Participants: Pr. John Carter (Host), Ty Gibson
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001112
|
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:08 >> FROM ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, "THE CARTER REPORT" PRESENTS, 00:11 "THE LIVING WORD AROUND THE WORLD." 00:12 >> HELLO FRIEND, 00:18 I'M JOHN CARTER. 00:20 "THE CARTER REPORT" TEAM IS GOING TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS 00:24 TO PREACH CHRIST. 00:26 WE'RE GOING THIS SEPTEMBER 2011. 00:30 WE'VE JUST PURCHASED 10,000 OF THESE BIBLES HERE 00:34 IN THE UNITED STATES. 00:35 WE'RE SHIPPING THEM OUT TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 00:39 WE ARE TAKING THE ENTIRE "CARTER REPORT" TEAM. 00:42 WE ARE HIRING AN OUTDOOR STADIUM. 00:45 THEY SAY THOUSANDS, MAYBE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING 00:48 TO COME EVERY NIGHT TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD. 00:52 THE NEED IS DESPERATE IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 00:58 I NEED YOUR PRAYERS. 00:59 I NEED YOUR SUPPORT. 01:01 I NEED YOUR PARTNERSHIP AS WE GO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 01:05 MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN AUSTRALIA, I MET A 01:09 MAN FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 01:10 HIS NAME WAS PASTOR CARTER ANGUS O. 01:13 HE TOLD ME THE STORIES OF THE HEADHUNTERS, THE CANNIBALS, AND 01:16 THE COMING OF THE MISSIONARIES WHO CAME TO PREACH 01:21 THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD. 01:23 THAT IS WHY WE ARE GOING TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS, 01:27 TO FINISH THE WORK THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO. 01:31 I WANT YOU TO BE MY PARTNER IN THIS TREMENDOUS WORK. 01:35 I WANT YOU TO COME AS A VOLUNTEER. 01:38 I NEED YOUR SUPPORT. 01:39 I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU TODAY. 01:42 PLEASE WRITE TO ME, JOHN CARTER, POST OFFICE BOX 1900, 01:46 THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA. 01:47 WRITE TO ME PLEASE IN TERRIGAL, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. 01:52 THE HOUR IS LATE. 01:56 JESUS SAID, "WORK WHILE IT IS DAY. 02:02 THE NIGHT IS COMING WHEN NO MAN CAN WORK." 02:06 JOIN ME PLEASE IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 02:11 [MUSIC] 02:19 [MUSIC] ♪ AMAZING GRACE, ♪ 02:33 ♪ HOW SWEET THE SOUND ♪ ♪ THAT SAVED ♪ 02:44 ♪ A WRETCH LIKE ME. ♪ ♪ I ONCE WAS LOST, ♪ 03:01 ♪ BUT NOW I AM FOUND. ♪ ♪ WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE. ♪ 03:22 ♪ AMAZING GRACE, ♪ ♪ HOW SWEET THE SOUND ♪ 03:36 ♪ THAT SAVED ♪ ♪ A WRETCH LIKE ME. ♪ 03:46 ♪ OH, I ONCE WAS LOST, ♪ ♪ BUT NOW I'M FOUND. ♪ 04:02 ♪ WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE. ♪ ♪ AND WITH THAT I SAY ♪ 04:16 ♪ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ ♪ SING WITH ME ♪ 04:26 ♪ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ ♪ OH, SING HOW GREAT, ♪ 04:38 ♪ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ ♪ OH, HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ 04:59 ♪ SING WITH ME ♪ ♪ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ 05:07 ♪ AND I WILL SING HOW GREAT, ♪ ♪ HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. ♪ 05:22 ♪ OH, OH. ♪♪ [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] 05:35 >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. 05:37 IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, ISN'T IT, 05:40 AND TO WORSHIP HIM? 05:42 AND TODAY, I ALSO WANT TO WELCOME ALL OF OUR DEAR FRIENDS 05:45 WATCHING ON 3ABN AROUND THE WORLD. 05:49 TODAY, WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL GUEST, PASTOR TY GIBSON, 05:53 WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF LIGHTBEARERS MINISTRY 05:56 OUT OF JASPER, OREGON. 05:59 NOW, LIGHTBEARERS MINISTRY DOES A WONDERFUL WORK AROUND THE 06:03 WORLD BY GIVING AND SENDING CHRISTIAN LITERATURE. 06:08 AND MILLIONS HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THEIR MINISTRY. 06:12 AND THEY ALSO, OF COURSE, PREACH THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL. 06:16 PLEASE WELCOME PASTOR TY GIBSON. 06:19 [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] >> WELL, GOOD MORNING, 06:26 EVERYBODY. 06:27 ARE YOU HAVING A FABULOUS DAY SO FAR? 06:30 DID YOU NOTICE THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE IN YOUR BULLETIN? 06:35 ANYBODY NOTICE THE TITLE? 06:36 IS IT A PROVOCATIVE TITLE? 06:38 IS IT A TITLE THAT SEEMS A LITTLE AMBITIOUS FOR 46 MINUTES? 06:43 THE TITLE OF OUR MESSAGE THIS MORNING IS 06:46 "A BRIEF HISTORY OF GOD." 06:50 A WHAT OF WHO? 06:52 A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHO? 06:56 OF GOD. 06:57 BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT GOD'S HISTORY IS ANYTHING 07:01 BUT BRIEF. 07:03 I MEAN, IF WE WERE TO SAY GOD'S HISTORY IS LONG, THAT WOULD BE A 07:09 GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. 07:12 IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO THINK OF THE REALITY 07:16 OF GOD'S EXISTENCE. 07:19 FOR EXAMPLE, IN DANIEL 7, DON'T TURN THERE FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, 07:24 BUT IN DANIEL 7:9, GOD IS GIVEN A VERY SPECIFIC TITLE. 07:31 HE IS CALLED THERE, "THE ANCIENT OF DAYS." 07:34 ISN'T THAT AN INTERESTING TITLE? 07:36 WHAT ARE SYNONYMS THAT COME TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK 07:38 OF THE WORD ANCIENT? 07:39 IF YOU WERE TO GO ON GOOGLE AND TYPE IN ANCIENT AND LOOK FOR 07:43 SYNONYMS IN SOME ONLINE THESAURUS, WHAT KIND OF WORDS 07:46 WOULD COME UP DO YOU THINK IF YOU TYPE IN THE WORD ANCIENT? 07:50 OLD. 07:51 IS GOD OLD? 07:54 YES? 07:56 IS THAT AN UNDERSTATEMENT? 07:57 OKAY, GOD IS OLD. 07:59 IS GOD ELDERLY? 08:01 DOES HE HAVE HIS TEETH IN A JAR BY THE BED? 08:04 IS HE LOSING HIS HAIR? 08:07 ANY WRINKLES? 08:08 I MEAN, IF YOU WERE TO MEET GOD FACE TO FACE--THIS IS 08:11 HYPOTHETICAL, OF COURSE, AND SOMEDAY, ACCORDING 08:13 TO REVELATION 22:4, WE WILL SEE HIM FACE TO FACE. 08:17 NOW I WANT YOU TO IMAGINE THAT. 08:18 YOU SEE GOD FACE TO FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HE PLAYS THIS 08:22 LITTLE GAME WITH US THAT WE SOMETIMES PLAY WITH ONE ANOTHER. 08:26 AND GOD SAYS, "HEY, HEY, GUESS MY AGE." 08:31 WE STOP PLAYING THAT GAME, DON'T WE, AFTER ABOUT 40? 08:35 WE DON'T WANT ANYONE GUESSING OUR AGE ANYMORE, BUT WHAT IF GOD 08:39 SAID, "GUESS MY AGE JUST FROM APPEARANCES." 08:43 WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? 08:46 NOT FROM WHAT YOU KNOW OF HIS ETERNAL EXISTENCE, BUT FROM 08:53 VISUAL CONTACT WITH HIS PERSON. 08:57 I THINK WE MIGHT LOOK AT GOD AND SAY, "I DON'T KNOW, 08:59 MAYBE 25, 26." 09:04 NO SIGNS OF AGING. 09:07 GOD'S NOT ELDERLY, IS HE? 09:09 HE'S ETERNALLY YOUNG, ISN'T HE? 09:14 GOD IS YOUNG IN APPEARANCE, BUT HE HAS BEEN AROUND 09:20 FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. 09:24 HOW LONG EXACTLY? 09:26 TITUS 1:2 SAYS SOMETHING INTERESTING. 09:29 IT SAYS THAT GOD WAS ACTUALLY DOING THINGS. 09:32 NOTICE THIS LANGUAGE, BEFORE TIME BEGAN. 09:38 BEFORE WHAT BEGAN? 09:40 BEFORE TIME. 09:40 WHAT IS TIME? 09:43 WELL, IT'S SUCCESSION, ISN'T IT? 09:44 IT'S HISTORY. 09:45 IT'S ONE EVENT FOLLOWING ANOTHER, RIGHT? 09:50 NOW THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT GOD ACTUALLY EXISTED BEFORE 09:56 TIME BEGAN. 09:58 I GUESS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO IMAGINE SOME NON-TIME REGION OF 10:03 REALITY, BUT WE CAN'T GRASP THAT AS HUMAN BEINGS, CAN WE? 10:08 ALL WE KNOW IS SUCCESSION. 10:10 ALL WE KNOW IS HISTORY. 10:11 ALL WE KNOW IS ONE EVENT FOLLOWING ANOTHER, 10:15 BUT GOD TRANSCENDS ALL OF THAT. 10:19 GOD MADE TIME AND SPACE, AND THEREFORE IN SOME SENSE THAT WE 10:24 COULD NEVER FULLY GRASP, GOD MUST TRANSCEND TIME AND SPACE. 10:29 ARE YOU WITH ME? 10:30 SO GOD HAS BEEN AROUND NOT JUST FOR A LONG TIME. 10:35 GOD'S NOT JUST ANCIENT. 10:38 GOD, IN SOME AMAZING, WONDERFUL SENSE THAT IS BEYOND OUR 10:43 COMPREHENSION, JUST OUTSIDE OF OUR INTELLECTUAL ORBIT, OUTSIDE 10:47 OF ANYTHING WE KNOW OR COMPREHEND, GOD HAS ALWAYS 10:52 EXISTED, WHATEVER THAT MEANS. 10:56 AND WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW SCRIPTURE THIS MORNING TO 10:59 ACTUALLY PAINT A PICTURE FOR US OF WHAT GOD WAS DOING, WHAT GOD 11:04 WAS UP TO BEFORE TIME BEGAN, BEFORE HUMAN BEINGS AND ANGELS 11:11 AND OTHER CONTINGENT CREATURES WERE CREATED. 11:15 BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I WANT TO TAKE NOTE OF THE FACT THAT OTHER 11:20 BRIEF HISTORIES OF REALITY, OF SPACE AND TIME HAVE BEEN TOLD. 11:26 YOU HAVE NO DOUBT HEARD OF THE VERY POPULAR PHYSICIST 11:33 STEPHEN HAWKING. 11:35 HE IS THE--HE IS THE BRAINY SCIENTIFIC DUDE THAT SITS IN THE 11:38 WHEELCHAIR AND THEN THROUGH LITTLE MICRO-MOVEMENTS OF SOME 11:42 HIGH-TECH DEVICE ON HIS WHEELCHAIR, HE SOMEHOW 11:44 COMMUNICATES AND WORDS APPEAR ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN. 11:47 YOU KNOW THE GUY I'M TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? 11:48 OKAY, WELL STEPHEN HAWKING, HE WROTE A BOOK BACK IN 1988. 11:53 IT IS THE MOST POPULAR, BESTSELLING SCIENTIFIC 11:56 BOOK OF ALL TIME. 11:58 CERTAINLY YOU'VE READ IT. 12:00 IT IS CALLED "A BRIEF HISTORY OF," DOES ANYBODY KNOW? 12:03 "A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME." 12:05 I MEAN, 10 MILLION OF THEM ARE IN CIRCULATION. 12:08 YOU CAN GET THEM AT GOODWILL, ALL RIGHT? 12:12 THEY'RE OUT THERE. 12:13 YOU CAN LAY HANDS ON A COPY. 12:14 PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ "A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME." 12:18 AND WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER IS THAT ACCORDING TO THIS BRILLIANT 12:22 ASTROPHYSICIST, THE GUY WHO IS HEIR TO THE POSITION IN THE 12:28 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY OF ALBERT EINSTEIN NO LESS. 12:31 THIS IS THE GUY, LAST 25 YEARS, THE MOST BRILLIANT HUMAN BEING. 12:35 HIS IQ MEASURES OFF THE CHARTS. 12:39 THIS IS STEPHEN HAWKING AND HERE'S HIS BRIEF 12:43 HISTORY OF TIME. 12:45 I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU EVEN MORE BRIEF THAN HE GAVE IT TO YOU. 12:48 ACCORDING TO HIM, APPROXIMATELY 13.9 BILLION YEARS AGO, GIVE 12:55 OR TAKE A FEW YEARS, ALL OF REALITY, ALL OF MATTER AND 13:02 ENERGY WAS COMPRESSED, GET THIS, INTO THE SPACE THAT WAS NO 13:12 BIGGER THAN THE PERIOD AT THE END OF A SENTENCE. 13:17 EVERYTHING JUST RIGHT THERE. 13:18 HOW LONG HAD IT BEEN COMPRESSED IN THAT STATE? 13:22 JUST FOREVER, I GUESS. 13:26 AND THEN SUDDENLY, 13.9 BILLION YEARS AGO, 13:29 THERE WAS A MASSIVE WHAT? 13:32 EXPLOSION. 13:33 BANG, AND ALL OF THE THINGS, THE PEOPLE, EVERYTHING THAT WE SEE 13:41 AROUND US THROUGH MICROSCOPE, THROUGH TELESCOPE AS WE PROBE, 13:46 THE COSMOS AROUND US, EVERYTHING EMERGED. 13:52 EVERYTHING BEGAN TO EXPAND OUTWARD AND TAKE SHAPE THROUGH 13:57 EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS, RIGHT? 14:00 AND FOR 13.9 BILLION YEARS, THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN HAPPENING UNTIL 14:04 FINALLY, FINALLY, HUMAN BEINGS BEGAN TO EMERGE ON THE SCENE 14:11 OF THE HISTORY OF TIME. 14:13 WE KIND OF GRADUALLY CRAWLED OUT OF SOME KIND OF MICROBIOTIC SOUP 14:20 OF SOME KIND. 14:22 AND WE BEGAN TO EXIST IN EARLY FORMS, AND THEN THE 14:28 DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS WENT ON UNTIL FINALLY, HERE WE ARE THIS 14:33 MORNING, THINKING ABOUT, WONDERING ABOUT, CURIOUS 14:38 ABOUT WHO WE ARE. 14:41 AND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, WHO ARE WE, IN THAT BRIEF 14:45 HISTORY OF TIME IS NOBODY AND NOTHING. 14:51 UTTER AND COMPLETE INSIGNIFICANCE. 14:55 THERE IS ONLY ONE THING GOING ON IN THE UNIVERSE, AND THAT IS 15:02 BIOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS. 15:07 THAT'S IT. 15:08 THAT'S ALL THAT'S GOING ON. 15:10 AND THEN, ACCORDING TO STEPHEN HAWKINGS, HISTORY IS 15:14 GOING TO KEEP MOVING IN THAT EVOLUTIONARY, EVER EXPANDING 15:18 OUTWARD DIRECTION UNTIL ONE OF TWO THINGS WILL HAPPEN. 15:23 EITHER THE UNIVERSE WILL BURN OUT INTO UTTER DARKNESS AND 15:29 NOTHINGNESS, OR IT WILL BEGIN TO CONTRACT AND IMPLODE UPON ITSELF 15:37 UNTIL IT IS BACK TO WHERE IT BEGAN, THE PERIOD AT THE 15:41 END OF A SENTENCE. 15:44 THAT'S ONE STORY BEING TOLD. 15:47 THAT IS A BRIEF HISTORY OF REALITY, OF TIME. 15:52 AND IT IS A HISTORY THAT INCLUDES YOU AND ME. 15:56 AND IT COMMUNICATES TO US THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MEANING 16:02 WHATSOEVER TO LIFE. 16:05 THERE'S NO MEANING TO ANY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. 16:07 YOU THINK YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN. 16:09 YOU THINK YOU LOVE YOUR SPOUSE. 16:11 YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE PURSUING DEEDS AND COURSES OF ACTION THAT 16:17 HAVE IMPACT, BUT IN THE LARGER SCHEME OF THINGS, NONE OF IT 16:22 WILL AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. 16:26 THERE IS NO MEANING TO LIFE. 16:28 BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE THE BIBLE PAINTS 16:32 A DIFFERENT PICTURE ENTIRELY. 16:34 YOU WILL NOTICE IN HAWKING'S "BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME" AND WHAT 16:37 IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY THE POPULAR VIEW OF REALITY AND 16:41 HUMAN EXISTENCE, YOU WILL NOTICE IN THAT VIEW THERE IS 16:45 NO PERSONAL ELEMENT. 16:47 THERE IS NO WHAT, EVERYBODY? 16:49 NO PERSONAL ELEMENT. 16:51 THERE IS NO RELATIONAL DIMENSION. 16:55 WE ARE MERELY BIOLOGICAL CREATURES. 16:59 THERE IS NO SPIRITUAL DIMENSION, THERE IS NO MORAL DIMENSION, AND 17:03 THEREFORE THERE IS NO RELATIONAL DIMENSION TO HUMAN EXISTENCE. 17:10 THE BIBLE TELLS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY AND BEGINS 17:15 BY CONVEYING TO US THE MOST BREATHTAKING OF ALL PICTURES 17:20 IMAGINABLE IN THE OPENING TEXT OF SCRIPTURE. 17:24 WOULD YOU LOOK AT IT WITH ME? 17:25 GENESIS 1:1, THIS IS WHERE THE STORY BEGINS IN OUR BRIEF 17:31 HISTORY OF GOD. 17:33 AND OURS IS NOT A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, AS IF TIME WERE 17:37 ULTIMATE, BECAUSE TIME IS NOT ULTIMATE. 17:42 OURS IS A BRIEF HISTORY OF GOD BECAUSE GOD IS ULTIMATE. 17:49 AND WE WANT TO KNOW WHO THIS GOD IS AND WHAT HE'S BEEN UP TO IN 17:56 ALL ETERNITY PAST AND WHAT HE'S UP TO NOW AND WHAT HE WILL BE 18:00 ENGAGED IN FOR ETERNITY FUTURE. 18:02 NOTICE IN THIS FIRST STATEMENT OF SCRIPTURE, "IN THE 18:06 BEGINNING," WHAT, EVERYBODY? 18:08 "IN THE BEGINNING, GOD." 18:10 AND THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY THAT THIS GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS 18:14 AND THE EARTH. 18:16 BUT BEFORE YOU HAVE CREATION, NOTICE THAT IN THE CHRONOLOGY, 18:22 GOD IS A FIXTURE. 18:26 HE IS THE ONLY FIXTURE IN REALITY BEFORE HE CREATES. 18:31 NOW THINK VERY CAREFULLY WITH ME HERE FOR A MOMENT. 18:34 CREATION BY DEFINITION HAS A POINT OF BEGINNING. 18:41 ON A VERY SIMPLISTIC LEVEL, EVERYBODY SITTING HERE THIS 18:44 MORNING, YOU ALL HAD A BEGINNING, RIGHT? 18:47 THERE WAS A POINT AT WHICH YOU BEGAN TO EXIST, YES OR NO? 18:50 YES. 18:51 WHICH MEANS THAT BEFORE THAT POINT THAT YOU BEGAN TO EXIST, 18:55 YOU DIDN'T WHAT? 18:57 EXIST. 18:58 HOW LONG HAD YOU NOT EXISTED? 19:01 FOR ALL ETERNITY. 19:03 BUT IF YOU GO BACK, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN 19:05 YOUR PARENTS DIDN'T EXIST. 19:06 AM I CORRECT? 19:08 AND YOUR GREAT-GRANDPARENTS AND YOUR GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS. 19:11 AND WHAT ABOUT YOUR TOTALLY, TOTALLY, TOTALLY, TOTALLY 19:14 GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, ADAM AND EVE? 19:17 WERE THEY CREATED BY GOD, YES OR NO? 19:19 YES, WHICH MEANS THAT IF YOU GO BACK JUST ONE MOMENT BEFORE 19:24 THEIR CREATION, WERE THERE ANY HUMAN BEINGS ANYWHERE 19:28 TO BE FOUND IN THE UNIVERSE, YES OR NO? 19:30 NO HUMAN BEINGS ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE JUST ONE MOMENT BEFORE 19:36 GOD CREATED HUMAN BEINGS. 19:39 NO HUMAN BEINGS ANYWHERE. 19:42 BUT, ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, THERE WERE OTHER KINDS 19:44 OF BEINGS IN EXISTENCE BEFORE HUMAN BEINGS EXISTED. 19:48 AND THEY'RE CALLED ANGELS. 19:50 WE KNOW, AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DEMONSTRATE THIS FOR YOU, BUT 19:53 WE KNOW ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF JOB THAT 19:56 CHRONOLOGICALLY, ANGELS PREDATE HUMAN BEINGS IN 19:59 EXISTENCE BECAUSE IN THE BOOK OF JOB 38, WE'RE TOLD THAT WHEN 20:04 HUMAN BEINGS WERE CREATED, THE ANGELS SHOUTED FOR JOY. 20:07 THEY SANG WHEN WE WERE CREATED. 20:10 THAT MEANS THEY CHRONOLOGICALLY EXISTED BEFORE PLANET EARTH WAS 20:15 BROUGHT INTO BEING, YES OR NO? 20:17 YES. 20:19 SO THESE ANGELS ARE THERE BEFORE US. 20:21 BUT BEFORE THE ANGELS, WHAT WAS THERE? 20:24 BECAUSE THERE IS THIS REGION OF REALITY BEFORE THE ANGELS, 20:29 RIGHT? 20:30 BIOLOGICAL DEDUCTION, SHERLOCK HOLMES STYLE. 20:34 IF ANGELS ARE ALSO CREATED BEINGS, RIGHT, THERE HAD 20:39 TO BE A POINT AT WHICH THEY BEGAN TO EXIST. 20:45 AND BEFORE THAT, THEY DIDN'T EXIST ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE. 20:49 WE HAVE A HINT IN SCRIPTURE AS TO WHO THE FIRST ANGEL WAS 20:54 THAT GOD EVER MADE. 20:56 WE MIGHT CALL HIM, "THE SUM TOTAL OF ANGELIC PERFECTION," 21:02 IN THE WORDS OF EZEKIEL 28, THE SUM OF PERFECTION. 21:07 HIS NAME IN ISAIAH 14 IS LUCIFER, WHICH MEANS 21:11 SON OF THE DAWN. 21:13 THE DAWN OF WHAT? 21:15 JUNE 22ND, 1988? 21:19 NO, THE DAWN OF CREATION. 21:23 LUCIFER, BY IMPLICATION IN SCRIPTURE, IS THE FIRST 21:27 CONTINGENT BEING EVER MADE BY GOD. 21:31 AND THEN ALL THE OTHER ANGELS WERE MADE ON THE TEMPLATE 21:34 OF THIS ONE ANGEL. 21:35 HE WAS PERFECT IN WISDOM AND BEAUTY, AND HE WAS THE FIRST. 21:40 AND ALL OF THESE ANGELS THAT GOD HAS MADE, ACCORDING TO THE 21:45 SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL, THEY NUMBER IN THE 10,000 TIMES 21:50 10,000, AND THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS. 21:53 IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS, THEY ARE CALLED, "AN INNUMERABLE 21:56 COMPANY OF ANGELS." 21:57 HOW MANY ANGELS ARE THERE? 21:59 I DON'T KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW. 22:00 WE KNOW THERE ARE 6.8 BILLION HUMAN BEINGS 22:02 ON THE PLANET, RIGHT? 22:04 AND WE KNOW ACCORDING TO MATTHEW 18 THAT EVERY 22:07 HUMAN BEING IS ASSIGNED A GUARDIAN ANGEL AT BIRTH. 22:11 SO THERE ARE LOTS OF ANGELS, RIGHT? 22:14 BUT WAS THERE A TIME WHEN ANGELS DIDN'T EXIST? 22:19 YES. 22:20 LET ME ASK MY VERY, VERY STRANGE AND ODD QUESTION AGAIN. 22:24 HOW LONG HAD THEY NOT EXISTED? 22:29 WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO COMPREHEND WHAT IT MEANS FOR GOD 22:35 TO HAVE ALWAYS EXISTED, BUT NOW WE'RE FACE TO FACE 22:37 WITH SOMETHING. 22:38 NO HUMAN BEINGS IN OUR REASONING PROCESS. 22:40 THEY DON'T EXIST YET. 22:42 NO ANGELS, THEY DON'T EXIST YET. 22:44 SO WHERE ARE WE? 22:45 WE ARE FACE TO FACE WITH THE MOST SUBLIME OF ALL REALITIES. 22:49 GOD AND GOD ALONE. 22:55 IN SOME AMAZING SENSE, GOD ALONE IS THE ONE IN WHOM 23:01 THERE IS IMMORTALITY, TO QUOTE PAUL, RIGHT? 23:05 IN SOME AMAZING SENSE, GOD ALONE IS ETERNAL AND SELF-EXISTENT. 23:11 SELF WHAT? 23:12 EXISTENT. 23:13 HE DID NOT COME INTO EXISTENCE BY ANY EXTERNAL FORCES, BUT HAD 23:21 ALWAYS EXISTED, THIS GOD. 23:26 NOW WE'RE CURIOUS CREATURES, AND AT THIS POINT WE CAN'T HELP BUT 23:29 WONDER, "WELL, GOD, IF HE HAD ALWAYS EXISTED, I MEAN, THAT 23:33 SOUNDS KIND OF--ETERNITY? 23:35 JUST GOD, NO HUMANS, NO ANGELS. 23:37 THAT SOUNDS KIND OF--" WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? 23:39 BORING? 23:41 LONG? 23:43 IS HE TWIDDLING HIS THUMBS? 23:46 IS HE GOLFING? 23:49 SOMEONE SAYS AMEN. 23:51 I THINK NOT. 23:52 WHAT WAS HE DOING FOR ALL ETERNITY PAST? 23:55 GENESIS 1:1, IN THE BEGINNING, THIS IS BEFORE CREATION. 24:00 IN THE BEGINNING, WHAT IS THERE? 24:02 WHO IS THERE? 24:03 JUST GOD, THAT'S IT. 24:05 GOD, BUT LISTEN CAREFULLY NOW. 24:07 IN THE ENGLISH VERSION, IT'S GOD. 24:11 AND THAT SOUNDS KIND OF GENERIC. 24:16 BUT IN THE HEBREW, IT'S A NAME. 24:20 AND THE NAME IS ELOHIM. 24:21 THE NAME IS WHAT? 24:22 ELOHIM. 24:24 IT'S A VERY ODD NAME BECAUSE IT IS A PLURAL NOUN. 24:30 THAT WOULD BE LIKE ME INTRODUCING MYSELF 24:32 TO YOU AS TYS. 24:33 PLEASED TO MEET YOU, I'M TYS. 24:36 YOU WOULD THINK HE'S EITHER MAKING A VERY, VERY SLOPPY USE 24:39 OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR MAYBE HE THINKS THERE'S ANOTHER 24:42 ONE OF HIM. 24:44 BUT YOU WOULDN'T TAKE A PLURAL INTRODUCTION SERIOUSLY, 24:48 WOULD YOU? 24:49 SOMETHING'S WRONG IN MY INTRODUCTION. 24:51 I'M NOT A PLURAL BEING, AND THEREFORE I MUST INTRODUCE 24:55 MYSELF TO YOU IN A VERY SINGULAR SENSE. 24:58 PLEASED TO MEET YOU, I'M TY. 25:01 BUT LISTEN, THERE IS SOME SENSE IN WHICH GOD EXISTS 25:05 IN PLURALITY. 25:07 AND THAT'S WHERE THE SECRET LIES OF GOD'S EXISTENCE 25:13 AND WHO GOD IS. 25:15 GOD IS PLURAL IN SOME SENSE. 25:17 WELL, IN WHAT SENSE IS GOD PLURAL? 25:21 IN THIS VERY SIMPLE AND WONDERFUL SENSE. 25:24 GOD IS LOVE. 25:27 GOD AT THE MOST ESSENTIAL LEVEL OF OUR GRASP OF WHO HE IS, 25:36 JUST RIGHT AT THE BEDROCK FOUNDATION 25:39 OF REALITY, GOD IS LOVE. 25:42 WHICH BASICALLY MEANS GOD IS WITHIN HIMSELF, WITHIN THE 25:48 PARAMETERS OF DIVINITY ITSELF, WITHOUT HUMANS, WITHOUT ANGELS, 25:52 WITHOUT ANY OTHER CREATED BEINGS, JUST WITHIN THE 25:55 PARAMETERS OF DIVINITY ITSELF, GOD IS BOTH SELF 26:00 AND OTHER IN RELATIONSHIP. 26:04 GOD IS ENGAGED WITH OTHERS. 26:08 AND WHO ARE THE OTHERS THAT GOD IS ENGAGED WITH? 26:11 GOD. 26:13 GOD THE FATHER IS ENGAGED IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE SON 26:18 AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. 26:19 AND GOD THE SON IS ENGAGED IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER 26:22 AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. 26:23 AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ENGAGED IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE 26:26 HOLY SPIRIT AND GOD THE FATHER, OR GOD THE FATHER 26:28 AND GOD THE SON. 26:31 THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS OCCURRING. 26:34 AT THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, AT THE FOUNDATION OF REALITY, WE 26:41 HAVE FATHER, WHO IS REACHING OUT IN LOVE TO THE SON, WHO IS IN 26:49 TURN REACHING OUT IN LOVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, REACHING 26:54 INTO THE FATHER. 26:58 THIS IS THE NUCLEAR CORE, IF YOU WILL, OF REALITY. 27:04 THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. 27:06 IN ETERNITY PAST, WHAT WAS GOING ON? 27:09 WHAT WAS GOD DOING FOR ALL ETERNITY PAST? 27:12 WAS HE TWIDDLING HIS THUMBS? 27:13 WAS HE PLAYING GOLF? 27:15 GOD WAS ENGAGED IN A LOVE RELATIONSHIP. 27:19 GOD IS A SOCIAL BEING, A COMMUNITARIAN BEING. 27:27 GOD IS, IN A SENSE, A FAMILY UNIT, FATHER, SON, 27:33 AND HOLY SPIRIT. 27:35 AND THIS LOVE RELATIONSHIP, THIS CIRCUIT OF BENEFICENCE, THIS 27:39 CIRCLE OF OTHER-CENTERED, SELF-GIVING LOVE, THIS IS 27:45 WHERE THE STORY BEGINS. 27:47 THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CALL THE PRE-CREATION COVENANT. 27:55 THE PRE-CREATION WHAT, EVERYBODY? 27:58 COVENANT. 27:59 THAT IS THE PRE-CREATION AGREEMENT, RELATIONSHIP. 28:06 THIS IS WHERE REALITY BEGINS. 28:09 GOD IS LOVE, OTHER-CENTERED, SELF-GIVING, OUTGOING LOVE. 28:21 AND THEN THIS GOD EMBARKED UPON AN AMAZING THING. 28:27 WHAT A VENTURE. 28:30 YOU'RE IN GENESIS 1, SO LOOK DOWN AT VERSE 26. 28:35 "AND THEN GOD SAID," WHO SAID? 28:38 WHO'S SPEAKING HERE? 28:39 "GOD SAID, 'LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR,'" WHAT DOES IT SAY? 28:48 "'IMAGE, ACCORDING TO OUR LIKENESS.'" 28:50 AGAIN, WHO'S DOING THE SPEAKING HERE? 28:53 GOD SPEAKING TO WHOM? 28:57 GOD IS SPEAKING TO GOD. 28:58 WE'RE OVERHEARING A CONVERSATION THAT IS OCCURRING 29:00 WITHIN DIVINITY, RIGHT? 29:04 WHO IS THE OUR? 29:05 WHO IS THE US? 29:07 GOD. 29:08 WE DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE OF THE THREE IS DOING THE ARTICULATING 29:12 AT THIS MOMENT, BUT ONE OF THEM, LET'S JUST SAY IT'S GOD THE 29:15 FATHER, GOD THE FATHER SAYS TO THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, 29:21 "HEY, I HAVE AN IDEA." 29:23 AND THAT'S VERY STRANGE TO SAY ABOUT GOD BECAUSE THINGS 29:27 DON'T EVER OCCUR TO GOD. 29:29 GOD IS OMNISCIENT. 29:30 THAT MEANS GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME, 29:32 SIMULTANEOUSLY, RIGHT? 29:34 GOD NEVER HAS AN AHA MOMENT. 29:36 "WHOA, I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE EVER." 29:40 BUT WE'RE SPEAKING IN ANTHROPOMORPHIC TERMS. 29:45 AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE ARE SPEAKING OF GOD AND WE CAN IMAGINE THAT 29:50 AT SOME POINT, GOD THE FATHER SAID TO THE SON AND THE 29:53 HOLY SPIRIT, "HEY, HEY, LET'S MAKE OTHERS LIKE US." 30:02 AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN THE CONTEXT OF VERSE 1? 30:05 IN THE BEGINNING, ELOHIM. 30:08 IN THE BEGINNING--THE FIRST LINE OF SCRIPTURE IS OUR FIRST 30:12 INTRODUCTION TO THE IDENTITY OF THE GOD OF SCRIPTURE. 30:16 AND THAT FIRST LINE OF SCRIPTURE WHISPERS INTO OUR CONSCIOUSNESS, 30:20 GOD IS LOVE. 30:23 GOD IS SOCIAL, OTHER-CENTERED, FRIENDSHIP LOVE. 30:27 AND THIS GOD OF OTHER-CENTEREDNESS SAID, 30:32 "LET'S MAKE OTHERS LIKE US. 30:36 LET'S REPLICATE WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING. 30:40 LET'S REPRODUCE WHAT IT IS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON BETWEEN US." 30:44 WHAT WAS GOING ON BETWEEN THEM AGAIN? 30:47 GOD IS LOVE, FRIENDSHIP LOVE, OTHER-CENTERED LOVE. 30:52 AND GOD SAYS, "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE." 30:54 AND IN THAT CONTEXT, WHAT IS IT THAT GOD IS EMBARKING UPON? 30:58 WE'RE GOING TO CALL IT THE COVENANT OF CREATION. 31:03 IT IS, IN FACT, A COVENANT. 31:05 THE LANGUAGE BEARS THAT OUT. 31:07 IT IS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM. 31:09 "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE. 31:11 HEY, LET'S DO SOMETHING, AGREED? 31:14 AGREED. 31:15 OKAY, HOW SHALL WE BEGIN? 31:19 WELL, LET'S DO IT IN 6 DAYS. 31:23 AND WE'LL COME TO THE CLIMACTIC CROWN OF CREATION, THE CRESCENDO 31:28 POINT ON THE SIXTH DAY, AND THAT'S WHEN WE'LL MAKE 31:31 THE MAN AND THE WOMAN. 31:33 THERE WON'T BE ONE OF THEM; THERE WILL BE TWO OF THEM," 31:36 BECAUSE GOD IS IN THE PROCESS OF REPLICATING HIS LOVE. 31:40 AND LOVE CANNOT OCCUR IN A VACUUM. 31:44 GOD IS LOVE, WHICH MEANS GOD IS PLURAL, BOTH SELF AND OTHER 31:49 IN A RELATIONAL SENSE. 31:51 THEREFORE, FOR GOD TO CREATE HIS IMAGE EXTERNAL TO HIMSELF, TO 31:55 REPLICATE HIS IMAGE, THAT IMAGE MUST INVOLVE MORE THAN ONE. 32:01 YOU CAN'T GO IN A BATHROOM, LOCK THE DOOR, AND STAY THERE 32:04 FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AND EXPERIENCE LOVE. 32:07 YOU'VE GOT TO COME OUT AND HAVE INTERACTION WITH OTHERS. 32:12 LOVE BY BIBLICAL DEFINITION IS OTHER-CENTEREDNESS. 32:18 THEREFORE, THERE MUST BE SOME OTHER TO LOVE. 32:22 WITHIN GOD'S REALITY, FOR EACH OF THE THREE THERE 32:27 ARE THE OTHER TWO. 32:29 AND THAT'S WHY GOD IS LOVE. 32:31 THEN GOD SAYS, "HEY, LET'S CREATE OTHERS IN OUR IMAGE," 32:37 WHICH MEANS WHAT NOW IN OUR CONTEXT? 32:39 "LET'S CREATE OTHERS WHO HAVE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL 32:42 AND THE EMOTIONAL CAPACITY TO LOVE LIKE WE LOVE. 32:47 LET'S CREATE OTHERS WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO REACH OUT OF 32:52 THEMSELVES INTO OTHERS, AND THEN TO RECEIVE FROM THOSE OTHERS 32:59 BACK INTO THEMSELVES IN THIS BEAUTIFUL CIRCLE OF BENEFICENCE. 33:04 NOT A LINEAR EXISTENCE OF SELFHOOD. 33:08 NOT A LINEAR EXISTENCE OF ME, MYSELF, AND I. 33:13 NOT A LINEAR EXISTENCE OF LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE, BUT 33:19 LET'S CREATE OTHER BEINGS WHO WILL BE SHARERS, PARTICIPANTS IN 33:26 THE BEAUTIFUL, INTERACTIVE, DYNAMIC, RELATIONAL LOVE THAT WE 33:33 HAVE GOING ON RIGHT HERE AMONG OURSELVES." 33:37 THIS IS THE COVENANT OF CREATION. 33:41 GOD BRINGS HUMAN BEINGS INTO EXISTENCE. 33:46 BUT THEN GOD, IN CREATING HUMAN BEINGS IN HIS OWN IMAGE, FOUND 33:52 IT NECESSARY THAT THEY WOULD EXIST WITH THIS REMARKABLE 33:58 ABILITY CALLED FREE WILL. 34:03 NOW, THIS IS VERY SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND. 34:06 IT'S VERY LOGICAL TO GRASP BECAUSE IF GOD IS CREATING IN 34:10 HIS OWN IMAGE, RIGHT, WHICH IS TO SAY GOD IS CREATING OTHERS 34:14 WHO CAN LOVE LIKE GOD LOVES, IT IS NECESSARY THAT THOSE BEINGS, 34:21 THOSE INDIVIDUALS, HAVE WHAT WE CALL FREE MORAL AGENCY 34:25 BECAUSE LOVE BY DEFINITION IS OTHER-CENTEREDNESS. 34:31 IT IS THE VOLUNTARY ACTION OF ONE INDIVIDUAL TO REACH OUT OF 34:37 SELF TO MINISTER HAPPINESS AND JOY TO OTHERS. 34:43 IT'S A VOLUNTARY ACTION BY DEFINITION. 34:46 IF I POINTED A GUN OUT AT YOU THIS MORNING AND I SAID TO YOU 34:51 WITH ALL DEAD SERIOUSNESS-- AND I PROBABLY COULDN'T. 34:53 I WOULD CRACK A SMILE AND YOU'D KNOW I WAS JOKING. 34:55 BUT IF I TRIED REALLY HARD TO BE SERIOUS AND I POINTED THE GUN 34:58 AND I SAID, "STAND UP," WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 35:01 YOU'D STAND UP. 35:02 IF I SAID, "SIT DOWN," YOU'D SIT DOWN. 35:05 IF I SAID, "STAND ON YOUR HEAD," YOU'D TRY, RIGHT? 35:09 AND YOU WOULD IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND THAT WITH AN 35:12 IMPLEMENT OF FORCE, I COULD CONTROL YOUR BEHAVIOR. 35:16 BUT WHAT IF IN THE NEXT MOMENT I POINTED THAT GUN OUT AT YOU AND 35:20 I SAID, "NOW WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS LOVE ME. 35:26 I WANT YOU TO TRUST ME. 35:28 IN FACT, I WANT YOU TO FEEL FEELINGS OF LOYALTY TOWARD ME. 35:33 GO AHEAD, FEEL 'EM NOW!" 35:36 CAN YOU FEEL LOYALTY? 35:37 CAN YOU FEEL TRUST? 35:41 YOU COULD ONLY LOVE ME IN THE SENSE THAT THE BIBLE SAYS, "LOVE 35:43 YOUR ENEMIES," BUT YOU COULDN'T LOVE ME IN ANY KIND OF TRUSTING, 35:48 LOYAL SENSE, COULD YOU? 35:50 NO, BECAUSE FORCE AND LOVE ARE MUTUALLY--WHAT DO WE SAY? 35:55 MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. 35:57 THEY CAN'T COEXIST IN THE SAME PSYCHOLOGICAL SPACE. 36:02 YOU CAN'T EXPERIENCE BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, FORCE AND LOVE, 36:06 SIMULTANEOUSLY. 36:07 THE MOMENT FORCE IS INTRODUCED INTO THE PICTURE, LOVE BEGINS 36:10 TO RECEDE, RIGHT? 36:14 AND SO LOVE CAN ONLY EXIST IN A SOCIAL CLIMATE OF FREEDOM. 36:19 THERE HAS TO BE LIBERTY. 36:20 SO GOD--THINK THIS THROUGH. 36:22 GOD, HAVING CREATED HUMAN BEINGS IN HIS IMAGE WITH THE CAPACITY 36:26 FOR LOVE, KNOWS THAT HE HAS CREATED BEINGS WHO NOT ONLY HAVE 36:32 THE CAPACITY FOR LOVE, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL 36:35 FOR REBELLION AND SIN. 36:38 AND THEY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO NOT LOVE, BUT TO LIVE FOR SELF. 36:46 AND SO WAY BACK IN THE FAR REACHES OF ETERNITY PAST, THE 36:52 BIBLE SAYS THAT GOD THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, THEY 36:56 CONCEIVED OF WHAT THE BIBLE CALLS THE COVENANT OF PEACE. 37:02 WE BEGAN WITH THE PRE-CREATION COVENANT, THE LOVE RELATIONSHIP 37:07 THAT EXISTED IN ALL ETERNITY PAST BETWEEN FATHER, SON, 37:10 AND HOLY SPIRIT. 37:11 AND THEN OUT OF THAT REALITY OF THE PRE-CREATION COVENANT 37:16 BETWEEN THE MEMBERS OF THE GODHEAD WE TALKED ABOUT 37:21 THE COVENANT OF CREATION. 37:25 BUT IN THE COVENANT OF CREATION, GOD KNEW IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM 37:29 THAT THE POTENTIAL FOR LOVE ALSO HAS THE DOWNSIDE POTENTIAL FOR 37:34 ANTI-LOVE, FOR HATE, FOR SELF-CENTEREDNESS. 37:40 AND SO GOD CONCEIVED, ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, WHAT IS CALLED THE 37:44 COVENANT OF PEACE. 37:47 THAT IS TO SAY THAT GOD THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 37:50 AGREED BETWEEN THEMSELVES THAT IF HUMANITY SHOULD REBEL AND SIN 38:00 AND CEASE TO LOVE LIKE WE LOVE, WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES 38:09 IN INFINITE SACRIFICE TO WIN THEM BACK. 38:14 LOOK AT IT WITH ME IN ISAIAH 54. 38:17 LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE OF THE COVENANT OF PEACE, ISAIAH 54:10. 38:25 THIS IS GOD SPEAKING, AND NOTICE HIS LANGUAGE. 38:28 HE SAYS, "'FOR THE MOUNTAINS SHALL DEPART AND THE HILLS BE 38:34 REMOVED, BUT MY KINDNESS SHALL NOT DEPART FROM YOU, 38:41 NOR SHALL MY COVENANT OF,'" WHAT, EVERYBODY? 38:45 "'PEACE BE REMOVED,' SAYS THE LORD, WHO HAS MERCY ON YOU." 38:51 THE COVENANT OF WHAT? 38:52 OF PEACE. 38:54 THIS IS GOD SAYING, "I WILL NOT ALTER MY ATTITUDE, 39:00 MY POSITION TOWARD YOU. 39:03 YOU MAY ALTER YOUR POSITION TOWARD ME." 39:07 BUT WHAT IS JAMES 1 SAYING, DESCRIBING GOD? 39:11 I THINK IT'S AROUND VERSE 17. 39:13 IT SAYS OF THIS GOD, "EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT 39:18 COMES DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, WITH WHOM THERE IS NO--" 39:23 DO YOU KNOW THE LANGUAGE? 39:23 "WITH WHOM THERE IS NO VARIABLENESS NOR SHADOW 39:28 OF TURNING." 39:31 WHAT IS THIS SAYING ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF GOD? 39:34 GOD IS CHANGELESS IN HIS GOODNESS, IN HIS LOVE. 39:41 HE'S UNALTERABLE IN THE WAY HE THINKS AND FEELS TOWARD 39:45 YOU AND ME. 39:46 THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE GOD LOVE YOU MORE THAN HE 39:49 ALREADY DOES BECAUSE HE ALREADY LOVES YOU WITH ALL HIS LOVE. 39:53 PEDAL TO THE METAL, FULL THROTTLE, TOTAL LOVE FIXED UPON 39:59 YOU WITHOUT VARIATION OR SHADOW OF TURNING. 40:04 THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE GOD LOVE YOU LESS BECAUSE 40:07 HIS LOVE IS NOT DEPENDENT ON WHAT'S HAPPENING EXTERNAL 40:13 TO HIMSELF. 40:14 OUR REBELLION, OUR SIN DOES NOT TURN GOD'S LOVE AWAY FROM US. 40:22 GOD IS UNALTERABLE IN HIS LOVE. 40:25 THIS IS WHAT SCRIPTURE CALLS THE COVENANT OF PEACE. 40:32 THIS IS GOD DETERMINING TO LOVE YOU AND ME ALL THE WAY THROUGH 40:40 TO THE POINT OF INFINITE SELF-SACRIFICE IF THAT'S 40:44 WHAT IT TAKES. 40:46 GOD COULD NO MORE CEASE LOVING YOU AND ME THAN GOD 40:50 COULD CEASE TO EXIST. 40:53 GOD IS LOVE. 40:55 IT IS THE VERY FABRIC OF HIS NATURE. 40:59 HE CARES FOR US MORE THAN HIS OWN LIFE. 41:06 THIS IS THE COVENANT OF PEACE. 41:08 FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT SAID, "LET US MAKE MAN 41:12 IN OUR OWN IMAGE. 41:14 BUT IF THEY REBEL, WHAT WILL WE DO? 41:17 SNUFF THEM OUT IN AN INSTANT? 41:21 SPEAK A WORD OVER THEM TO CAUSE THEM TO CEASE EXISTING? 41:27 WHAT WILL WE DO IF THEY REBEL? 41:28 WE WILL KEEP ON LOVING THEM AT ANY COST TO OURSELVES." 41:37 THIS IS THE LOVE OF GOD, AND HE FOLLOWS THROUGH. 41:42 THE REBELLION DOES OCCUR. 41:44 SIN ENTERS HUMAN EXPERIENCE. 41:46 YOU KNOW THE STORY AS IT IS RECORDED IN GENESIS 3. 41:51 AND AFTER THE SIN PROBLEM BEGINS TO UNFOLD WITH ALL OF ITS UGLY 41:58 HORROR, ADAM AND EVE NOW FILLED WITH PHOBIA, FEAR OF GOD, 42:04 AND THEY RUN AND THEY HIDE. 42:05 AND NOW THEY HAVE ENTERED INTO A PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL 42:09 PATTERN OF BLAMING ONE ANOTHER, YOU REMEMBER. 42:13 AND ALL OF THAT CONDEMNATION THAT IS WELLING UP IN THEIR 42:16 HEARTS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER AND ULTIMATELY TOWARD GOD AND THE 42:20 IMPULSE TO HIDE IS GREETED WITH A COVENANT OF PEACE, WITH A 42:27 PROMISE IN GENESIS 3:15. 42:32 THIS IS THE FIRST PROMISE OF COVENANT, THE FIRST PROMISE OF 42:39 GOD'S UNBROKEN, CHANGELESS LOVE TOWARD HUMANITY AFTER THE FALL. 42:48 AND HE'S SPEAKING TO THE SERPENT IN THE PRESENCE OF ADAM AND EVE. 42:52 THEY ARE OVERHEARING THIS CONVERSATION. 42:55 THE PROMISE IS MADE IN THEIR HEARING TO THE SERPENT. 43:00 AND IT SAYS IN VERSE 15, GOD SPEAKING, "I WILL PUT ENMITY," 43:05 THAT IS I WILL PUT HOSTILITY, "BETWEEN YOU," THAT IS WHO? 43:12 THE SERPENT. 43:13 THIS IS SATAN, THE FALLEN ANGEL. 43:16 "I WILL PUT ENMITY BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN, BETWEEN YOUR 43:20 SEED," THAT IS YOUR OFFSPRING, "AND HER SEED." 43:26 IT'S A CAPITAL S IN MY VERSION. 43:29 "AND HE," THAT IS THIS SEED, CAPITAL S SEED, "HE SHALL," 43:36 WHAT DOES IT SAY? 43:37 "HE SHALL--" WHAT DOES YOUR VERSION SAY? 43:40 SOMEBODY SAID CRUSH. 43:41 I LIKE THAT. 43:42 MINE SAYS BRUISE. 43:44 THE LANGUAGE IS ACTUALLY STRONGER. 43:47 "HE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD, AND IN THE PROCESS YOU," SATAN, 43:53 "WILL BRUISE, INJURE, DAMAGE," HIS WHAT? 43:59 HIS HEEL. 44:00 THE VERY IMPLEMENT OF YOUR CRUSHING. 44:04 IN THE PROCESS OF YOUR DEFEAT, YOU WILL INJURE THIS ONE, 44:11 THIS SEED WHO IS COMING. 44:14 AND I WISH WE HAD TIME, BUT WE DON'T, TO EXPLORE 44:17 THAT ETERNAL INJURY. 44:19 THERE IS A VERY REAL SENSE IN SCRIPTURE IN WHICH JESUS HAS 44:25 SUSTAINED ETERNAL INJURY AND DAMAGE AND PAIN THAT HE WILL 44:34 SUSTAIN FOREVER AND EVER IN ORDER TO SAVE YOU AND ME. 44:40 I'LL GIVE YOU A HINT. 44:41 ACCORDING TO PAUL'S THEOLOGY, JESUS BECAME A HUMAN BEING, 44:46 OUR BROTHER IN THE FLESH, AND WILL RETAIN HIS HUMANITY 44:51 FOR ALL ETERNITY. 44:54 ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, HE BEARS SCARS IN HIS HANDS 44:58 FOR ALL OF ETERNITY. 45:02 YOU WILL BE CRUSHED BY HIS HEEL AND YOU WILL INJURE HIM IN THE 45:09 PROCESS, BUT HE WILL BE VICTOR. 45:12 HE WILL DEFEAT YOU. 45:13 THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE FIRST PROMISE IN SCRIPTURE 45:15 OF THE COMING SAVIOR. 45:18 THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT GOD IS TELLING ADAM AND EVE, "I'M 45:23 GOING TO SEND A WARRIOR WHO IS GOING TO DEFEND YOU AGAINST THIS 45:30 ENEMY WHO HAS NOW COME AGAINST YOU AND LED YOU 45:33 INTO REBELLION AGAINST ME. 45:35 A WAR HAS BEGUN, BUT THERE WILL BE A SAVIOR, A DELIVERER, 45:43 A LIBERATOR. 45:43 HE'S COMING WITH CRUSHING FORCE AND HE WILL BE INJURED IN THE 45:49 PROCESS OF YOUR DELIVERANCE." 45:51 THIS IS THE FIRST GOSPEL PROMISE. 45:54 THIS IS THE FIRST COVENANTAL PROMISE GIVEN IN SCRIPTURE. 46:00 "HE'S COMING; WATCH FOR HIM." 46:03 AND THEN, AS SCRIPTURE UNFOLDS, THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT IS 46:10 ESSENTIALLY A COVENANT DOCUMENT. 46:15 THE WHOLE OLD TESTAMENT IS BASICALLY A PROMISE WITH VARIOUS 46:19 FEATURES AND DIMENSIONS. 46:21 THERE IS THE COVENANT PEOPLE, WHO ARE INITIATED WITH ABRAHAM. 46:29 WITH ABRAHAM, GOD SAYS, "I'M GOING TO START A GREAT NATION 46:34 WITH YOU, AND YOUR OFFSPRING WILL BE AS THE SANDS OF THE SEA. 46:38 AND ULTIMATELY, IN YOU," THAT IS IN YOUR LINEAGE, "ABRAHAM, 46:43 ALL THE PEOPLE OF EARTH WILL BE BLESSED." 46:48 WHAT IS THAT PROMISE ALL ABOUT? 46:50 "ABRAHAM, WITH YOU I AM BEGINNING A LINEAGE THROUGH WHOM 46:55 ULTIMATELY THE ONE I PROMISED BACK IN GENESIS 3:15 WILL EMERGE 47:00 ON THE SCENE OF HUMAN HISTORY." 47:02 THE SAVIOR WILL COME THROUGH ABRAHAM. 47:07 THAT'S THE PROMISE. 47:09 AND AS GOD ENTERS INTO THIS COVENANTAL PROMISE WITH THE 47:14 HUMAN RACE THROUGH ABRAHAM, HE SAYS IN CHAPTER 15 OF GENESIS, 47:19 "I WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING, ABRAHAM, IN ORDER TO SEAL THIS 47:23 AGREEMENT THAT I'M MAKING, THIS PROMISE THAT I'M MAKING. 47:27 I WANT YOU TO TAKE THREE ANIMALS. 47:28 I WANT YOU TO SEVER THEM IN HALF. 47:30 I WANT YOU TO LAY THEM ACROSS ONE FROM ANOTHER, FORMING 47:33 A PATH BETWEEN THEM." 47:35 AND THEN, AS ABRAHAM OBEYED THE COMMAND AND SEVERED THE ANIMALS 47:40 IN TWO, EACH HALF MIRRORING THE OTHER HALF, AS ABRAHAM 47:47 ENVISIONED THAT EVENING WITH THE SACRIFICE LAID OUT ON THE 47:51 GROUND, HE SAW IN VISION SOMETHING LIKE A TORCH OF FIRE 47:58 PASSED BETWEEN THE PIECES. 48:01 AND THIS WAS GOD IN SYMBOL ACTING OUT THE TERMS 48:08 OF HIS COVENANTAL LOVE. 48:10 THIS WAS GOD SAYING, "I MAKE AN OATH, I MAKE A PLEDGE, I MAKE 48:16 A COVENANT TO SAVE YOU. 48:18 AND I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH TO SAVE YOU AT ANY COST TO MYSELF. 48:23 MAY IT BE DONE TO ME AS IS DONE TO THOSE ANIMAL SACRIFICES, MAY 48:29 IT BE DONE TO ME AS DONE TO THIS SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO SAVE YOU. 48:35 I WILL NOT STOP LOVING YOU. 48:37 I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH. 48:39 I PROMISE YOU I WILL PASS BETWEEN THE PIECES 48:45 OF THIS INFINITE SACRIFICE." 48:48 INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THIS WAS THE FIRST FORESHADOWING OF THE 48:53 SEPARATION THAT WOULD OCCUR, THE SEVERING THAT WOULD OCCUR 48:56 BETWEEN FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT TO SAVE YOU AND ME. 49:01 WHEN FINALLY JESUS HUNG UPON THE CROSS AND HE CRIED OUT, "MY GOD, 49:04 MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" 49:08 JESUS FELT THAT SEVERING OF THE PIECES. 49:13 THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, WHO HAD EXISTED 49:16 TOGETHER FOR ALL ETERNITY PAST IN INTIMATE UNITY, THAT 49:22 RELATIONSHIP WAS NOW SEVERED AND BROKEN APART IN THE INCARNATION 49:28 AND SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 49:30 AND IT WAS ALL DEPICTED IN THAT EARLY SACRIFICIAL SERVICE IN 49:35 WHICH GOD SAID TO ABRAHAM, "ABRAHAM, I'M GOING TO SAVE THE 49:39 HUMAN RACE THROUGH YOUR LINEAGE. 49:42 I'M SENDING A SAVIOR. 49:45 NOW ACT OUT THE SACRIFICE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE MADE. 49:49 SEVER THE ANIMALS IN TWO." 49:51 AND GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT 49:55 EXPERIENCED THAT SEVERING, THAT SENSE OF SEPARATION. 50:01 AND WHEN JESUS HUNG UPON THE CROSS, THAT SACRIFICE THAT WAS 50:05 MADE FOR YOU AND ME WAS THE FINAL SEALING OF THE COVENANT. 50:14 IT WAS GOD'S PLEDGE AND OATH OF LOVE FOLLOWING STRAIGHT THROUGH 50:18 TO CONCLUSION TO SAY, "I LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE." 50:25 AND THE SACRIFICE WAS MADE AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS ESSENTIALLY 50:31 THE COVENANT PROMISE FULFILLED. 50:34 THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE COVENANT PROMISE MADE 50:38 WITH ALL ITS VARIOUS FEATURES. 50:41 THE NEW TESTAMENT IS THE COVENANT PROMISE FULFILLED. 50:44 IT'S CALLED THE OLD COVENANT AND THE NEW COVENANT. 50:47 IT IS A PROMISE AND A PROMISE FULFILLED. 50:53 THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT, THERE IS ONE WORD THAT EMERGES. 50:58 IT IS USED MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ANY OTHER WORD TO DESCRIBE GOD'S 51:03 COVENANTAL LOVE FOR YOU AND ME. 51:05 IT IS A HEBREW WORD YOU MAY HAVE HEARD BEFORE. 51:08 I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT IT IS 51:10 THE HEBREW WORD HESED. 51:16 EVERYBODY SAY HESED. 51:19 HESED. 51:20 THIS IS THE OLD TESTAMENT WORD THAT OCCURS MORE THAN 51:22 ANY OTHER WORD TO DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER OF GOD. 51:26 YOU FIND IT IN PLACES, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT ARE FAMILIAR 51:29 TO US, LIKE PSALM 23. 51:32 "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. 51:33 I SHALL NOT WANT," ET CETERA. 51:35 AND IT COMES TO THE CONCLUSION AND THEN IT SAYS, "SURELY 51:38 GOODNESS AND MERCY," THAT IS HESED, "WILL FOLLOW ME, PURSUE 51:44 ME, CHASE ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE." 51:47 GOD WILL PURSUE ME TO THE POINT OF HIS OWN PAIN AND SACRIFICE, 51:53 BUT HE WILL NOT LET ME GO. 51:55 THIS IS HESED. 51:56 IT OCCURS IN OUR COVENANT TEXT THAT WE READ, WHERE GOD SAYS 52:00 THAT HE WILL BE FAITHFUL TO FULFILL HIS COVENANT IN MERCY 52:06 TOWARD YOU AND ME. 52:07 AGAIN, THE WORD IS HESED. 52:10 IT IS A WORD THAT IS TRANSLATED THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT 52:13 SOMETIMES AS FAITHFUL LOVE, SOMETIMES AS UNCHANGING LOVE. 52:19 SOMETIMES IT'S JUST TRANSLATED AS MERCY. 52:22 IN EVERY INSTANCE, IT MEANS THAT GOD IS THE KIND OF GOD WHO 52:29 MAKES AND KEEPS HIS PROMISE. 52:34 WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS GOD IS LOVE, IT DOESN'T MEAN GOD IS LOVE IN 52:39 THE SILLY, SENTIMENTAL, COTTON CANDY, SWEET HOLLYWOOD 52:42 KIND OF LOVE. 52:44 "I LOVE YOU. 52:45 WHY DO I LOVE YOU? 52:46 OH, BECAUSE YOU'RE HOT." 52:48 RIGHT? 52:49 THAT'S HOLLYWOOD LOVE. 52:50 "I LOVE YOU BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DO FOR ME." 52:54 SO REALLY OUR POP CULTURE KIND OF LOVE ISN'T LOVE AT ALL. 52:57 IT'S SELFISHNESS. 53:00 BUT GOD'S LOVE IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. 53:03 WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS GOD IS LOVE, IT ESSENTIALLY MEANS 53:05 GOD IS FAITHFUL. 53:09 GOD FOLLOWS THROUGH TO LOVE YOU AND ME AT ANY AND ALL 53:16 COST TO HIMSELF. 53:20 WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW AND TO EXPERIENCE FOR ALL ETERNITY 53:25 FUTURE THAT KIND OF LOVE? 53:28 STEPHEN HAWKINGS CLOSES HIS BOOK IN A VERY INTERESTING WAY, 53:31 "A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME." 53:33 HE SAYS, LAST SENTENCE OF THE BOOK, "IF WE FIND A UNIFIED 53:40 THEORY OF EVERYTHING," THAT'S WHAT SCIENTISTS AT THE MOST 53:44 ELITE LEVEL ARE REALLY AFTER, A UNIFIED THEORY OF EVERYTHING. 53:48 "IF WE FIND A UNIFIED THEORY OF EVERYTHING," THAT IS IF WE 53:52 FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE UNIVERSE, "THAT WOULD BE THE 53:56 ULTIMATE TRIUMPH," HE SAYS, "FOR THEN WE WOULD KNOW 54:02 THE MIND OF GOD." 54:05 BUT HERE'S THE THING THAT HAWKING MISSED. 54:10 WE DO KNOW THE MIND OF GOD. 54:12 IT IS PUT ON VIVID DISPLAY FOR US IN CHRIST BLEEDING OUT HIS 54:19 LIFE ON CALVARY TO SAVE YOU AND ME AT ANY COST TO HIMSELF. 54:30 THAT IS THE MIND OF GOD. 54:31 THAT IS THE UNIFIED THEORY OF EVERYTHING. 54:34 GOD IS LOVE AND HE LOVES YOU MORE THAN HIS OWN LIFE. 54:42 PRAISE HIM THIS MORNING. 54:45 [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] 54:50 >> THERE ARE TWO THINGS 54:51 THAT A PASTOR SHOULDN'T DO. 54:53 HE SHOULDN'T TELL LIES AND HE SHOULDN'T RETIRE, THAT'S WHY I 54:59 PLAN TO KEEP ON KEEPING ON WHILE GOD CAN STILL USE ME, WHILE 55:04 THESE LUNGS ARE WORKING AND WHILE THIS MOUTH IS TALKING AND 55:07 WHILE JESUS IS STILL ALIVE AND I'M STILL ALIVE, I PLAN 55:12 TO KEEP ON PREACHING THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL. 55:15 WILL YOU PRAY FOR ME? 55:16 WILL YOU SUPPORT US IN THIS GREAT WORK? 55:18 LISTEN, WE HAVE RECEIVED AN URGENT INVITATION 55:23 FROM THE CHURCH IN INDIA. 55:24 THEY'RE SAYING, "COME OVER AND HELP US." 55:27 WHAT A CHALLENGE, MY FRIEND. 55:29 DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN THE LAND OF INDIA? 55:33 MORE THAN A THOUSAND MILLION PEOPLE, AND THE PLACE IS FULL OF 55:37 DEMONS AND EVIL SPIRITS. 55:40 THEY DON'T WANT THIS CAMPAIGN, THOSE EVIL SPIRITS, BUT I WANT 55:44 YOU KNOW JESUS IS STRONGER THAN THE EVIL SPIRITS. 55:48 LAST TIME WE WENT TO INDIA, WE HAD TREMENDOUS OPPOSITION AND 55:51 LIVES WERE THREATENED, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE'RE GOING 55:56 TO GO BACK BECAUSE JESUS HAS CALLED US TO GO. 55:59 WHEN WE WENT THERE LAST TIME, WE SAW THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMING 56:02 TO CHRIST, ONE NIGHT 30,000 PEOPLE CAME TO CHRIST, 56:06 HINDUS AND MUSLIMS. 56:08 WE'RE PRAYING, JESUS, DO IT AGAIN. 56:12 PLEASE SUPPORT US. 56:13 PLEASE WRITE TO ME, JOHN CARTER, POST OFFICE BOX 1900, 56:17 THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA 91358. 56:22 IN AUSTRALIA, WRITE TO ME PLEASE AT BEAUTIFUL TERRIGAL. 56:26 THE ADDRESS IS RIGHT THERE ON THE SCREEN. 56:28 LISTEN, MY FRIEND, I NEED YOUR PRAYERS. 56:32 I NEED YOUR SUPPORT. 56:34 PLEASE PRAY FOR US. 56:35 I'LL BE PRAYING FOR YOU. 56:36 WRITE TODAY AND GOD BLESS YOU. 56:40 [MUSIC] 56:50 [MUSIC] ♪ AND I KNOW THAT ♪ 56:57 ♪ THERE ARE ANGELS ♪ ♪ ALL AROUND. ♪ 57:11 ♪ SO LET'S JUST PRAISE, ♪ ♪ OH, JESUS NOW. ♪ 57:29 ♪ FOR WE ARE STANDING ♪ ♪ IN HIS PRESENCE. ♪ 57:38 ♪ FOR WE ARE STANDING ♪ ♪ IN HIS ALMIGHTY PRESENCE, ♪ 57:48 ♪ ON HOLY GROUND. ♪ 57:55 CC BY ABERDEEN CAPTIONING 1-800-688-6621 WWW.ABERCAP.COM |
Revised 2015-02-05