Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190002S
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00:16 Welcome back.
00:19 Well, we are going to now study the first chapter 00:23 in our syllabus. 00:25 And we began in our last session just briefly, 00:29 but now we want to review what we did in the last part, 00:33 last presentation, and then move through this chapter. 00:37 It's found on page 3 of your syllabus. 00:42 Just reviewing, Jesus is our Creator. 00:47 And therefore, Jesus is responsible for our existence. 00:51 Not for our sin, but for our existence. 00:54 When Jesus created this world, He placed Adam as the king. 01:00 And his territory, of course, was planet earth. 01:04 But God established a condition. 01:06 And that was perfect obedience to His law. 01:08 Sinless perfection, if you please. 01:11 He said to Adam, "Obey and live, disobey and die." 01:18 And of course, Adam and Eve sinned. 01:23 And therefore, Satan took over the throne 01:27 and the territory over which Adam governed. 01:31 Therefore, the human race needed a Redeemer. 01:35 Someone who would pay the price to buy us back from slavery 01:41 who could pay the price to recover our lost possession. 01:46 But in order for a person to do this, 01:48 He needed to be our next of kin. 01:52 Now we're at the middle of page four. 01:56 Leviticus 25:25 tells us who only could 02:00 redeem a lost possession. 02:03 That is, territory. 02:20 That word, "redeem," in the Hebrew means, to buy back 02:24 by paying a price. 02:25 In other words, you pay a price and you buy back what was sold. 02:29 All human beings actually sold their possession 02:33 because we all sinned after Adam sinned. 02:35 And therefore, only a next of kin can 02:38 recover the lost possession. 02:41 Now what about if a person sold himself into slavery? 02:44 Individuals could not only sell their possessions, 02:46 they could also sell themselves into slavery. 02:50 Only a next of kin could pay the price to emancipate 02:54 people from slavery. 02:56 It says in Leviticus 25:47... 03:18 Once again, the word, "goel," which means to redeem 03:21 by paying a price. 03:40 Well that's a hypothetical statement because if he 03:42 sold himself into slavery, he couldn't very well 03:45 redeem himself. 03:47 So in order for an individual to redeem the lost possession 03:51 and redeem people who had sold themselves into slavery, 03:56 it needed to be a close relative or next of kin. 04:00 Within the human race, there was no one who could redeem 04:05 the lost possession and could redeem 04:07 the human race from slavery because all became slaves. 04:12 At the top of page 5, we find in Romans 3:10 and 23... 04:26 So this is the real reason why Jesus became a human being. 04:32 Because he had to become our next of kin. 04:36 You see, only a next of kin could redeem the lost 04:39 possession and people who had sold themselves into slavery. 04:42 So Jesus had to become our next of kin. 04:44 Let me ask you, when Jesus was in heaven 04:46 before His incarnation, was He our next of kin? 04:50 No. 04:51 Because He did not have human flesh. 04:53 He was not a human being. 04:55 He was from a different family. 04:56 He had to become our next of kin in order to redeem us from 05:01 slavery, in order to redeem the lost possession. 05:05 And so, now Jesus in heaven at a certain point 05:11 says to all of the heavenly angels, 05:15 "I am leaving heaven and I'm going to earth. 05:17 I'm going to become incarnate and I'm going to live there 05:21 for 30 years. 05:23 And I promise you that after 30 years I'll be back. 05:27 So make sure you prepare the party." 05:31 And so it says in John 1:14... 05:36 In other words, our next of kin. 05:48 Hebrews 2:14-16 also says that He became our next of kin. 06:08 And do what as a result of His death? 06:11 "...and release..." That means, redeem or recover. 06:15 Freedom. 06:26 So why did Jesus become our flesh and blood? 06:28 So that He could release us from bondage. 06:32 Those are the laws of redemption. 06:34 Now here's something interesting. 06:37 Jesus was both the Father of David and the Son of David. 06:41 Now how can you be someone's father and son at the same time? 06:45 Notice Revelation 22:16. 07:02 So Jesus is both the Father of David, He's the Root of David, 07:07 and He is also the Son of David, or the Offspring of David. 07:10 How is that possible that He's the Father and the Son of David? 07:13 Well He's the Father of David as the Creator, 07:16 but He's the Son of David because He became 07:19 our next of kin from the lineage of David. 07:22 The same is true with Abraham. 07:24 Jesus is the Father of Abraham and the Son of Abraham. 07:28 You say, "Really?" 07:29 Well, Matthew 1:1, the top of page 6... 07:39 But then Jesus, in John 8:58, says, 07:43 "Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM." 07:48 So Jesus is the Son of Abraham because He's a man, 07:53 and He's the Father of Abraham because He was the Creator 07:57 of Abraham. 08:00 So Jesus had to become our next of kin 08:03 in order to redeem the lost possession 08:05 and in order to redeem us from the slavery 08:09 that we sold ourselves into. 08:13 Now in the next section, the two-fold mission of Jesus, 08:16 Jesus came to this world for two main reasons. 08:20 The sanctuary begins in the camp where sinners live. 08:24 Because Jesus lived for 30 years before He died. 08:28 So His life is just as important as His death. 08:32 Jesus had to live a perfect sinless life in our camp 08:36 to weave a robe of righteousness. 08:39 Every act of obedience of Jesus became a thread in the robe. 08:44 And when Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished," 08:47 He added the last thread to the robe of righteousness. 08:50 He had a perfect life of righteousness 08:53 that He could impute and impart to us. 08:56 After living a sinless life, He had to die to pay 09:01 the penalty for sin. 09:04 Only He who created all could offer to take the place of all. 09:11 Jesus is responsible for our existence, but not for our sin. 09:17 So these two functions of Jesus: His perfect life, 09:21 perfect robe of righteousness that He wove, 09:24 and His death is presented in Exodus 12:5-6, for example. 09:32 Speaking about the Passover lamb, it says, 09:34 "Your lambs shall be without blemish..." 09:38 That represents the perfect life of Jesus. 09:40 It's before the lamb is slain 09:41 it has to be a lamb with no blemish. 09:52 And now comes the second function of the Passover lamb. 09:55 Not only without blemish; that is the perfect life of Jesus. 10:04 Two functions. 10:05 A perfect lamb, unblemished, 10:09 and then the unblemished lamb is slain. 10:11 Jesus lived a perfect life, wove a robe of righteousness, 10:16 and then He paid for sin. 10:19 1 Peter 1:18-20 presents these two functions of Jesus. 10:24 It says there in verse 18... 10:38 So there you have one function of Jesus. 10:40 The shedding of His blood. 10:43 But there's another function. 10:50 So two functions. 10:52 His precious blood is shed, 10:54 and He is without blemish and without spot. 11:06 Did Satan know what Jesus had to come to do? 11:10 Did he demons know what Jesus was coming to this earth to do? 11:14 That He was coming to emancipate the human race 11:17 and to recover the lost possession? 11:19 Yes he did. 11:21 Notice this encounter, this is on top of page 7, 11:24 this encounter between the demons and Jesus. 11:27 They knew exactly who He was and why He was here. 11:31 In Mark 1:23-24 it says... 11:45 And now notice their big concern. 11:54 Satan and his angels knew exactly who Jesus was 11:57 and why Jesus had come. 12:01 And so, Satan, from the very start he says, 12:04 "I have to nip this in the bud. 12:08 I know who He is, why He came. 12:11 He's going to live a perfect life, He's going to die for sin. 12:14 I have to keep that from happening." 12:17 And so, Satan now is going to use four methods to try and 12:21 prevent Jesus from living His perfect life 12:24 and from offering His life for sin. 12:29 And so, now Satan is going to be on the track of Jesus 12:34 24, 7, 365 1/4 days. 12:41 What was method number one? 12:44 Method number one was to attempt to kill Jesus 12:48 before He could voluntarily offer His life. 12:52 Revelation 12:2-3 says that when Jesus was born, 12:56 Satan was there ready to kill Him. 13:22 So Satan says, "I'll kill Him when He's born. 13:24 That way, He can't offer His life voluntarily 13:27 to pay for the sin of sinners." 13:30 Satan also tried to drown Jesus in a tempest. 13:34 Matthew 8:24, he knew Jesus was sleeping in the boat. 13:40 This was a storm out of season. 13:42 Ellen White describes it as a massive storm 13:44 such as never had been seen before. 13:55 And of course, Jesus calmed the storm. 13:58 Also, a mob tried to push Jesus over a cliff. 14:03 And Ellen White explicitly says that Satan was in that mob. 14:07 And there were actually angels disguised as human beings 14:11 encouraging people to throw Jesus over the cliff. 14:15 It says there in chapter 4:28 of Luke... 14:22 Some politically incorrect statements that Jesus made. 14:42 Several times during the ministry of Jesus 14:44 they tried to stone Jesus. 14:47 Of course, Satan was behind it. 14:48 Kill Him before He offers His life for sin. 14:52 It says there in John 8:58-59... 15:05 And this happened more than once. 15:13 Ellen White gives us an enlightening statement about 15:16 Satan's desire to kill Christ before He could offer His life 15:20 voluntarily for sin. 15:22 In the, Review and Herald, October 12, 1897, she wrote, 15:26 "Again and again He would have been killed 15:30 had it not been for the heavenly angels who attended Him 15:34 and guarded His life until the time when the case of the Jews 15:38 as a nation should be decided. 15:40 This human life must be kept by the power of God 15:45 until His day of work was ended." 15:49 So He was protected by God until the moment when He could 15:53 offer His life as a sacrifice for sin. 15:58 So His first method was to try and kill Jesus 16:01 before Jesus could offer His life voluntarily. 16:05 The second method that Satan used was to try and infect 16:09 Jesus with the virus of sin. 16:12 Because if Jesus became a sinner, 16:14 He would also need someone to redeem Him 16:17 from slavery and to recover the lost possession. 16:22 We all know about the temptations of Jesus. 16:25 Matthew 4:3, 6, 9, it says that Satan came to Jesus 16:31 three times with three temptation at the 16:33 beginning of His ministry. 16:35 And Jesus would not be infected. 16:37 All three times, Jesus answered, "It is written." 16:42 We have several verses in the Bible that indicate 16:45 that Jesus never sinned. 16:47 Hebrews 4:15, at the top of page 9. 17:05 So Jesus was tempted in all things, as we are, 17:08 yet Jesus never sinned. 17:10 Jesus did not become a slave. 17:13 Jesus did not lose His possession. 17:16 Hebrews 7:26 emphasizes the sinlessness of Christ as well. 17:21 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, 17:24 who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 17:28 separate from sinners, and has become higher 17:33 than the heavens." 17:34 So once again, "...holy, harmless, undefiled, 17:38 and separate from sinners..." 17:40 Jesus never sinned. 17:42 In John 8:46, Jesus challenged those who were listening to Him, 17:46 "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" 17:50 And of course, the answer is, no one. 17:53 1 John 3:5 once again underlines the sinlessness of Christ. 18:08 1 Peter 2:21-22. "For to this you were called..." 18:33 So was Satan successful with his second method 18:36 to infect Jesus with the virus of sin? 18:39 No. Jesus had to weave a perfect robe of righteousness. 18:45 And once again, every act of obedience 18:48 was a thread that He added to the robe. 18:51 And when Jesus cried out on the cross, it is finished, 18:54 the robe was complete and available for every 18:57 single human being on planet earth. 19:01 But the devil used a third method. 19:03 And that third method was to give Jesus an easier way 19:10 to get the kingdom of the world back. 19:13 Matthew 4:8-9 speaks about the encounter of Jesus 19:21 with the devil on the mount of temptation, 19:23 the third temptation. 19:26 See, the devil is going to offer Jesus 19:28 an easier way of getting the kingdom back. 19:32 It says there... 19:49 In other words, he was saying to Jesus, 19:51 "You actually think You have to be here, and they mistreat You, 19:56 and You speak words to them, and they reject You. 19:59 And You think You have to go to Gethsemane 20:01 and bear the sins of the world upon Yourself. 20:04 And You're going to beaten and You're going to suffer." 20:06 He says, "No. 20:09 There's an easier way. 20:12 I'll give You all the kingdom back 20:15 as long as You just bow down and worship me just for a second." 20:19 He was offering Jesus an easier way of recovering what was lost. 20:26 But the devil used this method of giving Jesus 20:29 an easier way several times during His ministry. 20:32 In John 6:15 we find Jesus had already fed 5000 people 20:39 with five loaves and two fishes. 20:42 So now the multitude, instigated by Judas Iscariot, 20:48 I might say, tries to take Jesus by force to make Him a king. 20:54 In other words, Satan is saying, "Don't go to the cross. 20:56 There's a plan B, there's a much easier plan, 20:59 a better plan for You." 21:01 And so it says in John 6:15... 21:16 He said, "I have to go to the cross 21:19 to recover that which was lost, to emancipate the human race, 21:23 and to recover the kingdom. 21:26 I'm not going to take over the throne now 21:28 because that would defeat the purpose." 21:31 Satan even used Peter to try and distract Christ 21:35 from going to the cross. 21:37 In Matthew 16:22-23, it says... 21:45 Because Jesus has just said, "I've got to go to Jerusalem, 21:48 I'm going to be mistreated, 21:50 I'm going to die and resurrect the third day." 21:52 And Peter is indignant because Peter thinks that the Messiah 21:56 is going to sit on the throne in Jerusalem, 21:58 He's going to proclaim Himself king and rule the world. 22:17 Who was using Peter as an instrument? 22:19 Satan. 22:21 What was Satan trying to do? 22:22 To distract Jesus from going to the cross. 22:32 Even on the mount of transfiguration 22:34 after Jesus is transfigured by His Father, 22:37 as He will appear in His second coming, 22:40 after Moses and Elijah have come to speak with Jesus, 22:45 Peter still didn't get it. 22:47 Because Jesus at that point was on His way 22:49 to Jerusalem with the disciples. 22:50 He said, "I'm going to Jerusalem, 22:52 I'm going to suffer, and I'm going to die." 22:53 And so, Peter now makes an interesting suggestion to Jesus. 22:56 He still didn't get it. 22:58 Matthew 17:4, "Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 23:02 'Lord, it is good for us to be here...'" 23:05 Not Jerusalem, here. 23:15 "Let's stay on the mountain. 23:16 Let's not go back to the valley." 23:20 Satan even uses good things to try and produce a bad result. 23:26 You remember, some Greeks came to Jesus 23:27 and they wanted an interview with Jesus. 23:30 They said, "We would see Jesus." 23:33 And I want you to notice John 12:20-24. 24:10 You know, you read Ellen White's comments about this, 24:13 the purpose of Satan was to distract Jesus from 24:16 going to the cross because these Greeks wanted Jesus 24:19 to go preach the gospel in Greece. 24:22 And Jesus is saying, "Listen, the time has not come 24:25 for Me to preach the gospel in Greece 24:27 and perform miracles in Greece. 24:29 The time has come for Me to die. 24:32 Because if I don't die, the seed remains alone. 24:36 But if I die and am buried, it will produce much fruit. 24:41 In other words, I will have many children redeemed as a result." 24:45 And of course, Jesus is speaking about His death. 24:48 In verses 31-33 it says, "Now is the judgment of this world..." 24:57 What was going to cast out the ruler of this world? 25:00 Was it Jesus taking over the throne in Jerusalem 25:02 that was going to cast Him out? 25:04 No. 25:05 What did Jesus have to do? 25:08 Verse 32... 25:20 And you know, there are statements in the New Testament 25:23 where it says that Jesus put His face towards Jerusalem 25:27 in the last journey. 25:29 In other words, He would not be distracted 25:32 from going to the cross because He knew that 25:35 only paying the price on the cross could recover 25:37 freedom for the slaves and a recovery of the possession 25:42 that had been lost. 25:44 Satan even used Judas to try and distract Jesus 25:49 from going to the cross. 25:52 In fact, you know, Judas did not betray Jesus 25:56 because he wanted Jesus to be killed. 25:58 You're aware of that, right? 26:00 Because if that was his intention, when they took Jesus 26:02 and He was suffering, and everything, 26:04 he would have been happy. 26:07 But he went and hung himself because his plan backfired. 26:12 His purpose was really to put the pressure on Jesus 26:16 so that Jesus would retaliate, 26:19 so that Jesus would take the throne 26:21 when they were mistreating Him. 26:23 In other words, the purpose was not to get Jesus killed. 26:26 The purpose was to put the pressure on Jesus 26:28 so that Jesus would take over the throne of Jerusalem. 26:31 Distracted from what He needed to do. 26:34 In John 13:1-2 it says... 26:49 Where did this plan that Judas wanted to implement, 26:52 where did it come from? 26:54 It wasn't Judas. 27:08 So none of the first three methods worked. 27:12 He wasn't able to kill Jesus before He gave up His life. 27:15 He was not able to infect Jesus with the virus of sin. 27:19 And he was not able to distract Jesus from going to Jerusalem 27:24 and suffering and dying. 27:27 But Satan used a fourth method. 27:29 And that was, he did his best to discourage Jesus 27:34 so the He would leave and allow the human race to perish. 27:38 Satan influenced the people of Jesus to reject Him, 27:43 the disciples to forsake Him, so that Jesus would say, 27:47 "What's the use? 27:49 I'm going back to heaven where I am appreciated." 27:53 Matthew 26:38 describes the sorrow of Jesus 27:58 as He was in Gethsemane. 28:01 It says, "Then He said to them," to His disciples, 28:03 "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. 28:07 Stay here and watch with Me." 28:09 And of course we're all acquainted with the prayer, 28:12 the agonizing prayer of Jesus raised up three times 28:15 to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane. 28:18 It's found in Matthew 26:39, 42, 44. 28:24 It says there, "He went a little farther..." 28:35 What was in the cup? 28:40 The wrath of His own Father. 28:42 The wrath of God. 28:43 Why would the wrath of the Father be against Jesus? 28:47 Because Jesus was bearing upon Himself 28:50 the sins of the whole world 28:52 to emancipate human beings from sin, from slavery, 28:58 and to recover the possession which was lost. 29:02 So Jesus says... 29:28 Could Jesus have picked up and gone back to His Father 29:31 if He had wanted to? 29:34 Yes, He could have. 29:35 So the devil is doing everything possible to discourage Him. 29:39 The devil is saying, "Look, nobody is going to accept You. 29:41 Your disciples left, one of Your disciples betrayed You, 29:45 another disciple denied You three times. 29:48 Come on, why are You going forward with this? 29:51 It's useless." 29:53 Ellen White wrote in, Desire of Ages, page 692, 29:56 "The fate of humanity trembled in the balance. 30:01 Christ might even now refuse to drink the cup 30:04 apportioned to guilty man. 30:07 It was not yet too late. 30:09 He might wipe the bloody sweat from His brow 30:12 and leave man to perish in his iniquity. 30:15 He might say, 'Let the transgressor receive the 30:19 penalty of his sin, and I will go back to My Father.'" 30:24 Jesus could have given up. 30:27 Satan did his upmost to discourage Him 30:30 from giving His life. 30:33 John 18:11 is a very interesting verse. 30:36 You know, the mother of these two disciples, 30:39 the sons of thunder, comes to Jesus and says, 30:41 "You know, in the kingdom I want my two precious little sons 30:44 to be one on the right side and the other on the left side 30:47 when You enter Your kingdom. 30:49 You can be in the middle, 30:50 but one on the right and the other on the left." 30:53 And Jesus says, "Are they able to drink the cup 30:55 that I'm going to drink?" 30:57 Let's pick up this in John 18:11. 31:02 Chapter 18:11, it says... 31:09 This is actually when Peter takes his sword out 31:11 and cuts the ear off the servant. 31:20 Who gave Him the cup? 31:23 Who gave Jesus the cup of His wrath? 31:25 The Father Himself. 31:27 By the way, when Jesus asked these two disciples, 31:30 "Are you able to drink the cup that I'm going to drink," 31:33 what was Jesus referring to? 31:35 He was referring to His Father giving the cup 31:38 of wrath for Him to drink for the sin of the world. 31:41 And what did the disciples say? 31:44 They said, "Oh, we can." 31:46 They didn't have the foggiest idea 31:48 what they were talking about, 31:49 until they saw Jesus agonizing in Gethsemane. 31:52 Then they understood it. 31:54 Now let's notice, Desire of Ages, page 753. 31:58 "Satan with his fierce temptations 32:00 wrung the heart of Jesus. 32:02 The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. 32:05 Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave 32:08 a conqueror, or tell Him of His Father's 32:11 acceptance of the sacrifice. 32:13 He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their 32:17 separation was to be eternal. 32:20 Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel 32:23 when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. 32:27 It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath 32:30 upon Him as man's substitute that made the cup He drank 32:35 so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God." 32:40 So what was Satan trying to do? 32:42 He was trying to discourage Jesus from going forward, 32:45 and saying, "What's the use? 32:48 Pick up and leave." 32:51 Hebrews 5:7 describes the agony of Jesus, 32:54 the torture that Satan is inflicting on Christ. 32:57 It says there... 33:03 Listen to the intensity of this. 33:18 Can you feel the intensity as you read that verse? 33:21 It's describing the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane. 33:24 In fact, His agony was so great that Luke 22:44 states... 33:38 How much agony must you have in order to sweat blood 33:42 instead of sweating water? 33:46 I mean, His agony was fierce. 33:50 Who do you suppose influenced the disciples to forsake Jesus? 33:55 Of course, Satan. Why would he do that? 33:58 Because He wanted to discourage Jesus. 34:00 "Not even the guys that were with You for 3 ½ years, 34:03 they're gone. 34:05 If You can't save them, who are You going to be able to save?" 34:08 It says in Matthew 26:56... 34:15 In fact, Satan influences Peter to deny Jesus three times. 34:20 "Even one of Your precious disciples is denying You." 34:24 It says there in Matthew 26:73-74, 34:29 "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus where He said to him, 34:32 'Before the rooster crows you will deny Me three times.' 34:37 So he went out and..." What? 34:40 "...he went out and wept bitterly." 34:43 By the way, do you know who was using Peter 34:45 as an instrument there? 34:47 Let's read Luke 22:31-32. 34:50 This is before Peter actually denied Jesus 34:53 before Jesus went to His passion. 34:55 It says, "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, 34:58 indeed, Satan has asked for you 35:02 that he may sift you as wheat. 35:05 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail. 35:09 And when you have returned to Me...'" 35:11 "Return," means, when you have been converted. 35:14 "...strengthen your brethren." 35:16 And of course, Jesus reinstated Peter three times 35:19 after His resurrection. 35:21 "Peter, do You love Me?" "Peter, do you love Me?" 35:23 "Peter, do you love Me?" 35:25 He denied Him three times, 35:26 Jesus reinstates him three times, 35:28 saying, "Your sin is forgiven." 35:31 So Satan is doing his utmost to discourage Jesus 35:35 so that Jesus will leave. 35:37 He led the mob to beat Jesus mercilessly. 35:43 Mark 14:65 reads... 35:56 What is Satan's strategy here? 35:59 It's to discourage Jesus, saying, "What's the use? 36:02 Leave while You can." 36:04 Verses 16-20 of Mark 15 states... 36:40 In fact, do you know that even while Jesus 36:42 hung on the cross, Satan influenced the multitude to 36:45 try and entice Jesus to come down from the cross? 36:49 Notice Matthew 27:41-43. 36:53 "Likewise, the chief priest also, mocking with the 36:57 scribes and elders, said, 'He saved others, 37:00 Himself He cannot save. 37:02 If He is the King of Israel, let Him now...'" What? 37:05 "...come down..." 37:07 "Prove that You are the King of Israel." 37:09 Of course, Jesus is hearing that. 37:11 What is Satan doing? 37:12 He's daring Jesus to come down from the cross. 37:16 And so it says, "If He is King of Israel, 37:18 let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 37:22 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now 37:25 if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 37:31 Now all during His ministry Jesus had said, 37:36 "I'm not alone. 37:38 My Father is with Me." 37:40 Notice John 8:29. 37:42 "And He who sent Me is with Me..." 37:50 "As He spoke these words, many believed in Him." 37:54 But now I want you to notice the change in His mode. 37:59 See, up to this point during His ministry, He says, 38:01 "The Father is always with Me." 38:03 But now Jesus on the cross, 38:05 He feels forsaken by His own Father. 38:08 What is Satan trying to do? 38:09 He's trying to say, "Listen, if You go through with this, 38:12 You're never going to see Your Father's face again. 38:15 You're going to lose fellowship with Him. 38:17 You're going to suffer eternal perdition. 38:20 You'll never see the Person that You love the most 38:22 in the entire universe." 38:25 It says there in Matthew 27:46, as Jesus there is hanging 38:30 on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 38:40 Are you catching the picture? 38:42 So what is the devil trying to do? 38:44 Did he know that Jesus had come to live a perfect life? 38:47 Oh, yes he did. 38:49 Did he know that Jesus could stand in the place of 38:52 all human beings because Jesus created all human beings? 38:56 That He was the only one? Yeah, Satan knew that. 38:59 The demons knew it. 39:00 We read the verse in the gospel of Mark 39:03 where they said, "We know who You are. 39:04 You're the holy One of God. 39:07 You're the One that we used to hang out with in heaven," 39:09 is what they're saying. 39:11 They knew who Jesus was and why Jesus came. 39:16 He had to live a perfect life and He had to die for sin. 39:19 And Satan said, "I'm going to use these four methods 39:22 to prevent Jesus from fulfilling His mission." 39:25 Number one, kill Him before He offers His life. 39:29 Number two, infect Him with the virus of sin. 39:34 Number three, offer Him a better path, an easier path 39:39 by taking over the throne of the kingdom. 39:42 And four, to discourage Him so much that He'll pick up 39:46 and He'll go back to heaven where He is appreciated. 39:52 But then Jesus gained the final victory. 39:57 In John 19:30 we find these words... 40:15 What did Jesus mean when He said, "It is finished"? 40:17 What was finished? 40:20 Provision for salvation was finished. 40:23 You know, there's been this big discussion 40:25 in the Adventist church of whether the atonement was 40:28 finished at the cross. 40:30 Incidentally, Desmond Ford just passed away. 40:34 And he was an individual who said that, you know, 40:37 the atonement was finished at the cross. 40:39 There's no atonement in heaven after Jesus goes back to heaven. 40:43 Well, Jesus said, "It is finished," on the cross. 40:49 Jesus finished His provision for salvation at the cross. 40:53 Had Jesus lived a perfect life that He could impute and impart 40:57 to us when He said, "It is finished" on the cross? 41:00 Yes. 41:01 Was Jesus now dying to pay the penalty for sin? 41:04 Yes. 41:05 Was provision for salvation absolutely finished? 41:09 Yes. 41:10 What was not finished? 41:12 What was not finished is Jesus interceding in heaven 41:15 for those who claim the benefits of what He did 41:18 while He was on earth. 41:21 You see, you have to claim individually His life 41:24 and His death for you. 41:26 The provision was complete. 41:29 But the application of the provision to individuals 41:33 who claimed Jesus still needed to be ongoing. 41:36 Are you with me? 41:38 So the atonement as provision was finished, 41:41 but not as application to individuals 41:43 who repent and confess their sins and trust in Jesus 41:47 as Savior and Lord. 41:50 And then Jesus pronounces these words, 41:52 Luke 23:46, the last thing that Jesus says on the cross, 42:00 "It is finished." 42:02 And then it says, "When Jesus had cried out..." 42:14 What did Jesus mean when He said, "Into Your hands 42:17 I commend My spirit"? 42:18 What Jesus is saying is, "Father, I commend My life 42:21 into Your hands because You have promised 42:23 that if I am faithful to You, You will call Me forth 42:27 from the grave and resurrect Me from the dead." 42:31 That's what He's saying. 42:32 You say, "Where do you get that from?" 42:35 Well, let's read this statement from, Youth Instructor, 42:38 May 2, 1901. 42:41 "He who died for the sins of the world was to remain in the tomb 42:46 for the allotted time. 42:48 He was in that stony prison house as a prisoner 42:52 of divine justice, and He was responsible to..." Whom? 42:58 "...to the Judge of the universe." 42:59 That is the individual He says, 43:01 "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit." 43:04 "He was bearing the sins of the world..." 43:06 Now listen carefully. 43:07 "He was bearing the sins of the world, 43:09 and His Father only could release Him." 43:14 Jesus was in the tomb, a prisoner of divine justice. 43:18 Only His Father could call Him forth. 43:22 That's why Jesus says, "Father, into Your hands 43:25 I commend My spirit." 43:26 He said, "I'm commending My life into Your hands, 43:28 because You've promised that if I was faithful, 43:31 if I live a perfect life and if I die for sin, 43:34 You promised that You will call Me forth from the grave. 43:37 I'm committing My life into Your hands." 43:43 Did Satan know that Jesus had predicted that He was 43:45 going to resurrect? 43:47 Oh, of course he did. 43:48 Why do you suppose he had this Roman guard 43:50 put at the entrance to the tomb? 43:53 Why do you suppose he had this huge stone rolled in front? 43:56 As if a little pebble of a stone could keep Jesus in the tomb. 44:00 He should have known better. 44:02 Because he knew what the power of Jesus was like. 44:05 In fact, there were demons present there 44:07 at the entrance to the tomb, 44:08 according to the spirit of prophecy. 44:10 He knew that Jesus had predicted that He was going to resurrect. 44:15 So very early on the first day of the week 44:17 two angels come down from heaven. 44:20 One angel rolls away the stone, the other angel stands 44:25 in front of the tomb. 44:27 And let's read the description that Ellen White gives 44:30 of this joyous event. 44:31 Early Writings, page 182. 44:35 "Then the angel from heaven, with a voice that 44:38 caused the earth to quake, cried out, 44:42 'Thou Son of God, Thy Father calls Thee! 44:46 Come forth.'" 44:48 Who called Jesus out of the tomb? 44:52 Who called Him out? 44:53 The Father. 44:55 You understand why Jesus said, 44:56 "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit"? 44:59 "I'm commending My life into Your hands." 45:01 Now He says, "You promised that if I was faithful, 45:05 that You were to call Me out." 45:07 So now He's going to be called out. 45:08 So the angel cries out, "'Thy Father calls Thee! Come forth.' 45:13 Death could hold dominion over Him no longer. 45:17 Jesus arose from the dead, a triumphant conqueror. 45:22 In solemn awe, the angelic host gazed upon the scene. 45:26 And as Jesus came forth from the sepulcher, 45:29 those shining angels prostrated themselves to the earth 45:33 in worship, and hailed Him with songs of victory and triumph." 45:38 And in a moment we're going to see what song they sang. 45:41 It's from Revelation chapter 12. 45:43 Now somebody might say, "But wait a minute, Pastor Bohr. 45:45 Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus would lay down His life 45:49 and He would take it up again? 45:51 That He had authority to lay it down, 45:53 He had authority to take it up again? 45:55 How is it that you say the Father was the one 45:58 who called Him from the tomb? 45:59 Well, let's read John 10:17-18. 46:04 We need to be careful about the way we read Scripture. 46:06 We need to read the entire verses, not just part. 46:10 It says in John 10:17-18... 46:27 "I have power..." 46:28 That's not a very good translation. 46:30 There are two words that are translated, "power," 46:32 in the King James Version and New King James. 46:35 The words, "dunamis," where we get the word, "dynamite," from. 46:40 That's not the word here. 46:41 And the word, "exousia," which really should be 46:43 translated, "authority." 46:45 In other words, the word that is used here is exousia. 46:48 Jesus is saying, "I have authority to lay it down, 46:52 and I have authority to take it up again." 46:56 So you say, "Jesus took up His life." 46:58 Yes He did. 46:59 But the only reason He could take up His life 47:02 He could come out with the life that was within Himself, 47:04 is because His Father gave Him permission to do it. 47:08 How do we know that? 47:09 We need to read the last part of verse 18. 47:12 It says, "This command I have received from My Father." 47:16 So in other words, the Father calls Him from the tomb, 47:20 and Jesus comes out of the tomb with 47:21 the life that is within Himself. 47:25 In fact, Ellen White says that when Jesus came forth 47:27 from the tomb, He said, "I am the resurrection and the life." 47:33 Wow! 47:35 The mighty conqueror. 47:36 He had gained provision to emancipate the slaves 47:40 and to recover, He recovered the lost possession. 47:45 Now something else happened at the resurrection of Jesus. 47:48 There was a group that resurrected with Him. 47:52 And I brought this in here because when we deal with the 47:55 introductory vision of Revelation 4 and 5, 47:58 we're going to come to the idea that some have that the 48:01 24 elders are those who resurrected with Jesus 48:05 as the first fruits that Jesus took to heaven when He ascended. 48:10 And we're going to see that is not a possibility. 48:14 So it says in Matthew 27:51-53... 48:45 So Jesus did not resurrect by Himself. 48:48 There was a group of individuals who resurrected with Jesus. 48:52 And of course, Ellen White, you know, gives us an 48:56 interesting description of who composed this group. 49:00 She actually says that they were martyrs from the first 49:03 who lived upon the earth up to the times of Christ. 49:06 And so, you know, we can speculate perhaps Abel 49:10 was among those who were the first fruits 49:13 that Jesus took to heaven. 49:15 Perhaps even John the Baptist who was beheaded 49:19 maybe was among that group. 49:20 We don't know, but Ellen White does say that they were martyrs 49:24 who had given their lives to be faithful to Jesus 49:27 from the beginning of time up to the times of Christ. 49:30 In other words, He rewarded them with the resurrection 49:35 and eternal life. 49:36 So they go for 40 days into the city and they give witness 49:42 to the resurrection of Christ. 49:43 Now can you imagine what it must have been like 49:46 if one of them was Abel, for Abel to appear 49:50 to the people in Jerusalem during 40 days? 49:54 All 15 feet tall, "Hi, I am Abel. 50:00 And when Jesus resurrected, I resurrected as well, 50:03 because He said, 'Because I live, you shall live also.'" 50:07 It must have been powerful. 50:09 And they didn't appear as ghosts or as spirits. 50:14 They appeared in flesh and blood. 50:16 People could actually touch them 50:19 and say, yeah, they're real individual people. 50:22 It must have caused a tremendous ruckus in the city of Jerusalem 50:27 with the people saying, "The Lord has resurrected, truly. 50:31 And all of these have resurrected with Him" 50:35 Now, all heaven sang when Jesus resurrected from the dead. 50:42 I want you to notice Revelation 12:10. 50:47 You know, usually we apply Revelation 12:7-12 50:52 to the original fall of Satan from heaven, 50:55 where it says, you know, there that the devil and Satan 50:59 was cast out with his angels. 51:01 We say, well that applies to the original casting out. 51:03 No, obviously it hints at the idea that Satan and his angels 51:08 were originally cast out from heaven. 51:09 But in context, that passage in Revelation 12 is talking 51:14 about the victory of Jesus on the cross over Satan. 51:17 We're not going to get into that right now. 51:19 I've dealt with that in other presentations. 51:22 But Revelation 12:10 is the verse that was sung, 51:27 we're going to see in a moment, when Jesus came forth 51:31 from the grave when Jesus resurrected from the dead. 51:35 It says there in Revelation 12:10... 51:55 Now in what sense was Satan cast down 51:59 when Jesus died on the cross? 52:01 There was an original, don't get me wrong, 52:03 there was an original casting down. 52:05 Okay? Satan and his angels were expelled from heaven. 52:09 But at the cross Satan was expelled also. 52:14 Because in John 12 Jesus says, "The ruler of this world... 52:19 Now is the judgment, now the ruler of this world 52:22 will be cast out." 52:23 And He was speaking about His death. 52:25 In what sense was Satan cast out from heaven when Jesus died? 52:29 He was cast out from heaven as the 52:31 representative of planet earth. 52:34 You see, who represented planet earth up to the time that 52:36 Jesus lived His perfect life and died for sin? 52:39 Satan had stolen Adam's throne and Adam's territory. 52:43 But when Jesus resurrects from the dead, 52:46 He now has the throne, and the territory is His. 52:51 Is Satan going to give up the territory without a fight? 52:54 No, that's why you have the conflicts in the book of Acts. 52:57 Satan is saying, "I know the territory is no longer mine, 53:00 but He's going to have to come and get it." 53:03 And that's the struggle of the end time. 53:05 Satan knows that he's going to lose his kingdom, 53:07 and he's going to fight for every inch. 53:09 He's not just going to roll over and play dead. 53:12 He's going to fight till the death. 53:15 Now how do we know that this hymn was actually sung 53:19 when Jesus resurrected. 53:22 In the journal, The Present Truth, February 18, 1886, 53:28 we find these words. 53:29 "At the death of Jesus, the earth was wrapped 53:33 in profound darkness at midday; 53:35 but at the resurrection, the brightness of the angels 53:38 illuminates the night, and the inhabitants 53:41 of heaven sing with great joy and triumph: 53:45 'Thou has vanquished Satan and the powers of darkness! 53:49 Thou has swallowed up death in victory!'" 53:52 And now notice the verse that she's going to quote. 53:55 "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 53:57 'Now has come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom 54:00 of our God, and the power of His Christ; 54:03 for the accuser of our brethren is cast down 54:05 which accused them before our God day and night.'" 54:10 So Jesus gained the victory. 54:13 He lived a perfect life and He paid the penalty of sin. 54:19 The heavenly beings now sing the song of victory in heaven 54:25 as Jesus has resurrected, He's still on earth. 54:28 So now the heavenly beings say, 54:31 "Now we need to prepare the party. 54:34 He said when He left that He was going to go down there 54:36 for 30 years, and He was going to come back. 54:39 We've got to get the throne room ready. 54:41 We've got to gather all of the representatives 54:44 of the worlds together here 54:46 because He's going to come back in 40 days. 54:49 We've got to prepare everything to receive back the war Hero." 54:54 And so, Revelation chapters 4 and 5, as we're going to see 54:57 in the sessions this afternoon, Revelation 4 describes 55:02 the preparation of the heavenly throne room 55:06 for the return of the war Hero, 55:10 who, by the way, is returning from war 55:13 with the wounds to prove it, but He's alive. 55:19 And so, in chapter 4 the throne room is prepared, 55:22 and there present is One sitting on the throne, 55:26 God the Father, and you have the four living creatures 55:29 in the midst of the throne, you have the 24 elders 55:32 that surround the throne, you have the seven lamps of fire 55:35 which represent the fact that the 55:37 Holy Spirit is present there. 55:39 The whole throne room is being prepared. 55:41 Jesus is not in chapter 4. 55:43 The angelic host are not in chapter 4, 55:45 because the angelic host have gone to earth to pick up Jesus 55:48 and bring Him back. 55:50 And so then in chapter 5 the war Hero returns. 55:56 And He's presented as the Lamb as though He had been slain, 55:59 but He's alive. 56:02 A Lamb as though it had been wounded. 56:05 And now He comes and He presents Himself 56:08 before the Father on the throne. 56:12 And Ellen White describes this encounter vividly. 56:15 We're going to notice that later on, 56:17 how the Father and the Son met together. 56:20 And the Son says, "Father, is My sacrifice on earth 56:24 enough to bring all of My brothers and sisters home?" 56:30 And there's silence in heaven at this moment. 56:33 All of the angels and the heavenly beings 56:35 have ceased singing. 56:37 Everything is in suspense as the Son comes close to the Father. 56:42 And then suddenly the Father embraces His Son, 56:46 and He says, "It is enough. 56:49 Those that I have given You, 56:50 You can bring with You to heaven." 56:53 And then the Father utters in His voice, 56:58 like thunder, He says, "Worship Him, all the angels of God." 57:04 And now heaven breaks out in a beautiful hymn of praise 57:09 to the Lamb and to the One who is seated on the throne. 57:14 So Revelation chapters 4 and 5 are simply describing 57:18 the preparation of the throne room and the arrival of Jesus 57:23 at the throne room at the moment of His ascension. 57:27 And then in chapter 6, you have all of the events that transpire 57:32 after Jesus arrives, the seven seals, 57:36 culminating with the time when God's people will sit 57:40 with Jesus on His throne after they have overcome 57:44 during the period of the seven seals. 57:47 Are you with me? 57:48 And so, basically the seven seals describe Christian history 57:52 after the victory of Jesus Christ. |
Revised 2021-11-01