Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000093
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00:19 Hello, friends, welcome to another
00:21 Wednesday night Bible study here 00:23 at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 We thank you for tuning in, 00:26 and joining us for our continued study 00:29 in the topic of the 00:30 "Truth about God's True Church." 00:33 Get your Bibles and settle down for the next 57 minutes or so, 00:38 as we walk through the lesson 00:40 that has been quite interesting, 00:42 and we don't know what kind of weather 00:44 you're having where you are, 00:46 but even though it's raining here, 00:47 the people of God here in Thompsonville, 00:49 wanna welcome you with a hearty amen. 00:51 Can we say amen tonight? Amen. 00:53 So good to have you here. 00:54 Now in just a moment, 00:55 I'll let you know how you can get a copy of the lesson. 00:57 Some of you already have it, 00:59 but I've added an additional page, 01:01 there is a page 3. 01:03 And we'll just tell you in a moment how to get that. 01:06 But before we do anything, 01:07 let's begin with a word of prayer. 01:09 Gracious Father in Heaven, we thank You, Lord, 01:11 that tonight as we open Your Word, 01:14 we pray that You open our hearts. 01:17 Lord, we are living in the time 01:18 where doctrines are being the subject of ridicule, 01:24 the Bible is a book of... 01:26 Sometimes people are ostracized 01:28 because they believe that it is Your inspired Word. 01:31 And, Lord, when it comes to choosing a church, 01:33 there is so much confusion in the world 01:36 that we just sometimes don't know which way to turn. 01:40 And so, Lord, tonight through this topic 01:42 may Your Holy Spirit be our teacher and our guide, 01:46 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:51 Now, if you'd like a copy of the lesson, 01:52 go to this following website, asf.3abn.org 01:59 and download lesson number 27. 02:02 And you should find the topic is 02:04 the Truth about God's True Church, 02:07 lesson number 27. 02:08 And you can follow along with us. 02:11 All you need is a Bible and your lesson 02:13 and attentive ears to the voice of the Spirit of God. 02:17 But as the custom is here before we do anything, 02:19 we always have our theme song. 02:20 So tonight, if you wanna join us, 02:22 we're gonna sing the song tonight 02:24 "Victory in Jesus." 02:36 I heard an old, old story 02:40 How the Savior came from glory 02:44 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:47 To save a wretch like me 02:51 I heard about His groaning 02:55 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:59 Then I repented of my sin 03:03 And won the victory 03:05 Together. 03:06 O victory in Jesus 03:10 My Savior forever 03:14 He sought me and bought me 03:18 With His redeeming blood 03:21 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:25 And all my love is due Him 03:29 He plunged me to victory 03:33 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:36 I heard about a mansion 03:40 He has built for me in glory 03:44 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:48 Beyond the crystal sea 03:52 About the angels singing 03:55 And the old redemption story 03:59 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:03 The song of victory 04:05 Key change. 04:07 O victory in Jesus 04:10 My Savior forever 04:14 He sought me and bought me 04:18 With His redeeming blood 04:22 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:26 And all my love is due Him 04:29 He plunged me to victory 04:33 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:37 He plunged me to victory 04:41 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:47 Amen? Amen. 04:49 Well, tonight our topic is 04:51 The Truth about God's True Church. 04:55 What is the topic tonight? 04:57 The Truth about God's True Church. 05:00 Now before we go into the lesson 05:02 and by the way, we're beginning on question number 12 tonight. 05:05 But I'd like you to turn in your Bibles 05:07 to the Book of Acts, Acts Chapter 8. 05:10 Wanna show you something. 05:12 Now, we are living in a day and age 05:14 where the church has so many different... 05:19 Let me use the word characteristics. 05:21 There are big churches, there are small churches, 05:25 there are conservative churches, 05:27 there are liberal churches, 05:29 there are the Bible Belt, 05:31 there are the churches out west, east, north, south, 05:35 there are the West Indian churches, 05:37 and the Spanish churches, 05:38 There are the culturally sensitive churches 05:40 and the churches that wanna have everything for everyone. 05:43 But there's one church 05:44 that we don't see very much today, 05:47 and Acts Chapter 8 introduces us 05:48 to that kind of church. 05:50 Now, in Acts Chapter 8, 05:52 the reason I wanna point this out, 05:55 is because there's something that's going to happen 05:58 to the church in the near future, 06:01 that's going to be able to determine 06:03 how true our dedication to Christ really is. 06:07 Now, right today, there are not a lot of people 06:09 that talks about persecution, 06:11 except if you are in countries where 06:13 as a Christian, you are in the minority, 06:16 and there are places around the world we know of 06:18 where Christianity you cannot proselytize, 06:21 that is evangelize, you can be an Adventist, 06:24 but you cannot hold an evangelistic series. 06:26 There are places in the world like that. 06:28 But for the most part, 06:29 the Christian church is not under persecution. 06:32 One thing you'll discover that when persecution comes, 06:35 it has a way of weeding out those who really serve God 06:40 from those who just have a vocal profession of God. 06:43 Look at Acts Chapter 8. 06:45 And if you have a Bible, go there with me, 06:48 if not share with your neighbor. 06:49 Acts Chapter 8 06:51 and let's look together at verse 1. 06:56 "Now Saul was consenting to his death." 06:59 That is the death of Stephen, 07:01 as was pointed out in Chapter 7. 07:05 "At that time a great," what's the next word? 07:07 Say it together. 07:09 "A great persecution arose against the church 07:13 which was at Jerusalem. 07:16 And they were all scattered 07:18 throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, 07:21 except the apostles. 07:24 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, 07:28 and made great lamentation over him. 07:31 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, 07:34 entering every house and dragging off men and women, 07:39 committing them to prison. 07:42 Therefore, those who were scattered 07:44 went everywhere preaching the word." 07:46 They went where? 07:48 Everywhere. 07:49 And so if you read this story, 07:51 you'll discover how the church began to be spread 07:53 throughout Asia and Asia Minor, 07:56 some left because of persecution. 07:58 Others, you find that... 07:59 For example, the Ethiopian eunuch, 08:02 the gospel went to Ethiopia 08:03 because he was leaving Jerusalem, 08:06 on his way back to Ethiopia. 08:08 And a lot of times, we think of Ethiopia, 08:10 but we often don't say, 08:12 Egypt or Ethiopia is in Africa, but it is, in fact, Africa. 08:15 We say Ethiopia, but it's a country of Africa. 08:19 What I wanna point out in this particular topic, 08:21 in this particular passage is this. 08:24 It is important to know 08:27 the reason for your dedication to Christ. 08:29 It is important to know why you are a Christian. 08:31 It is important to know 08:33 what's the foundation of your dedication, 08:34 if it's just the kind of stained glass 08:37 or the kind of music or the kind of programs 08:39 the church has, 08:40 time is going to come 08:41 when that won't even be a factor anymore. 08:43 And so when persecution arises against the church, 08:46 we'll either be shaken out or our faith in Christ 08:49 will be firmly established, amen? 08:51 Amen. 08:52 So Paul introduces... 08:54 Actually, Dr. Luke introduces to us the unconverted... 08:59 The unconverted Paul. 09:00 When he was converted, his name was changed to... 09:03 Paul. 09:04 But when he was unconverted, it was Saul. 09:06 And so the Lord took this very passionate man 09:10 and converted him and he became 09:12 one of the most prolific writers 09:13 of the New Testament Church. 09:15 So tonight, as we talked about the church, 09:17 on the last two studies, 09:19 we're up to lesson number 27, part C, 09:23 we talked about the messages 09:24 that the church is going to preach. 09:26 Go with me in your Bibles to Revelation Chapter 14. 09:29 And let's bring up question number 12 09:31 on the screen. 09:32 Here's question 12 for tonight. 09:36 What additional messages must God's Church include 09:40 in preaching Christ? 09:42 What additional messages must God's Church include 09:47 in preaching Christ? 09:48 Let's go to Revelation Chapter 14. 09:51 We ended on this one last weekend, 09:53 because we ended here 09:54 I think it's good to begin here, 09:56 because we have to get that text repeated 09:59 before we roll the credits. 10:01 And so people might be saying, "Wait, wait, wait, slow down. 10:03 We didn't really have the option to slow down." 10:05 So we're gonna begin with that particular verse. 10:07 Now what we talked about 10:08 is the first of the messages of Revelation Chapter 14, 10:12 and let me ask our group here, 10:14 I want you to respond with a resounding answer. 10:16 How many messages are included in Revelation Chapter 14? 10:21 How many angels? Three. 10:23 Okay, three. 10:24 We talked about the first one, Revelation 14:6-7, 10:28 which is, "Fear God, give glory to Him for the," what? 10:32 "Hour of His judgment has come." 10:34 So the church, 10:36 one of the functions of the last day church 10:38 or the remnant church, 10:39 it will be preaching, 10:41 that we are living in the time of the judgment, 10:44 the hour of God's judgment is coming. 10:46 Now why is that vitally important? 10:48 Because when Jesus comes, 10:50 the judgment is not going to begin when He comes, 10:52 the only judgment that's going to take place, 10:54 the last judgment is at the end 10:55 of the thousand years, 10:57 that is the judgment of the wicked. 10:58 But before Jesus comes back, 11:00 the judgment of the righteous is going to take place. 11:03 So today, many churches are not preaching that Jesus 11:08 is in the heavenly sanctuary, 11:10 and we are living in the time of the judgment. 11:12 I'll make that very, very clear in just a moment, 11:14 just to kind of give some more flesh to this. 11:17 You see, in the yearly services among the Jews, 11:21 there was a day call the Day of Atonement. 11:26 A good way to think of atonement is at one met, 11:29 becoming one with God. 11:31 But in order for that to happen, 11:33 you see sins were covered all year long 11:38 by the blood of the lamb. 11:40 But then at the Day of Atonement, 11:42 the sins were blotted out. 11:44 There's a difference between 11:45 covering the stain on the carpet 11:47 and blotting it out, isn't that? 11:48 So every day when we confess our sins, 11:51 the Bible says, "He is faithful and just 11:53 to forgive us of our sins and," to do what? 11:56 Cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 11:59 Now more than once, 12:01 I've had our carpets cleaned at home. 12:03 Now when we cleanse our carpets, 12:05 what do we get in this big clear cylinder? 12:07 What do we get? 12:09 A lot of, what? 12:11 A lot of dirt. 12:12 So now, the dirt that was on the carpet 12:14 was transferred to that big old dirty cylinder, 12:17 often filled with water. 12:18 And you wonder, 12:20 "Man, was my carpet really that dirty? 12:22 It didn't look it." 12:23 Many of us, 12:25 when our sins are being transferred, 12:27 we don't understand the magnificence of sin, 12:31 but the Lord sees it 12:32 as we see that big old dirty clear cylinder 12:35 filled with muck and stains 12:38 that were taken out from our carpet. 12:40 All we have left is a beautiful clean carpet. 12:43 But something has to happen to that water. 12:46 It's got to be poured out somewhere. 12:48 And wherever that water is poured out, 12:50 let's just use this example. 12:51 Say there is a truck that comes by 12:53 and picks up all the carpet water. 12:56 Well, let me use the perfect example. 12:59 When we were at Redwood camp meeting, 13:02 when you go camping, 13:04 some of you know where I'm going with this, 13:05 and you have motorhomes, you have fifth wheels. 13:10 Anybody know where I'm going with this? 13:12 And you have septic in your fifth wheel 13:14 on your motorhome, 13:16 you can only hold but so much they call it black water. 13:19 See, the gray water is the water 13:21 from the dishes and the shower. 13:23 But the black water is waste water, human waste. 13:25 You can only hold but so much. 13:28 So in the campground, 13:30 at least the campgrounds that I work was that 13:32 they have a truck that goes around, 13:33 they call the honey truck, have you heard of that? 13:35 And what it does, it empties all this waste 13:37 and it carries it somewhere and it dumps it there. 13:42 And wherever they dump it, 13:43 it'll be there until it's removed from there 13:46 and nobody will ever remember 13:49 the accumulation of all of that black water. 13:52 You see our sins are being forgiven, 13:56 but by faith 13:57 they are being transferred to the most holy place, 14:00 as was the case among the children of Israel. 14:02 And then once a year, 14:05 those sins were purged, they were blotted out. 14:08 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 14:10 So therefore, when that Day of Atonement service was done, 14:14 those sins could never come back on the people. 14:16 And then there was the Feast of Tabernacles, 14:19 they celebrated the blotting out of their sins. 14:22 Well, how many churches do you hear today, 14:26 teaching that your sins go before you in the judgment, 14:29 and you are in process right now and one day, 14:32 you will come before the Lord in judgment 14:34 and your sins will be blotted out, 14:36 and then the final declaration will be made. 14:38 He that is righteous stay that way, 14:41 just remain that way, unjust remain that way, 14:43 and filthy remain that way. 14:45 But there's another message that is preached to that, 14:48 not only the judgment hour message, 14:49 not only worship the Creator, 14:51 but look at the next message, Revelation 14:8. 14:55 Here it is. 14:56 Revelation 14:8, and the Bible says, 14:59 I'll bring this on the screen. 15:00 "And another angel followed, saying, 'Babylon is," what? 15:05 "Is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 15:09 because she made all nations drink of the wine 15:14 of the wrath of her," what? "Fornication.'" 15:17 Today, let's pause for a brief moment. 15:18 I'll go to the next slide. 15:20 Today, it's hard to hear messages about Babylon. 15:25 How many churches do you hear 15:27 preaching a message about the fall of Babylon? 15:29 You know why? 15:30 Because so many churches are taught 15:33 that from Revelation Chapter 4 on only applies to the Jews. 15:38 And when the "Rapture" which is not scriptural occurs, 15:42 then the Jews will be converted 15:43 and preach this message to the world. 15:46 That's why God's remnant church is preaching all of Revelation, 15:50 what do you say? 15:51 Not just portions of it. 15:53 So very few people today are saying, 15:55 Babylon is fallen, is fallen. 15:59 There's a false system of worship, 16:02 which if you go back to the text, 16:03 bring that text on the screen one more time for us, 16:05 you'll notice the impact of that message. 16:07 Babylon is fallen, 16:09 and how many nations are fooled by it. 16:11 It says, "Because she made," how many nations? 16:14 "All nations drink of the wine 16:16 of the wrath of her fornication." 16:19 Let's pause for a brief moment. 16:21 Babylon, this false system of worship. 16:24 The world has bought into it, 16:27 the unfaithful connection 16:28 between this false system of worship, 16:30 and God has been able to successfully pull nations 16:34 and leaders from around the world 16:36 to unite with it. 16:37 And I wanna say tonight in a very real way, 16:40 at the head of that seed of this system of Babylon 16:43 is the Roman Catholic Church. 16:45 You won't hear that. 16:47 So you'll see as I go on tonight, 16:50 that God wherever that person may be, 16:53 God has a safety call that's gonna go forward. 16:58 God has a call that's gonna go forward to say, 17:02 "You are My people, but you're in the wrong place." 17:05 And there's something that you need to do 17:07 before probation closes. 17:10 But let's go to the next part of it. 17:12 Revelation 14. 17:13 So what additional message, 17:15 if you put down Revelation 14:8, 17:16 the answer is, write down, Babylon is fallen. 17:20 Write that down, Babylon is fallen. 17:22 And by the way, Babylon is not just Roman Catholicism, 17:26 because that is the whole system 17:28 built on the man, 17:29 it's not built on Christ, is built on a man. 17:33 And there's so much false teachings 17:35 that are part of that system, 17:37 but that's not the only one. 17:38 You'll find out tonight. 17:40 Let's go to the very next one. 17:41 Revelation 14:9. 17:43 What else? What else is being said? 17:45 And it says, 17:47 "Then a third angel followed them, saying," 17:49 with what kind of voice? 17:51 "Loud voice, 17:52 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 17:56 and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 18:02 he himself shall also drink 18:03 of the wine of the wrath of God, 18:06 which is poured out full strength 18:09 into the cup of His indignation. 18:11 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 18:15 in the presence of the holy angels, 18:18 and in the presence of the Lamb.'" 18:20 Okay, for Revelation 14:9, 18:23 what additional message would there be preached? 18:26 Don't worship the beast. 18:30 Don't worship the beast. 18:32 We have a lesson coming up. 18:33 Matter of fact, I think it's gonna be following this one. 18:35 It's a powerful topic 18:37 and one of the reasons why this is so vitally important. 18:39 If we talk about the Church of God, 18:41 we need to also identify 18:42 where God doesn't want His people to be. 18:44 Today, there are so many different interpretations 18:48 of what the mark of the beast is. 18:49 Now some of you are old enough, some of you at least my age, 18:52 you may remember when years ago, 18:54 if you are an American, Procter & Gamble 18:57 it's a company that produces soap. 18:59 Well, years ago, on the side of the packaging, 19:02 there were stars, three of them in the shape of three sixes. 19:05 And people thought, Procter & Gamble, 19:07 the mark of the beast. 19:09 And then when the barcode came out, 19:11 remember that? 19:12 All of a sudden, the barcode, which everybody uses nowadays. 19:17 The barcode is a standard way of identifying anything. 19:20 When the barcode first came out, people said, 19:22 "Ah, they're gonna put a barcode on our forehead. 19:25 Everybody's gonna be scanned into the system." 19:28 And then when Mikhail Gorbachev was the president of Russia, 19:32 he had a mark on his forehead. 19:35 I have the book in my library. 19:36 Gorbachev. Gorbachev, yeah. 19:37 Mikhail Gorbachev. Yeah. 19:39 He had a birthmark on his forehead. 19:41 Who did I say? 19:42 Yeah, Mikhail Gorbachev. 19:45 Yeah, he had a mark on his forehead. 19:46 And some Christian author wrote a book, 19:50 Mikhail Gorbachev is the beast. 19:53 Well, he's not in office, is he still alive? 19:55 Yeah. 19:57 He still, but he's not the beast. 19:59 So they had the barcode, 20:00 they had the packaging on Procter & Gamble. 20:04 They were saying that that company is connected 20:05 to the beast and the barcode, well that... 20:07 And then they said, 20:09 there's a big old computer over in Brussels, 20:11 I think it was. 20:13 And it was called the beast. 20:14 And they said, 20:15 that's where all the records of all the people ever lived, 20:19 are being kept. 20:20 And one day, all of the names that are there will have 20:23 to receive the mark of the beast. 20:24 And I'm thinking, guys, this sounds like playing darts 20:29 with your eyes covered. 20:31 You just throwing the dart in any direction 20:33 and whatever hits becomes the mark of the beast. 20:36 Nothing is further from the truth. 20:37 So we'll identify clearly what the mark of the beast is. 20:40 But getting back to the question, 20:42 or the point here is God's last day church 20:45 will not only preach about the judgment, 20:47 and worshiping God as the creator, 20:50 but warning people that Babylon is fallen 20:52 and warning the world 20:54 of the worship of the beast and his image and his mark. 20:57 All right? Did you get that down? 20:58 Let's go to number 13. 21:00 Number 13. 21:03 How does the Bible describe the movement 21:07 that Satan is opposed to? 21:15 Revelation Chapter 12. 21:17 Now this text is gonna bring the topic 21:21 into a sharper focused, 21:23 because this text clearly identifies 21:28 the camp that God wants us to be in. 21:31 If you do anything that makes the devil angry, 21:33 are you doing something right or something wrong? 21:37 You're doing something right. 21:38 I know we have to kind of switch our brains 21:39 on that one. 21:41 If you do something that makes the devil upset, 21:43 we're doing something that is what? 21:44 Right. Right. 21:46 But if you do something that makes him happy, 21:47 you're doing something that is what? 21:49 Wrong. You got to make that clear. 21:50 If he's upset with you, 21:52 he's trying to get you to stop what makes him angry. 21:55 If he's at war with you, he's at war with you 21:58 because you are where he doesn't want you to be. 22:00 Let's look at the text. Here's the answer. 22:02 How does the Bible describe the movement 22:05 that Satan is opposed to? 22:07 Revelation 12:17. 22:13 Revelation 12:17, okay? 22:16 I think I went ahead of myself here. 22:18 But let's go in the Bible 22:19 and look at that Revelation 12:17. 22:22 I have Revelation 14. 22:23 Let's start with Revelation 14:12, 22:25 since that's I know what you have. 22:27 Here it is. 22:29 Okay, here we are. I'm going little fast here. 22:32 Revelation 12:17, here we are. 22:35 I was going too fast. 22:36 Revelation 12:17, and the Bible says, 22:39 "And the dragon was," what? 22:42 "Enraged with the woman, 22:45 and went to make war with the," what? 22:49 "Rest of her seed." 22:50 And this is actually Revelation 12:17. 22:53 So if you wanna fix that, 22:54 the quotation is, the text is incorrect. 22:57 It's actually Revelation 12:17, 22:59 but the verse is correct, all right? 23:01 "And the dragon was wroth with a woman, 23:03 and went to make war 23:05 with the remnant of her seed which," do what? 23:08 "Keep the commandments of God, 23:09 and have the testimony of Jesus." 23:12 For our viewing audience, 23:13 that is actually Revelation 12:17. 23:15 That was my typo, shows I'm still in process. 23:19 But Revelation 12:17, notice what it says, 23:21 "The dragon is angry with the woman, 23:24 went to make war with the rest or the remnant of her seed 23:29 which keep the commandments of God and have," what else? 23:31 "The testimony of Jesus Christ." 23:33 Now let's understand the word remnant. 23:37 We have a lot of carpet here at 3ABN, 23:39 and it's different in different locations. 23:42 But after all the carpet was laid down, 23:46 there was a lot of carpet left. 23:48 And some of you that purchased carpet before 23:51 or some of you that purchased flooring, 23:54 sometimes they are remnant sales. 23:55 Now remnant sales means, what? 23:58 Tell me someone. 24:00 Whatever's left. Say it again? 24:03 It came from the original. 24:06 So it's a part of the original. 24:08 That means, 24:09 if I had a big stain in this carpet, 24:12 and I needed to replace that stain 24:14 that could not be removed 24:15 or the stain that couldn't be fixed 24:17 by a vacuum cleaner or a stain removing chemical, 24:20 I will say, "Well, I have to replace that carpet." 24:22 So I would go to where the rest of the carpet is, the remnants, 24:27 and get the one out that matches this. 24:29 So here's the point that's being made. 24:31 When the Bible talks about the remnant, 24:33 the Bible is saying that the church today 24:37 is going to be similar 24:39 to the church of Old Testament times. 24:43 So how the church was in the Old Testament, 24:45 it's how it's going to be in the New Testament. 24:48 The people of God that followed the Lord 24:50 in the Old Testament times, 24:53 they're gonna follow the Lord also in New Testament times. 24:55 Go to Isaiah 8 with me. 24:57 Isaiah Chapter 8, okay? 25:00 Isaiah Chapter 8. Let's look at that together. 25:03 Okay? 25:06 We're gonna look at Isaiah Chapter 8. 25:07 And you know there's a word 25:08 that people don't know is in the Old Testament. 25:12 Some might be surprised when they see it. 25:15 But let us look at Isaiah Chapter 8. 25:21 All right. 25:24 And we're gonna look together. 25:32 Let me see, verse 16. 25:35 Isaiah 8:16. 25:38 Now, remember, Satan is angry with those 25:40 who keep the commandments of God 25:42 and have the testimony, all right? 25:43 Look at what the Bible says in Isaiah 8:16. 25:46 It says, "Bind up the," what? 25:50 "Testimony and seal the," what? 25:54 "The law among my," the next word? 26:00 "Among my disciples." 26:02 Now words that we don't expect to be there... 26:03 I'm gonna drink some of my wife's water here. 26:06 It's okay. 26:10 Thank you, dear. 26:13 You don't have to edit that. 26:14 That's human. 26:16 "Bind up the testimony 26:18 and seal the law among my," what? 26:20 "Disciples." 26:22 Now a lot of times people think 26:23 disciple is just the New Testament word. 26:25 See, but disciple is not a New Testament. 26:27 Disciple is anyone that is a follower, 26:31 and in this case, a follower of God, 26:33 in the New Testament, a follower of Jesus. 26:36 But notice the things that are similar 26:37 to Revelation 12:17. 26:40 Bind up the word, 26:42 what's the first word that we see there? 26:43 What's the first word that we see there? 26:45 Testimony. 26:47 What's the next word that we see there? 26:48 The law. 26:50 The commandments and the law are the same. 26:51 The testimony, the testimony are the same. 26:54 But now look at verse 20, Isaiah 8:20. 26:58 Look at this. 27:00 The Bible says, "To the," what? 27:03 "Law and to the testimony! 27:06 If they do not speak according to this word, 27:10 it is because there is," how much light? 27:14 "No light in them." 27:16 Now that's huge. 27:18 Here's the point. 27:20 Here's the point. 27:21 If you want to be where you'll find the light, 27:25 continuing to shine, 27:27 find a fellowship, find a church 27:31 where the commandments of God are being kept. 27:34 What do you say? Amen. 27:36 Because the Lord had that same identifying mark 27:38 in the Old Testament, 27:40 the same identifying characteristic 27:42 in the Old Testament. 27:43 His law was honored by His disciples 27:45 in the Old Testament, 27:46 they will be honored by His disciples 27:48 in the New Testament, ain't that right? 27:50 Is there anything wrong with the commandments of God? 27:53 So where's the problem? 27:54 The problem is humanity. 27:57 Now what is the testimony? 27:59 Let's go to Revelation Chapter 19. 28:02 Because remember, Revelation 12:17, says 28:05 that the church not only keeps the commandments of God, 28:08 but has the testimony of Jesus Christ, all right? 28:12 Let's go to Revelation 19 28:14 and get an explanation of what the testimony is. 28:19 Revelation 19 28:24 and we're going to look together at verse 10, 28:28 at verse 10, 28:29 This is talking about the marriage supper 28:31 of the Lamb, 28:32 Revelation 19:10. 28:39 And the Bible says, 28:41 "And I fell at his feet, to worship him. 28:47 But he said to me, 'See that you do not do that! 28:51 I am your fellow servant, 28:53 and of your brethren who have the," what? 28:56 "Testimony of Jesus. Worship God! 29:00 For the testimony of Jesus is the," what? 29:04 "Spirit of Prophecy.'" 29:07 Pause for a brief moment, 29:08 we'll do a topic on the whole understanding 29:11 of the Spirit of Prophecy. 29:13 In a nutshell, 29:14 the Holy Spirit has worked in Old Testament times, 29:19 the Holy Spirit was working in the days of Noah. 29:22 The Bible says, 29:23 "My spirit shall not always strive with man." 29:25 The Holy Spirit was working at the time 29:27 of the New Testament Church. 29:29 When Jesus left, He said, 29:30 He was gonna leave the Holy Spirit 29:31 to continue to convict us of sin, 29:34 and of judgment and of righteousness. 29:36 John 16:13, the Bible says, 29:38 "The Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us into all truth 29:42 and reveal things that are yet to come," 29:44 which is a single word prophecy. 29:46 And the Bible also says in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 29:49 that one of the gifts that the church is gonna have 29:52 is the gift of prophecy, 29:54 which is gonna be prevalent in the church. 29:57 So that as Paul says, 29:58 the church falls behind in no gift. 30:01 Here's the point. 30:04 Not only will God's remnant church 30:05 be teaching the judgment hour message 30:08 and teaching that we must worship the Creator, 30:12 that is the Sabbath, 30:13 the Lord of creation is Lord of the Sabbath, 30:15 what do you say? 30:17 The church will also be teaching 30:18 that we must not be a part 30:20 of the false system of worship, Babylon. 30:23 Next, the church will also be warning us 30:26 against the worship of the beast and his image. 30:29 And next, 30:30 the church shall not only keep the commandments of God, 30:32 but have the active gift of prophecy amongst it. 30:36 Now, here's something vitally important. 30:38 I wanna say this, because nowadays, 30:39 my wife and I were watching a television program 30:41 not too long ago, was a Saturday night, 30:43 we were just kind of thumbing through the channels. 30:45 And lo and behold, late at night, 30:48 we turned to a channel where a guy was sitting there, 30:51 his name was prophet, so and so, 30:54 and he was selling a prophet course. 31:00 And depending on how good a prophet you wanna be, 31:03 it was at different levels. 31:04 You know, for five payments of $199, 31:07 you could be a beginning prophet, 31:09 for five payments of $299, 31:13 you could be an intermediate prophet. 31:14 But if you wanna be a gold prophet, 31:17 those are five payments of $399. 31:19 And we just kept looking, "What's he talking about?" 31:22 And then he said, 31:24 "Let me introduce you to one of our graduate students." 31:26 She's prophetess so and so. 31:29 So prophetess so and so came out, 31:32 and introduced us 31:33 to the next prophetess so and so. 31:36 And I'm thinking, "What's going on here?" 31:39 Do you have the gift of prophecy 31:42 by buying it through a course, yes or no? 31:45 No. The Holy Spirit imparts it. 31:48 Let me free some of you folk that are watching this program. 31:50 If somebody wants to sell you a program to teach you 31:54 how to have the gift of prophecy, 31:56 don't waste your money. 31:58 Because the gift of prophecy 31:59 is based on the work of the Holy Spirit, amen? 32:02 It's not something that we can impart to anybody. 32:03 The Spirit gives the gift to whomever he desires. 32:06 He sees the need. 32:08 And by the way, in every age, 32:10 God has always had a prophet active in His church. 32:15 Now there's some, today people say, 32:17 "Whoa, how could there be a prophet active 32:19 in God's last day church?" 32:21 Well, if you look at the Bible, from the beginning, 32:24 from the days of antiquity until the New Testament Church, 32:28 and also the Lord talked about this in the last days. 32:31 One of the reasons why the devil is upset 32:33 with the gift of prophecy being active in the church, 32:36 is because if you know what's coming, 32:40 you will be more prepared for it 32:41 than if you did not know. 32:42 And the gift of prophecy is active, 32:44 so that the people of God will be fully informed 32:47 about what's coming down the road, 32:49 rather than letting it take them by storm. 32:52 Let me give you a classic example. 32:54 One of the reasons why there's continual predictions 32:56 about when the rapture is going to occur 32:58 is because false prophets keep predicting that. 33:01 Can I get an amen? 33:02 Amen. 33:03 There is, first of all, 33:05 not gonna be any secret rapture. 33:06 But let's go way back 33:08 and you can go all the way back to Francisco Ribera, 33:10 you go back to the Alder, 33:12 you can go back to John Darby, you can go to C.I. Scofield, 33:16 you can go to Hal Lindsey, and you could go 33:21 to Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, 33:24 you can go to... 33:25 What's this guy that passed away? 33:26 Harold Camping, 33:28 all these fictitious dates for the secret rapture 33:31 have come to the forefront. 33:33 And all these guys claim to have the gift of prophecy. 33:39 Well, the evidence that they don't, 33:42 is that they're predicting something 33:43 that's not even supported by the Bible. 33:45 So if it's not supported by the Bible, 33:46 is not going to happen, amen? 33:49 But the gift of prophecy, 33:50 and we're gonna have a particular topic on that. 33:52 So let's answer the question. 33:54 What question are we up to now? Number 14. 33:56 Let's go to number 14, all right? 34:01 So if you answer question 13. 34:02 How does the Bible describe the movement 34:04 that Satan is opposed to? 34:06 They keep the commandments of God, 34:08 and they have the testimony of Jesus, 34:10 which is the Spirit of Prophecy. 34:13 That gift is active among God's remnant church. 34:16 All right? 34:18 Let's go to number 14. 34:19 Here it is. 34:21 What characteristic does the Bible connect 34:24 to the saints of God? 34:30 And this is in fact, Revelation 14:12. 34:35 This is not a typo but an actual, 34:36 so turn there with us, Revelation 14:12. 34:40 You see, as you put the puzzle together, 34:41 and some of us have done puzzles before. 34:44 As you put the picture together, 34:47 you'll begin to see the full presentation 34:49 of what God's remnant church and its characteristics are. 34:53 When you see all the characteristics 34:55 and all the components, 34:56 then there is no more confusion there. 34:58 You're not looking for a church based on its choir, 35:01 its stained glass windows, 35:03 its community programs, its praise songs, 35:05 or its hymns, or its bus outings, or schools, 35:09 you're looking for those that harbor 35:12 these particular characteristics 35:14 or that are identified 35:16 by these particular characteristics. 35:18 Revelation 14:12. 35:20 And here's what the Bible says. Let's read this one together. 35:22 We haven't done that tonight together. 35:24 It's on the screen. Here we are. 35:25 "Here is the patience of the saints, 35:28 here are those 35:30 who keep the commandments of God and the," what? 35:34 "Faith of Jesus." 35:36 Once again, 35:37 I've had studies throughout the years. 35:41 When I had all black hair, 35:43 and was growing up in New York City, 35:45 I studied with various denominations. 35:47 Some of them came to my house and rang the doorbell. 35:49 I remember very well on the Sunday morning, 35:51 I was on my way to the park and had on my shorts, 35:54 my basketball under my arm, 35:56 and somebody rang the doorbell, 35:58 and they wanted to study with me. 35:59 I'm not gonna make clear exactly what denomination, 36:02 but they wanted to study with me. 36:04 And I didn't look the part at the moment. 36:05 I was not a pastor. 36:07 I was just coming back to the Lord, 36:10 my faith was growing, but I knew my Bible. 36:12 I know a lot of my Bible even at that particular point. 36:15 And so they said, 36:16 they wanted to have study with me 36:18 and the gentleman was with two young ladies. 36:20 He was training them how to give Bible studies. 36:22 And so he decided, 36:23 "Well, here's a perfect specimen, 36:26 I'm gonna..." 36:27 In other words, I didn't hear him say this, 36:29 but he was in essence saying to two young ladies. 36:31 "I'm gonna use him as an example 36:32 to show you how to give Bible studies." 36:35 But what he did not know was I knew my Bible, amen? 36:37 Amen. 36:38 So here you're here, here he is. 36:42 I said, "So what topic do you wanna discuss?" 36:44 And I kind of throw out a couple of suggestions. 36:46 He said, "Let's study the law of God." 36:53 Right up my alley, I put my basketball down. 36:56 And I didn't have a Bible. I said, "Can I use your Bible?" 36:59 And his thesis, you know, there's thesis, 37:02 antithesis and synthesis. 37:04 His original line was The Ten Commandments 37:09 and the ceremonial laws were one. 37:12 So when the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross, 37:14 so were The Ten Commandments. 37:17 And I thought, to him, I said, 37:18 "You of all people shouldn't be saying that, 37:21 because you're out trying to preach salvation. 37:23 What do we save? 37:24 What do you wanna preach salvation from?" 37:27 He said, "From sin." 37:28 I said, "You don't know what the Bible says 37:30 that sin is the transgression of the law. 37:32 So if there is no law, there is no sin, 37:34 and you don't have a job." 37:37 He said, 37:39 "But the commandments have done away with." 37:40 I said, "So what are you trying to save me from?" 37:43 He said, "Sin." 37:44 I said... And I opened the Bible. 37:46 I said, "Look at this, 37:47 sin is the transgression of the law. 37:50 So how do I know what sin is? 37:53 Let me make it easy for you. 37:55 Is it bad to murder?" "Yes." 37:57 "What about stealing?" "Yes." 37:58 "What about adultery?" "Yes." 37:59 "What about taking gossip?" "Yes." 38:01 I said, "So from what do we get that identity?" 38:08 So I took his Bible. 38:11 Let me show you the text that made him walk away. 38:12 Here it is. 38:14 Go to Deuteronomy Chapter 5. 38:16 Deuteronomy Chapter 5. 38:18 And by the way, by this time 38:21 the two young ladies already walked away. 38:23 They were gone. 38:24 Because it was obvious that he didn't know 38:27 that he had run into a... 38:31 As one person said to me, 38:33 "An on fire New Yorker that knew his Bible." 38:37 So... Huh? 38:39 Bible Buzzsaw. 38:40 Bible Buzzsaw. 38:42 Matter of fact, my wife's brother and I 38:45 used to sit on the steps on Sunday morning, 38:48 waiting for people to come by to give Bible studies. 38:51 We actually did. 38:52 And her brother actually ignited me 38:54 in lot of the Bible understanding. 38:56 We were tag team. 38:57 "Oh, here they come, here they come, here they come. 39:00 Are you ready for Bible study? 39:02 Invite them in. Invite them in. 39:03 Don't let... invite them in." 39:04 We look forward 39:06 to Sunday morning Bible studies. 39:07 And none of them went beyond one study, 39:10 not a single one of them. 39:12 Okay. 39:13 All right? 39:15 Deuteronomy 5:22. 39:16 This shows you that the commandments of God 39:19 and the ceremonial laws are different. 39:21 Notice this, starting verse 22. 39:24 A lot of people don't know that in Deuteronomy Chapter 5, 39:26 The Ten Commandments, 39:27 they're also starting from verse 6 39:28 is The Ten Commandments. 39:30 But now our verse 22, 39:31 after The Ten Commandments, the Bible says, 39:33 "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, 39:39 "in the mountain, 39:40 "from the midst of the fire, the cloud, 39:45 and the thick darkness with a loud voice." 39:50 And what did he do? 39:51 "And He added," how much? 39:53 No more. "He added no more. 39:55 "And He wrote them on two tablets of stone, 39:59 and gave them to Moses." 40:00 Now, what he was referring to 40:02 is from verse 6 down to verse 21, 40:05 The Ten Commandments. 40:07 He wrote them on two tablets of stone, 40:10 and how much did he add? 40:11 He added what? 40:12 No more. 40:14 So I said to the guy, 40:15 "How much did the Lord add 40:16 after He wrote the commandments? 40:18 Here it is in your Bible." 40:19 And in their Bible, it was even clearer. 40:21 He said, "He added nothing more." 40:24 I said, "Okay, so The Ten Commandments, 40:25 was anything added to it? 40:27 Did God added anything to it?" 40:28 "No." 40:30 Well, I said, "I'll let you go." 40:32 He didn't come back, either. 40:33 But my point is this, 40:35 when you stand on truth, you don't have to fear 40:39 misinterpretation of the Bible, amen? 40:42 But you have to be humble about it. 40:43 Now, when I was younger, 40:44 I was like a little buzzsaw, my wife said. 40:46 I'm a little more tempered now. 40:48 But I still have some buzzsaw characteristics. 40:50 That means I'm still passionate about 40:52 teaching and sharing the Word of God. 40:53 And we all should have that passion. 40:55 What do you say? 40:57 So the patient of the saints, Revelation 14:12, 40:59 what are the characteristics connected to the saints? 41:03 They keep the commandments of God, 41:04 and the faith of Jesus. 41:06 Don't let anyone tell you, 41:07 that you can be a Christian 41:09 and not live in harmony with God's commandments. 41:12 It is not possible. 41:14 To accept that is to be person 41:17 that cancels him or herself out. 41:20 You cannot be a person who is walking in salvation, 41:25 and at the very same time 41:26 ignoring the commandments of God. 41:28 Let's see that as the passages go on. 41:31 Look at question number 15. 41:33 Question number 15. 41:36 What level of importance does the Bible connect 41:42 to God's commandments? 41:49 We're gonna go to Revelation 22:14. 41:52 Here it is. 41:53 Revelation 22:14. 41:57 You know, let me just rephrase 42:00 that I was gonna say, if I were the devil, 42:01 but I don't even want to identify with him. 42:04 If people want to keep you in the dark 42:06 about the truth of God's Word, 42:08 it's easy to say that Revelation 4 to Chapter 22 42:12 belongs to the Jews. 42:14 Because you know what? 42:15 If that doesn't belong to the Christians, 42:16 we won't study it. 42:18 And there are many churches nowadays, Michael, 42:20 that don't study Revelation Chapter 4 42:22 to Chapter 22. 42:23 Why? 42:25 Because they have been taught that when the rapture occurs, 42:27 the Jews are gonna be converted, 42:28 and they're gonna carry that gospel to the world. 42:31 That's not what the Bible teaches. 42:33 Matter of fact, if you watched a show, 42:35 it had 22 Chapters in it, in the movie, 42:37 and you only saw up to Chapter 4, 42:39 and turn it off, would you know how it ended? 42:42 No, you are missing. 42:43 Nowadays, you know, with the DVDs, 42:44 they have chapters. 42:46 You would not know how it ends? 42:47 Would you be content to watch a show 42:50 and go to just Chapter 4, 42:51 and you miss the 18 chapters? 42:54 I don't think you would. 42:55 I don't know if anybody who would. 42:57 But notice the special importance connected. 42:59 There's some people that don't look at it at all, 43:01 that's fine. 43:03 But the point I'm making is, you got to go all the way, 43:06 understand the Bible in its totality. 43:08 Don't omit anything. 43:11 Look at Revelation 22:14. 43:16 And the Bible says, "Blessed are those who," what? 43:22 "Do His commandments, 43:24 that they may have the right to the tree of life, 43:27 and may enter through the gates into the," what? 43:30 "Into the city." 43:31 What city? 43:33 Somebody tell me what city? 43:34 New Jerusalem. Heaven, the New Jerusalem. 43:36 Now, here's a very important point. 43:39 Would any city that's being established, 43:44 would they open the gates to people and say, 43:47 "Come on in all the non-law abiding citizens, 43:50 come on in?" 43:52 Would they do that? No. 43:54 Would they say, 43:55 "We'd like you to empty all the penitentiaries, 43:58 and all the local jails, 44:00 and bring all the criminals and move them into our city?" 44:03 Would you move into that city? No. 44:05 Here's my point. 44:06 Nobody is going to be in God's kingdom 44:08 that is not a commandment keeper. 44:12 On whose authority can I make that statement? 44:15 On the authority of God's Word. 44:16 He says, 44:18 "That they may have the right to the tree of life, 44:22 and may enter through the gates into the," what? 44:27 "City." Now here's my question. 44:29 Do you wanna be in a city 44:30 where people are living in harmony 44:32 with the commandments of God? 44:33 Yes. Yes? Of course. 44:35 And by that time, we gonna all be sealed 44:37 with the perfect character of Christ. 44:39 And by the way, 44:41 Jesus lived in harmony with His law. 44:44 And when we are completely reproduced 44:45 in His character, 44:47 perfectly, we will also live eternally 44:50 and harmony with His commandments. 44:52 But you cannot teach the commandments of God 44:54 are done away with and expect people to prepare 44:57 for living in that Eternal City, 44:59 the New Jerusalem, it's not possible. 45:01 So what's the answer? 45:02 What level of importance is the Bible connect 45:04 to God's commandments? 45:05 What level? 45:07 Entrance into the New Jerusalem. 45:10 You're not getting in, 45:11 if you don't honor the commandments of God. 45:13 You're not getting in, 45:15 if you do not honor the commandments of God. 45:17 And by the way, some people may say, 45:19 "Wait a minute, wait a minute, that's legalism." 45:23 Pause for a moment 45:24 and let the Bible keep talking, amen? 45:27 Amen. Because I don't know how... 45:30 I always try to figure this out, 45:31 I've just never come up with an answer yet. 45:33 Why is it that when we teach, 45:36 that by God's indwelling spirit, 45:38 we can live in harmony with the commandments of God, 45:41 you hear the shout legalism, salvation by works. 45:47 Now, the reason I'm bringing that up 45:48 is because I know that 45:49 that's out in the Christian world. 45:51 Those are those people that are bound by the law. 45:54 They're still back there in Moses' day, 45:56 trying to keep the commandments. 45:58 No, we're not back in Moses' day because... 46:02 Let's go to Hebrews Chapter 10. 46:03 Go there with me. Hebrews Chapter 10. 46:06 I don't have a copy of The Ten Commandments 46:07 in my top pocket. 46:09 Where are they, somebody tell me? 46:10 Where the copy of The Ten Commandments? 46:12 Where are they? Where is it? 46:14 Come on down, Brother Hutchinson. 46:16 You could sit there, they don't mind. 46:17 Hebrews Chapter 10. 46:19 Is that what I said? 46:21 I'm on my way there. 46:24 Hebrews Chapter 10, and look at verse 16. 46:28 Hebrews 10:16. 46:30 Now in the Old Testament times, they were no presses, 46:35 and Moses had the first copy of The Ten Commandments, 46:38 they were on two tablets of stone. 46:42 But when you become a Christian, 46:43 the law doesn't say, 46:44 "Okay, part of your Christian, 46:46 part of your Christian supplies is you need to go get yourself 46:50 a huge set of two tablets of stone. 46:54 And make sure you carry them around with you 46:55 wherever you go." 46:58 Does he do that? No. 46:59 Do you have a stone for your commandments 47:01 in your Bible? 47:03 No. I don't have it. 47:04 You'll find out where they are. 47:06 You'll find out where they are, okay? 47:08 Hebrews 10:16. 47:09 Because a lot of people say, "Well, under the new covenant, 47:12 the Lord got rid of the commandments." 47:14 That's not what he says. 47:17 Hebrews 10:16. 47:18 Notice what the Bible says, 47:20 "This is the covenant 47:22 that I will make with them after those days," 47:25 says the Lord. 47:27 'I will put my laws into their hearts, 47:32 and in their minds, I will write them.'" 47:36 Okay, let's do this exercise. 47:38 Where's the first place it mentions in our, what? 47:40 Hearts. Hearts. 47:42 Minds. 47:43 Minds. 47:44 And then... 47:46 Hearts. Hearts. 47:48 It mentions, hearts and minds. 47:51 Okay, let's try that again. 47:52 Where's the first place in our, what? 47:53 Hearts. 47:55 Now when we use the symbol heart, 47:56 what does that mean? 47:58 Okay, I heart you, what does that mean? 48:01 That means, I love you. 48:02 The Lord says, "If you love Me, keep My," what? 48:04 "Commandments." Now get this. 48:06 So if since you love them, 48:07 and you're living in harmony by His Spirit 48:09 with His commandments, He says, "It's in their heart." 48:15 Matter of fact, in Deuteronomy he said, 48:17 "Oh, that they would be such a heart in them, 48:20 that they will keep My commandments always 48:22 that it will be well with them and with their children." 48:25 See? 48:27 And in truly, they were those that... 48:29 And even still today, we were on an airplane... 48:32 I didn't go to the second place 48:33 not only in our hearts, but also in our minds. 48:35 We not only love them, 48:37 but they govern our actions in our life. 48:41 They're in our mind. You know what's in your mind? 48:43 Governed your life, doesn't it? 48:44 They're in the heart of the Christian, 48:46 and they're also in the mind. 48:48 We were on an airplane once, many times, right, honey? 48:52 Seems like we live on airplanes sometimes. 48:55 But I saw something 48:59 that was pretty interesting that there was a gentleman 49:01 and I could identify based on what he wore, 49:04 that he was probably of the Jewish faith. 49:06 And he put on his regalia, 49:08 and he stood up and he stood by the door 49:10 and all the flight attendants look around and said, 49:12 he's standing by the door, he's putting all this stuff 49:14 when he wrapped some stuff around his arm and on his hand, 49:17 and then he put on this headdress, 49:18 and there was a little box in the front of it. 49:21 And I thought, "Ah!" 49:24 They have in that little box, 49:25 a small replica of the Torah. 49:31 And that's how they convey the fact 49:34 that God's laws in their what? 49:36 Mind. 49:37 They have a literal little box right there. 49:40 But God is saying, "Brother Hutchinson, 49:42 if you forget your box home," it's already where? 49:45 It's already in your mind. 49:47 So God is saying, you don't have to, 49:48 we don't need boxes. 49:49 Nowadays, we don't need prayer closets 49:51 or commandment jackets. 49:52 We just need a, what? 49:54 A heart that is dedicated to God, 49:56 a heart dedicated to God. 49:58 My heart is in a different location. 50:00 A heart dedicated to God 50:02 and a mind that's governed by God, amen? 50:03 Amen. That's all you need. 50:05 So the Church of God will have a mind 50:08 where God lives and a heart that is in love with the Lord. 50:12 David said, "I delight to do thy will, 50:14 O God, yea, thy law is within my heart." 50:18 So when you have that connection with God, 50:19 there's no problem. 50:21 One of the reasons why many people today 50:22 are taught to ignore the commandments of God, 50:27 there are many reasons but one of the reasons is 50:29 they have somehow been able 50:30 to connect the commandments of God 50:32 with somehow salvation by works. 50:34 When you read the commandments, 50:36 it says, "Thou shall not do any work." 50:38 It's all about salvation by grace through faith. 50:40 What do you say? 50:42 Let's go to the next one, number 16. 50:43 So, the answer to number 15. 50:45 What level of importance is the Bible connected 50:46 to God's commandments? 50:48 Entering the holy city, the New Jerusalem. 50:52 Number 16. Here it is. 50:55 How do we know 50:56 that God's Ten Commandments are obligatory? 51:00 Try to say that word five times, 51:02 obligatory, an obligation. 51:04 Let's go to 51:06 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. 51:13 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, all right? 51:17 Let's look at that. 51:19 Honey, I need some more water. 51:21 I've got a rainy weather frog in my throat tonight. 51:28 Wow, that's good. Thank you. 51:29 Thank you, dear. 51:32 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Look at this. 51:36 And I don't think it could be any clearer than this. 51:38 Solomon, under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit 51:42 wrote these words, 51:43 and this should settle the matter. 51:44 Hopefully it does for many of you. 51:46 Here's what the Bible says, together, 51:48 "Let us hear the conclusion 51:51 of the whole matter:" 51:56 together, "Fear God and keep His," what? 51:59 "Commandments: for this is the," what? 52:02 "Whole duty of man." 52:05 So if somebody says, 52:07 "Okay, what's the number one most important thing 52:09 in your job description?" 52:11 Well, no, that's not it. 52:13 Well, that's not it. 52:15 The Christian by God's indwelling spirit, 52:17 he says, "Fear God," you know what that means? 52:19 Honor Him, revere Him, reverence Him, worship Him, 52:24 and keep His commandments. 52:26 Show Him that Your mind and your heart 52:28 are dedicated to Him. 52:30 For really, this is your entire responsibility, 52:34 honor Him, revere Him, worship Him, 52:36 and live in harmony with His character. 52:39 And a lot of people 52:40 when you look at the commandments of God, 52:41 people say, "Well, why do we need 52:43 the commandments of God?" 52:44 Do you know that the commandments of God 52:45 is a transcript of God's character? 52:47 You know, what a transcript is? 52:50 It is God's character, 52:52 reveal to us in 10 principles, in 10 commands, 52:58 the character of God revealed to us. 53:00 But now let's see another one. 53:02 I don't think I have it here. 53:03 But let's go to 1 Corinthians 7:19. 53:05 So the answer, how do we know 53:08 that God's commandments are obligatory? 53:11 What is it? 53:12 The whole duty of man. 53:15 The whole duty of man. 53:17 1 Corinthians 7:19. 53:21 Now, the reason I'm going to this passage 53:22 is because some people say, 53:23 "You know, the Jews kept the commandments of God 53:27 and they had to be circumcised." 53:31 See I'm trying to answer the arguments 53:32 that are out there. 53:34 So, Pastor John, 53:37 is that a requirement in your church? 53:39 No. 53:42 Right? 53:43 The Lord is not looking 53:44 for the circumcision of the flesh, 53:46 as the Jews taught, 53:48 but He's looking for the circumcision 53:49 of the heart. 53:51 Look at 1 Corinthians 7:19. 53:53 Paul addresses this issue. 53:55 This came up in his day, as is still coming up today. 53:58 Many people think that, 54:00 "Well, you got to be Jewish 54:01 and you have to be circumcised." 54:02 That's not what the Bible teaches. 54:05 Here's what the Bible teaches, 1 Corinthians 7:19. 54:08 And the Bible says, 54:10 "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, 54:16 but keeping the commandments of God 54:18 is what matters." 54:21 Keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 54:24 But some people may say, 54:26 "Well, how can you keep the commandments of God?" 54:30 Okay, I'm gonna mention the text 54:32 and I want you to go ahead and recite the verse. 54:35 Philippians 4:13. 54:37 Are you ready? 54:38 "I can do all things through Christ 54:43 who strengthens me." 54:45 The Lord doesn't say, matter of fact, 54:47 let's go to the next question, 54:49 because here's what the answer is. 54:51 And the answer goes on. 54:52 Let me give you the rest of the text. 54:54 I didn't give you the rest of the text. 54:55 Here it is. 54:56 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. 54:58 Here's verse 14. 54:59 It says, "For God shall bring every work into judgment, 55:04 with every secret thing, whether it be," what? 55:07 "Good, or," whether it be what? 55:09 "Evil." Wow! 55:10 So what's the standard of the judgment? 55:13 The standard of the judgment is what? 55:14 God's Ten Commandments. 55:18 You throw the standard out, 55:19 then on what basis will people be judged, 55:22 class distinction, race distinction, 55:24 economic status, educational accomplishments, 55:27 what's the status? 55:28 The status is the same for every one of us. 55:31 Matter of fact, very quickly, 55:33 go with me to the Book of James, okay? 55:36 I don't know if I get to question 17. 55:38 But if not, let's go to the Book of James. 55:41 Okay, here I am. 55:43 James Chapter 2. 55:47 Oh, James Chapter 2. 55:50 I have tall man's disease, my back hurts. 55:53 James 2:10-12. 55:56 James 2:10-12. 56:02 You know, James throws a wrench 56:04 into the arena of modern theologians, 56:07 because they try to explain Paul away, 56:09 and they try to explain John the Apostle, 56:11 John the Revelator away, 56:13 but James chimes in about God's law also. 56:16 Notice what he says in verse 10. 56:18 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, 56:20 and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of," what? 56:22 "All." 56:24 Now notice, he's not gonna talk about the ceremonial law, 56:26 he's gonna point out principles and laws 56:28 of The Ten Commandments. 56:30 "For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' 56:32 also said 'Do not commit murder 56:33 or do not murder.' 56:35 Now if you do not commit adultery, 56:36 but you do murder, 56:38 you have become a transgressor of the," what? 56:40 "Law.'" 56:42 Now look at verse 12. 56:43 "So speak, and so do 56:46 as those who will be judged by the law of bondage." 56:51 No, liberty. 56:52 By law of, what? Liberty. 56:53 Let's say, Liberty, together. The law of, what? 56:55 Liberty. 56:57 The law of liberty. 56:58 If a prisoner is serving time, and he set free, 57:02 he has been liberated. 57:04 The Lord sets us free. 57:06 And then He says, "Live in harmony with My law, 57:09 and you will live a life of liberty." 57:13 What is liberty mean? Another word for liberty means? 57:15 Freedom. 57:16 The Statue of Liberty. 57:18 The symbol of our freedom is Christ. 57:21 The Magna Carta of our freedom is The Ten Commandments. 57:25 The principles that God articulated 57:28 to the children of Israel, to the New Testament church, 57:31 He also articulates to the remnant church. 57:33 Those of us who are getting ready 57:35 for the coming of the Lord 57:37 are praying by God's grace 57:38 to live in harmony with the law of liberty. 57:42 As a matter of fact, he says in James 1:25, 57:45 I'll just read this very carefully. 57:47 "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty 57:50 and continues in it 57:53 and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, 57:56 this one will be blessed in what he does." 57:59 Friends, continue studying God's Word and one day, 58:02 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:04 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-06-28