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Series Code: TCM
Program Code: TCM200006S
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00:40 I'm delighted that you've joined us for this series
00:43 titled Three Cosmic Messages: 00:47 This is the sixth in a 13-part series 00:51 on the Bible prophecies of Revelation... especially 00:54 focusing on Revelation 14 verses 6 to 12. 00:58 In those verses God gives to us 01:01 three messages pictured as being carried by angels 01:06 in mid heaven that are to go to the end of the earth 01:08 just before His return. 01:10 In this presentation we're going to focus on verse 6. 01:14 "Fear God and give glory to Him 01:17 for the hour of His judgment is come. 01:19 And worship Him that made heaven, earth, and the fountains 01:21 of waters. " So stay with us. 01:23 You will be absolutely thrilled as you sense the meaning 01:28 of these verses and God speaking to your own heart through them. 01:31 So let's pray. 01:33 Father in heaven, we want to thank you 01:35 that You have not left this world in uncertainty. 01:39 You've not left this world without a message... 01:42 a message that comes from Your heart 01:45 to prepare us for Your soon return. 01:48 Help us to have open minds, 01:51 receptive spirits, to grasp Your message for this hour. 01:56 In Christ's name, Amen. 01:59 The title of my presentation is An Urgent Call to Action. 02:03 The book of Revelation is not merely a book 02:06 to fill our heads with mystic symbols, cryptic signs, 02:11 and strange beasts. 02:13 The book of Revelation is designed to compel us 02:16 to lead us to make eternal decisions 02:19 in our lives and to really compel us to action. 02:24 Some time ago I was thinking about 02:27 a concert that may have taken place in Carnegie Hall 02:33 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 02:37 Now this is in my imagination only 02:41 and I need to clarify that before I go into the story. 02:44 So let's suppose that you've bought tickets to Carnegie Hall. 02:48 Let's suppose that you're sitting in this concert. 02:51 It's an absolutely amazing concert. 02:54 You sit on the edge of your seat; you're thrilled 02:57 with the music; you're taken into the stratosphere with the 03:02 rapturous playing of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 03:06 You paid a great deal for those seats, 03:08 and then somebody in the middle of that concert 03:13 begins to yell "Fire! Fire! " 03:15 Now you have really three choices if that happens. 03:18 Choice #1: You think "This guy is an absolute lunatic. 03:22 They're a crazy nut. I can't wait till the security comes 03:26 and takes them away. " 03:27 Secondly you might think: "You know what? 03:29 This may be true. " You're thankful that a person 03:32 has yelled "Fire! " There's been no danger yet. 03:35 You jump up and run out with a thankful spirit. 03:38 The third option is 03:41 maybe you think "I'd better get out of here" 03:43 but you're angry, you're bitter because you spent a lot of money 03:46 for the tickets. You may have those 3 options. 03:56 I mean, somebody can get trampled. 03:58 Some others can get severely injured rushing to the exit. 04:02 Somebody may be stress-filled and have a heart attack. 04:05 So if you yell "Fire! " and there's no fire, 04:08 it's pretty serious. But: 04:14 When you have a real crisis 04:17 and somebody warns you of that crisis 04:21 that indeed is extremely a valid warning. 04:27 The warning in the book of Revelation 04:30 is not a warning that comes in harshness. 04:34 It's not a warning from a God that is an authoritarian Judge 04:39 or a tyrant. The warning in the book of Revelation 04:42 is a warning in love. 04:44 And Revelation really is a book about the grace, 04:48 the mercy, the goodness, the love of God. 04:51 The book of Revelation is an appeal to us 04:54 to know Christ as the dying Lamb. 04:57 To know Christ as the living Priest. 05:00 The book of Revelation is a book about Jesus Christ. 05:05 And the warnings that we receive in Revelation 05:08 are warnings given to us in love. 05:11 They're warnings given by three angels 05:14 that symbolically fly in mid heaven. 05:18 These warnings are very similar to the warnings that God 05:21 gave to Noah before the earth was destroyed by water. 05:25 The earth was destroyed then by water 05:28 and it will be destroyed another time by fire. 05:33 In Noah's day Noah preached for 120 years 05:37 warning that the flood was coming. 05:39 In the book of Revelation we have Revelation's end-time 05:43 judgment, and we saw in our last presentation 05:47 that the clock struck the hour prophetically 05:50 at the end of the 2,300-year prophecy 05:53 in 1844. So just as Noah preached 05:57 for decades, over a century, 06:00 so the message of God has been going out for well over 06:03 a century in this world population to prepare people 06:07 for the coming of Jesus. 06:09 What were the conditions like in Noah's day? 06:11 And how did they compare to our conditions in our day? 06:14 Notice Genesis 6:3 says: 06:22 So God reaches out in mercy. 06:25 He graciously reaches out in love. 06:28 But His Spirit that leads to decision 06:31 does not always appeal to human beings. 06:34 There'll come a time when human beings have made 06:37 their final irrevocable decision. 06:40 There'll come a period of time in earth's history 06:42 where every person has had ample opportunity. 06:45 Where every person has had the privilege 06:49 of responding to God's love 06:51 and they've made their solid irrevocable choice. 06:55 God does not withdraw His Spirit arbitrarily. 07:00 He doesn't withdraw His Spirit and say: "Those that are in 07:03 are in and those that are out are out. " 07:06 When God's message went forth in the days of Noah 07:11 and when Noah and his family entered into the ark 07:14 and the door was shut 07:16 it was not shut when many more could have honestly 07:19 graciously repented, confessed their sin, and entered in. 07:23 It was shut because they had made their final decision. 07:26 So probation in this world will not arbitrarily close by God. 07:31 It will be the signal that every human being 07:34 has already made their decision. 07:38 What were the conditions in the days of Noah? 07:41 Genesis 6:5. It really seems like conditions today. 07:54 You don't have to spend too much time on television 07:56 even looking at the ads 07:58 too much time on the Internet when you recognize 08:02 quite dramatically that the wickedness of man 08:05 has been great in the earth. 08:07 You don't have to spend much time with news media, 08:10 news magazines, or newspapers 08:12 to understand that the intents of the thoughts 08:15 of his heart is evil continually. 08:17 When Billy Graham finished writing his first draft 08:22 of one of his books called World Aflame 08:25 it's reported that he gave the first chapter to his wife Ruth 08:29 and when she read it she said something like this: 08:32 "Billy, if Jesus does not come soon, 08:35 He's going to have to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah 08:39 and apologize to them. " 08:40 In every age of earth's history 08:42 there has been a period of time when human probation 08:46 has come to an end. 08:47 In every age of earth's history there's been a time when the 08:50 wickedness of man has filled the cup of iniquity 08:54 where God has given opportunity after opportunity 08:57 after opportunity. And that's really the message 08:59 in the days of Noah. 09:01 It's the message in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. 09:03 It's the message in the days of Daniel in Babylon 09:06 with Belshazzar when the hand- writing was written on the wall. 09:09 "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin: 09:11 thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting. " 09:14 And it's really the message of the 3 angels. 09:16 It is the message of the first angel which is an urgent appeal 09:20 to men and women everywhere 09:22 to make their decisions for Christ and make them today. 09:26 The message of these three angels is God's final warning. 09:29 It's His final message of hope. 09:31 It is a hope-filled, grace-filled message 09:34 of love to this generation. 09:56 The earth was destroyed by water once 09:59 and it will indeed be destroyed by fire a second time. 10:03 Jesus is coming, though, not primarily to destroy the earth. 10:07 Christ's intent is not simply to destroy our world. 10:11 It is rather to destroy wickedness so righteousness 10:15 will reign. It's not to destroy the evil 10:18 although that will be the natural result of His coming. 10:20 It is to redeem the righteous. 10:22 Jesus is coming because heaven is empty without you. 10:26 The fellowship that Christ has with the angels and the cherubim 10:29 and seraphim... that fellowship is incomplete 10:32 without you. Jesus is coming because He wants you! 10:36 He wants you to live in a land where there is no sickness, 10:38 suffering, death, heartache, pain any more. 10:41 He wants you to be with Him forever. 10:43 And that's the message of the three angels. 10:45 That's the message of these three cosmic beings 10:48 that fly in mid heaven. 10:50 That's the message in earth's final conflict: 10:54 the message of a loving God. 10:55 A message to prepare men and women 10:58 for the last days of human history. 11:01 Let's go to the heart of the book of Revelation 11:03 and see the details of this specific message. 11:15 We studied that in the last two presentations in this series. 11:18 The hour of God's judgment is come; the clock has struck 11:21 the hour. 11:26 Now notice the expression: "Fear God and give glory to Him. " 11:31 We ask the question: "What does it mean to fear God? " 11:35 "What does it mean to give glory to Him? " 11:38 What appeal is this practically to our hearts? 11:43 How indeed do we fear God? 11:47 How indeed do we place our allegiance on the behalf 11:51 of God and in His grace and mercy? 11:54 Is this message "fear God" one in which God appeals 11:58 to us to tremble and shake before Him? 12:01 Certainly there is that sense of reverence 12:03 and respecting God. 12:06 But this word fear in the ori- ginal language of the NT Greek 12:11 is phobeo and it has this sense of reverence, 12:15 awe, and respect... but it goes beyond that. 12:19 This word fear or phobeo in Scripture 12:23 has to do with a large idea. 12:27 It has to do with the idea that I respect God enough 12:30 to obey Him. It has to do with a thinking process 12:33 in my mind that leads me to decide 12:37 to do whatever Christ commands 12:39 knowing that His commands are best and in my best behalf. 12:44 It is not a command of force. 12:46 It is a loving appeal for obedience. 12:49 In the book Desire of Ages on the life of Christ 12:52 on page 22 I read: 12:59 You see the devil uses force... not God. 13:02 He - God - desires only the service of love. 13:13 Only by love is love awakened. 13:16 And so that's why in Revelation 14 verse 6 13:19 it says: "I saw another angel flying in the middle of heaven 13:22 with the everlasting gospel. " 13:24 The gospel - the love of God revealed in the life, death, 13:29 resurrection, and intercession of Christ 13:33 in heaven above - that love of God 13:35 enables us to respond phobeo: 13:40 to fear God or to obey God. 13:42 That love leads us to obedience. 13:45 You know, it continues in Desire of Ages page 22: 13:56 So in the book of Revelation 13:58 God's love reaches out to us 14:02 leading us to loving obedience 14:05 leading us to respect, rever- ence Him... that's fear Him... 14:09 enough to obey Him. 14:10 That is in contrast to the beast power. 14:13 The beast power in Revelation forces. 14:16 The beast power in Revelation coerces. 14:19 The beast power in the book of Revelation passes a decree 14:24 where no man can buy or sell unless they worship the beast. 14:27 The beast power in the book of Revelation - 14:29 this political religious antichrist power - 14:33 persecutes the people of God 14:35 like church-state unions have done in the past. 14:38 He also passes a death decree on the people of God. 14:42 So you see this amazing contrast: 14:44 a contrast between God's love 14:47 that leads to willing obedience 14:49 outlined in this message of the first angel 14:52 and Satan, who tries to coerce and force allegiance. 14:58 The contrast could not be greater. 15:01 This battle over the law of God, 15:05 this battle over the throne of God, 15:07 this battle over who has the authority to rule 15:10 is described in Isaiah chapter 14 verses 13 and 14. 15:15 Lucifer says: "I will ascend into heaven. " 15:17 Wasn't he already in heaven? He wanted a higher place. 15:26 Throne implies ruler ship... he wants to rule. 15:35 What was the mount of the congregation on the sides 15:37 of the north of Israel? Mt. Sinai. 15:39 What came from Mt. Sinai? The law of God. 15:44 So Lucifer, a created being, 15:47 did not want to worship the Creator. 15:49 Lucifer, a created being, wanted to exalt himself 15:52 above the Creator. He wanted to sit on the throne and rule. 15:56 He wanted to make law and not obey law. 16:00 So the question of the con- troversy between good and evil 16:02 was over authority. 16:04 Does God have the authority to rule? 16:06 Is God a loving ruler? 16:08 Does God have the best interest of His creatures in view? 16:11 In the last days of earth's history 16:13 in the messages of the three angels that go forth 16:16 God sends an eternal message to the ends of the earth 16:20 showing that His people willingly, lovingly, openly 16:25 desire to please Him in everything they do. 16:28 This "fear God" has to do with this mental commitment 16:31 that we make knowing that God's commands 16:34 are for our best good and to lovingly, graciously serve Him. 16:46 In other words, if you want to know what the Bible teaches 16:49 on a subject, you take that expression 16:51 and you travel through the Bible. 16:53 And as you travel through the Bible 16:55 you look at how that expression is used in the Bible. 16:58 So when the Bible uses the expression "fear God" 17:02 what does it mean? What does this expression indicate to us? 17:07 Let's journey through Scripture 17:09 and let's look at the expression and how it's used. 17:21 So here fearing God is linked to a reverence, 17:26 a respect for God that leads us to obey Him 17:29 and keep His commandments. 17:31 Here is another one: Psalm 119:73-74. 17:51 So what according to these passages 17:54 does it mean to fear God? 17:56 It means to be glad, to be joyous 17:58 in our obedience to Him. 18:08 Now this is the conclusion of the matter: 18:17 What duty of man is this? 18:19 It's the WHOLE duty of man. 18:21 So this says: "Fear God... keep His commandments 18:24 for this indeed is the whole, the entire duty of man. " 18:30 So the book of Revelation the appeal of the first angel's 18:35 message is an appeal that leads us back to obedience. 18:39 It leads us back to the gladness and the joy 18:43 that we have in life when we please God. 18:49 Now notice: judgment is included in Revelation 14 verse 7 18:54 "the hour of His judgment is come. " 18:56 Commandments of God are included there 18:58 and the idea of respect or obey Him. 19:07 Again, throughout the Bible you have this linkage. 19:10 You have this integrated unity 19:13 of obeying God because we love God. 19:17 Responding to His grace in obedience. 19:20 And the idea of judgment: that we'll be judged by the very 19:23 choices we make, judged by the lives that we live. 19:35 Now there are those people that have this strange idea 19:38 that when I come to Jesus it's Jesus only. 19:42 And for them, the Jesus only means 19:46 Jesus only from the sense that He saved me from the guilt 19:49 and condemnation of my sin but there's not much emphasis 19:53 on obedience... not much emphasis on Bible doctrine. 19:57 You cannot separate Christ from doctrine. 20:00 To accept Jesus is not to accept some mythical 20:04 Jesus, some mystical Jesus, some ethereal Jesus. 20:09 To accept Jesus is to accept the teachings of Christ. 20:12 It's to understand that when I come to Christ: 20:19 When I come to Jesus I'm saved by grace. 20:21 Saved TOTALLY by grace. 20:23 There is no other salvation beside grace. 20:27 But when I am saved by grace 20:30 that leads me not to disobedience but to obedience. 20:34 It leads me not to walk away from the commandments 20:40 but walk toward the commandments. 20:41 Not as legalistic requirements but as glad tidings 20:47 of the character of Jesus Christ Himself. 21:01 So the gospel is a complete gospel. 21:04 It delivers us from the guilt of sin and delivers us from 21:08 the grip of sin. 21:10 It delivers us from the penalty of a broken law 21:12 and it delivers us from the bondage and power 21:16 of the broken law. 21:18 The grace of Christ is the grace He gives us for obedience. 21:33 So faith does not lead me from works but to works. 21:39 When people ask me: "Do you believe in Jesus only? " 21:41 I say to them: "I believe in the Jesus only of the Bible. " 21:44 The Jesus only of the Bible saves us by His grace. 21:47 The Jesus only of the Bible transforms us by His love. 21:51 The Jesus only of the Bible empowers us by His power. 21:55 The Jesus only of the Bible transforms our lives. 21:58 The Jesus only of the Bible 21:59 is the Jesus of the book of Revelation 22:01 that leads us to fear God, respect God, and obey God. 22:05 In the book Christ Triumphant page 235 I read: 22:17 Now what is this error that they may accept 22:21 in the place of truth? Here it is: 22:31 What kind of ground are they on, everybody? 22:33 They're on dangerous ground because you cannot separate 22:37 Christ from the teachings of Christ. 22:40 You cannot separate Christ from doctrine. 22:43 So the Jesus that was here talked about the Bible 22:46 as His Word. He said: "Sanctify them through My Word; 22:49 Thy Word is truth. " John 17 verse 17. 22:52 When you accept Christ you accept His Word. 22:54 Jesus said for example that there is no other way 22:58 of salvation. When you accept Christ 23:01 you accept Him as the way of salvation. 23:02 Jesus said: "Let not your heart be troubled; 23:05 you believe in God... believe also in Me. 23:06 In My Father's house there are many mansions. " 23:08 John 14:1-3. "If it were not so, 23:11 I would have told you. I am coming again. " 23:13 If you accept Christ, you believe His teachings. 23:15 He's coming again! If you accept Christ, 23:18 you accept fully the teachings of Christ about obedience, 23:22 the Bible Sabbath, and the teachings of the Creator God. 23:26 If you accept Christ, you accept what He has said 23:29 about death and life and the resurrection. 23:45 So when we accept Christ 23:47 we accept the embodiment of truth as it's revealed 23:51 in Scripture. We do not turn our backs on the Christ 23:55 who has proclaimed that truth. 23:57 Andrew Bonar, great Christian writer, states it 24:01 really succinctly when he says this: 24:56 You see, the issue is far more than the specific command. 25:01 The issue is the authority of the Lawgiver. 25:05 The issue is do we accept a limited Christ 25:09 or do we accept the fullness of Christ? 25:12 Do we accept the beauty of the greatness of Christ? 25:16 And to disobey the commands of Christ is to disobey 25:20 accepting the fullness of Christ. 25:23 Christ has more for you than you can possibly imagine. 25:28 Christ has more for you beyond in your life 25:32 that's greater than simply saying: "Oh, I accept Christ. 25:35 Now I can live like I please; now I can do like I please. " 25:38 Jesus invites you into the depths of His experience. 25:42 That's why He said: "Fear God... obey God. " 25:45 "Respect God... fear God. " 25:48 That respect is the mental attitude of obedience 25:51 that leads us to do whatever Jesus says. 25:54 Revelation is: 26:02 Some people make money the center of their lives. 26:05 You see, we all have a certain center in our life. 26:08 Some people make pleasure the center of their lives. 26:11 Some people make sports the center of their lives. 26:14 Some people make entertain- ment the center of their lives. 26:18 But Revelation's appeal is an urgent appeal 26:21 to make Jesus Christ as the center of our lives. 26:39 So Revelation's appeal in Revelation 14 verse 7 26:44 "Fear God" is an appeal for priorities in our lives. 26:49 It is an appeal to make Christ the priority of our life. 27:01 Notice the verb here: "Set your mind. " 27:05 Set your mind means to make a conscious decided choice. 27:12 A decided choice to place Christ first in your life 27:17 and to make your greatest desire 27:20 to please Him. 27:23 Now what does it mean to "give glory to God? " 27:26 Fearing God has to do with your thinking process. 27:30 A thought process in which you desire to obey Him, 27:34 to please Him, in whatever He asks. 27:37 Now what does it mean to "give glory to God? " 27:40 Because remember our text says: 27:41 "Fear God and give glory to Him 27:45 for the hour of His judgment is come. " 27:47 So in the hour of God's judgment we live respectful, reverential 27:52 lives that obey God. And we say: 27:55 "God, whatever You ask me to do I want to do. " 27:58 Giving glory to God has to do with our lifestyle. 28:02 It has to do with the way we live. 28:13 Carrying out that commitment in our minds, in our lives. 28:19 As you look at life today 28:22 there are many people that have this idea. 28:24 They have the idea that their body is some kind of fun house 28:28 and whatever is pleasurable they want to do that... 28:31 whether it's smoking, drinking, whatever they eat. 28:34 Their idea is: "Look, what I take into my body 28:38 is separate and distinct from my faith. " 28:42 Their idea is that: "I can believe in Christ 28:46 but yet I can act how I desire. " 28:49 When we come to Jesus Christ 28:52 we act not how we desire but how He desires. 28:55 We do not what we want but what He wants. 28:59 Our daily commitment is like the commitment of Jesus 29:03 in the Garden of Gethsemane. 29:05 Remember what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? 29:09 Three times He said: "Father, not My will 29:14 but Your will be done. " 29:16 Was Jesus looking forward to the cross? 29:19 Did He walk to the cross singing the Doxology: 29:22 "Praise God from whom all blessings flow? " 29:24 Not at all. Jesus knew that He would be betrayed by Judas. 29:30 He knew that His closest followers would forsake Him. 29:33 He knew that He would have nails driven through His hands 29:37 and be filled with pain and anguish. 29:39 He knew as well that He would bear the sins of all humanity 29:43 on Calvary's cross. 29:45 Jesus knew that. He said: "Father, if it is possible 29:48 let this cup pass from Me. But not My will. " 29:52 Jesus took the cup of suffering, 29:54 the cup of sorrows, to save you and me. 29:58 As we come to Christ and enter into the depth 30:02 of His love, life becomes not one insane 30:07 desire for pleasure but it becomes a deep commitment 30:11 to do God's will... 30:12 a deep commitment to please Him in all things. 30:17 We pray with Jesus: "Father, not my will 30:21 but Thy will be done. " 30:24 We say: "Lord, I want to glorify You in everything. " 30:27 "I want to glorify You in what I take into my body. " 30:30 "I want to glorify You in the example that I make 30:33 to other people. " Some time ago I was helping 30:36 a dear lady quit smoking. 30:38 She had smoked for over 30 years. 30:42 She was a grandmother by now and loved her grandchildren, 30:47 often told me about her grandchildren. 30:49 And she was having this terrible struggle to quit smoking. 30:52 I was praying for her. 30:54 I was quoting the promises of God for her. 30:56 And one day she came to see me and said: "Pastor! 30:59 You're never going to guess what! " I said: "What is it? " 31:01 Said: "I quit! I quit! " 31:02 I said: "Well what motivated you? What prompted you? " 31:05 She said: "You know, I was sitting in a chair at home - 31:08 my favorite chair - watching my favorite TV program 31:11 and I had lit up a cigarette and I was smoking it. 31:14 And my little granddaughter jumped up on my lap, 31:18 little 6, 7-year-old, 31:20 and she looked in my eyes and said: 'Grandma, 31:22 when I grow up I want to light a cigarette just like you. 31:27 I want to hold it just like you hold it, Grandma, 31:30 and I want to smoke just like you. ' " 31:32 She said: "Look, pastor, I love that girl so much. 31:37 I know that I have the raspy throat. 31:39 I know that I have the burning in my lungs. 31:42 I know the potential and pastor, I would not want 31:46 that for my granddaughter. My love for her: 31:48 I'd give this up, I'd throw this down! " 31:51 If love for a granddaughter 31:54 can cause a grandma to give up cigarettes, 31:58 if love can do that, 32:01 doesn't our love for Christ fill our hearts 32:06 and say: "Lord, whatever it is - 32:08 alcohol, tobacco, foods that are destroying my body, 32:12 a lifestyle of worldliness and the pleasures of this world - 32:18 Lord, I want to set my affection on things above. 32:21 I want to give glory to You in what my eyes see. 32:24 I want to give glory to You in what my ears hear. 32:26 I want to give glory to You in everything I do. " 32:30 Somebody says: "Is not this legalism? " 32:32 It's not legalism... this is Christianity! 32:35 In Christianity we live not please ourselves. 32:39 In Christianity, we live to please the living Christ. 32:44 In Christianity our desire is one thing: 32:48 our desire is to say: "Lord, whatever it is in my life 32:51 I desire to please You. " 33:26 Here the apostle Paul makes this urgent appeal. 33:30 He says: "I beseech you by the mercies of God 33:34 to present your body... " Now notice: 33:40 Now sumata is an interesting word. 33:42 What word do we get from the word sumata? 33:47 What word do we get for that in English? 33:48 That's right: sum. You get sum or summary. 33:52 And so what Paul is saying here is 33:54 "I beseech you therefore that you present your bodies. " 33:58 And he uses the word for bodies as sumata. 34:02 What does that mean? 34:03 It's better translated as the collective sum of who you are: 34:08 your body, your mind, and your emotions. 34:11 So what Paul is saying is: "I'm beseeching you 34:13 that you present your mind to Christ. 34:17 You present your body to Christ. 34:19 You present your emotions to Christ. 34:21 You present the sum of everything you are to Christ. " 34:24 This is the message of that first angel: 34:28 "Fear God; obey God; make a decision 34:31 in your mind to respect Him, to please Him in everything 34:35 you do, and let that be translated into your life 34:39 to give glory to God in the things that you look at. " 34:42 How would you feel 34:45 if Jesus were sitting next to you when you were 34:48 when you were flipping the dial of the television? 34:50 How would you feel if Jesus were with you 34:54 when you walked into that TV theater? 34:56 How would you feel if He was sitting next to you 34:59 when you were flipping through the Internet? 35:03 How would you feel if Christ were with you 35:08 in the late hours of the night 35:10 when you are watching a late late show? 35:12 You see, Jesus invites us to give Him our minds. 35:17 And He's given us in Scripture a screen for our minds. 35:20 The Bible says in Philippians 35:22 chapter 4 verses 7 and 8... 35:25 It says there that God is going to keep our minds. 35:30 You know, the whole world's going to lose its mind 35:32 to worldliness, to secularism, to humanism. 35:35 Then he tells us how to put a screen on our minds. 35:39 You know, I live in Virginia, 35:41 the state of Virginia, not far from Washington, D.C. 35:44 And at the summertime we like to open our windows. 35:48 My wife and I love to get the draft to come through 35:50 but we have screens on the windows. 35:52 Why do you put screens on the windows? 35:54 You put screens on the windows to keep the mosquitoes out. 35:56 God puts a screen on our mind. 35:58 Here in Philippians chapter 4 the Bible puts it this way 36:02 in verse 8: 36:04 "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, 36:06 whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, 36:09 whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, 36:11 whatever things are of good report. 36:12 If there's any virtue, any praise, think on these things. " 36:14 Whatever things are true... So you fill your mind with 36:17 that which is false and then you try to read the Bible 36:20 and the Bible seems boring, insipid, and dull. 36:22 But why? Because you filled your mind 36:23 with fictitious tales. 36:25 You fill your mind with violence 36:27 and that changes your character so you become inpatient 36:30 much more quickly because "by beholding we become 36:32 changed. " It's a law of the mind 36:34 that it gradually adapts itself 36:36 on the subjects on which it's allowed to dwell. 36:38 See, this message of the three angels 36:40 is a message of restoration 36:43 to restore us into the image of God 36:46 by the transformation of our thinking process 36:49 and the transformation of our minds. 36:51 And so God appeals to us to give Him our bodies, 36:54 to give Him our minds, to give Him our emotions. 36:57 Romans 12:1 you know where it says there: 37:00 "which is your reasonable service" 37:03 I love the way Phillips translation puts it: 37:05 "I beseech you, therefore, brothers and sisters... " 37:08 I urge you. "that you present your bodies... " 37:10 the sum of who you are: mental faculties, physical faculties, 37:15 emotional faculties... "as a living sacrifice. " 37:18 Well, Phillips translation says: 37:20 "as an intelligent act of worship. " 37:22 So when we come to Christ 37:25 and give our whole lives to Him 37:27 and make the mental decision to fear Him, obey Him, 37:31 respect Him. When we make the decision to give glory 37:34 to God in our hearts and minds 37:36 that indeed is an intelligent act of worship. 37:46 See, we're temples. We are not a fun house. 37:54 So our bodies are the temple of God. 37:57 God longs for what we put in our minds 38:00 and feed our brains with that mental food, 38:03 what we feed our bodies with physical food 38:06 God wants to restore us into His image 38:08 so the image of God can shine gloriously without us 38:12 and through us. 38:13 You see, what you eat or drink impacts how you think. 38:19 And so as we eat food that is unhealthful 38:24 it clogs the bloodstream. The red blood corpuscles 38:28 bringing oxygen to the brain. Where does the Holy Spirit 38:32 communicate to us? Not through our big toes 38:34 or our fingernails but through our brain. 38:36 And so God longs for us to be in health. 38:40 Not only so we live 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 years longer. 38:44 Not only so that we will be free from many of the diseases 38:47 that afflict the human race in this generation. 38:50 He longs for us to have healthy bodies. 38:52 He came for us to be in abundant health, certainly. 38:54 John 10 verse 10 says: "I have come that you can have 38:57 life and have it more abundantly. " 38:58 But there's something beyond that. 39:00 The message of the first angel 39:03 is to prepare us mentally and physically 39:07 for the coming of Jesus. 39:09 God longs through His Holy Spirit 39:13 to prepare us for that great day when Jesus will come again. 39:17 And He wants us to have clear minds so we think clearly. 39:22 So we sense the moving of His Spirit in our hearts 39:26 and in our minds. So the appeal of Christ 39:30 in this final generation is: 39:41 Paul says: "I beseech you you present your bodies 39:44 as a living sacrifice. " 39:46 It is an appeal to make God the center of our lives. 39:51 For some people, appetite is the center of their life. 39:55 For some people, entertainment is the center of their life. 39:59 For some people, dress is the center of their life. 40:04 But God appeals to you, God appeals to me 40:08 to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives. 40:20 In this final moment of earth's history, 40:24 in these last days of earth's history. 40:27 in this end-time of earth's history 40:30 there is a message... a message that's pictured as being 40:34 carried by three angels in mid heaven. 40:37 The story of these three cosmic messages 40:41 is more thrilling than any Star Wars Trilogy 40:45 or any Star Wars drama. 40:47 It is the intergalactic struggle, 40:50 the battle for the universe. 40:52 It is the battle for the throne. 40:55 And God sends a message to us: 40:57 a message that is as important for this generation 41:00 as Noah's message for his generation. 41:03 A message as important as John the Baptist to prepare 41:07 men and women for the first coming of Christ. 41:10 It is a message to restore men and women 41:13 into the image of God. 41:15 It is a message to restore men and women back 41:19 to knowing Christ in a deep, intimate way. 41:24 It is a message that restores the mind 41:27 and the thinking process. 41:29 A message that restores health to the body. 41:32 It is a message to fear God - to reverence, respect Him - 41:36 and to make a commitment to obey Him. 41:37 It's a message to give glory to Him. 41:40 Give Him glory in everything we eat and drink and every 41:43 single thing we do. It is a message of grace, 41:47 a message of salvation in Christ that transforms 41:51 our lives into obedient believers. 42:05 Paul was in a prison. 42:09 He was there in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. 42:13 Paul's an old man now. 42:15 The year is in the mid 60's AD. 42:19 Paul writes with trembling hand. There are deeply-etched lines 42:24 upon his face, and he writes about his life. 42:28 He writes back to the church at Philippi 42:31 that he visited approximately ten years before. 42:34 And Paul writes these words. He says: 42:38 "Hold fast to the word of life. " 42:40 Paul makes an appeal... an appeal to the generation 42:44 that then was and that appeal is made to us as well. 42:47 "Hold fast to the word of life. " 42:49 Do not compromise your integrity 42:52 and accept human tradition and man's opinions. 42:55 But let your heart and mind be filled with the Word of God. 42:59 "Hold fast the word of life 43:01 so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ. " 43:03 Hold fast to the Bible. 43:05 Cling to the Word of God. 43:07 Let the living Christ change your life by His grace 43:11 so you're obedient to the Word. 43:12 "Hold fast to the word of life so I may rejoice in the day of 43:15 Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 43:18 Yes, I am being poured out as a drink offering 43:23 on the sacrifice and service of your faith. 43:26 I am glad and rejoice with you all. " 43:29 Paul says: "I'm rejoicing in the hope 43:31 of Christ, the hope of His salvation. 43:34 The hope of the cross that gives me the assurance 43:37 that my sins are forgiven. 43:38 The hope of Jesus' High Priestly ministry there. 43:41 That from the sanctuary above He'll give me power to endure 43:44 this trial. The hope of His second coming... but 43:48 Paul says: "I am being poured out as a drink offering. " 43:52 "I'm being poured out on the altar of sacrifice for Christ. " 43:56 Every single one of us pour out our lives for something. 44:01 Paul poured out his life for Christ. 44:04 He poured out his life to share Jesus, 44:07 to live for Jesus, to be an ambassador for Christ. 44:10 Every single one of us pour out our lives for something. 44:19 I have people come to me all the time and they say: 44:21 "Pastor, what's wrong with this? " 44:23 "Pastor, what's wrong with that? " 44:25 "Pastor, what's wrong with the next thing? " 44:27 There are many things that may be legitimate 44:30 but as a Christian - not legalistically - 44:33 you voluntarily choose not to do them. Why? 44:37 Because you are so sold out for Christ. 44:40 Now look: there is legitimate entertainment 44:42 for the Christian... but not everything 44:45 that is indeed legitimate we desire to do. Why not? 44:49 Because our hearts are sold out 100% for Christ. 44:54 Others may be able to do it but you voluntarily 44:58 because of love for Christ say: "Look, I'm not interested 45:01 in that... I'm not interested in that. 45:03 I was interested at one time 45:04 but I have a bigger purpose to live. 45:07 I have a larger purpose to live. 45:09 I have a grander purpose to live. 45:11 I have a greater purpose to live for. I'm no longer 45:14 interested in that. " 45:20 That is the deepest joy; that is the greatest happiness in life. 45:32 We all are pouring out our lives for something. 45:36 And Jesus says: "Pour out your life in commitment to Me. " 45:40 "Pour out your life in service for Me. " 45:43 "Pour out your life in witness for Me. " 45:51 They are pleasure mad! 45:53 Did you read about that interesting experience... 45:56 experiment that one of the great eastern universities did 46:00 with monkeys? They wanted to find out 46:03 what was the greatest drive in these monkeys. 46:05 So they took an electrode 46:09 and put it in the pleasure center of the monkey's brain. 46:13 They identified where that pleasure center was 46:15 in the monkey's brain. 46:17 And as they put that electrode in his brain 46:19 they were able to push a button 46:22 outside of the cage of the monkey 46:24 that sent an electrical impulse across the wires 46:27 down through the probe into the monkey's brain. 46:31 Now the monkey... every time that electrical impulse 46:35 would come the monkey would jump up and clap and get happy, 46:38 do cartwheels in the cage. 46:39 Then they put food in the cage. 46:42 Pressed the electrode button. The monkey wouldn't eat the food 46:46 he was so excited about being so happy, so pleasurable. 46:49 They put the most beautiful female monkey in the cage. 46:53 He didn't care about that female at all... 46:55 didn't care about his children at all. 46:57 All he wanted to do was have pleasure. 46:59 Then you know what they did? They put the pleasure button 47:02 in the cage and taught the monkey 47:03 how to push the pleasure button. 47:06 The monkey kept pushing and pushing and pushing. 47:07 The monkey actually killed himself from pleasure. 47:14 There are scores of people in this life 47:16 that are pouring their life out for worldly pleasure 47:21 and entertainment. 47:22 And as they do that, they are destroying their spiritual life 47:28 because they're obsessed with the next greatest movie. 47:31 They're obsessed with the next greatest music phenomena 47:37 in the rock world. They're obsessed 47:40 with the greatest... next program on Netflix. 47:43 And they're so absorbed with that 47:45 that their spiritual life is being totally strangled. 47:49 We all pour out our lives for something. 48:02 Now these things are certainly not wrong used in proportion. 48:07 Used in moderation. 48:09 But look: if that's what you're pouring your life out, 48:12 if that destroys human relationships, 48:15 if it absorbs your devotional time for Christ... 48:18 You see, the three angels' messages... 48:20 in this first angel's message, to: "Fear God and give glory 48:23 to Him" it's not some superficial message 48:26 like some child wading in a kiddies' wading pool 48:30 to pick up pennies. I call you not to something superficial. 48:34 I call you not to something that is simply child's play 48:38 religion that makes you feel good. 48:40 I call you today to something deep, to preparing 48:44 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 48:45 To "Fear God" with all your heart. 48:48 To live obedient, godly lives; to give glory to God. 48:52 We all pour out our lives for something. 48:54 Why not pour out your life for that which counts? 48:57 That which matters for the kingdom of God? 48:59 Why not pour out your life for Jesus Christ 49:02 and make Him number one in your life? 49:03 Revelation will have a people that overcome. 49:06 They overcome the worldliness and the humanness 49:10 that sucks the spiritual life out of us and strangles us. 49:17 And Christ appeals to you today: 49:20 by His grace, through His power to be an overcomer. 49:31 God has something amazing for you, something 49:33 beyond your wildest dreams. 49:35 Don't throw it away for the cheap pleasures of this world. 49:40 The Bible says that God will have a group of people. 49:49 They keep God's commandments not out of some legalistic 49:53 obligation, but changed by His love, charmed by His grace, 49:58 redeemed by His power 50:00 they live obedient lives because they know 50:03 that that is the very best way to live. 50:07 They know that's the happiest way to live. 50:08 Jesus said: "I've come that they might have life 50:11 and they might have it more abundantly. " Notice: 50:13 "they keep the commandments of God" and they have something? 50:16 What do they have? "the faith of Jesus. " 50:19 Not simply faith IN Jesus 50:21 but the quality of Christ's faith lives in them. 50:24 They have the faith of Jesus 50:26 living in their lives because they know Christ. 50:29 They've spent time with Christ. 50:31 They've prayed to Him. They've opened the Word 50:33 and Jesus has entered and changed their lives. 51:11 We can come... come to Jesus. 51:13 Come to the sanctuary. 51:15 Come and receive His strength and power for living. 51:31 Do you have a time of need? 51:32 Let us come... come to that sanctuary. 51:35 In Christ, by Christ, through Christ you can be an overcomer. 52:06 It is about Christ. The book of Revelation is about Christ. 52:10 The prophecies of Revelation 14:6-12 52:13 are about Christ. Jesus says to you: 52:17 "Come. " Is the response of your heart 52:21 "Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted? " 52:24 Listen as Charles sings. 52:31 Not I, but Christ, 52:35 be honored, loved, exalted. 52:40 Not I, but Christ, 52:44 be seen, be known, be heard. 52:49 Not I, but Christ, 52:54 in every look and action. 52:58 Not I, but Christ, 53:03 in every thought and word. 53:09 Not I, but Christ, 53:15 to gently soothe in sorrow. 53:20 Not I, but Christ, 53:24 to wipe the falling tear. 53:28 Not I, but Christ, 53:33 to lift the weary burden. 53:37 Not I, but Christ, 53:41 to hush away all fear. 53:49 Christ, only Christ, 53:53 no idle word ever falling. 53:58 Christ, only Christ, 54:02 no heedless, bustling sound. 54:07 Christ, only Christ, 54:11 no self-importance bearing. 54:16 Christ, only Christ, 54:21 no trace of "I" be found. 54:29 Not I, but Christ, 54:33 my every need supplying. 54:38 Not I, but Christ, 54:42 my strength and health to be. 54:46 Christ, only Christ, 54:51 for body, soul, and spirit. 54:56 Christ, only Christ, 55:01 here and eternally... 55:06 here and 55:07 eternally. 55:17 Have you sensed Christ speaking to your heart? 55:23 In the book of Revelation, 55:25 Jesus speaks and the beast speaks. 55:29 The beast appeals for pleasure. 55:33 The beast appeals for power. 55:36 The beast appeals through money. 55:40 But Jesus makes a divine appeal 55:45 to you right now. 55:47 And as Christ is appealing to your heart 55:50 with His still, small voice 55:55 would you like to say: "Jesus, I want to respond. 56:00 I want to respond by giving my life to You. " 56:03 "I want the words of this song to be the words of my heart. " 56:09 Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted. 56:14 Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard. 56:19 "I don't want to listen to the roar of the beast, 56:22 the roar of this world's entertainment; the roar of this 56:25 world's pleasure,, the roar of this world's appetite. " 56:31 "I want to listen to the Spirit of Christ 56:35 and give my life to Him right now. " 56:37 Is that your decision as we pray? Oh Jesus, 56:40 thank you so much that Your way is the way of life abundant. 56:44 Yours the way of true happiness. 56:47 Yours is the way of joy complete. 56:50 And just now the desire of our heart is to say 56:53 "Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted. " 56:56 We want Christ to live in our hearts 56:58 and flow through our lives. 57:00 In Jesus' name, Amen. 57:04 Thank you for joining us, my friend. 57:06 The appeal of Christ is the appeal to your heart 57:10 to be ready when He comes. 57:14 As you go today, go with a great blessing 57:17 and sense of His divine presence in your life. |
Revised 2020-07-15