Participants: Hiram Rester
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000074
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:17 His Character Counts with Hiram Rester. 00:21 Hello and welcome to Anchors Of Truth right here 00:24 at the 3ABN worship facility. 00:28 Thank you for joining us as you do each and every day 00:30 from around the world. 00:32 Thank you for your love and your prayers and financial support 00:34 of 3ABN, as we endeavor to take this great undiluted 00:38 three angels messages into all the world. 00:41 For those if you who have been watching, you know 00:43 our pastor and evangelist, Brother Hiram Rester. 00:47 And we're so thankful that he could be here. 00:50 But today we have something special. 00:52 He doesn't know this is planned. 00:53 I'm going to ask you at home and those in the audience, 00:56 I want you to sing a special song. 00:58 But I want Pastor John, if you are over here, I'd like you to 01:01 bring out Pastor Hiram. 01:03 And Dr. Yvonne Lewis, if you're over here, 01:06 I want you to come on out. 01:08 And we've got something special. 01:10 Now you follow after me, okay? 01:13 Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. 01:20 Happy birthday dear pastor. 01:25 Happy birthday to you. 01:31 Alright now, you want to tell us how many, 01:33 or is that just a guess thing we're going to do? 01:36 No. 01:38 Okay well listen, it could be worse, because Dr. Lewis 01:42 is having her birthday tomorrow and I said, 01:45 "Hey, you guys are about the same age." 01:47 Or something like that. 01:48 And he laughed, and she said, "Why did you laugh?" 01:52 And he said, "Because I thought you were only 29," or something. 01:55 He got out of it, anyway. 01:57 You know how you do. 01:59 Thank you, pastor. God bless. 02:01 Dr Lewis, while you're here, we appreciate you. 02:04 Those of you who know Yvonne Lewis, she's the manager of 02:07 our Dare To Dream network that's reaching the inner cities 02:11 around America and around the world. 02:12 We appreciate so much what you're doing 02:15 and we appreciate your music. 02:17 And what are you singing for us today? 02:19 In Christ Alone. 02:20 Alright, love it. Thank you. 02:39 In Christ alone my hope is found; 02:45 He is my light, my strength, my song. 02:50 This Cornerstone, this solid ground; 02:55 firm through the fiercest drought and storm. 03:00 What heights of love, what depths of peace; 03:05 when fears are stilled and strivings cease. 03:11 My Comforter, my All in All; 03:16 here in the love of Christ I stand. 03:29 In Christ alone who took on flesh; 03:35 fullness of God in a helpless Babe. 03:39 This gift of love and righteousness; 03:45 scorned by the ones He came to save. 03:50 Still, on that cross as Jesus died, 03:55 the wrath of God was satisfied. 04:00 For every sin on Him was laid; 04:06 here in the death of Christ I live. 04:30 There in the ground His body lay; 04:37 light of the world by darkness slain. 04:42 Then bursting forth in glorious day; 04:47 up from the grave He rose again. 04:52 And as He stands in victory; 04:58 sin's curse has lost its grip on me. 05:03 For I am His and He is mine; 05:08 bought with the precious blood of Christ. 05:21 No guilt in life, no fear in death; 05:27 this is the power of Christ in me. 05:32 From a life's first cry to final breath; 05:37 Jesus commands my destiny. 05:42 No power in hell, no scheme of man, 05:47 can ever pluck me from His hand. 05:55 Till He returns to take me home, 06:00 here in the power of Christ I stand. 06:06 No power of hell, no scheme of man, 06:11 can ever pluck me from His hand. 06:21 Here in the power of Christ 06:30 I stand. 06:44 Amen, thank you Dr. Lewis. What a blessing. 06:47 In Christ alone. 06:49 What a powerful thought for us today as we get into the Word. 06:52 I would like to invite you to open your Bibles to the book 06:56 of Matthew chapter 26, as we get into our message today 07:01 in the series, His Character Counts. 07:05 The message title for this topic is, The Crowd At The Cross. 07:13 The Crowd At The Cross. 07:15 Would you seek the Lord with me once again 07:17 in prayer as we get into our message here today. 07:23 Let us pray. 07:26 Loving Father, we come before You thanking You 07:30 for Your mercy, Your grace, and Your love. 07:34 Lord, we thank You that with chords of loving kindness, 07:39 that You draw us. 07:41 And that Your goodness leads us to repentance. 07:46 Lord, as we think of how good You are to us and to everyone, 07:52 those of us who do not deserve it, for none of us do, 07:56 Lord help us to be changed from the inside out, and in gratitude 08:00 be drawn to You because of the beauty of Your loving character, 08:05 and choose to serve You here and now, and forever. 08:09 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 08:14 Matthew chapter 26, as we begin for our message here today, 08:20 The Crowd At The Cross. 08:26 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 08:32 paid their tithe, 08:36 and crucified their Savior. 08:41 There was a leader in a position of judgment 08:47 that said, "This is a just man. 08:54 I find no fault in Him. 08:58 Take Him and crucify Him." 09:02 And there were soldiers who put a crown upon a man's head, 09:06 a kingly robe on His back, 09:10 a supposed scepter in His hand, 09:13 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 09:18 The cross of Christ. 09:22 Where God showed His best and man showed his worst. 09:30 The sinful character of man is most clearly seen at the cross. 09:35 The selfish hateful character of Satan is also most 09:40 clearly seen there that day. 09:44 But the others-centered selfless love of a Savior 09:51 who would die for His enemies, each and every one of them, 09:56 that would put those that hate Him above Himself, 10:00 is seen there that day too. 10:05 Oh what love is this, that we're drawn to such a loving God. 10:11 Oh my soul, oh my soul, what love is this. 10:15 My friends, His character counts. 10:18 At the cross, we see a group of perhaps thousands crying, 10:22 "Crucify Him." 10:26 But we hear a Savior on the cross responding, 10:31 "Father, forgive them." 10:36 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 10:39 paid their tithe, 10:43 and crucified their Savior. 10:46 Matthew 26 and verse 59, we read here, it says, 10:49 "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, 10:53 sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death; 10:57 but found none. 10:59 Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. 11:03 At the last came two false witnesses and said, 11:07 'This fellow said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God, 11:09 and to build it in three days."' 11:11 And the high priest arose and said unto Him, 11:15 'Answerest thou nothing? 11:18 What is it which these witness against thee?' 11:22 But Jesus held His peace. 11:26 And the high priest answered and said unto Him, 'I adjure thee 11:30 by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be 11:34 the Christ, the Son of God.'" 11:40 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 11:45 paid a faithful tithe, 11:49 and crucified their Savior. 11:54 They were all about keeping the law 11:58 while they tried to get rid of the One who gave the law. 12:04 You see, they hated Jesus in part because He had new ideas 12:13 about old teachings. 12:16 They weren't really new ideas, but to them they were. 12:19 They were ancient perfect principles 12:23 about who God was at His very core. 12:26 But because they pictured God differently, 12:30 and their distorted view; they had been deceived, you see. 12:34 Satan is constantly trying to have his attributes 12:38 projected on the people's picture of what God is. 12:43 And as they view God as hard and stern, 12:49 and while they would claim He was loving, yet unloving 12:52 at the same time, they began to become the way 12:56 they thought God was. 13:00 And with those false wrong ideas of who God was, 13:04 they then are not ready to accept the God-man Himself. 13:11 He was radically different. 13:13 Jesus was the most radical teacher that the 13:16 world has ever seen. 13:18 And they rose up against Him. 13:20 And they crucified the Redeemer for religion. 13:26 The Christ for their cause. 13:30 He showed them love and they had only hate to give. 13:38 Those who lived, it would seem, to keep the law 13:44 killed the One who gave the law. 13:48 They did not realize that at the heart of it all 13:51 is love to God and love to others. 13:56 In fact, they thought the law was more important, 14:00 their outward conformity to it, their false view of it, 14:05 than how you relate to other people. 14:08 But, my friends, you can't separate the two 14:10 scripturally speaking. 14:12 Because how you treat other people is the root of the law, 14:17 the undergirding of the truth in love. 14:21 "Love thy neighbor as thyself." 14:29 The leaders, the priests, the ones who sacrificed lambs 14:35 for the people, led the people toward the sacrifice 14:41 of the Lamb of God. 14:44 They bought Him for thirty pieces of silver 14:50 as He purchased them with His own precious blood. 14:57 What a contrast. 15:00 What powerful love is this? 15:03 What is the value of a soul? 15:07 What is the value of your soul? 15:10 We see the loving character of God brought out, 15:14 and how God relates to the sinner and how He would have 15:18 come and laid down His life for just one. 15:23 The value of a soul. 15:25 I've shared with you before. 15:28 When I was 16 years old, I had a bad automobile accident. 15:32 I went head first through the windshield of the car. 15:36 147 stitches from here to here. 15:39 Plastic surgery. 15:41 I sometimes joke, I thought they could have 15:43 done better with that. 15:45 But my mom gave then a picture of what I looked like 15:47 before the accident instead of a better looking person. 15:50 And so this is what I have to work with. 15:57 But as a result of that accident, not only did it 16:00 become providential in my family learning more about 16:03 Bible truth, and I've shared that with you previously, 16:06 but it also resulted in my dad having to 16:09 buy himself another car. 16:12 It was his car I had wrecked on the first day of spring break 16:16 when I was 16 years old. 16:20 And it meant I was not going to get a car of my own 16:25 any time soon. 16:26 Because, you know, we don't just buy multiple cars as a family. 16:29 We're not loaded, so to speak. 16:33 And so he said, "Son, I'm going to have to buy 16:34 myself another car. 16:35 So, you know, I was getting ready to try to help 16:37 you get one, but no, can't do that now." 16:40 And so he bought himself another car. 16:42 And then I got a job at the age of 16 at Piggly Wiggly. 16:47 Actually already had the job before the car wreck. 16:50 But after mom and dad taking me to work and picking me up, 16:54 sometimes as late as ten or eleven at night, 16:57 they started thinking, "You know, we really need to get him 17:00 a way to get to and from the grocery store where he works." 17:06 I said, "Dad, I really have to have something to drive." 17:10 And I saw him look down at the barn kind of wistfully. 17:13 There was an old Ford truck, with stuff piled in the back 17:16 of it, that had not run regular for a long time. 17:22 He said, "Son, we're just going to have to 17:23 fix up that old Ford for you." 17:27 It was probably old when my mom drove it back and forth 17:30 to the doctor when she was pregnant with me. 17:33 To me, at the age of 16, it seemed ancient. 17:37 The floorboards were rusted and you could 17:39 see the ground beneath. 17:42 In fact, where it sat, a weed had successfully grown up 17:45 through the floorboard and into the cab. 17:50 And I'm thinking, "Wow, this could be a challenge." 17:55 I went down there and began to work on it and to clean it out. 17:58 And we got a starter put on it. 18:00 Thankfully, you could buy a rebuilt starter for an 18:03 old Ford 250 at that time really cheap. 18:06 Because it had a problem with the flywheel and it would 18:09 eat a starter about every three months. 18:12 There were many times I parked it on a hill to pop it into gear 18:16 because the starter was broke. 18:17 I would get it rolling and put it in second, 18:20 and pop the clutch. 18:21 Vroom, vroom, vroom, you know. 18:23 That was my first vehicle. 18:25 It wouldn't go fast enough to have the wreck I had in the car. 18:29 And for that, my parents were thankful. 18:32 I got sheet metal and I put sheet metal on the floorboards 18:36 so that you couldn't see the ground beneath you 18:38 as you drove any long. 18:40 And it really looked hodge podge. 18:43 But as I continued to work on it, I started thinking, 18:46 "Yea, this is getting nicer." 18:48 It had sheet metal screwed on the floor. 18:51 But I thought it was looking good. 18:52 I had worked on it, I got it fixed up. 18:56 Well, finally the time came where I was going to have 19:02 potentially, I thought, some dates. 19:05 You know, take a girl out to eat or something. 19:07 Go to the mall. 19:12 I realized, as proud as I was of my truck, 19:16 that the girls were not the least bit impressed 19:20 with this old pickup. 19:21 So I went back to my dad. 19:23 "Dad, I've got to get something different. 19:25 I've got to have something I can take a girl out in." 19:28 And he didn't really seem to think that 19:30 it was all that urgent. 19:32 And I'm like, "Dad, surely, come on. 19:33 You're not that old, dad. 19:35 I mean, you know what I'm dealing with here. 19:38 I mean, you've got to help me here, pa." 19:39 I'm pleading to my father. 19:41 And he said, "Okay, you've got a job. 19:44 Here's what we'll do. 19:45 We'll sell that old truck. 19:47 We'll take what you get from it, we'll put it toward 19:50 another vehicle, and you can get a little note down at the bank. 19:53 And you can start building credit and pay off a vehicle. 19:56 So that's what we'll do. How does that sound?" 19:58 And I said, "Oh, thank you. 19:59 Thank you, thank you, thank you. 20:00 How much do we sell the truck for?" 20:03 He said, "Well, I don't know. 20:05 Go by the bank, okay, tomorrow on the way home from school 20:08 and go in and talk to this lady and tell her that you want her 20:11 to look up the Blue Book value of the truck. 20:14 And it's a little book, it tells you what the truck is worth. 20:17 And then that's what we'll sell it for." 20:19 Okay, so I go by the bank and I walk in. 20:22 I ask for the lady he told me to ask for. 20:24 It's a small town, right? 20:25 Most folks know each other. 20:27 And she gets out the book, she said, "Hiram, I'll be 20:31 glad to look that up for you." 20:32 And she opens up the book and she said, 20:35 "Okay, it's Ford." "Yea." 20:36 "Okay, what kind?" "250." 20:38 "Okay, what year?" 20:40 And I told her, and she goes... 20:44 "The book doesn't go back that far." 20:49 I said, "So what's the truck worth?" 20:51 She said, "Well, I don't know." 20:53 So I go home and I ask my dad, "What is the truck worth?" 20:58 And he said something that didn't really seem all that 21:00 profound to me at that time. 21:02 In fact, it was rather frustrating at that time. 21:04 But the words have stuck in my memory all this time. 21:08 He said, "Son, it's worth whatever someone is 21:12 willing to pay you for it." 21:16 That is really the value of anything. 21:18 Yes or no? 21:20 So how valuable are you? 21:22 How valuable is a lost soul? 21:24 How valuable is the harlot or the drunkard? 21:31 Or the Pharisee? 21:34 They're worth the price that someone was willing to pay. 21:41 And while they, the religious people of that day, 21:44 purchased Jesus for thirty pieces of silver 21:49 he was paying for them with His own precious blood. 21:56 Oh my. 21:58 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 22:01 paid their tithes, 22:03 and crucified their Savior. 22:06 They wanted a Messiah to come and free them 22:10 from their hated Romans. 22:12 And when their Messiah came, they begged the Romans 22:15 to nail Him to a tree. 22:19 Oh my. 22:21 When asked if this Jesus, the King of kings 22:26 and Lord of lords, was their King, they said, 22:28 "We have not king but Caesar." 22:34 This is so serious, my friends. 22:35 They had a bad picture of what God was like. 22:41 And they had become more and more, through the practice 22:45 of bad religion, what they thought God was like. 22:51 They had become self righteous and self centered. 22:56 And they were critical and stern. 22:58 And the principles of others-centered love that 23:02 Jesus came to teach were absolutely foreign to them. 23:09 Oh my. 23:11 This church that kept the Sabbath, paid their tithes, 23:14 and crucified their Savior. 23:15 There also was a leader among the crowd at the cross, 23:20 you might say, in a position of judgment 23:25 who said, "This is a just Man. 23:28 I find no fault in Him. 23:32 Take Him and crucify Him." 23:36 Pilate was in a very unique position. 23:40 We'll talk about that in just a moment. 23:42 Matthew 27 verse 17. 23:45 "Therefore when they were gathered together, 23:47 Pilate said unto them, 'Whom will ye that I release unto you? 23:53 Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?' 23:57 For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him." 24:03 Now, for those of you that have studied the sanctuary, 24:05 I'm not going to get into this today, it's just kind of 24:08 a passing thought, but do you consider that perhaps Barabbas 24:13 being released here has a type or antitype dealing with the 24:19 scapegoat in the sanctuary that would be let go; 24:23 one would die and one would be released? 24:25 Just hang that on a hook in your mind for study some other time. 24:28 It's not really in line with our message today. 24:30 But every time I read over it, I think of that. 24:32 So it just comes out. 24:35 Verse 19, "When he was set down on the judgment seat..." 24:39 The what seat? 24:41 "...judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, 24:43 'Have thou nothing to do with that just man. 24:45 For I have suffered many things this day in a 24:48 dream because of Him.'" 24:51 Now, Matthew 27 and verse 20, "But the chief priests and 24:54 elders persuaded the..." Who? 24:58 The multitude, the crowd. 25:00 We're talking about the crowd at the cross. 25:03 "But the chief priests and elders..." 25:05 This is the church folks, the church leaders. 25:07 "...persuaded the multitude," the crowd, "that they 25:10 should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus." 25:14 Verse 21, "The governor answered and said unto them, 25:16 'Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?' 25:21 They said, 'Barabbas.'" 25:25 Verse 22, "Pilate saith unto them, 'What shall I do then 25:28 with Jesus which is called Christ?' 25:30 They all say unto him, 'Let Him be crucified.' 25:37 And the governor said, 'Why, what evil hath He done?' 25:41 But they cried out the more, saying, 'Let Him be crucified.' 25:47 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but rather 25:50 that a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands 25:53 before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of 25:56 this just person: see ye to it.'" 25:59 In other words, "Go do it." 26:02 There was a leader in a position of judgment 26:04 who said, "This is a just man. 26:07 I find no fault in Him. 26:11 Take Him and crucify Him." 26:14 Pilate was in a very unique position. 26:17 He judged the One who will judge him. 26:26 He had opportunity to stand for the right, 26:32 but he willingly chose to compromise Christ for the crowd. 26:41 He could have been a leader, instead he became 26:44 one of history's losers. 26:47 He could have exercised courage, 26:50 but instead he chose to compromise. 26:55 Pilate offered the crowd Jesus or Barabbas. 27:02 The Master or the murderer? 27:06 He washed his hands in the water, 27:10 but it did not cleanse his heart. 27:16 He said it was not on him, but he was the one responsible. 27:20 And with authority comes responsibility. 27:27 He said the death of Jesus was not on his hands, 27:30 but he knew what was right. 27:33 But he compromised for the crowd. 27:39 He's someone who said one thing and did another. 27:45 There was a leader who said, "This is a just man. 27:48 I find no fault in Him. 27:50 Take Him and crucify Him." 27:52 There were soldiers who put a crown upon a man's head, 27:57 a kingly robe on His back, a scepter in His hand, 28:02 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 28:10 They placed a crown upon Jesus, 28:14 but did not make Him their King. 28:19 They adorned Him in kingly attire, 28:23 but they were only pretending. 28:29 They issued words of praise to Jesus, 28:35 but they did not mean what they said. 28:39 These were words of a mockery. 28:44 They knelt before Him as myriads of holy angels had done 28:51 from eternity past. 28:54 But it was only pretend. 28:59 They pretended to worship Jesus. 29:07 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, paid their tithes, 29:10 and crucified their Savior. 29:12 There was a leader in a position of judgment 29:14 who said, "This is a just man, I find no fault in Him. 29:17 Take Him and crucify Him." 29:19 There were soldiers who put a crown upon a man's head, 29:21 a kingly robe on His back, a scepter in His hand, 29:24 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 29:27 I'm kind of glad it doesn't end there. 29:29 I'm very glad it doesn't end there. 29:31 And there was a Savior, beaten and rejected, 29:37 who died for them all. 29:41 Oh, that's right, my friends. 29:44 Jesus, who left the heights of heaven above 29:49 and came down from His glory down to a lowly manger, 29:56 He left the adoration of the angels for the scorn of mankind. 30:06 From the incarnation to the cross, 30:11 beyond that, from creation to revelation, 30:15 we see the care, the compassion, the love, the goodness, 30:24 the grace and mercy of our God revealed in Christ Jesus. 30:32 This next part is a universal principle that was shared 30:37 with me some months back by my conference president 30:40 in the Iowa-Missouri Conference; Elder Dean Coridan. 30:45 This is a very important principle. 30:47 It really got my attention when I saw it. 30:50 And that is, that relationship, 30:53 relationship almost always follows commitment. 30:59 But in our society today, people want relationship 31:03 without... What? Commitment. 31:06 It is shallow, it is weak. 31:09 It's likely not to last because relationship almost always 31:14 follows commitment. 31:15 You have people shacking up. 31:17 One person starts talking about getting more serious, 31:19 the other one doesn't like it; packs their bags, moves out. 31:23 And so it goes. 31:26 But you have in society arranged marriages 31:29 were the commitment is 100% solid before 31:34 the relationship begins. 31:36 "We're committed to life. 31:37 Now let's build a relationship here." 31:40 And there's a lower divorce rate than in our western culture 31:45 with courtship and marriage. 31:46 Isn't that intriguing. 31:48 Now I kind of tell folks that my wife, Libby, and I 31:50 had an arranged marriage. 31:52 I'm not really serious about that when I say it, but 31:55 you know, kind of. 31:58 You see, her dad came and did evangelistic meetings 32:00 in south Mississippi. 32:02 I was not yet officially an Adventist Christian yet. 32:05 We were attending the church doing Bible studies, 32:07 helping build the church down there. 32:09 It was a new church building at the time down 32:12 on the coast of Mississippi; 32:14 the Gulf Coast Seventh-day Adventist Church. 32:17 And we were helping build it. 32:18 And this evangelist came to town to do meetings; Steve DeLong. 32:22 He did a great job with the meetings. 32:23 I sang in his meetings special music, and helped. 32:27 And they didn't realize we weren't church members. 32:29 We got down to the end of the meetings and when we decided 32:31 to get baptized, my family; my mom and dad, 32:34 my little brother, my little sister was too young, 32:36 and we all got baptized, they were surprised to learn that 32:38 we weren't members already. 32:40 Because we were there for everything, right? 32:43 But in the course of that, I'd gotten to know this evangelist 32:46 and his wife and their son, Trent. 32:48 Great people, had a wonderful time with them. 32:51 And I was learning so much in the evangelistic meetings, 32:54 the prophecy seminar. 32:55 The dynamic preaching of the Word of God, 32:58 the three angel's messages. 32:59 And it was changing my life. 33:01 But their daughter, Libby, was not with them. 33:04 She was away at Weimar College out in California. 33:09 And near the end of the meetings, her mom 33:12 showed me, she goes, "You ought to meet my daughter." 33:15 She started pulling out pictures of Libby and showing them. 33:19 And I, you know, I liked what I saw. 33:21 And I thought, "Okay. This would be alright." 33:24 But, you know, then the meeting was over 33:26 and these folks left town. 33:29 I didn't know if I'd ever see them again. 33:31 Come Christmas time... 33:32 This was August, September. 33:34 Christmas time, she was home from school in 33:37 California to Tennessee, and they drove down 33:41 to south Mississippi to visit. 33:43 I didn't think that was odd. 33:45 I was, you know, just coming into the church 33:48 and this was my first... 33:49 Well, I'd been to meetings with Brian McMahon three years before 33:53 with Amazing Facts and he did a phenomenal job. 33:56 But I'd just had the car accident and I was at a 33:59 different place in my life. 34:00 And I left there, it started me studying, but I left there 34:04 thinking, these Adventists are good people, but 34:06 they don't eat anything that taste good and they go to 34:09 church on the wrong day. 34:10 So I had to study for a while. 34:13 And so, finally they came down to visit. 34:18 They brought Libby with them. 34:20 I didn't realize how unusual it is for an evangelist, 34:23 on his time off, to go back and visit with his whole family 34:28 where he had evangelistic meetings that year. 34:30 After ten and a half years of evangelism, I know 34:32 how rare it is now. 34:34 It doesn't happen. 34:36 You know, we always love to go back, but that's not 34:38 your vacation destination typically. 34:41 Unless you held your meeting in Hawaii, or something. 34:43 Then, sure. 34:44 But they brought Libby down. 34:47 And I went and I gave Steve, her dad, a big hug. 34:50 And Sue a big hug, her mom. And Trent a big hug. 34:53 And then she's standing there, 34:54 so I just hug her too as I meet her. 34:56 I thought that worked. 34:57 And anyway, we hit it off that day. 35:02 I didn't know anything about Adventist courtship and, 35:06 you know, taking it extremely slow. 35:10 And when he caught me kissing her on the back porch 35:12 that night, her dad that is, I think he began to have 35:18 second thoughts about this arrangement that he had set up. 35:23 But anyway, long story short, we're married. 35:27 We have three precious kids. 35:31 And if there's ever any issue with the in-laws, 35:35 I just say, "Hey, you know, you all brought her down. 35:37 You all introduced her to me. And here we are." 35:41 So I say we kind of had an arranged marriage, 35:43 but that's not really an arranged marriage. 35:45 But commitment and relationship go together. 35:48 And with those real arranged marriages, 35:51 they actually have a lower divorce rate than through 35:54 courtship and marriage today. 35:56 I'm not saying that I'm advocating that. 35:58 I'm just saying there is a correlation between 36:03 commitment and relationship. 36:08 Now let's think about this for just a moment. 36:10 What is the highest form of human relationship? 36:16 Help me out here. 36:18 Okay, you jumped right to it. Marriage. 36:21 The spouse, husband and wife, relationship. 36:24 Highest relationship under heaven, okay. 36:28 Now that makes sense. 36:31 There needs to be a high commitment. 36:33 What is the highest commitment you're going to make 36:35 to anyone on this earth? 36:40 Apart from our relationship with God, you know, 36:43 "till death do us part." 36:45 Highest relationship, highest commitment. 36:49 Okay, there's something there. 36:52 Okay, what is the lowest relationship you're likely 36:55 to have with anybody here on earth? 37:00 Is it going to be like Danny and the guy he ran into in Chicago 37:03 that acted like he knew him for a minute, but really didn't? 37:06 The person you don't know, is that the lowest relationship? 37:14 What is a lower relationship than that? 37:19 Stranger? Okay. 37:20 But what's a lower relationship, 37:21 believe it or not, than a stranger? 37:23 Because you typically have neutral feelings 37:24 toward a stranger. 37:28 An enemy. 37:29 That would be a lower relationship. 37:32 Right? 37:34 Now, how did Jesus then relate to those that were enemies? 37:43 You see, if you want to change the relationship, 37:47 you raise the commitment. 37:52 Now it's not always going to work, because love does not 37:55 force and you can't make people respond. 37:57 And God doesn't either. 37:58 But to those of us who are in rebellion to God, 38:02 God responds by raising the bar to the highest level. 38:08 Look with me in John 15:13, would you. 38:11 John chapter 15 and verse 13. 38:14 It says this, John 15 verse 13, "Greater love..." 38:19 John 15:13, I'll give you a minute to get there. 38:21 Sorry. John 15 and verse 13. 38:23 "Greater love hath no man than this; 38:28 that a man lay down his life for his friends." 38:32 So what's the highest commitment that you could have? 38:36 Someone giving their life. 38:39 And it says, "Greater love hath no man than this; 38:42 that someone lay down their life for a friend." 38:45 But with this thought in mind, go with me to 38:46 Romans 5, would you. 38:48 Romans chapter 5. 38:50 We look here in Romans chapter 5 verse 6. 38:55 Romans 5 and verse 6. 38:57 It says, "For when we were yet without strength, 39:01 in due time Christ died," the highest commitment, 39:06 "for the..." Who? 39:08 "...ungodly," lowest relationship. 39:11 You say, "Really?" Because, yea, in verse 10. 39:13 We'll get there in a minute. 39:14 It refers to us that we were considered 39:17 His enemies at that point. 39:20 You say, "What? He considered us His enemies?" 39:22 My friends, Jesus loves His enemies as much 39:26 as He does His friends. 39:29 We were enemies because of the rebellion in our heart, 39:32 not because of His attitude toward us. 39:37 He died, raised the bar to the highest commitment, 39:42 for the ungodly; the sinner. 39:47 "For scarcely," verse 7, "for a righteous man will one die: 39:52 yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 39:57 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, 40:00 while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 40:13 "How much more then, being now justified by His blood, 40:18 we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 40:26 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God 40:30 by the death of His Son, how much more, being reconciled, 40:34 we shall be saved by His life." 40:38 My friends, His death saves us. 40:40 But, my friends, His life changes us. 40:43 Have you looked at the way Jesus related to everyone that He met? 40:48 Now Jesus was no pushover. 40:50 He was very much, very much, straight. 40:57 Jesus never lowered His personal standards. 41:03 He never let people run over the message He was trying to share. 41:09 But He was always loving. 41:14 And even for the people attacking Him, 41:17 did what was best for them. 41:21 He was seeking to reach them with the gospel. 41:26 They come at Him. 41:28 And as He hung there between heaven and earth, 41:30 an old song from the Baptist church I grew up singing, 41:33 "He could have called ten thousand angels 41:36 to destroy the world and set Him free. 41:38 He could have called ten thousand angels, 41:40 but He died alone for you and me." 41:45 My friends, they came at Him to kill Him. 41:48 And no, they didn't kill Him, He laid down His life. 41:50 But, my friends, they came at Him as enemies with hostility. 41:56 And what did He do? 41:57 He laid down His life. 42:00 And, my friends, you read in the Scriptures, 42:02 it didn't change them all. 42:05 But did it change some of them? 42:09 It did. 42:10 He did not exercise power over. 42:13 He did not dominate. 42:14 When He had all the power of heaven, He washed feet. 42:20 That's the character of my God. 42:23 In fact, look with me, would you now, in Matthew chapter 5. 42:27 Jesus countered the lowest relationship, an enemy, 42:31 with the highest commitment. 42:33 He loved His enemies to the point, He died for them. 42:39 Matthew chapter 5. 42:41 Let's not forget there was a church that kept the Sabbath, 42:44 that paid their tithe, and crucified their Savior. 42:47 There was a leader in a position of judgment 42:50 who said, "This is a just man, I find no fault in Him. 42:53 Take Him and crucify Him." 42:54 And there were soldiers who put a crown upon a man's head, 42:57 a kingly robe on His back, a scepter in His hand, 43:00 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 43:05 Matthew chapter 5. 43:07 And we see it here, Matthew chapter 5. 43:10 I want to look in verse 43. 43:13 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, 43:15 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.' 43:22 But I say unto you..." Do what? 43:25 "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, 43:28 do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 43:32 which despitefully use you and persecute you." 43:35 What? 43:36 This was radical teaching. 43:39 This was a different way to behave. 43:43 This was a different way to feel. 43:47 And though Jesus felt this way to all of those who 43:51 condemned Him, they certainly did not feel that way 43:54 toward Him, did they. 43:57 But did He respond in kind? 44:00 No. 44:02 And it goes against every fiber of the carnal man 44:05 to surrender and love, and pray for and lift up, 44:12 those that are opposed to us. 44:15 Jesus responds and continues in verse 45, "That ye may be the 44:19 children of your Father which is..." Where? 44:22 "...in heaven: for He maketh the sun to rise on the evil and 44:26 on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." 44:31 It rained last night. 44:34 And here in Franklin County, there's probably some 44:38 more righteous than others. 44:41 But they all got a good rain last night. 44:46 God loves everyone. 44:47 He sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. 44:53 It's not that He's not treating His children well and 44:57 that He's treating them the same as His enemies. 45:00 It's that He's treating everyone well and loving and good. 45:04 And His mercy and grace is there for everyone. 45:07 Because God is no respecter of persons. 45:13 The love that flows forth from God. 45:15 Now Jesus is not just telling us here how we should be. 45:19 He's telling us what God is like. 45:22 And that He came to show us what God is like. 45:25 And He said, "If ye have seen Me, ye have seen..." Who? 45:30 "...the Father." 45:32 And we see in the life and ministry of Jesus... 45:34 Oh there are people that feel like Jesus loves them 45:36 and the Father doesn't. 45:37 The Father is more stern. 45:39 No, my friends. 45:40 They are the same. 45:42 He said, "If ye have seen Me, ye have seen the Father." 45:44 Satan would have you think that when you're trapped in sin, 45:48 and when you're down and out, that God's mad at you. 45:51 But then you see how Jesus related to people who were 45:54 trapped in sin and who were down and out. 45:57 And you have to conclude God does not have that 46:01 attitude toward you, that negative, down on you, 46:04 mad at you attitude. 46:06 He has compassion. 46:07 He does not have condemnation for you. 46:09 And He draws you because of His desperate love. 46:13 And it's His loving kindness that draws us. 46:16 It's His goodness that leads us to repentance. 46:21 We read on. 46:22 Verse 46, "For if ye love them which love you, 46:25 what reward have ye? 46:27 Do not even the publicans the same?" 46:33 The Jewish leaders did not like the publicans 46:35 and the tax collectors; those cooperating with Rome, 46:39 with Rome's dominion over Israel. 46:42 No, they didn't. 46:43 My friends, I could say, if you're friends 46:48 and love those that are your friends... 46:52 So what? 46:55 So do the beer drinking good old boys. 46:58 And so do the heathens. 47:01 We all like those that like us. 47:04 Right? 47:06 We all show love to our friends. 47:07 We all help our friends. 47:09 But notice, Jesus continues on in verse 47, 47:11 "And if ye salute your brethren only, 47:13 what do ye more than others? 47:16 Do not even the publicans the same?" 47:20 Verse 48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father 47:24 which is in heaven is perfect." 47:26 That is a verse that is so often taken out of context. 47:31 My friends, when it's saying being perfect here; 47:33 number one, God is the standard of that perfection. 47:36 Right? 47:38 But notice, it's not a checklist religion that we tend to 47:41 fall into like the Pharisees did. 47:44 It is a way we love God and others. 47:49 You see, I think it is past time that the context of a verse 47:55 becomes the commentary for the verse. 47:59 The context is the commentary. 48:03 And what does it say? 48:05 Love your enemies. 48:07 Pray for them that are against you and opposed to you, 48:10 that despise you, that use you. 48:13 And Jesus is perfect like that. 48:15 The Father is perfect like that. 48:18 And He's perfect in every other way. 48:19 Don't get me wrong. 48:21 But, my friends, you can have people... 48:24 Have you ever met them? 48:26 Occasionally, traveling the world in evangelism, 48:27 I would meet them. 48:29 You've got to be careful not to be judgmental. 48:31 We don't know where anybody's heart is. 48:33 But you come across people that seem to have the outward things 48:37 just right, but they're critical and fault finding and negative 48:43 towards others. 48:45 They wouldn't eat something they shouldn't on a bet. 48:47 They wouldn't wear something they shouldn't on a bet. 48:51 They wouldn't say something that they shouldn't on a bet. 48:56 But they're just mean and hateful, and things like that. 49:03 Are they getting close to being perfect? 49:07 Not if you study what the Bible says about being perfect. 49:12 The Bible says Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness 49:14 exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not 49:18 enter the kingdom of heaven." 49:21 As we look here at the process that Jesus is displaying, 49:28 this process of revealing His character, 49:31 of revealing His love to the world, when the relationship 49:36 was at its lowest, Jesus was committed. 49:41 He gave the most commitment. 49:43 By the way, do you have relationships in your life, 49:46 maybe with a sibling, maybe with a spouse, 49:49 maybe with a friend, maybe with an enemy, 49:54 that's not where you want it to be? 49:57 You can't change that person's heart, my friend, 49:59 but if you want to change that relationship, and you want it to 50:02 change for the good, check your commitment. 50:06 Check your commitment. 50:09 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 50:11 paid their tithe, and crucified their Savior. 50:16 There was a leader in a position of judgment 50:18 who said, "This is a just man, I find no fault in Him. 50:22 Take Him and crucify Him." 50:25 And there were soldiers that put a crown on a man's head, 50:28 a kingly robe on His back, a scepter in His hand, 50:30 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 50:34 All three groups were there that day. 50:38 And, my friends, as I read my Bible, at times in the past, 50:43 I've gotten angry at them. 50:44 I mean, how dare they treat my King as a criminal. 50:46 How dare they crucify my Christ. 50:48 How dare they blaspheme Him and mock Him 50:50 and beat Him and kill Him. 50:53 Then one day, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart 50:56 that, "Hiram, you were the one to blame. 51:00 You were the one who was there that day." 51:05 Oh, not literally. 51:06 But as if the prophet Nathan came to King David 51:10 and told him of the unjust deed. 51:12 And then when David got mad... 51:14 See it was a parable that David was told by Nathan, 51:17 "You're the man. 51:20 I was talking about you." 51:23 You see, I had been legalistic at times 51:25 and crucified the Redeemer for religion. 51:29 I'd been a compromiser in many situations 51:32 and crucified Christ for the crowd. 51:35 I had knelt before Him, but how many times 51:39 was I only fulfilling a religious obligation and 51:42 going through the motion and was only 51:44 pretending to worship my God? 51:50 I was represented in the crowd that day. 51:53 And so were you. 51:56 Today, all three groups are in Christianity at large, 51:59 and in the church in particular. 52:02 And just as all three groups crucified Christ, 52:05 so all three groups crucified the Son of God afresh 52:09 and put Him to an open shame. 52:10 A verse in Hebrews. 52:12 First, we consider those who crucify the 52:14 Redeemer for religion. 52:16 Just like the Pharisees of old, they get caught up in the 52:19 outward form of religion and neglect the weightier 52:21 matters of the law of mercy and judgment and love. 52:27 And judgment was for the fatherless and for the widow 52:30 and showing love, you see. 52:34 Well, there's nothing necessarily wrong with 52:37 what they do or do not do, but their religion becomes 52:39 what they do, not what He did. 52:44 You see, their religion is just that. 52:46 It's a religion and not a relationship. 52:49 I've been there before as well. What about you? 52:52 Second, we see those who compromise Christ for the crowd. 52:56 They're just the opposite of the first group. 52:59 And they usually despise the first group, and vice versa. 53:01 You see, they know what is right, but they don't take 53:03 a real stand. 53:04 They allow opinion inside and outside of the church 53:07 to affect the stands they take instead of standing 53:09 with Christ on the Word. 53:11 When it comes time for decision, they willingly 53:13 waffle back and forth. 53:16 The compromise Christ for the crowd. 53:20 They know that movie is wrong, but everyone else 53:22 else wants to watch it. 53:24 They know it's the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, 53:26 but everyone else wants to go out to eat. 53:28 They know that money is God's tithe, 53:31 but hey, there's a lot of bills to pay. 53:33 And they follow the crowd toward the broad gate. 53:36 You say, "You just said a mouth full there." 53:38 Yes, sir. 53:41 Third, you have those that, like the soldiers, pretend 53:43 Christ is their King. 53:45 He seems to be King at church, but not at home. 53:49 He seems to be King before believers, 53:51 but not at work or school. 53:55 These pretend Christ is their King, but often times 54:00 they've just fallen in to pretending to worship the Lord. 54:05 I've been there before as well. 54:08 What about you? 54:10 With group one, Jesus stood before the group of religious 54:15 leaders, the Sanhedrin, and He took their accusations 54:18 and their insults and their mockery, and He loved them. 54:23 He looked at Pilate, as Pilate let the crowd decide His 54:28 destiny, all that time committed to die for Him had 54:35 he been the only one. 54:40 The soldiers mocked Him and beat Him and plucked out His beard, 54:42 and He looked upon them with compassion in His eyes. 54:46 And we may be legalistic. 54:49 Or we may be compromisers. 54:52 Or we may be pretenders. 54:54 And He loves us, and He died for us, 54:57 and He has compassion on us. 55:00 Perhaps you're a Sabbath keeping, tithe paying Christian. 55:08 But down inside, you know that something is not right. 55:12 And today in your heart, you want to say, 55:14 "Lord, take my religion and give me a relationship." 55:22 Perhaps you struggle with compromise and you make excuse, 55:28 maybe for entertainment, that stifles your Christian growth. 55:32 Or perhaps that some friendships, people you 55:34 need to be a witness to, but they're not the right kind 55:38 of friends and you're allowing them to pull you down, 55:40 and you need to make some decisions and perhaps 55:42 pull back some. 55:44 Maybe there's a specific area in your life of compromise that 55:48 the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you right now, 55:51 and you know that God has called you to this moment 55:54 to make a decision. 55:56 And you want to say, "Lord, take my compromise 56:00 and give me courage." 56:03 Perhaps you're here going through the motions, 56:06 fulfilling a religious obligation and you know 56:11 that you're pretending, but you remember a time 56:16 when your relationship with God was real 56:23 and you want it back. 56:25 You want it to be that way again. 56:28 And you want to say, "Lord, take my pretend faith 56:33 and give me a persevering faith." 56:37 Perhaps you've never made Jesus the Lord and Savior 56:40 of your life and you want to invite Him into your heart 56:43 right now, I encourage you to do so. 56:47 There was a church that kept the Sabbath, 56:51 paid their tithe, 56:53 and crucified their Savior. 56:56 There was a leader in a position of judgment 56:59 who said, "This is a just man, I find no fault in Him. 57:05 Take Him and crucify Him." 57:08 There were soldiers who put a crown on a man's head, 57:12 a kingly robe on His back, a scepter in His hand, 57:15 and then nailed that hand to a cross. 57:19 And there was a Savior, beaten and rejected, 57:23 who died for them all. |
Revised 2014-12-17