WEBVTT 00:01.010 --> 00:04.090 We have been dealing with the subject of the Roman Catholic Church in history. 00:05.690 --> 00:08.870 We started to deal with confession, the mass, purgatory, and penance. 00:09.510 --> 00:13.250 And last time, those of you who are keeping notes on this and have a tape, 00:13.750 --> 00:18.070 we discussed the subject of penance in conjunction with confession. 00:18.550 --> 00:22.590 We pointed out that the word penance itself doesn't appear in New Testament 00:22.590 --> 00:23.130 theology. 00:23.850 --> 00:29.650 The Roman Catholic Douay Bible translates the word metanoia, which means repent, 00:30.210 --> 00:34.270 change your mind, change your direction, as due penance. 00:34.950 --> 00:36.470 That is not Biblical theology. 00:37.030 --> 00:41.870 In the new American translation, published by the Roman Catholic Church, 00:42.110 --> 00:47.110 from the Greek text instead of the Latin Vulgate, they changed that to the correct 00:47.110 --> 00:47.590 word. 00:48.010 --> 00:52.950 And they do now translate it, repent, and turn away from your sins. 00:53.310 --> 00:55.310 So, thank God that they made the correction. 00:55.310 --> 00:59.750 But for many centuries, Roman Catholics were doing penance on the basis of the 00:59.750 --> 01:02.650 verses they were quoting in the New Testament, which had nothing to do with 01:02.650 --> 01:03.350 penance at all. 01:04.170 --> 01:09.490 However, the doctrine of penance is still part of Catholic theology. 01:09.830 --> 01:11.590 I have here Roman Catholic catechism. 01:12.250 --> 01:18.510 And you find in the Roman Catholic catechism that penance involves the 01:18.510 --> 01:20.310 individual being truly sorry. 01:20.890 --> 01:23.090 You must resolve not to repeat your sin. 01:23.350 --> 01:25.910 You must agree to make restitution to the person whom you have injured. 01:26.310 --> 01:28.750 You must be willing to accept penance imposed by the priest. 01:29.050 --> 01:30.070 That's when you make a confession. 01:30.710 --> 01:35.190 The penance imposed by the priest may be prayers. 01:36.490 --> 01:41.830 It may be the contributions that the priest specifies you ought to make to the 01:41.830 --> 01:42.150 church. 01:42.630 --> 01:45.790 It can be indulgences for those souls in purgatory. 01:46.190 --> 01:48.490 It can be any number of things which they assign to you. 01:48.490 --> 01:52.950 But it is still part of Roman Catholic theology, even though the Greek text 01:52.950 --> 01:56.250 itself and their own translation now contradicts this idea. 01:56.670 --> 02:02.750 So, we studied how the Roman Catholic Church, by emphasizing confession to a 02:02.750 --> 02:08.050 priest, puts an intercessor between you and God. 02:08.570 --> 02:14.450 And they quote the 20th chapter of John's Gospel, which we went into last time, 02:14.450 --> 02:17.290 pointing out, whose sins you remit, they are remitted. 02:17.430 --> 02:19.190 Whose sins you retain, they are retained. 02:19.390 --> 02:20.310 That's their key text. 02:21.150 --> 02:27.330 However, we also noted, this passage in context is not referring to auricular 02:27.330 --> 02:29.610 confession to a priest on a weekly basis. 02:30.250 --> 02:32.870 It's talking about proclaiming the Gospel. 02:33.050 --> 02:35.630 As my Father sent me, I send you. 02:35.850 --> 02:39.190 Go into all the world, preach the Gospel to all nations, make disciples. 02:39.850 --> 02:42.930 Jesus said, whose sins you remit, they are remitted. 02:42.930 --> 02:47.470 So when you preach the Gospel to people, and they believe it, you may assure them 02:47.470 --> 02:49.830 in Jesus' name that their sins are forgiven. 02:50.830 --> 02:55.690 And if they refuse to accept the Gospel, you may assure them in Jesus' name that 02:55.690 --> 02:58.470 their sins remain with them, are retained. 02:59.150 --> 03:02.110 That is all the passage is intended to convey. 03:02.570 --> 03:05.550 There is nothing in there about the doctrine of confession at all. 03:06.050 --> 03:08.390 They cite other passages for this. 03:08.390 --> 03:12.030 Confess your sins one to another, and pray that you may be healed. 03:12.350 --> 03:13.470 James chapter 5. 03:13.730 --> 03:14.210 That's right. 03:14.710 --> 03:18.970 The epistle of James is written to the church, talking about how we are to deal 03:18.970 --> 03:19.870 with each other. 03:20.270 --> 03:25.030 It's not written as a manual for a priest to forgive our sins. 03:25.190 --> 03:28.030 Only God can absolve from sin. 03:28.910 --> 03:32.110 So, New Testament theology knows nothing of auricular confession. 03:32.570 --> 03:37.930 Nothing of penance assigned to a person to make up for their evil deeds. 03:37.930 --> 03:42.150 I will add a very important note here, which I think we should underline. 03:43.110 --> 03:47.970 They are right when they say, you must agree to make restitution to the person 03:47.970 --> 03:48.450 you have injured. 03:49.650 --> 03:51.950 That is solid biblical theology. 03:52.670 --> 03:53.370 They are right. 03:54.030 --> 03:56.870 In other words, it doesn't do any good to confess your sins to the Lord, 03:57.290 --> 03:58.530 and to turn away from your sins. 03:58.530 --> 04:04.390 If you have injured people, wounded people, robbed people, or done death to 04:04.390 --> 04:09.950 people, morally, ethically, whatever it may be, and you have it in your power to 04:09.950 --> 04:11.790 do something about it, and you won't do it. 04:12.990 --> 04:14.290 That is sin. 04:15.450 --> 04:19.730 I gave you the illustration of the guy in Time Magazine, who went back to all of the 04:19.730 --> 04:22.730 girls that he had seduced over the years, and did what? 04:22.730 --> 04:27.550 Told them what a rotter he was, and how sinful he was, and how Jesus had 04:27.550 --> 04:30.310 saved him, and begged them to forgive him. 04:30.830 --> 04:35.510 He had a revival going at Time Magazine, among some of the people, because he 04:35.510 --> 04:36.510 repented. 04:36.710 --> 04:37.810 That is, he turned around. 04:38.410 --> 04:40.210 And then, he believed the gospel. 04:41.450 --> 04:44.550 And then, he did what he should have done. 04:44.850 --> 04:48.770 He tried to make right in his life the things that he had done wrong. 04:49.010 --> 04:50.730 That is a good biblical principle. 04:50.730 --> 04:55.110 It doesn't do much good to say, I'm sorry, Lord, if you have the power to 04:55.110 --> 04:57.710 right the wrong, and you won't do it. 04:58.410 --> 05:03.730 Now, there's no merit for your soul to save it by righting the wrong. 05:04.570 --> 05:09.430 The merit is in repenting of your sin, trusting Christ. 05:10.070 --> 05:17.830 What follows from that are works which testify that you really have repented. 05:17.830 --> 05:22.970 That's why Ephesians 2 says, By grace you have been saved, that's the Catholic 05:22.970 --> 05:24.770 translation, through faith. 05:25.150 --> 05:27.570 Not by yourselves, but the gift of God. 05:27.850 --> 05:29.910 Not by works, as any man should boast. 05:30.470 --> 05:33.810 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. 05:34.550 --> 05:37.410 God has already ordained we should perform this. 05:38.170 --> 05:44.470 So, Catholic theology is correct in stating that after one repents and 05:44.470 --> 05:49.870 confesses sin, there should be restitution, insofar as the individual is 05:49.870 --> 05:51.290 capable of doing it. 05:52.150 --> 05:58.270 Now, we cannot talk of confession and penance independent of the biblical 05:58.270 --> 05:59.910 doctrine of justification by faith. 06:00.690 --> 06:06.750 That's why I began last time to emphasize that in Romans chapter 5, the scripture 06:06.750 --> 06:11.590 says, Therefore, having been justified by faith. 06:11.730 --> 06:13.070 That's a past action. 06:13.450 --> 06:15.010 It's a legal term. 06:15.590 --> 06:20.170 The term justify means exonerate, acquit. 06:21.010 --> 06:27.150 The Apostle Paul says, We have been exonerated or acquitted before the court 06:27.150 --> 06:31.270 of God's justice by faith in Jesus Christ. 06:32.250 --> 06:39.150 That absolves us of our sin and makes it possible for us to continue a relationship 06:39.150 --> 06:42.370 with God of walking in the light one with another. 06:42.650 --> 06:48.510 Having fellowship so that the blood of Jesus Christ will keep on, the Greek text 06:48.510 --> 06:51.750 says, cleansing us from all sin. 06:52.550 --> 06:57.670 We have been saved, as one theologian pointed out, from the penalty of sin by 06:57.670 --> 06:58.970 Christ's death on the cross. 06:58.970 --> 07:05.390 We are right now being saved daily from the power of sin which attempts to 07:05.390 --> 07:06.710 dominate our lives. 07:07.570 --> 07:14.070 We will finally be saved from the very presence of sin when we see him and are 07:14.070 --> 07:16.350 like him, for we shall see him as he is. 07:16.590 --> 07:21.510 That is in the resurrection and when we are immortal as Christ is immortal. 07:21.830 --> 07:23.010 But that's future. 07:23.530 --> 07:25.270 Right now there's a war going on. 07:25.690 --> 07:28.150 We have been justified by faith. 07:28.150 --> 07:33.270 Now, the problem in Roman Catholicism is that although they say you are justified 07:33.270 --> 07:38.990 by faith, one must continuously perform works in order to sustain that 07:38.990 --> 07:39.650 relationship. 07:40.710 --> 07:47.170 So in the end you are saved by grace and kept by works, which is the absolute 07:47.170 --> 07:49.330 antithesis of biblical theology. 07:49.690 --> 07:50.870 Let me show you what I mean. 07:52.130 --> 07:54.530 Romans chapter 8 reminds us, 08:04.570 --> 08:08.730 Those people, says Paul a little later in the chapter, who are walking not after the 08:08.730 --> 08:10.230 flesh, but after the spirit. 08:11.090 --> 08:12.270 So what is the mark of a Christian? 08:12.270 --> 08:18.170 If you are truly a believer, if you have truly been justified by faith, 08:18.710 --> 08:20.810 you will walk in the spirit. 08:21.550 --> 08:24.570 Your appetites will be spiritual, not carnal. 08:25.090 --> 08:30.190 And if you fall into sin, you will instantaneously become aware of it because 08:30.190 --> 08:36.110 the Holy Spirit bears witness and brings us face to face with our sin and to 08:36.110 --> 08:36.450 repentance. 08:36.450 --> 08:42.890 So the true Christian is one who walks in the spirit, who pursues the things of the 08:42.890 --> 08:47.770 spirit, but it doesn't say that the true Christian doesn't fall into sin. 08:48.350 --> 08:49.010 He does. 08:49.930 --> 08:54.350 And because he or she does fall into sin, God has made provision. 08:55.110 --> 08:57.510 We have been justified legally by faith. 08:58.150 --> 09:03.050 Now we have constant cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of 09:03.050 --> 09:03.450 our Lord. 09:04.430 --> 09:11.410 In Roman Catholic theology, penance is connected inextricably with justification. 09:11.790 --> 09:18.490 Because the moment you talk about being justified by faith, and then you introduce 09:18.490 --> 09:23.710 into that idea the concept that you must work in order to maintain that 09:23.710 --> 09:30.130 relationship, then you have mixed faith and works, and you have entered into the 09:30.130 --> 09:36.330 error of the Galatians, which Paul warned them against, the mixture of law and 09:36.330 --> 09:36.650 grace. 09:37.410 --> 09:39.450 And so there is no doubt in our minds about this. 09:40.370 --> 09:42.510 Let's understand what justification really means. 09:43.470 --> 09:50.390 To be justified by faith in a legal context means that God has put you on 09:50.390 --> 09:52.410 trial because of your sins in Adam. 09:53.730 --> 09:56.590 God judges you guilty because of your sins. 09:57.910 --> 10:00.350 God condemns you because of your sins. 10:01.030 --> 10:04.350 And God sentences you to eternal separation from Him. 10:05.470 --> 10:12.690 Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, enters the world as the last Adam and dies to save us 10:12.690 --> 10:13.430 from our sins. 10:13.430 --> 10:20.910 We place our confidence and trust in Him as the Savior, and then God accepts His 10:20.910 --> 10:26.490 sacrifice on the cross as the full payment for all our sins. 10:27.330 --> 10:31.750 He is the satisfaction for all our sins, 1 John 2.2. 10:32.310 --> 10:36.930 Not for ours only, but for the sin of the whole world. 10:37.370 --> 10:41.230 So it's crystal clear what it means to be justified. 10:41.230 --> 10:44.250 God acquits you of your sin. 10:45.730 --> 10:52.070 The confessional and penance puts you in an untenable position because it's like 10:52.070 --> 10:56.110 being acquitted of a crime in Los Angeles that you were accused of. 10:57.050 --> 11:00.010 And you are exonerated and set free. 11:01.170 --> 11:04.750 And so two weeks later you are not feeling too good about it. 11:05.270 --> 11:08.750 So you go back down to the court and ask for an audience with the judge in his 11:08.750 --> 11:09.070 chambers. 11:09.650 --> 11:14.050 When you get in there, you say to the judge, Your honor, I was on trial a couple 11:14.050 --> 11:16.050 of weeks back and I was acquitted. 11:16.350 --> 11:18.070 The judge says, yes, yes, I remember the case. 11:18.130 --> 11:18.610 What's the problem? 11:19.030 --> 11:21.030 Well, I don't feel acquitted. 11:22.310 --> 11:22.710 Oh? 11:23.370 --> 11:27.310 No, I somehow feel it's something I have to do. 11:28.490 --> 11:33.310 The judge would say, look, the law says you are acquitted of the crime. 11:34.170 --> 11:34.570 Over. 11:35.050 --> 11:35.590 It's done with. 11:36.110 --> 11:36.710 Go home. 11:36.710 --> 11:39.090 You say, oh, that makes me feel so much better. 11:40.470 --> 11:41.130 Back home. 11:41.610 --> 11:42.350 A month passes. 11:42.990 --> 11:45.230 Oh, but this terrible feeling. 11:45.750 --> 11:47.110 I'm going to see the judge again. 11:47.330 --> 11:48.150 And back you go again. 11:48.630 --> 11:51.530 You know, after the second or third trip, the judge is going to be considering 11:51.530 --> 11:54.410 seriously putting you in a place where they can help you. 11:55.810 --> 12:00.590 Because any rational person recognizes that if you have been acquitted, 12:00.750 --> 12:01.770 you are justified. 12:03.370 --> 12:04.230 Under the law. 12:05.030 --> 12:08.290 You don't have to keep going back to get justified. 12:09.030 --> 12:10.410 That's what Christ did. 12:11.070 --> 12:13.750 He justified us once for all. 12:14.050 --> 12:18.890 Having been justified, therefore, by faith, let us have peace with God 12:18.890 --> 12:20.350 through the Lord Jesus Christ. 12:21.090 --> 12:25.570 Now, since time is rushing out on us, let me quote the Roman Catholic Bible 12:25.570 --> 12:28.430 here, which is very, very forceful at this particular point. 12:29.430 --> 12:31.410 Amen, amen, I say to you. 12:31.870 --> 12:39.950 He who hears my word, the Lord Jesus, and believes him who sent me, the Father, 12:41.270 --> 12:46.510 has, notice the present tense, has life everlasting. 12:48.050 --> 12:59.170 And does not come to judgment, but has passed from death into life. 13:00.350 --> 13:03.530 Now, that couldn't be clearer in their own translation. 13:04.890 --> 13:06.550 We have believed Christ. 13:07.470 --> 13:09.990 We have trusted the testimony of the Father. 13:09.990 --> 13:16.070 We have passed out of death into life, and we have life everlasting. 13:16.690 --> 13:18.710 That is the gift of God. 13:19.690 --> 13:23.970 Luther discovered this, and it's what caused the Protestant Reformation. 13:24.570 --> 13:30.630 He realized that they had added and added and added and added and added doctrinal 13:30.630 --> 13:36.430 accretions and dogmas and human opinions to the place where the average person 13:36.430 --> 13:39.730 wasn't trusting Christ anymore for his salvation. 13:39.730 --> 13:45.710 The average person was trusting the church to provide the salvation through the 13:45.710 --> 13:46.290 sacraments. 13:47.610 --> 13:53.390 And Luther said, no, it can't be true, because if we have been justified by 13:53.390 --> 13:58.470 faith, and we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, why are we buying 13:58.470 --> 14:00.870 indulgences to get people out of purgatory? 14:01.190 --> 14:03.050 Why are we doing penance? 14:03.310 --> 14:04.650 Why are we doing rosaries? 14:04.950 --> 14:07.470 Why are we constantly sacrificing the Mass? 14:08.090 --> 14:14.310 By all this, if already we have passed out of death into life. 14:15.470 --> 14:21.170 And Luther seized upon the great truth of Habakkuk, the just, perhaps I can put it 14:21.170 --> 14:27.850 in legal terms again, the acquitted, the exonerated, shall live by faith. 14:28.910 --> 14:32.450 Now I want to close with an illustration of that in the New Testament, which is 14:32.450 --> 14:35.230 utterly devastating to Catholic theology at this point. 14:35.910 --> 14:39.170 It's in the fourth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, so just turn to that for 14:39.170 --> 14:39.510 one minute. 14:39.870 --> 14:43.210 We have two minutes for this rapid exegesis. 14:44.290 --> 14:46.170 Romans chapter 4. 14:48.170 --> 14:55.610 The Apostle Paul uses Abraham as a classic illustration, and David, to show us 14:55.610 --> 14:59.390 exactly what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. 15:02.090 --> 15:04.830 Paul says, What shall we say then concerning our father Abraham, 15:05.450 --> 15:07.150 pertaining to the flesh, as found? 15:07.790 --> 15:11.870 For if Abraham were justified by works, he had nothing to glory about. 15:12.510 --> 15:14.150 He had something to glory about, but not before God. 15:14.810 --> 15:16.190 For what says the Scripture? 15:17.030 --> 15:20.470 Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. 15:21.170 --> 15:25.150 Abraham trusted God, it was charged up to Abraham's account as righteousness. 15:25.150 --> 15:32.130 Now, to him that works for it, the reward is not counted by grace, 15:32.390 --> 15:33.230 but by debt. 15:33.650 --> 15:35.690 You work for something, you collect it. 15:35.970 --> 15:37.950 They owe you, says Paul. 15:38.630 --> 15:46.490 But to him that does not work for it, but believes on him who justifies, 15:46.910 --> 15:55.790 who acquits, who exonerates the ungodly, that's us, his faith is counted as 15:55.790 --> 15:56.930 righteousness. 15:57.850 --> 16:02.390 Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God 16:02.390 --> 16:05.370 imputes righteousness without works. 16:05.690 --> 16:07.250 The word impute there means charges up. 16:08.270 --> 16:13.470 God charges to your account righteousness, apart from your works. 16:14.450 --> 16:18.650 Quoting David, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are 16:18.650 --> 16:19.090 covered. 16:19.090 --> 16:24.450 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not charge sin. 16:25.190 --> 16:27.290 That is what justification means. 16:27.430 --> 16:29.050 That's why the confessional is meaningless. 16:30.290 --> 16:32.210 That's why penance is meaningless. 16:32.910 --> 16:38.390 That's why Roman Catholic theology involving works as an adjunct means to 16:38.390 --> 16:40.030 salvation is meaningless. 16:40.990 --> 16:47.270 Because Paul's argument, the great authority on the law is, Do you not 16:47.270 --> 16:55.010 understand, Abraham, our father after the flesh, was acquitted before God on the 16:55.010 --> 16:55.930 basis of his faith. 16:57.610 --> 17:02.910 Well if the father of our faith was acquitted that way, so must we be. 17:03.790 --> 17:04.750 And then he quotes David. 17:05.670 --> 17:11.170 To him that does not work for us, says Paul, but believes, his faith is 17:11.170 --> 17:13.130 counted by God as righteousness. 17:13.710 --> 17:17.590 So salvation is by grace alone. 17:18.530 --> 17:27.310 Through faith in Jesus Christ, who exonerates, equips, justifies us. 17:27.310 --> 17:34.450 Through that faith, charges the righteousness of God to our account and 17:34.450 --> 17:37.530 considers us acceptable in Christ. 17:38.490 --> 17:45.730 Fills us with his spirit and enables us to detect sin in our lives so that we may 17:45.730 --> 17:48.710 confess it and walk in the light with him. 17:49.390 --> 17:54.390 That is why the Christian stands upon the foundation of grace. 17:55.110 --> 17:59.850 Not I'm saved and I can do whatever I want, but I'm saved. 18:00.290 --> 18:03.210 Now I can do what God wants me to do. 18:03.590 --> 18:06.370 That's the core of justification by faith. 18:06.490 --> 18:08.850 That is not the core of Catholic theology. 18:09.410 --> 18:11.410 Our father, bless thy word. 18:12.550 --> 18:17.290 Move our hearts and our minds that we may hear thy voice and rejoice in what thou 18:17.290 --> 18:18.210 hast done for us. 18:19.020 --> 18:22.690 Bless us and use us for the advancement of thy kingdom and the glory of thy son 18:22.690 --> 18:25.530 Jesus, in whose name we pray, with thanksgiving. 18:26.250 --> 18:26.450 Amen. 18:28.010 --> 18:32.510 Today, we're going to concentrate on the doctrine of purgatory. 18:34.330 --> 18:39.430 And to do that, we have to use Roman Catholic Catechism, which I happen to have 18:39.430 --> 18:43.830 a copy of since I attended and graduated from Catholic school. 18:47.520 --> 18:50.940 It is instantly fallacious that I was a Roman Catholic. 18:51.420 --> 18:54.000 I had a number of years of Catholic education. 18:54.160 --> 18:58.360 I almost became a Roman Catholic because the system was so logical, but 18:58.360 --> 19:00.340 theologically fallacious. 19:00.920 --> 19:04.980 And so the Lord saved me and brought me into the absolute truth of the Southern 19:04.980 --> 19:05.840 Baptist Convention. 19:07.280 --> 19:09.780 I thought you Pentecostals would laugh at that. 19:11.080 --> 19:12.240 What is purgatory? 19:12.460 --> 19:13.200 Page 213. 19:14.040 --> 19:17.680 Purgatory is the state in which those suffer for a time who die guilty of venial 19:17.680 --> 19:22.560 sins, or without having satisfied for the punishment due to their sins. 19:23.140 --> 19:24.820 How do we know there is a purgatory? 19:25.680 --> 19:29.940 We know there is a purgatory from the constant teaching of the Church. 19:32.760 --> 19:34.280 Just want that to sink in. 19:35.540 --> 19:36.820 And from Scripture. 19:38.020 --> 19:39.120 The Scripture is cited. 19:39.220 --> 19:42.240 I want you to open your Bibles, too, and look at it. 19:45.740 --> 19:51.480 Matthew 16, verse 27. 19:51.800 --> 19:56.180 Roman Catholic Catechism says we know there is a purgatory from Scripture. 19:56.820 --> 20:01.080 So we will go to the Scripture, which they cite, to see if indeed the 20:01.080 --> 20:02.540 Scripture does state this. 20:05.060 --> 20:13.540 27th verse reads, For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of the Father with his 20:13.540 --> 20:18.720 angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 20:21.480 --> 20:25.360 If there is any connection between this and the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, 20:25.980 --> 20:32.320 it certainly escaped every Christian theologian up until the 6th century of the 20:32.320 --> 20:32.520 Christian age. 20:32.520 --> 20:39.660 It was not until the 6th century that Gregory I pronounced on purgatory. 20:40.880 --> 20:51.260 It was not until the year 1439 that purgatory was proclaimed as a dogma by the 20:51.260 --> 20:53.480 Council of Florence of the Roman Catholic Church. 20:56.320 --> 21:03.660 So, the doctrine or dogma, as it is more properly called, had its origin not in 21:03.660 --> 21:09.240 Matthew 16, verse 27, which in context is referring to the second coming of Jesus 21:09.240 --> 21:09.720 Christ. 21:10.560 --> 21:14.960 Nothing to do with purgatory whatsoever, since purgatory, by definition, 21:15.720 --> 21:20.960 is a place of temporal punishment for those who have committed venial sins. 21:20.960 --> 21:28.260 And when those sins are expunged, removed from the person, by masses said 21:28.260 --> 21:34.300 for them, prayers said for them, penance done, and all forms of works, 21:35.620 --> 21:41.760 then the person is released from purgatory and is permitted to go into heaven. 21:41.760 --> 21:49.320 If you die with a mortal sin on your soul, unconfessed, you go directly to hell, 21:50.140 --> 21:51.580 which is a biblical doctrine. 21:52.140 --> 21:55.580 Luke chapter 16 and many other passages. 21:56.420 --> 22:04.080 But purgatory itself does not appear either by name or by support in Matthew 22:04.080 --> 22:06.440 chapter 16, verse 27. 22:06.440 --> 22:12.420 Roman Catholics argue, well, the Trinity doesn't appear by name either in the New 22:12.420 --> 22:12.700 Testament. 22:14.580 --> 22:18.300 So don't harp on the fact that purgatory doesn't appear there. 22:19.000 --> 22:19.500 Quite so. 22:20.120 --> 22:23.980 The Trinity, Trinitas, does not appear there in the Greek text. 22:24.600 --> 22:27.840 But the doctrine of the Trinity does. 22:28.640 --> 22:34.020 Matthew chapter 28, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 22:34.020 --> 22:34.800 Spirit. 22:34.800 --> 22:39.300 The Father is called God, 2 Peter chapter 2. 22:40.120 --> 22:44.000 The Son is called God, excuse me, chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1. 22:44.500 --> 22:47.260 The Son is called God, John 1, 1. 22:47.720 --> 22:51.800 The Holy Spirit is called God, Acts 5, 3 and 4. 22:52.780 --> 22:56.360 And the Bible says, 1 Timothy 2, there is only one God. 22:57.000 --> 23:00.120 So the doctrine is there empirically and inductively. 23:00.640 --> 23:03.100 There is a person called the Father, God. 23:03.100 --> 23:05.480 There is a person called the Son, God. 23:05.620 --> 23:08.000 There is a person called the Holy Spirit, God. 23:08.180 --> 23:10.000 There is one God. 23:10.360 --> 23:16.060 Conclusion, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the one God. 23:16.360 --> 23:18.340 You say, I don't understand that. 23:18.880 --> 23:20.600 No, you don't understand that. 23:20.760 --> 23:25.720 And you will not understand that because unless you are God, you cannot understand 23:25.720 --> 23:27.400 how God is God. 23:28.400 --> 23:29.260 Understand that? 23:31.360 --> 23:32.940 That you should get right away. 23:33.600 --> 23:38.200 And since you are not God, you will not understand how God is God. 23:38.760 --> 23:41.480 You have enough difficulty with yourself. 23:42.880 --> 23:48.840 Understanding who you are, what you are doing, and what is going on in the zoo you 23:48.840 --> 23:49.440 live in. 23:50.180 --> 23:55.180 Without saying, I can't understand how God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 23:55.180 --> 23:59.500 Cheer up, there will be a time when you will understand that. 23:59.760 --> 24:04.520 But that will be when we are like Him and we shall see Him as He is. 24:04.700 --> 24:07.440 Then we'll understand how God is God. 24:07.760 --> 24:09.960 Because He will tell us. 24:10.940 --> 24:17.500 But until then, God says, believe me, I'm the Father, I'm the Son, I'm the Holy 24:17.500 --> 24:17.880 Spirit. 24:18.220 --> 24:20.260 Does it make any difference if you understand it or not? 24:20.800 --> 24:21.600 That's me. 24:22.500 --> 24:25.200 And that's what Scripture says, so we believe it. 24:25.600 --> 24:28.080 So, that's a far cry from Purgatory. 24:29.000 --> 24:31.840 Which has no support in Matthew 16 at all, as you just saw. 24:32.420 --> 24:33.640 Alright, let's check the other text. 24:36.400 --> 24:38.700 Revelation chapter 21, verse 27. 24:39.440 --> 24:42.600 They call it Apocalypse, but you can turn to it. 24:43.980 --> 24:48.420 21, Revelation 21, again verse 27. 24:50.500 --> 24:54.640 I do not think they will have any more success with verse 27 here than they did 24:54.640 --> 24:57.540 in verse 27 in Matthew 16. 24:59.160 --> 25:07.040 There shall no wise enter in anything that defiles, either works abomination or makes 25:07.040 --> 25:11.240 a lie, but they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. 25:12.220 --> 25:16.540 This is a description of the New Jerusalem, of the Holy City. 25:17.600 --> 25:22.000 And has no reference to any purgation for sin, whatever. 25:23.000 --> 25:25.540 As Matthew 16, 27 does not. 25:26.400 --> 25:30.720 So, this passage cited in the Catholic Catechism is not accurate either. 25:31.460 --> 25:35.420 Finally, they cite 1 Corinthians 3, 15. 25:36.480 --> 25:38.280 1 Corinthians 3, 15. 25:39.820 --> 25:43.960 This is the one most commonly quoted to prove Purgatory. 25:44.960 --> 25:46.180 So, let's look at that one. 25:47.080 --> 25:52.460 Notice the Apostle Paul's emphasis here and the context of the passage itself. 25:55.680 --> 26:00.520 He is telling us that other foundation no man can lay, verse 11, than that which is 26:00.520 --> 26:02.500 laid, Jesus Christ. 26:03.080 --> 26:07.380 Now, if a man builds upon Christ gold, silver, precious stones, wood, 26:07.480 --> 26:11.120 hay, or stubble, every man's work will be made manifest. 26:11.760 --> 26:17.340 For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. 26:17.340 --> 26:21.900 And the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. 26:22.600 --> 26:26.660 If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a 26:26.660 --> 26:27.060 reward. 26:27.360 --> 26:28.040 See the context? 26:28.580 --> 26:33.680 Judgment, reward, punishment, not purgation. 26:34.300 --> 26:37.600 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. 26:38.040 --> 26:39.600 That is, his works will burn up. 26:40.000 --> 26:44.980 But he himself shall be saved, so as by fire, or as a result of, 26:45.300 --> 26:46.800 or through fire. 26:46.800 --> 26:52.180 So, this isn't talking about a place where you go and are burned in fire to get rid 26:52.180 --> 26:52.740 of your sins. 26:53.660 --> 26:58.940 It's talking about God's judgment of your works before the judgment seat of Christ. 26:59.320 --> 27:03.500 For we shall all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive reward 27:03.500 --> 27:06.700 or punishment for the deeds done in the body. 27:07.260 --> 27:09.580 So it's pretty clear in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 15. 27:10.300 --> 27:13.120 It's talking about, what do you build on the foundation of God? 27:13.120 --> 27:17.780 Do you build on Jesus Christ, gold, silver, and precious stones, which are the 27:17.780 --> 27:18.560 works of a believer? 27:19.420 --> 27:23.440 Or do you build wood, hay, and stubble, which is worldliness? 27:24.380 --> 27:28.260 At the day of judgment, God will test your works. 27:29.180 --> 27:34.560 And using the symbolism of fire, wood, hay, and stubble are burned. 27:35.700 --> 27:38.360 Gold, silver, and precious stones remain. 27:38.860 --> 27:39.680 What is he saying? 27:40.960 --> 27:45.160 Your works of the flesh will be consumed. 27:46.000 --> 27:51.420 And the works of the spirit, gold, silver, and precious stones will remain. 27:51.560 --> 27:52.240 There's your context. 27:52.700 --> 27:56.900 There's nothing whatever to do with a purgation after the death of the body. 27:57.740 --> 28:00.980 Now those are the three passages cited by the Catholic catechism. 28:01.320 --> 28:05.640 The doctrine of purgatory in Roman Catholic teaching has been the best 28:05.640 --> 28:07.340 business investment the church has ever made. 28:07.340 --> 28:10.900 It has no overhead, not even the need of air conditioning. 28:13.060 --> 28:19.240 It is a doctrine spawned from this theological speculation. 28:19.880 --> 28:20.100 Ready? 28:21.260 --> 28:27.180 There are some people not good enough to go to heaven, and some people not bad 28:27.180 --> 28:28.540 enough to go to hell. 28:29.560 --> 28:30.020 Conclusion. 28:30.720 --> 28:36.040 In between the horns of the dilemma, we will create a place for people to go. 28:36.860 --> 28:41.960 Those who are not good enough will be purged of what's not good in them, 28:42.440 --> 28:43.240 and they will go to heaven. 28:43.840 --> 28:48.400 Those that are not bad enough will have the bad purged out of them, and the good 28:48.400 --> 28:50.580 will emerge, and then they will go to heaven. 28:51.300 --> 28:52.240 Biblical citation? 28:52.880 --> 28:53.260 None. 28:54.220 --> 28:55.120 Chief theologian? 28:55.520 --> 28:55.920 None. 28:57.160 --> 28:58.800 Exegesis of any passages of scripture? 28:59.200 --> 28:59.640 None. 29:00.580 --> 29:01.460 How does it come about? 29:01.460 --> 29:04.460 It comes about specifically by dogma. 29:05.180 --> 29:10.060 The pronouncement of a papal council of Florence, 1439. 29:10.460 --> 29:16.660 At that point, the faithful were enjoined to believe this, under pain of spiritual 29:16.660 --> 29:17.320 punishment. 29:18.080 --> 29:21.340 And in front of the Roman Catholic Bible, you will find a statement. 29:21.980 --> 29:27.280 Which says that if you read the Bible 15 minutes a day, you receive an indulgence 29:27.280 --> 29:30.920 of 300 days off your time in purgatory. 29:32.080 --> 29:34.760 I didn't make that up, it's right there, you go read it for yourself. 29:36.100 --> 29:41.260 Now that means that, theoretically, if you are a constant Bible reader, 29:42.100 --> 29:44.580 you will never ever go to purgatory. 29:46.140 --> 29:49.080 And that's exactly the type of reasoning which was used in the day of Martin 29:49.080 --> 29:49.320 Luther. 29:50.180 --> 29:53.200 They were building St. Peter's in Rome, and they had to raise money. 29:53.960 --> 29:57.200 They'd have radio and television and crusades and all kinds of things where 29:57.200 --> 29:58.700 people come together and they could take offerings. 29:58.700 --> 30:01.100 So, they sent out representatives. 30:02.000 --> 30:04.580 The representatives went around selling indulgences. 30:05.520 --> 30:11.460 An indulgence was to get your time off in purgatory, so that you would be saved. 30:12.780 --> 30:20.580 So, Dr. Tetzel went throughout Germany and carried a large casket with him, 30:21.600 --> 30:22.580 a chest. 30:23.660 --> 30:28.520 And they opened it before the altar, and then they gave, in the name of the 30:28.520 --> 30:32.980 Pope, necessary absolution based upon the indulgences for your sins. 30:34.240 --> 30:38.840 As you dropped the money into the casket, then you were absolved. 30:39.700 --> 30:41.240 I didn't make this up, this is history. 30:42.240 --> 30:47.060 Luther didn't like this, and the Germans didn't like it either, and they had a wise 30:47.060 --> 30:47.600 sense of humor. 30:48.060 --> 30:50.460 So, they made up a little song about Tetzel. 30:51.060 --> 30:52.160 This was the song. 30:53.280 --> 30:57.800 As the groschen in the casket rings, the soul from purgatory sings. 31:00.360 --> 31:02.980 So, when they dropped the money in, the soul popped out of purgatory. 31:03.780 --> 31:06.900 That was not appreciated by the Roman Catholic Church at that time at all. 31:07.700 --> 31:08.960 Not appreciated today either. 31:09.960 --> 31:12.440 But, nevertheless, that is part of their doctrine. 31:13.390 --> 31:15.940 And this is an unbiblical doctrine. 31:16.520 --> 31:21.120 Because biblical theology clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith 31:21.120 --> 31:21.900 in Jesus Christ. 31:22.260 --> 31:24.260 We are justified by faith. 31:24.980 --> 31:29.680 Romans chapter 4 says, To him that does not work for it, but believes in the one 31:29.680 --> 31:32.460 who justifies the ungodly, Christ. 31:33.260 --> 31:37.100 His faith is charged up as righteousness. 31:37.100 --> 31:42.080 So, God charges to our account the righteousness of Christ. 31:42.620 --> 31:48.200 It stamped, paid in full, Jesus Christ. 31:48.860 --> 31:51.080 He did it all on the cross. 31:51.940 --> 31:54.880 You are going to be judged when you appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 31:55.820 --> 31:59.780 on the basis of how you lived your life for Christ. 32:00.860 --> 32:03.620 The judgment of the great white throne is not for believers. 32:04.640 --> 32:05.680 It is for unbelievers. 32:05.680 --> 32:11.100 For those who have turned aside and become the abominable, and the liars, 32:11.320 --> 32:15.960 and the whoremongers, and the adulterers, and all liars who find their part in the 32:15.960 --> 32:17.440 lake that burns with fire and sulfur. 32:18.120 --> 32:22.320 So, purgatory does not have a biblical basis. 32:22.840 --> 32:30.280 The heart of the doctrine of purgatory is mirrored in a statement by Saint Gertrude, 32:30.660 --> 32:32.380 who wrote a great deal on the subject. 32:32.380 --> 32:38.040 Quote, Even if Christ were to grant me in this state a free entrance into heaven, 32:38.380 --> 32:43.840 I would not accept it, for all resplendent as I look in your eyes, I know I am not 32:43.840 --> 32:47.000 yet a fit spouse for my Lord. 32:47.340 --> 32:47.900 Close quote. 32:48.240 --> 32:48.740 Page 11. 32:49.320 --> 32:51.240 Great humility, Saint Gertrude had. 32:51.840 --> 32:53.640 She wasn't a fit spouse for Christ. 32:54.580 --> 32:57.340 None of us are in ourselves. 32:58.060 --> 33:05.580 It is the righteousness of God by faith that makes us acceptable in the Beloved. 33:06.280 --> 33:13.780 They had mistaken human humility for justification. 33:15.000 --> 33:20.800 You can't get justification for your sins through human exercise of humility. 33:21.400 --> 33:26.560 It has to be by the recognition that none of us are worthy, and that in Christ alone 33:26.560 --> 33:29.040 have we our peace with God. 33:29.560 --> 33:36.660 Finally, and I will deal with this later on also, the scripture specifically tells 33:36.660 --> 33:40.920 us that we are to come to Christ and he will give us rest. 33:41.420 --> 33:49.840 The scripture says, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, When the believer is absent from the 33:49.840 --> 33:55.400 body, 2 Corinthians 5, The believer is at home with the Lord. 33:56.440 --> 34:00.380 It does not say the believer is in purgatory until one is purged of sin and 34:00.380 --> 34:01.300 goes to be with the Lord. 34:02.200 --> 34:06.380 It says, absent from the body, at home with the Lord. 34:07.100 --> 34:10.280 Philippians chapter 1 mirrors the Apostle Paul's interest. 34:11.080 --> 34:11.980 He is getting ready to die. 34:13.240 --> 34:15.100 What does this great Apostle look forward to? 34:15.800 --> 34:17.600 He says he is the least of the Apostles. 34:18.440 --> 34:19.600 He persecuted the church. 34:19.700 --> 34:20.580 He doesn't deserve anything. 34:21.260 --> 34:22.220 What does he say? 34:23.420 --> 34:27.580 Philippians 1.21, For to me to live is Christ. 34:28.280 --> 34:29.940 To die is prophet. 34:30.940 --> 34:35.640 I am torn between two things, whether to depart and be with Christ, which is far 34:35.640 --> 34:38.220 better, or to stay here, which is more necessary for you. 34:39.080 --> 34:40.580 What was he looking forward to when he died? 34:41.080 --> 34:43.580 To depart and be with Christ. 34:43.880 --> 34:45.900 This is far better. 34:46.680 --> 34:52.180 You and I are accounted righteous on the basis of the sacrifice of our Lord. 34:53.000 --> 34:56.160 We have peace with God through the death of the cross. 34:57.260 --> 35:04.360 And by the glory of the resurrection, we become the sons of God, following our 35:04.360 --> 35:09.280 Redeemer, who is declared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from among 35:09.280 --> 35:09.700 the dead. 35:10.540 --> 35:16.460 Purgatory is a human invention to solve a philosophical human dilemma. 35:16.460 --> 35:19.200 It is not a biblical truth. 35:20.100 --> 35:21.540 Biblical truth is very simple. 35:22.160 --> 35:28.700 Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for sin forever and sat down at the right hand of 35:28.700 --> 35:29.020 God. 35:29.640 --> 35:36.560 He has forever sanctified by that offering those that believe, the writer of Hebrews 35:36.560 --> 35:37.240 tells us. 35:37.840 --> 35:43.900 I close with a great passage in Hebrews chapter 4, reminding us that there is no 35:43.900 --> 35:48.440 need to invent doctrines of purgatory, for in Hebrews chapter 1 we are told, 35:49.220 --> 35:54.300 Jesus Christ, who is the image of God, the very character and nature of God in 35:54.300 --> 36:03.960 human flesh, verse 3, purged us of our sins, all by himself, and sat down at the 36:03.960 --> 36:05.780 right hand of the Majesty on high. 36:06.680 --> 36:12.860 Hebrews 4 says, Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through 36:12.860 --> 36:17.340 the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold on tight to our confession. 36:18.020 --> 36:20.920 For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our 36:20.920 --> 36:26.080 infirmities, but he was at all points tested, like as we are, yet without sin. 36:26.680 --> 36:33.000 Let us therefore come with confidence to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and 36:33.000 --> 36:35.260 grace to help us in our time of need. 36:35.980 --> 36:42.560 There is no purgatory, not because I say so, but because Scripture says so. 36:42.560 --> 36:48.220 There is no purgatory because Christ's sacrifice alone is sufficient for all sin. 36:49.220 --> 36:53.740 Should we ever doubt it, 1 John puts that doubt to rest forever. 36:55.260 --> 37:00.760 Jesus Christ is the satisfaction for all our sins. 37:01.460 --> 37:09.380 1 John 2.2 And not for ours only, but for the sin of the whole world. 37:10.060 --> 37:15.120 You don't need purgatory, you don't need penance, you don't need masses, 37:15.360 --> 37:20.460 you don't need contributions, you don't need indulgences, and you don't need human 37:20.460 --> 37:21.280 dogmas. 37:21.600 --> 37:25.120 All you need now is what you have always needed. 37:25.780 --> 37:30.680 Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today, forever. 37:31.580 --> 37:34.440 He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says. 37:34.440 --> 37:41.740 And as Protestants, rejoice, because when the Son sets you free, you are free 37:41.740 --> 37:42.620 indeed. 37:43.260 --> 37:43.500 Amen. 37:44.520 --> 37:46.120 Our Father, bless Thy word. 37:47.500 --> 37:51.280 Touch our hearts with it, that we may go forth from this place to apply it in our 37:51.280 --> 37:53.100 lives, and touch the lives of others. 37:53.800 --> 37:54.780 Cleanse us of our sins. 37:55.700 --> 37:57.920 Make us good vessels for the service of the Lord Jesus. 37:58.680 --> 37:59.480 In His name. 38:00.220 --> 38:00.460 Amen. 38:05.070 --> 38:13.070 It should be a very interesting point of observation that Catholic theology is 38:13.070 --> 38:19.670 built around the Mass as the core of its system of exegesis. 38:20.390 --> 38:22.070 Everything is related to the Mass. 38:22.750 --> 38:27.070 For at the sacrifice of the Mass, the priest offers, according to Catholic 38:27.070 --> 38:29.550 theology, an unbloody sacrifice. 38:30.270 --> 38:36.390 At the moment that he raises the chalice at the altar, the consecration takes 38:36.390 --> 38:36.770 place. 38:37.490 --> 38:42.330 And the bread and the wine become, and I quote, the body, soul, blood, 38:42.410 --> 38:48.070 and divinity of Jesus Christ upon the altar as an unbloody sacrifice. 38:49.010 --> 38:53.050 The repetition, if you will, mystically, of Calvary. 38:54.690 --> 39:00.010 It's therefore no surprise that since this is the core of Catholic theology, 39:00.350 --> 39:04.270 the Catholic Church writes a great deal on the subject of the Mass, quotes a great 39:04.270 --> 39:10.710 deal of materials on the Mass, and requires attendance at the Mass under 39:10.710 --> 39:12.190 penalty of mortal sin. 39:12.510 --> 39:17.150 Which means if you die, and you have not attended Mass, and not been to confession 39:17.150 --> 39:19.830 as a result of that, you immediately go to hell. 39:20.410 --> 39:22.070 There is no such thing as purgatory. 39:22.070 --> 39:26.870 So the Mass is mandatory under penalty of mortal sin. 39:28.170 --> 39:32.430 Because of this great emphasis upon the Mass, it behooves us as Christians, 39:32.910 --> 39:37.670 Protestant Christians, to analyze the doctrine of the Mass in the light of 39:37.670 --> 39:38.790 biblical theology. 39:39.850 --> 39:45.270 Now, Lorraine Bettner, the great Reformation theologian, has pointed out 39:45.270 --> 39:53.070 that the sacrifice of the Mass did not actually attain any real status, 39:53.450 --> 39:59.570 that is, mandatory status and attention in Roman Catholicism until the twelfth 39:59.570 --> 40:01.310 century of the Christian era. 40:01.970 --> 40:07.110 Which means that up until that time, there were different views concerning 40:07.110 --> 40:10.150 what, quote, the Mass was, close quote. 40:10.950 --> 40:18.110 For instance, Pope Gregory I in 590 A.D., whose theology in many areas was very 40:18.110 --> 40:23.590 reminiscent of modern Christian theology, that is, classic Christian theology as we 40:23.590 --> 40:24.270 understand it. 40:25.330 --> 40:32.490 Gregory lashed out against the people who said that it was unnecessary to take both 40:32.490 --> 40:34.850 the bread and the wine at the Lord's Supper. 40:35.530 --> 40:44.110 And Gregory said, we, the holy Catholic Church, do anathematize, that means curse, 40:45.870 --> 40:53.090 and excommunicate all those who say it is not necessary to take both the bread and 40:53.090 --> 40:55.110 the cup at the communion. 40:56.090 --> 40:57.470 Well, that's pretty strong language. 40:58.150 --> 41:00.910 We curse you and we excommunicate you. 41:02.010 --> 41:07.070 And, of course, you have a later Pope dealing with the doctrine of the Mass and 41:07.070 --> 41:12.410 he says, I believe it was innocent III, quote, We, the holy Catholic Church, 41:12.950 --> 41:18.830 do anathematize and excommunicate all those who say it is necessary to take both 41:18.830 --> 41:21.410 the bread and the cup at the communion. 41:21.810 --> 41:22.630 Sacrifice of the Mass. 41:23.730 --> 41:25.850 Well, now, you're damned coming and going. 41:27.330 --> 41:31.630 You're damned by Gregory I if you don't do it, and you're damned by innocent III if 41:31.630 --> 41:32.270 you say you have to. 41:33.770 --> 41:38.410 So, you see, there have been differences of opinion throughout the years on the 41:38.410 --> 41:39.230 subject of the Mass. 41:39.790 --> 41:45.170 But it has been crystallized pretty much in our day so that you take the bread and 41:45.170 --> 41:49.910 the wafer, the wafer being dipped in the bread, or they will let you drink the cup 41:49.910 --> 41:51.870 now in the Roman Catholic Church. 41:52.470 --> 41:58.110 So, the sacrifice of the Mass has evolved in Catholic theology as the center of the 41:58.110 --> 41:59.270 entire system. 42:00.350 --> 42:03.110 Now, if we're going to deal with it, we have to know what verses the Catholic 42:03.110 --> 42:06.650 Church uses to push the doctrine of the Mass. 42:06.650 --> 42:13.030 And I think that this can be pretty easily explained by pointing out that the Lord 42:13.030 --> 42:17.330 Jesus Christ, when he gave the Lord's Supper in the Gospel of Matthew, 42:18.070 --> 42:20.290 said, this is my body which is broken for you. 42:21.050 --> 42:26.570 And then he gave the cup and said, drink it, because this is the, 42:26.670 --> 42:31.790 what, new covenant in my blood which is given for many for the remission of sins. 42:32.310 --> 42:36.570 And then he went on to say it was necessary in John chapter 6 to eat my 42:36.570 --> 42:40.690 flesh and drink my blood, or else you have no life in you. 42:41.470 --> 42:44.670 So, Catholic theology relies heavily on the Last Supper. 42:45.390 --> 42:50.390 It relies heavily on 1 Corinthians 11, where the Apostle Paul repeats the Last 42:50.390 --> 42:51.230 Supper language. 42:51.770 --> 42:54.350 And it relies heavily on John chapter 6. 42:54.490 --> 42:57.890 Those are the three major areas of Catholic concentration. 42:58.650 --> 43:01.390 How, then, do we respond to this? 43:01.390 --> 43:08.030 Well, if you open your Bibles to the Gospel of John, Gospel of John chapter 6, 43:08.910 --> 43:15.190 there is a very clear-cut statement made concerning the Lord's Supper. 43:17.670 --> 43:25.490 Jesus described himself as the bread of life that came down from heaven to give 43:25.490 --> 43:26.750 life to the world. 43:27.410 --> 43:31.070 That's verses 48, 50, and 51, John 6. 43:31.070 --> 43:36.150 Jesus Christ described himself as the bread of life that came down from heaven 43:36.150 --> 43:37.950 to give life to the world. 43:39.030 --> 43:43.270 Now, the Lord further identifies his flesh with living bread. 43:44.430 --> 43:45.170 Verse 51. 43:46.230 --> 43:50.290 And states that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 43:51.050 --> 43:53.670 you have no life in you. 43:54.130 --> 43:54.850 Verse 53. 43:55.250 --> 43:56.790 These are great Catholic texts. 43:57.510 --> 43:59.090 And they use them repeatedly. 44:00.510 --> 44:04.950 Now, that the Lord Jesus Christ was using highly figurative language at this point 44:04.950 --> 44:10.650 is rather clear from the fact that both the Jews and his disciples were 44:10.650 --> 44:13.310 interpreting his words literally. 44:13.970 --> 44:17.970 Verses 52, verses 60, and verse 61. 44:18.910 --> 44:28.030 Jesus goes out of his way deliberately to contradict a literal interpretation of his 44:28.030 --> 44:28.350 words. 44:28.350 --> 44:30.770 They were saying, how can you eat his flesh? 44:31.110 --> 44:32.090 How can you drink his blood? 44:32.830 --> 44:34.550 That was a violation of Moses' law. 44:34.630 --> 44:35.550 That was cannibalism. 44:36.190 --> 44:37.230 You couldn't do that. 44:37.950 --> 44:40.090 How could he be talking about eating flesh and drinking blood? 44:40.650 --> 44:43.450 And many of his disciples were upset by what he said. 44:44.770 --> 44:46.970 Christ was using figurative language. 44:47.790 --> 44:50.750 And he makes that very clear in verse 63. 44:51.830 --> 44:59.070 The words that I am speaking to you, they are spirit and they are life. 45:00.070 --> 45:03.030 The flesh profits nothing. 45:04.090 --> 45:10.710 The Lord Jesus Christ clearly taught that belief in him was the equivalent of eating 45:10.710 --> 45:14.090 his flesh and drinking his blood. 45:14.550 --> 45:17.090 Verses 35 and 36. 45:18.050 --> 45:23.610 So, once you understand figurative language, you don't have any difficulty 45:23.610 --> 45:30.570 understanding John chapter 6, the Last Supper, or Paul's remarks in 1 Corinthians 45:30.570 --> 45:31.910 chapter 11. 45:32.410 --> 45:34.910 Jesus often used figurative language. 45:35.590 --> 45:41.190 I am the door, which you expect him to be made of wood and have hinges. 45:42.030 --> 45:47.710 I am the good shepherd, that he literally have a flock of sheep and a shepherd's 45:47.710 --> 45:47.990 prod. 45:47.990 --> 45:49.970 I am the vine. 45:50.450 --> 45:51.650 Was he a vegetable? 45:52.410 --> 45:54.910 I am the light of the world. 45:55.430 --> 45:59.210 Was he a sun shining on our planet? 46:00.370 --> 46:01.510 I am the way. 46:02.150 --> 46:03.990 Was he something that you walked upon? 46:04.950 --> 46:09.870 All of these, quite obviously, are figurative usages. 46:10.570 --> 46:16.990 In John chapter 6, he said, He that comes to me shall never be hungry. 46:17.490 --> 46:22.670 He that believes in me will never be thirsty. 46:23.290 --> 46:24.990 Do you notice the emphasis there? 46:25.710 --> 46:30.570 Hunger, thirst, eat, drink, flesh, blood. 46:31.670 --> 46:32.990 See the parallel? 46:33.930 --> 46:36.350 To come to Jesus Christ is never to hunger again. 46:37.250 --> 46:43.350 And to believe in Jesus Christ is to eat the bread that came down from heaven and 46:43.350 --> 46:44.230 to live forevermore. 46:46.010 --> 46:49.630 Of course, in the communion, there is a mystical element. 46:50.670 --> 46:52.530 I believe it is far more than symbolism. 46:53.410 --> 46:57.750 I believe when we go to the Lord's table, we should go there reverently and properly 46:57.750 --> 46:59.990 understand the Lord's sacrifice on the cross. 47:00.470 --> 47:01.450 It was for us. 47:02.390 --> 47:09.230 Upon the cross of Jesus, mine eyes at times can see the very dying form of one 47:09.230 --> 47:11.370 who suffered there, to me. 47:11.990 --> 47:17.710 In other words, when we take communion, we are reliving ourselves what Calvary 47:17.710 --> 47:18.850 means to us. 47:19.810 --> 47:25.590 We are participating in his life given for us on the cross. 47:26.210 --> 47:27.850 We have come to him. 47:28.390 --> 47:29.370 We will never be hungry. 47:29.370 --> 47:31.410 We are believing in him. 47:31.610 --> 47:33.170 We will never be thirsty. 47:33.990 --> 47:36.230 We are eating of the bread from heaven. 47:36.470 --> 47:38.810 We are drinking of the life of God. 47:39.870 --> 47:46.170 And this figurative language, Jesus said, is meant to communicate the words I am 47:46.170 --> 47:49.690 speaking are spirit and they are life. 47:50.650 --> 47:52.510 The flesh means nothing. 47:53.510 --> 47:57.710 In other words, Jesus was saying, why are you interpreting what I say 47:57.710 --> 47:58.430 literally? 47:58.430 --> 48:03.150 You know as a rabbi, I cannot contradict Moses' law. 48:03.690 --> 48:06.910 I cannot teach cannibalism. 48:08.310 --> 48:10.010 So why are you upset? 48:10.170 --> 48:11.910 Why are you scandalized by this? 48:12.530 --> 48:13.230 You shouldn't be. 48:14.050 --> 48:16.910 Because what I am telling you is spirit and life. 48:17.590 --> 48:18.850 The flesh will profit you nothing. 48:19.930 --> 48:21.410 Come to me and you will never be hungry. 48:22.350 --> 48:23.690 Believe in me and you will never be thirsty. 48:23.690 --> 48:27.110 Because in doing that you eat my flesh and drink my blood. 48:27.490 --> 48:29.230 You have eternal life. 48:30.690 --> 48:32.770 This is very clear in John chapter 6. 48:33.630 --> 48:35.370 In both Greek and in English. 48:36.050 --> 48:41.050 But the moment you take it literally, at that particular moment, you are 48:41.050 --> 48:44.110 adopting the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. 48:44.910 --> 48:50.490 That is that it changes from bread and wine to actual blood and flesh. 48:50.490 --> 48:55.410 And that though it appears to be wine and bread, you are actually eating the flesh 48:55.410 --> 48:58.030 and the blood of Jesus Christ at that moment. 48:58.850 --> 49:01.010 That simply cannot be. 49:01.710 --> 49:08.610 For the Lord Jesus Christ has entered once into the holiest of all with his own 49:08.610 --> 49:13.130 blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 49:13.970 --> 49:16.270 Look at what the scripture says on this subject. 49:16.270 --> 49:22.190 Hebrews chapter 10, verse 14 and verse 10. 49:23.330 --> 49:31.610 For by one offering, one sacrifice, Christ has perfected forever those who are 49:31.610 --> 49:33.410 sanctified or set apart. 49:34.470 --> 49:41.710 We have been sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 49:41.770 --> 49:43.090 Or the Greek says just once. 49:44.570 --> 49:49.570 So if this is true, there is not a continuous sacrifice. 49:50.810 --> 49:51.830 And of course this is true. 49:52.650 --> 49:55.430 There is no unbloody mass or unbloody sacrifice. 49:56.550 --> 50:01.430 Because we have been sanctified already through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, 50:01.810 --> 50:03.970 and this was written before the close of the first century. 50:04.890 --> 50:09.570 God took care of it all then, you do not have to repeat it afterwards. 50:09.570 --> 50:15.830 And of course we have been sanctified by that sacrifice once for all. 50:16.290 --> 50:22.470 When the Catholic Church uses John 6, Matthew 26, 1 Corinthians 11, remember 50:22.470 --> 50:29.110 that their interpretation violates the context, violates the grammar and the use 50:29.110 --> 50:29.690 of language. 50:30.370 --> 50:33.370 We are talking about figurative language. 50:33.370 --> 50:39.430 Also in the ninth chapter of Hebrews, we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ on the 50:39.430 --> 50:47.030 cross, at the time of his resurrection, entered into the holiest of all. 50:47.550 --> 50:49.470 Hebrews 9, verse 12. 50:50.250 --> 50:53.250 He entered into heaven itself with his own blood. 50:53.970 --> 50:56.190 Greek is explicit here. 50:56.430 --> 50:56.870 Past tense. 50:57.430 --> 51:03.210 Having obtained eternal redemption for us. 51:03.850 --> 51:05.330 Listen to the Catholic dictionary. 51:05.750 --> 51:05.990 Quote. 51:06.590 --> 51:09.950 Every day in the sacrifice of the mass he remains that sacrifice. 51:10.610 --> 51:14.430 The mass is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross. 51:14.930 --> 51:15.510 No it isn't. 51:16.290 --> 51:18.650 Because Hebrews 9, verse 12 says that is over with. 51:19.670 --> 51:21.750 He has already obtained eternal redemption. 51:21.750 --> 51:23.050 No it isn't. 51:23.310 --> 51:27.910 Hebrews 10, 12 and 14 says one sacrifice for sin forever. 51:29.630 --> 51:37.670 Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3 says by himself he purged our sins and sat down at the 51:37.670 --> 51:38.930 right hand of God. 51:40.010 --> 51:45.490 So we learn that in John 6 we are dealing with figurative language. 51:46.310 --> 51:50.870 Matthew 26, 1 Corinthians 11, figurative language. 51:50.870 --> 51:52.570 Not literal. 51:52.930 --> 51:57.570 It is emblematic, symbolic of spiritual truth. 51:57.990 --> 52:02.550 The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. 52:03.010 --> 52:04.790 The flesh will profit you nothing. 52:05.430 --> 52:11.550 When we come to the Lord's table, we come as Protestants rejoicing that we 52:11.550 --> 52:18.290 are celebrating the fact that almost 2,000 years ago on the cross, Jesus Christ paid 52:18.290 --> 52:19.670 the penalty for all our sins. 52:20.870 --> 52:26.590 He entered into heaven itself with his own blood, first century, and obtained eternal 52:26.590 --> 52:27.610 redemption for us. 52:28.670 --> 52:34.130 Therefore, having been justified by faith, let us have peace with God. 52:34.210 --> 52:38.970 No, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. 52:39.710 --> 52:43.110 And we are redeemed by his blood. 52:43.550 --> 52:46.830 His life was exchanged for our lives. 52:47.490 --> 52:50.330 And because of him, we have peace with God. 52:51.030 --> 52:57.490 The sacrifice of the mass is believed by Roman Catholics because the church says it 52:57.490 --> 52:59.690 is to be believed on penalty of mortal sin. 53:00.730 --> 53:05.210 They hold the people in a grip of fear on the sacrifice of the mass. 53:05.210 --> 53:12.950 To that, we stand upon the scriptures with Luther and Calvin and all the great 53:12.950 --> 53:19.110 theologians of the Reformation and we shout back in the direction of Rome these 53:19.110 --> 53:22.630 words, not defiantly, but triumphantly. 53:23.550 --> 53:29.410 If the Son will make you free, you are free indeed. 53:30.070 --> 53:35.910 You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. 53:36.410 --> 53:43.470 God has set us free from the doctrine of the mass by teaching us that Jesus Christ 53:43.470 --> 53:47.710 once for all paid the penalty for sin. 53:49.110 --> 53:52.270 Our Father, sanctify us through thy truth. 53:53.110 --> 53:54.470 Thy word is truth. 53:55.270 --> 54:00.530 Speak to our hearts and minds and help us to rejoice that the Son of God has set us 54:00.530 --> 54:00.790 free. 54:01.250 --> 54:02.330 We are free indeed. 54:02.990 --> 54:07.910 Send us forth from this place to glorify thy Son Jesus, to rejoice in thy salvation 54:08.470 --> 54:15.350 and to know that thou hast loved us before time began and has redeemed us once for 54:15.350 --> 54:17.550 all in the cross of Jesus Christ. 54:18.230 --> 54:20.990 Set us apart, sanctify us forever. 54:20.990 --> 54:27.270 We worship you and praise you for that salvation by grace alone, through faith in 54:27.270 --> 54:29.490 Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. 54:30.110 --> 54:30.350 Amen.