Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023015S
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00:00 (bright music)
00:16 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're glad to have you back once again 00:21 as we continue our journey through the book of Revelation 00:24 and especially looking at the three angels 00:27 in Revelation, chapter 14 00:28 and the messages that they have for us. 00:31 This is lesson number three. 00:32 We are looking at "The Everlasting Gospel." 00:35 What is it? Who is it given to? How does it apply to us? 00:38 We're gonna be delving into all of that today. 00:40 And with us, just like the last two weeks, 00:43 and just like the remaining weeks this quarter, 00:45 is our special guest, 00:46 the author of this quarter's Sabbath School lesson, 00:49 international speaker and evangelist Pastor Mark Finley. 00:52 But before we meet him again this week, 00:55 we are going to have prayer, so let's pray. 00:57 Father, we wanna thank You for being with us again this week 01:00 as we continue our journey 01:02 through this important book for our time, 01:04 the book of Revelation, 01:05 and these important messages for our time, 01:08 the three angels' messages. 01:09 We ask that You'll bless our time together 01:11 as we explore the everlasting gospel. 01:13 In Jesus' name, amen. 01:15 Pastor Mark, welcome back. 01:16 >>I'm glad to be back. 01:17 I've been enjoying these last couple weeks. 01:19 >>These are fantastic studies, 01:21 it's a wonderful subject, a wonderful topic, 01:23 and though there are many things that you can look at 01:25 in the book of Revelation 01:27 and in the three angels' messages, 01:28 the everlasting gospel is a significant one. 01:32 Share a little bit about where we're going this week 01:35 with the everlasting gospel. 01:36 >>Well, you know, when you start the book of Revelation, 01:37 many people think about mystic symbols, 01:40 they think about these cryptic beasts, strange numbers, 01:44 but yet, when you look at Revelation 1, verse 1, 01:47 it says, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 01:50 "which God gave Him to show His servants-- 01:54 "things which must shortly take place. 01:56 "And He sent and signified it by His angel 01:59 to His servant John." 02:00 When I take the book of Revelation in my hands, Pastor Eric, 02:03 and I think about the fact it's the revelation of Jesus. 02:05 Where did He get it? God gave it to Him. 02:07 What did He do with it? 02:08 He gave it to His angel, who gave it to John. 02:12 You and I can take this book in our hands and say 02:16 it comes directly from the heart of God, 02:18 sent by Jesus to an angel to John, 02:21 who 2,000 years ago on the island of Patmos 02:25 is exiled there, and he writes it down. 02:26 So it's an incredibly thrilling book. 02:30 When you come to the third verse, 02:35 it says, "Blessed is he who reads 02:38 "and those who hear the words of this prophecy, 02:40 and keep [the] things [therein]." 02:41 So there's a triple blessing, 02:43 to the one that reads it, 02:45 to the ones who hear or understand it, 02:48 and to the ones that keep it. 02:50 So the purpose of the book of Revelation 02:51 is to lead people into action. 02:53 And then it talks about the living Christ 02:57 down here in verses 4, 5, 6. 03:01 It talks about Jesus and it says, 03:03 "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 03:06 "in His own blood, 03:07 ...[He's] made us kings and priests to...God." 03:10 So there are three verbs, He loved us, He washed us, 03:13 and in addition to that, 03:15 He made us kings and priests to God. 03:17 So when we study the book of Revelation, 03:18 we're studying about the One who loves us, 03:20 the One who wants us saved, 03:22 the One who washes us from our sins 03:24 through the blood of the cross, 03:26 and the One who transforms us 03:30 and makes us kings and priests to God. 03:31 There's nothing higher in the political world, 03:33 in the ancient world, than a king, 03:35 nothing higher than a priest in the religious world. 03:37 What's God saying here? 03:39 He's saying, "I have a destiny for your life. 03:41 "You're gonna be like kings and priests to God. 03:43 "I have a purpose for your life 03:45 that's far beyond what you can imagine." 03:47 >>So it's not intended to be 03:49 the scary book that some people make it out to be. 03:51 It's not the revelation of the beast 03:53 or the revelation of the antichrist 03:55 or the revelation of the seven last plagues, 03:57 and certainly the book of Revelation 03:59 talks about those things, but really at its heart, 04:02 it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. 04:05 It shows us who He is. 04:07 It shows us how the story ends, as it were, 04:09 and what role we can play in that story. 04:11 >>Exactly. >>Yep. 04:12 So, we're looking at the three angels' messages 04:15 specifically in this quarter's lesson. 04:18 How does what we've just learned about Revelation, 04:20 how it begins, Revelation, chapter 1, 04:23 how does that connect with what we're studying 04:26 in Revelation, chapter 14, the three angels' messages? 04:28 >>Well, in chapter 14, verse 6, 04:32 you have the introduction of the gospel. 04:34 We talked about, in Revelation 1 it talks about 04:36 the Christ who loved us, 04:39 the Christ who washed us from our sins, 04:42 the Christ who makes us kings and priests to God 04:46 and is coming again for us. 04:47 In Revelation 14, verse 6 it says, 04:49 "Then I saw another angel flying in the [middle] of heaven." 04:51 He just is rapid, quick. 04:53 "Having the everlasting gospel 04:55 "to preach to those [that] dwell on the earth-- 04:57 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people." 05:00 So here it says, it talks about the everlasting gospel. 05:04 So that would lead us to the question, 05:06 what is the gospel? 05:07 And I think the Bible gives us some very good definitions, 05:10 and then why is it everlasting? 05:11 We'll look at both of those things. 05:13 Let's go over to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, 05:17 and maybe you can read, Pastor Eric, 05:19 verses 1 and 2 for us in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. 05:24 I think this helps us to understand the gospel, 05:27 as is the book of Romans, we'll look at that as well, 05:30 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, 05:32 and if you'll just read verse 1 and 2. 05:35 >>Verse 1 says, "Moreover, brethren, 05:37 "I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, 05:40 "which also you received and in which you stand, 05:44 "by which also you are saved, 05:46 "if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- 05:49 unless you believed in vain." 05:51 >>So Paul is preaching to them the gospel, 05:53 then he defines the gospel in verse 3, 05:56 so go ahead and continue to read verse 3 and 4. 05:59 >>Verse 3 says, "For I delivered to you first of all 06:02 "that which I also received: 06:04 "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 06:07 "and that He was buried, 06:08 "and that He rose again the third day 06:10 according to the Scriptures." 06:12 >>So, what is the gospel? 06:13 Christ died, was buried, and was resurrected. 06:17 So the gospel is that through the life and death of Christ 06:23 we can have eternal life. 06:25 He faced Satan's temptations head on. 06:29 Where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. 06:32 Through Adam there is death; through Christ there is life. 06:36 So the first thing we notice about the gospel 06:38 is that because of sin, you know, 06:40 Romans, chapter 3, verse 23, 06:43 "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 06:46 Romans, chapter 6, "The wages of sin [are] death." 06:50 So, we deserve to die. 06:52 We deserve to go into the grave and never come out. 06:55 We deserve to be eternally lost because sin is deadly, 06:59 sin is fatal. But yet Christ came, 07:03 lived the life we should have lived, 07:05 was victorious over every temptation of Satan. 07:09 Accepting Christ means we accept His life 07:13 in place of our sinful life, 07:15 His sinless life in place of our sinful life. 07:19 It means we accept His death on the cross 07:21 in place of our death. 07:22 Christ died not simply a physical death, 07:25 but when He said, "My God, my God, 07:27 why [have] Thou forsaken me?" He felt God forsaken, 07:30 He didn't see Himself coming through the tomb. 07:32 He was taking on the sin, the guilt, the condemnation 07:36 of all humanity's sins. 07:38 And so, in Christ we find One 07:42 who was victorious over temptation, 07:44 One who died in our place, 07:46 but then He was resurrected from the dead, 07:48 hallelujah, resurrected from the dead 07:51 and is our living High Priest. 07:53 When we come to Jesus, He accepts us as we are, 07:57 but we don't stay as we are. 07:58 He begins a work in us to change us. 08:01 That's what the gospel is all about. 08:03 The living, the dying of Christ, 08:05 the priestly ministry of Christ, 08:07 the coming again of Christ, that's gospel. 08:10 >>You mentioned a moment ago Romans 6:23, 08:12 that "the wages of sin is death," 08:13 and of course you and I both know 08:14 that's not where the verse ends. 08:15 If it did, that would be a discouraging verse. 08:18 But it says, "But the gift of God 08:19 is eternal life [through] Christ Jesus our Lord," 08:21 and that's where that, 08:24 the happy part of the gospel comes in, 08:25 that victorious part of the gospel. 08:27 Now, we've probably both run into people who say, 08:30 "Okay, I understand who Jesus is, 08:33 "I see who He is, I understand what He offers, 08:37 "but I'm not good enough to be saved. 08:40 "The stuff I've done, the things I've done, 08:42 the people I've hurt," 08:43 you know, fill in the blank. The list goes on and on. 08:46 And they feel hopeless. >>Mm-hmm. 08:50 >>How does the gospel give them hope? 08:53 How should the gospel give them hope? 08:54 >>The Bible says, "All have sinned, 08:56 and come short of the glory of God." 08:58 So all of us, if we were looking at ourselves, 09:01 would not see any way to be saved. 09:03 I think the gospel gives them hope 09:05 because sin is part of the universal nature of mankind. 09:09 Sin is part of who we are; 09:12 it's part of every nerve and tissue of our bodies. 09:15 So salvation is not dependent on who we are 09:18 but who Christ is, 09:19 and that's what Ephesians 2 is all about. 09:22 You know, verse 8, 09:23 "For by grace [are] you...saved through faith, ... 09:25 "it is the gift of God, 09:28 not of works, ...[anybody] should boast." 09:29 So, salvation is offered in Christ through grace. 09:35 We receive it by faith. 09:37 >>And that's encouraging. 09:38 So if you are discouraged, if you are worried, 09:41 if you are concerned that you're not good enough 09:44 to be saved, 09:45 that Jesus couldn't possibly forgive you, 09:49 trust that perhaps you're not the greatest sinner 09:52 who ever lived. And even if you were, 09:56 Jesus is the greatest Savior who has ever lived, 09:59 and so you need not concern yourself with your own sins. 10:03 What you ought to concern yourself with 10:05 is simply giving them over to Him, 10:07 confessing your sins, 10:08 'cause He promises if we confess, He will forgive. 10:12 >>Exactly, and that's the incredible good news. 10:15 You know, I love what it says in John, chapter 6. 10:19 It is a promise to us in John 6, verse 37. 10:24 This is a promise, 10:26 and maybe somebody is struggling today and thinking, 10:29 "I am just not good enough to be saved," 10:32 and this promise is given to us by God. 10:36 John 6, verse 37 and 38 puts it this way: 10:43 "All that the Father gives me will come to me, 10:45 and...one who comes to me I will by no means cast out." 10:49 This is an incredible promise. 10:52 You may be struggling and saying, "You know what? 10:55 "I'm just too bad to be saved. 10:57 I've failed too much, and I'm a lost human being." 11:02 But Jesus says, "Him that comes to me, 11:04 I will in no wise cast out." 11:06 That's a promise that Christ gives to you, my friend. 11:09 He will never cast you out. 11:12 Jesus says, "Come unto me, 11:14 "all [you] that [are burdened] and...heavy laden, 11:16 "and I will give you rest. 11:18 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 11:20 "for I am meek and lowly in heart: 11:22 and [you] shall find rest [for] your souls." 11:25 Romans 8, verse 1, it says, 11:26 "There is...no condemnation 11:27 "to [those that] are in Christ Jesus, 11:29 who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 11:32 So put these three things together, first, John 6, 11:34 "He that comes to me, I'll never cast him out." 11:36 He promises you that. Second, "The one that comes to me, 11:40 "I'll take the burden off your shoulders. 11:41 I'll give you rest." 11:43 Third, "The one that comes to me, there is no condemnation." 11:45 The good news is those promises are for you. 11:49 Eric? >>Pastor Mark, 11:50 that's an incredible encapsulation 11:53 of what the everlasting gospel is. 11:55 Now, we're gonna look in just a moment 11:56 about why it's called the everlasting gospel. 11:59 But before we do that, I wanna remind you. 12:02 We have a wonderful complement 12:05 to this quarter's Sabbath School lesson, 12:07 and that is a book called "Three Cosmic Messages," 12:10 authored by Pastor Mark Finley. You wanna pick this up 12:13 because it's going to help you understand 12:15 even more deeply, even more clearly, even more broadly 12:19 the subject that we are studying this quarter. 12:21 "Three Cosmic Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley, 12:24 and you can find this at itiswritten.shop. 12:27 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 12:30 We're gonna come back in just a moment 12:32 as we continue looking at "The Everlasting Gospel." 12:36 We'll see you in just a moment. 12:38 (bright, gentle music) 12:41 >>It's one of most fascinating books in the Bible, 12:44 written with signs and symbols in almost a code, 12:49 written by John, who was under house arrest when he wrote it 12:53 on the island of Patmos in the beautiful Aegean Sea. 12:57 Don't miss "Great Chapters of the Bible: 13:00 Revelation [chapter] 14," 13:02 where we investigate a chapter of the Bible 13:04 that contains what the Bible refers to as 13:06 "the everlasting gospel," 13:09 God's final message of warning and mercy for the world. 13:15 Revelation, chapter 14 13:16 introduces us to the 144,000. 13:20 Who are the 144,000, 13:22 and can you be in that group? 13:25 And then three messages from angels 13:27 that fly in the midst of heaven, 13:29 proclaiming their God-given message with a loud voice. 13:33 Don't miss 13:34 "Great Chapters of the Bible: Revelation [chapter] 14" 13:38 on It Is Written TV. 13:42 You know that at It Is Written 13:44 we are serious about the study of the Word of God, 13:47 and we encourage you to be serious about God's Word also. 13:51 Well, I wanna share with you another way 13:54 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God, 13:56 and here it is, 13:58 itiswritten.study. 14:01 Go online to itiswritten.study, 14:04 and you can access the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 14:09 25 in-depth Bible studies 14:11 that will walk you through the Bible. 14:14 It's gonna be good for you, 14:15 and it's the sort of thing 14:17 that you will want to tell somebody else about 14:20 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 14:23 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 14:26 As you get into the It Is Written online Bible study guides, 14:30 you'll understand the prophecies of the Bible, 14:32 the plan of salvation, and more. 14:34 So don't forget itiswritten.study, 14:37 itiswritten.study. 14:42 (bright music) 14:47 >>Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:48 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:50 We're looking today, this week, 14:52 at "The Everlasting Gospel." 14:54 So, Pastor Mark, 14:55 we've looked at what the everlasting gospel is. 14:58 It's that good news that Jesus died, 15:01 was buried, raised again, and is today up in glory 15:05 preparing mansions for us, as it were. 15:08 Why is this everlasting gospel-- 15:10 or why is this gospel called the everlasting gospel? 15:13 What makes it everlasting? 15:15 The word "everlasting," to most people who hear it, 15:19 existed forever, exists now, will exist forever. 15:22 How is this gospel everlasting? 15:24 >>Great question, Eric, thanks so much. 15:26 You know, there's a couple passages in the Bible 15:28 that help us to understand this. 15:29 Revelation, chapter 13 and verse 8, 15:34 it says, it's talking about the beast power 15:36 that rises up out of the sea, talking about the last days. 15:40 And verse 8 of Revelation 13 says, 15:42 "All who dwell on the earth will worship him," 15:44 that is the beast, 15:46 "whose names have not been written," 15:48 now here is the thing, 15:48 "in the Book of Life of the Lamb 15:52 slain from the foundation of the world." 15:55 So this talks about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, 15:58 "slain from the foundation of the world." 16:00 I thought He was slain on Calvary. 16:02 What do you mean "from the foundation of the world"? 16:04 But we go back even further 16:05 because in Peter, in 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 18 and 19, 16:10 it talks about something else about Jesus, 16:15 1 Peter, chapter 1, and we're looking there 16:19 at verse 18 and 19. 16:23 You wanna pick up those for us? 16:24 >>Sure, verse 18 says, 16:26 "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, 16:29 "like silver or gold, 16:31 "from your aimless conduct received by tradition 16:33 "from your fathers, 16:35 "but with the precious blood of Christ, 16:37 "as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 16:40 "He indeed was foreordained 16:42 "before the foundation of the world, 16:44 but was manifest in these last times for you." 16:48 >>So that is quite an amazing passage. 16:50 We read that in Revelation 13:8, 16:52 He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 16:54 Here we read that before the foundation of the world, 16:58 He "was foreordained before the foundation of the world." 17:02 What does this mean? Why is the gospel everlasting? 17:05 When God created the human race, 17:07 He recognized that giving the human race freedom of choice 17:11 necessitated that they could make poor choices, 17:13 and God knew that. 17:15 What is the gospel? 17:17 In one word, it's love, the love of God. 17:21 So the reason the gospel is everlasting 17:23 is because love flowed from the heart of God eternally. 17:27 And when God knew that He was creating the human race, 17:31 He knew the potentiality and that they would fall. 17:35 He had a plan. 17:37 The foundation of Scripture indicates 17:42 that the plan of salvation was not an afterthought for God; 17:45 it was not something that He thought after sin. 17:49 There's a wonderful, wonderful statement here 17:53 that I think is really helpful. 17:56 It's on Tuesday's lesson on April 11, 18:00 and it's on page 25, 18:03 and let me just read it. 18:05 It's right at the bottom of the page, it says, 18:07 "The plan for our redemption," 18:08 and this is from Ellen White in "Desire of Ages," page 22. 18:12 "The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, 18:14 "a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. 18:17 "It was a revelation of 'the mystery 18:19 "which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.' 18:23 "Romans 6:25. 18:24 "It was [the] unfolding of the principles 18:26 "that from eternal ages have been the foundation 18:28 of God's throne." 18:29 So, what are the principles 18:31 that have been the foundation of God's throne? 18:33 Love, unselfishness, sacrifice. 18:37 So, the gospel is everlasting 18:40 because it dwelt in the heart of God before Creation. 18:45 It's everlasting because it presently reaches out to us, 18:51 wherever we are, 18:52 whatever our sins or weaknesses, our mistakes, our faults, 18:56 the gospel reaches us, 18:58 and it's everlasting because the love of God 19:00 will never stop. 19:01 It'll flow through the ceaseless ages of eternity. 19:04 >>So, a much better understanding 19:06 of what the everlasting gospel is, 19:08 now that we've dealt into it a little bit, 19:11 and I think it becomes even more real as we experience it, 19:15 not just intellectually, 19:16 assenting to the fact that that gospel has existed, 19:19 love has existed, it exists now and in the future, 19:22 but when we can receive it into our hearts, 19:23 that's when it really makes a huge difference. 19:25 >>It makes all the difference in the world 19:27 to know Christ experientially, 19:29 to know that the One who knows me best 19:31 loves me most. >>Absolutely. 19:34 When we take a look over here 19:35 in Revelation, chapter 14, verse number 6, 19:38 we're talking about the everlasting gospel. 19:41 In Revelation 14, verse number 6, 19:43 the last part of this verse 19:47 talks about where the gospel is going. 19:50 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 19:53 having the everlasting gospel," 19:55 and then it says, 19:56 "to preach to those who dwell on the earth-- 19:57 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people." 20:01 Explain that last part of verse number 6, 20:04 who the gospel's going to, how far it's going, 20:07 when that's gonna happen. 20:08 >>You know, remember what Jesus said, 20:10 and we'll come back to Revelation 14, 20:12 but in Matthew 24, verse 14, 20:15 Jesus makes this remarkable statement. 20:18 Matthew 24 of course talks about the end-time events: 20:23 war, rumors of war, nation rising against nation, 20:27 conflict, strife, famines, earthquakes, 20:30 fires, floods, lawlessness. 20:32 It was part of an answer to a question 20:34 that Jesus was answering for His disciples 20:37 when He talked about the destruction of Jerusalem, 20:40 and they said, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming? 20:43 "When shall these things be? 20:45 "What should be the sign of Your coming 20:46 in the end of the world?" 20:47 They thought an event as cataclysmic 20:49 as the destruction of Jerusalem 20:51 must be the end of the world, 20:52 and Jesus masterfully blended events 20:54 that would lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem 20:56 and then the end of the world. 20:58 But after Jesus gave all those various signs, 21:00 He gives the final sign in Matthew 24, verse 14, 21:04 where He says, "And this gospel of the kingdom 21:06 "will be preached in all the world 21:08 "as a witness to all the nations, 21:10 ...then the end will come." 21:12 Here we have very clearly outlined by Jesus 21:15 the fact that the gospel will go to the ends of the earth. 21:18 Just like it says in Revelation, chapter 14 and verse 6, 21:24 "Having the everlasting gospel 21:25 "to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 21:26 ...to every nation, ...kindred, ...[tribe], and people." 21:29 So the prediction is 21:30 that the message of Christ in the gospel, 21:33 in the truth of God's Word, 21:34 will leap across geographical boundaries, 21:37 it will span oceans, 21:39 it will bridge language groups. 21:41 God's Word is not gonna flicker 21:43 like some candle in the breeze 21:45 and go out, 21:47 but the earth will be ablaze with the glory of God, 21:50 and this message of Christ 21:53 in His love and grace, in His power, 21:56 His intercession in heaven, His soon coming, 21:59 will go to the ends of the earth. 22:01 One of the things that I noted in the quarterly 22:07 about this idea of the gospel going to every nation, 22:11 kindred, tongue, and people, 22:14 is a quote that I found extremely fascinating. 22:18 It's found on page 26 under Wednesday's lesson. 22:23 It is a quote from a book called 22:25 "A Quest for More: 22:26 Living for Something Bigger Than Yourself" 22:28 by Paul David Tripp, 22:31 and I was really impressed with that. 22:32 Do you have it there, can you read it, Eric? 22:34 >>I do, here's what he writes. 22:35 He says, "Human beings were created 22:37 "to be part of something bigger than their own lives. 22:40 "Sin causes us to shrink our lives 22:43 "down to the size of our lives. 22:45 "The grace of Christ is given to rescue us 22:48 "from the claustrophobic confines 22:50 "of our own little self-focused kingdom 22:52 "and frees us to live for the eternal purposes 22:56 and satisfying delights of the kingdom of God." 22:58 >>Isn't that amazing? >>That's powerful. 23:00 >>Yeah, you know, it's the idea 23:01 of living for something bigger than yourself, 23:04 living for something larger than yourself. 23:07 A number of years ago, 23:08 John F. Kennedy developed what he called 23:09 the peace movement, 23:10 and he sent young people around the world 23:13 in the Peace Corps. 23:14 They would go out to the far reaches, of say, Brazil 23:17 and work in little primitive villages, 23:19 help for people to have water that didn't have water supply, 23:23 help them to grow crops, 23:24 they would work as medical missionaries 23:27 around the world. 23:28 And young people rallied to that, 23:30 it was something larger, bigger than themself. 23:33 There's nothing as big, nothing as great, nothing as grand 23:37 as sensing that you're a part of a movement raised up by God 23:41 to prepare a world for the second coming of Christ. 23:44 You know, I've been preaching the Word of God now, 23:47 Pastor Eric, for over 56 years. 23:49 I've stood on the great platforms of the world 23:51 and everything from Africa to Asia, 23:54 to South and Inter-America, 23:55 to the former Soviet Union, Kremlin Auditorium. 23:59 People ask me, they say, 24:00 "How can we hold our young people? 24:03 Why is it that a lot of young people leave our church?" 24:06 If we dumb down the message, 24:08 and if Adventists become just another denomination 24:12 on the landscape of denominations, 24:14 it's gonna be difficult to hold young people. 24:16 But if young people see 24:17 that there's something bigger, grander, 24:20 that God has outlined the message of the three angels, 24:23 a message that's so big, so broad, so great 24:26 that it calls out their best, 24:28 why is it that we have sent our missionaries overseas, 24:32 the brightest and the best? 24:33 You know, in 1874, 24:35 when we sent our first missionary overseas, 24:38 J. N. Andrews, 24:39 his wife had died, Mary. 24:42 He went with his daughter, 24:45 who was about 15 at the time, 24:47 and his son. 24:48 And Ellen White said 24:50 that he is "the ablest and best man in our ranks." 24:52 He knew seven languages, 24:54 he had memorized the New Testament, 24:56 he had known much of the Old Testament. 24:58 Why send your brightest and best? 25:00 For one reason: 25:02 "This gospel of the kingdom 25:03 "must be preached in all the world 25:04 "as a witness to all nations, 25:05 then the end shall come." 25:07 I remember going out to Solusi College 25:12 and I wanted to be by myself 25:14 and I walked out among the cemetery that they had there 25:17 for the pioneer missionaries who came out, you know, 25:20 in the late 19th century, early 20th century, 25:23 people like W. H. Anderson. 25:26 And I saw the graves of a number of these missionaries 25:30 who were buried there. 25:31 They went out and never came back. 25:32 Why did they do that? 25:35 Why did missionaries go out today? 25:37 Why do they leave their country? 25:38 For one reason, 25:39 they believe in the message of Revelation 14. 25:42 They believe that there's an angel flying in mid-heaven 25:44 that has the everlasting gospel 25:46 to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 25:49 It calls out your best. 25:50 Why do I, at 77 years old, keep preaching 25:53 and not go sit and put my feet in some swimming pool, 25:56 sit in some jacuzzi? 25:58 That's not too bad sometimes, but why? 26:00 Because I profoundly believe 26:02 that God has a message for this time 26:04 to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus. 26:05 >>That is something worth living for, 26:08 something worth dying for. 26:10 And if you are watching this program 26:12 or listening to it on the radio, 26:15 God doesn't just want Pastor Mark doing that, 26:17 He doesn't just want me, 26:19 He doesn't just want evangelists and pastors and preachers 26:22 sharing this great message. 26:24 He wants to use 26:25 every type and stripe of humanity, 26:28 every single person, 26:29 young, old, educated, less educated. 26:33 It doesn't matter where you've been, 26:35 what matters is where you wanna go, 26:37 and that you wanna take some other people with you. 26:40 So I want to encourage you, 26:42 let first the everlasting gospel touch your heart, 26:46 if it hasn't. 26:47 You may know who Jesus is, 26:50 but if you don't know Him, 26:51 or you may know about who Jesus is 26:53 or intellectually know that He exists, 26:55 but if you don't know Him personally, 26:56 I wanna encourage you to get to know Him personally, 27:00 and as He does, as you do, 27:02 He will touch your heart and mold and shape you 27:05 into the person that He knows you can be, 27:08 even better than you know you can be that person. 27:12 And that gospel will go to all the world through you. 27:16 So be encouraged God is at work. 27:20 He's at work in your life 27:21 and He's at work in the lives of many, many others 27:24 around the world. 27:26 This gospel of the kingdom will go to all the world 27:29 and God wants to use you to help that happen. 27:33 So be encouraged, God is with you, 27:36 God will guide you, God will strengthen you, 27:38 God will keep you, 27:40 and God will prepare you for that wonderful day 27:42 when Jesus comes back. 27:44 Pastor Mark, thanks again for joining us today. 27:46 >>Thank you. >>And we're looking forward 27:47 to having you next week. 27:48 And we're also looking forward to having you with us 27:51 again next week 27:52 and we pray that God will bless you until that time. 27:56 (bright gentle music) |
Revised 2023-04-06