Participants: David Shin
Series Code: 14GYC
Program Code: 14GYC000009A
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03:54 Amen.
04:01 Amen. 04:03 Thank you so much for that inspiring song. 04:07 That was absolutely beautiful. 04:10 Good morning, happy Sabbath. 04:13 Oh, let's try that again. Good morning, happy Sabbath. 04:20 It's hard to believe that this is the first Sabbath 04:23 of the New Year 2015 04:27 and we recognize that Jesus is coming soon. 04:32 Amen. 04:36 There is a favorite quote from the Desire of Ages 04:38 that I have the privilege of memorizing in academy. 04:44 And as we look forward to the future, 04:46 it's a quote that I refer to, 04:51 Desire of Ages 330, 04:53 "Worry is blind and cannot discern the future, 04:59 but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. 05:03 In every difficulty 05:07 He has His way prepared to bring relief. 05:10 Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways 05:12 to provide for us, of which we know nothing. 05:17 Those who make the principle of the service 05:20 in honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, 05:25 and a plain path before their feet." 05:28 Amen. 05:30 We recognize that we're living in a time 05:34 when the future is uncertain. 05:37 But in the hands of God, we can be assured 05:41 that He will see us through to the end. 05:45 I want to invite you before we open the word of God 05:50 here this morning 05:53 to bow your heads with me as we pray. 05:58 Our Father in heaven, 06:02 we thank You for this opportunity 06:04 that we have to gather together on this, 06:08 the first Sabbath of the New Year 2015. 06:15 We recognize that we're living in momentous times. 06:20 And at the destiny averts teaming multitudes 06:23 is about to be decided. 06:27 We pray that You'd help us to be faithful to the calling 06:31 that You've given to us as the people of God. 06:35 Help us we pray. 06:38 This morning as we open Your word, 06:41 I pray that You would hide me behind the cross 06:45 that Jesus would be uplifted and Christ would be seen. 06:52 We pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to our hearts 06:57 and enlighten our minds, 07:00 for we ask these things in Jesus' name. 07:04 Amen. 07:07 In 1940, 07:10 a gentleman by the name of Dr. Mortimer Adler 07:14 wrote a book that he called 07:17 a classic guide to intelligent reading. 07:22 Dr. Adler was the chair of the board of editors 07:26 for Encyclopaedia Britannica, 07:29 and he had a burning desire to teach individuals 07:34 to become skilled and proficient readers. 07:40 In his book, Dr. Adler contends 07:42 that the first thing that you should do 07:44 when you pick up a book 07:46 is not begin by reading chapter one. 07:49 He said, you should open it to the table of contents first 07:52 and get the overall outline of the book, 07:55 the general skeleton. 07:57 And then he said, you should always, 08:00 always read the introduction. 08:05 When I first read this, I thought of all the times 08:07 that I would open a book and skip the introduction 08:09 and start with chapter one, 08:11 because I thought that it was unimportant. 08:15 Dr. Adler argues that the reason 08:17 that you should always read the introduction of a book is, 08:21 because in the introduction most of the time, 08:25 the editor or the author will put the purpose of the book. 08:31 The reason why the book was written 08:34 is most of the time found in the introduction. 08:37 And he argues that we must know why the book was written 08:42 before we can know the contents of the book. 08:47 Introduction should not be skipped, 08:50 they should be studied. 08:53 And the introduction of Jesus Christ 08:55 by John the Baptist is of no exception. 08:59 And I want you to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles 09:03 to what I believe 09:04 is the most important introduction in human history. 09:09 John 1:29, the introduction of Jesus Christ 09:16 by John the Baptist. 09:18 I'll be reading from the New King James Bible. 09:20 You can follow along 09:21 in whatever Bible you have there. 09:24 Here it is, the words of John the Baptist regarding Jesus, 09:28 the Son of God, the Messiah. 09:31 John 1:29, 09:35 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him 09:39 and said, Behold the Lamb of God, 09:44 who takes away the sin of the world." 09:51 This introduction is pregnant with meaning. 09:56 And I think to myself, if only the Jews 09:59 had meditated upon, studied, not missed, 10:06 and perhaps even done their doctorial dissertation 10:09 on these 13 words, 10:12 history could have been altered. 10:16 Because in John's introduction, 10:19 we find the purpose of the Messiah, 10:25 and because the Jews missed the introduction, 10:31 misunderstood the purpose of Jesus Christ, 10:35 they ended up killing the Messiah. 10:42 It would do us well 10:43 to look more closely at John's introduction. 10:48 He said, Behold the Lamb of God, 10:50 who takes away the sin of the world. 10:54 In this verse, you find the role that Jesus is to take, 10:58 he said, "Jesus is the Lamb of God." 11:03 The function of the role 11:05 is to take away sin. 11:10 The lamb, 11:12 its function is to take away sin. 11:18 There's a different phrase that John could have used, 11:21 he could have said, 11:23 Jesus is the Lamb that eradicate sin, 11:25 delete sin, expunges sin, 11:28 and these would have not necessarily 11:30 have been inaccurate theologically. 11:34 But Jesus is referred to the lamb, 11:36 and the lamb's function is to take away sin. 11:41 When you take something, the implication 11:44 is that you're taking possession of that entity. 11:48 If I take your debt, 11:50 I'm taking possession of your debt 11:52 and the implication 11:54 is that the debt is being transferred from you to me. 11:57 There is a transference of possession. 12:03 And the whole plan of salvation is predicated on the notion 12:08 that there is a transference of sin. 12:12 The transfer of sin is possible, 12:14 in this case, from the world, it's transferred to the lamb. 12:20 That is how the lamb takes away sin. 12:27 The concept of the lamb taking away sin 12:34 was not a foreign concept to the first century Jew. 12:40 This was not an alien concept. 12:44 This was not a concept that was new to them. 12:47 It was very familiar. 12:51 For 1,500 years, 12:55 they had participated in a service 12:58 in which they saw the role and the function of the lamb. 13:01 Open your Bibles to Leviticus 4:32-34, 13:06 one of the places where it is illustrated 13:09 the function of the lamb to take away sin. 13:11 Leviticus 4:32-34, 13:18 "If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, 13:24 he shall bring it a female without blemish, 13:29 then he shall lay his hand 13:30 on the head of the sin offering, 13:33 and kill it as a sin offering, and place it at the place 13:38 where they killed the burnt offering. 13:41 The priests shall take some of the blood 13:43 of the sin offering with his finger 13:45 put it on the horns of the burnt offering, 13:47 and pour all the remaining blood 13:50 at the base of the altar." 13:52 The sinner brings in the lamb to the sanctuary. 13:56 He places his hands on the head of that lamb, 13:59 confessing his sins on to the lamb. 14:03 He with his own hand slits the throat of the lamb 14:05 from ear to ear. 14:07 The priest is there, catches the blood. 14:10 The priest then ministers the blood on his behalf, 14:14 and it's placed on the horns of the altar. 14:18 Notice that, in order to take away sin, 14:20 there are three parties that have to be involved. 14:23 The sinner has to accept 14:25 that the lamb becomes his substitute. 14:28 The lamb must die, 14:31 and then the priest must administer the blood 14:35 on the sinner's behalf. 14:37 Three parties, the sinner, the lamb, and the priest. 14:42 In this verse, you see that there is a path 14:45 to the transference of sin. 14:48 The sin goes from the sinner to the lamb, to the blood, 14:54 and then is carried by the priest to the sanctuary. 14:58 The sanctuary holds the record 15:01 of the sin that has been forgiven. 15:04 There is a transference, a pass 15:08 from which the sinner transfers his sin to the lamb, 15:13 to the blood, to the sanctuary. 15:20 And for the only way for the Jews to understand 15:26 the introduction of Jesus as the Messiah 15:33 was if they had used the sanctuary 15:38 as their key to interpret John's introduction. 15:44 The only way for the Jews to understand 15:48 what Jesus did on the cross 15:50 was if they used the sanctuary as their road map. 15:55 It was to be their lens for doing theology. 15:58 It was to be the framework and ultimate reference point 16:01 for understanding the purpose of the Messiah. 16:05 The sanctuary was the interpretive key 16:09 to unlock the purpose of Christ. 16:13 And for over 1,500 years, 16:16 the entire Jewish economy centered on the sanctuary. 16:21 They were literally sitting on the key 16:23 to unlock the Messiah for over 1,500 years, 16:28 and yet they missed the Son of God. 16:32 The sanctuary was to be their interpretive key 16:37 to understand the Christ. 16:43 My fear is that perhaps, 16:49 2,000 years later, 16:51 we are in danger of making the same mistake 16:57 that the Jews did over 2,000 years ago. 17:02 But you say, "Come on David, 17:06 what faithful Seventh-day Adventist today 17:10 doesn't believe in the sanctuary?" 17:13 It's part of our 28 fundamental beliefs. 17:17 It's one of the pillars of the Adventists faith. 17:20 We have Sabbath, Sanctuary, State of the Dead. 17:27 We believe in the sanctuary as a doctrine. 17:29 And my question to you this morning is, 17:32 did the Jews believe in the sanctuary? 17:35 Yes, they did it. 17:38 If you were to ask any Jew in the first century, 17:40 do you believe in the sanctuary? 17:43 They would almost be aghast. 17:44 They would be almost offended 17:46 that you would dare ask the question. 17:48 Of course I believe in the sanctuary. 17:51 I would die for the sanctuary. 17:54 Every year, I participate in Passover, 17:56 Feast of Unleavened Bread, 17:59 Feast of Tabernacles, Day of Atonement. 18:01 I believe in the sanctuary. 18:03 The issue with the Jews 18:05 was that they believed in the sanctuary as a doctrine, 18:09 but they weren't using it as their interpretive key. 18:16 The issue with the Jews 18:18 was that they believed in the sanctuary as a doctrine, 18:22 but they were not using it as an interpretive key. 18:26 And there is a fundamental difference between the two. 18:31 A doctrine is something that you believe, 18:36 An interpretive key is something 18:40 which you use to determine what you believe. 18:45 It is the lens through which you do theology. 18:50 The Jews replace the interpretive key 18:53 of the sanctuary with liberation theology. 18:59 They believed in the sanctuary, 19:01 but they relegated it to a distinctive doctrine, 19:04 and they replaced their hermeneutical lens 19:06 for doing theology 19:08 with a perspective of deliverance from the Romans 19:12 rather than the deliverance from sin. 19:17 And this fundamental mistake led them down the path 19:23 to misinterpret and reject the Son of God. 19:32 In 1994... 19:36 an Adventist author wrote a book. 19:43 And on the cover of the book, there was the picture 19:47 of four different Adventists thought leaders. 19:54 When you open it to the introduction, 19:55 the introduction is actually titled 19:58 and I quote, "It's so confusing." 20:04 And this particular Adventist author 20:05 goes on to write that, in the church today, 20:10 the Adventist church, 20:12 there are at least four different versions 20:16 of the gospel. 20:18 Four, according to his assessment, 20:22 promulgated by these, 20:24 these four different Adventist thought leaders. 20:28 He goes on to write that just the fact 20:32 that there are four different views 20:34 of something as fundamental and rudimentary as the gospel, 20:39 shows us that there is a lack of consensus 20:43 in the church today, about something so basic 20:46 as how is one saved. 20:51 And the question arises in our minds. 20:53 How is it that 20:55 the church is in a relative state of confusion 21:01 about the process of salvation? 21:05 How do we get to the place where we are today? 21:12 Dr Fernando Canale, 21:15 Professor Emeritus of Theology and Philosophy 21:19 at Andrews Theological Seminary, 21:23 wrote a compelling article that was published 21:27 by the Adventist Theological Society. 21:32 In his article, Dr Canale, makes the assessment 21:39 that in the 1960s, 21:43 there was a theological turn in Adventism, 21:48 in which we began to interpret the gospel 21:53 through the lens of evangelical tradition 21:58 rather than the sanctuary. 22:02 This is his assessment that in the 1960s, 22:05 there was a shift, not by everyone, 22:07 but by a significant group of thought leaders, 22:11 in which we replace the interpretive key 22:14 of the sanctuary with the evangelical paradigm 22:18 for interpreting the gospel. 22:23 And he goes down on to write his concern 22:27 about this paradigm shift that took place. 22:32 And I quote from that article, 22:36 "The subtle redefinition 22:40 of the sanctuary doctrines role 22:43 from hermeneutical key to distinctive doctrine 22:49 had far reaching consequences in theological method. 22:55 The gospel as understood by evangelical tradition 23:00 became the hermeneutical key 23:03 to interpret all doctrines. 23:08 Seventh-day Adventist should be concerned about this, 23:12 because it is transforming the very essence 23:16 and identity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 23:22 and its mission. 23:25 Dr Canale is making the argument 23:26 that we are in danger of making the same mistake 23:29 that the Jews did over 2,000 years ago. 23:32 Two thousand years ago, 23:33 the Jews believed in the sanctuary 23:35 as a distinctive doctrine, 23:36 but they replaced that hermeneutical lens 23:38 that key with liberation theology. 23:41 And 2,000 years later, 23:42 we also have been given the interpretive key 23:45 of the sanctuary. 23:46 And according to Dr Canale, we are in danger 23:49 because some within our ranks have replaced the sanctuary 23:53 with evangelical tradition. 23:56 And he said this fundamentally, 23:59 when you play it all out, will change the identity 24:03 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 24:06 because if you remove the sanctuary 24:08 as the interpretive key, it changes who we are. 24:18 I believe 24:21 that when we read evangelical authors, 24:26 we need to be very careful. 24:32 I'm not saying that our evangelical friends 24:35 do not have some sublime and profound thoughts 24:39 on the gospel. 24:40 But we need to recognize that it is an incomplete gospel. 24:46 They may say some positive and powerful things, 24:49 but we need to recognize 24:51 that they are coming from a framework 24:53 that is fundamentally different than Seventh-day Adventist, 24:58 because they are not working 24:59 from the totality of the sanctuary 25:02 as the hermeneutical key for the gospel. 25:11 Dr Canale... 25:17 says that changing the framework of the sanctuary 25:20 for evangelical tradition is transforming the essence, 25:27 the identity, and the mission 25:31 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 25:34 My dear friends, 25:36 we cannot afford to replace the sanctuary key 25:41 with evangelical tradition 25:44 as our framework for understanding. 25:49 Some of you may be thinking, 25:50 David, I hear what you're saying, 25:57 but wasn't the sanctuary supposed to be used 25:59 to interpret the cross. 26:03 And then after the cross, 26:06 the sanctuary key is to be changed, 26:09 were to switch paradigms. 26:11 I mean that's before Christ, after Christ, we have-- 26:14 we're supposed to use a different hermeneutical key. 26:16 We're supposed to use a different framework 26:18 that was at the cross. 26:20 Yes, Jesus is the Lamb of God 26:21 who takes away the sins of the world. 26:22 John used the interpretive key, and that was valid at the time. 26:26 But we are now living after Jesus' death 26:29 and resurrection. 26:30 We are to use a different key, a different hermeneutical lens. 26:34 And that is an argument that I hear many times. 26:36 Yes, that's before the cross, after the cross, 26:39 we need to shift paradigms. 26:43 We need to shift interpretive keys. 26:48 Open your Bibles to Hebrews 8, Hebrews 8:1, 26:53 this is after the cross, after AD 31, 26:58 after the resurrection. 27:02 Paul is writing his epistle 27:08 to the Hebrews. 27:11 Hebrews 8:1, 27:15 now this is the main point of the things we are saying. 27:22 We have such a high priest, 27:26 who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty. 27:31 Where? In heaven. 27:35 A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, 27:40 which the Lord erected and not man. 27:49 This is after the cross, friends. 27:52 Paul is establishing the reality 27:54 that Jesus is our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, 27:58 which the Lord created and not man. 28:01 The concept of the heavenly sanctuary 28:02 is a biblical concept, friends. 28:05 It's found in the Book of Hebrews. 28:06 It's found in the Book of Revelation. 28:08 And here, Paul is establishing that Jesus after the cross 28:11 is our High Priest. 28:13 What is Paul saying? 28:14 The assumption here 28:15 is that the cross is still to be the framework. 28:19 I should say the sanctuary is still to be the framework 28:23 after the cross for understanding 28:27 what Jesus did after the cross 28:30 upon His ascension as our High Priest. 28:34 It's not only the interpretive key 28:36 for understanding the cross, 28:38 it's to be the interpretive key for understanding 28:41 what Jesus did upon His ascension 28:44 as our High Priest after AD 31. 28:50 This is a New Testament principle. 28:52 Paul is not changing hermeneutical keys 28:55 after the cross. 28:57 He's establishing 28:59 that the sanctuary is still relevant, valid, 29:02 and should be the framework 29:05 for understanding what Christ did 29:07 at AD 31 and after AD 31. 29:15 Paul goes on, Hebrews 9:11-12, 29:20 "But when Christ came as high priest 29:24 of the good things that have come to be 29:27 passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle 29:32 not made by hands." 29:35 That is not belonging to this creation. 29:40 I don't know how anyone can believe 29:41 there is no heavenly sanctuary. 29:44 "He entered once for all into the tabernacle, 29:50 not with the blood of goats and calves, 29:53 but with His own blood, 29:57 thus obtaining eternal redemption. 30:04 The sanctuary is to be the interpretive key 30:07 after the cross. 30:10 And, friends, 30:11 this is what makes us 30:14 Seventh-day Adventists. 30:19 I affirm that the sanctuary is a distinctive doctrine, 30:25 but I would argue 30:26 that it is more than a distinctive doctrine. 30:30 According to John the Baptist, according to Paul, 30:33 it is to be the framework, the lens, 30:36 the road map for doing theology. 30:40 It is to be the reference point for what Jesus did at the cross 30:44 and what Jesus is doing as our High Priest. 30:50 Ellen White, 30:54 Great Controversy, page 423, 30:59 and I quote, "The subject of the sanctuary 31:04 was the key." 31:06 Let me read that again. 31:08 "The subject of the sanctuary was the key, 31:12 which unlocked the mystery 31:15 of the great disappointment of 1844. 31:19 It opened to view a complete system of truth 31:23 connected harmonious showing 31:25 that God's hand had directed the great Advent movement 31:29 and revealing present duty 31:31 as brought to light the position 31:33 and work of his people." 31:36 This is the implication. 31:38 John says that the sanctuary is the interpretive key 31:43 for understanding the lamb-- 31:47 the cross. 31:50 Paul establishes 31:52 that the sanctuary is to be the interpretive key 31:55 for understanding Jesus as our High Priest after AD 31. 32:00 Ellen White establishes 32:04 that the sanctuary is the interpretive key 32:06 for understanding Jesus after 1844 32:12 to this present day in the investigative judgment. 32:17 The cross, AD 31, 1844, the same interpretive key, 32:23 the sanctuary unlocks what Jesus has done, 32:26 is doing, and will do. 32:30 It is to be our framework for our understanding. 32:36 Last year, I had the privilege and opportunity 32:42 of speaking in Japan. 32:48 It's my first time to Asia. 32:50 I'm Asian American, never been there before. 32:52 I'm Korean, went to Japan. It just, it ended up that way. 32:56 I hope to go to Korea some day. 32:59 I was in Tokyo at a speaking appointment. 33:02 And since we had never been to Asia before, 33:05 my wife and I tacked on some vacation time at the end 33:08 and got on a bullet train, and went down bravely to Kyoto, 33:12 to look at some sights down there. 33:17 We got off the train, found our hotel, 33:20 left our luggage there, 33:21 and then went back into the subway station 33:24 to catch another local subway 33:25 to tour some of the tourist attractions 33:28 in the city of Kyoto. 33:33 That is when our vacation 33:36 turned into a relative nightmare, 33:38 because we got lost for three hours 33:44 in the subway station. 33:50 I mean there is nothing. 33:52 I shouldn't say nothing, this is an exaggeration. 33:54 But to be in a foreign country and not speak the language, 33:59 and you're wandering aimlessly in this subway station 34:02 walking around. 34:04 We're tired, we're hungry, 34:05 and for those of you that are married, 34:07 you know, what I'm talking about. 34:08 You're starting to get frustrated, walking around. 34:12 And I've never seen a subway station 34:16 that was so mammoth. 34:19 This thing was huge. 34:21 I've never seen escalators 34:22 that went up like seven stories in sections. 34:26 We would get on the escalators ride all the way to the top, 34:29 and then ride all the way down, going everywhere. 34:31 Every time we tried to speak to someone in English, 34:33 they would go like this. 34:35 And we are just, we're at a loss... 34:41 because we did not understand where we were. 34:47 Suddenly we had a hermeneutical breakthrough. 34:56 We found a map... 35:01 In English. Praise God. 35:08 And using that map, it opened Kyoto. 35:19 We went on the bus system, subway system, 35:22 went to every attraction. 35:23 It was great. 35:25 By the end, we were joking amongst ourselves saying, 35:27 "You know what, we've mastered this thing so well," 35:30 we really didn't, 35:32 "we should become American tourist guide for Kyoto." 35:39 The map became the key that unlocked Kyoto. 35:45 It fundamentally changed our understanding, 35:48 and then altered our experience. 35:53 And I want to tell you today, God has given us the map... 36:00 it's time that we use it. 36:04 We need to believe in it and use it. 36:07 God has given us a goldmine in kindergarten form 36:11 in the sanctuary, 36:12 and we should not be going to the evangelicals 36:14 to understand the gospel when God has given us the key. 36:21 You cannot use a map of Paris to understand Kyoto. 36:28 And we need to understand the sanctuary, friends, 36:32 that is to be our framework 36:33 to understand Christ at the cross. 36:37 Christ after AD 31 36:39 and Christ after 1844. 36:44 The sanctuary 36:46 is the interpretive key for the gospel. 36:52 All right, so the sanctuary is the interpretive key 36:55 for understanding the gospel. 36:59 What does that look like? 37:03 What's the implication 37:05 of using the sanctuary as our framework 37:09 for understanding the work of Christ? 37:12 I've asked them to put a slide of the sanctuary on the screen. 37:19 Well, thank you Eric Low 37:21 for putting together this slide. 37:24 It's a bird's eye view of the mosaic sanctuary. 37:30 And I want to make a simple elementary observation. 37:36 The sanctuary is divided into three different compartments, 37:42 the courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place. 37:49 There you see it, they're on the screen. 37:51 The courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place. 37:55 The courtyard has two articles of furniture, 37:57 the altar burnt offering and the laver. 38:00 The holy place has three articles of furniture, 38:01 table of showbread, 38:03 the altar of incense, and the lamp stand. 38:04 And the most holy place has the Ark of the Covenant. 38:08 My question is Adam and Eve back in Edenic perfection, 38:12 where were they before sin irrespective to God's presence? 38:18 They were in the most holy place. 38:19 The book Education says that Adam and Eve 38:21 had open face-to-face communion with God. 38:24 That is not possible today, friends. 38:28 They were right there in the most holy place, 38:31 face-to-face, open communion with God. 38:36 After sin, 38:39 Adam and Eve, and the entire human race 38:42 were placed looking at the sanctuary, 38:44 we're placed outside of the gate. 38:48 We could no longer stand in the presence of God, 38:50 we would become consumed. 38:53 And thus, we can see 38:56 that this sanctuary model presents to us 39:01 in illustrative form 39:03 that the process of salvation is about restoration. 39:11 It is to bring us back 39:17 to where Adam and Eve were face-to-face with God. 39:22 And God does this in three phases, 39:25 the courtyard, justification. 39:29 God delivers us from the penalty of sin, 39:32 the holy place, sanctification. 39:34 God delivers us from the power of sin. 39:38 The most holy place, glorification, 39:40 God delivers us from the presence of sin. 39:45 The theme of the sanctuary is restoration. 39:51 Ellen White, Education, page 15 and 16, 39:57 "To restore in man, the image of his maker. 40:03 To bring him back--" 40:05 To bring him what? 40:07 "To bring him back to the perfection 40:10 in which he was created. 40:12 To promote the development of body, mind, and soul 40:16 that the divine purpose in his creation 40:19 might be realized. 40:20 This was to be the work of redemption." 40:27 The sanctuary, 40:29 its theme is restoration. 40:35 When we understand 40:37 the sanctuary is our interpretive key, 40:40 it brings balance to our understanding of the gospel. 40:48 And the reason for confusion regarding the gospel today 40:52 is because we are not using the entire sanctuary 40:56 for our understanding. 40:58 Evangelicals camp out in the courtyard. 41:08 I affirm the beauty of justification by faith. 41:13 But we cannot get a discount on the sanctuary. 41:18 Our evangelical friends frame their entire gospel 41:21 in the courtyard. 41:23 I study systematic theology. I studied Luther. 41:27 There was one book 41:28 that Luther did not like, the book of James. 41:30 Why? 41:31 Because he centered his whole theology 41:33 in the courtyard. 41:34 I call it courtyard theology. 41:37 It's a 66 percent discount on the sanctuary. 41:42 They take away two-thirds, courtyard theology. 41:45 I want to affirm the beauty of justification by faith 41:49 and what happened at the cross. 41:52 But in order to understand what Jesus did after the cross, 41:55 you need to use the rest of the sanctuary. 41:57 Amen. 42:01 Our Catholic friends camp out in the holy place. 42:08 Sanctification through the seven sacraments. 42:15 They have not experienced the joy of the courtyard, 42:18 they are trying to meritoriously work their way 42:21 to heaven. 42:23 John Wesley came along 42:25 and he said, "Let's do a synthesis. 42:28 We need to affirm the beauty of the courtyard. 42:31 We need to affirm the beauty of the holy place, 42:33 we need both justification and sanctification, 42:36 and they are both by faith." 42:42 Adventist came along and said, 42:44 "We want to affirm the beauty of the courtyard. 42:47 We want to affirm the beauty of the holy place, 42:51 and we want to affirm the reality 42:55 of the most holy place experience." 42:59 The revolution of Adventism is that we had the audacity 43:03 to use the entire sanctuary to understand the gospel. 43:08 And that is the significant contribution of the sanctuary. 43:17 But some in our ranks 43:20 are going backwards and not forwards. 43:26 Some of our beloved brothers and sisters 43:29 are doing courtyard theology 43:32 to the negation of the rest of the sanctuary. 43:36 It's the reduction of the gospel to the courtyard. 43:42 An Adventist version of evangelicalism. 43:47 Some of our beloved Adventist brothers and sisters 43:50 are doing holy place theology 43:53 to the negation of the courtyard 43:56 and trying to work their way to heaven 43:59 through a created system of Adventists sacraments. 44:05 These have not experienced the joy of the courtyard 44:08 in the piece of justification by faith, 44:10 and it's an Adventist version of Catholicism. 44:17 When we do theology with the whole sanctuary, 44:21 it gives us the litmus test 44:23 to cut through the confusion today, 44:25 regarding the gospel. 44:28 It keeps us safe from false dichotomies. 44:35 I hear this all the time, is that law or grace, 44:40 is it faith or works, 44:42 is it justification or sanctification, 44:45 is it what God, 44:47 is it what God does in you or for you, 44:50 is it the imputed or imparted righteousness of Christ. 44:54 And I would say, it is not either or friends, 44:55 this is both end. 45:00 And when you look at the sanctuary, 45:01 you will understand the proper place 45:04 of each one of these things. 45:06 We need to experience the courtyard, 45:08 so that we can experience 45:10 what God does for us in sanctification. 45:16 And friends, my appeal to you, 45:21 here, this Sabbath, 45:24 is that when any gospel is presented, ask yourself, 45:29 how does this fit into the sanctuary? 45:34 And any gospel that does not fit into the sanctuary 45:39 is a false gospel. 45:44 When a gospel message is preached, 45:46 we need to listen to and watch what is said 45:49 and what is not said. 45:52 We need to listen to what is left in 45:54 and what is left out. 45:57 And any gospel that emphasizes a portion of the sanctuary 46:01 to the denial of the rest of the sanctuary 46:04 is at best an incomplete gospel. 46:11 The sanctuary is Christ centered. 46:15 It's all about Jesus. Amen. 46:20 There is no more a Christ centered framework 46:24 than the sanctuary. 46:27 And the sanctuary answers the question, 46:29 what is Jesus doing now? 46:36 And there is no denomination in the world today 46:40 that has a better understanding 46:42 of what Christ is doing right now 46:45 than Seventh-day Adventists. 46:51 This is not a call for triumphalism friends. 46:55 This is not a time for arrogance. 46:59 We should be shaking with humility with the recognition 47:02 that God has entrusted us with the sacred truth. 47:08 And so, I could go unabashedly to my evangelical friend, 47:14 to my Catholic friend and say, "Do you love Jesus?" 47:19 They say "Yes." 47:20 "Do you want to know what Jesus is doing right now? 47:24 Could I share with you? It's found in the sanctuary." 47:33 We're told in Great Controversy, page 409, 47:38 "The scripture which above all others 47:41 have been both the foundation 47:43 and the central pillar of the Advent faith 47:46 was the declaration on to 2,300 days, 47:51 then the sanctuary shall be cleansed." 47:56 Ellen White says that the sanctuary is a pillar 47:59 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 48:00 but she says that it is the central pillar. 48:04 The implication is that, if you remove the sanctuary, 48:07 the entire foundation of Adventism begins to fall. 48:11 It's no accident that in every generation, 48:14 it seems every four years, 48:16 the notion of the sanctuary has been 48:19 and I believe continue, will continue to be attacked 48:22 within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 48:24 Because the devil knows that, 48:26 if he can change and alter this distinctive doctrine 48:29 and interpretive key, it will change the identity 48:33 and mission of God's remnant church. 48:41 Just before retiring, 48:45 in 1978, 48:49 The General Conference President 48:52 Elder Robert H. Pearson 48:56 gave his final address to the church leadership 48:58 attending 48:59 the General Conference Annual Council. 49:06 There were winds of doctrine blowing in the church. 49:08 And Robert Pearson just about to retire 49:11 gave his final appeal. 49:15 I want to read an excerpt from his last message 49:18 to the Annual Council there in 1978. 49:26 And I quote, 49:30 "Brethren and sisters, 49:35 there are subtle forces that are beginning to stir. 49:41 Regrettably there are those in the church 49:45 who'd be little the inspiration of the total Bible, 49:49 who scorn the first 11 chapters of Genesis, 49:53 who question the spirit of prophecies 49:56 short chronology of the age of the earth. 49:59 And who subtly and not so subtly 50:02 attack the Spirit of Prophecy. 50:06 There are some who point to the reformers 50:08 and contemporary theologians as a source and the norm 50:11 for Seventh-day Adventists doctrine. 50:13 There are those who allegedly are tired 50:15 of hack night phrases of Adventism. 50:18 There are those who wish 50:20 to forget the standards of the church we love. 50:23 There are those who covet and would court 50:25 the favor of the evangelicals, 50:27 those who would throw off the mantle 50:29 of a peculiar people, 50:30 and those who would go the way 50:32 of the secular materialistic world. 50:37 Fellow leaders, 50:40 beloved brethren and sisters, 50:44 don't let it happen. 50:49 I appeal to you, earnestly as I know how this morning. 50:55 Don't let it happen." 51:03 This was the General Conference president 51:05 Robert H. Pearson 51:07 in 1978. 51:13 Here we are in 2015. 51:18 And friends, we cannot afford to wander in the wilderness 51:22 another 40 years. 51:26 It's time to go home. 51:31 And in a time when the Protestant leaders 51:32 of America are going back to Rome. 51:37 God is calling for a generation of young people 51:41 who will go back to the Bible. 51:46 God is calling for a generation of young people 51:50 who will have the audacity to use the whole sanctuary 51:54 to complete what the reformation began. 52:02 My appeal to you this morning, 52:06 is it your desire to answer that call? 52:14 If that's your desire this morning, 52:16 as we prepare to close, 52:19 I want to invite you to stand with me, 52:20 if you want to say, "Lord, use me, mould me, 52:25 make me, an instrument, a vessel 52:28 for the building up of your church 52:32 here on earth." 52:33 God is calling for a generation of young people 52:37 who would be faithful to Scripture. 52:40 God is calling for a generation of people 52:42 that will have the character of Christ 52:44 reflected in their lives. 52:46 God is calling for a generation of young people 52:48 who read, understand, and apply the principles 52:51 of the Spirit of Prophecy to their lives. 52:54 God is calling for a generation who will use the sanctuary 52:58 as the interpretive key for the gospel. 53:04 My second appeal is this, 53:09 I know that in a congregation of this size, 53:14 there is someone here today 53:18 that has not been baptized into the remnant church. 53:25 You have not been baptized, 53:28 but you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart. 53:31 Perhaps it's been a several weeks, 53:33 perhaps it's been several days, perhaps a several months. 53:37 You hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart 53:39 saying, "Be baptized, make this step." 53:44 Baptism is not graduation, friends. 53:48 It doesn't mean that you've arrived. 53:51 It means that God is calling you 53:52 into the courtyard experience, and you want to make that step. 53:57 I want to invite you to come forward, 53:59 here this morning. 54:00 You have not been baptized, you want to make that step 54:05 and say, "Lord Jesus, I want to prepare for baptism, 54:10 I want to invite you to come forward at this time. 54:11 If there's someone next to you, just tap them, they'll move. 54:14 You can come down, God bless you my friend, 54:16 you have not been baptized. 54:18 God bless you. 54:20 You want to make that step into the waters of baptism, 54:23 and you'll say, God bless you. 54:24 God bless you. Is there someone else? 54:26 You are sitting here this morning 54:27 and the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart today, 54:30 be baptized. 54:32 God bless you. God bless you. 54:34 Don't let what other people think 54:36 determine where you're going to spend eternity. 54:39 We're among friends here today, we're praying for you, 54:41 you have not been baptized, 54:43 and you want to make that decision 54:45 to prepare for baptism here this morning. 54:49 God bless you friends. God bless you. God bless you. 54:52 Is there someone else? God bless you. 54:54 You want to make the decision for baptism. 54:57 Jesus is coming soon. 54:59 Don't let this opportunity pass. 55:02 The Bible says today, "If you hear his voice, 55:04 harden not your hearts." 55:06 God is speaking to you right now, 55:08 and the best time to make a spiritual decision is today. 55:14 Don't let this opportunity pass. 55:15 God bless you my friend. 55:18 Those of you that have been baptized, 55:19 you should be in a spirit of prayer right now 55:21 for those people that are in the valley of decision 55:22 here this morning. 55:24 Eternal decisions are being made. 55:25 You have not been baptized. God bless you. God bless you. 55:30 I know there's someone else sitting, 55:31 standing right there 55:33 and you are wrestling with the Lord. 55:34 The Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart. 55:37 Don't let this opportunity pass. 55:39 Tomorrow is not assured. 55:43 Jesus says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock, 55:47 if any man hear my voice, I will come in." 55:51 Jesus is knocking friends. 55:54 This is not Pastor Shin making the appeal. 55:58 Jesus is calling you. 56:01 Jesus left heaven for you, 56:05 won't you come forward for Him? 56:08 Baptism. 56:14 God bless you sister. 56:19 That appeal is still open. My second appeal is this. 56:28 There's an area of your life 56:31 that God is calling you to surrender. 56:36 Perhaps it's a habit, perhaps it's an addiction, 56:39 perhaps it's a good thing that is keeping you from God. 56:44 And you've heard the Holy Spirit speaking to you 56:46 saying, "It's time to lay that area of your life 56:49 on the altar. 56:52 I want to surrender. 56:54 You want to pray the prayer, take my heart, 56:56 because I can't give it. 56:57 I love this area of my life Lord, take it from me. 57:01 There's an area of my life 57:02 that I need to surrender to Jesus." 57:05 And you want the victory. 57:07 I want to invite you to come forward 57:08 here this morning. 57:10 There's an area of your life that God is calling you 57:12 to lay on the altar here this morning. 57:15 2015, the first Sabbath of GYC. 57:18 And you want to say, "Lord Jesus, 57:19 I am tired of hanging on to this area of my life. 57:23 I want to lay it on the altar here this morning, 57:26 Jesus save me. 57:28 I cannot save myself, I am tired of fighting you. 57:34 I surrender. 57:37 I want to lay this area 57:39 on the altar here, this morning." 57:41 We cannot hold back, 57:43 God wants to use us as his vessel. 57:45 But we cannot cherish any area of my life. 57:50 And you want to say, "Lord Jesus, take my heart, 57:53 because I cannot give it. 57:55 Save me in spite of myself, my weak on Christ like self. 58:00 Help me, do for me, 58:03 what I'm incapable of doing on my own." 58:05 God bless you friends. 58:07 Jesus heals, Jesus saves, Jesus restores. 58:18 Amen. 58:20 Let's bow our heads together 58:24 as we pray. 58:28 Our father and our God, 58:33 we thank You today for Jesus. 58:37 We thank You for the cross. 58:40 We thank You for the sanctuary. 58:44 Help us as a people to be faithful 58:46 to the truths that you've been trusted us with. 58:50 Lord, we don't want to wander in the wilderness 58:52 another 40 years, we want to go home. 58:54 Help us by your grace. 58:57 I pray for the people that have come forward 58:58 here this morning for baptism. 59:00 Lord, we know that heaven is rejoicing right now. 59:05 I pray that you would seal their decision 59:06 with the Holy Spirit. 59:10 I pray for the people that have come forward 59:14 surrendering an area of their life to You. 59:17 I pray that you'd grant them the victory. 59:20 We know that Jesus saves 59:21 from the penalty and the power of sin. 59:23 We pray that you'd grant them the victory 59:26 over this area of their life. 59:29 May you work in and through them 59:33 to grant them power from on high. 59:39 Now on to him that is able to keep us from falling 59:43 and to present us faultless before the-- |
Revised 2016-07-28