Amen.
00:03:54.13\00:03:55.46
Amen.
00:04:01.47\00:04:03.64
Thank you so much
for that inspiring song.
00:04:03.67\00:04:07.38
That was absolutely beautiful.
00:04:07.41\00:04:10.55
Good morning, happy Sabbath.
00:04:10.58\00:04:13.65
Oh, let's try that again.
Good morning, happy Sabbath.
00:04:13.68\00:04:20.06
It's hard to believe
that this is the first Sabbath
00:04:20.09\00:04:23.89
of the New Year 2015
00:04:23.93\00:04:27.20
and we recognize
that Jesus is coming soon.
00:04:27.23\00:04:32.40
Amen.
00:04:32.43\00:04:36.07
There is a favorite
quote from the Desire of Ages
00:04:36.10\00:04:38.47
that I have the privilege
of memorizing in academy.
00:04:38.51\00:04:44.21
And as we look
forward to the future,
00:04:44.25\00:04:46.31
it's a quote that I refer to,
00:04:46.35\00:04:51.35
Desire of Ages 330,
00:04:51.39\00:04:53.79
"Worry is blind and
cannot discern the future,
00:04:53.82\00:04:59.66
but Jesus sees the
end from the beginning.
00:04:59.69\00:05:03.87
In every difficulty
00:05:03.90\00:05:07.00
He has His way
prepared to bring relief.
00:05:07.04\00:05:10.64
Our heavenly
Father has a thousand ways
00:05:10.67\00:05:12.77
to provide for us, of
which we know nothing.
00:05:12.81\00:05:17.08
Those who make the
principle of the service
00:05:17.11\00:05:20.25
in honor of God supreme
will find perplexities vanish,
00:05:20.28\00:05:25.89
and a plain path
before their feet."
00:05:25.92\00:05:28.56
Amen.
00:05:28.59\00:05:30.79
We recognize that
we're living in a time
00:05:30.83\00:05:34.06
when the future is uncertain.
00:05:34.10\00:05:37.13
But in the hands of
God, we can be assured
00:05:37.17\00:05:41.00
that He will see
us through to the end.
00:05:41.04\00:05:45.51
I want to invite you
before we open the word of God
00:05:45.54\00:05:50.91
here this morning
00:05:50.95\00:05:53.72
to bow your heads
with me as we pray.
00:05:53.75\00:05:58.79
Our Father in heaven,
00:05:58.82\00:06:02.92
we thank You
for this opportunity
00:06:02.96\00:06:04.46
that we have to
gather together on this,
00:06:04.49\00:06:08.86
the first Sabbath
of the New Year 2015.
00:06:08.90\00:06:15.67
We recognize that we're
living in momentous times.
00:06:15.70\00:06:20.28
And at the destiny
averts teaming multitudes
00:06:20.31\00:06:23.88
is about to be decided.
00:06:23.91\00:06:27.68
We pray that You'd help us
to be faithful to the calling
00:06:27.72\00:06:31.85
that You've given to
us as the people of God.
00:06:31.89\00:06:35.96
Help us we pray.
00:06:35.99\00:06:38.69
This morning as
we open Your word,
00:06:38.73\00:06:41.76
I pray that You would
hide me behind the cross
00:06:41.80\00:06:45.63
that Jesus would be uplifted
and Christ would be seen.
00:06:45.67\00:06:52.51
We pray that the Holy
Spirit would speak to our hearts
00:06:52.54\00:06:57.51
and enlighten our minds,
00:06:57.55\00:07:00.75
for we ask these
things in Jesus' name.
00:07:00.78\00:07:04.29
Amen.
00:07:04.32\00:07:07.46
In 1940,
00:07:07.49\00:07:10.83
a gentleman by the
name of Dr. Mortimer Adler
00:07:10.86\00:07:14.06
wrote a book that he called
00:07:14.10\00:07:17.00
a classic guide to
intelligent reading.
00:07:17.03\00:07:22.44
Dr. Adler was the
chair of the board of editors
00:07:22.47\00:07:26.34
for Encyclopaedia Britannica,
00:07:26.37\00:07:29.71
and he had a burning
desire to teach individuals
00:07:29.74\00:07:34.02
to become skilled
and proficient readers.
00:07:34.05\00:07:40.12
In his book, Dr. Adler contends
00:07:40.16\00:07:42.79
that the first
thing that you should do
00:07:42.82\00:07:44.63
when you pick up a book
00:07:44.66\00:07:46.13
is not begin by
reading chapter one.
00:07:46.16\00:07:49.33
He said, you should open it
to the table of contents first
00:07:49.36\00:07:52.83
and get the overall
outline of the book,
00:07:52.87\00:07:55.34
the general skeleton.
00:07:55.37\00:07:57.01
And then he said,
you should always,
00:07:57.04\00:08:00.04
always read the introduction.
00:08:00.08\00:08:05.48
When I first read this,
I thought of all the times
00:08:05.51\00:08:07.35
that I would open a book
and skip the introduction
00:08:07.38\00:08:09.72
and start with chapter one,
00:08:09.75\00:08:11.25
because I thought
that it was unimportant.
00:08:11.29\00:08:15.56
Dr. Adler argues that the reason
00:08:15.59\00:08:17.83
that you should always read
the introduction of a book is,
00:08:17.86\00:08:21.36
because in the
introduction most of the time,
00:08:21.40\00:08:25.13
the editor or the author will
put the purpose of the book.
00:08:25.17\00:08:31.87
The reason why
the book was written
00:08:31.91\00:08:34.54
is most of the time
found in the introduction.
00:08:34.58\00:08:37.45
And he argues that we must
know why the book was written
00:08:37.48\00:08:42.48
before we can know
the contents of the book.
00:08:42.52\00:08:47.06
Introduction
should not be skipped,
00:08:47.09\00:08:50.23
they should be studied.
00:08:50.26\00:08:53.76
And the
introduction of Jesus Christ
00:08:53.80\00:08:55.73
by John the
Baptist is of no exception.
00:08:55.76\00:08:59.17
And I want you to invite you
to turn with me in your Bibles
00:08:59.20\00:09:03.57
to what I believe
00:09:03.61\00:09:04.94
is the most important
introduction in human history.
00:09:04.97\00:09:09.61
John 1:29, the
introduction of Jesus Christ
00:09:09.64\00:09:16.52
by John the Baptist.
00:09:16.55\00:09:18.09
I'll be reading from
the New King James Bible.
00:09:18.12\00:09:20.02
You can follow along
00:09:20.06\00:09:21.39
in whatever
Bible you have there.
00:09:21.42\00:09:23.99
Here it is, the words of John
the Baptist regarding Jesus,
00:09:24.03\00:09:28.40
the Son of God, the Messiah.
00:09:28.43\00:09:31.77
John 1:29,
00:09:31.80\00:09:35.24
"The next day John saw
Jesus coming toward him
00:09:35.27\00:09:39.11
and said,
Behold the Lamb of God,
00:09:39.14\00:09:44.51
who takes away
the sin of the world."
00:09:44.55\00:09:51.22
This introduction is
pregnant with meaning.
00:09:51.25\00:09:56.22
And I think to
myself, if only the Jews
00:09:56.26\00:09:59.69
had meditated upon,
studied, not missed,
00:09:59.73\00:10:06.13
and perhaps even done
their doctorial dissertation
00:10:06.17\00:10:09.37
on these 13 words,
00:10:09.40\00:10:12.77
history could have been altered.
00:10:12.81\00:10:16.78
Because in John's introduction,
00:10:16.81\00:10:19.95
we find the
purpose of the Messiah,
00:10:19.98\00:10:25.79
and because the Jews
missed the introduction,
00:10:25.82\00:10:30.99
misunderstood the
purpose of Jesus Christ,
00:10:31.03\00:10:35.86
they ended up
killing the Messiah.
00:10:35.90\00:10:42.17
It would do us well
00:10:42.20\00:10:43.54
to look more closely
at John's introduction.
00:10:43.57\00:10:48.64
He said, Behold the Lamb of God,
00:10:48.68\00:10:50.05
who takes away
the sin of the world.
00:10:50.08\00:10:54.25
In this verse, you find
the role that Jesus is to take,
00:10:54.28\00:10:58.65
he said, "Jesus
is the Lamb of God."
00:10:58.69\00:11:03.32
The function of the role
00:11:03.36\00:11:05.23
is to take away sin.
00:11:05.26\00:11:10.57
The lamb,
00:11:10.60\00:11:12.93
its function is
to take away sin.
00:11:12.97\00:11:17.97
There's a different phrase
that John could have used,
00:11:18.01\00:11:21.71
he could have said,
00:11:21.74\00:11:23.08
Jesus is the Lamb
that eradicate sin,
00:11:23.11\00:11:25.91
delete sin, expunges sin,
00:11:25.95\00:11:28.55
and these would
have not necessarily
00:11:28.58\00:11:30.89
have been
inaccurate theologically.
00:11:30.92\00:11:34.12
But Jesus is
referred to the lamb,
00:11:34.16\00:11:36.59
and the lamb's
function is to take away sin.
00:11:36.62\00:11:41.76
When you take
something, the implication
00:11:41.80\00:11:44.60
is that you're taking
possession of that entity.
00:11:44.63\00:11:48.60
If I take your debt,
00:11:48.64\00:11:50.57
I'm taking
possession of your debt
00:11:50.61\00:11:52.74
and the implication
00:11:52.77\00:11:54.18
is that the debt is being
transferred from you to me.
00:11:54.21\00:11:57.81
There is a
transference of possession.
00:11:57.85\00:12:03.08
And the whole plan of salvation
is predicated on the notion
00:12:03.12\00:12:08.22
that there is a
transference of sin.
00:12:08.26\00:12:12.69
The transfer of sin is possible,
00:12:12.73\00:12:14.86
in this case, from the world,
it's transferred to the lamb.
00:12:14.90\00:12:20.27
That is how the
lamb takes away sin.
00:12:20.30\00:12:24.41
The concept of the
lamb taking away sin
00:12:27.41\00:12:34.22
was not a foreign concept
to the first century Jew.
00:12:34.25\00:12:40.46
This was not an alien concept.
00:12:40.49\00:12:44.09
This was not a
concept that was new to them.
00:12:44.13\00:12:47.33
It was very familiar.
00:12:47.36\00:12:51.30
For 1,500 years,
00:12:51.33\00:12:55.70
they had
participated in a service
00:12:55.74\00:12:58.64
in which they saw the role
and the function of the lamb.
00:12:58.67\00:13:01.91
Open your Bibles
to Leviticus 4:32-34,
00:13:01.94\00:13:06.05
one of the places
where it is illustrated
00:13:06.08\00:13:09.02
the function of the
lamb to take away sin.
00:13:09.05\00:13:11.89
Leviticus 4:32-34,
00:13:11.92\00:13:18.73
"If he brings a
lamb as his sin offering,
00:13:18.76\00:13:24.27
he shall bring it a
female without blemish,
00:13:24.30\00:13:29.14
then he shall lay his hand
00:13:29.17\00:13:30.91
on the head of the sin offering,
00:13:30.94\00:13:33.78
and kill it as a sin offering,
and place it at the place
00:13:33.81\00:13:38.01
where they killed
the burnt offering.
00:13:38.05\00:13:41.28
The priests shall
take some of the blood
00:13:41.32\00:13:43.35
of the sin
offering with his finger
00:13:43.39\00:13:45.15
put it on the horns
of the burnt offering,
00:13:45.19\00:13:47.92
and pour all the remaining blood
00:13:47.96\00:13:50.49
at the base of the altar."
00:13:50.53\00:13:52.96
The sinner brings in
the lamb to the sanctuary.
00:13:52.99\00:13:56.36
He places his hands
on the head of that lamb,
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.03
confessing his
sins on to the lamb.
00:13:59.07\00:14:03.00
He with his own hand
slits the throat of the lamb
00:14:03.04\00:14:05.87
from ear to ear.
00:14:05.91\00:14:07.44
The priest is
there, catches the blood.
00:14:07.48\00:14:09.98
The priest then ministers
the blood on his behalf,
00:14:10.01\00:14:14.05
and it's placed on
the horns of the altar.
00:14:14.08\00:14:18.49
Notice that, in
order to take away sin,
00:14:18.52\00:14:20.76
there are three parties
that have to be involved.
00:14:20.79\00:14:23.63
The sinner has to accept
00:14:23.66\00:14:25.89
that the lamb
becomes his substitute.
00:14:25.93\00:14:28.60
The lamb must die,
00:14:28.63\00:14:31.00
and then the priest
must administer the blood
00:14:31.03\00:14:35.60
on the sinner's behalf.
00:14:35.64\00:14:37.44
Three parties, the sinner,
the lamb, and the priest.
00:14:37.47\00:14:42.48
In this verse, you
see that there is a path
00:14:42.51\00:14:45.18
to the transference of sin.
00:14:45.21\00:14:48.08
The sin goes from the sinner
to the lamb, to the blood,
00:14:48.12\00:14:54.92
and then is carried by
the priest to the sanctuary.
00:14:54.96\00:14:58.86
The sanctuary holds the record
00:14:58.89\00:15:01.73
of the sin that
has been forgiven.
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.77
There is a transference, a pass
00:15:04.80\00:15:08.80
from which the sinner
transfers his sin to the lamb,
00:15:08.84\00:15:13.71
to the blood, to the sanctuary.
00:15:13.74\00:15:17.05
And for the only way
for the Jews to understand
00:15:20.88\00:15:26.92
the introduction of
Jesus as the Messiah
00:15:26.96\00:15:33.63
was if they had
used the sanctuary
00:15:33.66\00:15:38.37
as their key to
interpret John's introduction.
00:15:38.40\00:15:44.77
The only way for
the Jews to understand
00:15:44.81\00:15:48.14
what Jesus did on the cross
00:15:48.18\00:15:50.35
was if they used the
sanctuary as their road map.
00:15:50.38\00:15:55.22
It was to be their
lens for doing theology.
00:15:55.25\00:15:58.69
It was to be the framework
and ultimate reference point
00:15:58.72\00:16:01.92
for understanding the
purpose of the Messiah.
00:16:01.96\00:16:05.23
The sanctuary was
the interpretive key
00:16:05.26\00:16:09.53
to unlock the purpose of Christ.
00:16:09.56\00:16:13.34
And for over 1,500 years,
00:16:13.37\00:16:16.00
the entire Jewish economy
centered on the sanctuary.
00:16:16.04\00:16:21.34
They were
literally sitting on the key
00:16:21.38\00:16:23.78
to unlock the
Messiah for over 1,500 years,
00:16:23.81\00:16:28.05
and yet they
missed the Son of God.
00:16:28.08\00:16:32.02
The sanctuary was to
be their interpretive key
00:16:32.05\00:16:37.16
to understand the Christ.
00:16:37.19\00:16:40.00
My fear is that perhaps,
00:16:43.83\00:16:49.67
2,000 years later,
00:16:49.70\00:16:51.91
we are in danger of
making the same mistake
00:16:51.94\00:16:57.05
that the Jews did
over 2,000 years ago.
00:16:57.08\00:17:02.88
But you say, "Come on David,
00:17:02.92\00:17:06.92
what faithful
Seventh-day Adventist today
00:17:06.96\00:17:10.66
doesn't believe
in the sanctuary?"
00:17:10.69\00:17:13.46
It's part of our 28
fundamental beliefs.
00:17:13.50\00:17:17.93
It's one of the pillars
of the Adventists faith.
00:17:17.97\00:17:20.74
We have Sabbath,
Sanctuary, State of the Dead.
00:17:20.77\00:17:27.08
We believe in the
sanctuary as a doctrine.
00:17:27.11\00:17:29.48
And my question to
you this morning is,
00:17:29.51\00:17:32.21
did the Jews
believe in the sanctuary?
00:17:32.25\00:17:35.52
Yes, they did it.
00:17:35.55\00:17:38.05
If you were to ask any
Jew in the first century,
00:17:38.09\00:17:40.96
do you believe in the sanctuary?
00:17:40.99\00:17:43.32
They would almost be aghast.
00:17:43.36\00:17:44.96
They would be almost offended
00:17:44.99\00:17:46.90
that you would
dare ask the question.
00:17:46.93\00:17:48.86
Of course I
believe in the sanctuary.
00:17:48.90\00:17:51.20
I would die for the sanctuary.
00:17:51.23\00:17:53.97
Every year, I
participate in Passover,
00:17:54.00\00:17:56.67
Feast of Unleavened Bread,
00:17:56.71\00:17:59.37
Feast of
Tabernacles, Day of Atonement.
00:17:59.41\00:18:01.38
I believe in the sanctuary.
00:18:01.41\00:18:03.71
The issue with the Jews
00:18:03.75\00:18:05.71
was that they believed in
the sanctuary as a doctrine,
00:18:05.75\00:18:09.38
but they weren't using it
as their interpretive key.
00:18:09.42\00:18:13.15
The issue with the Jews
00:18:16.59\00:18:18.13
was that they believed in
the sanctuary as a doctrine,
00:18:18.16\00:18:22.13
but they were not using
it as an interpretive key.
00:18:22.16\00:18:26.07
And there is a fundamental
difference between the two.
00:18:26.10\00:18:31.94
A doctrine is
something that you believe,
00:18:31.97\00:18:36.75
An interpretive key is something
00:18:36.78\00:18:40.58
which you use to
determine what you believe.
00:18:40.62\00:18:45.59
It is the lens
through which you do theology.
00:18:45.62\00:18:50.19
The Jews replace
the interpretive key
00:18:50.23\00:18:53.19
of the sanctuary
with liberation theology.
00:18:53.23\00:18:59.43
They believed in the sanctuary,
00:18:59.47\00:19:01.40
but they relegated it
to a distinctive doctrine,
00:19:01.44\00:19:04.14
and they replaced
their hermeneutical lens
00:19:04.17\00:19:06.71
for doing theology
00:19:06.74\00:19:08.44
with a perspective of
deliverance from the Romans
00:19:08.48\00:19:11.98
rather than the
deliverance from sin.
00:19:12.01\00:19:17.35
And this fundamental
mistake led them down the path
00:19:17.39\00:19:23.19
to misinterpret and
reject the Son of God.
00:19:23.22\00:19:29.40
In 1994...
00:19:32.43\00:19:33.77
an Adventist
author wrote a book.
00:19:36.81\00:19:42.98
And on the cover of the
book, there was the picture
00:19:43.01\00:19:46.98
of four different
Adventists thought leaders.
00:19:47.02\00:19:50.89
When you open it
to the introduction,
00:19:54.26\00:19:55.89
the introduction
is actually titled
00:19:55.92\00:19:58.06
and I quote,
"It's so confusing."
00:19:58.09\00:20:04.17
And this
particular Adventist author
00:20:04.20\00:20:05.70
goes on to write
that, in the church today,
00:20:05.73\00:20:10.24
the Adventist church,
00:20:10.27\00:20:12.14
there are at least
four different versions
00:20:12.17\00:20:16.08
of the gospel.
00:20:16.11\00:20:18.18
Four, according
to his assessment,
00:20:18.21\00:20:22.25
promulgated by these,
00:20:22.28\00:20:24.15
these four different
Adventist thought leaders.
00:20:24.19\00:20:28.72
He goes on to
write that just the fact
00:20:28.76\00:20:32.29
that there are
four different views
00:20:32.33\00:20:34.00
of something as fundamental
and rudimentary as the gospel,
00:20:34.03\00:20:39.67
shows us that there
is a lack of consensus
00:20:39.70\00:20:43.04
in the church today,
about something so basic
00:20:43.07\00:20:46.24
as how is one saved.
00:20:46.27\00:20:51.75
And the question
arises in our minds.
00:20:51.78\00:20:53.92
How is it that
00:20:53.95\00:20:55.68
the church is in a
relative state of confusion
00:20:55.72\00:21:01.26
about the process of salvation?
00:21:01.29\00:21:05.13
How do we get to the
place where we are today?
00:21:05.16\00:21:08.96
Dr Fernando Canale,
00:21:12.00\00:21:15.10
Professor Emeritus of
Theology and Philosophy
00:21:15.14\00:21:19.94
at Andrews Theological Seminary,
00:21:19.97\00:21:23.58
wrote a compelling
article that was published
00:21:23.61\00:21:26.98
by the Adventist
Theological Society.
00:21:27.02\00:21:32.42
In his article, Dr
Canale, makes the assessment
00:21:32.45\00:21:39.26
that in the 1960s,
00:21:39.29\00:21:43.43
there was a
theological turn in Adventism,
00:21:43.47\00:21:48.54
in which we began
to interpret the gospel
00:21:48.57\00:21:53.71
through the lens of
evangelical tradition
00:21:53.74\00:21:58.71
rather than the sanctuary.
00:21:58.75\00:22:02.22
This is his
assessment that in the 1960s,
00:22:02.25\00:22:05.45
there was a
shift, not by everyone,
00:22:05.49\00:22:07.82
but by a significant
group of thought leaders,
00:22:07.86\00:22:11.23
in which we replace
the interpretive key
00:22:11.26\00:22:14.06
of the sanctuary with
the evangelical paradigm
00:22:14.10\00:22:18.57
for interpreting the gospel.
00:22:18.60\00:22:23.37
And he goes down on
to write his concern
00:22:23.41\00:22:27.28
about this paradigm
shift that took place.
00:22:27.31\00:22:32.08
And I quote from that article,
00:22:32.11\00:22:36.08
"The subtle redefinition
00:22:36.12\00:22:40.09
of the sanctuary doctrines role
00:22:40.12\00:22:43.59
from hermeneutical key
to distinctive doctrine
00:22:43.63\00:22:49.03
had far reaching consequences
in theological method.
00:22:49.06\00:22:55.40
The gospel as understood
by evangelical tradition
00:22:55.44\00:23:00.68
became the hermeneutical key
00:23:00.71\00:23:03.55
to interpret all doctrines.
00:23:03.58\00:23:07.98
Seventh-day Adventist
should be concerned about this,
00:23:08.02\00:23:12.69
because it is
transforming the very essence
00:23:12.72\00:23:16.46
and identity of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:23:16.49\00:23:22.36
and its mission.
00:23:22.40\00:23:25.30
Dr Canale is making the argument
00:23:25.33\00:23:26.87
that we are in danger
of making the same mistake
00:23:26.90\00:23:29.34
that the Jews did
over 2,000 years ago.
00:23:29.37\00:23:32.11
Two thousand years ago,
00:23:32.14\00:23:33.48
the Jews
believed in the sanctuary
00:23:33.51\00:23:35.01
as a distinctive doctrine,
00:23:35.04\00:23:36.48
but they replaced
that hermeneutical lens
00:23:36.51\00:23:38.75
that key with
liberation theology.
00:23:38.78\00:23:41.18
And 2,000 years later,
00:23:41.22\00:23:42.95
we also have been
given the interpretive key
00:23:42.98\00:23:45.32
of the sanctuary.
00:23:45.35\00:23:46.69
And according to Dr
Canale, we are in danger
00:23:46.72\00:23:49.62
because some within our ranks
have replaced the sanctuary
00:23:49.66\00:23:53.90
with evangelical tradition.
00:23:53.93\00:23:56.80
And he said this fundamentally,
00:23:56.83\00:23:59.53
when you play it all
out, will change the identity
00:23:59.57\00:24:03.67
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:24:03.71\00:24:06.41
because if you
remove the sanctuary
00:24:06.44\00:24:08.44
as the interpretive
key, it changes who we are.
00:24:08.48\00:24:12.65
I believe
00:24:18.42\00:24:21.39
that when we read
evangelical authors,
00:24:21.42\00:24:26.90
we need to be very careful.
00:24:26.93\00:24:28.43
I'm not saying that
our evangelical friends
00:24:32.13\00:24:35.57
do not have some
sublime and profound thoughts
00:24:35.60\00:24:39.01
on the gospel.
00:24:39.04\00:24:40.38
But we need to recognize
that it is an incomplete gospel.
00:24:40.41\00:24:46.92
They may say some
positive and powerful things,
00:24:46.95\00:24:49.72
but we need to recognize
00:24:49.75\00:24:51.09
that they are
coming from a framework
00:24:51.12\00:24:53.56
that is fundamentally different
than Seventh-day Adventist,
00:24:53.59\00:24:58.19
because they are not working
00:24:58.23\00:24:59.76
from the
totality of the sanctuary
00:24:59.79\00:25:02.20
as the hermeneutical
key for the gospel.
00:25:02.23\00:25:05.13
Dr Canale...
00:25:11.44\00:25:12.77
says that changing the
framework of the sanctuary
00:25:17.18\00:25:20.85
for evangelical tradition
is transforming the essence,
00:25:20.88\00:25:27.19
the identity, and the mission
00:25:27.22\00:25:31.06
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:25:31.09\00:25:34.73
My dear friends,
00:25:34.76\00:25:36.26
we cannot afford to
replace the sanctuary key
00:25:36.30\00:25:41.54
with evangelical tradition
00:25:41.57\00:25:44.47
as our framework
for understanding.
00:25:44.51\00:25:49.44
Some of you may be thinking,
00:25:49.48\00:25:50.95
David, I hear
what you're saying,
00:25:50.98\00:25:57.72
but wasn't the
sanctuary supposed to be used
00:25:57.75\00:25:59.95
to interpret the cross.
00:25:59.99\00:26:03.39
And then after the cross,
00:26:03.43\00:26:06.66
the sanctuary
key is to be changed,
00:26:06.70\00:26:09.86
were to switch paradigms.
00:26:09.90\00:26:11.23
I mean that's before
Christ, after Christ, we have--
00:26:11.27\00:26:13.97
we're supposed to use a
different hermeneutical key.
00:26:14.00\00:26:16.10
We're supposed to
use a different framework
00:26:16.14\00:26:18.37
that was at the cross.
00:26:18.41\00:26:20.08
Yes, Jesus is the Lamb of God
00:26:20.11\00:26:21.48
who takes away
the sins of the world.
00:26:21.51\00:26:22.84
John used the interpretive key,
and that was valid at the time.
00:26:22.88\00:26:26.45
But we are now
living after Jesus' death
00:26:26.48\00:26:29.52
and resurrection.
00:26:29.55\00:26:30.89
We are to use a different key,
a different hermeneutical lens.
00:26:30.92\00:26:34.12
And that is an
argument that I hear many times.
00:26:34.16\00:26:36.62
Yes, that's before the
cross, after the cross,
00:26:36.66\00:26:39.63
we need to shift paradigms.
00:26:39.66\00:26:43.63
We need to shift
interpretive keys.
00:26:43.67\00:26:48.10
Open your Bibles to
Hebrews 8, Hebrews 8:1,
00:26:48.14\00:26:53.54
this is after the
cross, after AD 31,
00:26:53.58\00:26:58.91
after the resurrection.
00:26:58.95\00:27:02.85
Paul is writing his epistle
00:27:02.88\00:27:08.36
to the Hebrews.
00:27:08.39\00:27:11.06
Hebrews 8:1,
00:27:11.09\00:27:15.90
now this is the main point
of the things we are saying.
00:27:15.93\00:27:22.34
We have such a high priest,
00:27:22.37\00:27:26.27
who is seated at the right hand
of the throne of the majesty.
00:27:26.31\00:27:31.68
Where? In heaven.
00:27:31.71\00:27:35.02
A minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle,
00:27:35.05\00:27:40.86
which the Lord
erected and not man.
00:27:40.89\00:27:45.66
This is after
the cross, friends.
00:27:49.10\00:27:52.53
Paul is establishing the reality
00:27:52.57\00:27:54.50
that Jesus is our High Priest
in the heavenly sanctuary,
00:27:54.54\00:27:58.14
which the Lord
created and not man.
00:27:58.17\00:28:01.14
The concept of
the heavenly sanctuary
00:28:01.18\00:28:02.64
is a biblical concept, friends.
00:28:02.68\00:28:05.38
It's found in
the Book of Hebrews.
00:28:05.41\00:28:06.75
It's found in the
Book of Revelation.
00:28:06.78\00:28:08.12
And here, Paul is establishing
that Jesus after the cross
00:28:08.15\00:28:11.52
is our High Priest.
00:28:11.55\00:28:13.05
What is Paul saying?
00:28:13.09\00:28:14.42
The assumption here
00:28:14.46\00:28:15.79
is that the cross is
still to be the framework.
00:28:15.82\00:28:19.79
I should say the sanctuary
is still to be the framework
00:28:19.83\00:28:23.80
after the cross
for understanding
00:28:23.83\00:28:27.17
what Jesus did after the cross
00:28:27.20\00:28:30.64
upon His ascension
as our High Priest.
00:28:30.67\00:28:34.58
It's not only
the interpretive key
00:28:34.61\00:28:36.11
for understanding the cross,
00:28:36.14\00:28:38.51
it's to be the interpretive
key for understanding
00:28:38.55\00:28:41.18
what Jesus did
upon His ascension
00:28:41.22\00:28:44.39
as our High Priest after AD 31.
00:28:44.42\00:28:50.03
This is a New
Testament principle.
00:28:50.06\00:28:52.69
Paul is not
changing hermeneutical keys
00:28:52.73\00:28:55.90
after the cross.
00:28:55.93\00:28:57.90
He's establishing
00:28:57.93\00:28:59.27
that the sanctuary is
still relevant, valid,
00:28:59.30\00:29:02.84
and should be the framework
00:29:02.87\00:29:05.34
for
understanding what Christ did
00:29:05.37\00:29:07.48
at AD 31 and after AD 31.
00:29:07.51\00:29:11.51
Paul goes on, Hebrews 9:11-12,
00:29:15.18\00:29:20.22
"But when Christ
came as high priest
00:29:20.26\00:29:24.59
of the good things
that have come to be
00:29:24.63\00:29:27.73
passing through the greater
and more perfect tabernacle
00:29:27.76\00:29:32.20
not made by hands."
00:29:32.23\00:29:35.67
That is not
belonging to this creation.
00:29:35.70\00:29:40.34
I don't know how
anyone can believe
00:29:40.38\00:29:41.71
there is no heavenly sanctuary.
00:29:41.74\00:29:44.51
"He entered once for
all into the tabernacle,
00:29:44.55\00:29:50.89
not with the blood
of goats and calves,
00:29:50.92\00:29:53.86
but with His own blood,
00:29:53.89\00:29:57.63
thus obtaining
eternal redemption.
00:29:57.66\00:30:04.17
The sanctuary is to
be the interpretive key
00:30:04.20\00:30:07.87
after the cross.
00:30:07.90\00:30:10.11
And, friends,
00:30:10.14\00:30:11.74
this is what makes us
00:30:11.77\00:30:14.34
Seventh-day Adventists.
00:30:14.38\00:30:19.78
I affirm that the sanctuary
is a distinctive doctrine,
00:30:19.81\00:30:25.19
but I would argue
00:30:25.22\00:30:26.55
that it is more than
a distinctive doctrine.
00:30:26.59\00:30:30.23
According to John the
Baptist, according to Paul,
00:30:30.26\00:30:33.90
it is to be the
framework, the lens,
00:30:33.93\00:30:36.53
the road map for doing theology.
00:30:36.56\00:30:40.14
It is to be the reference point
for what Jesus did at the cross
00:30:40.17\00:30:44.67
and what Jesus is
doing as our High Priest.
00:30:44.71\00:30:50.35
Ellen White,
00:30:50.38\00:30:54.05
Great Controversy, page 423,
00:30:54.08\00:30:59.15
and I quote, "The
subject of the sanctuary
00:30:59.19\00:31:04.13
was the key."
00:31:04.16\00:31:06.90
Let me read that again.
00:31:06.93\00:31:08.26
"The subject of the
sanctuary was the key,
00:31:08.30\00:31:12.67
which unlocked the mystery
00:31:12.70\00:31:15.27
of the great
disappointment of 1844.
00:31:15.30\00:31:19.74
It opened to view a
complete system of truth
00:31:19.77\00:31:23.38
connected harmonious showing
00:31:23.41\00:31:25.71
that God's hand had directed
the great Advent movement
00:31:25.75\00:31:29.52
and revealing present duty
00:31:29.55\00:31:31.15
as brought to light the position
00:31:31.19\00:31:33.15
and work of his people."
00:31:33.19\00:31:36.26
This is the implication.
00:31:36.29\00:31:38.73
John says that the sanctuary
is the interpretive key
00:31:38.76\00:31:43.03
for understanding the lamb--
00:31:43.06\00:31:47.10
the cross.
00:31:47.14\00:31:50.14
Paul establishes
00:31:50.17\00:31:52.01
that the sanctuary is
to be the interpretive key
00:31:52.04\00:31:55.14
for understanding Jesus as
our High Priest after AD 31.
00:31:55.18\00:32:00.78
Ellen White establishes
00:32:00.82\00:32:04.05
that the sanctuary
is the interpretive key
00:32:04.09\00:32:06.86
for
understanding Jesus after 1844
00:32:06.89\00:32:11.99
to this present day in
the investigative judgment.
00:32:12.03\00:32:17.50
The cross, AD 31, 1844,
the same interpretive key,
00:32:17.53\00:32:23.20
the sanctuary
unlocks what Jesus has done,
00:32:23.24\00:32:26.88
is doing, and will do.
00:32:26.91\00:32:30.21
It is to be our
framework for our understanding.
00:32:30.25\00:32:36.55
Last year, I had the
privilege and opportunity
00:32:36.58\00:32:42.26
of speaking in Japan.
00:32:42.29\00:32:48.60
It's my first time to Asia.
00:32:48.63\00:32:50.27
I'm Asian American,
never been there before.
00:32:50.30\00:32:52.87
I'm Korean, went to Japan.
It just, it ended up that way.
00:32:52.90\00:32:56.77
I hope to go to Korea some day.
00:32:56.81\00:32:59.71
I was in Tokyo at a
speaking appointment.
00:32:59.74\00:33:02.08
And since we had
never been to Asia before,
00:33:02.11\00:33:05.31
my wife and I tacked on
some vacation time at the end
00:33:05.35\00:33:08.08
and got on a bullet train,
and went down bravely to Kyoto,
00:33:08.12\00:33:12.82
to look at some
sights down there.
00:33:12.85\00:33:17.33
We got off the
train, found our hotel,
00:33:17.36\00:33:20.03
left our luggage there,
00:33:20.06\00:33:21.40
and then went back
into the subway station
00:33:21.43\00:33:24.27
to catch another local subway
00:33:24.30\00:33:25.90
to tour some of
the tourist attractions
00:33:25.93\00:33:28.50
in the city of Kyoto.
00:33:28.54\00:33:29.87
That is when our vacation
00:33:33.44\00:33:36.44
turned into a
relative nightmare,
00:33:36.48\00:33:38.75
because we got
lost for three hours
00:33:38.78\00:33:44.42
in the subway station.
00:33:44.45\00:33:46.22
I mean there is nothing.
00:33:50.86\00:33:52.73
I shouldn't say nothing,
this is an exaggeration.
00:33:52.76\00:33:54.63
But to be in a foreign country
and not speak the language,
00:33:54.66\00:33:59.27
and you're wandering
aimlessly in this subway station
00:33:59.30\00:34:02.74
walking around.
00:34:02.77\00:34:04.11
We're tired, we're hungry,
00:34:04.14\00:34:05.94
and for those of
you that are married,
00:34:05.97\00:34:07.51
you know, what
I'm talking about.
00:34:07.54\00:34:08.88
You're starting to get
frustrated, walking around.
00:34:08.91\00:34:12.95
And I've never
seen a subway station
00:34:12.98\00:34:16.52
that was so mammoth.
00:34:16.55\00:34:19.25
This thing was huge.
00:34:19.29\00:34:21.06
I've never seen escalators
00:34:21.09\00:34:22.42
that went up like
seven stories in sections.
00:34:22.46\00:34:26.73
We would get on the escalators
ride all the way to the top,
00:34:26.76\00:34:29.16
and then ride all the
way down, going everywhere.
00:34:29.20\00:34:31.63
Every time we tried to
speak to someone in English,
00:34:31.67\00:34:33.67
they would go like this.
00:34:33.70\00:34:35.04
And we are just,
we're at a loss...
00:34:35.07\00:34:38.47
because we did not
understand where we were.
00:34:41.48\00:34:47.22
Suddenly we had a
hermeneutical breakthrough.
00:34:47.25\00:34:51.62
We found a map...
00:34:56.06\00:34:57.39
In English. Praise God.
00:35:01.70\00:35:03.77
And using that
map, it opened Kyoto.
00:35:08.64\00:35:14.48
We went on the bus
system, subway system,
00:35:19.11\00:35:22.32
went to every attraction.
00:35:22.35\00:35:23.79
It was great.
00:35:23.82\00:35:25.25
By the end, we were
joking amongst ourselves saying,
00:35:25.29\00:35:27.69
"You know what, we've
mastered this thing so well,"
00:35:27.72\00:35:30.93
we really didn't,
00:35:30.96\00:35:32.29
"we should become American
tourist guide for Kyoto."
00:35:32.33\00:35:35.60
The map became the
key that unlocked Kyoto.
00:35:39.27\00:35:45.61
It fundamentally
changed our understanding,
00:35:45.64\00:35:48.81
and then altered our experience.
00:35:48.84\00:35:53.31
And I want to tell you today,
God has given us the map...
00:35:53.35\00:35:57.85
it's time that we use it.
00:36:00.96\00:36:04.53
We need to
believe in it and use it.
00:36:04.56\00:36:07.80
God has given us a
goldmine in kindergarten form
00:36:07.83\00:36:11.00
in the sanctuary,
00:36:11.03\00:36:12.37
and we should not be
going to the evangelicals
00:36:12.40\00:36:14.80
to understand the gospel
when God has given us the key.
00:36:14.84\00:36:21.44
You cannot use a map of
Paris to understand Kyoto.
00:36:21.48\00:36:25.75
And we need to understand
the sanctuary, friends,
00:36:28.82\00:36:32.09
that is to be our framework
00:36:32.12\00:36:33.52
to understand
Christ at the cross.
00:36:33.56\00:36:37.03
Christ after AD 31
00:36:37.06\00:36:39.66
and Christ after 1844.
00:36:39.69\00:36:44.47
The sanctuary
00:36:44.50\00:36:46.30
is the
interpretive key for the gospel.
00:36:46.33\00:36:52.44
All right, so the sanctuary
is the interpretive key
00:36:52.47\00:36:55.11
for understanding the gospel.
00:36:55.14\00:36:59.21
What does that look like?
00:36:59.25\00:37:03.12
What's the implication
00:37:03.15\00:37:05.52
of using the
sanctuary as our framework
00:37:05.55\00:37:09.12
for understanding
the work of Christ?
00:37:09.16\00:37:12.96
I've asked them to put a slide
of the sanctuary on the screen.
00:37:12.99\00:37:19.90
Well, thank you Eric Low
00:37:19.93\00:37:21.27
for putting together this slide.
00:37:21.30\00:37:24.94
It's a bird's eye view
of the mosaic sanctuary.
00:37:24.97\00:37:30.11
And I want to make a
simple elementary observation.
00:37:30.15\00:37:36.62
The sanctuary is divided into
three different compartments,
00:37:36.65\00:37:42.19
the courtyard, the holy
place, and the most holy place.
00:37:42.22\00:37:49.06
There you see it,
they're on the screen.
00:37:49.10\00:37:51.07
The courtyard, the holy
place, and the most holy place.
00:37:51.10\00:37:55.90
The courtyard has two
articles of furniture,
00:37:55.94\00:37:57.74
the altar burnt
offering and the laver.
00:37:57.77\00:38:00.14
The holy place has
three articles of furniture,
00:38:00.18\00:38:01.91
table of showbread,
00:38:01.94\00:38:03.28
the altar of
incense, and the lamp stand.
00:38:03.31\00:38:04.65
And the most holy place
has the Ark of the Covenant.
00:38:04.68\00:38:08.15
My question is Adam and
Eve back in Edenic perfection,
00:38:08.18\00:38:12.05
where were they before sin
irrespective to God's presence?
00:38:12.09\00:38:18.09
They were in
the most holy place.
00:38:18.13\00:38:19.59
The book Education
says that Adam and Eve
00:38:19.63\00:38:21.83
had open
face-to-face communion with God.
00:38:21.86\00:38:24.13
That is not
possible today, friends.
00:38:24.17\00:38:28.54
They were right there
in the most holy place,
00:38:28.57\00:38:31.61
face-to-face, open
communion with God.
00:38:31.64\00:38:36.44
After sin,
00:38:36.48\00:38:39.61
Adam and Eve, and
the entire human race
00:38:39.65\00:38:42.65
were placed
looking at the sanctuary,
00:38:42.68\00:38:44.69
we're placed
outside of the gate.
00:38:44.72\00:38:48.72
We could no longer
stand in the presence of God,
00:38:48.76\00:38:50.53
we would become consumed.
00:38:50.56\00:38:53.90
And thus, we can see
00:38:53.93\00:38:56.06
that this sanctuary
model presents to us
00:38:56.10\00:39:01.30
in illustrative form
00:39:01.34\00:39:03.94
that the process of
salvation is about restoration.
00:39:03.97\00:39:08.51
It is to bring us back
00:39:11.68\00:39:17.59
to where Adam and Eve
were face-to-face with God.
00:39:17.62\00:39:22.06
And God does
this in three phases,
00:39:22.09\00:39:25.56
the courtyard, justification.
00:39:25.59\00:39:29.16
God delivers us
from the penalty of sin,
00:39:29.20\00:39:32.03
the holy place, sanctification.
00:39:32.07\00:39:34.47
God delivers us
from the power of sin.
00:39:34.50\00:39:38.24
The most holy
place, glorification,
00:39:38.27\00:39:40.81
God delivers us
from the presence of sin.
00:39:40.84\00:39:45.88
The theme of the
sanctuary is restoration.
00:39:45.91\00:39:51.75
Ellen White,
Education, page 15 and 16,
00:39:51.79\00:39:57.83
"To restore in man,
the image of his maker.
00:39:57.86\00:40:03.10
To bring him back--"
00:40:03.13\00:40:05.93
To bring him what?
00:40:05.97\00:40:07.67
"To bring him
back to the perfection
00:40:07.70\00:40:10.87
in which he was created.
00:40:10.91\00:40:12.77
To promote the development
of body, mind, and soul
00:40:12.81\00:40:16.54
that the divine
purpose in his creation
00:40:16.58\00:40:19.08
might be realized.
00:40:19.11\00:40:20.95
This was to be the
work of redemption."
00:40:20.98\00:40:27.72
The sanctuary,
00:40:27.76\00:40:29.32
its theme is restoration.
00:40:29.36\00:40:35.60
When we understand
00:40:35.63\00:40:37.37
the sanctuary is
our interpretive key,
00:40:37.40\00:40:40.77
it brings balance to our
understanding of the gospel.
00:40:40.80\00:40:46.34
And the reason for confusion
regarding the gospel today
00:40:48.68\00:40:52.05
is because we are not
using the entire sanctuary
00:40:52.08\00:40:55.98
for our understanding.
00:40:56.02\00:40:58.92
Evangelicals camp
out in the courtyard.
00:40:58.95\00:41:04.39
I affirm the beauty of
justification by faith.
00:41:08.36\00:41:13.54
But we cannot get a
discount on the sanctuary.
00:41:13.57\00:41:18.54
Our evangelical friends
frame their entire gospel
00:41:18.57\00:41:21.84
in the courtyard.
00:41:21.88\00:41:23.55
I study systematic
theology. I studied Luther.
00:41:23.58\00:41:27.15
There was one book
00:41:27.18\00:41:28.52
that Luther did not
like, the book of James.
00:41:28.55\00:41:30.59
Why?
00:41:30.62\00:41:31.95
Because he
centered his whole theology
00:41:31.99\00:41:33.32
in the courtyard.
00:41:33.36\00:41:34.69
I call it courtyard theology.
00:41:34.72\00:41:37.29
It's a 66 percent
discount on the sanctuary.
00:41:37.33\00:41:42.43
They take away
two-thirds, courtyard theology.
00:41:42.46\00:41:45.13
I want to affirm the
beauty of justification by faith
00:41:45.17\00:41:49.40
and what happened at the cross.
00:41:49.44\00:41:52.71
But in order to understand
what Jesus did after the cross,
00:41:52.74\00:41:55.44
you need to use the
rest of the sanctuary.
00:41:55.48\00:41:57.61
Amen.
00:41:57.65\00:42:01.78
Our Catholic friends
camp out in the holy place.
00:42:01.82\00:42:08.59
Sanctification
through the seven sacraments.
00:42:08.62\00:42:15.56
They have not experienced
the joy of the courtyard,
00:42:15.60\00:42:18.80
they are trying to
meritoriously work their way
00:42:18.83\00:42:21.67
to heaven.
00:42:21.70\00:42:23.87
John Wesley came along
00:42:23.91\00:42:25.57
and he said,
"Let's do a synthesis.
00:42:25.61\00:42:28.81
We need to affirm the
beauty of the courtyard.
00:42:28.84\00:42:31.58
We need to affirm the
beauty of the holy place,
00:42:31.61\00:42:33.55
we need both justification
and sanctification,
00:42:33.58\00:42:36.69
and they are both by faith."
00:42:36.72\00:42:42.22
Adventist came along and said,
00:42:42.26\00:42:44.83
"We want to affirm the
beauty of the courtyard.
00:42:44.86\00:42:47.73
We want to affirm the
beauty of the holy place,
00:42:47.76\00:42:51.57
and we want to
affirm the reality
00:42:51.60\00:42:55.17
of the most holy
place experience."
00:42:55.20\00:42:59.11
The revolution of Adventism
is that we had the audacity
00:42:59.14\00:43:03.75
to use the entire sanctuary
to understand the gospel.
00:43:03.78\00:43:08.52
And that is the significant
contribution of the sanctuary.
00:43:08.55\00:43:13.82
But some in our ranks
00:43:17.59\00:43:20.33
are going
backwards and not forwards.
00:43:20.36\00:43:26.10
Some of our beloved
brothers and sisters
00:43:26.13\00:43:29.37
are doing courtyard theology
00:43:29.40\00:43:32.91
to the negation of
the rest of the sanctuary.
00:43:32.94\00:43:36.71
It's the reduction of
the gospel to the courtyard.
00:43:36.75\00:43:42.15
An Adventist
version of evangelicalism.
00:43:42.18\00:43:46.32
Some of our beloved
Adventist brothers and sisters
00:43:47.96\00:43:50.96
are doing holy place theology
00:43:50.99\00:43:53.86
to the negation of the courtyard
00:43:53.90\00:43:56.10
and trying to work
their way to heaven
00:43:56.13\00:43:59.60
through a created system
of Adventists sacraments.
00:43:59.63\00:44:05.91
These have not experienced
the joy of the courtyard
00:44:05.94\00:44:08.04
in the piece of
justification by faith,
00:44:08.08\00:44:10.91
and it's an Adventist
version of Catholicism.
00:44:10.95\00:44:17.19
When we do theology
with the whole sanctuary,
00:44:17.22\00:44:21.36
it gives us the litmus test
00:44:21.39\00:44:23.02
to cut through
the confusion today,
00:44:23.06\00:44:25.59
regarding the gospel.
00:44:25.63\00:44:28.90
It keeps us safe
from false dichotomies.
00:44:28.93\00:44:35.54
I hear this all the
time, is that law or grace,
00:44:35.57\00:44:40.48
is it faith or works,
00:44:40.51\00:44:42.78
is it
justification or sanctification,
00:44:42.81\00:44:45.85
is it what God,
00:44:45.88\00:44:47.22
is it what God
does in you or for you,
00:44:47.25\00:44:49.98
is it the imputed or imparted
righteousness of Christ.
00:44:50.02\00:44:54.06
And I would say, it
is not either or friends,
00:44:54.09\00:44:55.89
this is both end.
00:44:55.92\00:45:00.13
And when you
look at the sanctuary,
00:45:00.16\00:45:01.50
you will
understand the proper place
00:45:01.53\00:45:04.60
of each one of these things.
00:45:04.63\00:45:06.03
We need to
experience the courtyard,
00:45:06.07\00:45:08.77
so that we can experience
00:45:08.80\00:45:10.14
what God does for
us in sanctification.
00:45:10.17\00:45:12.81
And friends, my appeal to you,
00:45:16.88\00:45:21.78
here, this Sabbath,
00:45:21.82\00:45:24.55
is that when any gospel
is presented, ask yourself,
00:45:24.59\00:45:29.76
how does this fit
into the sanctuary?
00:45:29.79\00:45:34.56
And any gospel that does
not fit into the sanctuary
00:45:34.60\00:45:39.60
is a false gospel.
00:45:39.63\00:45:44.94
When a gospel
message is preached,
00:45:44.97\00:45:46.41
we need to listen to
and watch what is said
00:45:46.44\00:45:49.78
and what is not said.
00:45:49.81\00:45:52.61
We need to listen
to what is left in
00:45:52.65\00:45:54.85
and what is left out.
00:45:54.88\00:45:57.12
And any gospel that emphasizes
a portion of the sanctuary
00:45:57.15\00:46:01.22
to the denial of the
rest of the sanctuary
00:46:01.26\00:46:04.36
is at best an incomplete gospel.
00:46:04.39\00:46:11.03
The sanctuary
is Christ centered.
00:46:11.07\00:46:15.47
It's all about Jesus. Amen.
00:46:15.50\00:46:20.31
There is no more a
Christ centered framework
00:46:20.34\00:46:24.21
than the sanctuary.
00:46:24.25\00:46:27.32
And the sanctuary
answers the question,
00:46:27.35\00:46:29.78
what is Jesus doing now?
00:46:29.82\00:46:36.06
And there is no
denomination in the world today
00:46:36.09\00:46:40.33
that has a better understanding
00:46:40.36\00:46:42.36
of what Christ
is doing right now
00:46:42.40\00:46:45.57
than Seventh-day Adventists.
00:46:45.60\00:46:48.27
This is not a call
for triumphalism friends.
00:46:51.41\00:46:55.91
This is not a
time for arrogance.
00:46:55.94\00:46:59.95
We should be shaking with
humility with the recognition
00:46:59.98\00:47:02.82
that God has entrusted
us with the sacred truth.
00:47:02.85\00:47:08.52
And so, I could go unabashedly
to my evangelical friend,
00:47:08.56\00:47:14.00
to my Catholic friend
and say, "Do you love Jesus?"
00:47:14.03\00:47:19.00
They say "Yes."
00:47:19.03\00:47:20.80
"Do you want to know
what Jesus is doing right now?
00:47:20.84\00:47:24.87
Could I share with you?
It's found in the sanctuary."
00:47:24.91\00:47:29.44
We're told in Great
Controversy, page 409,
00:47:33.72\00:47:38.05
"The scripture
which above all others
00:47:38.09\00:47:41.42
have been both the foundation
00:47:41.46\00:47:43.49
and the central
pillar of the Advent faith
00:47:43.53\00:47:46.46
was the
declaration on to 2,300 days,
00:47:46.49\00:47:51.67
then the sanctuary
shall be cleansed."
00:47:51.70\00:47:56.67
Ellen White says that
the sanctuary is a pillar
00:47:56.71\00:47:59.27
of the
Seventh-day Adventist church,
00:47:59.31\00:48:00.68
but she says that it
is the central pillar.
00:48:00.71\00:48:04.38
The implication is that,
if you remove the sanctuary,
00:48:04.41\00:48:07.78
the entire foundation of
Adventism begins to fall.
00:48:07.82\00:48:11.75
It's no accident
that in every generation,
00:48:11.79\00:48:14.06
it seems every four years,
00:48:14.09\00:48:16.09
the notion of the
sanctuary has been
00:48:16.12\00:48:19.26
and I believe continue,
will continue to be attacked
00:48:19.29\00:48:22.10
within the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:48:22.13\00:48:24.67
Because the devil knows that,
00:48:24.70\00:48:26.03
if he can change and
alter this distinctive doctrine
00:48:26.07\00:48:29.34
and interpretive key,
it will change the identity
00:48:29.37\00:48:33.11
and mission of
God's remnant church.
00:48:33.14\00:48:36.44
Just before retiring,
00:48:41.55\00:48:45.42
in 1978,
00:48:45.45\00:48:49.02
The General Conference President
00:48:49.06\00:48:52.16
Elder Robert H. Pearson
00:48:52.19\00:48:56.10
gave his final address
to the church leadership
00:48:56.13\00:48:58.43
attending
00:48:58.47\00:48:59.90
the General
Conference Annual Council.
00:48:59.93\00:49:06.01
There were winds of
doctrine blowing in the church.
00:49:06.04\00:49:08.58
And Robert Pearson
just about to retire
00:49:08.61\00:49:11.48
gave his final appeal.
00:49:11.51\00:49:15.78
I want to read an
excerpt from his last message
00:49:15.82\00:49:18.95
to the Annual
Council there in 1978.
00:49:18.99\00:49:22.56
And I quote,
00:49:26.13\00:49:27.46
"Brethren and sisters,
00:49:30.53\00:49:35.34
there are subtle forces
that are beginning to stir.
00:49:35.37\00:49:41.78
Regrettably there
are those in the church
00:49:41.81\00:49:45.05
who'd be little the
inspiration of the total Bible,
00:49:45.08\00:49:49.02
who scorn the first
11 chapters of Genesis,
00:49:49.05\00:49:53.72
who question the
spirit of prophecies
00:49:53.76\00:49:56.52
short chronology of
the age of the earth.
00:49:56.56\00:49:59.83
And who subtly and not so subtly
00:49:59.86\00:50:02.76
attack the Spirit of Prophecy.
00:50:02.80\00:50:06.70
There are some who
point to the reformers
00:50:06.74\00:50:08.60
and contemporary theologians
as a source and the norm
00:50:08.64\00:50:11.24
for Seventh-day
Adventists doctrine.
00:50:11.27\00:50:13.38
There are those
who allegedly are tired
00:50:13.41\00:50:15.51
of hack night
phrases of Adventism.
00:50:15.54\00:50:18.68
There are those who wish
00:50:18.71\00:50:20.05
to forget the
standards of the church we love.
00:50:20.08\00:50:23.15
There are those who
covet and would court
00:50:23.18\00:50:25.15
the favor of the evangelicals,
00:50:25.19\00:50:27.29
those who would
throw off the mantle
00:50:27.32\00:50:29.32
of a peculiar people,
00:50:29.36\00:50:30.83
and those who would go the way
00:50:30.86\00:50:32.76
of the secular
materialistic world.
00:50:32.79\00:50:37.07
Fellow leaders,
00:50:37.10\00:50:40.00
beloved brethren and sisters,
00:50:40.04\00:50:44.41
don't let it happen.
00:50:44.44\00:50:49.14
I appeal to you, earnestly
as I know how this morning.
00:50:49.18\00:50:55.28
Don't let it happen."
00:50:55.32\00:50:58.85
This was the
General Conference president
00:51:03.53\00:51:05.09
Robert H. Pearson
00:51:05.13\00:51:07.53
in 1978.
00:51:07.56\00:51:13.64
Here we are in 2015.
00:51:13.67\00:51:18.71
And friends, we cannot afford
to wander in the wilderness
00:51:18.74\00:51:22.88
another 40 years.
00:51:22.91\00:51:26.61
It's time to go home.
00:51:26.65\00:51:30.99
And in a time when
the Protestant leaders
00:51:31.02\00:51:32.92
of America are
going back to Rome.
00:51:32.95\00:51:37.86
God is calling for a
generation of young people
00:51:37.89\00:51:41.03
who will go back to the Bible.
00:51:41.06\00:51:42.76
God is calling for a
generation of young people
00:51:46.80\00:51:50.24
who will have the audacity
to use the whole sanctuary
00:51:50.27\00:51:54.24
to complete what
the reformation began.
00:51:54.28\00:51:57.65
My appeal to you this morning,
00:52:02.38\00:52:06.29
is it your desire
to answer that call?
00:52:06.32\00:52:11.53
If that's your
desire this morning,
00:52:14.83\00:52:16.16
as we prepare to close,
00:52:16.20\00:52:19.07
I want to invite
you to stand with me,
00:52:19.10\00:52:20.64
if you want to say,
"Lord, use me, mould me,
00:52:20.67\00:52:25.54
make me, an instrument, a vessel
00:52:25.57\00:52:28.84
for the building
up of your church
00:52:28.88\00:52:32.21
here on earth."
00:52:32.25\00:52:33.92
God is calling for a
generation of young people
00:52:33.95\00:52:37.52
who would be
faithful to Scripture.
00:52:37.55\00:52:40.46
God is calling for
a generation of people
00:52:40.49\00:52:42.32
that will have the
character of Christ
00:52:42.36\00:52:43.99
reflected in their lives.
00:52:44.03\00:52:46.80
God is calling for a
generation of young people
00:52:46.83\00:52:48.66
who read, understand,
and apply the principles
00:52:48.70\00:52:51.23
of the Spirit of
Prophecy to their lives.
00:52:51.27\00:52:54.74
God is calling for a generation
who will use the sanctuary
00:52:54.77\00:52:58.71
as the
interpretive key for the gospel.
00:52:58.74\00:53:04.91
My second appeal is this,
00:53:04.95\00:53:09.18
I know that in a
congregation of this size,
00:53:09.22\00:53:14.59
there is someone here today
00:53:14.62\00:53:18.76
that has not been baptized
into the remnant church.
00:53:18.79\00:53:25.03
You have not been baptized,
00:53:25.07\00:53:28.00
but you hear the Holy
Spirit speaking to your heart.
00:53:28.04\00:53:31.41
Perhaps it's
been a several weeks,
00:53:31.44\00:53:33.17
perhaps it's been several
days, perhaps a several months.
00:53:33.21\00:53:37.71
You hear the Holy
Spirit speaking to your heart
00:53:37.75\00:53:39.31
saying, "Be
baptized, make this step."
00:53:39.35\00:53:44.72
Baptism is not
graduation, friends.
00:53:44.75\00:53:48.52
It doesn't mean
that you've arrived.
00:53:48.56\00:53:51.59
It means that God is calling you
00:53:51.63\00:53:52.96
into the courtyard experience,
and you want to make that step.
00:53:52.99\00:53:57.17
I want to invite
you to come forward,
00:53:57.20\00:53:59.23
here this morning.
00:53:59.27\00:54:00.60
You have not been baptized,
you want to make that step
00:54:00.64\00:54:05.91
and say, "Lord Jesus, I
want to prepare for baptism,
00:54:05.94\00:54:10.38
I want to invite you to
come forward at this time.
00:54:10.41\00:54:11.75
If there's someone next to you,
just tap them, they'll move.
00:54:11.78\00:54:14.25
You can come down,
God bless you my friend,
00:54:14.28\00:54:16.32
you have not been baptized.
00:54:16.35\00:54:18.15
God bless you.
00:54:18.19\00:54:20.39
You want to make that step
into the waters of baptism,
00:54:20.42\00:54:23.02
and you'll say, God bless you.
00:54:23.06\00:54:24.39
God bless you. Is
there someone else?
00:54:24.43\00:54:26.16
You are sitting
here this morning
00:54:26.19\00:54:27.56
and the Holy Spirit is
speaking to your heart today,
00:54:27.60\00:54:30.53
be baptized.
00:54:30.57\00:54:32.67
God bless you. God bless you.
00:54:32.70\00:54:34.67
Don't let what
other people think
00:54:34.70\00:54:36.57
determine where you're
going to spend eternity.
00:54:36.60\00:54:39.37
We're among friends here
today, we're praying for you,
00:54:39.41\00:54:41.74
you have not been baptized,
00:54:41.78\00:54:43.41
and you want to
make that decision
00:54:43.45\00:54:45.35
to prepare for
baptism here this morning.
00:54:45.38\00:54:48.98
God bless you friends.
God bless you. God bless you.
00:54:49.02\00:54:51.99
Is there someone
else? God bless you.
00:54:52.02\00:54:54.42
You want to make the
decision for baptism.
00:54:54.46\00:54:57.73
Jesus is coming soon.
00:54:57.76\00:54:59.43
Don't let this opportunity pass.
00:54:59.46\00:55:02.76
The Bible says today,
"If you hear his voice,
00:55:02.80\00:55:04.63
harden not your hearts."
00:55:04.67\00:55:06.27
God is speaking
to you right now,
00:55:06.30\00:55:08.00
and the best time to make a
spiritual decision is today.
00:55:08.04\00:55:13.98
Don't let this opportunity pass.
00:55:14.01\00:55:15.74
God bless you my friend.
00:55:15.78\00:55:18.01
Those of you that
have been baptized,
00:55:18.05\00:55:19.38
you should be in a
spirit of prayer right now
00:55:19.41\00:55:20.98
for those people that
are in the valley of decision
00:55:21.02\00:55:22.78
here this morning.
00:55:22.82\00:55:24.15
Eternal
decisions are being made.
00:55:24.19\00:55:25.95
You have not been baptized.
God bless you. God bless you.
00:55:25.99\00:55:30.09
I know there's
someone else sitting,
00:55:30.13\00:55:31.73
standing right there
00:55:31.76\00:55:33.19
and you are
wrestling with the Lord.
00:55:33.23\00:55:34.73
The Holy Spirit is
speaking to your heart.
00:55:34.76\00:55:36.97
Don't let this opportunity pass.
00:55:37.00\00:55:39.63
Tomorrow is not assured.
00:55:39.67\00:55:43.94
Jesus says, "Behold I
stand at the door and knock,
00:55:43.97\00:55:47.18
if any man hear my
voice, I will come in."
00:55:47.21\00:55:51.65
Jesus is knocking friends.
00:55:51.68\00:55:54.72
This is not Pastor
Shin making the appeal.
00:55:54.75\00:55:58.29
Jesus is calling you.
00:55:58.32\00:56:01.42
Jesus left heaven for you,
00:56:01.46\00:56:05.69
won't you come forward for Him?
00:56:05.73\00:56:08.63
Baptism.
00:56:08.66\00:56:10.00
God bless you sister.
00:56:14.04\00:56:15.37
That appeal is still
open. My second appeal is this.
00:56:19.44\00:56:24.85
There's an area of your life
00:56:28.15\00:56:31.59
that God is
calling you to surrender.
00:56:31.62\00:56:33.39
Perhaps it's a habit,
perhaps it's an addiction,
00:56:36.66\00:56:39.26
perhaps it's a good thing
that is keeping you from God.
00:56:39.29\00:56:44.07
And you've heard the
Holy Spirit speaking to you
00:56:44.10\00:56:46.60
saying, "It's time to
lay that area of your life
00:56:46.63\00:56:49.70
on the altar.
00:56:49.74\00:56:52.31
I want to surrender.
00:56:52.34\00:56:54.54
You want to pray the
prayer, take my heart,
00:56:54.58\00:56:55.98
because I can't give it.
00:56:56.01\00:56:57.55
I love this area of my
life Lord, take it from me.
00:56:57.58\00:57:01.35
There's an area of my life
00:57:01.38\00:57:02.72
that I need to
surrender to Jesus."
00:57:02.75\00:57:05.75
And you want the victory.
00:57:05.79\00:57:07.12
I want to invite
you to come forward
00:57:07.16\00:57:08.49
here this morning.
00:57:08.52\00:57:10.13
There's an area of your
life that God is calling you
00:57:10.16\00:57:12.86
to lay on the
altar here this morning.
00:57:12.89\00:57:15.46
2015, the first Sabbath of GYC.
00:57:15.50\00:57:18.23
And you want to
say, "Lord Jesus,
00:57:18.27\00:57:19.83
I am tired of hanging
on to this area of my life.
00:57:19.87\00:57:23.37
I want to lay it on the
altar here this morning,
00:57:23.41\00:57:26.71
Jesus save me.
00:57:26.74\00:57:28.31
I cannot save myself, I
am tired of fighting you.
00:57:28.34\00:57:34.28
I surrender.
00:57:34.32\00:57:37.35
I want to lay this area
00:57:37.39\00:57:39.12
on the altar
here, this morning."
00:57:39.15\00:57:41.82
We cannot hold back,
00:57:41.86\00:57:43.19
God wants to use
us as his vessel.
00:57:43.22\00:57:45.63
But we cannot
cherish any area of my life.
00:57:45.66\00:57:50.43
And you want to say,
"Lord Jesus, take my heart,
00:57:50.47\00:57:53.94
because I cannot give it.
00:57:53.97\00:57:55.70
Save me in spite of myself,
my weak on Christ like self.
00:57:55.74\00:58:00.08
Help me, do for me,
00:58:00.11\00:58:03.31
what I'm incapable
of doing on my own."
00:58:03.35\00:58:05.88
God bless you friends.
00:58:05.91\00:58:07.25
Jesus heals, Jesus
saves, Jesus restores.
00:58:07.28\00:58:13.05
Amen.
00:58:18.49\00:58:20.83
Let's bow our heads together
00:58:20.86\00:58:24.90
as we pray.
00:58:24.93\00:58:28.37
Our father and our God,
00:58:28.40\00:58:33.58
we thank You today for Jesus.
00:58:33.61\00:58:37.41
We thank You for the cross.
00:58:37.45\00:58:40.65
We thank You for the sanctuary.
00:58:40.68\00:58:44.02
Help us as a
people to be faithful
00:58:44.05\00:58:46.96
to the truths that
you've been trusted us with.
00:58:46.99\00:58:50.56
Lord, we don't want to
wander in the wilderness
00:58:50.59\00:58:52.19
another 40 years,
we want to go home.
00:58:52.23\00:58:54.93
Help us by your grace.
00:58:54.96\00:58:57.10
I pray for the people
that have come forward
00:58:57.13\00:58:58.53
here this morning for baptism.
00:58:58.57\00:59:00.14
Lord, we know that
heaven is rejoicing right now.
00:59:00.17\00:59:05.47
I pray that you
would seal their decision
00:59:05.51\00:59:06.91
with the Holy Spirit.
00:59:06.94\00:59:10.08
I pray for the people
that have come forward
00:59:10.11\00:59:14.45
surrendering an area
of their life to You.
00:59:14.48\00:59:17.42
I pray that you'd
grant them the victory.
00:59:17.45\00:59:20.36
We know that Jesus saves
00:59:20.39\00:59:21.72
from the penalty
and the power of sin.
00:59:21.76\00:59:23.66
We pray that you'd
grant them the victory
00:59:23.69\00:59:26.73
over this area of their life.
00:59:26.76\00:59:29.76
May you work in and through them
00:59:29.80\00:59:33.37
to grant them
power from on high.
00:59:33.40\00:59:39.37
Now on to him that is
able to keep us from falling
00:59:39.41\00:59:43.28
and to present us
faultless before the--
00:59:43.31\00:59:44.91