Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000028
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00:31 Shall we pray.
00:34 Our loving heavenly Father, what a privilege it is 00:38 to come before Your throne, the King of the universe, 00:43 to present our requests to You. 00:46 We thank You, Father, that we have Your Word. 00:49 This Word that keeps us in the strait and narrow 00:54 but shows us exactly what is in harmony with Your will. 00:58 As we speak today about the importance of distinguishing 01:03 the holy from the common, we ask for the guidance 01:06 of Your Holy Spirit. 01:07 Open our hearts and open our minds 01:11 that we might be willing to receive what You have for us. 01:15 And we thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer. 01:18 For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 01:24 The Bible gives us stories that teach universal principles 01:32 that apply in every age. 01:36 Now, the circumstances of those stories might change. 01:42 But the principles illustrated by those stories 01:47 remain eternally. 01:51 I'd like to begin by speaking about the conquest of Jericho. 01:58 If you'd go with me to Joshua chapter 6, 02:01 we're going to read several verses here in this chapter 02:04 of the book of Joshua that speaks about the conquest 02:07 of the Promised Land. 02:10 Now when Israel crossed the Jordon, the first city that 02:13 they came to was the city of Jericho. 02:17 And God told them that they should march around the city 02:21 seven days and seven times on the seventh day. 02:24 And of course when they did that, the city 02:28 was destroyed by God. 02:32 Now, God had warned the Israelites not to take 02:36 anything that was in the city for themselves. 02:40 I'd like to read Joshua chapter 6 and verse 18, 02:45 where we are told, "And you, by all means abstain from the 02:51 accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take 02:57 of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel 03:01 a curse, and trouble it." 03:05 Now that word, "accursed," at least the time where it is 03:10 used first and the third time that it is used, 03:15 is the Hebrew word, "cherem." 03:18 And basically, that word is also translated in the 03:21 Old Testament, "devoted." 03:25 In other words, I believe that the best translation 03:28 is not to "abstain from accursed things," 03:30 but abstain from devoted things. 03:34 Now allow me to read you another text from the book of Leviticus 03:39 where this word is translated "devoted," 03:42 so that you can see that it is translated "devoted" 03:45 in the Old Testament. 03:46 Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 28. 03:50 Leviticus 27 verse 28 uses the same word, "cherem." 03:55 It says there, "Nevertheless no devoted..." 04:00 Same word. 04:02 "...no devoted offering that a man may devote..." 04:05 There's the same word again. 04:07 "...to the Lord of all that he has, both man and beast, 04:12 or the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; 04:17 every devoted..." 04:18 There's the word used for the third time. 04:20 "...every devoted offering is most holy to the Lord." 04:28 So I believe that in Joshua, the better translation 04:31 is not "accursed." 04:32 The best translation is "devoted." 04:35 The things in Jericho were devoted, or set apart. 04:41 Now you say, set apart for what? 04:44 Well, the book of Joshua tells us for what. 04:48 Chapter 6 and verse 19, the very next verse 04:53 says the following. 05:13 What was the gold and the silver and the bronze to be used for? 05:17 It was to come into the treasury of the Lord. 05:20 In other words, these things were devoted to whom? 05:24 They were devoted to God. 05:26 They weren't accursed. 05:28 They were devoted to God. 05:30 Interestingly enough, in this verse Joshua 6 verse 19 05:35 where it says that they are consecrated to the Lord, 05:39 the Hebrew word there is "qadash." 05:42 Which means, to set apart as holy. 05:47 Now listen up. 05:49 Jericho was the first city that Israel conquered 05:55 in the Promised Land. 05:57 And because it was the first city that Israel conquered, 06:01 the goods of the city were God's tithe of the Holy Land. 06:07 After that, God gave Israel permission to take of the loot 06:11 when cities fell. 06:13 But when it was Jericho, the things of Jericho were devoted. 06:18 They were set apart as holy for the Lord. 06:23 Now there was one individual who's name was Achan, 06:28 who took some of the gold and some of the silver 06:31 and hid it under his tent. 06:34 Now interestingly enough, the sin of Achan was not only 06:39 the sin of stealing. 06:42 The sin of Achan was taking what was holy 06:46 to use for his own secular use. 06:51 He was taking the tithe of the land that belonged to the Lord, 06:55 and he was using that which was dedicated to the Lord, 06:58 that which was holy, for his common everyday use. 07:04 There's one thing which is very clear in the Old Testament 07:08 as well as in the New. 07:10 And that is that the priests were to teach the people 07:14 the difference between the holy and the common. 07:17 In fact, the High Priest wore on his forehead a miter. 07:23 And I want you to notice what this miter said. 07:26 It was kind of like a crown. 07:27 It had an inscription on it. 07:29 Exodus chapter 28 and verse 36 speaks about this miter, 07:34 or this crown, that he used and the inscription that was on it. 07:38 It says here... 07:54 What was the inscription on the miter of the High Priest? 07:57 Holiness unto the Lord. 08:00 The priests were to teach the people the distinction between 08:04 the holy and the common. 08:07 Let's read another verse where this is made very, very clear. 08:11 Ezekiel 44 and verse 23. 08:19 Here it's speaking about the priests and one of the duties 08:22 of the priests of Israel. 08:24 Notice what we are told here. 08:27 And by the way, Ezekiel 40 through 48 is speaking 08:30 about the services of the temple. 08:32 So this is in a sanctuary context. 08:36 It says there, "And they..." That is the priests. 08:46 Unholy means simply, common. 08:57 In other words, the priests of Israel were to teach the people 09:01 the distinction between the holy and that which was secular, 09:05 or was common. 09:08 You see, in Israel, there was holy money and secular money. 09:15 In Israel, there was holy dress and secular dress. 09:20 In Israel, there were common days and holy days. 09:24 In Israel, there were common places and holy places. 09:28 In Israel, there was holy music and common music. 09:33 In Israel, there were holy occasions and there were 09:38 common occasions. 09:40 In Israel, there were holy vocations and there were 09:43 common vocations. 09:45 And the priests were to teach the Israelites the clear 09:48 distinction between that which had been dedicated to God, 09:52 that which was holy, and that which was common. 09:58 The Bible tells us that the priests failed miserably 10:03 in this task. 10:04 Ezekiel 22 and verse 26. 10:07 Ezekiel 22 and verse 26 speaks about the priests 10:12 and their failure to do this task. 10:16 It says there in Ezekiel 22 verse 26... 10:53 So I want to underline the fact that the priests were 10:57 to teach the people clearly the distinction between that which 11:02 was holy and that which was common. 11:06 Now there was one thing in the sanctuary 11:08 which was very holy, among other things. 11:11 And that was the incense that was used to burn 11:16 on the altar of incense, or the golden altar. 11:21 Exodus 30 verses 7 through 9 speaks about this incense 11:26 that was to be offered. 11:27 Incidentally, it was a special formula. 11:31 And no one was to duplicate this holy formula. 11:36 Because the Bible tells us that if anybody tried to duplicate 11:39 the formula and use the incense in a secular environment, 11:43 the sentence was death. 11:46 Notice Exodus chapter 30 and verses 7 through 9. 11:52 This is the altar of incense. 12:20 What does that mean, strange incense? 12:22 It means, any other kind of incense than the incense 12:26 that is made with this special formula, which is holy 12:30 and dedicated to God. 12:32 "Don't you offer any other kind of incense 12:35 on My altar of incense." 12:38 Was God serious about this? 12:40 Isn't incense incense? 12:44 Absolutely not. 12:46 There was a special incense that was holy 12:49 and it was not to be used as secular. 12:52 And secular incense was not to be presented as holy 12:57 before the Lord. 12:59 Now the question is, what did the incense represent? 13:03 Well, let's read a few verses from Scripture to see 13:06 what the incense symbolized. 13:09 Psalm 141 and verse 2. 13:15 It says there... 13:28 So what is incense connected with here in 13:30 Psalm 141 and verse 2? 13:33 It's connected with prayer. 13:34 But now listen carefully. 13:37 This text tells us that the prayer is linked with incense. 13:44 But there's more to the story. 13:46 Go with me to Revelation chapter 8 and verse 3. 13:50 The prayer itself was not the incense. 13:53 The incense was something separate from the prayer. 13:57 Notice, Revelation chapter 8 and verse 3 14:00 makes this distinction clear. 14:02 It says here... 14:09 This is in heaven, by the way. 14:10 This is the heavenly sanctuary. 14:26 Does the incense represent the prayers? 14:29 No, the incense is offered with the prayers. 14:34 That's a very important detail. 14:36 Now go with me to Luke chapter 1 verses 8 through 10 14:40 where you have both the symbol and what the symbol represents. 14:45 Luke 1 verses 8 through 10. 14:47 It's speaking about Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, 14:51 and he was serving in the sanctuary. 14:54 And I want you to notice at what hour he was burning incense 14:59 on the altar, and what the people were doing outside 15:02 while he was burning the incense on the altar. 15:04 It says in Luke chapter 1 and verse 8... 15:13 Which, by the way, was the eight division. 15:23 So Zacharias goes in and he's going to burn incense. 15:26 Now what were the people doing outside? 15:29 The incense is added to what? 15:31 To the prayers of the saints. 15:33 Now that's the symbol, right? 15:35 That's the symbol in the sanctuary. 15:36 But what did that symbol represent? 15:40 The last verse tells us. Verse 10 says... 15:50 So there you have the reality, the prayers, and you also have 15:54 the symbol, which is the incense that's being 15:57 burned on the altar. 15:59 Now what does the incense represent? 16:01 It's added to the prayers of God's people. 16:06 Let me read you a statement that we find in 16:08 Selected Message, volume 1, page 329 16:11 where Ellen White explains this symbolism of the incense that 16:16 is added to the prayers of the saints. 16:18 Can we pray to God... 16:19 Would God listen to our prayers if our prayers went 16:21 directly to his throne? 16:24 He would have to destroy us because our prayers are defiled. 16:27 They come from sinful lips. 16:31 What must happen with our prayers? 16:33 They must be cleansed and purified by the 16:35 righteousness of Christ. 16:38 Because He's our Intercessor. 16:39 They can't go just as bare prayers before the Lord. 16:43 Notice what we find here in this statement. 16:45 Profound. 16:46 She says, "With the confession of the repenting believing 16:52 sinner, Christ mingles His own righteousness 16:58 that the prayer of fallen man may go up as fragrant 17:03 incense before the Father, and the grace of God be imparted 17:09 to the believing soul." 17:11 So what does incense represent? 17:14 It represents the merits of Christ's righteousness 17:19 that makes our prayers acceptable before God. 17:25 Now the question is, what does the fire represent? 17:30 Because you have the incense. 17:31 The incense represents the merits of Christ that are 17:33 added to our prayers. 17:34 But what was it that made the incense ascend? 17:39 Is was the fire, right? 17:40 The burning of the incense is what made the incense ascend. 17:44 Now what does the fire represent? 17:47 Well, I think you know what fire represents 17:49 in Scripture symbolically. 17:51 It represents the Holy Spirit. 17:54 On the day of Pentecost, what happened? 17:56 Tongues of fire were seen. 17:59 John the Baptist said He will baptize you with the 18:02 Holy Spirit, and with what? 18:04 And with fire. 18:05 Fire in Scripture represents the Holy Spirit. 18:08 And I'm going to show you in a few moments 18:10 that our prayers are actually aided by the Holy Spirit 18:15 so that we know what to ask for and how to pray. 18:18 The Holy Spirit is involved in bearing our prayers to Christ 18:23 so that Christ can represent us in the heavenly sanctuary. 18:26 Now I want you to notice Leviticus chapter 9 18:30 and verses 23 and 24. 18:32 Leviticus chapter 9 verses 23 and 24. 18:36 This is when the sanctuary sacrifices were established 18:41 in the wilderness tabernacle. 18:44 I want you to notice what happened when the sacrifices 18:48 had been placed upon the altar. 18:50 It says here... 19:03 "And fire came out from before the Lord..." 19:07 And we spoke about this in a previous lecture. 19:09 How did God show that He accepted the 19:11 sacrifice of Christ? 19:14 By the tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost. 19:16 Remember? 19:17 So notice what it continues saying, verse 24. 19:32 So how did God show that He accepted the sacrifices 19:35 that were placed upon the altar? 19:36 He rained fire from heaven. 19:38 Now listen carefully. 19:39 That fire that He rained from heaven was holy fire. 19:45 It was fire that came from the Lord. 19:49 Now let me ask you. 19:50 If you had compared that fire with any other fire, 19:54 would the two fires look similar? 19:56 Sure, absolutely. 19:57 If you stuck your finger in one or the other fire, 20:00 would your finger be burned? 20:02 Absolutely. 20:03 If some chemist examined the chemical qualities 20:06 of common fire and holy fire, would it be the same. 20:10 Of course. 20:11 What made that fire holy? 20:14 The fact that God had rained it from heaven. 20:17 That was holy fire. 20:18 And God told the priests, "When you take fire 20:22 into the sanctuary to burn the incense, 20:25 you make sure that you take this holy fire. 20:30 Don't you take Me any other incense, 20:33 and don't you take Me any other fire." 20:36 Now we need to read the very next chapter. 20:39 Because we have a story of two men, sons of Aaron, 20:45 who ignored that command of God. 20:49 They took the right incense, but the wrong fire. 20:54 They used common fire and they presented it as if it were holy. 20:59 Let's read about it. 21:01 Leviticus chapter 10 and verse 1. 21:14 No problem with the incense, evidently. 21:17 A problem with the fire which represents our prayers 21:21 taken to the presence of Christ through the work 21:23 of the Holy Spirit. 21:35 Some versions say, "strange fire." 21:37 It's not the fire from the altar. 21:47 Did they know which fire they should offer? 21:50 You better believe they knew. 21:51 Was this willful disobedience and trampling 21:56 on the holiness of God? 21:58 It most certainly was. 21:59 Because God had not commanded them to take that common fire. 22:03 He said, "You take the holy fire from the altar, 22:06 because that's the fire that I rained from heaven." 22:08 They willfully disobeyed God. 22:12 So what was the result? 22:14 When God sees them bring in this common fire, God says, 22:17 "Oh, who cares. Fire is fire." 22:21 No. 22:23 Is God serious when He says that something is holy? 22:26 Oh, God is very serious when He says that something is holy. 22:30 And we see how serious He was in this story. 22:34 We're told in chapter 10 and verse 2... 22:48 Wow. 22:49 Because they presented common fire as if it were... What? 22:53 ...as if it were holy. 22:56 Now let me read you that statement from Scripture 22:59 where it says that the Holy Spirit helps us in our 23:02 prayer life and actually intercedes with us before 23:06 Jesus with groanings. 23:08 Romans chapter 8 and verses 26 and 27. 23:12 Romans chapter 8 and verses 26 and 27. 23:16 Here, the apostle Paul says, "Likewise, the Spirit 23:20 also helps in our weaknesses. 23:23 For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, 23:29 but the Spirit Himself..." Does what? 23:32 "...makes intercession for us with groanings 23:37 which cannot be uttered." 23:38 That is what the fire represents. 23:41 Our prayers ascend to God through the help 23:44 of the Holy Spirit. 23:45 And by the way, the Holy Spirit does it through coordinating 23:48 the angelic hosts, as we've studied before. 23:52 Now, are there certain prayers that God rejects? 23:56 How about prayers where we pray to God 24:00 in willful disobedience to God? 24:04 Does God hear those prayers? 24:06 Absolutely not. 24:08 Notice what Scripture has to say to us. 24:10 Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 9. 24:13 Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 9. 24:16 It says here... 24:24 That's God's clearly revealed will. 24:32 So if you say the law was nailed to the cross, 24:35 that we don't have to keep the law anymore, 24:36 that the law was for the Jews, 24:38 we're not under the law but we're under grace... 24:42 Does God listen to those prayers? 24:44 According to the Bible, He doesn't. 24:47 Because it says, "He who turns away his ear from hearing 24:51 the law, even his prayer is an abomination." 24:53 Notice also Psalm 66 and verses 18 through 20. 24:58 The same idea comes forth. 25:00 Psalm 66 and verses 18 through 20. 25:27 So what happens when you, according to this text, 25:30 when you regard iniquity in your heart or when you turn away 25:35 your ear from hearing the explicitly revealed 25:38 Word of God? 25:39 What happens? 25:41 You can pray to God, but Jesus will not present that prayer 25:45 before the Father. 25:48 Very serious. 25:50 Now let's continue in our story of Nadab and Abihu. 25:54 Let's go to Leviticus chapter 10 and verse 3. 25:57 Now God is going to explain something to Moses and Aaron. 26:03 He says this... 26:18 "Those who come into My presence must recognize 26:20 that I am..." What? 26:22 "...that I am holy." 26:32 God is saying, "When you come into My presence, 26:34 you make sure that you respect that which is holy." 26:39 God is saying, "I will not be played with. 26:41 I will not be trifled with. 26:43 You can't approach Me any old way that you 26:46 want to approach Me. 26:48 You have to approach Me on My terms. 26:50 You have to respect that which is holy." 26:53 He's saying, "Don't consider Me your good old buddy 26:55 or the Man upstairs. 26:57 Consider Me the high and lofty One who's name is holy, 27:02 who also comes and inhabits with those who are humble 27:05 and contrite of heart." 27:08 God is serious when He says that we're suppose to 27:11 separate that which is holy from that which is common. 27:15 I wonder what He says about some worship services 27:19 of Christians in the world today. 27:22 We'll come back to that a little bit later. 27:25 Now I want you to notice what we find in Leviticus chapter 10 27:29 and verses 4 through 7. 27:32 God, here, gives a drastic formula to Moses and Aaron. 27:38 He says something that is difficult for us to understand. 27:42 He actually says, "Don't you dare mourn those two young men." 27:47 Wow. 27:48 Let's read about it. 27:50 Notice Leviticus chapter 10 and we'll read verses 4 through 7. 28:08 Notice, they're thrown outside the camp, 28:10 because they're no longer members of God's chosen people. 28:30 Which would be signs of affliction. 28:52 You see, if the people had mourned these two young men, 28:55 they would have given the impression that they were 28:58 sympathizing with them. 29:00 Do you remember what happened in the rebellion of Korah, 29:04 Dathan, and Abiram? 29:06 You see, they were Levites, but they wanted to be priests. 29:10 And so they brought their censors before the Lord saying, 29:13 "We want to be priests and, you know, we're capable. 29:16 We are able to do it. 29:17 So why does the Lord say we can't?" 29:19 And so Moses says, "Bring your censors." 29:22 And they brought their censors, 250 of them. 29:25 And Moses says, "If I'm a prophet of the Lord 29:27 and the earth opens up and swallows you up, 29:30 then you're going to know whether I'm right or not." 29:34 And the Bible says that the earth opened up 29:37 and swallowed up these 250 men. 29:40 And do you know what Israel did? 29:42 They started condemning the Lord and sympathizing 29:46 with those who had been swallowed up by the earth. 29:49 And God says, "Now what a minute." 29:50 God was not going to allow that to happen with Nadab and Abihu. 29:53 If people had mourned them, it would have been an announcement 29:57 that they were sorry for the death of the young men. 29:59 God says, "You be sorry that My holiness has 30:02 been trampled upon." 30:04 Now we need to ask a very important question. 30:07 Why did Nadab and Abihu offer common fire before the Lord? 30:12 They knew that they had to offer holy fire. 30:15 Why did they take common fire and offer it? 30:18 Why is it that they saw no difference between the 30:20 holy and the common? 30:22 The book of Leviticus explains why. 30:24 Notice chapter 10 and verses 8 and 9. 30:27 Leviticus chapter 10 and verses 8 and 9. 30:34 Listen to counsel, now. 30:53 Why weren't Nadab and Abihu able to distinguish 30:57 the holy from the common? 30:59 Because they were under the influence. 31:02 They were intoxicated with wine. 31:05 Which did not allow them to distinguish the holy 31:10 from the common. 31:11 Not only that, Moses also gave some additional counsel. 31:17 He said, "Don't intoxicate yourselves 31:19 so that you don't die before the Lord. 31:21 So that you are able to distinguish between 31:23 the holy and the common. 31:24 But then notice what he also says in verses 10 and 11 31:27 of Leviticus 10. 31:52 In other words, the counsel given is, "Don't drink 31:55 when you're going into the sanctuary. 31:57 So that you can distinguish the holy from the common. 32:00 And also so that you have clear minds and you're able 32:04 to teach the statutes or the laws of God to His people, 32:09 to Israel." 32:11 So what was the great sin of Nadab and Abihu? 32:15 Is was the sin of taking that which was common 32:20 and presenting it to God as if it was holy. 32:27 How did God look upon that? 32:29 Not very favorably according to the story. 32:33 But now I want us to look at another story 32:36 that presents the other side of the coin. 32:40 The other side of the coin; meaning, how does God feel 32:44 when somebody takes something that is holy 32:47 and treats it as if it is common? 32:51 See, the problem with Nadab and Abihu was that they took 32:53 that which was common and presented it as holy. 32:56 How does God feel when we take something that's holy 32:58 and we treat it as though it's common? 33:00 We have a story in the Bible that illustrates that point. 33:04 Daniel chapter 5. 33:05 Go with me to Daniel chapter 5 and verse 1. 33:09 This chapter describes the fall of Babylon 33:13 when Darius the Mede, or Darius as he's usually called, 33:16 when Darius the Mede came to Babylon and dried up the 33:20 river Euphrates, and the city fell. 33:24 Now that night, the Bible tells us, that Belshazzar 33:27 was celebrating a special banquet. 33:31 Imagine, the invading armies were outside the city, 33:34 and here he was having a banquet for a thousand of his leaders. 33:39 Now notice what we find in Daniel chapter 5 and verse 1. 33:58 This was the straw that broke the camel's back, 34:01 we're going to notice. 34:03 He was drinking wine. 34:05 He was intoxicated. 34:07 And for that reason, he was not able to distinguish 34:11 what was holy from what was common. 34:14 Go with me to verse 2 of Daniel chapter 5. 34:17 It says, "While he tasted the wine..." 34:20 This is interesting, "While he tasted the wine..." 34:22 In other words, he's drinking wine. 34:23 While he was drinking the wine... 34:35 Were these holy vessels? Absolutely. 34:51 Interesting. 34:52 That he would take the holy vessels and he would treat them 34:55 as if they were... What? 34:57 ...as if they were common. 34:59 Drinking in a common social activity at a banquet. 35:04 Now you're saying, did Belshazzar know that he 35:06 was doing wrong? 35:08 We're going to notice that he knew very well 35:10 what those vessels were and where they had come from. 35:14 He knew the whole story of Nebuchadnezzar. 35:16 And yet he still, because he was intoxicated, 35:19 he couldn't think straight, he brought those 35:21 holy vessels and he treated them as if they were common. 35:25 Notice Daniel chapter 5 and verse 3. 35:33 Holy vessels, folks. 35:43 Now I want you to notice something very important 35:45 in the next verse. 35:47 They were intoxicated, and therefore they were not 35:49 able to distinguish the holy from the common. 35:52 And the end result was that they ended up practicing idolatry. 36:00 Notice Daniel chapter 5 and verse 4. 36:16 Did a failure to distinguish between the holy and the 36:19 common lead to idolatry? 36:21 Absolutely. 36:23 It led to worshipping idols that were made with men's hands. 36:29 Are you following me or not? 36:31 Very, very important. 36:33 It led to breaking the commandment that says, 36:36 "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me," 36:40 and the commandment that says, don't make images and don't 36:43 bow down to those images. 36:45 And it was also a trampling on the name of God. 36:48 And so basically, what we find here is that Belshazzar, 36:54 because he did not distinguish the holy from the common 36:57 fell into idolatry and trampled upon the commandments of God. 37:01 Particularly, the first table of the law. 37:05 Now let's go to Daniel chapter 5 and verses 5 and 6. 37:09 This is the straw that broke the camel's back, 37:11 as I was mentioning to you. 37:13 See, God had put up with a lot when it came to Belshazzar. 37:16 But when it came to not distinguishing the holy from 37:19 the common, and as a result trampling on God's commandments 37:23 and practicing false worship, God said, "That's it." 37:26 Notice Daniel 5:5 and 6. 37:54 And so to make a long story short, eventually Daniel 37:58 comes to interpret the meaning of the handwriting on the wall, 38:02 because the experts in Babylon couldn't do it. 38:05 And Daniel gives him a long speech about the story of 38:08 Nebuchadnezzar's insanity. 38:10 Because he became arrogant and proud, God said, 38:14 "I humbled him for seven years." 38:16 And then in verse 22 of chapter 5, we see 38:20 that Belshazzar knew this very well. 38:24 He was trampling on what he knew very well was holy. 38:28 It says in Daniel chapter 5 verse 22... 38:40 Was this willful disobedience to God in taking what was holy 38:44 and treating it as if it was common and trampling on 38:48 God's commandments and practicing false worship? 38:50 Absolutely. 38:53 Now there are other stories in the Old Testament 38:55 and in the New Testament that illustrates the same principle. 38:59 Remember the story of Uzzah? 39:01 God had said, "Don't you touch the ark. 39:05 The ark was being brought back from the Philistine cities 39:09 and it was going up a hill and it looked like it was 39:11 going to fall off. 39:13 And the Bible says that a man called Uzzah reached out 39:16 to hold the ark. 39:17 And God said, "Uzzah, thank you for saving My ark." 39:21 No, that's not what God said. 39:23 The Bible says that instantly he dropped dead 39:26 because he had touched the holy ark of God. 39:28 Does God take seriously what He has made holy? 39:31 Oh, yes He does. 39:33 You know, Christians don't want to talk about that today. 39:35 They want a lovey-dovey God. 39:37 You know, a Santa Clause God. 39:40 And even better than Santa Clause. 39:42 He gives presents to those who are naughty and nice. 39:45 Now, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. 39:48 You remember that story? That's New Testament now. 39:50 That's after the day of Pentecost. 39:52 Remember that they had devoted a certain amount of money 39:54 to the Lord and they held back some of it? 39:57 And so they come and Peter says, 39:58 "Have you given all of the money?" 40:00 "Yes, we have." 40:01 Boom, Ananias falls dead. 40:04 And then Sapphira comes in. 40:06 And Peter says, "Did you sell what you said you were 40:09 going to sell and give the money to the Lord?" 40:10 "Yes, we did." 40:12 Boom, she fell and she died on the spot. 40:14 Because they had held back what they had devoted 40:18 as holy to the Lord. 40:20 Do you remember what happened when the prophet Elisha, 40:25 whom it seems had the same type of problem that I have. 40:28 He was going bald. 40:30 But you know, the 42 kids, they come running behind Elisha. 40:34 They say, "Go up, you bald head. Go up, you bald head." 40:37 The Bible says that he turned and he cursed them 40:39 in the name of the Lord. 40:40 See, he was God's holy prophet. 40:43 Don't you criticize God's holy prophet. 40:45 You might get leprosy. 40:47 Remember the story of Miriam who criticized Moses? 40:51 The Bible says that two she bears came out. 40:54 The Bible doesn't say that they killed the children. 40:57 But the Bible says that they went away and they were hurt 41:00 by these two she bears. 41:02 Because God expected His holy prophet to be respected. 41:08 Now, let's talk about the end time scenario of all of this. 41:14 Because these are stories that we find in Scripture that have 41:18 principles that we need to apply to end time events. 41:22 Revelation chapter 17. 41:24 And we're not going to study this chapter. 41:26 This is a complex chapter. 41:27 I've done some presentations on this chapter before, 41:31 if you're interested. 41:32 Now Revelation 17, just summarizing, you have a 41:35 harlot woman. 41:36 And this harlot woman is seated on many waters. 41:39 The waters represent multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. 41:44 The Bible says that this harlot is clothed 41:47 in purple and scarlet. 41:49 And she has daughters that were born from her. 41:53 Because she's the mother of harlots, 41:55 according to this passage. 41:57 The Bible tells us that she has a cup in her hand. 42:01 And what do you suppose is in the cup? 42:03 Wine. 42:05 Welch's? No. 42:08 Ernest and Julio Gallo. 42:11 Fermented wine. 42:13 And she gives this wine to the kings of the earth. 42:17 And she gives this wine to the multitudes of the earth. 42:20 And she makes them drunk. 42:23 And prophecy tells us that as a result, people practice idolatry 42:28 and they trample on the commandments of God, 42:31 and they persecute those who keep the commandments of God. 42:35 Allow me to read you a passage from Great Controversy page 389, 42:39 a powerful statement from Ellen White. 42:41 She saw what this wine represents. 42:43 And if I had time, I would need a whole lecture 42:45 to deal with what is Babylon's abominable wine. 42:48 It represents her false teachings 42:50 or her false doctrines. 42:51 Notice what she says. 43:51 Who is to blame for the confusion in the world, 43:54 the religious and doctrinal confusion in the world? 43:58 It is the religious leaders, the ministers, 44:01 that are teaching things that are not found in God's Word. 44:04 And they're teaching practices that the Word of God condemns. 44:08 This is the reason why God gives a last time message 44:11 to those who are in these churches. 44:14 And He calls them to come out. 44:16 Notice Revelation chapter 18 verses 1 through 5. 44:19 Revelation chapter 18 verses 1 through 5. 44:22 After talking about the fall of Babylon 44:24 and the sinfulness of Babylon, God makes a call for His 44:27 people to come out. 44:50 These are unclean birds that represent demons. 44:54 Remember when Jesus spoke in the parable of the sower, 44:56 that the birds came and took away the seed of truth? 44:59 And then He explains what it means. 45:00 Satan comes and he takes away the seed of truth 45:03 from the heart so that people will not believe. 45:05 Notice verse 3. 45:09 This is why Babylon has become this way. 45:41 Does God have a people in Babylon? 45:43 Does God have a people in all these churches 45:45 where the truth is not taught? 45:46 You better believe it. 45:48 Most of His people are in all of the churches of the world. 45:52 Sincere loving people who serve God to the best 45:56 of their knowledge. 45:58 But they're simply listening probably to their 46:00 religious leaders that teach them things that are directly 46:04 contrary to scripture. 46:06 But if they're sincere and they truly love the Lord, 46:09 when they hear the truth they will hear the voice of Jesus 46:12 and they will come out. 46:15 Now let's apply this in practical terms, 46:17 what we've studied. 46:19 Let me ask you. 46:21 Is Sunday holy? 46:25 Is the Sabbath holy? 46:29 Who made Sunday holy? 46:34 It is an idol of time created by man. 46:41 Am I right? 46:43 Most certainly so. 46:46 Now, why do I say this? 46:48 Why is it that Christians today exalt Sunday as a holy day 46:56 of worship and they say that you don't have to keep the Sabbath? 47:01 The reason why is because they are drinking the wine 47:05 of the harlot. 47:08 The Roman Catholic Papacy who claims to have changed the 47:11 day of worship, as we have studied in this seminar. 47:15 They don't try to hide it. 47:17 They say, "We were the ones who changed the day, 47:20 by the authority that Jesus Christ gave to the church 47:23 to change His commandments." 47:26 In other words, the religious world is intoxicated 47:29 with the wine of Babylon. 47:32 You see, the first day, according to the Bible, 47:34 is a common work day. 47:37 Because God said, "Six days shall you labor and 47:40 do all your work. 47:41 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." 47:45 So in other words, Sunday is a common work day. 47:48 The Sabbath is God's what? 47:50 Is God's rest day. 47:54 Is the Christian world distinguishing between 47:56 the holy and the common? 47:58 They are not distinguishing between the holy and the common. 48:01 And listen careful to what I'm going to say. 48:03 As a result, they are practicing idolatry. 48:09 You're saying, "Now wait a minute. 48:11 Are you saying that the observance 48:13 of Sunday is idolatry?" 48:16 Some are doing it ignorantly. 48:18 But never the less, it is idolatry. 48:20 And you say, "How is that?" 48:22 Well, let me explain how. 48:24 Let me ask you. 48:26 Who created the sun? 48:29 God created the sun. 48:31 Is the sun a holy object or a secular object? 48:36 A secular object, right? 48:39 Now what happens if you make the sun a sacred object 48:44 and you worship the sun? 48:46 What is that called? 48:48 Idolatry. 48:50 Now, who made the first day of the week? 48:54 God. 48:56 Did He make that day holy? 48:58 So what happens if you make that day holy? 49:02 It's idolatry. 49:03 It's the same principle. 49:05 The only difference is that the first is an idol composed of 49:09 matter, whereas the second is an idol composed of time. 49:14 But it's still an idol because it's something made by man 49:17 for worship that God did not make for worship. 49:21 Are you following me? 49:23 Now let me read you a statement from Ellen White, 49:25 Volume 9 of the Testimonies, page 211. 49:27 I know what I'm saying is strong. 49:30 But it's the truth. 49:32 Notice what she says. 49:35 "The Sabbath question is one that will demand great care 49:41 and wisdom in its presentation. 49:44 Much of the grace and power of God will be needed 49:49 to cast down the idol..." 49:53 To cast down what? 49:55 "...the idol that has been erected in the shape 50:00 of a false Sabbath." 50:04 So what is the first day of the week for the Christian world? 50:07 It is a what? An idol. 50:09 Because anything that man makes for worship 50:12 that God did not make for worship is... What? 50:15 ...is an idol. 50:17 And I repeat once again, the only difference between 50:20 worshipping the sun and worshipping on the day 50:22 of the sun is that man made the sun an object of worship, 50:26 and made time a matter of worship. 50:30 But the principle is exactly the same. 50:34 Now you're saying, "Pastor, are you saying then that 50:36 God does not accept the prayers of those individuals 50:39 who are keeping Sunday?" 50:41 I'm not saying that at all. 50:43 Because most Christians are oblivious to what 50:45 I'm talking about tonight. 50:47 Most Christians don't know anything about this. 50:49 They simply go to church on Sunday and they assimilate 50:52 what their religious leaders teach them. 50:53 And then they go home and watch the football game. 50:57 Or go to the restaurant to go out to eat. 51:01 Now if you don't know about this and you're sincere 51:04 and you love the Lord and you're going to church on Sunday, 51:08 God still accepts your prayers. 51:10 However, according to what we've studied, 51:13 if you know the truth of God, if you know from your studies 51:17 that the Sabbath is God's rest day and you insist 51:20 on keeping Sunday because of family, because of friends, 51:23 because of work, or whatever it is, 51:27 then you are accountable before God 51:30 and God will not hear your prayers. 51:33 Because the Bible tells us that he who turns away his ear 51:37 from hearing God's law, his prayer will be... What? 51:41 ...will be an abomination. 51:43 And that's why the world needs to know this. 51:47 The religious world needs to know this 51:49 that we're talking about. 51:50 Now allow me to read you a statement from Ellen White 51:53 where she describes, where she actually connects the 51:57 sin of Nadab and Abihu with this Sabbath Sunday issue. 52:02 She says, "Those who ignore the Lord's Sabbath to keep holy 52:07 the first day of the week offer strange fire to God." 52:12 I know this is strong. 52:14 But it's the truth. 52:16 It's the truth of God's Word. 52:19 Listen, if God accepts Sunday as the day of worship, 52:22 He's going to have to apologize to Nadab and Abihu. 52:26 He's going to have to say, "I'm sorry. 52:27 You took that which was common and you presented it as holy." 52:33 Is the Christian world taking a common day of work and 52:37 presenting it as if it was holy? 52:39 So if God accepts that, He's going to have to apologize 52:42 to Nadab and Abihu for what He did to them. 52:46 Now listen to what she continues saying. 52:48 "Those who ignore the Lord's Sabbath to keep holy the 52:50 first day of the week offer strange fire to God. 52:52 It is a strange Sabbath which He has not commanded them. 52:57 Will He accept it at their hands? 53:00 Men have sought out many inventions. 53:04 They have taken a common day upon which God has placed no 53:08 sanctity, and have clothed it with sacred prerogatives. 53:14 They have declared it to be holy, but this does not give it 53:18 a vestige of sanctity. 53:20 They dishonor God by accepting human institutions 53:25 and presenting to the world as the Christian Sabbath 53:29 a day which has no, 'thus saith the Lord,' for its authority. 53:34 As did Nadab and Abihu. 53:36 They offered the common in place of the holy." 53:42 A powerful statement. 53:46 So what have we studied tonight? 53:47 What have we learned tonight? 53:49 We've learned that God will not accept us taking 53:52 something common and presenting it to God as if it is holy. 53:58 And God will not accept us taking something holy 54:02 and treating it as if it is... What? 54:05 ...as if it is common. 54:07 Now let's apply that to the Sabbath Sunday issue. 54:11 The Christian world takes a common day 54:15 and they present it to God as... What? 54:17 ...as holy. 54:19 Whereas they take the holy day of God and they 54:21 treat it as if it is... What? 54:23 ...common. 54:24 Is that the same sin of Nadab and Abihu? 54:27 It most certainly is. 54:28 Especially if you know it and you still choose 54:32 to be disobedient to God. 54:36 Now allow me to say a few things to Adventists. 54:41 Pick on our own. 54:44 You see, in the Adventist church we have fallen 54:51 in some places into the same error, 54:56 into the same sin that was committed by Nadab and Abihu. 55:00 Let me ask you, do you think that God cares about the 55:02 way we dress to come to church? 55:06 Does God accept us coming in work clothes to church? 55:10 In unironed dirty clothes to church? 55:14 No, we're going to meet with the King of the universe. 55:17 There has to be special ironed and washed clothing 55:22 to come before the Lord. 55:24 Our best. 55:25 And yet Christians today say, "Oh no, I dress down 55:29 to go to church." 55:30 But they would never dress down if they were going to go 55:33 meet the President of the United States. 55:35 They would never dress down if they were going to 55:38 some formal event. 55:41 But to go to church, you dress down. 55:43 Does God care about the way that we present ourselves 55:46 before Him in the sanctuary? 55:48 You better believe it. 55:50 How about what we do on Sabbath? 55:52 Does God care about what we do on the Sabbath? 55:55 Whether we go out to eat in the restaurant? 55:58 Or we bring the Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the 56:01 foyer of the church? 56:03 Like happens in some churches. 56:06 God cares. 56:08 Does he care about what we talk about on the Sabbath? 56:11 He most certainly does. 56:13 Does God care about the kind of music that we listen to? 56:17 Is all religious music sacred music? 56:21 You know, that's what the Christian world has said. 56:23 "As long as it has Christian words, 56:27 God doesn't care about the music." 56:30 Is there such a thing as sacred music? 56:32 Yes. Is there such a thing as common or secular music? 56:36 Absolutely. 56:37 Must we make a distinction between the two? 56:40 Absolutely. 56:42 A distinction has to be made between the holy and the common. 56:45 Last night, we studied about the tithe. 56:48 To whom does the tithe belong? 56:51 To God. 56:52 Does God care when we take His holy tithe and we 56:55 use it for our everyday expenses? 56:57 You better believe it. 56:59 God takes that personally. 57:01 Because that is not ours. 57:02 That is holy. 57:04 It's separated for the Lord. 57:06 And yet there are many Adventists, even within 57:08 my own church, that don't tithe. 57:13 Let's not point the finger at Sunday keepers alone. 57:17 Because if we are doing these things, 57:20 we are in no better shape. 57:23 We must learn to distinguish between the holy and the common. |
Revised 2014-12-17