Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC210002S
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00:01 Three Angels Broadcasting Network
00:02 is pleased to bring you something better, 00:05 a faith inspiring picture of a loving God 00:08 from the Book of Hebrews. 00:11 Welcome to 3ABN's 00:13 Virtual Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:16 Hello, friends, welcome back 00:18 to 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting, 2021. 00:21 As you have found out, we are here, you are there, 00:25 we are having a virtual event, 00:27 but we've discovered that the Lord can work 00:29 through any kind of connection. 00:31 Because as Greg Morikone, 00:33 our president talked about in the first hour, 00:34 nothing can separate us from the love of God 00:38 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:40 That's why you need to stay tuned for the second hour 00:43 because Pastor James Rafferty 00:44 is our main speaker for this Fall Camp Meeting, 00:46 and he's going to be talking about relationships, 00:48 something better. 00:50 And his message for this hour is about love languages. 00:54 What is your love language? 00:55 Well, you'll find out 00:57 how significant it is to have a love language. 00:59 But we thank you for tuning in. 01:00 Also, it's not too late to invite 01:02 your friends to tune in, give them a call either through 01:04 internet or radio or television. 01:07 We have a lot more coming up for our Fall 01:09 Camp Meeting, 2021. 01:11 But before we invite Pastor James Rafferty, 01:13 who's going to come and speak and he's also going to begin 01:16 and pray before he speaks, 01:18 I want to invite Ryan Day and Tim Parton, 01:22 and we're going to begin this hour with a song 01:24 entitled Daystar. 01:26 You know what's so significant about that song is, 01:29 everything we do, if you notice there's a theme we sing 01:32 Shine on Us, now we're going to sing about Daystar. 01:35 When we allow the Daystar to shine through our lives, 01:38 only then can the love languages become a blessing. 01:42 Listen to the song. 02:01 Lily of the valley 02:06 Let your sweet aroma fill 02:09 My life 02:18 Rose of Sharon show me 02:22 How to grow in beauty in God's sight 02:34 Fairest of ten thousand 02:39 Make me a reflection 02:41 Of your light 02:46 Of your light 02:50 Daystar shine down on me 02:54 Let your love shine 02:56 Through me in the night 03:06 Lead me Lord I'll follow 03:11 Anywhere you open up 03:14 The door 03:23 Let your word speak to me 03:27 Show me what I've 03:29 Never seen before 03:39 'Cause Lord I want to be your witness 03:44 You can take what's wrong and make it right 03:56 Daystar shine down on me 04:00 Let your love shine 04:02 Through me in the night 04:13 Lord I want to see you witness 04:18 Wounded by the master 04:20 Of deceit 04:29 Groping in the darkness 04:34 Haunted by the years of past 04:38 Defeat 04:44 Oh, but when I see you standing near me 04:49 Lord Shining with 04:52 Compassion in your eyes 05:02 Jesus shine down on me 05:06 Oh, let your love shine 05:09 Through me in the night 05:19 Lead me Lord I'll follow 05:23 Anywhere you open up 05:26 The door 05:35 Let your word speak to me Show me 05:40 What I've never seen before 05:50 Oh, Lord I want to be your witness 05:56 You can take what's wrong 05:59 And make it right 06:08 Daystar shine down on me 06:12 Let your love shine through me 06:16 In the night 06:24 Daystar shine down on me 06:29 Let your love shine through me 06:33 In the night 06:43 Amen. Amen. 06:46 Amen. Amen. 06:48 That was beautiful, powerful. 06:50 I love that. 06:52 Well, good evening and welcome to Three Angels Broadcasting 06:58 Fall Camp Meeting. 07:00 What a blessing it is to be in the Word 07:04 of God in the spring and in the fall. 07:06 And we here at 3ABN are so thankful that you've joined us. 07:12 We were thinking about a theme for camp meeting, 07:16 and, you know, the last two years have been very difficult, 07:18 very difficult years, 07:20 you know, for our country, for our world. 07:23 And, you know, 3ABN here, 07:25 we all felt really impressed that something better 07:29 would be a great theme. 07:31 And that theme is found in the Book of Hebrews. 07:35 So that's going to be the focus 07:37 of our camp meeting because of all that we've been 07:40 going through in the last year or so. 07:43 You know, for the next few days, 07:44 we're just going to really hone in on something better, 07:47 something different than all of the... 07:52 I guess trials and difficulties 07:55 that we've been facing in our world today. 07:57 We need a fresh boost of hope, and faith and love. 08:03 And that's what we're going to find here 08:05 in the Book of Hebrews. 08:06 You know, we believe that God is leading His people to study 08:08 the Book of Hebrews in this present 08:10 time in history. 08:12 In fact, this book is going to be the focus 08:14 of our Sabbath School quarter, for the first quarter, 08:18 the first three months of 2022. 08:20 So it's kind of providential there, and just a little plug 08:23 here for Salvation in Symbols and Signs. 08:25 We also had decided a few months ago to let 08:29 this book be our next study on the Salvation in Symbols 08:32 and Signs series. 08:34 So we're really excited because this book 08:37 has for us something better. 08:38 The theme is all through the book, 08:40 and we're going to see that as we jump in 08:42 and study it this evening. 08:44 But before we do that, let's pray 08:45 and ask for a special anointing of the Holy Spirit. 08:49 Father in heaven, I just want to thank You again, 08:51 that You are the one 08:53 who has every human being in Your hands, 08:56 that You know the end from the beginning 08:57 and You long to deliver us from the struggles, 09:00 from the trials, 09:02 from the difficulties that we face. 09:03 Father, this world is turned upside down just in the last 09:07 couple of years, we see a completely different 09:09 picture than what we've experienced before this, 09:12 prior to this, and we need Your Holy Spirit, 09:16 we need the special blessing of the Holy Spirit, 09:20 not just to anoint us tonight and to speak to us tonight, 09:22 but to move through the hearts and the minds 09:26 of people in this nation and all over the world. 09:30 We're giving You that time right now, 09:32 that opportunity to speak to us through Your Word. 09:34 And we're especially focusing, 09:37 as our camp meeting theme on the Book of Hebrews 09:39 and the theme of something better, 09:42 something nobler, something stronger 09:45 than what this world has to offer. 09:46 So we're just giving you this time right now, 09:47 we ask that you would fill us, guide us that You would speak 09:51 through me tonight, that I would be laid aside 09:53 and Your Spirit would talk and communicate 09:56 of Your great love to us on this theme, 09:59 something better on this subject tonight 10:01 of Love Languages, do this we pray in Jesus' name. 10:05 Amen. 10:07 Well, the languages of love 10:09 is so powerful in relationship to how we communicate. 10:14 Now, I believe that this is a theme 10:17 through the Book of Hebrews that is based on the idea 10:21 of something better. 10:22 When we look at something better in the Book of Hebrews, 10:24 which by the way, the word means something that is nobler, 10:27 something that is stronger. 10:29 We find that the Book of Hebrews uses this word 10:31 better 13 times. 10:33 Now there are 13 chapters in the Book of Hebrews. 10:35 So I think that's really interesting that 13 10:37 times that word is used in the 13 chapters. 10:40 It's not used in every chapter, but it is used throughout 10:44 the Book of Hebrews. 10:45 Something better, better, better, better, 10:47 better, better, better. 10:48 In fact, in Hebrews 1:4, 10:50 we're told that our God is a better God. 10:53 In Hebrews 6:9, 10:55 we have better salvation. 10:58 In Hebrews 7:7, we have a better priesthood. 11:00 Verse 19 of Chapter 7, a better hope. 11:03 And verse 22 of Chapter 7, a better covenant. 11:07 In Hebrews 8:6, we have again, 11:08 the emphasis on a better covenant, 11:10 which is really significant, 11:12 and that they are based on better promises, 11:14 or that covenant is based on better promises. 11:16 And then in Hebrews 9:23, we have a better sacrifice. 11:20 In Hebrews 11, excuse me, 10:34, 11:23 we have a better substance. 11:25 In Hebrews 11:16, we have a better country. 11:28 In verse 35, we have a better resurrection. 11:30 And in verse 40, we have a better experience. 11:33 And then in Hebrews 12:24, we have better things, 11:38 just better things. 11:39 The Book of Hebrews is just about better things. 11:41 It's about something better. 11:43 A better God, better salvation, a better priesthood, 11:46 a better hope, better covenant, better promises, 11:48 better sacrifice, substance, country, resurrection, 11:51 experience, just better things. 11:54 Hallelujah and amen. 11:56 God wants to get us on to a completely 11:59 different way of navigating through this world. 12:03 He wants to get us focused on something better. 12:06 So let's apply this principle that we find in Hebrews, 12:10 this better theme of salvation and resurrection, 12:13 hope and experience in covenant. 12:15 Let's apply this to each one of the chapters. 12:18 I just like us to break down the chapters, 12:22 chapter by chapter, 12:23 and go through the 13 to connect this theme 12:26 with the focus of the chapter. 12:28 Chapter 1 of Hebrews is a focus on God. 12:32 God who takes the nature of humanity 12:35 upon Himself in order to legally 12:38 and righteously take personal responsibility for the sins 12:41 of humanity. 12:42 A God who does not sacrifice a third party, 12:47 but gives Himself for us. 12:49 Hebrews Chapter 1 describes a better God. 12:51 Hebrews Chapter 2 describes this God 12:55 manifest in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. 12:58 So we have Hebrews Chapter 1, describing a better God, 13:01 Hebrews Chapter 2, describing a better man, Jesus. 13:04 Hebrews Chapter 2, excuse me, Hebrews Chapter 3, 13:09 we find God here has built us a better home, 13:12 a better family, a better community. 13:14 The emphasis here is that it is community, 13:17 a house, a home that is free from condemnation and guilt. 13:20 So Hebrews Chapter 3 focuses on a better house, 13:23 a better God, a better man, a better house. 13:25 Hebrews 4, Hebrews 4, you know, 13:28 we are led to this home that's free of guilt. 13:32 And in being led there, we find ourselves 13:34 coming into or stepping into a better rest. 13:36 So Hebrews Chapter 3, excuse me, Chapter 4, 13:39 describes a better rest. 13:40 A salvation rest in Jesus Christ, if you will. 13:43 Hebrews Chapter 5, 13:46 we find here Hebrews Chapter 5 13:49 provides us with a better obedience. 13:51 Jesus Christ comes as a human 13:52 and He obeys God as no other human ever has. 13:56 So Christ becomes the author of our salvation, 14:00 a better obedience. 14:02 Hebrews Chapter 6, we find better promises, 14:04 promises that are made by God and fulfilled by God in us, 14:09 in spite of us. 14:10 Hebrews Chapter 7, 14:12 our attention there is directed to a better priest, 14:13 and that is the priesthood of Jesus Christ 14:16 who works incessantly on our behalf, 14:18 who is filled with the ability to completely save us from sin. 14:21 Hebrews Chapter 8, well, we naturally flow into, 14:25 from better promises to a better covenant. 14:27 Hebrews Chapter 8 is all about this better covenant 14:29 based on God's power 14:31 rather than man's faulty promises. 14:32 Hebrews Chapter 9 directs us to a better sanctuary, 14:36 a heavenly sanctuary, 14:37 where Christ stands in the presence of God for us. 14:40 Hebrews Chapter 10, better sacrifice, 14:42 not the sacrifices of animals, 14:44 not the sacrifices of bulls and goats, but the sacrifice 14:47 of God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. 14:50 And that gives away in Hebrews Chapter 11, to a better faith. 14:53 That's what we call the faith chapter, 14:55 or the hall of faith chapter. 14:57 Hebrews Chapter 11 focuses on a people 15:00 whose failures and imperfections have been 15:03 completely blotted out by their faith in Jesus Christ. 15:06 And it reveals in there a better experience. 15:09 You know, when we are relieved of the guilt 15:12 and the shame of our sin, 15:13 we live in the light of God's love. 15:16 We live in obedience to God. 15:18 We have a completely different experience 15:19 when we're, when that guilt 15:21 and that weight of sin is lifted off us. 15:24 And then, of course, Hebrews Chapter 12 15:27 takes us to a faith picture that points us to Jesus 15:31 as the author and the finisher of our faith. 15:34 You know, sometimes we think, 15:35 "Well, Jesus does the beginning, 15:36 and we need to do the rest." 15:38 No, the Bible says, He's the author, 15:39 He's the finisher, and that's the better way. 15:41 That's the better way of Hebrews to let Jesus finish 15:44 what Jesus began. 15:46 And then finally, we close in Hebrews Chapter 13. 15:48 It's pretty powerful. It's pretty simple. 15:50 It's pretty basic. 15:51 But it's something that's kind of changed my devotional life. 15:54 Hebrews 13, specifically, verse 15, tells us that 15:58 out of all of these better things 16:00 that God has provided for us, 16:02 it's going to lead us to a better praise. 16:05 We're going to give praise and thanksgiving to God. 16:07 When I wake up in the morning, I go to the Word of God, 16:10 I read a Bible verse, and I just start praising 16:11 God for everything that's in that Bible verse. 16:14 I just start thanking Him for every little 16:16 bit that He has put in that Word, 16:18 in that verse for me. 16:20 And sometimes I praise Him for everyone. 16:22 I just include the whole world in the things that God 16:24 has done, because God so loved the world, 16:26 that He gave His only begotten Son. 16:28 Amen? 16:29 Now, COVID-19, you know, 16:32 has brought upon this world a huge increase, 16:36 you know, of sorrow, of loss, of conflict, I mean, depression 16:40 is soaring, suicide has shot up. 16:43 And so we need something better. 16:45 We need something better to focus on. 16:46 You know, than this present world 16:48 has to offer. 16:49 We need a huge dose of God's love 16:52 to get through all this. 16:53 And at the same time, we need to remember that, 16:55 that what's happening in this world 16:57 reminds us that this world is not our home. 16:59 It never has been. It never will be. 17:02 God has some better thing for us than all of this, 17:06 as we see it now. 17:07 He always has had something better. 17:09 When we look at the creation that God started within this, 17:14 in this world, we know that when He created this earth, 17:16 He created it without pain and sin and sorrow. 17:18 And we know that when God created this world, 17:20 in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, He said it was good, 17:23 even very good. 17:25 And then all of a sudden, we saw, well, 17:28 we saw a pause, we saw an interruption in God's plan. 17:31 And that's when sin came in. 17:33 Sin is what brought the pain 17:34 and the sorrow and the evil, not God. 17:36 And we know that God's working to restore us to the original 17:39 plan, so that by the time we get through 17:41 the Old Testament and the New Testament, 17:43 we get to the Book of Revelation, 17:44 Chapters 21 and 22. 17:46 Guess what happens? 17:47 There's no more death, there's no more pain, 17:50 there's no more sorrow. 17:51 And that picture is what keeps us. 17:54 That's what makes me a believer, 17:56 because between those bookends of Genesis 1 and 2, 18:00 and in Revelation Chapter 21 and 22, 18:02 there's a whole bunch of evil and a whole bunch of pain. 18:04 And sometimes you want to say is, 18:06 "God, why are You letting all this stuff happen?" 18:09 And what God is saying back to us is, 18:10 "It was never My will from the beginning, 18:12 and is not going to be My plan in the end." 18:14 So keep your focus on the author 18:16 and keep your focus on the finisher, 18:18 all of this stuff in between, 18:19 we're just going to have to navigate it, 18:21 but God's going to help us. 18:22 God is going to help us to navigate all of this, 18:25 because God loves us, 18:26 and He wants something better for us 18:28 yet it's not always easy for us to understand God's love. 18:32 In fact, we misunderstand God's love 18:35 more than we understand it. 18:37 And many of us don't actually think 18:38 God loves us at all. 18:40 You know, when my wife and I were married, 18:41 now we just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary. 18:45 So 32 years ago, September 3, we were married. 18:50 And we experienced a lot of insecurity. 18:53 You know, both of us came from dysfunctional families. 18:55 Both of us came from dysfunctional backgrounds. 18:57 I was raised in a single parent home, 18:59 Rise was raised in a single parent home. 19:01 So it wasn't easy for us. 19:03 We did everything right as far as we knew. 19:06 We followed the biblical principles 19:08 and we figured that we were going, 19:09 we were stepping into something it was going to be far 19:11 better than what a lot of people did. 19:14 But it was within one year that we were in marriage 19:20 counseling, which was very hard for me because you know, 19:22 I'm a pastor, like, I'm a preacher, like, 19:23 a year into my marriage, I need marriage counseling? 19:25 No, I don't think so. 19:27 I'm not going there. 19:28 But I had to admit that I myself was exasperated 19:32 with our situation. 19:33 You see, when I married Rise and when Rise married me, 19:35 I determined that I was going to make 19:38 her know that she was loved. 19:40 I was going to provide her like a husband should, 19:42 I was going to work, I was going to bring, 19:44 you know, bring home the money, 19:46 take care of all the bills, take care of her, 19:48 give her security, and not only that, 19:50 but I was going to help her in the home. 19:52 I decided that I was going to help with the housework. 19:54 I said, "Listen, honey, I'm going to vacuum. 19:56 I'm going to clean the bathroom." 19:58 It was kind of easy back then 'cause 20:00 we lived in a daylight basement and it had a living room, 20:01 kitchen, bathroom, bedroom. 20:03 So I thought I'm going to vacuum, you know, 20:05 I'm going to clean the bathroom, 20:06 you know, we got a couple bathrooms now, 20:08 and there's three bedrooms, and well anyway, 20:10 I won't tell you the rest of that story, maybe Rise can. 20:12 So the deal was that I was going to be working 40 hours 20:16 a week plus, you know how it is pastors, 20:19 and that I was going to be helping in the home, 20:21 and I even volunteered to cook a meal once a week. 20:25 Not going to tell you how that turned out. 20:27 But in within one year, 20:31 my wife was insecure. 20:32 Now, for me, I was loving her to my utmost. 20:35 I was communicating love to her, 20:37 I was really letting her know that I loved her. 20:40 But she was insecure. 20:42 She didn't feel loved at all. 20:46 And one of the things that made a huge difference in our lives 20:50 was a little book called The Five Love Languages. 20:55 And we started counseling with a pastor, 20:57 and he shared with us this book and some of the principles, 21:01 and it literally changed the whole direction 21:03 of our marriage. 21:05 I cannot tell you how much that helped me. 21:07 And you know, here I am, pastor, 21:08 doesn't want to go to counseling, 21:10 because you know, I don't, yeah. 21:11 No, every single one of us needs the counsel of others, 21:14 we need the help of one another. 21:16 We need to encourage one another. 21:18 Hebrews says we shouldn't forsake the assembling 21:20 of ourselves together as is the manner of such as, 21:21 especially as we see the day approaching. 21:23 And that's not just talking about church fellowship, 21:25 that's talking about the fellowship 21:27 of fellow brothers and sisters that can help us 21:29 with their experience and their wisdom, etc. 21:31 And I feel like God has given Rise and I some wisdom, 21:33 and we'd like to share it with you tonight in the context 21:36 of the Book of Hebrews. 21:38 And here it is. 21:39 I was loving Rise with everything I had. 21:43 I was communicating love to her as loud as possible, 21:47 and she couldn't hear a single word. 21:50 You know why? 21:51 Because I was loving her with acts of service. 21:55 That's how I was loving her. That's a love language. 21:57 There are five love languages, gifts, physical touch, 22:01 quality time, acts of service, and words of affirmation. 22:05 These are the five love languages. 22:07 And by the way, 22:09 I decided because these were in a book written by a doctor 22:12 that I wanted to find them in the Bible. 22:14 And I turned to the Book of Hebrews, 22:16 because Hebrews is a relational book. 22:18 And as I went to the Book of Hebrews, 22:19 to discover these love languages 22:21 which are here and we're going to find out 22:22 about that as we move through it tonight, 22:24 I discovered two more. 22:25 You know, God works in sevens, not fives, right? 22:29 God works in sevens. 22:30 So there's two more love languages that are clearly 22:31 outlined in the Book of Hebrews. 22:33 And we're going to look at those two. 22:34 So let's just go back to the five for now. 22:37 I was loving her with everything that I had. 22:39 I was communicating to her that I loved her, 22:42 but I was using the language of acts of service. 22:44 Well guess what? 22:46 That wasn't Rise's love language. 22:48 Rise's love language was quality time. 22:52 Now most people have a one and a two 22:54 and then the next three, 22:56 and I'm going to say four and five, or maybe lower. 22:58 So we have certain love languages 23:00 that communicate to us more strongly than the others. 23:02 Rise and I had these love 23:05 languages that communicate to us more than others, 23:07 simply because of our background. 23:09 I was raised in a single parent home, 23:10 I was raised in London, England. 23:11 And when I was a boy, we didn't have any 23:13 of the modern conveniences, you know, we didn't have a car, 23:16 we didn't really need one. 23:17 Because in England, in London, you just take buses and trains, 23:19 but we didn't have a car, we didn't have a refrigerator, 23:23 we didn't have a vacuum cleaner, 23:25 we didn't have a telephone, 23:27 we didn't have a washer and dryer, 23:29 I would brush the carpets, 23:31 you know, with a hand brush, 23:32 and we would go to the store almost every day to get 23:35 food because it had to be fresh. 23:37 And we had milkman back there that would deliver milk, 23:39 you know, in the mornings, and you put it in water 23:41 and tried to keep it cold and we would use 23:44 the bathtub to wash clothes, 23:46 and then we hang them up on the line. 23:48 Sometimes we go down to the laundromat, 23:49 you know if we had time or whatever. 23:51 And what else? 23:52 You know, telephones, well, you know, 23:54 we could yell pretty loud, 23:55 most of the neighbors could hear us, 23:57 we had four flats in our home 23:59 and there were 13 kids in all in the entire place. 24:01 So we didn't need to, you know, get on Twitter 24:04 or text message or anything. 24:05 We just, "Hey, time to go out and play now." 24:07 Away we go. 24:09 Even though I didn't have all those modern conveniences, 24:11 I had a pretty happy childhood in England. 24:14 Things didn't change much in that way 24:17 until I moved to America. 24:19 And that's a whole different story. 24:20 But the thing is I want to communicate to you 24:22 was my mom worked. 24:23 She was a teacher and she worked pretty hard 24:25 and she needed help in the house. 24:27 You can imagine all the things that need to be done. 24:28 We don't have a refrigerator, don't have the washer, 24:30 you don't have a phone, you know, 24:31 so I did a lot of the stuff, that acts of service, 24:34 I did a lot of that growing up. 24:36 I just had to as a young man, seven, eight, nine, 24:39 10 years old, I was, you know, doing a lot of those things. 24:41 And so that was an area where I grew, 24:44 I was strong in that area 24:46 and that to me was my natural go to. 24:49 My mom really appreciated that I helped her, you know. 24:52 She really felt that, you know, 24:53 here's a kid that loves his mom. 24:54 You know, he's helping her loves. 24:56 Yeah, so that was a strong love language for me. 25:00 Before I even knew what love languages were, 25:02 I'm saying, "I'm going to make sure my wife is loved the way 25:04 my mom was loved." 25:05 If you know what I'm saying, that was my natural go too. 25:08 Rise was raised in a home with a single parent mom, 25:10 and you know, her mom loved her and etc. 25:12 But her dad was gone. 25:13 Her dad wasn't around. 25:15 You know, I had issues that were more like, 25:20 you know, neglect. 25:21 My mom just wasn't there to take care of the things, 25:23 whatever, Rise had all those things, 25:24 but she felt more issues of abandonment, 25:27 like her dad wasn't there for her. 25:29 And so her love language, 25:31 I don't know if you could figure it out, 25:33 but her love language was quality time. 25:36 She wanted me to spend time with her 25:38 and we were talking about this with the pastor, 25:40 I'm thinking, "Oh, my, this is amazing." 25:42 You know, I am so busy working 40 hours a week 25:45 and doing the extra stuff that pastors have to do. 25:47 And I'm so busy, you know, cleaning the house 25:49 and cleaning the bathroom and doing the things that, 25:51 you know, I know my wife is going to make her feel 25:53 secure and make her know that she loves me 25:56 that I don't have time to sit down and just talk 25:58 I don't, I don't have time to just quality time. 26:00 That seems like a waste of time. 26:02 What do you mean? 26:03 Just sit around and just connect? 26:04 That's what you're saying I need to do. 26:06 It was such an eye-opener for me. 26:09 It just and it was phenomenal how it changed our lives, 26:12 our marriage. 26:14 So I started focusing on that quality time. 26:16 Because what I found out was, 26:17 because I was communicating in my love language, 26:20 I was really manifesting love for me. 26:24 I wasn't manifesting love for my wife. 26:25 And I was exasperated, so I thought 26:26 how can my wife be insecure, 26:28 and I'm doing all these things for her. 26:29 But I wasn't speaking her love language. 26:31 I'm going to give you a challenge tonight, okay? 26:34 Find out what the love language is of your spouse, 26:37 of your husband, of your kids, family members, 26:40 people in your community, see if you can find out 26:42 what their love language is and learn 26:44 how to speak to people in their love language. 26:48 Because, sometimes when we communicate with people, 26:51 we communicate in such a way that it doesn't really 26:54 help them or encourage them, because it's not, 26:57 they're not hearing us. 26:58 It's like we're speaking French, 27:00 and they're understanding only English. 27:03 And we want to get on the wavelength of others 27:05 when we communicate to them this language of love. 27:10 So, again, I was really eager to understand, 27:14 it was such a game changer for us. 27:15 And by the way, Rise and I share the same second 27:18 love language, which is physical touch. 27:20 So it was really nice. 27:22 It's nice when a husband and wife share at least 27:23 one love language. 27:25 I've met couples that don't share any. 27:26 I've met other couples, 27:27 'cause we do a lot of marriage counseling, 27:29 they'll share one but not the other. 27:30 And I see really, it's nice when you have 27:32 one that's compatible, even though the other 27:34 one might be different. 27:36 And it's hard for me because I'm a acts, 27:38 I'm a doer guy, and so to slow down 27:40 and just sit with my wife at 32 years now, 27:42 I've really gotten into it. 27:43 So sometimes I'll say to her, "Hey honey, 27:45 you want to spend some time together? 27:46 Hey, honey, you know, you're busy, 27:48 you want to do some things together? 27:49 You want to, you know, have some pillow talk or whatever? 27:50 And she'll, "Thinks have kind 27:52 of switched here, haven't they? 27:53 ""Yes." 27:54 So, the reason we have maybe stronger love languages than, 28:00 you know other do, maybe because of our past. 28:02 So we need to consider our past. 28:04 Why is it that we feel insecure in certain areas? 28:06 Why do we need maybe, you know, some father called us 28:10 a dummy all our lives. 28:11 You dummy, dummy, dummy, 28:13 you'll never get anywhere, you'll never have anything, 28:14 you'll never going to be any good. 28:15 Well, that person would be, 28:17 one of their love languages might be words of affirmation, 28:20 because they've always been criticized and put down. 28:22 They need to be spoken into. They need to be affirmed. 28:25 And by the way, that's my weakest love language. 28:26 Can I confess that publicly? 28:28 My weakest love language is words of affirmation, 28:30 I'm kind of a perfectionist, I'll come home 28:31 and the whole house is clean. 28:33 But there's one thing not done. 28:34 I'm like, "How come that didn't get done?" 28:37 You know, words of affirmation. 28:39 So we're going to have strong love languages, 28:41 we're going to have weaker love languages, 28:43 love languages that we need to focus on or we 28:45 need to build up, strengthen. 28:48 Well, guess what? 28:50 There are no dysfunctional languages with God. 28:55 God has no dysfunctional history. 28:58 So He speaks to us in all of the love languages. 29:01 And that's what we're going to see in the Book of Hebrews. 29:03 The Book of Hebrews is not just a theological book, in fact, 29:05 it's less of a theological book than it is a book 29:09 about relationship. 29:12 I believe Paul is the author 29:13 of this and got some controversy. 29:14 That's not major. 29:16 You know, some theologians believe he is, 29:17 some believe he isn't. 29:18 There's a lot of parallels with Hebrews 29:20 and other epistles that Paul wrote that tell us 29:22 that he's the author. 29:23 So I believe he's the author. 29:25 And he is, I think, 29:27 communicating to the Hebrews, to Israel, 29:29 to people who have really been almost 29:32 dogmatically legalistic about their relationship with God. 29:34 You know, got to do this, you got to do that, 29:36 you got to do this, you got to do that, 29:37 you got to make sure all your T's are crossed 29:39 and all your I's are dotted. 29:40 And Paul is moving away from that, 29:42 and he's transitioning them into a relationship 29:45 experience with God. 29:46 That's his primary goal in the Book of Hebrews. 29:49 And I believe that we need that today more than ever. 29:51 You know, legalism isn't just in religious circles. 29:54 Legalism is in, you can be an agnostic, 29:56 you can be a legalist, you can be an atheist, 29:57 you can be a legalist. 29:59 It's when you're really draconian really spiky, 30:03 really focused on rules and regulations 30:05 and you can't give any wiggle room, 30:07 no mercy to other people around you. 30:09 And I see that happening more and more in our society. 30:11 If you don't match up, if you don't, 30:13 you know, if your words aren't in harmony with, 30:16 if your actions aren't in harmony with, 30:17 if you're not supporting what everyone else is doing, 30:20 then we're going to cancel you. 30:21 And the Book of Hebrews is moving us away from that. 30:24 It's moving us into this relationship with God 30:26 where we don't see Him just 30:27 relating to us in this draconian way, 30:30 this legalistic way where we see Him 30:32 entering into relationship with us 30:34 and having an experience with us and walking with us. 30:37 And we see this right from the get go in Hebrews Chapter 1. 30:40 Let's just read these first verses 30:42 here in Hebrews Chapter 1. 30:43 We'll read Hebrews Chapter 1, beginning with verse 1. 30:47 It says, "God, who at sundry times 30:50 and in divers manners..." 30:52 I'm speaking, communicating from the KJV here, 30:53 I love the KJV, sundry times and divers manners, 30:56 what does that mean? 30:58 I don't know. But it's really beautiful. 30:59 It's really poetic. 31:00 It actually means, you know, different 31:02 times in various manners. 31:03 "Spoke in time past, 31:06 unto the fathers, by the prophets. 31:10 And has in these last days, verse 2, 31:12 spoken unto us by His Son, 31:14 whom He has appointed heir of all things, 31:17 by whom also He made the worlds." 31:20 Now verse 3, 31:22 "Who being the brightness of His glory 31:23 and the express image of His person, 31:25 and upholding all things by the word of His power, 31:28 when He had by Himself purged our sins, 31:31 sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." 31:35 This is relational language through and through. 31:40 Do you see it in here? 31:42 God spake, God communicated. 31:44 When Adam and Eve sinned, they were hiding, 31:46 they had broken relationship with God, 31:48 they were feeling guilty, they were feeling ashamed, 31:50 they went away from God, they were hiding, 31:51 they didn't want to talk to God, 31:53 they didn't want to come in contact with Him, 31:54 and God comes looking for them, "Adam, Eve, where are you?" 31:57 See, that's communication that invokes relation, right? 32:01 "Where are you? Where are you? 32:02 I want to talk to you, I want to see you, 32:03 I want to connect with you?" Right? 32:05 That's what God has been doing from the beginning. 32:08 And all the way now to the very end of time 32:10 He's been reaching out to us. 32:11 That's what Hebrews 1 says. 32:13 He's been speaking to us through the prophets. 32:14 And then eventually, He sent His own Son. 32:17 He Himself came in the person of Jesus Christ, 32:19 to communicate to us because communication is love. 32:25 You know, when my wife and I have, 32:27 you know, a disagreement, we don't fight, 32:29 we just have intense moments of fellowship, right? 32:32 When we have this disagreement, we have a king sized bed, 32:35 and we can go to sleep because I don't want to talk. 32:37 I'm just, the guys want to stuff it right? 32:39 Well, this is back now. This isn't after 32. 32:41 This is 20 years back, in 20 years of marriage, 32:45 not 32 years, 32 years now, I'm willing to talk. 32:48 But back in the day, 32:49 we had enough room between us at night for both 32:51 of our kids to move into the bed with us. 32:53 You know, I'm on one side, she's on the other side, 32:55 and no one's talking. 32:56 I'm laying there in quiet. 32:58 She's laying there in quiet. 32:59 I can't sleep, she can't sleep, and eventually say something 33:01 like she'll say, "James, are you awake?" 33:05 And I won't say anything, you know, because I'm asleep. 33:08 And she'll say, few minutes later, 33:11 "James, I know you're awake." 33:14 I'll say, "No, I'm not, I'm sleeping." 33:16 And we'll begin to communicate. 33:18 You see, that is what love does. 33:22 That's what relationship does. It communicates. 33:24 And so right from the get go in Hebrews 1:1-3, 33:28 God is communicating to us, 33:30 and that communication that He has with us 33:32 is an indication of His love. 33:34 Love speaks in different ways, in a variety 33:37 of ways at different times, 33:39 and it does it according to the need. 33:41 That's why it's different. 33:43 That's why it's in a variety of ways, 33:44 and it comes in different forms and shapes because God 33:46 speaks to us according to the need. 33:48 In Revelation 14:6, the everlasting gospel, 33:52 which is very, basically a distillation 33:55 of the languages of love. 33:56 God is communicating to every nation, kindred, 34:00 tongue, and people. 34:01 What does that mean? He's an inclusive God. 34:02 He's not leaving anyone out. 34:04 See, that's the kind of God we serve. 34:06 He's communicating to every nation, 34:07 kindred, tongue and people. 34:09 The everlasting gospel of His love. 34:10 In Revelation 18, 34:12 love communicates a call to come out of Babylon, 34:17 come out of confusion, 34:18 come out of this dependence on the world, 34:20 and its economy, that system because it's coming down 34:23 and depend on God in Revelation 18, Revelation 14. 34:28 Then in Matthew Chapter 24, 34:30 we have another communication from God 34:32 of the everlasting gospel, 34:33 the gospel that's going to go to all the world 34:35 and we're told there that love endures, 34:37 it perseveres, it keeps communicating, through war, 34:41 through pestilence, through famine, through earthquakes, 34:43 through natural disasters, through all of the afflictions 34:46 taking place on planet earth. 34:47 Love does not stop communicating. 34:49 It keeps on communicating, endures to the worst of times. 34:52 And by the way, all of those aspects 34:56 of God's love in Revelation 14, in Matthew 24, 34:59 in Revelation 18, that is the love that God 35:02 wants to put into us. 35:03 He wants to infuse us with that same love that He has. 35:06 He's the one doing this, but He wants us to be part 35:09 of doing this. 35:11 And that's what 3ABN is all about. 35:12 That's what Three Angels Broadcasting is all about. 35:14 That's what we're all about here at 3ABN 35:16 because we want to team up with God, 35:18 to communicate love to the world. 35:22 So love is a verb. 35:24 Love is action. 35:26 Love is not just an emotional feeling that's here today 35:30 and gone tomorrow. 35:32 As we read Matthew Chapter 24, we see that love endures. 35:36 That's what it says in verse 13. 35:38 It says He that endures to the end, 35:39 but He has to do with love, 35:42 a love that's waxing cold in others 35:43 that continues to endure in God's people. 35:46 And this is I think why love has languages, love speaks, 35:49 love communicates in practical ways. 35:54 So that's why it was so important for me 35:56 to understand why my wife was insecure, 35:59 because I wasn't speaking love to her. 36:02 I was speaking in French, and she's Hispanic, 36:05 she's Puerto Rican, Mexican. 36:07 Well, she doesn't speak Spanish, 36:09 but that's beside the point. 36:10 You get the illustration. 36:12 She was not hearing my love 36:14 coming to her because everything I was saying, 36:16 I was saying to myself, because I was 36:17 speaking in my love language. 36:18 So it was like I was talking to myself 36:20 and not talking to my wife. 36:22 So are we speaking the biblical language 36:27 of love when we tell people that God 36:30 is going to burn them in hell forever, for all eternity? 36:35 Are we speaking the biblical language of love 36:37 when we tell people that God has favorites, 36:39 who is predestined to be saved and others 36:42 who He's chosen to be lost? 36:44 Are we speaking the biblical language of love 36:47 when we communicate that God has tossed out 36:49 His law at Calvary? 36:51 So it doesn't matter how you live, 36:52 you can continue to lie 36:54 and cheat and steal, commit adultery. 36:56 It doesn't matter how you treat people 36:57 because you're saved by grace. 36:59 I don't think so. 37:01 You know, too often, the language we speak 37:02 about God as Christians, 37:04 doesn't really communicate love. 37:06 It doesn't communicate God's love. 37:08 Too often, religious people claim to follow a God of love, 37:12 but communicate a loveless, lawless exclusive God. 37:17 That's why we here at 3ABN, what you will understand 37:20 what the Bible says about hell and salvation 37:23 and God's Ten Commandment law. 37:24 And that's why we have these books Focus on Truth. 37:27 And you know, Greg and Jill shared this with you earlier, 37:30 so I don't have to say a lot about them. 37:31 But I, you know, God is love. 37:34 And so a God of love does not torture people in a burning 37:37 hell for all eternity. 37:39 Love does not exclude people from the opportunity 37:42 of salvation. 37:43 Love does not toss out the moral standard 37:47 of His Ten Commandments that impact how we treat people 37:50 and how we relate to our Creator. 37:53 So I want to encourage you again, 37:54 get these books because they really, 37:56 it's not just about doctrine, it's not just about 37:58 what the Bible teaches about hell, 38:00 what the Bible teaches about the commandments, 38:01 what the Bible teaches about salvation, this is about God. 38:05 It's about His character. 38:06 It's about what kind of God He is, and if indeed, 38:09 He is a God of love. 38:12 All right, Hebrews Chapter 1, 38:13 here's where we're going to look. 38:14 Now remember, I told you, I wanted to see if these love 38:16 languages were biblical, I wanted them from the Bible. 38:19 I didn't want them just to be in some 38:21 book that someone wrote, even if they were a Christian, 38:23 I want to be biblically based. 38:25 And so I was looking for the languages of love. 38:27 And I found the first one in Hebrews Chapter 1. 38:31 Hebrews Chapter 1 is all about God giving Himself 38:34 as a gift of salvation. 38:36 God takes care of the salvation we need Himself. 38:40 He's the one that gives us this gift, 38:42 you know, and sometimes when we think about Jesus 38:44 dying for us on Calvary, we think about Jesus 38:47 as a third party because of the use of the word Son. 38:50 You know, God so loved the world that He gave 38:52 His only begotten Son. 38:53 But that word son communicates relational closeness, 38:57 not physical origin. 38:59 The Father did not birth Jesus. 39:02 The use of this title, the Son of God indicates 39:04 a close personal connection, 39:07 such as experience between a healthy relationship 39:10 of a father and a son. 39:11 And that's what God is trying to tell us, 39:13 that God the Father, God the Son, 39:15 God the Holy Spirit, they are one. 39:18 They are one in character. 39:21 They are one in principle, they are one in purpose. 39:25 Their wills are one but they're three separate individuals, 39:28 but they're one and this is not anything like paganism, 39:32 or some kind of, you know, polytheism. 39:36 This is the oneness that the Bible teaches. 39:39 Of course, we did a whole 39:40 meeting on that at our last camp meeting. 39:43 If you'd like to look at that you can. 39:44 But Hebrews Chapter 1 emphasizes this again, 39:48 and again and again. 39:49 I mean, Jesus is God. 39:51 That's the whole point of Hebrews Chapter 1. 39:52 Jesus is God, Jesus is God. 39:54 Just in case you're thinking that this is some kind 39:56 of pagan deity that takes His Son 39:59 and makes Him pay a penalty for, 40:01 you know, for us, 40:03 this is a third party interaction, it's not. 40:05 It's God in us. 40:07 And God looks at us and He says, 40:08 "Okay, you've sinned. 40:09 Wages of sin is death, so you deserve to die. 40:12 And the only way that you can get out 40:15 of that is if I take the consequence of your sin, 40:18 if I actually experienced that, and so I'm going to do that. 40:21 I've got a plan, I'm going to do that. 40:23 And so God takes upon us. 40:24 He doesn't give to somebody else. 40:25 He takes it upon Himself, Jesus is God. 40:27 This is Paul's argument right here. 40:28 And he says it in almost every single verse of Hebrews 1. 40:31 I'm just going to highlight, let's just look verses 8 40:35 through 10 in Hebrews Chapter 1. 40:37 Just to highlight this point, it's found all over the Bible, 40:40 Philippians 2 are some of my favorite verses, 40:42 verses 5 through 8. 40:43 But let's just look here in Hebrews 1:8-10. 40:46 Here's what Paul says, "But unto the Son, 40:49 talking about Jesus, He the father says, 40:51 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. 40:56 A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom." 40:58 Verse 9, "Thou, the Father talking about the Son, 41:02 has loved righteousness and hated iniquity, 41:04 therefore, God, even thy God, the Father, 41:08 had anointed thee with all of gladness above thy fellows. 41:12 And thou Lord, speaking of the son, 41:14 thou Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundations 41:18 of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands." 41:22 Over and over again, Hebrews Chapter 1 41:25 tells us that Jesus is better than the angels 41:28 that He is to be worshipped by the angels. 41:31 No one gets worshiped by the angels. 41:32 You know, Lucifer, wanting to be worshiped by the angels. 41:34 No one gets worshiped by the angels, unless it's God. 41:38 And so this focus is powerful, because this is the language 41:43 of gifts. 41:45 God has given a gift to us, He loves us. 41:48 And many times people are mostly 41:52 mainly impacted in the communication 41:56 of love through gifts. 41:57 They love to receive gifts, some people, 41:59 that's their number one language. 42:00 Like, if my daughter, that's big, a big thing for her, 42:03 if you know, words of affirmation and gifts. 42:05 And so God is communicating to us here 42:09 through the love language of gifts. 42:11 He's given us a gift, what kind of gift is it? 42:14 It's the greatest gift that was ever given. 42:17 It's the gift of Himself. 42:18 He's given, He's poured out all of heaven in this gift. 42:21 Why? Because He loves us. 42:23 That's why. 42:24 He absolutely and completely loves us. 42:26 So God is in the person of Jesus Christ, 42:28 He gives Himself for us and Jesus is God, 42:31 He's one with a Father, so this is the gift of love. 42:34 God gives Himself to us in Jesus Christ is the greatest 42:36 of all gifts. 42:38 And God's love is revealed in this gift, 42:41 just like it's going to reveal in every one 42:43 of the other languages of love, 42:44 just like it's going to reveal in every one of the other 42:47 gifts that God is communicating. 42:48 By the way, I just want to remind you, 42:51 it's going to be a fun experience for you to try 42:54 to figure out the love languages 42:56 of people that you're close to. 42:57 If you haven't figured it out already, 42:59 it's a great exercise because it really makes 43:01 a huge difference in relationships. 43:04 All right, what about the next chapter of Hebrews? 43:07 Hebrews Chapter 2? 43:09 Now Hebrews Chapter 2 is really powerful because it connects 43:12 with Hebrews Chapter 1. 43:13 It tells us how salvation was worked out 43:17 with the Father and the Son. 43:19 It tells us what had to happen in order for God to justly 43:24 and righteously receive the consequences 43:29 of our sins because you know, we sin, not God. 43:32 So how can He take our sins? 43:34 That doesn't seem right or fair. 43:36 And so Hebrews Chapter 2 43:39 describes basically goes back to Genesis, 43:42 if you want to look here with me in Hebrews Chapter 2, 43:43 beginning with verse 9, let's just look there. 43:45 Hebrews Chapter 2, and beginning with verse 9, 43:48 or if you excuse me, verse 3, we'll read through verse 9. 43:50 Hebrews 2:6-9, goes back to the creation, 43:53 but one in a certain place testifies saying, 43:55 what is man that thou art mindful of him? 43:58 Or the son of man that thou visits him? 44:01 Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels, 44:04 this is creation, thou crownedst Him with glory 44:08 and honor, You set Him over the works of your hands." 44:11 "You put," verse 8, 44:12 "all things in subjection unto Him," that means, 44:14 the whole world was given to us, 44:16 all things in subjection unto Him, 44:17 "for in that He put all in subjection unto Him, 44:20 He left nothing that is not put unto Him." 44:25 But, before we get to the but, 44:28 let's just think about this, God created us 44:30 and gave us dominion over all the earth and He said, 44:32 "This is good, this is very good, be fruitful, 44:34 and multiply and fill the earth. 44:36 Just have a great time. 44:38 And I'll connect with you every evening 44:39 and we'll spend a special day together on Sabbath," right? 44:42 But, this is verse 9 again or verse 8, 44:46 "Now we see not yet all things unto Him." 44:50 What happened? 44:51 Genesis Chapter 3, the fall. 44:53 Satan came in, to kill, to steal and to destroy. 44:57 That's what we're told in John 10:10. 45:00 So Satan came in, he deceived Eve at the tree, 45:04 and through Eve, he won Adam's disobedience, 45:09 both of them now, have in essence handed all 45:12 of the dominion over the earth to Satan. 45:14 That's why Jesus Christ called him the prince 45:15 of this world. But remember, God, the Creator 45:19 is still the ultimate owner of planet earth 45:22 and of each one of us. 45:23 And He has redeemed us. He's put a plan in place. 45:26 So we don't, but we don't see all things 45:28 under Him that notice the next but in verse 9, 45:30 "But we see Jesus..." 45:32 Praise God. Amen. 45:34 "But we see Jesus who was made 45:36 a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, 45:39 crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God 45:42 should taste death for every man." 45:45 That's just a mini three verses 45:47 whole plan of salvation right there. 45:49 You know, we were given dominion, 45:51 we were created to have this earth as ours, 45:54 it was good, it was a blessing, 45:55 it was very good, Satan came in, deceived us, 45:59 led us to disobedience, 46:00 he became the prince of this world, 46:02 but Jesus came in, Jesus came in, 46:04 and He redeemed us. 46:06 He tasted death for every man. 46:08 So the consequence of sin is death. 46:09 And that eternal separation from God is what we deserved. 46:15 That consequence carried out is a manifestation of justice. 46:19 Now, when we're talking about God's love, 46:21 we have to recognize that justice 46:23 is not contrary to love. 46:24 Justice is part of love. God is merciful. 46:27 He's gracious, and He's just, He's righteous, He's fair. 46:31 And those two components make up the foundation 46:33 of God's character. 46:35 They are equally a demonstration revelation 46:38 of God's love. 46:40 So another word for justice, we could say is righteousness, 46:42 doing what's right, doing what's just, doing what's fair. 46:45 You know, my kids were younger. 46:47 My daughter always, "That's not fair. 46:48 That's not fair." 46:50 How come he gets, my son was five years old, 46:51 "How come he gets to do that?" 46:53 Well, he's five years older. That's why he can drive a car. 46:55 You're, you know, you're 11, he's 16, right? 46:58 That's not fair. 46:59 But God always does what's fair. 47:01 Now, as parents, we don't always navigate 47:02 as well as we should, but God always navigates 47:05 and does what's right, what's just, and what is fair. 47:09 So what's right, what's just 47:12 and what is fair means that Adam and Eve 47:15 should have died in the Garden of Eden. 47:17 That would have been the end of that. 47:20 And it would have been just and right and fair, 47:21 no one could have faulted God for doing that, 47:23 for allowing that to happen. 47:25 However, the Bible tells us that God had a plan B. 47:27 Amen. 47:28 God had a plan B for the human race. 47:31 He had a backup plan, Revelation 13:8, 47:33 this is Shelley Quinn's favorite verse, 47:34 I can't help but mention that one 47:36 of her favorite verses, it says, that Jesus Christ 47:38 is the Lamb slain from the foundation 47:41 of the world right there in Revelation's final crisis. 47:44 You know, the mark of the beast, 47:45 can't buy or sell, you're going to die, 47:47 we have the cross, we have Calvary 47:48 right there to help us, to guide us 47:50 so that we don't follow the world. 47:53 And this points us to God's plan B, 47:54 you know, Jesus Christ is the Lamb 47:56 slain from earth's foundation. 47:58 So, you know, we've just shown that Jesus Christ is God, 48:02 that mankind sinned, that mankind only should 48:06 receive the consequences for that sin, 48:07 because that's what's right, that's what's just, right? 48:11 So in order for Jesus, to justly and righteously 48:14 take our consequences, He must become mankind. 48:20 Not just temporarily, but permanently, 48:25 not just for 33 years, but for all eternity. 48:28 Jesus must become a human. 48:30 He must become the human race, to receive the consequences 48:34 that belong to the human race. 48:36 And that's exactly what He did. 48:38 Jesus Christ became a human being. 48:40 And as a human being, Jesus Christ became for us sin. 48:45 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus became sin. 48:48 The human race had sinned, Adam and Eve had sinned, 48:51 but Jesus took sin's consequence, 48:53 legally, ethically by becoming the new Adam, 48:57 the new head of the human race, 49:00 the second Adam, the second Adam. 49:02 Now you can read about this in 2, 49:04 or 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. 49:08 He is the second Adam, the Bible tells us. 49:11 So in these verses, in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47, 49:14 we're running out of time, so I'm just going to give you 49:16 the references, otherwise, I'd read them. 49:18 These verses identify Jesus as the second Adam, 49:21 and show us that He started the whole human race again, 49:25 all over again in Himself. 49:27 As humans, we're born with a choice between 49:31 the destiny of the first Adam 49:32 and the legacy of the first Adam, 49:34 and the destiny of the second Adam 49:36 and the legacy of the second Adam. 49:37 And when we become Christians, when we accept Jesus Christ, 49:40 we say, I'm not going to receive 49:42 the legacy and the destiny 49:43 of this first Adam that I'm born into, 49:44 I'm going to receive, I wanna choose the legacy 49:47 and the destiny of the second Adam. 49:48 And the second Adam has paid the consequences for our sin. 49:52 The first Adam hasn't. 49:54 The consequence is still coming. 49:55 If you stay in the first Adam, you're going to receive 49:57 the consequences for your sins, 49:58 and that's going to be eternal death. 50:00 But if you step into the second Adam consequences 50:02 is taken care of. 50:04 And that's what the plan of salvation is really all about. 50:07 It's about stepping in to Jesus Christ. 50:10 It's about stepping into the person 50:11 who's received our consequences. 50:13 In Christ, justice was satisfied, 50:15 in Christ, believing in Christ, 50:18 we are safe from the death that sin brings. 50:20 And that's why the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, 50:24 He is faithful and merciful to forgive our sins." 50:29 Are you listening out there this evening? 50:31 What does it say? 50:33 He's faithful and just. 50:34 It's only just, it's only fair, 50:36 it's only righteous for God to forgive our sins 50:38 if we step into Jesus, because Jesus already paid 50:41 the consequences for our sins. 50:43 It wouldn't be fair, it wouldn't be righteous, 50:44 it wouldn't be just for us to receive those consequences 50:46 when we step into Jesus. 50:48 That's double jeopardy. It doesn't work that way. 50:50 We only receive the consequences 50:52 if we're outside of Jesus. 50:54 But we step into Jesus, He's faithful, and He's just. 50:58 Look at these verses, though, and see here 51:00 what it took for Jesus to step into the human race. 51:03 This is back in Hebrews 2:14-17. 51:07 I'm watching the clock there, so I'm making sure 51:08 we have time. 51:10 It says here, "For as much as the children are partakers 51:13 of flesh and blood," He's talking about us, right? 51:16 "He, Jesus also Himself likewise 51:19 took part of the same." 51:21 Any doubt about that? He was going to annihilate. 51:24 Jesus Christ became one with human race. 51:27 He took part of the same flesh and blood. 51:29 Then it goes on to say that, "Through death, 51:33 He might destroy him that had the power of death," 51:35 that is the devil, 51:37 "and deliver them," that salvation right here 51:39 we're talking about, "who through fear of death 51:41 were all their lifetime subject to bondage." 51:43 Isn't that a powerful Bible verse that God 51:46 has given us here? 51:48 "For verily He took on not on Him the nature of angels, 51:51 but He took them on Him the seed of Abraham. 51:53 Wherefore in all things," 51:55 verse 17, "it behooves Him to be made like 51:59 unto his brethren, that He might be a merciful 52:02 and faithful high priest, in things 52:04 pertaining to God to make 52:06 reconciliation for the sins of the people." 52:09 I love this. Jesus is the second Adam. 52:11 Yes, but He didn't start with 52:13 a second Adam started in a perfect, sinless garden. 52:16 That was gone when Jesus came to this earth. 52:18 He came to our fallen sin parched world 4,000 years 52:22 after sin, right? 52:23 So Jesus became part of the fallen human race. 52:26 He took our weaknesses. 52:28 He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. 52:31 That's what it says in Romans 8:3. 52:34 Matthew Chapter 26, says that Jesus had to surrender 52:38 His human will to God, 52:39 and it took Him three times to do it. 52:41 Have you ever struggled with straining your will to God? 52:43 Well, Jesus wrestled with it in the Garden of Gethsemane. 52:47 He had to say it once, not my will, but Thine be done. 52:50 God, I really don't want to do this, 52:51 but not My will but Thine be done. 52:53 God, I really don't want to do this, but not My will, 52:55 but Thine be done. 52:56 I don't want to move there, 52:57 I don't want to go to as a missionary there, 52:59 I don't want to go witness to that person, 53:00 I don't want to, you know, do that Bible study, 53:03 whatever it is in our lives that God 53:05 is calling us to do for His glory, 53:07 our natural human will sometimes shrink from them. 53:11 Jesus fought that battle. 53:12 He became one with us on the level of the will, 53:15 and He always, always surrendered that will to God. 53:19 Jesus never failed like Adam 53:21 and Eve failed in the Garden of Eden 53:23 with the surrender of the will. 53:24 He was holy, He was harmless. He was separate from sinners. 53:28 He was that holy thing. 53:30 Amen? 53:32 I mean, from His very inception to His death, 53:34 He consecrated Himself to God, 53:37 not My will but Thine be done was the battle cry of Jesus. 53:41 He never failed to do God's will, 53:42 and that's why we have salvation. 53:43 Our salvation is not only in the death of Jesus, 53:46 our salvation is in the life of Jesus, 53:48 because His life tells us that we too can surrender 53:51 our wills to God. 53:52 His life tells us that we too can live a victorious life. 53:55 And when we fail, and if we fail, if we sin, 53:57 we have an advocate with the Father, 53:59 Jesus Christ, the righteous. 54:01 He is a propitiation for our sins, 54:02 1 John 2:1 says. 54:04 So we have a perfect righteousness that backs us up. 54:09 But again, we don't want to just toss 54:10 the law of God and say, "Well, doesn't matter. 54:12 We're saved by grace." 54:13 No, we want to live for a God who loves us, like He loves us. 54:16 We want to live for God, who's given everything for us. 54:20 So this is how He became our Savior. 54:22 He worked out a perfect character, 54:24 and as a human being He, 54:25 as a new head of the human race, 54:28 He started humanity all over again 54:30 where Adam and Eve failed. 54:32 And this is how the God had loves us in the area 54:34 of physical touch. 54:36 You see, Jesus has become part of our human race permanently. 54:40 He's connected with us physically, for all eternity. 54:43 After His resurrection, 54:44 remember Jesus comes to the disciples 54:46 after His resurrection in a human body. 54:47 Thomas is really upset because Jesus has revealed 54:50 Himself to the other disciples, but not to Thomas. 54:53 Thomas is like, "Why couldn't you wait till I was with Him?" 54:55 Well, maybe Jesus just couldn't wait to show 54:57 Himself to the disciples. 54:59 Maybe Thomas, you should have been with them, 55:00 you know, you shouldn't miss prayer meeting, right? 55:02 You should have been in church that Sabbath. 55:03 You should have been there with the guys, but you weren't. 55:05 But He'll get to you, He's not going to leave 55:07 anyone out that wants to see Him that wants to know Him. 55:09 And when He comes to Thomas, 55:10 He says, "Touch me, 55:12 put your hand into My side and feel My wounds. 55:13 Put your hands and your fingers into My hands 55:16 and feel those wounds and believe." 55:18 He is in flesh and blood. 55:21 We know that because decades later, 55:24 He appears to John on the Isle of Patmos, 55:27 in human form, as the Son of God. 55:31 So the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is an eternal sacrifice, 55:35 an omnipresent God 55:37 becoming present in humanity for all eternity. 55:41 We can't even understand that sacrifice. 55:44 Can you imagine if you were omnipresent, 55:48 and someone said, hey, you know, 55:49 would you be willing to kind of give that up, 55:50 you know, Joe's in some trouble, 55:52 and in order for you to help him, 55:54 you know, if you could just give that up? 55:56 Because, you know, Jesus would have died for one. 55:57 He would have given that up for one. 56:00 He has physically touched us, He's become one with us, 56:03 and this is an amazing love. 56:05 You know, God loves us. 56:07 He loves us through gifts, 56:08 He loves us through physical touch, 56:10 and His love is tangible. 56:12 God loves us practically. 56:14 God speaks to us in love languages, 56:17 in the language of love. 56:18 Never doubt that. 56:19 God has given Himself for us in the person of Jesus Christ. 56:24 God does not require sacrifice for sin, 56:26 He provides the sacrifice for sin. 56:29 He is the sacrifice for sin. 56:30 That was always God's plan B, the gift of love. 56:34 God became one with the human race forever, 56:36 God did not become a man for 33 years and say, 56:38 "I'm going to go back to heaven. 56:39 And you know, all things will continue as they were." 56:41 No. 56:42 God, in Jesus Christ, became permanently part 56:47 of the human race. 56:49 And this is love. 56:51 And these are the languages of love. 56:53 And they're powerful. 56:54 And God wants us to hear them, 56:57 and then He wants us to communicate them. 57:00 And tonight, as we kick off our camp meeting, 57:02 we're going to be continuing to move through this theme 57:04 of something better, a better God, 57:06 and a better man, 57:08 and the plan of salvation that God has laid out for us. 57:11 And I'm praying that God will speak to each one of us 57:13 and help us to get our eyes on Him, on heaven, 57:16 and all the things of this world that have been 57:17 so discouraging. 57:19 Let's pray together. 57:20 Father in heaven, thank You this evening for Your love. 57:22 Thank You for Your grace. 57:23 Thank You for the gift 57:24 that You've given us in Jesus Christ. 57:26 Thank You for being a God that speaks to us 57:31 and communicates to us even to the very end that endures, 57:35 whose love endures, whose love calls us, 57:37 whose love isn't exclusive, but is inclusive. 57:42 Guide each one who is hearing this message, 57:44 touch their hearts with this everlasting gospel, 57:47 we pray in Jesus' name. 57:49 Amen. |
Revised 2021-11-18