Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME240427S
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00:14 >> Well, hello, everyone and 00:16 welcome to Pioneer Church, 00:18 family, our worship this 00:19 Sabbath. 00:20 Down farther south, they say 00:22 "feliz sábado." 00:23 Right? 00:25 And farther east, they say 00:27 "shalom l'chaim." 00:29 That's over in the Middle East. 00:30 But anyhow, we say 00:32 happy Sabbath and welcome. 00:34 We're so glad you're here. 00:36 And if you join us on the media, 00:38 we really are pleased 00:40 to welcome you that way. 00:42 Anyhow, if you have not been 00:44 greeted, I'll tell you what. 00:46 Look and smile and wink 00:48 at somebody near you, 00:49 and you can greet them. 00:51 Again, we're so glad you're 00:53 here. 00:54 Would you look on the screen 00:56 or in the back of your bulletin 00:58 for our call to worship? 01:01 And we're going to do that as we 01:03 transition now into worship. 01:05 And if you would be good, 01:06 please stand with me. 01:52 And shall we pray? 01:54 Father, we bow our hearts 01:56 and our heads in your presence, 01:59 and we pray that all that 02:01 we do here would be 02:03 a praising of your goodness, 02:05 your greatness, your Godliness. 02:09 Thank you. 02:10 So, be here with us, 02:13 and may we know by what we sense 02:16 that You are here with us. 02:18 We pray in Jesus' name. 02:21 Amen. 02:22 >> Amen. 02:27 [ "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is 02:29 Mine" begins ] 02:32 >> Remain standing as we sing 02:34 "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is 02:36 Mine," hymn number 462. 05:46 >> One more time. 06:21 >> Amen. 06:22 >> Amen. 06:28 >> I stand here today 06:30 as an example that God 06:31 is good and God is faithful. 06:35 I stand here behind -- in front 06:37 of some amazing 06:39 and talented young people 06:42 that have grouped themselves 06:43 into the Deliverance Mass Choir. 06:46 We have one song for you. 06:48 It's a twist on the age-old tune 06:52 "Great is Thy Faithfulness." 06:53 Hope you're blessed. 07:22 [ "Great is Thy Faithfulness" 07:24 begins ] 07:27 ♪ 07:39 >> ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 07:46 ♪ Lord, unto me 07:55 ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 08:04 ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 08:09 ♪ Morning by morning 08:13 ♪ By morning, by morning 08:17 ♪ By morning, by morning 08:21 ♪ New mercies I see 08:23 >> ♪ See 08:24 >> ♪ See 08:30 >> ♪ All I have needed 08:37 ♪ Thy hand hath provide 08:43 ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 08:50 ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 08:58 ♪ Great is Thy faithfulness 09:06 ♪ Oh, Lord 09:10 ♪ Unto 09:18 >> ♪ Me... 09:28 >> ♪ Me-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee 09:34 >> ♪ ...ee... 09:39 >> ♪ Me-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee 09:45 >> ♪ ...ee... 09:52 >> ♪ Me-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee, too 10:01 ♪ Me 10:08 [ Applause ] 10:21 >> So I have made special 10:23 arrangements today 10:25 for the person next to you 10:26 to give you a dollar 10:28 for every minute that I go past 10:29 1:00 PM. 10:31 [ Laughter ] 10:35 How long do you want me to go? 10:41 Well, I'm going to go. 10:43 I came here for many things, 10:44 including to preach. 10:45 So here we go. 10:47 Welcome to the fourth 10:48 and final installment 10:49 of our series entitled 10:50 "Why We Are Here." 10:53 We have been on a quest. 10:54 We have been hunting to discover 10:56 the unique mission of the 10:58 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 10:59 Let me briefly tell you 11:00 where we have been. 11:02 We have said that the mission of 11:03 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 11:04 includes the Great Commission 11:06 of Matthew 28:18-20, 11:08 making disciples of Jesus 11:09 who make disciples of Jesus. 11:10 Absolutely. 11:11 That is core to who we are. 11:12 We've also said that we take 11:13 the Great Commission and we take 11:14 it one final step further. 11:16 That's the Three Angels' 11:18 Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. 11:21 We went through those three 11:22 angels. 11:23 We summed up those messages 11:24 with these words. 11:47 Now, with that in mind, 11:48 we've got the Great Commission, 11:50 we've got the 11:51 Three Angels' Messages, 11:52 and there is one third 11:54 and final factor 11:56 that we need to understand 11:57 if we are going to understand 11:59 the unique mission of the 12:00 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:02 Now, to understand 12:04 what this third factor is -- 12:06 because this is what we're going 12:06 to be discussing here today -- 12:08 to understand what 12:09 that third missing factor is, 12:10 we need to ask and answer 12:12 a simple but key question. 12:13 Here it is. 12:15 If you were the devil... 12:19 and I trust that you're not, 12:21 but if you were the devil 12:23 and you knew 12:25 that the Three Angels' Messages 12:26 were God's last messages 12:28 to a dying world, what would you 12:29 spend your time doing? 12:34 It's pretty straightforward, 12:35 isn't it? 12:36 I mean, if you have any history 12:37 with the devil and temptation, 12:38 et cetera, I mean, 12:39 the answer is crystal clear. 12:40 You would spend your time 12:41 distracting and deceiving, 12:45 distracting and deceiving. 12:46 In other words, you would first 12:48 try to distract people 12:49 from ever hearing those messages 12:51 in the first place, right? 12:52 And secondly, 12:54 if they did hear those messages, 12:56 you would try to deceive people 12:58 as to what they actually meant. 13:01 Now, this is 13:02 standard operating procedure. 13:03 You know, Ellen White had this 13:04 to say, "Great Controversy," 13:05 page 186. 13:06 Speaking of 13:07 the Protestant Reformation, 13:08 when Martin Luther's work 13:09 was really hitting its stride. 13:11 She said, 13:11 "But Satan was not idle. 13:13 He now attempted what he has 13:15 attempted in every other 13:17 reformatory movement -- to 13:18 deceive and destroy the people 13:20 by palming off upon them 13:22 a counterfeit" -- key word 13:24 there -- "a counterfeit in place 13:26 of the true work." 13:29 So notice carefully the devil 13:30 is not content to simply stand 13:32 up and say, "God is wrong." 13:35 The devil wants to counterfeit 13:36 God's work. 13:38 He wants to speak that 13:40 which is false and promote 13:42 that which is false 13:43 while having it look like it 13:45 is true. 13:47 All the better to get 13:49 more people to buy into it. 13:54 And given that reality, 13:57 the fact of the matter is that 13:59 the Three Angels' Messages 14:00 have more punch and power today 14:03 than ever, because we live 14:05 in a different time than when 14:06 those words were first written. 14:07 It's 2,000 years later. 14:08 October 22nd, 1844, is now come. 14:11 We indeed live in the last days, 14:13 and the devil has ratcheted up 14:15 the level of distraction 14:16 and deception these days 14:18 that it can be overwhelming 14:20 for the average person. 14:21 Unless... 14:25 Unless someone reveals 14:28 the deceptions. 14:30 And the someone reveals 14:32 the distraction, 14:33 shows them for what they are, 14:34 that people might see 14:36 that which is true. 14:37 If we can do that, 14:38 if we can reveal the 14:39 deception and the distraction, 14:41 then perhaps my friends 14:42 and yours and everybody else 14:43 on the planet that needs to hear 14:44 will be able to hear 14:46 and potentially understand God's 14:47 last messages to them. 14:48 So.... 14:52 Given that that's our ministry 14:53 context, I wonder what it might 14:55 look like. 14:56 What might it look like 14:58 as we go out to share Jesus 15:01 and the Three Angels' Messages 15:02 with other people? 15:03 Well, maybe we could think of it 15:04 like this. 15:08 Any dart players in the room? 15:09 Okay. 15:10 I know you don't do this 15:11 at a pub or a tavern 15:12 or anything like that. 15:13 I'm sure it's in a nice, 15:14 quiet pastel environment. 15:16 Something like that, okay. 15:17 Darts. I'm not 15:18 a great dart player, right? 15:19 But the object, ideally, is to 15:21 hit what on the dart board? 15:22 The bull's-eye. 15:23 Right. That little red dot 15:25 right there in the middle. 15:25 And it looks -- I mean, to me 15:27 right now, it looks fairly big. 15:28 I could probably hit that one. 15:29 But in a real dart board, 15:30 you're 10, 15 feet back. 15:31 It's hard to hit, right? 15:33 Now, I want you to imagine 15:35 something, that you are forced 15:36 to play a game of darts, okay? 15:39 You can't not play. 15:40 You have to play. 15:41 And the penalty for missing 15:43 the bull's-eye is death. 15:44 [ Congregation murmurs ] 15:46 Yeah, right? 15:48 Moreover, the devil, in this 15:50 imaginary dart game here, 15:52 is actively standing 15:54 between you and the dart board, 15:56 and every time you throw a dart, 15:57 even if it's aiming right 15:59 at the bull's-eye, 16:00 the devil is standing there... 16:03 diverting your dart. 16:05 And here's the thing. 16:07 That bull's-eye is fairly small. 16:08 You don't have to divert it 16:10 very much in order for it 16:11 to miss the bull's-eye. 16:14 Still want to play? 16:17 Well, again, imagine that we 16:19 have no choice, that everyone 16:20 on the planet has to play. 16:24 Here's what that game 16:25 might look like. 16:27 And again, I'm going to say this 16:28 for the last time, 16:29 at least for this series, 16:30 this caveat -- I'm going to cut 16:31 some corners this morning. 16:32 We're going to drink 16:33 from a fire hydrant here 16:34 in the next few minutes. 16:35 And if you're a guest 16:36 with us today, we are so glad 16:37 that you are here. 16:38 If I say something, you're like, 16:39 you're scratching your -- 16:39 "How in the world did he come up 16:40 with that?" 16:41 Come and see me afterwards. 16:42 I'd love to have a chance 16:42 to talk with you about these 16:44 very important things. 16:46 That said, ready, set, go. 16:50 So, a first deception that 16:52 the devil might use to keep us 16:53 from hitting the bull's-eye 16:54 is a false creation story. 16:56 And this has to do with 16:57 evolution here. 16:57 Darwinian evolution, 16:59 survival of the fittest, 17:00 you know, random mutations 17:01 over long periods of time, 17:02 et cetera. 17:03 This false creation story, 17:05 it's very interesting. 17:06 In July of 1844. 17:08 What year did I say? 17:10 In July of 1844, 17:12 Charles Darwin had turned 17:14 his original research on what 17:16 would become evolutionary theory 17:17 into a 230-page essay. 17:20 That's what he called it, 17:21 230 page essay, 17:22 to be expanded later with 17:24 research results and published 17:25 if he died prematurely. 17:27 In other words, this was 17:28 the first draft of 17:29 "The Origin of Species," 17:32 and it came out in 1844. 17:34 Isn't it interesting? It appears 17:35 the devil reads his Bible, too. 17:38 Because in the same year that 17:41 a message comes to the forefront 17:42 trumpeting that God 17:44 is the creator of all things -- 17:45 you remember the First 17:45 Angel's Message, right? 17:46 You know, worship Him who 17:48 made -- right? -- the Creator. 17:49 In that same year, 17:50 another message takes root 17:52 that would eventually trumpet 17:53 that God is not the creator 17:54 of all things. 17:58 Now, interestingly enough, 17:59 a majority of Americans 18:01 do not believe in the -- 18:02 in Darwinian evolution. 18:04 A majority of academics do, 18:06 surveys tell us, but a majority 18:07 of Americans, they do not. 18:08 So you say, "Well, 18:09 why do you bring this up as 18:10 one of the deceptions of Satan?" 18:11 Well, social 18:13 Darwinism is alive and well. 18:16 People have debated, 18:18 well, does social Darwinism 18:19 actually come from, 18:20 you know, biological Darwinism? 18:21 Can you make that connection? 18:22 Whether it comes from there 18:24 or not, this idea, the idea 18:26 that, if I am stronger 18:27 than you, faster than you, 18:29 wealthier than you, et cetera, 18:30 then I can step on you 18:31 and crush you to advance 18:32 my cause. 18:34 Well, that idea is alive 18:36 and well in the world today. 18:37 Is that true? 18:38 Yes, it is, and it's not 18:39 just in capitalist America. 18:41 No, no, it's all over the world. 18:42 This is human nature writ large. 18:44 It's a powerful deception, 18:45 and the devil 18:46 is just getting started. 18:48 Secondly, 18:50 a false representation of Satan. 18:52 "Sin is good and does not exist. 18:56 Sin is good and does not exist." 18:58 Now, here the devil is trying 19:00 to burnish his reputation. 19:01 Right? This is classic 19:02 bad old sinful stuff. 19:04 It's been this way 19:04 for thousands of years, 19:06 but it kicks into high gear 19:07 at the end of time. 19:08 The first part there -- sin 19:10 is good. 19:11 Isn't this classic stuff all the 19:12 way? 19:13 You know, Eve in the Garden 19:14 of Eden, the devil said, 19:15 you know, "You'll be better off 19:17 if you eat this apple," right? 19:18 Whatever the fruit was, 19:19 you know, "If you eat this 19:20 fruit, you'll be better." 19:22 And to this day, 19:22 the devil is still painting sin 19:25 in these golden hues that just 19:26 make us want to do it, right? 19:28 "Sin is good." 19:30 And then comes the second part. 19:32 "And does not exist." 19:34 You know, the story is told of 19:36 a theology student that asked 19:38 his professor once, he said, 19:39 professor, can you think 19:41 of a compliment for the devil? 19:44 And the professor thought 19:45 for a moment and said, 19:46 "Well, he's a hard worker." 19:49 [ Laughter ] 19:51 And I would add to that, 19:52 unfortunately, sometimes 19:54 he's genius because, frankly, 19:56 "Sin is good. 19:58 And by the way, 19:59 there is no such thing. 20:00 Sin doesn't exist." 20:03 You know, these days, 20:04 popular culture very much 20:06 exemplifies this, right? 20:08 And postmodern philosophy -- 20:09 This is not going to be 20:10 a discourse on philosophy. 20:10 I'll just 20:11 very briefly say postmodernism. 20:12 I know that people 20:13 have said postmodernism is dead. 20:14 It got post-postmodernism and 20:15 then post-post-postmodernism, 20:16 et cetera. 20:17 The idea is simply this, that 20:19 truth is relative to the 20:20 observer. 20:20 You may have your truth 20:21 and I'll have mine. 20:23 And even if they're 180 degrees 20:24 out from one another, that's 20:26 okay because we all "get to 20:27 decide our own truth." 20:30 In other words, postmodern 20:31 thought says -- and this 20:32 is still dominant today -- there 20:34 is no such thing as absolute 20:36 truth. 20:37 And that statement 20:39 is absolutely true. 20:43 I'll let you chew on that 20:44 over potluck. 20:44 You just talk about that 20:45 amongst yourselves, okay? 20:47 So, in other words, 20:47 it's inherently 20:48 self-contradictory. 20:49 It cannot stand, it always, 20:50 sooner or later, 20:51 implodes upon itself, all right? 20:52 And, yet, this still 20:54 is the order of the day, 20:55 particularly in popular culture, 20:56 Western culture, 20:57 around the world. 20:59 You know, these days, there's no 21:00 such thing as sin. 21:02 We just have preferences. 21:04 There's no such thing as sin, 21:05 we just have lifestyle choices. 21:06 People say, 21:07 well, it's not wrong. 21:09 It's just different. 21:11 "Sin is good 21:13 and it doesn't exist." 21:15 It's a powerful deception 21:16 and it kicks into high gear 21:17 at the end of time. 21:19 But again, the devil 21:20 is just getting started. 21:22 A false representation of God -- 21:24 hell and eternal torment. 21:26 So the devil's got our 21:27 beginnings with evolution here. 21:28 He has his own reputation. 21:30 And then, he attacks 21:31 God's reputation. 21:32 A false representation of God -- 21:33 hell and eternal torment. 21:35 Now, my guess is that many 21:37 of you know this idea 21:38 of an eternally burning hell. 21:40 Let me just briefly explain it 21:41 if you're not familiar with it. 21:42 The idea is simply this. 21:43 If you are an unrepentant 21:45 sinner that does not choose 21:46 Jesus, when you die, 21:48 you will go straight to a place 21:50 called hell. 21:51 In this rubric, 21:53 it is an actual place, 21:55 and the flames are real, 21:56 and you will burn forever 21:58 and ever and ever. 22:00 And it's like being burnt alive, 22:01 except that you never die. 22:02 So all the pain 22:03 and the discomfort 22:05 that you might imagine in that 22:06 environment is all there. 22:09 Now, here's the thing. 22:12 We can spend a lot of time 22:14 talking about how this 22:16 is not supported by the Bible. 22:18 I'm just going to give you two 22:18 quick texts here to look at. 22:20 Ezekiel 18:20. 22:22 "The soul that sins, 22:24 it shall" what? 22:25 >> Die. 22:26 >> Die. Okay. 22:26 That's very important. 22:27 "The soul that sins, 22:28 it shall die." 22:28 Romans 6:23. 22:30 "For the wages of sin is" what? 22:31 >> Death. 22:32 >> Death. Okay. 22:33 So death there again. 22:34 "But the gift of God 22:35 is eternal life." 22:37 What kind of life? 22:38 Eternal life 22:39 "through Jesus Christ our Lord." 22:41 Who alone gets to live forever? 22:45 The righteous. Exactly. 22:46 The righteous do. 22:46 Only those 22:47 that have chosen Jesus. 22:48 They're the only ones 22:49 that get to live forever. 22:50 Therefore, you cannot live 22:51 forever in the flames. 22:54 Sinners don't get 22:54 to live forever. 22:55 Only the righteous get to live 22:56 forever. 22:58 So there is no eternally 22:59 burning hell. 23:00 By the way, 23:01 Seventh-day Adventists, 23:02 we do believe in hellfire. 23:04 We do believe in hell. 23:06 It's the biblical hell, 23:07 and it's a lot more efficient 23:09 than the mythical hell. 23:11 Because it actually 23:11 finishes the job. 23:14 At the end of time, sinners that 23:15 want to hang on to their sin, 23:16 indeed there will be hellfire. 23:18 But when the sin is burnt up, 23:19 the fire goes out. 23:21 They do not live forever 23:22 and ever writhing in the flames. 23:23 Can you imagine? 23:24 Heaven would be hell, 23:25 if you're looking over the wall 23:26 constantly, saying, 23:27 "Oh, look, there's grandma." 23:29 I'm serious. I'm dead se-- 23:31 I mean, heaven would be hellish 23:33 to have that constantly. 23:34 Praise the Lord 23:35 the Bible doesn't say that 23:36 that is the case. 23:37 Now, here's the thing. 23:38 Many an Adventist looks at this 23:40 and they say, "Okay, fine. 23:42 I mean, what's the big deal? 23:43 I grew up in the church. 23:44 I've heard that there's no such 23:46 thing as an everlasting hell 23:47 from the time that I was knee 23:48 high to a haystack. 23:49 What's the big deal?" 23:51 And the big deal is this. 23:54 "Great Controversy," page 536. 23:56 She says... 24:30 This is huge. 24:31 This is a real deal. 24:32 There are millions of people 24:34 that are afraid to even crack 24:35 the Bible open, 24:37 for fear that they will discover 24:39 that this kind of God 24:40 is correct. 24:42 I tell you what, 24:42 it is profoundly sad. 24:44 You know, I've done many series 24:45 of meetings over the years, 24:46 and when we talk 24:47 about this topic, 24:48 this eternally burning hell, 24:50 when we show from Scripture that 24:51 there is no such thing. 24:52 Yes, there is hell, 24:53 but it's much more efficient 24:54 and it doesn't last forever. 24:57 People feel purposeless 24:58 afterwards. 25:01 Because they realize 25:02 that their reason for falling -- 25:04 for following God was simply 25:06 to escape the fires of hell. 25:09 They didn't follow Him 25:10 because they loved Him. 25:11 They followed him because 25:12 they were terrified of Him. 25:14 Now, praise the Lord, 25:15 that's not how we finish 25:16 the series of meetings. 25:16 We don't just say 25:17 good night and go away. 25:18 We talk about Jesus. 25:19 The real Jesus is here. 25:20 He's much better than the one 25:21 that you were thinking about. 25:22 He loves you. He cares for you. 25:23 He's not going to burn you 25:24 forever and ever. 25:24 You know, all of that, 25:26 so it's good. 25:27 There are millions of people 25:28 that the devil has used this 25:30 deception and distraction upon. 25:31 It's very effective. 25:35 And then we come to the first 25:37 two sides of Babylon. 25:39 Notice these right here. 25:41 False way of salvation -- works. 25:43 Earning your way into salvation. 25:45 And the second side of Babylon. 25:46 A false way of knowing God -- 25:48 the law is gone, 25:49 law has been done away with or 25:50 it has been altered in some way. 25:52 Now, we talked about this 25:53 in part three. 25:54 We looked at Ephesians 2:8-9, 25:57 and we saw clearly that we are 25:58 saved by grace, not by works. 26:00 And then we read Ephesians 2:10, 26:01 you recall. 26:03 That shows that we were created 26:05 for, among other reasons, 26:06 to do good works, 26:07 not to be saved, 26:10 but because we have been saved, 26:12 because the great change inside 26:13 of us has begun. 26:15 Now, this is what's known 26:16 as growth in grace 26:17 or righteousness by faith. 26:19 Righteousness by faith 26:20 is the core message 26:21 of the Three Angels. 26:23 It's the core of it. 26:24 And so prominent 26:25 is righteousness by faith, 26:27 this idea of growing in grace, 26:29 so prominently is connected 26:30 with the Three Angels' Messages 26:32 that it actually concludes 26:33 with it. 26:35 Turn in your Bibles, please, 26:36 to Revelation 14:12 26:40 Revelation 14:12, 26:41 page 830 in your red pew Bible. 26:44 Page 830. 26:45 Revelation 14:12. 26:47 This is the only verse 26:49 of the Three Angels' Messages 26:49 that we didn't read. 26:51 We went through, you know, 26:53 verses 6 through 11, 26:54 and we looked in detail 26:55 at many of those things. 26:56 But we left off 26:58 verse 12 because here's 27:00 where it makes its appearance. 27:02 We looked at the First Angel, 27:03 Second Angel, 27:04 "Fallen, fallen is Babylon," 27:05 the Third Angel talking about 27:07 the mark of the beast, 27:08 et cetera. 27:08 Then comes verse 12. 27:11 All of this, the Three Angels' 27:12 Messages, what they imply, 27:12 et cetera. 27:13 "This calls for 27:15 patient endurance 27:16 on the part of the saints 27:18 who obey God's commandments 27:21 and remain faithful to Jesus." 27:23 I'll read it one more time. 27:24 "This calls for patient 27:25 endurance on the part of the 27:26 saints who obey God's 27:27 commandments 27:28 and remain faithful to Jesus." 27:32 Ladies and gentlemen, to me, 27:33 it could not be more clear. 27:34 It's crystal clear. 27:36 God's last day, 27:37 people are explicitly identified 27:39 as those 27:40 who keep His commandments. 27:41 Again, not to be saved, but 27:44 because they have been saved. 27:47 In fact, let me put these up 27:48 that we saw here last week. 27:53 Okay, if you're so inclined, 27:54 would you say 27:55 that phrase with me, please? 27:55 One, two, three. 28:01 Okay? And we finished 28:03 with this conclusion. 28:10 Then the devil really 28:11 kicks things into high gear. 28:14 A sixth deception here. 28:16 Whoop. 28:18 A false revival -- 28:19 unity without the Word of God. 28:22 False revival -- 28:23 unity without the Word of God. 28:27 Now, what do I mean by this? 28:29 Jesus said this. John 8:31-32. 28:32 Said... 28:44 Powerful words 28:45 that Jesus has here. 28:46 One of my favorite texts 28:47 in the Book of John. 28:49 Notice carefully 28:50 what it's saying here. 28:51 True freedom -- 28:53 True freedom can only be found 28:56 in actual truth. 28:58 That is in God's Word, because 29:01 that's what's being referred to. 29:02 "If you hold to my teachings, 29:03 you're really my disciples. 29:04 Then you will know the truth, 29:05 and the truth will set you 29:06 free." 29:07 The teachings of God 29:09 are found in His Word. 29:10 Okay? So true freedom can only 29:12 be found in actual truth, 29:14 that is in God's Word, 29:15 in His teaching. 29:17 Furthermore, 29:18 true Christian -- key word -- 29:20 true Christian unity 29:23 can also only be found 29:25 in the truth of God's Word, 29:28 for it is only in God's Word 29:30 that we find accurately 29:31 what can show us what we are 29:33 to be unified around 29:35 and in what way. 29:38 True unity is therefore 29:40 unswervingly faithful to Christ 29:41 and His Word, the Bible. 29:43 And if unity or revival 29:45 among Christians is attempted 29:47 without this 29:49 full faithfulness to Scripture, 29:52 we should have no part of it. 29:57 You know, these days... 29:59 actually, for a long time, 30:01 but particularly in these days, 30:03 there's something called 30:04 the ecumenical movement, 30:06 which has sought to unite 30:09 all of Christianity 30:10 under one umbrella. 30:13 Now, I'm a fan of unity. 30:14 I think it would be great. 30:15 Today, if you go online 30:16 and you type in "church," 30:18 I mean, you get, you know, 30:18 1,552 different flavors 30:20 that you could choose from 30:21 in any given state, right? 30:23 And go and worship, and each one 30:24 of those fellowships and 30:25 denominations believes something 30:26 a little bit different. 30:28 Wouldn't it be great 30:29 if someone who was seeking 30:30 for God could go online 30:32 and just one church 30:32 would come up, right? 30:34 One Bible-based, 30:35 Christ-centered scripturally 30:37 faithful church? 30:38 That would be awesome, right? 30:41 But the struggle is that so many 30:43 of these pushes for unity 30:46 are not based upon 30:47 the Word of God. 30:49 As we discussed early on 30:51 in my time here, 30:52 unity on its own is neutral. 30:55 Unity is not inherently 30:57 a good thing. 30:59 The Nazi Party had 31:00 a lot of unity, okay? 31:03 But what they did was heinous. 31:05 It was awful. 31:07 So if there's going to be unity 31:09 in the body of Christ, 31:09 it has to be focused 31:11 on the Word of God 31:13 and faithful to the Word of God. 31:14 You know, these days there's 31:15 the World Council of Churches. 31:17 There is certainly, 31:18 our Catholic friends, 31:19 they are also very active 31:20 in the ecumenical movement. 31:21 Most of the popes 31:22 of recent memory have spent 31:24 a great deal of time and energy 31:26 and money and resources 31:27 in seeking to bring 31:29 departed sister churches back. 31:32 Roman Catholic theology 31:33 is very clear. 31:33 They are the true 31:34 Church of Christ. 31:36 And Protestantism, for instance, 31:37 while having some truth in it, 31:39 some elements of truth in it, 31:41 they want to bring them back 31:43 into Roman Catholicism. 31:45 Now, this is not me saying this. 31:46 You can read, you know, any of 31:48 their writings, and this is just 31:50 basic things there. 31:51 The difficulty is, is that 31:52 there are significant deviations 31:54 from the Word of God 31:55 in this push for unity. 31:57 And as such, 31:59 we cannot have a part in it. 32:01 We must treat other 32:03 denominations with respect. 32:04 We must treat them 32:05 as Jesus would if he were 32:06 standing there in our shoes. 32:07 All of that is absolutely true, 32:09 and we cannot have full 32:10 communion fellowship with them. 32:13 Because there are gaps, 32:15 the things that they leave out 32:16 from the Word of God. 32:19 And here's the kicker. 32:21 At the end of time, my Bible 32:23 tells me, there 32:25 will be great unity. 32:29 Great unity. 32:31 Worldwide, religious, political, 32:33 one church umbrella 32:35 all, quote, "working together." 32:37 But it will not be a unity 32:38 based upon the Word of God. 32:41 We are to have no part in it. 32:42 No part. 32:44 But millions of people will. 32:45 Probably billions. 32:48 It's a powerful deception 32:49 and it will keep some people, 32:50 a lot of them, from hitting 32:51 the bull's-eye. 32:54 Now... 32:57 the devil continues. 32:59 False witnesses. 33:01 This one's important. 33:03 Follow me carefully, please. 33:06 1 Timothy 4:1 says this. 33:15 Now, a little Greek lesson here. 33:16 Greek is helpful. 33:17 If you don't know Greek or 33:19 Hebrew at all, that's totally 33:19 fine. 33:20 Most of the time, you can lay 33:21 out a whole bunch 33:21 of English translations, 33:22 and you will know if there are 33:24 differences or vagaries in the 33:25 original languages, et cetera. 33:26 Every now and then, the language 33:28 helps you to see some 33:29 subtleties. 33:29 So I went and I did some 33:30 word studies here in the Greek. 33:32 And here's what this text 33:32 actually says. 33:47 Did you see what I did there? 33:49 In other words, that 33:50 actually is what the text says. 33:53 That's exactly what it says. 33:54 "The Spirit clearly says, 33:55 in later times" -- 33:57 the latter days, the end times, 33:58 the days we live in -- 33:59 "some will abandon the faith." 34:00 At one time, 34:01 they will have been a true part 34:02 of the bride of Christ. 34:04 Like we talked about previously. 34:05 They "will abandon the faith 34:06 and follow deceiving spirits 34:07 and things taught by demons." 34:09 Now, here's why I bring this up. 34:12 You know, we Adventists 34:13 are a little bit odd, 34:14 demographically speaking. 34:16 For instance, we tend -- 34:17 in North American Adventism, 34:18 we tend to make more money 34:19 than the average person does. 34:22 Do you know why that is? 34:26 Where are we sitting right now? 34:29 We're on a university campus, 34:30 aren't we? 34:31 Yeah, we take education 34:32 seriously. 34:33 We have the largest Protestant 34:34 school system in the world, 34:35 right? 34:36 And that tends to lead 34:37 to bigger paychecks later on. 34:37 So, you know, 34:38 small silver lining here 34:39 to all the other abundant 34:41 blessings that come from that. 34:42 But here's the thing 34:44 I have found over the years 34:45 that sometimes, 34:46 when we get smarter, 34:48 we tend to discount 34:49 the supernatural. 34:52 You know, if it's not 34:54 empirically verifiable, 34:55 if we can't, you know, 34:55 subject it to whatever rigors or 34:57 standards, then we kind of try 34:58 to pooh-pooh it. 35:00 So let me be clear. 35:01 I am not suggesting 35:02 that we become obsessed 35:03 with the supernatural here. 35:04 I'm not suggesting that at all. 35:05 If you come and tell me 35:06 the devil 35:07 made me do it, I will say, no, 35:08 it was your responsibility. 35:09 Okay? That's not what 35:10 we're talking about. 35:11 What I am saying is that 35:12 we need to have a balanced 35:14 and healthy understanding 35:15 of what the Bible says. 35:16 And what does the Bible say? 35:18 The Bible says we do not fight 35:19 against flesh and blood, 35:21 but against what? 35:23 Principalities, the rulers 35:24 of the air, the rulers of 35:26 the dark kingdoms out there, 35:27 against spiritual forces. 35:30 No matter how smart we become, 35:32 let us never forget that we have 35:34 a real leader, Jesus Christ, 35:36 that he has actual angels, 35:38 supernatural beings 35:39 that work for Him, 35:41 that the other side 35:41 also has a leader. 35:43 His name is Satan. 35:44 He's a real being and that 35:45 he has helpers, angels, as well. 35:47 We call them demons. 35:48 They are real. 35:49 They are real out there and we 35:50 cannot afford to just imagine 35:52 that they're not present, 35:53 because the devil 35:54 certainly is not. 35:57 Short story. 36:00 Many years ago, a friend of mine 36:02 told me this story. 36:03 I don't remember 36:04 all the details, but I 36:05 do remember the substance of it. 36:06 It was in the evening. 36:09 They had had a family meal there 36:10 in the dining room. 36:11 He apparently drew 36:13 the short end of the stick, 36:14 and he was the one that was 36:15 washing the dishes that evening. 36:17 So you picture him there. 36:17 He's washing dishes there 36:18 at the sink 36:20 when he hears a conversation 36:23 taking place in the living room. 36:26 And the hair on the back 36:27 of his neck stands up 36:29 and he drops 36:29 the dishes in the sink, 36:31 and he rushes out 36:31 to the living room. 36:34 And there he sees his brother 36:35 sitting in a chair 36:36 in the living room. 36:38 And my friend says 36:39 to his brother, 36:41 "Who are you talking to?" 36:45 And his brother pointed 36:46 to the couch. 36:49 And he said, "Well, to mom." 36:54 And the trouble was, 36:56 is that the couch was empty 36:58 and their mother had passed away 36:59 some time earlier. 37:02 She was in the grave. 37:06 And I prayed that the story 37:07 ended differently 37:08 than the part of it that I know. 37:10 But I do know that not long 37:11 after that, my friend's brother 37:13 left the Adventist Church 37:15 because he said, 37:17 "What you all teach about what 37:19 happens after you die is wrong." 37:22 You know, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 37:23 "For the living know that they 37:24 will die, but the dead know"... 37:26 >> Nothing. 37:27 >> Nothing, zero, zip. 37:27 Never again will they have any 37:28 part in anything that happens 37:29 under the sun. 37:30 He said, "I know that that's 37:31 wrong because I saw her, I saw 37:34 mom, I saw her with my own two 37:37 eyes, I heard her with my own 37:38 two ears. It was mom. 37:39 And I know you're wrong." 37:42 And he chose to believe 37:42 his five senses 37:44 rather than the Word of God. 37:49 Ellen White had this to say. 37:50 "Great Controversy," page 560. 37:52 She says, "Many will be 37:53 confronted" -- speaking of 37:54 the last days, the days that we 37:55 live in -- by the spirits"... 38:15 [ Chuckles ] 38:17 You know, it's fascinating. 38:20 The State of the Dead may be one 38:21 of the most important doctrines 38:23 that the Adventist Church 38:24 teaches in these last days. 38:26 This is key stuff here. 38:27 And to me, 38:28 this is one of the lowest blows 38:29 that the devil does 38:31 because we've all lost people. 38:33 Almost all of us have lost 38:34 people that we love, right? 38:35 And if we could snap our fingers 38:37 in a biblically faithful way 38:38 and have them back, we would. 38:40 And then, the devil, 38:41 the scoundrel, shows up 38:45 and plays on our sympathies 38:47 and pretends that he is the one 38:49 that we loved. 38:50 It's a cruel turn, 38:52 ladies and gentlemen. 38:52 It's a cruel turn. 38:53 And, boy, if you don't know the 38:55 truth, it'll get your attention, 38:56 won't it? 38:58 And by the way, 39:00 isn't it interesting? 39:01 Have you heard of the Fox 39:01 sisters? 39:04 In the late 1840s. 39:06 When did I say? Late 1840s, 39:10 they started a massive 39:13 popularization of spiritualism 39:14 in this country. 39:16 1844 seems to be a pivot point, 39:18 doesn't it? Huh? 39:19 Interesting. 39:21 Yeah, I'm going to make a brief 39:22 appeal here, and I realize this 39:24 appeal may not apply to many of 39:25 you, so just sit back and pray 39:27 for just a moment here. 39:28 But somebody listening right 39:29 now, you may need to hear 39:31 what I'm going to say next here. 39:34 Please do not get involved 39:36 with witchcraft, spells, 39:39 seances, Ouija boards, 39:41 et cetera. 39:42 Don't do it. 39:45 In nearly 30 years of ministry, 39:46 there have been too many times 39:47 when I have had to, 39:48 by the grace of God, intervene 39:49 with other godly people 39:51 to try to help people 39:52 be set free from the occult 39:53 and from spiritualism. 39:55 It is not easy sometimes. 39:57 Once you get in, it's hard to 39:58 get out. 39:59 You see, if Jesus 40:01 is on your side, 40:02 the devil is a beaten foe. 40:04 Okay? But if Jesus 40:05 is not on your side, 40:06 the devil wants you 40:07 to serve him. 40:08 That's his first desire. 40:09 He wants to use you, okay? 40:11 He's not going to serve you. 40:12 He wants you to serve him. 40:13 But if you will not serve him, 40:15 the next best thing he wants 40:16 from you is for you to be dead. 40:18 That's just the truth. 40:20 So if you are dabbling 40:21 with the occult, get out. 40:24 If you're listening to music 40:25 that has spiritualistic 40:27 overtones, stop listening. 40:29 If you need 40:30 to talk to a Christian friend 40:31 or a teacher or a pastor, get 40:32 the help you need and get out. 40:33 If you know somebody 40:35 that is dabbling in the occult, 40:36 your secrecy may cost them 40:38 their eternal life. 40:39 Tell someone. Get them the help 40:41 that they need. 40:42 Because if you get into 40:43 spiritualism and you stay there, 40:46 it is unfailingly 40:47 spiritually deadly 40:49 if you stay in it. 40:52 And let's be honest. 40:54 Most of the world is wide open 40:56 to this deception. 40:58 The overwhelming majority 41:00 of the planet, Christian or not, 41:02 believes that, when you die, 41:04 it's not the end. 41:06 You continue on 41:07 in some other form. 41:09 Ladies and gentlemen, 41:10 I think that the devil is going 41:11 to use this to maximum impact. 41:13 If you're on the Washington, DC, 41:14 mall and you're looking 41:15 at the monuments 41:15 and the Apostle Peter 41:16 shows up on the steps, I tell 41:19 you, there's billions of people 41:20 that are going to stop 41:21 everything and listen to 41:23 exactly what "Peter" has to say. 41:28 Devil saves some of his best 41:29 tricks for last. 41:30 Number eight. 41:32 A false second coming. 41:34 A false second coming. 41:35 You say, "What's that about?" 41:36 Well, two things at least. 41:37 Number one, secret Rapture. 41:39 The secret Rapture. 41:40 For those of you who don't know, 41:41 the idea is essentially this -- 41:43 that Jesus will actually 41:44 end up coming to this Earth 41:45 three times. 41:46 That the first time was back 41:48 when he was born, et cetera, 41:49 lived, died, rose again, 41:50 et cetera. 41:50 That the second time 41:51 will be with the secret Rapture, 41:52 the third time will be sometime 41:53 after that. 41:55 The secret Rapture is that there 41:57 will be this secret event that 41:59 will soon become quite known. 42:00 Maybe you remember seeing 42:02 the "Left Behind" series 42:03 popularized in books 42:04 and movies, et cetera, 42:05 where pilots are flying a plane 42:07 and suddenly the plane crashes 42:08 to the ground 42:09 because the bodies of the pilots 42:11 were taken to heaven by Christ 42:13 and just their clothes are left 42:14 and a plane crashes 42:14 into the ground. 42:16 The idea is that if you miss 42:18 this Rapture, the secret 42:21 Rapture, then a few years will 42:23 pass, there'll be persecution, 42:24 Antichrist, et cetera, and then 42:26 you get a second chance. 42:28 You can try again. 42:29 If you missed it this time 42:30 around, you can wait 42:31 for the third one and then 42:33 Jesus can take you back. 42:35 Now, interestingly enough, 42:37 this is part of something 42:38 called dispensationalism. 42:39 And you'll never believe when 42:40 dispensationalism really came 42:41 to the fore. 42:43 It was in the 19th century. 42:45 And you'll never guess when the 42:46 secret Rapture specifically rose 42:48 to marked public consciousness. 42:50 It was in the 1830s, 42:53 within just a few years 42:54 of which year? 42:55 1844. 42:57 I'm telling you, friends, 42:58 the devil reads his Bible. 43:00 He knows what's going on. 43:03 In 2022, 43:05 the the Pew Research Center 43:06 did a study, and they found 43:08 that almost 2 in 5 Americans, 43:10 that's 39%, 39% agree, 43:13 quote, "We are living 43:14 in the end times." 43:16 Let that sink in. 43:18 There's about 340 or so million 43:19 Americans. 43:20 That means that there's more 43:21 than 130 million Americans, 43:23 not just Christians, 43:25 but but Americans in general 43:26 that believe, quote, "We are 43:28 living in the end times." 43:30 This is why, when people tell 43:31 me, "Oh, you know, in Adventism, 43:33 we shouldn't talk about Bible 43:34 prophecy." 43:35 I'm like, "Why not? 43:36 Everybody else is." 43:37 There's 130 million people out 43:38 there. 43:39 Adventism has never been more 43:40 relevant than it is right now. 43:42 Right? 43:44 And a decade earlier than that, 43:45 6 in 10 evangelical 43:47 leaders said they believe 43:48 in the secret Rapture. 43:50 Now there's a survey that was 43:51 done at the Lucerne Congress. 43:52 It's a large 43:53 gathering of religious leaders 43:54 from all over the world. 43:55 And these evangelical leaders, 43:57 six out of ten of them, 43:58 said they believe 43:58 in the secret Rapture. 44:00 There are millions upon millions 44:01 of people that believe in this. 44:03 And yet, sadly, 44:04 it is not a biblical belief. 44:08 Now there's much 44:08 that can be said about this. 44:09 I'll be very brief. 44:11 The Bible nowhere speaks 44:13 of a secret coming of Christ. 44:15 Nowhere. 44:17 In fact, in Matthew 24:26-27, 44:20 Jesus specifically warned us 44:21 against believing 44:23 in a secret coming of Christ. 44:25 Jesus' words were this. 44:26 "So if anyone tells you," quote, 44:28 "here He" -- the Messiah -- "is 44:30 in the inner rooms" -- 44:32 that is in some secret place 44:33 in a secretive way -- 44:35 Jesus said, "Do not believe it. 44:38 For as lightning that comes 44:39 from the east is visible 44:40 even in the in the"... 44:41 "in the west, 44:42 so will be the coming 44:44 of the Son of Man." 44:45 Listen, if somebody has to 44:46 tell you that Jesus has come, 44:48 he hasn't. 44:51 Because you'll know it. 44:54 No one will miss it. 44:55 No one will have to tell you. 44:56 Oh, by the way, Jesus came back. 44:57 No, no, no, no, no. 44:58 Everyone will see it. 44:59 Everyone will hear it. 44:59 Every eye will see it. 45:00 All will notice this. 45:03 And there is no second chance 45:04 after that. 45:07 There is no second chance. 45:08 When Jesus comes back 45:09 the second time, that's it. 45:10 So choose now. Choose now. 45:12 Jesus is coming soon 45:14 and everyone will know it. 45:17 A second part of this false 45:18 second coming is when Satan 45:20 himself will impersonate Christ. 45:23 Now, Adventism at times 45:24 has been accused of saying, 45:25 "Well, you guys made that up. 45:26 That's an Ellen White thing, 45:27 this idea 45:28 that Satan will impersonate 45:29 the second coming of Jesus." 45:31 I would simply say no, nothing 45:32 could be further from the truth 45:33 because the Bible actually 45:35 speaks about this. 45:36 Let me show 45:37 you just two texts here. 45:38 2 Corinthians 11: 13-14. 45:41 Paul here is speaking 45:42 of those that are opposing 45:43 his ministry and pretending 45:45 to be on his side. 45:46 Says, "For such men are false 45:48 apostles, deceitful workmen 45:50 masquerading 45:51 as apostles of Christ." 45:52 So they're not really apostles 45:53 of Christ, 45:54 but they're pretending to be. 45:55 And he says, "And no wonder, 45:56 for Satan himself masquerades 45:59 as an angel of light." 46:02 Now, let that sink in for a 46:03 moment. 46:04 The devil, the embodiment 46:05 of all evil, the worst, most 46:09 sinful, dark, diabolical being 46:12 in the universe 46:16 can flip a switch and pass 46:17 himself off as one of God's own. 46:20 Now, I don't know about you, 46:21 but that's a pretty high level 46:23 of deception, wouldn't you say? 46:25 Now, let's take this. 46:25 Let's take this fact, 46:27 this nugget, and look now 46:28 at 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9. 46:32 Now, if we read earlier 46:34 in 2 Thessalonians, 46:36 the book there, we would find 46:37 that Paul introduces 46:38 this concept of the man 46:39 of sin or the lawless one. 46:41 I'm going to cut a corner. 46:43 This is the Antichrist power 46:45 at the end of time. Okay? 46:46 And notice what Paul here says 46:48 in chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. 46:50 Says, "And then the lawless 46:51 one" -- this Antichrist power -- 46:52 "will be revealed whom the Lord 46:55 Jesus will overthrow with the 46:56 breath of his mouth and destroy 46:58 by the splendor of his coming." 47:00 So, pause right there. 47:01 Antichrist power will not stand. 47:03 It will have this global 47:04 dominion at the end, et cetera. 47:05 It will look like it's making 47:06 huge progress. 47:07 But Jesus, the Second Coming, 47:09 will intervene and the 47:10 brightness of Christ 47:11 coming destroys it. 47:12 Next sentence. 47:13 "The coming of the lawless 47:14 one will be in accordance 47:16 with the work of Satan, 47:17 displayed in all kinds 47:19 of counterfeit miracles, 47:19 signs, and wonders." 47:20 So now we've gone back in time. 47:24 Because this is before 47:26 the Second Coming of Jesus. 47:27 The coming of the lawless one 47:28 is before 47:30 the Second Coming of Jesus. 47:31 How do we know? Because 47:32 the Second Coming ends it all. 47:33 There's no more human history 47:34 on this planet after that, okay? 47:36 At least as far as sin 47:37 is concerned. 47:38 Now, let me just show you 47:39 something here 47:39 in the original language. 47:40 Again, most of the time, you'll 47:42 find what you need in English 47:42 translations. 47:43 Every now and then, 47:44 the Greek can be helpful here. 47:47 Same verse. "The Lord Jesus 47:48 will overthrow the lawless one 47:50 with the breath of his mouth, 47:51 and destroy 47:52 by the splendor of his coming." 47:53 The Greek word 47:53 there is parousia. 47:55 Parousia. 47:57 And parousia is important 47:59 because, prior to the Christian 48:01 era, it was a generic word that 48:02 meant exactly what's translated, 48:03 here, you know, coming into a 48:04 place, et cetera. 48:05 But by the Christians, 48:07 Christians came to regard 48:09 parousia as a technical term 48:11 referring precisely 48:13 to the Second Coming of Jesus. 48:16 Now let that sink in. 48:17 It became a technical term 48:19 used by Christians 48:20 to refer precisely 48:21 to the Second Coming of Jesus. 48:24 Why is that important? 48:25 Notice what happens next here 48:26 in the Greek. 48:28 "The coming of the lawless one." 48:31 Parousia. It's the same word. 48:35 Translation -- the devil 48:37 has a second coming, as well. 48:40 It's right here 48:41 in the Word of God. 48:43 And this is why Ellen White 48:44 could write this. 48:46 "Great Controversy," page 624. 50:21 I'll tell you what. 50:23 You know, we think we've seen 50:25 some pretty amazing stuff. 50:27 We've got Hollywood. I mean, 50:28 look at all the special effects. 50:29 We've seen all kinds 50:31 of amazing things happen. 50:32 And then it happens 50:33 in real life. 50:36 And did you see what she said? 50:37 Better, more dazzling than 50:39 anything that anybody has ever 50:41 seen ever, anywhere. 50:42 The devil pulls out all the 50:44 stops, he knows this is for all 50:45 the marbles, he's going for -- 50:46 This is do or die. 50:48 And, so, he puts on 50:49 this grand display 50:51 and he sounds like Jesus, 50:53 and he looks like Jesus, 50:54 and he quotes Scripture, 50:55 and he heals people. 50:57 [ Chuckles ] 50:59 And then he says, 51:02 "Now about those Sabbath 51:03 keepers, time to make a change." 51:08 Ladies and gentlemen, 51:10 this is a powerful thing. 51:11 And the Devils been building up 51:13 towards this 51:15 for a very long time. 51:20 Now, sadly, he's not done. 51:22 There's at least one more, 51:24 and I would call it really 51:25 the last lie. 51:27 The last lie 51:28 is the mark of the beast. 51:29 He's been building to this. 51:30 This is his great desire. 51:32 And by the way, this is 51:33 the third side of Babylon. 51:35 You know, we saw the first two 51:36 sides there, this idea that 51:38 you can earn your salvation. 51:39 Second side was setting 51:40 aside God's law or altering it. 51:42 That won't work. 51:43 And then, the third side 51:44 of Babylon is right here. 51:45 It's the combining of church 51:47 and state. 51:49 It is the use of civil power 51:51 to enforce religion 51:52 on the people. 51:54 And that's certainly what 51:55 the mark of the beast is about. 51:56 Now, I could spend a lot of time 51:57 talking about the mark of the 51:58 beast, but I don't have 51:59 that time today. 52:00 We'll do it another time. 52:01 I'll simply say this. 52:03 The Book of Revelation 52:04 essentially asks one question. 52:07 Who will you worship? 52:09 Who will you worship? 52:12 And indeed it will come down 52:13 to, will you worship 52:15 Jesus on His day and in His way? 52:20 Or will you worship the beast 52:22 power and Satan 52:23 on his day in his way? 52:28 And of course, the deeper issue 52:29 than all of that 52:32 is, who has your heart? 52:35 Who has your heart. 52:38 You know, at the end of time, 52:40 walking through the right door 52:41 on a Saturday 52:42 isn't going to help you 52:44 avoid the mark of the beast. 52:46 It's who has your heart. 52:54 It's quite a package, isn't it? 52:57 The devil seems to be very, 52:59 very concerned 53:01 that we not hit the bull's-eye. 53:05 And what is the bull's-eye? 53:06 What is he so worried about 53:08 that he does his best so that 53:10 we don't hit the bull's-eye? 53:12 Well, my guess is probably most 53:14 of you already know what it is. 53:15 It's knowing Jesus. 53:18 That's the bull's-eye. 53:21 Jesus said, 53:23 as I've said many times, 53:24 I'm going to say it again in 53:25 the future as well as right now. 53:26 John 17:3. Jesus said, 53:27 "And this is eternal life, 53:29 that they may know you, the one 53:30 true God, as Father in heaven, 53:31 and Jesus Christ, 53:32 whom You have sent." 53:34 Salvation is knowing Jesus. 53:35 What an honor, 53:36 what a privilege that we have. 53:38 Jesus died to give us 53:39 this privilege, 53:40 and he offers it to us freely. 53:43 That's the bull's-eye. 53:45 And at long last, 53:46 we are now ready to see 53:47 what the unique mission of the 53:48 Seventh-day Adventist Church is. 53:51 The mission of the Seventh-day 53:52 Adventist Church, we said, 53:53 is the Great Commission 53:53 of Matthew 28, 53:55 together with the Three Angels' 53:56 Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. 53:58 Combined now with this third 54:00 factor, the context of our 54:02 times -- widespread deception. 54:04 Widespread deception. 54:05 We put these things together 54:07 and we can begin 54:08 to sum some things up. 54:09 And what I'm going to 54:10 put on the screen here now, 54:11 these are my words. 54:38 That's the context part there. 54:41 And then we see that our mission 54:43 is directly built 54:44 on our message. 54:45 This is the best way, at this 54:46 time, I know how to sum it up. 54:47 Our message, 54:49 the unique message of 54:50 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 54:51 is that Jesus is coming soon -- 54:54 this is the overall apocalyptic 54:55 context of our time -- 54:57 that evil will soon be ended -- 54:58 that's the investigative 54:59 judgment -- that the final 55:01 deceptions of Satan have 55:02 begun -- this is the mark of the 55:03 beast, mentioning of the Third 55:04 Angel, and all the deceptions 55:06 that are bent towards building 55:07 that up to completion -- 55:08 and that Jesus is our Savior 55:10 and the solution 55:11 to those deceptions. 55:12 >> Amen. 55:13 >> And that means that our 55:14 mission -- 55:14 And now this next one, 55:15 these are not my words. 55:16 These are the words of the voted 55:18 worldwide Seventh-day 55:19 Adventist Church. 55:20 Our mission, the mission of the 55:22 Seventh-day Adventist Church, 55:23 is to make disciples 55:24 of Jesus Christ, who live 55:26 as his loving witnesses -- 55:27 that's Matthew 28, 55:28 Great Commission -- and proclaim 55:30 to all people the everlasting 55:32 gospel of the Three Angels' 55:33 Messages in preparation 55:35 for His soon return. 55:38 That is why we are here, 55:43 and everything that we do in our 55:46 churches, in our in our schools, 55:48 in our hospitals, 55:49 in our mission outposts, 55:51 in our personal lives, 55:52 everything that we do needs 55:53 to be filtered through 55:55 this unique message and mission, 55:57 because this is what 55:58 God has asked us to do. 56:01 There are untold billions of 56:03 people right now on this planet 56:05 who cannot afford to miss 56:07 the bull's-eye. 56:09 And in your hands, 56:11 you have the keys to help them 56:13 to see Jesus. 56:15 >> Amen. 56:17 >> May God abundantly guide us 56:18 in proclaiming his end time 56:19 message. 56:20 May His Spirit empower us 56:22 to fulfill His mission, 56:23 and may the proclamation 56:25 of the Gospel of Jesus Christ 56:26 in His Three Angels' Messages 56:28 saturate the planet soon. 56:31 Amen. 56:32 >> Amen. 56:35 [ Applause ] 56:47 >> Thank you for joining us 56:47 today. 56:48 You know, our goal 56:50 with every worship service 56:51 at Pioneer Memorial is that 56:53 our listeners will come to know 56:54 Jesus Christ as their personal 56:55 friend and Savior. 56:57 Have you taken 56:58 this step in your life? 56:59 Or would you like to know more 57:00 about what this step looks like? 57:03 If so, I have a special gift 57:04 that I would love 57:05 to put in your hands. 57:07 It's this little book called 57:08 "Steps to Christ." 57:10 Now, it's not a very long book. 57:11 As you can see, 57:12 it's only this thick. 57:14 But don't let the size fool you. 57:16 This is one powerful book. 57:18 In fact, this book is so 57:20 powerful, so life-transforming, 57:22 that it's become a favorite 57:23 for millions all over the world, 57:24 making it one of the most 57:25 translated and most published 57:27 books in history. 57:28 It can be yours for free 57:30 by calling the number 57:31 on your screen -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:34 That's 877, the two words 57:36 "HIS WILL." 57:37 Call today. 57:38 You can also download 57:39 a free copy at 57:41 pmchurch.org/stepstochrist. 57:43 That's 57:44 pmchurch.org/stepstochrist. 57:47 Don't wait. Get your copy today. 57:50 A forever friendship with Jesus 57:51 is waiting for you. 58:00 ♪ 58:09 ♪ 58:17 ♪ |
Revised 2024-05-13