Participants:
Series Code: 17GYC
Program Code: 17GYC000010A
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00:34 John 1, and I'll be reading verses 1-5, and 14.
00:44 John 1-5, and 14. 00:48 The Bible reads, "In the beginning was the Word, 00:53 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 00:58 The same was in the beginning with God. 01:01 All things were made by Him, 01:03 and without Him was not anything made that was made. 01:07 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 01:12 And the light shineth in darkness, 01:14 and the darkness comprehended it not." 01:17 And verse 14. 01:18 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, 01:22 and we beheld the glory, 01:24 the glory of the only begotten of the Father, 01:27 full of grace and truth." 01:30 Amen. 01:31 Our speaker this morning, 01:32 I had the privilege to meet about 14 years ago, 01:35 I decided to go 01:37 to the Amazing Facts College of Evangelism in 2004. 01:40 I met a young man there, 01:42 we sat next to each other in class, 01:43 we became friends, and we also became outreach partners, 01:47 his name was Wes Peppers. 01:50 While we were outreach partners, 01:52 we had some very interesting conversations, 01:54 myself as someone born and raised in England 01:56 and him as a good old southern boy from Alabama. 02:00 And I remember one conversation in particular, 02:04 he told me that he really wanted to get married. 02:07 He was dating his current wife at the time, 02:09 and he gave a number of reasons. 02:11 Now one of the reasons 02:12 he really wanted to get married 02:14 was because he was so old. 02:17 He was 23 at the time. 02:20 And I thought, I guess they do things different. 02:24 After graduation, he became a Bible worker in Tennessee 02:27 and six months later 02:28 due to his impending complications 02:30 from old age, he got married. 02:33 A year after that he became a Bible worker in Kansas, 02:36 then a year after that he went 02:37 to the Amazing Facts College of Evangelism 02:39 to be the outreach coordinator 02:41 and serve there for five years. 02:43 In 2012, he took a call to Michigan 02:45 where he served the Traverse City, 02:46 and the Lansing district of churches, 02:49 until three months ago 02:50 when he became the Personal Ministries 02:51 and Evangelism Coordinator for the Conference. 02:53 Amen. 02:54 Experienced in ministry and in frontline evangelism, 02:58 he is a committed husband, 03:01 a loving father of two children. 03:04 This week he hasn't been feeling well, 03:07 but I was never in any doubt 03:08 that he would stand before you today 03:10 to deliver the message on Sabbath morning. 03:12 He's a soldier, he's a warrior, he's a trooper, 03:16 he's not the type that calls in sick. 03:18 And I believe today, 03:20 he's going to deliver a message from God. 03:22 And I'd like to invite to bow your heads 03:23 as we pray for Wes that God would bless Pastor Peppers. 03:29 Father in Heaven Lord, 03:31 I pray today that You would bless us at this time. 03:35 I pray, Lord, that You will be with Pastor Wes Peppers, 03:38 may You give him physical strength. 03:41 I pray that You will give him 03:43 the discernment of Your Holy Spirit, 03:45 and I pray, Lord, that You would give him 03:47 holy boldness as he preaches. 03:51 This we pray in Christ name. Amen. 04:13 Arise, my soul, arise 04:22 Shake off thy guilty fears 04:31 The bleeding 04:32 Sacrifice in my behalf appears 04:43 Before the throne my surety stands 04:47 Before the throne my surety stands 04:53 My name is written 04:56 On His hands 05:01 My name is written on His hands 05:20 Five bleeding wounds 05:23 He bears, received on Calvary 05:28 They pour effectual prayers 05:31 They strongly plead for me 05:37 "Forgive him, oh, forgive," they cry 05:41 "Forgive him, oh, forgive," they cry 05:47 "Nor let that ransomed 05:49 Sinner die!" 05:55 "Nor let that ransomed sinner die!" 06:13 My God is reconciled His pardoning voice 06:19 I hear He owns me for His child 06:23 I can no longer fear 06:31 With confidence I now draw nigh 06:34 With confidence I now draw nigh 06:40 And "Father, 06:43 Abba, Father," cry 06:50 Arise, my soul, arise 07:02 And "Father, Abba, Father," cry 07:16 Arise, my soul, arise 07:35 Amen. 07:42 Good morning, GYC. Good morning. 07:45 Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath. 07:47 It is a blessed opportunity to join you today 07:52 for worshipping our Lord and Savior. 07:54 Amen? Amen. 07:55 The only place greater we could imagine 07:58 being than here right now 07:59 would be to be face to face before His throne and heaven. 08:05 It's my prayer today that this will be the last GYC 08:09 that we have to celebrate here on earth. 08:12 Amen? Amen. 08:13 But that the next GYC might be before His throne 08:18 on the pearly sea of glass. 08:19 Amen? 08:21 How many of you have that prayer as well this morning? 08:24 I want to thank you for being here, 08:25 thank those that are watching online around the world, 08:29 and I want to give a special greeting to my family 08:33 who are watching, my children, and my father, and mother, 08:37 and others that are watching as well. 08:40 I appreciate that. 08:41 And this week, I have not been feeling very well. 08:45 In fact, just Monday night, 08:47 I was in the emergency room with vomiting, and fever, 08:52 and flu, and all kinds of things, 08:54 and throughout this week, it's been up and down. 08:57 I gave five seminars just yesterday and Friday, 09:01 and I'll tell you, friends, 09:03 that the power of God was present. 09:07 When I needed His strength the most, it was there. 09:10 And I heard this morning 09:11 that more than a 1,000 people gathered into the prayer room 09:16 and were asking God's blessing to be poured out. 09:19 So I praise God today that all of you are here, 09:22 and I hope that you're prayed up 09:24 because we're going to be studying 09:26 the power of God's Word this morning. 09:28 Amen? 09:29 Are you ready for a Sabbath blessing today? 09:31 Amen. Amen. 09:34 The title of our message this morning 09:36 is remnant surrender. 09:40 And that's what we need to experience in our lives 09:44 as God's people living in the last days. 09:47 And before we go any farther, 09:48 we're just going to ask 09:49 the Lord's presence to be with us. 09:52 So I would like to invite you to bow your heads, 09:55 and I'm going to kneel this morning 09:56 as we seek His blessing. 10:00 Father in heaven, today we are so grateful 10:04 to be in Your presence. 10:06 Today, Lord, we would hide behind the cross, 10:11 we would not yet though stand at its shadow, 10:14 but we would stand in its glorious light and truth. 10:18 And we pray today, Father, 10:20 that the Spirit of God would touch our hearts 10:23 that He would move upon us and that Jesus would be seen 10:28 and known that we would experience 10:31 the power of Your Spirit 10:32 changing our hearts, bringing conviction, 10:36 bringing a change, 10:39 a transformation that we so desperately need. 10:42 And we pray, Father, today 10:44 that we would not be the same people 10:45 when we leave as when we came. 10:48 Lord, I am not worthy 10:51 to stand on this platform today 10:53 but by the power of Your grace, it shall be so. 10:56 And I pray, Lord, that You would hide this man 11:00 behind Your grace, and Your Son Lord Jesus. 11:04 That the people would see Him today 11:06 and not me that all the heaven would shine down, 11:10 all heaven would look upon us this hour, 11:13 and heaven would be gathered together in this place, 11:17 but not just in the room, Lord, but in our hearts. 11:21 And we ask Your Spirit now to come and speak to us 11:25 through the Word of God which is the Lord Jesus. 11:30 And we ask it in His name, let all God's people say amen. 11:39 As Seventh-day Adventists, we have a rich heritage. 11:42 Amen? Amen. 11:44 As Seventh-day Adventists, 11:46 we have held to the great Protestant Reformation, 11:50 the theme of Sola Scriptura, 11:53 we have built upon the great faith of men and women 11:55 who have given their lives, who have given their hearts, 11:59 who have given their wealth, 12:00 who have given everything 12:02 that they had to stand firm on a faith 12:05 that we have cherished for centuries 12:07 and the ages of darkness. 12:11 This very year we celebrated 12:13 the 500th year of the Protestant Reformation. 12:16 And there was a call given for many world leaders 12:19 to actually put an end to that reformation. 12:22 But as Seventh-day Adventists, 12:24 we believe that the reformation will not come into an end 12:28 until the Lord Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven 12:31 to take His people home. 12:33 Amen. 12:34 As an Adventist people, we have a specific biblical identity. 12:40 We are not just another Protestant denomination 12:43 within that Protestant Reformation, 12:45 but we believe that 12:47 we are the prophetic movement of Bible prophecy 12:50 that would bring a climax to that great reformation. 12:55 We believe as Seventh-day Adventists 12:56 that we are just not another prophetic movement, 13:00 but we are the remnant church of Bible prophecy. 13:04 We are the final piece to the long puzzle 13:07 of the Great Controversy 13:08 that God is seeking to put in place 13:11 to make the picture complete. 13:15 We believe in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. 13:19 We believe and have a strong understanding 13:22 that the roots of our very existence 13:25 are contained in Bible prophecy. 13:28 In fact, in the Book of Revelation 10, 13:31 we find the origin of this movement. 13:35 Brothers and sisters, friends, today, 13:37 the rise of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 13:40 and the course of human history is not a mere coincidence, 13:46 but it was predicted and revealed in prophecy 13:49 thousands of years before it began. 13:52 We can be sure as Seventh-day Adventists today 13:56 that we are God's movement for the last days, 13:59 for the Bible says so. 14:01 Amen! 14:04 And the prophecies that we have preached as Adventists 14:09 for the last 150 years 14:11 are coming true before our very eyes. 14:15 They are coming to pass 14:17 like never before in earth's history. 14:20 And the last five years, but especially in the last year 14:23 more prophetic events have taken place in our time 14:26 than in any other course in history. 14:31 We can be confident that what we have believed, 14:34 what we have preached, 14:36 and what we have proclaimed is the truth 14:39 because we see the Bible coming alive before our eyes. 14:43 Every day in the newspapers, we see it. 14:46 Our prophetic message in many ways 14:49 is no longer prophetic truth but present truth. 14:52 Amen! 14:53 What we have preached just 10 years ago, 14:55 we see happening now. 14:58 I say all these things not boastfully but humbly 15:02 because to put it plainly even though 15:05 we've had these gifts of prophecy, 15:08 and truth, and His church 15:11 without any credit to ourselves. 15:14 No man can boast in it, 15:17 but I fear that we've fallen short in appreciating it 15:20 in the way that we should. 15:22 I fear that we've not been broken in humility 15:25 at the great weight of responsibility 15:28 that God has laid upon us to warn the world. 15:31 I fear like that we are overindulged children, 15:35 we have been selfish and arrogance, 15:38 and the way that we have dealt with the blessings 15:40 that God has given His remnant church. 15:44 We have had a mission as a people of destiny. 15:48 Specifically, in Revelation 10:11, 15:51 the Bible tells us 15:53 that we are to rise and prophesy again. 15:56 After the great disappointment, 15:58 which is speaking to our generation today, 16:01 the Bible calls us to prophesy again 16:05 to many people, nations, and tongues. 16:09 We are called to carry a message to the whole world 16:12 that will give the last great appeal 16:14 for a broken world to receive Christ 16:17 and prepare them for the second coming of Jesus. 16:21 This is the three angels' message. 16:23 And we are commissioned to carry Christ to those 16:27 who know Him not 16:28 and to carry the truth to others who know Him well. 16:32 Amen. 16:35 We are called to call the world out of Babylon, 16:40 both in its pagan 16:41 and its apostate Christian forms. 16:45 We are challenged to call His remnant people 16:48 out of false movements into His remnant church. 16:52 God has remnant people in every church. 16:54 Amen? Amen. 16:56 But He only has one remnant church. 17:02 And yet somehow we have failed in our mission, 17:06 somehow currently we are failing in it. 17:09 This somehow is not a mystery today, 17:12 we are going to put our finger directly on it this morning. 17:16 Part of it is that though 17:17 we are called to call others out of Babylon, 17:20 Babylon is alive and well in our own hearts. 17:26 Before we can call our people out of Babylon, 17:29 we have to allow God to remove Babylon out of our own lives. 17:36 And it is sad, brothers and sisters, 17:38 very sad that the state of affairs in Babylon 17:43 and the unity that they are experiencing 17:46 is greater than that of God's remnant church. 17:50 In fact, they are also... 17:51 Babylon is also a prophetic movement, 17:56 and it is fulfilling its prophetic destiny currently 18:01 much better than God's own people. 18:04 Mercy. 18:07 And it is rapidly fulfilling its destiny. 18:11 We are the remnant movements, why are they fulfilling it? 18:17 Because that we are the remnant church, 18:20 the remnant movement, 18:22 we are not living remnant lives. 18:25 We are not fulfilling 18:27 the fullness of our prophetic destiny. 18:29 They understand their destiny, 18:31 and they are moving in orchestrated unity 18:33 to accomplish it. 18:35 In fact, I believe that in many ways, 18:37 God has restrained them 18:39 because His people are not ready. 18:43 God is calling today 18:45 His remnant church to arise and shine. 18:47 Babylon may arise, it may unite, 18:51 but it does not shine. 18:54 It does not shine with the light of heaven 18:57 or the beauty of its truth. 18:58 But God's people are called to rise and shine 19:02 by possessing His character, 19:05 His righteousness, and His truth. 19:08 But God's people have one thing 19:11 that we have in common with Babylon 19:13 is that we are not shining either. 19:17 Mercy. 19:19 At least to the fullness of our potential. 19:23 This morning, we're going to discover the one thing 19:25 that we're doing poorly. 19:27 We're going to discover the one thing 19:28 that is the answer to all other things. 19:31 We're going to discover what it is that continues 19:34 to plague God's people, 19:36 and we're going to find a solution 19:38 that will allow us to rise and shine like never before. 19:42 In the Book of 2 Corinthians 11:2, 3, 19:47 the Bible says, "For I am jealous for you 19:50 with a godly jealousy. 19:52 For I have betrothed you to one husband, 19:55 that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 20:02 But I fear, lest somehow, 20:04 as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, 20:07 so your minds may be corrupted 20:15 from a simplicity that is in Christ." 20:21 Friends, today, the answer to our troubles, 20:27 the challenge to our weakness 20:30 as that we have forgotten the simplicity 20:35 that is in the Lord Jesus. 20:39 It seems that as a church 20:42 though we have had a clear truth, 20:44 a clear mission, a clear purpose, 20:47 we have somehow missed the simplicity 20:50 of the righteousness of Christ 20:52 to transform and empower our daily lives 20:56 because although we've known the truth as a people, 20:59 although we've had the doctrines of the last days, 21:03 we have not been transformed, 21:05 our hearts have not been changed by the power 21:09 and the simplicity of the Word of God 21:12 that reveals Christ as a person to us. 21:18 We have been a scripture-based people since our existence. 21:21 Say amen. Amen. 21:25 We have been a Sabbath keeping people. 21:29 We have been a Second Coming proclaiming people. 21:32 But, brothers and sisters, 21:34 today, we have not been a surrendered living people. 21:41 We have not been called to simply preach the character 21:45 and righteousness of Christ, 21:47 but we have been called as a people to possess it. 21:50 Amen. 21:52 We have failed in our mission because we have not been just 21:56 called to carry Christ to the world 21:58 but to actually reveal Christ to the world 22:02 through our lives, through our characters, 22:06 through our persons. 22:09 We have not yet seen God's glory arise and shine in us 22:14 because we have not fully surrendered our hearts 22:17 to receive His righteousness and character. 22:20 And yet God, it is mercy 22:23 and the theme text of our conference, 22:27 Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise and shine, 22:31 for your light has come, 22:33 and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." 22:38 Before this can happen though, 22:40 we must have an experience with the Spirit of God 22:44 that transforms our lives. 22:47 Go with me please to the Book of 2 Timothy 3. 22:52 2 Timothy 3. 22:55 I'm going to take a look at a passage 22:57 that I believe directly correlates 23:00 with our theme this morning. 23:01 2 Timothy 3. 23:04 And it's a passage 23:05 that I believe that most of you 23:07 are probably very familiar with, 23:09 it's a letter from the Apostle Paul 23:12 to a young person named Timothy. 23:14 Now Timothy, many of you can identify with 23:17 because Timothy was a young man growing up in the church. 23:21 We know that he was at least a third generation Christian 23:25 because Paul speaks about his mother and his grandmother 23:30 who taught him the scriptures. 23:32 Timothy was a faithful young man, 23:34 most of you in this room can identify with Timothy. 23:38 He was a young person. 23:40 He was raised in the church, 23:41 and he strove to be faithful and true. 23:44 He would have loved GYC. 23:46 Amen? Amen. 23:48 He would have loved to have been here. 23:49 In fact, if he was here today, 23:51 I would sit down and let him preach. 23:56 Timothy was a wonderful young man, 23:58 and God spoke to him through the Apostle Paul. 24:02 Paul tells Timothy in verse 10, he says of 2 Timothy 3:10, 24:08 "But you have carefully followed by doctrine, 24:11 my manner of life, my purpose, my faith, my longsuffering, 24:16 my love, perseverance, persecutions, 24:20 afflictions which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, 24:23 at Lystra, what persecutions I endured. 24:26 And out of them, the Lord delivered me." 24:29 The Bible tells us, dear friends, 24:31 that as Christians we are going to suffer persecution. 24:35 Amen. 24:36 In the book Great Controversy, we're told that the reason 24:40 God's church today does not experience persecution 24:44 is because it is not living the lives 24:46 that God has called us to live. 24:50 And if we were to live that kind of a life, 24:52 like the early church lived 24:55 that the pursuit of persecution would rise again. 24:59 The reason today that the unbelieving world 25:02 will mock God's church and mock God's people 25:06 is because there is no power of God in our lives 25:09 because we are living a form of godliness 25:13 but denying its power. 25:15 But Paul tells Timothy, he goes on, 25:19 and he says in verse 14. 25:22 Verse 13, "But evil men and impostors will grow 25:25 worse and worse, 25:26 deceiving and being deceived." 25:28 Friends, are we not seeing that in today's world? 25:32 Are we not seeing that even in the church today? 25:36 He goes on and says, 25:38 that despite all of these things, 25:41 despite the difficulties that God's Church may face, 25:46 despite the persecution that God's Church may face, 25:50 despite the deception 25:51 and the apostasy that might creep in through individuals 25:56 who are led astray, he says this one thing, 25:59 and this must be the theme of our hearts today 26:02 if God is going to call us to arise. 26:07 Verse 14, he says, "But you must continue," 26:10 you must do what everyone? 26:12 "You must continue in the things 26:16 which you have learned and been assured of, 26:18 knowing from whom you have learned them, 26:21 and that from childhood 26:22 you have known the Holy Scriptures, 26:24 which are able to make you wise for salvation 26:28 through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 26:32 Paul urges Timothy, in the early days, 26:35 when he was about himself to depart from the earth, 26:39 when he understood through visions 26:41 that the Lord had given him that things would creep in, 26:45 apostasy would come in after he was gone. 26:49 He urges Timothy to continue in the word 26:53 which first set him free. 26:56 And as a movement of people today, 26:58 as God's final people on whom He's going to arise and shine. 27:04 I'm appealing to you today that we also must continue in that 27:09 which He has given us at the beginning. 27:11 Amen. 27:13 The Word of God which reveals the truth 27:16 and the person of Christ must be 27:19 our anchor in these last days. 27:22 Amen. 27:24 Verse 15, he speaks and says 27:28 that the Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise. 27:32 By the way, he's speaking of which texts... 27:34 Which scriptures is he speaking about? 27:37 He's speaking about the Old Testament. 27:39 Of course, it applies to the New Testament as well. 27:41 But the beauty of the Old Testament 27:43 is that if that's all we had, 27:45 you could find faith, you could find wisdom, 27:49 you can find salvation, and you can find Jesus 27:52 in the Old Testament scriptures. 27:54 Amen? Amen. 27:55 We're not a New Testament church, 27:57 we're not an Old Testament church, 27:59 we're a Bible church. 28:01 Amen? Amen. 28:02 We believe in the truth of God's Word. 28:06 He continues on and says, 28:08 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 28:12 and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 28:15 for correction, and instruction in righteousness." 28:22 We know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. 28:27 And I'm going to say this because of the dangers 28:31 better creeping in to our church today. 28:34 If all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 28:40 and the Holy Spirit is not a person, 28:44 the third person of the Godhead, 28:47 then the Bible cannot be a living documents, 28:51 they cannot be truly the revelation of Christ 28:54 but it's just a book of an impersonal force 28:58 that has no relevance for us today. 29:01 We believe in the three person Godhead as a church. 29:05 Amen? Amen. 29:06 We believe in the truth of the Holy Spirit 29:09 to reveal Christ to us and change our lives. 29:11 We believe that He's a real person. 29:14 We believe that He is the revealer of truth 29:17 and that He convicts our hearts. 29:19 No force can bring the personal conviction and comfort 29:24 to our hearts unless He's truly a person of the Godhead. 29:28 Amen? Amen. 29:31 Verse 17. 29:32 I'm sorry, he says, verse 16. 29:34 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 29:37 and profitable for doctrine." 29:39 You see, friends, the Word of God 29:40 has the power to transform our lives. 29:43 Yes or no? Yes. 29:45 It has the power to allow 29:46 the righteousness of Christ to cover us. 29:49 I remember there was this man named John number of years ago, 29:53 I was doing a meeting in Alabama 29:56 for my father-in-law's church. 29:58 And this man came to the meetings, 30:01 and he didn't know how to read, but he knew what the Bible said 30:05 because every night his wife 30:06 would read to him the Scripture. 30:09 She would speak to him, 30:10 and she would read chapters at a time, 30:13 and he came in to me, and he said, 30:15 the very first night of the meetings. 30:17 He said, "Listen, Preacher, 30:19 I'm here to tell you something." 30:20 And I said, "I'm listening." 30:22 And he said, "If I hear one thing 30:25 come out of your mouth 30:27 that is not in harmony with the Bible," 30:30 he says, "I'm telling you now 30:31 that me and my family will get up and leave." 30:34 And I said, "Brother, I hope you do, 30:36 and I hope you tell everyone else 30:38 that they should leave too." 30:40 That brother came the next night, 30:42 he came the next night, and the next night, 30:45 and he came every night throughout the series. 30:48 At the end of the meetings, he and his wife were baptized, 30:52 later his son was baptized, 30:55 a little later his other son was baptized, a little... 30:59 Sometime after that he began to learn to read 31:02 by using the Bible, 31:04 it wasn't long before he was up on the platform 31:07 doing the scripture reading, 31:09 and then several months after that 31:11 he preached his first sermon. 31:13 The Bible taught the man how to read, 31:17 and now he reads fluently, 31:18 and he's a deacon in the church. 31:20 A faithful man of God. 31:23 This is what the power of God's Word 31:25 will do for our lives today. 31:26 Amen? Amen. 31:29 I want to read a quote for you 31:30 from the book Christian Education, page 118. 31:33 "The Bible is the only rule of faith and doctrine. 31:37 There is nothing more calculated 31:39 to energize the mind, 31:41 and strengthen the intellect 31:43 than the study of the Word of God. 31:45 No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, 31:49 to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, 31:52 ennobling truths of the Bible. 31:54 If God's Word were studied as it should be, 31:57 men would have a breadth of mind, 31:59 a nobility of character, 32:01 and a stability of purpose 32:03 that is rarely seen in these times." 32:05 Amen. 32:06 If you want those qualities today, friends, 32:09 you need to spend time studying God's Word. 32:12 Amen? Amen. 32:13 Too often, we are taking these little one page devotionals 32:19 or watching these little two or three-minute 32:22 devotional videos, 32:24 and we are lacking a true experience in the Word of God. 32:27 We are lacking deep Bible study in our lives. 32:31 We are lacked that leads us 32:32 to repentance and confession of our sin. 32:35 And our hearts are paying the price because of it 32:39 because we go further and further away 32:41 from God's idea in our lives. 32:43 But if we will make it our work to draw near to Him 32:47 in the Word, He will transform us. 32:51 He goes on in verse 16, 32:53 He says that the Word of God is profitable for what? 32:57 For doctrine. 32:58 As Seventh-day Adventists, 32:59 we have one creed, and what is it, friends? 33:03 We have the Bible as our creed. 33:05 We believe that the whole Bible is inspired. 33:08 We believe that our doctrine is true. 33:11 In fact, Jesus gives rebuke to the churches 33:15 and Revelation 2, 3 many of them 33:18 because of their doctrine but to the Last Church, 33:21 the Church of Laodicea, He gives no doctrinal rebuke 33:26 because our doctrines are true, they are the remnant doctrines. 33:31 We have never had a problem with our doctrines. 33:35 Recently, we have many people have problems with them, 33:39 but in of themselves they are pure and true. 33:42 Amen? Amen. 33:43 But the doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 33:46 has not been the problem. 33:49 The rebuke to the Laodicean Church is not for doctrine 33:53 but because of the condition of their hearts. 33:57 In our preaching and teaching 33:59 if the power of Christ 34:00 is not revealed through the doctrine, 34:02 it becomes dry as a bone. 34:06 The work of God's Spirit must transform us 34:09 through the messages we preach. 34:11 You see, friends, it's possible to be a strict vegan 34:15 and act like an animal. 34:21 It's possible to eat very clean and act like a pig. 34:27 Mercy. 34:33 Amen. 34:35 And you can preach the Sabbath. 34:39 You can preach the Second Coming. 34:42 You can preach the sanctuary. 34:45 But if your heart is not connected to the Christ 34:49 that gave the doctrine, 34:53 but your life will be as filthy as a pig 34:55 that you refrain from eating. 34:59 It's possible to be on the righteous side of hell 35:03 but on the wrong side of heaven. 35:07 If the Christ who gave the doctrine isn't changing 35:09 the heart to live above the carnal flesh 35:13 of our natural nature, 35:15 then we have made the great sin 35:17 of separating Christ from His truth. 35:24 We must defend the truth from apostasy, 35:28 but we must also be transformed by apostolic love 35:32 for those who disagree with us, those who slander us, 35:35 or those who openly attack us. 35:38 Whether you view yourself 35:40 on the conservative side of Adventism 35:43 or on the liberal side of Adventism, 35:47 it doesn't really matter, 35:49 if we do not love as Christ's love 35:52 while maintaining the truth, it's all in vain. 35:59 You see the world church still has authority 36:05 because of the pureness of our doctrine. 36:08 The world church still has authority. 36:10 Satan lost his authority in heaven 36:13 because he went contrary to God's Word. 36:15 Adam and Eve lost Eden for the same reason. 36:19 The world was lost to the flood 36:21 because it went contrary to the Word of God. 36:25 Saul lost his kingdom today that because of the same. 36:28 The reason in the Book of Acts 36:31 that the church had authority and powers 36:33 because it remained faithful to God's Word, 36:35 and its voted actions. 36:38 The world church today, the General Conference 36:41 and Session has not taken a vote 36:44 that has gone directly contrary to the Word of God. 36:48 Therefore, it still has spiritual 36:51 and ecclesiastical authority 36:53 as a body that God's people should submit to 36:57 as long as it remains faithful to the Word. 36:59 Amen. 37:01 We need to support our world church 37:03 because of the doctrine 37:05 that unites us is pure and true. 37:11 He goes on, and he says, 37:12 "It is profitable for doctrine and for rebuke." 37:17 If you turn with me to the Book of Hebrews 4. 37:22 Hebrews 4. 37:26 And the Bible speaks to us very loud and clear, 37:28 he says, "For the Word of God..." 37:31 In verse 12. 37:32 "For the Word of God is living, and powerful, 37:34 and sharper than any two-edged sword, 37:36 piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, 37:40 and the joints and marrow, 37:41 and is a discerner of the thoughts 37:43 and the intents of the heart." 37:46 When you open the Word of God, 37:48 and you read and understand the truth there. 37:51 When you open the Word of God, 37:53 you come face to face with the living Christ, 37:56 who begins to speak to your soul. 37:59 And as you see that which is true 38:01 and ideal in God's Word, 38:02 it begins to reveal 38:04 what is untrue and unideal in your own life. 38:08 And that beauty of the Word of God is that 38:10 it knows every excuse and knows every motivation, 38:15 and knows every secret thing in your heart, 38:18 and it reveals it, 38:20 and it lays us bare before a living God who is holy, 38:24 just and righteous. 38:27 And we see ourselves as we really are, 38:30 and we see Him for who He really is, 38:32 and we realize the great depth of chasm 38:35 that is between us and Him 38:37 but oh, dear friends, the mercy of God to us today 38:43 to give us a rebuke. 38:47 You see, friends, we don't need cool catchy phrases 38:50 or entertaining preachers, 38:53 we just need the straight untainted naked truth 38:57 to speak to our minds, 38:58 and our hearts to call us to repentance, 39:01 and transform our lives. 39:03 Isaiah 60:2 says, 39:06 "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, 39:08 and deep darkness the people." 39:10 There's been a lot of darkness in the journey of our church. 39:14 There's a lot of darkness today in the church. 39:17 I don't want to speak to some of that just now. 39:21 Many of us instead of allowing the Word of God 39:25 to cut our hearts, 39:27 we have relied ourselves upon Adventist culture. 39:33 For many of us like Esau in the house of Isaac, 39:36 we've been raised in the truth 39:38 but have not allowed the truth to transform us. 39:41 We have taken advantage 39:43 of the benefits of Adventist culture 39:45 that God has blessed with, 39:47 but we've used it for our own selfish gratification, 39:50 similar to the cup of soup that symbolize 39:53 the appetite and flesh of the world 39:55 that Esau sold his birthright for. 39:58 Some of us had sold our birthrights. 40:01 Some of us are sold our blessing 40:03 for much less than a cup of soup. 40:06 Some of you today are going to medical school, 40:10 or nursing school, or business school, 40:12 or some kind of professional 40:15 which you're going to be very influential in the world, 40:18 you're probably going to make a lot of money. 40:23 And start spoken to many young people and they said, 40:26 "I'm going into this business 40:28 because I want to make a lot of money. 40:31 I want to live that kind of a lifestyle." 40:34 But let me tell you, friends, 40:36 God has not called you to that kind of a lifestyle. 40:40 If He has placed you in such a position, 40:43 He expects that you be a servant to His cause. 40:48 He has not called you to live within your means. 40:51 He has not called you to live a worldly luxurious lifestyle, 40:57 but He has called you to live within your needs, 41:00 and then to use your means to further His cause. 41:08 At the end of the day, 41:10 we often make an idolatry out of academics. 41:14 We have to get our degrees and make our money. 41:17 Some of you, God has called into missionary service, 41:20 all of you, He's called into missionary service. 41:22 Some of you, He's called into fulltime service, 41:25 and you run away from it 41:26 because you're chasing the world, 41:29 and you're constantly looking over your shoulder 41:31 to see if He's following 41:33 and He is following 41:34 because He want you to turn your life around, 41:38 and He want you to give yourself wholeheartedly to Him. 41:42 Some of you have told your parents, 41:45 you want to go and serve in a missionary service 41:48 and when you told your parents that, they had a fit. 41:53 And they said, "What are you talking about? 41:54 You need to get your degree. 41:55 You need to get that job. 41:57 You need to make that money." 41:59 But God has called you to do something more than that today. 42:03 God has called you to do something greater than that. 42:06 We've adopted as we have progressed 42:10 and rely upon Adventist culture. 42:12 Now it seems that coming into the church 42:15 is the world's culture. 42:17 We relied upon our Adventist culture and our heritage 42:21 until now the world has crept in, 42:24 and as we've become weak in the Word, 42:26 we've been caught up in various social movements, 42:30 sort of cause strife and contentions. 42:33 Why? 42:34 Because no social justice movement 42:37 can change the human heart. 42:41 Social justice movements have their place, 42:44 but they're certainly not the gospel. 42:47 Only the gospel can change your heart. 42:49 If social justice alone could solve the world's problems, 42:53 then Jesus would have allowed 42:55 His disciples to crown Him King. 43:00 The gospel is the greatest solution, friends, 43:04 to social injustice. 43:07 A transformed heart, you will never solve racism, 43:12 social or economical injustice 43:15 without the purity of the gospel 43:18 changing the life. 43:26 We've often through our culture 43:29 become reliant upon the ever-changing 43:32 and degrading culture 43:33 vesture in society for our values and ideals. 43:37 We've rather than the timeless principles of God's Word, 43:40 we've leaned upon personal narratives 43:46 or momentary emotions about sensitive topics. 43:49 We think that if someone shares a story about their journey 43:53 or about their experience 43:55 that somehow becomes leveled 43:57 with the same authority as the Word of God. 44:00 This has caused a lot of confusion 44:02 among young people today. 44:05 But let me tell you what, friends, no biography, 44:09 personal journey, or experience should deviate our focus 44:13 from the truth of God's Word, 44:14 and change us no matter what journey we've had. 44:18 It doesn't matter how we were born. 44:22 We can be born again. 44:23 Amen. 44:27 I love that. 44:29 I want to be born again. 44:30 Amen? Amen. 44:32 We must love, we must be compassionate, 44:34 and we must sympathize, 44:36 but we must point people to the Savior 44:38 who is able to transform the depths of their souls. 44:43 It's not social culture that drives us 44:46 whether it be Western culture, American culture, 44:49 or Seventh-day Adventist culture, 44:51 but it must be Heaven's culture 44:53 and the pure ways of Heaven's culture 44:55 are contained in the Bible 44:57 and the Spirit of Prophecy today. 45:01 But cultural mindset has led to a big change 45:04 that's occurred in the church 45:06 where we went from serving the church 45:08 to wanting the church to serve us. 45:14 You are of the church, 45:16 so if you're waiting for the church to serve you, 45:20 you have entered into idolatry 45:22 because you're worshipping yourself. 45:24 The popularity of American culture 45:26 does not trump the Word of God. 45:29 Colossians 2:8 says, 45:31 "Beware lest anyone cheat you 45:34 through philosophy and empty deceit, 45:36 according to the traditions of men, 45:39 according to the basic principles of the world, 45:41 and not according to Christ." 45:44 "When men choose to have their own way 45:46 without seeking counsel from God..." 45:48 This is from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 605, 45:51 "Or in opposition to His revealed will, 45:54 He often grants their desires, in order that, 45:57 through the bitter experience that follows, 46:01 they may be led to realize their folly 46:03 and repent of their sin. 46:05 Human pride and wisdom will prove a dangerous guide. 46:10 That which the heart desires contrary to the will of God 46:13 will in the end be found a curse 46:16 rather than a blessing." 46:19 And how often were too many of us when that happens, 46:22 we want to blame God Himself 46:24 for the problems we've gotten ourselves into. 46:27 If Jesus today is interceding 24/7 for you, 46:32 then He expects us to be receiving His power 24/7 46:36 and to be Christians 24/7. 46:39 How we respond to the trials of our faith, 46:42 say much more about our characters 46:45 than it does His. 46:48 We've loved comforts, we come to GYC 46:52 and we get addicted to the environments, 46:55 we like the nice hotels, we like the good meals, 46:59 but if we slept in barns 47:00 and had to have a bowl of rice per day 47:03 as some do around the world. 47:05 If we have such meetings, 47:07 how many of us would still come? 47:09 Compromise, to promote comfort, decline spirituality. 47:16 We cannot afford to live comfortably 47:18 at the expense of spirituality 47:20 because God's calling on our lives 47:22 cannot be compromised by our comfort or our pleasure. 47:30 We need to stop trying to feel good 47:35 and rather choose good 47:39 as it was said by the great CH Spurgeon, 47:42 "There are no crown wearers in heaven 47:45 who are not cross bearers on earth." 47:48 We live in a time when people want to take away 47:51 the cross that Christ has called us to bear 47:57 rather than challenging people 47:59 and encouraging them to carry it. 48:02 We often deal with de-sanctification, 48:05 I call it. 48:07 Where when we come into the church, 48:09 we saw the beauty in the spirit of grace 48:12 that transformed our lives, 48:14 and we were walking in the purity, 48:16 in the blessedness of fellowship with God. 48:19 But as we cease to watch and pray, 48:22 things began to shift in our lives 48:24 without us even realizing it, 48:26 and the things that were once precious to us, 48:28 the things that were once important to us, 48:31 the truths that we bore in our hearts 48:34 began to slowly erode away. 48:36 And before we know, we become indifferent 48:38 to this thing and that thing, 48:40 and we begin to compromise in our lives. 48:43 And the church becomes irrelevant to us, 48:46 and we think to ourselves, we need to leave it. 48:49 We've been enthralled, 48:51 we've been enamored with the peril of novelty. 48:56 We want what's new, but God says, 48:59 "You don't need what's new, you need what is needed." 49:04 And God is not going to give us anything new 49:07 until we've done what He's already said. 49:11 Hypocrisy, many people talk about hypocrisy. 49:15 You see, hypocrisy is not a problem in the church, 49:18 it's a problem in our hearts. 49:21 And many people say, "Well, you know, my parents, 49:23 they did this and they did that, 49:25 and they weren't faithful, 49:27 and they would act one way at church 49:30 and one way at home. 49:31 So, therefore, I'm going to leave the church. 49:33 I don't need the church." 49:34 Well, the reality is this, 49:36 if you understood enough truth 49:39 to recognize that they were hypocritical, 49:41 and you leave the church because they were hypocritical, 49:44 then that also makes you a hypocrite. 49:47 Why? 49:48 Because if you know the truth and reject it 49:50 because someone else is not following it, 49:53 then that doesn't allow you to escape. 49:55 You are also a hypocrite. 49:57 If you know the truth, live it. 49:59 Amen? Amen. 50:00 If you know the truth, surrender yourself to Christ. 50:06 And one other point of darkness is straight up worldliness 50:10 that we have engaged in. 50:13 Social media, some of us post Adventist lingo 50:17 or church politics on Facebook, 50:19 like we didn't have any non-Adventists 50:21 or non-Christian friends. 50:27 You think you're going to draw people 50:28 into the church that way, you're fooled. 50:33 Others post things on their, 50:35 like, they've never heard of Christ or Adventism 50:38 even though we're supposed 50:39 to have known him our whole lives. 50:42 Some of us are caught up in sports, or fashion, 50:47 or competition in various ways, or false relationships. 50:51 Relationships with a young man or young woman 50:54 that we shouldn't find ourselves in. 50:57 All kinds of worldliness 50:59 and Jesus rebukes us for it all. 51:03 But He rebukes us 51:05 because of His tender love for us 51:07 and His desire for us to be saved. 51:10 You see, there are two kinds of sin, 51:13 those that are acceptable 51:15 and those that are unacceptable. 51:17 How do we know the difference? 51:19 The acceptable ones are mine, 51:21 the unacceptable ones are yours. 51:28 But aren't you thankful that God doesn't leave us there? 51:32 Though He gives the rebuke, in the same verse He says, 51:36 "The Word of God is also profitable for correction." 51:39 For what, everyone? 51:41 For correction. 51:42 You see, God doesn't want to just rebuke us, 51:44 He wants to correct us. 51:48 How many of you are thankful for that? 51:50 Isaiah 60:2, he says, 51:53 "But the Lord will arise over you 51:55 and His glory will be seen upon you." 51:58 Though we've been in sin, He's going to arise us. 52:01 He's going to call us out. 52:03 I want to share with you 52:05 Testimonies, volume 2, page 453, 52:08 "None are so low, so corrupt and vile, 52:11 that they cannot find in Jesus, who died for them, 52:14 strength, purity, and righteousness, 52:18 if they will put away their sins, 52:20 cease their course of iniquity, 52:22 and turn with full purpose of heart to the living God. 52:26 He is waiting to strip them of their garments, 52:29 stained and polluted by sin, 52:31 and to put on them the white robes of righteousness, 52:35 and He bids them live and not die. 52:40 In Him they may flourish. 52:44 Their branches will not wither nor be fruitless. 52:46 If they abide in Him, 52:47 they can draw sap and nourishment from Him, 52:50 be imbued with His Spirit, walk as He walked, 52:53 overcame as He overcame, 52:55 and be exalted to His own right hand. 52:58 I'll tell you a story today. 53:02 Two thousand nine, I had cancer, I almost died. 53:06 Some of you know that story. 53:09 God worked a miracle in my life, 53:10 I don't have time to tell that story today, 53:12 but He basically resurrected me from the dead. 53:16 I've had cancer twice, I've had a skin cancer, 53:18 I've had the other cancer, a terrible blood infection. 53:23 But when God miraculously saved me, 53:25 I was so grateful, I was so happy. 53:27 And I thought to myself, 53:29 surely, God has raised me up and saved me 53:32 because He wants me to preach His truth, 53:34 He wants me to preach His Word, 53:36 His message. 53:38 And then, one day, I was sitting at home 53:40 at my desk in my office, 53:42 and I came across this letter 53:43 that Ellen White had written to a man. 53:46 And she said to him, he had had a very similar experience as I. 53:52 He had laid on his death bed 53:54 and she says, "God was merciful to you 53:57 to raise you up from the dead." 54:00 She said, "God healed you." 54:02 She says, "But you have thought that God was merciful to you 54:07 because of some righteousness that was found in you." 54:10 And then, she told him that the true reason 54:14 God made you well 54:17 was because you were unprepared to die. 54:24 She said to the man, "Satan stood by your bedside 54:28 ready to take your life. 54:32 And God in His abundant mercy, 54:34 rescued you to give you another chance, 54:39 to cling to Him and Him alone, 54:42 to make the full surrender of your life." 54:45 She said, "Do not waste it, do not waste it." 54:50 And, friends, let me tell you when I read that letter, 54:53 I wept and was broken before the Lord 54:56 for more than two hours. 54:58 I cried at my desk 55:00 recognizing that there was no good thing in me 55:04 that I could recommend to Him. 55:07 But that I could only trust in His righteousness. 55:12 The 1893 General Conference Session 55:15 was one of the greatest sessions 55:17 in the history of Adventism. 55:19 Many appeals were made. 55:22 And this is the correction that as a church in our pride 55:27 and in our arrogance that we need. 55:30 AT Jones made the statements, "Our goodness, our wisdom, 55:35 our ability are nothing." 55:38 Ellen White says, 55:39 "That if we are to praise brilliance..." 55:43 To praise the celebrity speakers. 55:46 Of the brilliance of how someone delivers them as, 55:49 she says, "If we're to praise brilliance as a great virtue, 55:52 then we should give our armors to Satan 55:54 because he is the greatest brilliant mind 55:57 outside of God Himself." 56:00 Our goodness, wisdom, our ability are nothing. 56:03 But God can work and will work with a heart 56:06 that is emptied of self, 56:08 a heart that has made no reserve, 56:10 and one that is yielded all to God 56:13 and laid upon his altar. 56:15 We must repent of our works 56:19 that we have attempted in our own strength. 56:22 Brothers and sisters, not just our bad works, 56:25 not just the losing of our tempers, 56:27 not just the overindulgences, not just all the things, 56:30 the secret sins that we've done, 56:32 but we must also repent of our good works 56:36 that we have done in our own strength. 56:38 There are lots of people 56:39 doing great things in their own strength. 56:43 But they are at a loss 56:46 of laying the hold of divine strength. 56:49 And, friends, we must repent of even our good works 56:52 because if Jesus had it done them through us, 56:55 they would have been 1000 times better. 56:59 Infinitely better. 57:03 "A permanent sense of unworthiness 57:06 by looking to Christ, 57:07 recognizing His goodness to make us worthy. 57:11 Repentance and confession 57:13 are the only ways out of sin and darkness." 57:19 WW Prescott made this statement. 57:22 He said, "What can I say about this? 57:23 These things are as plain as A, B, C, 57:26 that righteousness is the gift of God 57:29 that all in the world He ask us to do 57:31 is submit to the receiving of it, 57:33 to open the door to confession, repentance, 57:36 and closing every door to Satan 57:40 by accepting Him in His simplicity." 57:44 I find this interesting 57:46 that at the greatest General Conference session 57:50 where the Latter Rain was almost beginning 57:52 to be poured out that AT Jones 57:55 in his final appeal made this statement. 57:59 He said, "The righteousness of God upon His people 58:03 is the one thing, 58:04 the only thing that can fit up God's people 58:06 for receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit 58:09 and the outpouring of it, 58:11 and when that message 58:12 is received and accepted gladly, 58:14 God tells you and me," guess what, friends? 58:18 "Arise, shine, for the light is come 58:22 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." 58:24 The same appeal that was made there 58:28 is made here today 58:30 that the righteousness of Christ 58:33 would be our only plea 58:36 that only as we become like little children 58:39 with genuine humility 58:40 and sincere honesty about ourselves 58:43 and our own failings individually and as a church, 58:46 can God truly bring healing to our lives. |
Revised 2018-06-25