Participants: Michael Hasel
Series Code: 14GYC
Program Code: 14GYC000008A
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00:13 It was my second year in college,
00:18 I was 20 years old, 00:19 and I had decided to go overseas to experience 00:24 a dream that I had to study in Europe for a year, 00:28 learning the language that I had grown up with as a boy. 00:33 Bogenhofen was a small school in Austria. 00:36 There are no kangaroos in Austria, it's Europe. 00:40 And we had a great experience there those first months 00:44 since I was studying and learning 00:45 and it was a wonderful small school environment 00:49 coming from a large university Adventist University 00:52 to a school of about a 150 students, 00:54 it was a family. 00:57 One thing I didn't enjoy very much 01:00 and that was the cold. 01:02 It was one of those wet fall experiences 01:05 where you basically have this constant drizzle 01:09 and rain and this kind of wet cold that penetrates 01:13 no matter what kind of clothing you're wearing 01:15 down to the very bone, 01:16 and I remember I could count may be on two hands 01:19 how many days of sunshine 01:20 I had seen that particular fall. 01:24 And now it was November, and one day, 01:27 while I was in the dinning room, 01:28 my father called, and I went to the phone 01:31 and after some small talk, he said, 01:33 "You know, Michael," he says, 01:34 "Your mother and I have been talking 01:36 and we're going down to Florida again this year, 01:38 down to Key Largo for our vacation time. 01:40 We do have done this every year for many years 01:42 and we were wondering if you want to join us. 01:46 The relatives are all gonna be there together, 01:48 there's gonna be about 40 of us, 01:50 camping on the Gulf of Mexico, and you know how it is. 01:54 And I looked outside and it was drizzling again. 01:58 I thought about those blue ashore waters, 02:00 I thought about my cousins 02:01 and I went surfing across the Gulf of Mexico, 02:04 I thought of our scuba diving adventures 02:07 in Pennekamp State Park. 02:09 I thought about all of the things that we did, 02:12 even Santa Claus coming on the back 02:14 of a pickup truck on the beach. 02:16 I thought of beach volleyball, 02:17 I thought of the things we did when we were there at the beach 02:20 during our Christmas holidays for two weeks, 02:24 and my dad said, "Look, I want you to make the decision." 02:28 And I explained to my father that I was actually planning 02:30 on staying in Europe that year. 02:32 I was planning on spending the Christmas time 02:35 with my uncle Kurtz, who is a pastor in Germany 02:37 and my cousin Bettina, 02:39 who was a student with me at Bogenhofen, 02:41 and my dad said, "Well, there's no pressure, 02:44 it's your decision, you're an adult, 02:46 now you need to make these decisions on your own. 02:48 But what I will do, 02:49 I will go to the travel agent this morning, 02:51 I will look at possible flights 02:53 because it's very late in this discussion, 02:55 and I will call you back in three hours, 02:58 and when I call you back, 03:00 you need to have made a decision, 03:01 because we need to act on this right away." 03:06 I remember after lunch going to Bettina's room, 03:10 my cousin's room. 03:11 I had permission from the girls' dean to go there 03:13 because I was her cousin. 03:15 And I told her about the phone call 03:18 and I said, "You know, I don't know what to do, 03:20 I mean we have these plans to go to your house and now... 03:24 I don't know, it's a simple decision whether to go home 03:27 or whether to stay here for Christmas." 03:29 And Bettina 03:32 caught me off guard, 03:33 she says, "Michael, have you prayed about it?" 03:36 I felt a little guilty 03:37 because I was a theology student second year 03:39 and she was a high school student 03:41 and I hadn't thought about praying about it. 03:44 So I said, "No, I haven't done that yet." 03:50 She says, "Well, maybe we should do it right now." 03:53 And I said, "Sure." 03:55 And so we knelt down in that dorm room her 03:57 and her roommate Katrina, 04:00 kind of strange Bettina and Katrina but anyway, 04:03 and I, we knelt down in that dorm room and we prayed 04:06 over what seemed like a very simple decision. 04:11 The plan that afternoon was to take them 04:13 into town in my car. 04:14 I was kind of the taxi of the school, 04:16 because I had a car. 04:18 And they wanted to do some shopping 04:19 so we went into the city of Braunau in Austria, 04:22 and as they shopped, I wandered the streets. 04:26 I went to my favorite sports store 04:28 where all the latest skiing equipment was available and, 04:31 but I didn't look at the skis, 04:32 I kept thinking about that phone call at 3 o'clock. 04:34 I kept thinking about what I was going to say. 04:36 I kept thinking about all the things 04:38 that I would have to deal with when that call came, 04:41 and I kept praying all afternoon 04:43 and asking the Lord for guidance. 04:45 And I can tell you something, 04:46 it didn't work the way it sometimes works. 04:50 I didn't have any handwriting appear 04:52 on one of the store front windows. 04:55 There was no lightning flash that came out of the sky 04:58 that told me or showed me which way to go. 05:01 There was no clear voice that said, 05:05 this is what you should do. 05:07 But I can tell you this, as I continued to pray, 05:11 every time I thought about going home for Christmas 05:14 that is back to the United States 05:15 and to Florida. 05:17 I felt uneasy and every time I've thought about staying, 05:21 I felt a certain peace in my heart, 05:24 and as the afternoon continued, 05:26 those feelings that sense strengthened on both sides, 05:33 and so 15 minutes before the phone call, 05:35 I made up my mind that I was going to stay. 05:38 The phone rang, my father was on the phone and he says. 05:40 "Michael, I'm so excited I just got back from the travel agency 05:44 from Ruth and, and we found a flight. 05:47 It's going to go from Frankfurt to London, 05:50 London to New York, New York to Miami, 05:52 we'll pick you up in Miami, two hours, 05:54 you'll be down on Key Largo 05:55 a beautiful island south of Florida." 05:58 And you know what he says, 06:00 "Even your grandmother is coming this year." 06:02 She's never been to Florida before. 06:06 "Oh, by the way what was your decision?" 06:10 I looked out the window and it was drizzling again. 06:15 My resolve was fading fast. 06:18 There was silence on the phone and my dad said, 06:20 "Oh, by the way your mother and I made a decision. 06:22 We're paying for the flight, 06:23 you don't have to worry about a thing." 06:28 I said, "Dad, I've been praying about it all day, 06:31 I don't know how to explain this to you, 06:32 but I really feel like I should stay." 06:35 There was silence on the phone again. 06:38 ''Your mother will be very disappointed." 06:42 I know. 06:45 "Well, listen the booking will hold for 72 hours, 06:47 I didn't purchase anything, it will hold for 72 hours. 06:50 If you change your mind, call me back 06:53 and we'll buy the ticket, but it's your decision." 06:59 Hung up the phone, I didn't call him back. 07:03 Two weeks later, the rain had turned to snow 07:05 and we were in a winter wonderland 07:08 driving through Bavaria up into Germany 07:12 where my uncle was a pastor. 07:15 It was beautiful, snow-laden trees, 07:18 it just felt like Christmas was supposed to feel in Germany. 07:20 I'd only spent one Christmas before in Germany, 07:23 when I was a child in the black forest 07:24 with my grandparents. 07:27 And that's why I was really looking forward to this. 07:30 Christmas trees in Germany are not like Christmas trees here 07:33 they're real. 07:37 And the lights on the Christmas tree are not 07:39 the kind you buy at Wal-Mart, 07:41 they're real candles with real fire on them. 07:45 I don't know what firemen do there, 07:46 but Christmas Eve but that's what they do. 07:49 The Christmas trees don't go up, 07:53 they don't go up in August, 07:54 they go up in on Christmas Eve. 08:00 When the Christ child comes as tradition has it 08:02 in that part of the world, 08:04 when the Christ child comes and brings everything. 08:08 So I was looking forward to this special time, 08:10 and sure enough the tree was there, 08:12 the meal was there. 08:14 We were soon around the tree and exchanging gifts 08:17 when the telephone rang. 08:19 My father was on the phone and he said, 08:22 "Michael, you need to talk to someone." 08:24 And I think that was probably the most expensive phone call 08:27 that my father had ever had or I had ever had. 08:30 I think I talked to all 40 relatives in those few minutes, 08:33 maybe it was an hour, I can't remember. 08:35 That was by the way 08:36 when a phone call overseas was $4 a minute. 08:40 Probably was the same price as my ticket would have been. 08:45 Finally, my dad got back on the phone 08:47 and he said these words, he says, 08:48 "Michael, I'm so glad you didn't come this year." 08:54 "I'm sorry Dad, you don't miss me?" 08:58 "No, Michael" he says, "It's not that, 09:02 I had you booked on Pan Am Flight 103 09:04 that crashed in Lockerbie Scotland last week." 09:11 My mind went back to the drive from Bogenhofen to Germany. 09:15 The newscast that came over the radio 09:17 as we were driving up, 09:19 747 had taken off from London, Heathrow. 09:24 And while it was still ascending 09:26 to its cruising altitude 09:30 something happened. 09:32 It had blown up 189 people 09:37 on board had been killed. 09:40 People in the city of Lockerbie that the plane crashed 09:43 into a few of them had been killed as well. 09:47 Everyone on board was lost. 09:50 The tree blurred in front of me, 09:52 the lights blurred in front of me. 09:54 I simply handed the phone to my uncle 09:57 as the impact of that moment began to settle in. 10:04 And the next few months as I wrestled with huge questions. 10:10 I can tell you that I don't have all the answers 10:13 still today to those questions but... 10:15 As I kept thinking back on that afternoon between 12 and 3 10:20 when I was praying about 10:22 a simple decision to go home or not. 10:25 My mind kept going back again and again 10:27 to the three of us kneeling in that dormitory room 10:29 at Bogenhofen and asking the Lord for direction. 10:35 It was a crisis in my life unlike I had ever faced. 10:41 The disciples, 10:45 as Jesus hung on the cross 10:50 must have faced a similar identity crisis. 10:55 It was a moment that the entire universe was witnessing, 10:58 the entire universe, the created world 11:01 were focused on that moment in history as the Son of God 11:05 hung suspended between heaven and earth. 11:09 The mystery of unbridled love was being poured out 11:12 on a broken and fallen and undeserving race. 11:17 Scripture had predicted this day again and again 11:21 from the first verses of the Book of Genesis 11:24 in Genesis 3:15, 11:26 when the promise was given to Adam and Eve 11:29 all the way down through the prophets 11:30 of the Old Testament, 11:33 with detail and with precision this moment was predicted 11:37 through the sacrificial system as lambs were brought 11:40 into the heavenly, into the sanctuary. 11:43 This moment was crystallized in the mind of Hebrews 11:48 and people who had studied it for centuries. 11:55 The moment had finally come 11:58 in the fullness of time. 12:03 Nearly 2000 years have passed from that since that moment 12:07 of crisis and triumph. 12:09 And today, we are entering into that time in history 12:13 when the fullness of time has come again. 12:16 Jesus is coming soon. 12:19 What happened at the cross was a prelude 12:22 to the ultimate triumph of what would happen 12:25 at the end of time. 12:27 The time is fast approaching is even at the door 12:30 when Jesus will return victorious 12:31 in the clouds of heaven to take us home 12:34 and we are certainly living once again 12:36 in the fullness of time. 12:38 The appending crisis at this time in earth's history, 12:43 our time will be unprecedented. 12:48 The pressures upon God's people will be focused and relentless, 12:53 and deliberate. 12:54 How will we be able to stand faithful during this time? 12:58 How will the Seventh-day Adventist Church that has been 13:01 given a unique and distinct Three Angels' Message 13:04 be able to proclaim that message 13:06 faithfully through the vicissitudes of theological 13:10 controversies and discussions through all of the things 13:14 and challenges that will arise from within and from without. 13:17 How will we be able to move forward to meet Jesus 13:21 when He comes? 13:24 This morning during the study time together. 13:28 I want to focus on two episodes in Christ's life. 13:33 That we might understand how he faced 13:36 two of the most critical moments, 13:39 crisis moments, identity moments 13:43 in his time here on earth. 13:46 We have learned so much already in this conference. 13:50 And it's been a blessing, hasn't it? 13:52 Amen. 13:54 The first is found in Luke 4, I invite you to turn there. 14:00 We find the temptation of Jesus 14:03 referred to several times in the gospels. 14:06 But here in Luke, at the very beginning of his ministry 14:09 after his baptism in the Jordan River, 14:10 Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and nights. 14:14 We're told in the Spirit of Prophecy 14:16 that this was a time of soul searching 14:18 and prayer and communion with His Father, 14:20 a time when He knew after His baptism 14:23 that His ministry was about to begin 14:25 and Jesus needed to focus on those things 14:28 that mattered most, 40 days and nights, 14:31 no food, no water. 14:32 Jesus spent in that wilderness. 14:35 I've been in that wilderness, I've been in that desolation. 14:38 It's more desolate than 14:39 the Sonoran Desert here in Arizona. 14:43 There He walked, and knelt, and prayed. 14:49 And after those 40 days and nights 14:51 when He was at His weakest moment, 14:53 Satan approaches Him with three temptations. 14:58 They cover every temptation that you and I will ever face. 15:03 The first temptation was appetite. 15:07 Jesus responds and says, 15:10 "It is written man shall not live by bread alone." 15:16 The passage which Jesus is quoting from is 15:18 Deuteronomy 8:3, and it continues. 15:21 "But man lives by every word that proceeds 15:24 from the mouth of God." 15:28 Jesus points back to the Living Word. 15:30 And in His second temptation when Satan comes now 15:33 with his own quote from scripture, 15:35 "Christ is offered dominion of the world's kingdoms 15:38 and glory and worldly honor." 15:41 Jesus responds, "It is written, 15:44 'You shall worship the Lord, your God, and serve him only." 15:49 ' The end time crisis will be a crisis of worship. 15:53 Who we worship? 15:55 When we worship? 15:56 And yes, even how we worship? 16:01 Christ reminds us that true worship is focused on God, 16:04 not on anyone else. 16:06 Finally, during Satan's last temptation 16:08 for the love of display. 16:12 Jesus responds, "It is said, 16:14 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.' 16:19 With each statement Jesus responds with scripture, 16:22 "It is written." 16:23 Notice, Jesus did not say, "It was written." 16:26 He did not say, "It will be written." 16:28 He did not say, "On my authority I say to you." 16:33 No, instead He uses the present tense 16:35 because you see the Word of God is the Living Word of God. 16:40 It was not spoken for some distant culture, 16:43 some distant group of Israelites 16:45 coming out of bondage from Egypt in the past. 16:48 It was not meant only for future generations. 16:50 No, it is the Living Word of God 16:52 and it is authoritative for every generation. 16:56 It is present truth for Moses, 16:58 and it is present truth for Christ, 16:59 and it is present truth for us today. 17:02 The Bible and the Bible only was Christ's method of defense 17:07 against the most vicious attacks from the adversary. 17:10 Jesus was God, but His defense, 17:14 in His defense He submitted to the Word of God. 17:18 It was not opinion, 17:19 it was not an elaborate convoluted argument. 17:22 It was not with words of personal animosity. 17:25 It was with the simple declarative words of scripture, 17:29 for Christ scripture had the greatest authority, 17:32 the greatest power when He was powerless. 17:38 Over the centuries of Christian history, 17:40 the same power of the Word of God 17:41 has sparked the greatest reformations 17:43 and revivals the world has ever known. 17:46 The greatest Protestant Reformation 17:49 came as the result of the Bible being translated by Wycliffe 17:52 and Luther and others into the language 17:54 of the peoples of Europe. 17:56 The writings influenced Hus and Jerome in Bohemia. 17:59 For the first time, kings and princes, 18:01 commoners and children could read the Word of God. 18:05 They could read for themselves the truths 18:06 of righteousness by faith. 18:08 The Bible which had been hidden and suppressed for centuries 18:11 provided an incredible new light 18:13 that penetrated the Dark Ages. 18:16 Three distinct principles of biblical interpretation 18:20 came out of that intense Bible study 18:23 as these people for the first time 18:25 again wrestled with the Word of God. 18:27 The first one was, "Sola Scriptura" the Bible alone. 18:32 Catholicism had long upheld her traditions 18:34 and teachings of the church beside the Bible 18:36 and with time they superseded the Bible. 18:42 The Protestant Reformation 18:44 called people back to the Bible. 18:46 The Bible alone was to decide matters of life and faith. 18:50 The Bible is the inspired Word of God called for a people 18:53 to be obedient to the law of God. 18:57 Paul writes, "All scripture is inspired by God 19:00 and profitable for teaching for reproof for corrections 19:04 for training in righteousness." 19:05 2 Timothy 3:16. 19:09 The second principle that the Protestant Reformation 19:13 came up with and should still be practiced by us today 19:17 is that scripture is its own interpreter. 19:21 Not every person is his own interpreter. 19:24 The Bible is to be interpreted from within itself. 19:28 The Old and New Testament shed light on each other, 19:32 fulfill one another, 19:33 one biblical passage helps unlock 19:35 another biblical passage. 19:37 The biblical writers themselves employed this method 19:40 again and again throughout scripture. 19:42 Daniel studies his contemporary. 19:45 Jeremiah who is back in Jerusalem 19:47 and based on his writings 19:50 discovers that the close of that time of exile, 19:54 that 70 year period is coming to an end. 19:57 And he prays to God for himself and for his people 20:00 and reformation and repentance. 20:02 Paul makes biblical arguments based on quotations 20:05 and direct references to the first chapters of Genesis 20:08 and many other books in the Bible. 20:11 Peter in this theme text for GYC. 20:13 This year refers back to Isaiah 20:17 and the prophecy concerning the Messiah 20:20 and sees that fulfilled in Jesus Christ 20:23 in the New Testament. 20:24 One inspired writer after another 20:26 under the guidance of the same Holy Spirit 20:28 provides clarity based on earlier Biblical teachings. 20:33 Scripture does not contradict scripture. 20:36 Amen. 20:38 For how can the Holy Spirit contradict himself. 20:42 Jesus clearly states in John 10:35, 20:46 ''Scripture cannot be broken." 20:49 There is unity in the diversity of times 20:52 places and inspired writers who wrote 20:54 as the same Holy Spirit guided them. 20:58 With this principle, difficult or obscure passages 21:02 must be interpreted from the basis 21:03 of less obscure passages 21:05 as we come together as you study the Word of God. 21:08 Study everything that is to be said about a topic 21:12 within the Word of God. 21:13 Don't leave anything out. 21:15 We have concordances for that reason. 21:18 Don't study a subject and use different subjects 21:21 that are unrelated, otherwise there will be confusion 21:24 and misinterpretation, misapplication. 21:29 By viewing all passages on the same subject 21:32 from every side, 21:33 the interpreter can expect to arrive 21:35 with the guidance of the same Holy Spirit 21:39 at the biblical meaning. 21:42 One should not be able to take all passages on a particular... 21:45 "One should be able to take all passages 21:46 on a particular subject from different times 21:49 and different locations and different writers 21:52 and varied circumstances 21:53 because all of scripture is inspired by God." 21:58 By viewing all passages on the same from every side, 22:01 we can arrive at truth. 22:04 On the road to Emmaus 22:08 after the huge crisis that the disciples faced, 22:14 Jesus applied this principle of scripture 22:17 as its own interpreter. 22:19 Luke 24:27 tells us 22:21 and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, 22:22 he expounded to them in all the scriptures 22:24 the things concerning himself. 22:26 Notice that Jesus again at this moment 22:28 of the great crisis for the future of the church 22:31 expound, explains, and describes 22:33 how the scripture from the beginning to the end 22:37 reflected Him and His mission and message. 22:43 Jesus again relies on the authority of scripture 22:47 as He describes to those disciples, 22:52 what really His message and mission was. 22:55 Number three, the plain meaning of scripture. 23:01 There is always a temptation to try to find 23:03 something innovative. 23:05 We're living in the last days 23:07 and the scriptures have been interpreted for a long time. 23:11 This church has been in existence for over 150 years, 23:16 and sometimes it seems to me 23:18 that there are people in our church 23:20 that are getting tired of the same old message, 23:22 and they want something innovative and new. 23:26 But, brothers and sisters, 23:27 this is not the time for innovation. 23:30 This is the time to stand with the Bible 23:33 and the Bible only. 23:34 Amen. 23:36 There is always a temptation to think of something 23:40 that no one else has thought of before, 23:42 but the study of scripture is not focused on us, 23:45 it is focused on God and His will. 23:49 For that reason, it is always safest to go 23:51 with the plain meaning 23:53 or the most obvious meaning of the passage 23:55 to argue for a translation of a word 23:58 based on some obscure thing 24:00 that no other translation of the Bible 24:03 seems to support is to cause confusion among each other 24:08 as we read our Bibles together. 24:15 In Selected Messages volume 2, verse 52, 24:18 Ellen White, has these words, 24:20 "Those who do not accept the Word of God." 24:23 Just as it reads, "Will be snared in his trap." 24:29 And the context tells us that Satan's trap. 24:33 "When we read the Bible, we look not for the complex, 24:38 but we look for the plain meaning of scripture 24:40 that is the same time simple and profound." 24:45 Jesus was simple in His words to the common people 24:49 that He reached out to. 24:52 Children should be able to read the Bible 24:55 and understand the gospel. 24:59 In fact, sometimes 25:01 they surprise us with their insights. 25:04 Young people here at GYC. 25:07 You should be able to open the Word of God 25:09 and come up with the teachings of what Christ has inspired 25:15 through the Old and New Testaments. 25:17 And find new meaning to life. 25:20 Number three, the sufficiency of scripture. 25:24 There is a subtle teaching today that presupposes 25:26 that we move beyond the Bible 25:28 in order to be relevant to our modern experience or culture 25:32 this view argues and it is found in Christianity without 25:36 and it is found sometimes even within our movement. 25:41 The view argues that the Holy Spirit continues 25:44 to guide the church to make decisions 25:46 or take positions that go beyond the Bible 25:50 and may even contradict the Bible. 25:53 This is called in some circles progressive revelation, 25:58 and by other scholars who have come up 26:00 with newer terminology today, 26:02 a trajectory hermeneutic, a trajectory that is hinted 26:06 at by the writers of the Bible, 26:08 but that is really coming into fruition today in the church. 26:13 It holds that the Christ in the Bible writers 26:16 were bound by circumstances in time 26:18 and could not go beyond the confines of their culture. 26:22 Since the Holy Spirit is at work today they argue, 26:25 the Holy Spirit continues to guide the church. 26:30 And that is true, but the model of church authority 26:35 over scripture authority is not a Protestant principle, 26:39 it's a Roman Catholic principle. 26:42 Jesus said in John 16:13, 26:44 "When he the Spirit of truth has come, 26:46 He will guide you into all the truth 26:47 for he will speak on his own authority, 26:49 he will not speak on his own authority, 26:51 but whatever he hears he will speak 26:53 and he will tell you things to come. 26:56 Like Christ who submitted himself to the Word of God, 26:59 the Holy Spirit will not move beyond this authority." 27:04 Ellen White has this powerful council in Great Controversy, 27:08 Roman numeral page IX. 27:12 "The spirit was not given, nor can it ever be bestowed 27:17 to supersede the Bible. 27:21 For the scriptures explicitly state 27:23 that the Word of God is the standard 27:26 by which all teaching and experience must be tested. 27:32 Today, we must continue to hold to the concept 27:34 of the sufficiency of scripture. 27:36 Isaiah 8:20 says, 27:38 "To the law and to the testimony 27:41 if they do not speak according to this word, 27:44 it is because there is no light in them." 27:46 By the word, the word law there, 27:48 torah is an all encompassing word 27:50 that refers to the teaching of scripture. 27:53 Everything must be tested by the Word of God. 27:56 This means that the Bible is sufficient 27:58 and authoritative in all matters. 28:00 It is foundational for every discipline 28:02 whether biology, psychology, 28:04 anthropology and yes, even theology. 28:08 To move beyond scripture is to move 28:10 beyond the example of Christ, 28:12 the author and finisher of our faith. 28:17 The final principle of Protestant interpretation 28:21 and we could list some others as well. 28:23 We don't have time today, 28:26 is the prophetic principle of historicism. 28:30 The Reformers were great students of prophecy 28:33 and the historicist's method of interpretation 28:36 was the great basis of their study and writing. 28:38 Historicism is the method of prophetic interpretation 28:41 practiced by the prophets of the Bible. 28:44 Prophecy is fulfilled over the course of history 28:47 and is inextricably bound with history. 28:51 Thus when we study the prophecy of Daniel 28:53 in Daniel 2 of this great image 28:55 that Nebuchadnezzar dreams about. 28:57 And we see Babylon, Medo-Persia, 28:59 Greece and Rome and the break up of Rome 29:01 into the countries of Europe 29:04 and down to the very end of time 29:06 when the rock cut out without hand, 29:08 comes down and crushes and establish 29:10 is a kingdom that will last forever. 29:13 As he looks down through the purview of history, 29:16 we see that the sequence of these empires are exactly 29:21 as described in the Bible. 29:23 Daniel 7, 8, 9 further expand on 29:25 certain aspects of this history. 29:27 The Book of Revelation continues that. 29:29 And Ellen White tells us these two books 29:31 need to be studied today as never before. 29:36 We find internal fulfillment in scripture 29:40 as Assyria and Babylon is predicted by the prophets 29:43 to destroy Israel and Judah respectively. 29:46 And we see its fulfillment within scripture itself. 29:50 As an archaeologist, I have excavated many sites in Israel. 29:55 And I have seen the destruction levels of these predictions 30:00 that are made in scripture. 30:03 This summer at the site of Lachish, 30:05 we excavated the Assyrian destruction of Sennacherib, 30:11 and we also excavated the Babylonian 30:14 destruction by Nebuchadnezzar 30:16 just before he went into Jerusalem 30:20 to destroy the temple. 30:23 These things, these prophetic points 30:30 today have the tendency to become spiritualized 30:33 and idealized in modern interpretation, 30:38 or there is a temptation in our circles today 30:43 to have many multiple fulfillments 30:47 for some of these prophecies. 30:49 We need to be careful, careful 30:53 that in the search for innovation 30:57 and acceptance in the scholarly world around us, 31:00 we don't lose sight of the prophetic historicist's 31:03 interpretation of prophecy that has made and galvanized 31:07 the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be what it is today. 31:09 Amen. 31:12 But with the rise of modernism and post-modernism, 31:15 the Bible is the basis for history, 31:17 and prophecy has come under increasing attack, 31:20 and the resulting tenants of historical criticism 31:22 places man's autonomous reason, 31:24 man's autonomous experience and philosophical naturalism 31:28 above the script of the Bible. 31:30 A secular scientific worldview has become the main way 31:34 in which scripture is interpreted at universities 31:37 and seminaries across this country 31:39 outside of our church, and yes, 31:41 it is even impacting our church as well. 31:47 But what does it do for the definition of Jesus 31:49 and His mission and message. 31:53 What would we know about Jesus outside of the Bible? 31:59 The Bible defines who Jesus is. 32:03 The Bible defines what He did. 32:09 If you say, there is no literal 32:11 six day creation at the beginning. 32:14 What do you do with John 1:1-3 which states, 32:18 "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God 32:20 and the word was God. 32:22 All things were created through Him." 32:26 Ephesians 3:9 says, 32:27 "God who created all things by Jesus Christ." 32:31 Hebrews 1:1, 2, 32:32 "God has in these last days spoken on to us 32:34 by His Son, by whom also he made the worlds." 32:37 Colossians 1:16-17, 32:40 "For by Him all things were created 32:42 that are in Heaven and are in earth. 32:45 All things were created by Him and by Him all things consist." 32:50 By rejecting the biblical view of creation, 32:54 you change the Bible's definition of who Jesus is. 33:00 If you conclude that Isaiah was not a prophet 33:03 who had the power through the Holy Spirit 33:04 to foretell the future, through the prophetic gift. 33:08 Then what do you do with the account of Jesus 33:10 who stands up to read Isaiah 33:12 in his home synagogue in Nazareth. 33:15 The people have seen this boy growing up in their midst 33:18 and suddenly Jesus is reading to them 33:20 from the Word of God and saying, 33:22 "This has been fulfilled in your hearing." 33:25 They knew what He was talking about, 33:27 they tried to kill Him afterwards. 33:33 If David did not exist and this is a real issue today, 33:36 that I'm involved with personally. 33:41 There are scholars today who said, 33:42 David and Solomon are not historical figures at all. 33:47 But how does that work then with Jerusalem, 33:49 which is the oldest capital in the world 33:51 going back 3000 years. 33:53 Who established Jerusalem? 33:56 What do you do with the Psalms that are still read as liturgy 34:01 in synagogues and in churches around the world? 34:05 What do you do with the defeat of the Philistines? 34:10 And what do you do with Solomon 34:11 and the building of the great temple? 34:13 Because there would be no Solomon if there was no David. 34:16 Most importantly what do you do with David 34:20 as the progenitor of the Messiah, 34:22 for it is through the line of David 34:24 that Jesus is promised? 34:27 What do you do with the last chapter of Revelation 34:29 when Jesus Himself proclaims I am the Son of David? 34:36 History and prophecy are inextricably bound together. 34:41 And both of those elements that have made us who we are, 34:46 are under increasing attack in the world today. 34:52 By removing history, 34:53 the power of the Bible becomes neutralized. 34:55 The Word of God has become the words of men. 34:59 By removing the God who acts in history 35:01 through His Son Jesus Christ, 35:02 we destroyed not only the prophetic word 35:05 but we removed the historical reality of who Jesus is. 35:09 The resulting relativism of postmodernism, 35:12 tolerance for all ideas and cultures 35:14 and the loss of a compass of morals has left society 35:18 without any direction at all. 35:21 And today's mantra, the goal is ultimate freedom 35:24 but it is Jesus who declares ultimate freedom 35:27 through belief in Him. 35:30 As an anthropologist, I was trained here 35:32 at the University of Arizona in Tucson. 35:35 We studied the life ways, 35:37 the beliefs and the practices of different people groups. 35:40 It was drilled into us that 35:42 there is no privileged culture or society. 35:45 Cultural relativism meant that we must come together 35:49 and accept one another's ideas as equally valid and true 35:52 even though they might be diametrically opposed. 35:56 Societies that greeted people were considered 35:59 as equally valid as societies that ate people. 36:03 In fact, the work of missionaries 36:04 was of particular annoyance in the field of anthropology. 36:08 Comments like this are common. 36:10 Missionaries have no right to go 36:12 and then try to change people's life ways. 36:14 We must appreciate these groups 36:16 and study them and leave them as they are. 36:20 But that is not what Jesus did. 36:23 He did not come into this world to study it 36:25 and leave us as we are. 36:28 Jesus came into this world to seek and to save the lost. 36:31 Amen. 36:33 And no matter what culture you belong to, 36:34 no matter what race you belong to, 36:35 no matter what language you speak. 36:39 Jesus came and died for you. 36:41 Amen. 36:44 Jesus was rather exclusive when he said, 36:46 "I am the way, the truth and the life. 36:49 No one comes to the Father except through me." 36:54 The problem with cultural tolerance is that it places 36:56 culture above the Bible and the law of God. 36:59 Today if we label something as culture, 37:01 it is almost reverenced. 37:04 Art is culture and the museums have lines 37:08 of people trying to get into them 37:10 when the churches in our western world stand empty. 37:14 Culture has the norm for determining the life of people 37:17 and also our values, but this begs the question, 37:19 which culture of the world's 37:21 6,500 language groups and cultures. 37:24 Which culture takes precedence? 37:26 Message. 37:29 Is that my culture? 37:30 Is it your culture? 37:32 Is it a hybrid culture? 37:34 Are our modern cultures today really superior 37:37 to the cultures of the past? 37:39 I study the cultures of the past 37:40 and I have to differ, I don't think so. 37:44 Have we been evolving into super humans? 37:48 Why? 37:49 Why do we think that because we have technology today? 37:54 The Middle Ages were known as the Dark Ages, 37:56 because the Word of God was kept hidden from the people. 37:59 But today in the wake of the fastest technologies 38:01 ever invented in human history and with data overload, 38:04 our world has been swept again into a deepening darkness. 38:09 You see, we have access to the Bible as never before, 38:12 we can download them on our Kindles and on our phones. 38:15 We can download them as apps. 38:17 We have them in every room of our house. 38:19 We even have them in our hotel rooms here at GYC. 38:27 Yet with all of this comes such monumental distraction. 38:32 Daniel predicted that in the last days, 38:34 men will run to and fro and knowledge shall crease. 38:36 The exponential increase in knowledge is so frenetic 38:39 that none of us can keep up with it 38:41 and we are desperately trying every day 38:43 to keep up with the flood of emails and texts 38:46 and everything else. 38:48 Last month, I was in New York City 38:50 at the Metropolitan Museum, this country's finest museum. 38:54 And what did I see on display along with mummies 38:56 and Egyptian temple, a statue of Hadrian, 38:59 the Roman emperor, and yes, 39:01 even an inscription that mentions David 39:03 for the first time outside of history. 39:05 What did I see there? 39:08 I saw the first video game 39:10 Atari Pac-Man invented in 1978. 39:16 It was the first video game I remember playing. 39:19 I don't play video games anymore by the way. 39:22 There's no time for that. 39:23 Amen. 39:25 Preach. 39:27 Preach. 39:28 Now this video game is in an archaeological museum, 39:31 does that tell you how fast our culture is changing? 39:34 Yes. 39:36 I want to ask you a question today and it's a question 39:38 that I ask myself, because it is endemic for all of us. 39:42 It affects all of us. 39:43 If we spend so many hours texting, tweeting, emailing, 39:47 Facebook and checking likes Instagram and Connected 24/7. 39:51 Are we really more connected today 39:53 than we've been in the past? 39:59 Is it possible that we spend less time 40:01 on those things that matter most? 40:05 Is the Bible still interesting for us today? 40:09 Is it still relevant for us today? 40:13 Are we spending enough time in the Word of God? 40:17 Are we spending enough time with family? 40:19 Are we spending enough time on those things 40:21 that matter most to the church? 40:23 Are we working for the church? 40:26 Could it be that we are under the impression 40:28 that we are connected but in reality 40:30 we are less connected with each other 40:32 and with God than ever before in history. 40:37 Sociologists are worried. 40:39 Neurologists are writing books. 40:42 I have one at home entitled The New Brain. 40:45 Studies have been published that show us that 40:47 these technologies in the media are rewiring our brains, 40:50 physically altering our neural pathways, 40:53 shrinking the frontal lobe where spiritual decisions 40:56 and moral decisions are made. 40:59 We have become numb to human suffering, 41:01 numb to spiritual realities, 41:03 clothed with an increasing obsession with ourselves. 41:09 But we think our culture is advanced, 41:11 because we have technologies. 41:14 The Bible gives us a very different picture. 41:17 The Bible tells us that when humanity was created 41:20 at the beginning, 41:21 it was created perfect 41:23 and we were created in the image of God. 41:27 The Bible tells us that humanity after the fall 41:30 in the entrance of sin has been 41:32 degenerating physically and mentally ever since. 41:35 What does this imply about us today? 41:39 Should we at the end of earth's history begin 41:41 changing the teaching of God's word? 41:44 Relativizing God's word 41:47 based on the increasing dysfunction in modern culture. 41:52 The grass withers, the flower fades says Isaiah, 41:55 but the word of our God stands forever. 41:57 Amen. 41:58 Culture changes, culture is fluid, 42:02 culture is unshifting sand. 42:06 Look at the reversal in government legislation 42:09 on marriage in this country alone in the last ten years. 42:14 What does this imply for us today? 42:19 What are we thinking about? 42:21 Is it coincidence that marriage and homosexuality 42:25 and gender issues are so contested today? 42:27 Is it coincidence that evolutionary theory 42:30 has even become mainstream in major Protestant Churches? 42:33 Is it coincidence that the seventh-day Sabbath 42:36 has been largely abandoned by 98 percent of Christianity? 42:40 Are or are these signs predicted 42:42 in the prophetic word of God? 42:45 Revelation 14:6-7 says, 42:47 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 42:50 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those 42:53 who dwell on the earth, to every nation, 42:55 tribe and tongue, and people." 42:58 The gospel is a universal gospel. 43:00 It is not based on culture, it is above culture. 43:03 Saying with a loud voice, 43:05 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 43:07 for the hour of his judgment has come. 43:10 And worship Him who made the heavens, 43:12 the earth, the sea 43:14 and of the springs of living water." 43:17 This is a direct quotation from the fourth commandment 43:19 by the way, it points back to creation. 43:22 My friends, it is the very fabric of God's creation 43:24 in Genesis 1 and 2. 43:26 Marriage between a man and a woman 43:27 as the basis of family and culture. 43:31 Seventh day communion with our Lord 43:33 and Savior Jesus Christ that is our fabric 43:35 of our relationship with Him. 43:37 And our belief that Jesus Christ is the creator 43:40 and will recreate us 43:42 when He comes again in the clouds of glory. 43:44 Amen. 43:45 The Three Angels' Messages are more relevant today 43:48 than they have ever been in earth's history. 43:51 We come to the last crisis in the life of Christ. 43:55 The powerful prayer of Jesus in John 17:1-19, 43:59 I can't read it all today, 44:00 but I'm going to read some of it. 44:02 Just before he endured the cross, 44:03 Jesus prayed this prayer for his disciples, 44:06 because he knew what they would be going through. 44:08 And I believe that prayer is still as valid for us today 44:11 as disciples of Jesus as they were 44:14 for the disciples in the first century. 44:18 Verse 1 John 17, 44:21 "Father, the hour has come. 44:26 Glorify Your Son, 44:29 that Your Son also may glorify You, 44:33 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, 44:36 that He should give eternal life 44:37 to as many as You have given Him. 44:40 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, 44:44 the only true God, 44:48 and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 44:51 I have glorified You on the earth. 44:53 I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 44:56 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, 45:00 with the glory which I had with You before the world was." 45:06 Verse 14, 45:09 "I have given them Your word, 45:13 and the world has hated them 45:16 because they are not of the world, 45:18 just as I am not of the world. 45:20 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, 45:23 but that You should keep them from the evil one. 45:25 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 45:28 Sanctify them by Your truth. 45:31 Your word is truth. 45:34 As You sent Me into the world, 45:36 I also have sent them into the world. 45:38 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, 45:41 that they also might be sanctified in your truth." 45:48 Commenting specifically on this prayer, 45:51 Ellen White has these words in Historical Sketches, 197, 45:57 "It is the duty of every one 45:59 to search the scriptures for himself. 46:03 We cannot accept the assertions of men as infallible 46:07 to those who oppose and denounce our faith we say, 46:09 "Show us from the Bible that we are in error." 46:13 God's word is to judge us in the last day. 46:18 And we want to know what saith the scripture. 46:21 We are regarded with jealousy and bitterness 46:23 because we will not accept as evidence 46:25 the assertions of men 46:26 and the testimony of the fathers 46:27 but we cannot purchase peace and unity 46:32 by sacrificing the truth." 46:34 Amen. 46:35 "The conflict may be long and painful but at any cost, 46:40 we must hold fast the Word of God, 46:43 the Bible and the Bible only 46:46 must be our watchword." 46:50 Christ has given us His word. 46:54 What has built Christ's church over the centuries 46:56 what has sustained God's church. 46:57 What has preserved God's church is the Living Word of God. 47:03 As we enter, if we enter into 47:07 a different method of interpreting the Bible. 47:10 That introduces human reason, human experience and culture 47:16 as the norm above scripture, we will no longer be united. 47:21 We will have theological and cultural pluralism 47:24 and the result will be disunity but most importantly, 47:28 we will be sacrificing the truth. 47:35 That summer 47:38 after Pan Am Flight 103. 47:42 I needed to earn some money. 47:44 I was a college student after all. 47:47 And I decided to work in Switzerland, 47:50 where I heard you could make three times 47:51 as much money as working construction back home. 47:56 So I went to the capital of Switzerland, Bern. 48:00 And got a job in one of the most 48:01 prestigious five star hotels next to Parliament. 48:08 I was looking forward to it 48:09 because my friends were going to be there, 48:11 but my friends deserted me, 48:12 they went to this Youth Congress. 48:15 Praise the Lord for Youth Congresses. 48:17 Amen. 48:19 They went to a Youth Congress in Barcelona, 48:21 it left me alone in a strange city 48:23 in a strange place with a new job. 48:25 I knew no one. 48:30 In all that year, those questions had been 48:32 resurfacing and resurfacing and resurfacing. 48:35 And I had put them aside and put them aside. 48:38 Many of my friends who had grown up in the church 48:40 were facing a crisis of faith and they raised questions 48:43 and they asked me those questions, 48:44 after all I was a theology student. 48:47 But I didn't have any answers. 48:52 But most importantly and deep in my heart 48:54 was that lingering question. 48:58 Why was I not on Pan Am Flight 103? 49:02 What did God want from me in this new lease on life? 49:08 And so, during those two weeks, 49:13 I opened the Word of God. 49:17 I studied as I had never studied the word before. 49:20 There was an intensity, there was a deep longing, 49:23 a need to know. 49:28 I needed to know answers to those questions. 49:31 It had come to a point where I could no longer put it off. 49:34 You know I want to say something here today 49:36 that is extremely important, 49:37 it is not wrong to ask questions. 49:40 Amen. 49:42 It is not wrong, God has put in us this desire 49:45 to know this curiosity, this, this longing to know Him. 49:50 And if we do not ask questions, 49:53 if we do not wrestle with God, 49:58 God will not display Himself in the same way 50:01 that He can when we wrestle with Him. 50:05 It's not time, it's not wrong to search. 50:09 But, my friends, we live in a society today 50:12 where it's very popular to search, 50:14 and to search, and to search, and to search 50:17 and to say, I am searching but in this culture, 50:20 it is very unpopular to ever find an answer. 50:23 And I would submit to you today, 50:28 that the answer is in the Word of God. 50:29 Amen. 50:31 As I studied the Word of God, I devoured the New Testament. 50:35 And then I picked up a little red book 50:37 that one of my friends had left with me, 50:40 it was entitled "The Great Controversy." 50:42 Amen. 50:44 Last year at GYC, we handed out 50:45 thousands of Great Controversies 50:47 in the community and to attendees. 50:51 And I hope that some of you took time 50:53 as I did this year to reread that book again. 50:57 I read it for the first time 50:58 there in that dorm room in Bern, Switzerland 51:01 at the University of Bern. 51:03 And I could not put it down. 51:06 I began to read it from cover to cover, 51:10 it was incredible, because that year I had spent. 51:13 I had put 45,000 kilometers on my car. 51:18 I had traveled all over Europe. 51:19 Europe is not a large place 51:21 but 45,000 kilometers in one year. 51:23 I had traveled all over Europe, 51:24 multiple trips to various places, 51:27 I had studied less German than I was supposed to, 51:29 but I had traveled well. 51:32 I had sat in the church where John Hus 51:34 preached the message of Reformation in Prague. 51:39 I had stood in the room in where Luther translated 51:42 the New Testament into the German vernacular. 51:44 I gazed out the window of the palace 51:46 where a Protestant threw out a Catholic 51:48 and started the 30 years war. 51:51 I was reading, through history that prophetically came alive. 51:56 For the first time in my adult life, 51:58 I understood that I was part of a legacy of men and women 52:03 who have given up their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ 52:07 and for the Living Word of God. 52:13 I realize that I was part of a much larger conflict. 52:17 A cosmic conflict, a conflict which centered on this planet, 52:20 and on the character, and justice of God. 52:23 And, friends, it no longer matter 52:24 that I was being trained to be a third generation 52:27 Seventh-day Adventist minister, 52:28 because I realized in those weeks and months 52:32 as I studied that there is no such thing 52:34 as a third generation Seventh-day Adventist minister. 52:37 All of us must become first generation 52:39 Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 52:41 Amen. 52:45 You know, what the most exciting thing was, 52:46 the most thrilling experience of all of this. 52:49 As I studied, 52:53 my questions were answered. 52:58 Those questions, those precious answers, 53:01 those precious answers that came 53:02 in the early hours of the morning, 53:04 and the late hours of the night. 53:06 Every moment, I stopped driving my car to work, 53:08 I took public transportation so I could read my Bible 53:11 and the Spirit of Prophecy on the bus. 53:14 Every break I had at the hotel, 53:16 I was down in the bowels of the hotel studying. 53:19 Every moment I could get, I was devouring God's word 53:23 and trying to understand. 53:26 And you know what? 53:28 The answers to those questions. 53:30 Praise the Lord, were the answers 53:31 that I had received growing up in this great 53:33 and wonderful movement, 53:35 the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 53:37 But now for the first time, they were not the answers 53:39 that my parents had given me 53:40 or that my teachers had given me 53:42 or my wonderful youth pastors have given me. 53:44 No, they were questions that had been answered 53:47 by the Living Word of God 53:48 that had become the Word of God for me. 53:51 They were my answers. 53:53 Jesus Christ became real and tangible in my life. 53:57 I fell in love that summer with Jesus. 54:03 Everyone of us here today, 54:06 needs to have that kind of experience. 54:12 For Jacob, it was an all night wrestling match 54:14 with the Almighty. 54:17 For Isaiah, it was the touch of coal upon his lips 54:20 as he saw the Lord high and lifted up. 54:25 For Saul, it was a blinding lights on the Damascus road. 54:30 For me, when I was 20 years of age, 54:33 it was Pan Am Flight 103. 54:37 What will it be for you, my friend, today? 54:43 In Great Controversy, page 595, in that powerful chapter 54:47 where Ellen White 54:49 writes about scripture being our only safeguard 54:53 in the end times in which we live. 54:55 She says this, 54:57 "But God will have a people upon the earth 54:59 to maintain the Bible and the Bible only, 55:03 as the standard of all doctrines 55:05 and the basis of all reforms. 55:08 We need reformation, we need revival today. 55:10 It's the Bible that will bring about 55:12 and prayer and supplication, 55:14 the opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, 55:17 the creeds or decisions of Ecclesiastical councils. 55:20 As numerous and discordant as are the churches 55:23 which they represent the voice of the majority. 55:28 Not one of nor all of these should be regarded as evidence 55:31 for or against any point of religious faith. 55:35 Before accepting any doctrine or precept, 55:40 we should demand a plain thus saith the Lord in its support. 55:45 If there is no plain thus saith the Lord, 55:49 friends, let's not go there. 55:51 Let's be careful. 55:57 That night, that darkening afternoon 56:03 as Christ was suspended between heaven and earth on the cross. 56:09 His disciples had fled most of them. 56:16 He was all alone. 56:22 He felt alone. 56:24 "My God, My God why have You forsaken Me." 56:29 And yet, He was not alone. 56:33 In that darkness, there was one penetrating light 56:38 that gave the Savior hope and encouragement 56:40 that all had not been lost. 56:44 On either side of Him were two men 56:48 hanging on crosses as well. 56:50 One had scorned and rejected the Savior. 56:55 The other one had seen 56:59 how Jesus reacted to the cross. 57:03 How Jesus calmly accepted the penalty 57:09 of something that He did not do. 57:15 And that man was moved and asked God 57:20 whether he might not see Him in His Kingdom. 57:25 Those three crosses represent for us 57:28 something very important today. 57:32 Christ stands at the center. 57:33 He divides history for evermore. 57:37 We still reckon history as B.C. and A.D. 57:39 Christ is there at the center. 57:41 But there is only one question today. 57:44 One question. 57:47 Do you accept Jesus as revealed in His Word 57:52 as the way, the truth, and the life? 57:56 Do you remain faithful to scripture 57:58 as He remained faithful to scripture 58:01 to fulfill all the things that have been said of Him 58:04 so that you and I might have life? 58:07 There were no 50 decisions that could have been made, 58:10 there were no glaze that day in the darkness. 58:14 There was a simple decision; 58:19 will you remember me in your Kingdom? 58:22 Will you submit to Jesus Christ and to His word? 58:27 That question is still for us today. 58:30 And I want you to ask, I want to ask you 58:33 if you want to be one of those men and women 58:36 who will stand by the Bible and the Bible 58:38 only as we face the greatest crisis 58:40 this earth has ever faced. 58:42 We don't know what the future holds but, 58:45 it will be the greatest crisis and it's happening. 58:49 It's already happening today. 58:52 If you want to be one of those people, 58:53 I want to invite you to stand. 58:56 Stand on the living Word of God 58:59 that will remain forever, let's pray. 59:01 Heavenly Father, we thank You, 59:04 we thank You for the Living Word of God. 59:07 We thank You for Jesus Christ the Word incarnates 59:11 that came to reveal God's truth in human form. 59:17 He knows what we are going through, 59:19 He experienced the temptations, 59:21 He experienced all that we experienced today. 59:25 There is nothing that He went through, 59:29 nothing more that we can go through 59:31 that He did not go through. 59:33 So today, Christ, 59:36 in the name of Christ, 59:37 we ask that we would remain faithful, 59:41 faithful to the promises of Your word. |
Revised 2016-07-28