3ABN On the Road

Sinai`s Three Secrets

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Max Torkelson

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000428


01:02 "Refresh Spokane," family fun fare.
01:07 It's an absolutely unique experience.
01:10 I hope you feel like Guinea pigs.
01:13 I hope you feel involved in participating
01:16 because that's what it's all about.
01:19 Well, I say it's unique, I really need to take you back
01:23 in a little bit of Adventist history quickly.
01:26 If you go back a 150 years plus a few,
01:30 you would find that in early Adventist history,
01:32 camp meeting played a very significant role
01:36 and camp meeting was a special time
01:39 that those early Adventists, just a handful actually,
01:43 would take large tents pitch them
01:47 next to large metropolitan areas
01:49 and people would come by the thousands,
01:51 by the tens of thousands.
01:53 They would share the Gospel of Jesus and they would share
01:55 the prophecies of His soon return.
01:57 And camp meeting was a wonderful way
02:00 to impact people's lives, to reach cities,
02:04 to reach metropolitan areas.
02:07 In fact, sometimes they would even take
02:10 tents as large as 5,000, you see 5,000
02:16 and we have record of the fact that
02:19 they would come in with their stoves,
02:23 you know, their electric stoves
02:25 and their microwaves and their refrigerators.
02:28 Ah, you're awake, that's good
02:30 I just was checking you al outl.
02:32 Woodstoves and they would prefer
02:36 food and they would give--
02:37 in fact one time you know where they pitched the tent?
02:40 Next to Barnum Bailey, menagerie they called it.
02:45 Barnum Bailey what? Circus, yeah.
02:50 And thousands of people were impacted.
02:54 Thousands of people heard about Jesus,
02:56 heard about the prophecies of His soon return.
02:59 So I tell you what we are doing here today,
03:01 though it is unique for us,
03:04 it really is built on Adventist history.
03:09 And the principles are still there.
03:11 In the past 150 years,
03:12 somehow we slipped away from that idea
03:15 and the steering committee of "Refresh"
03:19 has spent some time considering,
03:22 restudying, praying about, thinking,
03:24 what does this mean?
03:26 What is this history and this early council that we had?
03:30 And I can tell you it was a growing conviction,
03:31 I can speak from my own heart.
03:33 It's was a growing conviction that
03:35 we needed to do something different.
03:38 We needed to impact Spokane for Christ.
03:42 And so I just like to say when you hear "Refresh Spokane"
03:46 think of camp meeting, renaissance,
03:51 camp meeting renewed, refreshed.
03:54 And we pray that you will have
03:56 a refreshing experience today.
03:58 We believe speaking again of the spearing committee,
04:01 we believe that many of the resources
04:05 of our message which is a holistic message
04:08 which reaches the spiritual needs,
04:10 the physical needs, the emotional needs.
04:14 We believe that we can make a difference
04:17 through the grace of Christ in the hearts and lives
04:20 and homes of many who live in this Greater Spokane area.
04:26 So it is our need to connect more intentionally
04:30 with our city and our attempt
04:33 is what your involved in today,
04:36 which you are participating in today,
04:38 which you are experiencing today, "Refresh."
04:42 And as you can imagine, this is not cheap nor is it easy.
04:49 I do want to just publicly thank the scores
04:53 and scores of volunteers,
04:55 who have stepped up to the plate,
04:57 who have helped us in countless ways.
05:00 We could not do this without you as a team.
05:03 We want you to know how much we appreciate that.
05:05 You've already given very, very heartily
05:09 from your heart and I just wanna thank you for that.
05:21 Financially "Spokane Refresh" is costing us
05:27 something over 200,000 dollars.
05:30 It is a venture of faith.
05:32 And this offering opportunity
05:34 right now is simply an invitation for you.
05:38 If you've been refreshed
05:40 or if you really see life in this concept
05:44 and you'd like to help us
05:45 get this thing up off the runway and flying
05:47 because we really like to believe
05:50 that this isn't the end, that this is only the beginning.
05:54 That's what we would like to think,
05:55 that's what we would like to believe.
05:57 So we are giving you this opportunity
05:58 to share with us today financially to meet,
06:02 help meet the "Refresh" expenses
06:05 and may it only be the beginning.
06:08 And when I say that it's not just for Spokane,
06:10 we would like to think
06:11 the cites all over North America
06:13 potentially could be touched by this approach.
06:17 May God bless each of you as you generously share
06:20 and may you be refreshed. Let's pray.
06:24 Dear Father, we have been awed as we have seen your work.
06:31 Because Lord many times as we have vision together
06:34 on this and move forward,
06:36 we have contemplated the fact that
06:38 it all could come to nothing but You have helped
06:41 time after time to open doors of opportunity.
06:44 And we thank You for that and we praise You.
06:47 We just ask that You will take this simple approach
06:49 one that You've blessed over 150 years ago
06:54 and bless it again. Do it again, God, do it again.
06:58 For Your name we sake
07:00 that people may be touched by Your grace,
07:05 by Your gospel, by Your goodness.
07:10 Bless now as each one participates.
07:14 We thank You in Jesus name, amen.
07:21 Dr. Lou Wildman is the director
07:24 of the Oregon Men's Choir, Oregon's Men's Chorus.
07:28 He got up this morning and said to his guys,
07:31 "Let's get into minivan and go over to Refresh."
07:35 And I must admit that was some minivan
07:37 as you can see right here.
07:39 Actually this men's chorus
07:41 has been together for ten years.
07:43 It's always the chorus that's growing
07:45 and obviously a dynamic singing group.
07:49 They have made several recordings.
07:53 Their prime reason for existence is to just
07:55 let God know what a wonderful and awesome creator He is.
08:01 Let's give a nice warm welcome to Dr. Lou Wildman
08:03 and the Oregon--Oregon Men's Chorus.
08:42 Lift up the trumpet, and loud let it ring
08:47 Jesus is coming again
08:51 Cheer up, ye pilgrims be joyful and sing
08:56 Jesus is coming again
09:00 Coming again coming again
09:05 Jesus is coming again
09:18 Echo it, hilltops proclaim it, ye plains
09:22 Jesus is coming again
09:26 Coming in glory the Lamb that was slain
09:31 Jesus is coming again
09:35 Coming again coming again
09:40 Jesus is coming again
09:54 Nations are angry by this we do know
09:59 Jesus is coming again
10:03 Knowledge increases, men run to and fro
10:08 Jesus is coming again
10:12 Coming again coming again
10:17 Jesus is coming again
10:39 Many of the men on this platform sang those words
10:43 in a great, great outdoor amphitheatre in Africa.
10:47 There were 50,000 people there and it translates
10:50 "Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring,
10:53 Jesus is coming again!"
10:56 And one of the great things that I remember
10:59 as we're on that great platform,
11:01 we were surrounded by a lot of our African brothers
11:05 who would come from every part of Africa to sing with us.
11:09 We were astonished that how important it was for them
11:12 to come there and sing with us and we really,
11:15 thought we had come to sing with them.
11:17 And so together we got to join our voices in this song
11:22 and it was a most memorable occasion.
11:25 But even more than that I remember the moment
11:27 when we left Africa and we were all sheltered
11:31 away in this small room in a little tiny airport
11:35 waiting for our airplane to come.
11:37 And so are trumpeters said let's do some music.
11:39 And they got out their trumpets
11:41 and they began to play this and we began to sing it.
11:45 And before we got done,
11:47 all the operations on that airport came to a halt.
11:51 The police were there. The people who took us
11:56 through customs were there.
11:58 The people who sold tickets were there,
12:01 the people who weighed our baggage were there
12:04 but what's surprised me most of all
12:06 was how many of those people sang this song.
12:10 I wonder--I would like to know
12:12 if there's one person in this audience today,
12:14 come on now be honest, face up,
12:15 it's okay, is there somebody here
12:17 that never heard this before?
12:18 I would like to here see your hand.
12:20 Okay, we got one up down there.
12:23 Oh, it's pretty universally known, isn't it?
12:26 Yeah, thanks for being honest about that.
12:29 Well, the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus
12:32 has been together for ten years
12:36 but the reason we are still together is just because
12:40 we are men of faith. Amen.
12:42 We are men just like all of you guys sitting out here.
12:44 We're no different at all.
12:46 We are bound together by faith.
12:49 Do we all think exactly alike?
12:51 Well, if I told you we did, you'd know I was wrong.
12:55 Yeah, we have our differences
12:57 but when we get on the platform,
12:59 we come for one common cause,
13:01 that's to praise the Lord. Amen.
13:04 If, in your journey in life,
13:06 you haven't had that experience
13:08 or that opportunity we'll invite you to think about it.
13:10 Mull it over in your mind, give it a chance.
13:14 We believe that there is great majesty
13:17 in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
13:19 And we'd like to sing about him now.
13:48 Majesty worship His Majesty
13:55 Unto Jesus, be all glory power and praise
14:05 Majesty Kingdom authority
14:13 Flow from His throne
14:15 unto His own, His anthem raise
14:22 So exalt, lift up on high
14:26 The Name of Jesus Magnify, come glorify
14:35 Christ Jesus the King
14:41 Majesty worship His Majesty
14:49 Jesus who died now glorified
14:54 King of all Kings
14:59 He is Lord lift up his name
15:03 The name of Jesus
15:08 He is risen from the dead
15:12 And he is Lord
15:20 Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
15:29 Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
15:39 Majesty worship His Majesty
15:47 Unto Jesus, be all glory power and praise
15:58 Majesty worship His Majesty
16:06 Jesus who died now glorified
16:11 King of all Kings.
16:15 Jesus who died now glorified
16:22 Holy, Holy Majesty
16:46 Individuals are here today, from every church,
16:49 every denomination likely.
16:50 Some of you that are here today that maybe
16:52 have no connection with any church at all.
16:54 You are in the right spot because the reason
16:57 we exist here today is to make sure
16:59 we get to know Him more.
17:01 We all do have something in common today
17:03 as I look out there,
17:04 the majority we have some thing in common.
17:07 You know what it is?
17:08 For some strange reason,
17:11 most people in this audience today
17:13 have a symbol of a fish on your wrist
17:17 and with Jesus written in the middle of it.
17:21 Try to find out what that means today
17:22 that will be a good, a good exercise for you.
17:25 Max Torkelsen, our speaker today,
17:27 president of the Upper Columbia Conference
17:29 and the organization hosting "Refresh,"
17:31 let's give them a nice warm welcome this morning.
17:42 In the year 1895, there were only two cars,
17:48 only two automobiles in the whole state of Ohio.
17:55 Can you guess what happened?
17:59 That's right they collided.
18:04 It's the natural order of things,
18:06 you know, anytime you have two cars free to go anyway
18:09 they want to without regard to the other,
18:12 you can count on a collision.
18:14 In fact most of the 13 million automobile accidents
18:18 that will occur in this country this year will happen
18:21 because somebody broke a law,
18:25 goes through a stop sign, has one for the road,
18:29 straddles the center line,
18:31 doesn't give full attention to their driving,
18:35 like they use those cell phones while they drive,
18:39 tailgates, goes 75 in a 50 mile an hour zone.
18:44 And folks when you think about it,
18:46 most collisions that happen between neighbors
18:51 or between nations or between God and man occur
18:56 because someone breaks a law, God's law.
19:01 And that's what I want to talk to you
19:02 a bit about, God's law.
19:05 Dr. Laura does. She even wrote a book about it
19:09 that sold millions of copies.
19:13 One of our early presidents, James Madison,
19:17 I just found this out yesterday when a friend of mine
19:20 Jerry Mon gave me a little brochure
19:22 he'll be glad to give you one too,
19:24 and this quote is written on that brochure.
19:26 This is what President James Madison said
19:29 "We have staked the whole future of American civilization,
19:33 not upon the power of government, far from it.
19:38 We have staked the future of our political institutions
19:40 upon the capacity of mankind for self government,
19:45 upon the capacity of each and all of us
19:48 to govern ourselves, to control ourselves,
19:52 to sustain ourselves
19:54 according to the Ten Commandments of God."
19:59 Maybe concerned about the Ten Commandments
20:01 is something we need to think about,
20:03 something we need to rediscover,
20:07 shouldn't come as a surprise that God has a law,
20:12 guaranteed to keep us on the right side of the road
20:15 safe and secure and happy.
20:18 We need to be reminded that many,
20:20 even of our personal problems, many of our unhappy days
20:26 come because we are running God's stop signs.
20:30 When you've got a whole universe to keep running,
20:33 you've got to have law.
20:35 Law that keeps suns from flaming out,
20:39 laws to keep planets from colliding with each other.
20:43 Laws to keep the people on those planets
20:46 living in peace and happiness.
20:49 We need to rediscover these days
20:51 that while the law of the Lord
20:53 is given to us from above,
20:56 it's not an arbitrary law.
20:59 It's not subject to our whims
21:01 but it's in harmony with our nature.
21:05 You can't violate the moral law.
21:08 We violate ourselves.
21:11 I mean stop and think about it,
21:12 a man doesn't break the law of gravity
21:15 by jumping out of ten storey window.
21:17 He doesn't break the law, he illustrates the law.
21:22 And we can't run our fingers
21:24 against the grain of the universe
21:26 without getting splinters in them,
21:28 splinters that can often fester
21:30 and poison the blood stream.
21:34 Even if God had never breathed
21:37 the word about honoring parents,
21:40 mothers would still weep at midnight over sons
21:43 who can't stand their fathers.
21:48 Without the Ten Commandments, murdered people
21:50 would be just as dead.
21:53 Without the Decalogue, unwed mothers
21:56 would still feel abandoned.
21:59 Even if God hasn't said it,
22:01 stolen goods would still be missing.
22:05 The Ten Commandments don't make sin.
22:09 They identify sin for our benefits,
22:12 so that we can live in harmony
22:14 with these principles of the universe
22:16 for our own good and for our own happiness.
22:21 I was driving to Coeur d'Alene a while back
22:25 and I followed a highway patrol on to I-90.
22:29 You've all driven through Spokane and I-90,
22:31 I suspect, even if you're just visiting us.
22:34 And I was driving along in my car
22:36 and I suddenly found myself in danger
22:38 of tailgating a police officer in his nice shiny car.
22:43 It was one of those with inconspicuous lights
22:47 that make it really hard to identify
22:49 that they are highway patrol and hardly seemed fair.
22:52 Does it seem fair to you?
22:56 Well, glancing at my speedometer,
22:58 I slowed down a little bit
22:59 because I observed that both
23:03 myself and the policeman had been speeding a bit.
23:09 And so I slowed down and now we're both
23:12 at a legal 70 miles an hour.
23:14 I think we were out far enough
23:16 where the speed limit was 70.
23:19 I hope so, at least I didn't get stopped,
23:21 so I must have been.
23:24 And that's where I went for a three or four miles,
23:27 the only incident of interest occurred
23:29 when this little Porsche sports car
23:32 came rushing up behind me,
23:35 started to breeze by me in passing lane only to discover,
23:40 you know who in front of me?
23:42 You could almost see him stumbling over his radials
23:45 as he took about 20 miles an hour
23:47 off his speed limit and ducked in behind me,
23:50 it's amazing the effect of the law on people, on cars.
23:56 You know in a few minutes time,
23:58 I think we had about 12 or 15 cars
24:00 lined up all behind me, all behind the police officer,
24:04 all obeying the law. What an impact.
24:11 Well, then the police officer slowed down a bit,
24:15 he's going about 65, maybe 66
24:21 and so I didn't want to make a mistake at this point
24:25 but I kept one eye on the police car
24:28 and one eye on my speedometer
24:30 and I gingerly eased out into the passing lane.
24:35 And almost immediately, it seemed like
24:37 he speeded up a little bit and I found myself passing
24:42 that police officer inch by inch.
24:49 Thus really trying to not let my speed limit
24:51 go over 70 or 71.
24:54 And about a light, light year or two later,
24:58 I finally got my patrol friend behind me
25:01 and eased back into the right lane
25:03 but I saw that my speedometer was almost at 75.
25:08 And then I overreacted, slowed down too much
25:11 causing the cop to start tailgating me.
25:16 Finally I adjusted in just after passing the state line,
25:20 he went off on an exit.
25:22 And I left his unwanted company
25:24 and continued my trip in comfort.
25:30 Have you ever felt like that when confronted by God's law?
25:35 I know I have and when I broke one of His commandments,
25:38 I'd either break into a real sweat
25:41 or I'd say, "Well, what's the use I can't do it anyway."
25:46 God's law can sometimes appear
25:50 like a tailgating cop waiting to arrest us.
25:56 Makes me wonder why King David talked about it
25:59 in such a different way in Psalm 19.
26:02 He wrote a song about the law
26:05 and the lyrics were recorded in Psalm 19
26:08 "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
26:13 The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
26:16 making wise the simple.
26:18 The commandments of the Lord are right,
26:21 bringing joy to the heart.
26:23 The commands of the Lord are clear,
26:26 giving insight to life.
26:28 Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.
26:32 The laws of the Lord are true, each one is fair.
26:36 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
26:40 They are sweeter than honey,
26:41 even honey dripping from the comb.
26:44 They are warning to those who hear them.
26:46 There is great reward for those who obey them."
26:50 How could David describe the law like that?
26:55 If David held the Ten Commandments
26:57 in such a high esteem how come
26:58 I find myself feeling resentment to this list of negative rules?
27:06 Now I just suppose that someone broadcast
27:11 that tonight at 8 o'clock,
27:15 God himself was going to appear
27:17 over the city of Spokane to give us a two minute message.
27:24 Now what would you hope that He would say?
27:27 What answer are you looking for?
27:31 How to cure cancer?
27:35 How to prevent world war III?
27:39 Do you need help with some personal problem
27:41 or are you in the midst of making a decision
27:44 that's very important and you need an answer
27:47 or may I first just think a minute
27:52 there was a time when God came down to earth
27:57 and gave a two minute message.
27:58 There was a time when He came down
28:01 to an assembled multitude of people
28:03 and spoke audibly to humans, one of the very few times
28:07 He has ever done that in the history of this world.
28:10 And upon what subject did He choose to speak?
28:15 As our maker and our creator,
28:18 He would surely know the best news to convey,
28:22 the information that you and I need the most.
28:25 Listen, He speaks and it's recorded word for word
28:30 in Exodus 20 verse 2 and He says,
28:33 "I am the Lord your God."
28:36 And you're thinking oh, yeah, those are Ten Commandments,
28:40 no, in fact, God did not just give Ten Commands.
28:47 God did not peer down from the skies one day
28:49 and see a bewildered band of scouts,
28:53 nomads wandering around in the desert
28:55 and say to himself I wonder how I can make life
28:57 just a little bit more miserable for them.
29:01 Well, I'll set them up with an impossible law
29:04 and when they can't cope I will destroy them.
29:07 Now if you think that that's what God was thinking
29:10 when he gave the Ten Commandments,
29:12 then you're thinking about a different God than I know.
29:16 What did God say?
29:19 Well, you have to look first at the previous chapter
29:22 in Exodus 19 verses 4 to 6.
29:25 It's always a good idea to know the context of a Bible passage.
29:31 And in Exodus 19 it says,
29:33 "You know how I brought you to myself
29:35 and carried you on eagle's wings.
29:38 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant,
29:41 you will be My very special treasure
29:45 from among all of the people of the earth,
29:48 for all the earth belongs to Me
29:50 and you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
29:54 Do you see that the Ten Commandment law
29:56 is part and parcel of a love agreement?
30:00 The law is involved in a process to make them,
30:04 to make us a special treasure
30:08 among all the people of the earth.
30:12 When God came down before that multitude
30:15 He gave to simple man some of the most important truths
30:18 that He could have ever comprehended
30:20 not just ten negative rules.
30:24 He revealed in that two minute message
30:26 some of the basic secrets of the universe.
30:30 When God came down
30:31 He gave a blue print for living
30:33 which if you and I had understood
30:34 and practiced it earlier would have saved us
30:37 most of our mistakes and our sorrows.
30:40 It would not have been necessary for us to blunder
30:43 as we have through life because on that occasion,
30:46 God came to tell us how to live.
30:51 And so I want to notice in just a few minutes,
30:53 the three secrets that God unveiled
30:56 when He spoke at Mount Sinai,
30:58 secrets that were engraved on tables of stone
31:01 but principles designed for modern living as well.
31:05 And first of all, He revealed the most,
31:09 the greatest secret of the universe
31:11 and I know it may seem common place
31:13 and yet it's possibly the most fundamental fact,
31:18 the most vital truth for human beings
31:21 to understand and this is it.
31:24 The universe, the whole universe is run by law not by luck
31:31 and the person who obeys these laws
31:33 and lives within these principles will endure
31:36 for as long as the universe endures.
31:38 That's secret number one that God gave
31:40 when He came down on Mount Sinai
31:42 that the whole universe is run by law, not chance.
31:46 Chance is atheism. There is no chance.
31:53 Things don't just happen.
31:58 Our condition today and tomorrow
32:00 is inevitably tied up with our obedience
32:02 or our disobedience to natural law,
32:05 like the law of gravity or the laws of health,
32:09 the laws of chemistry and physics and biology
32:13 and the Ten Commandments. Yes, they're all laws of God.
32:18 All life is a sowing and reaping sequence a cause
32:22 and effect relationship and happiness
32:25 depends up on obedience to those laws.
32:28 Sorrow and pain come through transgressing the law,
32:30 whether we know the law or not.
32:34 You stub your toe, it hurts.
32:39 It's kind of like traveling in a new city or a new country
32:43 and breaking a traffic regulation without knowing it.
32:47 In fact I did that one time in Norway.
32:51 I couldn't read the signs
32:53 and I went through this toll gate
32:56 and I didn't see the sign that says
32:58 that toll gate was only for people
33:00 who had monthly passes to go through.
33:04 Well, I just drove through, there wasn't anybody there,
33:07 nobody stopped me but they had a camera
33:12 and they got my license number on the back of that car
33:16 and they traced that license number to the rental company
33:20 who traced it to the period of time I was renting the car.
33:23 I was a stranger there
33:25 but they didn't ask if I was a stranger.
33:28 They didn't ask if I could read the sign.
33:30 They didn't ask if I knew the law.
33:32 They just sent me a ticket in the U.S. for 792 kroner,
33:38 that's about 132 dollars.
33:42 Ignorance of the law was no excuse.
33:45 You see because you and I have been ignorant
33:47 of so many laws of the universe,
33:49 we've made a lot of blunders
33:50 and we're still paying the fines.
33:53 When the Apostle Paul said,
33:55 "You will always reap what you sow."
33:57 He was in effect saying that life is run by law.
34:01 Pharaoh caused the boys among Israel to be killed
34:04 and he was killed himself
34:06 when the Red Sea rolled back on his chariot
34:08 while he was pursuing the Israelites.
34:12 Jacob deceived his father about his father's favorite son,
34:18 years go by and Jacob was deceived
34:21 about his favorite son, by his boys.
34:25 Hamon prepared a gallows for Mordecai
34:27 but he swung from it himself.
34:30 Sowing and reaping. The breaking of a law brings a reaction.
34:35 That's the teaching of scripture and it's a teaching of life.
34:38 And it's the first thing that God told the world at Sinai
34:41 that the universe is run by law.
34:43 And what does that mean to you and to me?
34:46 Well, I can think of at least two things
34:47 that it ought to mean to us we ought to find out
34:50 all we can about the laws of God
34:52 and we ought to pay attention to them. Amen.
34:57 Now the second secret that God revealed
34:59 was that to be happy for time and for eternity,
35:03 we must put God first.
35:07 You notice, the secret is not first things first.
35:13 First thing's first, it's not things that goes first.
35:17 The second secret of a happy life
35:19 and successful living is to put first, first
35:23 and that's to put God first.
35:25 And how did God tell us that?
35:27 By his introduction for one thing
35:29 what did he say first at Sinai?
35:33 Now unfortunately when you see the Ten Commandments
35:36 written out, they usually leave this out.
35:40 My friend that gave me the pamphlet last night,
35:43 Jerry Mon he has been responsible
35:46 along with some others helping him
35:48 of distributing hundreds of thousands of copies
35:52 of that Ten Commandments and he's done it right.
35:55 He didn't leave off
35:56 the first sentence of the first commandment.
35:59 They're almost always incorrect.
36:02 Except when you read them in the Bible
36:03 or in Jerry Mon's version not his version
36:06 but he just included all of it.
36:09 The first part of the first commandment says
36:12 "I am the Lord your God."
36:15 Therefore do not have any Gods before me.
36:20 And by the way what commandments did he give first,
36:24 the ones that pertain directly to Him.
36:27 Don't worship any Gods besides Me,
36:30 don't make idols of any kind,
36:33 don't misuse the name of the Lord thy God
36:38 and remember the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
36:42 What did God put first? Relationship to Him.
36:47 The Bible begins with God,
36:49 the very first words of scripture
36:50 are in the beginning God.
36:53 The Lord's Prayer begins the same way,
36:56 our Father who art in Heaven,
36:59 the Ten Commandments begin that way,
37:02 "I am the Lord your God."
37:04 God is trying to teach us something, put Him first.
37:08 Not first thing's first but put God first,
37:10 He comes before things.
37:13 And God should be the first in every person's day.
37:17 He should be the first in every family.
37:20 He should be the first with our energy,
37:23 first with our time, first with our talents.
37:27 If we give Him seconds, instead of hours and days,
37:33 would we really expect that we deserve eternity?
37:38 If we give him our left over nickels
37:40 and dimes and the bottoms of our pockets,
37:43 would we expect that we deserve eternal riches?
37:48 If His main business is the redemption of man
37:53 and we are not active in His business,
37:57 would we be comfortable living with him for eternity?
38:02 Something to think about and then the third great secret
38:06 that God gave at Sinai
38:08 was that people are more important than things.
38:12 That's a hard truth to learn
38:15 especially when we live in self-centered society.
38:19 We're counseled and taught to look out for ourselves,
38:24 to do what is right for me.
38:27 When something goes wrong,
38:28 it's always someone else's fault.
38:31 Our materialistic culture values people
38:34 by how much they own with little regard for where
38:38 or how their wealth was obtained.
38:40 Who do we reward in our society with the largest salaries?
38:44 Those who contribute the most to other people,
38:49 those who contribute the most to our city,
38:53 like teachers or scientists or public servants
38:57 or policemen or firemen?
39:00 No, our society rewards entertainers and athletes
39:06 who are among the most self-centered category
39:10 with a few exceptions that are quite refreshing.
39:15 But the third secret of the universe
39:17 is that people are more important than things.
39:21 Do you know this where things
39:23 are mentioned in the Ten Commandments?
39:26 Last. Exodus 20:17,
39:30 "Do not covet anything that is your neighbor's"
39:33 it's the last part of the last commandment
39:36 and that's where things come in, last.
39:40 So the law begins with God
39:42 then it moves on to our relationship
39:44 with our fellow beings and at the end it puts things.
39:48 Now it must be admitted
39:50 that things are lot easier to deal with
39:53 and to get along with than people are.
39:56 It's far easier to handle wood
39:59 or stone or soil than to deal with cantankerous human beings.
40:05 But the easiest course is often the wrong one
40:07 and it is so in this instance.
40:10 And I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea for us
40:12 to take a little evaluation of ourselves.
40:16 Where for instance does our time go?
40:20 How much of our time is spent on things taking care of things,
40:26 obtaining things and how much of our time is spent on people,
40:31 caring about people?
40:34 And how much time do I spend with God?
40:39 And where does my energy go?
40:41 How much to things and how much to people
40:43 and how much energy do I spend on my family
40:47 the people I love the most?
40:49 And how about finances?
40:51 You know the outcome of such an evaluation
40:54 might be a revelation as to where our hearts really are.
40:59 Please don't let anyone ever convince you
41:01 that God gave only commands or negative rules on Sinai.
41:07 Don't buy the argument that his revelation
41:09 there was intended merely for the Jews
41:12 until Jesus came to die on the cross
41:14 and then it was all done away with.
41:16 No, in love to us,
41:18 God unveiled the fundamental secrets of the universe.
41:22 And He gave instruction for all men for all time
41:25 regarding how to live even in modern times,
41:27 so as to secure the greatest happiness.
41:31 In the message from Sinai, God has taught us
41:33 that our happiness depends on living in harmony with the law.
41:38 And that real obedience involves a hierarchy of values,
41:43 the placing of God first above all else
41:47 and that we must place people before things.
41:53 Does it help you understand why the psalmist exclaimed,
41:57 "Oh, how I love Your law?
42:00 I think about it all day long,
42:02 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
42:06 for Your commands are my constant guide.
42:09 Yes, I have more insight than my teachers
42:12 for I'm always thinking of Your decrees.
42:14 I'm even wiser than my elders
42:16 for I've kept Your commandments.
42:19 I refuse to walk on the path of evil
42:21 that I may remain obedient to Your word.
42:25 I haven't turned away from Your laws,
42:27 for You have taught me well.
42:29 How sweet are Your words to my taste,
42:32 they are sweeter than honey.
42:34 Your commandments give me understanding,
42:36 no wonder I hate every false way of life.
42:39 Your law is more valuable to me
42:41 than millions in gold and silver.
42:44 You made me, You created me.
42:48 Now give me the sense to follow Your commands.
42:52 May all who fear You find in me a cause for joy,
42:56 for I have put my hope in Your word."
42:59 Those are the words of King David,
43:02 God's beloved, who knew God very well.
43:07 I don't want anyone that's here in this room
43:10 at this moment to think that I said anything today
43:15 and I think if you listen carefully you know
43:17 I didn't say anything today that would suggest
43:20 that by keeping the law one can earn salvation.
43:25 Keeping the law is a response to God's tremendous gift.
43:30 And to illustrate that point,
43:32 I'm gonna tell you a story about my wife Linea.
43:36 We had been married just one month,
43:40 we were living in Springfield, Oregon.
43:42 I came home from work and she had fixed
43:45 a special supper for me using all those fancy dishes
43:51 that you get on your wedding that you hardly ever use
43:54 and using menus that she was familiar with from her home.
44:00 And there was candle light
44:03 and there was a beautiful loving bride
44:06 to welcome me at the door.
44:08 I sat down to eat and one of the things
44:10 she had fixed was a salad, it was a macaroni salad
44:13 that her family enjoyed.
44:17 This macaroni salad had chunks of pineapple
44:20 and canned green grapes in it.
44:23 And it was enough to make my tongue jerk.
44:26 I don't like to mix salty things with sweet things
44:30 and I just choked down a little bit of this salad.
44:36 And of course I wanted Linea to know how much I loved her.
44:40 I wanted her to feel good
44:41 about that relationship but fortunately
44:45 I thought to myself if I tell her
44:47 that this salad is wonderful,
44:49 I probably will have to eat it again.
44:52 So I said the truth, I said Linea,
44:54 I didn't really care for the salad,
44:56 I'd enjoy almost any other kind of salad
44:59 better than this salad.
45:00 Lettuce and tomato salad, potato salad,
45:04 jello salad, any kind of salad.
45:09 Do you know that we have been married a long time?
45:13 I think we've been married 30 years.
45:17 Linea has never made that salad again.
45:21 Why?
45:23 She learned that if she wanted to show her love to me,
45:27 she should show it in a way that I enjoyed receiving it.
45:33 Folks, Jesus said
45:36 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
45:39 He didn't say if you keep My commandments,
45:42 I will save you.
45:43 He didn't say if you keep My commandments,
45:45 I'll have to take you to heaven
45:47 whether I liked you or not.
45:49 He said "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
45:54 If you love Him, offer Him
45:56 as a freewill gift your obedience.
46:01 It's not a hard thing to do.
46:05 It is a guaranteed formula for success
46:10 and happiness in your life.
46:12 Oh, that we would all love his law.
46:16 Let's bow our heads for prayer.
46:19 Father, thank You for loving us enough,
46:23 to share with us the secrets of the universe.
46:26 Thank You for caring enough about us,
46:29 to give us information that can prevent
46:32 most of the pain and suffering and sorrow in this world.
46:36 Please help us to be wise enough
46:39 to pay attention to those principles.
46:42 And then please make us perfect
46:46 in the righteousness of Jesus,
46:48 prepare us for Your soon return
46:51 because of His gift of salvation freely given.
46:54 In His name we pray, amen.


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Revised 2014-12-17