Participants:
Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000046S
|
00:22 Welcome to
00:23 Timeless Healing Insights. 00:24 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:26 We're continuing today 00:27 a message 00:28 that I entitled 00:29 Our All Powerful Savior. 00:31 Let's pray to Him right now. 00:33 Father in heaven, please 00:34 bless us 00:35 as we engage 00:36 with the Word of God 00:38 in the life of Jesus. 00:39 Please speak to us 00:40 through Your Holy Spirit. 00:42 We ask in Jesus name, Amen. 00:47 We've been asking a question, 00:49 and that is, does 00:50 your past experience 00:52 determine 00:52 your current life history? 00:54 And we've been looking 00:54 at Bible examples showing 00:56 that's simply not true. 00:58 The example 00:58 that we've been focusing on 01:00 is in Mark 4, 01:02 Jesus quieting the storm. 01:05 And we're seeing how Jesus 01:06 quiets the storms in our lives. 01:10 But whether you are like Jesus 01:13 on that boat, 01:14 whether you're able to sleep 01:16 while other people 01:17 are going crazy, 01:19 or whether you right now 01:20 are struggling, 01:21 Jesus offers you peace today. 01:24 Let me just make this 01:25 as clear as I can. 01:26 It's not just a story 01:28 where Jesus gives us 01:29 this assurance. 01:30 Later, 01:30 as you read 01:31 through the gospel accounts, 01:32 you'll come to John 14. 01:34 And Jesus said 01:35 these very words. 01:36 Peace 01:37 I leave with you, My peace 01:39 I give to you; 01:41 not as the world gives 01:42 do I give to you. 01:44 Let not your heart 01:45 be troubled, neither 01:47 let it be afraid. 01:48 Take this to heart. 01:51 Take this to heart. Now, 01:54 as we've been going 01:55 through this story, 01:56 we've been empathizing 01:57 mostly with the disciples. 01:58 Right? 01:59 We could understand 02:00 how the disciples 02:01 could be at peace 02:02 after Jesus stilled the storm. 02:04 But how could Jesus be at peace 02:06 in the middle of the storm? 02:07 We, I think, have all 02:08 come to the conclusion 02:09 it didn't have just 02:09 to do with a pillow or Him 02:11 being so tired. 02:12 Now I know 02:12 some of you 02:13 may not be convinced 02:14 because you say, Dr. 02:14 DeRose, 02:15 I can sleep through everything. 02:16 Everything I just sleep 02:18 right through it. 02:19 There can be storms, lightning. 02:20 Once I slept through a tornado, 02:22 I woke up 02:22 and my bed 02:23 was just there on the 02:23 front lawn. 02:25 Okay. 02:26 Now, I haven't 02:27 actually heard that one. 02:28 But some people just tell me 02:29 they sleep through everything. 02:32 Let me tell you 02:32 something interesting. 02:33 Just physiologically 02:35 about sleep 02:36 and sleeping through things. 02:38 We learned this from people 02:40 who move 02:41 to interesting locations. 02:44 I already mentioned. 02:46 Some of you know that 02:47 I grew up in the Chicago area. 02:49 I grew up 02:49 not all that far 02:50 from O'Hare Airport. 02:52 Now, I did not live 02:53 in the flyway 02:54 of O'Hare Airport, 02:55 so I don't remember 02:57 planes rattling my house 02:58 or anything like that. 02:59 But there were people who lived 03:01 not all that far from me 03:02 who had that experience. 03:04 And you'll often hear 03:04 people say things like this, 03:06 whether it's a plane flyway, 03:08 whether it's a railroad 03:10 track that runs by their home, 03:11 they'll often say, 03:12 When I first moved there, 03:14 I woke up 03:15 every time a plane went over 03:16 or a train went by. 03:18 But after a while, 03:20 I just slept through 03:21 it all like a baby. 03:24 That is not true. 03:25 Okay. 03:27 They may have thought 03:28 they were sleeping through it. 03:30 But on a brain level, 03:32 they were arousing. Okay. 03:34 But your brain was saying 03:36 subconsciously, 03:37 Oh, no, it's 03:38 just the train again. 03:40 And just. 03:40 You don't need to get up. 03:41 No alarm. 03:44 But you were still 03:45 on a subconscious level 03:48 aware of what was going on. 03:50 Here's why 03:51 I make that point for you. 03:52 Jesus was not oblivious 03:55 to what was going on. 03:56 And it wasn't 03:57 just noise of the storm. 04:00 He's probably 04:01 laying in water at that point. 04:03 Have any of you 04:04 tried doing that? Okay. 04:06 But Jesus 04:08 in His subconscious state, 04:10 somehow 04:11 He is just sleeping through it. 04:13 It doesn't say He was playing 04:15 sleeping. 04:16 It doesn't say 04:17 Jesus was feigning 04:18 to be asleep. 04:19 He was actually asleep. 04:21 I love the book, 04:22 The Desire of Ages. 04:23 We've gone back 04:24 and forth to it, 04:25 as we've been going through 04:26 Mark's gospel. 04:27 It is my favorite commentary 04:29 on Mark's gospel. 04:30 I think I would have to say. 04:34 Here's how it's 04:35 rendered in that source. 04:36 Jesus rested 04:37 not in the possession 04:39 of almighty power. 04:41 It was not as the Master 04:43 of earth 04:44 and sea and sky that 04:45 He reposed in quiet. 04:47 That power He had laid down, 04:50 He says, I can of Mine own self 04:53 do nothing. 04:54 John 5:30. 04:56 And by the way, 04:57 we should just pause 04:57 right here, 04:59 as Jesus made it very clear 05:00 the way He was walking 05:01 on this earth. 05:02 He was not depending on His own 05:04 intrinsic power. 05:05 He was only doing those things 05:07 that His Father 05:08 showed Him to do. 05:09 He was, He was 05:10 trusting in the Father 05:12 at every step of the way. 05:13 And so that's the point 05:14 that's being made here. 05:15 It's not that Jesus saying, oh, 05:16 I can just get up 05:16 and stop the storm. 05:18 He is laying there 05:19 trusting in His Father. 05:22 He trusted in 05:23 the Father's might. 05:24 It was in 05:25 faith - faith 05:25 in God's love and care 05:27 - that Jesus rested, 05:29 and the power of that word 05:31 which stilled the storm 05:32 was the power of God. 05:36 Now, 05:37 here's the question 05:38 that I have to ask you, 05:39 because one of the things 05:40 we've been noticing 05:40 as we've been going through 05:41 Mark's gospel 05:42 is that 05:43 there's an amazing connection 05:44 between Mark's gospel and, 05:46 well, an often 05:47 neglected book of the Bible, 05:48 at least in many 05:49 Christian circles. 05:50 And that is the book of Daniel. 05:52 Jesus, we've seen in 05:55 Mark, was very much aware 05:57 of timing. 05:59 Among the very first things 06:01 out of Jesus듒uth, 06:03 these words, at least 06:04 according to Mark, 06:06 the time is fulfilled. 06:09 Mark 1:15. 06:12 We saw that this time, 06:14 this fulfillment of time, 06:15 what was Jesus referring to? 06:17 If you study it out, 06:19 the most compelling 06:20 answer comes 06:21 that Jesus was aware 06:22 of the time prophecies 06:24 in the Book of Daniel. 06:25 Daniel 8 and Daniel 9 point 06:28 with amazing precision 06:30 to the very year 06:32 of Jesus꿿ptism 06:33 and the very year 06:34 of His crucifixion, His death. 06:37 Here is the point. 06:39 When Jesus 06:40 is on the Sea of Galilee 06:41 in that storm, 06:42 it is not yet 06:44 the year of His crucifixion. 06:45 Jesus럕me has not yet come. 06:48 Is it possible 06:49 that part of God's 06:50 watch care, 06:51 part of the confidence 06:52 He had in His Father 06:53 came from His knowledge 06:55 of the Bible? 06:56 I think it is very possible. 07:00 The account continues 07:01 though, in Mark 4. 07:02 And I want you to see this, 07:03 this contrast 07:04 between Jesus 07:05 and the disciples. 07:06 Let me just heighten it 07:07 because it brings 07:08 us to our next point. 07:09 Jesus says to them, 07:11 Why are you so fearful? 07:13 How is it 07:14 that you have no faith? 07:16 And they feared exceedingly, 07:18 and said to one another, 07:20 Who can this be, 07:22 that even the wind 07:23 and the sea obey Him! 07:26 The language of Mark's 07:27 account is very interesting 07:29 because the disciples start 07:32 this story 07:33 when the storm comes, at least, 07:35 fearing for their lives. 07:37 But after Jesus causes a calm, 07:40 they're still afraid. 07:42 But this time it's 07:44 this awe inspiring fear. 07:47 Who is this? 07:48 Who has this power 07:51 over the 07:52 wind and the sea? 07:55 Jesus rested in faith 07:57 in the Father's care. 07:58 What was He saying 07:59 the disciples didn't have. 08:00 Did you catch it? 08:02 Why are you so fearful? 08:04 How is it that you have what? 08:06 No faith. 08:07 Jesus has faith. 08:09 They have no faith. 08:10 That's the implication of even 08:12 Jesus criticism 08:14 of their attitude. 08:16 Jesus rested by faith 08:18 in the Father's care. 08:19 Here's the message 08:20 for you and me. 08:21 We too, 08:23 are to rest 08:23 in the care of our Savior. 08:25 If the disciples 08:26 had trusted in Him, 08:28 they would have been kept 08:29 in peace. 08:30 Their fear 08:31 in the time of danger 08:32 revealed their unbelief. 08:35 Now, let's 08:36 just stop right here. 08:37 What kind of fears do I have? 08:39 What kind of fears do you have? 08:41 What are you dealing with 08:42 today? 08:43 I mean, do you have fears? 08:44 We're not going to look for 08:45 a show of hands, 08:47 but there's all kinds of 08:48 things that creep 08:49 into our lives 08:49 that we're worried about, 08:50 that we're fearful about. 08:52 And I would suggest to you 08:54 that what we're studying in 08:56 Mark 4 08:57 is relevant for us, right? 09:00 If you're tempted to be afraid, 09:02 have you forgotten 09:04 on some level, Jesus? 09:06 And it's only 09:07 when The Desire of Ages 09:10 continues, it's only 09:11 when in despair 09:12 of self-dependence, 09:14 they turned to Him 09:15 that He could give them help. 09:16 Now, remember, 09:18 remember, 09:19 if a boat is filled with water, 09:22 they were doing some things, 09:24 I can guarantee you, 09:25 before they got to the point 09:27 of calling on Jesus. 09:28 What would you be doing 09:29 if you were riding in a boat 09:32 and it was filling with water? 09:33 What would you be doing? 09:35 Okay. 09:36 You'd be bailing it out. 09:36 Many of you are saying, 09:37 I'm glad none of you said 09:39 I'd be drilling 09:39 a hole in the bottom 09:40 so the water would drain out. 09:41 Okay. 09:42 Yeah, 09:42 I think you realize 09:43 that one wouldn't work. 09:44 So the point is, their bailing, 09:46 you can be 09:46 sure they're bailing the water 09:47 for all they're worth. 09:48 Maybe some of them are trying 09:49 to keep the ship 09:50 from turning over there. 09:52 I don't know 09:53 if the sails are down or the 09:54 the oars are out 09:55 or whatever they do. 09:56 You can tell. 09:57 I don't know much 09:57 about boating. 09:59 Some of you will pull me 09:59 aside, say, 10:00 you know, 10:00 you take the sail down 10:01 in that situation 10:02 or others say 10:03 no, you go into the wind 10:04 and you do this 10:04 and you tack this way 10:05 that I don't know 10:06 what they were doing. Okay. 10:07 I do know, though, 10:08 if the boat's 10:09 about to go under, 10:09 they had time, 10:11 but it's only 10:12 when they gave up. 10:14 Maybe they were saying, think 10:15 maybe you've done this too, 10:17 maybe you've even done it 10:18 with someone close to you. 10:20 Well, don't wake them up. 10:21 They've had a hard day. 10:22 Let's see 10:23 if we can fix this ourselves. 10:24 Right. 10:25 Have you been there before? 10:26 I could see some of 10:27 you relate to that. 10:28 And, and 10:29 so that's what they're doing, 10:30 it seems. Let's let Jesus rest. 10:33 And they finally say, 10:34 Hey, we're going to go down. 10:35 - Some of you, 10:42 after the last message, 10:44 our last study together, 10:45 I learned that 10:47 you were kind 10:47 scratching your heads 10:48 about some of the 10:49 streams of thought. 10:51 And you're saying, 10:51 what is all this 10:52 about the favorites 10:53 and God working 10:54 through His church? 10:54 And what is this about visions 10:56 and dreams? 10:57 Well, we're going to try 10:57 to pull that all together 10:58 right now. Okay. 10:59 If you're wondering where 11:00 that was all going 11:01 to come to a culmination 11:03 before we finish Mark 4. 11:06 Remember, we looked at 11:07 how God, in a sense, 11:10 calls all of us, calls 11:12 everyone on planet 11:12 Earth His favorites. 11:13 The Bible says 11:14 God is not willing that what? 11:16 Any should perish. 11:17 Okay. God so loved the what? 11:20 The world that He gave 11:21 His only begotten Son. 11:22 All of you are precious 11:24 to Jesus. 11:25 But here's what we saw 11:26 in our last study, 11:27 and that is 11:28 that God 11:28 can only ultimately work 11:31 through those 11:31 who have faith in Him, 11:32 only those who are 11:33 trusting Him. 11:34 These are the ones 11:35 who are, in a sense, 11:36 in the language 11:38 of Mark's gospel. 11:39 They're the insiders. 11:40 Jesus spoke about others 11:41 being the outsiders. 11:42 They don't get all the 11:43 special information, 11:45 the ones who weren't 11:45 trusting Him, 11:46 the ones who didn't have faith, 11:48 the ones 11:48 who are even 11:49 plotting to kill Him. 11:50 They're not brought 11:51 into that inner circle. 11:52 But when you trust Jesus, 11:54 He explains things to you. 11:55 He makes things plain. 11:57 But even if 11:59 you have a relationship 12:00 with Jesus and praise the Lord, 12:02 that's available 12:02 for every one of us. 12:04 If you don't, 12:04 you can decide right now 12:06 that you want Him 12:06 as the Lord of your life. 12:07 You can just ask Him 12:09 and He will come in. 12:11 But we can't be proud 12:13 of that relationship. 12:17 We saw some of the problems 12:19 that can occur 12:21 when we have 12:21 that kind of spiritual pride. 12:23 We saw it in the 12:25 response of the Jewish leaders 12:28 who already at this point 12:29 in Mark's 12:30 gospel, are 12:30 plotting to kill Jesus. 12:33 You can be overly confident. 12:36 You can rely on yourself 12:38 rather than God. 12:39 Were the disciples 12:39 doing that in the boat? 12:41 No question. 12:42 They're relying on themselves. 12:44 They had just been told. 12:45 Turn back 12:46 in your Bibles to Mark 4. 12:47 I don't want you to miss this. 12:49 Jesus had basically 12:50 just told them before 12:52 this storm on the sea 12:53 that you are really special. 12:56 You're really special. 12:57 Okay? 12:58 You say, 12:59 Where do you find that? 13:01 Well, just look at Mark 4 13:03 as Jesus is 13:03 telling the parables to them. 13:08 Verse 34, 13:09 it says, Without a parable, 13:11 He did not speak to them. 13:12 That is the audience. 13:13 This is Mark 4:34. 13:16 And when they were alone, 13:18 Jesus explained 13:20 all things to His disciples. 13:23 This is a special relationship 13:25 with Jesus. 13:26 Just like He wants you 13:27 to have a special relationship 13:28 with Him. 13:29 But that doesn't mean 13:30 just because you have 13:31 a special relationship 13:32 with Him now, 13:33 it's all on your shoulders. 13:38 Disciples got into big trouble 13:40 that way. 13:41 Just a few verses later. 13:43 The other problem 13:44 is, as we saw last time, 13:46 we can depreciate 13:47 the value of others. 13:48 If we're solely focused 13:49 on our relationship to Jesus, 13:51 it can undermine the community 13:54 that God is trying to build. 13:55 Here's 13:56 what's so fascinating to me. 13:57 As you 13:57 look at Mark 13:58 4, a number of 13:59 these issues are addressed 14:01 and I want you to see this. 14:03 If you didn't catch it already, 14:05 the only 14:07 time, the only time 14:10 that there is 14:10 any call for help, 14:12 it doesn't come from Peter. 14:14 It doesn't come from James. 14:16 Doesnome from John 14:18 or Andrew, 14:18 or even Philip or Nathaniel. 14:20 Every account, 14:22 like Mark's, 14:23 Luke's account agrees. 14:25 Matthew's account agrees. 14:27 It is a collective 14:29 cry for help. 14:31 So you see it there in verse 14:32 38, it says, They awoke Jesus 14:36 and they said to Him, Teacher, 14:37 do you 14:38 not care that we are perishing? 14:41 They caught this sense 14:43 that they're all 14:44 in this together, 14:45 and their only hope is where? 14:46 It's in Jesus. 14:49 Now, one other 14:49 aspect of community 14:51 that we touched on 14:51 in our last study 14:53 together that I want you 14:54 to see connects with this story 14:55 in a very special way. 14:58 We talked about 14:59 dreams and visions 15:00 in our last time together. 15:02 And like I said, 15:02 some of you left scratching 15:04 your heads, dreams and visions. 15:05 What does all this have to do 15:07 with Mark 1 through 4? 15:09 Well, dreams 15:10 and visions are forms 15:11 of inspiration. 15:13 God 15:14 revealing His truth 15:16 to an individual. 15:17 In fact, 15:18 some have said 15:18 this is the most intimate way 15:20 that today 15:21 God can reveal His truth. 15:22 Now, others would say, Well, 15:24 I think a more intimate way is, 15:25 as you're studying the Bible, 15:26 that God personally 15:28 brings the Bible truth to you. 15:30 And some people say, Well, 15:31 why would that be 15:32 more intimate? 15:33 It's because 15:34 if I read something in the 15:35 Bible, it stays there. 15:38 If you have a 15:39 dream or a vision, 15:41 even if you write it down, 15:43 you can lose the paper. 15:45 You say, That's why 15:46 I write it on my computer 15:47 and put it on the hard drive. 15:49 Well, 15:49 maybe you haven't 15:50 had this experience, 15:51 but I've had computers crash. 15:53 You say, Well, 15:53 that's why 15:54 I back up everything, Dr. 15:56 DeRose. 15:56 Okay, well, 15:57 even the backup 15:58 drives can crash. 15:59 If that hasn't happened to you 16:00 yet, it's happened to me. Okay. 16:02 So here's my point, though. 16:04 Whatever It is. 16:05 It is an intimate form of God 16:07 revealing His will. 16:08 But we found 16:08 something interesting 16:09 as we looked at Bible examples 16:10 in our last study, 16:12 and that is often 16:12 God will give someone 16:13 a vision or a dream 16:15 and it makes 16:15 absolutely no sense to them. 16:18 It's only as events transpire 16:20 and as they transpire 16:21 in a social context 16:23 that they understand the dream. 16:25 Maybe someone else tells them 16:26 the interpretation 16:27 of the dream. 16:28 God, I believe, 16:29 is highlighting 16:30 how we often work 16:31 through His church, 16:32 through a body of believers. 16:33 With that background, 16:34 I want you to look now 16:35 at some words of inspiration, 16:37 and I want you to try 16:38 to think of these words. 16:41 Realize they were written 16:42 hundreds of years 16:43 before the account 16:44 we just read. 16:44 Psalm 107, beginning 16:46 with verse 23. 16:48 Those who go down to the sea 16:49 in ships, 16:50 who do business on 16:51 great waters, 16:52 they see the works of the Lord, 16:54 and His wonders in the deep. 16:57 Don't miss the point. 16:58 Number of those people on 16:59 that boat 16:59 were fishermen 17:00 who had worked all their lives 17:02 on that very sea. 17:05 He commands and 17:07 raises the 17:08 stormy wind, which lifts up 17:10 the waves of the sea. 17:11 They mount up to the heavens, 17:13 they go down again 17:14 to the depths; 17:15 Their soul melts 17:17 because of trouble. 17:18 They reel to and fro, 17:20 and stagger like a drunken man, 17:22 and are at their wits녙d. 17:27 Then. 17:28 Then they cry out to the Lord 17:31 in their trouble, 17:32 and He brings them 17:33 out of their distresses. 17:34 He calms the storm, 17:36 so that its waves are still. 17:39 Then they are glad 17:40 because they are quiet; 17:42 So He guides them 17:44 to their desired haven. 17:47 How many of you think 17:48 this psalm 17:49 sounds strangely familiar 17:52 in the light of Mark 4? 17:56 Think about it this way now. 17:58 Remember, hundreds of years 17:59 before this psalm is written 18:01 and a mother is reading 18:03 this psalm to her child. 18:06 500 B.C., Let's 18:07 just say hypothetically, 18:11 or maybe even in Babylon, 18:12 570 B.C., wesay, okay, 18:15 reading this psalm 18:17 and 18:20 the child says, Mommy, 18:22 what is this talking about? 18:24 Did she have any 18:24 idea of the full 18:26 meaning of Psalm 107? 18:28 I would say no 18:29 because I believe the full 18:30 meaning of Psalm 18:31 107 is only seen in Mark 4. 18:35 It is one of a series 18:36 of amazing 18:38 examples of inspiration, 18:41 the very Bible writer 18:42 who wrote the Psalm 18:43 didn't 18:44 realize what 18:45 he was writing about. 18:48 that amazing, okay? 18:49 In fact, 18:50 as you read in 18:50 the New Testament, 18:51 it says the Bible writers, 18:53 and I'm paraphrasing, 18:54 were struggling 18:55 with what they were 18:55 written, longing 18:56 to see the things 18:57 that we've seen 18:59 who live 19:01 ministry on planet Earth. 19:04 The story of the 19:05 storm in Mark 4 19:07 is helping to lay 19:08 an important foundation. 19:09 We're going to continue 19:10 to build on this 19:11 because as we go through 19:12 Mark's gospel, 19:13 we're going to see 19:14 other examples 19:16 where prophecies 19:17 sometimes given in the Psalms. 19:19 You just think it's a psalm. 19:21 Oh, no, no. 19:22 It is a prophecy 19:24 of Jesus듌nistry 19:25 fulfilled 19:26 precisely by Jesus둝fe. 19:29 And what I would suggest to you 19:31 is this shows 19:31 how God is working 19:32 through the church. 19:33 Who is Mark? 19:35 He's a member 19:35 of the New Testament Church. 19:37 The Holy Spirit is being given, 19:38 the gift of the Spirit 19:39 is being given to Mark, 19:41 to interpret, to shed light 19:43 on what had been written 19:44 hundreds of years before. 19:47 Now, here's the question. 19:49 Practical question. 19:50 This series 19:51 we call it Healing Insights 19:52 from the Gospel of Mark. 19:53 Hopefully you've already gotten 19:54 healing insights 19:55 about dealing with 19:56 challenges in your life, 19:57 how we're dealing with stress, 19:59 and how we can rise to the top 20:01 by trusting in Jesus, 20:02 by letting His Word 20:03 have first place in our lives. 20:04 But there's another dimension 20:06 here, and that is, 20:07 can the Holy Spirit 20:08 guide you today? 20:09 Can the Holy Spirit 20:10 give you practical instruction 20:13 about how to live today 20:15 to avoid problems 20:16 down the road? 20:18 And I want to, 20:19 I want to answer the question 20:21 in perhaps an unusual way. 20:26 You see, 20:27 Jesus works through His church, 20:30 through gifting the church 20:32 in many diverse ways. 20:35 One of the ways 20:36 that Christ gifts 20:37 the church is seen 20:39 in Ephesians 4. 20:40 I invite you to turn there 20:42 to Ephesians 20:43 4:11, Ephesians 4:11. 20:47 This is speaking 20:48 about spiritual gifts 20:50 in the church. 20:52 And I want you to notice 20:53 something interesting 20:54 because there are Christians 20:56 and there have been Christians 20:58 who have said, Well, 20:58 the gift of prophecy, 21:00 the gift of revelation 21:02 was given to the early church, 21:04 but it stopped 21:05 as soon as the disciples 21:07 died, as soon as John died, 21:09 the last of the living 21:10 12 disciples, 21:12 that was the end of 21:13 the gift of prophecy. 21:14 The Bible does not 21:16 give us that picture. 21:17 I'm in Ephesians 21:17 4, beginning with verse 11. 21:20 He himself, 21:21 speaking of Jesus, 21:22 gave some to be apostles, 21:24 some prophets, 21:26 some evangelists, 21:27 some pastors and teachers 21:30 for the equipping 21:31 of the saints, 21:32 for the work of ministry, 21:34 for the edifying 21:35 of the body of Christ. 21:36 Until we all come to 21:37 the unity of the faith 21:39 and of the knowledge 21:40 of the Son of God 21:40 to a perfect man, 21:42 to the measure of the stature, 21:44 of the fullness of Christ. 21:45 And he goes on, he's saying, 21:46 these gifts are given 21:47 so we wouldn't be 21:49 swept away 21:50 by every wind of doctrine. 21:52 We wouldn't be 21:54 swamped 21:55 by the storms of 21:57 false teaching. 21:58 This is why 21:59 He has given gifts 22:00 to the church. 22:02 Now carefully look at verse 13. 22:07 How long are these gifts given? 22:10 Until we all what? 22:12 Come into the unity 22:14 of the faith. 22:15 When is that fully going 22:16 to be realized? 22:19 When are we going to fully come 22:21 to a knowledge 22:22 of the Son of God? 22:23 When will we fully reflect 22:25 the full stature of Christ? 22:27 That's the end of verse 13. 22:29 When will that happen? 22:30 Well it will only happen 22:31 when Jesus has come back. 22:33 So the essence of Ephesians 4 22:36 is that 22:36 the gifts 22:37 are given to the church 22:38 until the return of Jesus. 22:41 Now, if that's not enough 22:42 evidence for you, 22:42 turn to 1 Thessalonians 5, 22:45 and I want you to see this 22:45 and I'm going to make 22:46 an important distinction. 22:47 1 Thessalonians 5, 22:50 Paul is writing here 22:51 to the church of Thessalonica, 22:52 and as he's closing 22:53 this letter. 22:54 He gives them 22:55 some very pointed counsel. 22:57 1 Thessalonians 5:19. 22:59 Do not quench the Spirit. 23:02 The Holy Spirit's working. 23:03 Don't press back against it. 23:06 Do not what? 23:08 Despise prophesying. 23:11 Wait a minute. 23:12 Why doesn't he say, 23:13 Don't despise prophesying 23:15 as long as 23:16 the disciples are still alive? 23:19 Why is there no qualification? 23:21 Did the Holy Spirit not know 23:22 that we'd be reading 23:23 the Bible here 23:24 in 2022 in Fort Wayne, Indiana? 23:27 I believe God knew. 23:28 Okay. 23:30 God knew 23:31 this Bible would be relevant 23:32 till the end of time. 23:34 And so if prophecy 23:35 was just to last a short while, 23:37 He could have made it 23:37 very easy. 23:38 Don't quench the Spirit. 23:40 Don't despise prophecy for now. 23:42 But as soon as John dies, 23:44 then you don't have to 23:45 worry about prophecy anymore. 23:47 Wouldn't that have made it 23:48 a whole lot clearer? 23:49 No, because 23:50 prophecy doesn't end 23:51 with the disciples. 23:53 Now, in our last study 23:54 together, I will remind you, 23:55 because some of you 23:56 weren't here, 23:57 we looked at an amazing dream 23:58 that a young man 23:59 by the name of Nabeel 24:00 Qureshi had, remember that? 24:02 He had an amazing dream. 24:03 He received guidance from God. 24:04 I don't have any question 24:06 that God gave him that dream. 24:08 Now, does that mean that 24:09 we should go ahead 24:10 and add the dream of Nabeel 24:11 Qureshi to the Bible? 24:12 Should we put it in our Bible? 24:14 Should we add an extra chapter? 24:16 No. 24:17 God gave us 24:18 a sufficient revelation. 24:19 Nothing more needs to be 24:20 added to the Bible. 24:22 The Bible is sufficient. 24:24 But that doesn't mean 24:25 that God still doesn't 24:26 give specific guidance 24:28 to specific people. 24:30 Is that clear? 24:31 So we're not adding 24:32 things to the Bible. 24:33 We're not putting something 24:34 on the level of the Bible 24:35 because we believe the Holy 24:36 Spirit still speaks today. 24:40 Let me tell you why 24:40 this is so important. 24:42 Some of you know 24:42 we're in a Seventh-day 24:43 Adventist church today. 24:44 And the Seventh-day 24:45 Adventist Church 24:46 grew out of a 24:46 worldwide movement 24:48 that started in 24:48 the early 1800s, 24:49 sometimes called 24:50 the Great Advent Movement 24:52 or the Second Great Awakening. 24:54 One of the things that happened 24:55 during that movement 24:56 throughout the world, 24:56 people were having visions 24:58 and dreams. 24:59 One of those people 25:00 was a young lady, 25:01 long before the Seventh-day 25:03 Adventist Church 25:03 was ever organized, a woman 25:04 by the name of Ellen Harmon. 25:08 And over the decades, 25:09 she continued to have visions, 25:10 even after she was married, 25:12 now known to many of you 25:13 as Ellen White. 25:15 And she wrote amazing 25:16 health counsel. 25:17 One of the books that she wrote 25:18 was called 25:19 The Ministry of Healing. 25:20 We could spend several hours 25:22 or more 25:23 looking at the 25:24 Ministry of Healing 25:25 and how it had cutting edge 25:26 medical science. 25:27 Someone did this, a physician 25:29 by the name of Don 25:30 McMann wrote a book 25:31 called Acquired 25:32 or Inspired, 25:33 looked at Ellen 25:34 White's health 25:35 counsel and showed how 25:38 no way you could explain it 25:39 other than that, basically, God 25:41 had directed her more accurate 25:42 than anyone else 25:43 living at her time. 25:44 Just far and above 25:45 amazingly insightful on target 25:50 health authority. 25:51 Not counsel from men 25:52 is what 25:53 McMahon's conclusion was 25:54 as he worked 25:55 with multiple physicians 25:56 to analyze her writing. 25:57 Let me just give you 25:58 a few examples. 25:59 Tobacco is a slow, insidious, 26:01 but most malignant poison. 26:03 And whatever form it's used, 26:04 it tells upon the constitution; 26:07 it's the more dangerous 26:08 because its effects are slow 26:10 and at first 26:10 hardly perceivable. 26:12 What do you think about this? 26:14 Tobacco is a what? 26:15 Most malignant poison. 26:17 Some 60 years. 26:19 The Surgeon General 26:20 made the connection 26:21 between smoking and cancer. 26:22 Okay. 26:23 Tobacco isn't only a problem 26:25 for the one smoking. 26:26 She calls it what? 26:28 The poisoned breath of smokers. 26:32 Do they have a right 26:33 to defile the air? 26:34 What's going on here? 26:35 She's talking about the dangers 26:37 of secondhand smoke. 26:39 This is relatively 26:40 recent history before 26:41 public health 26:41 caught on to this. 26:43 And then how about this one? 26:45 Adequate ventilation in homes. 26:48 Do you realize 26:50 the early advent movement 26:52 started in New England? 26:54 There's lots of a poisonous gas 26:56 that comes up from the granite 26:58 rock in New England 26:59 called radon, 27:00 second leading 27:01 cause of lung cancer deaths. 27:03 You can get rid of radon 27:04 by adequate ventilation. 27:06 And Ellen White wrote, 27:08 Thorough ventilation 27:09 in the rooms was essential, 27:12 especially the rooms 27:14 where you slept. 27:16 You know what? 27:17 God is in the business 27:18 of helping His people. 27:20 He's in the business 27:20 of comforting His people. 27:22 He wants to guide you 27:23 through His Word. 27:24 But the Lord is also working 27:26 through His church. 27:27 I encourage you, connect 27:29 with the Bible, connect 27:30 with God's people 27:32 and you, too, will be blessed. 27:35 Indeed, our all powerful 27:37 Savior wants to work 27:39 powerfully in your life. 27:40 Let me pray to that end. 27:42 Father in heaven, 27:43 may Your Word of power 27:45 have its place 27:46 in the lives of each 27:48 one who's tuning in today. 27:50 We pray that You would 27:51 bless them 27:52 through the power of Your Word, 27:53 through the life of Jesus. 27:55 We ask in His name, Amen. |
Revised 2023-07-07