Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: RT
Program Code: RT000002
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00:04 3ABN presents The Robe with Stephen Bohr.
00:11 Some three years ago my wife and I had traveled 00:14 to Panama to spend some time with her parents. 00:17 And while there we heard that the Fresno Church 00:21 was in the country and that they were actually building a church 00:26 up into the mountains for the Indian people 00:30 that live up there in the mountains 00:32 just maybe an hour north of where my wife's parents live. 00:36 And so we decided to go up there and just spend some time 00:39 with them. Maybe take them a little food... 00:40 fellowship with them while they're building there 00:42 up in the mountains. And we drove up into 00:44 the mountains past the beautiful terraced gardens 00:47 that the Indian people, they... they... 00:49 they farm right on the side of the mountains. 00:51 It's really quite impressive. 00:53 We drove up into the mountains on a Thursday 00:56 only to find out that the church decided to take that day off 01:00 to go to the beach. 01:02 So we're in the mountains... they're at the beach. 01:04 And then my sister-in-law, coming from an urban setting, 01:09 locked the keys in the car. 01:12 So we're up in the mountains. The temperature is dropping, 01:15 and the temperature drops fast there in the mountains. 01:18 And we're freezing. You can't call AAA 'cause you're in 01:20 Panama. And you can' just pull over and get somebody. 01:23 So we're stuck. 01:24 And so I had to call upon some long-lost skills, 01:29 Pastor Jim, to get in that car. 01:31 Now I assured them: "Don't worry, I will get us 01:33 in this car ere the darkness fall. " 01:36 And the Lord was kind; we did get into the car 01:39 and were able to get out. 01:41 We got back and we heard that the Fresno Church 01:44 and Pastor Bohr would be preaching that Sabbath. 01:48 But we had a little bit of a dilemma because we also heard 01:50 that Pastor Alejandro Bullon was also going to be preaching 01:54 at Irma's mother's church. 01:56 And of course he is a famous and well-known evangelist 01:59 in the Spanish community. And we were trying to decide 02:02 Bullon or Bohr? Bohr or Bullon? 02:04 Bullon or Bohr? Then we heard that Bullon 02:07 was actually going to be by videotape and Bohr was 02:12 going to be live. Well that settled it for us. 02:14 Better Bohr live than Bullon on tape. 02:17 So we went with the live Bohr and not the Bullon. 02:20 And we went there to this large arena that was packed with 02:24 people to hear Pastor Bohr preach in perfect Spanish. 02:28 And I asked my wife: "Is that good Spanish? " 02:30 And she said: "No, that's perfect Spanish. " 02:32 So he... he is quite bilingual. 02:34 He preaches in Spanish and in English 02:36 and does so very, very well. 02:40 Pastor Stephen Bohr is known as a student of the Word. 02:43 He is one of the more popular speakers here on 3ABN. 02:46 He has been at the Fresno Church for over a decade 02:50 and during that time has developed this wonderful 02:53 ministry Secrets Unsealed. 02:55 He is the husband of one wife, 02:57 the father of a boy and a girl, 02:59 and a grandfather, I am told. 03:02 His son just bought two dogs, so he is a dog's grandfather. 03:06 No children yet but he does have two granddogs. 03:09 But more than that he is a preacher of the Word 03:11 and someone that we have come to know and love here on 3ABN. 03:15 And so after we shall have prayed together 03:17 as it seems good to us and the Holy Spirit 03:20 to call him here, we ask from you for him 03:24 your prayerful and undivided attention. 03:26 Shall we pray. 03:28 Dear Father in Heaven, 03:29 we thank you for this Sabbath evening. 03:33 We thank you for a time when we can lay down the cares 03:36 of the world and spend a little time concentrating 03:41 on our friend Jesus Christ. 03:43 And so Father, as Pastor Bohr has been called 03:47 by You to speak a word to our hearts 03:50 anoint his lips and our ears 03:54 that the words that he speaks will be but Your words 03:58 and that those heaven-sent words will find lodging 04:03 in our hearts, in our minds, in our souls. 04:07 We thank you for Your promise to hear 04:09 and for Your promise to be with us this night 04:12 in Jesus' name, Amen. 04:15 God bless you. 04:26 Good evening. Good evening. 04:28 It's good to see you all out 04:31 at the beginning of this Sabbath day. 04:34 Isn't Sabbath a blessing? 04:36 Amen! 04:38 I look forward to it even though I work harder on 04:40 Sabbath than any other day. 04:41 But it's spiritual work so it's allowed. 04:45 Let's bow our heads. Father, 04:47 as we open Your Word we ask for the presence of Your Spirit. 04:50 Give us clear minds and tender hearts. 04:53 And we thank you for hearing our prayer for we ask it 04:56 in Jesus' name, Amen. 05:00 First of all, let's review what we studied 05:02 in our first sermon in this series: 05:05 Weaving the Robe of Christ. 05:07 If you remember, we noticed that God is covered with 05:12 a robe of glorious light. 05:14 And that robe of glorious light represents 05:18 God's righteousness. 05:20 And so He has a literal robe and a spiritual robe. 05:22 The literal robe is literal light; 05:25 the spiritual robe is righteousness. 05:28 Then we noticed that when God created man 05:31 He made man to reflect His glory 05:34 like the moon reflects the glory of the sun. 05:37 And God also gave man a glorious robe of literal light. 05:42 But that robe of literal light represented righteousness 05:48 because man had not sinned. 05:50 But then we noticed that our first parents - Adam and Eve - 05:55 sinned. And as a result first of all they lost 05:58 their spiritual robe because they lost righteousness. 06:01 But as a result of losing their spiritual robe 06:04 they then lost their literal robe of light that covered them. 06:09 And now because they were spiritually naked 06:12 they found themselves physically naked as well. 06:18 And so they tried to cover their nakedness... 06:21 not only their physical nakedness but the 06:23 nakedness of soul... with fig leaves 06:26 which represents the excuses that they offered for their sin. 06:30 In other words, the attempt to justify their sin. 06:34 But we noticed that God removed those fig leaves 06:38 and He clothed them with the skins of an immaculate lamb 06:43 that had been slain. 06:46 And as we noticed in our study 06:48 this sacrifice of an immaculate lamb 06:53 represented two aspects of the ministry of Jesus 06:58 in the camp and in the court. 07:00 In the camp He came and lived with us. 07:03 He faced our trials and our temptations 07:07 and He gained the total victory over sin. 07:10 He never sinned. Therefore, He wove a perfect robe 07:16 of righteousness through His life. 07:19 But then at the end of His life 07:21 Jesus took upon Himself our sins. 07:25 And that's the reason why He hung naked upon the cross. 07:30 You see, spiritual nakedness that He took upon Himself 07:34 now expressed itself in literal nakedness 07:38 because He was bearing our sins. 07:41 And of course, through the life of Jesus 07:45 and through the death of Jesus, now He had a robe 07:49 that He could give to repentant sinners. 07:54 And now those repentant sinners would not have to die 07:56 because accepting Jesus - the death of Jesus - 08:01 stood in their place. 08:04 And so as a result of the life of Jesus 08:09 and the death of Jesus, Jesus now had benefits 08:12 that He could pour out on those who come to Him. 08:16 Now we want to ask a critically-important question. 08:20 And the question is this: 08:22 did Jesus forgive everyone's sins at the cross? 08:28 Now usually when I preach this sermon 08:31 whether it's in an Adventist church or a non-Adventist 08:35 environment, people immediately answer "yes. " 08:39 "Jesus forgave everyone's sins at the cross. " 08:44 But I have a surprise for those who think that. 08:48 Jesus did not forgive sins at the cross. 08:53 You see forgiveness is an individual, personal thing. 08:58 Jesus lived His life in the camp and He died in the court 09:03 and that way He had benefits to pour out upon those 09:09 who claim His sacrifice. 09:12 I'd like to read a statement that we find in the book 09:15 Acts of the Apostles. 09:16 Actually it's in Acts of the Apostles but I'm going to 09:19 read it from Story of Redemption page 386. 09:23 It's speaking about what Jesus went to do 09:26 on the Day of Pentecost in heaven. 09:29 It says there: 10:15 In other words, now He could pour out His life 10:19 and He could pour out His death upon His disciples... 10:24 those who believe in Him. 10:26 Allow me to give you an example so that we can understand 10:30 the relationship between the perfect life of Jesus, 10:33 His death, and how we benefit from these. 10:36 I want you to imagine a bank that we will call 10:40 The Bank of the Universe. 10:43 And a certain individual who has unlimited resources 10:47 deposits enough money in that bank 10:50 to pay every person's debts on planet earth. 10:54 Debts of your mortgage, your credit cards, 10:58 department stores, educational bills, 11:01 auto loans. He deposited enough capital in that bank 11:05 to pay every person's debts on planet earth. 11:09 Now He doesn't have to do this. 11:11 People got in debt because of their choices. 11:14 But out of His mercy and out of His grace He says: 11:17 "I just want to make this deposit into the bank 11:19 so that I can pay every person's debts on planet earth. 11:23 There's only one catch... 11:26 and that is that to benefit from the capital 11:31 that has been deposited in the bank 11:33 you have to come and make the withdrawal at the bank. 11:39 If you don't come and make the withdrawal, 11:42 the capital is there - the money is there - 11:44 but you're still going to be in debt 11:46 because you never claimed what was there. 11:50 And so the life of Jesus in the camp 11:52 was lived for the whole world. 11:54 The death of Jesus on the cross 11:57 was sufficient for the whole world. 11:59 But only those who claim His life, 12:02 only those who claim His death in their place, 12:06 are going to benefit from what Jesus did. 12:10 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 12:12 Now what did Jesus go to heaven to do? 12:14 What has He been doing during the last 2,000 years? 12:17 You ask Christians that question 12:19 and they're somewhat puzzled and confused 12:22 because, you know, why has Jesus been in heaven 12:25 for 2,000 years? What is He doing? 12:27 The fact is the New Testament makes it clear 12:30 what Jesus has been doing. 12:32 Let's read three verses from the New Testament. 12:35 The first is found in I Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5. 12:39 It says here: 12:51 So what is Jesus doing in heaven? 12:53 He's what? He's mediating His life and His death 12:58 in favor of those who come to Him. 13:00 Notice I John chapter 2 and verse 1. 13:03 Here the word mediator is not used. 13:07 It's a different word but it means basically the same thing. 13:10 "My little children, these things I write to you 13:14 so that you may not sin. 13:16 And if anyone sins, we have" a what? 13:26 And so during the last 2,000 years 13:28 Jesus has been the mediator. Jesus is the advocate 13:33 to apply His life and His death 13:36 to those who come to Him to claim the benefits 13:39 of what He did in the camp and what He did in the court. 13:43 Notice also Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 25. 13:48 Hebrews 7 and verse 25. 13:50 It says here: 14:07 So who are those who are saved to the uttermost? 14:10 Everybody on planet earth? 14:12 No! It says: "Therefore He is also able to save... " 14:26 What does the word "them" refer to? 14:28 Those who come to God through Him. 14:33 Now the question is: whose sins does Jesus forgive? 14:39 Did He forgive them at the cross? 14:41 The answer is "absolutely not. " 14:44 And I know that that might be surprising to many of you. 14:47 But let's notice what the Bible has to say 14:50 about forgiveness. Whose sins does Jesus forgive? 14:54 Go with me to Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. 14:58 Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. 15:01 This is Peter speaking on the Day of Pentecost. 15:05 It's towards the conclusion of his sermon. 15:08 In fact, he's already preached his sermon 15:10 and the people who are present came to him and said: 15:13 "Peter, what do we need to do? " 15:14 And notice what Peter said, Acts 2:38: 15:37 The word remission is trans- lated also in the New Testament 15:39 "for the forgiveness. " Remission and forgiveness 15:42 is the same Greek word. 15:43 And so Peter says: "Repent, and let every one of you 15:47 be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 15:50 for the remission or forgiveness of sins... " 15:56 Let me ask you: who are those who are forgiven? 15:58 Those who repent and are baptized. 16:03 Notice Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 16:05 By the way, this was present truth 16:08 in the days of the apostles: 16:09 the intercession of Jesus. 16:11 We're going to notice tomorrow that present truth 16:13 is that Jesus is performing a work of judgment. 16:16 Notice Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 16:19 Speaking about Jesus, it says: 16:36 What did Jesus go to heaven to do? 16:38 He went to heaven to what? To give repentance 16:42 and what else? And to give forgiveness. 16:44 If He has to give forgiveness, He didn't give it at the cross. 16:47 Notice also Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. 16:51 Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. 16:54 It says here, speaking about Jesus once again: 17:10 Who is it that receives remission of sins? 17:13 Those who what? Who believe in Him. 17:17 Now you remember Simon Magus, right? 17:20 The fellow who tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. 17:23 When he tried to do that, notice what Peter said to him. 17:26 This is in Acts chapter 8 and verses 20 to 23. 17:30 Acts 8:20-23. 18:03 Was it necessary for Simon Magus to repent 18:07 in order to receive forgiveness? 18:09 Absolutely! 18:12 So Jesus did not forgive everyone at the cross. 18:15 Jesus Christ, by living His life, made provision for 18:19 people to receive His life. 18:21 He made provision by His death for people to receive His death. 18:25 But you must repent and you must believe 18:28 in order to receive the benefits of His atonement. 18:32 Now let's ask the question: what are the conditions 18:37 for being forgiven 18:39 and receiving the robe of Christ's righteousness? 18:44 There are five conditions that are mentioned 18:46 in the New Testament. 18:48 At least five. 18:50 The first requirement is, as we have read, 18:53 repentance. 18:55 Let's read once again Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. 18:59 Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. 19:01 We read this before and we'll probably read it again 19:04 before we're finished. It says in Acts 2:38: 19:21 Let me ask you: is repentance a condition for 19:25 having your sins remitted or forgiven? 19:27 Absolutely... very clear. He says: "Repent 19:31 and then your sins will be remitted. " 19:35 Notice Luke chapter 17 and verses 3 and 4. 19:38 This is speaking about us forgiving others, 19:41 but the principle is the same: 19:43 that repentance must precede forgiveness. 19:46 By the way, we don't need to repent to come to Jesus. 19:50 We come to Jesus in repentance and then He forgives us. 19:54 Some people think that they have to repent before Jesus 19:56 will accept them. No, you come to Jesus as you are... 19:59 repentance... and Jesus accepts you. 20:01 Luke 17 verses 3 and 4: 20:27 Does repentance precede forgiveness? 20:30 Absolutely. According to this text it does. 20:33 And some people say: "Well, Pastor, if an individual 20:36 commits the same sin seven times a day 20:38 and seven times he comes and he says 'I repent, ' 20:41 how do you know if his repentance is genuine or not? 20:44 Well, you need to come to the next exciting episode 20:48 tomorrow morning. That's why God is going to have a judgment... 20:51 to show if repentance was genuine or not. 20:55 Now we all know that there's true and false repentance, 20:59 right? Now, what is the difference between 21:02 true and false repentance? 21:05 Allow me first of all to say - and this is very important - 21:08 that we cannot repent on our own. 21:12 Repentance is a gift of God. 21:15 In other words, repentance is not something I come up with. 21:19 Repentance is something that God gives us. 21:23 Now let's notice that in scripture... 21:26 Go with me to Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 21:29 Acts chapter 5 and verse 31. 21:32 We read it before but now we want to look at something else 21:35 that comes from this verse. 21:37 It says there - speaking about Jesus: 21:54 So who is it that gives repentance to Israel? 21:58 It is God who gives repentance to Israel. 22:01 In other words, repentance is not something that I 22:04 come up with out of my own heart. 22:07 God leads me to repentance. 22:09 And do you know what it is concerning God that leads me 22:12 to repentance? Notice Romans chapter 2 22:15 and verse 4 tells us what it is that God gives us 22:18 that leads us to repentance. 22:19 Romans chapter 2 and verse 4. 22:22 Here the apostle Paul says: 22:39 You see, when I catch a glimpse of the perfect life of Jesus 22:43 and how imperfect I am in comparison 22:46 and when I see that Jesus took my sins upon Himself 22:51 and He suffered the torture of the cross, I say: 22:53 "Man, You did that so that I wouldn't have to die. 22:56 You're so good. I'm sorry! " 22:59 So it's Jesus - the goodness of God through Jesus - 23:03 that leads us to repentance. 23:05 Now what is the difference between genuine and counterfeit 23:09 repentance? 23:11 Folks, genuine repentance is sorry for the sin itself. 23:16 Counterfeit repentance is - on the contrary - 23:22 sorry for the results that sin will produce. 23:25 In other words, genuine repentance is sorry for sin! 23:30 Whereas, counterfeit repentance is sorry for the consequences 23:34 or the results that will come as a result of sin. 23:37 Notice II Corinthians chapter 7 verses 10 and 11. 23:41 II Corinthians chapter 7 and verses 10 and 11 23:45 it compares the two kinds of repentance: 23:48 godly repentance and worldly repentance. 23:52 It says there: 24:12 Do you know what true repentance is? 24:13 It simply means saying: "I blew it; it was my fault" 24:18 with no ifs, buts, or maybes. 24:22 True repentance does not come because we fear punishment 24:27 or because we hope for reward. 24:29 True repentance comes simply because we see the 24:33 beauty of the character of Jesus 24:35 and we say: "I'm so unlike Jesus. " 24:37 And we see His death on the cross and we say: 24:39 "He was so generous in His giving of His life for me. 24:42 I'm sorry, Lord, that I sinned. " 24:44 That's true repentance. 24:47 By the way, Adam and Eve were not repentant at first 24:50 when they ate from the tree. 24:53 Do you know one of the greatest signs that a person is not 24:55 repentant is making excuses. 24:58 "Well, Lord, it's true that I hollered at my wife but... " 25:04 "You know, it's true that I did this, but the flesh is weak. " 25:07 And so we give all these buts and ifs and maybes. 25:10 True repentance means that we assume full and complete 25:14 responsibility for what we did for ourselves. 25:18 You see, Adam and Eve... at first they weren't repentant. 25:21 God comes to Adam. Adam says: 25:23 "The woman You gave me... that's why I sinned. " 25:27 And He comes to the woman... she says "The serpent 25:29 that You made... " See, they weren't really repentant. 25:32 Ellen White tells us when they were truly repentant. 25:35 It's when they had to sacrifice the first lamb. 25:39 And then the Creator told them: "That lamb represents Me. 25:43 I'm going to have to die because of your sin. " 25:46 Then they said: "Wow, sin is horrible! " 25:49 And then they repented of the sin. 25:51 They did not repent because of the consequences 25:54 because they were afraid of dying. 25:56 Notice this interesting statement that we find 25:59 in Christ Object Lessons page 311. 26:01 Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided 26:05 can make us meek to appear in God's presence. 26:10 This covering - now listen carefully - 26:12 the robe of His own righteousness - 26:15 Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. 26:21 So what do you need to do in order to have 26:24 the robe of His righteousness - 26:25 the spiritual robe we're talking about - of His righteousness? 26:29 You must what? Repent as well as what? 26:33 Believe. 26:35 Now let's... we'll come back to believe in a few moments 26:37 but let's go to our second condition 26:39 for receiving the robe or for receiving forgiveness. 26:43 The second requirement is confession. 26:46 Now there's a close relationship between repentance 26:50 and confession. You say: "What is the relationship 26:53 between repentance and confession? " 26:55 Well, repentance means to be sorry for sin. 27:01 Confession means to openly say that you are. 27:06 Audibly say that you are. 27:08 In other words, it is to with the mouth admit it 27:12 and say: "I blew it; I'm sinful. " 27:14 There are several examples of confession in scripture. 27:19 Daniel when he was praying over the sins of Israel 27:24 that had led them into captivity. Daniel chapter 9 27:27 verses 4 and 5, notice how Daniel audibly 27:31 confesses the sin of Israel in repentance. 27:35 You see, repentance is to be sorry. 27:37 Confession means to say that you're sorry. 27:40 It says there in Daniel 9 4 and 5: 27:42 "And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession 27:46 and said: 'Oh Lord, great and awesome God, 27:50 who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him 27:53 and with those who keep His commandments, 27:55 we have sinned and committed iniquity. 27:59 We have done wickedly and rebelled 28:02 even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. ' " 28:06 Notice he doesn't say only "We have sinned. " 28:08 He says: "We have sinned; we have committed iniquity; 28:10 we have done wickedly; and we have rebelled. " 28:13 In other words, this is true repentance 28:16 that leads to confession. 28:17 You know when David committed adultery 28:19 and also the sin of murder for all practical purposes 28:23 he wrote Psalm 51 but he also wrote Psalm 32. 28:27 I want you to notice Psalm 32 and verse 5. 28:30 In this penitential Psalm of David 28:32 not only did he repent but he also acknowledged his sin 28:37 audibly. 28:38 It says there in Psalm 32 verse 5: 28:41 "I acknowledge my sin to You, 28:45 and my iniquity I have not hidden. 28:50 I said: 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' 28:56 and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. " 29:00 So did David audibly confess his sin to the Lord? 29:06 The repentance that was in his heart? 29:08 Absolutely. 29:10 Notice also Psalm 38 and verse 18. 29:14 Psalm 38 and verse 18. 29:16 Here David once again - the psalmist - says: 29:19 "For I will declare my iniquity. 29:23 I will be in anguish over my sin. " 29:27 We also know the story of the prodigal son. 29:32 Did the prodigal son repent when he was far away from home? 29:36 Yes he did repent. 29:39 What led him to repentance? 29:41 The memory of his father... the goodness of his father 29:44 led him to repent. He was sorry! 29:47 And therefore he goes back home and what does he do? 29:51 He says audibly: "Father, 29:54 I have sinned against heaven and against you 29:58 and am no longer worthy to be called your son. " 30:00 Did he openly confess his repentance? 30:02 He most certainly did. And what did the father 30:05 place over his shoulders? He was forgiven 30:08 and he received the robe of his father. 30:11 We can think also of the confession of the publican. 30:14 A Pharisee and a publican went to the temple to pray. 30:18 Of course, the Bible says that the Pharisee prayed 30:20 with himself because he felt pretty good. 30:22 He didn't feel like he needed to repent. 30:25 But the publican repented of his sin, and the fact is 30:29 show by his - according to the Bible - standing afar off. 30:33 It says he wouldn't even look to heaven. 30:36 And he beat his breast and he confessed audibly. 30:40 He said: "Lord be merciful to me a sinner. " 30:44 And the Bible says Jesus Himself, His own words 30:48 that this man went home justified. 30:52 By the way, the word justify means to forgive. 30:54 They're synonymous terms. 30:57 In other words, this publican went home justified 31:02 because he repented and he confessed his sin. 31:05 Now you remember when the apostle Paul was in Ephesus 31:09 and there was a group of people who accepted the gospel. 31:12 And they made this great big bonfire 31:14 and they burned all of their books. Do you remember it? 31:17 Now notice how they confessed publicly what they had done 31:20 before. Notice Acts chapter 19 and verses 18 and 19. 31:26 Acts chapter 19 verses 18-19. It says here: 31:31 "And many who had believed came confessing 31:35 and telling their deeds. " 31:39 What were they doing? 31:41 Confessing and telling their deeds. 31:43 "Also, many of those who had practiced magic 31:48 brought their books together and burned them 31:51 in the sight of all. " 31:54 Was this a public thing? It most certainly was. 31:57 "And they counted up the value of them 32:00 and total 50,000 pieces of silver. " 32:04 That was a fortune back then! 32:06 Notice Romans chapter 10 and verse 10. 32:08 We're still on the second condition for receiving 32:11 forgiveness. The first is repentance. 32:13 The second condition is confession. 32:14 Romans 10 verse 10 says that we must confess with our mouth. 32:18 It says there: "For with the heart one believes 32:21 unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made 32:26 unto salvation. " 32:29 And then of course you know that classic verse 32:31 which by the way begins with a conditional word 32:35 I John chapter 1 and verse 9: 32:38 "If we confess our sins... " 32:41 Is there a condition for receiving forgiveness? 32:44 Absolutely. 32:54 Is confession a condition for receiving forgiveness? 32:58 Absolutely. Let's read one final verse. 33:01 Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 13. 33:04 Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 13. 33:07 This is also a very well-known verse. 33:09 It says here: 33:27 Once again we find that whoever confesses sin 33:31 and forsakes sin will have what? "Mercy. " 33:36 Now let's go to our third condition 33:38 for receiving forgiveness. 33:40 Our third condition is to believe or trust in Jesus. 33:46 What does that mean to believe or trust in Jesus? 33:49 Basically what it means, folks, is that I come to Jesus 33:53 and I say: "Jesus, I'm a miserable sinner. 33:55 My life is stained with sin and there's no hope for me. 34:00 But Jesus I believe that You lived Your perfect life. 34:03 I believe that You died on the cross carrying my sins. 34:07 And Jesus would you please take Your life 34:10 and would you PLEASE take Your death 34:12 and would You put these to my account? 34:14 Would You please give me the benefits of Your atonement? " 34:18 That's what it means: trusting in the life and in the death 34:21 of Jesus Christ. 34:23 Let's notice several verses that speak about 34:26 belief or trust in Jesus. 34:28 The word believe actually means to trust in Him. 34:31 Notice Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. 34:35 Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. 34:37 Once again, speaking about Jesus. We read this before 34:40 in another context. It says: 34:42 "To Him" - that is to Jesus - "all the prophets witness... " 34:57 Is it necessary to believe in Jesus to receive 35:00 remission of sins? Absolutely. 35:02 And you know the most famous verse in the Bible... 35:06 "For God so loved the world... " 35:19 By the way, it would be nice to put there 35:21 "that whosoever trusts in Him 35:25 should not perish but have everlasting life. " 35:28 Notice I John chapter 2 and verse 1. 35:30 This is a very interesting verse. 35:32 By the way, how can we approach the throne of God? 35:34 Do we have any righteousness to offer God 35:36 when we come to the throne of God? 35:38 Absolutely not. So how can we approach His throne? 35:40 It must be through the righteousness of Jesus. 35:42 Now notice I John 2 verse 1.. 35:45 powerful words: 36:01 Now that's important 36:03 because it's not my righteous- ness that is presented 36:05 before the Father. It's the righteousness of Jesus 36:08 my Advocate. And so when I come before the Father 36:12 the Father says: "Where is your righteousness? " 36:14 I say: "I don't have any but my Advocate is Jesus. 36:18 Jesus is righteous because He lived the righteous life 36:21 and I have accepted Him as my Savior and as my Lord. " 36:26 I want to read you 3 statements from the little magnificent book 36:30 Faith and Works 36:31 which is actually a compilation of articles that were written 36:34 by Ellen White. Ellen White had this very, very straight. 36:38 Notice what she says in the little book Faith and Works 36:41 page 70 about what it means to believe. She says: 37:09 Isn't that a magnificent quotation? 37:12 Faith and Works page 106 she says: 37:44 Isn't that a magnificent quotation? 37:47 That's what the Bible means when it says 37:49 that we are accepted in "the beloved. " 37:53 God looks upon us as if we had never sinned 37:56 because the righteous life of Jesus stands in place of 37:59 my life and His death stands in place of the death that I 38:03 should suffer. One final quotation from Faith... 38:06 actually this is not from Faith and Works. 38:08 It's from The Faith I Live By page 107. 38:11 This is what Ellen White says there... 38:13 The Faith I Live By page 107: 38:24 Is there any merit or claim to justification 38:27 on the basis of our righteousness and goodness? 38:30 Absolutely not! 38:31 She says: 38:37 And now I love this part: 39:08 That's a magnificent quotation! 39:11 And so we must repent. We must confess, 39:13 and we must trust in Jesus... in the merits of His life 39:17 and in His death. But there's a fourth condition. 39:19 Our faith must be a faith that works. 39:25 It must be a genuine faith. 39:28 A genuine faith - a genuine trust in Jesus - 39:31 produces a change in the life. 39:34 Notice once again Proverbs 28 and verse 13. 39:38 Proverbs 28 and verse 13. 39:58 Do you remember the preaching of John the Baptist? 40:01 Let's read in Matthew chapter 3 and verses 8 through 10. 40:05 Matthew 3 verses 8 through 10. 40:09 John the Baptist says: "Therefore bear fruits 40:12 worthy of repentance. " 40:13 In other words, fruits that show that repentance is real. 40:16 "And do not think to say to yourselves: 'we have Abraham 40:20 as our father. ' For I say to you that God is 40:22 able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones 40:25 and even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. 40:29 Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit 40:34 is cut down and... " what? "and thrown into the fire. " 40:39 Must the tree produce fruit? 40:42 Absolutely. And the tree represents the believer. 40:46 Now let's notice what the apostle Paul had to say 40:49 to King Agrippa. This is found in Acts 26 40:53 and verses 19 through 21. 40:55 Acts 26 verses 19 through 21. 40:58 Here the apostle Paul says: 41:27 What does that mean: "works befitting repentance? " 41:30 It means works that show that repentance is real. 41:34 By the way, the Bible teaches that we are saved by grace 41:38 through faith but we will be judged by works. 41:41 We will see that tomorrow morning. 41:43 You say: "there's a contradiction there. " 41:45 How can we be saved by faith and judged by works? 41:47 The fact is that works show if faith is real 41:51 or if faith is a counterfeit. 41:54 Notice this very famous passage that you all know 41:57 about: James chapter 2 beginning with verse 14. 42:02 It's a rather large passage 42:03 but I'm going to read the whole passage because it's powerful 42:06 about the relationship between faith and works. 42:09 Here James - the brother of Jesus, by the way - says: 42:13 "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone 42:16 says he has faith but does not have works? " 42:20 Notice he doesn't really have faith... he SAYS 42:22 he has faith. 42:23 "Can faith save him? " 42:26 Actually in the Greek it says "Can such a faith save him? " 42:30 Then he goes on: "If a brother or sister 42:33 is naked and destitute of any food 42:36 and one of you says to them 'depart in peace, 42:40 be warm and filled, ' 42:42 but you do not give them the things which are needed 42:45 for the body, what does it profit? 42:47 Thus also faith by itself 42:50 if it does not have works is dead. 42:53 But someone will say: 'you have faith; I have works. ' 42:57 Show me your faith without your works 43:00 and I will show you my faith by my works. 43:03 You believe that there is one God; you do well. 43:06 Even the demons believe and tremble. 43:09 But do you want to know, oh foolish man, 43:11 that faith without works is dead? 43:14 Was not Abraham our father justified by works? " 43:18 By the way, it's not saying that he's justified by works. 43:20 The works show that he was justified by faith 43:22 because it's a genuine faith. 43:23 "Was not our father Abraham justified by works 43:27 when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? " 43:29 Do you see that faith was working together with his works? 43:33 See, it's a package deal. 43:35 "And by works faith was made perfect. " 43:38 In other words, faith without works is an imperfect faith. 43:42 "And the scripture was fulfilled which says Abraham believed God 43:46 and it was accounted to him for righteousness 43:49 and he was called the friend of God. 43:50 You see then that a man is justified by works 43:53 and not by faith only. " In other words, not by a bare faith 43:57 that has no works. 43:58 "Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot justified by works 44:03 when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 44:06 For as the body without the spirit is dead 44:09 so faith without works is dead. " 44:15 You see, when the branches 44:17 off the wild olive tree were cut off 44:21 and grafted into the natural olive tree, 44:24 those branches produced what? Fruit. 44:28 In the parable of the vine and the branches 44:31 Jesus says: "I am the Vine; you are the branches. " 44:33 When the branch is connected with the vine 44:35 truly and genuinely through believing in Jesus 44:39 He will produce what? Much fruit. 44:42 Of course, you're all acquainted with what Jesus said. 44:44 He said: "By their faith you shall know them. " 44:48 No, that's not what He said. 44:50 I was hoping that you would protest. 44:53 Jesus didn't say: "By their faith ye shall know them. " 44:55 He says: "By their works ye shall know them. " 44:59 Because works show if faith is genuine or not. 45:03 So we must repent. We must confess. 45:07 We must believe and trust in Jesus. 45:10 It must be a belief or a faith that produces works. 45:13 It must be a genuine faith. 45:16 But there's one final condition 45:18 that I want to draw your attention to. 45:20 And that is found once again in Acts 2 and verse 38. 45:25 We read this verse before but let's read it again 45:28 because now we have the last condition. 45:50 What is the last condition? 45:53 You must be what? You must be baptized. 45:59 It says: "Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins" 46:04 and then it says: "and you shall receive the gift 46:07 of the Holy Spirit. " By the way, do you know 46:08 that actually the moment that we're covered with the 46:10 wonderful robe of Christ's righteousness officially 46:14 and publicly is when we are baptized. 46:17 That's when Jesus places His spiritual robe. 46:20 His life is placed to our account. 46:23 You say: "Where in the Bible is such a thing taught? " 46:26 Go with me to Galatians chapter 3 46:28 and verses 26 and 27. 46:30 Here the apostle Paul makes it clear 46:32 that it's at the moment of baptism when officially 46:35 and publicly God says: "Now this individual 46:38 is covered with the robe of My righteousness. " 46:41 Notice Galatians 3 verses 26 and 27: 47:06 By the way, that expression "put on" is used in the 47:10 New Testament to describe the putting on of clothing. 47:14 So those who have been baptized have what? 47:18 Have "put on Christ. " 47:21 You see, the Bible teaches that when I'm born 47:23 I'm born into the family of the first Adam. 47:27 I am born naked in other words. 47:31 I am born with a sinful nature 47:33 that then expresses itself in actual sin 47:37 and I'm naked spiritually in the sight of God! 47:40 And so I must be what? 47:42 I must shed the nakedness of the old Adam 47:45 and I must be included in the second Adam 47:48 in order for my nakedness to be clothed. 47:52 Now let me ask you: What is the ceremony that God has chosen 47:55 for me to shed the nakedness of the first Adam 47:58 and to be covered with the robe of the second Adam 48:02 to cover my nakedness? 48:04 It is the ceremony of what? Baptism! 48:08 Notice Romans chapter 6 and verses 3 through 5. 48:11 Romans chapter 6 and verses 3 through 5. 48:15 Here the apostle Paul says: 48:29 So when we're baptized we're not baptized into our death, 48:32 we're baptized into His death. 48:55 "Knowing this... that our old man was crucified with Him 48:59 that the body of sin might be done away with 49:03 that we should no longer be slaves of sin. " 49:05 You see what happens at baptism? 49:07 At that moment God includes me in Jesus. 49:14 And God couldn't have chosen a better ceremony than baptism 49:17 for this... to be incorporated into Christ, 49:20 to benefit from the death, burial, and resurrection 49:24 of Jesus... because you know, when a person's going to be 49:26 baptized, the person is in the baptistry and 49:29 the pastor says: "In the name of the Father, the Son, 49:32 and the Holy Spirit" that individual is breathing, right? 49:35 Before they go under the water. 49:37 What's the last thing they do before they go under the water? 49:39 They stop breathing like when you die - like when Jesus died. 49:44 And then the person is buried under the water. 49:46 And is the person breathing under the water? 49:49 Oh, better not. No! He's not breathing under the water! 49:52 And then what's the first thing that the person does 49:55 when... when he or she comes out of the water? 49:58 Ah-haa... breathes again! New life! 50:02 And so at baptism by reenacting 50:06 symbolically the death, burial, and the resurrection of Jesus 50:09 God is including me in what Jesus did. 50:13 I'm not dying my own little death 50:15 because my death is not atoning. 50:18 I am dying WITH HIM, God reckons me with Him... 50:22 death on the cross. 50:24 He reckons me buried with Jesus 50:26 and He reckons me resurrected with Jesus 50:29 and standing at the right hand of God. 50:31 The apostle Paul says that in the book of Ephesians. 50:34 And now I am accepted in the beloved. 50:36 I'm seated in heavenly places with Jesus Christ. 50:42 Acts 2:38 says that baptism is indispensable 50:46 for the remission of sins. It's not an option. 50:49 That's why Jesus said in Mark 16 verses 15 and 16: 51:05 So is it necessary to be baptized in order to be saved? 51:08 Let's not talk about the exceptions. 51:10 Some people say: "What about the thief on the cross? " 51:12 Well I tell them: "You're not a thief 51:14 and you're not on a cross. " 51:15 There are exceptions to the rule 51:18 and God recognizes our circumstances. 51:21 And so it says: "He who believes and is baptized 51:23 will be saved... " 51:29 And I'll tell you how beautiful this is. 51:31 When I come forth from the water now I'm in Christ. 51:35 The Father doesn't look at me... He looks at Jesus. 51:38 Isn't that wonderful? 51:40 And so Jesus tells me... By the way, the only one who 51:42 has a right to truly be called the Son of God is Jesus Christ. 51:46 We're all children of wrath. 51:48 And Jesus went even further, said: 51:50 "You're of your father the devil! " 51:54 And so Jesus comes before His Father and says: 51:56 "Hey, Father... I've got a new brother. " 52:00 "Oh, yeah? " "Who's Your brother? " 52:03 "Tom. " 52:05 "Oh, Tom's Your brother? 52:07 Well if he's Your brother, He's My son too. " 52:12 And so Jesus comes... He said: 52:14 "Father, I have a new sister, Shirley. " 52:20 And the Father said: "Shirley's Your sister? 52:23 Well if Shirley's Your sister, she's My daughter. " 52:25 That's what Jesus meant when He said 52:28 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 52:32 No man comes unto the Father but by Me! " 52:35 We have to become brothers and sisters of Jesus 52:39 in order to becomes sons and daughters of God. 52:42 And that's the reason why the Bible says that 52:44 He is not ashamed to call us brethren. 52:48 In the devotional book Lift Him Up 52:51 page 109 we find this beautiful statement: 53:15 So once we accept Jesus Christ 53:18 we are now "in Christ. " 53:22 So what happens if you should die "in Christ? " 53:29 See, those who die in Christ... 53:31 they don't have anything to worry about 53:33 because they have the spiritual robe. 53:35 And you know what? You say: "What about the 53:38 literal, physical robe? " 53:39 Well, if you have the spiritual robe and you should die 53:43 before Jesus comes, when Jesus comes he's going to 53:46 give you the literal robe of light. 53:48 You see, man lost his spiritual robe first 53:51 and then he lost his literal, physical robe. 53:54 In the restoration, God restores first of all the spiritual robe 53:58 and then when Jesus comes He will give us 54:00 the physical, literal robe 54:02 and we will be covered once again with the glorious 54:04 light of God. 54:07 In fact, let's notice I Thessalonians chapter 4 54:10 verses 15 through 17. 54:12 There's something very important here. 54:14 I Thessalonians 4 verses 15 through 17. 54:41 What must happen if we're going to be "in Christ? " 54:44 We must what? Repent. What else? 54:46 Confess. What else? 54:48 Trust. What else? 54:51 Have a trust that changes what? The life. 54:54 And finally be what? Baptized. 54:56 At baptism we're included in Him. 54:58 Buried with Him. Die with Him. 55:01 Resurrected with Him. God reckons us "in Him. " 55:04 So that's the reason why I'm not afraid of dying. 55:06 Some people say: "Pastor, aren't you afraid of 55:08 getting on airplanes all the time? That some day 55:10 the airplane'll fall out of the sky? " 55:13 No! Because I'm in Christ. 55:15 And if I should die, the Bible says that the dead "in Christ" - 55:19 and I came to be "in Christ" at the moment of baptism 55:22 officially and publicly - 55:24 "the dead in Christ will rise first. " 55:26 Verse 17: "Then we who are alive and remain... " 55:36 Jesus expressed it in John 11 verses 25 and 26: 55:43 This is speaking to... to Mary. 55:58 Doesn't mean that they're not going to die the physical death 56:00 but they're not going to die forever. 56:05 And then of course we have that majestic passage of 56:07 I Corinthians chapter 15, 56:09 and I want to read that in closing. 56:11 This is the moment when God is going to clothe our... 56:14 the nakedness of death with life. 56:18 It says in I Corinthians 15 verse 51: 56:38 That's the same word that has to do with putting on clothes. 56:42 And so it says: "For this corruptible must put on 56:45 incorruption. " That's where we're going to receive our 56:47 glorious literal physical robe. 57:10 And man will have been restored totally and completely 57:14 because he will have once again both robes: 57:18 the robe of righteousness and the glorious physical robe 57:22 of light that covered man originally. 57:26 Isn't this a wonderful truth? |
Revised 2014-12-17