Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180019A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:09 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls, 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is "Preparation for the End time." 00:30 And I want to welcome you to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:34 It's just a joy to have you with us. 00:36 We have so much fun teaching. 00:39 And don't we, ladies and gentlemen? 00:41 This is a... 00:42 It's such a privilege that God has given us 00:46 to be able to study God's Word and share it with you. 00:49 So thank you for joining us. 00:51 Now, for you that don't have 00:53 one of our Sabbath School quarterlies. 00:55 Let me tell you how to get it. 00:57 Now I believe the address is on the screen. 00:59 But for you who are listening on 3ABN Radio, 01:03 let me tell you how to get 3ABN study guide, 01:07 just go on your computer 01:09 to ABSG.Adventist.org. 01:14 And that you can download it 01:16 or there is another way for you to get to Sabbath School Panel 01:20 and that's go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:23 They would be so delighted to have, share one with you. 01:27 And you know, they would invite you 01:29 to come to Sabbath School as well. 01:30 We appreciate so much you being with us. 01:34 But sometimes sitting in a class 01:36 where you can share your input, you can have input as well. 01:40 Sometimes that's fun. 01:42 So I just want to encourage you, 01:45 being with us at every chance you get, 01:47 but also go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:51 Now on this panel today, 01:52 I like to call it my illustrious panel 01:54 because these are my friends. 01:56 This is my family. 01:58 And next to me is my dear, dear friend Shelley Quinn. 02:01 Thank you for joining us. Pastor CA Murray. 02:05 My little sister I call her, Jill Morikone. 02:08 And then Danny Shelton, our president and founder. 02:12 Danny, thank you so much for being with us. 02:13 Good to be here. 02:14 It's just so much fun to have you all with us. 02:17 Now, Jill, I'm going to ask that you open in prayer for us. 02:20 Okay. Sure. 02:22 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. 02:24 And we just thank You 02:25 for the privilege of opening up Your Word. 02:29 We ask right now 02:30 that You would empty us of self and fill us with You. 02:33 We ask for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit 02:36 that You would give us ears to hear 02:37 what is in Your Word 02:39 and a heart to put it into practice. 02:41 And we thank You in Jesus' name. 02:43 Amen. Amen. 02:45 Well, today's lesson is entitled 02:49 "The Change of the Law." 02:50 And every one of us have a portion to share 02:53 concerning that subject. 02:55 Now, most specifically 02:57 what we're going to look at is the fourth commandment. 03:01 And I thought to start it 03:03 to lay the foundation for this lesson today. 03:07 I would have every one of you turn to Exodus 20. 03:11 I hope you've got your Bible. 03:13 Turn to Exodus 20, 03:15 we're going to read verses 8 through 11 03:18 which is the fourth commandment. 03:21 So I'm going to read it. 03:23 It starts, 03:24 "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it," what's that word? 03:28 "Holy. 03:29 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 03:32 but the seventh day 03:34 is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 03:37 In it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, 03:42 nor your daughter, nor your male servant, 03:44 nor your female servant, nor your cattle, 03:47 nor your stranger who is within your gates. 03:51 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 03:55 the sea, and all that is in them, 03:57 and rested the seventh day. 03:59 Therefore the Lord," did something. 04:01 "He blessed the Sabbath day and He hallowed it." 04:06 Now we are Seventh-day Adventists, 04:08 we kind of give away in our name what we believe, 04:12 we believe that we are to, 04:14 hey, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, 04:18 just like the scripture tells us to do. 04:22 Although we fully understand 04:24 that salvation is by faith alone, 04:27 do we not? 04:28 And that keeping the law and that includes 04:31 the seventh day Sabbath can never save us. 04:36 We also understand that in the last days, 04:39 obedience to God's law 04:42 including the seventh day Sabbath 04:45 will be the outward sign, 04:48 a mark of where our true allegiance is. 04:53 Now that is an understanding that we have. 04:56 I used to work with a lady, her name was Elora Ford. 05:00 Mrs. Ford. Danny, remember Mrs. Ford? 05:02 Precious, precious lady. 05:05 And even she told me concerning the Sabbath, 05:09 she said in the end time and that's what we're studying, 05:12 preparing for the end time. 05:15 She said, "In the end time, 05:17 the litmus test is going to be 05:21 whether you keep 05:23 the Sabbath day Sabbath or not." 05:25 Now, what is a litmus test? 05:28 A litmus test is a decisive, indicative test. 05:33 Decisive, indicative test. 05:36 And I'm looking into the world now as we see it, 05:40 is our world in turmoil? 05:42 Now, it's been turmoil but it appears to me, 05:44 it seems to me that it's declining to its end. 05:48 The things aren't getting better and better, 05:50 things are getting worse and worse. 05:52 And something even in my short years 05:55 of being alive. 05:56 And they are short, I don't care how old I am, 05:59 when you look at the length of the world, 06:03 how old the world is. 06:04 Looking, it seems to me like 06:08 this litmus test Mrs. Ford was talking about, 06:11 whether you keep the Sabbath or whether you don't. 06:14 You know, that's only two camps, is it not? 06:17 Two camps. Well, I look in the world. 06:20 And this is something that it appears 06:22 as though we're singing. 06:23 There are... 06:25 There is either the camp 06:27 that loves the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ 06:31 or the camp that total rejects, 06:34 we'll call it the antichrist camp, 06:36 totally rejects the Lord Jesus Christ. 06:39 Now, this is what I'm seeing happening. 06:41 It appears as though we're falling into two camps 06:45 whereas remember the nominals, 06:48 they were either a nominal Christian 06:51 or a nominal atheist but there was, 06:53 it appears to me in my thinking a third camp, the great camp. 06:57 Now, it seems to me 07:00 that we're either getting black or white. 07:04 We're either for the Lord Jesus Christ, 07:07 committed to Him or we totally reject. 07:11 It's as though that third camp is disappearing. 07:15 The litmus test, either you acknowledge God 07:19 and serve Him or you reject Him. 07:23 Now, this week we look at the law of God, again, 07:27 especially the Sabbath 07:29 and the attempt to change to the... 07:32 The attempted change to the very commandment 07:36 that God said to do what? 07:38 Remember. 07:39 It's though we are forgetting 07:41 the one thing God told us to remember. 07:43 Now our memory text is Daniel 7:25. 07:49 And I want us to all read this together. 07:52 Daniel 7:25. 07:54 Turn into your Word. 07:56 Get your Sabbath School quarterly 07:58 but get involved in these lessons, 08:01 get involved in this Sabbath School lesson. 08:03 Let's read together, 08:05 "He will speak against the Most High 08:08 and oppress his holy people 08:10 and try to change the set times and the laws. 08:14 The holy people will be delivered 08:16 into his hands for a time and times 08:20 and half a time." 08:22 Now, I'm honored to have 08:24 as my portion of the lesson today, Sunday. 08:28 And Sunday's title is the promise. 08:31 One of the greatest promises 08:33 in the Bible is found in Romans 8:1. 08:36 So go ahead and turn to Romans 8:1. 08:39 And you're going to stay there for a little while. 08:42 Romans 8:1, this great promise. 08:45 And let me read it to you. 08:47 "There is therefore now no condemnation 08:51 to those who are in Christ Jesus. 08:55 Who do not walk according to the flesh 08:58 but according to the Spirit." 09:01 Now, this promise is a kind of a capstone 09:05 or a conclusion that Paul is drawing 09:09 to a train of thought 09:11 that he had developed in chapter 7. 09:14 Now, I want us to look at Romans 7, 09:17 we're going to look at verses 15 through 25. 09:21 And what Paul is doing and it's titled, 09:24 "The wretched man of Romans 7." 09:27 Oh, wretched man that I am he says in the end. 09:30 But he is showing us the reality of sin. 09:33 But oh, thank God for the promises of God. 09:35 But I want to read this to you very quickly. 09:38 Paul says, "For what am I doing, 09:41 I do not understand, 09:43 for what I will to do that I do not practice. 09:48 But what I hate, that I do." You ever been there? 09:51 "If, then, I do what I will not to do, 09:54 I agree with the law that it is good. 09:56 But now, it is no longer I who do it, 09:59 but sin that dwells in me. 10:02 For I know that in me, 10:03 that is, in my flesh nothing good dwells, 10:06 for to will is present with me, 10:08 but how to perform what is good I do not find. 10:12 For the good that I will to do, I do not do, 10:14 but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." 10:18 Verse 20, "Now if I do what I will not to do, 10:21 it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 10:26 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, 10:29 the one who wills to do good. 10:32 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man." 10:36 Spirits will and but... 10:38 Flesh is weak. Weak flesh. 10:40 "But I see another law at work in my members in my flesh, 10:44 warring against the law of my mind, 10:46 and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin 10:49 which is in my members." 10:51 Paul says, "O wretched man that I am! 10:54 Who will deliver me from this body of sin, 10:57 this body of death?" 10:59 He asks a question. You know what he does. 11:01 He answers it. 11:03 So how is Paul feeling about himself right now? 11:06 O wretched man that I am! Who's going to deliver me. 11:09 He feels condemned, he feels hopeless. 11:13 And that there is no hope. Have you ever felt that way? 11:18 Just because of your own actions, 11:20 I meant that I was never going to do that again 11:23 and I have done it three times today. 11:25 O wretched man that I am! 11:28 Thank God that Paul answers his question. 11:32 And that is in verse 25. 11:36 "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! 11:39 So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, 11:43 but with the flesh the law of sin." 11:45 Now I want to read verse 25 to you in the Amplified. 11:48 Now, Danny, here's what the Amplified Bible does. 11:50 It amplifies. Imagine that. 11:53 Okay, Amplified Bible. 11:55 This is what it says, "Oh, thank God, He will." 11:59 Meaning God will 12:00 because remember the question that Paul asked. 12:03 Who's going to deliver me from this body of death? 12:07 Oh, thank God, God will. 12:09 "Through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, our Lord. 12:13 So then indeed I of myself with the mind and heart 12:17 serve the law of God 12:18 but with the flesh the law of sin." 12:20 Then comes that promise 12:22 that we started out with the promise. 12:25 "There is therefore now, no condemnation." 12:28 How was Paul's feeling when he said, 12:30 "Oh, wretched man that I am?" 12:32 Condemned. Oh. 12:34 "There is therefore right now, 12:37 no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." 12:41 Paul takes this hopeless situation 12:45 and turns it into hope. 12:50 But there is a prerequisite, 12:52 "Who do not walk according to the flesh 12:56 but according to the spirit." 12:59 Paul makes the reality of sin very real. 13:04 And I think we can all relate to this. 13:07 That's a struggle. 13:08 I don't know about you, 13:10 but I find times when it's just a struggle. 13:13 Matthew and Mark both tells us 13:15 that our spirit indeed is willing 13:19 but our flesh is weak, for Paul the problem 13:24 we all face today isn't the law. 13:28 And remember, we're looking at the changing of the law, 13:31 it's not the law that's the problem. 13:33 What's the problem? Sin. 13:35 Sin is the problem. 13:36 Our problem isn't the law of God, 13:40 it's not the Word of God, 13:42 it's sin that is at work in our flesh. 13:46 There is therefore now no condemnation 13:48 to those who are in Christ Jesus 13:50 who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. 13:54 Now, Shelley, I know I'm getting on your ground, 13:57 because you are going to look at the next verse. 14:00 But the next verse is kind of the capstone. 14:03 "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus 14:08 has made me free from the law of sin and death." 14:11 You see, at one time this law of sin and death 14:15 was the law that we were under. 14:17 But when we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our life, 14:20 we come under a new legal system 14:22 and it is called the law of the Spirit of Life 14:26 in Christ Jesus. 14:28 Sister Shelley. 14:29 I'm glad you said that 14:31 'cause I'm not sure I even addressed 14:32 that one in my notes. 14:35 Okay. 14:37 Mollie, thank you for showing us 14:38 the reality of sin even in the Christian's life. 14:42 But in the previous verse as Paul points out 14:46 the prevalence of sin and how deadly it is. 14:49 So Monday's lesson is the law and sin. 14:53 And we're going to... 14:54 I'm going to read very rapidly, Romans 7:1-14 14:59 then we're going to take it apart. 15:01 But I think it's important that we read this scripture. 15:05 Romans 7:1-14. 15:06 Paul says, "Or do you not know, brethren, 15:09 for I speak to those who know the law, 15:12 that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 15:15 For the woman who has a husband is bound 15:18 by the law to her husband as long as he lives. 15:20 But if the husband dies, 15:21 she is released from the law of her husband. 15:25 So then if, while her husband lives, 15:27 she marries another man, 15:28 she will be called an adulteress, 15:30 but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, 15:32 so that she is no adulteress, 15:34 though she has married another man. 15:36 Therefore, my brethren, 15:37 you also have become dead to the law 15:40 through the body of Christ, 15:41 that you may be married to another, to Him 15:43 who was raised from the dead, 15:45 that we should bear fruit to God. 15:47 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions 15:50 which were aroused by the law were at work 15:53 in our members to bear fruit to death. 15:55 But now we have been delivered from the law, 15:57 having died to what we were held by, 16:01 so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit 16:04 and not in the oldness of the letter. 16:06 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! 16:09 On the contrary, 16:11 I would not have known sin except through the law. 16:14 For I would not have known covetousness 16:16 unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' 16:18 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, 16:21 produced in me all manner of evil desire. 16:23 For apart from the law sin was dead. 16:26 I was once alive without the law, 16:28 but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 16:32 And the commandment, which was to bring life, 16:34 I found to bring death. 16:35 For sin, taking occasion 16:37 by the commandment, deceived me, and it killed me. 16:39 Therefore the law is holy, 16:40 and the commandment holy and just and good. 16:44 Has then what is good become death to me? 16:46 Certainly not! 16:48 But sin, that it might appear sin, 16:49 was producing death in me through what is good, 16:52 so that the sin through the commandment 16:54 might become exceedingly sinful. 16:57 For we know that the law is spiritual, 16:59 but I am carnal, sold under sin." 17:02 Okay. What did we just say? 17:06 You know, you read Revelation, 17:07 I mean Romans 7:1-14 17:10 and so many believers are unsure 17:13 about the relationship between the law and grace. 17:18 And what was happening, 17:19 the reason Paul was writing this in the first place 17:22 is his opponents 17:25 thought that the gospel of grace 17:27 was trying to harm or do away with God's law. 17:32 And we've got people today who actually believe 17:34 the gospel of grace just do away with God's law. 17:38 So let's look, 17:40 you know, Paul extolled the virtues of the law, did he? 17:44 He said, it was good, it was just, it was spiritual, 17:48 it's holy. 17:50 So let's look at what the law does. 17:53 Number one, the law reflects the nature of the lawgiver. 17:59 The law reflects the purity of God's character. 18:04 God is holy, He is just, He is good, He is spiritual. 18:09 And Paul just got through saying 18:12 that the law is holy, 18:14 good and righteous, it's spiritual. 18:16 So how did this holy, 18:18 good and righteous law make Paul dead? 18:22 As you've already said the law kills no one. 18:25 It is sin which kills. 18:29 So number two, the law outlines 18:32 the standards of behavior 18:35 that God regards as righteous. 18:40 And when the sin nature confronts the law, 18:44 what you've just seen and what Paul is saying here, 18:47 sin brings to life. 18:51 So when sin brings to life, what happens? 18:54 We die. 18:55 But this reveals how contemptible 18:59 the sin nature is. 19:00 When you can take something that is holy, 19:03 and just, and righteous, and use it for evil purposes, 19:09 that's just the contemptibleness 19:11 of our sin nature. 19:13 So the problem's not within the law, 19:16 the problem is in our sin nature. 19:18 Yes. All right. 19:20 The third thing. 19:21 The law reveals our need for a savior. 19:27 The utter sinfulness of our sin 19:33 enslaved us before we died with Christ. 19:38 You know, Romans 6 before we died 19:40 and were buried in baptism 19:42 and raised up to newness of life. 19:44 When we had a sin nature, 19:47 what is it, Roman 6:16 that says, 19:49 "We're either enslaved to sin 19:52 which leads to death or obedience 19:55 which leads to righteousness," right? 19:58 So what Paul is arguing here is the good news of sinners 20:02 being justified freely by God's grace. 20:06 So the three purposes of the law, 20:08 the law reveals the nature of the lawgiver. 20:12 It reveals His character. 20:15 It outlines the standards of behavior 20:18 that God accepts as righteous 20:22 that what He regards as righteous. 20:25 And it reveals our need for a savior. 20:26 Do we still need a law? 20:29 I mean, there's no question 20:31 about whether or not we need the law. 20:34 So when we think about 20:38 what Paul is arguing here, 20:39 he's saying the good news for sinners 20:42 is we're justified freely 20:43 by God's grace to honor and satisfy, 20:47 the demands of the law have been fulfilled, 20:50 and we uphold the law. 20:53 And we are simultaneously released 20:57 from trying to be justified by the law. 21:03 We are released from the efforts of... 21:08 We died to the law for justification 21:10 is what Paul is saying. 21:12 Does that make sense? 21:14 You know, some people think 21:15 that through obedience we're going to be saved. 21:18 No. 21:19 Through disobedience you can be lost, 21:21 but through obedience you're not going to be saved, 21:23 it's only the blood of Jesus Christ 21:24 and accepting Jesus as your Savior, 21:27 we are saved by grace through faith, 21:28 not of works that any man can boast. 21:31 So we are, we died to the law for justification, 21:35 we die to all efforts trying to be justified by it. 21:41 And we are alive in Christ liberated 21:45 by love to live a morally fruitful life. 21:49 Let me tell you something, 21:50 when you are motivated by love for God, 21:54 and when you understand what Christ has done for you, 21:57 you'll be motivated by love for God. 21:59 Then you're not walking in obedience to be saved, 22:04 you know, you're saved, 22:05 you're not walking in obedience to be saved, 22:07 you're walking in obedience out of loyalty 22:11 to your love for God. 22:12 That's right. 22:14 So now let's look at Romans 6:16-18. 22:17 That was in my notes, I didn't even know. 22:20 Romans 6:16-18. 22:23 Paul says, "Do you not know that to whom 22:25 you present yourselves slaves to obey, 22:27 you are that one's slaves whom you obey, 22:30 whether of sin leading to death, 22:32 or of obedience leading to righteousness? 22:35 But God be thanked 22:37 that though you were slaves of sin, 22:41 yet you obeyed from the heart 22:43 that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 22:46 And having been set free from sin," and what is sin? 22:49 Sin is a transgression of the law. 22:52 "Having been set free from sin, 22:55 you become slaves to righteousness." 22:57 Amen. Hallelujah. 22:58 I mean, you are yoked with Christ, 23:01 He is carrying you through, is He not? 23:03 So the law still reflects God's nature. 23:07 It reflects His expectations. 23:10 And it's very relevant to the believer today. 23:12 I want to read you something, 23:14 many of you appreciate Oswald Chambers. 23:18 I hear often of Oswald Chambers. 23:22 And I want to read 23:23 what he said about verse 9 23:26 which Romans 7:9 says, 23:30 "I was alive once without the law, 23:32 but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died." 23:36 So let's look at Oswald Chambers. 23:38 He says, "The moral law 23:39 does not consider our weaknesses 23:40 as human beings, in fact it is not taken 23:43 into account our heredity or infirmities, 23:46 it simply demands that we absolutely moral. 23:49 The moral law never changes." Okay. 23:52 That's what he says. 23:54 "The moral law never changes, 23:56 either for the highest of society 23:57 or for the weakest of the world, 23:59 it is enduring and eternally the same." 24:03 So the moral laws, 24:05 the Ten Commandments are still there. 24:06 "The moral law ordained by God does not make itself weak 24:10 to the weak, excuse our short comings, 24:12 it remains absolute for all time and eternity. 24:17 If we are not aware of this, 24:19 it is because we are less than alive. 24:21 Once we do realize it, 24:23 our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy, 24:26 I was once alive without the law, 24:29 but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died." 24:33 And then we know we need a Savior, 24:35 that's what it's all about. 24:37 The moral law reflects 24:40 God's character, it shows us the... 24:44 What He expects from us to be righteous, 24:47 but it's through Christ 24:49 that we receive this righteousness. 24:51 And it shows us our need for a Savior. 24:53 Amen. Amen. 24:54 I am so glad that you ended 24:56 with a quote from Oswald Chambers 24:58 who is not a member of our faith group, 25:00 but who affirms the perpetuity of the moral law 25:05 because my particular portion deals 25:09 with Sabbath the Sunday, which deals with a change 25:12 or an attempted change in that law. 25:15 It's predicted in Daniel 7:25 25:17 that there will be an attempt to change times and laws. 25:21 And I appreciate 25:23 what the author of the lesson seeks 25:25 to accomplish here because what he's trying to do 25:27 is cut through a lot of the chaff, 25:31 the detritus and kind of hone in on the issue 25:34 because the author is saying. 25:37 And I know the author of the lesson, 25:39 he says that this idea that we're not under the law 25:42 but under grace is really a smokescreen 25:45 for not wanting to keep the Sabbath. 25:48 But if Chambers even knows it that the moral law, 25:52 the Ten Commandments is unchanging. 25:54 It is unchanged, 25:55 it is as unchanging as is its author. 26:00 It does not change. 26:03 What people are trying to do 26:05 is justify the rejection of the fourth commandment. 26:09 They're trying to justify 26:10 the rejection of not keeping the Sabbath. 26:13 They have no problem with 26:15 "Thou shalt not commit adultery," 26:16 that's fine, they have no problem with 26:18 "Thou shalt not covet," that's fine. 26:20 They have no problem with 26:22 "Honor thy father and thy mother," that's fine. 26:24 They have no problem with 26:25 "Thou shalt not steal," that's fine. 26:27 The issue is Sabbath. 26:30 It's the Sabbath 26:32 and not wanting to keep the Sabbath. 26:33 And what is sad 26:35 is that God signs His name in the Sabbath, 26:38 in the fourth commandment. 26:39 That's how we know 26:41 who is giving us the fourth commandment 26:42 because that is where God chooses to sign His name. 26:47 So they are rejecting a God commanded day 26:53 in favor of a day based on tradition. 26:58 So this portion of the lesson 27:01 adopts a defensive posture 27:04 in looking at some of the materials 27:06 that first day worshippers used 27:08 to defend their particular practice. 27:11 And so, he looks at three particular texts 27:14 that people will often point 27:16 to as justification for the change of the day. 27:20 But when you really look at them, 27:24 they do not make that justification. 27:25 No, I don't have time to read all of them, 27:27 so I'll summarize them and then try to readdress them 27:30 as best I can in the time allotted to me. 27:32 John 20:19-23. 27:36 There is a meeting 27:39 of the disciples 27:43 that people will say is a worship service. 27:48 And as such justifies 27:50 the change of the day but it is not. 27:52 The text says 27:53 that the disciples are locked in a room 27:56 on Sunday night for fear of the Jews. 27:59 This is not a work of church service... 28:01 Sunday night, when though? What's? 28:02 Sunday evening, the evening... 28:04 Following what? Following the resurrection. 28:06 Yes. Thank you. 28:07 Following the resurrection. 28:09 They're locked in a room 28:10 because they're afraid the Jews gonna come 28:11 and get them, you know. 28:13 So Christ comes in. 28:14 And praise the Lord, one of the things 28:16 that He did before returning to heaven, 28:18 He had a lot to do was to comfort His disciples, 28:21 they're scattered, they're afraid, 28:23 they're locked in a room. 28:25 Christ comes to them to give them comfort. 28:28 So Jesus appears. 28:30 So it's not, it's not anything 28:33 that justifies the change of the day. 28:36 This is a bunch of scared guys who Christ is coming to say, 28:40 it's going to be all right, it's going to be good, 28:43 I've left but you've got comfort. 28:45 And I'm here to give you comfort 28:49 and to encourage you. 28:51 The next meeting we have is Acts 20:6, 7. 28:57 And the text tells us 28:59 that they met on the first day of the week. 29:03 Now we need to walk through this 29:05 because some people are saying, 29:06 well, that is a Sunday morning worship service. 29:08 It is not. 29:09 And the Bible gives us no indication that that it is. 29:13 It is a group of people meeting on a Saturday evening. 29:18 Now remember, we're dealing with Bible times 29:20 when the evening and the morning 29:23 were the first day. 29:25 So Sunday, the first day of the week 29:28 begins on Saturday evening at sundown. 29:31 There are a lot of things that sort of allude to that. 29:33 The text tells us 29:34 that there were a lot of lamps on. 29:36 You know, there are a lot of lights, torches, 29:38 lamps burning in the window. 29:39 So you wouldn't have that in the middle of the day. 29:42 So this is a Sunday evening service, 29:44 they met to eat. 29:46 Paul is getting ready to leave. 29:48 And so he preaches, you know, his farewell address. 29:51 And evident he preaches on into the evening. 29:54 You know, those of us who are preachers that, 29:56 that can happen occasionally. 29:58 You know, you preach on and he's exciting, 30:00 he's trying to encourage them. 30:02 Eutychus is sitting in a window, it's hot. 30:05 And you know, we've all had a thing 30:07 where sometimes it's kind of hot and preacher 30:08 kind of whacks a little bit 30:10 and you kind of want to nod off on him. 30:12 But he's in a window on the third floor. 30:15 And, of course, the heat, the length of the day, 30:18 it's heading towards midnight 30:19 and Paul's preaching up a storm, 30:20 trying to give that farewell address. 30:22 He falls asleep, falls from the third floor 30:24 and, of course, he's taken up dead. 30:26 And we see one of the first miracles 30:28 of the New Testament times in that he is, 30:33 he is resurrected, 30:34 you know, a beautiful, beautiful service 30:37 but there is no indication here that the day has been changed, 30:41 it's a Saturday night service, 30:43 not even a Sunday morning service. 30:45 And I think that miracles, why Luke put that in, 30:48 wrote it in there. 30:49 I do believe, I do believe. 30:51 So again, no justification for the change of the day. 30:56 And the third 30:58 is this. 31:02 Let's see, that's Acts... 31:04 Oh, 1 Corinthians 16. There we go. 31:06 1 Corinthians 16, we got so many notes here. 31:11 Again it says nothing about the change of the day. 31:15 Paul is giving counsel, he's saying this. 31:18 "When I come I don't want a lot of money changing 31:20 and changing and correcting of things. 31:23 Lay your money aside on the first day of the week, 31:26 put your money, get your money together, 31:28 do your accounting on the first day of the week 31:30 so that when I come there's no handling of money 31:33 and changing of things, 31:34 we don't have to deal with that. 31:36 But this actually is a personal admonition 31:39 for each of you to get your moneys together 31:42 on the first day of the week. 31:44 There's nothing collective about this. 31:45 So there's not a worship service, 31:47 it's in your house, 31:49 you put your money together, in your house, Mollie, 31:51 you put your money together. 31:52 Danny, in your house, you put your money together. 31:54 Jill, in your house, you put your money. 31:56 There's nothing collective about it. 31:58 It's counsel to individuals to take care of the accounting 32:02 before I come so that when I get there, 32:04 this is already taken care of. 32:06 So those three texts 32:09 that are used really say nothing 32:11 about a change of the day 32:12 or even a collective worship service on Sunday. 32:17 They just can't be used for that particular purpose. 32:20 Now I want to say something 32:21 about this particular methodology. 32:25 I want it for a caveat 32:27 because there is a danger 32:32 that when a person brings you text 32:35 and you just sort of shoot down those texts, 32:38 there is a danger unless you are humble 32:41 and surrender to the Lord of allowing self to get in, 32:45 you know, someone brings you a text, 32:47 now you shoot that text down, 32:48 and someone brings you a text and you shoot that text down. 32:52 It's not always the best way to try to defend your faith 32:56 because it can allow self to get. 32:57 I remember, years ago, 32:59 I was still a student working at an evangelist crusade 33:02 for a pastor. 33:03 And the two of us discussed for about five hours 33:07 the Sabbath 33:08 and the Ten Commandments with someone. 33:10 And then the person said, "Well, I don't see it." 33:15 So we went for another couple hours. 33:18 Oh, I don't see it. So now self is there. 33:21 What, are you blind? And you don't see it. 33:24 I've gone through the whole thing with you, 33:26 this is seven hours and you don't see it. 33:28 You don't want to see it. 33:29 Well, see that's self, that's not God there. 33:32 So this idea of, you give me a text 33:34 and I shoot you a text down, that can be a little dicey. 33:37 Sometimes you just want 33:38 to let the Holy Spirit do the work. 33:40 But, and move the hearts. 33:46 We should always seek in our dealing 33:48 with the things of God to approach it as a learner. 33:54 As someone who does not have all the answers, 33:57 I am with you seeking for answers. 34:00 And together the Holy Spirit 34:02 will be pleased to give us the answers 34:05 if we approach him with prayer, 34:08 and humility and in submission. 34:11 God wants us to know, and indeed will help us to know 34:16 if indeed it is our desire to know and to do. 34:20 Amen. 34:22 Thank you so much, Pastor Murray. 34:24 What great counsel for any of us 34:26 when facing any scripture to open up our hearts 34:30 to the Holy Spirit and not to allow my own pride, 34:33 my own prejudice, 34:35 my own self to get in the way of what God wants 34:38 to teach me in His Word. 34:40 Those were some great scriptures 34:42 in the New Testament. 34:43 And wonderful explanation 34:45 how it was not talking about worshipping on Sunday, 34:48 that the day was not changed. 34:49 I have Sabbath, Wednesday, which is the seventh day. 34:53 I got Sabbath on the mind, 34:55 the seventh day in the New Testament. 34:57 But what I really want to do is look at the Sabbath 35:01 throughout six periods of history. 35:04 So I want to take us 35:05 all the way back to the very beginning 35:07 when that Sabbath was first instituted. 35:09 We'll look at the Sabbath at creation. 35:12 That verse I think is one of the first verses 35:14 I ever learned about the Sabbath. 35:16 Genesis 2:1-3. 35:18 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished 35:20 and all the host of them. 35:22 And on the seventh day God ended His work 35:25 which He had made, 35:26 and He rested on the seventh day 35:28 from all His work which He had made. 35:30 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it 35:34 because that in it He rested from all His work 35:37 which God created and made." 35:39 The Sabbath is a sign of the Creatorship of God. 35:45 He made the heavens and the earth, 35:47 no other god could make the heavens and the earth. 35:49 Therefore He is distinguished from all other gods. 35:55 To attack the Sabbath 35:56 is to attack the authority of God Himself. 36:00 That's good. 36:02 Period number two, 36:03 the first period is the Sabbath at creation. 36:05 Period number two is when we see 36:06 when the law was given on Mount Sinai. 36:10 And the Israelites had just come out of Egypt 36:12 and God knew 36:13 that they had forgotten the Sabbath 36:16 which was established at the very beginning, 36:18 that's why the fourth commandment begins 36:20 with the word remember. 36:22 And Mollie, you quoted that at the beginning. 36:24 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 36:27 Sixth day, you shall labor, do all your work, 36:29 but the seventh day 36:31 is the Sabbath of the Lord, thy God. 36:32 But in the middle of the fourth commandment, 36:34 it references back to creation and says, 36:37 "For in six days 36:39 the Lord made heaven and earth." 36:40 And it reminded the people that the Sabbath 36:44 is the memorial of creation, 36:46 a sign of the Creatorship of God, 36:49 He made heaven and earth. 36:51 He is distinguished from all other gods. 36:53 Now, the Ten Commandments 36:55 were also given in Deuteronomy 5. 36:57 We usually just look at Exodus 20. 36:59 But they're also in Deuteronomy 5. 37:02 And if you look at Deuteronomy 5, 37:03 we won't quote the whole fourth commandment. 37:06 But Deuteronomy 5:12-15. 37:09 It has a different reason for keeping the Sabbath, 37:11 not creation but redemption. 37:15 It says, "Remember you were a slave in the land of Egypt. 37:19 And the Lord your God brought you out 37:21 from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. 37:25 Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you 37:27 to keep the Sabbath day, keep the Sabbath day holy. 37:32 The Sabbath is not only a sign of creation, 37:34 it's a sign that we are redeemed, 37:37 that we were brought out of Egypt, 37:40 out of the land of bondage, 37:41 out of sin into this marvelous life. 37:45 Only God could redeem us, only Jesus could redeem us. 37:49 Therefore, He is distinguished from all other gods. 37:54 To attack the Sabbath is to attack 37:56 the authority of God Himself, 37:58 not just as Creator but Him as Redeemer. 38:01 Now let's take it down to the New Testament. 38:03 This is the third period. This is the Sabbath and Jesus. 38:07 This verse, Luke 4:16 shows us that Jesus kept the Sabbath 38:13 when He was here on this earth. 38:16 Now, we know Jesus was baptized in the fall of what? 38:18 AD 27, and this happened in the spring of AD 29, 38:22 we're a year and a half into His ministry. 38:24 And it says, "He came to Nazareth 38:26 where He had been brought up and as His custom was, 38:29 He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day 38:32 and stood up to read." 38:35 Remember Mark 2:27, 28. 38:37 He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man 38:39 and not man for the Sabbath. 38:41 Therefore, the Son of Man 38:43 is Lord also of the Sabbath day." 38:46 Why is He Lord of the Sabbath? 38:48 He's Lord of the Sabbath because He's the creator. 38:50 He's Lord of the Sabbath because He is Redeemer. 38:53 Therefore, He is distinguished from all other gods. 38:56 Jesus taught the commandments. 38:58 Remember when He walked this earth, 39:00 I think of John 14:15, 39:02 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 39:05 And remember Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. 39:08 He said, "Think not, I'm not come to destroy the law 39:10 and the prophets, I am come to fulfill it." 39:14 And the Sermon on the Mount, 39:16 the Pharisees and the Scribes had said, 39:18 "Jesus is doing away with some of the stuff. 39:21 But in fact He brought 39:23 the law of God to a whole new level. 39:26 He brought it from the letter of the law into the spirit 39:29 of a level, the law. 39:32 Remember that He said... 39:34 The commandments say, 39:35 "If you do not commit adultery." 39:37 But then He said, "But I say to you, 39:39 if you even lust after someone, that's committing adultery." 39:43 The commandment say, "Do not murder someone." 39:45 But I say to you if you even have hatred, 39:48 that's the same thing. 39:49 So Jesus brought the commandments, 39:51 instead of negating the commandments, 39:52 He brought them to an even deeper and higher 39:56 and a holier level. 39:58 Now let's look at the Sabbath after Jesus. 40:00 This is period number four, the early Christian church. 40:04 Now we know the lesson brought this out. 40:06 Remember, Jesus rested on the Sabbath even in death. 40:08 He was crucified on Friday. 40:10 It says the woman prepared the spices, 40:13 that's in Luke 23:54-56. 40:16 And then it says, "They rested on the seventh day." 40:19 While Jesus was resting in the tomb, 40:21 they went Sunday morning but He was already risen. 40:25 Now we go several years later, 40:27 this is Paul's first missionary journey. 40:30 Paul, Barnabas and John, Mark. 40:32 So we're close to maybe 15 years 40:34 after the crucifixion. 40:36 Acts 13:14, it says, 40:38 "They came to Antioch in Pisidia, 40:41 and went into the synagogue 40:42 on the Sabbath day and sat down." 40:44 So they're still keeping the Sabbath 15 years 40:47 after the resurrection of Jesus. 40:49 It says, "Paul preached about Jesus." 40:51 And then in Acts 13:42-44, it says, 40:55 "When the Jews went out of the synagogue, 40:56 the gentiles begged that these words 40:59 might be preached to them the next Sabbath." 41:01 Not just the Jews, 41:03 the gentiles are worshipping on the Sabbath. 41:06 Then it says, "Then almost the entire city gathered 41:09 to hear the Word of God on the next Sabbath." 41:13 The gentiles and the Jews, 41:15 the early Christian church honored 41:18 and worshipped God on the Sabbath as Creator 41:21 and as Redeemer. 41:22 Now we take it a few years down, 41:25 this is maybe 20 years after the crucifixion or so. 41:27 This is Paul and Silas 41:29 on Paul's second missionary journey. 41:31 Act 16:13, "On the Sabbath day 41:35 we went out of the city to the riverside, 41:38 where a prayer was customarily made 41:41 and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there." 41:45 Interestingly they're not even worshipping 41:47 at this point in the synagogue, 41:48 you know, in this particular moment 41:50 they are actually out 41:51 by the riverside still keeping the Sabbath. 41:54 In Act 17:2, it says, 41:58 "Paul, as his custom was went into them 42:00 and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." 42:05 So we see the Sabbath was instituted at creation. 42:07 We see the Sabbath was reminded and brought 42:10 before the people again at Mount Sinai. 42:14 We see the Sabbath, 42:15 Jesus kept the Sabbath not only in life 42:17 and He taught the Sabbath and the Ten Commandments, 42:20 He kept the Sabbath in death and then He was resurrected. 42:23 We see the early Christian church 42:24 and this is up to 20 years 42:26 after the crucifixion still keeping and honoring 42:29 the Sabbath day, 42:31 no change in the fourth commandment 42:33 because there is no change 42:35 in any of the commandments of God. 42:36 He said, "I am God I change not." 42:38 Period number five 42:39 is the Sabbath at the end of time. 42:41 Revelation 14:12, 42:44 "Here's the patience of the saints, 42:45 here are they that keep the commandments of God 42:48 and have the testimony of Jesus." 42:51 God's end time people will keep all ten of His commandments. 42:56 And finally, the period number six, 42:59 we're gonna see the Sabbath in the new earth. 43:02 Isaiah 66:23. 43:05 "And it shall come to pass from one new moon to another 43:08 and from one Sabbath to another, 43:10 all flesh shall come to worship before Me says, the Lord." 43:16 We began with the Sabbath all the way through history. 43:19 God has had a people 43:21 that have kept, and obeyed, 43:23 and honored His holy day as a memorial of creation, 43:28 as a memorial of redemption and I think also as a memorial. 43:33 A reminder of the recreation 43:36 that He can do in your heart and in mine. 43:39 He can take the stony heart 43:40 and He can change us into a heart of flesh. 43:43 He can take us out of the kingdom of darkness 43:45 and transform us into the kingdom of light. 43:49 So praise the Lord, 43:50 for the Sabbath is a sign as Creator, 43:53 a sign as Redeemer. 43:55 He is distinguished 43:56 from all other gods and anytime, 43:58 we attack the Sabbath, 44:00 we're attacking the authority of God Himself. 44:02 And I just want to make a quick appeal to you. 44:05 Maybe this is brand new, maybe you're watching 44:07 and you are not familiar with the Sabbath, 44:10 do not push it aside. 44:12 As Pastor Murray talked about when things are revealed 44:15 in the Word of God, 44:16 come to the Word of God with an open mind 44:19 and an open heart to see 44:21 what the Holy Spirit has for you in there. 44:24 Amen. Thank you so much. 44:26 Actually, I don't think 44:29 modern day Protestant Christians 44:32 would really keep Sunday 44:34 instead of Saturday without deception. 44:36 That's the reason the devil hates. 44:39 I've come to conclusion 44:40 that he hates Daniel and Revelation, 44:43 he hates the prophecies. 44:44 Most churches skip over to put themself their past, 44:47 they want nothing to do 44:49 but some of the great scriptures 44:50 that you all are reading. 44:52 Here are they that keep the commandments of God. 44:54 They have the faith of Jesus. 44:56 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 44:57 and the word of their testimony. 44:59 The revealing of who Christ 45:01 and His nature and His character is, 45:04 and when we look through Daniel and Revelation, 45:06 we see literally the history of the world 45:10 from the beginning to the end. 45:12 And it says that we win. 45:13 And so, what I thought about this morning the reason 45:16 that Daniel and Revelation, 45:18 so I just wrote down unlike myself, 45:19 I wrote down some notes 45:21 and put some questions and answers, 45:22 because what I wanted to do, 45:24 I said this is an important topic 45:26 and I can go through that my part here 45:29 is the attempted change of the Sabbath, 45:31 and I can go through the beast 45:33 and I go through the image of Daniel 45:36 and I can do those things, 45:37 but I said, maybe, let's do it in a practical way 45:39 that somebody is watching 45:41 because I meet people that says, 45:44 "What difference that may make what day you keep." 45:47 You ever hear that. You guys ever hear that. 45:49 Well, what's in a day? You know, it's no big deal. 45:53 So what difference does it make? 45:55 But, what I found out is that Satan 45:58 and this morning this came to me. 46:01 Satan hates these books because they are an exposé 46:03 of his devious and dubious plans 46:06 for the destruction of human race. 46:09 It says, no wonder he's got most churches, 46:13 he doesn't want churches to read them. 46:15 According to the dictionary, 46:17 devious mean showing a skillful use 46:19 of underhanded tactics to achieve goals, deceitful, 46:23 dishonest, dishonorable, unethical, unprincipled, 46:26 immoral, unscrupulous, fraudulent, dubious, unfair, 46:30 treacherous etc, can go on. 46:33 Then the dictionary also says dubious, 46:35 because those words came to me and I said, 46:36 I don't say dubious very often, 46:38 I better look up what it means, dubious. 46:40 Satan is devious and he's dubious. 46:45 Dubious says, morally suspect about that one, 46:49 not to be relied upon. 46:51 Okay, of questionable value. 46:55 Well, here's what I want to get into 46:57 why is that people don't read, we all read the same Bible 47:00 so why is it that we read it and come up 47:02 with all these different days of keep, 47:04 different doctrines and why is it? 47:09 It's because of Satan's deception 47:11 to follow men, 47:12 so the only way we can overcome this is to stay close 47:15 to the Word of God 47:16 and see what God says and be willing to do 47:20 what God tells us to do. 47:21 What His word says to do, 47:23 because He does it for own good. 47:24 But speaking of Satan, John 8:44, Jesus says, 47:28 He was talking to the scribes and Pharisees, 47:30 "You are of your father the devil, 47:32 and the lust of your father you will do. 47:34 He was a murderer from the beginning, 47:35 and abode not in truth 47:37 because there is no truth in him. 47:39 When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh on his own: 47:42 for he is a liar and the father of it." 47:45 So when the devil speaks a lie, 47:47 he speaks from his own resources. 47:49 Am I right? Right. 47:50 When the devil speaks a lie, 47:52 he speaks from his own resources, 47:53 that doesn't come from God. 47:55 So that's why he is the accuser of the brethren, 47:58 and get this Revelation 12:10 says that 48:00 "Satan is the accuser of the brethren day and night." 48:04 He deceives the world, 48:08 the whole human race and descend 48:10 through devious and dubious deceptions. 48:12 Then he goes and tells God about it and says, 48:15 accuses us, says, look they are sinners. 48:17 Yep. 48:18 He uses his deception to destroy man 48:21 because he wants us to end up 48:23 in the lake of fire in Judgment Day, 48:25 that where he's gonna be. 48:27 So, he deceives us into doing wrong, 48:30 into committing sin 48:31 and then runs and tattletales to God. 48:33 Well, they need, they've sinned, 48:35 you know, shame on them. 48:37 I'm not the only one, look at the human race, 48:39 no one can be perfect and we can't except 48:42 through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 48:45 Without deception I put while ago 48:47 the modern day Christians as I said, wouldn't, 48:49 wouldn't really be worshipping Sunday 48:52 as the first day of the week. 48:53 Now we need to find out why? 48:54 And our lesson to stay a little bit close to it 48:57 that Daniel says, Daniel 7:23-25 49:00 and I think we've read some of the verses there, 49:04 but I want to go down towards the end 49:07 and we're talking about 49:09 that the power is about control. 49:12 What it is? 49:14 Satan is out, the fourth beast, the little horn of Daniel, 49:17 what we see and then in Revelation. 49:19 What is this power out to do? What does he want to do? 49:22 What does the enemy want to do? It's about control. 49:25 So this is none other than Satan use an earthly agent 49:28 to do his evil bidding. 49:30 Now here's the question. 49:32 The question would be, 49:33 what is he trying to accomplish? 49:34 The answer, in heaven his pride and lust for adoration 49:37 and praise from the other angels 49:40 ended up with Satan being kicked out of heaven. 49:42 He said, I should be like the Most High God. 49:46 Now, that Satan is prince of this earth, 49:48 his goal is the same thing as it was in heaven, 49:50 because what he wanted was that adoration, 49:53 he wanted that praise. 49:55 He was full of pride, so he says, 49:57 "I want that praise and adoration 49:59 that God deserves, but I want it for me." 50:02 Now how can he accomplish this agenda? 50:05 Answer is, he wants to change God's rule of life, 50:07 the Ten Commandments, 50:09 so that he becomes the God that people worship. 50:12 Now listen to me 50:13 because we're not just talking about, 50:14 oh, what difference does it make 50:16 what day you keep? 50:17 We're talking about God Almighty, 50:19 we're talking about principles of life 50:21 and we're talking about this great controversy 50:24 between good and evil. 50:25 So how does he accomplish it? By deception but get this. 50:29 Satan knows that he can't get the human race 50:32 to worship an evil god. 50:35 So he doesn't show us, if for instance he said, 50:38 look I want you to worship me. 50:40 I want you lifting your hands, singing all the songs, 50:43 praising Lord. 50:44 You know, all the things, shouting and dancing, 50:46 all the things that you do and praising me 50:49 even though I'm out to steal, kill and to destroy. 50:52 And in the very lake of fire at the end of time, 50:55 I want you to be in it 50:56 and you to be burned up with me. 50:58 Now, who would serve him? We wouldn't do that. 51:00 So he says, how can I get to people? 51:02 I don't want, I can't be truthful with them, 51:04 they wouldn't serve me, 51:05 but I want to be the God of the universe 51:07 and that they worship, so how am I going to do it? 51:10 By deception. 51:12 So what he does, he decides to appear as God, 51:15 wanting to do good for his children. 51:17 He allows them to continue their worship of God, 51:20 but he becomes the god they worship. 51:23 Now think about that. 51:24 So how he replaces the fourth commandment, why? 51:27 Because the fourth commandment 51:29 as some of you have already covered 51:31 is the only commandment 51:32 that has the seal of the Living God. 51:35 We read it, 51:36 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 51:38 Jill and all of you went through 51:40 that it says God's seal. 51:42 Who He is? The Lord, thy God. What did He do? 51:44 He made, He's a Creator and what's His dominion, 51:47 heaven and earth and everywhere, all right. 51:50 Worlds we don't even know exists, 51:52 we kind of limit Him to right here. 51:54 So I put right here, I saw a great, 51:57 great quote from Patriarchs and Prophets, it says, 52:00 "A seal contains the name, 52:02 title and authority of the lawgiver. 52:04 The Sabbath commandment 52:05 can therefore be considered a seal, 52:07 because it is the only one of all the ten 52:09 which are found in both the name 52:11 and the title of the lawgiver. 52:13 It is the only one that shows by whose authority 52:16 the law is given, 52:18 thus it contains the seal of God affixed 52:20 to His law as evidence 52:22 of its authenticity and binding forces," 52:25 that the Patriarchs and Prophets, 307. 52:28 Here's another, Signs of the Time, 52:30 "The Sabbath was placed in the Decalogue as the seal 52:33 of the living God, pointing out the lawgiver, 52:36 and making it known his right to rule." 52:39 Thus the Sabbath is the sign of a relationship 52:42 between God and His people, 52:44 serving as " a test of their loyalty to Him.'" 52:48 Then Testimonies to the Church, 52:50 "The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist, 52:52 a church can be described in presenting the law of God 52:55 as a test of character 52:57 and as the seal of the Living God." 53:00 One last quote here, this is J. N. Andrews, 53:02 "The importance of the Sabbath as the memorial of creation 53:05 is that it keeps ever present the true reason 53:08 why worship is due to God because He is the Creator, 53:12 we are His creatures. 53:13 The Sabbath therefore lies 53:15 at the very foundation of divine worship, 53:18 for it teaches this great truth 53:20 in the most impressive manner, as no other institution does. 53:25 The true ground of divine worship, 53:27 not only on the seventh day merely, 53:29 but of all worship, 53:31 is found in the distinction between the Creator 53:34 and His creatures. 53:35 This great fact can never become obsolete, 53:38 and must never be forgotten." 53:40 So some... 53:42 Just absolutely powerful statements. 53:44 One time, probably 25 years ago, Shelley, 53:47 for no reason I just woke up, 53:49 this thought came to my mind and I wrote it down, 53:52 "The antichrist is nothing 53:54 more than the spirit of the devil garbed 53:56 in the cloth of Christianity." 54:00 And so, what we're looking at today is in my closing here 54:04 the time is out. 54:06 But what we're looking at in the change of the Sabbath 54:09 is about whom... 54:11 For Satan, it's the worship that he wants, 54:14 so the Catholic Church, the papacy, 54:17 it's a matter of history in 321 AD began, 54:21 but changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, 54:23 the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. 54:26 Now we're not saying things about them, 54:27 they don't say about themselves, 54:29 Shelley and I have written a book. 54:30 If you write in, we'll give it to you free, 54:32 the Ten Commandments Twice Removed. 54:33 It will go into a lot of this 54:35 that we're not able to discuss here today. 54:38 But the question for you and me today is simply this. 54:41 Who are we gonna serve? 54:43 We gonna serve God or we're going to serve man. 54:46 Revelation says, "Jesus is coming back for those 54:49 who are willing to give their lives unto death 54:52 if necessary for the cause of God. 54:55 So the Sabbath is God's holy day, 54:58 it's not the Sabbath of the Adventist, 55:00 the Sabbath of the Jews. 55:02 He said, "It's my holy day and He blessed it, 55:04 He sanctified it, made it a holy day." 55:07 So let's enjoy that time with God, say, 55:09 "Lord teach me truth." 55:11 When we ask, God will show us truth. 55:13 Amen. Very good. 55:14 Excellent, Danny. Amen. Amen. 55:16 Now, the title of our lesson today 55:18 was the change of the law. 55:20 Let me ask you this. Has the law being changed? 55:23 No. No. 55:24 Who established the law? God. 55:26 Can fallible human beings change anything 55:30 that God has established? 55:31 No. No. 55:32 Shelley, you laid a beautiful foundation 55:35 of the strength of the law and the beauty of the law. 55:38 CA, you and Jill, 55:40 both showed us the beauty of the law 55:42 and, Danny, you addressed 55:44 who is actually behind the changing, 55:48 the attempted change of the law 55:50 and why he attempted to change it. 55:53 What I would like each of you to do, 55:54 I think we've got the time 55:56 is just give us a closing thought. 55:58 And, Shelley, we'll start with you. 56:00 My thought is this, 56:02 there's only eight references in the New Testament 56:05 to the first day of the week which is Sunday, 56:08 of those a five refer to the very same event 56:12 the woman at the tomb, the other three you covered, 56:18 and we see that none of those... 56:20 There is not a single scripture in the Bible 56:24 that changes God's worship day, 56:30 the Sabbath day to Sunday. 56:31 Very good, CA. 56:33 Archbishop Cass Bardia 56:34 came up with an idea in the 1500's, he said, 56:38 "You can't be Sola scriptura 56:40 if you worship on a day that's not in the Scripture. 56:42 Amen. Yeah. 56:44 Amen. Absolutely. 56:45 Sister Jill. 56:47 I would say the Sabbath is a gift, embrace it, 56:48 accept it and experience 56:50 what God wants to do in your life. 56:52 And I would stay, say study the three angels' messages, 56:55 because in it inherit eternal life. 56:57 Amen. Amen. 56:59 Thank you all, and thank you for joining with us 57:03 for this Sabbath school lesson. 57:05 We appreciate you being with us, and again, 57:07 we want to encourage you to get the quarterly, 57:10 so as you study along with it, you will feel like 57:13 you're more part of this lesson, 57:16 and we encourage you 57:18 to study to show yourself approved 57:20 unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed 57:23 but rightly dividing the word of truth. |
Revised 2018-05-23