3ABN Worship Hour

Cross Examination

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

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Series Code: WHO

Program Code: WHO200023S


00:01 [piano and orchestral music]
00:26 Hello friends, and welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour,
00:30 where we worship the Lord together in unity,
00:34 in spirit, and in truth. I love that scripture;
00:37 I know I often quote that scripture when it comes
00:39 to worshiping the Lord, because it's true. And if
00:42 we are going to worship the Lord, we must worship
00:44 Him in spirit and in truth, and that's what
00:46 we do here. We are so thankful that you are
00:48 joining us this morning from wherever you are
00:50 around the world. We're gonna dive deep into
00:52 the Word of God this morning, and we're gonna
00:54 have a powerful, powerful uplifting message, that I
00:57 believe is very relevant for our time. In fact,
01:01 I believe it's very relevant for any time,
01:03 no matter where we are or what we are doing.
01:06 Today's message is going to remind us of the very
01:08 foundation of what Christianity is all about - of what being
01:12 a Christian is all about. Today's message is entitled,
01:17 "Cross Examination". That's right. "Cross
01:21 Examination". I think as Paul reminds us,
01:24 we all need to examine ourselves from time to
01:27 time, to make sure that we are, indeed, in the
01:30 faith. So again, we invite you. Grab your pens,
01:33 your paper, your iPads, your pen pads - whatever
01:35 it is you need to take notes - because you're
01:37 gonna want to write some of this stuff down and
01:38 be reminded later. Before we go any further, though,
01:41 we will need to ask the Holy Spirit - we need
01:43 to ask for the Lord to give us the Holy Spirit -
01:45 that we can be guided spiritually to have the
01:48 mind of Jesus. So, let's go to the Lord in prayer.
01:51 Our Father in heaven, Lord, we all need a
01:57 spiritual covering by the Holy Spirit. Lord,
02:02 we know that Your Word tells us that we're two
02:04 or three or more, gathered together, in Your name.
02:08 There You are in the midst. And I know, Lord,
02:10 that all around the world right now, and even right
02:12 here at 3ABN studios, we are gathered to give
02:16 You worship. We are gathered to uplift Your
02:19 name. And so Lord, we don't want You to just
02:21 be around us; we want You to fill us with Your
02:23 Holy Spirit. Lord, give me the spiritual mind
02:26 of Jesus, the spiritual eyesight, the spiritual
02:29 hearing, to be able to communicate the words
02:32 of the Lord today. Lord, bring us back to an
02:37 examination, an examination of self, so that we all can
02:41 make sure that we are walking in Your ways.
02:43 So we thank You for the religious liberty that we
02:46 have to be here - to preach the Word, to hear
02:48 the message - and on this special day, we uplift
02:51 You, and we thank You, Father, for this opportunity.
02:55 We thank You, Lord, for Your never-ending love,
02:57 grace, and mercy that You bestow upon us every
02:59 day, and we ask this in Jesus' holy name.
03:02 Amen. Amen. Cross Examination. Paul is
03:10 probably my favorite Bible writer. Of course,
03:15 I enjoy all the Bible. I enjoy all the Bible
03:17 writers, because there's so much to glean from
03:19 each and every book of Scripture, and each and
03:22 every passage, but... Paul just has a very
03:25 special way of communicating the gospel that I can
03:27 relate to personally. One of my favorite
03:30 passages comes from the book of Philippians, because
03:33 right here in the book of Philippians from chapter
03:35 1, that we're about to read, Paul actually is
03:37 making an appeal to the church at Philippi.
03:41 He's telling them, "I'm gonna pray for you,
03:43 and these are the things that I'm going to pray
03:45 for us." So, notice here, Philippians 1:9-11.
03:50 Listen to these precious words, because there's
03:51 something here that's gonna help us to set
03:53 a foundation for what we're gonna talk about
03:55 today. Philippians 1:9-11 says... [text on-screen]
04:31 I love that scripture, because it reminds us
04:33 as he is telling the church, he's saying,
04:36 "I'm gonna pray for you, and what is it more than
04:37 anything that I pray for? I pray that you are filled
04:41 with the fruits of righteousness!" And where
04:43 does that righteousness come from? He says,
04:46 "Which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise
04:51 of God." My friends, I am convinced - I am
04:55 ultimately convicted and convinced - that from Genesis
05:00 to Revelation, if you could simply juice down
05:03 the Bible, or you could give some type of summary
05:05 of what the texts of Scripture are about,
05:08 it's none other than the message of righteousness
05:10 by faith. Now, I know we hear those words
05:12 quite often. I know that we often hear ministers
05:15 preach on righteousness by faith; and sadly enough,
05:18 there are several different versions of what "righteousness
05:21 by faith" is, floating around in the church
05:23 today. But I am ultimately convinced that if we
05:28 read from Genesis all the way through to
05:30 Revelation, each and every passage, each
05:32 and every text, hiding and creeping behind
05:34 every corner of the Bible, I think we see
05:37 clearly a synopsis, a very narrative of
05:41 Scripture, that communicates to us the message of
05:44 righteousness by faith. And, again, mentioning
05:47 the scripture from Philippians 1:11,
05:51 being filled with the fruits of righteousness.
05:55 We need to have an experience of righteousness
05:58 by faith. In fact, I am convinced that if
06:03 we hone in on what that means, righteousness by
06:07 faith, I don't think it's too difficult.
06:09 I think, sometimes, people make it a little more
06:10 complex than what it should be. I think right
06:13 there in the very name, "righteousness by faith",
06:17 I think if you just focus on what it's
06:20 saying, it's telling you what the gospel is all
06:23 about. Righteousness. What type of righteousness?
06:26 Whose righteousness? Not my righteousness,
06:29 not your righteousness, because what does the
06:30 Bible say about mine and your righteousness?
06:33 The Bible tells us that our righteousness is
06:37 like filthy rags, right? No good. Absolutely
06:41 no good. But the Bible makes it very clear that
06:45 our righteousness comes by Jesus Christ and His
06:48 works. So when we're talking about righteousness
06:51 by faith, we first need to identify whose righteousness
06:55 are we talking about? There's no question - we're
06:57 talking about the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But then
07:02 we have to ask, "Okay, obviously, it says,
07:04 'righteousness by faith,' which means it must come
07:08 by faith, right?" If we're going to obtain or replicate
07:11 the righteousness of Jesus in our lives, then
07:16 it has to come by faith. But then I ask the question,
07:19 "By whose faith?" [laughs] Yes, we are counseled
07:23 in Scripture to have faith, to put faith in
07:26 Jesus. But at the end of the day, I don't know
07:29 about you; I don't even trust in Ryan's faith,
07:31 right? I don't even trust in anyone else's faith,
07:34 even though we, in a directional sense, need
07:36 to put our faith in Jesus-we look to Jesus
07:39 in faith; that's absolutely foundationally true-we
07:44 also need to be reminded that it's not our faith
07:47 by which this righteousness comes. We are reminded
07:49 in Revelation chapter 14:12, right there in the third
07:53 angel's message, we are told. It says... [text on-screen]
08:07 That's very, very clear. "The faith of Jesus."
08:11 Not my faith, not your faith, but the faith of
08:13 Jesus. We need to be able to exercise the
08:15 faith of Jesus, because if we can exercise the
08:18 faith in which Jesus practiced here on earth
08:22 during His time, then that righteousness
08:24 of Christ will come. That being said, my
08:27 friends, I want to point out at this moment that
08:32 righteousness by faith, again, is on display
08:35 throughout all of Scripture ...but I believe there is
08:38 one clear illustrative example that I believe
08:44 clearly paints a picture of what true righteousness
08:49 by faith looks like. While, again, there
08:52 are many examples, this one blueprint, this one
08:57 map that I believe Jesus gave us, shows us the
09:01 pathway to righteousness. It shows us in example,
09:08 in illustration, the faith in which Christ
09:11 practiced that leads to righteousness. And,
09:14 of course, what I'm talking about is that
09:16 of the sanctuary message. I love this picture here.
09:20 I want to give a shoutout to my brother Ivor
09:23 Myers. He gave me permission to use this artwork, and
09:26 I believe this is a beautiful picture,
09:27 because it looks like a blueprint, and it's
09:30 exactly what the sanctuary is. It's the blueprint
09:33 that God gave us to help us understand His way,
09:38 His way of salvation. I love this message that
09:42 we can find in The Faith I Live By, page 197.
09:47 Notice what it reminds us-again, in connection
09:49 to the sanctuary, this is what this message
09:51 says-it reminds us that we can indeed see and
09:54 find the message of righteousness by faith
09:56 in the sanctuary. Notice what this says. Again,
09:59 The Faith I Live By, page 197. It says...
10:03 [reads text on-screen]
10:58 So we are reminded that if we pay attention to
11:02 the pattern of the sanctuary that God gives,
11:06 it's not just some Old Testament message.
11:09 I know there may be someone watching right
11:10 now that says, "Oh, not this sanctuary
11:11 thing again! That's Old Testament stuff."
11:14 But my friends, I reassure you, without the message
11:16 of the sanctuary, you can't understand the
11:19 majority of Scripture! In fact, I find it
11:22 interesting that when you get into the great
11:23 prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation that are
11:26 meant for our time, these last days that
11:29 we are living in, I will submit to you: You cannot
11:32 fully understand the books of Daniel and
11:34 Revelation if you do not have an understanding,
11:37 a sufficient knowledge, of the sanctuary message.
11:41 It is truly God's GPS. When you're lost, you
11:47 need a map-and in these days, we use a Global
11:50 Positioning System-but the sanctuary, all through
11:53 God's Word, is truly God's GPS. It is God's
11:57 Gospel Plan of Salvation. The Bible says that all
12:02 we like sheep have gone astray. We have [gone]
12:05 our own way...but we're reminded in Psalm 77:13
12:14 that, "Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary..."
12:20 So whose way? It's God's way! [laughs] Not my
12:24 way, not your way - God's way! Again,
12:28 we, like sheep, we're astray; we're lost.
12:31 And when a person is lost, they need a road
12:33 map. They need to be pointed back and put
12:36 in the right direction. Sometimes, I have
12:39 found myself many, many times, driving down the
12:41 road, and I just feel within my heart and
12:44 soul that I'm headed in the right direction.
12:48 It just feels comfortable, I know I've driven the
12:51 road, perhaps, many times, and, well, after I get
12:54 down the road a little piece, I find out that
12:56 I have missed my point of turn, or I've missed the
13:00 proper direction or location that I really
13:02 needed to be going towards, and that happens
13:04 sometimes. You know, many of us have that
13:07 experience in our spiritual walk with Jesus. Many of
13:10 us are lost, and then we don't realize that
13:13 we are lost, because we feel or sense that
13:15 we are headed in the right direction. But
13:20 one way we can know for sure if we are headed
13:23 in the way of the Lord is by looking at the
13:26 sanctuary pattern. It's beautiful to consider
13:31 that when you look at that sanctuary model
13:33 there, it's amazing to consider that, "Your
13:37 way, O God"- Christ is hiding behind- not
13:41 hiding... It almost sounds like He's hiding. But
13:43 again, He's there; His way, His mentality, His
13:48 heart, is etched on every single aspect of that
13:52 sanctuary message. From the gate to the first
13:57 article of furniture, the second article
13:58 of furniture, to the tabernacle itself,
14:00 the way it's designed - each and every element
14:03 points us to Jesus Christ. It represents that of
14:07 the life and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But I
14:12 find something even more amazing. If you were
14:15 to get in an airplane, or a helicopter-again,
14:20 I'm using an illustration here. If you could remove
14:22 the roof of that tabernacle and you could just simply
14:25 stare down in an overhead view of the sanctuary
14:29 model, the sanctuary pattern there, it's
14:32 powerful to note that when you look down
14:35 overhead, and you trace around each one of those
14:40 articles of furniture, look what you see there.
14:44 [laughs] It's a cross, and I believe it's a cross
14:49 for a purpose. I believe that there's something
14:54 about the cross, the message of the cross,
14:57 that ties all of this together. Again, I
15:00 don't think that that necessarily means that
15:03 the cross is more important than any other aspect;
15:08 I believe it's a very clear cornerstone, a
15:10 foundation, a message, that we find within this
15:14 sanctuary model that helps point us in
15:17 the right direction, puts us on the right
15:19 path, so everything else can function properly.
15:24 In fact... Again, we said earlier that His
15:27 way, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and
15:31 the life." No one can go to the Father except
15:35 through Jesus. And so, if Jesus is in the sanctuary,
15:40 His way is found in the sanctuary, and we, like
15:44 lost sheep, are gone astray, went our own
15:47 way, and we need to be put on the right path.
15:51 Then, we look back at this sanctuary. We say,
15:53 "Jesus, where would you have me to begin?" Well,
15:57 let me remind you of what Jesus said in John
16:00 chapter 10:1. I think there's a connected
16:03 message here that is vitally important for
16:05 us to understand. John 10:1 - notice what Jesus
16:09 said. He said... [reads text on-screen]
16:27 I think there's a powerful message right there in
16:29 that one text. Christ is obviously referring
16:33 to Himself as the Door; and so, again, He's
16:35 reminding us, "I am the way. I am the only way.
16:39 I am the truth and the life! So if you are going
16:41 to come to the Father, if you are going to gain
16:44 access to the Kingdom of God, it is through Me,
16:48 Jesus Christ, the Son of God." That's what
16:50 He's saying! And so, if we're looking toward
16:53 the sanctuary model, and Jesus is saying,
16:55 "Hey, look! I am the way; I am the door."
16:58 Is there a door? Is there a gate that we see right
17:02 there in the sanctuary? There is! In fact, it's
17:05 interesting to know that if you could visualize
17:09 this-I know it's not in this particular picture-
17:10 but if you could visualize for a moment that there's
17:13 a camp of people all around this tabernacle.
17:17 There's tents and tents and tents - I mean,
17:18 hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions
17:20 of people that were encamped all around this
17:23 sanctuary...but many of them remain in the
17:27 camp. They never actually make their way to the
17:32 sanctuary; and Jesus is saying, "I need you
17:35 to come to the sanctuary, but you must enter through
17:38 the door. I'm the door, but you must enter through
17:40 the door." Now, we're going to speak a little
17:42 bit in a literal sense now. If we were to
17:44 look right back at that same sanctuary model
17:47 again, and maybe they could put it up on the
17:48 screen there one more time... If you look at
17:50 this- I just want to illustrate this very
17:52 clearly. Now, there's a gate. We see that
17:54 toward the bottom of that picture, you're
17:56 gonna start at the gate, and then you're gonna
17:57 make your way to the altar of sacrifice, and
18:00 then from the altar of sacrifice, to the
18:02 laver, and then from the laver into the first
18:04 compartment of the sanctuary, which is
18:06 the Holy Place. There, where you have the
18:08 table of showbread to the right, and right across
18:11 from it you have the seven-branch candlestick;
18:12 and then right before the veil, there is the
18:15 altar of incense. And then if you go through
18:17 the veil into the second compartment, you have
18:19 the Most Holy Place. Now, for most of us
18:23 who understand the sanctuary, this is all
18:25 just a review. But nonetheless, there's
18:28 a sense of progression to this sanctuary model.
18:33 If Jesus says, "You must enter by the door," in
18:36 a spiritual sense, we know that that means
18:37 you must go the way of Jesus. But in a literal
18:41 sense, my friends, I'm going to submit to you
18:43 that many of us are still in the camp, but
18:46 we haven't even made our way to the sanctuary yet.
18:49 Jesus is calling for us. He's saying, "Hey, look-
18:51 give Me a chance. Let Me transform your life."
18:54 We're still wandering in the camp; we haven't
18:56 even made our way to the sanctuary. But...
19:00 many of us have come to the sanctuary...but
19:04 we haven't necessarily entered by the door.
19:08 You see, what I'm trying to communicate is that
19:12 there's a sense of progression to the sanctuary message -
19:16 that God's blueprint of salvation, His gospel
19:19 plan of salvation, must be progressed through
19:24 in a very delicate chronological fashion. You see, some
19:30 people I meet today know-they understand-
19:35 that God's presence is in the Most Holy Place,
19:39 and it is ultimately our goal to be in the
19:43 very presence of God. It is our goal to be able
19:49 to find ourselves right there, reconciled in
19:53 God's very presence. And in order to be in
19:57 God's presence, we have to have a Most Holy Place
20:00 experience. But my friends, don't miss this next
20:03 point. This brings us to the meat of our
20:05 message, okay? Up to now... I know it seems
20:08 like we've been talking a lot, setting the foundation,
20:11 but this is vitally important to get,
20:12 'cause from here on, we're gonna really,
20:14 really press this home. While we must have
20:18 a Most Holy Place experience, you cannot come to the
20:22 gate of the tabernacle, or from the camp,
20:26 directly into the Most Holy Place. What did
20:29 Jesus call those type of people? He said,
20:31 "The same as a thief and a robber! You're
20:34 not entering by the door. You're not entering by
20:36 the gate. You're not going through the proper
20:40 plan, the proper pattern, that I have set forth."
20:44 And I find that many, many, many Christians - here's
20:46 the biggest mistake that they make, my friends.
20:49 Many Christians come to that gate, and they
20:52 look at that altar of sacrifice. They see
20:55 that laver, and then they may peer across
20:57 into the Holy Place and see the showbread and
21:00 the candlestick, and they look and they see
21:01 clearly that altar of incense. And they think
21:06 to themselves, "Okay, I don't mind to have
21:08 that experience, but I want to rush through
21:10 that. I'm gonna quickly get through it." Or in
21:12 some cases, many people don't even have a proper
21:15 experience in any of those levels, and they
21:17 want to take it directly right into the Most Holy
21:20 Place. And then when they're in the Most Holy
21:22 Place, they become overwhelmed. They become overwhelmed
21:25 because of all of the righteousness in the
21:28 message of the gospel. So please don't miss this.
21:33 In order for us to make it to the Most Holy Place,
21:35 my friends, we must have a courtyard experience.
21:40 We must have a sufficient Holy Place experience,
21:45 but I will submit to you something even
21:47 deeper. I believe that many of us are not
21:55 experiencing truly what it means to have a Most
21:58 Holy Place experience, because we have bypassed
22:03 a vitally important part of the courtyard. You
22:10 see, there is a reason why the plan of salvation
22:13 begins at the altar of sacrifice. That altar of
22:19 sacrifice is where the sinner would bring the
22:22 lamb, the dove, the pigeon, the goat, and
22:29 they would place their hands upon the head
22:30 of that lamb, and they would confess their
22:33 sins. There's a spiritual symbolism that would
22:38 take place, that now the record of sin has
22:40 [gone] from the sinner to the lamb, and now
22:44 unto the blood of that lamb, because the Bible
22:45 says that the life is in the blood. So now,
22:50 that sinner is gonna take a knife, and he's
22:54 going to take the life of that lamb...shedding
22:59 its blood, because the record of sin has [gone]
23:01 from them to the lamb, to the blood, and now
23:05 that blood is gonna be taken as a record into
23:08 the sanctuary. Many people miss the significance of the
23:15 altar of sacrifice. It really truly is all about
23:18 the lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who
23:24 takes away the sin of the world. And so, there's
23:27 a reason why Jesus begins the experience of the
23:34 plan of salvation. The transformation of
23:37 redemption begins with an experience at the
23:43 altar of sacrifice. It begins with an experience
23:47 at the foot of the cross. I'm gonna have them
23:50 to put that cross sanctuary picture up there one
23:53 more time. I want you to see this. We need
23:55 to have an experience at the foot of the cross.
23:59 If you look at that sanctuary model, what is at the
24:02 foot of that cross? My friends, again, it is the
24:04 altar of sacrifice! It points us to the Lamb.
24:08 If everything above that-we're talking
24:10 about the laver; we're talking about the table
24:12 of showbread; we're talking about the altar
24:13 of incense, the seven-branch candlestick, and of course,
24:16 the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place-
24:19 if all of those things are gonna function
24:20 properly in our life and we're going to
24:23 take that pattern and that pathway to salvation,
24:25 we must first have a courtyard experience.
24:29 We must first take a stop and really take
24:32 in the scenes that have transpired on Calvary.
24:36 In fact, notice in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.
24:42 I love this verse, because Paul makes it very,
24:46 very clear. I love this. 1 Corinthians, again,
24:49 2:1-2. He says... [reads text on-screen]
25:09 I think Paul understood a little something about
25:13 the power of the cross. You see, many of us
25:15 need a cross-examination. Many of us are going
25:19 and taking some big, giant leap into the
25:21 Most Holy Place. We're trying to- we're really
25:23 trying. We have taken upon ourselves, without
25:26 even knowing it many times, this "works"
25:28 approach to salvation, this "I've gotta white-knuckle
25:31 my way into the Most Holy Place," and we
25:34 haven't really humbled ourselves at the foot
25:37 of the cross. You see, nothing of the sanctuary
25:39 will function properly if you spend little time
25:42 or try to bypass the gate which leads to
25:47 the altar of sacrifice. Please let that soak
25:50 in. In fact, I love this beautiful quote here-
25:54 powerful, simple-but just amazing quote here
25:57 from Acts of the Apostles, pg. 209. Don't miss this
26:00 one, 'cause this really probably sums up everything
26:03 we're talking about right now. Acts of the Apostles,
26:05 page 209. Notice what it said here. It says...
26:07 [reads text on-screen]
26:15 Mm! I love that. "To remove the cross from
26:20 the Christian would be like blotting out the
26:23 sun from the sky." Let that just soak in there
26:27 for a moment. If you remove the cross, then
26:31 you have broken the pattern. Many people
26:34 have spent little time at the foot of the cross.
26:36 They're trying to bypass it or get quickly by it
26:38 so they can get into the Holy Place, or they
26:40 can get into the Most Holy Place, and then
26:42 it's no wonder why we find Christians today-
26:44 I have so many Christians that come to me and they
26:46 say, "Ryan, I'm really struggling in my faith.
26:49 I know the message, I know the truths, I know
26:53 the doctrines..." I even have some ministers
26:55 that've admitted to me, "I preach this message,
26:58 I understand this message, I believe in this message,
27:01 but man, I'm struggling. I'm really struggling,
27:03 because it seems like I can't get victory,
27:05 or I can't really- my faith is just not strong.
27:09 I struggle with unbelief." And it's clear to me.
27:14 In my personal experience, when the devil comes along
27:18 and he sneaks his way into my life, and he
27:20 tries to put me down, or he tries to discourage
27:23 me, it's very clear that I need to go revisit
27:27 and find myself at the foot of the cross, because
27:29 one look at the Savior hanging on that cross
27:33 makes everything else make sense. It's powerful,
27:36 my friends. Revelation chapter 5... I'm gonna just
27:40 set this very clearly before we read this
27:41 text. It's no wonder that we see that as
27:45 John is ushered-of course, in vision; he's in vision now-
27:48 he's ushered in vision into the very presence
27:51 of God, right there in the Kingdom of God.
27:53 He's ushered into the Holy Place of the heavenly
27:57 sanctuary, and there's this horrible dilemma.
28:02 The history of humanity is on the line, humanity's
28:06 redemption is on the line, and it has been
28:09 declared throughout all heaven that there's no
28:11 one who can open this scroll that's in the hand
28:14 of the Father; and humanity's redemption
28:18 is all summed up within who and how they open
28:22 those seals on that scroll ...but no one is worthy
28:26 to open them. And so, John begins to weep.
28:29 He understands. You can just sense it there, and
28:30 the emotion and the passion that he's pouring forth.
28:33 "Oh, no!" because he understands those seals
28:36 need to be opened, and there's no one there. Oh,
28:38 there's no hope! And then, out comes the message.
28:42 One of the elders says to him, "Hey, John, don't
28:44 weep. Don't weep, brother. Guess what.
28:46 We have found the worthy One. There is one who is
28:50 worthy. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has arrived!"
28:55 But then when John looks up and he sees this Lion
29:00 of the tribe of Judah, standing before the
29:03 throne of God, he sees something interesting.
29:07 Notice what he sees in Revelation 5:6. [text on-screen]
29:28 What is the answer to our redemption? What
29:33 is the answer of the hope for humanity?
29:37 My friends, it's a slain Lamb...but there's
29:42 something even more powerful that I wanna
29:44 show you. It's just amazing. John did not
29:50 just see any type of lamb. You see, the
29:56 general word in the Greek for 'lamb', if you were
29:58 to read the Greek... Friends, it's if someone
30:01 was to say, "Oh, yeah, so a lamb over there."
30:03 For instance, in, I think it's John chapter 1,
30:05 where John the Baptist sees Jesus coming. He
30:07 says, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away
30:09 the sin of the world." Well? In that Greek,
30:14 it says, 'amnós'. It's the Greek work 'amnós',
30:18 which is the general word for 'lamb'. But
30:21 it's interesting that every time John sees
30:24 Jesus in the book of Revelation, and especially
30:27 in this case in Revelation chapter 5 verse 6, where
30:30 he sees the lamb appear as if it had been slain.
30:32 He sees something, and he refers to it as 'arníon'.
30:37 The Greek word 'arníon'... which is not translated
30:43 just any ol' type of lamb. What John saw
30:46 and what he used to describe this lamb -
30:49 the word 'arníon' describes a lamb as being a baby
30:54 pet lamb, a lamb of the first year. A very young
30:59 pet lamb. Why? Why did John see it in that manner?
31:06 My friends, I believe there's a powerful
31:08 message here that many of us have not really
31:10 fully comprehended. The purpose of the cross
31:13 and Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, dying on
31:16 a cross- there's a clear significance here that
31:20 many of us have not comprehended, which
31:21 is why we're struggling to have that Holy Place
31:24 and Most Holy Place experience! Baby pet lamb. Could you
31:29 imagine having to take the life of your pet?
31:35 We live in a world today where our pets are like
31:37 family members, right? I know that in my home,
31:40 we have a family member. I've said in the past
31:44 and in previous messages I'm not much of a cat
31:46 person; I prefer a dog over a cat. But nonetheless,
31:49 you know what, my wife is a cat person, and she
31:52 loves this cat. I have grown to love this cat.
31:54 This is our cat Yitty. Okay, yes, you heard
31:58 me. Yitty - Y-I-T-T-Y. That's a whole 'nother
32:01 story in and of itself as to how she got that
32:03 name. But this is Yitty. I can't imagine taking
32:08 the life of my innocent little pet. She's just
32:11 full of it. I mean, she's a bundle of joy. She
32:16 has become a very important part of our
32:19 family. And my wife here, as you can see in this
32:22 picture, she loves her so much. We have grown
32:24 to love this cat. As mischievous as she can
32:27 be sometimes-it drives me crazy-this cat has
32:32 become an important, loving part of our home.
32:37 Now, that being said, my friends, I want you
32:38 to just picture this. John saw a baby pet lamb.
32:43 Why? Because Jesus is trying to communicate a
32:49 sense of feeling and significance to the
32:54 result of sin. Sin costs. What does sin cost?
33:02 It costs life...and not just any life. In order
33:08 for us to be redeemed, in order for us to be
33:10 saved, it cost the life of the Son of God, our
33:15 Savior! In fact, it's interesting. You get
33:18 a clearer picture of this in Scripture when
33:21 you go to Exodus chapter 12, and you read about
33:24 the institution of the Passover. Let's read this -
33:26 and I want to show you something significant.
33:27 This is powerful. Exodus chapter 12, beginning in
33:30 verse 3. Notice what the Bible says. [reads on-screen text]
33:58 "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the
34:03 first year." So we're talking about a young
34:04 lamb. It says, "You may take it from the sheep
34:07 or from the goats." Now notice this next part.
34:10 This is the significant part. [reads text on-screen]
34:23 What is happening here? What in the world is
34:27 happening here? You'll notice that in the beginning
34:31 of this passage, it says that on the tenth day,
34:36 they had to go out and find a baby pet lamb.
34:40 Or in this case, a male of the first year. It's
34:43 still a young lamb, so they have to go out and
34:46 find this on the tenth day. And then, they
34:50 would bring it back to their house-and then
34:52 notice this-God would not instruct them to take
34:55 the life of that animal until the 14th day at
34:59 twilight! Now if you count that time frame-
35:01 don't miss this-if you count that time frame,
35:04 that is three and a half days, about. Again, some
35:12 powerful imagery into the life of Jesus Christ
35:16 and into how Christ would spend His time as the
35:20 anointed Son of God here on earth. His ministry
35:23 lasted for three and a half years! But why did
35:27 God have them go out and gather that little
35:29 baby pet lamb on the tenth day, and not have
35:32 them take its life until the 14th day? My friends,
35:35 they would bring that little lamb into their
35:37 homes for three and a half days. And what would
35:40 happen? I could just imagine. The families
35:43 would grow close to it, they would feed it,
35:46 they would nurture it, the children would play
35:49 with it... There would be a sense of connection,
35:53 because they would have time to spend time with
35:57 that little baby lamb. So when the head of
36:01 that household on the 14th day would take
36:04 that little lamb and take it out to the sanctuary
36:09 or to wherever it is that it would be done
36:11 at that time, and he would have to take the life
36:14 of that lamb, you could imagine the hurt, the
36:19 crushed feelings, of the little children, and the
36:23 mother, and the father... the head of the household
36:26 who would have to take the life of this innocent
36:29 lamb. You see, the wages of sin is death. Why did
36:35 God institute it that way? To show us the
36:38 cost of [sin] so that we would feel something!
36:41 That when you spend time at the foot of the cross,
36:44 you feel something for what's happening and
36:46 transpiring upon that tree! There's a reason
36:51 why when we look up at the Savior hanging on a
36:54 cross...that it should mean something to us.
37:00 You see, if it doesn't mean anything, and you
37:02 don't really focus in on the importance and
37:05 significance of what is happening upon that
37:07 cross, that when you get to the laver, it's
37:10 not gonna make any sense. It's not gonna be legit.
37:14 When you get into the Holy Place, and you're
37:15 eating of that showbread, you can take in the
37:17 bread of God all day long, my friends -
37:20 but if you have not had a genuine experience
37:24 at the foot of the cross, then knowledge of the
37:27 Word of God is of no significance! You could
37:31 spend all day long thinking that you have the light
37:35 glowing within you, that the Holy Spirit is just
37:38 burning within you and your heart. But my
37:40 friends, if you have not had a genuine experience
37:43 at the cross, then none of it makes sense. You
37:46 can lift up a prayer- and hey, I'm certainly
37:49 not as a minister trying to hinder or discourage
37:52 anyone from praying; I think that's where it
37:54 starts!-but my friends, if you think you can
37:56 bypass the cross and go spend time at the
38:00 altar of incense, then it's of no avail; it's
38:04 of no significance, because you don't
38:06 understand the significance of that. And even more,
38:10 my friends: Go into the Most Holy Place without
38:14 having a genuine experience at the foot of the cross?
38:16 There are people who are trying to have a Most
38:19 Holy Place experience in their life, and they're
38:21 struggling. They've taken upon themselves, like I've
38:25 said before, a "works" approach to salvation.
38:27 It's all about what I eat, what I do, it's
38:29 all about how I say, how I dress, all these
38:31 o- all of those aspects of Christian living are
38:34 important, and I'm speaking of those Christian standards
38:37 that help tell the story of a person's faith.
38:39 But my friends, many people are eating the
38:42 right things, they're dressing the right way,
38:44 they're saying the right things, they're having
38:46 all of these, what they believe, to be a Most Holy
38:48 Place experience, that makes them feel so holy.
38:51 Like, "Hoo, woo! I'm really, really- I'm
38:53 really striving for Jesus! I'm really a good Christian,"
38:57 or, "I'm a good Seventh-day Adventist Christian!" but
38:59 have not spent any significant genuine time at the
39:03 foot of the cross, and that's why they're so
39:06 hardcore about things. That's why they can't
39:07 win anyone to Jesus, 'cause they're beating
39:09 people over the head with the Most Holy Place
39:11 message, they're beating people over the head with
39:14 the Holy Place message, but they have not spent
39:16 any time at the cross. Let me tell you something:
39:18 None of those messages, as great and important
39:20 as they are, none of those experiences amount to
39:23 anything if you don't first take a look at the
39:27 uplifted Savior, and spend time understanding
39:31 what is transpiring and happening at the foot
39:33 of that cross! Hebrews 12:1-2. Powerful text;
39:42 one of my favorites. It says... [text on-screen]
40:21 My friends, can we fully comprehend that? Do we
40:25 fully understand what it means when it says
40:28 Jesus endured the cross? Man, that's a message
40:30 in and of itself. Maybe one day, I'll take a
40:32 message to just take you through a realistic
40:36 kind of virtual tour of what Jesus would
40:39 have [gone] through at the cross. It's very
40:41 graphic, it's very emotional, it's a scene that's hard
40:48 to behold...but He endured the cross. And when you
40:56 find yourself at the foot of the cross,
40:59 really taking in that scene... Mm. And you
41:05 look up at the uplifted Savior, and you spend
41:10 time there...and you really take it in...
41:17 ...it means something. It changes you...forever.
41:26 That's why it says in Zechariah 12:10...
41:31 [reads text on-screen]
41:59 Mm! You see, I can't fully comprehend that,
42:05 'cause I don't have children. But there may
42:08 be someone right now, watching... I certainly
42:11 don't want to bring up any bad memories, but
42:13 for the sake of illustration, there may be someone
42:15 watching who can relate to this text. "They will
42:18 mourn this as one who mourns for his only son,
42:23 or grieves for his firstborn." [sighs] That's what sin
42:30 does. Sin leads you to the foot of the cross,
42:34 where you see the cost, the payment...redemption
42:38 hanging on a tree, and you will look upon Him
42:42 whom you have pierced, and you will mourn. Why?
42:46 Because you get it! It makes sense. Your heart
42:51 is pierced, because you realize that it should be
42:54 YOU hanging on that tree! You realize that YOU
42:59 murdered Jesus Christ; your sins nailed Him to
43:02 a cross, and it leads you to a mourning
43:05 experience. No wonder why Jesus in His very
43:10 first recorded sermon in Scripture, the great
43:13 Sermon on the Mount, He opens- His introduction,
43:16 when He opens His mouth and begins speaking-
43:18 many people look at those Beatitudes, and they just
43:21 see them as individual little bullet point inspirational
43:24 sayings. You know, like, "Blessed is this kind of
43:26 person, blessed is this kind of person, blessed
43:28 is this person, and this kind of people," and all
43:31 of that is wonderful, but I want to just hone
43:32 in on this for a moment. If you look at the progression
43:36 of those Beatitudes, my friends, what is Jesus
43:38 taking you through? He's taking you through a
43:40 righteousness-by-faith experience! From one
43:44 Beatitude to the next, He's taking you through
43:48 from one level of Christian character development to
43:51 the next! And where does it all start? Where does
43:55 the Christian righteousness- by-faith experience start?
43:59 Well, the very first words out of His mouth,
44:01 Matthew 5:3... Notice what it says. [text on-screen]
44:12 What is He saying? Blessed are the poor in spirit?
44:16 What does that mean? Well, in other words,
44:20 blessed are you when you realize your spiritual
44:25 poverty. In other words, you've hit rock bottom.
44:31 There's nowhere else for you to go, but to
44:33 turn to Jesus...or to completely reject Him.
44:36 We hope it's the first. But when you turn to
44:40 Jesus because you realize you are spiritually bankrupt,
44:44 you know where He leads you? He leads you to the
44:48 foot of the cross. He takes you to the gate,
44:51 and He says, "I'm gonna put you on the right path.
44:54 I'm gonna put you in My way! But in order
44:57 for you to understand and comprehend My way, My
45:01 plan of redemption, My 'Gospel Plan of Salvation',
45:05 we first have to take a first foundational
45:08 important stop," and He leads you to the altar
45:11 of sacrifice. And that's why the next Beatitude
45:15 says in Matthew 5:4... [text on-screen]
45:24 You see, that's consistent with what we just read
45:26 in Zechariah. "They will look upon Me whom they
45:29 have pierced, and they will mourn." Why are they
45:32 mourning? Why does Jesus say, "Blessed are they
45:34 that mourn"? He's saying, "Blessed are they that
45:36 mourn." Why? Because once you realize your
45:39 spiritual depravity, you will mourn and be
45:43 comforted. Why are you mourning? Because you've
45:45 been brought to the foot of the cross, you're having
45:47 a cross experience, you're seeing Jesus high and
45:51 lifted up, and when you take in that scene and
45:54 you see what the cost of sin is, the wages of
45:58 sin is. The Son of God who did no wrong has
46:02 taken your debt, and He's hanging high up
46:04 on a tree, and you behold that scene. The natural
46:08 response is you will mourn! It hurts! It pierces!
46:15 You can't stand it, because it's like your pet, that
46:19 little baby pet that you're having to take
46:21 its own life - you can't even comprehend it
46:23 because it's insane to think about! But it wasn't
46:27 insane for the Son of God. It was out of love.
46:33 He says, "I want to save you. If I have to give up My
46:37 life for you, I will save you." You see,
46:42 that's why when you look at that sanctuary pattern,
46:46 it all makes sense when you look at it from the
46:51 perspective of the foot up. When you start at
46:57 the gate and then find yourself at the altar
47:01 of sacrifice, everything else falls in place and in
47:05 harmony after you've had that true, genuine
47:09 experience in the courtyard. I love this next quote.
47:15 It comes from The Desire of Ages, page 88. Notice
47:18 what it says here. I love it. It says... [text on-screen]
48:05 [chuckles] My friends, woo! This is powerful. You see,
48:10 I know too many people. I've met too many of
48:13 my Christian friends, who they know the
48:16 message. They're champions of the doctrines; but yet,
48:22 they do not have the Spirit of the Lord,
48:25 leading and guiding them to activate the power of
48:28 that knowledge that they have, because they have
48:30 not spent time at the cross. How in the world
48:33 are we gonna win people to Jesus, my friends,
48:35 if we're approaching them with, "Hey, um, is that
48:38 coffee? Don't you know what the Spirit of Prophecy
48:40 says about that?" My friends, come on! Yes,
48:44 we know caffeine's not good for you. We praise
48:47 God for that knowledge that we have and we
48:49 try to stay away from it, but you don't approach
48:51 someone with that type of knowledge if you first
48:53 haven't spent time at the foot of the cross, because
48:56 that person's never gonna give up that coffee,
48:58 they're never gonna give up those unclean meats,
49:00 they're never gonna change their dress or have dress
49:02 reform; they're never gonna change all those
49:04 aspects of their life until you first take
49:06 them to the foot of the cross! And that's the
49:09 mistake that many of us are making! We ourselves
49:12 have not had an experience at the foot of the cross;
49:15 we've jumped head first into the Most Holy Place!
49:18 We're walking around, and they're so excited
49:21 and so overwhelmed at the same time, because
49:24 the formula has been broken. The formula
49:27 has been broken. Testimonies, vol. 6, pg. 67. I'm skipping
49:37 ahead a little bit, but I wanna just nail this
49:39 one right here. Testimonies, volume 6, page 67. Says...
49:44 "Christ crucified - talk it, pray it, sing it"... [laughs]
49:50 I'll certainly sing it. "...and it will break
49:53 and win hearts." What will break and win hearts?
49:56 All of those other messages of Christian standards
50:01 and all that? No, no, no, no- those are things that
50:03 come later as they had a sanctifying experience.
50:06 But my friends, notice, what- Christ crucified-
50:09 we talk it, we pray it, we sing it; it will break
50:12 and win hearts. "This is the power of wisdom
50:14 of God to gather souls for Christ." It's all
50:23 about the cross. You see, it all makes sense in light
50:29 of the cross. [chuckles] [piano plays softly] I have learned
50:32 in my personal experience. You see, my methods of
50:36 witnessing have changed. I used to be that preacher
50:40 when someone would come- I was like a shotgun
50:43 ready to go. "Oh, have you heard this? Have
50:45 you heard-"...but at the end of the day,
50:47 my friends, we're not s- I'm certainly not
50:49 saying we shouldn't share that message. We should;
50:51 it's a precious message. All of those Christian
50:53 standards, all of those things that we're striving
50:56 for, more holiness in Jesus Christ, we should
50:58 do those things...but it is of no significance
51:05 if it does not come from the perspective of the
51:08 cross. Christ wrote His love in red. It was written
51:13 in red. And now, I want you to listen to this
51:17 beautiful song, 'cause it testifies to my heart,
51:20 and I hope it witnesses to yours. [song begins]
51:31 In letters of crimson God wrote His love
51:42 On a hillside so long, long ago
51:53 For you and for me, Jesus died
52:03 And love's greatest story was told
52:14 I love you I love you
52:25 That's what Calvary said
52:35 I love you I love you
52:48 "I love you," Written in red
52:57 [piano]
53:05 Down through the ages God wrote His love
53:15 With the same hands That suffered and bled
53:25 He was giving all He had to give
53:36 A message so easily read
53:47 I love you I love you
53:57 That's what Calvary said
54:06 I love you I love you
54:20 "I love you," Written in red
54:38 "I love you," Written in red
55:02 Praise the Lord. The message of the cross
55:08 is foolishness to those who are perishing. But
55:14 to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
55:21 You know, the devil wreaked havoc in heaven,
55:28 and he split the Kingdom of God. He told lies against
55:34 the character of the Lord, and he was able
55:37 to convince 1/3 of the angels in heaven, that
55:41 God was not who He says He is...that He's restrictive,
55:46 He's unclear, He's selfish, He's all about Himself,
55:50 He's a harsh, judgmental God... And because of it,
55:57 one-third, again, of the angels of heaven-
56:00 perfect beings who had never sinned before-
56:04 they chose to believe a lie, because they
56:06 were fully convinced that Lucifer was right. How
56:11 would Jesus combat such a lie? By squashing him
56:16 like a little mosquito? No. That would've
56:18 probably confirmed many of the accusations that
56:21 had been tossed out there against Him.
56:25 But how would Jesus combat this lie about
56:31 Himself? Yet He says in John 12- and again-
56:36 we're gonna read verse 32 in just a moment, but
56:38 I want to read this one first. John 12:31 says,
56:42 "Now as the judgment of this world, now the
56:43 ruler of this world will be cast out." How will
56:46 he be cast out? The next verse. I love it. John
56:50 12:32. "And I..." [text on-screen]
57:00 My friends, Jesus is drawing you. I don't
57:02 know where you are right now or what type of situation
57:04 you're in, but Jesus is drawing you. Look to
57:07 Jesus! Look at Him high and lifted up. Spend time
57:11 at the foot of the cross, and everything else in
57:14 your Christian experience will make sense. Father
57:18 in heaven, be with us, Lord. Take us to the
57:22 foot of the cross. Show us who Jesus really is.
57:26 That is our prayer today we ask in Jesus' holy
57:29 name. Amen. [outro music]


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Revised 2020-11-09