When we hear the words of Jesus
again, we want to reemphasize
00:00:06.50\00:00:09.34
that as He turns to John, puts
His hand on him, and He says,
00:00:09.37\00:00:12.31
"John, don't be afraid."
00:00:12.34\00:00:14.44
And then Jesus says why.
00:00:14.48\00:00:16.51
Even though John falls like
a dead person, he's not dead,
00:00:16.54\00:00:19.08
but he just loses all strength.
00:00:19.11\00:00:20.62
And Jesus puts His hand on
him and says, "Don't be afraid."
00:00:20.82\00:00:23.55
Then Jesus gives the reason why.
00:00:23.59\00:00:25.79
So we want to go
to Revelation 1:18
00:00:25.89\00:00:28.69
and listen to Jesus as He says
why we should not be afraid.
00:00:28.72\00:00:32.99
He says, "I am He who
lives, and was dead..."
00:00:33.40\00:00:37.87
In other words, "I'm alive.
I was dead, but I'm alive."
00:00:37.90\00:00:41.57
So that should give you hope.
00:00:41.60\00:00:43.20
"...and behold, I
am alive forevermore."
00:00:43.61\00:00:46.51
So Jesus is saying,
"Don't be afraid, because
00:00:46.81\00:00:49.41
even though I was
dead, I'm now alive.
00:00:49.44\00:00:52.01
And I'm going to
be alive forevermore."
00:00:52.05\00:00:53.38
Now that's very, very
important to remember.
00:00:53.42\00:00:55.42
And then He says,
"Amen." Or so be it.
00:00:56.18\00:00:59.22
"And I have the
keys to Hades and Death."
00:00:59.32\00:01:03.99
Or to grave and the death.
00:01:04.03\00:01:05.66
Now that's quite a statement.
00:01:05.89\00:01:07.43
Jesus alone has the
keys to unlock the graves.
00:01:07.46\00:01:12.00
You know every time
you ride by a graveyard,
00:01:12.03\00:01:14.20
it's like riding by one
of Satan's prison houses.
00:01:14.24\00:01:17.14
Because as people die,
they go into Satan's grave,
00:01:17.24\00:01:20.91
if you please.
00:01:20.94\00:01:22.28
Into the prison house.
00:01:22.31\00:01:23.75
But Jesus is coming some
day to release His children
00:01:23.78\00:01:27.95
from that prison.
00:01:27.98\00:01:29.32
He has the keys. He
can unlock that grave.
00:01:29.35\00:01:31.55
He can bring
people back to life.
00:01:31.79\00:01:33.79
Some people think
that's a hard thing, but
00:01:33.82\00:01:36.29
really for the God of
heaven it's not going to be hard
00:01:36.32\00:01:39.56
to bring people back to life.
00:01:39.59\00:01:41.20
Let's just go on
just a little bit.
00:01:41.93\00:01:43.57
When Jesus talks about having
the keys, He's the living proof.
00:01:43.67\00:01:47.54
He knows what
He's talking about.
00:01:47.64\00:01:49.60
Well how did the human
race get into this mess anyway?
00:01:50.14\00:01:53.04
We've talked a
little bit about that.
00:01:53.07\00:01:54.64
But God is love.
00:01:55.18\00:01:56.51
But it's because the
whole human race bought into
00:01:56.54\00:01:59.01
the selfish proposition of
the devil and his evil angels,
00:01:59.05\00:02:02.92
that somehow they
could live and be selfish.
00:02:02.95\00:02:05.19
But you can't be
selfish and live.
00:02:05.22\00:02:07.19
The only way you can
live is to become unselfish.
00:02:07.22\00:02:10.13
And we need Jesus to do that.
00:02:10.16\00:02:11.99
Now it was a big risk for God
to bring people into the world.
00:02:12.03\00:02:14.96
It's a risk to bring
children into the world.
00:02:15.56\00:02:17.63
I mean, they're beautiful
and wonderful as little babies,
00:02:17.97\00:02:19.93
you know, that's great.
00:02:19.97\00:02:21.30
But they're going to grow
up and you're going to lose
00:02:21.34\00:02:23.24
control as a parent, and they
are going to make decisions.
00:02:23.27\00:02:25.71
And they may make decisions
that, you know, bother you.
00:02:25.74\00:02:28.74
It's a risk to bring
children into the world.
00:02:28.98\00:02:30.78
It was a risk to bring
a creation into the world.
00:02:30.81\00:02:32.61
Now Jesus could have
made everybody robots.
00:02:32.65\00:02:35.32
I remember the first
time we saw our little girl.
00:02:36.79\00:02:38.99
And I saw her
through the window,
00:02:40.39\00:02:41.96
she had a little pink hat on.
00:02:41.99\00:02:43.76
She was so precious.
00:02:43.79\00:02:45.16
Now this didn't
happen, and this is just after
00:02:45.89\00:02:48.46
I got to thinking about it
and after she began to grow up.
00:02:48.50\00:02:51.53
She's been a wonderful daughter.
00:02:51.57\00:02:53.03
Is a wonderful daughter.
00:02:53.13\00:02:54.50
I began to think about this a
little bit, and my imagination
00:02:55.10\00:02:58.21
worked on a little parable.
00:02:58.24\00:02:59.84
What if while I was
looking at my little daughter
00:03:01.08\00:03:04.68
an angel appeared
to me and said to me,
00:03:04.71\00:03:07.82
"You know what,
behind her ear is a button.
00:03:07.92\00:03:11.55
And if you'll just push that
button, she'll always be good."
00:03:12.55\00:03:18.36
Would you push it?
00:03:19.56\00:03:20.90
Would you push it?
00:03:21.46\00:03:23.20
I mean, it would be like saying
she has to be good because
00:03:24.60\00:03:29.04
she'd be programmed that way.
00:03:29.57\00:03:31.84
No, you wouldn't push it.
00:03:33.11\00:03:34.81
Because when she sat
on your lap and she said,
00:03:35.18\00:03:37.15
"Daddy, I love you," you'd
be listening to a tape recorder.
00:03:37.18\00:03:40.25
No, God made His
children free moral agents.
00:03:41.08\00:03:43.95
And we want our
children to have freedom
00:03:43.99\00:03:46.52
to love and to take
the risk of not loving us.
00:03:46.72\00:03:50.23
Love takes a risk.
00:03:51.59\00:03:54.40
That's why God made
us free moral agents
00:03:54.43\00:03:57.17
so that when we say we love Him,
00:03:57.27\00:03:59.53
He's not listening
to a tape recorder.
00:04:00.00\00:04:02.40
Jesus wants
children, not robots.
00:04:02.97\00:04:06.71
So God runs His
universe by these laws.
00:04:07.68\00:04:11.35
He wants to give us all
the freedom he possibly can.
00:04:11.38\00:04:13.85
Some people think that
God's law is restrictive.
00:04:13.92\00:04:15.68
No, it's not.
00:04:15.72\00:04:17.05
Unless death is
freedom, and it's not,
00:04:17.09\00:04:19.42
God's laws are the law of
liberty, as the Bible says.
00:04:19.89\00:04:23.12
They can make freedom possible.
00:04:23.16\00:04:24.96
They make life possible.
00:04:24.99\00:04:26.49
And without life,
there's no freedom, of course.
00:04:26.53\00:04:28.90
So He runs His universe
by these finely tuned laws.
00:04:28.93\00:04:32.33
We'll talk about that
in another program again.
00:04:32.37\00:04:35.54
But if you change those
laws, as I mentioned before,
00:04:35.57\00:04:38.27
death is the result.
00:04:38.84\00:04:40.28
Not because God is mean,
but because He loves life.
00:04:40.31\00:04:43.75
And those laws
are necessary to life.
00:04:43.78\00:04:46.05
And that's why Adam
and Eve had to be tested.
00:04:46.61\00:04:48.98
That's why there was the tree
of knowledge of good and evil.
00:04:49.02\00:04:51.99
Not because God
wanted them to choose evil,
00:04:52.22\00:04:54.52
but they couldn't grow in
character without that testing.
00:04:54.76\00:04:58.83
And testing is
different than tempting.
00:04:59.13\00:05:03.03
Let me underline that.
00:05:03.13\00:05:04.80
I mean, when you
take a test in school,
00:05:05.03\00:05:06.63
does your teacher
want you to pass the test?
00:05:06.67\00:05:08.70
Of course she does.
00:05:08.74\00:05:10.14
Of course he does.
00:05:10.54\00:05:11.87
He's rooting for your success.
00:05:11.91\00:05:13.84
He wants you to do well.
00:05:15.01\00:05:16.71
That's why you have tests.
God's rooting for their success.
00:05:16.75\00:05:19.48
He's made them
free moral agents,
00:05:19.51\00:05:20.95
and their loyalty
now needs to be tested.
00:05:20.98\00:05:23.45
When somebody tempts
you, they're tempting you
00:05:23.65\00:05:26.99
to get you in trouble
because they don't like you.
00:05:27.02\00:05:30.19
Because they want to get you
in a very difficult situation.
00:05:30.23\00:05:34.53
Temptation and testing
are two very different things.
00:05:34.56\00:05:37.37
God tempts nobody,
but He does test us.
00:05:37.40\00:05:40.44
And Adam and Eve
were being tested.
00:05:41.30\00:05:42.97
Their loyalty was being tested.
00:05:43.00\00:05:44.81
And without loyalty, without
trust in God, you can't exist.
00:05:45.57\00:05:50.41
That's the thing
that connects us to God.
00:05:50.45\00:05:52.11
It's just that simple.
00:05:52.15\00:05:53.48
You trust God,
you have faith in Him,
00:05:53.68\00:05:55.48
and now you're
connecting with God.
00:05:55.52\00:05:56.92
He's the source of all life.
00:05:56.95\00:05:58.42
You don't have faith in
Him, then you're not connected
00:05:58.45\00:06:01.32
with Him, and
you're going to die.
00:06:01.36\00:06:03.02
That's why the
whole world is dying,
00:06:03.32\00:06:04.86
is because of a lack of faith.
00:06:04.89\00:06:07.60
So how do we get out of
this mess since we're all
00:06:08.20\00:06:11.37
born into a sinful condition?
00:06:11.40\00:06:13.40
I mean, you're born
with a carnal nature
00:06:13.60\00:06:16.40
that tempts us, Satan tempts us,
00:06:16.91\00:06:18.67
the selfish world
that we live in tempts us.
00:06:18.71\00:06:21.31
I'm telling you, we
had to have a substitute.
00:06:21.34\00:06:23.81
We had to have
somebody different from Adam
00:06:23.85\00:06:25.68
who fell and plunged
us all into this mess.
00:06:25.71\00:06:28.85
And Jesus became our substitute.
00:06:29.75\00:06:32.09
What is a substitute?
00:06:32.15\00:06:33.72
That's a big word.
00:06:33.76\00:06:35.09
Well let me give
you an illustration
00:06:35.56\00:06:37.33
maybe to help understand that.
00:06:37.59\00:06:39.06
I'm not sure I really
like where I get it from, but
00:06:39.09\00:06:41.16
it helps you to
understand how substitution is
00:06:41.50\00:06:43.77
going on in our own
culture and our own society.
00:06:43.80\00:06:46.87
Let's just suppose that two guys
are at work and it's Friday,
00:06:47.14\00:06:50.17
and they're
getting ready to get off,
00:06:50.21\00:06:51.54
and each one of them are
the sponsor of a ball team.
00:06:51.57\00:06:54.31
I don't care what kind of
ball. Some kind of sports team.
00:06:54.34\00:06:56.95
And one says to the
other, he says, "You know what?
00:06:57.51\00:07:00.08
You know what?
00:07:00.22\00:07:01.55
Our team is going
to win this weekend.
00:07:01.58\00:07:03.15
And the other one says, "No, our
team is going to win this week."
00:07:03.18\00:07:04.99
Oh, they have this
friendly back and forth.
00:07:05.02\00:07:07.96
And then they go home.
00:07:08.32\00:07:09.66
Have you ever seen a
sports, pardon the word,
00:07:09.69\00:07:12.89
ever seen a sports fanatic?
00:07:13.19\00:07:15.50
You know, they paint
their faces, they go to some
00:07:17.13\00:07:19.97
sports game, they stand up
and they yell and they scream.
00:07:20.00\00:07:23.07
Or they get in
front of the television,
00:07:23.97\00:07:25.57
nobody can hear them
there or maybe except their kids
00:07:25.61\00:07:27.81
and their wife.
00:07:27.84\00:07:29.18
Or maybe it's their husband.
00:07:29.44\00:07:30.98
And every time something
goes right, they jump and yell.
00:07:31.61\00:07:34.82
And every time something
goes wrong, they say, "Oh no."
00:07:34.85\00:07:37.65
Well, come Monday
morning, and they get back and
00:07:39.95\00:07:43.93
the guy whose team
won, he comes in and he says
00:07:44.13\00:07:47.00
to his friend, "We beat you.
00:07:47.03\00:07:49.63
We beat you good."
00:07:49.83\00:07:51.50
We?
00:07:51.70\00:07:53.03
We?
00:07:53.90\00:07:55.24
We never touched the ball.
00:07:56.60\00:08:00.31
So what's going on here?
00:08:02.51\00:08:03.85
It's called, substitution.
00:08:04.98\00:08:07.35
Substitution means that whatever
the team does happens to him.
00:08:08.22\00:08:13.92
So if they win, they're happy
as all get out, so to speak.
00:08:13.96\00:08:18.73
And if they have lost,
they go into depression.
00:08:18.76\00:08:23.20
Substitution.
00:08:23.80\00:08:25.13
Whatever happens to
the team happens to them.
00:08:25.17\00:08:27.80
The wonderful thing
about our wonderful Savior is
00:08:28.00\00:08:31.14
that everything He did
can be substituted for us.
00:08:31.44\00:08:34.68
His death, His
resurrection, His life.
00:08:34.71\00:08:37.81
That's where you get
power to live a Christian life.
00:08:38.11\00:08:39.91
You can't live a
Christian life on your own.
00:08:39.95\00:08:42.08
I want to underline that.
00:08:42.18\00:08:43.52
You need a union with
Christ in order to be able to
00:08:43.55\00:08:46.76
live a Christian life.
00:08:46.79\00:08:48.19
It's that union with Christ
that means everything to us.
00:08:48.22\00:08:51.19
Some people say, "Well, how
is it that one Man's life could
00:08:51.23\00:08:54.86
pay for everybody else's?"
00:08:54.90\00:08:56.40
Well, let me ask you a question.
00:08:56.43\00:08:57.97
Who is more valuable,
the artist or the artwork?
00:08:59.27\00:09:05.57
Well, I know in our
world today so many people say
00:09:05.67\00:09:07.68
the artwork is more
valuable, but they're wrong.
00:09:07.71\00:09:10.21
The artist is always more
valuable than his artwork.
00:09:11.08\00:09:15.25
The creator of
anything is always more valuable
00:09:15.65\00:09:20.19
than what he created.
00:09:20.49\00:09:21.89
Jesus is the
Alpha and the Omega.
00:09:22.16\00:09:25.49
He is the one who
created everything.
00:09:25.76\00:09:28.90
He created Adam and
Eve, from which we all came.
00:09:29.00\00:09:33.30
So Jesus, because He's
the Creator of the universe,
00:09:34.27\00:09:39.27
is worth more than
all of us put together.
00:09:39.44\00:09:43.85
He's worth more
than the entire universe.
00:09:43.88\00:09:46.51
So when He gives His
life in place of mine,
00:09:46.75\00:09:51.15
His life is
worth all of our lives.
00:09:51.52\00:09:53.82
So His life can be a
substitute for the life of
00:09:53.86\00:09:58.23
everybody on the planet.
00:09:58.26\00:10:00.56
What a wonderful Savior.
00:10:00.60\00:10:02.40
There's nobody like Him.
00:10:02.90\00:10:04.53
This incomparable Jesus
who gave His life for us
00:10:04.57\00:10:09.30
so that He could save us
00:10:09.34\00:10:11.27
and get us out of
this terrible mess.
00:10:11.31\00:10:14.04
You know, if you
choose Jesus as your Messiah,
00:10:14.54\00:10:17.75
then there's several
wonderful things that happen.
00:10:18.45\00:10:21.72
First of all, of
course, He brings you to repent
00:10:21.75\00:10:24.72
of your sins, which
is a good thing to repent
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.16
in front of
God's Ten Commandments.
00:10:27.19\00:10:29.02
And then you surrender
your life to His control.
00:10:29.26\00:10:31.66
And that's a good thing
because so many people's lives
00:10:31.69\00:10:34.80
are out of control.
00:10:34.83\00:10:36.16
That's why there's so
much unhappiness in the world.
00:10:36.20\00:10:38.53
People are just out of control.
00:10:38.63\00:10:40.84
Everywhere you go you see
people doing crazy things.
00:10:40.87\00:10:44.54
And they're ruining their life
because they're out of control.
00:10:44.81\00:10:48.28
But the result of
that is a brand new you.
00:10:49.21\00:10:51.78
We call it a new birth
experience or a new creation.
00:10:51.81\00:10:54.82
But you know, in order to
keep that new birth going,
00:10:55.28\00:10:57.39
you need a constant
faith in the Lord Jesus.
00:10:57.42\00:11:00.19
Not a one point in time faith.
00:11:00.49\00:11:03.96
You need a constant faith.
00:11:04.29\00:11:06.13
You need a
constant union with Christ.
00:11:06.16\00:11:09.16
And the wonderful thing
is that even if we do sin,
00:11:09.56\00:11:12.53
if we do sin, thank
God we have an Advocate,
00:11:12.57\00:11:15.90
we have somebody
that can help us.
00:11:16.10\00:11:18.71
You know, you've heard people
say, "Well, I'm not perfect."
00:11:18.74\00:11:21.18
Have you ever
heard anybody say that?
00:11:21.21\00:11:22.54
Yet Jesus says, "Be
perfect, even as your Father
00:11:22.58\00:11:26.01
in heaven is perfect."
00:11:26.05\00:11:27.38
What did He mean by that?
00:11:27.42\00:11:28.75
Oh, a few months ago I
got to thinking about that.
00:11:28.78\00:11:30.45
And I said, I've got
to understand that better.
00:11:30.49\00:11:32.99
And I went and
read... Let me tell you this.
00:11:33.02\00:11:34.82
Context is everything.
00:11:34.86\00:11:36.79
If you take
something out of context,
00:11:37.33\00:11:38.66
you can make it
say anything you want.
00:11:38.69\00:11:40.36
But when you go to the
context in Matthew 5:43-48,
00:11:40.76\00:11:47.00
you hear that Jesus says,
"Be like your heavenly Father.
00:11:47.10\00:11:50.41
He makes the sun shine
on those that are not nice
00:11:50.44\00:11:53.38
and He makes the sun
shine on those who are nice."
00:11:53.61\00:11:55.94
God does nice
things for everybody
00:11:56.54\00:11:59.21
because He's such a
wonderful loving God.
00:11:59.25\00:12:01.55
He cares about everybody.
00:12:01.58\00:12:03.82
And that's the
context where Jesus said,
00:12:03.99\00:12:07.42
"Be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect."
00:12:07.46\00:12:09.86
In other words,
learn to love unselfishly,
00:12:09.96\00:12:13.73
like your heavenly Father loves.
00:12:14.06\00:12:16.90
You love everybody.
00:12:17.60\00:12:18.93
That doesn't mean
you condone everybody,
00:12:18.97\00:12:20.70
nor justify wickedness or evil.
00:12:21.10\00:12:23.67
Still call sin
by its right name.
00:12:23.77\00:12:25.94
But we do love.
We care about people.
00:12:26.68\00:12:29.88
Listen, Jesus has the key.
00:12:30.38\00:12:32.15
This union with
Christ means everything.
00:12:32.25\00:12:35.08
One of my favorite authors
in, Desire of Ages, page 388,
00:12:35.38\00:12:38.55
says this, and I'd
like to share this with you.
00:12:38.59\00:12:41.79
"Christ became one flesh
with us so that we might become
00:12:41.82\00:12:45.36
one spirit with Him."
00:12:45.39\00:12:46.73
Now listen.
00:12:46.76\00:12:48.10
"It is by virtue of
this union with Christ
00:12:48.13\00:12:51.77
that we are to come
forth from the grave,
00:12:52.33\00:12:55.24
not merely as a manifestation
of the power of Christ,
00:12:55.27\00:12:58.97
but because of
faith," in Him, of course,
00:12:59.01\00:13:02.18
His life has become ours."
00:13:02.21\00:13:04.88
In other words,
the life of Christ
00:13:04.91\00:13:07.22
has become our substitute.
00:13:07.25\00:13:09.88
Let me tell you,
this incomparable Jesus,
00:13:10.05\00:13:12.29
this Alpha and Omega,
this Beginning and the End,
00:13:12.69\00:13:17.49
this One who
says don't be afraid,
00:13:17.53\00:13:20.76
He can say that, He
can say that because
00:13:20.90\00:13:25.23
He is able to bring
us back from the grave.
00:13:25.87\00:13:29.80
Don't be afraid.
00:13:30.11\00:13:31.61
You have the Alpha and
the Omega on your side.
00:13:31.64\00:13:35.61