Participants:
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL150007A
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend and sit back
00:03 as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:22 Hello, friends, welcome to the best Bible program 00:25 on planet earth. 00:26 And if I didn't think so, 00:28 I wouldn't be here and neither would John. 00:29 Good to have you here, John. It's good to be here. 00:31 You know we have always, we always look forward 00:33 to getting together with you and studying our Bible, 00:35 so get your friends and family members together, 00:38 get your Bibles, and in just a moment, 00:40 we'll give you some e-mail information 00:41 as to where you can send the questions 00:43 that will come up during this program. 00:47 John, we have a great topic, we're gonna cover today, 00:49 just kind of give us snippet on what we're gonna talk about. 00:51 Yeah, we're gonna talk about the subject of repentance. 00:54 Okay. 00:55 The world today, I was always looking for forgiveness, 00:57 we want forgiveness from God 00:59 but there are things that I think we forget about 01:01 when it comes to repentance. 01:03 We're gonna expand that view and take a look at it. 01:04 Okay. 01:06 And so, friends, in just a moment 01:07 before we even begin our topic or before we go any further, 01:10 we always begin with prayer. 01:12 So, John, have a word of prayer for us. 01:14 Let's do that. 01:15 Dear, Father in heaven, 01:16 we thank You for this opportunity here 01:18 to open our Bibles, and to trust that Your spirit 01:22 will lead us through the topics we have today. 01:25 We pray that you would be with each here, 01:27 each here that is hearing us today, 01:28 and that you would help them to understand, 01:30 may we all understand your picture 01:33 and your view for us more clearly 01:35 in Jesus' name, amen. 01:36 Amen. 01:38 And, friends, as you know, 01:40 we'd like to give you some information, 01:43 because periodically questions do arise, 01:45 and if you have any questions, you can send those questions 01:48 to this our following email address, 01:51 housecalls@3abn.org. 01:53 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 01:57 And we download those questions 01:59 and then we go ahead and answer them according to-- 02:02 That's right. Whatever the Bible reveals. 02:05 We like to stick with the Bible. 02:06 Isn't that right, John? Amen. 02:08 And so, go ahead 02:09 and give us our first question for today, what do we have? 02:11 Yeah, we got a question here, it, doesn't say-- 02:14 Oh, from Rudolf. 02:15 So he is asking a question in regard to Matthew 16:28. 02:21 Okay, Matthew 16:28. 02:22 He says that he has a conclusion 02:24 as far as what he believes about this verse, 02:26 but he is asking for our opinion. 02:28 So let's go ahead and read that. 02:30 Matthew 16:28, 02:33 and I'm gonna back up one verse. 02:37 So we'll start with verse 27 of Matthew 16. 02:42 In case, "For the Son of Man 02:43 will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, 02:47 and then He will reward each according to his works." 02:50 So when we read that, John, what are we thinking about? 02:52 When is this gonna happen? 02:54 The second coming. This is the second coming. 02:56 But notice this in verse 28, it says that, 02:58 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here 03:01 who shall not taste death 03:03 till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." 03:06 And so the question here is, 03:08 John, and it's a logical question is, 03:09 if we are talking about the second coming, 03:12 how can he say that those that are with him 03:14 are gonna be alive until they experience it? 03:16 Right. 03:17 Because we're looking at 2000 years now, 03:20 that separate this statement from, of Jesus 03:23 and we still haven't seen the second coming. 03:25 That's right. So, what is he actually saying? 03:27 Well, I think if you stop there at verse 28, 03:30 you really don't understand the impact 03:32 of what Jesus is saying in verse, in that verse. 03:35 Because chapter 17 actually gives you the picture 03:39 of what Jesus is speaking about, 03:41 how the Son of Man is glorified and is seen in His kingdom. 03:46 The miniature picture of the Kingdom of God. 03:49 All right. 03:50 And so, let's read that from Matthew 17:1 03:53 down through about 6. 03:56 Okay. 03:57 "Now after six days Jesus took Peter, 04:00 James, and John his brother, 04:01 led them up on a high mountain by themselves, 04:05 and He choose, He was transfigured before them." 04:08 In other words he was transformed, 04:09 he was in appearance that they had not seen before. 04:12 He had glory, he was amazing in brightness 04:15 and in the way that he was pictured there, 04:17 "His face shone, it says like the sun, 04:19 and His clothes became white as the light. 04:22 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, 04:24 saying or talking with Him. 04:27 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 04:29 "Lord, is it good for us to be here, 04:32 if You wish, let us make us, 04:34 let us make here three tabernacles: 04:36 one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 04:40 While he was still speaking, 04:41 behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, 04:43 and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 04:46 "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 04:48 Hear Him!" 04:51 So, we're seeing in this transfiguration of Jesus, 04:56 a mini picture of the second coming. 04:58 That's right. 04:59 Not only did we have Jesus who appears in glory, 05:03 not only do we have Jesus 05:05 who is acknowledged from the heavens 05:07 as being the Son of God, 05:10 we also see that there is Moses and Elijah. 05:13 And, I know you have some things 05:15 you want to add to this piece too, 05:16 but what does Moses and Elijah? 05:18 What does that represent? 05:20 Why did Moses and Elijah appear there talking to Jesus? 05:23 Because, there is, there is a reason for that. 05:25 Well, in the Second Coming of Jesus, 05:29 there will be two classes that are represented. 05:32 You know, Thessalonians says, 05:33 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 05:36 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 05:38 through trumpet call of God. 05:40 And the dead in Christ will rise first." 05:42 So, Moses represents those who died and rose. 05:47 Elijah represents those who are alive and remain. 05:52 So this, this is a mini representation, 05:54 Jesus has transfigured, notice the brightness, 05:57 He is like the sun as white as the light, 06:01 all this represents His descended glory. 06:04 Remember, He had not been crucified yet. 06:07 He had not been risen yet. 06:08 He had not made the statement, 06:10 "All authority or all power is given unto me" yet. 06:14 So He is still in this form as humanity here. 06:16 That's right. 06:17 But so, He was giving Peter, James, and John, His disciples, 06:21 a miniature representation of the Second Coming. 06:23 Christ transfigured before them, 06:26 glorified before them, and the resurrected dead, 06:30 represent it through Moses. 06:31 And those who never see death represented through Elijah. 06:34 That's really what they were saying right there. 06:36 Now, there are some that believe 06:38 and if they use this text to say, 06:40 that the kingdom of God has already come. 06:42 The Jesus has already had his appearance 06:45 His Second Coming that He is here in spirit. 06:47 And so they don't see 06:49 an imminent literal Second Coming of Jesus. 06:52 And so, you know in response to that 06:54 I would say you have to read the entire text 06:56 to really understand the impact of what Jesus is saying there, 06:59 because if you just take for view 07:01 of that this is referring to a time 07:03 where Jesus has already come now, 07:05 His kingdom is represented, He is here 07:07 and this is all we had to look forward to, 07:09 you miss all of the other text, 07:11 you have to basically ignore many scriptures 07:13 in regard to the Second Coming 07:14 and what will take place at that time. 07:17 And maybe it would be good to even read just one passage 07:21 from the Second Coming and I would go to 2 Peter 3. 07:27 Because I think that is one of the clearest pictures 07:30 provided by the-- 07:33 by one of the apostles thereof the Second Coming 07:35 and what will happen at that time. 07:37 All right, 2 Peter 3. 07:39 Chapter 3, and we'll look at verse. 07:45 Let's see verse 10. All right. 07:51 "But the day of the Lord 07:53 will come as a thief in the night, 07:55 in which the heavens will pass away--" 07:57 Okay, so let's start with that first part of the sentence, 07:59 will come as a thief in the night. 08:01 They say, oh, see, he is coming as a thief 08:03 were you don't really know He is there, 08:04 but He is here, His Kingdom has come. 08:07 But we got to read on, 08:08 because this verse qualifies what thief means? 08:11 Okay. 08:12 It says, "In which the heavens will pass away 08:16 with a great noise, 08:17 and the elements will melt with fervent heat, 08:20 both the earth and the works that are in it will be--" 08:22 What? Burned up. 08:24 "Burned up. 08:25 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, 08:27 what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct 08:30 and godliness, looking for and--" 08:32 Doing what? Hastening. 08:33 "Hastening the coming of the day of God." 08:37 So, did Peter see Christ having already come a second time? 08:41 Or is he looking forward to a Second Coming? 08:43 He is looking forward to a Second Coming. 08:45 Yeah, absolutely, clear. 08:47 Looking forward to the coming of day of God, 08:49 "Because of which the heavens will be dissolved, 08:51 being on fire, and the elements will melt 08:52 with fervent heat?" 08:53 So clearly, the Second Coming is a literal return of Jesus 08:58 from the clouds, 09:00 it is symbolized by the transfiguration. 09:04 But it's an event that everyone will see 09:06 and that the earth will be thrown into incredible disaster 09:10 and other things were Christ then as we-- 09:12 I've already read in 1 Thessalonians 4, 09:14 will catch up those that are risen, 09:17 represented by Moses and those who are alive 09:19 and remain represented by Elijah. 09:21 And I'm glad that you chose Peter, 09:23 because when we mention, when you turn to 2 Peter 09:26 maybe our viewers or listeners didn't get the connection. 09:30 Now, Peter was the one that was one of the disciples there, 09:33 so if this was the Second Coming, 09:35 then Peter wouldn't say we're looking forward to it still. 09:38 That's a wonderful connection there. 09:40 Peter was a part of those who witnessed 09:43 with James, and John. 09:44 And the Lord gave him and said when I-- 09:47 In other words, "When I return this is how it's gonna be." 09:50 Right. That's pretty much clear. 09:52 Thank you, John. 09:54 Now, I have one here, excuse me for clearing my throat. 09:56 I have one here from a gentlemen, 09:59 from the Netherlands. 10:01 His name is Ernst 10:03 and the last name I don't want to try, 10:06 because I know that it's a Netherland, 10:09 and I will neither do it any, any kind of justice. 10:14 But the question is very, very vitally important in light off. 10:18 Thank you so much for submitting the question. 10:20 Here it is. 10:21 Very short, ''Why still keep the Sabbath? 10:25 I think every chosen day is a good special day 10:31 to praise the Lord." 10:34 The first part of the question, okay we'll answer that. 10:36 The second part of the question is wonderful. 10:38 I don't have a problem with the second part. 10:40 ''Everyday is a good day to praise the Lord." 10:45 The one thing I want to qualify in that statement though. 10:49 The Lord didn't bless everyday. 10:51 You know, John, one of the challenges 10:53 that many Christians have is this idea 10:55 that they could pick a day, well, you know, 10:57 you could do, you could pick any day you want. 11:00 But, the Lord only blessed one day. 11:02 So let's go back to Genesis, and by the way 11:04 let me just add this, 11:05 I'm gonna answer the question very clearly, 11:07 very succinctly from God's word. 11:09 But we need to see where the Sabbath came from? 11:12 One of the reasons, 11:14 one of the questions I have asked incessantly 11:15 and I have not received a single answer yet. 11:18 If you have an answer, send it to this program, 11:20 housecalls@3abn.org. 11:24 The question is, 11:25 and no one can give me the answer. 11:27 Why does the Sabbath need to be done away with? 11:32 And he put here, Colossians 2:16, 11:35 and evidently he is intimating that it was a shadow. 11:39 So we're gonna talk about the shadow Sabbath 11:41 and then, but let's go to Genesis first. 11:43 Genesis 2: 1-3, 11:45 and I'll begin with a statement, 11:47 the Sabbath, the Seventh-day from sunset Friday 11:51 to sunset Saturday, the last day of the week. 11:55 And I say that, John, in context to the fact 11:56 that I was recently in the country of Sri Lanka, 12:00 and I also know this is true in Europe, 12:02 that many of the governments are changing the day 12:06 for Sunday, 12:07 changing the calendar for Sunday 12:09 to be reflected as the seventh-day. 12:12 That's not scriptural, and that is not historical, 12:15 and that is not biblical, okay, 12:18 because here's where they have the issue. 12:20 When they celebrate the resurrection 12:22 which was the first day of the week, 12:23 and look at the calendar 12:25 where Sunday is the seventh day of the week, 12:26 they're off, they're off kilter, it's a hardest, 12:29 you can't reconcile the resurrection day 12:31 being the first day, 12:32 and the calendar being the seventh day, 12:34 it doesn't match. 12:35 So don't get hoodwinked by, what people are manipulating. 12:39 There is a Satanic plot behind that. 12:42 But let's look at the Sabbath. 12:43 And the Sabbath was created in a world without sin, 12:47 so as we read this, 12:49 what I want you to think about is, 12:51 if the world was never affected by sin, 12:56 would there ever be any issue over the Sabbath 12:58 and obviously the answer is no. 13:01 Genesis 2:1-3, 13:04 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 13:07 and all the host of them, were finished. 13:10 And on the seventh day God ended His work 13:14 which He had done, 13:15 and He rested on the seventh day 13:18 from all His work which He had done. 13:21 Then God blessed the seventh day." 13:25 He didn't blessed any day, He blessed the seventh day, 13:29 He didn't bless a seventh day, 13:32 He blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, 13:36 He set it aside, He made it Holy, 13:39 He blessed it, He rested on it, 13:41 He blessed it, He sanctified it, 13:44 He set is aside. 13:45 And when something is sanctified get this, 13:47 it's sanctified, anything that's sanctified, 13:49 is set aside for a holy use, He sanctified it 13:53 and here is the reason, 13:54 "Because in it He rested from all His work 13:58 which God had created and made." 14:00 So we have to ask the question, 14:04 and I would love you to give me the answer 14:05 and I think that this person is intimating 14:07 that it's a shadow. 14:08 We're gonna go and see, 14:10 but let me just make these points. 14:11 First of all, before sin ever entered the world, 14:14 God blessed the seventh day. 14:16 If sin never entered the world, 14:18 there would be no controversy over the seventh day. 14:20 I also want to add this. 14:22 Everything that God blessed in the Garden of Eden 14:24 has been attacked by Satan. 14:25 He blessed the Sabbath, 14:27 it's been substituted by the first day of the week. 14:30 He blessed the family, 14:32 the marriage between the woman and the man. 14:34 Now Satan has distorted that by having men marry men, 14:37 and women marrying women. 14:39 You got to understand that any angst or any anger 14:42 about the seventh day being blessed 14:44 is a set of satanic origin. 14:47 He is the one that doesn't want men to worship God. 14:50 In Isaiah 14, Satan, said, "I will be like the most high." 14:53 So he set up his own day, the day of the sun 14:56 which was paganisticly they worshipped 14:58 and honored the physical sun, 15:01 so he set up the sun-day the first day of the week 15:04 which is always honored away from the day that God blessed. 15:08 But let's go now to Colossians. 15:10 I want you to see this text, because this is the verse 15:12 that this young man use Colossians 2: 16, 15:15 you want to read that-- 15:16 As you're going there, let me just say this, 15:18 I think that some people have the misunderstanding that, 15:22 because we are to worship God on everyday, true? 15:26 Right. 15:28 That somehow, I'm a minister 15:31 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 15:33 somehow I would be advocating 15:34 that we only do that on the seventh day 15:36 and we've never said that. 15:37 Yeah, that's always the misunderstanding. 15:39 Yeah, the issue with regard to Sabbath versus Sunday 15:42 is not about-- 15:44 Worshiping. Just worshiping. 15:46 Although worship is at the heart of it, 15:48 the worship of the true creator. 15:49 Right. 15:51 But we can worship and should worship God every day. 15:53 But God is in response to our worship. 15:56 Okay, so we worship, we give ourselves to Him, 15:59 in response He says, "Here is my day." 16:01 That's right. 16:03 "Honor me as the creator, as your creator 16:05 and spend time with me on this day 16:07 because in this day I have sanctified 16:09 and blessed and set apart it for our relationship." 16:13 That's right. 16:14 So, it's more about the relationship with God, 16:17 our relationship and advancing and furthering that, 16:20 and as an extension of our worship of Him every day, 16:24 that we need Him on the Sabbath and spend time with Him. 16:27 He set that day apart for a specific purpose 16:30 of regenerating us, making us holy, 16:33 putting His spirit within us, 16:35 and allowing us to grow in our time 16:38 in our relationship with Him, so. 16:40 Anyway, I just want to say that, 16:41 because we never advocated 16:44 that worship should just be that day. 16:45 And neither did we advocate 16:47 that you only praise the Lord on one day, 16:49 as this young man put. 16:51 I think that everyday is a good day, 16:54 good special day to praise the Lord. 16:56 If you want to make everyday special that's fine, 16:58 you could say today is the special day to me, 17:00 but it's not the Sabbath, it's not blessed by God. 17:03 You could make a day special in your own mind, 17:05 but it doesn't replace the blessing 17:07 that God put on only one day. 17:09 You know, if you decided to, if you decide 17:11 and I just give you this example, 17:13 if you bought a calendar had seven spaces Monday-- 17:16 Sunday to Saturday, 17:18 and you decided you want to color them all green, 17:20 you could do that. 17:22 That means there is no difference 17:23 between Sunday to Saturday, they're all green squares. 17:26 But if you want to look at the way God did it, 17:28 he'll have, these will be green squares 17:30 and the last one will be a gold square, 17:32 that's the only one He blessed. 17:34 He didn't blessed any other day and for the life of me, 17:37 it amazes me that this topic 17:40 brings about the deepest seed of anger in many Christians. 17:44 They come up with this, 17:45 but why do we have to keep the Sabbath? 17:47 That's it, that's not for me, well, that was done away, 17:50 but they come up with all these answers 17:51 that have no scriptural support whatsoever, none at all. 17:57 And I'm gonna give you also 17:58 an additional website in a moment, 18:00 but let's go ahead and look. 18:01 And by the way, an answer to the question, 18:03 you're already in Colossians, 18:05 but I want to throw another text in here really quickly, 18:06 because has John opened the door by saying 18:10 it's about the relationship 18:11 and it is about the relationship. 18:13 Why keep the Sabbath? 18:15 Well, first of all, in Exodus 20:10. 18:19 First of all, the one reason why we keep the Sabbath, 18:22 the Lord says remember, what did He say, John? 18:24 Remember. 18:26 So if He didn't want us to keep it, 18:27 He wouldn't say remember, 18:28 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy." 18:34 For the life of me, I don't understand 18:37 why there is such anger to this day, except to say 18:40 that it's satanically motivated for people 18:43 to be taught by clergy that it's just for the Jews. 18:47 When the Lord rested and blessed the day, 18:49 there was not a Jew for the next almost 2000 years. 18:53 Because Abraham was first to be born 18:57 and then his seed, his offspring, his son Jacob, 19:03 12 sons they became the father of this Jewish nation 19:06 or the nation of Israel. 19:08 So there were no Jews in the Garden of Eden 19:10 when the day was blessed. 19:11 Get that, lock that in, there were no Jews, 19:13 just a man, a woman and God, and a whole bunch of animals, 19:17 and trees and vegetables and fruits, 19:19 and all the other good stuff. 19:20 So, there was nothing when God blessed it, 19:22 nobody there to differentiate 19:24 between one nation or the other, 19:25 just simply humanity. 19:27 So Exodus 20:8, 19:29 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 19:31 Then verse 9, "Six days you shall labor 19:33 and do all your work." 19:35 Now, here is the problem, 19:36 if you make everyday the Sabbath 19:38 or everyday a special day you'll never work, 19:40 you'll be considered lazy. 19:42 Even Jesus rose on the first day of the week, 19:44 see He didn't work on the Sabbath, 19:46 He was in the tomb on the Sabbath. 19:48 Even those that advocate worship for Sunday only, 19:52 they do, don't, you know-- 19:55 don't make any bones about it, 19:56 that there are many who were trying to get back to loss 19:59 that restrict marketing another things 20:02 from happening on Sunday. 20:04 That's where they want to go with that, 20:05 but I forgot where I was going with this, 20:08 but anyway, but when you do that, 20:12 you are providing some level of restriction around that day. 20:16 And so, God, it comes from, 20:18 it does stem from the scriptures 20:20 that God does has some restrictions around that day, 20:22 but it's one day, he said, 20:23 "This is day between me and you, 20:25 the day that I set apart." 20:28 And, so verse 10 of Exodus 20, 20:30 "But the seventh day 20:32 is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." 20:34 Whose? Your God. 20:36 Whose Sabbath? Is the Sabbath of the Lord. 20:40 It's God's Sabbath, it's not mine. 20:42 And here is the question you to have ask yourself Ernst 20:44 is, who is your God? 20:45 If you say God, the creator is your God, 20:48 He has already picked the day. 20:49 He didn't say Ernst, here, just choose whatever day you want. 20:53 He says, "Ernst, 20:54 the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God." 20:59 So, you can pick whatever day you want, 21:00 if He is not your God, 21:02 you could pick any day you want. 21:03 Because Bible says, 21:04 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 21:06 Those who have other gods, pick whatever day they want, 21:09 but that day is not connected to the God of creation. 21:13 In fact, there was a group 21:15 that pick their day for their god 21:17 which is Sun God-- 21:19 Exactly. Exactly. And they pick Sunday. 21:21 That's exactly what they did. But now let me go Ezekiel 20. 21:26 This is a topic in and of itself, John, 21:27 so we're gonna, we might just take 21:29 a little bit more time on this. 21:30 Read Ezekiel 20, because we need to know why? 21:33 Ezekiel 20:12, because we need to know why? 21:39 Why the Sabbath? 21:41 And I want you to notice particularly, the Colossians, 21:45 we're gonna read Colossians in just a moment 21:47 and I want you to see the language, 21:49 there is a difference in language. 21:50 Yeah. Okay. 21:52 Ezekiel 20:12. Why keep the Sabbath? 21:55 This is moreover, this is God speaking, 21:57 "Moreover, I also gave them My Sabbaths, 22:01 to be a sign between Me between them and Me, 22:04 that they might know that I am the Lord 22:06 who sanctifies them." 22:07 Okay, so her we are. 22:10 The Sabbath is the sign of sanctification, 22:12 it's a sign of relationship. 22:15 If you worship the God that created the world, 22:19 He said, "The only way I know that you acknowledge me 22:22 as your creator is you honor the day that I established." 22:26 This is the day, that's the spiritual sign 22:30 between you and the God of creation. 22:33 And so, why keep it? It's a sign. 22:36 You could do whatever you want in any other day of the week, 22:39 but it doesn't connect you to that God. 22:41 It's like, John, if I had seven women in a room 22:45 and each one of these women is married. 22:48 And I say, well, I'm the husband of, I have a wife, 22:52 do I walk up and pick any one of the wives, 22:54 any one of the women? 22:55 No, because only one has been sanctified for me, Angela. 23:00 Only one she has the same day May 22nd 1983. 23:06 All the other women, they belong to somebody else, 23:08 although they are married. 23:10 So in the very same sense 23:11 that a wife is sanctified to a husband, 23:13 the church is sanctified to God, 23:15 and the sign of that sanctification is the Sabbath. 23:19 Now here's what we were not saying, 23:21 we are not saying that 23:22 because you attend Sabbath services on Sunday-- 23:26 Wait, don't say that, don't say Sabbath services on Sunday. 23:29 Yeah, I misspoke, but you understand what I'm saying. 23:31 Those who, they call it the Sabbath too, John. 23:33 Yeah, yeah. 23:35 Because they attend services, they go to church on Sunday-- 23:36 Right. 23:38 That somehow they don't have a relationship with Jesus. 23:40 This doesn't mean that they're not Christian, 23:42 they don't have a relationship with Jesus. 23:44 What we're saying is that the Bible has truths 23:46 that go very deep at times and there they cut. 23:50 And so when we find these truths out, 23:51 when we discover a deeper truth 23:53 that God wants us to follow, to obey in. 23:58 That we follow that, 23:59 that if we're His people, we will hear His voice 24:01 and we will follow Him all the way through, 24:03 and so, this really is about an issue 24:05 that is coming up in the last days. 24:07 Is an issue that will grow more and more, 24:11 as a discussion, as I won't say debate, 24:14 because we don't need to be debating, 24:15 but a discussion in regard to what is truth. 24:18 And God is drawing people into this truth 24:21 and helping them understand that, 24:23 and I like the verse you chose from Ezekiel, 24:25 that I only sanctified a day, I want to sanctify you. 24:28 Right. 24:29 And on this day, I've set aside 24:31 so that you can join with me in that work 24:33 and prepare you for the return of my son. 24:36 That's right. 24:37 Going right back to that very point sanctification, 24:40 the Sabbath is the sign of sanctification. 24:42 Thank you for the reiterated point, John, 24:44 that people that honor, 24:46 people that go to church on other days of the week 24:48 and that don't know, 24:51 there's a difference all together, 24:52 when you don't know, but when you do know and say, 24:55 ''You know, I don't want what God has established, 24:57 I'm gonna just pick my own day." 24:59 It's like walk out the room 25:00 and just pick any one of seven women 25:02 and say well, you're my wife. 25:03 Well, how has that happen? 25:05 Did you get join together in a sanctifying relationship? 25:08 No, well then, she's not your wife. 25:10 So this is really about relationship, 25:12 but now I want to go to Colossians 2:16, 25:14 because we have to give this the due attention 25:17 that this young man wants. 25:19 Colossians 2, 25:20 but we're not gonna do just verse 16, 25:22 lot of times you get-- 25:23 No, we have to read the passage. 25:25 Right, you got to get the whole part of it. 25:26 Okay, here it is. 25:29 And let's start with the verse, 25:31 well, this is speaking about Jesus freeing men, 25:33 but I want to start with verse 14. 25:37 "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 25:41 that was against us, which was contrary to us. 25:46 And He has taken it out of the way, 25:48 having nailed it to the cross." 25:50 First of all what did he get rid of, 25:52 the handwriting of requirements. 25:56 Ephesians 2 says, "The handwriting of ordinances. 25:58 Having disarmed, verse 15, principalities and powers, 26:02 He made a public spectacle of them, 26:04 triumphing over them in it. 26:07 Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, 26:13 or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, 26:18 or Sabbath days. 26:20 When you think about that or Sabbaths, 26:23 which are a shadow of things to come, 26:25 but the substance is of Christ." 26:28 Okay, now let's find out. 26:31 The word shadow here in this verse, 26:32 if you notice, it's in lower case 26:35 as compared to the Sabbath in uppercase 26:38 because there were ceremonies-- 26:40 Quickly now, let's go to the Book of Leviticus 23. 26:45 Leviticus 23, and what I want to do very quickly is show you 26:49 some of these Sabbaths, Leviticus 23 26:52 and notice these are the festivals that were added, 26:56 it's very important and I have to put the context together. 27:01 These festivals, 27:03 these additional shadow Sabbaths were added, 27:07 because the law of God was violated. 27:10 Remember the context is once man sinned, John, 27:14 what was instituted? 27:16 The sacrificial system. 27:18 When Cain killed Abel, when Adam and Eve sinned, 27:21 the lamb was continually sacrificed 27:23 until Jesus the Lamb of God came. 27:26 And lambs were no longer killed beyond that point. 27:29 But, so there were special ceremonies held everyday, 27:33 all year long and each of these were called in some, 27:36 in a real sense a Sabbath. 27:39 Let's go to Leviticus 23, 27:41 I'm gonna have you read some of these for us. 27:45 Leviticus 23:39, 27:49 read that Leviticus 23:39. 27:52 "Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, 27:55 when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, 27:57 you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days, 28:00 on the first day there shall be a Sabbath-rest, 28:03 and on the eighth day a Sabbath-rest." 28:05 Okay, notice that. 28:07 On the first day a Sabbath-rest, 28:10 on the eighth day a Sabbath-rest. 28:13 And it was in reference to what? 28:14 The feasts it says, "The fifteenth day 28:18 when you have gathered in the fruit of the land", 28:20 that's the feast of the first fruits. 28:23 And that was on the first day a Sabbath-rest, 28:26 on the eighth day a Sabbath-rest. 28:28 These are the Sabbaths that were done away with 28:31 because Jesus fulfilled that by becoming the first fruits. 28:35 I want you to get that. 28:36 If you go to 1 Corinthians 15:20, 28:40 it says, "Christ have then become the firstfruits 28:43 of those that slept." 28:45 They gather these first fruits in. 28:47 What happened when Jesus enter heaven? 28:49 He got gathered in. 28:51 Now we're gonna be the one's gathered later, 28:52 but He became the first representative, 28:55 He was the first fruit. 28:57 So this ceremony was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, 29:01 the first fruit. 29:02 But, now let me give you just one more and you also, 29:06 Leviticus 23:27, let me go there, 29:12 Leviticus 23:27, it says, 29:16 "Also the tenth day of the seventh month 29:20 shall be a Day of Atonement." 29:22 This was a yearly convocation. 29:25 "It shall be a holy convocation for you, 29:30 you shall afflict your souls, 29:32 and offer an offering by fire to the Lord." 29:37 And then verse 32, what kind-- 29:39 what is it called in verse 32. 29:41 "It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest." 29:43 Okay. 29:45 "You shall afflict your souls." Keep reading. 29:48 "And on the ninth day of the month at evening, 29:50 from evening to evening, 29:52 you shall celebrate your Sabbath." 29:53 Notice how many Sabbath we've seen so far. 29:55 First day, eighth day, ninth day of the tenth month, 30:01 these ninth day of that month, 30:03 so you see, so far we've found four additional Sabbaths. 30:06 Yeah. 30:08 These were the shadows that were pointing to the work 30:09 that Christ would accomplish. 30:11 And lastly, look at verse 24, Leviticus 23:24, 30:15 read that one for us. 30:18 "Speak to the children of Israel, 30:19 saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, 30:22 you shall have a Sabbath-rest, 30:24 a memorial of blowing of trumpets, 30:25 a holy convocation." 30:27 This is the feast of trumpets, the blowing of the trumpets, 30:30 which was preparatory to the Day of Atonement. 30:32 The trumpet was blown to let people know 30:34 when the trumpet was sounded, 30:35 there were 10 days before the Day of Atonement. 30:37 So, so far we found five additional Sabbaths. 30:40 These were the Sabbaths nailed to the cross, 30:42 because each of them were pointing to a work 30:45 that Christ would accomplish when He came. 30:46 And they were, but these Sabbath, 30:49 the seventh day Sabbath 30:51 was not a part of a ceremonial system. 30:54 It was instituted and blessed 30:56 before sin ever entered the world. 30:58 And lastly, John, Galatians 3:19, 31:00 this wraps up this question. 31:02 Galatians 3:19, read that. 31:04 And, so, friends, as you look at these, 31:06 yeah, there was ceremonial Sabbaths 31:08 and so Colossians 2:16, 31:10 talks about these ceremonial Sabbaths. 31:12 These were all a part of the dealing 31:14 with the sin issue, 31:15 but Jesus came to deal with the sin issue. 31:17 Notice what Galatians 3: 19 says. 31:20 "What purpose then does the law serve, 31:22 it was added because of transgressions, 31:25 till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made 31:28 and it was appointed through angels 31:30 by the hand of the mediator." 31:31 Okay, so the law 31:32 that we talked about the blowing of the trumpets, 31:34 the sacrificial system, the afflicting of these souls, 31:37 the feast of fruits and all that, 31:39 that was added because of transgression. 31:41 What is transgression? The violation of a law. 31:44 So now, let's get this. 31:45 Somebody speeds down the street and kill someone. 31:48 We got to make a law against speeding in this community, 31:51 because somebody was killed, one law was broken, 31:54 we got to make a law now to stop speeding, 31:56 another law was added. 31:58 See, so if the commandments of God were never violated, 32:02 that there will be no need for these ceremonies 32:04 that lead people back to the one he would come 32:06 and ultimately resolve the issue of sin. 32:10 So whenever you talk about Colossians 2:16, 32:12 or the ceremonial Sabbaths, or the shadow Sabbaths, 32:14 remember, these were all 32:16 and you could find the majority of them in Leviticus 23 32:20 pointing to the work of Christ 32:21 and when He came and fulfilled all that, 32:23 that law was nailed to the cross, 32:26 but the Sabbath is a perpetual sign, 32:29 blessed in Eden, 32:30 kept by the Old Testament church, 32:32 kept by the New Testament church 32:34 will be kept in heaven. 32:36 It's just that since the Dark Ages up until now, 32:38 Satan has put into place an institution 32:41 that has tried to get rid of it. 32:43 So if it's in heaven, garden, Old Testament, New Testament 32:47 and the Sabbath is mentioned 60 times in the New Testament 32:50 as compared to only 12, representing the first day, 32:53 and eight of those first day references 32:56 dealt just with the resurrection of Jesus. 32:58 So you don't find any place 33:00 where the Sabbath was done away with. 33:01 Nutshell Ernst, why keep the Sabbath, 33:04 because the Lord said, "Ernst, 33:05 remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. 33:08 It's a sign that I'm the God who is sanctifying you." 33:13 I think we covered our time. I think we covered it, yes. 33:15 We're little over on question time, but that's okay. 33:17 But that was one that needed it very much 33:19 because that comes up continually. 33:22 Take us to our topic, John. 33:24 By the way real quickly, 33:25 if you have any questions you want to send to us, 33:28 I know that we may have jarred something in you today, 33:32 send those questions to housecalls@3abn.org. 33:36 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 33:40 And we'll be glad to answer your questions. 33:43 Take us to our topic, John. 33:44 Well, as I'm transitioning here, 33:45 just one of the thought, 33:47 you know some people have written in and said, 33:48 ''Why do you keep talking about the Sabbath?" 33:49 It's because people keep sending us questions 33:51 about the Sabbath. 33:53 It's not really us choosing 33:55 to make this a topic all the time, 33:57 it's just that this seems to be a very, 33:59 the probably the most commonly asked question 34:02 in regard to this program. 34:04 And I could see why, 34:06 because the majority of people go to church on Sunday. 34:07 Yeah, yeah, probably I think there are us 34:10 what is upwards of 85 to 90 percent. 34:13 Of people who go to church on the first. 34:14 They go on a first day of the week. 34:16 Right, and many people, 34:17 many sincere Christians don't have a clue 34:19 that it started as a tradition. 34:22 Yeah. Yeah. By the Roman Catholic Church. 34:24 Kept by the pagans before, baptized by Rome, 34:27 injected during the time of the Protestant Reformation 34:30 into Christianity and today 34:31 they think it's something that's supported by the Bible, 34:33 it's nothing but a tradition. 34:35 And, you know, what, John, 34:36 only the Roman Catholic leadership will honestly say, 34:39 it has no Bible support. 34:41 We were the ones that gave it is platform. 34:43 Based on our authority. Yeah. 34:46 Well, we're gonna cover our topic here 34:47 for the rest of our program today. 34:50 A topic that I think is important 34:51 to understand in its depth. 34:53 Because, you know, in a day and age were morality is, 34:58 is really at a lowing, at low ebb. 35:02 Would you say that 35:03 without any making it bones about it? 35:06 It is an understatement, that people are seeking, 35:09 they're sensing God's spirit to work on them, 35:11 and they want forgiveness 35:12 and they want a relationship with God. 35:14 But how does that look? And what is it begins with? 35:18 Well, the Bible says, "It begins with repentance." 35:21 And so we're gonna talk about seven aspects of repentance 35:24 over the next couple programs 35:25 at least the topic part of the program, 35:27 the second half. 35:29 And we're gonna go through what, about seven steps. 35:32 Seven things that are revealed in God's word 35:35 in regard to repentance, 35:36 so that we can have a full understanding 35:38 of the various aspects of it. 35:40 It's not simply, "Lord forgive me," 35:42 everything's good. 35:44 Although in a sincere heart asking for forgiveness, 35:47 God does forgive, 35:48 but the Bible talks about a depth of repentance 35:53 that goes further than just the request, 35:56 just the confession piece. 35:57 And so, we're gonna talk about some of those things here now. 35:59 It's gonna be a dynamic topic, 36:01 so just dive us into it, because-- 36:02 Yeah, let's look at it first, 36:04 first of all a couple of promises. 36:05 All right. 36:06 Number one, from Matthew 1:21, it says, 36:09 "In regard to Jesus she will bring forth a Son, 36:13 that is Jesus, who shall call 36:15 and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will", do what? 36:18 Save His people-- 36:20 "Save His people from their sins." 36:22 Okay, so he wants the Jesus main goal, 36:24 his mission is to deliver the human race 36:28 from the bondage of sin. 36:29 From the sin, not only the big sin, Sin, 36:32 but the sins that are committed 36:34 and he wants to move them pass that into a holy relationship 36:37 with God. 36:39 And, you know, when the Bible says, 36:40 "Save them from their sins." 36:45 In my understanding of the topic 36:47 I go to John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God 36:50 that taketh away the sin of the world." 36:54 There you go. Let me give you an example. 36:57 I'm sure you've seen trees, an apple tree before. 37:01 I'm sure you've seen an apple tree before, 37:03 hopefully said hope you have. 37:05 But let's do this reverse process. 37:10 Say you find a worm in an apple. 37:13 Well, you can't find a worm in an apple, 37:15 if there is no apple. 37:17 You can't find an apple 37:19 if there is no branch to connect to the apple. 37:22 You can't find the branch if there is no tree 37:25 to connect the branch to the apple, 37:27 to give worm, to make a place for the worm to go. 37:30 You cannot find a trunk of the tree 37:35 unless somebody planted the seed. 37:38 So, do I go all the way back and say, you know what, 37:42 if we could just keep that seed from being planted, 37:46 there will be no worms in apples. 37:49 That's what the sin of the world is. 37:51 The sin of the world is that broken relationship. 37:54 The sin of the world is that broken relationship. 37:59 That as a result of that broken relationship, 38:03 everything has resulted. 38:04 Now we have sins, we have all these worms, 38:06 all these apple trees, 38:08 and so it could be crime, violence, 38:10 punishment, death, pornography, alcoholism, 38:14 drug abuse, you know, you name it. 38:16 Sins of the symptom. Right, the symptom exactly. 38:19 And the sin-- 38:20 Is the seed-- Is the seed-- 38:22 That has come to all of us through Adam's. 38:24 So, Jesus came to save His people from their sins, 38:26 all that stuff that's happening in their lives, 38:28 but it does it by changing the seed, 38:30 putting a new seed in, 38:32 and we'll talk about that later on. 38:33 That's right. That's right. 38:34 And, so Peter says in 2 Peter 3:9, 38:36 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise," 38:38 his promise to save, right? 38:39 That's right. 38:41 "As some count slackness, 38:42 but is longsuffering or patient toward us, 38:44 not willing that any should perish 38:45 but that all should come to repentance." 38:48 And so repentance there is the, the beginning of getting, 38:53 dealing with this seed issue in us. 38:56 And so, we're gonna talk about 38:57 these seven aspects of repentance. 38:59 I don't know if we should just give all seven 39:01 and then we'll start going through them, 39:02 or we should just let's talk with one 39:04 and go through each one? 39:05 Let go one at a time, so we wouldn't, like us, 39:07 we're gonna cover this again in another program. 39:09 This way we won't get people confuse about it, 39:10 but what I like in as we go to the first one, 39:14 repentance is so widely important. 39:15 You know, nowadays, so many people 39:17 and I did a whole study on this, 39:19 you know, like 17 pages, 39:21 I put together just recently on a study on Baptism, 39:24 Repentance, Confession, Conversion, 39:26 all that other stuff. 39:27 And what I've discovered is, what the Lord-- 39:31 what the word of God reveal to me is this. 39:33 Lot of people want to-- 39:36 Let me use a phrase here, 39:37 lot of people in a diluted sense. 39:38 When people want to join a church, 39:41 very few people repent, they just want to be a member. 39:45 So, we often go through the doctrinal, 28 fundamentals, 39:48 we agree, we become intellectual Christians. 39:51 But what happens then 39:52 because they don't understand this topic and that's why 39:54 it's so important to discuss it, 39:56 because they haven't repented of anything generally, 39:59 they now practice their sin in private, 40:03 and they struggle in public. 40:05 And, but they are now, 40:07 ''I'm a member, but I'm a struggling sinner 40:11 and if could just keep my sin private, 40:14 then I'll be seen in public as a guy or woman 40:17 that has become a good member." 40:19 But the Lord, repentance is not about good membership, 40:23 but it's about a good relationship with Jesus. 40:26 So walk us through the first one. 40:27 What is it, what does it do? 40:28 The first one is examination 40:30 and what we were talking about here, 40:32 is a search of the heart. 40:35 And comparing what's there with a holiness of God. 40:38 I'm gonna use this as a sermon one day by the way, 40:40 I'm not gonna tell you where. 40:41 Please, please. Good stuff. 40:43 And so, it's getting to know yourself. 40:44 I think one of the things that we miss is that, 40:47 just in our culture today, 40:49 is we lack kind of a real understanding of ourselves. 40:52 That's right. 40:54 Our weaknesses, our deficiencies, 40:55 our issues and we kind of, we argue, or we debate, 40:59 or we hold and live our lives, 41:01 we hold to beliefs that we have 41:04 thinking that we got it all right, 41:06 things are all together. 41:08 Bur really we haven't done a lot of self examination. 41:10 There isn't a lot of searching of the heart 41:12 to see whether or not it truly is 41:14 in line with God's picture 41:17 in His word of righteousness and holiness. 41:21 And so, a big part of this examination process 41:26 that we'll read a few scriptures about here 41:28 involves asking the Lord, 41:30 allowing the Lord to reveal to you, 41:32 to bring up in your mind the sin that exists. 41:36 What is in there that not only, 41:40 what are the hurts that I've done for others, 41:42 that I've done to others, 41:44 but what is it that's causing it for me in here, 41:46 so that I continue to do it, 41:48 because you know as a pastor, John, 41:50 we had people that are looking to gain, 41:53 just to overcome a sin in their life or something 41:56 and it seems to happen over and over again. 41:58 And that's because, we almost whitewash, 42:00 or get rid of the sins, the symptoms, 42:03 and we're not dealing with the heart of the issue, 42:04 what is really triggering this? 42:06 What going on in there? 42:07 And so, only an examination, 42:10 searching of the heart will allow us 42:12 to find those things, to God reveals those things in us. 42:15 And, you know, why it's important, John, 42:17 for us to examine ourselves, 42:18 it's because as you were speaking, 42:20 the thought came to me, you know, 42:22 while we read both preach 42:23 in front of a large audiences all the time 42:25 and even this world audience on television. 42:27 And I would say, I could say, 42:29 I can make it factual statement, 42:32 almost cell phones are all over the world. 42:38 And I would say people either have an iPhone or an android, 42:44 and there may be a third one in that category, 42:45 so I'm not even sure, 42:47 but in America we have iPhone or android. 42:50 You know, we got Samsung, or the LG, 42:53 or the Windows phone 42:55 are falling into the android category, 42:57 then on the other side 42:59 just the iPhone is all by itself. 43:01 I cannot look at an audience 43:02 and I could look at the audience and say, 43:05 ''I know that most of you have a cell phone, 43:08 but I don't know which kind. 43:12 In order for me to find out, I've examine each one of you 43:14 independently and I can come up now with a statistical survey, 43:17 35 percent of my audience has this phone, 43:19 20 percent has this phone, the 45 percent have this phone, 43:24 so I could come up with the entire demographical, 43:26 35 percent iPhone, 20 percent Samsung, 43:31 45 percent Windows phone, whatever the case may be 43:34 and then I can have my 100 percent. 43:35 But if you examine yourself, 43:38 there is no need for me to try to determine 43:39 what's going on in your own life. 43:41 The Lord is saying, 43:42 this is a relationship thing between you and me. 43:44 I want you to examine yourself that's why I like... 43:47 Can I go to Psalm? Yeah, go ahead. 43:48 You know, David the Psalmist. 43:51 Psalm 139:23-24, when you get to know yourself, 43:57 you get to know yourself by self examination. 44:00 And periodically, I just saw a news piece 44:03 where a young lady 23 years old, 44:06 she kept getting the wrong diagnosis from her doctors, 44:09 and she said she knew something was wrong, 44:11 so she examined herself, and found out that 44:15 and she insisted on getting one of the MRI's, 44:19 found out that she had third stage ovarian cancer, 44:23 but she came to conclusion by examining herself 44:26 that I know my body is just not working right. 44:30 And, you know, sometimes we know better, 44:32 our car breaks down, we go to the dealer, 44:33 I don't know what it is, 44:35 but it just keeps pulling to the right. 44:36 Well, sir, I can't find anything, 44:37 but there's something wrong. 44:39 When you pray this prayer, the Lord will honor it. 44:42 Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, 44:48 Try me, and know my anxieties, 44:52 or my thoughts as the King James. 44:55 And see if there is any wicked way in me, 44:59 And lead me in the way everlasting." 45:03 So when God turns on his light, is He gonna find it? 45:08 Yeah. 45:09 And we don't necessarily like that light. 45:11 We may be very uncomfortable with that light. 45:14 But I will say this, that there is no better place 45:16 to put your trust than in God Himself 45:19 who loves you more than life itself to do this searching 45:23 and then to help you to see yourself 45:25 for who you really are. 45:27 When this text was read, it came Hebrews 4:13 45:30 came to me, it says, "And there is no creature 45:33 hidden from His sight, speaking about God. 45:36 But all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him 45:39 to whom we must give account." 45:42 So, he already knows it. He already knows. 45:44 So what they're searching for, to reveal to who? 45:46 Reveal toward us, we need to know. 45:48 We need to know and God needs to tell us 45:49 what, what's wrong. 45:51 And in this world sometimes I'll add it, sometimes, 45:53 I'm in my whole sermon, 45:54 I got this entire 17 page sermon, 45:56 I had to really to split it down, 45:57 'cause 17 pages are like two hours. 45:59 I don't think anybody will be left by the time you finish. 46:00 Nobody will be hanging out for two hours, but-- 46:04 and I did that on my plane ride 17 page sermon. 46:07 So, when you think about this whole examination thing, 46:11 the Lord wants us to know our condition. 46:14 He said examine yourself, 46:16 because so many of us can examine other people 46:19 and we could look at their deficiencies, 46:20 their humanities, their faults, 46:21 their failures, their shortcomings, 46:23 the things that we think they should do differently. 46:25 Yeah. 46:26 But, it'll work a whole lot better 46:27 if we examine ourselves. 46:29 This next text from Lamentations 3:40-41. 46:32 There's something really neat about this, 46:34 because it connects what else happens 46:36 when we search ourselves. 46:37 "Let us search out and examine our ways, 46:41 And turn back to the Lord;" 46:44 So what's happening 46:45 when we search out and examine our ways, 46:47 what are we doing? 46:48 Turning back to the Lord. That's right. That's right. 46:51 That's why David said, "God search me," 46:53 he was turned toward him 46:55 and wanted to know truly what was in here. 46:58 That's right. And for God to reveal that. 47:00 "Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven." 47:04 So, repentance 47:07 is about not just a seeking of forgiveness, 47:10 or asking for forgiveness, 47:12 repentance is all about turning back, 47:14 turning away from what we've been doing. 47:17 Putting, turning our minds and our ears toward God 47:21 asking Him to search our hearts, 47:22 but then our heart is then united 47:26 or bonded with what God's will is for us. 47:29 So, we're turning away from that, that sin 47:31 and there's an other step here, 47:32 that talks about that in little more detail, 47:34 but just the examination does causes 47:36 to turn our heart back toward God, 47:37 it's a bonding of, 47:39 of a desire for a different way. 47:41 I remember standing this is a while ago. 47:44 Actually, not a while ago, but, you now, 47:47 in the airport you get these body scanners, 47:49 you walk, through security and even though I have a pass 47:53 that allows me to forego some of the process 47:55 of taking off shoes and belt and taking your laptop out. 47:58 Still when you walk through if it go-- 48:01 they say, 'Sir go back again' 48:03 do you have anything in your pockets? 48:05 ''No.'' 48:06 Okay, just check it in your bag.' 48:09 Whistle again. 48:10 They said, ''Okay, stand to the side'' 48:12 and they take this. 48:18 Well, oh, I didn't know I had a quarter in my back pocket. 48:22 It's amazing. 48:23 It seems so small, but they know it's there. 48:26 That's right. 48:28 The smallest sins in our lives, we may ignore them, 48:31 but God knows it's there. 48:34 So, he says, 48:36 what you need to do before you get to divine security, 48:39 because you're not gonna get pass the security check of God. 48:42 Because nothing's hidden, 48:43 he's got a scanner that's better than any thing 48:45 that we could, nothing is hidden. 48:47 So, what I want you do is I want you to examine yourself 48:50 and come clean, 48:51 is there anything in your back pocket? 48:53 No, and he finds marijuana, 48:56 he finds the wrong kind of reading material, 48:59 he finds, I mean, the wrong kind of, you're drinking, 49:02 he finds everything in you, he's examining it all, he says, 49:06 but here is what you need to do. 49:08 You examine yourself and be up, open it up right with me. 49:11 You tell me what your sin is and I'm faithful and just 49:14 and I'll forgive you and I'll cleanse you. 49:16 Isn't that wonderful? That's wonderful. 49:17 But this next step is really important, 49:19 I want you to lead us to it. 49:20 Well, do you want to read couple of verses here still? 49:22 Well, Lamentations, well, 2 Corinthians 13:5, which is, 49:26 what I was just talking about scanning, 49:28 examine yourselves 49:30 as to whether you are in the faith. 49:33 Test yourself. 49:35 So, even those in the faith, 49:37 remember, Paul's writing it to the church. 49:39 Right. 49:40 Just because you're in church, 49:43 it doesn't mean you are in Christ, okay? 49:45 So he is asking, Paul is encouraging 49:47 the saints in the church in Corinth 49:50 to examine themselves 49:51 to see whether or not, they're in the faith. 49:54 Test themselves. That's right. 49:56 Now it doesn't say, examine others. 49:59 And this often is what happens. 50:01 I always say when it comes to our relationship 50:03 with our brothers and sisters in Christ, 50:05 we can tell, you know 50:07 the judgment that we're asked to do 50:09 is when we see in it a sin an open sin, 50:12 that we help that brother or that sister 50:14 address that if God is calling us to do that. 50:17 There are some people, There are some folk, John, 50:19 that are not equipped, 50:20 they're not able in love to do that kind of thing. 50:23 But yet, they do it anyway 50:25 and that's the judging that we should not be doing. 50:27 Testing others and judging others. 50:30 Here's what's going on in, you know, 50:31 here's what I see in your life, you need to do. 50:33 We have to be very careful about this 50:35 and that's why such a... 50:37 emphasizes is placed by Paul in his 50:39 letters to the church on examining themselves. 50:42 Like it, this is between you and God, let you work this, 50:44 let him and you work this thing out together. 50:46 And the general examination, I'm glad you brought that up, 50:49 because I'm gonna add the other component 50:51 or the additional portion to the scripture of 50:53 2 Corinthians 13:5, 50:55 when it says, "Examine yourselves 50:57 as to whether you are in the faith. 50:59 Test yourselves. Test yourselves. 51:02 Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, 51:07 unless indeed you are disqualified, 51:09 or reprobate as the King James Version, 51:11 so many people don't know what reprobate mean, 51:12 that means disqualified. 51:14 In other words, "Do you not know yourselves 51:17 that Jesus Christ is in you." 51:18 In other words, see if he is in you, 51:20 if he is not there, you're disqualified 51:24 and then verse 6, 51:25 "But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified." 51:29 So, this Christian thing is, 51:30 that's a very powerful analogy 51:32 because Christians that say they're Christians 51:34 and are not examining themselves 51:36 don't know that they're disqualified. 51:39 So Paul is saying, "You're saying that Jesus is in you, 51:41 you better check to see if he is." 51:43 That's what he is in essence saying, 51:45 he said, break check and see if he is there, 51:47 look at your behavior, look at your attitude, 51:48 look at the way that you live your life, 51:50 check and see if he is there. If you don't find him, 51:52 you're disqualified, 51:54 you're not going to this checkpoint. 51:55 Somebody recently 51:56 and Pastor C.A tell me about this was trying to go through 51:59 coming to America and they... 52:04 they evidently, their papers didn't match 52:06 and this person was sitting right next to us on the plane 52:08 and, you know, they don't play at the customs, 52:12 they don't play at immigration. 52:13 They said, "Sir, please into that room please." 52:16 What was wrong? 52:18 You say you are... 52:19 but your paper work doesn't say that. 52:22 Test yourself, examine yourself. 52:25 Ain't nobody, we must all appear 52:26 before the judgment seat of Christ. 52:29 The next one, the next step is condemnation 52:32 and, you know, no one wants to condemn themselves, 52:36 but I think what this step really is all about 52:38 is recognizing and accepting the judgment against us, 52:43 because of our sin. 52:45 We have to go through this process 52:46 of realizing my heart is wicked, 52:50 and I'm condemned for that. 52:51 That's a hard thing for people to say it. 52:53 I deserve nothing but death. Right. 52:57 And that's a hard step to take. 52:59 Jeremiah 17:9, 53:00 "The heart is deceitful above all things, 53:02 and desperately wicked, Who can know it?" 53:04 Okay. We know it by what? Examination. 53:07 By examination. Right. 53:09 All we'd some, or we know it by tests sometimes. 53:12 A test will come 53:13 and our response to that test would reveal whether or not, 53:19 the God's work still be done. 53:20 Hey, I know I'll be candid, 53:24 I have work that's still going on. 53:26 Praise God, he said he that began a good work 53:28 will complete it, and that good, that's good news. 53:31 We know that, but we only know that 53:32 by the way we respond to these tests. 53:34 If we respond to them lovingly, and kindly, and, patiently 53:37 then we are becoming more, more like Christ each day. 53:40 But sometimes you get that, 53:41 you know, you get that mosquito test 53:44 that he said, "Oh man, he stunk me right on my eye lid 53:46 and I'm going on television." 53:48 You know, and it really stands out 53:50 and everybody sees it, got stunk. 53:52 Yeah. 53:53 Yeah, I'm really right now not in a good place. 53:55 And we have to adjust that. Yeah. 53:57 I think too that, the reason why condemnation step 54:00 is so important is that you hear 54:01 over and over in the world today. 54:03 You know, are you gonna go to heaven, 54:05 well, I'm a good person. 54:06 I haven't hurt anybody, you know, 54:08 I generally I live a good life. 54:11 See that's not the test, that's not the standard. 54:13 And so, the exam, 54:15 not only is self examination not happening, 54:17 but there is not a willingness to be condemned, 54:19 to understand that we are condemned. 54:21 And so that's why this step is important. 54:23 Romans 3:10-12. Oh, yes. 54:26 "There is none righteous, no, not one, 54:28 there is none who understands, 54:30 there is none who seeks after God. 54:32 They have all turned aside, 54:33 they have all together become unprofitable, 54:35 there is none who does good, no, not one." 54:38 Why do we and I'm gonna use a broader word, why do we 54:42 sometimes get tinkered into thinking that we're good 54:45 and other people have issues. 54:47 And there's nobody that's good. 54:48 That is a nature of sin. 54:50 Here's a key with sin, what is sin? 54:51 I think one of the greatest things that sin is 54:53 that sin does is that it self deceives. 54:58 We deceive ourselves, we don't even realize 55:01 we're being deceived by sin. 55:03 We can't recognize our issues, we don't think we have issues, 55:05 we don't think there is any kind of a problem. 55:08 If you're in that state you're actually, 55:10 you have a big sin problem, 55:12 because it is sin itself that deceives us. 55:15 Right. Right. 55:16 Sin is self deception. Absolutely. 55:19 When you refused it, I like it, you know, 55:22 actions that I like it that's the, 55:24 not the good way of saying it. 55:25 But sometimes people look really qualified, 55:30 but those machines, those tests, 55:34 those doctor scans, those x-rays, 55:37 those MRI's and all the other stuff 55:40 It will find out really what's going on. 55:42 You could go to, you know, 55:43 you could spray cologne on a pig, it's still a pig. 55:47 And the Lord is saying, he wants us to know 55:48 where we stand in our relationship with him 55:51 in that self examination, I said the other day 55:53 and I was doing a sermon about the Pharisees, 55:56 I said the Pharisees were so other, 55:57 the Pharisees were so other focused 55:59 that they were, they were not self focused. 56:02 And Jesus said, how was it that, 56:03 you know, you like whitewashed sepulchres, 56:06 you're like filled with dead man's bones, 56:09 and what they miss was self abnegation. 56:11 It's another way of saying, they did, they had no desire 56:14 to sacrifice anything in their lives, 56:16 but surely they couldn't wait to sacrifice Jesus. 56:19 So, we have to be really careful 56:21 when we are even in diet, 56:23 we have to be careful that we're less concerned 56:25 about what's going into somebody else's mouth 56:27 and more concerned about what is coming out of our mouth. 56:30 Because all these, these are part of the examinations. 56:32 Less concerned about what they're eating, 56:34 and what's eating you. 56:36 See. 56:37 And all these things are part of self examination. 56:39 I remember, I was preaching a sermon. 56:42 In one case that was on this 56:43 this very thing and I made the statement I said, 56:45 you know, we, "In the church 56:47 we need to reverse the order of what we do." 56:50 We typically judge others and extend mercy to ourselves, 56:52 let's reverse that. 56:53 Let's extend mercy to others and judge ourselves. 56:57 And I say there are all these kind of things 56:59 that happen in life, and it's funny, 57:01 as I was sharing this, I feel prompted to say this, 57:03 I said now, what we're talking about? 57:05 Don't be thinking that this is, 57:07 don't be looking to cross it out 57:08 thinking this is someone else's issue, 57:09 you're thinking about some one right now, 57:11 it's not yourself and you could hear everybody 57:12 kind of chuckle and laugh, 57:13 but they, that exactly what was happening. 57:15 But anyway this is part of the process, so. 57:18 Well, friends, we're just beginning this topic 57:20 and you don't want to miss the rest of it, 57:21 so continue studying the word of God, 57:23 because one day there's gonna be house calling 57:26 when the Lord comes to call you, 57:27 you want to be qualified. 57:29 God bless you, until we see you again. |
Revised 2016-07-21