Participants:
Series Code: AAO
Program Code: AAO000008A
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00:11 Good evening, it's good to see everyone again.
00:15 This evening's message is called 00:17 "Stones of Fire - 00:20 Sons and Daughters of the Living God." 00:23 And we're gonna pick up and go a little bit farther 00:25 from where we did last night. 00:27 I know in our earlier messages, 00:30 we've really spend a lot of time focusing 00:32 on the negative, on the darkness. 00:35 These last two messages, we're focusing on the light. 00:39 We want to expose error. 00:41 But if all we do is expose error 00:44 and everybody goes home, you've got head knowledge. 00:49 But if we show light from God's Word, 00:52 when you leave here with that, that will change lives. 00:56 That's what's most important. 00:59 So what I want to do is open with me to a text 01:02 in Romans Chapter 8. 01:05 Romans Chapter 8 and we're gonna read verse 19. 01:12 And I'm going to paraphrase, 01:16 I'm gonna translate using the original Greek 01:20 so if you're reading a King James which I have, 01:23 that's the only thing I read. 01:26 Don't be worried and think I'm, you know, 01:29 using some corrupt version. 01:33 Romans 8:19, 01:36 "For the earnest expectation of all creation 01:43 is waiting for the manifestation 01:46 of the sons and daughters of God." 01:50 In the Greek when you look up the word sons, 01:53 it means children begotten, 01:55 and you can be a male or female and be a child, right? 01:59 So when you see sons of God realized 02:03 when this was written 02:05 and why that, that word was used, 02:08 this is including men and women, 02:11 and it says that all of creation, 02:14 the entire universe is waiting for this one event, 02:21 for this one event. 02:24 They're watching this planet 02:27 to see what God can do. 02:30 And God says that his glory 02:33 is not in taking a mighty man 02:38 and making him more mighty. 02:41 God's glory is in taking the weakest 02:45 and doing the impossible through them. 02:49 And I'm gonna give you a quick example of that. 02:54 Do you remember Abraham 02:57 before God changed his name? 03:01 Abram and often I've wondered about that. 03:05 You know, why the change of a name 03:06 because name was a symbol of character. 03:10 And we know 03:12 that Abraham is known as the father of faith, 03:16 the father of faith. 03:19 So when you, when you read that his name was Abram, 03:23 I looked it up one time, and the word Abram, 03:26 the name Abram literally means a mighty father, 03:30 like a governor. 03:32 You can be the head of a tribe and not have any children. 03:35 You can be the head of a clan 03:37 if you're in Scotland or Ireland, 03:39 and you don't have any children but they still call you father 03:42 because you're the head. 03:44 Does that make sense? 03:48 Abram's name meant a mighty father. 03:51 He was a man that was strong. 03:53 He was a warrior when he had to defend his family. 03:58 He was wealthy, he was very gifted, 04:02 but he did not have any children. 04:05 And one day God came to him and said, 04:08 "I'm gonna change your name today." 04:12 And Abram knew 04:14 that years before God had made a promise to him 04:18 that He was going to give him a son. 04:20 And years had passed by and he still had no child. 04:24 And you can imagine 04:25 what that was like for his wife Sarah. 04:29 So God is talking to Abram there alone one day 04:32 and He tells him, "I'm changing your name." 04:35 So Abram knew this was a big event 04:39 and he waited and God said, 04:42 "Your name will not be Abram anymore, 04:45 but Abraham or Abraham, 04:49 for I am making you a father 04:52 of a great multitude." 04:56 Now, this is not recorded in the Bible. 05:00 But when I use my mind and a sanctified imagination, 05:05 I imagine what it must have been like for Abraham 05:09 when he gets back to camp that day, 05:11 you know, do I tell everybody? 05:13 Do I not tell everybody? 05:15 I mean, what am I supposed to do? 05:17 And he probably couldn't withhold the information 05:21 from his dear wife. 05:23 So, you know, in my mind, I think, you know, okay, 05:26 well maybe he was nervous about 05:27 making a huge statement to everybody. 05:30 But he went to his wife and said, 05:33 and this is a parable. 05:34 He went to his wife and said, 05:37 "Honey, guess what happened today 05:39 when I was praying to the Lord 05:40 and I went to offer a sacrifice." 05:42 And she's like, "What dear?" 05:43 And he told her, "God changed my name." 05:46 And she said, "What did He change it to?" 05:48 "Abraham." 05:50 And she went, 05:52 "A father of a great multitude." 05:55 That was confirmation of the promise 05:58 that God had made previously to him. 06:02 And he knew they were at the point 06:04 where they needed that confirmation. 06:07 Just like when my wife was struggling with me 06:10 being gone from home, 06:12 God gave her a confirmation one day 06:16 because He knew her faith was getting weak 06:19 and she needed that. 06:22 Now, we're still in the parable. 06:26 Abraham goes to work that week and a few days later, 06:29 a man comes in on a camel 06:31 and the camel is stumbling into the camp. 06:36 It hasn't had any water, any food in days, 06:40 the man on its back is slumped over, almost dead. 06:44 He has been without water and food for days. 06:47 And Abraham pulls him down off his camel, 06:51 and he tells the servants, 06:52 "Take the camel, go, get it water, get it food." 06:55 And he sets the man down and tells the servants, 06:58 "Go, get water for him and make a meal for him." 07:01 And Abram gets a basin and he's washing his feet 07:05 and washing his head and helping the man 07:09 and the man gets the food. 07:11 And he's looking around and he's surprised 07:14 and he's overjoyed but he has to eat 07:16 because it's been days since he's had anything 07:20 and the man's eating. 07:21 And after he finally relaxes, 07:25 he looks at Abram, 07:27 Abraham and he says, "I can't thank you enough. 07:33 My name is John. What's your name?" 07:37 Uh-oh. 07:39 What does he say? 07:42 Now, think about this for a moment 07:44 if you were Abraham. 07:46 If I tell him my name is Abram, 07:52 I'm denying what God has promised. 07:56 But if I tell him my name is Abraham, 07:59 he's gonna ask me, 08:01 where's all your children and then I look really foolish. 08:06 You want to talk about a walk of faith 08:10 because Abraham from the day that God named him, 08:15 he told everyone my name is Abraham 08:20 and if they asked, "Where is your children?" 08:22 He said, "They're on the way" 08:25 because God has promised and He cannot lie. 08:30 Amen. 08:31 Now, let me show you why that matters. 08:37 "For the spirit itself beareth witness 08:40 with our spirit in our minds, 08:44 that we are the children of God, 08:49 and if we are children, then we are heirs, 08:55 heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ!" 09:01 Let me ask you a question. 09:02 What do you think Jesus is waiting to inherit? 09:08 Us. 09:09 That's the only thing left He's waiting to inherit. 09:14 The Bible says, "We are His inheritance." 09:18 Do you know what he said in the Gospel of John? 09:23 He actually said before Calvary, 09:25 He told the disciples, He said, 09:28 "The prince of this world is coming, 09:30 but he has nothing in me. 09:33 He has no rights to me." 09:35 And then a little while later he said, 09:38 "Now is the prince of this world cast out and I, 09:43 if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." 09:49 People will still think that Satan is running this world. 09:53 Why do you think Jesus said in Matthew 28, 09:57 all power in heaven and earth has now been given to me, 10:01 go proclaim the glad tidings. 10:06 That's why Christians are standing 10:08 on that little piece of ground and they're trembling. 10:12 They don't realize that Christ is King. 10:16 They think for some reason that 10:19 He's still struggling with overcoming. 10:22 He's just waiting on us to take hold of His promises 10:27 because you can't find the disciples trembling in fear 10:32 after the Holy Spirit fell upon them 10:34 on the day of Pentecost. 10:36 They were afraid before that day, 10:38 but after that day, they went boldly. 10:42 It didn't matter if it was the seizure 10:45 or if it was the pope in Rome. 10:47 It made no difference. 10:50 They had no longer any fear. 10:56 Jesus is not waiting to inherit anything except you and I. 11:01 Now listen to what he says here in 1 John, 11:04 "Beloved, now are we the sons and daughters of God, 11:10 and it does not appear what we shall be," 11:14 but we know, not we guess, we think, we hope, 11:19 "we know that when he appeareth with we shall be like Him." 11:25 Do you know what Jesus said in the Gospel of John? 11:29 I believe it was John, he said, 11:32 "Be ye therefore perfect, 11:34 even as your Father in heaven is perfect." 11:36 We quoted this the other night, do you remember? 11:39 And do you remember what Sister White said? 11:42 This command is a promise, 11:47 "Be ye therefore perfect, 11:51 even as your Father in heaven is perfect." 11:56 Jesus also said, "It is written. 12:00 Be ye holy, for I am holy." 12:06 And the Apostle Paul was inspired to write. 12:09 If the first fruits is holy, 12:12 then the whole lump is holy. 12:16 And you think, yeah, but I'm not holy. 12:18 I had one brother that asked me one day, he said, 12:22 "This can't be true that you're telling me 12:24 that Jesus did it all for me. 12:26 Because if he did, 12:28 how come I still sinned yesterday." 12:31 And I asked him, I said, and I was praying, 12:34 I was like, Lord, help me. 12:36 I looked at him and I said, 12:39 "If you know that you died in Christ, 12:42 and that you are now dead unto sin, 12:46 why did you fall yesterday?" 12:50 He was standing on the dark side of the cross, 12:53 looking forward waiting for something to take place. 12:56 Sister White said, 12:58 "We are to stand on the sunny side of the cross 13:00 knowing what was finished at Calvary 13:04 and claiming it as our own." 13:07 How can I continue to sin knowing that I died. 13:12 I'll never forget the day. 13:17 I'll never forget the day 13:19 that I was calling out to a man for help. 13:22 And we may have talked about this, 13:25 but I was calling out for help. 13:28 And I could not get victory over a certain sin in my life. 13:32 And I called this man, I found him. 13:34 He had written an article online 13:36 that really inspired me with hope. 13:38 And I called this older gentleman 13:40 and I said, "I need help." 13:43 And he said, "What's wrong?" 13:44 And I told him and he said, 13:48 "Eric, you know, what's wrong with you?" 13:50 And I said, "What?" 13:51 He said, "You're still very much alive." 13:57 And I thought, you know, that's ignorance. 14:00 Of course, I'm alive. 14:02 He said, "No." 14:03 He said, "You don't understand." 14:05 I said, "You're right, I don't understand." 14:06 He said, "You're still very much alive. 14:10 That's why sin still has a hold on you." 14:15 And I said, "I don't understand." 14:16 He said, "Let me give you an example." 14:19 He said, 14:21 "Let's say that I send you to this fancy, 14:26 the fanciest hotel in Fresno $500 a night for the rooms. 14:31 I send you there to pick up a package for me 14:35 that's in the lobby. 14:36 You got to wait in the lobby. 14:38 So you go in and you sit down there 14:40 in one of those lobby chairs and while you're sitting there, 14:44 you didn't realize 14:45 they were having the Miss America Pageant 14:47 at that hotel at the conference center. 14:51 So you're sitting there and all the sudden 14:54 these 20 or 30 women come walking through 14:57 in their bathing suits, 14:58 he said, what happens to you?" 15:01 And I said, "Oh! Man, there's a battle." 15:06 I'm trying to look at the floor and I'm looking at the floor 15:09 and my mind is still going. 15:11 I'm not going to look at that. 15:12 I wonder what color that bathing suit was 15:14 that just walked by that I'm not gonna look at, 15:18 that was the struggle I was dealing with as a man, 15:23 and I could not seem to get the victory over it. 15:27 And he told me, he said, 15:29 "Your pulse rates probably going up." 15:31 He said, "You've got blood 15:33 that circulating on the surface of the skin." 15:36 He said "You're battling." I said, "Yes, I'm battling." 15:39 He said, "Are you winning?" I said, "I'm not looking." 15:43 He said, "But you're thinking about it." 15:46 Jesus said, "If you've looked and desired, 15:48 you've already committed adultery in your heart." 15:52 And I said, "There you go. That's what's wrong." 15:56 I said, "I have been battling for 35 years 16:00 and I still don't have the victory." 16:02 I said, "And I can't seem to get it." 16:04 He said, "It's because you're still alive." 16:08 He said, now he said, "I'm going to bring," 16:12 he said, "I'm going to go down to the hospital. 16:14 I'm going to go into the morgue. 16:16 There was a man that died there a week ago, 16:18 they've still got him 16:19 because something came up with the funeral arrangements. 16:22 He's been dead for a week. 16:24 I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna get his body, 16:26 I'm gonna put it on a stretcher, 16:27 put it in an ambulance, 16:29 I bring the body down to the hotel room, 16:31 I wheel him in on a stretcher. 16:34 I pick him up 16:36 and I'm setting this corpse down 16:38 right next to you on that seat." 16:42 He said, "Now rewind. 16:45 Those 20 or 30 young ladies all come walking through 16:48 in their bathing suits and bikinis 16:50 and he says you're on your face battling." 16:52 He said, "What's happening to the dead man?" 16:55 I said, "Nothing." 16:57 He said, "That's exactly right." 17:01 He said, "You don't realize that you died with Christ. 17:06 You're still very much alive." 17:10 He said, "The only way you will ever get victory 17:14 is if you count Christ's death as your own." 17:19 That's why the Apostle Paul says, 17:22 "Reckon ye also yourselves 17:25 to be dead indeed unto sin, 17:29 but alive unto God." 17:32 Amen. 17:39 John Chapter 3, very familiar story. 17:45 Nicodemus, he was a very righteous man 17:49 by the letter of the law. 17:50 He was not one of the Pharisees that was cheating on his wife 17:53 or cheating on his temple tax 17:56 or eating pork when nobody was looking. 17:59 Nicodemus was an upright man by man standards, 18:04 but yet he came to Jesus that night alone 18:08 and he was older than Jesus. 18:10 Jesus was a young man. 18:12 That's why Nicodemus couldn't come see him 18:14 during the daytime. 18:16 Jesus had just turned 30 years old 18:18 when his ministry began. 18:19 You weren't even considered a man until 30. 18:23 So Nicodemus here 18:25 and I don't know how old he was, 18:26 but just probably guessing, you know, 50, 60, maybe 70. 18:33 He was an elder, 18:35 very respected member of the Sanhedrin. 18:39 He comes to Jesus 18:41 and he tells Jesus in John 3:1-2, he says, 18:45 "We know that you are from God. 18:48 We know you came from God 18:51 because no man can do the miracles 18:56 that we see you doing 18:58 except God be with him" 19:03 that means in him. 19:05 Immanuel. 19:10 Jesus looked at Nicodemus and he knew 19:13 what the question was, 19:14 same question I was, I'm going to church, 19:16 I'm doing this, I'm doing this, I'm a vegan. 19:18 I'm doing all the right things, but something is still missing, 19:23 and Jesus knew 19:24 something was missing in Nicodemus's life. 19:27 And Jesus looked at Nicodemus and He said, 19:30 "Marvel not that I say unto you, 19:33 you must be born again." 19:37 It's not optional. 19:39 The born again experience is not like, 19:41 well, I'll do that if I get a chance. 19:44 If you're not born again, 19:45 you'll never see the kingdom of heaven, 19:48 Jesus said so. 19:50 The next question that came out of Nicodemus's mouth was 19:54 how is this possible? 19:57 Can an old man like me enter back 20:00 into his mother's womb? 20:04 And when I read that, 20:06 the same thought went through my mind, 20:08 how? 20:09 How does that happen? 20:10 That's what I want Jesus 20:13 and I'm there at the house by myself, 20:15 and I look up into heaven and I'm like, how? 20:19 I really, I have no pride anymore. 20:22 How does this happen? 20:25 And, you know, a thought came to my mind 20:27 and I know it was God that brought it to my mind. 20:31 Jesus wasn't mocking Nicodemus, 20:34 he wasn't making fun of Nicodemus, 20:37 you know, I mean, that's not even in Christ character 20:41 because Jesus asked Nicodemus, 20:43 He said, "Are you not a master, 20:47 a PhD in Israel? 20:50 Aren't you the one that teaches not only Sabbath school, 20:53 but you're a church leader 20:55 and you don't understand these things." 20:59 The only way that Jesus could ask Nicodemus 21:03 that question is if somewhere in the Old Testament 21:09 the born again experience had already been revealed. 21:15 I've never thought about that before. 21:17 I always thought, you know, born again. 21:19 That's New Testament. 21:21 He wouldn't have asked Nicodemus 21:23 if Nicodemus couldn't have known, 21:25 and I looked at the Lord, I said, Lord, 21:29 wow, show me where this is. 21:33 I want to show you, this is important. 21:36 Make a note of this. It's in Galatians. 21:39 And it's so clear, 21:40 I thought I can't believe I've missed this. 21:44 Galatians Chapter 4, 21:48 Paul here is trying to help God's children 21:53 to understand the difference between achieving eternal life 21:57 and righteousness by their own works 22:00 and achieving it by faith, living faith, 22:05 faith that works by love but faith in Christ Jesus. 22:12 And listen to what he says. 22:13 He says, "Tell me," verse 21, 22:17 "you that desire to be under the law, 22:19 do you not hear what the law says? 22:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, 22:27 the one or first by a bondmaid a slave 22:32 and the other, the second son by a freewoman." 22:37 He and I'm paraphrasing this, 22:39 "he that was born of the bondwoman 22:42 or slave was born after or by the flesh,, 22:48 but he that was born of the freewoman 22:52 was by promise." 22:57 God made a promise to Abraham and Sarah. 23:01 Isaac didn't come because of Abraham and Sarah 23:05 figure it out some special kind of herb 23:07 or a special way to do certain things, 23:11 or doing a yoga class or... 23:14 Isaac came because God had made a promise, 23:18 and He cannot lie. 23:20 Now look over verse 28, 23:23 "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, 23:28 are children of promise." 23:31 And the word of there is also by, 23:34 we are children by promise. 23:38 By promise. 23:41 That's how a person is begotten again. 23:48 Now I wanna show you what the other side says. 23:50 What the dark side? 23:52 Deepak Choprah, we talked about him the other night, 23:56 he said, "In reality we are divinity in disguise, 24:02 and the gods and goddesses in embryo 24:05 that are contained within us 24:08 seek to be fully materialized." 24:13 There's a quote 24:14 from the Shaolin grandmaster's textbook that says, 24:17 "The dragon dwells deep inside of every person, 24:22 waiting for the person 24:27 to give them permission to come out." 24:30 I don't believe that. 24:32 The devil only abides in the hearts of those 24:35 that refuse to allow Christ to come in 24:38 and take possession. 24:42 John Stevens, we looked at this earlier, 24:44 he said, 24:45 "Martial ways are spiritual disciplines 24:48 to be practiced for the sake of enlightenment." 24:52 And this enlightening is what the occult world 24:56 and what the eastern mystical world, 25:00 it's what they all say, being born again is, 25:03 being enlightened through certain techniques, 25:07 through saying mantras, through spiritual exercises. 25:11 They say, that's what happens to have this change 25:15 that they call the born again experience. 25:20 This is a quote from Marcus J. Borg, 25:22 before he passed away. 25:24 Listen to what he writes. 25:25 And this is an image from a Catholic Encyclopedia. 25:30 You have Jesus on the left hand side, 25:33 you know, He's the Catholic Jesus, 25:36 because He has those two fingers crossed. 25:39 That means I'm king and priest. 25:42 That's what the pope claims to be, king and priest. 25:48 If you look on the left hand side, 25:51 that is the Buddha. 25:54 At the Catholic Encyclopedia actually talks about the Buddha 25:58 and they made him a saint many years ago. 26:01 They called him St. Josaphat. 26:04 And they list him. 26:05 They say, this is the Buddha in their encyclopedia, 26:09 they sainted him. 26:11 One of the popes did. 26:14 He says, "Enlightenment 26:17 as an archetypal religious metaphor 26:22 belongs to a mystical way of being religious. 26:27 Outside of the Jewish and Christian traditions, 26:32 the best-known enlightenment experience 26:36 is the Buddha's mystical experience." 26:39 This is from a previous pastor. 26:42 This is one of the men 26:43 that all the spiritual formation, 26:45 leaders and teachers looked up to and trained under. 26:51 "Such an experience leads to seeing 26:54 everything differently. 26:57 It's not simply an intellectual or mental 'seeing,' 27:01 as when you say, 'Oh, I see what you mean.' 27:04 Rather, enlightenment as a religious experience 27:09 involves communion or union with what is, 27:16 an immediate 'knowing' of the sacred.'" 27:19 Now, it's funny he uses the word union 27:22 and he uses the word communion right before it. 27:26 That should give us a hint. 27:29 When we take communion, the Lord's Supper, 27:33 it's becoming one with Christ. 27:36 That's why the Apostle Paul tells us 27:38 that if we do so unworthily, 27:42 we're eating and drinking damnation to ourselves. 27:46 If I take communion without faith 27:50 that Christ not only died but rose again, 27:53 all I'm left with is His death. 27:56 And Paul says for that reason many in our churches are sick, 28:00 have disease and many sleep. 28:04 They're eating and drinking, 28:06 but they're only partaking of the death. 28:08 They don't have living faith in the resurrection. 28:13 He says this type of enlightenment. 28:18 This is what he calls the born again experience. 28:24 Ellen White says, "Through heathenism, 28:27 Satan had for ages turned men away from God, 28:31 but he won his great triumph 28:33 in perverting the faith of Israel. 28:35 By contemplating and worshiping their own conceptions, 28:40 the heathen had lost a knowledge of God, 28:43 and had become more and more corrupt. 28:47 The principle that man can save himself 28:51 by his own works lay at the foundation 28:55 of every heathen religion." 28:58 That's what the Buddhists do, the Hindus, the Muslims, 29:03 you name it. 29:05 Now unfortunately she says, "So it was with Israel." 29:10 So it is with most Christians that are alive today. 29:15 They are striving through their own works, 29:19 and they don't have any comprehension 29:21 of what the born again experience really is. 29:24 Many people they go into the baptismal pool 29:29 and they come up and they go, it was a symbol. 29:32 They don't realize 29:34 when they went under that water, 29:36 they literally died with Christ. 29:41 It's a proclamation that I believe I'm dead 29:45 and I do not live anymore. 29:48 And when I rise, 29:50 I rise with Him to walk in newness of life. 29:57 1 Peter 1:1-3, 30:03 I'm sorry, 1:3-9, 30:07 he tells us, "Blessed be or praise be 30:12 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 30:16 which according to His abundant mercy 30:20 hath begotten us again 30:24 unto a living hope, 30:27 a living assurance 30:30 by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 30:35 When I read that, I was like, 30:38 "Lord, You're telling me, I have to born again. 30:42 But here you are telling me 30:45 that God according to His abundant mercy 30:51 hath begotten us again unto a lively hope 30:56 by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 31:00 I was like, 31:02 is this something still yet to be achieved 31:04 or is this something 31:06 I'm supposed to take hold off by faith. 31:11 Peter goes on and says, 31:13 "Whom having not seen you love, 31:18 and in whom," 31:20 you remember we talked about that in Ephesians, 31:23 in Christ, in Him, in whom. 31:27 It says, "In whom, though now you see him not, 31:32 yet believing, 31:34 ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory 31:40 receiving the end or the result of your faith, 31:44 even the salvation of your souls." 31:49 Now I want to share something with you right here. 31:51 This is important. 31:52 Of everything we've talked about this week, 31:55 this is the most important thing 31:57 that I'm going to share. 31:59 In whom, in whom, 32:06 when you go to Ephesians Chapter 1, 32:10 there's a promise given there in verse 4. 32:15 Actually, verse 3 and 4, 32:17 Ephesians Chapter 1, it says, 32:20 "Blessed be the God and Father 32:25 of our Lord Jesus Christ." 32:27 And that's funny because that's how 32:29 Peter says same exact opening. 32:33 The word blessed means praise be. 32:36 "Praise be to the God and the Father 32:39 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath..." 32:44 Is hath future? 32:48 It's past. It's done. 32:52 "Who hath blessed us 32:56 with all spiritual blessings in heavenly..." 33:02 The word places is applied by translators, 33:05 you will see, 33:06 it is italicized in the King James. 33:09 When you look that up it says, 33:11 "Hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings 33:14 in the heavens in Christ. 33:21 According as he hath chosen us in him 33:27 before the foundation of the world, 33:30 that we should be holy 33:32 and without blame before him in love." 33:37 And I read that verse one day when I was sitting in home 33:40 and I said, "Lord, 33:44 that says you chose me in Christ 33:46 before the foundation of the world." 33:50 And then the Apostle Paul goes on 33:52 in Philippians 3:9, 33:55 and it says, 33:56 "I pray that we might be found In Him, 34:03 not having our own righteousness, 34:05 which is by the law, 34:06 but the righteousness 34:08 which is by the faith of Jesus Christ." 34:13 And I said, 34:15 "I found the key to the gospel, 34:19 it's being in Him." 34:21 And I was so excited, I mean, 34:24 I'm there at the house by myself 34:26 and my wife is at school and children at school 34:28 and I was like, "This is the key!" 34:32 After all these years, I'm 48 years old, I'm like, 34:35 "Why didn't I see this when I was 10!" 34:39 The whole key to the entire gospel 34:42 is being found in Him. 34:45 And then you know what happened? 34:47 A question came to my mind. 34:49 How do I get in Him? 34:53 And I looked up and I know God laughs at me, 34:56 I know He does. 34:57 I mean, you know, like a father would laugh at the child, 35:00 and I know Jesus was like dad, watch this. 35:05 I mean, think about that. 35:06 The Bible says Christ is our elder brother, 35:10 and He's there and He's thinking, 35:12 all this is beautiful, His eyes are being opened. 35:17 And I looked up and I said, 35:19 "Lord, thank you for showing me this key, 35:23 how do I get in Jesus." 35:28 And you know, our God, He has got a sense of humor. 35:31 Do you know what He said to me? 35:32 I heard Him just as clear as day. 35:34 He now He speaks in your heart 35:36 and you can't explain that to somebody else, 35:39 but you know when God talks to you. 35:42 God spoke to me. 35:43 I heard Him just as clear as day 35:44 and he said, "Eric, how did you get in your mom? 35:49 How did you? 35:51 And I thought this is Nicodemus all over again. 35:52 God said, 35:54 "How did you get in your mother's womb? 35:56 And I looked up and I laughed, and I said, 35:59 "God, I didn't have anything to do with that." 36:03 He said, "Uh-ah. 36:05 Eric, how did you get into your father's loins 36:10 to get put in your mother's womb?" 36:14 And I paused. 36:17 I looked up and I said, 36:19 "God, I didn't have anything to do with that." 36:23 And He smiled and He said, 36:25 "Now you are beginning to understand 36:29 love and mercy." 36:32 And I said, "Lord, I believe You 36:34 but I need a verse, 36:38 because I could never share this with someone 36:40 just because I know you are telling me, 36:44 but I need a verse." 36:47 Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1. 36:53 1 Corinthians 1:29-31, 36:59 listen to what it says. 37:01 God is so beautiful, 37:02 He's spoken my heart and I asked Him... 37:07 Chapter 1:29-31 of 1 Corinthians. 37:12 I asked Him for conformation in His Word and He showed me. 37:17 I mean, within moments He showed me. 37:20 He said, "Seek and you shall find. 37:22 Knock and it shall be opened unto you. 37:25 Ask and I will answer, you will receive." 37:29 So I started flipping the pages and I had the verse underlined. 37:34 Listen to what He says, verse 29, 37:37 "So that no flesh should glory in my presence. 37:44 For of him God 37:48 are you in Christ Jesus, 37:52 who of or by God is made unto us wisdom, 37:57 and righteousness, and sanctification, 38:01 and redemption: 38:02 So that, according as it is written, 38:05 He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." 38:11 God put us in Christ Jesus 38:14 and He chose us in Him 38:18 before the foundation of the world. 38:22 I can't put myself back in Christ. 38:26 It was done. 38:29 And people say, "Yeah, 38:31 but what about those that are lost?" 38:32 Where's your focus? Where's your focus? 38:37 One lady wrote to Ellen White and she said, 38:40 Yeah, but yeah, but yeah, but. 38:42 And you know what Ellen White told her, 38:43 she wrote back to her and she said, 38:46 You know what she said, 38:47 "The Lord revealed to me when you're walking 38:50 through the pages of his word," 38:51 She said, "All you're finding are the thorns." 38:56 She said, "I encourage you to spend an hour a day, 39:00 looking for the pinks and the roses." 39:05 Stop focusing on the negative. 39:09 Focus on the promise. 39:11 If God before us, who can be against us. 39:16 He that spared not His own Son, 39:19 but delivered him up for us all, 39:21 how shall He not with Him, 39:24 also freely give us all things. 39:28 Amen! 39:32 God said, "I put you there, now walk by faith in it." 39:41 1 Peter 1, "Whom having not seen," 39:45 speaking of Christ, "you love, in whom, 39:50 though now you see him not, yet believing, 39:54 you rejoice with joy unspeakable 39:57 and full of glory, 40:00 receiving the end of your faith, 40:03 even the salvation and freedom of your souls." 40:08 Isaiah, it's not just New Testament, 40:11 Isaiah 45:22-25, the Lord says, 40:16 "Look unto me and be ye saved..." 40:22 He doesn't say, strive to be, 40:24 try to be, hope to be, He says, be! 40:30 Just like he says, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." 40:36 He says, "I am the Lord. I speak righteousness." 40:42 And I asked the Lord one day I said, 40:44 "Lord, what does that look like You speak righteousness?" 40:50 I said, "I don't mean to push you 40:52 but show me, so that I can see it." 40:57 And you know what the Lord did? 40:59 He took me right to Luke Chapter 5. 41:01 There was a leper that came to Jesus 41:04 and that leper... 41:05 And I'm going to tell you in a parable form, 41:07 that means I'm adding some thoughts 41:09 that might have happened, 41:11 could have happened, make sense that it happened, 41:14 but it's not there in the Bible. 41:15 Okay, so bear with me, sanctified imagination. 41:20 This leper comes to Jesus, throws himself on the ground, 41:25 and you know, everybody else fled 41:28 because he had HIV, it was the same thing. 41:31 Do you understand? 41:32 Incurable and contagious as far as to the max. 41:38 He throws himself on the ground after everybody has fled, 41:43 knowing he could be put to death 41:45 even for being there. 41:48 And he cast himself on the ground and he says, 41:52 "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." 41:55 Well, first thing, Son of David means, 41:57 I'm saying you're king. 41:59 You're the one that was promised would come, 42:01 you're king, I know You can do anything. 42:06 And Jesus looked at him and said, 42:09 "Son, you're a mess, 42:12 I mean, you've got like leprosy." 42:16 And the man said, "I know." 42:19 And Jesus said, 42:20 "Have you been to the hospital?" 42:23 The man said, "They said I was incurable. 42:25 I mean, it's incurable. 42:27 This disease can't be cured, there's no medicine. 42:29 I'm incurable." 42:31 And Jesus said, "Have you been to the church? 42:34 Have you been to the Seventh-day Adventist Church? 42:37 There's one right down the road." 42:39 And the man said, "Yeah, I went there 42:42 but they quoted scripture to me. 42:44 They told me as a man sow so shall he reap." 42:48 You know how the devil does that sometimes? 42:51 You made your bed, lie in it. 42:53 You know what God's Word says in Hosea 13? 42:58 He says, "Oh Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, 43:03 but in me is thine help, I will be thy king, 43:09 for where is any other that may save thee 43:11 in all of thy cities?" 43:14 This man looked at Jesus, and he said, 43:17 "I know, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." 43:23 You know what Jesus said? 43:25 "I will be thou clean." 43:31 John 15:3, Jesus said, 43:34 "Now, today, 43:37 you are clean through the word which I am speaking unto you." 43:41 Today, you don't have to wait. 43:45 You don't have to be on probation for six weeks. 43:48 There's no amount of time that will wash away your past, 43:52 even if that was yesterday or this afternoon. 43:56 You've got to take hold of His Word and say, 43:58 it's mine now in this moment. 44:04 "Look unto me and be ye saved, 44:07 all the ends of the earth, for I am God." 44:12 That's the same God 44:14 that called the light out of darkness. 44:16 He said, "Let there be light and there was. 44:20 I have sworn by myself, 44:23 yea the word is gone out of my mouth 44:25 in righteousness, 44:27 and shall not return unto me void. 44:30 Surely, shall they say, in the Lord 44:34 have I righteousness and strength, 44:37 even to Him shall all men come, and all those that are incensed 44:43 and angry against him will be ashamed. 44:48 For in the Lord shall all the seed 44:53 and children of Israel be justified, 44:57 and shall glory." 45:02 Now you ask yourself, how can I be in Christ? 45:06 There was an article 45:07 and I'm going to make this very short, 45:09 so I don't want to run out of time. 45:10 There was a sermon 45:12 that was preached by a man named WW Prescott. 45:16 He preached it 45:18 at the 1895 camp meeting in Australia. 45:21 He preached over 30 messages at that one camp meeting. 45:25 If you would like me to send you the message 45:28 that I'm about to share with you, 45:31 I'll send it to you by email. 45:34 He brought something out I'd never seen before, 45:36 and I'm not going to read it, 45:38 but I would just want to give you the reference. 45:40 It's in Hebrews Chapter... 45:44 I believe Chapter 6 or 7, let me just make sure. 45:49 Hebrews 7 the first 10... 45:54 First 10 or 12 verses. 45:57 It actually says that when Abraham 46:02 was paying tithes to Melchizedek, 46:06 that Levi who was his great grandson 46:12 was in Abraham 46:15 paying tithes to Melchizedek. 46:19 And Levi hadn't even been born yet. 46:24 Did you ever notice that before? 46:27 Do you know that when Adam sinned, 46:30 every single one of us was in him physically? 46:36 When I met my wife, 25-26 years ago, 46:40 my son and my daughter were inside of me 46:43 when I met her. 46:45 I didn't even have any intension 46:46 of having children. 46:49 That's science. They know that. 46:53 My children were inside of me. That little... 46:58 Whatever that was, 46:59 that little DNA and that genetic blueprint, 47:03 it went out of me 47:05 when my wife and I became one 47:08 and God, between the union of a husband and a wife, 47:12 He took that blueprint and He made it into flesh. 47:18 My children were in me. You were in Adam when he fell. 47:24 That's why the Bible says, 47:26 "We were born with the sentence of death already on us." 47:30 People will tell me, no, you're a sinner, 47:32 because of what you do. 47:34 Well, then how come babies die 47:36 at three days old or at one day old? 47:39 They die because the sentence of death was already on them. 47:45 That's why Christ became the second and last Adam. 47:51 Ellen White says, 47:52 "He took the first Adam's place as head of the human race." 47:57 Adam came from Christ, 47:59 so Christ was the only one 48:02 that could stand in Adam's place. 48:10 When you look at what happened there 48:13 in Hebrews, Levi was in Abraham, 48:18 when Abraham was paying tithe. And Paul says, 48:22 though the writer of Hebrews says, 48:24 that Levi was paying tithe in Abraham, 48:29 even though he hadn't been born yet. 48:32 Do you know what that means? 48:35 That means that if you are in Christ, 48:39 because you believe what God says, 48:40 He already said, He chose you in Him 48:42 before the foundation of the world, 48:45 then that means you were in Him 48:47 when He was winning every victory. 48:50 And you were in Him when He was dying on Calvary. 48:55 And you were in Him when He was being raised 48:58 from the grave. 49:00 And you were in Him 49:01 when He was set down on the throne on high. 49:05 Why do you think Paul says, 49:07 "We are seated with Christ in the heavens." 49:11 How can we be there, if we're still here? 49:16 We're in Him. 49:20 Now listen to what the servant of the Lord says, 49:27 "After Jesus had been baptized by John in Jordan, 49:32 He went straight way up 49:34 out of the water to the bank of the river, 49:37 and He bowed in the attitude of prayer, 49:41 He here identifies Himself 49:44 with sinners as our representative, 49:50 in taking upon him our sins, 49:55 and numbering Himself with transgressors. 50:00 In His prayer, Christ with His human arm, 50:05 His human nature, encircles fallen humanity, 50:11 while with His divine arm, 50:15 He is reaching for the throne of the infinite. 50:19 His hands were raised upward, 50:22 and His eyes were fixed as if penetrating heaven, 50:28 and He poured out His soul 50:30 in supplication to His Father for strength 50:35 to meet our unbelief and sinfulness." 50:40 And I'm paraphrasing that. Do you see? 50:44 Remember when you read, you have to read this 50:47 as it spoken to you individually. 50:50 Otherwise, God's word and promises 50:52 won't have any power. 50:55 "He pled for power to break the power of Satan over man, 51:00 and to be able to overcome Satan in behalf of man. 51:06 He presented humanity before His Father, 51:09 asking that He would grant to fallen man, 51:13 the light and strength and power 51:15 from His Own throne to successfully overcome 51:20 the prince of the power of darkness. 51:23 Never had angels listened to such a prayer. 51:27 They were solicitous, 51:29 ready and willing and eager to bear 51:32 to the praying Redeemer messages 51:34 of assurance and love. 51:37 But no, the Father Himself will minister to His Son. 51:42 Direct from the throne 51:45 proceeded the light of the glory of God. 51:48 The heavens were opened, 51:50 and beams of light and glory proceeded there from. 51:56 The people stood spell-bound with fear and amazement. 52:01 Their eyes were fastened upon Christ, 52:04 whose bowed form was bathed 52:06 in the beautiful light and glory 52:08 that ever surround the throne of God. 52:12 His upturned face was glorified as they had 52:16 never before seen the face of man. 52:21 The thunders rolled and the lightning flashed 52:25 from the opening heavens, 52:27 and a voice came there from in terrible majesty, 52:32 saying, 'This is my beloved Son, 52:37 in whom I am well pleased.'" 52:39 That quote is from Youth Instructor, 52:42 March 1, 1874. 52:45 Now let me read the next statement to you. 52:48 This is Desire of Ages, page 112-113. 52:53 "And the Word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, 52:58 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased,' 53:03 embraces all humanity. 53:08 God spoke to Jesus as our representative. 53:13 With all of our sins and weaknesses, 53:16 we are not cast aside as worthless, 53:19 for 'He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.' 53:26 The glory that rested upon Christ 53:29 is a pledge of the love of God for us. 53:33 The light which fell from the open portals of heaven 53:37 upon the head of our Savior will fall upon us, 53:42 as we pray for help to resist temptation. 53:47 The Voice which spoke to Jesus 53:51 says to every believing soul, 53:56 'This is My beloved child, 53:59 in whom I Am well pleased.'" 54:07 Do you understand what we just saw and read? 54:15 We were in Christ when He was baptized. 54:22 You go through Ellen White's writings 54:24 and type in Holy Spirit, 54:27 read everything you can find from her. 54:30 And remember something, 54:32 God was revealing more and more light to her 54:35 as she got older. 54:38 It wasn't like, she was given all the light 54:40 in 1844 and boom, it stopped. 54:43 There was times in 1888, 54:46 after she heard EJ Waggoner share about the two covenants, 54:50 she wrote, she said, 54:52 "We may have been wrong in our understanding 54:55 of the covenants, 54:56 until I heard what Waggoner's presented." 55:00 She said, "I had never even considered 55:03 the two covenants the way he presented it." 55:05 She said, "We may have been wrong." 55:10 This is important. 55:15 We were in Christ, 55:18 that means when we asked the Father 55:20 for the gift of His Spirit, 55:24 we already have Christ's righteousness 55:28 as the assurance. 55:29 We will receive, if we abide in Him. 55:34 Do you remember what Jesus said in John 15:7? 55:38 "Abide in Me." 55:41 And you think, 55:42 "What do you have to do to abide in a house?" 55:46 Well, you have to be put there first. 55:49 If I'm on the outside of the house, 55:51 and somebody says, 55:52 abide in there and I go in where? 55:55 Well, in the house. 55:57 But I've never been in there before. 55:58 I don't even know what it looks like in there. 56:00 You can't abide somewhere 56:02 unless you have already been put there. 56:06 It means, stay in me. 56:10 When Christ was baptized, 56:12 Ellen White says, and the scripture says, 56:16 "You were in Him, being baptized." 56:20 When we go down into the water now, 56:23 when we give our lives to the Lord, 56:25 it is a symbol. 56:27 It is saying, "Lord, I believe that I was in Him 56:32 back there 2000 years ago, 56:36 not only was I baptized 56:39 but when Christ won the victory... 56:43 Ellen White says, "So few Seventh-day Adventist 56:47 have any understanding of what took place 56:50 in the wilderness of temptation." 56:52 They don't make what happened to Christ their own. 56:58 The Bible says, 56:59 "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory." 57:03 When did He give us the victory? 57:05 We are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. 57:10 Christ is our victory, 57:13 our righteousness, our wisdom, 57:16 our justification, our glorification... 57:19 It's all Him. 57:22 And as we realize that, our hearts are broken, 57:28 pride is expelled, 57:31 and there's a love that is given to us 57:34 that nothing can extinguish. 57:37 Ellen White says, 57:38 "It's love that begets love, not fear." 57:43 So when you are looking at your son, 57:46 or your daughter, or your wife, or the drunkard on the street 57:49 or the girl that just got caught 57:51 and she's had an abortion or whatever, 57:53 you got to say, "God loves you." 57:58 He chose you in Christ Jesus 58:01 before the foundation of the world. 58:05 Amen! |
Revised 2019-02-25