Participants: John Carter
Series Code: POFCM
Program Code: POFCM000010
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00:39 Live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:42 Welcome to the Pillars Of Our Faith event. 01:04 As I walked through the door 01:08 I sensed His presence. 01:13 And I knew this was the place 01:19 where love abounds. 01:25 For this is the temple 01:30 Jehovah God abides in. 01:36 We are standing in His presence 01:44 on holy ground. 01:50 We are standing 01:56 on holy ground. 02:02 And I know that there are angels 02:09 all around. 02:13 Let us praise 02:19 Jesus now. 02:26 We are standing in His presence 02:33 on holy ground. 02:38 I have felt it and sensed it today. 02:40 Haven't you? 02:48 In His presence there is joy 02:53 beyond measure. 02:58 And at His feet 03:02 peace of mind can still be found. 03:12 If you have a need, 03:16 my God has the answer. 03:22 Reach out and claim it. 03:25 For child, you're standing on holy ground. 03:34 We are standing 03:40 on holy ground. 03:46 And I know that there are angels 03:54 all around. 03:58 Let us praise, let us praise 04:04 our Jesus now. 04:10 We are standing in His presence 04:16 on holy ground. 04:19 If you know it, sing it with us. 04:20 We going to do the chorus. 04:21 We are standing 04:27 on holy ground. 04:30 That sounds beautiful. 04:31 And I know there are angels... 04:33 And I know that there are angels 04:40 all around. 04:42 Let us praise Jesus now. 04:45 Let us praise 04:51 Jesus now. 04:57 We are standing in His presence, 05:04 we are standing in His presence, 05:10 we are standing in His presence 05:17 on holy ground, 05:23 holy ground. 05:30 Amen. 05:33 I'd like to introduce the speaker for the hour. 05:37 A wonderful pastor, great friend, and a 05:40 brother in the Lord. 05:41 Elder John Carter. 05:42 And I don't need to ask how many of you that 05:45 have maybe had life changing experiences by listening to the 05:49 message of brother John Carter. 05:51 I've travelled many places around the world, 05:54 particularly in Russia, and have seen the tremendous work 05:57 of The Carter Report and what John is doing. 06:00 He has a gift for ministry. 06:02 Most of all, he has a love for Jesus and a love for people. 06:05 Thousands and thousands of people have come to the 06:08 knowledge of Christ and the truths of God's law 06:12 through Elder John Carter. 06:14 And right after Nathan Young comes out, he's going to be 06:16 singing one of the Pillars songs by David Huntsinger 06:19 and Kris Wilkinson. 06:21 And this is Written Down In Stone. 06:23 And right after that, we'll have Elder John Carter preach to us 06:27 on the Ten Commandments. 10:39 Amen. 10:47 I'm glad to see you today. 10:49 Are you glad to be here today? 10:52 Amen. 10:53 You notice I talk a little differently to you. 10:56 Just a little. 10:57 You know, when I first came to this country 10:59 I was staying in a great hotel and a lady came in. 11:03 In fact, this was in the city of New Orleans. 11:06 And she came in to make up the beds and she said to me, 11:09 "Honey... " 11:13 I was astounded. 11:15 Here was a woman I'd never met before and she's 11:16 calling me "honey". 11:19 She said, "Honey, where do you come from?" 11:24 I said, "I come from Australia. " 11:27 "Oh," she said, "that's wonderful. 11:29 Did you come by train or did you come by bus?" 11:37 I have never recovered. 11:40 Then, "No," I said, "actually madam, I came by plane. " 11:48 She said, "Isn't it dangerous coming by plane?" 11:52 I said, "Not nearly as dangerous as coming by bus or by train. " 12:01 I'd like to see all the Bibles here today. 12:04 Would you please hold up your Bibles? 12:06 Because we'll be using today, the holy Bible. 12:09 Hold them up high please. 12:12 And today, we turn off the cell phones 12:15 and we listen to the preaching of the Word of God 12:18 out of the Bible. 12:22 A great name in the United States of America is 12:25 H.M.S. Richards. 12:27 You know how he came to know the gospel? 12:31 When he was a little boy he was always teasing his mother. 12:36 And his beautiful mother, beautiful, beautiful girl, 12:39 she said to him, "Harold, you're driving your 12:43 brother to distraction. 12:44 You've got to stop this. 12:45 He's always screaming and shouting. 12:47 You've got to stop this. " 12:50 And she said, "I want you to promise me, Harold, 12:53 that you're not going to do it anymore. " 12:54 So he said, "Mother, I promise you I'll stop 12:57 teasing my brother. " 12:58 But the words were scarcely out of his mouth 13:01 when his brother was screaming and throwing a tantrum. 13:04 So his mother said to him, this beautiful woman, 13:08 she said, who knew Jesus, she said, "Harold, if you ever 13:13 do it again, I'm not going to beat you. 13:17 You're going to beat me. " 13:21 He said, "Mother, I could never beat you. " 13:24 "Well," she said, "I've got to do something 13:27 because your brother is getting so upset. " 13:34 And she said, "Apparently, I have failed as a mother. 13:37 You'll have to beat me. " 13:39 He said, "Mother, I'll never do it again because 13:44 I could never have you beat me. " 13:49 Just a little while later, his brother was screaming 13:53 and throwing himself on the floor again. 13:58 And Harold's mother said to her boy, just a young boy, 14:02 she said, "Harold, I want you to go down to the back of the house 14:06 and go down to the creek and find one of those big reeds. 14:11 And get a big one and bring it up. " 14:14 So she sent her boy down and he came back a few minutes later 14:17 with a little thing. 14:20 She sent him back again. 14:21 And he came back with one a little bit bigger but too small. 14:25 And she sent him back until Harold Richards came back 14:29 with a great big rod. 14:33 And Harold Richards told the story of how his mother 14:36 took him, her boy, into the bedroom and sat on the bed 14:43 and bared her shoulders. 14:46 And she said, "Harold, beat me. " 14:49 He said, "Mother, I can't beat you. " 14:50 She said, "I'm you mother and I stand in the place 14:54 of God for you, my boy. 14:55 Obey your mother. Beat me. " 14:58 He said, "I can't beat you. " 15:00 She said, "I command you, beat me. " 15:04 He lifted up the rod and he tried to bring it down 15:07 upon his mother's bare back. 15:11 She said, "Harold, beat me. I tell you, beat me. " 15:18 And then H.M.S. Richards, the boy, fell down beside his mother 15:25 sobbing and crying. 15:27 And his mother put her arm around his shoulders 15:31 and told him the story of how the innocent was beaten 15:36 by the guilty with the guilty for the guilty 15:40 to bring us to God. 15:43 And that's when H.M.S. Richards got a glimpse of the gospel 15:47 of Jesus Christ. 15:50 And that's when H.M.S. Richards found Christ as his own 15:54 personal Savior. 15:59 If there had been no law, 16:06 H.M.S. Richards would never have gone 16:09 through that terrible thing. 16:13 You only have punishment, my friend, when the law 16:17 has been broken. 16:20 I want you to remember this. 16:22 You only have punishment, you only have a Savior 16:27 when the law of God has been broken. 16:32 And the Bible tells me that Jesus Christ is 16:35 our divine substitute. 16:38 The innocent One was not guilty but He was 16:43 treated as though He were guilty. 16:46 Beaten by the guilty for the guilty with the guilty 16:51 to bring us to God. 16:52 That is the story of the gospel. 16:55 And I would like you to take your Bibles and turn with me now 16:58 to the book of Galatians. 17:00 And you may wonder, what has this got to do with the 17:03 commandments of God. 17:04 It's got everything, my beloved friends, to do with it. 17:07 I want you to come over here to Galatians chapter 3 17:10 and verses 10 and onwards in the holy scriptures. 17:15 And this is reading from the words of the 17:18 prince of preachers, the apostle Paul. 17:21 Galatians chapter 3 and verses 10 and onwards. 17:25 And I want you to think this verse through. 17:27 And everybody turn in the Bible, please. 17:30 I'm an old fashioned Bible preacher. 17:33 "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse; 17:39 for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue 17:43 to do everything written in the book of the law. '" 17:46 And none of us have done all of those things that are written 17:49 in the book of the law. 17:51 "Clearly, no one is justified before God by the law. 17:57 Because the righteous will live... " How? 18:00 "... by faith. 18:02 The law is not based on faith. 18:05 On the contrary, the man who does these things 18:08 will live by them. " 18:09 But none of us, my friend, have done these things. 18:13 And verse 13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse 18:18 of the law by becoming... " 18:21 Say it with me. 18:22 "... by becoming a curse for us. 18:25 For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is 18:30 hung on a tree. '" 18:31 Have you ever thought this through, my beloved 18:34 American friend, that the Son of God was punished for us. 18:41 I once preached a sermon, many years ago in Australia, 18:46 and I asked the audience, "Was Jesus punished?" 18:50 And they said, "Of course not. " 18:53 I said to them, "If He were not punished, then we certainly 18:57 shall be punished. " 19:00 And the Bible tells us, "Cursed is everyone who is 19:04 hung on a tree. " 19:05 It is because the law of God had been broken. 19:09 And we were a lost race of rebels that He came down 19:16 to this planet in rebellion and took our sin upon Himself 19:22 and was cursed for us. 19:27 How else do we understand the cry, His dying cry, 19:31 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 19:38 Because He was standing in my place 19:41 and standing in your place. 19:45 And He was standing in your place and my place 19:49 because the law of God, never forget it, 19:53 the law of God demanded justice and judgment. 19:59 And instead of the judgment and the justice falling upon me, 20:04 it fell upon Christ as He hung on the tree. 20:10 Listen to this. 20:12 And I say this to my beloved evangelical friends 20:17 as they watch this telecast. 20:20 Adventist Christians believe in the atoning sacrifice 20:27 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 20:29 And we also believe in the perpetuity of the law of God. 20:37 Listen to this. 20:40 The law, the moral law, is established more firmly 20:46 than if there had never been a sinner and never been a Calvary. 20:56 Calvary establishes these great wonderful amazing truths. 21:04 Number one, God loves you. 21:08 I want you to know that today as you watch this telecast. 21:11 I don't know who you are. 21:12 I don't know your circumstances. 21:15 I don't know your circumstances here today. 21:17 You may feel a million miles from God. 21:21 You may feel that the church doesn't care about you 21:23 and nobody cares about you. 21:26 I want you to know, God cares about you. 21:28 Jesus, the Son of God, was staked to the cross 21:33 and He wrote across that cross, the words, "I love you. " 21:38 You are never alone. You are never forgotten. 21:43 You are never isolated because God says from the cross, 21:48 "I love you. " 21:50 That's the first great truth. 21:52 And the second great truth is this; the atoning sacrifice 21:57 of our Lord Jesus Christ is completed. 22:04 When Jesus was dying, He cried out to His Father, 22:08 "My Father, it is finished. " 22:11 He didn't say, "It's just starting. " 22:14 He said, "It is finished. " 22:17 Because when He died on the cross, He paid in full 22:22 the penalty for the broken law of God. 22:27 It is finished. 22:29 And the atoning sacrifice was finished when He 22:32 cried out, "It is finished. " 22:35 And so the first truth, God loves you. 22:37 Number two, the atoning sacrifice is completed. 22:42 It's over, it is finished. 22:44 And number three, God's great law is eternal. 22:52 So my topic today is, The Ten Commandments. 22:59 There is, however... 23:03 Are you listening? 23:05 There is, however, confusion in Christendom. 23:13 Some tell us, and maybe you're one of those people out there 23:19 watching the telecast, some tell us the Ten Commandments 23:23 were nailed to the cross and the moral law is a yoke of bondage. 23:30 I've heard it over and over. 23:34 Many years ago in Australia, there was a certain preacher 23:39 who believed that the law was nailed to the cross. 23:43 He was preaching the commandments are abolished, 23:47 and he was going from city to city and he was challenging 23:53 every Adventist preacher he could find. 23:57 And he was holding tremendous public debates. 24:01 And he was putting forth powerful arguments, 24:04 he thought, to show that the moral law of God, 24:09 the Ten commandments, was nailed to the cross. 24:15 Then there came along a preacher by the name of 24:18 Pastor W.M.R. Scragg. 24:25 And he met this man. 24:28 And I'm going to show you now the argument that he used 24:32 to slay the dragon of antinomianism. 24:37 Antinomianism means against the law of God. 24:43 I want to show you the arguments that he found in his Bible. 24:48 Maybe these arguments are going to be new to you today. 24:53 Therefore, you'll need to turn to the text. 24:56 I want you to come over here with me, please, 24:59 to Exodus 31 and verse 18. 25:03 Exodus chapter 31, now we're going to have 25:06 a little bit of theology. 25:08 Exodus chapter 31 and verse 18. 25:12 And it's a pleasant noise to hear the pages 25:15 of the Bible being turned. 25:19 In my church, we tell the folks we only guarantee the 25:23 salvation of those people who bring their Bibles to church. 25:29 And who leave their cell phones in the car. 25:32 Yea. 25:35 You're a good audience. Exodus 31 verse 18. 25:39 You're agreeing with me so you have got to be a good audience. 25:42 Exodus 31 verse 18. 25:44 "When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, 25:48 He gave him the two tablets... " 25:50 Say it with me. 25:52 Come on, say it loud. 25:54 Come on, I want to hear you. 25:56 The two tablets of the what? 25:58 "... the two tablets of the Testimony. " 26:01 And the Bible tells me these were so special. 26:04 "The tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. " 26:09 Now listen, listen carefully to this. 26:13 This is important. 26:17 It's a closed deal when you see this. 26:21 God gave to the Ten Commandments a special name. 26:28 He didn't just call them, the law. 26:31 Didn't do that. 26:33 He gave them a special name. 26:35 And God called them the Testimony. 26:38 Now listen to what I'm going to say because this truth 26:43 will stand against the forces of darkness. 26:47 Whenever the word "testimony" is used in connection 26:54 with the sanctuary, it refers only to one thing; 27:01 the Ten Commandments. 27:03 Including the fourth commandment, the Sabbath. 27:07 Now, I haven't gotten to the end of my argument yet. 27:11 Whenever the word "testimony"; now store this down in the 27:16 molecules of your mind. 27:18 One day this may save your soul. 27:20 Whenever the word "testimony" is used in connection 27:26 with the sanctuary, it refers to one thing. 27:30 It refers to the Ten Commandments, including the 27:33 fourth commandment that talks about the seventh day Sabbath. 27:37 It is the Testimony. 27:38 Let me give you some sample texts. 27:41 This will not be exhaustive. 27:43 Come to chapter 30 and verse 6 of the book of Exodus. 27:50 So now we're having just a little Bible study, you see. 27:52 I'm not preaching now, I'm just giving you a little Bible study. 27:56 Exodus 30 verse 6. 27:58 "Put the ark in front of the curtain that is before 28:02 the ark of the Testimony. " 28:05 When it says, "the ark of the Testimony," it means 28:08 the ark of what? 28:10 Come on, give me some feed back. 28:12 The ark of the Testimony means the ark of the Ten Commandments. 28:18 Come over here to 25 verse 16. 28:21 Chapter 25 verse 16. 28:25 "Then put in the ark the Testimony 28:29 that I will give you. " 28:31 God doesn't say, "Put in the ark the Ten Commandments. " 28:33 He says, "Put in the ark the Testimony. " 28:36 He's giving it a special name. 28:38 And if you come down to verse 22, "There above the cover 28:43 between the two cherubim that are over... " 28:45 Say it with me. 28:46 "... the ark of the Testimony. " 28:50 Come now to chapter 32:15, 16. 28:53 Chapter 32:15, 16. 28:58 God did this for a purpose. 29:00 He was trying to save our souls. 29:03 Come over here Exodus 32:15, 16. 29:06 "Moses turned and went down from the mountain 29:10 with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. 29:15 They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 29:18 The tablets were the work of God, the writing was the 29:21 writing of God engraved on the Tablets. " 29:24 Look at me, let me have your eyes. 29:27 I want this to get into your mind. 29:30 Whenever the word "testimony" is used in connection with the 29:36 ark or the sanctuary, it refers to one thing; 29:41 the Ten Commandments. 29:42 Now the term "law" is a big word. 29:46 When the Bible talks about "law", it encompasses 29:51 many, many things. 29:52 And there are some texts in the Bible that seem to say that 29:57 the law was abolished. 29:58 That's true. 30:00 It actually says that, verses like that. 30:06 And so there's all this confusion. 30:08 But I want you to know this. 30:10 Whenever the word "testimony" is used in connection with 30:14 the sanctuary, it refers to one thing and one thing only. 30:19 The Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath. 30:23 Now come over here with me to, come over here to Deuteronomy. 30:27 This is where we'll find this text. 30:28 Deuteronomy 31:24, 25. 30:39 Now we're going to show you a text which is a contrast. 30:44 "After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law, 30:51 from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites 30:56 who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 30:59 'Take this Book of the Law... '" and place it in the ark. 31:06 "... and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the 31:10 Lord your God. 31:12 There it will remain as a witness against you. " 31:17 I want to say to my beloved evangelical friends who 31:20 believe the Ten Commandments are done away with 31:23 and they say that Adventist Christians make a big deal of 31:29 separating the Book of the Law from the Ten Commandments, 31:33 the Testimony, I want to say to you my beloved friends; 31:37 we never did it, God did it. 31:40 God did it. 31:41 God said put the Ten Commandments, 31:44 the Testimony, in the ark. 31:47 But He said, take the Book of the Law and put it in... 31:51 No, He said put it beside the ark. 31:55 It says it in the NIV. 31:58 And so God made a difference between the Ten Commandments 32:02 and the rest of the law. 32:05 And remember this again, I'm teaching this now. 32:08 I'm just acting like a teacher. 32:10 Whenever the word "testimony", Hebrew word "edut"; 32:15 whenever the Hebrew word "edut" or the equivalent Greek word; 32:22 whenever the word "testimony", whenever it is used in 32:27 association with the sanctuary of God, it refers to one thing; 32:32 the Ten Commandments including, the fourth commandment 32:35 that tells us to keep the Sabbath. 32:36 Now, are you with me? 32:41 If I could show you some texts right at the very end of the 32:45 Bible this side of Calvary that talked about a sanctuary, 32:51 and an ark, and the testimony, that would be overwhelming 32:58 evidence, would it not. 33:00 Come now to the book of Revelation. 33:02 Written many, many years after Calvary. 33:06 Revelation chapter 11 and verse 19, for a start. 33:11 We're on solid ground here. 33:12 Revelation chapter 11 and verse 19, 33:16 dear hearts and gentle people. 33:19 Revelation 11 and verse 19, have you got the text? 33:24 "Then God's... " What does it say? 33:26 Come on, come on. Let me get some feedback. 33:28 "Then God's temple in heaven was opened... " 33:31 The Bible tells me there's a temple in heaven. 33:34 "... and within His temple were seen... " what? 33:38 So John looks up into glory, my friend, and he sees the temple. 33:44 And then he looks a little bit further and he sees 33:48 the ark of God. 33:51 Okay? 33:52 Now come over now to Revelation chapter 15 and verse 5. 33:56 Revelation chapter 15 and verse 5. 34:01 Have you got it? 34:02 Revelation 15 verse 5, "After this I looked, and in heaven, 34:07 the temple, that is the tabernacle 34:12 of the testimony, was opened. " 34:18 He looks up into glory, he sees the temple. 34:22 This is in the very end of time 34:24 because these verses are referring to the last days. 34:28 He looks up into glory and he sees the temple. 34:32 And then he looks into the temple and he sees the ark. 34:36 And he looks into the ark and he sees the testimony, 34:41 or the Ten Commandments, of God. 34:47 This is overwhelming evidence that whatever was abolished 34:56 at the cross, the Ten Commandments remain 35:00 the standard for the human race. 35:05 Now look at Revelation 14 and verse 12. 35:08 He looks up into heaven and then he looks down upon the earth. 35:14 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12. 35:19 Are you ready to go? 35:21 Revelation 14 and verse 12. 35:23 "This calls for patient endurance on the part of 35:27 the saints who obey God's commandments 35:31 and remain faithful to Jesus. " 35:34 He looks up into glory in the last days and he sees the 35:40 Ten Commandments enshrined in the very heart of the temple. 35:45 And then he looks down upon this earth and he sees the people 35:50 who love Jesus and they keep the Ten Commandments. 35:57 Thus Pastor Scragg said, "I rest my case. " 36:06 And the other man was never heard from again. 36:09 This is a little bit of history. 36:16 Now listen to me. 36:21 Whatever law was abolished at the cross, whatever, 36:27 it was not the law of the Ten Commandments. 36:30 They are seen in glory at the end of time. 36:36 Now come over here to 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 36:41 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 36:48 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 36:52 And this is a text that you will know quite well. 36:55 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. 36:58 It says, "Everyone who sins breaks the law. " 37:04 My friend, if there were no law there could be no sin. 37:10 And this is referring to the eternal moral law of God. 37:16 Let this be very plain. 37:18 Let this truth sink down into the molecules of our minds. 37:23 Let there be no confusion. 37:26 The Bible says, "Everyone who sins breaks the law. 37:31 In fact, sin is lawlessness. " 37:34 Or as the beautiful King James version says, 37:37 "Sin," say it with me, "is the transgression of the law. " 37:45 If there were no law, there could be no sin. 37:51 Never forget it. 37:54 Come over here to Romans chapter 7 and verse 7. 38:01 Go to Romans. 38:03 It's been called, that book; great, glad and merry tidings 38:08 that makes a man's heart to sing for joy and his feet to dance. 38:11 That's the book of Romans. 38:14 Of Romans chapter 7 Martin Luther said, "This is the most 38:19 perfect gospel. 38:21 It is a light and a way into all of scripture. " 38:25 Romans 7 verse 7. 38:30 "What shall we say then?" Says Paul. 38:32 "What shall we say then? 38:34 Is the law sin? Certainly not. 38:38 Indeed, I would not have known what sin was 38:42 except through the law. " 38:46 And so, my friend, let us think logically. 38:52 And I want my seven little helpers now to come out, please. 38:56 Seven little helpers. 38:58 If there is no law, there is no sin. 39:06 And if there's no sin, you don't need a Savior. 39:10 Isn't that true? 39:12 And if there's no Savior, there's no gospel. 39:19 Well, you look really lovely. 39:22 You look really sweet. 39:24 Now, I'm just going to get these glasses of mine. 39:29 Of course I can see everything quite plainly but I just 39:32 have them here so you folks aren't embarrassed. 39:34 Okay. 39:36 Now this boy's name is Enoch. Say "Good morning, Enoch. " 39:42 He represents law. 39:44 This boy's name is Jonathan. 39:47 Say, "Good morning, Jonathan. " 39:49 He doesn't mind, but he represents sin today. 39:52 Just only today. He's just helping out. 39:55 This little sweetie, her name is Kaylie. 39:59 Hey sweetie. 40:00 Hello Kaylie. Say hello to Kaylie. 40:02 And she represents Savior. 40:05 Now this is Danielle. 40:07 How are you, cutie? 40:09 Are you doing alright? 40:10 She represents gospel. 40:12 Say hello to Danielle. 40:14 Now this is Adrianna. 40:17 Say, "Hello, Adrianna. " 40:19 Hello Adrianna. 40:20 Don't they all look nice? 40:22 And she represents grace. 40:25 What does she represent? 40:26 Grace. 40:28 Now this little girl, her name is Carrie. 40:31 Aren't they all cuties? 40:32 Yea, I'd take them all home if I could. 40:34 This is Carrie and she represents... 40:37 Say hello to Carrie. 40:39 Hello sweetie, do you want a kiss? 40:40 No. You're going to get one. 40:44 At my age, I can kiss anybody. 40:48 Even some of you folks. 40:49 Okay, hang on sweetie. 40:52 This is Carrie. She represents church. 40:55 Okay. 40:56 Now this is Marcus. 40:58 Boy, don't they look good in their suits and stuff? 41:01 I want to say to my Aussie friends watching the telecast, 41:05 this is how little children ought to go to church. 41:08 I want to say to my friends right across America, 41:11 this is how little children ought to go to church. 41:14 We ought to teach our children that going to church 41:18 is more important than going to see the President. 41:22 Absolutely. 41:26 Now I have some folks tell me, they say, 41:28 "Well, it's just like going to the beach. 41:31 Like, you know, we don't have to get dressed up. " 41:34 I tell folks, "You may not have real good clothes, but 41:37 wear the best you've got. " 41:40 Because you're off to see the King. 41:42 You don't have to be dressed like me, you know, with a 41:45 dark blue suit and all the rest of that stuff. 41:48 But wear the best you've got. 41:50 Because you're going to go to see the King. 41:52 And I want to say to every person watching the telecast, 41:55 I'm proud to see how these mothers have got these kids 42:01 ready for church. 42:02 That's really good. I'm proud of you mothers. 42:05 Now what we're going to do, we're going to have just a 42:06 little bit of fun. 42:07 Is it okay to have a little fun in church? 42:10 Not a lot, I know. 42:15 We'll just have a little bit of fun. 42:17 But if I think you folks are having too much fun, 42:19 I'm going to stop you. 42:20 Okay? I'm going to say it's enough fun in church today. 42:25 Okay, when I put my hand on one of these children 42:28 like this, you're going to tell me what he represents. 42:31 But I'm going to help you at the start. 42:33 You should remember anyway, but I'm going to help you. 42:35 This is law. 42:38 Come on, what's his name? 42:39 Law. 42:40 Why do you say it so funny? 42:43 This is law. 42:45 Yea, you folks, you'll be better at the end of the sermon. 42:49 This is law. 42:50 Now the Bible tells me that sin is the transgression of the law. 42:57 Oh, you're doing very well. 42:59 Let's do it again. 43:00 This is sin. And this is law. 43:03 And if there were no law, there'd be no sin. 43:07 Just be careful because I'm going to catch you out. 43:11 Now, because we have broken the law and because we've 43:16 all committed sin, we need a Savior. 43:21 And Jesus came down from glory because we had broken the law. 43:28 Isn't this right? 43:29 You folks seeing this? 43:31 Now the Savior came. Thank God for Jesus. 43:36 You know, I want everybody to know that Seventh-day Adventists 43:40 just love Jesus and He's the center of their faith. 43:45 And Jesus came preaching good news. 43:49 And the good news, we call it the gospel. 43:53 And the gospel tells me all about God's grace. 44:00 Do you know what grace is? 44:02 Grace is the story of how God saves me from sin 44:07 which is breaking the law. 44:09 Aren't we doing good. 44:10 Now the Bible tells me that God has raised up... 44:14 You've got to look out front, sweetie, or else I'll 44:16 give you another kiss. 44:20 Now the Bible tells me that God has raised up the church. 44:24 And the purpose of the church is to tell people about the... 44:33 ...about the Savior who came preaching the gospel 44:38 which is all about God's grace, which is the story of how 44:42 God saves me from sin which is breaking the law. 44:46 Now, the church employees... 44:51 You didn't tell us. 44:53 Well you should know. 44:55 ...the preacher. 44:56 Here's the preacher. 44:59 Therefore, the church employees the preacher. 45:06 And the preacher tells people about the Savior 45:11 who came preaching the gospel which is the story of God's 45:16 grace, which is how God saves me from sin 45:20 which is breaking the law. 45:22 Okay we've got it together. 45:24 Now, you know what's going on today? 45:27 Some people tell me, you know, it's true, 45:31 I hear it everywhere. 45:32 They tell me there's no law. 45:35 They say, "Hey, the law is gone. There's no law. " 45:39 So we're going to get rid of the law. 45:41 So, Mr. Law, the law goes. 45:44 So if there's no law, there is no sin. 45:47 So, there's no sin any more. 45:49 And if there's no sin, we don't need a Savior. 45:53 So the Savior goes. 45:55 And if there is no Savior, there is no gospel. 45:59 And if there is no gospel, there is no grace. 46:02 So grace goes and we don't have any grace left in the world. 46:06 And if that is so, we may as well close down the church 46:11 and fire the preacher. 46:26 My friend, it's as plain as plain can be. 46:31 It's as plain as plain can be. 46:36 Now I'm going to ask you folks to do something with me. 46:39 Will you do this? 46:40 I want you now to stand and take your Bibles and read with me 46:45 the Ten Commandments. 46:47 Don't you think we ought to do that. 46:49 We've been talking about gospel, now we're going to talk about 46:53 the Ten Commandments. 46:55 God wrote them down in stone, but He wants to do more than 46:59 write them down in stone. 47:01 He wants to write them upon the fleshy tablets of our hearts. 47:06 Do you hear this? 47:07 We want a new covenant experience where 47:10 Jesus is in our souls and the commandments are written 47:15 down on the soul. 47:17 Exodus 20. 47:19 Are we ready? 47:20 Now I think we'll read this responsively. 47:23 That means I'll read a text, then you read the next text. 47:26 Um, I may read them all but you're job will be to read 47:30 the text that I'm not reading. 47:32 So if I read verse 1... you better listen. 47:36 If I read verse 1, you come in at number 2. 47:39 Then I'll read number 3. 47:41 Okay? 47:42 We're going to read the Ten Commandments. 47:44 "And God spoke all these words, 'I am the Lord your God 47:49 who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. '" 47:53 Together, "You shall have no other gods before me. 47:59 You shall not make for yourself and idol in the form of anything 48:03 in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, 48:06 or in the waters below. 48:07 You shall not bow down to them or worship them. 48:11 For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, 48:14 punishing the children for the sins of the fathers 48:17 to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, 48:20 but showing love to a thousand generations of those that 48:24 love Me and keep My commandments. " 48:26 Together, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God 48:32 in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 48:36 who takes His name in vain. 48:39 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 48:43 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 48:46 but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. 48:49 On it, you shall not do any work; neither you nor your son 48:54 or daughter, neither your man servant or maid servant, 48:57 nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 49:01 For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 49:06 the sea, and all that is in them. 49:09 But He rested on the seventh day. 49:11 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. " 49:16 Together, "Honor your father and your mother, 49:21 that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord 49:25 your God is giving you. 49:27 You shall not murder. 49:30 You shall not commit adultery. 49:34 You shall not steal. 49:36 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. " 49:40 "You shall not give false testimony 49:43 against your neighbor. " 49:48 I read it twice, I'm going to have 11 commandments. 49:54 You know what's happening. 49:55 You folks are reading to me from the King James Version 49:58 and I'm reading to you from the NIV. 50:00 And you know what you did? 50:01 I got you mixed up and I got myself mixed up. 50:04 So what we're going to do, we're going to read the 50:07 tenth commandment together. 50:08 Here it comes. 50:09 All together, that is verse 17. 50:13 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; 50:17 thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, 50:20 nor his male servant, nor his maid servant, 50:24 nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs 50:30 to your neighbor. " 50:31 You folks did very well. Sit down, thank you. 50:36 Now folks, I've got a question that I want to ask you. 50:41 I want you to think about this. 50:44 We've just read the Ten Commandments. 50:46 And let me tell you, it doesn't matter whether you read them 50:49 in the King James Version, I'm glad that my American friends 50:54 love that great Bible that came from my old mother church. 50:59 Did you know that? 51:00 It came from the Church of England. 51:02 And I'm glad to see all of my friends here loving that 51:06 old English Bible. 51:08 But you can get the truth whether you read the NIV 51:12 or the King James Version. 51:13 The most important thing is to believe it 51:16 and take it into your heart. 51:18 Now why did God give us these Ten Commandments? 51:21 I want you to come over here to Isaiah 48 and verse 18. 51:26 Isaiah 48 and verse 18. 51:31 Isaiah chapter 48 and verse 18. 51:35 God tells us why He gave us His law, His moral law. 51:41 He says, Isaiah 48 verse 18, "If only you had paid attention 51:46 to My commandments. 51:47 Your peace would have been like a river, 51:50 your righteousness like the waves of the sea. " 51:57 When my little daughter Julie, whom I love very much, 52:00 now a nurse in San Francisco. 52:03 When she was growing up in Sydney, Australia, 52:06 we lived on a very busy road called the Comenarra Parkway. 52:09 I was the pastor of the Wahroonga church. 52:12 Julie was just a sweet little girl. 52:15 She use to go to the Christian school, 52:16 our school, across the road. 52:18 The Comenarra Parkway was dreadfully busy. 52:21 I said to her, "Julie, I don't want you to ever 52:24 cross this road by yourself. 52:27 I don't want you to just run across that road. 52:30 You've got to go to the light and you've got to wait 52:33 for the teacher and you cross the road. " 52:35 Why? 52:37 Because I loved her. 52:39 Still do. 52:40 And God gave us the commandments 52:43 so we're not going to get killed. 52:44 He gave us the commandments because He wants us to have 52:47 happy homes and have happy hearts. 52:51 That's why He gave us the Ten Commandments. 52:54 These commandments, my beloved friends, are not a 52:57 yoke of bondage. 52:58 These commandments are commandments given to 53:01 give us liberty and peace and joy and happiness. 53:05 I want to tell you folks something. 53:07 And I'm speaking now because I've seen it. 53:11 I've gone to places where there's no moral law. 53:16 I've gone to countries where there are no Ten Commandments. 53:20 You don't want to go to those places. 53:23 The crime, the murders, the rapes. 53:28 You get off the plane and you wonder whether you're going to 53:30 make it to the hotel. 53:32 Thank God, my friend, for the Bible. 53:35 Thank God for Jesus. 53:37 And thank God for the Ten Commandments. 53:42 Now I'm going to tell you a story. 53:46 And this is a wonderful story. 53:48 It's the story of a young man by the name of Will. 53:55 Well, there was a king. 53:58 And the king gave to Will this beautiful mansion. 54:04 And the king built a big wall around that mansion. 54:08 You know what the wall is, don't you? 54:12 That's the law. 54:14 And he gave to Will this beautiful mansion. 54:16 And he said, "Will, I want to warn you about one thing. 54:21 There's a being out there, he's the great deceiver. 54:25 Never let him in. " 54:28 And the king helped Will to start to grow 54:31 these beautiful trees. 54:33 But one night, Will heard a whisper down at the front gate. 54:37 And there was a tall dark handsome stranger. 54:41 He said, "Will, Will. Let me in, Will. 54:45 And if you let me in, you won't have to work anymore. 54:48 I'll do all the planting for you. " 54:51 Well, Will thought that was good news. 54:53 And he opened the door. 54:55 And the mysterious stranger just came in like a snake. 55:02 And soon, together, they were putting in trees; lust, envy. 55:09 They got rid of all the other good trees. 55:13 It was amazing how quickly those trees grew. 55:16 Didn't seem to take any time. 55:19 And then the fruit came out on those trees. 55:23 And Will was eating the fruit. 55:26 It was a strange thing because he'd eat, he'd feel sick, 55:30 and he'd vomit. 55:31 Do you know what? 55:32 He'd want more. 55:34 So his life was spent eating, lusting, feeling sick, vomiting. 55:42 But wanting more. 55:44 Do you know what I'm talking about? 55:48 He was filled with despair. 55:50 He wanted to die. 55:52 He couldn't live and he couldn't die. 55:56 This awful prince who was ruling him now 55:59 wasn't helping at all. 56:01 He said, "You've got to do it by yourself. " 56:04 But as the time went by, one day, it was late in the day, 56:09 the sun was going down, he heard somebody down at the gate. 56:15 He went down to the gate and there was a man standing there 56:19 with a lantern. 56:21 He looked just like the king. 56:25 He was the king's son. 56:28 And he said, "I stand at the door and knock. " 56:33 And the stranger said, "Don't let him in, Will. 56:36 Don't let him in. He'll destroy all my work. " 56:39 That's just what Will needed to hear. 56:42 So he opened the gate and the prince came in. 56:46 And when the prince came in, the stranger left. 56:52 I want you to know this, never forget it. 56:54 When the big God comes in, all the little gods go out. 56:58 When the big God comes in, all the little gods go out. 57:03 So they went around and they uprooted these trees. 57:06 It took a bit of work. 57:09 Then they put in new trees; love, joy, peace, obedience. 57:17 They took longer to grow. 57:21 And soon Will was eating the fruit. 57:25 But an amazing thing happened. 57:27 He never felt sick. 57:29 He felt so good. 57:32 He felt joy. 57:35 One night, he was sitting on the porch with the king's son 57:41 who had the marks of nails in his hands. 57:44 He said, "There's only one thing that troubles me. 57:48 What if you should leave me. " 57:52 And the prince said, "Will, I will never, never leave you 58:00 or forsake you. " 58:03 What we need to do, my friend, is have the Prince come in. 58:08 When the Prince comes in, He'll write His law 58:12 upon our hearts. |
Revised 2014-12-17