Have you caught a glimpse
of glory so far this weekend?
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Amen! Are you longing
for your heaven and home?
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Amen! So am I. Do you
know what this morning is?
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Do you know what today
is? What's the date today?
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It's July 5. Do you
know what that means?
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In my home country it's July 4.
Which is our Independence Day.
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And you know for
the first time, ever,
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not only can I remember indepen-
dence day that's going on in
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my country right now, but
I can rejoice with you here
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in Australia because today
is our independence day as well.
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What else is today?
Today is the Sabbath.
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And the Sabbath is not
only a reminder of creation
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that God made us
but that God set us free
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from slavery to sin, Amen!
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So Praise the Lord for today
the Sabbath, our independence
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day, and the independence
day for all Christians, Amen!
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Before we dive into the
study of God's word this morning
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I'd like to ask you to
join me in prayer through song.
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Into my heart, Into my heart
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Come into my heart, Lord Jesus
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Come in today, come in to stay
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Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
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Father in Heaven, this is the
prayer of our heart this morning
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We ask that you
would come into our hearts
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That you would remove
self and our selfish tendencies
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And that you would
fill us so full of your love
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as we behold You upon
Your cross and in Your Word
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that we would be actuated
by that love to serve others
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Thank you Lord that we have not
been saved unto ourselves but
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that we have been saved for a
greater purpose we've been saved
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to serve. Bless us this
morning as we study Your Word
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and as we dive into
the message that You have
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for us, for we ask it in
Jesus' precious name, Amen.
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It's All About You. Our
message this morning is entitled
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It's All About You.
Everyone has something
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that they're willing
to do almost anything for.
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Some people will sell
everything that they have
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in order to buy a nice car
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so they can drive
this nice car around
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and speed down the highway,
show off to their friends.
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For some people a
car is worth selling
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virtually everything
that they have to obtain.
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For others it's not a nice
car they invest all their time
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and money in their wardrobe.
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They care so much
about the way that they look
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that they're willing
to pay incredible prices
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even giving up nearly
everything that they have
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to secure some designer clothes.
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Others invest everything that
they have in houses and property
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in items, in technology.
Others sell everything they have
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to invest in the stock market,
in promising investments.
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There's something this morning
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as we examine
God's Word together
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that a man was willing to
give everything that he had
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to obtain. And God's
question to us this morning is
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"what are you willing to give?"
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He's asking "what are you
willing to surrender to obtain
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that which is of the
most possible value?"
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I invite you to turn
in your Bibles with me
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to the Gospel of
Matthew, the book of Matthew
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and our passage is
found in chapter 13.
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Matthew chapter 13,
here Jesus tells a parable
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And like many of His parables
He said, the kingdom of heaven
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is like. And here He illustrates
to us some of the principles
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that govern His kingdom.
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Matthew 13, I'll be
starting in verse 45.
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One of the shortest
parables that Jesus ever told
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Reading in the NKJV, Jesus says
"again, the Kingdom of Heaven
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is like a merchant
seeking beautiful pearls
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who, when he had found
one pearl of great price
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went and sold all
that he had and bought it.
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Jesus says the Kingdom
of Heaven is like a merchant
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someone who's
searching after precious pearls.
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Someone who had an eye for value
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And when he found that one pearl
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that pearl he had
looked for all his life
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the size, the shape, the
color, the tint, it was perfect.
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And this merchant
sold everything that he had
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in order to buy this pearl.
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And this morning I
want to share with you
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the secondary application
that this parable has.
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You see we often hear
the primary application,
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but the secondary
application of this parable
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is that God is that merchant
man, the Lord is the one who
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seeing us lost in
sin, seeing our potential
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not as beautiful pearls
but as fallen sinful beings
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He said, I need to give,
I'm willing to give everything
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that I have to
secure them for myself.
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This is the
secondary application
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and we find it
throughout scripture.
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For example in Zechariah 9:16
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God likens His followers
to stones, precious stones
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of a crown. Come
with me to Malachi 3:17
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Malachi 3:17, the
book just before Matthew.
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And here we see
another example of how this
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secondary application
of the parable comes out.
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You see to God we are the pearl
of great price. Malachi 3:17
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Here, speaking of
those who feared the Lord,
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He says, they shall be
mine says the Lord of hosts
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on the day that I make
them my what? my jewels.
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A pearl is a precious item
that is categorized with jewels.
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And Paul similarly
said to his followers,
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to the people of the
Christian church, he said
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you are our joy,
our crown of rejoicing.
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So in God's eyes, you
and I and lost humanity
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is that
precious, priceless pearl.
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You know Ellen White picks
up on this Biblical reality
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of the secondary
application of this parable
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in Christ's Object Lesson,
reading from page 118, paragraph
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2 She says, Christ
the heavenly merchantman
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seeking goodly
pearls saw in lost humanity
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the pearl of great price in
man defiled and ruined by sin
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He saw the
possibilities of redemption.
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God looked upon humanity
not as vile and worthless
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He looked upon it in Christ,
saw it as it might become
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through redeeming love.
He collected all the riches
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of the universe and laid them
down in order to buy the pearl.
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You see God is the
heavenly merchantman
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seeking after precious pearls.
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He did not look upon
humanity as dark and ruined
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and then vile or worthless,
no! But He saw us not as we were
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not as we are but He sees us
as what we can be by His grace.
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Before coming here to
Australia I was in California.
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back at my parents
place, for a couple of weeks
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helping them remodel
their house. And, as I was there
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I decided to help sort
through some of my dad's things.
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And as he was at
work during the day,
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I had been sorting through diff-
erent things he had been saving
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You see my dad is
a craftsman by trade
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He has done auto
body, auto mechanic work,
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generally construction,
it's typically what he does
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and because my dad can
build anything and fix anything
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and refurbish
and beautify anything
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he sees the value in everything.
00:10:01.89\00:10:05.23
And as I was sorting
through these things,
00:10:05.26\00:10:07.91
I would put some aside and say
00:10:07.94\00:10:09.63
I'm sure he's gonna
wanna get rid of that.
00:10:09.66\00:10:11.21
I'm sure he's gonna
wanna get rid of this.
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And then there
were some that I said,
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you know I think
he might want that.
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And when my dad would
come home at the end of the day
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inevitably there would
be some things, a few things
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that I thought he
would want to keep.
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But he would recognize
that they weren't worth keeping.
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That although they
may have looked good
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they either did not have
any more purpose for him, or
00:10:31.82\00:10:35.79
were beyond the point of use.
00:10:35.82\00:10:38.12
But more often than not, the
pile of things that I thought
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to myself yeah he's
gonna wanna get rid of this
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this is nothing, me not
knowing what these tools were
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all used for, not
seeing the potential
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because I'm not the
craftsman, I'm not the one
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who can refurbish
everything, I set them aside
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as if they were gonna
be thrown away, and he said
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Oh do you know what this is?
00:10:58.27\00:10:59.52
you know what this
tool can be used for?
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And he would tell me. And that
tool could be used for something
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that no other tool could do.
00:11:06.93\00:11:08.89
And then he would say,
Oh this chair, you see this?
00:11:08.92\00:11:11.98
All I have to do is sand
this down, I can paint it
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I can varnish this
wood, put it there for handles
00:11:16.20\00:11:19.24
within an hour it will be
a beautiful brand new chair.
00:11:19.27\00:11:22.61
You see my dad saw the value, he
sees the value in things because
00:11:22.64\00:11:27.54
he does not see them as they
are but as what they could be
00:11:27.57\00:11:32.26
through his work in them.
And God is the same way with us.
00:11:32.29\00:11:36.75
He sees us not as we
are with our broken lives
00:11:36.78\00:11:40.88
our sinful vile
nature. But when He looks at us
00:11:40.91\00:11:44.67
He sees us as what we
can be in Christ, Amen!
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And because of this He
alone can transform us,
00:11:48.78\00:11:52.76
and because of this the
Lord gave everything he had
00:11:52.79\00:11:56.52
for you and for me. Now
you may wonder to yourself
00:11:56.55\00:12:03.35
why did Justin start
speaking this morning
00:12:03.38\00:12:06.74
and immediately jump into
the secondary application of
00:12:06.77\00:12:09.49
the parable? Why did he
go to the secondary point
00:12:09.52\00:12:13.40
rather than starting
with the crux of the matter?
00:12:13.43\00:12:16.37
Why jump to the side
note where one paragraph
00:12:16.40\00:12:21.84
talks about this in
Christ's Object Lessons and
00:12:21.87\00:12:24.65
where the rest of the
parable is focused on the
00:12:24.68\00:12:27.35
primary application? Well I want
to suggest to you this morning
00:12:27.38\00:12:30.93
that this is exactly what
we do in our Christian walk.
00:12:30.96\00:12:34.47
You see much of the
problem with us is that we think
00:12:34.50\00:12:38.58
this entire great
controversy revolves around us.
00:12:38.61\00:12:41.72
But there is a
greater controversy going on.
00:12:41.75\00:12:45.49
There is a much greater, broader
controversy than just us!
00:12:45.52\00:12:50.35
But in Christianity that's all
we seem to hear about, right?
00:12:50.38\00:12:55.42
In different
movements, in different sermons
00:12:55.45\00:12:58.44
and especially in movements of
which music plays a large part.
00:12:58.47\00:13:05.12
Without naming any
names, if you listen closely
00:13:05.15\00:13:07.97
to many of the songs, if
you listen to the sermons
00:13:08.00\00:13:10.96
they all seem to
be focused on us.
00:13:10.99\00:13:14.51
They all seem to
be focused on me, I.
00:13:14.54\00:13:17.70
Look at the words in the songs
00:13:17.73\00:13:19.44
And don't get me wrong, I'm
not the type of person who says
00:13:19.47\00:13:22.91
the only songs are the
ones that are 120 years old
00:13:22.94\00:13:25.40
or older. Not at all. There
are some beautiful new songs
00:13:25.43\00:13:29.50
that have been written. But
I must say, that unfortunately
00:13:29.53\00:13:32.99
the vast majority
of the newer songs
00:13:33.02\00:13:35.20
tend to be on the shallower side
when it comes to deep theology
00:13:35.23\00:13:38.87
when it comes to meaning,
and especially when it comes to
00:13:38.90\00:13:42.26
focus, focusing on God.
You see the songs that we sing
00:13:42.29\00:13:47.54
should not just be about us and
what we want and what we need.
00:13:47.57\00:13:51.64
No. But they should glorify God.
00:13:51.67\00:13:54.40
Through everything we do, every-
thing we say, everything we sing
00:13:54.43\00:13:59.14
Our focus should be on Him.
00:13:59.17\00:14:04.55
Now God's focus, as we mentioned
00:14:04.58\00:14:08.42
and as we've seen
through this parable
00:14:08.45\00:14:10.29
God's focus in
this great controversy
00:14:10.32\00:14:13.25
His focus in the plan of
redemption is upon you and me.
00:14:13.28\00:14:17.48
It's upon His creation.
But our focus as His creation
00:14:17.51\00:14:22.75
should be upon the Creator.
00:14:22.78\00:14:24.50
We see it's all too easy to
have our focus to become narrow.
00:14:24.53\00:14:34.12
If you've ever been on
the internet for something
00:14:34.15\00:14:37.99
or working on a document in
a word processor like MS Word
00:14:38.02\00:14:42.33
or pages, you know that if
you are zoomed in too closely
00:14:42.36\00:14:46.24
if you're zoomed into the page
00:14:46.27\00:14:48.67
you can no longer
really work effectively.
00:14:48.70\00:14:51.96
You can no longer
see the big picture.
00:14:51.99\00:14:55.07
And because you
cannot see the big picture,
00:14:55.10\00:14:57.54
you're missing the point
and you're unable to really work
00:14:57.57\00:15:00.98
as you need to. The same thing
happens if you're in a forest
00:15:01.01\00:15:06.20
You see many trees and
the closer you get to a tree
00:15:06.23\00:15:08.93
that is all that
you'll see right?
00:15:08.96\00:15:11.24
But by backing up and standing
on the mountain from a distance
00:15:11.27\00:15:14.10
you look down and you
see the entire forest.
00:15:14.13\00:15:17.22
And when it comes to
the great controversy,
00:15:17.25\00:15:20.13
when it comes to
the plan of redemption
00:15:20.16\00:15:22.63
this is the danger
that we find ourselves in.
00:15:22.66\00:15:25.83
We find ourselves slipping down
the slippery slope often times
00:15:25.86\00:15:30.90
of focusing on
ourselves which was God's focus
00:15:30.93\00:15:34.67
in the great controversy! But
as we slowly start to back up
00:15:34.70\00:15:39.37
this morning, to gain
a broader clearer picture
00:15:39.40\00:15:43.40
of what the great
controversy is really about
00:15:43.43\00:15:46.22
I want to invite
you to be prayerful
00:15:46.25\00:15:50.91
and to open your mind
and heart to the fact that
00:15:50.94\00:15:54.60
this great controversy
is bigger than you and me.
00:15:54.63\00:15:57.81
Did you know that when
Jesus died on the cross
00:15:57.84\00:16:01.44
that it was for
more than humanity?
00:16:01.47\00:16:04.14
Did you know when
Jesus died on the cross
00:16:04.17\00:16:06.58
it wasn't just for human beings.
00:16:06.61\00:16:08.35
When Jesus died on the
cross, it actually provided
00:16:08.38\00:16:13.09
the eternal security
of not just us humans,
00:16:13.12\00:16:17.46
but all of the heavenly angels
00:16:17.49\00:16:20.09
of all of the beings
in the unfallen worlds.
00:16:20.12\00:16:23.19
Listen to this powerful quote
00:16:23.22\00:16:26.05
Desire of Ages,
page 758, paragraph 2
00:16:26.08\00:16:30.53
"To the angels and
the unfallen worlds,
00:16:30.56\00:16:33.79
the cry 'It is
Finished' had deep significance.
00:16:33.82\00:16:38.32
It was for them as well
as for us that the great work
00:16:38.35\00:16:43.46
of redemption had
been accomplished.
00:16:43.49\00:16:45.42
They with us share the
fruits of Christ's victory."
00:16:45.45\00:16:51.76
You see the great controversy is
bigger than us on planet Earth
00:16:51.79\00:16:56.32
It's actually securing,
Jesus' death on the cross
00:16:56.35\00:16:59.46
actually secured the
eternal security and peace
00:16:59.49\00:17:03.62
of not just us but
the heavenly angels.
00:17:03.65\00:17:05.97
Because when Satan's character
was finally made manifest
00:17:06.00\00:17:10.14
on the cross and when God's
love, His complete selfless love
00:17:10.17\00:17:14.68
was finally made
clear to the universe
00:17:14.71\00:17:17.02
they all knew that Satan was
wrong in this great controversy.
00:17:17.05\00:17:21.80
And that God was
truly a God of love.
00:17:21.83\00:17:24.59
And this is the
reality, this is the realization
00:17:24.62\00:17:27.77
that will keep us from sinning
00:17:27.80\00:17:29.70
throughout the
ceaseless ages of eternity.
00:17:29.73\00:17:31.55
The question may
come, what was God's motive
00:17:31.58\00:17:38.58
in coming to save
us? What was His reason?
00:17:38.61\00:17:42.80
What is His
inward source of action?
00:17:42.83\00:17:47.90
What is it that has fueled
Him in this great controversy?
00:17:47.93\00:17:51.15
Why did He come to die for
us? It's bigger than you and me.
00:17:51.18\00:17:56.45
Listen to this and pick up your
Bible, we're gonna go through
00:17:56.48\00:17:59.19
some verses
together quickly. Isaiah 43:7
00:17:59.22\00:18:03.81
Isa 43:7, this
actually talks about the reason
00:18:03.84\00:18:08.20
we were created. You're wonder-
ing what the meaning of life is?
00:18:08.23\00:18:13.12
This verse coupled with
some verses in Ecclesiastes
00:18:13.15\00:18:17.99
some of the last verses
there will provide your answer.
00:18:18.02\00:18:22.16
Isa 43:7, God says everyone
who is called by my name
00:18:22.19\00:18:27.95
whom I have created
for my what? for my glory
00:18:27.98\00:18:33.21
I have formed him,
yes I have made him.
00:18:33.24\00:18:36.94
So God here is saying
I have created mankind
00:18:36.97\00:18:40.92
for my glory.
It's not just about us
00:18:40.95\00:18:44.08
it's ultimately about
God. So you may be wondering
00:18:44.11\00:18:47.37
to yourself how is it
that God made us for His glory?
00:18:47.40\00:18:51.56
If God is a selfless
God, a God of complete love
00:18:51.59\00:18:56.71
who is considering His
creatures above Himself
00:18:56.74\00:18:59.44
doesn't that sound
like a selfish statement?
00:18:59.47\00:19:01.90
I don't quite
understand. Let's keep going.
00:19:01.93\00:19:04.67
Psalm 23:3. The famous Psalm
many of us can quote it by heart
00:19:04.70\00:19:12.37
But let's go there
to read it as well.
00:19:12.40\00:19:14.42
Psalm 23:3. Here David speaking
in the pastoral psalm says
00:19:14.45\00:19:19.92
He restores my soul. Now why
does He restore David's soul?
00:19:19.95\00:19:25.10
Listen, He leads me in
the paths of righteousness
00:19:25.13\00:19:28.58
why? For His name's
sake. So God's reason
00:19:28.61\00:19:34.44
for creating us, we've seen
from Isa 43:7 is for His glory
00:19:34.47\00:19:39.02
The reason He leads us
in the ways of righteousness
00:19:39.05\00:19:42.17
is not just for our
sake but for His name's sake.
00:19:42.20\00:19:45.21
What does it mean to
actually be led in righteousness
00:19:45.24\00:19:49.79
for His name's sake. What
does God mean by His name?
00:19:49.82\00:19:52.98
Come over with me to Psalm 106:8
00:19:53.01\00:19:56.33
In Psalm 106:8 the
picture becomes a little clearer
00:19:56.36\00:20:07.93
as we continue to
zoom out so to speak.
00:20:07.96\00:20:11.32
Psalm 106:8, Nevertheless He
saved them for His name's sake.
00:20:11.35\00:20:18.15
That He might make
His mighty power known.
00:20:18.18\00:20:21.67
Also in Exodus 9:16 God
told Moses to go to Pharaoh,
00:20:21.70\00:20:27.91
and He said that
by the great power
00:20:27.94\00:20:30.24
that He works through Moses that
His name would be made known.
00:20:30.27\00:20:34.79
Now was this a selfish reason?
00:20:34.82\00:20:38.42
Is God's glory, is His
name being known to the world
00:20:38.45\00:20:43.39
for His own sake? Is He doing it
00:20:43.42\00:20:46.42
so He can feel
good about Himself?
00:20:46.45\00:20:48.13
How do we reconcile this with
the fact that He's a God of love
00:20:48.16\00:20:52.40
Well it's very simple.
You understand that a name
00:20:52.43\00:20:57.13
represents character. We
find this in Exodus 34 and
00:20:57.16\00:21:01.70
throughout Scripture. A
name represents who we are.
00:21:01.73\00:21:06.80
You see if someone
knocks on your door
00:21:06.83\00:21:10.14
and you weren't expecting
anyone and you answer your door
00:21:10.17\00:21:16.14
you have one of
those screen doors,
00:21:16.17\00:21:18.92
I don't know if you
have them here in Australia,
00:21:18.95\00:21:20.25
but they're a Literature
Evangelist's nightmare
00:21:20.28\00:21:22.67
in the United States. A
screen door that's heavy metal
00:21:22.70\00:21:26.45
that you can hardly see through.
You can't tell who it is
00:21:26.48\00:21:29.41
then you say,
who's there? Who are you?
00:21:29.44\00:21:33.22
They say, Oh, I'm Jim. You say
Ok you're Jim I don't know you.
00:21:33.25\00:21:40.91
But when you get
asked who you are
00:21:40.94\00:21:43.91
your first response is your name
00:21:43.94\00:21:46.23
The reason that you
give your name is because
00:21:46.26\00:21:49.82
our name is a representation
or a reflection of who we are.
00:21:49.85\00:21:54.71
See, when God's name is
being spoken of in Scripture
00:21:54.74\00:21:58.66
it's a
reflection on His character.
00:21:58.69\00:22:01.58
It's about who He is. His name
is the very essence of His being
00:22:01.61\00:22:06.36
Who is He? He is
Yahweh. He is Jehovah Jireh.
00:22:06.39\00:22:11.44
He is Adonai. Yeshua. El Shaddai
00:22:11.47\00:22:16.61
And that's why there are so
many different names for God.
00:22:16.64\00:22:20.34
Because one single name
cannot summarize the infinitude
00:22:20.37\00:22:25.96
of His character. He
is the illimitable One.
00:22:25.99\00:22:29.49
And this is why He has
multiple names so that we can
00:22:29.52\00:22:33.45
have a clearer
picture of who He is.
00:22:33.48\00:22:36.42
You see every name,
Jehovah Jireh the Lord provides
00:22:36.45\00:22:40.57
it reflects upon His
character and gives us a glimpse
00:22:40.60\00:22:44.05
into who He is.
Every name of God
00:22:44.08\00:22:47.99
is a reflection and represent-
ation of His character.
00:22:48.02\00:22:51.95
So in reality, God's
motive in the great controversy
00:22:51.98\00:22:56.23
is to bring glory to His name.
To rightly represent His name,
00:22:56.26\00:23:01.21
and that means to really
demonstrate to the universe
00:23:01.24\00:23:04.67
who He is. By saying
that it's for His glory
00:23:04.70\00:23:08.86
and to make His name
known. God is basically saying
00:23:08.89\00:23:12.83
I want the world
to know who I am.
00:23:12.86\00:23:14.93
I've been accused in this
great controversy of something
00:23:14.96\00:23:18.58
of being a God that is
harsh and stern and unloving.
00:23:18.61\00:23:22.08
and through the
cross, and throughout history
00:23:22.11\00:23:25.53
in God's dealing with mankind
00:23:25.56\00:23:27.25
His goal has been to make His
name known His character cleared
00:23:27.28\00:23:32.10
to us so that we can
understand who He really is.
00:23:32.13\00:23:35.86
so that we can
realize this is a God
00:23:35.89\00:23:38.07
that I want to
spend eternity with.
00:23:38.10\00:23:40.35
This God's desire and this
is what He means when He says
00:23:40.38\00:23:44.27
He wants to make His name known.
00:23:44.30\00:23:46.60
Turn with me to Ezekiel 36
00:23:46.63\00:23:50.96
In Ezekiel 36 we see this
made more clear in God's Word.
00:23:50.99\00:23:55.98
Ezekiel 36 starting in
verse 20. Here it says,
00:23:56.01\00:24:00.09
When they came to the
nations wherever they went
00:24:00.12\00:24:02.61
they profaned My holy
name. When they said of them
00:24:02.64\00:24:07.35
or when they said of them
these are the people of the Lord
00:24:07.38\00:24:11.19
and yet they have
gone out of these lands.
00:24:11.22\00:24:13.87
But I had
concern for My holy name
00:24:13.90\00:24:17.10
which the house of Israel
had profaned among the nations
00:24:17.13\00:24:19.73
wherever they went. You
see in the Old Testament
00:24:19.76\00:24:22.59
God had a people and He said,
Israel you are my chosen people
00:24:22.62\00:24:26.47
I want you to
reflect my character
00:24:26.50\00:24:29.95
to all of the
pagan nations around.
00:24:29.98\00:24:32.55
I want you to reflect my
character so that they know
00:24:32.58\00:24:35.35
they don't need to sacrifice
children to their idols.
00:24:35.38\00:24:38.30
Which was in reality sacrificing
their children to demons.
00:24:38.33\00:24:41.80
He said I want you to
rightly reflect who I am.
00:24:41.83\00:24:46.66
So that they can come to know me
00:24:46.69\00:24:49.00
I want you to
well represent my Name.
00:24:49.03\00:24:52.13
And God says at
this point in history,
00:24:52.16\00:24:54.91
Israel had failed to do that.
00:24:54.94\00:24:56.97
The surrounding nations
looked upon them and they said
00:24:57.00\00:25:00.65
Is this God's people.
What kind of God is that?
00:25:00.68\00:25:04.33
They're just like us. They dress
like us. They sound like us.
00:25:04.37\00:25:08.23
They sing like us.
They walk and talk like us.
00:25:08.26\00:25:11.74
They watch what we watch.
Is this a different people?
00:25:11.77\00:25:15.46
And friends may this never
be able to be said of us, Amen!
00:25:15.49\00:25:19.96
May God always look
down and say, Ah my children!
00:25:19.99\00:25:23.49
My children are rightly reflect-
ing my character to the world.
00:25:23.52\00:25:27.44
They have decided to
stand up and be different.
00:25:27.47\00:25:31.67
Not for the sake of showing
that they are better in any way
00:25:31.70\00:25:37.03
because they're not, no. Because
of the God that they serve.
00:25:37.06\00:25:40.54
Friends, God wants us to
rightly represent His character.
00:25:40.57\00:25:45.05
Israel was not doing
this at this moment in time.
00:25:45.08\00:25:48.52
Verse 22, therefore
say to the House of Israel
00:25:48.55\00:25:52.98
Thus says the Lord God, I
do not do this for your sake
00:25:53.01\00:25:58.10
O House of Israel,
it wasn't about them
00:25:58.13\00:26:00.88
but for My holy name's sake
00:26:00.91\00:26:03.44
which you have profaned among
the nations wherever you went.
00:26:03.47\00:26:06.85
And I will
sanctify My great Name
00:26:06.88\00:26:10.46
which has been
profaned among the nations
00:26:10.49\00:26:12.65
which you have
profaned in their midst
00:26:12.68\00:26:15.13
and the nations shall
know that I am the Lord.
00:26:15.16\00:26:19.49
He continues on, and He
says, when I am hallowed in you
00:26:19.52\00:26:25.68
before their eyes. So God says,
I need to go to extra lengths
00:26:25.71\00:26:32.31
to make His character known
to the people of planet earth.
00:26:32.34\00:26:36.11
and God says the way
that I am going to do that
00:26:36.14\00:26:39.03
the way that they're going
to come to know who I really am
00:26:39.06\00:26:42.08
is through you. He says
when I'm hallowed in you
00:26:42.11\00:26:48.38
before their eyes.
You see the Gospel,
00:26:48.41\00:26:52.41
the good news of
salvation is about more than
00:26:52.44\00:26:55.70
sharing the fact that Jesus died
for our sins and rose again.
00:26:55.73\00:26:59.52
The Gospel is about more
than freedom from the death
00:26:59.55\00:27:02.65
penalty of sin and the power
of sin. The Gospel is about more
00:27:02.68\00:27:07.70
than the guarantee of spending
eternity in heaven with God.
00:27:07.73\00:27:10.98
The good news of the
Gospel is that God, to God
00:27:11.01\00:27:16.13
you are the pearl of great
price In this great controversy
00:27:16.16\00:27:20.60
you were His focus,
our eternal security
00:27:20.63\00:27:24.08
and the eternal security of the
angels this was God's motivation
00:27:24.11\00:27:28.19
This was God's desire. He
was willing to give everything
00:27:28.22\00:27:33.54
for us. We were the
focus in the great controversy.
00:27:33.57\00:27:37.22
In the gospels, the
beautiful reality that
00:27:37.25\00:27:41.75
as Jesus suffered in Gethsemane,
as He was physically abused
00:27:41.78\00:27:47.62
and endured physical
pain, anguish and mental torment
00:27:47.65\00:27:51.77
on the cross, as He thought
of you and I, He pushed forward.
00:27:51.80\00:27:56.95
He said they're worth it. I will
continue on, I will push forward
00:27:56.98\00:28:00.78
Jesus, until He breathed
His last, His motivation was you
00:28:00.81\00:28:06.12
His motivation was me,
His motivation was the eternal
00:28:06.15\00:28:08.76
security of all His
creatures in heaven.
00:28:08.79\00:28:11.70
And friends, Jesus
did not die on the cross
00:28:11.73\00:28:17.21
to win some ancient
argument with the devil
00:28:17.24\00:28:19.75
and prove him
wrong for His own sake
00:28:19.78\00:28:21.68
He did it because
that's who He is. God could not
00:28:21.71\00:28:26.76
enjoy heaven without you and me.
00:28:26.79\00:28:29.29
Friends, He did because that is
His character. That is who He is
00:28:29.32\00:28:35.92
And as a result, as a result
of that Satan is proven wrong
00:28:35.95\00:28:41.96
in this great
controversy. As a result of that
00:28:41.99\00:28:45.33
before the onlooking universe
the enemy of souls was unmasked.
00:28:45.36\00:28:48.84
And he was truly
unmasked for what he was.
00:28:48.87\00:28:51.47
Because of what Jesus
did on the cross as a result
00:28:51.50\00:28:55.55
men and angels can be eternally
secure. The great controversy
00:28:55.58\00:28:59.90
can be ended and eternal peace
in heaven can be guaranteed.
00:28:59.93\00:29:04.44
These were the results of
God's action in giving His life
00:29:04.47\00:29:10.23
for us on the cross in
the plan of redemption.
00:29:10.26\00:29:13.24
He did it because that's
who He is. Now we see that
00:29:13.27\00:29:23.00
throughout Scripture
those who have followed God
00:29:23.03\00:29:25.51
have recognized
that it's not about them.
00:29:25.54\00:29:29.24
That it's really about Him.
One of those people is Joseph.
00:29:29.27\00:29:34.13
Why don't we turn
together to Genesis 39.
00:29:34.16\00:29:38.07
Genesis 39. It's
a familiar story.
00:29:38.10\00:29:41.33
Joseph was in
slavery at Potiphar's house.
00:29:41.36\00:29:44.66
He was the head of
all of the servants.
00:29:44.69\00:29:47.39
We're told that Joseph
was a handsome young man.
00:29:47.42\00:29:50.12
Which was a
blessing and a curse to him.
00:29:50.15\00:29:52.71
Genesis 39, we
see that day after day
00:29:52.74\00:29:59.95
the temptation came.
Potiphar's wife tried and tried
00:29:59.98\00:30:05.23
day after day to
convince him to sleep with her.
00:30:05.26\00:30:07.78
But Joseph had made a commitment
to be faithful to God.
00:30:07.81\00:30:12.26
Listen to what he
says. Listen to how Joseph
00:30:12.29\00:30:15.59
lived to the glory of
God. Listen to the fact
00:30:15.62\00:30:19.43
how we see that Joseph
realized the great controversy
00:30:19.46\00:30:22.92
is not just about him. It says
in verse 9, or starting at 8
00:30:22.95\00:30:29.13
he refused and said
to his master's wife
00:30:29.16\00:30:31.54
Look my master does not know
what is with me in the house
00:30:31.57\00:30:36.03
and he has committed all
that he has into my hand.
00:30:36.06\00:30:39.12
He trusted Joseph,
he had become his friend
00:30:39.15\00:30:41.86
Now listen to how he continues,
Potiphar wasn't his main concern
00:30:41.89\00:30:47.01
He says there is no one
greater in this house than I
00:30:47.04\00:30:50.65
nor has he kept back
anything from me but you
00:30:50.68\00:30:54.03
because you are his
wife. How then can I do this
00:30:54.06\00:30:58.64
great wickedness and
sin against Potiphar? No!
00:30:58.67\00:31:04.67
How can I do this great wicked-
ness and sin against God!
00:31:04.70\00:31:08.24
Joseph was mindful of the
fact that when no one else
00:31:08.27\00:31:11.63
was watching God
knew what was happening.
00:31:11.66\00:31:13.80
Joseph said I cannot do
this because I love the Lord.
00:31:13.83\00:31:17.53
And I cannot break God's heart
by breaking His commandment
00:31:17.56\00:31:22.01
like this. Joseph was willing
to stand, stand his ground
00:31:22.04\00:31:28.24
and resist temptation and
live for the glory of God.
00:31:28.27\00:31:32.22
You see he cared more
about the heart of his Savior
00:31:32.25\00:31:36.27
the heart of his Lord and
he was even will than himself
00:31:36.30\00:31:39.96
even more so than breaking
the hearts of the people around
00:31:39.99\00:31:43.20
which be extension
breaks the heart of God.
00:31:43.23\00:31:45.48
But Joseph was
willing to endure suffering,
00:31:45.51\00:31:48.63
he was willing to go
to prison and even to die
00:31:48.66\00:31:51.45
before he would break God's law.
00:31:51.48\00:31:54.30
And we need to
realize something about Joseph
00:31:54.33\00:31:58.24
His primary concern
was the honor of God
00:31:58.27\00:32:01.30
He didn't say no to Potiphar's
wife for a selfish reason
00:32:01.33\00:32:06.75
He didn't resist because of the
chance of an unwanted pregnancy
00:32:06.78\00:32:11.63
He did not resist because
it was the risk of an STD
00:32:11.66\00:32:15.99
which existed in Egypt
at that time, by the way
00:32:16.02\00:32:18.25
He did not resist this
tempt- ation because of the
00:32:18.28\00:32:21.40
emotional emptiness and the
broken hearts that would result.
00:32:21.43\00:32:24.62
Those are the
negative results of sin.
00:32:24.65\00:32:27.81
You see friends, fear of
sin, fear of sin's results
00:32:27.84\00:32:35.24
is not strong enough
to keep us from sinning.
00:32:35.27\00:32:38.02
Fear of sin's
consequences is not enough
00:32:38.05\00:32:44.53
to keep us in the hands of God.
00:32:44.56\00:32:46.73
It may be enough to keep
you from sinning outwardly.
00:32:46.76\00:32:50.65
But it won't stop
you from sinning up here.
00:32:50.68\00:32:53.40
Fear of what will happen to us
if we gave in to the temptation
00:32:53.43\00:32:59.47
is not enough to keep us from
sinning in our hearts and minds.
00:32:59.50\00:33:03.43
Friends the only
thing that is strong enough
00:33:03.46\00:33:08.10
to keep us from sinning even
in thought is the love of God.
00:33:08.13\00:33:13.28
The only thing that can keep
us from sinning and breaking
00:33:13.31\00:33:17.03
the Lord's heart, the only
thing that is powerful enough
00:33:17.06\00:33:20.51
to do that is a deep,
true, burning, real love
00:33:20.54\00:33:27.23
for Jesus Christ. This
is the only thing that can
00:33:27.26\00:33:30.97
push us forward in righteousness
00:33:31.00\00:33:33.02
is a love for our Savior
stronger than anything else.
00:33:33.05\00:33:37.81
You see Joseph
loved and cared for God
00:33:37.84\00:33:41.51
because he knew Him.
And until you know someone
00:33:41.54\00:33:46.54
it's really hard
to care for them.
00:33:46.57\00:33:49.65
You see it's easy. Once you
have a friend who's gone to the
00:33:49.68\00:33:54.01
mission field, or you yourself
have gone to the mission field
00:33:54.04\00:33:57.19
or you have a family
member who is overseas
00:33:57.22\00:34:00.24
doing ministry and mission
work it's easy to remember
00:34:00.27\00:34:03.42
missionaries in your prayer.
00:34:03.45\00:34:04.80
When your friend or a
relative is a conference leader
00:34:04.83\00:34:08.99
a church leader or someone who's
going out as a Bible worker
00:34:09.02\00:34:14.23
it's easy to remember
them because you know them.
00:34:14.26\00:34:17.30
Knowing someone makes all of the
difference. And when we know God
00:34:17.33\00:34:24.42
we come to love Him.
And when we come to love Him
00:34:24.45\00:34:27.68
we desire to honor Him.
00:34:27.71\00:34:29.53
We desire to reflect His loving
character in all that we do.
00:34:29.56\00:34:34.45
And in all that we say. Friends
this is God's desire for us.
00:34:34.48\00:34:40.10
This is the Lord's desire
that we reflect his character.
00:34:40.13\00:34:44.60
The great controversy
is bigger than you and me.
00:34:44.63\00:34:48.50
When we think about
what God has done for us
00:34:48.53\00:34:53.48
it's easy to have
the focus turned inward
00:34:53.51\00:34:57.00
it's easy to think
that the great controversy
00:34:57.03\00:35:00.38
revolves around us. For God
the great controversy revolves
00:35:00.41\00:35:04.12
around you because you as
His creature, His creation
00:35:04.15\00:35:08.22
are His focus. But for us as His
creation, the same selfless love
00:35:08.25\00:35:13.86
is focused on us
that comes from God.
00:35:13.89\00:35:16.38
When that love is in our hearts
our focus will be upon Him.
00:35:16.41\00:35:20.25
When that selfless,
unselfish love and compassion
00:35:20.28\00:35:26.96
that God expressed
to us through Calvary
00:35:26.99\00:35:30.14
through His continuing ministry
right now in the sanctuary
00:35:30.17\00:35:33.13
in heaven, when we
grasp that when we actually
00:35:33.16\00:35:36.65
come to understand that in
its richness and its fullness
00:35:36.68\00:35:39.95
our focus will no longer be here
on us, our focus will be on God
00:35:39.98\00:35:47.81
and His glory. Our focus
will be on living for Him
00:35:47.84\00:35:51.61
We'll desire for 1
Cor 10:31, to be reflected
00:35:51.64\00:35:57.64
in every aspect of our lives.
Turn there with me if you would
00:35:57.67\00:36:00.88
1 Cor 10:31, this should be our
motto as we continue our message
00:36:00.91\00:36:06.31
"It's All About
You", 1 Cor 10:31
00:36:06.35\00:36:09.96
Paul says, therefore whether you
eat or drink or whatever you do
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do all to the glory of God.
00:36:14.32\00:36:18.43
Friends, this is our
purpose for existence.
00:36:18.46\00:36:21.72
This is His desire for us. And
this is our, not just our duty,
00:36:21.75\00:36:27.79
not our responsibility
but our holy privilege.
00:36:27.82\00:36:30.75
to glorify Him by reflecting
His character to the world.
00:36:30.78\00:36:34.90
You see the reason why there
are so many religions out there
00:36:34.93\00:36:39.01
and if you look at all
the religions that exist
00:36:39.04\00:36:42.21
you'll see that all of
them have a misunderstanding
00:36:42.24\00:36:45.82
of God's character.
You'll see that in paganism
00:36:45.85\00:36:49.36
the various gods are one
aspect of God's character.
00:36:49.39\00:36:52.94
Just His justice put
into one fictional god.
00:36:52.97\00:36:56.55
Or just His compassionate
love put into one god.
00:36:56.58\00:37:00.95
And when you divide the
aspects of God's character
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it becomes polytheism and you
actually get a skewed picture
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of who God is and the
Lord needs you and He needs me
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to reflect His character
to the world. It's amazing
00:37:12.47\00:37:16.65
that God, His name
Yahweh, by the way we call it
00:37:16.68\00:37:22.06
Tetragrameton in Hebrew,
it's the word, the name that is
00:37:22.09\00:37:28.81
Jehovah often times. If you
have the King James version or
00:37:28.84\00:37:31.34
the New King James version
every time in the Old Testament
00:37:31.37\00:37:33.80
that you see Lord in
lower case or in capitals
00:37:33.83\00:37:36.74
small capitals, its
actually translated from Yahweh
00:37:36.77\00:37:40.58
and the Word, the
name of God Yahweh
00:37:40.61\00:37:45.73
actually means
the Self Existing One.
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The One who has no beginning,
the One who has life in Himself.
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He had no
beginning, He has no ending.
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And by the way, this just does
not apply only to God the Father
00:37:59.35\00:38:02.69
but this applies
to Jesus as well.
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This applies to the
Holy Spirit as well.
00:38:04.94\00:38:07.79
They are the Self-Existing Ones
00:38:07.82\00:38:09.89
the Ones who have always
existed from eternity past
00:38:09.92\00:38:12.78
to eternity
future. Wish we had time
00:38:12.81\00:38:15.69
to dive into that a
little more together.
00:38:15.72\00:38:17.84
But I bring this up to
say that God, His very name
00:38:17.87\00:38:21.86
means the Self-Existing One, the
one who by nature does not need
00:38:21.89\00:38:27.90
something from anyone
else. He does not need life.
00:38:27.93\00:38:31.23
And the most amazing
thing is that, that God
00:38:31.26\00:38:34.95
Decided to become 'in
need'. He became a baby
00:38:34.98\00:38:41.14
a helpless human baby that
needed to depend on His parents.
00:38:41.17\00:38:46.30
In His ministry, the Bible
tells us that some of the women
00:38:46.33\00:38:50.21
who followed Him provided for
their needs He and His disciples
00:38:50.24\00:38:54.59
The God of all eternity,
who by nature needs nothing
00:38:54.62\00:38:58.77
became in need and it was so
that He could relate to you an I
00:38:58.80\00:39:04.06
And today He's in need of
us to reflect His character.
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For God you are the
pearl of great price.
00:39:10.19\00:39:15.46
But for you and me the pearl
of great price is Jesus Christ.
00:39:15.49\00:39:21.05
He is to be our
focus, He is to be our joy.
00:39:21.08\00:39:25.06
He is to be the one we
are willing to give everything
00:39:25.09\00:39:28.37
to receive. In His great contro-
versy when we realize that
00:39:28.40\00:39:33.62
when we come to see
that God was not born a man
00:39:33.65\00:39:37.76
to die the death that we deserve
00:39:37.79\00:39:39.65
and rise from the
grave for some selfish reason
00:39:39.68\00:39:42.70
to win an argument with
the Devil for His own sake
00:39:42.73\00:39:45.07
but to rightly reflect
His character to the onlooking
00:39:45.10\00:39:48.16
universe, when we see
this and realize that this is
00:39:48.19\00:39:52.88
the God that we serve,
when we realize His motivation
00:39:52.91\00:39:57.86
His focus in the great contro-
versy was not upon Himself
00:39:57.89\00:40:02.56
but upon us, upon His creatures,
00:40:02.59\00:40:06.53
our eternal security in His
Kingdom, then, then we will live
00:40:06.56\00:40:13.05
to seek His glory. We
will live to reflect His
00:40:13.08\00:40:17.75
character to the world
around us and like that merchant
00:40:17.78\00:40:21.33
that merchant, who for
the pearl of great price
00:40:21.36\00:40:26.39
who was willing to
sell everything that he had
00:40:26.42\00:40:31.05
we will be willing
to go to any lengths
00:40:31.08\00:40:34.86
in order to keep
Christ in our hearts
00:40:34.89\00:40:37.45
and thereby bring glory to God.
00:40:37.48\00:40:40.34
When we behold and understand
His matchless love for us
00:40:40.37\00:40:44.25
when we realize that His
focus in the great controversy
00:40:44.28\00:40:48.65
was on His creation, then our
focus will be upon the Creator.
00:40:48.68\00:40:53.98
And then we will
truly reflect His character
00:40:54.01\00:40:59.19
to the world around us.
00:40:59.22\00:41:01.13
You may wonder, is
the pearl worth it?
00:41:01.16\00:41:06.37
Was the pearl
worth it to the man?
00:41:06.40\00:41:10.41
He gave up
everything that he had.
00:41:10.44\00:41:12.76
Can a pearl
provide food for him?
00:41:12.79\00:41:16.48
Can a pearl
provide clothing for him?
00:41:16.51\00:41:20.25
Was it worth it to sell
every thing that this man had
00:41:20.28\00:41:25.00
in order to obtain a pearl?
00:41:25.03\00:41:29.01
Well friends, I want to
suggest to you that Jesus
00:41:29.04\00:41:36.40
is worth everything that we
have and everything that we are.
00:41:36.43\00:41:40.13
You know when I
was in high school
00:41:40.16\00:41:43.74
I went on my first
mission trip, ever.
00:41:43.77\00:41:46.70
To a large
country in Central America
00:41:46.73\00:41:48.80
And as I was there for
the first time I came across
00:41:48.83\00:41:55.02
third world poverty. And
the poverty in this barrio
00:41:55.05\00:41:59.77
this poor, poor
neighborhood was just shocking.
00:41:59.80\00:42:03.28
And the children
were just precious.
00:42:03.31\00:42:07.25
I'll never forget how happy they
would be when just a simple toy
00:42:07.28\00:42:11.91
would enter their hands
and their eyes would light up.
00:42:11.94\00:42:15.38
I'll never forget how we didn't
have enough coloring books
00:42:15.41\00:42:19.34
and crayons so we
ripped out individual pages
00:42:19.37\00:42:22.25
and gave each child
one page and one crayon
00:42:22.28\00:42:25.34
and they were so happy!
00:42:25.37\00:42:27.57
I asked my professor, I
said how is this possible?
00:42:27.60\00:42:32.88
how is it that they have
nothing and they're so happy?
00:42:32.91\00:42:39.14
And I'll never forget
what my professor told me.
00:42:39.17\00:42:42.50
He said, Justin when
Jesus is all you have
00:42:42.53\00:42:48.65
it's then that
you'll finally realize
00:42:48.68\00:42:51.94
that He's all you'll ever need.
00:42:51.97\00:42:54.01
Friends, when Jesus is
all we have we'll realize that
00:42:54.04\00:42:58.64
everything that we
can have counted but loss
00:42:58.67\00:43:01.79
just to gain Jesus Christ,
that pearl of great price
00:43:01.82\00:43:05.42
Do you want to
live for His glory?
00:43:05.45\00:43:08.60
Do you want to live to reflect
His character to the world?
00:43:08.63\00:43:15.34
If, this morning, as you've
been listening to the message
00:43:15.37\00:43:22.22
you thought to yourself you know
so much of my life is about me
00:43:22.25\00:43:29.00
Even my Christian walk, so
much of it is focused on me
00:43:29.03\00:43:35.75
but today I realize my
focus needs to be on Him
00:43:35.78\00:43:41.05
It's all about you?
For God it's all about you
00:43:41.08\00:43:46.64
But for you it's all about Him.
00:43:46.67\00:43:49.18
For us, we should be
saying to God, Lord my life
00:43:49.21\00:43:52.46
my words, my actions,
the way I spend my money
00:43:52.49\00:43:55.61
everything I want
it to be to Your glory.
00:43:55.64\00:43:59.04
I want it to be about you.
00:43:59.07\00:44:01.59
This morning if
you want to say Lord,
00:44:01.62\00:44:04.13
I don't want to
live just for myself
00:44:04.16\00:44:06.62
I want everything that I
do to reflect Your character
00:44:06.65\00:44:10.74
I want my life to be about You.
I'd like to invite you to stand
00:44:10.77\00:44:16.23
Standing to say 'Lord
I realize my life is not
00:44:16.26\00:44:20.91
just supposed to be about me
it's supposed to be about You.
00:44:20.94\00:44:23.99
I want to reflect Your character
in this great controversy
00:44:24.02\00:44:27.94
I want to demonstrate to the
world that You are a God of love
00:44:27.97\00:44:31.67
who has given His
everything for His creatures.'
00:44:31.70\00:44:35.64
Maybe this morning as the
Lord is speaking to our hearts
00:44:35.67\00:44:44.31
you're thinking to yourself,
you know I want to reflect
00:44:44.34\00:44:46.80
God's character. I want
to represent Him to the world
00:44:46.83\00:44:51.28
but I've messed up. I
really made some mistakes
00:44:51.31\00:44:55.98
and I don't think that I
can reflect His character
00:44:56.01\00:44:59.26
Did you know friend, that
those mistakes, those defeats
00:44:59.29\00:45:05.34
can be turned into victory?
One of my favorite quotes
00:45:05.37\00:45:10.45
Christ's Object
Lessons, page 332
00:45:10.48\00:45:14.74
If you have made mistakes,
you certainly gain a victory
00:45:14.77\00:45:21.75
if you see those mistakes
and regard them as beacons
00:45:21.78\00:45:26.86
of warning. Thus you
turn defeat into victory,
00:45:26.89\00:45:34.44
disappointing the enemy
and honoring your Redeemer.
00:45:34.47\00:45:39.16
Friend, this morning I don't
know what maybe in your past
00:45:39.19\00:45:42.91
I don't know if
you're thinking to yourself
00:45:42.94\00:45:45.29
you know I want to
glorify God. But I've messed up
00:45:45.32\00:45:48.99
I made mistakes. Friend, know
this morning that those defeats
00:45:49.02\00:45:52.59
can be turned into
victories. If you can look back
00:45:52.62\00:45:55.84
to those defeats and look
at them as beacons of warning
00:45:55.87\00:45:58.42
to shed light on your pathway
God can use them for a blessing
00:45:58.45\00:46:03.50
You can disappoint the
enemy and honor your Redeemer.
00:46:03.53\00:46:06.90
You simply need to
give Him your past.
00:46:06.93\00:46:12.27
This morning if you want to say
Lord there are things in my past
00:46:12.30\00:46:15.99
that I want to
become beacons of warning
00:46:16.02\00:46:18.83
so that those
defeats can become victories
00:46:18.86\00:46:21.64
I'd like to invite you
to come down to the front.
00:46:21.67\00:46:25.04
Don't worry about what
people may be thinking.
00:46:25.07\00:46:29.15
Don't worry about those who may
be watching and wondering, no
00:46:29.18\00:46:33.48
Heaven is looking down
in this moment, the angels
00:46:33.51\00:46:38.18
are watching and wondering
what will your decision be?
00:46:38.21\00:46:41.65
Amen, Amen brother. Amen sister
00:46:41.68\00:46:45.46
I'd like to invite you forward
if you'd like to say Lord
00:46:45.49\00:46:47.88
I've made mistakes and I want
them to be beacons of warning
00:46:47.91\00:46:51.47
I want them to point
me in the right direction.
00:46:51.50\00:46:54.99
I invite you to come forward.
To say to the Lord, Lord
00:46:55.02\00:46:58.97
guide me in the right path,
I surrender the past to you
00:46:59.00\00:47:03.62
The devil may be trying
to discourage you and say
00:47:03.65\00:47:06.21
'no you've messed up too
much, you've gone too far.'
00:47:06.24\00:47:08.87
That's a lie. There is no
place that you can go past
00:47:08.90\00:47:13.76
if you are willing to
turn around and come to Christ
00:47:13.79\00:47:16.23
that God cannot reach you, Amen!
00:47:16.26\00:47:19.53
Friends if you
want to say today 'Lord,
00:47:19.56\00:47:22.61
I'm surrendering my past to you.
00:47:22.64\00:47:25.96
As the devil
seeks to discourage me
00:47:25.99\00:47:28.93
I want you to
encourage me and remind me that
00:47:28.96\00:47:32.01
I can tell the devil when
he comes knocking at the door
00:47:32.04\00:47:34.51
of my heart, I can send
you to the door Lord Jesus
00:47:34.54\00:47:38.40
When you answer
the door, he'll say
00:47:38.43\00:47:40.77
Oh I'm sorry I
have the wrong house.
00:47:40.80\00:47:43.06
Friends the devil does not
have a right to discourage us
00:47:43.09\00:47:47.21
if we have given our past to Him
00:47:47.24\00:47:49.68
If you want to do that
this morning, it's not too late
00:47:49.71\00:47:53.26
I just like to invite you
to join us here at the front
00:47:53.29\00:47:55.93
to say 'Lord I want
those mistakes in my life
00:47:55.96\00:47:59.42
to be a positive thing.
Amen sister, Amen brother
00:47:59.45\00:48:03.77
You wanna say Lord make those
defeats, make those defeats
00:48:03.80\00:48:10.66
victories, Amen. You wanna
say Lord may I not hang my head
00:48:10.69\00:48:18.42
in defeat but allow
you to win the victory
00:48:18.45\00:48:21.38