Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: 11POFCM
Program Code: 11POFCM000006
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00:49 Hello and welcome once again to Thompsonville,
00:52 Illinois... the biggest little city in the world. 00:55 At least we believe that... that's why we're all here. 00:57 Can you all say Amen? Amen! 00:59 We are here at the 3ABN Worship Center 01:01 enjoying what has been to this point a very spiritual 01:06 journey through the Word of God. 01:07 Every one of our speakers has not disappointed. 01:10 They have come to us studying the Word of God 01:14 and this next speaker is no exception. 01:17 Pastor Stephen Bohr is the Director/Speaker of 01:20 Secrets Unsealed. Which means every time he stands up here 01:24 the Lord uses him to once again reveal another secret 01:28 from the sacred Word of God. So we encourage you to 01:31 pause whatever you're doing at home 01:33 to just ask the Lord to speak to your heart. 01:35 And we know that you will not be disappointed 01:38 as the man of God will come to this desk 01:41 and break for us the bread of life. 01:43 We are also on the second day of our 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting. 01:47 We'd like to encourage you to come and join us 01:48 if you are in driving distance. 01:50 There are some who have come from Huntsville, Alabama. 01:52 We know there are more people coming from that area. 01:55 From Missouri, from the northern states, from Michigan. 01:58 Some have come from California. 01:59 Some flew in from outside of the country! 02:02 And whatever mode of transportation you choose 02:05 we sure would like to see you here for this extravagant 02:07 and Spirit-filled Camp Meeting. What do you say? 02:10 Amen! Now before we invite Pastor Bohr to come 02:13 and break the bread of life I want you to 02:16 also ask the Lord to speak to your heart through this song. 02:19 You know we are living in troublous times. 02:21 We're living in difficult times where people are 02:24 wondering whether or not to continue following the Lord 02:27 in the midst of their trials. 02:29 Well you know, I would encourage you to listen to the words 02:32 of this song because it says 02:34 regardless of how God is going to lead you 02:37 allow Him to lead you 02:38 and the end of that journey will be the house of the Lord 02:42 forever. God leads His dear children... no matter what 02:45 the circumstances. Praise His name! Amen! 03:07 In shady green pastures, 03:12 so rich and so sweet, 03:18 God leads His dear children 03:22 along; 03:27 Where the water's cool flow 03:31 bathes the weary one's feet, 03:37 God leads His dear children 03:42 along. 03:48 Some thro' the waters, 03:52 some thro' the flood, 03:56 Some thro' the fire, 04:01 but all thro' the blood; 04:06 Some thro' great sorrow, 04:10 yet God gives a song; 04:15 In the night season 04:20 and all 04:23 the day long. 04:38 Tho' sorrows befall us, 04:43 and Satan oppose, 04:48 God leads His dear children 04:51 along; 04:55 Through faith we will conquer 04:59 and defeat all our foes, 05:03 God leads His dear children 05:08 along. 05:12 He leads some thro' the water 05:16 and some thro' the flood, 05:20 Some thro' the fire, 05:24 but all 05:28 thro' His blood; 05:33 Some thro' great sorrow 05:37 yet God gives a song; 05:41 In the night season, 05:51 In the night season 05:57 and all 06:02 the day 06:05 long. 06:20 Amen. 06:33 Good afternoon. 06:35 Good morning. Is it morning? 06:44 Well you have to forgive me. 06:47 The last couple of weeks I've been in Australia 06:50 and in Sweden. 06:53 Nine hours west and nine hours east. 06:55 So I guess it would be a good noon. 07:02 It's good to be back at 3ABN 07:04 in this area of the country where our family has roots. 07:09 Our son was born in West Frankfort when I had 07:13 the privilege of pastoring the West Frankfort church 07:16 many, many years ago. 07:18 I won't tell you how many. 07:22 Before we open God's Word 07:23 we do want to ask for the Lord's special blessing. 07:26 And so I invite you to bow your heads with me 07:28 as we pray. Father in Heaven, 07:32 what a joy it is to be here at 3ABN Pillars Camp Meeting. 07:36 We thank you, Father, that we are able to review 07:39 and remember the message 07:42 that You have committed to Your church. 07:44 And Father, as we open Your Word 07:47 we ask for the presence of Your Spirit 07:50 through the ministry of the angels. 07:52 Give us clear minds 07:55 and tender hearts to receive the word of truth. 07:59 We thank you, Father, for the promise of Your presence 08:03 because we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. 08:11 On Sabbath evening at 6 o'clock I'm going to be speaking 08:15 on Christ's ministry in the sanctuary 08:18 and so I decided that the other two topics - 08:21 the one today at noon and tomorrow at noon - 08:24 I would deal also with subjects relating to the sanctuary. 08:29 And what I would like to share this morning is 08:32 the fact that there is a very intimate connection 08:36 between what happened at the cross 08:39 and what took place on the Day of Pentecost. 08:44 Without the cross, there would have been no Pentecost. 08:48 What happened on the Day of Pentecost was dependent 08:52 upon what Jesus did at the cross. 08:57 And what I would like to do as we begin our study 08:59 is to go to several episodes in the Old Testament 09:04 where first of all you have a sacrifice 09:07 and then you have fire that descends from heaven 09:12 to consume that sacrifice 09:14 showing that God accepted and approved of the sacrifice. 09:19 I'd like to begin with the sacrifice that was made by Abel. 09:23 Now the Bible does not tell us that fire descended 09:27 from heaven. However, the Spirit of Prophecy does have 09:31 a very clear statement in Signs of the Times 09:34 February 6, 1879, 09:37 where she speaks about God's response to Abel's sacrifice. 09:43 This is what she says: 09:57 Now you say, "Well, Ellen White says that 10:00 but it's not in the Bible. " 10:01 I'm going to give you several other examples that show 10:04 that this is the pattern that is followed in scripture. 10:08 It's much better than many commentators 10:11 that I read as I was doing research 10:14 where they say that the way that God shows that He approved 10:16 of Abel's sacrifice was that the smoke went up 10:19 and the way that God disapproved of Cain's was that the smoke 10:23 went down. That doesn't make much sense 10:26 and it doesn't fit at all what we find in scripture. 10:31 So the first example of sacrifice and then fire 10:34 is this one concerning Abel's sacrifice. 10:38 Now I'd like to go a little bit further forward to the 10:41 inauguration of the tabernacle in the wilderness. 10:45 Notice what we find in Leviticus chapter 9 10:48 and verses 22 to 24. 10:51 And this morning at my hotel room I was watching 10:54 a little bit of the audience shots here 10:57 and I noticed several rows where everybody had their Bibles 11:00 and they were turning the pages. And I said: 11:02 "Man, it must be musical there this morning. " 11:04 Because that's the kind of music that ministers like to hear 11:08 is the pages of the Bible turning. And once in a while 11:10 at least an Amen. 11:12 Not cell phones. 11:14 Now, Leviticus 9:22-24. Notice a pattern: 11:18 sacrifice/fire. It says there: 11:56 So sacrifice/fire in the case of Abel. 12:01 Sacrifice/fire when the tabernacle was inaugurated 12:05 in the wilderness. 12:06 Now the same is true during the period of the Hebrew monarchy. 12:10 Let me give you one example. 12:12 I Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 26. 12:16 This is a sacrifice that was offered by David 12:19 on Araunah's threshing floor. 12:22 I want you to notice the same pattern all over again: 12:25 sacrifice/fire. 12:27 I Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 26. 12:30 It says there: 12:51 Once again: sacrifice/fire. 12:55 The same is true when Solomon's temple was inaugurated 12:59 or dedicated. 13:00 And we call it Solomon's temple even though it was the Lord's 13:03 temple. But the temple that was built by Solomon 13:07 when it was dedicated we find the same pattern all over again. 13:10 II Chronicles chapter 7 and verse 1 13:13 has this story of the moment when fire fell from heaven 13:19 after Solomon's dedicatory prayer. 13:22 It says there in II Chronicles chapter 7 and verse 1: 13:41 So once again, sacrifice/fire. 13:45 Now let's take one example from the period 13:49 of the Hebrew prophets. 13:50 We all remember the story of the prophet Elijah. 13:54 Go with me to I Kings chapter 18 and verse 38. 13:58 I Kings chapter 18 and verse 38. 14:02 Here we find the story of the sacrifices that 14:07 Elijah placed upon the altar and God's response. 14:11 It says there: 14:34 So you find this pattern in scripture 14:37 where you have sacrifice or offering and then you have 14:41 fire from heaven where God shows that He approves 14:45 and He accepts that sacrifice which has been placed 14:48 upon the altar. 14:50 Now I would like us to take a look at a different 14:53 illustration that teaches the same truth. 14:56 And this is where I want us to dedicate most of our time 14:59 in our study today. 15:01 Instead of this example speaking of sacrifice 15:06 and then fire showing approval of the sacrifice 15:09 this illustration that we find in scripture 15:13 is really striking the rock and water coming forth 15:18 from the rock as a sign of God's approval. 15:21 Now there are two rock episodes in the Old Testament. 15:24 And I would like us to examine those two episodes 15:28 to see this same pattern: sacrifice/fire, 15:31 striking the rock/water. 15:34 That's the parallel. 15:36 Now go with me to Exodus chapter 17 15:38 and we'll read verses 1 through 6. 15:41 Same lesson... different symbols. 15:44 Exodus chapter 17 and verses 1 through 6. 15:49 Of course, Israel was in the wilderness 15:52 and they had no water to drink 15:54 and they started murmuring against God. 15:56 Now let's read the story as it's recorded there: 16:51 And now notice what God tells Moses: 17:23 Now we have three symbols in this story. 17:27 The first symbol that we have in this story is the rock. 17:31 The second symbol that we have in this story is the rod. 17:35 And in the third place we have the symbolism of water. 17:39 So we have the rock, we have the rod, 17:43 and we have the water. 17:44 Now once we're able to decipher the symbols 17:47 we'll be able to determine the meaning of this passage. 17:51 So let's begin by speaking about the rock. 17:54 What does the rock represent? 17:57 Absolutely. Now let me ask you: 18:00 could Israel have known that the rock represented the Lord 18:04 even in the Old Testament? 18:05 Of course they could've. 18:07 Go with me to Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 4. 18:10 This is a thought that appears 9 times in Deuteronomy 32. 18:15 Deuteronomy 32 and verse 4. 18:18 It says there speaking about the Lord: 18:38 So did they already know in the Old Testament 18:41 that the rock represented the Lord? 18:43 Absolutely. Nine times in chapter 32 of Deuteronomy 18:47 the Lord is called the Rock. 18:50 In fact it says there no other nation has a Rock 18:54 like the Rock that we have which is the Lord. 18:57 So they should have known even in the Old Testament period 19:00 that that Rock represented the Lord. 19:02 And of course, the Lord who guided them was none other than 19:05 Jesus Christ Himself. 19:07 Now the New Testament makes this explicit. 19:10 Notice I Corinthians chapter 10 and verses 1 through 4. 19:14 I Corinthians chapter 10 and verses 1 through 4. 19:19 Here the apostle Paul is reminiscing about certain events 19:22 in the history of Israel. 19:24 And he says this: 19:55 The Bible is explicit. 19:57 In the Old and New Testament the Rock is the Lord. 20:00 But that Lord is none other than Jesus Christ. 20:04 So we know that in the symbolism is Exodus chapter 17 20:08 the Rock represents Jesus. 20:11 Now the question is: what is represented by the rod? 20:14 The fact is that the rod represents judgment. 20:19 Every time that Moses raises his rod 20:23 a judgment falls upon Egypt. 20:26 In fact, it's interesting that that word smite 20:29 that is used... "You will smite the rock... " 20:31 is used... For example, the Bible says that he "smote 20:35 the waters and they became like blood. " 20:38 He smote the dust and from the dust came lice. 20:42 He also smote the firstborn in Egypt. 20:46 In other words, the word smiting with the rod 20:49 represents judgment. 20:52 In fact, the word smite there that is used for 20:55 "smite the rock" is the Hebrew word nakah 20:58 which means to strike, to beat, 21:01 to smite, to hit, 21:04 to slay, to kill, 21:07 to receive a blow, or to be wounded. 21:11 So the rod represents judgment. 21:15 It represents punishment. 21:18 Now let's notice a Messianic text that uses that same 21:22 identical word smite... the word nakah. 21:25 Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 4. 21:28 Does that chapter sound familiar when it comes to the Messiah? 21:31 Isaiah 53 and verse 4 21:34 uses this identical word... "you will smite the rock. " 21:38 Notice what it says there in this very well-known verse: 21:55 That's the word nakah. 21:56 It's the same word that is used for smiting the rock. 21:59 So it says: 22:10 So the rod of punishment falls upon whom? 22:14 It falls upon the Rock. 22:17 God's judgment falls upon the Rock 22:20 and the Rock is Jesus Christ. 22:22 In other words, Jesus was smitten for our sins. 22:26 The judgment of the Father fell upon Him. 22:29 And then of course we have the symbolism of the water 22:32 that comes from the Rock when the Rock is smitten. 22:35 Now the question is: what does the water that comes 22:40 forth from the Rock represent? 22:43 Basically it represents the same as the fire that comes 22:47 after the sacrifice. 22:49 It represents the fact that God approved 22:53 of the smiting of the Rock 22:55 and He reveals it or He shows it 22:58 by having water come out of the Rock. 23:01 Now the question is: what does the water represent? 23:05 We don't have to guess. 23:06 Go with me to John chapter 7 and verses 37 to 39. 23:11 John chapter 7 and verses 37 through 39. 23:16 I want us to notice a very important pattern here. 23:19 And we're going to come back to this a little bit later 23:22 when we speak about the Day of Pentecost. 23:24 John 7 verses 37-39. 23:28 Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles. 23:31 It's the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles... 23:33 Tabernacles... the last day. 23:35 And notice what it says: 23:53 So who is the Rock? Jesus. 23:56 Where does the water come from? From Jesus. 23:59 So He says: "Let him come to Me and drink. " 24:01 What was He talking about? Let's continue reading: 24:14 Now do you notice something interesting here? 24:17 Where are these waters flowing from? 24:20 From the heart of the person who drank. 24:23 Are you with me? In other words, the person drinks the waters 24:27 and then that person becomes a fountain or a tributary 24:32 of the waters. And so it says here 24:35 "He who believes in Me" as the scripture has said 24:38 "out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. " 24:42 What was Jesus talking about? 24:44 Verse 39: 25:00 So what do the waters represent? 25:03 They represent the Holy Spirit that was poured out when? 25:07 On the Day of Pentecost because that's when Jesus 25:10 was glorified as Prince and Priest over His people. 25:14 In other words, because of His sacrifice on Calvary, 25:18 because He fell under the judgment of God, 25:21 He is now able to pour out what? 25:24 To pour out His Holy Spirit. 25:26 By the way, in the first illustration that we used 25:29 Jesus is sacrificed and God shows His approval 25:33 by raining tongues of fire from heaven on the Day of Pentecost. 25:38 So you have the same teaching: sacrifice and fire, 25:41 striking the Rock and water coming from the Rock. 25:44 Now I want to pursue this idea a little bit 25:47 of drinking the waters and then you becoming a fountain 25:50 of water. You notice it says: "Come to Me and drink" 25:53 and then it speaks about waters gushing out of your heart. 25:57 Let me give you an illustration so that we can understand 26:00 what Jesus is trying to teach here. 26:02 You know, we go outside on a beautiful evening 26:06 when the sky is clear and we see the beautiful, full moon. 26:12 And we say: "Oh my, the moon is so beautiful tonight. " 26:17 Do you know what we should really say? 26:19 "Oh my, the sun is so beautiful tonight. " 26:24 Because the light of the moon is the light of the sun. 26:28 It receives light from the sun and then it projects 26:32 the sunlight to the earth. 26:34 And so it is with Jesus. 26:37 When we are in connection with the light 26:39 as a result we will reflect the light. 26:42 When we drink the living waters of the Spirit 26:45 then we become a source of life to others 26:49 as the Holy Spirit is poured through us to other people. 26:53 In fact, notice I Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. 26:58 I Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. 27:01 Here it says clearly that the water is a symbol 27:04 of the Holy Spirit. It says: 27:21 So what is it that we drink? 27:22 We drink the Holy Spirit symbolically speaking. 27:26 And then when we drink the Holy Spirit 27:28 the waters are in us and those waters flow as a blessing 27:33 to other people. In fact, Ellen White says 27:35 that if we don't have any light to impart it's because 27:38 we have no connection with the source of light. 27:41 If we have no water to give it's because we have not 27:45 received the water in the first place. 27:48 Now we need to go to the second rock episode. 27:51 It's found in Numbers chapter 20 and verses 7 through 11. 27:56 There's a very important difference 27:58 between the two stories. 27:59 Numbers chapter 20 and verses 7 through 11. 28:04 It says here: 28:21 What was he told to do? 28:22 What was he told to do the first time? 28:25 Strike or smite. But now he's told 28:28 "speak to the Rock before their eyes. " 29:05 What was so serious about this striking the rock by Moses? 29:10 The fact is folks that the Rock was only going to be smitten 29:14 once. The book of Hebrews say that Jesus was to die 29:18 "once for all. " 29:20 He would never have to fall under the judgment of God again. 29:24 He did it once and that was it. 29:27 So Moses was ruining the beautiful symbol 29:30 that Jesus was going to fall under the judgment 29:33 of His Father once and that if now if we want the Holy Spirit 29:37 all we have to do is ask and we shall receive. Amen. 29:42 Allow me to read you the inspired commentary 29:44 from Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets page 418. 29:48 She caught the nuance of what the seriousness 29:51 of the sin of Moses was. 29:53 She says: "By this rash act Moses took away the force 29:58 of the lesson that God purposed to teach. 30:01 The Rock - being a symbol of Christ - 30:05 had been once smitten 30:08 as Christ was to be once offered. 30:11 The second time it was needful only to speak to the Rock 30:15 as we have only to ask for blessings 30:19 in the name of Jesus. 30:21 By the second smiting of the Rock 30:23 the significance of the beautiful figure of Christ 30:27 was destroyed. " 30:29 Therein lied the terrible sin of Moses. 30:34 You see, if we want the Holy Spirit now, 30:36 we don't have to have Jesus fall under the judgment of God 30:39 again. And there's one church in the world that 30:42 teaches that Jesus is sacrificed anew every time 30:46 that people partake of the Eucharist. 30:48 The Bible teaches NO! Jesus fell under the judgment 30:52 of God once. He died once for all! 30:55 He suffered the judgment of the Father once. 30:57 And if we want the Holy Spirit today, all we have to do 31:00 is ask. Amen. 31:03 Notice Luke 11 and verse 13 31:05 where Jesus expresses this explicitly. 31:08 Notice Luke 11 and verse 13. Jesus says: 31:31 There you have the speaking to the Rock: 31:34 asking Jesus for His Holy Spirit. 31:37 In fact, Ellen White tells us in the devotional book 31:41 In Heavenly Places page 113: 31:43 "There is one blessing that all may have who seek for it 31:47 in the right way. 31:48 It is the Holy Spirit of God 31:50 and this is a blessing that brings all other blessings 31:55 in its train. " 31:57 Now let's go and speak a little bit about the Day of Pentecost. 32:01 What happened on the Day of Pentecost? 32:04 Now in order to understand the Day of Pentecost 32:06 we need to understand what Jesus did before that. 32:09 Now the first thing that Jesus does in the sanctuary is 32:13 to live a sinless life. 32:17 Now let me ask you this: 32:19 um, does the law require absolute sinless perfection? 32:23 Yes. Does the law say obey and live? 32:26 It most certainly does. 32:27 Now what happens if we don't offer the law 32:30 that sinless perfection? 32:32 The law says you must what? You must die. 32:35 How many of us have broken the law? 32:38 Raise your hand if at least once in your life you've 32:40 broken the law. Uh, those of you who did not raise your hand, 32:44 uh, you just broke the law because you're lying. 32:52 See the law says you have to offer me absolute sinless 32:56 perfection, and if you don't you'll die. 32:59 And none of us can offer the law sinless perfection 33:01 so we're all on death row. 33:03 So do you know what we needed? 33:05 We needed someone to come to this earth and to live the life 33:09 that we should live. 33:11 And we needed someone to come to this earth to die the death 33:14 that we should die. 33:15 We needed someone to live for us and to die for us. 33:20 And that's exactly what Jesus did. 33:22 He came to the camp. 33:24 That's where the sanctuary really begins. 33:26 He came to the camp. He dwelled in our midst. 33:29 He was tempted in all things such as we are... 33:32 yet He never sinned. 33:33 That life He lived in behalf of every single human being 33:37 that has ever drawn breath on planet earth. 33:40 And then Jesus went to the cross. 33:42 And on the cross Jesus died the death that all human beings 33:46 should die. His death was for every single human being 33:50 on earth that has ever drawn breath. 33:52 And so you have Jesus coming to the camp 33:55 and living His sinless life. 33:57 Then going into the court at the altar of sacrifice, 34:01 dying His death in place of human beings. 34:05 Then He moves to the laver which represents the resurrection 34:09 because it's called the laver of regeneration. 34:12 And then what is the next place in the sanctuary? 34:16 The next place is the holy place of the sanctuary. 34:20 I've never been able to understand how people say 34:23 that Jesus went directly into the most holy place 34:25 when He ascended to heaven. 34:27 That would mean that He would have to skip over 34:29 the holy place. The fact is that He first comes 34:32 and He dwells with us in the camp. 34:34 Then He goes to the altar of sacrifice and He dies. 34:37 He resurrects at the laver and then the next place 34:40 in the sanctuary is the holy place of the sanctuary. 34:44 And that's exactly where Jesus went: 34:47 into the holy place of the sanctuary. 34:49 Now the question is: what did Jesus go 34:52 into the holy place to do? 34:54 Very important question. 34:58 What did He go there to do? 34:59 What has Jesus been doing during the last 2000+ years? 35:04 Well, go with me to Revelation chapter 4 and verse 5. 35:08 I want us to notice something very interesting here. 35:11 Revelation chapter 4 and verse 5. 35:15 Revelation chapter 4 is actually speaking about the heavenly 35:19 throne room being prepared for the return of Jesus to heaven 35:24 upon His ascension. 35:26 I don't have time to get into all of the details 35:28 but if you read Revelation chapter 4 35:30 you'll find that God the Father is sitting on the throne. 35:33 Around the throne are 24 thrones that represent the... 35:38 actually, the elders. They represent the beings 35:41 or the representatives of the worlds that never sinned. 35:43 And then you have the seraphim that are present there... 35:46 six-winged creatures. And before the throne as we're 35:49 going to read you have the seven Spirits of God 35:53 which is the candlestick... the fire. 35:55 Notice what it says in Revelation chapter 4 35:57 and verse 5. 36:11 So you can see... God is sitting on the throne. 36:14 There are seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. 36:17 And you have the 24 elders... the representatives of the 36:21 worlds that never sinned around the throne. 36:23 And then you have the seraphim in the midst of the throne. 36:27 And then I want you to notice something very interesting 36:30 that happens. In chapter 4 you look in vain for Jesus. 36:36 He's not found in chapter 4. 36:37 You look in vain for the angelic host in chapter 4 36:41 of Revelation. The angelic host are not there. 36:43 The seraphim are there... which as the leaders of the 36:46 angelic host but you don't find the angelic host themselves. 36:49 So you say: "where are they? " 36:51 Well, when you get to chapter 5 36:53 Jesus Christ arrives to the throne room. 36:57 And the Bible says that there are 10,000 times 10,000 37:01 and thousands of thousands. 37:02 The angelic host arrive there with Him. 37:07 Now if you read Desire of Ages, 37:09 the last three pages of Desire of Ages, 37:11 you're going to find that Ellen White comments 37:13 about Revelation 4 and 5. 37:15 She speaks about everything being prepared in the holy place 37:18 of the heavenly sanctuary for the arrival of Christ 37:20 with the angels that had come to pick Him up. 37:23 And when He actually arrives into heaven 37:26 the angels are singing His praises. 37:29 He's coming back from the battleground; 37:30 He's gained the victory. And Jesus raises His hands 37:36 and He says: "Silence. Don't sing. " 37:41 And He goes into the presence of His Father. 37:44 And do you know what He says there to His Father? 37:47 He says: "Father, I need to know if My sacrifice 37:53 was sufficient to save My people and bring them home. " 37:58 What is He pleading for? He's pleading for 38:02 clarity as to whether His Father has accepted what? 38:06 His sacrifice. 38:09 And Ellen White describes it. She says: "The Father says 38:12 it is more than sufficient. " 38:15 And then the Father commands all of the angelic host. 38:18 He said: "Let all the angels of God worship Him. " 38:21 Amen! And heaven explodes in a scene of praise. 38:25 And then do you know what happens? 38:27 The Holy Spirit is poured out 38:30 as a signal that His sacrifice 38:33 has been accepted by His Father in heaven. Amen! 38:36 Let me prove it to you. 38:38 Revelation chapter 4 and verse 5 once again. 38:40 It speaks about the seven lamps of fire burning before the 38:43 throne. See, there in heaven at that point 38:44 before Jesus arrives and when Jesus arrives. 38:48 Then in Revelation 5 verse 6 you have a change. 38:52 Notice what it says there in Revelation 5 verse 6. 39:07 So has Jesus been slain at this point? 39:09 Yes. Is He alive there? Absolutely! 39:28 So the seven Spirits are there in chapter 4 39:31 but in chapter 5 what happens to the seven Spirits? 39:34 They are sent to the what? To the earth. 39:37 Now there are not seven Holy Spirits. 39:38 We are aware of that. The number seven represents what? 39:41 It represents fullness or totality or completeness. 39:45 The fullness of the Spirit is poured out on the 39:48 Day of Pentecost. 39:50 So in chapter 4 we have the throne room prepared 39:53 for Jesus to arrive. In chapter 5 He arrives 39:56 as the Lamb. He's been sacrificed. 39:58 And then as a result of the acceptance of His sacrifice 40:02 we are told in Revelation chapter 5 and verse 6 40:05 that the seven Spirits which represents the totality of the 40:10 Holy Spirit is poured out upon the disciples 40:14 who are in the upper room. 40:16 Now allow me to read you an interesting statement 40:19 from the pen of Ellen White. 40:20 This is Story of Redemption page 386 40:24 where Ellen White describes the relationship between the 40:27 sacrifice of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 40:31 This is what she says: 40:48 See the connection? The great sacrifice has been what? 40:52 Offered and had been accepted. 40:55 Now listen carefully: 41:16 So what did Jesus go to heaven to do? 41:19 He went to shed upon His disciples the what? 41:23 The benefits of His atonement. 41:26 Now you say: "What are the benefits of His atonement? " 41:28 It's very simple. 41:30 The benefits of the atonement of Christ are His perfect life 41:34 and His perfect death. 41:36 Those are the benefits. 41:38 He lived for all and He died for all. 41:41 Does that mean that everyone's going to be saved? 41:43 Absolutely not. 41:45 What needs to happen in order for a person to be saved? 41:48 You have to claim His life and you have to claim His death 41:53 as your own. 41:56 He gained the benefits while He was on earth. 41:58 He now had a perfect robe of righteousness. 42:01 He had a perfect life that He can offer every individual 42:05 in place of your sinful life. 42:06 And He had a payment of debt for sin that if you accepted Him 42:11 your debt of sin would be cancelled 42:14 and you would be accepted in the Beloved. 42:16 Those are the benefits of His atonement. 42:19 In other words, Jesus went to heaven to apply to individuals 42:23 who were repentant and confessed their sins on earth 42:26 the benefits of what He had done. 42:28 Are you understanding me? 42:31 That's the reason why Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, 42:34 after he preached his sermon a multitude of men come to him 42:37 and they say: "What is it that we need to do 42:40 in the light of the fact that Jesus is now sitting 42:42 at the right hand of God and He's interceding for us... 42:45 What do we need to do? " 42:46 And Peter says: "Repent! 42:48 And let each one of you be baptized 42:53 for the remission of sins" - 42:55 that is, for the forgiveness of sins - 42:57 "and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. " 42:59 And you read the book of Acts and you find 43:03 that all throughout the book of Acts the disciples 43:06 are preaching to people: 43:07 "The sanctuary is now open for business. 43:10 There is a perfect life at your disposal. 43:14 There's a perfect, satisfying death on the cross 43:18 for your sins. All you have to do is come 43:22 and, through repentance and confession, claim it 43:25 as your own and it will be placed to your account. " 43:28 Amen. 43:29 That's what Jesus went to do in heaven 43:32 and that's what He's been doing during the last 2000+ years. 43:35 Are you understanding what I'm saying? Yes! 43:38 Now, what was the mission of the disciples? 43:42 The mission of the disciples was simply to go out and preach 43:47 to people that the sanctuary was open for business. 43:53 In other words, they were to go out and preach and say: "Hey, 43:55 Jesus lived a perfect life 43:58 and He died for sin. 44:01 And you can claim that as your own. Repent. 44:04 Be converted. Confess your sins, 44:07 and He will take His life and His death 44:10 and He will place it to your account 44:11 and you'll be accepted into the Beloved. 44:13 He'll look upon you as if you had never sinned. " 44:16 That was the preaching of the disciples. 44:18 They were supposed to go out and preach that the sanctuary 44:21 was now open for individuals to come and claim the benefits 44:25 of Christ's atonement. 44:29 Now let's go to the book of Acts chapter 1 verses 7 and 8. 44:34 Acts chapter 1 verses 7 and 8. 44:36 And I want you to notice that there are two times 44:40 in this passage where you have the expression 44:43 "you shall. " 44:45 Two times... "you shall. " 44:47 It has a lot to do with the rock episodes that we studied. 44:51 Acts chapter 1 and verses 7 and 8. 45:11 So the first "you shall" has to do with what? 45:13 With receiving, OK? 45:25 And then notice the second "you shall. " 45:40 Do you see the pattern here? 45:42 First of all, you what? You receive power. 45:47 And then what do you do with that power? 45:50 You shall witness. 45:52 You drink the water and then what? 45:54 The water flows through you to others. 45:58 You know, there's this idea in the Christian world 46:00 that the reason why God gives His Holy Spirit is 46:02 for self-edification. 46:04 God does not give His Holy Spirit for self-edification. 46:08 He gives His Holy Spirit to empower people 46:12 who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord 46:16 and have been saved to go and tell others 46:18 how to be saved. 46:20 "You shall receive power" 46:23 and "you shall be witnesses to Me. " 46:26 Now let's go to the gospel of John chapter 4 46:32 and notice something very interesting there 46:35 in John chapter 4 and verses 13 and 14. 46:39 This is the story of the Samaritan woman. 46:42 She comes to the well at noon to draw water 46:47 which was a very unusual time to draw water 46:49 because it was very, very hot. 46:51 And yet she comes at that time because she doesn't want 46:54 to meet anyone. 46:56 And there, of course, is Jesus. 46:58 And Jesus says to her: "Give Me water to drink. " 47:02 She immediately looks at Him and says: "How is it that You 47:06 a Jew would ask a Samaritan for water? " 47:11 Because Jews and Samaritans don't speak to one another. 47:15 And then Jesus says: "You know what? 47:17 If you knew who was speaking to you, 47:20 you would ask Me for water where you would never thirst again. 47:24 You drink this water you'll thirst again, 47:25 but you would ask me for water 47:27 where you would never thirst again. " 47:28 And she said: "Well I definitely want that water. " 47:33 And so Jesus opens before her eyes the spiritual truths 47:38 undoubtedly about the rock and the water. 47:41 And this woman embraces salvation in her heart! 47:47 I want you to notice the words of Jesus in John 4 verses 13-14. 47:51 Very, very important. 48:10 Now listen carefully: 48:22 Amen! So you drink and what happens? 48:26 And the water becomes in you a spring of water 48:32 breaking forth into everlasting life. 48:35 Now it's interesting to notice that this woman actually 48:39 lived what Jesus taught her because after the conversation 48:42 finished she went back to Sychar, the town of Sychar. 48:46 And meanwhile the disciples came back. 48:48 Jesus had sent them to get some food. 48:50 And when they brought the food Jesus says: "My food 48:54 and My drink is to do the will of My Father and to accomplish 48:57 the work that He sent Me to do. " 48:58 And the disciples, you know, they were usually not very much 49:01 in tune spiritually. They say "Well, maybe somebody 49:03 brought Him something to eat while we were gone. " 49:05 They thought He was speaking about physical food. 49:09 And then Jesus pointed out into the distance 49:12 and He says: "You know, haven't you heard that there's 49:15 still four months until the harvest? " 49:17 Said "No. " He says: "Look at the fields. 49:22 They're already white, ready for the harvest. " 49:28 You know, if you read Desire of Ages 49:30 you'll find that Ellen White tells us that Jesus was not 49:34 pointing at fields of wheat or fields of barley. 49:38 Jesus was pointing at the entire town of Sychar 49:42 that was coming with this woman to hear the words 49:46 that Jesus had spoken to her. 49:48 This woman had drunk from the water 49:51 and now she had gone back to Sychar and she had witnessed. 49:55 And now all of the people from town were coming 49:58 to listen to the words of Jesus. 50:00 She drank the water and then she became what? 50:04 She became a fountain of water. 50:07 So what is the sequence in these rock episodes? 50:11 Jesus Christ came to this earth to live the life that all of us 50:15 should live. Then at the end of His life 50:19 He was smitten by the rod of God's judgment. 50:24 He suffered for the sins of the whole world. 50:28 And then Jesus resurrected. There you have the laver. 50:32 He enters into the holy place of the sanctuary 50:35 and He says: "Father, is My sacrifice sufficient 50:38 to bring My people home? " 50:41 And the Father says: "Yes! It is sufficient. " 50:46 And then there's this outbreak of praise in heaven. 50:49 And the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the earth 50:53 and you have tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. 50:56 Sacrifice/fire. 50:58 Striking the Rock/water. 51:00 Are you following me? 51:01 And what is the Holy Spirit poured out for 51:03 on the Day of Pentecost? 51:05 Had the disciples repented of their sins? 51:08 Had they confessed their sins? 51:09 Had they made everything right before the Day of Pentecost? 51:12 Absolutely! 51:14 And therefore the Holy Spirit is poured out on the 51:16 Day of Pentecost so that they would now do what? 51:19 They received power so that they could go out and witness. 51:23 What was their message? 51:24 Their message was: "Hey, Jesus lived a perfect life. 51:28 Jesus died for sin. 51:30 These are available now! 51:33 The sanctuary is open for business. 51:36 All you have to do is repent and confess your sins 51:41 and trust in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. " 51:46 What an amazing story. 51:48 Allow me in closing to read you a statement that we find 51:51 in the book Ministry of Healing page 102 51:56 where Ellen White is commenting about the experience 51:58 of the Samaritan woman. 52:01 She says this: 52:10 Listen carefully now: 52:23 Now listen carefully... here's where Adventists come in: 52:40 When the Latter Rain is poured out. 52:45 See, the Latter Rain hasn't been poured out yet 52:47 so you guys have got to wait for a great work in the future. 52:51 That's the way many people think in the Adventist church. 52:55 She continues saying: 53:26 Powerful statement! 53:28 If we don't feel that intense desire to witness, 53:34 it's because perhaps we don't have a connection with Christ. 53:37 Because when we have drunk the water, the water will flow 53:41 through us to others. 53:43 It's automatic. 53:45 When we receive the light, it will be our joy and our 53:49 privilege to shine or to reflect that light to the world. 53:55 That's what Pentecost is all about. 53:58 Now I'd like to end this morning or this afternoon 54:02 depending on what time zone you're in 54:08 by saying that the present truth of the apostles 54:12 in the days of Christ was that the sanctuary was open 54:17 for business. To repent; to confess their sins; 54:20 to trust in Jesus so that His life and death 54:22 could be credited to their account. 54:25 That was present truth. 54:28 But that doesn't mean that that is present truth today. 54:32 Amen. We're going to talk about what present truth is today 54:38 on Sabbath evening. 54:39 You see, you want to know what present truth is? 54:42 It's very simple. 54:43 All you have to do to know what present truth is 54:46 is find out where Jesus is and what He's doing - 54:50 Amen! - 54:51 now... and that's present truth. 54:56 You see, when Jesus went to heaven, He went to the 54:58 holy place. 55:02 The message of the holy place was present truth. 55:06 But where is Jesus today? 55:08 Jesus is in the most holy place of the sanctuary. 55:13 So present truth has to do with the most holy place. 55:17 Now don't misunderstand me. 55:19 The sanctuary is a sequence. 55:21 You have to begin in the camp 55:23 where Jesus lived His perfect life. 55:26 You have to continue in the court where Jesus died for sin. 55:29 You have to continue with His resurrection. 55:32 You have to continue with the fact that you can receive Jesus 55:36 as Savior and He will take His life and His death 55:38 and He'll place them to your account. 55:42 But then God wants us to go a step further 55:44 because the Bible tells us that Christ is cleansing the 55:48 sanctuary today 55:50 from the sins that have gone into the sanctuary, 55:53 sins that have been confessed and that have been forgiven 55:55 that are in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is being cleansed. 55:59 And there needs to be a parallel work taking place on earth 56:02 among God's people. 56:04 While he is cleansing the sanctuary in heaven 56:06 there needs to be a cleansing among God's people of sin 56:10 from the temple of the soul. 56:12 And we're to find that that is present truth. 56:15 You see, the most holy place has a cluster of truths. 56:18 There you have the law. 56:20 There you have the Sabbath. 56:22 There you have the idea of the judgment. 56:25 We'll see that there you have the state of the dead. 56:29 Let me ask you: are end-time issues going to have to do 56:31 with primarily the state of the dead, the law, and the Sabbath? 56:34 Those are most holy place issues, folks, 56:38 and that's where our message should be focused today. 56:42 Not that we ignore bringing people to the feet of Christ 56:45 to invite them to accept the life and death of Christ. 56:49 But we need to lead them a step further 56:52 to the point of victory over sin through the grace 56:55 and the power of Jesus Christ. 56:57 And so the sanctuary presents the plan of salvation 57:00 from beginning to end. 57:02 We know exactly where Jesus has been, 57:04 what He has done, and what our present duty is 57:08 in the light of what Jesus is doing. 57:10 What a marvelous message God has committed 57:12 to the Adventist church. Amen. 57:15 But woe to us if we receive and at the same time 57:19 we refuse to give what God has given us. 57:23 Let us pray. 57:25 Father in Heaven, We thank you for the marvelous 57:27 message that You have given 57:29 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to share with the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17