I'd like to invite you,
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to turn with me in your
Bibles to Romans Chapter 1,
00:00:20.88\00:00:26.65
Romans Chapter 1.
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One of my favorite
passages in the scriptures,
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one of the most
powerful I believe.
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We're in Romans Chapter 1
00:00:34.46\00:00:36.70
and we're gonna begin
reading with verse 14.
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"I am debtor both to the Greeks,
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and to the
barbarians, both to the wise,
00:00:45.39\00:00:48.36
and to the unwise.
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So as much as in me is,
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I'm ready to
preach the gospel to you
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that are in Rome also.
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For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ,
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for it is the power
of God onto salvation,
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to everyone that believes,
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to the Jew first
and also to the Greek.
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For there in is
the righteousness
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of God revealed
from faith to faith,
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as it is written, the
just shall live by faith."
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May the Lord add His
blessing to this reading.
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Pastor Mark Finley is
not a stranger to any of us,
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I assume.
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Pastor Mark Finley is a
friend to Seventh-day Adventist.
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He's a friend to
supporting ministries.
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He's a friend to ASI.
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He was telling
me a few minutes ago
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that he's been
coming to ASI since 1988
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and he says since that time,
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he's only missed a
couple of conventions
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and so now we've
come to the place
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where we
wouldn't think of having
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a convention without him.
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Well, that's a
bit of an exaggeration
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but I believe it's true.
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We're truly, truly
happy that he is with us.
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He was sharing with
me just a few comments
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on what his sermon
would be this morning
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and I'm excited.
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I'm not gonna miss a word of it.
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He wants to develop for us
the grace of God to our souls
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and the cross of
Calvary and I can't wait.
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May God bless his reading.
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One faith, one hope, one Lord
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One church for which He died
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One voice
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One song we lift in praise
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To Him Who was and is
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And shall be evermore
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There is one body one spirit
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As you were called to one hope
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One Lord one baptism and faith
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One God and Father of all
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One God and Father of all
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One God and Father of all
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Who is in you all
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One faith one hope, one Lord
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One church for which He died
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One voice
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One song we lift in praise
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To him who was and is
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And shall be evermore
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Though we be many people
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Diverse with various gifts
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We are given to each other
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For the unity of faith
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To grow in the knowledge
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Of the Son of God
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In the fullness
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Of Christ
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One faith one hope, one Lords
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One church for which He died
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One voice, one song
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We lift in praise to him
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Who was and is
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And shall be evermore
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One faith, one hope
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One Lord, one God
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Amen.
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Thank you for the song,
it's inspired our hearts,
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encouraged us and
prepared us for worship.
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For the last 25 years,
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Teenie and I've
attended ASI Conventions.
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We have missed very, very
few during that period of time.
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And ASI has enriched our lives.
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We've been
blessed in our fellowship
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with consecrated
Seventh-day Adventist lay people
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who are committed to
the mission of the church
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and committed to
working with church organization
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to see God's work powerfully
impact this world for Christ.
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So thank you ASI
for enriching our lives
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and for leading us
to a broader vision
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of what lay people can do.
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This morning as we talk
about the one motivation
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stronger than any other
that will finish God's work
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on earth, let's pray together.
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Father in heaven,
open our eyes to see
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the cross in a deeper, fuller,
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broader, richer way.
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May we see Jesus
giving up all for us
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and may we give all to Him.
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May we sense His grace
pardoning us, forgiving us,
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redeeming us,
empowering us, transforming us
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and may that make a
difference in our lives.
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The hour is too late
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to come and to go as we are.
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Your people are assembled
on Sabbath in Grand Rapids.
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Come and do something
special, in Christ's name, amen.
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Amen.
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Robert Robertson
was eight years old.
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He was living a carefree life,
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playing enjoying life
in a little English village
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and there in
1743, his father died,
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changed his life
dramatically as any child knows
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who at a young age
has lost the father.
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Robert was bright, intelligent
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but headstrong, difficult
for his mother to handle.
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She did everything she could
but he went from bad to worse.
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When he was 14 years
old, his mother sent him
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to London to
apprentice with a barber.
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She thought if he got a
job and useful employment
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that would make a significant
difference in his life.
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It did not.
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Things went from bad to worse.
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He began drinking
heavily, gambling,
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got in with the wrong crowd.
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And when he was 17, he
and some of his buddies
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decided to go to an
evangelistic meeting
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held by George Whitfield
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and he wanted to
mock the evangelist
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and wanted to create
quite a scene at the meetings.
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But as
Whitfield opened his Bible
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and began to talk about Jesus.
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There was a strange stirring
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in this 17 year old boy's heart.
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There's a strange
awakening in his soul.
00:10:10.81\00:10:16.08
He felt the
warmth of Christ love.
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He sensed the
magnificence of Christ grace,
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and although he
did not go forward
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in the altar call that
night, for three years,
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Robert was haunted
by a vision of the cross
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that he got at 17 years old.
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When he was 20,
December 10th, 1755,
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he surrendered
his life to Christ.
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It changed his life totally.
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Shortly thereafter he took
theology, became a preacher.
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Methodist preacher.
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He was preparing a
sermon one Sunday morning
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for a little church
in Norfolk, England,
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and to accompany that
sermon he wrote a song,
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the hymns words speak of a grace
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we do not deserve
and a debt we cannot pay.
00:11:07.25\00:11:11.44
They speak of
mercy beyond relief.
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They speak of forgiveness
beyond our comprehension.
00:11:14.43\00:11:18.14
They speak of grace
beyond our human understanding.
00:11:18.17\00:11:21.59
You know the song well.
00:11:21.62\00:11:22.80
Come, thou fount
of every blessing
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Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
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Streams of
mercy, never ceasing...
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You know the song.
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Jesus sought me when a stranger
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Wandering from the fold of God
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He, to rescue me from danger
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Interposed His precious blood
00:11:40.85\00:11:43.39
O to grace how great a debtor
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Daily I'm constrained to be
00:11:47.66\00:11:50.34
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
00:11:50.37\00:11:53.45
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
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This morning we look
at the Book of Romans
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and we cry out
with a hymn writer,
00:12:00.22\00:12:02.58
O to grace how great a debtor
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Daily I'm constrained to be
00:12:07.17\00:12:10.52
Take your Bibles, please
and turn to the Book of Romans.
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Romans the first chapter,
00:12:14.76\00:12:17.48
you may have it
in a printed copy,
00:12:17.51\00:12:20.57
you may have it on
your iPhone, your iPad,
00:12:20.60\00:12:25.12
but look at the
text and do not text.
00:12:25.15\00:12:31.43
Romans 1:14 and onward.
00:12:31.46\00:12:36.01
What is the single motivation
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that impelled the early church
00:12:40.92\00:12:44.59
to take the gospel to the world?
00:12:44.62\00:12:47.50
I suggest to you that the
cross came before Pentecost.
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I suggest to you that
being filled with grace
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comes before being
filled with the spirit,
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unless the church
comes to the cross
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and it's broken at the
cross and transformed by grace,
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the power of
Pentecost will not fall.
00:13:13.32\00:13:18.53
The cross always
comes before Pentecost.
00:13:18.56\00:13:22.63
Take your Bible and turn
to Romans the first chapter
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and we're looking
there at verses 14-16.
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Romans 1 beginning
with the 14th verse.
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The Apostle Paul says...
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"I am a debtor both to Greeks,
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and to the
barbarians, both to the wise,
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and to the unwise.
00:13:47.33\00:13:49.11
So much as in me
is, I'm ready to preach
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the gospel to you
who are in Rome also.
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For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ,
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for it is the power
of God to salvation,
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for everyone who
believes, to the Jew first
00:14:02.31\00:14:05.49
then to the Greek.
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For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed
00:14:07.59\00:14:10.24
from faith to
faith, it is written,
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the just shall live by faith."
00:14:12.34\00:14:13.76
Notice Paul makes
three I am statements.
00:14:13.79\00:14:16.43
He says I am a
debtor, he says I am ready
00:14:16.46\00:14:20.89
and he says I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
00:14:20.92\00:14:23.88
We will look at that
first phrase this morning.
00:14:23.91\00:14:28.13
I am a debtor.
00:14:28.16\00:14:29.77
It is the
essence of indebtedness
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that in prompts and
motivates Paul's witness.
00:14:33.19\00:14:37.52
Paul was a debtor. In
Christ he found mercy.
00:14:37.55\00:14:40.77
In Christ he found forgiveness.
In Christ he found pardon.
00:14:40.80\00:14:45.12
In Christ he found grace.
00:14:45.15\00:14:47.11
In Christ his
life was transformed.
00:14:47.14\00:14:49.72
In Christ he was made new.
00:14:49.75\00:14:51.63
In Christ he had a
new reason for living.
00:14:51.66\00:14:54.29
And the passion
that motivated him
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was this debt to the
Christ that died for him.
00:14:56.79\00:15:00.36
The crucified
Christ redeemed him
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from the guilt of the past.
00:15:02.74\00:15:04.48
The resurrected
Christ gave him power
00:15:04.51\00:15:06.80
for the present and
the returning Christ
00:15:06.83\00:15:09.38
gave him hope for the future.
00:15:09.41\00:15:11.20
Paul cries out from
the depths of his being,
00:15:11.23\00:15:13.87
I am a debtor.
00:15:13.90\00:15:16.89
It is the essence of death.
00:15:16.92\00:15:19.07
Paul continues
describing this amazing grace
00:15:19.10\00:15:22.98
through the Book of Romans.
00:15:23.01\00:15:24.93
He could never get tired
of telling of God's grace.
00:15:24.96\00:15:28.43
He was never bored of
sharing the story of the cross.
00:15:28.46\00:15:33.87
There was a passion within him.
00:15:33.90\00:15:36.01
If you are
motivated, merely to make a name
00:15:36.04\00:15:39.08
for your ministry that
is insufficient motivation.
00:15:39.11\00:15:42.36
If you're motivated by pride,
00:15:42.39\00:15:44.06
that is insufficient motivation.
00:15:44.09\00:15:46.89
The cross of Christ, laying
the glory of man in the dust.
00:15:46.92\00:15:50.70
If you talk more
about your ministries
00:15:50.73\00:15:52.33
than you do about Jesus,
more about your accomplishments
00:15:52.36\00:15:55.04
than you do about Jesus.
00:15:55.07\00:15:56.47
Something is wrong, if
there's a tinge of pride
00:15:56.50\00:15:59.47
in your soul about who you are.
00:15:59.50\00:16:02.82
The third angel's messages,
00:16:02.85\00:16:04.64
"Fear God and
give glory to Him."
00:16:04.67\00:16:07.02
Amen.
00:16:07.05\00:16:08.11
The Book of Roman
shares that glory is Jesus.
00:16:08.14\00:16:12.48
It's the laying of all
glory of man in the dust.
00:16:12.51\00:16:15.27
When we don't care about
who we are but who Jesus is.
00:16:15.30\00:16:19.02
When we're more concern
about giving glory to him
00:16:19.05\00:16:21.03
than we are to ourselves.
00:16:21.06\00:16:23.17
When we we're more
anxious to glorify his name
00:16:23.20\00:16:25.43
than we are our name.
00:16:25.46\00:16:27.72
When we talk more about
Him than we do ourselves.
00:16:27.75\00:16:31.76
When we don't
care who gets the glory
00:16:31.79\00:16:33.87
but we desire His work
to go forward powerfully.
00:16:33.90\00:16:37.11
The spirit of God will be
poured out in an amazing way
00:16:37.14\00:16:41.09
on a people that are
united to give Him glory.
00:16:41.12\00:16:45.30
Now what is the
basis of this indebtedness?
00:16:45.33\00:16:48.74
What is the real
story of the cross?
00:16:48.77\00:16:51.72
What is the real story of grace?
00:16:51.75\00:16:54.54
Romans the 3
chapter, Romans Chapter 3,
00:16:54.57\00:16:58.70
we look at the Book of
Romans, the story of grace.
00:16:58.73\00:17:02.16
Grace is amazing,
Romans the third chapter,
00:17:02.19\00:17:06.41
we look there at
verse 23 and onward.
00:17:06.44\00:17:09.40
"For all have sinned
00:17:09.43\00:17:11.34
and fall short of
the glory of God."
00:17:11.37\00:17:12.91
That is you, that is me.
00:17:12.94\00:17:14.95
We are sinners by birth.
We are sinners by nature.
00:17:14.98\00:17:18.92
The heart is
deceitful above all things
00:17:18.95\00:17:21.13
and desperately weakened.
00:17:21.16\00:17:23.00
In us there is no righteousness.
00:17:23.03\00:17:25.51
We are
condemned to eternal loss.
00:17:25.54\00:17:28.23
Verse 23, "For all have sinned
00:17:28.26\00:17:31.00
and come short
of the glory of God,
00:17:31.03\00:17:33.10
Being justified
freely by His grace
00:17:33.13\00:17:37.53
through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus,
00:17:37.56\00:17:41.30
whom God set forth to be
a propitiation by His blood,
00:17:41.33\00:17:46.05
through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness,
00:17:46.08\00:17:50.25
because in His forbearance
God passed over the sins
00:17:50.28\00:17:54.40
that were previously committed."
00:17:54.43\00:17:57.08
Now notice this
word propitiation.
00:17:57.11\00:17:59.74
This is quite an amazing word.
00:17:59.77\00:18:04.44
You can translate
propitiation satisfaction
00:18:04.47\00:18:08.95
in Christ death on the cross,
00:18:08.98\00:18:12.14
he satisfies the justice of God
00:18:12.17\00:18:16.88
in meeting the
demands of a broken law.
00:18:16.91\00:18:20.79
So you can translate
propitiation as satisfaction.
00:18:20.82\00:18:25.44
But there's an
interesting association
00:18:25.47\00:18:29.56
in the Greek language.
00:18:29.59\00:18:31.34
The word propitiation
is in a family of words
00:18:31.37\00:18:36.10
that are the Hilasterion family.
00:18:36.13\00:18:39.36
Now the word mercy
seat in the sanctuary
00:18:39.39\00:18:42.38
is a
Hilasterion and propitiation
00:18:42.41\00:18:45.77
is in a family of words
that leads you to the sanctuary.
00:18:45.80\00:18:50.53
In the sanctuary of
the Israel in the court,
00:18:50.56\00:18:55.59
there is the altar, it is there
00:18:55.62\00:18:57.58
that the sacrifice is
slain in the bloody shed.
00:18:57.61\00:19:01.83
The priest takes that blood
and goes into the holy place
00:19:01.86\00:19:05.22
of the sanctuary.
00:19:05.25\00:19:07.62
And sprinkles the
blood before the veil.
00:19:07.65\00:19:11.01
But once a year, on
The Day of Atonement,
00:19:11.04\00:19:15.34
the high priest enters
into the most holy place
00:19:15.37\00:19:18.54
of the heavenly of
the earthly sanctuary.
00:19:18.57\00:19:22.65
And sprinkles the blood
there on the mercy seat,
00:19:22.68\00:19:28.19
the Hilasterion.
00:19:28.22\00:19:29.73
Now below this mercy seat
is the Ten Commandment law,
00:19:29.76\00:19:34.05
the Ark-- it's the
Ark of the Covenant.
00:19:34.08\00:19:36.43
There on the mercy
seat are the two cherubims.
00:19:36.46\00:19:41.60
And so there on
The Day of Atonement,
00:19:41.63\00:19:46.57
reconciliation that has
been wrote out in the court
00:19:46.60\00:19:52.86
is finally applied
to the entire universe
00:19:52.89\00:19:56.06
in the universe ultimately
00:19:56.49\00:19:58.81
becomes clean at the
end of the Day of Atonement.
00:19:58.84\00:20:02.71
The mercy seat is the
place where God's love and grace
00:20:02.74\00:20:09.28
and justice meet together
in the ransom of sinners.
00:20:09.31\00:20:15.99
The bloodshed in the court
00:20:16.02\00:20:18.41
is finally brought
into the tabernacle
00:20:18.44\00:20:21.75
in an ultimate Day of Atonement
00:20:21.78\00:20:24.16
to cleanse the
entire universe for sin
00:20:24.19\00:20:27.12
to apply what
Jesus did on the cross.
00:20:27.15\00:20:31.21
So when Paul says
here in Romans Chapter 3,
00:20:31.24\00:20:36.65
he talks about the
fact in Romans 3:23,
00:20:36.68\00:20:42.34
"Whom God set forth to be
propitiation by His blood."
00:20:42.37\00:20:46.62
What is he saying?
00:20:46.65\00:20:47.89
He's saying Christ satisfies
the demands of the law.
00:20:47.92\00:20:51.66
The just assumes the
role of those who are unjust.
00:20:51.69\00:20:57.14
The righteous assumes the
role of those that are sinners.
00:20:57.17\00:21:00.86
The innocent assumes the
role of those that are guilty.
00:21:00.89\00:21:04.19
The perfect one
assumes the role of the ones
00:21:04.22\00:21:06.84
that are imperfect.
00:21:06.87\00:21:08.23
We see this again in
Romans the 5 chapter.
00:21:08.26\00:21:11.77
Romans 5:6-8, what is
the story of the cross?
00:21:11.80\00:21:17.87
The story of the cross
is the divine son of God,
00:21:17.90\00:21:23.14
the one
worshipped by all the angels,
00:21:23.17\00:21:26.17
the one who'd knew no
sin becoming sin for us.
00:21:26.20\00:21:29.98
For cursed is everyone
that hangs on the tree,
00:21:30.01\00:21:33.18
the story of the cross
00:21:33.21\00:21:34.78
is more than the story of
nails through Jesus' hands
00:21:34.81\00:21:37.71
and a crown of
thorns upon His head
00:21:37.74\00:21:39.53
and blood running down His face
00:21:39.56\00:21:41.51
and His feet being
spiked to a wooden bar.
00:21:41.54\00:21:45.03
It is more than the
story of Judas betraying Him
00:21:45.06\00:21:48.57
and Peter denying Him.
00:21:48.60\00:21:50.48
And the Romans forsaking
Him and nailing Him there
00:21:50.51\00:21:55.20
and the Jews not
quite understanding
00:21:55.23\00:21:57.15
what was going on there.
00:21:57.18\00:21:58.91
It is much more than that.
00:21:58.94\00:22:00.61
The story of the cross
is the story of the divine
00:22:00.64\00:22:04.92
sinless perfect Son of God,
00:22:04.95\00:22:08.34
assuming the condemnation of sin
00:22:08.37\00:22:11.32
for the entire human race.
00:22:11.35\00:22:13.19
A judgment bar is
set up on the cross
00:22:13.22\00:22:15.86
and Christ is considered
before the whole universe
00:22:15.89\00:22:18.90
to be a sinner for you and me.
00:22:18.93\00:22:20.85
And He
experiences on that cross,
00:22:20.88\00:22:23.33
the death that I
should have died.
00:22:23.36\00:22:24.77
The death that
you should have died,
00:22:24.80\00:22:26.53
not merely a physical death,
00:22:26.56\00:22:28.40
but He plunges
the depths of the tomb
00:22:28.43\00:22:31.36
and He goes into
hell itself for us
00:22:31.39\00:22:34.11
as He hangs on that cross.
00:22:34.14\00:22:35.82
Take your Bibles please
00:22:35.85\00:22:36.88
and look at
Romans the 5 chapter.
00:22:36.91\00:22:39.14
Romans 5 we're looking
there at verse 6 and onward.
00:22:39.17\00:22:43.33
"For when we were
still without strength,
00:22:43.36\00:22:45.84
in due time Christ
died for the ungodly."
00:22:45.87\00:22:49.97
Christ did not die
because we were godly,
00:22:50.00\00:22:52.57
He died because we were ungodly.
00:22:52.60\00:22:55.69
Notice verse 8,
00:22:55.72\00:22:56.99
"But God demonstrates
His own love toward us,
00:22:57.02\00:23:00.02
in that while we
were still sinners,
00:23:00.05\00:23:02.42
Christ died for us."
00:23:02.45\00:23:06.08
Christ grace is unmerited.
00:23:06.11\00:23:08.96
It's undeserved. It's unearned.
00:23:08.99\00:23:11.08
Jesus died the
agonizing painful death
00:23:11.11\00:23:14.03
that all sinners will die.
00:23:14.06\00:23:15.75
He experienced the fullness
00:23:15.78\00:23:17.44
of the Father's
wrath against sin.
00:23:17.47\00:23:20.16
He was rejected so
we could be accepted.
00:23:20.19\00:23:22.47
He died the death that was ours
00:23:22.50\00:23:23.82
so we could live
the life that was His.
00:23:23.85\00:23:25.98
He wore the crown of thorns
00:23:26.01\00:23:27.14
so we would wear
the crown of glory.
00:23:27.17\00:23:29.03
He was nailed
upright in torturous pain,
00:23:29.06\00:23:33.19
so that we could
reign on a throne
00:23:33.22\00:23:34.72
with the redeemed of all ages,
00:23:34.75\00:23:36.22
wearing robes
of royalty forever.
00:23:36.25\00:23:38.04
Marvel of all
marvels. Wonder of all wonders.
00:23:38.07\00:23:44.09
In our shame and guilt
Jesus did not reject us.
00:23:44.12\00:23:48.43
On the cross, He
descended to the depths of hell,
00:23:48.46\00:23:52.68
so we could ascend to
the heights of heaven.
00:23:52.71\00:23:56.88
I love the way
Ellen White puts it.
00:23:56.91\00:24:00.11
In language that no
human pen could write.
00:24:00.14\00:24:05.39
In words so
sublime, so magnificent
00:24:05.42\00:24:09.65
that one almost does not
want to read them standing
00:24:09.68\00:24:13.45
but fall to their knees.
00:24:13.48\00:24:15.40
Listen Desire of Ages page 753,
00:24:15.43\00:24:19.00
"Upon Christ as our
substitute and surety
00:24:19.03\00:24:23.65
was laid the iniquity of us all.
00:24:23.68\00:24:26.76
He was counted a transgressor,
that He might redeem us
00:24:26.79\00:24:30.75
from the
condemnation of the law.
00:24:30.78\00:24:33.70
The guilt of
every descendant of Adam
00:24:33.73\00:24:36.32
was pressing upon His heart."
00:24:36.35\00:24:37.89
Now think of it.
00:24:37.92\00:24:39.85
He hangs on the cross
00:24:39.88\00:24:42.49
and the guilt of
every descendent of Adam,
00:24:42.52\00:24:46.95
the guilt of every
sin ever committed.
00:24:46.98\00:24:50.32
The condemnation of
every sin ever committed.
00:24:50.35\00:24:53.89
The shame of
every sin ever committed
00:24:53.92\00:24:56.89
is pressing upon Him.
00:24:56.92\00:24:58.24
We continue.
00:24:58.27\00:24:59.56
"The wrath of God against
sin, the terrible manifestation
00:24:59.59\00:25:04.46
of His displeasure
because of iniquity,
00:25:04.49\00:25:06.98
filled the soul of His
Son with consternation."
00:25:07.01\00:25:11.57
Listen next paragraph.
00:25:11.60\00:25:13.29
"Satan with his
fierce temptations
00:25:13.32\00:25:15.83
wrung the heart of Jesus."
00:25:15.86\00:25:18.92
What is Satan
tempting Jesus about
00:25:18.95\00:25:20.92
as He hangs on the cross?
00:25:20.95\00:25:22.20
Next sentence.
00:25:22.23\00:25:23.30
"The Savior could not see
00:25:23.33\00:25:25.26
through the portals of the tomb.
00:25:25.29\00:25:27.35
Hope did not present
to Him His coming forth
00:25:27.38\00:25:30.43
from the grave a conqueror,
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.12
or tell Him of the Father's
acceptance of the sacrifice.
00:25:32.15\00:25:35.89
He feared that sin
was so offensive to God
00:25:35.92\00:25:40.74
that their
separation was to be eternal.
00:25:40.77\00:25:44.00
Christ felt the anguish
that the sinner will feel
00:25:44.03\00:25:47.64
when mercy shall no
longer plead for the human race.
00:25:47.67\00:25:51.21
It was the sense of sin,
bringing the Father's wrath
00:25:51.24\00:25:54.79
upon Him as the
sinners substitute,
00:25:54.82\00:25:57.19
that made the cup
He drank so bitter,
00:25:57.22\00:25:58.90
and broke the
heart of the Son of God."
00:25:58.93\00:26:00.59
So when Jesus is
hanging on the cross,
00:26:00.62\00:26:03.27
Satan says to Him, if
you go through with this
00:26:03.30\00:26:07.12
bearing the guilt in
shame of the human race,
00:26:07.15\00:26:09.67
You will never
see your Father again.
00:26:09.70\00:26:11.75
The separation is to be eternal
00:26:11.78\00:26:14.19
and although Jesus
said before the cross,
00:26:14.22\00:26:16.86
you destroy this
body in three days,
00:26:16.89\00:26:18.35
I'll raise it up again.
00:26:18.38\00:26:19.66
On the cross, the
guilt of sin is so great.
00:26:19.69\00:26:23.03
The shame of sin
is so overwhelming.
00:26:23.06\00:26:25.35
The condemnation of sin
that He bears for the human race
00:26:25.38\00:26:28.43
is so large, so huge.
00:26:28.46\00:26:31.03
All He senses on that cross,
00:26:31.06\00:26:34.01
is that if He
goes into that grave,
00:26:34.04\00:26:36.20
He will be separated
from the Father forever.
00:26:36.23\00:26:39.34
The separation will be eternal
and Jesus says on that cross,
00:26:39.37\00:26:44.59
"I would rather
experience hell itself
00:26:44.62\00:26:48.52
and be not in
heaven with my father,"
00:26:48.55\00:26:50.69
if Mark Finley can be there.
00:26:50.72\00:26:52.90
If John can be
there, if Mary can be there.
00:26:52.93\00:26:55.60
This is a love so amazing.
00:26:55.63\00:26:57.75
This is a love so incredible.
00:26:57.78\00:26:59.96
This is a love so divine
00:26:59.99\00:27:02.43
that all I can do
is fall at His feet
00:27:02.46\00:27:04.94
and say, I'm a debtor.
00:27:04.97\00:27:06.88
A debtor to grace.
00:27:06.91\00:27:09.30
This is the story of the
Christ that loves us so much,
00:27:09.33\00:27:12.38
that He would rather
experience hell itself
00:27:12.41\00:27:14.92
than have you lost.
00:27:14.95\00:27:16.57
This is the story of
boundless, unfathomable,
00:27:16.60\00:27:19.72
incomprehensible, undying,
unending, infinite love.
00:27:19.75\00:27:24.54
That longs for us to be
with Him through all eternity.
00:27:24.57\00:27:30.76
Notice the text. This
is what motivated Paul.
00:27:30.79\00:27:34.60
This was the passion
beating in his heart.
00:27:34.63\00:27:37.30
This was the fire in his
belly and this is the passion
00:27:37.33\00:27:41.52
that will inspire
an end time church
00:27:41.55\00:27:43.98
to go to the end of the world,
00:27:44.01\00:27:46.09
that the passion of the cross,
00:27:46.12\00:27:48.62
the transformation
of the grace of Christ.
00:27:48.65\00:27:51.61
We cry out with
Paul in Romans 1,
00:27:51.64\00:27:53.78
notice what Paul says.
00:27:53.81\00:27:55.43
Romans 1 Paul says,
00:27:55.46\00:27:58.16
I'm a debtor to the
Greeks and the barbarians.
00:27:58.19\00:28:01.19
The Greeks were
the educated elite.
00:28:01.22\00:28:03.48
The Greeks were
00:28:03.51\00:28:04.54
the sophisticated intellectuals.
00:28:04.57\00:28:07.25
The Greeks were
the higher classes.
00:28:07.28\00:28:09.44
In Greek
understanding of culture,
00:28:09.47\00:28:11.82
the barbarians
were everybody else
00:28:11.85\00:28:14.27
and so what is Paul saying,
00:28:14.30\00:28:15.99
I'm indebt to the
educated and the uneducated,
00:28:16.02\00:28:19.43
to the rich and the poor,
00:28:19.46\00:28:21.15
to the royal class
and the working class.
00:28:21.18\00:28:23.45
I'm indebt for all humanity.
00:28:23.48\00:28:25.88
Catch a glimpse of
Paul's passion for lost people.
00:28:25.91\00:28:30.01
He couldn't stop
telling the story.
00:28:30.04\00:28:32.49
In Acts 16, he tells the story
00:28:32.52\00:28:35.04
to a business woman
in Thyatira called Lydia
00:28:35.07\00:28:38.65
and she's converted
and becomes a member of ASI
00:28:38.68\00:28:42.51
and uses her
resources to spread the gospel.
00:28:42.54\00:28:46.81
Later in the
chapter Paul and Silas sing
00:28:46.84\00:28:48.98
God's grace in prison
00:28:49.01\00:28:50.41
and a Philippian jailer
and his family are baptized.
00:28:50.44\00:28:53.72
In Acts 17 Paul
shares God's grace
00:28:53.75\00:28:56.01
with philosophers in Athens
and some of them are baptized.
00:28:56.04\00:28:59.75
Later in the Book of Acts
he tells the story to Felix
00:28:59.78\00:29:03.14
and to Agrippa, Roman rulers
and they stand there trembling
00:29:03.17\00:29:07.46
before the grace of God.
00:29:07.49\00:29:09.18
Paul goes to Rome
00:29:09.21\00:29:10.89
and there in prison he
tells the story of God's grace.
00:29:10.92\00:29:14.57
And some in Caesar's household
are baptized throughout Acts.
00:29:14.60\00:29:19.75
Paul never tires
of telling the story.
00:29:19.78\00:29:21.73
He echoes it from
Jerusalem to Rome.
00:29:21.76\00:29:24.38
He proclaims it to Roman
rulers and Jewish slave girls.
00:29:24.41\00:29:27.90
He shares that in prisons,
on ships, in market places,
00:29:27.93\00:29:30.65
in the country
side, in private homes
00:29:30.68\00:29:32.76
and public squares.
00:29:32.79\00:29:34.35
Why? What prompts him?
00:29:34.38\00:29:36.17
What motivates him?
00:29:36.20\00:29:38.25
He's motivated by one thing
00:29:38.28\00:29:40.56
not the desire to
baptize more than anybody else.
00:29:40.59\00:29:43.22
Not the desire
to make his ministry
00:29:43.25\00:29:44.95
the best, the
highest, the greatest.
00:29:44.98\00:29:46.70
Paul doesn't talk about himself,
00:29:46.73\00:29:48.34
you read Romans,
you read Philippians,
00:29:48.37\00:29:50.30
you read
Colossians, you read Ephesians.
00:29:50.33\00:29:52.41
He's is so in love with Jesus.
00:29:52.44\00:29:54.18
Jesus has changed
his life and Paul says,
00:29:54.21\00:29:56.57
redeemed how I
love to proclaim it.
00:29:56.60\00:29:59.03
Redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb.
00:29:59.06\00:30:01.08
That's Paul.
00:30:01.11\00:30:02.64
Passionate about this Christ.
Transformed by this Christ.
00:30:02.67\00:30:06.50
Did he have any difficulties?
00:30:06.53\00:30:08.11
I'll tell you one
thing, if there's a one proud
00:30:08.14\00:30:12.33
selfish tinge in your body.
00:30:12.36\00:30:17.17
When the going gets
tough, you're gonna drop out.
00:30:17.20\00:30:19.90
You will get Paul. 2
Corinthians 11: 24-28.
00:30:19.93\00:30:24.29
2 Corinthians 11: 24-28.
00:30:24.32\00:30:29.49
Did Paul have
problems preaching the gospel?
00:30:29.52\00:30:32.97
Why didn't he give up?
What kept him going on?
00:30:33.00\00:30:37.29
2 Corinthians 11:24-28,
00:30:37.32\00:30:41.03
here he is telling
his story verse 24,
00:30:41.06\00:30:44.15
"From the Jews five times
00:30:44.18\00:30:45.39
I received forty
stripes minus one."
00:30:45.42\00:30:47.27
Give up Paul, this thing
about preaching the gospel
00:30:47.30\00:30:50.47
talking about
grace this is tough.
00:30:50.50\00:30:52.38
Five times they
beat you verse 25,
00:30:52.41\00:30:56.94
"Three times I
was beaten with rods;
00:30:56.97\00:30:58.87
once I was stoned;
three times I was shipwrecked;
00:30:58.90\00:31:02.22
a night and a day I
have been in the deep;
00:31:02.25\00:31:04.26
in journeys often,
in perils of waters,
00:31:04.29\00:31:06.62
in perils of robbers, in
perils of my own countrymen,
00:31:06.65\00:31:09.30
in perils of the
Gentiles, in perils in the city,
00:31:09.33\00:31:11.89
in perils in the country."
00:31:11.92\00:31:13.43
And that must
been easy life, right.
00:31:13.46\00:31:14.95
"In perils in the sea, in
perils among false brethren,
00:31:14.98\00:31:17.60
in weariness and toil,
in sleeplessness often,
00:31:17.63\00:31:20.18
in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often,
00:31:20.21\00:31:22.01
in cold beside other things."
00:31:22.04\00:31:24.22
I mean that's kind of you know,
00:31:24.25\00:31:25.73
that's a little humor showing,
intense his story, I'm beaten.
00:31:25.76\00:31:28.76
I'm shipwrecked. I
stay in the night and day.
00:31:28.79\00:31:31.95
They hit me with
rods, they forsake me.
00:31:31.98\00:31:34.52
Then he says
beside other things,
00:31:34.55\00:31:40.07
why did you keep doing it Paul?
00:31:40.10\00:31:43.07
What was the motivation?
Why didn't you just give up?
00:31:43.10\00:31:47.98
Why didn't you go
home and make tents
00:31:48.01\00:31:50.36
and live a comfortable life.
00:31:50.39\00:31:52.94
2 Corinthians 5 he explains why.
00:31:52.97\00:31:56.39
He summarizes the
heart of the reason.
00:31:56.42\00:31:59.09
In 2 Corinthians 5
00:31:59.12\00:32:01.85
is one of the
most powerful passages
00:32:01.88\00:32:06.42
in all of scripture
that motivates evangelism,
00:32:06.45\00:32:10.25
that motivates witness
when you come to the cross,
00:32:10.28\00:32:15.72
and your heart is
transformed by the grace of God.
00:32:15.75\00:32:20.27
When you understand grace
and its transforming power,
00:32:20.30\00:32:25.17
when it wills up inside of you
00:32:25.20\00:32:28.41
and you see what
Christ has done for you
00:32:28.44\00:32:32.01
that He's forgiven you
00:32:32.04\00:32:33.93
that in Christ
your guilt is gone.
00:32:33.96\00:32:36.16
In Christ there
is no condemnation.
00:32:36.19\00:32:38.99
In Christ there's a
new power in your life
00:32:39.02\00:32:42.59
that makes you over again.
00:32:42.62\00:32:44.50
In Christ there is a new hope,
00:32:44.53\00:32:47.08
when that living
Christ enters your life,
00:32:47.11\00:32:50.94
you cannot be silent.
00:32:50.97\00:32:53.28
Amen.
00:32:53.31\00:32:54.37
Whether you get
accolades or you do not.
00:32:54.40\00:32:57.91
Whether the days are
tough or they are not.
00:32:57.94\00:33:02.38
Whether the journey is
long and the mountain is high
00:33:02.41\00:33:06.01
and the road is rough.
00:33:06.04\00:33:08.34
There's a passion in
your life to tell the story.
00:33:08.37\00:33:11.86
2 Corinthians 5 we
see at there verse 14,
00:33:11.89\00:33:15.14
"For the love of
Christ constrains us."
00:33:15.17\00:33:21.29
What's that word constrains me?
00:33:21.32\00:33:22.76
It compels us, it
causes us to do things
00:33:22.79\00:33:26.25
for the love of
Christ constrains us
00:33:26.28\00:33:30.02
because we judged us that
00:33:30.05\00:33:31.42
if one died for all then all die
00:33:31.45\00:33:34.09
and He died for
all that those who live
00:33:34.12\00:33:37.72
should no longer
live for themselves.
00:33:37.75\00:33:42.73
And we who are saved by grace.
00:33:42.76\00:33:46.28
Echo the same sentiments
as Paul, grace liberates us,
00:33:46.31\00:33:51.16
grace empowers
us, grace changes us,
00:33:51.19\00:33:54.42
grace transforms us and grace
compels us to tell the story.
00:33:54.45\00:33:58.69
What do you say?
00:33:58.72\00:34:00.83
We can do no other.
00:34:00.86\00:34:02.76
Good news is for sharing
00:34:02.79\00:34:04.84
and we too are
debtors for grace.
00:34:04.87\00:34:07.60
What has Christ done for you?
00:34:07.63\00:34:10.00
In the divine drama of destiny
in the providence of God,
00:34:10.03\00:34:15.34
you too have
been touched by grace.
00:34:15.37\00:34:17.94
His grace has pardoned you.
00:34:17.97\00:34:19.82
His grace has
freed you from guilt.
00:34:19.85\00:34:22.31
His grace has redeemed you.
His grace has empowered you.
00:34:22.34\00:34:25.96
His grace has led you to
be a son or daughter of God.
00:34:25.99\00:34:31.66
His grace has guided you
into the advent movement,
00:34:31.69\00:34:35.46
a divine
movement God has raised up
00:34:35.49\00:34:37.83
in the last days
of earth's history.
00:34:37.86\00:34:39.71
You are here
today because of grace.
00:34:39.74\00:34:43.21
And grace motivates us.
00:34:43.24\00:34:45.36
Great grace compels us.
00:34:45.39\00:34:47.55
We're not primarily
motivated by numbers.
00:34:47.58\00:34:49.22
We're not
motivated by statistics.
00:34:49.25\00:34:50.83
We're not motivated
00:34:50.86\00:34:51.89
by the desire to
attract attention.
00:34:51.92\00:34:54.02
We're not
motivated by the desire
00:34:54.05\00:34:55.86
for notoriety or publicity.
00:34:55.89\00:34:58.44
We're motivated by one thing.
We are motivated by grace.
00:34:58.47\00:35:03.00
We're motivated by the
love of the one who redeemed us.
00:35:03.03\00:35:06.98
We're motivated by the
love of the Christ that hung
00:35:07.01\00:35:09.31
on Calvary's cross for us.
00:35:09.34\00:35:12.03
We're motivated by a love
00:35:12.06\00:35:13.20
that is so
powerful, so redeeming,
00:35:13.23\00:35:15.84
so life transformational,
00:35:15.87\00:35:18.28
we could nothing
else but tell the story.
00:35:18.31\00:35:21.03
What has motivated?
00:35:21.06\00:35:22.97
Adventists,
through the centuries
00:35:23.00\00:35:26.17
to lead their
families, to lead their friends,
00:35:26.20\00:35:30.38
to cross oceans, to
traverse desert sands,
00:35:30.41\00:35:35.47
to climb rough mountain passes,
00:35:35.50\00:35:38.43
to fought rivers, to
brave mosquito infested jungles.
00:35:38.46\00:35:43.81
What has motivated
these Adventist pioneers?
00:35:43.84\00:35:49.27
One thing, the love of Christ.
00:35:49.30\00:35:52.69
They were motivated by grace.
00:35:52.72\00:35:55.86
And they could do nothing else
00:35:55.89\00:35:58.87
but tell the story of a
soon coming returning Lord.
00:35:58.90\00:36:04.59
One of the hallmarks of
much of today's Christianity
00:36:04.62\00:36:07.58
is many of us have
lost the fire in our belly.
00:36:07.61\00:36:10.63
We've lost the
burning desire in our hearts.
00:36:10.66\00:36:13.03
We've lost the zeal.
We've lost the vision.
00:36:13.06\00:36:14.95
We've lost the passion.
00:36:14.98\00:36:16.87
But the weakness of
early Adventist pioneers
00:36:16.90\00:36:19.89
is when they come
to Christ and the cross
00:36:19.92\00:36:22.37
and have a vision of that cross
00:36:22.40\00:36:23.67
and when they're
indebted to grace.
00:36:23.70\00:36:26.36
And they sense
there's a story to tell
00:36:26.39\00:36:28.59
to prepare a world
for the coming of Christ.
00:36:28.62\00:36:31.19
They often left family, friends,
00:36:31.22\00:36:32.78
braved unusual circumstance
I think of George Riffel.
00:36:32.81\00:36:38.18
George Riffel and
his brother Frederick
00:36:38.21\00:36:41.45
were Germans living
in Russia, Moravians,
00:36:41.48\00:36:43.88
later part of the 19th century.
00:36:43.91\00:36:47.82
George Riffel and his
brother decided to leave Russia,
00:36:47.85\00:36:52.74
move to South
America or North America.
00:36:52.77\00:36:57.07
Frederick came to North America,
00:36:57.10\00:36:58.81
settled in Kansas,
00:36:58.84\00:37:00.58
George came to first Brazil
00:37:00.61\00:37:04.22
and then he
moved into Argentina.
00:37:04.25\00:37:06.39
They were
farmers, planted crops,
00:37:06.42\00:37:09.29
Frederick in
Kansas, George in Argentina.
00:37:09.32\00:37:13.87
But George fell in tough times.
00:37:13.90\00:37:15.56
He had six years of
very difficult farming,
00:37:15.59\00:37:20.67
crop failure, living among
00:37:20.70\00:37:22.36
the Germans
speaking portion of Argentina
00:37:22.39\00:37:25.62
decided to join his
brother in Kansas and he did.
00:37:25.65\00:37:29.27
And there in
1885, these two brothers
00:37:29.30\00:37:33.00
George Riffel and
his brother Frederick
00:37:33.03\00:37:35.94
became Seventh-day Adventists.
00:37:35.97\00:37:39.75
They developed some
of the richest farms
00:37:39.78\00:37:44.64
in the central
portion of Kansas.
00:37:44.67\00:37:48.08
They were
prosperous business people.
00:37:48.11\00:37:51.88
But there was a
stirring in George's soul.
00:37:51.91\00:37:56.41
There was a
moving in George's heart.
00:37:56.44\00:37:59.84
He could not live
00:37:59.87\00:38:01.34
a comfortable
convenient life in Kansas.
00:38:01.37\00:38:07.82
Farms were
prospering, crops were growing.
00:38:07.85\00:38:11.09
But George Riffel
had come to Christ.
00:38:11.12\00:38:14.99
He was indebt and
he thought about that
00:38:15.02\00:38:19.20
German speaking
community in Argentina.
00:38:19.23\00:38:23.42
In late 1800s and
he said to his brother,
00:38:23.45\00:38:27.27
I'm gonna sell out everything
in the farm and I'm gonna go.
00:38:27.30\00:38:31.12
I'm gonna go to Argentina.
I have to tell the story.
00:38:31.15\00:38:36.09
I've got a passion in my heart.
I've got a fire in my belly.
00:38:36.12\00:38:39.52
George Riffel, this lay
person went to South America.
00:38:39.55\00:38:43.37
At that time we did not have
00:38:43.40\00:38:44.80
one Seventh-day Adventist
church in South America.
00:38:44.83\00:38:49.32
Riffel gets there
begins sharing Christ,
00:38:49.35\00:38:52.42
begins translating
literature there in Argentina
00:38:52.45\00:38:57.84
place called Crespo, Argentina.
00:38:57.87\00:39:01.30
A number of people accept Jesus.
00:39:01.33\00:39:04.27
They accept the
Adventist message.
00:39:04.30\00:39:05.91
They accept the Sabbath.
They become Sabbath keepers.
00:39:05.94\00:39:08.12
They're looking for
the coming of Jesus,
00:39:08.15\00:39:09.31
but there's no
Adventist pastors of course,
00:39:09.34\00:39:11.11
no Adventist churches.
00:39:11.14\00:39:12.52
So George Riffel this lay person
00:39:12.55\00:39:14.69
baptizes 50 of them.
00:39:14.72\00:39:17.00
Writes to the General Conference
00:39:17.03\00:39:18.56
in glowing terms brethren
00:39:18.59\00:39:21.82
I've been down here in Argentina
00:39:21.85\00:39:23.64
working as a lay person.
00:39:23.67\00:39:24.71
I just baptized 50 people, come.
00:39:24.74\00:39:28.34
The General Conference wrote him
00:39:28.37\00:39:29.75
an interesting letter back.
00:39:29.78\00:39:32.30
My dear brother, you
do not have authorization
00:39:32.33\00:39:35.72
to baptize down there.
00:39:35.75\00:39:38.34
Riffel writes them back.
00:39:38.37\00:39:41.27
Oh, I thank God for
consecrated dedicated laymen
00:39:41.30\00:39:44.76
who want to
cooperate with the church.
00:39:44.79\00:39:46.57
Riffel writes them back.
00:39:46.60\00:39:47.95
My dear brethren, thank
you for giving me that counsel
00:39:47.98\00:39:51.69
but please send somebody quick
00:39:51.72\00:39:53.35
because I have
more people to baptize.
00:39:53.38\00:39:56.18
The brethren did it
00:39:56.21\00:39:59.01
and when Frederick Wheeler
00:39:59.04\00:40:01.95
rather when Frank Westfall
came in 1894 to Argentina,
00:40:01.98\00:40:08.72
he found a whole
group that Riffel and other
00:40:08.75\00:40:11.80
literature evangelists
had gotten ready to baptize.
00:40:11.83\00:40:16.64
The Seventh-day Adventist
church in South America,
00:40:16.67\00:40:22.21
largely started
00:40:22.24\00:40:24.50
because a Seventh-day
Adventist business person
00:40:24.53\00:40:30.52
was willing prompted
by the cross of Christ
00:40:30.55\00:40:37.18
sensing his debt to all humanity
00:40:37.21\00:40:42.09
to share the story of Christ
00:40:42.12\00:40:44.40
and the Adventist
message to go to South America.
00:40:44.43\00:40:48.27
And today we've over
00:40:48.30\00:40:50.49
Two million
three hunderd thousand
00:40:50.52\00:40:53.17
Seventh-day
Adventists in South America.
00:40:53.20\00:40:56.30
Ten thousand six hundred
churches in South America.
00:40:56.33\00:41:00.70
I just got an
email from the president
00:41:00.73\00:41:02.97
of the South American
Division Erton Kohler,
00:41:03.00\00:41:05.47
and he was talking to me about
comprehensive health evangelism
00:41:05.50\00:41:08.95
and we've just
written a new book
00:41:08.98\00:41:10.24
on health and spirituality.
00:41:10.27\00:41:12.47
And he said, "Pastor
Mark, in our division alone,
00:41:12.50\00:41:15.65
we're gonna pass
out Twenty one million.
00:41:15.68\00:41:21.61
of this book on
helping Jesus, what do you say?
00:41:21.64\00:41:24.31
Amen.
00:41:24.34\00:41:25.42
The church was
started by lay people.
00:41:25.45\00:41:26.84
I think of China.
00:41:26.87\00:41:28.30
Abraham La Rue, a
shepherd, a woodcutter
00:41:28.33\00:41:33.20
and living in
California comes to Christ.
00:41:33.23\00:41:38.43
He has a burning ambition.
00:41:38.46\00:41:39.67
He's praying one day,
00:41:39.70\00:41:40.73
The Lord
impressed him go to China.
00:41:40.76\00:41:42.45
He's 65 years old.
00:41:42.48\00:41:44.64
Writes to the
brethren, and the brethren say,
00:41:44.67\00:41:47.34
oh, thank you
for your commitment
00:41:47.37\00:41:49.10
but you are too
old to go to China.
00:41:49.13\00:41:52.80
You're 65 and by the way
we don't having the budget.
00:41:52.83\00:41:56.25
You know what
that lay person does?
00:41:56.28\00:41:58.47
Hitches a ride on a freighter,
goes half way to China,
00:41:58.50\00:42:02.50
goes to Hawaii
00:42:02.53\00:42:04.58
but then he
works witnesses there.
00:42:04.61\00:42:06.75
He ends up in China ultimately,
00:42:06.78\00:42:09.89
shares the gospel in China
and eventually coming to China
00:42:09.92\00:42:16.22
is J.N. Anderson,
00:42:16.25\00:42:18.25
who finds converts
00:42:18.28\00:42:19.63
from Abraham La
Rue, a lay people.
00:42:19.66\00:42:21.85
If you look at the
countries around the world,
00:42:21.88\00:42:26.23
the Seventh-day Adventist church
00:42:26.26\00:42:30.27
is rooted in a lay movement.
00:42:30.30\00:42:33.13
Scores of our
countries were started
00:42:33.16\00:42:35.95
by consecrated lay people,
00:42:35.98\00:42:38.07
who sensed the
moving of the spirit of God.
00:42:38.10\00:42:43.26
Lay people, motivated by
love, made sacrifices for Christ
00:42:43.29\00:42:47.55
and witness in
the first century.
00:42:47.58\00:42:49.89
Lay people motivated by love
00:42:49.92\00:42:52.18
have made sacrifices throughout
the history of Christianity
00:42:52.21\00:42:55.22
and these same lay people
00:42:55.25\00:42:57.10
are motivated by
the love of Christ
00:42:57.13\00:42:59.46
are doing some amazing things
00:42:59.49\00:43:01.27
in the last
century of earth's history.
00:43:01.30\00:43:04.20
The work of God will
not flicker like a candle
00:43:04.23\00:43:08.45
and go out in obscurity.
00:43:08.48\00:43:11.09
Listen to the
words of the prophets.
00:43:11.12\00:43:13.72
Listen to the words of Jesus,
00:43:13.75\00:43:15.51
Matthew 24 look
there please at verse 14.
00:43:15.54\00:43:22.98
Jesus completes His
sermon on the last day events.
00:43:23.01\00:43:28.38
Matthew 24:14, this
gospel of the kingdom,
00:43:28.41\00:43:33.79
this what of the kingdom?
00:43:33.82\00:43:35.62
This gospel. What is the gospel?
00:43:35.65\00:43:37.55
It's the good news that
independent of my merit,
00:43:37.58\00:43:41.05
Christ has redeemed
me on Calvary's cross.
00:43:41.08\00:43:43.62
What is the gospel?
00:43:43.65\00:43:44.96
It's the good news
that in Jesus I'm justified.
00:43:44.99\00:43:48.36
What is the gospel?
00:43:48.39\00:43:49.42
It's the good news that
in Christ I'm sanctified.
00:43:49.45\00:43:52.43
The same grace that justifies me
00:43:52.46\00:43:54.84
by His grace, he'll sanctify me.
00:43:54.87\00:43:57.08
What is the gospel?
00:43:57.11\00:43:58.47
It is the message of
scripture that Christ died,
00:43:58.50\00:44:01.88
Christ was
resurrected, Christ is living
00:44:01.91\00:44:04.54
and Christ is coming again.
00:44:04.57\00:44:07.43
"And this gospel of the kingdom
00:44:07.46\00:44:09.36
will be
preached in all the world
00:44:09.39\00:44:11.28
as a witness to all nations,
then the end will come."
00:44:11.31\00:44:15.43
The third-- the
first angel's message,
00:44:15.46\00:44:18.08
Revelation 14 Chapter.
00:44:18.11\00:44:20.18
Notice in these
end time messages
00:44:20.21\00:44:23.74
that there is an end time hope
00:44:23.77\00:44:26.60
and that end time
hope is that men and women
00:44:26.63\00:44:30.79
transformed by God's grace.
00:44:30.82\00:44:33.19
Men and women
empowered by God's grace.
00:44:33.22\00:44:37.05
Methods will
not finish the work,
00:44:37.08\00:44:40.57
television, radio,
literature will be used of God
00:44:40.60\00:44:45.29
but they are not
the prime agencies
00:44:45.32\00:44:47.35
to finish God's work.
00:44:47.38\00:44:48.70
God will use people, lay people,
00:44:48.73\00:44:51.77
pastors, administrators.
00:44:51.80\00:44:53.79
Men and women like you and me
00:44:53.82\00:44:56.18
who have an authentic
experience with Christ,
00:44:56.21\00:44:58.93
who've been
transformed by the grace of God.
00:44:58.96\00:45:01.39
What did the early disciple say
00:45:01.42\00:45:03.38
when they were
told not to preach?
00:45:03.41\00:45:06.88
You remember what Peter said.
00:45:06.91\00:45:09.04
He said, "How can we not speak
00:45:09.07\00:45:12.81
the things
we've seen and heard."
00:45:12.84\00:45:17.10
The world longs for an
authentic representation
00:45:17.13\00:45:23.72
of human life, in
human life of the gospel.
00:45:23.75\00:45:27.45
And the Three Angels' Message,
the first angel's message says,
00:45:27.48\00:45:30.92
"And I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven,
00:45:30.95\00:45:34.95
having the ever lasting
gospel to go to every nation,
00:45:34.98\00:45:41.19
kindred, tongue and people."
00:45:41.22\00:45:43.41
The preaching of
the everlasting gospel
00:45:43.44\00:45:46.24
will leap across
geographical boundaries.
00:45:46.27\00:45:49.23
It will penetrate
earth's remotest areas.
00:45:49.26\00:45:52.21
It will reach people of every
language and every culture.
00:45:52.24\00:45:55.15
It'll impact the entire world.
00:45:55.18\00:45:57.16
The foundations
of hell will tremble,
00:45:57.19\00:46:00.86
for Jesus said, I
will built my church
00:46:00.89\00:46:03.87
and the gates of hell
will not prevail against it.
00:46:03.90\00:46:07.70
Amen.
00:46:07.73\00:46:09.35
Grace is greater than
sin. Love is greater than hate.
00:46:09.38\00:46:15.43
Light will dispel the darkness.
00:46:15.46\00:46:18.23
And Revelation 18
says, in verse 1, John says,
00:46:18.26\00:46:24.60
"I saw the earth lightened
with the glory of God."
00:46:24.63\00:46:28.98
The glory of His love.
The glory of His character.
00:46:29.01\00:46:31.31
I love the way
Ellen White puts it.
00:46:31.34\00:46:33.09
Listen to these words,
Great Controversy, page 670,
00:46:33.12\00:46:37.26
"Servants of God,
with their faces lighted up
00:46:37.29\00:46:40.69
and shining with
holy consecration."
00:46:40.72\00:46:42.83
What are their
faces lighted up with?
00:46:42.86\00:46:44.59
The grace of God.
00:46:44.62\00:46:45.96
What are their faces shinning
with the holy consecration
00:46:45.99\00:46:48.71
about the passion.
00:46:48.74\00:46:50.76
The fact that they are
indebt to share the cross.
00:46:50.79\00:46:53.40
"Servants of God,
with their faces lighted up
00:46:53.43\00:46:55.91
and shining with
holy consecration,
00:46:55.94\00:46:57.97
will hasten from place to place
00:46:58.00\00:46:59.73
to proclaim the
message from heaven.
00:46:59.76\00:47:01.56
By thousands of
voices, all over the earth,
00:47:01.59\00:47:04.15
the warning will be given.
00:47:04.18\00:47:06.31
Miracles will be wrought,
the sick will be healed,
00:47:06.34\00:47:08.20
and signs and wonders
will follow the believers."
00:47:08.23\00:47:10.15
What we are going to
experience in end time
00:47:10.18\00:47:13.01
is absolutely magnificent.
00:47:13.04\00:47:14.32
Yes, persecution has come.
00:47:14.35\00:47:16.18
Yes, there'll be a time
when church and state unite.
00:47:16.21\00:47:18.87
Yes, there will
be economic boycott
00:47:18.90\00:47:20.86
but my brother, my
sister, look beyond that
00:47:20.89\00:47:24.28
to the glory of men and
women transformed by the cross.
00:47:24.31\00:47:28.91
Paul says, "God
forbid that I should glory
00:47:28.94\00:47:31.66
in anything, save
the cross of Christ."
00:47:31.69\00:47:33.85
Men and women
transformed by grace,
00:47:33.88\00:47:36.12
filled by the spirit,
passionate about witness
00:47:36.15\00:47:39.31
who go out to the
ends of the earth.
00:47:39.34\00:47:41.07
Listen to this statement,
00:47:41.10\00:47:42.66
Review and
Herald, July 23, 1895,
00:47:42.69\00:47:45.62
"Many will be seen
hurrying hither and thither,
00:47:45.65\00:47:49.36
constrained by the Spirit of God
00:47:49.39\00:47:51.72
to bring the light to others.
00:47:51.75\00:47:53.35
The truth, the word of God,
is as a fire in their bones,
00:47:53.38\00:47:57.08
filling them
with a burning desire
00:47:57.11\00:48:00.69
to enlighten those in darkness."
00:48:00.72\00:48:03.63
Look at this one.
00:48:03.66\00:48:04.96
Testimonies,
volume 9, page 28-29,
00:48:04.99\00:48:07.79
"I saw jets of light shining
from cities and villages,
00:48:07.82\00:48:11.89
and from the high places
00:48:11.92\00:48:13.26
and the low places of the earth.
00:48:13.29\00:48:15.15
God's Word was
obeyed, and as a result
00:48:15.18\00:48:18.20
there were memorials for
Him in every city and village.
00:48:18.23\00:48:21.55
His truth was proclaimed
throughout the earth."
00:48:21.58\00:48:24.46
Memorials in
every city and village.
00:48:24.49\00:48:27.70
IskolokoyCafe God's
word true, what do you say?
00:48:27.73\00:48:30.21
Amen. Is God's word true?
00:48:30.24\00:48:31.72
Is God gonna do what He said?
00:48:31.75\00:48:34.49
Is He gonna do it through you?
00:48:34.52\00:48:36.04
Amen.
00:48:36.07\00:48:39.94
Is your one goal to
be broken at the cross?
00:48:39.97\00:48:46.19
Amen.
00:48:46.22\00:48:51.42
Is your one goal to
bring His name glory?
00:48:51.45\00:48:58.16
Do you have some
self centeredness
00:48:58.19\00:49:01.68
still in the heart?
00:49:01.71\00:49:04.32
Some pride still in the heart.
00:49:04.35\00:49:07.13
You have a theological pride
00:49:07.16\00:49:10.53
because you know the
word and others don't.
00:49:10.56\00:49:14.51
You have an institutional pride.
00:49:14.54\00:49:20.44
Because your
ministry is doing so good.
00:49:20.47\00:49:25.01
You have a professional pride
because of academic degrees.
00:49:25.04\00:49:30.36
You have a pride
because you're not proud.
00:49:30.39\00:49:34.39
When Jesus has a people
00:49:38.27\00:49:42.13
that are more interested
in His glory than their glory,
00:49:42.16\00:49:47.24
when Jesus has a people
who are broken at the cross
00:49:50.27\00:49:56.57
and all they
want is what He wants.
00:49:56.60\00:50:01.38
All they care about
is what He cares about.
00:50:01.41\00:50:06.72
All they want is to bring glory
to His name and not theirs.
00:50:06.75\00:50:13.88
When Jesus has a people
who are so charmed by grace,
00:50:13.91\00:50:20.64
so filled with love, so
transformed at the cross,
00:50:20.67\00:50:27.57
they will be safe for him
00:50:27.60\00:50:30.68
to pour out His Holy Spirit upon
00:50:30.71\00:50:34.96
to finish His work on earth.
00:50:34.99\00:50:38.19
This is the destiny to
which you have been called.
00:50:38.22\00:50:43.95
This is heaven's
appeal to your heart.
00:50:43.98\00:50:48.21
This is Christ
appeal to your soul.
00:50:48.24\00:50:52.99
Will you accept heaven's appeal?
00:50:53.02\00:50:56.59
As a debtor to grace,
00:50:56.62\00:50:59.77
will you fall on your knees
00:50:59.80\00:51:05.16
and say Jesus I'm
a debtor to grace.
00:51:05.19\00:51:09.43
You paid such an
infinite price for me.
00:51:09.46\00:51:13.48
There's a passion in my heart.
00:51:13.51\00:51:16.00
I've seen a vision of Christ,
00:51:16.03\00:51:18.87
a Christ who would
rather go into the grave
00:51:18.90\00:51:22.24
and never come out
then for me to be lost.
00:51:22.27\00:51:25.59
A Christ that would rather
be condemned for all eternity
00:51:25.62\00:51:30.00
if that was necessary
for me to be in heaven.
00:51:30.03\00:51:33.02
A Christ with a boundless
unfathomable, undying love,
00:51:33.05\00:51:36.93
I've seen that price.
00:51:36.96\00:51:40.54
I have to tell the story.
00:51:40.57\00:51:43.42
Are the words of your
heart, the words that--
00:51:43.45\00:51:47.34
I will sing of my Redeemer
and His wondrous love to me.
00:51:47.37\00:51:52.21
On the cruel cross he suffered.
00:51:52.24\00:51:54.70
From the curse, He set me free.
00:51:54.73\00:51:57.65
Sing-- oh, sing of my Redeemer
00:51:57.68\00:52:00.20
with His blood He purchased me.
00:52:00.23\00:52:03.05
On the cross He
sealed my pardon.
00:52:03.08\00:52:05.32
Paid the debt and set me
free. Let's stand and sing it.
00:52:05.35\00:52:09.91
I will sing of my redeemer
and his wondrous love to me.
00:52:09.94\00:52:14.28
Make this song your commitment.
00:52:14.31\00:52:16.15
Let Jesus touch your heart
with the words of the song.
00:52:16.18\00:52:20.38
Their pride be crushed,
may arrogance be demolished.
00:52:20.41\00:52:25.97
May self be set aside,
00:52:26.00\00:52:28.34
and may Jesus and
Jesus only be exalted.
00:52:28.37\00:52:31.42
I will sing of my redeemer.
Let's sing it together.
00:52:31.45\00:52:34.25
I will sing of my Redeemer
00:52:46.07\00:52:52.04
And His wondrous love to me
00:52:52.07\00:52:58.04
On the cruel cross He suffered
00:52:58.07\00:53:04.40
From the curse to set me free
00:53:04.43\00:53:10.66
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer
00:53:10.69\00:53:17.33
With His blood He purchased me
00:53:17.36\00:53:23.80
On the cross He sealed my pardon
00:53:23.83\00:53:30.51
Paid the debt
00:53:30.54\00:53:33.67
And made me free
00:53:33.70\00:53:39.54
I will tell the wondrous story
00:53:39.57\00:53:46.21
How my lost estate to save
00:53:46.24\00:53:52.15
In His boundless love and mercy
00:53:52.18\00:53:58.93
He the ransom freely gave
00:53:58.96\00:54:05.46
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer
00:54:05.49\00:54:12.40
With His blood He purchased me
00:54:12.43\00:54:19.11
On the cross He
sealed my pardon,
00:54:19.14\00:54:26.28
Paid the debt and made me free
00:54:26.31\00:54:33.52
Now we're gonna pray.
00:54:33.55\00:54:35.80
But before we
pray, the spirit of God
00:54:35.83\00:54:38.87
is speaking to
somebody here today.
00:54:38.90\00:54:41.94
What is righteousness by faith?
00:54:41.97\00:54:47.33
It is the glory of God
00:54:47.36\00:54:50.13
in laying man
and woman in the dust
00:54:50.16\00:54:54.11
and doing for us
00:54:54.14\00:54:56.46
what we cannot do for ourselves.
00:54:56.49\00:55:00.23
Christ loved you so much
00:55:00.26\00:55:03.49
that heaven wouldn't
be heaven without you.
00:55:03.52\00:55:06.62
He did not remain in that tomb.
00:55:06.65\00:55:09.52
He's resurrected from the dead.
00:55:09.55\00:55:11.70
He's alive, He's coming again
00:55:11.73\00:55:16.08
and He's longing for His church
00:55:16.11\00:55:19.68
to want to be in heaven
as much as He wants us there.
00:55:19.71\00:55:24.99
He's longing for His
church, transformed by grace,
00:55:25.02\00:55:30.64
empowered by
love, indebted to grace
00:55:30.67\00:55:38.08
to share His
gospel with the world.
00:55:38.11\00:55:39.45
Is there somebody here today?
00:55:39.48\00:55:42.09
This is not a general
appeal, it's specific.
00:55:42.12\00:55:45.26
Somebody here today
00:55:45.29\00:55:47.96
that you sense this meeting
is gonna change your life,
00:55:47.99\00:55:51.68
that you want to say Jesus,
00:55:51.71\00:55:53.31
there's something
I've got to surrender,
00:55:53.34\00:55:54.74
something I've got to give up.
00:55:54.77\00:55:56.62
Lord, I want
nothing between you and me.
00:55:56.65\00:55:59.92
Lord, if you love me that much,
00:55:59.95\00:56:02.45
Lord, I want to tell the story
00:56:02.48\00:56:04.91
somebody that senses
the call of God to service.
00:56:04.94\00:56:12.03
Somebody that's
sitting in the church
00:56:12.06\00:56:14.37
but you sense the
call of God to witness.
00:56:14.40\00:56:16.68
And you just want to
raise your hand and say,
00:56:16.71\00:56:18.86
I'm going out of these doors,
00:56:18.89\00:56:20.63
sensing Christ
love in a new way.
00:56:20.66\00:56:22.48
Sensing Christ grace
and I cannot be silent,
00:56:22.51\00:56:25.75
I want to make a change
in my life to tell the story.
00:56:25.78\00:56:28.00
Can I see your hand? God
bless you, God bless you.
00:56:28.03\00:56:31.10
God bless you, God bless you.
00:56:31.13\00:56:33.09
Somebody else the
second appeal before I pray.
00:56:33.12\00:56:38.41
You can only know
00:56:38.44\00:56:41.65
that there is no
self-centeredness
00:56:41.68\00:56:43.51
and pride in your heart.
00:56:43.54\00:56:46.31
If you can honestly rejoice
when somebody else's ministry
00:56:46.34\00:56:51.70
is more successful than yours.
00:56:51.73\00:56:55.59
Do you rejoice at
the successes of others?
00:56:55.62\00:56:59.78
Do you sense that we're a
team as an Adventist family?
00:56:59.81\00:57:07.43
Would you like to say Jesus?
00:57:07.46\00:57:09.35
See, Jesus wants to do more
through you as an individual,
00:57:09.38\00:57:12.69
He wants to do more through
you as a business person.
00:57:12.72\00:57:15.58
He wants to do more
through your ministry.
00:57:15.61\00:57:18.26
We have not dreamed yet
00:57:18.29\00:57:20.83
what God is gonna do
through ASI miniseries.
00:57:20.86\00:57:24.20
We haven't dreamed yet.
00:57:24.23\00:57:25.70
What's God gonna
do through pastors?
00:57:25.73\00:57:27.48
What's God gonna
do through lay people?
00:57:27.51\00:57:29.03
What's God gonna
do through initiatives
00:57:29.06\00:57:31.87
of the General Conference?
00:57:31.90\00:57:32.96
We haven't dreamed of that yet.
00:57:32.99\00:57:34.67
The earth will be
lighted with the glory of God.
00:57:34.70\00:57:37.84
Memorials for God in
every village, in every town.
00:57:37.87\00:57:45.15
Would you like to say Jesus,
00:57:45.18\00:57:47.06
take away any
tinge of pride in me.
00:57:47.09\00:57:52.58
May the glory of Your name
00:57:52.61\00:57:55.14
and Your name alone be revealed.
00:57:55.17\00:57:57.77
If you-- if that's Spirit of God
00:57:57.80\00:57:59.09
has put his finger on
something in your life,
00:57:59.12\00:58:00.89
you want to say God, help
me be broken at the cross,
00:58:00.92\00:58:04.94
so you can do
something in my heart,
00:58:04.97\00:58:06.56
would you just raise your hand.
00:58:06.59\00:58:09.20
Oh, my Father, my Father,
00:58:09.23\00:58:13.99
we've heard the voice of God.
00:58:14.02\00:58:16.67
We've heard the
appeal of the cross.
00:58:16.70\00:58:19.75
We've heard the call of grace.
00:58:19.78\00:58:23.77
May we go out of here
00:58:23.80\00:58:25.47
deep within our
hearts crying with Paul.
00:58:25.50\00:58:28.84
God forbid that I should glory
00:58:28.87\00:58:33.32
in anything except
the cross of Christ.
00:58:33.35\00:58:35.87
For the cross
comes before Pentecost
00:58:35.90\00:58:38.37
and Calvary comes before
the outpouring of Holy Spirit.
00:58:38.40\00:58:42.25
Oh, God, work in us.
00:58:42.28\00:58:44.77
And work in these
ministries and use us in ways
00:58:44.80\00:58:49.02
beyond for we could imagine
00:58:49.05\00:58:50.90
for the glory of
the name of Jesus.
00:58:50.93\00:58:53.41
Amen.
00:58:53.44\00:58:54.69