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Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190021S
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00:01 ♪ ♪ Ominous music and thunder
00:16 Well good evening and Happy Sabbath. (audience -Happy 00:20 Sabbath) Not quite yet but we're right on the border. Good to see 00:26 you here on a Friday evening. This is session number 21 of 24. 00:31 And the week, for me at least, has gone by pretty quickly. 00:35 I brought my wife tonight. You'll have an opportunity of 00:41 meeting her after the meeting. And it's good to see her here as 00:47 well as all of you. This evening we are going to study Lesson 00:51 Number 17: What is God's Eschatological Seal? The word 00:57 eschatological is a theological term that means what is God's 01:02 end time seal. The word eschatology means end-time events 01:06 So let's have a word of prayer and we'll get right into our 01:09 study. Father in heaven, as we study 01:11 this lesson we ask that your Holy Spirit will open minds and 01:16 hearts, not only of those who are here but also all of those 01:19 who are watching the live stream Bless us in our study, be with 01:24 us through the ministry of your Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name, 01:27 Amen. Since early in its history the 01:32 Seventh-day Adventist church has consistently taught that the 01:36 seal of God is the Sabbath. As far as we know the first person 01:43 to discover this was Captain Joseph Bates who in the year 01:48 1846 published a little book and the name of that little book is 01:53 The Seventh-day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign. With the passing 01:57 of time Ellen G. White agreed with Joseph Bates and embraced 02:03 the Sabbath as the seal of God. She unequivocally and repeatedly 02:09 identified the Sabbath as the seal of God. So now I'm going to 02:14 read a few statements from the Spirit of Prophecy on the 02:19 Sabbath as the seal of God. This is from Signs of the Times, May 02:24 13, 1886. The Sabbath was placed in the Decalogue as the seal of 02:31 the living God pointing out the Law Giver and making known His 02:36 right to rule. It was a sign between God and His people, a 02:42 test of their loyalty to Him. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 307: 02:49 The fourth commandment is the only one of all the ten in which 02:53 are found both the name and title of the Lawgiver. It is the 02:57 only one that shows by whose authority the law was given. 03:01 Thus it contains the seal of God affixed to His law as evidence 03:08 of its authenticity and binding force. Three more statements 03:15 where Ellen White clearly states that the Sabbath is the seal of 03:19 God. Signs of the Times, Nov. 1, The Sabbath of the fourth 03:26 commandment is the seal of the Living God. It points to God as 03:30 the Creator and is the sign of His rightful authority over the 03:35 beings He has made. Special Testimony to Battle Creek, which 03:40 was written in 1898, p. 6: The sign or seal of God is the 03:48 observance of the seventh day Sabbath and the Lord's memorial 03:51 of His work of creation. And one more; Manuscript Releases, vol.4 03:58 p. 425: The truth in regard to the Sabbath of the Lord is to be 04:04 proclaimed. The seventh day is to be shown to be the seal of 04:10 the Living God. That's the very expression that is used in 04:15 Revelation 7, the seal of the Living God. But now apparently 04:20 we have a conflict between the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible 04:26 There appears to be a contradiction. Because as we 04:30 read the Bible we discover that the seal or the sealer is the 04:37 Holy Spirit yet Ellen White states that the seal is the 04:42 Sabbath. Now how do we explain this seeming or apparent 04:47 discrepancy? Well first of all let's notice the texts that 04:52 speak about the Holy Spirit as the seal or the sealer of God. 04:57 Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 reads as follows: In Him 05:04 you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the 05:08 gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed, you 05:14 were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee 05:19 of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased 05:23 possession, to the praise of His glory. 05:26 So notice the apostle Paul says you were sealed with the Holy 05:31 Spirit. So this text says that the seal is the Holy Spirit. 05:35 Notice Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30: And do not grieve the 05:40 Holy Spirit of whom, by whom you were sealed for the day of 05:47 redemption. So once again, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of 05:51 God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Once 05:56 again here the Holy Spirit is the sealer because it says by 06:01 whom you were sealed. And then we have one more text, 06:06 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 21 and 22: Now He who 06:10 establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is 06:15 God who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our 06:21 hearts as a guarantee. So in these verses the apostle Paul 06:26 states that the Holy Spirit is the seal or the sealer. So is 06:32 there really a contradiction between the Bible and Ellen 06:36 White on the identity of the seal of God? The fact is as we 06:43 study along we're going to see that Ellen White and the Bible 06:47 are describing two different sides of the same thing. The 06:52 Bible is describing the invisible, internal work of the 06:56 Holy Spirit while Ellen White is describing the external, visible 07:02 manifestation of that internal work of the Holy Spirit. Now 07:07 we're going to take some examples first of how you can 07:10 have the internal seal of the Holy Spirit and yet it is 07:13 manifested externally by obeying God. Let's take for example the 07:20 case of circumcision. Did God command the external act of 07:24 circumcision? Yes or No? Absolutely. Let's read some 07:28 verses. Leviticus 12 and verse 3 And on the eighth day the flesh 07:34 of his foreskin shall be circumcised. That is the 07:40 external act. Genesis 17 and verse 14: And the uncircumcised 07:47 male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his 07:52 foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has 07:58 broken My covenant. So did God expect the people in Israel in 08:04 the Old Testament to be externally and physically 08:07 circumcised? Absolutely. And it was so important according to 08:12 Exodus 4:24-26 that when Moses failed to circumcise his son the 08:17 Bible says that on the way the Lord, which was through an 08:23 angel met Moses on the way and threatened to kill him and then 08:28 told him that he needed to circumcise his son. So 08:32 circumcision, external circumcision, the external act 08:36 was expected on the part of God. However, there was an inner 08:43 meaning to circumcision. In other words, there was an 08:46 internal aspect of circumcision. And let's notice what the deeper 08:51 meaning is. Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6. At this point 08:57 Abraham is 84 years old. God promised him a son from his own 09:03 loins. We find that Abraham trusted God and we are told that 09:10 it was accounted to him for righteousness. In other words, 09:14 he was justified by faith. Notice what we find in Genesis 09:19 15 verse 6: And he believe in the Lord and he counted it to 09:24 him for righteousness. Now Abraham had not yet been 09:29 circumcised externally. And yet we find here that he believed 09:33 the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Notice 09:38 Genesis 17 and verse 24. At this point Abraham is 99 years old. 09:44 He was justified by faith but he had not yet been circumcised. 09:47 So God tells Abraham that he needs to be circumcised as the 09:55 external sign of the internal experience. Notice Genesis 10:01 chapter 17 and verse 24. Let's read that verse, Genesis chapter 10:06 17 and verse 24. It's not in your syllabus but I think it 10:13 would be a good idea for us to read that verse. It says there 10:17 in Genesis 17 and verse 24 the following: Abraham was 99 years 10:24 old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 10:29 So notice that Abraham was justified by faith first and 10:34 then circumcision became, we're going to notice, the sign, the 10:38 external sign that he had been justified by faith, the visible 10:43 sign that he had been justified by faith. You see in the days of 10:47 Paul the Jews made external circumcision the litmus test of 10:53 salvation and to belonging to God's chosen people. The apostle 10:59 Paul begged to differ. In Romans chapter 4 verses 9 and 10, which 11:02 you have in the syllabus it says Does this blessedness, because 11:07 God blessed Abraham when he was justified, does this blessedness 11:11 of justification then come upon the circumcised only, that is 11:17 the Jews, or upon the uncircumcised, that is the 11:20 gentiles also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham 11:24 for righteousness. How then was it accounted, while he was 11:29 circumcised or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised but while 11:35 what? Uncircumcised. So was Abraham justified by faith when 11:39 he had internal faith in God? When he believed God? Yes. But 11:45 did God later give him a sign, a visible sign of a circumcision 11:50 of the heart? Absolutely. Notice Romans chapter 4:11 and 12. 11:55 And here we see, this is the case of external circumcision. 12:01 He received what? The sign of circumcision, a seal of the 12:07 righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised 12:11 that he might be the father of all those who believe though 12:15 they are uncircumcised that righteousness might be imputed 12:20 to them also and the father of circumcision to those who not 12:24 not only are of the circumcision but who also walk in the steps 12:28 of the faith which our father Abraham had while still 12:32 uncircumcised. Are you catching the point? 12:35 So was Abraham declared righteous by God because he 12:39 trusted God or he believed God? Yes, when he was how old? 12:44 Eighty-four. But then what happened when he was 99. 12:47 God gives him a sign or a seal a visible sign of the internal 12:55 experience that he had had. In the Old Testament already 12:59 circumcision contained a deeper dimension than the external act. 13:04 Notice Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 6. See circumcision 13:09 was to be a sign that the heart had been circumcised, that the 13:12 Holy Spirit had done the work in the heart. Deuteronomy 30 verse 13:16 6 says: And the Lord your God will circumcise what? That's 13:21 internal right? Will circumcise your heart and the heart of your 13:25 descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and 13:28 with all your soul, that you may live. Deuteronomy chapter 13:32 10 verses 16 and 17 once again speaks about the internal 13:36 experience of circumcision. It says: Therefore circumcise the 13:41 foreskin of your what? Of your heart and be stiff-necked no 13:47 longer. Philippians 3 verse 3, the apostle Paul reminiscing 13:50 about his experience stated: For we are the circumcision who 13:55 worship God in the Spirit. Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have 14:00 no confidence in the flesh. And Romans 2:28 and 29, there are 14:06 many verses that present this internal dimension of 14:10 circumcision. We find these words: For he is not a Jew who 14:13 is one outwardly. How do you distinguish an outward Jew? 14:17 Because he circumcised, right? For he is not a Jew who is one 14:21 outwardly nor is circumcision which is outward in the flesh. 14:26 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is 14:31 that of the heart in the Spirit not in the letter whose praise 14:36 is not from men but from God. Are you following this? So 14:43 circumcision was the external visible sign of an internal 14:47 experience of justification. So let's clarify something here. 14:51 God established circumcision as what kind of institution? As a 14:57 Jewish institution. God established it when? After sin. 15:02 What replaces circumcision? We're going to that in a minute. 15:06 Baptism replaces circumcision and as at the Jerusalem council 15:12 the observance of circumcision is no longer...what?...is no 15:16 longer required in the 15:17 church. Now let's notice how baptism replaces circumcision. 15:22 It says in Colossians chapter 2 verses 11 and 12: In Him you 15:28 were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands 15:32 by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the 15:39 circumcision of Christ. Now what is the circumcision of Christ? 15:40 What is the external sign of the circumcision of Christ? It 15:45 continues saying what? Buried with Him in baptism. In other 15:50 words, that's the spiritual foreskin is removed at baptism. 15:54 Buried with Him in baptism in which you also were raised with 15:59 Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the 16:04 dead. Now the Sabbath is different than circumcision 16:10 because God established the Sabbath when? Before sin. So if 16:16 the Sabbath is a sign it's part of God's original plan. Secondly 16:19 He established it for whom? He established it for all people 16:24 not for the Jews only. And there is no indication in any part of 16:29 the Bible that God what? Replaced it. So now let's notice 16:34 the example of baptism. As we have seen in the New Testament 16:40 baptism takes the place of circumcision. Let me ask you, is 16:44 the external act of baptism necessary and important or is it 16:51 simply enough for a person to receive Jesus in their heart? 16:55 The New Testament in answer appears to make the external 17:00 rite of baptism a condition for salvation. However when we 17:06 carefully read the Bible texts on baptism, we see that the 17:09 external ceremony though very important is not sufficient. 17:14 Notice Mark 16 verses 15-17. He said to them, Go into all the 17:22 world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who what? 17:27 believes (audience). Is that an internal experience believing 17:31 in Jesus. It's the same as Abraham right? He who believes 17:34 and that's it. All you have to do is believe, right? No! All 17:38 who believes and is what? Baptized will be saved, but he 17:45 who does not believe will be condemned. And some people say 17:47 well why doesn't it say he who does not believe and is not 17:50 baptized will not be saved... The fact is that if he doesn't 17:54 believe he's not going to get baptized anyway. Are you with me 17:57 Notice 1 Peter chapter 3 and verses 21 and 22. There is also 18:03 an antitype which now saves us. Speaking about the days of Noah 18:07 where Noah and his family went through the waters. They were 18:10 saved on the other side. There is also an antitype which now 18:13 saves us. Baptism. Not by the removal of the filth of the 18:18 flesh, that's external, right? But the answer of a good 18:23 conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 18:25 So is the external act of baptism required by God? 18:32 Yes. But is it necessary to have a deeper spiritual experience? 18:38 A good conscience toward God. Absolutely. Notice Ellen White 18:43 understood this. In the Seventh- day Adventist Bible Commentary 18:46 Vol. 6, p. 1075 Ellen White wrote: Christ made baptism the 18:52 entrance to His spiritual kingdom. He made this a 18:56 positive condition with which all must comply who wish to be 19:03 acknowledged as under the authority of the Father, the Son 19:06 and the Holy Ghost. Must we comply by being baptized in 19:10 water? Yes or No? As an external rite. Certainly. She continues: 19:15 Those who receive the ordinance of baptism, now listen carefully 19:20 therefore make a what? a public declaration that they have done 19:27 something. They have what? Renounced the world and have 19:30 become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly 19:34 king. So the external rite of baptism if it's not accompanied 19:38 by renouncing the world and becoming members of the royal 19:42 family, it's useless. It's just an external rite. Ellen White 19:46 wrote about the words that the Father spoke to Jesus at his 19:51 baptism. This is found in God's Amazing Grace, p. 143: Let those 19:56 who receive the imprint of God by baptism heed these words that 20:02 is You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 20:06 Remembering that upon them the Lord has placed His what? His 20:10 signature declaring them to be His sons and daughters. The 20:14 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, powers infinite and 20:18 omniscient receive those who what? Truly enter into covenant 20:25 relation with God. They are present at every baptism to 20:28 receive the candidates who have what? Renounced the world and 20:33 have received Christ into the soul temple. So does there need 20:38 to be an internal experience for baptism to have any importance or 20:41 meaning? Absolutely. She continues. These candidates have 20:44 entered into the family of God and their names are inscribed in 20:48 the Lamb's book of life. Here's another one. The Seventh-day 20:52 Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, p. 1075: The new birth is a 20:59 rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason 21:02 why there are so many perplexities in the churches. 21:05 Many, so many who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified 21:11 and unholy. They have been baptized, however, they were 21:16 buried alive. Self-did not die and therefore they did not rise 21:21 to newness of life in Christ. Is it enough for a person to be 21:27 baptized externally in water. No! It is a visible 21:31 manifestation, an announcement that an internal experience has 21:37 taken place through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Desire of 21:40 Ages, p. 181: It is the grace of Christ that gives life to the 21:45 soul. Apart from Christ baptism like any other service is a 21:50 worthless form. So to have the external without the internal 21:55 she says is a worthless form. In Child Guidance, p. 499 she 22:01 writes: Baptism does not make children Christians neither does 22:06 it convert them. It is but a what? An outward sign showing 22:11 that they are sensible that they should be children of God by 22:15 acknowledging that they what? Believe in Jesus Christ as their 22:21 Savior and will henceforth live for Christ. So can we say the 22:26 same thing about baptism as circumcision, that circumcision 22:31 was okay as long as it was a visible announcement of an 22:34 internal experience by the Holy Spirit. Is baptism meaningful 22:39 when it is an outward visible manifestation of the inward work 22:44 of the Holy Spirit in the human heart? Absolutely. Now let's 22:48 take the example of communion. You know Seventh-day Adventists 22:53 celebrate the communion every three months, every quarter. 22:56 And we take this little piece of unleavened bread and we eat this 23:00 little piece of unleavened bread and we drink a cup of grape 23:03 juice, not fermented. Is that an external rite? Yeah, it's an 23:08 external ceremony. Is it important? Yeah, Jesus said that 23:13 we're supposed to do it until He comes. We're supposed to partake 23:16 of the bread and the grape juice until He comes. But let me ask 23:20 you, if we celebrate the Lord's supper without thinking about 23:24 what it means, without having Christ in our heart, how much 23:28 value does the Lord's supper have? It has absolutely no value 23:32 whatsoever. Notice this statement from Desire of Ages, 23:36 pp. 148 and 149. The gift of Christ to the marriage feast, 23:40 this is when He converted the water into wine was a symbol. 23:46 The water represented baptism into His death, the wine the 23:49 shedding of his blood for the sins of the world. The water to 23:53 fill the jars was brought by human hands but the word of 23:57 Christ alone could impart to it life-giving virtue. So with the 24:02 rites which point to the Savior's death. It is only by 24:06 the power of Christ working through faith that they have 24:11 efficacy to nourish the soul. Are you catching the gist of 24:15 what she's saying? In other words communion is an outward 24:19 ceremony that indicates that we have accepted Jesus Christ as 24:23 our Savior and Lord in our hearts. Now that we've done this 24:28 let's apply this to the observance of the Sabbath. 24:31 Did God command the external observance of the Sabbath. Must 24:38 we keep the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown on Sabbath 24:42 externally by ceasing to work? Absolutely. Or is it just enough 24:48 to say I'll rest in Christ. I have Jesus in my heart. I had 24:53 the rest of Christ inside. Is that enough. No. Notice Exodus 24:59 20 verses 8-11. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 25:04 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh 25:08 day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it, you shall do no 25:13 work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male 25:16 servant, nor your female servant nor your cattle, nor your 25:19 stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord 25:24 made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them 25:26 and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the 25:30 Sabbath day and hallowed it. Does God expect us externally 25:34 to cease from working on the Sabbath? Yes. Does he expect us 25:38 to work six days? See if we're resting on the Sabbath but we're 25:41 not working six days we're still breaking the commandment. So in 25:45 other words God expects us to keep this commandment externally 25:48 However, let me ask you this. Is the observance of the Sabbath 25:54 by ceasing to work sufficient? No. Because it is an external 26:01 sign of an internal experience that I recognize that God is the 26:07 Creator, that the Lord is my God Let's take an example of that. 26:10 In the Old Testament, you have what are called the phylacteries 26:15 These are little pieces of parchment that at the time of 26:20 Christ the religious leaders put in little boxes and they pasted 26:24 them to their foreheads and to their right hand. Why did they 26:28 do that? Because of what we're going to read now. This is 26:32 Deuteronomy 6:6-8 And these words which I command you today 26:36 shall be where? See there was an internal experience first. Shall 26:41 be in your heart. They're in the heart before you place them on 26:45 your forehead and on your hand and on your doorposts. So it 26:49 says they shall be in your heart You shall teach them diligently 26:52 to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your 26:56 house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you 27:00 rise up. You shall bind them as a what? As a sign. And they 27:06 shall be as frontlets between your eyes. In other words, they 27:09 affect the way you what? The way you think. You shall write them 27:13 on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. Let me ask 27:18 you what did the Jews do in the days of Christ? They thought 27:22 there was great virtue in pasting these little boxes with 27:27 scriptures on their forehead and on their hand. And yet in their 27:30 hearts they were corrupt. Let's read Ellen White's description 27:34 of this in Desire of Ages p. 612 and 613. To make a show of their 27:41 piety was their constant aim. Nothing was held too sacred to 27:47 serve this end. To Moses God had said concerning His commandments 27:50 Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall 27:54 be as frontlets between thy eyes These words have a deep meaning. 27:59 As the word of God is meditated upon, in other words, that's the 28:04 mind right on the forehead and practiced, that's the work of 28:08 the hand the whole man will be ennobled in righteous and 28:13 merciful dealing. The hands will reveal as a signet the 28:18 principles of God's law. They will be kept clean from bribes, 28:22 and from all that is corrupt and deceptive. They will be active 28:26 in works of love and compassion, the eyes directed toward a noble 28:30 purpose will be clear and true, the expressive countenance, the 28:36 speaking eye will testify to the blameless character of him who 28:40 loves and honors the word of God However, the Jews of Christ's 28:44 day all this was undiscerned. The command given to Moses was 28:48 construed into a direction that the precepts of scripture should 28:53 be worn upon the person. They were accordingly written upon 28:57 strips of parchment and bound in a conspicuous manner about 29:01 the head and wrist but this did not cause the law of God to take 29:05 a firmer hold of the mind and heart. These parchments were 29:11 worn merely as badges to attract attention. They were thought to 29:15 give the wearers an air of devotion that would command the 29:19 reverence of the people. Jesus struck a blow at this vain 29:23 pretense. Are you understanding this? You know you have the 29:29 external. Was it all right to place these little boxes of 29:32 parchment on the 29:33 forehead and the hand? Sure. As long as you had the internal 29:37 relationship with the Lord. As long as you loved the Lord. But 29:41 just the paste them on your forehead and on your hand and on 29:44 your doorposts where your behavior did not reflect it in 29:48 practical life was useless. Now let's notice the deeper 29:54 dimension of the Sabbath. We've already noticed that God expects 29:56 us to keep the Sabbath externally. We're supposed to 30:00 cease for working literally on the Sabbath. But the Sabbath had 30:05 a deeper meaning. In Exodus 31 verses 12 and 13 we find these 30:10 words: And the Lord God spoke to Moses saying, Speak also to the 30:15 children of Israel saying: Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep and 30:21 what is the Sabbath? For it is a what? a sign between Me 30:28 and you throughout your generations, that you may know 30:31 that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 30:33 In other words, Sabbath observance was the external sign 30:38 of sanctification, that God had made their hearts holy. Notice 30:42 Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 12 and verse 20. Moreover, God is 30:47 speaking, I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a what? Here it 30:51 is again, external, a sign 30:53 between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord 30:57 who sanctifies them. (V.20), hallow My Sabbaths, and they 31:02 will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am 31:07 the Lord your God. So the external observance of 31:11 the Sabbath did not make Israel holy, but rather was an external 31:16 sign that God had made them holy in their hearts. That is to say 31:20 the external observance of the Sabbath was to reveal that they 31:25 had an internal holy relationship with the Lord. 31:28 Now the question is who is it that give us this internal 31:35 relationship with the Lord? Well let's pursue this. Who writes 31:41 the law in our hearts including the Sabbath commandment by the 31:46 way? The answer is the Holy Spirit is the one who writes the 31:50 law in our hearts, not only nine commandments, but all what? 31:55 But all 10. He wrote them on tables of stone and He writes 32:00 them where? And He writes them on the tables of the heart. What 32:05 good is it to have them written on tables of stone if they're 32:08 not written on the tables of the heart? Who is it that makes us 32:13 holy? Who is it that gives us the internal relationship with 32:17 the Lord? It's the Holy Spirit. So the seal that we receive is 32:22 the of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. But that is manifested 32:27 externally how? By the observance of the seventh day 32:30 Sabbath. Notice 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13. 32:34 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you. Brethren 32:39 beloved by the Lord because God from the beginning chose you for 32:44 salvation through what? Sanctification by the Spirit and 32:49 belief in the truth. So who is it that sanctifies us, makes us 32:53 holy so that our Sabbath observance is meaningful and 32:56 accepted in the sight of God? It is the Holy Spirit. So there 33:00 is an internal seal and there's an external, visible seal. 33:04 Notice John 17 verse 17: Sanctify them by your truth, 33:11 your word is truth. Now who is it that uses the word 33:16 to sanctify God's people. Notice John 16 verse 13: However, when 33:24 He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all 33:30 truth, for He, will not speak of His own authority but whatever 33:33 He hears He will speak and He will tell you things to come. 33:38 Notice Ezekiel 36:26 and 27. Once again the Holy Spirit 33:43 transforms the heart, the Holy Spirit does an internal work 33:47 and then the external sign of that that the Holy Spirit is in 33:52 our heart and in our life, particularly in the end time, is 33:54 is the observance of the seventh day Sabbath even at the risk of 33:58 losing our life. Notice Ezekiel 36:26, 27: I will give you a new 34:05 what? a new heart and put a new spirit outside of you. No 34:09 thank you very much, within you I will take the heart of stone 34:14 out of your flesh and give you what? a heart of flesh. 34:19 I will put My Spirit within you. What happens when the 34:24 Spirit is within us? Aw, notice. Are people going to be obedient 34:27 to the Lord when the Spirit is inside? Yes, because it says 34:30 and cause you to what? to walk in my statutes, and you will 34:36 keep My judgments and do them. Although the wind is invisible 34:42 to human eyes, we can see its effects. In like manner the work 34:48 of the Holy Spirit in the human heart is unseen but we can see 34:52 the effects by the observance of the holy Sabbath. Ellen White 34:57 explained that the Holy Spirit is the sealing agent. Notice 35:01 these two statements in Heavenly Places, p. 66: 35:05 Would you impress the seal to obtain a clear impression upon 35:10 the wax. You do not dash it on by a violent action, but you 35:17 place the seal carefully and firmly and press it down until 35:21 the wax receives the mold. Now comes the comparison. 35:24 Just so the Lord is dealing with our souls, not now and then, but 35:31 constantly the new light is implanted. What does implanted 35:36 mean? That's inside, right? is implanted by the Holy Spirit 35:40 after Christ's likeness. And in Selected Messages, Vol. 1, 35:46 p. 336 she wrote: As wax takes the impression of the seal, so 35:52 the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God 35:56 and retain the image of Christ. So is the external observance of 36:02 the Sabbath indispensable? Yes! But no one who does not have a 36:07 holy heart can truly keep the Sabbath externally. Contrary to 36:13 what many detractors believe Ellen White did not teach that 36:19 Sabbath observance is an end in itself. Ellen White never wrote 36:22 that the observance of the Sabbath confers holiness nor did 36:27 she state that keeping the Sabbath earns us salvation. In 36:32 several statements she explained that the Sabbath is the outward 36:36 sign of an inward experience produced by the Holy Spirit. 36:40 By the way in the end, time is God going to pour out His Holy 36:45 Spirit in latter rain power? How are God's people going to 36:49 show that they have received the Holy Spirit in latter rain power 36:52 they're proclaiming the loud cry They're going to proclaim the 36:55 fall of Babylon and they're going to proclaim which day is 36:58 the day that we're supposed to keep. We're supposed to keep the 37:02 Sabbath. Does that mean the Sabbath externally? Yes. But 37:05 it's because of what? It's because we've received the 37:08 Spirit and the heart has been changed or transformed. Notice 37:13 this statement from Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 307: Pointing 37:18 to God as the maker of the heavens and the earth, it, 37:21 that is the Sabbath, distinguishes the true God from 37:25 all false gods. All who keep the seventh day now comes the key 37:31 word, signify, is that external? Signify? Signify by 37:38 this act that they are worshipers of Jehovah. 37:41 Because they're worshiping the Creator. She continues: That the 37:49 Sabbath is the sign, I added visible there because that's the 37:52 emphasis is the sign of man's allegiance to God as long as 37:59 there are any upon the earth to serve Him. Here's another one 38:02 Great Controversy, p. 605, there's several keywords here. 38:05 The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty. Is that the 38:09 external observance of the Sabbath? You know I'm not 38:13 willing to die for the Sabbath but I'm willing to die for the 38:15 Lord of the Sabbath. Are we talking about keeping externally 38:21 the Sabbath? Yes, absolutely. It's the test of loyalty, for 38:26 it is the point of truth especially controverted. When 38:29 the final test shall be brought to bear upon men then the line 38:32 of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and 38:36 those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false 38:39 Sabbath in compliance with the law of the state contrary to the 38:43 fourth commandment will be unavowed. What does the word 38:48 avow mean? It's like an announcement, right? It will be 38:52 an avowal, or an announcement, of allegiance to whom? 38:57 to a power that is in opposition to God. The keeping of the true 39:03 Sabbath in obedience to God's law is an what? evidence, is 39:09 that external? Evidence? Is an evidence of loyalty to the 39:12 Creator while one class accepting the what? The sign of 39:16 submission to earthly powers, which is keeping Sunday, 39:19 receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the what? 39:23 the token, once again notice the word, the token of allegiance 39:28 to Divine authority receive the seal of God. So, Ellen White 39:32 speaks of it as avowal, evidence sign, token. Let me give you an 39:38 example, the analogy of patriotism. Is patriotism an 39:44 inward attitude? Is it an abstract concept? Of course, 39:48 it's an abstract concept. It is something a person feels where? 39:52 In the heart, of course. Pledge of allegiance to the flag which 39:58 is an external act to the sound of the Star Spangled Banner 40:03 allows a person to what? To externalize in visible form his 40:09 patriotism or her patriotism. Pledging allegiance to the flag 40:13 is the externalization or the visible sign of patriotism. 40:18 Would it be proper to pledge allegiance to the United States 40:22 while using a Russian flag? Well you say who cares about the flag 40:26 as long as you're a red-blooded American. Does it really make 40:31 any difference? What would you think of someone who says, I'm 40:35 a red-blooded American. I love this country and then pledges 40:39 allegiance to the Russian flag externally? Does the flag that 40:44 we pledge allegiance to make a difference? It certainly does. 40:47 Ellen White continues writing and there's several statements 40:51 here: Those who would have the seal of God in their foreheads 40:55 must keep 40:56 the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. This is what 41:00 distinguishes them from the disloyal who have accepted a 41:04 manmade institution in the place of the true Sabbath. The 41:08 observance of God's rest day is the what? the mark of 41:14 distinction between him that serveth God and him that serveth 41:18 Him not. Great Controversy p. 438: Keeping the Sabbath is a 41:24 what? A sign of loyalty to the true God. Is that an external 41:28 announcement? It most certainly is. Selected Messages, Vol. 3, 41:33 p. 256: The Sabbath is a pledge given by God to man, a sign of 41:39 the relation existing between the Creator and His created 41:42 beings. By observing the memorial of the creation of the 41:46 world in six days and the rest of the Creator on the seventh 41:49 day by keeping the Sabbath holy according to His directions the 41:54 Israelites were to do what? Were to declare to the world their 42:01 loyalty to the only true and living God, the Sovereign of the 42:06 universe. So when the surrounding nations saw Israel 42:08 suspending work all day Sabbath they were to say these people 42:13 serve the living God. The visible sign which would speak 42:17 for them. Here's another one: Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5, 42:22 p. 86: Let us reverence God's institution, the Sabbath day. 42:26 For it is a sign of our relationship to God, the sign by 42:31 which we are, what is the demonstration? external. We 42:39 are demonstrated as His people. Once again Manuscript Releases, 42:44 Vol. 11, p. 18: To the obedient it is a sign of their loyalty to 42:50 God. Manuscript Releases, Vol. 15, p. 32: True observance of 42:57 the Sabbath is the sign of loyalty to God. And one more: 43:01 Nothing so distinguished the Jews from the surrounding 43:04 nations and designated them as true worshipers of the Creator 43:07 as the institution of the Sabbath. It's observance was a 43:14 continual, what? visible token of their connection with 43:20 God. Connection with God is their internal relationship. 43:22 Observance of the Sabbath is a visible token of their 43:27 connection with God and separation from other people. 43:32 So is the Sabbath the observance of the Sabbath a sign of 43:37 a deeper spiritual 43:39 experience created by the Holy Spirit in the human heart? 43:42 Absolutely. Let's read a few statements here. The quiet, 43:46 consistent, Godly life is a living epistle known and read of 43:51 all men. Holiness is not shaped from where, without, or put on. 43:59 It radiates from where? From within. If goodness, purity, 44:04 meekness, lowliness and integrity dwell where? 44:07 in the heart, they will shine forth, where? in the 44:11 character and such a character is full of power, not the 44:17 instrument but the great worker in whose hand the instrument is 44:20 used receive the glory. The heart filled with the Savior's 44:24 love daily receives grace to, what? to impart the light 44:30 reveals the redeeming power of the truth. So an inward 44:35 experience is revealed in the outward behavior. An inward rest 44:41 in Christ is revealed in spending the entire Sabbath day 44:45 with Christ. Manuscript Releases Vol. 10, p. 252: Just as soon as 44:52 the people of God are sealed in their foreheads. It is not any 44:55 seal or mark that can be seen but a settling into the truth 44:59 both intellectually and spiritually so they cannot be 45:03 moved. Just as soon as God's people are sealed and prepared 45:06 for the shaking, it will come. Keeping the Sabbath without love 45:13 is worthless and love flows from the heart. Notice this statement 45:17 Signs of the Time, Feb. 13, 1896 The Sabbath is a test to this 45:23 generation. In obeying the fourth commandment in what? 45:28 In spirit and truth, men will obey all the precepts of the 45:33 decalogue. To fulfill this commandment one must, what? 45:37 In order to keep the Sabbath, something has to happen in your 45:39 heart. What is it that needs to happen? To fulfill this 45:42 commandment one must love God 45:45 supremely and exercise love toward all the creatures that He 45:50 has made. That's the externalization observance of 45:54 the Sabbath. That's the reason why in Isaiah chapter 58, God, 45:58 in speaking about the Sabbath says, Isn't it for you to share 46:01 your clothing with the naked and to feed those who are hungry 46:04 and to visit those who are slaves and everything because 46:07 when the Sabbath is kept, it's kept as a manifestation of love 46:13 for God and love for our fellow human beings. Review and Herald, 46:16 May 21, 1895: The seal of the living God will be placed upon 46:22 those only who bear a likeness to Christ in what? a likeness 46:26 to God in character. And then she wrote in Testimonies for the 46:30 Church, Vol. 8, p. 117: The sign or seal of God is what? 46:38 is revealed, so the sign or seal of God is revealed in the 46:44 observance of the seventh day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of 46:48 creation. So now what we want to do is go back to the times of 46:54 Christ. The best way to understand the relationship 46:58 between the internal work of the Holy Spirit and the external 47:02 observance of the Sabbath is by comparing how Jesus and the 47:05 Pharisees kept the Sabbath. The problem of the Pharisees was 47:09 that they had the outward behavior without the internal 47:14 work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. This type of legalism is 47:17 what the religious leaders manifested in Christ's day. 47:20 They were fine on the outside but the outside did not 47:24 harmonize with the inside. Are there many Adventists that keep 47:27 the Sabbath that don't have the internal relationship with the 47:29 Lord? Absolutely. Notice Matthew 23:25-28 to see if we can detect 47:35 what the problem was with the Pharisees in Christ's day, and 47:38 the scribes. They were the theologians. Woe to you, 47:42 scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you cleanse the what? 47:46 the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of 47:51 extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse 47:54 the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be 48:00 clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 48:04 you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful 48:07 outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all 48:13 uncleanness. Even so you also what? outwardly appear 48:18 righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and 48:22 lawlessness. What was the problem with the 48:25 Pharisees? They had a type of schizophrenia (laughter) because 48:33 they had the outside where it looked perfect but it did not 48:37 come from a heart relationship with the Lord, they did not have 48:39 the Spirit in the heart. So let me ask you this. What's more 48:42 important? To have the Spirit in the heart or to keep the Sabbath 48:46 (voices and laughter) They're both. You can't have one without 48:51 the other. Now let's notice an example of this. But before we 48:57 do, let's read the last paragraph of page 346. 49:01 All the healings of Jesus were performed on Sabbath and they 49:06 were chronic illnesses. He didn't do all of the miracles on 49:09 the Sabbath but all of His miracles done on Sabbath were 49:13 chronic illnesses that could have waited until sundown. 49:15 Jesus could have waited to heal these individuals, but He wanted 49:20 to make a point. He wanted to show that Love is at the heart 49:23 of what? at the heart of the Sabbath. This is why He stated 49:28 that he desired mercy and not sacrifice. The healings of Jesus 49:32 on the Sabbath revealed that He had the Spirit of God where? 49:36 in his heart. Here's an example. Mark 3 verses 1-7. As He 49:44 entered the synagogue again, And He entered the synagogue again, 49:48 and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched 49:53 Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that 49:57 they might accuse Him. No problem accusing on Sabbath. 50:01 That's fine according to them. And he said to the man who had 50:07 the withered hand, Step forward, He's going to make a point of 50:10 this. I want everybody to see this is what Jesus is saying. 50:14 Then He said to them, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good 50:18 or to do evil, to save life or to kill? Why did Jesus say to 50:24 kill. Because we're going to find that after Jesus performed 50:27 the miracle, they went out an plotted how they could kill Him. 50:29 But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them 50:36 with anger, this is the only time in the gospels where we 50:40 have the word anger related to Christ, with anger, that's 50:43 what we call righteous indignation, being grieved by 50:47 the hardness of their what? where was the problem? of 50:50 their hearts, He said to the man, Stretch out your hand. 50:54 And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as 50:59 the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted 51:04 with the Herodian's against Him, how they might destroy Him. 51:07 So there's a serious problem healing someone on Sabbath but 51:11 it's all right to plot to kill someone is what they're saying 51:16 Base hypocrisy. Ellen White described their hypocritical 51:21 Sabbath observance in Desire of Ages, p. 286: The observance of 51:26 the Sabbath was a mere outward observance and it was a what? 51:31 a mockery. The Pharisees meticulously kept the Sabbath 51:35 externally but did not have the work of the Holy Spirit upon 51:38 the heart. Their observance of the Sabbath was loveless. A 51:42 person who has the Holy Spirit in the heart will truly keep the 51:46 Sabbath as Jesus did. Jesus had the seal of the Holy Spirit and 51:51 His Sabbath observance revealed it. Ellen White continues 51:55 describing the way in which the Pharisees observed the Sabbath. 51:58 As the Jews departed from God and failed to make the 52:02 righteousness of Christ their own by faith, see this is the 52:05 internal experience, the Sabbath lost its what? 52:10 its significance or meaning to them. Satan was seeking to exalt 52:13 himself and to draw men away from Christ and he worked to 52:18 pervert the Sabbath because it is the sign of the power of 52:22 Christ. The Jewish leaders accomplished the will of Satan 52:26 by surrounding God's rest day with burdensome requirements 52:30 In the days of Christ, the Sabbath had become so perverted 52:34 that its observance reflected the character of selfish, 52:36 arbitrary men rather than the character of the loving heavenly 52:42 Father. The rabbis virtually represented God as giving laws 52:46 it was impossible for men to obey. They led the people to 52:48 look upon God as a tyrant and to think that the observance of the 52:52 Sabbath as He required it made men hard-hearted and cruel. It 52:58 was the work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions 53:01 although the rabbis followed Him with merciless hostility He did 53:05 not even appear to conform to their requirements but went 53:10 straight forward keeping the Sabbath according to the law of 53:13 God. She continues on p. 284. No other institution which was 53:19 committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from 53:24 the surrounding nations as did the Sabbath. God designed that 53:28 that its observance should designate them, that is to 53:31 announce visibly, as His worshipers. It was to be a what? 53:36 a token of their separation from idolatry and their 53:39 connection with the true God. And now comes a very important 53:44 point. However, in order to keep the Sabbath holy men must 53:48 be themselves holy. Are you catching the point? Who is it 53:53 that makes us holy? The Holy Spirit. In order to keep a holy 53:57 Sabbath the Holy Spirit has to put within us a holy heart. She 54:02 continues: However in order to keep the Sabbath holy men must 54:05 themselves be holy. Through faith, this is the internal 54:10 experience, they must become partakers of the righteousness 54:14 of Christ. When the command was given to Israel, Remember the 54:18 Sabbath day to keep it holy, the Lord said also to them, Ye shall 54:22 be holy men unto me. Only thus could the Sabbath distinguish 54:27 Israel as the worshipers of God. But unfortunately from a sign of 54:33 Christ's righteousness in the life to glorify Him, the Sabbath 54:38 became a sign of their own righteousness to glorify them. 54:42 It made them intolerant, mean spirited, judgmental, and 54:48 arrogant. The Sabbath makes no one holy. It is the sign of 54:51 holiness or sanctification worked out by the Holy Spirit 54:55 in the heart. Some enemies of the Sabbath such as Dale 55:01 Ratzlaff teach that Jesus is our spiritual Sabbath rest and 55:07 therefore God does not require us to keep the day. After all 55:11 didn't Jesus say, Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy 55:16 laden and I will give you rest. However, the question is, does 55:21 resting in Jesus exonerate us from the need to observe the 55:25 Sabbath as an external expression of an internal 55:29 experience of rest with Jesus? Would these same enemies of the 55:34 Sabbath affirm that the rite of baptism in water is not 55:37 necessary because it is sufficient to accept Jesus as 55:40 our Savior in our hearts. Would they say that it is not 55:44 necessary to partake of literal bread and grape juice in the 55:48 Lord's supper because we already believe internally what these 55:51 symbols represent? Would anyone contend that it is unnecessary 55:56 to get married in an official legal ceremony simply because 56:00 love is already in the heart? Bottom line: Works are the 56:05 outward manifestation of faith and faith is the inward 56:10 motivation for works. Are you understanding this? Now we don't 56:16 have time to get through all of this. You can read the rest of 56:21 the chapter. You have a subtitle Some "Sabbath Keepers" Will Be 56:25 Lost. Sabbath Keepers in quotation marks. The Sabbath 56:29 keepers of the type of the Pharisees. Those will be lost 56:32 without the internal experience. What is the final issue in the 56:37 great controversy? This is p. 351: The final issue is 56:41 what? the seal of God or the mark of the beast. Let me just 56:47 read one statement in closing and that is the one that we find 56:51 at the foot of p. 352: They declared that they had the truth 56:57 This is during the short time before the close of probation 57:01 and what the protestant world is saying: They declared that 57:04 they have the truth, that miracles were among them. That 57:08 angels from heaven talked with them and walked with them. That 57:11 great power and signs and wonders were performed among 57:14 them and that this was the temporal millennium they have 57:18 been expecting so long. The whole world was converted and in 57:22 harmony with the Sunday law and this little feeble people stood 57:26 out in defiance of the laws of the land and the law of God and 57:31 claimed to be the only ones right on earth. So is God going 57:36 to have a people who will receive the Holy Spirit, the 57:40 internal experience of the Holy Spirit and will it be manifested 57:44 in the observance, the external observance of the Sabbath? Even 57:49 at the risk of losing everything that they have as well as life 57:56 during the little time of trouble. Yes. And it's not 58:00 because we love the Sabbath. It's because we love the Lord of 58:05 the Sabbath. 58:07 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2022-09-06