Welcome to Anchors Of Truth, 00:00:12.41\00:00:14.68 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:00:14.71\00:00:17.58 Good evening, and we do welcome you to our Anchors Of Truth 00:00:22.18\00:00:26.22 number 166. 00:00:26.25\00:00:29.09 We have done 165 Anchors Of Truth programs over the years, 00:00:29.29\00:00:33.26 and I suspect none more eagerly anticipated 00:00:33.46\00:00:36.13 than the one we're about to entertain this very evening. 00:00:36.16\00:00:39.07 Our speaker, our guest, is our friend Pastor Wintley Phipps 00:00:39.70\00:00:43.74 of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florida. 00:00:43.77\00:00:46.88 And when you are introducing someone whose résumé is 00:00:47.48\00:00:50.58 so long and so extensive, and who has done so many things 00:00:50.61\00:00:54.82 for the Lord and through the power of the Lord, 00:00:54.85\00:00:56.99 it can almost sound like hero worship. 00:00:57.02\00:00:59.55 Which is something I know that he does not want. 00:00:59.79\00:01:02.16 Because in the 40 plus years that I have known him, 00:01:02.19\00:01:05.16 I've always known him to be a person whose feet 00:01:05.19\00:01:06.96 are on the ground, who is humble, and who realizes 00:01:07.00\00:01:10.20 that the gifts that he has and the things that he has done 00:01:10.23\00:01:13.60 and the places he has gone has been at the behest of the Lord. 00:01:13.64\00:01:18.04 He's had just enough sense to serve the Lord, 00:01:18.47\00:01:20.44 and to serve Him faithfully. 00:01:20.48\00:01:22.04 And when you serve the Lord faithfully, 00:01:22.08\00:01:24.31 He takes those gifts that you have and turns them 00:01:24.35\00:01:27.72 into ministry. 00:01:27.75\00:01:29.08 And so Wintly Phipps has been blessed to minister 00:01:29.28\00:01:31.59 all over the world. 00:01:31.62\00:01:32.95 To sing for the last six presidents, 00:01:33.19\00:01:36.06 to sing for heads of states. 00:01:36.09\00:01:37.56 I don't know precisely how many CD's he has produced, 00:01:37.89\00:01:42.80 I don't know that 3ABN has his last seven 00:01:42.83\00:01:45.90 that you can purchase from us. 00:01:45.93\00:01:47.37 And I'll put in that commercial just now. 00:01:47.40\00:01:49.27 You can get them through 3ABN. 00:01:49.87\00:01:51.47 He would not do that for himself. 00:01:51.51\00:01:52.97 I will do that for him. 00:01:53.01\00:01:54.34 Because I have all seven. 00:01:54.64\00:01:56.21 And it's great listening. 00:01:56.24\00:01:58.01 God has blessed him on so many, many fronts 00:01:58.05\00:02:01.15 in so many, many ways. 00:02:01.18\00:02:02.78 He is a fine preacher. 00:02:02.82\00:02:04.25 He is an extraordinary singer. 00:02:04.65\00:02:06.72 One of the best of our generation. 00:02:06.76\00:02:08.92 But more than that, above and beyond all of that, 00:02:09.19\00:02:11.49 he's a child of God. 00:02:11.53\00:02:12.86 He loves the Lord and has given his life to the Lord. 00:02:13.13\00:02:16.40 We were talking today as we met, talking about 00:02:16.43\00:02:19.83 traveling with your wife. 00:02:19.87\00:02:21.34 And when you're going on extended trips, how good it is 00:02:21.37\00:02:24.11 to have your wife by your side. 00:02:24.31\00:02:26.64 And Wintley espouses that. 00:02:26.68\00:02:28.24 He practices what he preaches. 00:02:28.28\00:02:30.21 His wife Linda is here with him and is by his side. 00:02:30.51\00:02:35.08 And so he has his right arm with him as he preaches the gospel. 00:02:35.12\00:02:39.42 He takes her all around the world. 00:02:39.59\00:02:40.96 He's been on, I think, six continents just this year, 00:02:40.99\00:02:44.69 and she had traveled with him to all of those places. 00:02:44.73\00:02:47.06 So we have a man of God who practices the things of God, 00:02:47.10\00:02:50.27 who believes in the Lord, who loves the Lord, 00:02:50.30\00:02:52.67 who lifts up the name of Jesus, and who God has used 00:02:52.70\00:02:56.54 in a very unusual way over his lifespan. 00:02:56.57\00:03:00.98 God is so very, very good. 00:03:01.91\00:03:03.71 And I know He has a message for us this night. 00:03:03.75\00:03:06.01 So we don't have to worry about a guess singer. 00:03:06.31\00:03:09.42 Because we were teasing Wintley, we said, "Okay, 00:03:09.45\00:03:12.52 which one of us do you want to sing for you?" 00:03:12.55\00:03:14.42 And he looked and he smiled, because I think it would be 00:03:14.59\00:03:18.76 a criminal act if he did not come and sing for himself. 00:03:18.79\00:03:22.63 So we will hear from him before he preaches. 00:03:23.03\00:03:25.60 He will be singing for us each evening. 00:03:25.63\00:03:28.14 Tonight's message, The Son of God. 00:03:28.27\00:03:31.07 On tomorrow evening, The Salvation of Man. 00:03:31.57\00:03:34.21 Followed by, The Bride of Christ, 00:03:34.24\00:03:35.98 The Sabbath of the Lord, The Second Coming of Jesus. 00:03:36.21\00:03:39.05 So we're going to have basic, strong, good old Adventist 00:03:39.08\00:03:42.98 doctrinal messages that I'm sure not only will thrill your soul, 00:03:43.02\00:03:46.96 but will inspire you and form you as God speaks to us 00:03:46.99\00:03:51.49 through him. 00:03:51.63\00:03:52.96 I would ask you now to bow your heads 00:03:52.99\00:03:54.36 with me in a word of prayer. 00:03:54.40\00:03:55.73 And then without further adieu, after we shall have prayed, 00:03:55.76\00:03:58.87 we will turn the microphone over to Pastor Wintley Phipps, 00:03:58.90\00:04:01.70 pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:04:02.24\00:04:04.57 and also the founder and director of the 00:04:04.61\00:04:07.48 U.S. Dream Academy. 00:04:07.51\00:04:08.84 Shall we pray. 00:04:08.88\00:04:10.21 Father God, we thank You so very, very much 00:04:10.25\00:04:13.42 for this opportunity to sit in heavenly places. 00:04:14.02\00:04:17.95 We thank You, dear Lord, for one who has dedicated hand, 00:04:18.45\00:04:22.02 heart, head, voice, and talent to the service of Christ. 00:04:22.06\00:04:26.43 And we ask, Lord, that You would use him yet again 00:04:26.80\00:04:30.03 this night to sing a word for You, and then to speak 00:04:30.07\00:04:33.77 a mighty word for You. 00:04:33.80\00:04:35.40 Bless those of us who sit in this house. 00:04:35.64\00:04:38.47 Bless those who will listen on the radio around the world, 00:04:38.67\00:04:41.88 who will watch this on their computers, 00:04:41.91\00:04:44.38 who will watch this on their television sets, 00:04:44.41\00:04:46.45 the thousands, yea, millions who will listen and hear. 00:04:46.48\00:04:50.52 May they be inspired, informed, and enabled to take 00:04:50.55\00:04:54.52 one more step along that road that leads to glory. 00:04:54.56\00:04:58.36 Oh Father, give us Your presence and Your power this night. 00:04:58.63\00:05:02.36 And we thank You even now for Your promise to hear 00:05:02.56\00:05:05.47 and to answer the prayer of faith. 00:05:05.77\00:05:07.87 In the worthy and blessed name of Jesus, amen and amen. 00:05:07.90\00:05:13.04 God bless you. 00:05:13.14\00:05:14.48 O Lord my God, 00:05:48.88\00:05:54.18 when I in awesome wonder 00:05:54.22\00:06:00.59 consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. 00:06:01.02\00:06:11.03 I see the stars, 00:06:13.20\00:06:18.07 I hear the rolling thunder; 00:06:19.01\00:06:25.11 Thy power throughout the universe displayed. 00:06:25.15\00:06:35.09 Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. 00:06:36.93\00:06:46.87 How great Thou art! 00:06:48.47\00:06:53.68 How great Thou art! 00:06:54.24\00:07:00.02 Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. 00:07:00.52\00:07:10.49 How great Thou art! 00:07:11.83\00:07:17.43 How great Thou art! 00:07:17.83\00:07:26.64 And when I think of God, His Son not sparing, 00:07:33.28\00:07:42.56 gave Him to die; I scarce can take it in. 00:07:42.59\00:07:52.53 That on the cross, 00:07:54.87\00:08:00.28 my burden gladly bearing, 00:08:00.31\00:08:06.72 He bled and died to take away my sin. 00:08:06.75\00:08:16.69 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation 00:08:23.53\00:08:31.07 to take me home; what joy shall fill my heart. 00:08:31.11\00:08:39.65 And I shall bow in humble adoration, 00:08:40.25\00:08:50.23 and there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!" 00:08:52.06\00:09:02.04 Then sings my soul, 00:09:02.60\00:09:08.68 my Savior God, to Thee. 00:09:08.71\00:09:15.45 How great Thou art! 00:09:15.48\00:09:20.86 How great Thou art! 00:09:21.26\00:09:26.56 Then sings my soul, 00:09:26.66\00:09:32.27 my Savior God, to Thee. 00:09:32.30\00:09:38.34 How great Thou art! 00:09:38.37\00:09:42.44 How great Thou art! 00:09:42.84\00:09:52.79 How great, how great, how great, how great Thou art! 00:09:54.66\00:10:04.63 Let us pray. 00:10:16.48\00:10:17.81 Father, as we open Your holy Word, I ask that You would 00:10:19.35\00:10:25.32 cleanse me of all unrighteousness. 00:10:25.35\00:10:28.72 Fill my life with Your Holy Spirit's presence and power. 00:10:29.79\00:10:34.56 Speak to me, through me, and for me. 00:10:35.53\00:10:39.27 And I promise You God that I will always give You 00:10:40.10\00:10:42.94 the honor, the glory, and the praise. 00:10:42.97\00:10:46.91 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 00:10:47.54\00:10:51.81 Praise the Lord. 00:10:53.11\00:10:54.68 It is my honor to be here with you. 00:10:56.22\00:10:58.09 And I will be sharing with you a series of messages. 00:10:58.12\00:11:03.06 I call this series, The Perfecting of the Saints: 00:11:04.43\00:11:09.80 Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus. 00:11:11.03\00:11:16.71 How many want to be prepared for the second coming of Jesus? 00:11:17.54\00:11:22.84 I know I do. Praise the Lord. 00:11:23.14\00:11:25.35 And I will share with you two scriptures probably each night. 00:11:26.15\00:11:31.79 And you can refer to them. 00:11:32.65\00:11:35.12 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, 00:11:39.83\00:11:44.97 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 00:11:45.77\00:11:49.80 of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 00:11:49.84\00:11:55.38 in the fear of God." 00:11:55.84\00:11:58.15 And then Ephesians 4:11-13. 00:11:59.21\00:12:03.32 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; 00:12:04.39\00:12:10.03 and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 00:12:10.56\00:12:16.36 for the perfecting of the saints, 00:12:17.53\00:12:21.77 for the work of the ministry, 00:12:22.50\00:12:25.57 for the edifying of the body of Christ: 00:12:26.17\00:12:29.94 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, 00:12:30.75\00:12:35.82 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, 00:12:36.45\00:12:43.43 unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 00:12:43.99\00:12:51.40 It was October 14, 1962. 00:12:53.67\00:12:58.91 And the world was sitting at the brink of what many believed 00:13:00.34\00:13:04.95 could be another world war. 00:13:05.95\00:13:09.32 Perhaps you already know that the super powers 00:13:10.29\00:13:13.56 of this world have enough weapons pointed at each other 00:13:13.59\00:13:19.13 with enough nuclear firepower to destroy human civilization 00:13:19.89\00:13:26.37 as we know it today. 00:13:26.80\00:13:28.70 In 1962, the world was perilously at war 00:13:29.87\00:13:35.44 at the brink of such a war. 00:13:35.91\00:13:38.18 America's CIA and their, I call it, super snooper spy plane... 00:13:39.08\00:13:45.05 Say that three times. 00:13:45.25\00:13:47.12 ...the U-2. 00:13:47.52\00:13:48.86 They had taken photographs that showed Russia was 00:13:48.89\00:13:52.26 building nuclear missiles in Cuba. 00:13:52.29\00:13:55.10 Missiles capable of wiping all of south Florida 00:13:55.56\00:13:59.70 off the map. 00:14:00.04\00:14:01.40 President Kennedy knew that if he attacked Cuba 00:14:02.37\00:14:05.44 to destroy those Russian missiles, that the world 00:14:05.94\00:14:09.84 would be dragged into a nuclear war; 00:14:09.88\00:14:12.31 and potentially millions of people, including millions 00:14:12.35\00:14:16.45 of Americans, could die. 00:14:16.48\00:14:19.05 He also knew that if he did nothing, the United States 00:14:19.65\00:14:23.76 would have to live with a menacing nuclear threat 00:14:23.79\00:14:26.96 not far from its borders. 00:14:27.00\00:14:28.73 The nation of Cuba is not very far from Florida. 00:14:29.26\00:14:31.83 Less than 500 miles. 00:14:31.87\00:14:33.70 And do you know how fast a nuclear missile flies? 00:14:34.00\00:14:36.81 More than 10,000 miles an hour. 00:14:36.84\00:14:39.31 That meant that in the blink of an eye 00:14:39.34\00:14:42.24 America could be engulfed in a nuclear holocaust. 00:14:42.28\00:14:46.18 The first thing President Kennedy did to face the crisis 00:14:46.55\00:14:49.88 was, he called a meeting of his National Security Council 00:14:50.35\00:14:53.86 to discuss how they would handle this Cuban missile crisis. 00:14:54.32\00:14:59.46 Friends, the National Security Council 00:14:59.76\00:15:02.43 was founded after World War II to deal with the management of 00:15:02.76\00:15:07.70 war and crises such as these. 00:15:07.74\00:15:10.97 And so President Kennedy called up his National Security Council 00:15:11.17\00:15:14.61 which included the director of the CIA, 00:15:14.64\00:15:17.68 the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 00:15:17.71\00:15:19.85 the undersecretary from the state and defense departments. 00:15:19.88\00:15:23.45 And as they met, they were well aware 00:15:23.92\00:15:26.12 that is was a very tense moment in the history of the world. 00:15:26.32\00:15:30.19 But thank God, because of the courage, the level headedness, 00:15:30.83\00:15:35.60 and the wisdom of President Kennedy 00:15:35.63\00:15:38.37 and his National Security Council, a world war 00:15:38.40\00:15:42.90 was averted. 00:15:43.27\00:15:44.61 A nuclear holocaust was averted and prevented 00:15:46.11\00:15:50.65 by the decisions made there in the National Security Council. 00:15:51.08\00:15:57.09 Well, one day in heaven in the great throne room 00:15:58.52\00:16:04.59 of the universe, God called His national security council 00:16:04.63\00:16:11.00 to a meeting. 00:16:11.03\00:16:12.37 They came together to deal with a crisis; 00:16:12.90\00:16:16.04 a crisis that had developed. 00:16:16.60\00:16:19.04 This crisis had begun in heaven. 00:16:19.87\00:16:22.08 It had spread to earth. 00:16:23.01\00:16:25.05 And now this crisis threatened to engulf 00:16:25.51\00:16:29.88 God's entire universe. 00:16:30.65\00:16:33.39 What was this crisis? 00:16:34.19\00:16:36.12 You see, Lucifer had led a third of the angels in rebellion 00:16:36.89\00:16:40.96 against the character, sovereignty, and law of God. 00:16:41.16\00:16:45.73 And this began what we now know as the great controversy. 00:16:46.37\00:16:53.17 You see, whenever anyone rebels against the character 00:16:53.78\00:16:57.35 of God, whenever anyone rejects the character of God, 00:16:57.38\00:17:03.85 that individual places himself in controversy or conflict 00:17:04.15\00:17:10.66 and contention with God. 00:17:10.69\00:17:13.53 In her writings, the servant of the Lord says, 00:17:14.53\00:17:17.43 "He who rejects the life and character of Jesus, 00:17:17.47\00:17:23.44 refusing to be like Him, declares himself 00:17:23.94\00:17:28.94 to be in controversy with God." 00:17:28.98\00:17:32.71 The rejection of the character of God 00:17:33.28\00:17:37.72 is at the root and source of the great controversy. 00:17:38.45\00:17:43.49 Brothers and sisters, the character of God 00:17:43.86\00:17:46.70 is at the foundation of the universe. 00:17:47.00\00:17:50.70 For us, the character of God is the axis 00:17:51.23\00:17:55.47 of our spiritual universe. 00:17:55.50\00:17:57.84 It is the center and circumference 00:17:58.24\00:18:00.38 of all we believe to be sure and certain. 00:18:00.41\00:18:04.31 Do you know that every truth we teach, 00:18:04.91\00:18:08.05 every doctrine we hold dear, all find their origin and anchor 00:18:08.25\00:18:14.92 in the character of God. 00:18:14.96\00:18:17.79 May I say that again? 00:18:18.36\00:18:19.96 Every truth we teach, every doctrine we hold dear, 00:18:20.36\00:18:25.67 all find their origin and their anchor 00:18:25.70\00:18:30.27 in the character of God. 00:18:30.61\00:18:33.01 For example, as Adventists, we believe that the law of God 00:18:33.54\00:18:38.28 is an expression, it is a transcript, 00:18:38.38\00:18:42.68 of the character of God. 00:18:42.82\00:18:44.99 And it is from the character of God that the law of God 00:18:45.45\00:18:51.23 draws its power. 00:18:51.33\00:18:53.46 It is from the character of God that the law of God 00:18:54.46\00:18:59.03 draws its prerogatives and power. 00:18:59.07\00:19:02.07 It is from the character of God that the law of God 00:19:02.34\00:19:06.51 draws its legitimacy and its certainty. 00:19:06.54\00:19:10.65 And that is why down through the ages, 00:19:11.25\00:19:14.58 Satan's most effective weapon in the great controversy 00:19:14.72\00:19:19.49 has always been the distortion and misrepresentation 00:19:19.69\00:19:25.66 of the character of God. 00:19:25.86\00:19:28.53 It was Lucifer in heaven who went to the angels and said, 00:19:29.13\00:19:32.77 "You all don't know God like I know Him. 00:19:32.97\00:19:36.40 He's bossy, domineering, He's dictatorial, He's a tyrant. 00:19:36.77\00:19:43.14 He says we're free, but we can't follow the will of 00:19:43.55\00:19:46.51 our own minds." 00:19:46.55\00:19:47.88 And friends, through this distortion and misrepresentation 00:19:48.58\00:19:53.52 of the character of God, a third of the perfect angels in heaven 00:19:53.62\00:19:59.66 were drawn into rebellion. 00:19:59.96\00:20:02.03 And then two of the most important verses 00:20:02.83\00:20:06.10 in all of Scripture. 00:20:06.13\00:20:07.60 You can find them in Genesis 1:26. 00:20:08.14\00:20:11.57 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, 00:20:12.21\00:20:20.72 after our likeness. 00:20:21.28\00:20:24.19 And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 00:20:24.69\00:20:27.76 over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, 00:20:27.79\00:20:30.99 and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing 00:20:31.03\00:20:34.70 that creepeth upon the earth." 00:20:34.73\00:20:37.13 And verse 27, "So God created man in his own image, 00:20:37.37\00:20:45.67 in the image of God created he him; 00:20:45.94\00:20:49.61 male and female created he them." 00:20:49.64\00:20:52.58 Did you know that God's creation reveals the character of God? 00:20:52.91\00:20:59.09 And did you know that we were made in the image of God 00:20:59.35\00:21:04.13 to express, to resemble, to reflect, and to reveal 00:21:04.16\00:21:11.23 the character of God? 00:21:11.27\00:21:13.23 God's creation reveals His character. 00:21:13.64\00:21:17.97 Amen. 00:21:18.17\00:21:19.51 Psalm 19:1, "To the chief musician, a psalm of David. 00:21:19.94\00:21:23.14 The heavens declare the glory of God; 00:21:23.24\00:21:28.12 and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." 00:21:28.15\00:21:30.75 Psalm 97:6, "The heavens declare his righteousness, 00:21:30.79\00:21:34.89 and all the people see his glory." 00:21:35.09\00:21:38.16 So one purpose of creation was to make evident to all 00:21:38.39\00:21:44.23 the created intelligences of the universe 00:21:44.27\00:21:48.04 the glories of divine character. 00:21:48.24\00:21:52.11 Praise the Lord. 00:21:52.34\00:21:54.04 One of the purposes of all that we see, all the stars, 00:21:54.18\00:21:58.55 all the universe, is to reveal to the intelligences 00:21:58.58\00:22:03.32 of the universe the glories of His divine character. 00:22:03.35\00:22:08.99 Remember, the heavens declare the glory of God. 00:22:09.36\00:22:12.46 And the glory of God is His character. 00:22:12.49\00:22:18.57 But nature and creation, as impressive as they are, 00:22:20.14\00:22:27.34 cannot reveal the character of God in its fullness. 00:22:27.91\00:22:33.82 That's why a religion that looks to nature alone 00:22:34.72\00:22:39.02 will not get a clear picture of the true character of God. 00:22:39.42\00:22:44.93 To Eve in the Garden of Eden, Lucifer came to Eve and said, 00:22:45.56\00:22:50.20 "Eve, you know, I've know God a lot longer than you have. 00:22:50.23\00:22:55.54 And I can tell you He has an integrity problem. 00:22:56.24\00:23:02.81 He does not always tell the truth. 00:23:03.61\00:23:07.12 You won't really die." 00:23:07.95\00:23:11.59 And from the moment man doubted and rejected the true character 00:23:12.52\00:23:18.09 of God, sin entered the world. 00:23:18.13\00:23:22.10 So our God, in the midst of this crisis, convened the 00:23:22.96\00:23:29.27 national security council of the universe; 00:23:29.30\00:23:33.01 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 00:23:33.44\00:23:39.05 Lucifer was angry he was not invited. 00:23:39.65\00:23:42.48 The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost caucused behind closed doors. 00:23:45.45\00:23:51.59 The three principles of the Godhead met and came up 00:23:52.49\00:23:57.73 with a plan to fight sin. 00:23:57.93\00:24:01.14 Oh thank God, even before we knew we were lost, 00:24:01.67\00:24:05.14 the King of glory had a plan. 00:24:05.17\00:24:06.88 Amen? 00:24:06.91\00:24:08.24 Without hesitation or remorse, without pause or delay, 00:24:08.28\00:24:13.11 He flung Himself into the midst of our decadence and decay. 00:24:13.35\00:24:17.95 God, in the personage of Jesus, persevered 00:24:18.25\00:24:22.06 in His tender purpose towards us. 00:24:22.09\00:24:24.39 And what was that purpose? 00:24:24.69\00:24:26.36 To restore in us the moral image and character of God. 00:24:26.39\00:24:33.77 From Bethlehem to Calvary, the calling and ministry of Jesus 00:24:34.37\00:24:39.37 was to vindicate and reveal the true character of God. 00:24:39.74\00:24:46.58 Did you know that every parable Jesus taught, 00:24:46.92\00:24:50.35 every miracle He performed, was a living breathing 00:24:51.05\00:24:56.39 reflection of the true character of His Father. 00:24:56.42\00:25:00.80 And for us, the call of godly character is the righteous path 00:25:01.16\00:25:05.77 for our own lives and the foundation of our salvation. 00:25:05.80\00:25:10.77 Ellen White says, "Christ came to the world 00:25:10.97\00:25:15.01 to represent the character of God." 00:25:15.24\00:25:19.55 Amen. 00:25:20.08\00:25:21.48 And it is God's dream that His people be a reflection 00:25:21.92\00:25:28.56 of His perfection. 00:25:28.99\00:25:31.49 Praise the Lord. 00:25:32.29\00:25:33.83 When rebellion and sin spread from the mind of Lucifer 00:25:34.13\00:25:37.27 to the mind of man, it had to be addressed. 00:25:37.30\00:25:42.27 It had to be contained. 00:25:42.84\00:25:45.21 Or it could spread to the other billions who represent 00:25:45.51\00:25:50.35 unfallen worlds and the unfallen intelligences of heaven. 00:25:50.38\00:25:55.05 Friends, you must remember, sin began as rebellion 00:25:55.35\00:26:00.76 against the character of God. 00:26:01.19\00:26:05.39 Sin, you must remember, began with the distortion 00:26:06.16\00:26:10.93 and misrepresentation of the character of God. 00:26:10.97\00:26:14.90 And the only way you can fight sin, praise the Lord, 00:26:15.00\00:26:20.38 is by holding up to the universe the true character of God. 00:26:20.48\00:26:28.32 And the character of God is the foundation 00:26:29.25\00:26:32.55 upon which the kingdom of God is built. 00:26:32.59\00:26:35.56 Somebody say amen. 00:26:35.59\00:26:37.36 Throughout history, God's most powerful weapon 00:26:37.79\00:26:41.83 against sin was and is today the revelation 00:26:41.86\00:26:48.84 of His true character. 00:26:48.87\00:26:50.61 Praise God. 00:26:51.01\00:26:52.51 In heaven, the national security council made up of the 00:26:52.91\00:26:56.11 three members of the Godhead; Father, Son, Holy Spirit... 00:26:56.14\00:27:00.28 And praise God, aren't you glad they, praise God, believe in us 00:27:01.12\00:27:08.42 to meet over us? 00:27:09.39\00:27:12.13 We believe in one God. 00:27:13.13\00:27:14.46 We believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 00:27:14.50\00:27:17.30 make up the unity we know as God. 00:27:17.90\00:27:22.17 So when God wanted to communicate His character, 00:27:22.50\00:27:25.47 He knew He could not rely only on creation. 00:27:26.01\00:27:30.95 When He wanted to reveal Himself to us, He could not 00:27:33.58\00:27:37.49 rely on creation alone. 00:27:37.52\00:27:40.19 Nature alone could not reveal His character in its fullness. 00:27:40.22\00:27:45.63 Nature provided, and provides us today, only an imperfect vision 00:27:46.06\00:27:52.03 of the character of God. 00:27:52.23\00:27:53.97 God then presented to man His character 00:27:54.54\00:27:57.31 in the form of the written Word. 00:27:58.07\00:28:01.71 What we call today, the Bible. 00:28:02.41\00:28:04.41 Or the Scriptures. 00:28:04.81\00:28:06.15 The Bible consists of the Old and New Testament scriptures. 00:28:06.25\00:28:10.02 And in a more powerful way, it is God's written 00:28:10.39\00:28:15.12 self-revelation to man. 00:28:15.16\00:28:18.73 Praise the Lord. 00:28:18.76\00:28:20.23 The Bible is God's written self-revelation to man. 00:28:20.50\00:28:26.03 It reveals to man God's unimpeachable, 00:28:26.07\00:28:31.04 unassailable character. 00:28:31.07\00:28:33.07 And yes, in nature and the Word, you will find 00:28:33.81\00:28:37.65 one thing in common. 00:28:37.68\00:28:39.31 One thing that is common, really, to all God's weapons 00:28:39.48\00:28:44.42 to fight sin. 00:28:44.45\00:28:45.99 And that is a revelation of the true character of God. 00:28:46.32\00:28:51.59 There is one thing common to all the operations and 00:28:51.76\00:28:55.26 revelations that would be launched by heaven 00:28:55.30\00:28:58.80 in combating sin. 00:28:58.83\00:29:01.07 One thing common to all of God's success in combating sin. 00:29:01.27\00:29:06.71 Something that is common in all of God's strategies and plans. 00:29:06.74\00:29:11.11 And that is introducing to man and to the universe 00:29:11.31\00:29:16.32 an ever increasing and ever clearer vision 00:29:16.35\00:29:21.62 of the true character of God. 00:29:21.66\00:29:24.76 You see, because sin began with the distortion 00:29:25.39\00:29:28.50 and misrepresentation of the character of God, 00:29:28.96\00:29:31.87 it could only be fought and combated effectively 00:29:32.10\00:29:36.37 with a clearer vision of the true character of God. 00:29:36.54\00:29:40.38 Nature, as glorious as it is, is no longer the unspoiled 00:29:40.41\00:29:47.52 reflection of His character. 00:29:47.68\00:29:50.32 Look at what man has done to the earth. 00:29:51.79\00:29:53.96 Look at what he has done to nature. 00:29:54.86\00:29:56.22 He has spoiled it. 00:29:56.26\00:29:58.16 He has defiled it, he has polluted it. 00:29:58.79\00:30:01.50 It is still beautiful, 00:30:02.26\00:30:03.93 but less and less so with each passing generation. 00:30:04.27\00:30:07.70 God then gave to man the revelation of the written Word. 00:30:08.27\00:30:12.74 But look at what man has done with the Scriptures. 00:30:13.64\00:30:16.71 He has hidden it... 00:30:17.35\00:30:18.68 Somebody knows I'm right. 00:30:19.88\00:30:21.52 ...he has misinterpreted it, he has twisted it. 00:30:22.08\00:30:27.59 As the Scriptures say in 2 Peter 3:16, 00:30:28.46\00:30:30.86 he has wrested it to his own destruction. 00:30:30.89\00:30:34.76 I've got to tell you, throughout history 00:30:35.93\00:30:37.63 man has used the Scriptures to say and do almost 00:30:37.67\00:30:42.40 everything wicked you can imagine. 00:30:42.50\00:30:45.51 Many have used the Scriptures to teach and proclaim things 00:30:46.07\00:30:50.48 that are the very opposite of the true character of God. 00:30:50.58\00:30:55.38 Throughout the centuries, men even have used the Scriptures 00:30:55.58\00:30:59.45 to justify slavery and some of the worst in humanity 00:30:59.79\00:31:05.86 against their fellow man. 00:31:05.89\00:31:07.40 I'm sad to tell you, the Scriptures were even used 00:31:07.43\00:31:10.80 to justify racism and apartheid, and all kinds of abuse against 00:31:10.83\00:31:20.31 women and children. 00:31:20.34\00:31:22.04 And yes, the Scriptures have been used to justify 00:31:22.54\00:31:26.75 anger by some and revenge by others. 00:31:27.12\00:31:31.02 In short, there are those who have used the Scriptures 00:31:31.05\00:31:33.76 to justify what is really, in truth, rebellion 00:31:34.02\00:31:39.46 against the character of God. 00:31:39.49\00:31:41.20 Some even use God's grace and mercy in the Scriptures 00:31:41.23\00:31:45.83 as justification to continue to sin. 00:31:46.23\00:31:50.47 Oh, Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you. 00:31:51.84\00:31:56.54 For ye are not under the law, but under grace. 00:31:56.71\00:32:00.45 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not 00:32:00.48\00:32:04.35 under the law, but under grace? 00:32:04.39\00:32:06.29 God forbid!" 00:32:06.55\00:32:08.26 And as Peter in his epistle said, they have figured out 00:32:08.86\00:32:11.96 how to twist the Scriptures to their own destruction. 00:32:12.06\00:32:16.63 The servant of the Lord says, "Though the Jews 00:32:16.67\00:32:19.43 had the Scriptures, which testified of Christ, 00:32:19.97\00:32:24.34 they were not able to discern Christ in the Scriptures." 00:32:24.64\00:32:29.78 My God. 00:32:30.08\00:32:31.55 They were not able to discern the character of Christ 00:32:31.71\00:32:36.18 in the Scriptures. 00:32:36.22\00:32:37.55 "And although we have the Old and the New Testament," 00:32:37.59\00:32:39.85 she says, "men wrest and twist the Scriptures 00:32:39.89\00:32:43.59 to evade the truths of the Scriptures." 00:32:43.63\00:32:47.60 Whoa! 00:32:48.10\00:32:49.43 "And in their interpretations of the Scriptures, 00:32:49.60\00:32:53.17 they teach, as did the Pharisees, their own maxims 00:32:53.20\00:32:57.94 and traditions for the commandments of God." 00:32:57.97\00:33:00.58 She also says, "The self-righteous scribes 00:33:00.61\00:33:03.35 and Pharisees had so misrepresented God 00:33:03.38\00:33:07.05 that He was looked upon as a stern judge." 00:33:07.08\00:33:11.42 That's a misrepresentation of the character of God. 00:33:12.35\00:33:15.92 "He was looked upon as one who was incapable of compassion." 00:33:16.66\00:33:21.60 They used the Scriptures to present to the world 00:33:22.03\00:33:25.77 our God in this way. 00:33:25.80\00:33:27.97 They presented Him as incapable of affording and giving 00:33:28.37\00:33:32.91 mercy and love. 00:33:32.94\00:33:34.68 "They presented to the people endless traditions 00:33:34.84\00:33:37.95 as proceeding from God when they had no Scriptural 00:33:38.08\00:33:41.98 authority to do so." 00:33:42.02\00:33:43.92 So, as heaven's national security council 00:33:44.25\00:33:47.52 debated the situation, and whoa, what a situation, 00:33:48.36\00:33:53.16 it was clear that nature could not launch an effective attack 00:33:55.20\00:34:02.44 against the misrepresentation of the character of God. 00:34:02.74\00:34:07.18 Whoa! 00:34:07.81\00:34:09.14 It was clear that the Scriptures represented a most powerful 00:34:09.61\00:34:16.28 counterattack against the misrepresentation 00:34:16.32\00:34:19.39 of the character of God. 00:34:19.42\00:34:20.86 But even the Scriptures themselves were being misused 00:34:21.19\00:34:25.66 by religion and misused by religious leaders 00:34:25.69\00:34:29.96 to lead people down a path of destruction. 00:34:30.07\00:34:33.47 So that day in heaven's national security council, 00:34:34.07\00:34:38.77 Jesus stood up, and Jesus said, "I will go. 00:34:40.14\00:34:48.18 I will carry in the flesh the final and perfect revelation 00:34:50.29\00:34:58.56 of the character of God to man. 00:34:59.53\00:35:02.73 I will carry in the flesh a perfect revelation 00:35:04.03\00:35:09.40 of the character of the Father. 00:35:10.37\00:35:12.54 And so John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, 00:35:13.24\00:35:16.98 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 00:35:17.21\00:35:21.68 The same was in the beginning with God. 00:35:21.88\00:35:24.49 All things were made by him; and without him 00:35:25.09\00:35:28.29 was not any thing made that was made." 00:35:28.32\00:35:31.99 And then Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, 00:35:32.03\00:35:35.66 which was also in Christ Jesus." 00:35:35.70\00:35:38.70 And verses 6 and 7, "Who, being in the form of God, 00:35:38.73\00:35:44.17 thought it not robbery to be equal with God; 00:35:44.21\00:35:49.64 but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him 00:35:49.68\00:35:54.42 the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." 00:35:54.45\00:36:00.96 Friends, we believe that Jesus is God. 00:36:01.16\00:36:04.69 Somebody shout amen. 00:36:06.03\00:36:08.30 And just as much as the Father and the Spirit are God, 00:36:08.73\00:36:13.54 Jesus is God. 00:36:13.74\00:36:16.34 Before coming to earth, Jesus was never born. 00:36:16.97\00:36:22.28 If He was, He would in heaven have a birthday. 00:36:25.38\00:36:28.15 They do not celebrate His birthday in heaven. 00:36:28.18\00:36:31.25 He was never born. 00:36:32.22\00:36:34.26 We sing, "Happy birthday, Jesus," because 00:36:34.46\00:36:36.66 the eternal Word became flesh, and was born in a manger. 00:36:36.69\00:36:42.63 But in heaven, Jesus was never born. 00:36:42.76\00:36:47.37 Jesus has always been. 00:36:47.57\00:36:50.47 That's why the Jews wanted to stone Him when He said, 00:36:51.61\00:36:54.88 "Before Abraham was, I AM." 00:36:54.91\00:36:59.18 The servant of the Lord says it this way, she says, 00:36:59.58\00:37:01.65 "Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God." 00:37:01.95\00:37:09.69 Pre-existent. 00:37:11.09\00:37:12.53 Self-existent. 00:37:12.83\00:37:14.16 That means just as the Father takes the title of, Father, 00:37:14.20\00:37:17.70 and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, 00:37:17.73\00:37:19.73 Jesus has taken the title of, Son of God. 00:37:19.93\00:37:23.97 But that in no way says that Jesus, in heaven, 00:37:24.11\00:37:27.31 was ever born. 00:37:27.34\00:37:28.68 Before Mary, before Mary, I said, before Mary, 00:37:28.71\00:37:33.11 Jesus was pre-existent. 00:37:33.48\00:37:35.82 Before Mary, Jesus was self-existent. 00:37:36.48\00:37:40.52 That means He was before there ever was a was. 00:37:40.56\00:37:45.83 That's what pre-existent means. 00:37:45.96\00:37:48.36 And self-existent means He owes no one, 00:37:48.40\00:37:53.37 not even the Father or the Holy Spirit, 00:37:54.50\00:37:57.84 He owes no one for His existence. 00:37:57.87\00:38:02.01 Whoa, my God! 00:38:02.94\00:38:04.65 The theologians say it this way: 00:38:05.01\00:38:06.75 He was co-eternal with God, and co-existent. 00:38:06.85\00:38:12.52 "The existence of Christ before His incarnation 00:38:12.82\00:38:16.83 is not measured," Ellen White says, "by figures." 00:38:16.86\00:38:20.16 You can't measure it by dates. 00:38:20.73\00:38:23.06 Now the angels, the angels, they've been around 00:38:23.40\00:38:25.53 since their creation. 00:38:25.57\00:38:26.90 You can point to a moment when they came into being. 00:38:26.94\00:38:30.47 But not so with Jesus. 00:38:30.57\00:38:32.17 There is no moment you can point to when Jesus never existed. 00:38:32.21\00:38:38.45 Brothers and sisters, "It was for the purpose," 00:38:38.88\00:38:42.38 Ellen White says, "of giving to man..." 00:38:42.48\00:38:45.72 Get this. 00:38:46.29\00:38:47.62 "It was for the purpose of giving to man 00:38:47.82\00:38:53.90 a perfect representation of the character of God 00:38:54.76\00:39:01.70 that Jesus came to our earth." 00:39:01.84\00:39:06.11 Did you know that's why He came? 00:39:07.68\00:39:11.11 To give to us a perfect representation 00:39:12.05\00:39:16.35 of the character of God. 00:39:16.62\00:39:18.55 She says, "Jesus came to earth that He might 00:39:18.75\00:39:21.56 transform our character and develop in man," 00:39:21.59\00:39:29.16 what we call, "the moral image of God." 00:39:29.90\00:39:33.13 When the world was destitute of the knowledge of God, 00:39:33.57\00:39:36.24 Jesus came to impart this, she calls it, 00:39:36.27\00:39:40.11 "an inestimable blessing." 00:39:40.14\00:39:42.11 A knowledge of the paternal character 00:39:42.21\00:39:45.55 of our heavenly Father. 00:39:45.58\00:39:47.28 Friends, the character of God as represented 00:39:47.72\00:39:51.65 by His Son was God's greatest gift to our world. 00:39:51.69\00:39:59.13 The character of God as represented by His Son 00:40:01.00\00:40:06.77 was God's greatest gift to the world. 00:40:07.30\00:40:12.77 And in Christ, God was making every effort 00:40:13.07\00:40:16.38 to sweep away the misrepresentations of Satan 00:40:16.98\00:40:21.35 so that the confidence of man in the love of God 00:40:21.58\00:40:26.35 might be restored. 00:40:26.39\00:40:27.72 And so Jesus came to earth... 00:40:27.76\00:40:29.49 Somebody praise Him. 00:40:29.52\00:40:31.19 ...through the birth canal of a woman. 00:40:31.53\00:40:34.30 He came to seek and save the lost. 00:40:35.50\00:40:40.54 That's why I love that scripture, Isaiah 61:10. 00:40:41.34\00:40:44.31 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 00:40:44.34\00:40:47.01 my soul shall be joyful in my God; 00:40:47.04\00:40:50.28 for he hath clothed me..." 00:40:50.31\00:40:53.11 Oh, one of the greatest promises in the Word of God. 00:40:53.21\00:40:55.95 "...he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation..." 00:40:55.98\00:41:00.79 Jesus came to clothe us with the garments of salvation. 00:41:01.06\00:41:06.56 "...he hath covered me," the Scripture says, 00:41:06.80\00:41:08.76 "with the robe of righteousness, 00:41:08.80\00:41:11.43 as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments..." 00:41:11.47\00:41:14.44 Jesus came to earth, friends, to restore to us 00:41:14.47\00:41:18.67 the character of God; for all who are not in harmony 00:41:18.77\00:41:23.35 with the character of God are lost. 00:41:23.38\00:41:27.32 Jesus came to restore in man what Adam had lost. 00:41:29.68\00:41:34.72 And what was lost? 00:41:34.76\00:41:36.19 The moral image of God in man. 00:41:37.43\00:41:42.16 The character of God in man was lost. 00:41:42.56\00:41:45.77 Without the character of God, we are lost. 00:41:46.63\00:41:50.17 I said, without the character of God, we are lost. 00:41:51.41\00:41:56.28 Well, the Scriptures say that we are naked and lost. 00:41:57.85\00:42:02.38 And that's why it says we need to be clothed 00:42:03.52\00:42:06.49 in the garment of salvation. 00:42:07.19\00:42:08.99 We need to be covered with the robe of His righteousness. 00:42:09.02\00:42:13.33 Revelation 3:14, I love it, "And unto the angel 00:42:13.70\00:42:16.56 of the church of the Laodiceans, write, 00:42:16.60\00:42:18.60 'These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, 00:42:18.63\00:42:22.70 the beginning of the creation of God: 00:42:22.74\00:42:24.54 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. 00:42:24.57\00:42:28.24 I would thou wert cold or hot.'" 00:42:28.28\00:42:30.28 Revelation 3:16, "So then because thou art lukewarm, 00:42:30.31\00:42:34.32 and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 00:42:34.35\00:42:38.35 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, 00:42:38.59\00:42:43.96 that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, 00:42:43.99\00:42:48.00 that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy 00:42:48.03\00:42:53.03 nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes 00:42:53.07\00:42:55.80 with eye salve, that thou mayest see." 00:42:55.84\00:42:59.04 Without the character of God, yes, we are naked and lost. 00:42:59.37\00:43:05.48 Oh, but what a promise found in Isaiah 61:10. 00:43:05.78\00:43:09.55 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 00:43:09.58\00:43:11.99 my soul shall be joyful in my God; 00:43:12.02\00:43:14.49 for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation," 00:43:14.52\00:43:19.43 praise the Lord, "he hath covered me 00:43:19.86\00:43:22.86 with the robe of righteousness..." 00:43:22.90\00:43:25.47 The righteous character of Jesus is the robe 00:43:25.50\00:43:30.31 of His righteousness. 00:43:30.34\00:43:31.97 Praise the Lord. 00:43:32.47\00:43:33.88 You see, our salvation depended upon 00:43:34.14\00:43:37.41 Jesus fashioning or creating a robe of righteous character 00:43:37.68\00:43:45.09 for us to wear. 00:43:45.12\00:43:47.52 Oh, did you get that today? 00:43:48.22\00:43:50.09 No sin can be tolerated in those who walk with Christ. 00:43:50.59\00:43:55.56 The filthy garments are to be removed 00:43:55.76\00:43:59.40 and Christ's robe of righteousness 00:43:59.73\00:44:02.00 is to be placed upon us, praise the Lord, 00:44:02.04\00:44:04.91 if we repent and believe. 00:44:04.94\00:44:07.24 Look at this, Jesus removes our filthy garments. 00:44:07.74\00:44:12.25 That means, our filthy character. 00:44:12.65\00:44:15.62 And He places upon us the robe of His righteous character. 00:44:16.15\00:44:22.82 Jesus came to earth not just to show us the character of God, 00:44:23.02\00:44:27.76 not just to show us the character of God, 00:44:29.40\00:44:33.03 but to do what nature could not do, 00:44:33.87\00:44:36.94 to do what the Scriptures could not do. 00:44:38.04\00:44:41.71 And that is, to fashion from His own perfect life 00:44:42.78\00:44:48.68 a righteous character for us to wear. 00:44:48.98\00:44:53.69 Praise the Lord. 00:44:54.66\00:44:56.52 Nature cannot do that. 00:44:57.63\00:44:59.43 The Scriptures cannot do that. 00:45:00.86\00:45:02.66 Jesus, through His righteous life fashioned, created for us, 00:45:03.06\00:45:09.90 for His righteous people, a righteous character 00:45:10.27\00:45:14.21 for His bride to wear. 00:45:14.44\00:45:15.78 Our heavenly Father promises that He will take from us 00:45:15.81\00:45:18.81 the garments defiled by sin. 00:45:19.11\00:45:22.08 Somebody say praise the Lord. 00:45:22.12\00:45:23.95 This robe, says Ellen White, and I love this, she says, 00:45:24.75\00:45:27.62 this robe of character that we are to wear, 00:45:27.86\00:45:30.49 she says it is "woven in the loom of heaven." 00:45:30.59\00:45:34.63 Praise the Lord. 00:45:35.56\00:45:36.93 "It has in it," she says, "not one thread of human devising. 00:45:37.70\00:45:44.61 This character that we are going to wear 00:45:46.27\00:45:48.11 that Jesus fashioned for us, nothing human is in it. 00:45:48.14\00:45:52.91 Praise the Lord. 00:45:54.22\00:45:55.55 Christ in His humanity worked out a perfect character. 00:45:55.75\00:46:01.92 And this character He offers to us. 00:46:02.19\00:46:06.06 And we all need His robe, for as we know, 00:46:06.46\00:46:09.46 all our righteousness' are filthy rags. 00:46:09.50\00:46:12.77 Everything that we of ourselves can do is defiled by sin. 00:46:12.87\00:46:17.61 But the Son came to earth and was manifested 00:46:17.64\00:46:23.18 to take away our sins. 00:46:23.45\00:46:26.31 And in Him is no sin. 00:46:26.41\00:46:29.92 How did Jesus fashion the robe that He promises to us? 00:46:29.95\00:46:34.92 How did Jesus do it? 00:46:35.12\00:46:36.89 He did it by being obedient to every requirement 00:46:38.29\00:46:46.37 of the law of God. 00:46:46.63\00:46:48.20 Perfect obedience. 00:46:50.01\00:46:52.17 That's how He created it. 00:46:52.54\00:46:53.88 He said of Himself, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God. 00:46:53.91\00:46:57.88 Yea, Thy law is within My heart." 00:46:58.05\00:47:01.12 When Jesus was on earth He said to His disciples, 00:47:01.52\00:47:03.89 "I have kept My Father's commandments." 00:47:04.09\00:47:08.56 And the first thing Jesus asks us to do 00:47:08.79\00:47:11.69 is to surrender to His purposes and submit to His will. 00:47:11.99\00:47:17.47 And when we submit ourselves to Christ 00:47:17.70\00:47:20.37 the heart is united with His heart, 00:47:20.54\00:47:23.51 the will is merged in His will, 00:47:23.87\00:47:27.68 the mind becomes one with His mind, 00:47:27.71\00:47:31.75 the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him. 00:47:32.38\00:47:36.82 You know, the Lord impressed me that our default consciousness 00:47:37.15\00:47:43.83 when we were created was a stream of constant 00:47:44.03\00:47:51.07 unbroken communion with God. 00:47:51.10\00:47:54.10 You know how some computers are made with an operating system. 00:47:55.74\00:47:58.74 That was our original operating system. 00:47:59.44\00:48:03.41 A mind that was in constant unbroken communion with God. 00:48:03.45\00:48:10.62 The thoughts were always captive to His will. 00:48:10.95\00:48:15.96 Oh, can you just not see the day when we'll be back to that? 00:48:15.99\00:48:21.03 And this is what is means to be clothed with the 00:48:22.20\00:48:24.70 garments of His righteousness. 00:48:24.73\00:48:27.24 And then when the Lord looks at us, 00:48:27.27\00:48:29.37 He sees not the fig leaves of our righteousness, 00:48:30.04\00:48:35.04 He sees not the nakedness and deformity of sin, 00:48:35.24\00:48:38.81 but His own robe of righteousness. 00:48:38.85\00:48:43.15 Which is, Ellen White says, perfect obedience 00:48:43.18\00:48:47.56 to the law of Jehovah. 00:48:47.66\00:48:50.33 "There's only one mediator between God and man," 00:48:51.83\00:48:55.06 says the Bible, "the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself 00:48:55.10\00:48:59.63 a ransom for all." 00:48:59.67\00:49:01.34 But for Jesus to become our High Priest, 00:49:01.37\00:49:03.91 He had to gain on our behalf a knowledge we ourselves 00:49:04.27\00:49:10.28 did not possess. 00:49:10.31\00:49:12.11 He had to show that it was possible to be obedient. 00:49:12.15\00:49:16.75 Even in suffering be obedient. 00:49:16.95\00:49:20.26 Even in temptation. 00:49:20.29\00:49:22.22 That through grace we could be faithful unto death. 00:49:22.32\00:49:26.90 For it behooved God, for through whom all things exist, 00:49:27.23\00:49:30.47 that the Author, the Captain of our salvation, 00:49:30.50\00:49:33.74 would be made perfect through suffering. 00:49:33.77\00:49:36.71 Oh, so today, we celebrate the breaking in of the divine 00:49:37.14\00:49:44.48 presence into history. 00:49:44.51\00:49:46.61 We celebrate that God came to earth in the flesh. 00:49:47.05\00:49:53.36 We celebrate, when Adam faulted and stumbled 00:49:53.46\00:49:57.69 into the pit of sin, 00:49:57.73\00:49:59.49 we celebrate, when sorrow became our sad portion, 00:49:59.53\00:50:04.20 that Jesus faced squarely the urgency of the hour. 00:50:04.23\00:50:09.70 He came to save us from ignorance and a lethal 00:50:09.90\00:50:14.84 combination of ignorance and arrogance. 00:50:14.88\00:50:18.58 He came to rescue us from lies and delusions, 00:50:18.61\00:50:23.28 from hypocrisy and contradictions. 00:50:23.32\00:50:26.35 I thank God He alone can lift the burden of sin and sorrow. 00:50:26.52\00:50:31.06 He alone can sustain us in our weakness and bear us up 00:50:31.36\00:50:36.50 triumphant through life's trials. 00:50:36.60\00:50:39.07 He alone can create the purpose, re-create in us, transform us, 00:50:39.10\00:50:45.97 so that we in our character can glorify God. 00:50:46.01\00:50:49.68 That we can finally again, through grace and His power, 00:50:49.71\00:50:54.38 resemble, reflect, and reveal the character of God. 00:50:54.42\00:51:01.72 That is the reason Jesus, the Son, came to earth. 00:51:01.92\00:51:09.36 And that's why I love Him. 00:51:09.90\00:51:11.50 And that's why I surrender to Him moment by moment, 00:51:13.54\00:51:21.24 day by day. 00:51:21.84\00:51:23.55 Thank You, Lord. 00:51:24.28\00:51:25.85 Listen to the message in the song. 00:51:26.28\00:51:30.32 Thank You God. 00:51:35.32\00:51:36.69 All to Jesus I surrender, 00:51:51.97\00:52:00.68 all to Him I freely give; 00:52:01.28\00:52:09.72 I will ever love and trust Him, 00:52:10.13\00:52:18.57 in His presence daily live. 00:52:18.90\00:52:26.68 I surrender all, 00:52:26.71\00:52:34.62 I surrender all. 00:52:35.82\00:52:43.69 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, 00:52:44.63\00:52:53.84 I surrender all. 00:52:53.87\00:53:01.28 All to Jesus I surrender, 00:53:07.55\00:53:16.02 humbly at His feet I bow, 00:53:16.73\00:53:25.43 worldly pleasures now forsaken; 00:53:25.73\00:53:34.01 take me, Jesus, take me now. 00:53:34.44\00:53:42.45 I surrender all, 00:53:42.55\00:53:51.36 I surrender all. 00:53:52.06\00:54:00.14 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, 00:54:00.54\00:54:09.08 I surrender all. 00:54:09.11\00:54:17.29 I surrender all. 00:54:17.99\00:54:27.96 All to Jesus I surrender, 00:54:32.87\00:54:40.74 all to Him I freely give. 00:54:41.21\00:54:50.05 I will ever love and trust Him. 00:54:50.09\00:54:58.53 All to Him I freely give. 00:54:58.93\00:55:06.53 And I surrender all. 00:55:06.57\00:55:16.54 Father in heaven, I thank You that when this planet was lost, 00:55:26.02\00:55:35.43 when our souls needed a Savior, 00:55:36.90\00:55:40.97 that Jesus came to earth, the Son of God came to earth 00:55:42.60\00:55:50.05 to restore in us the character of God. 00:55:50.98\00:55:58.09 I thank You for Your salvation. 00:56:00.02\00:56:04.46 I thank You for the garment of Your salvation. 00:56:05.19\00:56:10.97 And I ask, dear Father, in the name of Jesus, 00:56:12.33\00:56:16.40 that You would show us how every day to grow 00:56:17.47\00:56:23.41 to more resemble, reflect, and reveal 00:56:23.91\00:56:29.65 the character of God. 00:56:30.39\00:56:32.92 I thank You that this was Your purpose 00:56:34.06\00:56:37.33 for coming to the earth. 00:56:38.09\00:56:40.20 And I thank You that when You come again, 00:56:41.36\00:56:45.97 by Your grace we will be clothed in the garments 00:56:47.00\00:56:51.57 of Your salvation; 00:56:51.61\00:56:53.54 in the garment, the righteous robe, 00:56:54.81\00:56:59.01 of Your character. 00:56:59.45\00:57:01.08 We thank You. 00:57:01.82\00:57:03.15 In Jesus' name I pray this prayer of thanksgiving, 00:57:03.18\00:57:06.79 I pray this prayer of praise. 00:57:07.16\00:57:09.76 Amen and amen. 00:57:10.66\00:57:15.26 Praise God. 00:57:15.46\00:57:17.37 Praise God. 00:57:18.17\00:57:19.63 Aren't you happy what Christ did for us? 00:57:20.10\00:57:22.67 Came to earth so that we could be clothed in His salvation. 00:57:23.51\00:57:28.74 Amen. 00:57:28.94\00:57:30.28