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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you could
join us this week and every week
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as we dig into this
quarter's Sabbath School lesson.
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This week we are
going to be looking at
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"Worshiping the Creator."
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This is lesson number seven,
so around halfway through,
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a little over
halfway through our journey
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as we continue looking at
the three angels' messages,
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these cosmic
messages that God sends to us
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to help us know
what's going on in our day
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and what the future holds,
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and how we can be ready
for Christ's soon return.
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Our guest this week once
again is Pastor Mark Finley,
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he's an international
speaker and evangelist.
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We're delighted to
have him again this week,
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and we're gonna have prayer
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and then dive
right into this lesson.
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Let's pray.
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Father, we thank You again
for giving us an opportunity
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to delve more
deeply into Your Word,
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to find
encouragement, to find hope,
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to find help in times of need,
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and we ask that
You'll bless us as we do so.
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We thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen. >>Amen.
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>>Pastor Mark, thank you
once again for joining us.
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>>I have been
really enjoying this;
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the dialogue is great,
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two evangelists.
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>>I know, it's amazing
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that we get this
into half an hour.
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That would be a
tough one to pull off,
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but by the grace of
God, so far, so good.
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Lesson number seven,
"Worshiping the Creator."
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We're in the middle
of our journey together,
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we've looked at
some bits and pieces
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of the three angels' message,
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and we've got some more
to certainly go through.
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As we look at the
book of Revelation
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and certainly
Revelation, chapter 14,
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but Revelation
as a whole as well,
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what would you say
is the general theme,
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the big overarching theme
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that God wants us to get to,
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to grasp, to understand
the book of Revelation?
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>>Well, the great theme
of Revelation, of course,
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is the controversy
between good and evil,
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this cosmic conflict
between Christ and Satan,
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but is at the center of that
theme, is the issue of worship.
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When you look at
the book of Revelation,
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starting with
chapter one, you find Christ,
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the divine,
eternal, everlasting Christ
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is One worthy of worship.
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You go to chapter four
and it's a worshiping scene,
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there are thousands
around the throne of God,
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there are cherubims and
seraphims and the four elders,
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the four beasts are there,
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you know, the
symbolic beasts of worship,
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and the cry goes out,
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"Thou art worthy, O Lord,
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"to receive glory
and honour and power,
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because You created all things."
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So His worthiness for worship
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is because of creation.
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But then you go to
chapter five, again
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there's this beings
worshiping God, and it says,
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"You've redeemed us out of
every nation by Your blood."
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You've got worshiping beings.
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You go down to chapters 14,
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which is the very heart
of the book of Revelation.
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It talks again about
worshiping the Creator.
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So let's go there to
Revelation, chapter 14,
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because this theme of worship,
the worthiness of worship,
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and then there's the contrast
between the two worships,
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the worship of the beast
and the worship of the Creator,
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is at the heart of
this great controversy.
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Revelation 14 and
verse six and seven,
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"I saw another angel flying
in the [middle] of heaven,
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"having the
everlasting gospel to preach
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"[un}to [those]
that dwell on the earth,
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"...to every nation, ...kindred,
...tongue, and people,
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"saying with a loud voice,
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"'Fear God,
...give glory to Him;
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"'for the hour of
His judgment is come:
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and worship Him,'" there's
our theme again, Pastor Eric,
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"'worship Him [who] made
heaven, and earth, ...the sea,
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and the fountains of waters.'"
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So in Revelation
14 and verse seven,
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you have the appeal
to worship the Creator.
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In Revelation 14, verse nine,
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then, "The third
angel followed them,
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"saying with a loud voice,
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"'If [anybody] worship[s]
the beast and his image,
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and receives his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand....'"
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In a future lesson,
we'll talk more about that,
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but the central theme
is worship, of Revelation.
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You go to Revelation 19
and you have it starting out
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with beings
around the throne of God,
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four times
singing, "Hallelujah."
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In Revelation,
numbers are significant,
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four signifies universality,
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so you have
universal worship and praise.
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Then of course,
Revelation 21 and 22,
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and with the New Jerusalem,
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the new heavens, and the new
earth, and a scene of praise.
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So the great theme of
Revelation is worship,
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and the great theme
of Revelation, chapter 14
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is who we worship.
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Do we worship the Creator
or do we worship the beast?
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>>And ultimately,
everybody is going to fall
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into one of those two camps,
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there's no
Switzerland at the end of time.
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You know, everybody's
either inside the walls
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or outside the walls.
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>>Right. >>And the decisions,
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the choices that we make today
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about who we're going to
worship, who we're going to
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follow, it's often been said
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that the highest form
of worship is obedience.
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It's easy to say you love Jesus,
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but it's a whole 'nother thing
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to let Him actually
have say in your life
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and to make your
decisions for you,
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and ultimately,
at the end of time,
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there's a division of people
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that are going to
take place, right?
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>>Exactly, exactly.
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In fact, it has to do
with that text I just read,
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whether you worship the
Creator, in verse seven,
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worship the
beast, in verse nine,
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and then verse 12
summarizes it all.
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It talks to us about what it
means to worship the Creator,
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what it means not
to worship the beast.
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It says, "Here
is the patience"--
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another word for patience
from the original language
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is "endurance"--"of
the saints"--of believers--
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"here are those who
keep the commandments of God
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and the faith of Jesus."
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The only way you can
keep the commandments of God
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is if you have
the faith of Jesus.
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But what is the contrast
between worshiping the Creator,
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worshiping the beast?
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The essence of
worshiping the Creator
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is having a love for
Jesus that is so deep
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that we keep His commandments,
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and one of those commandments
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specifically talks
about worshiping the Creator,
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namely the Sabbath. >>Right.
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So that day,
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that memorial
helps us to remember
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the fact that He is our Creator.
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It was established all the
way back there at Creation week
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and exists down through our day
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and will continue to
exist throughout eternity.
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We live in a world today
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where it seems like an
increasing number of people
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are saying,
"Creation 6,000 years ago?
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But doesn't science tell us...?"
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And you get these
millions and millions
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or billions and
billions of years.
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It's difficult, well,
it's impossible to try
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to reconcile those two.
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We're either going
to believe the Bible
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or we're not going
to believe the Bible.
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Science is a wonderful thing,
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good science is
an even better thing.
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But the things that scientists
find, they change over time.
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One thing I like about
the Bible, it doesn't change,
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it remains the same,
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and it's something that
we can absolutely trust.
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>>You know, if
God created the world
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over millions of years,
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and if there was no
original Creation week,
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there would be really be no
reason for the Bible Sabbath,
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because the
Sabbath is a memorial
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of a literal Creation week.
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Also, if you
accept the evolution
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in what the scientists
would call it, some scientists,
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there are many
creation scientists.
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>>Yes, absolutely.
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>>And there are
many forms of people
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who believe in different
forms of evolution as well.
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But if you accept
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what I would call
"pure evolutionary thought,"
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the idea is we evolved
from lower forms of life;
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those lower forms of life died,
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and higher life forms came out.
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So you would have to
have, before the creation of--
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before the
evolution of human beings,
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you'd have to have death.
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So death would
come before Adam and Eve
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because they would be
higher forms of creation.
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If death comes before
then, where does sin come in?
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So you really do away
with the whole concept of sin,
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and if you don't
have a rational choice
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where sin comes in and the
wages of sin then is death,
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then there's no really
reason for the death of Christ.
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So you've knocked
out Creation week,
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you've knocked out the Sabbath,
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you've knocked out
the salvation in Christ,
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you have really
minimized what sin is all about,
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and you really have again,
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undermined the whole
faith in the Word of God.
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So evolution in its
pure thought, logically,
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would have to lead to
an atheistic point of view,
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and for that to exist,
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one would then feel that there
was nothing after the grave.
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So we are hopeless,
filled with despair,
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where the Bible
gives us such hope,
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such meaning,
such purpose in life.
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I was created by a loving God,
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that God cares for me,
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that God is interested in me,
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that God has a plan for my life,
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that God will be with
me in my joys and sorrows,
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and after death, one
day, Christ is gonna come,
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I can be
resurrected and go home.
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The Christian faith
gives you such hope.
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>>It really does,
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and this week's lesson is all
about worshiping the Creator,
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because He's the One
who gives us that hope,
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He's the One
who's made it possible
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for us to have eternal life.
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Without Him we
would have no hope,
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without Him we would
have no eternal life,
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without Him it
would just be 60, 70, 80,
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maybe 90 years on this planet,
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the latter part of which
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is probably in
declining health and happiness.
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>>Sure. >>And lack of hope.
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But fortunately the
Bible gives us a lot more hope.
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So in a practical way,
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understanding
that we have a Creator,
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that He happens to
also be our Redeemer,
00:10:02.13\00:10:05.03
how does that in a practical
way impact our lives today?
00:10:05.03\00:10:09.50
>>I think it
impacts it tremendously.
00:10:09.50\00:10:12.11
First, knowing that Christ
created me, He cares for me,
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it gives me a sense of worth,
00:10:16.41\00:10:18.71
it gives me a sense of meaning,
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it gives me a sense of purpose,
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I'm not some
speck of cosmic dust,
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I'm not simply genes covering--
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skin covering bones.
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When the genes and
chromosomes came together
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to form the unique biological
structure, my personality,
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it was designed by God.
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You know, we're designed by God,
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we are made by God.
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Now, are there aberrations?
00:10:43.67\00:10:45.01
Yes.
00:10:45.01\00:10:46.24
Are there
anomalies because of sin?
00:10:46.24\00:10:48.31
Yes, but that does not
make us less valuable to God.
00:10:48.31\00:10:52.48
God is still Creator.
00:10:52.48\00:10:54.65
He is still Creator,
00:10:54.65\00:10:56.22
and I think the thing to me
that makes this so practical
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is God created us,
therefore, we have self-worth.
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The One who
created us cares for us.
00:11:05.76\00:11:07.93
We have a God who's with us,
00:11:07.93\00:11:09.36
who says, "I'll never leave you.
00:11:09.36\00:11:10.73
I'll never forsake you."
00:11:10.73\00:11:13.00
The One who created this world
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holds this world in His hands,
00:11:15.14\00:11:16.77
and one day He's
gonna come to redeem it.
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The fact of a
Creator gives us hope.
00:11:19.37\00:11:22.41
>>If we can believe the numbers,
00:11:24.58\00:11:25.85
and I think to
some extent we can,
00:11:25.85\00:11:28.08
there are rising
numbers of people
00:11:28.08\00:11:30.02
who are dealing with depression.
00:11:30.02\00:11:32.52
Some of them are not
getting the help that they need,
00:11:32.52\00:11:35.92
finding the hope that they need,
00:11:35.92\00:11:37.26
and we're seeing
a number of lives
00:11:37.26\00:11:39.76
unfortunately end in suicide.
00:11:39.76\00:11:42.30
They lack hope, it would seem.
00:11:42.30\00:11:46.07
What kind of hope
can they find in this?
00:11:47.27\00:11:51.71
We've touched on it some,
00:11:51.71\00:11:54.04
but if there's
somebody out there
00:11:54.04\00:11:55.11
who's
struggling with self-worth,
00:11:55.11\00:11:58.08
how can they
find hope in the fact
00:11:58.08\00:12:00.25
that they have this Creator,
00:12:00.25\00:12:01.35
that they have this
God who loves them enough
00:12:01.35\00:12:03.62
to make them
individually unique,
00:12:03.62\00:12:05.95
even with all of their
faults and shortcomings,
00:12:05.95\00:12:09.66
and that they may have heard
too much about from someone?
00:12:09.66\00:12:12.59
You know, there's bullying,
00:12:13.96\00:12:15.03
whether it's in
person or online.
00:12:15.03\00:12:18.03
A word of hope for
folks who may be needing that.
00:12:18.03\00:12:20.20
>>You know, there is an
absolute wonderful passage
00:12:20.20\00:12:23.00
in the 139th Psalm,
00:12:23.00\00:12:25.64
that to me is one of the
most encouraging passages
00:12:25.64\00:12:28.21
in all the Bible.
00:12:28.21\00:12:29.74
It's Psalm 139,
starting with verse 15.
00:12:29.74\00:12:33.25
Here David writes,
00:12:33.25\00:12:34.82
now, you have to understand
00:12:34.82\00:12:36.15
if there was anybody that could
be depressed, it was David.
00:12:36.15\00:12:38.15
He's fleeing from King Saul,
who wants to take his life,
00:12:38.15\00:12:43.22
separated from
family and friends,
00:12:44.26\00:12:45.99
living often as a fugitive
running in the wilderness,
00:12:45.99\00:12:49.30
but David says,
chapter 139, verse 13,
00:12:49.30\00:12:53.54
"For You formed [me
in] my inward parts;
00:12:53.54\00:12:56.30
"You conceived me
in my mother's womb.
00:12:56.30\00:12:59.07
I will praise You, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made."
00:12:59.07\00:13:02.51
Verse 16,
00:13:02.51\00:13:04.25
"Your eyes saw my
substance, being yet unformed.
00:13:04.25\00:13:07.52
"And in Your book
they all [are] written,
00:13:07.52\00:13:10.12
the days fashioned for me,
when...there was none of them."
00:13:10.12\00:13:13.46
In other words,
back in eternity.
00:13:13.46\00:13:15.12
"How precious...are Your
thoughts [toward] me, O God!
00:13:15.12\00:13:18.66
"How great is the sum of them!
00:13:18.66\00:13:20.66
"If I should count them,
00:13:20.66\00:13:22.03
they would be more in
number than the sand."
00:13:22.03\00:13:24.60
Here's what I would say,
00:13:24.60\00:13:26.37
God knows your name,
00:13:26.37\00:13:28.10
He formed you, He created
you, He's thinking about you,
00:13:28.10\00:13:32.61
and He's there to give
you support and encouragement.
00:13:32.61\00:13:35.91
>>Those are encouraging words,
00:13:35.91\00:13:37.41
and I hope that they're
an encouragement to you,
00:13:37.41\00:13:39.45
or if you know someone who
could use that encouragement,
00:13:39.45\00:13:42.72
share that Bible
passage with them.
00:13:42.72\00:13:44.85
We're going to
continue our journey here
00:13:44.85\00:13:47.09
through the God who created us,
00:13:47.09\00:13:50.66
looking at Him, looking
at His relationship with us.
00:13:50.66\00:13:53.73
It's part of these
three angels' messages
00:13:53.73\00:13:56.00
that we've been looking
at week by week together
00:13:56.00\00:13:58.37
and I want to encourage you
to get this copy of the book,
00:13:58.37\00:14:00.87
the "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley,
00:14:00.87\00:14:03.54
the complement to this
quarter's Sabbath School lesson.
00:14:03.54\00:14:06.81
You will gain so
much wisdom and insight
00:14:06.81\00:14:09.14
by reading the words
00:14:09.14\00:14:10.18
that are contained
within these two covers,
00:14:10.18\00:14:12.21
adds so much more to your study.
00:14:12.21\00:14:14.45
Where can you find it?
00:14:14.45\00:14:15.68
itiswritten.shop.
00:14:15.68\00:14:17.45
Go to itiswritten.shop
00:14:17.45\00:14:19.39
and look for "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:14:19.39\00:14:23.26
We're going to come back and
pull some more ideas together
00:14:23.26\00:14:26.93
into this idea of
"Worshiping the Creator."
00:14:26.93\00:14:30.57
Why is that important,
00:14:30.57\00:14:32.63
and how does it
affect us in a real way?
00:14:32.63\00:14:35.34
How does it
impact with judgment?
00:14:35.34\00:14:37.71
We'll be right back and find
the answers to those questions.
00:14:37.71\00:14:40.54
(bright music)
00:14:40.54\00:14:43.18
>>You see evidences of
God's creative power everywhere,
00:14:44.81\00:14:48.15
in animals, in the birds of
the air, in plants and in trees.
00:14:48.15\00:14:53.22
Have you ever stopped
to look at a seashell?
00:14:54.36\00:14:55.96
No, I mean, have
you really looked?
00:14:55.96\00:14:58.43
Have you stopped to
think about what they are,
00:14:58.43\00:15:00.30
what they're for,
and how they're made?
00:15:00.30\00:15:03.50
I don't think I know anyone
who doesn't like seashells.
00:15:03.50\00:15:06.60
Visit the beach
00:15:06.60\00:15:07.87
and you'll find people
walking with their heads down,
00:15:07.87\00:15:09.57
looking for shells,
looking for something beautiful.
00:15:09.57\00:15:13.34
In order to learn more
about these incredible things,
00:15:13.34\00:15:16.08
I traveled to Minnesota to
talk with Marilee McNeilus,
00:15:16.08\00:15:20.25
who has a
remarkable shell collection.
00:15:20.25\00:15:22.82
She's been shelling for years,
00:15:22.82\00:15:25.29
she even has a
shell named after her,
00:15:25.29\00:15:28.12
and her experience with shells
00:15:28.12\00:15:30.16
has given her a close-up view
of God's incredible creation.
00:15:30.16\00:15:34.76
"Seashells:
Wonders of Creation."
00:15:35.80\00:15:39.00
Watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:15:39.00\00:15:42.57
(bright music)
00:15:45.44\00:15:48.11
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:50.01\00:15:51.65
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:51.65\00:15:53.38
We're taking a look at
"Worshiping the Creator"
00:15:53.38\00:15:56.62
as part of our journey through
the three angels' messages.
00:15:56.62\00:16:00.19
Pastor Mark, as we work our
way through this week's lesson,
00:16:00.19\00:16:04.53
Wednesday talks about the
gospel judgment and creation.
00:16:04.53\00:16:08.80
What relationship do
the gospel and judgment
00:16:08.80\00:16:12.60
have to creation?
00:16:12.60\00:16:13.90
How are those intertwined?
00:16:13.90\00:16:15.50
>>You know, Eric,
there's sometimes people
00:16:15.50\00:16:18.27
don't think very much
00:16:18.27\00:16:19.47
about the interrelationship
between the two.
00:16:19.47\00:16:22.44
So let's explore
that a little bit.
00:16:22.44\00:16:25.38
How does gospel and the
judgment relate to creation?
00:16:25.38\00:16:29.82
First, the important
thing is understanding
00:16:29.82\00:16:32.02
who the Creator is.
00:16:32.02\00:16:33.42
So if you go to Ephesians,
chapter three, verse nine.
00:16:33.42\00:16:36.42
Now, remember in
Revelation 14, verse seven,
00:16:36.42\00:16:40.00
there is a call to
fear God, give glory to Him.
00:16:40.00\00:16:44.07
The reason, because the
hour of His judgment has come,
00:16:44.07\00:16:46.47
a unique time
in earth's history,
00:16:46.47\00:16:48.27
and to worship the Creator.
00:16:48.27\00:16:50.47
Who is the Creator?
00:16:50.47\00:16:52.54
Ephesians 3, verse nine.
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.88
And do you wanna read that one?
00:16:54.88\00:16:56.31
>>Sure, it says,
00:16:56.31\00:16:57.15
"And to make all see
00:16:57.15\00:16:58.81
"what is the
fellowship of the mystery,
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.12
"which from the beginning of
the ages has been hidden in God
00:17:01.12\00:17:04.89
who created all
things through Jesus Christ."
00:17:04.89\00:17:08.82
>>So God is the master
designer of the universe,
00:17:08.82\00:17:12.56
but Christ becomes the
active agent in creation.
00:17:12.56\00:17:16.20
This is also mentioned
in Colossians, chapter one.
00:17:16.20\00:17:20.54
So we can go to Colossians,
chapter one, verse 13 to 17,
00:17:20.54\00:17:25.61
and let me pick
those up and read them.
00:17:26.68\00:17:28.28
Colossians 1, verse 13 to 17.
00:17:28.28\00:17:33.28
"He is the image of the
invisible God," that's Jesus
00:17:33.28\00:17:37.12
Christ, "the
firstborn over all creation."
00:17:37.12\00:17:39.22
"Firstborn" there
is an interesting word.
00:17:39.22\00:17:42.22
You know, David was considered
the firstborn of Jesse,
00:17:42.22\00:17:44.99
but he was actually the
seventh born son of Jesse.
00:17:44.99\00:17:47.30
So the firstborn is the
one who has preeminence.
00:17:47.30\00:17:51.20
Christ is preeminent
over all of creation.
00:17:51.20\00:17:54.30
It's an interesting Greek word,
00:17:54.30\00:17:56.14
"firstborn" not in
the sense of lineage,
00:17:56.14\00:17:58.67
not in the sense of the
first who was born in the world,
00:17:58.67\00:18:03.38
but firstborn had the title,
00:18:03.38\00:18:05.58
had the privileges of
the father, received the
00:18:05.58\00:18:09.68
inheritance. So Jesus
is the preeminent One,
00:18:09.68\00:18:12.09
He has the title deed,
00:18:12.09\00:18:13.59
He is the One who has the
inheritance over all creation.
00:18:13.59\00:18:17.59
"For by Him," that is Christ,
00:18:17.59\00:18:19.29
"all things were
created that are in heaven
00:18:19.29\00:18:21.90
"and that are on
earth, visible and invisible,
00:18:21.90\00:18:25.17
"whether thrones or dominions
00:18:25.17\00:18:26.87
"or principalities or powers.
00:18:26.87\00:18:28.60
All things were created
through Him and for Him."
00:18:28.60\00:18:32.91
So since Jesus was the
active agent in creation,
00:18:32.91\00:18:37.98
since He was the One
who created the world,
00:18:39.08\00:18:42.28
He has the right
to redeem the world,
00:18:42.28\00:18:45.35
since Christ is eternal.
00:18:45.35\00:18:46.99
If Christ was not the Creator,
00:18:46.99\00:18:50.43
if He was not eternal,
00:18:50.43\00:18:52.89
then He could not
offer eternal life.
00:18:52.89\00:18:56.80
Why is it that no angel
could have, in any way, died?
00:18:58.10\00:19:02.47
Because they did not
create life in the first place,
00:19:02.47\00:19:05.74
and secondly,
they're not eternal.
00:19:05.74\00:19:08.01
They're not eternal.
00:19:08.01\00:19:09.01
Now, some people have the idea
00:19:09.01\00:19:10.41
that Christ came
forth from the Father,
00:19:10.41\00:19:13.48
you know, that He came,
00:19:13.48\00:19:14.48
He was like only
begotten of the Father.
00:19:14.48\00:19:17.35
The word "only begotten" is
a Greek phrase, "monogenes,"
00:19:17.35\00:19:20.69
it means "one of a kind,"
00:19:20.69\00:19:22.59
Christ is the unique One.
00:19:22.59\00:19:24.56
It's not that there
was a time He was not,
00:19:24.56\00:19:27.23
but if you say that there
was a time that Christ was not,
00:19:27.23\00:19:31.10
and He came
forth from the Father,
00:19:31.10\00:19:33.47
that means that
Christ is limited in time
00:19:33.47\00:19:37.11
because there was a point that
He was not, if you say that.
00:19:37.11\00:19:39.51
That means He didn't
exist longer than He existed,
00:19:39.51\00:19:42.94
because eternity in
the past is infinite.
00:19:42.94\00:19:45.81
So that means that He could
not offer eternal life for us
00:19:45.81\00:19:49.25
because He doesn't have eternal
life, He was not eternal.
00:19:49.25\00:19:51.92
So the gospel and
creation are very much linked.
00:19:51.92\00:19:55.69
Christ created us,
00:19:55.69\00:19:57.39
therefore, as the eternal Christ
00:19:57.39\00:20:00.36
who brought life into existence,
00:20:00.36\00:20:02.26
He is the only
One in the universe
00:20:02.26\00:20:04.33
who has the right to redeem us.
00:20:04.33\00:20:05.93
Do away with creation,
you really impact the gospel.
00:20:05.93\00:20:09.74
Another aspect of this,
00:20:09.74\00:20:11.24
I think we bring
out here in the lesson,
00:20:11.24\00:20:13.48
and you may
wanna read this for us.
00:20:13.48\00:20:15.34
It's on page 60 in the lesson.
00:20:15.34\00:20:18.21
It's the first paragraph
under that section of questions
00:20:18.21\00:20:20.82
that begins with,
"Look at how closely."
00:20:20.82\00:20:22.82
>>It says, "Look at how
closely tied Jesus as Creator
00:20:22.82\00:20:26.55
"is to Jesus as Redeemer.
00:20:26.55\00:20:28.92
"The moment that His
role as Creator is diminished,
00:20:28.92\00:20:31.83
"...as
evolution inevitably does,
00:20:31.83\00:20:33.80
"His role as our Redeemer
comes into question, as well.
00:20:33.80\00:20:37.17
"Jesus comes to
redeem us from sin,
00:20:37.17\00:20:39.47
"from death, from
suffering, and from violence--
00:20:39.47\00:20:42.57
"when sin, death,
suffering, and violence are,
00:20:42.57\00:20:44.84
"as evolution teaches, the
very means of creation itself?
00:20:44.84\00:20:49.14
"God redeems us
from the very process
00:20:49.14\00:20:51.68
"He used to
create us to begin with?
00:20:51.68\00:20:54.05
It's a dangerous lie."
00:20:54.05\00:20:55.52
>>It is, sure.
00:20:55.52\00:20:56.58
That's where that goes.
00:20:56.58\00:20:58.05
So creation and also the gospel
and redemption are linked,
00:20:58.05\00:21:02.02
but also judgment,
00:21:02.02\00:21:03.66
because if we simply evolved,
00:21:03.66\00:21:06.76
it means we are
products of our heredity
00:21:06.76\00:21:09.46
and products of our environment;
00:21:09.46\00:21:12.20
that human beings
don't have much choice.
00:21:12.20\00:21:16.67
There is a school of
psychology called "determinism,"
00:21:16.67\00:21:20.14
taught by one of the Midwestern
universities for years,
00:21:20.14\00:21:23.78
and "determinism" says
00:21:23.78\00:21:25.25
that you are placed
here beyond your choice,
00:21:25.25\00:21:28.75
that you are shaped
by your environment,
00:21:28.75\00:21:31.59
shaped by your heredity.
00:21:31.59\00:21:34.92
But the gospel teaches
we have the power of choice.
00:21:34.92\00:21:37.66
Take away the power of choice,
00:21:37.66\00:21:39.23
there's no basis for judgment,
00:21:39.23\00:21:41.16
because if I am
simply a biological creature,
00:21:41.16\00:21:45.47
product of my
heredity and environment,
00:21:45.47\00:21:47.17
and if I don't have choice,
00:21:47.17\00:21:48.97
then judgment
would be terribly unfair.
00:21:48.97\00:21:51.81
But the judgment--
00:21:51.81\00:21:53.31
creation, gospel, and the
judgment are linked together.
00:21:53.31\00:21:56.08
>>There are a
great many people today
00:21:56.08\00:21:57.85
who would just as
soon not be judged;
00:21:57.85\00:22:00.28
they would prefer that
they had no one to answer to,
00:22:00.28\00:22:02.62
and that they could
simply blame their actions
00:22:02.62\00:22:05.12
or inactions, as it were,
00:22:05.12\00:22:06.92
on heredity, on my
genes, on my parents,
00:22:06.92\00:22:10.33
on my
environment, on my upbringing,
00:22:10.33\00:22:13.43
and therefore,
I'm not responsible
00:22:13.43\00:22:15.16
for what I do or don't do.
00:22:15.16\00:22:17.97
While that may seem like
00:22:17.97\00:22:19.90
a wonderful
fantasy world to live in,
00:22:19.90\00:22:22.27
it's not reality, and
there is actually a judgment.
00:22:22.27\00:22:25.47
So it would seem that
the wisest thing to do
00:22:25.47\00:22:28.38
would be to accept the
fact that there is a judgment,
00:22:28.38\00:22:31.21
but the good news is you've
got someone in the judgment
00:22:31.21\00:22:33.55
who's on your side as well.
00:22:33.55\00:22:34.98
>>Exactly.
00:22:34.98\00:22:36.45
You know, we don't deny
as Christians and as Bible
00:22:36.45\00:22:39.69
believers that our
heredity plays an influence,
00:22:39.69\00:22:41.86
it does.
00:22:41.86\00:22:43.09
We don't deny that
environment plays an influence,
00:22:43.09\00:22:45.93
it does. >>Yes.
00:22:45.93\00:22:47.03
>>But there's a power
stronger than heredity,
00:22:47.03\00:22:49.76
stronger than environment,
00:22:49.76\00:22:51.80
and that's the power
of the living Christ.
00:22:51.80\00:22:53.37
We believe that when a
person makes a positive choice
00:22:53.37\00:22:56.67
to serve God,
00:22:56.67\00:22:57.97
that there's a Power
that enters their life
00:22:57.97\00:22:59.71
stronger than
heredity and environment.
00:22:59.71\00:23:01.54
And you may be
watching this program today,
00:23:01.54\00:23:03.28
and you might be
saying, "You know what?
00:23:03.28\00:23:04.85
"I come from an
absolutely terrible environment,
00:23:04.85\00:23:07.12
"I got terrible
genetic heredity,
00:23:07.12\00:23:09.82
"I've been around a home, family
life that is non-Christian,
00:23:09.82\00:23:13.72
"and I'm really torn apart,
00:23:13.72\00:23:15.82
"because I just don't
seem to be able to control
00:23:15.82\00:23:18.46
my actions and behavior."
00:23:18.46\00:23:20.60
Your heredity
does play an influence,
00:23:20.60\00:23:22.40
your environment
does play an influence,
00:23:22.40\00:23:23.80
but there's a greater than that.
00:23:23.80\00:23:26.70
You know, the Bible
says in John 1, verse 12,
00:23:26.70\00:23:28.77
"As many [as believed] Him,
00:23:28.77\00:23:30.51
"to them gave He [the
authority or the] power
00:23:30.51\00:23:32.64
to become the sons of God."
00:23:32.64\00:23:34.94
2 Corinthians 5, verse 17,
00:23:34.94\00:23:36.51
it says that, "If any
man or woman is in Christ,
00:23:36.51\00:23:39.31
they are a new creation."
00:23:39.31\00:23:41.15
So the God who created us
in Christ in the first place
00:23:41.15\00:23:45.29
wants to
re-create us in His image,
00:23:45.29\00:23:48.19
if we let Him, if we come to
Him with all of our weakness.
00:23:48.19\00:23:51.53
You don't have to worry
about getting cleaned up
00:23:51.53\00:23:54.10
before coming to Christ,
00:23:54.10\00:23:55.63
or you don't have to
worry about having victory.
00:23:55.63\00:23:57.80
It's like the person who says,
00:23:57.80\00:23:58.87
"Hey, I can't go to the hospital
00:23:58.87\00:24:00.74
until I get
cleared of this sickness."
00:24:00.74\00:24:02.77
No, not at all.
00:24:02.77\00:24:03.81
We come to Jesus just as we are,
00:24:03.81\00:24:05.81
just like we go
to a hospital sick.
00:24:05.81\00:24:07.78
But Christ Himself
takes us, changes us,
00:24:07.78\00:24:12.41
and the Creator re-creates us
00:24:12.41\00:24:14.72
because He is our
Redeemer as well as our Creator.
00:24:14.72\00:24:17.92
>>So there's good
news of hope that God--
00:24:17.92\00:24:20.02
where we may not be
able to change ourselves,
00:24:20.02\00:24:22.66
Christ can change
us if we let Him in
00:24:22.66\00:24:25.93
and give Him the
reins, as it were.
00:24:25.93\00:24:28.36
I've often seen
bumper stickers that say,
00:24:28.36\00:24:30.73
"God is my co-pilot."
00:24:30.73\00:24:32.57
I often think
that's a little mistaken,
00:24:32.57\00:24:34.84
if God's your co-pilot, you
probably need to change seats,
00:24:34.84\00:24:37.34
He needs to be your pilot
00:24:37.34\00:24:38.47
and not the one who
plays second fiddle.
00:24:38.47\00:24:42.74
You mentioned a little
bit about the idea of creation
00:24:42.74\00:24:45.58
and how that relates to
Christ's death on the cross.
00:24:45.58\00:24:48.42
You wanna expand on
that just a little bit more
00:24:48.42\00:24:50.29
in a little bit
00:24:50.29\00:24:51.19
of time we have left? >>Sure.
00:24:51.19\00:24:52.85
The Creator, the
One that created life,
00:24:52.85\00:24:56.62
the One who
existed from eternity,
00:24:56.62\00:24:58.93
Jesus Christ,
tabernacled in human flesh.
00:24:58.93\00:25:02.33
He came, lived the
life we should have lived,
00:25:02.33\00:25:05.80
died the death
we should have died.
00:25:05.80\00:25:07.90
And you know, on the
cross, in John, chapter 19,
00:25:07.90\00:25:12.97
it talks about Christ's
last hours on the cross.
00:25:14.11\00:25:16.98
Judas betrayed Him,
00:25:16.98\00:25:18.95
Peter denied Him,
00:25:18.95\00:25:20.62
the disciples
forsook Him and fled,
00:25:20.62\00:25:23.72
but there in those last moments
00:25:23.72\00:25:26.32
of Christ's life on
the cross, He speaks.
00:25:26.32\00:25:31.39
A thief is saved or redeemed,
00:25:32.19\00:25:36.13
as Jesus says, "You'll
be with me in paradise."
00:25:36.13\00:25:38.43
But in John the 19th chapter,
00:25:38.43\00:25:42.50
notice, Christ cries out,
00:25:42.50\00:25:45.11
and maybe you could
00:25:45.11\00:25:47.34
read verses 28 to
30 there, Pastor Eric.
00:25:47.34\00:25:51.58
>>Verse 28 says,
"After this, Jesus,
00:25:51.58\00:25:53.98
"knowing that all
things were now accomplished,
00:25:53.98\00:25:56.45
"that the Scripture might
be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!'
00:25:56.45\00:26:00.09
"Now a vessel full of
sour wine was sitting there;
00:26:00.09\00:26:02.62
"and they filled a
sponge with sour wine,
00:26:02.62\00:26:05.36
"put it on hyssop,
and put it to His mouth.
00:26:05.36\00:26:07.86
"So when Jesus had
received the sour wine,
00:26:07.86\00:26:10.07
"He said, 'It is finished!'
00:26:10.07\00:26:11.90
And bowing His head,
He gave up His spirit."
00:26:11.90\00:26:14.57
>>There are three
places in the Bible
00:26:14.57\00:26:16.17
that says, "It is finished."
00:26:16.17\00:26:17.97
After creation,
God finished His work,
00:26:17.97\00:26:21.31
"It is finished."
00:26:21.31\00:26:22.88
The Creator rested on Sabbath
00:26:22.88\00:26:27.02
in memory of
that perfect creation.
00:26:27.02\00:26:29.05
On the cross, when the
plan of salvation was finished,
00:26:29.05\00:26:34.06
the atonement was complete,
00:26:34.06\00:26:36.36
the Creator of the universe
who tabernacled in human flesh
00:26:36.36\00:26:39.26
dies and says, "It is finished."
00:26:39.26\00:26:41.30
And at the end of
time, in Revelation 15,
00:26:41.30\00:26:45.23
the announcement goes out, "It
is finished, it is finished."
00:26:45.23\00:26:49.37
So the good news is this,
00:26:49.37\00:26:52.44
this world will not go
on in an endless cycle,
00:26:53.94\00:26:57.18
the One that finished creation,
00:26:57.18\00:26:59.31
the One that finished the
plan of salvation on the cross,
00:26:59.31\00:27:04.12
is gonna finish His work at
the end of the judgment hour,
00:27:04.12\00:27:08.92
and Jesus is gonna come.
00:27:08.92\00:27:10.19
>>Those are encouraging words,
00:27:11.09\00:27:12.16
and I hope that they
are encouraging to you.
00:27:12.16\00:27:15.00
This week we've looked at how
we can and should and ought to
00:27:15.00\00:27:18.73
and have no reason not
to worship the Creator.
00:27:18.73\00:27:22.24
He's our Creator,
He's our Redeemer,
00:27:22.24\00:27:24.57
and He's the One who's preparing
a place in glory for us,
00:27:24.57\00:27:27.91
a place that He
wants you to inhabit,
00:27:27.91\00:27:31.01
a neighborhood He
wants you to live in,
00:27:31.01\00:27:32.78
a house that He wants
you to live in with Him.
00:27:32.78\00:27:36.42
We're gonna be
back again next week
00:27:36.42\00:27:37.72
as we continue our journey
00:27:37.72\00:27:39.42
through our study of
the three angels' messages.
00:27:39.42\00:27:43.26
Pastor Mark, thank you
00:27:43.26\00:27:44.43
once again for
joining us. >>Thank you.
00:27:44.43\00:27:46.33
>>And thank you for joining us.
00:27:46.33\00:27:47.60
We look forward to
seeing you again next week.
00:27:47.60\00:27:50.40
(bright music)
00:27:51.43\00:27:54.07
(music ends)
00:28:27.17\00:28:29.30