Welcome to the 3ABN
Spring Camp Meeting:
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The Three Angels' Messages.
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Hello and welcome to
3ABN Spring Camp Meeting:
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The Three
Angels' Messages. Amen!
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I have been... I have
never been more excited
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about any Camp
Meeting than this.
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We know it was God ordained.
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We know that the
Lord gave us the idea.
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And to think that
we've got sixteen sermons
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that are parsing this message
so that we will have better
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understanding,
amen? And John Bradshaw...
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I'll tell you what: when he was
talking about the everlasting
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gospel I could hardly
sit. Wasn't it wonderful?
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Yes. Because
that is the foundation
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of the three angels'
messages. Well, we want to
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welcome all of you from
around the world who might be
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watching or listening,
whether it is by television,
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radio, or Internet.
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And thank each and every
one of you for being here.
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We have a special
treat for this hour.
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This message is Fear
God and Give Him Glory.
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And I can't think of anybody
better to give the message
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than Pastor David Shin.
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He is the pastor of the
Hillside O'Malley church
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in Anchorage, Alaska.
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And David is a
wonderful Bible teacher.
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You're going to get deep
into the scriptures today
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I know because he
really has that heart.
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As a matter of fact, I
guess you know that he graduated
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from the... yeah,
wherever he graduated from
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up there in
Michigan. This is live!
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But anyway, he graduated
from Andrews University
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Theological Seminary.
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And he loves to share the gospel
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with students of
public universities.
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And boy, we need to
reach these young people.
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His wife: Tennille.
They have a 1-year-old baby.
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Just turned one. His name
is Hudson and he's so precious.
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And I was introduced to...
David's parents are here today.
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And somebody said: "This
is David Shin's parents. "
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And I said: "Oh,
you said that wrong. "
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"This is Hudson's grandparents.
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That's what they
want to be known as. "
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But he is a man of God.
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He's a man of deep conviction
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and I know you're
going to enjoy this message.
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But before he comes
what we're going to do
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is invite Stephanie Dawn out.
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She is going to be singing
for us with that angelic voice
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a song called Sanctuary.
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And
accompanying her on the piano
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is Dann Thornton. And we're
just so glad that she is here.
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What have I done with
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the days come and gone?
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And I remember
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how once I was drawn
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into
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Your sanctuary.
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When did I wander
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so far away?
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How did I get here?
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Why did I stray?
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And can I ever
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find my way
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back
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to Your sanctuary?
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Nothing have I
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on earth but You.
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No one but You
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in heaven.
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So why do I
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continue to do
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everything else
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but come to You.
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All of my folly
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I finally see
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I've nowhere to hide;
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I've no place to flee.
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If I ran to You
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or You run to me
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out from Your
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sanctuary.
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Nothing have I
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on earth but You.
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No one but You
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in heaven.
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So why would I
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continue to do
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anything else
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but come to You?
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I will remember
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what You did for me:
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climbing that hill
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to die on that tree.
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There will I go and
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bend my knee;
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there I'll find
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sanctuary.
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I'll give You thanks
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for Your
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sanctuary.
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Amen!
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Amen... amen.
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Praise God for
that beautiful song.
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Amen! Praise God
for His sanctuary.
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And as we begin
our study this morning
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I invite you to bow your
heads as we pray together.
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Father in heaven, we are
humbled by this opportunity
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that we have to
worship You this morning,
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to study Your Word
in spirit and in truth.
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As we reflect on this message
that You've given to Your people
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the first angel's
message: the words "Fear God
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and give glory to Him" we
pray that You would bless us
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with Your presence.
Speak to us we pray.
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Hide me behind the cross.
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We pray for the Holy Spirit
to guide us, to instruct us,
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and to lead us.
For we ask these things
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in the precious name
of Jesus. Amen... amen.
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Our focus today is
the phrase "Fear God
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and give glory to Him. "
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But before we
delve into a deeper study
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into those words I
want to spend a few moments
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setting the
geo-political context
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into which this message
is going to be proclaimed.
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And I invite you to
open your Bibles with me
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to Revelation chapter 13.
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Revelation chapter 13 verse 1.
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Revelation 13 is the
chapter that precedes
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the three angels' messages.
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And it sets the
geo-political context into which
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the messages of the angels
are going to be proclaimed.
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Revelation chapter 13 verse 1
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"Then I stood on the sand
of the sea and I saw a beast
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rising up out of the
sea having seven heads,
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ten horns, and on
his horns ten crowns,
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and on his heads
a blasphemous name.
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Now the beast which I
saw was like a leopard.
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His feet were
like the feet of a bear
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and his mouth like
the mouth of a lion.
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The dragon gave him his power,
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his throne, and
great authority. "
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Here in Revelation
chapter 13 you see a sea beast
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and we know in
Revelation chapter 17 verse 15
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that this beast is rising
up out of a populated area
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and it's an amalgamated beast.
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It's a composite beast
and it's the exact same beasts
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that are found
in Daniel chapter 7.
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Except in Daniel chapter
7 it begins with the lion
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and ends with the
terrible beast with ten horns.
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In this case
it's in reverse order.
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Bible scholars have assumed
that this is because Daniel is
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looking forward and the book of
Revelation is looking backwards
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in history. In
Revelation chapter 13
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it has a beast with four heads.
And when you count the heads
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in Daniel chapter 7 there
are exactly four heads as well.
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But this beast is unique
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in that it is a
composite of all the beasts
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that are there
in Daniel chapter 7.
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There's many applications
that we can draw from this.
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One of them is that
this is Satan's masterpiece.
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It is an image that
is a conglomeration,
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a synthesis of all
the pagan practices
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that have been developed
all the way since Babylon.
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And this beast, according
to Revelation chapter 13
00:12:00.88\00:12:05.12
verse 3 says: "And
I saw one of its heads
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as it had been mortally wounded
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and the deadly wound was healed
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and all the world marveled
and followed after the beast. "
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And this text is
being fulfilled today
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in your hearing.
We are witnessing
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in Protestant America today
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this wondering and
marveling after the beast power.
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Verse 4: "So they worshiped
the beast who gave authority
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to the beast and
worshiped the beast saying:
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'Who is like the
beast? Who is able to make war
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against him? ' " You'll
see that a central issue
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in the end of time
is going to be worship.
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All the world is
worshiping this beast.
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And if you go down to
Revelation chapter 13 verse 11
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another beast
comes up out of the land.
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It's a lamb-like beast.
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It looks like a lamb
but it speaks like a dragon.
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And the Bible indicates that
the second beast of Revelation
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chapter 13 will
collude with the first beast
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and there will be an
enforcement of worship.
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Skip down to verse 15: "He
granted power to give breath
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to the image of the beast
that the image of the beast
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should both speak and cause
as many as would not worship
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the image of the
beast to be killed. "
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Notice: there is worship.
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There is giving
glory to the beast
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and there is fear of the beast.
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It is in this
geo-political context
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that the first angel's
message is to be proclaimed.
00:13:46.76\00:13:51.53
Now I want to pause right here
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because we need
to be very careful
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in a very polarized
political environment
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specifically in the
United States of America
00:14:02.10\00:14:04.37
that we do not
become so political
00:14:04.57\00:14:07.44
that we become unBiblical.
00:14:07.84\00:14:10.31
Amen. Amen? Amen.
00:14:10.51\00:14:12.31
Because if I read
my Bible correctly
00:14:12.51\00:14:14.72
there is going to come a time
00:14:15.12\00:14:17.59
when being Biblical
is going to be perceived
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as unpatriotic.
00:14:22.99\00:14:24.93
That being Biblical
is going to be perceived
00:14:26.53\00:14:30.50
as un-American.
00:14:30.70\00:14:32.70
And we need to be careful
that we are not so caught up
00:14:33.64\00:14:37.01
in the political dialogue
00:14:37.21\00:14:39.37
that we get lost Biblically.
00:14:39.77\00:14:43.95
Reminds me of a
book in my library.
00:14:44.78\00:14:47.05
It's called Hitler's Cross.
00:14:47.88\00:14:49.85
And it's fascinating because
when you look at Protestant
00:14:51.15\00:14:55.02
Germany and you
look at the ministers
00:14:55.22\00:15:00.26
and how they interacted
with Nazism and Hitler
00:15:00.46\00:15:04.43
there are pictures in that
book where there's a swastika
00:15:04.63\00:15:08.20
next to the cross.
And you see the pastors
00:15:08.40\00:15:12.37
giving their
allegiance to Adolf Hitler.
00:15:12.77\00:15:16.31
They have become so political
that they've become unBiblical.
00:15:17.28\00:15:22.18
And we need to be careful -
especially in this context -
00:15:22.95\00:15:26.92
because friends, if we are
lost in the political machinery
00:15:27.12\00:15:30.59
we're not going to be able to
give the first angel's message
00:15:30.79\00:15:33.46
much less the
second angel's message
00:15:33.66\00:15:35.96
and the third angel's message.
00:15:36.16\00:15:38.10
Let's go to
Revelation chapter 14.
00:15:38.50\00:15:40.04
So while this is taking
place on the geo-political scene
00:15:40.24\00:15:44.47
in Revelation chapter 14
the Bible says; "And I looked
00:15:44.67\00:15:46.91
and behold a Lamb
standing on Mount Zion
00:15:47.11\00:15:50.08
and with Him 144,000
having His Father's name
00:15:50.28\00:15:53.25
written in their foreheads. "
00:15:53.45\00:15:55.35
Later on it says that this angel
has the everlasting gospel.
00:15:56.22\00:15:59.42
And the everlasting
gospel is made possible
00:15:59.62\00:16:02.26
because of the Lamb.
00:16:02.46\00:16:04.49
When you look at the words
of the first angel's message
00:16:05.26\00:16:08.70
in verse 6: "And
I saw another angel
00:16:08.90\00:16:10.83
flying in the midst of heaven
00:16:11.03\00:16:13.34
having the everlasting gospel
to preach to those who dwell
00:16:13.54\00:16:16.94
on the earth: to every nation,
tribe, tongue, and people
00:16:17.14\00:16:20.44
saying with a
loud voice: 'Fear God
00:16:20.64\00:16:23.14
and give glory to Him for the
hour of His judgment has come.
00:16:23.35\00:16:26.41
And worship Him who
made the heavens, the earth,
00:16:26.61\00:16:29.75
the sea, and the
springs of water. ' "
00:16:29.95\00:16:32.65
There's a lot
that we can focus on.
00:16:33.49\00:16:35.42
I've been given
these words: "Fear God
00:16:35.62\00:16:38.19
and give Him glory. "
There are three distinct words,
00:16:38.39\00:16:41.83
three distinct verbs in
the first angel's message:
00:16:42.03\00:16:45.03
fear... give... and worship.
00:16:45.43\00:16:49.94
We are to fear
God, give glory to Him,
00:16:50.34\00:16:53.21
and worship Him who
made the heavens, the earth,
00:16:53.41\00:16:56.78
the sea, and the
fountains of water.
00:16:56.98\00:16:58.85
Notice: there are going
to be two groups of people
00:16:59.25\00:17:03.18
in the end of time.
00:17:03.39\00:17:04.72
One will worship the beast.
00:17:05.05\00:17:06.86
One will give glory to the beast
00:17:07.26\00:17:09.69
and one will fear the beast.
00:17:09.89\00:17:12.13
And the other group of
people will fear God...
00:17:12.53\00:17:15.33
will give glory to Him
00:17:15.73\00:17:17.83
and will worship Him.
00:17:18.77\00:17:20.40
The choice is ours as to
who we are going to worship
00:17:21.34\00:17:26.51
in the end of time.
Let's focus on these words
00:17:26.71\00:17:29.64
"Fear God. "
What does that mean?
00:17:29.84\00:17:33.78
And as I studied
this and as I reflected on
00:17:34.45\00:17:37.02
the first angel's message
specifically these words:
00:17:37.22\00:17:39.55
"Fear God" I
wondered to myself why did not
00:17:39.75\00:17:43.56
the first angel's
message begin with the words
00:17:43.76\00:17:46.73
love God. Wouldn't
that be just gospel centered
00:17:47.43\00:17:53.44
or gospel centric? We
know that the fulfilling
00:17:53.64\00:17:56.34
of the law is love. The
New Testament the gospels
00:17:56.54\00:17:59.37
speak of love. And it is
peculiar and just unusual
00:17:59.57\00:18:04.28
to me that the first
angel's message that is to go to
00:18:04.48\00:18:07.08
the entire world begins
with the words "Fear God. "
00:18:07.28\00:18:11.72
Now the emphasis of
the first angel's message
00:18:12.29\00:18:15.09
indicates the issues
that are going to be prevalent
00:18:15.29\00:18:18.39
in the end of time.
00:18:18.59\00:18:20.00
According to the
Andrews Study Bible
00:18:21.60\00:18:24.20
fearing God means
to revere, to respect,
00:18:25.20\00:18:29.80
and hold in awe.
00:18:30.01\00:18:33.07
I looked up the definition
of respect in the dictionary,
00:18:33.91\00:18:37.91
and the definition of respect
is "a feeling of deep admiration
00:18:38.91\00:18:44.82
for someone. "
00:18:45.02\00:18:46.35
Respect means to demonstrate
00:18:46.72\00:18:49.46
high regard for an individual.
00:18:49.66\00:18:53.16
Notice that fearing
God is also indicating
00:18:53.90\00:18:59.27
respect, and this
respect is a feeling.
00:18:59.47\00:19:03.07
It's an emotional state
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.74
in which you have deep
admiration for someone.
00:19:05.94\00:19:10.65
I have a book. It's
by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.
00:19:11.01\00:19:16.79
It's called Love and Respect.
00:19:17.39\00:19:20.69
By the way, for those
of you that are married
00:19:20.89\00:19:22.69
or thinking about getting
married: highly recommend
00:19:22.89\00:19:25.49
this book. And it's based
on Ephesians chapter 5:23.
00:19:25.69\00:19:31.50
Notice what Paul says:
00:19:31.90\00:19:34.14
"So each husband
should... " What his wife?
00:19:34.50\00:19:38.07
"should love his wife as
much as he loves himself. "
00:19:38.27\00:19:43.68
The lady said "Amen. " Right?
00:19:44.08\00:19:46.35
"and each wife should... " What?
00:19:46.75\00:19:50.52
"should respect her husband. "
00:19:50.92\00:19:54.22
The Bible indicates that it
should be husbands that love
00:19:54.99\00:19:58.96
their wives and each wife
should respect her husband.
00:19:59.16\00:20:02.26
Now this is not indicating
that women should not love
00:20:02.46\00:20:05.87
their husbands and that husbands
should not respect their wives.
00:20:06.07\00:20:08.70
But he's indicating what it is
difficult for each gender to do.
00:20:08.90\00:20:13.07
If you ask a man:
"Does your wife love you? "
00:20:14.14\00:20:17.15
most men will say: "No
doubt my wife loves me. "
00:20:17.55\00:20:21.25
But if you ask the man:
"Does your wife respect you? "
00:20:21.72\00:20:25.49
Amen! Come on now...
00:20:25.69\00:20:27.42
I think most men may be like
"Oh, let me think about that.
00:20:29.89\00:20:32.89
Does she? "
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.46
We live in an age
of unconditional love
00:20:35.86\00:20:39.73
but according to this
book respect is a form of love.
00:20:40.14\00:20:46.07
Now think about the
implications of this.
00:20:46.27\00:20:48.81
By the way, he
said that many times
00:20:49.34\00:20:52.15
in the vicious cycle of
a marriage, disagreements,
00:20:52.35\00:20:56.82
when a man feels disrespected
00:20:57.22\00:21:00.46
he responds by
being unloving. All right.
00:21:00.86\00:21:04.89
And when a man is unloving
00:21:05.89\00:21:08.46
the woman
responds with disrespect.
00:21:08.66\00:21:13.07
And he indicates that
the more mature gender
00:21:14.90\00:21:19.34
in that case -
whoever it might be -
00:21:19.54\00:21:21.44
all right - needs to stand
up and say: "Look I'm going to
00:21:21.64\00:21:23.98
give this person
unconditional love
00:21:24.18\00:21:27.62
or unconditional respect. "
00:21:27.82\00:21:30.82
And it begins a new
cycle in their relationship.
00:21:31.02\00:21:35.12
Think about the
implications of this.
00:21:35.92\00:21:37.83
In the most intimate human
relationship that we can have
00:21:38.39\00:21:41.86
this side of heaven -
the marriage relationship -
00:21:42.06\00:21:45.93
love and respect are
essential. It sure is!
00:21:47.00\00:21:52.67
Not love OR respect
00:21:52.87\00:21:55.04
but love AND respect. All right!
00:21:55.34\00:21:58.58
And the emphasis of
the first angel's message
00:21:58.78\00:22:02.08
is an emphasis on respect.
00:22:02.48\00:22:05.72
Could it be that we are
living in a culture today
00:22:06.59\00:22:10.43
that emphasizes a false
type of relationship with God
00:22:11.03\00:22:14.96
that emphasizes love
00:22:15.26\00:22:17.63
to the exclusion of respect?
00:22:19.70\00:22:24.27
Is God
disrespected in today's culture?
00:22:25.07\00:22:30.95
So the first angel's message
begins with these two words:
00:22:34.48\00:22:38.09
"Fear God... " which
implies a type of respect.
00:22:38.29\00:22:42.09
A feeling of reverence and awe.
00:22:42.49\00:22:45.99
There was a comedian
that was being interviewed
00:22:46.39\00:22:50.40
about his visit
to the White House.
00:22:50.60\00:22:54.07
And he was so nervous -
this was a man that makes jokes
00:22:57.11\00:23:01.54
about everyone,
including the president -
00:23:01.74\00:23:03.75
and he was invited
to the White House.
00:23:04.25\00:23:06.72
And he decided that even
though it was an outside event
00:23:06.92\00:23:11.25
and many of the people
were going to be dressed
00:23:11.45\00:23:13.29
very casually that he
would wear a 3-piece suit
00:23:13.49\00:23:17.63
to the White House.
00:23:17.83\00:23:19.39
Why did he do that?
00:23:20.40\00:23:22.16
Out of respect for the office.
00:23:22.56\00:23:25.90
In other words, our
feeling of reverence and awe
00:23:26.50\00:23:31.57
for an
individual or for an office
00:23:31.77\00:23:34.61
influences our behavior.
00:23:34.81\00:23:37.21
When you respect someone
00:23:37.61\00:23:39.78
it plays into how you
interact with that individual.
00:23:40.18\00:23:44.05
And today God
has been denigrated
00:23:44.25\00:23:47.59
to a boyfriend or a buddy
00:23:47.79\00:23:50.53
to the place where
there is no respect or no awe
00:23:50.93\00:23:54.73
in our relationship and
in our behavior with Him.
00:23:54.93\00:23:58.60
So the first angel's
message begins with "Fear God"
00:23:59.50\00:24:02.17
and in
Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13
00:24:02.37\00:24:05.91
it says: "Fear God and
keep His commandments. "
00:24:06.11\00:24:10.85
In other words,
our respect for God,
00:24:11.45\00:24:14.18
our awe for God,
our reverence for God
00:24:14.38\00:24:17.29
causes us to
keep His commandments.
00:24:17.69\00:24:22.12
In other words, love
is the primary motivation
00:24:22.32\00:24:25.99
but so is respect.
00:24:26.19\00:24:29.20
Respect is essential in
our relationship with God.
00:24:29.40\00:24:33.80
The second phrase:
"give glory to Him. "
00:24:34.00\00:24:37.97
Two texts in the New Testament:
Matthew chapter 5 verse 16
00:24:38.37\00:24:42.08
"Let your light
so shine before men
00:24:42.28\00:24:45.01
that they may
see your good works
00:24:45.21\00:24:48.08
and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. "
00:24:48.28\00:24:52.42
Fascinating that the
first angel's message
00:24:52.99\00:24:55.96
begins with "Fear
God, " respect God.
00:24:56.16\00:24:58.16
Second part: "give glory
to Him" which has implications
00:24:58.36\00:25:01.46
about good works... good
works giving glory to God.
00:25:01.96\00:25:07.97
Now these good works
do not earn our salvation
00:25:08.17\00:25:11.64
but according to Jesus
in the Sermon on the Mount
00:25:11.84\00:25:14.78
when we do good
works it glorifies God.
00:25:15.18\00:25:19.91
I Corinthians 10:31,
another text that gives us light
00:25:20.45\00:25:24.59
into what it means
to give glory to God:
00:25:24.79\00:25:26.65
"So whether you eat or drink
00:25:26.86\00:25:28.99
or whatever you do
00:25:29.19\00:25:30.76
do all to the glory of God. "
00:25:30.96\00:25:34.53
Christian lifestyle.
00:25:35.33\00:25:38.27
What you eat, what you drink...
00:25:39.00\00:25:41.47
what we do with our
bodies gives glory to God.
00:25:41.67\00:25:46.31
And could it be
that in the end of time
00:25:46.51\00:25:50.08
right now in our
contemporary society
00:25:51.08\00:25:54.15
we are living in an age where
a gospel is being presented
00:25:54.35\00:25:58.22
that says that
grace gives you license
00:25:58.42\00:26:02.79
to live whatever
lifestyle you'd like to live?
00:26:02.99\00:26:06.23
Doesn't matter what
you do with your body.
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.53
Doesn't matter
what you put into it;
00:26:09.93\00:26:11.63
doesn't matter
what you put on it
00:26:11.83\00:26:14.00
you can live any
way that you want.
00:26:14.20\00:26:17.91
Fascinating the emphasis
of the first angel's message.
00:26:18.31\00:26:21.81
The last verb "worship
Him, " and in our presentation
00:26:22.24\00:26:25.98
this afternoon we'll
be delving more into that.
00:26:26.18\00:26:28.42
But this is a phrase or a
quote from William Temple:
00:26:28.62\00:26:31.85
"Worship is the submission
of all of our nature to God.
00:26:32.05\00:26:35.52
It is the quickening of
the conscience by His holiness.
00:26:35.72\00:26:38.59
It is the nourishment
of the mind with His truth,
00:26:38.99\00:26:42.23
the purifying of the
imagination with His beauty,
00:26:42.43\00:26:45.33
the opening of
the heart to His love,
00:26:45.53\00:26:47.44
the surrender of
the will to His purpose.
00:26:47.64\00:26:51.07
All this
gathered up in adoration -
00:26:51.27\00:26:53.68
the most selfless
emotion of which our nature
00:26:53.88\00:26:57.41
is capable - is worship. "
00:26:57.61\00:27:00.68
Worship is a
universal human need
00:27:01.95\00:27:04.52
and God is calling us
to worship not the beast
00:27:04.72\00:27:07.82
but to worship
the Creator. Amen!
00:27:08.02\00:27:11.66
I'd like to back
up a little bit here
00:27:12.39\00:27:15.53
and look at the
emphasis from another angle
00:27:16.63\00:27:20.30
of the first angel's message.
00:27:20.50\00:27:21.97
The emphasis of the
first angel's message is:
00:27:23.74\00:27:26.37
"Fear God, give glory to
Him, and to worship Him. "
00:27:26.57\00:27:29.31
Now the question
is: who is the person
00:27:29.71\00:27:34.42
that is to be
giving these attributes:
00:27:34.62\00:27:38.79
fearing, giving, and worshiping?
00:27:39.19\00:27:41.82
And there has been this
long theological dialogue
00:27:42.02\00:27:44.39
for the last 2,000 years,
and it's even prevalent in
00:27:44.59\00:27:47.40
our own community of faith.
00:27:47.60\00:27:49.10
It has to do with this
tension between God's part
00:27:49.30\00:27:52.83
and man's part.
00:27:53.03\00:27:54.77
How much of the
gospel is God's part?
00:27:55.57\00:27:58.31
How much of the
gospel is man's part?
00:27:58.71\00:28:01.11
And you can
describe it another way:
00:28:01.31\00:28:02.64
faith and works...
00:28:02.78\00:28:04.18
law and grace.
These tensions in theology
00:28:04.85\00:28:07.98
and look at the emphasis.
God's part or man's part?
00:28:08.18\00:28:11.69
Which part is the first
angel's message emphasizing?
00:28:12.82\00:28:17.23
Who is the one
that is to fear God?
00:28:17.43\00:28:19.33
We are.
00:28:21.36\00:28:22.70
Who is the one that
is to give glory to Him?
00:28:22.90\00:28:25.47
We are.
00:28:25.67\00:28:27.00
Who is the one
that is to worship Him?
00:28:27.10\00:28:29.24
We are!
00:28:29.44\00:28:30.77
And I'll be honest with
you: as I was studying for this
00:28:30.91\00:28:33.68
presentation I said: "Oh,
this seems so... just unique! "
00:28:33.88\00:28:38.05
In the first angel's message
that is to go to the entire
00:28:38.75\00:28:41.35
world before Jesus comes
00:28:41.55\00:28:42.88
the emphasis is
our part in worshiping.
00:28:43.08\00:28:46.99
Our part in giving
glory, our part in fearing Him.
00:28:47.19\00:28:50.36
And it seems from a very
superficial standpoint of view
00:28:50.56\00:28:54.26
that the emphasis
seems on man's part
00:28:54.46\00:28:57.27
and there seems not
too much about God's part
00:28:57.47\00:29:01.37
from a superficial
level. Now it's there...
00:29:01.77\00:29:05.27
because it begins with the Lamb,
it begins with the everlasting
00:29:05.67\00:29:08.44
gospel, but notice the tension
between these two realities.
00:29:08.64\00:29:13.35
In other words, the individuals
that are going to be proclaiming
00:29:13.55\00:29:17.89
the end-time
message before Jesus comes
00:29:18.09\00:29:20.82
are going to understand
the relationship - the Biblical
00:29:21.02\00:29:25.93
relationship -
between faith and works.
00:29:26.13\00:29:29.96
Between God's
part and man's part.
00:29:31.00\00:29:34.54
When you look at
theological history
00:29:36.60\00:29:39.84
you'll see that this has
always played out in a pendulum
00:29:40.41\00:29:45.15
swing between
these two extremes.
00:29:45.35\00:29:47.42
Let me give you a
couple examples of these.
00:29:47.92\00:29:50.25
A theology that
emphasizes God's part
00:29:50.99\00:29:53.92
is predestination.
00:29:54.32\00:29:57.23
Predestination from our friends
the reformed or the Calvinists
00:29:58.19\00:30:03.57
emphasizes God's part
to the place that how much
00:30:03.77\00:30:07.80
of salvation is man's part?
00:30:08.00\00:30:09.54
None. None!
Predestination assumes that God
00:30:09.74\00:30:12.67
makes the arbitrary decision
as to who is going to be saved
00:30:12.87\00:30:16.68
and who is going to be lost.
00:30:16.88\00:30:18.21
Election. We don't
have any part to play.
00:30:18.41\00:30:21.28
God, from His
standpoint of sovereignty,
00:30:21.48\00:30:23.82
decides and says:
"Look, you're saved;
00:30:24.02\00:30:26.69
you're not saved. "
00:30:26.89\00:30:28.22
"You're lost; you're saved. "
00:30:28.42\00:30:30.19
And He makes that
arbitrary decision
00:30:30.59\00:30:32.56
and places salvation
totally out of the sphere
00:30:32.76\00:30:36.03
of any human
choice, any human volition,
00:30:36.23\00:30:39.13
or any human action.
00:30:39.33\00:30:40.84
Now predestination is
many times looked upon as a...
00:30:41.30\00:30:44.14
you know, why would
anyone believe in that?
00:30:44.34\00:30:45.81
But we need to recognize
that in the Reformation
00:30:46.01\00:30:47.84
in reaction to legalism
00:30:48.04\00:30:50.35
the theological
pendulum swung to predestination
00:30:50.55\00:30:53.78
because people wanted assurance.
00:30:53.98\00:30:56.08
People wanted to know that
works did not have any merit.
00:30:56.48\00:31:00.06
We don't contribute
anything to salvation.
00:31:00.26\00:31:02.69
And that was very
liberating to individuals
00:31:02.89\00:31:05.79
that were
struggling with legalism.
00:31:05.99\00:31:08.03
So we have this tension
here, and predestination
00:31:08.53\00:31:12.07
is one perspective
in salvation indicating
00:31:12.27\00:31:15.60
that salvation has
nothing to do with human action.
00:31:15.80\00:31:18.64
It is totally God. Amen!
00:31:18.84\00:31:21.88
That's it...
period. He does EVERYTHING;
00:31:22.08\00:31:25.01
we do nothing. And what
we do contributes nothing
00:31:25.21\00:31:28.45
toward salvation. All right!
00:31:28.65\00:31:30.89
We come on the other
side and we have our friends
00:31:31.25\00:31:35.39
the Roman Catholics that believe
00:31:35.59\00:31:39.19
that what we do
contributes towards salvation.
00:31:39.39\00:31:43.60
Now there's a fascinating
dialogue between Luther
00:31:44.27\00:31:47.27
and Erasmus. And
they're talking about
00:31:47.47\00:31:50.27
how much credit does man
contribute toward salvation.
00:31:50.67\00:31:54.64
And Luther said: "No credit"
00:31:54.84\00:31:56.41
and Erasmus, who was a Catholic,
00:31:57.51\00:32:00.52
said: "Man
contributes a little credit. "
00:32:00.82\00:32:04.49
And he said that little credit
is human free will and choice.
00:32:04.89\00:32:10.39
In other words, when
you decide to serve God -
00:32:10.59\00:32:14.06
when you decide to choose God -
00:32:14.26\00:32:16.03
that has little merit
00:32:16.23\00:32:18.97
that has a contri-
bution toward salvation.
00:32:19.17\00:32:22.47
Now I want to tell you that
the strength of each position
00:32:24.37\00:32:27.08
is one that you
are saved by grace
00:32:27.28\00:32:30.55
but it takes
away free human will.
00:32:30.75\00:32:33.05
On the other side
there is free human will
00:32:33.25\00:32:36.08
but you have a
contribution toward salvation.
00:32:36.48\00:32:39.25
John Wesley comes along
00:32:40.76\00:32:42.72
and he comes up with this
beautiful Biblical concept
00:32:43.59\00:32:47.16
I believe called
prevenient grace.
00:32:47.36\00:32:50.37
Prevenient grace says
that God comes to the sinner
00:32:51.03\00:32:56.00
and even though
our ability to choose
00:32:56.81\00:32:59.91
is held under bondage to sin
00:33:00.11\00:33:02.58
prevenient grace
comes and vivifies the will
00:33:02.78\00:33:07.52
so that we can choose.
00:33:07.72\00:33:10.42
Praise God! Do you
know that even your ability
00:33:10.82\00:33:14.39
to choose comes from God? Amen!
00:33:14.59\00:33:17.79
Amen? Amen. I mean,
what a beautiful idea.
00:33:17.99\00:33:21.56
So John Wesley comes
along and says: "Look, even
00:33:22.40\00:33:25.00
your desires need help. "
00:33:25.20\00:33:28.37
Even your desires
need illumination.
00:33:28.77\00:33:31.07
Even your desires
need His vivifying power.
00:33:31.27\00:33:35.74
And so I come to God
many times and say: "Lord,
00:33:35.94\00:33:38.11
I don't even desire.
00:33:38.51\00:33:40.75
Help me the
desire to desire. " Amen!
00:33:41.58\00:33:45.55
"Help me to be
willing to be made willing. "
00:33:45.95\00:33:48.99
And sometimes I say:
"Help me to be willing
00:33:49.19\00:33:50.76
to be made willing
to be made willing. "
00:33:50.96\00:33:52.46
So we can come to God and say:
"Lord, I don't want this thing;
00:33:52.96\00:33:56.10
help me to want it. "
00:33:56.30\00:33:57.77
"Change me because I
can't change myself. "
00:33:58.17\00:34:00.20
Repentance is a gift.
Amen! You can't even feel sorry
00:34:00.40\00:34:03.77
until you come to Jesus.
00:34:04.84\00:34:07.94
It's grace... prevenient
grace which means prior to.
00:34:08.78\00:34:14.58
So when you choose God
you get absolutely zero credit
00:34:14.78\00:34:19.49
because that choice
ultimately comes from God.
00:34:20.52\00:34:24.49
So prevenient grace: a wonderful
theological contribution
00:34:24.89\00:34:28.70
indicating yes,
we have free will
00:34:28.90\00:34:31.60
but man gets
absolutely zero credit. Amen!
00:34:32.70\00:34:37.34
One theologian said: "Sinners
do not naturally seek for God
00:34:39.37\00:34:42.54
but that He earnestly seeks for
them to come into a redemptive
00:34:42.74\00:34:46.31
relationship with
Him. Such gracious seeking
00:34:46.51\00:34:50.49
creates a protorenewal
which enables the convicted soul
00:34:50.69\00:34:55.09
to respond to
God's redemptive offer. "
00:34:55.29\00:34:59.93
And what we need to recognize
00:35:01.00\00:35:03.13
is that there is this
tension, this relationship,
00:35:03.87\00:35:09.07
between God's
part and man's part.
00:35:09.27\00:35:12.41
And even in our theo-
logical community of faith
00:35:13.38\00:35:16.14
we have a pendulum that
tends to swing between the two.
00:35:16.34\00:35:21.28
And depends on which
message I'm emphasizing.
00:35:22.22\00:35:24.75
Sometimes I
emphasize God's part;
00:35:24.95\00:35:27.06
sometimes I
emphasize man's part.
00:35:27.26\00:35:29.02
It's important
for us to recognize
00:35:29.72\00:35:32.13
that there is a
relationship between the two
00:35:32.33\00:35:34.23
and there's almost an enigma
00:35:34.43\00:35:36.80
about this relationship between
God's part and man's part.
00:35:37.00\00:35:40.34
Let me show you one of
these. Go with me in your Bibles
00:35:40.64\00:35:43.54
to Philippians
chapter 2 and verse 13.
00:35:43.74\00:35:46.41
Look at the interesting
fascinating relationship
00:35:46.84\00:35:51.01
between God's
part and man's part.
00:35:51.21\00:35:53.08
And we quote this
text all the time!
00:35:53.28\00:35:55.98
Philippians chapter 2 verse 13:
00:35:56.18\00:35:58.32
many of us can
quote this by heart.
00:35:58.52\00:36:00.49
"For it is God who works in you
00:36:00.69\00:36:03.79
both too will and to
do of His good pleasure. "
00:36:03.99\00:36:07.03
You've heard of that text.
00:36:07.43\00:36:08.86
I've preached on this text.
00:36:09.06\00:36:10.77
It said it's God -
right? that works in you
00:36:10.97\00:36:13.90
both too will and to
do of His good pleasure.
00:36:14.10\00:36:15.60
Now what's the
emphasis of that text?
00:36:15.80\00:36:17.51
God's part!
00:36:18.17\00:36:19.57
And many preachers get up
and say: "Let go and let God! "
00:36:20.11\00:36:23.88
Right? "Stand
still and let God work. "
00:36:24.08\00:36:28.32
And that's the
emphasis of this text.
00:36:28.52\00:36:30.79
But how many of you have
read the text right before it?
00:36:32.19\00:36:36.12
Look at verse 12.
00:36:37.13\00:36:39.19
"Therefore my beloved
as you have always obeyed
00:36:39.39\00:36:43.77
not as in my presence only
00:36:43.97\00:36:46.84
but now much more
in my absence... "
00:36:47.04\00:36:50.74
And look at the emphasis here.
00:36:50.94\00:36:52.41
Work... wow! "work
out your own salvation
00:36:52.61\00:36:58.01
with fear and trembling. "
00:36:58.21\00:37:01.38
Now when's the last time you
heard a sermon from that verse?
00:37:01.58\00:37:04.25
It's been a long
time if never, right?
00:37:07.09\00:37:09.72
I mean wow! Is this
Paul really writing?
00:37:10.13\00:37:12.89
"Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling. "
00:37:13.09\00:37:17.60
And then right after it
says: "For it is God that works
00:37:18.10\00:37:21.27
in you both to will and
to do of His good pleasure. "
00:37:21.47\00:37:23.74
In other words, there is a
relationship between these two.
00:37:23.94\00:37:27.51
We get absolutely no credit;
00:37:27.71\00:37:29.48
we get absolutely no
means of earning our salvation
00:37:29.68\00:37:33.48
yet there is a
cooperation between God's part
00:37:33.68\00:37:37.39
and man's part. Amen?
00:37:37.59\00:37:39.35
And it's important for us
to bring these two together
00:37:39.75\00:37:42.66
in a synthesis.
00:37:42.86\00:37:45.39
I want to read a
quotation from a book called
00:37:45.69\00:37:48.56
How People Grow.
It's an evangelical book
00:37:48.76\00:37:52.17
and I was assigned
this in my doctoral studies.
00:37:52.37\00:37:55.17
And I'll be honest with
you: I was quite skeptical
00:37:55.37\00:37:57.41
because I said: "What do the
evangelicals have to contribute
00:37:57.61\00:38:00.64
toward sanctification
and Christian growth? "
00:38:00.84\00:38:03.95
But as I read this I realized
00:38:05.48\00:38:08.98
that this book had
quite the perspective
00:38:09.38\00:38:13.56
on Philippians chapter 2. I
want to read to you this quote.
00:38:13.76\00:38:16.22
"We work out our own
salvation meaning we execute our
00:38:16.62\00:38:19.73
responsibilities in growth.
00:38:19.93\00:38:21.96
All the while in mysterious
and often invisible ways
00:38:22.16\00:38:26.33
God works in us
for His purposes.
00:38:26.53\00:38:29.47
The co-laboring is not
at all as if God is simply
00:38:30.04\00:38:33.98
doing things to us
00:38:34.18\00:38:36.34
like a surgeon
operating on a patient
00:38:36.75\00:38:40.05
lying on a table.
00:38:40.25\00:38:41.78
It is more like
certain forms of brain surgery
00:38:42.18\00:38:46.62
in which the patient is awake
and working with the surgeon
00:38:46.82\00:38:52.09
telling him what he is
experiencing as the surgeon
00:38:52.49\00:38:56.23
probes and cuts
one way then another.
00:38:56.43\00:38:59.60
We are partners in
our spiritual surgery. "
00:38:59.80\00:39:04.81
So there you have the
synthesis between the two.
00:39:05.21\00:39:07.94
Cooperation
between what God is doing
00:39:08.34\00:39:11.51
and our part in
that cooperation.
00:39:11.71\00:39:14.65
This is from God's
Amazing Grace page 252.
00:39:14.85\00:39:17.22
"Human effort avails
nothing without divine power.
00:39:17.42\00:39:21.96
But without human endeavor
00:39:22.36\00:39:26.36
divine effort is
with many of no avail.
00:39:26.56\00:39:30.57
To make God's grace our own
00:39:30.97\00:39:33.67
we must act our part. "
00:39:33.87\00:39:36.57
Now I want to clarify
some things here this morning
00:39:38.01\00:39:41.38
because I hate
being misunderstood.
00:39:41.58\00:39:44.11
I want to emphasize that
the Bible makes it very clear
00:39:45.11\00:39:48.82
that we're not saved by works.
00:39:49.22\00:39:51.32
Amen? Amen.
00:39:51.92\00:39:54.19
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8:
"For by grace ye have been saved
00:39:54.39\00:39:57.03
through faith and
that not of yourself:
00:39:57.23\00:39:59.13
it is the gift
of God. Not of works
00:39:59.33\00:40:02.00
lest anyone should boast. "
00:40:02.20\00:40:05.00
And just in case you're won-
dering some people have assumed
00:40:06.03\00:40:08.44
that Ellen White was a legalist.
00:40:08.64\00:40:10.64
But I want to read you
a couple statements here.
00:40:10.84\00:40:12.47
"There is not a point
that needs to be dwelt upon
00:40:12.67\00:40:15.28
more earnestly,
repeated more frequently,
00:40:15.48\00:40:18.48
or established more
firmly in the minds of all that
00:40:18.68\00:40:22.08
the impossibility of
fallen man in meriting anything
00:40:22.28\00:40:27.79
by his own best good works
00:40:27.99\00:40:30.83
Salvation is through
faith in Christ Jesus our own.
00:40:30.99\00:40:36.26
Let the subject be
made distinct and plain
00:40:36.67\00:40:39.60
that it is not possible to
affect anything in our standing
00:40:39.80\00:40:43.00
before God or in
the gift of God to us
00:40:43.20\00:40:45.27
through creature merit.
Should faith and works purchase
00:40:45.67\00:40:49.34
the gift of salvation for anyone
00:40:49.54\00:40:51.78
then the Creator is under
obligation to the creature. "
00:40:51.98\00:40:57.22
One more.
00:40:58.45\00:41:00.19
"And any works that
man can render to God
00:41:01.82\00:41:05.49
will be far less
than nothingness.
00:41:05.69\00:41:08.36
My requests are made
acceptable only because
00:41:08.56\00:41:12.43
they are laid upon the
righteousness of Christ. "
00:41:12.63\00:41:17.24
In other words
even our best works
00:41:17.64\00:41:20.98
need an upgrade. Amen! Amen?
00:41:21.38\00:41:24.61
And this keeps us
humble by the grace of God.
00:41:25.61\00:41:29.05
I've been in
communities of faith
00:41:29.78\00:41:31.75
where when you go
through the dinner line
00:41:32.89\00:41:35.02
they watch your
plate like a hawk.
00:41:35.32\00:41:37.49
Put the wrong thing on there
there's an automatically pecking
00:41:41.20\00:41:45.80
order because the other
individual is placed on a higher
00:41:46.00\00:41:49.07
pedestal than you. Because in
that meritorious sanctification
00:41:49.27\00:41:54.51
works paradigm automatically
if I have a certain diet,
00:41:54.71\00:41:59.71
if I have a certain work,
00:42:00.12\00:42:01.92
it places you on a higher plain.
00:42:02.22\00:42:04.95
According to Ellen
White all of our righteousness
00:42:06.45\00:42:10.69
is like filthy rags - Amen -
00:42:11.09\00:42:14.33
and needs the
righteousness of Christ. Amen!
00:42:14.53\00:42:17.73
Absolutely zero credit.
00:42:17.93\00:42:20.84
So how do we grapple
with this idea of works
00:42:21.84\00:42:25.67
specifically the emphasis
in the first angel's message?
00:42:26.07\00:42:29.24
Because there is a
reaction that naturally happens
00:42:29.74\00:42:33.05
for those that have
been burned by legalism.
00:42:33.25\00:42:35.82
My ministerial director said
00:42:36.45\00:42:38.79
"Conservative
parents have liberal children
00:42:38.99\00:42:43.26
and liberal parents
have conservative children. "
00:42:44.83\00:42:48.66
It's interesting
because the pendulum swings.
00:42:50.03\00:42:52.07
And for individuals that
have been burned by legalism
00:42:52.27\00:42:54.57
and abused by legalism
00:42:54.77\00:42:56.60
the tendency is to
swing in the other direction.
00:42:56.81\00:42:59.71
And this was a part of
what happened in Luther's own
00:42:59.91\00:43:04.31
experience. And you
see this in his 1522
00:43:04.51\00:43:08.52
translation of the
German New Testament.
00:43:08.72\00:43:10.99
This is what he
says, and I quote:
00:43:11.19\00:43:12.79
"St. James' epistle is
really a strawy epistle
00:43:13.92\00:43:19.89
compared to the others like
Romans, Galatians, Ephesians,
00:43:20.10\00:43:23.20
I Peter, and I John
00:43:23.40\00:43:24.83
for it has nothing of the
nature of the gospel about it. "
00:43:25.03\00:43:30.57
Notice what Luther is saying.
00:43:30.97\00:43:32.97
"The book of James has
nothing of the gospel in it. "
00:43:33.38\00:43:37.65
Now what does the
book of James talk about?
00:43:37.81\00:43:40.75
Works! Works! Look at this!
00:43:41.72\00:43:44.35
In James chapter 2 verse 24
00:43:44.55\00:43:46.79
you see that a man
is justified by works
00:43:46.99\00:43:51.26
not by faith alone.
00:43:51.46\00:43:54.83
Now in my
congregation if I read this text
00:43:55.23\00:43:57.97
and I preach a
sermon on this text
00:43:58.17\00:43:59.83
there are individuals that
have been burned by legalism
00:44:00.04\00:44:02.60
that are about
ready to have an aneurysm.
00:44:02.80\00:44:04.94
You can see it. The blood pres-
sure rises; the face gets red
00:44:06.88\00:44:10.21
because they've been so
abused and burned by legalism.
00:44:10.41\00:44:13.21
And I sympathize with that.
00:44:13.42\00:44:15.48
I have a dog.
00:44:17.02\00:44:18.85
Actually I have two
dogs, and this particular dog
00:44:21.09\00:44:25.23
we got from a shelter.
00:44:25.63\00:44:27.46
A rescue... and
she was abused...
00:44:28.90\00:44:33.64
specifically by
children. And the reason we know
00:44:35.07\00:44:37.07
is every time she's around
children she just kind of gets
00:44:37.27\00:44:39.17
really antsy. But I
found something interesting
00:44:39.37\00:44:41.98
in that every time I go to
sweep the floor with the broom
00:44:42.38\00:44:48.02
she is cowering in the corner.
00:44:48.42\00:44:51.42
She had been beaten by a broom.
00:44:53.39\00:44:56.29
Now from her perspective
00:44:58.09\00:45:00.23
the world will be a better place
00:45:00.63\00:45:04.40
if brooms were made illegal
00:45:06.43\00:45:10.64
and you were placed in
prison for owning a broom.
00:45:13.44\00:45:17.75
Because she was abused.
00:45:19.88\00:45:22.05
I sympathize with her.
00:45:24.05\00:45:25.95
However, never judge
something by its abuse.
00:45:28.22\00:45:34.16
Let me say that again.
00:45:35.03\00:45:36.36
Never judge
something about its abuse.
00:45:36.53\00:45:39.93
You can abuse water.
00:45:40.34\00:45:41.77
Water boarding... torture.
00:45:42.17\00:45:45.14
But it does not mean
that we don't drink water.
00:45:45.54\00:45:48.94
In other words, just
because something is abused
00:45:49.71\00:45:52.21
does not mean that
it has its proper place.
00:45:52.41\00:45:54.65
And here is Luther.
He's been abused by legalism
00:45:54.85\00:45:56.89
and he swings the pendulum
totally in the other direction
00:45:57.09\00:45:59.92
and goes to the place of
saying that there is one book
00:46:00.12\00:46:03.09
of the Bible that he
assumes is less than the others.
00:46:03.29\00:46:06.76
I believe from his
perspective he would naturally
00:46:06.96\00:46:09.70
want the book of James to be ex-
cluded from the Biblical canon.
00:46:09.90\00:46:13.44
Never judge
something by its abuse.
00:46:14.80\00:46:17.71
Now is James talking
about righteousness by works?
00:46:17.91\00:46:20.78
No! But he's saying
that works has a place
00:46:20.98\00:46:25.21
in the Christian experience
not for meritorious salvation,
00:46:25.41\00:46:28.78
not for earning
our way to salvation,
00:46:28.98\00:46:31.35
but there is a place for works.
00:46:32.39\00:46:36.02
What I believe is
that in the end of time
00:46:36.89\00:46:40.20
there is going to be a
false gospel that is going to be
00:46:40.40\00:46:43.83
presented. And why I
believe that is because
00:46:44.03\00:46:47.04
of the emphasis of
the first angel's message.
00:46:47.24\00:46:49.50
In other words, there is going
to be a gospel that is presented
00:46:49.70\00:46:53.24
that says: "Look,
there is no transformation
00:46:53.44\00:46:55.91
that is essential
in the human life. "
00:46:56.11\00:46:57.95
No
transformation that bears fruit.
00:46:58.15\00:47:00.62
No transformation that impacts
your behavior or your lifestyle.
00:47:00.82\00:47:05.05
And the Bible says
that God's last-day people
00:47:05.45\00:47:08.89
is going to present a
grace-centered, Christ-centered
00:47:09.09\00:47:13.63
message that
says: "Yes, God's power
00:47:13.83\00:47:16.53
is not only available to
shield us from the penalty
00:47:16.73\00:47:20.74
of sin but from the
power of sin in the life. "
00:47:20.94\00:47:24.51
Amen!
00:47:24.71\00:47:26.41
Do we assume that sin is
so powerful that even God
00:47:26.61\00:47:30.68
can't give us the victory?
00:47:30.88\00:47:32.58
What kind of God are we serving?
00:47:33.58\00:47:36.08
It's interesting because in 1605
00:47:37.22\00:47:43.19
Johannes Kepler, while he
was studying the orbit of Mars,
00:47:43.59\00:47:48.46
noticed that the
orbit around the sun
00:47:48.66\00:47:52.03
by the planet Mars was
not in a perfect circle.
00:47:52.53\00:47:56.04
He concluded that
through mathematical equations
00:47:57.11\00:48:00.38
that the orbit of Mars and
the orbit of every other planet
00:48:00.58\00:48:04.35
in our solar system
around the sun was not a circle
00:48:04.55\00:48:08.28
but it was something
that he called an ellipse.
00:48:08.48\00:48:11.55
And this is known as Kepler's
first law of planetary motion.
00:48:11.75\00:48:14.96
Now the difference
between an ellipse and a circle
00:48:16.26\00:48:19.83
is that an ellipse
centers on two central points,
00:48:20.60\00:48:26.50
a circle centers on one.
00:48:27.50\00:48:30.67
You can
actually do this at home.
00:48:31.07\00:48:32.64
Put two thumbtacks down, get
a string, and draw an ellipse.
00:48:32.84\00:48:36.51
That is the first
law of planetary motion.
00:48:37.15\00:48:40.62
Notice that the way that
our universe stays in sync
00:48:41.02\00:48:43.35
is not centering on one
point but on two points.
00:48:43.55\00:48:46.69
And I believe this is the
same for theological tensions
00:48:46.89\00:48:51.16
in scripture. Let me
give you an example of this.
00:48:51.36\00:48:56.06
The nature of Christ.
00:48:56.77\00:48:58.63
We have this tension.
00:48:59.13\00:49:01.17
God - Jesus Christ -
00:49:02.00\00:49:05.57
was both divine and human.
00:49:05.97\00:49:09.71
And where we get
into problems in theology
00:49:10.65\00:49:13.48
when you look at the
history of Christology
00:49:13.68\00:49:16.12
someone comes along
and says: "Jesus was divine
00:49:16.32\00:49:19.45
but He wasn't really human. "
00:49:19.85\00:49:21.96
In other words He
looked like He was human.
00:49:22.46\00:49:24.79
Gnosticism or
Dosticism... these early ideas
00:49:24.99\00:49:28.76
that came into the Christian
church as they grappled with
00:49:28.96\00:49:30.87
this theological point of Jesus
being both divine and human.
00:49:31.07\00:49:34.14
They said:
"Look, He looked human.
00:49:34.34\00:49:36.07
He looked like He was eating
but He just appeared as a man
00:49:36.27\00:49:40.04
but He was not really a man. "
00:49:40.24\00:49:42.38
The emphasis was on the
divinity to the exclusion
00:49:42.91\00:49:46.65
of His humanity.
What do we call that?
00:49:46.85\00:49:49.68
Heresy... we call that heresy.
00:49:50.39\00:49:54.42
Now during the enlightenment
another individual comes along
00:49:55.06\00:49:57.73
and said: "Jesus was human
00:49:57.93\00:50:00.16
but He was JUST a human. "
00:50:01.23\00:50:03.90
"He was not really God; He
was just a historical figure. "
00:50:04.30\00:50:07.70
We call that heresy as well.
00:50:08.10\00:50:10.41
So the synthesis
between these two realities.
00:50:11.57\00:50:13.94
Now there's a mystery
between those two realities
00:50:14.14\00:50:16.44
and we're told we
need to take off our shoes
00:50:16.64\00:50:18.51
off our feet because
we're on holy ground.
00:50:18.71\00:50:20.92
And we need to be OK with
not understanding everything.
00:50:21.12\00:50:24.75
Amen? And say: "Look,
Jesus was both human AND divine"
00:50:25.15\00:50:30.23
and hold that in a tension.
00:50:30.63\00:50:33.46
And I believe the same
comes in terms of the gospel.
00:50:34.20\00:50:38.63
Whether it be justifi-
cation and sanctification,
00:50:38.83\00:50:41.67
whether it be faith and works,
00:50:41.87\00:50:44.07
whether it be law and grace
00:50:44.47\00:50:46.34
we need to hold both of
these up and say: "Look,
00:50:46.54\00:50:49.58
what is the
relationship between the two? "
00:50:49.78\00:50:52.61
And not say: "I hold to
one and reject the other. "
00:50:52.81\00:50:55.88
We need to have an
elliptical theology - Amen -
00:50:56.28\00:51:00.16
and say "We affirm both" Amen!
00:51:00.36\00:51:04.23
"God's part and man's part. "
00:51:04.43\00:51:08.26
So what is the relation-
ship between faith and works?
00:51:08.96\00:51:12.70
One individual
said: "Our inheritance
00:51:13.37\00:51:16.27
is not earned by our
'lived-out' righteousness
00:51:16.47\00:51:20.58
but belonging to the
family and being heir
00:51:20.78\00:51:24.48
is confirmed by it.
00:51:24.68\00:51:27.05
It is not earned
but it is confirmed.
00:51:27.68\00:51:31.19
Good works are
indispensable to salvation
00:51:31.59\00:51:34.42
not as the grounds or the means,
00:51:34.62\00:51:36.86
however, but as its consequence
00:51:37.06\00:51:40.06
and evidence. "
00:51:40.26\00:51:42.46
In the end of time there
will be a group of people
00:51:43.63\00:51:45.87
that proclaim the
everlasting gospel
00:51:46.07\00:51:48.20
and have the understand-
ing between faith and works.
00:51:48.40\00:51:53.14
Jesus said in John
chapter 15 verses 4 and 5
00:51:54.08\00:51:56.71
"Abide in Me and I in you
00:51:56.91\00:51:59.88
as the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself unless it
00:52:00.08\00:52:03.05
abides in the vine
neither can you unless you abide
00:52:03.25\00:52:06.65
in Me. I am the
Vine; you are the branches.
00:52:06.86\00:52:10.93
He who abides in Me and I in him
00:52:11.13\00:52:14.76
bears much fruit
00:52:14.96\00:52:17.60
for without Me
you can do nothing. "
00:52:17.80\00:52:21.07
Jesus uses an analogy...
00:52:21.57\00:52:23.67
a metaphor, an illustration
to give us an understanding
00:52:23.87\00:52:27.78
as to the relationship
between faith and works.
00:52:27.98\00:52:30.45
In other words,
if we abide in Christ
00:52:30.85\00:52:33.42
fruit will be the
natural result. Amen!
00:52:34.78\00:52:39.02
The focus of the Christian
is to be connected to the Vine.
00:52:39.22\00:52:43.73
Colossians chapter 1 verse 10:
00:52:43.93\00:52:45.26
"That you may
walk worthy of the Lord
00:52:45.86\00:52:48.86
fully pleasing Him, being
fruitful in every good work. "
00:52:49.06\00:52:54.97
Steps to Christ, page 73:
00:52:55.74\00:52:57.81
"When Christ abides in the heart
00:52:58.01\00:53:00.21
the whole nature is transformed.
00:53:00.41\00:53:03.14
Christ's spirit, His
love softens the heart,
00:53:03.45\00:53:06.61
subdues the soul,
and raises the thoughts
00:53:06.82\00:53:10.05
and desires
toward God and heaven.
00:53:10.25\00:53:13.62
This is what God
wants to do through us. "
00:53:14.46\00:53:18.39
You know,
recently in my devotions
00:53:19.39\00:53:22.66
and my Christian experience
00:53:24.13\00:53:26.30
I have asked the
question: "How is it that Christ
00:53:27.14\00:53:33.11
abides in me? "
00:53:33.31\00:53:35.54
The in-Christ motif:
Christ in me, the hope of glory.
00:53:37.41\00:53:42.38
I mean, what is
this? How does this happen?
00:53:42.58\00:53:44.95
And it made more
sense as I did a study
00:53:45.35\00:53:48.02
specifically on the Holy Spirit.
In I John chapter 3 verse 24
00:53:48.22\00:53:51.33
the Bible says:
"And by this we know
00:53:51.53\00:53:53.93
that He... "
Jesus... "abides in us
00:53:54.13\00:53:57.60
by the spirit
whom He has given us. "
00:53:57.80\00:54:01.17
In other words, Jesus
abides in the Christian
00:54:01.37\00:54:05.61
through the agency
of the Holy Spirit.
00:54:05.81\00:54:09.34
Amen! It is
through the Holy Spirit.
00:54:09.54\00:54:11.25
And when we invite the Holy
Spirit into our hearts and minds
00:54:11.65\00:54:16.08
there is a
transformation that takes place
00:54:16.28\00:54:19.42
within each one
of us. So the key
00:54:19.62\00:54:22.76
I believe to fearing
God and giving glory to Him
00:54:22.96\00:54:27.20
is to have a
generation of individuals
00:54:27.40\00:54:31.47
that are Spirit filled - Amen!
00:54:31.87\00:54:34.80
as never before.
00:54:35.50\00:54:39.21
And friends, it is not
once filled always filled.
00:54:39.61\00:54:45.28
Amen? Amen! D. L. Moody said:
00:54:47.25\00:54:49.95
"Many think that
because they were filled once
00:54:50.15\00:54:52.32
that they are filled forever.
00:54:52.52\00:54:54.09
Oh my friend: we
are porous vessels.
00:54:54.29\00:54:57.93
It is necessary for
us to constantly remain
00:54:58.33\00:55:01.70
under the fountain
in order to be filled. "
00:55:01.90\00:55:06.13
Amen! I ran a couple marathons
00:55:06.33\00:55:09.00
and it's not only important
to start the race hydrated
00:55:11.07\00:55:17.05
but for the duration of the
race to continue to be hydrated.
00:55:18.25\00:55:24.09
Every mile
there's a water station.
00:55:24.49\00:55:27.96
To be filled. D. L. Moody
says we are "porous vessels"
00:55:28.59\00:55:32.49
and we need to be filled every
single day with the Holy Spirit.
00:55:32.69\00:55:38.70
In preparation
for the final crisis
00:55:39.43\00:55:41.87
God is going to
have a group of people
00:55:42.27\00:55:44.71
that are going to make it
through the time of trouble.
00:55:45.11\00:55:48.78
But it's not an event
that you get ready for
00:55:48.98\00:55:53.01
in that moment... you
get ready for it daily.
00:55:53.21\00:55:58.55
Daily
faithfulness to our Lord Jesus.
00:55:59.49\00:56:03.39
In II Corinthians
chapter 4 verse 16
00:56:03.59\00:56:05.73
"Yet the inward
man is being renewed
00:56:05.93\00:56:09.16
day by day. " Acts
of the Apostles, pg. 56:
00:56:09.36\00:56:13.67
"To the
consecrated follower of Jesus
00:56:14.07\00:56:16.50
there is wonderful
consolation in the knowledge
00:56:16.71\00:56:19.37
that even Christ
during His life on earth
00:56:19.57\00:56:22.61
sought His Father daily
00:56:22.81\00:56:25.51
for fresh
supplies of needed grace. "
00:56:25.71\00:56:29.58
And she says in the book
Acts of the Apostles page 50:
00:56:29.78\00:56:32.12
"For the daily
baptism of the Holy Spirit
00:56:32.32\00:56:34.82
every worker should
offer his petition to God. "
00:56:35.22\00:56:39.83
For the Holy Spirit!
00:56:40.13\00:56:41.46
For that
regeneration AND that renewal,
00:56:41.56\00:56:43.90
for Christ to live
in our hearts by faith,
00:56:44.10\00:56:47.14
doesn't happen in
the moment... but daily.
00:56:47.34\00:56:51.54
Inviting Jesus in through
the agency of the Holy Spirit
00:56:51.74\00:56:57.15
God is able to work
within us both too will
00:56:57.35\00:57:01.28
and to do of His good pleasure.
00:57:01.48\00:57:04.75
I just want to make a
simple appeal here today.
00:57:05.15\00:57:07.26
How many of you
want to say: "Lord,
00:57:07.66\00:57:09.49
help me to be ready?
" "Help me to be ready
00:57:09.69\00:57:13.60
to proclaim the everlasting
gospel to the world. "
00:57:13.80\00:57:17.13
Not by might; not by power
00:57:17.53\00:57:20.54
but by His Spirit says
the Lord of Hosts. Amen! Amen.
00:57:20.74\00:57:25.97