Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180021A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with GOD, 00:05 and the Word was GOD." 00:07 It says to receive with meekness 00:10 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. 00:19 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:24 Our study today is: Preparation for the End Time. 00:30 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:34 I'm Jill Morikone and we're delighted 00:37 that you're taking this time to open up God's Word 00:39 and study with us here, 00:41 it's always a blessing. 00:42 We are in the middle of our quarter 00:44 on preparation for the end time. 00:46 The Lesson that we are on this week is: Lesson Number 8. 00:50 Worship the Creator... 00:52 talking about present truth and the first angel's messages. 00:56 I want to introduce our panel at this time, 00:58 sitting next to me is my sister and friend, Shelley Quinn, 01:01 next to you is my sister-friend-and-mom, 01:04 Mollie Steenson 01:06 next to you is, my friend and mentor, Pastor C.A. Murray 01:11 and next to you is my friend and mentor and boss, 01:15 Mr. Danny Shelton. 01:17 It's a privilege to have each one of you here 01:19 and thank you for sharing together. 01:20 Good to be here. 01:22 So... and we are delighted you have joined us 01:25 for our study of the Word of God. 01:27 If you do not have a Sabbath School Quarterly for yourself, 01:30 we invite you... 01:31 go visit your local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 01:34 they have Quarterlies, they will give you for free 01:37 and you can join a local study group 01:39 but if you don't have access to that, 01:41 you can always go to the website and download the lesson 01:44 and follow along with us. 01:46 That website is: ABSG.Adventist. org 01:50 that stands for 01:52 Adult Bible Study Guide. Adventist. org 01:56 before we go any further in our study, 02:00 we always want to open up with prayer 02:02 and Mr. Danny, would you pray for us today? 02:05 Absolutely, "Lord, we thank you for this opportunity 02:08 to come before you 02:09 and today, the topic of talking about 02:11 the first angel's Message, it says, 02:14 'Fear God and give glory to you 02:16 for the hour of your judgment has come' 02:18 we're so thankful to be alive 02:20 in these closing hours of earth's history 02:22 and watch what's happening in the world today 02:25 and study the books of Daniel and Revelation 02:28 and see the revealing of the character of love 02:30 to each of us and I pray right now 02:32 for every Viewer, every Listener, 02:34 each of us as we ingest the message in your Word 02:39 that is life-changing for each and every one of us today, 02:43 we pray God for your Holy Spirit upon each one here today, also, 02:47 as we impart the Word 02:48 that everything that's said and done 02:50 is done to Your honor and Your glory, 02:51 in Jesus' name I pray, amen. " 02:53 "Amen. " 02:55 Thank you so much. 02:56 We're studying "Worship the Creator" 02:58 and as we think about the three angels' messages, 03:01 we think as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 03:04 of the term: Present Truth 03:06 and so, I want to ask you at home, 03:08 What is present truth? 03:09 To me, present truth is a specific message 03:13 for a specific time 03:15 and present truth is also a life and death matter. 03:19 Before we get into our study on Sunday, 03:22 I want to look at seven snapshots 03:24 of present truth throughout history. 03:27 The first snap shot would be in the Garden of Eden 03:30 at the very beginning with Adam, 03:32 what was his present truth, what was the command? 03:35 "Don't eat of the fruit of the tree 03:37 of the Knowledge of good and evil 03:39 because if you're going to do that, 03:41 you are going to die. " 03:42 After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit and they sinned, 03:46 there was a promise given, 03:48 we know that promise in Genesis 3:15 03:51 that this world would not be all there is 03:54 and that there was hope... 03:55 that even if they would die the natural death 03:57 that they would be resurrected at the end 04:00 and there there's hope in the coming Messiah. 04:02 Snapshot number 2: Cain and Abel... 04:05 what was the command? 04:07 "Offer a sacrifice... offer the sacrificial lamb by faith" 04:11 in obedience to God's command. 04:13 The promise, of course, it's symbolized the coming Messiah 04:19 who would take away the sins of the world. 04:21 Snapshot number 3: Noah. 04:24 What was the command in Noah's day? 04:25 "Get into the ark 04:27 for a flood is coming that will destroy the world" 04:30 and the promise, of course, we see the rainbow, 04:33 the bow of promise 04:35 that God would never again destroy the world with a flood. 04:39 Snapshot number 4 is Abraham. 04:42 The command is, "Get out from Ur 04:45 and go to a land that I'm going to show you" 04:47 and, of course, we know God's promise to Abraham, 04:50 "I will make of you a great nation 04:53 and in you all nations of the world will be blessed" 04:56 and the coming Messiah 04:57 would come through his lineage as well. 04:59 Snapshot number 5: I think of Elijah at Mount Carmel 05:04 the showdown there... 05:05 and what's the command? 05:06 "Make a choice. " 05:08 "How long halt you between two opinions? 05:10 If the LORD be God, follow Him: 05:12 but if Baal... then follow him. " 05:15 We see the promise when the fire fell from heaven 05:18 declaring that the Lord Jesus Christ is God above all 05:22 and then the coming promise of the rain 05:24 which did fall shortly after that time. 05:27 Snapshot number 6 is John the Baptist. 05:29 What was his command? 05:31 "Get ready... 05:32 prepare a people to meet thy God, 05:35 repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" 05:38 and the promise was that Jesus was coming 05:41 for His first coming as Messiah and as Redeemer. 05:44 Now we come all the way down to the end of time. 05:48 As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 05:51 we have a present-truth message 05:54 to give to an end-times people 05:57 and that message is: "Get Ready... 05:59 prepare to meet your God because Jesus is coming. " 06:04 The promise is that Jesus is coming again, 06:07 we're looking forward to His second coming. 06:10 He will come as Priest and King 06:13 so, let's read our Memory Text we haven't done that yet, 06:16 we're looking at the first angel's message 06:18 in each one of our studies here today. 06:20 The Memory Text is: Revelation chapter 14 verse 6 06:26 and we'll read it together 06:27 and want to encourage you to read it at home with us as well, 06:30 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 06:35 having the everlasting gospel 06:38 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 06:42 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. " 06:46 Sunday... we'll look at the universality of the gospel. 06:50 So, if I were to ask you, 06:52 "What is the mission of the church?" 06:53 Different people would have different opinions, 06:56 in my mind, the mission of the church has a three-fold focus. 07:00 An upward focus... an inward focus... 07:03 an outward focus 07:05 not necessarily in that order but it has three focuses. 07:08 The upward focus... 07:10 as a church, we are to glorify God and love Him. 07:13 The inward focus... 07:14 we are to love each other 07:16 as brothers and sisters in the Lord. 07:17 The outward focus... we are called to preach the gospel 07:21 and to make disciples. 07:23 That was Jesus' focus while He was here on this earth, 07:27 I think of Mark 1:14 and 15, it says, 07:31 "Now after John was put in prison, 07:32 Jesus came to Galilee, 07:34 preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 07:37 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, 07:38 the kingdom of God is at hand. 07:40 Repent and believe in the gospel. " 07:43 That was present truth for his time. 07:46 Let's look at our mission at the end time, 07:49 we will get to Revelation chapter 14 07:50 but let's look at Matthew 28. 07:52 This is the great commission and I think Mr. Danny 07:55 of all the verses that you quote in the Bible, 07:58 this might be one of the most often, 07:59 Matthew 28:18 through 20, 08:02 the great commission, "Go ye. " 08:04 Let's look at that, Matthew 28 verse 18. 08:07 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, 08:09 saying, 'All authority' or power... 08:11 'has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 08:15 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. '" 08:18 Now, I want to stop a moment... 08:20 the word "All" there in Greek means "each and every one" 08:24 it's the same word used in 2nd Timothy 3:16, 08:28 what does it say? 08:29 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. " 08:32 So, if I think of all Scripture in the sense of, 08:34 "Okay, all Scripture is inspired" 08:36 that's great 08:37 but if I think of it as "each and every Scripture" 08:41 is inspired by God... 08:44 that changes the way I look at the Bible 08:45 instead of it as a whole... "Wow, it's inspired" 08:48 every Scripture is inspired 08:49 so, the same Greek word is used here. 08:51 It says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" 08:54 so, Jesus isn't saying, 08:56 "Okay, in general, evangelize the world" 08:59 He's saying, "Each and every nation" 09:02 we are called to go and to make disciples... 09:05 baptizing them in the name of the Father 09:08 and the Son and the Holy Spirit 09:09 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you 09:13 and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. " 09:17 So, let's look at Revelation 14 verse 6, 09:22 Revelation 14 verse 6, this was our memory text, 09:26 we're going to read it again. 09:28 "Then I saw another angel... " 09:29 this is the beginning of the first angel's message. 09:32 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 09:35 having the everlasting gospel" 09:37 Shelley is going to talk about the everlasting gospel, 09:39 "to those who dwell on the earth, 09:41 to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. " 09:45 Now, the word for "every" 09:47 "every nation, tribe, tongue and people" 09:49 is the same word as was used in Matthew 28... 09:52 "each and every... " 09:53 so, this first angel's message 09:55 is called to go to "each and every" 09:58 nation, tribe, tongue and people. 10:00 Now, who are the nations... 10:02 the tribes... the tongues and the people? 10:05 "Nation" means... in Greek, literally race or nation 10:09 but in the New Testament, not exclusively but often, 10:13 it is used in the sense of the heathen... 10:16 of the Gentiles in contrast to a Jew. 10:19 Sometimes it's used for a Jew but almost always it's used 10:23 in reference to a Gentile. 10:24 So, this gospel... this everlasting gospel... 10:28 it's called to be preached to each and every Gentile 10:31 or each and every person 10:32 who has never heard the name of Christ 10:34 or does not know about Jesus 10:36 but it doesn't stop there, 10:38 it says, "each and every nation, tribe... " 10:41 in the Greek, "tribe" stands for a clan or tribe 10:45 or race of people, 10:47 almost exclusively in the Bible, 10:49 it's used to refer 10:51 to those who are descendants of Abraham or the Jews. 10:53 So, this everlasting gospel 10:55 is not just going to each and every Gentile or non-Christian, 10:59 it's supposed to go to each and every Christian. 11:02 Then it continues, "Every nation, tribe, tongue" 11:06 that just means language... 11:07 so every single different language group 11:09 is supposed to receive the gospel 11:11 and people... and now it covers the whole broad... 11:15 in Greek it just means, a people... a crowd or populous 11:17 so, I think, what John is saying here 11:19 is that this message is supposed to go to... 11:22 whether you're Christian or non-Christian 11:25 old or young... rich or poor... 11:27 free or bond... whatever we are... 11:30 the gospel message is "to go to them" 11:32 the gospel message needs to go to everyone 11:35 because there's a universal sin problem. 11:37 Romans 3:23, what does it say? 11:41 "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. " 11:45 Now, we know, Shelley, that Romans 1 talks about the sin 11:49 specifically in the Gentile world, 11:51 and you see the progression of sin, 11:54 Romans 2 and 3 talks about the sins of the Jewish world, 11:59 and you see that progression 12:01 by the time we get to Romans 3:23, 12:03 Paul is saying, "All have sinned" 12:05 everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 12:10 Galatians 3 verse 22, "But the Scripture has contined" 12:15 that's kind of a different word for us, 12:17 but in Greek it just mean "shut together" 12:19 to enclose... to shut in... 12:21 so, Scripture has shut together all under sin 12:25 or all under the condemnation of sin, 12:28 "that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ 12:31 might be given to those who believe. " 12:34 So, we are all shut together under the condemnation of sin. 12:38 There's a universal sin problem 12:40 but praise the Lord we have a Savior 12:43 who came to save to the uttermost. 12:46 John 3:16, "For God so loved the world 12:50 that He gave His only begotten Son, 12:53 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish 12:56 but have everlasting life. " 12:59 And Ms. Mollie, we have to get in 1st John 1:9, 13:02 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just 13:05 to forgive us of our sins 13:07 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " 13:10 Amen. 13:11 To us... each one of us has been given the privilege 13:16 of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ 13:18 as our Savior. 13:20 Matthew 10:8, 13:22 "Freely you have received, freely give. " 13:25 The gospel is to go to each and every one, 13:28 Jesus came and died 13:30 so that we each had the opportunity 13:32 to escape the sin problem that we all have 13:35 and that we could spend eternity with Him. 13:38 Since we have been saved by grace through faith, 13:42 we are called to freely extend that message of salvation. 13:46 The message of the gospel to everyone... 13:49 everywhere... at all times... and in all places. 13:52 Nobody is to be excluded in the gospel call. 13:56 Amen and amen, thank you Jill 13:58 and thank you for taking time to explain about present truth. 14:02 There are so many people that when we talk about it, 14:05 they think... this is Adventist Christian jargon 14:08 but it is not, I would just want to... 14:10 before I get into my lesson, 14:11 I want to read 2nd Peter 1 and verse 12, 14:14 and in this Peter says, 14:17 "For this reason I will not be negligent 14:20 to remind you always of these things, 14:24 though you know and are established 14:27 in the present truth. " 14:29 So, present truth is a Biblical term 14:32 and we take it very seriously 14:34 that God has a present truth for this generation 14:39 and that we are to spread that. 14:42 I... my lesson on Monday 14:45 is the thief on the cross and the everlasting gospel. 14:48 Now, you talked about various snapshots, 14:52 this is a snapshot of salvation by grace 14:55 and we're going to look at both the... 14:57 what's in the foreground of that snapshot 15:00 and the background of that snapshot. 15:02 On another lesson, 15:04 I did talk about the everlasting gospel already 15:07 so what we're going to do is just jump into the Scriptures, 15:12 Luke 23 and verse 32 is where we'll begin, 15:16 Luke 23 verse 32. 15:18 And Luke writes, 15:21 "There were also two others, criminals, 15:24 led with Him to be put to death. 15:25 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, 15:27 there they crucified Him, and the criminals, 15:30 one on the right hand and the other on the left. 15:32 Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, 15:34 for they do not know what they do. ' 15:37 And they divided His garments and cast lots. 15:40 And the people stood looking on 15:42 but even the rulers with them sneered saying, 15:45 'He saved others; let Him save Himself 15:48 if He is the Christ, the chosen of God. ' 15:51 The soldiers also mocked Him, 15:54 coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, 15:57 'If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself. ' 16:01 And an inscription also was written over Him 16:05 in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. 16:07 This is the King of the Jews. 16:09 Then one of the criminals who were hanged 16:12 blasphemed, saying, 16:13 'If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. ' 16:17 But the other, answered, rebuking him, saying, 16:20 'Do you not even fear God, 16:22 seeing you are under the same condemnation? 16:25 And we indeed justly, 16:27 for we receive the due rewards of our deeds; 16:31 but this Man has done nothing wrong. ' 16:34 Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me 16:37 when You come into Your kingdom. ' 16:39 And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today 16:44 you will be with me in Paradise. '" 16:47 When Jesus was crucified between two criminals, 16:52 this was the most... crucifixion was the most hideous 16:57 and painful form of death that the Romans knew. 17:00 It caused excruciating pain 17:03 with every breath... with every moment... 17:07 it caused throbbing pain 17:09 and what they would do is, 17:11 they stripped the crucified victims naked 17:16 to increase their humiliation 17:18 and they had to use their legs to push up 17:24 because the position in which they hanged... hung... 17:27 caused such weight on their chest... 17:29 soon they couldn't breathe... 17:30 and they'd have to push up with their legs 17:32 to catch a gasp of air 17:35 and so, this usually made the death process 17:39 linger for several days 17:41 and finally, suffocation or heart failure 17:44 is what... is how they actually died. 17:46 It was reserved for only the worst of the criminals. 17:49 So, these two men who were with Him 17:51 were members of a violent band of robbers, 17:54 many people believed that they were followers of Barabbas 17:57 and they were likely Jews 18:01 because Barabbas and his followers were Jews 18:05 and you might remember that Barabbas was a notorious robber 18:09 that was on trial the same time as Jesus 18:12 and he had led an insurrection 18:15 and he had murdered a man during this insurrection. 18:17 So, the interesting thing, if you think about it, 18:20 is these criminals... these two robbers... 18:23 were in the judgment hall 18:25 at the time that Christ's case was being presented 18:28 and they would have heard everything, 18:30 they knew what the raging... 18:33 or what their accusations were against Christ 18:38 and how confusing that whole case was 18:41 and as they were led away, carrying their cross beams... 18:45 they would hear the taunts of the people... 18:49 His persecutors... 18:51 and they would hear the tearful wails of His followers 18:55 so, here's three crosses waiting on the hill of Calvary. 19:00 You've got a robber on the left and a robber on the right 19:04 and the Lamb of God... the Lord of glory... 19:08 was crucified on the center cross. 19:12 Now the tradition in the church 19:15 says that the robber on the right's name was Demas 19:19 D e m a s... 19:21 he knew of Christ's fame, 19:23 he knew that... why He had been sentenced to die 19:28 only for the claims of being the Son of God 19:32 and it's interesting, 19:34 we see... not in the account of Luke 19:37 but in Matthew 27... in that account... 19:40 in his misery... 19:41 at first Demas had also mocked and insulted Jesus 19:47 but he joined in with his other robber companion 19:51 as they hurled these insults 19:53 but the operation of God's grace 19:56 began to soften his heart, 19:57 he observed that Christ had this heart of infinite compassion 20:03 and he became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. 20:07 that he was suffering wrongly 20:10 and in his horror of recognizing this, 20:14 I mean, the horror of his own actions... 20:18 the abusive language that he had used, 20:21 he repents... and he actually chastises his companion 20:27 and saying, "Don't criticize the Savior, 20:31 he says in Luke 23:40 and 41, 20:34 "Do you not even fear God, 20:37 seeing you are under the same condemnation? 20:40 And we indeed justly, 20:42 for we receive the due reward of our deeds; 20:45 but this Man has done nothing wrong. " 20:48 So, here we see Demas humbling himself before the Lord, 20:53 confessing his sin, 20:55 then he turns to Christ for forgiveness 20:58 and he says, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" 21:03 now, you know, I am convinced that he certainly recognized... 21:07 Christ was not coming down off the cross that day 21:11 to have an earthly kingdom... a carnal kingdom... 21:14 a temporal earthly kingdom. 21:17 Demas realized... 21:19 it was a kingdom that was beyond the grave. 21:23 The spirit of grace helped him see 21:26 beyond the shame of Christ that day... to His coming glory 21:31 and he recognized Christ's divine authority 21:35 and confessed Him as Lord. 21:38 You know, I love our God, 21:41 He will never ever turn His ear away from a penitent cry. 21:46 It doesn't matter how bad you are, 21:51 this... the case of Demas... the penitent thief 21:55 shows me... it proves to me 21:58 that we are saved by grace through faith 22:02 not by works 22:04 and as long as a person can make the choice 22:06 and you have the will to make the choice, 22:10 it is never too late to turn to Christ. 22:13 Where there is the will... where there is the hope 22:17 there is the hope of Christ. 22:20 Now, Jesus says to him in verse 43, 22:22 "Assuredly, I say to you, today 22:25 you will be with Me in Paradise. " 22:28 On that day, Christ promised Demas, 22:31 "I'm giving you eternal life" 22:33 and Demas received it, 22:35 he's going to be one who eats from the Tree of the life 22:38 in the midst of the Paradise of God. 22:41 But Demas could not have entered Paradise 22:45 on that particular day, 22:47 because we know that the risen Savior on Sunday... 22:52 Jesus didn't go on Friday to Paradise... 22:54 or on Saturday... He was resting in the grave 22:57 and when Mary came to Him, He said to her, 23:00 "Don't cling to me 23:01 because I have yet to return to my Father" 23:03 so, it was afterwards he... 23:07 that, we know, Demas is resting in his grave 23:10 and he will come up with the rest of us. 23:13 So, Christ promised Demas that he will rise 23:16 in the resurrection of the righteous... 23:19 that first resurrection 23:21 and he will put on immortality when we all do 23:25 as 1st Corinthians 15:53 says, 23:27 At that last trump, we will put it on. 23:30 So, let me just quickly say this. 23:32 This naked thief on the cross, 23:34 that's a snapshot of salvation by grace through faith 23:38 but there's a darker side to that picture 23:41 and it is the other thief... 23:43 he saw the same thing... he went through the same experience 23:48 but he snubbed the Savior, he spurned salvation by grace 23:53 and he will be among those 23:56 who come up in the 2nd Resurrection 24:00 the resurrection of the condemnation. 24:03 So, the most important thing that we can do 24:07 is remember, as Jill said, 24:09 "God so loved the world... He gave His only begotten Son, 24:12 that whosoever should believe in Him, 24:15 will not perish but will have everlasting life. " 24:18 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 24:20 Oh Shelley, I love that, 24:22 and I love that word, "whosoever" 24:24 do you know who "whosoever" includes? 24:27 We... all of us. 24:29 Mollie: Thank you Lord for that. Shelley: Amen. 24:30 Well, I've got Tuesday 24:32 and it's: Fear God and give glory to Him. " 24:33 Hmmm... 24:35 And, here is a promise... or here is a word 24:39 from an angel that's flying in the midst of heaven 24:42 and it's for "whosoever" 24:44 it's for every one of us, so let me read that sentence, 24:47 Revelation 14... I want you to turn to Revelation 14, 24:50 we're going to look at verses 6 and 7, 24:53 "Then I saw... " 24:54 remember John on the Isle of Patmos, 24:57 he was taken away in vision 24:59 and he was shown scenes from the end time. 25:02 Now, here is something that he saw. 25:04 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 25:09 having... " what? 25:10 "the everlasting gospel 25:11 to preach to those who dwell on the earth. " 25:14 Hey, we're earth dwellers... this is a message for us. 25:18 and it's not just localized, it's to every... 25:21 Jewish... you were talking about... 25:22 all... "each and every nation and tribe, 25:26 tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, 25:30 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 25:32 for the hour of His judgment is come... ' 25:34 and do something, 25:36 'worship Him who made heaven and earth and sea... and the sea 25:41 and springs of water. '" 25:42 Now, worship... we've said it before 25:46 and we'll say it again, 25:47 "Worship is what the end-time battle is over. " 25:53 The battle is about worship, 25:55 worship... the expression 25:57 of reverence and adoration for a deity 26:01 and this angel flying in the midst of heaven 26:05 is telling us, "Worship God... " 26:07 now, I think about... 26:10 back in... Revelation chapter 13... 26:12 just a chapter before... run back there... 26:15 Revelation chapter 13... let's look at verses 11 and 12. 26:20 And I'm going to ask a question after I read this, 26:25 what's the beast's purpose? 26:28 What is he wanting to cause the earth to do? 26:31 Now, we're in Revelation 13 verses 11 and 12, 26:35 "Then I saw... " again... John the Revelator... 26:38 this is what he sees, "Then I saw another beast 26:41 coming up out of the earth, 26:43 and he had two horns like a lamb 26:46 and spoke like a dragon. 26:48 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast 26:52 in his presence, 26:53 and causes the earth and those who dwell in it... " 26:58 to do something... 26:59 to do what? 27:00 "to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. " 27:06 Hmmm... hmmm... 27:07 So, we've got like, diametrically opposed beings 27:14 telling us to do the same thing. 27:17 One is to worship God... the God who made heaven and earth 27:23 and one is telling us to worship a beast. 27:26 Pause. 27:28 The angel flying in the midst of heaven, 27:31 let's read that again, 27:32 and remember, this is to all of us earth dwellers. 27:36 "Fear God and give glory to Him 27:38 for the hour of His judgment has come 27:42 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 27:45 the sea and the springs of water. " 27:47 Diametrically opposed to... so, in this end time... 27:52 again, the battle is over who we worship. 27:56 Who are we going to give our worship to? 27:59 Our expressions of reference and adoration for our God. 28:04 Now, I want us to go to Ecclesiastes 28:08 and it's the 12th chapter, 28:09 but I want to talk to you a minute about King Solomon. 28:13 He had spent his whole life 28:18 trying to find happiness and meaning. 28:22 God had allowed him unlimited resources 28:26 and opportunity 28:27 to find a reason for living any way he wanted to. 28:32 He pursued... did King Solomon pursue 28:36 every possible avenue available to man... 28:41 work, wealth, pleasure, fame, friends... 28:45 do you know that Cleopatra, at one time, 28:50 brought to King Solomon... over 3 million dollar's worth of gold 28:57 and a friend that's bringing great resources... 29:03 I said "Cleopatra" and it's... the Queen of Sheba, 29:08 I'm sorry... my mistake... 29:10 the Queen of Sheba... over 3 million dollars in gold. 29:13 He had such resources... such friends... 29:17 that were bringing him all of these... 29:21 you know why I know that, I've been listening to Joe Crews 29:24 on 3ABN Radio... 29:26 just recently, 29:27 he was telling all of the things that King Solomon had 29:31 do you know that he said that he had 700 concubines 29:35 and 300 brides... 300 wives... 29:38 do you know that's... 29:39 how many is that... 300 and 700? 29:41 I'm not a brilliant mathematician 29:44 but that is a 1,000 women at his disposal... 29:48 disposal at one time... 29:50 he had so much... everything... 29:52 that wealth and fame and friends this world had to offer 29:58 he had absolute wealth unmeasurable... 30:03 he had everything 30:05 and in conclusion... 30:08 I've got you in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13. 30:13 In conclusion, here is what King Solomon said, 30:17 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter... " 30:21 and here is the conclusion that he arrived at, 30:25 "Fear God and keep His commandments, 30:28 for this is man's all. " 30:31 "Fear God and keep His commandments... " 30:33 sounds like what that angel 30:35 that is flying out of heaven telling us to do, 30:38 "Fear God and give glory to Him. " 30:40 So, the conclusion... after King Solomon had it all 30:45 and had done it all and had seen it all 30:48 and tried it all... 30:50 he came back to his roots which was, "Fear God... " 30:54 he's telling us that nothing else really matters. 30:59 In the end, the wisest and possibly the most wealthy man 31:05 who ever lived, came to the conclusion 31:09 that life is futile and useless apart from God. 31:14 Amen. 31:15 Now, I'm going to quote John 14:15. 31:18 "If you love me... " what does Jesus tell us to do? 31:23 "If you love me, keep my commandments. " 31:25 And the Commandments, oh, the first commandment... 31:29 is we are to love the Lord our God 31:31 with all of our heart, mind, soul and being... 31:33 is that the first commandment? 31:34 And worship only Him and so... we... 31:38 if we love Him... then we're going to keep that commandment. 31:43 Now, there is a link between fearing God... worshipping God, 31:47 standing in reverent awe of God, 31:50 love and adoration for Him and obeying Him, 31:54 keeping His commandments, 31:56 our obedience... and I want to make this so clear 32:00 our obedience to God... our obedience to His commandment 32:05 is the outward expression... the outcropping and the evidence 32:12 of the condition of our heart, 32:14 what is in our heart is evidence... 32:17 not by our words... we can say anything... 32:21 it's by our actions 32:23 and who we give our allegiance and our adoration to. 32:27 Now, I wanted to ask this question, 32:29 what was the condition of our heart? 32:33 And I'm speaking to those 32:35 who have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, 32:37 what was the condition of your heart when you came to God? 32:43 we were fallen humanity 32:46 we had fallen down and we couldn't get back up, 32:50 we were helpless and we had no hope. 32:53 But now I want to speak to those 32:56 who have never made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, 32:59 you know, this is where you are today, 33:02 right where everyone of us had been 33:04 you're in, what is called, "A fallen condition" 33:08 you're separated from God 33:09 there is a chasm between you and He 33:12 but that chasm has been bridged... 33:14 you are in a hopeless condition, however, the Lord Jesus Christ 33:21 is extending His mighty hand of redemption 33:26 to your sinful hand... just like He did for us 33:32 and He wants to take your sinful hand 33:35 and pick you up and stand you back up 33:38 stand you up... 33:39 just like He did everyone who has called upon His name 33:43 and then, you will stand in His presence... reach out 33:47 and that's my... my heart's cry for you today... 33:50 if you've never made Jesus the Lord of your life, 33:53 that you reach out to this God 33:55 who has done everything for you, that loves you so much 34:00 that He gave His own life and He'll take your hand 34:04 and He'll stand you up 34:05 and I'm thinking of the rest of us 34:07 you know, I think there are times 34:09 that we... we get forgetful of all that God has done for us. 34:15 Here is a prayer that we need to pray, 34:18 "Father, give us a fresh revelation 34:22 of our sinfulness and your holiness" 34:25 sometimes we need to have a refreshing 34:29 of just how far apart from God that we are 34:33 without that bridging... that bridging of that chasm 34:36 by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 34:39 Fear God and give Him glory. 34:42 Amen. 34:43 Amen, well said, well said... you know it's interesting 34:47 Solomon... after having 300 wives... 700 girlfriends 34:51 said, "Therefore, I hated my life. " 34:54 I think any man who is honest with himself 34:58 must admit that one good woman, Danny, 35:02 is enough for any man. 35:03 Danny: A good woman is the key. 35:05 A Good woman is the key... is enough for any man. 35:07 We, today, are going to move into: 35:11 The hour of his judgment has come. 35:14 I want to give the bad news first 35:17 and then some good news. 35:19 Okay. 35:20 Because the lesson asks the question, 35:22 "How well would I do standing in my own merit?" 35:28 Panel: Whew! Hmmm... hmmm... 35:30 And then, it gives a bunch of texts 35:32 which sort of gives us context for my own merits. 35:36 Matthew 12:36, "By your words you're justified, 35:40 by your words, you're condemned. " 35:43 So, God is going to take into account 35:45 everything that comes out of our mouth 35:47 because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35:53 Ecclesiastes 12:14, "Every work is coming into judgment 35:58 along with every secret thing. " 36:01 So, just because you're in the basement 36:03 and the lights are out 36:05 and nobody knows... there is a Watcher who sees and knows. 36:09 That's going into the judgment part. 36:11 Romans 2:6, "We get judged according to our deeds" 36:18 that's everything we've done. 36:21 I have a sermon... I asked the question, 36:23 what if you came to church 36:25 and the sermon was going to be a video presentation 36:29 of everything you thought, every place you've been, 36:33 everything you've done... for the last 20 years. 36:36 How do you feel about that? 36:38 Panel: No... no thank you... 36:40 That could be a little rough and then, 1st Corinthians 4:5, 36:46 God will bring to life all of the hidden things. 36:50 So the truth is, nothing is hidden from God. 36:54 Hmmm... 36:56 So, if we tried to stand in our own merits, 36:59 we're sort of lost before we get started. 37:03 Panel member: Oh boy... 37:05 No, there's no way we can appear 37:06 before a righteous God 37:08 clothed in our own shame and unloveliness. 37:11 So, that's the bad news, now let's go to some good news. 37:14 I want to go back to the 37:17 1st angel's message 37:21 and allow me if you will to give you a... 37:23 I would call this a "Clementonian" version 37:27 of the third angel's message. 37:29 This is... picking it up at verse 7, this is... 37:33 this is my digest of that first angel's message 37:37 and my first several words deal with 37:40 a parsing of the word, "fear" 37:43 I write, "Reveal and give evidence 37:47 of your highest devotion 37:49 and ultimate love, deference and respect for God" 37:53 That's just one word... that's a fear 37:55 "understanding the reality 37:59 that we are in the time when all flesh: every living soul 38:05 will be judged... 38:06 and ultimate destinies will be decided. " 38:11 Shelley: Amen. 38:12 C.D. Brooks used to say, "The innocent want justice 38:17 and the guilty want mercy. " 38:20 If you're innocent, you can't wait for justice 38:24 because you know, you're innocent, 38:26 well the good news is... that we can all exhale and breathe 38:32 because there is... therefore, no condemnation 38:37 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 38:40 So, I can look forward to judgment 38:42 because I'm in Christ Jesus. 38:44 Shelley: Amen. 38:46 I don't have to fear judgment... in fact, judgment is on my side 38:49 because I'm in Christ Jesus, 38:51 there is now, therefore, no condemnation. 38:55 Our God is a God of justice and judgment and... and... and... 39:01 thank God that the two are married in God... 39:03 justice... and judgment. 39:05 In other words, God's decisions are always fair 39:10 and right and righteous. 39:13 So, I can... I can look forward 39:16 to judgment 39:18 because judgment is not against me. 39:21 Justice... and let's parse that word for just a minute... 39:24 in light of the everlasting gospel. 39:25 Justice is just behavior or treatment... 39:30 it is fairness... fair play, fair mindedness, 39:35 equity... evenhandedness... 39:38 impartiality... objectivity... and neutrality. 39:43 Now the... some of those words fit 39:45 and some of those words don't. 39:47 Is God impartial? 39:50 Pause... 39:52 Shelley: The Bible says, "He favors no man. " 39:54 There you go, He's not really impartial, 39:56 since the death of Christ, God is leaning in our direction. 40:02 He's not really impartial. 40:04 God's on our side. 40:06 My judge is also my advocate 40:09 you see where I'm going at... 40:13 and I know you hesitate because He... He's not... 40:16 but He is really... God's got His finger on the scale. 40:17 Shelley: Yes, He does. 40:19 God's working in our favor, 40:20 He is not impartial. 40:21 Is God neutral? 40:23 Shelley: Then that would be the Scripture I just quoted. 40:25 Right, He is not neutral, 40:27 because He wants to get us in, Danny, 40:29 He's... He's... He's... He... since the death of... 40:31 He's looking at us through the blood of Christ 40:34 so, He's not neutral. 40:35 He wants us to be saved. 40:37 Is He objective? 40:39 Not totally, because Christ died 40:43 to save us from our sins, to be the propitiation 40:48 and one of the definitions of propitiation 40:51 is a leaning in the direction of. 40:53 Panel: Okay... yes... 40:54 So, God is leaning in our direction. 40:56 We don't have to pull Him, He's already leaning towards me 41:00 which is a great visual... so... so... He's not... 41:03 He's not neutral in this thing, 41:04 He loves us with an everlasting love. 41:07 He is so un-neutral that He sent His son to die 41:10 in our behalf. 41:12 So, it's not God who's trying to keep us out, 41:15 God is trying to get us in. 41:17 So, God will... in no wise excuse sin 41:22 but make... make no mistake about it, 41:27 Brothers and Sisters, Jesus is on our side. 41:29 Shelley: Amen. Amen. 41:30 Danny: That's good. 41:32 Yeah, He's not going to excuse sin 41:33 but He's on our side. 41:35 So, our judge is indeed our advocate. 41:37 Now, inherent in the notion of the everlasting gospel 41:40 is an understanding that sin is the issue. 41:43 Sin has to be adjudicated... 41:46 which is a long term which simply means, 41:48 "The score has got to be settled. " 41:50 It's got to be dealt with, 41:51 so this, 7,000-year dysfunctional relationship 41:56 in the universe has got to be dealt with. 42:00 It has got to come to an end. 42:02 So, the eternal good news... the eternal everlasting gospel 42:06 has to include the idea of vindication 42:10 of God's love and God's law. 42:12 God's love was not wasted 42:16 because somebody... praise God is going to be saved. 42:19 Danny: Hmmm... hmmm... 42:21 Justice and judgment will come together 42:24 and in that, we will see that 42:27 the multitude of people who are going to be saved 42:31 is almost without number. 42:33 So, in the context of judgment, in this context, rather, 42:38 judgment is not to be feared, 42:40 in fact, I'm looking forward to it. 42:43 Because that will be the day when we see Jesus face to face. 42:48 The hour of His judgment has come. 42:53 Every day I wake up, 42:55 I must wake up and live my life 42:57 in the context and the understanding 42:59 that God is looking at the lives of His people 43:03 and making determinations and when Christ comes, He says, 43:07 in Revelation 22... 43:09 "My reward is going to be with me. " 43:12 And I'm ready for my reward, it's like... 43:15 like when we were children, 43:16 we could not sleep on Christmas Eve, 43:19 you just... you're up... 43:20 because you see those boxes under the tree 43:22 and you know one of those boxes has your name on it, 43:25 hopefully, two... but... but at least one... 43:28 so you're kind of staring at the box 43:29 and we will fall asleep right there in the living room, 43:31 right in front of the tree 43:33 and wake up... and my mother let us sleep on the floor 43:35 because she knew that we weren't going to bed 43:36 because if we went to bed, we weren't going to be sleeping 43:37 anyway 43:39 that's why I liked it so much better in Panama 43:40 they open up their gifts on Christmas Eve 43:42 you... you don't have to wait till Christmas Day 43:45 but judgment is coming and... and the reward is coming 43:50 and we know that the reward is going to be a good thing 43:54 because we are in Christ Jesus 43:57 and the penalty for sin has already been paid. 44:01 So, that's what makes it fair, that's what makes it just, 44:04 a penalty for sin has to be paid 44:08 but I don't have to pay 44:10 because Christ has paid it for me 44:14 so now, I can... I can run towards... 44:17 I can run towards judgment 44:20 because I know that the penalty has been paid. 44:24 There is no condemnation now 44:26 because I'm in Christ Jesus, 44:28 and when... so God looks at me, 44:30 He looks at me through... dare I say, "Jesus' glasses" 44:34 He looks at me through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. 44:37 Shelley: Amen. 44:38 So, judgment is a good thing, it's a great thing. 44:40 The hour of His judgment has come 44:43 and every day, I live in the light of that fact 44:46 that judgment is coming 44:48 but praise God it's in my favor 44:50 and one day I will get my reward. 44:53 Amen... Amen. 44:54 Wow! that's so profound, 44:56 I'm going to have to regroup here a minute, so, 44:58 all of the stuff... to find how much God is in your corner 45:01 that He is really there, 45:03 He's your Advocate, it's amazing... 45:05 mine is on: Worship the One who made the heaven and the earth. 45:08 Now, the devil is doing on earth what he did in heaven 45:13 that he's misrepresenting the character of God. 45:15 So, when we're reading the first angel's message, 45:18 "Fear God and give glory to Him 45:20 the hour of His judgment has come... worship Him... 45:23 this is all for those of us who are familiar with this message 45:27 and Christian... this is all great... 45:28 but if you're looking at it... I try to think, 45:30 "What if I'm an outsider and I'm looking... 45:32 just reading the Bible... " 45:33 "Fear God" and it was like, "Well, how can you... 45:36 how can you worship somebody you're afraid of?" 45:39 Because the devil wants people to think... 45:42 and I'm talking about... even in the Christian church... 45:45 people are afraid of God, do you know why? 45:48 Because of the... and I'm going to have to call it a lie 45:52 can I be "straight" here, 45:53 the lie that the devil has used ancients to bring out 45:57 to the world... it's a lie that people are going to burn... 46:01 that "If you don't do what God wants... 46:02 you're going to be tortured forever and ever. " 46:04 So, now, how can a God who... how can I worship a God 46:08 that says, "Johnny, if you're good... " 46:11 little boy Johnny... 46:12 "if you're good, Johnny, and you serve me, 46:14 you love me and you serve me, 46:16 I'm going to take you to heaven and you'll live forever 46:18 and you're going to have the most wonderful time 46:21 throughout all eternity. 46:22 But Johnny, if you're bad, I'm going to torture you, 46:25 I'm going to put you with a fire so hot, 46:28 it won't kill you, but so terrible 46:30 that you're going to be screaming out in pain 46:32 for eternity... 46:34 no relief... " 46:36 so, people... when you say, 46:39 "Fear God and give glory to Him" 46:40 I think, we have to understand what the "fear" 46:43 and some of you have gone through this 46:44 what "fear" really means 46:46 and we've been hearing respect, love, adoration, 46:51 you stand in awe of God 46:53 when you look at Him as what you presented Him, 46:56 is a character of love, it makes it so differently, 46:59 now, when I say, "Fear God and give glory to Him" 47:01 I stand in awe of God who loves me and you 47:06 each of us enough 47:07 that He would come to this earth and make a Plan of Salvation 47:10 to take us out of that, I mean, that's totally different 47:13 I don't have time to go into all the fears 47:16 but the fear of the Lord, Proverbs 9:10 says, 47:18 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. " 47:21 and of course, knowledge... of the Holy understanding 47:24 so, there is a lot of positive things in the Bible 47:27 when you look at "fear. " 47:28 We can look at Joseph and his brothers... 47:30 it says, he wins his brothers 47:32 when he declares he's a God-fearing man 47:34 they understood what that... that meant, 47:37 we can go into Exodus... 47:38 Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis 47:40 that they feared God and they didn't take bribes, 47:43 the Mosaic Law cites, "Fear of God is a reason 47:46 to help the disabled and the elderly. " 47:49 We can go on down in the New Testament though 47:51 Jesus is stronger... 47:53 "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body 47:55 but they cannot touch you, fear only God 47:57 who can destroy both body and soul in hell. " 48:00 Paul says, "We are to work towards complete holiness 48:04 because we fear God. " 48:06 So, now, once we understand this fear and respect and awe... 48:10 now we can talk about worship. 48:12 So, what is true worship? 48:14 So, I've written here, and Paul says it beautifully 48:17 if you look into Romans 12:1-2, if you'll go with me, 48:20 he says, "I urge you therefore, brethren, 48:22 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies" how? 48:25 "A living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, 48:29 in your spiritual service of worship. " 48:31 And do not be conformed to this world 48:33 but be transformed... " 48:34 Mollie, I've heard you say this a lot, 48:36 "by the renewing of your mind, 48:37 that you may prove that the will of God is" what? 48:41 "that which is good and acceptable 48:44 or well-pleasing and perfect. " 48:47 This passage contains all the elements of true worship. 48:51 Just think about that, it's not what we say, 48:54 some of you have said it, it's what we do, 48:56 you said it a while ago, 48:57 it's our actions 48:59 because our actions tells a lot about our heart. 49:01 I learned that a while ago, 49:02 I've... I've been listening, okay, 49:04 listening to you all, 49:05 first of all, there's motivation to worship, 49:07 "the mercies of God" 49:09 the mercies of God... get this... 49:10 the mercies are everything He has given us 49:13 that we don't deserve. 49:14 What are some of those things? 49:16 Love, grace, the Holy Spirit, peace, joy, faith, comfort, 49:20 strength, wisdom, hope, patience, kindness, 49:22 honor, glory, righteousness, security, eternal life, 49:25 forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, 49:28 freedom, intercession... and much more. 49:31 So, you could go on, all of these things... 49:33 it's amazing to me... we don't deserve any of that. 49:38 Shelley: That's right. 49:39 God has given us all of that, 49:41 so the Lord wants to take all of the bad things 49:44 when God wants to take... when we... 49:45 He takes control of our life, 49:47 and we can't... when we give Him our life, 49:49 we get rid of all the fear... all the doubt... all of the... 49:53 "Oh, I don't know what's going to happen in my life" 49:55 the other kind of fear... the negative fear 49:57 and we give it to God... because of His love and His mercy 50:00 He gives us a peace and a joy that only He can give. 50:04 Those of you who've been out in the world, 50:06 and you've been hooked on everything imaginable 50:08 and God has taken that away from you, 50:11 you have gladly given Him control, 50:13 it's not like He says, "I'm going to control you" 50:15 you say, "Lord, I don't want this 50:16 I want what you have for me... your love and your mercy" 50:20 now, why do you worship God? 50:22 You're worshipping out of... out of love for Him 50:25 so God's not up there demanding love 50:27 but His ways are... are the ways of life... 50:30 "I am the way the truth and the life. " 50:32 So, worshipping God... to me... is an amazing thing, 50:36 John 4:24, if you look at it, said, 50:38 "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him 50:41 must worship Him in... " what? 50:42 Panel: "Spirt and in truth. " 50:43 Danny: Spirit and in truth. Panel: Amen. 50:45 Worshipping God in the Spirit, 50:46 "Everything in life... " I wrote down 50:48 "is everything in life of a Christian" 50:50 If we're not giving God true worship, 50:52 we're going to miss out on some blessings. 50:54 I think I'm going to center in 50:55 for just a moment or two... I have left, 50:57 the 4th Commandment tells us 50:58 that God blessed the Sabbath day He sanctified it... made it holy 51:02 right, a holy convocation... 51:05 He set this day aside, 51:06 so, when we talk about worshipping God, 51:08 it's not about a day, 51:10 when God sets aside a day and says, "This is a holy... 51:15 make this your holy convocation, come to me, 51:17 this is my day, I want to be with you. 51:19 I'm setting aside time... you set aside time... 51:22 let's enjoy that. " 51:24 Then, I say, "Oh, I don't think so... 51:25 I think I'll just do another day" 51:28 So, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, 51:29 Jill, I'm going to go with you. 51:31 Let's say that it's your birthday... 51:32 and on your birthday, 51:34 Greg is too busy really to think about your birthday, 51:38 so, Greg says to himself, 51:40 "I'll just celebrate Jill's birthday tomorrow" 51:43 so, all during your birthday, he never brings it up once 51:47 and you've been married lots of years... 51:49 how many years? Jill: 15. 51:51 Fifteen... so 15 years... he knows it's your birthday 51:53 and he doesn't deny that he knows it's your birthday 51:55 but he just says, "Well, Jill, I've got... 51:58 I'm mowing the yard today, I've got to work in the shop, 52:00 I'm going to run to Walmart, I've got to get a few things" 52:03 and... and he just ignores you. 52:06 So, the whole day goes by... it's your birthday... 52:09 you came into the world... you can't change that... 52:11 you didn't have any say about it... 52:13 that's when you were there, 52:14 now, you go to bed, 52:16 and you're not the happiest camper in the world... I'm sure, 52:18 but by the next morning, Greg greets you, 52:21 and he says, "Happy Birthday, Jill" 52:24 here's a cake... let's celebrate your birthday" 52:26 now, how do you receive that, really? 52:29 Jill: He'd say, "What's wrong with you?" Right? 52:30 Danny: Yeah, "What's wrong with you?" 52:32 Now, what did that tell you, what did it tell you about Greg? 52:34 Now, this is not true, Greg is everything but that... 52:37 that's why I can use this illustration... 52:38 but anybody... what would that tell you about his heart? 52:42 Jill: That he didn't care. 52:44 Danny: That he didn't really care, right, 52:46 and you're going to know that because you say, 52:48 "He's more worried about... 52:49 he's celebrating his birthday when he wants to... 52:51 my birthday... when he wants to... 52:53 not when it really is. 52:55 So, don't you think, in a sense, 52:57 God is the same way with us? 52:58 He sets aside the Sabbath... but we watch football... 53:02 we go to town... 53:03 we do all the things we want to do, 53:05 when He's saying, "Worship me.. " 53:07 who created the heavens and earth, 53:09 but then, Sunday morning... I show up and say, 53:11 "Okay, God, I'm ready for the celebration... 53:13 let's have a celebration... this is your holy day" 53:16 What does God say, 53:18 "No, I want you to worship me in Spirit and in truth. " 53:22 So, my time is running out here, but I just wanted to say here 53:26 Acts 17:30-31 "And at times... " 53:31 and I want to say this kindly, dear folk, 53:33 "And in the times in this ignorance, God winked, 53:36 but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: 53:38 Because he hath appointed a day, in which He will judge 53:41 the world in righteousness. " 53:43 So, what I'm saying here today is... 53:44 I don't want to sit up here and say, 53:46 "Wow, we have all the answers, 53:47 if you don't do what we think and what we're saying here, 53:51 then... you're not really saved, you don't really love God. " 53:54 Because there's a reason why... 53:56 that we don't keep God's holy day... 53:59 there are two reasons that I can think of, there may be more, 54:01 one is either ignorance or rebellion. 54:04 Rebellion... God won't deal with... 54:06 but if Greg... when you were dating him... 54:08 and he wanted to give you... celebrate your birthday 54:12 but he didn't want to ask you, 54:14 but he asked a friend 54:15 and they mistakenly give him the wrong day, 54:17 you probably would accept that 54:19 and say, "Well, Greg, I appreciate it and I love you 54:21 this is great what you did but it's not really my birthday 54:23 but I understand. " 54:25 But see... 54:26 so, when we don't know... God doesn't hold us accountable 54:29 so what we're doing in the... the ministry of 3ABN 54:32 is to take the truth... 54:34 an undiluted 3 Angels' messages 54:36 one that would counteract the counterfeit... 54:38 into all the world... 54:40 so that we can worship God in Spirit and in truth. 54:44 I'm thankful to be a part of a ministry 54:46 and work with folk like you 54:47 and thank all of you 54:49 for your love and your prayers and support 54:51 as we continue to take the three angels' messages to the world. 54:54 Amen... Amen. 54:56 Jill: Thank you so much, I just feel like sitting here... 54:58 that I've been to church... 54:59 just... my soul has been fed with the love of God 55:02 and His incredible goodness and... 55:05 and you think about the three angels' messages 55:08 and in subsequent lessons... 55:09 we'll look at some of the other ones, 55:10 the second and the third angels' message 55:12 but to know that we don't have to be afraid of the judgment... 55:15 to know that we can truly understand the character of God 55:19 and that God is love, 55:21 to see that and understand that and know that... 55:24 that is revolutionary... 55:25 you know, it changes your life... 55:27 we hope and pray 55:28 that God is in the process of changing your life 55:31 at home as well. 55:32 We have a few moments left, 55:34 so I want to give each one of you a moment 55:36 to share a closing thought, if you want, about your day. 55:38 I would just like to... 55:39 my day was on the thieves on the cross 55:42 and the everlasting gospel 55:44 and the comment that I want 55:45 is just to read from the Sabbath School Quarterly. 55:49 It says, "The everlasting gospel is the foundation 55:53 of the first angel's message 55:56 but without this truth, 55:58 nothing else we teach about the Law... 56:00 the Sabbath... or the State of the Dead... 56:02 matters... 56:03 the most important thing is 56:05 to remember the everlasting Gospel. 56:08 Amen... amen. 56:09 There is a battle going on and it's over you... 56:15 it's over who we are going to give our allegiance to, 56:19 we've got the... the angel flying in the midst of heaven 56:23 saying, "Worship God... " 56:24 and then we've got the beast coming up out of the earth 56:27 saying, "Worship the beast... " 56:29 we have to come to the conclusion 56:31 of who we're going to give our allegiance to... 56:34 who we are going to give our worship to, 56:36 I encourage us all... be obedient to God's Word. 56:39 Amen. 56:41 Just two lines on the lesson, 56:42 The God knows the number of hairs on our heads, 56:45 is going to judge the world 56:47 but that is precisely why 56:49 the everlasting gospel is such good news. 56:52 Amen. 56:54 We want to worship God in Spirit and truth, 56:57 Matthew 15:9 says, "But in vain do they worship me, 57:00 teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. " 57:02 We don't want to be on that side, 57:04 we want to be on God's side. 57:05 Panel: Amen. 57:07 What an incredible lesson, 57:08 thank you each so much for sharing from your heart 57:11 and from the Word of God. 57:13 And we thank you for joining us as well, 57:15 we want to encourage you in the end time... 57:17 it's all about who we will worship. 57:20 I know at 3ABN, we have done this 57:22 and we encourage you at home 57:24 to choose today whom you will serve. 57:26 God bless you and keep you. |
Revised 2022-08-23