Participants: Geoff Youlden
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000010
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00:27 A friend of mine some years ago was conducting
00:31 some meetings just like we've been conducting here. 00:34 And after the lecture a man came down to the front 00:37 and he said: "Excuse me, Mr. Preacher, " he said 00:39 "I have a question. Would you be able to answer it for me? " 00:43 And my friend said that he'd be happy to answer it 00:46 if he could. And the man said: "Look, 00:48 what do you think is the most popular church in town? " 00:54 My friend thought for a moment and named a certain church 00:57 that he thought had the largest number of people going to it. 01:00 And the man said: "Well thank you very much. " 01:02 And he was just about to walk away when my friend said: 01:05 "Now listen. Just before you go, " he said, "you've asked me 01:08 a question. I'd like to ask you a question. " 01:12 And the man said: "Well I'll... happy... 01:16 You ask your question. " 01:18 And my friend said: "Why did you ask me that question? " 01:21 "Oh, " the man said, "that's easy... " he said 01:23 "I've just moved into town here recently 01:26 and I'm planning to open up a business. " 01:29 And he said: "I think it would be good for my business 01:32 if I belong to the most popular church. " 01:36 Now there are all sorts of reasons that people have 01:39 for belonging to a particular church. 01:42 Some people belong to a church because they were born into it. 01:45 Now I guess in most cases we are what we are 01:49 because our parents bequeathed that to us, is that right? 01:53 Generally speaking that is the way most people are. 01:56 Other people join a church because it happens to be 02:00 the closest to where they live. 02:01 Others join a church... they like the preacher 02:04 or they like the music. There are all sorts of reasons 02:07 that people have for joining a particular church. 02:09 I believe that none of those reasons are very substantial 02:13 reasons. The only reason that we ought to belong to a church 02:17 is because we're convinced that that church 02:20 teaches the truth... 02:22 and that truth has got to come from the Bible. 02:25 Well people say: "Don't all churches believe in the Bible? " 02:28 Yes they do, I guess. 02:31 At least most do anyway. 02:33 They believe the Bible, but there's still a tremendous 02:37 division within Christianity. 02:39 I would think that in this area alone there would be 02:42 hundreds of different denominations. 02:48 So amongst the maze and all the conglomerate 02:52 that there is today how do we work out truth? 02:55 That's our subject tonight. 02:56 Come over to John 17 and verse 17. 02:59 And Jesus made this statement. You'll notice it's in red 03:02 so the words of Jesus. This is actually the great high priestly 03:05 prayer of Jesus. And He said in the midst of this prayer: 03:15 Now obviously the true church would have to be upholding 03:19 the truth. Couldn't be the true church unless it was upholding 03:24 the truth, could it? 03:27 And that truth obviously will be found in the Bible. 03:31 Now tonight when we discuss the subject of why there's so 03:34 many churches, the first thing that we need to discuss 03:37 is "which was the first church? " 03:39 Because if we can find out which was the first church 03:42 that will give us a major clue as to what God had in mind 03:47 when He established the churches. 03:49 Well people say to me: "If you're going to talk about 03:50 the first church that's got to be the Catholic church. " 03:53 Well I'm surprised at the number of even Protestants 03:56 who believe that, but that's not true. 03:58 I'm going to show you the first church existed 04:01 hundreds and hundreds of years before there was a city of Rome 04:05 let alone a church of Rome. 04:06 So come back - or over - to the book of Acts the 7th chapter - 04:10 which is the next book. Chapter 7 of Acts and verse 38. 04:14 And here we read about the first congregation or 04:17 the first church. 04:18 And the word congregation or church is exactly the same 04:22 original Greek word. And verse 38 says: 04:44 Now what church was that? 04:46 What congregation was that 04:48 that God established back there on Mt. Sinai 04:52 that God gave the living oracles to? 04:56 What church was that? What denomination? 04:58 What is the name of that church? 05:01 Yes... the Israelites, the Jewish church. 05:04 Call it what you like but that's all true. 05:06 So the very first church that God established 05:09 was the church of Israel right back there in the beginning. 05:13 And when it says here: "He gave them the living oracles 05:17 to give to us, " 05:19 what's the living oracles that he's referring to there? 05:21 Yes, the Ten Commandments. 05:25 So you see, God gave the Ten Commandments to 05:27 the church of Israel. And as it says, they in turn 05:31 were to give them unto us. 05:34 Now when it says "us" here in the book of Acts 05:36 who's that? 05:39 Yes, that's the Christians in the New Testament. 05:43 So you see, the New Testament knows nothing about the 05:47 Ten Commandments being done away with at the cross. 05:50 Because the Bible says that God gave that original church - 05:53 the first church - the living oracles or the Ten Commandments. 05:57 They were to keep them. 06:00 They were to look after them. 06:01 They were to preserve them so that in turn 06:04 they would be able to bequeath them 06:07 and to give them to us in the New Testament. 06:11 That was one of their purposes. 06:13 And you think about it as you cast your mind back over 06:18 that original church how God wonderfully loved that church. 06:21 He gave Himself for her. 06:22 He organized the church; He fed them with manna 06:25 day after day. He kept them warm by night with a pillar of fire 06:29 because you know it's very cold in the desert, particularly 06:32 in the winter. And during the day He protected them from 06:35 the searing sun by a pillar of cloud. 06:39 And He wonderfully blessed that church 06:42 down through the years. 06:44 But the trouble was with that church 06:47 that while God gave them the Ten Commandments 06:50 notice what they didn't do to it. 06:52 Have a look at verse 53. 06:56 Verse 53... it says: 07:07 Now that was the tragedy with the church of Israel. 07:09 So you see, God established or gave the Ten Commandments 07:13 to the church of Israel. And you can see that there 07:16 on our diagram. That was one of the foundations 07:20 of that original church... that first church... 07:24 were the commandments of God. 07:25 But the tragedy is they didn't keep it. 07:30 But God gave that church something else. 07:33 Come over to I Corinthians in the New Testament. 07:35 I Corinthians chapter 10. 07:39 I Corinthians chapter 10 and notice here verse 1. 07:43 Maybe we just cast our eye over the context here 07:49 in I Corinthians 10. It's talking about 07:51 the children of Israel... this church 07:53 that we've been referring to. 07:55 Talks about how they all passed through the sea and all were 07:58 baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 08:01 "All ate the same spiritual food. " Now notice verse 4: 08:18 So who was the Rock that that original church 08:22 was established on? It was Jesus Christ. 08:25 No question about that. Jesus is the Rock 08:30 upon which the church was built. 08:33 So not only did God establish the original church 08:37 with the Ten Commandments but the Rock - 08:40 that is, the foundation of that church - 08:43 was none other than Jesus Himself. 08:47 He was the Rock. 08:49 And so that original church had two great themes... 08:54 themes that run all through the Bible: 08:58 the Rock - Christ Jesus - and the commandments of God. 09:02 The faith of Jesus and the commandments of God. 09:06 And how God blessed that church. 09:09 But the trouble was with that church that God established: 09:13 they not only didn't keep the Ten Commandments 09:16 when Jesus came along what did they do to Him? 09:18 They crucified Him. 09:20 So that church that was once the custodian of the truth of God 09:25 was established by God as the original first church 09:29 that He blessed and cared for. 09:32 The apple of His eye finally goes into apostasy 09:36 because they reject the command- ments and they rejected Jesus. 09:40 And that's the pattern because when people reject 09:43 the commandments the next step is they reject Jesus. 09:47 And that's the sad history of the experience of the church 09:50 of Israel. And so when Jesus came along 09:54 He established another church. 09:57 Remember tonight we're talking about why there are so many 10:01 churches. So far we've got one church that now falls away 10:05 into apostasy. So when Jesus came onto the earth 10:08 He established a second church. 10:11 What was that church called? 10:13 Yeah, the Christian church. 10:16 Now the Christian church was established on exactly the same 10:19 platform as the church of Israel. 10:22 Because you see truth never changes. 10:24 As the Bible says: "Jesus is the same yesterday, 10:28 today, and forever. " Never changes! 10:30 And so we can expect that when Jesus established the Christian 10:33 church it was built on the same foundation 10:37 as the original church. 10:39 Now nobody doubts that the Christian church 10:41 was founded upon Jesus. 10:43 I don't think I'd have to convince anybody about that. 10:47 But sometimes there are some Christians who doubt 10:50 whether the commandments of God 10:52 were part of the Christian church. But they were! 10:56 Let me read it to you. Come back to Matthew chapter 15. 10:59 Matthew the 15th chapter and we'll notice here 11:03 verses 1 and 2. The religious leaders, you see, 11:06 came to Jesus... the scribes and the Pharisees. 11:09 And they challenged Jesus as they often did over 11:14 religious matters. And here in verse 2 11:17 they asked Jesus a question. 11:30 Now as we mentioned the other night, this washing of the hands 11:34 had nothing whatever to do with hygiene. 11:37 We're not talking about a hygiene rule here. 11:39 But they used to rub their hands together with water between 11:42 and everything they touched then 11:44 they said was ceremonially clean. 11:47 Now when Jesus came along He didn't rub His hands together 11:50 nor did the disciples and so they were immediately 11:53 in conflict with the religious leaders who said to them: 11:57 "Why aren't You following the traditions of the church? 12:00 The traditions that have been going on for hundreds of years. 12:03 The traditions that mother and father taught us 12:05 and their parents taught them and their parents taught them. 12:08 Those traditions that have been going on for years. 12:10 Why don't Your disciples and You Yourself follow those things? " 12:14 It's interesting what Jesus said in reply. Verse 3: 12:27 Can you see how the devil had deceived these people? 12:30 That the more earnest they were in following what the church 12:34 said - that is, following the traditions that the church 12:37 taught - in actual fact what were they doing 12:40 to the commandments? 12:43 Breaking them. 12:45 So the more they adhered to what the church said 12:49 the more they were breaking one of God's Ten Commandments. 12:53 And in this case it was commandment #5. 12:56 Can you see how the devil had got them? 12:57 And finally Jesus summed it up in verse 9 when He said: 13:09 And I don't care what church it's in 13:11 any church that teaches human teachings 13:15 that cause the members of that church to break any one 13:20 of God's Ten Commandments that church is vain or useless. 13:25 I don't care what denomination it is. 13:27 I don't care how earnest and sincere the members 13:31 and the leaders of the churches are 13:33 if they are teaching their members to break any one 13:36 of God's Ten Commandments Jesus condemns it by saying 13:39 that church - that teaching - is vain or useless. 13:45 Because that was the issue back in Jesus' day. 13:47 And I want to say this: that the issue that we are facing 13:50 in the Christian church today is exactly the same 13:53 as the issue 2,000 years ago. 13:54 Human nature doesn't change much over the years. 13:58 Hardly changes one iota. 14:02 And Jesus met the issue of the commandments vs. tradition 14:07 head on... and we need to do the same today 14:10 because it's exactly the same problem. 14:12 You know, everywhere I go I find people tell me that 14:16 the Christian church was established upon the rock 14:18 Saint Peter. You ever heard of that? Yes. 14:22 "Upon this rock I will build My church" they say. 14:25 I guess that's the only text some of them know. 14:27 "Upon this rock I will build My church 14:29 and the gates of hell will never prevail against it. " 14:31 Well listen friends: Jesus wasn't saying that Peter 14:33 was the rock. They misunderstand what Jesus was saying there 14:38 and they misunderstand the play on words that Jesus 14:42 is involved with. Because, you see, in the original 14:45 language Peter's name means "a little pebble. " 14:48 It comes from the Greek word petros. 14:53 That's where we get our English word Peter from. 14:56 And the Greek language like many languages 14:59 the ending of the word affects the meaning of the word. 15:03 You have a base part of the word and then you put 15:05 the ending. It might be nominative, objective, 15:08 ablative, or accusative and so forth. 15:10 Feminine; masculine. And that changes the meaning of the word. 15:15 And that's exactly what happened here. Jesus was saying 15:17 "Thou art petros... " Masculine, which means a little pebble. 15:22 "You're a little pebble" Jesus is saying. 15:25 But He said: "Upon this petra I will build My church. " 15:29 He was talking about Himself. 15:31 Because petra... that's the feminine ending of the word... 15:35 means a huge rock like the Rock of Gibraltar. 15:39 That would be a petra not a petros. 15:42 And Jesus was simply saying to Peter: 15:44 "Thou art petros but upon this petra I will build My church. " 15:49 I mean, if Jesus was saying to Peter that He was building 15:52 the church upon Peter He would have said: 15:54 "Thou art Peter and upon you I will build the church. " 15:56 But He didn't say that at all! 15:58 It was Himself. How strange it would be 16:01 that in the Old Testament we find that Jesus is the Rock 16:04 but when we get over to the New Testament we find 16:07 that Saint Peter is the rock. 16:08 Doesn't make sense. 16:10 And I don't want to belong to a church that's built upon 16:12 a mere man no matter how good the man was. 16:16 I want to belong to a church that has its foundation 16:19 in Jesus, and I'm sure you do too. 16:21 And whether it's Old or New Testament 16:24 Jesus is the Rock upon which the church is built. 16:28 And thank God for that! 16:30 And so we are talking tonight about why are there so many 16:35 different churches. And so far now we've got two churches. 16:38 We've got the original church of Israel and now we have 16:40 the second church... the Christian church. 16:42 You know, I meet people who come along to me and they say 16:44 "Geoff, the trouble... Look, I could never leave 16:48 the church that mother and father brought me up in 16:51 to join a new denomination. " 16:53 I have people say that to me from time to time. 16:56 I like to remind them that every person 17:00 that joined the Christian church 17:03 left the denomination that mother and father 17:05 brought them up in. Is that true? 17:08 You think about it. What church was the blessed virgin Mary 17:11 brought up in? It wasn't the Christian church was it? 17:16 What church was she brought up in? 17:18 The Jewish church. Saint Paul, Saint Peter, 17:21 every one of the apostles 17:23 were all brought up in the Jewish church. 17:25 And when Jesus came along with added light 17:29 and further truth, in order for them to stay in the truth 17:33 they had to leave the denomination that mother 17:35 and father brought them up in - 17:36 the traditions that they had known for all their lives - 17:39 they had to leave that church and join the new church 17:42 that Jesus was establishing called the Christian church. 17:45 Isn't that true? 17:46 Every one. So there's nothing wrong with 17:50 changing your denomination as long as you are 17:53 changing with truth. 17:54 In fact, God expects us to change our denomination 17:58 when the denomination that we may have been brought up in 18:02 no longer teaches the full truth. 18:04 God expects it... just like He expected those Jews 18:08 to join the Christian church. 18:11 You know, there's a song that most of us know: 18:14 "Give Me That Old Time Religion. " 18:15 It was good enough for father and good enough for mother 18:19 and it's good enough for me. 18:20 I want to tell you there's not too much truth in that at all. 18:23 Because what was good enough for father and mother 18:27 is not necessarily what's good enough for us today. 18:31 We don't believe that in any other area. 18:33 We don't believe that in driving a horse to the meeting tonight, 18:37 did we? Nobody came in a horse... on the back of a horse. 18:41 Now parents, our grandparents and so forth... they did. 18:46 We have refrigerators. Our grandparents and so forth, 18:49 our relatives, they didn't have a refrigerator. 18:52 We have a computer in our homes... they didn't! 18:55 We have a motorcar and so forth. 18:58 We don't believe what was good enough for father and mother 19:01 in any other area was good enough for us. 19:03 And yet when it comes to religion, many people want to 19:06 stay back in the horse-and-buggy days 19:08 and not realize that as we get closer to the coming of Jesus 19:12 truth is going to become more and more clear and evident. 19:17 And God has special truth for these last days. 19:22 Now I wish that I could say to you tonight 19:25 that now the Christian church was established everybody lived 19:28 happily ever after. 19:30 But I wouldn't be telling you the truth 19:32 if I led you to believe that because unfortunately 19:35 something tragic was going to happen in the Christian church. 19:38 Let's come over to the book of Acts now 19:39 and we'll notice in Acts chapter 20. 19:41 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and Acts 20 and verse 28. 19:46 Acts 20 verse 28. 19:48 And Paul here is talking to the leaders of the church at Ephesus 19:51 and he says this: 20:20 So Paul was saying that the apostles would hardly be cold 20:24 in the grave when these savage wolves were going to arise. 20:28 And where were they going to arise? 20:30 Outside or inside the church? 20:32 Inside the church. 20:35 And let me remind you that the greatest attacks that have ever 20:37 been made against Christianity and the church have always 20:40 been made from within the church not so much from without. 20:44 We have infinitely more to fear from within than we do 20:47 from without. That's been the history of the Christian church. 20:51 And Paul here was warning the leaders at Ephesus. 20:53 He said: "Look out for those savage wolves 20:56 who are going to draw away disciples after themselves. " 20:59 So we can expect on the basis of that verse 21:02 that error was going to creep into the Christian church 21:06 very very early. Is that right? 21:09 That's what Paul was saying. 21:10 And so we're not surprised when we get over to II Thessalonians 21:14 a little further toward the back of the New Testament 21:17 that Paul now explains what this apostasy 21:21 was going to look like and how this apostasy was 21:24 going to get into the church and what the teachings 21:27 of this apostasy were going to deal with. 21:31 Have a look at this in II Thessalonians chapter 2 21:34 and verse 1. 21:53 Let me just pause there for a moment. 21:55 What Paul was saying: that there were unscrupulous 21:59 members in the Thessalonian church who were teaching 22:02 that Jesus was going to come back in the first century. 22:04 And to give their teaching credence, what they were doing 22:07 is that they were sending out letters to all the members 22:10 of the church teaching this error that Christ was going to 22:14 come back in the first century. 22:15 And in order to give their teaching credence they actually 22:18 forged Paul's signature on the bottom of the letter. 22:23 What lengths people will go to to deceive people. 22:27 And Paul says: "Even if you get a letter as from us 22:31 as though the day of Christ has come, don't believe it. " 22:33 Why not? Verse 3: 22:51 So the Bible is now saying 22:54 that this falling away was going to come in the Christian church. 22:57 Now it's interesting... In the Greek language 22:59 the word that's translated here "falling away" 23:02 is the word apostates. 23:06 What English word do we get from apostates? 23:09 Apostasy! In other words, there was going to be a huge 23:13 landslide away from the truth. 23:15 An apostasy... a falling away from the Christian church 23:19 from the truths that Jesus and the apostles gave. 23:23 Notice verse 4. 23:25 And it talks about the man who was going to lead out in this 23:28 apostasy. 23:41 So a man was going to come in the Christian church. 23:44 People were going to worship him and bow down to him 23:47 and he was going to claim to be God on earth. 23:52 Now I want to tell you, friends, when people 23:54 believe that you're God on earth 23:56 do you think that that person would have power 23:59 over individuals? Absolutely! 24:03 And the church had unprecedented power because at the head 24:09 of this church was going to be a man that people worshiped. 24:12 And he was going to claim to be God... 24:15 God's representative on this earth. 24:17 And Paul goes on to say in verse 5: 24:20 "Do you not remember that when I was still with you 24:22 I told you these things? " 24:24 In other words, he's giving them a little bit of a reminder. 24:26 "Look... I've been over all of this. 24:28 Have you so soon forgotten? " 24:30 Then he says in verse 7: 24:38 So what was going to be the primary teaching of this man 24:41 of sin? 24:44 But what error? Error... that's correct, but 24:46 what error? Lawlessness. 24:50 Now we all understand when a person is a lawless individual 24:55 they have no regard for the law. 24:57 That was going to be the major teaching of the apostasy 25:01 that began very early that they would be opposed 25:04 to the law of God. Lawlessness. 25:06 And it began very early. 25:09 Right back in Paul's day... that's when it began. 25:13 Verse 8: 25:23 So how long was this lawless teaching going to be 25:26 allowed to exist into the world? 25:28 If it began in Paul's day 25:30 how long was it going to last through till? 25:32 Yes, until Jesus comes when Christ destroys him 25:37 with the brightness of His coming. 25:39 Obviously then, we are not talking about 25:41 one individual that's the antichrist. 25:45 It's a system... a religious Christian system... 25:49 that started early in the days of the apostle Paul 25:52 and continues right through until Jesus comes. 25:55 In other words, we are experiencing that apostasy 25:58 in the world right now. Is that true? 26:01 Rampant! And the teaching is lawlessness. 26:06 They'll be opposed to the commandments of God. 26:08 That will be the identifying mark of the apostasy. 26:12 That's what the Bible says... that's not what I'm saying. 26:15 That's what the Bible says. 26:17 God forewarned us, and He said... verse 9: 26:27 In other words, they are going to use signs. 26:32 Satan is going to deceive people into thinking that this is right 26:36 because miracles are going to be associated with this apostasy. 26:41 You see, what... A wonder, 26:43 whenever the Bible talks about a wonder that means 26:46 something that science does not have any explanation for. 26:50 But the Bible says it is a "lying wonder. " 26:54 That is, it's a deception. Get the thought? 26:56 It's something that you can't explain. 26:59 But it's a lie... it's a deception! 27:03 And the devil is going to use that as his trump card 27:08 into... misleading people into thinking that it is the truth 27:12 because it's associated with so-called miracles. 27:16 Human beings are very, very impressed 27:19 with so-called miracles. 27:23 Very impressed. And the devil knows that, 27:26 and that's going to be his trump card of deceiving people 27:30 into disobeying the commandments of God. 27:36 Verse 10 says: 27:44 You see, friends, you and I must love truth 27:47 if we're going to be saved. 27:49 You know, I meet people who want to put a lot of emphasis 27:52 on the Spirit. And I believe in the Holy Spirit. 27:54 Let me tell you: I believe very decidedly in the Holy Spirit. 27:57 We can never preach too much about the Holy Spirit. 28:01 But at the same time, we've got to have the other balance. 28:04 And that is: the truth. 28:06 We row the boat with two oars. 28:09 One is the Spirit of God and the other is the truth of God. 28:12 The two things must go together 28:14 because if you row a boat with only one oar 28:17 you finish up in a spin. 28:19 That's the trouble with many Christians today: 28:22 they're in a spin. 28:23 But God wants us to balance it out 28:26 and we must love truth. 28:27 And if you and I don't love truth, 28:29 then we'll be deceived let me tell you. 28:32 We've got to search out from the Bible what is the truth 28:36 on this particular subject. 28:39 And when we find that truth we must hang onto it. 28:44 The Bible talks about this "man of sin. " 28:46 As you can see there on the diagram 28:49 this apostasy was going to be led by a "man of sin... 28:52 the son of perdition. " 28:54 The Bible only uses that expression one other time 28:56 in the Bible to describe Judas Iscariot: 28:59 "the son of perdition. " 29:00 The man who stood for Christ 29:04 on the outside but betrayed Him underneath. 29:07 And so the church here is called the same: it's a Judas. 29:10 Outwardly it shows all the trappings of Christianity 29:15 but inside it has betrayed the very teaching of Jesus 29:19 like Judas did. That's why the Bible refers to it 29:22 as "the son of perdition. " 29:24 In other words, as the apostasy took place 29:28 and this man of sin now is revealed 29:30 the church would be about as far away from truth 29:34 as midnight is from mid-day. 29:36 Because God established the church with the 10 Commandments. 29:39 Now the man of sin the Bible says was going to lead 29:42 the church into lawlessness: 29:44 the very opposite to how God established the church. 29:48 And it was during this period that tradition 29:52 was... became central to the teaching of the church. 29:58 And one by one, errors started to creep into the church. 30:02 Then we find images crept into the church. 30:06 You'll never read about that in the Bible. 30:08 And by the way, it was when they brought images into the 30:11 church that led Muhammad to establish the Muslim religion. 30:16 Because the Muslim religion is very much opposed 30:19 to having images. 30:20 Look at their mosques... they don't have any images. 30:22 They have just lines and squares and so forth. 30:26 And it was over this issue of images... 30:29 And if we hadn't had images in the church we probably 30:32 would never have a Muslim in the world today. 30:36 That's why the Bible says in the book of Daniel 30:39 that this power is the abomination that maketh 30:41 desolate. Every conceivable error that's in the world today 30:45 comes right back to that apostate power 30:48 that we're talking about. 30:49 Then not only did they bring images, they brought penance 30:52 into the church. That's the idea that you've got to do something 30:55 in order to be able to get right with God. 30:59 Then after penance they had confession to a priest. 31:02 Because the Bible teaches we have confession only to Jesus. 31:06 This power said: "No, you've got to go through a human agency - 31:09 a priest - to find forgiveness. " 31:13 He's got to be a mediator. 31:15 Then they brought in Sunday into the church. 31:19 Once again, you'll never read that in the Bible 31:21 from cover to cover. 31:23 As we have noticed, not a single text anywhere in the Bible 31:26 on Sunday but this power brought it into the church. 31:29 This is when they brought baby baptism, and we'll talk 31:32 about that in our next program. 31:34 Baby baptism into the church. 31:35 They brought the immortality of the soul. 31:38 That is... when you die you don't die, 31:40 you go on living in another sphere. 31:44 And every false religion in the world teaches the immortal soul: 31:49 that you don't die when you die... 31:51 you go on living in another sphere. 31:53 That then brought them to teach eternal torment 31:56 because you've got to have somewhere for the wicked to go. 32:00 Then they brought in the idea of Mary-ology. 32:04 And today we are seeing the worship of the virgin Mary 32:08 take on huge proportions. 32:12 And any... my dear friends who have been brought up in the 32:16 church know that in the rosary there are vastly more prayers 32:20 said to Mary than there are ever to God. 32:24 Anyone that's been brought up knows with the rosary there are 32:26 ten "hail Marys" to one "our Father. " 32:30 Ten times more prayers said to Mary than to God. 32:34 And she has taken on huge proportions in the thinking 32:40 of these people. But that's never taught in the Bible. 32:42 You'll never read that in the Bible anywhere! 32:45 Mary's hardly mentioned. 32:47 After the death of Jesus you don't find her mentioned. 32:51 She's important... she's a wonderful woman, 32:55 but the Bible never elevates her like the church has. 32:58 And all these things crept into the church, 33:01 and it brings us down to a period in time 33:03 when there was a young monk who was very dissatisfied with 33:06 his experience because continually he never found 33:09 peace in his heart. He tried to find peace 33:12 but he couldn't find peace. He went to his superiors 33:14 and they said: "Martin, what you need to do is to have more 33:17 penance. " So what he did is he put stones in his shoes 33:21 and walked around with those stones. 33:23 And you know what that would feel like. 33:25 He would sleep on cold stone 33:28 rather than to be comfortable at night 33:30 believing that the more you made the body uncomfortable 33:34 the more righteous you were becoming with God. 33:37 That's the basis of penance. 33:39 The trouble is he never found peace with God that way. 33:42 Until one day he went into a monastery. 33:45 He opened up a copy of the Bible. 33:49 He had not read the Bible like this before, 33:51 and he opened it up. And you've got to understand 33:54 that back in those days most of the Bibles that they had 33:57 up unto that stage were all written out by hand 33:59 because printing had only just been invented a few years before 34:04 by a man by the name of Guttenberg 34:06 and Caxton in England... William Caxton. 34:09 Now it's interesting that the Bible was the first book 34:11 that was ever printed. 34:13 And all the Bibles up unto that stage had been written out 34:16 by hand. Now you can imagine if the Bible that we have in our 34:19 hands tonight was written out by hand 34:21 can you imagine how much it would cost 34:22 at today's rate per hour? 34:25 So nobody would have been able to afford a Bible today either 34:28 or very few would. 34:30 They couldn't afford it back in those days either. 34:33 And the only Bibles were a few that were chained in the 34:36 monasteries. And so he opened this Bible up for the first... 34:39 this book, and his eyes lighted on a verse of scripture 34:44 that he had never read before. And this what he read: 34:46 "The just shall live by faith. " 34:52 And suddenly it dawned on his mind 34:55 and I believe the Holy Spirit impressed young Martin 34:58 that we don't get righteous by what we do 35:01 but salvation is something which is given to us 35:04 as a gift from God. 35:06 And it tell you: as soon as Martin Luther understood that 35:10 the Reformation was underway. 35:13 And he began to protest. 35:16 Everywhere he went he protested against what he had been taught 35:20 and what the church was saying. 35:21 And as he traveled through Germany 35:25 people began to listen to him. And as I said, at this time 35:27 the printing press was just beginning to churn out 35:30 the Bibles. And the Bible was now becoming available 35:34 in the language, the vernacular, of the local people. 35:36 And for the first time they began to read the Bible. 35:40 And when Martin Luther pointed out to them that we aren't saved 35:43 by what we do but rather as a gift from God 35:47 the Reformation was underway. 35:49 And people protested everywhere. 35:51 They protested through Germany. 35:53 And what church was established in Germany as Martin Luther 35:57 began to go around and the people protested 35:59 against the church? What church was established in Germany? 36:02 The Lutheran church. 36:04 And God wonderfully blessed in the Lutheran church. 36:07 The Lutheran church was established on the Bible 36:10 and the Bible only and the just shall live by faith. 36:14 But I need to read you a verse before we go any further. 36:17 Come back to the book of Acts the third chapter. 36:21 Acts chapter 3 and verse 19. 36:25 And here Peter was preaching on the Day of Pentecost 36:27 and he made this statement. 36:28 Listen: want to read this to you. 36:30 It's a very interesting prophecy. 36:33 Acts 3 and verse 19 where he says: 37:00 You see, Peter's preaching here on the Day of Pentecost 37:03 and he said Jesus must stay in heaven. 37:05 He will not come back to this earth until the times 37:09 of restitution of all things. 37:12 Those things that have been spoken by the mouth of all 37:14 the holy prophets down through the years. 37:17 And so as we think about the second coming 37:20 Jesus cannot come back to this earth 37:22 until the times of restitution takes place. 37:28 And that's why it brings us down to this time of protest. 37:33 And Luther, as he began to walk through Germany 37:36 and preach, the people protested and they became known 37:40 as protestants or Protestants. 37:44 Unfortunately today, most of the protest 37:47 is gone from Protestants. 37:49 And if you take the protest out of Protestants, 37:53 what have you got left? 37:55 Ants. And that's about what they're doing back after row. 37:59 That was not God's intention. 38:01 They were to protest... and they did! 38:03 The same truth went over into England, and what church 38:06 was established over in England? 38:08 The Anglican church. 38:10 And I tell you, if you've been brought up in the Anglican 38:12 church you've got nothing to be ashamed of 38:14 because God established that church. 38:16 Never believe the lie that the Anglican church was... 38:19 was brought about by Henry VIII. 38:22 That's a lie! Henry VIII died a Catholic. 38:25 He was never a Protestant. Never! 38:28 The Anglican church was begun by men like Hugh Latimer, 38:32 Ridley, and Cranmer. 38:34 And as they were being burned at the stake... 38:36 And today you can go to Oxford and see the little cross 38:38 in the street opposite Balliol College 38:40 little brass cross - where those 2 men were burned at the stake. 38:44 And as the flames were licking up around their feet 38:47 Latimer, whose prayers are in the Anglican prayer book, 38:51 turned to Ridley and he said: "Master Ridley, " he said 38:53 "today by God's grace we will light a fire in England 38:57 which will never go out. " 39:00 That's where the Anglican church began: 39:02 with wonderful men like that. 39:04 And if you've been brought up in the Anglican church 39:05 you have nothing to be ashamed of. 39:08 The same truth went up into Scotland 39:10 and the Presbyterian church was established with John Knox. 39:14 Faith that I was brought up in. 39:18 And friends, God wonderfully blessed all of those churches. 39:21 They were established on the Bible and the Bible only 39:24 and the just shall live by faith. 39:25 But the trouble is, God had more light to bring to the world yet. 39:30 So this time He raised up another people 39:32 and they took the name of Baptists. 39:36 Ever heard of the Baptists? 39:37 I'm sure you have. Wonderful people. 39:39 Now the Baptists believe like the Anglicans and the 39:42 Lutherans and the Presbyterians in the Bible and the Bible only 39:44 and the just shall live by faith 39:46 but they went one step further. 39:47 What do you think they emphasized that the others 39:49 didn't emphasize? They had Bible baptism. 39:52 And do you know what the Anglicans said 39:53 and the Lutherans said and the Presbyterians said? 39:55 "Our fathers didn't teach that; get out! " 39:59 And they literally persecuted the Baptists. 40:02 In fact, the Baptists were so persecuted - particularly 40:05 in England - that they finally had to leave England 40:08 and sail over in the Mayflower. And they became known 40:10 as the pilgrim fathers who established America. 40:14 That's how America was established. 40:16 In fact, Pastor Robinson... I was just over in Plymouth 40:20 just very recently this year. 40:22 And Pastor Robinson, who was their pastor, 40:28 preached his farewell sermon to those people on the boat 40:31 on the Mayflower. And this is part of his sermon. 40:36 this is what he said. You'll see it now on the screen. 41:50 Isn't that a wonderful statement? 41:52 What he's saying is that if Luther was alive today 41:55 he wouldn't be a Lutheran. 41:58 Because light is progressive. 42:01 And as those men stood for what God revealed at the time 42:05 in which they lived they embraced it. 42:07 But if they were living today, God has more light to bring 42:11 to the world. And the closer we get to the coming of Jesus 42:13 the more understanding we're going to have - particularly 42:16 of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. 42:18 And truth is progressive... 42:20 truth is not something which stands still. 42:24 And Pastor Robinson said that. 42:26 He said: "There is much more light yet to be revealed 42:30 out of God's holy Word and I want you to be willing 42:33 to receive that when it comes. " 42:35 Only if people were to follow that good counsel. 42:39 But even the Baptists, wonderful wonderful people as they are, 42:43 still didn't understand every- thing, and God had to raise up 42:46 some more people. This time He raised up two boys, 42:49 two young men, in England. 42:53 They were known as John and Charles Wesley. 42:57 Ever heard about them? Sure. 42:59 And the great Methodist revival took place there in England. 43:04 Some believe that it was the preaching of John Wesley 43:07 that saved England from a revo- lution that convulsed France. 43:11 And there were the hymns of his brother Charles 43:15 that so stirred the Christian world and we still sing them 43:19 today... some of the most wonderful hymns there are. 43:21 You know, John Wesley's father was an itinerant preacher. 43:25 He would only come home once a year. 43:27 Not surprising that Mrs. Wesley had 19, 20 children. 43:31 Only came home once a year. 43:34 And it's interesting 43:38 that he did a wonderful work. 43:41 But Wesley believed like the others in the Bible and the 43:46 Bible only and the just shall live by faith. 43:48 BUT he went further and he began to teach methodical Bible study. 43:53 He taught methodical giving to missions. 43:56 Everything he did was methodical. 43:58 That's why the nicknamed him a "Methodist. " 44:00 Because that name wasn't a good name... that was a nickname. 44:03 "Don't tell me you want to be a Methodist" they said... 44:05 the opponents of Wesley said. 44:08 In fact, the Anglican church put out 323 tracts against 44:11 Wesley in the first six weeks he began to preach. 44:13 Because truth has always been opposed. 44:16 And they would say: "Don't belong to that queer sect 44:18 of the Methodists. " 44:22 But friends, God had truth with John Wesley. 44:27 And John Wesley began to preach and he traveled like his father 44:32 all over and stirred the social soul of England. 44:37 Outstanding individual was John Wesley! 44:40 And any of us have been brought up in the Methodist church 44:43 have nothing to be ashamed of either. 44:45 But even the Methodists didn't understand everything, 44:47 and God had yet more light to bring to the world. 44:50 Can you sense what's happening here? 44:52 As you look at the screen and you can see error coming in 44:55 step by step, can you sense that what God is doing? 44:58 He's restoring truth step by step. Can you see that? 45:02 But there's still more error that God had to weed out. 45:05 This time He raised up people by the name of Adventist. 45:08 Not Seventh-day Adventist... just the name Adventist. 45:11 Because an Adventist is someone who believes in the soon return 45:14 of Jesus. And if you believe in the soon coming of Jesus 45:16 you're an Adventist. 45:18 And this was led by a layman of the Baptist church 45:21 called William Miller. 45:23 And William Miller began to study particularly 45:26 the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. 45:29 And on the basis of those prophecies 45:32 he was convinced that Jesus was coming. 45:35 And thousands and thousands of people 45:39 everywhere round the world began to accept what Miller 45:43 was teaching. But do you know what the Anglicans said 45:46 and the Baptists and the Methodists 45:48 when William Miller began to preach these prophecies? 45:51 They said: "Our fathers didn't teach that. Get out! " 45:56 And they pushed them out of the church. 45:58 It was never God's intention that we have all these churches. 46:02 God wanted as new truth came to the world 46:05 that everybody would embrace it. 46:07 But the trouble is people drew up a creed around themselves 46:10 and they said: "This is what we believe... 46:12 nothing more, nothing less. " 46:15 And so instead of accepting that further truth 46:18 they withdrew and drew back. 46:21 But you see, the Adventists - wonderful people as they were - 46:25 never understood everything. 46:28 They still had Sunday keeping. 46:30 All of the churches that we have spoken so far 46:32 all still taught Sunday 46:34 and they all believed in the immortality of the soul. 46:38 God had to weed out those last major errors 46:41 out of the church. This time He raised up another people 46:44 and they took the name Seventh-day Adventist. 46:47 Now Seventh-day Adventists believe like the Anglicans 46:49 and the Lutherans and the Presbyterians 46:52 in the Bible and the Bible only 46:54 and the just shall live by faith. 46:55 They believe like the Baptists in baptism by immersion. 46:57 They believe like the Methodists in methodical 47:00 Bible study. They believe like the Adventists in the soon 47:03 coming of Jesus and the study of the prophecies of Daniel 47:06 and Revelation. But they went one step further. 47:10 And what do you think they emphasized that the others 47:13 weren't emphasizing? 47:14 The great teaching of the commandments of God 47:17 and the simple teachings of Jesus. 47:19 And do you know what the Anglicans said and still say? 47:22 "Get out! " The Baptists said then and still say: "Get out! " 47:27 And the Methodists still say: "Get out! " 47:31 Because friends, every church, unfortunately, 47:35 instead of wanting to embrace truth 47:38 they want to stand back where their reformers left them. 47:42 And those reformers - wonderful men as they were - 47:46 never understood all truth for the hour in which they lived. 47:53 I'm not suggesting in any way that they weren't good men, 47:56 that they weren't spiritual men and that they didn't study 47:58 their Bibles. They did! 48:01 But God had special light for the last days. 48:05 And it's God's intention that that message goes out 48:08 to everyone. And as soon as we get back 48:12 you see to the same teachings that the original church 48:16 was established on, it's interesting that a message goes 48:19 to the whole world. Just come over to Revelation chapter 14 48:23 if you wouldn't mind. Revelation chapter 14 48:25 and notice the beginning of these three messages. 48:29 Remember? We were studying about the other seminar. 48:33 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6. 48:49 You see, God has a message now that's to go to all the world. 48:53 And what is that message to every nation, 48:55 kindred, tongue, and people? 48:56 What is that message? 48:57 How is it summed up in verse 12? Have a look. 49:01 Verse 12: 49:11 Can you see that we are back now 49:14 to exactly the same platform as the original church 49:18 was established on? Namely: the commandments of God 49:21 and the faith of Jesus. 49:22 Truth has done a complete circle now 49:25 because we are back in the last days to where God established 49:28 the church in the first place. 49:30 And that's why He has a message now going to out every nation 49:34 and kindred and tongue and people 49:36 getting people ready for His return. 49:38 Now I want to say this, friends. Seventh-day Adventists 49:41 don't spend any time patting themselves on the back. 49:43 Let me make that very clear... very clear. 49:46 But Seventh-day Adventists, friends, look back on these 49:51 other churches with tremendous respect. 49:54 Because we believe that God led those churches 49:59 in re-discovering truth. Get the thought? 50:02 And what we have today we have built upon the foundation 50:06 that they have laid. 50:09 That's why we are grateful - eternally grateful - 50:13 for what they did. 50:14 But human nature being what human nature is 50:18 instead of continuing to advance with truth 50:21 people have said: "Well I'm satisfied with what I've got. 50:23 Don't tell me any more... I'm not interested. " 50:26 And that's been the tragedy of the Christian church 50:30 and we have so many denominations. 50:32 Well people say to me: "Geoff, that's not all the churches. 50:34 You said where all the churches are coming from. " 50:36 Listen: I have given you the main drift of the churches. 50:39 Now there are others. For example, out of the Baptist 50:43 church you have the Church of Christ, 50:45 you've got many other divisions that believe similarly. 50:47 Out of the Methodist church you have all your Pentecostal 50:49 churches and the myriad of divisions within that. 50:53 Out of your Adventists you have your Jehovah's Witness, 50:56 Mormons. You have all sorts of ideas 51:00 that came out of the great Adventist awakening. 51:04 I am giving you the major drift of the churches. 51:09 Now sometimes people say to me: "Well, Geoff, 51:10 how do you know that after the Seventh-day Adventist church 51:13 there's not another one? 51:15 How can you be so certain it's the last? " 51:17 I tell you, friend, how I can be absolutely certain 51:19 that it's the last. 51:21 Because Revelation 14:6-12 is the last prophecy. 51:27 Because as soon as those three messages go to the world 51:31 the harvest takes place and Jesus returns! 51:34 That's why I know it's the last. 51:36 There is no other. 51:39 And as I said, we're not spending time patting ourselves 51:41 on the back, friends. Not at all. 51:43 Because this is God's last message to the world. 51:46 And in humility I believe that God has brought you 51:50 to these meetings. I believe that God has brought you 51:52 to be watching today wherever you are around the world. 51:57 God has brought you in contact with this truth. 52:00 That's why we must take it with... grasp with our hands 52:04 and never let it go. 52:06 Because this is God's truth for these last days. 52:09 And listen: if you and I aren't faithful 52:12 in the accepting of this message 52:14 God will lay us aside and He will raise up someone else. 52:19 Because God doesn't need you and doesn't need me. 52:22 He can raise up people from the very rocks 52:26 He said on one occasion. 52:27 So He's not dependent upon us. 52:30 But He's given us an opportunity to hear truth. 52:33 And when we hear truth God wants us to accept it 52:37 and to follow it and then to help our friends 52:39 to understand it. Because I want to tell you, 52:41 friends, this is the most wonderful thing that's going on 52:43 in the world today. 52:45 There's nothing more exciting in the world 52:47 than God's last message being preached to every nation, 52:50 kindred, tongue, and people. 52:52 Someone asked me just before the meeting about other 52:55 Sabbath-keeping groups. Well friends, there are... 52:57 but they're so insignificant, so very, very, very tiny. 53:02 This is the message that God has raised up. 53:06 It is the most wide-spread message in the world. 53:09 Every nation. There isn't a place under God's heaven 53:13 that you can go today that you don't find this message 53:17 being preached before you get there. 53:18 I don't care where you go! 53:20 Because it is God's last message. 53:22 And if it IS God's last message it has to be everywhere, 53:25 isn't that right? Not just in a few places here and there 53:29 with one or two people here and there. Not at all! 53:31 This is God's message and God is raising up people. 53:35 That's why as I said He's brought you in contact 53:38 to hear this message. 53:41 And it becomes a tremendous responsibility of us 53:45 to accept this message because it is God's last message 53:51 to the world. This message to us 53:53 is as important as the message that Noah preached 53:57 to the people of his day. 54:00 Because remember Jesus said: "As it was in the days of Noah 54:04 so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the 54:06 Son of Man. " 54:08 It's exactly the same. 54:10 And we know that those people who never accepted what Noah 54:14 said were finally lost. 54:17 And I believe, friends, that the people who do not accept 54:20 this message will suffer the same fate 54:25 because it is God's final message to the world. 54:28 I don't say that because I have authority to say it. 54:31 I don't. But I know from God 54:35 that this is God's last message. 54:37 And I read in Revelation chapter 15 54:39 where it says those who are saved in the last days 54:43 have gotten the victory over the beast and over his image 54:46 and over the number of his name. 54:48 They're the group that stand victorious on the sea of glass. 54:52 And the only message in the entire Bible 54:56 that is telling people about those things 54:59 are these three messages of Revelation 14:6-12. 55:05 A message calling people back to faithfulness to Jesus 55:09 and faithfulness to His commandments. 55:13 And just as God established the truth back there 55:15 in the land... in Israel 55:17 and then the people objected and rejected Christ 55:22 and rejected the commandments 55:23 and Jesus established the Christian church. 55:25 And unfortunately many folk went into apostasy 55:29 in the Christian church. They rejected the commandments. 55:33 Moved away from the truth of God. 55:35 And then we find this great error crept into the church. 55:38 And then step by step in the Reformation 55:43 then God began to restore truth 55:47 bit by bit, section by section. 55:52 Some of the most wonderful stories are told 55:55 of men and women who stood for truth. 55:58 You know, I was over there in France... 56:00 the southern part of France... and I went down to a little 56:03 place called Constance. 56:05 It's a little medieval city today. 56:08 It's a wonderful place. If you ever go to France, 56:10 you must go and have a look at this. 56:12 It's just the same as it was in the Middle Ages. 56:16 They've preserved it. People live there still today. 56:19 You've got the mote and you've got the walls and you've got 56:22 where they used to shoot their bows and arrows out of the slit 56:25 of the windows. Just as it was in the Middle Ages. 56:30 And I walked up there... I went down to Constance 56:32 because I wanted to have a look at one particular spot 56:35 on one of those towers where they chained up 56:38 a woman by the name of Marie Durand. 56:40 She spent 38 years 56:43 there in that cold stone turret. 56:48 All she had to do was to confess 56:51 the sins to the priest and they would have let her go. 56:53 She sat there for 38 years 56:57 because she believed in the Bible. 57:00 And she was allowed to knit, and she scratched into the stone 57:04 and you can still see it today 57:06 and I photographed it... the French word resister. 57:14 She resisted the urge to give in for 38 years. 57:20 And I tell you friends what God requires today 57:24 in the world are men and women like that 57:27 that have courage of conviction 57:30 and will stand for the truth though the heavens fall. 57:33 That's what we are needing. 57:35 And I trust that God will help us to have that conviction 57:38 and that certainty in our hearts tonight. 57:41 Let's just bow our heads together in prayer. 57:43 Our wonderful Father in heaven, 57:45 I want to thank you again tonight for Jesus 57:47 and I want to thank you for the truth 57:49 that You have shown so brightly in Your Word. 57:52 Help us Lord today to be like Marie Durand 57:55 and those in Bible times who stood for truth 57:57 though the heavens fall. 57:59 Grant us much of Your blessing now as we go home 58:01 and bring us back again on our next program I pray 58:04 for Christ's sake, Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17