Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000049
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00:18 Hello and welcome
00:20 to Wednesday night prayer meeting 00:21 here at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:23 We call it A Sharper Focus, 00:25 and we thank you for joining us 00:27 here at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:29 and we want to invite you to be a part 00:32 of our local congregation here 00:34 on Wednesday night and also on Saturday mornings. 00:37 We are located on Route 149, in case you are in the area, 00:40 Route 149 in West Frankfort 00:42 just before you get to Route 34 in Thompsonville. 00:46 And right there on the left hand side, 00:48 just before you get to Thompsonville Route 34, 00:52 you will see a big building 00:54 and, the name of the church is right in front, 00:56 so you cannot miss it, as they say, 00:58 and we invite you to join us. 00:59 Wednesdays at 7:00, we are here, 01:02 and Saturday mornings, 01:03 we are also here beginning at 9:00 in the morning 01:06 and onwards. 01:07 So we invite you to be a part of our local congregation, 01:09 the Pastor Lomacang 01:11 and he will be glad to have you here 01:13 as well as our loving members 01:17 of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:19 Would you welcome the people that have come in? 01:20 Amen. Amen. 01:22 Praise the Lord. 01:23 And so we are here today to going to study 01:25 a very important topic, 01:27 and I'm not very good at titles, 01:29 so first, it was called Be Thou Clean, 01:32 then it was Blameless Before God. 01:34 But what's important is the message in God's Word. 01:37 And so that's what we want to focus on today. 01:40 And this is going to be a Bible study, 01:42 so we invite you to open your Bibles 01:44 and get something to write with 01:46 because you may want to take notes 01:47 and continue studying this important topic. 01:50 Before we continue, of course, 01:52 we must go to the Lord in prayer 01:54 because we dare not study the Bible 01:56 without asking for God's blessing, 01:58 we don't want to come to the wrong conclusions. 02:00 And so join us in prayer. 02:03 Our loving heavenly Father, 02:06 we now approach Your throne of grace 02:09 with confidence that we will be received 02:11 because we read in the Scriptures 02:13 that he that cometh unto You, You will in no wise cast out. 02:18 And we thank You Father 02:20 for this privilege to ask of You to bless us. 02:23 You said to ask that we may receive. 02:25 And today, we ask for a blessing 02:27 upon all that are here present with us, 02:29 and those listening by radio, 02:31 watching by television or the internet, 02:33 we pray that everyone will be blessed, 02:35 we pray for Your Holy Spirit to be poured out. 02:38 I place myself in Your hands and I ask father 02:41 that every word will come from Your throne of grace. 02:45 May Your name be glorified in all the things we ask. 02:47 In Jesus' name, amen. 02:49 Amen. 02:51 Jesus was walking among the multitude. 02:54 And as He walked, there was a man 02:58 that was coming nearer and nearer to him. 03:01 You see, back in those days, 03:02 there was a disease called leprosy. 03:05 And if you got leprosy 03:07 or suspect that you have leprosy, 03:08 you have to go to a priest. 03:10 The priest would examine you, 03:12 and if the priest determined you had leprosy, 03:15 then you must be separated from your family, 03:19 separated from your friends, 03:21 and go in the outer parts of the city, 03:23 and some of these people lived in caves, 03:26 you were destined to be with those people. 03:29 And so it was that 03:32 while you were coming close to anybody, 03:35 you were supposed to yell, "Unclean, unclean." 03:40 You see, it was believed that the very air was polluted 03:44 by the person that had leprosy. 03:47 As a matter of fact, 03:48 it was considered like a symbol of sin. 03:51 So he who had leprosy 03:52 was considered to be punished by God. 03:56 And so these people that had leprosy 03:58 were separated from society 04:00 and they longed to be with their families, 04:02 but the disease made them 04:04 be separated from their families 04:06 because it was very contagious. 04:08 And it was a loving response from a person to say, 04:12 "I love you too much to give you this disease." 04:14 So they would separate themselves from the people, 04:17 and this is what was happening back in those days. 04:20 But there was a man as we find in Matthew 8:1, 04:24 and now we're going to read about a man 04:26 that dared to approach Jesus. 04:29 He ignored the warnings to stay away 04:32 and continued coming toward Jesus. 04:35 You see, it is apparent that this man had heard about Jesus, 04:40 that He was healing people, giving sight to the blind, 04:43 and people were being healed by Him 04:46 that had been sick even from birth, 04:48 and so it was that he began to get courage. 04:51 And in Matthew 8:1-4, 04:56 we have the following words. 04:58 "When He was come down from the mountain, 05:00 great multitudes followed Him. 05:02 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, 05:06 saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." 05:11 Now when you consider these words, 05:13 you understand that he had faith 05:15 that Jesus could do this very thing, 05:17 and so he was asking Jesus to heal him. 05:20 And Matthew 8:3, there is something interesting, 05:23 but before we continue reading, I must pause, you see, 05:25 because it was believed that anyone that touched someone 05:29 that had leprosy, that person became unclean, 05:33 that person could become full of leprosy. 05:35 And so I imagine the people were watching to see, 05:38 "Will Jesus touch him?" 05:40 because if He touches him, He too will become unclean, 05:45 He too may have leprosy. 05:47 And so I imagine that all the eyes of the people, 05:50 they first separated themselves from Jesus because... 05:54 From the guy who had leprosy 05:55 because they didn't want to get the disease, 05:58 and so now they were watching Jesus 06:00 to see what He would do, 06:01 and they heard the man's plea, and in verse 3, 06:03 we continue reading. 06:05 Matthew 8:3, 06:06 "And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, 06:10 saying, I will, be thou clean. 06:15 And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." 06:19 Praise the Lord. 06:20 In verse 4, "And Jesus saith unto him, 06:22 See thou tell no man, 06:26 but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, 06:29 and offer the gift that Moses commanded 06:32 for a what? 06:34 Testimony unto them." 06:36 Praise the Lord. 06:37 And so it was... 06:38 There were witnesses that saw Jesus do this, 06:40 so word spread anyway. 06:43 But this man was of course to go back to the priest, 06:46 and that was supposed to be a testimony. 06:48 You see the priests, 06:49 some of them were accusing Jesus. 06:51 So this will be a testimony. 06:53 "How did you become clean?" 06:54 "A man called Jesus touched me and I became clean." 07:00 Praise the Lord. 07:02 And so you see, here we have another example 07:05 of this man full of leprosy 07:08 came to Jesus, and Jesus didn't cast him out. 07:11 Jesus didn't, "Wait, wait, wait. 07:12 You have leprosy, don't come near." 07:15 Jesus not only allowed him to approach 07:17 but Jesus went as far as to touch him. 07:20 And so whatever it is that you may have, 07:23 you can approach Jesus with confidence, 07:25 and He will receive you. 07:26 Praise the Lord for that. 07:28 And so I want to talk to you a little bit about sin. 07:34 Now for very long time, 07:35 we want to talk more about Jesus. 07:37 You see, sin has created a big problem for this earth, 07:41 and it is sin that has brought disease. 07:44 It is sin that has brought every suffering in this world. 07:48 And as a matter of fact, 07:49 sin has caused suffering beyond this world. 07:52 For even in heaven, 07:54 there is suffering because of sin. 07:56 And so this sin that is upon this earth 08:02 has been here for a while, 08:04 and we long for it to be gone 08:06 because it has caused so much suffering, 08:09 sickness, pain, and sorrow. 08:13 The people that had leprosy in those days, 08:16 little by little, it was like their flesh became putrefied, 08:20 it was like spoiling, rotting away. 08:23 And so some of them would wrap cloths 08:28 to try to keep their wounds, 08:31 and the cloth would soak the blood, 08:33 and soak the putrefying flesh, 08:38 and it stunk very badly. 08:41 You see, there was all this... 08:44 even puss and all these things were in this cloth. 08:47 And the people hoped that as they unwrapped 08:51 that all their fingers would still be there, 08:53 that their flesh would still be in good condition. 08:57 But little by little, 08:58 it was as if their flesh was rotting away. 09:01 So I would like for you to consider this cloth, 09:04 there is a passage that we're going to look at 09:06 that talks about what is the best possible thing 09:10 that we could do as far as being righteous, 09:14 and that is found in the book of Isaiah chapter 64, 09:17 as we begin to... 09:19 As you see it, you will notice that 09:22 this passage is something you have read before. 09:26 But let's look at it again. 09:27 Isaiah chapter 64, 09:29 and we're going to read verse 6, 09:32 and we find the following words. 09:34 "But we are all as an unclean thing, 09:38 and all our righteousness are as filthy rags, 09:43 and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, 09:47 like the wind, have taken us away." 09:51 And so this is the condition of how many? 09:55 All it says in the Bible, 09:58 all of us have been victims of sin. 10:03 And notice that it says that our righteousness, 10:05 that is the very best that you could do 10:09 is as filthy rags. 10:12 Now there are some that understand 10:15 these rags to mean a particular type of rag 10:17 that we're not even going mention right now, 10:19 but I would like for you to consider 10:20 that is more visible for you at this point 10:22 since we talked about the man full of leprosy, 10:25 those rags that he had 10:27 where the putrefying flesh was there, 10:29 and blood, and all these things, 10:31 and it smelled badly, 10:34 that's what our good deeds are like. 10:37 If we do it on our own, 10:39 if we depend on our good deeds for salvation 10:43 because you see, the only good deeds 10:45 that have any worth or value in our salvation 10:50 are the good deeds of Jesus Christ. 10:53 Those are the ones that count for our salvation, 10:56 the good deeds that Christ does. 10:59 And so it is the goodness of God, 11:03 it is the gift of God that gives us salvation. 11:07 Let's look at another passage in Genesis 1:31. 11:12 You see, it was not like this before. 11:14 Let's go back to even the time 11:18 before sin came into the world, 11:21 and let us see the witness of God 11:24 as He created the earth. 11:28 In Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2, 11:30 you see the account of the creation of this world. 11:33 And as we read in verse 31, we have the following words. 11:36 "And God saw," that means He examined everything, 11:41 "God saw everything that He had made, 11:43 and, behold, it was very good. 11:48 And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." 11:51 If you continue reading, you will notice, 2:1, 11:55 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 11:56 and all the host of them," etcetera, etcetera. 11:59 But God looked at His creation 12:00 after He had done everything on this earth, 12:03 and He said, "It is very good." 12:06 It wasn't just good, it was very good. 12:10 So what does that include in that very good? 12:15 Everything that He had made. 12:17 And He had also made Adam and Eve, 12:20 so they too were very good. 12:23 As a matter of fact, they were so good 12:28 that every thought, every word, 12:31 every action was very good. 12:35 There was no evidence of selfishness, no hatred, 12:40 no ill intent, no evil thoughts, no bad words. 12:44 All the words were good, all the thoughts were good, 12:46 all the actions were good. 12:48 They loved to please God, 12:49 they loved to please one another, 12:50 they loved each other. 12:52 That was the condition. 12:53 How many would love to see that happen again? 12:55 Praise the Lord. I would too. 12:58 It would be good to be able to walk down the street 13:00 and you're not afraid of anything. 13:02 There are some places I've been where they tell us, 13:05 "Don't go out in the street." 13:07 As a matter of fact, my wife told me that 13:09 when we were in a certain city once. 13:12 We were not in this city. 13:15 But we were visiting another country. 13:16 She said, "Don't go out there. 13:18 I heard this and I heard that. 13:19 People are being kidnapped." 13:21 And so this is the condition of this world. 13:24 But back then, 13:25 before sin entered into the world, 13:27 everything was very good. 13:30 Of course, you've read the story 13:32 of how Adam and Eve chose to sin. 13:35 And since they chose to sin, all that comes with sin 13:41 was now a part of them. 13:43 Their minds became corrupt. 13:46 Now the thoughts were not pure. 13:48 Now the words were not good, they were not very good. 13:51 The actions were not very good. 13:53 Why? 13:54 Because sin came in and corrupted them. 13:59 And as a matter of fact, 14:01 the more sin you do, the more corruption you have. 14:06 And so this was the condition that this earth 14:10 entered into when Adam and Eve sinned. 14:12 But praise the Lord, we have good news. 14:16 There in Genesis 3:15, we're not going to read it, 14:19 it tells us that God promised 14:20 that there was going to be a seed 14:23 that would what to the serpent's head? 14:26 Crush the serpent's head. 14:29 And we understand the serpent to be Satan in this point. 14:34 And so that was the promise to Adam and Eve. 14:36 So things got so bad, let's continue reading, 14:39 things became so bad, as we go to Genesis 6:5. 14:44 Genesis 6:5, 14:47 "And God saw that the wickedness of man 14:50 was great in the earth, 14:53 and that every imagination of the thoughts 14:56 of his heart was only evil continually." 15:00 And so as time continued, 15:03 Adam and Eve and their sons and their sons' sons, etcetera, 15:08 came to be in this condition, only evil continuity. 15:12 The thoughts were not very good, 15:14 the words were not very good, the actions were not very good, 15:17 and the Savior was still in the future. 15:21 The hope was there, 15:23 but the Savior did not come for many years later. 15:28 But you see, the time would come 15:31 when God would send His Son to rescue this world. 15:35 And this is what we're going to look at today. 15:38 So let's look at the condition. 15:41 Of course, you understand that at this point, 15:43 if you continue reading, the flood took place 15:46 and God tried to start again with the family of Noah 15:49 because Noah found grace in His sight, 15:52 and with this family, 15:54 a new start for the human race to go in the right direction. 15:59 And for a while, it was such, 16:01 they went in the right direction 16:03 but again went astray. 16:07 Eventually, we understand that the people of God, 16:10 they were in Egypt, 16:13 and God rescued them again by Moses, 16:16 using Moses, 16:18 and formed this nation, the nation of Israel 16:21 that was supposed to bring the knowledge of salvation 16:24 to the world. 16:26 Unfortunately, the Bible reveals 16:28 that even this nation that has such knowledge of God 16:31 and the presence of God there is a pillar of fire 16:35 and a pillar of cloud. 16:37 And so we invite you to join us in Isaiah chapter 1 16:41 because there was a point in time 16:43 when this nation was in desperate need of cleansing, 16:48 a desperate need of salvation, 16:50 in desperate need of repentance. 16:52 But notice the description in Isaiah chapter 1, 16:55 let's begin in reading in verse 4, 5, and 6. 16:58 Genesis... 16:59 I mean, I'm sorry, Isaiah 1:4, 5, and 6. 17:02 Here are the words. 17:03 "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, 17:08 a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters, 17:12 they have forsaken the Lord, 17:15 they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, 17:18 they are gone away backward." 17:23 Now verse 5, 17:24 "Why should you be stricken anymore? 17:26 You will revolt more and more, for the whole head is sick, 17:31 and the whole heart faint. 17:34 From the sole of the foot even unto the head 17:37 there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, 17:41 and putrefying sores, 17:45 they have not been closed, neither bound up, 17:47 neither mollified with ointment." 17:49 Little like the condition of the man full of leprosy, 17:52 isn't it? 17:54 So this was the condition. 17:55 From the sole of the foot to the head, 17:57 sores and wounds and putrefying sores. 18:01 Sinful nation, this was their condition. 18:04 So does God say, "I'm done with you, I give up." 18:08 Does God do that? No. 18:10 Let's continue reading as we go now to Isaiah 1:16, 18:15 17, and 18. 18:16 Notice what God does. 18:18 Even though that's the condition, God says, 18:20 "Wash you, make you clean, 18:23 put away the evil of your doings 18:25 from before mine eyes, cease to do evil." 18:30 Verse 17, "Learn to do well, seek judgment, 18:34 relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, 18:36 plead for the widow. 18:38 Come now, and let us reason together, 18:41 saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, 18:44 they shall be as white as snow, 18:46 though they be red like crimson, 18:48 they shall be as wool." 18:51 Praise the Lord. 18:54 Isn't that marvelous? 18:56 Let's continue reading. 18:57 Verse 19, "If ye be willing," if ye be what? 19:01 Willing. 19:02 You see, there's a choice that has to be made 19:05 by those that have sinned. 19:07 "If ye be willing..." 19:08 and what? 19:10 Obedient, so there must be a decided change 19:13 in the individual to be willing and obedient. 19:17 We continue reading. 19:19 "Ye shall eat the good of the land. 19:22 But if ye refuse and rebel, 19:25 ye shall be devoured with the sword, 19:27 for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." 19:29 You see, there are consequences for sin. 19:33 And if we continue in sin, there will be consequences. 19:37 You may see some of those consequences in this world. 19:41 But at the end, the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, " 19:45 in Romans 6:23. 19:49 And so this is the condition of the people. 19:51 But yet God still says, "Come let us reason together." 19:54 And you see what God wants to do is to take us, mould us, 19:59 transform us, 20:01 and to bring us back to the condition 20:04 where we were very good. 20:08 You see, there is to be a transformation. 20:10 You see, God is not just going to say, 20:13 "Would you accept salvation?" 20:14 "Yes, I accept salvation." 20:15 "Wonderful. You now have salvation." 20:19 But what happens if you take a... 20:22 I have to use this example again. 20:23 If you take a pig and you wash him really good, 20:26 you use the finest soaps, you use the best perfume, 20:30 you can even put a pig tuxedo on him 20:34 and clothe him with the best tuxedo for a pig, 20:39 and waltz him into some of the finest places. 20:43 But as soon as you let him loose, 20:45 what will happen? 20:46 He's going to go back to their mire, 20:49 and oh, that's what he likes. 20:52 You see, so God is not going to take people 20:55 that want to continue in that condition. 20:58 He wants to transform us, 21:00 so not only that we will be grateful for salvation 21:03 and being forgiven 21:05 but then we want to be willing and obedient. 21:09 And so he can transform our mind 21:11 so we can become as the condition Adam and Eve 21:14 were in when they were first created. 21:16 Amen. Praise the Lord. 21:18 So let's continue reading. 21:20 Now I invite you to join me 21:24 in Romans 3:23. 21:28 Romans 3:23, 21:32 so we ask ourselves 21:35 who is involved, who is included 21:38 in this condition. 21:40 In Romans chapter 3:23, 21:43 the Bible tells us clearly, 21:46 "For all have sinned 21:49 and come short of the glory of God." 21:53 So this includes everyone, includes me, includes you. 21:59 So if all have sinned 22:00 and come short of the glory of God 22:01 and the wages of sin is death, 22:03 do we not all then deserve death? 22:08 Yes. 22:09 But you see, God sending His Son, 22:13 as we read in John 3:16, 22:16 "For God so loved the world 22:18 that He gave His only begotten Son, 22:20 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish 22:23 but have everlasting life." 22:26 Now some people, 22:27 they don't use the word perish much anymore. 22:30 They don't understand that. What does perish mean? 22:32 To die. To die. 22:36 One of the words you do hear nowadays is 22:38 perishable goods. 22:40 What does that mean? 22:41 Goods that are going to become spoiled. 22:48 And so all have sinned, the Bible says, 22:51 and come short of the glory of God. 22:53 So being in this condition, is there anything we can do 22:56 to change that condition? 22:58 The Bible tells us in Jeremiah chapter 13. 23:02 Jeremiah chapter 13, 23:05 we are going to see what the Bible tells us 23:08 about what we can do if we are in this condition. 23:12 Jeremiah 13:23, 23:16 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin 23:20 or the leopard his spots? 23:23 Then may ye also do good 23:26 that are accustomed to do evil." 23:31 So this is the... 23:32 The Bible tries to give us this example of nature. 23:35 Can the Ethiopian change his skin 23:36 or the leopard his spots? 23:38 The answer is no. 23:40 So if they cannot do this, neither can you change yourself 23:44 that are accustomed to do evil. 23:47 And when we say accustomed to do evil that means 23:49 that is your habit, that is the way you live. 23:53 So you cannot one day decide, 23:55 "Well, I'm going to be good from now on." 23:58 You can't do it. 23:59 Just cannot do it. 24:01 The Bible reveals to us, 24:02 we are now going to look it up in John 15:5, 24:05 at the end, it says, 24:06 "Without me," Jesus says, "You can do nothing." 24:09 So we need His help 24:11 in order to change our condition. 24:15 And Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. 24:19 So we need Jesus Christ. 24:21 Paul understanding that he cannot change his way, 24:25 notice his words in Romans chapter 7. 24:28 I invite you to turn there, Romans chapter 7. 24:32 We're going to read a couple of verses 24:33 in Romans 7:24, 24:36 and we're going to follow that with verse 25, 24:38 but Romans 7:24 first. 24:41 Romans 7:24, you got it? 24:43 Say amen. 24:45 Amen. Amen. 24:46 We have the following words. 24:48 "O wretched man that I am! 24:51 Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" 24:56 When Paul says that, he understands that he can't, 25:02 "Who's going to deliver me because I can't. 25:05 Who's going to deliver me from this body of death?" 25:09 Paul knows the answer, 25:10 and that's why we continue reading 25:12 in Romans 7:25. 25:14 What does it say? 25:16 "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 25:21 So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, 25:25 but with the flesh, the law of sin." 25:29 And so there is this struggle 25:31 and Paul understands he cannot change himself. 25:34 He understands that it is through Jesus Christ alone 25:39 that we can be changed. 25:41 So our next text is very close to this one is Romans 8:1. 25:46 In Romans 8:1, 25:48 Paul continues what he is saying, and he says, 25:51 "There is therefore now no condemnation." 25:55 How much condemnation? 25:57 No condemnation, 25:58 "To them which are in Christ Jesus, 26:02 who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." 26:07 You see, the Holy Spirit of God 26:08 is going to lead you to do God's will. 26:12 And so this passage says there is therefore now 26:15 no condemnation to them that are where? 26:18 In Christ Jesus. 26:21 That in Christ Jesus 26:24 is continuing to be in Christ Jesus. 26:27 If you are in Christ Jesus 26:29 and continue to be in Christ Jesus, 26:31 there is no condemnation for you. 26:35 For you live your life in Christ. 26:38 So praise the Lord for that. 26:40 That's our safest place to be. 26:41 In Christ Jesus. 26:44 There is a scripture that helps us 26:47 also understand that, 26:48 that is found in Colossians chapter 1. 26:51 Colossians chapter 1, 26:55 and in Colossians chapter 1, 26:57 we are going to read verse 27. 27:01 Colossians 1:27. 27:05 All right, here we go. 27:08 "To whom God would make known 27:10 what is the riches of the glory of this mystery 27:14 among the Gentiles, 27:15 which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." 27:21 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 27:24 So continuing with this thought 27:26 of being in Christ 27:29 and Christ in you is the hope of glory. 27:32 I invite you to consider Jesus for a moment, 27:35 there in Revelation 3:20. 27:37 We're not going to read it, but it says, 27:38 Behold, I stand where? 27:40 At the door and knock. 27:44 At the door of your heart. 27:47 If any man hears my voice and opens the door, 27:52 I will come in to him and sup with him 27:55 and he with Me. 27:56 So you see, that is the place where Jesus is at daily. 28:01 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." 28:05 And so every day, we must make a decision, 28:08 "Am I going to follow Jesus today? 28:11 I followed Him yesterday, but am I going to do it today?" 28:14 Or maybe, "I didn't follow Him yesterday, 28:16 are you going to follow Him today?" 28:18 So that's a question for those joining us. 28:20 Are you going to follow Jesus today? 28:22 Is that going to be your decision? 28:24 So every day, we must place ourselves 28:27 in the Lord Jesus Christ 28:28 and ask Him to come into our heart 28:30 because Christ in you is the hope of what? 28:32 The hope of glory. 28:34 Praise the Lord. 28:36 And so who is this Jesus? 28:41 Jesus is the answer to the sin problem. 28:46 I invite you to turn in your Bibles to John 1:29. 28:49 This is a very familiar passage to many of you. 28:53 John 1:29, we're very close to that right now. 28:56 John 1:29, the Bible tells us that John the Baptist 28:59 said the following. 29:01 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, 29:04 and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, 29:10 which taketh away the sin of the world." 29:15 Who is it that can take away our sins? 29:18 Jesus Christ. 29:19 He is the only one that can. 29:22 So the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, 29:23 can take away our sin, 29:26 and change us, transform us 29:28 so that we can return to be in the condition 29:32 that Adam and Eve were in the beginning. 29:33 Very good. 29:35 No evil thoughts, no evil words, no evil actions. 29:39 That's the condition that God wants to bring us in. 29:41 It's not just that God wants to forgive us 29:44 and put on a robe of righteousness on us. 29:47 He wants to make us righteous 29:49 so we will love doing good things, 29:52 and be happy about it. 29:54 Praise the Lord. 29:57 Let's go to some passages in the book of Romans. 30:00 Another familiar passage, Romans chapter 5. 30:04 Romans chapter 5 is the place 30:07 we're going to go at to find this next passage. 30:11 Romans chapter 5, 30:13 we're going to read verses 8 through 10, 30:16 and thus it is written. 30:17 "But God commendeth his love toward us, 30:20 in that, while we were yet sinners, 30:23 Christ died for us." 30:25 He doesn't say we were righteous. 30:27 While we were sinners, Christ died for us. 30:31 "Much more then, 30:33 being now justified by His blood, 30:36 we shall be saved from wrath through Him, " 30:41 and only through Him. 30:44 "For if, when we were enemies, 30:46 we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son," 30:51 what happens? 30:53 "Much more, being reconciled, 30:56 we shall be saved by His life." 31:00 So the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me 31:06 brings me justification. 31:10 But according to this, 31:11 it is the life of Christ that brings me what? 31:14 Salvation. 31:16 We shall be saved by His life. 31:19 So what I'm saying to you now is that it was important, 31:24 it was necessary in the plan of salvation for Jesus 31:27 to die on the cross. 31:30 But it is also important and just as important 31:33 for the ministry that Christ has 31:37 after He died on the cross, 31:40 and praise the Lord, 31:43 He didn't just die on the cross and was buried 31:45 and that was it, He resurrected 31:50 and is in heaven ministering for us. 31:52 We're going to look at some scriptures 31:53 to help us understand that today as we study. 31:57 Let's go to our next passage 32:00 in Philippians chapter 3. 32:03 Philippians chapter 3 32:06 concerning his resurrection. 32:10 Notice what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3 32:13 concerning his resurrection. 32:15 Philippians 3:10, 32:18 thus it is written, 32:20 "That I may know Him, 32:22 and the power of His resurrection, 32:25 and the fellowship of His sufferings, 32:27 being made conformable unto His death." 32:30 The power of His resurrection. 32:32 You see, there is power 32:33 in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 32:35 The fact that He resurrected from the dead is assurance 32:39 that salvation is secured for us. 32:44 You see, I must take you back in time 32:47 to the time when they were sacrificing lambs. 32:52 Once the sinner brought the lamb to the priest 32:55 in the sanctuary. 32:58 The lamb was what? 33:01 Sacrificed. 33:03 If we go a little further in detail, 33:05 he would put his hands on the head of the animal, 33:09 confess his sins on the animal, 33:12 and the animal then died in his place 33:16 because the sin was transferred to the lamb, 33:19 the lamb then became the innocent victim 33:23 that would die in the person's place. 33:27 So there was transference, a transferring of guilt, 33:32 the guilt was transferred, 33:34 the sin was transferred to the lamb, 33:36 and the blood was then ministered. 33:39 So the same way, Christ died on the cross, 33:42 the blood of Christ 33:44 must then be used to minister for us 33:47 to cleanse us completely from sin. 33:51 Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away 33:53 the sin of the world. 33:55 And so the power of His resurrection 33:58 is that He is a high priest that is going to minister 34:02 and is ministering for us in the courts of heaven. 34:04 Let's look at some scriptures in Hebrews chapter 4. 34:07 We must move along. 34:08 Hebrews chapter 4. 34:13 Hebrews chapter 4, Jesus earned the right to be 34:17 our high priest, 34:18 He earned the right to be our high priest. 34:22 Hebrews 4:14-16. 34:25 Hebrews 4:14-16. Let us read. 34:29 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest 34:33 that is passed into the heavens, 34:37 Jesus the Son of God, 34:39 let us hold fast our profession. 34:41 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched 34:44 with the feeling of our infirmities, " 34:46 or our weaknesses, 34:48 "but was in all points tempted like as we are, 34:52 yet without sin." 34:53 Praise the Lord. 34:55 Because of this, verse 16, 34:57 "Let us therefore come boldly, " 34:59 or with confidence, "unto the throne of grace, 35:04 that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help 35:08 in time of need." 35:12 So if you have a time of need, if you need help, 35:16 the throne of grace is open, available for you and for me. 35:21 Thanks be to God for that great privilege. 35:25 And so this is Jesus Christ, it says He was tempted 35:28 in all points like as we are. 35:31 How far did Jesus go 35:35 for us? 35:37 We read that, yes, we read that. 35:39 He was tempted in all points like as we are yet 35:42 without sin of His own. 35:46 But there was a point in time like the lamb 35:50 that He must take our sins upon Him. 35:53 We did some study about this sometime in the past. 35:57 Let's go to the next passage that helps us with that 36:01 in 2 Corinthians 5:21. 36:03 We're going to come back to Hebrews, 36:05 so you can put your hand there somewhere or something. 36:07 But 2 Corinthians 5:21, 36:10 lets us know how far Jesus went 36:12 and how far it was necessary for Him to go 36:15 so that we can be transformed into His likeness, 36:20 so that we can be recreated 36:23 to the condition of Adam and Eve, 36:25 so that we can be very good. 36:27 2 Corinthians 5:21, we have the following words. 36:33 "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, " 36:37 He made Jesus Christ to be what? 36:39 Sin for us. 36:41 "Who knew no sin, 36:43 that we might be made 36:45 the righteousness of God in Him." 36:49 Catch the impact of that and I encourage you 36:51 to take some thought and think about this verse 36:55 in the future. 36:57 "For he had made him to be sin for us 37:00 who knew no sin." 37:02 So we have someone, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, 37:05 was tempted in all points like as we are, 37:07 yet with our sin, not a tint, no spot, no blemish, 37:12 or any minute microscopic dot of sin. 37:18 No sin, never by word, by thoughts, or by action, 37:22 knew no sin. 37:24 It says that He became sin for us. 37:27 How did He become same for us? 37:30 By accepting, consenting, for my sins and your sins 37:36 to be put upon Him. 37:38 So there was a point in time in His ministry 37:42 where Jesus said, 37:43 "I consent for the sins of Ralph, Mary, Fred, Joe, " 37:50 every one of us to be put up on Him. 37:53 He consented for this to happen. 37:55 It was a point in time of decision. 37:57 And as we read the Bible, 37:59 we understand this to begin in the place 38:03 called what? 38:05 Gethsemane. 38:07 See that's why Jesus is there praying 38:09 three times the same prayer. 38:11 "Father, if it be possible, 38:14 let this cup pass from me. 38:18 Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." 38:22 It was a struggle 38:23 because here is the point of decision, 38:26 here's where Christ must consent 38:28 to take our sins or not, 38:31 here's where Christ must decide, 38:33 "Am I going to die for the human race" or not, 38:38 and this is the place in Gethsemane where it begins, 38:44 and that prayer, 38:45 each time he prayed it and they waited, 38:47 "Yet nevertheless, 38:48 not as My will, but as Thou wilt." 38:51 Consenting. Consenting. 38:53 And again, he prays, and again, he decides, 38:56 "Nevertheless, not as My will, but as Thou wilt." 39:00 And three times He prayed the same prayer, 39:02 but you see, 39:05 "If there was any other way to save the human race, 39:08 let this cup pass from Me." 39:09 This cup of suffering, 39:11 this cup of taking the sins of the world upon Him, 39:14 but He was willing. 39:15 He's not praying there, 39:16 "Lord, I'm not going to do this. 39:19 I am not going to take the sins of the world upon Me." 39:23 He is there praying making a decision. 39:28 And praise the Lord He made a decision 39:31 to take your sins and my sins upon Him. 39:35 What a weight that is? 39:39 What a weight to carry 39:41 because see, now, 39:43 and I don't know if you've thought about this, 39:45 now God the Father must treat the Son 39:49 as if he were a sinner 39:52 because He became sin for us. 39:54 Identify, so much of sin, 39:57 there by taking sin upon him and the wages of sin is death. 40:02 So Jesus Christ must die the death 40:05 that sinners will die when their time comes. 40:10 We're not talking about the death that people die 40:13 because of some illness, of being killed by someone, 40:17 or eventually, for some reason, they die. 40:20 We're talking about 40:22 what the Bible calls the second death. 40:24 So there on the cross, 40:26 He died the equivalent of the second death 40:29 which we have very little understanding about 40:34 because it is a full surrender, 40:37 a full giving Himself to this, 40:41 becoming a sacrifice for us, He became sin for us. 40:45 Give that some thought. 40:48 And that verse also tells us why He did it. 40:52 Why did He do it? 40:54 Number one, He loved us. 40:57 He loved us, but He wanted to accomplish something, 41:01 not just the forgiving of sin 41:03 but to make us righteous. 41:08 Thinking right, 41:10 doing right, and speaking right. 41:13 That's why the verse says that we might be made 41:18 the righteousness of God in Him. 41:22 It's a transformation 41:25 of the way you live, 41:28 and that's what Jesus Christ wants to do in us. 41:31 Amen? Amen. 41:32 Amen. 41:34 Let's go quickly to Hebrews chapter 7. 41:37 Hebrews chapter 7, 41:38 Jesus Christ went to the heavens 41:41 to be our high priest, and there in Hebrews chapter 7, 41:46 and there are some scriptures that help us understand 41:50 about His ministry there. 41:52 In Hebrews chapter 7, 41:53 we're going to begin reading in verse 22. 41:56 Hebrews 7:22 41:59 and we have the following words. 42:03 "By so much was Jesus made a surety 42:05 of a better testament. 42:09 And they truly were many priests, " 42:11 there were many priests, 42:12 "because they were not suffered to continue 42:14 by reason of death." 42:16 There were other priests before Christ, 42:18 but they did not continue by because what, 42:21 eventually lifespan ended. 42:24 But this man, 42:25 because he continues forever, why? 42:30 Because He resurrected from the dead, 42:32 has an unchangeable priesthood. 42:36 So once He became a high priest, 42:38 no other high priest is needed. 42:41 No other priest can do the work that He is doing. 42:46 He is the only one that can do this work. 42:50 He has an unchangeable priesthood. 42:52 Verse 25, 42:53 "Wherefore He is able 42:56 also to save them to the uttermost 42:58 that come unto God by Him, 43:00 seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." 43:05 He has earned that right 43:07 by living a perfect righteous life, 43:10 and He became our high priest 43:12 to make us righteous, 43:15 to make us the righteousness of God in Him. 43:18 So it says there, He is able. 43:21 There's no incapacity in Jesus Christ, 43:24 there is no case where someone will come to Jesus and say, 43:27 "Lord, I have all these sins," 43:29 and that person will be examined and say, 43:31 "Well, no, you have way too much sin. 43:34 There is no way we can do anything for you." 43:36 No, the Bible says 43:37 that He is able to save to the uttermost 43:41 all that come unto Him. 43:43 So if anyone is responding to God's call, 43:45 the door knocking, and says, "Yes, I want to be forgiven, " 43:51 no one is going to be told, "You have too much sin. 43:55 We can't do anything for you," 43:56 because Jesus Christ became the Lamb of God 44:00 that can take away the sin of the world, 44:03 and He is able to save anyone that wants salvation, 44:07 accept salvation, 44:08 and moves in the direction of salvation. 44:12 Praise be to God. 44:15 I want to give your thoughts for a moment 44:18 to something that deserves more study. 44:21 You see, on the cross Jesus died for us, 44:24 and there's a passage in the Bible that says, 44:27 "Cursed be anyone that hangs on a tree." 44:31 The message in the Bible is that 44:33 if you are hung on a tree, you're cursed. 44:36 A curse from God, you cannot have salvation, 44:40 you're so wicked thereby being hung on a tree, 44:44 society is saying, 44:45 "This person cannot be saved, it's beyond salvation." 44:50 That's why they were so desperate 44:52 to have Jesus be crucified. 44:54 They wanted to communicate to the community, 44:57 "Jesus Christ is beyond salvation." 44:59 He saw you so wicked. 45:01 But you see, there were two individuals there 45:04 crucified with Christ. 45:05 You know the story. There were thieves and robbers. 45:10 One of them, 45:11 well, they both for a while were attacking Jesus. 45:13 "Hey, why don't you do something? 45:16 If you really are who they say, do something." 45:19 And they mocked Him. 45:22 But as time continued, one of the two thieves 45:27 sees that there is something different about Jesus. 45:31 Perhaps he had heard some things about Jesus. 45:35 And he makes a decision, 45:39 he decides, 45:41 "This guy is dying on the cross, 45:43 but wait a minute, 45:47 there's hope here for me." 45:49 What is it that he says? 45:51 He doesn't see Jesus as, 45:53 "The end of Jesus is on the cross. 45:55 That's it." 45:56 What is it that he says? 45:59 "Remember me when," 46:03 yes, 46:04 "When you come in your kingdom." 46:05 Remember me. 46:07 So he sees hope. 46:09 "This is not the end. 46:10 This man is my hope. 46:13 This is the Lamb of God that takes away my sin." 46:17 "Remember me," he says. 46:20 What are you saying? 46:21 Are you saying that there is hope for you 46:23 even though this man is dying on the cross? 46:25 And he saw something that many missed. 46:29 I don't know how many were there, 46:30 I would say hundreds were there. 46:32 He saw something that many missed. 46:34 "My salvation is there." 46:37 Jesus Christ dying on the cross. 46:40 And Jesus, 46:42 even though there was this thought, 46:44 this guy dying on the cross is thief, 46:46 and Jesus and the other thief. 46:47 They're cursed. They have no hope. 46:49 Jesus says, 46:51 "Verily, verily, I say unto you. 46:53 You will be with me in paradise." 46:57 Praise the Lord. 47:01 Do you think that he could die in peace? 47:04 Wow. 47:07 His whole face changed, I'm sure. 47:10 Do you think he struggled to make us smile? 47:12 Oh, His whole life, 47:17 all the wickedness that he had done, 47:21 forgiven, taken away 47:25 by the blood of the Lamb. 47:28 And he died a man full of hope, a man with a promise, 47:32 "I will be with Him in paradise." 47:38 The Bible says, "You have this blessed hope, 47:42 and you can live with assurance 47:43 that his salvation on the cross," 47:45 I mean, "His crucifixion on the cross 47:47 brings you eternal salvation 47:49 and no one can take that away from you 47:51 except your own choice." 47:55 So choose salvation. 47:59 Let's go to Hebrews chapter 7 again. 48:04 We were in verse 24, were we? 48:08 Yes, verse 25. 48:10 Hebrews 7:25. 48:11 We'll now read Hebrews 7:26. 48:14 "For such a high priest became us, 48:16 who is holy, harmless, 48:20 undefiled, separate from sinners, 48:23 and made higher than the heavens." 48:26 This is the high priest we need. 48:28 No high priest on earth, the high priest in the heavens. 48:32 Verse 27. 48:33 "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, 48:36 to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, 48:40 and then for the people's, for this He did once, 48:43 when He offered up Himself." 48:45 You see, even the high priests on earth 48:49 were in the condition that we read, 48:52 "All have sinned 48:54 and come short of the glory of God." 48:57 I must pick up my glasses. 48:59 All have sinned 49:00 and come short of the glory of God. 49:02 Even those high priests had to offer sacrifices 49:05 for their own sins. 49:06 But Jesus did not have to do 49:08 that because He lived a perfect life. 49:11 Praise the Lord. 49:14 Now let us move to Hebrews chapter 8, 49:18 begin reading in verse 1. 49:19 Hebrews chapter 8, 49:21 we're going to read Hebrews 8:1, 2. 49:24 "Now of the things which we have spoken 49:26 this is the sum. 49:28 We have such a high priest, 49:30 who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty 49:34 in the heavens, 49:35 a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, 49:40 which the Lord pitched and not man." 49:45 Praise the Lord. 49:46 So we're talking not about a sanctuary made 49:49 by man's hands, 49:51 we're talking about a sanctuary in heaven made by God. 49:56 And so this is the high priest whom we serve. 50:00 There's so much we can read in Hebrews chapter 8 and 9, 50:04 but we must move to Hebrews chapter 10. 50:07 We don't have time to do all those verses. 50:09 It will be nice, but another time perhaps. 50:11 Hebrews chapter 10, we're going to read verses, 50:15 as many as we can, from verse 1 50:16 through 16 as time allows. 50:18 Hebrews chapter 10. 50:19 "For the law," verse one, 50:21 "having a shadow of good things to come, 50:24 and not the very image of the things, 50:26 can never with those sacrifices 50:28 which they offered year by year continually 50:32 make the comers thereunto perfect." 50:35 These sacrifices were just a shadow, 50:39 a symbol of what was to come. 50:41 "For then would they not have ceased to be offered? 50:44 Because that the worshippers 50:45 once purged should have no more conscience of sins. 50:51 But in those sacrifices, 50:53 there is a remembrance again 50:55 made of sins every year." 50:59 "For it is not," 51:00 notice I'll start again, verse 4, 51:02 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls 51:06 and of goats should take away sins." 51:09 It was not possible. 51:12 Only Jesus Christ could take away sins. 51:17 Verse 5, 51:18 "Wherefore when He cometh into the world, 51:20 He saith, 51:21 'Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, 51:24 but a body hast thou prepared me. 51:28 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin 51:30 thou hast had no pleasure.' 51:33 Then said I, 51:37 in the volume of the book it is written of me, 51:41 to do thy will, O God. 51:44 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering 51:46 and burnt offerings and offering for sin 51:49 thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein, 51:51 which are offered by the law. 51:53 Then said he, 'Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.' 51:57 He taketh away the first, 51:59 that he may establish the second." 52:01 You see, Jesus Christ was going to fulfill 52:03 and perfectly keep the law of God. 52:09 And by his sacrifice, 52:11 we are saved. 52:15 Verse 10, 52:16 "By the which will we are sanctified 52:20 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 52:23 once for all." 52:25 So the sacrifice of Christ on the cross 52:28 only needed to be done one time. 52:32 Verse 11, "And every high..." 52:34 I am Sorry. 52:35 "Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering 52:38 oftentimes the same sacrifices, 52:40 which can never take away sins." 52:44 They were a shadow of something that was coming in the future 52:47 and that is the sacrifice of Christ. 52:51 "But this man," verse 12, 52:52 "After He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, 52:57 sat down on the right hand of God. 53:00 From henceforth expecting till his enemies 53:02 be made his footstool. 53:05 For by one offering 53:07 He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 53:11 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, 53:15 for after that he had said before. 53:18 This is the covenant that I will make with them 53:22 after those days." 53:24 What is that covenant? 53:26 Some people talk about the new covenant. 53:28 "This is it." 53:30 "Saith the Lord, 53:31 I will put my laws into their hearts 53:35 and in their minds will I write them." 53:39 Wow. 53:40 What is the new covenant? 53:42 God is going to write His law in our hearts and in our minds. 53:47 Who is going to do that? 53:48 God is. 53:51 Who does the Bible reveal wrote the Ten Commandments? 53:55 God did with His own fingers. 53:57 And in likewise, if you be willing and obedient, 54:01 if you want to identify with God, 54:03 if you want God to make you recreate you 54:07 to the condition that Adam and Eve were 54:09 when they were freshly made from the hand of the Creator, 54:13 and they were very good... 54:17 If you want God to do that for you, 54:18 if you are willing of it, 54:20 God will write his law in your heart and in your mind. 54:25 And God is able to keep us perfect and blameless 54:31 throughout eternity. 54:33 Praise be to his name. 54:35 We have time to go to Hebrews 54:39 chapter 9... 54:43 I'm sorry, we must move. 54:44 Let's skip Hebrews chapter 9. 54:46 Let's move to our passage here 54:50 in Luke chapter 9. 54:52 Luke 9:23. 54:55 Let's move to Luke 9:23. 55:00 Luke 9:23, Jesus said, 55:04 "And He said to them all, " He says to us all, 55:08 "If any man will come after Me, 55:11 let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, 55:15 and follow me." 55:18 If any man, what, wants to, what, come after Me, 55:22 let him deny himself and take up his cross daily 55:24 and follow me. 55:25 Why is Jesus saying if any man wants to follow Me, 55:28 take up his cross daily, and deny himself? 55:32 It is because 55:34 denyingourselves must happen 55:39 if we are to follow Jesus 55:41 because unfortunately, 55:44 we inherited tendencies to evil, 55:48 and unfortunately, we have made some decisions 55:51 that have put in us habits toward evil 55:55 or cultivated tendencies toward evil. 55:58 And if we want to follow Jesus, 56:01 He says, "Take up his cross, " your own cross, 56:04 he's not telling us right here 56:06 to take of somebody's else's cross, 56:08 it is your own cross, 56:10 "and deny yourself" and follow Him. 56:13 Remember that Jesus said without Me, you can do nothing. 56:17 So what He asked us to do, 56:18 He's willing to give us all that we need to get it done. 56:23 And with God all things are possible. 56:26 Amen? 56:27 Amen. 56:29 Now I want to read this last passage 56:32 because this is what we have time for. 56:34 In Isaiah chapter 13. 56:36 Isaiah chapter 13. 56:38 In Isaiah chapter 13, we're going to read verse 14. 56:42 Isaiah... 56:44 I'm sorry, verse 12. 56:46 Isaiah 13:12. Isaiah 13:12. 56:51 Thus it is written, therefore... 56:56 I think, I'm on the wrong passage, 56:57 am I not? 56:59 Isaiah 13:12. 57:02 "I will make," yes, 57:04 "I will make a man more precious than fine gold, 57:08 even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." 57:13 God is able to do that. 57:14 What he is saying here is the same thing 57:17 that we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21. 57:20 He's going to make you more precious than fine gold. 57:22 He's going to make you righteous. 57:24 So if you'll be willing, He will do this work in you. 57:28 If you allow Him, 57:30 He will transform you into His likeness. 57:33 We must yield to Christ for Him to work in us 57:39 and transform us into His likeness. 57:42 And He will do this precious work, 57:47 and He is willing to do it, 57:49 and if you are willing for Him to do it, 57:51 it will happen, it will happen. 57:54 I thank you for joining us in this study. 57:57 Continue studying God's Word 57:58 so that you can have A Sharper Focus 58:00 and be able to have victory through Jesus Christ. |
Revised 2018-11-29