Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Grace Mackintosh
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000227B
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00:07 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:09 Before the break we were discussing the Sabbath 00:13 whether it is correctly the seventh day 00:15 as the Bible says or does tradition 00:18 and the opinions of men move it to Sunday. 00:21 I think you and I are agreed 00:22 and the Bible backs us up pretty well 00:24 that it was always the seventh day, 00:28 the Saturday today and even Dies Domini, 00:32 the most recent document on this topic by, 00:35 this was Pope John Paul II. Yes. 00:37 Didn't attempt to challenge the Biblical understanding. 00:41 I mean, obviously the Catholic Church 00:43 has a slightly different approach 00:44 'cause they put tradition on a very high level 00:46 as well as, as he said 00:48 the authority of the members was enough for them. 00:53 I think you've got something to share. 00:54 During the break you were reading a few things to me. 00:58 That's true, I want to say, 00:59 you know, the fourth commandment 01:01 is the only commandment 01:03 that gives the reasons for Christ divinity, 01:06 He created the earth. 01:07 So it's the only commandment 01:09 that points to the divinity of Christ and why. 01:13 And in that sense it's an extremely important test 01:18 with respect to the battle between 01:20 Christ and Satan and this quote-- 01:23 Now which book is this one? This is from "Last Day Events." 01:26 This is "Last Day Event." 01:27 This is a collection of statements 01:31 written by Ellen White in different books 01:34 but they have been assembled here, 01:35 so these are sort of quotable quotes on this topic. 01:38 And as I've said a number of times on this program, 01:40 Ellen White was one of the founders, 01:43 she was not the founder but one of the founders 01:46 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a pioneer. 01:49 And a lady that early on people became convicted 01:52 through considerable evidence 01:54 that God was speaking through her, 01:55 not all the time, she was no God on earth, 01:57 but as in the olden and even in the New Testament. 02:01 You know, they were prophets even in the New Testament, 02:03 not their writings written down but there was one man, 02:06 his daughters were prophesying. 02:08 And Ellen White received 02:10 some specific instructions to the early Adventist 02:12 that encouraged them on to their Bible study 02:14 and formation of the church. 02:16 So what does she have to say on this topic? 02:18 She writes the only way in which men will be able 02:21 to stand firm in the conflict and I think-- 02:24 She is talking about the end times when all erupts up. 02:25 The end time and the conflict, 02:28 the escalation of the conflict between Christ and Satan 02:32 is to be rooted and grounded in Christ. 02:36 They must receive the truth as it is in Jesus, 02:39 and it is only as His truth is presented 02:41 thus that it can meet the wants of the soul. 02:43 The preaching of Christ crucified 02:46 and Christ our righteousness 02:47 is what satisfies the soul's hunger. 02:50 And you think of lifting Christ up, 02:52 I think of the fourth commandment 02:55 as lifting Christ up and pointing to His divinity 02:59 and playing a central role 03:00 with respected to the final conflict 03:02 between Christ and Satan. 03:03 But there's nothing strange in the concept 03:07 that a Christian would lift Christ up. 03:09 Now Jesus did say, "If I'm lifted up, 03:11 I will draw all men unto Me." 03:13 And if we want to draw people to Christianity, 03:17 we shouldn't do as even some of my 03:19 well meaning fellow Adventist who talk about ourselves 03:21 and what we've done, churches, hospitals, 03:24 and schools those are good things 03:27 but ultimately we have to make 03:29 the reason for our faith attractive 03:31 and the central reason to Christianity is Christ. 03:34 And Sabbath as you've well pointed out 03:38 can't be separated 03:39 from this worship of our Creator God, 03:41 our Redeemer God 03:43 and it fully integrates that you are right 03:45 with His creative power. 03:47 And the Christian world I think to give them the benefit, 03:50 the Catholic and many Protestants, 03:55 you know, wanted to acknowledge Christ 03:56 through the resurrection day, 03:58 but they just don't have a biblical model for it. 04:03 And again you explain well to pull away 04:06 from the creation aspect 04:07 to emphasize only the resurrection 04:08 is to miss the central element. 04:11 And the Seventh-day Adventist, 04:12 you know, we talk about the three angels, 04:14 there is actually many more than three angels in Revelation 04:16 even in Chapter 14. 04:19 There are three great messages 04:20 and the first one is an angel 04:24 that's clearly identified in context 04:26 as the final message to the world and it says, 04:28 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 04:31 the creator of heaven and earth." Right. 04:33 So there is a message to acknowledge God. 04:35 How better to acknowledge Him 04:37 than by worshiping on a day 04:38 memorializing His creative power. 04:40 Exactly, and Christ Himself 04:43 connects creation with redemption. 04:46 He is speaking to Moses and Moses records His words 04:49 in Deuteronomy 4 and he says, 04:53 this is Christ speaking now, 04:54 "For ask now the days that are past 04:57 which were before these 04:58 since the day that God created men upon the earth 05:02 and ask for one side of heaven to the other, 05:04 whether there had been any such thing 05:07 as this great thing is." 05:09 Meaning He brought the Israelites out of Egypt 05:13 which is a reference to redemption, right, 05:15 because the Egyptian, I mean the Israelites 05:17 coming out of Egypt were-- 05:19 From captivity, and the literal captivity 05:21 is a parallel to captivity to sin, 05:24 bondage to the evil one. 05:25 Exactly, so here God Himself is connecting 05:28 creation is the same power, 05:31 it's the same miracle in redemption 05:35 and then the very next chapter Deuteronomy 5, 05:39 we have the Ten Commandments given to us again 05:41 except in this chapter as opposed to Exodus 20 05:46 the reason for keeping Sabbath is, 05:49 "Remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, 05:52 and the Lord thy God brought thee out." 05:54 So here it is, 05:55 you keep Sabbath to remember redemption, 05:58 you keep Sabbath and it's connected to creation 06:01 and I'm saying that this was Christ speaking 06:03 because in the Gospel of John Christ says 06:06 I tell you before Abraham was I am. 06:09 And He was making a reference to Moses saying who are you? 06:12 He said, tell them I am sent you. 06:14 So again-- 06:15 A good reminder of what 06:18 too many Christians have forgotten 06:19 that the Old and the New Testaments 06:21 are seamless aggression that it's not, 06:24 you know, sort of ancient historic stuff for the Jews 06:26 and then the Christian New Testament. 06:28 No, it's together. 06:29 And I'm thinking also in the New Testament Paul said, 06:31 if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. 06:34 He is a new creation, redemption. 06:36 New creation. Yes. 06:38 And that says also a new creature 06:40 but the creation is of the universe 06:42 but there is also a spiritual creation. 06:44 We to be recreated spiritually by following Christ. 06:48 And the Sabbath is the only commandment 06:52 that lift Jesus up as divine 06:56 and it gives creation as the reason 06:58 and He is our Redeemer as the reason 07:01 and if you're worshiping on Sunday 07:03 you just have this tiny scope of field. 07:07 It's Sunday the resurrection that's it, 07:12 you don't have to worship or remember Jesus 07:15 as your Creator or Redeemer 07:17 if you are just remembering the resurrection. 07:21 You know, Moses was resurrected 07:22 as I said before, there were other people resurrected 07:25 and it doesn't make him God. 07:30 Of course you are not denigrating the resurrection. 07:32 The resurrection is essential to Christian. 07:33 No. Thank you. 07:34 I've been very... 07:38 just impressed know him 07:40 because I've heard this many times 07:41 in the Eastern Orthodox Church. 07:42 This is one of the common greetings. 07:44 They agree Christ is risen that's the good news. 07:47 It is the good news. 07:48 I'm sorry I didn't mean to come across that way. 07:50 No, not at all, I'm just covering bases here. 07:53 But unfortunately even in that count 07:56 I think the Christian world as it's now devolved into 08:00 which is Catholicism, you know, continuing to exist, 08:04 there's a whole variety of now Protestant Christian 08:08 sects or denominations. 08:11 Remember Easter, the resurrection time 08:15 and we've again superimposed it on 08:16 something thoroughly inappropriate. 08:20 Easter was at the time of regeneration 08:23 in the paganistic sense, 08:25 you know, rebirth and recycling 08:28 and the sun coming up again and the seasons changing, 08:32 those are all reasonable patterns 08:33 of observation of the natural world 08:35 but it doesn't really teach 08:37 the true value of the resurrection 08:39 which was not just something reborn, 08:42 it will change me spiritually, 08:44 it was part of God's creative power 08:46 that originated everything. 08:47 And the memorial for what the resurrection is baptism. 08:51 What I am getting on about is, 08:53 yes, Sunday has been justified 08:55 as remembering the resurrection. 08:56 But I think there should need to be 08:58 a must better job done of Christians 09:01 memorializing the resurrection 09:03 rather than, you know, cheap pagan Kleptocracy 09:08 or whatever, you know, job of Kleptomania. 09:12 No, it needs to be elevated 09:14 but don't forget the Sabbath, the seventh day Sabbath 09:17 as the creation memorial that's the bedrock 09:20 upon which the efficacy of the creation rest. 09:23 And the divinity of Christ 09:25 which is the central to Christianity 09:28 and I see many movements 09:31 if you could just bring Christ down a little bit, 09:36 there could be a much easier 09:39 joining of religions worldwide and a blurring of-- 09:44 That's true, philosophical all religions are comfortable 09:47 with someone with the holy calling 09:50 that speaks of kind, pious saints, 09:53 but to accept someone in this case, 09:56 the man Jesus Christ is actually the God incarnate, 09:59 that's a huge thing. 10:01 And Jesus Himself said, you know, you've seen me, 10:03 talked to me, and known me. 10:05 He says, blessed are those 10:06 who haven't seen me but believe. 10:07 That's the huge jump 10:08 but it's the jump required in Christianity. 10:11 Well, this has been exciting, isn't it? 10:13 You are talking about the Sabbath 10:15 for Seventh-day Adventist. 10:16 You can get your juices going. 10:18 But you know, what's the takeaway for you 10:20 talking about the Sabbath. 10:21 Where does that leave you? 10:24 It really brings home to me the great controversy, 10:27 it brings home to me the war between Satan and Christ 10:30 that began before time began in this world. 10:34 And I want to stand under the banner of Christ 10:38 and lift Him up. 10:39 And I can do that worshiping, 10:43 remembering creation that He is my Redeemer 10:47 on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the Bible. 10:55 There is something a little odd 10:58 I think about a day being insisted upon 11:02 by followers of a certain religion, 11:05 a day that the founder and the deity 11:10 that is worshiped has not required. 11:12 In fact that same deity has required another day. 11:16 It's worth remembering that Jesus rested in the tomb 11:20 on the Sabbath day. 11:22 There was a statement to be made there 11:23 and everyone at the time knew it. 11:25 Of course He rose on Sunday 11:27 and that's there's an attempted 11:30 memorializing that through Sunday. 11:31 But the fact is Jesus respected 11:34 His own creation, the Sabbath day. 11:37 And then He also said, 11:38 pray not that your flight be on the Sabbath day. 11:42 Looking forward to the very end of time 11:44 when His followers would be put to the ultimate test 11:47 of loyalty to Him. 11:49 We certainly do well as Christians 11:52 to look at the reasons 11:54 for the holy Sabbath seventh day 11:56 being designated as a day to memorialize 12:00 not just creation 12:02 but the creator of all the visible 12:06 and even the unseen worlds. 12:08 This is the seventh day Sabbath, 12:10 a holy day unto God the Lord. 12:13 For Liberty Insider, this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2014-12-17