Participants: C.A. Murray (Host), Jim Gilley (Host), Dan Jackson
Series Code: NLLA
Program Code: NLLA011503
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00:21 Hello, and welcome to a very special 3ABN Nightlight.
00:26 I'm C.A. Murray, here at the Night Light anchor desk 00:29 and as I said, this is indeed 00:31 a very special program and presentation. 00:34 It is not often that we are privileged 00:37 to have the North American division President 00:39 to be with us at 3ABN to travel as it were out to the cornfields 00:43 of Southern Illinois, but he has done precisely 00:46 that and so this night we get to talk with Dan Jackson, 00:50 our North American division President. 00:53 And also to hear him speak, 00:54 so we are doubly blessed to have him with us. 00:59 And we'll talk to you a little bit more 01:00 about that as we move through the evening's activities. 01:03 There may be questions that you would like to pose 01:06 to the North American division president. 01:07 We'll give you a number in just a little bit to call or email 01:12 your questions and we'll try to get to them. 01:14 There is a lot to discuss as we spend our night together. 01:17 Issues of the church. 01:19 It was in July of 2010 that Elder Jackson 01:23 was made North American division president 01:24 voted to that office. 01:26 He has been quite busy ever since, 01:29 so we're gonna talk about some of those things, 01:30 some of the challenges that are facing the church 01:33 in these days in which we find ourselves. 01:35 And then also, as Jim Gilley our president 01:38 joins me and Elder Jackson in our second half, 01:41 we want to pray about a number of things. 01:42 Just 400 miles east of here, the next state over 01:46 in Missouri of course, we have all heard about 01:48 what happened at Joplin. 01:50 I wanna talk about that just a little bit. 01:51 Pray about that. 01:53 From Elder Jackson's perspective find out a little bit about 01:56 what the church is doing in Joplin. 01:59 See how our members were affected. 02:00 So there's a lot to talk about, 02:02 a lot we want to do this very night, but first, 02:05 we want to travel just about a quarter mile down the road 02:08 to the 3ABN worship center where Elder Gilley, 02:12 Jim Gilley our president is waiting. 02:14 John Lomacang is waiting and of course, 02:17 Elder Dan Jackson to give us the message for the evening. 02:20 Then we'll return here for the second hour. 02:22 We'll talk just a little bit 02:23 and kick around some of these ideas 02:24 that I spoke to you of just a moment ago. 02:26 So just now we're gonna travel down the road 02:28 just about a quarter mile to the 3ABN worship center 02:32 elder Jim Gilley is waiting there. 02:38 Thank you, C.A., and I'd like to welcome 02:41 all of you that are seeing this program by television 02:45 or listening by radio, but also those that are here 02:49 in the auditorium tonight. 02:50 We're so happy that each one of you 02:52 could come and tonight 02:54 we're gonna be very blessed as we listen 02:57 to our North American division president Elder Dan Jackson 03:02 as he brings us the word of life through the word of God 03:06 and through the spoken word. 03:10 We believe that that's exactly what the Lord 03:13 would have had us to do and Pentecost. 03:15 You remember the first thing that happened was the sermon 03:18 that took place right after the Holy Spirit fell. 03:22 Then Peter spoke and he spoke one of the most beautiful 03:26 sermons in the history of the Christian church. 03:29 It was a launching time and ever since that time, 03:33 we have felt that when man was given a message from God 03:37 and he spoke that message, that the Holy Spirit 03:40 spoke through him and that he was reaching out 03:44 to the hearts of the people. 03:46 And so we welcome Elder Jackson, 03:49 he's president of North America as we've mentioned before. 03:52 Prior to that, he had been president 03:53 of the church in Canada, had been conference president, 03:57 a missionary serving overseas. 04:00 He and his wonderful wife together 04:02 and so they have given their life completely to the Lord 04:07 in service and we praise the Lord for that. 04:11 Before he comes, I'm going to ask John Lomacang, 04:14 our Pastor here and our ambassador of the world 04:18 from 3ABN to come and to sing 04:22 one of my favorite hymns "He Hideth My Soul." 04:45 A wonderful Savior 04:49 is Jesus my Lord 04:54 A wonderful Savior 04:57 To me He hideth 05:04 my soul in the cleft of the rock 05:11 Where rivers of pleasure 05:15 I see He hideth 05:21 my soul in the cleft of the rock 05:28 That shadows a dry, thirsty land 05:36 He hideth my life in the depths of His love 05:45 Then covers me there with His hand 05:53 And covers me there with His hand 06:06 A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord 06:16 He taketh my burdens away 06:23 Then He holdeth me up, 06:28 and I shall not be moved 06:32 He giveth me strength as the day 06:40 With numberless blessings 06:45 each moment He crowns 06:49 Then he fills with His fullness divine 06:56 Now I sing in my rapture, 07:01 oh, glory to God 07:06 For such a redeemer as mine 07:14 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 07:22 That shadows the dry, thirsty land 07:30 Then He hideth my life 07:35 in the depths of His love 07:39 And covers me there with His hand 07:47 And covers me there with His hand 07:56 And covers me 08:02 there with His hand 08:26 Good evening. Good evening. 08:28 To everyone who is watching us this evening 08:31 and for those who are here, 08:33 it's wonderful to be here this evening. 08:36 I so much appreciate what was just sung to us. 08:42 What a wonderful Savior that we serve. 08:45 What a great God who has great interest in us 08:49 every day that we live. 08:51 And you know the thing that excites me 08:53 is that so many times we might find it easy to give up on 08:57 who we are or what we do, 09:00 but God says to each of us personally, 09:03 "I know the thoughts I have for you. 09:06 I know the thoughts." 09:07 And Paul tells us that he who has begun 09:10 a good work in you will also complete it 09:13 until the coming of the Son of man. 09:15 And we want to praise God for that this evening. 09:18 I want to talk to you about a subject 09:20 this evening that stirs my soul. 09:24 As a matter of fact, as I was going through 09:26 my notes this evening, I said to my wife, 09:29 you know, I could preach this message 09:31 every single day and never get tired of it. 09:37 I believe like you do 09:40 as Seventh Day Adventist Christians 09:44 that Jesus is coming soon. Amen. 09:47 And before He comes, 09:49 we know that some amazing things will take place. 09:53 We hold on to certain passages of scripture 09:57 that are greatly significant to us. 10:00 Revelation 14:6 and 7, 10:04 "Behold, I saw another angel" 10:06 or "I saw an angel" rather, "flying in the midst of heaven, 10:10 having the everlasting gospel to give to them 10:13 who dwell on the earth, to every nation, 10:15 kindred, tongue, and people. 10:18 Saying with a loud voice, 10:20 'Fear God, and give glory to Him, 10:22 for the hour of his judgment has come, 10:24 and worship him who made heaven, 10:26 and earth, the sea,'" and all of the rest. 10:29 Now we praise God for that passage. 10:32 It brings us into a context. 10:34 And I believe that prior to the return of Jesus Christ, 10:38 there will be a greater emphasis. 10:42 We will see an intensification of the emphasis 10:45 on the great news of our Savior Jesus Christ. 10:49 We live in a world that is in need of hope, 10:53 that is in need of courage, 10:55 and when I think about Revelation 14:6 and 7, 10:59 I think of God expending all of his effort 11:03 presenting the gospel to a world in need. 11:06 One other passage that attracts me this evening 11:09 and that is important is that statement 11:11 found in John 12:32, Jesus' words, 11:15 "But I, when I am lifted up will draw all men to me." 11:21 Now we know that in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ 11:26 that the center, the substance, 11:29 the core of our message is what God has accomplished 11:33 on our behalf through his son Jesus Christ. 11:38 I want to tell you that I believe 11:40 that every single person who calls himself a Christian, 11:45 before the time when Jesus will come will be drawn in closer 11:50 to this message of Jesus and His grace and His mercy. 11:54 I want to use as the core 11:57 of what we will talk about tonight, 12:00 my favorite passage in the scripture. 12:03 When I first discovered this, I read it and I reread it, 12:07 I looked at it, and I said, 12:10 "This is the most amazing thing I've ever read." 12:12 It's that text found in 2 Corinthians 5:21. 12:17 And it reads simply like this, 12:20 "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us 12:25 that we might be made 12:27 the righteousness of God in him." 12:30 It's a great text. 12:32 "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us 12:38 that we might be made 12:39 the righteousness of God in him." 12:43 You know, when you look at the experience of human beings, 12:45 you discover that most of us live a good share of our lives 12:50 with a certain level of discontent. 12:53 We would prefer to live with other circumstances 12:56 in other places with other jobs. 12:59 We wish we had, we wish we were, 13:01 we wish we could, 13:03 and of course we know that's a waste of time, right? 13:06 You know, the other man's grass is always greener. 13:08 The sun shines brighter on the other shore. 13:12 Those are the kinds of things, 13:14 but we sometimes as human beings waste a lot of time 13:17 and yet in reality, in practice, they often take place. 13:21 When I was a little kid going to school 13:24 with my little brown paper bag and my peanut butter 13:27 and jam sandwich, when I would get to school 13:30 and I would look at the other kids' sandwiches, 13:32 I was sure that their mother had better 13:35 peanut butter than my mother. 13:37 And so we would often exchange sandwiches and, of course, 13:40 the reality, some truth that really mother's sandwiches 13:44 were better in the first place. 13:46 But we wonder what it would be like to change places 13:49 with someone who we meet or someone that we know. 13:53 But I want to tell you this story. 13:55 Recently, a young woman in a country 13:59 that I won't name this evening 14:01 was speaking with a former friend. 14:04 As she was sitting inside of her vehicle 14:06 and the young man was sitting outside of the vehicle 14:10 or standing outside of the vehicle 14:12 and all of a sudden, from apparently nowhere, 14:15 six other men came and chased him away 14:18 and gang raped that girl. 14:21 What a horrible thing to take place. 14:23 But what was even more horrible 14:26 was what happened after, because this woman 14:28 was taken before a judge. 14:32 She was found guilty of being alone with a young man, 14:35 sentenced to 6 months in prison with 60 lashes. 14:41 After the horrific incident that took place, 14:44 she was judged in that way. 14:48 She appealed. 14:49 She went back and said, 14:51 "A travesty has occurred against me and my life. 14:53 I have been ruined." 14:55 And the judge considered it and kept the 6 months, 14:58 but he changed the lashes from 60 to 200 lashes. 15:02 Now I want to ask you this evening, 15:05 when you contemplate that story, 15:07 would you want to take 15:09 or would you want to take that girl's place? 15:11 Would you want to exchange places with that situation? 15:16 You know, really, friends, the things that we wish, 15:20 the things that we dream always bring better things to us. 15:26 But here in this one passage of scripture, 15:30 we see an exchange of such an amazing 15:34 magnitude that it boggles the imagination, 15:37 it is higher than the highest human thought can reach, 15:41 because what we find in 2 Corinthians 5:21 15:45 is a picture of God stooping low, 15:48 entering into the human circumstance, 15:50 that is your circumstance and mine, 15:52 and exchanging all that he is for all that we are not. 15:57 "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, 16:02 that we might be made 16:03 the righteousness of God in him." 16:07 This passage begins with that fascinating statement. 16:10 For God made him who knew no sin. 16:14 I want to look at that for a few moments 16:16 with you this evening. I want to ask you a question. 16:20 Have you ever thought of what it would be 16:21 like to be absolutely, spotlessly sinless? 16:27 Without one sin ever from birth to death? 16:31 Absolutely, spotlessly clean. 16:34 You know, it's a difficult question, isn't it? 16:36 Because in reality, on this planet, 16:38 we don't have any good examples of that. 16:42 I know that there are some people 16:44 who will tell you in their actions and in their words 16:46 that they're perfect, but the minute 16:48 they begin to make that assertion, 16:50 you know that they're not perfect, right? 16:54 A newborn child is probably the closest thing 16:57 that we can ever come to in terms of perfection. 17:01 I've, you know, I held all of my children 17:05 in my arms at that time that they were born. 17:08 And the first one, it was so interesting and special, 17:13 you know, the nurse came, it was after the birth, 17:15 you know, they wouldn't let the father 17:17 be in the birthing room at the time of the delivery, 17:20 but after the delivery, they invited me 17:22 in and there was a very British nurse there. 17:25 And, you know, I looked at that baby and it's always, 17:30 you know, it's not very nice to look at the newborn babies 17:33 just after they've been delivered. 17:36 I kind of thought she looked like a salamander. 17:39 And the nurse brought her to me and she said, 17:43 "Well, touch her, she's yours." 17:47 And I took this finger, the index finger, 17:49 put it at the bottom of her heel and said, 17:50 "I think that's enough for now." 17:53 But, you know, a few moments later, 17:54 a few hours later as after they had cleaned her up 17:58 and they brought her into the room 18:00 and I held my first born child in my arm, in my arms. 18:04 I was so grateful to God 18:06 and grateful to my wife Donna for the delivery. 18:10 I was enamored and, you know, the older I get, 18:12 the more I am enamored with little babies. 18:14 I just get soft in the head, I held my little granddaughter 18:17 a little while ago in my arms and you look at them, 18:22 and they are like the essence of perfection. 18:26 But it doesn't take very long, does it? 18:30 And you begin to see the changes that take place. 18:33 You begin to see the emergence of human nature, 18:38 because even as little babies 18:41 wrapped in blankets in cribs looking innocent, 18:45 they know how to get their own way. 18:48 At 2 o'clock in the morning, 18:49 they will get you up just about as fast as whoopee, right? 18:53 I mean, they just get you up. 18:55 And they know as they grow how to manipulate. 18:58 We see the emergence of human nature. 19:01 You know, my wife and I discovered this one day 19:05 as we now had two children 19:08 and, you know, you look at your children. 19:10 They're very different from one another and our oldest girl, 19:15 precious child, wonderful appetite. 19:19 She could eats when she would eat, 19:22 she did it with gusto. 19:24 And she would eat everything that was put before her, 19:27 but the second child was a nibbler. 19:31 And one day we had gone shopping 19:33 and after the shopping episode, you know, for a man, 19:36 it's always kind of a chore. 19:38 I mean, maybe some men like, 19:39 but for me, shopping is always kind of a chore. 19:42 And it was worse when the kids were young, 19:44 because if they misbehave, you were trying to find 19:47 the Welch's grape juice and, you know, keep them 19:49 calmed down at the same time, 19:51 but they were great that day, the two children. 19:54 They were great and so as we left the store, 19:56 we bought them each a big cookie 20:00 and then we watched and listened as the following happened. 20:04 The eldest girl took her cookie and she munched it. 20:07 Like a vacuum cleaner, it was gone. 20:10 The younger daughter sat and nibbled on hers 20:13 and then we heard the emergence of human nature. 20:16 For the oldest one said to her younger sister, 20:19 "Lara, do you know what love is? 20:25 Love is sharing your cookie 20:29 and you would not even give me one bite." 20:33 The emergence of human nature, 20:37 but this was not the case with Jesus. 20:40 When you read the statements in the gospel 20:43 and we're familiar with the statement of Luke 2:52 20:46 and Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, 20:49 and in favor with God and man, 20:52 when you consider His miracles, 20:54 when you consider the compassion 20:55 with which Jesus reached out to touch, 20:59 bruised and broken human beings, 21:01 you begin to see the magnitude of Dr. Luke's statement. 21:05 Everything that Jesus did as He walked on earth 21:09 was designed to bless other people. 21:12 And then in His final hour, as Jesus could see 21:18 the tremendously ominous clouds of evil pressure 21:22 coming against him as he looked at the destiny of human beings 21:26 that is your destiny and mine. 21:29 Jesus looked out at those ominous clouds 21:32 and at those forces and He said to His disciples, 21:35 "The Prince of this world comes and He finds nothing in me." 21:41 Well, the temptations were very real. 21:45 The things that were thrown at Jesus 21:47 didn't come in little bits and pieces. 21:49 The devil threw one thing after the next at Jesus Christ. 21:53 He could have caved in, He could have sinned. 21:56 The fact is He did not. He was pure and noble. 22:00 There was no springboard in Him, 22:03 which would give rise to rebellion. 22:08 And following His death, the recollection 22:11 of His followers as they contemplated who Jesus had been. 22:16 I always love the way John puts it. 22:20 He who we have seen with our own eyes, 22:22 who we have touched with our own hands, 22:24 this is the one we testify to. 22:27 And Jesus, as He was thought about by His friends, 22:34 you know, they always said wonderful things about Him. 22:36 I think of Peter and his statement 22:38 recorded in 1 Peter 2:22 and 23. We read these words. 22:44 "He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. 22:48 When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. 22:52 When He suffered, He made no threats. 22:54 Instead He entrusted Himself to him who judges justly." 23:00 And it was this Jesus, this holy, 23:05 harmless Son of God and Son of Man 23:08 who becomes the center of the great exchange, 23:12 for God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. 23:18 It boggles our imagination. 23:21 You know, it's a very powerful statement when you say, 23:24 when you read these words, 23:25 for God made him to be sin for us. 23:28 It's a powerful statement in light of the fact 23:31 that men and women like us have no power within ourselves 23:36 to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps 23:39 and change ourselves into righteous people. 23:43 The Bible clearly states that the sinful mind, 23:47 the natural person is hostile to God, 23:51 does not submit to God's law nor indeed can, that's Romans 8:7. 23:57 And then Ellen White, as she comments 23:59 on this whole transaction of faith 24:01 makes this statement in Steps to Christ page 18, 24:05 "It is impossible for us, of ourselves, 24:08 to escape from the pit of sin into which we are sunken. 24:12 Our hearts are evil and we cannot change them. 24:17 And there are no exclusions in that. 24:20 There's no one who was born who can change their heart, 24:23 who can change their status before God. 24:26 Our hearts are evil and we cannot change them, 24:29 education, culture, the exercise of the will, 24:33 human effort, all have their proper sphere, 24:35 but here they are powerless." 24:39 So without the action of God to step in 24:42 and resolve the human problem that is your problem and mine, 24:46 we would be without hope. 24:49 However, when we begin to take a closer look 24:52 at God's actions on your behalf and mine, 24:56 they don't fit into common human logic. 25:01 Now that is into the way that we commonly think 25:05 and I want to illustrate this 25:07 with two stories, two scenarios tonight. 25:09 One that seems logical and measured in proportion 25:13 to the situation and the other 25:15 that is off the scale of human reason. 25:19 Let me begin with this story. 25:21 It is August 31, 1985. 25:26 The city is Los Angeles, and something that I don't think 25:31 was seen before or has been seen since was seen in those streets. 25:37 A young man had been out of the city, 25:40 but he arrived back into the city 25:42 to see pictures of himself everywhere he went. 25:46 He had been identified 25:48 by the Los Angeles police as the night stalker. 25:52 Richard Ramirez, a Satan-worshipping murderer. 25:58 He had raped, mutilated, and murdered 13 women 26:05 and had done damage to 43 others. 26:08 And the police were urgent in their search for him 26:12 and they had finally identified that Richard Ramirez was the man 26:15 and so they had put up these posters. 26:18 He had been in Arizona, 26:19 but he came back into Los Angeles 26:21 to see this and he became very frightened. 26:26 He saw a car that he thought he would get in and steal 26:30 and drive out of Los Angeles. 26:33 But when he went to get into the car he discovered 26:35 that as he tried to turn the ignition it wouldn't start. 26:38 You know, it was a muscle car. 26:40 You know what a muscle car is? 26:41 I mean, it was souped up, 26:42 this had a huge engine in it and was ready to roll. 26:46 The one thing he didn't bargain on was the fact 26:49 that the man who owned the car was underneath the car 26:52 at that very moment working on the car. 26:56 There's never a very smart thing to try to steal a muscle car, 27:00 especially when the muscle man is under the muscle car. 27:04 But Richard Ramirez got in and he turned that ignition 27:07 and it wouldn't start and he kept trying. 27:09 By that time, the man, the owner, 27:11 got out from under the car and grabbed him and said, 27:13 "What are you doing with my car?" 27:15 Ramirez tried to break--or did break away for a moment, 27:19 but the man saw that face and connected it 27:23 with the posters that he had been seeing all day 27:25 and he screamed at the top of his lungs, 27:29 "The night stalker, the night stalker!" 27:32 And people started to come out of their homes 27:34 as they heard on that summer evening that the cry 27:38 "The night stalker" and a crowd began to form 27:42 and before long, 500 people were chasing Richard Ramirez 27:47 through the streets of Los Angeles 27:50 and they found--they caught him and they had him on the ground 27:53 and they would have beat him to death 27:56 were it not for the intervention 27:57 of the Los Angeles police department who apprehended him. 28:02 Now, you know, as we think about that story, 28:04 it's not difficult for us to have our sense 28:07 of decency outraged and infuriated by the events 28:11 that occur in our world from day to day. 28:14 And when we think of this story, 28:15 when we think of the horrific nature 28:18 of what this man had done, 28:20 we might even add from our carnal perspective, 28:24 it's too bad that the police came. 28:28 He was getting what he deserved, 28:32 because we look at things 28:34 as human beings in a very measured way. 28:38 If you do this to me, I will do that to you. 28:41 If you love me, I will love you. 28:43 If you insult me, I will insult you. 28:46 So when we think of stories like Richard Ramirez, 28:48 we think, well, he got everything he deserved 28:51 and he should've had more. 28:55 But here is another scene, 28:58 a story where things get twisted and bizarre. 29:03 You know, last evening I was in Joplin, Missouri, 29:08 and my heart just ached for the people of that city 29:11 as I drove through the streets 29:13 and I went to have a little time of prayer 29:17 with Seventh-day Adventists living in that city. 29:19 My heart was aching for them. 29:21 You know, I had the privilege of being able to go overseas 29:25 to Sri Lanka and right after the tsunami 29:30 and I'm not sure that you should call that a privilege, 29:32 but I went overseas and saw the damage 29:35 a 25 foot wall of water coming onto land. 29:40 No continental shelf in Sri Lanka 29:43 and just washing everything out. 29:47 People, buildings, 27,000 people 29:50 lost their life in the area that we went. 29:53 I went to New Orleans at the time of Katrina 29:57 and saw the mounds of garbage through the streets. 30:02 But I wanna tell you I don't think I've ever seen 30:03 anything like I saw last night in Joplin, Missouri. 30:07 I think it's a miracle that only 121 died there. 30:13 They're still looking for 700 people. 30:17 But I want to tell you that what I saw there, 30:20 large apartment buildings where the tornado had come in 30:25 and just demolished the brick and the mortar and the sticks. 30:30 And above it all was hanging these girders. 30:34 Looked like somebody had twisted them like a paperclip. 30:39 Here is a scene where things get twisted and bizarre, 30:45 where a crowd fails to recognize the obvious. 30:48 It is the enraged mob that surrounds 30:51 the courtroom of pilot, the procurator of Judea. 30:56 And when we contemplate this story, 30:58 we begin to see something so big 31:00 in terms of its eternal impact. It's huge. 31:05 Here is a crowd inflamed by demons in human form 31:10 crying out for blood in their rage. 31:13 And here's the picture that they saw, 31:15 the compromising pilot always standing out 31:20 in contradistinction to that which is good. 31:22 Pilot always calculating, always contemplating his advancement 31:27 and upward mobility, his ascension into greatness. 31:31 And he stands there and next to him is Jesus, 31:35 who said, "Except the corn of wheat 31:37 falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. 31:40 But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit." 31:44 You know, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, 31:47 in true Christianity, there is no such thing 31:51 as ascending into greatness. 31:54 We do not ascend into greatness in Christianity. 31:57 But rather, we descend into greatness 32:00 as we are planted in the soil of human need. 32:03 And that's what Jesus' life was all about to demonstrate 32:07 what self-sacrificing love is all about. 32:10 The principle of self-sacrificing love, 32:12 we know is the foundation 32:14 of all of God's activities in the universe. 32:19 And there they are standing together, 32:22 the grasping pilot, the Jesus 32:26 who was willing to give it all for God. 32:30 And then pilot found what he believed to be a way out. 32:34 He will release a prisoner to the crowd 32:37 in a mock honoring of Jewish custom. 32:40 And the contrasting of the moment becomes 32:42 more intense as Barabbas is brought onto the scene. 32:46 Barabbas, two words in one name. 32:48 Bar, a son. Abba, of his father. 32:53 A son of his father, the devil. 32:55 He stands there with-- hurling seditious insults 32:59 at the crowd, cursing and swearing. 33:02 And Jesus stands next to him as a lamb 33:06 before the slaughter without anything to say. 33:11 I want you to think it through carefully now. 33:14 And you contemplate what is transpiring 33:16 in the courtroom of pilot. 33:18 You see, the call on this day or the crowd 33:22 rather on this day call for the binding of the innocent 33:26 and the release of the guilty. 33:29 They released Bin Laden and they crucified Jesus. 33:34 And what is so shocking, so perversely shocking 33:38 when you carefully analyze this process 33:41 and fully grasp the eternal results of the trial of Jesus 33:46 is that here at the point of Jesus 33:49 being condemned to death on a cross, 33:52 you are directly exposed to the mind of God. 33:56 To the way that God thinks. 33:59 It's painful to think these thoughts, 34:01 because it damages our ego. 34:02 It flies in the face of human logic, 34:06 somehow in our own minds, 34:07 we think we must be able to deserve this 34:10 that this is so much beyond what a human being could do. 34:15 It boils down to this in a courtroom 34:17 in ancient Jerusalem, either Jesus is bound 34:21 and Barabbas is released, either Jesus is bound 34:25 and you are released or we are without hope, eternally. 34:33 I want to you to listen again to the scripture, 34:34 Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us 34:39 from the curse of the law 34:41 by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 34:44 cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 34:48 And 1 Peter 2:21, "He himself bore our sins 34:54 in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin 34:57 and live for righteousness, by his wounds 35:01 you and I have been healed." 35:03 In 2 Corinthians 5:11, a beautiful passage, 35:07 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced 35:11 that one died for all, and therefore all died." 35:17 I want you to listen to some statements 35:18 from the greatest biography of Jesus written 35:23 that we find outside of the scripture 35:24 from a book called "Desire of Ages", 35:26 "God suffered His wrath against transgression 35:30 to fall on His beloved son. 35:32 Jesus was to be crucified for the sins of men." 35:38 And then from that same book, a most powerful statement, 35:43 "He who stilled the angry waves 35:45 and walked the foam-capped billows, 35:47 who made devils tremble and disease flee, 35:50 who opened blind eyes and called forth 35:52 the dead to life offers Himself on the cross as a sacrifice, 35:57 and this from love to you." 36:00 And it concludes, it climaxes with this huge statement. 36:05 He, the sin bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice 36:11 and for your sake and my sake becomes sin itself. 36:18 I want to tell you, folks, 36:20 that is higher than the highest human thought can reach. 36:23 Just exactly what does God see as He views the cross? 36:29 Does He now see the pure and the sinless Jesus? 36:32 Does He see the one who spoke worlds into existence 36:35 through His mighty power? 36:37 And the painful answer that you and I must give 36:40 as we observe the trial and the condemnation 36:42 and the crucifixio of Jesus is, 36:44 "No, that's not what He sees. A thousand times no." 36:49 The scripture informs us that God does see Jesus 36:52 at the time of the crucifixion. 36:54 And the Bible does say that God was in Christ 36:57 reconciling the world to Himself. It is true. 37:03 But in this horrific sight, on this horrible day, 37:08 God sees Jesus now as the embodiment 37:11 of your sins and mine. 37:13 He Himself, Peter says, 37:16 "Bore my sin in His body on the tree." 37:22 Isaiah as he contemplated the work of the Messiah 37:24 in Isaiah 53:6 says, "We all, like sheep, 37:28 have gone astray, each of us 37:30 has turned to his own way, 37:32 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." 37:38 God sees yours, your sins and He sees mine. 37:41 And it was this that caused Him to turn away from His son, 37:45 this that caused Jesus to call out, 37:48 to cry out in His anguish, 37:49 "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" 37:54 and contemplate this text. 38:00 It's an amazing text. 38:02 It says, "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him 38:05 and to cause him to suffer, 38:08 and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, 38:10 he will see his offspring and prolong his days, 38:13 and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand." 38:18 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. 38:25 You know, I will tell you frankly, friends, 38:28 that we all get agitated and stirred up 38:30 when things are great around us. 38:34 You know, men--not all men enjoy sports. 38:39 But I think most men enjoy some kind of sports. 38:43 And when things happen that we like 38:46 to high five each other, 38:47 to shout for joy is a pretty natural expression. 38:53 And I want to tell you what we're talking about 38:55 here this evening is to be the core of the message 38:59 that is taken to the world in the days final 39:02 or in the days immediately preceding 39:04 the coming of Jesus Christ. 39:06 We do not have our characters to offer to the world. 39:11 There is nothing that we can do that will impress the world 39:14 about the greatness of God to the extent 39:18 of what we're talking about right now. 39:21 And this is to be our call to the world 39:24 that there is a God who loves you so much 39:27 that He was not content to remain aloof 39:30 in the sanctity of heaven. 39:33 But He sent His own son and He brought Him 39:35 into the position of being the core of the great exchange 39:39 for God made Him who knew no sin 39:41 to be sin for you and for me. 39:44 I can tell that to my neighbors. 39:46 You do not have to carry the burden, 39:48 the guilt of the things that are destroying you. 39:53 But I want to tell you tonight 39:54 that I praise God that Paul didn't stop there, 39:58 because he concludes this statement 40:00 by saying for God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us 40:04 that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 40:08 And we want to praise His name for that. 40:10 Praise God that in the process 40:13 or that the process of the exchange 40:15 did not stop in a tomb. Jesus lives. 40:20 The victory of God over evil 40:22 doesn't stop in the death of Jesus Christ. 40:24 And there's a reason for this. 40:26 When God starts something, He always finishes it. 40:31 He doesn't stop. 40:32 And that extends hope to you and me. 40:34 You know, we may get pretty discouraged at times, 40:37 but God does not get discouraged. 40:40 You know, the reality is this, 40:43 that in the resurrection of His son, 40:45 Jesus forever obliterated the hold 40:48 that the devil has over humankind, 40:51 both in the physical and in the spiritual realms. 40:54 Yes, the devil is winning victories today, 40:58 but he will not win the war. 41:00 That has already been decided at Calvary, amen. 41:04 If time lasts long enough 41:06 and this is a rather morbid thought, 41:08 but if time lasts long enough, 41:09 all of us, everyone who is watching, 41:11 everyone is here in the auditorium, 41:13 all of us are gonna die. 41:17 But the great news of the Christian gospel 41:20 is that we will not stay that way 41:23 because Jesus has conquered death, amen. 41:28 You know, interestingly enough, 41:31 you can never get a group of people together, 41:33 I believe, in a room of this size 41:37 where somebody hasn't got a problem 41:39 that is weighing them down. 41:42 You know, there are many people 41:44 who live their lives in silence, who live their lives in pain, 41:47 believing that that one thing, 41:49 that one practice, that one habit, 41:51 that one sin that they cannot seem to get away 41:55 from will ultimately destroy their faith in God 41:58 and eliminate them from the privilege of being 42:00 saved eternally in the kingdom of God. 42:03 I want to tell you something tonight. 42:06 You do not have to give up in despair. 42:09 You do not have to lose hope 42:12 because Jesus has conquered sin. 42:14 Jesus has conquered that very sin that you struggle with, 42:18 that very sin that is dragging you down. 42:21 Jesus conquered that sin. 42:23 And your role and my role is to connect with Jesus 42:27 so that He can give us that which He wants to give us. 42:31 Jesus has conquered sin. 42:33 You know, back to that passage in "Steps to Christ" page 18, 42:37 "There must be a power working from within, 42:40 a new life from above, 42:43 before men can be changed from sin to holiness." 42:48 There's only four words that follow in the next sentence 42:51 and they are like this, "That power is Christ." 42:56 Amen. That power is Christ. 43:00 Righteousness is not achieved by behaviorism. 43:05 Righteousness is achieved by submission 43:09 to our Lord Jesus Christ 43:11 and by giving permission to the Holy Spirit to work 43:14 His way in our lives 43:16 so that we can grow up into Jesus Christ. 43:19 There must be a power from above. 43:23 That power is Christ. His grace alone 43:26 can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul 43:29 and attract it to God and to holiness. 43:34 You know, we observe the great exchange 43:36 and we hold our breath 43:38 as we watch Jesus enter into the showdown. 43:41 A showdown, an eternal showdown with sin 43:44 and eternal death, your death and mine. 43:46 We see and we cannot help but celebrate because He wins. 43:52 And just as we follow Him 43:53 through the valley of the shadow of death. 43:56 And we watch Him die for us. 43:58 So He invites us to observe Him in His resurrection 44:02 and what happened as a result of His resurrection. 44:05 He invites us to not only follow Him in death, 44:09 but also to follow Him in life to see how powerful He is. 44:16 You know, I don't know about you, 44:17 but from time to time, 44:19 I watch the strong man competition on television. 44:25 And I think that's one of those things 44:27 I was talking about in the beginning. 44:28 You know, you wish you could be that way. 44:31 I actually convinced my wife to watch 20 minutes 44:33 of it not so long ago. 44:35 I don't watch it on a regular basis. 44:37 I don't have much time to watch television. 44:39 But there was a man, 44:42 we were watching 375 pounds in each arm, 44:45 picked it up and they're racing and they're running along. 44:49 And I'm thinking, "Wow, that's pretty good." 44:51 But then I saw them attach a man with a harness to a 737 Jet 44:59 and he pulled that jet. 45:02 And I'm thinking, you know, pass the cheese, please. 45:06 I'm feeling pretty tiny at that point. 45:09 I want you to listen to the Apostle Paul. 45:13 He proclaims the exceeding 45:15 greatness of His power toward us who believe. 45:19 According to the working of His mighty power 45:22 which He worked in Christ 45:23 when He raised Him from the dead 45:25 and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. 45:30 This is a glorious thought, 45:32 because what Paul is saying here is that the power 45:35 that God used to raise Jesus from the dead is the same power 45:41 that is available to you and to me today 45:44 that God is willing to pour out. 45:47 You know, it's that which called John to utter the words, 45:50 "Behold, what manner of love 45:52 the Father has be stored upon us 45:54 that we might be called the sons and the daughters of God." 45:58 The exceeding power, 46:01 the greatness of His power toward us. 46:04 You wanna talk about strong men and strong women 46:07 or strong whatever, 46:09 there is nothing that can beat the power of God, amen. 46:14 You know, the apostle John, as he looked at things 46:17 right at the very end in Revelation 7:13 and 14 46:23 wrote these words, 46:24 "Then one of the elders asked me, 46:26 'These in white robes, who are they, 46:28 and where did they come from?'" 46:31 And John responded by saying, "Sir, you know." 46:34 And he said, 46:35 "These are they who have come out of great tribulation, 46:38 they have washed their robes 46:40 and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 46:45 The songwriter William Cowper 46:46 used these words to describe this. 46:49 There is a fountain filled with blood 46:52 Drawn from Emmanuel's veins. 46:54 And sinners plunged beneath that flood 46:56 Lose all their guilty stains. 46:58 The dying thief rejoiced to see 47:01 That fountain in his day, 47:03 And there may I, though vile as he, 47:05 Washed all my sins away. 47:07 Thou dying Lamb, Thy precious blood 47:11 Shall never lose its power 47:13 Till all the ransomedchurch of God 47:17 Are saved, to sin no more. 47:19 I want to ask you some questions tonight 47:22 as we move toward the conclusion and they're simple. 47:26 Where do we find the way into the mind and the heart of God? 47:32 In Jesus. 47:35 Where do we find happiness in 2011? 47:39 In Jesus. 47:41 Where do we find the way to move beyond our guilt, 47:45 our suffering, and our pains spiritually? 47:48 In Jesus. 47:49 "For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us 47:55 that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 48:02 People ask me all the time. 48:04 They say, "Aren't you overwhelmed by your job?" 48:06 And I tell them every time, "Yes, I am. 48:09 But I want to tell you something. 48:11 I'm with Him." Amen. I'm with Him. 48:15 Sounds glib, but it is the truth. 48:18 I heard this story many years ago 48:20 and I've repeated it many times in many places 48:22 because it struck me 48:24 so hard when I heard it the first time. 48:26 A man is driving along a freeway one day 48:28 and as he drives along, 48:30 he sees that car right behind him with a, 48:32 you know, with the cherry on the top. 48:34 Of course, now they're big long tubes 48:35 and I noticed by the way as I pulled up 48:38 to 3ABN headquarters that Jim Gilley 48:41 is now driving a police car. 48:47 But he saw that light and he pulled over. 48:53 And the policeman came and gave wrote him a citation. 48:56 And he thought, "Fine, I will just pay it." 48:59 When he got home and 2 or 3 days later, 49:02 he received a notice from the court saying, 49:04 "You are called to the court on such and such a day 49:08 in order to defend your right to drive in the state." 49:13 And he was shocked. 49:14 But then he realized that that occasion 49:16 hadn't been the first occasion, 49:18 for there had been many occasions. 49:21 When he had had that experience with that little flashing light. 49:26 And so he went before the judge. 49:27 And after the judge made some prefatory remarks, 49:31 he said, "I am-- because of your driving record, 49:34 I am going to suspend 49:36 your driver's license for one month." 49:38 You know, that has all kinds of repercussions, 49:42 but the biggest one for him 49:43 was that he wouldn't be able to drive to work. 49:45 And so he appealed to the judge and said, 49:48 "Your honor, with all due respect, 49:50 I am asking the judge reconsider this sentence 49:52 because I rely upon my vehicle for my income. 49:58 My wife works in another place and needs her car. 50:01 And would the judge kindly consider another way, 50:06 another way to exact punishment on me?" 50:10 The judge recessed the court for a few moments 50:12 and then he came back. 50:13 And when he came back, he said, "I do. 50:14 I have another-- I have another way for you 50:17 to remind yourself of what you've been doing 50:19 in the practice that you've been practicing 50:22 and you better stop. 50:24 I'm going to ask you to clean up the highway, 50:27 the ditches, and the median of the highway 50:30 for one mile stretch." 50:32 That one mile stretch led right up 50:34 to where that person went to work. 50:37 A freeway. 50:39 The man accepted that punishment. 50:42 He went home with every determination 50:44 that he would clean up that one mile section of highway 50:47 that he would go and pick up the cigarette boxes 50:49 and the McDonald cartons 50:51 and the whatever else that people through out 50:53 their window as they drive by. 50:56 But, you know, the more he thought about it, 50:57 the more he was pained by that, because he thought, 51:00 I'll do this and my friends, 51:01 my colleagues will drive by 51:03 and they'll see me picking up this stuff. 51:05 And then everybody will know what I've been doing. 51:10 So he procrastinated until there were about 2 weeks left. 51:14 And then soon there was one week left. 51:16 And he went back to the judge. 51:19 He said, "Judge, I've been having 51:21 a little problem actually doing this job. 51:23 Could you give me an extension of 2 weeks? 51:25 I promise you, I'll have it done by then." 51:27 The judge was kind. 51:29 He gave him an additional two weeks 51:31 and the man then began to procrastinate 51:33 again until there was finally 51:35 only one day left in the sentence. 51:37 One day left for him to clean up. 51:39 He got in his car and he went out 51:41 and bought himself some big green 51:43 industrial garbage bags and headed out to the freeway. 51:47 But when he got there, he was shocked to see 51:49 that the freeway had already been cleaned. 51:52 He said to himself as he drove home 51:54 with a very heavy heart, 51:56 "I'm gonna lose my driver's license. 51:57 I'm gonna look like an idiot and a fool. 52:00 And I don't know how I'm going to get to work." 52:04 Drove home. 52:06 He tells the story 52:07 of how he drove up into the driveway 52:11 and he pushed the remove control 52:13 on the garage door. 52:14 And he watched as it edged its way up. 52:18 And he sat there behind the wheel, 52:20 he looked directly into the back of his wife's station wagon 52:25 and it was filled with big, green, Glad garbage bags. 52:31 His wife had gone to the freeway and cleaned it for him. 52:37 He said, "I sat there and I wept. 52:42 I cried." He said, 52:44 "It was a watershed moment in my life 52:46 because as I sat there looking at my wife's car, 52:49 I said that is precisely what God has done for me." 52:54 Jesus took the garbage from your life and from mine. 52:58 So that you and I could not only be free 53:01 and happy on this in this world as we live our lives, 53:05 but so that we could be free to enjoy eternal life, 53:10 for God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us 53:16 that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 53:20 Friends, we have a message to tell the world. 53:26 To every neighbor and every family member 53:29 and every friend. We serve a God who loves us. 53:34 And, you know, before Jesus comes again, 53:37 this message of a great God will go like a loud cry 53:44 that encircles the globe with the righteousness 53:47 and the greatness of God. 53:49 I wanna be a part of proclaiming that message always. 53:53 I am so grateful for what He has done for me 53:57 and for what He has done for you. 53:58 I want to praise Him not only tonight, 54:01 but throughout all the ceaseless ages of eternity. 54:05 Would you bow your head with me and pray? 54:09 Our God and our Heavenly Father, 54:12 we want to praise and honor You tonight 54:14 for the amazing gift of Your son and our Savior Jesus Christ. 54:22 We thank you so much that tonight 54:24 as we turn our hearts to You and our minds to You 54:27 that we can say with assurance, "Lord, take me. 54:32 I'm Yours. Move into my life. 54:35 Change me. Redirect me. 54:37 Do those things that You need to do." 54:40 But Heavenly Father, I just want to thank you 54:42 so much for the gift of grace through Jesus Christ. 54:48 And Lord, tonight for every person 54:49 who is listening no matter where they are, 54:53 no matter how small or how big the problems 54:55 are that are ravaging them right now. 54:58 Oh, Heavenly Father, be with each one. 55:01 Give right now a touch of Your Holy Spirit 55:05 so that people know that You stand at their side. 55:08 And again we think of the citizens of Joplin, 55:11 Missouri, of Benning, of Oklahoma City, 55:15 those places in Alabama that have been touched. 55:19 The people who have been hurt and wounded, 55:21 who have--those family members have lost their lives, 55:24 oh, Lord, we hurt for them tonight. 55:27 We want to ask that Your spirit will be draw 55:30 beside each one, 55:32 so that the healing balm of Jesus will be a blessing. 55:38 And, Lord, we will give You the praise and glory 55:40 for all that You have done and will do. 55:43 And I pray in Your precious name. Amen. 55:53 And amen. Amen. 55:55 That was a very moving message, wasn't it? 55:58 It really was. Very powerfully delivered. 56:00 We've-- I've heard him two times. 56:02 Yeah. Both times here at 3ABN, 56:04 oddly enough, interestingly enough. 56:06 And he is a powerful, insightful preacher. 56:09 He is. And that was a good message. 56:10 And this is his second time to come to 3ABN 56:13 since he was elected 56:15 North American Division President. 56:17 And also we've had a couple of interviews with him. 56:21 We did one at ASI. Oh, yes. 56:23 And we did one at general conference. 56:25 And Los Angeles. 56:26 That is correct. So I'm just looking forward 56:30 to our having a visit with him tonight. 56:33 And if you have any questions that you would like to ask 56:38 the President of the North American Division, 56:41 if you would simply email those to our-- 56:44 live@3abn.org, live@3abn.org or you can call us 56:52 (618) 627-4651. 56:55 And it is not often, Jim, that you get to ask 56:58 the division president a question. 57:00 That's right. And you can do so this very night. 57:01 We will try to get to as many as we can. 57:03 There is a lot to discuss 57:05 as he has mentioned just 400 miles-- 57:07 I think I said east before, 57:09 but it's 400 miles west of here in Joplin, Missouri. 57:13 Really a terrible-- and you've been 57:15 listening on your radios or watching on television, 57:17 terrible earthquake. 57:18 Get a little update that president has been there 57:21 and has some first hand knowledge 57:22 of what's going on there. 57:24 Then some things happening in the church, 57:25 things that we are facing and then wanna give you 57:28 just a little peek of a very big media summit 57:31 that took place some days ago 57:34 that he may want to give us a little information on. 57:36 Yeah, so we're looking forward to that. 57:37 You were at the media summit. 57:39 And I think there's some real good information from there. 57:43 So we'll be right here and we'll be right back. |
Revised 2014-12-17