Participants:
Series Code: HHJ
Program Code: HHJ000012S
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00:01 Music...
00:15 Hello there... blessings... 00:16 we want to welcome everybody 00:18 to the 2020 Secrets Unsealed Summit. 00:21 We pray that this will be a blessing to you. 00:25 Today's message that we're going to be sharing 00:28 is on Elijah and the Kingdom of God. 00:31 I want to open with a text from Exodus chapter 19. 00:36 It says, "Now therefore... " verse 5... Exodus 19 verse 5... 00:41 "Now therefore, 00:43 if ye will obey My voice indeed 00:47 and keep My covenant... " my promises... 00:51 "then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me 00:56 above all the people; 00:58 for all the earth is Mine. 01:01 And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests 01:07 and a holy nation. " 01:09 It's interesting that it says, 01:12 "we will be a kingdom of priests. " 01:16 Normally, in this world, we see a separation 01:21 of church and State. 01:23 The kingdom represents State... earthly power 01:28 or political or civil power 01:30 where a priest represents spiritual authority 01:35 but here God says, "We shall be unto Him 01:39 a kingdom of priests. " 01:42 I want you just to do some research. 01:45 Our Savior who took the throne in heaven... 01:50 the Lord Jesus Christ... 01:52 He was anointed as King when He ascended on high. 01:57 You can look this up in Desire of Ages... 01:59 last two chapters of Desire of Ages 02:01 tell about His inauguration... 02:04 but what's beautiful is the Bible tells us 02:07 that He is also our great High Priest 02:11 and it tells us specifically that He is a High Priest 02:16 after the order of Melchizedek. 02:20 The interesting thing about Melchizedek 02:24 is... he was king and priest at the same time. 02:29 He did not take the throne and then become a priest 02:34 or be a priest first and then take the throne. 02:37 He was both king and priest at the same time 02:41 just as our Savior. 02:43 It's beautiful here because He tells us 02:47 and He repeats this also in 1st Peter chapter 2. 02:51 He talks about us being a kingdom of priests. 02:54 So, we want to look at this at this kingdom 02:57 and what this has to do with the Elijah message 03:00 that is going out into the whole world right now. 03:03 Pause... 03:06 In Malachi chapter 4, the Lord prophesies of our day. 03:11 He says, "For behold the day cometh, 03:14 that shall burn as an oven; 03:16 and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 03:21 shall be as stubble. 03:23 And the day that is coming shall burn them up, 03:27 saith the LORD of hosts, 03:28 that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. " 03:32 A lot of people will ask me... 03:35 you know, because I used to be involved in the Martial Arts 03:38 and they'll say, "You know, what if I'm doing Martial Arts 03:41 but we don't have any of the Spiritualism... 03:43 we don't bow... we don't... we don't meditate... 03:46 you know, is there anything wrong with that?" 03:48 And my answer is always very simple, 03:51 "The one thing that Marital Arts and all of the Eastern Mysticism 03:57 and Hollywood and the business world 04:00 and the Music Industry... 04:03 the one thing above everything else 04:05 that it puts inside of a person is Pride. 04:09 It turns men's eyes and women's eyes to themselves 04:13 rather than their eyes being on the Lord God. " 04:17 The Lord says right here, 04:20 "The proud and all that do wickedly... will be burned up. " 04:26 It says that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 04:31 "But unto you... " put your name in there... 04:36 "unto you that fear My name 04:40 shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, 04:43 with healing in His wings. " 04:46 That word "wings" is important 04:49 because in the Hebrew it actually has a definition 04:52 that is very eye opening. 04:53 The word "wings" means the borders of the garment. 04:57 Do you remember when that woman was pressing her way 05:00 through the crowd... trying to reach Jesus 05:03 and she finally bent down low probably 05:06 where no one could see her 05:07 and took hold of the border of His garment 05:10 and Jesus said, "Somebody touched me 05:13 because I felt virtue... " 05:16 that means, "Divine Power" 05:18 go out of Him. 05:19 How did that woman know that by touching Him, 05:23 she would be healed? 05:24 She knew because this promise in Malachi said 05:27 that He will have healing in the borders of His garment 05:32 and then the Lord promises us... you shall go forth 05:37 and grow up as calves of the stall. 05:40 Calves that grow up out in the wild, 05:43 you know, they've got a different life... 05:46 but a calf that is kept in the stall... it's babied... 05:49 they make sure that it has the best food... 05:52 it has the best milk... 05:53 it has the best hay... 05:55 they have a life of luxury. 05:57 God says... we're going to grow up as calves that are fed... 06:02 like calves that are fed in a stall. 06:05 Pause... 06:08 There are a number of events that the Word of God 06:12 and Sister White tells us will take place 06:15 just prior to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 06:19 The first thing that we talked about in our previous message 06:24 is the shaking... 06:25 and all of this is taking place 06:27 while the Elijah message is being sounded. 06:29 The shaking will take place 06:32 and there is a reference in Hebrews 12 verse 18 through 29 06:35 I encourage you to look up on your own. 06:37 After the shaking, 06:39 we are told the Latter Rain will come. 06:43 The Latter Rain is absolutely essential 06:47 for us to be able to make it through the time of trouble 06:49 and for us to be able to give the loud cry 06:53 of the righteousness of Christ. 06:54 I want you to look up when you have a chance 06:57 Hosea chapter 6 verses 1 through 3. 06:59 This is an important subject that we all need to be praying 07:03 and... and seeking the Lord to better understand. 07:09 In Matthew 17, the disciples asked Jesus saying, 07:14 "Why then say the scribes that Elias... " or Elijah... 07:19 "must first come? 07:20 Then Jesus answered and said unto them, 07:24 'Elijah truly shall first come, 07:28 and he shall restore all things. '" 07:32 The Bible says... he will be one that restores 07:36 the paths to dwell in... 07:39 "But I say unto you, 07:41 that Elias is come already, 07:44 and they have done unto him whatsoever they desired... " 07:49 and here Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist 07:52 so, in the Old Testament, 07:54 we have Elijah the prophet... 07:56 then in the time of Christ at His first advent, 07:59 John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit 08:03 that Elijah was filled with. 08:05 He went forth in the same power 08:07 and under the same commission that Elijah did 08:09 but yet we have the promise that Elijah will come again 08:16 before the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. 08:20 Pause... 08:23 In Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6, 08:27 this prophecy was spoken 08:30 between Malachi and the advent of Jesus Christ... 08:34 there was almost 500 years of space 08:37 where there was no prophet recorded. 08:41 In the last chapter of the last prophet, 08:44 before Christ came the first time, 08:47 this is what we are told. 08:49 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet 08:53 before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD... 08:57 and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers 09:03 back to their children, 09:05 and the hearts of the children to their fathers. " 09:09 "And the disobedient to the wisdom of the Just... " 09:13 Luke tells us... 09:15 "to make ready a people prepared for our Sovereign King... 09:20 the Lord Jesus Christ. " 09:22 A lot of times when we think about the Elijah message, 09:25 we think about warning the world about Babylon 09:28 and... and warning the world about the deceptions 09:31 and the deceptions with what 09:32 the Roman Catholic Church is doing... 09:34 we... we think of the Elijah message 09:37 as... you know... like a sword... 09:39 like we're going out to battle with other people 09:42 but when we look at this verse in Malachi, 09:46 it says that the primary purpose of Elijah, 09:50 is to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children. 09:55 Do you know that right now in... in our country 09:59 and I'm sure across the world, 10:00 we are seeing a breakdown of family. 10:06 We're seeing marriages that are... are torn apart... 10:10 we're also seeing children and their parents... 10:14 especially children and their fathers 10:16 being separated by rejection... 10:19 by bitterness... by rebellion... 10:22 by not feeling loved. 10:24 Satan knows that for us as a people 10:29 to accomplish this work that God has given us to do, 10:33 he knows that the family has to be strong... 10:37 the marriage has to be strong... 10:39 the children have to know 10:41 that their fathers and their mothers love them. 10:44 They have to know by experience... 10:46 not just intellectually but with the heart... 10:49 they have to feel loved by their father. 10:53 A lot of times, we as Christians... 10:57 we say, "Well, we walk by faith... not by feeling... " 10:59 and that's correct 11:01 but I want to tell you something. 11:02 How would you feel if the Lord God spoke to you audibly 11:07 and He told you, "Listen... " 11:11 your name... Susie or Mary of Joe or Eric or John... 11:16 "Listen, John, I love you 11:20 but my love is an intellectual decision... 11:24 I don't have feelings... 11:27 I can't really stand who you are... 11:28 I can't stand the things you do but I have chosen to love you. " 11:33 How would that make you feel if God said that to you? 11:37 How would that make a wife feel if her husband said, 11:41 "Listen, I really don't even like you... 11:43 I mean, I don't think you're pretty... 11:44 you get on my nerves 11:46 but I'm making a choice to love you 11:48 because it's the right thing to do. " 11:51 How do you think that wife would feel? 11:53 How do you think a husband would feel 11:55 if his wife said that 11:57 or a son or a daughter 11:59 or if their mother and father said that to them? 12:01 Pause. 12:03 We are not able to show our family the love of God 12:09 because we have been lied to 12:11 and we think that's how He views us. 12:14 The Bible tells us over and over again 12:17 in the Old and the New Testament... 12:20 He says that God longs for us... 12:23 long... longing with His heart for us. 12:27 He misses us when we skip a day 12:30 and don't have time with Him. 12:33 God has emotions for us... 12:36 He has that desire for us. 12:39 Pause... 12:42 In Luke chapter 1, 12:43 John the Baptist's father, Zechariah... 12:47 he spoke under the inspiration of the spirit of God, 12:52 and listen to what he said about his son. 12:54 "And thou child shall be called the prophet of the Highest; 13:00 for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord our King, 13:05 to prepare His paths... 13:08 to give knowledge... understanding... 13:14 of salvation unto His people 13:17 through the remission of their sins. " 13:21 Here we see that John the Baptist 13:25 was not merely preaching the law 13:28 but to give an understanding of the way of salvation 13:34 to His people through the remission of their sins. 13:40 "Through the tender mercy of our God... " 13:44 Malachi says, 13:45 "whereby through which the Dayspring... 13:50 the Sun of Righteousness from on high has visited us!" 13:54 It's important there to notice something. 13:57 The knowledge of salvation 14:00 through the remission of our sins. 14:02 It says in the next verse, Luke chapter 1 verses 79, 14:08 "To give light to those that sit in darkness 14:11 and in the shadow of death... 14:13 to guide our feet in the way of peace!" 14:17 Have you ever wondered about that? 14:18 What does it mean? 14:20 People were living under the shadow of death? 14:21 Let me ask you a question, 14:23 "The wages of sin is... " what? 14:26 Pause. 14:28 "Death... " 14:29 How many sins you have to commit to be worthy of death? 14:32 how many? 14:33 One. 14:35 Every single human being that has ever been born 14:40 except for Jesus Christ 14:42 is born under the shadow of death. 14:46 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 tells us, 14:51 "For we had the sentence of death in ourselves, 14:55 so that we should not trust in ourselves... 14:59 but in God which raiseth the dead!" 15:03 Hallelujah... that's exciting. 15:06 We were born under the sentence of death 15:09 just like a slave 200 years ago 15:12 that was born to two other slaves, 15:15 that child is born to two slaves... 15:18 he is born... sold into sin... 15:21 he's born... sold into slavery. 15:24 It's not because of what he did... 15:27 he's born that way because his parents were slaves. 15:30 We were born in sin, 15:33 Romans chapter 5 verses 12 through 19 tells us, 15:36 because of what Adam did. 15:38 Pause... 15:41 Now look at word "remission... " 15:44 Elijah is to show the knowledge... 15:48 the understanding of salvation through the remission of sins. 15:52 The word "remission... " there are two Greek words... 15:55 the main word and its root. 15:57 This is the definition in Strong's... 16:00 pardon... freedom... deliverance... 16:03 liberty from sin... 16:06 forgiveness for sin... 16:08 to send forth or to lay aside. 16:12 Do you know the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 16:15 verses 4 through 20, 16:18 it talks about our Savior 16:20 versus the Old Testament economy of sacrifices and offerings 16:27 and the Lord actually tells us 16:29 that the blood of bulls and goats 16:32 could never take away sins. 16:35 All they did was cover sin. 16:38 It's almost like my daughter coming to me 16:41 and she's got a good job now. 16:42 She says, "Daddy, I've got a good job... 16:45 I'm making good money 16:46 but I don't have any Credit History. 16:48 Would you co-sign for me to get a loan for a car?" 16:52 And I co-signed that loan. 16:55 She still has to make the payment... 16:57 me co-signing the loan does not pay it off 17:02 but when Christ cried out on Calvary, 17:06 He said, "It is finished... " 17:07 in Greek it reads: Paid in full... 17:13 debt paid in full. 17:15 Pause... 17:17 When we look at what happened, He is the Lamb of God 17:22 which took away the sin of the world. 17:26 Isaiah 53 verses 1 through 12, 17:28 I encourage you to read that. 17:31 It says, All we like sheep have gone astray; 17:35 we have turned everyone to his own way... " 17:38 our own paths... 17:39 "and the LORD hath laid on Him 17:43 the iniquities of us all!" 17:46 All of us... 17:48 the word "iniquity" means in Hebrew, 17:51 it means "perversity and mischief. " 17:54 The word transgression in Hebrew means: 17:57 rebellion and apostasy. 17:59 God laid all of it on Him... 18:04 not just the... the slip-up if you make a mistake 18:08 but when you rebelled against Him, 18:11 God put that on Jesus. 18:12 When you are involved in some kind of perverse action 18:17 or you were doing things that were crooked... 18:19 that's what the word "perverse" means... 18:21 it's like an arrow that you shoot out of the bow. 18:24 An arrow that is crooked is called: a perverse arrow... 18:26 It's crooked. 18:28 God laid all of that on Jesus personally. 18:32 I know when I was young, I used to drink... 18:36 I used to drink probably $200 worth of alcohol a week 18:39 by myself. 18:41 God put everything I ever did under those circumstances 18:47 of being drunk... 18:48 He put it all on Jesus... 18:50 my personal sins and your personal sins. 18:53 Now, listen to what Ellen White says, 18:57 Youth's Instructor, December 20, 1900... 19:01 "This entire chapter... " 19:04 she's speaking of Isaiah 53... 19:06 "should be committed to memory. 19:08 Its influence... " 19:10 if you read it out loud and if you read your name into it, 19:13 "Its influence will subdue and humble 19:17 every soul that is defiled by sin 19:20 and uplifted by pride or self-exaltation. 19:25 Think of Christ's humiliation. 19:27 He took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, 19:34 degraded and defiled by sin. " 19:37 I'm not saying Christ ever had sinned or committed sin. 19:41 Ellen White tells us that He was not born identical to us. 19:45 We are born with one nature... 19:47 that of fallen Adam. 19:49 She says Christ was born with two natures. 19:53 He had fallen human nature 19:55 and he had the divine nature from His father. 20:00 So, through His Father's presence and power... 20:04 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 20:07 Christ conquered our personal sins 20:10 through the deity that was in Him. 20:14 "He endured all the temptations wherewith man is beset. " 20:20 Listen to this: 20:22 "He united humanity with Divinity: 20:26 a Divine Spirit dwelt in a temple of flesh. " 20:32 That's her words. 20:34 He united Himself with the temple. 20:38 Remember the Bible says, we are the temple of God? 20:42 The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us 20:46 because by so doing thus, Jesus could associate 20:51 with the sinful sorrowing sons and daughters of Adam. 20:55 Jesus is the only hope of the soul 21:00 by faith... that's our whole key to this Series... 21:04 by faith... that means believing that God will do 21:08 and has done what He promised. 21:10 Every soul may say with the Psalmist, 21:13 "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, O Lord? 21:16 And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 21:21 "The moment the sinner lays hold of Christ by faith, 21:26 that moment... his sins are no longer upon him. " 21:30 I cannot tell you how many Christians will call me 21:34 or e-mail me and they've fallen 21:36 and maybe it was a year ago... 21:38 maybe it was a month ago... 21:39 maybe it was a week ago... 21:41 maybe it was last night... 21:42 they've fallen 21:44 and they are so overwhelmed by the guilt and the shame 21:48 and the devil... Satan... 21:50 his name means: the accuser... is accusing them... 21:54 he's whispering everything they've done wrong... 21:57 how helpless and worthless they are... 21:59 "There's no hope for you... " 22:01 but he's a liar. 22:04 The Lord's servant says, 22:06 "The moment the sinner lays hold on Christ by faith... " 22:09 that moment... his sins are no longer upon him. 22:13 "Christ stands in the sinner's place... " 22:18 in heaven... He stands in the sinner's place 22:21 "and declares, 'I have borne his guilt... '" 22:25 put your name in there... 22:27 "I have been punished for his transgressions. 22:31 I have taken his or her sins, 22:35 and I have put My righteousness upon them. 22:39 In Christ the sinner stands guiltless 22:45 before the law of God!" 22:47 We've talked about that over the last couple of messages 22:51 about us being found as Paul says, 22:54 "In Christ... " 22:55 here the Lord's servant says 22:58 that in Christ the sinner stands guiltless. 23:01 Guiltless does not mean only forgiven... 23:05 it means: you never did it, you're guilt free... 23:09 you never did it. 23:11 Ellen White calls this: The Divine Exchange. 23:15 Christ takes our life from us 23:19 but the only way He can do that is if He... 23:22 if we will allow Him to impart His life 23:24 in exchange for ours. 23:26 Pause. 23:29 In Ezekiel chapter 37 we're told, 23:32 "The hand of the LORD was upon me 23:35 and He carried me out in the Spirit of the LORD, 23:38 and He set me in the midst of a valley 23:40 which was full of bones. 23:42 And He caused me to pass by them round about. " 23:46 And then Ezekiel says, 23:48 "And behold, there were very many in the open valley... 23:53 and lo, they were very dry!" 23:57 Do you remember all those times in the gospels 24:00 where Jesus talked about the scribes and Pharisees... 24:03 many of them... 24:04 and He said, they're like whited sepulchers... 24:07 on the outside they appear beautiful 24:10 but inside, they are full of dead men's bones. 24:15 that's what Ezekiel was seeing... 24:17 an open valley and the bones were very dry. 24:22 And the Lord said unto Ezekiel, 24:25 "Son of man, can these dry bones live?" 24:30 and Ezekiel answered, 24:32 "O Lord GOD... " Adonai Yahweh 24:36 "Thou only knowest. " 24:39 If you look at dry bones, it seems impossible. 24:45 Sometimes, there are different places in our country 24:48 where there hasn't been rain and we had fires raging 24:52 and you know what God is asking us to do? 24:54 "Don't look at the dry ground... 24:56 don't look at the weather forecast... 24:59 look to the power of the Word of God. 25:02 I can make those dry bones live... 25:05 I can pour rain from an empty sky. " 25:08 Zechariah 4:6 tells us, "Not by might, nor by power, 25:15 but by my Spirit saith the LORD of hosts. " 25:18 And Jesus tells us in John 6:63, "The words I speak unto you, 25:23 they are Spirit, and they are life. " 25:27 Pause. 25:30 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 25:35 this is from Luke chapter 4 verse 6 and Matthew 3:3, 25:40 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness... " 25:44 I live in North Carolina now... 25:47 my wife and I do and it's green everywhere... 25:52 everything is green... 25:54 we get rain showers almost every afternoon... 25:56 it's lush and green... 25:59 tall mountains... rugged cliffs... 26:02 so, when I thought of wilderness, 26:04 I've always pictured... wilderness... 26:07 you know, like, Colorado or... 26:09 or the Rocky Mountains 26:10 or some place that's just lush 26:12 but that's not what the word means in Hebrew, 26:14 it means: a desert... 26:16 a wilderness means: a desolate place. 26:19 Speaking of Isaiah, it says here, 26:22 of Elijah... it says... 26:24 "He shall be the voice of one crying in the desolate place 26:29 in that valley of dry bones 26:31 saying, 'Prepare ye the way of our King... 26:35 make His path straight... 26:38 every valley shall be filled 26:40 and every mountain shall be brought low 26:43 and the crooked things shall be made straight, 26:47 and the rough ways shall be made smooth. " 26:50 That means that our understanding of salvation... 26:54 God is going to straighten out those crooked paths 26:58 where we have not understood 27:00 and then he says, "And all flesh shall see 27:05 the salvation of God!" 27:06 Pause. 27:10 Isaiah chapter 32 verse 1 and 16 verse 5... 27:15 listen to the promise the Lord makes. 27:18 "Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, 27:23 and princes shall rule in judgment. " 27:27 Now, I want to go back and re-read that 27:30 and put the actual Hebrew words in. 27:33 "Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, 27:37 and princes... " 27:39 how do you become a prince or a princess? 27:42 There's only one way... 27:44 that's if your father is a king. 27:46 He says, "and princes" that means: the children of God. 27:51 "shall rule and have dominion in the judgment. 27:57 And in mercy shall the throne be established. " 28:01 Remember it says there in Isaiah 32, 28:04 "A King shall reign... " 28:06 in chapter 16 he says, 28:08 "in mercy the throne will be established. " 28:11 There was a question that came to my mind: 28:14 What throne is there in the sanctuary? 28:17 It's the Ark of the Covenant. 28:20 It has the two covering cherubim's on it. 28:24 It has the Law of God inside of it 28:26 and what is it that sits between the two cherubim's? 28:29 A mercy seat... 28:32 that's the throne of God 28:34 but do you know what's even more beautiful? 28:37 We know from God's Word and from Sister White 28:40 that the throne He wants to reign in 28:42 is not simply one in heaven, 28:44 He wants to reign on the throne of our hearts 28:50 and He tells us: in mercy the throne will be established. 28:56 "And He... " speaking of Jesus... 28:58 "shall sit upon that throne in unfailing verity... 29:04 in truth... in the tabernacle of David. 29:07 Do you know what the word "David" means in Hebrew? 29:10 It's the name of... of the greatest king that we had 29:14 in the Bible 29:16 but do you know what his name literally means? 29:17 It means: my well beloved. 29:19 God is promising us that He... Jesus... 29:26 will sit in unfailing verity 29:28 in the tabernacle of His well beloved. 29:32 That's you and I... 29:33 He will sit there judging and seeking justice 29:37 and hasting righteousness. 29:40 The word "hasting" means... to cause to flow with water. 29:44 "Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, 29:50 and our wilderness be a fruitful field, 29:54 and our fruitful field be counted 29:58 or reckoned as a forest. " 29:59 This is from Isaiah chapter 32 verses 15 through 17, 30:04 he says, "Then judgment" or justice 30:07 "shall dwell in the wilderness... " 30:10 in that desolate place 30:12 "and righteousness shall remain in the fruitful field. " 30:15 Have you ever wondered why God says: a fruitful field? 30:20 Galatians 2 tells us that the fruits of the Spirit of God 30:24 are these. 30:25 He wants our hearts and our lives to be filled 30:30 with the fruits of His Spirit. 30:32 He says, "Righteousness shall remain 30:36 in the fruitful field... " 30:38 and then listen to this, 30:40 "The work of righteousness shall be peace... " 30:44 peace between God and man... 30:47 "and the effect of righteousness 30:50 shall be quietness and assurance forever!" 30:55 How many people do you and I know 30:58 even in our own churches... 30:59 even in our own homes 31:02 that don't have peace and don't have assurance? 31:07 God has promised this in Christ Jesus. 31:11 Pause... 31:14 "For in Him... " the Lord Jesus Christ 31:18 "mercy and truth are met together, 31:21 righteousness and peace have kissed each other!" 31:26 They've covenanted together. 31:30 Pause. 31:33 God tells us in Romans chapter 3 31:38 that because of what Jesus did, God can now be just 31:44 and yet He can be the justifier of all those 31:49 that ae willing to believe in Jesus. 31:52 Do you know what the word "Jesus" is in Hebrew? 31:55 Yeshua or Jehoshua... however you want to pronounce it 31:59 Greek or Hebrew... it's not a salvation issue 32:02 but it's interesting to find out what the word means. 32:05 Jesus... in the Old Testament... was Yeshua. 32:09 Do you know that that word literally means: Jehovah saves 32:14 or Yahweh's salvation. 32:17 Jesus' very name is a promise that God will save us. 32:21 Ellen White said... there is nothing we can do more 32:25 to dishonour God 32:27 than by doubting that He will save us. 32:30 Amen. 32:32 It says here: 32:34 "I will make her... " that's you and I... 32:38 we're the daughter of Zion... we're Christ's bride. 32:40 "I will make her that halted... " 32:43 that was crippled and limped and lame... 32:46 "I will make her a remnant 32:49 and her that was cast off, I will make a strong nation... 32:54 and the LORD shall reign in mount Zion. " 32:59 We are Zion... it's not just some mountain in heaven, 33:03 it's Him reigning within your and my life. 33:07 Daniel chapter 9 tells us of Zion... 33:10 "Thy city and Thy people which are called by Thy name... " 33:15 The Lord shall reign in us from henceforth even forever!" 33:20 And then he makes this promise to Jesus... the Father did, 33:26 "And Thou, O Tower of the flock, 33:29 yeah, the Stronghold of the daughter of Zion... 33:33 unto Thee shall it come, 33:36 even the first dominion; 33:38 yea, the Kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem!" 33:43 God promised His Son that all that was lost in Adam, 33:49 the Cross of Christ will fully restore. 33:52 God promised His Son, 33:54 "I'm going to give you back the dominion which Adam lost 33:59 through transgression to Satan 34:01 and Micah chapter 4 verse 8 says... 34:04 Jesus took back that dominion. 34:08 It's interesting too as a note, 34:11 we're the bride of Christ. 34:13 Whatever belongs to Jesus... if we have married Him, 34:18 we're not just trying to date Him... 34:20 I hate to hear people say that. 34:23 We're not dating God or dating Jesus... 34:26 He wants a bride. 34:27 If we have been married to Him and become one with Him, 34:32 everything that belongs to Him is ours 34:36 and that's why it says, 34:37 "Even unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion... 34:42 yea, the kingdom shall come to us... 34:46 to the daughter of Jerusalem!" 34:48 Pause. 34:50 Jesus said in Matthew 28 and in Mark 16, 34:54 "All power is given unto Me, 34:58 both in heaven and in earth. 35:02 Go ye therefore into all the world 35:05 and proclaim these glad tiding to every creature!" 35:08 I used to read that... I could not comprehend it. 35:11 It was crooked to me... I... I couldn't understand it. 35:14 It was rough. 35:16 I was like: what do you mean? 35:18 He had everything in heaven and in earth 35:20 when He was in heaven? 35:21 And then I read something from Sister White 35:23 and it's in the Bible that helped to open my eyes. 35:26 Jesus came down here and became a man. 35:30 When He ascended on high, He is the man Christ Jesus... 35:37 fully Human... but yet, fully Divine at the same time. 35:45 He took back what Adam lost 35:49 and now, He is King in heaven and here on the earth. 35:55 In John... the gospel of John, 35:57 I think it's John chapter 8 and John chapter 12, 35:59 you have to look it up. 36:01 Jesus actually said something before Calvary. 36:04 He said, "The prince of this world is coming, 36:07 but he hath nothing in me... " 36:10 and then He said in the other verse, 36:12 He said, 36:15 "Now is the judgment of this world, 36:18 now, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me... " 36:23 and He also said, 36:25 "Now the prince of this world is cast out. " 36:28 Pause. 36:30 Christ took back the dominion over the world 36:33 and that dominion and power and authority 36:37 He has given unto us. 36:38 Pause. 36:43 Now, I want to look at this personally 36:47 and I share this... I share this because 36:50 all the years I've been in ministry, 36:53 a lot of the focus has been on... 36:56 on helping people to understand doctrinally... 37:00 to understand the Word of God 37:02 and the Lord... in the past year or two 37:06 has really been opening my eyes to see something. 37:09 What we teach has to be practical. 37:14 It has to change the life. 37:17 There are many times that I have sat when I was younger 37:20 and I would watch a great sermon by strong men of God 37:23 and I would go, "Man, that is so neat... " 37:25 and I'd be taking notes and I'd have pages of notes 37:28 from a Camp Meeting 37:30 and I would go home and what I wrote down... 37:32 it was good... it was up here... 37:34 but it didn't affect my life, 37:37 it didn't change my interaction with my family. 37:41 Pause... 37:43 I want to show you something... 37:45 the Bible says that Jesus is High Priest 37:53 after the order of Melchizedek. 37:55 A priest has one purpose... 37:57 they intercede on behalf of someone else... 37:59 an intercessor... 38:01 there's another word that is also used: a Mediator. 38:04 A Mediator is like a... a... 38:07 somebody that stands between two people. 38:10 Sometimes when I've gone out of the country 38:13 and I've had to go somewhere 38:14 where English is not the primary language, 38:16 I had to have an interpreter there. 38:18 That's what a Mediator does. 38:19 They interpret for you 38:23 so, what Jesus does is: 38:27 He is mediating on our behalf. 38:30 It says, "He is the High Priest of our profession... profession" 38:38 that means what you speak... what you speak out loud. 38:42 If I get on my knees 38:45 and I'm praying doubt and unbelief... 38:48 what does Christ have... to interpret to the Father for me? 38:53 Pause. 38:54 Do you understand? 38:56 But if I get on my knees and I open up God's Word 38:59 and I says, "God, I'm helpless 39:02 but Thou hast promised... " 39:05 and I take to God His promises... 39:09 that's called: praying in the Spirit... 39:11 "For the words I speak unto you... " Jesus said, 39:13 "they are Spirit and life. " 39:15 When I go to God and I take His Word to Him 39:18 and say, "Lord, you swore with an oath to me 39:22 that you will save my children, 39:24 you swore with an oath to me 39:26 that you will restore my marriage... " 39:28 as He told my wife... 39:30 He promised my wife in His Word, 39:33 "What I have joined together, let no man put asunder. " 39:36 When you go to God with His promises, 39:41 then Jesus has God's own promise 39:45 to present to the Father 39:47 and do you know what God does? 39:49 There's nothing that brings Him greater joy 39:51 than for us to wrestle in faith like that. 39:54 Pause... 39:55 In Proverbs chapter 18, the Lord tells us something, 40:00 He says, "Death and life are in the power of our tongue 40:05 and they that love shall eat the fruit thereof!" 40:10 Pause... 40:12 They that love will eat the fruit... 40:14 they will gain the benefits of that love. 40:17 Pause. 40:19 When you look the word "Love" up, 40:21 the perfect and number one definition 40:23 in all of the Bible is John 15:13. 40:26 Jesus said, "No greater love hath any man than this, 40:30 that a man lay down his life for his friends. " 40:34 That's what love is... 40:36 true love is sacrificing ourselves 40:40 on behalf of every other. 40:43 Sometimes it's easy to tell, 40:46 you know, your wife or your husband, 40:48 "I love you" 40:49 or your children, "I love you, have a good day. " 40:51 One morning, I woke up 40:53 and I've shared this story before, 40:56 but I know we have people here that may not have heard it. 40:59 I woke up one morning and my wife was asleep... 41:02 she was still a school teacher... 41:03 she's now a Principal 41:05 but because she was so busy with her school work 41:09 and... and grading and everything else 41:12 and helping to get everything taken care of with the family, 41:14 I would get up in the morning and I would help my wife 41:17 and I would make the lunches for her and our children 41:20 and I would make everybody's breakfast 41:22 and I'm in ministry while I'm doing this 41:25 and I woke up one morning and I went in there 41:28 and I'm... I'm making lunches, 41:30 and I got them all packed for everybody 41:31 and set over by the door... on the counter 41:33 and then I went to make everybody's breakfast 41:35 and my wife had something special 41:38 and then the two children wanted, like, granola 41:40 and they always like berries and banana in it 41:43 and I went over to where the bananas were 41:45 and we had two bananas left. 41:47 Now, I also would eat a banana every morning, 41:49 I would have a smoothie and toast or something, 41:52 so, there were two bananas left 41:54 so, I knew I've got to split one of them 41:56 between my two children 41:57 and the other one, I'll save for the smoothie. 41:59 Well, the bananas were not joined, 42:01 you know, anymore at the stem... 42:03 they were like, you know, 42:05 the bananas that were sort of like the leftover 42:07 of the rest of the... the bunch. 42:09 One of them looked still really firm and healthy... 42:14 the other banana looked like it had seen better days... 42:19 bruised... more brown spots on it where it was getting ripe 42:24 and I did not even think about it 42:27 but I'm sitting there and a thought went through my head, 42:32 and the thought was in my voice 42:33 because when the devil talks to us and whispers to us 42:36 normally he whispers in our own voice 42:39 so that we won't recognize that the thought is not our own. 42:41 So, I'm looking at those bananas 42:44 and I pick them up and I'm like, "Okay, 42:45 I'll save that good one for me for that smoothie 42:48 and I took the other one that was, you know, less desirable 42:51 and I peeled it... I cut half of it up in their cereal 42:54 and half up in the other 42:56 and then the Lord spoke to me and said, 42:58 "Eric, you didn't prefer your children over yourself... " 43:00 I mean, just a still small voice 43:02 and you know what I did? 43:04 I pushed that voice to the back 43:06 so, I acted like I could not hear Him 43:09 and you know what I justified? 43:11 I said, "Well, they're going to be chewing this cereal up anyway 43:14 the bruises aren't going to make any difference... " 43:16 and you know what God spoke to me? 43:18 I mean, He spoke to me. 43:19 He said, "Eric, you're going to put your banana in a blender... 43:21 what's the difference?" 43:24 And I stepped back and I looked at those bananas 43:28 and I realized the selfishness that was inside of me 43:32 and I said, "God, I trust you, I'm going to do what you want. " 43:37 I took those little pieces of the children's banana... 43:40 already cut up... put them in a zip-lock bag, 43:44 stuck them in the freezer and I said, 43:45 "I'll eat that bruised banana for breakfast... " 43:47 and I gave them that fresh banana. 43:49 They never knew... 43:51 they didn't have any idea that that had happened 43:53 but God knew what was inside my heart. 43:55 Love is the sacrifice of yourself for others. 44:01 Pause. 44:06 Listen to this statement, 44:07 "Jesus did not come to men with commands and threatenings, 44:14 but with love that is without a parallel. " 44:18 I was raised in a home 44:20 and I know my parents... my mother and father... 44:23 they did what they thought was right. 44:25 You know, I did the same thing. 44:27 When my children were young, 44:29 I tried to teach them righteousness 44:31 and the love of God with commands and threatenings 44:34 and you know what? 44:36 It doesn't work... it doesn't work. 44:38 We have people in our... our churches... 44:41 not just our churches... every denomination right now 44:44 that are saying, "What do we do to keep our young people... 44:47 to keep our children?" 44:48 You have to win their hearts by love... 44:52 by sacrificing yourself on behalf of them. 44:56 Ellen White goes on and says in "Confrontation" page 72 45:01 "Love begets love... " 45:05 sacrificing yourself on behalf of your family 45:10 will cause them to want to sacrifice on your behalf. 45:15 She's says, "Thus the love of Christ displayed on the cross 45:21 woos and wins the sinner, 45:25 and binds them repenting to the cross, 45:29 believing and adoring the matchless depths 45:33 of a Savior's love!" 45:34 I just went to a Camp Meeting recently 45:37 and we were sharing messages there 45:39 and it was a family camp meeting. 45:41 It was designed for the restoration of marriages 45:44 and children to their parents 45:46 and, you know, every Speaker that was there 45:49 brought this out. 45:50 The number one thing that is causing our children 45:53 to leave the church 45:54 is because they don't believe that God really loves them 45:57 even when they mess up and do wrong. 46:00 Pause. 46:02 And do you know why they don't believe that? 46:03 Because their parents don't believe it. 46:05 I was that parent. 46:07 I thought that God loved me 46:11 on a great day when I was doing everything perfect 46:15 and I had not failed 46:16 and I thought that God only tolerated me 46:19 when I messed up and failed 46:22 and because of that... 46:24 because that was my picture of God... 46:27 that was how I portrayed God to my wife and to my children. 46:31 I showed that kind of love... 46:34 "God is angry when you mess up 46:37 but He loves you when you do good... " 46:39 and you know what? It terrified my children. 46:41 They got to the point where they were like, 46:43 "I don't want anything to do with that God... " 46:45 and you know Ellen White even says that... 46:48 if you read "Adventist Home" 46:49 she talks about... 46:50 "We should never scare or try to just scare a child 46:55 into doing right. " 46:57 She said, "That's the way Satan works... 46:59 not the way that Jesus does. " 47:00 Pause. 47:07 When we deal with brothers and sisters 47:10 and we have them come to us 47:12 and they have questions about their family... 47:14 they have questions about their husbands 47:19 and their children and their wives, 47:22 I want to show you 47:24 that I've got to be careful how I do this 47:28 because we have a mixed audience. 47:31 I want to show you what happens in a very simple way 47:36 when somebody does not understand the love of God. 47:41 Pause... 47:44 When a child is nursing from its mother, 47:48 when the mother is breast-feeding, 47:50 there is a chemical released inside of the child's brain 47:56 called: Oxytocin. 47:57 That same chemical is also released 48:01 within the brain of the mother. 48:03 God put that chemical there 48:06 because the chemical is not just a feel-good chemical, 48:09 it's a chemical of comfort... 48:11 it's a chemical that causes you to feel loved 48:14 and cared for and comforted 48:16 and secure and safe... 48:18 pause... 48:21 when someone does not feel loved... and I mean, feel it... 48:28 you could say it but that doesn't mean anything. 48:31 If they do not feel that you really care for them 48:34 and love them, 48:35 they... without even realizing what they're doing... 48:39 they will seek for that comfort from some other source. 48:43 It can be partying... 48:44 it can be drinking... 48:46 it's also interesting to find that the drug Cocaine... 48:51 when it is taken, it releases a chemical 48:55 that is almost identical to Oxytocin... 48:59 almost identical 49:01 and again, I want to be careful how I say this, 49:05 pause... 49:07 you know how there used to be a... a... 49:09 a statement that was made 49:11 about people that were searching for love 49:13 in all the wrong places... 49:14 have you ever heard that before? 49:15 Pause... 49:18 When a man or a woman does not feel loved at home 49:23 or by God, 49:24 they search for that chemical release... 49:28 even though they don't realize that's what it is... 49:30 in all the wrong places. 49:32 If that be watching movies that are sensual 49:36 or that have women on there that you like looking at, 49:40 you think they're pretty... 49:41 they call it, I think now a days a celebrity crush, 49:44 if it be looking at magazines... 49:48 if it be looking on the internet... at pornography... 49:51 the same chemical, Oxytocin, as well as Dopamine 49:56 is released while viewing those types of images 50:00 and it's addictive. 50:02 People do not realize that. 50:04 That type of desire is even more addictive than Cocaine 50:09 because the chemical... 50:11 God designed it to be released within us 50:15 between a mother and a child that's nursing... 50:17 that's what binds a mother to her children 50:20 but do you know what God also designed? 50:23 He also designed that that same chemical would be released 50:27 in an unbelievable way 50:29 when a husband and a wife are joined as one. 50:32 Satan has done everything he can 50:36 to counterfeit that 50:37 so, he is working to cause people to feel 50:43 that God has rejected them because of their love... 50:45 their wife has rejected them... 50:47 their husband has rejected them... 50:49 their parents have rejected them... 50:51 and because they feel that rejection, 50:54 they begin searching in sinful, ungodly ways 50:59 to find that attachment again. 51:02 Many of the women that... that expressed need for help 51:09 at these Camp Meetings... 51:11 they talked about the fact 51:13 that they did not feel that their husband loved them. 51:16 He could tell them he loved them 51:18 but they didn't feel love. 51:20 I've had many men that have... have written to me or called me 51:25 and they will talk about... "I've got problems with my wife" 51:29 and I'm like, "Well, describe it... 51:31 what kind of problems?" 51:32 "I can't stand her... 51:33 I mean, like, I cannot stand her, 51:35 she gets on my nerves... " 51:36 The first question I ask them... the very first question... 51:39 "Have you ever looked at pornography?" 51:42 and if they answer "yes" 51:44 I'll say, "When was the last time?" 51:45 "Well, it was six months ago but I repented of that. " 51:49 I'm like, "You don't understand... 51:51 when you look and desire that woman in that picture, 51:54 whether it be on the screen or in a book 51:56 or wherever... 51:58 a billboard when you're driving down the highway... 52:00 'if you have looked with desire... ' 52:02 Jesus says, you've already committed adultery with her 52:05 in your heart... you have been joined to her. " 52:08 Paul says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6... 52:11 "Don't you realize that he that is joined to a harlot 52:15 becomes one flesh. " 52:17 So, whatever evil spirits are influencing her, 52:22 now, have legal rights to begin tormenting you. 52:26 When someone brings those spirits into their marriage, 52:33 those spirits will do everything they can 52:35 to destroy that marriage. 52:36 Pause. 52:39 For a father to love his wife or a husband to love his wife, 52:42 he has to know first that God loves Him 52:47 and he has to know God's power to keep him from falling. 52:50 For a mother to love her husband 52:53 or a wife to love her husband... 52:55 for her to do that, 52:57 she has to first know the love of God 53:01 which passes all understanding 53:03 because if she knows that God loves her, 53:05 no matter what the circumstances are, 53:08 she's secure... 53:09 she's not looking to her husband to fulfill that need. 53:13 She can then love her husband 53:15 without expecting anything in return 53:18 and for a child to know that God and Jesus really love them, 53:24 they have to feel that love of God 53:28 through their father and their mother. 53:32 This is why Satan hates families... 53:36 this is why he hates marriages... 53:39 this is why he hates the relationships 53:42 that God has designed 53:43 and he's doing everything he can to destroy them. 53:46 We have to know what took place on Calvary. 53:52 We have to know that our sins were blotted out 53:57 when Christ yielded up His Spirit. 54:00 We have to know the power of His resurrection. 54:04 As Paul says in Romans chapter 6 54:06 that when He was raised, 54:09 we were raised to walk in newness of life. 54:13 If you know the gospel... 54:16 if you know personally by experience 54:19 the glad tidings, 54:21 then the light of Christ will shine in your home. 54:26 It's not just legal doctrines that we have to know... 54:32 we have to know the power and the love of our God. 54:37 "Love begets love.. " Ellen White said. 54:41 My wife... she was raised Roman Catholic, 54:46 I think she's probably the only person in ten generations 54:50 in her family that ever left the Catholic Church 54:52 but I want to tell you something, 54:54 she understood this long before I ever even grasped it. 54:59 I remember when my son had reached teenage years, 55:06 14... 15... 16... 55:09 he loves to play ball... 55:11 it doesn't matter if it's soccer, football, baseball, 55:15 basketball... my son loves anything outdoors, 55:18 kayaking... rope climbing... 55:20 tree climbing... whatever it is... 55:22 and he would come home from school at 14... 15 years old 55:28 and at that age, it was like there was a wedge 55:31 that the devil was trying to put between my son and I 55:34 and I could feel it but I didn't know how to fix it 55:36 and I didn't realized for his whole 15 years, 55:42 I had been teaching the gospel to him 55:44 with commands and threatenings 55:46 and my wife knew and she was like... 55:50 Eric, don't sit there and lecture your son and daughter, 55:53 our son and daughter 55:55 because when you start lecturing with commands and threatenings, 55:59 she said, they're listening to you 56:01 but you can see their eyes just glaze over 56:03 and it's like, they're gone. 56:05 They're running from the kitchen table 56:07 because they don't want to hear another lecture 56:09 and I was like, "Yeah, but I want them to be in heaven... 56:11 I want them to do what's right. " 56:13 You know, and my wife was like, "that won't fix it. " 56:16 One day I was in there working in the Ministry... 56:19 working for the Lord 56:21 and my wife came in there... she said, 56:22 "Why don't you go outside, our son just got home... 56:24 he's out there shooting basketball by himself 56:26 you know, in our driveway... " 56:27 and I said, "Honey, I've got more important things to do 56:30 than... than shoot basketball. 56:32 I mean, Christ is coming... " 56:33 and she looked at me and she said, 56:34 "So, what are you going to do? 56:36 Save the whole world and our own son be lost?" 56:39 She said, "Take 15 minutes and go out there 56:42 and shoot the ball with him. " 56:43 And the Lord just impressed me to... to listen to my wife 56:47 and I thought, "Okay, fine. " 56:49 I got up, I walked out there 56:51 and I told my son, I said you know, 56:53 "I'm no good at ball... " I said, "but can I help? 56:55 I mean, do you need me to do something 56:57 I'll shoot the ball with you. " 56:58 He said... he just kind of looked at me... 56:59 he was holding the ball and dribbling it. 57:01 He said, "Okay, well you can act like you're the... 57:04 the opposing team 57:06 and I'll tell you what I need to do 57:08 and I can work on the... the layouts 57:10 and the things I need to do. " 57:11 I spent 15 or 20 minutes out there 57:15 after that with him 57:16 and do you know, the next night when I asked 57:18 the family to come together for worship, 57:20 he was overjoyed to come 57:23 because I showed him that I cared 57:27 about what he cares about. 57:28 Do you understand? 57:30 When you express interest in your wife... 57:35 in the things that interest her, 57:36 when you express interest in your son... 57:39 in your daughter... 57:40 that's what wins their heart to Christ 57:44 because they see that He's interested in them. 57:47 I pray that this message 57:51 and all of those at this meeting at the Summit 57:54 will be a blessing to you. 57:55 May the Lord bless and keep you. |
Revised 2021-03-23