3ABN On the Road

God's Omiscient Sword

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Stephen Bohr

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR001005


01:01 Hello, welcome and good afternoon
01:03 to Spring Camp Meeting 2012 here
01:07 from the 3ABN worship center in West Frankford, Illinois.
01:12 And we welcome our audience before us
01:14 and our worldwide audience viewing and listening
01:17 from around the world.
01:19 And you look well, you look well fed
01:22 and I trust everyone dined sufficiently
01:24 and as I said before we were on air,
01:27 I trust you didn't eat too much
01:28 because we don't want anybody falling asleep.
01:31 We'll have to put usher out here to come
01:32 and wrap your knuckles if you asleep
01:34 because we've got a very good speaker this afternoon.
01:37 Our guest speaker is Pastor Stephen Bohr,
01:40 president of Secrets Unsealed.
01:42 I want to tell you a secret about
01:43 Secrets Unsealed and Pastor Bohr.
01:45 And he may say it but they have just about put the plans
01:49 and everything finished to move into their new building.
01:52 He is the pastor of Fresno Central
01:53 Seventh-day Adventist Church and for the longest time
01:55 Secrets Unsealed was headquartered
01:57 there in Fresno at the church,
01:59 but they have gotten their facility now
02:01 and I think in the little bit they are going to be moving in
02:03 and I know he's very, very excited about that
02:05 because if we speaks growth
02:07 for a very, very wonderful meeting.
02:09 I need you to pray for the pastor.
02:11 He should have been here on last evening.
02:14 He got to Dallas and Dallas was not kind to him.
02:18 They were number of thunder storms
02:20 and lightening storms.
02:21 They cancelled his flight immediately.
02:23 He got up this morning,
02:24 got out of the hotel, was supposed to be
02:26 on the plane at 6.00 to get here
02:27 for his 10.30 speaking appointment
02:29 and the plane didn't leave till 3.00
02:31 and half hours later again the same thunderstorms
02:35 and there was so much lightening,
02:36 they wouldn't even allowed the baggage handlers
02:38 to put the bags on the plane.
02:40 They just let no one out on the tarmac.
02:42 So he's just got in a little bit ago,
02:44 so he maybe little sleepy and if he notched
02:47 during the middle of his message
02:49 you tossed something at him, would you please?
02:50 And I rather tough that he would he would that,
02:53 but just in case because he's had a real hard night,
02:56 but he's a trooper and he's here
03:00 with this some little juggling this morning
03:02 and he has gotten here and we're very, very excited.
03:04 He is an internationally known speaker.
03:09 I say he is a bit of a show off
03:10 because he preaches in two languages,
03:11 that's, that's just showing off.
03:14 If you turn on 3ABN Latino,
03:16 he's also preaching the Pillars of Prophecy
03:19 for 3ABN Latino camp meeting which is going on,
03:22 on our Latino Network right now.
03:23 So he's on the English network and the Spanish network,
03:26 what a showoff.
03:30 No, we love Pastor Bohr so very, very much.
03:33 He's a man of God.
03:34 And if you've heard him preach, you know,
03:36 he comes right from the word, nothing but the word,
03:39 all of the word, all of the time
03:41 and we really love him here at 3ABN
03:43 and he's loved and appreciated around the world.
03:47 He is the husband of one wife, father of two children
03:51 and I think he brought his son with him
03:53 and he also works in production.
03:55 Stephen Junior and we're just happy that,
03:58 first of all that he made it, that God was kind to him
04:01 that allowed him to get here.
04:03 Really, really rough storms in Dallas but he made it
04:06 and we're so very, very thankful.
04:07 You will hear him later on during these meetings
04:09 but we're very, very excited and happy and blessed to have
04:12 Pastor Bohr with us this very afternoon.
04:15 I gonna have prayer, then I want to do just a song
04:19 and then the next voice you here after I sing will be
04:21 that of our friend, our Pastor Stephen Bohr.
04:24 Shall we pray?
04:25 Father God, we just praise You now
04:28 and thank You for traveling mercies
04:30 that You've extended to the man of God.
04:33 We thank You for Jesus
04:34 the author and finisher of our faith
04:36 and that the angel of the Lord encamps
04:38 around about those who fear Him to deliver.
04:43 And again we see Your goodness made manifest in our lives.
04:47 We ask that you would bless our pastor as he speaks to us,
04:51 give him heavens words but more than that give us
04:56 listening and attentive ears so that we may hear and know
05:01 and be blessed and grow in Jesus.
05:05 We give all of our lives and our service to You
05:08 and we thank You in Jesus name, amen.
05:30 I give all my service to You
05:38 I give all
05:41 My service to You
05:47 No matter the cost or what others do
05:54 I give all
05:57 My service to You
06:03 I give all my problems to You
06:10 I give all
06:14 My problems to You
06:20 No matter the cost or what others do
06:26 I give all
06:30 My problems to You
06:35 I give all my family to You
06:42 I give all
06:46 My family to You
06:51 No matter the cost or what others do
06:58 I give all
07:02 My family to You
07:11 I give all
07:14 My future to You
07:19 I give all
07:22 My future to You
07:27 No matter the cost or what others do
07:35 I give all
07:39 My future to You
07:45 I give all
07:47 My worship to You
07:52 I give all
07:54 My worship to You
07:59 No matter the cost or what others do
08:07 I give all
08:11 My worship to You
08:16 I give all
08:20 My worship to You
08:48 Greetings. Greetings.
08:50 It's good to be at 3ABN after a long journey.
08:57 My son and I left yesterday afternoon at 2.00
09:01 with someone of an assurance
09:04 that we would make at the same day,
09:06 but in Dallas they cancelled our flight,
09:10 so we had to sleepover in Dallas
09:11 and then we were supposed to leave
09:12 at 6 o'clock this morning
09:15 but the flight actually left at 9.00.
09:18 They had a lot of lightening
09:19 and they couldn't get the personnel
09:21 onto the tarmac to load the suitcases
09:23 as long as there was lightening.
09:26 So we just got here about an hour ago
09:30 and ready to go.
09:32 Amen.
09:34 I'm really excited about having my son here.
09:38 He was born in West Frankford, 36 years ago.
09:42 He was born in a hospital that used to exist,
09:45 that doesn't exist anymore.
09:47 And this is the first time that he's comeback.
09:50 So it's really, really an excited experience.
09:53 He's not a very emotional person,
09:54 he won't show it but I'm sure that he's excited inside.
09:59 It's good to see all of you.
10:01 I hope you have been enjoying camp meeting.
10:05 I would like to thank brother Hiram
10:08 for being willing to switch with me
10:11 so that I could be here with you this afternoon.
10:14 Before we open God's word
10:15 we do want to ask the Lord's presence.
10:19 We always open scripture with prayer
10:22 because the spirit who inspired scripture
10:24 is the only one who can come and make it fresh to us today.
10:29 So let's bow our heads.
10:31 Father in Heaven, we thank You
10:32 for the privilege of being at 3ABN Camp Meeting.
10:36 We thank You Father, for the rain,
10:37 sometimes it's an inconvenience
10:40 but it makes everything so green and beautiful.
10:43 We thank You Father, for everything You do for us.
10:46 And especially now we thank You for Your word
10:49 which is a sure guide in a world that is so confused.
10:54 We ask that as we open that word
10:55 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us
10:57 to guide our thoughts and to open our hearts.
11:01 And we thank You for hearing our prayer,
11:03 for we ask it in Jesus name, amen.
11:06 Amen.
11:08 I invite you to turn in Bibles with me.
11:10 Did you bring your Bibles? Yes.
11:12 You know, with me you have to have your Bible.
11:15 It's an indispensable weapon. It's the sword of the spirit.
11:19 Revelation Chapter 1
11:22 and we will read versus 10 and 11.
11:25 Revelation 1:10, 11.
11:31 I'll give you just the couple of seconds
11:33 to locate that in your Bibles.
11:35 That should be quite easy to find.
11:37 It's the last book of the Bible,
11:39 of course the first chapter of that book.
11:43 And it says the following.
11:46 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day,
11:49 and I heard behind me a loud voice,
11:53 as of a trumpet, saying,
11:57 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
12:03 and, what you see, write in a book
12:06 and send it to the seven churches
12:08 which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos,
12:15 to Thyatira, to Sardis,
12:18 to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
12:23 Now what I want you to notice is that here
12:26 John has not seen anything yet.
12:30 John is simply hearing the names of the seven churches
12:36 and it's been uttered by a voice that he hears.
12:41 Now the question is, why do you have seven churches?
12:46 The fact is that they were many other churches in Asia Minor.
12:51 For example there was the church of Troas
12:54 in Asia Minor.
12:55 There was the church of Assos also in Asia Minor.
12:59 Miletus was there.
13:01 Colossae, Hierapolis, Magnesia and we could go on and on
13:08 that they were other churches in Asia Minor at this time.
13:13 And yet in Revelation 1:10, 11
13:16 we find only seven specific churches named by name.
13:23 And of course the question is why these particular seven?
13:29 I would like to read a statement
13:30 that we find in the Book Acts of Apostles page 585
13:35 and then I'm going to read a statement
13:37 by a modern expositor of scripture that collaborates
13:42 what we're going to read from Acts of the Apostles
13:46 which was of course written by Ellen White.
13:49 Here she states, "The names of the seven churches
13:54 are symbolic of the church
13:57 in different periods of the Christian era.
14:01 The number seven indicates completeness
14:05 and is symbolic of the fact
14:07 that the messages extend to the end of time,
14:11 while the symbols used revealed the condition of the church
14:15 at different periods in the history of the world.
14:20 So now we know why seven churches were chosen
14:23 because the number 7 represents totality or completeness.
14:29 And so in these seven churches you have characteristics
14:32 of the Christian church from the days of the apostles
14:35 till the end of time represented by the number 7,
14:41 the complete or total history of the church.
14:46 Now the statement that I would like to read
14:48 from an author who as Adventist
14:53 we would disagree with most everything
14:56 that he's ever written.
14:58 However, we do agree
15:01 and Ellen White agrees with this statement
15:03 that I'm going to read from Hal Lindsey.
15:06 Have you ever heard of Hal Lindsey?
15:09 We probably would not agree with 99% of what he's written
15:14 but what I'm going to read, he's right on target,
15:17 he's agreeing with what we read from Acts of the Apostles.
15:21 In his book "Vanished Into Thin Air" page 276,
15:27 he states the following about the seven churches.
15:30 I believe along with many scholars
15:34 that these seven letters were not only written
15:39 to seven literal churches with real problems
15:44 but also that they have
15:46 a prophetic application to church history.
15:51 I believe that these seven churches
15:54 were selected and arranged by our ambitioned Lord
16:00 because they had problems and characteristics
16:03 that would prophecy seven stages of history
16:08 through which the church universal would pass.
16:13 Interesting that He along with other scholars
16:17 I might say agrees that the seven churches
16:21 represent the totality of the history
16:24 of the Christian church denoted by the number 7
16:28 which represents totality or completeness.
16:34 Now I would like us to go
16:35 to the very next verse, Revelation 1:12.
16:41 Up till this point John has heard
16:44 the names of the seven churches in Asia Minor
16:48 but now John is going to see.
16:52 Notice Revelation 1:12.
16:56 "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.
17:02 And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands."
17:09 So he hears the names of the seven churches
17:13 and then he turns to see who's speaking with him
17:16 and now he sees seven golden lampstands.
17:24 Now the question is what do these
17:25 seven golden lampstands represent or symbolize?
17:31 We don't have to guess because in Revelation 1:20
17:36 the same chapter if you go with me to verse 20
17:39 we find an explanation of what the seven lampstands represent.
17:45 It says there, "The mystery of the seven stars
17:49 which you saw in My right hand,"
17:51 this is Jesus speaking
17:53 "and the seven golden lampstands.
17:56 The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
18:00 and the seven lampstands
18:03 which you saw are the seven churches."
18:08 So we know that the seven lampstands
18:10 represent the seven churches.
18:12 So basically here in chapter 1 we have two realities.
18:17 First of all we have the symbol which is the seven lampstands
18:24 and we also have that which has symbolized
18:27 by the seven lampstands which are the seven churches.
18:30 So you have the symbol and you have the reality.
18:33 In other words, the symbol would be the seven lampstands
18:38 and the reality to which the seven lampstands point
18:42 would be the seven churches.
18:45 Now I want you to notice what we find in verse 13.
18:49 Revelation 1:13.
18:52 John not only sees the seven golden lampstands,
18:57 he's not only heard the names of the seven churches
19:01 but now he's going to see something else.
19:05 Notice Revelation 1:13.
19:09 "And in the midst of the seven lampstands
19:15 One like the Son of Man,
19:18 clothed with a garment down to the feet
19:22 and girded about the chest with a golden band."
19:26 Now we're not gonna read this verse
19:28 but if you want you can write down the reference.
19:30 Exodus 28:4 tells us that this description
19:36 that has given to the Son of Man
19:38 in Revelation Chapter 1 is really the description
19:42 of the attire of the High Priest.
19:46 Particularly two details are mentioned here
19:48 which indicate that this is speaking about
19:51 the High Priest, Jesus the High Priest.
19:54 Number one, the word garment in the New Testament applies
19:58 to the High Priest and secondly
20:00 girded about the chest with a golden band
20:03 that also according to Exodus 28:4
20:07 is part of the High Priestly garments.
20:11 And so basically you see Jesus
20:14 and Jesus is walking among the seven lampstands.
20:18 Now what do the seven lampstands represent?
20:21 They represent the seven churches.
20:23 So what we find here is that Jesus
20:26 is walking throughout the course of history
20:30 in the midst of His church.
20:31 In all of the different stages of the history of the church,
20:35 Jesus is walking in the midst of church history
20:38 as the High Priest.
20:41 Now the question is, what is Jesus doing there
20:46 walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands
20:50 which represent the seven churches,
20:52 which teaches that Jesus is walking
20:55 in the course of church history.
20:57 He's walking in the midst of the church
20:59 throughout its whole history
21:00 from apostolic times till the end of time.
21:03 What is Jesus doing there?
21:06 Well, we have to go back to a passage
21:08 that we find in the Old Testament
21:10 to understand exactly what Jesus is doing
21:14 as He walks among the seven golden lampstands.
21:17 He's not simply just, you know,
21:20 walking and walking and doing nothing.
21:22 There's a specific intentional purpose
21:25 why Jesus is walking in the midst
21:27 of the seven golden lampstands.
21:30 Go with me to the Book of Leviticus 24:1-4.
21:35 Leviticus 24:1-4.
21:40 Here we find a description of one of the duties
21:44 of Aaron the high priest in the Old Testament.
21:47 The high priest had several duties.
21:50 This is one of the duties that was given
21:53 to the high priest in ancient Israel.
21:55 And I want you to notice what it is.
21:56 It's related to what we're studying
21:58 in Revelation Chapter 1.
22:01 It says there in Leviticus 24:1
22:04 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
22:07 'Command the children of Israel that they bring to you
22:11 pure oil of pressed olives for the light.'
22:17 " Of course what was made from olives?
22:20 Oil that's right.
22:22 So in verse 2 it says, "Command the children of Israel
22:24 that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light
22:29 to make the lamps burn" How?
22:33 "Continually."
22:35 That's a very important little word.
22:37 It's repeated three times.
22:39 Notice verse 3, "Outside the veil of the Testimony,
22:43 in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it
22:48 from evening until morning before the Lord continually,
22:55 it shall be a statute forever in your generations.
22:59 He shall be in charge of the lamps
23:02 on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord" What?
23:07 "Continually."
23:09 So what is Jesus doing walking among the seven candle sticks?
23:14 What is Jesus doing walking in the midst
23:17 of the history of the church in its different stages?
23:20 What Jesus is doing is making sure that at no stage
23:26 will the church be left without oil.
23:30 And the oil represents what? The Holy Spirit.
23:33 Now let me ask you, where there stages
23:35 of the church where it appeared
23:37 that the light of the lamps was about to go out?
23:41 Have you ever heard of the Dark Ages?
23:44 Why do you suppose they are called the Dark Ages?
23:47 Because there was very little, what?
23:50 There was very little light.
23:52 The church was almost totally in apostasy
23:55 and yet there was a faithful remnant
23:57 because Jesus was walking in the midst of His church
24:01 in that period making sure that,
24:04 that candlestick did not burnout,
24:07 making sure that the Holy Spirit
24:09 was present there in the midst of His church.
24:13 And so Jesus basically is trimming the lamps
24:16 and He's providing the church with oil.
24:18 Sometimes the church burns brighter
24:21 and sometimes the church burns darker
24:25 but never did the light of the church ever go out.
24:30 Now you know, there's something very interesting.
24:32 If you look at the geography of the seven churches
24:36 you're gonna find that in the exact order
24:39 in which they appear in the Book of Revelation,
24:42 if you intersect the different places
24:44 where the churches were
24:46 you have the form a candelabrum.
24:52 I challenge you to do that.
24:54 Go to a map and intersect like a candelabrum
24:58 the different places where the churches were
25:01 and you're gonna see a candlestick.
25:03 In other words God on purpose shows these churches,
25:07 not only because of their characteristics
25:10 but also because they formed a candlestick
25:12 and of course the candlestick represents the church.
25:17 Are you understanding what we're studying so far?
25:19 Now there are two specific characteristics of Jesus
25:23 in Revelation Chapter 1
25:24 that I want us to dwell upon in the rest of our study.
25:28 Go with me to Revelation 1:14.
25:32 Jesus is described in chapter 1.
25:35 There are several characteristics
25:37 that are given of Him.
25:38 There are two of those that I particularly want to dwell on
25:42 as it relates to what we're studying today.
25:47 Revelation 1:14.
25:50 It says, "His head and hair
25:54 were white like wool, as white as snow,"
25:58 and here comes the symbol that I want us to notice.
26:01 "And his eyes like a flame of fire."
26:07 So what were the eyes of Jesus like?
26:10 They were like flames on fire.
26:12 Have you ever met somebody who's-- look at your burns?
26:19 Maybe your mother when you were a child.
26:23 Eyes can burn
26:25 and so here we find Jesus described
26:28 as having eyes of fire.
26:32 Now what does He do with His eyes?
26:34 Is Jesus aware of what's going on in the church?
26:38 Can Jesus see what's going on at each stage of the church?
26:42 He most certainly can because the each church
26:45 He says, I know your works.
26:49 In other words He knows because He, what?
26:51 He knows because He sees. He knows all.
26:56 In fact, if you read Revelation 5:6
26:59 you would discover something very interesting.
27:01 It describes Jesus the lamb there as having seven eyes.
27:08 Now Jesus does not literally have seven eyes.
27:11 Jesus is a human being. He has two eyes.
27:14 But the number 7 represents fullness or totality
27:18 and the eyes represent seeing everything.
27:21 They represent wisdom.
27:23 So is there anything
27:24 that escapes the attention of Christ
27:26 in the history of the Christian Church?
27:29 Absolutely not.
27:30 He sees all. He has envisioned.
27:33 He knows everything that is going on.
27:36 In fact, in Proverbs 15:3, we find this interesting verse
27:41 that I'm sure that you've read before.
27:44 It says, "They are the eyes of the Lord."
27:46 Are where?
27:48 "Are in every place keeping watch
27:52 on the evil and on the good."
27:55 His eyes are in every place because He has seven eyes
27:59 which represent fullness of wisdom and understanding.
28:03 As He walks in the midst of the church
28:05 and He make sure that the church
28:07 has the necessary oil to give light to the world
28:10 Jesus is also looking at the church with eyes on fire
28:15 and He says, I know your works, nothing escapes My attention.
28:21 Now let's take a look at the second symbol
28:23 that I want us to notice about Jesus.
28:26 Go with me to Revelation 1:16.
28:30 Revelation 1:16 the second symbol,
28:34 both of these symbols are closely related
28:36 one with the other.
28:38 It's says there in Revelation 1:16.
28:42 "He hath in His right hand seven stars"
28:46 and now comes the symbol "out of His mouth
28:51 went a sharp two-edged sword."
28:56 What is that comes out of the mouth?
28:59 Words, teachings.
29:04 And so Jesus not only sees what's going on in the church
29:07 He also what?
29:09 He also speaks to the church through His word.
29:13 And so it says, He had it in his hand seven stars,
29:15 out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword
29:19 and His countenance was like the sun
29:21 shining in it's strength.
29:23 Now what does the sword represent?
29:26 The sword represents of course the Word of God.
29:31 Now what does it mean when it says,
29:32 that this is a two-edge sword?
29:34 What does the sword do?
29:35 How is the sword-- how is the Word of God used?
29:39 I want to read you an interesting description
29:42 that was presented by an individual
29:44 by the name of L. D. Fleming.
29:46 He attended one of the camp meetings
29:48 where William Miller was preaching.
29:51 And so he wrote a description of what it was like
29:54 to go to a meeting where William Miller was preaching.
29:58 Notice what he had to say, if you want the reference,
30:01 this is Review and Herald, November 25, 1884,
30:04 where he gives this testimony about
30:06 what it was like to be there,
30:08 listening to William Miller preach.
30:10 He says this and this is taken at,
30:12 taken place in Portland, Maine.
30:15 "Things are moving powerfully,
30:18 last evening about 200 requested prayers
30:22 and the interest seems constantly increasing.
30:26 The whole city seems agitated.
30:29 Brother Miller's lectures have not the least effect
30:32 to frighten people they are far from it.
30:35 The great alarm is among those who do not come near them.
30:40 Many who stay away and oppose
30:42 seem excited and perhaps alarmed.
30:44 But those who candidly hear
30:47 are far from excitement or alarm.
30:51 The interest awakened by his lectures
30:53 is of the most deliberate and dispassionate kind."
30:56 Now this is not a lot of jumping in excitement
30:59 and halleluiah's and praise the Lord,
31:01 it's a dispassionate kind.
31:03 He continues saying,
31:04 "Though this is the greatest revival I ever saw,
31:09 yet there is the least passionate excitement about it.
31:15 It seems to take a deep hold
31:17 on the main part of the community."
31:20 And then he explains why the preaching
31:22 of William Miller had this effect.
31:25 He says, "What produces the effect is this.
31:29 Brother Miller simply takes the sword of the Spirit,
31:33 unsheathed and lays its sharp edge
31:37 on the naked heart, and it cuts!
31:41 That is all.
31:43 Before the edge of this mighty weapon,
31:45 infidelity falls, and Universalism withers.
31:49 False foundations vanish, and Babel's merchants wonder.
31:54 It seems to me that this must be a little to the nearest
31:58 of the apostolic revivals of anything
32:01 that modern times have witnessed."
32:04 So how is that the word cuts,
32:07 the word that comes from the mouth of Jesus?
32:09 It cuts as a result of the preaching
32:11 of the Word of God.
32:14 You see that's why God has not called us
32:16 to preach human opinions.
32:17 There is no power in human opinions.
32:20 There is power in the Word of God.
32:22 It's a living and powerful tool in the hands of God
32:26 and so this eyewitness
32:28 at one of William Miller's meeting says
32:30 he just unsheathe the sword,
32:32 placed that on the naked heart and it cut.
32:35 In other words it had a profound effect
32:38 on the hearers.
32:39 I would also like to read from Signs of the Times,
32:42 May 17, 1881, actually 1883, where Ellen White
32:48 uses the metaphor of the sword as well.
32:52 She says, "The worldliness in the church
32:55 which is the great cause of spiritual death,"
32:59 what is the great cause of spiritual death?
33:01 Worldliness.
33:02 "The worldliness in the church
33:04 which is the great cause of spiritual death
33:07 is attributable to the influence of selfish,
33:11 ease-loving members.
33:13 The progress," now listen she compares it to disease.
33:16 She says, "The progress of this
33:18 deadly malady must be checked.
33:22 The surgeon's knife cuts deep when it is necessary
33:27 to remove festering, pestilent matter."
33:30 And then she says this, "So the Word of God,
33:35 sharper than any two-edged sword,
33:37 must be made to cut to the heart
33:40 or the evil will never be removed."
33:46 Now you say what is the relationship
33:48 between the eyes and the sword
33:51 that cuts and removes?
33:55 I'd like to compare it with medical practice today.
34:02 Let me ask you, if you go to a doctor's office
34:05 and you have a pain in your side
34:07 the doctor says, oh, come in to my office,
34:10 I'll cut you open and see what you've got.
34:15 Is that the way it works? Absolutely not.
34:18 What has to take place first?
34:20 The medical doctor, the surgeon has to do
34:23 sonograms, X-rays, Cat scans.
34:30 He has to do tests which can what?
34:33 Detect the disease.
34:36 See, first of all you have to be
34:38 able to discern the disease to see the disease.
34:41 Does Jesus see the disease of the church
34:43 as He walks in the midst of the church?
34:45 Oh, yes, He does. He has eyes of fire.
34:49 He keeps the light of the church burning
34:50 but He sees the maladies and the illness
34:53 and the cancer that exists in the church.
34:57 But it's not enough for Jesus to detect it.
34:59 He says, I know your works.
35:01 But then Jesus says, okay, I detected it,
35:05 we've put it under the microscope,
35:07 we've done the Cat scan,
35:09 and I hate to tell you that you've got cancer
35:11 but there's good news, we can cut it out.
35:16 And so what you say to the surgeon is,
35:18 will it hurt?
35:23 And the surgeon says, well, after you come
35:25 out of the surgery, yes, there will be pain.
35:27 Oh, no, if it's gonna be painful,
35:29 I don't want anything to do with it.
35:32 And so the surgeon says, listen, let me put it this way.
35:35 You can have a little pain now or a lot of pain later.
35:39 Which of the two do you want?
35:42 In other words, if I don't perform the surgery
35:45 this cancer is gonna kill you.
35:47 I've seen it, you have it
35:50 and it has to be cut out or else it's gonna kill you.
35:54 Are you willing to have the surgery?
35:56 What would you say? I would say, yes.
36:00 Because it's better to have a little pain now,
36:03 then to be killed by what you have.
36:07 Now, let me just share this with you
36:12 so that we understand what we're talking about.
36:17 A person comes to scripture, let's say this person's
36:20 a very greedy person, doesn't ties,
36:26 he's constantly thinking about money,
36:30 that's the obsession of the life.
36:33 And the person one day says,
36:34 you know I haven't read the Bible for a longtime
36:36 so I'm just gonna open my Bible and I'm going to,
36:40 I'm just gonna turn to a passage
36:42 and you know, read the Bible for a change.
36:47 So person opens the Bible
36:49 and lo and behold goes to that passage that says,
36:52 "lay up not treasures on earth."
37:00 What do you suppose is happening?
37:03 That person went to the Bible and read the Bible
37:08 but now what is the Bible doing?
37:11 The Bible is reading him.
37:15 Because the Bible is saying what?
37:18 Hey, that's you.
37:22 Or let's suppose an individual has problems with immorality,
37:27 with fornication, or with adultery
37:30 and opens the Bible, says I've got to read the Bible,
37:32 I've gotten away from studying the Word of God.
37:35 So he goes and he, to Matthew Chapter 5,
37:38 where Jesus said, you have heard in ancient times,
37:40 you shall not commit adultery
37:41 but whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her
37:44 has already committed adultery in his heart.
37:47 See, the person started reading scripture
37:50 and then what is scripture doing?
37:52 Scripture's reading him.
37:55 Scripture is saying, hey, that's your disease.
37:59 Scripture, in other words, is detecting the disease
38:03 and then through the Holy Spirit
38:05 God says, I'm willing to cut out
38:08 that disease if you'll allow it.
38:11 Now that we've detected it,
38:12 if you allow me I'll cut out the disease.
38:17 You know, we need to come to the Bible with sincerity.
38:22 We need to come to the Bible and say, speak Lord,
38:26 for your servant heareth.
38:27 Because the Bible says, that the heart is deceitful
38:30 above all things and desperately wicked.
38:34 Who can know it?
38:36 You know people can, they,
38:38 people can prove anything from the Bible, they say.
38:40 If you come to the Bible to justify
38:42 what you're doing, to justify sin,
38:44 you're gonna be able to find text in the Bible
38:47 that will justify what you're doing.
38:49 But if we are really sincere, about God showing us
38:53 our true condition and detecting exactly
38:56 who you're and what we're,
38:58 we must come to scripture with prayer,
39:01 with a sincere heart and say, Lord,
39:04 show me where I'm wrong, show me my sin
39:07 and I'm willing through Your power
39:10 not only to accept the fact that I have that disease
39:14 but I'm willing to allow you to perform the surgery.
39:21 The psalmist in Psalm 139:23, 24,
39:29 in the passage that probably
39:30 we're all very well acquainted with said this,
39:35 "Search me, O God, and know my heart."
39:42 Why do we have to ask God to know our heart?
39:45 Because our heart is wicked. We are rationalizers.
39:50 We always see ourselves better than we are
39:54 and so we need a faithful detector of sin
39:58 that can tell us the truth, though the heavens fall.
40:02 And so he says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart.
40:07 Try me and know my anxieties
40:11 and see" notice the eyes once again,
40:14 "see if there is any wicked way
40:19 and in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
40:24 In Revelation Chapter 1,
40:25 does Jesus see the sins of the church?
40:29 Does Jesus see the malady and the illness of the church?
40:32 He most certainly does
40:33 and a sword comes out of His mouth,
40:35 He says, I counsel you now in the light of what I've seen
40:39 and then the light of what I've shown you,
40:40 now I counsel you to accept the surgery.
40:45 "I counsel you to buy for me
40:48 gold tried in the fire, white raiment,"
40:51 I saith to each segment of the church,
40:54 Jesus gives counsel based on the exact picture
40:59 and truthful picture that He presents of the church
41:02 at that particular period of time.
41:05 So what is Jesus doing?
41:07 Well, He's making sure
41:09 that the light of the church never goes out.
41:12 He's making sure that the Holy Spirit
41:14 is ever-present in the church.
41:16 But Jesus also, through His eyes of fire,
41:19 is detecting the sin
41:20 not only in the church as a corporate entity
41:23 but each individual in the church
41:25 because the church is composed of individuals and then Jesus,
41:30 as He detects the sin, He says, I've seen it,
41:34 now I counsel you to do this about it.
41:37 And so now you have the sword coming into play
41:39 and Jesus is willing to cut out the sin
41:42 with the sword with His word.
41:46 I want to read a couple of texts
41:48 which I'm sure you're acquainted with.
41:50 Hebrews 4:12,13 and I want you to notice here
41:56 how the two symbols are placed together,
41:58 the eyes and the sword.
42:01 In this, in these two verses we have both of those symbols
42:05 concerning Jesus together.
42:08 Notice, and this is a very well known passage.
42:12 "For the word of God is living,
42:17 and powerful, and sharper than," what?
42:21 "And sharper than any two edged sword."
42:24 And what does that sword do?
42:26 Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
42:32 and of joints and marrow."
42:35 Does the sword penetrate deeply?
42:40 Yes, and you know I believe that the two edges
42:43 represent the Old and the New Testament.
42:46 You have these two sums in the scripture,
42:47 two witnesses, two lampstands
42:50 in Revelation Chapter 11,
42:52 and you have the two-edged sword.
42:54 See, the Word of God is composed of
42:56 both the Old and the New Testament
42:58 and it sharp according to this but now notice
43:01 it turns from the sword to something else.
43:04 He continues saying,
43:07 once again begin in at the start of the verse,
43:09 "For the word of God is living, and powerful,
43:11 and sharper than any two edged sword,
43:13 piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
43:16 of the joints and marrow, and is a," what?
43:22 What does I have to do with?
43:23 Your eyes "and is the Discerner
43:26 of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
43:30 Does that detects in?
43:32 Oh, yes, it does even the motives
43:34 and the intentions?
43:35 Can you do good things with a bad motivation?
43:38 Can you do things that apparently
43:40 turn out bad with a good motivation?
43:43 Yes, you can.
43:44 Absolutely, I've done things
43:46 with a good motivation and things
43:47 just come out the wrong way.
43:50 But God writes down in His record the motivation.
43:54 Now notice what it continues saying in verse 13.
43:57 "And there is no creature hidden form His," what?
44:01 Now we see that the Word of God
44:04 is actually a person.
44:07 Because you have the personal pronoun, it says,
44:09 and there is no creature hidden from what?
44:12 Not from its sight but from His sight.
44:16 "But all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him
44:21 to whom we must give an account."
44:24 Do you see the two symbols in those verses?
44:26 The eyes to detect and the sword of a spirit
44:30 to penetrate into the depths of our minds
44:34 and our hearts to cut out sin.
44:38 But do you one of the problems that we have?
44:41 Instead of being in the word, we're into the television.
44:47 Do you know what television does?
44:49 I'm not talking about 3ABN.
44:54 Talking about most of the programming,
44:56 that secular programming that's out there.
44:58 Do you know what it does?
45:00 It strengthens and confirms sin.
45:06 Because as you watch this you're saying,
45:07 oh, that's all right, that's okay, that's okay
45:10 and the heart is deceived into thinking that it's okay.
45:14 But when we are in the word we see our true condition.
45:18 Because Jesus-- the Word of God has eyes,
45:21 if you please, it detects the sin,
45:23 it shows us exactly where we are
45:25 and therefore the more we study the word,
45:27 the more we'll see ourselves as we are
45:30 and the more we will want Jesus
45:33 to cut out the sin from our lives.
45:39 Now I would like to go to the end of the Book of Revelation.
45:44 And there's a very specific purpose why
45:46 I want to go to the end of the book.
45:49 Do you know that at the end of Revelation
45:50 we make those two symbols again,
45:54 the eyes and the sword?
45:57 But listen up, in Revelation Chapter 1,
46:00 the eyes and the sword are remedial
46:04 at the end of Revelation
46:05 the eyes and the sword are retributive.
46:09 Do you understand those words, remedial, remedy?
46:13 No, there's a purpose of the eyes and sword
46:15 in Revelation Chapter 1
46:16 is to detect the cancer and to cut it out.
46:20 But at the end of the Book of Revelation,
46:22 once probation is closed
46:24 the eyes and the sword have a different function.
46:28 Go with me to Revelation Chapter 19.
46:31 Revelation 19:11.
46:34 And then we'll read verse 14 and also verse 16.
46:38 Revelation 19:11 says,
46:42 "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse,
46:46 and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True,
46:49 and in righteousness he judges and makes war."
46:51 What event is being described here?
46:54 The second coming of Christ.
46:56 Verse 14, He doesn't come alone.
46:58 It says something, "Armies in heaven
47:00 clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
47:02 followed Him on white horses."
47:04 And then in verse 16 we have His name it says,
47:06 "And he has on his robe
47:08 and on his thigh a name written,
47:10 King Of Kings, and Lord of Lords."
47:17 Can anybody be saved at this point
47:20 that is not being saved previously?
47:22 Absolutely not. Now notice Revelation 19:12.
47:30 "His eyes were like a flame of fire."
47:33 Did we see that symbol before in chapter 1?
47:37 Yes, "His eyes were like a flame of fire,
47:40 and on his head were many crowns,
47:42 he had a name written,
47:43 that no one knew, except himself."
47:45 Let me ask you, what are the wicked going to do
47:47 when they see those eyes?
47:50 When they see that face and they see those eyes?
47:54 What are they gonna do?
47:55 Go back with me to Revelation 6:14-17,
47:59 see we can either choose to have the eyes
48:02 detect the sin now and the word cut it out
48:07 or we can wait until it's too late.
48:10 And by the way we don't have to wait until Jesus comes.
48:13 If we should die, that's it.
48:16 There's a lot of people
48:17 who talk about the close to probation.
48:18 Yes, the close to probation for the world
48:21 but folks, if we should die that's our close to probation.
48:27 It's a sobering thought, isn't it?
48:29 That probation can close
48:31 before the close to probation for the world.
48:34 Notice Revelation 6:14, "And the kings of the earth,
48:38 the great men, the rich men, the commanders,
48:40 the mighty men, every slave and every free man,
48:42 hid themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains
48:45 and said to the mountains and rocks,
48:48 fall on us" and what?
48:50 Whoa, they can't stand those eyes of fire.
48:52 "Those eyes burn highness from the face of Him,
48:56 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb
48:59 for the great day of his wrath has come
49:01 and who is able to stand?"
49:03 Let me ask you, are these eyes
49:05 remedial at this point?
49:07 No, they are retributive.
49:12 They no longer can detect sin
49:14 with the intention of cutting it out.
49:17 I want you to notice that the sword
49:19 also comes into view at the end of the book.
49:22 Go with me to Revelation 19:15.
49:25 Revelation 19:15.
49:28 Speaking still in the context of the coming of Christ.
49:31 It says there,
49:33 "Now out of his mouth goes a," what?
49:38 "A sharp sword."
49:42 Is it a saving sword at this point?
49:45 Is it a sword that saves from sin
49:47 and makes it like Jesus
49:48 and cuts out sin from the heart?
49:51 Absolutely not.
49:52 Because it continues saying, now out of His mouth
49:55 goes a sharp sword that with it he should scrape the nations:
49:59 and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron,
50:02 he himself treads the wine press of the fierceness
50:05 and wrath of Almighty God."
50:09 Do you see the relationship between the eyes and the sword
50:11 of the beginning of the book and the end of the book?
50:15 Jesus says today to His church,
50:17 I want you to radiate My light.
50:20 I'm there to give you the Holy Spirit
50:23 so that you shine for Me.
50:25 I'm walking in the midst of the Laodicean church.
50:30 Through the word, the eyes,
50:32 I'll show you what needs changing,
50:34 I'll show you the remedy, for your illness
50:38 and even though it might hurt
50:40 I'm willing to take your sin and I'm willing to cut it out.
50:45 If we don't allow that to happen now
50:48 later we will have to face those eyes
50:51 and we will have to face the sword.
50:55 Go with me to Matthew 21:44,
50:59 Jesus taught a very important point here.
51:02 Matthew 21:44,
51:05 this is after Jesus has told the parable
51:08 of the workers in the vineyard, you know,
51:12 He sent out His servants to get the fruit in that season
51:16 and they treated spitefully, the servant,
51:20 so He's sent more servants,
51:22 at the end He sends His son and they reject the son.
51:26 They say this is the air
51:27 and they cast him out of the vineyard.
51:30 And then Jesus gives the lesson that He wants to teach.
51:33 Notice, "And whoever falls on this stone,"
51:38 who is the stone?
51:40 Jesus.
51:41 He says, whoever falls on the stone will be what?
51:46 "Broken." Is that salvific?
51:50 In other words is that remedial falling up on the stone?
51:54 It most certainly is.
51:55 But what happens if we don't fall on the stone?
51:58 Listen, "Whoever falls on this stone will be broken
52:02 but on whomever it" what?
52:05 "It falls, it will grind him to powder."
52:08 Do you remember Daniel Chapter 2?
52:10 Yes.
52:11 The stone that was cut all the mountain
52:14 and hit the image on the feet and we usually think of that
52:16 in terms of empires but you know what
52:19 within those empires are individuals.
52:25 Jesus is applying, I believe Daniel 2 to individuals.
52:30 He saying fall on the stone, fall on Me, be broken.
52:35 Have your heart, your selfish heart broken
52:38 because if you don't that very stone
52:41 will be a crushing stone.
52:45 Go with me to Matthew 3:11, 12.
52:48 Matthew 3:11, 12.
52:50 Here John the Baptist is preaching
52:52 and I want you to notice that John the Baptist
52:54 speaks of fire in two different contexts.
52:57 Fire in two different contexts.
52:59 Oh, I love that to hear the pages of the Bible turning,
53:02 that's His music, it's like a symphony to my ears.
53:06 You know people accuse me of not using audio visual aids
53:11 and I say I believe in audio visuals.
53:13 Audio, because they can hear me and visual
53:15 because they can read it in the Bible.
53:19 Matthew 3:11, 12, John the Baptist says,
53:23 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.
53:25 But he who is coming after me is mightier than I,
53:29 whose sandals I am not worthy to carry,
53:32 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit," and what?
53:36 "And fire."
53:38 Is this fire remedial or is it retributive?
53:42 It's remedial.
53:44 What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit
53:47 as it's presented as fire, it is to consume what?
53:51 To consume sin in the heart through the Word of God
53:54 because the sword of the spirit is the Word of God.
53:59 But now listen, what happens if we do not allow
54:03 the fire of the Holy Spirit through His sword, the word
54:07 to consume sin in our life?
54:10 There's another fire coming and John the Baptist speaks
54:12 about that as well in verse 12.
54:14 He says, "His winnowing fan is in his hand,
54:18 and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor."
54:22 Notice the idea of cleaning the threshing floor.
54:25 "And gather his wheat into the barn,
54:30 but he will burn up the chaff with," what?
54:34 "With unquenchable fire."
54:38 So we can face the fire now in the remedial sense.
54:41 But as the Holy Spirit working through the word
54:44 or we will have to face the fire
54:46 that consumes when Jesus comes.
54:50 I'd like to read a closing statement
54:52 from the writings of Ellen White,
54:54 where she's speaking about the two functions of the fire.
54:57 Desire of Ages page 107.
55:00 Desire of Ages page 107, she says this,
55:04 these are profound words, "To sin, wherever found,
55:12 'our God is a consuming fire.'
55:16 " What is God to sin? A consuming fire.
55:20 In other words, God is to sin as antiseptic is to germs.
55:28 If you please, they cannot live together.
55:32 To sin wherever found, our God is a consuming fire.
55:35 Now listen carefully, "In all who submit to His power
55:40 the Spirit of God will consume sin."
55:46 Listen to the other side of the coin,
55:48 "But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it.
55:54 Then the glory of God, which destroys sin,
55:58 must destroy them."
56:04 So what do we need to do here at 3ABN camp meeting?
56:08 We need to pray to the Lord,
56:09 that the Lord will show us our sin.
56:13 Its painful, we don't like
56:14 people to tell us what's wrong with us.
56:18 But if we don't, it'll kill us.
56:22 We need to pray that the Lord will show us
56:25 what we are and who we are
56:27 without and barely seeing anything,
56:29 just tell us the truth as it is.
56:32 And the only way that can happen folks is
56:35 if we are into the Word of God
56:37 and then we have to be willing to say
56:39 Jesus You've shown me the way I am,
56:42 now through Your word, the two-edge-sword sharp
56:47 go in and cut it out, even if its painful, cut it out
56:53 because I don't want it to kill me.
56:57 I want to be saved in Your kingdom.
57:00 Would you like me to pray that will be the reality
57:03 in each one of our lives today?
57:06 I invite you to bow your heads with me as we pray.
57:09 Our father in heaven,
57:10 we thank You for Your holy word.
57:14 Your holy word that is in the surgeons hand.


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Revised 2014-12-17