Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000016
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00:19 A latter-day sage was overheard
00:22 to say that the secret 00:25 of your future is hidden 00:28 in your daily routine. 00:30 The secret of your future 00:32 is hidden in your daily routine. 00:35 My old college professor used to tell us 00:38 "What you will be daily you are becoming. " 00:43 And I simply say "You are what you eat. " 00:47 You are what you feed upon. 00:49 Perhaps Galatians puts it the best 00:53 when in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 Paul says 00:57 "Be not deceived; God CANNOT be mocked. 01:01 You sow what you reap... 01:04 either good or bad. " 01:07 And I'm hoping that each of us has developed a daily routine 01:10 to feed upon the Word of God... 01:12 because the results of that feeding can only be good. 01:15 And if we feed daily on the Word of God, 01:18 then what we are going to experienced during these next 01:20 five nights can we say is actually a vitamin boost. 01:25 A vitamin supplement 01:27 for our walk on the road that leads to glory. 01:29 I bid you good evening. My name is C.A. Murray. 01:31 It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you to 01:35 volume number 4, session number 1 01:38 of Give Us The Bible... 01:39 this wonderful series that our friend, our pastor, 01:42 our evangelist Kenneth Cox has been leading us through. 01:45 This particular session will deal with a very, very 01:48 crucial subject. That of course is the subject 01:51 of the Sabbath. 01:52 Tonight's lesson will be dealing with Jesus 01:57 as Lord of the Sabbath. 01:59 And you want to hold onto that thought, because it will 02:01 come back again and again and again for truly 02:04 Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. 02:07 Before Elder Cox comes and we go much further 02:10 into the program, we have a wonderful friend 02:12 of this ministry... a music man whose name is well known. 02:16 He's going to be singing a really wonderful song. 02:19 I've got to pull it out here because he threw me a little 02:21 curve. I thought it was Learning to Lean. 02:25 It's not Learning to Lean, it's Learning to Just Believe 02:29 in Jesus... our friend, Joe Pearles. 02:45 Growing in Jesus is never easy 02:51 because there's a price to be paid. 02:57 We're constantly dying 03:00 to our own nature 03:04 while new foundations are laid. 03:10 While we are building our faith, 03:16 sufficiently He gives His grace. 03:23 I'm learning dependency on Him 03:28 so I can be healed 03:31 as I see His face. 03:36 Over and over I'm learning 03:41 to put my trust in You. 03:48 Over and over I'm learning 03:55 what child-like faith can do. 04:01 Over and over it's easy to see 04:07 just how Your Spirit is working in me. 04:13 As I grow older, 04:17 I'm learning over 04:20 to just believe. 04:36 Because I am bearing the name of Christian 04:42 I'm conscious of what people see. 04:48 The only Bible 04:51 they may ever read 04:55 is what they read through me. 05:01 So Lord do Your work... here I am. 05:07 Use me, oh God, all You can. 05:14 I'll go where You lead me 05:17 and grow as You feed me 05:20 while holding so tightly Your hand. 05:27 Over and over I'm learning 05:33 to put my trust in You. 05:39 Over and over I'm learning 05:45 what child-like faith can do. 05:52 Over and over, it's easy to see, 05:58 just how Your Spirit is living in me. 06:05 As I grow older 06:08 I'm learning over 06:11 to just believe. 06:18 As I grow older 06:21 I'm learning over 06:24 to just believe. 06:43 Joe Pearles! Did you enjoy that? 06:46 Marvelous! Always enjoy Joe! 06:49 Well good evening. 06:51 Happy to welcome you back to Give Me The Bible. 06:55 This week we're taking a look at the subject of the Sabbath. 07:00 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 07:03 This my only question be. 07:07 God gave us the Sabbath 07:09 to bless and remind us. 07:11 What says the Book of God to me? 07:14 That's what we want to find out. 07:15 That's what we're going to look at this week. 07:17 Our subject tonight is: 07:23 Going to take a look at that in detail tonight, 07:26 so we hope you will enjoy it as we go through that. 07:29 But this week we're going to cover a lot of different aspects 07:32 of the Sabbath 07:34 and we're going to see some of the conflict that took place. 07:37 And tomorrow night our presentation will be entitled: 07:46 Now folks, this subject is 07:50 so broad and so much of it in scripture 07:54 that we're going to have to do it in two sections. 07:57 So tomorrow night will be Baptized Paganism. 08:02 Sabbath morning - 11:00 AM - 08:05 we'll have Baptized Paganism part 2. 08:08 So it's going to take two sections to cover that. 08:11 So we hope you'll follow it very carefully because 08:13 it's very, very important. 08:15 And then on Saturday night 08:18 our subject will be The Sabbath Covenant. 08:22 We'll see what the scripture says about it 08:25 concerning the covenant. 08:26 And then we're going to close out on Sunday night 08:28 with How to Keep the Sabbath. 08:30 And so those are the subjects we're going to be covering 08:33 during this series. We hope it will bless you 08:36 in a special way as we take a look at what God has to say 08:40 about the Sabbath. 08:41 But tonight we're looking at: 08:47 What gives Him the right to be Lord? 08:53 Ever thought about it? 08:55 What gives Christ the right to be Lord? 08:59 What did He mean when He said He was Lord of the Sabbath? 09:03 So you need to watch as we go through this presentation... 09:06 What gives Him the right to be Lord? 09:10 And then you need to watch carefully 09:12 'cause there's a special blessing right down at the close 09:16 of the presentation. 09:18 So we hope you'll follow as we go through it 09:20 and it will bless you as we continue to take a look 09:23 God's Word and what He has to say 09:26 particularly about the Sabbath. 09:28 We're always very, very thankful 09:30 to have Joe Pearles come and be with us. 09:33 Always blesses my soul in a special way. 09:36 I enjoy his music very, very much. 09:39 He lives in a place called Greenbrier just outside of 09:42 Nashville, Tennessee. 09:44 He lives with his wife Cheryl, 09:47 and we've had the privilege of knowing Joe 09:49 for, oh, a number of years now. 09:52 And he comes and sings for us 09:54 in our meetings different places we're at. 09:56 And we just appreciate very much him being here. 09:59 Tonight he's going to sing a song that goes along with 10:02 a little bit of what we're talking about tonight. 10:04 It's entitled: The King and I. 10:11 The King and I 10:16 walk down life's road together. 10:23 Where many people 10:28 go passing by. 10:34 The Greatest One 10:39 and I, a lowly beggar, 10:45 walk hand in hand 10:52 the King and I. 10:58 Why He should care for me 11:03 will always be a mystery. 11:09 He holds the whole world in His hands... 11:16 but who am I? 11:22 And so my heart 11:26 somehow can't help but wonder 11:33 why we're together... 11:39 the King and I. 11:56 The King and I 12:01 not long ago were strangers. 12:08 I walked alone 12:14 not knowing why. 12:20 Until He came 12:24 and put His arms around me. 12:32 Now we're not strangers... 12:38 the King and I. 12:44 Why He should care for me 12:49 will always be a mystery. 12:55 He holds the whole world in His hands... 13:01 but who am I? 13:07 And so my heart 13:12 somehow can't help but wonder 13:19 why we're together... 13:24 the King and I. 13:31 Now we're together... 13:36 the King and I. 13:59 Heavenly Father, 14:02 tonight we want to open our hearts 14:07 and invite You in. 14:09 Pray, Lord, that You will be with us. 14:12 The Holy Spirit may be present 14:16 to teach, to guide, to give us understanding. 14:21 Pray, Lord, that You will help us 14:26 that we might clear away 14:29 anything that's standing in the way of Your blessing. 14:34 That our hearts might be soft, 14:37 open, pliable... 14:39 that the Holy Spirit may be able to teach us. 14:43 Bless us tonight in a special way, we pray. 14:47 In Your name, Amen. 14:56 In the 1530's, 14:59 the King of England, 15:01 Henry VIII, 15:03 broke with the Catholic church 15:05 over the fact that they were not willing 15:09 to give him the right to divorce his wife, 15:12 Catherine of Aragon, 15:15 and to marry his mistress, Anne Boleyn. 15:18 And so since they would not grant him that right, 15:22 he declared something that was going across Europe at that time 15:26 called the Divine Right of Kings. 15:30 And the Divine Right of Kings just simply says 15:33 that a king is placed there by God 15:36 and not by people. 15:38 And therefore he is only responsible to God 15:42 and to nobody else. 15:43 And he has the divine right to do what he thinks he should do. 15:48 And therefore Henry VIII 15:51 declared the Divine Right of Kings. 15:53 And since the Catholic church would not give him 15:57 what he wanted, he decided that since he was the king 16:01 that he was not only responsible for the temporal need of the 16:04 people but also their spiritual need. 16:07 And therefore he set up his own church 16:10 called the Anglican church... 16:12 which was not Protestant nor Catholic. 16:15 But it was what he set up in England 16:18 so that he could do as he pleased. 16:21 And as king of England under the Divine Right of Kings 16:26 he divorced Catherine. 16:29 Married Anne Boleyn... 16:31 divorced her. 16:33 Married several other women... 16:35 had two of them beheaded. 16:37 And so I really guess he needed somebody 16:41 to tell him what he should do 16:43 because he didn't seem to know what he should do. 16:45 But what... what right? 16:47 What right does a person have to be king? 16:52 How do they become a king? 16:55 What right do they have? 16:57 Well, some people become kings or queens 17:01 simply like we have it today. 17:04 Like in England today. 17:06 People there - the monarchs, the royal family - 17:10 they become king or queen by birth. 17:14 When Queen Elizabeth dies, well if Charles is still around 17:19 well he'll be the king. 17:20 And if he lives long enough, 17:22 and if his son William lives long enough, 17:24 he'll be the king. 17:25 So... they become king by birth. 17:29 Some people become kings or queens, if you please, 17:33 by the choice of the people. 17:36 You have an example of this in scripture. 17:38 You remember Solomon's son, Rehoboam, 17:43 didn't treat the people very good. 17:47 If fact, he was quite rough with them. 17:50 And because they didn't like what he did, 17:53 it says this: 18:12 And you remember they rejected Rehoboam 18:15 and they selected Jeroboam to be their king. 18:18 So here you have a person becoming a king 18:21 by the choice of the people. 18:23 There are other people that have become kings 18:27 of a nation or so forth by force. 18:30 They just come in and overtake the country 18:33 and they set themselves up as the king 18:36 of that particular country. 18:38 Did Jesus? 18:41 Did Jesus become King or Lord by birth? 18:47 Did He become King or Lord by the choice of the people? 18:52 Or by force? 18:55 No, I don't think so. 18:57 I really think that Christ is King 19:01 by right of position. 19:06 By the right of position He is King, 19:10 Jesus is Lord. In fact, it says here in Revelation 19:14 that when He comes back 19:15 that He'll have written on His thigh and on His robe 19:25 And if you pick up the Bible, the New Testament, 19:28 and begin to read through it, 19:30 you'll find over and over and over it refers to Him 19:34 as Lord. Refers to Him as King. 19:37 He is Lord and King, and He is that by position. 19:44 Jesus is Lord, and tonight we want to look at that 19:49 and see how that affects our lives 19:51 and how it enters into our lives 19:53 because not only did that but Jesus said: 20:01 Now why would He say that? 20:03 Why would He say that He was Lord of the Sabbath? 20:07 Well, He's Lord of the Sabbath because of this question 20:11 of position is the reason He's Lord of the Sabbath. 20:15 Because we read clearly here 20:17 that He is Lord by creation. 20:23 Created. If He has the power to create 20:27 and He could make something, 20:30 then He can certainly be the Lord of it. 20:32 And so we read in the Word of God 20:35 where it says: 20:51 So here it says clearly that God 20:54 finished creation and He rested on the seventh day. 20:59 Now watch what He does here. 21:10 So it says that He created this world 21:12 and He took that seventh day, set it aside, 21:16 and blessed and hallowed it and made it special. 21:20 Now, how does that relate to Christ? 21:24 Well, I think of many of the different things when I 21:28 became a Christian that helped me, 21:31 but this one thing helped me to understand 21:34 the Word of God I think more than anything else 21:38 that I have ever read or found out in God's Word. 21:41 And it was just this simple little thing that it says here 21:44 in John 1. It says here: 21:57 So it's saying clearly here 21:59 that the Word was in the beginning. 22:01 It was with God; it was God. 22:02 Watch as it goes on here: 22:07 That means the Word was in the beginning with God. 22:18 So it says the Word was the one who created everything. 22:22 And verse 14 of that very first chapter says: 22:26 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 22:31 and we beheld His glory as the glory of the 22:33 only begotten of the Father. " 22:35 Therefore, IF what God's Word says is true, 22:40 which I believe it is, 22:41 then Jesus is the one who created the world. 22:47 And therefore, since He created the world, 22:49 He's the one that gave the Sabbath. 22:52 Therefore He could say that He was Lord of the Sabbath. 22:56 Let me give you another scripture on this same point. 22:58 It's found in Colossians 1 verses 15 and 16. 23:26 So it makes it clear that Jesus Christ 23:29 created this world. 23:32 And since He created it, 23:35 He certainly has the right to be King. 23:39 He has that right, and He says 23:42 that He gave us the Sabbath 23:45 and that He's Lord of it. 23:47 But He's also King by the fact that He gave the law. 23:52 Now if someone has the power 23:56 to lay down laws and enforce those laws, 23:59 then certainly they have right to be King. 24:04 And it says that He's the one that gave the law. Listen: 24:15 Read that text carefully. 24:17 There is how many lawgivers? 24:19 One lawgiver than can what? 24:22 "Save and destroy. " Now listen: 24:37 Only one way we can be saved. 24:40 Now let me ask you something. 24:43 And I don't want to sound strange here, but I... 24:47 you need to think about it. 24:49 Can God save you? 24:51 I'm talking about the Father. 24:57 Can the Holy Spirit save you? 25:00 No. 25:02 Neither one of those 25:03 died for you. 25:06 Jesus Christ is the one that 25:08 died for you. 25:10 Now I don't mean to lessen God's position, 25:12 but Christ is the one that died. 25:14 He's the one that paid the price for you, 25:17 and therefore He's the only one that can save you 25:20 just because He's the only one that died for you! 25:23 And therefore He is the one there on Mount Sinai 25:27 that gave the law. 25:29 And when He gave the law, He gave it... and mankind 25:33 all the way down through the ages have seen that 25:36 and seen in God's law laws that govern 25:39 and that give men and women 25:41 the rights that they're supposed to have 25:42 and gives them a guideline for their lives. 25:45 And so Jesus said: "If you love Me, 25:47 keep" - what? 25:53 Those were His commandments that He gave there 25:56 on Mount Sinai. 25:57 Remember the? Now this is part of the law, folks. 26:02 I'm not reading something that's not in the law, 26:05 I'm reading something that IS in the law... 26:13 I've had some people tell me... they say: "Well... " You know, 26:17 I ask them about Sabbath and they'll say: "Well, 26:21 I... I keep every day holy. " 26:23 Now, friend, that's an impossibility. 26:27 You cannot keep every day holy. 26:31 Why can't you keep every day holy? 26:33 Because YOU don't make a day holy. 26:37 God is the one that makes the day holy. 26:40 All you and I can do is keep it holy. 26:43 And if God didn't make the day holy, 26:45 I don't care how hard you try you can't make it holy! 26:49 See? The only day you can keep holy is the one God MADE holy. 26:52 All right. Goes on and says: 26:54 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work... " 27:22 And Jesus Christ there gave the Sabbath 27:26 for you and for me to keep. 27:31 It goes on and tells us here. It says: 27:36 This is Christ talking. 27:50 So He said not one jot nor one tittle 27:53 is going to change in the law. It's not going to happen. 27:55 That means that law is going to continue right on. 27:59 That will take place. 28:01 So the law is something that will continue. 28:04 And since He gave the law, 28:09 and He has the right to... if you please, 28:13 enforce the law, 28:16 He has the right to be King... 28:18 has the right to be Lord. 28:20 Listen. This is what He says: 28:41 OK. In other words, what God is saying is 28:45 "If you want to recognize Me as King, 28:50 if you want to recognize Me as the Lord, 28:54 keep My Sabbaths. " 28:57 It's a sign. It's a sign between me and Jesus Christ 29:02 that He is Lord. 29:05 Said: "It's a sign between Me and them that they might 29:09 know that I am the Lord" who what? 29:11 "sanctifies them. " 29:13 Marvelous promise. 29:15 You understand what that means when it says that 29:18 He sanctifies you? 29:19 In other words, what He's saying, folks, is very simple. 29:23 He's saying: "If I can make a day holy, 29:26 I can make you holy. " 29:29 See? That's what He promises. 29:31 He promises that He will do that for us. 29:33 But in order for you and for me 29:36 to have that done in our lives, 29:38 you have to recognize Him as Lord. 29:43 You see, you can't say: "Oh, yeah. 29:46 I... I accept Christ as Lord. 29:49 I just don't follow Him. " 29:51 You know, it doesn't work that way. 29:54 If He's Lord, you have to follow Him. 29:57 That's... that's required 29:59 in order for it to take place. 30:00 Some people get it confused, but the Bible is crystal clear 30:04 as to how God set up the days. Listen to this. 30:07 This is found in Ezekiel 46 verse 1: 30:23 Now this is talking about a special gate 30:26 in Jerusalem that was closed the six working days. 30:32 OK? Then it says: 30:42 It says that this special gate that had... where they went in 30:45 to worship, said that gate is open on the Sabbath. 30:49 The other six working days it's closed. 30:54 So God made it very clear 30:57 that all the days of the week 30:59 except the Sabbath are what? 31:03 Working days. 31:05 That's what it says: "six working days. " 31:06 Those are working days. 31:08 The Sabbath is a special time. 31:11 He says this: 31:13 How many days? 31:33 I highlighted that word convocation. 31:36 "A holy convocation. " 31:38 And the reason I did that is because some people 31:41 don't understand some things about the Sabbath. 31:44 That word "a holy convocation, " 31:46 that word convocation means to meet together. 31:49 That means to worship together. 31:52 In other words, what that text is telling you... 31:54 the Sabbath is a time when you go to church 31:58 and you meet together and you worship together. 32:01 That's a holy convocation. 32:03 It's not a day in which I go do my own thing. 32:07 It's a day that I follow the Lord. 32:10 I worship Him because He took that day 32:13 and blessed it and hallowed it and sanctified it... 32:16 and therefore it's special. 32:18 A special time that the Lord made and gave. 32:22 He's also Lord by example. 32:27 See, He's Lord by creation. 32:31 He's Lord by the fact that He gave the law. 32:34 But if He's Lord, then He also is Lord by example. 32:39 Telling us that we should follow as He followed. 32:42 Listen, this is His words: 32:54 So He says, "If you're going to follow Me, 32:58 you need to walk just as I walked. " 33:01 That's how to follow Christ. 33:03 So how did He walk? 33:11 So He said: "Listen, I've given you the law. 33:13 And this is given to you that you will walk 33:17 in My commandments. 33:19 That you'll follow Me. " 33:21 This is how you and I are to follow Him. 33:24 He's our example. 33:27 That's what He's asked us to do. 33:29 And so, what was Christ's example? 33:32 What did He do? 33:44 Custom is something that you do over and over. 33:49 It's not something you do one time. 33:51 It's something you do regularly. 33:53 It's a custom you do over and over. 33:55 It was His custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. 33:59 Why? 34:01 Because it's a holy convocation. 34:03 See? It was a time when they met together to worship. 34:07 It was a holy convocation, 34:09 and so they came and they worshiped together. 34:12 Something that they did. 34:15 They had some very strange ideas about the Sabbath 34:20 in Christ's day. 34:21 And He came to try to help the people to understand 34:25 how the Sabbath was to be kept. 34:27 It says here in Luke 6:6: 34:32 And by the way, Christ performed more miracles 34:38 on the Sabbath than He did any other day of the week. 34:43 OK? More miracles on the Sabbath 34:47 than He did any other day of the week. 34:49 If you just pick up your Bible and start reading it 34:51 and you'll see... Sabbath after Sabbath 34:54 He is healing somebody. Opening somebody's eyes. 34:58 Doing something. So this is the Sabbath... 35:00 Watch: 35:06 That was His custom, OK? 35:29 Watching Him. Making sure that He didn't heal on the Sabbath. 35:33 Why? 35:35 Because they believed it was wrong. 35:38 They believed it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath. 35:41 They believed you couldn't do that. 35:43 They didn't believe you should be healed on the Sabbath. 35:46 So they watched Him, 'cause they felt 35:48 that was working... that was breaking the Sabbath - 35:52 as far as they was concerned - 35:53 to heal somebody on the Sabbath. 35:55 So He does this: 36:00 He understood what was going on in their minds. 36:08 Told the man to come here. 36:10 Stood there with his withered hand. 36:28 Which is it lawful to do? 36:30 And of course they didn't answer. 36:44 You see, it's not wrong, folks, 36:47 to do good on the Sabbath. 36:50 That's not wrong. 36:53 What is wrong is to ignore the Sabbath. 36:59 What is wrong to say is 37:00 "Jesus is my Lord" and not follow Him. 37:05 That's what's wrong. 37:07 Not to do good on the Sabbath. That's right. 37:10 That's the way you keep the Sabbath is by doing good 37:13 on the Sabbath. 37:16 Even in His death, 37:20 we find that Christ made it very clear 37:24 how the Sabbath fit in here. 37:26 And, you know, at the time we call Easter 37:29 we remember specially the death of Christ 37:33 and His resurrection. 37:35 Watch what it says here: 37:38 Now when it says "this man went to Pilate, " 37:40 it's speaking of Joseph of Arimathea... 37:42 who was a very wealthy man. 37:45 Very high up in the government. 37:48 He went to Pilate; asked for the body of Jesus. 37:52 Then he took it down. 37:54 Pilate got confirmation that Jesus was dead. 37:57 He took His body down; wrapped it in linen... 38:11 Now when it says "That day was the Preparation, " 38:14 that was the day before the Sabbath. 38:16 That's what is simply means. 38:19 That day was the Preparation, the day before the Sabbath. 38:21 At Easter time we refer to that day as Good Friday. 38:27 That's the day that Jesus died: 38:31 on the Preparation day. 38:32 "and the Sabbath" what? 38:43 So they got there; they saw where they had placed Him, OK? 38:56 So they went there. They saw where Jesus was placed. 38:59 They went back home. They prepared what was necessary 39:02 to take care of His body, 39:04 and they rested the Sabbath according to the commandment. 39:08 Very, very clear. 39:11 Now the Bible is very clear, folks, 39:14 as to when the Sabbath begins. 39:16 I run onto people who have questions 39:19 as to when the Sabbath begins. 39:21 The Bible is crystal clear about it. 39:23 It says here in Leviticus 23:32: 39:30 Well some people say "Well that just means 39:33 from 6 o'clock to 6 o'clock or from... that. 39:36 No, that isn't really what it means. 39:38 It actually means from sunset to sunset 39:43 is the time that it means. 39:46 Jesus had gone through the area, 39:49 had healed people, but the Sabbath came. 39:52 Since the Pharisees taught that it was wrong 39:56 to heal on the Sabbath, 39:58 the people would not bring their sick to Christ 40:02 until the Sabbath was over. 40:05 So now the Sabbath is over. 40:07 Watch what the scripture says here: 40:26 The Sabbath was over. They brought their sick, 40:30 and Christ healed every one. 40:31 So it made it clear... when the sun was going down 40:34 that was the end of the Sabbath. 40:36 So the Bible is clear... It's from sunset to sunset 40:40 is the time of the Sabbath. 40:43 And it says this very clearly in the scripture. 40:46 Sun had set. It says: 40:57 And they found the stone rolled away. 41:00 He had come forth from the grave. 41:03 Had been resurrected. 41:05 And so the Bible lines it up 41:06 so that you and I don't have any questions to ask 41:09 of when the Sabbath starts and when it ends and so forth 41:13 because it just simply tells us the Preparation day 41:16 was the day before the Sabbath, which was called Friday. 41:20 The Sabbath is what we call Saturday. 41:25 And then it says that He rose on the first day of the week 41:29 which is Sunday. 41:31 I don't have any trouble knowing which day is the Sabbath, do I? 41:36 If I know which day is Friday, 41:38 then if I know which day is the first day of the week - 41:41 which is Sunday - 41:42 I don't have any trouble knowing which day is the Sabbath. 41:44 It's clear. 41:46 Sabbath is the time that in His life 41:50 He observed and kept. 41:51 In fact, He gave the admonition to His disciples. 41:55 Said to pray... 42:01 Two reasons for that. 42:02 One, if it was winter, it would be hard on them 42:05 because they had to flee... leave their homes. 42:07 Secondly, on the Sabbath 42:09 the gates of the city could be shut and they couldn't get out. 42:13 And so He said: "Pray that your flight won't be in the winter 42:17 nor on the Sabbath day. " 42:20 That didn't take place until 39 years 42:25 after the death of Jesus. 42:28 Not only that, His followers kept the Sabbath. 42:34 I have people say to me 42:35 "Well, why do you keep the Sabbath? " 42:38 And I have an answer that I always give them... 42:41 is because I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. 42:45 That's the reason I keep the Sabbath: 42:47 because He's Lord of the Sabbath. 42:50 Therefore since He's my Lord, I follow Him. 42:53 So, you find the followers of Jesus kept the Sabbath 42:57 as Paul. Listen here to what it says about Paul: 43:29 These are not Jews, folks. 43:31 These are Gentiles. 43:33 This is a Gentile city, 43:36 and they have... whole city has turned out 43:38 the next Sabbath to hear the Word of God preached. 43:40 How did they react to what they heard? 43:49 They heard it, they believed it, 43:52 they followed it, they kept it... 43:54 because they became followers of Jesus Christ. 44:00 You see, He is Lord by the example. 44:04 And Paul... Paul's example. It says here: 44:16 So Jesus said I've given you an example. 44:19 I want you to listen to the words of Jesus 44:23 as to what you and I should do. 44:49 So He made it very clear that He's given us an example. 44:53 We need to follow Him in the example He gave. 44:56 Also, He's Lord by promise. 45:05 He has the ability to promise something. 45:10 And history bears out 45:14 that what He promises happens. 45:17 So He gave this promise that only as Lord could He 45:22 give this kind of a promise. 45:54 Now you see, to give that kind of promise 45:57 He has to be Lord. 46:00 That He's coming back; He's going to take us 46:03 to be with Him. 46:05 When He promises to come back and He promises something to you 46:09 He says this is what's going to happen. 46:39 So every Sabbath all of God's people are going to 46:42 come and worship before Him. 46:45 Marvelous promise 46:47 that He gives to you and to me 46:50 that He is Lord... Lord of our lives. 46:55 That He will guide and direct and lead us. 47:01 Now I told you that at the end there's a special blessing. 47:05 And I want you to follow the special blessing that He 47:09 has for you and for me in a special way. 47:32 I read this, and it's such a wonderful promise... 47:36 that He is Lord. 47:39 And then it just says that He loved us 47:43 and washed us from our sins in His own blood. 47:48 Oh how thankful I am tonight 47:50 that that's not turned around. 47:52 I'm glad it doesn't say 47:54 that He washed us and then loved us. 47:58 See, it says He loved us and then washed us. 48:03 Seem, I'm glad He doesn't love us like we love babies. 48:07 You know what I mean. 48:08 If the baby, you know, has been powdered and everything, 48:14 anybody will pick it up and love it. 48:15 But you let it get a dirty diaper and a snotty nose, 48:19 and watch how many people go the other way. 48:20 See, God loves us just exactly like we are. 48:25 That's the way He loves us and cares for us. 48:27 And then... He washes us and makes us clean. 48:33 See? That's the marvelous thing that He does in our lives. 48:38 But oh, dear friend, He does more than that. 48:41 He does more than that. 48:43 Much, much more than just that. 48:46 Listen: 49:00 Takes... turns right around 49:02 and takes you and me and makes us kings 49:06 and priests to His God. 49:08 Not... you're not a king by birth. 49:15 You're not a king by the choice of the people. 49:21 You're not that by force. 49:25 You become a king or a priest 49:27 because He makes you so. 49:31 Because He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 49:35 He's over everything. 49:37 He is the God of the universe 49:41 and all and so it's no wonder 49:43 that when all the people 49:45 are gathered there 49:46 they're going to sing. 49:49 And they're going to say: 50:05 He reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 50:09 I want to ask you tonight, 50:11 is Jesus Christ your Lord? 50:15 Is He the King of your life? 50:18 Are you willing to let Him 50:22 guide and lead you and direct you? 50:26 I want you to listen as Joe sings. 50:32 I will follow Thee, 50:35 my Savior, 50:39 wheresoe'er my lot may be. 50:45 Where Thou goest 50:48 I will follow; 50:52 Yes, my Lord, 50:55 I'll follow Thee. 51:00 I will follow Thee, 51:04 my Savior, 51:07 Thou didst shed Thy blood 51:11 for me; 51:15 And though all my friends 51:20 forsake me, 51:23 By Thy grace 51:27 I'll follow Thee. 51:36 What about you, friend? 51:39 Are you willing tonight to follow Jesus Christ? 51:43 Are you willing to let Him 51:45 call the shots in your life? 51:49 Are you willing to let Him tell you "this is the way, 51:52 walk ye in it. " 51:55 You see, this is simply what He asks of you and of me. 52:00 That we are to give Him the right 52:03 to be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords 52:07 in our lives. 52:08 That we accept Him as that; we follow Him; 52:11 we do what His Word says. 52:14 And so He says "If you want to do that, 52:18 then honor Me. 52:20 For My Sabbath is a sign between Me and you 52:25 that I am Lord. " 52:28 Let us pray. 52:31 Heavenly Father, tonight 52:32 we thank you. Thank you that You 52:38 are the Lord, that You are King. 52:44 That You created us. 52:46 That You made the Sabbath. 52:49 That You set it aside as a special time. 52:52 That You gave us Your law 52:54 to give us guidance and direction, 52:58 and that You gave an example that we should follow. 53:01 And so, Lord, tonight 53:04 we want to surrender our lives to You. 53:07 Place our lives in Your hands 53:10 and let You guide and lead and direct us 53:13 to walk as You walked. 53:16 Bless each one here... 53:17 those that are listening by radio, 53:20 those that are watching by television... 53:22 Lord, may they tonight surrender their hearts to You. 53:27 Accept You as the Lord of their life. 53:31 Be willing to follow You and to walk with You. 53:36 We are thankful that You promise that You will be with us 53:41 to care for us and that it will be well with us 53:46 because we have let You guide our lives. 53:48 We pray in Christ's name, Amen. 53:54 Remember our next presentation is entitled 53:58 Baptized Paganism. 54:00 Baptized Paganism. 54:01 We're going to take a look 54:03 at some of the conflicts 54:05 that takes place between 54:07 paganism and the scripture, 54:09 and how it influences our life today. 54:12 Some of the things that goes on 54:14 in our own lives that really the background and all that 54:18 came from paganism... 54:20 not from Christianity. 54:22 So we hope you'll be here 54:24 as we go into our next presentation: 54:26 Baptized Paganism. May God bless you. 54:29 Have a good night. 54:30 Stay close to the Lord, and remember that God loves you. 54:37 Jesus said in Luke chapter 8 54:39 a sower went out to sow his seed. 54:41 And as he sowed, 54:43 some fell by the wayside 54:45 and it was trampled down 54:47 and the birds of the air devoured it. 54:49 Some fell on rock 54:51 and as soon as it sprang up it withered 54:53 because it lacked moisture. 54:55 And some fell among thorns 54:57 and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 55:01 But others fell on good ground, 55:03 sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundred-fold. 55:07 Jesus Christ came to sow the seed of truth 55:10 into this world. 55:12 And just as every seed has life in it, 55:14 the Word of God is also life. 55:17 Jesus said in John 6:63 55:19 "The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit 55:23 and they are life. " 55:24 But sadly in this day and age 55:27 many professed ministers of the gospel 55:29 don't accept the Bible as God's inspired Word. 55:32 Because its plain teachings condemn their practices 55:36 they have tried to make it appear mysterious 55:39 and obscure in order to excuse their own transgressions 55:42 of God's law. 55:43 There are those who try to make everything seem 55:46 pleasant and positive. 55:47 They gloss over or ignore the warnings of God, 55:50 and thus they strip the Bible of the power to convict 55:54 sinners of their need of salvation. 55:56 But no matter how brilliant and how pleasant they sound 56:00 their message cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger 56:04 of a true seeker. 56:08 The truth is that ever since the fall of man 56:11 Satan has been busy sowing the seed of error. 56:14 But friends, when the Word of God is preached 56:17 in simplicity and sincerity, 56:19 it's powerful. 56:20 Instead of pointing out the errors of others 56:23 or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel, 56:26 we must follow the example of Christ 56:28 and simply sow the seeds of truth. 56:31 Oh, yes, there will be seeds that will fall by the wayside, 56:36 be eaten by the birds. 56:38 Other seeds will sprout in stony soil 56:41 only to dry up for the lack of water. 56:44 Still others will fall among the thorns, 56:46 but many will spring up to bear an abundant fruit. 56:51 The sower's job is to sow seed. 56:54 And believe me, there is no greater joy 56:57 than to see the lives transformed under the influence 57:01 of the Holy Spirit. 57:02 It's an experience all of us can have, 57:05 and it's the only goal we have as a ministry team. 57:09 We have a marvelous opportunity 57:12 to sow by broadcasting these wonderful seeds of life 57:15 to the whole world. 57:17 Jesus gave all of us the gospel commission. 57:20 Won't you join us in this effort? 57:23 Please consider what you can do 57:25 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:28 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:30 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:45 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 57:47 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17