Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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His Character
Counts with Hiram Rester.
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Good evening and welcome
once again to night number two
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in our five part series with our
pastor and friend, Hiram Rester.
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His Character Counts.
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And on last evening, we
heard a very fine message;
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a new angle, a
new way to look at the
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old, old story of the gospel.
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And so we are very thankful
that Pastor Hiram Rester
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is here and that you are
here in our local audience,
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and those of you who
are watching and listening
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from around the world.
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You've got to respect
and like a pastor who travels
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with his own entourage.
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He has members of his
church with him here tonight.
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And we are very
thankful for their presence.
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And that says a lot for the
kind of person that our pastor,
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our friend is.
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I don't know really when Pastor
Rester came to our notice.
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In talking with him, Jim
Gilley knew him when he was
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an evangelist in
the Texico Conference.
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And so they have
a long association.
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I think that's how he came
to 3ABN, through Pastor Gilley.
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Now we need to ask you to
pray for some of these brethren.
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Everybody that went to
Russia for the 20th anniversary
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has paid for that trip.
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I had a cold and I'm
just getting over mine.
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My wife had a cold;
just getting over hers.
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Pastor Lomacang has a
cold; just getting over his.
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Angie has a cold;
just getting over here.
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Danny Shelton has a little
sniffle; just getting over his.
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Yvonne has a cold;
just getting over hers.
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And the one that it really
hit the hardest is Jim Gilley.
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He was suppose
to be here tonight.
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He spent a little time in
the office today, but you could
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see him fatiguing.
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He got hit the hardest.
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He's sniffling and sneezing
and just really going through
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some changes.
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And so we need to remember
Pastor Gilley in prayer.
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Because, of all of us, he seems
to have gotten it the worst.
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I think everybody
that was on that plane
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picked up a little something.
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So we need to be remembered
in prayer, if you will.
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Tonight is a very special night.
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I like the topic
that Pastor Rester has;
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What Is Your Picture Of God.
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That's a very intriguing topic.
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What does God look like to you?
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What is your mental image
or your spiritual image of God.
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And so he's going to
wade into that tonight.
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And I'm sure that
the Lord will bless him.
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He's a nice guy and
someone that we've come to
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love and respect.
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Good sense of
humor, good family man,
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good Christian, good preacher.
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And so we are very, very
thankful that he was able to
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come away from his
church for just a few nights
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to be with us and to be
with our world audience.
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Would you now bow your heads
with me in a word of prayer.
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Father God, how
thankful we are for Jesus.
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We are thankful, Lord, that we
have been called out of darkness
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into the
marvelous light of His word.
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We're thankful that we've
been called from error to truth.
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We've been called to be
heralds of a last day message.
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And so Father, as we
sit and listen tonight,
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we pray a very special
blessing upon this speaker.
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We ask You to bless him so that
he might be a blessing to us.
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Speak to him so
that he may speak to us
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Your words and
deliver Your thoughts.
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Anoint him, Father, so
that Christ is seen and heard
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and felt, and not
just the words of a man.
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But bless him, keep him.
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Deliver Your word
through him this night.
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And we will give
to You the praise,
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the honor, and the glory.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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And amen.
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Just before Pastor Rester
speaks, our music is going to
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come from Jill Morikone.
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She has recently
produced a very lovely CD.
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And I believe tonight's song
is going to come from that CD.
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I hope it is,
because I'm saying it is.
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And it does.
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It's a medley.
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Something Beautiful and
Something About That Name.
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She's going to weaver
those two very beautiful
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classic songs together.
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And then after Jill
shall have finished,
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the next voice you will hear
will be Pastor Hiram Rester.
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Amen.
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There's just
something about that name.
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What a blessing as we have
opportunity to get into the Word
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and to think about our
God; what He has done for us,
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how good he has been to us,
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as we think about
how His character counts.
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I would like to invite
you to open your Bibles
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to the book of
Revelation and chapter 3.
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Revelation chapter 3.
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One of the last times I took
my car in for an oil change,
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I went into Wal-Mart there.
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I had a slow leak on
the front right tire.
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And they told me that it
would be a couple of hours wait
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for them to fix the
tire and to change the oil.
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There were other
folk ahead of me.
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And so I took my book
bag that I had my computer in
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and a couple of books.
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I'm always reading a
couple of books and my Bible.
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And I walked across the
parking lot to a McDonald's.
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And I figured I would rather sit
at McDonald's than in the little
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waiting room at Wal-Mart
where they were going to
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work on my car.
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And I went to the McDonald's.
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I thought, well... So that I...
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This was in the summer time.
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I said, "I think I'm
going to buy a little something
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at McDonald's so I don't
feel so guilty about using
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their air conditioning
and sitting at the table."
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So I bought me one of those
banana strawberry smoothies
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that they have these days.
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And I'm sitting there working
on my sermon for that Sabbath.
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Because it was a Friday.
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And I'm working on my message.
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And as I'm doing so,
I occasionally overhear
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what some people at
McDonald's are saying.
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There was one
table right near me.
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There was, what I
gathered from the conversation,
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a dad and his teenage
daughter, and lady that was not
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part of the family
that was eating with them.
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And the daughter was
being asked by the lady
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about her cooking.
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And she would talk about
how she would cook things.
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She talked about how she
made macaroni and cheese.
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And the dad goes, "Yea, she's
got to get better at that."
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And you could just see
her spirit being crushed
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as then she would talk about
something else that she cooked.
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Then he goes, "Yea, she's
still working on that too.
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We got it down, but..."
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And the dad, and I'm thinking,
does he realize what he's doing?
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Can he not see what
he's doing to his daughter?
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Her spirit was just
getting lower and lower
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as he was running
down what she was doing.
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And then there was a fellow
over at the drink fountain,
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at the fountain of drinks there.
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There were three
ladies and this guy.
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And the guy was
talking really, really loud.
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He was grumpy.
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He was grumpy, he said, because
the lady at the counter that
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had waited on him
had been grumpy to him.
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And so he was being
grumpy about her being grumpy.
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And as he was going on
and on and on about the
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lady at the counter, he
was so loud that everyone
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in the whole
McDonald's heard him.
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And I'm thinking, can
he not see how he's being?
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Now I'm being quiet.
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I'm just trying to
mind my own business
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and work on my sermon.
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But, you can't help
but observe and notice
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some things sometimes.
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And then he said, "We've got to
hurry up and get out of here and
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get across the
parking lot to Wal-Mart.
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I've got an appointment
there at the vision center.
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I'm having trouble seeing
and I'm going to go in and
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have my eyes checked."
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And I was reading in
Revelation chapter 3.
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He said, "I'm
having trouble seeing.
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I'm going to get
my eyes checked."
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And there, God is offering,
Jesus is offering to us all
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some eye salve that
we might be able to see.
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And as he said, "I'm
having trouble seeing,"
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I'm thinking,
maybe that's the problem.
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The dad, as he
talked about his daughter,
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maybe he was
having trouble seeing.
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And maybe this guy,
he's talking so loud that the
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whole McDonald's is hearing
him complain and be grumpy
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and use foul language, maybe
he can't see how he's being.
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Maybe all of us are
having trouble seeing.
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Maybe I'm not seeing
the way I need to see.
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And so I began to look into this
passage in Revelation chapter 3.
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Maybe we're all having
some spiritual eye trouble.
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We see it here in Revelation
chapter 3 and verse 17.
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Revelation 3, we've had
time to find it now, I think.
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Revelation 3 verse 17.
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This is the
message to the Laodiceans.
00:12:59.57\00:13:02.48
And it says, "Because
thou sayest, 'I am rich
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and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing,'
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and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable,
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and poor, and blind, and naked,
I counsel thee to..." Do what?
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"...to buy..."
00:13:17.53\00:13:18.90
What's another word for buy?
00:13:18.93\00:13:20.30
Purchase.
00:13:20.59\00:13:21.96
"...to buy of Me gold
tried in the fire, that thou
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mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest
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be clothed, and that the shame
of thy nakedness do not appear;
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and anoint thine
eyes with..." What?
00:13:30.91\00:13:34.42
"...eye salve, that
thou mayest..." What?
00:13:34.66\00:13:39.03
"...see."
00:13:39.74\00:13:41.11
Now notice this.
00:13:41.36\00:13:42.73
Jesus makes the comparison
here to us being blind.
00:13:42.76\00:13:48.08
He says, "You're blind,
but you don't think you are.
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You think you
have need of nothing."
00:13:51.12\00:13:53.53
Now this is a heavy passage.
00:13:53.56\00:13:56.18
In fact, we're told
that a shaking is coming
00:13:56.21\00:13:59.14
among God's people.
00:13:59.17\00:14:00.73
And that it will come forth
from the straight testimony
00:14:00.76\00:14:04.26
of the Laodicean message.
00:14:04.29\00:14:06.46
Now perhaps there's
some confusion about what the
00:14:06.49\00:14:09.15
straight testimony of
the Laodicean message is.
00:14:09.18\00:14:12.46
I know that for many
years, I was confused.
00:14:12.49\00:14:15.40
I wouldn't have
thought I was confused.
00:14:15.43\00:14:18.65
I thought I had it down.
00:14:19.04\00:14:20.44
The straight testimony; that
must mean stepping on our toes.
00:14:20.47\00:14:25.13
That must mean a hard
message, a straight message,
00:14:25.16\00:14:28.24
a "line them out," a
"show them how bad they are
00:14:28.27\00:14:32.21
and call them to
repent," message.
00:14:32.24\00:14:34.50
And that's what I preached.
00:14:34.53\00:14:35.90
I mean, if they were
wearing something they weren't
00:14:35.93\00:14:38.16
suppose to, I nailed them.
00:14:38.19\00:14:40.22
If they were playing
music they weren't suppose to,
00:14:40.25\00:14:42.82
then I nailed them.
00:14:42.85\00:14:44.51
If they were acting in a
way they weren't suppose to,
00:14:44.54\00:14:46.96
I nailed them.
00:14:46.99\00:14:48.36
If they were drinking something
they weren't suppose to,
00:14:48.39\00:14:50.36
then I nailed them.
00:14:50.39\00:14:52.10
You caught on, right?
00:14:52.13\00:14:53.50
And I thought that's
a straight testimony.
00:14:53.53\00:14:55.74
They're Laodicean and
we've got to straighten them up.
00:14:55.77\00:14:59.37
That's not the message.
00:15:00.87\00:15:02.62
Now let me tell you.
00:15:02.65\00:15:04.23
God does line us
up and line us out.
00:15:04.51\00:15:07.08
I'm not denying that.
00:15:07.11\00:15:08.48
But that is not the
point of this message.
00:15:08.70\00:15:11.89
No, the point of this message,
00:15:12.25\00:15:14.10
we're actually
told, is different.
00:15:14.13\00:15:16.33
There's a heart problem.
00:15:16.36\00:15:17.73
And we're told the focus of
this message is justification
00:15:17.76\00:15:20.67
by faith and the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
00:15:20.70\00:15:25.24
It is a message that
exalts Jesus, that lifts Him up;
00:15:25.47\00:15:29.97
that straight testimony.
00:15:30.00\00:15:31.51
And you know what?
00:15:31.54\00:15:32.91
Just as if you're a
Seventh-day Adventist Christian,
00:15:32.94\00:15:35.12
you can think back to
the Adventist history,
00:15:35.22\00:15:37.73
the year 1888.
00:15:37.76\00:15:39.51
There were some people
that when a pure message of
00:15:39.54\00:15:41.84
righteousness by faith came,
that did not accept it then.
00:15:41.87\00:15:44.59
Yes or no?
00:15:44.62\00:15:45.99
Could that same
message bring about a shaking
00:15:46.17\00:15:48.87
among God's people today?
00:15:48.90\00:15:50.65
Those that they know
it's a works based system
00:15:50.75\00:15:53.83
and it's about what
I do, not what He did.
00:15:53.86\00:15:56.48
Hold on a second.
00:15:56.51\00:15:57.88
Let's be clear,
let's unpack this.
00:15:57.91\00:16:00.54
My friends, the
issue with the Laodiceans,
00:16:00.57\00:16:03.91
as we think about what
is your picture of God,
00:16:03.94\00:16:07.16
one of the problems is, they're
blind and they don't know it.
00:16:07.19\00:16:11.04
Have you ever seen someone
who's vision is getting worse,
00:16:12.02\00:16:15.00
but they refuse to admit it?
00:16:15.03\00:16:16.82
Yea?
00:16:18.25\00:16:19.62
That's right.
00:16:19.76\00:16:21.13
In fact, my dad...
00:16:21.16\00:16:22.53
If you're watching, dad.
00:16:22.56\00:16:23.93
I know he takes those
books and he puts them
00:16:23.96\00:16:26.31
out here and brings them back.
00:16:26.34\00:16:27.71
And he gets some
different glasses, but he hasn't
00:16:27.74\00:16:30.51
gone to the optometrist.
00:16:30.54\00:16:32.25
Dad, if you're listening,
go to the optometrist.
00:16:33.03\00:16:36.62
Get those eyes fixed.
00:16:37.45\00:16:39.26
Praise the Lord.
00:16:39.65\00:16:41.02
Okay, back to preaching.
00:16:41.05\00:16:42.42
Sorry, I had to meddle a
little bit and send a personal
00:16:42.45\00:16:44.68
message there, around the
world right to Mississippi.
00:16:44.71\00:16:48.27
Because when we're
having trouble seeing,
00:16:48.30\00:16:51.07
that's a problem.
00:16:51.10\00:16:52.47
Yes or no?
00:16:52.50\00:16:53.87
Yes, it is.
00:16:53.90\00:16:55.27
Now as we dig in here...
00:16:55.30\00:16:57.19
Oh, I'm going to get
in trouble for that one.
00:16:57.22\00:16:58.97
Oh my, but it's
worth it. So worth it.
00:16:59.00\00:17:01.39
There's a heart issue
for Laodicea, alright?
00:17:01.42\00:17:04.68
Let me use my dad
as another example.
00:17:04.71\00:17:08.06
When he was a teenager...
00:17:08.09\00:17:09.97
How old was he?
00:17:10.00\00:17:11.37
He was a teenager.
00:17:11.64\00:17:13.01
He had an old truck.
00:17:13.04\00:17:15.44
And this old truck, the
brakes were going out on it.
00:17:15.47\00:17:19.35
It would still kind of
stop if you pumped the brakes.
00:17:19.38\00:17:21.87
You could get it to
stop after a little bit.
00:17:21.90\00:17:23.79
But the brakes
were going out on it.
00:17:23.82\00:17:25.80
And his dad went to work that
morning in the summer and said,
00:17:25.83\00:17:28.69
"Boy, don't go to town without
some way to stop that truck."
00:17:28.72\00:17:32.26
And so what was the rule?
00:17:32.80\00:17:34.81
What was the
outward test of conformity?
00:17:35.53\00:17:38.95
Don't go to town
without a way to stop the truck.
00:17:39.63\00:17:44.02
But what do you suppose that
his dad really meant by that?
00:17:44.05\00:17:47.65
I think he meant,
don't be driving the truck
00:17:49.51\00:17:52.45
without fixing the brakes.
00:17:53.14\00:17:56.38
Don't drive the truck
until the brakes are fixed.
00:17:56.41\00:17:58.45
Oh my, perhaps
later he may have wished
00:17:58.75\00:18:01.38
he had been more explicit.
00:18:01.41\00:18:02.97
I don't know.
00:18:03.00\00:18:04.37
But anyway, my dad's buddy,
Lewis, wanted to go to town.
00:18:04.56\00:18:08.43
And he said, "Bill, why don't
you ease over here to my house.
00:18:08.46\00:18:11.89
I've got an idea."
00:18:11.92\00:18:13.29
And my dad, he was
a teenager, remember.
00:18:13.32\00:18:16.18
His buddy, Lewis,
was a teenager as well.
00:18:16.21\00:18:18.15
And he said, my dad said,
"Dad said I couldn't go to town
00:18:18.18\00:18:22.83
without some way
to stop the truck."
00:18:22.86\00:18:24.23
He said, "Is that
exactly what he said?
00:18:24.26\00:18:25.73
'Don't go to town without
a way to stop the truck.'"
00:18:25.76\00:18:27.68
"That's right.
That's what he said.
00:18:27.71\00:18:29.73
'Don't go to town without
some way to stop that truck.'"
00:18:29.76\00:18:32.95
"Okay, well come
over here to my house.
00:18:33.49\00:18:35.92
I have an idea."
00:18:35.95\00:18:37.32
And so my dad eased through the
back roads, pumping the brakes
00:18:37.35\00:18:39.93
to get it to stop, you know.
00:18:39.96\00:18:41.33
Very dangerous, but he did.
00:18:41.36\00:18:42.73
As a teenager, he
got over to Lewis' house.
00:18:42.76\00:18:44.78
And Lewis was out back
of the house with a cable.
00:18:44.81\00:18:47.67
He had an old truck that they
had taken the engine out of.
00:18:47.70\00:18:52.05
He said, "You'll have to pull
me to see, but I'm pretty sure
00:18:52.24\00:18:55.05
the brakes still
work on this old truck.
00:18:55.08\00:18:58.02
So the idea is,
Bill, you pull me."
00:18:58.05\00:19:00.54
That's my dad's name.
00:19:00.57\00:19:01.94
"You pull me in this
truck that doesn't have a motor.
00:19:01.97\00:19:06.01
And then I push the
brakes and stop us both."
00:19:06.04\00:19:10.33
And so grandpa had said,
"Don't go to town without
00:19:11.27\00:19:13.97
some way to stop that truck."
00:19:14.00\00:19:15.96
And so they tested it and
sure enough, the brakes worked.
00:19:15.99\00:19:18.51
So there they head off
into town, two boys in trucks.
00:19:18.54\00:19:22.98
One in the front with a
truck without brakes that work.
00:19:23.01\00:19:27.12
The other one in the back
with a truck that has brakes
00:19:27.15\00:19:30.47
that work fine, but no
motor under the hood any longer.
00:19:30.50\00:19:34.10
And so off into town they head.
00:19:35.20\00:19:37.52
The plan was, when Bill
stuck his arm out the window,
00:19:37.55\00:19:40.40
my dad stuck his arm out
the window and went like this,
00:19:40.43\00:19:42.75
that Lewis knew
to hit the brakes.
00:19:42.78\00:19:45.53
Simple enough.
00:19:46.89\00:19:48.58
And so they go
rolling down into town.
00:19:48.79\00:19:52.07
And Lewis is
looking at the scenery.
00:19:52.10\00:19:54.57
And the light changes.
00:19:56.52\00:19:58.65
It turns red.
00:19:58.68\00:20:00.46
And so my dad, Bill,
starts pumping on the brakes
00:20:00.81\00:20:03.48
to stop the truck.
00:20:03.51\00:20:05.50
He's waving his arm out
the window for Lewis to stop.
00:20:07.41\00:20:10.58
But Lewis is
enjoying the scenery.
00:20:10.61\00:20:13.36
And so as Bill pumps on the
brakes, the truck begins to slow
00:20:14.87\00:20:19.98
and just, you know,
starts stopping some even though
00:20:20.01\00:20:22.86
it's brakes are messed up.
00:20:22.89\00:20:24.34
And so now there's
slack in the cable.
00:20:24.37\00:20:26.62
And Lewis looks up and realizes
his front bumper is very
00:20:27.44\00:20:30.66
close to the back bumper
of the truck in front of him,
00:20:30.69\00:20:33.20
that there's slack in the cable,
that Bill is waving his arm
00:20:33.23\00:20:36.62
crazily, and
Lewis hits the brakes.
00:20:36.65\00:20:39.06
Screeches to a halt.
00:20:40.71\00:20:43.25
And the slack quickly
comes out of the cable.
00:20:43.81\00:20:46.66
At which point
guess what happened.
00:20:47.64\00:20:49.22
The cable broke.
00:20:49.25\00:20:51.43
Luckily, no one
was at the light.
00:20:52.23\00:20:53.67
And Bill rolled right on through
the light and down the street.
00:20:53.70\00:20:56.36
Well, Lewis let off the brakes.
00:20:56.86\00:20:58.66
A little bit of an
incline there and he managed
00:20:58.69\00:21:00.63
to roll on through as well.
00:21:00.66\00:21:02.67
And Lewis rolled
into the Chevy dealership.
00:21:03.12\00:21:07.94
Bill was a little further up.
00:21:08.59\00:21:10.29
As he rolled into the Chevy
dealership, one of the salesmen
00:21:10.95\00:21:14.47
came out and said,
"Young man, may I help you?"
00:21:14.50\00:21:16.41
Maybe he thought someone was
there to look at a car, right?
00:21:16.44\00:21:19.02
And Lewis says, "Well, I'm
having some car trouble, sir."
00:21:19.76\00:21:23.59
"Really, you are?
00:21:24.59\00:21:25.96
Well pop the hood.
Let's have a look."
00:21:25.99\00:21:27.83
And so he pops
the hood to the truck.
00:21:28.46\00:21:32.27
And then he goes
around, he throws the hood up,
00:21:32.87\00:21:38.17
and he looks.
00:21:38.74\00:21:40.11
And he does a double take.
00:21:40.30\00:21:41.71
He looks and he goes,
"Oh no, my motors gone."
00:21:41.74\00:21:47.68
And then he steps to
the side of the truck
00:21:49.01\00:21:50.82
and looks back down the road.
00:21:50.85\00:21:52.69
Like perhaps it had fallen out.
00:21:53.67\00:21:55.72
The guy at the dealership looks
down the road along with him.
00:21:56.92\00:21:59.64
About this time, Bill
is slowly backing the truck
00:22:00.44\00:22:03.46
back towards Lewis.
00:22:03.49\00:22:05.93
And he says,
"Lewis, is there a problem?"
00:22:05.96\00:22:07.87
And he says, "Yea, I'm
having some car trouble, Bill."
00:22:07.90\00:22:10.63
He said, "Man, well
would you like me to tow you?
00:22:12.04\00:22:14.67
I've got a cable."
00:22:14.70\00:22:16.07
It had broken off
at Lewis' front bumper.
00:22:16.10\00:22:17.94
And so he took the cable and
he retied it under Lewis' truck.
00:22:18.92\00:22:22.85
And then while the man at the
dealership is still trying to
00:22:22.88\00:22:25.60
figure out what's
going on, they hook up
00:22:25.63\00:22:27.52
and head on through town.
00:22:27.55\00:22:29.39
You see, there's
a problem with that.
00:22:30.23\00:22:32.88
Outwardly, they were conforming
to what grandpa had said.
00:22:32.91\00:22:36.28
Yes or no?
00:22:36.31\00:22:37.68
But were they obeying
the spirit of the law?
00:22:37.88\00:22:40.92
Was their heart in obedience?
00:22:40.95\00:22:43.90
Or really, though
they were claiming to obey,
00:22:44.52\00:22:46.96
was their heart in disobedience?
00:22:46.99\00:22:49.63
Yes.
00:22:50.11\00:22:51.48
My friends, sometimes
the Laodicean condition
00:22:51.51\00:22:54.63
being such a heart problem,
people tend to be outwardly
00:22:54.66\00:22:59.24
into obedience while their
heart is into disobedience.
00:22:59.27\00:23:03.83
You see, what that truck
that was being towed needed
00:23:04.13\00:23:07.39
was a new motor.
00:23:07.42\00:23:08.99
And my friends, the motor
like the heart of a vehicle,
00:23:09.02\00:23:11.88
we need a new heart.
00:23:11.91\00:23:14.18
Can you say amen to that?
00:23:14.21\00:23:16.11
Well sure.
00:23:16.39\00:23:17.76
"The Laodiceans..."
listen to this particular quote.
00:23:17.79\00:23:21.64
It says, "The Laodiceans
were not entirely blind,
00:23:22.15\00:23:26.93
else the eye salve
would have done nothing to
00:23:26.96\00:23:29.83
restore their sight."
00:23:29.86\00:23:31.39
Remember, it went
through this whole list.
00:23:31.42\00:23:33.17
"Knowest not that thou
art wretched, miserable,
00:23:33.20\00:23:35.52
poor, blind, and naked."
00:23:35.55\00:23:36.93
A heart condition here. Right?
00:23:36.96\00:23:38.83
So, "They weren't
entirely blind, or the eye salve
00:23:39.90\00:23:42.67
would have done nothing to
restore their sight and enable
00:23:42.70\00:23:45.02
them to discern the
true attributes of Christ."
00:23:45.05\00:23:48.08
That's from Seven
Bible Commentary, page 965.
00:23:48.11\00:23:52.19
That quote leads
me to say, hold on.
00:23:52.22\00:23:54.72
They weren't entirely blind.
00:23:54.75\00:23:57.08
You ever heard somebody say that
someone is as blind as a bat?
00:23:57.11\00:24:00.84
But most of the time
they're talking about somebody
00:24:02.09\00:24:03.88
that can see some.
00:24:03.91\00:24:05.28
Yes or no?
00:24:05.31\00:24:06.68
That phrase in
English at least. Right?
00:24:06.71\00:24:09.68
And so as we look here,
this is intriguing to me.
00:24:09.71\00:24:13.57
They can see some, and
so the eye salve is going to
00:24:13.60\00:24:17.64
do some good so they can see
the true attributes of Christ.
00:24:17.67\00:24:20.51
The eye salve helps
us to see His attributes.
00:24:20.54\00:24:23.63
Attributes of what?
00:24:23.66\00:24:25.06
Of His character.
00:24:25.86\00:24:27.99
My friends, His
character counts.
00:24:28.02\00:24:29.99
Can you say amen?
00:24:30.02\00:24:31.39
Absolutely.
00:24:31.42\00:24:33.26
Now as we think of
the character of God,
00:24:33.29\00:24:36.02
what is your picture of God?
00:24:36.05\00:24:38.06
The picture of God
that you see with your eyes.
00:24:38.09\00:24:41.00
Not so much your physical eyes,
but your spiritual eyesight.
00:24:41.03\00:24:45.23
Well as we look at
this particular issue,
00:24:46.05\00:24:49.12
we're talking in Revelation
chapter 3, we're told that
00:24:49.15\00:24:54.01
we're rich and increased with
goods and have need of nothing,
00:24:54.04\00:24:56.95
and know not that
we're wretched, miserable,
00:24:56.98\00:24:59.21
poor, blind, and naked.
00:24:59.24\00:25:00.61
One of the problems is
we don't know our condition.
00:25:00.64\00:25:04.12
I remember with my
own eyesight, even in my
00:25:04.32\00:25:07.09
mid 30's now, that I
was at my in-law's house
00:25:07.12\00:25:10.93
a couple of years ago.
00:25:10.96\00:25:12.33
And I don't remember if
it was my father-in-law or
00:25:12.36\00:25:14.27
my mother-in-law, but
they had gotten new glasses.
00:25:14.30\00:25:18.40
One of them, new eye glasses.
00:25:18.43\00:25:20.09
And we were sitting around
talking and I just slipped
00:25:20.36\00:25:22.54
their eye glasses on.
00:25:22.57\00:25:24.57
And I didn't realize my eyesight
was beginning to deteriorate.
00:25:25.02\00:25:28.29
But I was looking
across the room and I put the
00:25:28.92\00:25:31.42
eye glasses on.
00:25:31.45\00:25:32.85
And all of a sudden, a
digital clock over there,
00:25:32.88\00:25:35.90
the numbers got
pristine and clear.
00:25:36.47\00:25:40.41
And I thought, "Wow."
00:25:41.15\00:25:42.68
Sometimes you don't
know what you can't see
00:25:43.15\00:25:45.48
until you can see.
00:25:46.00\00:25:47.87
You see, the Laodicean condition
is they know not that they're
00:25:48.48\00:25:52.18
wretched, miserable,
poor, blind, and naked.
00:25:52.21\00:25:53.95
That's a dangerous
condition; to be in a dangerous
00:25:53.98\00:25:56.69
scenario and not know it.
00:25:56.72\00:25:59.13
They don't know
that they don't know.
00:25:59.16\00:26:02.26
He that knowest not and
knowest not that he knowest not,
00:26:02.29\00:26:05.87
knows little.
00:26:05.90\00:26:07.27
As we look at this passage,
we're counseled by Jesus
00:26:07.49\00:26:12.82
to buy of Him
gold tried in the fire,
00:26:12.85\00:26:15.90
and white raiment, and
eye salve that we can see.
00:26:17.03\00:26:23.68
Now we're told in the book,
Our High Calling, page 350,
00:26:24.03\00:26:28.62
that, "The great
Redeemer represents Himself..."
00:26:29.57\00:26:33.43
Who's the great Redeemer?
00:26:33.46\00:26:34.83
That's Jesus.
00:26:35.09\00:26:36.46
"...represents Himself
as a heavenly merchantman,
00:26:36.49\00:26:40.06
laden with riches,
calling from house to house,
00:26:40.09\00:26:44.93
presenting His priceless goods."
00:26:44.96\00:26:49.16
And then it quotes
Revelation 3:18-20.
00:26:49.68\00:26:53.26
So let's go ahead
and read verse 20.
00:26:53.29\00:26:55.99
And it says, "Behold, I
stand at the door and knock.
00:26:56.02\00:27:00.04
If any man hear My
voice and open the door,
00:27:00.07\00:27:02.30
I will come in to him and will
sup with him, and he with Me."
00:27:02.33\00:27:06.26
So as a heavenly merchantman,
remember He says, "I counsel
00:27:06.45\00:27:10.08
thee to buy of Me."
00:27:10.11\00:27:11.70
And He stands at
the door and knocks.
00:27:12.10\00:27:14.62
Now let's unpack this.
00:27:14.65\00:27:16.02
This will be something that
will be new for some of you.
00:27:16.05\00:27:18.08
I know when I first saw it, I
thought, "This is pretty cool."
00:27:18.11\00:27:21.35
In fact, if any of you
have a colporteuring or
00:27:21.70\00:27:24.73
literature evangelism background
or you're currently doing
00:27:24.76\00:27:28.16
that important work,
you're going to find this
00:27:28.19\00:27:30.12
to be really interesting.
00:27:30.15\00:27:31.81
And that is, that
Jesus is represented as a
00:27:31.84\00:27:36.48
heavenly merchantman.
00:27:36.51\00:27:38.22
What's another
term for merchantman?
00:27:38.25\00:27:40.67
A salesman. That's right.
00:27:41.75\00:27:44.21
And he's going
from house to house.
00:27:44.85\00:27:47.16
What's another
term for house to house?
00:27:47.19\00:27:49.84
Door to door.
00:27:51.09\00:27:53.63
Now that makes
sense, doesn't it?
00:27:53.66\00:27:55.17
I mean, the Bible says
that Jesus would be despised
00:27:55.38\00:27:58.36
and rejected of men.
00:27:58.39\00:28:00.49
And here Jesus is
portrayed as the most despised
00:28:00.82\00:28:04.35
of all people on earth.
00:28:04.38\00:28:05.92
No, not the harlot, not the
drug dealer, not the rapist.
00:28:06.53\00:28:11.59
No, the door to door salesman.
00:28:11.62\00:28:14.63
Oh yes.
00:28:15.69\00:28:17.06
There are people I know
that if a door to door salesman
00:28:17.09\00:28:19.77
shows up, "Close
the blinds, run, hide.
00:28:19.80\00:28:22.76
Pretend you're not home."
00:28:23.65\00:28:25.11
Right?
00:28:25.14\00:28:26.51
"Tell them to go
away. We don't want any."
00:28:26.54\00:28:28.35
Yes or no?
00:28:29.28\00:28:30.65
You see, with
Wal-Mart just down the street,
00:28:31.08\00:28:33.35
we don't feel the
need to buy anything that a
00:28:33.38\00:28:35.70
door to door salesman has.
00:28:35.73\00:28:37.10
If we want
something, we'll go and get it.
00:28:37.13\00:28:39.89
"Go away, we don't want any."
00:28:40.92\00:28:43.42
But here, Jesus is
going from house to house
00:28:43.72\00:28:47.24
with the most precious of goods.
00:28:47.27\00:28:49.70
So if you're a door to door
salesman, especially selling
00:28:49.73\00:28:52.45
the most precious of
goods such as message books,
00:28:52.48\00:28:56.17
such as materials
that point to Jesus,
00:28:56.20\00:28:58.98
like a colporteur or
literature evangelist does,
00:28:59.01\00:29:01.35
then you're in good company.
00:29:01.38\00:29:02.75
Because that's what Jesus
is represented as right here,
00:29:02.78\00:29:05.94
as a heavenly merchantman
going from house to house
00:29:05.97\00:29:09.31
with the most precious of goods.
00:29:09.34\00:29:11.20
Have you ever seen that?
00:29:11.23\00:29:12.60
That Jesus is a
door to door salesman?
00:29:12.63\00:29:14.17
How encouraging is that?
00:29:14.82\00:29:16.19
That's an aspect of
His character; that He's
00:29:16.22\00:29:18.63
thorough and that
His passion is relentless
00:29:18.66\00:29:22.59
to reach you and me.
00:29:22.62\00:29:24.20
And so He
continues. And we look at this.
00:29:24.51\00:29:27.74
You know, as we
unpack this particular issue,
00:29:28.65\00:29:31.91
we have a problem.
00:29:31.94\00:29:33.45
We have a tendency not
to see our true condition.
00:29:33.84\00:29:37.44
Just like with a door to
door salesman today, we go,
00:29:38.09\00:29:41.38
"We don't need
it, we don't want it.
00:29:41.41\00:29:43.72
We are rich and increased with
goods, and have need to nothing.
00:29:44.02\00:29:46.72
I don't need it."
00:29:46.75\00:29:48.12
But He goes, "No, you
really need what I'm selling."
00:29:48.15\00:29:50.86
You say, "Well
Jesus, is it expensive?"
00:29:51.16\00:29:52.88
"Yes, it's extremely expensive.
But I've already paid for it."
00:29:52.91\00:29:56.12
"Well, what is it?"
00:29:57.09\00:29:58.71
"Oh, well let Me
tell you what it is.
00:29:58.74\00:30:01.54
I have a faith for
you that shines like gold.
00:30:02.24\00:30:07.18
I have a robe of My
righteousness that covers
00:30:07.21\00:30:11.29
all of your sins.
00:30:11.32\00:30:13.83
I have an ointment for your eyes
that will let you see My love
00:30:13.86\00:30:19.69
and mercy and goodness like
you've never seen it before.
00:30:19.72\00:30:24.29
And while you focus on
Me," Jesus says, "I will
00:30:25.40\00:30:29.37
search you and purify
you and prepare you to be
00:30:29.40\00:30:34.35
received up into My kingdom
and to be with Me in eternity."
00:30:34.38\00:30:41.35
And He says, "Knock,
knock. May I come in?"
00:30:41.90\00:30:46.60
Now we all have eye trouble.
00:30:47.20\00:30:49.77
We're wretched,
miserable, poor... What?
00:30:50.38\00:30:52.92
...blind and naked.
00:30:52.95\00:30:54.66
Jesus wants to give us eye salve
that we may see His attributes,
00:30:54.69\00:30:59.03
that we may see His mercy,
that we may see His grace.
00:30:59.06\00:31:02.90
And in this Laodicean message,
as we accept that faith,
00:31:02.93\00:31:06.76
that faith that grows in Him,
that faith that works by love,
00:31:06.79\00:31:10.65
that righteousness by
faith, and as we accept His robe
00:31:10.68\00:31:15.45
of righteousness not our
fig leaves, not our own works,
00:31:15.48\00:31:19.87
no, but His robe
of righteousness,
00:31:19.90\00:31:22.48
we're going to receive
those and grow in those as we
00:31:22.51\00:31:25.76
have that eye salve, and
we see His glorious character,
00:31:25.79\00:31:29.17
His attributes, His
beauty, His passion for us.
00:31:29.20\00:31:33.57
And it's going to prepare
us to be ready to meet Him,
00:31:34.30\00:31:37.74
and to share that message
with others in the world.
00:31:37.77\00:31:41.36
It's powerful.
00:31:41.39\00:31:42.76
And so we go to
Genesis chapter 3.
00:31:42.79\00:31:44.91
We're going to talk
here about sin a little bit.
00:31:44.94\00:31:47.30
Now I grew up in
the Baptist church.
00:31:47.33\00:31:49.31
And one day coming
home from church...
00:31:50.00\00:31:52.19
My mom didn't go, my dad
and I had gone to church.
00:31:52.22\00:31:54.73
And as we came home, mom said,
00:31:54.76\00:31:56.73
"What did the
preacher preach about?"
00:31:56.76\00:31:58.13
And my dad said,
"He talked about sin."
00:31:58.16\00:32:00.37
And she said, "Well, okay.
What did he say about sin?"
00:32:00.40\00:32:03.43
And dad said, "Well best I
can tell, he was against it."
00:32:03.46\00:32:06.00
And you know, at least you're
going to know as we get into
00:32:06.65\00:32:09.64
this, that when it comes
to sin, that I'm against it.
00:32:09.67\00:32:12.03
The preacher is
against it tonight, right?
00:32:12.06\00:32:13.84
But there's so much more here.
00:32:13.87\00:32:15.59
We each have this sin
eroding at our very characters,
00:32:15.62\00:32:20.56
and this
selfishness at the core.
00:32:20.59\00:32:23.40
So what can we learn
about this in Genesis 3?
00:32:23.43\00:32:26.71
You see, now we're
back at creation in Genesis.
00:32:26.74\00:32:30.29
My ministry name is,
Creation To Revelation.
00:32:30.32\00:32:33.70
Of course with the
cross in the center.
00:32:33.73\00:32:35.49
We were just in Revelation;
the last things, the eschatos.
00:32:35.52\00:32:38.91
Now we go to Genesis, to the
protos, to the beginning things.
00:32:38.94\00:32:42.53
And we look here in
Genesis chapter 3 verse 1.
00:32:42.92\00:32:46.13
It says, "Now the serpent
was more subtle than any beast
00:32:46.16\00:32:49.29
of the field which
the Lord God had made.
00:32:49.32\00:32:51.26
And he said unto the
woman, 'Yea, hath God said,
00:32:51.29\00:32:54.36
"Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?"'"
00:32:54.39\00:32:58.15
Notice here that he
begins to invite Eve to question
00:32:58.18\00:33:04.56
God's word, to
question what God had said.
00:33:04.59\00:33:09.29
Now in verse 2, "And the
woman said unto the serpent,
00:33:09.32\00:33:13.09
'We may eat of the fruit
of the trees of the garden.
00:33:13.12\00:33:15.32
But of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst
00:33:15.35\00:33:17.07
of the garden, God hath
said, "Ye shall not eat of it,
00:33:17.10\00:33:20.58
neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die."'"
00:33:20.61\00:33:25.78
Verse 4, "And the
serpent said unto the woman,
00:33:26.08\00:33:29.69
'Ye shall not surely die.'"
00:33:29.72\00:33:32.78
"Not really, that's
not really what He meant."
00:33:32.81\00:33:35.41
And so he's now not only causing
her or encouraging her to
00:33:35.44\00:33:39.17
question the word, but
now to doubt the word of God;
00:33:39.20\00:33:44.79
whether He means what He said.
00:33:44.82\00:33:48.05
Now verse 5 as we look
here, "For God doth know that
00:33:48.08\00:33:52.73
in the day ye eat
thereof, then your..."
00:33:52.76\00:33:55.97
What's that next word?
00:33:56.00\00:33:57.37
Your what?
00:33:57.61\00:33:58.98
"...eyes shall be opened."
00:33:59.01\00:34:01.07
Your eyes.
00:34:02.28\00:34:03.83
Now he's lying through his teeth
while he's telling the truth.
00:34:04.09\00:34:08.50
Because he's misrepresenting
what's going to happen.
00:34:09.74\00:34:11.93
Her eyes will be opened.
00:34:11.96\00:34:13.43
But he's making it sound like
it's a good thing in this case.
00:34:13.75\00:34:16.32
And it's not, is it?
00:34:16.35\00:34:17.72
He's lying through his teeth
while he's telling the truth.
00:34:18.38\00:34:20.98
I'll let you unpack that one.
00:34:22.10\00:34:23.73
It says here, "For God doth know
that in the day ye eat thereof,
00:34:24.07\00:34:27.15
then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods,
00:34:27.18\00:34:30.45
knowing good and evil."
00:34:30.48\00:34:31.85
What did it mean that
her eyes would be opened?
00:34:31.88\00:34:34.31
Is it talking about her
literal physical eyeballs?
00:34:34.34\00:34:37.37
I mean, was Eve like a
little puppy who's eyes
00:34:37.87\00:34:40.06
hadn't opened yet?
00:34:40.09\00:34:41.46
No. Spiritually
speaking, your eyes.
00:34:41.91\00:34:44.21
Now remember, there's a problem
in Revelation with our what?
00:34:44.50\00:34:48.33
Eyes, that goes
back to right here.
00:34:48.54\00:34:51.55
Yes or no?
00:34:51.58\00:34:52.95
Yes it does.
00:34:52.99\00:34:54.36
And so it ties together.
00:34:54.39\00:34:55.76
We look and we see it.
00:34:55.79\00:34:57.29
It says, "Your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods,
00:34:58.27\00:35:01.85
knowing good and evil."
00:35:01.88\00:35:05.08
Again, now he's
encouraging Eve to doubt the
00:35:05.11\00:35:10.11
goodness of God.
00:35:10.14\00:35:13.24
To doubt the goodness of God.
00:35:13.72\00:35:18.81
Think about this.
00:35:19.36\00:35:20.73
He's encouraging Eve to question
the intent of why God said it.
00:35:21.72\00:35:27.20
Does God truly have
good intentions toward her?
00:35:27.97\00:35:32.14
That's really what Satan
is trying to bring out and
00:35:32.17\00:35:34.93
cause Eve to question.
00:35:34.96\00:35:36.98
He's insinuating
that God can't be trusted.
00:35:37.01\00:35:41.31
He's insinuating that
God cannot be trusted,
00:35:41.79\00:35:44.84
and ultimately that God is not
selfless and others-centered.
00:35:44.87\00:35:49.85
But rather He is selfish,
He's holding back from her,
00:35:49.88\00:35:53.19
He's holding her down, keeping
her from being all she can be.
00:35:53.22\00:35:58.33
And he's presenting
here a distorted view of God.
00:35:59.74\00:36:04.22
In fact, what he is doing
is he is projecting upon God
00:36:04.25\00:36:08.85
the attributes of
his own character;
00:36:09.60\00:36:12.24
his own
selfishness, his own dishonesty,
00:36:12.75\00:36:17.02
his own desire
for self supremacy.
00:36:17.05\00:36:20.45
He is projecting onto God.
00:36:20.48\00:36:24.44
And Eve is sitting
here going, "Oh my."
00:36:24.47\00:36:27.49
She getting a
different picture of God here.
00:36:27.52\00:36:30.94
She's beginning to see
God in a different view
00:36:31.17\00:36:34.80
than what she had seen Him.
00:36:34.83\00:36:36.72
Notice that precedes
sin coming into this world.
00:36:36.75\00:36:39.56
And, my friends, might
I suggest that something
00:36:39.59\00:36:42.20
that will precede sin
being banished from this world
00:36:42.23\00:36:46.42
will be people's eyesight being
corrected to see God as He is.
00:36:46.45\00:36:52.50
His goodness, His
purity, to trust Him,
00:36:52.53\00:36:55.23
to grow in grace and knowledge,
00:36:55.26\00:36:57.55
to come to a knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:36:57.58\00:37:00.43
Now notice in verse
6, "And when the woman
00:37:00.46\00:37:02.68
saw that the tree was..."
00:37:02.71\00:37:04.08
One, good for food; and
two, pleasant to the eyes;
00:37:04.11\00:37:06.07
and three,
desirable to make one wise.
00:37:06.10\00:37:07.76
"...she took of the fruit
and did eat, and gave also unto
00:37:07.79\00:37:09.74
her husband with
her, and he did eat."
00:37:09.77\00:37:12.25
She came up with three
reasons to disobey God.
00:37:12.28\00:37:15.34
And so three good
reasons to disobey God.
00:37:15.37\00:37:17.98
Right? No.
00:37:18.01\00:37:19.38
There were no good
reasons to disobey God.
00:37:19.41\00:37:21.23
In fact, there weren't any
reasons at all to disobey God.
00:37:21.26\00:37:24.71
There were three excuses.
00:37:24.74\00:37:26.73
That's right.
00:37:28.07\00:37:29.44
Once people begin to
question God's goodness,
00:37:29.77\00:37:32.88
and to question His
intentions toward them,
00:37:32.91\00:37:35.74
and to question His character,
then all they need to be
00:37:35.77\00:37:39.94
rebellious is excuses.
00:37:39.97\00:37:41.64
They don't need reasons.
00:37:41.67\00:37:43.23
And so Eve came up
with three excuses.
00:37:44.23\00:37:47.39
"And she took of
the fruit and did eat."
00:37:47.42\00:37:49.89
At the heart level,
she began to think of who?
00:37:49.92\00:37:54.42
Herself.
00:37:55.30\00:37:56.67
The heart level;
that is the root of sin.
00:37:57.20\00:38:01.30
Yes or no?
00:38:01.33\00:38:02.70
Did Eve sin only when the
fruit went into her mouth,
00:38:03.78\00:38:07.51
or before that?
00:38:07.54\00:38:08.91
Think it through. That's right.
00:38:09.77\00:38:11.98
Well as we look at these
issues, we now go to verse 7.
00:38:12.53\00:38:18.06
"And the eyes of
them both were opened."
00:38:18.65\00:38:21.03
So now we're
talking about eyesight.
00:38:21.06\00:38:23.12
What is your picture of God?
00:38:23.15\00:38:24.97
As their eyes are
opened now, they begin to have,
00:38:25.00\00:38:28.41
in this case, a worse
picture of what God is like.
00:38:28.44\00:38:33.10
Their picture of
God goes downhill again.
00:38:34.60\00:38:37.55
You say, "Really?" Yeah.
00:38:38.49\00:38:39.86
"The eyes of them
both were opened, and they
00:38:40.11\00:38:42.20
knew that they were naked.
00:38:42.23\00:38:43.60
And they sewed fig
leaves together and
00:38:43.63\00:38:45.00
made themselves aprons."
00:38:45.03\00:38:46.85
These fig leaves,
this is man's first attempt
00:38:46.88\00:38:49.47
to cover his wickedness
through his own works.
00:38:49.50\00:38:54.24
Futile attempt, though it be.
00:38:54.27\00:38:56.38
And there are still some
Christians out there today
00:38:56.94\00:38:59.22
that are trying to
be good enough to get
00:38:59.25\00:39:01.25
God to accept them.
00:39:01.28\00:39:02.92
And so they are trying
to work their way to heaven.
00:39:02.95\00:39:05.91
They feel, "If I can just be
good enough, I will make it."
00:39:05.94\00:39:09.26
My friends, that is
the problem right there.
00:39:09.51\00:39:12.23
It's not going to work.
00:39:12.26\00:39:13.63
No, we look here
and it says in verse 8,
00:39:13.66\00:39:17.15
"And they heard the voice
of the Lord God walking in the
00:39:17.18\00:39:20.63
garden in the cool of the day.
00:39:20.66\00:39:22.47
And Adam and his
wife..." Did what?
00:39:22.50\00:39:25.71
"...they hid themselves from
the presence of the Lord God
00:39:26.67\00:39:30.83
amongst the
trees of the garden."
00:39:30.86\00:39:33.14
They heard God
coming, and they did what?
00:39:33.17\00:39:37.19
They hid themselves from God.
00:39:37.83\00:39:41.53
Think about this now.
00:39:41.77\00:39:43.14
As we look at this issue,
they had come to the point
00:39:43.17\00:39:47.44
they had a
distorted view of God.
00:39:47.47\00:39:49.78
They had begun to
think of themselves.
00:39:49.81\00:39:51.59
And now they are naked.
00:39:51.62\00:39:53.85
They realize that
they are naked, anyway.
00:39:53.88\00:39:56.79
And they hide from God.
00:39:57.51\00:40:00.92
We're talking
about shame and fear.
00:40:01.18\00:40:04.17
Two things; shame and fear.
00:40:04.20\00:40:06.77
Have you ever had
that nightmare, that dream
00:40:06.80\00:40:10.17
when you were a kid, that
you ended up at school naked or
00:40:10.20\00:40:14.52
ended up at school
in your underwear maybe?
00:40:15.01\00:40:18.37
And it's a dream of
being totally ashamed
00:40:18.83\00:40:22.83
and scared, right?
00:40:22.86\00:40:24.35
Well it's that bad
and worse, right here
00:40:24.38\00:40:26.66
magnified in real life.
00:40:26.69\00:40:28.34
"And they hide themselves from
the presence of the Lord God
00:40:28.37\00:40:33.32
amongst the
trees of the garden."
00:40:33.35\00:40:35.67
Now think about this.
00:40:35.70\00:40:37.17
They have shame
and they have fear.
00:40:38.27\00:40:41.59
They no longer
trust God, do they?
00:40:41.62\00:40:44.08
They're running
and hiding from God.
00:40:44.86\00:40:48.23
This strange new
impulse, this compelling drive
00:40:48.79\00:40:53.19
to hide from their Maker,
to run from their Creator.
00:40:53.22\00:40:59.94
In verse 9, "And the
Lord God called unto Adam,
00:41:00.40\00:41:03.67
and said unto
him, 'Where art thou?'"
00:41:03.70\00:41:06.51
"Where are you, Adam?"
00:41:06.54\00:41:07.92
Now what is your picture of God?
00:41:08.38\00:41:10.38
What do you think
His voice sounded like?
00:41:10.72\00:41:13.65
"Where are you, Adam?"
00:41:14.54\00:41:16.00
"Where are you at?"
00:41:17.88\00:41:19.62
No.
00:41:21.14\00:41:22.51
"Where art thou?"
00:41:23.13\00:41:24.50
I don't know exactly
what His voice sounded like.
00:41:24.64\00:41:26.71
But I can tell you
this, this evening;
00:41:26.74\00:41:29.04
I can tell you that
what your picture of God is
00:41:29.07\00:41:35.01
will affect what you think His
voice sounded like right there.
00:41:36.08\00:41:39.27
What is your picture of God?
00:41:40.72\00:41:46.22
Well, notice verse 10.
00:41:47.30\00:41:50.83
"And he said, 'I heard Thy voice
in the garden, and I was afraid
00:41:50.86\00:41:55.18
because I was naked.
00:41:55.21\00:41:58.15
And I hid myself.'"
00:41:59.29\00:42:02.25
Notice again this is a reference
to both shame and fear.
00:42:04.51\00:42:11.37
Had God changed?
00:42:12.06\00:42:13.43
I mean, from the day
before when God came walking
00:42:14.02\00:42:16.87
through the garden
in the cool of the day,
00:42:16.90\00:42:19.33
and now to this day, had
God changed even a little bit?
00:42:19.36\00:42:23.21
No.
00:42:24.43\00:42:25.80
Malachi 3:6 tells us,
"I am the Lord, I..." What?
00:42:25.83\00:42:29.87
"...I change not."
00:42:30.31\00:42:32.72
God had not changed.
00:42:32.75\00:42:34.38
So if God had not
changed, who had changed?
00:42:34.61\00:42:38.66
Adam and Eve had changed.
00:42:39.99\00:42:43.37
Now, they are feeling guilty.
00:42:43.90\00:42:46.54
They are feeling condemnation.
00:42:46.57\00:42:49.56
And they're projecting that upon
God, that it's coming from Him.
00:42:50.32\00:42:56.18
When actually it is a result
now of their sinful condition.
00:42:56.67\00:43:01.38
The shame, the
fear, the condemnation
00:43:01.41\00:43:04.30
is coming forth from within.
00:43:04.33\00:43:07.04
It's a result of
their brokenness in sin,
00:43:08.45\00:43:13.46
the evil of sin.
00:43:13.49\00:43:16.36
Well, we move ahead here.
00:43:17.19\00:43:19.23
And we see that
something very important...
00:43:19.59\00:43:23.09
Go with me quickly,
would you, to 1 John chapter 3
00:43:23.12\00:43:26.88
and verse 20.
00:43:26.91\00:43:28.28
This crucial part
here in 1 John chapter 3.
00:43:28.31\00:43:32.67
Right back by the
book of Revelation.
00:43:32.70\00:43:34.14
Revelation, Jude,
3rd, 2nd, 1st John. Right?
00:43:34.17\00:43:36.25
1 John 3 and verse 20.
00:43:36.28\00:43:38.44
And then we'll go
back to Genesis chapter 3.
00:43:38.47\00:43:41.23
And it says in 1 John
chapter 3 and verse 20,
00:43:41.26\00:43:46.51
it says, "For if our
heart condemn us, God is
00:43:46.54\00:43:50.61
greater than our heart,
and knoweth all things."
00:43:50.64\00:43:53.81
So what condemns us?
00:43:53.84\00:43:55.49
Our heart.
00:43:55.79\00:43:57.16
Our own brokenness, our
own sinful nature condemns us.
00:43:57.19\00:44:00.79
"Beloved, if our heart
condemn us not, then we have
00:44:01.26\00:44:04.38
confidence toward God."
00:44:04.41\00:44:05.78
"If our heart condemn us not..."
00:44:05.81\00:44:07.18
My friends, trust is being
restored in our heavenly Father.
00:44:07.21\00:44:10.35
Is it not?
00:44:10.38\00:44:11.75
Think about this.
00:44:11.81\00:44:13.18
We're accepting His
forgiveness, if that's the case.
00:44:13.21\00:44:16.01
Now, verse 11 in
Genesis chapter 3,
00:44:16.04\00:44:19.93
"And He said, 'Who told
thee that thou wast naked?
00:44:19.96\00:44:22.05
Hast thou eaten of the
tree whereof I commanded thee
00:44:22.08\00:44:24.45
that thou shouldest not eat?'
00:44:24.48\00:44:25.85
And the man said, 'The woman
whom thou gavest to be with me,
00:44:25.88\00:44:29.25
she gave me of the
tree and I did eat.'"
00:44:29.28\00:44:33.47
Oh my.
00:44:33.50\00:44:34.87
Broken relationships with
God lead to broken relationships
00:44:34.90\00:44:39.11
with others.
00:44:39.14\00:44:40.51
Ever since that time,
it's been, "She did it,"
00:44:41.35\00:44:45.25
"He did it," "It's your fault."
00:44:45.95\00:44:48.45
It has echoed
down through the ages.
00:44:48.48\00:44:52.73
Damaged people
in a damaged world.
00:44:54.00\00:44:57.91
That's right.
00:44:58.51\00:44:59.88
Well, as we look at the context
of what God is telling us here,
00:45:00.44\00:45:07.34
look with me in
Genesis 3 and verse 24.
00:45:07.37\00:45:10.41
It says, "So He drove out
the man; and He placed at the
00:45:10.79\00:45:15.54
east of the garden of Eden
cherubims, and a flaming sword
00:45:15.57\00:45:20.29
which turned every way, to keep
the way of the tree of life."
00:45:20.32\00:45:24.60
Some people have felt,
"Well, God was being mean here.
00:45:25.07\00:45:27.87
God was being harsh."
00:45:27.90\00:45:29.27
No, that's a very
loving thing that God did.
00:45:29.30\00:45:31.38
Because the Bible says
that if man continued to eat
00:45:31.95\00:45:34.84
of the tree of life, he
would continue to live forever.
00:45:34.87\00:45:38.31
And so, separating him
from the garden of Eden,
00:45:39.50\00:45:42.45
removing him from the
tree of life, God was saying,
00:45:42.48\00:45:45.87
"I love man too much to
let him live in a state of sin
00:45:45.90\00:45:51.11
for all eternity."
00:45:51.14\00:45:52.90
Because ultimately,
sin brings about misery.
00:45:53.16\00:45:57.05
And miserable
eternal life would be awful.
00:45:57.83\00:46:02.61
And God says, "I've got a plan.
00:46:03.10\00:46:05.38
I'm going to separate you
from your sin, if you let Me.
00:46:05.41\00:46:10.74
I'm going to give
you a revelation of
00:46:11.00\00:46:13.04
My love and character."
00:46:13.07\00:46:14.57
As sin entered
this world, Eve began to
00:46:14.84\00:46:17.34
question God's goodness.
00:46:17.37\00:46:19.09
She began to
question God's purpose.
00:46:19.12\00:46:23.25
She began to
question His intentions.
00:46:23.28\00:46:26.44
And God says, "No,
I'm going to show you
00:46:26.47\00:46:30.17
that I love you more
than you can ever know.
00:46:30.20\00:46:34.43
And I'm going to
woo you back to Myself.
00:46:34.46\00:46:36.57
And I'm going to take
the penalty for your sin."
00:46:36.60\00:46:39.59
We see the promise of
that here in Genesis 3:15.
00:46:40.62\00:46:43.44
I'm not going to get into
it too much because that gets
00:46:43.47\00:46:46.19
ahead of us with our
topic for tomorrow night titled,
00:46:46.22\00:46:50.59
The Righteous Serpent.
00:46:50.62\00:46:52.37
And we look here in
Genesis 3 and verse 15.
00:46:52.40\00:46:56.15
Genesis 3:15, "And
I will put enmity..."
00:46:56.18\00:46:59.50
A difference, an enmity dealing
with a controversy, if you will.
00:46:59.80\00:47:07.52
"...between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed
00:47:07.55\00:47:10.57
and her Seed.
00:47:10.60\00:47:11.97
It shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise His heel."
00:47:12.00\00:47:17.67
I'm going to tell a few
Mississippi snake stories, too.
00:47:18.09\00:47:20.58
I just can't help it.
00:47:20.61\00:47:22.21
We're going to do
that tomorrow night.
00:47:22.24\00:47:23.61
But as we dig into
this prophecy tomorrow,
00:47:23.64\00:47:27.84
I'll just go ahead
and tell you ahead of time
00:47:27.87\00:47:29.49
that, no, the
prophecy is not specifically
00:47:29.52\00:47:33.07
just talking about all women.
00:47:33.10\00:47:34.47
That's not why most
women are scared of snakes.
00:47:34.50\00:47:36.82
It's deeper than that.
00:47:36.85\00:47:38.22
This is the first prophecy that
tells of the coming Deliverer;
00:47:38.25\00:47:42.52
of the Messiah.
00:47:42.55\00:47:44.60
That's right.
00:47:44.63\00:47:46.00
And what did God do then?
00:47:46.03\00:47:47.40
If you read on down
in the Bible, verse 20,
00:47:47.43\00:47:50.48
it tells us here,
verse 21 actually,
00:47:50.51\00:47:53.03
"Unto Adam and to his wife
did the Lord God make coats
00:47:53.06\00:47:57.08
of skins, and clothed them."
00:47:57.11\00:48:00.53
They had made
themselves aprons of fig leaves.
00:48:00.56\00:48:03.59
And God made
them coats of skins;
00:48:03.62\00:48:05.62
pointing to the death of
some animal as a sacrifice.
00:48:05.65\00:48:09.51
Pointing forward to
Jesus dying on the cross.
00:48:10.08\00:48:12.40
And notice, they had
made themselves aprons or
00:48:12.43\00:48:14.27
girdles of fig leaves, and
God made them coats of skins.
00:48:14.30\00:48:17.94
I hate to digress here
today, but my friends, sometimes
00:48:18.14\00:48:21.53
when God's people today
are wearing aprons or girdles,
00:48:21.56\00:48:24.36
God might wish they
would put on a coat.
00:48:24.39\00:48:26.36
You find modesty right
there in Genesis chapter 3.
00:48:26.75\00:48:30.03
Man originally didn't
put on enough clothes, right?
00:48:30.06\00:48:32.43
But there's a contrast
in the word girdles and
00:48:32.63\00:48:35.05
aprons and coats.
00:48:35.08\00:48:36.45
Plus, it was insufficient.
00:48:36.48\00:48:37.85
It represented
their works. Right? Sure.
00:48:37.88\00:48:40.00
And the offering, the sacrifice,
represented the righteousness
00:48:40.03\00:48:45.02
of Jesus, who would
come and die for our sins.
00:48:45.05\00:48:48.79
"Without the shedding
of blood is no..." What?
00:48:48.82\00:48:51.07
"...remission."
00:48:51.55\00:48:52.92
And we move ahead, we see
something that is powerful
00:48:52.95\00:48:56.53
in the Word of God.
00:48:56.56\00:48:58.94
And that is John chapter 3.
00:48:59.19\00:49:03.85
Let's look there.
00:49:03.88\00:49:05.25
John chapter 3.
00:49:05.28\00:49:06.77
The gospel of John.
00:49:07.43\00:49:09.16
We go here together. The
gospel of John, chapter 3.
00:49:09.19\00:49:13.24
This is a passage
we're all familiar with.
00:49:13.27\00:49:16.07
And you're going to
begin to see how this series,
00:49:16.10\00:49:19.19
His Character Counts,
continues to build and to grow.
00:49:19.22\00:49:25.03
And we're going to
see God differently.
00:49:25.06\00:49:28.66
We're going to see He's more
loving than we've ever imagined.
00:49:28.69\00:49:32.13
Notice here in John 3.
00:49:32.16\00:49:33.53
I'm not going to spend too much
time in this passage either.
00:49:33.56\00:49:35.77
For it also gets into
what's coming up in our program,
00:49:35.80\00:49:41.10
as these verses will
begin to overlap and to grow in
00:49:41.13\00:49:45.16
significance as we
look at them together.
00:49:45.19\00:49:47.55
It says in John 3 and
verse 16, "For God..."
00:49:47.58\00:49:53.01
You know this, right?
00:49:53.04\00:49:54.41
"...so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son,
00:49:54.44\00:49:59.07
that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish,
00:49:59.27\00:50:03.70
but have..." What?
00:50:03.73\00:50:05.70
"...everlasting life."
00:50:06.30\00:50:08.97
Notice verse 17.
00:50:10.15\00:50:11.89
"For God sent not His
Son into the world..."
00:50:11.92\00:50:15.00
To do what?
00:50:15.21\00:50:16.67
"...condemn the world;
but that the world through Him
00:50:17.17\00:50:20.91
might be..." What?
00:50:20.94\00:50:23.02
Think about that, my friends.
00:50:23.95\00:50:25.53
Think about that.
00:50:26.21\00:50:27.58
Did Jesus come to
this world to condemn us?
00:50:27.95\00:50:30.51
No, but right from the beginning
when sin entered this world,
00:50:31.59\00:50:37.07
Adam and Eve were filled with
shame and fear and condemnation.
00:50:37.10\00:50:42.85
And though that was
coming from within them
00:50:43.57\00:50:46.67
because they were
thinking of themselves,
00:50:47.15\00:50:50.28
they were
projecting it upon God.
00:50:50.68\00:50:54.77
And Jesus came to show
us what the Father is like.
00:50:55.42\00:50:58.92
And He says,
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:50:59.27\00:51:04.32
Oh my.
00:51:05.32\00:51:06.87
Perhaps there are
those that are watching
00:51:06.90\00:51:09.11
tonight at home, and
you know who you are,
00:51:09.14\00:51:12.29
you feel condemned,
and you feel ashamed,
00:51:12.32\00:51:15.93
and you feel fearful of God.
00:51:15.96\00:51:19.24
The God that came to Adam
and Eve in the garden of Eden is
00:51:19.75\00:51:22.92
not to be feared.
00:51:22.95\00:51:24.74
He's the God of
plan A, B, C, and D.
00:51:25.10\00:51:28.92
And when you run out of
letters in the alphabet,
00:51:28.95\00:51:31.16
He still loves
you and has a plan.
00:51:31.19\00:51:33.73
And He reaches out for you.
00:51:34.47\00:51:36.40
And He loves you
beyond what you can imagine.
00:51:36.43\00:51:40.01
And if you're experiencing
condemnation tonight,
00:51:40.04\00:51:43.47
and fear, let me tell you this.
00:51:43.50\00:51:48.59
That is not something
that God wants you to feel
00:51:49.26\00:51:53.52
in regards to Him.
00:51:53.55\00:51:55.01
He comes to you and He calls to
you as that voice in the garden.
00:51:55.04\00:51:59.12
It was not a
voice of condemnation.
00:51:59.15\00:52:01.78
It says, "Where are you?"
00:52:01.81\00:52:03.87
You see, God wasn't
coming to play hide-and-go-seek
00:52:04.20\00:52:07.02
in the garden.
00:52:07.05\00:52:08.42
He was coming to
commune with Adam and Eve.
00:52:08.45\00:52:10.94
Don't think for a
moment that God was surprised
00:52:10.97\00:52:14.23
and caught off guard
that they had disobeyed Him.
00:52:14.26\00:52:17.75
My friends, God
didn't change there that day.
00:52:18.76\00:52:20.91
Man did.
00:52:20.94\00:52:22.80
God has always been infinitely
good and infinitely loving.
00:52:22.83\00:52:28.62
Full of compassion beyond what
you and I can ever understand.
00:52:28.65\00:52:35.40
And He reaches
out to you and to me.
00:52:35.62\00:52:38.93
And He wants us to
give our hearts to Him.
00:52:38.96\00:52:43.58
You see, the devil
from the beginning has tried
00:52:43.89\00:52:46.77
to malign God.
00:52:46.80\00:52:48.34
He has tried to get God to
seem as if God is a dictator,
00:52:48.37\00:52:52.46
that He's out to tell you what
to do and to steal your fun,
00:52:52.49\00:52:56.83
and to condemn you.
00:52:56.86\00:52:59.14
And to just give you an all
around bad day and bad life.
00:52:59.34\00:53:02.69
But no, my friends,
Satan is projecting upon God
00:53:02.72\00:53:07.51
the attributes of
his own character.
00:53:07.54\00:53:10.04
All the while
claiming God's attributes.
00:53:10.07\00:53:13.06
Satan would have you
believe that he is the one
00:53:13.09\00:53:15.87
that gives you freedom.
00:53:15.90\00:53:17.27
Right?
00:53:17.30\00:53:18.67
Satan would have you
believe that he is the one
00:53:18.70\00:53:21.22
that gives you joy.
00:53:21.25\00:53:23.39
Satan would have you
believe that he is the one
00:53:23.65\00:53:27.38
that accepts you.
00:53:27.41\00:53:28.92
But, my friends, he is taking
the attributes of God to himself
00:53:30.65\00:53:37.26
while he's applying the
attributes of himself to God.
00:53:37.30\00:53:42.69
Don't be fooled.
00:53:42.72\00:53:44.09
My friends, we're talking
here about God's character.
00:53:44.16\00:53:48.14
And His character counts.
00:53:48.17\00:53:49.86
Jesus came to show
us the character of God.
00:53:49.89\00:53:54.30
And so often, the
religious people of Jesus' day,
00:53:54.33\00:53:57.58
they didn't know
how to relate to Him.
00:53:57.61\00:53:59.40
Because Jesus was
showing acceptance and love
00:53:59.43\00:54:02.75
to the worst of sinners.
00:54:02.78\00:54:04.34
He was reaching out and
showing them the love of God.
00:54:04.54\00:54:08.15
Not only by
saying it, but showing,
00:54:08.18\00:54:11.46
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:54:11.49\00:54:15.27
You remember the
woman caught in adultery?
00:54:15.53\00:54:18.35
And they brought her to Jesus
and said, "According to the
00:54:19.23\00:54:22.02
law of Moses, she
should be stoned."
00:54:22.05\00:54:24.23
And Jesus is writing,
you know, in the dirt.
00:54:24.26\00:54:26.68
He stands up and He was
acting like He didn't hear them.
00:54:26.71\00:54:31.48
They spoke again to Him and He
says, "He that is without sin,
00:54:31.51\00:54:35.58
let him cast the first stone."
00:54:35.61\00:54:40.57
And from the oldest to the
youngest, they slowly turned
00:54:41.04\00:54:44.74
and went away, as they
were convicted by the power
00:54:44.77\00:54:48.59
of the Holy Spirit
that we're all sinners.
00:54:48.62\00:54:51.37
And what did Jesus do as
he looked upon this woman
00:54:51.95\00:54:55.39
on the ground, as He saw
her there weeping and crying,
00:54:55.42\00:55:00.49
thinking her life
had come to an end,
00:55:00.52\00:55:03.09
her shame and her fear?
00:55:03.12\00:55:06.10
He said, "Neither do I..." What?
00:55:07.49\00:55:12.20
"...condemn you."
00:55:12.23\00:55:13.60
Just like John 3:17
says; He came not to condemn.
00:55:13.63\00:55:16.48
"Neither do I condemn
thee. Go and..." What?
00:55:16.51\00:55:22.20
My friends,
please listen to this.
00:55:22.73\00:55:25.83
If you're going to come to
the point and say, "Sin no more?
00:55:27.55\00:55:30.54
Do you believe in
victory over sin?"
00:55:30.57\00:55:32.08
Yes I do.
00:55:32.11\00:55:33.48
But, my friends, I do not
believe that victory over sin
00:55:33.51\00:55:36.27
comes before,
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:55:36.30\00:55:39.84
If you have a guilt-ridden,
shame-ridden, fearful version
00:55:40.56\00:55:46.14
of a belief in God, you are
paralyzed to be freed from sin.
00:55:46.17\00:55:51.29
Because you're still
concerned about yourself.
00:55:51.32\00:55:54.65
And self love is
at the root of sin.
00:55:55.64\00:56:00.44
When the root of righteousness
and commandment keeping
00:56:01.02\00:56:04.58
is others-centered love;
love to God and love to others.
00:56:04.61\00:56:08.64
Can you say amen?
00:56:08.67\00:56:10.14
And so God says,
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:56:10.52\00:56:13.66
If you're carrying a
load of condemnation,
00:56:13.69\00:56:16.68
how do you see God?
00:56:16.71\00:56:18.20
What is your picture of God?
00:56:18.23\00:56:20.08
Do you want to see a better
picture of God and have that
00:56:20.11\00:56:23.06
guilt roll off
here this evening?
00:56:23.09\00:56:25.82
Do you want to
feel God's acceptance,
00:56:25.85\00:56:28.90
His passion for you, like
the woman caught in adultery?
00:56:28.93\00:56:32.76
It doesn't matter what
you've done, what guilt you are
00:56:32.79\00:56:36.31
carrying here this
evening, my Jesus says to you,
00:56:36.34\00:56:41.39
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:56:41.42\00:56:43.40
Religious people
might have condemned you.
00:56:43.43\00:56:45.40
There might be people at the
church that have condemned you.
00:56:45.43\00:56:47.92
There were Pharisees in
that day that had condemned her.
00:56:47.95\00:56:50.60
Yes or no?
00:56:50.63\00:56:52.00
But Jesus says,
"Neither do I condemn thee."
00:56:52.03\00:56:55.61
Accept it, my friends.
00:56:55.64\00:56:57.17
Accept the love of Jesus.
00:56:57.20\00:56:59.37
Accept the passion of Christ.
00:56:59.40\00:57:02.58
See a vision of God
that loves you more than
00:57:02.61\00:57:05.72
you've ever imagined.
00:57:05.75\00:57:07.50
And accept it and embrace it.
00:57:07.53\00:57:09.63
Because His character counts.
00:57:09.66\00:57:12.50
And, my friends, He loves
you with an everlasting love.
00:57:12.53\00:57:16.81
He desires just
now that you know that.
00:57:16.84\00:57:20.38
And that you accept
Him as your Lord and Savior
00:57:20.41\00:57:23.48
anew here this evening.
00:57:23.51\00:57:25.08
Is that your decision?
00:57:25.11\00:57:26.60
I hope so.
00:57:26.63\00:57:28.00
Amen.
00:57:28.03\00:57:29.40