Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM180005A
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00:41 Welcome to the 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting:
00:44 The Three Angels' Messages. 00:49 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting: 00:53 The Three Angels' Messages. Amen! 00:55 I have been... I have never been more excited 00:58 about any Camp Meeting than this. 01:01 We know it was God ordained. 01:03 We know that the Lord gave us the idea. 01:06 And to think that we've got sixteen sermons 01:10 that are parsing this message so that we will have better 01:15 understanding, amen? And John Bradshaw... 01:19 I'll tell you what: when he was talking about the everlasting 01:21 gospel I could hardly sit. Wasn't it wonderful? 01:25 Yes. Because that is the foundation 01:28 of the three angels' messages. Well, we want to 01:30 welcome all of you from around the world who might be 01:34 watching or listening, whether it is by television, 01:37 radio, or Internet. 01:40 And thank each and every one of you for being here. 01:43 We have a special treat for this hour. 01:45 This message is Fear God and Give Him Glory. 01:50 And I can't think of anybody better to give the message 01:53 than Pastor David Shin. 01:56 He is the pastor of the Hillside O'Malley church 02:00 in Anchorage, Alaska. 02:03 And David is a wonderful Bible teacher. 02:07 You're going to get deep into the scriptures today 02:10 I know because he really has that heart. 02:13 As a matter of fact, I guess you know that he graduated 02:17 from the... yeah, wherever he graduated from 02:21 up there in Michigan. This is live! 02:25 But anyway, he graduated from Andrews University 02:29 Theological Seminary. 02:31 And he loves to share the gospel 02:36 with students of public universities. 02:40 And boy, we need to reach these young people. 02:43 His wife: Tennille. They have a 1-year-old baby. 02:48 Just turned one. His name is Hudson and he's so precious. 02:53 And I was introduced to... David's parents are here today. 02:56 And somebody said: "This is David Shin's parents. " 02:59 And I said: "Oh, you said that wrong. " 03:01 "This is Hudson's grandparents. 03:03 That's what they want to be known as. " 03:05 But he is a man of God. 03:08 He's a man of deep conviction 03:11 and I know you're going to enjoy this message. 03:14 But before he comes what we're going to do 03:17 is invite Stephanie Dawn out. 03:20 She is going to be singing for us with that angelic voice 03:23 a song called Sanctuary. 03:26 And accompanying her on the piano 03:29 is Dann Thornton. And we're just so glad that she is here. 04:11 What have I done with 04:15 the days come and gone? 04:20 And I remember 04:24 how once I was drawn 04:28 into 04:30 Your sanctuary. 04:42 When did I wander 04:47 so far away? 04:50 How did I get here? 04:54 Why did I stray? 04:58 And can I ever 05:03 find my way 05:07 back 05:08 to Your sanctuary? 05:17 Nothing have I 05:20 on earth but You. 05:24 No one but You 05:27 in heaven. 05:31 So why do I 05:35 continue to do 05:40 everything else 05:43 but come to You. 06:00 All of my folly 06:04 I finally see 06:08 I've nowhere to hide; 06:11 I've no place to flee. 06:15 If I ran to You 06:18 or You run to me 06:22 out from Your 06:25 sanctuary. 06:33 Nothing have I 06:36 on earth but You. 06:39 No one but You 06:43 in heaven. 06:47 So why would I 06:50 continue to do 06:55 anything else 06:59 but come to You? 07:06 I will remember 07:11 what You did for me: 07:15 climbing that hill 07:19 to die on that tree. 07:23 There will I go and 07:27 bend my knee; 07:32 there I'll find 07:35 sanctuary. 07:46 I'll give You thanks 07:50 for Your 07:52 sanctuary. 08:07 Amen! 08:10 Amen... amen. 08:13 Praise God for that beautiful song. 08:16 Amen! Praise God for His sanctuary. 08:20 And as we begin our study this morning 08:26 I invite you to bow your heads as we pray together. 08:30 Father in heaven, we are humbled by this opportunity 08:34 that we have to worship You this morning, 08:38 to study Your Word in spirit and in truth. 08:42 As we reflect on this message that You've given to Your people 08:47 the first angel's message: the words "Fear God 08:53 and give glory to Him" we pray that You would bless us 08:57 with Your presence. Speak to us we pray. 09:00 Hide me behind the cross. 09:02 We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us, to instruct us, 09:05 and to lead us. For we ask these things 09:08 in the precious name of Jesus. Amen... amen. 09:13 Our focus today is the phrase "Fear God 09:18 and give glory to Him. " 09:21 But before we delve into a deeper study 09:25 into those words I want to spend a few moments 09:29 setting the geo-political context 09:33 into which this message is going to be proclaimed. 09:37 And I invite you to open your Bibles with me 09:40 to Revelation chapter 13. 09:43 Revelation chapter 13 verse 1. 09:46 Revelation 13 is the chapter that precedes 09:49 the three angels' messages. 09:52 And it sets the geo-political context into which 09:57 the messages of the angels are going to be proclaimed. 10:02 Revelation chapter 13 verse 1 10:04 "Then I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast 10:09 rising up out of the sea having seven heads, 10:12 ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, 10:17 and on his heads a blasphemous name. 10:20 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard. 10:23 His feet were like the feet of a bear 10:26 and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. 10:29 The dragon gave him his power, 10:32 his throne, and great authority. " 10:36 Here in Revelation chapter 13 you see a sea beast 10:39 and we know in Revelation chapter 17 verse 15 10:42 that this beast is rising up out of a populated area 10:47 and it's an amalgamated beast. 10:49 It's a composite beast and it's the exact same beasts 10:53 that are found in Daniel chapter 7. 10:56 Except in Daniel chapter 7 it begins with the lion 11:01 and ends with the terrible beast with ten horns. 11:04 In this case it's in reverse order. 11:08 Bible scholars have assumed that this is because Daniel is 11:12 looking forward and the book of Revelation is looking backwards 11:16 in history. In Revelation chapter 13 11:20 it has a beast with four heads. And when you count the heads 11:24 in Daniel chapter 7 there are exactly four heads as well. 11:30 But this beast is unique 11:33 in that it is a composite of all the beasts 11:36 that are there in Daniel chapter 7. 11:39 There's many applications that we can draw from this. 11:42 One of them is that this is Satan's masterpiece. 11:48 It is an image that is a conglomeration, 11:52 a synthesis of all the pagan practices 11:57 that have been developed all the way since Babylon. 12:00 And this beast, according to Revelation chapter 13 12:05 verse 3 says: "And I saw one of its heads 12:09 as it had been mortally wounded 12:11 and the deadly wound was healed 12:14 and all the world marveled and followed after the beast. " 12:20 And this text is being fulfilled today 12:24 in your hearing. We are witnessing 12:28 in Protestant America today 12:31 this wondering and marveling after the beast power. 12:37 Verse 4: "So they worshiped the beast who gave authority 12:41 to the beast and worshiped the beast saying: 12:43 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war 12:47 against him? ' " You'll see that a central issue 12:51 in the end of time is going to be worship. 12:55 All the world is worshiping this beast. 12:58 And if you go down to Revelation chapter 13 verse 11 13:01 another beast comes up out of the land. 13:03 It's a lamb-like beast. 13:05 It looks like a lamb but it speaks like a dragon. 13:10 And the Bible indicates that the second beast of Revelation 13:14 chapter 13 will collude with the first beast 13:18 and there will be an enforcement of worship. 13:21 Skip down to verse 15: "He granted power to give breath 13:24 to the image of the beast that the image of the beast 13:26 should both speak and cause as many as would not worship 13:29 the image of the beast to be killed. " 13:33 Notice: there is worship. 13:36 There is giving glory to the beast 13:38 and there is fear of the beast. 13:43 It is in this geo-political context 13:46 that the first angel's message is to be proclaimed. 13:52 Now I want to pause right here 13:54 because we need to be very careful 13:58 in a very polarized political environment 14:02 specifically in the United States of America 14:04 that we do not become so political 14:07 that we become unBiblical. 14:10 Amen. Amen? Amen. 14:12 Because if I read my Bible correctly 14:15 there is going to come a time 14:17 when being Biblical is going to be perceived 14:22 as unpatriotic. 14:26 That being Biblical is going to be perceived 14:30 as un-American. 14:33 And we need to be careful that we are not so caught up 14:37 in the political dialogue 14:39 that we get lost Biblically. 14:44 Reminds me of a book in my library. 14:47 It's called Hitler's Cross. 14:51 And it's fascinating because when you look at Protestant 14:55 Germany and you look at the ministers 15:00 and how they interacted with Nazism and Hitler 15:04 there are pictures in that book where there's a swastika 15:08 next to the cross. And you see the pastors 15:12 giving their allegiance to Adolf Hitler. 15:17 They have become so political that they've become unBiblical. 15:22 And we need to be careful - especially in this context - 15:27 because friends, if we are lost in the political machinery 15:30 we're not going to be able to give the first angel's message 15:33 much less the second angel's message 15:36 and the third angel's message. 15:38 Let's go to Revelation chapter 14. 15:40 So while this is taking place on the geo-political scene 15:44 in Revelation chapter 14 the Bible says; "And I looked 15:47 and behold a Lamb standing on Mount Zion 15:50 and with Him 144,000 having His Father's name 15:53 written in their foreheads. " 15:56 Later on it says that this angel has the everlasting gospel. 15:59 And the everlasting gospel is made possible 16:02 because of the Lamb. 16:05 When you look at the words of the first angel's message 16:08 in verse 6: "And I saw another angel 16:11 flying in the midst of heaven 16:13 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell 16:17 on the earth: to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 16:20 saying with a loud voice: 'Fear God 16:23 and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment has come. 16:26 And worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, 16:29 the sea, and the springs of water. ' " 16:33 There's a lot that we can focus on. 16:35 I've been given these words: "Fear God 16:38 and give Him glory. " There are three distinct words, 16:42 three distinct verbs in the first angel's message: 16:45 fear... give... and worship. 16:50 We are to fear God, give glory to Him, 16:53 and worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, 16:56 the sea, and the fountains of water. 16:59 Notice: there are going to be two groups of people 17:03 in the end of time. 17:05 One will worship the beast. 17:07 One will give glory to the beast 17:09 and one will fear the beast. 17:12 And the other group of people will fear God... 17:15 will give glory to Him 17:18 and will worship Him. 17:21 The choice is ours as to who we are going to worship 17:26 in the end of time. Let's focus on these words 17:29 "Fear God. " What does that mean? 17:34 And as I studied this and as I reflected on 17:37 the first angel's message specifically these words: 17:39 "Fear God" I wondered to myself why did not 17:43 the first angel's message begin with the words 17:47 love God. Wouldn't that be just gospel centered 17:53 or gospel centric? We know that the fulfilling 17:56 of the law is love. The New Testament the gospels 17:59 speak of love. And it is peculiar and just unusual 18:04 to me that the first angel's message that is to go to 18:07 the entire world begins with the words "Fear God. " 18:12 Now the emphasis of the first angel's message 18:15 indicates the issues that are going to be prevalent 18:18 in the end of time. 18:21 According to the Andrews Study Bible 18:25 fearing God means to revere, to respect, 18:30 and hold in awe. 18:33 I looked up the definition of respect in the dictionary, 18:38 and the definition of respect is "a feeling of deep admiration 18:45 for someone. " 18:46 Respect means to demonstrate 18:49 high regard for an individual. 18:53 Notice that fearing God is also indicating 18:59 respect, and this respect is a feeling. 19:03 It's an emotional state 19:05 in which you have deep admiration for someone. 19:11 I have a book. It's by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. 19:17 It's called Love and Respect. 19:20 By the way, for those of you that are married 19:22 or thinking about getting married: highly recommend 19:25 this book. And it's based on Ephesians chapter 5:23. 19:31 Notice what Paul says: 19:34 "So each husband should... " What his wife? 19:38 "should love his wife as much as he loves himself. " 19:44 The lady said "Amen. " Right? 19:46 "and each wife should... " What? 19:50 "should respect her husband. " 19:54 The Bible indicates that it should be husbands that love 19:59 their wives and each wife should respect her husband. 20:02 Now this is not indicating that women should not love 20:06 their husbands and that husbands should not respect their wives. 20:08 But he's indicating what it is difficult for each gender to do. 20:14 If you ask a man: "Does your wife love you? " 20:17 most men will say: "No doubt my wife loves me. " 20:21 But if you ask the man: "Does your wife respect you? " 20:25 Amen! Come on now... 20:29 I think most men may be like "Oh, let me think about that. 20:33 Does she? " 20:35 We live in an age of unconditional love 20:40 but according to this book respect is a form of love. 20:46 Now think about the implications of this. 20:49 By the way, he said that many times 20:52 in the vicious cycle of a marriage, disagreements, 20:57 when a man feels disrespected 21:00 he responds by being unloving. All right. 21:05 And when a man is unloving 21:08 the woman responds with disrespect. 21:14 And he indicates that the more mature gender 21:19 in that case - whoever it might be - 21:21 all right - needs to stand up and say: "Look I'm going to 21:24 give this person unconditional love 21:27 or unconditional respect. " 21:31 And it begins a new cycle in their relationship. 21:35 Think about the implications of this. 21:38 In the most intimate human relationship that we can have 21:42 this side of heaven - the marriage relationship - 21:47 love and respect are essential. It sure is! 21:52 Not love OR respect 21:55 but love AND respect. All right! 21:58 And the emphasis of the first angel's message 22:02 is an emphasis on respect. 22:06 Could it be that we are living in a culture today 22:11 that emphasizes a false type of relationship with God 22:15 that emphasizes love 22:19 to the exclusion of respect? 22:25 Is God disrespected in today's culture? 22:34 So the first angel's message begins with these two words: 22:38 "Fear God... " which implies a type of respect. 22:42 A feeling of reverence and awe. 22:46 There was a comedian that was being interviewed 22:50 about his visit to the White House. 22:57 And he was so nervous - this was a man that makes jokes 23:01 about everyone, including the president - 23:04 and he was invited to the White House. 23:06 And he decided that even though it was an outside event 23:11 and many of the people were going to be dressed 23:13 very casually that he would wear a 3-piece suit 23:17 to the White House. 23:20 Why did he do that? 23:22 Out of respect for the office. 23:26 In other words, our feeling of reverence and awe 23:31 for an individual or for an office 23:34 influences our behavior. 23:37 When you respect someone 23:40 it plays into how you interact with that individual. 23:44 And today God has been denigrated 23:47 to a boyfriend or a buddy 23:50 to the place where there is no respect or no awe 23:54 in our relationship and in our behavior with Him. 23:59 So the first angel's message begins with "Fear God" 24:02 and in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13 24:06 it says: "Fear God and keep His commandments. " 24:11 In other words, our respect for God, 24:14 our awe for God, our reverence for God 24:17 causes us to keep His commandments. 24:22 In other words, love is the primary motivation 24:26 but so is respect. 24:29 Respect is essential in our relationship with God. 24:34 The second phrase: "give glory to Him. " 24:38 Two texts in the New Testament: Matthew chapter 5 verse 16 24:42 "Let your light so shine before men 24:45 that they may see your good works 24:48 and glorify your Father which is in heaven. " 24:52 Fascinating that the first angel's message 24:56 begins with "Fear God, " respect God. 24:58 Second part: "give glory to Him" which has implications 25:01 about good works... good works giving glory to God. 25:08 Now these good works do not earn our salvation 25:11 but according to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount 25:15 when we do good works it glorifies God. 25:20 I Corinthians 10:31, another text that gives us light 25:24 into what it means to give glory to God: 25:26 "So whether you eat or drink 25:29 or whatever you do 25:30 do all to the glory of God. " 25:35 Christian lifestyle. 25:39 What you eat, what you drink... 25:41 what we do with our bodies gives glory to God. 25:46 And could it be that in the end of time 25:51 right now in our contemporary society 25:54 we are living in an age where a gospel is being presented 25:58 that says that grace gives you license 26:02 to live whatever lifestyle you'd like to live? 26:07 Doesn't matter what you do with your body. 26:09 Doesn't matter what you put into it; 26:11 doesn't matter what you put on it 26:14 you can live any way that you want. 26:18 Fascinating the emphasis of the first angel's message. 26:22 The last verb "worship Him, " and in our presentation 26:26 this afternoon we'll be delving more into that. 26:28 But this is a phrase or a quote from William Temple: 26:32 "Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. 26:35 It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness. 26:38 It is the nourishment of the mind with His truth, 26:42 the purifying of the imagination with His beauty, 26:45 the opening of the heart to His love, 26:47 the surrender of the will to His purpose. 26:51 All this gathered up in adoration - 26:53 the most selfless emotion of which our nature 26:57 is capable - is worship. " 27:01 Worship is a universal human need 27:04 and God is calling us to worship not the beast 27:08 but to worship the Creator. Amen! 27:12 I'd like to back up a little bit here 27:16 and look at the emphasis from another angle 27:20 of the first angel's message. 27:23 The emphasis of the first angel's message is: 27:26 "Fear God, give glory to Him, and to worship Him. " 27:29 Now the question is: who is the person 27:34 that is to be giving these attributes: 27:39 fearing, giving, and worshiping? 27:42 And there has been this long theological dialogue 27:44 for the last 2,000 years, and it's even prevalent in 27:47 our own community of faith. 27:49 It has to do with this tension between God's part 27:53 and man's part. 27:55 How much of the gospel is God's part? 27:58 How much of the gospel is man's part? 28:01 And you can describe it another way: 28:02 faith and works... 28:04 law and grace. These tensions in theology 28:08 and look at the emphasis. God's part or man's part? 28:12 Which part is the first angel's message emphasizing? 28:17 Who is the one that is to fear God? 28:21 We are. 28:22 Who is the one that is to give glory to Him? 28:25 We are. 28:27 Who is the one that is to worship Him? 28:29 We are! 28:30 And I'll be honest with you: as I was studying for this 28:33 presentation I said: "Oh, this seems so... just unique! " 28:38 In the first angel's message that is to go to the entire 28:41 world before Jesus comes 28:43 the emphasis is our part in worshiping. 28:47 Our part in giving glory, our part in fearing Him. 28:50 And it seems from a very superficial standpoint of view 28:54 that the emphasis seems on man's part 28:57 and there seems not too much about God's part 29:01 from a superficial level. Now it's there... 29:05 because it begins with the Lamb, it begins with the everlasting 29:08 gospel, but notice the tension between these two realities. 29:13 In other words, the individuals that are going to be proclaiming 29:18 the end-time message before Jesus comes 29:21 are going to understand the relationship - the Biblical 29:26 relationship - between faith and works. 29:31 Between God's part and man's part. 29:36 When you look at theological history 29:40 you'll see that this has always played out in a pendulum 29:45 swing between these two extremes. 29:47 Let me give you a couple examples of these. 29:50 A theology that emphasizes God's part 29:54 is predestination. 29:58 Predestination from our friends the reformed or the Calvinists 30:03 emphasizes God's part to the place that how much 30:08 of salvation is man's part? 30:09 None. None! Predestination assumes that God 30:12 makes the arbitrary decision as to who is going to be saved 30:16 and who is going to be lost. 30:18 Election. We don't have any part to play. 30:21 God, from His standpoint of sovereignty, 30:24 decides and says: "Look, you're saved; 30:26 you're not saved. " 30:28 "You're lost; you're saved. " 30:30 And He makes that arbitrary decision 30:32 and places salvation totally out of the sphere 30:36 of any human choice, any human volition, 30:39 or any human action. 30:41 Now predestination is many times looked upon as a... 30:44 you know, why would anyone believe in that? 30:46 But we need to recognize that in the Reformation 30:48 in reaction to legalism 30:50 the theological pendulum swung to predestination 30:53 because people wanted assurance. 30:56 People wanted to know that works did not have any merit. 31:00 We don't contribute anything to salvation. 31:02 And that was very liberating to individuals 31:05 that were struggling with legalism. 31:08 So we have this tension here, and predestination 31:12 is one perspective in salvation indicating 31:15 that salvation has nothing to do with human action. 31:18 It is totally God. Amen! 31:22 That's it... period. He does EVERYTHING; 31:25 we do nothing. And what we do contributes nothing 31:28 toward salvation. All right! 31:31 We come on the other side and we have our friends 31:35 the Roman Catholics that believe 31:39 that what we do contributes towards salvation. 31:44 Now there's a fascinating dialogue between Luther 31:47 and Erasmus. And they're talking about 31:50 how much credit does man contribute toward salvation. 31:54 And Luther said: "No credit" 31:57 and Erasmus, who was a Catholic, 32:00 said: "Man contributes a little credit. " 32:04 And he said that little credit is human free will and choice. 32:10 In other words, when you decide to serve God - 32:14 when you decide to choose God - 32:16 that has little merit 32:19 that has a contri- bution toward salvation. 32:24 Now I want to tell you that the strength of each position 32:27 is one that you are saved by grace 32:30 but it takes away free human will. 32:33 On the other side there is free human will 32:36 but you have a contribution toward salvation. 32:40 John Wesley comes along 32:43 and he comes up with this beautiful Biblical concept 32:47 I believe called prevenient grace. 32:51 Prevenient grace says that God comes to the sinner 32:56 and even though our ability to choose 33:00 is held under bondage to sin 33:02 prevenient grace comes and vivifies the will 33:07 so that we can choose. 33:10 Praise God! Do you know that even your ability 33:14 to choose comes from God? Amen! 33:17 Amen? Amen. I mean, what a beautiful idea. 33:22 So John Wesley comes along and says: "Look, even 33:25 your desires need help. " 33:28 Even your desires need illumination. 33:31 Even your desires need His vivifying power. 33:35 And so I come to God many times and say: "Lord, 33:38 I don't even desire. 33:41 Help me the desire to desire. " Amen! 33:45 "Help me to be willing to be made willing. " 33:49 And sometimes I say: "Help me to be willing 33:50 to be made willing to be made willing. " 33:52 So we can come to God and say: "Lord, I don't want this thing; 33:56 help me to want it. " 33:58 "Change me because I can't change myself. " 34:00 Repentance is a gift. Amen! You can't even feel sorry 34:04 until you come to Jesus. 34:08 It's grace... prevenient grace which means prior to. 34:14 So when you choose God you get absolutely zero credit 34:20 because that choice ultimately comes from God. 34:24 So prevenient grace: a wonderful theological contribution 34:28 indicating yes, we have free will 34:32 but man gets absolutely zero credit. Amen! 34:39 One theologian said: "Sinners do not naturally seek for God 34:42 but that He earnestly seeks for them to come into a redemptive 34:46 relationship with Him. Such gracious seeking 34:50 creates a protorenewal which enables the convicted soul 34:55 to respond to God's redemptive offer. " 35:01 And what we need to recognize 35:03 is that there is this tension, this relationship, 35:09 between God's part and man's part. 35:13 And even in our theo- logical community of faith 35:16 we have a pendulum that tends to swing between the two. 35:22 And depends on which message I'm emphasizing. 35:24 Sometimes I emphasize God's part; 35:27 sometimes I emphasize man's part. 35:29 It's important for us to recognize 35:32 that there is a relationship between the two 35:34 and there's almost an enigma 35:37 about this relationship between God's part and man's part. 35:40 Let me show you one of these. Go with me in your Bibles 35:43 to Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13. 35:46 Look at the interesting fascinating relationship 35:51 between God's part and man's part. 35:53 And we quote this text all the time! 35:56 Philippians chapter 2 verse 13: 35:58 many of us can quote this by heart. 36:00 "For it is God who works in you 36:03 both too will and to do of His good pleasure. " 36:07 You've heard of that text. 36:09 I've preached on this text. 36:10 It said it's God - right? that works in you 36:14 both too will and to do of His good pleasure. 36:15 Now what's the emphasis of that text? 36:18 God's part! 36:20 And many preachers get up and say: "Let go and let God! " 36:24 Right? "Stand still and let God work. " 36:28 And that's the emphasis of this text. 36:32 But how many of you have read the text right before it? 36:37 Look at verse 12. 36:39 "Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed 36:43 not as in my presence only 36:47 but now much more in my absence... " 36:50 And look at the emphasis here. 36:52 Work... wow! "work out your own salvation 36:58 with fear and trembling. " 37:01 Now when's the last time you heard a sermon from that verse? 37:07 It's been a long time if never, right? 37:10 I mean wow! Is this Paul really writing? 37:13 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. " 37:18 And then right after it says: "For it is God that works 37:21 in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. " 37:23 In other words, there is a relationship between these two. 37:27 We get absolutely no credit; 37:29 we get absolutely no means of earning our salvation 37:33 yet there is a cooperation between God's part 37:37 and man's part. Amen? 37:39 And it's important for us to bring these two together 37:42 in a synthesis. 37:45 I want to read a quotation from a book called 37:48 How People Grow. It's an evangelical book 37:52 and I was assigned this in my doctoral studies. 37:55 And I'll be honest with you: I was quite skeptical 37:57 because I said: "What do the evangelicals have to contribute 38:00 toward sanctification and Christian growth? " 38:05 But as I read this I realized 38:09 that this book had quite the perspective 38:13 on Philippians chapter 2. I want to read to you this quote. 38:16 "We work out our own salvation meaning we execute our 38:19 responsibilities in growth. 38:22 All the while in mysterious and often invisible ways 38:26 God works in us for His purposes. 38:30 The co-laboring is not at all as if God is simply 38:34 doing things to us 38:36 like a surgeon operating on a patient 38:40 lying on a table. 38:42 It is more like certain forms of brain surgery 38:46 in which the patient is awake and working with the surgeon 38:52 telling him what he is experiencing as the surgeon 38:56 probes and cuts one way then another. 38:59 We are partners in our spiritual surgery. " 39:05 So there you have the synthesis between the two. 39:08 Cooperation between what God is doing 39:11 and our part in that cooperation. 39:14 This is from God's Amazing Grace page 252. 39:17 "Human effort avails nothing without divine power. 39:22 But without human endeavor 39:26 divine effort is with many of no avail. 39:30 To make God's grace our own 39:33 we must act our part. " 39:38 Now I want to clarify some things here this morning 39:41 because I hate being misunderstood. 39:45 I want to emphasize that the Bible makes it very clear 39:49 that we're not saved by works. 39:51 Amen? Amen. 39:54 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8: "For by grace ye have been saved 39:57 through faith and that not of yourself: 39:59 it is the gift of God. Not of works 40:02 lest anyone should boast. " 40:06 And just in case you're won- dering some people have assumed 40:08 that Ellen White was a legalist. 40:10 But I want to read you a couple statements here. 40:12 "There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon 40:15 more earnestly, repeated more frequently, 40:18 or established more firmly in the minds of all that 40:22 the impossibility of fallen man in meriting anything 40:27 by his own best good works 40:30 Salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus our own. 40:36 Let the subject be made distinct and plain 40:39 that it is not possible to affect anything in our standing 40:43 before God or in the gift of God to us 40:45 through creature merit. Should faith and works purchase 40:49 the gift of salvation for anyone 40:51 then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. " 40:58 One more. 41:01 "And any works that man can render to God 41:05 will be far less than nothingness. 41:08 My requests are made acceptable only because 41:12 they are laid upon the righteousness of Christ. " 41:17 In other words even our best works 41:21 need an upgrade. Amen! Amen? 41:25 And this keeps us humble by the grace of God. 41:29 I've been in communities of faith 41:32 where when you go through the dinner line 41:35 they watch your plate like a hawk. 41:41 Put the wrong thing on there there's an automatically pecking 41:46 order because the other individual is placed on a higher 41:49 pedestal than you. Because in that meritorious sanctification 41:54 works paradigm automatically if I have a certain diet, 42:00 if I have a certain work, 42:02 it places you on a higher plain. 42:06 According to Ellen White all of our righteousness 42:11 is like filthy rags - Amen - 42:14 and needs the righteousness of Christ. Amen! 42:17 Absolutely zero credit. 42:21 So how do we grapple with this idea of works 42:26 specifically the emphasis in the first angel's message? 42:29 Because there is a reaction that naturally happens 42:33 for those that have been burned by legalism. 42:36 My ministerial director said 42:38 "Conservative parents have liberal children 42:44 and liberal parents have conservative children. " 42:50 It's interesting because the pendulum swings. 42:52 And for individuals that have been burned by legalism 42:54 and abused by legalism 42:56 the tendency is to swing in the other direction. 42:59 And this was a part of what happened in Luther's own 43:04 experience. And you see this in his 1522 43:08 translation of the German New Testament. 43:11 This is what he says, and I quote: 43:13 "St. James' epistle is really a strawy epistle 43:20 compared to the others like Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 43:23 I Peter, and I John 43:25 for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it. " 43:30 Notice what Luther is saying. 43:33 "The book of James has nothing of the gospel in it. " 43:37 Now what does the book of James talk about? 43:41 Works! Works! Look at this! 43:44 In James chapter 2 verse 24 43:46 you see that a man is justified by works 43:51 not by faith alone. 43:55 Now in my congregation if I read this text 43:58 and I preach a sermon on this text 44:00 there are individuals that have been burned by legalism 44:02 that are about ready to have an aneurysm. 44:06 You can see it. The blood pres- sure rises; the face gets red 44:10 because they've been so abused and burned by legalism. 44:13 And I sympathize with that. 44:17 I have a dog. 44:21 Actually I have two dogs, and this particular dog 44:25 we got from a shelter. 44:28 A rescue... and she was abused... 44:35 specifically by children. And the reason we know 44:37 is every time she's around children she just kind of gets 44:39 really antsy. But I found something interesting 44:42 in that every time I go to sweep the floor with the broom 44:48 she is cowering in the corner. 44:53 She had been beaten by a broom. 44:58 Now from her perspective 45:00 the world will be a better place 45:06 if brooms were made illegal 45:13 and you were placed in prison for owning a broom. 45:19 Because she was abused. 45:24 I sympathize with her. 45:28 However, never judge something by its abuse. 45:35 Let me say that again. 45:36 Never judge something about its abuse. 45:40 You can abuse water. 45:42 Water boarding... torture. 45:45 But it does not mean that we don't drink water. 45:49 In other words, just because something is abused 45:52 does not mean that it has its proper place. 45:54 And here is Luther. He's been abused by legalism 45:57 and he swings the pendulum totally in the other direction 46:00 and goes to the place of saying that there is one book 46:03 of the Bible that he assumes is less than the others. 46:06 I believe from his perspective he would naturally 46:09 want the book of James to be ex- cluded from the Biblical canon. 46:14 Never judge something by its abuse. 46:17 Now is James talking about righteousness by works? 46:20 No! But he's saying that works has a place 46:25 in the Christian experience not for meritorious salvation, 46:28 not for earning our way to salvation, 46:32 but there is a place for works. 46:36 What I believe is that in the end of time 46:40 there is going to be a false gospel that is going to be 46:44 presented. And why I believe that is because 46:47 of the emphasis of the first angel's message. 46:49 In other words, there is going to be a gospel that is presented 46:53 that says: "Look, there is no transformation 46:56 that is essential in the human life. " 46:58 No transformation that bears fruit. 47:00 No transformation that impacts your behavior or your lifestyle. 47:05 And the Bible says that God's last-day people 47:09 is going to present a grace-centered, Christ-centered 47:13 message that says: "Yes, God's power 47:16 is not only available to shield us from the penalty 47:20 of sin but from the power of sin in the life. " 47:24 Amen! 47:26 Do we assume that sin is so powerful that even God 47:30 can't give us the victory? 47:33 What kind of God are we serving? 47:37 It's interesting because in 1605 47:43 Johannes Kepler, while he was studying the orbit of Mars, 47:48 noticed that the orbit around the sun 47:52 by the planet Mars was not in a perfect circle. 47:57 He concluded that through mathematical equations 48:00 that the orbit of Mars and the orbit of every other planet 48:04 in our solar system around the sun was not a circle 48:08 but it was something that he called an ellipse. 48:11 And this is known as Kepler's first law of planetary motion. 48:16 Now the difference between an ellipse and a circle 48:20 is that an ellipse centers on two central points, 48:27 a circle centers on one. 48:31 You can actually do this at home. 48:32 Put two thumbtacks down, get a string, and draw an ellipse. 48:37 That is the first law of planetary motion. 48:41 Notice that the way that our universe stays in sync 48:43 is not centering on one point but on two points. 48:46 And I believe this is the same for theological tensions 48:51 in scripture. Let me give you an example of this. 48:56 The nature of Christ. 48:59 We have this tension. 49:02 God - Jesus Christ - 49:05 was both divine and human. 49:10 And where we get into problems in theology 49:13 when you look at the history of Christology 49:16 someone comes along and says: "Jesus was divine 49:19 but He wasn't really human. " 49:22 In other words He looked like He was human. 49:24 Gnosticism or Dosticism... these early ideas 49:28 that came into the Christian church as they grappled with 49:31 this theological point of Jesus being both divine and human. 49:34 They said: "Look, He looked human. 49:36 He looked like He was eating but He just appeared as a man 49:40 but He was not really a man. " 49:42 The emphasis was on the divinity to the exclusion 49:46 of His humanity. What do we call that? 49:50 Heresy... we call that heresy. 49:55 Now during the enlightenment another individual comes along 49:57 and said: "Jesus was human 50:01 but He was JUST a human. " 50:04 "He was not really God; He was just a historical figure. " 50:08 We call that heresy as well. 50:11 So the synthesis between these two realities. 50:14 Now there's a mystery between those two realities 50:16 and we're told we need to take off our shoes 50:18 off our feet because we're on holy ground. 50:21 And we need to be OK with not understanding everything. 50:25 Amen? And say: "Look, Jesus was both human AND divine" 50:30 and hold that in a tension. 50:34 And I believe the same comes in terms of the gospel. 50:38 Whether it be justifi- cation and sanctification, 50:41 whether it be faith and works, 50:44 whether it be law and grace 50:46 we need to hold both of these up and say: "Look, 50:49 what is the relationship between the two? " 50:52 And not say: "I hold to one and reject the other. " 50:56 We need to have an elliptical theology - Amen - 51:00 and say "We affirm both" Amen! 51:04 "God's part and man's part. " 51:08 So what is the relation- ship between faith and works? 51:13 One individual said: "Our inheritance 51:16 is not earned by our 'lived-out' righteousness 51:20 but belonging to the family and being heir 51:24 is confirmed by it. 51:27 It is not earned but it is confirmed. 51:31 Good works are indispensable to salvation 51:34 not as the grounds or the means, 51:37 however, but as its consequence 51:40 and evidence. " 51:43 In the end of time there will be a group of people 51:46 that proclaim the everlasting gospel 51:48 and have the understand- ing between faith and works. 51:54 Jesus said in John chapter 15 verses 4 and 5 51:56 "Abide in Me and I in you 52:00 as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it 52:03 abides in the vine neither can you unless you abide 52:06 in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. 52:11 He who abides in Me and I in him 52:14 bears much fruit 52:17 for without Me you can do nothing. " 52:21 Jesus uses an analogy... 52:23 a metaphor, an illustration to give us an understanding 52:27 as to the relationship between faith and works. 52:30 In other words, if we abide in Christ 52:34 fruit will be the natural result. Amen! 52:39 The focus of the Christian is to be connected to the Vine. 52:43 Colossians chapter 1 verse 10: 52:45 "That you may walk worthy of the Lord 52:49 fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work. " 52:55 Steps to Christ, page 73: 52:58 "When Christ abides in the heart 53:00 the whole nature is transformed. 53:03 Christ's spirit, His love softens the heart, 53:06 subdues the soul, and raises the thoughts 53:10 and desires toward God and heaven. 53:14 This is what God wants to do through us. " 53:19 You know, recently in my devotions 53:24 and my Christian experience 53:27 I have asked the question: "How is it that Christ 53:33 abides in me? " 53:37 The in-Christ motif: Christ in me, the hope of glory. 53:42 I mean, what is this? How does this happen? 53:45 And it made more sense as I did a study 53:48 specifically on the Holy Spirit. In I John chapter 3 verse 24 53:51 the Bible says: "And by this we know 53:54 that He... " Jesus... "abides in us 53:57 by the spirit whom He has given us. " 54:01 In other words, Jesus abides in the Christian 54:05 through the agency of the Holy Spirit. 54:09 Amen! It is through the Holy Spirit. 54:11 And when we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds 54:16 there is a transformation that takes place 54:19 within each one of us. So the key 54:22 I believe to fearing God and giving glory to Him 54:27 is to have a generation of individuals 54:31 that are Spirit filled - Amen! 54:35 as never before. 54:39 And friends, it is not once filled always filled. 54:47 Amen? Amen! D. L. Moody said: 54:50 "Many think that because they were filled once 54:52 that they are filled forever. 54:54 Oh my friend: we are porous vessels. 54:58 It is necessary for us to constantly remain 55:01 under the fountain in order to be filled. " 55:06 Amen! I ran a couple marathons 55:11 and it's not only important to start the race hydrated 55:18 but for the duration of the race to continue to be hydrated. 55:24 Every mile there's a water station. 55:28 To be filled. D. L. Moody says we are "porous vessels" 55:32 and we need to be filled every single day with the Holy Spirit. 55:39 In preparation for the final crisis 55:42 God is going to have a group of people 55:45 that are going to make it through the time of trouble. 55:48 But it's not an event that you get ready for 55:53 in that moment... you get ready for it daily. 55:59 Daily faithfulness to our Lord Jesus. 56:03 In II Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16 56:05 "Yet the inward man is being renewed 56:09 day by day. " Acts of the Apostles, pg. 56: 56:14 "To the consecrated follower of Jesus 56:16 there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge 56:19 that even Christ during His life on earth 56:22 sought His Father daily 56:25 for fresh supplies of needed grace. " 56:29 And she says in the book Acts of the Apostles page 50: 56:32 "For the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit 56:35 every worker should offer his petition to God. " 56:40 For the Holy Spirit! 56:41 For that regeneration AND that renewal, 56:44 for Christ to live in our hearts by faith, 56:47 doesn't happen in the moment... but daily. 56:51 Inviting Jesus in through the agency of the Holy Spirit 56:57 God is able to work within us both too will 57:01 and to do of His good pleasure. 57:05 I just want to make a simple appeal here today. 57:07 How many of you want to say: "Lord, 57:09 help me to be ready? " "Help me to be ready 57:13 to proclaim the everlasting gospel to the world. " 57:17 Not by might; not by power 57:20 but by His Spirit says the Lord of Hosts. Amen! Amen. |
Revised 2018-07-17