Participants: Pr John Lomacang (Host), Jill Morikone, Molly Steenson, Pr. Tom Ferguson, Shelley Quinn
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000024A
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00:01 The Bible tells us,
00:02 "In the beginning was the Word 00:04 and the Word was with God 00:05 and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:09 the implanted word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God 00:17 rightly dividing the word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 00:24 our study today is Feed My Sheep, 00:27 1 and 2 Peter. 00:31 Hello and welcome to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:35 We thank you for taking the time to tune in 00:36 and join us for another 00:38 thought provoking study in the Word of God. 00:40 Amen. 00:42 With our Sabbath school lesson overall theme Feed My Sheep. 00:46 You know, when I think about that, 00:48 we have all either fed or been fed 00:51 because all we like sheep need to be fed. 00:55 And we're doing our part as God has called us 00:57 and equipped us to be able to share with you, 00:59 what comes from His Word, 01:01 there is no better food than the Word of God. 01:04 So get your Bibles, 01:05 if you have your Sabbath school lessons get those, 01:07 but if you don't have one go to these following website 01:10 absg.adventist.org 01:14 and download lesson number 12 01:17 that covers June 10 to June 16, 01:19 and the overall theme is The Day of The Lord 01:22 for that lesson study. 01:24 We want to thank you for taking the time 01:25 and your prayers and support of 3ABN 01:27 is always greatly appreciated 01:30 to allow us to do programs like this 01:32 and we thank you for all you do for the cause of God. 01:35 We have with our panel today, 01:37 faces that you may have seen before 01:39 because we're able to change 01:40 in throughout the study for this quarter, 01:42 but we are so thankful that Jill is with us today. 01:44 Good to have you here, Jill. 01:46 Thank you, pastor. Jill Morikone. 01:47 Pastor Tom Ferguson, 01:49 the pastor of the Marion district, 01:50 also in the Illinois Conference of call again ministry, 01:52 good to have you here. 01:53 Good to be here. 01:55 Mollie Steenson's been here at that anchor position 01:57 that nobody wants, 01:58 but we're thankful that you have humbly performed 02:01 what God has equipped you to. 02:02 Thank you, Mollie, good to have you here. 02:04 And Shelley Quinn, if I gave you hats, 02:07 you wouldn't have any place to put them. 02:08 You do so many things here at 3ABN, 02:10 we appreciate all of them. Loved every minute of it. 02:12 Thank you so much. 02:13 Shelley, as a matter of fact, before we get into our study, 02:15 would you have our prayer for us? 02:16 Surely. Okay. 02:18 Heavenly Father, we do come once again in the name of Jesus 02:20 and Father, we come this day to worship You in your Word. 02:24 We're just so grateful to you 02:27 that you didn't leave us as orphans, 02:29 You sent Your Holy Spirit and You gave us Your Word, 02:32 so that we could know You and we know that knowing 02:35 You is eternal life, 02:36 and knowing the one You sent Jesus Christ. 02:39 So as we come to this, 02:40 we ask now that we would be emptied of self 02:43 that You would send Your Holy Spirit 02:45 to be our teacher speak through us, 02:47 and Lord as always we pray 02:50 that You will give us ears to hear 02:52 what the Holy Spirit has to say, 02:54 and that You will give us the unction 02:57 to put these words into practice 02:59 in Jesus name, amen. 03:01 Amen. Amen. 03:03 The overall theme is the day of the Lord. 03:05 Now I wanted to just go ahead 03:07 and talk about the motive for a moment, 03:08 because it's amazing that Peter addresses 03:11 something that only a few New Testament writers address 03:14 The Day of The Lord. 03:15 There is a theme that's mentioned 03:17 quite a few times in the Bible 03:18 as a matter of fact to be specific, 03:19 if you put in the phrase Day of the Lord, 03:21 you'll find 26 references to The Day of the Lord. 03:24 Not the Lord's day, 03:25 it's quite a different story all together. 03:27 And it's not the end of... 03:29 it's not the second coming either, 03:31 it is a series of... 03:34 and when you read about it, it's thought provoking 03:36 but it's very humbling 03:38 to know that the day of the Lord is coming 03:41 and people are not preparing for it. 03:42 Matter of fact, I like to begin by going to the Book of Joel. 03:45 Joel probably says more about the day of the Lord 03:48 than Isaiah, 03:50 and Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, 03:52 and we also have the minor prophets like Amos, 03:54 and Obadiah, and Zephaniah, 03:56 they all talk about the day of the Lord, 03:58 but it is a frightening event when you really think about it. 04:02 Okay, let me get there now. 04:04 And when Joel starts in Joel 2, 04:09 I'm getting there now. 04:10 Okay, Daniel, there Joel, here we are. 04:12 When Joel talks about it, 04:14 he really walks us through a picture 04:16 that except you're kept by the power of God 04:20 this would take you to a Psalms 91, 04:23 where you would realize you need to have 04:25 a secret place of the most high, 04:26 ain't that right, Shelley? 04:28 Amen. 04:29 Because the theme here is just a one 04:31 that says to the parishioner, 04:33 listen for the sound of the trumpet, 04:35 to the preacher, blow the trumpet. 04:38 Isaiah 58, lift up our voice as a trumpet. 04:41 But Joel begins in Joel 2, here it says, 04:43 "Blow the trumpet in Zion." 04:46 That's what Peter is building on this trumpet 04:49 that was blown by the prophet Isaiah, 04:51 and Jeremiah, and Amos, 04:53 and Obadiah, and Zephaniah all these prophets, 04:55 "Blow the trumpet in Zion, 04:57 and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! 05:01 Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, 05:03 for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand." 05:08 Jill, pick up on verse 2 and 3 for me. 05:11 "A day of darkness and gloominess, 05:13 a day of clouds and thick darkness, 05:16 like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. 05:18 A people come, great and strong, 05:20 the like of whom has never been, 05:22 nor will there ever be any such after them, 05:25 even for many successive generations. 05:28 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns, 05:32 the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, 05:34 and behind them a desolate wilderness. 05:37 Surely nothing shall escape them." 05:39 Can you see that picture? 05:41 Joel is writing this in the context of locust, 05:44 when they see the fields they come in like a sand storm 05:47 and they leave absolutely nothing in their way. 05:50 And so he's saying in essence, 05:52 he's describing our fears out breaking of 05:55 what God unleashes for the day of the Lord. 05:59 In fact, the day of the Lord it comes upon all, 06:02 nobody's going to escape the day of the Lord. 06:03 It's right. 06:04 So when Isaiah, the prophet deals with the day of the Lord 06:07 and this is a motif, in fact, 06:09 it's a developing theme throughout 06:12 most of the Old Testament 06:13 and touched on by the New Testament writers. 06:15 And so Peter now, he takes us to the day of the Lord 06:18 and he says, 06:20 "In light of the fact of the day of the Lord is coming, 06:22 what shall we do?" 06:24 Matter of fact, I'd like to 06:25 go even a little further into this, 06:27 how is it going to affect a humanity? 06:30 Let's read verse 6. 06:33 Pastor Tom, do you have verse 6? 06:35 Go down to verse 9... 06:36 But where are we now? In Joel? 06:38 In Joel 2. Oh, okay. 06:40 If you don't have it I could... 06:41 I got it. You have it? 06:43 Joel 2:6-9, it's talking about the impact. 06:47 Yes. That's 6-9. 06:50 "Before them the people writhe in pain, 06:52 all faces are drained of color. 06:54 They run like mighty men, 06:55 they climb the wall like men of war. 06:57 Every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. 07:02 They do not push one another, 07:03 every one marches in his own column. 07:07 Though they lunge between the weapons, 07:09 they are not cut down. 07:10 They run to and fro in the city and they run on the wall, 07:14 they climb into the houses, 07:15 they enter the windows like a thief." 07:18 And, Mollie, pickup verse 10 and 11. 07:20 Verse 10 and 11. 07:21 "The earth shall quake before them, 07:23 the heaven shall tremble. 07:25 The sun and the moon shall be dark, 07:26 and the stars shall withdraw their shining 07:29 and the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, 07:32 for His camp is very great. 07:34 For He's strong that executeth His word. 07:37 For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible 07:40 and who can abide it?" 07:42 And so when Peter brings this out, 07:44 you know, the new king who can endure it. 07:47 Amen. 07:48 And so when you look at this, 07:49 if you said there was a storm coming, 07:51 just recently, you know, we have these storms, 07:54 they say well tornadoes here, a fire is here, floods here, 07:56 snow here, 07:58 but when you describe an event of such magnificent proportions 08:02 and say the entire world is gonna be affected by it. 08:07 It's amazing that people will put off preparation forward 08:11 and say, "Well, when it comes, I'll be just fine," 08:14 because the day of the Lord is a motif 08:16 that's just amazingly powerful. 08:19 But I want to dive into 2 Peter 3, 08:20 because now he takes us and he reminds us 08:24 in the lesson on the line of authority. 08:26 How important it is 08:28 and I thought it was interesting 08:30 that he included in his writings, 08:35 and included in this lesson is a picture of Peter 08:39 as this young reluctant disciple. 08:43 This disciple that had to get out of himself 08:46 before he can get into the Lord. 08:48 And the Lord asked him a question three times, 08:51 and I want to go and read that. 08:52 I'm going to read John 21:15, 16 and 17. 08:56 And this is something that people have heard it 08:58 number of times before. 09:00 A wonderful exercise though, 09:02 because in order for the Lord... 09:05 It serves all of us. 09:06 In order for the Lord to be able to do anything for us, 09:11 He has to show us our need of him. 09:13 Amen. 09:14 We can't be filled with ourselves 09:16 and do the work of God, 09:17 so the Lord had to take Peter 09:19 to a place where he almost interrogated him 09:22 to some degree to get him to look 09:24 at what his condition in fact was. 09:29 So he says in verse 15, 09:31 "So when they had eaten breakfast..." 09:34 Lord made sure he had a full stomach. 09:38 "When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 09:40 "Simon, son of Jonah, 09:42 do you love Me more than these?" 09:46 And this is casual right now. 09:48 He said to Him, 09:49 "Yes, Lord, You know I love You." 09:52 He said to him, "Feed My lambs." 09:54 That's kind of it begins in a nice way. 09:57 But then Lord says to him again the second time verse 16, 10:00 "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' 10:04 He said to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know I love You." 10:08 He said to him, "Tend My sheep." 10:12 He said to him the third time... 10:14 And I can imagine Peter saying, 10:15 "Didn't you just ask me this twice? 10:18 Am I gonna give you a different answer?" 10:20 He said to him the third time, 10:21 "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" 10:24 Peter was grieved 10:25 because He said to him the third time, 10:28 "Do you love Me?" 10:29 And he said to Him, 10:30 "Lord, You know all things, 10:35 I love You." 10:36 Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." 10:39 And I thought to myself in this exercise 10:41 and you know, those of us 10:42 we get to the Greek and Hebrew 10:44 and all that that's a fun thing to do 10:45 because the first two times 10:47 that Jesus asked Peter, do you love me? 10:48 He said, do you agape me? 10:50 Do you agape me? 10:51 And Peter was not at that unconditional place yet. 10:54 Yes. 10:55 And you know we have to get people that are not at 10:56 that unconditional place room to grow. 10:59 So with the light of the day of the Lord coming, 11:02 He is saying, 11:03 "Where are you in your walk with me? 11:04 Do you love me unconditionally yet?" 11:07 And Peter finally answers, "Lord you know, I agape, 11:10 I mean, I phileo you. 11:12 I love you like a brother. 11:13 He said, "Okay, if that's where I'm gonna meet you, go ahead." 11:15 Because Peter had not yet been converted. 11:18 And later on you find that Peter was hesitant 11:21 about following the Lord by pointing to John and say, 11:24 "Well, what about him?" 11:26 The reality of it is when the Lord calls us 11:28 in order for us to follow the line of authority 11:30 and that's why I begin with this, 11:32 Peter had to understand that the line of authority 11:34 was Jesus first and him after that. 11:37 Amen. 11:38 It's never the other way around it, 11:39 the minister is not the line of authority, 11:41 the conference is not the line of authority, 11:42 it is only as we are under Christ. 11:44 Amen. 11:45 It is only as we follow His leading, 11:47 His Word that any line of authority 11:49 can be established. 11:50 Jesus had to let Peter know, I'm the line of authority. 11:52 Wherever I say to you go, you go. 11:55 If I say follow, you follow. 11:56 Don't hesitate, don't be lackadaisical. 11:59 And so we, I want to share a few things, 12:01 three practical things that came out in lesson 12:03 that I studied about the line of authority, 12:05 because the mission of the spiritual leader is... 12:08 four points I brought out, 12:10 to remind the members of the Word 12:13 that came from the holy prophets. 12:15 You know, Peter didn't have a Bible like we have today. 12:18 He had the Old Testament. 12:20 He had the writings of the prophets, 12:22 so when they communicated as Jesus did, 12:25 when he communicated, he communicated from the words 12:27 that were already established and reiterated 12:30 by the prophets of old. 12:31 So our job today, 12:33 in the generation we have phrases 12:35 like the New Testament Church, New Testament Christians. 12:40 Well, the Old Testament is often looked down upon, 12:42 we have to remind our members 12:44 and we have to remind each other 12:46 that the authority of God's Word 12:48 runs from Genesis all the way to Revelation. 12:50 Absolutely. Amen. That's right. 12:51 There's no break, there's no Old Testament 12:53 against New Testament, 12:54 or Paul against Jesus, Peter against John, 12:58 you notice how they oftentimes we say, 13:00 "Well, here's what Jesus said." 13:02 But then somebody said, but Paul said. 13:04 Well, here's what Jesus said, but Dr. Luke said. 13:07 You know, they baptized in Jesus name, 13:09 but I said what Jesus said 13:10 baptize in the name of the Father, 13:12 Son, and Holy Spirit, but Luke said 13:13 and we pit each other, 13:15 we pit Bible authorities against the words of Jesus, 13:19 trying to find that those are old things. 13:22 We have to remind people that there is no such thing as old 13:24 when it comes to God's Word. 13:26 So we have to point the church back to the Bible, 13:28 so let me give you three practical things. 13:31 Go to Acts 17:11, 13:32 three practical steps to guard 13:36 against eroding the truth of God's Word. 13:39 Three practical steps 13:42 against eroding the truth of God's Word, 13:44 because the controversies will come. 13:47 Acts 17:11, who didn't I have read yet, 13:49 we'll start with Shelly. 13:52 "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, 13:56 in that they received the word with all readiness," 13:59 speaking of the Bereans. 14:01 "And searched the Scriptures daily 14:03 to find out whether these things were so." 14:06 First very important point, 14:08 if you're not searching the scriptures 14:10 on a daily basis, 14:12 you're not ready for the day of the Lord. 14:13 Yes, okay. 14:15 If you're not searching the Bible on a day-by-day basis 14:17 'cause Peter said, 14:19 "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night." 14:21 So if you know the thief is coming, 14:23 you don't know when he's gonna come, 14:24 he's not gonna send an email, 14:25 he's not gonna send a prior notice, 14:27 he's going to come. 14:28 And all the events that he describes 14:29 in verse 10 and 11 of 2 Peter 3 will occur. 14:32 The one thing we can do to prepare for the day of the Lord 14:35 is search the scriptures daily. 14:37 To see whether what we're being told 14:39 is in fact supported by God's Word. 14:41 Second thing is 1 Peter 2:9, this is really important, 14:46 this is a most powerful one. 14:50 I'll have Jill read that one 14:52 because this is one of those beautiful passages, 14:54 and this is something we have to realize 14:56 about our position in God. 14:57 1 Peter 2:9? Yes. 14:59 "But you are a chosen generation, 15:01 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 15:03 His own special people, 15:05 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 15:07 who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 15:10 When we consider the truth of God's Word, 15:13 it is not just light, 15:14 what kind of light is it say it together. 15:15 Marvelous. It's marvelous light. 15:18 Sometimes we don't estimate who we are in the sight of God, 15:23 we talk down about ourselves, we talk about our past, 15:28 we relish that's why I like when Jesus 15:30 asks the man at the pool, do you want to be made well? 15:34 To want to be made well, mean, 15:36 you have to understand who you are in Christ, 15:37 we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 15:41 a holy nation and we would have not just been given light, 15:44 we've been given marvelous light. 15:47 Remind your congregants as teachers 15:50 and as leaders in the church, 15:52 remind your people that they are special 15:54 in God's sight. 15:55 He doesn't choose those who are throwaways. 15:59 He always brings us 16:00 to the place of a new birth 16:02 and a new standing in Him. 16:04 And then the other thing, encourage one another, 16:06 not just to know the truth but to love the truth. 16:08 Pastor Tom, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 16:13 before we transition to the next part of our lesson, 16:15 which is the Scoffers. 16:17 2 Thessalonians 2:10. 16:20 Look at that. This is a danger here. 16:22 "And with all unrighteous deception 16:25 among those who perish, 16:27 because they did not receive the love of the truth, 16:29 that they might be saved." 16:30 Wow. 16:32 It's not enough to have an understanding of the truth, 16:35 you've got to love the truth. 16:37 If you don't love the truth, 16:39 you will fall into the category of being unprepared 16:42 for the day of the Lord, 16:43 and then you could become a scoffer, 16:45 which is what Jill is gonna talk about. 16:46 Yeah. 16:47 The scoffers were for that we're going to 2 Peter 3. 16:51 Yes. 16:52 2 Peter 3, we're going to look at verses 3 and 4 here. 16:56 Okay. 16:57 And you read 1 and 2 16:59 so we're picking up right after that. 17:01 "Knowing this first that scoffers will come 17:05 in the last days." 17:07 Wow. 17:08 I'm gonna stop there for just a moment. 17:10 In the last days the end of time we believe 17:13 that we're living in the end of time. 17:15 That's right. 17:16 That Jesus is about soon to come 17:18 if you think about that image from Daniel 2, 17:20 we're in the toenails. 17:22 You know, we're all the way down the head, 17:24 and the body, and the torso, and the legs, and the feet, 17:27 and we're down to the toes at the very end of time. 17:30 At the end of time, there is many scoffers 17:32 and we hear them about the second coming, 17:35 "Is Jesus really coming? 17:37 I've been waiting a long time 17:38 and I don't think He's been coming." 17:40 He hasn't come yet and everything continues 17:43 as it has from the beginning. 17:45 He's the God of love, 17:47 there's not gonna be any punishment of the wicked. 17:50 We hear scoffers on the Sabbath, 17:52 God's not that particular, 17:54 it does not matter what day you go to church on 17:57 or what day you worship on. 17:58 After all the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross. 18:02 Why is God so fussy about what you do on the Sabbath? 18:06 We hear scoffers about marriage as long as, 18:08 he and I love each other, that's all that really matters. 18:13 I feel right about this, 18:14 God wants me to be with this person, 18:16 isn't God the author of Love? 18:19 God just wants me to be happy. 18:22 Dangerous teachings 18:23 when we start to scoff, we mock, 18:25 we make light of what the Word of God teaches. 18:30 So let's look at these scoffers. 18:31 We'll see an interesting connection 18:33 between the scoffers 18:34 and walking according to your own lust. 18:37 In the Greek, the word for scoffer 18:39 is a mocker or a scoffer, 18:41 but by implication it's a false teacher. 18:44 So we can say as we talk about these scoffers, who say, 18:47 "Where is the promise of Your coming? 18:48 All things have continued 18:49 as they were from the beginning." 18:51 We're talking about false teachers. 18:54 Then it continues, we're in 2 Peter 3. 18:59 They are "Scoffers come in the last days, 19:02 walking according to their own lusts," 19:05 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? 19:08 For since the fathers fell asleep, 19:10 all things continue 19:11 as they were from the beginning of creation." 19:15 Walking according to their own lusts, 19:18 walking in lust can lead to false teachings, 19:21 and false teachers instead of submitting themselves 19:26 to the authority of the Word of God, 19:28 oftentimes exalt what they think 19:31 or their own preconceived notion or opinion 19:34 above the Word of God. 19:36 False teachers live like they want, 19:39 they do away with godly restraints, 19:42 it's like you become above the law. 19:45 I remember... 19:47 And you see this happen, unfortunately, 19:49 in many different denominations, 19:51 people who, I remember one gentleman pastor, 19:55 he stood in the pulpit preached the Word of God with power. 19:59 And was very strict in his interpretation 20:05 of what you should do? 20:07 How you should live? 20:08 How you should act? 20:10 And all of that almost to the point of the people 20:12 sitting in the pews would be discouraged. 20:15 Wow, where is Jesus giving me the power, 20:18 enabling me to do this... 20:20 this is a great deal of rules and I'm struggling with this. 20:23 And then just a little while later 20:28 behind closed doors, 20:30 who he really was came out 20:32 and he was walking 20:34 according to His own lust, 20:35 thinking himself above 20:37 even what he had preached from the Word of God 20:40 and putting his own thoughts, 20:43 his own opinions above the Word of God, 20:46 becoming above the law. 20:48 False teachers seek to gain recognition, honor, 20:52 and a following, they don't depend on God 20:56 but depend on what other people say. 20:58 So if Pastor John says, 20:59 "Jill, you did a really good job here." 21:02 And then what do you think, 21:03 you're starting to depend on what somebody else says 21:06 instead of depending on God. 21:08 So false teachers look 21:10 to maybe the people in their congregation, 21:12 to the accolades of other people, 21:14 they get propped up by other people, 21:17 instead of depending on the Lord Jesus Christ. 21:19 And the third thing, false teachers 21:21 also seek to gain their livelihood and security, 21:25 they sacrifice truth for security. 21:28 Now it's not a bad thing to want to support your family, 21:31 it's not a bad thing to want to gain a livelihood, 21:34 and that's a good thing. 21:35 A workman is worthy of his hire. 21:37 But in a special sense, 21:38 false teachers will be willing 21:41 to sacrifice truth in order to keep a job, 21:45 in order to have that financial gain 21:49 or financial security. 21:50 Let's look at 2 Timothy 4. 21:53 We mentioned this earlier, 2 Peter is like 21:56 Peter's last will and testament written before his death. 22:00 And 2 Timothy would be Paul's last will and testament 22:03 written before his death. 22:05 So 2 Timothy 4, 22:09 Paul's counsel to Timothy. 22:12 Now this is a counsel to stand firm for truth 22:15 and not become a false teacher. 22:17 That's right. 22:18 So let's read, Pastor Tom, you want to take first one? 22:22 Which verse now? 2 Timothy 4:1. 22:25 Verse 1, "I charge you therefore before God 22:27 and the Lord Jesus Christ, 22:29 who will judge the living and the dead 22:31 at His appearing and His kingdom." 22:34 Now it's a serious charge, 22:35 because he's charged before the Lord God. 22:38 Okay, Pastor John, verse 2? Yeah. 22:40 "Preach the word! 22:41 Be ready in season and out of season. 22:45 Convince, rebuke, exhort, 22:47 with all longsuffering and teaching." 22:50 You wanted to say King James, be instant in season 22:54 and out of season that King James wants to come now. 22:56 Exactly. 22:57 But to preach the Word of God 22:59 to be ready to share the Word of God, 23:01 to convince, rebuke, exhort, 23:03 there's nothing here about putting your own thoughts 23:05 above the Word of God. 23:07 There is nothing here about depending on other people 23:09 or being propped up by other people, 23:11 there is nothing here about sacrificing truth 23:14 or compromising truth to preach... 23:16 You know, I want to add because you open that door for me, 23:18 be instant. 23:20 Yes. 23:21 You know what instant, everything today is instant, 23:22 microwave. 23:24 In other words it says, 23:25 don't wait for the occasion to get you ready, 23:26 be ready for the occasion before it comes. 23:28 Amen, that's great. 23:29 Mollie, you want to do verse 3. 23:31 Verse 3, "For the time will come 23:33 when they will not endure sound doctrine, 23:36 but after their own lust shall they heap 23:38 to themselves teachers, having itching ears." 23:41 Verse 4 too. 23:42 "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, 23:45 and shall be turned unto fables." 23:49 This is talking about people 23:50 who actually want to hear false teachers, 23:52 would you say that's accurate? 23:53 Yeah, that' right. 23:55 People sitting under and they want to hear false teacher, 23:57 so if you are... 23:59 We'll get to that in just a moment. 24:01 Shelley, let's read verse 5 and then I'll see that. 24:03 Verse 5, "But you be watchful in all things, 24:06 endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, 24:09 fulfill your ministry." 24:11 So I just want to make an appeal to you at home, 24:14 whether you are a pastor, a leader, an evangelist, 24:18 a Sabbath school teacher, 24:20 whether you are training your children, 24:22 as you mentioned on another program. 24:24 That's right. 24:25 Whether you are in any position as an elder, or a deacon, 24:28 or a deaconess in any position of spiritual authority 24:31 sharing in the church, 24:32 do not become, do not become a false teacher 24:36 and do not let the opinions of other people, 24:40 private interpretation, 24:41 do not let what people say to you about you, 24:45 against you, sway you from the Word of God. 24:49 That's right. 24:50 Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season, 24:53 whether the people who are in your congregation want, 24:57 as Mollie read, want false teachings, 24:59 don't let that sway you, 25:01 be honest and faithful to the Word of God. 25:05 Be watchful in all things, there will be afflictions, 25:07 it says endure afflictions, there will come afflictions, 25:11 endure, do the work of an evangelist, 25:13 fulfill the ministry that the Lord Jesus Christ 25:17 has called you to do. 25:18 And we know if we are faithful... 25:20 That's right. 25:22 ..one day God will give us that crown of life. 25:24 That's right. Amen. 25:26 I want to look at one more verse. 25:27 This is we're going back to 2 Peter. 25:30 Okay. 25:35 2 Peter, where is the promise? 25:39 We're going back to a verse we read, 25:40 "Where is the promise of His coming? 25:41 For since the fathers fell asleep, 25:43 all things continue 25:45 as they were from the beginning." 25:47 And I know many times, 25:48 we as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 25:50 are looking forward to the coming of Jesus, 25:52 so don't be discouraged. 25:54 Don't say, "Oh, he hasn't come yet, 25:57 Mollie Sue and I've been waiting my lifetime. 26:00 Do the work God has called you to do today. 26:04 Make sure your heart and life is ready with God today, 26:08 reach out and evangelize. 26:10 Share with your neighbors with those in your community, 26:13 with your family, share Jesus Christ today 26:15 while you have time. 26:17 Amen. Wow. 26:18 Amen. Thank you, Jill. 26:19 Lot of provoking thoughts there 26:21 about how important it is to remember. 26:23 And then I thank you for bringing in the writings 26:24 of the Paul there in 2 Timothy, it's really, really good. 26:28 He's saying this to a young man 26:29 who's about to enter the ministry, 26:31 "Don't be discouraged, I'm about to leave the scene 26:32 but you have to take up the chorus." 26:34 Pastor Tom, a thousand years is a day. 26:38 Yes. 26:39 A thousand years... 26:40 Sometimes we want the Lord to move more quickly 26:42 than we do than... 26:46 Sometimes we want the Lord 26:47 to move more quickly than He does. 26:50 There we go. That's right. 26:51 That's what I'm trying to say. 26:52 And when it comes 26:54 to the mission of the Adventist church, 26:57 you know, it's been a long time since we say, 27:00 we're living in the time of the end 27:02 and the end of time is to be at hand 27:05 because there's a little difference 27:06 between the time of the end and the end of time. 27:08 There's a special gospel for this hour, 27:11 and it just seems as though there's been a delay. 27:14 As a matter of fact, during the delay 27:16 there have been these scoffers that have been mentioned. 27:18 That's right. 27:20 As a matter of fact some people say, 27:21 "Well, we don't even teach that anymore, 27:24 we don't even want to think about that." 27:25 It's been 173 years 27:28 since the beginning of the time of the end. 27:31 Now we know that Noah preached 120 years, 27:33 it's been more than that at this time 27:36 and as a result we're wondering, 27:38 why the delay, Lord? 27:39 Why will we have this mission, why this delay? 27:42 Well, I invite you to turn with me to Romans 15. 27:52 And, Jill, I was wondering if you could read verse 5. 27:56 Romans 15:5, 27:58 "Now may the God of patience and comfort 28:00 grant you to be like-minded toward one another, 28:03 according to Christ Jesus." 28:06 And He is the God of what? 28:08 Patience. Patience. 28:09 Patience. 28:10 He is a patient God. 28:12 It's one of those things that we have to develop is patience, 28:15 He actually develops that in us, 28:17 is the correct way to say that, 28:18 because we do want him to move more quickly. 28:20 Sometimes it's in reaching out to someone we care about, 28:23 sometimes it's changing our circumstances, 28:25 but you know, there's another reason why the delay. 28:27 Psalm 103:8, 28:29 "The Lord is merciful and gracious, 28:31 slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." 28:34 Yes. 28:36 And our Lord is not only patient 28:38 but He is abounding in mercy. 28:40 Amen. 28:42 Now I also think about what is God up to in the meantime. 28:46 Well, He has a commission for us. 28:47 I want us to turn to something that's familiar. 28:49 Let's go to Revelation 10. 28:53 Revelation 10 28:55 and we're gonna look at verse 11. 29:00 You know, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, 29:02 I realize that there is a force 29:06 constantly trying to get me off course. 29:10 Forgetting the main thing, 29:11 the main thing has to maintain... 29:13 It needs to continue to be the main thing in my walk. 29:17 And verse 11 of Revelation 10 says, 29:19 "And he said to me, 'You must prophesy again 29:21 about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.' 29:24 " And what they were to do is share a message 29:26 that no one had ever heard before. 29:29 Christ had move into the most holy place, 29:31 the judgment hour is here 29:33 and there is a message that must be shared. 29:35 And what happens is that message 29:38 is it needs to be focused on, 29:39 that message is something God has commissioned us to share. 29:43 Well, we know that, that message is found 29:45 in Revelation 14:6-11, three angels' messages. 29:50 But what is the enemy up to at the same time? 29:53 Let's turn to Revelation 16. 29:56 I like this revelation thing, my favorite book. 30:00 It's a Revelation of Jesus Christ. 30:01 As a matter fact, there's 404 verses 30:03 and 276 of them quote the Old Testament. 30:07 That's right. 30:09 So here we are in verses 13-16 30:11 of Revelation 16. 30:15 "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs 30:17 coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 30:19 out of the mouth of the beast, 30:20 and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 30:22 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, 30:24 which go out to the kings of the earth 30:26 and the whole world to gather them 30:28 to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 30:31 'Behold, I am coming..." 30:32 By the way I want to stop right there. 30:34 This battle is waging 30:35 and I'll tell you when it comes, 30:37 we had a discussion off camera about media. 30:40 Boy, with this battle of Armageddon, 30:42 there's all kinds of ideas out there, 30:44 but it's the whole world warring against God 30:46 and His message and His children. 30:48 And verse 14, 30:50 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. 30:52 Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, 30:55 lest he walk naked..." 30:57 What are those garments that they're are to keep? 30:59 Christ... Robe of righteousness. 31:01 Christ robe of righteousness. Amen. 31:02 Otherwise they see their nakedness 31:04 and they see their shame. 31:06 "And they gathered them together 31:08 to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." 31:12 This is not this little valley of Megiddo, 31:14 it is actually a battle, 31:16 a worldwide war that's going on. 31:18 There is a war of words, 31:20 there is a battle over the mind in the hearts of humanity. 31:23 Amen. That's right. 31:25 And there are two messages that are going out there. 31:28 One of them is the pure unadulterated message 31:31 that Christ has, 31:32 that those that have Christ's righteousness 31:34 are sharing in its totality, 31:37 and then there is Babylon, 31:39 there is the confusing message that is warring against it. 31:42 And every soul that hears 31:44 that has the opportunity to hear the truth, 31:47 God has given them an opportunity to hang on 31:49 to their life line, 31:50 the enemy goes in 31:51 with an attack of all this counterfeit to counter 31:56 what God is doing in their lives. 31:57 So there are two choices for humanity. 32:00 Now what is the final thrust of his message? 32:03 Revelation 18, the final thrust. 32:07 You know, there are people that have... 32:09 I remember being a child, it was in the 1970s, 32:12 and I think I was about 12 years old, 32:15 and I remember standing around the adult saying, 32:17 the Lord's going to come in five years, 32:18 I can just tell he's going to come from all the signs. 32:21 And here I am today, 32:24 and I'm not even sure if all of them are still alive, 32:26 they were saying that. 32:28 But there is a faithfulness to the message, 32:32 we must be faithful to the message 32:33 because Revelation 18:4 is going to be a reality. 32:36 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 32:38 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, 32:40 lest you receive of her plagues. 32:42 For her sins have reached to heaven, 32:44 and God has remembered her iniquities.'" 32:46 Judgment is coming, 32:47 the time of the end is about to be at hand. 32:50 Now the message that God has for me 32:55 is not only the three angels' message, 32:57 but he wants to share that 32:59 with the power of the fourth angel, 33:01 which you see in Revelation. 33:03 As a matter of fact, 33:04 it's the elect that are sharing it, 33:05 is those that are in Christ, 33:07 those that are not drawn away 33:10 as a result of the delay. 33:13 There are reasons that God is delaying. 33:16 And number one I think, one of them is that message 33:18 is not being faithfully shared as it could be. 33:23 What's another reason for the delay? 33:25 Let's go to Revelation 7. 33:33 And I want to look at the first three verses, Revelation 7. 33:38 And, Mollie, would you be 33:40 so kind to us to read verses 1-3? 33:43 "And after these things I saw four angels 33:46 standing on the four corners of the earth, 33:48 holding the four winds of the earth, 33:51 that the wind should not blow on the earth 33:53 nor on the sea nor on any tree. 33:56 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, 33:58 having the seal of the living God. 34:01 And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels 34:04 to whom it was given to hurt the earth 34:07 and the sea, saying, 34:09 'Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, 34:12 till we have sealed the servants of our God 34:15 in their foreheads." 34:16 That's right. 34:17 So God is in the work of transforming lives 34:22 and until that is complete, when I want him, 34:26 if my child is one of those that needs to be reached 34:29 and needs to be brought into the fold, 34:31 would I want him to hurry up and get here? 34:33 No. 34:35 It's to the degree of my love for Him 34:37 and for those that He longs to save, 34:41 that will help develop my patience. 34:43 That's right. 34:44 That very love that I receive from Him for each. 34:47 Now does anyone here know the day or the hour 34:50 that they're gonna close their eyes and sleep? 34:52 No. No. 34:53 If the Lord delays His coming, 34:55 that will be a surprise for everyone, right? 34:57 We don't know the day or the hour, 34:59 but there is a seasonal sometimes, 35:01 sometimes it happens suddenly, sometimes we see it coming. 35:04 I thought about Noah and his family entering the ark 35:08 and then the door shutting in seven days 35:10 and then the end came. 35:11 God does it's... 35:14 God's people are not as blindsided 35:15 as those that are caught up in the whirlwind 35:17 that's out there. 35:19 And I also think about another reason for the delay, 35:23 there are watchmen 35:26 that Ezekiel 3 and Ezekiel 33 talks about. 35:30 A faithful watchman will be sharing the truth, 35:34 sharing the message that the hearers need to hear, 35:38 and if they reject that message, 35:41 it's on the hearer. 35:43 If they accept it not only as the messenger 35:48 but also the one receiving that message is saved. 35:51 And if those that have 35:53 what God wants to share and do not share it, 35:57 and someone is lost as a result, 36:00 who does God hold accountable? 36:01 Yes. Yeah. 36:04 And I really know that the... 36:05 I believe that the enemy knows 36:08 how to trip us up and he wants to get us off the message, 36:11 so that we're not sharing it. 36:13 And so that not only are others lost but so are we. 36:16 There is something that God is up to 36:18 and He wants us to be in step with Him. 36:22 You know, another reason why the delay is 36:25 we're wrapped into time and God is not. 36:29 Amen. 36:31 There is a time for our beginning 36:32 and there is a time for our end, 36:34 and God is everlasting. 36:37 That's right. 36:38 And as a result His patience is everlasting. 36:42 He will do things in a perfect time. 36:45 Amen and amen. 36:46 Beautiful expounding on the delay, thank the Lord. 36:50 And, but we do know 36:53 that the day of the Lord is coming. 36:56 That there is the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 36:58 What I look at... 37:00 Now, Mollie, as you get into this, 37:01 I thought it was amazing, 37:03 how are you gonna handle a lesson entitled "So What?" 37:06 Is it all has to do with relevance. 37:08 Okay. So what? 37:10 And a young man had waxed eloquently. 37:15 As he witnessed to his own mother 37:18 about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ 37:20 and the promise of His soon return. 37:23 He was feeling quite proud of his self 37:26 because of how eloquent 37:28 he had presented the argument to her. 37:31 But you know what his mother said? 37:34 So what's that had to do with me, so what? 37:37 She was saying, how is that relevant. 37:40 Relevant, relating to our bearing 37:44 upon the matter at hand. 37:46 He had given her a beautiful truth, 37:49 a truth that every one of us hold to. 37:52 A true faith is intrinsic in the name of the denomination 37:56 that we're a part of the Seventh-day Adventist. 37:59 What is the advent? 38:01 What does that word mean? Second coming. 38:02 The soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ, "So what?" 38:06 she said. 38:08 The teaching of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ 38:11 is foundational to us. 38:14 We all just take it for granted that everybody believes it 38:17 because without the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, 38:21 the whole gospel message falls to the ground. 38:25 Now we're going to look at how Peter addressed the relevance 38:30 of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 38:32 Okay. 38:33 But in the New Testament there are 260 chapters. 38:38 I like to do statistics, you all know what to... 38:41 260 chapters, 38:44 Christ return is mentioned 318 times, 38:48 statistically, 38:50 that is one verse over 25 pages. 38:53 Wow. Amen. 38:54 The Lord's return is mentioned or alluded to. 38:58 Now let's look in 2 Peter 3, 39:02 we're going to look at verses 10-13. 39:06 And the scripture says, 39:08 "But the day of the Lord will come." 39:10 This is Peter's expounding on the second coming. 39:14 "But the day of the Lord 39:15 will come as a thief in the night, 39:17 in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise." 39:21 You know, we talk about the secret rapture. 39:25 You ever heard of the secret rapture? 39:28 Have you ever read Thessalonians, 39:30 you know, Thessalonians is a very noisy book. 39:32 That's right. 39:34 And then I look here 39:35 and the heavens pass away with a great noise. 39:38 I don't think it's gonna be a secret to tell you the truth. 39:40 No. Not at all. 39:41 "And the elements will melt with fervent heat, 39:43 both the earth and the works 39:45 that are in it will be burned up. 39:47 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, 39:51 what manner of person..." 39:53 Peter ask, "Ought you to be 39:56 in holy conduct and godliness," 39:59 He's saying you better be ready. 40:01 Amen. 40:03 "Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, 40:06 because of which the heavens will be dissolved, 40:08 being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 40:13 Nevertheless, we according to His promise, 40:17 look for a new heavens and a new earth 40:19 in which righteousness dwells." 40:22 Now in Matthew 24, 40:25 we read a parable 40:28 about a wicked servant and a faithful servant. 40:33 But before we go to Matthew 24, 40:35 as a matter of fact, 40:37 you can go there if you want to, 40:38 but I want us to look at John 14. 40:43 Okay. 40:44 I'm going to read just the first 3 verses, 40:47 John 14. 40:50 This is Jesus speaking, He says, 40:53 "Let not your heart be troubled. 40:55 You believe in God, believe also in Me. 40:58 In My Father's house are many mansions, 41:00 if it were not so, I would have told you. 41:03 I go to prepare a place for you." 41:05 Now what is Jesus doing? 41:07 He is going to prepare a place for us. 41:09 Amen. 41:10 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 41:13 I will come again and receive you unto Myself, 41:16 and where I am, there you may be also." 41:18 Now back to the parable that is in Matthew 14, 41:23 it seems that a master has gone away, 41:26 it's Matthew 24. 41:28 24. 24, okay. 41:30 Matthew 24, "A master has gone away 41:34 with the promise to return 41:37 but for some reason, His return has been delayed." 41:43 Now I wanted to read in John 14, 41:47 because we have a master has he gone away? 41:50 Has he promised to come again? Yes. 41:53 You know, what he's doing now, he's preparing a place for us. 41:56 And you looked at the delay of His coming 42:00 and we've expounded beautifully on the fact 42:03 that He is definitely going to return. 42:06 Now one of the servants was very diligent, 42:11 he was faithful and all of his responsibilities 42:15 and because of his diligence, 42:19 he was commended 42:21 and he was promised that he would be made a ruler 42:25 over all of the Master's goods. 42:28 Now what was he? 42:29 He was faithful and he was diligent. 42:32 Now the other servant and this is Matthew 24, 42:35 you can look in verses 48-51, I'll read that. 42:40 The other servant says in his heart. 42:44 Where does he say it? 42:45 In his heart. He said that in his heart. 42:48 "My master is delaying his coming," 42:51 Do some people Jill say 42:53 that the Master is delaying in His coming. 42:54 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 42:55 That was one of those false teacher teachings, 43:00 one of those that were trying to lead people astray, 43:04 He's delaying His coming. 43:06 "And he begins to beat his fellow servants, 43:10 and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 43:13 the master of that servant will come on a day 43:17 when he is not looking for him 43:19 and at an hour that he is not aware of, 43:23 and will..." 43:24 This is what's going to happen to him. 43:26 "And will cut him in two 43:28 and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites." 43:31 Wow. 43:32 "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 43:36 So we need to say to our self, 43:39 "Do I want to be that faithful servant?" 43:41 Yes. 43:43 "Or do I want to be that evil servant?" 43:44 Now what is the lesson we can learn from this? 43:47 I think, it's a warning 43:49 that we shouldn't lower our standards, 43:52 that we've got to ever be fervently. 43:56 I like that word, 43:57 it's the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 44:01 that availeth much. 44:03 We can't get lackadaisical and lukewarm... 44:07 That's right. Like that Laodicean Church. 44:09 We can't be lukewarm. 44:11 Christ is returning 44:13 and he's looking for faithful servants, 44:16 who are about their master's business, 44:18 there can be no complacency. 44:21 His coming is closer than it's ever been. 44:25 Now what is the relevancy? 44:27 That remember I used that word relevant, 44:31 the mother said, "So what?" 44:33 What is the relevancy, "So what?" 44:36 The relevancy is the coming of Christ is a reality. 44:39 He really is going to return. Amen. 44:42 If we're alive at the second coming, 44:46 we better be found faithful. 44:48 That's right. 44:50 But if we're not alive at the second coming, 44:53 if we've already fallen asleep, 44:56 we better have been found faithful 44:59 when we fell asleep. 45:01 You know there is no place 45:03 where you can be that evil servant 45:06 that loses his fervency. 45:08 Now I started to say, 45:10 we need to live our lives like the Lord 45:13 is returning tomorrow and I change that. 45:14 That's right, it's a very good point. 45:16 I changed it to we better live our lives 45:20 like the Lord is returning today. 45:23 And this is a question I wanted to leave you with. 45:27 If you knew, if we could just know 45:29 and all we wouldn't like to know 45:31 the day the Lord is returning, 45:33 what would you do different? 45:35 What if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt 45:38 that the Lord was going to return 45:40 this afternoon at 2 o'clock? 45:43 What would you do different 45:45 than what you're doing right now, 45:47 what should be a bit different? 45:49 We should be just as vitally and fervently involved 45:53 in doing the work of the Lord 45:55 not knowing when He's returning, 45:57 then if we knew that He was returning immediately, 46:00 that's the relevancy. 46:02 That's "So what?" So what? Yes. 46:04 The Lord is really going to return 46:06 and it's sooner than it's ever been. 46:08 Wow. Amen and amen. 46:10 That's beautiful. 46:11 Which leads to the final appeal. 46:13 It does indeed. 46:14 You know, it's interesting 46:16 again what I love about Peter is throughout his letters, 46:20 Jesus Christ is his focus. 46:21 That's right. 46:23 You know, and he's in 1 Peter talking to people 46:26 who are being persecuted from without, 46:28 but now he's talking about the trouble with from within 46:31 and we could call that a form of persecution, 46:34 but essentially, he's just said... 46:37 as you've just said, you know, 46:38 since evil is going to be destroyed 46:41 at the day of His coming, and all the sinners, 46:44 and all the evil is going to be burnt up. 46:46 What Peter is now going on to say in this final appeal 46:50 is live holy lives and don't be swayed 46:55 by these false teachers. 46:57 So Thursday's lesson, the final appeal, 46:59 we're to look at 2 Peter 3:14-18, 47:05 so let's just begin here in verse 14, 47:08 that's 2 Peter 3:14. 47:11 "Therefore beloved..." 47:12 Now he's changing tones 'cause he's talking to those, 47:17 them in a precious way. 47:19 He says, "Looking forward to these things, 47:22 be diligent to be found by Him in peace 47:25 without spot and blameless." 47:28 You know, this is a second time in his writing, 47:29 that he has used this word diligent. 47:31 Remember, in this same epistle in chapter 1 and verse 10. 47:37 He said, "Therefore, brethren be even more diligent 47:41 to make your call and election sure, 47:43 for if you do these things, you will never stumble." 47:47 Well, what's the opposite of diligence? 47:50 You just said it, when you become complacent, 47:53 when we become lazy, we're not being diligent. 47:57 Apathy is a very dangerous heart condition 48:00 and we have to be careful. 48:02 So Peter is warning us, 48:04 them and us to live in eager 48:08 expectation of Christ's return. 48:11 Let's look at verse 15, 2 Peter 3:15, 48:14 "And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord 48:17 is salvation, as also our beloved Paul, 48:22 according to the wisdom given to him, 48:26 has written to you." 48:28 Mollie, why don't you look up Romans 2:4. 48:32 And Tom, why don't you look up 1 Timothy 2:4. 48:36 So here he's saying 48:39 that God's long suffering 48:43 is something that we're to be thankful for him. 48:45 And now he's mentioning Paul, it's interesting 48:47 that he's bringing in Paul's writings, 48:49 we'll address that in just a second. 48:51 And Paul did write 48:52 about the long suffering of the Lord. 48:54 In Romans 2:4, what does he say? 48:57 Romans 2:4, "Or despise thou the riches of His goodness, 49:01 and forbearance, and longsuffering, 49:04 not knowing that the goodness of God 49:06 leadeth you to repentance?" 49:08 Amen. 49:09 So it's God's goodness, this long suffering, 49:11 His patience is for our good. 49:13 And, Tom, 1 Timothy 2:4? 49:16 "Who desires all men to be saved 49:18 and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 49:20 See God is not going to shut down, 49:24 when we wonder why He hasn't returned, 49:27 the only reason God hasn't returned 49:29 is because He really had, the desire of His heart 49:31 is that all would be saved. 49:33 And so He is not going to close off the door of opportunity 49:38 till He knows that we've reached that point, 49:40 where people are not gonna turn to Him again, so Hallelujah. 49:44 Now in 2 Peter 3:16, 49:47 he's continuing to talk about 49:49 the beloved brother Paul and he says, 49:52 "As also in all his epistles, 49:55 speaking in them of these things," 49:59 'cause Paul also wrote about the second coming 50:02 in the holiness required to the believer. 50:04 But he's then Peter says, 50:06 "In which are some things hard to understand, 50:10 which untaught and unstable people 50:14 twist to their own destruction, 50:16 as they do also with the rest of the Scriptures." 50:19 So he's speaking of Paul with great affection 50:22 and he's actually verifying that Paul, 50:26 you see here, he says, 50:27 "They do also with the rest of the Scripture," 50:29 so he's comparing Paul's writings 50:32 to the rest of the Old Testament scriptures, 50:34 and he is giving him the validity 50:37 that he is God ordained and these are authoritative. 50:41 But do you think that Peter had problems 50:45 understanding Paul's writings? 50:48 No, he's not saying that he didn't understand, 50:51 he says which untaught and unstable people 50:57 misunderstand and twist. 50:59 So even though they had 51:01 very different backgrounds and personalities, 51:03 and even though they were preaching 51:05 from different perspectives 51:06 and Paul was God's ambassador of grace 51:09 and he really spent a lot of effort 51:12 in explaining righteousness by faith, 51:15 whereas Peter's talking more 51:16 about holy living and Christian service, 51:20 but they never ever contradict one another. 51:23 And as a matter of fact, 51:24 as we've been going through here, 51:26 through 1 and 2 Peter, 51:28 I think my eyes have been opened in a way 51:30 that I've not seen before as clearly before, 51:34 how much they have the mirror image 51:36 of this same message. 51:38 So it's just really powerful. 51:40 But he's saying that false teachers twist this, 51:44 they would take the message on grace 51:47 and then they would try to make it that, 51:50 oh, you have a license to sin now, 51:52 and that happens in all churches, 51:55 even in the Adventist church it can happen, 51:57 that somebody gets 51:59 an imbalanced teaching on grace. 52:02 As matter of fact, I heard about a "Grace messenger" 52:06 going into one church 52:08 and when he finished his series, 52:10 you'll be appalled at this." 52:12 But the head elder actually said, 52:15 "Well, praise the Lord, 52:17 I can come out of the closet about my pornography. 52:20 I'm saved by grace." Wow. 52:23 So the message, 52:24 see what we've gotta understand 52:26 is everything is by God's grace, 52:28 everything, but God's, 52:30 if you understand God's gifts of grace, 52:32 you'll understand the effects of grace 52:34 because His greatest gift is He gave His Son for us. 52:39 Amen. That's right. 52:40 Jesus is His greatest gift, 52:41 the Holy Spirit is another great gift of grace 52:44 as is the Word of God. 52:47 Amen. 52:48 So if you understand it's Christ 52:50 and the spirit in the word living in us, 52:52 this is God's grace. 52:54 Then you understand that grace is His divine assistance, 52:57 His supernatural power for salvation, 53:00 we can only obey by grace. 53:03 Paul who is God's ambassador for grace, 53:07 said in Philippians 2:12, 53:09 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." 53:12 I mean, he was constantly pointing, 53:14 but then he comes right back, in the next verse it says, 53:17 "But not in your own strength for it's God who works in you 53:20 to will and to do His good pleasure." 53:22 So we know that we can only obey by God's grace. 53:26 And then let's look at this Roman 6:15-19, 53:30 I think I have just enough time to read this, 53:33 because false teachers were promising liberty. 53:39 But people and they love to hear it, 53:41 you know, why the itching ears love to hear it, 53:43 because then they, 53:44 their cherished sin can be kept. 53:46 You know, it's kind of like, 53:48 oh, yeah, you can give me liberty here. 53:50 And people thought they had their favorite since justified, 53:53 but look what Paul said in Romans 6:15-19. 53:57 "What then shall we sin 53:58 because we are not under law but under grace? 54:00 Certainly not! Paul says. 54:03 Do you not know that to whom 54:04 you present yourselves slaves to obey, 54:07 you are that one's slaves whom you obey, 54:09 whether of sin leading to death 54:10 or of obedience leading to righteousness? 54:13 But God be thanked that 54:14 though you were once slaves of sin, 54:16 yet you obeyed from the heart 54:18 that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 54:20 And having been set free from sin, 54:23 you became slaves of righteousness." 54:25 Amen. 54:27 "I speak in human terms 54:28 because of the weakness of your flesh. 54:31 For just as you presented your members," 54:33 he's saying in the past, 54:35 "you presented your members and slaves of uncleanness, 54:38 and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness," 54:42 breaking God's law 54:44 leading to more breaking God's law. 54:45 "So now present your members 54:48 as slaves of righteousness for holiness." 54:52 That's right. 54:53 So we can see that Paul and Peter have messages 54:58 that echo Christ's teachings, 55:01 they echo the Old Testament prophets. 55:04 And now let's go on in 2 Peter 3:17 55:06 'cause I have such a little time. 55:08 He says, "You therefore, beloved, 55:12 since you know this beforehand," 55:14 that all of this is coming. 55:16 "Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, 55:19 being led away with the error of the wicked." 55:24 You know, Peter or Paul wrote, 55:27 "Be careful lest you think you stand you fall." 55:30 So they're both saying the same thing. 55:32 And then he goes on and in verse 18, he says, 55:35 "But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord 55:38 and Savior Jesus Christ. 55:40 To Him be the glory both now and forever. 55:43 Amen and amen." Amen. 55:44 The more we know about Jesus, the more we grow in grace, 55:49 and the smaller the chance will be 55:51 that we will be swayed 55:53 by false teachers to stand for truth, 55:58 we have to grow in the knowledge 56:00 and draw closer to Jesus Christ. 56:02 Amen. 56:04 Wow, Shelley, Mollie, Pastor Tom, Jill, 56:08 this day of the Lord lesson brought out so many 56:12 and so many things that we need to be reminded of, 56:14 and I summarize it in five really quick points. 56:18 I like the way you... 56:20 I summarize what you said, Shelley, 56:21 commit yourself completely... 56:23 Yes, amen. Amen. 56:25 To the Lord. 56:26 I like that, grow in grace not into grace. 56:30 We're already in God's saving grace, 56:32 grow into grace. 56:35 If you were given 10 more seconds, 56:37 what else would you add to that? 56:39 That it is as we exercise the power 56:43 that God gives us that we grow in grace. 56:45 That's right. 56:47 Mollie, what about you? 56:48 That everything is going to be destroyed, 56:51 everything we see is going to be destroyed, 56:54 everything that is wicked is going to be destroyed, 56:56 it's only by the grace and mercy of God 56:58 that we will stay in true in that end time. 57:00 Amen. Pastor Tom? 57:02 The delay is for our good. Amen. 57:05 And our perfect God has a perfect plan 57:08 that He will see to fruition. 57:10 That's right. Jill? Amen. 57:12 I'm blessed by reading Peter because I see where Peter was, 57:16 you look at the gospels and where God brought him... 57:19 That's right. 57:21 To see the transforming grace of God in his life. 57:22 That's right. 57:24 Remember these very important points, 57:25 Jesus is our only authority. 57:27 There is no other foundation other than Christ 57:29 we can build on. 57:31 The antidote of scoffing is the truth, 57:33 accept the truth and you will not become a scoffer and deny 57:37 the soon return of our Lord. 57:39 Pastor Tom, God is not in a hurry, 57:41 he has all the time in the world 57:42 but we don't unless we accept Him as our Savior. 57:45 And, Mollie, I like that. 57:47 What are we gonna do about it, "So what?" 57:48 You've heard all these challenges, 57:50 what are you going to do about it in your life. 57:52 And finally, Shelley, once again, 57:54 commit yourself wholly to the Christ, 57:55 that wants to commit everything 57:57 He has to not only our salvation, 58:00 but to His eternal gift. 58:02 May God bless you, 58:03 until we see you again in Christ. 58:06 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2024-06-10