Participants: David Shin
Series Code: 11POFCM
Program Code: 11POFCM000004
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00:49 Hello and welcome to Thompsonville once again
00:51 to the 3ABN Worship Center as we continue 00:54 our 2011 Spring Camp Meeting. 00:57 We're beginning the day with the Lord at our side, 01:00 the Holy Spirit in our hearts. 01:01 And we are preparing our minds, our ears and our eyes 01:04 to receive what the Lord has in store for us. 01:07 And thank you for joining us. If you're busy right now, 01:10 we'd like to encourage you to stand still, maybe sit down. 01:13 Invite your family members to join you for this wonderful 01:16 message entitled "Does Truth Really Matter? " 01:20 In our day and age there is so much diversity in religion 01:23 that truth doesn't seem to make it to the top of the pile. 01:26 But the truth of God does matter. Can you say Amen? 01:29 Amen. And Pastor David Shin is going to bring us 01:32 a Bible-centered message from the Word of God. 01:35 We want to pray for his anointing. 01:37 We want to pray for the Lord to be glorified in the message. 01:40 But we also want to encourage you to listen very carefully 01:43 because we are living in a day and age of diversity 01:45 where truth is losing its relevance. 01:48 And the Lord still has a message for every one of us. 01:52 If you are in the southern Illinois area 01:54 or driving distance, we'd like to encourage you to come 01:57 to Spring Camp Meeting. 01:58 There are many, many more messages to come. 02:00 Maybe about 19 more messages or 20 more. 02:03 So we encourage you to come. We have Pastor C.D. Brooks, 02:06 uh, Dr. Rock. We're going to have Pastor Stephen Bohr. 02:10 Oh, the list goes on and on 02:12 and if you could come, we'd like to have you here 02:14 for this Spirit-filled weekend. 02:17 But before we invite Pastor David Shin 02:19 the Lord has given me the opportunity to open your hearts 02:22 through this song that simply says 02:25 if there's a place that you can find courage and strength 02:28 it is by turning your eyes upon Jesus. 02:53 O soul, 02:56 are you weary and troubled? 03:01 No light in the darkness 03:06 you see? 03:10 There's light for a look at 03:15 the Savior, 03:19 And there's life more abundant 03:24 and free! 03:29 Turn your eyes upon 03:34 Jesus, 03:37 Look full in His wonderful 03:42 face, 03:45 And the things of earth 03:48 will grow strangely dim 03:55 In the light 03:57 of His glory 04:00 and grace. 04:18 His Word will not fail you 04:22 He's promised; 04:26 Believe it 04:28 and all will be well: 04:34 Then go to a world 04:37 that is dying 04:41 with His perfect salvation to 04:47 tell! 04:52 Turn your eyes 04:55 upon Jesus, 04:59 Look full in His wonderful 05:04 face; 05:06 And the things of earth 05:12 will grow strangely dim 05:19 In the light of His 05:22 glory and grace. 05:30 In the light of His 05:33 glory 05:36 and grace. 05:45 In the light of God's 05:49 glory 05:51 and grace. 06:03 Amen. 06:13 Thank you, John. 06:14 Hasn't the music here been absolutely beautiful? 06:18 Amen. 06:20 We need to keep our eyes fix on Jesus as we 06:23 approach His imminent second coming. 06:27 Can't hear me? 06:35 Let's bow our heads for prayer. 06:39 Our Father in heaven, we thank You 06:41 this morning for the privilege and opportunity 06:44 that we have to come into agreement 06:48 of Your holy scriptures... 06:50 to open Your holy Word. 06:52 And as we delve into today's seminar topic 06:56 we pray that You would speak to each one of our hearts. 06:59 Amen. As we talk about the nature of truth 07:03 as we look at Jesus 07:06 who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life 07:11 we pray that all the things of this earth 07:15 would grow strangely dim 07:18 in the light of His glory and grace. 07:23 We pray that as we approach these uncertain times 07:26 of the future that our feet would be firmly grounded 07:32 in the rock of Jesus Christ. 07:35 Lord, we pray that You'd help us to love the truth 07:38 because Jesus is Truth. 07:41 For we ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen. 07:46 Our seminar this morning is entitled 07:50 "Does Truth Really Matter? " 07:53 And it's going to be a Bible study 07:56 on the nature of truth. 07:58 And many people have asked the question: 08:02 "does truth really matter? " 08:04 "Does it matter what one believes? " 08:07 And we live in a culture today where the answer is 08:12 unfortunately "no. " 08:15 We live in a culture where as long as one believes in 08:19 something it doesn't matter what you believe. 08:24 And it's almost a respectful standpoint of view 08:28 but I think they've taken it a little bit too far 08:30 in which they say: "What you believe is good for you 08:35 and what I believe is good for me. 08:38 And let's not judge each other. 08:41 Let's not talk about the nature of truth. 08:43 What works for me works for me and what works for you 08:47 works for you. " 08:51 Furthermore, we live in an age where absolute truth 08:55 is denied as even existing. 08:59 We call that relativism. 09:02 Relativism holds the mantra 09:06 that all truth is relative. 09:10 I heard one philosopher say that, in response to relativism, 09:14 that if all truth is relative 09:17 then the statement itself is relative 09:22 and you have said nothing. 09:25 It's interesting that the only absolute truth 09:28 that these people believe is that all truth 09:31 is relative... that there is no absolute truth. 09:36 In addition to relativism is the concept of pluralism. 09:41 That there are many even contradicting truths. 09:46 There's not one way but many ways. 09:51 And so in response to this even in the churches of today 09:55 there's an attitude that minimizes truth 09:57 and says it doesn't matter what one believes 10:00 as long as you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 10:05 Now there's elements of that statement that are true. 10:08 But there's a couple texts that I would like to turn our 10:11 attention to this morning that even muddles the issue 10:15 even more as we delve into this morning's study... 10:19 this morning's presentation. 10:21 And I'd like to start out by answering three fundamental 10:24 questions in our study this morning, in our seminar. 10:27 And the first one is: does truth really matter as evidenced by 10:31 the title. The second part of this morning's seminar 10:35 is: how do I recognize or perceive the truth? 10:38 And the third part is: where is the center of truth? 10:43 I'd like to turn our attention to James chapter 4 and verse 17 10:48 if you can turn with me in your Bibles. 10:50 The Bible does give some evidence that God does take 10:55 a subjective nature of how He looks at our individual lives 11:00 even if objective truth does exist. 11:03 James chapter 4 and verse 17 11:05 makes this statement in relation to how God views sin 11:09 in the individual's life. James chapter 4 and verse 17. 11:14 The Bible says: "To him therefore who knows to do good 11:20 and doesn't do it, to him it is sin. " 11:24 The Bible is pointing out that the person does not know, 11:28 does not perceive, or does not understand truth. 11:31 That we are not held accountable 11:33 for the truth that we do not understand. Amen? 11:36 So God is fair; God is just. 11:39 The other one is in Acts chapter 17 and verse 30. 11:43 Acts chapter 17 and verse 30. 11:48 How God views each one of us in relationship to His moral law. 11:53 Acts chapter 17 and verse 30. 12:00 "Therefore, having overlooked the times of... " what? 12:07 "the times of ignorance. " 12:10 Another translation says that God "blinked" 12:13 in times of ignorance. 12:16 God is fair; God is just. 12:18 And for the person out there that does not know the truth 12:21 he's only held accountable for the truth that he understands 12:24 and perceives to be truth. 12:27 Now I'd like to go through three fundamental reasons 12:30 very quickly why truth matters the more. 12:33 And we live in a society today where unfortunately 12:37 Jesus is placed over here 12:41 and truth is placed over here. 12:46 I'd like to go further in saying that we live in a society today 12:50 and a culture where Jesus is over here 12:52 and doctrine is over here. 12:55 Now doctrine is Biblical teaching, i. e. the truth. 13:00 And I have had people come to me and say: "Pastor, 13:03 don't teach or preach doctrine. " 13:09 "Ah, let's not deal with this doctrinal stuff anymore; 13:12 let's not teach doctrine... 13:14 let's preach and teach Jesus. " 13:18 Now I will say this morning that I believe that we need to 13:21 do a better job as Christians - as Adventists - 13:24 of linking every single doctrine with Jesus. Amen. 13:29 Every truth, every doctrine, every teaching from scripture 13:33 needs to be rooted and grounded in Christ. 13:36 It needs to be Christ-o-centric. 13:39 I believe we need to integrate Christ into every single one 13:43 of our messages. But we face this false dichotomy: 13:48 Christ/truth; Christ/doctrine. 13:52 I just have to ask them this question: 13:54 "Do you believe that this Jesus rose from the dead 13:58 on the third day? " And they say: "Yes, pastor. " 14:01 Well there you have a doctrine! 14:05 "Do you believe that Jesus is coming the second time? " 14:09 They say: "Yes! " Well there you have a doctrine: 14:12 the second coming. 14:15 "Do you believe that Jesus forgives us for our sins 14:20 and places us in right standing before God as if we have 14:24 never sinned? " 14:25 Say: "Yes. " Well there you have a doctrine. 14:27 It's called justification. 14:30 "Do you believe that God - Jesus Christ - is ministering 14:34 right now in the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf 14:37 as our intercessor, as our high priest? " 14:39 And they say: "Yes. " Well, there you have a doctrine. 14:42 Every doctrine is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. 14:47 And so it's really a false dichotomy: 14:50 Christ versus doctrine, 14:53 Christ versus truth. 14:56 I'd like to turn our attention here in our seminar to 15:00 John chapter 14 and verse 6. 15:02 And Jesus makes this profound statement 15:05 in relationship to the nature of truth. 15:08 John chapter 14 and verse 6. 15:17 Jesus is speaking. The gospel of John chapter 14 and verse 6: 15:23 "And Jesus said to him... " 15:27 I want you to notice the nuances of this verse. 15:30 "Jesus said to him: 'I am The Way, 15:34 The Truth, and The Life. 15:38 No one comes to the Father except through Me. ' " 15:42 Now we could spend an entire presentation just on this verse 15:45 alone. Jesus says: "I am The Way. " 15:49 Singular definite article. 15:51 Notice Jesus does not say "I am a way. " 15:54 I remember I met a gentleman that said 15:56 "Jesus did not really mean The Way, He meant 16:00 A Way. " In other words, Jesus is one of the many ways 16:04 to salvation. Buddha is one way. 16:07 Hinduism is another way. 16:09 Jesus is another way. 16:10 But Jesus makes the unequivocal statement 16:13 "I am The Way. " 16:16 The only way. And then He goes on: 16:21 "I am The Truth. " 16:26 This is a profound statement that boggles the mind. 16:30 Especially those of us - all of us in this room - 16:33 are from a Greek and Western point of view. 16:36 In other words, we think of truth in terms of propositions. 16:42 In terms of an idea or a concept. 16:44 That's why we have this false dichotomy: truth is over here; 16:48 Jesus is over here. 16:49 But Jesus says truth is not simply a theological idea. 16:53 It is not just a concept, a proposition, a doctrine 16:58 that we talk about. 17:01 But Jesus makes the profound statement 17:04 "I am The Truth. " 17:09 Jesus says that truth is not just a proposition, 17:15 not just a theological idea, 17:18 but truth is His person. 17:23 Are you following me here? 17:24 Jesus says that truth is not just an ideology, pie in the sky 17:29 bye and bye, that theologians do exegesis or theological 17:33 propositions in the ivory tower on. But Jesus says 17:36 that He is "The Truth. " 17:39 When we talk about truth as it is in the Bible 17:43 we're talking about the person Jesus Christ. 17:47 The two cannot be separated. 17:50 Truth is in the personhood of Jesus Christ. 17:57 So you can unabashedly 18:02 go to the person on the street 18:06 with boldness, with literature, 18:11 with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 18:15 Now, I've asked myself this question: 18:20 if this is indeed true that in times of ignorance 18:26 God winks and if you love the Lord with all your heart 18:31 yet you don't know all of the truth and you die today, 18:37 are you going to be saved? 18:40 You have a relationship with Jesus; 18:42 you don't have all the truth 18:44 but you're walking in of the light that you have 18:46 and you die today... you will be in the kingdom 18:50 because the Bible tells us that once we accept Jesus 18:53 our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. 18:55 No question of that. 18:58 Now why is it 19:00 that I must be compelled to go out there, 19:06 knock on those doors, broadcast on 3ABN, 19:09 and proclaim the truth when they are just as saved - 19:14 are you following me? - 19:15 in the condition they are out there? 19:17 They don't know about the Bible Sabbath 19:19 but they're walking in all of the light that they have. 19:21 Why go in there and rock the boat? 19:24 Why make things more difficult? 19:26 Why make life more difficult? 19:28 Why present all these Sabbath challenges and 19:30 challenges with work and challenges with family? 19:34 Why not just leave them in the state that they're in 19:38 because ignorance is bliss? 19:42 They're just as saved 19:45 walking in the light that they have. 19:48 But this presents this principle. 19:53 When Jesus said: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life" 19:56 that I can knock on that gentleman's door 20:01 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 20:04 I can ask them the question: "Sir, do you love Jesus? " 20:09 He'll say: "You'd better believe I love Jesus. " 20:13 I'll say: "Well, you'll want to know the truth about Him. " 20:19 Because Satan has painted a picture of God 20:23 that is inaccurate. 20:25 Let me deal with one: hell fire. 20:28 Satan has painted a picture that God roasts and toasts 20:31 sinners throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 20:33 This is a lie regarding the character of God. 20:38 And I can go to that door and say: "Sir, 20:41 the God that you are worshiping... 20:43 there are some misconceptions about God 20:46 and you relationship with Him can be tremendously enhanced 20:51 if you know this truth. " 20:55 I have a friend of mine that I went to high school with. 20:59 And we lost touch over the years. I found out that she 21:05 got married - happily married, by the way. 21:07 And she was married to this man 21:11 that was her dream husband. 21:16 He had all the characteristics that she could think of. 21:19 She had this list of all the qualities that were to be in her 21:23 future husband... and she found him! 21:26 He was good looking... tall, handsome. 21:31 Had a good way of providing for his wife. 21:35 And for three years their relationship was just 21:41 picture perfect. 21:44 Their marriage was wonderful. 21:46 And in a matter of just weeks her fantasy 21:51 of a marriage came crashing down around her 21:54 because she found out that her marriage was a facade. 21:58 It was a farce. 21:59 He was not going to this up-scale business 22:03 every day in his suit. 22:05 He was actually involved with the mafia. 22:07 He had married her to be a prop 22:11 that would not cause suspicion in the eyes of the authorities. 22:15 And for three years she realized 22:19 that her marriage was not a reality. 22:25 All of her commitment, all of her marriage - 22:29 her whole relationship with this man - 22:31 was built on a lie. 22:39 Now there's a lot of people out there that love the Lord 22:43 but their relationship with Jesus is built on lies... 22:51 lies from the devil himself. 22:56 They may have a relationship with God, but their picture is 23:00 so warped, so skewed, 23:03 that we are compelled to knock on that door 23:09 and say that your relationship with God could be so much 23:13 better... exponentially better... 23:16 if you know the truth. 23:18 Because the truth is Jesus Christ; 23:23 you want to know the truth about Him. 23:25 The fact of the matter is this quote in John chapter 14 23:30 and verse 6 is telling us that if we don't have any truth... 23:33 guess what? You don't have any Jesus. 23:37 Know truth, know Jesus. That's the reality of it. 23:42 The truth of Jesus is bound together 23:47 in an indisolvable union. 23:51 The first and fundamental reason why truth matters is 23:54 because Jesus matters 23:56 and Jesus said: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. " 24:01 Let's go to our second reason here in our Bible study. 24:05 Let's go to Mark chapter 4 and verse 28. 24:10 Does truth matter in today's society? 24:12 You'd better believe it because Jesus matters. 24:15 Jesus said: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life, " 24:17 and Mark chapter 4 and verse 28 presents this principle 24:22 in relationship to the Christian life. 24:26 Mark chapter 4 and verse 28. 24:31 Jesus uses this illustration from agriculture 24:35 to describe the Christian life. Mark chapter 4 and verse 28. 24:39 The Bible tells us: "For the earth yields crops 24:43 by itself. First the blade, 24:47 then the head, and after that the full grain in the head. " 24:52 Now we're told in the book Christ Object Lessons 24:56 that this is a description of the Christian life. 24:58 I want you to notice that there are stages 25:00 to the Christian life. It says: 25:01 "For the earth yields crops by itself. " 25:03 First the what? "First the blade, 25:06 and then the head, and then the full grain 25:09 in the head. " This is an example, an analogy 25:12 from agriculture telling us that the Christian life 25:15 has some parallels to the growth of a plant. 25:19 Now when you plant the seed in the ground 25:22 you do not wake up the next morning - 25:24 at least I've never seen this before - 25:26 and you have a full ear of corn. 25:29 I wish it was like that sometimes. 25:32 But this is telling us that the Christian life 25:35 is a process. It's a what? 25:37 It's a process. 25:39 There's a progression to the Christian life that even if 25:43 you are born again in Jesus Christ 25:47 that afterward there is growth as a Christian. 25:50 The Bible tells us that there's the blade then the head 25:52 then the full ear. 25:54 There's a process in the Christian experience. 25:58 Now when we accept Jesus 25:59 and we ask for the forgiveness of our sins 26:02 and we stand before God as though we had never sinned 26:07 that is instantaneous. 26:09 Known as justification. 26:11 That I can stand before God and God doesn't see David Shin 26:17 the sinner. He looks at me and He sees Jesus. 26:22 The robe of Christ's righteousness. 26:26 That takes place in a moment. 26:29 I can kneel down... you can bow right now 26:31 and have the assurance of Jesus Christ, 26:33 accepting Him as your personal Savior. 26:36 Now after that, God takes you on a walk. 26:43 He's like: "You're covered but there are some character traits, 26:47 some character transformations, 26:49 that I want to work in your life. " 26:51 And sometimes that comes through trials, 26:54 through the Word of God, and many times through people. 26:59 And I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. 27:03 It was a beautiful experience. 27:04 Woke up the next morning and Jesus said: 27:07 "I want you to walk with Me. " 27:09 And I keep a journal, and it's amazing as I read my journal 27:14 from many years ago in the beginning of my Christian 27:16 experience and I just shake my head 27:19 and say: "Lord, thank you for having mercy on me. " 27:22 Because there's been growth in my life. 27:24 There's been a projection. 27:26 I'm nowhere near where I need to be 27:28 but I thank God I'm nowhere near where I was. 27:31 Hallelujah! The Lord takes us step by step. 27:34 He's there to pick us up. But there's a process, 27:37 there's a trajectory of constant growth 27:40 getting closer and closer to Jesus Christ. 27:42 The Bible says that the path of the just 27:44 is like a shining light 27:46 that gets brighter and brighter until the noonday. 27:49 And so when we walk with Jesus 27:51 we're still in that saved condition 27:53 but He leads us moment by moment, step by step. 27:56 Every day we're becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. 28:01 There were 3 roommates that God brought into my life 28:04 to hone down my character 28:08 and make me more like Him. 28:12 I thank God for the process of sanctification. 28:16 I want to read this from Christ Object Lessons page 65. 28:21 Commenting on Mark chapter 4 and verse 28: 28:26 "The germination of the seed represents the beginning 28:30 of spiritual life. 28:32 And the development of the plant is a beautiful figure 28:37 of Christian growth. 28:39 As in nature, so in grace. 28:42 There can be no life without growth. 28:46 The plant must either grow or die. 28:50 As its growth is silent and imperceptible but continuous, 28:55 so in the development of the Christian life. " 28:57 And listen to this: "At every stage of our life 29:01 development we may be perfect. " 29:06 The Bible presents perfection not as a state that you achieve 29:09 at and you say: "I have arrived at perfection, " 29:12 but the Bible tells us that at every stage 29:14 of our development as a Christian - 29:16 as a seed, as a blade, and as the full ear - 29:19 we can be perfect at every stage as a Christian. Amen? 29:23 "There will be continual advancement. 29:28 Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. 29:33 As our opportunities multiply our experience will enlarge 29:38 and our knowledge will increase. 29:40 We shall become strong to bear responsibility 29:45 and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges. " 29:51 The Bible tells us that the Christian life is a process. 29:55 There's a growth; there's a trajectory. 29:57 Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. 29:59 There can be no life without growth. 30:02 It's one thing to be born into this world 30:05 physically as a human being. 30:07 But if a baby is born and does not grow, 30:11 we call that an abnormality. 30:14 We call it a disease; something is wrong. 30:17 If a baby stops growing, there is something that is not 30:22 functioning right. 30:23 In the same way, as a Christian 30:25 we need to not only focus on being born again 30:29 but growing in Jesus Christ. 30:32 There is no life without growth. 30:34 Now the question is: in this metaphor, 30:38 in this analogy of agriculture - 30:42 the Christian life is like the growth of a plant - 30:44 what is the fertilizer 30:47 that helps us to grow as never before? 30:50 There's several different elements. You need the rain, 30:53 the Latter Rain, the Holy Spirit. 30:54 There's trials. There's different things that God 30:58 brings into your life. 30:59 But I want to turn our attention to John 17:17. 31:03 What is the element that helps us to grow as a Christian? 31:07 What is the fertilizer as it is 31:10 that helps the Christian to grow as never before? 31:13 John chapter 17 and verse 17. 31:17 Jesus is speaking and He talks about this element 31:21 that helps the Christian grow. 31:24 John 17:17... are you there? 31:27 It says "Sanctify them by the... " what? 31:30 "Sanctify them by the truth. " 31:33 Sanctification is growth. 31:35 The Bible tells us: "Sanctify them by the... " what? 31:38 Truth. "by the truth. Thy Word is truth. " 31:41 In other words, for the Christian, the element - 31:44 the fertilizer that enables us to grow as never before - 31:48 is truth. 31:50 Without truth, there is no growth. 31:56 Have you ever known someone that gets baptized? 31:59 I baptized a young gentleman last year. 32:01 We knocked on his door. By the way, knocking on doors 32:04 still works. 32:07 I believe that we need to do other ministries 32:08 but there's certain people that you would never reach 32:11 unless you knock on their door. 32:12 And a young lady in our church was going canvassing 32:17 and she knocked on his door. To make a long story short, 32:21 he was baptized. And it's just been amazing to see this 32:25 gentleman grow. 32:27 The Bible study was... was amazingly simple 32:29 because I'd present truth. He says: "It's in the Bible, 32:33 I believe it... I want to follow it. " 32:34 Every time a testing truth was presented 32:38 he said: "Yes, I will follow it. " 32:40 And it's been amazing to see this person's growth. 32:43 He was just baptized last year. 32:45 He's already been canvassing. 32:46 He's already gone through a missionary training program 32:49 and he's preparing for the gospel ministry. 32:52 And for those of us including myself 32:56 who's a multi-generational church goer 32:59 I look around and I see gentle- men that were just baptized 33:03 a number of years ago and I'm just like: "What happened? " 33:06 This gentleman went from like A to Z in just a matter of 33:11 a few years. Their Biblical understanding is phenomenal. 33:15 Well I found the secret to be that every time 33:19 truth was presented they said "Yes. " 33:22 No matter how uncomfortable it was, 33:26 their interaction, their relationship with truth 33:29 was always: "Yes, Lord" 33:32 no matter how small or how great it was. 33:35 And it fostered their growth as never before. 33:39 On a personal note, if there's something that God is calling 33:43 you today, walk in the light. 33:47 Walk in the truth, because there's nothing more detrimental 33:50 to your Christian growth than saying "no" to light. 33:55 Because the light will move on 33:57 the Bible tells us and then you'll be left in darkness. 34:03 Know truth... know growth. 34:06 Now I want to turn our attention to Revelation chapter 14 34:10 and verse 14. 34:12 In this analogy of the Christian life 34:14 being the process of Christian growth 34:17 in the metaphor from agriculture 34:20 John chapter... or Revelation chapter 14 and verse 14. 34:26 Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven, 34:30 and the Bible uses this interesting symbol to describe 34:35 the way that He's coming in the clouds of heaven. 34:37 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 14. 34:40 "Then I looked and behold a white cloud 34:43 and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man 34:47 having on His head a gold crown 34:51 and in His hand a... " what? "a sharp sickle. " 34:56 Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven. 34:58 He's coming to take a people home. And in His hand 35:02 He's carrying a sickle. This is a direct analogy 35:05 to agriculture. Remember that Jesus said that the 35:08 Christian life is like the growth of a plant 35:10 until full maturity. Now this is not equated with perfection 35:14 because we can be perfect at every stage. 35:17 But I want you to notice that Jesus, when He's coming 35:19 in the clouds of glory for His last-day people, 35:22 He's coming with a sickle. 35:25 Now, you do not pull out your sickle 35:28 when you've just planted the seed. 35:32 You don't say: "I'm going to harvest. " 35:34 You pull out your sickle when the plant has reached 35:40 maturity. 35:44 What this is saying is that Jesus is coming 35:48 for a people that has reached Christian maturity. 35:57 Now this is not equated with Christian perfection 36:01 because remember we said that we can be perfect at every stage. 36:04 But Jesus is coming with a people that have more light 36:07 than any other generation before, 36:08 and they are living up to all of the light 36:10 that they've been given. 36:12 And as a result of that light, 36:14 they reflect the character of Christ. 36:18 He's coming with a sickle in His hand. 36:22 Now, the direct relationship with truth 36:26 is that you can knock on that door and say 36:29 "If you want to be ready... " 36:31 "Do you want to be ready for the second coming of Jesus? " 36:35 Christian growth becomes of paramount importance 36:39 because Jesus wants us to not only be born into Him 36:44 but to grown in Him as well. 36:47 Reason #1: Truth is important because Jesus is The Truth. 36:51 Reason #2 is because Christian growth is directly 36:56 proportional to how we relate to truth. 36:59 And reason #3 very quickly. 37:02 Let's go to Matthew chapter 24. 37:06 Matthew chapter 24. 37:10 This is truth in the end-time context. 37:15 And Matthew chapter 24 gives this 37:20 recommendation - more than a recommendation, 37:23 an imperative statement, a command by Jesus - 37:25 a warning by Jesus in Matthew chapter 24. 37:28 It's known as the great end-time chapter in the gospels. 37:31 Matthew chapter 24 and verse 3: 37:34 "And as He sat on the Mount of Olives 37:36 the disciples came to Him privately saying: 37:39 'Tell us, when will these things be? 37:41 And' when... or 'what will be the sign of Your coming 37:45 and of the end of the age? ' " 37:47 Jesus is looking down to the end of time 37:50 and there's a lot of things that could come out of His 37:52 mouth first. He can talk about the great persecution. 37:56 He can talk about the moon turning to blood. 37:58 He can talk about the stars falling from heaven 38:00 which indeed He does in Matthew chapter 24. 38:03 But I want you to notice that He's talking to the disciples. 38:06 He's talking to you and I as God's people 38:08 and I want you to notice the first words that come 38:11 out of the mouth of Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 38:14 and verse 4. This is His primary concern 38:18 for God's people. "And Jesus answered 38:21 and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. ' " 38:25 Jesus, out of all the concerns that He could have 38:29 for His people, out of all the things that are going to happen: 38:32 persecution, peril, earthquakes, pestilences, 38:35 Jesus is looking down to the end of time 38:38 and He's concerned most about this concept 38:42 of deception. 38:44 Why is Jesus so concerned about deception? 38:47 By the way, no one goes through Thompsonville and says: 38:49 "I am deceived; I am deceived. " 38:52 You and I can be deceived right now and not even know it. 38:55 That's the nature of deception 38:56 because once you know you're deceived 38:58 you're no longer deceived! 38:59 That's the nature of deception. 39:01 Another element of deception is that it's a mixture of 39:04 truth and error. 39:06 Jesus is looking and says: "Let no man deceive you. " 39:14 I would say that there must be something 39:16 about end-time deception that is a higher price 39:20 than any previous generation. 39:22 If someone out there is deceived today and loves Jesus, 39:25 they don't know they're deceived but they're walking 39:28 in all of the light that they have 39:29 and they die in Jesus today, they are saved. 39:34 In other words, the cost for deception does not cost you 39:37 your eternal life. 39:39 But there's something about the end-time deception 39:42 that is different. 39:44 Perhaps the price of deception in the end of time is 39:47 higher than any previous generation. 39:49 And Jesus is so concerned about deception 39:52 that later on in Matthew chapter 24 He says 39:54 the deception will be so great that if possible 39:57 it will deceive the very elect. 40:00 What is the price of deception? 40:01 I want to go very quickly to Revelation chapter 14 40:04 verses 9 and 10. 40:09 Revelation chapter 14 verses 9 and 10. 40:12 This is truth in the end-time context. 40:15 This is the cost of deception in the end of time. 40:19 Revelation chapter 14 verses 9 and 10: 40:24 "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: 40:28 'If anyone worships the beast 40:31 and his image and receives his mark 40:34 on his forehead or on his hand, 40:36 he himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God 40:40 which is poured out full strength 40:43 into the cup of His indignation. 40:45 And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 40:48 in the presence of the holy angels and in the 40:51 presence of the Lamb. ' " 40:53 The Bible is giving this final warning 40:56 saying that if anyone worships the beast or receives his mark 40:58 in his forehead or in his hand 41:00 they will be lost. 41:04 The price for deception is so high that your name 41:08 may be written in the Lamb's Book of Life 41:10 but if you receive the mark of the beast 41:13 your name will be removed. 41:17 Now that's a high price for deception. 41:19 The Bible is telling us that in the end of time the grey area 41:21 between these two camps... there will be a polarization 41:25 in the end of time. The devil will be playing hardball. 41:28 You will have to choose between the seal of God 41:31 and the mark of the beast. And the Bible tells us 41:33 unequivocally if you receive the mark of the beast, 41:36 if you are deceived into receiving the mark of the beast, 41:38 you will forfeit salvation. 41:41 The price for deception is so high 41:44 that costs you your eternal life. 41:49 Now I don't know about you 41:51 but for me, that places a fire in my bones. 41:58 That when I go out into the community 42:00 of where I have the privilege of pastoring 42:03 and I can spend every resource within reason 42:06 within capability as a steward of God 42:09 and invest in the kingdom of proclaiming THE TRUTH 42:12 as it is in Jesus because I know that there will come 42:15 a day in the future where the price of deception 42:18 will cost people their salvation. 42:22 Does truth matter? You'd better believe it. 42:26 Not only does truth have a gospel center in Jesus Christ 42:31 not only does truth help us to grow as a Christian 42:34 but the price of deception in the end of time 42:36 will be so high that truth will matter as never before. 42:43 The end-time deception will be so great 42:46 that if possible it will deceive the very elect. 42:53 Jesus said: "And you will know the truth 42:56 and the truth will set you free. " 42:59 There is freedom in knowing the truth. 43:02 There is freedom in living the truth. 43:06 Truth is important because Jesus is important. 43:09 Truth is vital because as a Christian it enables us to grow. 43:13 And truth in the end-time context matters 43:17 as never before. 43:20 As we come to the second part: 43:22 how can I tell what is the truth? 43:26 Everyone out there believes that they have the truth. 43:29 I've never met a person that doesn't believe they know truth 43:31 or has the truth. 43:33 We believe we have the truth by the way. 43:35 And so every person says that they have the truth 43:37 but the fact of the matter is we cannot all be right 43:40 in the world today! 43:43 There are three things that affect truth. 43:46 Number one is morality. 43:51 In scholarly circles we stress exegesis. 43:55 And I believe that we need to have right methodology 43:58 as we approach scripture. But I believe that there's 44:00 something more that affects our perception of truth, 44:03 and that is our morality. 44:06 I want to talk a little bit about the Pharisees. 44:09 The Pharisees we use today in a pejorative sense. 44:14 No one wants to be called a Pharisee. 44:17 Back in Jesus' time, Pharisee was a compliment, 44:22 believe it or not. 44:24 They were the highly esteemed; the scholars of their day; 44:27 the most educated. They had memorized whole portions 44:30 of the Old Testament. 44:32 They knew multiple languages. 44:34 And if anyone would have been a scholar that would have 44:38 recognized Jesus, it would have been the Pharisee. 44:41 They went through three stages of training. 44:45 I'd like to mention two of them. 44:47 The first stage of training for the Pharisee was beit ha-sefer. 44:52 From the ages of six to ten 44:55 they would memorize the Torah. 44:58 The Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament. 45:04 Six to ten years of age. 45:06 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, 45:10 Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 45:13 By the age of ten they had memorized the whole Torah. 45:18 If they were qualified, they would go to the next stage: 45:21 beit talmud. 45:24 Roughly from the age of 10-14 the scholar writes 45:29 in beit talmud you would memorize the rest of the 45:32 Old Testament. By the age of 14 they would have memorized 45:36 from Genesis to Malachi. 45:39 Do you know any 14-year-old out there today 45:42 that has memorized the entire Old Testament? 45:46 I was reading about this testing that they would go through. 45:49 And they would go to a rabbi and they would have to 45:51 go through different parts putting the Old Testament 45:54 theology together. These men - the Pharisees - 45:57 knew their Bible. 46:01 They had all the scholarship, all the understanding. 46:03 They knew multiple languages. 46:06 And if anyone had the knowledge and the capability 46:09 and the scholarship to recognize God 46:13 it would have been them. 46:16 Yet I want you to think about this. 46:18 They stood face to face 46:22 with God Himself. 46:26 They could have reached out - 46:28 I wish I was living in Jesus' day - 46:30 and shook the hand of God. 46:33 Given God a hug. 46:35 Talked face to face with God Himself. 46:39 And yet with all the scholarship, with all the 46:41 knowledge, with all the Biblical understanding 46:43 they did not recognize Him. 46:47 They killed Him. 46:51 So this tells us that there is something more than knowledge, 46:55 than intellectual acumen, that we bring to the table 46:58 when we talk about the proposition of truth. 47:00 How can it be that these men - so educated, so brilliant, 47:04 and so knowledgeable of the holy scriptures - 47:07 could come face to face with God 47:09 and not recognize Him. 47:13 This is evidenced in the story of Lazarus. 47:20 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead 47:24 right before their eyes. 47:27 Now you would think from an intellectual or intelligent 47:33 point of view that if you would see a person that has 47:35 been dead for four days... 47:37 You know this person is clinically dead, 47:41 there is no question about it. And a man comes by 47:44 and speaks the word and says: "Lazarus, come forth" 47:46 and suddenly there's movement and the man comes out alive 47:49 you would think that it would cross the minds of these 47:52 Pharisees that at the very least Jesus is unique. 47:58 There's something that is peculiar about this Jesus. 48:02 This Jesus is not ordinary. 48:04 You would think that it would put into their minds 48:07 that perhaps Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. 48:11 But I want you to notice what the disciples... 48:14 or I should say the Pharisees did 48:16 in John chapter 12 and verse 10. I'll just read it very quickly. 48:19 When Lazarus was walking around as evidence 48:22 of the divinity of Jesus Christ, John chapter 12 and verse 10 48:25 says: "So the priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well. " 48:32 In other words, the evidence was there. 48:35 And because the evidence did not agree with what they wanted 48:39 to believe, they said: "Let's kill the evidence. " 48:44 The reality is it's not the availability 48:49 or the lack of availability of truth 48:52 it's the hypocrisy of our search. 48:57 In other words, we don't want to know the truth 49:00 because it disagrees with our carnal desires. 49:08 That's why Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure in heart 49:11 for they shall see God. " 49:13 He said that it's an individual case. 49:17 It's an issue of the heart. 49:18 In Psalm chapter 14 and verse 1 49:20 the Bible says: "The fool hath said in his heart 49:25 'there is no God. ' " 49:26 I want you to notice the Bible did not say 49:29 that the fool hath said intellectually, in his mind. 49:32 But the Bible points out that atheism is not so much 49:35 an issue of the mind... it's an issue of the heart. 49:39 Aldous Huxley said this: 49:42 "I want this world not to have meaning because a 49:44 meaningless world frees me to my own erotic and political 49:49 pursuits. " They say: "it's liberating 49:52 because it agrees with my own desires. " 49:58 One person says: "The atheist can't find God for the same 50:01 reason that a thief cannot find a policeman. " 50:12 We see what we want to see. 50:14 We believe what we want to believe. 50:19 And the Bible presents first and foremost 50:22 that our own morality skews our interpretation of truth. 50:28 That means that when we sin willfully 50:33 you are setting yourself up for spiritual deception. 50:37 When you sin it changes the way you think 50:40 and the way that you perceive truth. 50:42 It distorts things, and that's why deception 50:45 first begins not intellectually 50:48 but morally... within the heart. 50:50 John chapter 7 verse 17 50:53 Jesus said: "If anyone wills to do His will 50:57 he shall know concerning the doctrine. " 51:00 Notice Jesus did not say: "If a person has an I.Q. 51:04 above 140 he shall know concerning the doctrine. " 51:06 Jesus did not say: "If a person has a high degree 51:10 his understanding in Greek and Hebrew 51:11 he shall know concerning the doctrine. " 51:13 Not that I'm saying that those things aren't important. 51:16 I have a Master's degree. I believe in higher education. 51:18 But Jesus said that intent is prior to content 51:23 and that truthfulness in the heart precedes truth 51:28 in the objective world. 51:30 I heard one person say that "I will" is more important 51:34 than I.Q. " 51:36 And if we want to know the truth, we need to ask ourselves 51:39 "Am I walking in the light that Jesus has presented? " 51:46 This is from Steps to Christ. 51:49 "God never asks us to believe 51:52 without giving sufficient evidence on which to base 51:56 our faith. His existence, His character, 52:00 the truthfulness of His Word are all established 52:04 by the testimony that appeals to our reason. 52:10 And the testimony is abundant... 52:12 yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. 52:16 Our faith must rest upon evidence 52:19 not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt 52:21 will have opportunity while those who really desire 52:24 to know the truth will find plenty of evidence 52:28 on which to base their faith. " 52:32 II Corinthians chapter 4 verse 3 52:34 the Bible tells us that "If the gospel be hid 52:37 it is hid to those who are lost. " 52:42 "If the gospel be hid, it is hid to those who are lost. " 52:48 Great Controversy page 599: 52:52 "Many a portion of scripture which learned men pronounce 52:57 a mystery or pass over as unimportant 53:00 is full of comfort and instruction to him 53:03 who has been taught in the school of Christ. " 53:06 Listen to this part: 53:07 "One reason why many theologians 53:10 have no clearer understanding of God's Word.. " 53:13 Now I believe in good theologians. 53:16 I believe in good scholarship. 53:18 But this is telling us that one reason why many theologians 53:21 have no clearer understanding of God's Word 53:23 "is that they close their eyes to the truths they do not wish 53:28 to practice. " In other words, the problem is not 53:32 their scholarship, not their intelligence, 53:34 not their capability, but rather this is telling us 53:37 that their problem is their morality. 53:40 They close their eyes to the truth they do not wish 53:43 to practice and their morality affects their perception. 53:47 "As the understanding of the Bible truth depends not so much 53:50 on the power of the intellect brought to the search 53:52 as the singleness of purpose, the earnest longing 53:56 after righteousness. " 53:59 "If the gospel be hid, 54:01 it is hid to those who are lost. " 54:07 Very quickly as we talk about truth 54:11 I'd like to talk about the source of truth. 54:17 Now when scholars do theology they say that there's 54:21 four primary sources for doing theology and coming to truth. 54:26 One of them is experience. 54:31 One of them is reason. 54:35 Some scholars say that the other one is tradition. 54:37 And of course we have scripture. 54:40 But I'd like to present this simple principle 54:44 that even though when we come to truth we use our 54:47 experience, we use what people have brought to the table 54:49 before. We use all these things. 54:51 We use our reason; we use our intellectual capability. 54:54 But I'd like to say that we are built upon the Protestant mantra 54:59 of sola scriptura: the Bible and the Bible alone. 55:04 And it's interesting. When I talk with different individuals 55:07 and we are in disagreement 55:09 I find that the reason that we're in disagreement 55:12 is because our source is different. 55:15 In other words, if your primary source is science 55:19 and mine is scripture, we are not going to be on the same page 55:24 at all. We're not going to be talking the same language. 55:27 So the primary thing that we need to realize 55:30 when we come to truth is what is your source. 55:34 And I believe that it must be the Bible and the Bible alone 55:38 when it comes to theological truth 55:41 and heavenly concepts and principles. 55:45 The other element is prima scriptura. 55:48 That when it comes to elements that are not in relation 55:53 to the theological truth we need to come to the principle 55:57 that it must be scripture first. 56:01 Scripture first: prima scriptura. 56:05 In other words, if there is a contradiction 56:09 between science and scripture... and there is today, 56:13 primarily in the realm of origin and evolution... 56:17 that I choose to say: "I don't know all the answers 56:21 but I believe that Jesus is the author of science. 56:24 And one day, if not here on earth, one day when I reach 56:27 ultimate reality, I believe that science and scripture 56:30 will harmonize. 56:32 But until then, I choose scripture first. " 56:38 When we talk about truth we're not talking just about 56:41 a concept. We're talking about truth as it is in Jesus. 56:45 And we as Bible Christians must base everything 56:50 upon the Word as it is in Jesus Christ. 56:56 The change that is wrought by the Bible is one of the 57:00 deepest mysteries of the Word. 57:03 We cannot understand it; we can only believe. 57:10 You want to trust in the Bible here today? Amen! 57:13 You want to trust in truth because Jesus Himself 57:17 said: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. " |
Revised 2014-12-17