Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000919
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00:59 Heavenly Father, we thank You
01:01 that we can trust You 01:03 when we ask for the power to comedown. 01:05 You will send it in the measure 01:07 that You know each of us is a need of. 01:10 And so Father, right now begin a work, 01:12 those watching, those listening via satellite, television 01:15 whatever medium they're using 01:16 we pray that even now 01:18 Your Holy Spirit will find each person 01:20 at the place of their particular need 01:23 and begin to prepare their hearts, 01:25 prepare the soul for the receiving of this message. 01:28 We also pray a blessing on Pastor Stephen Bohr 01:31 that you will give him what he hasn't written down. 01:34 And that You will fill him with Your Holy Spirit 01:35 to communicate not only information 01:38 but the will of God for this hour. 01:40 And for these things that we shall receive, 01:42 we thank You, in the worthy name 01:43 of Jesus we pray, amen. 01:47 Just before the message I've been asked to share a song 01:50 you know, last year or so I, about two years ago 01:54 I should say, I got a call from a pastor 01:56 who said to me, he said, 01:57 "You know, I've walked around 01:58 and I've looked at songs that are available 02:00 but I've been looking for those old standards again like, 02:05 "Softly and Tenderly," "There is a Fountain," 02:09 "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross," 02:10 "Lord, I'm Coming Home" and, and then "Pass Me Not." 02:14 And I remember when I was growing up, 02:16 a pastor of mine who just passed away this year. 02:19 God bless him, Pastor. E. T. Mimms, 02:22 pastored the Bethel Church in Brooklyn, New York, 02:25 married my wife and I and we thought about him 02:27 in particular, because of our 25th anniversary. 02:29 But every time he made an appeal, 02:31 he would have us sing "Pass Me Not." 02:33 And a couple of other hymns too. 02:35 But I remembered him so well. 02:37 And I dedicate this not only to his memory 02:39 but also those who realize that when the Lord calls on them, 02:43 He's asking them, not to pass Him by 02:46 and we're asking the Lord not to pass us by. 02:48 May this minister to your heart. 02:52 Savior, savior, 02:59 hear my humble cry 03:06 While on others thou art calling 03:13 Do not pass me by 03:24 Pass me not, O gentle Savior 03:31 Hear my humble cry 03:38 While on others 03:41 thou art calling 03:45 Just do not pass me by 03:52 Savior, 03:56 Savior, 04:00 hear my humble cry 04:07 For while on others 04:10 thou art calling 04:14 Just do not pass me by 04:26 Let me at thy throne of mercy 04:33 Find a sweet relief 04:40 Kneeling there 04:43 in deep contrition 04:47 Lord help my unbelief 04:54 While I'm trusting 04:57 only in thy merits 05:02 Would I seek thy face? 05:09 Heal my wounded, broken spirit 05:16 And then save me by thy grace 05:22 For I'm crying Savior, 05:27 O my Savior 05:31 Just hear my, hear my humble cry 05:38 For while on others 05:41 thou art calling 05:45 Just do not, 05:48 do not pass me by 05:57 You the spring of all my comfort 06:02 And you are more 06:05 than life to me 06:11 Whom have I on earth beside thee? 06:18 And whom in heaven but thee? 06:24 So I'm crying Savior, 06:29 O my Savior 06:32 Won't You hear my humble cry 06:39 For while on others 06:43 you are calling 06:47 Just do not, do not pass me by 06:53 For I'm crying Savior, 06:58 O my Savior 07:01 Just hear my humble cry 07:08 For while on others 07:12 thou art calling 07:17 Do not pass me by 07:31 Oh, my Lord, 07:35 just do not pass me by 07:51 Amen, amen. 07:58 Let us now make welcome Pastor Stephen Bohr 08:01 with the hearty amen. 08:02 Amen. 08:10 Good morning. Good morning. 08:12 I see a lot of new faces that I didn't see yesterday. 08:16 Praise the Lord. The saints are rolling in. 08:23 This morning we're going to do a little bit of introspecting, 08:27 we're gonna do a little bit of looking at ourselves 08:30 in our Sabbath observance. 08:33 However, before we do we want to ask 08:36 the Lord's blessing in a special way. 08:37 So let's just bow our heads for a word of prayer. 08:40 Father, we thank You for the awesome privilege 08:43 of being at 3ABN camp meeting. 08:48 Father, we just wish that we were in heaven right now 08:50 celebrating that great camp meeting with Jesus. 08:52 Amen. 08:53 But we know that we have a task to perform 08:56 before that can happen. 08:58 I ask Lord that as we open Your word 09:00 and we study about the Sabbath as that applies to Your people 09:04 that Your Holy Spirit will be hear to speak with us. 09:08 There needs to be great movements 09:11 since Sabbath reformed among ourselves. 09:14 Help us to see what we need to do. 09:17 And we thank You Father for hearing our prayer 09:19 for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 09:21 Amen. 09:23 Please turn with me in your Bibles 09:24 to Isaiah Chapter 58, 09:28 Isaiah Chapter 58. 09:32 And as we begin our study this morning, 09:34 I would like to read a statement 09:37 that we find in manuscript 36, 1897 09:42 written by Ellen White. 09:45 She is talking about Isaiah Chapter 58 09:49 and to which period of history this chapter applies. 09:53 And she says this in a very short statement, 09:57 the whole chapter, how much of the chapter? 10:01 Whole. 10:02 "The whole chapter is applicable 10:07 to those who are living 10:09 in this period of earth's history, 10:14 consider this chapter attentively 10:18 for it will be fulfilled." 10:23 So Isaiah 58 has not yet been fulfilled 10:27 according to the Spirit of Prophecy at least, 10:29 not when she wrote in 1897 10:32 and she says that the whole chapter 10:34 applies to this period of human history. 10:38 Now let's examine this chapter verse by verse 10:41 and see in which sense it applies 10:44 to this period of history and to whom it applies. 10:48 Let's go to verse 1, and here we're gonna find 10:52 to whom this chapter particularly applies 10:55 at least the first half of the chapter. 10:58 It says in verse 1, "Cry aloud, spare not, 11:05 lift up your voice like a trumpet." 11:09 Tell the Philistines their transgression. 11:18 Tell the Babylonians their transgression. 11:22 Tell the Egyptians their transgression. 11:27 Tell the Presbyterians their transgression. 11:31 No. 11:33 "Tell My people their transgression. 11:38 And the house of Jacob their sins." 11:44 Ellen White is a little more specific 11:46 then just to apply this chapter to Christianity in general. 11:51 She tells us that it applies particularly and especially 11:57 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 11:59 In fact, I read from Testimonies to the Church, 12:02 Volume 2 Page 36 where she says this, 12:07 "The prophet is addressing Sabbath keepers." 12:13 That takes it all of the realm of the Presbyterians 12:16 and the Methodists and the Lutherans 12:17 and the Jehovah's Witnesses 12:19 and all of these other denominations. 12:21 This chapter applies especially, 12:25 and I would say at least, 12:28 the main content of the chapter 12:30 applies to Sabbath keepers, to Seventh-day Adventists. 12:34 She says, "The prophet is addressing Sabbath keepers 12:38 not sinners, not unbelievers." 12:43 And then she says this, 12:47 he is addressing 12:49 "those who make great pretensions to godliness." 12:56 Amen. 12:58 "Great pretensions to godliness." 13:00 And she is not talking off the top of her head. 13:02 She is in harmony with scripture. 13:05 In fact, let's go to verse 2. 13:08 It says there, and I'm reading 13:09 from the New King James Version. 13:11 "Yet they seek Me daily," speaking about 13:14 the house of Jacob, speaking about Sabbath keepers, 13:16 "they seek Me daily." 13:18 "And delight to know My ways." 13:21 Actually, a better translation 13:23 is they seem eager to know my ways. 13:29 As a nation that did righteousness." 13:31 A more accurate translation would be 13:33 as if they were a nation who did righteousness. 13:38 "And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. 13:44 They asked of me the ordinances of justice, 13:49 they take delight in approaching God." 13:52 A better translation would be they seem eager 13:55 for God to come near them. 14:00 So you have a people here that are very religious. 14:07 They like to draw near to God and they seem eager 14:10 to draw near to God, 14:11 they seem eager for God to draw near to them. 14:17 And yet Isaiah 58 tells us that God has a rebuke 14:22 for His people, for the house of Jacob 14:26 because of their transgressions and their sins 14:29 and it applies to Sabbath keepers. 14:33 Now what was the problem that Isaiah was addressing 14:37 that applies to this period of human history. 14:41 We need to go back to Isaiah Chapter 1 14:44 to see what their problem was. 14:47 Isaiah 1: 11-14. 14:51 Their problem was religiosity, 14:56 formalism, ritualism, 15:02 religion for religion's sake, 15:06 very, very religious, but not spiritual. 15:11 Isaiah 1: 11, God is speaking to His people 15:15 and He says, "For what purpose 15:17 is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? 15:20 Says the Lord. 15:22 'I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams 15:26 and the fat of fed cattle." 15:30 Let me ask you, who was that, 15:31 that asked Israel to make sacrifices? 15:33 God. 15:35 But God says, here, I've had enough of them. 15:39 He continues saying, "I do not delight 15:42 in the blood of bulls or of lambs or goats. 15:46 When you come to appear before Me, 15:48 who has required this from your hand, 15:51 to trample my courts? 15:53 Bring no more futile," that means empty, meaningless. 15:58 Bring no more futile sacrifices, 16:02 incense is an abomination to Me." 16:05 Who had told them to bring incense? 16:07 God. 16:09 The New Moons, the Sabbaths 16:14 and the calling of assemblies, 16:17 like 3ABN camp meeting. 16:21 "I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting, 16:26 your New moons and your appointed 16:29 feasts My soul hates. 16:32 They are a trouble to me. 16:34 I'm weary of bearing them." 16:37 Let me ask you, 16:38 were the people in Isaiah's day very religious? 16:42 Oh yes, they were. 16:44 They were going through all of the forms of religion 16:47 but they had a deep spiritual problem. 16:51 Their religion was the sham. 16:52 By the way, the condition of the people 16:54 in the days of Isaiah is identical to the condition 16:58 that existed in the days of Christ. 17:03 That's why Jesus on several occasions quoted Isaiah. 17:08 For example, in Mark Chapter 7:6, He says, 17:12 "These people," notice, He doesn't say, 17:14 My people, He says, 17:16 "These people honored me with their," what? 17:19 "With their lips but their heart is far from Me." 17:24 In other words, outside they were going through 17:27 the religious forms but their heart was far from God. 17:31 And Jesus addressed this time and again, 17:34 "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." 17:38 Quoting from Isaiah Chapter 6:6, 17:42 you know, Jesus constantly dealt with this problem 17:44 in His day, the same problem as in the days of Isaiah, 17:47 of people who are religious but not spiritual, 17:50 whose religion was external but not internal? 17:54 For example, Jesus once saw a fig tree, 17:58 beautiful leaves. 18:01 Jesus would have never come to the fig tree 18:03 unless it had leaves 18:04 because the leaves were supposed to announce 18:06 that it had fruit and so he comes to this fig tree 18:09 which represents the Jewish nation, 18:10 by the way, and it had beautiful leaves. 18:14 But it had no fruit. 18:17 Externally it looked good but it had no fruit. 18:22 We find the same issue in the story of the rich young ruler. 18:25 "What do I need to do to have eternal life?" 18:28 Jesus says, well, you know, "Keep the Commandments," 18:31 That's a good Seventh-day Adventist answer. 18:36 And the young man wants to make sure 18:37 that he can believe his ears, "which Commandments? 18:41 Jesus, well, you know which ones 18:43 and He quotes the last six Commandments 18:44 only he takes out the Commandment that says, 18:47 "Thou shalt not covet." 18:48 And puts in "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 18:51 Because love is the opposite of covetousness. 18:54 It's a positive way of putting "thou shalt not covet." 18:59 Let me ask you with this rich young ruler 19:01 have made a good head elder in the Adventist Church? 19:05 He sure would have. 19:07 Was he a Sabbath keeper? Yes. 19:10 Was he a tithe payer? Yes. 19:13 Did he eat clams? 19:16 Did he eat oysters and pork? No. 19:21 He had all of the forms of religious right 19:24 but Jesus said, the problem is you have no love. 19:29 Go sell all that you have and give to the poor 19:31 and you'll have love. 19:33 He was keeping the commandments, 19:34 "Without love." 19:38 His religion was an external religion, 19:40 not a religion of the heart. 19:43 Jesus dealt with this same problem 19:45 in the story of Pharisee and the Publican. 19:48 Pharisee and the Publican come to temple to pray 19:51 and the Pharisee says, 19:52 "I thank you Lord that I'm not like other men. 19:55 I tithe and I keep the Sabbath." 20:01 And you know, "I fast twice a week," 20:04 he says, and especially Lord, 20:07 I thank you that I'm not like this 20:08 miserable sinful publican here. 20:13 He had no love. No love for the publican. 20:18 He was very religious. 20:19 He did fast twice a week. He did keep the Sabbath. 20:22 He did tithe, he did do all of these things 20:24 but it was a sham 20:26 because it was not out of love, it was not from the heart. 20:29 He had external religion right 20:31 but it was with the wrong motivation. 20:35 We find it in the story of the prodigal son. 20:37 You know, the real prodigal was the older brother. 20:40 You know, we focus sometime so much on the younger brother 20:43 that we forget that there was older brother in the story. 20:46 And he is the real focus of the story. 20:49 You know, at the end of the story 20:51 this younger son who's gone out 20:54 and wasted his father's inheritance, 20:56 he broken the commandment that says, 20:57 "Honor your father and your mother." 21:00 It says, at least, his brother accused him of going out 21:02 and living it up with harlots. 21:06 Now he comes home and the dad says, 21:08 "Let's receive him with open arms." 21:10 And he calls a party. 21:12 And so the brother, the older brother 21:14 who represents the Jews of Christ' day, 21:17 he says to his, to his father, 21:18 he doesn't say you know, my brother says, your son. 21:25 And he doesn't even say father, he says, you. 21:29 He says, "I have served you." 21:32 Trouble is he was a son 21:34 who's served his father as a slave. 21:36 "I've served you all these years 21:39 and I've never gone astray for one of your commandments, 21:42 you've never even given me a little party. 21:45 And here this sinner comes home 21:48 after he's wasted your inheritance, 21:50 after he lived with the harlots. 21:52 And you call a party for him. 21:54 If anyone deserves a party, it is me." 22:00 Jesus dealt with this in Matthew 23 22:02 when He talked about 22:04 the woes upon the scribes in the Pharisees. 22:07 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 22:10 because you clean up the outside of the glass 22:14 but you leave the inside filthy." 22:18 In other words, it's dealing with an external religion, 22:22 of religions of forms and ceremonies and ritual 22:26 without love. 22:29 By the way, the same is true, 22:31 the same condition exists in the Laodicean Church. 22:36 Because Laodicea has the same problem 22:38 that the Jews had in Christ's day 22:40 and Israel had in the days of Isaiah. 22:43 Because Laodicea, which is by the way, 22:46 of course, the Baptist and the Methodists. 22:52 Nice try. 22:56 Laodicea, Ellen White says, 22:58 is primarily the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 23:01 And Laodicea says, "I am rich and increased with goods 23:07 and I have need of nothing." 23:10 Does that sound like 23:11 the arrogance of the Jewish nation in Christ's day 23:14 and the people in Isaiah's day? 23:16 It is the same disease. 23:19 Now let's go to verse 3 of Isaiah 58. 23:23 Notice the motivation for what they're doing. 23:28 They're speaking to God. 23:32 "'Why have we fasted,' 23:35 they say 'and you have not seen? 23:41 Why have we afflicted our souls, 23:44 and you take no notice?' 23:47 "What is their motivation for their religion? 23:51 Earning brownie points with God, 23:54 trying to impress God 23:56 and trying to impress their fellowmen. 23:59 Why they say have we fasted and you don't even notice it, 24:03 why is at that we have afflicted our souls 24:05 and you don't even pay any attention 24:08 to what we're doing? 24:10 Is that similar to what the older son said? 24:13 Absolutely. 24:15 By the way, this whole passage of Isaiah 58 24:19 is speaking about the Day of Atonement. 24:24 God's people in the midst of the Day of Atonement. 24:27 Let me ask you, are we in the midst of the Day 24:30 of Atonement now? 24:31 We sure are. 24:32 You say, "How do we know that?" 24:34 Number one, because the passage begins by saying 24:38 let the trumpet ring 24:41 to announce my people their sins. 24:44 And the trumpets were blown before the Day of Atonement. 24:46 Secondly, the only Hebrew priest 24:49 that was ordained by God by Moses 24:51 on which people were to afflict their souls 24:54 and to fast was on the Day of Atonement. 24:58 And besides, it's called the acceptable day of the Lord. 25:03 This is speaking about the Day of Atonement, 25:05 M. L. Andreasen in his book, Isaiah the Gospel Prophet. 25:09 Page 37 had this to say about the time period 25:15 that Isaiah 58 is referring to. 25:18 He says, the only fast known to the law 25:22 was that of the Day of Atonement. 25:25 Then he puts Leviticus 16:29, 25:27 where the phrase afflict your soul 25:28 refers to fasting. 25:30 "Later on, other feast days were appointed 25:33 but as mentioned above, 25:34 the fast of the Day of Atonement 25:36 was the only one recognized by the law. 25:40 This is interesting and view over the fact 25:42 that the whole chapter 25:44 has a special application to this time 25:46 and that we are now living 25:48 in the antitypical Day of Atonement." 25:53 So this applies to God's people 25:55 in the antitypical Day of Atonement. 25:58 God is speaking to us, a religious people 26:01 but the people whose religion perhaps is a sham 26:04 because it's all external 26:06 without the heart being involved. 26:11 Now let's go to verse 3, part 2. 26:15 God says to them, in fact, in fact, 26:17 notice, what their problem is. 26:20 In fact, "In the day of your fast 26:24 you find pleasure and exploit all your laborers." 26:31 I want you to know that the-- 26:32 notice that their problem has to do with human relations, 26:36 with the loving relationship with people. 26:39 So God says, "And exploit all your laborers. 26:42 Indeed, you fast for," what? 26:45 "For strife and for debate 26:48 and to strike with the fist of wickedness. 26:53 You will not fast as you do this day 26:56 to make your voice heard on high." 27:00 In other words, their external religion 27:02 appears to be good 27:03 but they're striking with the fist, 27:05 they are fighting 27:06 and they're debating with other people. 27:09 They're mistreating, they're practicing social oppression, 27:12 if you please, and yet, they say 27:14 that the religion is a true religion 27:17 and that they should recommend themselves to God. 27:21 And so God asked the question in verse 5, 27:25 "Is it a fast that I have chosen a day 27:31 for a man to afflict his soul? 27:34 Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush," 27:38 you can just almost visualize that, 27:40 somebody who's fain in humility. 27:46 And we have a lot of those. 27:51 "Is it a fast that I have chosen a day 27:53 for a man to afflict his soul? 27:54 Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, 27:57 and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?" 28:00 You see, that shows great affliction. 28:04 "Would you call this a fast 28:07 and an acceptable day to the Lord?" 28:11 And then God 28:12 describes to His people what a true fast is. 28:16 It's not ceasing from eating. 28:21 It's not primarily partaking of a vegan diet 28:26 although that's good. 28:29 God defines what fasting is in verses 6 and 7. 28:35 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen, 28:40 to loose the bands of wickedness, 28:44 to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, 28:51 and that you break every yoke? 28:53 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry 28:57 and that you bring to your house 28:59 the poor who are cast out, 29:01 when you see the naked, that you cover him; 29:04 and not hide yourself from your own flesh?" 29:08 See this is practical religion. 29:11 It is true religion, clothing the naked, 29:15 helping the poor, giving bread to the hungry, 29:20 letting the oppressed go free. 29:22 In other words, the people in Isaiah's day 29:25 were practicing all of the forms of religion 29:27 but they had no love for their neighbor. 29:31 And God says, it does no good to afflict to your soul 29:34 and to do all of these, go for all of this ritual 29:36 if you don't love. 29:39 By the way, this reminds me 29:41 of the great judgment seen in Mathew Chapter 25. 29:46 Jesus has seated on His great white throne 29:49 and all nations are gathered before Him. 29:52 And Jesus, first of all, takes the sheep 29:57 and places him on His right hand. 30:01 And He says "Come, blessed of the Father, 30:04 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 30:05 from the foundation of the world." 30:07 For you kept the Sabbath 30:09 and you tithe and you never ate pork. 30:12 Now don't misunderstanding me. 30:14 We need the tithe and we need to eat the Sabbath 30:15 then we need to not eat pork. 30:19 That's not what Jesus says. 30:22 In connection with what we just read, 30:23 Jesus says, "I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. 30:28 I was thirsty, you gave me to drink. 30:31 I was a foreigner, you took me in, 30:32 I was in prison you visited me, 30:34 I was naked and you clothed me." 30:37 And then the sheep say, "When did we see You that way?" 30:43 I mean, you went to heaven in the year 31 30:45 we lived in West Frankfort and other places 30:48 in the year 2008. 30:50 So when did we see You that way? 30:51 Jesus says, "In that you have done it 30:53 onto one of these the least, My brethren, 30:56 you had done it onto me." 30:58 And then he turns to the goats. 31:01 And He says, "You're gonna go to hell. 31:02 Prepare for the devil and his angels. 31:05 For I was hungry, and you didn't give me to eat. 31:08 I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink. 31:11 I was naked, you did not cloth me. 31:14 I was in prison, you did not visit me. 31:17 I was a foreigner, and you did not take me in." 31:20 And so now they complain. 31:21 They say, well, you went to heaven in the year 31. 31:25 You know, we were on earth in the year 2008, 31:27 how is that we saw you that way and we didn't bless you. 31:31 And then Jesus speaks about the great sin 31:33 among God's people. 31:35 It's not the sin of commission, it is the sin of omission. 31:40 "In that you have not done it onto one of these, 31:43 the least, My brethren, you have not done it onto me." 31:52 Now that's the bad news. 31:55 Now we need to go to the good news. 31:58 Because there is a great day coming 32:00 when God's people will pay attention 32:02 to what we just studied. 32:05 And God's people 32:08 will receive an outpouring of God's Holy Spirit 32:11 in their hearts and in their minds 32:12 and they will live what we just studied. 32:17 In other words, religion will not only be external, 32:20 religion will come from the heart. 32:24 And as a result, God's people, according to the Bible 32:28 will receive a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 32:32 In fact, go with me to Isaiah Chapter 58:8. 32:37 See now what we studied is the condition of the people. 32:42 What they're doing, 32:43 they're practicing religion externally 32:46 but their heart is far from God, 32:48 they don't love their neighbor, they're selfish. 32:51 But now God is gonna tell us what happens 32:53 when they receive the message, when they receive this message. 32:56 Notice verse 8, 32:58 "Then," what does the word then indicate? 33:02 If you do this, 33:05 if you feed the hungry and you help the poor 33:07 and you give bread to those and then you cloth the naked, 33:10 He says, "then 33:13 your light shall break forth like the morning, 33:17 your healing shall spring forth speedily 33:21 and your righteousness shall go before you, 33:24 the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." 33:30 What is the earth gonna be filled with 33:32 when these conditions are met? 33:35 With God's what? Glory. 33:39 Have you ever heard of anything like that before? 33:43 Revelation 18:9, 33:47 "Then, notice, once again the word, 33:49 "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer. 33:53 You shall cry and He will hear." 33:56 Now notice what the condition is, 33:58 "If you take away the yoke from your midst, 34:00 the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 34:03 if you extend your soul to the hungry 34:06 and satisfy the afflicted soul, then." 34:11 We're waiting for the loud cry. 34:14 For the filling of the earth with God's glory, are we not? 34:17 Is there a condition that needs to be met 34:20 in order for that to happen? 34:21 Yes. Notice, it continues saying, 34:23 "Then your light shall dawn in the darkness 34:28 and your darkness shall be as the noonday. 34:33 The Lord will guide you continually 34:35 and satisfy your soul in drought 34:37 and strengthen your bones. 34:39 You shall be like a watered garden 34:41 and like a spring of water, 34:44 whose waters do not fail." 34:48 Is there a time coming, folks 34:49 when there is going to be a loud cry on planet earth 34:53 where all of the earth 34:54 will be filled with God's glory? 34:57 Absolutely, and what is God's glory? 35:01 God's glory is His what? 35:03 His character, 35:05 His character of love towards the human race. 35:08 The earth is gonna be filled with that 35:11 according to Revelation 18. 35:13 If you go with me there. Revelation 18: 1-5. 35:16 See, we have to clean up our own business in the church 35:19 before we can call people out of the other churches. 35:21 Amen. 35:23 We have to accept the Laodicean message 35:26 before we can proclaim the message to Babylon. 35:30 Those are the two parts of Isaiah 58, 35:33 first part is cleaning up our own house, 35:35 the Laodicean message. 35:36 The second half is what's gonna happen 35:39 when we receive the message, 35:40 the whole earth will be filled with God's glory 35:42 and multitudes will come out of Babylon. 35:45 Amen. 35:46 Notice Revelation 18:1, 35:48 "After these things I saw another angel 35:50 coming down from heaven, 35:51 having great authority, and the earth was," what? 35:54 "Was illuminated with His glory." 35:56 See the connection of Isaiah 58. 35:59 "And he cried mightily with the loud voice, saying, 36:01 "Babylon, the great is fallen, is fallen 36:03 and is become the dwelling place of demons, 36:05 a prison for every false spirit 36:07 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. 36:10 For all nations have drunk of the wine 36:12 of the wrath of her fornication, 36:14 the kings of the earth 36:16 have committed fornication with her 36:17 and the merchants of the earth 36:19 have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 36:21 So the earth has been filled with God's glory 36:25 and what are God's people going to do? 36:26 Those who have accepted the Laodicean message, 36:29 who are practicing religion of love, not only a form, 36:32 they will say in verse 4 36:34 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, what, 36:37 'Come out of her my people, lest you're sharing her sins 36:42 and lest you receive of our plagues." 36:44 Folks, God's people need to receive the latter rain 36:47 before we can call people out of Babylon. 36:49 Amen. Amen. 36:52 God's people have to shape up their religion 36:56 before they can call other people out. 37:05 Ellen White says, in Last Day Events. Page 201. 37:08 Speaking about the loud cry of this angel she says, 37:12 "It is represented as being given with the loud voice 37:16 that is with the power of the Holy Spirit." 37:24 And I love this statement from Ellen White 37:26 where she speaks about the exodus 37:28 of multitudes of Christians from their churches 37:31 as a result of this powerful Revelation 37:34 of God's character to the world. 37:37 She says, in Last Day Events. Page 211, 37:40 "There are many souls 37:41 to come out of the ranks of the world 37:44 and out of the churches, even the Catholic Church, 37:48 whose zeal will far exceed that of those 37:53 who have stood in the rank and file 37:56 to proclaim the truth here to forward." 38:01 Amazing, 38:04 but now we reach at very interesting point 38:06 in the chapter. 38:10 The repairing of the bridge 38:13 and I think as Adventist we have misunderstood 38:16 what this involves, the repairing of the bridge. 38:20 Go with me to verse 12. 38:24 This is a continuation of the argument of the chapter. 38:28 Those 38:29 from among you shall build the old waste places. 38:33 You shall raise up the foundations 38:34 of many generations, 38:37 you shall be called the repairer of the bridge, 38:40 the restorer of street to dwell in. 38:44 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 38:46 from doing your pleasure on my holy day, 38:49 and call the Sabbath a delight, 38:51 the holy day of the Lord honorable, 38:53 and shall honor him not doing your ways, 38:56 nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words." 39:01 Now you say, how the Sabbath reformed 39:04 fit with what we've studied previously? 39:07 Say you have God's message to His people, you know, 39:11 your religion is a sham, it's only external, 39:13 you need a heart religion. 39:15 And when you accept that, 39:17 then you're gonna give the loud cry 39:18 the earth is gonna be filled with God's glory 39:21 and multitudes are gonna come out and join God's people. 39:23 But how does this passage 39:25 concerning the repairing of the bridge 39:27 fit with this? 39:30 Allow me to read you an interesting statement 39:32 from My Life Today. Page 224 39:35 where Ellen White caught the connection between 39:40 restoring, or repairing the bridge 39:42 and what comes previously in Isaiah 58. 39:45 She says this, "The work specified in these words, 39:50 is the work God requires His people to do. 39:54 It is a work of God's own appointment." 39:59 A work of whose? 40:02 A work of God's own appointment. 40:05 Now notice this, this is important. 40:08 "With the work of advocating the commandments of God," 40:11 which is, includes the Sabbath. 40:13 "With the work of advocating the commandments of God 40:16 and repairing the breach 40:18 that has been made in the law of God," 40:21 that's a Sabbath. 40:23 She says, "We are to mingle 40:26 compassion for suffering humanity. 40:30 We are to show supreme love to God; 40:34 we are to exalt His memorial, 40:37 which has been trodden down by unholy feet; 40:40 and with this, we are to manifest 40:45 mercy, benevolence, and the tenderest pity 40:50 for the fallen race." 40:55 Now let's go to the New Testament 40:57 and bring everything together. 41:01 Let me ask you, 41:03 what was the one ordinance that the people of Christ's day 41:08 used to show their great spiritual stature? 41:16 The Sabbath. 41:19 Is that true? 41:21 Did the Jews strictly keep the Sabbath? 41:25 To the very letter, they most certainly did. 41:28 It was a sign that they were very what? 41:31 Religious. 41:35 But how did they treat people? 41:41 Are you with me? 41:43 They mistreated people. 41:45 By the way, let me ask you this question. 41:47 Which day did Jesus especially chose to bless people? 41:51 Sabbath. 41:52 On the Sabbath, are you seeing the connection here? 41:55 Amen. 41:56 You know, as Adventist many times we believe 41:59 that the Sabbath has to do with don'ts. 42:03 But the Sabbath has more to do with dos. 42:05 Amen. 42:08 Because when we're doing what were supposed to be doing, 42:11 what we're not supposed to be doing 42:12 will take care of itself. 42:15 I've never seen anybody 42:17 have problems watching television on Sabbath 42:19 when they're visiting a nursing home. 42:22 That's right. 42:26 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 42:28 In other words, 42:30 when we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, 42:31 we won't do what we're not supposed to do. 42:34 But we think that Sabbath is simply idleness. 42:38 Sabbath isn't idleness. 42:40 Sabbath is the day that Jesus used to do what Isaiah 58 says. 42:45 You see, He had the forms of religion 42:47 but He used the Sabbath to reveal God's love. 42:49 Amen. Amen. 42:51 And that's what's gonna shake up the religious world, 42:54 is the love of Jesus shown in the Sabbath. 42:57 God's people going out to nursing homes, 42:59 visiting prisons, blessing the homeless, 43:02 visiting people in need. 43:04 Then people will say, "oh, these Adventists, 43:07 they're wonderful, they keep the Sabbath 43:09 but look how they love." 43:12 So Jesus used the Sabbath. 43:14 Amen. 43:15 And by the way, His observance of the Sabbath 43:18 made the religious leaders angry. 43:19 Amen. 43:25 So how are we supposed to restore that bridge, 43:28 the Sabbath? 43:31 We're supposed to restore the bridge of the Sabbath 43:33 by doing what Jesus did on Sabbath. 43:35 Amen. 43:37 You see the Sabbath is all about human relations. 43:39 What does God do on the Sabbath? 43:40 He makes His sunshine upon us. He makes His rain fall upon us. 43:46 He continues energizing us, 43:48 so that our hearts can beat and our lungs can breathe. 43:51 And our circulatory system can work. 43:56 In other words, God is sustaining and blessing 43:59 and maintaining His creation. 44:01 That's what we're supposed to do on the Sabbath. 44:07 It kind of reminds me 44:08 when I began my ministry in the city of Chicago, 44:12 many years ago in Spanish church, 44:14 one morning I got a phone call and in that phone call, 44:20 one of the elders of the church said, pastor there is just-- 44:22 I just got a phone call from the family 44:24 and they don't have anything to eat. 44:27 They've gonna couple of days without any food. 44:30 What can we do for this family? 44:32 I said, "you know what, I've been to the supermarket 44:34 we don't have anything here at home." 44:35 And he says, you know we're in the same situation in our house 44:38 but we need to help them." 44:40 So I said, "Don't worry about that brother, 44:41 I'll take care of it." 44:43 So I went to the local supermarket 44:44 and did a holy buying. 44:56 I filled a cart full of groceries 44:59 but unfortunately, as I was coming out of the supermarket 45:02 there was a Pharisee watching. 45:09 And of course, the Pharisee never faces you, 45:12 you know, he went around the church, he says, 45:13 "Pastor Bohr does his grocery shopping 45:15 on Sabbath." 45:17 And so after this rumor was all around the church, 45:21 they finally got to me. 45:23 Finally, one of the members was courageous enough to say, 45:25 pastor, is that true do you do your grocery shopping 45:28 on Sabbath? 45:30 Now I looked that out, I could remember for my life, 45:32 you know, that I've ever been in the supermarket 45:34 because it was such an exceptional thing. 45:35 I said, "What are you talking about? 45:37 I don't go to the supermarket on Sabbath." 45:39 He says, "There's somebody who swears 45:40 he saw you coming out of the supermarket 45:42 on such and such a Sabbath." 45:44 And I said, "No, it can't be." 45:48 And then it dawned on me. Oh, I remember now." 45:53 And I told them the story 45:54 and he lowered his head he says, "Pastor, I'm sorry." 45:59 What would Jesus prefer, 46:01 to let that family go hungry on Sabbath? 46:04 Of course, not. 46:06 You know, I heard a story few years ago 46:08 about an individual who is driving his car home 46:13 and right near his home he ran out of gas 46:16 and it was pouring rain 46:18 and he noticed that just about a quarter of a block, 46:22 ahead of where he was, there was a gas station. 46:26 So you know, he had the newspaper, 46:27 he puts a newspaper over his head 46:29 and he goes to the gas station, he only, 46:31 he finds a signed that says, close on Saturdays. 46:37 So he said, "wow, so much, so much for getting gas." 46:40 But then he noticed there was a little house 46:42 next to the gas station. 46:43 He said, "Maybe the owner of gas station lives 46:46 next to the gas station in the house. 46:48 So he went to the house and knocked on the door 46:53 and it was about 9 o'clock in the morning 46:55 and this fellow comes up 46:57 and comes out and he's tying his tie. 47:03 Can you guess what he was? 47:04 Seventh-day Adventist. 47:06 Can you guess where he was going? 47:07 Church. 47:08 Of course, he was going to church. 47:10 He was gonna fulfill the form of religion. 47:13 See that the law requires us to go to church on Sabbaths. 47:17 That was his view. 47:22 And so this guy said, "I ran out of gas 47:23 just right around the corner from the gas station, 47:26 you know, is this your gas station?" 47:28 He said, "Yes, it is." 47:30 He says, "Could you please sell me some gas 47:32 so I can make it home?" 47:34 And this man, 47:35 you know, the way we found out about these stories 47:36 because an LE went to this man's house 47:38 a few years later 47:40 and when he discover that they were Adventists, 47:42 he told them this story. 47:44 And he didn't want any of the books logically. 47:48 But this Seventh-day Adventist said, "Are you kidding? 47:53 Don't you know that Exodus Chapter 20 says, 47:57 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 48:02 Don't you know that the Bible says, 48:03 that we're not supposed to buy and sell on the Sabbath? 48:08 I could never sell you any gas on the Sabbath." 48:13 And he shut the door in his face. 48:19 There you have an Isaiah 1 Christian. 48:27 That's why Jesus said, "I want mercy, not sacrifice." 48:33 Am I saying that we need to be less strict 48:35 with our Sabbath observance? 48:37 Don't anybody go out of here and say because, you know, 48:40 I've been accused the heresy in other little areas. 48:43 But don't let anybody leave this place saying, 48:45 Pastor Bohr says, 48:47 that we can go eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, 48:49 no problem with that and, you know, 48:51 we can do our grocery shopping on Sabbath. 48:53 You know, and we can do our laundry on the Sabbath. 48:56 No way. 48:58 If we love Jesus 48:59 we're not gonna do those things. 49:01 We're gonna cease from doing those things 49:03 but we're also gonna do 49:05 what we're supposed to be doing. 49:06 Amen. 49:08 We're not gonna be going home after church 49:10 and practicing the so called lay activities. 49:19 We're gonna go out 49:20 and we're gonna minister to people. 49:25 We're gonna reveal the character of Jesus Christ. 49:27 Amen. 49:29 That's what is meant by restoring the bridge. 49:31 See people don't want to keep a legalistic Sabbath. 49:33 That, they-- 49:35 Christian see Adventist as a legalist. 49:37 "Oh, they have this list of things 49:38 that you can't do on Sabbath." 49:41 And sometimes we have given them bad impression, 49:43 not always, but sometimes 49:44 we've given them bad impression. 49:46 We have to show them the beauty of the Sabbath. 49:49 Amen. 49:50 We have to show them the blessing of the Sabbath, 49:53 not for us, you know, we say, 49:54 "Oh, God made the Sabbath so that I can be blessed." 49:56 No, God made the Sabbath so you can be a blessing. 49:59 Amen. 50:00 A blessing to other people. 50:05 Do you remember that Jesus constantly in the gospels 50:07 had to face this problem? 50:08 This man with withered hand. 50:11 The story is in Mark Chapter 3: 1-6. 50:16 You know, Jesus told this man "Stand here." 50:19 You know, Jesus made it appoint to rub it in. 50:23 Because the healings of Jesus on the Sabbath 50:25 were all chronic cases. 50:27 He could have waited till sundown. 50:30 I mean, blind since birth, 50:35 paralyzed for 38 years, 50:38 a woman who had a problem for 18 years. 50:44 The man, would the man have died 50:46 if Jesus hadn't heal the withered hand? 50:49 Of course not. 50:51 But Jesus is saying, I don't want anybody 50:52 to be with the withered hand at all. 50:55 Amen. 50:57 And so He makes a place Stand here. 50:58 I want everybody to see what's gonna happen. 51:01 And then He says to all of those Pharisees 51:03 who were strict Sabbath keepers, 51:08 who would have made good Adventist 51:09 in some churches. 51:14 And he says, 51:17 "Is it okay to heal or to kill?" 51:23 So he knew what their intention was. 51:26 See it's a sin to heal on Sabbath 51:30 but you can plan to kill on Sabbath. 51:33 That shows their hypocrisy. 51:35 And so Jesus says, 51:37 I'm gonna show you that is lawful 51:40 to do good on the Sabbath. 51:43 And so the Bible says, 51:44 that He healed the hand of that man on the Sabbath day. 51:48 He restored his hand on the Sabbath day 51:51 and then the Bible ironically says 51:53 that the Pharisees went out and they took counsel 51:57 on how they might destroy Him. 52:00 It's okay to plan to destroy on Sabbath 52:03 but it's a great sin to heal. 52:07 Are you understanding the problem 52:09 that Jesus is dealing with in Isaiah Chapter 58? 52:12 Jesus is actually thinking about this, 52:14 it's in the back of His mind 52:17 and Isaiah 29 this people 52:21 worships me externally with their lips 52:27 but their heart is far from me. 52:30 And now I want to take us 52:31 to the conclusion of this passage in Isaiah 58. 52:34 Let me tell you, folks. There is a reward. 52:36 Amen. 52:38 For all of those who received the Laodicean message, 52:42 receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 52:44 are able to proclaim the loud cry with power 52:48 that leads multitudes to come out of the churches 52:51 and join the remnant church that keeps the Sabbath 52:54 the way God tells us to keep the Sabbath. 52:57 There is a reward. 53:00 Notice once again, verse 14 of Isaiah 58. 53:05 It says, "Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." 53:11 See, it's when we help other people that we delight. 53:14 "Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord 53:18 and I will cause you to ride 53:21 on the high hills of the earth 53:25 and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father." 53:28 Do you know what the heritage of Jacob your father is? 53:30 It's the land of Canaan. 53:32 Look it up in concordance 53:34 you will see that the heritage of Jacob is the land of Canaan. 53:37 Is God promising Canaan to His people? 53:39 Yes. 53:41 Which Canaan? 53:42 The heavenly Canaan. 53:44 And so he says, 53:46 "I will cause you to rise on the high hills of the earth 53:49 and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father." 53:53 And then He says, you can take it to the bank. 53:55 "The mouth of the Lord has spoken." 53:59 Amen. 54:03 Several years ago when I was teaching theology 54:05 in our university in the city of Medellin, 54:08 I had to preach in the downtown church 54:09 and the central church and I was way behind. 54:11 At that time I didn't have the car 54:13 so I took the bus and there was a lot of traffic 54:15 and so I was going as fast as I could to the church 54:19 on this Sabbath morning. 54:21 And as I was passing by, as I was walking up the street 54:24 there were three kids 54:26 you know, you could tell that they were street kids, 54:27 they were dirty 54:29 and their clothes were all ripped. 54:30 You know, they were-- they had, you know, 54:33 they had these glue bottles and they, 54:36 you know, they smell the glue because it gives them a high. 54:39 And so, you know, 54:41 and they had kind of like little cans asking for people 54:43 in order to give them money 54:45 and so I was in such a hurry you know, 54:47 I walked in I was about half a block ahead of them 54:52 and I said, you know, here I'm going to church 54:55 and I'm gonna preach on Sabbath 54:56 and I just passed those kids by. 54:59 So even though I was behind schedule, 55:01 I went back. 55:02 And they were talking at that time. 55:04 They weren't asking for money. 55:05 You know, I looked and I said, "Hi guys, how are you doing?" 55:09 You should have seemed their faces. 55:11 You know, they were used to people asking money 55:12 but people talking to them 55:14 and especially a man in the suit, 55:18 their expression changed. 55:19 I said, guys, I have something for you 55:23 and I gave each of them a donation. 55:26 You should have seemed their faces radiant 55:30 and then I went to church. 55:32 You know what, I was the one who was greatly blessed 55:38 by what happened on that Sabbath. 55:40 See just going to church to preach on Sabbath, 55:44 just going through the forms of Sabbath observance 55:46 doesn't bring joy. 55:48 It is giving to others that brings joy 55:51 and happiness to our hearts. 55:52 And I'll tell you I was jumping for joy 55:56 when I saw the expression on their faces. 55:59 So, folks, as Adventists, let's go back to our churches. 56:03 And let's not only emphasize the don'ts 56:05 but let's get our church involved in ministering 56:09 to people who are in need. 56:11 And, folks, I assure you that if we do that 56:13 our lives will be so filled with joy, 56:16 will be so filled with happiness 56:18 that we will not believe the change that God will make 56:22 in our lives. 56:23 I pray to God 56:25 that will be our experience as we return to our homes. |
Revised 2016-03-10