Participants: Kameron DeVasher
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000066
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00:22 Well we do welcome you to this auditorium -
00:25 3ABN Worship Center. And we're so happy that you 00:29 could join us for another in our series 00:33 of Anchors of Truth. 00:35 This, Danny, has been one of the most popular series 00:37 we have ever done here at 3ABN. Oh it has. And everywhere I go 00:40 people tell me so, too. Yeah. 00:41 And we have brought to you some of the best-known speakers 00:47 in the entire denomination to do these series 00:50 in the last couple of years. Um-hmm. 00:51 And then we said we want to find some young preachers 00:55 that we believe that God has been speaking through 00:58 in a very special way. That has really anointed their 01:02 ministry and we want to introduce them 01:04 to our congregation. 01:06 Now we almost were first in introducing Kameron DeVasher 01:10 but GYC beat us to it. 01:13 And so even though we had him coming... 01:15 or were planning to have him come, anyway... 01:18 you have already been introduced to him if you were at 01:22 or watched the television program 01:25 for GYC from Houston, Texas. 01:28 Yes. But you met Kameron what? A couple years ago? 01:31 Yeah, it's been at least a couple years ago I was down 01:33 at Avon Park. We had some folks say they were from Avon Park 01:36 here tonight. And I had four services that day. 01:39 Was supposed to have three. I had early morning church, 01:43 then I had regular worship hour... 11 o'clock, 01:45 and 3ABN had advertised that I would be there at 3 o'clock 01:49 in the afternoon. The church had advertised to come at 5. 01:52 So they said: "Well, there's only one solution: 01:55 you have to do four services today. " 01:57 So I did it. And after the 5 o'clock service 01:59 I was very tired... was leaving. 02:01 But a young man and his wife came up and said: 02:04 "Can we talk for just a little bit? I really want to 02:06 talk to you. " And I said: "OK. " 02:08 So we went in the office. He was assistant... 02:10 or associate pastor there. 02:12 And so I went in and talked to he and his wife. 02:14 And I was so impressed of their love for Jesus 02:17 and they began to talk to me about how much they appreciated 02:21 3ABN and the good that it's doing around the world. 02:23 And GYC - yeah - how they were so supportive. 02:26 And I saw a fire in these young people. 02:28 So pretty soon I was talking to the daughter... 02:32 and I said now... or to Kameron's wife... 02:34 and I said: "Now let's see. You guys, were you raised 02:36 in the church? " She goes: "Well my father 02:38 is Ted Wilson. " And I said: "Oh, OK. " 02:42 So we knew who Ted Wilson was, of course. 02:44 I've known him for many years but didn't know that it was 02:47 Ted Wilson's daughter. Um-hmm. But wonderful people. 02:50 And we saw their love and their desire for Jesus. 02:53 And they stick into what we call the Pillars of our Faith. 02:56 Amen. They're there. And it's good to see young people 02:59 that have the fire, they have the love for Jesus 03:02 and they know exactly where we've come from 03:05 and where we're headed. 03:06 And you know, after Kameron left Florida 03:09 he went to Michigan, where he is pastor at Muskegon 03:13 and Fremont district. OK. 03:15 And he was happy that they had a mild winter this year. 03:20 Yes, I'm sure he was... coming from Avon Park. 03:22 Right. Absolutely. That's quite an adjustment to make. 03:26 He's an experienced person. He's taught in an academy 03:30 and he'll tell you a little bit more about that. 03:32 But he has been a teacher... a Bible teacher. 03:34 He is a real Bible student. 03:37 And tonight I believe that as he enters this series 03:41 which he's calling The Greater Controversy 03:44 I believe that you are going to learn some things 03:49 and at the same time be brought much closer to our Lord and 03:53 Savior Jesus Christ. Yeah. So we're looking forward 03:56 to these five presentations by Kameron DeVasher. 03:59 And before he does that tonight though, 04:03 I'm going to ask you if you'd lead us in prayer. 04:05 All right. And right after our prayer 04:07 we have Pastor C. A. Murray, who's going to bless us 04:10 with some music. And then the next voice after him will be 04:13 Pastor Kameron. Amen. Let's pray. 04:15 Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your blessings 04:17 and Your love. We thank you for Your plan of salvation. 04:20 We thank you for a network like 3ABN that we literally can 04:24 come here in this little small community 04:26 and though there may not be a lot of folk here in this 04:29 community, as we come together You've given us a mouthpiece 04:33 that we literally... these signals, these programs 04:35 tonight are going literally around the world. 04:37 Potentially millions and hundreds of millions 04:40 and even I'm told up to two billion people could watch 04:43 this program tonight. Thank you, Father. 04:45 It's nothing more than a miracle... it IS a miracle! 04:48 We thank you that You're a God of such power 04:53 and such might, and yet You rule the mighty universe 04:56 and You're small enough to live within our hearts. 04:58 Father, tonight we ask for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit 05:01 upon this program - on the pastor, on the music - 05:04 that everything that's said and done will be to Your honor 05:08 and Your glory. We ask these things 05:10 in the worthy name of Jesus and for His sake, Amen. Amen. 05:14 Pastor Murray's going to sing for us: "I'll Tell The World. " 05:18 And then after that Pastor DeVasher is going 05:22 to present the message "Beyond Ptolemy. " 05:43 I'll tell the world 05:46 that I'm a Christian. 05:50 I'm not ashamed 05:53 His name to bear. 05:56 I'll tell the world 06:00 that I'm a Christian. 06:04 I'll take Him with me 06:08 everywhere. 06:11 I'll tell the world 06:15 how Jesus saved me 06:18 and how He gave me 06:22 a life brand new. 06:26 And I know that if you trust Him 06:32 that all He gave me 06:36 He'll give to you. 06:43 I'll tell the world 06:47 that He's my Savior. 06:50 No other one 06:54 could love me so. 06:58 My life, my all 07:01 is His forever. 07:05 And where He leads me 07:08 I will go. 07:16 I'll tell the world 07:19 Jesus is coming. 07:22 And it may be near 07:26 or far, far away. 07:30 But we've got to live 07:33 as if that coming 07:37 could be tomorrow 07:41 or today. 07:44 For when He comes 07:48 and life is over 07:51 for those who love Him 07:55 there's more to be. 07:59 Eyes have never seen the wonders 08:06 that He's preparing 08:09 for you and me. 08:17 Go tell the world 08:20 that you're a Christian. 08:23 Don't be ashamed 08:27 His name to bear. 08:31 Just tell the world 08:34 that you are a Christian. 08:38 And take Him with you 08:42 everywhere. 08:47 I'll tell the world 08:53 how Jesus saved me 08:56 and how He gave me 08:59 a life brand new. 09:04 And I know that if you trust Him 09:10 that all He gave to me 09:14 He'll give to you. 09:22 I'll tell the world 09:24 that I'm a Christian. 09:28 I'm not ashamed 09:32 His name to bear. 09:35 I'll tell the world 09:39 that I'm a Christian. 09:42 I'll take Him with me 09:45 everywhere... 09:50 I'll take Him with me 09:52 anywhere. 10:06 Amen. 10:13 Good evening everyone. Good evening. 10:16 I want to thank 3ABN for the invitation to be here 10:20 and I'm so glad that you all have joined us. 10:22 And we're going to have - I believe - a very good time 10:24 tonight studying the Word of God. 10:27 I want to start by just setting the stage a little bit. 10:30 I want to stretch the framework of your Christian thinking 10:33 just a little bit, and we're going to explore some deep 10:37 things in God's Word tonight that I believe the Holy Spirit 10:40 is going to talk to us and tell us some things 10:42 that we need to hear and is going to bless us 10:45 in a special way as we commit ourselves to the study of 10:47 God's Word. But let me set the stage like this: 10:50 for a great many... in fact, likely most Christians... 10:53 the sole reason that Jesus came and died 10:58 was to save sinners. And of course, that sounds good. 11:02 Who would ever contest that basic fact? 11:05 Jesus came to die for sinners. 11:07 Which of course He did. But from that perspective 11:10 the whole scope of salvation history extends basically 11:14 like this. You start with the creation of the world 11:16 and then the fall into sin. 11:20 You move through Jesus' life, death, ministry, resurrection. 11:25 And then someday at a point... we're not there yet 11:29 but hopefully soon... Jesus will return 11:32 and fix everything and that's it. 11:34 That's the history of redemption. 11:35 That's the story; that's the framework within our mind 11:38 are those simple, basic points. 11:41 And Seventh-day Adventists, all of whom should be familiar 11:44 with the Great Controversy theme, will take that basic 11:47 structure and kind of extend it. 11:49 That limited scope and expand it 11:51 back before the creation of the world and say: 11:55 "You know our sin problem actually started in heaven. " 11:57 And then it will extend it right on through past the end 12:00 of the second coming and say a thousand years beyond 12:03 that is when the ultimate end of our sin problem will come 12:07 and THAT'S the Great Controversy. 12:09 Well, all of those things are true. 12:12 But if you notice, one border starts at creation, 12:16 goes to the cross and ends at the second coming. 12:18 And the other simply does the exact same thing 12:20 except it expands the beginning to some time up in heaven 12:24 and the end to 1,000 years after it. 12:26 They're very, very similar and they both speak very, very 12:29 true things, but there's some- thing that I feel is lacking 12:35 in both of these perspectives. 12:37 Not that any of those things are wrong, but there is 12:39 a major implied flaw that I'd like to clarify with us 12:43 starting this evening and over the course 12:45 of our series of meetings. 12:46 And that's that both of these pictures of the plan 12:50 of redemption revolve completely and totally around us. 12:56 Jesus came to save us from sin. 12:59 We are the focus of His attention... period. 13:01 You might confess to me: "Well of course we are! 13:04 We're the sinners... we're the only sinners in the universe 13:06 so that's where His focus - His attention - is focused around. 13:09 But... that's true but at the same time - 13:13 and here's our thesis for the entire series 13:17 so you don't want to miss this - 13:19 there is more to God's plan of redemption 13:23 than merely saving lost sinners. 13:27 OK. God has a bigger plan, a broader scope, 13:31 a different perspective... a greater - if you will - 13:36 controversy than simply saving lost sinners. 13:39 Let me explain it this way. 13:41 Just after the time of Christ, a man by the name of 13:46 Claudius Ptolemy formally articulated an ancient Greek 13:51 idea of how the universe was organized. 13:54 He described the earth as THE CENTRAL OBJECT around which 13:58 every other object in the visible universe revolved. 14:01 OK? 14:02 The sun, the moon, the stars. Planets... anything 14:05 that was anything revolved around well... us. 14:09 We were the center. And believe it or not, 14:11 this idea was the commonly-held model of how the universe worked 14:15 for nearly 2,000 years. 14:17 You think about that. The earth is only 6,000 years old. 14:21 So 2,000... you know, that's a third of earth's history 14:23 people had this idea in their heads. 14:27 All of that ended, however, in the early 1500's 14:30 when a man by the name of Nicholas Copernicus 14:33 suggested that the universe, just maybe, perhaps, 14:37 might not revolve around us. 14:41 Instead he claimed that the earth was just 1 of many planets 14:44 that actually revolved around the sun. 14:48 And this did not sit well with many people, and especially 14:52 church leaders, who at the time thought it was sacrilegious, 14:56 it was unspiritual, 14:59 to suggest that the earth wasn't the center of God's universe. 15:05 In fact, the famous astronomer and telescope inventor 15:08 Galileo Galilei spent the last ten years of his life 15:11 under house arrest for supporting such a supposedly 15:15 heretical view. Now of course with our modern instruments 15:20 and all kinds of gadgets we understand that the whole 15:23 discussion of whether or not the earth is the center of the 15:26 universe is absolutely ridiculous. 15:30 We know that not only does our world revolve around the sun 15:32 but the sun and all the other planets that revolve around it 15:35 are part of a larger orbital structure called a galaxy. 15:39 And we look out in space and we see there are countless 15:41 numbers of those. We are absolutely a piece 15:44 of God's universe but we are not the center of God's universe. 15:50 Now spiritually, however, most Christians still hold to a view 15:55 of the universe - spiritually now - a view of the universe 15:59 very much akin to that of Ptolemy: 16:02 that everything in the universe from God's perspective 16:06 is done about and for us. 16:13 Sure, we acknowledge the existence of angels and demons 16:15 but, I mean, they exist to either harm or help us. 16:19 Right? And you know there might be other planets... 16:23 who's really to know? But what's really important 16:25 is that we are here, we sinned, and we have a Savior 16:28 Jesus Christ. And I believe that is important. Amen? 16:31 But tonight I want to take us beyond Ptolemy 16:34 spiritually speaking. I want us to see the greater controversy. 16:38 So if you would, let's bow our heads as we open 16:39 with a word of prayer. Dear heavenly Father, 16:42 Lord I thank you so much for loving us enough to create us, 16:47 loving us enough to come and die for us. But 16:50 Lord tonight as we study Your Word help us to expand 16:55 the horizons of our minds. 16:57 Help us to see that we serve a greater God than we even 17:00 typically imagine. And help us to fall in love 17:03 with that Jesus from a whole new perspective. 17:05 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 17:08 The message that I propose to present to you 17:12 will take us to a Bible study. I hope you're not offended by 17:15 that. I'm not apologizing... I'm just saying 17:17 we're going to be in our Bibles tonight. 17:20 I'm going to start at I John chapter 3. 17:22 I John chapter 3 and go to verse 8. 17:25 We're going to start with "In the beginning... " 17:28 but it may be another "in the beginning" than you're typically 17:30 used to. Although the Bible itself in the book of Genesis 17:34 opens with the words: "In the beginning God created, " 17:37 that's the beginning of us. But I want to take us to 17:40 a different beginning. I John chapter 3 and verse 8. 17:44 Jesus here... I'm sorry. The apostle John here 17:49 speaking of the devil 17:55 says in verse 8 these words: 17:57 "He who sins is of the devil 18:00 for the devil has sinned... " What are the next 3 words? 18:04 "from the beginning. " 18:07 And notice this next sentence very carefully: 18:10 "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested: 18:15 that He might destroy the works of the devil. " 18:21 You notice he says that the devil has sinned from the 18:24 beginning. And in our minds we think: "Oh, 18:26 well right there in creation. " 18:27 But there's an earlier beginning. 18:30 You know, I have a hard time relating to things that happened 18:32 before 1977. Right? But apparently spiritually 18:37 speaking there was stuff before the creation of the world. 18:40 There was a beginning prior to that. 18:41 "From the beginning... " it says, "the devil... " 18:45 The devil... from the beginning. 18:49 But it says here that God came - Christ came - was manifested 18:54 to destroy the works of the devil. 18:56 So He is here - He came here - to finish something that started 18:59 before we were even on the scene. 19:02 Hmmm. So what exactly were these works of the devil 19:07 that Christ came to destroy? Have you ever wondered 19:08 about that? What did Satan who, of course, started off 19:13 in a different position, Lucifer, 19:15 what did he actually do wrong? 19:17 Think about it. Did he commit adultery? 19:20 Did he steal? Did he kill? What did he do? 19:22 Let's explore this a little bit deeper. 19:24 Go to the book of John now. 19:25 We went from I John to the book of John - 19:27 the gospel of John - John chapter 8 and verse 44. 19:33 Jesus here contending with the spiritual leaders of that time. 19:43 He gave them some language, gave them some words, 19:45 that I don't know that they were particularly comfortable with. 19:48 Well we'll start in verse 37 to get the context. 19:51 John chapter 8 starting with verse 37. 19:53 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek 19:58 to kill Me. " Right. So they're talking about the Jews that say 20:01 "We are Abraham's descendants. " And Jesus said: "Look, I know 20:03 genealogically you are descendants BUT 20:05 you're seeking to kill Me. " 20:07 And the premise is: Abraham wouldn't do that. 20:10 Goes on... verse 38: 20:15 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do 20:19 what you have seen with your father. " 20:21 So note: He sets up a juxtaposition there. 20:24 Your father and then there's My Father. 20:26 And they're thinking Abraham but Christ is thinking 20:29 of a greater controversy. 20:31 Verse 39: 20:33 "They answered and said to Him: 'Abraham is our father. ' 20:37 Jesus said to them: 'If you were Abraham's children 20:39 you would do the works of Abraham. 20:42 But now... " Verse 40... "you seek to kill Me: 20:46 a Man which has told you the truth which I heard from God. 20:49 Abraham did not do this. 20:51 You do the deeds of your father. ' 20:54 Then they said to Him: 'We were not born of fornication; 20:57 we have one Father: God. ' " 20:59 So they're saying: "We are the children of Abraham 21:01 and he was the son of God. We are the children of God. " 21:05 Verse 42: "Jesus said to them: 21:07 "If God were your Father, you would love Me 21:10 for I proceeded forth and came from God. 21:12 Nor have I come of Myself but He sent me. " 21:15 Verse 43: "Why do you not understand My speech? 21:18 Because you are not able to listen to My word. " 21:20 And here's the key in verse 44: 21:22 "You are of your father the... " Who? 21:25 "the devil. " That is strong language! 21:29 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires 21:33 of your father you want to do. " 21:37 So the same spirit that was in him is in you. 21:40 "The desires of your father you want to do. 21:42 He was a... " and here's our key... 21:45 "a murderer from the beginning. " 21:48 Here's from that beginning again. 21:50 "He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand 21:54 in the truth because there is no truth in him. 21:56 When he speaks a lie 21:58 he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar 22:00 and the father of it. " 22:03 Apparently the devil is the father of lies 22:06 and has been a murderer from the beginning. 22:10 So if the work or the sin that the devil committed 22:13 that got him cast from heaven was telling lies 22:15 and committing murder it's only reasonable to ask 22:20 "What lie did he tell? " 22:22 And beyond that: "Who did he kill? " 22:25 If he was a murderer from the beginning, 22:28 who was his victim? Who did he kill? 22:32 We need to dig into this a little bit. 22:34 Go to the book of Ezekiel chapter 28. 22:37 Ezekiel chapter 28 gives us a behind-the-scenes view 22:40 of this "from the beginning" 22:43 which of course is not the beginning of the entire universe 22:46 nor the beginning of our part of the universe 22:48 but the beginning of sin itself. 22:49 Ezekiel chapter 28 starting with verse 14. 22:53 Let's listen to the words of scripture 22:56 describing this devil before his fall. 23:00 Says: "You were the anointed cherub who covers. " 23:03 And we're just going to break this text down phrase by phrase. 23:05 "You were the anointed cherub who covers. 23:08 I established you. 23:10 You were on the holy mountain of God. 23:12 You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 23:14 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created 23:17 till iniquity was found in you. " 23:21 "You were perfect in your ways. " 23:23 Now let's see, he's the anointed cherub who covers. 23:28 That's an angel right next to the throne of God. 23:31 In fact, in the heavenly sanctuary of which the earthly 23:34 sanctuary is but a model, apparently there were 23:37 orders of angels. And he was established... 23:40 he was ordained some scriptures say. 23:42 You think of Satan being an ordained minister. 23:44 But he was. 23:46 "You were the anointed cherub who covers. " 23:47 And you think... your mind goes to the ark of the covenant 23:49 with its two golden angels who cover the Shekinah glory, 23:52 the very throne of God. 23:54 Lucifer was one of those. 23:56 "You were the anointed cherub who covers. " 23:58 He had a job right there next to the very throne of God. 24:03 And it also says He was "perfect in your ways... " 24:05 "You were perfect in your ways. " 24:07 This means that he was a sinless being. 24:09 Perfect is not thrown around loosely in scripture. 24:12 But he was a sinless being. 24:14 Then it says: "from the day you were created" 24:17 which indicates that this was a created being. 24:19 So this was not an inherently immortal being but 24:22 this was a contingent being if you will 24:25 that God brought into being. 24:30 And it says: "till iniquity was found in you. " 24:34 From this being - for this being - iniquity or sin was not 24:39 something discovered outside of himself 24:41 but was formed from within. 24:45 No other being came up to him with a suggestion 24:48 or a temptation or a new idea that he gave in to. 24:50 It happened from inside. 24:52 So let's continue to verse 16 24:54 'cause we're still asking the question: what did he actually 24:56 do wrong? What were the lies that he told? 24:58 Who did he actually kill? Verse 16, Ezekiel 28: 25:01 "By the abundance of your... " And based on what Christ 25:04 has said we would expect "by the abundance of your 25:06 killing. " But what does it say? 25:08 "by the abundance of your trading 25:11 you became filled with violence within and you sinned. 25:17 Therefore... " so because of that... 25:20 "Therefore I cast you as a profane thing 25:22 out of the mountain of God and I destroyed you, 25:24 O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. " 25:29 And although some versions don't include the word within 25:32 when it talks about he was filled with violence 25:34 they all agree that he was not cast out of heaven for his 25:37 violent acts. 25:40 But that that violence was filling him up on the inside 25:43 and it manifested itself not in killing someone 25:49 but in what the Bible calls "trading. " 25:52 Or some versions even call "merchandise. " 25:55 He was selling something. 25:58 Now how do you harmonize these two things? 26:01 Jesus said he was a murderer from the beginning and here 26:02 it says he was in trouble - he got cast out - 26:04 for his trafficking, his trading, his merchandise. 26:07 He was filled with violence within. 26:12 Well thankfully, scripture interprets itself. 26:14 And the same Jesus that told about the devil 26:17 now talks about... in Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 and 22 26:22 listen to Jesus talk about the crime of murder. 26:24 This is what He says: 26:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old 26:29 'you shall not murder. ' And whoever murders 26:31 will be in danger of the judgment. 26:33 But I say to you... ' " So notice He's taking 26:37 the superficial and making it deeper. 26:39 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother 26:42 without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. " 26:46 And whoever says to his brother 'Raca' shall be in danger 26:50 of the Council. 26:52 But whoever says 'You fool! ' 26:53 shall be in danger of hell fire. " 26:57 That word raca that He slides in the middle there 27:00 it means something like empty-headed or nonsensical 27:04 or ignorant... or as Christ draws the parallel 27:06 the same as calling someone a fool. 27:08 You don't know what you're doing. 27:10 Says: "If you say that and in your heart 27:13 there's a murderous intent 27:16 that's tantamount to murder itself. " 27:20 And by the way, in this text - we'll just jump in a little bit 27:23 deeper here because we're going to be laying some threads 27:26 that aren't going to be resolved tonight. But we're going to 27:28 pick them up and weave them into a tapestry. 27:31 In this text notice that it says "then whoever... " 27:35 It doesn't say whoever has anger in his heart without cause 27:37 will be executed. 27:39 It says: "Whoever is angry without cause shall be in danger 27:43 of the judgment. " 27:44 He'll be put before a Council. 27:49 And then you could be in danger of hell fire. 27:51 It seems to imply a deliberative panel 27:56 examining evidence to determine sentencing. 28:00 In fact, we'll see this unfold more clearly tonight. 28:04 Even more so in our subsequent messages. 28:06 But back to the matter at hand. 28:08 This angel's violence was not outward murder... 28:11 it was inward hatred. 28:14 The sin for which he was cast out of heaven 28:17 was a murderous intent that manifest itself not in 28:19 taking life but in trading or selling something. 28:22 And just in case you think I'm way out on a limb here 28:25 and taking liberties with the text, skip down two verses 28:28 and look at verse 18. Ezekiel 28:18 28:31 continues the scene: 28:33 "You defiled your sanctuary 28:36 by the multitude of your iniquities. " 28:37 And of course iniquity is a synonym for sin. 28:39 "By the multitude of your iniquities. 28:41 By the iniquity of your trading. " 28:45 Or you look it up in the King James version: 28:46 "your traffic. " This is merchandise again. 28:50 "By the iniquity of your trading. Therefore 28:53 I brought fire from your midst and devoured you. 28:55 And I turned you to ashes upon the earth... " 28:57 And this will be key later on: 28:59 "in the sight of all who saw you. " 29:04 Hmmm. If you look this text up in the Seventh-day Adventist 29:08 Bible Commentary you'll find two sentences 29:10 that refer to this. And Mrs. White only refers 29:12 to this traffic one time in all of her writings, 29:14 and it's found in the fourth volume of the Seventh-day 29:17 Adventist Bible Commentary on page 1163. 29:19 Two sentences. "In this place... " 29:23 In scripture. "In this place traffic is the emblem of 29:28 corrupt administration. It denotes the bringing of 29:32 self-seeking into spiritual offices. " 29:36 OK. So you have the picture in your head. 29:38 There's the throne of God. And of course only one being 29:41 in the universe sits on the throne of God, right? 29:43 But there's those two covering cherubs 29:45 of which Lucifer was one. 29:47 And apparently his responsibility was to be 29:50 an ambassador for Christ. To be a spokesman, 29:53 a representative so that the glory would come and he would 29:55 deflect it and give it to the Father. 29:58 He conducted the praise of the heavenly beings. 30:01 But apparently into that spiritual office 30:03 crept self-seeking. 30:07 And instead of killing he started selling something. 30:11 Selling something... 30:14 Now again, that's just a Bible commentary. 30:16 That's not the Bible itself. But does the Bible support 30:18 this claim? Let's go to the book of Isaiah chapter 14. 30:22 Isaiah chapter 14 we get another glimpse into the fall. 30:28 It says here in chapter 14 starting with verse 12: 30:32 "How you are fallen from heaven O Lucifer, son of the morning. 30:36 How you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the 30:38 nations. For... " and notice this again: 30:41 you have been cut down to the ground for this reason... 30:45 "for you have said... " Where did he say it? 30:48 "in your heart... " "for you have said in your heart 30:52 'I will ascend into heaven. 30:53 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... ' 30:57 Stars always being a symbol for angels, 31:00 especially in prophecy there. 31:02 'I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 31:05 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 31:07 on the farthest sides of the north. 31:08 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. 31:11 I will be like the Most High. ' " 31:14 "I will be like the Most High. " 31:16 Bringing self-seeking into his spiritual office. 31:22 Yet it says in verse 15 at the conclusion of all that: 31:25 "Yet you shall be brought down to shaol... 31:28 the lowest depths of the pit. " Notice here again: 31:31 the reason Lucifer was cast out of heaven was not because 31:33 of outward violence but because of an inward struggle, 31:37 a desire for self-exaltation. 31:39 So we're going to start to put the pieces together. 31:41 Coupled with the information from the book of Ezekiel 31:44 the picture emerges of a high-ranking angel 31:46 or a covering cherub as scripture says 31:48 who though already in a position of leadership 31:51 in God's government became dissatisfied with that position 31:55 and desired to become like the Most High. 31:58 He literally wanted to be like God. 32:03 You know, it's fascinating to me that there is a name 32:05 used in scripture that means "who is like God, " 32:08 and that name is Michael. 32:12 In just a couple moments Michael is about to play 32:15 a critical role in our story. 32:17 So taking into account these inspired records 32:20 we can start to take that picture and apply it 32:24 to what we see in John's testimony found in the book 32:26 of Revelation. Go to Revelation chapter 12 32:30 and start with verse 7. 32:32 Again, the third Biblical description of this fall 32:37 of Lucifer. Revelation chapter 12 starting with verse 7: 32:40 "And war broke out in heaven. 32:43 Michael... " the One who is like God... 32:46 His name literally means that... 32:48 "and His angels fought with the dragon. 32:50 And the dragon and his angels fought but they did not 32:52 prevail nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 32:56 So the great dragon was cast out - that serpent of old 32:59 called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world - 33:02 he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. " 33:08 So based on the previous Bible study we've done 33:11 we can see that this war in heaven was not a war of 33:13 arms but a war of words... a war of ideas. 33:17 He was selling something counterfeit to God's government. 33:22 By the way, the word... the Greek word for war 33:25 in this text is polemos 33:26 from which we derive the English word... 33:29 from which the English word is derived: polemic. 33:32 OK. Now polemic is a type of argument. 33:35 Webster defines it this way: 33:37 an aggressive attack or refutation of the opinions 33:41 or principles of another. 33:43 That's the war in heaven. 33:45 The other definition: it's the art or practice 33:49 of disputation or controversy. 33:52 The art of controversy and disputing. 33:55 An aggressive attack... a war of words, a war of ideas. 34:01 Now, while to many minds the great controversy 34:03 between Christ and Satan is all about us 34:05 long before we were even on the scene 34:07 there was already raging a greater controversy. 34:10 Right in the very center of the heavenly universe 34:13 one of the Lord's most trusted and highly exalted creatures 34:16 out of jealousy for Christ - the One who IS like God - 34:20 he waged a war of ideas against the government of God. 34:25 And by the way fascinatingly enough 34:27 we can clarify this just a little step farther. 34:30 You remember when Jesus dealt with the Jewish leaders 34:33 who were agitating Him by telling them that they were 34:35 doing the works of their father the devil? 34:38 Keep that in mind and now notice 34:40 in Mark chapter 15 and verse 10 as Jesus stood before His 34:44 accusers in that mockery of a trial that He endured 34:47 just before His execution even Pilate - 34:51 who claimed to find no fault in Christ - 34:54 looked at the situation. He was an objective observer. 34:57 He did not have "skin in this game" if you will. 34:59 But he saw Christ and he saw His accusers, 35:01 and look in Mark chapter 15 and verse 10. 35:03 These are the words of Pilate. 35:05 It says that he knew... scripture tells us 35:08 that Pilate knew that the chief priest had handed Him over 35:12 because of... envy. 35:15 And Jesus looked at that same scenario. 35:18 What He saw here on earth - that same murderous envy 35:22 that Jesus saw in the Jewish leaders at His mock trial - 35:25 He had seen long before in the heart of Lucifer. 35:29 When he looked at them it was like déjà vu. 35:32 He'd stood here before. Now you think about this: 35:39 isn't God, you know... all knowing? 35:42 Isn't He omniscient? 35:44 I mean, the Bible repeatedly declares that God searches 35:47 our hearts and minds. I Corinthians 4:5 35:50 says that the Lord can and someday will 35:52 "bring to light the hidden things of darkness 35:55 and reveal the counsels of the heart. " 35:57 He can... He can read your mind; He can search your heart. 35:59 How many times have we repeated the well-known Bible truth 36:02 from I Samuel 16:7 that "the Lord does not see 36:06 as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance 36:10 but the Lord looks... " Where? 'on the heart. " 36:13 So I mean if there was some battle waging inside the heart 36:16 of Lucifer could not God have seen that? 36:20 Of course. And even if Lucifer was taxing every ounce 36:24 of that tremendous, angelic intellect to wage a war 36:28 of ideas against the government of God 36:29 in an effort to so twist the minds of the heavenly peers 36:33 that they would commit treason against their Creator and King, 36:36 wouldn't God just see right through it? 36:39 I mean, there's no way He was deceived, was there? 36:43 Of course not... of course not. 36:47 So we're left with this paradox. 36:50 If God knew what Lucifer was up to, 36:53 if He could read the secret thoughts and intents 36:56 of his heart, why wouldn't He just destroy him 36:59 right then and there? 37:02 Why was Lucifer merely cast out of heaven 37:05 instead of being blotted out of existence? 37:07 Why was he cast and not blotted? 37:12 It's a pertinent question for us because where was he sent? 37:15 To the earth. 37:19 I think you find the answer in scripture as well. 37:21 Go back now to the book of Isaiah. 37:25 The book of Isaiah chapter 14 again starting with verse 16. 37:31 We'll overlap but extend it just a little bit. 37:33 Isaiah chapter 14 starting with verse 14. 37:36 Scripture reads: 37:42 "I will ascend... " This is the middle of Lucifer's speech 37:45 to himself, that inward monologue... 37:47 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. 37:49 I will be like the Most High. 37:51 Yet you shall be brought down to shaol, to the lowest depths 37:54 of the pit. " Now look at verse 16 very carefully: 37:57 "Those who see you will gaze at you 38:03 and consider you. " 38:05 What are some synonyms for consider? 38:08 You consider something? You think about it. 38:11 You mull it over; you ponder it. 38:13 You really wrestle with an idea; you consider it. 38:17 Apparently those who knew him were going to see him 38:19 and gaze at him and consider him. 38:22 Interesting... very interesting. 38:25 "Those who see you will gaze at you and consider you 38:28 saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble? 38:32 Who shook kingdoms? ' " 38:35 Let's go back now to Ezekiel chapter 28 38:38 starting with verse 17. 38:43 Scripture reads: "Your heart was lifted because of your 38:45 beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your 38:48 splendor. I cast you to the ground. I laid you before kings" 38:52 and here it is again... 38:54 "that they might gaze at you. " 38:57 It tells us why he was cast out instead of being blotted out. 39:02 "That the kings " - those who knew him - "might gaze at him. " 39:05 Again, verse 18: "You defiled your sanctuary 39:09 by the multitude of your iniquities... 39:10 by the iniquity of your trading. 39:12 Therefore I brought fire from your midst and devoured you 39:16 and I turned you to ashes upon the earth... " 39:18 And here it is again: 39:19 "in the sight of all who saw you. " 39:21 Verse 19: 39:22 "All who knew you among the people are astonished at you. 39:26 You have become a horror and shall be no more forever. " 39:31 Notice the chronological sequencing. 39:33 "All who knew you... " past tense. 39:36 "are astonished... " present tense. 39:39 "You have become a horror... " still present tense. 39:42 "and you shall be no more forever. " 39:46 It's almost as if there were some people who knew him. 39:50 And the reason that the Lord didn't blot him out of existence 39:53 is so that those people could watch him and gaze at him 39:57 and consider what in the world this guy was doing. 40:02 What a powerful thought! 40:04 So God, though clearly knowing the rebellious, lying, 40:07 even murderous intents of Lucifer did not destroy him 40:09 immediately. Not because it wouldn't have been right 40:12 but because it wouldn't have been seen as right. 40:17 Do you see the difference? 40:19 Let me give you an illustration. 40:22 A man was at home one evening all by himself. 40:26 Not many lights were on; he headed in to bed. 40:30 And he's lying there in bed and he hears a disturbance 40:35 in the house like someone is knocking on the door. 40:38 But they're not knocking... they're just trying to get in. 40:39 Then he hears a forceful entry 40:42 and his nerves are on high alert. 40:47 And he hears the rustling around and the clattering about. 40:51 He takes a step out of bed and he quietly goes down 40:54 the hallway. Two people trying to sneak through the house 40:58 at the same time: one the intruder and one the victim. 41:03 The intruder has taken whatever it was he came for... 41:05 let's say the television set... in his hands. 41:07 Walks across the living room 41:10 at just the moment that the man flips on the light switch. 41:12 And there's the man looking at the burglar. 41:16 And this burglar - not wearing a mask or anything like that - 41:19 sees this man's face - bright light shining on both of them - 41:23 indelibly printed on their minds. And both of their eyes 41:26 just bug out. Ooh... 41:28 Immediately the man drops the TV. 41:31 Runs, and as fast as he can get out the door 41:33 the other man is chasing him and he gets the phone. 41:34 He's not going to chase him down in the night. 41:36 Picks up the phone; he calls 911. 41:37 He said: "I've been robbed... in fact, I'm being robbed 41:39 right now! Come and get him; he's right here on my street. " 41:42 He gave them the address and the man goes back to bed 41:45 a little shaken but he's able to get some sleep. 41:47 He hears the night... the sirens off in the night 41:49 and he figures "Well, this guy is probably getting his 41:51 right now. " The next day the man goes to work. 41:57 And he goes into his job and he sits down at his chair 42:02 where he works. And the other man is having his day. 42:06 He did get caught by the police and he's having his day as well. 42:09 And he's not going to work... he's going to trial. 42:13 And he walks into the courtroom 42:16 just as the homeowner walks into his place of business 42:20 to sit down as the judge. 42:23 And for the second time in so many days their eyes lock. 42:29 Super awkward. 42:33 I can imagine being a judge. 42:37 I think it's nice to judge people every now and then. 42:38 We shouldn't do it, but I mean... but this guy... 42:41 he knew what he did, right? 42:44 And the criminal knew he had... 42:46 Of all the luck, right? 42:50 Of all the houses, of all of the people. This is the judge! 42:52 And he walks in and their eyes lock for the second time. 42:54 Bug out... both of them and... 42:59 But let me ask you a question. 43:00 In the scenario just laid out if the judge came down 43:04 and of course there's all the different people: the bailiff 43:07 and the different people holding him, and then there's 43:08 perhaps there's a jury there. I don't know how it all works, 43:11 and there's a defense attorney. But there's a room full of 43:12 people going through the process. 43:17 And the judge says: "Guys, just everybody be quiet 43:20 for a minute. Let's just cut to the chase on this one, 43:22 all right? I can tell you right now 43:25 'Guilty! ' I am ready to make a verdict." 43:28 Puts the gavel down... declares him guilty. 43:30 He's like: "I know what he's charged with. 43:33 I'm the one who called it in! 43:35 And I'm sitting here saying 'I know him; I recognize him. 43:38 Positive ID... this man is guilty. ' " 43:41 Would the judge have been right 43:43 in his assessment of the situation? 43:45 Absolutely! 43:47 But would he be doing right by jumping ahead of the process? 43:52 No. 43:55 So let me ask you this question: 43:59 well let's put it this way... 44:01 there is value in the process. 44:04 There's a reason for due process 44:10 even if the judge already knows the answer. 44:14 Why would it be wrong to jump ahead of the process? 44:19 Because there are some people who need to see some evidence. 44:25 They need to say: "Well judge, I mean I know you 44:27 and I trust you. I'm on your side. 44:29 I'm not doubting your word. But... 44:31 you can't just arbitrarily - at least appearingly 44:35 arbitrarily - pass sentence on this man who we haven't seen 44:39 the evidence. We haven't heard the arguments. 44:41 We haven't seen for ourselves the truth of the matter. " 44:46 There's a reason that God only cast the devil out 44:50 and didn't destroy him on the spot. 44:55 You find this on pages 41 and 42 44:58 of the book Patriarchs and Prophets. I love that book. 45:02 But I want you to see that in the book of Ezekiel 45:04 and in the book of Isaiah repeatedly we have seen 45:07 the reason being given for Satan being cast out to the earth 45:10 is not because He didn't... that God didn't know 45:13 the difference between right and wrong. 45:15 It's because everybody else didn't know the difference 45:17 between right and wrong yet. 45:19 And it says: "So that they might gaze at you 45:21 and consider you in the sight of all who knew you. " 45:24 "That they might see you. " 45:26 It's important... Well let me just cut to it. 45:31 This is a lengthy... a lengthy passage 45:35 but notice the visible language. The scene understood... 45:40 clearly recognized. Here it is: 45:42 "God permitted Satan to carry forward his work 45:46 until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. 45:50 It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed. " 45:55 Check that. It was necessary. 45:57 It was not a good option... it was the only option. 46:00 It's a necessity. 46:02 It was a necessity. "It was necessary for his plans 46:05 to be fully developed that their true nature 46:07 and tendency might be seen by all. 46:12 Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted. 46:15 He was greatly loved by the heavenly beings 46:18 and his influence over them was strong. 46:21 All his acts... " she continues writing... 46:24 "All his acts were so clothed with mystery 46:26 that it was difficult to disclose to the angels 46:31 the true nature of his work. " 46:33 So does God know everything? 46:36 Of course! Absolutely. 46:38 But God cares more than just being right... about more 46:41 than just being right. He wants to be SEEN as right. 46:44 So they couldn't see through the mystery. 46:48 Do you suppose that the angels knew Lucifer? 46:51 Absolutely. 46:53 Do you suppose that they trusted his word? 46:56 Absolutely. 46:58 In fact, he was a leader. He was the anointed cherub 47:01 who covers. They're used to going to him as the leader in 47:03 praise and worship to God. And here's this man, 47:05 this angel, this host of heaven, this trusted being, 47:08 the right-hand man of God if you will, 47:10 who now is speaking against God. 47:14 And of course God knows the difference. 47:17 But she continues: 47:20 "All of his acts were so clothed with mystery that it was 47:22 difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature 47:24 of his work. Until fully developed 47:27 it could not be made to appear the evil thing that it was. " 47:31 So Satan didn't become evil as the process went on. 47:34 He was evil... but you couldn't see it. 47:38 "His disaffection would not be seen to be rebellion. " 47:43 If the Lord kicked him out... or the Lord destroyed him 47:46 right then and there, blotted him out of existence, 47:48 you know there could be an idea that maybe 47:52 he was on to something. 47:55 Have you heard of someone who died but their ideas, 47:58 their spirit lives on? 47:59 Watch this now: 48:02 "Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character 48:06 or see to what his work was leading. " 48:09 Like we understand it's a different direction 48:11 than God is, but we don't know where the end of that direction. 48:14 Of course the Lord knows the end from the beginning. 48:16 He's the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 48:19 But we don't have that kind of insight. 48:22 They couldn't see to what his work was leading. 48:25 "It was therefore" - because of that limitation in vision - 48:28 "It was therefore necessary to demonstrate... " 48:31 Keep that in your mind: "necessary to demonstrate 48:34 before the inhabitants of heaven and of all the worlds 48:37 that God's government is just... " 48:39 He didn't have to become just; 48:41 He needed everybody to see that it is just. 48:44 "His law perfect. 48:46 Satan made it appear that... " 48:49 "made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote 48:53 the good of the universe. 48:54 The true character of the usurper and his real object 48:57 must be understood by all. " 48:59 Must of necessity be understood by all. 49:02 "He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works. " 49:06 By his wicked... Remember John chapter 8? 49:10 "The works of the devil... " 49:13 Jesus came here to contest that from there. 49:17 She continues... second paragraph: 49:20 "The discord which his own course had caused in heaven 49:23 Satan charged upon the government of God. " 49:25 Think of how ridiculous that must be. From God's perspective 49:28 He's like: "You know, we didn't have any trouble before 49:31 and when you started talking these ideas all of a sudden 49:33 we have trouble. " But somehow Satan - the master 49:35 polemic, the master politician - was able to say: "Hey, hey! 49:38 That's not me... that's Him. 49:39 If it wasn't for His law, if it wasn't for His way of 49:43 governing things, we wouldn't even be having this problem. 49:45 Wouldn't it be great to have a government that didn't even 49:47 have to have these questions come up? 49:48 I'm sorry to have to be the sad bearer of bad news 49:51 but... " So he shifted the blame back to God. 49:55 And of course God could have said: 49:58 "No it's not. " Satan could have said: "Yes it is. " 50:00 "No it's not. " What does that accomplish? 50:05 His own works had to condemn him. 50:09 "All evil he declared to be the result of the divine 50:12 administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve 50:15 upon the statutes of Jehovah. " 50:17 "I can make the laws better. " 50:20 "Therefore God permitted him to demonstrate the nature 50:24 of his claims to show the working out of his proposed 50:27 changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. 50:31 Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. " 50:34 He's like: "No, no, no. This isn't a rebellion. 50:37 This is just a positive reformation. 50:39 This is the new and improved government of God. 50:41 I'm just trying to help Him out and I don't understand why 50:44 He's being so closed minded and cold hearted. 50:48 It's not me. " 50:52 Hmmm. 50:56 "The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked. " 51:02 So here we bring to our final paragraph: 51:05 "Even when he was cast out of heaven 51:07 infinite wisdom did not destroy Satan. 51:12 Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God 51:15 the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction 51:18 of His justice and benevolence. " 51:21 You know there are Christians in the world who serve God 51:23 because He's the most powerful being. 51:25 The sovereignty of God is the highest order. 51:27 But you know that God wants you to serve Him 51:30 for a bigger reason than just He's sovereign and He 51:31 runs the place? He actually wants service of love. 51:38 Think about that. 51:42 "Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God 51:44 the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction 51:46 of His justice and benevolence. 51:48 The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds 51:50 being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of 51:54 sin... " By the way, the wages of sin is what? Death. 51:57 Up unto this point, how many people had ever died? 52:00 None. They'd never seen death. 52:03 Just like saying: "The wages of sin is gobbledygork. " 52:07 People like: "Hmmm, yes... Hmmm. " 52:10 "I don't... Is that good? Bad? I really don't know what that is 52:13 but it sounds different. " 52:15 But they didn't understand the nature of it. 52:17 They didn't understand the consequences. 52:18 Those were hollow words in a place with no death. 52:21 They needed to understand the consequences of sin. 52:24 "They could not have seen... " Notice this: 52:27 "They could not then have seen the justice of God 52:29 in the destruction of Satan. 52:32 Had he been immediately blotted out of existence 52:34 some would have served God from fear rather than from love. 52:39 The influence... " Here it is... "of the deceiver 52:41 would not have been fully destroyed nor would the spirit 52:44 of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. 52:48 For the good... " and this is a radical thought 52:51 but here it is. I'm going to close down on this idea... 52:54 "For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages 52:59 He must more fully develop his principles 53:02 that his charges against the divine government 53:04 might be seen in their true light by all created beings 53:07 and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability 53:10 of His law might be forever placed beyond all question. " 53:13 Did you catch what she's saying there? 53:15 It was in the best interest of the universe that Satan 53:19 stay alive. Have you ever thought about that? 53:23 It's good for us that Satan is still going. 53:27 Whoo... that is a bizarre message, 53:32 but my friends, that's the key of the greater controversy. 53:35 There's a reason God didn't just blot him out. 53:37 There's a reason that at that initial rebellion He didn't just 53:41 end his life. There's a reason when he was cast to the earth 53:43 he wasn't just laid before and then executed. 53:45 He gave him time to develop his principles. 53:51 Hmmm. So we conclude right back where we started 53:54 in John chapter 8 and verse 44. 53:57 John chapter 8 and verse 44. 54:00 Jesus again, speaking to those people in whose eyes 54:05 He sees the same conflict: 54:16 "He who sins is of the devil. 54:23 Sorry... I John chapter 3 and verse 8: 54:25 "He who sins is of the devil for the devil has sinned 54:30 from the beginning. " 54:32 And notice this key sentence: 54:34 "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested 54:37 that He might destroy the works of the devil. " 54:43 As we started off, I feel that far too many Christians 54:46 have a view of the universe spiritually speaking: 54:50 "Well the reason Christ came here was just to get me 54:53 out of this mess... to help me out. " 54:54 No, my friends... there's something bigger. 54:57 As great as you are... and I know to you 54:58 you're the only you that you've got, right? 55:01 And you is big to you... 55:05 But there is something greater than just saving sinners. 55:08 Than just the people on this planet being brought back 55:11 to a different place. Apparently there's an entire 55:13 cosmic controversy, a broader scope, 55:15 a greater controversy 55:18 that Christ's life, death on the cross, 55:20 as we're going to see in the nights to come, answers. 55:24 Because the reason was that He laid him out there 55:27 was so people could look and see the contrast between Christ 55:29 and Satan and to understand and see the deceiver unmasked. 55:33 Jesus came to have that controversy solved. 55:38 And my friends, that's a wonderful thing. 55:40 Because I don't want to go back to heaven 55:41 just go through it all again. 55:44 I want a God... I love the God that we have. 55:47 I don't want a God, I've got a God 55:50 who doesn't just take things in His own hands, 55:53 execute judgment... as right as it may be. 55:55 He actually created beings who He decided to care 55:59 what they think. Have you ever thought about that? 56:02 God cares what you think. 56:06 Your opinion matters. 56:08 That He's not going to leave any stone unturned 56:12 and He's going to play the whole thing out to the end. 56:15 Because in the scope of eternity 56:18 He is right and He wants to be seen as right. 56:21 And someday, every knee will bow, 56:24 every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord 56:28 to the glory of God the Father. 56:30 That's the greater controversy. 56:32 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 56:34 Dear heavenly Father, 56:36 Lord I thank you so much 56:38 for creating us in the first place. 56:42 But Lord, when we sinned and fell short of the glory of God 56:45 You didn't leave us here. You didn't abandon us. 56:48 You sent Your Son to save us. 56:50 And beyond even just saving us, however, Lord, we understand 56:53 there's a greater controversy, that there's a broader scope, 56:58 and that there are other beings on other worlds, 57:00 there are heavenly angels who are watching all that's 57:03 going on and You have a great responsibility. 57:06 And Your goal is to not just save some sinners but to 57:09 set right the entire created universe... 57:12 not temporarily but forever. 57:15 And Lord, You've chosen... For some reason I will probably 57:18 never understand, Lord, You have chosen to care what we think. 57:22 Lord help us to not take that responsibility in vain. 57:26 Help us to not treat it with contempt or to pass it off 57:30 blithely by. |
Revised 2014-12-17