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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021743A
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00:35 >GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS AND WELCOME TO SABBATH SCHOOL 00:37 STUDY HOUR, COMING TO YOU HERE FROM THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY 00:39 ADVENTIST CHURCH NEAR SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. 00:42 I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR ONLINE MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO ARE 00:45 WATCHING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD - VERY WARM 00:48 WELCOME TO YOU AND ALSO TO THE MEMBERS AND THE VISITORS RIGHT 00:51 HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH - GOOD TO SEE YOU WEEK AFTER WEEK 00:54 COMING TOGETHER TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. 00:56 OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE BEEN STUDYING OUR NEW LESSON 00:59 QUARTERLY ENTITLED SALVATION BY FAITH ALONE: THE BOOK OF ROMANS . 01:04 TODAY WE FIND OURSELVES ON LESSON #4 ENTITLED JUSTIFICATION 01:09 BY FAITH - VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT. 01:11 NOW, FOR OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE JOINING US, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A 01:14 COPY OF TODAY'S LESSON, YOU CAN GO THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE - 01:18 JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG - DOWNLOAD LESSON #4 ENTITLED JUSTIFICATION 01:23 BY FAITH AND YOU CAN STUDY RIGHT ALONG WITH US. 01:27 WE ALSO HAVE A FREE BOOK THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR STUDY TODAY, 01:30 A BOOK WRITTEN BY PASTOR DOUG ENTITLED JUSTIFICATION MADE 01:34 SIMPLE - THE HEADING IS ASSURANCE: JUSTIFICATION MADE 01:37 SIMPLE - THIS IS OUR FREE OFFER FOR THOSE IN NORTH AMERICA. 01:41 IF YOU'D LIKE TO RECEIVE IT, THE NUMBER TO CALL IS 866-788-3966 01:47 AND ASK FOR OFFER #727 - THE NUMBER, AGAIN, IS 866-788-3966 01:54 AND ASK FOR OFFER #727. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THIS TO 01:58 ANYBODY HERE IN NORTH AMERICA. IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF NORTH 02:01 AMERICA, YOU CAN STILL READ THE BOOK FOR FREE ONLINE - 02:04 JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG. WELL, BEFORE WE GET TO OUR STUDY 02:09 THIS MORNING, WE'D LIKE TO BEGIN BY LIFTING OUR VOICES IN SONG. 02:12 I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR SONG LEADERS TO COME LEAD US IN OUR 02:15 SINGING THIS MORNING. (PIANO MUSIC) 02:20 >>HAPPY SABBATH, EVERYONE. THE FIRST HYMN THAT WE ARE GOING 02:24 TO SING IS #530 - IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL . 02:28 AND, SOMETIMES, I LIKE TO KNOW THE BACKGROUND OF THE HYMNS - 02:32 WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM - AND THIS SPECIFIC ONE WAS WRITTEN BY 02:35 MR. SPAFFORD. HE HAD DECIDED TO GO ON A TRIP 02:41 WITH HIS FAMILY TO EUROPE BUT, BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES, HE HAD 02:44 TO SEND THEM AHEAD OF HIM - HIS WIFE ANNA AND FOUR DAUGHTERS. 02:48 AND, UNFORTUNATELY, THE SHIP COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER SHIP AND 02:52 ALL FOUR DAUGHTERS DROWNED. WHEN ANNA REACHED WALES SHE 02:56 SENT HIM A MESSAGE THAT SAID, 'SURVIVED ALONE.' BUT, IN SPITE 03:02 OF THIS TRAGEDY, THEY HAD PEACE IN THEIR HEARTS AND THEY TRUSTED 03:05 GOD. AND I BELIEVE THAT, IN THE SAME WAY, WE CAN TRUST HIM IF WE 03:11 PUT OUR LIVES IN HIS HANDS. WE WILL SING ALL THREE VERSES 03:16 - IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL . (PIANO MUSIC) 06:01 >>AT THIS TIME I INVITE YOU TO BOW YOUR HEADS FOR OUR 06:02 OPENING PRAYER. DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WHAT A 06:05 PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO GATHER TOGETHER THIS SABBATH MORNING 06:07 AND OPEN UP YOUR WORD AND STUDY THIS VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT - 06:11 THE SUBJECT OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 06:14 LORD, WE PRAY THAT YOUR SPIRIT WILL COME AND GUIDE OUR HEARTS, 06:16 OUR MINDS, AS WE DELVE INTO THIS VERY IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL 06:21 SUBJECT FOUND IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 06:23 BLESS OUR TIME TODAY, FOR WE ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. 06:27 OUR LESSON THIS MORNING IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY DR. DAVID 06:30 DEROSE. >>WELL, WE ARE CONTINUING OUR 06:48 STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS. WE FIND OURSELVES ON 06:52 LESSON #4 - LESSON #4 AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE QUARTERLY. 06:56 AND, AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A COPY OF THE QUARTERLY, YOU CAN 06:59 GET THAT RIGHT ON THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE. 07:03 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH AS IT'S 07:07 PORTRAYED IN THE WRITINGS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. 07:14 IT'S TRULY ONE OF THOSE GREAT PIVOTAL STORIES IN THE 07:17 SCRIPTURAL ACCOUNT OF GOD'S LEADING. 07:21 IT'S ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE IT LOOKED PRETTY BLEAK. 07:27 TURN IN YOUR BIBLES, WITH ME, TO EXODUS CHAPTER 14. 07:30 I'M GOING TO EXODUS 14 AS WE PICK UP THE STORY OF GOD'S 07:36 MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 07:39 EXODUS 14, OF COURSE, FOLLOWS THE STORY OF GOD'S DELIVERANCE 07:44 AT THE PASSOVER. GOD HAS WORKED WITH A STRONG 07:47 HAND TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE FROM EGYPTIAN BONDAGE. 07:51 AND, WHEN WE COME TO CHAPTER 14, WE READ ABOUT SOME OF THE 07:54 INTERESTING EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRE. 07:57 EXODUS 14, BEGINNING WITH VERSE 1, "NOW THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES, 08:01 SAYING: 'SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, THAT THEY TURN AND 08:06 CAMP BEFORE PI HAHIROTH, BETWEEN MIGDOL AND THE SEA, 08:11 OPPOSITE BAAL ZEPHON; YOU SHALL CAMP BEFORE IT BY THE SEA. 08:16 FOR PHARAOH WILL SAY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, 'THEY ARE 08:19 BEWILDERED BY THE LAND; THE WILDERNESS HAS CLOSED THEM 08:24 IN.''" YOU KNOW THE STORY WELL. GOD HAS DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE. 08:30 NOW HE IS BRINGING THEM ON A JOURNEY TO THE PROMISED LAND. 08:34 AND, AS THEY COME TO THE RED SEA, GOD ACTUALLY LEADS THEM 08:38 INTO A - A DEAD END, IF YOU WILL. MOUNTAINS ON EITHER SIDE 08:44 OF THEM, THE SEA IN FRONT OF THEM, THERE IS NO PLACE TO GO. 08:48 AND SO, IT IS, AS WE READ THROUGH THE ACCOUNT - THAT VERY 08:51 FAMILIAR ACCOUNT - IT SAYS, IN VERSE 10 OF EXODUS 14, "AND WHEN 08:56 PHARAOH DREW NEAR, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL LIFTED THEIR EYES, AND 09:00 BEHOLD, THE EGYPTIANS MARCHED AFTER THEM. 09:04 SO THEY WERE" - WHAT? - "VERY AFRAID" - VERY AFRAID - 09:10 AND IT SAYS THEY CRIED OUT TO THE LORD. 09:14 - "THEN THEY SAID TO MOSES, 'BECAUSE THERE WERE NO GRAVES 09:17 IN EGYPT, HAVE YOU TAKEN US AWAY TO DIE IN THE WILDERNESS? 09:20 WHY HAVE YOU SO DEALT WITH US, TO BRING US UP OUT OF EGYPT? 09:25 IS THIS NOT THE WORD THAT WE TOLD YOU IN EGYPT, SAYING, 'LET 09:28 US ALONE THAT WE MAY SERVE THE EGYPTIANS'? 09:30 FOR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR US TO SERVE THE EGYPTIANS 09:34 THAN THAT WE SHOULD DIE IN THE WILDERNESS.'" THE CHILDREN OF 09:38 ISRAEL HAD GIVEN UP ON THEIR ABILITY TO SAVE THEMSELVES, 09:42 RIGHT? THEY'RE SAYING, 'WE'RE LOST. 09:45 WE ARE UNDONE - WE ARE LOST - WE HAVE NO HOPE.' BUT WE KNOW THE 09:49 STORY DOESN'T END THERE, DOES IT? 09:52 AS EXODUS 14 PLAYS OUT, MOSES GIVES THIS MESSAGE FROM GOD IN 09:57 VERSE 13 - "AND MOSES SAID TO THE PEOPLE, 'DO NOT BE AFRAID. 10:03 STAND STILL, AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD, WHICH HE 10:08 WILL ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU TODAY. FOR THE EGYPTIANS WHOM YOU SEE 10:12 TODAY, YOU SHALL SEE AGAIN NO MORE FOREVER. THE LORD WILL 10:18 FIGHT FOR YOU, AND YOU SHALL HOLD YOUR PIECE.'" YOU KNOW WHAT 10:27 HAPPENS? GOD MIRACULOUSLY DELIVERS HIS PEOPLE. 10:32 IT SAYS IN HEBREWS 11 THAT IT WAS BY FAITH THAT THEY WERE 10:37 DELIVERED. DID YOU KNOW THAT? 10:39 HEBREWS 11 - LOOK AT IT - IS IT SPEAKING ABOUT GOD'S FAITHFUL 10:42 DEALINGS WITH HIS PEOPLE AND THEIR RESPONSIVE FAITH - IT IS 10:45 THE FAITH OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT BRINGS THEM TO THAT 10:48 RED SEA EXPERIENCE AND THROUGH IT. 10:51 SOME OF YOU ENJOY, AS I DO, THAT AMAZING COMMENTARY IN THE BOOK 10:55 PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS - I'M ACTUALLY READING THAT FOR YOU, 11:00 RIGHT NOW, FROM PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS PAGE 290. 11:04 IT SAYS, "GOD, IN HIS PROVIDENCE, BROUGHT THE HEBREWS 11:07 INTO THE MOUNTAIN FASTNESSES BEFORE THE SEA, THAT HE MIGHT 11:11 MANIFEST HIS POWER IN THEIR DELIVERANCE AND SIGNALLY HUMBLE 11:15 THE PRIDE OF THEIR OPPRESSORS. 11:18 HE MIGHT HAVE SAVED THEM IN ANY OTHER WAY, BUT HE CHOSE THIS 11:22 METHOD IN ORDER TO TEST THEIR FAITH AND STRENGTHEN THEIR TRUST 11:28 IN HIM. THE PEOPLE WERE WEARY AND 11:30 TERRIFIED, YET IF THEY HAD HELD BACK WHEN MOSES BADE THEM 11:34 ADVANCE, GOD WOULD NEVER HAVE OPENED THE PATH FOR THEM. 11:39 IT WAS" - AND NOW SHE QUOTES HEBREWS 11:29 - "IT WAS 'BY 11:43 FAITH' THAT 'THEY PASSED THROUGH THE RED SEA AS BY DRY LAND.' IN 11:50 MARCHING DOWN TO THE VERY WATER, THEY SHOWED THAT THEY BELIEVED 11:54 THE WORD OF GOD AS SPOKEN BY MOSES. 11:56 THEY DID ALL THAT WAS IN THEIR POWER TO DO, AND THEN THE MIGHTY 11:59 ONE OF ISRAEL DIVIDED THE SEA TO MAKE A PATH FOR THEIR FEET." 12:05 YOU SAY, 'WAIT A MINUTE,' - WE'RE STUDYING WHAT? 12:09 THE BOOK OF ROMANS - 'WHAT DOES THE RED SEA EXPERIENCE HAVE TO 12:14 DO WITH THE BOOK OF ROMANS?' THERE'S A LOT OF PARALLEL 12:16 THEMES, AS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THAT ACCOUNT, BUT I WANT TO DRAW 12:19 YOU TO ONE OTHER CONTEXTUAL SETTING FROM THE BOOK OF EXODUS 12:24 BECAUSE IT REALLY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IS A REVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE 12:27 BEEN STUDYING THUS FAR IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 12:30 I INVITE YOU, NOW, TO TURN IN YOUR BIBLES TO ROMANS - 12:34 EXCUSE ME, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET TO ROMANS JUST YET. 12:36 WE'RE GOING THERE. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT IN 12:38 DETAIL, BUT I WANT YOU TO GO BACK TO EXODUS AND THIS TIME 12:42 CHAPTER 12 - EXODUS CHAPTER 12. IN EXODUS CHAPTER 12, WE ARE 12:49 READING ABOUT THE PLAGUES AND THE CONTEXT THAT WE ALREADY 12:56 ALLUDED TO - THE DELIVERANCE OF THE PASSOVER. 13:01 GOD HAS INSTITUTED THE PASSOVER SERVICE THERE AND WHAT'S QUITE 13:07 INTERESTING IN EXODUS 12, AFTER THAT TENTH AND FINAL PLAGUE - BY 13:13 THE WAY, MAYBE JUST AS AN ASIDE FOR THOSE WHO ARE TUNING IN WITH 13:18 US TODAY - YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOK AT GOD'S DELIVERANCE 13:21 IN THE EXODUS AND THEY SAY IT SEEMS SO HARSH - THIS TENTH 13:25 PLAGUE, TAKING THE LIFE OF THE FIRSTBORN. 13:27 YOU STUDY IN YOUR BIBLES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE 13:29 PLAGUES - BEFORE THE PLAGUES WERE EVEN BROUGHT, YOU LOOK AT 13:32 EXODUS CHAPTER 4, GOD TOLD THEM EXACTLY WHAT HE WOULD HAVE TO 13:35 DO. IF THE EGYPTIANS DIDN'T LET HIS 13:37 PEOPLE GO, HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO GO SO FAR AS TO SHOW THEM 13:41 WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO HIS FIRSTBORN. 13:44 ISRAEL WAS GOD'S FIRSTBORN - THAT'S WHAT HE CALLED THEM. 13:46 HE SAID, 'IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ANY OF MY OTHER MESSAGES I'M 13:49 GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRSTBORN. 13:52 THAT WAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 13:53 GOD HAS NO DELIGHT IN THE DEATH OF THE WICKED EVEN IN THE WICKED 13:57 WHO ARE UNRIGHTEOUS.' AND SO, IN EXODUS 12 WE SEE THAT FINAL 14:02 TERRIBLE PLAGUE AND I WANT YOU TO NOTICE WHAT THE RESPONSE OF 14:06 THE EGYPTIANS WAS TO THE PLAGUE UPON THE FIRSTBORN. 14:11 VERSE 33 - AFTER THAT PLAGUE COMES IT SAYS, "AND THE 14:15 EGYPTIANS URGED THE PEOPLE, THAT THEY MIGHT SEND THEM OUT OF 14:18 THE LAND IN HASTE. FOR THEY SAID," - EXODUS 12:33 - 14:22 WHAT DID THE EGYPTIANS SAY OF THEIR SITUATION? 14:26 >>WE SHALL ALL BE DEAD. >>THAT'S RIGHT, "WE 14:28 SHALL ALL BE DEAD." OR "WE ARE ALL AS DEAD MEN." 14:33 THE CONTEXT OF THE EXODUS IS THE GENTILES - THE UNBELIEVERS - THE 14:38 EGYPTIANS SAID, 'WE ARE ALL DEAD. 14:41 WE ARE ALL LOST.' WHEN WE COME TO EXODUS 14 WE HEAR THE 14:47 EGYPTIANS BEHIND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, RIGHT? 14:51 THE FOOTPRINTS ARE COMING - THE HOOF BEATS ARE COMING - WE HEAR 14:54 THE EGYPTIANS, BUT THE CRY THAT GOES OUT IS NOT FROM THE 14:57 EGYPTIANS, THE CRY IN EXODUS 14 IS FROM GOD'S PEOPLE. 15:01 AND WHAT IS THE CRY OF GOD'S PEOPLE IN EXODUS 14, WHEN THEY 15:04 SEE THE EGYPTIANS? WELL, IN SO MANY WORDS, 15:08 'WE'RE ALL DEAD MEN', RIGHT? 'WE'RE LOST.' DO YOU REALIZE 15:13 THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENED IN ROMANS UP TO THIS POINT? 15:15 WHEN WE COME TO ROMANS 3? IN ROMANS CHAPTER 1 - THIS IS 15:19 REVIEW NOW - AND I'M GIVING YOU A REVIEW BY VIRTUE OF THE 15:22 PREVIOUS REVELATION OF THE SCRIPTURE. 15:25 IN ROMANS CHAPTER 1 GOD SAYS, 'ALL THE GENTILES ARE LOST. 15:31 EVERYONE HAS HAD A FULL REVELATION OF - MAYBE NOT FULL, 15:35 BUT THEY'VE HAD AT LEAST ENOUGH OF A REVELATION OF GOD TO 15:38 REALIZE THAT HE IS THEIR CREATOR AND IF THEY HAVE REJECTED GOD, 15:41 THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE. REMEMBER THAT, IN ROMANS 1? 15:44 SO ALL THE GENTILES ARE LOST. AND I CAN IMAGINE, AS THE JEWS 15:48 IN ROME WERE READING PAUL'S LETTER, THEY WERE SAYING, 'AMEN. 15:52 YES, THAT'S RIGHT, THE GENTILES ARE LOST.' AND THEN WE CAME TO 15:54 ROMANS 2 AND WHAT DID WE LEARN IN ROMANS 2? 16:00 WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK THERE. 16:02 JUST LOOK AT ROMANS 2 - WE'RE STUDYING THE BOOK OF ROMANS. 16:04 WE'RE GIVING A REVIEW BECAUSE I KNOW, WHEN WE READ THESE BOOKS 16:07 THAT ARE QUITE EXPANSIVE, SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER 16:10 THE CONTEXT. SO, IN ROMANS CHAPTER 2, THE 16:15 FOCUS IS 'YOU ARE GUILTY AS WELL, YOU JEWS.' OKAY? 16:21 AND LET'S PICK OUT A KEY VERSE THERE THAT - THAT CRYSTALLIZES 16:25 THIS - LOOK AT VERSES 23 AND 24 IN ROMANS 2, "YOU WHO MAKE YOUR 16:32 BOAST IN THE LAW" - YOU SAY, 'WE HAVE THE LAW. 16:34 WE'RE FOLLOWING GOD' - "DO YOU DISHONOR GOD THROUGH BREAKING 16:38 THE LAW?" - IT'S A QUESTION, BUT IT'S A RHETORICAL QUESTION, 16:42 BECAUSE - YOU KNOW IT'S A RHETORICAL QUESTION BECAUSE IN 16:45 VERSE 24 HE SAYS, "FOR 'THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE 16:48 GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU...'" SO, IN ROMANS 1, ALL OF THE GENTILES 16:54 ARE LOST. IN ROMANS 2, ALL OF THE JEWS ARE LOST. WHO, THEN, IN 17:01 THEMSELVES, CAN SAY, 'WE'VE GOT IT ALL TOGETHER'? NOBODY. 17:06 SO ROMANS 3, AS WE BEGAN LOOKING AT THIS IN LAST WEEK'S LESSON, 17:10 WE'RE CONTINUING THERE. AND SO, OUR READING RIGHT NOW 17:13 COMES TO US FROM ROMANS 3, VERSES 19 THROUGH 28 AND WE'RE 17:18 ACTUALLY GOING TO READ THROUGH THAT. 17:20 IN FACT, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE LIBERTY OF EVEN SLIPPING INTO 17:23 NEXT WEEK'S LESSON BECAUSE I THINK THE - AT LEAST AS FAR AS 17:26 THE SCRIPTURE READING - DON'T GET TOO WORRIED, BECAUSE I THINK 17:29 THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DIVIDED UP THE CHAPTERS - YOU KNOW, NO 17:34 CHAPTERS AND VERSES IN THE ORIGINAL BIBLE - IN THE ORIGINAL 17:37 SIGNATURE - THE LETTER THAT PAUL WROTE, BUT I THINK THEY DID A 17:41 BETTER JOB OF PARSING IT OR, ACTUALLY, BRINGING CLOSURE TO 17:47 THE THEME OF CHAPTER 3 THAT MAYBE WE DO HERE AS WE'RE 17:51 DIVIDING UP THE LESSON. SO LET'S BEGIN WITH VERSE 19. 17:53 LET'S JUST READ THROUGH THAT - FOLLOW ALONG AS WE READ FROM 17:56 ROMANS CHAPTER 3, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE CONTEXT NOW - 18:01 THE CONTEXT IS ONE THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT SALVATION HISTORY - 18:04 BUT ROMANS 3, BEGINNING WITH VERSE 19, "NOW WE KNOW THAT 18:08 WHATEVER THE LAW SAYS, IT SAYS TO THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE LAW, 18:13 THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED, AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME 18:16 GUILTY BEFORE GOD." - THAT'S JUST WHAT WE'VE 18:19 BEEN TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? HE'S JUST REVIEWING 18:21 WHAT HE'S DESCRIBED. GENTILES LOST, JEWS LOST, EVERY 18:24 MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED - ALL THE WORLD GUILTY BEFORE GOD - VERSE 18:28 20, "THEREFORE BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW NO FLESH WILL BE 18:32 JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT, FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN. 18:36 BUT NOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED, 18:41 BEING WITNESSED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS, EVEN THE 18:44 RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO ALL 18:47 AND ON ALL WHO BELIEVE. FOR THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE; FOR 18:51 ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, BEING 18:54 JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS 18:58 IN CHRIST JESUS WHOM GOD SET FOR AS A PROPITIATION BY HIS BLOOD, 19:03 THROUGH FAITH, TO DEMONSTRATE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE IN 19:08 HIS FORBEARANCE GOD HAD PASSED OVER THE SINS THAT WERE 19:12 PREVIOUSLY COMMITTED, TO DEMONSTRATE AT THE PRESENT TIME 19:15 HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF 19:20 THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. WHERE IS BOASTING THEN? 19:26 IT IS EXCLUDED. BY WHAT LAW? OF WORKS? 19:29 NO, BUT BY THE LAW OF FAITH. THEREFORE WE CONCLUDE THAT A MAN 19:33 IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH APART FROM THE DEEDS OF THE LAW. 19:38 OR IS HE THE GOD OF THE JEWS ONLY? 19:40 IS HE NOT ALSO THE GOD OF THE GENTILES? 19:42 YES, OF THE GENTILES ALSO, SINCE THERE IS ONE GOD WHO WILL 19:46 JUSTIFY THE CIRCUMCISED BY FAITH AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED THROUGH 19:50 FAITH. DO WE THEN MAKE VOID THE LAW THROUGH FAITH? 19:53 CERTAINLY NOT! ON THE CONTRARY, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW." 20:00 SO THAT IS THE SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT WE WANT TO HONE IN 20:04 ON AND IT'S ONE THAT FOCUSES IN. DID YOU CATCH HOW MANY TIMES IN 20:08 THAT PASSAGE YOU HEARD WORDS LIKE 'FAITH' AND 20:11 'RIGHTEOUSNESS'? DID YOU CATCH THAT? 20:13 SO MULTIPLE TIMES WE HAVE THESE THEMES COMING UP THAT IS THE 20:17 FOCUS, REALLY, OF THE ENTIRE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND WE REALLY 20:20 SEE, AS WE LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURAL REVELATION, IT IS THE 20:23 FOCUS OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE. IT'S SPEAKING ABOUT HOW 20:28 WE CAN BE RIGHT WITH GOD. WELL, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 20:33 THESE THEMES, WE WANT TO LOOK AT SOME VARIOUS PARALLELS IN THE 20:38 SCRIPTURES AND THEN WE WANT TO LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE BOOK OF 20:41 ROMANS - PARTICULARLY IN THIS PASSAGE THAT WE'VE JUST READ. 20:45 AND I WANT TO NOTICE SOMETHING WITH YOU - NOTICE TOGETHER - 20:49 THAT IN THE PASSAGE WE READ IT CAN MAKE THE LAW LOOK LIKE 20:55 SOMETHING BAD. IN FACT, MANY CHRISTIANS LOOK 21:00 AT THE LAW AS ONLY AN ENEMY. YOU SEE IN VERSE 19 AND VERSE 21:05 20, IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW - BY DOING WHAT 21:11 THE LAW SAYS, NONE OF US CAN BE SAVED, RIGHT? WE'VE ALL SINNED. 21:17 THIS IS PAUL'S ARGUMENT LEADING UP TO IT. 21:19 LOOK AT VERSE 9 OF ROMANS 3. I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THERE IS A 21:23 PARALLEL HERE, BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT BEING UNDER THE LAW AND 21:32 MANY OF OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND FRIENDS IN OTHER CHURCHES, 21:36 THEY LOOK AT VERSE 19, THEY SAY, 'BOY, BEING UNDER THE 21:39 LAW, THAT'S REALLY BAD. THAT'S REALLY BAD. 21:42 WE WANT TO GET RID OF THE LAW BECAUSE IT'S BAD TO BE UNDER THE 21:46 LAW.' WELL, LOOK AT VERSE 19 AND COMPARE IT WITH VERSE 9. 21:49 PAUL IS SPEAKING OF THE SAME THING. 21:51 HE'S USING SYNONYMS HERE. IN VERSE 9 HE SAYS, "WHAT THEN? 21:55 ARE WE" - SPEAKING OF THE JEWS - HE'S A JEW HIMSELF - "ARE WE 21:58 BETTER THAN THEY?" - REFERRING TO THE GENTILES - "NOT AT ALL. 22:03 FOR WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY CHARGED BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS THAT THEY 22:07 ARE ALL UNDER" - WHAT? - "UNDER SIN." 22:10 UNDER SIN - THAT'S VERSE 9. AND WHEN WE COME TO THE PARALLEL 22:14 PASSAGE IN VERSE 19 HE SAYS WE ARE ALL UNDER LAW - NOW YOU SAY, 22:21 'YOU'RE PARAPHRASING.' WELL, I'M PARAPHRASING, YES. 22:23 IT SAYS - LET'S READ VERSE 19 AGAIN, "NOW WE KNOW THAT 22:26 WHATEVER THE LAW SAYS, IT SAYS TO THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE LAW, 22:30 THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED, AND ALL THE WORLD MAY 22:35 BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD." SO, ACCORDING TO PAUL'S 22:38 ARGUMENT, WHO DOES THE LAW CONDEMN? 22:42 EVERYONE, OKAY? EVERYONE. 22:46 NOW LET'S JUST PAUSE FOR A LITTLE BIT. 22:49 IS THE LAW A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING? 22:53 DOES THE LAW SHOW US OUR NEED FOR A SAVIOR? 22:56 >>YES. >>YES. 22:58 YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY INTERESTING. WHEN JESUS SUMMARIZED THE LAW - 23:03 YOU KNOW, MORE THAN ONCE IN THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS JESUS WAS ASKED 23:07 TO SUMMARIZE THE LAW, IF YOU WILL. 23:09 AND HOW DID HE SUMMARIZE IT? THAT'S RIGHT, IF YOU WERE TO 23:12 PARAPHRASE IT - I HEARD SOMEONE GIVE A QUICK PARAPHRASE, YOU 23:14 KNOW, 'LOVE GOD AND LOVE MAN' - RIGHT? THAT'S HOW HE PARAPHRASED 23:19 THOSE TEN COMMANDMENTS. SO, IS THAT A GOOD THING? 23:24 DOES GOD NO LONGER WANT US TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE MAN? 23:29 YOU SAY, 'WELL, OF COURSE NOT.' IN FACT, IN 1 JOHN, WHEN GOD'S 23:33 CHARACTER IS SYNTHESIZED IN A SINGLE WORD, GOD IS DESCRIBED AS 23:39 - >>LOVE. >>LOVE. SO IT HAS RIGHTLY BEEN 23:42 SAID THAT THE LAW IS A TRANSCRIPT OF GOD'S CHARACTER. 23:49 SOME OF YOU KNOW, IN THE MEDICAL WORK I DO - THE CLINICAL MEDICAL 23:54 WORK I DO - I WORK WITH AN UNDER SERVED POPULATION. 23:59 AND SOME OF MY PATIENTS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY EITHER ARE OR 24:04 HAVE LIVED IN THEIR CAR. YOU UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE 24:09 OF THAT, RIGHT? IN FACT, THERE'S A COUPLE OF 24:12 FOLKS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE WORRIED THAT THEY MAY BE LIVING IN THEIR 24:15 CAR AGAIN BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH SOME TURMOIL IN 24:19 THEIR LIVING ARRANGEMENTS. SO THEY DON'T HAVE A HOME - 24:23 THE ONLY HOME THEY HAVE IS A VEHICLE. 24:26 FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE STORY? BY THE WAY, IS A VEHICLE BETTER 24:30 THAN SLEEPING OUT UNDER THE STARS? 24:34 >>YES. >>YEAH, I MEAN, IF - YOU KNOW, 24:38 LET'S SAY IT DOESN'T LEAK AND THE ENGINE WORKS - RIGHT? 24:42 YOU CAN WARM YOURSELF UP, YOU'VE GOT A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD, SO IT 24:45 CAN SERVE THE FUNCTION OF A PLACE TO SLEEP, RIGHT? 24:48 A VEHICLE. SO LET'S SAY ONE OF THOSE 24:51 INDIVIDUALS CAME INTO THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH THIS MORNING 24:54 AND WE AS A CHURCH SAID, 'WE WANT' - THEY'RE LIVING IN THEIR 24:58 CAR AND WE SAY, 'WE WANT TO HELP YOU. 25:01 WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU A HOTEL ROOM' OR 'WE'RE GOING TO RENT A 25:03 PLACE FOR YOU.' SO WE RENT A PLACE FOR THEM AND NOW WE GO BY 25:09 THEIR - WE GO BY THEIR - WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? 25:14 WE JUST PUT THEM UP IN A NICE RENTAL - WOULD YOU BELIEVE 25:18 WHAT'S IN FRONT OF THAT RENTAL PLACE? 25:21 THEIR CAR IS STILL THERE. SO HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD GO AND 25:25 SAY, 'HEY, BROTHER, SISTER, I MEAN, GET RID OF THE CAR. 25:29 WE'VE GIVEN YOU A PLACE TO LIVE.' HOW MANY OF YOU THINK IT 25:32 WOULD BE REASONABLE FOR THEM TO GET RID OF THEIR CAR NOW? 25:36 WHY ARE YOU ALL SHAKING YOUR HEAD 'NO'? 25:38 BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING THE CAR HAS MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS, RIGHT? 25:42 I MEAN, IT'S MOST STATED FUNCTION IS WHAT? 25:47 IS TO TRANSPORT YOU. THEY STILL NEED THEIR 25:49 VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTATION. NOW, IT MAY BE A CRUDE 25:52 ILLUSTRATION, BUT THE LAW HAS MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS, OKAY? 25:58 THE LAW IS A REVELATION OF GOD'S CHARACTER. 26:00 SO, APART FROM GOD, WHEN WE'RE LIVING APART FROM GOD - WHEN 26:06 WE'RE LIVING ON OUR OWN IN SIN, WHETHER WE'RE JEW OR GENTILE, 26:09 WHETHER WE'RE IN THE CHURCH OR OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, WHETHER 26:11 WE'RE RAISED IN A HOME THAT REGARDED GOD OR A HOME THAT 26:15 DIDN'T, THE LAW POINTS OUT OUR DEFICIENCY. 26:19 IT SHOWS THAT WE DO NOT MEET THE STANDARD OF GOD'S CHARACTER. 26:23 IS THAT STRAIGHTFORWARD ENOUGH? >>YES. 26:25 >>IT SHOWS US OUR NEED FOR A SAVIOR. 26:28 AND PAUL IS SPEAKING ABOUT THAT HERE IN ROMANS 3. 26:31 BUT BEFORE ROMANS 3 CONCLUDES, PAUL ASKS A QUESTION THAT It 26:35 SEEMS MOST OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD HAS MISSED. 26:37 AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THIS MORE AS WE GO 26:40 THROUGH THE SERIES ON ROMANS. BUT HE ASKS A QUESTION. 26:44 AND THE QUESTION HE ASKS AT THE CONCLUSION OF ROMANS 3, IS 'DO 26:49 WE MAKE VOID THE LAW THROUGH FAITH?' 26:51 CAN WE GET RID OF THE LAW NOW BECAUSE WE'VE COME TO JESUS? 26:55 IS THE ONLY FUNCTION OF THE LAW, AS WE STUDIED IN GALATIANS, TO 26:59 BE A SCHOOLMASTER TO LEAD US TO CHRIST? 27:02 CAN WE GET RID OF THE LAW NOW, AND WHAT IS THE ANSWER? 27:04 >>NO. >>THE ANSWER IS NO. 27:10 SONIA AND I WERE TRAVELING LAST WEEK AND WE WERE IN A HOTEL ROOM 27:17 AND SHE WAS OCCUPIED WITH SOMETHING ELSE. 27:19 I WAS SCANNING THROUGH THE CHANNELS TO SEE IF THERE WAS - 27:21 ACTUALLY THERE'S OFTEN ADVENTIST CHANNELS NOW - ONE OF THE HOTELS 27:25 I'M OFTEN IN - EITHER 3ABN OR HOPE CHANNEL IS AVAILABLE ON 27:31 THOSE, YOU KNOW, BIG SATELLITE NETWORKS. 27:34 AND SO I'M GOING THROUGH THOSE CHANNELS - I FOUND A COUPLE OF 27:37 CHRISTIAN STATIONS AND, DURING THAT TRIP, WE HAD ONE OF THEM ON 27:41 AT ONE POINT IN TIME AND THERE WAS A CHRISTIAN AUTHOR SPEAKING 27:47 ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE - WELL KNOWN INDIVIDUAL - AND HE WASN'T 27:50 QUOTING A LOT OF BIBLE, BUT HE WAS SHARING HIS OWN EXPERIENCE 27:54 AND, IN SO MANY WORDS, HE WAS SAYING, 'I WAS CONVICTED BY THE 27:58 TEN COMMANDMENTS.' - NOT A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST - 'I WAS 28:00 CONVICTED BY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS THAT I WAS LIVING 28:03 IN SIN.' HE HAD A PROBLEM WITH PORNOGRAPHY - HE WAS SHARING 28:07 WITH THE TELEVISION AUDIENCE. AND HE SAID WHAT GAVE HIM POWER 28:14 WAS THIS CONCEPT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IN MORE 28:17 DETAIL RIGHT NOW, IS THIS THEME OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. 28:21 AGAIN, HE DIDN'T USE THOSE EXACT WORDS, BUT HE WAS SPEAKING NOT 28:26 ABOUT JUSTIFICATION - WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT - BUT HE 28:29 WAS NOW SPEAKING ABOUT SANCTIFICATION. 28:32 THEY'RE BOTH INCLUDED IN THE WORK THAT JESUS WANTS TO DO FOR 28:36 US. LET'S LOOK, NOW, AT ROMANS 3 28:40 BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. 28:43 WE'VE SEEN IT IN THE EXODUS - THE EGYPTIANS CRYING OUT THEY'RE 28:47 LOST - GOD'S PEOPLE CRYING OUT THEY'RE LOST. 28:50 WE SEE IT, NOW, IN ROMANS, PAUL IS DRIVING HOME HIS ARGUMENT, WE 28:54 ARE ALL LOST. VERSE 21 OF ROMANS 3, "BUT NOW 29:02 THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED, BEING 29:08 WITNESSED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS," - SO THERE IS A 29:13 RIGHTEOUSNESS - WE CANNOT DO RIGHT ENOUGH TO BE 29:17 SAVED BY THE LAW. WHAT DOES THE LAW REQUIRE? 29:22 YEAH, THE LAW REQUIRES PERFECT OBEDIENCE, OKAY? 29:26 AND SO, WE CAN'T, AS - IN OUR SINFUL FLESH, WE CANNOT, IN 29:29 OURSELVES, DELIVER PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS. 29:33 WE'VE ALL SINNED, SO WE'RE ALL LOST. 29:36 WE'VE ALL FAILED TO MEET GOD'S DIVINE STANDARD, WHICH IS HIS 29:40 CHARACTER. IN FACT, THINK ABOUT IT FOR A 29:42 MINUTE, WHEN GOD CREATED ADAM AND EVE, HE CREATED THEM HOW? 29:54 PERFECT IN HIS IMAGE. SO WHEN WE SEE GOD, WE REALIZE 30:02 WHAT WE WERE CALLED TO BE AND WE SEE, IN THE LAW, THIS REVELATION 30:06 OF GOD'S CHARACTER AND WE, IN OUR SINFUL FLESH, DON'T MEET IT. 30:10 AND SO, WHEN WE SEE GOD CLEARLY, WE'RE LIKE ISAIAH. 30:15 YOU REMEMBER THAT, IN ISAIAH 6, WHEN HE HAS THAT VISION OF GOD 30:19 IN HEAVEN? WHAT DOES HE SAY? HE SAYS, 'WOE IS ME. 30:25 I'M UNDONE. I'M A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS. 30:28 I DON'T MEET THE STANDARD.' THAT'S WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE IN 30:32 ROMANS. AND SO, PAUL IS SAYING, IN 30:34 ROMANS 3, IN THE VERSES WE JUST READ, THERE IS NO WAY THAT WE 30:39 CAN BE SAVED ON OUR OWN, BUT THE GOOD NEWS: THE RIGHTEOUSNESS 30:44 OF GOD APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED AND THAT HAS BEEN 30:48 WITNESSED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. 30:50 BY THE WAY, THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS, HERE, IS REFERRING TO 30:54 THE WHOLE OF SCRIPTURAL INSPIRATION. 30:57 SOMETIMES WHEN THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS SPOKE OF THE PAST 31:02 REVELATION, THEY SAID 'THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS AND THE 31:05 WRITINGS.' REMEMBER, JESUS, IN LUKE 24, WHEN HE'S SPEAKING 31:09 ABOUT ALL OF THE PAST REVELATION, HE USES THESE 31:12 DIVISIONS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. WHAT IS THE LAW IN THE SECOND 31:16 PART OF VERSE 21 REFERRING TO? WHAT WAS THE LAW TO THE JEWS? 31:27 IT WAS THE PENTATEUCH - IT WAS THOSE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE 31:29 BIBLE - AND THE PROPHETS, USED HERE SOMEWHAT METAPHORICALLY, 31:36 IT'S ALL THE REST OF THE OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION. 31:39 AND SO, WHAT PAUL IS SAYING IS THAT ALL OF SCRIPTURE REVEALS 31:44 IT. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN EXODUS IS NOT A STRETCH. 31:47 IT'S NOT A STRETCH TO SEE THE GOSPEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 31:51 BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME GOSPEL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 31:54 AND WHAT IS THAT GOSPEL? LET'S READ ON IN VERSE 22. 31:57 WE'VE BEEN GIVEN THIS REVELATION OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD 32:02 THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO ALL AND ON ALL WHO BELIEVE. 32:09 SO WHO IS THE PROMISE FOR? >>US. 32:12 >>THE PROMISE IS FOR US, THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S FOR EVERYONE. 32:16 REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR BACKGROUND IS, GOD IS TELLING US 32:20 THAT HE HAS PROVIDED A RIGHTEOUSNESS IN JESUS CHRIST. 32:26 LET'S LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY. 32:28 AGAIN, VERSE 23 - IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD IT ALREADY, "FOR ALL HAVE 32:33 SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD" - I MEAN, PAUL IS 32:37 AT THE EXPENSE OF BEING ACCUSED OF BEING OVERLY REPETITIOUS. 32:43 PAUL IS SAYING, 'GENTILES SIN, JEWS SIN, WE'VE ALL SINNED, 32:47 WE'RE ALL UNDER THE LAW, WE'RE ALL UNDER SIN, WE'RE ALL' - I 32:49 MEAN, IF YOU GOT THE MESSAGE, DO YOU THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR 32:52 PAUL TO HELP US SEE THAT WE'RE ALL LOST? 32:58 YOU KNOW, IN MANY CIRCLES TODAY CHRISTIANS DON'T WANT TO TALK 33:04 ABOUT THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE. REALLY, THIS IS TRUE. 33:07 YOU GO TO MANY CHURCHES AND THEY WANT TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH GOD 33:09 LOVES YOU. AND THAT'S ALL GOOD, AND IT'S ALL TRUE, BUT THEY 33:12 DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR SINFULNESS. AND IT'S ONLY OUR 33:16 SINFULNESS THAT HELPS US RECOGNIZE OUR NEED. 33:21 SO HERE WE ARE, "...ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE 33:25 GLORY OF GOD" - VERSE 24, "BEING JUSTIFIED" - BEING MADE RIGHT - 33:29 BEING MADE JUST BEFORE GOD - "FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE 33:37 REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS, WHOM GOD SET FORTH AS A 33:42 PROPITIATION BY HIS BLOOD, THROUGH FAITH, TO DEMONSTRATE 33:45 HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE IN HIS FORBEARANCE GOD HAD PASSED 33:49 OVER THE SINS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY COMMITTED," - NOW WE 33:53 HAVE SOME SCRIPTURES THAT WE HAVE ASSIGNED TO FOLKS TO READ 33:57 FOR US, AND WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE IN JUST A 34:03 MOMENT. WHO HAS THE FIRST SCRIPTURE FOR US? OKAY. 34:07 AND LET'S MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE HERE, INCLUDING 34:13 THE PERSON UP FRONT. WHAT SCRIPTURE DO YOU HAVE? 34:15 >>EXODUS 12:13. >>EXODUS 12:13, OH EXCELLENT. 34:22 IT'S EXACTLY WHERE WE NEED TO GO IN JUST A MOMENT. 34:25 SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE - AND, BY THE WAY, THIS IS IN YOUR 34:29 LESSON. THE LESSON IS WALKING PRETTY 34:31 MUCH THROUGH THIS PASSAGE IN ROMANS 3. 34:34 BUT I WANT YOU TO NOTICE WEDNESDAY'S LESSON. 34:38 WEDNESDAY'S LESSON IS SPEAKING PARTICULARLY ABOUT ROMANS 3, 34:41 VERSE 25. THERE'S A TECHNICAL WORD 34:45 THAT PAUL USES THERE. THE GREEK WORD IS ACTUALLY 34:50 PROVIDED IN YOUR QUARTERLY, IT'S HILASTERION - HILASTERION. 34:55 IT ONLY OCCURS ONE OTHER PLACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THAT'S 34:59 IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS. IT'S REFERENCED THERE IN YOUR 35:01 QUARTERLY - HEBREWS 9, VERSE 5. THAT WORD, HILASTERION IS 35:06 ACTUALLY - IF YOU LOOK AT THE SEPTUAGINT - THE SEPTUAGINT IS 35:11 THE GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 35:16 IF YOU LOOK AT IT, THAT WORD, HILASTERION, IS THE WORD THAT IS 35:19 USED TO TRANSLATE A HEBREW TERM, KAPPORETH, AND KAPPORETH REFERS 35:25 TO THE COVERING OVER THE ARK OF THE TESTIMONY, SOMETIMES 35:31 REFERRED TO AS THE MERCY SEAT. SO JESUS, IN VERSE 25 OF ROMANS 35:37 3, IS IDENTIFIED WITH - IS CONNECTED WITH THE HILASTERION - 35:45 THE MERCY SEAT - IT'S TRANSLATED 'PROPITIATION' BUT IT IS A VERY 35:49 DIRECT, TECHNICAL TERM THAT BRINGS US INTO WHAT WE WOULD 35:53 CALL 'THE LAW' - THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. 35:57 SO SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT, 'WELL THIS CONNECTION WITH THE 36:00 BOOK OF EXODUS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A BIT OF A 36:02 STRETCH, BUT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU, VERY MUCH EMBEDDED IN THIS 36:07 PASSAGE IS PAUL IS SAYING, IN SO MANY WORDS, 'IF YOU WANT TO 36:10 UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE BOOK OF 36:13 EXODUS.' AND SO HE USES THIS TECHNICAL TERM THAT BRINGS US 36:17 RIGHT TO THE SANCTUARY. AND OUR SISTER, RIGHT NOW, IS 36:20 GOING TO READ TO US, FROM EXODUS 12, ANOTHER VERSE THAT BRINGS US 36:26 INTO THIS VERY SAME DISCUSSION. PLEASE. 36:29 >>EXODUS 12:13, "NOW THE BLOOD SHALL BE A SIGN FOR YOU ON THE 36:33 HOUSES WHERE YOU ARE. AND WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL 36:37 PASS OVER YOU; AND THE PLAGUE SHALL NOT BE ON YOU TO DESTROY 36:40 YOU WHEN I STRIKE THE LAND OF EGYPT." 36:44 >>SO WHEN GOD WAS PROVIDING FOR HIS PEOPLE, IN THE OLD 36:48 TESTAMENT, WHEN JUDGEMENT WAS GOING TO COME, WHEN THE, IF YOU 36:54 WILL, THE RESULTS OF THE LAW - AND THE LAW WAS, SIMPLY, 37:01 'BELIEVE, OBEY, TRUST ME, AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY; TRUST 37:06 IN YOURSELVES AND YOU'LL BE LOST.' THAT'S BEEN THE MESSAGE 37:08 FROM THE BEGINNING, AND GOD GAVE THAT MESSAGE TO THE 37:11 EGYPTIANS - 'TRUST ME - TRUST IN MY PROVISION - YOU WILL BE FINE. 37:15 DETERMINE TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN - DETERMINE THAT YOU DON'T NEED 37:18 GOD AND YOU WILL BE LOST.' THIS IS THE MESSAGE THERE. 37:22 WHAT WAS THE SIGN THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD TO 37:26 DISPLAY THAT THEY WERE TRUSTING IN GOD? 37:31 THAT'S RIGHT, THEY HAD TO SLAY THE INNOCENT VICTIM. 37:37 THEY HAD TO SLAY THE SINLESS LAMB, IF YOU WILL, THE GUILTLESS 37:41 LAMB HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG, AND THEY HAD TO APPLY THAT BLOOD ON 37:46 THE DOOR OF THEIR HOME. WHAT GREAT WORK WERE THEY DOING? 37:53 DID ANYONE GET UP THAT NIGHT, WHEN THE EGYPTIANS WERE CRYING, 37:57 AND SOMEONE SAID, 'I JUST SAVED MY WHOLE FAMILY.' DO YOU THINK 38:01 ANYONE SAID THAT? I MEAN, IT'S POSSIBLE THEY COULD 38:05 HAVE, BUT WHO WAS THE ONE SAVING THEM? 38:08 >>GOD. >>GOD WAS THE SAVIOR - AND 38:11 THEY WERE SAYING THAT 'WE ARE TRUSTING IN GOD TO PASS BY OUR 38:15 HOMES. WE ARE APPLYING THE BLOOD.' 38:17 WAS THERE A WORK FOR THEM TO DO? >>YES. 38:19 >>THERE WAS A WORK FOR THEM TO DO. THEY HAD TO SHOW - THEY HAD 38:22 TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR FAITH IN GOD'S WORD - IN GOD'S PROMISES. 38:27 THEY HAD TO APPLY THE PROMISE OF GOD. 38:30 THEY HAD TO TRUST IN THE BLOOD OF THE SINLESS VICTIM. 38:35 WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE PLAN OF SALVATION, AND SO MANY TIMES 38:41 THIS PLAN HAS EITHER BEEN UNDERMINED, AS FAR AS ITS 38:44 SIMPLICITY, OR IT ACTUALLY HAS BEEN MADE TOO - I DON'T WANT TO 38:51 SAY TOO SIMPLISTIC, BUT A DISSERVICE HAS BEEN DONE TO GOD. 38:56 IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR QUARTERLY, SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE STUDIED IT 38:59 ALREADY, YOU READ A NUMBER OF TIMES THERE ARE STATEMENTS FROM 39:02 ELLEN WHITE ABOUT THIS GREAT THEME OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. 39:09 I BROUGHT A NUMBER OF PROPS UP WITH ME TODAY AND THEY INCLUDE A 39:14 NUMBER OF BOOKS THAT HAVE A LOT OF RICH MATERIAL WRITTEN BY 39:19 ELLEN WHITE. AND SOME OF OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE 39:20 NOT SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, THEY SAY, 'OH, ELLEN WHITE, SHE'S ALL 39:22 ABOUT THE LAW.' I'LL TELL YOU, SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS 39:27 THAT I'VE READ IN CHRISTIANITY ABOUT THE GOSPEL - THE GOOD NEWS 39:30 OF SALVATION - WRITTEN BY ELLEN WHITE. LET ME JUST REFER YOU TO 39:34 A FEW OF THE SOURCES. ONE OF THEM YOU SEE IN YOUR 39:36 QUARTERLY, THAT WAS REFERENCED, IS THE BOOK SELECTED MESSAGES, 39:39 BOOK 1 - A WHOLE SECTION ON RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. 39:44 WE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT A FEW OF THESE THINGS THAT 39:46 HELP US CRYSTALLIZE SOME OF THESE THEMES IN ROMANS. 39:49 ANOTHER AMAZING BOOK - FAITH AND WORKS - HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOOK? 39:54 AMAZING BOOK - COLLECTION OF ARTICLES THAT ELLEN WHITE WROTE 39:57 - MANY OF THEM - OR MOST OF THEM - PERHAPS ALL OF THEM - OVER A - 40:01 I GUESS THEY'RE ALL OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD NOW. 40:04 THAT WASN'T ALWAYS TRUE, DURING MY LIFETIME, BUT IT IS TRUE NOW. 40:08 SO THESE ARE SOME AMAZING ILLUSTRATIONS - AMPLIFICATIONS 40:14 OF WHAT WE'RE JUST READING HERE - COMMENTARY, IF YOU WILL, ON 40:17 THE BOOK OF ROMANS. AND THEN, SELECTED MESSAGES, 40:20 BOOK 3 - A WHOLE SECTION ON RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. 40:23 SO SOME GREAT RESOURCES IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT IT. 40:26 LET'S JUST DIVE INTO ONE, SINCE WE'RE FOCUSED A LITTLE BIT ON 40:29 THE EXODUS HERE AND THE PARALLELS WITH ROMANS 3. 40:33 THERE IS A CHAPTER IN THE BOOK FAITH AND WORKS - IT'S ACTUALLY 40:37 TAKEN FROM A PRESENTATION THAT ELLEN WHITE GAVE ON MAY 11, 40:41 1889, SHORTLY AFTER A VERY PIVOTAL CONFERENCE IN 40:46 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST HISTORY. MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT IN 40:49 MINNEAPOLIS IN 1888, THIS THEME OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH WAS 40:54 PORTRAYED IN CLEARER TERMS THAN IT HAD BEEN IN THE SEVENTH-DAY 40:59 ADVENTIST CHURCH FOR MANY YEARS, AND ELLEN WHITE IS 41:02 SPEAKING ON THIS. SHE ACTUALLY BEGINS BY READING A 41:06 WHOLE CHAPTER - A LARGE PORTION OF A CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE. 41:10 SHE BEGAN BY READING JOHN 3, VERSES 1 TO 16. 41:14 WE WON'T READ IT HERE, BUT IT'S THAT NIGHT MEETING OF NICODEMUS 41:18 WITH JESUS, AND THERE ARE SOME POWERFUL PARALLELS WE'LL TOUCH 41:22 ON, THAT SHE POINTS NICODEMUS TO FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT, FROM THE 41:26 LAW - FROM THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. 41:29 BUT LISTEN TO WHAT SHE SAYS HERE, SPEAKING OF THIS THEME IN 41:32 ROMANS, JUST HELPING US MAKE IT CLEAR. 41:34 I'M IN PAGE 64 OF THE BOOK FAITH AND WORKS , "HE" - WE'D SAY, 41:39 TODAY, 'HE OR SHE' OR 'WHOEVER' - "WOULD LAY HOLD ON CHRIST'S 41:43 RIGHTEOUSNESS NEED NOT WAIT ONE MOMENT THAT HE HIMSELF MAY BLOT 41:50 OUT HIS OWN SINS. HE NEED NOT WAIT UNTIL HE HAS 41:54 MADE A SUITABLE REPENTANCE BEFORE HE MAY TAKE HOLD UPON 41:59 CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS." - WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MATTER 42:02 OF SALVATION - IT'S JUST AS SIMPLE AS A-B-C, BUT 42:06 WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. DO YOU CATCH WHAT SHE'S SAYING? 42:09 SHE'S SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT PAUL IS PRESENTING HERE. 42:12 HE'S SAYING THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AVAILABLE THROUGH JESUS AND 42:15 IT'S OURS JUST FOR BELIEVING IT - JUST FOR ACCEPTING IT, RIGHT? 42:20 WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH, RIGHT? CAN HAVE THIS GIFT. 42:24 AND THE PROBLEM IS, THE CONTEXT - THE RIGHTFUL CONTEXT IS WE'VE 42:29 ALL SINNED. HAVE YOU LOOKED IN THE MIRROR LATELY? 42:35 I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN LOOKING IN THE MIRROR A LITTLE MORE OFTEN 42:37 AND MY WIFE REMINDED ME, IN THE CLINIC THIS WEEK, THAT NOT ONLY 42:41 DO I NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR, I NEED TO REMIND MY PATIENTS - 42:45 IT WAS ABOUT A WEEK AGO I HAD A RUN-IN WITH A DERMATOLOGIST, SO 42:49 SOME OF YOU THAT ARE PERCEPTIVE, YOU'VE NOTICED, PERHAPS, THAT 42:52 THERE'S SOME MORE BLEMISHES ON MY FOREHEAD THAN USUAL. 42:57 SO IT'S HEALED A BIT BUT, IN FACT, WHEN I DIDN'T EXPLAIN THIS 43:00 TO ONE OF MY PATIENTS, MY WIFE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, SHE WAS ASKING 43:03 IF YOU JUST HAD THE CHICKEN POX.' OKAY? 43:07 WELL I MENTION THAT TO YOU BECAUSE WE LOOK IN THE MIRROR 43:11 AND WE SEE OUR DEFECTS, RIGHT? AND I'M NOT JUST SPEAKING IN THE 43:14 LITERAL MIRROR - WE SEE WHEN WE GET UP IN THE MORNING. 43:20 WE SEE, IN OUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, WHERE WE FALL 43:22 SHORT, DON'T WE? SO HERE'S THE PROBLEM THAT 43:28 THERE IS IN THE GOSPEL AND THE SCRIPTURES: WITHOUT US 43:31 RECOGNIZING OUR NEED, WE WILL NEVER REPENT. 43:35 AND SO, JESUS, WHEN HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY - YOU READ MARK - MARK, 43:39 THE FIRST GOSPEL THAT WAS ACTUALLY PENNED - THE ONLY THING 43:43 YOU READ ABOUT WHEN YOU FIRST OPEN THAT GOSPEL - YOU DON'T 43:47 READ ABOUT JESUS' GENEALOGY, YOU READ ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST 43:51 GIVING A MESSAGE OF WHAT? REPENTANCE. 43:55 IF YOU LOOK AT MARK, WHEN JESUS FIRST BEGINS HIS MINISTRY IN 43:59 MARK, MARK'S FIRST RECORDED WORDS OF JESUS ARE WHAT? 44:03 REPENT. SO THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE COMES THROUGH TO US - 44:08 IT RESONATES WITH US, RIGHT? AND WE REALIZE THAT WE FALL SHORT. 44:13 THE PROBLEM WITH THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE IS THAT WE BECOME SO 44:16 FOCUSED ON OUR SHORTCOMINGS THAT WE FAIL TO SEE WHAT ROMANS 3 IS 44:21 PRESENTING TO US, AND THAT IS THE GIFT OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF 44:24 CHRIST. PERHAPS ONE OF MY FAVORITE 44:30 CHAPTERS IN THIS BOOK FAITH AND WORKS IS ACTUALLY AN EASY 44:34 CHAPTER TO REMEMBER. THIS IS THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF 44:41 MARTIN LUTHER'S NAILING OF THOSE THESES ON THE DOOR OF THAT 44:45 WITTENBERG CHURCH. AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT 44:50 THERE IS A CHAPTER IN THIS BOOK THAT WAS, ACTUALLY NOW, 44:53 CELEBRATING IT'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY - IT WAS WRITTEN IN 44:56 1892. DO YOU ALL REALIZE THAT 125 - OR 45:00 AT LEAST 500 IS A MULTIPLE OF 125, RIGHT? 125 TIMES 4 IS 500. 45:07 NOW, I DON'T WANT TO MAKE TOO MUCH OF THIS, BUT THIS CHAPTER 45:10 IS ACTUALLY ENTITLED ACCEPTED IN CHRIST , AND IT'S SPEAKING ABOUT 45:15 FREEDOM IN JESUS. NOW SOME OF YOU KNOW, AMONG MY 45:21 LIFE JOURNEY, HAS BEEN SOME CHAPTERS AS A COLLEGE TEACHER - 45:26 BOTH IN SECULAR SCHOOLS AND IN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS, SO I ALWAYS 45:28 LIKE TO PRESENT THINGS IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER IT. 45:32 SO, HOPEFULLY, SOME OF YOU WILL REMEMBER WE'RE LOOKING AT A 45:34 READING THAT WAS FIRST WRITTEN IN 1892 - ARE YOU FOLLOWING 45:36 ALONG? 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1892, 45:40 SO YOU COULD FIND THAT. BUT YOU SAY, 'WELL, HOW WILL 45:42 YOU REMEMBER THE DATE OF THIS PERIODICAL?' 45:44 IT WAS PUBLISHED IN SOMETHING CALLED THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES . 45:47 WELL, IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM IN CHRIST AND IT WAS WRITTEN BY AN 45:49 AMERICAN AUTHOR. WHEN WOULD BE A GREAT DAY FOR 45:52 AN AMERICAN AUTHOR TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT 45:54 FREEDOM IN CHRIST? >>JULY 4TH. 45:56 >>JULY 4TH - EXACTLY RIGHT. SO JULY 4, 1892, ELLEN WHITE 46:01 WROTE THIS ARTICLE ACCEPTED IN CHRIST . THE WHOLE ARTICLE IS 46:05 WORTH READING - WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ IT, BUT LET ME 46:09 SHARE A COUPLE OF THINGS WITH YOU. SPEAKING, REALLY, ABOUT 46:12 THIS THEME THAT WE'RE READING ABOUT IN ROMANS. 46:14 "HOWEVER SINFUL HAS BEEN" - AND I'M TAKING SOME LIBERTY WITH THE 46:18 GENDER HERE, JUST BECAUSE OF OUR MODERN CULTURE - "HOWEVER SINFUL 46:22 HAS BEEN HER LIFE, IF SHE BELIEVES IN JESUS AS HER 46:27 PERSONAL SAVIOR, SHE STANDS BEFORE GOD IN THE SPOTLESS ROBES 46:33 OF CHRIST'S IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS." 46:38 THIS IS CRYSTALLIZING WHAT WE'VE BEEN READING IN ROMANS HERE. 46:41 SO JUSTIFICATION, BEING RIGHT WITH GOD - STANDING RIGHT WITH 46:44 GOD, IS OURS FOR BELIEVING - IS OURS FOR TRUSTING IN GOD'S 46:49 PROVISION - IT'S OURS FOR APPLYING THE BLOOD OF JESUS ON 46:53 OUR OWN HEARTS SAYING, 'I BELIEVE, JESUS, THAT YOU DIED 46:56 FOR ME PERSONALLY. YOU ARE MY SAVIOR AND I'M GOING 46:59 TO TRUST IN YOUR SALVATION. NOW, WHAT I ESPECIALLY RESONATE 47:04 WITH THIS READING - IT'S ACTUALLY - I'M READING, NOW, 47:08 FROM PAGE 107 IN THE BOOK FAITH AND WORKS - ELLEN WHITE WRITES 47:12 THIS - AND I BELIEVE IT IS DEAD CENTER ON WITH WHAT PAUL IS 47:15 COMMUNICATING TO US IN ROMANS CHAPTER 3. 47:19 SHE SAYS, "PERFECTION THROUGH OUR OWN GOOD WORKS, WE CAN 47:23 NEVER ATTAIN. THE SOUL WHO SEES JESUS BY 47:27 FAITH REPUDIATES HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS." 47:32 WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO REPUDIATE SOMETHING? 47:36 YOU GIVE UP ON IT - YOU THROW IT AWAY. 47:38 MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOTHING - "HE SEES HIMSELF AS 47:43 INCOMPLETE, HIS REPENTANCE INSUFFICIENT, HIS STRONGEST 47:49 FAITH BUT FEEBLENESS, HIS MOST COSTLY SACRIFICE AS MEAGER AND 47:55 HE SINKS IN HUMILITY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS." 47:58 I MEAN, ARE YOU RELATING TO THIS? 48:00 ARE YOU FEELING THAT THE GOOD NEWS IS TOO GOOD? 48:02 THAT IT COULDN'T APPLY TO YOU BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN TOO BAD? 48:08 SOME YEARS AGO I WAS VISITING IN A WOMAN'S HOME - SHE HAD 48:11 RECENTLY BEEN BAPTIZED INTO THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH, 48:14 BUT SHE HAD STOPPED ATTENDING CHURCH. 48:16 AND, AS WE VISITED WITH HER IN HER HOME, SHE SHARED WITH US THE 48:21 REASON WHY SHE HAD STOPPED COMING TO CHURCH. 48:24 DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS? BASICALLY, 'I'M TOO SINFUL. 48:29 ALL THOSE OTHER PEOPLE IN CHURCH ARE SO HOLY AND I JUST DON'T FIT 48:33 IN.' WELL, YOU SAID, 'IF SHE ONLY KNEW', RIGHT? 48:39 BUT THE POINT IS, HERE - THE POINT IS, HERE, THAT SHE WAS 48:44 SEEING THE MESSAGE OF NEED TO REPENT, BUT SHE WASN'T SEEING 48:48 THE GOOD NEWS OF COMING TO A SAVIOR WHO ACCEPTS US JUST AS WE 48:53 ARE. >>AMEN. 48:56 >>LET ME READ THIS AGAIN, AGAIN BEING SENSITIVE TO HOW SENSITIVE 49:00 WE ARE TODAY. "SHE SEES HERSELF AS INCOMPLETE, 49:06 HER REPENTANCE INSUFFICIENT, HER STRONGEST FAITH BUT FEEBLENESS, 49:13 HER MOST COSTLY SACRIFICE AS MEAGER, AND SHE SINKS IN 49:18 HUMILITY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS." ARE YOU THERE WITH ME? 49:22 I MEAN, I LOOK AT MY OWN FAITH - I LOOK AT MY OWN REPENTANCE - I 49:26 MEAN, DO YOU - AS YOU LOOK, DO YOU SEE THAT YOU JUST DON'T 49:30 MEASURE UP? AND SO, WE FALL AT THE FOOT OF 49:35 THE CROSS AND WHAT'S THE AMAZING THING THAT HAPPENS AT THE CROSS? 49:40 LISTEN, "A VOICE SPEAKS TO HIM - A VOICE SPEAKS TO HER FROM THE 49:46 ORACLES OF GOD'S WORD. IN AMAZEMENT, YOU HEAR THE MESSAGE. 49:53 YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM." >>AMEN. 49:59 >>HAVE YOU HEARD THAT MESSAGE? 50:01 WHEN YOU SEE YOUR NEED AND YOU COME TO THE CROSS - WHAT PAUL 50:05 HAS BEEN TRYING TO COMMUNICATE HERE - BY THE WAY, THAT'S 50:08 QUOTING FROM COLOSSIANS 2, VERSE 10 - SOMETHING ELSE THAT PAUL 50:12 WROTE - WHAT PAUL IS TRYING TO HELP US SEE IN ROMANS 3, THAT WE 50:16 ARE JUSTIFIED FREELY - IT IS A GIFT - IT IS A GIFT. 50:22 IT COMES TO US WHEN WE TRUST IN JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR. 50:26 YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON'T MEASURE UP? 50:28 NONE OF US MEASURE UP. OUR COMPLETENESS IS NOT FOUND 50:32 IN OURSELVES, BUT IT'S FOUND IN JESUS. 50:36 THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL. IT SAYS GOD - IN VERSE 50:41 26 OF ROMANS 3 - IS DEMONSTRATING HIS 50:46 OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOU SEE? HE IS JUST - HE HASN'T 50:52 SET ASIDE THE LAW. JESUS HAS FULFILLED 50:55 THE LAW FOR US. HE'S FULFILLED THE LAW FOR ME. 51:00 HE IS THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. 51:04 WE HAVE ANOTHER SCRIPTURE READING SOMEONE'S GOING TO SHARE 51:07 FOR US - SHARE WITH US - AND IT COMES TO US ALSO FROM PAUL'S 51:12 WRITINGS, THIS TIME IN 2 CORINTHIANS - 2 CORINTHIANS 51:16 CHAPTER 13 - PAUL IS HERE GIVING US SOME COUNSEL AND I BELIEVE 51:21 IT'S WANTING US, AS CHRISTIANS - HE'S WRITING TO BELIEVERS IN 2 51:24 CORINTHIANS - IN FACT, MANY OF YOU KNOW THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH 51:27 WAS A MESSED UP CHURCH - 1 CORINTHIANS - A LOT OF REBUKE - 51:30 A LOT OF ERROR THAT WAS IN THE CHURCH. 51:32 THE CHURCH WAS DIVIDED. MAYBE SOMETHING SOME OF US CAN 51:35 RELATE TO TODAY, AND PAUL WAS SAYING 'WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER 51:38 IN JESUS.' SO LISTEN TO WHAT PAUL ENCOURAGES THEM TO DO IN 2 51:43 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 13, VERSE 5. >>EXAMINE YOURSELVES TO SEE 51:49 WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE FAITH. TEST YOURSELVES. 51:51 DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT CHRIST JESUS IS IN YOU? 51:56 - UNLESS, OF COURSES, YOU FAIL THE TEST." 52:00 >>WHAT IS THIS COUNSEL BY PAUL ENCOURAGING US TO DO? 52:05 HE IS CALLING US TO EXAMINE OURSELVES, ISN'T HE? 52:09 HE'S CALLING US TO EXAMINE OURSELVES. HERE'S THE POINT: 52:16 THOSE WHO SAY, 'JUST BELIEVE IN JESUS AND THAT'S ALL THAT'S 52:21 NEEDED', ARE TRUE - ARE RIGHT TO AN EXTENT, BUT JESUS ISN'T ONLY 52:29 INTERESTED IN JUSTIFYING US. HE'S NOT ONLY INTERESTED IN 52:34 DECLARING US RIGHTEOUS AT THE MOMENT WE COME TO HIM. 52:37 THAT IS THE EMPHASIS HERE IN ROMANS CHAPTER 3, THAT WE CAN 52:40 COME AND WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT JESUS ACCEPTS US JUST AS WE ARE 52:45 WHEN WE COME TO HIM TRUSTING IN HIS SALVATION. 52:48 BUT PAUL ALSO MAKES IT CLEAR AS WE CONTINUE TO STUDY, THROUGHOUT 52:52 THE BOOK OF ROMANS, THAT GOD ALSO SANCTIFIES US BY FAITH. 52:59 SO COME BACK TO THAT CHRISTIAN AUTHOR THAT I WAS WATCHING ON 53:03 THAT CHANNEL AS WE WERE TRAVELING. 53:06 HE WAS SPEAKING ABOUT HIS OWN STRUGGLES WITH PORNOGRAPHY AND 53:11 HE SAID, AS HE REALIZED WHAT THE GOSPEL WAS, THE GOSPEL WAS NOT 53:16 JUST FORGIVING HIM FOR THE PAST. THE GOSPEL WAS NOT ONLY GOOD 53:22 NEWS ABOUT HOW WE CAN COME, RIGHT NOW, TO JESUS - HOW WE CAN 53:25 TRUST HIM IN SPITE OF WHAT OUR PAST HAS BEEN, BUT IT WAS ALSO 53:29 ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD DOESN'T THROW AWAY THE LAW. 53:33 YOU SEE, THE LAW FOR THE CHRISTIAN BECOMES A PICTURE OF 53:38 GOD'S CHARACTER THAT HE WILL MOLD US INTO. 53:42 AND SO, AS WE CONTINUE TO STUDY THE BOOK OF ROMANS, GOD'S 53:45 PROMISES, NOT JUST TO DECLARE US RIGHTEOUS - NOT TO JUST SAY 53:50 WE'RE ACCEPTED IN JESUS, BUT ALSO TO GIVE US THE POWER TO 53:54 LIVE A VICTORIOUS LIFE. IF YOU WANT TO STUDY THESE 53:58 THEMES MORE, WE HAVE A GREAT RESOURCE FOR YOU, IT'S 54:00 BY OUR OWN PASTOR DOUG. IT'S A LITTLE BOOK CALLED 54:03 ASSURANCE: JUSTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE - IT'S FREE OFFER #727. 54:09 IF YOU LIVE IN NORTH AMERICA, WE'RE HAPPY TO SEND IT TO YOU. 54:12 SIMPLY CALL 866-STUDY - MORE - THAT'S 866-788-3966. 54:20 IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA, YOU CAN GET FREE OFFER 54:23 #727 ON ASSURANCE, BY GOING TO THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE. 54:28 WELL, OUR TIME HAS RUN OUT, BUT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU, HERE 54:31 AT GRANITE BAY, TO COME BACK AND JOIN US NEXT WEEK, AND WE INVITE 54:35 YOU, WHO ARE TUNING IN, TO JOIN US AS WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY ON 54:38 THIS POWERFUL BOOK OF ROMANS - THE GOSPEL, THROUGH PAUL, TO YOU 54:44 AND TO ME. STAY TUNED UNTIL NEXT TIME. 54:48 >>FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, GOD USED MARTIN LUTHER TO INSPIRE A 54:52 GREAT REFORMATION; HOWEVER, IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED, THE 54:56 CHURCH HAS SLIPPED OFF THE BEDROCK OF TRUTH INTO THE VALLEY 54:59 OF LUKEWARM WORLDLINESS. THAT'S WHY, THIS FALL, I'LL BE 55:03 PRESENTING A BRAND-NEW NINE-PART SERIES CALLED 55:06 FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH . PLEASE PLAN, NOW, TO JOIN ME IN 55:10 PERSON, ONLINE, OR ON TELEVISION AND BE SURE TO INVITE OTHERS TO 55:13 JOIN YOU AS WELL. THE REFORMATION CONTINUES. (MUSIC) 55:27 >>HELLO FRIENDS, WE ALL KNOW A MARATHON IS ONE OF THE LONGEST 55:30 AND HARDEST RACES A PERSON CAN RUN, BUT DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE 55:33 ULTRA MARATHON THEY USED TO HAVE IN AUSTRALIA? 55:37 IT WAS 544 MILES FROM MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY. 55:41 IT ATTRACTED AS MANY AS 150 WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES. 55:45 BUT THEN, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT NO ONE WOULD EVER FORGET. 55:47 IN 1983 A 61-YEAR-OLD POTATO FARMER, NAMED CLIFF YOUNG, 55:52 DECIDED TO ENTER THE RACE. PEOPLE WERE VERY AMUSED BECAUSE 55:55 HE HAD ON RUBBER GALOSHES OVER HIS BOOTS, AND WHEN THE RACE 55:59 BEGAN AND ALL THE RUNNERS TOOK OFF, SURE ENOUGH, OLD CLIFF WAS 56:02 LEFT BEHIND SHUFFLING ALONG VERY SLOWLY, BUT HE WAS SHUFFLING 56:06 VERY PERSISTENTLY. NORMALLY, DURING THIS SEVEN-DAY 56:10 RACE, THE RUNNERS WOULD GO ABOUT 18 HOURS RUNNING AND THEN THEY'D 56:13 SLEEP FOR SIX HOURS, BUT NOBODY EVER TOLD CLIFF THAT. 56:17 WHEN THE OTHER RUNNERS STOPPED TO REST DURING THE NIGHT, CLIFF 56:20 JUST KEPT ON RUNNING. SOME PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OLD 56:23 CLIFF WAS GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND THEY WERE ASKING THE 56:26 RACE ORGANIZERS TO SHOW MERCY AND STOP THE CRAZY OLD MAN, 56:29 BUT HE WOULD HAVE NONE OF IT. EACH DAY HE WAS GAINING ON THE 56:33 PACK BECAUSE WHEN THEY WERE SLEEPING, HE WAS PLODDING ALONG. 56:36 DURING THE LAST NIGHT OF THE RACE, CLIFF PASSED ALL OF THESE 56:40 WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES. NOT ONLY WAS CLIFF ABLE TO RUN 56:44 THAT 544-MILE RACE WITHOUT DYING, HE WON, BEATING ALL 56:48 THE OTHER RACERS BY 9 HOURS, BREAKING THE RECORD AND BECOMING 56:52 A NATIONAL HERO IN THE PROCESS. WHAT'S REALLY AMAZING IS WHEN 56:55 THEY TOLD HIM HE HAD WON THE $10,000-PRIZE, HE LOOKED 56:59 CONFUSED AND SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A PRIZE AND HE DECIDED 57:01 TO SHARE IT WITH THE OTHER RUNNERS. WHEN ASKED HOW HE WAS 57:05 ABLE TO RUN ALL NIGHT LONG, CLIFF RESPONDED THAT HE GREW UP 57:08 ON A FARM WHERE THEY HAD ABOUT 2,000 HEAD OF CATTLE AND, 57:11 BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T AFFORD HORSES, HE USED TO HAVE TO ROUND 57:13 THEM UP ON FOOT, SOMETIMES RUNNING 2 AND 3 DAYS NON-STOP. 57:17 SO, THROUGHOUT THE RACE, HE JUST IMAGINED THAT HE WAS CHASING 57:20 AFTER THE COWS AND TRYING TO OUTRUN A STORM. 57:22 OLD CLIFF'S SECRET WAS TO KEEP ON RUNNING WHILE OTHERS WERE 57:26 SLEEPING. YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS US 57:28 THAT THE RACE IS NOT NECESSARILY TO THE SWIFT. 57:32 SOMETHING LIKE AESOP'S FABLE OF THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE - THE 57:35 TORTOISE JUST KEPT ON PLODDING ALONG. 57:38 THAT'S WHY JESUS TELLS US, IN MATTHEW 24:13, "HE THAT ENDURES 57:41 UNTO THE END, THE SAME WILL BE SAVED." 57:44 NOW YOU MIGHT SLIP AND FALL DURING THE RACE - YOU MIGHT EVEN 57:47 GET OFF TO A BAD START, BUT IN THE CHRISTIAN RACE THAT WE RUN, 57:51 THE MAIN THING IS YOU WANT TO FINISH WELL. 57:53 KEEP ON RUNNING, FRIENDS, AND DON'T GIVE UP. (MUSIC) 58:05 >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTIAN RESOURCES, VISIT 58:07 AFBOOKSTORE.COM . 58:11 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-10-16