Anchors of Truth

Rebuilding the Walls

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Brian Hamilton (Host), Pr. Taj Pacleb

Series Code: AOT

00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:25 Hi, I'm Brian Hamilton.
00:27 It's my privilege to welcome you into the worship center of
00:30 Three Angels Broadcasting Network
00:33 for another Anchors Of Truth series.
00:37 Every once and a while, about every month and a half,
00:40 we interrupt our normal broadcasting schedule
00:44 to present usually a five part series
00:48 in each of these presentations.
00:50 And we call it, Anchors Of Truth.
00:54 We are headed on the home stretch to the end of this
00:59 earth's history, and there's certain things that we need
01:03 to understand and know about the times in which we live.
01:07 And each one of our Anchors presents one of those
01:10 messages dealing with the important truths that we need
01:15 to understand for the time in which we live.
01:18 And our particular series this time is entitled,
01:23 Almost Home.
01:25 And how appropriate that message is.
01:27 Almost Home.
01:29 We're not in the beginnings of earth's history,
01:31 we're not in the middle of earth's history.
01:34 We are headed toward the very end, the finish line,
01:38 of earth's history.
01:40 So welcome to Anchors Of Truth, Almost Home.
01:45 Our presenter for this particular series is
01:48 Pastor Taj Pacleb.
01:52 And Pastor Pacleb has recently pastored in the
01:56 Central California Conference.
01:58 And now he and his wife have launched into their own
02:01 ministry called, Revelation of Hope.
02:04 If you want to know more about it, you can just
02:06 Google it on the web.
02:07 I did it today, and it worked.
02:09 And I found their website, a beautiful website.
02:11 You can find out more about, Revelation of Hope Ministries,
02:15 with Pastor Pacleb and his wife.
02:19 The series, Almost Home, is five parts.
02:23 This is part three of the five parts.
02:27 And our title for the presentation tonight is,
02:30 Rebuilding the Walls.
02:32 Well what have we missed?
02:34 If you're just tuning in for the very first time,
02:37 you have missed, The Face Behind the Veil,
02:40 and number two, Champion of Love.
02:44 What do we have to look forward to?
02:46 Number four will be, The Smitten Rock,
02:50 and, Highway to the Upper Room, will end this five part series.
02:55 You don't want to miss one of them.
02:57 And if you have missed them, you can always call 3ABN
03:00 or email us, and we can provide the whole series.
03:04 Or any particular message that you would like to have,
03:07 we can make sure that you get that.
03:10 I'm going to have a word of prayer.
03:12 And then following my prayer, we're going to have the
03:16 proclamation of the gospel through a very special medium.
03:20 And that is music.
03:22 You know, you can present the gospel in a number
03:24 of different ways.
03:26 One of the ways would be through preaching.
03:28 And there will be preaching tonight.
03:30 Another way is through teaching, personal testimony.
03:35 But I think the way that's most effective
03:37 at touching the heart is the proclamation
03:41 of the gospel through music.
03:44 And Jacqueline, she goes by Jackie, Jewel
03:47 will be accompanying herself.
03:50 And I don't have a clue how they can do that
03:52 and sing at the same time.
03:53 But she will.
03:55 She'll accompany herself and be singing, Because He Lives.
04:00 So following my prayer and Jackie's song,
04:04 the next voice you'll hear will be God's servant,
04:08 Pastor Taj Pacleb.
04:11 Bow your heads with me for prayer.
04:13 Father in heaven, thank You so much that You have
04:19 given us Your Word so that we would not be ignorant
04:24 about the way to gain salvation, the way home.
04:30 And we're almost home.
04:33 And as Your servant opens the Word to us tonight,
04:38 we pray that You'll give him clarity of mind and of speech,
04:43 and that You'll open our hearts and our minds
04:45 to receive the message that he has prepared to share with us.
04:50 Holy Spirit, speak to our hearts, speak to our minds,
04:54 pluck our heart strings with the emotion
04:58 that would move us in the way that You would want us to go.
05:01 Thank You so much.
05:03 In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
05:13 God sent His son,
05:21 they called Him, Jesus;
05:28 He came to love,
05:35 heal and forgive.
05:42 He lived and died
05:49 to buy my pardon;
05:57 an empty grave is there to prove
06:04 my Savior lives!
06:11 Because He lives,
06:18 I can face tomorrow.
06:25 Because He lives,
06:32 all fear is gone.
06:39 Because I know
06:46 He holds the future.
06:52 And life is worth the living
06:58 just because He lives.
07:06 How sweet to hold
07:13 a newborn baby,
07:20 and feel the pride
07:27 and joy he gives.
07:34 But greater still
07:41 the calm assurance,
07:47 this child can face uncertain days
07:55 because He Lives.
08:01 And then one day
08:08 I'll cross the river,
08:15 I'll fight life's final
08:23 war with pain.
08:29 And then as death
08:35 gives way to victory,
08:42 I'll see the light of glory and
08:50 I'll know He lives.
08:56 Because He lives,
09:02 I can face tomorrow.
09:09 Because He lives,
09:16 all fear is gone.
09:22 Because I know
09:29 He holds the future.
09:35 And life is worth the living
09:41 just because He lives.
09:49 And life is worth the living
09:55 just because He lives.
10:09 Amen.
10:11 God lives. Amen?
10:13 I want to welcome you to another night here at the
10:15 Anchors Of Truth broadcast.
10:19 I want to wish each one of you a very happy Sabbath.
10:21 Aloha as well.
10:23 We've been going over the theme, Almost Home,
10:27 which is one that reminds us that this world is
10:29 truly not our home.
10:31 We're just passing through on our way to the Promised Land.
10:34 And we've been dealing with messages that are calculated
10:36 to stir us up with Holy Spirit conviction,
10:39 to arouse us from spiritual sleepiness,
10:42 and to make us better prepared to go home
10:44 when the Lord Jesus returns.
10:46 Our message tonight is entitled, Rebuilding the Walls.
10:50 I hope you're ready to study the Word of God tonight.
10:52 I hope you have your Bibles, notebook, and a writing utensil.
10:56 I invite you to take your Bible and open with me to the
10:58 book of Isaiah, and we're going to start in the
11:00 58th chapter tonight.
11:02 Isaiah chapter 58, as we study the topic tonight,
11:06 Rebuilding the Walls.
11:07 Isaiah 58 beginning with verse 11.
11:12 Lord, please speak to us and give us ears to hear Your voice
11:16 through Your Word tonight.
11:18 This is our prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.
11:21 Isaiah chapter 58 beginning with verse 11.
11:24 The Bible says this...
11:53 Here in this powerful prophetic passage
11:56 we read the description of both our natural condition
12:00 of the lives that we have lived without God.
12:03 For, friends, without God our lives are characterized
12:05 as an old waste place.
12:08 Wasted life, wasted youth, wasted time, wasted money,
12:11 wasted influences.
12:14 A life lived for self is truly a wasted life indeed.
12:18 For without God, we have no foundation.
12:21 And without the foundation, our lives have been breached
12:24 by the enemy and broken by Satan.
12:27 But here's the good news, friends.
12:29 God is able to repair and restore that which sin
12:33 has breached and broken.
12:34 Can you say amen?
12:36 Perhaps tonight the condition of your lives is just like that.
12:39 You have been breached and broken by the enemy.
12:42 Maybe there's a breach in your health.
12:44 You've been diagnosed with cancer or diabetes,
12:46 or some type of deadly disease that is just stripping you
12:49 and sucking the life out of you.
12:51 Maybe there's a breach in your finances tonight.
12:54 You're a young person overwhelmed with school loans
12:56 that you have to repay.
12:57 Maybe you're unemployed and you need a job.
12:59 Maybe your finances are out of order and you have bills
13:03 and burdens and these loans that you need to repay.
13:06 Well friends, I want you to know that our God is the God that
13:09 restores that which sin has breached and broken.
13:12 Maybe there's a breach in your marriage tonight.
13:15 Maybe the love and the respect that you once had
13:18 with your spouse has been stripped by the enemy.
13:21 There is no peace in your household.
13:23 Maybe you're a single parent trying to do your
13:26 best to raise your children.
13:27 Maybe you've gone through a devastating divorce
13:30 and there's a breach in your emotional experience.
13:32 Maybe there's a breach in your ministry tonight.
13:35 Maybe you're a pastor or you have some type of ministry,
13:38 and yet you feel like there is no fruit in your ministry.
13:41 Your sermons are powerless and you're wondering,
13:44 "God, why is there no fruit?
13:45 Where's the fire that I once had when I first believed?"
13:49 Well friends, no matter what condition you find yourself
13:51 in tonight, we serve a God that restores that which sin
13:55 has broken down.
13:57 And as we allow the Lord to repair the brokenness in us,
14:01 it's then that He will be able to repair the brokenness of
14:04 the world through our lives.
14:06 He wants to do it in us first so that He can do it through us
14:10 in all the world.
14:11 And let me tell you, friends, there is a lot of brokenness
14:14 in the pews, as well as in the pulpits, of our world today.
14:17 But thank God that we serve a Lord that is in the
14:19 business of restoration.
14:21 And that's what this verse is talking about;
14:23 how God wants to repair the breach.
14:25 He wants to restore that old pathway.
14:28 But friends, this verse not only describes our natural condition
14:32 without God, is also describes our supernatural commission
14:36 in the last days.
14:37 For we serve a God that wants to use us
14:41 to fix the brokenness of the world that we live in.
14:44 The divine Carpenter is calling us to restore
14:48 the foundation of faith, to repair the paths of peace,
14:52 and to rebuild that which sin has broken down.
14:56 But the question I want to ask this evening is simply this:
14:59 What exactly is this breach that needs to be repaired
15:03 in this wall?
15:04 What is this prophetic passage pointing us to?
15:08 Well friends, before we can know what the breach is,
15:12 we first have to know what the wall is.
15:15 And what is the purpose of a wall?
15:18 Is a wall there to restrict us,
15:21 or is a wall there to protect us?
15:24 Well friends, it depends on what kind of wall it is.
15:26 And it also depends which side of the wall you're on.
15:30 For those who are within a prison wall, the purpose of
15:34 that wall is to protect those on the outside
15:38 from those who are on the inside.
15:41 But if you have a fence or a wall around your house
15:45 or around your property, the purpose of that kind of wall
15:47 is to protect those on the inside from the dangers
15:51 of those on the outside.
15:53 I'll never forget going to Asia.
15:55 I've been to many different countries there.
15:57 And I took some pictures of the walls.
15:59 I noticed that on top of many of the walls
16:01 in the neighborhoods in Asia there are broken pieces of glass
16:04 on the top of the walls.
16:06 And the purpose of that, that's their manmade barbed wire,
16:09 you can say, in those third world countries.
16:11 It's a deterrent to keep the thieves out.
16:14 It's to protect those who are inside
16:17 from the dangers of those who are outside.
16:20 A few months ago, my wife and I got the chance to go to
16:22 the beautiful country of Fiji.
16:24 We held some meetings there in the Novatome Dome.
16:27 It was a big stadium and there was over 6000 individuals
16:31 there on the inside.
16:32 And as many as on the inside was on the outside as well.
16:35 And we preached a few messages there,
16:37 and it was a very beautiful experience.
16:38 But while we were there in Fiji, we got the chance to visit
16:41 the new Fulton College.
16:43 They gave us a tour around that Adventist institution.
16:46 And they brought us to the girls dorm, I'll never forget.
16:49 And I took this picture of the wall or the fence
16:52 that was surrounding the girls dorm.
16:54 And it was interesting that on the top of those
16:56 fences were spikes.
16:59 Now I had to ask our tour guide, what in the world
17:01 are those spikes for?
17:03 And basically, it's for one of two reasons.
17:06 It's either to keep the girls in or it's to keep the boys out.
17:12 How many of you think it's to keep the girls in?
17:15 How many of you think it's to keep the boys out?
17:18 Well how many of you think it's for both?
17:21 Well that really depends on what kind of boy
17:23 and what kind of girl you are.
17:25 You see, friends, the purpose of a wall is not so much
17:29 to restrict, but to protect.
17:33 However, if we are a slave to sin, and we're going to
17:37 look upon the wall of God as something that restricts us,
17:41 something that binds us, something that holds us back
17:44 from the stimulations of sin.
17:46 But if we are free in our Lord Jesus Christ,
17:50 we will view God's wall, not as something that restricts us,
17:54 but rather something that protects us
17:56 from the evil results of sin.
17:58 You see, friends, there's no problem with the wall.
18:01 It all depends on which side of the wall you're on.
18:04 And in this passage, God wants to build a wall of protection
18:08 around our family, our relationships,
18:10 our health, our finances, our lives.
18:13 And I want to be on the right side of the wall.
18:15 And I'm sure you do as well.
18:18 So according to this prophecy in Isaiah 58,
18:21 there is a breach in the wall that must be fixed.
18:25 And to know what this breach is, we have to go back
18:28 to examine an ancient story of which this verse
18:32 is an echo of.
18:33 This verse takes our minds back to a sad time
18:36 in Israel's history.
18:37 A time when spiritual apathy and apostasy
18:40 and abominations were the norm.
18:42 It was during the days of Zedekiah, king of Israel,
18:45 that the wickedness began to intensify to another level.
18:49 And because of the abominations that God's people were
18:51 committing, it brought about desolation to their city
18:55 and their temple.
18:56 And if you're to study the story, you'll notice
18:58 that there were two cardinal sins
19:01 that God's people were committing,
19:03 two terrible abominations that brought about
19:06 desolation to their city.
19:07 And those two abominations, number one was Sabbath breaking.
19:12 You can find that in Jeremiah 17:27.
19:16 God's people were breaking the Sabbath.
19:17 And the second one was that they were worshiping the sun
19:21 in the temple of God.
19:22 And you can find that in Ezekiel 8:16.
19:26 So they were breaking the Sabbath,
19:28 and they were worshiping the sun in the house of God.
19:32 These were terrible abominations
19:33 that God's people were committing.
19:35 And as a result of these abominations,
19:37 desolations came upon their city.
19:40 If you read the very next chapter, Ezekiel chapter 9,
19:43 it talks about the close of probation in that time.
19:47 The city was saturated with blood.
19:49 Thousands of people were slaughtered
19:51 and went to hopeless graves.
19:53 And it describes those in Ezekiel chapter 9
19:57 who were able to endure the desolation of that time.
20:01 I want you to notice what it says.
20:03 Ezekiel chapter 9 beginning with verse 4,
20:05 the Bible says this, it says...
20:37 So here we see, friends, a great abomination
20:41 took place amongst the people of God in Ezekiel chapter 8.
20:44 They were breaking the Sabbath
20:46 and they were worshiping the sun.
20:47 But then in Ezekiel 9 probation closes, and the city is
20:51 saturated with blood.
20:53 Thousands of people are slaughtered.
20:55 The Babylonians came to destroy Jerusalem.
20:57 But then the Bible says that before destruction came,
21:00 mercy came first.
21:02 God sent an individual to put a mark upon the foreheads
21:06 of His people, those who were signing and crying.
21:09 And those who received God's mark were the ones that
21:12 were preserved and were saved
21:16 during that great time of trouble.
21:18 And friends, notice, the ones that endured the desolation
21:22 were those who were not partaking in the abominations.
21:25 But they were giving a loud cry.
21:27 They were signing and crying against it.
21:30 And friends, if we're going to make it in these last days,
21:32 we too must sign and cry for the abominations that we see
21:35 taking place in our world.
21:37 We need to pray, "Lord, break my heart for the things
21:41 that break Your heart.
21:43 Lord, let me weep for the things that cause You to weep.
21:46 Let me carry a burden for that which burdens
21:49 Your infinite heart."
21:51 Because naturally, friends, we are inclined to partake
21:53 of those abominations.
21:55 It takes a supernatural miracle of the heart
21:57 for God to cause us to cry aloud against it.
22:02 And only those who have that heart transformation
22:05 will receive the mark of God that will preserve them
22:08 in this great time of trouble.
22:10 And so we see, the city of Jerusalem was in ruins.
22:15 And the wall surrounding Jerusalem was broken
22:17 for many decades of desolation.
22:19 The chosen people of God were scattered amongst the nations.
22:22 They were exiled in heathen lands.
22:25 But then after 70 years went by, God opened the door
22:29 for a brand new beginning.
22:32 At the decree of Cyrus, many of God's people
22:35 went back to Jerusalem to rebuild that which
22:38 the Babylonians had torn down.
22:41 To make a long story short, the record tells us
22:44 that eventually the temple was rebuilt.
22:46 But there was still a breach in the wall.
22:50 And listen, friends, as long as there was a breach
22:53 in the wall, God's people could find no rest.
22:59 True Sabbath keeping was impossible
23:02 as long as there was a breach in the wall.
23:04 Because even if they went to sleep,
23:06 they could not find any rest.
23:08 Because a breach in the wall made them vulnerable
23:11 to the attacks of the enemy.
23:12 And so even though the temple was rebuilt,
23:15 that breach in the wall caused there to be a constant tension
23:19 and fear in the air.
23:21 Why?
23:22 Because an incomplete work results in an incomplete rest.
23:27 You see, my friends, it wasn't enough for the
23:29 work to be started.
23:31 The work had to be finished in order for rest
23:35 to be realized to the people of God.
23:37 And so it's in this context that God rose up
23:42 a man of opportunity.
23:44 A lay person that God used to initiate a powerful revival
23:48 that brought reformation, restoration, and ultimate rest
23:52 to the people of God.
23:54 His name was Nehemiah.
23:57 He was a layman, a servant in the king's court.
24:00 The king's cupbearer.
24:02 He wasn't a priest, he wasn't a prophet.
24:04 He was simply a layman that had a burden to finish the work.
24:08 And friends, I truly believe that in these last days,
24:10 God is seeking to raise up individuals
24:13 from the common walks of life to stand up,
24:15 to carry a burden for the finishing of the work of the
24:18 gospel in these last days.
24:20 God is looking for laymen to finish the work, friends.
24:23 You see, the work of God in these last days
24:25 is not going to be completed from the top down,
24:27 but rather from the bottom up as the clergy and the laity
24:31 join hand in hand, working together,
24:33 moving forward together to rebuild the walls,
24:36 so seal the breach, so that ultimate heavenly rest
24:40 can be restored to us in these last days.
24:44 And so I want to encourage you, friends,
24:47 no matter who you are, if you're a doctor or dentist,
24:50 a business or a laboring man, no matter what walk of life
24:53 you are, God has placed a most holy and sacred
24:56 calling upon your life.
24:57 If you have been a recipient of the gospel message,
25:00 now you're called to be a participant
25:02 in the gospel commission in sharing that good news
25:06 to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people;
25:08 to rebuild the walls, to seal the breach,
25:11 so that Jesus can come and so that we can all go home.
25:14 The work is not going to be finished by a few people
25:17 at the top, but rather when all of God's people
25:20 take ownership of that which already belongs to us
25:24 and we work together.
25:25 And friends, you don't need a position or a title
25:28 to work for God.
25:29 You don't need so much someone to lay their
25:32 hands on you, you just need the Lord's hand
25:34 to be upon your life.
25:35 I want to read to you from the book, Gospel Workers,
25:38 page 488-489.
25:41 It's a very challenging statement.
25:42 It says this...
26:03 Can you imagine that?
26:05 Limiting the omnipotent power of God?
26:08 And then it says...
26:37 Friends, I want you to notice, it's a challenge for us
26:40 as a church.
26:41 Now please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say.
26:44 I believe, friends, that those who work for God,
26:46 those who are children of God, should aim for excellence
26:49 in everything that we do.
26:51 Spiritual and moral excellence.
26:53 Excellence in our finances, in our stewardship,
26:56 in our marriages.
26:57 Excellence in growing and learning, in education.
27:00 But friends, I sense, I sense that there is
27:04 an over-emphasis on formal education,
27:08 to the point where if you don't have a piece of paper,
27:11 that somehow you are unqualified for ministry.
27:15 And friends, if that mindset was true,
27:17 then Jesus and John the Baptist would be unqualified
27:20 for ministry.
27:22 You see, friends, the spirit of prophecy calls this
27:23 type of mindset unbelief, limiting God, uncalled for,
27:28 distrustful, and unfair.
27:31 And I want to encourage us, friends, that God is not
27:33 dependent upon our own abilities, our resources,
27:37 our skills, and our education.
27:38 He's only dependent upon our willingness to be used,
27:42 our humility, and our availability to be used by Him.
27:46 God is looking for some Nehemiah's to stand up
27:49 out of the status quo and the comfort zone
27:52 to the finishing of the work.
27:54 And I want to read to you from the book,
27:56 Acts of the Apostles, page 328.
27:58 Here's the strongest proof that God has called one
28:02 to minister for Him.
28:03 Notice what it says.
28:16 I believe that in these last days, God is looking for
28:19 end time Nehemiah's to work with the end time Ezras
28:23 and Zerubbabels of the last day to finish the work.
28:27 And so, friend, are you an Ezra, an ordained minister?
28:30 Are you a Zerubbabel, a priest in the house of God?
28:32 I want to encourage you and challenge you,
28:34 don't be afraid to utilize the Nehemiah's in your church.
28:39 To activate the laity, to empower them and give them
28:42 opportunities to do the work of God.
28:45 I'll never forget when I was converted when I was
28:46 16 years old.
28:49 I was a druggie.
28:50 I was slow of speech.
28:53 I stuttered a lot. My English was very limited.
28:57 And I'll never forget, I was on fire for the Lord.
28:59 I didn't know much, but I knew Jesus.
29:01 I'll never forget my pastor, the way in which he mentored me
29:04 and helped me grow spiritually.
29:06 Many times when I would go to church,
29:08 right before he would preach he would announce and
29:11 he would call me up to the front, "I want Taj
29:13 to come up right now and share a testimony."
29:15 He wouldn't give me warning that he was going to do that.
29:18 He simply did it every now and then.
29:20 And he did it often enough to the point where
29:23 whenever I came to church, I was ready to stand up and share.
29:28 He even, a few times, asked me to give the sermon for that day
29:30 without giving me a notice beforehand.
29:34 And friends, what that did for me, friends, it grew me.
29:37 It put my mindset in such a way where I went to church,
29:41 not simply to be on the receiving end,
29:43 but be ready to be on the giving end.
29:46 And that grew me as a young person.
29:48 And I want to encourage the end time Ezras
29:52 to do the same thing.
29:53 Don't be afraid to utilize the Nehemiah's
29:56 that are under your leadership.
29:58 I was a mess, friends.
29:59 I was the least likely candidate to preach.
30:01 But God took my mess and turned it into a message.
30:04 Can you say amen?
30:06 And He can do that for each and every one of us.
30:08 Are you a Nehemiah in the last day?
30:11 A layman that has a burden to work for God?
30:13 Well you need to support the Ezras of the last day.
30:16 You need to support your pastors and your leaders.
30:18 And you need to ask them to put you to work.
30:20 You don't need a title or position.
30:22 Just do the duty that lies nearest
30:25 and be faithful in that which is least.
30:28 God is not dependent upon our abilities,
30:31 nor our lack of those things.
30:34 He's only dependent upon our humility and availability.
30:37 You see, friends, I love Nehemiah.
30:39 He's one of my superheroes.
30:40 He's there in the comforts of the palace
30:43 as the king's cupbearer.
30:44 And yet, in that nice, plush, comfortable position,
30:49 he had a burden for souls.
30:51 A burden to get out of the comfort zone,
30:55 out of the palace, and go back to Jerusalem
30:58 to finish the work.
30:59 And God is looking for end time Nehemiah's
31:02 to do the same thing.
31:03 And friends, I've experienced this.
31:05 My wife and I had the wonderful opportunity
31:08 of working in the Central California Conference
31:10 for the last 11 years of our lives.
31:13 And while we were there, we did over 60 evangelistic seminars
31:17 throughout that time period.
31:18 And we've seen over 1200 people baptized through our meetings.
31:22 And we had a wonderful experience.
31:23 This is where the Lord grew us.
31:26 But in the last few years, my wife and I have had
31:29 a growing conviction in our hearts that we have saturated
31:33 the territory of Central California Conference.
31:35 We've done so many meetings in all the different areas.
31:37 And He was placing a conviction on our hearts that
31:40 it's time to broaden the territories,
31:42 it's time to take the message into new fields.
31:45 It was a difficult struggle for us.
31:47 But after much prayer, after much counsel from many of our
31:51 spiritual mentors at the church level and the conference level,
31:54 and even at the GC level, my wife and I this past September
31:57 made the decision to step out in faith.
31:59 We resigned from our position there at
32:01 Central California Conference with the conference's blessing
32:04 in order to start our ministry,
32:06 The Revelation of Hope Ministries,
32:07 to take the message of Jesus to every nation, kindred,
32:10 tongue, and people.
32:12 Not confined to the borders of a specific geographical location.
32:16 Let me tell you, friends, it was a challenging decision to make,
32:19 because we were very comfortable receiving a consistent paycheck.
32:22 Very comfortable with the conference insurance.
32:25 And so to turn that away, to leave that,
32:27 it was truly a step of faith.
32:29 But I want to tell you, friends, that if it's God's will,
32:31 it's His bill.
32:33 He will take care of you.
32:34 And I say that simply to challenge each one of us
32:36 this evening, that if you are in the comfort zone
32:40 and God is placing a burden on your heart to do something
32:43 more than what you're currently doing for God,
32:46 step out in faith.
32:48 It's an amazing adventure of faith.
32:50 And God will never lead us astray.
32:52 He will always take care of us.
32:54 And through your life, He wants to touch many others.
32:57 We need to be good stewards over the time and influences
33:00 that God has given to us and make the most impact we can
33:04 in the little time that we have left.
33:07 And that was Nehemiah, friends.
33:08 He left the palace of the king, went back to Jerusalem.
33:11 And under Nehemiah's leadership the wall was finished
33:15 in just 52 days.
33:17 And once the wall was finished, true rest was restored
33:22 to the people of God.
33:23 Once the breach was sealed, the enemy no longer had
33:27 access to steal away God's rest.
33:30 And friends, this story is an object lesson
33:34 of our mission today.
33:35 For the same calling that God placed upon Nehemiah
33:38 is placed upon you and me today.
33:40 We are called to rebuild the wall.
33:42 We are called to finish the work.
33:44 But what does this mean?
33:46 What is this wall that will bring true rest?
33:50 Well friends, let me ask you the question:
33:54 What wall has God given to us to protect us from sin
33:59 but that many people, even Christians, look upon
34:02 as restrictive and bondage?
34:06 Well it's none other than the law of God.
34:09 Those who are slaves to sin, they look upon the law of God,
34:12 the Ten Commandments, as bondage, as restrictive.
34:14 But those who are free in Christ, we understand that
34:17 God gave the Ten Commandments, not to bind us,
34:20 not to restrict us, but to protect us from the
34:23 evil results of sin.
34:26 You see, each one of God's commandments
34:29 is a principle of liberty.
34:32 Ten principles of freedom.
34:34 When God says, "Thou shalt not kill,"
34:36 it's because He's trying to protect your life.
34:38 When God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery,"
34:40 it's not because He's trying to restrict you,
34:42 but rather He's trying to protect your marriage
34:44 and your home from adultery, dysfunction, and divorce.
34:48 When God says, "Remember the Sabbath,"
34:49 it's because He's trying to protect your time.
34:51 "Thou shalt not steal;" it's because He's trying to protect,
34:54 not restrict, but rather protect your possessions.
34:58 You go down the list, all of God's commandments
35:01 are there to protect us.
35:03 And so, friends, if the wall is the law,
35:08 then what is the breach in God's law
35:11 that He's calling us to restore?
35:13 Well we don't have to guess, because the Bible tells us
35:16 in the very next verse.
35:18 We're in Isaiah 58.
35:20 Notice what it says now in verse 13.
35:23 It tells us which of the commandments
35:25 is breached and God calls us to restore.
35:28 Notice what it says.
35:45 Verse 14 is the promise.
35:59 Here we find, friend, that the breach in the wall of God's law
36:03 that He's calling us to rebuild is none other than
36:06 the fourth commandment.
36:07 The Bible tells us that we need to take our foot
36:10 off of the Sabbath.
36:11 You see, what God's people were doing is that they were
36:12 trampling on the Sabbath.
36:14 They were breaking the Sabbath.
36:15 They were not reverencing the Sabbath.
36:18 So God says, "Take your foot off of My holy day."
36:21 You see, it was breaking the Sabbath and worshiping the sun
36:24 that caused them to go into captivity.
36:26 Thus the restoring of the Sabbath
36:29 would bring them out.
36:30 Well friends, unless the walls of humanity
36:33 are rebuilt, we will never truly be at rest.
36:38 What does this mean for us in the last days?
36:41 Friends, that which has been is that which shall be.
36:45 And that which has been done is that which shall be done.
36:48 There's nothing new under the sun.
36:50 The Bible says, that which was written aforetime
36:52 were written for our learning, so that we, through comfort
36:55 and patience of the Scriptures, might have hope.
36:58 You see, friends, when you study the Bible,
37:00 you have to recognize that many of the stories have
37:03 deep prophetic typological significance.
37:07 And we must go beneath the surface to see that the story
37:10 is just the tip of the iceberg.
37:12 There are many parallels between what happened back then
37:15 and the mission that God has called us to do today.
37:17 Notice the parallels.
37:19 What literal Babylon did to the literal city of Jerusalem
37:24 is the same thing that mystical Babylon did,
37:27 in Revelation, that they have done to the law of God.
37:32 The Bible tells us that the little horn, the antichrist,
37:34 Babylon, sought to change God's times and God's laws.
37:39 The Bible tells us that the little horn trampled
37:41 upon the Sanctuary.
37:43 So what literal Babylon did to the literal Jerusalem
37:47 is what spiritual Babylon has done to the spiritual Jerusalem,
37:51 or the truth of God in these last days.
37:54 And so just as Nehemiah had to leave the territory of Babylon
37:59 in order to rebuild the walls, so to in the book of Revelation
38:02 God's end time Nehemiah's have to come out of Babylon
38:08 in order to rebuild the Sanctuary message
38:11 and the breach in the wall of God's law,
38:15 the seventh day Sabbath.
38:17 You see, friends, one of our main objectives
38:20 in these last days is to rebuild the Sabbath commandment.
38:24 But here's the thing, friends.
38:25 For the past 150 years, we have been successful as a movement
38:31 in pointing to what day the Sabbath is.
38:35 Friday evening to Saturday evening,
38:38 the seventh day Sabbath.
38:40 But I think that we have fallen short in pointing to the
38:45 experience that the day is to teach us about.
38:50 We have been telling people that Saturday is the true Sabbath.
38:53 And rightly so. We ought to make that plain.
38:56 The Bible is clear that the seventh day is the Sabbath.
38:58 But sometimes we have fallen short and we have failed
39:01 in pointing to the experience that the day teaches us about.
39:05 And no wonder why the world is still restless.
39:10 We've pointed out the day.
39:12 But more than that, we need to point out the experience.
39:15 So what's the solution?
39:16 We need to continue to preach the Sabbath,
39:19 but we need to do it more fully.
39:22 Notice what it says in the book, Early Writings, and on page 33.
39:46 And the question I want to ask this evening is this:
39:49 How do we preach and proclaim the Sabbath more fully?
39:53 It's more than just pointing what the correct day is,
39:56 but pointing to the God that the day teaches us about.
40:00 And for a moment, I want us to review some of the things
40:02 that we already know about the Sabbath.
40:04 We need to teach it as it is in Jesus.
40:07 You see, friends, the Sabbath, number one,
40:09 reminds us that God is our Creator.
40:12 In Genesis 2:1-3, the Bible is clear that when God
40:15 made the world in six literal days, He then set apart
40:18 the seventh day.
40:20 He rested upon it, He blessed it, and He sanctified it
40:23 to remind us that He is the Creator,
40:25 that we are made in His image, formed in His likeness,
40:28 and that God designed us with a divine purpose
40:31 and a heavenly intention.
40:33 And the Sabbath, my friends, the true entering of this day,
40:36 is to settle the issue of our origin, our identity,
40:40 and our purpose.
40:42 And so, friends, let us cease from low self-esteem
40:46 and rest in the reality of our infinite value to God.
40:50 Even though we are messed up and marred by sin,
40:53 we still bear the image of the Maker in our being.
40:57 And the whole plan of salvation and the object of true education
41:01 is to restore the image of God in humanity.
41:04 And that's what the Sabbath is to teach us about.
41:07 Let us cease from thinking that we're not important
41:10 and let us remember and rest that God is our Creator
41:14 that made us with a purpose and with a divine intention.
41:18 The Sabbath not only reminds us that God is Creator,
41:21 it also points to the fact that God is our wonderful Provider.
41:25 For in Exodus the 16th chapter, we read how Israel
41:28 was wondering in the wilderness.
41:30 And they were hungry and they were thirsty
41:32 for food and drink.
41:33 And God said, "I will provide for your earthly hunger
41:37 by raining down heavenly bread for you."
41:39 And by raining down the manna from heaven, in Exodus 16,
41:42 God was re-instituting the weekly cycle
41:44 and the forgotten Sabbath.
41:46 God provided bread for the first six days,
41:48 a double portion on the sixth.
41:50 But none on the Sabbath. Why?
41:52 Because God did not want His people to worry
41:55 about their physical necessities on the seventh day Sabbath.
42:00 And so, friends, the Sabbath reminds us that God
42:03 has obligated Himself to take care of us.
42:07 The Sabbath is to assure us that in our wilderness experience
42:11 our bread and our water will be sure.
42:13 We don't have to be out there in the world on the Sabbath
42:15 hustling and bustling and trying to work to provide
42:18 for our physical needs.
42:19 All we need to do is rest in the loving care of God towards us.
42:23 Let us cease worrying about our future, and rest in the fact
42:28 that God knows all your needs.
42:31 And as I said, He will provide heavenly bread
42:34 for our earthly hunger.
42:35 We never have to be afraid of honoring God
42:39 and putting Him first.
42:40 The Bible says, "The Lord is my Shepherd,
42:42 I shall not be in want."
42:44 The Sabbath not only reminds us that God is
42:46 Creator and Provider, but He's also our awesome Commander.
42:50 For in Exodus 20:8-11, He commands us
42:52 to remember the Sabbath.
42:53 And friends, each of God's commands is a
42:56 promise of its fulfillment.
42:58 It is a covenant that God is making with us,
43:00 our relationship based on trust.
43:02 It is the law that He desires to write in our hearts
43:05 and in our minds so that we do not forget.
43:07 And so the Sabbath is to remind us, friends, of our
43:10 compassionate Commander that always keeps His covenant.
43:16 That He is a God that is not too big and not too busy
43:20 to want to spend quality time with us.
43:22 So let us cease trying to be the commander of our own lives
43:27 and let us rest in the care of the covenant keeping
43:30 God of heaven.
43:31 Can you say amen?
43:33 Not only that, the Sabbath reminds us that He is
43:36 also our awesome Liberator.
43:38 Deuteronomy 5:15 tells us, "And remember
43:42 that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt,
43:44 and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence
43:47 through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm:
43:50 Therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee
43:52 to keep the Sabbath day."
43:55 The Sabbath is to remind us of the bondage that God
43:58 brought us out of.
44:00 The God that breaks the chains of bondage;
44:03 the bondage of non-stop work.
44:06 We are to remember, friends, that the One that made us free
44:09 will keep us free.
44:11 So let us cease from spiritual slavery and rest in the freedom
44:15 we have in Christ.
44:17 When we celebrate the Sabbath, we're celebrating our Creator,
44:20 Provider, Commander, our Liberator.
44:23 And then number five, we're also celebrating
44:25 our awesome Sanctifier.
44:27 For in Ezekiel 20:12, the Sabbath was a sign to remind us
44:31 that God is the one that sanctifies us.
44:34 The word, "sanctify," means, to set apart for holiness.
44:37 The same thing God did with the day
44:39 in setting the day apart from the rest of the common six days,
44:42 He wants to do that in our lives.
44:44 He wants to set us apart for holiness.
44:48 And the Sabbath is to remind us that it's not something
44:51 we can do for ourselves.
44:53 We are powerless to save ourselves.
44:55 So let us cease trying to make ourselves holy
44:59 by our own offerings and our own good works.
45:02 All our righteousness are like filthy rags.
45:05 The Sabbath is to remind us to rest in the holy work
45:08 that God is doing in us.
45:11 It's not something that we do, but something we allow Him
45:15 to do for us.
45:17 That's what it means when we celebrate the Sabbath.
45:20 The fact that God is our Sanctifier.
45:22 And then number six, God is also our gentle Healer.
45:26 For in Matthew 12:10-13, in that passage
45:30 the Lord healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath
45:33 and made it whole.
45:35 He is the God that came to relieve human suffering
45:37 on the Sabbath.
45:39 So let us cease, friends, trying to heal ourselves
45:41 with our own manmade remedies, and let us rest in the God that
45:45 lifts us up out of the pit that we have fallen into;
45:49 the God that hears us from heaven and brings healing
45:52 to our lands.
45:54 When we celebrate the Sabbath we're also celebrating
45:56 God our wonderful Redeemer.
45:59 In Luke chapters 23 and 24, it tells the story of the
46:02 death, burial, and resurrection.
46:04 The Bible tells us that Jesus died on the sixth day,
46:07 the day of preparation.
46:08 That's the sixth day of the week.
46:09 And when He hung there on Calvary's cross,
46:12 He said, "It is finished."
46:16 He breathes His last, then He rests in the
46:20 tomb on the Sabbath.
46:21 Friends, tell me, when was the last time the Lord said,
46:24 "It is finished," on the sixth day and then rests
46:29 on the seventh?
46:30 He did than when He created the world.
46:33 After creating man on the sixth day of the week,
46:35 the heavens and the earth were finished.
46:38 Then God rested that first Sabbath in Eden.
46:41 So what we see is this:
46:43 What God did at creation, He repeats in re-creation;
46:47 what God did for man in creation,
46:50 He repeats in the redemption of mankind;
46:52 adding another beautiful dimension to the Sabbath
46:54 that reminds us that our God is our awesome Redeemer.
46:57 He paid for our sins on Calvary's cross
47:01 and He rests in the tomb on the Sabbath.
47:05 So let us cease trying to pay for our own sins,
47:09 and let us rest in the finished work of Christ
47:11 for us on the cross.
47:13 That's what we're celebrating when we're celebrating
47:15 the Sabbath, friends.
47:16 And then number seven, or number eight,
47:19 we're also celebrating the fact that our God is
47:22 King of kings and Lord of lords.
47:24 In Isaiah 66:22-23, we've been told that we're going to be
47:28 keeping the Sabbath at the throne of God
47:30 even in heaven throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.
47:34 We're going to worship our King and our Lord forever.
47:37 And so, friends, let us cease seeking to be the
47:40 king and lord of our own lives, and let us rest in the reality
47:43 that our King of kings and Lord of lords
47:46 is coming soon to take us home.
47:48 You see, friends, when we celebrate the Sabbath,
47:50 we must point people, not just to the day,
47:53 but to the God that made the day
47:55 and the experience with that God that the day
47:59 is to help us enter into.
48:01 We're celebrating and testifying to the world
48:05 that God is our Creator that made us,
48:07 He is our Provider that feeds us,
48:09 He is our Commander that makes a covenant with us,
48:11 He is our Liberator that frees us,
48:13 He is our Sanctifier that transforms us,
48:16 He is our Healer that restores us,
48:18 He is our Redeemer that saves us,
48:19 and He is our King and Lord that is coming back for us.
48:23 And friends, I truly believe with all my heart
48:25 that when we present the Sabbath truth in that light,
48:28 it becomes irresistible.
48:31 People are not going to turn it away.
48:33 They're going to say, "Wow, that's what the
48:34 Sabbath is about?"
48:36 And they're going to want it, because it points us
48:38 to our marvelous Maker, our Lord of love,
48:41 our God of grace, our Prince of peace,
48:43 our compassionate King, our sweet Savior,
48:46 and our faithful Father.
48:48 This truth, friends, is so important in these last days.
48:51 Because we've been told that this is the final test
48:56 that will be brought to bear in the world.
48:58 Now I want you to notice, as we turn now to the
49:00 end time significance, in the book, Great Controversy,
49:04 page 605, it says this...
49:15 That's the breach in the wall of God's law.
49:40 So notice, friends, we've been told that this Sabbath issue
49:45 is what's going to polarize the world into two camps.
49:48 All those who are going to be saved in the last days
49:50 are going to receive the seal of God in their foreheads.
49:53 But all those who are going to be lost in the last days
49:55 will receive the mark of the beast.
49:58 This issue, friends, is a life and death issue.
50:03 And if it's that important, then we have to know this evening
50:07 what exactly is the seal of God,
50:10 and how is it connected to the Sabbath truth?
50:15 The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 7
50:19 beginning with verse 1, notice what it says there.
50:21 Revelation chapter 7 describes those close of human probation.
50:24 And it describes angels holding back the winds of strife,
50:27 the winds of desolation from blowing upon the earth.
50:30 Notice what it says, Revelation 7:1...
50:58 Those winds represent desolation and destruction.
51:01 The angels that are holding them back are holding back the time
51:04 of the final tribulation.
51:05 You can read that in Proverbs 1:27.
51:08 The wind represents strife.
51:09 It's a whirlwind of desolation in the last days.
51:13 And these winds will not be let loose, probation will not close,
51:17 until God's people are sealed in their foreheads
51:20 with the seal of God.
51:22 The seal is what preserves them in that time of trouble.
51:26 Friends, whatever the seal of God is, I want it.
51:29 Can you say amen?
51:30 We need that seal in order to make it through the last days.
51:34 But what is this seal?
51:37 The seal of God, friends, is what fortifies our minds
51:40 from the final attacks of Satan.
51:41 The seal of God is like the wall that protects and preserves us.
51:45 What is the seal?
51:46 Well friends, we don't have to guess.
51:48 All we need to do is compare the Bible with itself,
51:51 because the Bible interprets itself.
51:53 So what else does God want to place in our foreheads?
51:56 We're going to see that there are three things.
51:57 Number one, the seal; number two, the law.
52:02 In Hebrews 8:10, the new covenant says,
52:04 "I will write My law in your mind and in your hearts."
52:08 So God places His seal and His law in our minds.
52:12 Which shows that the seal of God and the law of God
52:15 is connected.
52:16 In Isaiah 8:16, the Bible says...
52:25 So we see that God's seal, or His preserving wall,
52:29 is actually found in the law.
52:31 Now Satan knows this.
52:33 Thus, he's trying to keep a breach in the wall of God's law.
52:38 He's trying to maintain an entry wedge so that he can
52:41 infiltrate and destroy us in that time of trouble.
52:45 But what God is doing, He's seeking to seal the gap
52:48 and to fix the breach.
52:50 So what exactly is this seal then?
52:52 Well friends, every official government, including God's,
52:54 has an official seal.
52:56 And a seal is basically the evidence of authenticity.
53:04 A seal upon a document will invest that document
53:08 with power and authority.
53:10 The seal is the proof that it's not a counterfeit,
53:13 that this is genuine.
53:14 It's the real deal.
53:15 And so as God places His seal upon us,
53:18 it's God's sign that we have an authentic religious experience.
53:24 Now what gives us an authentic experience?
53:27 Who is the one that seals us?
53:29 The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:30...
53:40 The Bible says that the Spirit is what seals us.
53:42 But how does the Spirit seal us?
53:44 2 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us,
53:47 "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren,
53:50 beloved of the Lord, because..."
53:59 You see, the seal of God, the Holy Spirit,
54:02 seals us by sanctifying us through the truth.
54:06 When our head knowledge becomes a heart experience
54:10 by personal application, the word and truth
54:14 we know in our mind begins a sanctifying experience
54:18 in our lives.
54:19 It's more than just head knowledge,
54:20 it's more than lip service.
54:22 We're serving God in spirit and in truth in reality.
54:26 And when we are sanctified by the truth we know,
54:29 God sees that He can place His seal upon us.
54:32 It's a sign of legitimacy, it's an evidence of
54:35 authenticity, that we're not just doing something
54:37 once a week, we're not just going through the motions,
54:39 we're not just lip service or head knowledge,
54:42 but we have an authentic experience.
54:44 Because the truth we know in our mind
54:45 is transforming our lives completely.
54:48 And thus, God places His seal upon us.
54:52 Well that's what I want in my life.
54:55 I don't want to go through the motions.
54:57 I want to have a real experience with the Lord.
55:00 The outward sign of this inward seal is the Sabbath, friends.
55:04 Ezekiel 20:12 says...
55:15 It's not something we do for ourselves,
55:18 but rather it's resting in the work that God
55:20 is doing in our lives.
55:21 This is God's mark that authenticates
55:23 our experience is genuine.
55:25 And listen very carefully, don't miss this point.
55:26 It is the Sabbath truth that seals the breach in the
55:31 theological wall of God's law.
55:34 However, it's the Sabbath experience that seals
55:38 the breach in the experiential wall
55:42 of our minds and our hearts.
55:45 You see, when we keep the Sabbath, it's not just
55:46 outward physical rest.
55:48 It's resting in the reality of the Savior's love for us,
55:52 the love which is the fulfilling of the law.
55:54 It's trusting God to do for us what's it impossible
55:57 to do for ourselves.
55:59 For we do not have it within us to save ourselves.
56:03 And that's why Isaiah 30:15 says...
56:16 You see, friends, it is in resting in what God is doing
56:20 that we experience salvation.
56:22 Here in is the wall that protects and preserves us
56:26 in the time of trouble.
56:28 I want the seal of God in my forehead.
56:30 There's one last thing that God wants to place in our forehead.
56:34 And that is His name.
56:35 In Revelation 14:1, it says, "Then I looked, and behold..."
56:46 My friends, when you put your name on something,
56:49 it's a sign of ownership.
56:51 When you write your name on something,
56:52 you're claiming it as your own.
56:54 It's like putting a wall around something; this is yours.
56:57 And so, my friends, that's what God wants to do for us.
57:00 If the world has forsaken you,
57:02 if your friends have turned their back on you,
57:04 your children are disrespecting you,
57:06 your co-workers are talking about you,
57:08 your parents abusing you, your spouse has left you,
57:10 know in your heart of hearts tonight
57:13 that you are accepted in the Beloved.
57:16 The Sabbath truth teaches us about this.
57:19 God wants to rebuild that wall in your experience.
57:22 You are accepted in the Beloved.
57:25 Let's accept the rest of Jesus tonight.

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Revised 2016-04-27