I was driving
down the road one day,
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listening to as I usually do,
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a number of radio stations
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switching from
channel to channel.
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And all of a sudden I hit
upon a Christian radio station.
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And the Christian DJ
had decided to comment
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about some of the
songs he was playing
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and he said
something that so astounded me
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that I had to pull
over to the side of the road
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and write down
what he was saying.
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You know, I--I have to tell you
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I was not entirely
happy with what he was saying,
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but here's what he said.
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God does not save us
because He is big hearted.
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Although He is.
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God does not save us
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because He is a
loving and kind person.
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Although He is.
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God saves us
because Jesus paid the price
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by dying for us on the Cross."
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Now, in spite of how good
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and holy those
words might sound.
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What they
apparently mean is this.
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That God loving
us and God saving us
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are two separate
and unrelated events.
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Secondly, that
Jesus' death on the Cross
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somehow brought about God's
desire and ability to save us.
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Now the obvious text
decide in this case is John 3:16
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"For God so love the world
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that He gave His
only begotten Son."
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In other words, it
was out of His love
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that Jesus came
and lived and died.
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You see, "Fear God
and give glory to Him
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for the hour of
his judgment is come."
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Is that--it's that
text out of Revelation
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that if we don't understand
what the judgment means,
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it scares us to death.
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What about the judgment?
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How do we live in these
last days of earth's history
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knowing that the
Judgment Day of God is upon us?
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Is God needing to save us?
In some way talking God into it?
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And what about that
judgment scene that we imagine
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with God or
Jesus sitting up high
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with all the
angels gathered around?
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Are you afraid of that scene?
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You realized that Jesus never
used fear to motivate people
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to following-- follow Him?
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But let's face it.
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The prospect of a
sudden end to the world
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and facing the judgment
can seem rather frightening.
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Fear can get our
attention, but it can't save us.
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Likewise, the
prospect of the judgment
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can get our attention.
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It can scare us to death.
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And that may be necessary,
but that fear won't save us.
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If it creates a desperate hunger
for the good news, however,
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it will put us
on the right track.
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What does God say
about the judgment?
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What does the Bible
say about the judgment?
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Did you know that
there's a book in the Bible
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whose name has the
word judgment in it?
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It's the Book of Daniel.
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Daniel literally means
"God or Yahweh is judge."
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The Hebrew concept of
judge and judgment however
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should be explored a little more
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because it's a little different
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than what we
might expect sometimes.
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The Hebrew concept
of judge and judgment
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was one of deliverance.
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A judge in Israel was a
savior, a deliverer, a ruler.
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He brought justice in
the time of injustice.
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He brought freedom to
people who were enslaved.
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He punished the guilty
and defended the oppressed.
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Also we need to realize
that the temple or sanctuary
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was symbolic of
God's kingdom on earth.
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Now both the
sanctuary and the concepts
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of judgment figures prominently
in the Book of Daniel.
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After
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah,
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the temple lay in ruins.
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He carried off all the
sacred vessels and objects
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and brought them
back to Babylon with him.
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And so Daniel, as a captive
in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon,
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begins to wonder when
God will save His people
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and put things right.
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When will things be vindicated?
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When will God
vindicate His people,
00:05:08.72\00:05:11.14
His temple, and set up
His everlasting kingdom?
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And while Daniel is
wondering about all of this,
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he receives a vision.
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In Daniel 8:14.
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And the angel
says in this vision.
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"And he said unto me,
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unto two thousand
and three hundred days,
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then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed."
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Now it's interesting there are
several different translations
00:05:32.95\00:05:36.07
that we can find of Daniel 8:14.
00:05:36.10\00:05:39.26
I just read to
you the King James.
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The New
International version said,
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"He said unto me, it will take
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two thousand three
hundred evenings and mornings
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then shall the
sanctuary be reconsecrated."
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The evenings and
mornings is actually
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a more literal translation
of the original Hebrew.
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But, of course,
evenings and mornings,
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if you go back to
Genesis refers to a day.
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The first day, second
day, third day, et cetera.
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Evening and the
morning was that day.
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The new American Standard
said, "And he said unto me
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for two thousand three
hundred evenings and mornings
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then the holy place
will be properly restored."
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And the RSV, "For
2,300 evenings and mornings
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then the sanctuary shall be
restored to its rightful state."
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The word
cleansed in the King James
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or reconsecrated in the
NIV or properly restored
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in the New American
Standard or the RSV's rendition
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restored its rightful state.
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The original Hebrew is actually
a very interesting word.
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The Hebrew word is Nitsdaq.
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Now Nitsdaq is a
form of another word Sadaq
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which means to
be just, righteous.
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It's also
associated with vindication.
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Nitsdaq then
means to be put right
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or to be justified,
vindicated, or cleansed.
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Now let me ask you.
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Where do we find
vindication, restoration,
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or cleansing of the sanctuary?
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Actually, in the previous
chapter of Daniel, Daniel 7,
00:07:10.11\00:07:14.97
we find a parallel
passage to this judgment scene.
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Daniel 7:21 to 22 says,
00:07:19.16\00:07:21.63
"As I watched,
this horn was waging war
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against the saints
and defeating them,
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until the Ancient of Days
came and pronounced judgment
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in favor of the
saints of the Most High,
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and the time came when
they possessed the kingdom."
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Now let's review
what we've read so far
00:07:41.97\00:07:44.80
out of the Book of Daniel.
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First of all, Daniel
the word itself means,
00:07:47.03\00:07:50.94
Yahweh is judge.
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A judge in those
days was looked upon
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as a savior, a deliverer.
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Someone who would set right
what had not been set right.
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Somebody who
would vindicate people
00:08:02.59\00:08:04.06
who needed to be vindicated.
00:08:04.09\00:08:05.46
Somebody who
would deliver captives
00:08:05.49\00:08:07.30
who were in captivity.
00:08:07.33\00:08:09.45
So rather than a horrible,
00:08:09.48\00:08:15.04
horrible impending
doom kind of concept,
00:08:15.07\00:08:18.78
judgment to the Hebrew people
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especially when
they were in captivity
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was a wonderful concept.
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It was the concept
of salvation to them.
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And this concept of
deliverance, of vindication,
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we find in one of
the greatest prophecies
00:08:33.57\00:08:36.62
in all of the
Bible, Daniel 8:14.
00:08:36.65\00:08:38.67
"Unto 2,300 days, then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed."
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And this-- this
word for cleansed,
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Nitsdaq contains within it
00:08:45.45\00:08:47.42
the concepts of
vindication being put right,
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restored all of those concepts
that went into a putting right
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in a
deliverance of God's people.
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Now let me ask you.
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What service in the sanctuary,
00:09:01.95\00:09:06.06
in the yearly
schedule of sanctuary services
00:09:06.09\00:09:09.19
in the ancient Hebrew system
00:09:09.22\00:09:13.01
had to do with
cleansing and vindication?
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Well, there is one prominent one
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and that is the
Day of Atonement.
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Yom Kippur.
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Yom Kippur is
pictured as the priest
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going into the Most
Holy Place once a year.
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And as the priest approached
the--inside the Most Holy Place,
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he approached the
Ark of the Covenant
00:09:42.14\00:09:44.79
and there on
either side of the ark
00:09:44.82\00:09:46.65
were the two angels,
the covering cherubs.
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Between those two
cherubs was something called
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the Atonement
Cover or Mercy Seat.
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And underneath
the Atonement Cover
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or Mercy Seat,
inside of this ark
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were the Ten Commandments.
00:10:00.14\00:10:03.71
The sanctuary is
symbolic of the Kingdom of God.
00:10:03.74\00:10:08.69
First of all, the
literal Kingdom of God
00:10:08.72\00:10:10.69
which was literal
Israel in the Old Testament,
00:10:10.72\00:10:13.81
and secondly, the
sanctuary is--is symbolic
00:10:13.84\00:10:16.17
of the spiritual Kingdom
of God in the New Testament
00:10:16.20\00:10:20.41
or new Covenant Times.
00:10:20.44\00:10:22.78
The land of Israel,
00:10:22.81\00:10:26.17
physical, literal Israel
had geographical boundaries.
00:10:26.20\00:10:29.47
It was made up of
certain national people
00:10:29.50\00:10:35.04
or ethnic origin of people.
00:10:35.07\00:10:38.27
But in the New Testament,
we find that the borders
00:10:38.30\00:10:40.65
of Israel, of spiritual Israel
00:10:40.68\00:10:42.64
are expanded to
include the whole earth.
00:10:42.67\00:10:44.96
Now the
prophecies to literal Israel
00:10:44.99\00:10:48.12
are expanded to be applied
00:10:48.15\00:10:50.54
by the people of
spiritual Israel.
00:10:50.57\00:10:52.98
All believers in Christ are
considered now part of Israel.
00:10:53.01\00:10:58.24
And that's why the sanctuary
is such a potent symbol,
00:10:58.27\00:11:01.29
not only in the Old
Testament, but in all of time.
00:11:01.32\00:11:03.91
The sanctuary was symbolic
00:11:03.94\00:11:05.76
of how God
relates to His people.
00:11:05.79\00:11:08.16
On the Jewish Day of Atonement,
the priest and all of the people
00:11:12.54\00:11:17.87
have actually been fasting
and praying for 10 days already.
00:11:17.90\00:11:22.30
Their system of--
of fasting and praying
00:11:22.33\00:11:25.70
started on the Jewish
New Year, Rosh Hashanah
00:11:25.73\00:11:29.45
which starts just 10 days
before the Day of Atonement.
00:11:29.48\00:11:33.16
And on the Day of Atonement,
the priest symbolically places
00:11:33.19\00:11:39.00
all the sins of the people
00:11:39.03\00:11:41.14
before God in
the Most Holy Place.
00:11:41.17\00:11:43.55
Symbolically, I mean,
00:11:43.58\00:11:44.95
because as he
sprinkles the blood,
00:11:44.98\00:11:46.35
he is
symbolically placing the sins
00:11:46.38\00:11:49.51
of the people before God,
before the Ark of the Covenant.
00:11:49.54\00:11:54.49
This service cleansed
and vindicated God's people
00:11:54.52\00:12:00.01
by the sacrifice for sin.
00:12:00.04\00:12:02.08
The blood was from the sacrifice
00:12:02.11\00:12:03.92
that have been already
offered out in the courtyard
00:12:03.96\00:12:07.88
and then the priest
brought that blood in.
00:12:07.91\00:12:09.73
So
symbolically, he was cleansing
00:12:09.76\00:12:13.55
the sanctuary of
the sins of the people
00:12:13.58\00:12:16.24
because this sacrifice had
been offered all year along.
00:12:16.27\00:12:19.76
And then once a
year the high priest
00:12:19.79\00:12:21.85
would go in for
this-- this high day,
00:12:21.88\00:12:24.23
this--this Day of
Atonement ceremony.
00:12:24.26\00:12:26.89
The ceremony judged
and banished evil also
00:12:29.02\00:12:32.93
by placing the
sins upon the scapegoat
00:12:32.96\00:12:35.35
and letting it out
into the wilderness.
00:12:35.38\00:12:38.11
Likewise, the Day of Atonement
has meaning for us today
00:12:38.14\00:12:42.78
especially at the end of time.
00:12:42.81\00:12:45.87
I refer you to Hebrews 9.
00:12:45.90\00:12:48.45
The Book of Hebrews, by the way,
00:12:48.48\00:12:50.74
was written especially at a time
00:12:50.77\00:12:53.81
when the Jewish people
who had become Christians
00:12:53.84\00:12:57.16
were wondering how
does their whole history
00:12:57.19\00:13:00.70
and all of their
ceremonies and services,
00:13:00.73\00:13:04.15
how--how does all of that apply
now under the new covenant?
00:13:04.18\00:13:08.50
How can we understand
the sanctuary service now
00:13:08.53\00:13:12.03
as believers in Christ?
00:13:12.06\00:13:13.87
You see, in the Old Testament
00:13:13.90\00:13:15.27
they offered the
sacrifices in anticipation
00:13:15.30\00:13:18.77
of the Lamb of
God who would be slain
00:13:18.80\00:13:21.38
to take away the
sins of the world.
00:13:21.41\00:13:23.16
But now after the Cross,
00:13:23.19\00:13:25.08
what meaning did the
sanctuary service have?
00:13:25.11\00:13:28.00
It was no
longer being conducted.
00:13:28.03\00:13:29.83
You remember when
Jesus died on the Cross,
00:13:29.86\00:13:31.74
you remember when
the-- the temple curtain,
00:13:31.77\00:13:34.77
the veil was ripped in
two from top to bottom,
00:13:34.80\00:13:37.24
indicating that now
the way was made directly
00:13:37.27\00:13:41.26
into the Most Holy Place by
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
00:13:41.29\00:13:45.60
No longer was it necessary
00:13:45.63\00:13:47.37
for a priest to
minister in the temple
00:13:47.40\00:13:49.74
because our
priest had also become
00:13:49.77\00:13:52.43
the sacrifice on the Cross.
00:13:52.46\00:13:54.92
And so Hebrews explains
how the sacrificial system
00:13:54.95\00:13:59.10
now relates to the New Covenant.
00:13:59.13\00:14:01.17
We read in Hebrews 9:24 to 26.
00:14:01.20\00:14:05.63
"For Christ did not
enter a man-made sanctuary
00:14:05.66\00:14:09.69
that was only a
copy of the true one.
00:14:09.72\00:14:12.09
He entered heaven
itself, now to appear
00:14:12.12\00:14:15.81
for us in God's presence.
00:14:15.84\00:14:18.37
Nor did he enter
heaven to offer himself
00:14:18.40\00:14:21.16
again and again, the
way the high priest enters
00:14:21.19\00:14:24.07
the Most Holy Place every year
with blood that is not his own.
00:14:24.10\00:14:28.44
Then Christ would have
had to suffer many times
00:14:28.47\00:14:30.89
since the creation of the world.
00:14:30.92\00:14:32.50
But now he has appeared once
for all at the end of the ages
00:14:32.53\00:14:36.50
to do away with sin by
the sacrifice of himself.
00:14:36.53\00:14:40.43
How do you live in the end
time, the time of the judgment?
00:14:42.98\00:14:49.07
Answer
confidently in the assurance
00:14:49.10\00:14:52.85
of salvation through Jesus.
00:14:52.88\00:14:54.93
Our High Priest who
was also our sacrifice,
00:14:54.96\00:14:59.30
the lamb of
sacrifice died once and for all
00:14:59.33\00:15:02.98
to take away the
sins of the world.
00:15:03.01\00:15:04.46
And now according to Hebrews,
he appears in heaven for us.
00:15:04.49\00:15:09.41
No longer does he
have to offer himself
00:15:09.44\00:15:12.45
as the High Priest once
did, as the High Priest offered
00:15:12.48\00:15:16.39
sacrifices that were--
that was not his own blood,
00:15:16.42\00:15:19.11
but he did it once a year.
00:15:19.14\00:15:20.59
Christ did once and for all.
00:15:20.62\00:15:22.39
And now appears in
heaven to apply the benefits
00:15:22.42\00:15:26.16
of His sacrifice for us.
00:15:26.19\00:15:29.40
Why do we not need to
be afraid of the judgment?
00:15:29.43\00:15:32.37
Because all of this
symbolism points to the reality
00:15:32.40\00:15:39.17
that God poured out His
love in that event on the Cross,
00:15:39.20\00:15:43.65
and that love is
still being manifested
00:15:43.68\00:15:47.28
in heaven through the person
of Jesus Christ, our sacrifice.
00:15:47.31\00:15:50.85
He is there with His father,
00:15:50.88\00:15:54.79
exhibiting the benefits of
His sacrifice for all time.
00:15:54.82\00:16:00.98
How do you live in
the end time? Confidently.
00:16:01.01\00:16:04.91
According to 1st John 2:1 and 2.
00:16:04.94\00:16:07.03
"My dear children,
I write this to you
00:16:07.06\00:16:09.06
so that you will not sin.
00:16:09.09\00:16:10.46
But if anybody does
sin, we have one who speaks
00:16:10.49\00:16:12.79
to the Father in our defense.
00:16:12.82\00:16:14.19
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
00:16:14.22\00:16:15.85
He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins,
00:16:15.88\00:16:20.76
and not only for ours
00:16:20.79\00:16:22.61
but also for the
sins of the whole world."
00:16:22.64\00:16:26.44
The good news is,
the judge is on our side.
00:16:26.47\00:16:31.10
My friends,
00:16:34.47\00:16:38.14
God loving us and God saving us
00:16:38.17\00:16:41.71
are not two separate
and unrelated things.
00:16:41.74\00:16:46.19
God's act on the Cross
and Jesus dying on the Cross
00:16:46.22\00:16:51.22
was an outpouring
of His love for us.
00:16:51.25\00:16:55.21
And because of that love for us,
00:16:55.24\00:16:57.18
He not only died on the
Cross, but He ascended to heaven
00:16:57.21\00:17:00.29
and is there with the Father,
our Mediator, our High Priest
00:17:00.32\00:17:05.73
qualified to be
so by His own blood.
00:17:05.76\00:17:10.51
John 16-- I'm sorry, John 5:22.
00:17:10.54\00:17:17.01
"Moreover, the
Father judges no one,
00:17:17.04\00:17:21.15
but has entrusted
all judgment to the Son."
00:17:21.18\00:17:25.23
What does that mean?
00:17:25.26\00:17:27.68
It means amazingly enough
00:17:27.71\00:17:29.08
that our Defender
is also our Judge.
00:17:29.11\00:17:33.45
You see, not only are
we defended by someone
00:17:33.48\00:17:37.42
who is on our
side who died for us,
00:17:37.45\00:17:40.44
but we also discover that
our Defender is also the Judge.
00:17:40.47\00:17:43.92
It's like going into
court and discovering
00:17:43.95\00:17:45.77
that your lawyer is
not only defending you,
00:17:45.80\00:17:48.04
your lawyer is
sitting on the bench,
00:17:48.07\00:17:50.55
pronouncing judgment.
00:17:50.58\00:17:51.95
Now if your
lawyer and your judge
00:17:51.98\00:17:53.77
are the same
person, how easy it is--
00:17:53.80\00:17:56.72
is it to win your case?
00:17:56.75\00:17:59.07
That's the point.
The case is already won.
00:17:59.10\00:18:02.45
It was won at the Cross.
00:18:02.48\00:18:06.41
Notice what Jesus
says in John 16:26 and 27.
00:18:06.44\00:18:10.50
"In that day, you
will ask in my name.
00:18:10.53\00:18:13.99
I am not saying that I will
ask the Father on your behalf.
00:18:14.02\00:18:17.32
No, the Father himself loves
you because you have loved me
00:18:17.35\00:18:22.19
and have believed
that I came from God."
00:18:22.22\00:18:27.61
Scripture demonstrates
clearly, that God saving us
00:18:27.64\00:18:33.20
and God loving us are
not two separate events.
00:18:33.23\00:18:38.76
You see, sometimes
we're tempted to think that,
00:18:38.79\00:18:41.98
like the DJ at the
beginning of this message,
00:18:42.01\00:18:44.33
that God saves us
not because He's loving,
00:18:44.36\00:18:47.76
but because He has to,
because Jesus died on the Cross.
00:18:47.79\00:18:52.10
And maybe we're
convinced that Jesus loves us,
00:18:52.13\00:18:54.30
but sometimes we're tempted
to think that maybe Jesus talked
00:18:54.33\00:18:57.23
the Father into
loving us, but the Father
00:18:57.26\00:18:59.22
didn't really love us
as much as the Son did.
00:18:59.25\00:19:02.14
And sometimes we feel like
00:19:02.17\00:19:03.83
maybe we can relate to
Jesus, which is natural.
00:19:03.86\00:19:06.99
After all, He is the one
that lived on this earth.
00:19:07.02\00:19:10.73
And we can understand
Him. That is why He came,
00:19:10.76\00:19:13.05
so that we could
understand Him better.
00:19:13.08\00:19:15.92
But Jesus came to
reveal the Father.
00:19:15.95\00:19:18.87
Whatever Jesus is,
the Father is like that.
00:19:18.90\00:19:23.37
God is not sitting
up in heaven and saying,
00:19:23.40\00:19:26.50
"Well, I really
don't want to let
00:19:26.53\00:19:27.93
these miserable
wretches into my kingdom,
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.76
but Jesus, you
know, since you did it,
00:19:29.79\00:19:32.23
you died on the Cross,
I--you know, I'll let them in."
00:19:32.26\00:19:34.97
No, that's a
horrible picture of God.
00:19:35.00\00:19:37.46
Jesus said, "It's--it's
not that I have to ask
00:19:37.49\00:19:41.27
the Father for you."
00:19:41.30\00:19:42.67
No, He says.
00:19:42.70\00:19:44.07
"The Father Himself loves
you because you've loved me."
00:19:44.10\00:19:49.49
Forty
two-year-old David Saunders
00:19:49.52\00:19:52.71
was waiting in his
driveway for his little daughter
00:19:52.74\00:19:55.88
Danielle to come
home from school.
00:19:55.91\00:19:59.25
He saw the school bus
pull up in front of the house.
00:19:59.28\00:20:03.39
He saw a truck come up
and see the school bus stop
00:20:03.42\00:20:06.74
and so it too stopped.
00:20:06.77\00:20:08.53
Little Danielle got off
the bus and started to cross
00:20:08.56\00:20:13.15
the street and
headed for her own driveway.
00:20:13.18\00:20:16.82
At that moment,
David looked up the street
00:20:16.85\00:20:19.05
and there was a car coming
down the street extremely fast.
00:20:19.08\00:20:23.48
It did not see the school bus
00:20:23.51\00:20:27.07
and it ran right into the
pathway where Danielle was.
00:20:27.10\00:20:32.24
Reacting instantly,
David rushed into the street,
00:20:32.27\00:20:35.84
grabbed his daughter
through her up on the front yard
00:20:35.87\00:20:39.28
and then he himself was
struck and killed by the car.
00:20:39.31\00:20:43.38
My friends,
00:20:46.84\00:20:51.22
that car represents sin.
00:20:51.25\00:20:56.19
And death is our
destiny because of sin.
00:20:56.22\00:21:01.45
We stand in the way
of an out of control,
00:21:01.48\00:21:05.47
oncoming, sinful car
that will run over us,
00:21:05.50\00:21:13.14
if someone doesn't
do something about it.
00:21:13.17\00:21:16.34
The Cross is a
picture of a loving Father,
00:21:16.37\00:21:19.77
not just Jesus
Christ, but God the Father
00:21:19.80\00:21:22.21
also participated in this.
00:21:22.24\00:21:24.86
The Cross is a
picture of a loving Father,
00:21:24.89\00:21:27.88
who would rather jump in
the way of oncoming death
00:21:27.91\00:21:32.22
and throw us out of the
way, willingly accepting
00:21:32.25\00:21:35.28
the natural
results of sin in our stead
00:21:35.31\00:21:39.14
so that we could live.
00:21:39.17\00:21:41.09
This is not a
picture of a Father
00:21:41.12\00:21:44.00
who saves us and
loves us on the side
00:21:44.03\00:21:50.09
and the two are not related.
00:21:50.12\00:21:51.49
This is not the picture of a God
00:21:51.52\00:21:53.07
who has to be talked
into liking us or loving us.
00:21:53.10\00:21:57.26
This is not a picture
of--of God who goes to the Cross
00:21:57.29\00:22:03.63
and creates a legal loophole,
00:22:03.66\00:22:05.94
so that we
could get into heaven.
00:22:05.97\00:22:08.78
This is a picture
of a loving Father,
00:22:08.81\00:22:12.47
just like David Saunders
who jumped in the pathway
00:22:12.50\00:22:16.90
of an oncoming car in
order to save the life of his
00:22:16.93\00:22:20.39
precious daughter.
00:22:20.42\00:22:22.65
This is a picture of a
God who loved us so much
00:22:22.68\00:22:27.28
that He would rather die
than be without us for eternity.
00:22:27.31\00:22:31.78
Can you
understand that kind of love?
00:22:31.81\00:22:33.44
No, I don't think we can.
00:22:33.47\00:22:34.91
In our human capacity,
it's hard to understand
00:22:34.94\00:22:37.86
a God that could love
His creatures that much.
00:22:37.89\00:22:43.57
But the Bible says
00:22:43.60\00:22:45.99
that truly is
how much He loves us.
00:22:46.02\00:22:49.56
God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son.
00:22:49.59\00:22:55.88
Both the Father and the
Son were involved in that act.
00:22:55.91\00:23:01.14
It was not the Father sending
00:23:01.17\00:23:03.08
His Son to do something
that He didn't want to do.
00:23:03.11\00:23:06.60
It was not the Father
00:23:06.63\00:23:09.24
who reticently agreed to love us
00:23:09.27\00:23:15.00
and to take us into His Kingdom
because His Son, after all,
00:23:15.03\00:23:20.31
loved us and had
sacrificed Himself for us.
00:23:20.34\00:23:24.69
You see, we don't have to
be afraid of the judgment,
00:23:26.64\00:23:32.58
because of what
Jesus did on the Cross.
00:23:32.61\00:23:34.66
We don't have to be
afraid of the judgment,
00:23:34.69\00:23:36.71
because the Cross reveals
00:23:36.74\00:23:39.17
what kind of
person God really is.
00:23:39.20\00:23:41.06
We don't have to be
afraid of the judgment,
00:23:41.09\00:23:43.23
because we know
that the picture of God
00:23:43.26\00:23:46.95
on the Cross is also
the picture of a Savior
00:23:46.98\00:23:50.87
who will come
back and deliver us,
00:23:50.90\00:23:53.92
just like those
judges and those deliverers
00:23:53.95\00:23:57.43
from the Old Testament.
00:23:57.46\00:23:58.91
God will come back to this earth
00:23:58.94\00:24:00.89
and He will deliver
us from this bondage.
00:24:00.92\00:24:07.04
We turn now to 1st John 4:18.
00:24:07.08\00:24:12.25
The Book of 1st John 4:18.
00:24:12.28\00:24:16.10
"There is no fear in love.
00:24:24.63\00:24:28.76
But perfect
love drives out fear,
00:24:28.79\00:24:32.25
because fear has
to do with punishment.
00:24:32.28\00:24:35.42
The one who fears is
not made perfect in love."
00:24:35.45\00:24:41.42
I submit to you today
that if you are afraid
00:24:41.45\00:24:47.32
of the judgment,
it's because Christ
00:24:47.35\00:24:50.91
has not
completely won your love yet.
00:24:50.94\00:24:55.25
Now you can't be
scared into loving someone.
00:24:55.28\00:24:58.12
You have to be won
into loving someone.
00:24:58.15\00:25:03.23
How do you picture the
second coming in your mind?
00:25:03.26\00:25:07.76
Do you picture it
as a horrible event
00:25:07.79\00:25:10.34
or the Judge of the
Universe is going to come
00:25:10.37\00:25:12.56
and with steely laser eyes
look at you through and through
00:25:12.59\00:25:16.22
and examine you if
there is one small fault
00:25:16.25\00:25:18.56
in you and cast
you aside if there is?
00:25:18.59\00:25:22.00
Or do you see the
second coming as a homecoming?
00:25:22.03\00:25:28.17
Do you see the
second coming as a chance
00:25:28.20\00:25:31.73
to meet your best friend,
a chance to meet your lawyer
00:25:31.76\00:25:37.12
who went into court with you?
00:25:37.15\00:25:38.85
The lawyer who
is also your judge.
00:25:38.88\00:25:43.39
You see, you don't have
to be afraid of the Christ
00:25:43.42\00:25:46.09
of the second coming if you know
the Christ of the first coming.
00:25:46.12\00:25:50.93
They are after
all the same person.
00:25:50.96\00:25:54.15
And that person reveals to
us the kind of person God is
00:25:54.18\00:25:59.08
and the kind of
love that He has for us.
00:25:59.11\00:26:02.98
The second coming
will be an awesome event.
00:26:03.01\00:26:07.27
And out of our human frailty,
we will probably be afraid.
00:26:07.30\00:26:13.16
But we will find out soon enough
00:26:13.19\00:26:15.02
that it is a
wonderful homecoming,
00:26:15.05\00:26:17.70
not a time to fear.
00:26:17.73\00:26:19.31
Won't you come home today?
00:26:19.34\00:26:22.57
Won't you say yes to
Jesus' invitation to come home?
00:26:22.60\00:26:26.60
Isn't it time to put
yourself completely on His side?
00:26:26.63\00:26:29.96
Aren't you tired of
living in fear of the judgment?
00:26:29.99\00:26:35.27
Do you long for the chance
to take a stand for Christ
00:26:35.30\00:26:38.41
to say, "Yes, I'm His
child, not because I deserve it,
00:26:38.44\00:26:44.62
not because I've
obeyed all the commandments
00:26:44.65\00:26:47.55
in order to earn
enough merit for salvation,
00:26:47.58\00:26:50.17
not because I've
grown up in the church
00:26:50.20\00:26:52.36
or not because I came
to the church late in life,
00:26:52.39\00:26:54.74
but because, out
of His generosity,
00:26:54.77\00:26:56.97
out of His love for us,
00:26:57.00\00:26:58.37
Christ voluntarily went
to the Cross for you and me."
00:26:58.40\00:27:05.29
Won't you accept that gift?
00:27:05.32\00:27:07.98
Won't you accept the fact
that Jesus loves us so much?
00:27:08.01\00:27:14.17
Love is such a cheap word today.
00:27:14.20\00:27:16.04
And yet, if you
look at the Cross,
00:27:16.07\00:27:18.05
its cheapness evaporates.
00:27:18.08\00:27:20.53
Love was not cheap.
It had an infinite price.
00:27:20.56\00:27:24.75
The price of the
blood of the Son of God.
00:27:24.78\00:27:29.16
Won't you say yes to Jesus?
00:27:29.19\00:27:32.98
After all, He's offering
you the free gift of salvation.
00:27:33.01\00:27:40.10
It's not something you
have to be good enough for,
00:27:40.13\00:27:42.97
and it's not
something you have to wait for.
00:27:43.00\00:27:45.60
You can know now.
00:27:45.63\00:27:47.00
You don't have to wait
until the second coming to know
00:27:47.03\00:27:49.28
that you can accept
salvation right now.
00:27:49.31\00:27:52.74
He has a place
prepared especially for you.
00:27:52.77\00:27:58.08