Christ, Calvary, and the Sanctuary

Altar of Burnt Offering

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: David Shin

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Series Code: 16SCM

Program Code: 16SCM000005A


00:51 Welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting:
00:57 Live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
01:02 And we do welcome every one of you.
01:04 Are you enjoying Camp Meeting so far? Amen!
01:08 That was incredible. You know, I want to tell our viewers
01:10 and listeners across the world
01:13 if you aren't able to attend
01:17 then every one of these sermons are going to be broadcast.
01:21 But I want to encourage every one of you about this also.
01:24 "Faith comes by hearing and... hearing by the Word of God. "
01:28 Be sure and get a copy of all of these DVDs.
01:32 Take them home and listen to them over and over and over.
01:35 It'll do nothing but good for you and change your life.
01:38 We're about to have Pastor David Shin come and share with us.
01:42 Pastor Shin is from Anchorage, Alaska.
01:45 He pastors the Hillside O'Malley church.
01:49 And I was having lunch the other day
01:52 with an old schoolmate of Pastor Shin.
01:55 And I asked her, I said: "Tell me a little about him. "
01:58 You know, you can read the bios that people send
02:01 or look at all their degrees and everything
02:04 that they have, and you don't really get to know the person
02:07 that way. You know how you get to? "Tell me something
02:10 about him. " So this is what she said about him:
02:13 "He was truly a deep thinker.
02:17 Studied to show himself approved; was a Bible scholar. "
02:21 But she said: "This is the thing
02:24 that stood out about him the most:
02:27 he had a real walk with God.
02:29 He had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. "
02:34 Now that encourages me about someone I'm going to sit under
02:38 and listen to more than anything.
02:41 All those degrees don't mean anything if it's not backed up
02:45 by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
02:48 You know, people teach what they know
02:50 but they impart what they are.
02:53 And have you ever heard the saying: "More is caught
02:56 than taught? " You know what that means?
02:59 If somebody stands before you and they tell you that they've
03:03 got chickenpox but what they've really got is measles
03:07 what are you going to get? See you get what the person has
03:10 not what the person says.
03:13 And Pastor Shin is the real deal.
03:16 And so today we are going to receive spiritual impartation
03:21 from the Word of God. But before Pastor Shin comes
03:24 our own Pastor John Lomacang is going to come
03:28 and share a beautiful song with us.
03:30 Pastor, if you would come on, please?
03:32 The name of the song is Touch Your People Once Again.
03:36 Pastor Lomacang: I love you and I appreciate you.
03:39 And if you would, pray for us.
03:41 Gracious Father in heaven, as we now continue in Your
03:44 presence, Lord, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come
03:47 and manifest Himself through Your messenger:
03:50 Pastor David Shin.
03:52 We want to uplift Jesus that He might be seen.
03:54 Thank you, Lord, that as we have seen today
03:57 people receive not what we say but what we are.
04:01 And we pray Your anointing once again on this service
04:04 and on Your messenger in Jesus' name, Amen.
04:24 We need wisdom, we need power,
04:28 true love for each other,
04:31 we have had so many big but empty words.
04:37 So we come before Your face
04:42 asking for Your grace
04:45 Bring Your people to a state of kingdom life
04:51 Restore Your church again.
04:55 Touch Your people once again
05:02 with Your precious, holy hand
05:07 we pray
05:09 Let Your kingdom shine upon this earth
05:16 through a living, glorious church.
05:23 Not for temporary deeds
05:30 but to restore authority
05:35 and power...
05:37 Let a mighty, rushing wind
05:41 blow in
05:47 and touch Your people once again.
05:56 Lord, You see Your tired servants
06:00 and Your broken, wounded soldiers...
06:03 oh how much we need Your precious healing hand.
06:10 We need the power of the cross
06:14 as the only source for us
06:17 when we stand facing final battle cries.
06:23 Restore Your church again.
06:27 Touch Your people once
06:31 again
06:34 with Your precious holy hand
06:39 we pray
06:41 Let Your kingdom shine
06:44 upon this earth
06:48 through a living and glorious church.
06:55 Not for temporary deeds
07:02 but to restore authority
07:07 and power...
07:09 Let a mighty, rushing wind
07:13 blow in...
07:19 Touch Your servants once again.
07:27 Let that mighty, rushing wind
07:31 blow in
07:37 and touch Your people
07:39 once
07:42 again.
07:52 Amen!
07:56 Lord, touch Your people once again.
07:59 Thank you Pastor John Lomacang.
08:01 Let's bow our heads together as we pray.
08:05 Our Father in heaven, we pray
08:08 that You would touch Your people once again
08:13 with Your holy hand as we focus on the beauty
08:19 and the glory of the character of God as expressed
08:23 in the model of the sanctuary.
08:26 We pray that You would speak to our hearts.
08:28 Hide me behind the cross.
08:31 May Jesus be uplifted and Christ be seen.
08:35 For we ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen!
08:39 Our topic this morning is the altar of burnt offering.
08:43 And I invite you to open your Bibles to
08:45 Leviticus chapter 1 and verse 3.
08:49 Leviticus is the third book of the Bible
08:52 written by Moses. The entire book of Leviticus
08:55 deals with the sacrificial services of the Old Testament
09:01 sanctuary. And in the first chapter of Leviticus
09:06 verse 3 we have a description
09:10 of an offering called the burnt sacrifice.
09:15 I want to read a few verses in reference to this sacrifice.
09:19 Leviticus chapter 1 verse 3: "If his offering is a burnt
09:23 sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish.
09:29 He shall offer it of his free will
09:32 at the door of the tabernacle of the meeting before the Lord. "
09:36 Verse 8: "Then the priest Aaron's sons shall lay
09:40 the parts - the head, the fat - in order on the wood
09:43 that is on the fire upon the altar.
09:45 He shall wash its entrails and its legs with water
09:49 and the priest shall burn ALL on the altar
09:54 as a burn sacrifice, an offering made by fire,
09:58 a sweet aroma to the Lord. "
10:02 The offering called the burnt offering
10:05 was different than the trespass offering
10:08 or the sin offering or the peace offering.
10:11 The burnt offering was significant because
10:14 all of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar.
10:19 If you read verses 12 and 13...
10:24 let's pick up in verse 12...
10:26 "And he shall cut it in pieces with its head, its fat,
10:29 and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood
10:32 that is on the fire upon the altar. But he shall
10:34 wash the entrails and the legs with water.
10:37 Then the priest shall burn it ALL
10:40 and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt sacrifice...
10:44 an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. "
10:51 You can see that this sacri- fice - the entire offering -
10:56 was burned on the altar.
11:00 This is different than the other sacrifices because
11:03 in many cases part of the animal would go
11:06 to the priest, but in this case
11:09 the entire offering was consumed on the altar.
11:16 In the book Sanctuary Service page 90
11:20 the author makes an application
11:22 of the significance of this sacrifice.
11:26 "The offerer placed himself
11:30 symbolically on the altar...
11:34 his entire life wholly devoted to God. "
11:41 In other words, when the person brought the offering
11:46 to the Lord and it was consumed on the altar
11:49 in a sense he or she was placing himself or herself
11:54 on the altar. Amen!
11:56 And this was an act of total surrender.
12:01 Wholeheartedly giving one's self to God.
12:05 As one person applied, the head represents the mind
12:09 and the intellect. The inwards: the will and the emotions.
12:13 The legs: the conduct and the lifestyle.
12:16 Every element of who we are was sacrificed
12:20 upon the altar. Amen!
12:24 And the person bringing the offering was saying
12:27 "All that I am is Christ's. " Praise God!
12:33 Wholehearted surrender to God.
12:38 There was another sacrifice - another offering - that was
12:42 brought to the Lord, and that is in chapter 2.
12:45 It's called the meal offering or the grain offering.
12:51 Leviticus chapter 2 verses 1 through 3:
12:53 "When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord
12:57 his offering shall be made of fine flour
13:01 and he shall put oil on it and put frankincense on it.
13:04 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests,
13:07 one of whom shall take it from his hands
13:09 full of fine flour and oil and frankincense.
13:12 And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar,
13:17 an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. "
13:20 Verse 3: "The rest of the grain offering shall be
13:23 Aaron's sons. It is most holy of the offerings
13:27 to the Lord made by fire. "
13:29 And in Numbers chapter 15 verses 8 through 10
13:32 it's interesting because with the burnt offering,
13:36 the meal offering or the grain offering
13:38 were many times combined.
13:40 Number 15:8-10: "When you bring a young bull
13:44 as a burnt offering or a sacrifice for a special vow
13:48 or a fellowship offering to the Lord
13:51 bring with the bull a grain offering
13:54 of 3/10 of an Ephah of finest flour mixed with
13:58 1/2 a hin of olive oil
14:00 and also bring 1/2 hin of wine as a drink offering
14:03 this will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. "
14:11 The first sacrifice - the burnt offering -
14:15 all that I am is Christ's.
14:19 The second was the meal offering
14:22 indicating all that I have is Christ's.
14:28 Dr. Leslie Hardinge comments in his book
14:31 "By his burnt offering the worshiper affirmed
14:35 all that I am is Christ's.
14:37 And then on the basis of this dedication
14:41 further declared through his meal offering
14:45 all that I have is Christ's. "
14:49 The two go together.
14:51 We cannot dedicate all that I am
14:54 without saying all that I have as well...
14:58 indicative of total surrender to God.
15:04 I want to invite them to put the slide that we had up here
15:07 last night of the sanctuary up on the screen.
15:11 It's a bird's-eye view of the Mosaic sanctuary.
15:15 And as you enter the sanctuary you will see
15:18 that the first thing that you come to
15:21 is the altar of burnt offering.
15:25 We just heard a wonderful message by Pastor Ivor Myers
15:28 on justification, sanc- tification and glorification.
15:31 It is God's purpose to restore and to bring us all the way
15:35 back. But you can see that as you enter the sanctuary
15:38 the first thing that the person is to do
15:43 in the process that God has in the plan of restoration
15:46 is at the altar of burnt offering. And the foundation
15:52 of this whole process begins with this concept
15:57 and this notion that we call surrender.
16:01 It is consent; it is giving God permission
16:06 and access to intervene in our lives.
16:11 The person comes in and says: "Lord, I surrender.
16:17 All that I am... all that I have is Christ's. "
16:23 Amen. We sing the song
16:27 "All to Jesus I surrender. "
16:32 I can't tell you how many times in ministry
16:35 I've told individuals: "Surrender your life
16:39 to the Lord Jesus. " Easier said than done.
16:46 Just rolls off the tongue... surrender.
16:49 But there is a struggle to surrender. Amen.
16:53 It's not easy to give consent, to trust God with our lives.
16:59 And I want to analyze a little bit
17:04 the struggle of surrender. As we come into the courtyard
17:07 and we say: "Lord, I want to give my heart to you"
17:09 but there's something - an existential struggle -
17:12 that we all go through. And it's described in Romans chapter 7
17:19 verses 14 through 20. I invite you to turn there
17:22 with me as Paul describes in the first person
17:27 this real struggle that we all have internally
17:31 as we struggle to surrender our lives to Jesus.
17:37 Romans chapter 7 verses 14 through 20.
17:44 "For we know that the law is spiritual.
17:46 But I am carnal... sold under sin.
17:50 What I'm doing I do not understand
17:53 for what I will to do that I do not practice.
17:57 But what I hate: that I do.
17:59 If then I do what I will not to do,
18:03 I agree with the law that it is good.
18:05 But it is no longer I who do it but sin who dwells in me.
18:10 But I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing
18:13 good dwells... for to will is present with me
18:16 but how to perform what is good I do not find.
18:20 For the good I will to do I do not do
18:23 but the evil that I will not to do... that I practice.
18:29 Now if I do what I will not to do
18:32 it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me. "
18:37 Wow! What a tongue-twister!
18:41 What is Paul talking about here?
18:45 Paul is talking about a real, existential struggle
18:50 that we all face as long as we're alive on earth.
18:55 This struggle internally between the things that we know
18:58 that we should do but we don't do those things.
19:02 And the things that you hate? That you do.
19:06 Have you ever had something in your life you've said:
19:09 "You know, I'm never going to do that again. "
19:12 "I hate this habit... this addiction. "
19:17 But then you end up falling into it and you abhor yourself
19:21 for doing it. And this is what Paul is describing.
19:23 The things that he hates... that he does!
19:27 And the things that he knows that he should do
19:30 he does not do. Verses 21 through 23:
19:34 "So I find this law at work: although I want to do good
19:39 evil is right there with me for in my inner being
19:43 I delight in God's law.
19:45 But I see another law at work within me waging war
19:48 against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner
19:53 of the law of sin at work within me. "
19:58 It is a struggle to surrender.
20:02 All of us face this internal battle between the flesh -
20:07 which is the carnal nature - and our spiritual nature.
20:11 They are at conflict with one another.
20:17 There is a real battle. And we talk about the great controversy
20:21 above, or outside of us,
20:25 but the Bible also points out
20:28 that there is a great controversy within
20:31 that we all face each and every day.
20:36 Galatians chapter 5 verse 17 Paul describes it again:
20:40 "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit
20:44 and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
20:49 They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do
20:54 whatever you want. "
20:57 We have these two things at war:
20:59 the spirit... which is our con- science, intellect, and reason.
21:03 On the other hand we have the flesh: which is our appetites
21:06 and passions. Adam and Eve in Edenic perfection
21:12 God created man with his higher powers of reason
21:16 and conscience to rule over the lower passions. Amen!
21:21 That was the way that God created us.
21:23 So Adam as he went through the garden he saw a piece of fruit.
21:27 His reason kicked in and he said: "Oh, it's not lunch time"
21:32 and he walked right by.
21:34 After sin this was reversed.
21:40 Not only was it reversed but it was twisted and perverted.
21:44 And God's role in the plan of salvation
21:47 in conversion - which is a change of mind -
21:50 is to re-format the mind so that the higher powers
21:55 of conscience and reason are ruling over the lower
21:59 powers of passion and appetite.
22:02 It is a process. These are in conflict with each other,
22:07 and every person that is born into this world
22:10 struggles with their carnal nature.
22:15 I was working in Los Angeles as a Bible worker
22:19 in South Central. I was there for about 11 weeks.
22:25 We pitched a tent on Florence and Figueroa.
22:27 For those of you that are from Los Angeles you may know
22:30 where that is. Twenty Bible workers; we went door-to-door.
22:33 Saw miracles,
22:36 and I was commissioned to drive a van
22:40 to pick up the contacts that were studying the Bible
22:45 and wanted to come to the evangelistic meetings.
22:47 I drove into Watts with a 15-passenger van.
22:53 I had my window rolled down and I was on a street corner
22:59 waiting for my contacts when a few young people
23:03 walked by. They looked at me.
23:07 They saw that I was of Asian descent.
23:12 And I will not repeat the things that came out of their mouths
23:14 as they saw me there parked on that street corner.
23:17 It had racial innuendos.
23:21 And as a minority growing up in this country
23:23 brought back a lot of baggage I want to tell you.
23:27 And as those young people were spewing these racial slurs
23:33 at me I want to tell you that within me
23:39 there was a feeling that was not positive.
23:47 Anyone else know what I'm talking about here?
23:50 Anyone else human?
23:52 I felt this rage just coming up within me
23:57 like a volcano.
24:01 And it was just coming up within me and I actually asked
24:04 this question: "Why is that there? "
24:07 Here I was doing the Lord's work,
24:10 had accepted Him as my Savior and Lord,
24:13 I had given my life to God that morning... and yet
24:16 here I was on that street corner and all of these negative
24:20 emotions are rising within me.
24:24 And it is at that moment that we need to re-commit
24:29 our lives to Jesus. Amen?
24:31 There is this notion in Christianity that once we accept
24:35 Jesus as our Savior and we're baptized
24:38 we come out the other side and we no longer have to deal with
24:41 the sinful nature any more.
24:43 I wish that was the case. Amen!
24:46 If I remember correctly, I got up the next day
24:49 and the carnal nature was still with me.
24:52 And some people say: "You know, if you struggle with the sinful
24:55 nature, you're not converted. "
24:58 Well friends, that is not what the Bible teaches.
25:03 Now I want to clarify what the Bible teaches
25:05 about the carnal nature. But the carnal nature
25:09 remains with us till glorification.
25:15 Doesn't mean that we have to succumb to the carnal nature.
25:19 That's why the Bible says we must die to self.
25:23 It is a daily process.
25:26 Now in Romans chapter 8 verse 1 here is the good news:
25:32 "There is therefore now no condemnation
25:37 to those that are in Christ Jesus... "
25:40 because they don't have to deal with the sinful nature any more.
25:44 That's not what the Bible says.
25:46 It says: "who do not walk according to the flesh
25:49 but according to the Spirit. "
25:52 Now this is the implication of this verse.
25:56 This verse does not say that after we accept Jesus
25:59 as Savior and Lord the sinful nature is eradicated.
26:04 The implication of this verse is: now, after accepting Jesus,
26:08 we now have the ability to choose
26:12 to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
26:17 In other words, it's still there.
26:19 But God has freed us from the bondage to the carnal nature
26:24 and He gives us the ability to walk in the Spirit
26:28 and not in the flesh.
26:31 I like this notion of prevenient grace.
26:34 What God does when we accept Him as our Savior
26:36 we give Him our will. He vivifies our will.
26:41 He strengthens our will so even our ability to choose
26:45 is grace. It doesn't have any merit
26:50 because it's prevenient grace.
26:54 And God strengthens our will so that we can every single day
27:00 choose to walk in the Spirit
27:04 and not in the flesh. Amen! Praise God
27:08 for the way that He works. So we have this conflict
27:12 within us between the Spirit and the flesh.
27:16 We give God our will; He strengthens our will
27:21 and every day we choose to walk in the Spirit
27:25 and not in the flesh. Amen! And the beauty of sanctification
27:29 is, friends, that we can choose to starve the flesh
27:35 and feed the Spirit. Amen!
27:39 That's why Paul says: "I keep under my body...
27:42 bring it into subjection
27:45 lest having preached to others I myself become a castaway. "
27:49 That is the role: we must put parameters on the flesh.
27:53 That's why we need to be careful
27:54 what we listen to, what we watch, what we eat.
27:59 Because those things can affect how our carnal nature
28:04 responds. Steps to Christ:
28:10 "Many are inquiring: 'How am I to surrender myself
28:15 to God? ' You desire to give yourself to Him
28:19 but you are weak in moral power.
28:22 In slavery to doubt and and controlled by the habits
28:26 of your life your promises and resolutions are like
28:31 ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts,
28:34 your impulses, your affections.
28:36 What you need to understand is the true force of the will.
28:40 This is the governing power in the nature of man:
28:43 the power of decision or of choice.
28:44 Everything depends on the right action of the will.
28:48 The power of choice God has given to man:
28:50 it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart.
28:54 You cannot of yourself give to God its affections
28:58 but you can choose to serve Him.
29:01 You can give Him your will.
29:06 Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control
29:10 of the Spirit of Christ. " Amen!
29:13 This is foundational, friends.
29:15 As you enter the sanctuary, the foundation
29:20 and the continuance of the Christian experience,
29:23 the ground of it is right here: giving God your will.
29:30 Saying: "Lord, help me to be willing
29:34 to be made willing. " Amen!
29:38 I have a confession to make.
29:41 They say that confession is good for the soul.
29:46 Growing up as a young person my parents noticed
29:52 from early childhood and adolescence that I was wired
29:57 in a certain way so that when they placed me in front of the
30:00 television I was mesmerized.
30:06 I became addicted to television.
30:11 It became such an issue and my parents did not have
30:15 the gall or the audacity to get rid of the television
30:18 because we had a very expensive piece there in our living room.
30:23 And they prayed to God and said: "Lord, please help us
30:27 with this television. We don't know what to do.
30:29 Our son is in front of this thing all the time
30:33 and we cannot control it. " We came home one evening -
30:37 Friday night. All the lights were on.
30:41 Doors were open. We had been robbed
30:52 and they took our television.
30:57 I was upset!
31:00 What kind of prayer is that?
31:05 Parents said: "Praise God! "
31:11 Later on I was at Andrews University
31:16 as a youth pastor.
31:19 Saturday night... I was single at the time,
31:24 didn't have much to do, got online and was on eBay.
31:29 Online bidding... and I got into a bidding war
31:32 on something that I did not even want to purchase.
31:35 But the testosterone kicked in. It was Saturday night...
31:38 My higher powers were not working properly
31:42 and as I got into this bidding war the other person
31:45 who I assumed would bid at any minute failed to do so.
31:49 And the clock went to zero and I found that I had bought
31:53 a television. Came in the mail.
31:59 And you know how it begins. I said: "You know what?
32:01 I'm going to watch 3ABN. "
32:06 Praise God for 3ABN!
32:08 I started to watch it, but then I said: "I want to see
32:11 what's on some of the other channels too. "
32:15 Clicked to the news.
32:18 Then a few days later I clicked to something else.
32:22 And it's just like a downhill slope began, and I was watching
32:27 things that were in this gray area that I should not be
32:31 watching. And I'll never forget it. I got up one morning
32:33 and instead of reaching for my Bible
32:37 I reached for the remote.
32:40 And the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said: "David,
32:44 this is going to be a problem.
32:47 It's either the television or Me. "
32:53 Now is surrender easy?
32:56 I said: "Lord, I paid good money for this thing!
33:01 How do You expect me to get rid of this? "
33:03 And I'd rationalize... and for days I could not sleep.
33:06 When we fight with the Holy Spirit it's an internal battle
33:09 because I knew what I SHOULD do
33:11 but my carnal nature said: "I enjoy this thing; I like it. "
33:16 I had absolutely no power to give this thing up.
33:20 I enjoyed it.
33:22 Sometimes we come to the Lord and we're so inauthentic.
33:27 The Lord knows our hearts.
33:29 So I prayed this prayer in Steps to Christ
33:32 and I said: "Lord, I'm going to be honest with You.
33:36 I love television.
33:38 I enjoy it. Frankly, I want to keep it.
33:44 Change my desires. " Amen!
33:47 "Do for me what I'm incapable of doing on my own.
33:51 I surrender. " Amen!
33:55 And somehow by the grace of God
33:58 I got up from my knees and the Lord gave me His
34:04 prevenient grace. Amen!
34:07 That's all He needed... my consent.
34:10 And with the vivified will I got up, grabbed that television,
34:16 put it in a cardboard box,
34:19 and dropped it off at the Community Service Center
34:22 there in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
34:24 Praise God! Amen!
34:28 Now you fill in the blank.
34:30 It may not be television.
34:33 It may be something else... but you know what it is.
34:37 That area in your life that God is calling you
34:41 to place on the altar.
34:44 And you're saying: "Lord... I don't know.
34:46 I want to hang on to this area. "
34:49 And no amount of human will power can enable you to
34:54 do this. It takes supernatural strength, friends.
34:57 And we need the grace of God. And it's in this moment
35:01 of vulnerability that we need to get on our knees
35:04 and say: "Lord, this is the way I feel.
35:08 Change my desires. " Amen!
35:11 "Take my heart, because I can't give it.
35:14 Save me in spite of myself... my weak, unChristlike self.
35:19 Work within me. " Christ Object Lessons says
35:23 that not only at the beginning of the Christian experience
35:26 that this renunciation of self is to be made.
35:29 "At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed.
35:35 All our good works are dependent on a power
35:39 outside of ourselves. " Praise His name!
35:42 "Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out
35:45 of the heart after God... a continual, earnest,
35:49 heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the soul
35:52 before Him. Only by continual renunciation of self
35:57 and dependence on Christ can we walk safely. " Amen!
36:03 You see it's not only at the beginning of the Christian
36:05 experience that we need to surrender.
36:07 But at every step in our process of restoration
36:11 God says: "Are you willing to give up this area of your life?
36:15 Are you willing to give up this area of your life? "
36:18 It's a continual process of surrender...
36:22 a continual battle against self.
36:28 I saw a documentary that broke my heart.
36:34 It was following a group of pilgrims in the Far East
36:40 in Asia that were on this pilgrimage
36:48 and every eight steps
36:53 they would get on their knees
36:56 and go into a full prostration.
37:00 Then they would get up. Eight steps again.
37:04 Full prostration
37:10 in a position. And they would wear these leather aprons,
37:15 these clogs on their hands, because this journey
37:21 would go for 1,200 miles.
37:27 Can you imagine?
37:29 Twelve hundred miles... every eight steps bowing
37:33 in prostration. Because these individuals
37:36 believed that in this pilgrimage they were getting merit.
37:42 It was a way of earning favor.
37:48 And these individuals would go for six months - 1,200 miles -
37:53 six miles a day. I read the account of how sometimes
37:57 they ran out of money so they would have to stop
38:00 their pilgrimage and do odd jobs and then continue it because
38:04 there's a longing within these individuals
38:06 to gain merit... to earn essentially
38:10 their salvation.
38:15 And I want to tell you
38:18 that our surrender to Jesus
38:23 does not earn an iota
38:29 of our salvation or grace.
38:31 It does not merit ANYTHING!
38:34 In other words, we do not lay ourselves on the altar
38:37 to appease deity or to earn merit before God.
38:43 The Bible tells us Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9
38:46 "For by grace you have been saved through faith.
38:49 And it is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God
38:52 not by works so that no one can boast. "
38:55 The Desire of Ages tells us that every false religion
38:59 is grounded on the belief that we can work our way to heaven.
39:05 The beauty of the gospel is that nothing we can ever do
39:10 can pay for or earn merit before God.
39:16 Then why do we surrender?
39:20 In Romans chapter 12- I want to invite you to turn with me
39:23 there - Paul makes a concluding statement
39:28 after he has just given a description of the nature
39:32 of the gospel and what God has done for us.
39:39 In Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 Paul says
39:45 the word therefore.
39:49 Roman 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore... "
39:53 The word therefore is a concluding statement.
39:56 Paul has just gone through the beauty of the gospel:
39:59 justification, sanctification, how we are saved by faith
40:02 through grace in Jesus Christ alone.
40:05 And in Romans 12:1-2 we have the response to grace.
40:11 Romans chapter 12 verse 1: "I beseech you therefore
40:13 brethren by the mercies of God
40:15 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice
40:19 wholly acceptable to God
40:22 which is your reasonable service. "
40:25 In other words, our surrender to God
40:29 is a response to what God has done for us.
40:34 And Paul says that this is "reasonable. "
40:39 In light of all of the mercies of God,
40:43 in light of everything that God has done for us,
40:46 we respond by saying: "Lord, all that I am,
40:51 all that I have is Yours. "
40:56 And Paul says this is "reasonable. "
41:02 We don't do it to earn our salvation.
41:08 We do it in response to what Jesus has done - Amen -
41:13 for us. Amen! How much did God give?
41:16 Steps to Christ page 21:
41:18 "In giving up His Son He has poured out to us
41:23 all heaven in one gift. "
41:32 When I was going through the Seminary
41:35 I switched majors or emphasis from the Master of Divinity
41:40 to the Master of Arts in Theological Studies.
41:42 It sounds the same, but one degree, the Masters in Divinity,
41:47 was subsidized by the North American Division.
41:49 The Master of Arts in Theological Studies was not.
41:52 And this came to an astronomical change in the bill
41:56 that I received at the end of the semester.
41:58 Rather than paying $1,500 a semester
42:01 I was paying almost $1,000 per credit!
42:05 So I'd take one 3-credit class it was almost $3,000!
42:10 There was no way that I could pay the tuition.
42:13 And I received a phone call from my grandfather.
42:16 He called me and said: "David, I pray for you every day.
42:19 I love you. " And he said: "By the way,
42:22 I will be your sponsor. " Amen!
42:28 Every few months I would receive a check in the mail.
42:35 He subsidized my way through grad school.
42:41 And when you are a recipient of something so undeserving
42:47 it does something to you.
42:51 My grandfather can get on the phone right now and say:
42:53 "I need you to do this... please come down"
42:55 I would drop everything and go -
42:58 Amen - because of the grace I received.
43:02 On a quantum level higher we have been blessed, friends.
43:07 Amen! We have been the recipients
43:10 of the mercies of God. Amen! And in response
43:14 and in gratitude to what He has done
43:17 we say: "Lord, here I am. " Amen!
43:21 "All of me I want to give to You. "
43:27 Ministry of Healing 473-474:
43:31 "We are never called upon to make a real sacrifice for God.
43:36 Many things He asks us to yield to Him, but in doing this
43:39 we are but giving up that which hinders us
43:42 in the heavenward way. Even when we are called to surrender
43:46 those things which in themselves are good
43:49 we may be sure that God is working out for us
43:52 something higher. In the future life the mysteries
43:57 that here have annoyed and disappointed us
44:00 will be made plain. We shall see that our seemingly unanswered
44:06 prayers and disappointed hopes
44:09 have been among our greatest blessings. "
44:14 When I was picked up by the Michigan Conference
44:18 I was single.
44:20 When I was ordained by the Michigan Conference
44:23 I was single.
44:26 And friends, it is a challenge being a single pastor...
44:31 especially in a large church there in Berrien Springs.
44:34 At the Village Church I was the youth pastor
44:36 and everyone would try to set me up with people.
44:40 "Have you met so and so? "
44:41 "Let me give you this person's number. "
44:44 And I'll be honest with you: this area of my life
44:47 was an area that I did not want to surrender.
44:51 Because I thought if I gave the Lord the rights to whom
44:54 I am to marry that the Lord may put me with someone that
44:57 may not be pleasing.
45:02 You know what I'm talking about.
45:04 And so I held on, and I was making a mess
45:09 of my life in this area.
45:12 Rejection. Awkwardness.
45:16 All types of just awkward situations.
45:21 And I was coming back from a ministerial meeting
45:25 at Camp Au Sable. I was driving down
45:27 and the person that was presenting talked about prayer
45:30 and surrender. And the Holy Spirit was speaking to my heart.
45:33 I heard the Lord saying to me: "David,
45:35 why is it that you're hanging onto this area of your life? "
45:39 And I said: "You know why, Lord. "
45:45 And the Holy Spirit was speaking to me
45:48 and I said: "Lord, help me be willing to be made willing.
45:53 I don't want to let go
45:56 but I know that You're calling me to surrender. "
45:58 And I prayed this prayer and I said: "Lord,
46:01 I don't want to give this area up
46:03 but help me to do it. "
46:06 And I said: "Lord, even if I'm single for the rest of my life
46:11 I won't like it... but I surrender. "
46:17 And I want to tell you that when I prayed that prayer
46:19 it was like a burden just lifted from my soul.
46:25 And I pulled into town and my phone rang.
46:32 It was a young lady
46:36 who invited me to this get together and so forth.
46:41 And later on she became my wife. Amen!
46:46 Praise God! And it hit me
46:50 that it's not so much the area.
46:53 It's where that place holds on the throne of my heart.
46:58 Amen! And as soon as I said: "Lord, I let go"
47:01 He said: "OK... now you can have this area. "
47:04 God wants to have the place in our hearts:
47:09 the number one position. Yes! Yes Lord!
47:12 And if there's any other area He's not going to share
47:16 the throne, friends. It's either Him or this other entity -
47:21 all right - this other thing.
47:22 God is calling us to surrender.
47:26 Acts of the Apostles 482:
47:30 "But He cannot help us without our consent and cooperation.
47:36 The divine Spirit works through the powers and faculties
47:39 given to man. Of ourselves we are not able to bring
47:44 the purposes and desires and inclinations
47:47 into harmony with the will of God.
47:49 But if we are willing to be made willing
47:53 The Savior will accomplish this for us. "
47:57 Amen! Did you hear that?
48:00 Willing to be made willing. In other words, you can come
48:03 to God and say: "Lord, I'm not even willing.
48:05 Help me to be willing. "
48:08 So many people say: "You know, I'm not going to come to Jesus
48:11 because I don't want to be in... or not authentic. "
48:14 Well, the truism of this is we can never be really authentic.
48:19 Amen! We need to come to God and say: "Lord,
48:21 I love this thing. Help me to hate it. "
48:23 "I'm hanging onto this area of my life; help me to let go. "
48:27 "I don't even desire it. Help me to be willing to be made
48:32 willing by the grace of God. " Amen!
48:37 I want to touch on this notion
48:41 that is a misunderstanding in terms of the gospel
48:48 and it is this: many people assume
48:53 that we must repent before we come to Jesus.
49:00 That repentance is somehow a barrier between us and God.
49:04 And you remember repentance is a sorrow for sin
49:08 and a turning away from it.
49:11 You remember the story of Zacchaeus.
49:13 Jesus was walking through Jericho. He called Zacchaeus
49:16 and said: "Today I must come into and abide in your home. "
49:21 Notice that there were no prerequisites
49:23 for Jesus coming into the home of Zacchaeus.
49:27 Jesus did not say: "Look, I'm going to come to your house
49:29 today but before you do this you need to get some things right. "
49:33 There were no preconditions.
49:35 He said: "I'm going to come to your house. And you remember
49:37 the story. As soon as Jesus came into the house
49:40 of Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus stood up and said: "Lord,
49:43 half of my goods I will give to the poor.
49:46 And if any person I've charged... overcharged
49:49 I will pay them back fourfold. "
49:53 Zacchaeus had experienced repentance.
50:00 I want to read this statement from the book Steps to Christ
50:04 page 26 in terms of repentance.
50:09 "Just here is a point on which many may err
50:15 and hence they fail of receiving the help that Christ desires
50:19 to give them. They think they cannot come to Christ
50:23 unless they first repent and that repentance prepares
50:29 for the forgiveness of their sins.
50:31 But must the sinner wait till he has repented
50:34 before he can come to Jesus?
50:36 Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the sinner
50:39 and the Savior? The Bible does not teach
50:43 that the sinner must repent before he can heed
50:45 the invitation of Christ: 'Come unto Me
50:48 all ye that labor and are heavy laden
50:51 and I will give you rest. ' "
50:55 In other words, we can come to Jesus
50:58 and say: "Lord, I'm not sorry.
51:03 Help me to be sorry. "
51:06 That's the beauty of the gospel.
51:09 We can come to Jesus and say: "Lord, I'm not even sorry for
51:12 what I've done. Matter of fact, I enjoyed it.
51:15 Help me! Give me the gift of repentance. "
51:20 Repentance is not a pre- requisite to coming to Christ.
51:24 It follows coming to Jesus.
51:26 So God is at the door of the sanctuary. He says: "Just come
51:30 just the way that you are.
51:32 You don't have to repent before you come to Me.
51:35 As a matter of fact, you cannot repent before you come to Me. "
51:39 I can't tell you how many young people have said:
51:41 "You know what? I don't even feel sorry.
51:43 I want to come to God. " Well I have news for you, friends.
51:45 The Bible says repentance is a gift.
51:48 You can only come to Christ and receive the gift
51:52 of repentance. It is not something that is keeping you
51:55 from God. It is something that God wants to give
51:58 each and every one of us. Acts chapter 5 verse 31:
52:01 "Him hath God exalted with His right hand
52:04 to be a prince and a Savior for to give repentance
52:09 to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. "
52:13 God longs to give us repentance.
52:19 And repentance begins at the altar of burnt offering.
52:25 Amen! Steps to Christ page 28:
52:30 "You who in heart long for something better
52:36 than this world can give
52:38 recognize this longing as the voice of God
52:43 to your soul. "
52:47 How many times have we in the quietness of our own hearts...
52:53 I can remember distinctly before I came to Jesus
52:56 after a good time out with friends
52:59 or the pleasures of this world I would come back home
53:04 and there was an emptiness inside.
53:07 A void... an inner ache of loneliness.
53:12 We all know what that is. And Blaise Pascal says
53:15 there's a God-shaped hole in our hearts that only He can fill.
53:19 And you can see it. In society today people with
53:23 a lot of money, people with a lot of fame,
53:25 are trying to fill this void with all types of addictions
53:29 and novelties, but it seems like it is a bottomless pit.
53:33 The more they try to fill it the emptier and the emptier
53:36 that they get. Steps to Christ tells us
53:40 that this longing is the voice of God to our souls
53:46 telling us that it is only the Desire of the Ages
53:50 that can fill that void within our hearts.
53:53 He is drawing us; He is appealing to us.
53:57 And she goes on by saying: "Ask Him to give you
54:01 repentance. To reveal Christ to you in His infinite love
54:07 in His perfect purity.
54:11 Ask Him to give you repentance.
54:19 What brings us to repentance?
54:22 Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Savior dying
54:26 for the sins of the world. And as we behold the Lamb of God
54:30 upon the cross of Calvary
54:32 the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds
54:35 and the goodness of God leads us to repentance.
54:40 In dying for sinners Christ manifested a love
54:43 that is incomprehensible.
54:45 And as the sinner beholds this love
54:49 it softens the heart, impresses the mind,
54:52 and inspires contrition in the soul. "
54:57 Friends, we need to uplift Jesus. Amen!
55:01 And as we uplift Jesus His righteousness,
55:06 His beauty, His glory,
55:08 the cross, and the sacrifice that He made for each one of us
55:13 we are told that there's something that happens
55:18 within all of us. And as we see the goodness of God
55:23 it leads us to repentance.
55:28 Repentance is grace, friends.
55:30 Repentance is not a barrier.
55:33 Romans chapter 2 and verse 4:
55:35 "Or do you not despise the riches of His goodness,
55:40 forbearance, longsuffering, not knowing that
55:44 the goodness of God leads you to repentance? "
55:50 Jesus is there, friends, at the door of the sanctuary
55:53 saying: "Come just as you are. "
56:01 I want to conclude by reading this statement from the book
56:04 Steps to Christ. "If you see your sinfulness,
56:08 do not wait to make yourself better.
56:12 How many there are who think they are not good enough to come
56:14 to Christ. Do you expect to become better through your own
56:18 efforts? Can the Ethiopian change his skin
56:22 or the leopard his spots?
56:24 Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil.
56:28 There is help for us only in God.
56:31 We must not wait for stronger persuasions,
56:36 for better opportunities, for holier tempers.
56:40 We can do nothing of ourselves.
56:43 We must come to Christ just as we are. "
56:50 Praise His holy name! Amen!
56:52 We must come to Christ just as we are.
56:55 But the beauty of the gospel is
56:58 even though we come just as we are
57:00 we do not leave just the way that we came.
57:04 Amen! It is grace that transforms.
57:07 And the Bible tells us: "If any man be in Christ,
57:10 he is a new creation.
57:12 Old things are passed away;
57:14 all things are become new. " And it is my prayer today
57:18 that the God that started this work in us
57:22 will be faithful and true to complete it in us.
57:27 Let us let the Lord complete this process. Amen?


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Revised 2019-11-27