Anchors of Truth

Wiping Out The I.O.Us - Part 2

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000028


00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
00:15 from the 3ABN Worship Center and the Fresno Central Church.
00:18 Truths That Matter with Stephen Bohr.
00:22 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth and to the fifth and final
00:28 segment of this particular series which is entitled,
00:32 Truth That Matters.
00:34 It is so important, my friend, to know what truth is.
00:38 The Bible says that "you shall know the truth,
00:41 and the truth shall set you free."
00:45 These are the words of Jesus found in the book of John.
00:48 And I believe with all of my heart that the seeking of truth
00:52 is more important than simply looking at things
00:57 and accepting things that we may have heard that people say
01:01 but that they cannot prove from the Word of God.
01:03 And certainly during this series of five subjects,
01:06 Pastor Stephen Bohr has looked at truths that matter,
01:11 truths that are very important for these last days.
01:16 I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is coming soon.
01:20 And I believe that you believe that very same thing.
01:23 And so it's more important even now, today, than ever before,
01:28 with all of the delusions that we see; delusions in literature
01:33 and the movies, even in theology, that would lead us
01:37 to have a different concept of God, and to believe things
01:41 about God that simply are not true.
01:44 And so in this subject tonight, Pastor Stephen Bohr
01:48 will be presenting the second part of the Inward Outworking,
01:53 which is a subject concerning the state of the dead.
01:58 And throughout this series, he has been presenting subjects
02:02 that he feels, and that we feel, are extremely important
02:06 in these times in which we live.
02:10 I thank the Lord for Pastor Stephen Bohr,
02:13 for his commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
02:16 He is the Speaker and Director of Secrets Unsealed.
02:20 He is the Pastor of the Fresno Seventh-day Adventist Church.
02:25 He is a man who is sought as a camp meeting speaker
02:28 and a convocation speaker around the world.
02:32 And we're so happy that, even though it was impossible
02:35 for him to actually be here with us in Thompsonville
02:39 or in West Frankfort, he is joining us by the miracles of
02:44 technology from his church in Fresno, California.
02:49 And we appreciate his ministry.
02:52 And we know that you do too because we receive a lot of
02:56 cards and letters and emails and phone calls that tell us
03:01 that you appreciate the ministry of Pastor Stephen Bohr.
03:05 And when he comes here to West Frankfort
03:07 to our worship center, he is one person that
03:11 many people from the area come to hear.
03:14 But before Pastor Bohr speaks, Tammy Chance is going to sing
03:20 for us a song entitled, That's When I Feel Amazing Grace.
03:44 When battles are too hard
03:48 for me to win,
03:57 when Satan comes to tempt me
04:03 with all sin,
04:10 I know the Lord provides
04:16 a secret hiding place.
04:23 That's when I feel
04:28 amazing grace.
04:37 That's when I feel
04:41 amazing grace,
04:50 when I surrender all
04:54 to His embrace.
05:03 I close my eyes
05:09 and then I see His face.
05:15 That's when I feel
05:20 amazing grace.
05:28 He promised to be faithful
05:33 to the end.
05:41 And on His promises
05:46 I now depend.
05:54 He'll dry every tear
06:00 and every fear erase.
06:07 That's when I feel
06:12 amazing grace.
06:20 That's when I feel
06:25 amazing grace,
06:33 when I surrender all
06:38 to His embrace.
06:46 I close my eyes
06:52 and then I see His face.
06:58 That's when I feel
07:03 amazing grace.
07:11 That's when I feel
07:19 amazing grace.
07:45 We thank you for this wonderful passage.
07:55 We come pleading for special wisdom
07:58 to understand this passage from Hebrews chapter 12
08:02 and verses 22 through 24.
08:04 We studied the first part last time.
08:07 And as we conclude this study today, we ask for the
08:11 presence of Your Spirit.
08:12 Open our minds and hearts that we might understand
08:15 and receive the Word of truth.
08:18 And we thank You for hearing and answering our prayer,
08:20 for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.
08:25 Just a little review of what we studied in the first part
08:28 of this particular study that we're doing.
08:32 In our last study, we noticed that the book of Hebrews
08:36 has a central theme.
08:38 And the central theme of the book of Hebrews
08:41 is a comparison of the Old Testament religious system
08:46 with the New Testament religious system
08:49 in the heavenly sanctuary.
08:51 We noticed in our study last time that the Old Testament
08:54 system was good.
08:56 It's not that the Old Testament system was bad.
08:59 It was good because it pointed forward to the coming
09:03 of the Messiah who would shed His blood for sin,
09:07 and then He would be the intercessor for His people.
09:10 But we also noticed that the Old Testament system
09:13 had mere human priests, and the sacrifices were
09:18 made of animal blood which could not remove or take away sin.
09:23 So the Old Testament system was good because it
09:27 pointed the minds of people forward to the time
09:30 when the Messiah would come.
09:32 Now the New Testament system is better
09:35 because the New Testament system is the fulfillment of
09:38 that which the Old Testament system pointed to.
09:42 In other words, what was promised by the
09:45 Old Testament system was fulfilled in the New Testament.
09:49 Because in the New Testament,
09:50 we have better blood; the blood of Jesus,
09:53 we have a better intercessor; the God-Man.
09:57 And therefore, we know that the New Testament system
10:01 is better than the Old Testament system.
10:05 Now we also noticed last time that the spirit that is
10:10 referred to in this passage when it says,
10:12 "the spirits of righteous men made perfect,"
10:16 those spirits actually represent the personal identity
10:21 or the character or the life record of the heroes that
10:26 we find mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11.
10:29 You know, in Hebrews chapter 11, we have
10:32 this long list of Old Testament heroes.
10:34 And some of them are even called righteous.
10:38 And so the spirit of these individuals simply means
10:42 their personal identity, their life record,
10:45 or their biographical record which is contained
10:48 in the heavenly book.
10:51 Now, they're called righteous because according to
10:54 Hebrews chapter 11, they were made righteous by faith.
10:57 Time and again in Hebrews chapter 11, we find these
11:01 individuals referred to as being righteous by faith.
11:06 So we notice then, that this passage in Hebrews chapter 12
11:10 verses 22 to 24 is telling us that there is this group
11:16 of heroes that died in Old Testament times
11:20 and they were made righteous by faith
11:22 but their life record, or their personal identity, or their
11:27 biographical sketch which is written in heaven
11:31 needed somehow to be made perfect.
11:35 In other words, somehow it needed to be made complete.
11:39 But of course, the question that begs to be asked is,
11:42 why did the life record, or the character,
11:46 of these individuals that was written in the books
11:48 need to be made perfect?
11:50 And how could this record of their lives be made perfect?
11:56 Now in order to understand what it means that the spirit
11:59 needed to be made perfect, we need to understand what
12:03 is meant by the word "perfect" in the book of Hebrews.
12:07 The word "perfect" in Hebrews does not refer
12:10 to moral perfection.
12:13 It does not refer to living a holy life.
12:17 Basically, the word "perfect" in the book of Hebrews
12:21 means to be qualified or to be complete.
12:25 Now I want us to understand that.
12:27 I'm going to give you several texts.
12:28 In fact, we're going to read all of the texts in the
12:30 book of Hebrews that uses the word "perfect".
12:32 And we're going to see that the word "perfect" means
12:35 to be complete or to be qualified.
12:39 Now this word is used, first of all, of Christ.
12:43 And then secondly, it is used of the followers of Christ.
12:47 So what we want to do first of all is look at the
12:50 word "perfect" as it is used in connection with Christ
12:54 in the book of Hebrews.
12:55 So go with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10.
13:00 Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10.
13:03 And immediately, you're going to see that the word "perfect",
13:06 as it applies to Christ, cannot mean moral perfection.
13:10 It cannot mean perfection of character, because
13:14 Jesus was morally perfect all throughout His life;
13:18 from the time of His birth till the moment of His death.
13:21 Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10, speaking about Christ says this,
13:26 "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things
13:31 and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory..."
13:37 Now notice what the objective is.
13:39 He's going to bring what?
13:40 He's going to bring many sons to glory.
13:43 Now did He have to do something in order to
13:45 bring many sons to glory?
13:47 Absolutely.
13:48 "...in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain
13:52 of their salvation..." which is Jesus Christ.
13:55 God the Father had to make Jesus Christ, what?
13:58 "...perfect through sufferings."
14:02 Did Jesus have to be made perfect?
14:04 Yes.
14:05 Does that refer to moral perfection?
14:08 No, because Jesus was not imperfect.
14:11 Basically, what this is saying is that in order for Jesus to
14:15 be the Captain of the salvation of His people,
14:18 He needed to go through suffering, He needed to die
14:21 in order to be qualified, or be complete,
14:25 to be able to save them.
14:27 Are you understanding what I'm saying?
14:28 Now let's notice a second example.
14:31 Hebrews chapter 5 and verses 7 through 9.
14:37 This is also referring to Jesus Christ;
14:39 the word "perfect" in Hebrews as it applies to Christ.
14:43 In Hebrews 5 and verses 7 through 9,
14:45 speaking about Jesus, it says this,
14:48 "Who, in the days of His flesh..."
14:51 That means while He was on earth.
14:53 "...when He had offered up prayers and supplications,
14:57 with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save
15:02 Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear..."
15:07 Now question, is this talking about His passion
15:09 and His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross?
15:11 Absolutely.
15:13 Now notice verse 8.
15:14 "...though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience
15:18 by the things which He suffered."
15:21 "And," notice, "having been..." What?
15:24 "...perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation
15:29 to all who obey Him."
15:32 Do you notice once again what the word "perfect" means here?
15:35 Is it talking about the fact that Jesus was imperfect
15:37 and He had to become perfect?
15:39 Absolutely not.
15:40 Because Jesus was perfect from the moment of His birth.
15:43 What this is saying is that Jesus, according to verse 9,
15:48 had to be perfected in order to be the author
15:52 of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him.
15:55 Did Jesus have to suffer and did He have to die
15:58 in order to be qualified, in order for Him to be complete,
16:02 to be able to save His people?
16:05 Yes or no? Absolutely.
16:06 And that's what the text is saying.
16:08 It's saying, He suffered.
16:09 Through His suffering, He's made perfect.
16:11 And therefore He is able to, what?
16:13 He is able to bring eternal salvation to His people.
16:16 In other words, Jesus becomes qualified to save.
16:20 That's what the word "complete" means or the word "perfect"
16:25 means in this sense.
16:26 Let's notice one other verse where the word "perfect"
16:29 is used in connection with Christ.
16:31 Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 28.
16:39 It says here, "For the law.."
16:41 This is the Old Testament system.
16:43 "For the law appoints as high priests
16:46 men who have weakness..."
16:50 So what is the first group of priests?
16:52 It's the priests from when?
16:54 From the Old Testament system.
16:56 "For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness,
17:00 but the word of the oath..."
17:02 And the oath that it's referring to is, "you are a priest forever
17:05 after the order of Melchizedek," which is regards to Christ.
17:08 It says, "...but the word of the oath, which came after the law,
17:12 appoints the Son who has been..." What?
17:16 "...who has been perfected forever."
17:19 What does that mean that Jesus has been perfected forever?
17:22 Does it means that His character had to become perfect
17:27 because it wasn't perfect?
17:28 Absolutely not.
17:29 Because His character was perfect all the way through.
17:32 What it means is that Jesus Christ, as the Priest
17:37 who shed His blood, when He shed His blood He became
17:40 qualified or He was complete in order to bring... What?
17:45 ...in order to bring salvation for His people,
17:48 and in order to intercede for His people.
17:51 So in other words, the word "perfect" with regards to
17:54 Christ, means that He suffers in order to be qualified,
17:59 in order to be complete, to be a Savior for His people
18:04 because the Old Testament system did not
18:07 bring that kind of perfection.
18:10 Now let's notice the verses in the book of Hebrews
18:14 that refer to us now.
18:17 Because we've already noticed the texts that speak about
18:19 Jesus being made perfect, or Jesus becoming qualified,
18:23 or Jesus being a complete Savior by His suffering
18:27 and by His death.
18:28 Now we need to know how this word is used with regards to us.
18:33 Now we're going to look at several passages from
18:36 Hebrews chapter 7 through chapter 10.
18:39 And the first passage we want to take a look at is
18:42 Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 11.
18:45 And we're not going to read the whole passage.
18:47 We're going to jump down to verse 19 and then
18:50 verses 25 and 26, where the word "perfect" is used
18:54 with regards to God's people.
18:55 So it says in verse 11 of Hebrews 7,
18:59 "Therefore, if perfection were through the
19:03 Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law,
19:08 what further need was there that another priest should rise
19:13 according to the order of Melchizedek,
19:15 and not be called according to the order of Aaron?"
19:18 Now let's stop there.
19:20 How many priesthoods are being compared here?
19:22 Two priesthoods.
19:23 What is the first priesthood?
19:25 The priesthood of Aaron.
19:28 And what is the second priesthood?
19:30 The second priesthood is the priesthood of Christ.
19:32 Could the first priesthood bring perfection?
19:36 Absolutely not.
19:37 Can the second priesthood bring perfection?
19:39 Yes, but remember that the word "perfection" does not refer
19:43 to moral perfection of character.
19:45 What it means is that the sacrifice of Jesus under
19:49 the new system is complete and can truly... What?
19:53 ...and can truly save.
19:56 In other words, we are saved because Jesus Christ
20:00 shed His blood on the cross.
20:01 The Old Testament system of human intercessors
20:05 and of blood of animals could not save at all.
20:10 And so what it's saying here is that perfection...
20:12 In other words, full forgiveness of sin, legal forgiveness of sin
20:18 could not take place in the Old Testament system, because
20:21 as we'll see, the blood of bulls and goats cannot... What?
20:24 ...cannot take away sin.
20:27 Now let's go down to verse 19.
20:29 It says here, "For the law made nothing..." What?
20:33 "...perfect."
20:35 What is the author of Hebrews trying to tell us by saying
20:38 that the law made nothing perfect?
20:39 What he's saying is that the law did not legally... What?
20:44 ...take care of sin.
20:46 The law did not legally forgive sin.
20:48 Why not?
20:49 Because the blood of bulls and goats cannot... What?
20:53 ...take away sin.
20:54 And human priests, mere human priests,
20:56 cannot intercede for sinners.
20:59 They were just symbols or shadows of Jesus Christ.
21:02 And so it says in verse 19, "For the law made nothing perfect."
21:07 In other words, it didn't deal once and for all with sin.
21:10 And so then he says, "On the other hand, there is the
21:14 bringing in of a..." What?
21:16 "...of a better hope, through which we draw near to God."
21:21 What is that better hope?
21:23 It's hope that comes through whom?
21:25 Through Jesus Christ.
21:26 So the Old Testament system did not legally forgive sin
21:30 because the blood of animals could not take away sin.
21:32 And so it was necessary to have a better hope,
21:35 which is the blood of... Whom?
21:36 ...the blood of Jesus and the intercession of Jesus Christ.
21:40 Now I want us to notice also verse 22.
21:44 Let's read verse 22.
21:45 I said we were going to jump to verses 25 and 26,
21:48 but let's notice verse 22.
21:50 It says, "By so much more Jesus has become a surety
21:55 of a better covenant."
21:57 Was the old covenant a good covenant?
22:00 You know, some people say, "Oh the old system,
22:02 that was bad and this system is good."
22:04 No. Do you know there is a key word
22:05 used in the book of Hebrews.
22:06 That's the word "better".
22:08 It's not bad and good.
22:10 It's good and better.
22:12 The old system was good, because as the people sacrificed
22:16 the animal, they were suppose to see in the animal
22:19 a symbol of... Whom?
22:21 ...of Jesus Christ.
22:22 That was good because it pointed to the future,
22:25 to the coming Messiah.
22:26 But the new system is better.
22:28 Because that which the old system pointed to
22:31 has taken place in Jesus Christ.
22:33 Are you following me?
22:35 Now let's notice once again here verse 22.
22:38 "By so much more Jesus has become a surety
22:42 of a better covenant."
22:43 Verse 23, "Also there were many priests, because they were
22:47 prevented by death from continuing.
22:49 But He," that is Jesus, "because He continues..." How long?
22:53 "...forever, has a..." What? "...an unchangeable priesthood.
22:58 Therefore He is also able to..." What?
23:01 "...to save to the uttermost those who come to God
23:05 through Him, since He always..." that means forever,
23:08 "...since He always lives to make intercession for them."
23:11 What was the problem with the Old Testament priests?
23:13 They all died.
23:15 What's the characteristic of the priesthood of Jesus?
23:17 Once He resurrected, He... What?
23:19 He never dies again.
23:21 And He is ever able to intercede for us and deal with sin.
23:25 Are you following me?
23:26 Let's notice verse 26.
23:28 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy,
23:32 harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become
23:36 higher than the heavens; who does not need daily,
23:41 as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices,
23:45 first for His own sins and then for the people's sins,
23:49 for this He did..." What?
23:51 "...once for all when He offered up Himself."
23:54 So in the Old Testament, you had a repetition every year.
23:57 A repetition, a repetition of these sacrifices.
24:00 They reminded Israel that the Messiah was
24:02 going to come in the future.
24:03 But when Jesus came, how many sacrifices?
24:06 One.
24:07 And Jesus Christ now intercedes forever
24:10 because He is not prevented by death from interceding.
24:14 Now, what is meant then by the word "perfect"?
24:18 "The law made nothing perfect."
24:19 It simply means that the Old Testament system
24:22 did not deal definitively with sin.
24:25 In other words, it did not legally take care of sin.
24:29 It was incomplete.
24:31 It wasn't complete.
24:33 Are you understanding what I'm saying?
24:34 When Jesus comes, He now becomes qualified
24:39 to truly and legally save and to forgive sin.
24:42 So the Old Testament system was imperfect;
24:46 the New Testament system is perfect
24:49 in the sense that it truly can save.
24:51 Now let's go to Hebrews chapter 9
24:54 and read verses 9 through 12.
24:57 Here once again, the word "perfect" is used
24:59 in the same sense.
25:05 Here, Paul, I believe was behind the book of Hebrews, says,
25:08 "It," that is the old system, "was symbolic for the
25:12 present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered
25:17 which cannot make him who performed the service perfect
25:21 in regard to the conscience."
25:22 So could the old system make people perfect with
25:25 regard to the conscience?
25:26 Could it make their conscience free of sin and say,
25:28 "Okay, sin is taken care of."
25:29 Absolutely not.
25:31 Because every time, they had to sacrifice all over again.
25:34 Which meant that sin was not taken care of.
25:37 Because if sin was taken care of, one sacrifice would do it.
25:40 And the priests would die and they couldn't intercede anymore.
25:43 And then you had another priest.
25:44 It was an ongoing system.
25:46 But what the apostle Paul is saying here is that
25:49 in the Old Testament system, you had many sacrifices
25:54 and you had many priests.
25:55 But with regard to Christ, you have one sacrifice
25:58 and you have one eternal Priest.
26:01 And the Old Testament system could not make perfect
26:04 in regard to the conscience.
26:06 In other words, people knew that the blood of
26:08 bulls and goats could not actually legally
26:10 forgive their sin.
26:11 They believed that Jesus would come in the future,
26:14 and by His sacrifice sin would be legally forgiven.
26:17 But they knew that when they offered those sacrifices,
26:20 they were symbolic, or they were shadows.
26:22 Now notice what it continues saying.
26:24 Once again beginning at verse 9.
26:27 "It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and
26:31 sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed
26:34 the service perfect in regard to the conscience."
26:37 And why?
26:39 It says because these things were, "concerned only with
26:41 foods and drinks, various washings,
26:44 and fleshly ordinances imposed until..." When?
26:48 "...until the time of reformation."
26:50 When is the time of reformation?
26:53 By the way, it's not referring to Martin Luther.
26:56 It's the moment when Jesus Christ died on the cross.
26:59 So this ceremonial system was to exist until... When?
27:03 ...until the time of reformation.
27:04 In other words, until Jesus came.
27:06 Now verse 11 further explains this.
27:09 "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come."
27:15 Are you seeing the contrast between what was
27:17 and what was to be?
27:19 So it says once again, "But Christ came as High Priest
27:24 of the good things to come, with the greater and more
27:27 perfect tabernacle not made with hands,
27:29 that is, not of this creation.
27:32 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood
27:36 He entered the Most Holy Place..."
27:38 As we've seen, the better translation, He entered
27:41 into the "Holy Place".
27:43 "...once for all, having obtained..." What?
27:46 "...eternal redemption."
27:48 So does Jesus have to continue dying and dying
27:50 and dying and dying?
27:51 Absolutely not.
27:53 It took place once for all.
27:54 Did Jesus, when He died on the cross, legally take care of sin?
27:58 Can people now say, "If I repent and I confess my sins
28:02 and I trust in Jesus Christ, I can have the assurance
28:05 that Jesus Christ forgives those sins and cleanses me
28:09 from all unrighteousness."
28:10 Absolutely.
28:11 Now let's go to Hebrews chapter 10.
28:14 Once again, the word "perfect" is used
28:16 with regards to God's people.
28:17 Hebrews chapter 10 and we'll read verses 1 through 4,
28:22 and then we'll jump to 11 and 12, and then 14 and 18.
28:26 Notice Hebrews 10 verse 1.
28:28 "For the law..." it's referring to the ceremonial system,
28:32 not the ten commandments.
28:33 " For the law, having a shadow of..." What?
28:37 What was the ceremonial system?
28:39 A shadow of what?
28:41 What are those good things to come?
28:44 Jesus Christ, that's right.
28:45 "...and not the very image of the things,
28:48 can never with these same sacrifices,
28:52 which they offer continually year by year,
28:55 make those who approach..." What?
28:57 "...perfect."
28:59 Is that talking about moral perfection?
29:01 Perfection of character?
29:02 No. It means that their sins could not legally be... What?
29:07 ...forgiven by the Old Testament system.
29:09 Because Jesus had not become qualified yet
29:13 in order to do that.
29:14 And so it continues saying, "For the law, having a shadow of
29:18 the good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
29:20 can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer
29:24 continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
29:29 For then would they not have ceased to be offered?"
29:33 In other words, if they made a person perfect then why
29:35 continue offering and offering and offering and offering?
29:38 "For the worshipers, once purified, would have had
29:41 no more consciousness of..." What?
29:43 "...sins."
29:44 They would say, "Sins are taken care of.
29:46 We don't have to worry about it anymore."
29:47 Verse 3, "But in those sacrifices there is a..." What?
29:52 "... a reminder of sins every year.
29:56 For it is not possible that the blood of
29:59 bulls and goats could..." What?
30:01 "...take away sins."
30:02 Did the Old Testament system legally forgive
30:05 the Old Testament saints?
30:07 No, not legally.
30:09 But only on the basis of what?
30:11 Of the promise of the coming Messiah.
30:13 God accepted their faith in the coming Messiah.
30:16 And then we're going to notice that when Jesus came,
30:18 those sins were taken care of and their record
30:22 was made perfect.
30:24 Now let's continue reading at verse 11.
30:27 "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering
30:32 repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never..." What?
30:36 "...which can never take away sins."
30:38 See, there's the idea again.
30:39 "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice
30:44 for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
30:48 For by one offering He has..." What?
30:51 There's the word again.
30:52 "...He has perfected forever those who are being..." What?
30:57 "...sanctified."
30:58 What does it mean that, "He has perfected forever
31:00 those who are being sanctified?"
31:01 Is he saying that He's giving them a perfect moral character
31:04 that doesn't sin anymore?
31:05 No, what he's saying is that their life record
31:09 has been... What?
31:10 ...legally taken care of.
31:12 Because the sins were written in the books
31:15 and when people repented and confessed their sins,
31:18 Jesus basically said, "I'll pay."
31:21 But there was an IOU.
31:24 Are you following me?
31:25 An IOU is written and Jesus said, "I'll take care of it.
31:29 I'll pay for it."
31:30 Were they saved on the basis of the promise
31:33 of the coming Messiah?
31:34 Absolutely.
31:35 Now notice once again verse 14.
31:37 "For by one offering He has perfected forever
31:41 those who are being sanctified."
31:42 Verse 18, "Now where there is remission of these..."
31:46 The word "remission" means forgiveness.
31:48 "Where there is 'forgiveness' of these,
31:50 there is no longer..." What?
31:52 "...an offering for sin."
31:53 Jesus does not have to, what?
31:55 He does not have to die again.
31:57 Because when He died, He made perfect provision for
32:00 God's people to be perfected, in the sense of the record
32:03 of all these Old Testament saints being set straight
32:07 and their sins legally forgiven.
32:10 In other words, all of the IOU's wiped out.
32:13 Raise your hand if you're understanding what I'm saying.
32:15 Praise the Lord.
32:16 So this word "perfect" is very important, isn't it.
32:20 Now let's notice another couple of passages
32:23 that we find, one in Romans and the other in Colossians,
32:27 that help us understand this particular concept.
32:30 Romans chapter 3 and verses 25 and 26.
32:35 Romans 3:25-26
32:37 And Romans 3 is the great chapter on
32:40 righteousness by faith.
32:42 Here is where the apostle Paul uses the example of Abraham
32:46 to show that Abraham was justified by faith.
32:49 Now notice Romans 3 beginning with verse 25.
32:54 Actually, let's begin with verse 24 for a little bit of context.
32:57 It says there in verse 24, "Being justified..."
33:02 That means forgiven, by the way.
33:03 Same thing as forgiven.
33:05 "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
33:10 that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
33:14 propitiation by His blood, through faith..."
33:18 Now, Jesus shed His blood.
33:20 Why did He shed His blood?
33:22 Well, so that people could be saved.
33:23 But what had God done in the Old Testament period?
33:26 Let's continue reading.
33:28 Verse 25 again, "...whom God set forth as a propitiation
33:32 by His blood, through faith..."
33:34 Now listen carefully.
33:36 "...to demonstrate His..." What?
33:39 "...His righteousness, because in His forbearance..."
33:44 Do you know what forbearance means?
33:46 In His patience, in His long suffering.
33:50 "...God had..." What?
33:52 "...passed over the sins that were previously committed."
33:57 What had God done during the Old Testament period?
34:00 He had passed over what?
34:02 He had passed over the sins that were previously committed.
34:05 But when Jesus died, is the righteousness of Christ shown
34:09 to take care of those sins?
34:11 Absolutely, the text is clear.
34:12 And then it says in verse 26, "...to demonstrate at the
34:16 present time His righteousness."
34:18 See, the contrast is, He passed over all these sins,
34:21 they were not legally taken care of.
34:24 But now it says He did this when He died on the cross
34:27 "to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness,
34:31 that He might be just and the justifier of the one
34:35 who has faith in Jesus."
34:37 Are you following the argument of this passage?
34:39 What did God do in the Old Testament period?
34:43 The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.
34:45 So what did God do?
34:46 God said, "I'll forgive you on the basis of the promise,
34:51 but it's not legally taken care of.
34:53 You have faith in the coming Messiah."
34:55 He passed over those sins.
34:57 But when Jesus dies on the cross, are all those sins
35:00 definitively taken care of?
35:02 The faith that all those Old Testament saints had in Jesus.
35:05 Absolutely.
35:06 Sin is dealt with once and for all.
35:08 And are the records of those individuals set straight?
35:12 Next to those sins is written the word... What?
35:14 ...forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.
35:17 Are those people made perfect?
35:19 They're made perfect, absolutely.
35:21 Now there's another passage that we need to take a look at.
35:24 Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14.
35:27 And I'm reading this in the English Standard Version,
35:31 which is becoming one of the more popular versions.
35:33 It's not a paraphrase, it's actually a translation.
35:37 And it's a very good translation, if I might say so.
35:42 Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14.
35:47 And Let's read verse 13 for the context.
35:49 We always want to get a little bit of the context.
35:52 It says there, the apostle Paul speaking to the Colossians,
35:56 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses..."
36:01 What were they?
36:02 Dead in their trespasses.
36:04 "...and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
36:07 God made alive together with Him, having..." What?
36:11 "...forgiven us all our trespasses..."
36:16 So what has Jesus done?
36:18 He has forgiven us all our trespasses.
36:21 Now how did He do this?
36:23 Verse 14, "...by canceling the..." What?
36:28 "...the record of debt..."
36:30 This is the ESV.
36:32 And by the way, many of the modern versions
36:33 have similar translations.
36:35 "...by canceling the record of debt that stood against us
36:40 with its legal demands.
36:43 This He set aside, nailing it to the cross."
36:48 Now this word "cheirographon" that is used here, which is
36:53 translated in the King James Version,
36:55 the handwriting of ordinances...
36:57 See, when the King James translators translated
36:59 this word, there were certain archeological discoveries
37:03 that had not been made yet.
37:04 But it's been discovered that this was a commercial word
37:07 that was used in the days of Christ.
37:10 Basically what the word means is, a bond of debt.
37:15 What is a bond of debt?
37:19 Do you know what a bond of debt is?
37:21 It's an IOU. Right?
37:24 Now in the Old Testament, what happened when a person
37:27 confessed their sins and they repented of sin
37:30 and they sacrificed the animal, and through the blood of
37:35 the animal they looked forward to the sacrifice of Christ.
37:38 What did Jesus say?
37:41 "Okay, this is an IOU.
37:44 I'll sign it, I'll be the co-signer.
37:47 I'll take care of it."
37:48 What did Jesus nail to the cross?
37:50 Jesus took all of the IOU's, the bonds of debt if you please,
37:55 that had accumulated.
37:57 He grabbed all of these IOU's and He nailed them to the cross,
38:01 legally, because His blood truly could forgive sin.
38:05 And so basically, what the apostle Paul is saying is that
38:09 the record of sin was canceled, the debt was canceled,
38:14 "that stood against us with its legal demands."
38:16 He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
38:19 He didn't nail the ten commandments to the cross.
38:22 He nailed our bond of debt to the cross.
38:26 Now I need to go to a few other issues relating to
38:30 chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews.
38:33 It's interesting to notice that in Hebrews chapter 12
38:37 and verse 24, it says there that the blood of Christ
38:43 speaks better than the blood of Abel.
38:46 In all translations that I checked, it says that the
38:50 blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel.
38:55 But I need to tell you something very interesting.
38:58 The part of the translations, and it's all of the translations
39:03 that I could find, all of the known translations today,
39:06 there's a portion of this that is not in the original text.
39:10 The part of the verse that says, "speaks better things
39:15 than the blood of Abel," the part that says,
39:20 "than the blood of," is not in the original text.
39:26 It's added by the translators.
39:28 In other words, the translators think that the contrast
39:31 is between the blood that Abel was shed as a martyr
39:35 and the blood of Jesus Christ.
39:37 And basically, many translations say that the blood of Abel
39:41 cries out for vengeance and the blood of Jesus satisfies
39:45 what Abel cried out about.
39:47 In other words, they say that the contrast is between
39:50 the blood that Abel shed and the blood that Jesus Christ shed.
39:54 But once again, I must tell you that the text does not say,
39:59 "than the blood of Abel,"
40:01 "that speaks better things than the blood of Abel."
40:03 It actually says, "it speaks better things than Abel."
40:09 It doesn't say, "than the blood of Abel."
40:11 Are you understanding my point?
40:12 Now you say, why is this important.
40:14 Allow me to read you a very interesting statement by
40:16 a Bible commentator.
40:18 He's not an Adventist. His name is Albert Barnes.
40:21 And he understood very well what this is talking about.
40:24 Albert Barnes.
40:26 Notice what he had to say.
40:28 And let me see here, I might be missing a page here.
40:36 Oh, here it is. Okay.
40:39 This is what he says.
40:40 "The meaning here is that the blood of Jesus,"
40:44 listen carefully, "the blood of Jesus speaks better things
40:49 than Abel did.
40:51 That is, that the blood of Jesus is the reality
40:56 of which the offering of Abel was a type.
41:01 Abel proclaimed by the sacrifice which he made,
41:05 the great truth that salvation could be only
41:08 by a bloody offering that he did.
41:12 This only in a typical and obscure manner.
41:16 Jesus proclaimed it in a more distinct and better manner
41:21 by the reality."
41:22 Let me read that again because it's a very important concept.
41:25 Barnes says the meaning here is that, "the blood of Jesus
41:28 speaks better things than Abel did.
41:31 That is, that the blood of Jesus is the reality
41:34 of which the offering of Abel was a type.
41:38 Abel proclaimed by the sacrifice which he made,
41:42 the great truth that salvation could be only
41:46 by a bloody offering.
41:47 But he did this only in a typical and obscure manner.
41:51 Jesus proclaimed it in a more distinct and better manner
41:57 by the reality."
41:59 In other words, the contrast is not between the blood
42:02 that was shed by Abel...
42:03 In other words, his blood that was poured out as a martyr.
42:06 ...and the blood of Jesus.
42:07 The contrast is between the sacrifice that Abel offered
42:13 in comparison with the sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered.
42:17 Now you're saying, did Abel offer a sacrifice?
42:20 He most certainly did.
42:21 Notice Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4, the context.
42:28 It says here, "By faith Abel offered to God a..." What?
42:35 "...a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."
42:38 Now what kind of sacrifice did Abel offer, if you go back to
42:41 Genesis chapter 4?
42:43 He offered a what?
42:45 A blood sacrifice of an animal.
42:47 Was that sacrifice good?
42:50 Yes it was, it was good.
42:52 Was there a sacrifice that was better than that one?
42:55 Absolutely.
42:56 Which one? That of Jesus Christ.
42:58 And so it says, "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent
43:02 sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness
43:05 that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts;
43:09 and through it he being dead still speaks."
43:14 So are you understanding what the contrast is here?
43:16 The contrast is not that the blood of Abel was shed
43:21 as a martyr, and then the blood of Jesus was shed on the cross.
43:25 That's not the contrast.
43:26 The contrast is between the offering that Abel offered,
43:30 the blood in the offering that Abel offered,
43:32 and the blood that Jesus offered on the cross.
43:36 Does the blood of Jesus Christ speak better things
43:40 than the blood that was offered by Abel?
43:43 Absolutely.
43:44 Does this fit with the theme of the book of Hebrews
43:46 where you have a contrast between the Old Testament
43:49 sacrificial system and the New Testament death of
43:52 Jesus Christ on the cross?
43:53 It fits much better than thinking that it's comparing
43:56 the death of Abel with the death of Jesus Christ.
43:59 Now let's put the icing on the cake.
44:02 Go with me to Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 39.
44:09 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 39.
44:12 And let's notice something very very interesting here.
44:18 It says there, speaking about all of these heroes
44:21 from the Old Testament.
44:22 If you look at the context, you're going to see all of these
44:26 Old Testament heroes.
44:27 By the way, not only men but also women are mentioned
44:31 among those heroes.
44:32 And that's why it's important to realize that
44:34 in Hebrews chapter 12, the word "men" does not appear;
44:38 where it says "the spirits of righteous men made perfect."
44:41 The word "men" is added by the translators.
44:44 Really it's, "the spirits of the righteous made perfect."
44:47 In other words, it refers to both male and female.
44:51 The word "men" is not used there.
44:53 There are females in the list of heroes from the Old Testament.
44:56 So after mentioning Abraham and Moses and Enoch and Abel,
45:02 and all these great heroes, and Noah,
45:04 notice what we find in verse 39.
45:08 "And all these, having obtained a good testimony
45:12 through faith, did not receive the promise."
45:19 What promise?
45:22 What promise didn't they receive?
45:24 They did not receive the promise of the Messiah.
45:27 In other words, they looked at the promise from afar.
45:32 They saw the Messiah in the symbols and in the figures
45:35 and in the shadows of the Old Testament.
45:37 But they did not, what?
45:39 They did not receive the promise.
45:40 So let me ask you, was their experience incomplete?
45:43 In the sense that their sins were not definitively
45:46 legally taken care of.
45:47 Absolutely.
45:49 They looked forward to it, but it had not taken place legally.
45:55 Now I want you to notice verse 40.
45:56 Verse 40 is a critically important verse.
45:59 In the next verse, we're told that we have something
46:03 better than they did.
46:06 What do we have better than they did?
46:10 Well, we have Christ in fulfillment.
46:13 Notice what it says in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 40.
46:18 Let's read verse 39 for the context.
46:21 "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith,
46:24 did not receive the promise, God having provided
46:28 something..." What? "better for..." Whom?
46:32 "...for us..."
46:34 And now this is a critically important phrase.
46:36 It says, "...that they..." Who does that refer to?
46:40 The Old Testament saints.
46:41 "...that they should not be made..." What?
46:45 "...perfect apart from us."
46:52 Are you understanding what the apostle Paul is saying here?
46:55 They could not be made perfect apart from us.
46:59 Now are we the ones who make them perfect?
47:01 No.
47:02 When does Jesus make us perfect in Him?
47:06 When He died on the cross and when we claim Him as our Savior,
47:10 and we receive His life and His death.
47:13 Then is my record clean?
47:16 Am I legally forgiven?
47:18 Absolutely.
47:19 That's something better for us.
47:22 But they were not made perfect until Jesus, what?
47:26 Until Jesus died on the cross.
47:28 Then they were made complete or whole or qualified for salvation
47:33 because the death of Jesus truly dealt with sin.
47:37 Raise your hand if you're understanding what I'm saying.
47:40 Now, what does this have to do with our text?
47:44 Let me provide an example so we can understand this clearly.
47:48 We're all acquainted with one of those great heroes
47:51 that is in this list.
47:52 Moses.
47:55 The story of Moses is very interesting.
47:57 You know, he's the only person in the Bible where we're told
48:00 that God buried him.
48:05 And there's something else that's strange about Moses.
48:07 It says that nobody knew where his grave was.
48:12 Interesting.
48:13 Because, the Jews, they marked the graves of their heroes.
48:16 Everybody knew where Abraham was buried;
48:19 in the Cave of Machpelah.
48:20 They knew where David was buried; there in Jerusalem.
48:23 They kept a record of where their heroes were buried.
48:26 But the Bible says that God buried Moses,
48:28 and nobody knew where his tomb was.
48:31 That's in Deuteronomy chapter 34 verses 5 and 6.
48:34 Let's read it.
48:35 "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the
48:37 land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
48:40 And He" that is God, "buried him in a valley in the land of Moab,
48:44 opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day."
48:50 But the interesting thing is, the Bible tells us that when
48:53 Moses died, there was a battle over his body.
48:57 Do you think God fights over dead corpses?
49:00 Do you think God is some kind of heavenly vulture
49:02 that comes and fights with the devil over a dead body
49:04 that's in the process of decomposing?
49:06 Absolutely not.
49:09 Notice Jude 9.
49:13 It says, "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending
49:17 with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses..."
49:22 What was the devil disputing over?
49:24 The body of Moses.
49:25 What had Michael, the archangel, come to do?
49:29 He had come to resurrect him.
49:30 We're going to see that in a few moments.
49:32 "...dared not bring against him a reviling accusation,
49:35 but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
49:38 Now what was the devil's argument?
49:39 What the devil was saying is, "Moses sinned when he
49:43 killed the Egyptian.
49:44 And Moses sinned when he struck the rock twice.
49:48 And therefore, because he sinned, he's mine."
49:53 And God said to the devil, Jesus said to the devil,
49:56 "True, Moses did sin.
49:58 But I have promised to offer My life to legally
50:03 take care of his sin."
50:04 And the devil says, "But You haven't done it yet, have You."
50:07 He says, "But I'm going to do it."
50:09 And so the Bible tells us that Moses was taken, where?
50:15 He was taken to heaven.
50:16 And the devil railed against God and railed against Jesus,
50:20 because They had taken Moses to heaven when his sins
50:23 had not legally been taken care of yet.
50:26 That was the devil's argument.
50:28 Jesus said, "But I will take care of them.
50:30 Moses trusted in Me in the future sacrifice."
50:34 Interestingly enough, when Jesus was on this earth,
50:38 both Moses and Elijah appeared to Christ on
50:41 the Mount of Transfiguration.
50:42 So Moses must have resurrected.
50:45 In fact, let's read in Luke 9:30-31,
50:48 what it was that Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about.
50:54 This was about six months before the death of Jesus Christ.
50:57 Let's see what their topic of conversation was.
50:59 Luke 9 verses 30 and 31.
51:04 Here, Jesus is on the mount and it says, "And as He prayed,
51:07 the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became
51:11 white and glistening.
51:13 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
51:18 who appeared in glory," and now listen carefully,
51:21 "and spoke of His..." What? "... of His decease."
51:26 What were they talking to Jesus about?
51:28 About His decease.
51:29 In other words, His what?
51:30 His coming death.
51:33 "...which He was about to accomplish..." Where?
51:36 "...in Jerusalem."
51:37 What do you suppose Moses and Elijah said to Jesus?
51:42 "Well Jesus, You know we're up here
51:45 based on what You're going to do.
51:48 If You don't do it, we'll have to get a return ticket.
51:52 And not only us, but every person who has every claimed
51:56 Your name during the Old Testament period,
51:58 they will remain incomplete and they will be lost.
52:01 But if You go through to the cross and You die,
52:03 and You legally forgive sin, You'll be able to bring
52:06 all of Your people home."
52:09 Ellen White, in Early Writings, page 164, had this
52:12 incisive statement.
52:28 She says, "Satan railed bitterly against God, denouncing Him
52:33 as unjust in permitting his prey to be taken from him.
52:37 But Christ did not rebuke His adversary, though it was
52:41 through his temptation that the servant of God had fallen.
52:45 He meekly referred him to His Father saying,
52:48 'The Lord rebuke thee.'"
52:51 So this is a real life example of the relationship between
52:54 those who lived in the Old Testament and the
52:57 need for Christ to die so that they could legally have a right
53:01 to be in the heavenly kingdom because their sins
53:03 have been taken care of.
53:05 Now let's return to the expression that
53:07 we have been studying;
53:08 the spirits of just men or righteous men,
53:12 righteous, not men, but righteous, made perfect.
53:16 Do you understand what this text is really saying now?
53:18 What is the spirit?
53:21 The spirit is their what?
53:23 Their life record,
53:25 their identity,
53:27 their biographical record in the heavenly books.
53:30 Did that record need to be cleared,
53:34 did all the sins need to be legally forgiven in it?
53:39 Absolutely.
53:40 And so, the spirit is the life record.
53:43 The righteous are whom?
53:45 Hebrews 11 says that the righteous are the
53:48 Old Testament saints.
53:51 And in what sense was their life record made perfect or complete?
53:58 It was made perfect because their sins were legally... What?
54:02 ...because their sins were legally wiped out.
54:06 Is this passage saying anything about disembodied spirits
54:09 being in heaven and hovering over there and singing praises
54:15 to the Lord up there?
54:16 Absolutely not.
54:17 The passage clearly says that the church of the first born
54:21 are written in heaven.
54:24 It does not say that they are in heaven,
54:26 or that the spirits are in heaven.
54:29 It simply says that their names are... What?
54:32 ...their names are written in heaven.
54:36 Now to conclude, I'd like to read 1 Thessalonians chapter 4
54:39 and verses 15 through 17.
54:41 Do you know, on the Mount of Transfiguration,
54:43 you really have a mini kingdom.
54:46 You have a kingdom in miniature.
54:48 You have three persons standing on the Mount of Transfiguration,
54:52 which have great symbolic meaning or symbolic value.
54:55 You have Jesus Christ and you have Moses and you have Elijah.
55:01 Moses died and resurrected and went to heaven.
55:05 Elijah was translated to heaven from among the living.
55:09 And Jesus Christ is the One who made all of this possible.
55:14 1 Thessalonians 4 brings this to mind when the apostle Paul says,
55:18 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who
55:21 are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by
55:24 no means precede those who are asleep."
55:26 See, there you have Elijah representing the living
55:28 and Moses representing those who died in Christ.
55:31 Verse 16, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
55:35 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
55:38 and with the trumpet of God.
55:39 And the dead in Christ will rise first."
55:42 And then notice verse 17, "Then we who are alive
55:46 and remain shall be caught up together with them..."
55:48 That is with those who died and resurrected.
55:50 "...in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
55:53 And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
55:57 And who made all of this possible?
55:59 Jesus Christ.
56:01 Will there be Old Testament saints there?
56:03 Will there be New Testament saints there?
56:05 All of the heroes of Hebrews 11.
56:07 Because when Jesus died on the cross, He set
56:10 the record straight.
56:11 He got rid of the bond of debt.
56:14 And since Jesus has died, when we confess our sins,
56:18 when we repent, and when we trust in Jesus,
56:20 our sins are also forgiven by the great sacrifice that
56:25 Jesus Christ made on the cross.
56:27 So those who interpret this passage as being
56:30 disembodied spirits are taking the text out of context,
56:34 and they're injecting in the text what is not in there.
56:37 Because they have an agenda.
56:39 They already believe that the soul of man is immortal.
56:43 Praise the Lord that we have a wonderful Savior who saves us.


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Revised 2014-12-17