Previously on Law of Love & Liberty: 00:00:39.53\00:00:43.00 We are standing 00:00:43.20\00:00:47.54 in His presence 00:00:47.74\00:00:51.48 on holy ground. 00:00:52.28\00:00:56.05 He's going to write in our hearts His law of love. 00:00:56.25\00:00:59.12 That's what we see taking place here. 00:00:59.52\00:01:01.19 This is a promise that we see taking place here. 00:01:01.39\00:01:03.26 I lift it up, Lord. 00:01:03.66\00:01:07.56 Come and quench 00:01:08.30\00:01:09.96 this thirsting of my soul! 00:01:10.37\00:01:15.00 God can move in your life. 00:01:15.20\00:01:17.24 He's not only Sovereign over the wind and the waves. 00:01:17.44\00:01:19.87 He's Sovereign over what's going on your life, too. 00:01:20.28\00:01:22.64 Now let's put that in there. It doesn't make any sense. 00:01:22.84\00:01:25.25 "I did not come to destroy the law 00:01:25.45\00:01:27.25 but to do away with the law. " 00:01:27.45\00:01:29.38 The word BUT indicates a contrast. 00:01:30.35\00:01:33.15 Here He's actually saying: "Look, I did not come 00:01:33.56\00:01:35.89 to destroy the law. I came to MAGNIFY the law. " 00:01:36.09\00:01:39.39 We have people who mistakenly believe 00:01:39.79\00:01:43.23 that grace cancels our duty 00:01:43.63\00:01:47.57 to obey God. 00:01:47.77\00:01:49.10 You know what they're forgetting? 00:01:49.64\00:01:51.01 I John 2:3-4 00:01:51.21\00:01:53.94 that says: "Now by this we know we know Him... " 00:01:54.34\00:01:57.55 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting 00:02:00.45\00:02:04.05 2019, the series Law of Love & Liberty. 00:02:04.25\00:02:09.52 How many of you have been blessed thus far? 00:02:09.92\00:02:12.43 Amen! Wonderful... wonderful! 00:02:12.63\00:02:15.16 You guys had a wonderful meal this morning. 00:02:15.46\00:02:17.80 All right... all right. 00:02:19.97\00:02:21.30 Wonderful! Well, we're about to get spiritually fed. 00:02:21.50\00:02:24.51 We're going to have Pr. Murray who will be singing 00:02:25.67\00:02:28.14 Do You Love God? 00:02:28.34\00:02:30.08 But first let me introduce our speaker as well. 00:02:30.38\00:02:33.35 We have Pastor James Rafferty who will be preaching 00:02:33.75\00:02:37.95 on The Only One True God, the first commandment. 00:02:38.55\00:02:42.32 He is the co-director of Lightbearers Ministry 00:02:43.09\00:02:45.96 and pastor of the Fall Creek SDA Church 00:02:46.16\00:02:49.33 in Fall Creek, Oregon. 00:02:49.53\00:02:51.00 He has spent the last 35 years preaching the gospel 00:02:51.40\00:02:54.60 around the world in revival seminars 00:02:54.80\00:02:57.37 and evangelistic meetings. 00:02:57.57\00:02:59.44 He is an author and has hosted many 3ABN programs 00:02:59.84\00:03:03.31 over the years. He and his wife Rise 00:03:03.51\00:03:06.41 have two children, two dogs, and one cat. 00:03:06.61\00:03:10.25 He is also a wonderful friend of mine, 00:03:10.75\00:03:13.62 and he has been instrumental in my spiritual growth. 00:03:13.82\00:03:17.36 If you've seen Salvation in Symbols & Signs 00:03:17.56\00:03:19.96 you understand why 00:03:20.16\00:03:21.70 as I'm just sitting there taking notes. 00:03:22.40\00:03:24.63 And Pr. Murray has been instru- mental in my spiritual growth 00:03:25.87\00:03:29.80 as well. He actually baptized my mom 00:03:30.01\00:03:32.37 when she was pregnant with me. 00:03:32.57\00:03:33.91 What? I mean, yeah. 00:03:34.08\00:03:37.01 It doesn't get more interesting than that! 00:03:37.21\00:03:38.95 After you hear the song by Pastor Murray 00:03:40.18\00:03:43.95 the next voice you will hear 00:03:44.75\00:03:46.19 will be that of Pastor James Rafferty. 00:03:46.39\00:03:48.82 Amen. 00:03:49.02\00:03:51.26 Do you love God more 00:03:58.87\00:04:02.27 than anything? 00:04:02.77\00:04:05.51 Do you love God? 00:04:05.71\00:04:10.25 Do you love God more 00:04:11.78\00:04:15.98 than anything? Do you love God? 00:04:16.28\00:04:22.29 Love is all that He asks 00:04:25.59\00:04:30.60 in return 00:04:30.80\00:04:32.83 for all that He has given. 00:04:33.03\00:04:38.47 Love will be the endless 00:04:39.07\00:04:44.11 theme 00:04:44.31\00:04:45.65 throughout the courts of heaven. 00:04:45.85\00:04:51.82 Do you love God more 00:04:52.79\00:04:55.69 than your car or home? 00:04:55.89\00:04:59.03 Do you love God? 00:04:59.33\00:05:04.27 Do you love God more 00:05:05.17\00:05:09.00 than all you own? 00:05:09.20\00:05:11.67 Do you love my God? 00:05:11.87\00:05:17.71 Do you love God more than your family? 00:05:18.71\00:05:24.65 Really, really love Him? 00:05:24.95\00:05:28.89 If you do, just let the whole world know. 00:05:29.19\00:05:35.13 That's all He asks 00:05:35.53\00:05:39.43 of you. 00:05:39.63\00:05:43.41 Do you love God more 00:05:46.07\00:05:48.94 than your car or home? 00:05:49.14\00:05:52.25 Do you love God? 00:05:52.65\00:05:57.32 And do you love God more 00:05:58.52\00:06:02.16 than all you own? 00:06:02.46\00:06:04.93 Do you love my God? 00:06:05.13\00:06:10.23 And tell me: do you love God more 00:06:10.63\00:06:15.90 than your family? 00:06:16.10\00:06:17.77 Really, really love Him? 00:06:17.97\00:06:21.84 If you do, 00:06:22.24\00:06:24.61 just let the whole world know 00:06:24.81\00:06:28.55 that you love the Lord... 00:06:28.95\00:06:31.02 Come on, let the whole world know... 00:06:31.22\00:06:34.02 let 'em know that you love the Lord... 00:06:34.22\00:06:38.49 let the whole world know... 00:06:38.79\00:06:44.77 let the whole world know... 00:06:45.17\00:06:51.11 let the whole world know 00:06:51.81\00:06:57.75 that's all 00:06:58.45\00:07:01.82 He asks 00:07:02.02\00:07:05.05 of you. 00:07:06.02\00:07:11.99 Amen! 00:07:20.14\00:07:21.84 Amen! Thank you, C.A. 00:07:22.70\00:07:25.24 C.A. is one of those mighty men. 00:07:26.01\00:07:28.14 You remember David's mighty men? 00:07:28.34\00:07:30.48 They could throw a sling with their left hand 00:07:31.18\00:07:33.52 and with their right hand. 00:07:33.72\00:07:35.05 And I think Danny has some mighty men around here. 00:07:35.48\00:07:37.79 You know, they can sing and they can preach. 00:07:37.99\00:07:39.99 I can just preach... I can't sing. 00:07:40.29\00:07:42.19 But some of these guys like C.A. you're going to hear 00:07:43.06\00:07:45.89 him preach here in a little while. 00:07:46.09\00:07:47.66 C.A. and John Lomacang and Ryan Day... these guys 00:07:47.86\00:07:50.90 can sing and they can preach. 00:07:51.10\00:07:53.00 They can throw a sling with both hands. 00:07:54.04\00:07:56.14 Praise God! 00:07:57.07\00:07:58.44 Well, it's good to be here with you again this morning. 00:07:58.64\00:08:00.81 We are moving into the first commandment. 00:08:01.01\00:08:03.71 I'm so thankful that I have this first commandment. 00:08:03.91\00:08:05.98 Exodus chapter 20 the first commandment is... 00:08:06.18\00:08:09.58 is really vital. If we don't get this commandment right, 00:08:09.78\00:08:14.82 it's downhill from there. 00:08:15.22\00:08:16.69 This is really the foundation of all the commandments. 00:08:17.09\00:08:19.59 Some years ago I was in an Adventist church 00:08:20.36\00:08:23.80 and there was a huge replica of the Ten Commandments behind me 00:08:24.00\00:08:27.80 as I was preaching. 00:08:28.00\00:08:29.34 And I shared this with the church. I said: "You know 00:08:29.37\00:08:31.61 we've done the same thing to the Ten Commandments 00:08:32.01\00:08:34.84 that our Catholic friends have done. 00:08:35.04\00:08:37.18 We've actually omitted one of the commandments. 00:08:37.58\00:08:40.92 You know, the second commandment's been taken out 00:08:41.12\00:08:42.78 of the Catholic catechism and the 10th one's been split 00:08:42.98\00:08:45.59 in two. And they looked at me, you know, 00:08:45.79\00:08:48.66 these Adventists... they looked at me and they were 00:08:48.86\00:08:50.49 just looking at me kind of shocked. And I said: "Yeah, 00:08:50.69\00:08:52.03 here's the evidence right here. " I pointed to this 00:08:52.19\00:08:53.60 big replica and I said: "What's the first commandment? " 00:08:53.80\00:08:55.90 And you know what they said. "Thou shalt have no other gods 00:08:56.10\00:09:00.37 before Me. " But they had no choice. 00:09:00.57\00:09:02.84 That's what was up there, right? That's what was up there: 00:09:03.04\00:09:05.91 "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. " 00:09:06.11\00:09:07.81 And I said "But wait a minute. " I said: "That's not what it says 00:09:08.01\00:09:09.98 in the Bible. " 00:09:10.21\00:09:11.55 The Bible doesn't say that's the first commandment. 00:09:11.95\00:09:14.55 What's the first commandment in the Bible? How does it start? 00:09:15.22\00:09:17.22 "I am the Lord your God which brought you 00:09:17.62\00:09:22.26 out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 00:09:23.02\00:09:25.66 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. " 00:09:25.86\00:09:27.63 We need to get the first commandment right. 00:09:28.36\00:09:31.93 If we get the first commandment right, 00:09:32.33\00:09:34.24 everything else will fall into place. 00:09:34.44\00:09:36.30 Let's pray together. Father in heaven, 00:09:37.27\00:09:38.64 again we just want to pause in Your presence 00:09:38.84\00:09:40.18 right now. I want to thank you for Your Word. 00:09:40.38\00:09:42.71 It's powerful; it's our strength 00:09:43.11\00:09:46.61 and through it we find our Savior Jesus Christ 00:09:47.72\00:09:49.98 who is the Word incarnate. 00:09:50.19\00:09:51.69 And as many as receive Him to them He gives power to become 00:09:52.49\00:09:55.86 sons, the children, of God. 00:09:56.06\00:09:57.56 We need that power this morning; we need that power right now. 00:09:57.96\00:10:01.50 So we lift up our hearts and our hands to You. 00:10:02.33\00:10:04.70 We ask for Your presence, for Your Spirit, 00:10:05.10\00:10:07.77 for Your guidance, 00:10:07.97\00:10:09.40 for your transforming power and love in our lives. 00:10:09.60\00:10:12.77 As we touch on this law of love and liberty 00:10:13.17\00:10:17.81 may it transform us and set us free 00:10:18.71\00:10:20.85 to serve You for the rest of our days. 00:10:21.25\00:10:23.95 For we ask it in Jesus' name, and let everyone say: 00:10:24.15\00:10:27.16 Amen. 00:10:27.36\00:10:28.89 Amen! OK! 00:10:29.09\00:10:30.59 So Exodus chapter 20 beginning with verse 1: 00:10:30.79\00:10:34.63 "And the Lord God spoke all these words saying: 00:10:34.83\00:10:37.67 'I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee 00:10:38.07\00:10:41.50 out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 00:10:41.70\00:10:45.47 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. ' " 00:10:46.17\00:10:52.08 No other gods. So this law of love, 00:10:52.28\00:10:55.35 this law of liberty that God speaks to us 00:10:56.62\00:11:00.96 is powerful. 00:11:01.36\00:11:03.43 Jesus Christ when He spoke the law 00:11:03.83\00:11:07.06 or of the law He called it a law of love. 00:11:07.26\00:11:09.13 In Matthew chapter 22 verses 38 through 40 00:11:09.33\00:11:11.70 He said: "The entire law hangs on two commandments: 00:11:12.10\00:11:15.90 loving God with all your heart, mind, and soul 00:11:16.10\00:11:17.97 and loving your neighbor as yourself. " 00:11:18.17\00:11:19.71 And of course we know that because the first four 00:11:20.44\00:11:22.38 focus on worshiping God, loving God, following God. 00:11:22.58\00:11:25.01 And the last six focus on the way that we relate to people, 00:11:25.21\00:11:27.85 to individuals, to neighbors, to humans. 00:11:28.05\00:11:31.02 Paul talks about this in Galatians chapter 5 verse 14. 00:11:31.42\00:11:34.46 He talks about the summary of the law being love 00:11:34.92\00:11:38.03 and in the context being liberty. Freedom 00:11:39.03\00:11:41.33 from the lusts of the flesh 00:11:41.53\00:11:43.40 to walk in the fruits of the Spirit. 00:11:43.60\00:11:46.00 In Romans chapter 13 he also sums up the law 00:11:46.84\00:11:49.40 as a law of love. 00:11:49.80\00:11:51.24 God delivers us out of bondage. 00:11:52.27\00:11:55.18 God is our Deliverer; He is our Rescuer 00:11:55.38\00:11:58.81 and He delivers us by His love. 00:11:59.01\00:12:01.48 It was the love of God that delivered His people. 00:12:02.32\00:12:04.75 Liberated them from the bondage of Egypt. 00:12:04.95\00:12:07.86 And we could say that Egypt is a Biblical representation 00:12:08.42\00:12:10.86 of anything secular in our world today. 00:12:11.06\00:12:13.63 All the "stuff" that holds us in bondage, 00:12:13.83\00:12:16.63 all of our addictive behaviors. 00:12:16.83\00:12:19.03 Amen! All those things that try to keep us 00:12:19.43\00:12:22.80 penned up, imprisoned: 00:12:23.00\00:12:26.57 the law of love sets us free. 00:12:27.51\00:12:29.34 It sets us free... Amen! to follow Jesus. 00:12:29.54\00:12:32.88 Now love is a liberating power, 00:12:33.08\00:12:37.69 and the law is connected with that love. 00:12:37.89\00:12:41.32 All right! God's law written with His own finger 00:12:41.52\00:12:44.53 reveals His love and His liberating power. 00:12:44.73\00:12:47.80 And He wants to write that law in our hearts. 00:12:48.00\00:12:51.80 Now we see the same truth in the incarnation 00:12:52.00\00:12:54.67 of God as a human being. 00:12:54.87\00:12:57.31 We see the same truth in Jesus. 00:12:57.51\00:12:59.17 I want us to look at this in connection with 00:12:59.57\00:13:02.18 Exodus chapter 20. We're going to be looking at 00:13:02.38\00:13:04.25 the book of John chapter 8 verses 1 through 11. 00:13:04.75\00:13:09.78 It's a story that you're familiar with I'm sure. 00:13:09.98\00:13:12.29 It's the story of this woman that was caught in adultery 00:13:13.12\00:13:15.89 in the very act. 00:13:16.09\00:13:17.43 And this story I believe 00:13:17.96\00:13:20.90 illustrates or parallels 00:13:21.10\00:13:23.80 the truth that we find revealed in Exodus 20 verses 1, 2, and 3. 00:13:24.00\00:13:29.20 So we're going to parallel Exodus 20:1-3 00:13:29.40\00:13:31.77 with John 8:1-11. 00:13:31.97\00:13:35.48 Now let's look at these verses here. John chapter 8 00:13:35.68\00:13:38.01 verses 1 through 11. 00:13:38.21\00:13:40.02 Jesus is in the temple at this time. 00:13:40.98\00:13:43.32 He's come from the Mount of Olives. 00:13:44.12\00:13:45.52 Early in the morning, verse 2, He comes again into the temple 00:13:45.72\00:13:48.59 and all the people come to Him and they sit down 00:13:48.79\00:13:50.83 and He taught them. "And the scribes and Pharisees... " 00:13:51.03\00:13:54.00 verse 3... "brought unto Him a woman 00:13:54.20\00:13:56.87 taken in adultery... " That is, in the very act... 00:13:57.07\00:14:01.44 "and when they had set her in the midst 00:14:01.84\00:14:03.97 they said unto Him: 'Master... ' verse 4... 'this woman 00:14:04.17\00:14:08.24 was taken in adultery... in the very act. ' " 00:14:08.44\00:14:10.88 You have to ask yourself a question at this point. 00:14:12.35\00:14:14.48 Right? Where's the guy? 00:14:14.88\00:14:17.59 Where's the guy? If she was caught in the very act, 00:14:19.29\00:14:21.99 what happened to the other guy? There we go. 00:14:22.19\00:14:24.76 It always takes two, you know. That's right. 00:14:25.49\00:14:27.93 Jesus, I think, at this point knows this is a set up. 00:14:29.66\00:14:33.13 "Now... " verse 5... "Moses and the law commanded... " 00:14:33.34\00:14:36.27 Oh, we're quoting the Ten Commandments now... 00:14:36.47\00:14:38.11 we're quoting the law. "Moses and the law commanded us 00:14:38.31\00:14:41.64 that such - thou shalt not commit adultery - that such 00:14:41.84\00:14:44.71 should be stoned but what do You say? " 00:14:44.91\00:14:46.72 "This they said... " verse 6... "tempting Him that they might 00:14:47.72\00:14:50.35 have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down 00:14:50.55\00:14:56.32 with His finger and wrote on the ground 00:14:56.52\00:15:01.30 as though He heard them not. " 00:15:01.50\00:15:03.47 So there He is in the temple. 00:15:04.50\00:15:06.00 Maybe in the courtyard... who knows where He is 00:15:06.40\00:15:08.10 among those stones of the temple 00:15:08.50\00:15:10.91 again with His finger writing in the stone writing in the ground. 00:15:11.07\00:15:15.04 Writing in the dust, in the dirt that's gathered there 00:15:15.34\00:15:18.21 on the stones He's writing with His finger. 00:15:18.41\00:15:19.98 What do you think He's writing in the sand, in the dust? 00:15:20.18\00:15:22.15 What do you think He's writing on those stones? 00:15:22.35\00:15:23.79 Probably the Ten Commandments. 00:15:24.45\00:15:26.09 "So when they continued asking Him He lifted up Himself 00:15:27.22\00:15:30.26 and He said unto them... " verse 7... "He that is without 00:15:30.46\00:15:33.50 sin among you, let him cast a stone at her. " 00:15:33.70\00:15:37.70 And then He continues to write. 00:15:38.10\00:15:39.67 He stooped down again and wrote in the ground. 00:15:40.17\00:15:42.00 "And they which heard it being convicted by their own 00:15:42.20\00:15:45.51 conscience... " See, that's what happens 00:15:45.71\00:15:47.81 when the law of God is written out. 00:15:48.01\00:15:50.35 "Being convicted of their own conscience they went out 00:15:51.25\00:15:53.05 one by one beginning at the eldest even to the last. " 00:15:53.25\00:15:57.29 You know why the eldest went first, don't you? 00:15:59.35\00:16:01.22 'Cause they're smart! 00:16:02.42\00:16:03.86 Life teaches us something. We get some wisdom 00:16:05.19\00:16:07.50 as we get older. You know that, right? 00:16:07.70\00:16:09.23 Young people are harder to convince. 00:16:09.63\00:16:11.53 Like the young people like: "I'm not goin' anywhere. " 00:16:11.73\00:16:13.67 He said: "I'm not going anywhere. " One elder goes out; 00:16:13.87\00:16:16.27 the next elder goes out; the next elder. 00:16:16.47\00:16:17.81 "I'm not out. " Then after a while 00:16:17.97\00:16:19.57 "All these guys are leaving. Well maybe I should go 00:16:19.77\00:16:21.84 after all. " It takes longer for us young people 00:16:22.04\00:16:25.45 or for those young people, right? 00:16:25.65\00:16:27.32 Us older people... we get it a little quicker now 00:16:28.58\00:16:30.82 because we've been around this corner a few times. 00:16:31.02\00:16:33.05 "And Jesus was left alone 00:16:34.86\00:16:37.63 and the woman standing in the midst. " 00:16:38.69\00:16:41.40 "And when He had lifted up Himself and He saw none 00:16:42.43\00:16:45.30 but the woman He said unto her: 00:16:45.50\00:16:47.74 'Woman, where are thine accusers? 00:16:47.94\00:16:52.77 Has no man condemned thee? ' 00:16:52.97\00:16:54.31 And she said: 'No man, Lord. ' 00:16:54.64\00:16:58.15 And Jesus said unto her: 00:16:58.65\00:17:00.82 'Neither do I condemn thee. 00:17:01.55\00:17:04.09 Go and sin no more. ' " Hallelujah! 00:17:04.65\00:17:07.92 Praise God! Amen! 00:17:08.12\00:17:10.79 Praise God! What a powerful, powerful story! 00:17:10.99\00:17:13.40 What we need to understand about the story, 00:17:14.13\00:17:15.66 just a couple of things here. 00:17:15.86\00:17:17.20 First of all, we need to recognize 00:17:17.40\00:17:18.93 that Jesus delivers her from those who are holding her 00:17:19.33\00:17:24.27 in bondage. Amen! 00:17:24.47\00:17:26.61 Jesus delivers her from her accusers. 00:17:27.94\00:17:31.11 Yes! And He does this by the convicting power of God 00:17:31.41\00:17:34.58 which speaks to the conscience of each one of those accusers. 00:17:34.78\00:17:38.15 Did you notice that? 00:17:38.35\00:17:39.69 Each of those accusers 00:17:39.92\00:17:41.82 as the Son of God is writing with His finger 00:17:42.02\00:17:43.99 in the stony ground of the temple - 00:17:44.19\00:17:45.69 a reminder of Sinai - 00:17:46.09\00:17:47.56 each one of those accusers is convicted in their conscience. 00:17:47.76\00:17:51.47 They know... There's only one woman there. 00:17:51.87\00:17:53.57 There's only one party there. They know that they've done 00:17:53.77\00:17:56.10 something wrong. And what do you think He's writing? 00:17:56.30\00:18:00.71 I think He's just writing the commandments. 00:18:00.91\00:18:02.24 I don't know exactly what He's writing. 00:18:02.28\00:18:03.61 Might be writing some details but I think He's writing out 00:18:03.65\00:18:04.98 the commandments, you know. And as He writes them out 00:18:05.05\00:18:07.22 the Holy Spirit is working... the Holy Spirit is working. 00:18:07.42\00:18:09.52 Law, or at least parts of it that they are violating, 00:18:11.29\00:18:15.22 is coming to their minds. That's right! 00:18:15.62\00:18:17.43 He may have written out the seventh commandment. 00:18:17.63\00:18:19.83 Oh that Jesus would convict some of us today 00:18:21.06\00:18:23.43 about that commandment. 00:18:24.70\00:18:26.07 It's a nasty business killing helpless babies 00:18:27.10\00:18:29.40 while claiming to be commandment keepers. 00:18:30.57\00:18:32.47 Hmm! 00:18:32.67\00:18:34.08 Are you listening to the Spirit of God today? 00:18:34.28\00:18:36.24 What the Spirit says to the churches? 00:18:36.64\00:18:38.65 So this week we're going to hear all about the law of God. 00:18:39.45\00:18:42.95 We're going to hear all about the details 00:18:43.95\00:18:48.12 of God's law. 00:18:48.52\00:18:49.86 It's pretty brave of you to be here. 00:18:51.49\00:18:53.73 Praise God! It's pretty brave of you to be listening 00:18:53.93\00:18:56.33 to these messages 00:18:57.03\00:18:58.53 because the law of God is going to lead you to a place 00:18:58.73\00:19:03.30 where you realize that you are sinners. 00:19:03.51\00:19:05.61 Amen! It's going to lead you to a place 00:19:05.81\00:19:08.98 where you're going to drop those stones 00:19:09.18\00:19:11.51 and walk away from other people that you're accusing. 00:19:11.71\00:19:15.15 But here's the point... here's the important point: 00:19:16.35\00:19:18.52 as God convicts you of your sins 00:19:21.29\00:19:25.19 do not walk away from Jesus. 00:19:25.39\00:19:28.23 See, that was the mistake the religious leaders made. 00:19:28.73\00:19:31.63 Uh-huh. They walked away from the Savior! 00:19:31.83\00:19:34.17 That's right. The woman didn't walk away from the Savior. 00:19:34.37\00:19:38.01 She stayed in His presence... she stayed right there. 00:19:38.21\00:19:41.91 As the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin 00:19:43.14\00:19:46.72 do not walk away from Jesus. 00:19:46.92\00:19:49.25 He's your only hope. 00:19:50.22\00:19:51.79 That's right. He's your only hope. 00:19:51.99\00:19:53.89 Don't make that mistake. Are you with me? 00:19:54.09\00:19:55.96 Do not make that mistake. 00:19:56.16\00:19:57.83 We need to wait on the Lord. 00:19:58.23\00:20:00.20 "Wait on the Lord and be of good courage... " 00:20:00.40\00:20:02.53 What does the Bible say? 00:20:02.73\00:20:04.07 "and He will strengthen thine heart. 00:20:04.10\00:20:05.47 Wait, I say, on the Lord. " 00:20:05.67\00:20:07.17 We need to wait on the Lord. 00:20:07.37\00:20:08.87 Don't leave Jesus just because you're a sinner. 00:20:09.07\00:20:11.81 Just because you're a sinner don't leave Jesus 00:20:12.01\00:20:13.51 because the Bible says Jesus came to save sinners. 00:20:13.71\00:20:16.34 Yes! That's what He came to do: He came to SAVE sinners. 00:20:16.54\00:20:18.91 So let the law convict you. 00:20:19.61\00:20:21.98 Every meeting, every session, let the law convict you. 00:20:22.18\00:20:25.05 Don't be afraid of being convicted by the law. 00:20:25.25\00:20:27.12 But don't make the mistake of thinking that the law can 00:20:27.32\00:20:30.56 save you. Don't make the mistake of thinking 00:20:30.76\00:20:34.26 that you, because you're such a sinner, 00:20:34.46\00:20:36.70 need to walk away from Jesus. 00:20:36.90\00:20:38.73 The work of the law is to convict us. 00:20:39.13\00:20:41.77 That's the job of the law... that's what it's all about. 00:20:42.27\00:20:44.44 Romans chapter 3 verse 19 says: 00:20:44.64\00:20:46.41 "The law comes to stop us from talking... 00:20:46.61\00:20:49.31 that every mouth may be stopped. " You know how it is. 00:20:49.51\00:20:51.81 Wife, husband, children, parents: you know how it is 00:20:52.01\00:20:55.15 when we're communicating about things that we've done wrong 00:20:55.35\00:20:58.92 and mistakes that we've made and all of a sudden we want to 00:20:59.12\00:21:00.86 start talking, we want to start excusing, we want to start 00:21:01.06\00:21:03.06 justifying. "Well God, it was the woman... 00:21:03.26\00:21:05.89 the woman You gave. It was the serpent! 00:21:06.09\00:21:08.13 It was the serpent. " We want to start justifying, 00:21:08.33\00:21:09.80 don't we? The law comes to stop the mouth. 00:21:10.00\00:21:12.63 Shh! You're guilty; you're a sinner. 00:21:13.34\00:21:17.14 "The law comes... " Romans 7 verse 7... 00:21:17.97\00:21:19.87 "to make known what sin is. " 00:21:20.08\00:21:21.41 Because sometimes we're kind of confused about what sin is. 00:21:21.44\00:21:23.45 We're like we're not really sure like... 00:21:23.65\00:21:24.98 like Paul says in Romans 7: "I thought I doing pretty good 00:21:25.11\00:21:27.95 until the law said: 'Thou shalt not covet. ' " 00:21:28.15\00:21:31.75 Coveting is something that takes place inside the heart. 00:21:32.79\00:21:36.22 Amen! Don't necessarily see it on the outside. 00:21:36.42\00:21:38.53 All the outside stuff I was doing pretty good 00:21:38.73\00:21:40.50 but that coveting thing? Man, that was happening all the time! 00:21:40.70\00:21:43.70 That car, that house, that job, that... 00:21:44.17\00:21:47.87 The law comes to show us... I Timothy 1:8... 00:21:48.74\00:21:51.24 unrighteousness. 00:21:51.44\00:21:52.81 The law is made for the unrighteous we are told... 00:21:53.01\00:21:54.88 that's what it's made for, that's what it's for. 00:21:55.08\00:21:56.54 Let the law do what the law is supposed to do. 00:21:56.75\00:22:00.02 Let the law convict you and let Jesus save you. 00:22:00.22\00:22:04.19 Amen! Let the law convict you 00:22:04.35\00:22:06.25 and let Jesus save you. All right! Hallelujah! 00:22:06.45\00:22:08.96 They work together. Yes! They're united. 00:22:09.16\00:22:11.39 The law's not against Jesus. 00:22:12.06\00:22:13.40 It just has a different part to play. 00:22:13.60\00:22:15.83 The law is our schoolmaster to lead us to Jesus 00:22:16.03\00:22:20.14 by instructing us regarding unrighteousness. 00:22:20.34\00:22:23.34 To lead us to Jesus so that we can be justified by faith. 00:22:23.74\00:22:27.84 "Thou shalt call His name Jesus... " 00:22:29.84\00:22:31.91 Matthew 1:21 says: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus 00:22:32.11\00:22:34.78 for He shall save His people from their sins. " 00:22:34.98\00:22:38.55 Hallelujah! Are there any sinners out there today? 00:22:38.75\00:22:41.62 Any sinners listening today? 00:22:41.82\00:22:43.69 This is the Bible! We can praise God for His promises. 00:22:43.89\00:22:47.20 Matthew 1:21... so don't let the law push you away from Jesus. 00:22:47.40\00:22:51.50 This woman was caught in the very act of adultery 00:22:51.70\00:22:55.70 but she didn't go anywhere. 00:22:56.20\00:22:57.74 She didn't go anywhere... she stayed right there. 00:22:58.64\00:23:00.78 Sometimes we think: "Oh, I can't be with Jesus. 00:23:01.28\00:23:03.55 I can't be in Christ's presence; I'm not worthy. " 00:23:03.75\00:23:05.88 Now this story tells us a different picture. 00:23:06.08\00:23:07.88 This story tells us that if you're a sinner that's exactly 00:23:08.88\00:23:13.02 where you need to be. The worst place you can be 00:23:13.22\00:23:15.29 is inside the house with the door closed to Jesus - 00:23:15.69\00:23:18.39 yes - and He's on the outside knocking. 00:23:18.59\00:23:20.20 That's the worst place you can be. That's right! 00:23:20.40\00:23:23.37 Amen! She stayed right there because it was her only hope. 00:23:23.57\00:23:27.27 Jesus was her only hope. 00:23:27.47\00:23:29.10 All the self-righteous religious leaders walked away. 00:23:29.80\00:23:32.44 They probably went to try harder. 00:23:32.84\00:23:34.41 But the woman stayed with Jesus and Jesus spoke to her. 00:23:38.45\00:23:41.98 He spoke to her the same words that He spoke to His people 00:23:42.18\00:23:45.09 anciently from Sinai: "I am the Lord 00:23:45.29\00:23:48.19 that have brought you out of bondage. " 00:23:48.39\00:23:50.96 Same words! Same words! 00:23:51.36\00:23:53.93 "I am the Lord that delivered you. " 00:23:54.13\00:23:56.23 And how did God deliver them from Egypt? 00:23:56.43\00:23:57.90 What was the last plague? It was the death of the firstborn. 00:23:58.10\00:24:01.64 And what were they to do to be delivered from that plague? 00:24:01.84\00:24:05.47 They were to put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, 00:24:05.67\00:24:09.08 on the lintel. The blood of the lamb is how they were delivered. 00:24:09.28\00:24:11.28 "I am the Lord that delivered you. " 00:24:11.48\00:24:12.85 "That's what I'm here for" Jesus is telling this woman. 00:24:13.05\00:24:15.08 These are words of grace; these are words of mercy; 00:24:15.28\00:24:17.92 these are words of love: "I don't condemn you. " 00:24:18.12\00:24:20.99 This is the gospel. 00:24:22.26\00:24:23.69 This is the good news of God's grace 00:24:24.19\00:24:26.19 and the gospel is center in the law. 00:24:26.39\00:24:30.20 You cannot go to the law until you start with the gospel. 00:24:30.60\00:24:34.20 And so God doesn't say: "Well I've got the gospel 00:24:34.40\00:24:36.17 and I've got the law. " They're not divided; they're united! 00:24:36.37\00:24:38.81 The gospel is IN the law. 00:24:39.21\00:24:40.58 That's why the first commandment is so important! 00:24:40.78\00:24:42.71 It's right there in the law! 00:24:43.11\00:24:45.08 You cannot get to a "Thou shalt not" 00:24:45.28\00:24:47.22 until you go through the gospel. 00:24:47.42\00:24:49.88 The gospel is like a bodyguard. 00:24:50.19\00:24:51.69 Like: "You're not getting in here past me unless 00:24:52.09\00:24:54.92 you've got... you've got the ticket. " 00:24:55.12\00:24:57.33 "You're not getting through here... 00:24:57.69\00:24:59.19 you're not gettin' through. 00:24:59.39\00:25:00.73 You've got to have the gospel to get to the law. 00:25:00.76\00:25:03.23 I'm not lettin' you through to the law without the gospel. " 00:25:03.43\00:25:05.50 This is what Jesus is saying. Amen! 00:25:06.53\00:25:08.87 "I don't condemn you... " God's grace, God's unmerited favor. 00:25:09.54\00:25:14.98 It's powerful! 00:25:15.28\00:25:16.91 We often ruin grace, you know. We ruin grace by making it 00:25:17.11\00:25:19.11 something other than unmerited favor. 00:25:19.31\00:25:21.22 And by doing that we undermine the power of grace in our life. 00:25:21.82\00:25:25.45 We want to make grace power and so we interpret it as 00:25:25.65\00:25:29.02 power. By doing that we undermine its power. 00:25:29.22\00:25:32.49 Grace needs to be unmerited favor. 00:25:32.89\00:25:35.43 And as it stays and remains unmerited favor with nothing 00:25:35.63\00:25:38.10 added to it it's power. 00:25:38.30\00:25:40.57 Anything other than unmerited favor undermines 00:25:40.77\00:25:43.74 the power of grace. And we need all the power 00:25:43.94\00:25:46.37 of grace in our lives that we can get. 00:25:46.57\00:25:49.21 You know, some theologians have gone so far in undermining 00:25:49.88\00:25:54.78 God's grace that they've placed a question mark 00:25:54.98\00:25:57.89 on the story of the woman caught in adultery 00:25:58.09\00:26:00.59 suggesting that it's not found in the older manuscripts 00:26:00.79\00:26:03.26 of the Bible. I don't know if you've ever read that 00:26:03.46\00:26:05.13 in your marginal references in your Bible. 00:26:05.33\00:26:07.46 My wife has the NIV, and right in the marginal reference 00:26:07.66\00:26:09.66 there this whole story is put in doubt. 00:26:09.86\00:26:12.70 That's the devil at work, you know. 00:26:13.54\00:26:15.30 Amen! Undermining certain portions of the Word of God 00:26:15.50\00:26:18.37 and suggesting that it's not in the older manuscripts 00:26:18.57\00:26:20.88 and therefore undermining our confidence and faith 00:26:21.08\00:26:24.01 in that truth, but it's so powerful. 00:26:24.21\00:26:27.02 This New Testament story is a replica of Exodus chapter 20 00:26:27.22\00:26:31.79 and the first commandment. 00:26:31.99\00:26:33.32 You see that? You see that? 00:26:33.42\00:26:35.72 See, as Jesus tells the woman that He doesn't condemn her 00:26:37.23\00:26:40.60 He then goes on to tell her to "Go and sin no more. " 00:26:40.80\00:26:45.00 And sin is transgression of the law. 00:26:45.20\00:26:48.37 I John 3:4. 00:26:48.57\00:26:49.90 So you see this here? Jesus said: "I'm not condemning you. " 00:26:49.97\00:26:52.61 "I love you; I brought you out of bondage. " 00:26:52.81\00:26:54.58 "I brought you out of Egypt; I brought you out of 00:26:54.78\00:26:56.38 all of that secularism, all of that addiction. 00:26:56.58\00:26:58.28 All that. I brought you out of that by My blood. " 00:26:58.48\00:27:00.32 "I've died for you; I've paid the penalty for you. " 00:27:00.52\00:27:02.08 "I'm your Savior! 00:27:02.28\00:27:03.62 My perfect life and My penalty-substituting death 00:27:03.65\00:27:06.45 is yours as a gift. 00:27:06.72\00:27:08.06 Now knowing that, under- standing that, receiving that 00:27:08.26\00:27:11.36 go and leave your life of sin. " 00:27:11.56\00:27:13.76 Amen! "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me, 00:27:13.96\00:27:16.67 worship idols, take My name in vain. 00:27:17.43\00:27:20.70 Not in the context of this beautiful picture of My love. " 00:27:20.90\00:27:26.54 See, when we behold the love of God we can't sin. 00:27:26.74\00:27:29.51 It's not that it's physically impossible. 00:27:29.91\00:27:32.05 That's not the point. The point is is that we don't want to! 00:27:32.25\00:27:35.75 "I can't do that. " 00:27:36.55\00:27:38.25 I don't want to do that. 00:27:39.55\00:27:40.89 So the key here is the same as it is in Exodus 00:27:41.79\00:27:43.79 chapter 20 and verse 2. 00:27:43.99\00:27:45.33 It's the same verse more or less 00:27:45.49\00:27:49.46 of the first commandment. 00:27:49.66\00:27:52.33 First Jesus says to the woman - notice this - 00:27:52.53\00:27:54.64 before she repents, 00:27:55.04\00:27:56.81 before she asks for forgiveness, 00:27:57.01\00:27:58.44 before she confesses her sin, 00:27:58.64\00:28:01.01 before ANY of that Jesus says: 00:28:01.41\00:28:04.28 "Neither do I condemn you. " 00:28:04.48\00:28:05.81 See, God initiates the salvation process. 00:28:06.38\00:28:11.35 He comes to us first. 00:28:11.75\00:28:13.22 We don't repent and love God. 00:28:13.96\00:28:16.02 We don't trust Jesus and love God. 00:28:16.22\00:28:17.76 God initiates... He comes to us first 00:28:17.96\00:28:21.23 with all the love, with all the forgiveness, 00:28:21.43\00:28:23.20 with all freedom, with all the liberty, with all the power. 00:28:23.90\00:28:26.63 The goodness of God is what leads us to repentance. 00:28:27.20\00:28:31.07 And the more goodness we have the more potential 00:28:31.47\00:28:36.04 we have for repentance. 00:28:36.24\00:28:38.61 So this is grace; this is the gospel; this is... 00:28:39.35\00:28:43.28 this is right in the law of God, right in the first commandment. 00:28:43.49\00:28:47.16 And that's where the power lies. 00:28:47.56\00:28:49.22 That is all God: non-condemning unmerited favor. 00:28:49.82\00:28:53.90 That's where we need to be first. 00:28:54.10\00:28:55.43 And this is the basic message of the Bible from Genesis 00:28:55.56\00:28:58.47 all the way through to Revelation. 00:28:58.87\00:29:00.54 This is the basic message of the Bible. 00:29:00.74\00:29:03.30 Genesis: Adam and Eve. 00:29:03.71\00:29:05.41 They sin and what are they doing? Hiding from God. 00:29:06.07\00:29:08.78 They're covering up with fig leaves. 00:29:09.18\00:29:10.51 They're blaming each other 00:29:10.61\00:29:11.95 and really they're blaming God, right? 00:29:11.98\00:29:13.31 They're blaming God. "You gave me the woman. " 00:29:13.52\00:29:15.28 "You let the serpent come in here. " 00:29:15.48\00:29:16.82 God comes looking for them. That's grace. Amen! 00:29:17.29\00:29:20.69 God comes in with animal skins. That's grace. 00:29:21.42\00:29:23.63 Amen. God promises them redemption. That's grace. 00:29:23.83\00:29:27.80 Hallelujah! 00:29:28.00\00:29:29.33 See, God initiates salvation right from the beginning. 00:29:29.40\00:29:32.77 The entire Old Testament is about moving us from works 00:29:33.44\00:29:36.50 to grace. Works is our natural "MO. " 00:29:36.71\00:29:41.48 That's where we go naturally. 00:29:41.68\00:29:44.65 Think of it... think fig leaves. Right? 00:29:47.02\00:29:49.92 Think Cain and his self-righteous fruit offering. 00:29:50.12\00:29:52.69 Right? We want to offer God the fruit of our lives 00:29:52.89\00:29:56.42 of good works in the place of the Lamb. 00:29:56.62\00:29:58.76 See, we're just like Cain. 00:29:58.96\00:30:00.30 We're just like Cain. 00:30:00.46\00:30:01.80 Instead of Christ's perfect righteousness, 00:30:02.83\00:30:05.30 His perfect life and penalty-satisfying death 00:30:05.50\00:30:08.07 we want to put our works in there somewhere. 00:30:08.27\00:30:10.37 Our fruit of works is all Cain worship. 00:30:11.07\00:30:13.98 It's all Cain worship. 00:30:14.94\00:30:16.28 Think Tower of Babel... working our way to heaven. 00:30:17.05\00:30:19.21 Building those bricks one by one. 00:30:19.98\00:30:22.58 All those good deeds that we're doing so that we can 00:30:22.78\00:30:24.65 get ourselves up there closer to God. 00:30:24.85\00:30:27.06 "I'm closer to God now. Look at all the tithe I've been 00:30:27.26\00:30:28.92 paying; look at all the good things I've been doing. 00:30:29.12\00:30:30.93 I'm much closer than that guy over there! 00:30:31.13\00:30:33.19 That guy... I'm so thankful! 00:30:33.40\00:30:35.23 I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I possess! 00:30:35.43\00:30:39.37 Man... I'm not like that other guy over there. 00:30:39.57\00:30:41.54 I don't even know what he's doing in church! " 00:30:42.10\00:30:43.84 I'll tell you what he's doing in church: 00:30:48.04\00:30:49.54 he's praying, and this is his prayer: 00:30:50.51\00:30:51.98 "God be merciful to me, a sinner. " 00:30:52.18\00:30:54.78 And that's the man that goes down to his house justified. 00:30:55.18\00:30:57.12 You know, you can tell whether or not 00:30:57.32\00:30:59.82 you are established on a foun- dation of righteousness by faith 00:31:00.02\00:31:03.26 in Jesus or righteousness by works. You can tell. 00:31:03.46\00:31:05.29 Jesus tells us right there in Luke chapter 17. 00:31:05.99\00:31:10.13 And it's really interesting how He puts this because 00:31:10.33\00:31:12.20 Luke chapter 17 connects with Revelation chapter 12. 00:31:12.40\00:31:15.94 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12 where it says: 00:31:16.14\00:31:19.67 "Here are those that keep the commandments of God 00:31:19.87\00:31:22.04 and have the testimony of Jesus. " 00:31:22.24\00:31:23.91 Excuse me, "Keep the commandments of God 00:31:24.61\00:31:26.01 and have the faith of Jesus. " 00:31:26.21\00:31:27.55 Because in Luke chapter 17, excuse me, Luke chapter 18 00:31:27.85\00:31:31.35 and verse 8 He says... or verse 7 He says... 00:31:31.55\00:31:35.36 Is it verse 7 or verse 8? 00:31:36.62\00:31:38.39 By the way, the verse that I was supposed to deliver 00:31:38.59\00:31:40.66 to you yesterday... you remember that one? 00:31:40.86\00:31:42.20 Psalm 50 verse 23. 00:31:42.60\00:31:44.33 Psalm 50:23... that's the verse. 00:31:44.53\00:31:47.10 And the NIV is pretty good on that. 00:31:47.30\00:31:49.27 Luke 18 verse 8 last part: 00:31:51.34\00:31:55.94 "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes 00:31:56.14\00:31:57.81 will He find faith on the earth? " 00:31:58.01\00:31:59.35 "Will He find faith? " You know, we talk about 00:31:59.61\00:32:01.92 keeping the commandments of God but what about the 00:32:02.12\00:32:03.62 faith of Jesus? Right. 00:32:03.82\00:32:06.05 See, the faith of Jesus is the gospel; 00:32:06.25\00:32:08.92 the commandments of God is the law, and they go hand in hand. 00:32:09.12\00:32:11.56 And the gospel is what Jesus... He's saying like: "When I come 00:32:12.33\00:32:15.46 will I find people who hold onto the gospel? 00:32:15.73\00:32:17.93 Who not only keep the commandments of God but also 00:32:18.13\00:32:19.70 hold onto the gospel? Who have this FAITH 00:32:19.90\00:32:21.90 in Jesus Christ or the faith OF Jesus Christ 00:32:23.10\00:32:26.64 which is really His faith toward us? " 00:32:26.84\00:32:29.44 And then in verse 9 He speaks this parable 00:32:29.64\00:32:31.25 of certain which trusted them- selves that they were righteous. 00:32:31.45\00:32:33.21 Now here's the point... here's the point: 00:32:33.62\00:32:35.82 how could you know if you're trusting in Jesus and His 00:32:36.22\00:32:39.89 righteousness or if you're trusting in yourselves that 00:32:40.09\00:32:42.92 you're righteous? How can you know? 00:32:43.12\00:32:44.69 It's so complicated sometimes because we have all these 00:32:45.43\00:32:47.70 theologians telling us: "Well, we're not saved by our works 00:32:47.90\00:32:50.13 but if you're saved you're going to have works. 00:32:50.33\00:32:51.87 And we're not saved by the law but we really should be 00:32:52.07\00:32:54.20 keeping the law. " And you're thinking: 00:32:54.40\00:32:56.40 "Well how does this all sort out? " 00:32:56.60\00:32:58.14 Well Jesus tells us really clearly right here 00:32:59.17\00:33:01.54 in this verse. We didn't finish the verse. 00:33:01.74\00:33:03.41 We're going to do that right now. 00:33:03.61\00:33:05.28 "And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted 00:33:05.48\00:33:07.12 in themselves that they were righteous 00:33:07.32\00:33:08.65 and they despised others. " 00:33:08.68\00:33:11.22 That's how you can know. 00:33:11.42\00:33:12.75 THAT'S how you can know. 00:33:12.95\00:33:14.29 How you feel about other people in an indication 00:33:15.09\00:33:19.03 of whether or not you're trusting in Jesus 00:33:19.23\00:33:21.13 or yourself. Amen! 00:33:21.33\00:33:22.80 That's it right there! 00:33:23.40\00:33:24.73 That's all we need. 00:33:24.77\00:33:26.10 All you need right now is just... "How do I think about 00:33:26.50\00:33:29.90 so and so and so and so and so and so? " 00:33:30.11\00:33:31.91 Hmm! That's an indicator that I'm trusting... 00:33:32.31\00:33:35.11 Will Jesus find faith on the earth when He comes? 00:33:35.31\00:33:38.15 Will He find the people who would say: "Lord, be merciful 00:33:38.35\00:33:41.25 unto me, a sinner, while they keep the commandments of God? " 00:33:41.45\00:33:43.18 Come on! 00:33:43.39\00:33:44.72 Or is He going to find that people are like keeping 00:33:44.75\00:33:46.09 the commandments of God? "I'm so thankful I'm not a Baptist. " 00:33:46.22\00:33:47.99 "I'm so thankful I'm not a Catholic. I'm so thankful 00:33:48.19\00:33:49.72 I'm not a Lutheran. " "I'm so thankful I'm at 3ABN 00:33:49.92\00:33:51.69 Camp Meeting and I've got all my ducks in a row. " 00:33:51.89\00:33:53.83 "I'm so thankful I've got the truth. " 00:33:54.03\00:33:55.36 Have mercy! 00:33:55.86\00:33:57.20 God is speaking to us this morning. 00:34:01.40\00:34:03.64 And basically He's saying: "You've got to remember 00:34:03.84\00:34:07.41 ALL of the Old Testament 00:34:07.81\00:34:10.51 AND the New Testament to get this right. " 00:34:11.31\00:34:14.38 The book of Revelation brings it all together. 00:34:14.58\00:34:16.28 You've gotta remember about Cain. 00:34:17.25\00:34:19.89 You've gotta remember about the Tower of Babel. 00:34:20.09\00:34:22.09 You've gotta remember about Abraham and Hagar. 00:34:22.29\00:34:24.39 Remember Abraham and Hagar? 00:34:24.79\00:34:26.13 Abraham, the father of the faithful... what did he do? 00:34:26.16\00:34:28.26 Old covenant... trying to help God by his works. 00:34:28.46\00:34:31.73 Trying to help God do what He alone can do. 00:34:31.93\00:34:34.27 Right? And Paul takes that whole story and puts it in 00:34:34.47\00:34:37.41 Galatians chapter 4 and say: "Hey, you want to know 00:34:37.61\00:34:39.07 the difference between the old and the new covenant? " 00:34:39.27\00:34:40.61 Boom! Here it is right here. 00:34:40.81\00:34:42.68 And we still are inclined to do that. 00:34:43.61\00:34:45.38 But in Revelation 14 we have this final picture, 00:34:45.78\00:34:48.45 this powerful picture, of those who keep the commandments 00:34:48.65\00:34:51.39 of God. And why do they keep the commandments of God? 00:34:51.59\00:34:53.56 Jesus tells us why. 00:34:54.29\00:34:55.89 In John 14 verse 15 He says: 00:34:56.29\00:34:58.56 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. " 00:34:58.76\00:35:01.20 Well why do we love Him? 00:35:01.40\00:35:02.73 Well John tells us why in John chapter 4 verse 19. 00:35:03.06\00:35:05.63 "We love Him BECAUSE He first loved us. " 00:35:06.03\00:35:09.24 Wow! There's the source right there! 00:35:09.44\00:35:11.17 You see how simple that is? 00:35:11.57\00:35:12.91 Amen! Simple Biblical truth. 00:35:13.24\00:35:15.74 He loved us first, and that love wells up in our hearts 00:35:15.94\00:35:19.21 and causes us to love Jesus. 00:35:19.41\00:35:20.85 And when we love Jesus we do what? 00:35:21.05\00:35:22.75 I mean, when I became a Christian 00:35:23.15\00:35:24.65 I wasn't an Adventist. I mean, I was trying to get my 00:35:24.85\00:35:26.22 sister out of the church. 00:35:26.42\00:35:27.76 A lot of you know my story. 00:35:27.79\00:35:29.46 And I started studying with Adventists 'cause I thought 00:35:29.96\00:35:32.09 "Man, these guys are just like... They must be a cult 00:35:32.29\00:35:34.30 or something. Going to church on Saturday? " 00:35:34.50\00:35:36.03 And as I started studying with Adventists to get my sister 00:35:37.63\00:35:40.10 out of the church I started learning what the Bible actually 00:35:40.30\00:35:42.64 teaches. I couldn't find Sunday in there anywhere. 00:35:42.84\00:35:44.91 Well not really. I mean, some of the newer translations 00:35:45.11\00:35:47.24 of the Bible - I don't know if you realize this - 00:35:47.44\00:35:48.78 have put Sunday in. 00:35:48.98\00:35:50.35 There are 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 translations 00:35:51.38\00:35:53.85 from 2000 and on that have put Sunday... 00:35:54.05\00:35:56.28 In Revelation 1:10, the Lord's day, they put Sunday 00:35:56.48\00:35:58.92 in there in the text or in the marginal references. 00:35:59.12\00:36:01.16 And the Message Bible is one of those translations. 00:36:01.36\00:36:03.73 Transliterations? 00:36:03.93\00:36:05.73 Something like that. 00:36:06.13\00:36:07.46 It's not based on the Greek or the Hebrew. 00:36:07.60\00:36:08.93 So there are Sunday texts now. Be careful as you study. 00:36:09.90\00:36:14.17 I was like: "Where's Sunday? " And it wasn't there. 00:36:14.37\00:36:17.04 Not in the Greek and the Hebrew. It's not there. 00:36:17.77\00:36:19.51 So I started to realize: "Wow! I don't really know the Bible. 00:36:19.97\00:36:23.11 I know the Our Father and the Hail Mary - 00:36:23.31\00:36:24.65 I was raised Catholic - but I don't know the Bible. " 00:36:24.71\00:36:26.92 And as I started to study this I remember 00:36:27.95\00:36:30.62 thinking in my brain... When Jesus said, when I read that 00:36:30.82\00:36:34.82 verse John 14:15: "If you love Me, keep my commandments" 00:36:35.02\00:36:36.89 "I love Jesus! I love Jesus; He saved me. 00:36:37.09\00:36:40.06 He has transformed my life. I don't drink any more. 00:36:40.26\00:36:43.57 Alcohol has no power in my life any more. 00:36:43.97\00:36:46.47 I go to church; I read the Bible. 00:36:46.67\00:36:48.20 My whole life has changed around. I love Jesus! 00:36:48.40\00:36:50.61 I should be keeping His commandments. " 00:36:50.81\00:36:52.41 It wasn't just the seventh day is the Sabbath Day 00:36:54.28\00:36:56.31 and you should go... It was "I love Jesus! " Amen! 00:36:56.51\00:36:59.51 I love Him... and that's the point. 00:36:59.91\00:37:02.88 That's always the point of commandment keeping. 00:37:03.39\00:37:05.52 In the very context of Exodus chapter 20 verses 1-3 00:37:05.92\00:37:09.32 that's it. Again and again the law of God is presented 00:37:09.72\00:37:13.40 in the context of grace, of unmerited favor. 00:37:13.60\00:37:16.46 That's the only way it can come to us 00:37:16.67\00:37:18.53 with any kind of power, with any kind of impact. 00:37:18.73\00:37:21.37 God first loves us; God first delivers us from bondage. 00:37:21.57\00:37:26.78 How does He deliver us? 00:37:26.98\00:37:28.31 He delivers us by the blood of the Lamb. 00:37:28.41\00:37:30.25 It's always been the blood of the Lamb. 00:37:30.45\00:37:31.81 It's never anything else but the blood of the Lamb. 00:37:32.01\00:37:33.75 And when He does that our hearts are transformed. Amen! 00:37:34.82\00:37:40.49 Our hearts are transformed by the love of God. 00:37:41.49\00:37:46.33 Someone might say: "Well, God can't save me. 00:37:47.30\00:37:50.67 I'm too wicked... I'm too bad. 00:37:50.87\00:37:53.34 I'm bad to the bone; I was easy taught. " 00:37:53.54\00:37:55.40 Some of you old guys will get that, right? 00:37:58.07\00:37:59.77 Some of you old, non-2nd, 3rd generation Adventists. 00:38:00.18\00:38:04.61 "I'm bad to the bone; I'm so wicked! " 00:38:05.01\00:38:07.45 Well, wait a minute. Why did God choose the Hebrews? 00:38:08.08\00:38:10.75 Like what made God choose them? 00:38:11.15\00:38:14.42 Were they more loving than other nations? 00:38:14.62\00:38:19.19 Did they have more potential than other nations? 00:38:19.39\00:38:21.23 Were they less stubborn; were they more moral 00:38:21.43\00:38:23.87 than other nations? 00:38:24.07\00:38:25.40 Take a quick gander with me in Deuteronomy 00:38:25.63\00:38:28.00 chapter 9. It's an interesting chapter. 00:38:28.20\00:38:30.74 And you can read it on your own time. 00:38:30.94\00:38:34.41 I mean, the rest of it on your own time. 00:38:34.61\00:38:36.31 But Deuteronomy chapter 9 is basically an outline 00:38:36.51\00:38:40.22 of the Jewish people. 00:38:40.42\00:38:45.15 And over and over again God talks here 00:38:46.42\00:38:49.56 about their stubbornness. 00:38:49.76\00:38:52.76 Is it Deuteronomy chapter 9? I'm in Numbers chapter 9. 00:38:54.40\00:38:57.30 Excuse me... Deuteronomy chapter 9. 00:38:57.50\00:38:59.53 I don't have one of those computer Bibles right now. 00:39:01.87\00:39:03.71 I'm using the "hard copy" so... 00:39:03.91\00:39:06.41 it's gotta be here, right? 00:39:06.61\00:39:08.28 Deuteronomy chapter 9. Let's just start here 00:39:10.35\00:39:14.88 with verse 4. "Speak not in thine heart 00:39:15.08\00:39:20.72 after the Lord thy God has cast them out before thee 00:39:20.92\00:39:23.56 saying: 'For my righteousness the Lord has brought me up 00:39:23.76\00:39:26.36 to possess this land. ' " 00:39:26.56\00:39:27.90 Don't say that... don't say that 'cause it ain't true. 00:39:28.06\00:39:32.37 "But for the wickedness of these nations the Lord did 00:39:34.84\00:39:37.64 drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness 00:39:37.84\00:39:40.68 or for the righteousness of thine heart dost thou go in 00:39:40.88\00:39:44.88 to possess the land but for the wickedness of these nations 00:39:45.08\00:39:47.28 the Lord thy God did drive them out from before thee 00:39:47.48\00:39:49.68 that He may perform the word which the Lord swear unto thy 00:39:49.88\00:39:52.45 fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:39:52.65\00:39:54.16 Understand therefore that the Lord thy God gives 00:39:54.36\00:39:57.03 thee not this good land to pos- sess it for thy righteousness 00:39:57.23\00:40:01.36 for you are stiff-necked! " 00:40:01.56\00:40:04.87 Wow! Amen! There's a message we need to understand! 00:40:05.27\00:40:09.80 We're a bunch of stiff-necked people! Come on! 00:40:10.41\00:40:13.54 And the reason why God is dealing with all these other 00:40:14.11\00:40:16.51 issues in the world is because these guys are just... 00:40:16.71\00:40:18.81 they've gone way over. But wait a minute, 00:40:19.01\00:40:21.45 it's not 'cause you're better than them. 00:40:21.65\00:40:23.39 "Remember and forget not how you provoked the Lord your God 00:40:26.79\00:40:30.23 to wrath in the wilderness from the day that you did depart 00:40:30.43\00:40:33.73 out of the land of Egypt until you came into this place 00:40:33.93\00:40:36.70 you have been rebellious against the Lord. " 00:40:36.90\00:40:39.10 Whoo! Yeah, if God can say it to the Hebrews 00:40:39.30\00:40:42.90 I think God can say it to anybody. 00:40:43.10\00:40:44.47 Amen. Any one of us... we're all saveable. 00:40:44.67\00:40:47.01 There's no excuse. I think sometimes we get the idea 00:40:47.21\00:40:49.14 that people can be saved 00:40:49.34\00:40:50.68 because they're pretty good to start with. 00:40:50.71\00:40:52.18 Yeah, like, they're almost in heaven anyway. 00:40:52.71\00:40:56.55 Like just one more step... just almost there. 00:40:56.95\00:40:59.35 But not me. God can save them but He can't save me. 00:40:59.75\00:41:02.22 I mean there's third, fourth generation... 00:41:02.42\00:41:04.23 When I first came to the Adventist church 00:41:04.43\00:41:07.33 I mean I drove into the parking lot with my 1973 Camaro. 00:41:07.53\00:41:11.30 Chevy Camaro... all souped up. 00:41:11.87\00:41:13.40 I mean, it had the louvers on the back. It had the Cragars. 00:41:13.60\00:41:15.94 Some of you know what those are, right? 00:41:16.24\00:41:17.74 Vinyl top. Man, I miss vinyl tops, right? 00:41:18.91\00:41:21.44 Vinyl top. I mean, it was just totally... 00:41:21.64\00:41:25.28 And I came in and with my girlfriend 00:41:25.48\00:41:27.02 and my leather jacket, and I walked in the Adventist church. 00:41:27.22\00:41:29.12 I mean, I was a brand-new Christian, you know? 00:41:29.32\00:41:30.69 Brand new Christian. Wasn't drinking any more. 00:41:30.89\00:41:32.49 Wasn't doing drugs any more; I was going to church. 00:41:32.69\00:41:34.96 So I was going to church on Sunday; I was going to church 00:41:35.16\00:41:37.29 on Wednesday, I was going to church on Sabbath. 00:41:37.49\00:41:39.23 I was going to a Pentecostal church. I was going to 00:41:39.43\00:41:40.83 Calvary Chapel, and I was going to the Adventist church. 00:41:41.03\00:41:43.37 And when I came into the Adventist church 00:41:44.27\00:41:46.27 I felt something different that I didn't feel in the other 00:41:46.47\00:41:48.40 churches. I felt uncomfortable 00:41:48.60\00:41:50.67 with my girlfriend and my leather coat and my you know. 00:41:53.88\00:41:56.24 I looked at all these 3rd and 4th and 5th and 00:41:56.44\00:41:58.51 6th and 7th and 8th and 9th and 10th generation Adventists. 00:41:58.71\00:42:01.05 I was like: "I'm among the saints here. " 00:42:01.25\00:42:03.79 Yeah, it was... it was uncomfortable. 00:42:05.29\00:42:06.76 I felt uncomfortable. 00:42:06.96\00:42:08.29 And I almost got to this place where I was thinking 00:42:08.99\00:42:11.26 "You know, I don't know if I'm good enough to be saved. 00:42:11.46\00:42:15.00 All these people, like they've got their stuff together 00:42:15.40\00:42:17.83 and me... like I'm fresh out of the world. " 00:42:18.03\00:42:20.20 We need to forget that. 00:42:21.34\00:42:22.67 That's a lie from the devil. Amen! 00:42:23.00\00:42:25.47 No one is more savable than anyone else. Amen! 00:42:25.67\00:42:29.41 We are saved by grace: God's unmerited favor. 00:42:29.61\00:42:32.61 And don't you dare allow the devil to add some kind of 00:42:32.81\00:42:36.58 natural human goodness to that. Amen! It isn't happening. 00:42:36.79\00:42:40.49 Grace stands alone as our only merit through faith. 00:42:41.19\00:42:43.66 That's it, so don't let the enemy touch that Biblical 00:42:43.86\00:42:47.20 equation and mess it up. That's not happening. 00:42:47.40\00:42:50.33 That's right. "We are saved by grace 00:42:50.53\00:42:52.30 through faith, and not of yourselves. It is a gift of God 00:42:52.50\00:42:55.34 not of works lest any man should boast. " 00:42:55.54\00:42:57.51 For we are His workmanship. That's right! 00:42:57.67\00:43:00.81 Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which 00:43:01.01\00:43:03.04 God has before ordained that we should walk in them. 00:43:03.24\00:43:05.41 So those good works are HIS, they're not ours. 00:43:05.81\00:43:08.98 That's right! He'll even reward us for them. OK! 00:43:09.18\00:43:11.35 That's kind of nice, isn't it? 00:43:11.55\00:43:12.89 He gives us the works then He rewards us for them 00:43:12.95\00:43:14.69 as if they're our own... but they're not. 00:43:14.89\00:43:16.22 They're His... they're all His. 00:43:16.29\00:43:18.26 And those works never supplant, they never replace 00:43:18.66\00:43:22.90 the righteousness of Jesus. 00:43:23.10\00:43:24.57 Amen! We can never get to heaven and say: "You know, 00:43:24.77\00:43:27.64 I did all these kinds of things. Let me in. " 00:43:27.84\00:43:29.70 There's a group of people that do that, they're pictured 00:43:29.90\00:43:32.07 in Matthew chapter 7:21-23. 00:43:32.27\00:43:36.28 They said: "Lord, Lord, open unto us. " 00:43:37.45\00:43:39.61 He's like: "Who are you? " 00:43:39.81\00:43:41.38 "We're the people, we did many wonderful works in Your name. 00:43:41.58\00:43:44.05 We cast out devils in You name and we prophesied in Your name 00:43:44.25\00:43:46.15 and we did all kinds of stuff. Man, we did Daniel Seminars 00:43:46.35\00:43:48.26 and Revelation Seminars and we did Bible studies 00:43:48.46\00:43:50.23 and we paid our tithe. " And He says: 00:43:50.43\00:43:51.76 "I don't know you. Did you ever open that door 00:43:51.89\00:43:55.36 So I could sup with you? Or were you just like 00:43:57.13\00:44:00.70 rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing 00:44:00.90\00:44:02.47 for the whole time? " 00:44:02.67\00:44:04.31 See, somehow we've got to transition ourselves 00:44:06.27\00:44:09.34 back to that foundation and stay there. 00:44:09.54\00:44:13.42 Stay on the foundation of Jesus. 00:44:13.92\00:44:16.52 Paul says in I Corinthians there is no other foundation 00:44:16.72\00:44:19.95 which can be laid than Jesus Christ. Amen! 00:44:20.16\00:44:23.59 And he says: "Some build upon this foundation... " 00:44:23.79\00:44:25.76 I Corinthians 3:7. 00:44:25.96\00:44:27.30 "Some build upon this foundation - 00:44:27.50\00:44:29.00 gold and silver and precious stones - 00:44:29.40\00:44:31.37 and others build wood and hay and stubble. " 00:44:31.57\00:44:34.27 And by the way, the context of I Corinthians chapter 3 00:44:35.17\00:44:37.97 is Sinai and the law of God. 00:44:40.28\00:44:42.21 And he's talking there in the context of this 00:44:42.61\00:44:44.58 about how there are people who look to that law 00:44:44.78\00:44:48.85 as their foundation instead of looking to Jesus. 00:44:49.05\00:44:51.29 The foundation is Jesus. 00:44:53.05\00:44:54.79 Now you're going to build on that foundation. 00:44:55.19\00:44:56.52 Some of the things you're going to build are going to be 00:44:56.73\00:44:58.09 really good. They're going to be like the gold and silver 00:44:58.29\00:44:59.83 and the precious stones. I think that represents 00:45:00.03\00:45:01.80 like good theology and good understanding of truth 00:45:02.00\00:45:05.27 and the Bible, etc. And then others build with 00:45:05.47\00:45:06.90 wood and hay and stubble. I think that represents 00:45:07.10\00:45:08.60 you know like bad theology and bad experiences 00:45:08.80\00:45:11.24 and bad practices, and bad habits, whatever. 00:45:11.44\00:45:13.14 And then Paul says: "The day is going to try 00:45:13.54\00:45:16.98 every man's work and what sort it is. " 00:45:17.18\00:45:18.68 It's going to be tried by fire. 00:45:18.88\00:45:20.65 And the fire is going to consume the bad stuff. 00:45:21.05\00:45:25.49 That's why we have trials. That's why trials come 00:45:26.22\00:45:27.66 to our life... to take all that bad stuff out. 00:45:27.82\00:45:29.52 But the foundation... the foundation is sure. 00:45:30.99\00:45:35.16 And there are people who are building wood and hay 00:45:35.80\00:45:38.50 and stubble and Paul says in I Corinthians chapter 3 00:45:38.70\00:45:42.67 beginning there with verse 11 going down to verse 13 he said: 00:45:43.64\00:45:46.01 "They're going to be saved so as by fire. " 00:45:46.21\00:45:48.84 Why do you think people that build bad theology 00:45:49.24\00:45:51.31 are going to be saved? 00:45:51.51\00:45:52.85 'Cause they've got the foundation of Jesus. 00:45:52.91\00:45:54.68 You know, most of God's people aren't Adventists. 00:45:55.08\00:45:56.85 You know that, right? 00:45:57.05\00:45:58.39 Most of God's people are out there literally 00:45:58.42\00:46:00.06 in other churches and other religions. 00:46:00.26\00:46:01.89 Most of God's people, but they have this foundation 00:46:02.09\00:46:04.19 that they're establishing, and it won't take long for them. 00:46:04.39\00:46:07.16 They can learn in weeks and months what it takes others 00:46:07.36\00:46:08.96 a lifetime to learn. Very quickly they learn 00:46:09.16\00:46:11.53 those 28 fundamentals. You know what I mean? 00:46:11.73\00:46:13.23 And like me they're just going to say: "Wow! Well I love Jesus. 00:46:13.64\00:46:16.07 I probably should keep His commandments. " 00:46:16.27\00:46:17.61 "Well I love Jesus. I probably should believe that He's 00:46:17.64\00:46:19.07 the Messiah. " "Well I love Jesus. 00:46:19.27\00:46:20.61 The 70-week prophecy is probably all about Him. 00:46:20.64\00:46:21.98 I'll just go ahead and accept that. " 00:46:22.11\00:46:23.45 I mean we could probably teach them in a few hours 00:46:23.48\00:46:25.35 the 28... but character development? 00:46:25.55\00:46:27.98 That's not going to happen overnight. That's right. 00:46:28.18\00:46:30.89 That can't happen overnight. 00:46:31.09\00:46:32.42 So here we are with our 28 00:46:32.69\00:46:36.09 thinking we're as close to heaven as we can get. 00:46:36.29\00:46:38.69 Meanwhile the way we treat people 00:46:41.06\00:46:42.60 is completely out of sorts. Amen. 00:46:42.80\00:46:45.27 Wow! Amen. History being repeated. 00:46:45.47\00:46:49.60 Example: Paul there is talking about the wood and the hay 00:46:50.67\00:46:53.98 and stubble. I'd like to suggest that maybe 00:46:54.18\00:46:55.94 some of that wood and hay and stubble 00:46:56.14\00:46:57.61 is secret rapture theology. 00:46:57.81\00:47:01.72 Can I.. can you give me that liberty? 00:47:02.12\00:47:03.52 Secret rapture theology. You know, that's what most 00:47:03.92\00:47:06.15 evangelical friends believe about the 70-week prophecy. 00:47:06.35\00:47:08.59 They take that last week and they put it out at the end 00:47:08.79\00:47:10.43 of time, right? And you've got a mid, a post, 00:47:10.63\00:47:13.09 a pre-rapture tribulation. 00:47:13.29\00:47:15.86 However you want to interpret it. 00:47:16.06\00:47:17.40 And we're like: "Man, that's just not Biblical. 00:47:18.00\00:47:19.73 You can't do that. Here are the principles; here is the truth. " 00:47:19.93\00:47:22.37 And yet a lot of these people love Jesus - 00:47:24.34\00:47:28.84 Amen - and their feet are solid on the foundation of Jesus. 00:47:29.04\00:47:31.88 Their theology may be off a little bit but 00:47:32.08\00:47:33.42 their feet are solid on the foundation. 00:47:33.45\00:47:34.78 And when that secret rapture doesn't happen... 00:47:35.08\00:47:38.82 See, this is what I love about the truth that God has given us. 00:47:39.95\00:47:43.09 Sometimes we're afraid to talk about the law of God 00:47:43.59\00:47:47.16 and specifically the Sabbath. 00:47:47.66\00:47:50.10 But I want to tell you that the Sabbath truth in contrast 00:47:50.57\00:47:53.54 with mark of the beast is like our ace in the hole. 00:47:53.74\00:47:56.14 We've got to sow that seed. Amen! 00:47:57.51\00:48:00.78 Because when people remember what we told them now 00:48:00.98\00:48:05.35 about that truth then 00:48:05.55\00:48:07.02 it's going to have a power it couldn't have had! 00:48:07.22\00:48:09.02 It's going to be too late then: "Oh, I knew this was going to 00:48:09.42\00:48:11.55 happen. I knew there was going to be a Sunday law. 00:48:11.75\00:48:13.22 I could have told you all about it. " "Oh, why didn't you? " 00:48:13.42\00:48:15.62 But if we tell them now in the sweet spirit of Jesus, 00:48:16.12\00:48:19.63 if we tell them now about God's law in the context of the 00:48:20.50\00:48:23.57 gospel and the context of unmerited favor 00:48:23.77\00:48:25.80 in the context which the woman was told about God's law 00:48:26.00\00:48:28.50 in that context, if we tell them NOW about that... 00:48:28.70\00:48:30.81 If we don't divorce the law from the gospel, 00:48:31.07\00:48:33.31 if we allow the law and the gospel to be partners, 00:48:33.51\00:48:35.61 if Adventists were known for being gospel-saturated, 00:48:36.01\00:48:39.15 law preaching believers, this world would be 00:48:39.35\00:48:42.45 turned upside down. Amen! 00:48:42.65\00:48:45.09 Those seeds would be sown. 00:48:47.16\00:48:48.66 And when that secret rapture doesn't happen 00:48:49.92\00:48:52.09 we'd be there for them. 00:48:53.03\00:48:54.66 Like: "Hey! " Not like: "Huh! Told ya. 00:48:54.86\00:48:58.63 Should've listened to me. Too late for you now. " 00:48:58.83\00:49:01.97 No, no, no. It's like: "Hey! 00:49:02.77\00:49:05.67 Sorry about the disappointment. 00:49:05.87\00:49:08.38 Would you like to study this out? 00:49:08.78\00:49:10.75 'Cause I can see you love Jesus. " 00:49:11.11\00:49:14.38 Amen! "Your theology may be off a little bit 00:49:14.58\00:49:16.28 but I can see you love Jesus. " 00:49:16.48\00:49:17.82 "I mean, you've been my friend for many months, many years now. 00:49:18.32\00:49:21.52 You've been my neighbor; you've been my co-worker. 00:49:21.72\00:49:23.73 You've been rubbing shoulders with me and I can see that 00:49:23.93\00:49:25.63 you love Jesus. Would you like to study this out 00:49:25.83\00:49:29.00 because it's not too late. " 00:49:29.50\00:49:31.97 "God is still there for you 00:49:32.67\00:49:34.90 in the context of the everlasting gospel. " 00:49:35.10\00:49:39.07 It's never too late. 00:49:39.27\00:49:40.98 So the unmerited favor is the only thing that we're ever 00:49:43.61\00:49:45.65 going to actually be able to share 00:49:45.85\00:49:48.85 with people to get them to believe and accept 00:49:49.05\00:49:52.69 the law of God - Amen - the law of love and liberty. 00:49:53.09\00:49:56.56 The unmerited favor is the only thing that can really take 00:49:57.29\00:49:59.83 us the rest of the way. 00:50:00.53\00:50:03.60 The unmerited favor of God is the only thing that can make us 00:50:04.97\00:50:07.64 have no other gods before us. 00:50:07.84\00:50:09.54 For as the new covenant so beautifully puts it 00:50:11.07\00:50:13.31 in Hebrews chapter 10... here it is, 00:50:13.51\00:50:16.44 verses 16 and 17: 00:50:16.85\00:50:18.51 "This is the covenant that I will make with them 00:50:18.71\00:50:20.25 after those days says the Lord: 00:50:20.45\00:50:21.88 'I will put My law into their hearts; I will write... 00:50:22.08\00:50:24.99 and in their minds I will write them. 00:50:25.19\00:50:27.06 And their sins and their iniquities 00:50:27.46\00:50:29.36 I will remember no more. " 00:50:29.56\00:50:31.59 It's OK to let God convict us of our sins 00:50:32.09\00:50:36.63 through His law... it's OK! 00:50:36.83\00:50:38.23 Just stay in the presence of Jesus. Amen! 00:50:38.80\00:50:42.00 Don't leave your Savior. 00:50:42.40\00:50:43.74 This is for us today; this is for us right now. 00:50:44.31\00:50:46.98 Amen! Right here in the presence of Jesus - 00:50:47.18\00:50:50.35 don't leave His presence - 00:50:50.55\00:50:52.01 listen to Him. This is what He says: 00:50:52.21\00:50:54.08 "I love you. " Amen! "I didn't come to condemn you. " 00:50:54.95\00:50:59.25 The condemnation comes in walking away from Jesus. 00:51:01.16\00:51:04.66 That's what the religious leaders did. 00:51:04.86\00:51:06.49 They walked away and said: "Well, we'd better do better. 00:51:06.70\00:51:08.43 We've gotta do better; we've gotta try harder; 00:51:08.63\00:51:09.96 we've gotta do more. " 00:51:10.13\00:51:11.47 John 3:16 says: 00:51:12.03\00:51:13.64 "For God so loved the world 00:51:13.84\00:51:15.30 that He gave His only begotten Son. " 00:51:15.70\00:51:17.04 Now stop right there. 00:51:17.21\00:51:18.54 Do you see any conditions there? 00:51:19.07\00:51:20.58 Do you see anything we've gotta do for God to do that? 00:51:21.44\00:51:23.38 There's nothing. That is unconditional love right there. 00:51:24.01\00:51:26.82 Why is God giving us uncon- ditional love in John 3:16? 00:51:27.02\00:51:30.69 "So that whoever believes in Him 00:51:31.09\00:51:33.42 might not perish but have everlasting life. " 00:51:33.82\00:51:36.09 Right? That's why God gives the unconditional love. 00:51:36.49\00:51:39.59 That's the most precious verse in the Bible 00:51:41.43\00:51:42.93 but here's what it goes on to say in verse 17: 00:51:43.13\00:51:45.03 "For God sent not His Son into the world 00:51:45.23\00:51:47.34 to condemn the world... " That's right... 00:51:47.54\00:51:49.10 "but that the world through Him might be saved. " 00:51:49.30\00:51:52.17 "He that believes on Him is not condemned. " Verse 18: 00:51:54.41\00:51:56.85 "He that believes not is condemned already 00:51:57.05\00:51:58.78 because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten 00:51:58.98\00:52:01.92 Son of God. " And this is the condemnation, 00:52:02.12\00:52:05.45 here it is right here, verse 19: 00:52:05.95\00:52:07.96 "that light is come into the world 00:52:08.16\00:52:12.06 and men loved darkness rather than light 00:52:12.46\00:52:15.70 because their deeds were evil. " 00:52:17.27\00:52:19.17 See, that's what was going on with the religious leaders. 00:52:19.57\00:52:21.24 Their deeds were evil. 00:52:21.90\00:52:23.24 You know what they did? They set this woman up. 00:52:24.07\00:52:28.64 They knew that she was a prostitute 00:52:28.84\00:52:32.31 and they set her up so that they could use her as a pawn 00:52:32.81\00:52:37.99 to trap Jesus. Amen! That's why the guy wasn't there. 00:52:38.72\00:52:41.42 Can you imagine that? 00:52:41.86\00:52:43.43 Can you imagine religious people 00:52:43.83\00:52:46.39 being so wicked as to set people up for sin? 00:52:46.80\00:52:51.53 And then use that against them? 00:52:51.73\00:52:54.70 That's right. And they did that to Jesus! 00:52:54.90\00:52:56.60 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 00:52:59.77\00:53:03.35 And Jesus saw right through it. 00:53:03.55\00:53:04.88 And He said: "Wait just a second. 00:53:06.61\00:53:08.48 I need to write some things right now. " 00:53:09.18\00:53:11.09 I imagine what He wrote there might have been part of the law 00:53:12.89\00:53:15.62 that said: "If someone is accused of adultery, 00:53:15.82\00:53:19.16 both parties should be brought before the judge. " 00:53:19.36\00:53:22.90 They're like: "Oh! " 00:53:23.10\00:53:25.43 And He says: "Whoever is without sin among you 00:53:25.63\00:53:28.37 let him cast the first stone. " 00:53:28.57\00:53:29.94 And they realized that He knew everything 00:53:30.14\00:53:33.21 that they had done previous to this. 00:53:33.41\00:53:34.74 They thought: "Oh, yeah, He's not going to know. 00:53:34.94\00:53:36.54 He's not going to understand. He's not going to realize 00:53:36.75\00:53:38.45 what we're doing right here. " Oh, no! He saw right through it. 00:53:38.65\00:53:40.95 Jesus saw right through it. 00:53:41.75\00:53:43.25 And He sees right through our own hearts, 00:53:44.05\00:53:45.99 our own experiences. 00:53:46.49\00:53:47.92 But praise God He's come to deliver us. 00:53:49.16\00:53:51.09 He's not come to condemn us; He's come to deliver us. 00:53:51.73\00:53:53.50 We have a Savior in Jesus Christ. 00:53:54.16\00:53:56.43 His perfect life and substitutionary death 00:53:57.13\00:54:01.14 has taken care of all the guilt and all the condemnation. 00:54:02.04\00:54:05.57 Now we know according to Revelation 12 verse 10 00:54:06.54\00:54:10.95 that we have an accuser that accuses us before God 00:54:11.15\00:54:13.62 day and night. And we know that Satan is using 00:54:13.82\00:54:17.25 people - human beings - to help him in that work. 00:54:17.45\00:54:19.75 Amen! That just happens to be his modus operandi. 00:54:19.95\00:54:22.72 That's what he likes to do: he likes to use people 00:54:22.92\00:54:24.49 to help him just like he did with the scribes and Pharisees. 00:54:24.69\00:54:26.80 So we need to recognize that as we feel these accusations 00:54:27.46\00:54:31.83 coming against us, and they are coming against us, 00:54:32.03\00:54:33.94 we need to recognize... as the law speaks to us 00:54:34.14\00:54:36.64 we need to recognize that our response is not to run away 00:54:36.84\00:54:40.78 from God. That's right! Don't run away from Jesus! 00:54:40.98\00:54:43.35 Don't do that 'cause you're just going to go into darkness! 00:54:44.05\00:54:46.65 STAY IN HIS PRESENCE. 00:54:48.55\00:54:52.75 Humbled, bowed, but seeking for His mercy, 00:54:54.62\00:54:58.73 for His grace, for His unmerited favor. 00:54:59.49\00:55:03.23 Let that goodness lead you 00:55:04.07\00:55:07.07 to the foot of the cross, lead you to repentance. 00:55:07.27\00:55:10.34 Let the goodness of God... Remember? 00:55:10.74\00:55:12.84 Let the love of God, let the goodness of God, 00:55:13.04\00:55:14.68 turn you around. Praise the Lord! 00:55:14.88\00:55:18.51 Praise the Lord! And then you're going to see 00:55:18.71\00:55:20.62 what Exodus chapter 20 is really all about. 00:55:22.02\00:55:24.05 The people are afraid. They're scared to death! 00:55:25.49\00:55:27.79 When Moses gets done with this whole... 00:55:27.99\00:55:29.92 when God gets done with this whole experience 00:55:31.96\00:55:34.20 they're scared to death. 00:55:34.36\00:55:35.70 Exodus 20 verse 20. 00:55:35.83\00:55:37.17 They said: "Hey! " Let's start with verse 18: 00:55:38.53\00:55:41.10 "All the people saw the thunderings and the lightning's 00:55:41.30\00:55:42.97 and the noise and the trumpet and the mountain smoking... 00:55:43.17\00:55:44.84 When they saw it they removed and they stood afar off. " 00:55:45.04\00:55:47.11 They did what the religious leaders did: 00:55:47.31\00:55:48.71 they removed and they stood afar off. 00:55:48.91\00:55:50.25 They pulled away from God. 00:55:51.08\00:55:52.61 "And they said to Moses: 'Speak... ' " Excuse me, 00:55:54.25\00:55:58.22 verse 19: "And they said unto Moses 00:55:58.42\00:56:00.12 'Speak thou with us. We will hear but let not God 00:56:00.32\00:56:04.63 speak with us lest we die. ' " 00:56:04.83\00:56:06.83 "I'm going to go to 3ABN Camp Meeting and I'll let 00:56:07.70\00:56:09.50 the speakers speak to me but I'm not letting God speak to me. " 00:56:09.70\00:56:12.70 "And Moses said: " verses 20... 00:56:15.60\00:56:17.41 Here it is... you ready? 00:56:17.61\00:56:18.97 "Moses said unto the people: 'Fear not 00:56:21.04\00:56:24.01 for God has come to prove you that His fear may be before 00:56:24.21\00:56:28.65 your faces that you sin not. ' " 00:56:28.85\00:56:30.95 Amen! See, there are 2 types of fear here. Do you see that? 00:56:31.15\00:56:33.59 There's the fear they have natu- rally that causes them to want 00:56:33.89\00:56:36.19 to run from God like Adam and Eve did, 00:56:36.39\00:56:37.86 like those religious leaders did, and then there's the fear 00:56:38.06\00:56:39.83 that God puts in our heart that causes us to sin not. 00:56:40.03\00:56:42.80 Amen! And that fear is what the everlasting gospel 00:56:43.00\00:56:45.80 calls us to have. The everlasting gospel calls us 00:56:46.00\00:56:47.67 to fear God, to revere God, to be in awe of God. Why? 00:56:47.87\00:56:50.87 Because of His unmerited favor. 00:56:51.27\00:56:53.71 And that kind of fear, that kind of awe, 00:56:53.91\00:56:56.75 that kind of reverence for God 00:56:56.95\00:56:58.71 leads us to leave our life of sin. 00:56:58.91\00:57:01.45 "That we sin not. " That's what Moses says 00:57:01.95\00:57:03.49 right here in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 20. 00:57:03.69\00:57:05.35 Exodus 20:20 is connected with Revelation 14 00:57:05.55\00:57:10.26 and the everlasting gospel, and that's what God wants for us. 00:57:10.46\00:57:14.06 How many of you this morning 00:57:15.36\00:57:17.00 want that experience as yours? 00:57:17.20\00:57:18.93 How many of you want to say "Yes? " 00:57:19.23\00:57:20.97 See, when you raise your hands up you know what that means? 00:57:21.17\00:57:23.07 I surrender! 00:57:23.47\00:57:24.94 Praise God! Father in heaven, thank you so much 00:57:25.34\00:57:27.44 this morning for each heart that is surrendering to You. 00:57:27.64\00:57:30.65