Participants: Leslie Pollard
Series Code: 11POFCM
Program Code: 11POFCM000015
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00:47 Good morning and happy Sabbath!
00:51 I dare say those may be the two most beautiful words 00:56 in the world: 00:57 Happy Sabbath! 01:00 Exceeded only by Jesus coming. 01:05 You look marvelous. We welcome our in-house audience 01:09 here in Thompsonville, Illinois, and our viewers and listeners 01:12 from around the world to what we suspect will be... 01:16 There is a term that we tend to use in Adventism - 01:18 perhaps we over-use it - 01:20 we call great spiritual experiences 01:23 high days in Zion. 01:25 Now that is... that is Advent-speak. 01:27 And when you say: "Oh, we had a high day in Zion, " 01:30 what was that? 01:33 Or what is that? It means an unusually blessed 01:36 spiritual experience... an experience that draws us 01:40 closer to the Lord and closer to the vision of Jesus coming. 01:45 So I suspect that this will be once it is done 01:50 a high day in Zion 01:54 and that the saints will agree that we were drawn 01:56 just a little closer to the Lord through our worship, 02:00 our prayer, and our praise on this very, very fine day. 02:03 God has blessed us throughout the several days that we have 02:06 been together and on last night during our Pillars concert. 02:11 What a blessing it was! 02:16 You know, when I was singing I saw someone crying 02:19 and I said: "Boy, am I singing that bad? " 02:23 But then they were also crying for Yvonne and crying for Reggie 02:26 and Ladye and crying for... And I said: "Oh, it's 02:29 those kinds of tears. Praise God! " 02:32 But there are many who said that they were moved to weep 02:35 during some of that music. 02:36 And we felt the same power of God in this place 02:39 and I know that that will be resonant in this building again 02:42 today. So we wish you a happy and blessed Sabbath indeed 02:46 and welcome you to our final day of this encampment: 02:51 the Pillars of our Faith Camp Meeting here at 3ABN. 02:55 And for those of you who are in the Thompsonville area 02:58 of southern Illinois it is not too late for you to jump 03:01 in your car and come and be with us. 03:05 It is good to watch it on TV but there's a special experience 03:08 when you're in the building that you just can't get on TV. 03:12 So we thank you for being here. 03:14 Our first speaker is... I don't quite know when 03:19 I met Leslie Pollard. 03:23 Seems like I have always known him - he is that kind of person. 03:26 Though he is a man of letters - he is a Ph.D. - 03:30 a teacher, a lecturer, has taught at the seminary, 03:33 was on the faculty of Loma Linda for a while as... 03:39 And I need to read this. 03:40 I will yield to age and put on my glasses... 03:44 He was Community Partnership and Diversity Vice President 03:49 at Loma Linda University. 03:50 That's where I... I remember when I was working on the 03:52 Loma Linda II Health Study video we worked very closely 03:55 with Loma Linda. We got acquainted there. 03:57 Um, interestingly enough, when I was doing my research 04:00 on the remnant and I was looking through some of the 04:04 Biblical Research Institute material, I happened to glance 04:06 down to see who had submitted that particular article 04:09 and it was Dr. Leslie Pollard. 04:11 So he is a man of letters, a writer, a preacher, and 04:14 an evangelist world-wide. He currently 04:17 serves as the president of Oakwood University. 04:20 So we have a university president to speak with us 04:23 this very day. But more than that 04:25 when you get to know him he is a godly man. 04:29 He truly is a humble godly man. 04:32 We were at Oakwood when he was coming in 04:37 and he gave one of his very first speeches 04:40 to the student body. And he echoed many of the thoughts of 04:44 our General Conference president. 04:46 He wanted the school to be a spiritual place. 04:48 A place where God is revered. 04:51 He wanted revival and reformation there at the school. 04:55 And so we came to understand that this is a man 04:59 who by the grace of God is going to do a great work 05:04 for the Lord. And we know that as he speaks 05:07 on the crucial subject of the Great Controversy 05:10 he has much to tell us. And so we ask that you 05:12 give ear... lend ear and heart to the Word of God this day 05:16 for God has much to tell us through His servant. 05:19 His wife, Prudence, is also on the staff at Oakwood College. 05:23 She is also a Ph.D. so they are also stereo-doctors... 05:26 Doctor and Doctor Pollard... 05:28 and doing a very, very fine job. 05:31 We have music coming in the next little bit 05:34 but before that does come I'm going to ask you 05:37 to bow your heads with me as we pray now 05:41 and ask God's blessing upon the day. 05:45 Gracious Father, we just praise You and thank You 05:48 for Your love, Your mercy, Your grace. 05:51 We thank you for keeping us during the night. 05:53 We thank you for the blessing of rest 05:57 and now the blessing of worship. 06:01 And we ask in Jesus' name that You would be the honored guest. 06:07 That You would speak through each of these who have been 06:11 called to give a word for You. 06:13 And then open up our hearts and our understanding 06:17 so that we may hear and do and be drawn closer, 06:24 so much closer, to Jesus. 06:28 We praise You and thank You in Jesus' name, Amen. 06:34 Our musical ministry this morning is coming 06:36 and I don't have it listed on my... my sheet here. 06:40 It's coming from... It is Melody. 06:42 I thought you were the next hour. 06:44 This is a face I'm sure you know. 06:46 Our own Melody Firestone. Blessed with a beautiful voice 06:50 and a beautiful disposition for the Lord. 06:52 What are you singing, Melody? I Tremble. I Tremble. 06:55 After Melody shall have sung the next voice you'll be hearing 06:59 will be that of Dr. Leslie Pollard, 07:01 President of Oakwood University. 07:24 Lord, it's with special reverence 07:29 that I come into Your presence 07:34 whispering the name 07:37 that calms all fear. 07:42 And I'm filled with such emotion 07:46 at Your mercy and Your devotion 07:51 to think that You would come and meet 07:56 me here. 08:00 Lord, I tremble 08:05 at the very thought of Calvary where 08:09 You chose me over life 08:13 as You suffered willingly. 08:17 Lord, I tremble 08:21 at the way I'm undeserving 08:25 of the love You came to give 08:30 and the blood that makes me worthy. 08:34 Lord, I tremble. 08:42 Let me not forget this temple 08:46 is transformed into a throne room... 08:51 through Your name 08:53 my soul is ushered in. 08:59 Let me come to You in wonder, 09:02 let my heart still pound like thunder, 09:07 at the way Your grace has found me 09:11 once again. 09:15 Lord, I tremble 09:19 at the very thought of Calvary where 09:24 You chose me over life 09:28 as You suffered willingly. 09:31 Lord, I tremble 09:35 at the way I'm undeserving 09:40 of the love You came to give 09:44 and the blood that makes me worthy. 09:48 Lord, I tremble at the way 09:51 Your love has saved me 09:54 and Your precious grace forgave me. 09:58 Let me never take for granted 10:03 who You are! 10:07 Lord, I tremble 10:11 at the very thought of Calvary where 10:16 You chose me over life 10:19 as You suffered willingly. 10:24 I tremble 10:28 at the way I'm undeserving of 10:33 the Love You came to give 10:36 and the blood that makes me worthy. 10:41 Lord, I tremble. 10:53 Lord, I tremble. 11:08 Well, good morning everyone. 11:10 Good morning. Isn't it a blessing to be in the house 11:12 of God this morning? Amen! 11:14 And to have the opportunity to spend some concentrated time 11:18 when we are studying God's Word 11:20 and praying for revival and reformation in our church. 11:23 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. 11:25 It's a pleasure to be here with the 3ABN audience 11:28 not only locally here in the Worship Center 11:30 but also around the world 11:31 and to bring you greetings from Oakwood University: 11:34 your university in the deep South. 11:39 Founded in 1896 AD by Mrs. Ellen G. White 11:42 for a particular mission. 11:45 And on that 1,200 acres for more than 115 years 11:49 the mission of Jesus Christ through the Seventh-day 11:52 Adventist Church has been carried out. 11:54 Even people who have never visited Oakwood University 11:57 have heard about Oakwood University. 11:59 They've heard about it because of the magnificent music 12:02 of our premier singing group, the Aeolians, 12:05 or the dynamic ministers that the university has put out 12:10 and has sent forth to do the work of God. 12:12 So I'm grateful this morning to bring you greetings 12:15 from that community of faith - 12:17 that Seventh-day Adventist community of faith - 12:20 there in the deep South in Huntsville, Alabama. 12:23 And if you've never visited, please come by and see us 12:27 and I promise you we'll treat you real good. 12:31 Amen. So please come down. 12:33 Um, I also wish to thank 3ABN for the invitation 12:37 to talk to you on a subject about which I am so deeply 12:40 passionate from the book of Revelation. 12:43 Pastor Murray - and I thank him for his warm introduction - 12:46 Pastor Murray mentioned that one of the articles I had written 12:49 on the work called "The Remnant" for our Seventh-day Adventist 12:52 Church that he had read. 12:55 Let me just say a little bit about the whole idea of 12:57 the remnant. I spend significant amounts of time - 13:01 I wrote 800 pages, actually - 13:03 on one word in the book of Revelation. 13:06 That word is the "remnant. " 13:08 It was an amazing, amazing journey. 13:11 Amazing experience. 13:13 We should have every confidence that God is doing an extra 13:17 special work through this, His end-time movement 13:20 in these last days. Amen. 13:23 Do you believe that? Amen! 13:25 I believe that with all my heart. 13:26 And I tell you... if you engage the book of Revelation 13:30 Mrs. Ellen White promises that you will have a completely 13:33 different religious experience 13:36 simply from the study of the book of Revelation. 13:40 Do you believe that? Amen! 13:42 This is what she said in The Faith I Live By: 13:44 "One thing will certainly be understood from 13:47 the study of Revelation: 13:49 that the connection between God and His people 13:53 is close and decided. " 13:58 The Faith I Live By, page 345. 14:01 An amazing... an amazing statement. 14:05 Once you study that book, you get to see very clearly 14:09 that God is working in these last days. 14:12 He's not far away; He's not removed; 14:15 He's not distant... 14:17 but He is intimately involved in the affairs of men and women 14:21 and He is moving history toward its final climax. 14:25 And in the book of Revelation 14:27 we get to see the complete symphony of salvation completed, 14:30 don't we? 14:32 It completes the symphony of salvation. 14:35 Remember in Genesis the earth is created 14:40 but in Revelation the earth is re-created. 14:44 In Genesis the sun and the moon and the stars appear 14:48 but in Revelation the sun and the moon disappear. 14:52 In Genesis sin appears; 14:55 in Revelation sin disappears. 14:58 Amen. In Genesis death appears; 15:02 in Revelation death disappears. Amen! 15:05 In Genesis Eden is lost; 15:08 in Revelation Eden is restored. Amen! 15:11 In Genesis God blocks the gates to the garden - 15:14 that's right - ah, but in Revelation He opens wide 15:17 the gates to the city. Amen! 15:20 In Genesis the curse is pronounced; 15:22 in Revelation the curse is renounced. Amen! 15:26 Notice what it says: "For there shall no longer be any curse. " 15:30 And certainly last but not least 15:32 in Genesis we meet Satan's first temptation... 15:36 "you will be as gods, " 15:39 but in Revelation Satan meets his final destination... 15:42 the lake of fire. Amen! 15:44 I'm telling you: you ought to spend some time studying 15:47 the book of Revelation. 15:48 And that's why I want to take you there this morning. 15:51 That's why I want to take you there. 15:52 That's why I want to go directly to the book of Revelation 15:55 for this reflection on The Great Controversy. 15:59 So take your Bibles, please. 16:02 And I see a number of my friends from Huntsville, Alabama, 16:05 who are here... the Oakwood group. 16:06 Uh, I see a number of you. 16:08 Brothers and sisters, I know you can't catch this on camera 16:11 but would you just raise your hand if you are among the 16:12 campers from Oakwood University? 16:14 OK, now that your hand is up would you stand, please? 16:17 Come on, don't stay in your chair now that your hand is up. 16:19 All right, all right. Let's put our hands together, everyone, 16:21 and welcome them. Look, look, look, look, 16:25 look, look, look! 16:27 Amen! Oakwood University supports 3ABN. 16:30 Amen. 16:31 OK. Revelation chapter 5 verse 1. 16:35 Did I pray? No. Let's pray. 16:38 Let's. pray. Mrs. White says we should always pray 16:40 before opening the Word of God. Amen. 16:42 Now, Lord, we pray that You would bless us today. 16:45 And as we open Your Word may we be blessed. 16:48 In Jesus' name, Amen. 16:50 Revelation chapter 5 verse 1. 16:52 "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne 16:57 a book, written within and on the back side, 17:01 sealed with seven seals. 17:04 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice 17:08 'Who is worthy to open the book 17:11 and to loose the seals thereof? ' 17:14 And no man in heaven nor in earth 17:17 neither under the earth was able to open the book 17:20 neither to look thereon. 17:22 And I wept much because no man was found worthy 17:26 to open and to read the book neither to look thereon. 17:30 And one of the elders said unto me: 17:33 'Weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, 17:39 the root of David, has prevailed to open the book 17:43 and to loose the seals thereof. ' " 17:48 Amen. 17:49 The year is 2001. 17:51 The date is September 9. 17:54 The place is Durbin, South Africa, 17:56 and I am attending a United Nations world congress 18:00 against racism. 18:02 I'm bright-eyed because of jet lag. 18:04 It's about 2 AM in the morning so I pop out of bed, 18:07 I pick up the remote control, 18:09 I point it at the television, 18:10 push the power button, and all of a sudden 18:13 the screen lights up. It's channel 3 18:17 of the South African Broadcast Corporation. 18:20 And there I witness, all the way broadcast from America, 18:23 an American sports spectacle called Battle Dome. 18:29 Battle Dome. 18:32 It's a World Wrestling Federation-like extravaganza 18:36 sports entertainment. Packed auditorium. 18:39 Cheering crowds. Competitors on the field. 18:42 The contest was simple... is simple. 18:46 As I watch, I notice that Battle Dome pits a team 18:49 of 4 amateur athletes called challengers 18:52 against a team of super athletes called warriors. 18:55 And the Battle Dome challengers must fight their way 19:00 through a series of contests only to be stopped... 19:03 if they can... only to be stopped by these warriors. 19:07 And this Battle Dome, as I continued watching, 19:09 boasts a colorful cast of characters. 19:12 I see one gentleman come in. His name is Mike O'Dell. 19:15 He's a former Mr. Olympia. 19:17 This man has muscles on muscles on muscles. 19:21 Uh, he's dressed in all white. He has a white fighting cape 19:24 that hangs from that thick neck of his. 19:26 He has on white fighting trunks and white fighting boots. 19:29 And as he comes into the auditorium 19:31 high from atop the arena he's accompanied by triplets. 19:35 And there's flashing strobe lights and pounding stage music. 19:40 And all of this, now, is intended to give effect 19:43 to show that this Mike O'Dell is a larger-than-life 19:47 prototype of the perfectly arrogant warrior. 19:50 And as soon as they finish with him 19:53 then the camera pans left and now we see another one 19:56 rolling in from the back of the auditorium. 19:59 He's in a black Chevy SUV. 20:02 Gangster-rap music is rattling every window. 20:06 And as he steps out, he's now... he's dressed in black 20:10 and he has now a solid-gold dollar sign 20:14 draped around his neck. It's encrusted with diamonds. 20:16 He's called T-Money, and he's the character who shows 20:20 that all he's interested in is money and power. 20:23 And then last but certainly not least 20:24 there's a third character. His name is Cuda. 20:28 Now he's supposed to be a Jamaican character. 20:31 Any Jamaicans in the house this morning? 20:33 He's supposed to be a Jamaican character. 20:35 He's got long dread-locks that reach down to the middle 20:38 of his back and he's dressed in cargo pants 20:41 and he has a so-called barracuda-tooth necklace. 20:44 You know all of this is entertainment. 20:45 A barracuda-tooth necklace around his neck. 20:47 And he's supposed to be in touch with the voodoo gods 20:50 and that's going to give him power 20:51 over all of the challengers. 20:53 These characters were interesting 20:55 but it was the contest... the contest... 20:59 that was so compelling. 21:02 The first contest was called Battle Dome kick boxing. 21:07 And in this contest there was a 10x20 metal grid 21:11 that was suspended from the ceiling about 10 feet 21:13 above the air. And there one warrior and one challenger 21:17 would jump up, grab onto the metal grid. 21:20 And they would meet in the middle and they would engage 21:23 in a bout of vicious kick boxing. 21:26 And then there was a second contest. 21:28 This was called the Battle Dome spinning mountain. 21:31 In this contest one challenger would then move forward 21:35 to attack a warrior who was crouched on the diagonal 21:41 face of the 25-mile-an-hour spinning mountain. 21:44 And if the little challenger could overthrow this warrior 21:48 then at the top of the mountain stood the mighty Cuda. 21:55 And the last contest. 21:56 That was the one that was simply just unbelievable... 21:59 the last contest. 22:00 The last contest. Now, in this contest 22:02 the warriors and the challengers stopped fighting each other 22:06 and the challengers now go into a cage 22:09 and they turn and they begin fighting with each other. 22:13 There's no more focus on the warriors. 22:15 Now the challengers turn, and they begin fighting each other 22:19 and for 60 seconds. And at the end, whoever is left 22:22 standing is declared the champion of the Battle Dome. 22:28 Now, follow me backwards in time. 22:39 Two thousand years before Columbia TriStar Pictures 22:44 ever imagined a sports spectacular called Battle Dome 22:49 we meet an old man by the sea. 22:53 He is the last and lone survivor 22:57 of the original twelve who have walked with Jesus. 23:01 This old man - banished to a... 23:06 to a mountain... banished to a mountainous 23:10 island in the middle of Aegean - 23:13 sent there because of the Word of God, 23:16 he says, and the testimony of Jesus. 23:20 This old man on this island prison 23:24 receives visions that will forever transform 23:28 the way the people of God see themselves 23:31 and the way they understand the workings of God 23:34 in the world. Amen. 23:36 This old man as he sits there 23:39 he begins to receive cosmic visions that show 23:43 the journey of the church and the course of human history. 23:46 And more importantly, the salvific work of Jesus Christ. 23:51 But he also receives another revelation. 23:54 He receives another revelation that reminds all of us 23:59 that this earth - though once an idyllic paradise - 24:03 this earth has now become the universe's Battle Dome. 24:09 Listen to what he says in Revelation chapter 12. 24:13 Listen to what he says as you listen to him. He says, 24:17 now, he says: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth 24:22 for the devil has come down among you. " 24:25 In Revelation chapter 12: "The devil has come down 24:28 among you having great wrath 24:31 because he knows that he has but a short time. " 24:36 What is the old man saying? 24:39 What is the old man saying? 24:40 He is saying to those of us who thought our course 24:44 would be easy, he says: "No, no. 24:46 Welcome to Planet Battle Dome... 24:49 a place where bad things often happen to good people. " 24:53 "Welcome to Planet Battle Dome, a place where the innocent 24:57 suffer and often the guilty are elevated. " 24:59 "Welcome to Plant Battle Dome, a place ravaged 25:03 by disease and death and disaster. " 25:08 "Welcome, " he says, "to Planet Battle Dome, 25:11 where for 6,000 years the people of God 25:15 have stood as front-line combatants 25:18 in a battle that began in the courts of glory 25:23 but spilled over the balconies of heaven 25:26 and found its way down to planet earth. " 25:29 "Welcome, " he says, "to Planet Battle Dome, 25:33 where our struggles began at a tree 25:41 over a fruit 25:46 with a proposition: 25:50 'Would you be as God? ' " 25:56 This fundamental premise 25:58 that somehow creatures can displace the Creator 26:03 and be god of their own lives and destinies 26:07 and futures. 26:10 "Would you be as God? " he says. 26:13 And you know what happens, don't you? 26:15 We accept the proposition and we bite. 26:21 And as soon as we take the first bite 26:25 a chill sweeps over our first mother and father... 26:31 the same chill that still bites the conscience 26:35 in the aftermath of disobedience. 26:39 We bite... 26:42 and suddenly everything is changed. 26:46 Now God conducts an investigation. 26:50 I don't know if you have noticed it 26:53 but before any judgment sentence is pronounced 26:57 the pattern of Biblical witness is that God will allow 27:02 and launch an investigation. 27:06 Even if the place is called Sodom 27:09 He's going to send three inspectors in 27:13 to see that maybe there might be 50, 27:15 or maybe there might be 40, 27:17 or maybe there might be 30, 27:19 or maybe there might be 20. 27:23 There is no judgment in scripture 27:25 without an investigation AND a period of probation 27:31 in which men and women will have the opportunity to turn. 27:42 So God steps in 27:46 and no longer is it the idyllic Garden of Eden 27:50 but now it qualifies for CSI. 27:56 It's a crime scene investigation. 28:01 And now He interrogates the witnesses. 28:04 "Adam... where are you? " 28:09 And listen to Adam's answer. 28:12 He says: "I was afraid 28:15 and I was ashamed because I was naked 28:19 and I hid myself. " Oh! 28:25 We thought the proposal was that you would have a greater 28:29 sense of freedom and liberation. 28:33 Ah, but we begin to see now the first fruits of our fallenness. 28:40 Not liberty... but shame 28:49 and moral irresponsibility. 28:53 Because remember now, when God says: 28:57 "What have you done? Have you eaten of the fruit? " 29:01 what does Adam say? Adam says: 29:04 "Lord, the sister. " 29:12 Now I wasn't invited here to do this, but I feel so tempted 29:16 to preach about the way some men still blame their wives... 29:24 That's a different sermon. I'll do that one when I come back. 29:30 Moral irresponsibility. "It wasn't me! " 29:33 He turns to Eve. "Eve... " "The serpent 29:38 that You made. " 29:43 See the subtlety? 29:45 "It's your fault. " 29:47 "You gave us this freedom... it's Your fault. " 29:53 But look at the mercy of God. Amen. 29:57 He recognizes now that they no longer qualify 30:01 to stay in the paradise that He has prepared for them. 30:04 But what does He do? 30:06 He now must do something that's foreign to His nature. 30:10 He banishes them from the climate-controlled garden 30:14 called Eden 30:16 into the chill of Planet Battle Dome. 30:20 Ah, but He doesn't send them out empty-handed. 30:24 He plants a promise in their bosoms 30:27 that one day someone will come 30:31 who will redeem and retrieve and reclaim 30:36 the title deed to the planet that we had lost. 30:41 In Genesis chapter 4 verse 1 Adam believes 30:45 and Eve believes that it's her first-born. 30:49 For if you read Genesis 4:1 very carefully 30:52 in the Hebrew it says Eve cries out 30:55 after she conceives: "I have gotten 30:59 a man... the Lord. " 31:05 Ah, but time and experience 31:09 will reveal that Eve's first-born is not Messiah... 31:15 he's a murderer. 31:18 And on the day of Abel's funeral 31:21 Satan plants the moldy banner 31:24 of his victory in the still-moist earth 31:27 of Abel's freshly-dug grave 31:30 and he declares: "Abel is mine. " 31:36 "Cain is mine. " 31:38 "Adam, Eve... they're mine. " 31:43 "The entire earth is mine 31:46 and I am king of Planet Battle Dome. " 31:55 Now the contest begins. 32:00 And the contest is simple: 32:04 who can survive, much less succeed, 32:10 in Plant Battle Dome? 32:16 Noah? Noah. 32:21 I said Noah. 32:25 Step into the Battle Dome, Noah. 32:29 Here comes Noah. 32:32 Called to be a preacher in mid-life. 32:37 He's only 480 years old. 32:43 Ah, but he preaches the longest evangelistic meeting 32:48 in recorded history: 120 years. 32:53 Noah builds and preaches; he preaches and builds. 32:57 And then the day comes when he finishes his project. 33:03 It's as long as a football field. 33:06 It's three stories high. 33:08 It's got a single door and a single window. 33:13 And as that drawbridge-like door is let down 33:16 mysteriously, magnetically from all across terra firma 33:21 animals in two's and seven's 33:24 begin mysteriously marching in staccato-like, 33:29 army-like precision into the door of that ark. 33:35 Now saints, right there - if I never listened to Noah before - 33:42 about right here is a good time to begin listening. 33:46 As I begin watching these animals now begin to move 33:50 as if they are all domesticated. 33:53 Heretofore - the day before - they had been ferocious 33:57 and predatory and rapacious. 34:00 But now they are marching in like little lambs 34:04 in two's and seven's. 34:05 If I never listened to Noah before, 34:08 right now I want to listen to him. 34:11 And now here begins marching these animals in. 34:15 Animals - two's and seven's - and they begin making their way 34:17 into the ark. And then just as mysteriously 34:22 Ellen G. White says... 34:24 Ya'll still believe in Ellen G. White, don't you? Amen! 34:27 she says... she says an unseen hand 34:31 closes that huge door. 34:35 A small cloud appears in the once azure blue sky 34:40 about the size of a human hand. 34:44 But it begins multiplying itself 34:47 so that the once blue sky is now filled 34:51 with battalions of black thunderheads. 34:56 One drop. One hundred drops. 35:01 Now a cascade of destruction begins to pour 35:05 across the balconies of heaven 35:07 but the earth in sympathy is heaving in labor. 35:11 It can stand it no more so its water breaks 35:15 as the fountains of the deep erupt. 35:18 Listen, listen, listen, listen. 35:21 Listen as every living thing gurgles and gasps 35:27 for its last breath. 35:30 It's quiet. 35:34 Forty days later the ark now rests atop a peaceful mountain. 35:39 Now what does Noah do? 35:42 Your Bible says in Genesis chapter 9 35:46 beginning at verse 20 through 21 35:49 your Bible says that Noah decides to celebrate. 35:54 And he reaches for a Budweiser. 36:01 Notice what your Bible says. 36:03 Noah gets fall down, sloppy drunk. 36:07 Noah is disqualified. 36:12 Samson? Samson. I said Samson. 36:19 Step into the Battle Dome, Samson. 36:21 Now if anybody can do it, surely it's Samson. 36:24 Look at him. He's raised in a Christian home. 36:27 He's afforded every opportunity, a Christian education. 36:30 He's taken a Nazarite vow. 36:32 He will never cut his head, 36:34 he will never touch... cut his hair, 36:35 he will never touch any unclean thing. 36:37 He will never drink any strong drink. 36:39 If anybody can do it, surely - young people - it's Samson. 36:44 Surely it's Samson. 36:47 Ah, but when you read his biography in Judges 36:51 chapter 13 through 16 36:53 it's very clear that there are three weaknesses 36:57 that derail Samson. And if we are not careful 37:00 those weaknesses will also derail you and me. 37:05 Here is the first one. 37:07 And you can't help but notice as you read his story - 37:10 I've read it over and over - 37:12 the first weakness that you see in Samson 37:14 is that first and foremost he's allergic to authority. 37:22 Nobody can tell Samson anything. 37:27 Not his mother. Not his father. 37:30 Not the other judges. He's allergic to authority. 37:34 You want to see a young person who will be blessed? 37:37 Submit yourselves, young people, to godly authority. 37:42 God will bless your life and anoint it in ways 37:45 that you cannot even imagine. Amen! 37:49 Samson is allergic to authority. Here's the second. 37:53 Samson loves to fraternize 37:59 with the enemy. 38:01 Uh-huh. Go back and read his story. 38:04 What are the places you see him frequenting? 38:09 Ashkelon, Timnah, Gaza. 38:14 Now to you and me that may not mean anything 38:16 but to the first readers of the book of Judges 38:19 they would ask the question: why is Samson always 38:22 in Philistine territory? 38:24 It's because Samson loves the excitement of fraternizing 38:29 with the enemy. 38:30 You know these church girls don't appeal to Samson. 38:34 Samson wants a girl like the ones he sees on the videos. 38:38 That's what Samson wants. 38:39 Samson... these girls who like, you know, belong to Pathfinders, 38:46 Junior deaconesses wearing those long white dresses, 38:51 Samson doesn't like that type. 38:53 Samson wants more excitement. 38:55 He wants the ones he sees on the red carpet. 38:59 Samson loves enemy fraternization. 39:03 And watch him, watch him, because ultimately 39:06 the thing that undoes him is his love for association 39:11 with the enemy. I said there were three weaknesses, didn't I? 39:14 The third one is Samson has low impulse control. 39:20 Samson wants what he wants when he wants it. 39:23 And so he tells his parents: "Get her for me. 39:28 She pleases me well. " 39:31 It doesn't matter what God's Word has said. 39:33 None of that matters. "She pleases me well. " 39:40 Hmmm. Hmmm. 39:45 And he gets her. 39:49 Uh, she's 36-24-36. 39:58 Straight out of Philistia. 40:00 A cover girl. 40:04 You see how beautiful she is. 40:06 That sprayed on chocolate skin. I had to get that in. 40:18 You see how beautiful she is. 40:20 He gets it. 40:21 He gets it... but it gets him. 40:27 Watch him now. He's almost bald headed. 40:32 He's stumbling around in a Philistine stadium. 40:38 Hooting, jeering Philistines mock and jeer him. 40:42 "Dance for us, Samson. Dance for us. " 40:45 Watch him now as he dances his hopeless jig 40:49 in an effort to forestall some of the ridicule 40:54 and derision. Remember ladies and gentlemen 40:56 these are honor vs. shame societies 41:00 and so he would feel the ridicule most keenly. 41:07 But now listen as somehow in Samson's mind 41:12 like the Prodigal Son, a switch... 41:17 a switch flips in his mind. 41:20 And he begins to remember all the little ladies 41:24 who taught him Bible verses in Sabbath School. 41:27 He begins to remember all of the lessons he learned 41:30 in church school. He begins to remember 41:32 the morning and evening worship that the old man and his wife 41:35 had with him. He begins to remember 41:37 all of that... and he begins to pray. 41:42 Aren't you glad that God is a God of grace? 41:46 And that it doesn't matter how far your young people, 41:49 your child, may have wandered. 41:51 You'd better know while they're out in Babylon 41:55 or in Philistia, if you taught them to pray 41:58 there are time when they will never... 42:00 I'm saying stuff that's going to help a parent right now. 42:02 There are time when you may not know it but they are praying. 42:06 Now they may never come back and say: "Mommy, Daddy, 42:08 I prayed today. " Ah, but if you put it in them 42:11 it's in them. And one day - I said one day - 42:14 God is going to bring it to fruition. Amen. 42:19 It's Samson's moment now. He begins to push. 42:22 He begins to push; he begins to push. 42:24 He says to the little slave: "Lean me against the pillars. " 42:27 Can't you hear him now groaning and pushing 42:30 and now... now, all of a sudden, you hear the first crack. 42:35 And the hooting, jeering Philistines 42:37 who had been mocking him moments before 42:40 now all of a sudden their hoots and their jeers 42:44 turn to wails and shrieks as the whole temple now 42:48 begins to collapse and fall down upon them. 42:52 Come with me. Let's go find Samson. 42:57 We plow through the rubble and there he is. 43:02 His eyeless sockets stare upward lifelessly 43:08 as Samson dies a shell of the witness 43:13 that he could have been. 43:15 Samson is disqualified. 43:18 David? David. I said David. 43:22 Step into the Battle Dome, David. 43:24 Now here comes David. If anybody can do it, 43:27 surely it's David. I mean, look at him. 43:30 He looks so good he ought to be in Hollywood. 43:36 The ladies love David. You remember, when he left the 43:39 battlefield fighting the titan called Goliath 43:42 the sisters - swooning sisters - sang. 43:44 "Saul has slain his thousands but David has slain 43:48 his tens of thousands. " 43:51 Ah but watch him now in the spring of the year 43:54 when he has come into his... he has come into his calling. 43:58 Walking across his balcony he beholds a bathing beauty 44:04 called Bathsheba. 44:08 "Get her for me. " Now David doesn't need Bathsheba. 44:12 David has many wives already. 44:16 But if he's the king, he gets what he wants... 44:22 and he does. 44:25 Except for one little glitch. 44:30 Thirty days later David gets a text message. 44:38 "I'm expecting. " 44:43 Watch this now. His mind is a whirr 44:46 because he's got to now cover this up. 44:48 And you know the rest of the story. 44:50 He calls for Uriah the Hittite. 44:53 Uriah the Hittite. Uriah the Hittite. 44:59 Not Uriah the Israelite. 45:02 Uriah is an immigrant 45:05 who has made his way into the armies of Israel. 45:10 I don't know what immigration laws were like back then 45:14 but he has immigrated and he has identified himself 45:17 with the covenant people. So much so that he joins the 45:20 army and now he goes out to war. 45:23 You know the rest of the story. He betrays Uriah's loyalty 45:28 and he writes a note to Uriah... I mean to Joab. 45:32 He takes that quill and he begins to write 45:36 a note to Joab. Now understand, this is that same hand 45:40 that wrote "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. " 45:44 This is that same hand that wrote "The earth is the Lord's 45:48 and the fullness thereof. " Psalm 24 verse 1. 45:50 This is that same hand that wrote Psalm 1:1. 45:53 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the 45:56 ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners 45:58 nor sitteth in the seat... " This is that same hand. 46:01 But this time he writes: "Put Uriah 46:06 in the front of the lines 46:08 and when the battle waxes hottest pull back from him. " 46:13 Oh, it's a great plan. 46:17 But notice the irony. Uriah the Hittite 46:20 dies fighting in loyalty to a king who has betrayed him. 46:26 Let me tell you something I believe about the millennium. 46:31 I believe that when people like Uriah are saved 46:34 and David is saved, David's going to have to tell the story. 46:40 Oh, y'all are not listening to me. 46:42 They're going to have to tell that story and say: 46:44 "Uriah, I'm so sorry for what I did 46:46 but God forgave me and... " I don't know. 46:50 We're not told much about what happens during that 1,000 years 46:54 when we are going through the books, but Uriah will see 46:56 what happened to him. But above it he will see 46:59 the word forgiven. Come on, say "Amen" somebody. 47:02 So now there it is. 47:07 David thinks he gets away 47:09 except for one pesky little passage in II Samuel. 47:15 II Samuel chapter 11 verse 27. 47:19 "But the thing David did 47:24 displeased the Lord. " 47:28 David is disqualified. 47:30 Well, it's no wonder then when you see the old man 47:33 seated beside the sea and he's on the witness stand 47:36 of history and he looks over humanity's best and brightest 47:39 and the text that we read. Now I'm circling back 47:41 to the text. And looking at that passage now 47:44 when the angel comes down to begin to interrogate him 47:47 and the angel sees now in this vision 47:50 I mean John sees in this vision, he sees upon the open hand 47:54 of God a book sealed with seven seals. 47:57 And the angel asks: "Who is worthy to open this book 48:01 and to loose the seals? " it's no wonder 48:04 that the old man, when he looks across the landscape 48:07 of human history - our best, our brightest, 48:12 our fittest, our finest - 48:14 when he begins to look across the landscape of human history 48:18 it's no wonder that the old man when he has to mount 48:22 the witness stand of history that the old man collapses 48:27 into a fountain of tears 48:30 because he realizes that no one is worthy. 48:34 He says: "I looked in heaven and there was no one. 48:37 I looked on earth and there was no one. 48:40 I looked under the earth... talking about the dead... 48:44 and there was no one. " And the old man said: 48:48 "I wept much! " 48:53 But then he says, in the middle of his weeping, 48:59 he says... look at it... he says: 49:03 "And one of the elders said to me... " 49:07 Stop right there. Now I could preach right here. 49:11 I could preach on that one word: the elders. 49:14 Notice what he doesn't say. 49:15 He doesn't say: "One of the angels said to me... " 49:19 Ah, because as John is bowed over in agony 49:24 he needs someone who can identify with a suffering 49:28 and finite humanity. He doesn't say 49:31 one of the angels because an angel has never had to weep 49:35 in the midnight hour over a lost child. 49:37 An angel has never had to offer worship that was tinged 49:42 with blood and pain. 49:45 An angel has never had to stand up in a vicious 49:50 Seventh-day Adventist business meeting. 49:56 An angel has never known what it's like to suffer, 50:00 to be afflicted, to be disease embodied, 50:03 to hear fatal diagnoses. To hear the doctor say 50:07 "You've got something but I don't think we can cure it. " 50:11 They've never had to deal with any of that. 50:13 Ah, he says: "But one of the elders. " 50:16 These elders are human witnesses in the book of Revelation. 50:20 Uh, Matthew... I shouldn't have to say this 50:22 but Matthew chapter 27 verse 51... 50:25 because Seventh-day Adventists used to study their Bible 50:27 and used to know these things... 50:28 So, Matthew 27:51 says that when Jesus was 50:31 resurrected He brought forth 50:34 a whole column of witnesses. 50:37 And Ephesians chapter 4 verse 8 says that as He ascended 50:41 back to glory He had them in His train 50:44 as trophies of the first fruits who would be to follow. 50:48 That's you and me. 50:50 And now they are seated around the throne. 50:54 So one of the angels says to me: 50:56 "Stop weeping, John. There is someone: 51:01 the Lion, the Lion, the Lion. " 51:06 May I throw this in? 51:09 Satan may be like a lion. 51:17 That's a simile. 51:19 He may be like a lion but thank God, Jesus IS a lion! 51:24 Amen! 51:26 "The Lion, the Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah 51:30 He has conquered and He is worthy. " 51:35 Jesus. Jesus. I said Jesus. Amen! 51:41 Step into the Battle Dome, Jesus. 51:44 Here comes Jesus. I said here comes Jesus. 51:48 Here comes Jesus now... here comes Jesus. 51:51 He doesn't need strobe lights and billowing stage smoke 51:55 and to be accompanied by triplets. Oh, no. 51:58 Jesus backs into the Battle Dome through a back door 52:02 called Bethlehem. Amen! Oh, I feel like preaching now. 52:08 Jesus steps into the Battle Dome. 52:11 And as He steps into the Battle Dome 52:14 He now stands where Adam stumbled. 52:18 He goes over the same ground. 52:20 He fights the battle of appetite 52:23 and the resistance to self- glorification in the wilderness. 52:27 Jesus fights the battle on our behalf 52:31 and thank God that the text says 52:37 He has triumphed! Amen! 52:46 I've written another book, but nobody will buy the book. 52:54 Nobody will publish the book. 52:58 I checked with Review. They don't want to publish the book. 53:00 I checked with Pacific Press. 53:02 They don't want to publish the book. 53:09 I checked with Our Firm Foundation. 53:11 They don't want to publish the book. 53:13 I checked with the Shepherd's Rods. 53:15 They don't want to publish the book. 53:20 Nobody wants to publish my book. 53:22 They say the problem is the book has a long title. 53:25 That's the problem: they say that the title is too long. 53:27 That's it... long title. 53:29 But I keep... I come back whenever they say that 53:31 "Yeah, the title is long but the book is short. " 53:36 Here's the title... tell me what you think. 53:38 The title is this: I think I've written it down... 53:40 OK, um, here's the title: 53:43 Um... A philosophical, 53:46 existential, historical 53:49 and analytical assessment 53:51 of the life and times of Jesus Christ of Nazareth: 54:01 a diachronic and a synchronic study 54:05 of the Christ event. 54:08 Long title, huh? 54:09 But it's a very short book 54:12 because in the book, you know, there's only one chapter. 54:17 And in the chapter there's only one page. 54:21 Um, and, uh, um... 54:24 on the one page there are only two words. 54:27 Uh-huh. Um... 54:31 A philosophical, existential, historical 54:34 and analytical assessment of the life and times 54:36 of Jesus Christ of Nazareth: 54:38 a diachronic and a synchronic study. 54:40 And then when you open the book there are only two words: 54:43 He won! Hay! 54:49 Oh, I said He won. 54:51 I said He won. 54:52 I said He won. 54:54 You know, I know Seventh-day Adventists aren't supposed to 54:57 get too happy in worship, but HE WON! 54:59 Amen! I said He won. 55:01 Didn't He win? I said He won. 55:04 I said He won. Amen! 55:06 And because He won the battle is over. 55:09 Look at how He won. He won the battle of Bethlehem. 55:12 When Pilate attacked Him with all of the force 55:15 of the Roman government, He won. 55:18 He won when He rolled into Bethany 55:20 straddled atop the tank of the Holy Ghost. 55:24 Lowered His mouth like a shotgun at the tomb of Lazarus 55:27 and shouted out: "Lazarus, come forth. " 55:32 I said He won. 55:34 Lazarus who left life limping came back leaping. 55:37 I said He won. 55:39 He won when He rolled into the temple 55:42 and there He triumphed over the rabbis and the Pharisees 55:47 and the scribes by saying: "I must be about My Father's 55:51 business. " He won. 55:52 He won when He wrestled in Gethsemane, 55:57 when He grappled in Gethsemane, fighting there 56:00 inwardly what later He would fight outwardly 56:04 at Calvary. I said He won! 56:06 He won that day when He stretched His arms wide, 56:11 looked up to the heavens, and cried out: "It is finished. " 56:19 Now the disciples misheard Him. 56:25 They thought He said: "We are finished, " and they ran. 56:32 Satan thought He said: "I am finished," and he rejoiced. 56:38 Ah, but Sunday morning was coming! 56:41 Sunday morning was coming. 56:43 when a blistering object seen streaking across the heavens 56:46 landed on planet earth and there stepped up to the tomb 56:50 slipped away the sepulcher stone as one would a pebble 56:54 and then shouted into the darkness of death: 56:58 "Son of God, Thy Father calls Thee. " 57:01 And Jesus Christ stood up 57:04 took off their clothes of death, disaster, and defeat. 57:08 Stepped outside the open mouth of the gaping tomb 57:12 and declared: "I am the resurrection and I am the life. 57:17 He that believeth on Me though he were dead 57:19 yet shall he live. " Amen. 57:23 I said He won. 57:25 I said He won. 57:26 I said He won. 57:28 And because He won, I wish to leave you with the good news 57:32 of the gospel: because He won we won. 57:38 Amen. I said we won. 57:40 We won! Yes! May God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17