Participants: Ty Gibson
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000149
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00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:22 Alright, thank you for joining us. 00:24 Happy Sabbath to those of you here 00:26 and to those of you watching around the world at 3ABN. 00:30 I'm always amazed that we can stand in a 00:32 former little corn field and realize that signals are 00:36 going up 22,300 miles to space, going from nine different 00:41 satellites literally circling planet earth, 00:45 coming back down into homes of potentially hundreds of millions 00:49 of people around the world in a split second. 00:52 I would say, when the Bible says the last events will be 00:56 rapid, knowledge shall be increased, men shall run 00:58 to and fro, I would say we're there. 01:00 How about you? 01:01 Any time this gospel of the kingdom can go into 01:04 all the world so rapidly, it's amazing. 01:07 People say, "How do you know Jesus is coming soon? 01:09 People have been saying that for hundreds of years." 01:12 And I say, "But it hasn't been for hundreds of years 01:15 that the gospel can get literally around the world 01:18 in a split second." 01:19 If the world lasts another hundred years, 01:21 how much could you improve on a second or two, right? 01:24 Wouldn't make any difference. 01:25 So folks, we are living in the closing moments 01:27 of earth's history. 01:28 I'm very thankful that we have been associated 01:31 with our speaker for today, Brother Ty Gibson. 01:35 Ty and his co-director of Light Bearers Ministry, 01:38 James Rafferty, started coming here in either the late 80's 01:42 or maybe right around 1990. 01:44 We were talking about it, and I'm not sure, 01:46 but it's been a long time. 01:48 I know they were young guys in their 20's. 01:50 Of course I was a young guy in my 30's. 01:52 And all of that has been a number of years back, 01:54 but I praise God that we're still here, we're still able 01:58 to work for the Lord. 02:00 Aren't you glad that God has a plan for you? 02:02 You're not here by accident. 02:04 Those of you watching, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, 02:06 you were on His mind. 02:08 Isn't that amazing? 02:09 He could look down the stream of time and see a people 02:11 that would be willing to give their lives unto death 02:14 if necessary for the cause of God. 02:17 And what a privilege it is to serve the Lord. 02:20 What I'm going to do today, we're going to bypass the music. 02:23 Somebody said I could either sing or do something else. 02:26 And I said I'll do something else. 02:27 I won't bore you all, I've got something more exciting. 02:29 I'm going to ask Pastor Ty to come out, because 02:33 I have something in my hands that he gave me 02:36 that is really exciting. 02:38 And I think the whole world needs to 02:39 know about what's happening. 02:40 Tell me about this literature that I've got here. 02:44 Danny, this is a brand new set of Bible studies called, 02:47 Truth Link. 02:49 And this is a unique set of Bible studies in this regard: 02:52 It brings together in one 27 part series 02:57 two extremely important factors. 02:59 Number one, absolute doctrinal biblical integrity. 03:04 And number two, a very Christ-centered, cross-centered 03:08 approach to every single biblical doctrine. 03:11 So it doesn't matter what it is that you're looking at, 03:14 whether the study is on the Sabbath or the judgment 03:17 or the first, second, third angels' message, 03:19 it doesn't matter what the topic is, the topic is 03:22 always Jesus in every single lesson. 03:26 So that's the key to these lessons. 03:29 Combination, beautiful fusion, between doctrine and Christ, 03:34 the love of Christ in every single lesson. 03:37 Amen, praise the Lord. 03:38 I have found in over 30 years of ministry 03:40 that people really don't care how much you know, 03:43 how much Bible you can recite. 03:45 They want to know where's Jesus in it. 03:48 If they see Jesus in us; He says, "I, if I be lifted up 03:51 from this earth will draw all men unto Me." 03:54 But thank you for this, because sometimes 03:56 we as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we get so 03:59 focused on this message, sometimes it seems like 04:02 we leave out Jesus. 04:03 Now maybe we're thinking about it, but we don't know 04:06 how to always convey this to others. 04:08 So thank you that this is going to keep us 04:10 centered in on Christ. 04:14 Because that's really what the gospel is. 04:15 Danny, they're called, Truth Link. 04:17 And the reason we have that title for them 04:19 is because we're pointing out that the truth is in fact 04:23 a series of linked ideas that all form a composite picture 04:28 of the beautiful character of God. 04:31 How is this going so far? 04:32 It's only be out a couple of months. 04:33 It's only been out just a few months. 04:36 We didn't know how it was going to go, so we printed 04:38 700 of them. 04:40 And the first 700 of them were off the shelves in two hours. 04:44 So we printed another 2000, and they were gone in two days. 04:49 So then in the two months that followed, we have already 04:54 sold 6000 sets of them. 04:56 And we're now going to the third printing 05:00 of this series of Bible studies. 05:02 We have conference presidents who are ordering them 05:05 and putting them in the hands of everyone of their pastors 05:07 and Bible workers, and saying, "Make this the new standard 05:11 for Bible studies in our conference." 05:14 We've got guys at the General Conference 05:17 of Seventh-day Adventists who've gone evangelistic 05:19 with these things, and are themselves giving them out 05:22 in the General Conference office. 05:24 You know what I'm going to do? 05:25 I'm going to take theses because you gave them to me, 05:27 and I'm afraid I won't get them back. 05:30 I'm so excited about them now. 05:31 You might want to be re-baptized after you read them. 05:33 Well maybe so. You know, hopefully so. 05:35 All of us, every day, it's coming back to the Lord 05:38 and acknowledging who He is and who we are. 05:41 And of ourselves we can accomplish nothing; 05:43 but through Christ, all things. 05:45 - Let me pray with you, okay? - Thank you. 05:47 Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your many wonderful 05:50 blessing that You have given us. 05:52 And Lord, thank You that You have given us a message 05:55 to give to a lost and dying world; 05:58 this undiluted three angels' messages, 06:00 one that would counteract the counterfeit. 06:02 Thank You that You have raised Ty and James, 06:05 and Light Bearers Ministries, and for the hundreds of millions 06:08 of pieces of literature that have gone around the world, 06:11 and that lives are being changed. 06:13 And we thank You for the new Truth Link 06:15 that, Father, that this thing, we pray that this will go 06:18 to the world literally, that we can be renewed in You. 06:22 Because we realize nothing matters except our relationship 06:27 with our Creator God. 06:28 Thank You for loving us. 06:29 Thank You for Your plan of salvation. 06:31 Thank You today that Brother Ty is here. 06:34 And we pray now for a special anointing of the Holy Spirit 06:37 on everything that is said and done in this service. 06:40 - In Jesus' name I pray, amen. - Amen. 06:42 - God bless you brother. - Thank you, Danny. 06:44 I think we forgot to tell them where to get them. 06:46 - Can we tell them that? - Absolutely. 06:47 You can get the Bible studies, if you'd like to get a set 06:50 for yourself, at lightbearers.org. 06:53 The name of the ministry I represent; lightbearers.org. 06:57 Sorry I wasn't thinking about it; I had mine. 07:01 Thanks, Danny. You want that? 07:03 - Okay. - You can have that. 07:05 Well good morning, everybody, and happy Sabbath. 07:08 We are in the middle of a series of presentations 07:11 on the law of God. 07:12 And we have prayed repeatedly from Psalm 119 and verse 18, 07:19 "Open our eyes, open our eyes, God, that we may see 07:25 wondrous things in Your law." 07:29 Now I am fully aware that when you say you're going to do a 07:32 series of presentations on the law of God, 07:36 some people go into intellectual neutral, 07:38 or even resistance. 07:40 Because who wants to study the word, the concept, 07:44 the idea of law. 07:47 It sounds so restrictive, doesn't it? 07:50 But we're discovering that God's law is unique. 07:54 God's law, in fact, is called in Scripture, 07:58 the law of liberty, the perfect law of liberty. 08:02 We've been discovering in this series of presentations 08:06 that God's law isn't restrictive really at all. 08:10 God's law is actually a vast horizon of freedom 08:15 that God is inviting us into. 08:17 A kind of freedom, a level of freedom, a quality of freedom 08:22 that is not available anywhere else in human experience. 08:27 So I want to just begin by calling your attention 08:31 to the experience of a particular woman 08:34 in the form of a parable that will help us to access 08:38 our subject for this morning. 08:41 The woman's name is Linda. 08:43 And Linda is the kind of woman who, as far back as she could 08:47 remember as a little girl, all she wanted to do 08:50 was to grow up and get married. 08:52 She was that kind of girl. 08:54 She didn't want a career. 08:55 She didn't want to pursue anything else but getting 08:59 married to Mr. Wonderful, to just the right guy, 09:03 and having children, and a home, and a garden, and property. 09:08 That's all she wanted. 09:09 She just wanted to grow up and get married. 09:12 So Linda, next thing you know, she was a teenager. 09:15 And her aspirations for meeting the right guy were growing. 09:19 Next thing you know, she was 19, and then 20. 09:22 And sure enough, she met an incredible man. 09:27 And as they got to know one another, their friendship 09:30 blossomed and flowered into something beautiful. 09:33 She felt as though he was the most wonderful person 09:37 she had ever met in her life. 09:40 And then the day came, as their friendship developed, 09:43 the days and the weeks and the months went by, 09:48 and their hearts were growing toward one another. 09:51 Finally the day came when Herman... 09:55 That was his name, Herman. 09:57 Which was, by the way, very convenient, because 09:59 she could refer to him as her man. 10:02 Don't you like that? 10:04 The day came when Herman dropped to one knee 10:07 and he popped the big question. 10:10 He said, "Linda, will you..." 10:12 And what's the question? 10:14 "Will you marry me?" 10:15 And what do you think Linda said? 10:17 Linda said, "Yes, Herman. Yes I'll marry you." 10:21 And the day came when their wedding 10:23 came off picture perfect. 10:25 They videotaped the whole thing, 10:26 modern people that they are. 10:28 And as the wedding day came to a close, 10:34 and the final friends and relatives said good-bye, 10:37 they drove off for the honeymoon into the sunset. 10:42 And then came the morning after the honeymoon. 10:48 Oh, Linda woke up in a start at 5:30 am 10:53 to find Herman standing at the end of the bed 10:58 with a piece of paper in his hands. 11:01 She thought, "This is strange. 11:03 Why are you up so early?" 11:05 And he said, "Up, up. 11:07 The honeymoon is over." 11:10 Maybe you've heard this story before. 11:13 "The honeymoon is over," Herman said. 11:16 "And Sweetie Pie, I have prepared for you the first 11:20 of many lists of your daily duties. 11:25 Aren't you excited that you married such an organized guy?" 11:30 She had difficulty smiling in response. 11:34 And I just happen to have one of these authentic lists with me. 11:39 Herman stood at the end of the bed and he read 11:41 to his bride, "Linda, every two weeks 11:46 I'll update the list and make a new one so you never 11:50 have to wonder about what you're doing throughout your days." 11:55 And he smiled again. 11:56 She sat up in the bed amazed at what she was encountering 12:01 as Herman read the first of many lists to come. 12:07 5:30 am, rise and shower. 12:10 6:00 am, breakfast preparation. 12:14 6:15, awaken Hermy Cuddles... 12:17 That's what he liked to be called. 12:19 ...awaken Hermy Cuddles with a gentle kiss, 12:23 and turn the shower on for him. 12:27 6:45, serve breakfast. 12:29 Don't forget the grapefruit juice. 12:32 7:15, breakfast clean-up. 12:35 7:25, meet husband at front door with appropriate 12:40 jacket in hand. 12:42 In parentheses, pay attention to the weather. 12:45 7:30, 7:30, free time. 12:50 7:45... 12:53 7:45, household duties. 12:56 See attached list. 13:00 11:00 am, balance the checkbook for my review. 13:05 12, lunch. 13:07 Anything you'd like but marked items. 13:10 12:30, general household duties and duties throughout town. 13:15 On Mondays, car washing and cleaning. 13:18 On Tuesday, dry cleaning and windows. 13:21 On Wednesday, shopping. 13:24 See attached list. 13:26 On Thursdays, wash and clean everything in the garage. 13:33 Fridays, yard work. 13:35 3:30, dinner preparations. 13:37 See attached menu. 13:39 4:30, meet husband at the door with a smile and a kiss. 13:43 5:00, serve dinner with cheerfulness. 13:48 You can kind of feel the cheerfulness 13:50 draining out of this, can't you. 13:52 5:45, dinner clean-up. 13:54 6:15, free time. 13:56 6:30, draw bath for husband. 13:59 7:45, hand husband towel as he exits bath. 14:04 8:00, massage on the neck and shoulders for husband. 14:10 9:00, lights out. 14:12 Pleasant dreams, Sweetheart. 14:15 Wow. 14:17 You didn't expect a list like that, did you. 14:22 Pleasant dreams, Sweetheart? 14:25 More like nightmares. 14:30 Linda and Herman were married, not for days, 14:36 not for weeks, not for months, 14:41 but for years. 14:43 In fact, ten years went by with lists coming 14:49 updated every two weeks. 14:51 Ten years went by as the life and the joy was drained 14:59 from this woman's heart. 15:02 And then the day came, ten years into the marriage, 15:05 when suddenly out of nowhere, for unexpected reasons, 15:09 and from unknown causes, Herman dropped dead. 15:15 Praise God. 15:20 Linda didn't know, she was so conflicted emotionally, 15:24 she didn't know whether to rejoice or to mourn his passing. 15:29 It was so difficult, this last ten years. 15:34 But once the mourning was over, and Linda began to mend, 15:41 the days and the weeks and the months went by 15:46 with Linda repeating to herself over and over again... 15:50 What do you think? 15:51 "I will never get married again." 15:57 Can you blame her? 15:58 I'm asking you a serious question. 16:01 Can you blame her? 16:02 No. 16:04 But after all, this was Linda. 16:06 Linda was the kind of girl, you remember, who, 16:09 all she wanted to do was grow up and meet Mr. Wonderful 16:13 and get married and have a family. 16:15 This was Linda, after all. 16:17 And so sure enough, the day came when she met another guy. 16:23 And in so many ways he was just like Herman. 16:30 Polite and kind and patient. 16:36 But she was a little nervous. 16:38 As they got to know one another, the day came 16:41 when Michael now dropped to one knee and said, 16:44 "Linda, I love you. 16:45 Will you marry me?" 16:48 And her first impulse was to jump into karate position 16:51 and say no. 16:54 But after all, this was Linda, and she wanted to be married. 16:57 And so she said, "Yes." 17:01 And they were married. 17:03 And there came the honeymoon. 17:05 And she woke up in a start at 5:30 am to see... 17:09 What do you think? 17:10 Michael standing at the end of the bed with a 17:12 piece of paper in his hands. 17:15 She was so blown away. 17:17 "Not again," she said. "Not again." 17:20 And she yanked the paper from his hand, 17:22 she tore it in two, she threw it to the ground. 17:25 She said, "No way." 17:28 And Michael said, "Baby, I was up for two hours 17:31 writing that poem for you. 17:35 Don't you want to read it?" 17:38 Oh, she felt so bad. 17:40 She put it back together and she began to read the most 17:43 beautiful love poem she had ever read 17:46 as Michael served breakfast in bed. 17:51 Hmmm. 17:54 And the days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, 17:57 the months turned into years. 18:00 And after being married to Michael now for ten years, 18:04 one day Linda was in the attic rummaging through some 18:09 old boxes of belongings. 18:13 And what do you think she came across, 18:15 but an old shoe box full of Herman's lists. 18:22 Her hand trembled as she opened the box. 18:25 And she pulled out one of the lists. 18:30 And she began to read. 18:33 And it was in that moment that something astounding 18:39 dawned on Linda. 18:42 She said to herself, quiet and all alone in that attic, 18:48 "Wow, I do these things. 18:52 Well, not all of these things, but these kinds of things. 18:55 I do these very kinds of things for Michael, 19:01 and he never asks or demands or hands me a list." 19:09 It was in that moment that Linda realized 19:12 the difference between the old covenant 19:17 and the new covenant. 19:20 Or is it you and I who are realizing the difference 19:24 between the two. 19:26 Now yes, I made the story up. 19:29 But I got it from the Bible. 19:31 Turn to Romans chapter 7. 19:35 It was Paul who actually gave us this analogy. 19:40 You know, don't you, that the Bible is full of parables 19:44 and visions and stories. 19:45 In fact, there's one passage in the book of Matthew, 19:48 in the gospel of Matthew, where Scripture says 19:51 of Jesus, He said nothing to them, to the people, 19:57 without using a parable. 19:59 Do you know why? 20:00 Because no matter what Scripture we break down right now, 20:06 a year from now you will not remember 20:08 the Scripture that we look at. 20:09 But you will never forget the story of Linda 20:12 as long as you live. 20:13 Well barring Alzheimer's or something like that. 20:15 You will remember the story of Linda 20:19 and the powerful truth that is in the story. 20:23 I got it from Paul. 20:25 Paul, in Romans 7, shares with us what can only be regarded 20:30 as one of the most difficult passages, not difficult 20:35 because Paul himself is making it difficult. 20:39 But listen carefully now. 20:41 One of the most difficult passages of Scripture 20:44 because we tend not to get it. 20:47 There's something going on in our fallen humanity 20:52 where we find it difficult to understand what 20:56 Paul is explaining here. 20:57 And we need to revisit it over and over and over again 21:01 to re-enforce this truth in our thinking 21:05 and in our experience. 21:07 It is contrary to our very nature. 21:10 There really are only two religions in the world, 21:13 by the way. 21:15 There aren't a thousand or two thousand religions in the world. 21:17 There are only two religions in all the world. 21:20 There is the gospel, the good news, the glad tidings, 21:24 the happy message of Jesus. 21:27 The liberating truth of the gospel of His grace 21:32 that works from within outward, that changes the heart. 21:37 And in changing the heart, changes the life. 21:41 The gospel, the good news of Jesus. 21:43 And then there's everything else. 21:46 All the other philosophies and religions of the world, 21:49 that all of them with so many different configurations 21:54 equate to various forms of legalism or salvation by works. 22:00 So there's only really two religions in the world. 22:02 And the reason why the salvation by works paradigm, 22:06 the salvation by works view is so popular in our world... 22:11 The Bible, by the way, calls it Babylon. 22:14 Confusion. 22:16 An ego-centric, self-centered, focus hoping to be saved 22:21 by what I do. 22:22 Whether I have a long list legalism; 22:26 I'm a conservative legalist, 22:27 or a short list legalism; I'm a liberal. 22:31 Doesn't matter. It's all the same thing. 22:33 Expecting to be saved, expecting to somehow 22:37 on some level by some means to purchase, to merit, 22:41 to earn the favor of God. 22:43 Not realizing that in Christ we already have the favor of God. 22:48 That grace is by its very nature and definition free, 22:53 and therefore, God so loved the world... 22:56 That is, every man, woman, and child. 22:58 ...that He gave for the whole world His only begotten Son, 23:02 that whoever believes in Him should not perish 23:05 but have everlasting life. 23:07 The gospel is universal in its embrace of the human race. 23:11 The gospel says God already loves you and me and 23:18 everybody else in the world. 23:20 There's nothing you and I can do to make Him love us 23:23 more than He already does, because He already loves us 23:26 with all of His love. 23:29 And there's nothing you and I can do to make God love us 23:32 any less, because God is love. 23:36 He doesn't change according to the circumstances 23:40 of our successes and failures. 23:43 God is love. 23:45 And that love that is in God, apart from me and apart 23:49 from you, is the attractive force of the gospel that 23:54 draws us back to God in repentance. 23:57 That's why Paul says the goodness of God 24:00 leads to repentance. 24:02 The goodness of God is the vision we need to have 24:05 if genuine repentance is going to occur at all. 24:08 So the apostle Paul begins to break down this truth 24:13 for you and me with the illustration of marriage. 24:17 And he talks to us about being married to one kind of husband 24:21 and then getting married to a different kind of husband. 24:24 Watch it. Chapter 7 of Romans verse 1. 24:29 He's addressing a particular group. 24:30 "Or do you not know, brethren..." 24:33 And then in my version, parenthesis, 24:35 "...(for I speak to those who know the law)..." 24:39 So pause right there in verse 1. 24:42 Who, or what kind of audience is Paul addressing 24:47 in what he's about to break down and explain? 24:50 "I speak to those who know the law." 24:53 Is he talking to secular atheists? 24:57 No, no he's speaking to those who know the law. 25:03 Okay, so come within the scope of those who believe in God. 25:07 He's not talking to atheists. 25:08 He's talking to people who believe in God, no doubt. 25:11 But within the realm of those who believe in God, 25:15 what particular group of people might he be addressing? 25:19 Those who know the law. 25:22 Is he talking to Baptists? 25:26 I don't think so, because Baptist theology, 25:29 as we as Seventh-day Adventists understand, is what's called, 25:32 antinomian. 25:33 It's a theology that takes the law of God and says, 25:37 "No, there's the Old Testament and the New Testament. 25:40 And the law of God in the New Testament is done away with. 25:44 It's nailed to the cross. 25:45 It is abolished." 25:47 You're familiar with that concept, okay. 25:49 He's not addressing people who don't know the law. 25:53 He's addressing people here who do know the law. 25:58 Who might that be in a modern setting? 26:02 Seventh-day Adventists. 26:04 Seventh-day Adventists, among some other 26:06 few denominations, are those who know the law, 26:10 who believe in the law, who believe that it is perpetual, 26:14 that it is eternal, that it is immutable. 26:17 Those of us here who are Seventh-day Adventists... 26:19 And by the way, if you're not a Seventh-day Adventist, 26:21 thank you for being here, and thank you for joining us 26:25 through the airwaves. 26:26 We're glad that you can sit in on this little bit of an 26:29 in-house Bible study. 26:30 Right now, as a preacher of the Word, 26:33 I'm addressing my own people. 26:34 I'm addressing Seventh-day Adventists. 26:36 If you're not a Seventh-day Adventist, just kind of 26:38 listen in, because this is going to get interesting for you. 26:41 Okay, so those who know the law, you and me, what does Paul 26:47 have to say to those who know the law. 26:49 Well, he goes on and he says, "...that the law..." 26:53 I'm in verse 1. 26:55 "...has dominion over a man as long as he lives?" 26:59 Notice that he describes the law as having dominion 27:04 as long as the person who knows the law lives. 27:07 But then he goes into his illustration. 27:10 He says, verse 2, "For the woman who has a husband 27:17 is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives." 27:23 That makes sense, right? 27:24 Do you get the gist of his premise? 27:26 If a woman is married to a man, she's bound by the law 27:30 to her husband, right? 27:31 She made vows, he made vows. 27:33 She's married. 27:34 She's bound by the law of covenantal agreement 27:40 to her husband. 27:41 Got it so far? 27:43 But then Paul says this, the second half of verse 2, 27:46 "But if the husband..." What? 27:50 "...if the husband dies, she is released from the 27:54 law of her husband." 27:56 His reasoning is cogent. 27:58 He's making sense, isn't he? 28:00 A woman is married to a man; 28:01 she's bound by the law to her husband. 28:04 She can't marry somebody else. 28:05 She's married to this guy. 28:07 Right? 28:08 For better or for worse, isn't that what we say in the vows? 28:11 That's what we use to say in the vows. 28:12 I don't know what we say now. 28:14 For better or for worse, she's married to this guy. 28:17 So she's bound by the law to her husband. 28:18 But then Paul throws out a hypothetical situation 28:22 in order to get at some deep theology. 28:24 He says, "But what if her husband dies? 28:27 What if the husband dies," Paul says. 28:30 So then go on to verse 3. 28:33 "So then," Paul reasons, "if, while her husband lives, 28:38 she marries another man, she will be called a..." What? 28:42 Yeah, you can't be married to this guy and then also 28:45 marry another guy, can you? 28:46 That's called adultery. 28:48 So then Paul reasons farther forward in our thinking. 28:53 "But if her husband dies, she is..." What? 28:57 What does it say? 28:58 "...she is free from the law so that she is no adulteress, 29:05 though she marries another man." 29:07 Do you hear Paul's reasoning? 29:09 If her husband dies, is she free? 29:12 She's a widow now. Okay? 29:14 He dies. 29:15 Now can she marry somebody else, yes or no? 29:17 Yeah, now she can get married to somebody else. 29:20 Now in the case of Linda, she didn't plot 29:23 the death of her husband. 29:24 He just dropped dead one day, probably of stress. 29:26 The guy was way too anal and obsessive and compulsive 29:30 in his list writing. 29:31 The list writing itself probably killed Herman. 29:34 That's my guess. 29:35 And I came up with the story, so I can kill him any way I want. 29:38 But here's the point. 29:40 Here's the point. 29:43 This guy, if he dies, in Paul's reasoning, 29:47 the whole point is that it frees the woman 29:49 to marry somebody else. 29:51 Okay? 29:53 So let Paul reason with us further. 29:55 Verse 4, "Therefore, my brethren..." 30:00 That is verse 1, "you who know the law." 30:03 "Therefore my brethren, you also have become dead to..." What? 30:10 "...dead to the law through the body of Christ..." 30:13 Now right there, those who know the law, 30:15 my fellow Seventh-day Adventists, we're uncomfortable. 30:17 There are certain things that Paul says about the law... 30:20 Come on, let's just be honest. 30:21 Some of the things Paul says about the law, we don't 30:24 quite know what to do with. 30:26 So what we do is, we stack up additional verses. 30:29 We read this verse and we say, "Oh, but wait a minute." 30:32 We'll run back to chapter 3 and say something like, 30:36 "Well, well, the fact is, 'Do we make void the law through faith? 30:39 Certainly not. 30:40 On the contrary, we establish the law.' 30:41 Whew, that was close. 30:43 Paul almost led us away from the law." 30:46 But stacking up proof text against what Paul is saying here 30:51 won't help us wiggle out of the beautiful reality 30:54 that he's about to unpack. 30:56 Paul is not an antinomian. 30:58 He's not against the law. 31:00 He's about to put the law in its proper perspective. 31:04 And once we get it, we will find that we will grow 31:08 spiritually on an exponential level. 31:11 We will come to know the gospel and know God's love 31:14 in ways that we've never known God before. 31:17 And we will be changed from the inside out. 31:21 And joy and peace and love will flood our experience 31:26 with Jesus. 31:27 So Paul reasons with us. 31:29 He says, "Okay, okay. 31:31 Follow me," Paul says. 31:33 Therefore, he says, if, verse 3, the husband dies, 31:39 she's free to marry somebody else. 31:42 Right? 31:43 And then verse 4, "Therefore, my brethren, 31:47 you have become dead to the law through the body of Christ..." 31:53 Now watch it. Here's his point. 31:55 "...that you may be married to another..." 32:00 You have died to the law... 32:03 We'll see what that means in just a moment. 32:05 ...so that you can be married to another. 32:08 And who's the "another" that Paul is suggesting 32:11 we get married to? 32:13 "...to Him who was raised from the dead, 32:18 that we should bear fruit to God." 32:21 This is Jesus. 32:22 Paul is saying to you and me, he's saying, "Listen, 32:25 there is some sense..." 32:28 We're about to definite what that "some sense" is, okay. 32:31 But there is some sense, Paul is saying, 32:33 in which we need to die to the law 32:39 so that we can be free to get married to Jesus. 32:45 It's that simple, what Paul is saying. 32:49 What in the world is Paul getting at? 32:52 Well, it gets so, so clear now when we read 32:57 verses 5 and 6. 33:00 "For when we were in the flesh..." 33:03 Oh wait a minute, pause right there. 33:05 I thought he was talking about those who know the law. 33:08 Well yes, he is talking to those who know the law. 33:11 Let me ask you a question. 33:13 Is it possible to "know the law" intellectually, theologically, 33:21 to know the law, to know the Ten Commandments, 33:24 to know the law, even to have it memorized, 33:27 and to be spiritually bankrupt, to be yet in the flesh? 33:32 Let me ask you the question from another angle. 33:34 Is it possible to be textually aware of what the Bible teaches, 33:40 but spiritually dead to what it means? 33:44 Is it possible to be raised, as it were, 33:47 in a Christian home, in a Seventh-day Adventist home, 33:52 in a Seventh-day Adventist church, and to know 33:55 the doctrines of Scripture and the law of God 33:57 backward and forward and up and down 34:01 and to yet be in the flesh living our natural carnality? 34:07 And let me ask it yet from another angle. 34:09 Is it possible to be intellectually a believer 34:15 in the law, but spiritually to yet have not 34:20 fallen in love with Jesus? 34:24 To know, and yet to not know. 34:28 To know on one level, and to not know on another level. 34:33 I mean, come on. You know as well as I do. 34:35 You've either had this experience or you've 34:37 witnessed people who are married who don't seem to actually 34:42 be in love with one another. 34:43 Come on, you've seen these people sitting 34:45 in Denny's, haven't you. 34:47 Just staring at the menu. 34:49 Not a word to say to one another. 34:51 There's no flirtation of the feet going on under the table. 34:55 That's so sad. 34:56 There's nothing going on. 34:58 There's nothing, nothing, nothing there. 35:01 But legally they're hitched. 35:04 They're married, right? 35:05 When I do a marriage seminar, in my marriage seminar 35:07 I point out that five out of ten marriages end in divorce. 35:13 That's just off the bat in American culture. 35:15 Five out of ten end in divorce. 35:17 Of the five that remain, we're told that three of those five 35:24 will settle in to what's called, cold co-existence. 35:28 You know what that is? 35:29 Do you know what cold co-existence is? 35:31 That's kind of like, "Take the garbage out." 35:34 "Okay. What's for dinner." 35:35 "Spaghetti." 35:37 "I'm going to be out for a while. 35:38 Don't wait up for me." 35:39 "Wouldn't think about it." 35:43 "What'd you do today?" 35:44 "Oh, nothing to speak of." 35:47 Cold co-existence. Cold co-existence. 35:50 Three out of the five that remain. 35:52 And then what I teach in the marriage seminar 35:54 is that only one or two out of ten marriages 35:58 ever actually achieve intimacy in marriage. 36:02 I don't mean physical intimacy in and of itself. 36:05 I'm talking about the full orbed kind of intimacy 36:09 where heart meets heart. 36:10 There's the physical dimension, of course. 36:12 But that's just one dimension of biblical love. 36:15 Biblical matrimonial love involves the intersection 36:19 of two persons. 36:22 If you read, Song of Solomon, you'll discover that 36:25 friendship is the better part of marriage. 36:28 You have the woman, representing the church, by the way, 36:32 prophetically, you have the woman, the Shulamite 36:35 in Song of Solomon, speaking to her beloved, Solomon, 36:40 who represents prophetically Christ. 36:43 And the woman in chapter 5 verse 10 says to her beloved, 36:49 "You are my lover and my friend." 36:52 Isn't that beautiful? 36:54 That is probably one of the most beautiful lines, 36:56 not only in Scripture, but in all of human literature. 37:00 "You are my lover and my friend." 37:03 This is more than merely a physical relationship. 37:07 "I actually like you. 37:10 And you like me. 37:12 And we enjoy one another's company." 37:16 Out of the ten marriages, five end in divorce, 37:20 three settle into cold co-existence, 37:23 and one or two ever achieve actual friendship in marriage. 37:28 It's a sad commentary on the state of marriage, 37:31 but I don't share it with you for that purpose. 37:34 This is not a marriage seminar. 37:36 Or is it? 37:37 It is, it's a spiritual marriage seminar. 37:40 Because what I want to say to you is this: 37:43 That it is entirely possible that we could comprehend 37:46 that of every ten people that we baptize, 37:52 let's just say we lose five out of ten. 37:54 They just go out the back door. 37:55 They got it intellectually for a brief period of time, 37:58 and then, you know, the seed fell on stony ground 38:01 and the cares of this world, and whatever else is going on 38:04 in their life, and they're out the back door. 38:06 Are you with me? 38:07 Five out of ten, boom, out the door. 38:09 Of the five of us that remain, there are a bunch of us, 38:16 maybe three out of the five that remain, let's say... 38:19 These aren't precise numbers. 38:20 I haven't taken a poll. 38:22 I'm speaking hypothetically, but fairly accurately. 38:24 Of the five that remain, let's just say three of us 38:30 simply settle in to cold co-existence 38:32 with the Lord and His church. 38:35 We just occupy the pew. 38:37 We pay our tithe. 38:40 We show up, we occupy a church office if somebody asks us to. 38:44 And we go through the dead motions of a spirituality 38:49 that involves no passion. 38:52 It involves no friendship with God. 38:55 God is an idea, God is a theory. 38:58 God is a series of theological tenants to argue and to 39:01 banter about. 39:04 But is God the beautiful irresistible attractive 39:07 person that ravishes our hearts with love? 39:13 That's the question. 39:15 Maybe only one or two of us ever actually get married, 39:20 spiritually, to Jesus. 39:22 And I'm here this morning to urge you to make haste 39:26 and to pray that whoever you're married to right now... 39:29 Spiritually, not your actual husband. 39:32 Ladies, don't get any ideas here. 39:33 ...to pray that Herman dies 39:38 so that you can get married to Jesus. 39:40 So that you can come alive to a whole new spiritual 39:45 experience unlike anything you've ever known before. 39:47 Paul says to you and me that we are to have an experience 39:53 in which, in some sense, we die to the law 39:57 so that we can get married to Jesus. 39:59 Okay, now he's about to explain what he means. 40:01 Verse 5, "For when we were in the flesh..." 40:07 That is, living our natural carnal existence 40:09 even though we were church members and we know the law. 40:13 "...the sinful passions which were aroused by the law 40:19 were at work in our members to bear fruit to death." 40:23 Now this is Paul being complex the way Paul sometimes is. 40:26 Even Peter said, "Wow, Paul, you wrote some things 40:29 that are very difficult to understand." 40:31 Okay, but we can understand this by the Holy Spirit 40:35 right now upon our mind. 40:37 Sit up, take a deep breath, oxygenate your frontal lobe. 40:40 We can get this even though it's a little bit hard. 40:44 What is Paul saying? 40:45 Very, very counter intuitive to us and our theology 40:50 as those who know the law. 40:51 He says here that the sinful passions were aroused 40:57 by the law. 40:59 What? 41:00 Well he goes later on in the same chapter to say 41:04 the law is holy, just, and good. 41:06 Is there anything wrong with the law in and of itself? 41:09 Yes or no, those who know the law. 41:11 No there's nothing wrong with the law. 41:13 He says later on in verses 12, 13, and 14 41:17 that the law is good, holy, just, and good, 41:19 and the law is spiritual. 41:21 The law of God is eternal. 41:23 It's not going anywhere. 41:25 The law of God is immutable. 41:27 The law of God is, in fact, as we discovered in our 41:30 first presentation, the law of God is, in fact, merely 41:34 an explanation of what God's love looks like in action, 41:38 vertically and horizontally, in all our relationships. 41:43 It's the essence of the character of God. 41:45 You can no more do away with the law of God, 41:48 the Ten Commandments, than you can do away 41:50 with God Himself. 41:52 Okay, but yet Paul is saying that the law stimulates, 41:59 or the word he uses here, arouses the sinful passions. 42:03 In what sense? 42:04 Now think this through very carefully. 42:07 When we're in the flesh, when we're in our natural 42:11 carnal state, even though we're religious and we know the law, 42:16 the law can, listen, can only be perceived by us 42:20 as restriction. 42:23 It can only be perceived by us as, 42:26 "Thou shalt," "Thou shalt not." 42:28 But what did we discover on night two of our 42:30 series on the law? 42:31 What did we discover is enfolded in, is embedded in 42:37 even the law of God? 42:38 Does anybody remember, those of you who were here? 42:40 The gospel, that's right. 42:42 The gospel is in the law. 42:44 I asked you before we even turned there, 42:47 what is the first commandment? 42:48 And some of you said, 42:49 "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." 42:51 And you're right and you're wrong, I pointed out. 42:53 The law of God does not begin with "thou shalt" 42:57 or "shalt not" anything. 43:00 The law of God begins, on the tables of stone, 43:04 "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the house 43:09 of bondage, out of the land of Egypt. 43:12 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." 43:14 Etcetera, etcetera. 43:16 So in other words, the law of God does not begin by 43:19 telling you and me to get her done. 43:23 The law of God begins by declaring to us 43:27 what God has already done for you and me. 43:30 "I delivered you, I set you free. 43:33 I, Myself, by My mighty power and My outstretched arm, 43:37 I, by the blood of the Passover lamb, 43:41 delivered you from Egyptian bondage." 43:43 Pointing forward to the literal fulfillment of 43:48 the symbolism of the Passover lamb's blood; 43:50 Jesus on the cross. 43:52 God in Christ achieved our salvation for us on 43:58 an objective level in order to give us something to believe in. 44:03 We're not pagans. 44:04 God is not a vending machine. 44:06 You don't put in the appropriate coinage and get the goodies 44:09 that you want. 44:12 God is a God of grace. 44:15 He saves by His grace. 44:17 And any salvation that we experience on a subjective level 44:22 is responsive to what He's already done for us. 44:28 And knowing that He has done this for us, 44:33 we become very responsive to Him. 44:37 Or to use the language of Paul in Romans 6, 44:39 we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God. 44:44 We're no longer responsive to the things of the flesh, 44:48 and we become sensitive to the things of God. 44:51 Our very tastes, our orientation to life, 44:55 all of our relationships, begin to change 44:59 to reflect the image of the very love with which 45:02 God has loved us. 45:03 That's how it works. 45:05 And if it doesn't work that way, it doesn't work at all. 45:09 We just end up occupying pews, paying tithe, 45:12 and going through the motions of cold dead religion. 45:17 Knowing all the facts and figures, knowing the law, 45:21 and yet not knowing Jesus as a husband. 45:25 Paul says, "Wait a minute. 45:27 Let's just pause here for a moment." 45:30 The law of God is good, it's holy, it's spiritual, 45:35 Paul will tell us. 45:37 But the law of God to the unregenerate carnal mind 45:42 can only appear to be restrictive. 45:46 And as such, it stimulates our rebellion all the more. 45:51 It's like saying to a little boy, "I'm going to go out 45:55 and work in the front yard for a little while, Michael. 45:59 And whatever you do, do not open that cupboard door 46:03 where all kinds of yummy fresh baked cookies are. 46:06 I'll be back in a few minutes." 46:08 And you go out into the front yard to work, 46:11 and he can't take his eyes off of what is forbidden. 46:17 He's got to have it. 46:19 And he finally yields to temptation, 46:22 and there is gooey chocolate all over his fingers 46:25 when his mom comes in the door. 46:29 The law of God, Paul says, Ty doesn't say it, Paul says, 46:33 the law of God has the potential to simply stimulate 46:39 more rebellion out of us. 46:42 To be told, "don't," when you're not in love, 46:47 is very oppressive. 46:49 That's Paul's point. 46:50 But here's the thing. 46:53 Once you come to know the love of Christ, 46:58 once you center your spiritual experience 47:02 on Him, once you begin to realize that Jesus, 47:09 by His great love for you and me, by His grace, 47:14 has set you free, gratitude and adoration 47:21 begins to arise in your heart spontaneously. 47:25 And you begin to love God on a level 47:26 you never thought possible. 47:29 So Paul reasons with us. 47:31 Again verse 5 for the sake of clarity. 47:34 "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which 47:38 were aroused by the law were at work in our members 47:41 to bear fruit to death." 47:43 Spiritual death. 47:44 In 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 6, 47:47 Paul is dealing with the same idea. 47:49 And he simply says there, and I quote Paul in 47:51 2 Corinthians 3:6, "...the letter kills, 47:56 but the Spirit gives life." 47:59 The raw letter of the law, as a code of moral ethics 48:03 that must be complied with in order to gain God's favor, 48:07 cannot save. 48:09 The law of God, according to Paul in Galatians chapter 3, 48:13 and actually throughout the whole book, 48:15 the law of God is, to quote Paul, "a schoolmaster to 48:20 bring us to Christ." 48:23 The law of God, in its proper sphere, its proper function, 48:30 is to show us our need of a Savior. 48:33 To point us to Jesus because of our need. 48:37 The law of God does not occupy the position of Savior. 48:42 Salvation is in Christ alone. 48:46 And the law simply speaks into our situation 48:49 and tells us of our need for a Savior. 48:53 Romans chapter 3 says it this way, 48:55 "By the law is the knowledge," or the consciousness, "of sin." 49:00 Right? Chapter 3 of Romans, I think verses 19 and 20. 49:03 Right in there. 49:05 By the law is the consciousness of sin. 49:08 So the law, Paul will say in another place, 49:11 the law is good if it's used correctly. 49:16 What's the correct use of the law? 49:20 As a challenge to measure up to in order to be saved? 49:25 No, you'll be, to use Paul's language again, 49:27 as one that beats the air for the rest of your life. 49:30 You'll just keep striving and failing, striving and failing, 49:33 and you'll only be able to go in one of two directions. 49:36 You'll either end up becoming a Pharisee 49:40 or you'll end up giving up in despair. 49:43 If you use the law wrongly. 49:46 If the law is a standard that you strive to measure up to 49:51 in order to be saved. 49:53 But flip it around. 49:55 If the law shows me my need, and I go to Jesus, I run to Christ 50:01 as my Savior, what happens with my relationship to the law? 50:05 I begin to obey the law on a heart level, 50:10 on what the Bible calls a new covenant level. 50:13 "I will write My law in your heart and in your mind. 50:16 You've had a heart of stone." 50:18 And what do we know about stone? 50:20 It's hard and it's cold. 50:23 But the Bible promises, "I will write My law 50:26 in the fleshly tablets of your heart. 50:29 You will begin to know Me on the inside in such a way 50:34 that your obedience will take on an entirely different flavor, 50:38 an entirely different quality." 50:40 It won't be a Pharisaical obedience in order to be saved. 50:44 It'll be an obedience of gratitude and adoration 50:47 because by His grace He has saved me. 50:50 It's all the difference in the world. 50:54 It is the difference between the real authentic genuine 50:58 good news of the gospel of Christ and everything else. 51:01 Even our Adventist version of the "everything else." 51:04 It is possible to know the law and to be out of Babylon 51:10 physically, but to have Babylon in our thinking. 51:17 To whatever degree the salvation by the works of the law paradigm 51:25 is present in our experience, we are partakers of the Babylon 51:30 that the Bible says is fallen. 51:31 And we may have come out of Babylon, 51:33 but now we need to get Babylon out of us. 51:36 We need to be delivered from every vestige 51:40 of that approach to God. 51:42 This is fascinating. 51:43 Ellen White says in a fascinating statement 51:47 in the book, Desire of Ages... 51:48 For those of you who are not Seventh-day Adventists, 51:50 I'm not using this quotation to prove anything. 51:52 This is a commentary on the life of Christ that is 51:54 just brilliant and inspired. 51:57 And in that book, Ellen White makes the statement 52:00 that wherever the doctrine of salvation by works 52:04 is held, her words not mine, there is no barrier against sin. 52:13 Now that's counter intuitive to us. 52:16 We think as along as a person knows the law and 52:18 is trying hard to obey it, that's the right frame of mind, 52:23 that's the right spiritual experience. 52:26 But may I suggest to you that legalism keeps us 52:32 in the cycle of defeat. 52:35 It keeps us... 52:36 Old covenant relationship with God, Paul says, 52:39 keeps the flesh stimulated. 52:42 Because rebellion is not resolved 52:45 at the foundational level. 52:48 The sin problem is not resolved at the heart level. 52:52 We're simply trying to resolve it on the 52:55 outward behavioral level. 52:57 Not letting God get into our hearts to write 53:00 His law on the inside. 53:02 So we come to his climactic point here. 53:06 And this is fascinating. 53:07 "For when we were in the flesh," verse 5, "the sinful passions 53:10 which were aroused by the law were at work in our members 53:13 to bear fruit to death." 53:15 With me so far? 53:17 Now Paul's climactic point with this little parable 53:20 about marriage. 53:22 Verse 6, "But now we have been delivered from the law..." 53:31 I'm going to put in parentheses there 53:32 so we know what Paul is saying. 53:34 Not delivered from the law in the sense that the law 53:37 is done away with and has no place in Christian experience. 53:41 No, we're delivered from the law as a means of salvation. 53:47 Our theology, our belief system, has shifted off of the center 53:54 being on self to the center being on Christ. 53:59 That's what Paul's point is. 54:01 He says very clearly here that we have been delivered from 54:04 the law as a mechanism of salvation. 54:08 "...having died to what we were held by, 54:11 so that we should..." 54:13 Notice his positive affirmative language. 54:16 "...so that we should serve in newness of Spirit 54:22 and not in oldness of letter." 54:25 What did Paul just tell you and me? 54:28 Did he just wholesale delete the law from 54:32 Christian experience? No. 54:34 Did he do away with the law? No. 54:36 Is he contradicting what he said earlier that the gospel 54:39 actually establishes the law? 54:41 No, he's not contradicting himself. 54:43 He's explaining it now. 54:45 He's saying that if we come to Christ in all His irresistible 54:49 beauty and we, in seeing what He has done for us, 54:56 we cease to approach God for salvation through the law, 55:02 and rather we approach God for salvation through Christ... 55:07 What does Paul say? 55:08 ...you'll end up serving in newness of Spirit. 55:13 You won't become a licentious liberal, "Hey, whatever. 55:17 It doesn't matter," cheap grace kind of Christian. 55:20 You'll begin obeying on a level and with a quality of obedience 55:25 that is on the inside, and then manifests itself 55:30 in the way we interact with people. 55:32 You will, we will, Paul says, serve. 55:36 Yes we will. 55:38 We will serve God. 55:41 But in newness of Spirit. 55:43 From the inside out. 55:45 Not in oldness of letter approaching God 55:50 through the law for salvation. 55:52 No, approach God for salvation through Jesus, 55:57 and the law of God will take on its proper place 56:01 in our experience, and we will begin to obey 56:05 the law of God from the inside out. 56:07 Very quickly in the minute that remains, 56:09 I want to demonstrate this further by going back 56:11 to chapter 6. 56:13 Chapter 6, notice what Paul says, this is so good. 56:19 I can hardly stand it. I wish that I had two minutes. 56:21 Watch this. 56:23 Chapter 6 verse 16, "Do you not know that to whom you present 56:28 yourselves slaves to obey, his slaves you are to whom you obey, 56:31 whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" 56:35 Got that so far? 56:37 He says obedience to righteousness is necessary. 56:42 Now watch this though. 56:43 What's the first word of verse 17? 56:46 "But..." 56:47 So grammatically, there's a qualification. 56:50 He says in verse 16, obey righteousness. 56:53 And then he says, "But God be thanked 56:58 that you have obeyed from..." Where? 57:02 "...from the heart that form of doctrine 57:05 which was delivered you." 57:07 What did Paul just tell you and me? 57:09 Yes, he says, obedience. Obedience, yes. 57:13 But obedience from the heart. 57:16 One day, maybe today for you, you're going to find yourself 57:19 rummaging around in an old box full of lists. 57:24 And you're going to have it dawn on you with force 57:28 that you're married to Jesus now. |
Revised 2015-10-08