Good evening! Good evening!
00:01:01.21\00:01:03.31
June 3, 1996, a young
man only 23 years of age,
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a former extreme
sports enthusiast,
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punk rocker turned his
life over to Jesus Christ
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and he was baptized into the
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Seventh-day Adventist church.
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Now, this was after he had
been nurtured with excellent
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vegetarian food at
a restaurant by one,
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that was owned by one of
our ASI members Mary Bernt.
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This was in Rapid
City, South Dakota,
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and she didn't just
nurture them with food,
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she gave them spiritual food
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and good advice as well.
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In a kind mothering
way she shared advice
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and she shared books,
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including the great controversy
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and this
convicted him of the truth.
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Then he went on to
join Mission College
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of Evangelism
that was run by another
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one of our ASI
members Louis Torres.
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Fast forward
three years for him,
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but 11 years ago for
us. We were here in Orlando,
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Florida for ASI,
some of you remember that
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and we held our first
youth for Jesus program
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here in Orlando.
And this young man
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was our first speaker
for the ASI Youth for Jesus.
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Most of us had never
ever heard of his name,
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but I'm pretty sure most of you
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have heard of his name now.
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I remember also that
very many people thought
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it wasn't a good idea
for us to hold that meeting
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in a tent in August, in Florida.
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Well, yes it
was air conditioned,
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so that was okay.
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And that young man held
these meetings they were
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so well received that
over 200 people were baptized
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that year. And Youth
for Jesus for the first time
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became a recognized
part of ASI from then on.
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Out of that Youth for
Jesus many of our own youth
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have become
workers for the Lord,
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they have gone on to
be leaders in evangelism,
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leaders in GYC our
General Youth Conference.
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They have gone onto
business in evangelism
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and medicine. And
hundreds of people
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that we had never
met before have become
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Seventh-day
Adventists through their work.
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Well, these young
man we're talking about
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of course you probably
know is David Asscherick.
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He was then asked to
join the Michigan Conference
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as a pastor of a
brand new congregation
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and that congregation came about
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because of another Youth
for Jesus program in 2002
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up in Michigan. So, we
are very pleased about that
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and right after that
soon after he started
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another program
called ARISE, which trains
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many thousands of
other young people,
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about one and half
years ago he moved to,
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Sonora,
California which is in the
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Northern California Conference
00:04:06.29\00:04:07.83
and during the last
eight years over 7000 people
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have been through his programs
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and many, many
others have been trained
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for short time periods.
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Well, David is a
wonderful young man
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we wish him all love,
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he is married to
Violeta Asscherick.
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She is the lovely daughter
of wonderful Romanian parents
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that are also ASI members
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they came here many
years ago from Romania
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with their five children.
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And they have
participated themselves
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in many evangelism
programs around the world.
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David and Violeta
they have two boys,
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they are Landon
age 9, and Jabel age 7.
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And so after the
special music tonight
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we are so happy and
thrilled to be able to
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welcome our keynote
speaker David Asscherick
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as he shares with us
the bread of life like
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he was shared many
years ago himself. Amen.
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Face to face
with Christ my Savior,
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Face to face, what will it be,
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When with rapture I behold Him,
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Jesus Christ, who died for me?
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Face to face I shall behold Him,
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Far beyond the starry sky;
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Face to face in all His glory
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I shall see Him by and by!
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It may be at morn,
when the day is awaking,
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When sunlight
through darkness and shadow
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is breaking, When Jesus
will come in the fullness
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of glory To receive
from the world His own.
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O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
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Ere we shout the glad song?
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Christ returneth, Hallelujah!
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Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Amen, hallelujah, Amen
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Face to face shall I behold Him,
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Far beyond the starry sky;
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Face to face in all His glory
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I shall see Him by and by!
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Amen, thank you very
much. Good evening, everyone?
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Nice to see you here at ASI,
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I have been sitting
just over there adjacent
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to where you're at.
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And I have noticed
that you seem at least to me
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to be a little subdued,
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which for me is
uncharacteristic of ASI.
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So, is it jet lag or are
you feeling just pensive?
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And yes my observation
is further confirmed,
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nice to be here. Forgive me,
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but this, this ambiance,this,
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this department is
going to work for me.
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So, hopefully we can muster
00:10:01.28\00:10:04.49
a little of enthusiasm
for the Lord Jesus Christ
00:10:04.52\00:10:07.03
and his work on
earth, amen. Amen.
00:10:07.06\00:10:08.76
There have been some
profound and powerful
00:10:08.79\00:10:11.69
and heart moving testimonies
00:10:11.72\00:10:13.71
I have been thrilled
as I have heard what God
00:10:13.74\00:10:16.31
is doing in the world and I
have been a little surprised
00:10:16.34\00:10:19.73
maybe you need just a
little spanking as we begin.
00:10:19.76\00:10:22.09
I have been a little surprised
00:10:22.12\00:10:24.37
at your pensivity.
And so I would urge you
00:10:24.40\00:10:27.88
to participate with me
in an enthusiastic study
00:10:27.91\00:10:32.39
of the word of God, can
you say amen to that? Amen.
00:10:32.42\00:10:35.07
Incidentally
the word enthusiasm,
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if you're interested in
the etymology of that word
00:10:37.58\00:10:40.01
actually comes from
two words en meaning in
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and theos meaning God, the word
00:10:42.87\00:10:44.97
enthusiasm literally
means the joy and attitude
00:10:45.00\00:10:48.69
that comes from being in
an relationship with God.
00:10:48.72\00:10:51.47
And so when people tell me
00:10:51.50\00:10:53.01
Oh! I like you're an
enthusiastic preacher,
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I say, I'm trying my best,
I'm trying to be in a saving
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and happy relationship with God.
00:10:59.27\00:11:01.01
Our message today
is a very important one
00:11:01.04\00:11:03.23
and really it
sort of just matures
00:11:03.26\00:11:08.70
and tries to put
some legs on the things
00:11:08.73\00:11:12.28
that we've been hearing tonight,
00:11:12.31\00:11:13.35
put some legs on our lessons
00:11:13.38\00:11:14.59
and on feet on our faith.
00:11:14.62\00:11:15.86
And so what we are
going to try and do is paint
00:11:15.89\00:11:18.66
a Biblical theological picture
00:11:18.69\00:11:20.53
for the very kinds of things
00:11:20.56\00:11:22.28
that we have been
hearing tonight the testimonies
00:11:22.31\00:11:24.95
and the
experiences of God's people
00:11:24.98\00:11:26.94
and really frankly
for what ASI is all about.
00:11:26.97\00:11:30.43
I have had the privilege
of being involved with ASI
00:11:30.46\00:11:32.38
for the last almost 15 years,
00:11:32.41\00:11:34.05
can you say amen to that? Amen.
00:11:34.08\00:11:35.42
And from the very beginning
of my conversion to Christ,
00:11:35.45\00:11:37.95
very beginning of my conversion
00:11:37.98\00:11:39.55
to Seventh-day Adventism.
00:11:39.58\00:11:41.43
ASI has been part in parcel
of my life and my ministry
00:11:41.46\00:11:44.90
and it is an honor to
have been asked to be here
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for the keynote address.
00:11:47.12\00:11:48.09
And so what we are going to try
00:11:48.10\00:11:49.07
and do is encapsulate
Biblically, theologically
00:11:49.08\00:11:52.43
tonight in the context
of the Sermon on the Mount,
00:11:52.46\00:11:55.62
what ASI is all about?
00:11:55.65\00:11:57.74
And so we are going
to begin appropriately
00:11:57.77\00:11:59.63
with a word of
prayer and then we are going
00:11:59.66\00:12:01.63
to beginning into,
you did bring your Bibles
00:12:01.66\00:12:02.98
of course. Amen. Yes, yes,
00:12:03.01\00:12:04.94
I know you have
your little programs
00:12:04.97\00:12:07.05
and you've got all of
your, well you're beginning
00:12:07.08\00:12:09.26
to get your
various ASI accouterments,
00:12:09.29\00:12:11.17
but you are going to
need your Bibles tonight.
00:12:11.20\00:12:13.90
So, let's begin
with a word of prayer
00:12:13.93\00:12:15.02
and then we will get
into our presentation titled,
00:12:15.05\00:12:17.25
Blessed Are the Peacemakers.
00:12:17.28\00:12:20.03
Let's pray together.
00:12:20.06\00:12:21.03
Father in heaven,
it is a great privilege
00:12:23.89\00:12:25.90
and an honor to
be here this evening.
00:12:25.93\00:12:27.49
Father, we are
gathered together in keeping
00:12:28.66\00:12:30.42
with the promise
of Hebrews chapter 10
00:12:30.45\00:12:32.47
which should tells us
that we should gather together
00:12:32.50\00:12:34.55
more and still more as
we see the day approaching.
00:12:34.58\00:12:37.02
And Father, surely
we are living in strange
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and pretentious
times, unusual times.
00:12:40.17\00:12:42.56
As we look around us the
world seems to be falling
00:12:43.48\00:12:45.89
apart it seems, but Father,
00:12:45.92\00:12:47.80
we pray that as the
world falls apart increasingly
00:12:47.83\00:12:50.04
that we would not be
falling apart with it,
00:12:50.07\00:12:52.69
but that we would be complete,
00:12:53.30\00:12:54.75
that we would
behold, that we would be,
00:12:54.78\00:12:56.48
that we would be
joined together in Christ
00:12:56.51\00:12:59.45
and in his righteousness.
00:12:59.48\00:13:01.07
Father here at the
ASI convention you know,
00:13:02.09\00:13:04.67
that we are about the
up building of the kingdom
00:13:04.70\00:13:07.45
of God and we
are about the correct
00:13:07.48\00:13:10.44
and enthusiastic proclamation
00:13:10.47\00:13:13.03
of the character of God.
00:13:13.06\00:13:14.55
And so Father tonight as
we seek to set these two gems
00:13:14.58\00:13:18.41
in their proper orientation,
as we seek to understand
00:13:18.44\00:13:21.95
what that means
the kingdom of God
00:13:21.98\00:13:23.66
and the character of God.
00:13:23.69\00:13:24.92
Father, I pray that
we would be able tonight
00:13:25.50\00:13:27.99
to be able to say that
we are each kingdom builders
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and peacemakers. I want
to thank you for every person
00:13:30.86\00:13:34.49
that has testified,
every experience that
00:13:34.52\00:13:36.40
we've heard
tonight Father, prosper
00:13:36.43\00:13:38.23
these ministries the outreach
there at Heritage Academy
00:13:38.26\00:13:41.48
and the Watch the Hills Team
00:13:41.51\00:13:43.27
and the AII mission
and all of the others
00:13:43.30\00:13:45.70
that were mentioned Father,
00:13:45.73\00:13:46.76
may you prosper us as
we seek in our own feeble
00:13:46.79\00:13:50.69
and often faulty ways
to build your kingdom.
00:13:50.72\00:13:53.50
Father, help us to be
not just kingdom builders,
00:13:54.08\00:13:56.55
but kingdom
participants that we ourselves
00:13:56.58\00:13:59.69
may say with Apostle Paul
00:13:59.72\00:14:01.19
that our
citizenship is in heaven.
00:14:01.22\00:14:04.05
So, please Father
tonight as we kick off
00:14:04.72\00:14:07.01
our inaugural
keynote address we pray
00:14:07.04\00:14:10.54
that it would be a
spirited presentation.
00:14:10.57\00:14:12.70
And that you
would empty us of self
00:14:12.73\00:14:15.89
and empty us of our
own desires to advance
00:14:15.92\00:14:18.39
our kingdoms and our glory.
00:14:18.42\00:14:20.09
And that we would be here
desiring only the goodness
00:14:21.06\00:14:23.84
and glory of your
kingdom and your son.
00:14:23.87\00:14:27.92
So, be with us now
as we open your word
00:14:28.83\00:14:30.44
may you open us is
our prayer in Jesus name,
00:14:30.47\00:14:33.74
let all of God's
people say, amen. Amen.
00:14:33.77\00:14:37.05
I would like to invite
you to open your Bibles
00:14:38.32\00:14:40.03
with me to the Book of Matthew.
00:14:40.06\00:14:41.72
We are going to
the Book of Matthew
00:14:41.75\00:14:42.89
and we are going to chapter 7.
00:14:42.92\00:14:44.92
Matthew chapter 7, we
are going to be spending
00:14:44.95\00:14:48.21
the balance of our time tonight,
00:14:48.24\00:14:50.17
in fact almost of our
time in what is referred
00:14:50.20\00:14:52.55
to commonly and colloquially
though not scripturally
00:14:52.58\00:14:55.93
as the Sermon on the Mount.
00:14:55.96\00:14:58.50
We refer to it simply
that way because Jesus
00:14:58.53\00:15:01.31
delivered this
sermon, this inaugural public
00:15:01.34\00:15:04.09
address from, you
guessed it, a mountain.
00:15:04.12\00:15:06.35
We are going to
be looking here in
00:15:06.38\00:15:08.44
Matthew 5 and 6
and 7, but primarily
00:15:08.47\00:15:11.11
Matthew chapter
5, the first part of
00:15:11.14\00:15:13.14
Matthew chapter 5.
00:15:13.17\00:15:14.22
And we are going
to be trying to under,
00:15:14.25\00:15:16.31
we are going to
try and understand
00:15:16.34\00:15:18.80
what Jesus was
communicating in the
00:15:18.83\00:15:21.87
opening part of
this address what,
00:15:21.90\00:15:24.68
that we refer to as
the Sermon on the Mount.
00:15:24.71\00:15:26.25
Now, in order to do that what
00:15:26.28\00:15:28.31
we are going to try and do is
00:15:28.34\00:15:29.75
listen to the
sermon on the mount
00:15:29.78\00:15:31.59
contextually.
What's the word everyone?
00:15:31.62\00:15:34.17
Contextually. Contextually;
00:15:34.20\00:15:36.03
now of the most
difficult things to do
00:15:36.06\00:15:37.35
for someone living
in the 21st century,
00:15:37.38\00:15:38.85
for myself and
for each of us is to
00:15:38.88\00:15:41.61
read the Bible
in a contextual way,
00:15:41.64\00:15:44.22
it can be very easy for us to
00:15:44.25\00:15:46.32
read the Bible
with a 21st century
00:15:46.35\00:15:47.81
perspective to read the Bible
00:15:47.84\00:15:49.14
with a modern
perspective, when it is
00:15:49.17\00:15:51.69
true that the
Bible has a great deal of
00:15:51.72\00:15:53.70
modern
application. Can we say amen
00:15:53.73\00:15:56.01
to that everyone? Amen.
00:15:56.04\00:15:57.01
But there can be no question
00:15:57.02\00:15:58.35
that the Bible
is an ancient book
00:15:58.38\00:15:59.78
that needs to
first be understood
00:15:59.81\00:16:01.34
in it's original
context and after
00:16:01.37\00:16:03.84
we've understood what was meant
00:16:03.87\00:16:05.10
then we can
then ask the question
00:16:05.13\00:16:06.76
what it means now? Now,
00:16:06.79\00:16:08.97
we are going to what is referred
00:16:09.00\00:16:09.97
to simply as the
sermon on the mount
00:16:09.98\00:16:11.59
and this is Jesus'
first public address
00:16:11.62\00:16:13.83
as we've already said. Now,
00:16:13.86\00:16:15.12
in the gospel of Matthew,
00:16:15.15\00:16:16.29
More so than
Mark, Luke, or John,
00:16:16.32\00:16:18.74
Jesus sets Matthew rather as an
00:16:18.77\00:16:21.42
author sets up the
sermon on the mount
00:16:21.45\00:16:23.08
as a sort of
sequence in which Jesus
00:16:23.11\00:16:26.64
is seen as the new
fulfillment of Israel.
00:16:26.67\00:16:29.24
And not just as the
fulfillment of Israel,
00:16:29.27\00:16:31.64
but as he is sort of
tracing the chronological,
00:16:31.67\00:16:35.02
historical steps that
Israel had gone through,
00:16:35.05\00:16:38.33
Jesus is
presented as the messiah.
00:16:38.36\00:16:40.20
Matthew does this purposefully,
00:16:40.23\00:16:41.68
evangelistically and
certainly apologetically
00:16:41.71\00:16:44.55
just to give a little
bit of a context here.
00:16:44.58\00:16:46.09
For example, in ancient Israel,
00:16:46.12\00:16:48.55
the way that
Israel originally ended up
00:16:48.58\00:16:51.60
going into Egypt prior to
00:16:51.63\00:16:53.11
the Exodus was that a man
00:16:53.14\00:16:54.49
name Joseph had dreams.
00:16:54.52\00:16:56.40
What was his
name everyone? Joseph.
00:16:56.43\00:16:58.86
His name was Joseph.
00:16:58.89\00:16:59.86
A man named
Joseph had dreams and
00:16:59.87\00:17:01.54
in the context of
those dreams the children
00:17:01.57\00:17:03.65
of Israel
literally the descendants
00:17:03.68\00:17:05.17
of Jacob went
into Egypt for a time,
00:17:05.20\00:17:07.46
they remained there for a time.
00:17:07.49\00:17:08.85
And then they were called out
00:17:08.88\00:17:10.28
of Egypt and we
refer to this simply
00:17:10.31\00:17:12.44
as the Exodus or
the leaving of Egypt.
00:17:12.47\00:17:15.07
Hosea refers to this.
00:17:15.10\00:17:16.94
Hosea the prophet,
in Hosea chapter 11,
00:17:16.97\00:17:18.79
verses 1 and 2. When it says,
00:17:18.82\00:17:20.18
out of Egypt I
have called my son.
00:17:20.21\00:17:22.46
And so Israel here is not just a
00:17:22.49\00:17:24.92
únational entity,
but, but an entity
00:17:24.95\00:17:27.02
in which it takes on
the position of sonship,
00:17:27.05\00:17:29.72
it is a child of God and Egypt,
00:17:29.75\00:17:32.38
Israel that had
gone into Egypt because
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.78
of a man name
Joseph having dreams
00:17:34.81\00:17:36.71
remained in
Egypt for a time. Now,
00:17:36.74\00:17:38.83
as the children
of Israel are then
00:17:38.86\00:17:40.59
called out of
Egypt, the very first
00:17:40.62\00:17:42.58
experience that
they have as they're
00:17:42.61\00:17:43.97
leaving Egypt
the ten plagues are
00:17:44.00\00:17:45.36
fallen is they
meet this major obstacle
00:17:45.39\00:17:47.80
known as the Red Sea.
00:17:47.83\00:17:49.54
What's the obstacle
everyone? The Red Sea.
00:17:49.57\00:17:52.11
The Red Sea, and
they passed through the
00:17:52.14\00:17:54.02
Red Sea. Now, the Apostle Paul
00:17:54.05\00:17:56.37
in First Corinthians chapter 10,
00:17:56.40\00:17:57.68
picks up on this imagery and
00:17:57.71\00:17:59.56
says that as they
pass through the Red Sea,
00:17:59.59\00:18:01.49
they were all,
I wonder if anyone
00:18:01.52\00:18:03.64
knows, there were all,
00:18:03.67\00:18:04.64
he gives us the
theological application,
00:18:04.65\00:18:05.96
they were all
baptized in the Red Sea.
00:18:05.99\00:18:09.24
And so he makes
the application here
00:18:09.27\00:18:10.72
that the passing
through the Red Sea
00:18:10.75\00:18:12.18
was analogous to
the New Testament
00:18:12.21\00:18:14.54
experience of a
believer being baptized.
00:18:14.57\00:18:16.81
And so he sees them coming
00:18:16.84\00:18:17.97
through and he
says, this is the baptism.
00:18:18.00\00:18:19.97
Now, I just have
to ask a quick true
00:18:20.00\00:18:21.30
or false question
here. True or false,
00:18:21.33\00:18:23.46
it was God's plan for Israel
00:18:23.49\00:18:25.86
to wander in the
desert for 40 years.
00:18:25.89\00:18:28.10
False. Okay, false very good.
00:18:28.13\00:18:29.74
So, his plan was for them to go
00:18:29.77\00:18:32.01
from the passing
through the Red Sea
00:18:32.04\00:18:35.20
to a certain place,
to a certain location
00:18:35.23\00:18:38.71
and what was that location,
00:18:38.74\00:18:39.71
who remembers? To Mount Sinai.
00:18:39.72\00:18:42.05
Sinai. Okay, the
distance according to the
00:18:42.08\00:18:45.38
to the Book of Exodus,
00:18:45.41\00:18:46.38
the time that is took them,
00:18:46.39\00:18:47.36
the duration that it took them
00:18:47.37\00:18:48.65
from the Red Sea
passing to Mount Sinai
00:18:48.68\00:18:51.27
was just about a
month, roughly a month
00:18:51.30\00:18:53.97
give or take. It could have been
00:18:54.00\00:18:55.57
40 days, which
will become important
00:18:55.60\00:18:57.43
in just a moment.
And so, let's just
00:18:57.46\00:18:59.18
sort of take
stock of what we've got,
00:18:59.21\00:19:00.70
a man named Joseph has dreams
00:19:00.73\00:19:02.82
and the children
of Israel go into
00:19:02.85\00:19:05.04
Egypt where they
remain for a time
00:19:05.07\00:19:07.97
and then they are
called out of Egypt
00:19:08.00\00:19:09.97
in the first
experience that they pass
00:19:10.00\00:19:11.49
through is the.
Red Sea. Red Sea,
00:19:11.52\00:19:13.29
the first
significant experience.
00:19:13.32\00:19:14.52
The first
significant obstacle then
00:19:14.55\00:19:16.19
from the Red
Sea, they go through
00:19:16.22\00:19:17.64
a wilderness period of wandering
00:19:17.67\00:19:19.47
actually just a
wilderness journey through
00:19:19.50\00:19:21.57
the wilderness
of sin and they come
00:19:21.60\00:19:23.17
to Mount Sinai.
So, get the sequence
00:19:23.20\00:19:25.77
in your mind. Now, we know that
00:19:25.80\00:19:27.67
after Mount Sinai,
the children of Israel
00:19:27.70\00:19:29.38
were going to
wander in the wilderness
00:19:29.41\00:19:30.38
for some 40 years, but this
00:19:30.39\00:19:31.56
was not part of
God's original plan.
00:19:31.59\00:19:33.04
God's original
plan goes like this,
00:19:33.07\00:19:35.04
into Egypt remain in Egypt,
00:19:35.07\00:19:37.42
out of Egypt
through the Red Sea,
00:19:37.45\00:19:39.44
through the
wilderness to Mount Sinai,
00:19:39.47\00:19:41.30
are we together everyone,
00:19:41.33\00:19:42.99
yes or no? Now,
Jesus walks through
00:19:43.02\00:19:46.54
this I believe
intentionally and other
00:19:46.57\00:19:48.21
scholars share
that prospective Jesus
00:19:48.24\00:19:50.53
walks through
this basic prospective
00:19:50.56\00:19:53.07
intentionally and Matthew.
00:19:53.10\00:19:55.25
More than Mark, more than Luke,
00:19:55.28\00:19:56.64
more than John
sets forward Jesus
00:19:56.67\00:19:59.00
as the messiah,
as the New Israel
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.50
and opens his
gospel basically Matthew
00:20:01.53\00:20:03.56
chapter 1, Matthew chapter 2,
00:20:03.59\00:20:04.84
of course Matthew
chapter 1 is the beget.
00:20:04.87\00:20:06.61
But then Matthew
chapter at the end
00:20:06.64\00:20:08.20
of chapter 1
and end of chapter 2
00:20:08.23\00:20:09.70
is a man named
Joseph having dreams
00:20:09.73\00:20:11.88
and the angel says,
take the child where?
00:20:11.91\00:20:15.48
Take the child into Egypt,
00:20:15.51\00:20:18.60
remain there for a time and then
00:20:18.63\00:20:19.96
when the person that sort to do
00:20:19.99\00:20:21.54
him harm Herod is dead then
00:20:21.57\00:20:23.42
he is called what? Out of Egypt,
00:20:23.45\00:20:25.94
that's Matthew
chapters 1 and 2. Now,
00:20:25.97\00:20:28.20
what Bible
student wants to tell me,
00:20:28.23\00:20:29.63
what takes place
in Matthew chapter 3,
00:20:29.66\00:20:31.56
Matthew chapter
3, there is an event
00:20:31.59\00:20:34.10
that takes place
there it is the baptism,
00:20:34.13\00:20:37.26
baptism very good, thank you.
00:20:37.29\00:20:38.65
And so, here we
have in the Egypt,
00:20:38.68\00:20:40.55
remain in Egypt
called out of Egypt
00:20:40.58\00:20:42.58
through the
baptism experience that's
00:20:42.61\00:20:44.34
Matthew chapter
3. Now, you tell me
00:20:44.37\00:20:45.99
what happens in
Matthew chapter 4?
00:20:46.02\00:20:47.79
The temptation in the wilderness
00:20:47.82\00:20:52.11
it lasts for 40 days,
00:20:52.14\00:20:54.46
which is analogous
to you or corresponds
00:20:54.49\00:20:56.26
to the 40 days in the, 40 years
00:20:56.29\00:20:58.02
in the wilderness, but again we
00:20:58.05\00:20:59.22
want to remind
ourselves that was not
00:20:59.25\00:21:00.80
part of God's plan.
Some wilderness wandering,
00:21:00.83\00:21:03.62
some wilderness traveling was
00:21:03.65\00:21:04.86
part of God's
plan, but it would have
00:21:04.89\00:21:06.55
been simply the amount of time
00:21:06.58\00:21:07.74
to traverse to, to move from the
00:21:07.77\00:21:11.45
Red Sea experience to what was
00:21:11.48\00:21:13.55
the next place that we are
00:21:13.58\00:21:14.55
going after they passed through
00:21:14.56\00:21:15.53
the wilderness? To Mount Sinai,
00:21:15.54\00:21:16.99
and so notice the corollaries
00:21:17.02\00:21:19.10
here Matthew
sets this forth in his
00:21:19.13\00:21:20.45
gospel intentionally.
The child Jesus goes
00:21:20.48\00:21:23.42
into Egypt
remains there for a time,
00:21:23.45\00:21:24.86
he is called out
of Egypt incidentally
00:21:24.89\00:21:26.89
Matthew makes this
identical application himself.
00:21:26.92\00:21:28.95
Matthew has a
favorite word that he
00:21:28.98\00:21:31.52
Uses over-and -over-and-over
00:21:31.55\00:21:32.96
again in his gospel. In fact,
00:21:32.99\00:21:34.27
he uses it more than Mark,
00:21:34.30\00:21:35.27
Luke, and John combined
and his word is fulfilled.
00:21:35.28\00:21:37.42
The word is what
everyone? Fulfilled.
00:21:37.45\00:21:40.47
Fulfilled, what Matthew begins
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.03
to do is the
same thing that Paul
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.52
also loved to do, is he begins
00:21:43.55\00:21:45.09
to read
experiences and incidences and
00:21:45.12\00:21:47.67
passages from the Old Testament
00:21:47.70\00:21:49.41
and he begins to
take them and put
00:21:49.44\00:21:50.77
them in a new
frame, in a new setting
00:21:50.80\00:21:52.27
and he says, this happened so
00:21:52.30\00:21:54.13
that it might be
fulfilled and then
00:21:54.16\00:21:55.61
he gives a
messianic application.
00:21:55.64\00:21:56.99
This happen that
it might be fulfilled
00:21:57.02\00:21:59.00
then he gives a
fulfillment in Christ.
00:21:59.03\00:22:00.40
This happened and it might be
00:22:00.43\00:22:01.86
fulfilled and this just comes up
00:22:02.87\00:22:03.84
over-and-over-and-over
again in the gospel
00:22:03.85\00:22:04.82
of Matthew that it
might be fulfilled,
00:22:04.83\00:22:05.80
that it might be
fulfilled that it might
00:22:05.81\00:22:06.78
be fulfilled,
in fact the passage
00:22:06.79\00:22:08.35
that we just
mentioned a moment ago.
00:22:08.38\00:22:09.68
Hosea chapter 11, verses 1 and 2
00:22:09.71\00:22:11.30
that originally applied
to Israel going into Egypt,
00:22:11.33\00:22:14.30
out of Egypt I
have called my son,
00:22:14.33\00:22:16.18
Matthew takes
that passage and says,
00:22:16.21\00:22:18.53
this was fulfilled in Jesus.
00:22:18.56\00:22:20.74
And so the basic sequence
00:22:20.77\00:22:22.86
of a man named Joseph has dreams
00:22:22.89\00:22:24.70
into Egypt, remain in Egypt,
00:22:24.73\00:22:26.02
out of Egypt passed through the
00:22:26.05\00:22:27.55
Red Sea baptism experience,
00:22:27.58\00:22:29.06
then into the wilderness 40 days
00:22:29.09\00:22:30.94
and then into the mountain
00:22:30.97\00:22:32.90
or toward the
mountain is a basic
00:22:32.93\00:22:34.47
apologetic
structure. It's Matthew
00:22:34.50\00:22:37.35
setting forth his gospel in an
00:22:37.38\00:22:39.30
apologetic evangelistic sense to
00:22:39.33\00:22:41.55
show you that
Jesus is the messiah.
00:22:41.58\00:22:43.56
Are we together, yes or no?
00:22:43.59\00:22:46.32
That this is the
God, he is fulfilling
00:22:46.35\00:22:47.76
step-by-step, point-by-point,
00:22:47.79\00:22:50.07
the national ambitions and over
00:22:50.10\00:22:52.21
coming the
national failures of Israel.
00:22:52.24\00:22:54.69
Now, here's the amazing thing,
00:22:54.72\00:22:55.87
this is where,
where it gets right
00:22:55.90\00:22:57.20
to where we want to be? Who
00:22:57.23\00:22:59.31
was it, Oh! Tell, tell me just a
00:22:59.34\00:23:00.76
very simple question here, what
00:23:00.79\00:23:02.09
was the
significance of Mount Sinai?
00:23:02.12\00:23:03.60
I just your
enthusiasm is just disturbing,
00:23:03.63\00:23:10.27
your lack of
enthusiasm is just astonishing,
00:23:10.30\00:23:12.82
this is the ASI
convent, this was not
00:23:12.85\00:23:14.39
an insurance
seminar, I don't know
00:23:14.42\00:23:19.15
what to say, I'm a
little stupefied here.
00:23:19.18\00:23:21.09
So, let's try that again, the
00:23:21.12\00:23:22.85
significance of
the Sinai experience
00:23:22.88\00:23:26.21
was what? What happened there?
00:23:26.24\00:23:27.50
Okay, they receive
the law and the law
00:23:27.53\00:23:29.86
was written on
tables of, stone, with
00:23:29.89\00:23:32.03
the fingers of, God.
Now, here is the question,
00:23:32.06\00:23:34.33
whose finger was that? God.
00:23:34.36\00:23:36.65
They say God's,
more precisely whose
00:23:36.68\00:23:39.26
finger was that?
That's the finger
00:23:39.29\00:23:41.26
of Jesus. Amen, amen.
00:23:41.29\00:23:42.75
That's the finger of
Jesus, now the Father
00:23:42.78\00:23:45.17
was certainly
there that's clear,
00:23:45.20\00:23:46.54
but Jesus is
the one there who is
00:23:46.57\00:23:48.45
communing with Moses, who is
00:23:48.48\00:23:49.45
writing and so here
is a very fascinating
00:23:49.47\00:23:51.00
that is happening, what we
00:23:51.03\00:23:52.57
basically do is move
through this sequence,
00:23:52.60\00:23:54.44
the history of
Israel in which we go
00:23:54.47\00:23:56.39
from Egypt through the Red Sea
00:23:56.42\00:23:57.97
experience, is
exactly what happens?
00:23:58.00\00:23:59.39
This is Matthew
1, this is Matthew 2,
00:23:59.42\00:24:01.05
Matthew 3, is the
baptism, Matthew chapter
00:24:01.08\00:24:02.93
4 is the wilderness experience,
00:24:02.96\00:24:04.46
Matthew 5, 6, and 7 is the New
00:24:04.49\00:24:07.31
Testament Sinai.
Matthew 5, 6, and
00:24:07.34\00:24:11.22
7 is the New Testament Sinai,
00:24:11.25\00:24:13.07
Jesus in the Old Testament.
00:24:13.10\00:24:14.79
Exodus chapter
20, writing with his
00:24:14.82\00:24:17.54
finger on tablets
of stone is now in
00:24:17.57\00:24:19.74
Matthew 5, 6 and 7
saying things like this.
00:24:19.77\00:24:22.07
You have heard that it was said
00:24:22.10\00:24:25.55
by them of old
time, but I say unto you.
00:24:25.58\00:24:28.34
Here Jesus, the
lawgiver from Exodus
00:24:28.37\00:24:31.84
chapter 20, is
the law explicator,
00:24:31.87\00:24:34.54
the law
expositor. He is basically
00:24:34.57\00:24:36.66
saying, this is what the law
00:24:36.69\00:24:38.55
means? Are we together
00:24:38.58\00:24:40.80
everyone yes or
no? Amen, amen. Now,
00:24:40.83\00:24:42.86
here is the
significant thing for
00:24:42.89\00:24:44.93
Jesus to stand up and uses this
00:24:44.96\00:24:46.43
referring
incidentally six times in the
00:24:46.46\00:24:48.81
gospel of Matthew, six times
00:24:48.84\00:24:50.46
he says this. You have heard,
00:24:50.49\00:24:52.09
but I say, you have heard,
00:24:52.12\00:24:54.78
but I say, you
have heard, but I say.
00:24:54.81\00:24:58.42
Jesus very clearly
here, very purposefully
00:24:58.45\00:25:01.82
and very
unambiguously is setting
00:25:01.85\00:25:03.93
himself against. Setting himself
00:25:03.96\00:25:06.88
what word did I say everyone?
00:25:06.91\00:25:08.04
Setting himself
over and against the
00:25:08.07\00:25:10.31
prevailing
religious opinions of the day,
00:25:10.34\00:25:12.08
that's what he is doing.
00:25:12.11\00:25:13.08
You have heard, but I'm saying,
00:25:13.09\00:25:14.62
you have heard, but I'm saying.
00:25:14.65\00:25:17.42
Jesus here is the, he is on
00:25:17.45\00:25:19.04
top of the New Sinai.
00:25:19.07\00:25:20.51
He is on top of the New Sinai,
00:25:20.54\00:25:22.49
the sermon on the mount is the
00:25:22.52\00:25:23.86
New Sinai in which
God is not, no, no, no,
00:25:23.89\00:25:27.33
in no way undoing or obfuscating
00:25:27.36\00:25:29.41
what was done in
the Old Testament,
00:25:29.44\00:25:30.53
he is clarifying
and elucidating what
00:25:30.56\00:25:33.33
had been lost
sight of during this
00:25:33.36\00:25:34.59
period of Jewish apostasy. Now,
00:25:34.62\00:25:37.45
to sort of set the context here
00:25:37.48\00:25:39.53
a little bit, we
need to understand
00:25:39.56\00:25:40.73
that when Jesus would have
00:25:40.76\00:25:41.73
stood on top of the New Sinai
00:25:41.74\00:25:43.72
and top of the sermon on the
00:25:43.75\00:25:44.73
mount or the, the mountain from
00:25:44.76\00:25:46.09
he would preach the
sermon on the mount.
00:25:46.12\00:25:47.35
How old approximately would he
00:25:47.38\00:25:49.57
have been? Sort of 60, okay sort
00:25:49.60\00:25:53.41
of 30 years old. Now, we need
00:25:53.44\00:25:55.14
to try and
understand, here's what
00:25:55.17\00:25:56.98
we are trying to
do, we are trying
00:25:57.01\00:25:58.69
to understand the sermon on the
00:25:58.72\00:26:00.63
mount in it's
historical context,
00:26:00.66\00:26:02.70
in it's
Biblical context, in it's
00:26:02.73\00:26:05.22
what everyone?
In it's Biblical and
00:26:05.25\00:26:07.78
historical context and so when
00:26:07.81\00:26:09.93
Jesus stands up, he
is approximately 30 years
00:26:09.96\00:26:12.12
old by his, by the standard of
00:26:12.15\00:26:14.56
his own culture, he
is a whippersnapper,
00:26:14.59\00:26:16.28
he is a kid, he could have been
00:26:16.31\00:26:18.15
as young as 27 or
28, the Bible says,
00:26:18.18\00:26:19.93
he was about 30. So, he stands
00:26:19.96\00:26:21.84
up there unmarried and therefore
00:26:21.87\00:26:23.59
disqualified
just by virtue of his
00:26:23.62\00:26:27.59
non-married status from being
00:26:27.62\00:26:28.80
a member of the Sanhedrin,
00:26:28.83\00:26:29.83
he had not been to the school
00:26:29.86\00:26:31.13
of the scribes, he had not been
00:26:31.16\00:26:32.13
to the school of the Pharisees.
00:26:32.14\00:26:33.31
In other words, he hadn't been
00:26:33.34\00:26:34.90
to seminary.
Here is the question,
00:26:34.93\00:26:36.02
what was then his preparation
00:26:36.05\00:26:37.85
to stand up and have temerity?
00:26:37.88\00:26:40.13
Have the
audacity to say to Israel
00:26:40.16\00:26:43.25
you have heard, but I say,
00:26:43.28\00:26:45.19
you have heard, but I say, you
00:26:45.22\00:26:47.57
have heard, but I say unto you.
00:26:47.60\00:26:49.32
What would have been
his earthly preparation?
00:26:49.35\00:26:52.06
What was he
doing prior to standing
00:26:52.09\00:26:55.37
up as this
proactive young Rabbi?
00:26:55.40\00:26:57.08
What was he doing?
He was a carpenter.
00:26:57.11\00:26:59.90
He was the son of a carpenter.
00:26:59.93\00:27:02.55
Now, you, you need to sort
00:27:02.58\00:27:04.70
of get this in your mind's eye,
00:27:04.73\00:27:05.73
here is Jesus day in, day out,
00:27:05.76\00:27:07.60
right accept for
the Sabbath sawing
00:27:07.63\00:27:09.74
and measuring and hammering,
00:27:09.77\00:27:12.38
but ever since the age of 12,
00:27:12.41\00:27:15.09
Jesus had known that this is
00:27:15.12\00:27:16.73
not what God had put him
00:27:16.76\00:27:17.73
on earth to do
primarily. Amen. Now,
00:27:17.74\00:27:19.75
this is intimated
in the gospel of Luke,
00:27:19.78\00:27:21.71
but
communicated expressly in the
00:27:21.74\00:27:24.04
Book of Desire of Ages, it's
00:27:24.07\00:27:25.61
intimated in
Luke. In fact, in Luke
00:27:25.64\00:27:27.70
chapters 2 and 3, and especially
00:27:27.73\00:27:29.67
Luke chapter 2, Jesus goes to
00:27:29.70\00:27:31.62
the temple. He goes to the
00:27:31.65\00:27:33.29
what everyone? Temple.
00:27:33.32\00:27:34.76
He goes to the
temple and how old is he,
00:27:34.79\00:27:36.40
keeping with Jewish
tradition and keeping
00:27:36.43\00:27:37.68
with Jewish, he
was 12 years old,
00:27:37.71\00:27:39.41
very good. So, Jesus is brought
00:27:39.44\00:27:40.83
to the temple at the age of 12
00:27:40.86\00:27:42.35
and at the age of
12, he has a realization.
00:27:42.38\00:27:45.11
He sees the lamb being slain,
00:27:45.14\00:27:48.21
he sees that with his own eye,
00:27:48.24\00:27:50.02
he sees the Paschal lamb being
00:27:50.05\00:27:51.56
slain and he has a moment here,
00:27:51.59\00:27:53.21
he has a, he has a Revelation,
00:27:53.24\00:27:54.67
he has no epiphany, again this
00:27:54.70\00:27:56.24
hinted at in
Luke and communicated
00:27:56.27\00:27:58.17
expressly in the Desire of Ages.
00:27:58.20\00:27:59.56
He realizes under the assumption
00:27:59.59\00:28:01.45
of the spirit
and through his own
00:28:01.48\00:28:02.45
study of the
scriptures. That Lamb
00:28:02.46\00:28:04.46
is you, you are the Lamb. Now,
00:28:04.49\00:28:07.95
many, many, many years later
00:28:07.98\00:28:09.27
his elder cousin
John would eventually say,
00:28:09.30\00:28:11.15
behold the Lamb
of God that takes
00:28:11.18\00:28:15.69
away the sin of
the world, but at
00:28:15.72\00:28:16.70
some point there
was a realization.
00:28:16.73\00:28:18.26
To sort of set a
little bit of a context here,
00:28:18.29\00:28:21.63
when Jesus was a young boy and
00:28:21.66\00:28:23.52
he was sitting
on Mary's lap, when
00:28:23.55\00:28:25.68
Jesus was sitting on Mary's lap
00:28:25.71\00:28:27.09
at the age of two,
at the age of three,
00:28:27.12\00:28:28.38
at the age of
four. Jesus is not saying
00:28:28.41\00:28:30.71
to Mary, Mary, let me tell you
00:28:30.74\00:28:33.53
what it was
like in the celestial
00:28:33.56\00:28:35.43
glories before eternity begin,
00:28:35.46\00:28:37.97
let me, no, no, no, no, no
00:28:38.00\00:28:40.57
there is some
instruction going on here,
00:28:40.60\00:28:42.59
but it's from Jesus toward Mary.
00:28:42.62\00:28:44.42
Mary is saying to Jesus, Jesus,
00:28:44.45\00:28:47.20
let me tell you
of the extraordinary
00:28:47.23\00:28:49.63
circumstances
surrounding your birth,
00:28:49.66\00:28:51.13
let me tell you
of the angel that
00:28:51.16\00:28:52.96
appeared and it
would be Mary that
00:28:52.99\00:28:54.63
was communicating to Jesus and
00:28:54.66\00:28:55.90
so Jesus would
be learning. Amen.
00:28:55.93\00:28:58.45
Jesus would be
what everyone? Learning.
00:28:58.48\00:29:00.35
Learning, we, we, we sometimes
00:29:00.38\00:29:01.72
read the Bible in a very
00:29:01.75\00:29:03.17
anachronistic
way, we read the Bible
00:29:03.20\00:29:04.82
from a 21st century perspective,
00:29:04.85\00:29:06.52
we read the Bible
and, and we basically,
00:29:06.55\00:29:08.56
we already know Jesus died,
00:29:10.17\00:29:11.14
he buried, and he was rose again
00:29:11.15\00:29:12.12
and we read assuming that that
00:29:12.13\00:29:13.10
everybody in their
original chronological
00:29:13.11\00:29:16.20
context understood
that, they didn't know that.
00:29:16.23\00:29:17.78
Here is Jesus learning from Mary
00:29:17.81\00:29:21.04
and Jesus would
have said to Mary,
00:29:21.07\00:29:22.62
or Mary would
have said to Jesus,
00:29:22.65\00:29:24.20
you are an extraordinary boy,
00:29:24.23\00:29:25.29
these are the circumstances
surrounding your birth.
00:29:25.32\00:29:26.84
You're the
messiah, she would have
00:29:28.65\00:29:29.62
believe that, she would have had
00:29:29.63\00:29:30.60
faith in that, she would have
00:29:30.61\00:29:31.58
exercised it and at some point,
00:29:31.59\00:29:32.56
the three year old Jesus,
00:29:32.57\00:29:34.48
the four year old
Jesus, the five year old Jesus,
00:29:34.51\00:29:36.48
it's time for him as
the 12 year old Jesus
00:29:36.51\00:29:38.87
to go to the
temple, but when the
00:29:38.90\00:29:40.77
12 year old Jesus comes to the
00:29:40.80\00:29:42.81
temple and he sees the lamb
00:29:42.84\00:29:47.98
being slain. In some fundamental
00:29:48.01\00:29:52.84
and revelatory way, he
00:29:52.87\00:29:54.30
realizes that's me, I'm the guy.
00:29:54.33\00:30:01.60
Again John the
Baptist his elder cousin would
00:30:03.31\00:30:05.04
later confirm something
that Jesus had known for
00:30:05.07\00:30:07.08
many years, when he
was sawing, when he was
00:30:07.24\00:30:09.89
measuring, when he was
pounding? So, here's Jesus.
00:30:09.99\00:30:13.75
His preparation for
standing on the New Sinai,
00:30:14.61\00:30:16.91
his preparation
for say you have heard,
00:30:17.93\00:30:19.55
but I say, you
have heard, but I say,
00:30:19.75\00:30:22.87
his preparation
was he was a carpenter.
00:30:23.38\00:30:25.05
He had not been to
the school of the scribes,
00:30:26.24\00:30:27.76
or the schools of the
Pharisees, he was a carpenter
00:30:27.79\00:30:29.99
and at some point, Jesus
would have known beginning
00:30:30.15\00:30:32.84
at about the age of 12
and to approximately the
00:30:32.93\00:30:34.70
age of 30. So, the
better part of 20 years,
00:30:34.75\00:30:36.30
he would have known one
day, he is gonna lay that
00:30:36.45\00:30:39.56
saw down. And one day he
is gonna take that hammer
00:30:39.70\00:30:43.99
and hang it up. And one
day he is going to take that,
00:30:44.19\00:30:46.81
take measure that yarn,
roll it up and put it away,
00:30:47.09\00:30:49.47
not for the evening, not
for the weekend, not for the
00:30:49.59\00:30:51.49
Sabbath, but for good
and he is going to take
00:30:51.56\00:30:53.95
off the garb of, of a
carpenter he is going take off
00:30:54.02\00:30:57.36
his carpentry clothes,
his carpentry garb and he is
00:30:57.43\00:31:00.04
going to in the minds
and estimation of many,
00:31:00.09\00:31:02.74
presumptuously put on
the garb of a Rabbi and an
00:31:02.96\00:31:06.23
instructor and here
Matthew paints the picture,
00:31:06.32\00:31:09.05
he paints this apologetic,
evangelistic picture of Jesus
00:31:09.53\00:31:12.73
tracing point-by-point,
step-by-step right through
00:31:12.87\00:31:15.81
the history of national
Israel until eventually in
00:31:15.84\00:31:18.27
Matthew chapter 5, 6, and
7, Jesus as the new messiah
00:31:18.30\00:31:22.66
arrives on top,
not as the new messiah,
00:31:22.98\00:31:24.75
but as the messiah
arrives on top of the New Sinai,
00:31:24.86\00:31:28.18
and has the temerity
and the audacity to say,
00:31:28.58\00:31:31.24
you have heard, but I
say. Now, try and hear that
00:31:31.69\00:31:37.34
through a first century
perspective. We don't know
00:31:37.51\00:31:40.25
how many people
would gather there, maybe
00:31:40.29\00:31:41.48
several hundreds
perhaps as many as a thousand
00:31:41.67\00:31:43.19
or more, probably a
crowd smaller than this,
00:31:43.26\00:31:45.32
but the just imagine
that you are sitting there on
00:31:45.48\00:31:47.15
the gentle sloping
hillside and here comes this
00:31:47.30\00:31:49.46
proactive young Rabbi.
Now, there is a kind of sense
00:31:49.63\00:31:51.79
of electricity and
excitement about this guy.
00:31:51.82\00:31:53.95
Some people had heard
a rumor that he had gone
00:31:54.28\00:31:56.81
to a wedding in Cana
and water had actually been
00:31:56.84\00:31:59.79
turned to wine, but
you know, these things are
00:31:59.93\00:32:01.42
hard to believe.
Somebody else had actually claim
00:32:01.45\00:32:03.40
to been to his baptism
and in the context of his
00:32:03.45\00:32:05.75
baptism they thought
they had heard a voice from
00:32:05.80\00:32:08.22
heaven saying, can you
believe it, this is my beloved
00:32:08.37\00:32:11.10
son in whom I am well
pleased, but others said,
00:32:11.29\00:32:12.46
no, no, no, no, it's
just thunder. And so there was
00:32:12.55\00:32:14.30
this kind of sense of, of
anticipation and electricity
00:32:14.33\00:32:17.51
as Jesus stands to the
front and begins to speak.
00:32:18.00\00:32:20.79
Who is this guy? There
was a sense of awareness,
00:32:21.53\00:32:23.51
there was a sense of
electricity, there was a sense
00:32:23.58\00:32:25.15
of expectation in the
air. And so try and sit there
00:32:25.25\00:32:28.20
in your mind's eye on
that gently sloping hill and
00:32:28.23\00:32:31.09
listen to Jesus, not
as somebody who knows how
00:32:31.14\00:32:34.21
the story turns out.
The people who have heard
00:32:34.25\00:32:37.27
Jesus in this context,
they didn't know he was gonna
00:32:37.30\00:32:39.13
die and be buried and
rising, they didn't know that.
00:32:39.37\00:32:41.51
Who is this guy? Who
does this guy thing he is?
00:32:42.00\00:32:44.96
And frankly just to be
perfectly candid or not
00:32:45.07\00:32:46.90
irrelevant at all. The
only thing you could have
00:32:47.07\00:32:49.64
thought probably in
the context of that initial
00:32:49.79\00:32:52.46
presentation of Jesus as
the messiah to Israel who
00:32:52.61\00:32:55.67
had been looking
forward to him from more than
00:32:55.70\00:32:57.14
a thousand years to
messiah. The only thing you
00:32:57.17\00:32:59.45
probably could have
thought is who does he think
00:32:59.52\00:33:01.20
he is? Like seriously,
who does he think he is?
00:33:01.23\00:33:04.69
Incidentally Matthew
wants you to know that that's
00:33:04.91\00:33:06.74
exactly what people
were thinking and he tells
00:33:06.90\00:33:09.18
you that in Matthew
chapter 7, verses 28 and 29.
00:33:09.21\00:33:11.72
Last two verses
of Matthew chapter 7.
00:33:11.90\00:33:13.62
Matthew was very
intentional about recording
00:33:14.08\00:33:16.31
the response of the
people and take a look at the
00:33:16.36\00:33:19.01
response of the
people in Matthew chapter 7.
00:33:19.12\00:33:21.12
It says, Matthew
chapter 7 verses 28 and 29,
00:33:22.59\00:33:24.63
and so it was when
Jesus had ended these sayings,
00:33:24.66\00:33:27.18
in context the Sermon on
the Mount. "When Jesus had
00:33:27.30\00:33:29.88
ended these sayings,
that the people were,
00:33:29.99\00:33:32.19
what does your Bible
say? The people were..
00:33:32.26\00:33:35.14
Astonished.
Astonished at his teaching."
00:33:35.65\00:33:37.15
Now, you give me some
synonym for astonished,
00:33:37.40\00:33:39.04
they were, they were
amazed, they were surprised,
00:33:39.07\00:33:44.65
they were, where they
shocked. So, the people
00:33:44.68\00:33:46.91
were shocked,
they were surprised,
00:33:46.96\00:33:48.71
they were amazed,
they were, the people were
00:33:48.74\00:33:50.55
amazed at his
sayings. According to verse 29,
00:33:50.69\00:33:53.72
what was the source
of their astonishment?
00:33:53.79\00:33:55.63
Take a look at verse
29, what was the source
00:33:56.15\00:33:58.80
of their astonishment?
"For he taught them as one
00:33:58.87\00:34:02.58
having authority
and not as the, as the
00:34:02.61\00:34:07.54
scribes and the
Pharisees. No, wonder Jesus six
00:34:07.66\00:34:09.74
times, six times
purposely he would have thought
00:34:09.91\00:34:14.40
about this. This
was not some haphazard,
00:34:14.49\00:34:16.09
fly-by-the-seat-of-your
-pants, serendipitous,
00:34:16.17\00:34:18.47
we'll see how it works
out. No, no, no, no, no,
00:34:18.59\00:34:20.70
Jesus for years is thinking
about this presentation.
00:34:21.12\00:34:24.39
Jesus is sawing, but
his mind is on the mountain,
00:34:25.47\00:34:28.00
Jesus is measuring,
but his mind was on the
00:34:28.60\00:34:30.72
mountain, Jesus is
hammering, but his mind
00:34:30.75\00:34:32.81
was on the mountain.
And so when Jesus steps
00:34:32.84\00:34:34.61
forward on top of
the New Sinai to begin to
00:34:34.80\00:34:37.48
announce his kingdom
and announce the character
00:34:37.76\00:34:39.89
of God. He is absolutely
intentional, he is what word
00:34:39.93\00:34:43.68
everyone? Intentional.
You have been hearing,
00:34:43.80\00:34:46.27
but I say. You have
been, but I say, you have heard
00:34:46.39\00:34:51.27
that it was said by
them of old time, thou shall
00:34:51.34\00:34:52.49
not committed adultery,
but I say unto you that
00:34:52.67\00:34:53.77
who so ever looketh on
a woman, to lusted after
00:34:53.88\00:34:55.67
her have committed
adultery with her already in his
00:34:55.76\00:34:57.78
heart, you have been
hearing, but I'm telling you
00:34:57.98\00:34:59.56
something different.
Jesus here sets himself up in
00:34:59.59\00:35:04.41
a radical and revelatory,
but even more than that.
00:35:04.44\00:35:07.95
It's more than radical
and it's more than revelatory,
00:35:09.05\00:35:11.33
there is a another
world that starts with an 'R'
00:35:11.48\00:35:13.13
I would like to submit
to you here, but in the
00:35:13.16\00:35:14.54
context of submitting
this word, let me read you
00:35:14.58\00:35:16.74
a simple statement from
the book, Thoughts From the
00:35:16.77\00:35:19.16
Mounts of Blessing.
What's the book everyone?
00:35:19.19\00:35:21.68
Thoughts From the
Mounts of Blessing, page 147.
00:35:22.72\00:35:24.88
"His words Sermon on
the Mount had struck at the
00:35:25.29\00:35:29.40
very root of their
former ideas and opinions,
00:35:29.52\00:35:32.25
the very root; to obey
His teaching would require
00:35:32.66\00:35:36.81
a change in all, let's
say that word together,
00:35:37.05\00:35:40.10
would require a change in
all their habits of thought
00:35:40.13\00:35:43.87
and action." In other
words, this is totally radical,
00:35:43.95\00:35:45.97
the root word of
radical literally means root.
00:35:46.02\00:35:48.00
When we say something
is radical it means that
00:35:48.82\00:35:50.03
its root is it is fundamentally
different, it, it would
00:35:50.06\00:35:53.61
require a change in all of
their habits of thought and
00:35:53.90\00:35:56.22
action, it would bring
them into collision with their
00:35:56.35\00:36:00.75
religious teachers. Now,
listen to this, "For it would
00:36:00.83\00:36:03.93
involve the overthrow of
the whole structure that for
00:36:04.02\00:36:10.17
generations the rabbis had
been rearing. To obey Jesus
00:36:10.28\00:36:15.14
would require a change
in all of their habits of
00:36:15.56\00:36:18.28
thought and action.
Because it would require the
00:36:18.37\00:36:21.09
overthrow of the whole
structure that for generations
00:36:21.13\00:36:25.00
the rabbis had been
rearing. Now, you tell me what
00:36:25.20\00:36:26.59
is that sound like? The
overthrow of, of rabbinical
00:36:26.62\00:36:30.21
religious structure,
what's the word, what's the
00:36:30.42\00:36:32.46
word? That's a revolution.
You see, what Jesus is
00:36:32.63\00:36:37.43
doing on Mount Sinai
as not merely revelatory,
00:36:37.53\00:36:39.77
he is not merely revealing,
it's not merely radical,
00:36:39.81\00:36:42.67
he is not laying acts
of the root of the tree,
00:36:42.72\00:36:44.17
what Jesus is doing
is absolutely, patently,
00:36:44.57\00:36:46.88
unequivocally, revolutionary.
Amen. When Ellen White
00:36:47.01\00:36:50.47
uses the language,
the overthrowing of whole
00:36:50.59\00:36:52.81
structure that the general,
that the rabbis have been
00:36:52.94\00:36:55.35
ruling for generations,
that's a revolution.
00:36:55.43\00:36:57.20
Jesus knows that he had
stepped into a very precarious
00:36:59.10\00:37:02.08
place. Now, let's
paint historically this very
00:37:02.32\00:37:04.12
precarious location
into which Jesus has just
00:37:04.28\00:37:06.63
stepped, not merely as
a man, but he is the son
00:37:06.91\00:37:09.46
of God come as the
messiah. The Jews believe there
00:37:09.49\00:37:13.23
were the promised
people of God, they, they were
00:37:13.28\00:37:15.23
the chosen people of
God, this, this attachment to
00:37:15.30\00:37:19.19
Abraham and God's call
of Abraham was so, was so
00:37:19.29\00:37:22.63
part of he Jewish
psyche that in one occasion,
00:37:22.90\00:37:24.86
when John the
baptized was preaching he
00:37:25.25\00:37:26.61
anticipated their
objection. John the baptized is
00:37:26.67\00:37:29.33
preaching his heart
out and he anticipates the
00:37:29.46\00:37:30.85
objectives. Don't even
begin to say within yourselves
00:37:30.93\00:37:35.48
that we have Abraham as
our father, for verily I
00:37:35.91\00:37:37.86
say unto you that God is
able to raise up children of
00:37:37.90\00:37:39.53
Abraham from his very
stones. There was this sort
00:37:39.66\00:37:43.27
of expectation, there
was this sense I'm a Jew,
00:37:43.41\00:37:46.28
I'm genealogically,
Historically related to Abraham
00:37:47.04\00:37:50.01
and I'm a person of God,
I'm a child of God by virtue
00:37:50.24\00:37:53.76
of my Jewishness,
are we together everyone,
00:37:54.05\00:37:56.30
yes or no? And so, so
just imagine the cognitive
00:37:56.39\00:38:00.66
dissonance that would
have existed in first century
00:38:01.10\00:38:02.88
Judaism. When you are
the chosen people of God
00:38:03.13\00:38:05.56
and yet you know, that
your history, your history
00:38:07.22\00:38:09.76
is basically a history of
successive subjugations to
00:38:09.83\00:38:13.13
pagan powers, you're
the chosen people of God,
00:38:13.25\00:38:16.13
but you're in subjection
to Egypt. You're the chosen
00:38:16.33\00:38:18.44
people of God, but
you're in subjection to the
00:38:18.55\00:38:20.09
Babylonians, you're
the chosen people of God,
00:38:20.27\00:38:22.05
but you're in subjection
to the Persians, you're
00:38:22.13\00:38:23.89
chosen people of God, but
you're in subjection to the
00:38:23.96\00:38:25.89
Greeks, you're the
chosen people of God,
00:38:26.03\00:38:27.62
but now you're in
subjection to Rome, can you
00:38:27.67\00:38:29.48
begin to see the
cognitive dissonance that would
00:38:29.54\00:38:31.50
emerge, we are the
chosen people of God,
00:38:31.58\00:38:33.37
and they remind of fact
that our history is littered
00:38:33.42\00:38:35.31
is basically one grand
story of folly being in
00:38:35.57\00:38:39.09
subjection to a pagan nation,
are we together everyone,
00:38:39.26\00:38:42.15
yes or no? We're trying
to deal with that cognitive
00:38:42.27\00:38:45.41
dissonance was the
primary ply to first,
00:38:45.56\00:38:48.43
second and third
century Judaism. Pre B.C. I'm
00:38:48.52\00:38:51.35
talking B.C., first century,
second century and third
00:38:51.38\00:38:53.67
century Judaism B.C.
Now, in order to try and
00:38:53.80\00:38:57.14
cope into this, to cope
with this issue and this
00:38:57.26\00:38:59.78
vacuum into what Jesus
is speaking, here is Jesus.
00:38:59.83\00:39:02.25
He is speaking into a
situation. Jesus is not merely
00:39:02.55\00:39:05.90
speaking into a
21st century situation,
00:39:05.94\00:39:07.92
he's not just talking
for talking sake, Jesus is
00:39:07.95\00:39:10.44
intentional here and he
speaking into a situation.
00:39:10.59\00:39:12.89
The situation into what
Jesus is speaking is that
00:39:13.95\00:39:16.22
Israel's absolutely confused,
has been for the better
00:39:16.30\00:39:18.48
part of the thousand
years in different camps
00:39:18.56\00:39:20.87
that sort of emerge to
help Israel deal with this
00:39:20.90\00:39:23.79
cognitive dissonance.
How do we continually,
00:39:23.85\00:39:26.47
proudly, and in the
context of the New Testament
00:39:26.90\00:39:28.88
often self righteously
say, we are the chosen
00:39:29.17\00:39:31.83
people of God and yet
we are in subjection to
00:39:31.91\00:39:33.55
Rome, which is just the
latest and last of pagan
00:39:33.67\00:39:36.47
powers to which we are
subjected. How would this
00:39:36.60\00:39:39.07
cognitive dissonance be
ameliorated, how it would be
00:39:39.23\00:39:41.40
dealt with. Well, in the
context of Jesus in the first
00:39:41.53\00:39:44.01
century, you have
four groups of people,
00:39:44.04\00:39:46.14
how many groups of
people everyone? Four.
00:39:46.85\00:39:48.93
Four groups of people,
two of them will be very
00:39:48.96\00:39:51.47
familiar to you; they
are the Pharisees and the
00:39:51.54\00:39:55.07
Sadducees. The
other two not as familiar,
00:39:55.89\00:39:57.63
the Essenes and the
zealots. He basically had
00:39:58.12\00:40:01.33
four groups of people
that were vying for the
00:40:01.44\00:40:03.47
allegiance and
vying for the intellectual
00:40:03.61\00:40:06.09
allegiance of the
people of God. How do we say
00:40:06.29\00:40:08.64
we're God's true
people when we are in
00:40:08.70\00:40:10.52
suggestion to
pagination, after pagination,
00:40:10.83\00:40:13.04
after pagination,
after pagination. Well, the
00:40:13.16\00:40:14.62
Pharisees basically
their solution to the cognitive
00:40:14.65\00:40:17.24
dissonance was to
internalize and isolate
00:40:17.39\00:40:20.30
themselves in a increasingly
deeper and contrived
00:40:20.37\00:40:24.34
version of Judaism. And
this is classic four or fifth,
00:40:24.50\00:40:29.49
four, third, second and
first century even beyond
00:40:29.98\00:40:32.15
that B.C. Judaism. Basically
the Pharisees internalize
00:40:32.23\00:40:35.91
they became, they
became very, very occupied
00:40:36.11\00:40:39.02
with Jewishness and
they were Rabbinical debates,
00:40:39.07\00:40:41.45
this rabbi, debating
against this rabbi and what
00:40:41.83\00:40:44.27
does this mean and
they basically pretending
00:40:44.58\00:40:46.93
as though they was no
Roman army. As though,
00:40:47.01\00:40:48.93
as though there was
no Roman occupation,
00:40:49.41\00:40:50.69
they just internalized
and that's how they dealt with
00:40:51.10\00:40:53.04
cognitive dissonance.
This is what we find in New
00:40:53.16\00:40:55.16
Testament. The Sadducees
unlike the Pharisees who
00:40:55.21\00:40:58.95
internalize the religiosity
and become very isolated
00:40:58.99\00:41:01.72
and elitist with it.
The Sadducees began to curry
00:41:01.80\00:41:04.43
favor with the Romans
and they basically said well
00:41:04.47\00:41:06.32
if we can't beat
them, we'll join them.
00:41:06.40\00:41:07.70
The Sadducees are kind
of the intellectual elite of
00:41:08.73\00:41:12.30
Jesus day, they were like
the secular religious people
00:41:12.43\00:41:15.10
today we would in our
Roman culture we would
00:41:15.26\00:41:17.15
call them the religious
liberals. They were secularize
00:41:17.32\00:41:20.07
they were secular
people, they didn't really
00:41:20.10\00:41:22.38
buy into all of the
scripture what they were more
00:41:22.46\00:41:24.52
interested in was education,
Hellenism and basically
00:41:24.57\00:41:28.21
currying favor with the
Romans so that they could
00:41:28.86\00:41:30.63
be perceived as sort
of Roman and not patently
00:41:30.70\00:41:33.76
Jewish. So, they did
retain certainly some of the
00:41:34.00\00:41:35.82
Jews identity such as
the high priest etc. And so
00:41:35.93\00:41:38.32
that's the Sadducees
sort of the liberals or the
00:41:38.36\00:41:41.21
distancing yourself
from your religiosity.
00:41:41.69\00:41:43.76
Now, the Essenes here
no mention of them in the
00:41:43.90\00:41:47.41
New Testament this is
to be expected because
00:41:47.44\00:41:48.97
the way the Essenes
dealt with this cognitive
00:41:49.17\00:41:50.81
dissonance dissonance
is they simply moved out
00:41:51.07\00:41:52.54
into the country. They
just, they just moved away,
00:41:52.60\00:41:55.44
they just said man all
Israel's gone to hell in a
00:41:55.61\00:41:57.49
hand basket they
have gone to pod,
00:41:57.52\00:41:58.90
they don't follow the
law anymore, total apostasy
00:41:58.95\00:42:01.23
and so they just moved
into the country they lived
00:42:01.41\00:42:02.78
in little tents and
communes in fact the dead sea
00:42:02.92\00:42:05.35
scrolls part of what's
called that Qumranic community
00:42:05.39\00:42:07.31
was almost certainly
in a scenic community.
00:42:07.34\00:42:09.10
They had moved away.
We don't encounter them
00:42:09.47\00:42:11.82
in the New Testament
because they off in the bush.
00:42:11.85\00:42:15.12
Just off in the bush
trying to deal with this great
00:42:15.28\00:42:17.81
big issue of how are we
the people of God and the
00:42:18.09\00:42:21.95
actual circumstances in
which they found themselves
00:42:21.98\00:42:24.03
that were the those of
the scenes. And the forth
00:42:24.10\00:42:26.15
and final group were
the Zealots. Simon was
00:42:26.22\00:42:29.31
probably a Zealot, and
Zealots of course root word
00:42:29.46\00:42:31.44
Zeal. They sort to deal
with this cognitive dissonance,
00:42:31.47\00:42:34.44
this disconnect
between what they should be
00:42:34.50\00:42:36.77
seeing and what they
are seeing by attacking
00:42:36.93\00:42:38.91
militarily the Roman
people they were sort of
00:42:39.11\00:42:41.74
the Guerrilla warfare
they were kind of the Hamas.
00:42:41.77\00:42:43.95
if I can use that
analogy of Israel fighting these
00:42:44.50\00:42:47.23
Guerrilla battles at
night by sort of these military
00:42:47.35\00:42:50.54
and militaristic means
in these Guerrilla surprise
00:42:50.80\00:42:53.52
attacks over and
against the Romans and so they
00:42:53.63\00:42:55.75
were the Zealots. They
were going to actively bring
00:42:55.82\00:42:58.51
it out, they would be like
the sort of radical religious
00:42:58.54\00:43:01.08
fanatics. So, here is
Jesus, he is 27, he is 28,
00:43:01.18\00:43:05.70
he is 29 he has been
sawing boards, measuring
00:43:05.83\00:43:08.31
boards, and pounding
on boards his whole life.
00:43:08.37\00:43:10.13
At some point he knows
since the age of 12 he is
00:43:11.07\00:43:12.92
going to have to step
out of this safely and secure
00:43:12.95\00:43:15.15
situation and into a hot
bed religious difficultly,
00:43:15.61\00:43:19.31
controversy and
confusion. He has to be
00:43:19.34\00:43:21.31
very careful with his
language, he has to be
00:43:21.53\00:43:23.10
very careful with his
loyalties he has to be extremely
00:43:23.23\00:43:25.69
careful because if he
is perceived, which by the
00:43:25.72\00:43:27.68
way this is background
for the New Testament.
00:43:27.71\00:43:29.34
This the background for
the gospels, if the Sadducees
00:43:29.45\00:43:32.91
can set Jesus over
against the Pharisees or if the
00:43:32.94\00:43:35.38
Pharisees can set him
over and against the Sadducees.
00:43:35.45\00:43:37.35
Basically Jesus has
to stand into this gap,
00:43:37.80\00:43:40.41
into this, into this
crucible of culture, we'll come
00:43:40.52\00:43:43.99
back to that in just a
second. Jesus has to stand
00:43:44.12\00:43:47.73
in this place when all
of these different competing
00:43:47.82\00:43:52.27
views of what's going on
in the world are vying for
00:43:52.83\00:43:56.04
his allegiance and
vying for his attention and he
00:43:56.08\00:43:58.56
has to be very careful
how we chooses even his
00:43:58.59\00:44:00.88
associates and how he
chooses even his language
00:44:01.10\00:44:03.75
and his vocabulary
because if he begins to
00:44:03.78\00:44:05.67
speak like a Pharisee he
is classified as a Pharisees
00:44:05.72\00:44:08.28
so he has to avoid
pharisaical talk. If he begins
00:44:08.35\00:44:10.73
to speak like a
Sadducees, he's classified as a
00:44:10.76\00:44:12.77
Sadducees everybody's
trying to put Jesus in a
00:44:12.92\00:44:15.45
hole, everybody is
trying to say who is this guy.
00:44:15.69\00:44:17.65
Is he a Pharisee, is he
telling us to internalize,
00:44:18.68\00:44:20.60
is that how we deal with
this cognitive dissonance.
00:44:20.83\00:44:22.27
Is he a Sadducee, is he
trying to curry favor with
00:44:22.66\00:44:24.73
Romans. Is he telling us
we should move off into the,
00:44:24.93\00:44:27.26
into the ditches and
off into the bush with the
00:44:27.64\00:44:29.56
Essenes or is he trying
to have some grand almost
00:44:29.68\00:44:34.32
riotous Guerrilla attack
against the Romans is that
00:44:35.05\00:44:38.08
what he is trying to
do is marshal his forces.
00:44:38.25\00:44:40.14
Well all of these four
people, all of these four
00:44:42.93\00:44:45.28
groups that are vying for
the attention and vying for
00:44:45.46\00:44:48.46
the allegiance of every
single Jew. Every Jew at
00:44:48.49\00:44:53.02
some level intellectually
would fallen into the
00:44:53.29\00:44:55.77
Pharisees or the
Sadducees or the Essenes or the
00:44:55.87\00:44:58.43
Zealots. Even if
weren't an Essene they would
00:44:58.60\00:45:00.34
have intellectually been
favorable to the Essenes or
00:45:00.37\00:45:03.06
to the Pharisees or the
Sadducees or the Zealots and
00:45:03.13\00:45:05.40
Jesus basically shows up
on Essenes and says you've
00:45:05.59\00:45:08.71
all got it totally
wrong, it's not the Sadducees,
00:45:08.85\00:45:13.84
it's not the Pharisees,
it's not the Zealots and it's
00:45:14.21\00:45:16.38
not the Essenes. There's
a whole new thing that is
00:45:16.45\00:45:19.20
taking place here.
Amen. Ellen White puts it this
00:45:19.32\00:45:22.00
way, when Jesus opens his
mouth the very first thing
00:45:22.10\00:45:28.19
he says, what's he is
gonna say man? Twenty years
00:45:28.38\00:45:31.59
of preparation,
speaking into this cauldron of
00:45:31.64\00:45:35.50
religio-social cultural
differently what's he gonna
00:45:35.69\00:45:40.93
say? And he stand
there and takes his place on
00:45:41.18\00:45:44.63
the New Sinai. Sense
of electricity, sense of
00:45:44.66\00:45:50.02
anticipation there, who is
this guy? Is he a Pharisee?
00:45:50.08\00:45:54.22
Is he a Sadducee? I
heard he turned water to wine.
00:45:55.54\00:45:57.31
Is he a Zealot, what's he
going to say, the sense of
00:45:59.60\00:46:03.37
the expectation there
when Jesus opens his mouth.
00:46:03.53\00:46:05.73
And he says in the
words of Ellen White, words
00:46:07.72\00:46:09.90
that fell on the
audience first century audience,
00:46:09.95\00:46:12.21
not 21st century. That
fell on the ears of the
00:46:12.24\00:46:15.31
audience as strange
and new, strange and new.
00:46:15.34\00:46:21.85
That's what Matthew
saying, that what Matthew's
00:46:21.95\00:46:23.89
saying when he says
the people were astonished
00:46:23.95\00:46:25.98
at his teaching
what is he going to say?
00:46:26.13\00:46:27.81
He is going to say,
blessed are the poor in spirit,
00:46:28.26\00:46:39.29
for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Amen.
00:46:42.12\00:46:45.76
Now, my paraphrase of
Ellen White's words these
00:46:47.26\00:46:49.11
words were a bombshell,
these words were totally
00:46:49.17\00:46:51.99
unlike anything that they
were hearing in 1st century
00:46:52.15\00:46:55.15
Judaism. She says
they were strange and new,
00:46:55.20\00:46:58.30
what is it Blessed are the
poor in spirit. The culture
00:46:59.41\00:47:03.69
into which Jesus is speaking,
the situation into which
00:47:03.72\00:47:06.13
Jesus is speaking is
one in which your Jewishness
00:47:06.22\00:47:08.48
recommends you to God
and if you're a healthy Jew,
00:47:08.52\00:47:11.16
you're doubly
recommend to God and if you're a
00:47:11.31\00:47:13.12
healthy, wealthy Jew
you're triply recommend to God
00:47:13.27\00:47:16.24
and Jesus stands up
20 years in preparation,
00:47:17.17\00:47:19.10
20 years in rumination,
20 years in thinking and the
00:47:19.48\00:47:22.16
first words out of mouth
are, blessed are the poor in
00:47:22.30\00:47:25.83
spirit for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven,
00:47:25.94\00:47:28.68
kaboom let the revolution
began. Who is this guy?
00:47:29.29\00:47:35.55
Jesus then begins to
take them on an unpresidented
00:47:37.85\00:47:40.76
journey. So that we
refer to so innocuously and
00:47:40.93\00:47:43.89
globally as the be attitudes,
the be, oh that's nice
00:47:43.97\00:47:47.69
to be attitudes. And we
get out our little cross
00:47:47.77\00:47:50.85
stitch and we say oh
blessed. I love this, I'm gonna
00:47:51.05\00:47:54.22
put a little blue bird
here, a little sunshine,
00:47:54.37\00:47:57.21
little flower, and we
cross this, blessed are the poor
00:47:57.46\00:48:00.08
in spirit for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
00:48:00.11\00:48:01.44
Or better yet, blessed
are the meek, yes a little
00:48:01.47\00:48:05.21
blue bird sunshine, rainbow
for theirs is the kingdom,
00:48:05.31\00:48:08.84
and we take that
thing, we frame it and we put
00:48:09.03\00:48:10.98
it over the toilet in
the guest bathroom and we say
00:48:11.52\00:48:13.82
look at this. So, when
people are I guess, I guess,
00:48:14.20\00:48:16.97
I guess when people are
relieving themselves this is,
00:48:17.27\00:48:19.04
blessed are the, look at
the blue birds oh that so
00:48:19.93\00:48:21.85
nice. It's so innocuous,
it's so glib, in Jesus, when
00:48:22.00\00:48:25.41
Jesus was speaking
these were like missiles,
00:48:25.50\00:48:27.40
these were bombs
that were been dropped on
00:48:30.43\00:48:32.01
First century Judaism.
These were not cute little cross
00:48:32.11\00:48:35.81
stitch, oh a little cluster,
oh look at that the be attitudes
00:48:35.91\00:48:38.66
cluster set, there is 9
of them, no, no, no, no.
00:48:38.74\00:48:41.16
When Jesus is speaking
here he has a whole new,
00:48:44.52\00:48:46.75
he has to rewire
their minds in their brains.
00:48:47.11\00:48:49.52
Then you're thinking this
sounds, this sounds too strong
00:48:51.01\00:48:54.16
all this revolutionary
language. Other statement Desire
00:48:54.23\00:48:56.47
of Ages page 300, In
the Sermon on the Mount,
00:48:56.50\00:48:58.83
Jesus sought to undo,
what's the word everyone?
00:48:58.91\00:49:02.76
Undo. Undo the work that
had been wrought by false
00:49:03.54\00:49:06.07
education, and to
give His hearers a right
00:49:06.66\00:49:09.39
conception of His kingdom
and of His own character.
00:49:09.48\00:49:13.59
Amen. So, here's
Jesus, he is sawing but he is
00:49:15.02\00:49:18.18
thinking. He's measuring
but he's thinking, he's
00:49:18.21\00:49:21.93
hammering but he's
thinking. How can I get these
00:49:22.04\00:49:24.25
people to see? Who God
really is, and what the
00:49:24.49\00:49:27.39
kingdom of heaven
really is? Mark, Luke,
00:49:27.44\00:49:31.87
John never used this
phrase the kingdom of heaven
00:49:31.94\00:49:33.70
never once, it's Matthew's
term, this is Matthew's
00:49:33.77\00:49:36.56
term and he presents
it over and over again.
00:49:36.68\00:49:38.56
The first thing Jesus
says has to do with the kingdom
00:49:38.97\00:49:40.91
of heaven, and the character
of God. Jesus speaks into
00:49:41.00\00:49:45.48
this war text, Jesus
speaks into this war when
00:49:45.51\00:49:47.77
Jesus is standing at
the crucible of culture,
00:49:47.85\00:49:50.08
everybody waiting
to put them into a box,
00:49:50.43\00:49:52.51
here in this box, here in
this box, here in this box,
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.41
here in this box, and Jesus
said, I'm in God's kingdom is
00:49:54.59\00:49:57.42
a matter of fact,
blessed are the poor in spirit.
00:49:57.45\00:50:00.56
Blessed are those that
recognize their spiritual
00:50:00.96\00:50:03.96
poverty because
heaven is their home. Amen.
00:50:04.17\00:50:08.15
Strange and new.
Totally different, these words
00:50:10.35\00:50:15.64
fall like, like, like a
different language on the ears
00:50:15.68\00:50:19.14
of the people to
which Jesus is speaking.
00:50:19.17\00:50:20.82
Happy are the poor in
spirit. Happy are those who
00:50:22.14\00:50:26.22
recognize their
spiritual poverty. In the
00:50:26.43\00:50:32.30
paragraph just before
the one I want just read you
00:50:32.41\00:50:33.66
from Desire of Ages
page 300, Ellen White writes
00:50:33.85\00:50:35.75
a single phrase she
writes of unrestricted access.
00:50:35.86\00:50:39.11
That's her phrase, not
mine. Unrestricted access
00:50:39.22\00:50:44.12
to the father in the
context of the sermon of the
00:50:44.24\00:50:46.03
mount. You see you
think the sermon of the
00:50:46.14\00:50:48.61
mount is you have heard
that it was said by them
00:50:48.64\00:50:49.89
of old time thou
shall not commit adultery,
00:50:49.92\00:50:51.19
you have heard that,
we think it's all of this
00:50:51.38\00:50:53.15
moral exhortation. Hey
if somebody slaps you on the
00:50:53.29\00:50:55.05
right give him the left,
if somebody you know urges
00:50:55.15\00:50:56.99
you to go with him a
mile, go with him two,
00:50:57.08\00:50:59.20
we have all of this
moral exhortation but Jesus
00:50:59.38\00:51:01.90
never gets to the moral
exhortation until he first
00:51:01.95\00:51:04.37
gives them her phrase
not mine. Unrestricted access
00:51:04.45\00:51:08.58
to the Father. Well,
how may I ever gonna get
00:51:08.79\00:51:11.78
unrestricted access to
the father? Well, it's not
00:51:11.87\00:51:14.85
gonna be because I'm so
good at turning the other
00:51:15.03\00:51:16.37
cheek when
somebody is bludgeoning me.
00:51:16.44\00:51:17.78
And it's not gonna be
because I'm such a great
00:51:18.38\00:51:19.60
guy that I walk two
miles when somebody asked me
00:51:19.76\00:51:21.21
only to go one. I get
unrestricted access to the
00:51:21.25\00:51:23.96
Father when I realize
that I'm a sinner in need of
00:51:24.07\00:51:28.41
a savior. Amen. When I
realize that I'm perfectly
00:51:28.44\00:51:32.46
totally spiritually
impoverished and I've nothing
00:51:32.69\00:51:36.18
to recommend me to
God. Jesus thought about
00:51:36.24\00:51:38.87
this for 20 years. D.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones the great
00:51:39.07\00:51:41.30
preacher who
preached in the Westminster
00:51:41.46\00:51:43.49
Cathedral for all most
10 years on the book of
00:51:43.59\00:51:46.30
Romans, fantastic
commentaries, for 10 years he
00:51:46.59\00:51:48.78
preached on the book of
Romans. And Dr. Jones said,
00:51:48.82\00:51:51.31
Lloyd-Jones said that here
is no greater articulation,
00:51:51.44\00:51:54.65
his words, there is no
more perfect articulation
00:51:54.79\00:51:57.21
of the great truth of
justification by faith then this
00:51:57.27\00:52:00.37
the attitude, blessed
are the poor in spirit. Amen.
00:52:00.94\00:52:05.97
Because heaven is
for these people, Amen.
00:52:06.94\00:52:10.18
Jesus introduces
people to a God who cannot be
00:52:12.00\00:52:14.81
appeased by their
goodness, who cannot be
00:52:14.99\00:52:16.50
appeased by their
internalization of religiosity
00:52:16.62\00:52:19.90
all of the Pharisees or
their currying favor with
00:52:20.06\00:52:22.28
the Romans, all of the
Sadducees. Jesus is introducing
00:52:22.35\00:52:25.12
a whole new radical thing
here. You get unrestricted
00:52:25.15\00:52:29.45
access to the Father,
not because of who you are
00:52:29.50\00:52:31.42
but because of who
Jesus is. And because of what
00:52:31.60\00:52:33.71
he is about ready to do.
He doesn't say yours will
00:52:33.83\00:52:36.85
be the kingdom of heaven,
he uses the present tense,
00:52:36.95\00:52:38.59
he only uses it twice
from the attitudes. Here in
00:52:39.01\00:52:40.73
verses 9 and 10 he
says your is the kingdom of
00:52:40.87\00:52:43.83
heaven. Jesus then
begins to take them on a walk
00:52:43.91\00:52:47.89
though this marvelous
sequence and I wish I had
00:52:48.04\00:52:50.03
time to develop this
sequence you could see it.
00:52:50.15\00:52:52.10
He says blessed are the
poor in spirit, and then
00:52:53.43\00:52:54.95
he says blessed are
they that mourn that
00:52:55.06\00:52:56.43
condition. This gives
us an attitude of meekness
00:52:56.49\00:52:59.20
and then we hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
00:52:59.62\00:53:01.49
realizing we are the
underserved recipients of
00:53:01.89\00:53:03.33
God's mercy, we begin
to treat others the way God
00:53:03.47\00:53:05.24
has treated us. Then
our hearts begin to be
00:53:05.27\00:53:07.18
purified and as our
hearts begin to be purified we
00:53:07.57\00:53:09.87
become peacemakers.
The very next thing as
00:53:09.90\00:53:14.24
he says blessed are
those that are persecuted for
00:53:14.30\00:53:15.71
righteousness sake, for
there's is the kingdom of
00:53:15.74\00:53:17.58
heaven. He begins and
ends with the kingdom of
00:53:17.69\00:53:19.10
heaven, but what is
Jesus doing in this sequence?
00:53:19.29\00:53:21.58
He is giving people
unrestricted access to the
00:53:22.65\00:53:24.47
Father. You recognize
as for spiritual poverty,
00:53:24.71\00:53:28.30
you mourn that spiritual
condition, this gives you an
00:53:28.45\00:53:29.88
attitude of meekness,
you hunger and thirst for
00:53:30.14\00:53:31.47
righteousness. You begin
to treat others the way God
00:53:31.60\00:53:33.44
has treated you
mercifully and then you begin to
00:53:33.58\00:53:35.42
treat others with mercy
and your heart begins to
00:53:35.46\00:53:37.58
be purified and you
become a peacemaker.
00:53:37.61\00:53:39.55
One of the most compelling
and profound statements
00:53:42.36\00:53:44.18
in the New
Testament, nomenclature, names,
00:53:44.21\00:53:46.21
nomenclatures for God is
this idea, that he is the
00:53:46.29\00:53:49.03
God of peace, the God of
peace. You tell me Jesus is
00:53:49.15\00:53:55.18
referred to in Isaiah
chapter 9 verse 6 as the prince
00:53:55.21\00:53:57.55
of peace. Therefore
being justified by faith we
00:53:57.77\00:54:01.60
have peace with God.
Paul writes in Colossians
00:54:01.63\00:54:05.26
chapter 1 verse 20 of,
of, of, of having made a peace
00:54:05.35\00:54:09.15
with God through the
blood of His cross. Ephesians
00:54:09.18\00:54:11.39
chapter 2 verse 14,
He is our peace. Amen.
00:54:11.55\00:54:14.86
This whole idea that
God is not at enmity at us,
00:54:16.22\00:54:18.55
God is not at war with
us, God is not out to get us,
00:54:19.11\00:54:21.42
but at some level
God wants access to us.
00:54:21.60\00:54:23.38
In fact God wants us to
have unrestricted access to
00:54:23.65\00:54:25.89
him and this grand and
glorious sequence of the be
00:54:25.96\00:54:28.84
attitudes culminates
when he says blessed are
00:54:28.93\00:54:31.49
those whose mission is
to bring the message of the
00:54:31.62\00:54:35.58
prince of peace and of
the God of peace to those
00:54:35.78\00:54:38.97
around them. Blessed
are the peacemakers and then
00:54:39.21\00:54:42.19
he says for they shall
be called, the sons of God.
00:54:42.30\00:54:51.02
You can paraphrase that,
they shall be like little
00:54:53.04\00:54:55.30
Jesus'. Friends we live
in a time in which groups are
00:54:55.75\00:55:01.18
vying for our allegiance.
We are very similar to Jesus
00:55:01.37\00:55:06.30
in this capacity, Jesus
had a message about the kingdom
00:55:06.43\00:55:09.06
of God and character of
God and he had to undo all
00:55:09.09\00:55:11.44
kinds of religious
cultural and theological baggage
00:55:11.56\00:55:14.45
and Jesus stood in a
place. And when he stood in
00:55:14.86\00:55:17.95
that place he said you
get access to God not by the
00:55:18.15\00:55:20.63
good you do but by the
good that God is, blessed
00:55:20.88\00:55:23.15
are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of
00:55:23.18\00:55:24.87
heaven and then he
basically brings that grand
00:55:24.95\00:55:27.70
sequence to its absolute
fruition and maturation,
00:55:28.16\00:55:30.63
when he says that
there will be a people whose
00:55:31.15\00:55:32.90
whole mission on earth is
to proclaim the God of peace,
00:55:33.17\00:55:36.54
the prince of peace and
justification by faith which
00:55:37.26\00:55:40.21
alone can bring
peace with God. Amen.
00:55:40.32\00:55:43.50
We love that in a
sentence, that in a nutshell is
00:55:44.34\00:55:48.90
the Adventist message.
Amen. God has called us to
00:55:48.93\00:55:53.72
be peacemakers, to stand
right here at the crucible
00:55:53.75\00:55:59.16
of culture, to stand
right here and to say strange
00:55:59.26\00:56:05.37
and new things about
God to woo people to Jesus,
00:56:06.03\00:56:13.06
to woo people to the
Father, to woo people to the
00:56:14.18\00:56:19.00
Kingdom of God.
Amen. We are not Pharisees,
00:56:19.28\00:56:23.79
we are not the religious
establishment. We are not
00:56:25.96\00:56:29.56
Sadducees, we are the
not religiously secular.
00:56:30.08\00:56:33.86
We are not the Zealots
taking military political and
00:56:35.32\00:56:38.38
carnal means. And we
are not the Essenes fleeing
00:56:38.54\00:56:41.63
from the condition
that the world is in.
00:56:41.68\00:56:43.17
We are followers of
Christ, we are peacemakers.
00:56:44.65\00:56:48.24
And we need to stand in
that place in that marketplace
00:56:49.77\00:56:54.22
if you will to stand in
that place and to be God's
00:56:54.43\00:56:59.23
man, to be God's
woman and to say blessed are
00:56:59.35\00:57:05.95
the the poor in spirit
for heaven is their home.
00:57:06.01\00:57:10.37
Amen. And blessed are
the pacemakers, for they are
00:57:11.22\00:57:16.55
the sons and the daughters
of God. How may tonight
00:57:16.60\00:57:22.53
have understood
this basic presentation?
00:57:22.62\00:57:24.50
How many tonight want to
say with raising of their
00:57:26.47\00:57:28.27
hands actually better
yet, but standing to their
00:57:28.35\00:57:30.11
feet God make me a
kingdom changer, a world
00:57:30.22\00:57:33.46
changer as I stand in
the crucible of culture,
00:57:33.60\00:57:37.57
with a strange and
new message. Can't be the
00:57:40.84\00:57:45.85
same old message. This is the
00:57:45.92\00:57:48.53
Seventh-day Adventist message.
00:57:48.72\00:57:50.23