Participants: Tony Moore
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000992
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01:00 [Music]
04:51 Happy Sabbath, ASI. 04:53 It's my privilege 04:54 this morning to introduce our Sabbath School presenter, 04:58 Pastor Tony Moore. 05:00 Tony has had a very interesting experience, 05:04 beginning with his conversion in 1972, 05:07 at an unusual place, 05:08 a Rolling Stones rock concert. 05:11 From that experience 05:13 the Lord let him to Wildwood Sanitarian 05:15 for the medical missionary training, 05:16 and there he met Mark and Teenie Finley, 05:19 who were at Wildwood at that time. 05:21 When Pastor Finley moved back to Southern New England, 05:23 he invited some of the staff 05:25 and workers from Wildwood to come, 05:26 and Tony accepted. 05:28 That providence led him into a lifetime of evangelism. 05:32 It also led him to meet Helen Cooper 05:34 with whom he's been married for 33 years, amen. 05:39 Tony is a deep student of the word of God, 05:43 from working with Mark, 05:45 he raised up a church in Southern Connecticut, 05:48 in Stamford, Connecticut, working there for 10 years. 05:51 Raised his family there, moved to Pittsburgh, 05:54 and led out in evangelism there to Southern California. 05:57 And then he worked with "It Is Written," 05:58 as the North American Director for evangelism. 06:02 But, Tony has had as passion 06:03 for reaching secular people 06:06 with the message of the Gospel. 06:08 And in 2002, he is, 2004 rather, 06:10 he started a new ministry called the ''Biblical World." 06:14 The Biblical World is an innovative ministry, 06:16 looking for ways to communicate Bible truths 06:18 in a way acceptable to the secular mind. 06:22 He put together a series called the 06:24 "Footsteps of Paul," tremendous, using archeology 06:27 and video footage from where Paul traveled, 06:30 a great series. 06:31 Biblical world, by the way will be a beneficiary 06:34 of this morning's offering. 06:36 He's recently finished a series called 06:38 "Tracing the Footsteps of Jesus." 06:42 And Tony is a deep student 06:44 of the word of God, a scholar. 06:46 And I consider it a privilege to have him 06:47 as a close friend. 06:49 As he takes us through 06:50 the Book of Romans this morning, 06:51 if your heart's moved, 06:52 I encourage you to give him a hearty amen 06:54 as he opens God's word to us. 07:27 Holy words long preserved For our walk in this world, 07:37 They resound with God's own heart 07:42 Oh, let the ancient words impart 07:50 Words of Life, words of Hope 07:55 Give us strength, help us cope 08:00 In this world, where ever we roam 08:05 Ancient words will guide us Home 08:13 Ancient words ever true 08:18 Changing me and changing you, We have come with open hearts 08:27 Oh, let the ancient words impart 08:40 Holy words of our Faith Handed down to this age 08:49 Came to us through sacrifice 08:54 Oh heed the faithful words of Christ 08:59 Martyr's blood stains each page 09:04 They have died for this faith 09:08 Hear them cry through the years 09:13 Oh, heed these words and hold them dear 09:18 Ancient words ever true 09:23 Changing me and changing you We have come with open hearts 09:32 Oh, let the ancient words impart 09:38 Ancient words ever true Changing me and changing you 09:47 Everyday our hearts renew 09:52 Oh, glance and change, I still went through 09:59 We have come with open hearts 10:04 Oh, let the ancient words impart 10:09 We have come with open hearts 10:17 Oh, let the ancient words impart 10:30 Amen. Amen. Amen... 10:41 Wasn't that wonderful? Amen. 10:43 You know, it is so true, 10:44 the ancient words, they're so true 10:46 and powerful and wonderful. 10:48 Well, it's a privilege to be here with you 10:49 at ASI this morning 10:50 and to be able to share today 10:53 about the Sabbath School lesson. 10:55 I have to tell you, 10:56 I've been living in the world of Jesus 10:57 for the last five, four years. 10:59 And kind of limiting myself to reading the Gospel, 11:02 so it was a real relief. 11:04 No, I shouldn't say that. 11:06 It was a real blessing to read Romans 5. 11:10 Because I haven't been focusing on Romans 11:12 for a while, I've been focusing 11:13 just on the Gospel stories 11:15 and to comeback 11:16 and to be able to take a look at this powerful passage. 11:19 I'm really excited about sharing it with you. 11:22 I want to thank ASI 11:23 for their wonderful support of the Biblical world 11:25 during the past five years, 11:28 we've been working on this project, 11:31 "Tracing the Footsteps of Jesus," 11:32 it's taken much longer than I ever dreamed. 11:35 But I can tell you it's coming out 11:36 much better than I ever dreamed as well, 11:39 and we're very excited about it. 11:40 We returned from our first film trip in July of, 11:45 sorry, August of 2008, 11:48 that was three years ago 11:49 and we returned right to the ASI 11:51 in Lexington, Kentucky. 11:53 And since that time, 11:54 I've actually returned across the Atlantic eight times, 11:57 working on this series. 11:58 So we're very, very excited about it. 11:59 And the special offering is gone 12:01 on several occasions to the Biblical world, 12:03 and part of the offering that will be taking today 12:06 will help us to write lessons 12:09 that will take the "Tracing the Footsteps of Jesus," 12:12 from being just a nice, 12:13 informative faith building television program 12:16 to being a powerful evangelistic tool 12:19 that you can use to study 12:21 with your neighbors and friends. 12:23 And so we're very grateful in advance for the offering 12:26 that you're going to give today. 12:28 And thank you for the privilege 12:30 of letting me to share you this morning 12:31 from the Footsteps of Paul. 12:33 Now some of you told me, 12:34 you didn't recognize me, 12:35 because I didn't have my trademark blue shirt on. 12:38 Now I have a blue shirt, 12:39 but it's not the one 12:40 you're used to seeing on the Footsteps of Paul. 12:42 But I have to tell you that shirt is faded 12:44 much like my hair. 12:45 So I felt it was probably better 12:47 to leave it off this morning. 12:49 But, I want you to take your Bibles 12:51 and turn with me to Romans Chapter 5. 12:54 And I want us to focus upon the memory text. 12:59 Now I don't know if you memorized the text or not, 13:01 but it does say memory text there in your lesson guide. 13:03 Did you notice that? 13:05 And so I think it's important for us 13:06 to put these ancient words into our minds. 13:10 And before we do that, 13:11 just bow your heads as we pray together. 13:14 Father in Heaven, thank you this morning 13:15 for this tremendous privilege 13:17 of being here at ASI in Orlando. 13:20 But thank you for the extraordinary privilege 13:23 of meditating upon this priceless 13:26 Chapter of Romans Chapter 5. 13:28 We ask now that You will come, 13:30 and You will bless us with Your presence, 13:32 with Your spirit. 13:33 That You illuminate our minds as we study 13:35 and meditate upon this passage, 13:37 and may indeed it bring to us peace and hope, 13:40 I pray in Jesus name, amen. 13:43 Well, we've our memory text. 13:45 Therefore being justified... 13:47 Well, say it with me, if you have it. 13:49 "Therefore being justified by faith, 13:52 we have peace with God 13:54 through our Lord Jesus Christ, 13:57 By whom we have access by faith 14:00 into this grace wherein we stand, 14:04 and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." 14:08 Isn't that incredible. 14:10 Oh, how powerful. 14:11 Now let's break it down. 14:12 He says, "Therefore being justified by faith, 14:16 we have peace with God." 14:17 Now earlier in the Book of Rome 14:19 and see he's explained 14:20 the basis of this justification. 14:23 And now he kind of refers to it 14:25 and builds back on, and he tells us 14:27 that the result of this justification is what? 14:31 Peace with God. Because remember, 14:35 as we go right back to the beginning 14:36 as Paul does in this Chapter. 14:38 He talks about that original sin of Adam, 14:41 it brings a disconnection between man and God. 14:46 Now God is still there seeking and searching, 14:49 and looking as we see in the Garden of Eden, right? 14:52 But what's Adam doing? 14:54 He is running and hiding as a brokenness. 14:57 But now he says, since we've been justified by faith, 15:00 we have peace with God 15:01 because that brokenness has been removed. 15:04 Won't you like to break that word down, 15:06 justification, been broken down so nicely, 15:09 just as if I had never sinned. 15:15 And that's the way He counts us. 15:17 And he says in lieu of that we now have peace with God 15:21 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 15:24 Who has given us through faith access 15:26 into this incredible grace. 15:28 Oh, I love this passage, we have peace with God. 15:32 The Apostle Paul had gone through 15:35 the Roman colony of Pisidia in Antioch. 15:37 It's kind of way out in the middle of Turkey 15:39 and it's kind of an odd place, 15:42 because it's so far 15:43 from where Paul normally went on his journeys. 15:46 It's today, probably four hours 15:49 from the closest Bible site that Paul went to, 15:53 but he goes out to Pisidia in Antioch, 15:54 that's a Roman colony, 15:55 veterans from the Roman army are settled there. 15:59 And they have a copy of the great arch of peace 16:02 from the City of Rome. 16:04 It had been established 16:05 by the Rotonda of Augustus Caesar. 16:08 And it has the accolades of the Roman senate 16:10 about Augustus Caesar. 16:12 And it proclaims him to be the Prince of Peace, 16:15 and the Savior of the world. 16:18 Paul says, this is a misnomer. 16:21 The real Prince of Peace is not Augustus Caesar. 16:23 Yes, he brought the peace of the Roman sword 16:25 to much of the ancient world, 16:27 but he could not bring peace to the heart. 16:31 Only Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah could do that. 16:36 And so he says, therefore being justified by faith, 16:39 we have peace with God 16:41 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 16:45 Paul, however, is a realist. 16:48 Paul is a realist. 16:51 He does not teach that peace is the absence of trouble. 16:57 That's become a popular idea, isn't it? 17:00 He says in verse 2, 17:01 "We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 17:05 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, 17:08 because we know that 17:09 suffering produces perseverance. 17:13 And perseverance, character, and character, hope. 17:17 And hope does not disappoint us." 17:20 Now there is a very interesting brand 17:22 of Christianity, that's very popular today. 17:25 And it fills rooms much larger than this room 17:28 with people coming to hear it. 17:29 I call it the Gospel of wealth, 17:32 health, and prosperity. 17:34 You know what I'm talking about. 17:35 You turn on the television, that's what you often see. 17:38 And if you just sow your seed here, 17:41 God is gonna give you 17:42 a tremendous reaping of prosperity 17:46 and everything is just gonna be fine in your life, 17:48 and it's gonna workout great. 17:51 Well, Paul doesn't quite go along with that, 17:53 that would be foreign to the Apostle Paul. 17:57 Paul talks about how that this peace 18:02 is in our hearts. And he says, 18:04 "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." 18:06 And we rejoice also in our sufferings, 18:08 so the things we go through, 18:10 because we know this will develop perseverance, 18:12 and perseverance character, and character hope, 18:14 and hope will not disappoint us. 18:20 This brand of Christianity 18:21 would be foreign to the Apostle Paul. 18:24 He taught us to rejoice 18:25 in our sufferings and experiences. 18:26 Turn with me to Second Corinthians Chapter 11. 18:28 Now the Apostle Paul wrote to this letter 18:31 to the Church of Rome from Corinth. 18:34 And so now, let's drop over to Second Corinthians, 18:37 he is living in Corinth, he's writing this letter to Rome. 18:41 And let's see 18:42 what some of Paul's experiences in life were? 18:46 Now he has this peace, and he has this hope, 18:50 is he exempt from the problems of life. 18:52 Well, not exactly. 18:54 As he will share with us here 18:56 in Second Corinthians Chapter 11, 18:59 and we want to read verses 23 through 28. 19:04 If I can see it without my glasses on. 19:11 I can't, so I'm gonna read with my glasses, 19:14 that happens to a lot of us, doesn't it? Okay. 19:20 "Are they servants of Christ? 19:23 I am out of my mind to talk like this. 19:25 I am more. 19:27 I have worked much harder, 19:28 been in prison more frequently, 19:30 been flogged more severely, 19:31 and been exposed to death again and again. 19:35 Five times I received from the Jews 19:37 the forty lashes minus one. 19:39 Three times I was beaten with rods, 19:42 once I was stoned, 19:43 three times I was shipwrecked, 19:45 I spent a night and a day in the open sea." 19:47 By the way, this is before his experience 19:50 of being shipwrecked on the Island of Malta, right? 19:52 He is writing this before that happens. 19:54 So he's shipwrecked at least four times in his life. 19:57 "I was shipwrecked, I spent a night 19:59 a day and a night in the open sea. 20:01 I've been constantly on the move. 20:03 I have been in danger from rivers, 20:05 in danger from bandits, 20:06 in danger from my own countrymen, 20:08 in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, 20:10 in danger in the country, in danger at the sea, 20:14 and in danger from false brothers. 20:15 I have labored and toiled 20:17 and have often gone without sleep, 20:19 I have known hunger 20:20 and thirst and have often gone without food. 20:22 I have been cold and naked. 20:24 And besides everything else, 20:26 I face daily the pressure of my concern 20:29 for all the churches." 20:31 Now, Paul went through tremendous difficulties. 20:36 So peace is not the absence of trouble. 20:39 We may have trouble in our life. 20:40 I want you to know that, 20:42 that trouble is not an indication of God's favor 20:44 or disfavor, 20:45 because Paul goes through that trouble, 20:48 and then he's able to say, we have peace with God 20:50 because he knows where it's leading, 20:52 that things that we experience, 20:53 and that we pass through, and we suffer, 20:55 that's okay, 20:57 'cause it's gonna build perseverance. 20:58 And perseverance is gonna build character, 21:00 and character is gonna give hope 21:02 and hope does not disappoint. 21:06 Peace is not the absence of conflict, 21:08 it's from having our hearts 21:10 reconciled to the heart of God. 21:13 We don't have to be on the run anymore, 21:15 we don't have to be avoiding the Holy Spirit anymore, 21:18 we have peace with God. 21:19 When the first Adam sinned, 21:22 he had brought a brokenness to him 21:24 and his descendants, 21:25 but now that brokenness is removed 21:28 and we're just as if we had never sinned. 21:31 And so in our inner being, we have peace with God. 21:35 Paul does not say, however, 21:38 that because we're justified by faith we have happiness. 21:43 Now God does not promise you happiness. 21:46 Happiness comes from the English word, 21:48 Hap, which means chance. 21:50 And sometimes by chance your circumstances are good 21:54 and sometimes they're bad. 21:56 When Paul was in Philippi, 21:58 he was wrongly accused. 22:02 He was not even able to exercise his right 22:04 as a Roman citizen and say, 22:06 wait a minute, I must have a trial. 22:07 And they jumped right ahead 22:09 and they flogged him, you remember that? 22:13 And so, his rights have been violated, 22:16 he's beaten and with Silos, they were put in the stocks, 22:19 in the dungeon there in Philippi. 22:21 And what's he doing at midnight? 22:24 He is singing. 22:25 I don't know if he was happy as he was singing, 22:29 because the blood had dried on his back 22:31 and probably had not even been cleaned off. 22:34 But he has peace in his heart. 22:37 He has joy in his heart. 22:41 Those are some of the fruits 22:43 of the Holy Spirit in his life. 22:46 And so, as you pass through the experiences of life, 22:49 don't use him as a barometer of whether God loves you 22:52 or doesn't love you. 22:53 Know that His love is based 22:55 on these ancient words, right? 22:57 It's beyond what happens in this mortal life. 23:01 That's what Paul understood and what Paul taught 23:02 and it's what we need to remember as well. 23:05 God promises to get us joy and peace 23:10 and it comes through being reconciled to God 23:15 by faith through Jesus Christ. 23:17 Next Paul addresses the basis of this hope. 23:19 Let's go back to Romans Chapter 5 and verse 6. 23:23 And here's just, oh, what a fabulous verse. 23:27 "You see, at just the right time, 23:30 when we were still powerless, 23:33 Christ died for the ungodly. 23:36 Oh, I love that, don't you? 23:38 At just the right time. 23:42 I don't know about you, 23:43 but I've received tremendous encouragement 23:45 from that passage through my journey with Jesus. 23:49 It wasn't because I was good, 23:53 it wasn't because of all the things I had done, 23:55 and all the selfless acts of charity I had performed. 23:59 He says, while we were what? 24:02 Yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. 24:07 It was while we were yet sinners 24:09 that He died for the ungodly. 24:14 I was born here in Orlando, in the last millennium, 24:18 the past millennium. 24:20 And I grew up. 24:24 My family of origin, they really weren't 24:25 religious people, they're great people, 24:27 but they really weren't religious people. 24:28 But I had a good Baptist grandmother on one side 24:31 and a good Adventist grandmother 24:33 on the other side. 24:34 And my Adventist grandmother, 24:36 she was the good grandmother. 24:37 So she convinced me to go to an Adventist Church School, 24:40 the sixth grade and part of the seven grade, 24:42 and the eight grade. 24:43 And then when I was in the tenth, 24:46 when I go into the tenth grade she said, 24:47 now Tony, if you'll go to Mount Pisgah Academy. 24:50 She lived in North Carolina. 24:51 If you'll go to Mount Pisgah Academy, 24:53 and you'll graduate from there, 24:55 I'll buy you a Harley Davidson motorcycle. 24:58 Wow! That's good, you know. 25:00 And I thought, that's cool. 25:02 So I'm off to Mount Pisgah Academy, 25:04 and there in the North Carolina. 25:07 And things workout pretty good, 25:09 but I actually fall into some problems there. 25:15 And the school is very kind, they're exceedingly kind, 25:18 and we run away and we end up down in Texas. 25:21 And they come down and they get us, 25:23 and I can tell you 25:24 interesting stories about that. 25:25 But we want to talk about Paul this morning instead. 25:28 But ultimately I got to leave Mount Pisgah Academy 25:32 in the back of a police car. 25:34 Now that's not very good, is it? 25:37 I got busted for marijuana. 25:39 And so I get to leave in the back of the police car 25:42 and they take me 25:43 and as they read my rights to me, 25:45 they say, you can't be president 25:47 because this is a felony. 25:48 And you can't do this and you can't. 25:50 And so, they said, 25:51 anybody you wanna talk to you? And I said, 25:52 well I'd like to talk to the Bible teacher, 25:54 Wayne McNutt, can you send him to? 25:56 Then Pastor McNutt came and said, 25:59 you know, I can't do all these things, 26:00 but gotta be a pastor one day. 26:03 Where did that came from? I don't know. 26:04 But anyway, it was kind of strange, 26:08 but I said, could I be a pastor one day. 26:09 And he said, yes, if you give, 26:11 you know, if you give your heart to Jesus. 26:12 And I said, cool, I'll remember that maybe. 26:15 And so, I was kicked out of the school. 26:18 They had given me grades 26:19 and that was my third strike 26:21 and I was kicked out of Mount Pisgah Academy 26:22 and went home to North Carolina 26:24 and became very involved in the counter culture. 26:26 As a matter of fact three of us 26:27 began to control the flow of drugs 26:29 into our small town 26:30 there in Salisbury, North Carolina. 26:32 And but I was struggling 26:35 because while I was going to the Adventist Church School, 26:38 in one of those years, they taught us 26:39 these incredible prophecies from Daniel. 26:42 And you know, it just always stuck into my mind 26:44 about Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. 26:46 In Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, those four beasts, 26:48 how they all kind of came along 26:50 and the Ten Horns and it's just, 26:51 oh! Wow! I couldn't really shake it 26:53 and that prophecy of the 2300 days, 26:56 it was just in the back to my mind always 26:58 and they also taught about that idea of a judgment 27:02 that one day I'd have to give answer for what I'm doing. 27:04 And so I thought, well, the way to solve this is, 27:08 I'll just say there is not a God, 27:09 and there is not a devil. 27:11 And if there's no God, there's no devil, 27:12 then there can't be a judgment someday. 27:13 Therefore, I can live the way I wanna live 27:15 and I don't have to be troubled by any of this. 27:17 That makes sense, right? 27:19 So that was the philosophy I developed. 27:22 Well my cousin who was there in North Carolina, 27:25 he had made it all the way through Fletcher. 27:28 So I had a lot of respect for him. 27:29 And one night we were taking Psilocybin mushrooms. 27:36 And I thought, if I can just get 27:38 Philip to agree with me, 27:39 that there is no God, there is no devil 27:41 and I can just, 27:42 you know, get away from this whole thing of having 27:44 my conscious trouble. 27:45 So I said, Philip, 27:46 I said the Bible is not true, 27:48 I said, God doesn't exist, 27:50 don't you agree with me? 27:51 I'll never it, he looked at me 27:52 and he said, 27:54 Tony, you can't write off the Bible. 27:57 It's the age old history book, 27:59 there's something true about the Bible. 28:01 And that just caused my world to tumble down like this, 28:03 he says, oh no. 28:05 And so, we went from there 28:07 and I attended a lot of rock and roll concerts 28:11 and my favorite band were the Rolling Stones. 28:14 And there were touring in the 1972, 28:16 and they were coming to Charlotte on July the 6, 28:18 and I'll never forget it. 28:19 We went to the concert 28:21 and I drove a car load of friends there, 28:23 and Stevie Wonder played 28:27 and there after he played they move the equipment, 28:31 and there on the stage I saw two serpents painted. 28:34 Now I have no idea, I was tripping 28:36 and doing many different things, 28:37 I don't know, but I saw two serpents. 28:39 When I saw the two serpents painted on the stage, 28:41 I thought oh, no. 28:43 All I could thing about was the serpent 28:46 in the Garden of Eden, and then the stones came out 28:50 and they played and the third song they played was, 28:52 Sympathy for the Devil, 28:53 was one of my favorite songs, I knew it by heart, 28:56 but I never thought about the words. 28:58 I was there in Pilate's Judgment Hall, 29:01 made real sure he washed his hands 29:03 and sealed his face. 29:04 Please, I need you. 29:05 Hope you guess my name. 29:07 What's puzzling you that's the nature of my game 29:09 just call me Lucifer. 29:11 Yes, that's my name. 29:13 Wow! Well, I heard that 29:16 and then I heard a voice in my mind, 29:18 and the voice said, yes, I am real. 29:21 You said I didn't exist, 29:23 but I'm real and you sold your soul to me. 29:26 Well, I have no doubt about that, 29:27 I sold my soul to Him. 29:29 And then I heard a voice saying, 29:30 you blasphemed God by saying He did not exist, 29:33 you've committed the unpardonable sin. 29:37 God will never have anything to do with you. 29:39 You sold your soul to me, you are mine. 29:44 And tonight, you'll have to pay for your sins, 29:49 you'll have to die tonight. 29:52 Wow! Well, that kind of took the joy out of the concert. 29:57 And I sat back and thought I was gonna die, 30:01 you know, and I thought 30:03 I was gonna have to atone for my sins. 30:04 Now it's interesting and I would not ever cast 30:06 any blame toward the schools. 30:09 I don't know what the schools are teaching about this. 30:11 And I know that a lot of debates 30:12 about what a school... I have no clue 30:15 because I was a selfish person 30:16 doing my own deal. 30:18 And so I really don't know, 30:19 what they were teaching, but all this, 30:21 but I didn't understand the Gospel at all. 30:23 I thought it was the only sinner in the whole world. 30:27 The only sinne in the whole world. 30:29 And I thought I have to die for what I've done, 30:30 I denied God's existence. 30:32 Here it was and so I settle back, 30:34 and just I thought I would die 30:35 at the end of the concert. 30:36 Well, they all clapped 30:37 for an encore at the end of the concert, 30:39 and the role manager came out and said, 30:42 thank you, we're through. 30:44 And you're through, this is it. 30:46 You're gonna have to, you're gonna have to die now. 30:50 And as the Colosseum there in Charlotte, 30:52 emptied and people went out, 30:53 my friends who were riding with me said, 30:54 we have to go. 30:56 And somehow, they got me. 30:58 We went out to the car and I find it hard to believe 31:01 but I drove back out to Salisbury, 31:04 about an hour and a half away. 31:05 And we went out to far, 31:07 I mean, all night long they partied 31:08 and I pondered what had happened. 31:11 And I thought about what happened. 31:13 I felt so lost, I was so... 31:17 The next day, I went to my grandmother's house, 31:18 she was a wonderful Bible worker in the Salisbury, 31:21 North Carolina Church. 31:23 And I really couldn't verbalize 31:25 very much of what had happened 31:26 because I was, you know, 31:28 the use the term of the day, spaced out. 31:30 But she had these literature evangelist versions 31:34 of the conflict of the ages series. 31:36 Some of you know what I am talking about there. 31:37 Conflict and there were those kind of big books 31:39 and I could just go through the, 31:42 couldn't read and I was way too spaced out to read. 31:44 But I could go through and I was looking at the pictures 31:46 and I came upon a picture that gave me 31:49 a little window of hope. 31:50 But again, I just don't understand the Gospel at all. 31:53 It was a picture of the Garden of Eden 31:56 and there was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 31:58 and there was Jesus. 31:59 Some of know the picture I am talking about. 32:01 And there was Jesus 32:02 and He was stepping on the serpent's head 32:05 and I got a little tiny window of hope 32:08 that maybe Jesus was stronger than serpent. 32:13 Now again it's sad to be this confused about the Gospel, 32:17 that's where I was. 32:19 And so, I saw that 32:20 and I kind of told grandma a little about what happened 32:22 and then she gave me a book, the Desire of Ages. 32:27 And a couple of days later, 32:29 I took my friend home to Atlanta, where she lived. 32:33 And while I was there I began reading Desire of Ages. 32:36 I never forget coming to page 25 and reading, 32:42 Christ was treated as we deserved to be treated, 32:45 that we might be treated as He deserved. 32:49 He was condemned for our sins in which He had no share, 32:52 that we might be justified, 32:54 there's that word, by his righteousness, 32:55 in which we have no share, 32:57 and by his stripes we are healed. 33:00 And I said, wow! 33:02 If that's what you're about, I want to get to know you. 33:06 So I gave my heart to Jesus there in Atlanta, Georgia. 33:10 And well, I came back, 33:13 I'll just tell you one more part of story, 33:14 I came back and I still had a large thrash of drugs. 33:16 And I told my best friend he was an African-American guy, 33:19 about 20 years older than I was with a nose ring 33:21 and it was 1972 in North Carolina, 33:23 and as I told Perry about this. 33:25 He said, wow! That's interesting. 33:28 And I decided to have one last party 33:30 and I'll never forget the Stones album, 33:33 Hot Rocks was playing. 33:34 And as they were playing the music, 33:36 Perry came to me with this red beady eyes, 33:38 and said, you can't get away from it, 33:40 can you? It's got you doesn't it? 33:42 And I said, oh, Lord, please help me. 33:44 And I went out in my little car and drove away 33:46 and that was the last time I ever participated 33:48 in that lifestyle. 33:50 So the Lord really plucked me, 33:51 I wanna just say, grandmas never stop praying 33:55 for your grandchildren. Amen. 33:56 Grandpas, you have no idea. 33:58 You know, at General Conference 34:00 just a few weeks ago, 34:01 I saw the Vice Principal of the school. 34:02 Now we have seen each other, 34:05 I think at the previous General Conference 34:06 and he was rather shocked 34:08 that the Lord had changed my life that way. 34:13 I actually got disciplined once, 34:14 and got sent to the girl's deans family, 34:17 the LaTelles there in Tennessee. 34:18 And Margie actually was, or in the footsteps of Paul, 34:22 and I took the call and said, well, you know, Margie, 34:24 I recognized your name, you know. 34:26 She went and told her board some story 34:28 about this wonderful series. 34:30 And I said, well, Margie, 34:31 I'm actually the guy that you guys disciplined 34:34 and sent to your parents. 34:36 And that the Lord got a hold of my life and changed me. 34:38 So grandparents, parents, kids, praying for you, 34:42 pray for one and another. 34:44 You know, never write anyone off as a lost cause. 34:47 God's grace is incredible 34:48 and that's what we're talking about this morning, 34:50 being justified by grace we have faith, 34:53 we have peace with God 34:55 and what a joy it is to describe that peace. 34:58 What a wonderful thing. 34:59 I was a sinner, I knew it, 35:00 but I didn't understand Romans Chapter 5. 35:03 And what a joy it is to understand that now. 35:06 I want you to take your Bibles 35:07 and let's go on in our passage. 35:10 It wasn't because I was good or deserving, 35:11 it was because of God's incredible grace 35:13 that He reached into my heart. 35:15 Romans Chapter 5, verses 6 through 8. 35:17 "You see, at just the right time, 35:19 when we were still powerless, 35:21 Christ died for the ungodly. 35:24 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, 35:27 though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 35:32 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, 35:36 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 35:42 Oh my, that has to be my favorite passages. 35:48 Was Paul referring to that popular Greek legend 35:53 that so many of his readers 35:56 in Rome would be familiar with. 35:58 It was a story of a Greek King, 36:00 he was a young man Admetus, 36:04 and he fell in love with a beautiful girl, 36:07 Alcestis, the daughter of a neighboring King, 36:11 but father wouldn't let him. 36:12 Marry her and so, the story goes that 36:15 he has this encounter with Apollo as a young man. 36:19 And he treats him kindly, 36:21 and Apollo promises to help him in the future 36:23 and so he helps him to be able to marry Alcestis. 36:27 And at their wedding, he gives them a special gift. 36:30 And the gift is that if he should ever fall sick 36:35 that someone who loved him could die in his place. 36:40 Very popular, you can Google the story, 36:42 it's a very popular legend in Paul's day. 36:45 Well, the King and the Queen lived very happily 36:48 for many years, 36:49 the people in their kingdom were blessed 36:51 because they were such a good rulers. 36:53 And one day Admetus grew ill. 36:58 Admetus grew ill and he began to get sicker and sicker. 37:01 His parents were older, near the end. 37:04 And so, someone remembered the gift Apollo had given. 37:11 That if someone who loved him would die in his place, 37:13 he wouldn't have to die. 37:15 And so they went to their parents and they said, 37:16 you know, your son's such a good King 37:18 and he is in a youth. 37:20 And they said, oh, we love him a lot, 37:22 but not that much, not that much. 37:25 We only have a few years left to live. 37:27 So they went to his brothers and sisters. 37:29 And his brothers and sisters loved him and, 37:30 you know, they sat at the royal table 37:32 and they said, we love him a lot, 37:35 but not that much. 37:38 Many people who owed their very lives to him 37:41 in the kingdom. 37:45 Oh, we love him a lot, 37:47 but no one could be found 37:49 who be willing to die in his place. 37:53 Well, his lovely queen heard 37:55 what was happening happening. 37:57 And so, Alcestis calls upon Apollo, and says, 38:04 he is such a good man, I'll die for him. 38:08 And so she goes with according to the story 38:10 and lays in her bed and her life ebbs away. 38:13 Well immediately he had the strength returned to him 38:16 and he jumps up and runs in to tell her. 38:20 And there she is lifeless upon the couch. 38:23 Paul, very likely is referencing this story 38:27 that his hearers are very familiar with. 38:30 Because this is an incredible flowering of love. 38:32 No one will do it, 38:33 but here the wife would do it. 38:37 And you could imagine the people are saying, 38:39 wow, that is the ultimate flowering of love. 38:43 And so Paul says, for a good man, 38:45 someone might possibly bear to die, 38:47 but God reveals his love to us 38:50 in this that while we were still sinners 38:54 Christ died for the ungodly. 38:56 He wasn't because we were good. 38:58 He wasn't because we were kings. 39:00 He wasn't because we were kind. 39:02 While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. 39:08 That's how much he values each 39:10 and every one of us. 39:14 Wow! What an incredible story. 39:19 Paul goes on in verse 9, and says, 39:22 "Since we have now been justified by his blood, 39:25 how much more shall we be saved 39:28 from God's wrath through him. 39:30 For if when we were God's enemies, 39:33 we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, 39:36 how much more having been reconciled, 39:39 shall we be saved through his life. 39:41 Not only this, not only is this so, 39:44 but we also rejoice in God 39:46 through our Lord Jesus Christ, 39:47 through whom we have now received reconciliation." 39:52 And so he says, if while you were a sinner 39:54 you're reconciled to God. 39:57 Just think about what it means 39:58 actually you've been reconciled. 40:01 And he goes on to say, 40:03 that "We shall we be saved from God's wrath through him. 40:05 For if, when we were God's enemies, 40:07 we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, 40:10 how much more, having been reconciled, 40:14 shall we be saved through his life." 40:15 Seems like a reference 40:17 to Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 25, doesn't it? 40:20 Where it describes Jesus as that eternal 40:23 high priest whoever lives to make intersection for us. 40:30 And so, we should never question 40:34 the depth of God's love for us. 40:36 Sometimes we'll go through difficult times. 40:39 Sometimes our health will fail. 40:41 Sometimes our businesses may fail. 40:43 Sometime it just seems like 40:44 God has forgotten all about us, 40:47 but let's remember the ancient words. 40:49 Let's go back to those ancient words 40:51 and focus on them. 40:53 While we were yet sinners, Christ die for us. 40:55 And if he loved us that much, 40:57 just think it hasn't stop since we've been reconciled, 41:01 He continues to love us. 41:03 He goes on in verse 12, "Therefore, 41:05 just as sin entered the world through one man, 41:07 and death through sin, 41:09 and in this way death came to all men, 41:11 because all sinned -- for before the law was given, 41:17 sin was in the world. 41:18 But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 41:22 Nevertheless, death reigned 41:24 from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, 41:26 even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, 41:29 as did Adam, who was a pattern 41:32 of the one to come." 41:34 Just as sin entered the world through one man, 41:36 Adam's gift to humanity was death, 41:41 not the second death, but the first death. 41:43 We all die because we're part of the human fabric, 41:46 we share the DNA. 41:48 The second death comes because of our choice. 41:51 Because of our choice. 41:53 Death came to all men because all have sinned. 41:58 There are Jewish sinners 42:00 and there are Gentile sinners. 42:01 They're Baptist sinners 42:03 and there are Adventists sinners. 42:05 Because how many have sinned? All. 42:08 We're all in the same boat. 42:09 We're all in need of God's grace. 42:12 All are sin. 42:14 Well, I wish we have time to talk about the law. 42:15 And just want to refer you to this question 42:19 to Romans Chapter 1, 42:20 verses 18 to 20 about how those, 42:22 who don't have the law, the God's revealed His nature 42:25 and His person to all people. 42:28 Roman's Chapter 2, verses 14 and 15, 42:30 if you don't have the law 42:31 that you're gonna be judged by the law. 42:35 And then he talks about, 42:36 if you don't have the law 42:37 you'll be judged by the things within your heart. 42:39 He said, you show the working of your heart. 42:41 Originally the principles of the Ten Commandments 42:43 were written to everyone's heart, 42:44 into Adam and Eve's heart, 42:46 and that's passed onto all of us 42:47 down through the years. 42:49 And so Paul says, 42:50 that those who don't have the law 42:52 they still show that they know something 42:53 about the law because 42:55 they have principles of right and wrong. 42:56 How will they deal with that? 42:59 How will they deal with that? 43:00 Sometimes we struggle about how will God judge 43:02 those who don't know. 43:04 I'm just gonna refer you 43:05 because we're gonna kind of coming down, 43:06 we wanna share one of the major points with you. 43:08 But Second Thessalonians 2 verses 9 through 11, 43:12 talks about how the God will judge the ungodly. 43:15 But it says, they are lost not 43:17 because they don't know the truth, 43:21 but because they don't love the truth. 43:24 And so, you may only know one percent of truth 43:26 or you may think, you know, 95 percent of truth. 43:29 How do you relate to that one percent that you do know? 43:33 That's how we'll be judged in this deal. 43:35 How do you relate to that one percent 43:37 that you do know? 43:39 Well, it says, death came up on all, 43:40 that is the common denominator that we all face. 43:44 People often ask me, 43:45 what is the most intriguing special thing 43:48 that happened to you, 43:49 filming the footsteps with Paul? 43:51 They say, you get to go on all these places and so on, 43:53 what's the most intriguing thing that happened? 43:56 It was something that happened 43:58 and surprised me. 43:59 As we were going from place to place, 44:01 I could began to, 44:02 Hosford helped me trace some interesting dots. 44:06 You see Paul and Philippi needs Rabbi Philippi. 44:09 So he goes down to Thessaloniki 44:10 and Mollie is there, he is run out Thessaloniki. 44:13 He goes out to Berea and while he's there, 44:14 he's ran out of Berea. 44:16 And so he leaves Luke and Silas 44:17 and he takes Timothy and they go down to Athens, 44:19 and while he is in Athens, he is preaching 44:20 and neat things are happening. 44:21 But he is worried about the church 44:22 they planted in Thessaloniki, 44:24 so Paul sends Timothy back to check on the church 44:27 in Thessaloniki. 44:28 And Paul goes down to the City of Corinth. 44:32 Timmy comes down to Corinth, 44:35 and he brings a report from the church 44:37 they've planned in Thessaloniki. 44:38 And he says, Paul something really bad happened, 44:40 the church is devastated. 44:42 And Paul takes out his pen, 44:44 and he writes the first peace of the New Testament, 44:48 first thing ever written. 44:50 He says, we don't want you to be ignorant 44:52 about those who fall asleep 44:55 or to grieve like the rest of men we have no hope. 44:58 We believe Jesus died 44:59 and came back to life, right? 45:02 First thing, ever written, 45:03 written to a church just as real 45:05 as the church you attend when someone had died. 45:09 And the people are wondering will, 45:10 and we see, I love once again. 45:14 And Paul says, I want you to know, 45:16 that the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven. 45:18 The shout, the voice of the Archangel, 45:20 and the trumpet call of God 45:21 and dead in Christ should be raised first. 45:24 And then which we were left to be caught up 45:25 with together with Him in the clouds 45:27 to meet the Lord in the air, 45:28 and so we will ever be with the Lord forever. 45:31 When I saw that the depth prompted 45:33 the writing in the New Testament. 45:34 It raise the blessed hope of about 45:36 a thousand points in my thinking, 45:38 you know, wow! 45:41 And then as we came to the conclusion 45:43 of Paul's journey in the City of Rome. 45:46 It is little place outside the Rome 45:48 is called Saint Paul's outside, 45:50 I'm sorry, it's called the Monastery 45:51 of the Three Fountains. 45:52 They're Saint Paul outside the wall 45:53 is the great cathedral of Paul. 45:55 It's called the Monastery the Three Fountains. 45:58 Now Roman, the tradition there in Rome 46:01 is that Paul was cut, his head was cut off head 46:03 and head bounced three times. 46:05 And three fountains popped up 46:06 and somebody go in that little place 46:07 as three fountains and, 46:08 I don't believe that, 46:09 but this is where they executed citizens 46:11 in the first century. 46:14 So most likely Paul executed here. 46:20 So I thought about the story, 46:21 I walked down the little lanes 46:22 and it's an episode 19 of the Paul series. 46:26 So, you know, we followed Paul for 13,000 miles. 46:30 Paul was faithfully followed everywhere Jesus led. 46:34 And now he leave to this little spot outside at Rome. 46:37 We don't know his last words, 46:39 but we do know his last letter. 46:42 He said, I have fought a good fight, 46:45 I have finished my course. 46:48 I know that, "Henceforth there is laid up for me 46:50 a crown of righteousness, 46:52 which the Lord, the righteous judge 46:54 shall award to me on that day, 46:55 and not to just to me, 46:56 but to all them also that love his appearing." 46:59 Can you imagine the first thing, 47:00 Paul wrote is a blessed hope? 47:02 The last thing Paul wrote is a blessed hope. 47:06 Because in reality it's the only hope. 47:10 We're all terminal in this deal 47:11 because of Adam sin, 47:13 but because of what Jesus did, 47:16 we had been justified by faith and Jesus 47:20 and we have what? 47:22 Peace with God. 47:23 So we can rejoice in that hope. 47:27 Let's pray together, Father, 47:28 thank you for these moments that 47:29 we've had to ponder this incredible passage. 47:33 Now I pray that each of us 47:34 in the quietness of this moment 47:37 when indeed surrender our hearts to You 47:39 and accept You Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 47:43 May each one of us experience the peace 47:46 that comes from being justify, 47:47 just as, if we had never seen by accepting you 47:51 through faith this morning in our hearts. 47:53 Grant to us that peace and assurance 47:55 and they are indeed there fruit of hope in our lives. 47:59 I pray in Jesus name, amen. 48:06 O Love that wilt not let me go, 48:15 I rest my weary soul in thee, 48:23 I give thee back the life I owe, 48:31 That in thine ocean depths its flow 48:36 May richer, fuller be. 48:45 O light that followest all my way, 48:53 I yield my flickering torch to thee, 49:01 My heart restores its borrowed ray, 49:09 That in thy sunshine's blaze its day 49:14 May brighter, fairer be. 49:23 O Joy that seekest me through pain, 49:30 I cannot close my heart to thee, 49:36 I trace the rainbow through the rain, 49:43 And feel the promise is not vain, 49:48 That morn shall tearless be. 49:54 O Love that wilt not let me go, 50:02 I rest my weary soul in thee, 50:08 I give thee back the life I owe, 50:16 That in thine ocean depths its flow 50:20 May richer, fuller be. 50:30 I give thee back the life I owe, 50:38 That in thine ocean depths its flow 50:43 May richer, fuller be. 50:52 Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17