Welcome to Anchors of Truth,
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from the 3ABN Worship Center
and the Fresno Central Church.
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Truths that
Matter with Stephen Bohr.
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Welcome to Anchors Of Truth.
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And this is the third in a
series by Pastor Stephen Bohr.
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The series is entitled,
Truths That Matter, Danny.
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And last night, he talked about
Wiping Out The IOU's, part 1.
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And tonight, Wiping
Out The IOU's, part 2.
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And we're excited
about this message.
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Pastor Bohr always
has something interesting.
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You've known him a long
time, haven't you Danny.
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You know, I have. We actually...
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I only went to Academy one year.
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I went in
1967-68, I was a Junior.
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My cousins talked me into
going to Wisconsin Academy.
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Though I loved Academy
and I loved Academy life,
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I didn't realize how
cold it was in Wisconsin.
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And I worked on the farm.
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So I got up at 2 o'clock every
morning and went to the farm.
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But I met Stephen Bohr there.
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Stephen, I think, was a Senior.
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May have been a Junior,
but I believe he was one year
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ahead of me there.
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And I want to tell you
something about Stephen Bohr.
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Even as an Academy kid...
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Like, I got into trouble.
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Now I didn't do mean
things, but I was always...
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- Mischievous. - Yea.
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Always doing stuff when I
shouldn't be or suppose to
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be in my room, and
I'm outside pole vaulting
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or something with my cousin.
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You know we do those things.
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But Steve was very
studious, very kind, made really
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good grades, concentrated, knew
where he wanted to go in life
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even as a 16 and
17 year old young man.
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And so I always had a
great deal of respect.
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And then later, Stephen
Bohr actually would preach
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for a little while here
in West Frankfort at the
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West Frankfort Seventh-day
Adventist Church years later.
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But during that time,
that was in the 70's, I was in
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Michigan for four years.
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And so I've known
Steve for a long time.
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I have a great
amount of respect for him.
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And as you know, as far as
viewers from around the world,
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with Steve, we get more
comments, positive comments,
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about his preaching
and standing for truth
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as many or more than
almost anybody we have on 3ABN.
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Very, very true.
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And he has continued
to be the kind of person
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that stands for
that which is right.
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I understand about
that being mischievous
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when you're in Academy.
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I've got a feeling you
didn't have any of those.
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Some of my friends actually
remember it as worse than I do.
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But usually it's just cranks
and pranks and things like that.
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You know, as young
guys, you like playing.
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And so sometimes when you're
suppose to be in sleeping,
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in bed sleeping,
you're outside or you're up in
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somebody else's room.
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Right, or you're short
sheeting somebody's bed.
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Or you're doing something
like that to have fun in school.
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Well we did, we had a good time.
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And Steve is a great
guy, Pastor Stephen Bohr.
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And you know, some people
wonder about these speakers.
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Are they in full time
ministry? Does he travel?
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He actually has a
church, he pastors a church.
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Yet, he's able to do
work around the world.
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And he also doesn't
just preach in English.
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No, he speaks in Spanish.
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In fact, this series is
being presented on 3ABN Latino
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in Spanish without translation
because he's able to preach
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in Spanish as well
as he does in English.
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- An amazing
gift. - It really is.
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One I don't have yet.
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Well, he's the speaker and
director of Secrets Unsealed.
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And he is much sought
after all around the world.
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Because people are very
anxious to find out what he
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understands on a subject.
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He's a great student.
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He really does spend a
lot of time in the Word.
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And he knows the Word
backwards and forwards.
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And he always has something
very interesting to present.
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A new approach to
something, a new idea,
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something you
haven't thought of before.
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Even when he's dealing
with truths that matter,
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or in other words, these
are truths that are extremely
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important for these last days.
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They're old familiar truths
to us, but they have a special
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emphasis in these last days that
it is so important to bring out.
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My Aunt Mildred use to
say, "I want to hear somebody
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tell me something I
didn't already know."
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She was a great
student of the Bible,
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"I want somebody
to tell me something
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I didn't already know."
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And I think Pastor Stephen
Bohr fits into that because I've
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heard him tell me,
teach me several things,
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many things in fact,
that I didn't already know.
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Well, he will do that.
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And Danny, right now I'm going
to request that you sing a song
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that I love, All My Praise.
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Thank You.
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All my praise, I
give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a
sanctuary deep within my heart,
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and all my praise
I offer up to You.
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I love You Lord, oh
how I love You Lord.
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I bare my heart and soul to You.
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I'm and empty broken
vessel filled with hurt
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and pain inside.
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Still I offer up
all my praise to You.
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Fill me Lord, oh
please fill me Lord
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with Your Holy Spirit.
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Fill me now.
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For I long for Your anointing
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that I may work for You.
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Fill me Lord,
touch me Lord just now.
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And all my praise, I
give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a sanctuary
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deep within my heart,
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oh and all my
praise I offer up to You.
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And all my praise
I offer up to You.
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Now, Stephen Bohr.
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Shall we pray.
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Loving heavenly Father, once
again we approach Your throne
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boldly in the name of Jesus,
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knowing that when we
pray in the name of Jesus,
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You hear and You answer.
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Father, as we conclude
part two of this very important
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presentation on the seal of
God, we ask for the guidance of
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Your Holy Spirit.
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Once again Lord, I ask
that You will open minds
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and You will open hearts.
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Help us to see the
truth as it is in Jesus.
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Help us, through
Your power, to remove all
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preconceived ideas and notions.
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And help us, Lord,
to hear only Your voice
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speaking through Your Word.
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And we thank You before
hand for hearing our prayer.
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For we ask it in the
precious name of Jesus, amen.
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In our last study, we were
discussing the issue of the
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seal of God in Scripture
as compared to what is stated
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by Ellen White in her writings.
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And we noticed in our
study that the Bible explains
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that the seal of
God is the Holy Spirit.
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But in the writings of
Ellen White, we find that she
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states repeatedly that the
seal of God is the Sabbath.
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And so how do we resolve
this apparent discrepancy?
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Well, we used three models
in our last study to try and
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explain that there
is no contradiction.
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We used the
model of circumcision,
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we used the model of baptism,
and we used also the story of
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the
phylacteries, if you remember.
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That was the last example
that we gave from Scripture.
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And we noticed that
simply you have an internal
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and an external.
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In the writings of Ellen White,
she is discussing primarily
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the external manifestation
of what the Bible refers to
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as the internal work of the
Holy Spirit in the human heart.
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Now we're going to
apply what we've studied
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in our last lecture,
and apply it to the Sabbath
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commandment,
today, more specifically.
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And so I invite you to
open your Bibles with me to
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Exodus chapter 20,
and we are going to read
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verses 8 through 11.
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This is the fourth
commandment of God's holy law,
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the law that God wrote with His
own finger there on Mount Sinai.
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Now notice it says there,
"Remember the Sabbath day,
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to keep it holy.
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Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
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In it you shall do no work: you,
nor your son, nor your daughter,
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nor your male servant, nor your
female servant, nor your cattle,
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nor your stranger
who is within your gates.
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For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth,
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the sea, and all that is in
them and rested the seventh day.
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Therefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day and hallowed it."
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Now, does God command us to
keep the Sabbath holy outwardly?
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He most certainly does.
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Does He prescribe what
is allowable and what is
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not allowable on the Sabbath, in
terms of our outward behavior?
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Absolutely.
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Was He serious when He
said that we must keep the
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Sabbath day holy outwardly?
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Absolutely.
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The text says, "Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
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Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
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In it you shall do no work."
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That is
referring to secular work.
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So God expects His
people to keep the Sabbath day
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holy outwardly; to
rest on that day and
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abstain from secular work.
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Now was God
serious about this external
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observance of the Sabbath?
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Was He serious about it?
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Notice Exodus chapter 31
and we'll read verses 14 and 15.
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This was a serious matter.
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As we noticed last night in
our study, when Moses failed to
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circumcise his son, God appeared
to him, through an angel,
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on the road and
threatened to... What?
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...to kill him.
00:13:08.78\00:13:09.94
It was a serious matter.
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It's no less serious when it
comes to the outward observance
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of the holy Sabbath.
00:13:15.65\00:13:17.00
It says there in
Exodus 31 verse 14,
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"You shall keep the Sabbath,
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therefore, for
it is holy to you.
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Everyone who profanes
it," listen carefully now,
00:13:26.31\00:13:31.02
"shall surely be..." What?
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"...put to death; for
whoever does any work on it,
00:13:33.42\00:13:36.73
that person shall be cut
off from among his people.
00:13:36.76\00:13:40.42
Work shall be done for six
days, but the seventh is the
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Sabbath of rest,
holy to the Lord.
00:13:44.81\00:13:48.67
Whoever does any
work on the Sabbath day,
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he shall surely
be put to death."
00:13:51.19\00:13:55.00
And you know
what some people say,
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Christians who don't
observe the Sabbath, they say,
00:13:57.77\00:14:00.36
"Well, if you apply
that principle then,
00:14:00.39\00:14:03.03
if people today don't keep
the Sabbath, then you have to
00:14:03.13\00:14:06.92
kill them, according
to what the Bible says.
00:14:06.95\00:14:09.95
But today we don't
live in a theocracy.
00:14:10.34\00:14:12.74
Today we live in a democracy.
00:14:12.77\00:14:14.97
And it makes a big difference."
00:14:15.19\00:14:16.96
For those who say that, they're
saying it's not really serious
00:14:16.99\00:14:19.80
to break the Sabbath anymore
because we don't kill people
00:14:19.83\00:14:22.31
for breaking the Sabbath.
00:14:22.34\00:14:23.86
Well, the law also said
that whoever committed adultery
00:14:23.89\00:14:28.06
was suppose to
be stoned to death.
00:14:28.09\00:14:29.59
So I suppose that because
we don't stone people to death,
00:14:29.62\00:14:31.82
then it's okay
to commit adultery.
00:14:31.85\00:14:33.47
It doesn't make any sense.
00:14:34.37\00:14:35.99
These are arguments
that appear to be plausible,
00:14:36.30\00:14:39.06
but they're not plausible
when you look at them carefully.
00:14:39.09\00:14:42.08
But now I want you to notice
that there's a deeper dimension
00:14:42.95\00:14:46.02
to Sabbath observance
than just the outward keeping
00:14:46.05\00:14:49.52
of the Sabbath; abstaining from
work, abstaining from certain
00:14:49.55\00:14:53.37
endeavors, secular
endeavors on the Sabbath.
00:14:53.40\00:14:56.10
In fact, the observance
of the seventh day Sabbath
00:14:56.73\00:15:01.10
is an external sign that
we have been made holy by God.
00:15:01.13\00:15:08.06
Notice what we find in
Exodus 31, we're there,
00:15:08.55\00:15:12.20
and verses 12 and 13.
00:15:12.23\00:15:14.33
Exodus 31 verses 12 and 13.
00:15:14.36\00:15:17.72
"And the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, 'Speak also to the
00:15:18.41\00:15:22.60
children of Israel,
saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths
00:15:22.63\00:15:27.21
you shall keep,
for it is a...'" What?
00:15:27.24\00:15:31.02
See the Sabbath observance is
a, "...sign between Me and you
00:15:31.30\00:15:36.52
throughout your
generations, that you may know
00:15:36.55\00:15:40.28
that I am the Lord who..." What?
00:15:40.31\00:15:42.93
"...who sanctifies you."
00:15:42.96\00:15:44.57
In other words, "You keep
the Sabbath so that you may know
00:15:44.61\00:15:47.63
that I am the Lord
who makes you..." What?
00:15:47.66\00:15:50.04
"...holy."
00:15:50.07\00:15:51.10
In other words, the
observance of the Sabbath was
00:15:51.13\00:15:54.10
a visible evidence that God had
separated Israel for Himself.
00:15:54.13\00:15:59.11
And that Israel
was to be... What?
00:15:59.14\00:16:01.94
...was to be holy.
00:16:01.97\00:16:03.57
Notice also Ezekiel chapter 20
and we'll read verses 12 and 20.
00:16:04.14\00:16:09.43
Ezekiel chapter 20
and verses 12 and 20.
00:16:09.46\00:16:13.27
Here once again, God
is speaking and He's says,
00:16:13.52\00:16:15.79
"Moreover I also gave them
My Sabbaths, to be a sign..."
00:16:15.82\00:16:21.00
See, there it is again.
00:16:21.03\00:16:22.12
"...a sign between them and
Me, that they might know that
00:16:22.15\00:16:26.05
I am the Lord who..." What?
00:16:26.08\00:16:28.43
"...who sanctifies them."
00:16:28.46\00:16:30.31
In other words,
that makes them holy.
00:16:30.34\00:16:32.11
And then it
continues saying in verse 20,
00:16:32.63\00:16:35.29
"Hallow My Sabbaths, and
they will be a sign between Me
00:16:35.32\00:16:40.71
and you, that you may know
that I am the Lord your God."
00:16:40.74\00:16:47.45
In other words, the observance
of the Sabbath was a visible
00:16:47.74\00:16:51.31
sign that Israel
belonged to the Lord.
00:16:51.34\00:16:55.02
The observance of the
Sabbath was an evidence that God
00:16:55.32\00:16:58.66
had made Israel... What?
00:16:58.69\00:17:00.70
...that God had
made Israel holy.
00:17:00.73\00:17:03.63
In other words, the Sabbath
did not make Israel holy.
00:17:04.11\00:17:07.51
The Sabbath revealed that they
had been made holy, or separated
00:17:07.54\00:17:12.25
for holiness, by God.
00:17:12.28\00:17:14.63
The external observance
of the Sabbath did not make
00:17:14.66\00:17:18.83
Israel holy, but rather
was to announce to the world
00:17:18.86\00:17:23.38
that God had made Israel holy.
00:17:23.41\00:17:26.18
In other words, it
was a sign of holiness.
00:17:26.21\00:17:29.10
It did not confer holiness.
00:17:29.13\00:17:32.67
Now here is a very
important question.
00:17:33.28\00:17:36.23
Who is it that
makes our heart holy?
00:17:36.99\00:17:41.80
Because the eternal observance
of the Sabbath is a sign that
00:17:42.47\00:17:45.86
God has made us holy.
00:17:45.89\00:17:47.13
Now the question is, who
is it that makes our heart
00:17:47.16\00:17:50.96
or our internal being
holy, of which the observance
00:17:50.99\00:17:54.62
of the Sabbath is
the external sign?
00:17:54.65\00:17:56.59
Actually, it is the Holy Spirit
who changes and transforms
00:17:57.44\00:18:02.76
the heart and makes us holy.
00:18:02.79\00:18:04.88
And the observance of the
Sabbath is simply the visible
00:18:05.15\00:18:08.42
announcement that the
Holy Spirit has made our heart,
00:18:08.45\00:18:12.42
has made our inner being holy.
00:18:12.45\00:18:15.21
Now let me share this with you.
00:18:15.91\00:18:17.25
In Exodus 31 and verse
18, we are told that after God
00:18:18.14\00:18:23.70
wrote the Ten Commandments
with His own... What?
00:18:23.73\00:18:28.64
...with His own finger, He gave
the tables of the law to Moses.
00:18:28.67\00:18:32.93
Now, this is the only thing
in the Bible that God wrote
00:18:33.13\00:18:36.11
with His own finger.
00:18:36.14\00:18:37.25
Because it was the
watchers that wrote on the wall
00:18:37.65\00:18:40.07
in Belshazzar's palace.
00:18:40.10\00:18:44.47
That was not God; it was
a watcher, it was an angel.
00:18:44.87\00:18:47.58
The only thing in the Bible that
God wrote with His own finger
00:18:47.61\00:18:50.73
was the Ten Commandments.
00:18:50.76\00:18:53.70
Now the question is, what
is the finger of God that wrote
00:18:53.73\00:18:56.94
the Ten Commandments?
00:18:56.97\00:18:58.19
Well, I'm just going
to mention these verses.
00:18:58.22\00:19:00.24
In Matthew
chapter 12 and verse 28,
00:19:00.96\00:19:04.33
we are told that Jesus cast
out demons by the Spirit of God.
00:19:04.36\00:19:10.46
In Matthew chapter 12
verse 28, we're told that Jesus
00:19:10.49\00:19:13.96
cast out demons
by the Spirit of God.
00:19:13.99\00:19:17.50
But Luke
expresses it differently.
00:19:17.90\00:19:20.52
In Luke chapter 11 verse
20, the good doctor, Luke,
00:19:20.91\00:19:26.17
tells us that Jesus cast
out demons by the finger of God.
00:19:26.20\00:19:33.11
So what is the conclusion?
00:19:33.38\00:19:35.41
If Matthew says that He cast
out demons by the Spirit of God
00:19:35.44\00:19:39.73
and Luke says that He cast
out demons by the finger of God,
00:19:39.76\00:19:43.01
what is the finger of God?
00:19:43.04\00:19:45.32
The finger of
God is the... What?
00:19:45.35\00:19:47.84
...is the Holy Spirit.
00:19:47.87\00:19:49.51
So who wrote
the Ten Commandments
00:19:49.54\00:19:51.66
on tables of stone?
00:19:51.69\00:19:53.28
It was the Holy Spirit.
00:19:53.31\00:19:55.58
And now I'd like to
ask you the question,
00:19:55.61\00:19:57.44
who is it that
writes the Ten Commandments
00:19:57.47\00:20:00.99
on the tables of our hearts?
00:20:01.02\00:20:03.31
It is the same Holy Spirit that
wrote them on tables of stone.
00:20:04.04\00:20:08.67
Because in Jeremiah
chapter 31 verses 31 to 33,
00:20:09.20\00:20:12.80
we're told that the Holy Spirit
will write God's commandments
00:20:12.83\00:20:16.77
and laws in our
hearts and in our... What?
00:20:16.80\00:20:19.53
...in our minds.
00:20:19.56\00:20:20.59
That is the internal.
00:20:20.62\00:20:22.18
But the external is the
observance of the Sabbath
00:20:22.21\00:20:25.38
as a sign that
God has sanctified
00:20:25.41\00:20:28.79
or made our heart holy.
00:20:28.82\00:20:30.35
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:20:30.38\00:20:31.89
Now notice John
chapter 17 and verse 17.
00:20:31.92\00:20:35.38
Let's pursue this issue of
who is it that makes us holy,
00:20:35.41\00:20:40.35
of which the Sabbath,
the external observance
00:20:40.38\00:20:42.87
of the Sabbath, is a visible
sign or a visible announcement.
00:20:42.90\00:20:47.43
Notice John
chapter 17 and verse 17.
00:20:48.03\00:20:51.36
Here Jesus is
speaking and He says,
00:20:51.39\00:20:53.37
"Sanctify them by Your truth.
00:20:53.40\00:20:56.76
Your..." What?
"Your word is truth."
00:20:56.79\00:21:01.47
So here we're told in John
17 and verse 17 that the Word
00:21:01.50\00:21:05.42
of God is truth.
00:21:05.45\00:21:07.26
Now the word of
God is whose sword?
00:21:07.29\00:21:10.03
I think you know this.
00:21:11.83\00:21:13.21
Whose sword is the word of God?
00:21:13.24\00:21:15.61
In Ephesians 6:17,
it says that the sword
00:21:15.64\00:21:19.01
of the Spirit is... what?
00:21:19.04\00:21:20.77
...is the word of God.
00:21:20.80\00:21:22.37
Now, so what does
the word of God do?
00:21:22.40\00:21:24.96
The word of God... What?
00:21:25.36\00:21:27.17
...sanctifies us. Right?
00:21:27.20\00:21:29.87
"Sanctify them by Your
truth. Your word is truth."
00:21:29.90\00:21:33.68
And who is behind the
Word sanctifying the heart?
00:21:33.71\00:21:36.95
It's the Holy Spirit,
because the Word is the sword
00:21:36.98\00:21:40.39
of the Holy Spirit.
00:21:40.42\00:21:41.64
Now John 16 and verse
13 amplifies this point.
00:21:41.67\00:21:46.07
It says, "However, when
He, the Spirit of truth..."
00:21:46.47\00:21:52.13
What is the Holy Spirit called?
00:21:52.16\00:21:53.47
The Spirit of what? Truth.
00:21:53.50\00:21:54.97
And what is God's word?
00:21:55.00\00:21:56.24
God's word is truth.
00:21:56.65\00:21:58.33
So it says, "However, when He,
the Spirit of truth, has come,
00:21:58.68\00:22:01.73
He will guide
you into all truth;
00:22:01.76\00:22:04.68
for He will not
speak on His own authority,
00:22:04.71\00:22:08.55
but whatever He
hears He will speak;
00:22:08.58\00:22:11.00
and He will tell
you things to come."
00:22:11.03\00:22:13.26
So who is it that
sanctifies the human heart,
00:22:13.66\00:22:17.69
or makes the human heart holy?
00:22:17.72\00:22:19.70
It is the Holy Spirit.
00:22:20.10\00:22:21.90
The Holy Spirit who
wrote the Ten Commandments
00:22:21.93\00:22:24.51
on tables of stone is
also the agent that writes
00:22:24.54\00:22:28.60
the law of God
on our human hearts.
00:22:28.63\00:22:32.59
Now go with me to Ezekiel
chapter 36 and verses 26 and 27,
00:22:32.62\00:22:37.76
amplifying this point
of the internal experience
00:22:37.79\00:22:41.59
and the external
obedience that comes as a result
00:22:41.62\00:22:45.26
of that experience.
00:22:45.29\00:22:46.61
Ezekiel 36 and verses 26 and 27.
00:22:46.64\00:22:50.98
Here, God makes a
beautiful promise.
00:22:51.01\00:22:52.93
And notice what He says.
00:22:52.96\00:22:54.61
God says, "I will
give you a..." What?
00:22:58.71\00:23:02.29
"...a new heart
and put..." What?
00:23:02.32\00:23:05.74
"...a new spirit within you."
00:23:05.77\00:23:08.55
Does God promise
to change the inside?
00:23:08.58\00:23:11.61
He most certainly does.
00:23:11.64\00:23:13.05
He continues saying, "I
will take the heart of stone
00:23:13.76\00:23:17.41
out of your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh.
00:23:17.44\00:23:22.23
I will put My
Spirit within you..."
00:23:22.26\00:23:25.16
And now listen to
what the consequence is.
00:23:25.19\00:23:27.43
"I will put My Spirit within
you and cause you to..." What?
00:23:27.46\00:23:33.36
"...to walk in My
statutes, and you will keep My
00:23:33.39\00:23:38.38
judgments and do them."
00:23:38.41\00:23:39.91
What is the external
evidence that the Holy Spirit
00:23:39.94\00:23:42.75
has worked upon the human heart
and sanctified the human heart?
00:23:42.78\00:23:45.98
It is what? Obedience.
00:23:46.01\00:23:48.98
In other words, after saying,
"I'll give you a new heart,
00:23:49.01\00:23:51.95
I'll put a new
spirit within you,"
00:23:51.98\00:23:53.77
and once again He says, "I
will put My Spirit within you,"
00:23:53.80\00:23:57.12
He says, "and I will
cause you to walk in My statutes
00:23:57.15\00:24:00.76
and you will keep My
judgments and do them."
00:24:00.79\00:24:03.33
So what is Sabbath observance?
00:24:03.53\00:24:05.62
Sabbath observance is
simply the external experience
00:24:05.65\00:24:10.60
of what has taken
place in the human heart.
00:24:10.63\00:24:13.45
It kind of reminds me
of what Jesus once said.
00:24:13.73\00:24:17.50
He said, "You can't
see the Holy Spirit,
00:24:17.53\00:24:20.17
like you can't see the wind.
00:24:20.92\00:24:23.50
But you can see the
effects of the Holy Spirit."
00:24:23.53\00:24:26.90
You can see the effects of
the wind, because the wind,
00:24:26.93\00:24:30.00
for example, moves
the leaves of the trees.
00:24:30.03\00:24:32.48
You can't see the wind
but you can see that which
00:24:32.51\00:24:34.86
the wind causes.
00:24:34.89\00:24:36.26
In the same way, the Holy
Spirit comes and sanctifies
00:24:36.29\00:24:39.34
the human heart,
makes the human heart holy.
00:24:39.37\00:24:41.66
And the visible evidence of
that, the seal or sign of that,
00:24:41.69\00:24:46.16
is the observance of... What?
00:24:46.19\00:24:48.74
...the observance of
the seventh day Sabbath.
00:24:48.77\00:24:51.41
Ellen White, in the devotional
book, In Heavenly Places,
00:24:51.84\00:24:55.65
page 66, had this to say.
00:24:55.68\00:24:58.50
See, she understood
also that the Holy Spirit
00:24:58.53\00:25:02.26
is the sealing agent.
00:25:02.29\00:25:04.73
She understood that,
and that the Sabbath is the
00:25:04.76\00:25:06.99
external visible
manifestation of that.
00:25:07.02\00:25:09.73
She says:
00:25:10.13\00:25:11.16
Is she talking
about the seal? Yes or no?
00:25:34.28\00:25:36.21
Absolutely.
00:25:36.24\00:25:37.27
But now notice her explanation.
00:25:37.30\00:25:38.90
Is she saying here that
the seal is the Holy Spirit?
00:25:54.82\00:25:58.24
She most certainly is.
00:25:58.45\00:25:59.59
I thought she said that
the Sabbath was the seal.
00:25:59.62\00:26:02.47
Well you see, she
understood the same thing
00:26:02.50\00:26:05.06
that the Bible describes.
00:26:05.09\00:26:06.42
And that is, that the
internal invisible experience
00:26:06.45\00:26:10.11
is exhibited by the external
observance of God's Sabbath.
00:26:10.14\00:26:14.30
The external is the evidence
of the internal, in other words.
00:26:14.33\00:26:18.21
In another statement that
we find in Selected Messages,
00:26:18.24\00:26:21.29
Volume 1 and page 336, she
compares the sealing with wax.
00:26:21.32\00:26:28.03
She says this:
00:26:28.06\00:26:29.09
So once again, she identifies
the seal with the Holy Spirit.
00:26:43.74\00:26:46.91
So is Ellen White talking
out of both sides of her mouth?
00:26:46.94\00:26:49.85
Is Ellen White just confused
on this, and sometimes she says
00:26:49.88\00:26:53.62
that the seal is the Holy Spirit
and sometimes she says that
00:26:53.65\00:26:56.22
the seal is the Sabbath? No.
00:26:56.25\00:26:57.47
You see, the Sabbath is
the external sign that the
00:26:57.50\00:27:01.44
Holy Spirit has
made our heart holy.
00:27:01.47\00:27:04.63
Are you following me or not?
00:27:04.66\00:27:06.07
Now Ellen White
constantly, in her writings,
00:27:06.66\00:27:10.67
makes it very clear that the
Sabbath is not an end in itself;
00:27:10.70\00:27:15.72
that observance of the Sabbath
does not confer holiness.
00:27:16.62\00:27:20.50
Observance of the
Sabbath does not make us holy,
00:27:20.53\00:27:23.14
it does not earn us salvation.
00:27:23.17\00:27:25.43
It is an outward sign
of an inward experience
00:27:25.46\00:27:29.42
produced in our
life by the Holy Spirit.
00:27:29.45\00:27:32.40
I'm going to read now several
statements where Ellen White
00:27:32.43\00:27:34.89
makes this clear.
00:27:34.92\00:27:36.38
She, like the Bible, says
that the Sabbath is a sign,
00:27:36.41\00:27:40.83
it is a token, it's an evidence,
it is a visible manifestation.
00:27:40.86\00:27:46.77
In other words, it's
simply the outside announcement
00:27:46.80\00:27:50.06
of inward holiness.
00:27:50.09\00:27:52.30
Now in the book, Patriarchs
And Prophets, page 307,
00:27:52.33\00:27:56.88
Ellen White stated this.
00:27:56.91\00:27:58.27
And I'm going to read several
statements because they're
00:27:58.30\00:28:00.60
very very meaningful, and they
show that Ellen White understood
00:28:00.63\00:28:03.62
that the Sabbath was only a
sign, the Sabbath was a token.
00:28:03.65\00:28:07.07
It was not an end in itself.
00:28:07.10\00:28:08.67
It was an exhibition visibly
of the fact that Israel had been
00:28:08.70\00:28:13.90
separated as holy to the Lord.
00:28:13.93\00:28:16.16
Patriarchs And
Prophets, page 307.
00:28:16.19\00:28:18.46
Why does the Sabbath
distinguish the true God
00:28:28.03\00:28:30.17
from all false gods?
00:28:30.20\00:28:31.57
Because the Sabbath
points to God as what?
00:28:32.30\00:28:34.23
The Creator.
00:28:34.26\00:28:35.33
Is that the distinguishing
mark between the true God
00:28:35.36\00:28:37.69
and all false gods?
00:28:37.72\00:28:38.88
Absolutely.
00:28:38.91\00:28:39.97
So she says, "Pointing to
God as the Maker of the heavens
00:28:40.00\00:28:43.24
and the earth, the Sabbath
distinguishes the true God
00:28:43.27\00:28:46.02
from all false gods."
00:28:46.05\00:28:47.32
And now listen to this.
00:28:47.35\00:28:48.39
Signify comes from sign. Right?
00:28:54.10\00:28:56.25
What is the Sabbath?
00:29:17.52\00:29:18.80
The Sabbath is a sign.
00:29:18.83\00:29:21.64
Another statement we
find in The Great Controversy,
00:29:22.57\00:29:25.28
page 605, she's talking about
the Sabbath as the final test,
00:29:25.31\00:29:29.78
the final issue that will
separate humanity on earth.
00:29:29.81\00:29:33.02
So what is the
observance of Sunday?
00:30:04.32\00:30:06.18
It's an avowal of allegiance to
the power that changed the day.
00:30:06.21\00:30:09.66
Are you following me or not?
00:30:10.43\00:30:11.78
In other words, the
issue is not the day.
00:30:11.81\00:30:14.09
The issue is; by keeping
the wrong day, we're following
00:30:14.12\00:30:17.01
the authority
who changed the day.
00:30:17.04\00:30:18.86
She continues saying, once
again, going back a little bit,
00:30:19.22\00:30:25.03
"Contrary to the
fourth commandment, will be an
00:30:25.06\00:30:27.71
avowal of allegiance to a power
that is in opposition to God..."
00:30:27.74\00:30:32.44
She says, on the other side...
00:30:32.47\00:30:34.30
What is evidence?
00:30:44.03\00:30:45.74
It's something
you can see. Right?
00:30:46.20\00:30:47.95
"...the evidence of
loyalty to the Creator.
00:30:48.40\00:30:50.78
While one class, by
accepting the sign of
00:30:50.81\00:30:54.34
submission to earthly powers..."
00:30:54.37\00:30:55.70
What is that
visible sign of submission
00:30:55.73\00:30:57.51
to the earthly powers?
00:30:57.54\00:30:58.60
The observance of Sunday.
00:30:58.63\00:31:00.15
She says, "...receive the
mark of the beast, the other,
00:31:00.18\00:31:03.38
choosing the token of
allegiance to divine authority,
00:31:03.41\00:31:08.33
receive the seal of God."
00:31:08.36\00:31:10.46
So what is the Sabbath?
00:31:10.66\00:31:12.34
The Sabbath is a token.
00:31:12.79\00:31:14.51
The Sabbath is a sign.
00:31:14.54\00:31:16.57
It's an avowal of
allegiance to God.
00:31:16.87\00:31:21.09
Now there's another
statement that we find in the
00:31:21.83\00:31:23.82
Seventh-day Adventist
Bible Commentary, Volume 7,
00:31:23.85\00:31:26.52
and page 970.
00:31:26.55\00:31:28.30
She says:
00:31:28.33\00:31:29.55
Is it visible to the
world, the mark of distinction?
00:31:51.77\00:31:54.31
Absolutely.
00:31:54.34\00:31:55.54
It's that simple.
00:32:02.72\00:32:03.91
In another
statement, this is a short one,
00:32:04.31\00:32:06.44
The Great
Controversy, page 438, she says:
00:32:06.47\00:32:09.31
Let me ask you, when you pledge
allegiance to the flag of the
00:32:14.74\00:32:17.45
United States of America,
is that an external act?
00:32:17.48\00:32:20.97
What is that manifesting?
00:32:21.44\00:32:23.01
It's manifesting that in
your heart, you have patriotism.
00:32:23.04\00:32:26.83
Right?
00:32:26.86\00:32:27.89
Is that a visible manifestation
of patriotism when you
00:32:28.34\00:32:32.72
cross your heart and say, "I
pledge allegiance to the flag
00:32:32.75\00:32:35.20
of the United
States of America."
00:32:35.23\00:32:36.54
It's an external act.
00:32:36.57\00:32:37.75
But really, it's revealing
something that's in your heart;
00:32:38.13\00:32:41.16
your patriotism.
00:32:41.19\00:32:42.75
The flag is simply a
symbol, an external symbol,
00:32:43.43\00:32:48.12
that you are loyal to the
country that you belong to.
00:32:48.15\00:32:52.17
Now she continues
saying in Selected Messages,
00:32:52.20\00:32:55.05
Volume 3, page 256:
00:32:55.08\00:32:57.15
In other words, when they
kept the Sabbath, they were
00:33:26.44\00:33:28.30
announcing visibly to the
world, "We serve the Creator
00:33:28.33\00:33:32.10
of the heavens and the earth."
00:33:32.13\00:33:33.77
Manuscript
Releases, Volume 5, page 86.
00:33:34.27\00:33:37.28
See, she constantly says that
the Sabbath is just a token,
00:33:37.31\00:33:39.73
it's a sign, it
reveals what power we follow.
00:33:39.76\00:33:44.62
It's not an end in itself.
00:33:44.65\00:33:46.90
Manuscript Releases,
Volume 5, page 86, she says:
00:33:46.93\00:33:50.70
What does it
mean to demonstrate?
00:34:04.28\00:34:06.35
It means to... What?...to show.
00:34:06.38\00:34:08.61
What is it that shows
that we are God's people.
00:34:08.64\00:34:11.25
Keeping the sign of
God's seventh day Sabbath.
00:34:12.52\00:34:16.19
Manuscript
Releases, Volume 11, page 18.
00:34:16.92\00:34:19.53
I could read statements
from Ellen White all night
00:34:19.56\00:34:21.59
where she says this.
00:34:21.62\00:34:22.65
One final statement, Spirit
Of Prophecy, Volume 2, page 193.
00:34:29.08\00:34:33.07
You know, when we
leave our homes real early on
00:35:01.63\00:35:04.90
Sabbath morning dressed up fit
to kill, to use the expression,
00:35:04.93\00:35:09.60
the neighbor's look out
the window and they say,
00:35:09.63\00:35:12.04
"Where in the world
are these people going on a
00:35:12.07\00:35:14.87
Saturday
morning all dressed up?"
00:35:14.90\00:35:17.47
It gives us an
opportunity to tell them,
00:35:17.85\00:35:20.06
"I serve the Creator of
the heavens and the earth.
00:35:20.09\00:35:22.88
And the external visible
evidence of that is I keep
00:35:22.91\00:35:25.94
God's holy Sabbath.
00:35:25.97\00:35:27.35
He has separated me as
one of His holy followers."
00:35:27.38\00:35:31.70
Is the visible
evidence extremely important?
00:35:32.00\00:35:34.75
It most certainly is.
00:35:34.78\00:35:36.65
Ellen White understood that the
Sabbath is a deeper experience
00:35:36.68\00:35:41.69
than just keeping
an external day holy.
00:35:41.72\00:35:44.65
She did emphasize that keeping
the day is a sign or a token,
00:35:44.68\00:35:48.98
a visible outward manifestation,
that we have been made holy,
00:35:49.01\00:35:53.05
that we are God's people.
00:35:53.08\00:35:54.72
But she understood
that the Sabbath has also
00:35:54.75\00:35:57.02
a deeper dimension.
00:35:57.05\00:35:58.48
Let me read you three statements
from the pen of Ellen White
00:35:58.91\00:36:01.94
on the deeper dimension of
the Sabbath as the seal of God.
00:36:01.97\00:36:05.28
This statement is
found in Signs Of The Times,
00:36:06.26\00:36:08.84
February 13, 1896.
00:36:08.87\00:36:11.94
Notice, she understood that this
commandment cannot be fulfilled
00:36:31.73\00:36:34.63
without something
happening in the heart.
00:36:34.66\00:36:36.78
So if you keep the
Sabbath, what is the motivating
00:36:47.78\00:36:50.50
factor of the Sabbath?
00:36:50.53\00:36:51.67
Love for God and love
for our fellow human beings.
00:36:51.70\00:36:54.60
And who plants
that in or hearts?
00:36:54.63\00:36:56.71
It is the Holy Spirits
that plants the love of God.
00:36:57.15\00:37:00.27
The Bible says that the
Holy Spirit has poured the
00:37:00.30\00:37:02.70
love of God into our hearts.
00:37:02.73\00:37:05.38
In another statement that we
find in the Review And Herald,
00:37:05.71\00:37:08.10
May 21, 1895, Ellen While says:
00:37:08.13\00:37:12.26
Isn't that interesting.
00:37:22.87\00:37:24.16
Just the mere external
observance of the Sabbath
00:37:24.19\00:37:26.69
is not going to get
you the seal of God.
00:37:26.72\00:37:28.69
In order to have the
seal of God, she says what?
00:37:29.31\00:37:32.77
That we must have
likeness to Christ in... What?
00:37:32.80\00:37:36.09
...in Character.
00:37:36.12\00:37:37.15
And that's something
that happens internally
00:37:37.18\00:37:39.41
in our hearts.
00:37:39.44\00:37:40.48
Now I want to give you a
statement before we go to
00:37:40.51\00:37:43.40
the times of Jesus to understand
this a little bit better.
00:37:43.43\00:37:46.26
I want to give you one final
statement where Ellen White
00:37:46.29\00:37:48.81
relates the two ideas together;
the internal and the external.
00:37:48.84\00:37:52.80
This statement is found in
Testimonies For The Church,
00:37:53.25\00:37:55.75
Volume 8, page 117.
00:37:55.78\00:37:58.39
The seal is... What?...revealed.
00:38:12.85\00:38:15.71
So where is the seal placed?
00:38:16.01\00:38:18.80
Before we observe the
Sabbath as the seal of God,
00:38:19.26\00:38:22.46
where is the seal of God placed?
00:38:22.49\00:38:24.36
It is placed in the heart.
00:38:24.76\00:38:26.13
By whom?
00:38:26.16\00:38:27.36
By the Holy Spirit.
00:38:27.39\00:38:28.59
So she says, "The sign or
seal," that's the external,
00:38:28.62\00:38:31.47
"of God is revealed
in the observance of the
00:38:31.50\00:38:35.57
seventh day Sabbath, the
Lord's memorial of creation."
00:38:35.60\00:38:38.87
Now in order to understand
this better, this idea of
00:38:38.90\00:38:41.44
the internal work of the
Holy Spirit and the Sabbath as
00:38:41.47\00:38:44.33
the external sign of
that work of the Holy Spirit,
00:38:44.36\00:38:47.04
we need to go back to
the times of Jesus Christ.
00:38:47.07\00:38:50.14
The greatest controversies
that Jesus had in His day
00:38:50.55\00:38:54.43
with the Pharisees was
over Sabbath observance.
00:38:54.46\00:38:58.70
And unfortunately,
many Christians look at the
00:38:58.96\00:39:02.24
controversies of
Jesus with the Pharisees
00:39:02.27\00:39:04.43
and they believe that
Jesus was attacking the Sabbath,
00:39:04.46\00:39:06.90
or Jesus was doing
away with the Sabbath.
00:39:07.93\00:39:09.82
That is a misconception because
Jesus was not doing away with
00:39:11.10\00:39:14.18
the Bible Sabbath which He
made, because He was the Creator
00:39:14.21\00:39:16.69
according to John chapter 1.
00:39:16.72\00:39:18.27
He wasn't doing away
with His own commandment.
00:39:18.30\00:39:20.08
What Jesus was doing was, He was
trying to restore the Sabbath
00:39:20.11\00:39:24.45
to its original meaning that
had been ruined by the scribes
00:39:24.48\00:39:28.69
and by the Pharisees.
00:39:28.72\00:39:30.53
You know what the
problem of the Pharisees was?
00:39:31.21\00:39:33.30
They had everything
outside right, but it did not
00:39:33.77\00:39:37.05
come from a good inside.
00:39:37.08\00:39:38.85
They kept the Sabbath holy,
but their hearts were not holy.
00:39:40.33\00:39:43.66
Let me read you a passage
that expresses the problem.
00:39:44.81\00:39:47.18
Matthew 23 verses 25 to 28.
00:39:47.38\00:39:50.35
Here, Jesus is
pronouncing the woes on the
00:39:50.38\00:39:53.05
scribes and Pharisees.
00:39:53.08\00:39:54.20
Here Jesus says,
"Woe to you, scribes and
00:39:58.81\00:40:01.10
Pharisees, hypocrites!
00:40:01.13\00:40:02.80
For you cleanse the..." What?
00:40:02.83\00:40:04.76
Ah, notice, "...the outside of
the cup and dish, but..." What?
00:40:05.43\00:40:10.61
"...inside they are full of
extortion and self-indulgence.
00:40:11.01\00:40:15.86
Blind Pharisee, first cleanse
the inside of the cup and dish,
00:40:15.89\00:40:21.34
that the outside of
them may be clean also.
00:40:21.37\00:40:25.00
Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites!
00:40:25.03\00:40:27.79
For you are like
whitewashed tombs which indeed
00:40:27.82\00:40:31.25
appear beautiful..." What?
00:40:31.28\00:40:32.97
"...outwardly, but..." Where?
00:40:33.00\00:40:35.47
"...inside are full of dead
men's bones and all uncleanness.
00:40:35.50\00:40:41.17
Even so you also outwardly
appear righteous to men,
00:40:41.20\00:40:46.30
but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness."
00:40:46.33\00:40:51.20
What was the problem
that the Pharisees had?
00:40:51.74\00:40:53.51
Were they Sabbath keepers?
00:40:53.54\00:40:54.76
They kept the Sabbath much
more strictly than any of us,
00:40:56.56\00:40:58.95
I can assure you that.
00:40:58.98\00:41:00.15
They only walked
a certain distance.
00:41:00.69\00:41:02.43
They didn't look
into a mirror on Sabbath.
00:41:03.38\00:41:05.28
Especially a woman
because she might find a
00:41:05.31\00:41:07.04
gray hair and pluck it.
00:41:07.07\00:41:08.13
That was the sin of plucking.
00:41:08.16\00:41:09.61
I kid you not.
00:41:09.84\00:41:11.31
If there was a fire in
their household, they could only
00:41:12.00\00:41:15.62
save enough food for the meals
that remained that very day.
00:41:15.65\00:41:19.35
You couldn't jump
over a brook on the Sabbath
00:41:19.74\00:41:22.15
because if you fell
in the brook you might
00:41:22.18\00:41:24.40
fall into the sin
of wringing your robe.
00:41:24.43\00:41:27.37
I mean, they had all
kinds of rules and regulations.
00:41:27.90\00:41:30.14
If you had a prosthetic leg, you
had to remove it on the Sabbath
00:41:30.17\00:41:33.71
because you couldn't
bear a burden on the Sabbath.
00:41:33.74\00:41:36.14
You couldn't even have a pin
on your shirt, or on your robe,
00:41:36.17\00:41:41.17
on Sabbath because that was
bearing a burden on the Sabbath.
00:41:41.20\00:41:44.11
Now where does the
Bible say those things?
00:41:44.14\00:41:46.39
Nowhere.
00:41:46.42\00:41:47.46
These were traditions of
the scribes and Pharisees.
00:41:47.49\00:41:50.28
The Pharisees were
strict Sabbath keepers.
00:41:50.31\00:41:53.12
But their observance of
the Sabbath was worthless
00:41:53.15\00:41:55.69
because their
hearts were not sanctified,
00:41:55.72\00:41:58.63
their hearts were not holy.
00:41:58.66\00:41:59.93
You see, the inside has
to be in harmony with what?
00:42:00.23\00:42:03.37
With the
outside, and vice versa.
00:42:03.40\00:42:06.12
Let me give you an illustration.
00:42:06.51\00:42:08.26
Mark chapter 3 and
verses 1 through 7,
00:42:09.27\00:42:11.64
so you see what's going on here.
00:42:11.67\00:42:13.22
Mark chapter 3
verses 1 through 7.
00:42:13.25\00:42:16.51
This is one of the
Sabbath miracles of Jesus.
00:42:17.33\00:42:20.22
It says there, "And He
entered the synagogue again,
00:42:20.25\00:42:24.69
and a man was there
who had a withered hand.
00:42:24.72\00:42:27.84
So they watched Him closely,
whether He would heal him
00:42:28.64\00:42:32.56
on the Sabbath, so
that they might accuse Him."
00:42:32.59\00:42:35.69
No sin in
accusing on the Sabbath,
00:42:35.72\00:42:38.31
but it is a sin to heal.
00:42:38.34\00:42:39.88
Notice verse 3.
00:42:42.27\00:42:43.52
"And He said to
the man who had the
00:42:43.82\00:42:46.36
withered hand, 'Step forward.'"
00:42:46.39\00:42:47.86
In other words, "I'm
going to show everyone
00:42:47.89\00:42:49.14
what I'm going to do."
00:42:49.17\00:42:50.20
"Then He said to them,
'Is it lawful on the Sabbath
00:42:50.75\00:42:54.32
to do good or to do
evil, to save life or to kill?'
00:42:54.35\00:42:58.66
But they kept silent."
00:43:00.18\00:43:01.21
They were smart.
00:43:01.24\00:43:02.59
"And when He had looked
around at them with anger..."
00:43:03.75\00:43:06.40
This is the only reference
in the gospels where it says
00:43:06.43\00:43:08.81
that Jesus got angry.
00:43:08.84\00:43:10.45
This is not anger like we have.
00:43:10.48\00:43:12.61
This is called
righteous indignation.
00:43:12.64\00:43:15.06
So it says, "And when He
had looked around at them
00:43:16.35\00:43:18.57
with anger, being grieved by
the hardness of their hearts..."
00:43:18.60\00:43:22.63
Where was their problem?
00:43:22.66\00:43:24.05
Their problem
was with the heart.
00:43:24.56\00:43:26.43
"...He said to the man,
'Stretch out your hand.'
00:43:27.62\00:43:30.10
And he stretched it out,
and his hand was restored
00:43:30.13\00:43:33.39
as whole as the other."
00:43:33.42\00:43:34.84
And now notice the irony.
00:43:34.87\00:43:37.05
"Then the Pharisees went
out and immediately plotted
00:43:37.08\00:43:40.96
with the Herodians against Him,
how they might destroy Him."
00:43:40.99\00:43:45.99
It was a sin on
Sabbath to heal someone,
00:43:46.98\00:43:49.59
but it's okay to plan to
destroy someone and kill them.
00:43:49.62\00:43:53.27
You see, they had
the external right,
00:43:54.60\00:43:57.38
but the internal was wrong.
00:43:57.68\00:44:00.16
You see, you have to have both;
the work of the Holy Spirit
00:44:00.60\00:44:03.54
in the heart that leads
you to love God and your
00:44:03.57\00:44:06.38
fellow human being, and
then your Sabbath observance
00:44:06.41\00:44:09.23
will be acceptable
in the sight of God.
00:44:09.26\00:44:11.75
You have to have both.
00:44:11.78\00:44:13.14
Ellen White, in the
Desire Of Ages, page 286,
00:44:13.75\00:44:17.52
speaks about the manner of
the observance of the Sabbath
00:44:17.55\00:44:20.38
by the Pharisees.
00:44:20.41\00:44:21.44
She says:
00:44:21.47\00:44:22.54
In Desire Of
Ages, pages 283 and 284,
00:44:31.75\00:44:35.06
and I'm going to
read extensively now,
00:44:35.09\00:44:36.69
Ellen White is discussing how
the Pharisees kept the Sabbath
00:44:36.72\00:44:40.78
and how it was
not acceptable to God.
00:44:40.81\00:44:42.95
She says this:
00:44:42.98\00:44:44.38
Because it's the sign of
Christ as Creator and Redeemer.
00:45:07.86\00:45:10.78
She continues saying:
00:45:11.31\00:45:12.34
So was Jesus doing away with the
Sabbath by healing on Sabbath?
00:46:05.68\00:46:09.07
No, He was restoring the
Sabbath to its original...
00:46:09.10\00:46:12.05
...meaning.
00:46:12.88\00:46:14.51
Now she continues saying
on page 284 of Desire of Ages.
00:46:14.80\00:46:19.28
What does that mean, "designate
them as His worshipers"?
00:46:37.78\00:46:40.72
That people could...
What?...could see it.
00:46:40.75\00:46:43.83
That's right.
00:46:43.86\00:46:44.89
She continues saying:
00:46:45.16\00:46:46.24
That's profound.
00:47:03.80\00:47:04.89
So what comes first;
keeping the Sabbath holy,
00:47:05.76\00:47:08.20
or the Holy Spirit
making your heart holy?
00:47:08.23\00:47:10.00
The Holy Spirit
making your heart holy.
00:47:10.80\00:47:12.82
Or else your Sabbath
observance is worthless.
00:47:13.22\00:47:15.32
She says:
00:47:15.35\00:47:16.38
You see, the Sabbath as a
sign of Christ's righteousness,
00:47:44.00\00:47:46.81
to glorify Him, had become a
sign of their own righteousness
00:47:46.84\00:47:51.08
to glorify them.
00:47:51.11\00:47:52.42
Their Sabbath made
them mean, intolerant,
00:47:52.45\00:47:55.96
spirited,
judgmental, and arrogant.
00:47:55.99\00:47:59.90
As if they were
holier than everybody else.
00:48:00.20\00:48:03.32
You know I find it interesting
today, that there are
00:48:03.35\00:48:06.45
enemies of the Sabbath
within the Christian world,
00:48:06.48\00:48:09.30
and more particularly,
people who have left the
00:48:09.33\00:48:11.73
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:48:11.76\00:48:13.01
There's one I'm thinking
of in particular who's name
00:48:13.04\00:48:15.43
I'm not going to mention.
00:48:15.46\00:48:16.78
And basically, he says,
"You know, I don't have to keep
00:48:16.81\00:48:19.78
the Sabbath holy.
00:48:19.81\00:48:20.89
I don't have to go
to church on Sabbath
00:48:20.92\00:48:22.57
and keep the Sabbath holy."
00:48:22.60\00:48:23.63
He says, "Because
Jesus is my Sabbath.
00:48:23.66\00:48:26.68
You see, Jesus said,
'Come unto Me all you who labor
00:48:27.53\00:48:31.60
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.'
00:48:31.63\00:48:33.75
So Jesus gives me
His rest in my heart."
00:48:34.00\00:48:37.28
Would you agree with that?
00:48:38.54\00:48:39.77
So only the internal is
important, not the external?
00:48:40.88\00:48:43.64
Have we found that the
external visible manifestation
00:48:43.67\00:48:46.82
is just as
important as the internal?
00:48:46.85\00:48:48.67
You know, I'd like to ask
this particular individual;
00:48:49.07\00:48:51.62
Do you believe people really
need to get baptized in water?
00:48:51.65\00:48:54.90
Or is it enough just to
say, "Oh, I believe in Jesus
00:48:56.62\00:48:59.45
and Jesus has
cleansed my heart."
00:48:59.48\00:49:01.65
I know that he would say,
"Oh no, God expects your heart
00:49:02.16\00:49:05.37
to be clean, but He expects you
to be baptized in the water."
00:49:05.40\00:49:09.12
I'll bet if you asked
this individual today,
00:49:10.01\00:49:12.13
"Do you really think that it's
necessary to gather together
00:49:12.16\00:49:15.05
for communion and to
eat a little piece of bread
00:49:15.08\00:49:18.06
and to drink a
little cup of grape juice?
00:49:18.09\00:49:20.47
Do you really
think that's necessary
00:49:20.50\00:49:22.15
when you really understand
in your heart what the
00:49:22.18\00:49:24.59
bread represents and what
the grape juice represents?
00:49:24.62\00:49:28.11
Why go through the external form
00:49:28.14\00:49:30.34
if we understand in
our hearts what Jesus did?"
00:49:30.44\00:49:33.07
And if you went a
step further and said,
00:49:33.76\00:49:35.47
"Do you really think that
somebody has to get married
00:49:35.50\00:49:37.90
in an official visible ceremony?
00:49:37.93\00:49:40.08
Isn't it enough to love
each other in their heart?"
00:49:40.11\00:49:42.81
I'm sure that he would
say, "No way, you have to have
00:49:43.20\00:49:45.92
the external ceremony."
00:49:45.95\00:49:47.10
But when it comes to
the Sabbath, they say,
00:49:47.13\00:49:49.04
"Oh now, Jesus is my
Sabbath. Jesus is my rest.
00:49:49.07\00:49:52.87
He has come into my
heart to give me my rest."
00:49:52.90\00:49:56.18
Does that exonerate us
from keeping the external day
00:49:56.21\00:49:59.51
of the Sabbath to
announce to the world that Jesus
00:49:59.54\00:50:02.50
has given us His rest?
00:50:02.53\00:50:04.60
Absolutely not.
00:50:04.63\00:50:06.57
Do you know that Ellen
White says that some people
00:50:07.44\00:50:09.90
who externally keep the
Sabbath are going to be lost?
00:50:09.93\00:50:12.78
Because some people say, "Oh
Ellen White, she was a legalist.
00:50:13.68\00:50:16.33
You know, she believed
that by keeping the Sabbath,
00:50:16.36\00:50:18.87
you would be saved."
00:50:18.90\00:50:19.93
That's what the Christian
world accuses Ellen White
00:50:19.96\00:50:21.97
and Adventists of believing.
00:50:22.00\00:50:23.03
We've never believed
that by keeping the Sabbath
00:50:23.06\00:50:25.04
we become holy, or God
is going to save us because
00:50:25.07\00:50:27.60
we keep the Sabbath.
00:50:27.63\00:50:28.70
We believe that
God has made us holy,
00:50:28.73\00:50:30.57
He separated us for Him, and
therefore we keep the Sabbath.
00:50:30.60\00:50:33.35
The Sabbath is the fruit,
it's not the root of salvation.
00:50:34.26\00:50:37.78
In other words, faith that does
not work is not true... What?
00:50:38.22\00:50:42.85
...is not true faith.
00:50:42.88\00:50:44.23
Ellen White said this
about the mere external
00:50:44.26\00:50:48.10
observance of the Sabbath.
00:50:48.13\00:50:49.54
Spiritual Gifts,
Volume 4, page 95.
00:50:50.12\00:50:52.69
Was she right?
00:51:16.47\00:51:17.56
Absolutely.
00:51:17.98\00:51:19.11
She relates the
internal with the external.
00:51:19.14\00:51:22.07
In another place,
Letter 191, 1899, she says:
00:51:22.58\00:51:27.43
Did she understand the
internal and the external?
00:51:50.19\00:51:52.46
Did she understand that it's
not having the rest of Christ
00:51:52.56\00:51:54.96
in the heart and
not keeping the Sabbath,
00:51:54.99\00:51:56.95
or keeping the Sabbath and not
having the rest in the heart?
00:51:56.98\00:52:00.45
Did she understand the
proper relationship between
00:52:00.48\00:52:02.77
the internal and the external?
00:52:02.80\00:52:04.42
Absolutely.
00:52:04.45\00:52:05.53
You see, external
observance without the internal
00:52:05.56\00:52:08.52
experience is unacceptable.
00:52:08.55\00:52:10.94
And the internal experience,
so called, and saying,
00:52:10.97\00:52:14.62
"I don't have to
keep the Sabbath,"
00:52:14.65\00:52:16.20
is also unacceptable to God.
00:52:16.23\00:52:18.51
The observance of the
Sabbath is the visible evidence
00:52:19.04\00:52:21.67
that God has made my
heart holy through the internal
00:52:21.70\00:52:25.78
work of the Holy Spirit.
00:52:25.81\00:52:27.18
So was Ellen Write right
when she said that the Sabbath
00:52:27.53\00:52:30.25
is the seal of God
or the sign of God?
00:52:30.28\00:52:32.57
Was she also right when
she said that the Holy Spirit
00:52:32.60\00:52:35.39
is the seal or the
sign that impresses God's
00:52:35.42\00:52:38.31
character in our hearts?
00:52:38.34\00:52:39.47
Yes, it's not
either or. It's both and.
00:52:39.50\00:52:42.74
Allow me to end by
telling you a story.
00:52:43.25\00:52:45.86
A few years ago, there was this
individual that was driving home
00:52:46.41\00:52:50.53
and it was
raining torrents of water.
00:52:50.56\00:52:54.69
And when he was right
near home, he ran out of gas.
00:52:54.72\00:52:58.67
And it was just raining so
hard and he had to get home.
00:52:59.33\00:53:03.17
And so he got out of the
car, you know, and kind of
00:53:03.20\00:53:05.29
covered himself with a
newspaper and pushed his car,
00:53:05.32\00:53:07.48
there was a gas station
nearby, and pushed his car.
00:53:07.51\00:53:09.57
Somebody else helped him
push his car to the gas station.
00:53:09.60\00:53:12.47
And when he got to the
gas station and parked there
00:53:13.00\00:53:15.55
in front of the place
where you pump the gas,
00:53:15.58\00:53:18.37
he saw a sign that
said, "Closed on Saturdays."
00:53:18.40\00:53:22.91
"Oh have mercy," he says.
"Oh no, after getting wet."
00:53:22.94\00:53:26.11
But then he noticed
that there was a house
00:53:26.14\00:53:27.64
next to the gas station.
00:53:27.67\00:53:28.96
So he said, "Oh, maybe
the owner of the gas station
00:53:28.99\00:53:31.82
lives in that house."
00:53:31.85\00:53:33.63
So he goes, it's about
9 o'clock in the morning,
00:53:33.66\00:53:35.75
and he knocks on the door.
00:53:35.78\00:53:37.76
And this individual comes
to the door nicely dressed
00:53:37.79\00:53:41.23
in a suit with a tie,
white shirt, nice shiny shoes.
00:53:41.26\00:53:45.40
And he says,
"Can I help you, sir?"
00:53:45.87\00:53:47.63
He says, "Yes, you
know, I ran out of gas
00:53:47.66\00:53:50.07
and I'm wondering if this
gas station belongs to you."
00:53:50.10\00:53:53.82
He says, "Yes, yes I'm
the owner of the gas station."
00:53:53.85\00:53:56.38
"Do you suppose that it
would be possible for you
00:53:56.41\00:53:58.95
to sell me a little bit of
gas so that I can get home?"
00:53:58.98\00:54:03.30
Where do you think
that individual was going
00:54:05.63\00:54:08.22
all dressed up?
00:54:08.25\00:54:09.33
To Sabbath school. That's right.
00:54:09.76\00:54:12.85
And this individual, he
straightened himself out,
00:54:13.15\00:54:18.26
and he looked at this man
and he said, "Sell you gas
00:54:18.29\00:54:21.93
on the holy Sabbath?
00:54:21.96\00:54:24.25
Don't you know the Bible
says that we're not suppose to
00:54:24.82\00:54:27.61
buy or sell on the Sabbath?
00:54:27.64\00:54:31.02
I'm a Seventh-day
Adventist, I keep the Sabbath."
00:54:31.65\00:54:34.71
And he shut the
door in his face.
00:54:34.74\00:54:37.26
The only way that we
found out about this story
00:54:39.33\00:54:42.16
is because several years
later, two Seventh-day Adventist
00:54:42.19\00:54:45.79
literature evangelists...
00:54:45.82\00:54:47.35
Literature evangelists
are people who sell books.
00:54:48.81\00:54:51.79
...visited his home.
00:54:51.82\00:54:53.64
And they introduced themselves
as Seventh-day Adventists.
00:54:54.67\00:54:57.33
And he looked at
them and he said,
00:54:57.72\00:54:59.43
"You're Seventh-day Adventists?
00:54:59.46\00:55:01.10
Well I want you to
know that I wouldn't buy
00:55:01.13\00:55:03.31
a book from you whether it
was the last book in existence
00:55:03.34\00:55:06.42
in the whole wide world."
00:55:06.45\00:55:07.91
And then he told them the story
of how this gas station owner
00:55:07.94\00:55:12.66
who was a Seventh-day Adventist
had said, "I will not sell you
00:55:12.69\00:55:15.82
any gas because
it's the holy Sabbath."
00:55:15.85\00:55:18.44
You know, if I had
been that gas station owner,
00:55:19.71\00:55:21.76
I would have said,
"Hey, I'll give you the gas
00:55:21.79\00:55:24.98
on the Sabbath day."
00:55:25.01\00:55:26.37
Would that have
revealed the character of Christ
00:55:26.95\00:55:29.21
much more clearly
to this individual?
00:55:29.24\00:55:31.18
Absolutely.
00:55:31.21\00:55:32.24
It would have shown
that the love of God
00:55:32.27\00:55:34.37
and the love for
your fellow human beings
00:55:34.40\00:55:36.51
was in the heart.
00:55:36.54\00:55:37.79
But this man was a legalist.
00:55:38.32\00:55:40.50
He kept the law
to a T, externally.
00:55:40.53\00:55:44.54
But he had no love;
no true love for God
00:55:44.57\00:55:47.46
and no true love
for his neighbor.
00:55:47.49\00:55:50.26
So folks, the bottom line
is that if the Holy Spirit
00:55:50.65\00:55:55.15
has come into our hearts
and has changed our hearts,
00:55:55.82\00:55:58.87
transformed our
hearts, and made us holy,
00:55:58.90\00:56:02.08
made our character
like the character of Jesus,
00:56:02.11\00:56:05.04
it will be our
delight to keep the Sabbath.
00:56:05.07\00:56:09.31
To keep the Sabbath as God
has indicated we should keep it.
00:56:09.34\00:56:13.14
Keep it like Jesus did.
00:56:13.17\00:56:14.59
Let me ask you, what did
Jesus use the Sabbath for?
00:56:14.62\00:56:17.26
It was the special day that
Jesus used to bless humanity;
00:56:17.77\00:56:22.53
to bring healing and
to teach the word of God
00:56:22.85\00:56:26.14
and to reveal the beautiful
wonderful character of God.
00:56:26.17\00:56:29.74
Because Jesus had the
internal work of the Holy Spirit
00:56:29.77\00:56:33.18
in His heart, and His Sabbath
observance exhibited that.
00:56:33.21\00:56:36.65
And the reason why the
devil hates the Sabbath
00:56:36.68\00:56:39.73
is because the Sabbath
brings honor and glory to Jesus.
00:56:39.76\00:56:44.23
And that's the reason
why the devil twisted the
00:56:44.57\00:56:46.88
meaning of the Sabbath.
00:56:46.91\00:56:47.94
He ruined the Sabbath through
the work of the Pharisees
00:56:47.97\00:56:51.42
because he knew that
the Sabbath, correctly kept,
00:56:51.45\00:56:55.88
is a revelation of what
God's character is really like.
00:56:55.91\00:57:01.28
So I pray to God that God
will give us, first of all,
00:57:01.59\00:57:05.77
the internal experience of
the work of the Holy Spirit
00:57:05.80\00:57:09.56
upon our hearts.
00:57:09.59\00:57:10.76
And that when that takes
place, that we will keep the
00:57:10.79\00:57:14.44
Sabbath day
according to the commandment.
00:57:14.47\00:57:17.01
Not because we have to,
but because we love Jesus.
00:57:17.04\00:57:20.97
And love flows in Sabbath
observance from our hearts.
00:57:21.00\00:57:26.43
Let's pray.
00:57:26.71\00:57:27.74
Father, we thank You
for Your holy Sabbath.
00:57:27.77\00:57:32.58
And we thank You for
the work of the Holy Spirit
00:57:33.48\00:57:35.90
who seals our
hearts and makes us holy,
00:57:35.93\00:57:39.64
separates us as Your people.
00:57:39.67\00:57:42.58
I ask, Father, that You
will come into our hearts,
00:57:43.22\00:57:45.90
that You will pour,
through Your Spirit, the love
00:57:46.29\00:57:49.54
of God into our hearts.
00:57:49.57\00:57:51.31
That when we go out on Sabbath,
that people will not only say,
00:57:51.34\00:57:55.14
"Oh, these are those people
who go to church on Saturday."
00:57:55.17\00:57:57.66
But they'll say, "These are
the most loving and kind people,
00:57:58.16\00:58:01.51
and they bless
humanity on the Sabbath."
00:58:01.54\00:58:03.83
I thank You, Lord, for having
been with us during this series.
00:58:04.63\00:58:07.34
And we thank You
for hearing our prayer,
00:58:07.89\00:58:09.47
for we ask it in
Jesus' name, amen.
00:58:09.50\00:58:12.27