understanding God’s grace and our faith.

  31. For Our Spiritual Man Faith Is Spiritual Vision

  32. 1. Faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17). 2. Faith believes the reality that God is 3. Faith believes the reality that God is good (Heb. 11:6). 4. Faith believes Jesus is the Divine Son of God 5. Faith believes Jesus was resurrected from the dead. 6. God, Jesus, the resurrection form the basis of everything else. 7. This is the gateway to Spiritual Sight! 8. Notice – (John 3:34-36; 5:22-24; 7:38; 10:37-38; 11:42; 14:1; 11; 16:9; 17:20-21) 9. This essential truth was preached and lived by the apostles.

  33. Those Who Saw Spiritually

  34. Paul Saw Spiritually a. God is reality (Acts 17:24ff) b. Christ resurrection is Paul’s reality (1 Cor. 15). c. He sees this and so speaks of seeing the unseen! d. He Discusses this in 2 Corinthians 4-5 e. Note 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; 14-18; 5:1-7.

  35. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; 16-18 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

  36. The Faithful Of Hebrews 11 Saw Spiritually 1. They knew it was God who gave them his grace. 2. They believed God’s word 3. They trusted God to do what he said 4. They saw the reality of God and the promises he made. 5. We might say – Noah saw the water (Heb. 11:7) 6. Abraham saw the city (Heb. 11:8-10) 7. Sara saw the baby (Heb. 11:11-12). 8. Notice Hebrews 11:13! These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

  37. Application

  38. 1. We must see the spiritual reality by reasoning properly from the physical reality. • 2. We believe God; we trust His word. • 3. Among the things we need to see are these. • 4. See that the character of Jesus is the character we are all to seek to have (Matthew 5:3-12). 5. Let his mind be in you (Phil. 2:5).

  39. See The Truth of God’s Promises • a. Salvation through Jesus Christ by God’s grace. • b. God will forgive our sins in Christ • c. We are saved by grace through faith. • d. We must never put our effort before God’s grace. • e. He has given us eternal life. • f. He loves us. • g. His word is sufficient and complete. • h. Every relationship will work according to His word. • i. Christ will return and take us to heaven one day.

  40. What We Need to See About Life • a. Life is short – James 4:14-16; Prov. 14:1-2 • b. Tomorrow is not promised – Prov. 27:1 • c. The Lord will return – 1 Thess. 4:13-18 • d. We will die – Heb. 9:27 • e. We will all be judged – 2 Cor. 5:10 • f. There is eternal life – Matt. 25:41-46

  41. Life Is About God! • a. Seek the Lord while He may be found. • b. The world apart from God is not the answer. • c. Things wear out; things get old and decay. • d. The world does not have the answers for life – God does!

  42. Are You Living In Reality? You Are If You Can See Spiritually

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