Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: 14SCM
Program Code: 14SCM000016S
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00:38 Well we indeed do welcome you to our second and final
00:41 presentation for this evening. We are just at the very edges 00:45 of the Sabbath hours and a very special time 00:49 for God's people all over the world. 00:52 Our speaker for this particular session is Pastor Stephen Bohr. 00:56 Certainly no stranger to the 3ABN audience, 00:59 he is loved world wide. And he is the speaker/director 01:04 for Secrets Unsealed Ministry there in Fresno, California, 01:08 Jim. That's right. And we're going to be with them 01:10 this Thursday night. It will be at our regular 01:13 8 o'clock Central Time - be 6 o'clock Pacific Time - 01:17 for a very special live program from their new headquarters 01:21 there in Fresno. 01:23 And we're going to be talking with Pastor Bohr about an 01:26 extremely important topic. 01:29 We're going to be talking about the Rome church 01:32 and some of the things that we've been hearing lately 01:35 about reaching across the gulf. 01:38 And this will be a very interesting time. 01:41 The title of that presentation is: Is The Protest Really Over? 01:46 Yeah. And that is one that you want to be a part of. 01:48 And then on next Sabbath we actually have the dedication 01:52 of that brand-new facility - a live broadcast - coming from 01:55 his new production headquarters there in Fresno, California. 01:58 And even though it won't be televised, if you're in the 02:00 Fresno area we will be there for the Sabbath morning worship 02:05 at the Fresno church where Stephen Bohr is the pastor. 02:10 And, man, we're looking forward... We've got a busy 02:13 week ahead of us but we're looking forward to it 02:15 being with Pastor Bohr. 02:17 He means a lot to this ministry. 02:20 And he expressed to us last night that we mean a lot to him. 02:25 I understand what he's talking about. 02:28 I know that coming to 3ABN has enabled me to meet so many 02:34 more people and to know so many more folks 02:37 that I never would have had the opportunity. 02:39 And he expressed that same great pleasure that he's had 02:44 in getting acquainted with people around the world 02:47 that he's met through 3ABN. Um-hmm. 02:49 We love him quite a bit. He is the husband of one wife - 02:51 her name is Aurora - and two grown children. 02:54 Steve Jr. works there at Secrets Unsealed 02:57 as a technical director, and he has a married daughter 03:00 living in Napa, California, so he is a busy, busy man. 03:04 Bilingual. Spent some time, Jim, in Venezuela and Colombia. 03:07 Picked up his Spanish there and preaches equally well 03:11 in English and in Spanish. He does. 03:13 And by the way, he and Danny were in academy together 03:16 at the Wisconsin Academy. 03:18 And so they've known each other a long time. 03:21 And then he pastored the district here and when he... 03:24 Early in his ministry he was pastor here in southern IL - 03:29 um-hmm - so we are going to look forward to the message 03:33 tonight. Who do we have for music before that? 03:36 Our music is coming from Celestine Barry. 03:38 She is of the Philippines if you did not know. 03:41 Has moved here with her husband Mike some time ago. 03:44 A great addition to this ministry. 03:45 Always has joy on her face and is just a wonderful person. 03:49 Is the secretary for this Thompsonville SDA church 03:52 and she is going to be singing Why Have You Chosen Me? 03:56 Before she sings let's bow our heads in prayer. 03:58 Gracious Father, we do praise You and thank You for this 04:00 opportunity to lift up the mighty and the matchless name 04:03 of Jesus yet again. And we pray for Pastor Bohr 04:07 Your holy unction and we ask for ourselves 04:10 open and receptive ears. 04:13 And we thank You, dear Father, in Jesus' name, 04:15 Amen. Amen. 04:36 Why have You 04:40 chosen me 04:43 out of millions 04:47 Your child to be? 04:50 You know all the wrong 04:56 that I have done. 05:03 Oh, how could You 05:07 pardon me? 05:10 Forgive 05:13 my iniquity? 05:17 To save me give Jesus 05:24 Your Son? 05:30 But Lord help me be 05:37 what You want me to be. 05:44 Your Word I will strive 05:50 to obey. 05:56 My life I now give... 06:03 for You I will live 06:09 and walk by Your side 06:15 all the way. 06:49 I am amazed 06:54 to know that a God 06:57 so great could love me so. 07:01 Is willing and 07:06 wanting to bless. 07:15 His love is so wonderful, 07:21 His mercy so bountiful, 07:27 I can't 07:29 understand it 07:33 I confess. 07:40 But Lord help me be 07:46 what You want me to be. 07:52 Your Word I will strive 07:58 to obey. 08:04 My life I now give... 08:11 for You I will live 08:17 and walk 08:19 by Your side 08:23 all the way. 08:30 My life I now give... 08:35 for You 08:39 I will live 08:45 and walk 08:49 by Your side 08:52 all the way. 09:01 Amen! 09:12 Good evening brothers and sisters. Good evening! 09:15 Happy Sabbath to you all. Happy Sabbath! 09:19 It's good to be at 3ABN again. Amen! 09:23 This is God's ministry. Amen! 09:26 If it hadn't been for 3ABN 09:29 Secrets Unsealed probably would not exist today. 09:33 You know, 3ABN has been instrumental 09:37 in the beginning of many ministries. Amen! 09:40 And one thing that I've really appreciated about 3ABN 09:43 is that they're not territorial. 09:46 They want every ministry to grow and to thrive. Amen! 09:49 And that's one of the reasons why God blesses 3ABN. Amen! 09:53 And I would say that we need to support 3ABN with our prayers 09:58 and also with our financial donations. 10:01 We need to keep 3ABN thriving and alive at this time 10:05 in human history. Amen! 10:07 This evening we're going to study about 10:09 revival and reformation. Amen! 10:12 But before we do, we do want to ask the Lord's presence. 10:15 So I invite you to bow your heads with me 10:17 as we ask the Lord to be present with us. 10:21 Our Father and our God, 10:24 what a privilege it is to call You Father. 10:27 To know that You are a Father that is always the same 10:31 yesterday, today, and forever. 10:33 We can trust You fully and completely. 10:38 We thank you, Father, for the privilege of being here 10:40 in this place to begin Your holy Sabbath. 10:44 And we ask that as we open Your Holy Book that Your Holy Spirit 10:48 will be present here. 10:50 That You will take our hearts 10:52 and that You will make them holy. 10:55 We thank you, Father, for the promise of Your presence. 10:58 We thank you for hearing our prayer for we ask it in 11:01 the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. 11:08 As we begin our study this evening 11:10 I would like to encourage you to read 11:14 one chapter in the book The Great Controversy 11:18 which has many of the points that we are going to study. 11:22 That chapter is number 27 in the book Great Controversy 11:28 pages 461 to 478. It's one of the longer chapters 11:33 in Great Controversy. 11:35 And the title of that chapter is Modern Revivals. 11:41 If you want to know what a true revival is 11:44 and what a counterfeit revival is you need to read 11:48 that chapter. It's powerful! 11:51 And some of the ideas that I'm going to be sharing 11:54 with the group that is gathered here this evening 11:59 come from this specific chapter. 12:03 But I'd like to begin with a statement that Ellen White 12:06 made over 120 years ago. 12:11 She actually wrote this in Review and Herald 12:13 March 22, 1887, and it reads like this: 12:19 "A revival of true godliness among us 12:25 is the greatest and most urgent 12:29 of all our needs. " 12:33 Interesting. What is the most urgent 12:36 and the greatest of all our needs? 12:39 A revival of true godliness. 12:42 She ends by saying: 12:45 "To seek this should be our first work. " 12:51 To seek for a revival of true godliness. 12:55 In another statement that we find in Review and Herald 12:59 February 25, 1902, 13:04 Ellen White not only spoke about revival 13:07 of true godliness but she also added another 13:10 very important word... the word reformation. 13:16 I'd like to read that statement. It's a little lengthy, 13:19 but it's loaded with important information. 13:22 Once again: Review and Herald, February 25, 1902. 13:27 It reads like this: 13:29 "A revival and a reformation 13:32 must take place under the mini- stration of the Holy Spirit. " 13:38 And then she says this: 13:41 "Revival and reformation are two different things. " 13:47 Although I might say that they are closely linked together. 13:53 She continues saying... 13:55 she's going to define revival now: 13:57 "Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, 14:02 a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, 14:07 a resurrection from spiritual death. " 14:11 Three parallel phrases. 14:15 Once again, she says: "Revival signifies 14:17 a renewal of spiritual life... " 14:20 Then comes the next phrase: 14:22 "a quickening of the powers of the mind and heart... " 14:24 Quickening means to resurrect or to give life. 14:27 And then she says: 14:28 "a resurrection from spiritual death. " 14:31 So revival means resurrecting from being dead... 14:33 spiritually dead. But we can't stop there 14:38 because she continues saying this: 14:40 "Reformation signifies a reorganization, 14:46 a change in ideas and theories. " 14:52 Let me ask you: where are your ideas and theories? 14:56 They are in your head. 14:59 It has to do with a change or a reorganization 15:03 in our thinking. 15:05 So once again, she says: 15:07 "Reformation signifies a reorganization, 15:11 a change in ideas and theories... " 15:14 But it goes further than that because she says: 15:16 "habits and practices. " 15:19 In other words, reformation means a change in your thinking 15:24 and a change in your behavior or your conduct. 15:28 Because your conduct will not change unless 15:31 your brain changes through the power of the Holy Spirit. 15:35 She continues saying: 15:37 "Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of 15:40 righteousness unless it is connected with 15:44 the revival of the spirit. 15:46 Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work 15:51 and in doing this work 15:54 they must blend. " 15:59 In other words, you have to have revival and reformation 16:04 together. You cannot have one or the other... 16:09 they must both be together. 16:14 In other words, revival without reformation is not 16:17 true revival. And reformation without revival 16:22 is not true reformation. 16:26 Revival without reformation is emotionalism. 16:30 Whereas, reformation without revival is legalism 16:35 or fanaticism. I'm going to repeat that again 16:39 because maybe that went over your heads. 16:43 Revival without reformation 16:46 is mere emotionalism. 16:48 And reformation without revival - 16:52 a change in the life - without revival 16:54 is mere legalism or fanaticism. 16:59 And I would go one step further and say that reformation without 17:02 revival is like a dead person acting as if he was alive. 17:10 And revival without reformation is like a living person acting 17:16 as if he were dead. 17:18 In other words, in order to experience reformation 17:23 there has to be a resurrection from spiritual death. 17:28 One follows the other. 17:32 Now there are certain things that we need to understand 17:34 when we talk about revival and reformation. 17:37 First of all we need to under- stand that man - and when I use 17:40 the word man I am speaking generically. I'm including men 17:44 and women as it's used in Genesis 5 for example. 17:48 Man was originally created perfect. 17:52 In other words, he was spiritually alive. 17:56 And because human beings were created spiritually alive 18:01 their behavior reflected the fact that they were alive. 18:05 Their conduct was godly conduct 18:09 in harmony with God's law. 18:11 Because they were alive - in other words, Adam and Eve - 18:15 they lived like they were alive. 18:18 But then sin came into the world, 18:21 and when sin came in humankind died spiritually. 18:29 And because human beings died spiritually 18:33 they were unable to live a life in harmony with God's law. 18:39 And that's the reason why the Bible speaks of a person 18:42 who is spiritually dead, the works that they produce 18:45 are called in Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 9 verse 14 18:49 "dead works. " 18:52 Because a dead person can only produce dead works. 18:57 And so as a result of sin man has a double problem. 19:01 Number one: human beings are spiritually dead 19:05 and number two: because they are spiritually dead 19:07 all they can produce is dead works... a dead lifestyle... 19:12 a life of sin. 19:15 Now let's notice a couple of verses that underline 19:17 this particular point. Go with me to Ephesians chapter 2 19:21 verses 1 and 2, and I hope that you brought your Bibles 19:24 or your iPhones. 19:27 We are a people of the Book or of the iPhones... 19:31 as long as the iPhone has the Bible in it. 19:34 Now notice Ephesians chapter 2 and verses 1 and 2 19:37 these two ideas of spiritual death leading to sinful conduct 19:41 or behavior. It says there in Ephesians 2:1, 19:45 the apostle Paul is writing: "And you He made alive 19:49 who were... " What? Dead. See? "who were dead... " 19:53 And what was the result of being dead? 19:56 Notice what it continues saying: 19:57 "who were dead in... " What? "in trespasses and sin. " 20:01 Does that have to do with behavior? Yes. Yeah, because 20:03 you're dead, as a result of that 20:06 human beings practice transgressions and sins. 20:10 And then the apostle Paul says in verse 2: 20:13 "in which you once walked. " When the Bible uses the word 20:16 walk it's talking about conduct or behavior. 20:19 So he's saying: "in which you once walked 20:21 according to the course of this world. " Does that have to do 20:24 with conduct? Yes. Absolutely! 20:26 "according to the prince of the power of the air 20:28 the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. " 20:32 And so what Paul is saying here is that before the 20:37 Ephesians were converted they were spiritually dead 20:40 and as a result they were involved in trespasses and sins. 20:45 Their behavior reflected the fact that they were spiritually 20:47 dead. Notice also Colossians chapter 2 and verse 13. 20:52 Colossians chapter 2 and verse 13. 20:54 Once again you have the state of death 20:57 leading to dead works or to a life of sin. 21:01 It says there in Colossians chapter2 and verse 13: 21:04 "And you being... " What? Dead. There it is again. 21:08 "being dead... " In what? 21:11 Now you have a behavioral aspect again. 21:14 "being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision 21:20 of your flesh. " So do you see the connection between 21:23 being dead and living a sinful life? 21:26 You see one leads to the other. 21:29 And so Paul continues saying: "And you being dead... " 21:32 that's your condition... 21:34 "in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh" 21:38 that's the behavior... 21:39 "He has made alive together with Him having forgiven you 21:43 all trespasses. " 21:45 And so human beings as a result of sin have two problems. 21:49 Problem number one: they are spiritually dead. 21:53 And problem number two: as a result of being spiritually dead 21:57 all you can produce is sin and transgression. 22:00 In other words, what the Bible calls "dead works. " 22:04 But the problem is even more complicated 22:08 because there is no possible way according to the Bible 22:12 for us to know in ourselves how desperate our condition is. 22:18 You see, most human beings rationalize and they try to 22:22 excuse sin. Because the human heart 22:26 is a wicked rationalizer 22:29 that tries to justify evil behavior. 22:32 In Jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 9- this is a verse 22:37 that all of us probably know real well - 22:40 the prophet Jeremiah says: "The heart is... " What? 22:45 "deceitful... " Notice this: "above all things 22:50 and desperately wicked. " 22:53 And then comes the question: "Who can know it? " 22:56 Incidentally, texts like this led Martin Luther to say 23:01 "I fear my own heart 23:03 more than the pope and all his cardinals. " 23:07 Because he knew that the great enemy was the wicked, 23:11 sinful heart of man. 23:14 So the question is: who can know the human heart? 23:17 We can't know our human heart 23:20 because the human heart is desperately wicked. 23:23 You see, an unconverted person who is spiritually dead 23:28 has a heart that is a powerful rationalizer. 23:32 It does its utmost to justify and excuse sin 23:35 and to make sin appear less sinful than it really is. 23:40 So the question is: who can know our hearts 23:43 so that we can live again and so that our life can change? 23:47 Our conduct can change? 23:49 The very next verse tells us who can. 23:52 Jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 10 23:55 God answers the question: "Who can know the human heart? " 23:58 "I, the Lord, search the heart, 24:03 I test the mind, even to give every man 24:07 according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. " 24:10 So who can know the human heart? 24:12 Who can reveal to human beings the true condition 24:17 of the human heart? That we are spiritually dead 24:20 and as a result of that we live a life of conduct in sin? 24:24 Only God. 24:27 There's another verse that ex- plains that only God can show us 24:30 the condition of our hearts, the fact that we're spiritually 24:33 dead. And because of being spiritually dead 24:37 our lifestyle shows it. 24:39 Psalm 139 and verses 23 and 24... 24:43 Psalm 139:23-24. 24:46 This has been called the psalm about the omnipresence of God 24:50 but if you read it carefully you'll find that it's a psalm 24:52 about the omniscience of God. 24:57 Here the psalmist says, speaking to the Lord: 25:02 "Search me, O God, 25:05 and... " What? "know my heart. 25:08 Try me... " That means test me, 25:13 examine me... "and know my anxieties 25:17 and see if there is any wicked way in me 25:22 and lead me in the way everlasting. " 25:27 So who is the only one that can show us that we're spiritually 25:30 dead and that's the reason why 25:33 our conduct is the way that it is? Only God. 25:38 But the question comes up: how does God search me 25:44 and show me? How does He show me that I'm spiritually dead 25:49 and that I need to be resurrected so that my life 25:53 can change? Does God come and whisper in my ear? 25:59 Does God give me a hunch or a feeling to tell me 26:03 that I'm spiritually dead and my life needs to change? 26:07 Absolutely not. 26:09 There is a way in which God shows us 26:13 that we are spiritually dead and that only if we are 26:16 spiritually resurrected can we have a reformed or a changed 26:20 life and that is His holy law. 26:29 In Great Controversy page 478 26:33 Ellen White has this profound statement. 26:35 She says: "It is only as the law of God 26:41 is restored to its rightful position... " 26:44 What is restored to its rightful position? 26:48 The law. The law. She says: "It is only... " 26:51 There are not many ways. "It is only as the law of God 26:54 is restored to its rightful position 26:57 that there can be a revival. " 27:00 That means to resurrect from spiritual death, right? 27:03 "That there can be a revival of primitive faith and godliness 27:07 among His professed people. " 27:11 So what is the only way in which God's people can be revived? 27:15 Only if the law of God is restored to its... 27:20 rightful position. 27:24 Now Psalm 19 verse 7 is a very interesting verse. 27:29 You know, I struggled with this verse for a while 27:31 until I really sat down and scrutinized it 27:34 and did some thinking. 27:36 Psalm 19 verse 7 says: "The law of the Lord 27:39 is perfect... " Then what does it say? 27:42 "converting the soul. " 27:45 I thought it was the Holy Spirit who converted the soul. 27:49 How is it that this text says 27:52 that the law of God is perfect, converting the soul? 27:54 Another way of saying converting is resurrecting us to new life. 27:59 Because conversion is a resurrection to newness of life. 28:03 In other words, you could say that the law of love is 28:06 perfect, reviving the soul or giving life to the soul. 28:10 How is it that the law of God can revive a dead sinner? 28:17 I can almost hear some people who are watching on television 28:20 saying: "Man... what? 28:23 Does the law really convert our soul 28:27 and resurrect us to newness of life? 28:29 I thought the Holy Spirit did that. " 28:32 Well the fact is, folks, that the law does it 28:35 but we need to understand something that is extremely 28:39 important. You see, for most of the Christian world 28:43 the law and Jesus are at odds with each other. 28:49 They are antithetical. 28:52 Sometimes even Adventists tend to think that the law 28:56 and Jesus are two separate things. 29:03 But the fact is that the law is a transcript of who Jesus is. 29:08 Amen! 29:09 The law and Jesus are interchangeable 29:13 in other words. 29:15 In fact, Jesus is the incarnation of the law. 29:19 He is the law LIVED in human flesh. 29:27 When I separate the law from Jesus 29:32 I become legalistic. 29:36 So how does the law bring life or convert the soul? 29:40 Simply by looking at the bare law written on tables of stone? 29:44 No. It's by looking at Jesus who is reflected in the law. 29:51 Ellen White had a very interesting comment 29:54 in volume 5 of the Bible Commentary page 1,131. 29:59 Speaking about Jesus she says: 30:01 "He was the embodiment of the law of God. " 30:06 What would be a synonym to embodiment? 30:09 Incarnation. 30:12 Has to do with body. The embodiment of the law. 30:15 Jesus was the embodiment of the law. 30:18 He was the law lived in flesh. 30:21 And then she says: "which is the transcript of His 30:25 character. " So it's not the bare law written on tables 30:29 of stone that brings conversion of the soul. 30:33 It's looking at the law as it's found in Jesus 30:36 the person because He is the living manifestation 30:40 in human flesh of the law. 30:42 Are you understanding me? Yes! 30:46 Now when I look at Jesus what do I see? 30:50 By the way, when I say "look at Jesus" 30:53 I'm looking at the law in human flesh. 30:56 I'm not looking at the bare law written on tables of stone. 30:58 I'm looking at the law lived in human flesh... 31:01 what do I see? I see One who is altogether lovely 31:06 and pure. 31:09 And when I see this lovely and pure person 31:15 immediately I discern the contrast of the filthiness 31:20 and wickedness of my heart. 31:26 And when that happens we cry out with the apostle Paul 31:30 "Who can deliver me from this body of death? " 31:34 We cry out with the prophet Isaiah: "I am undone! " 31:39 We cry out with the apostle Peter when he said to Jesus: 31:42 "Depart from me for I am a sinful man. " 31:47 You see, when the contemplate Jesus who is the embodiment 31:50 or the incarnation of the law 31:52 we see His beauty and our ugliness. 31:56 That's how the law points out our great need. 32:02 You know, there's an interesting statement that we find in the 32:04 book Great Controversy. For a long time I used to think 32:08 that the sin that was committed by the Jewish nation 32:10 in the days of Christ and the sin that will be committed 32:14 by the Christian world at the end of time 32:16 are two separate sins... 32:18 but really they're the same sin. 32:22 Let me read you this state- ment from Great Controversy. 32:25 She says: "The great sin of the Jews 32:27 was their rejection of Christ. 32:30 The great sin of the Christian world 32:33 would be their rejection of the law of God, 32:36 the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. " 32:41 So the sin of the Jewish nation was to reject Jesus and 32:45 the sin of the Christian world would be to reject the law. 32:47 And you say: "Well those are two different sins. " 32:49 No they're not. 32:51 How can you say: "I love Jesus" 32:54 and "I hate the law" which is a reflection of His character? 32:58 It's an impossibility. 33:00 If Jesus is the embodiment or the incarnation of the law, 33:04 you can't say: "I love Jesus but I hate the law. " 33:08 It's really the same sin. 33:12 So when I come and see Jesus as the embodiment of the law 33:15 as He is found in scripture, I see His beauty, 33:19 His wonderful character, 33:22 and in contrast I see my deplorable wickedness: 33:27 the fact that I'm dead and I'm producing works of death. 33:33 And then I cry out: "Who will be able to deliver me 33:36 from this body of death? " But there's more. 33:38 You see, I not only want to contemplate Jesus in the beauty 33:41 of His character, but I need to follow Jesus also to Gethsemane. 33:48 And I need to hear Him crying out to His Father... 33:50 to His Father: "Father, if this cup of Your wrath can 33:54 pass from Me, let it be so. 33:56 Nevertheless, not My will be done but Yours" 33:58 as He sweated drops of blood. 34:01 And then I visit Him at the cross, the One who is 34:04 absolutely beautiful, and I hear Him crying out 34:07 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? " 34:11 And then I see on the cross something ugly. 34:15 I've seen the beauty of His character but now I'm seeing 34:17 ugliness, and I ask Jesus. I say: "Jesus, why did this 34:20 happen to You? " 34:23 And Jesus said: "Because of your sins. " 34:28 Now my heart begins to think differently 34:32 because I've seen His beauty and my wickedness 34:36 and I have visited Gethsemane and the cross 34:38 and I've seen that Jesus was willing to bear my sin 34:42 and to go to the cross. 34:45 And so when I come to the cross I feel love and I feel hate. 34:51 I love Jesus but I hate sin 34:55 because of what sin did to Jesus. 34:58 Are you following me? 35:01 You see, on the cross I see Him suffering for the transgression 35:04 of the law and before that I see Him as the keeper of the law. 35:10 And I see my own sinfulness and I say to Jesus: 35:15 "Lord Jesus, why did this happen to You? " 35:17 Jesus said: "Because of your sins. " 35:20 And you know, something happens at that point. 35:23 When you see the law as it's found incarnated in Jesus 35:27 what happens is conversion or spiritual resurrection. 35:33 That's revival. 35:36 Titus chapter 3 and verse 5... Titus chapter 3 and verse 5 35:40 says: "But when the kindness and the love of God 35:43 our Savior toward man appeared... " 35:45 Notice: "not by works of righteousness which we have done 35:49 but according to His mercy He saved us... " 35:53 Now notice what He did: 35:55 "through the washing of... " What? "regeneration. " 35:59 What does it mean to regenerate something? 36:02 It means to give life to something that has died. 36:07 And so it says: "He saved us through the washing of 36:09 regeneration and... " Notice: "the renewing of 36:14 the Holy Spirit. " 36:16 And now that we've been made alive by beholding 36:19 the beauty of Christ's character and saying "I am undone, " 36:22 and then seeing that Jesus went to the cross and He bore 36:25 my iniquities my love for Jesus grows. 36:28 My heart is renewed, and now what happens in the life? 36:34 Reformation. 36:36 Revival produces reformation. 36:40 If you try to live a reformed life without revival, 36:43 you become a legalist. 36:45 But there are many Christians who say that they are revived 36:47 but the live like the devil. 36:51 You see, true revival and reformation means 36:54 a receiving or a resurrection from spiritual death 36:59 and as a result you produce living works not dead works. 37:04 The life changes. 37:06 In Great Controversy page 462 Ellen White said: "There is no 37:11 evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. " 37:17 Those who repent and there's no reformation 37:20 you might say that they have "crocodile tears. " 37:23 Because there's no true repentance unless there's a 37:26 change in the life. Amen. Like a husband who beats his wife. 37:30 He says: "Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry" 37:32 and then an hour later he's beating her again. 37:38 Ellen White also says in Great Controversy page 462- 37:42 she's talking about how the life of sinners changes 37:46 when you experience revival in your life - 37:49 she says: "The things that they once hated they now loved 37:53 and the things they once loved they hated. 37:57 The proud and self-assertive became meek and lowly of heart. 38:01 The vain and supercilious became serious and unobtrusive. 38:05 The profane became reverent. 38:08 The drunken sober, and the profligate pure. 38:12 The vain fashions of the world were laid aside. " 38:16 That is the result of revival. 38:22 Now once we've been revived 38:26 it's not a once-for-all thing 38:30 because we need to stay connected to Jesus Christ. 38:35 We need to be revived every day. Amen! 38:38 We need a new vision of the purity of Jesus every day. 38:41 We need to follow Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane 38:45 and the cross every day. 38:48 We need to live every day in Christ! 38:53 And then as we live and as we behold the beauty of Christ's 38:56 character and the ugliness of sin on the cross 39:01 we are changed. 39:03 Notice II Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18. 39:06 I know one of the speakers this morning as I was coming here 39:10 I was listening on the radio to 3ABN Radio and I know that 39:13 he used this text. It says there: "But we all... " 39:18 How many of us? "all with unveiled face 39:22 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord... " 39:28 Now notice the tense of the verb: 39:30 "are... " This is the New King James version... 39:33 It's a faithful translation of the verbal tense... 39:37 "are being transformed 39:40 into the same image from glory to glory 39:44 just as by the Spirit of the Lord. " 39:48 Now there's one word that I'd like to underline here. 39:52 When it says we are "being transformed" 39:54 that's a continuous tense, right? 39:56 Not a once-for-all thing... it's a daily battle. 40:01 But the word that I especially want us to look at 40:03 is the word transformed. 40:06 The word transformed in Greek is metamorphóo. 40:12 What word in English do we get from metamorphóo? 40:17 The word metamorphosis. 40:21 In other words, as we behold Jesus, as we continually behold 40:24 Jesus, when we've become spiritually alive, 40:27 our life is now changing... As we behold Jesus 40:30 we are being "metamorphóoed" if I can invent a word 40:35 into the same image of Jesus. 40:39 And you know when this happens? 40:41 When I keep my eyes on Jesus the pastor doesn't have to 40:45 tell me how to dress. 40:49 My parents don't have to tell me what to eat and what not 40:52 to eat. Nobody has to tell me 40:55 what television programs I should watch and which ones 40:57 I shouldn't. Nobody has to tell me 41:01 what kind of music to listen to and what kind of music 41:03 not to listen to because I'm now spiritually alive. 41:07 And as I'm beholding Jesus I know exactly 41:10 what is objectionable to Jesus. 41:15 You see, I will come to serve Jesus not because I'm afraid 41:19 of being lost or because I want to go to heaven 41:21 but simply because I want to be like Jesus. Amen! 41:26 Now let me share with you what the word metamorphosis means. 41:30 I know from personal experience. 41:35 You see, when I was growing up I lived in Venezuela. 41:40 I lived there from the time I was 4 till the time I was 14. 41:44 That's the reason I speak Spanish. Some of you 41:46 see me speaking on television and you think I'm speaking 41:49 in tongues or maybe somebody is translating. 41:53 That's actually not the gift of tongues 'cause 41:55 the gift of tongues was a miraculous thing. 41:57 You know, people didn't know how to speak the language 41:59 and suddenly the angels put a Rosetta Stone into the brain. 42:05 But Spanish in my case was a learned phenomenon. 42:09 But anyway, in Venezuela when I was growing up 42:12 when I was a kid I became an avid butterfly collector. 42:16 In fact, I might say that I was pretty close to 42:20 being an amateur entomologist. 42:22 That is an individual who studies insects. 42:26 And so I read many books, I went on many excursions 42:30 to hunt down butterflies and to add them to my collection. 42:35 And as I observed butterflies 42:37 I discovered many spiritual lessons. First of all, 42:40 as you know, the butterfly has two births. 42:45 Not the butterfly itself, 42:48 but the whole experience involves two births. 42:51 In the first birth, the butter- fly - a little caterpillar - 42:57 is born from an egg that is laid perhaps on a leaf. 43:03 And then the caterpillar begins eating from one source 43:06 where the eggs were laid and the little caterpillar 43:10 grows and becomes a big caterpillar 43:13 and drags itself along slowly. 43:18 How many of you like caterpillars? 43:22 You know, some kids like caterpillars. 43:24 I see a couple of hands here. 43:27 But you know generally speaking we don't like caterpillars 43:30 and worms and things like that. 43:33 Now, the caterpillar does not remain a caterpillar 43:38 all the time. It doesn't drag himself along all the time. 43:42 The caterpillar has another birth. 43:46 You see, when the caterpillar attaches itself 43:50 to a wall or to whatever - a tree - 43:54 it begins weaving a cocoon 43:57 and it basically buries itself in a cocoon. 44:02 And inside the cocoon a magnificent miracle takes place. 44:09 And I don't think scientists have fully been able to explain 44:12 exactly what happens. It's one of the marvels 44:15 that God has established in nature. 44:17 A transformation takes place there while 44:21 the caterpillar is buried in the cocoon. 44:24 A transformation... a metamorphosis takes place, 44:29 and after a short period of time 44:32 the cocoon begins to shake. 44:36 It breaks open and out of the cocoon 44:40 comes a caterpillar. No! Out of the cocoon 44:45 comes what? A butterfly. A beautiful butterfly! 44:49 You say: "What is this? 44:52 I saw a caterpillar go in 44:55 and now I see a beautiful butterfly come out. " 44:59 Let me ask you something: does the name change? 45:04 Yeah... changes from caterpillar to butterfly. 45:08 Do the habits change? Oh yeah, the caterpillar 45:11 drags himself along. The butterfly flies. 45:17 Does its appearance change? Absolutely! 45:22 Does what it eats change? Yes! 45:25 Does the place where it lives change? Absolutely. 45:32 Everything becomes new and different 45:35 when there is a metamorphosis. 45:39 Let me ask you: did the change come because 45:41 the caterpillar made an effort to become a butterfly? No. 45:46 The change came by a miracle of God. 45:49 The caterpillar became a new creation by a miracle 45:54 performed by God. 45:56 You see a butterfly is not a caterpillar with wings. 46:02 It's not the old linked with the new. 46:05 A butterfly is a totally new creation! 46:10 In fact, you know that verse in I Corinthians 5:17 where 46:13 it says: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ 46:16 he is a new creation. " Not a reform of the old creation... 46:20 come on. "he is a new creation. 46:22 Old things have passed away; behold all things have become 46:28 new. " That's what happens when a person experiences 46:33 spiritual resurrection from spiritual death 46:36 by beholding the lovely Jesus and by beholding how much 46:41 sin cost to Him. 46:44 By the way, can you see the power that transformed 46:47 the caterpillar into a butterfly? 46:49 No... but you can see the results. 46:54 Remember the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus? 46:57 He said, you know: "You can't see the wind 47:00 but you can see the effects of the wind. " 47:03 And so it is when a person resurrects to newness of life. 47:06 You can't see the power that did it 47:09 but you can see the fruit in the life. 47:11 A reformed and changed life: different habits, 47:15 different interests, different thoughts, 47:17 different actions. The conduct changes 47:20 when the life has changed. 47:24 Ellen White in Desire of Ages page 172 47:28 says: "He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works 47:32 in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. 47:37 There is no safety for one who has merely a legal 47:41 religion... a form of godliness. " 47:45 Listen now carefully: "The Christian's life is not 47:49 a modification or improvement of the old 47:52 but a transformation of nature. 47:57 There is a death to self and sin 48:00 and a new life altogether. 48:04 This change can be brought about only 48:07 by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. " 48:12 But let me say 48:14 that a hunter is on the loose 48:17 after you have been "metamorphóoed. " 48:22 Just because you have been born again and you've resurrected 48:25 to new life doesn't mean that you are safe 48:29 unless you abide in Christ. 48:34 Let me go back to the butterfly illustration. 48:37 I remember the first time that I went to catch butterflies 48:40 in a national park in Venezuela. 48:42 At that time it wasn't against the law to catch butterflies. 48:46 I had my net with me and I had my jar. 48:48 And the jar had cotton at the bottom and a little piece of 48:51 cardboard so that I could put the butterflies in there 48:54 when I caught them. And there was a very powerful 48:57 poison called carbon tetrachloride that I used 49:01 and I put them in the jar. 49:03 And so I suddenly saw this beautiful blue butterfly - 49:07 you know - flying through the air. And immediately 49:09 I dropped everything and I went after it with my net. 49:12 And I would swing at the butter fly and the butterfly 49:14 would go up... because they don't fly straight. 49:16 They fly up and down, up and down. 49:18 And then I would swing at the bottom and he would go up 49:21 and down. And I was crashing into trees, into bushes 49:26 and over rocks. And after I was not able to catch the butterfly 49:32 I noticed that the national park ranger was there 49:35 with a smile on his face. 49:41 And so he came over and he said: 49:43 "What are you killing yourself for? " 49:46 I said: "Want to catch that butterfly and add it to my 49:49 collection. " He said: "You don't have to do that. 49:52 All you have to know is what the butterfly's weakness is. " 49:58 I said: "What is this par- ticular butterflies' weakness? " 50:00 He said: "These butterflies love bananas 50:06 and so if you take a banana and you throw it on the ground 50:09 and you leave for 1/2 hour you'll find several of these 50:12 butterflies just sitting on the banana. " 50:14 And I did that! And lo and behold 50:17 5 butterflies on the banana. 50:19 I just put my net over them. I had five of them 50:21 with hardly any effort 50:23 because I discovered what their weakness was. 50:28 Now it just so happens that a few years passed 50:32 and after a few years one day I went back to that national park. 50:37 And I went through the gate and I had my net with me 50:41 and I had my jars with me and my mounting board. 50:44 And after I had gone in a little ways 50:46 the park ranger came and said: "Where are you going 50:48 with all of those things? " 50:49 I said: "I'm going to catch butterflies. " 50:50 He says: "Oh no you're not. " 50:52 I said: "I've always caught butterflies here. " 50:56 He says: "Oh yes, but since the last time you came 50:59 this has been declared a national refuge 51:04 and you can't catch anything that's alive. " 51:08 So I said: "OK. " I went outside the gate 51:13 and threw down my banana. 51:22 And any butterfly that risked coming over the fence 51:27 and not abiding in the park became my easy prey. 51:31 Just because we have been born to newness of life 51:35 and our life has begun to change and is being transformed 51:38 does not mean that we are safe, 51:40 and every instant we must abide in Jesus. Amen! 51:46 In the book Sons and Daughters of God Ellen White says 51:49 on page 337: "By beholding Christ by talking of Him. " 51:55 "By beholding Christ by talking of Him, 51:58 by beholding the loveliness of His character, 52:02 we become changed... 52:04 changed from glory to glory. 52:07 And what is glory? " asks Ellen White. "Character. " 52:11 "And he becomes changed from character to character. 52:15 Thus we see that there is a work of purification 52:19 that goes on by beholding Jesus. " 52:26 Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy predict 52:28 that there's a great revival and reformation 52:31 that's going to come soon among God's people... 52:37 and the devil knows it. 52:39 So the devil wants to implement a counterfeit revival 52:44 without reformation. 52:48 You know, some of our Adventist churches even 52:50 feel that if they have more upbeat music 52:57 and they contemporize their worship practices 53:01 and they implement new methods of evangelism 53:04 such as mimes, dramatic presen- tations, continental breakfasts, 53:08 preaching a prosperity gospel 53:10 that the congregation is going to experience 53:12 a revival and the church is going to have numerical growth. 53:18 The only thing that will lead to true growth 53:22 of the church is not "gimmick evangelism" 53:26 but a change and transfor- mation of a human heart - Amen! 53:30 that will change and transform the human life. Amen! 53:35 Ellen White speaks about those counterfeit revivals. 53:38 She says: "Popular revivals are too often carried by appeals 53:42 to the imagination, by exciting the emotions, 53:46 by gratifying the love for what is new and startling. " 53:51 Now notice: "Converts thus gained 53:54 have little desire to listen to Bible truth, 53:58 little interest in the testimony of prophets and apostles. 54:03 Unless a religious service has something of a sensational 54:07 character it has no attraction for them. " 54:11 And then she says: "A message which appeals to 54:15 the unimpassioned reason... " That means your reasoning 54:18 powers without interposing your emotions. 54:22 "A message which appeals to the unimpassioned reason 54:26 awakens no response. The plain warnings of God's Word 54:30 relating directly to the eternal interests are unheeded. " 54:36 And then she says - this is in the chapter that I referred to 54:38 at the beginning of our study - 54:40 she says: "The power of godliness has well nigh departed 54:43 from many of the churches. " 54:44 She's not speaking of the Adventist churches, 54:46 but I think by extension it applies to us 54:48 and we need to be careful. She says: 54:51 "Picnics, church theatricals, 54:54 church fairs, fine houses, 54:57 personal display have banished thoughts of God. 55:01 Lands and goods and worldly occupations 55:05 engross the mind and things of eternal interest 55:08 receive hardly a passing notice. " 55:14 Then she speaks on page 464 about a great revival is coming. 55:19 That's what we're longing for, isn't it? Amen. 55:22 Jesus is not going to come until this takes place. 55:24 She says: "Notwithstanding the widespread declension 55:27 of faith and piety there are true followers of Christ 55:29 in these churches" that she's talked about. 55:32 "Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth 55:35 there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival 55:38 of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed 55:42 since apostolic times. 55:43 The Spirit and power of God will be poured out 55:46 upon His children. At that time many will separate themselves 55:51 from those churches in which the love of this world has 55:53 supplanted love for God and His Word. 55:56 Many both of ministers and people will gladly accept 56:00 those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed 56:04 at this time to prepare a people for the Lord's second coming. " 56:08 Amen. 56:10 Do we want to see that? Amen! 56:13 I long for that more than anything in the world, 56:15 you know, and if we had that experience 56:17 we would not be debating and arguing about things 56:20 that are distracting us from the mission of the church 56:23 and from the message of the church. 56:25 My prayer is that the Lord will give us that true revival. 56:30 That we will dedicate our time, folks, 56:32 to spending our time with Jesus Christ. Amen. 56:36 That thoughtful hour that Ellen White mentions 56:38 which will lead us to see the beauty and the perfection 56:42 of Christ, our own sinfulness, and then visit Gethsemane 56:46 and see the great sacrifice that Jesus has made. 56:49 And that this will be a constant daily experience 56:52 so that God will give us victory over sin. 56:55 Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you 56:59 for Your many blessings. 57:01 We thank you especially for the promise of revival 57:04 and reformation. I ask, Lord, that You will bless each one 57:07 of those who are gathered here. 57:09 That You will truly, with all of Your power, 57:12 give us this wonderful experience of revival 57:15 and reformation because we know that Jesus is not 57:19 going to come unless this happens. 57:21 So please, do a great work among us. 57:24 And we thank you, Father, for hearing our prayer 57:27 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, 57:29 Amen. |
Revised 2022-05-03