Announcer:
Revelation. The time of the end.
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Mysterious signs.
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Strange happenings.
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Confusing numbers.
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Are we facing a new world
order and the mark of the beast?
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Are we living on a
planet in upheaval?
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Are we on the
verge of Armageddon?
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Revelation, what do all the
signs in this mysterious book
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mean? Discover real answers.
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Revelation Speaks
Peace, with Shawn Boonstra.
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+
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Good evening, everybody.
Alright, here comes the
question: "Is sex outside of
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marriage really something the
Bible condemns, or is that some
kind of Victorian hangover that
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people are reading into the
Bible?" Somebody's a wishful
thinker. I bet you already know
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where I'm going with this one.
But it does come in a lot,
actually. Even people who grew
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up in the church are starting to
question it. Honestly. They come
and ask me that. When I was
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pastoring a church, young people
would come and say, "Is that
really in the Bible? We don't
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find it anywhere in the Bible."
It is in the Bible. The answer
is yes, God's ideal plan for sex
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is inside of the marriage
covenant. That's where it's
supposed to happen. And I know
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some people will say, "But you
can't find it anywhere in the
Bible that condemns it. It
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condemns adultery, which is
cheating on your spouse. We
found that, but I'm not married
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yet, and so it doesn't condemn
that." Well, actually, it does,
you're just not paying attention
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to the language. You won't find
the expressions "premarital sex"
in the Bible; that's not how
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they described it. They used a
rather pointed Greek word called
"porneia." It's where we get the
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word pornography, "porneia," and
it was translated "fornication."
So every time you see
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"fornication" in the Bible, it's
sex outside of marriage. Here
are some specific examples. You
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asked, so I'm going to read them
to you. Second Corinthians
chapter 12: For I fear lest,
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[this is verse 20] when I come,
I shall not find you such as I
wish, [dun dun dun dun dun, 21]
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lest, when I come again, my God
will humble me among you, and I
shall mourn for many who have
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sinned before and not repented
of the uncleanness, fornication,
and lewdness which they have
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practiced. You know, often
people will point to the
Christian church and say, "The
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church has got all these
problems." Yeah, well, duh, it's
full of sinners. Sinners make
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mistakes and do things. And what
I take heart in is that most of
the New Testament was written to
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address the same problems in the
first century church. They were
doing it too, and Paul had to
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say, "The fornication has to
stop." Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians, Galatians, Galatians.
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Now the works of the flesh [this
is Galatians 5:19. This is as
pointed as it gets.] Now the
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works of the flesh are evident,
which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness,
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lewdness, idolatry, sorcery,
hatred, contentions, jealousy,
outbursts of wrath, selfish
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ambition, dissensions, heresies,
envy, murders, drunkenness,
revelries, and the like. You
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notice, that's quite a list,
isn't it, yeah. Everybody in
this room's on that list
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somewhere. Okay. Of which I tell
you beforehand, just as I told
you in time past, that those who
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practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God.
There's other reasons, though.
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God intended marriage to
represent something. In
Ephesians 5, He tells us that He
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intended our relationship
between man and woman to
resemble the relationship He has
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with His people or with His
church. In Ephesians chapter 5
it describes the marriage
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relationship, and then Paul
actually says, "Look, what I'm
really describing is Jesus and
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the church. Our homes are
supposed to reflect what heaven
is. And when God declares He's
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having a relationship with
somebody, it's permanent, you
can trust on it, and His
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covenants stand. And so our
covenants and our exclusivity to
each other is supposed to stand
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too, because we're supposed to
show heaven to the world." The
good news is that slipping
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sexually is not the unpardonable
sin. It's not the unpardonable
sin. In this day and age, a lot
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of people would be out of the
kingdom if it were. But God can
forgive this sin and cleanse us
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of it just like anything else,
and I promise you, in the blood
of Christ tonight, if you have
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messed up in your relationships,
you can have a brand-new start
through Jesus Christ. You really
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can. He forgives us. If we
confess our sins, He is
faithful. This is one sin that a
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lot of people just, well, they
feel so awful afterwards and
dirty, and how can God deal with
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me? It says He is faithful and
just to forgive our sins and to
cleanse us from all
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unrighteousness. You can start
again here too. Our topic
tonight, the coming of the
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lawless one. We're going to look
at stuff tonight that would've
been really obvious to a
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first-century audience, but with
the passage of 2,000 years, and
frankly, with the 20th century
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behind us where we were no
longer the Bible students we
once were, well, it means we
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have to do a little bit of
homework. So that's partly what
we're going to do tonight. And
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because our textbook is the Word
of God, I'd ask you to bow your
head with me in prayer. Father
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in heaven, this evening, I'm
asking again that You would
bless me. I'm asking that the
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Voice we hear in this auditorium
would be the Voice of Jesus
Christ, that that would be all
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we hear, that our hearts would
be warmed to the voice of the
Spirit so that we see Jesus and
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we understand Jesus and we
understand what Your Word is
saying about Christ. Allow me
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just to fade into the
background. Lord, forgive my sin
and give me the ability tonight
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to think clearly and speak
clearly and be faithful. I long
for the day Jesus comes, and
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what I'd like Him to say is,
"Well done, thou good and
faithful servant." So allow me,
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Father, tonight, to be faithful.
Speak to my heart as I speak
here, because we're about to
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handle holy things. And when the
Lamb speaks to our heart, we
will follow Him wherever He
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goes. And we pray it in Jesus'
wonderful name, amen. A few
nights back, we were studying
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the most prevalent topic in
Bible prophecy, which is the
second coming of Christ. And
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when we did that, we looked at a
passage in Second Thessalonians
where Paul is explicitly clear
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that Antichrist must come, must
reveal himself before Jesus
returns for the church.
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Tonight, I want to dig a little
bit deeper into that passage,
because Paul goes on in that
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same chapter to identify a
massive last-day issue that is
intimately connected to the
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Antichrist. Second Thessalonians
chapter 2 and verse 3, Paul
writes: "Let no one deceive you
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by any means; for that Day [he's
talking back to First
Thessalonians. They got all
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excited when he had written 'The
Lord will descend from heaven
with a shout.' He says], for
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that Day will not come unless
the falling away comes first,
and the man of sin is revealed,
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the son of perdition who opposes
and exalts himself above all
that is called God or that is
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worshipped, so that he sits as
God in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God."
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There's no question in Paul's
description that the Antichrist
reveals himself to the world
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before Jesus comes to gather
believers. And that means that
you and I cannot afford to let
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down our guard for one second.
We have to be on our guard. We
have to know what the Word of
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God says, because overwhelming
deceptions, Jesus says,
especially in Matthew 24, might
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even affect the very elect. We
have to keep our eyes open. We
have to stand on the Word. Now,
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I want you to notice, there are
two things in that passage Paul
says must happen before Jesus
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comes. He describes a great
falling away, an apostasy, if
you will. People wandering away
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from the faith that was once
delivered to the saints. And he
says that the man of sin has to
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appear. Those two things must
take place before Jesus returns
for the church. And then, in
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verse 7, Paul goes on to say
something very interesting.
Verse 7 says: "For the mystery
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of [what] lawlessness is already
at work." Paul said in his day,
there's an apostasy coming. And
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he says that lawlessness will be
a last-day problem. And he says
that it was already at work back
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in his day. This is an early
problem. This is actually a
last-day problem that finds its
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roots in the earliest days of
the Christian church. And it
grows and it grows and it grows
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until the Antichrist is simply
revealed. And he identifies that
issue as lawlessness, the
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Greek word "anomia," without the
law. And it is a huge issue. In
another passage describing the
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end of time, Paul looks down
through the corridors and
actually describes the behaviour
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of earth's final generation,
in Second Timothy chapter 3.
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"This, know also," he says,
"that in the [when? Oh, be with
me now. I know it's been a long
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week. When?] last days perilous
times shall come. For men shall
be lovers of their own selves,
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covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy,
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without natural affection,
truce-breakers [they don't keep
their word], false accusers,
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incontinent [meaning they don't
have any self-control], fierce,
despisers of those that are good
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[it's not only that they do bad;
they hate people who do good],
traitors, heady, high-minded,
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lovers of pleasure more than
lovers of God." Now, I don't
know if that rings a bell for
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you. I don't know if that sounds
like anything you've seen on
this planet, but I'm telling you
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tonight, if there has ever been
a generation that resembles that
description, it is ours. And the
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problem seems to be getting
worse with every passing day.
You and I are now living in a
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world with a string of broken
homes, and the courts are full
of lawsuits, and the streets are
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dangerous. Actually, it's
McDonald's in Brooklyn that's
becoming dangerous. I don't know
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if you saw the video going
around on YouTube this week. A
bunch of teenage girls - I mean,
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kids have always fought - but
five or six of them gang up on
one young lady and they beat the
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stuffing out of her right in
McDonald's while everybody just
watches. And then when she's
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down and passed out, they keep
kicking her in the face. That
stuff's happening every week
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now. It's not that way before. I
mean, this is new. The world is
not the way that it used to be.
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I mean, we've always had
violence, but the violence now
seems to become more frequent
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and more brutal. Hard to believe
that when I was a little kid, I
was allowed to go wherever I
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wanted. That's six years old.
"Hey, son, get on your bike."
"Really? Just go?" "Yeah, go
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explore the town. Do whatever
you want. There are only two
rules: when the fire hall rings
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the bell at noon, come home for
lunch. And when the streetlights
come on at night, come home for
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dinner. Otherwise, just go do
what you please. Just go." They
weren't worried. Actually, I'm
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starting to worry about how much
my mom actually loved me. á It's
changed, though. Hasn't been
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that many decades. I'm not that
old. Now mothers hate to let
their kids into the backyard out
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of sight because of what might
take place. It's different now.
We say we're a Christian nation?
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We have the highest
incarceration rate in the world.
We say we're a Christian nation,
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and yet I'm guessing most of you
feel the need to lock your doors
at night. Traitors, heady,
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high-minded, lovers of pleasure.
How did this happen to us? Well,
maybe it has something to do
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with what we've been putting in
the filing cabinet for decades,
the stuff we place in our minds.
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But there is another problem.
There is another problem that
has contributed to this,
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absolutely. It's a little theory
called "situation ethics." It's
a concept that was popularized
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by a professor by the name of
Joseph Fletcher in, oh, roughly
the late '60s. You might know
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situation ethics as
"relativism." It's the reigning
philosophy of our post-modern
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world. And this is the way my
generation was literally taught
to think in college. It's the
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way we were taught. It teaches
that what is moral, what is true
and false, what is right and
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wrong, what is good and evil, is
dependent on the situation. It
teaches there are no hard and
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fast rules about what is right
and wrong. And the professors
that taught that to us in
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college used to use these really
extreme examples to make the
point, stuff that would never,
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ever happen to you in real life,
but they pull it out of their
hat to seem like there are
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questions over what is moral. I
remember one professor saying,
"Now, imagine you're in a car
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wreck with your wife. Car rolls
in the ditch, you crawl out, but
your wife is pinned under the
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car and there's no getting her
out. You try to lift the car,
and she's going to die if you
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don't get help. So you wander
down the country road and find a
house, and you knock on the
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door. But the people inside are
scared; they won't open the door
and they won't call for help."
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"They tell you to go away. And
you're desperate, 'Please, my
wife is going to die,' but they
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won't open the door, and then
you see their children playing
in the yard. Wouldn't it be
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alright to twist that child's
arm to get them to open the door
so that you could call for
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help?" They were serious. They
were trying to teach us that
nothing is wrong if you can
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think of a good reason to do it.
Anything can be right depending
on the circumstances. There's no
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absolute right, no absolute
wrong. They're just raising
questions over morality. And
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this is the way our whole
generation thinks. If you can
justify it, you can do it. No
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absolutes. Today, we don't say
there's truth and falsehood; we
say, "Well, there's what's true
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for me and what's true for you.
I have my truth and you have
your truth," as if there's
00:14:36.07\00:14:39.84
competing sets of truth. If you
listen to what people are
saying, if you listen carefully,
00:14:39.94\00:14:46.48
you'll actually hear echoes of
the original question the
serpent asked Eve in the Garden
00:14:46.58\00:14:50.89
of Eden. Remember what he asked
her? "Did God really say, 'don't
do this'?" It's the same
00:14:50.99\00:14:58.69
deception, just repackaged for
our generation. The devil always
works the same way: instead of
00:14:58.79\00:15:04.03
challenging the morality of God
outright, this theory says,
"Well, maybe God didn't mean it
00:15:04.13\00:15:09.00
in every case." They take these
unusual situations, stuff that's
not going to happen to you in
00:15:09.10\00:15:14.98
your lifetime, probably not. The
Nazis are banging on your door
and you're hiding somebody and
00:15:15.08\00:15:20.32
they ask, "Is there anyone in
the house?" Do you tell the
truth? Probably not going to
00:15:20.42\00:15:25.79
happen to you, but what they
take is a situation where people
are painted into the corner by
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the devil and they have to
choose between the least of
evils, and they're trying to
00:15:29.36\00:15:33.33
give the impression that maybe
one of those evils is actually
the right way to behave all the
00:15:33.43\00:15:37.80
time. What they're trying to do
is raise a question over
Biblical morality. And I'm
00:15:37.90\00:15:43.04
telling you tonight that this
has changed the way our
generation thinks, and not for
00:15:43.14\00:15:47.18
the better. Not for the better.
I came across a booklet that was
handed out in high schools a
00:15:47.28\00:15:52.51
little while ago, American high
schools, for teenagers. Here's
what it said: "Early on in life,
00:15:52.61\00:15:58.19
you will be exposed to different
value systems from your family,
church, or synagogue, and
00:15:58.29\00:16:04.53
friends." True. "You may accept
some of these values without
questioning whether or not they
00:16:04.63\00:16:09.60
are the right values for you.
But you may eventually realize
that some of these values
00:16:09.70\00:16:15.04
conflict with each other."
Basically, they're telling our
kids, "Look, there are competing
00:16:15.14\00:16:19.27
values, and there's a buffet of
options. You can pick and choose
whatever you would like to be
00:16:19.37\00:16:24.15
true and right and good." Now,
is it true that you should
examine your beliefs? Yeah, I do
00:16:24.25\00:16:29.95
it every day. I go to this Book
and I check against this Book
and I want to know, "Lord, am I
00:16:30.05\00:16:33.69
inside Your will?" I want to
know, do my beliefs line up with
the Word of God? But I want you
00:16:33.79\00:16:39.56
to look at the message that
they're putting out for our
kids. It's saying, there are
00:16:39.66\00:16:43.53
values for others, and there are
values for you. In other words,
every individual gets to decide
00:16:43.63\00:16:51.24
what is moral and what is not.
Right? You are the ultimate
reference point. Never mind
00:16:51.34\00:16:56.95
what's right for everybody; just
figure out what's right for you,
because there is no real
00:16:57.05\00:17:00.72
objective standard of right and
wrong. Just listen to how the
pamphlet finishes. "It is up to
00:17:00.82\00:17:06.96
you to decide your own value
system, to build your own
ethical code. You will have to
00:17:07.06\00:17:12.03
learn what is right for yourself
through experience." What's the
message? "You are the centre of
00:17:12.13\00:17:19.97
the universe. There is no real
right or wrong, just what you
say is right or wrong."
00:17:20.07\00:17:24.31
Honestly, what it's saying is,
"Go with how you feel instead of
what you know." That's dangerous
00:17:24.41\00:17:31.51
thinking, "Go with how you
feel." Feelings are notoriously
inaccurate. Feelings change
00:17:31.61\00:17:37.79
based on whether or not you got
a good night's sleep. Feelings
change based on what you ate for
00:17:37.89\00:17:42.19
dinner. Feelings change based on
whether or not your teenage
daughter gave you a head cold
00:17:42.29\00:17:46.83
and you have to go out and talk
in front of a bunch of people.
Feelings change. And this kind
00:17:46.93\00:17:56.00
of thinking has led to some
really amazing stuff, stuff that
would make our forefathers in
00:17:56.10\00:18:00.74
the faith shake their heads in
dismay. U.S. News and World
Report. This is about a dozen
00:18:00.84\00:18:06.28
years ago, but it's the best
example I can find.
"Seventy-three percent of
00:18:06.38\00:18:10.69
students [in a survey] said that
when their professors taught
about ethical issues, the usual
00:18:10.79\00:18:15.46
message was that uniform
standards of right and wrong do
not exist." It's true. Not only
00:18:15.56\00:18:22.03
were they teaching that in 2002,
they were teaching it for
decades ahead of time because
00:18:22.13\00:18:25.53
they were already teaching that
when I was in college back in
the days of Noah. They were
00:18:25.63\00:18:30.74
already teaching it. And that
kind of thinking has disastrous
results. Seventy-three percent:
00:18:30.84\00:18:35.28
"Yeah, the professors tell us
there is no right and wrong, not
really." Situation ethics. It's
00:18:35.38\00:18:40.92
led to some really strange
thinking. "Up to twenty percent
of students," U.S. News and
00:18:41.02\00:18:45.02
World Report said, "twenty
percent of students could not
bring themselves to criticize
00:18:45.12\00:18:48.82
the Nazi extermination of
Europe's Jews. Some students
expressed personal distaste for
00:18:48.92\00:18:56.83
what the Nazis did. But they
were not willing to say the
Nazis were wrong, since no
00:18:56.93\00:19:03.04
culture can be judged from the
outside and no individual can
challenge the world-view of
00:19:03.14\00:19:06.91
another." Come on. If you can
get confused about genocide, you
can get confused about anything,
00:19:07.01\00:19:14.02
amen? I mean, I guess the day is
coming. It's setting the table.
The day is coming when people
00:19:14.12\00:19:19.45
will be killed for their
beliefs, and I guess if you
think like this, it's setting
00:19:19.55\00:19:22.46
the table especially for you. If
we can get that confused about
genocide, what effect is
00:19:22.56\00:19:27.60
this thinking having on our
marriages, on our personal
business relationships, and on
00:19:27.66\00:19:31.77
basic honesty? Used to be, you
shake somebody's hand, and they
would rather die than break
00:19:31.87\00:19:37.44
their word after that, but
that's gone. You know what's
sad, though? It's not just the
00:19:37.54\00:19:43.21
universities, it's not just the
outside world that's saying this
kind of stuff. I'm hearing
00:19:43.31\00:19:46.92
Christians say it now. I am.
Even though it's very clear -
you know, the Ark of the
00:19:47.02\00:19:51.92
Covenant represents God's
throne, remember? And the lid is
the mercy seat, and inside
00:19:52.02\00:19:56.52
was God's Ten Commandment moral
law. He's got a government based
on morality. But Christians are
00:19:56.62\00:20:04.03
starting to echo this stuff. And
if this is what you believe,
that you get to build your own
00:20:04.13\00:20:08.70
moral code in this world, and
you want to be a Christian,
you're going to run into some
00:20:08.80\00:20:13.21
trouble with the ethics and
morality of Jesus Christ. You
are. Matthew 7. Listen
00:20:13.31\00:20:18.65
carefully. This is a big deal.
"Not everyone who says to Me,
'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into
00:20:18.75\00:20:26.55
the kingdom of heaven." What?
They call him 'Lord.' I know.
Listen to the words of Jesus.
00:20:26.65\00:20:31.99
"But he who does the will of My
Father in heaven." I want you to
notice who His audience is. He's
00:20:32.09\00:20:39.50
not talking about atheists; He's
talking about self-professing
believers. They call him 'Lord.'
00:20:39.60\00:20:43.77
You know, it's interesting, the
Bible spends more time on the
sins of God's people than it
00:20:43.87\00:20:48.61
does pointing at the outside
world. Most of this Book points
at the sins of God's own people.
00:20:48.71\00:20:55.12
These are people who claim to be
believers, but they will not be
in the kingdom of heaven because
00:20:55.22\00:20:59.59
they will not do the will of
God. Does it sound to you like
God has a loose standard of
00:20:59.69\00:21:04.19
morality, yes or no? Yes or no?
No. Here's a question, though:
Can you do enough good things to
00:21:04.29\00:21:11.20
earn a spot in heaven, yes or
no? No, you can't buy a spot in
heaven. It's only through the
00:21:11.30\00:21:16.00
blood of Christ. But still,
Jesus says it matters how you
behave. Listen to what He says.
00:21:16.10\00:21:18.84
He continues: "Many will say to
Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your
00:21:18.84\00:21:25.21
name, cast out demons in Your
name, and done many wonders in
Your name?' And then I will
00:21:25.31\00:21:31.89
declare to them, 'I never knew
you. Depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness.'" Anomia.
00:21:31.99\00:21:40.33
It's the same word Paul used to
describe the last-day
generation. The problem that
00:21:40.43\00:21:44.87
began in his day and grows until
the last day. These people call
Jesus 'Lord,' but they practice
00:21:44.97\00:21:52.11
lawlessness. Anomia. They're a
law unto themselves. They don't
do what God asks. They're just
00:21:52.21\00:21:57.48
going through the motions. Paul
described it. You remember it
from about a week and a half
00:21:57.58\00:22:01.82
ago. They have a form of
godliness, but they're denying
the power of it. They might put
00:22:01.92\00:22:08.22
on a great church service. They
might even work signs and
wonders according to Jesus. But
00:22:08.32\00:22:13.90
they won't do what God asks.
They won't do God's will.
According to the Bible,
00:22:14.00\00:22:20.17
lawlessness is going to be a
last-day issue, even among God's
people. Jesus makes that clear.
00:22:20.27\00:22:26.27
Paul makes it clear. And
unfortunately, we appear to be
the generation they're
00:22:26.37\00:22:31.55
describing. So I want to do a
little bit of hard thinking
tonight. I hope you don't mind
00:22:31.65\00:22:36.55
if I ask some tough questions.
Would that be okay with you?
Yes, no? Some of you aren't too
00:22:36.65\00:22:41.69
sure. "When he starts asking
hard questions, we have a hard
night." Would it be alright if I
00:22:41.79\00:22:46.93
asked a hard question? Yeah, I
was going to ask it anyway, so,
here it is. Is it possible that
00:22:47.03\00:22:54.90
lawlessness has crept into the
Christian church? Sure. Right?
It's one thing to take this
00:22:55.00\00:23:00.34
Bible and point at everybody
else, "Look how the world is.
They're lawless." Duh, they're
00:23:00.44\00:23:04.95
lawless. Of course. It's another
thing to take the Bible and
point it at ourselves. Most of
00:23:05.05\00:23:11.55
the Bible is addressed to God's
people. When the Bible says
there'd be a falling away, it's
00:23:11.65\00:23:16.36
not talking about the outside
folks; it's talking about the
inside. So if you're honest with
00:23:16.46\00:23:21.40
Bible prophecy, you have to
consider the possibility that
you and I answer to the
00:23:21.50\00:23:25.63
description, especially seeing
that we are the last final
generation. The big question
00:23:25.73\00:23:31.24
tonight is not, "Did Joseph
Fletcher preach lawlessness?" Of
course he did. The question is,
00:23:31.34\00:23:36.24
"Are we doing it?" Maybe even
unwittingly. Are we practicing
it? A Gallup poll just a few
00:23:36.34\00:23:42.88
years ago found this out about
us - it's embarrassing - "There
is very little difference in the
00:23:42.98\00:23:47.96
behaviour of the churched and
the unchurched on a wide range
of items, including lying,
00:23:48.06\00:23:52.43
cheating, and stealing." They
discovered we do it just like
everybody else at the same rate.
00:23:52.53\00:23:57.20
Christians lie and cheat and
steal just like everybody else.
We saw that at our Wednesday
00:23:57.30\00:24:03.24
night meeting, right? We cheat
on our spouses just like
everybody else. So is it
00:24:03.34\00:24:08.74
possible, then, when the world
points at the church and says,
"You're a bunch of hypocrites,"
00:24:08.84\00:24:11.98
that they're actually right?
That they might have a point?
Maybe our behaviour is not
00:24:12.08\00:24:19.05
consistent with the teachings of
the Bible. Now, let me ask a few
more hard questions. You're
00:24:19.15\00:24:23.96
getting kind of quiet on me.
Where did we get the idea that
it's okay to go out and sin,
00:24:24.06\00:24:28.43
break God's moral law, live as
we please? I want to show you
something interesting tonight,
00:24:28.53\00:24:34.24
because it's a trend that has
started showing up in Christian
books just in the last decades,
00:24:34.34\00:24:38.11
just in recent decades. And I
think it might help explain
where we've been going wrong.
00:24:38.21\00:24:43.35
What I'm about to read to you
comes from one of the most
popular books on Bible prophecy
00:24:43.45\00:24:49.65
put out in the last fifty years,
hands-down, far and away. And I
know the author. Good, godly
00:24:49.75\00:24:54.89
man. I'm not questioning the
author. So you'll notice, I'm
not going to put his name up,
00:24:54.99\00:24:57.93
because he's a good Christian
man. But the teachings in there
- and I want to show it to you
00:24:58.03\00:25:01.53
and I want you to think about it
- we're going to ask, "Does it
come from the Word of God?"
00:25:01.63\00:25:05.10
Here's what it says: "When He as
God's only begotten Son [it's
talking about Jesus] gave
00:25:05.20\00:25:11.67
Himself to die on that cross for
the 'sins of the whole world,'
He ended the age of law and
00:25:11.77\00:25:19.45
introduced the age of grace."
Now, I've heard that since I was
a kid. "From that time on,
00:25:19.55\00:25:24.25
individuals have been able to be
eternally saved 'through faith'
by repenting of their sins and
00:25:24.35\00:25:29.26
calling on Christ to save them."
Since when? Ever since the
cross. "That is why it is called
00:25:29.36\00:25:34.20
the 'age of grace.'" Actually,
that expression, the age of
grace, isn't a biblical term;
00:25:34.30\00:25:39.23
it's just something that he's
using to describe everything
after the cross. And what is he
00:25:39.33\00:25:43.71
saying? Now, please understand,
this is a good Christian man.
I'm not going to hang his name
00:25:43.81\00:25:48.38
out there because that's not the
point. There's a lot of people
talking like this. But what he's
00:25:48.48\00:25:53.31
saying is that salvation is by
grace through faith only for
people living after the cross of
00:25:53.42\00:25:58.89
Christ. That's what it says.
Ever since the cross, you've
been able to be saved that way.
00:25:58.99\00:26:03.86
Now it's the age of grace. But
what that means is that before
the cross, there must've been
00:26:03.96\00:26:09.86
another way into the kingdom,
right? There must've been,
because Hebrews chapter 11 lists
00:26:09.96\00:26:14.30
all these Old Testament people
who will be in the kingdom. So
how are they saved? By their
00:26:14.40\00:26:19.31
obedience? By the sacrifices?
Would it mean that God has had
two different methods of
00:26:19.41\00:26:24.65
salvation? And the answer from
the Word of God is, "Absolutely
not." The Old Testament
00:26:24.75\00:26:30.59
sacrifices never saved anybody.
Hebrews 10 verse 4 tells us that
it is not possible for the blood
00:26:30.69\00:26:36.86
of bulls and goats to save
people. They weren't saved that
way. Listen to what the Bible
00:26:36.96\00:26:41.13
says. This is a critical issue.
Acts 4 verse 12: "For neither is
there salvation in any other
00:26:41.23\00:26:47.84
[it's talking about Jesus]: for
there is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby
00:26:47.94\00:26:52.87
we must be saved." The Bible
teaches Jesus is the only way
into the kingdom of heaven.
00:26:52.97\00:26:59.05
There is no other way. "Except
if you live in the Old
Testament, right? Because those
00:26:59.15\00:27:05.49
people had to earn it." Is that
what the Bible says? There's no
indication of it. It's always
00:27:05.59\00:27:13.13
been through Jesus, Old
Testament. It's always been
through faith in the cross of
00:27:13.23\00:27:18.27
Christ. It's just in the Old
Testament, they use symbols to
look forward to the cross by
00:27:18.37\00:27:21.90
faith, and we can look back to
history by faith, at the cross
as it actually happened. The
00:27:22.00\00:27:28.41
sacrifices were a symbol of
faith. The book of Hebrews says
Abel offered a better sacrifice
00:27:28.51\00:27:33.68
by faith. The lamb didn't save
him; it pointed forward to Jesus
Who would save him. Everybody's
00:27:33.78\00:27:40.09
always been saved by the blood
of Christ, everybody. People
say, "Oh, but Shawn, that verse
00:27:40.19\00:27:44.66
is in the New Testament. It's in
the New Testament, and in the
New Testament era, it all
00:27:44.76\00:27:48.63
changed. People were saved by
obedience." I've heard this.
I've heard it, I've heard it,
00:27:48.73\00:27:53.64
I've heard it. "They've been
saved by obedience before that,
but since then, the Bible says '
00:27:53.74\00:27:58.11
The just shall live by faith.'
That's the brand-new New
Testament principle. 'The just
00:27:58.21\00:28:03.51
will live by faith.' Romans
chapter 1." Except that when
Paul wrote "The just shall live
00:28:03.61\00:28:08.65
by faith" in Romans chapter 1,
he was quoting the Old
Testament, Habakkuk 2 verse 4.
00:28:08.75\00:28:12.65
"The just shall live [by his
works? Does it say that, yes or
no?] by his faith." I want you
00:28:12.75\00:28:21.43
to follow me very carefully,
because we've actually been
preaching something for a few
00:28:21.53\00:28:25.70
generations now that is not
true. Salvation in every
generation has always been
00:28:25.80\00:28:31.87
through Jesus, and only through
Jesus. There is no other way
into the kingdom. All those Old
00:28:31.97\00:28:37.38
Testament sacrifices, all about
Jesus. The sacrifices, the
feasts, the animals, all of it
00:28:37.48\00:28:42.68
about Jesus. It's all about
faith. Nobody's ever earned
their salvation. They trusted
00:28:42.78\00:28:48.92
Jesus for it. All of them.
Listen to me carefully: They
were not saved by works. "Why
00:28:49.02\00:28:55.43
are you making such a big deal
out of this?" It's because book
after book after book says "Age
00:28:55.53\00:28:59.00
of law, age of grace." It's
always been the age of grace.
The Bible says explicitly,
00:28:59.10\00:29:06.44
Abraham was not saved by his
works. Says it explicitly.
Romans 4 verse 2: "For if
00:29:06.54\00:29:13.62
Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to boast about,
but not before God [he wasn't
00:29:13.72\00:29:18.75
saved by his works]. For what
does the scripture say? [This is
written in the New Testament.]
00:29:18.85\00:29:23.49
'Abraham believed God, and it
was accounted to him for
righteousness.'" Saved by grace
00:29:23.59\00:29:30.57
through faith. Abraham's
relationship with God was based
on faith. Abraham did not earn
00:29:30.67\00:29:36.37
his salvation, period. Nobody
has ever earned their salvation.
It has always been by faith.
00:29:36.47\00:29:42.38
There has never, ever, ever been
another method. That much is
clear in the Bible, and yet,
00:29:42.48\00:29:48.02
some people still come away a
little bit confused. Why? Where
does the confusion come from?
00:29:48.12\00:29:53.96
Why do some people say that the
Old Testament was the age of
law? It's really simple.
00:29:54.06\00:30:01.73
Something did change at the
cross of Christ. The Bible
absolutely talks about a law
00:30:01.83\00:30:07.30
that is done away with as Jesus
gives His life on the cross of
Calvary. There's no question
00:30:07.40\00:30:11.54
about it. The Bible says it. The
question is, what does it mean
by that? It's really very
00:30:11.64\00:30:17.11
simple. There's more than one
law described in the Old
Testament scriptures. One of
00:30:17.21\00:30:21.72
them is the Ten Commandments.
They went inside the Ark. God
wrote them with His own finger
00:30:21.82\00:30:25.75
in tablets of stone. These are
eternal principles. "You shall
not kill. You shall not steal.
00:30:25.85\00:30:30.46
You shall not commit adultery.
Do not take the Lord's name in
vain." They went inside the Ark
00:30:30.56\00:30:35.33
of the Covenant. Ten moral
principles, true for all
generations. There was another
00:30:35.43\00:30:41.54
one: the ceremonial law of
Moses. It was written by Moses
on paper and it was never put in
00:30:41.64\00:30:45.71
the Ark; it was put beside the
Ark. And what was it? It was a
set of regulations that
00:30:45.81\00:30:51.01
described the sacrificial
system. Those rules told you how
to sacrifice an animal, how
00:30:51.11\00:30:55.98
to run the temple, how to have a
feast, how to do all those
things. Now take a look at it.
00:30:56.08\00:31:01.82
There were two more. There were
civil and health laws as well,
but these are the two big ones.
00:31:01.92\00:31:08.16
Take a look at those two. Which
one became unnecessary at the
cross of Christ? God's moral
00:31:08.26\00:31:10.77
law? No. Ceremonial law, because
the real Lamb of God had come.
And when the real Lamb of God
00:31:10.87\00:31:18.84
came, we didn't need the symbols
anymore. That's why the hand of
God reaches into the temple at
00:31:18.94\00:31:23.41
that moment and rips the veil in
two. We didn't need the little
lambs anymore; we had the real
00:31:23.51\00:31:29.18
Lamb of God. We didn't need the
earthly sanctuary anymore
because we've got the one in
00:31:29.28\00:31:34.99
heaven with the real High
Priest, Jesus Christ, Who stands
there for us. Salvation has
00:31:35.09\00:31:42.43
always been by faith. There has
never been another way. We look
back, they look forward. Jesus
00:31:42.53\00:31:49.17
came - the sacrifices became
unnecessary. Ceremonial law, no
need for it anymore. But the
00:31:49.27\00:31:54.28
moral law cannot go away. It
can't be dismissed. Do you know
why? Because it defines what sin
00:31:54.38\00:31:59.95
is. First John 3 verse 4, I love
the way the Old King James puts
it: "Whosoever commiteth sin
00:32:00.12\00:32:06.39
transgresseth also the law: for
sin is the transgression of the
law." What is sin? Breaking
00:32:06.49\00:32:12.93
God's moral law. That's what it
is. But if God's moral law was
done away with at the cross,
00:32:13.03\00:32:18.03
that means that there is no sin
in our generation. There is
nothing you could do that is
00:32:18.13\00:32:21.50
wrong. It's gone, right?
Abolished. Gone. And if there is
no more sin, there's no need for
00:32:21.60\00:32:27.04
a saviour. And you all know
that's not true. Just let me be
sure. Do we still have sin in
00:32:27.14\00:32:33.28
our world, yes or no? Sure we
do. There must be a law people
are breaking. Sin is the
00:32:33.38\00:32:38.25
transgression of the law, and
it's not the ceremonial law;
it's God's Ten Commandment moral
00:32:38.35\00:32:44.53
law. Yet some people still say,
"But God abolished the moral law
at the cross of Christ." I grew
00:32:44.63\00:32:49.30
up hearing that all the time. I
was taught it as a little kid.
"The moral law abolished at the
00:32:49.40\00:32:53.70
cross." "God's Ten Commandment
moral law doesn't apply to
Christians." I heard sermons, I
00:32:53.80\00:32:57.74
read books. "Jesus did away with
it." And then I went looking for
it in the pages of the Bible,
00:32:57.84\00:33:02.51
and I couldn't find it. In fact,
I found the opposite. Listen to
what Jesus says: "For assuredly,
00:33:02.61\00:33:12.52
I say to you, 'til heaven and
earth pass away, one jot or
tittle [that's like the dotting
00:33:12.62\00:33:18.06
of an 'i' and the crossing of a
't'] will by no means pass from
the law 'til all is fulfilled.
00:33:18.16\00:33:25.07
Whoever therefore breaks one of
these least commandments and
teaches men so shall be called
00:33:25.17\00:33:29.90
least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does and teaches
them, he shall be called great
00:33:30.01\00:33:33.91
in the kingdom of heaven." Sound
to you like Jesus was planning
to do away with God's moral law,
00:33:34.01\00:33:38.58
yes or no? No. Do me a favour,
everybody. Raise your right leg
up in the air. Just go ahead and
00:33:38.68\00:33:45.05
raise it right up. If you don't
have a right leg, you can raise
your left one. If you don't have
00:33:45.15\00:33:48.92
any legs, just get your fist
ready. Alright. Stomp on the
floor, go ahead. Oh, that was
00:33:49.02\00:33:54.96
really wimpy. Come on, this is
Minneapolis. Try this again. Leg
up in the air. Stomp. Is the
00:33:55.06\00:33:57.97
earth still beneath your feet,
yes or no? Did the sun come up
in the sky this morning, yes or
00:33:58.07\00:34:03.27
no? So the earth is beneath your
feet and the heavens are above
your head and Jesus said, then
00:34:03.37\00:34:07.64
God's law is still there. Is
that clear, amen? It is there.
"I thought the Ten Commandments
00:34:07.74\00:34:13.45
were just for the Jews. I heard
they were just for the Jews, not
for the Gentiles. There were no
00:34:13.55\00:34:18.62
Ten Commandments before Mount
Sinai." Wait a minute. That
would mean there was no sin
00:34:18.72\00:34:23.79
before Mount Sinai either. You
mean nobody ever sinned before
Israel left Egypt? Is that true?
00:34:23.89\00:34:29.83
No. Let's think about Abraham.
Was Abraham a Jew, yes or no?
No. There were no Jews for
00:34:29.93\00:34:37.54
hundreds and hundreds of years.
He was a Hebrew. Trick question.
Why did God love Abraham? What
00:34:37.64\00:34:44.35
was it about him that stood out?
Genesis 26: "Abraham obeyed my
voice, kept my charge, my
00:34:44.45\00:34:50.89
commandments, my statutes, and
my laws." Long before Mount
Sinai. Hundreds of years in
00:34:50.99\00:34:56.76
advance. Abraham, we have seen,
is saved by his faith. He wasn't
saved by his works. And yet he
00:34:56.86\00:35:04.37
kept God's law. Why? Because it
puts a smile on the face of God,
that's why you do it. What about
00:35:04.47\00:35:11.47
Cain and Abel, right? If there
was no sin, if there was no
commandment that said "Thou
00:35:11.57\00:35:15.98
shalt not kill," what did Cain
get in trouble for? He murdered
his brother. What about Lucifer?
00:35:16.08\00:35:21.28
Lied to Adam and Eve, lied to
the angels, coveted God's
throne, placed himself ahead of
00:35:21.38\00:35:27.59
God. Why is he kicked out of
heaven? He broke God's moral
law, that's why he's kicked out
00:35:27.69\00:35:30.63
of heaven. And yet, we've got
preachers running around saying
you're going to get into heaven
00:35:30.73\00:35:34.10
breaking it. When people tell
you that God's moral law was
just for the Jews, it's 'cause
00:35:34.20\00:35:41.20
they haven't read the whole
book. They haven't. God's moral
law is eternal. God's law is
00:35:41.30\00:35:48.94
important. It's not like God got
bored one day and said, "Let's
see if I can think up some rules
00:35:49.04\00:35:53.55
that will ruin everybody's fun,
'cause they're having far too
much fun down on planet earth,
00:35:53.65\00:35:57.35
and I can think of ten ways to
ruin their fun." There's some
great reasons God gave us that
00:35:57.45\00:36:03.53
moral law. Number one: it just
makes sense. Who doesn't want to
live that way? I want to live in
00:36:03.63\00:36:08.66
a place where they say, "You
shall not steal." Still never
found my tackle box after my
00:36:08.76\00:36:14.17
house was robbed. I want a world
like that. I want to live in a
place where they say, "You shall
00:36:14.27\00:36:21.61
not kill and you shall not
commit adultery." What a world
that would be. They make good
00:36:21.71\00:36:27.05
sense. I've lived in places
where nobody pays attention to
rules like that. And I'll tell
00:36:27.15\00:36:33.15
you, you don't sleep well at
night. They make good sense. Who
wouldn't want to live in a world
00:36:33.25\00:36:38.86
where everybody lived that way?
The other reason it's important?
00:36:38.96\00:36:43.40
God's moral law is actually a
picture of Who He is. It's a
definition of His character.
00:36:43.50\00:36:49.44
When God says, "Do not kill,"
He's saying, "I want you to
value life because I value
00:36:49.54\00:36:55.34
life." When He says, "Do not
steal," He says, "I want you to
be honest because I'm honest."
00:36:55.44\00:37:01.18
When God says, "Do not bear
false witness," He says, "I want
you to treat others with respect
00:37:01.28\00:37:06.29
because I am that way." It's a
picture of Who God is. And to be
honest, that's why this becomes
00:37:06.39\00:37:11.63
a last-day issue. The devil
hates God's moral law, because
anybody who studies it and
00:37:11.73\00:37:17.40
anybody who lives by it is going
to show God to the whole world.
That's why he wants lawlessness
00:37:17.50\00:37:22.20
in the end. He's not just trying
to get you to do bad stuff; he's
trying to obliterate the image
00:37:22.30\00:37:27.31
of God, the name of God, from
off the earth, out of your
forehead, and out of your heart.
00:37:27.41\00:37:31.01
That's what he's trying to do.
"But I heard God abolished it."
I know. So did I. But really,
00:37:31.11\00:37:36.22
it's completely impossible for
God to abolish His moral law,
because He doesn't change. It's
00:37:36.32\00:37:41.99
a picture of Who He is. It's
based on Him. That's where it
comes from. And God is the same
00:37:42.09\00:37:48.26
yesterday, today, and forever.
And I love that about God. I
wouldn't want a God Who changes.
00:37:48.36\00:37:54.07
I love the fact that He doesn't
change. When He says, "I forgive
you," He doesn't change His mind
00:37:54.17\00:37:58.34
about that tomorrow. When He
says, "I love you," He doesn't
change His mind about that
00:37:58.44\00:38:03.31
tomorrow. When He says that
Jesus is coming again, He
doesn't change His mind about
00:38:03.41\00:38:07.48
that tomorrow. He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. I
love it that you can count on
00:38:07.58\00:38:16.52
God. He doesn't change, so His
law doesn't change; His moral
principles don't change. And if
00:38:16.62\00:38:21.03
you allow God, He'll write those
principles in your heart. He
will write His name in your
00:38:21.13\00:38:25.33
forehead so those moral
principles become a part of who
you are. The Bible teaches, God
00:38:25.43\00:38:32.41
will write His name in your
forehead, His character in your
heart. Listen to what it says in
00:38:32.51\00:38:37.25
the book of Hebrews. Now, the
book of Hebrews, is this in the
Old Testament or the New
00:38:37.35\00:38:40.08
Testament? New Testament. "'This
is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days,'
00:38:40.18\00:38:46.15
[this is after the cross], says
the Lord. 'I will put My [what
into their hearts?] laws into
00:38:46.25\00:38:53.63
their hearts [ceremonial law?
No. Moral law? Yes] and in their
minds, I will write them.'"
00:38:53.73\00:39:02.57
Remember, there's a battle for
your mind. It's the only real
battleground left on this earth.
00:39:02.67\00:39:08.04
Jesus took the keys to the
planet back and He's coming to
claim it soon. The last
00:39:08.14\00:39:13.18
battleground is in your mind,
and God is saying, "Let me into
your life. I'll help you win the
00:39:13.28\00:39:17.35
battle. I'll start putting My
files in your filing cabinet,
and you can live better than you
00:39:17.45\00:39:21.76
have. I," says God, "will make a
new creature out of you through
the blood of Jesus Christ." "Let
00:39:21.86\00:39:27.23
Me write My name on your
forehead. Let Me write My
character in your heart. Let Me
00:39:27.36\00:39:34.40
change you," says God. This is
how you tell the difference,
frankly, between people who
00:39:34.50\00:39:40.54
profess godliness but deny the
power of it, and people who
follow the Lamb wherever He
00:39:40.64\00:39:49.45
goes. This is the difference.
This is how you tell who the
genuine believers are in this
00:39:49.55\00:39:52.85
day and age. How do I know that?
That's what the Bible teaches.
Listen carefully. "Now by this
00:39:52.95\00:39:58.59
we know that we know Him [First
John 2], if we keep His
commandments. He who says, 'I
00:39:58.69\00:40:09.40
know Him' and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him." That's the
00:40:09.50\00:40:17.11
same thing Jesus was saying.
People will say, "Lord, Lord,"
in the last days, but they won't
00:40:17.21\00:40:23.69
do the will of God. That's not a
real relationship. It's a form
of godliness that denies the
00:40:23.79\00:40:28.72
power, but it's not a real
relationship. How do you find a
real Christian? They follow the
00:40:28.82\00:40:33.13
Lamb wherever He goes. Now, do
Christians make mistakes? Yes,
they do. Of course they do.
00:40:33.23\00:40:39.77
That's - the blood of Christ is
there for that. They're going to
make mistakes. But intent is
00:40:39.87\00:40:44.54
everything. The question is, are
you headed in the right
direction? See, it's one thing
00:40:44.64\00:40:49.98
when you're learning to ride a
bike to fall off of it once in a
while and scrape your knee. It's
00:40:50.08\00:40:53.42
another thing to pick the bike
up and toss it in the lake and
quit. Of course you're going to
00:40:53.52\00:41:02.09
make mistakes. But it's all
about intent. Do you follow the
Lamb wherever He goes? In
00:41:02.19\00:41:06.03
Revelation chapter 14, it says
that God's name is written in
the foreheads of God's people,
00:41:06.13\00:41:11.23
His character. You know what it
says just a few verses later
about the same group of people?
00:41:11.33\00:41:16.97
Revelation 14 verse 12: "Here is
the patience of the saints; here
are those who [do what?] keep
00:41:17.07\00:41:25.05
the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus." It's the same
thing: God's name, His
00:41:25.15\00:41:29.72
character, is written in their
foreheads, because God's law is
actually a picture of Who He is.
00:41:29.82\00:41:34.16
It is His character. These
people treasure God's
commandments. They want to live
00:41:34.26\00:41:37.83
like that because that's how
Jesus lived. They've given their
hearts to God, they've given
00:41:37.93\00:41:42.30
their minds to God, they want to
do whatever God asks them to do.
That's what makes the devil
00:41:42.40\00:41:47.17
angry at them. Remember, after
Jesus goes to heaven in
Revelation 12, the devil turns
00:41:47.27\00:41:50.97
his anger against the church,
and he's very angry with them
for a reason. Verse 17: "And the
00:41:51.07\00:41:56.71
dragon was enraged with the
woman, and he went to make war
with the rest of her offspring,
00:41:56.81\00:42:01.78
who [do what?] keep the
commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ."
00:42:01.88\00:42:07.12
There are only two sides in the
end. One group follows the
dragon, and the other group
00:42:07.22\00:42:11.23
follow the Lamb wherever He
takes them. Only two. And the
devil gets angry at this group,
00:42:11.33\00:42:17.97
and why is he angry? Because
those people are going to prove
the devil a liar. They're going
00:42:18.07\00:42:21.50
to reveal the character of God
to the world just in the way
they live. If they live by God's
00:42:21.60\00:42:27.01
moral principles, the whole
world will see that God is love.
They're going to show Jesus to
00:42:27.11\00:42:31.35
the world the way Jesus showed
His father to the world. You
know why these people keep God's
00:42:31.45\00:42:38.35
commandments? "It's out of a
sense of duty, that's why.
Obligation. I got a check-list
00:42:38.45\00:42:43.56
here. Ten commandments, I'm
going to keep all ten so I can
qualify for heaven." Is that
00:42:43.66\00:42:49.46
why? Not at all. It is so
simple. Jesus said in John 14,
"If you love Me, keep my
00:42:49.56\00:43:00.08
commandments." It's just that
simple. You're not trying to buy
your way into heaven. You can't.
00:43:00.18\00:43:06.55
But if you love Jesus, you just
do it. "Oh, but I'm a sinner.
It's against my nature to do
00:43:06.65\00:43:14.42
that." I know. I know. It's
against my nature as a man to do
all kinds of things. As a man, I
00:43:14.52\00:43:19.39
like to throw my clothes on the
floor when I walk in the door.
As a man, I like to leave the
00:43:19.49\00:43:25.37
toilet seat up at night. It's
convenient. As a man, I like to
leave the shower curtain open. I
00:43:25.47\00:43:31.24
don't want to squeegee the
shower curtain. I don't want to
do that. As a man, I don't want
00:43:31.34\00:43:35.84
to get out of bed at three in
the morning to squash a spider.
I don't want to do that either.
00:43:35.94\00:43:40.22
I do all those things. Do you
know why? I got a wife. And I
love her. And because I love
00:43:40.32\00:43:53.19
her, I mostly hang up my
clothes. I mostly put down the
toilet seat. I squeegee the
00:43:53.29\00:44:04.64
shower. Doesn't make a lick of
sense. I make the bed and put
all those stupid pillows on the
00:44:04.74\00:44:09.64
bed. They don't - nobody uses
those pillows. They don't make
any sense. I kill spiders. Big
00:44:09.74\00:44:21.46
hairy ones. I might have
accidentally used somebody's
toothbrush to push one down the
00:44:21.56\00:44:28.43
drain once. It's against my
nature to do all those things,
but I do them. Do you know why?
00:44:28.53\00:44:33.77
I love her. And yeah, when you
are a sinner, you don't
naturally line up with the moral
00:44:33.87\00:44:39.97
law of God, but Jesus said, "If
you love Me, do this." You're
not trying to buy a spot in
00:44:40.08\00:44:42.98
heaven. You're doing it because
it puts a smile on the face of
Jesus. "Oh, wait a minute,
00:44:43.08\00:44:48.82
preacher. There are passages in
the New Testament that
explicitly say that the Ten
00:44:48.92\00:44:56.29
Commandments are gone." No,
there aren't. Some people think
there are because they don't
00:44:56.39\00:45:01.83
read the whole book. Let me show
you a couple of them that have
been, well, misconstrued in just
00:45:01.93\00:45:06.33
the last couple of generations.
Let's look at it. Romans 3:28:
"Therefore, we conclude that a
00:45:06.43\00:45:12.84
man is justified by faith apart
from the deeds of the law."
Well, there's Bible truth,
00:45:12.94\00:45:18.85
right? You can't be justified by
keeping the law; we're justified
by faith. But some people look
00:45:18.95\00:45:24.55
at it and they say, "Ah-ha, the
law therefore is gone." Is that
what it says? No. Can't earn
00:45:24.65\00:45:31.53
your salvation; Jesus pays for
it. Keeping God's law doesn't
buy you a spot in heaven. But
00:45:31.63\00:45:36.33
that is not what this says. It
doesn't say it's gone; they just
haven't read the whole thing.
00:45:36.43\00:45:41.10
Look at verse 31: "Do we then
make void the law through
faith?" writes Paul. "Certainly
00:45:41.20\00:45:45.74
not! On the contrary, we
establish the law." Sound to you
like it's gone? No. Romans 6:
00:45:45.84\00:45:55.88
"Sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not under
law but under grace." "Ah,
00:45:55.98\00:46:01.89
preacher, do you see it right
there? It says I'm not under
law; I am under grace. The law
00:46:01.99\00:46:06.16
is gone. I now live by grace.
God's moral law gone,
irrelevant, nailed to the cross,
00:46:06.26\00:46:13.20
disappeared, gone." Is that what
it says? Well, not quite. I had
a friend who was dying years
00:46:13.30\00:46:20.71
ago, and I was in a hurry to get
to the hospital, and I was -
I'll admit it - I was driving a
00:46:20.81\00:46:26.05
little bit faster than the sign
on the road said I should. And
I'm driving and I turn a corner
00:46:26.15\00:46:31.45
down my favourite shortcut, this
little street off of Quadra [ph]
Street, and it was a shortcut to
00:46:31.55\00:46:37.19
the hospital. And as I went
around the corner, there they
were, the cops, with a radar
00:46:37.29\00:46:46.47
gun. And I thought, "Not today.
I'm not getting a ticket today.
Not going to happen." And I
00:46:46.57\00:46:52.54
slowed down, way down. I was so
slow, I could've gotten a ticket
for going too slow. And as I
00:46:52.64\00:46:59.55
went by, I was so confident, I
waved at the cops, "Hey." And I
looked back at the road, and
00:46:59.65\00:47:06.79
another policeman jumped out of
the bushes. I hate it when they
do that. And he jumped out of
00:47:06.89\00:47:13.09
the bushes right in front, stop,
pulled me over. I had to pull
into somebody's driveway, all
00:47:13.19\00:47:18.97
their kids looking out the
window at me. He comes up to the
window, he says, "Hey, I bet
00:47:19.07\00:47:25.51
you're wondering why I pulled
you over." "Yeah, I really am. I
wasn't speeding; I know I wasn't
00:47:25.61\00:47:30.61
speeding." He said, "Look out of
your window, bright boy." So I
looked out my window. There was
00:47:30.71\00:47:35.88
my seatbelt hanging out the
door. The buckle had been
dragging along the concrete as I
00:47:35.98\00:47:46.80
was driving. He said, "That
wasn't very smart, was it?" He
said, "That's not very smart at
00:47:46.90\00:47:51.57
all." I said, "What can I say?
I'm guilty." Now I'm under the
law. I'm under the law; I broke
00:47:51.67\00:47:59.44
it. I said, "What can I say? I
need a ticket, I guess." He
said, "Well, that's good of you
00:47:59.54\00:48:03.68
to admit it, but I practice no
leniency when it comes to
seatbelt violations." I said, "I
00:48:03.78\00:48:08.88
know. Write me a ticket. I'm
guilty. I just need the ticket."
I'm trying to hurry him up
00:48:08.98\00:48:12.22
because I want to get to the
hospital. And as he's writing
the ticket, he sees a sticker in
00:48:12.32\00:48:17.39
my car window. It's a hospital
parking sticker. He said, "Why
do you have that? Are you a
00:48:17.49\00:48:23.57
doctor or something? Are you on
your way to a medical
emergency?" If I have ever been
00:48:23.67\00:48:37.41
tempted to bear false witness -
I didn't. "No, no, I'm not a
doctor." "Why do you have that
00:48:37.51\00:48:45.32
sticker?" "I'm a minister."
"You're a minister? Oh," he
says, "this is going to make it
00:48:45.42\00:48:49.89
really hard for me to write you
a ticket." He's superstitious. I
said, "You can do it." I'm
00:48:49.99\00:48:55.80
trying to hurry him up. "Give me
my ticket. Please, just fill it
in. You can do it." He says, "I
00:48:55.90\00:48:58.83
don't want to give you a ticket.
You're a minister." "Please," I
said, "give me my ticket." And I
00:48:58.93\00:49:02.44
stopped for a minute. I'm trying
to talk him into a ticket and
he's trying to talk me out of
00:49:02.54\00:49:08.91
one. He says, "You know what? I
don't want to give you the
ticket." He said, "You're free
00:49:09.01\00:49:14.18
to go. You usually wear your
seatbelt, right?" I said, "Oh
yeah, absolutely, I was just in
00:49:14.28\00:49:16.72
a hurry today and it was
dragging out the door like
that." He said, "Get out of
00:49:16.82\00:49:24.69
here." Now I'm under grace. I
got a pardon I didn't deserve
right there. Let me ask you a
00:49:24.79\00:49:29.06
question: Am I now exempt from
all the seatbelt laws of the
land? No. I'll tell you, I
00:49:29.16\00:49:34.20
peeled right out of there. I
laid down rubber. I sped to the
hospital, swerved into oncoming
00:49:34.30\00:49:39.04
traffic, 'cause I'm free from
the law. Grace doesn't set you
free from keeping the law; it
00:49:39.14\00:49:47.22
gives you a pardon you didn't
deserve for breaking it. Look at
what it says. "Sin shall not
00:49:47.32\00:49:52.45
have dominion over you. You are
not under law, but under grace."
You gotta keep reading. Here's
00:49:52.55\00:49:57.53
what the next verse says: "What
then? Shall we sin because we
are not under law but under
00:49:57.63\00:50:03.00
grace? Certainly not!" says
Paul. People in his day were
saying, "Well, if we're under
00:50:03.10\00:50:07.17
grace, we can do what we want."
No, you can't. This is a big
last-day issue. No, the Bible
00:50:07.27\00:50:13.31
says that God's law is like a
mirror. James chapter 1: "If
anyone is a hearer of the Word
00:50:13.41\00:50:18.28
and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a
mirror, for he observes himself,
00:50:18.38\00:50:23.22
goes away, and immediately
forgets what kind of man he
was." "But he who looks into the
00:50:23.32\00:50:29.96
perfect law of liberty [it calls
the Ten Commandments liberty?
Yeah, it sure does. It sure
00:50:30.06\00:50:35.03
does, 'cause you're not really
free while people are murdering
and stealing and committing
00:50:35.13\00:50:39.17
adultery. We're not really free
until we're back in the kingdom
of God. Whoever looks into the
00:50:39.27\00:50:43.84
perfect law of liberty] and
continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of
00:50:43.94\00:50:48.58
the work, this one will be
blessed in what he does." God's
law is like a mirror, shows you
00:50:48.68\00:50:53.95
what you're really like. I look
in the mirror every night before
I come down here. Today I looked
00:50:54.05\00:50:59.75
in the mirror, wasn't pretty. I
looked. I said, "How in the
world does it happen? I'm
00:50:59.85\00:51:06.39
turning into Dad." And I looked
even closer and there was
spinach between my teeth. And a
00:51:06.49\00:51:11.90
big rooster tail in my hair and
a dirt smudge on my shirt,
pimple on my forehead. So I
00:51:12.00\00:51:18.87
dealt with it: I abolished the
mirror, got out a hammer and
smashed it. It's done away with;
00:51:18.97\00:51:26.31
it's gone. Gone. Is that a cure?
Not a cure at all. The law shows
you what you're actually like.
00:51:26.41\00:51:31.89
It shows you what God is like,
and then you can see what you
are really like. That's not a
00:51:31.99\00:51:36.19
solution, breaking the mirror.
I'll tell you what the solution
is: brush your teeth, comb your
00:51:36.29\00:51:40.30
hair, wash your shirt, pop the
zit. That is the solution.
That's the solution. It's to
00:51:40.40\00:51:50.04
help you see that you're dirty
and that you need Jesus. "The
law of the Lord is perfect," the
00:51:50.14\00:51:55.78
Bible says, "converting the
soul." How does it convert the
soul? Brings you to the cross of
00:51:55.88\00:52:02.98
Christ when you see that you're
dirty. Doesn't give you a
license to sin. Two kinds of
00:52:03.08\00:52:07.86
people in this world: those who
follow the Lamb wherever He
goes, and those who go through
00:52:07.96\00:52:11.13
the motions. It's the difference
between a pig and a lamb. "How's
it the difference between a pig
00:52:11.23\00:52:17.10
and a lamb?" A pig and a lamb
both go running down the hill
together, fall into the mud
00:52:17.20\00:52:23.47
puddle. They're both in the mud.
But they react completely
differently. The pig loves the
00:52:23.57\00:52:35.72
mud. Oh, that feels good. The
lamb jumps out of the mud and
runs to the shepherd and the
00:52:35.82\00:52:47.36
shepherd cleans him. "What does
this have to do with prophecy?"
Everything. It's a huge last-day
00:52:47.46\00:52:51.80
issue. "The dragon was enraged
with the woman and went to make
war with the rest of her
00:52:51.90\00:52:58.94
offspring, who keep the
commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ." It's
00:52:59.04\00:53:07.18
huge. Says it again in chapter
14: "Here is the patience of the
saints. Here are those who keep
00:53:07.28\00:53:14.42
the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus." Those are God's
last-day people. In the ancient
00:53:14.52\00:53:27.57
Roman empire, there was a slave
auction. And they brought out
this guy who'd been caught in a
00:53:27.67\00:53:35.64
number of wars and served as a
slave a number of times. And he
wasn't happy to be there. He
00:53:35.74\00:53:43.25
cursed. He spit on anybody who
walked by. And the bidding
started and they kept driving up
00:53:43.35\00:53:51.63
the price, and he told everybody
who was bidding, "I'll never
work for you. I'm not doing it."
00:53:51.73\00:53:57.60
He was fed up. One man kept
bidding and kept bidding and
wins. Takes him down off the
00:53:57.70\00:54:03.81
platform in his chains and he
spit on the man's face. "I'll
never work for you." He leads
00:54:03.91\00:54:11.08
him down the road out of town.
And as soon as they're around
the corner, he unlocks the man
00:54:11.18\00:54:18.19
and says, "You're free. Go."
"What?" "You're free. Go." "I
bought you to set you free." And
00:54:18.29\00:54:30.17
he begins to walk away, and he
stops. "Sir," he says, "you
bought me to set me free?" "I
00:54:30.27\00:54:43.51
did." He said, "I don't have
anywhere to go. Can I come home
with you? I'll serve you
00:54:43.61\00:54:57.83
forever." There's the difference
between the devil's force and
Jesus' love. There it is. Jesus
00:54:57.93\00:55:09.27
bought you to set you free. And
I'm going to serve Him forever.
There is nowhere else to go. Oh,
00:55:09.37\00:55:28.69
Father in heaven, thank You for
the love of Jesus, for the way
that heaven poured everything
00:55:28.79\00:55:38.37
into our salvation. We
understand the only way home is
through the blood of Christ;
00:55:38.47\00:55:45.37
that's been true for everybody.
Lord, though, we want to
respond; mark off our hearts and
00:55:45.47\00:55:54.12
our homes as belonging to You.
Let our lives show the world
that You are real and that You
00:55:54.22\00:56:02.29
are love. And may we follow the
Lamb wherever He goes, all the
way into the kingdom. And we ask
00:56:02.39\00:56:12.77
that you would come quickly, for
we pray it in Jesus' name, amen.
00:56:12.87\00:56:16.00
Today you have watched just one
in a series of "Revelation
Speaks Peace" presentations.
00:56:18.97\00:56:23.41
The entire series is available
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00:56:23.51\00:56:31.55
Or Call.. 877-955-2525 Or if you
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00:56:31.65\00:56:41.40
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Hate. Catastrophe. And a battle
00:56:41.50\00:56:51.54
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00:56:51.64\00:56:57.18
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00:56:57.28\00:57:03.69
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00:57:03.79\00:57:09.79
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00:57:09.89\00:57:17.10
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00:57:17.20\00:57:23.07
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00:57:23.17\00:57:29.68
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00:57:29.78\00:57:36.58
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00:57:48.63\00:57:55.10
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00:57:55.20\00:58:06.75
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00:58:06.85\00:58:13.56
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00:58:14.99\00:58:17.43