Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
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Our Father in heaven, we thank
You for the privilege of being
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here today to study Your
Holy Word; to study about
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the ladder and the tower.
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We ask that Your Holy
Spirit will teach us the lessons
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which will help us in
our personal walk with Jesus.
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And we thank You for hearing
our prayer, for we ask it in
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Jesus' name, Amen.
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I'd like to invite you to open
your Bibles with me to the book
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of Genesis, chapter 28, and we
will begin reading at verse 10.
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However, before we start
reading, I need to give you
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a little bit of
background; the background to
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this particular passage.
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We probably all know the story
of Jacob, and how Jacob lied
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to his father, deceived his
father, stole the birthright
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from his brother, and as
a result of this he had to
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flee from his home.
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The Bible tells us that as he
was fleeing from home, he felt a
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deep burden of guilt, because of
the sin that he had committed.
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And after traveling for
many, many hours, Jacob arrived
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in a place which later
would be called Bethel,
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which means the house of God.
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And this is where I want to pick
up our reading in Genesis 28:10.
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And then it continues saying:
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Very interesting dream
that God gave to Jacob.
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This has become known as
the story of Jacob's ladder,
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which is certainly a misnomer,
because this is not Jacob's
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ladder, this is
the Lord's ladder.
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It's kind of like
saying Noah's flood.
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You know, it wasn't Noah's
flood, it was the Lord's flood.
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And so, really, this
is the Lord's ladder.
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Now the question is, what
does this dream symbolize?
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You see, every story in
Genesis is not only a story
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but a prophecy. And so this
story must have some prophetic
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significance. And
the question is, what is
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its prophetic significance?
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You notice you have a ladder.
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The top of the ladder
reaches unto the highest heaven.
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The bottom of the ladder
is firmly rooted on earth.
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And between the two points
there are angels ascending
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and descending upon the ladder.
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What could be
meant by this dream?
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Well, the fact is that
we don't have to guess.
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Turn in your Bibles with
me to the gospel of John 1:51,
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the gospel of John 1:51.
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Here Jesus is speaking to
Nathaniel, who would become
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one of the disciples of Jesus.
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And notice what he says:
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Isn't that an interesting verse?
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You will see the angels of
God ascending and descending
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upon the Son of man.
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Now if they're ascending and
descending upon the Son of man,
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what must the ladder
of Genesis 28 represent?
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It must represent Jesus, because
in Genesis 28 the angels are
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ascending and
descending upon the ladder.
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In John 1 it says that
they're ascending and descending
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upon the Son of man; upon Jesus.
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In other words,
Jesus is that ladder.
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Now if I were to
ask you how many key
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parts does a ladder have?
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Probably many of
you would answer three:
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the bottom, the
top, and the middle.
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But really a ladder has
only two key parts: the bottom,
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and the top, and, of
course, the middle is automatic
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if you have the
bottom and the top.
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Now why would Jesus be
compared with a ladder?
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Well, let's talk a
little bit about this.
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What would the top
of the ladder represent
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if the ladder represents Jesus?
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Well, turn with me in
your Bibles to John 1:1, 3.
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We almost don't even
have to look up those verses.
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It says there in John 1:1, 3:
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And then verse 3 says
that He made all things...
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Notice that these
verses describe Jesus before
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He came to this world.
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Jesus, according to John 1,
before He became man, was God.
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He was the Creator.
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Now I also want you to notice
Matthew 1:23, Matthew 1:23.
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This is speaking
about the birth of Christ.
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And the angel speaks
these words which are very
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well known, incidentally, by us.
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These two verses
clearly teach that Jesus is God.
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That is the top of the ladder.
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It represents the deity of
Jesus, the divinity of Christ.
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He is one with God.
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In the beginning He
was with the Father;
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equal with the Father.
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In fact, Jesus said, I
and the Father are One;
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that is in unity, in
character, and in purpose.
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So the top of the
ladder represents the deity,
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or the divinity of Jesus Christ.
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But now we must ask, what
does the bottom represent?
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Now the top reached all the
way to heaven where the Father
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was standing at
the top of the ladder.
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What would the bottom
represent if it's rooted
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firmly upon the earth?
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It must represent the humanity
of Jesus, the manhood of Christ.
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Notice what we find in John 1:
14, also a verse which is very,
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very well known. We probably
could recite it from memory.
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It says there in John 1:14:
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That is the Word who was God.
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Now you notice that
Word, who was God, in eternity,
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who created this world; John
tells us that He became flesh.
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In other words, He
became a human being.
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He was rooted on this earth
with a nature which is common
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to ours. Notice also
what we find in Matthew 1:1,
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on the humanity of Christ,
the bottom of the ladder;
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His manhood, if we
could speak in those terms.
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It says there in Matthew 1:1,
the beginning of the genealogy
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of Christ. It says:
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So we notice here that
Jesus has two characteristics
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when it comes to His self
identity, and that is that Jesus
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in eternity was God, and He
came to earth and He became man
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without ceasing to be God.
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The top of the ladder is
His deity, and the bottom
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of the ladder
represents his humanity.
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His divinity unites
Him with His Father,
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His humanity unites Him with us.
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Thus heaven and earth are
united through the God man.
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You know, there are texts
in scripture that indicate
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that Jesus is both God
and man besides the ones
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that we just read.
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For example, in Revelation 22:16
Jesus says that He has sent
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His angel to
testify unto them the things
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which were
written to the churches.
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And then He goes on to
say that He is the root
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and the offspring of David.
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Now I've mentioned
this in a previous lecture,
00:12:08.62\00:12:11.53
but this is an
extremely interesting verse,
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because it says that
Jesus is the root of David,
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and He is also the
offspring of David.
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Now how is it possible
to be the root of David,
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and the offspring of David?
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The fact is that
Jesus is David's father,
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and He is also David's son.
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He is David's father,
because when He created Adam,
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and David descended from Adam,
David was created by Christ.
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But Jesus is the son of David
as a man, because He comes from
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the lineage of David.
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Notice also John
8:58, John 8: 58.
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You know Jesus said something
very revolutionary to the Jews
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who were listening to Him.
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You know, we just read in
Matthew 1 that Jesus was the son
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of Abraham, and
the son of David.
00:13:05.61\00:13:07.85
So, in other words,
Jesus was the son of Abraham.
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But in John 8:58 Jesus
said something revolutionary,
00:13:10.35\00:13:15.39
and it made the Jews very angry.
00:13:15.42\00:13:16.99
They picked up
stones to throw them at Him
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after He said
these words. He said:
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Now notice, He doesn't
say, before Abraham was I was,
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He says, before
Abraham was I Am.
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In other words, I
never had a beginning.
00:13:36.85\00:13:39.41
So once again we find that
Jesus is the seed of Abraham,
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He's the son of
Abraham, but He says that before
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Abraham was, I Am.
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That means that
Jesus is both God and man.
00:13:48.92\00:13:53.56
The top of the ladder is
His deity, and the bottom of
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the ladder is His humanity,
and those two characteristics
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unite God with man.
00:14:01.20\00:14:03.91
Notice also in the
book of Philippians 2.
00:14:03.94\00:14:08.14
Here the apostle Paul is
going to weigh in on this
00:14:08.18\00:14:11.18
particular subject, the book of
Philippians 2, and I would like
00:14:11.21\00:14:16.42
to begin reading at
verse 5. It says here:
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A better translation would
be: He did not consider equality
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with God as
something to be hung onto,
00:14:39.27\00:14:41.41
as something to be
grasped. And so it says:
00:14:41.44\00:14:45.88
A better translation would
be that He emptied Himself,...
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Notice that He was in the form
of God, but He took the form
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of a servant, and became a man
and suffered death on a cross.
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Clearly the apostle Paul,
in this passage, indicates that
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Jesus is both God
and man in one person.
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He has two
natures in one person.
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But now we need
to ask the question,
00:15:33.66\00:15:36.13
How far down did Jesus come?
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This is a big point of
debate in Christendom today,
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and more specifically within the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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For decades we have
had this discussion.
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How far down did Jesus come?
00:15:53.72\00:15:56.92
Did Jesus take the nature
of Adam before Adam sinned?
00:15:56.95\00:16:03.76
Did Jesus take the nature of the
unfallen Adam, as a human being?
00:16:03.79\00:16:09.76
Or did Jesus take
our sinful nature?
00:16:09.80\00:16:14.90
You know, I'm not sure
that on this earth this issue
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will ever be resolved.
00:16:18.51\00:16:19.77
I've resolved that in my
own mind, and I'm going to share
00:16:19.81\00:16:23.81
with you some evidence to
the effect that Jesus Christ
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came all the way
down to where we are.
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Not to where Adam was before
he sinned, but to where we are;
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needy sinners. Go with me
to the book of Hebrews 2:14-17,
00:16:39.26\00:16:48.04
Hebrews 2:14-17. Here the
apostle is very, very clear
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on this point, I believe.
00:16:55.88\00:16:57.25
Once again, Hebrews 2
and beginning with verse 14.
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Did Jesus take the
nature of an angel?
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No, He took upon
Himself the seed of Abraham.
00:17:45.43\00:17:50.10
Now notice verse
17; very important.
00:17:50.13\00:17:52.43
Wherefore in some things it
behooved Him to be made like
00:17:52.47\00:17:57.94
unto His brethren.
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Let's try it again.
00:17:59.21\00:18:04.31
Wherefore in most things it...
00:18:04.35\00:18:08.38
Okay, you're protesting.
00:18:08.42\00:18:10.29
You won't even let me
continue reading. It says there:
00:18:10.32\00:18:13.69
He was made in all
things like unto His brethren.
00:18:31.91\00:18:35.58
Now I need to explain something
to you about the word brethren
00:18:35.61\00:18:39.35
in the New
Testament as it applies
00:18:39.38\00:18:42.08
to the followers of Christ.
00:18:42.12\00:18:43.72
The word brethren in the New
Testament is a technical term
00:18:43.75\00:18:48.39
which means those
who have been converted,
00:18:48.42\00:18:53.40
and belong to Jesus Christ.
00:18:53.43\00:18:56.16
They've been engrafted into
the family of God by conversion.
00:18:56.20\00:19:00.24
You remember once Jesus
said, Who is my brother?
00:19:00.27\00:19:04.47
Who is my sister?
00:19:04.51\00:19:06.17
Who is my mother?
00:19:06.21\00:19:07.91
He says, He who does the
will of God, that is my brother,
00:19:07.94\00:19:13.92
and my sister, and my
father, and my mother.
00:19:13.95\00:19:17.12
The word brethren does
not mean unregenerate sinners.
00:19:17.15\00:19:20.92
The word brethren refers
to those who have gone through
00:19:20.96\00:19:24.29
the experience of conversion.
00:19:24.33\00:19:26.93
Their human nature
has been regenerated.
00:19:26.96\00:19:29.70
They have been born
again, in other words.
00:19:29.73\00:19:33.03
This is very, very important.
00:19:33.07\00:19:34.34
So Jesus was made like
unto His converted brethren,
00:19:34.37\00:19:38.54
His born again brethren.
00:19:38.57\00:19:40.58
In other words,
Jesus, when He was born,
00:19:40.61\00:19:42.31
He never had to be born again,
because He was born again.
00:19:42.34\00:19:48.12
Are you catching my point?
00:19:51.52\00:19:53.92
Now let's go to Hebrews
4:14, 15, Hebrews 4:14, 15.
00:19:53.96\00:20:03.06
Remember that Jesus had
to come all the way down.
00:20:03.10\00:20:06.03
Hebrews 4:14, 15.
00:20:06.07\00:20:09.77
These are marvelous verses.
00:20:09.80\00:20:11.44
They fill us with
hope. It says there:
00:20:11.47\00:20:14.88
Whose infirmities?
00:20:22.52\00:20:23.72
What does that verse say?
00:20:35.20\00:20:38.43
Is the verse clear?
00:20:38.47\00:20:41.00
It is crystal clear. It says:
00:20:41.04\00:20:45.17
Now some people say, Well,
Pastor, if He was tempted in all
00:20:55.15\00:20:59.42
points like we are,
but He never sinned,
00:20:59.45\00:21:03.43
how can He understand us?
00:21:03.46\00:21:05.73
I like to use this illustration.
00:21:05.76\00:21:08.83
If you were sinking in quick
sand, and you were all the way
00:21:08.86\00:21:14.57
up to your neck, and your
head was about to go under,
00:21:14.60\00:21:18.47
what would you rather have?
00:21:18.51\00:21:20.88
Would you rather have someone
in the quicksand sympathizing
00:21:20.91\00:21:26.55
with you, or would you rather
have someone on solid ground
00:21:26.58\00:21:30.72
who can pull you out?
00:21:30.75\00:21:32.12
I think I don't even have
to answer my own question,
00:21:32.15\00:21:37.23
because the answer is obvious.
00:21:37.26\00:21:38.96
If Jesus had jumped into
the quicksand along with us,
00:21:38.99\00:21:44.77
and He had become a
sinner, He took a sinful nature,
00:21:44.80\00:21:49.07
but He didn't sin, but if He had
become a sinner, He would have
00:21:49.10\00:21:52.11
needed a what? He
would have needed a Savior.
00:21:52.14\00:21:55.08
He would have needed a Redeemer.
00:21:55.11\00:21:57.01
But we're being told here that
He was tempted in all things,
00:21:57.05\00:22:01.25
yet without sin. He took
our nature, and for 33 years
00:22:01.28\00:22:07.39
He lived a perfect, sinless
life; never acted out one sin.
00:22:07.42\00:22:14.96
That's amazing!
00:22:15.00\00:22:17.47
Now, if Jesus did not come
with our nature, we have serious
00:22:17.50\00:22:24.74
theological problems.
00:22:24.77\00:22:28.08
I don't want you to assume that
I'm being sacrilegious here,
00:22:28.11\00:22:30.85
but I want to give you an
illustration, because I want
00:22:30.88\00:22:32.55
you to
understand what I'm saying.
00:22:32.58\00:22:34.12
Let's imagine that
Superman really existed.
00:22:34.15\00:22:38.79
Now I know that
Superman doesn't exist.
00:22:38.82\00:22:40.89
Let's suppose that
Superman really did exist.
00:22:40.92\00:22:43.16
And Superman comes
to that door and he says
00:22:43.19\00:22:48.46
to those gathered here today,
he says, Folks, come outside
00:22:48.50\00:22:54.04
with me. And so we all step
out the door; we go outside.
00:22:54.07\00:22:57.47
And then Superman flies
off into the air and he says,
00:22:57.51\00:23:02.14
Follow me! What would you say?
00:23:02.18\00:23:10.15
Superman, you're crazy!
00:23:10.19\00:23:13.56
You see, you have
powers that I don't have.
00:23:13.59\00:23:17.49
You have a
different nature than I have.
00:23:17.53\00:23:20.83
You see, if Jesus had a human
nature different than we do,
00:23:20.86\00:23:28.54
on what basis could God
ask us to follow His example?
00:23:28.57\00:23:32.51
If Jesus was superior to us,
if Jesus had advantages over us,
00:23:32.54\00:23:38.65
on what basis could He
tell us to follow His example?
00:23:38.68\00:23:43.85
On what basis could we
even follow His example?
00:23:43.89\00:23:47.19
Are you
understanding what I am saying?
00:23:47.22\00:23:49.16
And so Jesus
came all the way down.
00:23:49.19\00:23:52.96
Now, if you look at
the genealogy of Christ,
00:23:52.99\00:23:57.43
in Matthew 1, you'll discover
some very interesting things.
00:23:57.47\00:24:02.14
He had quite the
list of ancestors.
00:24:02.17\00:24:05.67
Let me just mention
some of them to you.
00:24:05.71\00:24:09.04
You have Abraham the
liar, more than once.
00:24:09.08\00:24:14.58
You have Jacob the supplanter.
00:24:14.62\00:24:18.59
You have David the
murderer, and the adulterer.
00:24:18.62\00:24:24.09
You have Rahab the harlot.
00:24:24.13\00:24:27.60
You have Ruth, who
was not even an Israelite.
00:24:27.60\00:24:31.30
She was a Moabite.
00:24:31.33\00:24:32.47
And you have Amon who was
so idolatrous, and so wicked,
00:24:32.50\00:24:39.44
that he filled the streets
of Jerusalem with the innocent
00:24:39.47\00:24:43.41
blood of his own people.
00:24:43.45\00:24:45.41
That was the ancestry of Christ,
because Jesus descended from
00:24:45.45\00:24:53.79
Abraham, and He
descended from David.
00:24:53.82\00:24:56.29
Now you might say, Well,
God spared Him that inheritance.
00:24:56.32\00:25:01.10
Listen folks, A. T. Jones,
a very famous preacher back in
00:25:01.13\00:25:06.94
the 1888 Minneapolis
Conference, wrote a book titled,
00:25:06.97\00:25:11.94
The Consecrated Way
to Christian Perfection.
00:25:11.97\00:25:14.88
And he used this argument:
He said, if Jesus did not come
00:25:14.91\00:25:20.15
to this world with
our sinful nature...
00:25:20.18\00:25:24.32
By the way, the
sinful nature never sinned.
00:25:24.35\00:25:27.22
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:25:27.26\00:25:28.89
If Jesus did not come to this
world with our sinful nature,
00:25:28.92\00:25:32.79
then Mary, His
mother, must have been
00:25:32.83\00:25:37.77
immaculately conceived.
00:25:37.80\00:25:39.77
Have you ever heard the doctrine
of the immaculate conception?
00:25:39.80\00:25:44.44
You know, many people
assume that the doctrine of the
00:25:44.47\00:25:46.88
immaculate conception means
that the Catholic Church teaches
00:25:46.91\00:25:50.35
that Jesus was born immaculate.
00:25:50.38\00:25:52.71
That's not the doctrine.
00:25:52.75\00:25:54.52
The doctrine of the immaculate
conception is that Mary was born
00:25:54.55\00:25:59.22
without sinful human nature,
because how could she give birth
00:25:59.25\00:26:05.99
to Jesus with a
perfect and sinless nature,
00:26:06.03\00:26:10.67
if Jesus inherited a
sinful nature from her?
00:26:10.70\00:26:15.04
And so they spare Mary
from having a sinful nature,
00:26:15.07\00:26:19.54
and therefore they say
Jesus could be born without
00:26:19.57\00:26:22.64
a sinful nature. This creates
huge problems, because if you
00:26:22.68\00:26:27.12
believe that Mary was
born without the sinful nature,
00:26:27.15\00:26:31.19
you would have to assume that
her mother also was born without
00:26:31.22\00:26:34.96
a sinful nature. And her mother
must have been born without
00:26:34.99\00:26:38.96
a sinful nature, and so on.
00:26:38.99\00:26:40.56
The fact is that Jesus descended
from Mary, who was from the
00:26:40.60\00:26:44.97
line that is mentioned in
Matthew 1, the line of Abraham,
00:26:45.00\00:26:49.14
and Jacob, and David,
and all of these individuals
00:26:49.17\00:26:53.68
that are mentioned in
the genealogy of Christ.
00:26:53.71\00:26:56.31
He truly inherited
the sinful human nature.
00:26:56.34\00:27:01.98
You're probably saying,
this probably is a unique
00:27:02.02\00:27:05.99
Adventist view. I want
to read a statement from,
00:27:06.02\00:27:09.79
perhaps arguably,
the greatest theologian
00:27:09.82\00:27:13.63
of the twentieth century.
00:27:13.66\00:27:15.76
You've probably
never heard of him.
00:27:15.80\00:27:17.23
His name is Karl Barth.
00:27:17.27\00:27:19.53
He wrote in his
Church Dogmatics, Volume 1,
00:27:19.57\00:27:24.84
part 2, page 153,
the following words:
00:27:24.87\00:27:28.58
Do you notice this?
00:27:48.60\00:27:51.47
By the way, he was
a reformed theologian.
00:27:51.50\00:27:54.90
He continues saying:
00:27:54.94\00:27:56.87
So Karl Barth himself, and I
have other statements from other
00:28:27.17\00:28:31.57
non-Adventist theologians, who
teach the same truth that Jesus
00:28:31.61\00:28:36.14
assumed our sinful nature,
and He did not allow that sinful
00:28:36.18\00:28:42.42
nature to manifest
itself in acts of sin.
00:28:42.45\00:28:46.42
In other words, Jesus had a
sinful nature, but He developed
00:28:46.45\00:28:52.09
a holy character.
00:28:52.13\00:28:54.36
Jesus had, in other
words, sinful flesh.
00:28:54.40\00:28:58.77
He did not have holy flesh.
00:28:58.80\00:29:01.24
He had sinful flesh,
like we have sinful flesh.
00:29:01.27\00:29:05.24
And yet Jesus never allowed
the sinful flesh to manifest
00:29:05.27\00:29:10.11
itself in acts of sin.
00:29:10.15\00:29:12.78
The instant the temptation came
to Christ, Jesus resisted it.
00:29:12.81\00:29:19.22
He never for a momentary
instant had an inclination,
00:29:19.25\00:29:23.89
or a tendency to commit
sin, because the moment the
00:29:23.93\00:29:27.73
temptation arrived, even before
He would have a tendency or an
00:29:27.76\00:29:31.13
inclination to commit the sin,
He would say, It is written!
00:29:31.17\00:29:35.47
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:29:35.50\00:29:38.84
He had no inclination, He never
played with temptation and said,
00:29:38.87\00:29:42.58
Should I, or shouldn't I?
00:29:42.61\00:29:44.38
Never did Jesus
have that feeling.
00:29:44.41\00:29:47.78
He never had a tendency,
or an inclination to commit
00:29:47.82\00:29:50.79
an act of sin, even
though He had our nature.
00:29:50.82\00:29:53.59
Now is that
comforting truth for us?
00:29:53.62\00:29:56.66
Is that
encouraging truth for us?
00:29:56.69\00:29:58.66
I'll tell you, that is
very encouraging to me,
00:29:58.69\00:30:00.96
because I need to know
that there is power to overcome.
00:30:00.96\00:30:05.70
There is power to conquer.
00:30:05.73\00:30:07.67
Notice Romans
8:3, 4, Romans 8: 3, 4.
00:30:07.70\00:30:17.61
Here we find very
clearly this same idea
00:30:17.65\00:30:20.22
expressed by the
apostle Paul. It says there:
00:30:20.25\00:30:23.52
In other words,
the law can't save us.
00:30:30.26\00:30:31.83
In the likeness of what?
00:30:40.14\00:30:42.90
In other words, He came
in the likeness of our flesh,
00:30:42.94\00:30:46.01
the likeness of our flesh.
00:30:46.04\00:30:48.11
His flesh was like our flesh,
sinful flesh. And so it says:
00:30:48.14\00:30:53.25
How did Jesus
condemn sin? in sinful flesh,
00:31:02.12\00:31:08.03
according to this.
00:31:08.06\00:31:09.16
The apostle Paul is
saying that we can follow
00:31:16.54\00:31:18.87
the example of Jesus.
00:31:18.91\00:31:19.81
We can walk not
according to the flesh,
00:31:19.84\00:31:22.18
but according to the Spirit.
00:31:22.21\00:31:24.08
I would like to read
several statements also from
00:31:24.11\00:31:29.48
the Spirit of Prophecy.
00:31:29.52\00:31:31.62
The first of these is in The
Desire of Ages, pages 311, 312.
00:31:31.65\00:31:37.36
Very meaningful statements.
00:31:37.39\00:31:39.63
And she's speaking in the
context of the Lord's ladder.
00:31:39.66\00:31:45.07
I almost said Jacob's ladder.
00:31:45.10\00:31:46.33
The Lord's ladder.
00:31:46.37\00:31:47.47
See, we are
climbing Jacob's ladder.
00:31:47.50\00:31:49.07
We're not climbing
Jacob's ladder. Be real!
00:31:49.10\00:31:51.31
We're climbing the
Lord's ladder. Notice:
00:31:51.34\00:31:53.91
How far did the
ladder come down?
00:32:19.83\00:32:22.00
All the way down.
She continues saying:
00:32:22.04\00:32:26.04
Where does Christ
reach? Adam before he fell? No.
00:32:30.41\00:32:36.99
He reaches us where we are.
00:32:37.02\00:32:38.59
Imagine that:
living in sinful flesh,
00:32:53.40\00:32:56.44
and yet living a sinless life.
00:32:56.47\00:32:58.54
That's the top of the ladder.
00:33:04.91\00:33:06.58
Well, after all, you do know
that text of the apostle Paul
00:33:21.53\00:33:25.70
where he says, I can do
most things through Christ
00:33:25.73\00:33:28.47
who strengthens me.
00:33:28.50\00:33:29.84
I can do some things through
Christ who strengthens me.
00:33:29.87\00:33:34.88
Is that what the text says?
00:33:34.91\00:33:36.08
The text says, I can do
all things except overcome sin,
00:33:36.11\00:33:40.08
through Christ
who strengthens me.
00:33:40.12\00:33:41.78
The last I knew, all means all.
00:33:41.82\00:33:45.29
If I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me,
00:33:45.32\00:33:49.99
it means that I can
also overcome sin through the
00:33:50.03\00:33:54.30
power of Jesus, like
Jesus overcame sin through
00:33:54.30\00:33:57.70
the power of the
Spirit that dwelt in His life.
00:33:57.73\00:34:01.44
Allow me to read just a
few more statements here.
00:34:01.47\00:34:04.64
This one is from Signs of
the Times, October 17, 1900.
00:34:04.67\00:34:09.78
She says:
00:34:09.81\00:34:11.08
In other words, Adam
had no indwelling sin.
00:34:19.45\00:34:21.86
That's not what
led him to yield.
00:34:21.89\00:34:23.83
Now here comes the contrast.
00:34:40.04\00:34:42.74
See the contrast
between Adam and Jesus?
00:34:50.99\00:34:54.66
In another statement that
we find in The Desire of Ages,
00:35:14.28\00:35:17.41
page 49, Ellen White says this:
00:35:17.45\00:35:20.92
Did you catch that?
00:35:33.96\00:35:36.00
It would have been an almost
infinite humiliation for Jesus
00:35:36.03\00:35:40.07
to take the human nature of Adam
before his sins, she's saying.
00:35:40.10\00:35:43.57
Notice the word "but" again.
00:35:49.64\00:35:50.85
That's Matthew, chapter 1.
00:36:06.16\00:36:09.03
Allow me to
read just a few more.
00:36:28.82\00:36:31.79
The Adventist Review and Sabbath
Herald, February 24, 1874.
00:36:31.82\00:36:37.23
Ellen White says:
00:36:37.26\00:36:39.19
Did you catch that?
00:36:50.71\00:36:52.84
Taking the place
of whom? fallen Adam.
00:36:52.87\00:36:56.31
General Conference Bulletin,
April 23, 1901, she says this:
00:36:56.34\00:37:01.88
Perhaps one more; Youth's
Instructor, December 20, 1900.
00:37:13.26\00:37:18.27
By the way, do you notice that
most of these statements are
00:37:18.30\00:37:20.77
from the early 1900's,
right after the Congress of
00:37:20.80\00:37:24.71
Minneapolis in
1888. She says this:
00:37:24.74\00:37:27.48
Did you catch that?
00:37:37.25\00:37:39.95
I'm going to read that again.
00:37:39.99\00:37:41.26
Folks there is
no excuse for sin.
00:37:58.81\00:38:02.78
We can't say, the
devil made me do it.
00:38:02.81\00:38:05.38
The world made me do it.
00:38:05.41\00:38:07.38
The flesh made me do it.
00:38:07.42\00:38:09.22
After all I have sinful flesh.
00:38:09.25\00:38:10.75
Do you know what you're really
saying when you say that you
00:38:10.79\00:38:13.42
can't overcome sin?
00:38:13.46\00:38:14.69
You're not saying that the flesh
is weak, what you're saying is
00:38:14.72\00:38:17.43
that God is not powerful enough.
00:38:17.46\00:38:20.60
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:38:20.63\00:38:22.93
When you say, I can't overcome.
00:38:22.96\00:38:24.40
It's impossible to
overcome sin, because I have a
00:38:24.43\00:38:27.60
sinful human nature.
00:38:27.64\00:38:28.67
You're saying that even
God cannot give you power
00:38:28.70\00:38:31.11
to overcome that sinful nature.
00:38:31.14\00:38:33.07
You're limiting the
power of God by saying
00:38:33.11\00:38:36.31
that it's not possible.
00:38:36.34\00:38:37.38
Now, so we have this ladder.
00:38:37.41\00:38:43.39
By the way, do you
know what's interesting?
00:38:43.42\00:38:45.72
This ladder is not,
first of all, set up on earth,
00:38:45.75\00:38:49.62
and then it reaches the top.
00:38:49.66\00:38:50.96
You know, that's the
way we set up ladders?
00:38:50.99\00:38:52.59
You know, you take it out from
the garage, and then you take it
00:38:52.63\00:38:55.50
and you put it on the ground,
and you put it up to the roof?
00:38:55.53\00:38:59.43
No, with God's
ladder it's different.
00:38:59.47\00:39:01.77
See with God's
ladder, the ladder is let down
00:39:01.80\00:39:05.67
from heaven to earth.
00:39:05.71\00:39:06.81
It's up there first and
then it comes down to earth,
00:39:06.84\00:39:09.88
and it bridges heaven and earth.
00:39:09.91\00:39:12.31
It reminds me of what happened
several years ago in Texas.
00:39:12.35\00:39:15.62
You might remember
this story; a little girl
00:39:15.65\00:39:17.15
who fell into a cistern.
00:39:17.19\00:39:18.55
Remember that? She was deep
down in this narrow cistern.
00:39:18.59\00:39:22.96
And when the fire department
came they were trying to figure
00:39:22.99\00:39:26.26
out how they could get her out.
00:39:26.29\00:39:28.06
She was too
little, she was injured,
00:39:28.10\00:39:29.93
she couldn't take the rope.
00:39:29.96\00:39:31.13
They couldn't say, Take the
rope and we'll pull you out.
00:39:31.17\00:39:34.00
So what happened is that one
of the fire fighters actually
00:39:34.04\00:39:37.97
got in that real narrow cistern,
and he was let down on the rope,
00:39:38.01\00:39:43.71
all the way to the
level where she was.
00:39:43.75\00:39:46.18
He took her in his
arms and lifted her up.
00:39:46.21\00:39:51.82
You see, the idea of this ladder
is not that the ladder is set up
00:39:51.85\00:39:56.16
on earth, and we climb up
to heaven, the idea is that the
00:39:56.19\00:40:00.10
ladder is let down
from heaven to earth,
00:40:00.13\00:40:02.60
and then we can climb up.
00:40:02.63\00:40:04.33
The honor and the
glory belongs to Him.
00:40:04.37\00:40:07.17
Now Jesus is the ladder
that bridges heaven and earth.
00:40:07.20\00:40:11.57
You see, as God He
unites us with God.
00:40:11.61\00:40:14.68
As man, He is united with us.
00:40:14.71\00:40:18.38
He is the God man.
00:40:18.41\00:40:21.22
Do you know that
we're closer to God now
00:40:21.25\00:40:24.09
than if we'd never sinned?
00:40:24.12\00:40:25.12
Because if we'd sinned,
Jesus would only be God,
00:40:25.15\00:40:28.52
but as a result of
sin, now God is one of us
00:40:28.56\00:40:33.26
through Jesus Christ.
00:40:33.29\00:40:35.00
He's closer to us than
if we had never sinned.
00:40:35.03\00:40:38.83
The ladder is Jesus.
00:40:38.87\00:40:40.84
The ladder, in fact,
represents the intercessions
00:40:40.87\00:40:43.54
of Jesus for us.
00:40:43.57\00:40:45.07
Notice what we find in 1 Timothy
2:5, 1 Timothy 2:5. It says:
00:40:45.11\00:40:54.22
Who is the only mediator
between heaven and earth?
00:41:01.12\00:41:03.56
The only mediator, the
only one who can represent us
00:41:03.59\00:41:07.20
before the Father is
Jesus, because He's one of us.
00:41:07.23\00:41:10.87
And He can
represent us to His Father,
00:41:10.90\00:41:12.97
because He's one
with His Father as well.
00:41:13.00\00:41:15.64
In other words,
Jesus is the bridge
00:41:15.67\00:41:18.04
between heaven and earth.
00:41:18.07\00:41:19.17
You know what saddens me?
00:41:19.21\00:41:22.34
What saddens me is that
there's a church in this world
00:41:22.38\00:41:25.78
that teaches that you
need priests, human priests,
00:41:25.81\00:41:29.68
to unite you with heaven.
00:41:29.72\00:41:31.72
They say that, you
know, you come to the priest,
00:41:31.75\00:41:35.76
and the priest, he
represents you before God.
00:41:35.79\00:41:38.56
He presents your sins
before God, and he forgives you.
00:41:38.59\00:41:41.13
There are two
problems with that idea.
00:41:41.16\00:41:43.97
Problem number one is that
according to Hebrews 7:25, 26,
00:41:44.00\00:41:50.11
if you'd go with me
there, Hebrews 7:25, 26.
00:41:50.14\00:41:54.84
The only priest that
can represent us is a priest
00:41:54.88\00:41:58.65
who is perfectly
undefiled by sin.
00:41:58.68\00:42:01.48
It says there in
Hebrews 7: 25, 26;
00:42:01.52\00:42:05.85
Did you notice that?
We come unto God by whom?
00:42:13.56\00:42:15.63
We come unto God by Him.
00:42:15.66\00:42:18.17
See, He
represents us before God.
00:42:23.20\00:42:25.14
And who is the only one who
can do that? Notice verse 26:
00:42:25.17\00:42:28.54
In order to be a
priest he has to be what?
00:42:38.42\00:42:41.16
He has to be perfect.
00:42:41.19\00:42:43.12
I don't know a single
human priest who is perfect.
00:42:43.16\00:42:47.96
And so human priests
cannot bridge the gap
00:42:47.96\00:42:52.33
between us and God.
00:42:52.37\00:42:53.54
But there's another reason
why human priests can't do it,
00:42:53.57\00:42:56.74
and that is because in order for
the ladder to bridge the heaven
00:42:56.77\00:43:01.08
and the earth, the person
who bridges it must be God,
00:43:01.11\00:43:04.75
and must be man.
00:43:04.78\00:43:05.91
And I don't know the first
priest on earth who is God.
00:43:05.95\00:43:09.62
They are men,
but they are not God.
00:43:09.65\00:43:12.22
They have the bottom of
the ladder, but they have no
00:43:12.25\00:43:14.89
way of getting to the
top, because the mediator
00:43:14.92\00:43:17.89
has to be man and he has to be
God, and he has to be perfect.
00:43:17.93\00:43:22.26
And so a human priesthood
representing us before God
00:43:22.30\00:43:26.47
is simply false theology,
and dangerous theology,
00:43:26.50\00:43:30.61
because it gives us the
impression that our hope
00:43:30.64\00:43:33.48
rests upon the arm of man.
00:43:33.51\00:43:36.11
Do you know what the
ladder represents is the
00:43:36.14\00:43:40.98
intercession of Jesus for us.
00:43:41.02\00:43:42.72
You know, if we do sin 1 John
2:1 says, These things I write
00:43:42.75\00:43:49.96
to you so that you sin not,
but if anyone sins we have what?
00:43:49.99\00:43:55.10
We have an
advocate with the Father,
00:43:55.13\00:43:57.77
Jesus Christ the righteous.
00:43:57.80\00:44:00.54
So, in other words, Jesus
represents us before the Father.
00:44:00.57\00:44:03.61
And let me say this, folks,
in order for Jesus to bridge
00:44:03.64\00:44:07.54
the gap between us and heaven,
we must be truly repentant,
00:44:07.58\00:44:12.91
and we must confess
our sins without excuse.
00:44:12.95\00:44:18.75
We must be sorry for sin.
00:44:18.79\00:44:21.06
You know, Proverbs 28:13 says
that we must not only confess
00:44:21.09\00:44:26.93
our sin, but we
must forsake our sins
00:44:26.96\00:44:30.67
through the power of Jesus.
00:44:30.70\00:44:31.97
But the good news is that if we
blow it, if we sin, Jesus Christ
00:44:32.00\00:44:36.54
represents us before the Father
when there is true repentance,
00:44:36.57\00:44:40.11
and when there is
confession of sin.
00:44:40.14\00:44:42.28
You know, once we've knelt
at the foot of our bed at night,
00:44:42.31\00:44:45.18
and we do an
inventory of our lives, we say,
00:44:45.21\00:44:47.65
Oh, I blew it here,
and I did this wrong today,
00:44:47.68\00:44:50.12
and I just lost my temper.
00:44:50.15\00:44:51.42
You know, when we think about
what we did throughout the day,
00:44:51.45\00:44:55.22
we can kneel and we pray, Jesus,
you know, I'm really sorry
00:44:55.26\00:44:58.96
about all of
these things that I did.
00:44:58.99\00:45:00.16
And we're supposed to
confess our sins specifically,
00:45:00.20\00:45:03.60
not just a general,
please forgive me my sins,
00:45:03.63\00:45:06.27
but we're supposed to
think on our sins individually.
00:45:06.30\00:45:09.24
And that those sins
led Jesus to the cross,
00:45:09.27\00:45:12.74
and when we do them we
feel sorrow for sin because
00:45:12.77\00:45:15.81
we recognize
what sin did to Jesus.
00:45:15.84\00:45:18.05
We say, Oh, Jesus, please
forgive me for what I've done.
00:45:18.08\00:45:22.38
And then Jesus is the ladder
that bridges us with heaven.
00:45:22.42\00:45:26.65
Isn't that good news?
00:45:26.69\00:45:28.69
So He not only gives us
power, but He also gives us
00:45:28.72\00:45:33.43
forgiveness, because we are on
a road that leads us to growth.
00:45:33.46\00:45:40.47
Now, upon the ladder there were
angels ascending and descending.
00:45:40.50\00:45:47.48
You know, we don't give
enough of a role to angels.
00:45:47.51\00:45:51.71
Angels ascending and
descending upon the Son of man.
00:45:51.75\00:45:55.88
What could that possibly mean?
00:45:55.92\00:45:58.09
Well, let me talk to
you a moment about the
00:45:58.12\00:46:01.22
veil of the temple.
00:46:01.26\00:46:02.49
Go with me to
Exodus 26:31, Exodus 26:31.
00:46:02.52\00:46:10.00
I want you to notice
that between the holy and
00:46:10.03\00:46:12.07
the most holy place, right in
front of the alter of incense,
00:46:12.10\00:46:17.04
or the golden
altar, there was a veil.
00:46:17.07\00:46:20.18
And I want you to notice the
interesting characteristic about
00:46:20.21\00:46:23.95
that veil. Exodus
26:31. It says here:
00:46:23.98\00:46:29.58
And there were cherubim's
ascending and descending
00:46:42.86\00:46:46.70
upon the veil. The book
of Hebrews says that the veil
00:46:46.74\00:46:50.54
represents the
flesh of Jesus Christ.
00:46:50.57\00:46:53.54
And, by the way, when incense
was offered on that altar,
00:46:53.58\00:46:58.91
the incense would ascend where
the curtain was, and it would go
00:46:58.95\00:47:05.39
into the presence of God.
00:47:05.42\00:47:06.69
Do you know
what that represents?
00:47:06.72\00:47:08.92
It represents the fact that when
we pray our prayers are borne
00:47:08.96\00:47:14.86
by the angels to
the courts of heaven.
00:47:14.93\00:47:17.37
And when God answers our
prayers, He sends His angels
00:47:17.40\00:47:25.94
to this earth to fulfill
that which we are requesting in
00:47:25.97\00:47:31.21
harmony with His will.
00:47:31.25\00:47:32.41
You know we have
biblical examples of this.
00:47:32.45\00:47:35.35
For example, in Daniel 9:22, 23,
we find Daniel praying for light
00:47:35.38\00:47:44.19
about the
prophecy of the 2300 days.
00:47:44.23\00:47:46.96
And while he's praying, suddenly
appears before him the angel
00:47:47.00\00:47:54.57
Gabriel, and Gabriel
actually says, Before you even
00:47:54.60\00:47:58.81
finished your prayer, I was on
my way with the Lord's answer.
00:47:58.84\00:48:03.81
So, in other words, the
angels are ministering spirits
00:48:03.85\00:48:07.72
between heaven and earth.
00:48:07.75\00:48:08.92
They are the
emissaries of Jesus.
00:48:08.95\00:48:12.12
They take our prayers to heaven,
they bring God's answers back.
00:48:12.15\00:48:15.82
This church that I was
mentioning a little while ago,
00:48:15.86\00:48:19.79
they teach that individuals
who died and went to heaven
00:48:19.83\00:48:23.73
are our intercessors.
00:48:23.77\00:48:26.17
And, of course, the greatest
intercessor, in their mind,
00:48:26.20\00:48:29.54
is Mary. So if Mary and all
of these heroes, so to speak,
00:48:29.57\00:48:36.04
are our intercessors
between heaven and earth,
00:48:36.08\00:48:38.95
that means that the
angels must fold their wings,
00:48:38.98\00:48:41.78
and fold their hands,
and they're left unemployed.
00:48:41.82\00:48:45.95
But really the connection
between heaven and earth
00:48:45.99\00:48:50.13
is close indeed. This world is
filled with emissaries of God.
00:48:50.16\00:48:56.67
It's filled with angels
just waiting to do the biddings
00:48:56.70\00:49:00.90
of God when we ask.
00:49:00.94\00:49:03.34
Matthew 4:11 describes
Jesus in the wilderness.
00:49:03.37\00:49:11.88
And when Jesus was in
the wilderness we are told
00:49:11.91\00:49:15.68
that angels from heaven came
down and ministered unto Christ.
00:49:15.72\00:49:22.79
So the angels even ministered
unto Jesus while Jesus was here.
00:49:22.82\00:49:29.80
And when Jesus goes back to
heaven He's still the commander
00:49:29.83\00:49:32.67
of the angels. The angels
still fulfill His biddings.
00:49:32.70\00:49:36.87
In that sense the angels ascend
and descend on the Son of man,
00:49:36.91\00:49:42.01
because they are the instruments
of Jesus to fulfill His will
00:49:42.04\00:49:46.38
throughout the universe.
00:49:46.41\00:49:48.45
Do you know, there's another
story in the book of Genesis.
00:49:48.48\00:49:54.62
It's in Genesis 11,
the story of the tower.
00:49:54.66\00:49:58.73
Have you ever read that story?
00:49:58.76\00:50:01.96
You know, that's
just the opposite of
00:50:02.00\00:50:04.33
what we studied tonight.
00:50:04.37\00:50:05.63
In our study we've noticed that
the ladder, which bridges heaven
00:50:05.67\00:50:10.24
and earth, is let down
from heaven and set up on earth
00:50:10.27\00:50:14.38
so that we can go up.
00:50:14.41\00:50:16.11
But in Genesis 11 the builders
of the tower, this is after
00:50:16.14\00:50:21.12
the flood, they want to save
themselves from another flood.
00:50:21.15\00:50:26.86
And so they build the
tower from the bottom up.
00:50:26.89\00:50:30.83
You see, salvation comes
from up down, not from down up.
00:50:30.86\00:50:35.56
We do not save
ourselves by our works.
00:50:35.60\00:50:39.20
We do not save
ourselves by our towers.
00:50:39.23\00:50:42.07
We do not save
ourselves by what we do.
00:50:42.10\00:50:44.94
They said, Let us
make a name for ourselves,
00:50:44.97\00:50:50.78
and so they tried to
ascend to the highest heavens
00:50:50.81\00:50:54.25
on their tower to save
themselves from another flood.
00:50:54.28\00:50:57.52
And God said, You're
going about it the wrong way.
00:50:57.55\00:51:00.79
You can never
reach up to heaven.
00:51:00.82\00:51:02.76
Heaven reaches unto you.
00:51:02.79\00:51:05.03
Genesis 3, when
Adam and Eve sinned.
00:51:05.06\00:51:10.77
We don't find Adam saying,
Oh Lord, please forgive me.
00:51:10.80\00:51:15.40
We don't see that.
00:51:15.44\00:51:16.67
God comes down to the garden and
He says, Adam, where are you?
00:51:16.71\00:51:23.18
Adam isn't seeking after God.
00:51:23.88\00:51:26.51
God is seeking Adam.
00:51:26.55\00:51:28.35
In Romans 3:11, it says there
is no one who seeketh after God.
00:51:28.38\00:51:34.49
In other words, God comes
down and seeks us, in Jesus,
00:51:34.52\00:51:39.13
the ladder, so that
we can then climb up.
00:51:39.16\00:51:42.70
We don't build our ladder
so that we can get up there.
00:51:42.73\00:51:45.73
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:51:45.77\00:51:47.40
Babel represents the
human attempt to save itself,
00:51:47.44\00:51:52.34
whereas the ladder
represents God saving us.
00:51:52.37\00:51:56.28
Now somebody might be
saying, Well, Pastor Bohr,
00:51:56.31\00:51:58.31
but what about that text
that says, You shall seek me,
00:51:58.35\00:52:01.25
and you shall find me, when
you seek me with all your heart?
00:52:01.28\00:52:04.62
See man does seek after
God, but do you know what?
00:52:04.65\00:52:08.12
God implants in our
hearts the desire to seek Him.
00:52:08.16\00:52:11.56
Do you know, we
don't even repent.
00:52:11.59\00:52:14.83
God gives us repentance,
according to scripture.
00:52:14.83\00:52:19.30
And when He plants the Spirit
of repentance in our hearts,
00:52:19.33\00:52:23.41
we repent. God gives
us a spirit of confession.
00:52:23.44\00:52:26.44
In other words, all salvation
originates with God, whether
00:52:26.47\00:52:30.71
it be repentance,
whether it be confession,
00:52:30.75\00:52:32.95
no matter what it is, whether
it's a seeking God, it's because
00:52:32.98\00:52:36.02
God has planted it
first in the human heart.
00:52:36.05\00:52:38.79
And that's what the
ladder is trying to teach.
00:52:38.82\00:52:42.56
God has let down
the ladder to save us.
00:52:42.59\00:52:47.46
Now we are
climbing the Lord's ladder.
00:52:47.50\00:52:52.33
We're not there yet, but
we're climbing the ladder.
00:52:52.37\00:52:55.57
Do you know what
climbing the ladder represents?
00:52:55.60\00:52:59.51
It represents the fact
that every day we are growing
00:52:59.54\00:53:03.38
in our Christian experience.
00:53:03.41\00:53:05.75
We are gaining
victories in our Christian life.
00:53:05.78\00:53:08.98
And do you know how we do it?
00:53:09.02\00:53:10.95
Go with me to the book
of Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12.
00:53:10.99\00:53:16.42
Now if you're on a ladder
is it very safe to look down?
00:53:16.46\00:53:21.43
Where do you usually look
when you're climbing a ladder?
00:53:21.46\00:53:26.43
I'll tell you what, I look up.
00:53:26.47\00:53:29.64
Notice Hebrews 12:1.
00:53:29.67\00:53:32.71
Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great
00:53:32.74\00:53:38.48
a cloud of witnesses,...
00:53:38.51\00:53:39.95
How can we run with patience
the race that is set before us?
00:53:51.33\00:53:54.83
How can we lay aside,
according to this, every weight,
00:53:54.86\00:53:57.57
and the sin which
besets us so easily?
00:53:57.60\00:54:00.20
How can we do it? Verse 2.
00:54:00.24\00:54:02.27
The word consider
means to concentrate upon.
00:54:20.92\00:54:24.29
How is it that
we're not weary or faint?
00:54:35.74\00:54:37.87
By keeping our
eyes where? on Jesus.
00:54:37.91\00:54:44.81
When I was going to
school before I got married,
00:54:44.85\00:54:48.05
before I met my wife in
Columbia, we went to visit this
00:54:48.08\00:54:51.72
great big rock that
sticks out of the ground.
00:54:51.75\00:54:54.02
The name of the
rock is El Penol.
00:54:54.06\00:54:56.79
Huge, I mean it's, Oh,
several hundred feet tall.
00:54:56.83\00:55:01.20
And when we went to
that place with the school,
00:55:01.23\00:55:05.60
we went on an outing, they
had a ladder made out of wood
00:55:05.63\00:55:11.67
that went like a maze
up one side of that rock.
00:55:11.71\00:55:17.35
And the interesting thing
is it was a hanging ladder.
00:55:17.38\00:55:21.28
It had ropes on the side, and
many of the boards of the ladder
00:55:21.32\00:55:26.05
were missing. It was actually
not a ladder, it was a walkway
00:55:26.09\00:55:30.76
that would go up, you
know, up and up and up.
00:55:30.79\00:55:33.56
You didn't have steps.
00:55:33.60\00:55:34.83
You had to grab onto the ropes,
and you had to step over the
00:55:34.83\00:55:38.43
boards that were missing.
00:55:38.47\00:55:39.90
And I'll tell you, when I got up
there that wind started whipping
00:55:39.93\00:55:44.24
back and forth, and you know,
I peeked one time through one of
00:55:44.27\00:55:48.58
those boards, and it
was a long ways down there.
00:55:48.61\00:55:51.11
But they had told us
before we got on that ladder,
00:55:51.15\00:55:56.25
or that walkway up
to the top of the rock,
00:55:56.28\00:55:59.65
and I've been to the top.
00:55:59.69\00:56:00.99
Now, also, they have a cement
stairs that go all the way to
00:56:01.02\00:56:05.59
the top, Praise the Lord.
00:56:05.63\00:56:06.80
It's a lot easier now, although
it takes a lot of stamina
00:56:06.83\00:56:09.20
stamina to get out there.
00:56:09.23\00:56:10.47
But, anyway, they
said two things to us
00:56:10.50\00:56:14.10
when we were about to go
up: 1. Hang on for dear life.
00:56:14.14\00:56:20.31
2. Don't look down.
00:56:20.34\00:56:24.75
And I must admit I did disobey
once, because I looked down,
00:56:24.78\00:56:29.58
and I was sorry I did.
00:56:29.62\00:56:31.49
Do you know, that's the
way that we can overcome sin.
00:56:31.52\00:56:35.86
1. Don't look down.
00:56:35.89\00:56:42.90
Look unto Jesus. Keep
your eyes on the ladder.
00:56:42.93\00:56:47.77
From bottom to top as we
ascend, let's keep our eyes
00:56:47.80\00:56:52.57
on the holy city, on
Jesus, the author and finisher
00:56:52.61\00:56:57.31
of our faith. If we did
that, and watch less television,
00:56:57.35\00:56:59.88
listen to less worldly
music, and were less concerned
00:56:59.91\00:57:02.58
about our own riches, and our
own money, we would have victory
00:57:02.62\00:57:05.72
in our Christian life.
00:57:05.75\00:57:06.89
But we have a tendency to
look down instead of looking up.
00:57:06.92\00:57:10.69
And folks, for
everything in the world,
00:57:10.73\00:57:15.36
let's hang on to
Jesus, the author
00:57:15.40\00:57:21.47
and finisher of our faith.
00:57:21.50\00:57:24.11