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Series Code: RAD
Program Code: RAD170010A
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00:01 What does the future hold?
00:02 Where can we find certainty in a world of uncertainty? 00:05 The book of Revelation provides helpful answers for today, 00:09 tomorrow, and forever. 00:11 Join Mark Finley, author and world renowned speaker, 00:14 on a journey into the future with 00:22 The book of Revelation not only shares God's insight regarding 00:27 the future, but it reveals God's plan for your life today. 00:32 It not only reveals the description of prophetic beasts, 00:37 and symbols, and helps us to understand where this world is 00:40 going, but it speaks to our hearts, leading us to deeper 00:44 commitment, faith, and closer to Christ today. 00:48 In this presentation we're going to focus on how this book 00:54 can change your life. 00:55 Let's pray. Father in Heaven, thank You so much for the 00:59 book of Revelation. 01:00 Thank You that it is a book that speaks 01:02 to our present needs. 01:04 It's a book that is life changing. 01:07 It's a book that reveals Your plan, not only for tomorrow, 01:10 but Your plan for today. 01:13 As we journey through its pages in this presentation, 01:17 help us to sense Your life changing power. 01:20 In Christ's name, Amen. My topic is 01:31 Have you noticed that there are dramatic changes taking 01:34 place in our society? 01:37 Earth shaking changes are occurring. 01:41 The home today is under assault. 01:44 The family is under attack. 01:47 I remember when I was a boy growing up, more years ago than 01:52 I would like to remember, I remember the refuge 01:55 and security in my own home, in my own family. 01:59 Can you think back to your first day of school? 02:02 For me that was well, more than about sixty-five years ago, 02:07 my first day of school. 02:09 And I remember going to school. 02:10 I mean I was nervous! 02:12 I didn't want to be away from my father, my mother. 02:14 My dad worked nights, so he'd sleep in the 02:16 morning when he came home. 02:17 And we just had a very close home. 02:19 My mother and father walked me to school that first day. 02:23 I get in school, and about two hours in, I mean I wasn't 02:27 going to stay there. 02:28 And I raised my hand and said, Teacher. Yes. 02:30 Can I go to the bathroom? 02:31 She let me go to the bathroom. 02:33 Walked to the bathroom, looked around, ran home. 02:36 Came through that door, and my father woke up. 02:40 He said, Son, you know, what's going on here? 02:42 I thought you were in school. 02:44 My mother said, What, what? 02:45 I said, I can't go to school, Mom. 02:46 I can't go to school. 02:48 And, you know, I remember it like it was yesterday. 02:49 My mother just threw her arms around me and said, Son, 02:52 it will be okay. You stay home today, 02:54 and we'll get you back tomorrow. 02:56 My father said, Let's do something together today. 02:59 You know, I had a home that was a place of refuge, 03:02 a home that was security. 03:04 And that's what home is all about. 03:07 It's a place where children can be hugged by their parents. 03:12 It's a place of laughter and joy. 03:15 But too many homes are no longer that place 03:19 of laughter and joy. 03:21 Too many homes have gone through very dramatic changes. 03:26 They've not become the secure places that Heaven 03:29 intends them to be. 03:30 They've become places of conflict. 03:33 They've become places of strife. 03:35 And today homes are no longer places of refuge. 03:39 They are places that have been invaded by the enemy, 03:43 places that have been attacked by the attacker. 03:45 When you look at homes today, often children are left to get 03:50 something quick, some hurried meal. 03:53 And home has just become a dropping off place where people 03:56 eat quickly before the next event, or they sleep. 04:00 They're more like hotels than genuine homes. 04:03 Many a mom, and many a dad are involved in multitasking, 04:09 trying to do two or three things at once. 04:12 And at times in this hectic, rushed society, children, 04:18 family values evaporate, divorce is rampant, 04:23 kids often left on their own with eyes glued to their iPads. 04:28 Do you know that the average teenager today sends over 3,000 04:36 texts every single month? 04:39 It is quite astonishing. 04:41 That average is about 100 texts a day. 04:44 I don't know how it can be possible, but that's what the 04:45 statisticians tell us. 04:47 When you look out at what's taking place in the world today, 04:59 Our homes are being invaded. 05:00 Our homes are being attacked. 05:02 Divorce commonplace, violence, murder, immorality, 05:07 through the internet, and through television, iPads, 05:12 invading our homes. 05:14 Many a kid is glued to the TV screen, while their parents 05:19 are out and away from the home. 05:22 Today the question becomes, how can you be moral 05:26 in an immoral world? 05:27 How can you preserve decency? 05:30 How can you have honesty, and integrity, and ethics? 05:33 How can you have purity? 05:36 How can you have kindness, and love in a very violet world? 05:40 In a world of competing values, how can you protect your home, 05:45 your family, and your own life, and your own mind? 05:57 And it is really striking when you see the impact of mass media 06:03 in blunting our finer sensibilities, in hardening our 06:08 hearts toward violence, in making us think that 06:11 immorality, and sexual immorality in particular, 06:14 is of no consequence at all. 06:17 What is it that's going on in our society? 06:26 Too often people have this idea that there 06:30 really is no morality. 06:31 You have your right, I have my right. 06:33 You have your truth, I have my truth. 06:36 You have your so called morals, I have my so called morals. 06:40 There is the idea that there is no moral compass, 06:43 no specific direction in life. 06:47 The Bible makes it plain though in 06:55 Here is precisely the problem with our society. 06:59 Men and women have thrown out the moral compass that 07:03 God has given them. 07:04 They've thrown out God's law. 07:07 There's no standard higher than their own mind 07:11 to govern their actions. 07:13 There's nothing more than their own heart to give them a sense 07:18 of what's right and wrong. 07:19 But the Bible says, Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful 07:23 above all things, and desperately wicked. 07:25 So one cannot trust a fallen nature to lead that individual 07:32 into paths of righteousness or morality. 07:36 The Scripture goes on to say in 07:44 We've sown the wind of violence on television, 07:48 and we are reaping the whirlwind of violence in our society. 07:54 We've sown the wind of immorality, and sexual adultery, 08:00 and impurity on television, and we are reaping that whirlwind 08:04 of gonorrhea, and syphilis, and sexually transmitted 08:09 diseases, and broken homes in our society. 08:12 As Scripture says, He that trusts his own heart is a fool. 08:16 As Scripture says, We've sown the wind, 08:19 and we're reaping the whirlwind. 08:22 We've sown the wind, and what's happening in our society? 08:25 Crime becomes commonplace. 08:27 When a child looks at television and sees 200,000 violent acts, 08:34 it's easy for them to become desensitized toward violence, 08:39 and simply go out and commit those heinous, 08:42 violent acts themselves. 08:48 Is there a moral compass to guide us by? 08:51 Is there some North Star to guide us by? 08:55 Ships lost at sea at night are guided often by 09:00 a star; the North Star. 09:02 Where is that North Star to guide us today? 09:07 Let's go back to the book of Revelation. It's 09:11 and Jesus has a moral compass for us. 09:16 Jesus has a North Star to guide us by. 09:20 Revelation 14:6, we're studying this message in the heart 09:25 of the book of Revelation. 09:34 This gospel is to go to 09:52 Now notice it says, the hour of God's judgment has come. 09:56 Judgment implies moral responsibility. 10:00 Judgment says you're responsible. 10:03 Fear God. That's obey God, the Scripture says; 10:06 give Him glory. Why? Why do we obey God? 10:09 Because we are morally responsible for the actions 10:12 that we have in the light of the judgment. 10:18 We don't act the way we do merely because of our genetics. 10:22 We don't act the way we do merely because 10:25 of our environment. 10:26 We don't act the way we do merely because we've been 10:29 shaped that way by our parents. 10:31 We act the way we do because of our choices. 10:33 You know, too many people try to make many excuses. 10:36 You know, I know I have a problem with alcohol, 10:39 but my father had a problem with alcohol, my grandfather had a 10:42 problem with alcohol. 10:43 Certainly genetics and environment plays a part in the 10:48 way we act, but we can choose. 10:52 We can choose to reach out to Christ, and through His power 10:57 make a difference in our lives. 10:58 We are the arbiters of our own destiny. 11:01 Somebody says, I'm involved in drugs, but you should see my 11:04 neighborhood, it's so poverty stricken, 11:06 and I've been influenced. 11:08 You can be influenced by the power of Jesus Christ. 11:11 See, that's what judgment is all about. 11:13 Judgment says you can choose. 11:15 Judgment says you're responsible for your actions. 11:18 Judgment says you are the arbiter of your destiny. 11:23 Somebody says, Well, sure, I've been in and out of prison, 11:26 but my environment, my neighborhood... 11:29 There's something beyond your neighborhood; it is your choice. 11:42 Nobody is responsible for what they do, according to the 11:48 popular mores of society. 11:50 In fact, that's part of the evolutionary hypothesis. 11:53 The evolutionary hypothesis says we are simply in large protein 11:58 molecules; we're advanced animals, and we've been shaped 12:02 by our environment to behave the way we do. 12:04 It's called behaviorism in psychological thought. 12:08 But the good news is that God has given us 12:11 the capacity to choose. 12:13 The good news is that God has given us the freedom of choice. 12:17 The good news is that we are not like little leaves blowing 12:21 in the autumn breeze, with every wind of societal trends. 12:39 Is there some moral compass to guide our lives by? There is. 12:42 Is there some ethical standard to direct our lives? There is. 12:48 It is God's law. God's law wasn't simply written 12:51 for a bygone generation. 12:54 It wasn't written for a group of what some people called 12:57 nomad Jewish tribes. 12:59 God's law is the very foundation of God's character, 13:03 and God's law is the very basis of all ethical morality. 13:19 Now notice two things that are quite fascinating. 13:21 First we're judged by the law. 13:23 Somebody says, I thought we were saved by grace. We are. 13:25 We are saved by the grace of God. 13:28 But there must be some basis of judgment. 13:30 And if you're not going to judge people based on their works, 13:33 in harmony with the law, what are you going to judge by? 13:37 So grace is so good that it works. 13:41 Grace always leads to obedience; never leads to disobedience. 13:47 But the phrase that I'm interested in here 13:49 is the law of liberty. 13:50 So God's law is freeing. For example, in 13:58 You can look at that as negative, but in a real 14:02 sense it's positive. 14:03 In other words, the law that says, Thou shalt not kill, 14:07 protects human life. 14:09 It regards the sanctity of human life. 14:13 It protects each of us, young and old, from violence. 14:17 It protects us from abuse. 14:19 Take the law, for example, that says, 14:23 That law is not to restrict our freedom, 14:27 but it's to enhance our freedom. 14:29 It protects the family. 14:30 It protects husband and wife relationships. 14:33 It protects moral purity. 14:36 It inspires happiness and joy. 14:39 It encourages family values. 14:42 What about the commandment that says, Thou shalt not steal? 14:46 What if there were no commandment that says, 14:48 Thou shalt not steal? 14:49 That would mean that anything you had in society, 14:52 somebody else could take. 14:55 Society would be in chaos if you just didn't have these 14:59 three of the ten commandments: 15:00 thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, 15:03 thou shalt not steal. 15:05 You see, human laws are often based on the Divine law of God. 15:11 And the very foundation of God's government, 15:14 and the very foundation of all moral society, is based on the 15:17 principles of the ten commandments. 15:20 Without the ten commandments there would be absolutely chaos 15:23 in society: robbery, and immorality, and stealing, 15:27 and murder would be much more common than they are today. 15:32 The book of Revelation points us to the very throne of God. 15:37 And it says, Revelation 11:19, 15:46 So John says, I looked up into heaven, and there in heaven 15:50 I saw the ark of the covenant. 15:52 And what was in that ark of the covenant 15:55 in the earthly sanctuary? 15:57 Remember the sanctuary had three parts. 16:00 There was the court, where sacrifices were offered, 16:03 there was the holy place, where the priest brought the blood 16:06 after the sacrifice was offered, sprinkled it before the veil. 16:09 In that holy place was the altar of incense. 16:13 There was, in that first apartment, 16:15 the table of showbread. 16:17 In that first apartment of the sanctuary there was 16:19 the golden candlestick. 16:21 But beyond that veil in the most holy place, 16:22 was the ark of the covenant. 16:24 And in that ark of the covenant was the very law of God. 16:27 So the Bible says, I saw heaven opened, and I saw this ark 16:31 of the covenant, and I saw the ten commandment law 16:34 written with the finger of God. 16:36 You see, that ark of the covenant, with the two angels, 16:39 golden angels overlooking it, with the law of God inside it, 16:45 that ark of the covenant between the angels was the 16:49 Shekinah glory of God. 16:50 That represents the very throne of God. 16:52 And there at God's throne we have, 16:55 as the basis of His throne, His law. 16:57 So His law certainly has not been done away with, 17:01 because it's a transcript of His character. 17:03 It tells us about our loving God and what He's like. 17:06 And it also is the foundation of His throne. 17:09 It's the foundation of His government throughout the 17:12 entire universe, and it's the foundation of all moral law. 17:19 God's unchangeable, God's eternal, God's law. 17:36 If you do away with the law of God, you then say there is no 17:42 moral responsibility, so there is no judgment. 17:46 So law and judgment are really part of the gospel, because if 17:50 there is no law, then there can't be any sin, 17:53 and if there's no sin there's no accountability. 17:56 And if there's no judgment and no law, 17:58 then why would you need a Savior? 18:00 Why would you need the gospel? 18:01 Here in 1 John 3:4, the Bible puts it this way: 18:12 Now sin is not what you and I think it is. 18:16 I mean, in other words, sin is not something that we define, 18:18 it's something that God defines. 18:20 A person says, Well, you know, I don't have a good 18:23 marriage relationship, so I'm kind of running around with 18:25 somebody else, my secretary, a working associate, 18:29 somebody I met at a party, but God understands. 18:32 I don't have a good marriage relationship, but that's okay, 18:34 and I don't think it's sin. 18:36 Look my friend, whether you think it's sin or not doesn't 18:38 make any difference. 18:39 Sin is breaking God's law. 18:41 And one of God's laws says, Thou shalt not commit adultery. 18:43 I've had young people that have wondered, Well, can I have a 18:46 a relationship with my girlfriend? 18:47 We're going to get married someday, and I can have 18:49 relations outside of marriage. 18:51 But I don't think that's wrong, is it, Pastor? 18:52 It is! Sin is not how you define it, sin is God defines it. 18:58 Somebody said, Well, you know what? 18:59 I'm, I just occasionally maybe cheat on my Income taxes, 19:04 and, you know, occasionally I may take 19:06 something out of a store. 19:08 You know, I bought three sweaters, but I slipped another 19:09 jumper, another sweater in there. 19:11 Is that sin? Because think of how much 19:14 those store owners make. 19:16 You don't define sin, God does. 19:19 If you steal, that's sin. 19:20 Dishonoring your parents, that's sin. 19:22 Sin is defined, not by human beings, not by our mind, 19:26 but by God Himself. 19:28 Sin, according to the Bible, is breaking God's law. 19:31 Sin is turning our backs on the moral 19:34 principles of the universe. 19:45 So the law of God is not some legalistic requirement 19:49 to restrict our freedom. 19:50 It is, rather, given by a loving God. 19:53 The book of Revelation opens its pages and shares with us 20:00 that God still has a standard. 20:03 And wise parents direct their children to the living Word of 20:10 God, to the law of God, as the code of conduct. 20:15 Grace always enables us to keep, and obey God's law. 20:27 Openingly, knowingly, violating God's law is the pathway to 20:33 disaster, not the pathway to happiness. 20:36 Now love always leads to obedience. 20:40 Love never leads to disobedience. 20:42 I've had people say, Well, all you have to do is love. 20:45 And if you just love God, He requires nothing else. 20:49 Does that imply that you love Him, 20:51 and you don't have to obey Him? 20:54 What if a little child said, Oh Mommy, I love you! 20:57 Mommy, I love you! Daddy, I love you! 20:58 Would you take out the trash son? 21:00 Would you pick up your room son? 21:02 Oh, mommy, or daddy, I love ya, but I don't think 21:05 I love you that much! 21:06 You see, love always is manifest in action. 21:11 Love is never some silly sentimental thing 21:14 that we can't define. 21:15 Love always reveals itself in the way we act. 21:19 That's why Jesus said, 21:23 Do what? Do what? Keep My commandments. 21:27 Jesus did not say, If you love Me, you don't have to 21:31 keep My commandments. 21:32 Jesus didn't say, If you love Me, don't worry 21:34 about my commandments. 21:36 Jesus said, If you love Me, do what? Do what everybody? 21:40 Love naturally leads to obedience. 21:44 You know, I obey God, not in order to be saved, 21:47 not in order to earn His love, but I obey God because I am 21:52 saved, and because I have been loved. 21:55 So when I'm saved by Christ, that leads me 22:00 naturally to obey Christ. 22:02 When I'm loved by Christ, that naturally leads me to 22:06 respond to Christ in love. 22:15 Now what's the evidence that we know Christ? 22:18 What's the evidence that He's living in our heart? 22:21 If we keep His commandments. 22:23 So the keeping of the commandments of God 22:27 is evidence, par excellence, that we have committed our lives 22:33 to Christ, and we genuinely love Him. 22:35 Now notice what the Bible says. 22:36 Now notice, I didn't say this. 22:38 These are not my words. 22:39 These are the Bible's words. 22:42 So this person says, Oh, I know Christ. I love Christ. 22:49 Is a what? What does it say? 22:51 Is a what? Is a liar, and the truth is where? is it in Him? 22:56 ...and the truth is not in him. 22:57 In other words, if I say I love Christ, and all I want to do is 23:02 follow Christ, but yet I don't live an obedient, Godly life, 23:06 if my life does not reflect my love, then that love 23:11 is not genuine at all. 23:19 There are some people that have the idea that law is an 23:22 Old Testament idea, and grace is a New Testament idea. 23:26 They have the mistaken idea that people in the Old Testament are 23:29 saved by law, and people in the New Testament 23:31 are saved by grace. 23:32 Someday when we get up to Heaven, am I going to see Moses 23:35 up there, and Daniel up there, and Jeremiah and Isaiah 23:39 from the Old Testament and say, Hey guys! 23:41 How were you guys saved? 23:42 Moses says, I was saved by the law. 23:45 Daniel says, I was saved by the law. 23:47 And I see Paul and James and John. 23:50 How were you saved? by grace. 23:51 Are we going to have two methods of salvation in Heaven? 23:55 Not at all! Moses was saved by grace. 24:00 The Bible says, Titus 2:12, 14, The grace of God that brings 24:06 salvation appears to all men. 24:09 So Moses was saved by grace. 24:12 Jeremiah was saved by grace. 24:15 And Paul, and James, and John were saved by grace. 24:18 So you say, How could the Old Testament 24:19 people be saved by grace? 24:21 Christ hadn't come. 24:22 Every sacrifice they offered looked forward in anticipation 24:26 to the Christ that was to come. 24:29 So their faith reached forward to the cross. 24:33 Our faith reaches backward to the cross. 24:36 But it's the same faith that we exercise, 24:39 that Abraham exercised. 24:41 The Bible says Abraham was saved by faith. 24:43 So they exercised faith to receive grace. 24:46 We exercise faith to receive grace. 24:53 Now what's the role of God's law, 24:55 and what's the role of grace? 24:57 Let's notice. They have different roles. 25:00 They are not contradictory, they're complimentary. 25:11 So the law reveals what sin is. 25:15 If I did not have the law, I would not know what sin is. 25:21 Now if you do away with the law, but the Bible says, By the law 25:25 is the knowledge of what? sin. 25:30 For example, if I'm traveling down the highway, and on this 25:36 interstate, and I'm going 100 miles an hour, 25:40 and a police stops me. 25:41 Now don't worry. This preacher's not going to 25:43 travel 100 miles an hour. 25:44 But I'm driving down and the police stops me. 25:47 He says, What are you doing? 25:48 You're speeding. You're, you're... The speed limit is 70. 25:51 You're 30 miles an hour over. 25:53 So if there's a law, I'm accountable to judgment 25:56 for breaking that law. 25:58 But what if there is no law? 26:00 What if I'm on the Autobahn in Germany, 26:03 where there are no speed limits, and I'm going 100? 26:06 What's going to happen? 26:07 Well, if I don't get into a wreck, because I'm driving so 26:11 fast, I'm not going to be picked up by the police. 26:14 Why not? There is no law. 26:15 So if you do away with the law, you do away with sin. 26:19 Now let's take that a step further. 26:20 The Bible says in 26:28 So just like Paul says in Romans 3:20, By the law there is 26:32 a knowledge of sin. 26:35 We can't know sin except by the law. 26:38 So the law reveals what sin is. 26:46 So you cannot know what sin is unless it is defined by the law. 26:53 If you do away with the law, you do away with sin. 27:00 The role of grace is to save us. 27:18 So we are not saved by the law. 27:22 The law reveals to us what sin is. 27:25 Grace is God's mercy. 27:28 Grace is God's pardon. 27:31 Grace is God's forgiveness. 27:34 Grace has to do with God's power. 27:37 Grace has to do with God's love. 27:40 Maybe this illustration will help us. 27:43 Let's suppose that I'm out working on my car. 27:49 And as I'm working on my car, some grease spatters up, 27:53 and it hits me in the nose, it Hits me on the cheek, 27:56 and I've got this grease all over me. 27:59 And I don't realize it so much. 28:02 And my wife calls me, Mark, Mark, it's time for supper. 28:06 I come in the house and I've got this grease. 28:08 She looks at me and she says, You've got grease 28:10 all over your face. 28:11 I say, Darling, I don't have grease on my face. 28:13 She... You'd better go look in the mirror. 28:14 I go look in the mirror. 28:15 Wait a minute, my wife's right on! 28:17 She's right! I've got this grease! 28:20 But I don't like that mirror. 28:21 I'm going to do away with it. 28:23 I'm going to smash it. 28:24 Does smashing the mirror take the oil off my face? 28:32 No, you say. That's craziness! 28:33 It just reveals what's there all the time. 28:36 That's the function of the law. 28:37 It reveals what's there all the time. 28:39 But what do I need? 28:40 I need soap. I need soap to cleanse this dirty face of mine. 28:45 What is the role of grace? 28:48 Grace is God's mercy and pardon that washes me clean, 28:54 and empowers me to live a new life. 29:07 What does Paul say? 29:12 Anybody that says faith or grace does away with the law of God 29:18 disagrees with the Apostle Paul. 29:21 Because what does Paul say? 29:24 That is do we do away with the law through faith? 29:27 What does he say? Certainly not! 29:30 Does that seem tenuous? Not at all. 29:33 Paul is very clear. 29:35 He says, We establish the law. 29:37 In other words, my faith leads me to accept God's grace that 29:42 cleanses my heart, and that leads me to obey God's law. 29:46 Jesus put it as plainly as He can put it when He said, 29:57 I have come not to destroy, but to do what? fulfill. 30:01 Did Jesus come to do away with the law that said, 30:04 Thou shalt not commit adultery? 30:06 Did He? He came to fulfill it, or broaden 30:09 the claims of the law. 30:11 And Jesus didn't do away with the law. 30:12 He said anybody that looks at a woman, and gazes, lingering, 30:16 with lust in his heart has broken that commandment. 30:19 That isn't to say that the lustful look is works 30:22 as the lustful act. 30:23 It's not to say that at all, because the lustful act has 30:26 social consequences, breaks up them, but it is to say it's 30:30 breaking that commandment. 30:31 Did Jesus say that... 30:33 Did Jesus come to do away with the commandment that says, 30:36 Thou shalt not kill? 30:38 So that now you can go out and kill? Not at all! 30:39 What did He say? He broadened that commandment, and He said 30:43 if you have anger in your heart you've broken the commandment. 30:46 Does that mean anger is as bad as killing, so you might as 30:48 well go out and kill somebody? 30:50 Not at all! That's a misinterpretation totally. 30:53 But what it does mean is that the angry thought 30:56 leads to the angry act; that you can break the commandment 30:59 not only by the physical act, but you can break the 31:02 commandment as well by the thought in the mind of anger. 31:10 Jesus says, I didn't come to destroy the law, 31:12 but I came to do what? fulfill it. 31:14 Jesus is saying, I have come to fulfill 31:17 the law, full of meaning. 31:18 I have come to fulfill it full of purpose. 31:21 He fills it full of purpose by giving us a pure mind, 31:24 and then taking away adulterous thoughts. 31:25 He fills it full of purpose by taking anger out of our heart, 31:29 and helping us have lives of gentleness and kindness. 31:32 Jesus puts it very plain when He says in 31:42 Somebody says, that's it right there. 31:44 We're not under the law, Pastor Mark, we're under grace. 31:47 That means we don't have to keep the law. 31:49 Is that what the text says? 31:50 No, the text doesn't say that. 31:51 Let's look at the text carefully. 31:54 When does sin have dominion over you? 31:57 What is sin? It's lawlessness. 31:59 So sin has dominion over you when you are 32:02 breaking God's law. 32:03 Notice it says, you are not under law but under grace. 32:07 Now just look at the text. 32:08 Does the text say we're not under the law? 32:10 You know I have many audiences that say, 32:14 Oh yeah, it says that we are under the law. 32:18 But what does it say? 32:20 You're not under the law, you're under grace. 32:22 It doesn't say you're under the law, it says you're not under 32:25 the law, you're under grace. 32:27 What does it mean to be not under the law? 32:30 What does that mean? 32:32 Does it mean you're not under the jurisdiction of the law, 32:36 therefore you can break the law, or does it mean you're not 32:41 under the law, as a method of salvation? 32:44 See, if you take the text and context, sin shall not 32:49 have dominium over you. 32:50 In other words you're not going to be out there breaking God's 32:52 law recklessly. For you're not under the law. 32:56 You're not under law as a method of salvation. 32:59 You're under the grace method of salvation. 33:03 And when you're under the grace method of salvation, you are 33:07 cleansed and pardoned by that grace; that dynamic grace enters 33:11 into your life and leads you to a life of obedience. 33:27 So the law is not my method of salvation, 33:30 grace is my method of salvation. 33:32 But the grace that pardons me is the grace that transforms me. 33:37 The grace that frees me from the guilt of sin, 33:41 is the grace that frees me from the shackles of sin. 33:44 When I come to Jesus, we come just as we are, 33:49 with all of our sin, with all of our guilt, 33:52 with all of our shame, with all of our condemnation, 33:54 but we do not stay as we are. 33:57 He changes us. He makes us over again. 34:01 He leads us to be obedient to His law. 34:05 The law, like the mirror, reveals our need. 34:08 But Christ cleanses us from the sin of our life. 34:20 The law is a perfect transcript of God's character. 34:23 How does it convert my soul? 34:25 It drives me to Jesus, just like looking in the mirror. 34:29 It drives me to get some soap, because I see I'm dirty. 34:32 So the law converts my soul in the sense, not that it has 34:36 power, but in the sense it shows me my lack of power. 34:40 It shows me my sin, and it drives me to Jesus Christ. 34:44 It drives me to the cross of Calvary. 34:46 It drives me to kneel there and say, Jesus, let Your blood drops 34:50 fall on me and cleanse me. 34:52 On the cross I see His love. 34:54 On the cross I see His grace. 34:56 On the cross I see His pardon. 34:57 On the cross I see His mercy. 34:59 On the cross I see freedom from the condemnation of the law. 35:03 At the cross I say, Jesus, if you've done this much for me, 35:06 all I want to do is kneel before Your cross and obey 35:10 You now and forever. 35:13 Somebody says, but Pastor Mark, I have a question. 35:16 I love questions. What's your question? 35:18 Didn't a rich young ruler came to Jesus and say to Him, 35:23 What are the great commandments in the law? 35:25 And didn't Jesus say love? 35:28 Let's go back and look at that. 35:30 The Scribe came to Jesus. 35:33 This teacher of the law came to Jesus, 35:36 and in Matthew 22:36-40, and he says to Jesus, 35:43 Now why do you think he asked Jesus that? 35:45 He did to test Him. 35:46 He wanted to see if he could back Jesus into the corner. 35:50 And what does Jesus say? 35:58 And then Jesus goes on to say, 36:06 The Pharisee said, the Scribe said, the lawyer said, 36:12 That's it! It's love! 36:15 He understood what Jesus was doing. 36:18 Jesus was taking the ten commandment law 36:21 and summarizing them. 36:23 Some people say that Jesus was introducing a new commandment 36:27 here, but look what He says. Next verse. 36:32 That's loving God, loving your fellow man. 36:37 In other words the entire ten commandment law can be 36:41 summarized in these two phrases. 36:43 The first four commandments can be summarized in loving God, 36:47 the last six commandments can be summarized in 36:50 loving your fellow man. 36:55 In fact, Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament. 36:58 Deuteronomy 6:5 says, Love God with all your 37:02 heart, soul and mind. 37:03 It's a summary of the ten commandments. 37:04 Leviticus 19:18 says love your neighbor as yourself. 37:08 So when Jesus summarized the whole law, 37:11 it's in one word, love. 37:12 When He breaks down the two tables of the law, 37:16 it's love to God, the first four commandments, 37:18 love to your fellow man the next six. 37:19 So the commandments are codified love. 37:22 The commandments reveal what loving people do. 37:26 They love God and they love their fellow man. 37:29 Loving people don't in any way want to steal 37:34 from their neighbors. 37:36 Loving people don't want in any way to break the marriage tie 37:38 and commit adultery. 37:40 Loving children want to honor their parents. 37:42 Loving people, who love God, don't want to have any 37:45 other god's before them. 37:47 Loving people don't want to take His name in vain. 37:49 So the ten commandments reveal how loving people respond 37:54 in given situations. 37:56 The grace of Christ does not change the ten commandment 38:02 law written by God's own finger on tables of stone. 38:06 God did not write His law on parchment to be consumed. 38:10 He didn't write it on sand to be washed away. 38:13 He wrote it with His own finger on tables of stone. 38:17 And if God wrote with His finger on tables of stone, 38:20 He wrote it permanently, to last not only for a few years, 38:24 or a few generations, but to last forever. 38:27 And God's ten commandment law is for people in every race, 38:32 culture, creed and background. 38:35 God's ten commandment law is the moral code of 38:39 conduct for every society. 38:40 God's ten commandment law reveals how people saved by 38:45 grace respond to Him in loving obedience. 38:48 You know, when you look at the ten commandment law itself, 38:52 and you see its introduction, you see that the ten commandment 38:55 law really was to give us freedom, 38:57 and not to keep us in bondage. 39:00 Look what it says in 39:08 So they were coming out of bondage, and God gave them 39:12 the law as an illustration of their freedom. 39:15 But somebody says, Are the ten commandments 39:18 relevant for us today? 39:20 The ten commandments speak with relevance 39:23 to your life and mine. 39:24 They speak with purpose to your life and mine. 39:27 The first commandment says, 39:32 In an age of false gods, in an age when sports stars become 39:38 ours gods, and singers become our gods, and entertainers 39:43 become our gods, and the Hollywood icons become our gods, 39:47 God says, You shall have no other gods before Me. 39:51 This commandment speaks with relevance in our generation, 39:55 at a time when men and women make graven images out of their 40:00 material possessions, God says, 40:06 In other words, worship Me directly. 40:09 The first commandment says worship Me exclusively. 40:12 There's nobody like our God. 40:14 Our God is an awesome God. 40:16 The first commandment says, Have no other gods before Me. 40:20 Worship Him directly, exclusively. 40:22 The second commandment says, 40:27 Worship Him directly. 40:28 Come directly to God. 40:30 The third commandment says, 40:35 At a time when the name of Jesus. 40:37 That lovely name, that magnificent name that's been 40:41 dragged through the dust in vile epitaphs, and in curse words. 40:46 The Bible says, 40:50 In other words, also another way to break that commandment is to 40:53 pretend you're a Christian and really not be one. 40:55 In other words, don't live a hypocritical life. 40:58 Live in harmony with Christ and His will, 41:02 and His commandments. 41:03 The fourth commandment, 41:05 God says, Remember. 41:07 Most of the world has forgotten. 41:14 At a time when people are racing on; filled with stress, 41:18 and anxiety, and worry, tension leading 41:21 to coronary disease, God says, Come, come. 41:25 The commandments are relevant, the Sabbath is relevant. 41:27 God says, Come, come and find rest and security in 41:31 your Creator each Sabbath. 41:33 At a time when children are defying the commands of their 41:39 parents, at a time when children often turn their backs in 41:45 rebellion, and what their parents say means little, 41:48 God says, 41:50 At a time of beating, and killing, and bombs dropping, 41:56 in a time of taking the life of the young unborn 41:59 so indiscriminately, God says, 42:05 The commandment speaks with relevance. 42:08 Murder on television, violence in our society, terrorism, 42:14 free abortions taking place indiscriminately, and God says 42:19 human life is sacred. 42:22 And at a time of blatant, wanton sexual adultery, 42:27 God calls us to purity. 42:29 The commandments speak with relevance to this generation. 42:34 At a time when people think very little of stealing, 42:39 very little of taking things from others that don't 42:42 belong to them, God's word still speaks, 42:48 In a time of criticism and gossip, and lying about other 42:52 people, and destroying their reputations; the tabloid 42:56 newspapers are full of it. 42:58 What does it say in the Scripture? 43:05 To destroy your neighbors reputation is a serious 43:09 offense against God. 43:10 These commandments are relevant. 43:12 Think if we only spoke good of others. 43:14 Think if we never, never spoke critical words or lied, 43:19 told half truths about others. 43:21 Think of the positive human relationships 43:23 that would take place. 43:25 Think of the positive human relationships if we're filled 43:27 with purity, filled with kindness, filled with love. 43:31 You see, the ten commandment law leads us not to be selfish, 43:36 or jealous of what others have. 43:38 The tenth commandment 43:40 What a society we would have if we worshipped God directly, 43:47 if we worshipped God exclusively, if His name were 43:50 honored, if the Sabbath were kept, and people felt 43:54 restful and peaceful. 43:56 What a society we would be in if children honored their parents, 44:00 and there was a strong family unit. 44:01 What a society we would have if we respected the goods of 44:05 others, and we respected the lives of others, 44:08 and we protected the lives of others. 44:10 What a society we would have if we, if we 44:14 maintained moral purity: no divorce, 44:18 kindness and love reigns, and we're not coveting. 44:22 God is calling us back, back to the keeping of His law. 44:26 He's calling us from the majority, calling us from the 44:30 crowd, calling us by His grace, and through His power to live 44:34 godly, obedient lives. The Bible says in 44:47 Speaking of His commandments, 44:54 Down through the centuries God's ten commandment law speaks with 44:59 relevance to bring joy and happiness, 45:01 and meaning and purpose to His people. 45:07 He disobeyed God and lost Heaven. 45:14 And many a man, many a woman will lose Heaven again. 45:18 They'll lose the joy of that Edenic home in the future 45:22 because of disobedience. 45:23 God says, here's God's desire for your heart. 45:26 Here's God's desire for your life. 45:36 What is the covenant? 45:37 What is this new covenant? 45:38 Is it to do away with God's law? Not at all. 45:51 What is the new covenant promise? 45:53 The new covenant promise is God's law in our minds so we 45:58 know it; God's law in our heart so that we love it. 46:02 We love God's law. Saved by grace! 46:04 All we want to do is obey God's law. 46:14 Where are God's last day people today, you say? 46:17 How can I find God's last day people today? 46:33 Jesus has an end time. 46:35 Jesus has a last day people, and He says, Here they are! 46:41 They are saved by faith. 46:42 The faith of Jesus lives in their heart. 46:45 The faith of Jesus is a dynamic principle that changes their 46:48 life, and they are led to lead obedient lives. 46:50 If you want to find God's end time people, 46:52 find a people saved by grace, find a people that are living 46:55 by the faith of Jesus Christ in their hearts as the dynamic 46:59 principle that leads them to keep God's law, that leads them 47:02 to be obedient to God's commandments. 47:07 puts it this way, Blessed... I want to be blessed, don't you? 47:11 How many want to be blessed? 47:21 Clothed with His righteousness, and robed with His glory, 47:26 immersed in His grace, they do His commandments, 47:30 according to the book of Revelation. 47:33 Jesus reaches out to you, and Jesus says to you my friend, 47:38 Come! Kneel before Me, confess anything not in harmony with 47:43 My will, commit deeply in your heart that you desire 47:48 to keep My commandments. 47:50 I'll give you that strength. 47:52 I'll give you that courage. 47:53 Many years ago Dwight L. Moody was a great preacher. 48:00 He preached all across America, preached in England. 48:03 Thousands and thousands came to hear Moody preach. 48:07 Moody had quite a reputation, and very often people pointed 48:13 forward to Moody's life, pointed out Moody's life 48:18 to their children as an example. 48:21 The story is told of a mother who brought her young son 48:26 to meet Dwight Moody. 48:29 And as the boy came up the mother smiled and said to 48:32 Mr. Moody, Mr. Moody, this is my boy. 48:35 I'll call him John. 48:36 This is my boy, John. 48:38 Mr. Moody, I'd love you to meet him. 48:39 John, shake Mr. Moody's hand. 48:41 And the boy clenched his fist, and he put his 48:42 hands behind his back. 48:44 The mother was quite embarrassed. 48:45 Meeting a famous man like that, meeting a renowned man like 48:49 that, meeting a man that had shaken two continents for God, 48:53 and her son has his hands behind his back? 48:57 Son, shake Moody's hand! 49:01 And the boy took his hand out with a fist like this. 49:05 Son, open your hand. 49:07 Son, why are you being so defiant? 49:09 Son, shake the great preacher's hand! 49:12 The boy had his hand in a fist. 49:14 He made a fist out of his hand. 49:16 The woman took his fingers and began to peel them back 49:20 and open them up, and the boy had a few marbles in his hand. 49:23 The boy thought that Dwight Moody was going 49:26 to take his marbles. 49:29 He didn't want to give up his marbles. 49:32 What marbles are you holding onto? 49:35 What are you clinging to in your hand? 49:37 When you look at God's law, have you been living in harmony 49:42 with its principles? 49:44 Have you been knowingly, willingly breaking God's law? 49:47 Jesus says, Open your hand. 49:50 I want to embrace you. 49:52 I want to take you by the hand. 49:54 I want to lead you from here to eternity. 49:57 Open up your hand. 49:59 Don't hold on to those cheap, tawdry marbles anymore. 50:04 I've got so much more for you. 50:07 Jesus reaches out to you right now, and will you say, 50:11 All to Jesus, I surrender. 50:14 I surrender all, Jesus. 50:16 Listen as Celestine sings, and open your heart to this Christ. 50:33 All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. 50:48 I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. 51:04 I surrender all. I surrender all. 51:19 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. 51:39 All to Jesus I surrender. 51:46 Humbly at His feet I bow. 51:54 Worldly pleasures all forsaken, take me Jesus, take me now. 52:08 I surrender all! I surrender all! 52:23 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. 52:37 I surrender all! I surrender all! 52:50 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. 53:14 I want to be very practical. 53:16 How do you surrender all? 53:20 What does it mean to surrender all? 53:24 For somebody, these next few moments are 53:30 going to change your life. 53:31 For somebody, these next few moments are going to 53:37 transform your life. 53:39 You say, But, you know, I have this relationship. 53:44 I could never surrender it. 53:46 I have this habit. I could never surrender it. 53:49 This habit has chained me. 53:52 This habit has shacked me. 53:55 I've tried to give it up before and I can't. 53:58 I'm in this relationship, and I can't get out. 54:01 I seem bound. I'm not sure that I want to give up 54:05 the things that I'm doing, because at times they are 54:09 so attractive to me. 54:11 Listen to me friend, first don't worry about giving up things. 54:18 Give yourself to Jesus. 54:22 He will take care of the things. 54:26 What do you receive when you give yourself to Jesus? 54:30 You receive peace. Your heart is flooded with His peace. 54:35 You receive a sense of the forgiveness of your sins. 54:41 The guilt is gone. You receive a new power into your life 54:47 that is life changing, and it's radical, 54:51 and it's life transformational. 54:53 You receive the new joy that there is purpose for your life, 54:59 there's a plan for your life, and Christ has your 55:03 best interest in view. 55:04 You receive the hope of Heaven, and the glory that you can live 55:11 with Christ forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. 55:16 What do I give up? I give up a sin polluted heart. 55:20 I give up a confused life. 55:23 I give up, when I surrender myself to Christ, 55:27 I give up my own ways. 55:29 I come to Jesus, and what I receive is so much greater! 55:37 Right now would you like to bow your head with me? 55:41 Right now would you like to say, Jesus, I'm giving 55:47 my whole self to You? 55:50 All to Jesus, I surrender. 55:53 Let's pray. Father in Heaven, we know that coming to Christ 55:58 isn't giving up things, it's giving up ourself. 56:02 It's giving to You our very life. 56:05 And when we do that, in exchange for a sin polluted heart 56:10 we receive the grace and strength, and pardon, 56:14 and forgiveness of Christ. 56:15 In exchange for purposelessness, and meaninglessness in life, 56:20 we receive direction in our life. 56:22 In exchange for not having much assurance for the future, 56:27 we receive the joy, and the hope of eternity. 56:31 We thank You so much for everything You give us. 56:34 We come to You, and we give You our lives this very moment, 56:38 knowing that You've said, Him that cometh to Me, 56:42 I'll in nowise cast out. 56:44 In Christ's name, Amen. 56:46 Have the assurance, my dear friend, that if you have made 56:51 that decision in your home, if you have made that decision 56:55 in your hotel room, to come to Christ right now, 56:58 that your hand is in the hand of Christ. 57:02 He will never, ever, ever let you go. 57:06 He'll never turn His back on you. 57:08 Have the joy of His peace. 57:10 Stay with us as we journey through the book of Revelation 57:15 together, and understand more deeply its prophecies. 57:19 Join us for our next telecast on 57:24 Revelation's Ancient Discoveries. |
Revised 2018-04-09