Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000003
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00:34 Let's seek the Lord in prayer.
00:38 Our loving heavenly Father, what a privilege it is 00:41 once again to be here in Your house seeking to hear Your voice 00:47 speaking through the ministry of the Word. 00:50 We ask, Father, that the same Spirit that inspired 00:53 Your Holy Word will come to explain it to us 00:58 in this meeting. 01:00 We realize that human wisdom is insufficient to understand the 01:04 great things of Your Word. 01:06 And therefore, we plead for Your help. 01:09 And we thank You because You have promised that You 01:12 hear our prayers and You answer them. 01:15 Because we ask it in the precious and the powerful name 01:18 of Jesus, our Savior. 01:21 Amen. 01:23 The title of our study today is, Life and Death in the Sanctuary. 01:31 And I'd like to begin by reading a couple of verses that we 01:35 find in Genesis chapter 1 and verses 26 and 27. 01:41 This passage is very well known, undoubtedly, by all of us. 01:47 It's speaking about the creation of our first parents, 01:51 Adam and Eve. 01:53 It says there in Genesis 1 verse 26... 02:36 In these verses, we find, as I mentioned before, the creation 02:41 of Adam and Eve in a perfect world. 02:46 The Bible tells us that they were created in 02:48 God's image and likeness. 02:51 At this time, there was no sin in the world. 02:55 And therefore, there was also no death. 02:59 In fact, the Bible makes it clear that it was God's plan 03:02 that Adam and Eve and the human race live forever. 03:07 It was never God's plan that anyone on this planet 03:11 should die. 03:12 God's plan meant that man should reflect His image and likeness 03:17 and live forever. 03:20 But man was not going to live forever because he had 03:23 some type of immortal soul. 03:26 The Bible makes it very, very clear that there was a secret 03:30 to the perpetuation of man's life. 03:35 You see, God placed in the Garden of Eden a certain tree. 03:39 It's called, the tree of life. 03:42 Let's read about that tree in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 9. 03:47 Genesis chapter 2 and verse 9. 03:50 It says there... 04:09 We'll come to that second tree in a few moments. 04:12 But you notice it says here, "The tree of life was also 04:16 in the midst of the garden." 04:18 Now the Bible makes it very clear that in order for 04:22 Adam and Eve to continue living, they had to continue eating 04:27 from the tree of life. 04:28 In other words, they did not have some immortal soul 04:32 inside that would cause them to live forever. 04:35 Their source of life was not inside. 04:38 Their source of life was outside in a tree. 04:42 I want you to imagine the tree of life kind of like a 04:45 battery charger. 04:46 And Adam and Eve would have to come on a regular basis, 04:50 probably monthly. 04:51 And I'll mention in a minute why. 04:53 They would have to come and they would have to 04:55 partake of the tree of life. 04:57 And this way, their battery would be charged. 04:59 You say, "How do you say every month?" 05:02 Well, simply because in Revelation 22 verses 1 and 2 05:06 when everything is restored, we're told that the tree of life 05:10 produces its fruit every month. 05:14 And so the Bible seems to indicate that on a monthly basis 05:18 Adam and Eve had to go to the tree of life to 05:21 partake of this source of life to recharge their batteries, 05:25 or to recharge their energy. 05:27 I'd like to read a couple of statements, both written by 05:31 Ellen White, where she makes some remarks 05:33 about the tree of life. 05:35 In the book, Healthful Living, page 45, 05:39 we find this significant statement. 05:47 And we know that because God had to cast Adam and Eve 05:50 out of the garden so that they would not continue eating 05:52 of the tree and live forever. 05:54 So the tree had virtue, it had life giving virtue. 05:58 And so it says... 06:13 The antediluvians are those who lived before the flood. 06:24 And the Bible tells us that the people who lived before 06:26 the flood, some of them lived to be 06:30 930, 962, 969 years old because they had 06:40 a human body that was closest to the energy 06:44 that Adam and Eve had received from the hands of the Creator. 06:48 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 60, we find another 06:51 significant statement. 06:53 Patriarchs and Prophets is one of my favorite books. 06:55 It gives the history of Scripture from the fall 06:58 of Lucifer in heaven all the way to the time 07:01 of the Hebrew monarchy. 07:03 And this is what this statement says... 07:27 So the source of life for man was not inside. 07:30 The source of life for man was outside in God's tree. 07:35 Man did not have some immortal soul that would cause him to 07:38 continue living forever. 07:40 The Bible tells us that in order to continue living forever, 07:44 man had to continue eating from the tree of life. 07:48 Now there was another tree that we read about in the garden. 07:51 And that tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 07:56 Let's read Genesis chapter 2 and verses 15 through 17. 08:01 Genesis chapter 2 and verses 15 through 17. 08:06 It says here... 08:34 In Hebrew it says, "you will die by death." 08:38 I don't know of any other way of dying. 08:40 But God is saying, "You will really die if you eat 08:44 from this tree." 08:45 Now why did God place this tree in the Garden of Eden? 08:49 Simply so that He could give man freedom of choice. 08:55 You see, if God had not placed this tree in the garden, 08:58 man would have had only one choice. 09:00 And that is to serve God. 09:02 But the fact that God put this tree in the garden 09:05 shows that God was giving man the potential of either 09:09 following what God had said, but He was also giving him 09:13 the potential to say "no" to God and to make a choice 09:17 contrary to God. 09:18 In other words, the tree of knowledge of good and evil 09:21 clearly shows that God gave man freedom of choice. 09:27 Now it's very important to realize that God laid down 09:31 the ground rules. 09:32 God was the source of ethical decisions. 09:36 God was the one who said, to not eat from the tree 09:40 is good, and to eat from the tree is evil. 09:44 He didn't tell man, you know, "Just choose whatever tree 09:48 you don't want to eat from. 09:49 And that's fine by Me." 09:51 God established the rule for ethical decisions. 09:55 Now there's something very, very important that 09:57 we find in this one command that God gave Adam and Eve 10:01 to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10:04 Actually, in this one command were contained all of the 10:09 principles of the Ten Commandments. 10:12 Now let's read in the book of James chapter 2 and verse 10. 10:16 James chapter 2 and verse 10. 10:19 And I want to show you a very important principle 10:23 that we find in Scripture. 10:25 And I believe that Emmanuel Beck read this text in our recent 10:29 evangelistic series. 10:31 It says there in James chapter 2 and verse 10, 10:34 "For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble 10:41 in one point, he is guilty of..." What? 10:45 "...he is guilty of all." 10:47 So in other words, in this one command were actually contained 10:51 all of the principles of the Ten Commandments. 10:54 And when Eve decided to eat from the tree of the knowledge 10:57 of good and evil, she was actually disobeying 11:00 all of the principles of God's Ten commandments. 11:03 Let me give you some examples so that you can 11:05 understand what I mean. 11:07 When Eve decided to eat from the tree of the knowledge 11:10 of good and evil, was she thinking of making herself God? 11:16 Yes. 11:17 Because the serpent said to her, "You shall be like..." What? 11:20 "...like God." 11:21 Was she violating the first commandment, "Thou shall have 11:24 no other gods before Me." 11:25 Absolutely. 11:27 What about the third commandment that speaks about taking the 11:31 name of the Lord God in vain? 11:33 Was she taking the name of the Lord God in vain? 11:36 In fact, she was. 11:37 Because she actually, in the statement that she speaks 11:41 back to the serpent, she says, "God has told us not to 11:44 eat from the tree, or to even touch it." 11:47 God had not said that they couldn't touch the tree. 11:50 God had said that they could not what? 11:52 They could not eat from the tree. 11:53 She was actually attributing words to God 11:56 that God had not spoken. 11:58 Let me ask you, did Eve dishonor her Creator? 12:01 Absolutely. 12:03 There you have the principle of the fourth commandment. 12:05 The fourth commandment brings attention to the Creator. 12:07 Did Eve, by her sin, bring death into the world? 12:12 Absolutely, because the wages of sin is death. 12:15 Let me ask you, did she steal when she ate from the tree? 12:19 Yes, because the fruit did not belong to her. 12:21 Did she covet? 12:23 Yes, the word is actually used there. 12:25 She coveted the fruit because she thought that 12:28 she could become wise. 12:30 By the way, she also committed spiritual adultery, because the 12:33 Bible compares our relationship with God with marriage. 12:37 What happens when we choose another person 12:40 as our partner other than God? 12:42 That is called what? 12:44 Adultery. 12:45 So she was violating the seventh commandment 12:47 by choosing another lover, so to speak, 12:50 who was Satan in this case. 12:54 So in other words, in this one command were actually encased 12:58 all of the principles of the Ten Commandments. 13:01 By obeying this one command, Adam and Eve would be obeying 13:05 all of the commandments of God. 13:09 Now there's a very important principle that we need to 13:11 remember as we examine this story. 13:14 Turn with me to 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 13:18 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 13:21 We read this in our presentation this morning, 13:23 and we want to read it again. 13:25 And I'm sure that we will read it several times 13:27 during this seminar. 13:28 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 13:32 It says there... 13:44 The King James Version says, "sin is the transgression 13:48 of the law." 13:50 So let me ask you, was there a law originally in the 13:53 Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve to break? 13:55 Absolutely. 13:56 Because sin is transgression of the law. 13:59 Adam and Eve could not have sinned unless the law was there. 14:04 Now I want you to notice also that Romans 6 verse 23, 14:08 the first part of the verse of Romans 6:23, says... 14:19 So I want you to notice the sequence. 14:21 Did God have a command that contained all of the principles 14:26 of the Ten Commandments that He gave to Adam and Eve? 14:29 Absolutely. 14:30 Did He expect Adam and Eve to obey His commandment? 14:34 Absolutely. 14:35 When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God's commandment, 14:38 what was that? 14:40 That was sin, which is transgression of the law. 14:44 And when they sinned, the Bible says that the 14:46 wages of sin is what? 14:48 Death. 14:50 There could be no death unless there was sin. 14:53 And there could be no sin unless there was what? 14:56 Unless there was a law of God. 14:58 So in other words, in this one command 15:01 were contained all of the principles of God's holy Law. 15:06 Now we need to take a look at the original temptation 15:11 of Adam and Eve because it mirrors what happened in heaven 15:15 when Lucifer decided to sin against God. 15:18 Turn with me to Genesis chapter 3 and we're 15:21 going to study in detail the first six verses 15:25 of Genesis chapter 3. 15:28 Now let me say that the devil is a master psychologist. 15:33 The devil is an expert at playing mind games. 15:37 In other words, he can take error and make it appear 15:42 just like the truth. 15:44 He can play tricks on your mind. 15:46 The only protection that Adam and Eve had was simply 15:50 to obey God's command. 15:52 As long as they obeyed God's command, they were safe. 15:56 But when they started dialoging with Satan, 15:59 Satan began playing mind games with Eve. 16:02 And whoever plays mind games with Satan 16:05 eventually ends up losing. 16:09 Now notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1. 16:13 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1. 16:16 What I want you to notice here is that Satan is trying to 16:19 engage Eve in conversation. 16:22 So what he's going to do is he's going to misstate 16:25 something that God said. 16:27 He's going to misquote God because he knows that 16:29 Eve's immediate reaction will be to correct him 16:33 and say, "No, that's not exactly what God said." 16:36 You know, when somebody tells you something 16:38 that's wrong, what do you want to do? 16:39 You say, "Oh no, no, no. That's not right." 16:41 And then you correct them. 16:42 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1. 17:02 Is the devil misstating what God had said? 17:04 Absolutely. 17:06 God had said, "Don't eat from this one." 17:07 He didn't say that they couldn't eat from any tree of the garden. 17:10 What is the devil trying to do here? 17:12 He's trying to engage Eve in conversation. 17:16 He knows that the reaction of Eve will be to say, 17:19 "No, no. Now wait a minute. 17:20 That's not exactly what God said." 17:22 Is that exactly what happens in the story? 17:25 Absolutely. 17:26 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verses 2 and 3. 17:30 Eve is now going to correct the misstatement. 17:33 It says in verse 2, "And the woman said to the serpent..." 17:38 Now she says, "You don't have it exactly right." 17:48 But now she's going to add something that the 17:51 devil didn't bring up. 17:52 She going to add the consequences that God said 17:56 were going to come if they ate from the tree. 17:59 Notice what she continues saying in verse 3. 18:14 So what is Eve doing? 18:16 First of all, she's correcting the misstatement by Satan. 18:19 And then secondly, she's adding an explanation 18:23 of what God said would be the consequence 18:26 of them eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 18:30 She said, "God told us that if we ate from this tree, 18:33 we would surely..." What? 18:36 "...we would surely die." 18:39 Now the devil has her exactly where he wants her. 18:43 Notice the first lie that he utters here. 18:46 the first blatant open lie, in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 4. 19:02 What is the serpent saying to the woman? 19:03 "You are... 19:06 ...immortal." 19:08 That's what he's saying. 19:09 "You will not surely die." 19:11 Now I want you to notice that at this point 19:14 Eve is suffering what is called, cognitive dissonance. 19:19 Now let me explain what that means. 19:22 It simply means that God said one thing and the serpent 19:26 said something that is totally opposite. 19:29 So she's off balance. 19:30 She's saying, "Now who could be right? 19:33 Is God right or is the serpent right?" 19:38 In other words, Satan is planting a question 19:42 in Eve's mind based on what he said. 19:45 When he says, "You will not surely die," 19:47 he knows that the next thought of Eve would be 19:50 "Then if we're not going to die, why did God say 19:54 we were going to die?" 19:56 Are you with me? 19:57 Is the devil playing mind games here? 20:00 He most certainly is. 20:01 You cannot argue with the devil. 20:03 You can't reason with the devil. 20:04 He'll beat you every time. 20:06 What Eve should have said is, "Yeah, you know, you appear 20:11 to be right in what you're saying. 20:12 It makes sense. 20:14 It's logical. 20:15 But we live by every word that proceeds out of 20:17 the mouth of God. 20:19 We simply obey what God said. 20:21 We obey God's word." 20:22 That was their only safety. 20:25 Now I want you to notice that the devil planted a thought 20:29 in the mind of Eve, a question. 20:31 And that is, "Well, God said that we were going to die. 20:35 The serpent says that we're not going to die. 20:37 Well, if we're not going to die, what ulterior motive would 20:41 God have for telling us that we were going to die?" 20:45 Let me ask you, did the devil have an answer to the question 20:48 that he planted in Eve's mind? 20:50 See, this is all a mind game. 20:52 The devil is playing games with her reasoning powers. 20:56 And when she tries to listen to the reasons of the devil, 20:59 she's lost. 21:00 She should have fled from the tree. 21:03 Now I want you to notice what the devil has to say to her 21:06 in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5. 21:09 The devil is saying, "Ah, so you want to know why God 21:12 told you that you were going to die 21:13 if you're not going to really die, right? 21:15 You want to know that, huh Eve?" 21:16 And Eve says, "Yeah, tell me about it." 21:19 In verse 5, the devil tells about it. 21:25 Ah, the devil is saying, "God knows something 21:27 that He doesn't want you to know. 21:30 God knows." 21:39 What is he saying? 21:40 "God wants you to be..." What? 21:42 "He wants you to be blind. 21:45 There's some valuable information that God is 21:48 hiding from you. 21:49 He wants you to be blind. 21:51 He wants blind service, He wants blind submission, 21:54 simply because He says so." 21:57 So it says, "For God knows that in the day that 22:00 you eat of it, your eyes will be opened..." 22:07 And what is the next phrase? 22:09 "...and you will be like God." 22:17 We studied that this morning, right? 22:19 What did Lucifer say in heaven? 22:21 "I will be like the Most High." 22:26 Now he says to Eve, "You will be like..." What? 22:29 "You will be like God." 22:31 But now I want you to notice something very important. 22:34 The devil is not saying that she's going to be like God 22:36 in every sense of the word. 22:38 He's saying that Eve is going to be like God 22:41 in a certain restricted sense. 22:43 In what sense? 22:45 Let's finish reading the verse. 22:46 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it 22:50 your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.." 22:56 What? 22:58 "...knowing good and evil." 23:02 Let me ask you, who is the source of what is right 23:07 and what is wrong? 23:08 Who establishes the standard of what is right and what is wrong? 23:13 God does, outside of us. 23:15 God had said, "Don't eat from the tree. 23:18 Because if you eat from the tree, that's evil. 23:21 Good means not eating. 23:22 Evil means eating from the tree." 23:25 God laid down the rule. 23:26 And of course, in that rule were contained all of the principles 23:30 of the Ten Commandments. 23:32 Now I want you to notice then that the source of 23:35 ethical decisions is not within Eve. 23:38 It is outside of Eve. 23:41 But what is the devil telling Eve? 23:43 He saying, "Listen, you can be like God knowing what is 23:48 good and what is evil without having to depend on God 23:52 to tell you what is good and what is evil." 23:55 Do you know that this is the first post-modern individual 23:59 in the history of the world? 24:02 The ideas of the Emerging Church go all the way back to the 24:06 Garden of Eden. 24:08 The idea that you can be like God in the sense that you 24:11 can decide what is good and what is evil, 24:14 what is right and what is wrong, without referring to God's 24:18 objective law and His Word, but rather your own heart 24:22 will tell you what is right and what is wrong. 24:25 Is that the same thing that Lucifer argued 24:28 in heaven to the angels? 24:29 Remember that statement that I read from Great Controversy, 24:32 page 499, this morning? 24:33 He said that the angels needed no law. 24:36 That their own heart could show them what was right 24:39 and what was wrong. 24:40 He's saying the same thing to Eve. 24:42 He's saying, "You can be immortal if 24:46 you eat from this tree. 24:47 And you can be the own source of your ethical decisions. 24:51 You don't have to depend on God telling you 24:53 this is good and this is evil. 24:55 No, you can decide that for yourself. 24:58 You don't have to render blind service to God. 25:01 You can be the source of your own ethical decisions." 25:06 In fact, the devil is insinuating something 25:08 even greater than this. 25:11 And you have to kind of read between the lines to see it. 25:14 But what Satan is really saying is, "Eve, some time in the past 25:21 I ate from this tree. 25:25 And when I ate from this tree..." 25:28 Or rather, "Some time in the past, God ate from this tree. 25:32 And when God ate from this tree, He got these marvelous powers 25:37 of immortality and this marvelous power 25:40 to distinguish between good and evil. 25:43 But after God ate from the tree, He didn't want anybody else 25:48 to have this capacity. 25:50 And so what He did after this was intimidate everyone 25:53 and tell them, 'Hey, don't eat from the tree 25:56 because you're going to die.' 25:57 But God actually knew in His heart," according to Satan, 26:01 "that if other people ate, He would have rivals around. 26:05 Because they would have the same powers that He has." 26:08 Are you understanding what the devil is saying here? 26:10 It is an almost overmastering delusion that we have here. 26:15 Of course, the Bible tells us that Adam and Eve 26:17 ate from the tree. 26:19 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6. 26:22 It says here... 26:28 I want you to notice how her senses are involved. 26:39 Let me ask you, wise in what sense? 26:44 What did the devil say? Wise in what sense? 26:46 In deciding what is good and evil for yourself. 26:51 It says... 27:02 Are you understanding what's going on here? 27:04 And so, now Adam and Eve have sinned. 27:08 They have lost, so to speak, their spiritual robe 27:13 of righteousness. 27:15 And because they have lost their spiritual robe of righteousness, 27:19 something happens to them now. 27:21 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7. 27:26 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7. 27:30 Here we find the first consequence of 27:32 Adam and Eve's sin. 27:34 It says... 27:41 You see, before this they were covered with a robe of light. 27:43 No artificial garments. 27:45 But now the robe of light disappeared. 27:47 They lost their robe of spiritual righteousness first. 27:51 And as a result, they lost their literal robe of light. 27:55 And so it says... 28:06 How did Adam and Eve try to solve the problem 28:09 of their nakedness? 28:11 They made themselves coverings made out of what? 28:14 Fig leaves. 28:16 Now what do the fig leaf garments represent? 28:19 The context tells us that they represent the excuses that 28:23 Adam and Eve offered for their sin. 28:27 Now let's notice Genesis chapter 3 verses 12 and 13. 28:31 Genesis chapter 3 and verses 12 and 13. 28:35 God comes and He says to Adam, "What have you done?" 28:40 Notice the answer. 28:52 What is he trying to do? 28:55 He's trying to pass the buck. 28:56 He's offering excuses for his sin. 28:59 And then God comes to Eve, in verse 13. 29:02 "And the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that 29:05 you have done?' 29:06 The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me and I ate.'" 29:10 You see, the fig leaves are the excuses that Adam and Eve 29:13 offered for their sin. 29:15 They're trying to justify their sin. 29:17 But you know what's interesting? 29:19 Even after they have covered themselves with the fig leaves, 29:23 God comes in the garden and He searches for them. 29:25 He says, "Adam, where are you? 29:26 Eve, where are you?" 29:28 They're covered with the fig leaves at this time. 29:31 The man says, "Oh, we hid in the midst of the trees 29:34 of the garden because we were naked." 29:37 What nakedness are we talking about here? 29:39 It's not only physical nakedness. 29:42 The physical nakedness came as a result 29:44 of losing their spiritual robe of righteousness. 29:48 And do you know what else? 29:49 Because they lost their spiritual robe of righteousness, 29:53 they lost their physical robe of light which had covered them. 29:57 And ultimately, they were going to suffer the ultimate nakedness 30:01 which the apostle Paul calls death. 30:04 If you go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle Paul 30:07 compares death with nakedness. 30:10 That is the ultimate nakedness. 30:12 But there's a sequence. 30:13 You have, first of all, spiritual nakedness; sin. 30:17 And then you have physical nakedness; 30:19 the robe of light leaves. 30:21 And then the consequence of that is ultimate nakedness, 30:25 which is death. 30:28 And so, Adam and Eve are standing in the garden, 30:31 they're shaking, they're saying, "God gave His law. 30:36 We've transgressed His law. 30:38 We've committed sin. 30:40 And the wages of sin is death. 30:43 We lost our spiritual robe of righteousness. 30:45 We've lost our physical robe of light. 30:48 And now the only thing that awaits us is physical 30:52 ultimate nakedness, which is death." 30:56 And when they're shaking, God makes this beautiful 30:59 gospel promise in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 31:03 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 31:06 My favorite verse in the whole Bible. 31:09 In fact, I did a series of 52 one hour lectures 31:13 primarily on Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 31:16 and how this verse is developed throughout the whole Scripture. 31:19 It says there in Genesis 3:15, and God is speaking here 31:23 to the serpent who has deceived Eve and has used Eve 31:27 to lead Adam into sin. 31:39 See, this is a woman who's going to have a Seed, or a descendent. 31:42 And then notice the end result. 31:47 Or as other versions say, "He shall crush your head..." 31:55 Do you know what God is saying? 31:56 God is saying, "I going to send a Seed to this world 31:59 born of a woman. 32:00 And that Seed of the woman is going to do battle with you. 32:04 In the process of the battle, the Seed of the woman 32:09 is going to be wounded by you. 32:11 You are going to cause Him pain on His heel. 32:14 But when you have hurt His heel, His foot is going to come down 32:20 and He is going to crush your head." 32:23 This is the first gospel promise of Scripture. 32:25 It's the promise of the coming of the Messiah. 32:28 Born of a woman, according to Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4. 32:32 When Adam and Eve are shaking in their bare feet... 32:36 Because they probably didn't have anything on their feet. 32:38 When they're shaking, thinking that they're going to die, 32:40 they're going to suffer the ultimate nakedness, 32:43 God, in their hearing, challenges the serpent 32:47 and says, "I am going to send a Seed that will crush 32:51 the head of the serpent who has led you into sin." 32:55 I want you to notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 19. 32:59 After giving this beautiful promise, God says to 33:02 Adam and Eve, "Because you lost your spiritual robe of 33:04 righteousness, and because you lost your physical 33:08 robe of light, you are going to suffer ultimate death, 33:12 ultimate nakedness. 33:14 Notice Genesis 3 and verse 19. 33:17 God is speaking to Adam and He says... 33:34 Well that sounds pretty final. 33:36 Dust you are and to dust you shall return? 33:40 Well, you see, we need to read two verses farther down 33:45 where God offers Adam and Eve hope. 33:50 Did you notice that in Genesis 2 verses 15 through 17, 33:54 we're told that the very day Adam and Eve ate from the tree, 33:58 they would suffer ultimate nakedness? 34:01 Spiritual nakedness would lead to physical nakedness, 34:05 would lead to ultimate nakedness. 34:07 God said, "They very day that you eat of the tree, 34:11 you will surely die." 34:13 But Adam and Eve did not die that very day. 34:16 It's talking about the final death from which 34:19 there is not resurrection. 34:20 The question is, why did they not die that day? 34:24 Go with me to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 21. 34:26 Here's where the sanctuary comes in. 34:29 You see, on the very day that Adam and Eve sinned, 34:32 there was a sacrifice made to cover the shame 34:36 of their nakedness. 34:39 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 21. 34:43 "And for Adam..." 34:45 Notice that this is being done for them. 34:47 "And for Adam and his wife, the Lord God made..." 34:54 Who made? 34:56 He made them for Adam and Eve. 34:59 It says, "The Lord God made tunics of polyester." 35:04 No, that's not what it says. 35:06 Tunics of cotton. 35:09 No. 35:11 Tunics of linen. 35:13 No, it says tunics of what? 35:15 Of skin. 35:17 And He clothed them. 35:19 Who made the tunics? God did. 35:22 Who clothed them? God did. 35:24 He made it for Adam and Eve. 35:26 Who is doing this? God is doing it. 35:28 Let me ask you, what do you need in order to get the 35:30 skin of an animal? 35:32 The animal has to be killed. 35:35 You see, there was a death the very day that 35:38 Adam and Eve sinned. 35:39 A lamb was sacrificed. 35:42 And with the skins of the lamb, the shame of their nakedness 35:47 was covered. 35:49 Allow me to read you a beautiful statement 35:51 that is found in Bible Echo, which is a magazine 35:55 that was published May 21, 1900. 35:59 This was written by Ellen White. 36:00 Profound insight into what happened that day. 36:04 She says... 36:41 Isn't that a beautiful statement? 36:43 By the way, it's sustained by the Bible. 36:46 Because 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 to 20 tells us 36:50 that Jesus was foreordained before the foundation 36:54 of the world as a lamb. 36:55 Revelation 13 verse 8 says that He was slain from the 36:59 foundation of the world. 37:00 Not physically, but He was slain in promise. 37:03 There was a promise of the coming Messiah. 37:05 In other words, the very day that Adam and Eve sinned, 37:08 Jesus said, "I will take upon Myself their death penalty. 37:13 I will die in their place. 37:15 I will live the life that they should live." 37:18 And a ransom that very day was found. 37:21 This whole ceremony pointed to Jesus Christ. 37:27 Now listen up. 37:28 If man was immortal by nature, why would Jesus have to 37:32 come to die to give him life if he already had immortality? 37:36 You see, what the idea of the immortality of the soul does, 37:39 it makes Jesus Christ unnecessary. 37:42 Because we have life because Jesus died. 37:45 Not because we have some immortal soul within ourselves. 37:50 So in other words, by teaching that man is immortal, 37:52 what you're doing is depreciating the importance 37:56 of the death of Jesus to give us life. 37:58 If we already have immortal life, why would Jesus 38:01 have to die to give us what we already possess 38:04 or what we already have? 38:06 Now let's go to the fulfillment of this. 38:08 John chapter 19 and verses 23 and 24. 38:12 You remember that spiritual nakedness led to 38:15 physical nakedness, led to ultimate nakedness. 38:18 That's what Adam and Eve deserved. 38:20 Now how could they escape the death sentence? 38:23 Only by the death of the lamb to cover the shame 38:26 of their nakedness. 38:27 Now notice John 19:23 and 24. 38:30 I'm going to share with you something that might not 38:33 be very palatable to you. 38:35 But it's biblical. 38:37 You know, when artists depict Jesus on the cross, 38:40 they usually cover Him with a loincloth. 38:43 But Scripture teaches that Jesus hung between heaven and earth 38:47 totally naked. 38:50 Let's read John 19 and verses 23 and 24. 38:53 There's a very profound symbolism here. 38:57 It says there in John 19 verse 23, "Then the soldiers, 39:01 when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments 39:06 and made four parts..." 39:08 These are His inner garments. 39:11 And it says, "...and made four parts, to each soldier a part, 39:15 and also the tunic." 39:17 See, He also had a tunic, which was a beautiful robe 39:20 that He wore outside His inner garments. 39:23 And it says, "Now the tunic was without seam, 39:26 woven from the top in one piece. 39:29 They said therefore among themselves, 'Let us not tear it, 39:32 but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,' 39:36 that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, 39:38 'They divided My garments among themselves...'" 39:41 But then notice, "'...and for My clothing they cast lots.' 39:46 Therefore the soldiers did these things." 39:49 They took His inner garments and His tunic away. 39:52 And Jesus hung between heaven and earth stark naked. 39:57 Now you say, "What is the symbolism here?" 40:01 Let me ask you, did the Father look upon Jesus 40:04 as being guilty? 40:07 He did. Absolutely. 40:09 Did Jesus take upon Himself our spiritual nakedness of sin? 40:14 He most certainly did. 40:15 The Bible says that He took upon Himself the curse. 40:18 He who knew no sin was made sin to be for us. 40:23 In other words, Jesus took our spiritual nakedness, 40:27 and therefore on the cross, He hung... What? 40:30 ...physically naked. 40:31 And what did He suffer? 40:32 He suffered ultimate what? 40:35 Nakedness. 40:36 For Adam and Eve and all their descendents. 40:42 That's what Genesis 3 verse 21 pointed to. 40:45 The death of the lamb to cover the shame 40:49 of our nakedness. 40:51 Now the question is, when is the shame of our nakedness covered? 40:56 Go with me to Galatians chapter 3 40:58 and let's read verse 27. 41:02 Galatians chapter 3 and verse 27. 41:07 A very important verse that tells us when we are covered 41:10 with the spiritual robe of Christ's righteousness. 41:14 The righteousness that He developed when He took 41:17 our sin upon Himself. 41:19 It says in Galatians 3 verse 27, "For as many of you 41:24 as were..." What? 41:26 "...baptized..." 41:28 And what's the next word, the next preposition? 41:31 "...into Christ have..." What? 41:34 "...have put on Christ." 41:36 That expression, "put on," is used in the New Testament 41:39 to speak about putting on a garment, putting on a robe. 41:42 So let me ask you, at what moment do we put on the 41:45 robe of Christ's righteousness that He died to purchase for us? 41:49 We put it on at the moment of baptism. 41:53 And you say, "Pastor Bohr, why at the moment of baptism?" 41:56 It's very simple. 41:57 In our baptism, what we do is in miniature; 42:02 we experience what Jesus experienced on earth. 42:07 Jesus died. 42:09 Do you agree with that? 42:10 Jesus was buried. Correct? 42:13 And Jesus resurrected. 42:14 Who did He do this for? 42:17 He did this for us. 42:18 He died for us, He was buried for us, 42:21 and He resurrected for us. 42:22 Now the question is, how am I included in what Christ did? 42:26 How am I incorporated into Christ? 42:29 That's the preposition that's used. 42:30 How am I incorporated into the work of Christ? 42:33 It's very simple. 42:34 I go through the same experience that He did, symbolically, 42:39 in baptism. 42:43 Were you here this morning to see the baptism? 42:46 Did you notice that the pastor is in the baptistery 42:49 and he has the candidate who is going to be baptized. 42:52 And he says, "I baptize you in the name of 42:56 the Father, and of the Son, and of and the Holy Spirit." 43:00 What is that person doing before they go into the water? 43:03 Well they're breathing, but right before they go into 43:05 the water, what happens? 43:07 They stop breathing. 43:09 Do you stop breathing when you die? 43:11 Most certainly. 43:12 And then the pastor puts them under the water. 43:15 Do they breathe under the water? 43:16 They better not. 43:18 See, under the water they're not breathing. 43:20 Does a person who is under the earth buried breathe? 43:23 No. What happens? 43:25 What's the first thing that the person does when they 43:27 come forth from the water? 43:29 They... 43:31 They breathe life, they breathe again. 43:33 Just like when Jesus resurrected. 43:36 So in other words, when we are baptized, 43:38 we are being incorporated into the experience of Christ. 43:42 We are included in Him. 43:44 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 43:46 Baptism is a phenomenal service. 43:49 Some people think it's optional. 43:50 You know, if you want to be baptized, fine. 43:52 If you don't want to be baptized, that's alright. 43:54 The baptism is the official incorporation 43:57 into what Christ did. 43:59 At that moment, what Christ did becomes yours. 44:03 Because by faith you're included in Him, 44:05 because you're participating symbolically in His experience. 44:12 So when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, 44:15 you're clothed with His spiritual robe. 44:17 You have put on Jesus Christ. 44:20 You are in Him. 44:22 Now this is important. 44:24 Some people ask me the question, 44:25 "Pastor Bohr, are you afraid of dying?" 44:28 And I can honestly say, I'm not. 44:32 In fact some people say, "Pastor Bohr, aren't you 44:35 afraid when you get in airplanes so frequently that the airplane 44:39 is going to fall?" 44:42 And by the way, last year I flew 200,000 miles. 44:46 That's a lot of flights. 44:48 I got on a plane 115 times last year, all of the segments. 44:53 People say, "Aren't you afraid that the plane is going to 44:56 fall from the sky?" 44:57 And I say, "Absolutely not." 44:59 Because I believe that if my usefulness in this earth 45:05 has come to an end, I'm fine with it. 45:08 If God still has a plan, the angels are going to 45:11 grab the wings and they're not going to let 45:13 that airplane fall from the sky. 45:18 You say, "How can you have that assurance? 45:20 Why aren't you afraid of dying?" 45:22 Do you know why? 45:24 Because I'm in Christ. 45:27 Because when I was baptized, when I received Jesus 45:29 as my Savior, I'm in Him. 45:31 And Jesus died, Jesus was buried, Jesus resurrected. 45:35 He took my penalty upon Himself. 45:37 When I go through that experience, He takes His 45:39 righteousness and He covers me with His righteousness. 45:42 I am no longer in me, I am in Him. 45:45 Is that good news? 45:47 That is pointed to in Genesis 3:21, 45:50 where the lamb is sacrificed and the shame of the 45:53 nakedness is... What? ...is covered. 45:55 So let me ask you, where is our source of life? 45:58 Inside in some immortal soul or outside in Jesus Christ? 46:03 Our source of life, folks, is outside in Jesus Christ. 46:07 Not within our self. 46:09 Now let me read you that great resurrection passage, 46:11 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 46:14 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 15 and 16. 46:19 And there's a little expression here that I want us to notice. 46:22 It's speaking about those who die and the resurrection 46:26 that will take place when Jesus comes. 46:28 It says here... 47:00 When did we get into Christ, or when did we get in Christ? 47:03 When we received Him as our Savior and were baptized 47:07 we are in Him. 47:08 So must we fear death? 47:10 No, because here it says that the dead in Christ will... What? 47:15 ...will rise first. 47:17 God's people will rise, those who are in Jesus Christ. 47:20 Our hope of life is not in us. 47:23 Our hope of life is in Him. 47:25 We have no immortality within ourselves. 47:28 The immortality is in Jesus. 47:30 Jesus said, "Because I live you will live also." 47:34 And the sanctuary clearly shows by the sacrifices of 47:37 millions of animals that the wages of sin is death. 47:41 And the only way that sin can be forgiven is when it's taken 47:44 into the sanctuary into the presence of God 47:47 through the blood of Jesus Christ. 47:50 His name be honored and glorified. 47:53 Then after God gave, in Genesis 3:21, 47:56 this promise of clothing the nakedness of man 47:59 through the death of the lamb, God cast Adam and Eve 48:03 out of the garden. 48:04 Let's read about it in Genesis chapter 3 verses 22 through 24. 48:09 The garden is like the Most Holy Place. 48:11 And then they would come to the entrance of the garden 48:13 and they would offer their sacrifices there. 48:17 You say, "How do you know that?" 48:18 Because at the entrance of the Garden of Eden 48:20 you have cherubim. 48:22 That's God's dwelling place. 48:23 Man was cast out. 48:25 Someday, we will be able to go back in again 48:28 through Jesus Christ. 48:29 Genesis 3:22 48:43 Did man have to eat from the tree to live forever? 48:45 Of course. 48:47 Then he did not have an immortal soul 48:49 if he had to continue eating from the tree. 48:51 Verse 23... 49:03 Where was the entrance to the sanctuary? 49:06 On the east. 49:19 Where was the source of life for man? 49:22 It was in the tree of life. 49:24 And what did the tree of life represent? 49:26 It represented life outside of us in Jesus Christ. 49:31 So the Bible says that there's no such thing 49:34 as an immortal sinner. 49:37 In fact, let's notice what the Bible has to say 49:39 about immortality. 49:41 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 16. 49:43 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 16 tells us 49:46 who is the only one who is immortal. 49:49 There we find these words. 49:52 "Which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed 49:56 and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords..." 50:02 And now notice... 50:06 Now let me ask you, what part of "alone" don't you understand? 50:09 Other versions say, "Who only has immortality." 50:13 So who is the only one who has immortality? 50:15 The King of kings and Lords of lords. 50:18 And then it goes on to say... 50:28 Scripture also tells us in Romans chapter 2 50:31 verses 6 and 7 that we must seek immortality. 50:36 If we have to seek it, it's because we don't have it. 50:39 Because you don't seek for what you have. 50:41 Notice what we find there in Romans chapter 2 verses 6 and 7. 50:47 "...who will render to each one according to his deeds..." 51:03 What must we do with regards to immortality? 51:06 We must what? 51:08 Seek it. 51:09 Notice 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. 51:12 The Bible is clear on this point. 51:13 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. 51:17 Immortality is only been brought to light through the gospel. 51:21 It says there in 2 Timothy 1 verse 10, 51:24 and it's speaking about the plan of salvation... 51:34 When it says He has abolished death, that's not 51:35 talking about physical death. 51:37 Because believers in Christ still die. 51:38 It's talking about ultimate nakedness, ultimate death. 51:42 So it says... 51:52 Through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 51:55 Notice also 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 53 and 54. 52:00 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 53 and 54. 52:04 Very clearly, it's saying that immortality must be put on. 52:08 If you have to put it on, it's because you don't 52:10 have it by nature. 52:12 It says there, the apostle Paul speaking about 52:15 the resurrection... 52:41 If man is immortal by nature, why would Jesus have to die 52:44 to give him what he already has? 52:47 You see, immortality is one of the incommunicable 52:51 attributes of God. 52:52 Do you know what those attributes are? 52:54 For example, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, 53:02 immutability, and also immortality. 53:08 You see, immortality is something that belongs 53:10 only to God. 53:12 So what were the two lies that the devil brought in 53:16 to the Garden of Eden? 53:17 Two lies that are being presented even within 53:21 the Christian church today. 53:24 First lie; you will not surely die. 53:30 And the idea is that human beings have 53:32 some type of immortal soul that lives on after death 53:37 that even God cannot eradicate or destroy 53:41 because it is indestructible. 53:43 You say, "Well, yeah that's true. 53:45 But you see, the wicked will suffer death by 53:48 burning eternally in hell." 53:49 Well that's not death. 53:51 Death means to be deprived of what? 53:54 Life. 53:55 It means simply, death from which there is no resurrection. 54:00 The Bible says they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake. 54:05 Speaking about the wicked. 54:06 And so the first lie is that man is by nature immortal. 54:11 The devil said, "You will not surely die." 54:15 The second lie is also being taught in many 54:17 Christian pulpits. 54:19 And that is the idea that you can be like God 54:23 knowing good and evil. 54:26 That's the foundation of post-modern thought. 54:30 It's the foundation of the Emerging Church idea 54:34 where people say, "Don't tell me what the Bible says. 54:36 Don't tell me what your ethical system is. 54:40 I believe that I can decide on my own 54:42 what is right and what is wrong. 54:44 And that's why in the Christian church you have people who say 54:47 that it's okay to live a gay lifestyle, and you have 54:50 people that say that it's not okay to live a gay lifestyle. 54:53 And those who believe that you can live a gay lifestyle, 54:56 they say, "Don't impose your ethics on me. 54:58 This is what I believe to be true." 55:02 Let me ask you, who is it that defines truth? 55:05 Is it something that comes out of my heart? 55:08 "I know good and evil. 55:09 I don't have to do what God says." 55:11 Absolutely not. 55:13 Good and evil are defined outside of man by God 55:18 in His holy Law and in His holy Word. 55:21 And we must live like Jesus lived; by every word 55:25 that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 55:28 Only in that way can we be absolutely safe 55:31 from the arguments of Satan. 55:33 Let's not argue with Him. 55:35 Let's take the Bible the way that it is written. 55:38 And let's simply obey God because God's way 55:42 is always the best way. 55:46 The devil wanted people to think that by getting rid of the law 55:50 you would be truly free. 55:52 You would be emancipated. 55:54 And you would be able to choose your own ethical lifestyle. 55:57 Let me ask you, has it worked out very well? 56:02 Just look at the world. 56:04 Wars and rumors of wars. 56:06 Corruptions, thefts, kidnappings, murders. 56:10 What is the world like without the law of God? 56:14 The devil wants to get rid of the law. 56:16 And any church or any theologian that says 56:19 that the law was nailed to the cross, 56:21 that we're not under law but we're under grace, 56:24 or God doesn't expect us to keep the law, 56:27 is simply repeating the deceptions that Satan spoke 56:32 in the Garden of Eden; "You will not surely die, 56:36 but you will be like God knowing good and evil." 56:41 So the short of it, folks, is that our only hope 56:45 of life is found outside of us in Jesus Christ 56:50 who came and died for our sins. 56:52 And our only hope of knowing what is good and what is evil 56:56 is also outside of us in God's holy Law and in God's holy Word. 57:02 I pray to God that we will live the way that Jesus lived. 57:08 Every time that the devil came to Jesus, 57:10 Jesus didn't argue with him. 57:12 Jesus didn't say, "Well, I think this or I think that." 57:15 Jesus simply said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, 57:20 but he shall live by every word that proceeds 57:24 out of the mouth of God." |
Revised 2014-12-17