When I began my ministry
in my last Lutheran Parish,
00:00:14.58\00:00:20.32
which by the way is only
a little over a half mile
00:00:20.35\00:00:25.99
from the Adventist church I'm
pastoring for the last 20 years
00:00:26.02\00:00:32.29
in retirement. Interesting
situation. But when I began my
00:00:32.33\00:00:39.63
ministry there in the 60s it
was not long before I discovered
00:00:39.67\00:00:45.24
that the congregation had
been deeply influenced by the
00:00:46.71\00:00:51.41
prevailing social
gospel of the times.
00:00:51.45\00:00:57.39
So I faced a challenge. How
to counteract such influence
00:01:00.59\00:01:10.00
and get the
congregation on a Biblical path?
00:01:10.03\00:01:16.77
I started by consistently
preaching expository sermons
00:01:18.17\00:01:23.24
that focused on the Scriptures.
00:01:23.28\00:01:26.35
I preached longer sermons.
00:01:29.92\00:01:32.32
20 minutes was customary.
00:01:34.56\00:01:37.69
I extended it to thirty minutes.
00:01:38.93\00:01:43.67
Now I preach 45
minutes or longer
00:01:43.70\00:01:47.87
because I'm an old
man, I have a lot to say
00:01:47.90\00:01:54.91
and a little time to say it!
00:01:54.94\00:01:58.51
Some folks didn't
like the longer sermons.
00:02:02.62\00:02:05.59
But some did. I also tried
to start a Sunday School class
00:02:09.46\00:02:17.27
for adults that would
concentrate on Bible study
00:02:17.30\00:02:21.74
But I had few takers.
00:02:24.37\00:02:26.57
I remember also as a
young minister being invited
00:02:33.82\00:02:43.29
to preach a series of
sermons at a Bible camp.
00:02:43.32\00:02:47.96
That's what they
called them in those days.
00:02:49.86\00:02:52.43
And after one of the evening
meetings a lady came up to me
00:02:55.07\00:03:00.81
and asked me if she could talk
with me. I said yes of course.
00:03:00.84\00:03:07.62
They were turning out the lights
in the chapel so we had to sit
00:03:07.65\00:03:12.32
on the cement steps
underneath one light bulb.
00:03:12.35\00:03:17.53
So we sat down and I asked
her how can I help you? She said
00:03:18.76\00:03:22.83
Well I've been a believer
for many years but I've got a
00:03:22.86\00:03:27.10
real serious problem she
said. I don't have the assurance
00:03:27.14\00:03:31.01
of forgiveness of sins. I
love God but I don't have the
00:03:31.04\00:03:35.68
assurance that He
has forgiven my sin.
00:03:35.71\00:03:37.88
I thought Wow. They didn't
teach me anything about how to
00:03:39.95\00:03:45.15
deal with that in the seminary.
00:03:45.19\00:03:46.89
So I shot a prayer up
to God and He helped me.
00:03:48.79\00:03:56.10
I said well let's open
our Bibles to 1 John 1:9
00:03:56.13\00:04:02.24
So she opened her Bible and I
said, would you read that verse
00:04:03.91\00:04:09.11
out loud? And she did.
00:04:09.14\00:04:11.75
And I said to her, have
you confessed your sins?
00:04:25.23\00:04:28.16
She said, Oh many, many times.
00:04:28.20\00:04:31.33
I said, are you forgiven?
00:04:32.67\00:04:36.30
She said, I don't know.
00:04:36.34\00:04:38.34
So I said, read it again.
00:04:40.38\00:04:42.58
So she read it out loud again.
00:04:44.45\00:04:46.25
I asked, have you
confessed your sins?
00:04:54.22\00:04:57.99
She said, I just
told you. Many times.
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I said, are you
forgiven? I don't know.
00:05:04.47\00:05:08.90
I said, read it again.
00:05:10.54\00:05:12.17
She looked at me you
know, You've got to be kidding.
00:05:14.08\00:05:16.71
I said, come on read it again.
00:05:16.75\00:05:19.11
So she did and I asked her, have
you confessed your sins? Yes.
00:05:19.15\00:05:26.62
I said, are you forgiven?
00:05:26.65\00:05:29.86
This time there was silence.
00:05:32.36\00:05:35.60
And I didn't
interrupt her silence.
00:05:37.23\00:05:40.90
Finally she said, I guess I am!
00:05:40.94\00:05:45.97
And I said, how
do you know that?
00:05:47.84\00:05:51.25
And she said, because
it says so right here.
00:05:53.05\00:05:56.18
I learned a lot that day.
00:06:01.69\00:06:06.86
Well anyway, during this time
starting the Sunday School class
00:06:08.76\00:06:13.70
for adults that failed and
this experience with that lady
00:06:13.74\00:06:18.17
I've often wondered
what happened to her.
00:06:18.21\00:06:21.28
Two other significant things
happened. My wife was Vacation
00:06:22.74\00:06:28.58
Bible School leader
that particular summer
00:06:28.62\00:06:31.85
and when the materials
arrived that she had sent for
00:06:33.29\00:06:37.66
dealing with human
origins she was alarmed.
00:06:39.29\00:06:45.37
And she came to me and
showed the materials to me
00:06:46.60\00:06:50.24
and she said, we
can't teach this.
00:06:50.27\00:06:53.51
It was teaching evolution,
not Biblical creation.
00:06:55.51\00:06:58.71
I told her to send it
back. And I wrote a letter
00:07:01.72\00:07:06.76
to the denominational
publishers explaining why.
00:07:06.79\00:07:11.06
By that time she had become
interested in the Adventist
00:07:15.36\00:07:19.03
church through a friend.
She's staying with them now
00:07:19.07\00:07:24.51
in Berrien
Springs while I am here.
00:07:24.54\00:07:27.94
And that same summer the
Vacation Bible School material
00:07:29.14\00:07:33.85
was on creation and it was
Biblical all the way through
00:07:33.88\00:07:39.95
The very first
verse of the Bible says:
00:07:43.53\00:07:47.00
That's what it says and
then it tells us how He did it.
00:07:55.10\00:08:00.74
By His Word. Amen. Amen.
00:08:03.65\00:08:07.72
Now, I'm going to
insert a little footnote here.
00:08:10.09\00:08:12.82
All this was
background to later events.
00:08:14.06\00:08:18.56
Eventually about some 20 years
ago the ordination of women
00:08:20.06\00:08:26.77
ministers and in 2009
at their annual convention
00:08:26.80\00:08:37.11
that particular Lutheran
denomination after a ten year
00:08:37.15\00:08:43.52
sociological study of human
sexuality, not a Biblical study
00:08:43.55\00:08:49.22
a sociological study,
they approved same sex marriage
00:08:50.76\00:08:56.83
and the ordination of gay clergy
00:08:56.87\00:09:00.80
How was that possible?
00:09:02.14\00:09:05.87
It was possible because the
principles of interpretation
00:09:07.41\00:09:11.15
we call
hermeneutics, were in place.
00:09:11.18\00:09:18.05
The progression from evolution
to the approval of same
00:09:19.25\00:09:28.53
same sex
marriage was inevitable.
00:09:28.56\00:09:32.87
Now somebody is going to
say that my calling this to your
00:09:34.54\00:09:38.21
attention is scare tactics.
But it's not. It's fact.
00:09:38.24\00:09:47.88
And the footnote. About the
same time I attended a meeting
00:09:51.69\00:09:59.29
of Lutheran pastors
during which the discussion
00:09:59.33\00:10:05.00
concerned hermeneutics. And
I felt obliged to defend the
00:10:05.03\00:10:12.84
authority of the Bible. And one
of the young pastors who was a
00:10:12.87\00:10:18.91
recent graduate of the same
seminary that I had attended
00:10:18.95\00:10:22.68
came up to me and
shook his finger in my face
00:10:24.25\00:10:27.59
and very angrily and
vehemently said to me
00:10:28.79\00:10:33.83
Time is coming
when people like you
00:10:33.86\00:10:37.07
will not be
allowed in the ministry.
00:10:37.10\00:10:39.83
Now most of you who know
some of my story probably know
00:10:45.81\00:10:51.55
the rest that happened after
these events that I described.
00:10:51.58\00:10:55.92
That the Fall of 1970 brought
me as a master of theology
00:10:58.15\00:11:02.72
student to the theological
seminary at Andrews University
00:11:02.76\00:11:07.26
I was still a
Lutheran, still a skeptical.
00:11:07.30\00:11:13.54
And my primary goal at that time
was to discover whether Jesus
00:11:13.57\00:11:19.24
lived on the campus
of Andrews University,
00:11:19.27\00:11:23.75
and in the lives of
the students and faculty.
00:11:25.41\00:11:28.18
And I discovered that He did.
00:11:30.29\00:11:32.65
I eventually decided to
leave the Lutheran church
00:11:39.96\00:11:44.43
ministry and become a
Seventh Day Adventist.
00:11:44.47\00:11:47.64
Nobody made any promises
to me I didn't know what was
00:11:47.67\00:11:51.54
going to happen. I eventually
ended up as a member of the
00:11:51.57\00:11:57.15
faculty myself, the
pinnacle of my ministry.
00:11:57.18\00:12:03.12
It was wonderful, those years.
00:12:04.65\00:12:06.52
I remember a number of the
faculty members invited me to
00:12:12.59\00:12:18.13
meet with them
every Wednesday evening.
00:12:18.17\00:12:20.47
The only condition was that
I tell them a week in advance
00:12:22.94\00:12:26.81
what I would like to
discuss so they could prepare.
00:12:26.84\00:12:30.25
WGC Murdoch was
there who was the Dean.
00:12:32.18\00:12:35.52
Dr. Tom Blinkos, chair
of the Theology Department
00:12:35.55\00:12:40.36
Dr. Wilbur
Alexander, Dr. C. Mervyn Maxwell
00:12:40.39\00:12:47.86
a couple others I can't remember
It was masterfully done.
00:12:49.80\00:12:56.54
By the way everybody
treated me with respect.
00:12:58.24\00:13:01.44
Everybody called
me Pastor Holmes.
00:13:02.84\00:13:05.78
Nobody intimated
that I was an apostate.
00:13:06.95\00:13:12.42
I felt accepted,
even appreciated.
00:13:15.52\00:13:22.40
We studied. It was masterfully
done. With one question in mind
00:13:22.43\00:13:28.90
What does the Bible say?
00:13:28.94\00:13:32.87
Now against that kind of a
background you might imagine how
00:13:43.02\00:13:48.49
impressed I was with the
SDA Sabbath School lessons
00:13:48.52\00:13:55.70
Remember I couldn't get
an adult Sunday School class
00:13:58.67\00:14:01.07
started to study the
Bible. And here I found a church
00:14:01.10\00:14:06.51
in which a large percentage
of its membership attended
00:14:06.54\00:14:13.65
an hour's Sabbath School class
before the worship service.
00:14:13.68\00:14:18.72
And now I thought, boy
these people are something.
00:14:21.52\00:14:23.59
They're in church
all morning on Saturday!
00:14:23.63\00:14:28.56
I wasn't used to that. And those
lessons exposed Biblical truth
00:14:29.80\00:14:37.94
in depth and applied it.
And how impressed I also was
00:14:37.97\00:14:45.81
with the prevailing
expository approach to preaching
00:14:45.85\00:14:49.55
that I heard in those days.
00:14:49.58\00:14:53.25
All emphases that was
part of my spiritual heritage
00:14:53.29\00:14:59.93
because my spiritual roots are
in the Finnish Lutheran church
00:14:59.96\00:15:06.17
of Finland which was
characterized by a strong
00:15:06.20\00:15:13.88
Biblicism on the one hand and
a major emphasis on revival and
00:15:13.91\00:15:19.75
and awakening on the other.
00:15:19.78\00:15:24.62
So, right from the start of
my spiritual life as I began to
00:15:26.76\00:15:31.29
read and study the
Bible, I was deeply impressed by
00:15:31.33\00:15:35.50
the Apostle Paul's reverence
for and reliance upon Scripture
00:15:35.53\00:15:43.27
And later as I dug deeper
into the Protestant Reformation
00:15:46.44\00:15:49.91
I was so impressed by the impact
that Paul had made on Luther
00:15:49.94\00:15:56.52
who is still one of my heroes.
I was so impressed with the
00:15:56.55\00:16:03.99
chapter on the Reformation
and Luther in Ellen White's book
00:16:04.03\00:16:07.66
The Great Controversy.
You remember that Luther
00:16:07.70\00:16:15.04
at the Diet of Worms
stood before the representatives
00:16:15.07\00:16:19.37
of both secular and
religious power and authority
00:16:19.41\00:16:23.38
and under extreme pressure
and even threat to his life
00:16:23.41\00:16:28.05
threat to renounce the
convictions he had declared
00:16:30.62\00:16:35.36
in his 95 theses in 1517, almost
500 years in 2 years from now.
00:16:35.39\00:16:46.53
And he defied the holy Roman
Emperor and the representatives
00:16:46.57\00:16:54.21
of the Pope. Can you imagine?
Picture that, at this huge
00:16:54.24\00:17:00.82
gathering, here's
this one simple monk
00:17:00.85\00:17:06.55
dressed in his monk's
habit and he defied them both
00:17:08.72\00:17:15.50
by saying this. They asked
him to recant, not asked him
00:17:15.53\00:17:24.87
but threatened him,
you have to. And he said:
00:17:24.91\00:17:29.31
Now that kind of confident and
fearless witness to scripture
00:18:35.54\00:18:41.98
is my spiritual heritage
and nobody told me that I had to
00:18:42.02\00:18:50.39
abandon that heritage in order
to become Seventh Day Adventist
00:18:50.43\00:18:54.03
It's still there and I
believe that it fortifies me
00:18:56.26\00:19:04.14
for today. That's my spiritual
heritage and I was convinced
00:19:07.84\00:19:16.08
that it was that also of
the Seventh Day Adventist church
00:19:16.12\00:19:20.82
and I want to say to you
folks that if we lose that
00:19:24.86\00:19:27.36
we lose everything. I was
so impressed with the Bible
00:19:27.40\00:19:36.20
Conferences that were
held throughout North America
00:19:36.24\00:19:40.04
in 1974. I was
baptized in January of '71
00:19:40.08\00:19:45.98
by Dr. Tom Blinko at Pioneer
Memorial Church and shortly
00:19:46.01\00:19:53.19
after ordained into
the Adventist ministry.
00:19:53.22\00:19:56.19
But I was so impressed
with those Bible conferences
00:19:56.22\00:20:01.16
in 1974 and also with
Ellen White's hermeneutics
00:20:01.20\00:20:07.04
or principles of interpretation
that one doesn't have to be
00:20:10.97\00:20:16.78
a trained scholar to
understand and apply them.
00:20:16.81\00:20:22.05
And by the way when I
studied Adventist Church history
00:20:22.08\00:20:26.76
you know when we talk about the
group that was called Pioneers
00:20:26.79\00:20:30.03
just a handful of people
from different churches meeting
00:20:32.19\00:20:35.00
together to study the
Bible, that were influential in
00:20:35.06\00:20:40.84
in founding this church,
this movement, not one of them
00:20:40.87\00:20:46.01
not one single one
of that group had a PhD.
00:20:46.04\00:20:50.48
Not one of them was a scholar
trained in Biblical languages
00:20:52.21\00:20:56.48
Their method was simple,
two fold. Study the Bible
00:20:58.55\00:21:01.92
and pray. Discuss, yes.
Their discussions were lively.
00:21:01.96\00:21:07.40
But they hammered out
the doctrines on the basis of
00:21:07.43\00:21:12.23
the Word of God that
initiated this movement.
00:21:12.27\00:21:17.11
Ellen White's
principles are simple.
00:21:22.81\00:21:25.75
No.1, the Bible is
its own interpreter.
00:21:27.42\00:21:30.72
No.2, take the
Bible as it reads.
00:21:32.55\00:21:34.99
No.3, Focus on the
Bible's plain statements.
00:21:37.03\00:21:41.30
No.4, explain the
language of the Bible
00:21:41.33\00:21:48.17
according to
its obvious meaning.
00:21:48.20\00:21:51.87
You can use those principles
and arrive at confident
00:21:59.91\00:22:06.19
conclusions about God's truth.
00:22:06.22\00:22:08.52
I found a spiritual home and I
joined the Seventh Day Adventist
00:22:12.69\00:22:19.43
church and its ministry,
confident that it was in
00:22:19.47\00:22:24.57
submission to the full
authority of the Bible.
00:22:24.61\00:22:28.61
And then this issue emerged.
00:22:36.62\00:22:39.92
And I resisted two
years getting involved in it.
00:22:44.56\00:22:48.10
Because I didn't want to
be crucified on that cross.
00:22:50.57\00:22:54.10
My wife warned me
over and over again.
00:22:57.64\00:23:01.74
She said don't get involved
you're going to get in trouble.
00:23:01.78\00:23:04.75
But the more I saw the way the
Bible was being used or rather
00:23:08.12\00:23:12.42
misused in trying to convince
the church that the Bible
00:23:12.45\00:23:19.16
doesn't say what it says, the
more I came under the impression
00:23:19.19\00:23:26.67
that I had to do what
I did and write the book
00:23:26.70\00:23:34.84
The Tip of An Iceberg.
It's the 20th anniversary
00:23:34.88\00:23:39.48
of the publication of
that book in May of this year.
00:23:39.51\00:23:44.29
It's a form of deception folks
to try and convince the church
00:23:48.26\00:23:54.46
that the Bible
doesn't say what it says.
00:23:54.50\00:23:57.17
And any Reformation scholar
knows that Luther was heavily
00:24:01.07\00:24:06.21
influenced by the epistles of
Paul. That he drew theological
00:24:06.24\00:24:12.95
doctrinal knowledge from
Paul's letters as well as
00:24:12.98\00:24:16.65
personal faith and the kind of
courage and spiritual strength
00:24:16.69\00:24:21.02
that he needed at
the time of crisis.
00:24:21.06\00:24:24.06
The words of
Paul changed Luther.
00:24:27.66\00:24:32.73
And through him the
course of history and the world.
00:24:32.77\00:24:37.51
You and I would not be
here today in this sanctuary
00:24:39.34\00:24:45.71
preaching, teaching,
studying, believing the Gospel
00:24:45.75\00:24:49.75
of salvation by grace through
faith were it not for the words
00:24:49.78\00:24:55.12
of Paul. Words that
were heard by a simple monk
00:24:55.16\00:25:02.80
who was sincerely trying to
do everything that he thought
00:25:05.57\00:25:10.07
was necessary to
be accepted by God.
00:25:10.11\00:25:14.81
But his efforts didn't satisfy
including self flagellation.
00:25:16.24\00:25:23.49
Until he heard from Romans
3:24 that he was justified
00:25:27.12\00:25:36.26
by God's grace as a
gift through the redemption
00:25:36.30\00:25:41.74
that is in Christ Jesus.
00:25:41.77\00:25:44.74
But before he could hear that
he had to hear something else.
00:25:47.08\00:25:52.05
He called it Sola Scriptura.
00:25:52.08\00:25:56.32
The Bible and the Bible
alone as the source of God's
00:25:57.99\00:26:03.79
revelation and of truth.
00:26:03.83\00:26:07.13
But before Sola
Scriptura comes something else.
00:26:12.83\00:26:18.71
Before Sola Gracia, grace
alone and Sola Fide, faith alone
00:26:18.74\00:26:24.98
comes Sola
Scriptura, the Bible alone.
00:26:25.01\00:26:29.45
That was the major fundamental
truth of the Reformation.
00:26:33.42\00:26:38.66
Sola Scriptura. Everything.
Doctrinal and experiential
00:26:40.06\00:26:48.70
depends on and
derives from Sola Scriptura.
00:26:48.74\00:26:53.84
But you know the medieval
church never accepted that.
00:26:57.68\00:27:00.42
Insisting that tradition
and the power of bishops
00:27:06.05\00:27:11.43
read administrators, theologians
are equal if not pre-eminent
00:27:11.46\00:27:19.30
to Scripture. In other words
the authority of the church
00:27:19.33\00:27:27.01
was above that
of the Word of God.
00:27:27.04\00:27:31.71
Some protestants today give
lip service to Sola Scriptura
00:27:34.38\00:27:40.56
and in some instances abandoning
it altogether in favor of
00:27:40.59\00:27:49.86
what is called
"felt human needs"
00:27:49.90\00:27:54.27
and the pressures and
demands of contemporary culture.
00:27:57.11\00:28:00.48
Now here's another footnote.
00:28:03.68\00:28:05.78
This has culminated in a
recent joint Lutheran Catholic
00:28:09.18\00:28:15.82
declaration, notice I said joint
Lutheran Catholic declaration
00:28:15.86\00:28:22.73
that the
Reformation was a mistake.
00:28:22.76\00:28:26.80
That the protest is over.
00:28:29.97\00:28:33.88
Of course it
would be over to many.
00:28:36.91\00:28:42.78
It's inevitable. If you
throw out Sola Scriptura
00:28:46.35\00:28:54.66
you throw out the Reformation
00:28:54.70\00:28:57.20
and the footnote. Disconnecting
the Old from the New Testament
00:29:02.44\00:29:09.68
Law from Gospel. In
some instances insisting
00:29:09.71\00:29:16.65
that the Holy Spirit is
doing new things in the Church
00:29:16.69\00:29:20.49
in our time. Have
you heard that recently?
00:29:20.52\00:29:23.22
Put the authority of the
Spirit above that of the Word.
00:29:30.93\00:29:34.77
But Ellen White says that
the Holy Spirit never leads us
00:29:37.77\00:29:44.81
in a way that's
contradictory to the Scriptures.
00:29:44.85\00:29:49.28
Attention needs to be drawn
once again to Paul's reverence
00:29:55.49\00:30:00.53
for and reliance
upon the Scriptures.
00:30:00.56\00:30:05.60
He begins Romans by calling
attention in the 1st chapter
00:30:07.57\00:30:12.07
verse 2 to the Scriptures.
To the Holy Scriptures.
00:30:12.11\00:30:18.61
And when he deals with
justification in chapter 4
00:30:18.65\00:30:21.82
verse 3, he asks what
does the Scripture say?
00:30:21.85\00:30:28.49
And he answers, Abraham believed
God and it was counted to him
00:30:29.62\00:30:33.93
as righteousness. And then
in chapter 9 of Romans, verse 6
00:30:33.96\00:30:41.20
he calls
Scripture "the Word of God".
00:30:41.24\00:30:45.64
And in making clear there is
no distinction between Jew and
00:30:48.44\00:30:53.21
Greek with regard to salvation
he says in chapter 10 verse 11
00:30:53.25\00:30:58.32
the Scripture says. Everyone
who believes in him, Jesus,
00:30:58.35\00:31:05.29
will not be put to shame.
00:31:05.33\00:31:09.26
And in chapter 11 verse 2 he
underscores that "God has not
00:31:09.30\00:31:16.30
rejected His people"
the Jews and then he asks,
00:31:16.34\00:31:22.38
do you know what
the Scripture says?
00:31:22.41\00:31:27.82
According to Paul it's in
the Scripture, in the Bible
00:31:33.22\00:31:36.42
that we find hope.
Chapter 15 verse 4.
00:31:36.46\00:31:39.39
And when it came to the
authority that he claimed
00:31:56.68\00:32:00.35
for the preaching of the gospel
for the death and resurrection
00:32:00.38\00:32:03.79
of Christ, Paul
said unequivocally
00:32:03.82\00:32:07.42
in 1 Corinthians 15, verses
3 and 4, he said that it was
00:32:07.46\00:32:15.33
"In accordance
with the Scriptures"
00:32:15.36\00:32:18.93
And speaking further of hope
in context of his own ministry
00:32:22.57\00:32:26.57
Paul says, 2 Corinthians
4 verses 13-18, he says
00:32:26.61\00:32:32.11
Throughout Romans
and 1 and 2 Corinthians,
00:33:47.69\00:33:51.36
and Lutherans love those three
books, at least they used to
00:33:51.39\00:33:56.67
Paul uses the phrase "it is
written' over and over again.
00:33:56.70\00:34:03.61
At least 13 times. Then
he says in 2 Corinthians 6
00:34:03.64\00:34:14.52
Then he says, Paul says:
00:34:49.78\00:34:51.79
Now whether Paul talks about
his development of the truth
00:35:06.84\00:35:12.81
doctrine, by the way that's
what doctrine means, truth
00:35:14.54\00:35:23.28
whether he's talking about
that or if he's talking about
00:35:23.32\00:35:27.82
the development of his
own theological thought, or
00:35:27.86\00:35:31.03
whether he's addressing issues
in the developing early church
00:35:31.06\00:35:35.60
his reference is
always the Scripture.
00:35:35.63\00:35:38.87
Now contrast that with trying
to convince the church that
00:35:44.07\00:35:50.05
the Bible doesn't
really say what it says.
00:35:50.08\00:35:53.11
No wonder that deeply
involved in the development and
00:36:00.62\00:36:04.89
organizing of the early church
he underscored for both Timothy
00:36:04.93\00:36:10.83
and Titus, as he says to Timothy
"as for you", when I read that
00:36:10.87\00:36:21.88
it's very personal,
he's saying that to me.
00:36:21.91\00:36:26.61
We need to be aware of the fact
that Paul's letters bear witness
00:37:21.97\00:37:32.11
that he was as conscious of
the leading of the Holy Spirit
00:37:32.15\00:37:38.15
as he was of the power and
influence of the Scriptures
00:37:38.19\00:37:43.56
However, and here is a vital
principle of interpretation
00:37:43.59\00:37:49.26
It's on the basis of Scripture
alone that both qualification
00:38:02.51\00:38:10.19
for ministry and how the Spirit
empowered equipping for ministry
00:38:10.22\00:38:16.93
is revealed and accomplished
and what an example Paul was!
00:38:16.96\00:38:24.10
So it was in complete harmony
with his faith in and reliance
00:39:23.19\00:39:30.80
upon the written word of
God to leave as his legacy
00:39:30.83\00:39:36.24
of apostolic instruction.
00:39:36.27\00:39:39.57
These resounding words
that we are careful to read
00:39:39.61\00:39:46.08
at ordination services
from 2 Timothy 4 verses 1-5
00:39:46.11\00:39:52.12
Anyway here are the
words from 2 Timothy 4
00:39:55.66\00:40:01.36
How does the preacher rebuke?
00:41:16.47\00:41:20.78
By throwing his weight
around? By exercising authority?
00:41:20.81\00:41:26.28
No! By preaching the Word.
00:41:30.05\00:41:35.99
The power is in the
Word, not in the preacher.
00:41:46.43\00:41:51.11
Preach the Word. But
do it he says in patience.
00:41:55.24\00:42:01.12
And in love. Preach
the Word. Nothing else.
00:42:01.15\00:42:06.65
That's our duty. That's our
calling. That's our ministry.
00:42:06.69\00:42:12.83
That's our mission, no
matter what. Popular or not.
00:42:12.86\00:42:17.33
And do it consistently. Without
deviation, without compromise
00:42:22.24\00:42:27.58
of Biblical principles
for the sake of peace.
00:42:27.61\00:42:31.31
Why? Ellen White has the answer.
00:42:33.45\00:42:39.19
From the Review and
Herald, July 24, 1894.
00:42:40.59\00:42:44.39
Do we have to often proclaim
a message that's in opposition
00:43:06.25\00:43:11.29
to sins, prejudices and so on?
00:43:11.32\00:43:15.76
Why in the context of this
solemn charge does Paul say
00:43:18.23\00:43:24.67
to the ordinand as
for you endure suffering.
00:43:24.70\00:43:35.04
Why does he say that?
00:43:36.61\00:43:38.21
Because friends
there's a price to pay
00:43:42.78\00:43:47.09
for faithfulness to God's Word.
00:43:48.72\00:43:51.89
To His will, to His truth.
00:43:53.86\00:43:59.87
Because Ellen White
says in the same article
00:44:01.74\00:44:05.84
Folks,
compromising the Word of God
00:44:52.55\00:44:55.72
is not the way
to finish the work.
00:44:55.76\00:45:02.06
Now, did Paul
himself pay that price?
00:45:08.67\00:45:13.11
Suffering? enduring suffering?
00:45:13.14\00:45:17.98
Let him tell the story himself
in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 24
00:45:18.01\00:45:25.82
He lost friends. You
know, as precious as it is
00:45:53.68\00:46:03.32
there are some things that are
more important than friendship
00:46:03.36\00:46:10.37
Wow! There's a price to pay.
00:47:03.28\00:47:09.36
And as we look at
the mission of our church
00:47:11.56\00:47:14.70
and the times in which
we live let us trust that,
00:47:15.96\00:47:22.84
as Ellen White puts it in
Great Controversy page 595
00:47:22.87\00:47:26.78
And also what she say in
Selected Messages, Vol 2, pg.380
00:47:54.04\00:47:59.54
The Church will remain
true to the Word of God
00:48:31.77\00:48:35.41
But that will not
happen, notice, without the word
00:48:35.44\00:48:43.39
of their testimony. We
have to stand up and be counted
00:48:43.42\00:48:55.63
When the issue is truth there
is no such thing as anonymity
00:48:55.66\00:49:01.20
Remember Luther, "Here I stand"
00:49:03.74\00:49:08.14
I can't do anything else.
00:49:08.18\00:49:10.88
Then she goes on and she
says that it's the very struggle
00:49:19.82\00:49:26.36
for Biblical truth that
makes the church strong.
00:49:26.39\00:49:30.63
You know what my wife said when
all of this agony began to take
00:49:50.09\00:49:56.76
place? She said, you
know I think it's God's will
00:49:56.79\00:50:04.53
that the Remnant
Church go through this agony.
00:50:04.57\00:50:09.07
And I said, why
do you think that?
00:50:11.51\00:50:13.58
She said, because I think
it's part of God's answer to our
00:50:14.68\00:50:19.11
prayers for
revival and reformation.
00:50:19.15\00:50:22.22
Now we're hearing
many appeals to unity today
00:50:26.99\00:50:30.59
and we all know that unity is
essential to finish the mission
00:50:32.56\00:50:37.27
we have been given. And
I want to borrow a metaphor
00:50:37.30\00:50:43.54
some of you will
recognize the source of it
00:50:43.57\00:50:47.11
and say yes, we must sing in
harmony, that is in agreement
00:50:47.14\00:50:54.32
in thought and action. But
in order to sing in harmony
00:50:54.35\00:50:59.79
this choir knows
what I'm talking about.
00:50:59.82\00:51:02.36
In order to sing in harmony,
we have to sing in unison.
00:51:02.39\00:51:08.63
Which means to
sing the same song.
00:51:10.70\00:51:14.54
With the same song and the
same pitch with our eyes fixed
00:51:15.64\00:51:21.61
on the Director, spelled
with a capital D. And the score
00:51:21.64\00:51:26.98
as written by the composer.
00:51:27.02\00:51:32.32
No choir can sing in harmony
or in unison apart from unity
00:51:32.35\00:51:39.93
If each member or segment
such as the tenors or sopranos
00:51:42.10\00:51:46.40
does not sing the
same music, what happens?
00:51:46.43\00:51:50.17
Only discord and disharmony
and you'd put your hands
00:51:52.21\00:51:56.58
over your ears. Finally,
00:51:56.61\00:52:01.72
A steward is one who
takes care of, who cares for
00:52:27.48\00:52:34.68
one who protects. One
who can be depended upon
00:52:34.72\00:52:41.79
to stay true to the Word of God.
00:52:41.82\00:52:45.13
As stewards of the
mysteries of God it's our duty
00:53:33.58\00:53:38.11
to affirm and sustain
the Biblical trajectories,
00:53:39.68\00:53:44.09
and I'm borrowing a word there
of male headship and leadership
00:53:44.12\00:53:48.79
in the home and in the church
and not go beyond what's written
00:53:48.82\00:53:54.16
in the Scriptures. Leadership
that began before the fall
00:53:54.20\00:54:00.87
continued through the
Old Testament Priesthood and
00:54:00.90\00:54:04.41
New Testament apostles
and into the early church
00:54:04.44\00:54:07.58
through the Holy Spirit inspired
instructions of Paul to Timothy
00:54:07.61\00:54:12.55
and Titus. As stewards of the
mystery of God it is our duty
00:54:12.58\00:54:20.42
to pay careful attention
to Paul's counsel to Timothy
00:54:20.46\00:54:24.93
in 1 Timothy 6:20
"Guard the deposit"
00:54:24.96\00:54:31.47
This is to say the revealed
Word, the doctrine, the truth
00:54:32.20\00:54:36.87
that has been entrusted to us.
Are we going to be trustworthy?
00:54:36.91\00:54:41.91
And do that? And
guard that truth?
00:54:43.78\00:54:46.98
No matter what price it costs?
00:54:47.02\00:54:52.65
And concerning the
truth itself, listen to this.
00:54:53.66\00:54:56.46
It doesn't take a lot of
words and involved explanation
00:55:13.04\00:55:20.98
to do it. Now concerning
hermeneutics, the interpretation
00:55:21.02\00:55:29.79
or the understanding and
the application of the truth
00:55:29.82\00:55:33.33
she exhorts all of us. Members,
pastors, leaders, evangelists
00:55:33.36\00:55:37.93
scholars, teachers
in Selected Messages
00:55:37.97\00:55:44.47
Here is the
motivation for this symposium.
00:56:16.54\00:56:19.37
I'm so glad I've been
able to participate at age 85.
00:56:22.74\00:56:27.58
I'm so glad Pr. Bohr, you took
the bit in your teeth and did it
00:56:34.22\00:56:42.80
Is there going to be a fallout?
Oh yes, it's already started.
00:56:47.70\00:56:53.61
On the blogs. My final comment.
It is our duty and that's why
00:56:55.64\00:57:08.39
we're here, as stewards of
the mysteries of God to protect
00:57:08.42\00:57:15.70
the church from a
hermeneutical disaster.
00:57:15.73\00:57:21.44
That's the bottom line. Amen.
00:57:24.41\00:57:26.91