Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000119A
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00:21 Hello, friends, welcome to another Bible study
00:24 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:26 It is Wednesday night 00:28 and wherever you may be tuning in from 00:30 whether another country or another time zone, 00:32 thank you for taking the time to get your Bible studies. 00:35 Your Bibles, your friends, 00:37 your family and I will say your pens, 00:40 so we can walk through the word of God together. 00:42 We thank you for tuning in. 00:44 We're gonna be continuing and finalizing hopefully 00:47 our study lesson number 31 and I'll tell you 00:51 how to get a copy of that in just a moment. 00:53 We're talking about the truth about the Body Temple, 00:56 a topic we've discussed over a few weeks. 00:58 And tonight we're hoping to cap that off. 01:01 In just a moment, I'll tell you 01:03 where to get a copy of the lesson 01:04 that you can follow along with, 01:06 how to download that and even how to send 01:08 your questions and comments 01:10 so that we can know how to better serve you. 01:12 But before we do anything else, 01:14 let's begin with a word of prayer. 01:16 Let's bow our heads. 01:18 Our loving Father in heaven, 01:19 we thank You for Your goodness to us, 01:21 for Your mercy and Your grace, 01:23 which is always abundant and always available. 01:28 And so Father, we pray tonight 01:30 that You'll guide us and led us in our study 01:33 that as we open Your word 01:35 that we will also open our hearts 01:37 that Your Spirit may do a work in us 01:40 that will bring us in harmony with Your will, 01:43 we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 01:47 Now if you want to follow along in our lesson, 01:49 go to this following website ASF.3ABN.org 01:54 and download lesson number 31. 01:57 Now somebody may say, "I've already done that." 02:00 Well, I added the final page 02:02 and so you should have page one, two and three. 02:06 And tonight, we're gonna begin on question number 19, 02:08 that's the website where you can also have access 02:10 to the video library. 02:12 There's a tab for lessons, there's a tab for videos. 02:16 And if you've missed any of the lessons in the past, 02:19 go to the videos first. 02:21 It will tell you what lesson to go to and to download, 02:24 and invite your friends to walkthrough all the topics. 02:26 We talk about righteousness by faith, 02:29 how to have a growing relationship in Christ, 02:31 what it means to be a Christian. 02:33 Also we talk about some key topics, the Sabbath, diet, 02:38 what happens when you die, 02:40 the second coming of Jesus, a study on the rapture, 02:42 and tonight we're gonna talk about 02:44 the truth about the Body Temple. 02:46 But before we do anything else, 02:47 let's sing our theme song together. 02:49 Our theme song is, Victory in Jesus. 02:53 Let's sing that song together. 03:02 I heard an old, old story 03:06 How the Savior came from glory 03:10 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:14 To save a wretch like me 03:17 I heard about His groaning 03:21 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:25 Then I repented of my sins 03:29 And won the victory O victory in Jesus 03:36 My Savior, forever 03:40 He sought me and bought me 03:44 With His redeeming blood 03:48 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:51 And all my love is due Him 03:55 He plunged me to victory Beneath the cleansing flood 04:03 I heard about a mansion 04:06 He has built for me in glory 04:10 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:14 Beyond the crystal sea 04:18 About the angels singing 04:21 And the old redemption story 04:25 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:29 The song of victory Key change. 04:33 O victory in Jesus My Savior, forever 04:40 He sought me and bought me 04:44 With His redeeming blood 04:48 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:52 And all my love is due Him 04:56 He plunged me to victory Beneath the cleansing flood 05:03 He plunged me to victory 05:07 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:13 Amen. 05:15 What a wonderful song, 05:18 being plunged to victory beneath the cleansing flood, 05:21 and that is baptism but also the cleansing blood, 05:24 and that is redemption through the blood of Jesus. 05:29 We have been talking about in our topic tonight is, 05:31 The Truth about the Body Temple. 05:34 Say that with me, The Truth about the Body Temple. 05:37 Now we have been each week using a particular verse 05:41 in the Bible as our springboard 05:43 and I want to continue doing that 05:45 because this is such a topic 05:47 that if you don't give it the right context, 05:50 it could seem like a car with two wheels. 05:53 You don't understand the road you're traveling on, 05:55 so let's put it back in the context. 05:57 Go with me to 1 Corinthians Chapter 6. 06:00 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 06:04 and we are going to look at a statement 06:07 made by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. 06:14 You know, when the Bible talks about worship. 06:18 So often people think that worship is just what you sing 06:23 or how you teach or how you preach. 06:27 But when you follow the Bible, 06:30 the Lord broadens that to let us know 06:32 that what we do with our bodies 06:35 into our bodies is also a symbol of worship 06:38 to the true God, 06:40 and notice how God has the authority 06:44 to make that kind of a claim on us. 06:46 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. 06:50 Let's look at that together and we read, 06:53 "Or do you not know that your, 06:55 what, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 07:00 who is in you, whom you have from God, 07:04 and you are not your own?" 07:06 We don't belong to us. 07:08 And if you think about that the Bible says, 07:10 the Holy Spirit lives in here. 07:13 So if you think about that, that's a very true statement 07:16 because I'm gonna go to verse 20 in just a moment. 07:19 Because when Jesus talks about 07:21 being redeemed and being cleansed, 07:23 one of the things He talks about is the redemption 07:27 that comes and people that are often possess 07:30 in the Bible, in the gospel, Jesus talks about a person 07:32 who had been freed from demons, 07:35 from one demon particularly and the house was swept 07:40 and the house was clean, but the house was empty, 07:44 and the demons came back 07:47 examining the person's life 07:48 to see if there were any openings. 07:52 And they found the house swept no more sin, clean, 07:56 no more past record, but empty. 08:00 Meaning the person did not invite the Holy Spirit 08:02 to come into his or her life, 08:04 and what happened as a result of that? 08:05 He brought with him seven demons worse than before 08:08 and the Bible says, "The latter end was worse 08:11 with that individual than the beginning." 08:13 So when the Bible says, "The Holy Spirit dwells in us, 08:16 when you come into a relationship with Jesus, 08:19 " that old spirit is gone 08:21 and then the new spirit come in. 08:23 That's why the Bible says, 08:25 the fruit, you know, who is living there. 08:27 "The fruit of the spirit is what, love, joy, peace, 08:31 longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, patience." 08:35 The fruit show up, 08:36 so you'll know who is living there by the fruit. 08:39 By their fruits you will know them. 08:42 So when they are fruit on the inside. 08:46 When the Spirit of God is on the inside, 08:49 the fruit are going to show up on the outside. 08:52 All that, and by the way let me put this together, 08:54 because some people think that, well, right now, 08:58 I have the fruit of joy 09:00 but I don't have the fruit of peace yet, 09:03 but what I want you to know is it all comes in one bite. 09:07 It's all in that single fruit, 09:09 not the fruits of the Spirit but the fruit of the Spirit, 09:13 the outward working of the Spirit of God 09:16 in our lives is love, joy, peace, 09:18 longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, patience. 09:20 So the spirit is moved and said, "This is my house." 09:24 Now I'm the landlord and what you do with my house, 09:27 I'm concerned about it. 09:29 And notice what he says here's the reason why. 09:31 He moves in, he moves into the body temple. 09:34 And then the Bible says 09:35 in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, 09:38 "For you were bought with a what, price, 09:41 therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, 09:48 which are God's." 09:49 Lot of times people want to glorify God in the spirit. 09:52 You've heard a lot of Christians, 09:54 that's the terminology nowadays, 09:55 they say, "I'm in the Spirit." 09:56 To be in the Spirit also means to be concerned 09:58 about what we do with our bodies. 10:01 So if we are in the Spirit, 10:02 we should be just as concerned 10:04 as to what the Spirit want us to do with this temple 10:07 that belongs to God, it doesn't belong to us, 10:10 we are bought at a price 10:12 and that price is His redemption. 10:14 What I want to do tonight in laying that foundation, 10:16 I also want to first show you a couple of things 10:19 and then on the screen, 10:20 we have two slides that I want to begin with. 10:22 Because in laying the foundation, 10:24 one of the things we discovered is that 10:26 when the Lord let the children of Israel out of Egypt. 10:29 He told them to take all the precious metals, 10:32 all the gold, the silver, the precious stones, 10:34 the expensive clothing in Egypt and carry it with them 10:38 because he had a use for those things. 10:40 He was going to build a temple, 10:43 a sanctuary first supportable one 10:46 and then a permanent one 10:47 when they get to the Promised Land. 10:49 The children of Israel in turn decided to wear it. 10:54 But the Lord gave us in His words some glimpses 10:56 of what the purpose of those precious stones were, 11:00 and what the purpose of the gold and the silver 11:02 was, right? 11:05 So look at these two pictures 11:06 because the Lord talked about 11:07 first of all the high priest's garment. 11:09 Here's the first one. 11:10 The high priest, notice what he has on, 11:11 and this will show up on your screen here. 11:13 He has on the ephod... 11:15 If you have that slide, bring that up for me. 11:17 He has on the ephod 11:19 which is the garment 11:21 that's outside of his priestly garments, 11:26 and then on the ephod, he also has the breastplate, 11:30 and in the breast plate notice he has precious stones. 11:33 If you can count very quickly how many stones do you see? 11:37 It's actually 14. 11:39 We just see the 12 11:40 that represent the tribes of the children of Israel. 11:42 But then you have a white stone, 11:44 then you have a white, 11:45 and then you have a black stone. 11:46 That's the Urim where God responded 11:50 if there was an issue that could not be settled 11:52 between the judges in Israel. 11:54 God will be asked to be the final verdict. 12:00 And if it was a yes, 12:01 or if God was approving of it, the white stone would radiate. 12:05 If God was not approving of it, the dark stone will radiate. 12:08 So you he had on the breastplate 12:10 which was what the high priest wore. 12:11 Now let me ask you the question. 12:13 Who is our high priest? What's his name? 12:15 His name is Jesus. 12:16 So the high priest was the only one among those 12:19 who are in Israel that was authorized to wear 12:22 this breastplate with the precious stones. 12:25 He's the one that wore the jewels, 12:28 not the children of Israel. 12:29 God approved him 12:31 because that high priest represented Jesus, 12:32 our high priest. 12:34 One more picture. 12:35 Let's look at something else that came up, the mercy seat, 12:39 the mercy seat was there. 12:42 You have the ephod, he had the breastplate, 12:44 and we're gonna see that in just a moment 12:46 because I included those in question number 19. 12:48 But matter of fact, let's go to question number 19, 12:51 so that I could more appropriately 12:54 help you understand the beauty of what God had done. 12:58 You also had the mercy seat. 13:00 But let's look at this 13:02 question number 19, we'll begin there. 13:04 All right, here it is. 13:05 How did the Lord describe 13:10 what had taken place among the Israelites? 13:14 When they began to... 13:15 When they began to rebel, they rebelled at Mount Sinai, 13:19 or Mount Horeb, the word is interchangeable. 13:22 And when Moses was on his way back, 13:25 Aaron had led the people into making an idol of gold 13:30 and he got all these precious metals 13:33 from the people that had taken the spoils of the Egyptians. 13:38 But notice how the Lord described this 13:41 as to what had taken place 13:43 when Moses was absent 13:46 to receive the commandments from the Lord. 13:48 Exodus 32:7. 13:50 Here's where we find the answer. 13:52 Exodus 32:7, you know, 13:55 I realized when I was calling for the slide 13:58 that, that was in our last week's presentation, 14:00 so if you didn't see it which chances are you didn't, 14:03 go to our website. 14:04 ASF.3ABN.org, 14:07 and look for the lesson from last week. 14:09 You'll see the slides, the priestly garment, 14:12 the ephod, the urim, 14:13 and also the Ark of the Covenant, 14:17 that was overlaid with gold. 14:19 That's what the Lord had 14:20 as far as all the articles of furniture in the temple. 14:23 He had ordained that these precious metals 14:25 taken from Egypt would comprise 14:28 all the articles of furniture in the sanctuary. 14:32 Exodus 32:7, 14:35 here's what the Lord said had happened among the Israelites, 14:37 He said, "And the Lord said to Moses, 14:40 "Go, get down! 14:43 Get down from the mountain, for your people 14:45 whom you brought out of the land of Egypt 14:47 have done what, have corrupted themselves." 14:50 Notice how God had divorced Himself 14:52 from identifying Himself with the children of Israel. 14:55 When they were obedient He said, "My children," 14:58 when they were disobedient He said, "Your children". 15:00 And today, a lot of parents do that. 15:02 When children are behaving, they say, 15:05 "Oh I'm so proud of my child." 15:07 That's what the mother would say 15:08 when they're misbehaving she says to the husband, 15:10 "Go, get your kids." 15:13 That's the same thing happens nowadays, 15:14 God identifies with our faithfulness. 15:18 He still loves us, 15:19 but He does not love our rebellion 15:21 and He said to Moses, 15:22 "These are the people you brought out of Egypt." 15:24 Look at what happened to them, they have corrupted themselves, 15:27 they corrupted themselves 15:28 by making for themselves a calf of gold, 15:34 and they had all the jewels, 15:35 they pulled the earrings out of their ears. 15:38 They brought them to Aaron 15:39 and Aaron fashioned these 15:41 and made this calf that they began to worship, 15:44 and they call this calf now their God. 15:47 Now, what I'd like us to do is go to Exodus Chapter 32. 15:50 Matter of fact your there, 15:51 we're going to walk through this story in great detail 15:55 to see something vitally important. 15:58 This story is I believe 15:59 one of the most prominent stories in scripture 16:03 that keeps us in context and then after that, 16:05 there's a special place in Ezekiel 16:08 I'm going to take you 16:10 to show you why today that music and adornment 16:16 are two areas of struggle in many Christian churches. 16:20 Music is more like the world, 16:23 and the church is dressing more like the world, 16:25 and I'll show you why that that is an issue 16:27 in many Christian churches today. 16:30 Now we're in Exodus Chapter 32. 16:32 We're going to continue the story. 16:33 First of all the Lord responded in verse 7 by saying, 16:39 matter of fact, let's just look 16:40 before we bring the question up on the screen, 16:42 look at verse 2 16:47 of Exodus Chapter 32, all right. 16:50 This is what Aaron said, "And Aaron said to them, 16:55 "Break off the golden earrings 16:57 which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, 16:59 and your daughters, and bring them to me." 17:02 Just like today, women and men wear earrings. 17:07 In some cultures as soon as the baby is born, 17:09 they can barely say the first word 17:12 it's culturally acceptable to pierce their ears. 17:15 I've seen that happen to so many babies. 17:16 I see the baby, how old... 17:18 Oh, it's four months, 17:20 got holes in their ears already. 17:22 I'm glad that in my home parents didn't do that to us, 17:26 but nowadays as it was in those days, 17:29 it is today men and women were adorned. 17:34 And notice what else in verse 4, 17:37 well verse 3 and it says, so all the people of Exodus 32, 17:41 "All the people broke off the golden earrings 17:45 which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron." 17:50 And Aaron made this golden calf 17:52 as you will discover in verse 4, 17:55 "He made it from the gold that he received from their hands." 17:59 Now we're gonna go to question number 20 18:01 and see as the story continues to unfold, 18:04 what was God's attitude about 18:06 what had taken place among the children of Israel. 18:09 Here it is, question number 20. 18:13 When Israel compelled Aaron to make a golden calf 18:17 what did God say? 18:19 What did God say? 18:22 Look at verse 8 of Exodus Chapter 32. 18:26 Since you're already there, 18:27 we don't have to wait for you to turn there, Exodus 32:8, 18:33 and the Lord said, "They have turned aside, 18:38 how, quickly out of the way which I commanded them. 18:44 They have made themselves a molded calf, 18:47 and they did what, worshiped it and sacrificed to it, 18:53 and then continuing and said, 18:55 this is where God really saw them 18:57 in their ultimate rebellion they said, 19:00 "This is your God, Aaron said, "This is your God, O Israel, 19:05 that brought you out of the land of Egypt." 19:08 Can you imagine how offensive that was to God? 19:11 He is the one that brought them out 19:12 and the Bible says in Deuteronomy 19:14 with a mighty hand. 19:15 God didn't just bring them out. 19:17 He didn't say, "Hey, let's sneak out of Egypt." 19:19 He left Egypt broke. 19:21 All their wealth 19:22 was in the possession of the Israelites, 19:24 all their gold, silver, their jewels everything 19:26 was in the possession of the Israelites 19:28 for a particular purpose. 19:29 God gave them remuneration, 19:31 all the money they didn't get as slaves, 19:33 because that's how they gauge their wealth 19:36 by the precious things that they had. 19:39 Also God gave them provision to build the sanctuary. 19:42 When they got there but the Lord 19:43 now looks at them and they are seen 19:47 in the full context of their rebellion 19:50 and they are referred to as a people 19:52 that are corrupt and now they are pointing to this precious, 19:56 this precious golden calf made of gold 19:58 and the jewels that they wore. 20:00 And they are now saying this is your God. 20:03 And I got to make a comment before we go there 20:04 because if you look at what's happening 20:06 in the world today. 20:09 This world is pressuring us to look less and less like God 20:14 and more and more like the world. 20:17 The world is setting the standard 20:18 but when you think of the direction 20:21 the Lord gives, He says, well, let's go, 20:23 let's go to Romans Chapter 2. 20:24 Don't lose. 20:25 Don't lose this 20:27 because we're gonna answer the question. 20:28 And by the way since we did read the text, 20:30 what you want to write down 20:31 when Israel compelled Aaron to make the golden calf, 20:34 what did God say? 20:37 God said, "They have turned out of the way," 20:40 that's the answer, 20:43 It's amazing that that terminology is used 20:46 because Christians in the New Testament 20:47 were called, they were following the way, 20:50 and then Jesus said, "I am the way." 20:54 We had a wonderful worship the other day 20:55 and Pastor CA did a really good job 20:59 in talking about that very terminology. 21:01 He said, "Jesus is the way." 21:03 Early Christians will call the way. 21:06 And when the Adventist church is being developed, 21:08 they were considering the title the way. 21:11 He said, Jesus is the way, 21:13 the Christian is in following Jesus, 21:16 so they are following in the way, 21:18 but he made a very amazing comparison, 21:20 he said, "If you're not in the way following Jesus, 21:23 you're in the way." 21:26 So get out of the way or get in the way, 21:29 that's the whole point he made. 21:30 If you're following Jesus, you're going in the right way, 21:34 but if you're not following Jesus, 21:35 you are just in the way. 21:37 Okay, where did I say to go? 21:40 Romans 12:1 and 2. 21:44 Here we are Romans Chapter 12, let's look at this. 21:49 We have to and let me make this point, 21:53 we have to consciously fight against 21:56 the trends of the world. 21:58 We have to fight against the trend of the world. 22:00 We have to swim upstream 22:02 as the world is pushing us downstream. 22:04 You know what's the ultimate experience of those 22:07 who are going downstream? 22:09 What's the ultimate experience? 22:11 It's probably just in my own head. 22:14 They go over the waterfall. 22:16 When the water starts speeding up, 22:18 then you're getting to the waterfall. 22:20 You got to swim upstream 22:21 because the world is taking us downstream 22:23 and we're heading to some point 22:25 where we're going to start going further and further down. 22:28 That's why it's called downstream. 22:30 Anytime you're moving away from the Lord, 22:33 you're going down, you never go up. 22:36 Look at Romans 12. 22:37 These two verses are so powerful 22:39 as it relates to the way 22:41 that Christian should view him or herself as it comes, 22:45 as it pertains to worshipping God. 22:47 The Bible says, "I beseech you therefore, 22:49 brethren, by the mercies of God, 22:51 that's him pleading, 22:53 that you present your what, bodies, a living sacrifice." 22:58 How should our bodies be? 23:00 "Holy, acceptable to God, 23:02 which is your reasonable service." 23:05 The principles there... 23:07 They cover so many things. 23:08 If your body is whole, you don't smoke, 23:10 you don't drink, you don't get involved 23:12 in promiscuous sexual activity. 23:14 You don't get involved in homosexual activity. 23:16 You don't get involved in anything 23:17 that corrupts the body unclean foods, 23:20 anything that corrupts the body, you protect that, 23:25 because your body should be as a Christian 23:27 a living sacrifice dedicated to the worship of God. 23:32 And how does that happen? You got to think differently. 23:35 Look at verse 2, "And do not be conformed to this world, 23:38 but be transformed by the what, renewing of your mind." 23:42 You can't think like the billboards 23:44 or like the commercials, or like the fashion designers, 23:47 you've got to think differently, 23:49 you got to renew your mind, and let me tell you, 23:51 there's no better way to renew your mind 23:53 than study God's word. 23:54 When you renew your mind, 23:55 then you can be a representative of 23:58 what is that good 23:59 and acceptable and perfect will of God. 24:04 One of the greatest compliments my wife and I received. 24:07 We were in California at the time, 24:10 and we drove from Northern California, 24:12 we went to Southern California to visit with some friends 24:15 for Thanksgiving and we got lost. 24:18 We didn't have a GPS at the time. 24:19 I don't even think they were out yet. 24:21 So we stopped at Marie Callender's 24:24 to ask directions, and there was a gentleman 24:27 coming out of the Marie Callender's 24:28 as we were going in. 24:30 This is before 3ABN, this is after Heritage Singers. 24:33 So there was no massive television coverage. 24:36 But the guy said to us as he was walking up to us. 24:39 He said, "Are you guys Adventists?" 24:41 I said, "How do you..." He said, "You look like it." 24:46 And I thought what a compliment that you can live your life 24:49 that people recognize that you are not citizens of the... 24:52 you're not being molded by the society. 24:55 You're not being pushed into the trends 24:57 that the world around you are really pushing. 25:00 When you go to the malls, you look at the billboards, 25:03 you look at the store windows, 25:04 when you look at the commercials, 25:06 when you listen to the things that the world is pushing, 25:08 it pushes us away further and further. 25:10 That's why you got to go to God's word 25:12 to renew your mind. 25:14 You ever renewed your subscription 25:17 or renewed your license? 25:18 You got to renew your mind. 25:20 Amen. Renew your mind. 25:22 Keep that thing fresh by studying God's word. 25:25 It says, "They have turned aside quickly 25:27 and they have said that this is your God." 25:29 Now let's go back to question number 21. 25:32 Question number 21. 25:36 Lot of times when people rebel and do something opposite 25:39 to what God has instructed them to do, 25:41 they find a way to try to justify it. 25:44 Question number 21. 25:45 How did Aaron attempt 25:48 to justify his decision to make a god of gold? 25:52 How did Aaron attempt 25:54 to justify his decision to make a god of gold? 25:58 Let's continue in Exodus Chapter 32, 26:00 and let's look together at verse 23 and 24. 26:04 Let me go way back there, there I am, Exodus 32:23. 26:09 Yeah, verse 23, 24, that's right, turn the page. 26:12 Okay, because the story is quite a long story. 26:16 All right, here it is. 26:18 And the Bible says, "For they said to me..." 26:22 Notice right away, he puts the blame on the people. 26:24 Nobody can force you to do anything. 26:26 "Aaron said, they said to me, 26:30 "Make us gods that shall go before us, as for this Moses, 26:35 the man whom you brought, 26:37 who brought us out of the land of Egypt, 26:40 we do not know what has become of him." 26:44 In other word they say, "We are not waiting on Moses. 26:46 We want us a God." 26:48 How crazy it is and the verse continues, 26:50 and it says. 26:53 "And I said to them, "Whoever has any gold, 26:57 let them break it off." 26:58 So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, 27:02 and this calf came out." 27:06 What a lie. 27:08 Are you talking about evasive? 27:10 You're talk about shifting the blame. 27:13 How many times have we thrown things in the fire 27:16 in perfect construct, 27:18 this is almost like the theory of evolution. 27:22 Just throw it in there 27:23 and something perfectly designed 27:24 and symmetrical will come out. 27:26 He blamed the people they said, and then he said, 27:31 they said it and the fire did it. 27:33 Lord, if you didn't create fire, 27:35 this calf would never have shown up. 27:37 It's the fire that You created that made this thing. 27:40 Notice how he didn't take any blame at all. 27:43 What a terrible thing. 27:44 So let's, let's... 27:45 We're walking through this together. 27:47 And the reason I'm walking through this is 27:48 because what I want you to see is 27:50 when people are in rebellion they will find anyone to blame 27:53 and anything else to blame 27:54 other than the actions that they take. 27:57 So question number 21. 27:58 How did Aaron attempt to justify his decision 28:00 to make a god of gold? 28:02 He said the people said it and the fire did it. 28:04 That's the answer, 28:06 the people said it, the fire did it. 28:09 I had nothing to do with this. I was an innocent bystander. 28:12 I just said give me... I just said to them, 28:14 "Give it to me, I threw it in the fire 28:17 and my attempt was to burn it up 28:18 and poof out comes a golden calf." 28:22 What a ridiculous excuse for rebellion. 28:25 It's amazing how it happens. 28:27 Let's go to number 22, number 22, all right. 28:32 Here we are. 28:33 What instruction did Moses give the Israelites 28:37 to correct their rebellion? 28:40 What instruction did Moses give to the Israelites 28:42 to correct their rebellion? 28:44 You know God doesn't just see us in rebellion, 28:46 God wants that rebellion to be corrected. 28:48 That's the beauty of serving the Lord. 28:50 He's not satisfied to see His children 28:52 going in the wrong direction. 28:53 He wants to give them the right directions. 28:55 So God speaks to Moses now, and tells them to do something, 28:59 to give them direction so they can understand clearly 29:02 where they need to be going, all right. 29:05 Let's look at verse 26, verse 26. 29:09 Here it is verse 26 is correct 29:14 that you have but I didn't change it on my screen 29:16 but here it is, and it says, verse 26. 29:20 Here we are. 29:22 "Then Moses said stood 29:28 in the entrance of the camp 29:30 and said, " What did he say? 29:33 "Who is on the Lord's side 29:37 whoever is on the Lord's side come to me." 29:41 Come to... Whoever is on the Lord side, 29:43 come to me. 29:48 "And all the sons of Levi 29:51 gathered themselves together to him." 29:56 The actual reference 29:57 that I need to correct on the next, 29:59 on the next presentation is, it's Exodus 32:26, 30:03 so he said to them, come to me. 30:06 Now notice this. This is an amazing concept. 30:09 When the children of Israel were in rebellion, 30:12 they were not on the Lord's side. 30:14 When they dressed like the Egyptians, 30:16 they were not on the Lord's side. 30:18 There was a song that came out years ago. 30:20 Oh, I've forgotten the years it came out, 30:22 may be the '90s or maybe the middle '80s, 30:26 it was called, Walk like an Egyptian. 30:27 Remember that song, Walk like an Egyptian. 30:32 It was a sad thing. 30:33 So the world is saying, walk like an Egyptian. 30:36 The Lord is saying, "No, I want you to be on my side." 30:41 So they were called to take a stand 30:43 on the side of the Lord, and who responded? 30:47 The Levites, the children of Levi, 30:49 the sons of Levi and why did they respond? 30:52 Because they were the priests, 30:55 they were the ministers among the children of Israel. 30:59 You know what that says today, 31:02 is that ministers can direct properly 31:06 if the ministers are on the Lord's side. 31:08 Amen to that. 31:09 The ministers have to be on the Lord's side. 31:11 If the ministers are on the Lord's side, 31:13 they can direct the children of God. 31:16 But if the minister and by the way 31:17 Aaron was not among that ministry. 31:21 He was the brother of Moses. 31:23 He led them in rebellion, 31:24 but the priest took their stand on the Lord's side. 31:27 So let's put the answer down to number 20, 31:31 was that number 22 was that? 31:33 What instruction did they give to correct that? 31:36 We got to stand on the Lord's side. 31:38 In the world today you've got to live a life 31:40 that lets the world know 31:42 then that you are on the Lord's side, 31:44 isn't that right? 31:46 Your life has to be a testimony 31:48 that you are on the Lord's side. 31:50 How you live, how you, 31:53 everything you do 1 Corinthians 10:31. 31:56 "Whether you there for eat or drink or whatever you do, 31:59 do all to the glory of God." 32:02 The world is in need of seeing people 32:04 that are on the Lord's side. 32:06 And more and more, 32:07 if you mention the Lord today in society... 32:12 People that are living in open rebellion 32:13 will stand up against you, 32:15 will force the government to fire you, 32:18 because you don't agree with their low standards. 32:20 That's what's happening in our world today. 32:22 But the Christian ought not be moved 32:27 by that kind of rebellion. 32:29 If the world wants to go all against us, 32:31 it's not a surprise the Lord said, 32:34 "They didn't like me 32:36 and they're not going to like you." 32:37 If they crucified the green tree which is Jesus, 32:41 what are they going to do to the tree 32:43 that does not bear fruit? 32:44 That's us. He is the vine. 32:46 We are simply the branches. 32:48 Let's go to number 23, number 23. 32:52 Here we are. 32:55 How did Moses classify... This is huge question. 32:59 How did Moses classify 33:03 the nature of Israel's rebellion 33:06 at Mount Horeb? 33:07 How did he classify that? 33:10 Let's look now at verse 31. 33:14 How did He classify that? 33:18 It's amazing how he had this conversation 33:21 between him and Lord, 33:23 not that he needed to tell God anything because God knew, 33:25 but how did Moses classify that? 33:28 And the reason why this is important is 33:30 because if the person that is called to lead 33:33 cannot see that the people are in rebellion, 33:36 then he is not a qualified leader. 33:38 There are many leaders that are called that they can, 33:41 they see the rebellion, they say nothing about it. 33:44 They foster it, but Moses was not that kind of man. 33:48 Notice what he said in verse 31, here it is, 33:53 "Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 33:57 "Oh, these people have committed 34:00 what, a great sin, 34:03 and have made for themselves a god of gold!" 34:10 They have committed a great sin 34:12 and have made for themselves a god of gold. 34:16 Now I go back a little bit in the story 34:18 because today, in many I remember 34:22 when I was in California. 34:24 I was preaching a sermon about the dedication 34:26 of Solomon's Temple. 34:28 It's a beautiful story, 34:29 and they needed extra money to finish the temple 34:34 and the call was made to the children of Israel. 34:38 God has made you, God has blessed you, 34:42 God has furnished everything you need, 34:45 and what the people did? 34:47 Everything that they possessed and this is an amazing thing. 34:50 Everything that they possessed of all their wealth, 34:53 they came and brought it and dedicated it, 34:55 and that's how the temple was completed. 34:58 They brought their gold, their silver, 35:00 their precious stones, they brought everything. 35:02 I was preaching that sermon once 35:04 at one of my churches in California, 35:06 and the next Sabbath. 35:08 I didn't even ask the congregation to do this. 35:09 The next Sabbath I was blown away, 35:12 I saw at the altar 35:14 because we were finishing our building fund. 35:17 I saw at the altar, 35:19 one of the elders had placed a box there 35:20 and I said, "What's that?" 35:22 He said, "Pastor 35:23 people are bringing all kinds of stuff. 35:24 They have brought jewelry to church today, 35:26 not to wear but to dedicate it to the Lord's work." 35:29 Amen. 35:31 And a lot of it was costume jewelry, 35:34 didn't get much out of it 35:35 but they decided, you know what, 35:36 we cannot do that these things 35:38 are needed for the work of the Lord 35:41 to pay off the mortgage that the church still had 35:46 and God got a hold of that church's heart. 35:48 And they finished the mortgage about a year 35:50 or so earlier than it was actually due, 35:54 and they raise that money 35:55 within like a matter of four months 35:57 to pay off the church's mortgage. 35:59 Their hearts were in the right place. 36:01 That's why it was important for Moses to see 36:03 what had happen among the children of Israel. 36:05 So the answer there is you wrote it down 36:08 in number 23, "He classified it. 36:11 It was a great sin when gold is now looked at as your God." 36:16 When gold is now looked at as your God 36:18 and you put that before the God you worship, 36:20 then you have committed a great sin. 36:22 And I would say today, if we do, 36:24 if we pass the jewelry bucket in many of our churches today, 36:28 will find that there is probably just as much 36:30 in the churches today 36:31 as it was among the children of Israel at Mount Horeb. 36:34 Look at number 24, number 24. 36:38 What was God's reaction to the Israelites 36:40 for making a god of gold? 36:44 Up a God of God but a God of gold, 36:46 my typo there. 36:48 Let's look at number 24 and the answer is here 36:50 in Exodus 33:3, 36:53 Exodus 33:3. 36:57 It's amazing how God responded. 37:02 How God responded, notice what he says, 37:04 he gives them instruction 37:05 how to continue in their journey 37:07 but his response is amazing. 37:09 The Lord said, "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, 37:15 for I will not go up in your midst..." 37:19 Listen to what God said, 37:20 "Lest I consume you on the way..." 37:23 And what did he say about the Israelites? 37:25 "For you are a what, stiff-necked people. 37:30 My mother would say hard headed 37:33 or there was a, you don't listen. 37:36 He said you don't listen, and I want to tell you today. 37:40 That is a condition among the people of God 37:43 even to this day, stiff, hard, you can't move them. 37:48 Stubborn, he said, "You're stubborn, 37:50 I've given you instruction what not to do." 37:53 And when we study the lesson at our last sitting, 37:55 we discovered God said, "Do not make a god of gold." 38:00 He told them what not to do. He also told them what to do. 38:03 He said, "Do not make for yourselves a god of gold, 38:06 " and they did exactly what God told them not to do. 38:09 And he said, "If I go with you, if I travel with you, 38:13 I might consume you along the way." 38:15 Well, did He consumed them along the way? 38:18 If you read 1 Corinthians Chapter 10, 38:19 there was an instance 38:20 where along the journey 23, 000 died in one day, 38:25 in one day because of their rebellion, 38:28 because of their immorality, that 23,000 died in one day. 38:33 When God saw them in rebellion, 38:35 He removed the protection, and what happened? 38:37 The serpents and scorpions had their way. 38:41 What a wilderness it was, the Lord protected them, 38:43 but when they entered rebellion, 38:45 He said, you know, I can't travel with you, 38:47 I might just get rid of you in the wilderness. 38:50 And the one reason why God did not rid them, 38:53 rid the wilderness of Israelites 38:55 is because Moses intervened. 38:58 Moses pleaded with God to be merciful to his children, 39:02 not that Moses was more merciful than God. 39:04 But Moses became in that context 39:08 a representation of Christ, 39:10 Jesus pleads in our behalf 39:12 that our salvation may remain intact, 39:14 that our relationship with the Lord 39:16 may remain intact. 39:18 So number 24. 39:19 What was the answer? 39:21 How did Moses... Well, we did number 24. 39:23 What was God's reaction? 39:24 He said, "I won't travel with you." 39:26 What a travesty to travel on a journey 39:29 and not have God's presence with you. 39:31 Now let's go to question number 25. 39:34 We're moving right along. 39:37 What was Israel's response to God's displeasure? 39:42 What was Israel's response 39:44 to God's displeasure? 39:46 Wow, this is an amazing one. 39:49 This is an amazing one, verse 4, verse 4. 39:55 Here it is. Wow. 39:57 And the Bible says, 39:58 "And when the people heard this bad news. 40:02 When the people heard this bad news, 40:07 they mourned, " and look at the rest of the text. 40:11 "And no one put on his own ornaments." 40:15 And no one put on his ornaments. 40:18 Did you get that? No one put on his ornaments. 40:21 Another word for ornaments there in Hebrew is jewelry. 40:25 No one, when they heard how upset it made God, 40:29 no one put on his ornaments. 40:32 They said, you put on, I'm not putting, you put on, 40:35 I'm not putting that on, you put, I'm not putting that. 40:37 No one put it on. 40:40 So if you didn't put it on, what did you do? 40:43 Let's go to the next question. 40:44 No one put on his ornaments. 40:47 Now question number 26. 40:50 Question number 26. Here it is. 40:54 How specific was God 40:57 about what He requires of His children? 40:59 How specific was God about what He requires 41:03 of His children? 41:04 And by the way that sounds like a past tense 41:06 with the present tense but God is still a specific today, 41:09 because God doesn't change, amen to that, 41:11 He doesn't change. 41:12 Let's go to Exodus 33:5 and 6, all right. 41:17 How specific is God 41:19 about what He requires of His children? 41:22 And we're gonna look at verse 5 and 6 and here is what it says, 41:26 "For the Lord had said to Moses, 41:30 "Say to the children of Israel, 41:32 'You are a what, stiff-necked people. 41:36 I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you." 41:42 Wow, God's mercy and then look at what He said, 41:46 and this is what the Lord need to say 41:48 to a lot of our churches today. 41:49 Look at the very next verse, 41:51 "Now therefore, take off your ornaments, 41:56 that I may know what to do to you. 41:59 So the children of Israel, what's the next word, 42:02 stripped themselves of their ornaments 42:05 by Mount Horeb." 42:07 This is powerful. 42:08 They didn't take one thing off, when you strip, 42:11 that means there's nothing left, 42:13 like an elephant can strip a tree of all of its fruits. 42:17 A giraffe can strip a tree of all of its leaves. 42:20 They stripped themselves of their ornaments 42:23 because they knew that God had not even 42:27 the prerogative to know what to do. 42:30 What am I going to do with them? 42:31 Now, you'll find that in just a moment 42:33 why God said that, 42:34 so that I can know what to do with you. 42:36 Let me give you an example. 42:38 It's like a... 42:40 It's like a person that plays for the New York Knicks 42:43 showing up at a basketball game 42:44 with the Los Angeles Lakers shirt on 42:47 and the code says, "Wait a minute." 42:50 I don't even know what to do with you, 42:52 you're a New York Knicks basketball player 42:55 but you have on the Lakers' uniform. 42:57 Would you please take that off 43:00 so that I can know what to do with you? 43:01 When your garment conflicts with your identity, 43:08 the Lord says, "You got to take it off." 43:10 Now where do we get that in the Bible as an example? 43:12 In the Book of Genesis when Eve put on an apron 43:17 that God let her keep her apron on, yes or no, no. 43:20 The Lord covered them with skin of... 43:24 He killed an animal 43:25 and covered them with the skin of the animal. 43:28 When they sinned, she wore an apron. 43:30 And nowadays sometimes you go to church, 43:32 look like some people have on aprons. 43:36 There needs to be a reformation amongst the way we dress 43:39 when we come to worship the Lord, 43:41 among the way we dress period, 43:43 not just when we come to worship the Lord. 43:45 So the Lord, once again Adam and Eve said, 43:49 they hid themselves because they were naked. 43:51 Satan had stripped them of their righteousness. 43:54 Now the Lord stripped the children 43:55 of Israel of their rebellion, 43:57 take it off that I may know what to do with you 44:00 and when they heard that, 44:01 they took all their ornaments off. 44:03 Today, many of us need to humble ourselves 44:05 before the Lord and also remove the ornaments that we have, 44:09 and we'll find it in just a moment 44:11 I'm holding that out as my key text. 44:14 Question number 27, number 27. 44:17 We're making a good... We're making a good track. 44:19 Number 27. Here is the question. 44:22 What condition, this is a beautiful verse. 44:25 What condition lead the Israelites 44:29 to remove the Egyptian ornaments? 44:32 What condition lead 44:34 the Israelites to remove the Egyptian ornaments? 44:36 Now, we're going to go to Exodus 35:22. 44:41 Now when you get there, this is powerful. 44:44 What you're going to see when people get upset, 44:48 the Lord does not want us to respond because He's upset. 44:54 There needs to be a certain spirit about those 44:56 who want to comply with God's, God's requirement. 44:59 When this spirit is there, then the blessing follows. 45:03 That's why the Lord and let's make another example, 45:06 another application here. 45:07 That's why when the Lord talks about giving an offering, 45:09 Paul says don't give grudgingly 45:12 and don't give out of necessity, 45:13 for God loves what kind of a giver? 45:15 A cheerful giver. 45:17 The condition of the heart has everything to do 45:21 with complying to God's requirements. 45:23 If the heart is not changed, don't do it, okay, 45:26 you want my tithe and offering, here it is. 45:30 God said keep it. 45:32 Imagine that, your parents say, "Go get me some, 45:35 go get me a loaf of bread, 45:37 " and the kid comes home and throws the bread on table, 45:38 you want a bread, here it is. 45:41 My mother would say, you better take that bread back 45:43 to the store, I'm not touching that bread. 45:44 And you are locked down for the next two weeks. 45:47 The condition of the heart. 45:49 God was looking for more than just compliance. 45:52 He was looking for a change of heart. 45:54 Amen. 45:55 I believe that those who want to be in harmony 45:57 with God's will, 45:58 who want to be in harmony with God's divine plan 46:01 have to have a changed heart. 46:03 Look at this verse Exodus 35:22. 46:06 This is a beautiful verse 46:07 and this is what's going to take today, 46:10 for those of us who are following 46:11 the pattern of the world 46:12 to now follow the instructions of the Lord. 46:15 Here is the verse. 46:16 "They came, both men and women, as many as had, 46:23 say those next two words together, a willing heart, 46:27 and what did they do, 46:29 and they brought earrings and nose rings, 46:33 sound like today, rings and necklaces, 46:37 all jewelry of gold." 46:40 That is every man 46:43 who made an offering of gold to the Lord. 46:47 That's what happens, when the heart is willing, 46:50 when the heart is willing, whatever you have, 46:53 they brought to earrings, the nose rings, the rings, 46:57 the necklaces, all jewels of gold 47:00 and they gave it to the Lord. 47:02 They gave it to the Lord because they said, Lord, 47:06 this belongs to you. 47:08 I know you gave it to us when we left Egypt. 47:11 Now I understand why you gave it to us. 47:13 If you could, if you can compare that today, 47:16 all of our wealth belongs to the Lord. 47:19 And when we spend that unwisely in ornamentation, 47:22 in jewelry, we should follow the same example 47:26 and have a willing heart. 47:27 Now why is a willing heart so vitally important? 47:30 Let me see. 47:31 I'll leave it there, because I want to get some, 47:33 the willing heart if you just write this text down, 47:35 Isaiah 1:18-22, Isaiah 1:18-22, 47:40 where the Lord expresses, 47:42 He says, "If you are willing and obedient, 47:45 you will eat the good of the land, 47:46 but if you refuse and rebel, 47:49 you'll be devoured by the sword." 47:51 When the heart is willing, the Lord accepts what you have. 47:55 When the heart is willing, 47:56 the Lord accepts what you have. 47:57 A great change could to be made in the life 47:59 when the heart is willing first and foremost. 48:02 Number 28. Number 28. 48:06 I think we're going to make it. 48:08 Here we are. 48:09 "Among what nation or people were earrings known to be worn? 48:14 If the Israelites were not the ones to wear it, 48:17 who were the nations? 48:18 We not only know there was not only the Egyptians, 48:21 we not only the Babylonians but in specifics 48:24 the Lord brings this out in Judges Chapter 8. 48:27 Now this is Gideon when they went to battle 48:30 against a nation that they definitely 48:32 did win the battle against. 48:34 The Lord gave particular instruction, 48:36 particular instruction about all those men 48:39 that Gideon and his army had defeated in the battle, 48:42 all right. 48:43 Here it is. 48:44 Judges 8:24, "And the Bible says, 48:46 "Then Gideon said to them, that is to his men, 48:51 "I would like to make a request of you 48:55 that each of you would give me, 48:57 the what, the earrings from his plunder." 49:02 Now look at the next verse, the rest of the verse, 49:05 "For they had golden earrings, 49:08 because they were Ishmaelites." 49:12 Noticed the difference. 49:14 Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac and Ishmael, 49:18 Jacob and Esau, you had Cain and Abel, 49:22 the faithful, the rebellious. 49:23 Esau and Jacob, Isaac and Ishmael, 49:27 the rebellion one was... 49:29 the rebellious one was always living a life 49:32 out of harmony with God. 49:35 Cain kills Abel, Jacob and Isaac two brothers 49:39 that were in conflict even still today. 49:42 Isaac and Ishmael, two brothers in conflict. 49:45 And today, you see the Ishmaelites were the ones 49:48 that had gone a different path 49:50 than that of the path that God had established for them, 49:53 and they were the ones 49:55 that were wearing the golden earrings, 49:57 not the Israelites. 49:58 When the Israelites wore, 49:59 we looked that up a couple of weeks ago in Hosea 2:13, 50:03 the Lord clearly defined that in Hosea 2:13, 50:06 that "They went after their lovers 50:08 and they had forgotten the Lord." 50:10 That's what's happening in the world today. 50:12 When the church begins to follow a different God, 50:15 they go after the gods that they love, 50:18 the appearance externally does indicate that, 50:22 that's what happened with the children of Israel. 50:23 Let's go to number 29. 50:26 It's happening today. You can see who is in charge. 50:29 Who is molding, who is leading, who is influencing. 50:32 By the way that the Christian represents himself or herself. 50:38 Question number 29. 50:40 Number 29. 50:42 And here it is. 50:43 What New Testament principle 50:46 governs our stewardship of God's temple? 50:50 When you get a principle, the principle never dies. 50:53 The principle to not smoking, not drinking, 50:57 to taking care of our body is "thou shalt not kill." 51:01 That means even yourself. 51:03 Don't kill the very thing that God has given you 51:05 which is the greatest gift, your body, your mind. 51:09 Some people say, it doesn't really matter. 51:11 I'm going to get another one. 51:12 That philosophy only goes as far as the hospital, 51:14 because when you're on the hospital bed, 51:16 you will do anything you can to sustain 51:19 the way that their body could have worked 51:20 had it been honored. 51:22 What New Testament principle 51:25 governs our stewardship of God's temple? 51:27 And just in case you don't understand, 51:29 stewardship means he owns it. 51:30 So what do we do because we recognize 51:32 that God is the owner of our body. 51:34 Here is the text, 2 Corinthian 6:16, 51:38 2 Corinthians 6:16. 51:41 Here it is. 51:42 Paul once again, 51:44 "And what agreement 51:45 has the temple of God with what, idols? 51:50 For you are the temple of the living God. 51:55 As God has said..." 51:57 What did he say to us? Here it is. 51:59 "I will dwell, where, 52:01 in them and walk, where, among them. 52:05 I will be their God, And they shall be, what, 52:08 My people." This is huge. 52:11 In this one text, two powerful scriptures 52:16 we read earlier are comprised here. 52:18 First of all he said, "I will dwell in them." 52:20 Where does the Holy Spirit dwell, tell me? 52:23 In us. 52:24 He dwells in us because we are God's temple. 52:27 What did the Lord refused to do 52:30 when the children of Israel were in rebellion? 52:32 He refused to walk among them. 52:35 Ain't that amazing? 52:37 If the Spirit of God is dwelling in us, 52:39 then God is with us. 52:41 If God is walking amongst us, then God is with us. 52:45 When you live a life in harmony, 52:47 when you recognize that your body 52:48 is the temple of the Lord, 52:50 and that this temple should be free from idols of all kinds, 52:54 God said, "Hey, I'll live there and I'll walk there. 52:58 My Sprit will abide in there 53:00 and I will surely walk with you." 53:03 That's why the Lord chose 53:04 not to walk with the Israelites, 53:06 because they chose not to walk in the path 53:09 that He outlined before them. 53:10 And earlier in the journey, He said to them, 53:12 I place before you two rows, life and blessings, 53:14 death and cursings, and then he said, 53:16 " Choose life, " but they chose the things 53:20 that they have been influenced by 53:23 for the 400 years of generation. 53:25 And, you know, I tell you 400 years is a long time. 53:27 How many family generations is that? 53:29 That's a long time. 53:30 If everybody lived for 100 years, 53:32 that's four generations. 53:34 We know that they didn't live that long. 53:35 By that, by that time 53:37 they started living shorter lives. 53:38 That's a lot of generations. 53:40 So here you are, you got the early, early generations 53:43 that came in to Egypt 53:45 and so your parents grew up in Egypt 53:47 and learn the ways of Egypt, 53:49 and so they had children that took on the ways of Egypt. 53:52 And then they had children that took on the ways of Egypt. 53:55 And they had children and children that took, 53:57 and so you have generations of generations. 53:59 And when you begin to go back, I've done this as a pastor. 54:03 I've often looked at people's lives 54:05 and I say, somewhere along the way, 54:08 their parents made a decision that has resulted in the way 54:11 that their children are. 54:14 Somewhere along the way... 54:16 the decision was made by somebody prior to that. 54:19 In many cases you can see the influence of the past 54:22 has produced the product of the present. 54:25 But now let's finish, go to number 30 now, number 30. 54:28 Okay, number 30. 54:30 How does God contrast His people's faithfulness 54:34 against the rebellion of the world? 54:37 How does God contrast His people's faithfulness 54:42 against the rebellion of the world? 54:45 We're going to go to two texts in the Bible, 54:46 Revelation Chapter 12. 54:48 Now these are pictures of prophetic importance 54:51 but it's amazing that God uses the picture 54:54 that He does want to describe 54:56 the faithful condition of His church, 54:58 the other to describe the church in rebellion. 55:02 Revelation 12:1, 55:04 Revelation 12:1 and here it is, wow. 55:09 Bible says, "Now a great sign appeared, 55:11 where, in heaven: a woman..." 55:14 By the way in prophecy a woman represents the church. 55:16 "A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, 55:22 and on her head a garland of, what, twelve stars." 55:26 What is she clothed in natural beauty, 55:29 sun, moon, stars, natural beauty. 55:34 When a woman has a natural beauty, 55:38 God is saying and this may seem strange to our world today, 55:41 but I believe that when a woman, 55:43 when a child is born 55:45 that God has given the young man 55:47 and the young lady everything they need 55:49 to carry on for the rest of their lives. 55:51 The more beautiful and more natural, 55:54 the more we are representative of God's presence. 55:57 But look at the contrast 55:58 that will you put it Revelation 12:1, 56:01 God's faithful people. 56:04 Look at the next one, the contrast. 56:07 All right, the contrast. 56:10 I don't think I changed... Okay, 56:13 I don't think I changed the text 56:14 but let's just read it in the Bible. 56:16 Look at Revelation Chapter 17. 56:19 I remember when I was finishing this, 56:21 the doorbell rang and it threw me 56:25 but it's in the Bible, 56:27 Revelation 17:4, let's read that. 56:29 You don't need the screen on this one. 56:32 The woman, now Revelation 17, this is the woman of Babylon 56:36 was arrayed in purple and scarlet, 56:39 and what color was missing, blue, 56:41 representing the commandments of God. 56:43 And adorned with gold and precious stones 56:47 and pearls having in her hand 56:50 a golden cup full of abominations 56:53 and the filthiness of her fornication. 56:56 So look at the... Look at the two pictures there. 56:58 You find one gold, pearls, precious stones... 57:04 in rebellion, sun, moon, stars, in faithfulness. 57:10 God uses those two pictures to describe 57:14 the church as He pictures it to be 57:16 and the church how it has become. 57:19 The second picture is that of Babylon, 57:22 the fallen condition. 57:23 The first one is the glory of God 57:26 radiated through His church. 57:28 What we're going to do in the next broadcast 57:30 and we'll begin with this one. 57:31 So if you, if you haven't caught it yet, 57:34 we're gonna show you where this all came from. 57:36 We're gonna begin with Ezekiel Chapter 28 57:41 on our next broadcast 57:42 because if it's prevalent in the world today, 57:45 you must wonder where it came from. 57:48 Why is this an issue today? 57:50 Why is the church struggling with adornment and music, 57:56 the Bible gives the answer. 57:57 Friends, if it doesn't make sense, 57:58 go back over and over through it 58:00 because I believe you, 58:01 by studying it will come into a sharper focus. |
Revised 2016-09-19