Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000019
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00:20 An interesting phenomenon
00:22 began to appear in the Middle 00:23 Ages in Europe. 00:25 Across the continent, 00:27 churchmen... Abbotts, bishops, 00:31 friars, and monks would appear in certain towns with letters. 00:34 These letters were... apparently, 00:37 or should I say allegedly... 00:39 written by God and left on the altars of certain churches. 00:43 There is one story of a monk by the name of Eustace of Flay 00:47 who was in a town where they were keeping Sabbath 00:49 and no one listened to his preaching. 00:51 And so he came back a couple years later 00:53 with a letter left on the altar of the church of San Simeon 00:57 allegedly written by God and left there 01:01 with a number of sanctions... 01:03 things that were going to happen to the people 01:05 if they didn't keep Sunday. 01:06 Well there were some who were frightened into Sunday-keeping, 01:09 but most people just stuck with the word that they knew 01:12 and they kept on with Sabbath. 01:15 Well, that's the way truth is. 01:18 Truth cannot be feared away or scared away or 01:21 tortured away or driven away or burned away. 01:25 Truth, like a dandelion, always comes back 01:29 because truth is as eternal as the God who gave it. 01:33 There is much scholarship that even says the great 01:36 St. Patrick was a Sabbath-keeper. 01:38 Certainly his spiritual predecessor Columba 01:40 was a Sabbath-keeper. That's the way truth is. 01:43 Truth is as eternal as the God who gave it, 01:48 and we must always hold fast to the truth. 01:51 And that's why I'm so glad to be part of Give Me The Bible. 01:54 Because it's the truth, the whole truth, 01:58 and nothing but the truth. 02:00 Bid you good evening. My name is C.A. Murray 02:02 and I'm so proud to introduce Kenneth Cox 02:05 who God is using in a marked way. 02:07 God has given him an ability to make the plain plainer, 02:13 the simple simpler, 02:14 and the profound and complex easy to understand 02:18 and to believe. 02:20 Take a bouquet of flowers. 02:24 Throw them to the ground. 02:26 Crush them beneath your heel. 02:28 That fragrance that comes up from that crushed bouquet... 02:32 you know what that is? 02:34 That's truth. 02:35 Truth is as eternal as the God who gave it. 02:39 We've been blessed each night to have the musical talent 02:44 of a voice that is really internationally known. 02:47 Great baritone singer and really a wonderful Christian person: 02:51 Joe Pearles. 02:52 He's coming now, and he's going to sing 02:55 Across the Bridge. 03:03 I have lived a life of sin 03:07 in this world I'm living in. 03:09 I have done forbidden things I shouldn't do. 03:15 I asked a beggar on the way 03:18 if he could tell me where to stay... 03:21 where I could find real happiness 03:23 and love that's true. 03:26 Across the bridge there's no more sorrow. 03:32 Across the bridge there's no more pain. 03:38 The sun will shine across the river 03:44 and you'll never be unhappy again. 03:55 Follow the footsteps of the King 03:58 till you hear the voices ring. 04:01 They'll be singing out the glory of the Lamb. 04:06 The River Jordan will be there; 04:10 the sound of trumpets you will hear; 04:13 you'll behold the most precious place ever known to man. 04:18 Across the bridge there's no more sorrow. 04:24 Across the bridge there's no more pain. 04:30 The sun will shine across the river 04:36 and you'll never be unhappy again. 04:42 Across the bridge there's no more sorrow. 04:47 Across the bridge there's no more pain. 04:53 The sun will shine across the river 04:59 and you'll never be unhappy again. 05:05 And you'll never be unhappy again. 05:20 Thank you! Thank you, Joe Pearles. 05:23 Well good evening. Good evening. 05:25 Very glad to welcome all of you back again this evening. 05:28 Appreciate you being here. 05:30 We hope you've had a good day. 05:32 And we just hope that you'll be 05:34 blessed in a special way. 05:35 We want to say a special welcome 05:38 to all of our television audience that's watching 05:40 and those that are listening on radio. 05:42 We welcome you back and we hope that as we go into this subject 05:46 it will bless you in a special way. 05:48 Tonight we're continuing our presentations on the Sabbath. 05:52 And our subject tonight is the 05:56 Sabbath Covenant. And I hope that this will help you 06:00 understand in a better way your relationship to God. 06:05 And so as we go into it try to follow that. 06:08 Our next presentation - our last one in this series 06:14 on the Sabbath - will be entitled: 06:20 This is a question we have come up over and over and over. 06:23 People ask: "Well, how do you keep the Sabbath? " 06:25 "What's involved in it? " 06:27 And so that's what we're going to look at in our next 06:30 presentation is how you and I as followers of the Lord 06:34 should keep the Sabbath. 06:35 So we hope it will help you in our relationship to Christ. 06:39 Tonight what do you want to look for in the subject 06:42 on the covenant? 06:43 Well, the first thing you need to look for is you 06:46 want to make sure you know what the covenant is. 06:50 What is the covenant that God wants to make with you? 06:54 What is that covenant? 06:55 And what are the ramifications of it? 06:59 What's involved in the covenant? 07:01 How do you go about keeping it? 07:03 Those are some things that we'll look at tonight 07:06 as we talk about the Sabbath Covenant. 07:08 What it does for you and for me. 07:11 A very, very special time, and we hope that it will help you 07:16 see in a greater degree than ever before 07:21 God's love towards you and how that you 07:25 as an individual can follow the Lord and walk with Him. 07:28 So we hope you'll be blessed in a very special way 07:32 because the Sabbath is a very very special time 07:37 that God has given to you and to me. 07:40 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 07:43 This should my only question be. 07:46 God gave us the Sabbath to bless and remind us. 07:52 What says the Book of God to me? 07:55 That's what we want to find out; that's what we want to look at. 07:58 So we're glad you're here. 08:00 Hope you're enjoying them. 08:02 We pray that you'll continue to follow the Lord day by day. 08:06 It's always nice to have Joe Pearles with us. 08:10 I am always specially blessed as he sings 08:15 and helps me in my walk with the Lord. 08:19 And tonight he's going to sing a song that 08:22 maybe you've never heard before. 08:24 I only heard it as he practiced it, 08:27 and it's a special song. 08:30 It's title is The Plan of Salvation. 08:45 I want to thank Jesus 08:51 for the plan of salvation. 08:58 Just to say "Lord, I love You, 09:04 for You understand. " 09:10 I want to be there on 09:16 that great judgment morning 09:22 to touch all the nail prints 09:28 in His feet and His hands. 09:34 One morning at daybreak 09:40 a crowd slowly gathered. 09:46 They were walking my Lord up 09:52 old Calvary's hill. 09:59 So sad was the scene there 10:05 that the birds hushed their singing. 10:11 Like a lamb He was humble 10:16 to His Father's own will. 10:23 I want to thank Jesus 10:29 for the plan of salvation. 10:35 Just to say "Lord, I love You, 10:41 for You understand. 10:47 I want to be there on 10:54 that great judgment morning 11:00 to touch all the nailprints 11:06 in His feet and His hands. 11:12 I want to thank Jesus 11:18 for the plan of salvation. 11:24 Just to say "Lord, I love you, 11:30 for You understand. " 11:36 I want to be there on 11:42 that great judgment morning 11:49 to touch all the nailprints 11:55 in His feet and His hands. 12:01 To touch all the nailprints 12:07 in His feet and His hands. 12:31 Our Father in Heaven, 12:35 tonight we take the moment... time... 12:39 just to say thank you. 12:42 Thank you, Lord, for Your sacrifice upon Calvary 12:48 that offers to each of us hope and life. 12:54 We pray tonight, Lord, that we might see... 12:57 that we might understand 13:00 the special relationship You want to have 13:04 with each one of us. 13:07 May we learn how to walk, how to follow. 13:12 Give us Your Spirit tonight, Lord. 13:16 Pray that it may fill us 13:19 and that each of us may have clear insight 13:23 to what Your Word says. 13:25 For these things we thank You 13:28 in Christ's name, Amen. 13:35 In Revelation the 19th chapter 13:38 it describes Jesus' second coming. 13:42 Describes Him coming back on a 13:44 white horse. 13:45 And it says this about it. It says that... 13:54 Now it's not unusual 13:57 for somebody to have their name written on their garment. 14:02 You find that occasionally. 14:04 But why would Christ have His name written on His thigh? 14:09 That you don't see very often. 14:12 But it says that He has His name written on His thigh. 14:16 You remember Abraham. 14:19 Abraham of old did not want his son, 14:23 Isaac, marrying one of the Canaanite women. 14:25 And so he called his old servant Eleazer 14:30 and he said: "I want you to go back to my home place 14:33 and I want you to find a wife for Isaac. " 14:36 And it says this about his relationship with Eleazer. 14:40 Watch what it says here: 15:06 You see, that's the way they entered into a covenant 15:09 or an oath. They placed their hand under the person's thigh 15:14 and they entered into that covenant with it. 15:17 So that's the reason Christ's name is written on His thigh... 15:20 because it represents His covenant when He comes back... 15:24 a covenant that He has with His people. 15:27 You see the Lord is looking 15:30 for people that will be His people. 15:35 That what He's looking for. 15:37 He's looking for those that He can say 15:39 "these are My people. " 15:42 Listen to what He says about them. 15:43 Says this: 16:04 He said "I'm looking for some people that will be My people. 16:08 They will be a special treasure to Me 16:11 above all the people that are on the face of the earth. " 16:15 Now there are people that say 16:16 "Well, that was referring to the Jewish people, 16:20 and that's what He was talking about is the Jewish people. " 16:23 No, it's really not 16:25 because that same promise, folks, 16:27 is repeated in the New Testament. Listen: 16:49 How do we know it's not talking about the Jewish people here? 16:52 Listen: 17:04 So he's saying clearly that this was referring to the Gentile. 17:08 So God is looking for some people that He can enter into 17:13 a covenant with. That's what He wants to be... 17:16 enter into a covenant 17:18 and He can say: "these are My people. " 17:21 And those people that He enters into a covenant with 17:26 He says "these are a special treasure to Me. " 17:32 Listen, He gives this promise: 17:48 So He said: "If you'll just enter into this covenant with Me 17:51 and if you'll obey My voice, keep My commandments, 17:55 you WILL be a special treasure. " 17:59 Now that ought to mean something to you 18:02 when God says: "You'll be a special treasure to Me. " 18:05 Let me ask you something. 18:06 If you're a special treasure to God, 18:09 then is He going to take care of you? 18:14 Huh? 18:16 Absolutely! You can depend on that. 18:18 He will take care of you. 18:20 He promises that. He promises this: 18:43 He said: "If you'll just do this 18:45 it will be well with you. 18:46 Things will go like they should. " 18:48 This is what God wants to do for you and for me 18:53 if we're just willing to enter into this covenant. 18:55 So what is the covenant? 18:58 What is the covenant that God wants to make with you 19:02 and with me? Let's see what it is. 19:25 That's the covenant. 19:27 God says: "OK, the covenant I want to make with you 19:31 is you are to be My people 19:34 and I will be your God. " 19:37 And He mentions this over and over in the scripture. 20:02 That's the covenant, folks. 20:04 He's saying: "You be My people, I will be your God. 20:09 And if you are My people, 20:11 then you will be a special treasure to Me 20:15 and it will be well with you. " 20:19 That's something that you and I can depend on. 20:23 That's something that we know God will do. 20:25 In the New Testament it carries the same theme 20:29 right on through. Here in II Corinthians it says: 20:47 So that's the covenant. 20:48 If you're looking for the covenant... 20:50 the covenant you are making with Him and you are saying 20:53 "You be my God, 20:54 I will be Your people. " 20:58 So the question I have this evening 21:00 is: are you willing to do that? 21:02 Are you willing just to say: "You be my God, 21:07 I will obey Your voice. 21:09 I'll walk in Your commandments. " 21:12 And God says: "If you will do that, 21:15 I will be your God 21:18 and I will take special care of you. " 21:23 That He promises to you and to me. 21:27 When God makes a covenant, 21:29 He sometimes makes an everlasting covenant. 21:33 That means it never ends. 21:37 It's good for eternity. 21:39 Everlasting covenant. 21:40 He made an everlasting covenant with Abraham of old. 22:10 So He said: "I'm going to make a covenant with you. 22:13 I will be your God; you shall be My people. 22:16 This will be an everlasting covenant 22:19 that I will make with you. " 22:21 Takes that and brings it right on down 22:23 as it refers to you and me. 22:26 He says: "If you are of Christ, 22:29 then you are... " What? 22:30 So He said: "This covenant that I made over here with Abraham 22:34 of old - this everlasting covenant I made with him - 22:37 if you accept Christ 22:40 then you are Abraham's seed 22:43 and heirs according to the promise. " 22:47 So the promises He made to Abraham 22:50 when He said: "I'll be your God; you be My people, 22:52 I'll bless you... " those promises are yours. 22:55 Because He said He gave you... "If you be of Christ, 22:58 then you're Abraham's seed. " 23:00 Ephesians he goes on and says: 23:12 They were Gentiles in the flesh. 23:15 That meant before we accepted Christ we were without Him. 23:28 He said: "When you were without Christ 23:30 you were strangers, you were alien. 23:32 You weren't part of the covenant of promise... " 23:49 So He said: "This promise I made. 23:52 This covenant I made applies to you as well. " 23:55 He continues here and says: 24:09 Now did you understand what he's saying there? 24:11 "Sons of Abraham. " 24:13 In other words he's saying: "Just because you may have been 24:18 born a Jew 24:22 that doesn't make you a child of Abraham... 24:29 only those that are a child by faith. " 24:43 In other words, I accept Christ. 24:47 When you accept Christ, you become part of Abraham's seed 24:52 and by faith you receive the promise that He made 24:57 to Abraham of old. 25:20 So this evening what you and I must decide 25:25 is am I willing 25:30 to reach out in faith and say 25:33 "You be my God. 25:36 I'll walk with You. 25:38 I'll obey Your voice. 25:40 I'll keep Your commandments 25:42 if You will be my God. " 25:45 And God says: "If you will do that, 25:47 then you will be My people 25:52 and it will be well with you. " 25:56 OK. 25:59 now watch what happens here... 26:01 He's saying: "You're My people. 26:04 I'll care for you. " 26:06 And then He turns right around and He gives you something 26:09 to substantiate that... to make sure you understand. 26:14 And it says: 26:25 Said: "Now I'm going to make a covenant with you here 26:28 and I'll be your God; you shall be My people. " 26:30 And He said: "I'm going to give you the Sabbath 26:33 as a perpetual covenant that you 26:36 are to keep the Sabbath as evidence 26:39 that you are My people. " 26:42 Watch! It says this over and over. 27:01 So He said: "It's a sign between Me and you. " 27:24 See He's saying: "Listen, I'm giving you the Sabbath 27:27 and the Sabbath is to be a sign 27:32 that you are My people. " 27:35 And He said: "Walk with Me. 27:38 Obey My voice. 27:40 Follow Me, 27:42 and I in turn will bless you. 27:45 And the Sabbath is a sign that I have given you. " 28:01 He said: "This is a sign that I am making between you and Me. " 28:05 This is a covenant that He has made with us. 28:22 So this is the covenant that God wants to make, 28:26 and He gave us the Sabbath as a sign of that covenant. 28:31 And He said: "This is a perpetual covenant 28:33 that will go on forever. " 28:35 Now the question that we need to ask ourselves this evening is: 28:50 Or was that just a covenant He made with the Jewish people? 28:53 Was the Gentile included in that covenant He made? 28:59 Well, the children of Israel are standing on the banks 29:05 of the Jordan River. 29:07 They're about to go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 29:11 and Moses is speaking to them here. 29:14 I want you to listen to what he says to them: 29:34 Well... who else was there? 29:40 He said: "I'm making this covenant not just with you alone 29:43 but also with those that stand with us here today. " 29:45 Who else was there? 29:46 Well there was quite a few Egyptians that had come. 29:51 And he said not just with that 29:53 but with those that aren't even here. 29:55 So that covenant included 29:57 more than just the Jewish people. 29:59 Listen to this one: 30:22 There it is, you see. He said: 30:24 "I'm making a sign; 30:27 I'm making a covenant with you. 30:28 And the Sabbath I'm giving you is to be a sign. " 30:32 All right, let's watch as it goes on: 30:55 So, yes. It included much more than just the Jewish people. 31:00 It included the Gentiles as well. 31:03 So when God says "Follow Me, 31:06 walk with Me, keep My commandments, " 31:09 dear friend that included the Gentiles. 31:12 That was a promise that He gave, 31:14 and He said: "I want you to be My people 31:17 and I'll be your God. " 31:20 Well, when you pick up your Bible and you begin to study it 31:24 and go through it, it talks about a new covenant. 31:29 A new covenant. 31:32 Why did we need a new covenant? 31:34 It says here: 31:42 So... so there was something wrong... 31:46 something wrong with the first covenant. 31:50 Was there something wrong with the conditions of the covenant? 31:56 Was there something wrong with what was written down? 31:59 What was wrong with the first covenant because it 32:02 said if... if there wasn't anything wrong with it 32:04 well then we didn't need a second one. 32:06 So there was something wrong with it. 32:09 Well let's see if we can find out where the problem is... 32:11 what was wrong with it. 32:12 This is Moses. It said he... 32:24 Was that a good response or a bad response? 32:26 Oh, that was a good response. 32:28 Wasn't anything wrong with that response. 32:31 So they said: "All that the Lord has said we will do 32:33 and be obedient. " 32:35 Where was the problem? 32:38 Well the problem was here, folks. 32:45 The problem wasn't with what was written down. 32:48 The problem wasn't with what the conditions of the covenant 32:51 were... the problem was with the people. 32:54 They said: "All that the Lord has said we will do 32:56 and be obedient, " but they WEREN'T OBEDIENT. 33:08 So it says that they didn't follow the Lord. 33:22 They didn't follow. 33:25 They didn't obey the Lord's voice. 33:28 And so, because they didn't keep the covenant, 33:31 then there was need for a second covenant. 33:36 Now we need to take a close look at this second covenant 33:40 and see what it says about it. 33:42 A new covenant... you understand? 33:46 That what's this book's about, you see... 33:49 that word covenant there. 33:52 Old covenant... new covenant. 33:55 That's what the Bible is: Old Testament, New Testament. 33:59 That's what's involved there. 34:01 What is the new covenant? 34:03 What's... what's involved in the new covenant? 34:06 I just want to say to you this evening, folks... 34:09 if you understand the new covenant and you understand 34:15 what Christ has done, 34:17 it changes things and makes everything different. 34:21 So I hope you will follow very carefully as we look at it. 34:31 Every time you participate in the Lord's Supper, 34:36 communion service, 34:38 you are entering into a covenant with God. 34:42 That's what that's about. 34:44 You're entering into that and you're saying to Him 34:48 "You be my God; I will be Your people. " 34:52 That's a covenant you're entering into with Him. 35:12 Well now, it says that Christ is the Mediator 35:16 of a better covenant which is established on 35:20 better promises. 35:24 Well, let me ask you something. 35:26 Is your promises better than the Jewish people? 35:31 You've got more will power? 35:34 You've got more backbone? 35:37 Your promises better than theirs? 35:41 If they're not, then how does this work... 35:46 established on better promises? 35:55 Let's take a look at that. 35:56 When... let's say that you and I tonight 35:59 were going to enter into a covenant. 36:01 We're going to draw up we can call it a contract 36:04 we can draw agreement... 36:06 whatever word we want to use 36:07 for it. We're going to enter 36:09 into a contract. And let's say 36:11 that you and I... we 36:14 agree on certain points 36:17 and we go to an attorney 36:19 and we ask him to draw up a covenant for us. 36:25 We go to the attorney; he draws up the covenant. 36:29 Puts down all the conditions that you and I want to have 36:33 in the covenant. 36:34 OK? 36:37 Puts it all down there. 36:39 Draws it up into legal terms. 36:41 And we read it over and say "that's good. " 36:44 And so we take it to a notary and we have it notarized. 36:49 OK? 36:51 Can that covenant, that contract, that agreement... 36:54 whatever you want to call it... 36:55 can it be changed? 37:00 You've got to be real clear on that. 37:02 Can it be changed? 37:04 Well, let's see what the scripture says. 37:17 In other words, sure it can be changed. 37:21 You and I can say well this particular part 37:24 in here we don't like. 37:26 And we can go to the attorney 37:28 and we can have that stricken out. 37:30 Initial it and say we want this changed 37:33 and it can be changed. 37:34 But if one of us dies can it be changed? 37:39 NO! In other words, when one of us dies 37:43 that covenant is in force... cannot be changed. 37:48 Get it clear and don't let anybody ever tell you 37:53 any different. 37:54 OK? 37:56 Because I hear people say that after Jesus died 37:59 He changed the covenant. 38:01 No! Could not. 38:04 When He died, He SEALED the covenant. 38:06 Cannot be changed; He sealed it with His blood 38:10 and therefore that covenant could not be changed. 38:14 OK? 38:15 So a covenant is changed before people die. 38:19 When Christ died, He sealed the covenant 38:22 from that time on. All right. 38:35 He's the Mediator of a new covenant 38:37 by means of death. 38:40 In other words, in order for the covenant to be in force 38:46 He had to die. 38:48 It required that. 38:50 That's the reason He's the Mediator of a better covenant 38:53 because He died for you and for me. 39:06 So Jesus came; He died. 39:11 By His death He put into effect that covenant. 39:26 So it's been in force, and so we read here: 39:39 Came, died on the cross, paid the price 39:44 for you and for me. 39:47 That He did. Without that, folks, we're lost. 39:52 Without that... no hope. 39:54 But Christ said: "Listen, I want to enter into a covenant 39:58 with you. I will pay the price. 40:02 I'll die for you. " 40:06 Now if that's all that was necessary, 40:09 that might be all right, 40:12 but the covenant required much, much more than that. 40:18 You see, it doesn't just require 40:22 the death, it requires a perfect life. 40:28 You see law - and that's what He says... "if you'll obey 40:31 My commandments. " 40:33 Law is involved. The law says if you break it 40:37 you must what? You must pay the penalty. 40:41 So if I break the law, then I must pay the penalty. 40:47 That... that's true with everything. 40:50 If I go out here and I run a stop sign, 40:53 then the cop gives me a ticket. 40:56 I'm going to have to pay the fine. 40:58 I have to pay the penalty. 41:00 The penalty for breaking God's law is what? 41:04 It's death. 41:09 I cannot... I cannot pay that penalty 41:15 and have life. 41:19 I can pay the penalty, if you please, 41:22 and die... 41:24 and be lost, 41:26 but I can't pay the penalty and have life. 41:32 Therefore Jesus said: "I will die in your place, " 41:38 and He paid the penalty for you and for me. 41:43 So when I accept Jesus Christ 41:47 His death pays my penalty 41:50 and all my sins are forgiven... 41:56 and I stand right in the eyes of God. 42:02 The law is satisfied. 42:07 OK? 42:09 But the law... the law now says 42:14 "OK, your debt's paid. You're under no condemnation. 42:21 You just have to be perfect. " 42:24 That's what the law says! 42:27 The law will accept nothing less, folks. 42:31 It will accept nothing less than perfection. 42:33 You tell me one law that will. 42:36 Just tell me a law that will accept something more than... 42:40 less than perfection. 42:42 If I run out here and I get in the car 42:45 and I go out here and I run the stop sign. 42:49 And policeman pulls me over and says: 42:52 "Mr. Cox, didn't you see that stop sign? " 42:54 And I say "Yes, sir. " 42:55 Say: "Well, why didn't you stop? " 42:57 I say: "Officer, I'm holding some meetings here, and I 43:00 go back and forth here all the time 43:01 and I only run this stop sign 1% of the time. " 43:06 What's he going to do? 43:08 Going to give me a ticket! 43:10 Going to tell me you stop 43:11 every time. 43:14 Law demands 100%. 43:16 Problem is... is I'm not perfect. 43:22 That's the problem. 43:23 So Jesus said: "I'll not only die for you, 43:27 I'll live a perfect life for you. " 43:30 This is what it says: 43:40 Jesus Christ died that we might be reconciled to God. 43:51 Said: "Yes, I'll come and I'll die in your place. 43:57 But not only will I die in your place 43:59 I'll live a perfect life for you. " 44:03 Now if you don't get anything else out of this presentation, 44:06 folks, I hope you get this 44:09 because as far as I'm concerned it's the most important part 44:13 of it all. 44:14 And it says here: 44:27 Now watch carefully what He's going to do 44:45 Now it says here that He, through the blood of the 44:49 everlasting covenant, will do what? 44:54 Will make you complete. 44:58 You see, dear friend, that's the work of the Lord. 45:03 And you and I must learn to do this. 45:07 You see, God's desire is 45:10 that you say to Him: "You be my God. 45:14 I'll follow You. 45:17 I will surrender my life. 45:22 I will surrender my soul 45:25 to the work of the Holy Spirit. " 45:27 And the Holy Spirit works within us to make us 45:33 complete. 45:34 This is not your work. 45:36 This is not my work. 45:38 This is HIS work. 45:40 My job is to surrender. 45:44 And if I surrender, He will do His work in my life. 46:06 Establishes it because you and I 46:09 can accept that. And since it is Christ 46:14 who died... it's Christ who lived a perfect life. 46:19 He never sinned once. 46:20 Not even so much as in thought. 46:24 He lived an absolute perfect life. 46:27 And since He died and He lived a perfect life, 46:31 that new covenant is established on better promises. 46:37 His promises that He made that you and I 46:41 can receive eternal life in Jesus Christ. 46:51 What do I mean by that? 46:55 You cannot add one thing to it. 46:59 There's nothing you can do, dear friend... 47:03 nothing that you can do... 47:06 to add to the plan of salvation. 47:09 The only thing that you and I can do 47:13 is accept what Christ has done. 47:17 And He died and He lived a perfect life 47:21 for you and for me. 47:25 Therefore He did everything that was necessary. 47:30 Everything that was required for you and I to have salvation. 47:34 Then what is my responsibility? 47:39 Well my responsibility is simply to obey. 47:47 "If you will obey My voice, keep My commandments, 47:51 then you shall be My people 47:55 and I will be your God. " 47:59 That's my responsibility. 48:00 That's what God asks you and asks me to do 48:04 is to be obedient. 48:06 And if we're obedient, then He says 48:09 "I'll bless you in a special way. " 48:12 The wisest man that ever lived 48:14 summed it up very wonderfully, and he said: 48:27 That you and I must simply walk with Him, 48:32 follow Him in all that we do. 48:48 You see, this is talking about a very special relationship. 48:51 He says: "I gave My Sabbaths that it's a sign 48:57 that I can sanctify them. " 49:01 You know what that means? 49:03 That means that He will work in our lives 49:06 to change our lives to make us 49:10 like Him 49:12 so that we do not sin. 49:14 That we don't continue on sinning. 49:17 That that is to stop in our lives. 49:19 And He works in us in a very, very special way in our lives. 49:25 This is what He does, 49:27 and He says the Sabbath is a sign of that. 49:30 It's a sign that "I am your God 49:35 and you are My people. " 49:39 That's what it represents. 49:47 This is the covenant I'm going to make. 49:59 Now you need to read that text carefully 50:02 because He says He will do what? 50:06 He says: "I will put my laws in their mind; 50:12 I will write them on their hearts. " 50:16 You see, that is our relationship to Him. 50:19 That we are to open up our lives. 50:22 We are to open up our hearts 50:24 and invite Him in and let Him do His work in our lives. 50:29 I cannot... I cannot just go my own way. 50:36 I have to surrender and let Him work in my life 50:42 as He wants to work in my life. 50:44 That's what's to happen in my life. 50:49 Jesus... 50:53 Jesus had a very, very special relationship with His Father. 50:57 In fact, He came to this earth 51:00 to show you and I how we are to live. 51:05 And He was to show us how we're to live 51:08 and how we're to relate to Him 51:11 by the way He related to His Father. 51:13 That's what He was to show us. 51:15 And it says here: 51:26 Said: "Abba, Father. " That word Abba, folks, 51:29 is... comes directly from the Hebrew. 51:32 We don't have a word in English for it. 51:36 The closest word we have for Abba is Daddy. 51:39 It talks about a very, very close relationship 51:44 with the Lord. 51:45 That's what it talks about. 51:46 So when Jesus is there praying 51:50 and He said "Abba, Father... " 51:53 that talks about a close relationship with the Lord Jesus 51:57 with His Father. 51:59 A very intimate relationship. 52:01 He wants to have that same relationship with you 52:04 and with me. 52:06 Right in the heart of His law 52:10 He gives us that relationship. 52:13 It works like this: 52:16 right in the middle of the Sabbath you have ABBA. 52:22 Abba, Father... 52:24 the relationship God has with us. 52:31 Abba, Father, 52:35 let me be 52:40 Yours and Yours alone. 52:47 May my will 52:51 forever be 52:56 Yours and Yours 53:00 alone. 53:04 Never let 53:08 my heart grow cold. 53:13 Never let 53:17 me go. 53:22 Abba, Father... 53:26 let me be 53:30 Yours and Yours 53:35 alone. 53:41 Let us pray. 53:44 Heavenly Father, 53:45 we come to you tonight 53:48 asking for You to be our God. 53:51 That we might be Your children. 53:57 Bless us, Lord. May we be mindful of Your words. 54:02 As You have given us a sign in the Sabbath 54:06 that is to be... represent that we are willing 54:11 to come to You and lay everything upon the altar. 54:14 Accept Your death and Your life 54:19 in our behalf that we might be blessed. 54:23 Bless each one here that they may be drawn very close to You 54:28 in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 54:32 For this we ask in His name, Amen. 54:37 Well, God bless you. 54:39 Tomorrow's presentation is How to Keep the Sabbath. 54:43 We hope it will help you 54:45 in your relationship with Christ. 54:47 Uh, folks. Keep your hearts surrendered. 54:50 Stay close to the Lord. 54:52 He wants to be your God. 54:54 I hope that each one of you will be His people. 54:59 Jesus said in Luke chapter 8 55:01 a sower went out to sow his seed. 55:03 And as he sowed, 55:05 some fell by the wayside 55:07 and it was trampled down 55:08 and the birds of the air devoured it. 55:11 Some fell on rock 55:12 and as soon as it sprang up it withered 55:15 because it lacked moisture. 55:17 And some fell among thorns 55:19 and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 55:23 But others fell on good ground, 55:25 sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundred-fold. 55:29 Jesus Christ came to sow the seed of truth 55:32 into this world. 55:34 And just as every seed has life in it, 55:36 the Word of God is also life. 55:39 Jesus said in John 6:63 55:41 "The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit 55:45 and they are life. " 55:46 But sadly in this day and age 55:49 many professed ministers of the gospel 55:51 don't accept the Bible as God's inspired Word. 55:55 Because its plain teachings condemn their practices 55:58 they have tried to make it appear mysterious 56:01 and obscure in order to excuse their own transgressions 56:04 of God's law. 56:05 There are those who try to make everything seem 56:08 pleasant and positive. 56:09 They gloss over or ignore the warnings of God, 56:12 and thus they strip the Bible of the power to convict 56:16 sinners of their need of salvation. 56:19 But no matter how brilliant and how pleasant they sound 56:22 their message cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger 56:26 of a true seeker. 56:29 The truth is that ever since the fall of man 56:33 Satan has been busy sowing the seed of error. 56:36 But friends, when the Word of God is preached 56:39 in simplicity and sincerity, 56:41 it's powerful. 56:43 Instead of pointing out the errors of others 56:45 or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel, 56:48 we must follow the example of Christ 56:50 and simply sow the seeds of truth. 56:53 Oh, yes, there will be seeds that will fall by the wayside, 56:58 be eaten by the birds. 57:00 Other seeds will sprout in stony soil 57:03 only to dry up for the lack of water. 57:05 Still others will fall among the thorns, 57:08 but many will spring up to bear an abundant fruit. 57:14 The sower's job is to sow seed. 57:16 And believe me, there is no greater joy 57:19 than to see the lives transformed under the influence 57:23 of the Holy Spirit. 57:24 It's an experience all of us can have, 57:27 and it's the only goal we have as a ministry team. 57:31 We have a marvelous opportunity 57:33 to sow by broadcasting these wonderful seeds of life 57:37 to the whole world. 57:39 Jesus gave all of us the gospel commission. 57:42 Won't you join us in this effort? 57:45 Please consider what you can do 57:47 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:50 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:52 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:07 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 58:09 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17