Welcome to Anchors of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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Unknown God with
David Asscherick.
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Well, we've been having
a wonderful week here with
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our Anchors Of Truth.
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And the Lord has
really been blessing
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Pastor David, hasn't He.
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Well, he has.
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And you know, I guess for many
years David has been coming.
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I think his first time
here was around year 2000.
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Yes.
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And David has been on
many, many programs on 3ABN.
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I want to tell you.
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Of all the letters that we get
from viewers around the world,
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David Asscherick has had
such an impact on people.
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Literally hundreds and thousands
of people around the world.
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And many of those have joined
God's family and joined the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church
as a result of the ministry
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of Pastor David Asscherick.
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So it is a privilege
to have him here today.
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And he's one of these guys
who can teach you something
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you didn't already know.
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That's right, he does.
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And he studies a lot and
I really appreciate that.
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You know, Danny, in 1999 he
did that series down in Atlanta,
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if you'll remember.
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And then he came here in 2000.
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I think you did the
first interview with him.
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I did and he had only been
a Christian and an Adventist
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only for a few short years.
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And yet, I was amazed at
the knowledge that he had.
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And it shows, if
we're willing and we want to
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and have a desire to
learn, what God can do.
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And so the Lord brought him
out of a lot of other things,
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brought him into the direction,
and he finally said, "Yes, Lord.
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I'll do whatever
you want me to do. "
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And to this day he's
still out there preaching
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and traveling the world.
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And we're thankful for him and
his family and his commitment.
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And always, when I said
that a while ago, I think about
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my Aunt Mildred
and my Uncle Olen.
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Before there was Adventist
television and we were kids
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growing up, I'd go
over their house sometimes.
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And they'd turn on the
television and there would be
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a few preachers talking.
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And so one day,
one of their sons said,
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"Well mom, you're not listening.
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I thought you liked
to hear preachers. "
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And she said, "Son,
I've listened to him before.
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He can't teach me something
I didn't already know. "
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So what we like about
David is that he can teach us
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something we
didn't already know.
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Last night being a
prime example of that.
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- Yea,
absolutely. - Great, great.
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How many of you learned
something from last night?
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It really was.
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And you know, there are a lot
of people that have really been
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mixed up on this
Trinity situation.
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For want of a different
word, we'll call it Trinity.
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But they don't realize that when
you do away with the Trinity,
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you do away with Jesus and you
do away with the Holy Spirit.
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And so they just haven't
thought it through, I think,
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in so many cases.
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Maybe sometimes they'll say,
"But some of our pioneers... "
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Well, some of our pioneers
chewed tobacco and ate pork too,
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but that doesn't mean
that they kept doing it once
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they found out the truth.
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They also kept another day
other than the seventh day,
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but when they found the truth...
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One of the great things about
our church; it wasn't founded
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by one person with
one person's ideas.
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A lot of the
denominations were, folks.
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And you'd be surprised.
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But those ideas from
one individual, they don't
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go beyond it either
one way or the other.
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But there were a
lot of sanctified people
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involved in the bring forth
of the message that we have.
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And I just praise
God for it, I really do.
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And that's the beauty
of God's word, is that
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we're ever learning.
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Because you never really learn.
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And so it's great to
sit under the ministry
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of people like David Asscherick.
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And we're
privileged that he's here for
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Anchors Of Truth this weekend.
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Yes, we are.
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Well, let's bow our
heads for a word of prayer.
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Father in heaven, we again
ask for Your Holy Spirit to
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come today to enlighten
us, to bring us the truths from
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Your Word, to help us
know more about the Father,
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to know more about the Son,
and to really understand the
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work of the Holy Spirit.
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Thank You, Father.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen.
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Well, it's our privilege
at this time to bring out
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my daughter, Melody Dawn.
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Melody Dawn Firestone.
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And Melody, it's
good to have you here.
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What are you going to be
singing for us today, honey?
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He Knows My Name.
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Alright. Thank you.
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He counts the stars one and all,
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He knows how much
sand is on the shore,
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He sees every
sparrow that falls.
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He made the
mountains and the seas,
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He's in control of everything,
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of all
creatures great and small.
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And He knows my name,
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every step that I take,
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every move that I make,
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every tear that I cry.
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And He knows my name.
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When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
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and can't see the light of day,
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I know I'll be just fine.
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Because He knows my name.
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I don't know what
tomorrow will bring,
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I can't tell
you what's in store,
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I don't know a lot of things.
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I don't have all the answers
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to the questions of life.
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But I know in
whom I have believed.
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And He knows my name,
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every step that I take,
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every move that I make,
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every tear that I cry.
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And He knows my name.
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When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
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and can't see the light of day,
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I know I'll be just fine.
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Because He knows my name.
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He knew who I was
when He carried my cross.
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He knew that I would
fail Him but He took the loss.
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And He knows my name,
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every step that I take,
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every move that I make,
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every tear that I cry.
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And He knows my name.
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When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
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and can't see the light of day,
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I know I'll be just fine.
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Because He knows my name.
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When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
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and can't see the light of day,
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I know I'll be just fine.
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Because He knows my name.
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Thank you, Melody.
Good morning, church.
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Happy Sabbath.
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It's good to be
here this morning.
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He knows my name. Amen?
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Well, let's start
with a word of prayer.
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I have quite a
little bit of information
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that we want to go over today.
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Is that okay?
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Just sort of get rid of
all the niceties and get right
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into the meat of the thing.
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I want to thank Jim and Danny
for all of those kind words.
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They're going to have to
repent later for lying about me
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saying all of those nice things.
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But it sounded good.
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Let's pray together and get
right into the guts, the heart,
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of what we're
going to study today.
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I hope you brought your Bibles.
You are going to need them.
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Let's pray together.
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Father in heaven, what
a privilege and an honor
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it is to be here on the
Sabbath, to have heard this
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beautiful song which
is communicating such a
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profound spiritual
truth; that You know our name.
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Jesus went so far as to say
that the very hairs of our head
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were numbered and that
not a swallow or a sparrow
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falls to the ground
but that You are aware.
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And Father, we are so
thankful that even though You
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superintend the universe
and all of the vast galaxies and
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own solar system,
that You know who we are.
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You know who David
Charles Asscherick is.
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And You know who Jim
Gilley is, and Danny Shelton,
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and Melody Firestone.
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You know our name.
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And so, Father, today
we pray that You would
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help us to know Your
name, to know who You are,
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in as much as
human language and human
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intellect can apprehend it.
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As we stand on
Scripture, we pray that we would
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know who You are, that
the unknown God would become
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increasingly known to us,
is our prayer this morning.
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In Jesus' name.
Let everyone say, amen.
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Okay, well we're
studying the unknown God.
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This is our...
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I almost said third, but this is
our fourth installment of five.
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Is that correct?
00:10:04.91\00:10:05.91
This is our fourth of five.
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And I'm not going to
spend a lot of time on review
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but I will just simply say that
we have spent most of our time
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up to this point sort
of laying the groundwork
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and setting the table for
the reality of God as both a
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singularity and
also as a... What?
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...Plurality.
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We have seen that God is one.
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If I were to ask you
the question, how many
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Gods are there,
true Gods are there?
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You would say one.
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That's the word,
monotheistic, or monotheism.
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One God. Right?
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Many of the great religions
of the world are monotheistic.
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Islam is monotheistic,
Christianity is monotheistic,
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Judaism is monotheistic.
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But Christianity goes
beyond a rigid monotheism to a
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monotheism in which God is one,
but He is comprised of... What?
00:10:52.44\00:10:56.58
...three Persons.
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Now this is a mystery.
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I'm going to ask you a question.
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Is this mystery
fully and completely
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explained in Scripture?
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No. It's declared but
it's not completely explained.
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And as we mentioned last
night, somebody who says,
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"Well, I can't believe in that
because I can't explain it,"
00:11:09.40\00:11:11.86
you're going to have a great
number of things in the Bible
00:11:12.20\00:11:14.77
that you're not going to be
able to believe or proclaim.
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Because how do we
explain that God becomes a man?
00:11:17.10\00:11:19.76
How do we explain
that God dies on a cross?
00:11:19.79\00:11:22.03
Etcetera.
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So the reality is that the
Bible proclaims that God is one
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and yet God is
Father and... What?
00:11:26.35\00:11:29.01
...Son... And what?
00:11:29.39\00:11:30.59
...Holy Spirit.
00:11:30.64\00:11:31.64
So, do we see
God as a singularity?
00:11:31.65\00:11:33.36
The answer is...
00:11:33.37\00:11:34.38
Do we also see
God as a plurality?
00:11:34.64\00:11:36.36
The answer is...
00:11:36.38\00:11:37.38
Now I want to be very,
very, very sensitive here
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to my Bible
believing brothers and sisters
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who don't see it
exactly like I see it.
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I don't want to say,
"If you don't believe what
00:11:46.51\00:11:48.29
I believe, you're
not a Christian. "
00:11:48.30\00:11:49.31
We never want to
establish these sort of creeds
00:11:49.32\00:11:52.24
where we can color people
in the lines, and therefore
00:11:52.27\00:11:54.84
color other
people out of the lines.
00:11:54.87\00:11:56.50
I'm trying to present to
you over the course of this
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time together
what I think is a very
00:11:58.60\00:12:00.89
compelling case from Scripture.
00:12:00.92\00:12:02.96
Are you with me on that?
00:12:02.99\00:12:04.17
But I am not suggesting
that if you don't believe
00:12:04.20\00:12:06.79
just like I believe,
that you're not a Christian.
00:12:06.80\00:12:08.53
What I want to try to do is
to appeal especially to those
00:12:08.88\00:12:12.81
who are
disinclined to believe this,
00:12:12.84\00:12:15.08
who think this isn't biblical,
who think that this is just
00:12:15.11\00:12:17.93
an inheritance from
papalism or from paganism.
00:12:17.96\00:12:20.32
I just want you
to be open to the
00:12:20.80\00:12:22.84
evidence that we're presenting.
00:12:22.85\00:12:24.06
And can you say,
can you not say with me,
00:12:24.09\00:12:27.36
"Yea, there's a case there."
00:12:27.90\00:12:29.07
In other words, it's not like
I've just been standing up here
00:12:29.61\00:12:32.01
for the last three sessions
saying, "Blah blah blah.
00:12:32.02\00:12:34.68
Blah blah blah
blah. Blah blah blah.
00:12:34.71\00:12:36.65
Blah blah blah blah.
00:12:36.75\00:12:38.51
Therefore, you should
believe the Trinity. "
00:12:38.54\00:12:39.88
No, no, no.
00:12:39.89\00:12:40.88
We've been going to Scripture.
00:12:40.89\00:12:42.47
So I think it would be
very unfair and disingenuous
00:12:42.77\00:12:46.21
of somebody who
doesn't believe what I believe
00:12:46.24\00:12:47.88
to say, "Well,
there's no biblical basis. "
00:12:47.91\00:12:50.26
Are we saying that there is
a biblical basis for this idea?
00:12:50.86\00:12:53.97
Yea, the church didn't
just pull this out of thin air.
00:12:54.39\00:12:56.88
The early church and
the Ante-Nicene fathers,
00:12:56.91\00:13:00.15
they didn't just say,
"Hey, let's come up with
00:13:00.18\00:13:01.51
something wild and crazy. "
00:13:01.54\00:13:03.13
No, no, no, no.
00:13:03.14\00:13:04.14
They were trying to affirm
the unity of God, monotheistic.
00:13:04.19\00:13:08.21
But then they
said, "Wait a minute.
00:13:08.24\00:13:09.51
God the Father is
God, but Jesus is also God.
00:13:09.95\00:13:13.40
The gospels unanimously
declare Jesus as God.
00:13:13.82\00:13:16.93
Paul declares Jesus as God.
00:13:16.94\00:13:18.64
The other epistles
declare Jesus as God. "
00:13:18.67\00:13:20.73
And so the
early churches, as you
00:13:20.74\00:13:22.85
learn about the development...
00:13:22.86\00:13:23.86
I'm just spending a
moment here on the development
00:13:23.87\00:13:25.81
of the doctrine of the
Trinity, or the articulation
00:13:25.84\00:13:29.61
of the doctrine of the Trinity.
00:13:29.62\00:13:30.74
The church was faced
with a bit of a conundrum.
00:13:30.84\00:13:33.22
They knew that God was God
in the sense of God the Father.
00:13:33.25\00:13:36.32
But they also believed
in the full deity of Jesus.
00:13:36.35\00:13:39.39
So what do they have here?
00:13:39.59\00:13:40.60
They have a
situation, don't they.
00:13:40.61\00:13:42.21
There is God here,
but there is God here.
00:13:42.24\00:13:44.80
But they know
there's only one God.
00:13:44.83\00:13:46.70
And so the
church began to wrestle.
00:13:47.08\00:13:49.98
What's the word
that I used, everyone?
00:13:50.58\00:13:52.02
They began to wrestle
with the exact language and the
00:13:52.44\00:13:55.07
exact way to
articulate this basic truth;
00:13:55.10\00:13:58.05
that God is one, but the
Father and Jesus are God.
00:13:58.35\00:14:02.59
Now in the time leading up to
the Council of Nicaea in AD 325,
00:14:03.10\00:14:07.44
and especially the time after
the Council of Nicaea in AD 325,
00:14:07.45\00:14:10.35
getting right up to the Council
of Constantinople in AD 321,
00:14:10.38\00:14:13.25
then they began to
say, "Well, wait a minute.
00:14:13.76\00:14:15.35
It's not just Jesus.
The Spirit is also God.
00:14:15.36\00:14:18.27
There's evidence that
the Spirit is also divine. "
00:14:18.28\00:14:20.46
We're going to be
looking at that evidence
00:14:20.47\00:14:21.57
here in just a moment.
00:14:21.58\00:14:22.69
And so what the early church
was trying to do was simply
00:14:22.70\00:14:25.96
wrestle, that's our word here,
with this idea that God is one,
00:14:25.99\00:14:29.58
but He is also
Father, Son, and Spirit.
00:14:29.78\00:14:33.90
This is not just
some idea that they said,
00:14:34.25\00:14:35.89
"Hey, let's reach into the
hat and pull out a rabbit. "
00:14:35.92\00:14:38.32
No, no, no, no, no.
00:14:38.35\00:14:39.47
There are very
good biblical reasons.
00:14:39.50\00:14:43.04
There are very good...
What did I say, everyone?
00:14:43.56\00:14:45.05
...very good biblical reasons.
00:14:45.79\00:14:47.05
And so I just want to appeal
to my brothers and sisters
00:14:47.06\00:14:51.07
out there who
are non-Trinitarian.
00:14:51.09\00:14:53.16
Okay, you don't
believe exactly like I believe.
00:14:53.36\00:14:54.98
Hey, that's okay.
00:14:54.99\00:14:55.99
You don't have to
believe like I believe.
00:14:56.00\00:14:56.99
You don't have to say
it just like I say it.
00:14:57.01\00:14:58.40
But do not say there is
no biblical basis for this.
00:14:58.71\00:15:02.26
Because frankly, you
insult my intelligence
00:15:02.29\00:15:04.21
and the intelligence of
other people that are here.
00:15:04.24\00:15:05.86
There is a very good reason
for believing what we believe.
00:15:05.89\00:15:09.59
Amen?
00:15:09.62\00:15:10.64
Now we've looked in
three sessions; 1, 2, 3.
00:15:10.67\00:15:13.94
We've sort of set the table.
00:15:13.97\00:15:15.76
We've affirmed
the singularity of God
00:15:15.79\00:15:17.63
as well as the plurality of God.
00:15:17.64\00:15:19.08
We have noted very carefully
that there are limits...
00:15:19.11\00:15:23.07
There are... What, everyone?
00:15:23.71\00:15:24.85
And what's our
illustration that we're using?
00:15:25.23\00:15:26.56
We're standing here
where? Where am I standing?
00:15:26.57\00:15:28.37
On the sea shore.
00:15:28.96\00:15:30.01
And there is an expansive and
vast ocean out in front of me.
00:15:30.02\00:15:34.05
That expansive and vast ocean
is who God is in His essence.
00:15:34.37\00:15:38.48
Right?
00:15:38.51\00:15:39.51
This here is what human
language and human intellect
00:15:39.71\00:15:42.84
can help to
understand and describe.
00:15:42.85\00:15:45.33
But even if we said the very
best words in the very best way,
00:15:45.70\00:15:49.66
even if our intellect was
as vast as can possibly be
00:15:49.67\00:15:53.94
in a human sense, and
our language was perfect,
00:15:53.97\00:15:56.95
there would still be an
infinity beyond that is God.
00:15:56.98\00:16:00.55
Amen?
00:16:00.74\00:16:01.80
So we have to ever
remind ourselves of that.
00:16:01.83\00:16:04.21
That we are just
children playing in the sandbox,
00:16:04.24\00:16:06.69
groping in the
dark, doing our best.
00:16:06.72\00:16:08.85
But even Paul said,
we see through a glass...
00:16:08.88\00:16:11.20
How do we see? ... darkly.
00:16:11.23\00:16:13.10
But then, not now, but
then we will see... How?
00:16:13.13\00:16:15.93
...face to face.
00:16:16.57\00:16:17.61
So what is not
perfectly clear to us here,
00:16:17.64\00:16:20.00
what we just see glimpses
of here, we will see even more
00:16:20.03\00:16:23.22
clearly when we
see Him face to face.
00:16:23.25\00:16:26.53
So far so good, everyone? Okay.
00:16:26.56\00:16:28.33
So what I want to start with now
is, somebody is bound to say,
00:16:28.36\00:16:32.19
appropriately enough,
and I think this is a great
00:16:32.20\00:16:34.87
question for all
theology, "Who cares?"
00:16:34.90\00:16:38.33
"Who cares? Big deal. "
00:16:39.83\00:16:41.06
At the Arise school that I have
the privilege of directing and
00:16:41.78\00:16:46.07
teaching at, one of the
things when we teach a class
00:16:46.10\00:16:49.46
is we'll teach them; what.
00:16:49.49\00:16:51.43
That's the data of
what we're learning; what.
00:16:51.46\00:16:54.31
But then the next
question that follows
00:16:54.71\00:16:56.26
from the "what" is, "so what."
00:16:56.29\00:16:59.75
Right?
00:17:00.37\00:17:01.37
And then after we
figure out the "so what,"
00:17:01.38\00:17:03.20
then you have the, "now what."
00:17:03.23\00:17:05.04
Right?
00:17:05.41\00:17:06.41
So many of our preachers
give us just the "what."
00:17:06.68\00:17:09.31
But we not only need the
"what," we need the "so what."
00:17:09.32\00:17:11.28
Right?
00:17:11.46\00:17:12.46
"How does it matter?
What does it mean to me?"
00:17:12.84\00:17:15.60
So we've got the
"what." That's the data.
00:17:15.63\00:17:17.61
Then we have the "so what."
00:17:17.64\00:17:18.84
And then we have the
appeal, the "now what."
00:17:18.87\00:17:22.20
You with me on that?
00:17:22.23\00:17:23.30
So, "what," "so
what," "now what."
00:17:23.33\00:17:24.93
I want to start our
presentation here dealing with
00:17:24.96\00:17:26.83
some of the "so what."
00:17:26.84\00:17:28.30
"So, you say that
God is three in one.
00:17:28.78\00:17:30.80
You say that Scripture
teaches that God is both
00:17:30.83\00:17:33.19
singularity and plurality.
00:17:33.22\00:17:34.77
What's the big deal?"
00:17:34.78\00:17:36.76
What are some of those
practical applications.
00:17:36.77\00:17:40.20
I like to tell burgeoning young
preachers and people who give
00:17:40.23\00:17:43.98
Bible studies, "At the end
of the study, make sure that
00:17:43.99\00:17:46.17
you've put some
feet on your faith. "
00:17:46.18\00:17:48.44
You with me on that?
00:17:49.21\00:17:50.37
You need some feet on
your faith and you need some
00:17:50.72\00:17:52.49
legs on your lessons.
00:17:52.52\00:17:54.77
In other words, if what we
teach doesn't touch the ground,
00:17:54.80\00:17:57.62
who cares.
00:17:57.92\00:17:58.92
We're not just out to change
the way that people believe.
00:17:59.41\00:18:01.72
We want to change
the way that people live
00:18:01.73\00:18:03.70
and act and treat one another.
00:18:03.71\00:18:05.53
Amen?
00:18:05.56\00:18:06.56
So, "what, "so what."
00:18:06.59\00:18:08.98
And then eventually, "now what."
00:18:09.73\00:18:10.73
Okay, well I came up
with just a couple; twelve.
00:18:10.74\00:18:14.30
Twelve very quick things
I want to go over with you.
00:18:16.65\00:18:18.64
And I mean very quick because
this is just the beginning here.
00:18:18.67\00:18:20.69
Twelve reasons why it matters.
00:18:20.80\00:18:22.39
We'll spend maybe
five minutes on this.
00:18:22.40\00:18:23.97
Twelve reasons why it matters.
00:18:24.00\00:18:25.20
The first one is
for the obvious reason;
00:18:25.54\00:18:28.68
that error is never harmless.
00:18:28.71\00:18:31.15
You with me on that?
00:18:32.10\00:18:33.09
It's never harmless to
believe something that is not
00:18:33.12\00:18:36.05
biblical about God.
00:18:36.07\00:18:37.58
Never harmless.
00:18:37.61\00:18:38.63
Our picture of God forms how
we see who He is, and then by
00:18:38.66\00:18:44.39
necessity, impacts how we behave
and how we treat one another.
00:18:44.42\00:18:47.62
Error is never harmless.
00:18:47.83\00:18:49.57
Now to this
effect, I want to read a
00:18:49.61\00:18:50.93
great little statement here.
00:18:50.94\00:18:51.95
Going back to the book
that I mentioned yesterday.
00:18:51.96\00:18:53.59
From Millard Erickson, "Making
Sense Of The Trinity," page 72.
00:18:53.86\00:18:56.89
Listen to this.
00:18:56.90\00:18:57.92
Are you with me on that?
00:19:43.10\00:19:44.33
So it's not our place...
00:19:44.34\00:19:45.62
What Erickson is saying,
it's not our place to say,
00:19:45.65\00:19:47.51
"Hey, what does
that have to do with me?"
00:19:47.54\00:19:48.74
The question is not,
what does the doctrine have to
00:19:48.77\00:19:49.95
do with you, but what do you
have to do with the doctrine.
00:19:49.96\00:19:52.12
Once something has been
revealed in Scripture, that's
00:19:52.39\00:19:54.58
like somebody saying, "Okay,
so Saturday's the Sabbath.
00:19:54.59\00:19:56.77
What does that
have to do with me?
00:19:56.79\00:19:57.79
It has nothing to do with me. "
00:19:57.80\00:19:58.80
Oh yea it does. I
has a lot to do with you.
00:19:58.81\00:20:00.57
Because it's not for Scripture
to come and be relevant for you.
00:20:00.60\00:20:03.39
It's for you to be
relevant to Scripture because
00:20:03.40\00:20:05.50
Scripture is God's holy Word.
00:20:05.51\00:20:06.92
So the first point is
that error is never harmless.
00:20:07.48\00:20:09.90
What we believe about God
radically and fundamentally
00:20:09.91\00:20:12.85
impacts how we
behave and how we think.
00:20:12.88\00:20:15.17
Number two; it's
important because salvation,
00:20:15.20\00:20:19.83
biblical salvation, is built
around the triunity of God.
00:20:19.86\00:20:24.45
I want to say that again.
00:20:25.09\00:20:26.16
Salvation is built
around the triunity of God.
00:20:26.17\00:20:29.31
I've got a great
little quotation here that
00:20:29.32\00:20:31.10
communicates this in
very succinct fashion.
00:20:31.13\00:20:33.47
This is from a
book by Bruce Ware.
00:20:33.82\00:20:35.79
Not a member of my church.
00:20:35.80\00:20:37.14
Theologian Bruce Ware,
"Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
00:20:37.71\00:20:41.01
Relationships, Roles,
and Relevance" page 17.
00:20:41.02\00:20:43.35
Listen to what he says.
Tell me if you agree with this.
00:20:43.38\00:20:44.91
"To illustrate the significance
of the Trinity to our faith... "
00:20:46.24\00:20:49.29
There it is, "so what."
00:20:49.32\00:20:50.97
"... consider just briefly
the relation of the doctrine of
00:20:51.40\00:20:54.06
the Trinity to the Christian
understanding of salvation. "
00:20:54.09\00:20:57.30
Christian understanding
of... What, everyone?
00:20:58.16\00:20:59.70
...salvation.
00:20:59.71\00:21:00.80
Now here's what he
says. And I completely agree.
00:21:00.83\00:21:02.94
"In order for sinners to
be saved, one must see God
00:21:02.97\00:21:06.81
at one and the same time
as the one judging our sin;
00:21:06.84\00:21:10.80
the Father, the one making
the payment of infinite value
00:21:10.83\00:21:14.76
for our sin; the divine
Son, and the one empowering
00:21:14.79\00:21:19.04
and directing the incarnate
Son so that He lives and obeys
00:21:19.07\00:21:22.94
the Father, going to the
cross as a substitute for us;
00:21:22.97\00:21:25.24
the Holy Spirit.
00:21:25.27\00:21:26.92
The Christian God, to
be Savior, must then be
00:21:26.95\00:21:30.28
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "
00:21:30.31\00:21:33.41
I love this point where he
basically says, this is not
00:21:33.96\00:21:36.45
just some esoteric believe
pie on the sky, by and by.
00:21:36.48\00:21:39.24
He's basically saying, the
Trinity radically fundamentally
00:21:39.27\00:21:42.55
impacts how we view salvation.
00:21:42.58\00:21:44.23
Because God, at one and the
same time, is judging our sin;
00:21:44.26\00:21:48.07
He is paying the price for our
sin; and He's the one that is
00:21:48.28\00:21:51.38
communicating what the
world's Redeemer has done.
00:21:51.41\00:21:53.94
That is the
person of the Spirit.
00:21:53.97\00:21:55.40
We see the Father, we see
the Son, we see the Spirit.
00:21:55.43\00:21:58.19
Number two.
00:21:58.68\00:21:59.68
Now number three.
00:22:00.32\00:22:01.58
What the Trinity does, this
understanding of the Trinity...
00:22:02.69\00:22:05.38
And again, remember, I'm using
this word in the sense in which
00:22:05.39\00:22:08.18
the Bible defines it, not this
sense in which any other person
00:22:08.21\00:22:11.82
or any internet site, etc.
00:22:11.85\00:22:13.33
For ease of
communication and linguistic
00:22:13.36\00:22:16.31
simplicity here,
I'm using the word.
00:22:16.34\00:22:18.94
The Trinity helps us
to appreciate, listen very
00:22:20.13\00:22:21.97
carefully here, the enormity
and the reality of divine
00:22:21.99\00:22:26.17
risk and sacrifice.
00:22:26.20\00:22:29.25
Divine risk and sacrifice.
00:22:29.99\00:22:32.85
One of my favorite authors,
Ellen White had this to say.
00:22:32.88\00:22:34.73
She says that in the
incarnation, when Jesus
00:22:34.76\00:22:37.03
became a man, she says
heaven itself was imperiled.
00:22:37.04\00:22:40.77
Now I want you to
just let that sink in.
00:22:41.45\00:22:43.34
Heaven itself was imperiled.
00:22:43.80\00:22:46.92
In another place, we're
told that when Jesus became
00:22:47.22\00:22:50.43
a man, that God
took an infinite risk.
00:22:50.44\00:22:54.00
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Took what kind of a risk?
00:22:55.04\00:22:57.18
An infinite risk. I
have a question for you.
00:22:57.88\00:22:59.29
How many infinite things
are there in the universe?
00:22:59.30\00:23:01.90
One. God.
00:23:02.55\00:23:03.84
Okay, so if you have an
infinite risk, who is at risk?
00:23:04.19\00:23:08.57
God is at risk.
Heaven itself was imperiled.
00:23:08.78\00:23:11.54
Now follow this
with me very carefully.
00:23:11.55\00:23:13.10
You're going to have to put your
thinking caps on for a minute.
00:23:13.76\00:23:15.81
I'm going to do my
best to do what Danny and
00:23:15.87\00:23:18.36
Jim said that I sometimes do.
00:23:18.37\00:23:19.38
I want to try to
teach you something
00:23:19.45\00:23:20.46
you didn't already know.
00:23:20.47\00:23:21.47
The Bible says in
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 4...
00:23:22.48\00:23:24.74
You don't have to go
there. You'll just know it.
00:23:24.75\00:23:26.08
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 4.
00:23:26.09\00:23:27.18
It says, "For it is not
possible that the blood of... "
00:23:27.38\00:23:32.49
Does anyone know this?
00:23:32.70\00:23:33.86
"... bulls and
goats can take away sin. "
00:23:33.89\00:23:37.30
Okay, "It is
not... " What's the word?
00:23:38.03\00:23:39.77
"It is not possible that
the blood of bulls and goats
00:23:40.17\00:23:42.87
can take away sin. "
00:23:42.88\00:23:43.88
Now with that in mind,
I have to introduce to you
00:23:43.92\00:23:46.02
a very simple philosophical
distinction in entities.
00:23:46.03\00:23:50.11
Okay? A very simple
philosophical distinction.
00:23:50.14\00:23:52.65
And it goes like this.
00:23:52.66\00:23:53.86
There are only two
possible kinds of entities.
00:23:53.89\00:23:57.17
Created and uncreated.
00:23:57.18\00:23:59.24
That's it.
00:23:59.78\00:24:00.78
Every single entity falls into
one of those two categories.
00:24:00.79\00:24:03.53
For example, what category do I
fall into, created or uncreated?
00:24:03.54\00:24:07.54
I'm a created
entity. How about you?
00:24:07.55\00:24:09.51
Created. How about this thing?
00:24:09.91\00:24:11.21
Created. How about this piano?
00:24:11.90\00:24:12.98
Okay, so you have
two kinds of things.
00:24:13.34\00:24:14.95
Those things
that have a beginning,
00:24:14.96\00:24:16.17
and thus has a creation.
00:24:16.20\00:24:17.36
And those things
that have no beginning.
00:24:17.39\00:24:19.37
Okay, every single thing
that you see or have ever seen
00:24:19.57\00:24:23.35
comes in this category;
things that have been created.
00:24:23.38\00:24:25.89
Only one being in all of the
universe comes in this category;
00:24:26.32\00:24:29.81
uncreated self-existent.
00:24:29.84\00:24:32.74
And what is that one being? God.
00:24:32.77\00:24:34.70
By the way, what's the phrase
in the Old Testament that's used
00:24:34.73\00:24:37.05
to communicate
this self-existence?
00:24:37.06\00:24:39.23
"I AM" That's exactly right.
00:24:40.31\00:24:41.69
Hayah. I AM.
00:24:41.72\00:24:42.71
So when Moses is standing
there at the burning bush,
00:24:42.74\00:24:44.55
"Who shall I say
sent me?" "I AM."
00:24:44.58\00:24:46.22
"I am Him that was and
is and who is to come. "
00:24:46.25\00:24:48.75
So two kinds of
beings in the universe.
00:24:48.76\00:24:50.90
Everything can
be divided into this
00:24:50.93\00:24:52.46
simple bi partite
structure; created or uncreated.
00:24:52.49\00:24:56.37
And only God is an
uncreated self-existent being.
00:24:56.40\00:25:00.10
Amen?
00:25:00.11\00:25:01.15
In fact, the term here is
that these beings, the created
00:25:01.18\00:25:04.44
beings, are what are
called contingent beings.
00:25:04.45\00:25:07.31
Our existence is
contingent on having been made.
00:25:07.34\00:25:10.66
And God is
called, a necessary being.
00:25:10.69\00:25:13.85
Contingent beings
don't have to exist.
00:25:14.58\00:25:17.21
Your non-existence is possible.
00:25:17.22\00:25:19.09
Right? I didn't exist
before August 16, 1972.
00:25:19.12\00:25:21.98
Right? But God's
non-existence is not possible.
00:25:22.01\00:25:26.30
He is a necessary being.
00:25:26.33\00:25:28.36
Are you with me? Yes or no.
00:25:28.39\00:25:29.71
Now keep that for just a
second and listen to this.
00:25:29.72\00:25:32.32
A very interesting
vision that Ellen White saw.
00:25:33.32\00:25:36.31
And I'm going to give you
the quick version of this.
00:25:36.34\00:25:37.99
In the book Early Writings.
00:25:38.02\00:25:39.07
In this vision, she said
that the announcement was made
00:25:39.80\00:25:42.77
to the universe that
the plan of salvation
00:25:42.80\00:25:47.06
would result in
the saving of man.
00:25:47.36\00:25:52.28
To which the angels said,
"Yes. Great. Good. Awesome. "
00:25:52.31\00:25:55.21
And then the means of that
salvation plan was communicated
00:25:55.51\00:25:59.56
to them; Jesus
will become a man.
00:25:59.59\00:26:01.64
And the angels said,
"Ohhh." And He will die, "Ohhh."
00:26:01.65\00:26:05.21
He will be
betrayed. He will be...
00:26:05.24\00:26:06.37
And the angels just could
not hardly believe it. Right?
00:26:06.40\00:26:08.54
So they liked the idea of the
salvation of man, but the means
00:26:08.57\00:26:11.68
by which he was
saved was hard for them.
00:26:11.69\00:26:14.21
Well in this vision, it's
an awesome thing that happens,
00:26:14.22\00:26:17.02
because the angels begin to
present themselves to Jesus.
00:26:17.05\00:26:22.22
And they say, "We'll go."
00:26:22.25\00:26:25.03
"We'll go."
00:26:26.42\00:26:27.48
"We will go, we will be
humiliated, we will be rejected,
00:26:27.51\00:26:30.54
we will be
betrayed, we will die.
00:26:30.57\00:26:32.46
We will go. "
00:26:32.49\00:26:33.51
"We'll go."
00:26:33.81\00:26:34.86
To which Jesus responds,
in the vision, Jesus responds
00:26:35.36\00:26:38.95
by saying, "Thank you, but
not even the life of an angel
00:26:38.98\00:26:44.70
can pay the debt. "
00:26:44.73\00:26:45.74
Now hang on to that.
00:26:46.00\00:26:47.10
Not even the life of
an angel can pay the debt.
00:26:47.70\00:26:50.35
I want to ask you
a simple question.
00:26:50.38\00:26:52.03
What do bulls and goats
and angels have in common?
00:26:52.33\00:26:56.74
You've got it.
They're in this category.
00:26:57.79\00:26:59.94
They're created beings. Right?
00:27:00.24\00:27:03.21
Not even the life of
an angel can pay the debt.
00:27:03.51\00:27:05.84
No wonder the author of
Hebrew said, "It is not possible
00:27:05.85\00:27:09.37
that the blood of bulls
and goats can take away sin. "
00:27:09.40\00:27:11.89
Why cannot the blood of
bulls and goats take away sin?
00:27:11.92\00:27:13.74
Simple. They're created beings.
00:27:13.77\00:27:16.50
Right? They're created beings.
00:27:17.43\00:27:19.46
Wait a minute.
00:27:19.86\00:27:20.86
The Trinity now, this triune
nature of God, helps us to
00:27:21.18\00:27:24.22
really appreciate the hugeness,
the enormity of divine risk
00:27:24.25\00:27:28.78
and sacrifice and salvation,
because it's not a created being
00:27:28.81\00:27:33.23
that's hanging on that cross.
00:27:33.26\00:27:35.21
That's God on
the cross, friends.
00:27:36.73\00:27:38.74
That's God Himself,
00:27:39.28\00:27:40.60
the incarnate God,
hanging on the cross.
00:27:40.63\00:27:42.12
Now just imagine this.
00:27:42.13\00:27:43.19
As some of my friend like
to say, they believe that at
00:27:44.02\00:27:46.55
sometime in eternity past Jesus
was begotten of the Father.
00:27:46.58\00:27:50.49
They mean by that to
imply that there was a time
00:27:51.23\00:27:56.26
when it was only the Father
and then Jesus was begotten.
00:27:56.29\00:28:00.98
He preceded forth at
some time in eternity past.
00:28:01.01\00:28:03.19
Well you can call it
begotten, you can call it born,
00:28:03.20\00:28:05.40
you can call it
created, you can call it made.
00:28:05.41\00:28:06.78
Whatever language you
want to use, at some point
00:28:06.79\00:28:09.66
you have to concede
that Jesus had a beginning.
00:28:09.67\00:28:13.23
If you believe that.
00:28:13.26\00:28:14.36
I don't believe that.
00:28:14.37\00:28:15.37
But if you believe
that Jesus had a beginning,
00:28:15.38\00:28:17.24
He is a created being.
00:28:17.27\00:28:19.82
He is a... What kind of a being?
00:28:20.26\00:28:21.76
Now watch this.
00:28:21.96\00:28:23.17
If a created being is
hanging on that cross...
00:28:23.40\00:28:26.45
If a created being is
hanging on that cross,
00:28:27.16\00:28:29.92
then what did God risk?
00:28:29.95\00:28:32.91
Nothing.
00:28:35.23\00:28:36.27
Not only that, let's
take it a step further.
00:28:36.68\00:28:38.78
The accusations of Satan against
God in the great controversy
00:28:39.73\00:28:43.27
were; God is self-interested,
God is not interested
00:28:43.30\00:28:45.76
in helping others,
God is self-centered.
00:28:45.79\00:28:47.89
All He wants is our worship.
All He wants is our adoration.
00:28:47.90\00:28:49.90
Etcetera.
00:28:49.91\00:28:50.91
God is only
looking out for Himself.
00:28:50.92\00:28:55.08
Right? This is the
charge in the great controversy
00:28:55.11\00:28:57.57
of Satan against God.
00:28:57.58\00:28:58.58
Now I want to ask
you a simple question.
00:28:58.59\00:28:59.90
If God takes a created
being, a begotten being,
00:29:00.23\00:29:04.14
and allows a created
begotten being to go the cross,
00:29:04.16\00:29:07.31
how does that in any way
answer the charge against God
00:29:07.34\00:29:11.79
that God is self serving?
00:29:11.80\00:29:13.75
No, no, no, no, no.
00:29:14.74\00:29:15.74
Here's God about ready to make
the great sacrifice and He comes
00:29:16.57\00:29:19.76
one step short of
actually making the sacrifice.
00:29:19.79\00:29:23.27
How is it a sacrifice for
God to let a created being
00:29:23.55\00:29:26.56
hang on the cross?
00:29:26.59\00:29:27.80
No, no, no, no, no.
00:29:28.27\00:29:29.44
Friends, the beauty and glory
and grandeur and enormity of,
00:29:29.74\00:29:33.28
not only risk, but sacrifice
in the plan of salvation
00:29:33.31\00:29:36.24
is that it's not some bull or
goat or begotten being or angel
00:29:36.27\00:29:40.50
hanging on that cross.
00:29:40.53\00:29:41.75
It's God in the flesh.
00:29:41.78\00:29:44.23
"In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was God,
00:29:44.26\00:29:46.67
and the Word was with God. "
00:29:46.70\00:29:48.90
Friends, this helps us to
appreciate that God Himself...
00:29:50.16\00:29:53.37
Huge sacrifice.
"Infinite risk," she says.
00:29:53.40\00:29:56.82
Infinite risk.
00:29:57.68\00:29:59.03
Heaven itself was imperiled.
00:29:59.06\00:30:01.56
Well, heaven itself is
not imperiled when you have
00:30:02.22\00:30:03.80
the death of a bull
or the death of a goat
00:30:03.83\00:30:05.72
or the death of
any created being.
00:30:05.75\00:30:07.57
But if you have God
Himself making the sacrifice,
00:30:07.60\00:30:11.36
God Himself taking the
risk of becoming a man and
00:30:11.39\00:30:14.42
meeting Satan on his
ground at infinite risk
00:30:14.43\00:30:17.59
potentially to Himself?
00:30:17.62\00:30:18.66
Now that is a God who
laid everything down for the
00:30:18.67\00:30:23.63
salvation of the undeserving.
00:30:23.66\00:30:25.05
Are you with me? Amen?
00:30:25.08\00:30:26.30
And so this is
huge. Absolutely huge.
00:30:26.31\00:30:29.78
Number three; it helps us
to appreciate the enormity
00:30:29.81\00:30:31.55
of divine risk and sacrifice.
00:30:31.58\00:30:33.41
Number four and five,
I'll put these two together.
00:30:33.42\00:30:35.37
Number four; worship is
enhanced and better understood.
00:30:35.40\00:30:39.37
And number five; prayer is
enhanced and better understood.
00:30:39.38\00:30:42.23
When we meet for
worship, we are worshipping God.
00:30:43.23\00:30:46.20
Can you cay amen?
00:30:46.23\00:30:47.50
Jesus said, "No man comes
to the Father except by Me."
00:30:47.53\00:30:50.10
So we worship God,
watch this, through the Son
00:30:50.13\00:30:54.53
in the Spirit.
00:30:54.83\00:30:56.63
Right? Isn't that John 4,
"God is seeking for those to
00:30:57.13\00:30:59.52
worship Him in
Spirit and in... " What?
00:30:59.53\00:31:01.54
See, so rather than
meeting as pagans and others did
00:31:01.84\00:31:04.78
you know, for
centuries not knowing exactly
00:31:04.79\00:31:06.89
who we're worshipping;
is it the volcano god?
00:31:06.92\00:31:08.62
Do we throw the
virgin in the volcano?
00:31:08.65\00:31:10.07
Is it the god of the
forest or the god of the...
00:31:10.17\00:31:11.89
Aghhhh. Who is this god?
00:31:11.92\00:31:14.28
No, no, no, no.
00:31:14.30\00:31:15.30
We are
worshipping God the Father
00:31:15.75\00:31:17.38
through His Son in the Spirit.
00:31:17.41\00:31:20.87
When I pray,
who am I praying to?
00:31:21.20\00:31:22.50
I don't know how to
pray. How do I address God?
00:31:22.51\00:31:24.58
Jesus taught us to pray.
00:31:24.61\00:31:26.54
We pray to the Father in
Jesus' name by the Spirit.
00:31:26.57\00:31:31.74
We're going to deal with
that more in our fifth point.
00:31:31.77\00:31:33.95
So prayer and worship
are significantly enhanced.
00:31:33.98\00:31:36.99
When we come in we know
that we are addressing God,
00:31:37.02\00:31:39.50
but through the
Son and in the Spirit.
00:31:39.53\00:31:42.35
Four and five.
00:31:42.70\00:31:43.70
Number six, seven, eight,
and nine; now listen to these.
00:31:44.39\00:31:47.57
Love is found to be a
fundamental value in life;
00:31:48.27\00:31:52.45
number six.
00:31:52.46\00:31:53.46
Number seven;
unity is found to be a
00:31:53.47\00:31:55.47
fundamental value in life.
00:31:55.48\00:31:56.48
Number eight;
diversity is found to be a
00:31:56.49\00:31:58.15
fundamental value in life.
00:31:58.16\00:31:59.31
And number nine;
humility is found to be a
00:31:59.32\00:32:01.68
fundamental value in life.
00:32:01.69\00:32:02.76
Now I want you to think
about that for just a moment.
00:32:02.77\00:32:04.20
Love, unity,
diversity, humility.
00:32:04.23\00:32:06.60
These are not things that
God just took the dice and said,
00:32:07.48\00:32:09.82
"Hey, how should we make life?
00:32:09.85\00:32:11.21
Let's make it... "
and roll the dice and say,
00:32:11.24\00:32:13.36
"Well, let's go with love."
00:32:13.39\00:32:14.54
"And what else?
Let's go with... "
00:32:15.09\00:32:16.58
"Yea, let's go with unity.
00:32:17.27\00:32:18.41
And let's go with diversity,
and let's go with humility. "
00:32:18.44\00:32:21.58
No, no, no, no, no.
00:32:21.59\00:32:22.59
These are not arbitrary.
00:32:22.94\00:32:25.34
What word did I say, everyone?
00:32:25.96\00:32:27.29
These are not arbitrary
things that God just chose
00:32:27.70\00:32:31.31
to make significant in life.
00:32:31.34\00:32:32.65
No, no, no.
00:32:32.66\00:32:33.66
What makes love fundamental
to life is that God is love.
00:32:33.71\00:32:38.17
It's not something He
decided. It's something He is.
00:32:39.05\00:32:42.20
At its most basic rudimentary
level, life is about love
00:32:42.80\00:32:47.11
because God is love.
00:32:47.14\00:32:48.82
But take it to the next level.
00:32:49.52\00:32:50.86
Not only is God
love, God is unified.
00:32:50.87\00:32:53.52
This tells us that
unity, whether between
00:32:53.92\00:32:55.75
man and woman,
or black and white,
00:32:55.78\00:32:57.51
or younger and older, that
unity is a fundamental value
00:32:57.52\00:33:02.25
in the kingdom of heaven.
00:33:02.26\00:33:03.45
I want to say that again.
00:33:03.62\00:33:04.71
Unity is a fundamental
value in the kingdom of heaven.
00:33:04.72\00:33:08.14
I have the privilege of
traveling all over the world.
00:33:08.45\00:33:10.09
I've preached in the Philippines
and I've preached in Africa.
00:33:10.10\00:33:11.96
I've preached in
Europe, I've preached in Asia.
00:33:11.99\00:33:13.84
And beloved, it is
awesome to walk into a church
00:33:14.14\00:33:17.72
where you see a whole
lot of people who don't look
00:33:17.75\00:33:19.61
anything like you, and
you know that they are your
00:33:19.62\00:33:22.74
brothers and sisters
as verily as anyone is
00:33:22.75\00:33:26.07
your brother and sister.
00:33:26.09\00:33:27.15
Why? Because fundamental to the
way the universe is constructed
00:33:27.18\00:33:31.22
is that God is unified;
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
00:33:31.25\00:33:33.99
Unity is not just Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s idea.
00:33:34.36\00:33:37.66
Right? We just had MLKJ Day.
00:33:37.69\00:33:39.78
It's not his idea.
It's foundational to life.
00:33:40.21\00:33:43.62
Unity; we should strive to
be unified with those around us.
00:33:44.06\00:33:47.36
And all of these diversities and
things, which we're going to get
00:33:47.39\00:33:50.43
to that in just a second, are
not designed to keep us apart.
00:33:50.44\00:33:53.38
They're designed to help
us better appreciate someone
00:33:53.39\00:33:56.14
who is not exactly like us.
00:33:56.15\00:33:59.09
Amen.
00:33:59.51\00:34:00.51
Unity is a
wonderful beautiful thing.
00:34:00.61\00:34:03.79
And it is
fundamental to reality.
00:34:03.82\00:34:05.99
Love, unity, diversity.
00:34:06.02\00:34:08.87
In the triunity of God, we
see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
00:34:09.17\00:34:13.55
who are all God, but who
are not identical Persons.
00:34:13.58\00:34:17.41
The Father is a unique
Person, distinct from the Son
00:34:17.70\00:34:21.60
who is a unique Person,
distinct from the Spirit
00:34:21.63\00:34:24.66
who is a unique Person.
00:34:24.69\00:34:25.84
This helps us to
appreciate diversity.
00:34:25.87\00:34:28.71
And I've been giving
this a lot of thought lately.
00:34:29.07\00:34:30.65
And I wish I had
time to develop this.
00:34:30.68\00:34:31.93
But the way that God
has constructed the human
00:34:32.23\00:34:35.39
genetic situation, He
obviously loves diversity.
00:34:35.42\00:34:39.77
Right? Have we hear that
variety is the spice of...
00:34:40.13\00:34:43.05
God is not boring.
00:34:43.80\00:34:46.92
He loves diversity.
00:34:47.17\00:34:48.33
In fact, I've just been
thinking about this lately.
00:34:48.34\00:34:50.36
Think of the
human face. It's small.
00:34:50.39\00:34:52.61
You know, relatively.
00:34:52.64\00:34:53.82
It's about the size
of a plate, a human face.
00:34:54.58\00:34:57.03
And all human faces
have the same features in the
00:34:57.06\00:34:59.87
same orientation,
the same features.
00:34:59.90\00:35:01.67
They have two eyes up here.
They one nose in the middle.
00:35:01.68\00:35:04.42
They have a mouth.
They have two ears.
00:35:04.45\00:35:05.52
So it's not like if
you're an artist, you have a
00:35:05.82\00:35:07.27
lot to work with.
00:35:07.30\00:35:08.29
Right? You've got
a prescribed area.
00:35:08.64\00:35:11.51
I mean, nobody
has a face this big.
00:35:11.54\00:35:13.28
Right? So I mean, at
the smallest maybe this.
00:35:13.82\00:35:15.89
And the biggest maybe this.
00:35:15.90\00:35:16.90
So you have a prescribed area,
and you have a certain number of
00:35:16.91\00:35:20.22
features, and they have to
be in the same orientation.
00:35:20.25\00:35:22.72
But I don't look
anything like you and
00:35:23.02\00:35:24.31
you don't look anything like me.
00:35:24.32\00:35:25.32
For which you can be thankful.
00:35:25.33\00:35:26.53
Right?
00:35:27.03\00:35:28.06
Now you think about that.
00:35:28.09\00:35:29.27
Here, God, what is He showing?
00:35:29.30\00:35:30.75
He's showing that He values
diversity in the way that two
00:35:30.78\00:35:35.31
human beings come
together and another is created,
00:35:35.34\00:35:37.79
totally distinct and different,
but equally valuable to
00:35:37.82\00:35:41.51
every other human being
who has ever been created.
00:35:41.54\00:35:43.52
And what is true of the
face is truer of the heart.
00:35:43.55\00:35:46.42
I'm not the same person as you.
00:35:47.69\00:35:49.43
But I'm not less of a person
and I'm not more of a person.
00:35:49.46\00:35:52.21
God loves me uniquely.
God loves you uniquely.
00:35:52.51\00:35:55.60
I'm the only
available David Asscherick.
00:35:55.63\00:35:57.93
If something happens to
David Charles Asscherick,
00:35:58.35\00:36:00.84
he's gone.
00:36:01.93\00:36:03.20
God values me...
00:36:03.23\00:36:04.93
In fact, I was just reading
a statement this morning.
00:36:04.96\00:36:06.33
...as if I was the
only person every created.
00:36:06.36\00:36:08.65
And God values
you as if you were the
00:36:08.68\00:36:10.55
only person ever created.
00:36:10.56\00:36:11.67
But you and I are different.
00:36:11.68\00:36:13.13
God values, as a fundamental
value in life, diversity.
00:36:13.75\00:36:18.26
Amen?
00:36:18.53\00:36:19.55
So love is valued, unity is
valued, diversity is valued.
00:36:19.60\00:36:23.75
And here,
humility. This is awesome.
00:36:23.78\00:36:26.17
The book I showed you
yesterday from Dr. Parfitt,
00:36:26.69\00:36:28.96
who wrote the 900 page book,
12 years preparing this book on,
00:36:28.99\00:36:32.12
"The Trinity: What
Has God Revealed. "
00:36:32.13\00:36:33.45
He was interviewed and
he was asked, "Dr. Parfitt,
00:36:34.32\00:36:36.02
you've been studying
this topic for 12 years.
00:36:36.05\00:36:37.68
You've written a 900 page book.
00:36:37.71\00:36:39.01
What is the one thing,
more than any other thing,
00:36:39.04\00:36:41.88
that you've learned about God?"
00:36:41.91\00:36:42.95
His answer was awesome.
00:36:43.73\00:36:45.61
He said, "More than any
other thing, what I have learned
00:36:45.98\00:36:48.73
is the humility of God. "
00:36:49.03\00:36:51.71
Now follow this;
the humility of God.
00:36:52.44\00:36:54.35
They said, "What?
The humility of God?
00:36:54.36\00:36:56.30
Explain. "
00:36:56.41\00:36:57.40
Here it is.
00:36:57.70\00:36:58.79
The Father shines
all the light on the Son.
00:36:59.00\00:37:02.65
"No, no. It's My Son. "
00:37:03.84\00:37:05.00
"It's My Son."
00:37:05.26\00:37:06.28
"This is My Son in
whom I am well please. "
00:37:06.58\00:37:08.48
The Father defers to the Son.
00:37:08.49\00:37:10.42
"Hey, You represent
Me. You go down to earth.
00:37:10.45\00:37:12.88
Men will come to
Me through You. "
00:37:12.91\00:37:14.89
So the Father defers to the Son.
00:37:14.92\00:37:16.44
But who does the Son defer to?
00:37:16.47\00:37:18.02
The Son defers to the Father.
00:37:18.72\00:37:20.12
He says, "It's
not Me. My Father.
00:37:20.60\00:37:23.09
It's about My Father.
00:37:23.10\00:37:24.34
Don't think... It's My Father. "
00:37:24.37\00:37:26.61
And who does
the Spirit defer to?
00:37:26.62\00:37:27.97
We're going to get to
this in just a second.
00:37:28.00\00:37:29.09
The Spirit defers to the Son.
00:37:29.12\00:37:30.78
Jesus even said, "When
the Spirit comes to you,
00:37:30.81\00:37:32.08
He won't talk about Himself.
00:37:32.09\00:37:33.44
He's going to bring to
your remembrance all things
00:37:33.64\00:37:35.23
that I command Him
and that I told Him. "
00:37:35.26\00:37:37.21
So what do you have here?
00:37:37.23\00:37:38.23
It's like everybody
saying, "No, no, no, no.
00:37:38.24\00:37:39.51
No, You. By all means, You. "
00:37:39.54\00:37:41.07
"No, no, no, no.
By all mean, You. "
00:37:41.10\00:37:42.97
"No, no, no. By all mean, You. "
00:37:42.98\00:37:45.16
And so you have this humility
within the Trinity where
00:37:45.19\00:37:48.65
no one is
saying, "It's about Me."
00:37:48.68\00:37:51.19
And here's
something very interesting.
00:37:51.46\00:37:52.95
Every one of us
has known or knows
00:37:53.33\00:37:56.07
what I call, a "me monster."
00:37:56.27\00:37:57.96
You know, someone who had
a conversation and they said,
00:37:58.27\00:37:59.69
"Me, me, me, me, and me.. "
00:37:59.72\00:38:01.62
"And I did this and I
was... And I... I... I... "
00:38:01.65\00:38:04.92
Me monster, right.
00:38:04.95\00:38:05.98
How do we feel
about me monsters?
00:38:06.39\00:38:07.80
Do we like to
spend time around them?
00:38:07.81\00:38:08.97
Like, "Oh, I just love hanging
out with that me monster.
00:38:09.00\00:38:11.03
I love the way he
talks about himself. "
00:38:11.06\00:38:14.45
Right? No.
00:38:14.46\00:38:15.47
We feel that there's
just something broken with a
00:38:15.48\00:38:18.91
person when all
they can talk about is...
00:38:18.94\00:38:20.48
We know that's not the way
that reality is supposed to be.
00:38:20.51\00:38:22.99
We see somebody who
defers, somebody who's humble,
00:38:23.38\00:38:26.67
somebody who's gracious,
somebody who's deferential,
00:38:26.70\00:38:28.77
and we say, "Ah,
that's a good person. "
00:38:28.80\00:38:30.79
The reason that this is
true is because God didn't just
00:38:31.09\00:38:34.23
roll the dice and prescribe
this arbitrary meaning to life.
00:38:34.26\00:38:38.14
Because, God, in His
very nature and essence,
00:38:38.17\00:38:41.54
at the rock bottom reality
of what makes the universe
00:38:41.57\00:38:46.52
and life up, is
this value of humility.
00:38:46.55\00:38:50.21
The Father deferring to the Son,
the Son deferring to the Father,
00:38:50.49\00:38:53.23
and the Spirit deferring to the
Son, who defers to the Father.
00:38:53.26\00:38:55.49
You have constant
deference to one another.
00:38:55.50\00:38:57.70
Beautiful. Amen?
00:38:58.03\00:38:59.37
I love this.
00:38:59.87\00:39:01.14
This gives life such a rich
tapestry and texture and beauty.
00:39:01.17\00:39:05.82
Because it's not just
these arbitrary capricious
00:39:05.85\00:39:08.70
values that God
thrust upon life.
00:39:08.73\00:39:11.04
In fact, I wish I had time to
develop that, but I just don't.
00:39:11.07\00:39:13.86
What you have is;
love fundamental to life,
00:39:13.89\00:39:18.02
unity fundamental to life,
humility fundamental to life,
00:39:18.03\00:39:22.63
and diversity
fundamental to life.
00:39:22.66\00:39:24.62
Does the Trinity have anything
to say about how we live?
00:39:24.99\00:39:28.57
In fact, it does.
00:39:29.57\00:39:30.59
It's not just some
pie in the sky, by and by.
00:39:30.60\00:39:33.21
No, no, no, no.
00:39:33.24\00:39:34.32
There's a whole lot
of legs on this lesson.
00:39:34.36\00:39:37.10
And there's a whole
lot of feet on this faith.
00:39:37.31\00:39:39.76
Okay, I've got
three more for you.
00:39:40.14\00:39:41.67
By the way, you're
lucky that I'm timed.
00:39:42.92\00:39:44.59
Or you would be here
for the next three hours.
00:39:44.62\00:39:46.19
You just praise the Lord that
there's such a thing as a clock.
00:39:46.22\00:39:49.13
Number ten; in the
Trinity we learn the
00:39:51.45\00:39:54.42
appropriate use of authority.
00:39:54.43\00:39:56.43
Amen.
00:39:57.94\00:39:58.97
The appropriate
use of authority.
00:39:59.15\00:40:01.06
The Father is
supreme within the Trinity.
00:40:01.09\00:40:03.27
Not in terms of essence,
but in terms of hierarchy.
00:40:03.30\00:40:05.67
The Father is supreme.
00:40:05.68\00:40:06.68
Jesus said so, "My
Father is greater than I."
00:40:06.69\00:40:08.47
The Spirit defers to the Son,
the Son defers to the Father.
00:40:08.77\00:40:12.71
What we see here is that
authority and headship is
00:40:12.74\00:40:15.80
not in and of
itself a bad thing.
00:40:15.83\00:40:17.66
What is a bad thing is
the way that human beings
00:40:17.80\00:40:20.01
abuse authority and headship.
00:40:20.04\00:40:22.49
But what we have in the Trinity
is a model for the appropriate
00:40:22.52\00:40:26.12
use of authority and
the appropriate submission
00:40:26.15\00:40:30.64
to someone who is in a
position of genuine authority.
00:40:30.67\00:40:33.21
Amen.
00:40:33.62\00:40:34.67
And there are some of us
fathers in this room, and some
00:40:34.77\00:40:37.53
of us mothers in this room,
that could learn this lesson.
00:40:37.55\00:40:40.68
Also as we look at
governments, it helps us to say,
00:40:40.98\00:40:44.05
"That's an inappropriate
use of authority. "
00:40:44.08\00:40:45.69
As we view some governments.
00:40:45.72\00:40:46.75
And perhaps others we can
say, "That's an appropriate
00:40:46.76\00:40:48.81
use of authority. "
00:40:48.84\00:40:49.85
But we have modeled
for us how authority
00:40:49.86\00:40:53.17
and how submission is to
take place in the human sphere.
00:40:53.20\00:40:57.39
Our final two here,
eleven is; we learn what true
00:40:57.97\00:41:02.11
fatherhood and
sonship looks like.
00:41:02.14\00:41:04.36
We see what true fatherhood
and true sonship looks like.
00:41:04.91\00:41:08.24
Jesus was the Son of God.
00:41:08.27\00:41:09.79
And I wish I had
time to develop this.
00:41:09.80\00:41:11.43
That "Son" is not
primarily a chronological term.
00:41:11.87\00:41:15.11
It's a relational term.
00:41:15.14\00:41:16.57
I deal with this quite
extensively in my book.
00:41:16.95\00:41:19.13
And I don't have time
to go into it right now.
00:41:19.16\00:41:20.91
But I'll give you, literally,
the 30 second version.
00:41:21.01\00:41:24.01
When my son is zero and I'm
20, if I have a boy when I'm 20,
00:41:24.22\00:41:28.34
the difference
between us is vast.
00:41:28.37\00:41:30.54
My son is perfectly
dependent on me and his mother.
00:41:30.57\00:41:32.77
Right?
00:41:32.78\00:41:33.78
But as soon as my son
becomes 10 and I become 30,
00:41:33.79\00:41:36.13
dependence decreases.
00:41:36.14\00:41:37.63
Is a 10 year old
dependent on his parents?
00:41:37.66\00:41:39.57
Yes or no.
00:41:39.58\00:41:40.58
Is a 10 year old as dependent on
his parents as a zero year old?
00:41:40.75\00:41:43.60
No. So now watch this.
00:41:43.90\00:41:45.74
When I become 40
and my son is now 20,
00:41:45.77\00:41:49.03
is dependence decreasing?
00:41:49.34\00:41:51.28
Now the reason dependence is
decreasing is that even though
00:41:51.68\00:41:54.11
the difference in age between
us remains fixed at 20 years,
00:41:54.14\00:41:56.95
the percentage of
difference between us is getting
00:41:56.98\00:42:00.07
lesser and lesser
and lesser and lesser.
00:42:00.10\00:42:01.45
So that when I'm
80 and my son is 60,
00:42:01.48\00:42:03.87
I'm now dependent on him.
00:42:04.27\00:42:05.79
Are you with me on that?
00:42:07.01\00:42:08.06
Now let's take this to
its logical conclusion.
00:42:08.09\00:42:09.91
God made Adam and Eve, not
to die, but to live forever.
00:42:10.11\00:42:12.87
Amen?
00:42:12.88\00:42:13.88
God said to them, "Be
fruitful and multiply."
00:42:13.89\00:42:15.31
So let's imagine that Adam's son
lives to be a million years old.
00:42:15.34\00:42:19.45
A million.
00:42:20.04\00:42:21.02
Let's say that Cain hadn't
sinned and Adam hadn't sinned.
00:42:21.05\00:42:23.34
And Cain is now a
million years old.
00:42:23.37\00:42:26.11
And let's say that Adam
had Cain when he was 20.
00:42:26.26\00:42:28.34
So how old is Adam?
00:42:28.37\00:42:29.45
He's a million 20.
00:42:29.79\00:42:30.88
So what's the
difference between them,
00:42:30.89\00:42:32.18
the number of
years between them?
00:42:32.21\00:42:33.58
20 years. But I want
to ask you a question.
00:42:33.86\00:42:35.75
Is that a large
difference or a small difference
00:42:36.40\00:42:38.39
relative to the total
number of years they're alive?
00:42:38.42\00:42:41.01
It's a totally
insignificant difference.
00:42:41.31\00:42:43.88
You see, 20 to zero
is a huge difference.
00:42:44.11\00:42:46.43
But 60 to 80 are
the same generation.
00:42:46.44\00:42:48.37
Right?
00:42:48.44\00:42:49.44
And a million 20 to a
million, you're virtually...
00:42:49.45\00:42:53.07
So here's the point.
00:42:53.08\00:42:54.14
What this teaches us is
that sonship and daughtership
00:42:54.17\00:42:57.38
is not primarily chronological.
00:42:57.41\00:42:59.65
It's relational.
00:42:59.68\00:43:01.29
When Jesus said, "I'm the
Son of God," He was not making a
00:43:01.61\00:43:04.52
chronological statement.
00:43:04.55\00:43:06.21
He was making a
statement of relationship.
00:43:06.24\00:43:08.43
And the Jews totally understood
this because they said in
00:43:08.44\00:43:10.54
John chapter 5, "Wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:43:10.55\00:43:12.29
You call Yourself the Son.
00:43:12.30\00:43:13.96
You are making
Yourself... " What?
00:43:13.99\00:43:17.20
"... equal with God."
00:43:17.23\00:43:18.93
You tracking on that?
00:43:19.95\00:43:21.22
It's absolutely awesome.
00:43:21.41\00:43:22.90
Sonship is not about chronology,
it's not about years.
00:43:22.93\00:43:26.70
Sonship is about
equality and relationship.
00:43:26.71\00:43:30.19
Amen?
00:43:30.69\00:43:31.74
Okay, and I think
that was number eleven.
00:43:32.19\00:43:34.21
Our final one here is that
we learn the value of delegation
00:43:34.22\00:43:38.41
and deference.
00:43:38.44\00:43:40.10
We learn the
value of delegation.
00:43:40.11\00:43:41.78
The Father sends the Son.
00:43:41.81\00:43:44.08
There is a work that the Son can
do that the Father cannot do.
00:43:44.11\00:43:47.09
The Son says, "It is expedient
for you that I go away.
00:43:47.39\00:43:50.77
Because if I don't go away,
the Comforter will not come. "
00:43:50.78\00:43:52.59
The Son delegates to the Spirit.
00:43:52.62\00:43:55.33
And so we learn that
it's not all about me.
00:43:55.53\00:43:58.13
Right?
00:43:58.14\00:43:59.17
It's not all
about, "I'm the one."
00:43:59.18\00:44:01.08
"No, no, no. The
buck stops here. "
00:44:01.29\00:44:03.00
No, no, no, no.
00:44:03.21\00:44:04.23
All great men and great
women recognize their strengths
00:44:04.26\00:44:07.92
and their limitations.
00:44:07.93\00:44:09.96
The greatest men and
the greatest women that have
00:44:10.70\00:44:12.70
ever lived are
always delegators.
00:44:12.71\00:44:15.24
They recognize what
they can do, and by extension
00:44:15.27\00:44:18.05
what they can't do, and
they bring somebody else in.
00:44:18.06\00:44:20.44
"And you can... And
you and you and you. "
00:44:20.47\00:44:22.49
In other words, team work.
00:44:22.50\00:44:24.17
Now these are just 12 things,
12 simple things, that impact
00:44:24.65\00:44:28.73
how we view God...
00:44:30.03\00:44:32.33
Or rather, how we
view God impacts our lives.
00:44:32.34\00:44:35.08
There are some legs on this
and there are some feet on this.
00:44:35.11\00:44:38.16
Amen?
00:44:38.76\00:44:39.76
You with me on that?
00:44:39.98\00:44:41.12
Someone can say, "Oh, it
doesn't make any difference.
00:44:41.15\00:44:43.40
Just pie in the sky, by and by.
00:44:43.67\00:44:45.23
It's just ethereal theology
flying up at 35,000 feet
00:44:45.33\00:44:48.71
above the ground and
never actually lands anywhere. "
00:44:48.74\00:44:51.24
No. These things that
I've just communicated there
00:44:51.25\00:44:53.24
can land right
in the living room.
00:44:53.25\00:44:54.82
And it lands
right in the bedroom.
00:44:55.07\00:44:56.94
And it lands
right in the workplace.
00:44:56.97\00:44:58.77
And it lands
right in the church.
00:44:58.80\00:45:00.41
This is practical.
00:45:00.44\00:45:01.61
And I'll say this, all good
theology is intensely practical.
00:45:01.64\00:45:06.05
Okay, now with that in
mind, open your Bible to
00:45:06.83\00:45:08.87
John chapter 14.
00:45:08.90\00:45:11.68
What about the
Spirit, particularly?
00:45:13.01\00:45:15.74
We're going to spend
the rest of our time here in
00:45:16.15\00:45:18.16
John 14, 15, and 16 to set
the table for our final message
00:45:18.19\00:45:21.85
on the divinity and
Personhood of the Spirit.
00:45:22.17\00:45:25.77
But here we go.
00:45:25.80\00:45:26.85
In John chapter 14, Jesus says
in verse 15 a familiar verse
00:45:27.25\00:45:30.35
to many Seventh-day Adventists,
"If you love me... "What?
00:45:30.36\00:45:33.58
"... keep My commandments."
00:45:33.65\00:45:34.65
And we all say,
"Ok, I'm going to do it."
00:45:34.67\00:45:36.28
"I'm going to buckle
down and I'm going to
00:45:36.68\00:45:38.61
keep these commandments. "
00:45:38.62\00:45:40.59
Yea, yea. But don't
forget to read the next verse.
00:45:40.62\00:45:42.33
This is how you
keep the commandments.
00:45:42.34\00:45:45.60
Not by your own strength and
your own intestinal fortitude.
00:45:45.63\00:45:48.91
You keep it by the Spirit.
00:45:49.63\00:45:51.21
Verse 16, the very next verse,
"I will pray the Father... "
00:45:51.51\00:45:56.26
There it is,
deference to the Father.
00:45:56.29\00:45:58.02
"... and He will
give you another... "
00:45:58.36\00:46:02.30
Now what does
your Bible say there?
00:46:02.55\00:46:04.12
Some Bibles say "Comforter,"
some Bibles say "Helper,"
00:46:04.98\00:46:07.19
some Bibles say "Advocate,"
some Bibles say, "Counselor,"
00:46:07.20\00:46:09.58
some Bibles say, "Friend."
00:46:09.59\00:46:11.03
Now whenever you see that
kind of breadth of language;
00:46:11.06\00:46:14.61
Comforter, Counselor,
Advocate, Friend, Helper,
00:46:14.64\00:46:17.56
what it lets you know is, that
word is not easily translated.
00:46:17.59\00:46:21.48
The Greek word
here is "parakletos."
00:46:21.97\00:46:24.21
Parakletos.
00:46:24.22\00:46:25.71
And literally what the
word means is, someone to
00:46:25.74\00:46:28.69
stand by you.
00:46:28.72\00:46:30.73
Does a friend stand by us?
00:46:31.04\00:46:32.70
Yes.
00:46:33.08\00:46:34.09
Does a counselor stand by us?
00:46:34.12\00:46:35.87
Does a helper stand by us?
00:46:35.88\00:46:37.49
Does an advocate stand by us?
00:46:37.52\00:46:38.80
And so literally what
Jesus is saying here is,
00:46:38.81\00:46:40.48
"I will send another
Person to stand by you. "
00:46:40.49\00:46:44.32
"He will send you
another Helper that
00:46:44.69\00:46:47.59
He may abide with you forever. "
00:46:47.60\00:46:48.64
Here it is. Who is it?
00:46:48.84\00:46:49.92
"The Spirit of truth whom the
world cannot receive, because
00:46:50.02\00:46:52.53
it neither sees
Him nor knows Him;
00:46:52.56\00:46:55.11
but you know Him, for He
dwells with you and will be... "
00:46:55.14\00:46:58.03
And this is
fascinating. "... in you."
00:46:58.06\00:46:59.72
That's what we're going
to spend all of our time,
00:46:59.73\00:47:00.79
well some of our time,
with on our last session.
00:47:00.82\00:47:02.67
"... in you."
00:47:02.68\00:47:03.73
Verse 18, "I will not leave you
orphans; I will come to you. "
00:47:03.74\00:47:06.01
And I just want to read
the rest of these passages,
00:47:06.04\00:47:07.45
and then we'll go
unpack the significance.
00:47:07.46\00:47:08.78
Stay in John chapter
14, look at verse 26.
00:47:09.62\00:47:13.01
John 14:26
00:47:13.02\00:47:14.95
"But the Helper... "
There it is again, parakletos.
00:47:16.42\00:47:19.17
"... the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in My name,
00:47:19.20\00:47:22.03
He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance
00:47:22.06\00:47:25.91
all things that I have said. "
00:47:25.94\00:47:27.60
So notice that He, the Holy
Spirit is not showing up saying,
00:47:27.61\00:47:31.04
"Hey, I've got a lot of
stuff I want to tell you. "
00:47:31.05\00:47:33.09
No, no, no. Jesus said,
"When the Holy Spirit comes
00:47:33.69\00:47:35.67
He will tell you what I said.
00:47:35.70\00:47:37.23
He'll be My voice, He'll be
My words here on earth to you. "
00:47:37.26\00:47:41.33
Stay in John, look
at chapter 15 verse 26.
00:47:41.36\00:47:45.62
John 15:26
00:47:45.65\00:47:47.50
"But when the
Helper comes," parakletos,
00:47:47.80\00:47:50.52
"whom I will send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth
00:47:50.55\00:47:53.20
who proceeds from the Father,
He will testify of... "What?
00:47:53.22\00:47:56.69
"... of Me."
00:47:56.70\00:47:57.70
So notice, is He
blowing His own horn?
00:47:57.71\00:47:59.18
Honk, honk. Aruga.
00:47:59.19\00:48:01.37
Who's horn is the
Holy Spirit blowing?
00:48:01.78\00:48:03.83
Whose, whose, whose, whose?
00:48:04.66\00:48:06.01
Jesus. Question.
00:48:06.04\00:48:07.17
Whose horn was Jesus blowing?
00:48:07.20\00:48:09.11
Now I'm going to come back to
that and it's an awesome point.
00:48:09.71\00:48:11.78
That will be another one
of those saying that you might
00:48:11.81\00:48:13.56
not have known before.
00:48:13.59\00:48:14.58
And I'm going to say it in a way
that I think you'll really like.
00:48:14.59\00:48:16.45
The final
passage here in John 16.
00:48:16.48\00:48:18.23
Verse 8, "And when He... "
00:48:19.19\00:48:21.29
Notice the plural
masculine pronoun.
00:48:21.30\00:48:23.34
"When He has come, He
will convict the world of sin,
00:48:23.35\00:48:26.30
and of
righteousness, and of judgment:
00:48:26.31\00:48:27.41
of sin, because they do not
believe in Me; of righteousness,
00:48:27.42\00:48:29.18
because I go to My
Father and you see Me no more;
00:48:29.19\00:48:31.01
of judgment, because
the ruler of this world,"
00:48:31.02\00:48:32.32
that is Satan, "is judged."
00:48:32.34\00:48:33.34
Verse 12, "I still have
many things to say to you,
00:48:33.44\00:48:35.92
but you cannot bear them now.
00:48:35.93\00:48:36.93
However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come,
00:48:36.94\00:48:39.52
He will guide you into all
truth; for He will not speak on
00:48:39.53\00:48:42.53
His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak;
00:48:42.54\00:48:47.22
and He will tell
you things to come.
00:48:47.23\00:48:48.64
He will glorify... "
Who? Whose horn is He blowing?
00:48:48.66\00:48:51.48
"Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you. "
00:48:51.99\00:48:55.65
Fascinating.
00:48:56.42\00:48:57.42
So first of all, let's
just note several things.
00:48:57.43\00:48:59.87
Jesus refers to the
Holy Spirit as a person.
00:49:00.17\00:49:03.31
As a what, everyone?
00:49:04.05\00:49:05.42
As a person.
00:49:05.84\00:49:07.18
He doesn't refer to the
Spirit as a power, as a energy,
00:49:07.21\00:49:10.34
as an effervescence.
00:49:10.37\00:49:11.94
He refers to the
Holy Spirit as a person.
00:49:11.97\00:49:13.80
And notice the acts
that the Spirit will do.
00:49:13.83\00:49:18.52
He says the Spirit will
guide, the spirit will speak,
00:49:18.53\00:49:22.01
the spirit will
reveal or disclose,
00:49:22.02\00:49:24.22
and the Spirit will glorify.
00:49:24.25\00:49:26.06
Now, question.
00:49:26.58\00:49:27.74
Can a force or an
immanence or an effervescent
00:49:28.05\00:49:32.54
guide, speak,
reveal, and glorify?
00:49:32.57\00:49:35.64
Yes or no? No, no, no, no.
00:49:36.73\00:49:38.50
A person speaks,
and a person guides,
00:49:38.53\00:49:41.35
and a person discloses,
and a person glorifies.
00:49:41.38\00:49:44.34
So two things
right out of the gate.
00:49:44.37\00:49:45.74
First of all, Jesus refers
to the Holy Spirit as a "He."
00:49:45.75\00:49:50.04
And it's that way in
the Greek, by the way.
00:49:50.07\00:49:51.81
He refers to it, not
as an it, but as a He.
00:49:51.84\00:49:54.76
And the significance
here is that the word
00:49:54.79\00:49:56.33
for Spirit is pneumo, which
is actual neuter in the Greek.
00:49:56.36\00:49:59.03
It's actual neuter.
00:49:59.04\00:50:00.04
So the appropriate
thing would be, "It."
00:50:00.05\00:50:01.71
And so there are
sometimes grammatically where
00:50:01.74\00:50:03.46
it says, "Spirit, It."
00:50:03.47\00:50:05.12
But Jesus here intentionally,
in John 14, 15, and 16,
00:50:05.13\00:50:08.19
actually uses the
plural masculine pronoun, "He."
00:50:08.22\00:50:12.24
"He will do
this." "He will do this."
00:50:12.71\00:50:16.14
"The Comforter will do this."
00:50:16.17\00:50:17.93
So Jesus refers to
the Spirit as a person.
00:50:17.96\00:50:20.47
As a what?
00:50:20.50\00:50:21.73
And He attributes activities
to the Spirit that only
00:50:21.97\00:50:25.28
a person can do;
guide, speak, reveal, etc.
00:50:25.31\00:50:28.03
Now let's take
it a step further.
00:50:28.63\00:50:30.36
He said, "I will pray the
Father and He will send you
00:50:30.82\00:50:33.98
another parakletos. "
00:50:34.01\00:50:36.64
Another Comforter.
00:50:36.65\00:50:38.45
There's only one
other person in the Bible
00:50:39.06\00:50:40.89
that's called, the Comforter.
00:50:40.92\00:50:42.66
Or called, the parakletos.
00:50:43.52\00:50:45.26
It's actually in 1
John chapter 2 verse 1.
00:50:45.74\00:50:47.82
You can write that down.
1 John chapter 2 verse 1.
00:50:47.83\00:50:49.63
I'll just quote it for you here.
00:50:49.64\00:50:50.64
It says, "Little children,
these things I write unto you,
00:50:50.65\00:50:52.07
that you sin not.
00:50:52.10\00:50:53.24
And if any man sins,
we have an Advocate... "
00:50:53.27\00:50:57.31
Guess what word that is.
00:50:57.34\00:50:58.39
Parakletos.
00:50:58.99\00:51:00.34
"... we have an
Advocate with the Father,
00:51:00.37\00:51:02.97
Jesus Christ the righteous. "
00:51:03.00\00:51:04.24
So, question.
00:51:04.68\00:51:05.68
Who was the first parakletos?
00:51:05.69\00:51:08.49
Jesus.
00:51:09.71\00:51:10.74
No wonder Jesus said, "I will
send you another parakletos. "
00:51:10.86\00:51:14.66
"I'll send you
another Comforter. "
00:51:14.67\00:51:15.68
Think about this.
00:51:15.69\00:51:16.69
If I'm sitting across
the table, say, from JD.
00:51:16.70\00:51:19.27
JD and Shelley and
I are having lunch.
00:51:19.30\00:51:20.74
And you come over and you
sit down and you hear me say
00:51:20.77\00:51:24.61
to Shelley, or you
hear Shelley say to me,
00:51:24.64\00:51:27.23
"David, would you
like another sandwich?"
00:51:27.24\00:51:29.81
Okay?
00:51:31.10\00:51:32.10
Which chances are I'm going to
say "yes" to that, by the way.
00:51:32.12\00:51:34.04
"Would you like
another sandwich?"
00:51:34.07\00:51:35.30
If you just walked up
and that's all you know about
00:51:35.31\00:51:37.60
the conversation, what
do you know if she offers
00:51:37.61\00:51:40.41
me another sandwich?
00:51:40.44\00:51:41.99
I've already had a sandwich.
00:51:42.32\00:51:44.37
I can only have another sandwich
if there was a first sandwich.
00:51:44.40\00:51:46.79
So when Jesus says, "I will
send you another Comforter,"
00:51:46.80\00:51:51.45
that lets us know that
there was a first Comforter.
00:51:51.85\00:51:55.58
And we know
exactly who that was.
00:51:55.78\00:51:57.34
Who was the one who was walking
and talking and living and
00:51:57.35\00:52:00.46
breathing beside the disciples
for three and a half years.
00:52:00.47\00:52:02.94
Who was that? Jesus.
And Jesus is leaving.
00:52:02.95\00:52:05.60
And the disciples were like,
"No. "They don't understand.
00:52:05.61\00:52:07.49
They don't understand
the crucifixion and the
00:52:07.50\00:52:08.60
death and resurrection.
00:52:08.61\00:52:09.61
But Jesus is
saying, "I'm going away."
00:52:09.62\00:52:10.86
And the disciples were like,
"No, you're not going away."
00:52:10.87\00:52:12.36
And He turns and He
says, "You don't understand.
00:52:12.37\00:52:13.92
It's good for you that I
go away because if I go away,
00:52:13.93\00:52:15.96
I'll send the Spirit. "
00:52:15.97\00:52:17.08
Jesus was, by His humanity,
bound to a single place,
00:52:17.11\00:52:22.12
a geographical location
that you could plot on a GPS.
00:52:22.13\00:52:24.67
But the Spirit could be
here and here and here and here.
00:52:24.70\00:52:27.63
And so if Jesus is
leaving, is Jesus a person?
00:52:27.66\00:52:31.49
I said, is Jesus a person?
00:52:32.10\00:52:33.37
So if Jesus is a person,
who's going to fill that space
00:52:33.67\00:52:38.19
left vacant by a person?
00:52:38.22\00:52:39.94
Can a power do that?
00:52:40.60\00:52:42.14
Can a force do that?
Can an energy do that?
00:52:42.17\00:52:44.94
Can an effervescent fill the
space left vacant by a person?
00:52:44.97\00:52:47.83
What's the answer?
00:52:48.17\00:52:49.36
Only a person can fill the
space left vacant by a person.
00:52:49.39\00:52:52.60
In fact, just
imagine that you hire me...
00:52:52.63\00:52:55.13
This is a great
little illustration.
00:52:55.16\00:52:56.24
...to put an
addition on your house.
00:52:56.25\00:52:59.29
Which I don't
advice, by the way.
00:53:00.28\00:53:02.16
If it was made of
Lego's, I could do it.
00:53:03.40\00:53:05.11
If you say, "David, I want you
to put an addition on my house."
00:53:05.74\00:53:08.34
I say, "Hey, no problem.
It'll take 7 months to do it. "
00:53:08.35\00:53:10.26
We do it and we
sign the contract.
00:53:10.27\00:53:12.14
And I get three and a half
months through the project,
00:53:12.17\00:53:14.71
half way through the
project and I come and say,
00:53:14.72\00:53:16.11
"Man, I've got good
news and bad news. "
00:53:16.12\00:53:17.43
You say, "What's the good news?"
00:53:17.45\00:53:18.45
I say, "The good news is the
project is coming along great. "
00:53:18.46\00:53:19.96
You say, "What's the bad news?"
00:53:19.97\00:53:20.97
"The bad news is, I'm leaving."
00:53:20.98\00:53:22.46
"What do you mean you're
leaving, you're the contractor.
00:53:22.57\00:53:24.07
You can't leave,
you're the contractor.
00:53:24.47\00:53:26.03
My house is half finished.
00:53:26.04\00:53:27.15
I've got the tarp,
I've got the windows.
00:53:27.16\00:53:28.69
You can't leave. "
00:53:28.83\00:53:29.83
But then I say to
you, "Don't worry.
00:53:29.93\00:53:31.86
I'm leaving, and it's
actually for your good, because
00:53:31.87\00:53:34.23
I'm going to send
you another contractor. "
00:53:34.26\00:53:37.48
I'm going to send
you another... What?
00:53:38.95\00:53:40.01
"... contractor who will
finish what I've begun. "
00:53:40.39\00:53:42.23
Now imagine, Monday morning
there's knock at the door.
00:53:42.24\00:53:44.14
And you open the door.
00:53:45.53\00:53:46.98
And I tell you,
"Monday morning, the new
00:53:47.01\00:53:48.62
contractor, you
get to meet him. "
00:53:48.63\00:53:49.65
And there is a Honda generator
sitting on your front step
00:53:49.66\00:53:53.15
with a little
note on it that says,
00:53:53.18\00:53:54.46
"Here's your new contractor."
00:53:54.49\00:53:56.45
And you say, "Oh,
great. How are you doing?
00:53:58.40\00:54:00.61
So you can see the
project is half... "
00:54:01.59\00:54:03.16
An energy source,
which is what a generator is,
00:54:03.17\00:54:07.91
cannot supply the space
left vacant by a person.
00:54:07.94\00:54:11.71
You with me on that?
00:54:12.59\00:54:13.86
So if Jesus is a
person, which He is,
00:54:13.89\00:54:17.61
and He leaves a space vacant,
only a person can fill the space
00:54:17.64\00:54:22.64
left vacant by a person.
00:54:22.67\00:54:24.04
No wonder Jesus said,
"I will send you another
00:54:24.07\00:54:26.83
person to stand beside you. "
00:54:26.86\00:54:30.11
But it gets even more amazing.
00:54:30.14\00:54:32.26
The word that
Jesus used for "another,"
00:54:32.29\00:54:34.51
"I will send you
another Comforter,"
00:54:34.52\00:54:36.96
is the word "allos."
00:54:37.26\00:54:38.91
There are two Greek words
that could have been used;
00:54:38.94\00:54:41.29
heteros or allos.
00:54:41.39\00:54:43.01
And "heteros" is a word
that you'll be familiar with.
00:54:43.04\00:54:45.23
For example, heterosexual.
00:54:45.84\00:54:47.77
Male, female. Different.
00:54:48.10\00:54:49.87
Heteros means,
another but different kind.
00:54:50.37\00:54:53.36
Allos means,
another but the same.
00:54:53.78\00:54:57.47
The same kind.
00:54:57.79\00:54:59.04
Either word could
have been chosen here.
00:54:59.57\00:55:01.18
Jesus could have said,
or John could have written,
00:55:01.21\00:55:03.14
"I will send you
heteros parakletos. "
00:55:03.17\00:55:05.66
"Another different kind."
00:55:05.99\00:55:07.51
No, but He says, "I will
send you allos parakletos. "
00:55:07.54\00:55:10.45
"Another of
just the same kind. "
00:55:10.48\00:55:15.13
Was Jesus a person?
00:55:15.65\00:55:17.11
Yeah?
00:55:17.63\00:55:18.69
So what's this allos
parakletos going to be?
00:55:18.79\00:55:21.61
Exactly. A person.
00:55:22.47\00:55:24.63
The final thing I want to
say here and then we'll close
00:55:25.00\00:55:26.60
this session and set
up our final message here.
00:55:26.61\00:55:28.42
This is awesome.
00:55:28.45\00:55:29.71
John chapter 1 says, "In
the beginning was the Word,
00:55:30.43\00:55:32.44
and the Word was...
" What? ... "with God."
00:55:32.47\00:55:34.38
One of the names for
Jesus is, the Word of God.
00:55:34.41\00:55:37.13
Are you with me on that?
00:55:37.67\00:55:38.83
In Revelation chapter 19 when
Jesus returns, there is written
00:55:38.84\00:55:41.17
on His vesture and on
His thigh a name written;
00:55:41.20\00:55:43.00
"King of kings
and Lord of lords. "
00:55:43.03\00:55:44.26
But it says in that same
chapter, His name is called,
00:55:44.27\00:55:46.45
the Word of God.
00:55:46.48\00:55:48.00
One of the name of
Jesus is, the Logos, the Word.
00:55:48.24\00:55:51.81
Now get this.
00:55:51.82\00:55:52.98
So here's the Father
and His word is the Son,
00:55:52.99\00:55:59.56
and the Son is a person.
00:55:59.59\00:56:01.79
Are you with me on that?
00:56:02.43\00:56:03.48
Okay, now check this out.
00:56:03.51\00:56:05.00
Jesus says, "The
words I speak to you,
00:56:05.03\00:56:09.05
they are spirit
and they are life. "
00:56:09.08\00:56:10.81
John chapter 6.
00:56:10.82\00:56:12.00
Jesus, as He was in the
upper room with the disciples
00:56:12.03\00:56:14.33
right at the end, the Bible says
He breathed on His disciples
00:56:14.36\00:56:17.77
and said, "Receive the Spirit."
00:56:17.80\00:56:20.61
And Jesus also said, as
we have already seen here,
00:56:20.64\00:56:22.21
very interesting, Jesus
said, "When the Spirit comes,
00:56:22.24\00:56:24.90
He will speak My words.
00:56:24.93\00:56:26.93
He won't be
tooting His own horn.
00:56:26.96\00:56:28.52
He'll be speaking My words. "
00:56:28.53\00:56:30.22
So you see how the Son
stands in a relationship
00:56:30.25\00:56:33.39
to the Father as His word.
00:56:33.42\00:56:35.18
And the Spirit stands
in relationship to the Son
00:56:35.86\00:56:38.52
as His word.
00:56:38.55\00:56:39.70
The word of the
Father is the Son.
00:56:40.45\00:56:42.24
The word of the
Son is the Spirit.
00:56:42.25\00:56:44.71
What we see is
absolutely awesome here.
00:56:44.91\00:56:47.27
That each one
stands in deferential
00:56:47.28\00:56:49.95
relationship to the other.
00:56:49.98\00:56:51.77
The Spirit comes down...
00:56:52.22\00:56:53.45
And we're going to talk
about this in our final session.
00:56:53.48\00:56:54.87
...and His job is to
bring to our remembrance,
00:56:54.90\00:56:56.85
not Himself, not
to blow His own horn,
00:56:57.35\00:56:59.75
but He points us to Jesus.
00:56:59.78\00:57:01.84
And Jesus says, "Oh yes,
all the words that I speak
00:57:01.87\00:57:04.71
and who I am, I have
come to glorify the Father. "
00:57:04.74\00:57:08.10
Just as the Son is
the word of the Father,
00:57:08.60\00:57:11.79
the Spirit is like
the word of the Son.
00:57:11.80\00:57:14.40
Each pointing graciously
in humility and deferentially
00:57:14.43\00:57:18.14
to the other one.
00:57:18.17\00:57:19.37
Friends, the Spirit is
not a power to be used by me.
00:57:19.57\00:57:24.56
The Spirit is a
person who can use me.
00:57:24.99\00:57:28.60