Spring Camp Meeting

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: SCM

Program Code: SCM180005A


00:41 Welcome to the 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting:
00:44 The Three Angels' Messages.
00:49 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting:
00:53 The Three Angels' Messages. Amen!
00:55 I have been... I have never been more excited
00:58 about any Camp Meeting than this.
01:01 We know it was God ordained.
01:03 We know that the Lord gave us the idea.
01:06 And to think that we've got sixteen sermons
01:10 that are parsing this message so that we will have better
01:15 understanding, amen? And John Bradshaw...
01:19 I'll tell you what: when he was talking about the everlasting
01:21 gospel I could hardly sit. Wasn't it wonderful?
01:25 Yes. Because that is the foundation
01:28 of the three angels' messages. Well, we want to
01:30 welcome all of you from around the world who might be
01:34 watching or listening, whether it is by television,
01:37 radio, or Internet.
01:40 And thank each and every one of you for being here.
01:43 We have a special treat for this hour.
01:45 This message is Fear God and Give Him Glory.
01:50 And I can't think of anybody better to give the message
01:53 than Pastor David Shin.
01:56 He is the pastor of the Hillside O'Malley church
02:00 in Anchorage, Alaska.
02:03 And David is a wonderful Bible teacher.
02:07 You're going to get deep into the scriptures today
02:10 I know because he really has that heart.
02:13 As a matter of fact, I guess you know that he graduated
02:17 from the... yeah, wherever he graduated from
02:21 up there in Michigan. This is live!
02:25 But anyway, he graduated from Andrews University
02:29 Theological Seminary.
02:31 And he loves to share the gospel
02:36 with students of public universities.
02:40 And boy, we need to reach these young people.
02:43 His wife: Tennille. They have a 1-year-old baby.
02:48 Just turned one. His name is Hudson and he's so precious.
02:53 And I was introduced to... David's parents are here today.
02:56 And somebody said: "This is David Shin's parents. "
02:59 And I said: "Oh, you said that wrong. "
03:01 "This is Hudson's grandparents.
03:03 That's what they want to be known as. "
03:05 But he is a man of God.
03:08 He's a man of deep conviction
03:11 and I know you're going to enjoy this message.
03:14 But before he comes what we're going to do
03:17 is invite Stephanie Dawn out.
03:20 She is going to be singing for us with that angelic voice
03:23 a song called Sanctuary.
03:26 And accompanying her on the piano
03:29 is Dann Thornton. And we're just so glad that she is here.
04:11 What have I done with
04:15 the days come and gone?
04:20 And I remember
04:24 how once I was drawn
04:28 into
04:30 Your sanctuary.
04:42 When did I wander
04:47 so far away?
04:50 How did I get here?
04:54 Why did I stray?
04:58 And can I ever
05:03 find my way
05:07 back
05:08 to Your sanctuary?
05:17 Nothing have I
05:20 on earth but You.
05:24 No one but You
05:27 in heaven.
05:31 So why do I
05:35 continue to do
05:40 everything else
05:43 but come to You.
06:00 All of my folly
06:04 I finally see
06:08 I've nowhere to hide;
06:11 I've no place to flee.
06:15 If I ran to You
06:18 or You run to me
06:22 out from Your
06:25 sanctuary.
06:33 Nothing have I
06:36 on earth but You.
06:39 No one but You
06:43 in heaven.
06:47 So why would I
06:50 continue to do
06:55 anything else
06:59 but come to You?
07:06 I will remember
07:11 what You did for me:
07:15 climbing that hill
07:19 to die on that tree.
07:23 There will I go and
07:27 bend my knee;
07:32 there I'll find
07:35 sanctuary.
07:46 I'll give You thanks
07:50 for Your
07:52 sanctuary.
08:07 Amen!
08:10 Amen... amen.
08:13 Praise God for that beautiful song.
08:16 Amen! Praise God for His sanctuary.
08:20 And as we begin our study this morning
08:26 I invite you to bow your heads as we pray together.
08:30 Father in heaven, we are humbled by this opportunity
08:34 that we have to worship You this morning,
08:38 to study Your Word in spirit and in truth.
08:42 As we reflect on this message that You've given to Your people
08:47 the first angel's message: the words "Fear God
08:53 and give glory to Him" we pray that You would bless us
08:57 with Your presence. Speak to us we pray.
09:00 Hide me behind the cross.
09:02 We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us, to instruct us,
09:05 and to lead us. For we ask these things
09:08 in the precious name of Jesus. Amen... amen.
09:13 Our focus today is the phrase "Fear God
09:18 and give glory to Him. "
09:21 But before we delve into a deeper study
09:25 into those words I want to spend a few moments
09:29 setting the geo-political context
09:33 into which this message is going to be proclaimed.
09:37 And I invite you to open your Bibles with me
09:40 to Revelation chapter 13.
09:43 Revelation chapter 13 verse 1.
09:46 Revelation 13 is the chapter that precedes
09:49 the three angels' messages.
09:52 And it sets the geo-political context into which
09:57 the messages of the angels are going to be proclaimed.
10:02 Revelation chapter 13 verse 1
10:04 "Then I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast
10:09 rising up out of the sea having seven heads,
10:12 ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns,
10:17 and on his heads a blasphemous name.
10:20 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard.
10:23 His feet were like the feet of a bear
10:26 and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
10:29 The dragon gave him his power,
10:32 his throne, and great authority. "
10:36 Here in Revelation chapter 13 you see a sea beast
10:39 and we know in Revelation chapter 17 verse 15
10:42 that this beast is rising up out of a populated area
10:47 and it's an amalgamated beast.
10:49 It's a composite beast and it's the exact same beasts
10:53 that are found in Daniel chapter 7.
10:56 Except in Daniel chapter 7 it begins with the lion
11:01 and ends with the terrible beast with ten horns.
11:04 In this case it's in reverse order.
11:08 Bible scholars have assumed that this is because Daniel is
11:12 looking forward and the book of Revelation is looking backwards
11:16 in history. In Revelation chapter 13
11:20 it has a beast with four heads. And when you count the heads
11:24 in Daniel chapter 7 there are exactly four heads as well.
11:30 But this beast is unique
11:33 in that it is a composite of all the beasts
11:36 that are there in Daniel chapter 7.
11:39 There's many applications that we can draw from this.
11:42 One of them is that this is Satan's masterpiece.
11:48 It is an image that is a conglomeration,
11:52 a synthesis of all the pagan practices
11:57 that have been developed all the way since Babylon.
12:00 And this beast, according to Revelation chapter 13
12:05 verse 3 says: "And I saw one of its heads
12:09 as it had been mortally wounded
12:11 and the deadly wound was healed
12:14 and all the world marveled and followed after the beast. "
12:20 And this text is being fulfilled today
12:24 in your hearing. We are witnessing
12:28 in Protestant America today
12:31 this wondering and marveling after the beast power.
12:37 Verse 4: "So they worshiped the beast who gave authority
12:41 to the beast and worshiped the beast saying:
12:43 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war
12:47 against him? ' " You'll see that a central issue
12:51 in the end of time is going to be worship.
12:55 All the world is worshiping this beast.
12:58 And if you go down to Revelation chapter 13 verse 11
13:01 another beast comes up out of the land.
13:03 It's a lamb-like beast.
13:05 It looks like a lamb but it speaks like a dragon.
13:10 And the Bible indicates that the second beast of Revelation
13:14 chapter 13 will collude with the first beast
13:18 and there will be an enforcement of worship.
13:21 Skip down to verse 15: "He granted power to give breath
13:24 to the image of the beast that the image of the beast
13:26 should both speak and cause as many as would not worship
13:29 the image of the beast to be killed. "
13:33 Notice: there is worship.
13:36 There is giving glory to the beast
13:38 and there is fear of the beast.
13:43 It is in this geo-political context
13:46 that the first angel's message is to be proclaimed.
13:52 Now I want to pause right here
13:54 because we need to be very careful
13:58 in a very polarized political environment
14:02 specifically in the United States of America
14:04 that we do not become so political
14:07 that we become unBiblical.
14:10 Amen. Amen? Amen.
14:12 Because if I read my Bible correctly
14:15 there is going to come a time
14:17 when being Biblical is going to be perceived
14:22 as unpatriotic.
14:26 That being Biblical is going to be perceived
14:30 as un-American.
14:33 And we need to be careful that we are not so caught up
14:37 in the political dialogue
14:39 that we get lost Biblically.
14:44 Reminds me of a book in my library.
14:47 It's called Hitler's Cross.
14:51 And it's fascinating because when you look at Protestant
14:55 Germany and you look at the ministers
15:00 and how they interacted with Nazism and Hitler
15:04 there are pictures in that book where there's a swastika
15:08 next to the cross. And you see the pastors
15:12 giving their allegiance to Adolf Hitler.
15:17 They have become so political that they've become unBiblical.
15:22 And we need to be careful - especially in this context -
15:27 because friends, if we are lost in the political machinery
15:30 we're not going to be able to give the first angel's message
15:33 much less the second angel's message
15:36 and the third angel's message.
15:38 Let's go to Revelation chapter 14.
15:40 So while this is taking place on the geo-political scene
15:44 in Revelation chapter 14 the Bible says; "And I looked
15:47 and behold a Lamb standing on Mount Zion
15:50 and with Him 144,000 having His Father's name
15:53 written in their foreheads. "
15:56 Later on it says that this angel has the everlasting gospel.
15:59 And the everlasting gospel is made possible
16:02 because of the Lamb.
16:05 When you look at the words of the first angel's message
16:08 in verse 6: "And I saw another angel
16:11 flying in the midst of heaven
16:13 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell
16:17 on the earth: to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people
16:20 saying with a loud voice: 'Fear God
16:23 and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment has come.
16:26 And worship Him who made the heavens, the earth,
16:29 the sea, and the springs of water. ' "
16:33 There's a lot that we can focus on.
16:35 I've been given these words: "Fear God
16:38 and give Him glory. " There are three distinct words,
16:42 three distinct verbs in the first angel's message:
16:45 fear... give... and worship.
16:50 We are to fear God, give glory to Him,
16:53 and worship Him who made the heavens, the earth,
16:56 the sea, and the fountains of water.
16:59 Notice: there are going to be two groups of people
17:03 in the end of time.
17:05 One will worship the beast.
17:07 One will give glory to the beast
17:09 and one will fear the beast.
17:12 And the other group of people will fear God...
17:15 will give glory to Him
17:18 and will worship Him.
17:21 The choice is ours as to who we are going to worship
17:26 in the end of time. Let's focus on these words
17:29 "Fear God. " What does that mean?
17:34 And as I studied this and as I reflected on
17:37 the first angel's message specifically these words:
17:39 "Fear God" I wondered to myself why did not
17:43 the first angel's message begin with the words
17:47 love God. Wouldn't that be just gospel centered
17:53 or gospel centric? We know that the fulfilling
17:56 of the law is love. The New Testament the gospels
17:59 speak of love. And it is peculiar and just unusual
18:04 to me that the first angel's message that is to go to
18:07 the entire world begins with the words "Fear God. "
18:12 Now the emphasis of the first angel's message
18:15 indicates the issues that are going to be prevalent
18:18 in the end of time.
18:21 According to the Andrews Study Bible
18:25 fearing God means to revere, to respect,
18:30 and hold in awe.
18:33 I looked up the definition of respect in the dictionary,
18:38 and the definition of respect is "a feeling of deep admiration
18:45 for someone. "
18:46 Respect means to demonstrate
18:49 high regard for an individual.
18:53 Notice that fearing God is also indicating
18:59 respect, and this respect is a feeling.
19:03 It's an emotional state
19:05 in which you have deep admiration for someone.
19:11 I have a book. It's by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.
19:17 It's called Love and Respect.
19:20 By the way, for those of you that are married
19:22 or thinking about getting married: highly recommend
19:25 this book. And it's based on Ephesians chapter 5:23.
19:31 Notice what Paul says:
19:34 "So each husband should... " What his wife?
19:38 "should love his wife as much as he loves himself. "
19:44 The lady said "Amen. " Right?
19:46 "and each wife should... " What?
19:50 "should respect her husband. "
19:54 The Bible indicates that it should be husbands that love
19:59 their wives and each wife should respect her husband.
20:02 Now this is not indicating that women should not love
20:06 their husbands and that husbands should not respect their wives.
20:08 But he's indicating what it is difficult for each gender to do.
20:14 If you ask a man: "Does your wife love you? "
20:17 most men will say: "No doubt my wife loves me. "
20:21 But if you ask the man: "Does your wife respect you? "
20:25 Amen! Come on now...
20:29 I think most men may be like "Oh, let me think about that.
20:33 Does she? "
20:35 We live in an age of unconditional love
20:40 but according to this book respect is a form of love.
20:46 Now think about the implications of this.
20:49 By the way, he said that many times
20:52 in the vicious cycle of a marriage, disagreements,
20:57 when a man feels disrespected
21:00 he responds by being unloving. All right.
21:05 And when a man is unloving
21:08 the woman responds with disrespect.
21:14 And he indicates that the more mature gender
21:19 in that case - whoever it might be -
21:21 all right - needs to stand up and say: "Look I'm going to
21:24 give this person unconditional love
21:27 or unconditional respect. "
21:31 And it begins a new cycle in their relationship.
21:35 Think about the implications of this.
21:38 In the most intimate human relationship that we can have
21:42 this side of heaven - the marriage relationship -
21:47 love and respect are essential. It sure is!
21:52 Not love OR respect
21:55 but love AND respect. All right!
21:58 And the emphasis of the first angel's message
22:02 is an emphasis on respect.
22:06 Could it be that we are living in a culture today
22:11 that emphasizes a false type of relationship with God
22:15 that emphasizes love
22:19 to the exclusion of respect?
22:25 Is God disrespected in today's culture?
22:34 So the first angel's message begins with these two words:
22:38 "Fear God... " which implies a type of respect.
22:42 A feeling of reverence and awe.
22:46 There was a comedian that was being interviewed
22:50 about his visit to the White House.
22:57 And he was so nervous - this was a man that makes jokes
23:01 about everyone, including the president -
23:04 and he was invited to the White House.
23:06 And he decided that even though it was an outside event
23:11 and many of the people were going to be dressed
23:13 very casually that he would wear a 3-piece suit
23:17 to the White House.
23:20 Why did he do that?
23:22 Out of respect for the office.
23:26 In other words, our feeling of reverence and awe
23:31 for an individual or for an office
23:34 influences our behavior.
23:37 When you respect someone
23:40 it plays into how you interact with that individual.
23:44 And today God has been denigrated
23:47 to a boyfriend or a buddy
23:50 to the place where there is no respect or no awe
23:54 in our relationship and in our behavior with Him.
23:59 So the first angel's message begins with "Fear God"
24:02 and in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13
24:06 it says: "Fear God and keep His commandments. "
24:11 In other words, our respect for God,
24:14 our awe for God, our reverence for God
24:17 causes us to keep His commandments.
24:22 In other words, love is the primary motivation
24:26 but so is respect.
24:29 Respect is essential in our relationship with God.
24:34 The second phrase: "give glory to Him. "
24:38 Two texts in the New Testament: Matthew chapter 5 verse 16
24:42 "Let your light so shine before men
24:45 that they may see your good works
24:48 and glorify your Father which is in heaven. "
24:52 Fascinating that the first angel's message
24:56 begins with "Fear God, " respect God.
24:58 Second part: "give glory to Him" which has implications
25:01 about good works... good works giving glory to God.
25:08 Now these good works do not earn our salvation
25:11 but according to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
25:15 when we do good works it glorifies God.
25:20 I Corinthians 10:31, another text that gives us light
25:24 into what it means to give glory to God:
25:26 "So whether you eat or drink
25:29 or whatever you do
25:30 do all to the glory of God. "
25:35 Christian lifestyle.
25:39 What you eat, what you drink...
25:41 what we do with our bodies gives glory to God.
25:46 And could it be that in the end of time
25:51 right now in our contemporary society
25:54 we are living in an age where a gospel is being presented
25:58 that says that grace gives you license
26:02 to live whatever lifestyle you'd like to live?
26:07 Doesn't matter what you do with your body.
26:09 Doesn't matter what you put into it;
26:11 doesn't matter what you put on it
26:14 you can live any way that you want.
26:18 Fascinating the emphasis of the first angel's message.
26:22 The last verb "worship Him, " and in our presentation
26:26 this afternoon we'll be delving more into that.
26:28 But this is a phrase or a quote from William Temple:
26:32 "Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.
26:35 It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness.
26:38 It is the nourishment of the mind with His truth,
26:42 the purifying of the imagination with His beauty,
26:45 the opening of the heart to His love,
26:47 the surrender of the will to His purpose.
26:51 All this gathered up in adoration -
26:53 the most selfless emotion of which our nature
26:57 is capable - is worship. "
27:01 Worship is a universal human need
27:04 and God is calling us to worship not the beast
27:08 but to worship the Creator. Amen!
27:12 I'd like to back up a little bit here
27:16 and look at the emphasis from another angle
27:20 of the first angel's message.
27:23 The emphasis of the first angel's message is:
27:26 "Fear God, give glory to Him, and to worship Him. "
27:29 Now the question is: who is the person
27:34 that is to be giving these attributes:
27:39 fearing, giving, and worshiping?
27:42 And there has been this long theological dialogue
27:44 for the last 2,000 years, and it's even prevalent in
27:47 our own community of faith.
27:49 It has to do with this tension between God's part
27:53 and man's part.
27:55 How much of the gospel is God's part?
27:58 How much of the gospel is man's part?
28:01 And you can describe it another way:
28:02 faith and works...
28:04 law and grace. These tensions in theology
28:08 and look at the emphasis. God's part or man's part?
28:12 Which part is the first angel's message emphasizing?
28:17 Who is the one that is to fear God?
28:21 We are.
28:22 Who is the one that is to give glory to Him?
28:25 We are.
28:27 Who is the one that is to worship Him?
28:29 We are!
28:30 And I'll be honest with you: as I was studying for this
28:33 presentation I said: "Oh, this seems so... just unique! "
28:38 In the first angel's message that is to go to the entire
28:41 world before Jesus comes
28:43 the emphasis is our part in worshiping.
28:47 Our part in giving glory, our part in fearing Him.
28:50 And it seems from a very superficial standpoint of view
28:54 that the emphasis seems on man's part
28:57 and there seems not too much about God's part
29:01 from a superficial level. Now it's there...
29:05 because it begins with the Lamb, it begins with the everlasting
29:08 gospel, but notice the tension between these two realities.
29:13 In other words, the individuals that are going to be proclaiming
29:18 the end-time message before Jesus comes
29:21 are going to understand the relationship - the Biblical
29:26 relationship - between faith and works.
29:31 Between God's part and man's part.
29:36 When you look at theological history
29:40 you'll see that this has always played out in a pendulum
29:45 swing between these two extremes.
29:47 Let me give you a couple examples of these.
29:50 A theology that emphasizes God's part
29:54 is predestination.
29:58 Predestination from our friends the reformed or the Calvinists
30:03 emphasizes God's part to the place that how much
30:08 of salvation is man's part?
30:09 None. None! Predestination assumes that God
30:12 makes the arbitrary decision as to who is going to be saved
30:16 and who is going to be lost.
30:18 Election. We don't have any part to play.
30:21 God, from His standpoint of sovereignty,
30:24 decides and says: "Look, you're saved;
30:26 you're not saved. "
30:28 "You're lost; you're saved. "
30:30 And He makes that arbitrary decision
30:32 and places salvation totally out of the sphere
30:36 of any human choice, any human volition,
30:39 or any human action.
30:41 Now predestination is many times looked upon as a...
30:44 you know, why would anyone believe in that?
30:46 But we need to recognize that in the Reformation
30:48 in reaction to legalism
30:50 the theological pendulum swung to predestination
30:53 because people wanted assurance.
30:56 People wanted to know that works did not have any merit.
31:00 We don't contribute anything to salvation.
31:02 And that was very liberating to individuals
31:05 that were struggling with legalism.
31:08 So we have this tension here, and predestination
31:12 is one perspective in salvation indicating
31:15 that salvation has nothing to do with human action.
31:18 It is totally God. Amen!
31:22 That's it... period. He does EVERYTHING;
31:25 we do nothing. And what we do contributes nothing
31:28 toward salvation. All right!
31:31 We come on the other side and we have our friends
31:35 the Roman Catholics that believe
31:39 that what we do contributes towards salvation.
31:44 Now there's a fascinating dialogue between Luther
31:47 and Erasmus. And they're talking about
31:50 how much credit does man contribute toward salvation.
31:54 And Luther said: "No credit"
31:57 and Erasmus, who was a Catholic,
32:00 said: "Man contributes a little credit. "
32:04 And he said that little credit is human free will and choice.
32:10 In other words, when you decide to serve God -
32:14 when you decide to choose God -
32:16 that has little merit
32:19 that has a contri- bution toward salvation.
32:24 Now I want to tell you that the strength of each position
32:27 is one that you are saved by grace
32:30 but it takes away free human will.
32:33 On the other side there is free human will
32:36 but you have a contribution toward salvation.
32:40 John Wesley comes along
32:43 and he comes up with this beautiful Biblical concept
32:47 I believe called prevenient grace.
32:51 Prevenient grace says that God comes to the sinner
32:56 and even though our ability to choose
33:00 is held under bondage to sin
33:02 prevenient grace comes and vivifies the will
33:07 so that we can choose.
33:10 Praise God! Do you know that even your ability
33:14 to choose comes from God? Amen!
33:17 Amen? Amen. I mean, what a beautiful idea.
33:22 So John Wesley comes along and says: "Look, even
33:25 your desires need help. "
33:28 Even your desires need illumination.
33:31 Even your desires need His vivifying power.
33:35 And so I come to God many times and say: "Lord,
33:38 I don't even desire.
33:41 Help me the desire to desire. " Amen!
33:45 "Help me to be willing to be made willing. "
33:49 And sometimes I say: "Help me to be willing
33:50 to be made willing to be made willing. "
33:52 So we can come to God and say: "Lord, I don't want this thing;
33:56 help me to want it. "
33:58 "Change me because I can't change myself. "
34:00 Repentance is a gift. Amen! You can't even feel sorry
34:04 until you come to Jesus.
34:08 It's grace... prevenient grace which means prior to.
34:14 So when you choose God you get absolutely zero credit
34:20 because that choice ultimately comes from God.
34:24 So prevenient grace: a wonderful theological contribution
34:28 indicating yes, we have free will
34:32 but man gets absolutely zero credit. Amen!
34:39 One theologian said: "Sinners do not naturally seek for God
34:42 but that He earnestly seeks for them to come into a redemptive
34:46 relationship with Him. Such gracious seeking
34:50 creates a protorenewal which enables the convicted soul
34:55 to respond to God's redemptive offer. "
35:01 And what we need to recognize
35:03 is that there is this tension, this relationship,
35:09 between God's part and man's part.
35:13 And even in our theo- logical community of faith
35:16 we have a pendulum that tends to swing between the two.
35:22 And depends on which message I'm emphasizing.
35:24 Sometimes I emphasize God's part;
35:27 sometimes I emphasize man's part.
35:29 It's important for us to recognize
35:32 that there is a relationship between the two
35:34 and there's almost an enigma
35:37 about this relationship between God's part and man's part.
35:40 Let me show you one of these. Go with me in your Bibles
35:43 to Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13.
35:46 Look at the interesting fascinating relationship
35:51 between God's part and man's part.
35:53 And we quote this text all the time!
35:56 Philippians chapter 2 verse 13:
35:58 many of us can quote this by heart.
36:00 "For it is God who works in you
36:03 both too will and to do of His good pleasure. "
36:07 You've heard of that text.
36:09 I've preached on this text.
36:10 It said it's God - right? that works in you
36:14 both too will and to do of His good pleasure.
36:15 Now what's the emphasis of that text?
36:18 God's part!
36:20 And many preachers get up and say: "Let go and let God! "
36:24 Right? "Stand still and let God work. "
36:28 And that's the emphasis of this text.
36:32 But how many of you have read the text right before it?
36:37 Look at verse 12.
36:39 "Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed
36:43 not as in my presence only
36:47 but now much more in my absence... "
36:50 And look at the emphasis here.
36:52 Work... wow! "work out your own salvation
36:58 with fear and trembling. "
37:01 Now when's the last time you heard a sermon from that verse?
37:07 It's been a long time if never, right?
37:10 I mean wow! Is this Paul really writing?
37:13 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. "
37:18 And then right after it says: "For it is God that works
37:21 in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. "
37:23 In other words, there is a relationship between these two.
37:27 We get absolutely no credit;
37:29 we get absolutely no means of earning our salvation
37:33 yet there is a cooperation between God's part
37:37 and man's part. Amen?
37:39 And it's important for us to bring these two together
37:42 in a synthesis.
37:45 I want to read a quotation from a book called
37:48 How People Grow. It's an evangelical book
37:52 and I was assigned this in my doctoral studies.
37:55 And I'll be honest with you: I was quite skeptical
37:57 because I said: "What do the evangelicals have to contribute
38:00 toward sanctification and Christian growth? "
38:05 But as I read this I realized
38:09 that this book had quite the perspective
38:13 on Philippians chapter 2. I want to read to you this quote.
38:16 "We work out our own salvation meaning we execute our
38:19 responsibilities in growth.
38:22 All the while in mysterious and often invisible ways
38:26 God works in us for His purposes.
38:30 The co-laboring is not at all as if God is simply
38:34 doing things to us
38:36 like a surgeon operating on a patient
38:40 lying on a table.
38:42 It is more like certain forms of brain surgery
38:46 in which the patient is awake and working with the surgeon
38:52 telling him what he is experiencing as the surgeon
38:56 probes and cuts one way then another.
38:59 We are partners in our spiritual surgery. "
39:05 So there you have the synthesis between the two.
39:08 Cooperation between what God is doing
39:11 and our part in that cooperation.
39:14 This is from God's Amazing Grace page 252.
39:17 "Human effort avails nothing without divine power.
39:22 But without human endeavor
39:26 divine effort is with many of no avail.
39:30 To make God's grace our own
39:33 we must act our part. "
39:38 Now I want to clarify some things here this morning
39:41 because I hate being misunderstood.
39:45 I want to emphasize that the Bible makes it very clear
39:49 that we're not saved by works.
39:51 Amen? Amen.
39:54 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8: "For by grace ye have been saved
39:57 through faith and that not of yourself:
39:59 it is the gift of God. Not of works
40:02 lest anyone should boast. "
40:06 And just in case you're won- dering some people have assumed
40:08 that Ellen White was a legalist.
40:10 But I want to read you a couple statements here.
40:12 "There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon
40:15 more earnestly, repeated more frequently,
40:18 or established more firmly in the minds of all that
40:22 the impossibility of fallen man in meriting anything
40:27 by his own best good works
40:30 Salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus our own.
40:36 Let the subject be made distinct and plain
40:39 that it is not possible to affect anything in our standing
40:43 before God or in the gift of God to us
40:45 through creature merit. Should faith and works purchase
40:49 the gift of salvation for anyone
40:51 then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. "
40:58 One more.
41:01 "And any works that man can render to God
41:05 will be far less than nothingness.
41:08 My requests are made acceptable only because
41:12 they are laid upon the righteousness of Christ. "
41:17 In other words even our best works
41:21 need an upgrade. Amen! Amen?
41:25 And this keeps us humble by the grace of God.
41:29 I've been in communities of faith
41:32 where when you go through the dinner line
41:35 they watch your plate like a hawk.
41:41 Put the wrong thing on there there's an automatically pecking
41:46 order because the other individual is placed on a higher
41:49 pedestal than you. Because in that meritorious sanctification
41:54 works paradigm automatically if I have a certain diet,
42:00 if I have a certain work,
42:02 it places you on a higher plain.
42:06 According to Ellen White all of our righteousness
42:11 is like filthy rags - Amen -
42:14 and needs the righteousness of Christ. Amen!
42:17 Absolutely zero credit.
42:21 So how do we grapple with this idea of works
42:26 specifically the emphasis in the first angel's message?
42:29 Because there is a reaction that naturally happens
42:33 for those that have been burned by legalism.
42:36 My ministerial director said
42:38 "Conservative parents have liberal children
42:44 and liberal parents have conservative children. "
42:50 It's interesting because the pendulum swings.
42:52 And for individuals that have been burned by legalism
42:54 and abused by legalism
42:56 the tendency is to swing in the other direction.
42:59 And this was a part of what happened in Luther's own
43:04 experience. And you see this in his 1522
43:08 translation of the German New Testament.
43:11 This is what he says, and I quote:
43:13 "St. James' epistle is really a strawy epistle
43:20 compared to the others like Romans, Galatians, Ephesians,
43:23 I Peter, and I John
43:25 for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it. "
43:30 Notice what Luther is saying.
43:33 "The book of James has nothing of the gospel in it. "
43:37 Now what does the book of James talk about?
43:41 Works! Works! Look at this!
43:44 In James chapter 2 verse 24
43:46 you see that a man is justified by works
43:51 not by faith alone.
43:55 Now in my congregation if I read this text
43:58 and I preach a sermon on this text
44:00 there are individuals that have been burned by legalism
44:02 that are about ready to have an aneurysm.
44:06 You can see it. The blood pres- sure rises; the face gets red
44:10 because they've been so abused and burned by legalism.
44:13 And I sympathize with that.
44:17 I have a dog.
44:21 Actually I have two dogs, and this particular dog
44:25 we got from a shelter.
44:28 A rescue... and she was abused...
44:35 specifically by children. And the reason we know
44:37 is every time she's around children she just kind of gets
44:39 really antsy. But I found something interesting
44:42 in that every time I go to sweep the floor with the broom
44:48 she is cowering in the corner.
44:53 She had been beaten by a broom.
44:58 Now from her perspective
45:00 the world will be a better place
45:06 if brooms were made illegal
45:13 and you were placed in prison for owning a broom.
45:19 Because she was abused.
45:24 I sympathize with her.
45:28 However, never judge something by its abuse.
45:35 Let me say that again.
45:36 Never judge something about its abuse.
45:40 You can abuse water.
45:42 Water boarding... torture.
45:45 But it does not mean that we don't drink water.
45:49 In other words, just because something is abused
45:52 does not mean that it has its proper place.
45:54 And here is Luther. He's been abused by legalism
45:57 and he swings the pendulum totally in the other direction
46:00 and goes to the place of saying that there is one book
46:03 of the Bible that he assumes is less than the others.
46:06 I believe from his perspective he would naturally
46:09 want the book of James to be ex- cluded from the Biblical canon.
46:14 Never judge something by its abuse.
46:17 Now is James talking about righteousness by works?
46:20 No! But he's saying that works has a place
46:25 in the Christian experience not for meritorious salvation,
46:28 not for earning our way to salvation,
46:32 but there is a place for works.
46:36 What I believe is that in the end of time
46:40 there is going to be a false gospel that is going to be
46:44 presented. And why I believe that is because
46:47 of the emphasis of the first angel's message.
46:49 In other words, there is going to be a gospel that is presented
46:53 that says: "Look, there is no transformation
46:56 that is essential in the human life. "
46:58 No transformation that bears fruit.
47:00 No transformation that impacts your behavior or your lifestyle.
47:05 And the Bible says that God's last-day people
47:09 is going to present a grace-centered, Christ-centered
47:13 message that says: "Yes, God's power
47:16 is not only available to shield us from the penalty
47:20 of sin but from the power of sin in the life. "
47:24 Amen!
47:26 Do we assume that sin is so powerful that even God
47:30 can't give us the victory?
47:33 What kind of God are we serving?
47:37 It's interesting because in 1605
47:43 Johannes Kepler, while he was studying the orbit of Mars,
47:48 noticed that the orbit around the sun
47:52 by the planet Mars was not in a perfect circle.
47:57 He concluded that through mathematical equations
48:00 that the orbit of Mars and the orbit of every other planet
48:04 in our solar system around the sun was not a circle
48:08 but it was something that he called an ellipse.
48:11 And this is known as Kepler's first law of planetary motion.
48:16 Now the difference between an ellipse and a circle
48:20 is that an ellipse centers on two central points,
48:27 a circle centers on one.
48:31 You can actually do this at home.
48:32 Put two thumbtacks down, get a string, and draw an ellipse.
48:37 That is the first law of planetary motion.
48:41 Notice that the way that our universe stays in sync
48:43 is not centering on one point but on two points.
48:46 And I believe this is the same for theological tensions
48:51 in scripture. Let me give you an example of this.
48:56 The nature of Christ.
48:59 We have this tension.
49:02 God - Jesus Christ -
49:05 was both divine and human.
49:10 And where we get into problems in theology
49:13 when you look at the history of Christology
49:16 someone comes along and says: "Jesus was divine
49:19 but He wasn't really human. "
49:22 In other words He looked like He was human.
49:24 Gnosticism or Dosticism... these early ideas
49:28 that came into the Christian church as they grappled with
49:31 this theological point of Jesus being both divine and human.
49:34 They said: "Look, He looked human.
49:36 He looked like He was eating but He just appeared as a man
49:40 but He was not really a man. "
49:42 The emphasis was on the divinity to the exclusion
49:46 of His humanity. What do we call that?
49:50 Heresy... we call that heresy.
49:55 Now during the enlightenment another individual comes along
49:57 and said: "Jesus was human
50:01 but He was JUST a human. "
50:04 "He was not really God; He was just a historical figure. "
50:08 We call that heresy as well.
50:11 So the synthesis between these two realities.
50:14 Now there's a mystery between those two realities
50:16 and we're told we need to take off our shoes
50:18 off our feet because we're on holy ground.
50:21 And we need to be OK with not understanding everything.
50:25 Amen? And say: "Look, Jesus was both human AND divine"
50:30 and hold that in a tension.
50:34 And I believe the same comes in terms of the gospel.
50:38 Whether it be justifi- cation and sanctification,
50:41 whether it be faith and works,
50:44 whether it be law and grace
50:46 we need to hold both of these up and say: "Look,
50:49 what is the relationship between the two? "
50:52 And not say: "I hold to one and reject the other. "
50:56 We need to have an elliptical theology - Amen -
51:00 and say "We affirm both" Amen!
51:04 "God's part and man's part. "
51:08 So what is the relation- ship between faith and works?
51:13 One individual said: "Our inheritance
51:16 is not earned by our 'lived-out' righteousness
51:20 but belonging to the family and being heir
51:24 is confirmed by it.
51:27 It is not earned but it is confirmed.
51:31 Good works are indispensable to salvation
51:34 not as the grounds or the means,
51:37 however, but as its consequence
51:40 and evidence. "
51:43 In the end of time there will be a group of people
51:46 that proclaim the everlasting gospel
51:48 and have the understand- ing between faith and works.
51:54 Jesus said in John chapter 15 verses 4 and 5
51:56 "Abide in Me and I in you
52:00 as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it
52:03 abides in the vine neither can you unless you abide
52:06 in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches.
52:11 He who abides in Me and I in him
52:14 bears much fruit
52:17 for without Me you can do nothing. "
52:21 Jesus uses an analogy...
52:23 a metaphor, an illustration to give us an understanding
52:27 as to the relationship between faith and works.
52:30 In other words, if we abide in Christ
52:34 fruit will be the natural result. Amen!
52:39 The focus of the Christian is to be connected to the Vine.
52:43 Colossians chapter 1 verse 10:
52:45 "That you may walk worthy of the Lord
52:49 fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work. "
52:55 Steps to Christ, page 73:
52:58 "When Christ abides in the heart
53:00 the whole nature is transformed.
53:03 Christ's spirit, His love softens the heart,
53:06 subdues the soul, and raises the thoughts
53:10 and desires toward God and heaven.
53:14 This is what God wants to do through us. "
53:19 You know, recently in my devotions
53:24 and my Christian experience
53:27 I have asked the question: "How is it that Christ
53:33 abides in me? "
53:37 The in-Christ motif: Christ in me, the hope of glory.
53:42 I mean, what is this? How does this happen?
53:45 And it made more sense as I did a study
53:48 specifically on the Holy Spirit. In I John chapter 3 verse 24
53:51 the Bible says: "And by this we know
53:54 that He... " Jesus... "abides in us
53:57 by the spirit whom He has given us. "
54:01 In other words, Jesus abides in the Christian
54:05 through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
54:09 Amen! It is through the Holy Spirit.
54:11 And when we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds
54:16 there is a transformation that takes place
54:19 within each one of us. So the key
54:22 I believe to fearing God and giving glory to Him
54:27 is to have a generation of individuals
54:31 that are Spirit filled - Amen!
54:35 as never before.
54:39 And friends, it is not once filled always filled.
54:47 Amen? Amen! D. L. Moody said:
54:50 "Many think that because they were filled once
54:52 that they are filled forever.
54:54 Oh my friend: we are porous vessels.
54:58 It is necessary for us to constantly remain
55:01 under the fountain in order to be filled. "
55:06 Amen! I ran a couple marathons
55:11 and it's not only important to start the race hydrated
55:18 but for the duration of the race to continue to be hydrated.
55:24 Every mile there's a water station.
55:28 To be filled. D. L. Moody says we are "porous vessels"
55:32 and we need to be filled every single day with the Holy Spirit.
55:39 In preparation for the final crisis
55:42 God is going to have a group of people
55:45 that are going to make it through the time of trouble.
55:48 But it's not an event that you get ready for
55:53 in that moment... you get ready for it daily.
55:59 Daily faithfulness to our Lord Jesus.
56:03 In II Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16
56:05 "Yet the inward man is being renewed
56:09 day by day. " Acts of the Apostles, pg. 56:
56:14 "To the consecrated follower of Jesus
56:16 there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge
56:19 that even Christ during His life on earth
56:22 sought His Father daily
56:25 for fresh supplies of needed grace. "
56:29 And she says in the book Acts of the Apostles page 50:
56:32 "For the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit
56:35 every worker should offer his petition to God. "
56:40 For the Holy Spirit!
56:41 For that regeneration AND that renewal,
56:44 for Christ to live in our hearts by faith,
56:47 doesn't happen in the moment... but daily.
56:51 Inviting Jesus in through the agency of the Holy Spirit
56:57 God is able to work within us both too will
57:01 and to do of His good pleasure.
57:05 I just want to make a simple appeal here today.
57:07 How many of you want to say: "Lord,
57:09 help me to be ready? " "Help me to be ready
57:13 to proclaim the everlasting gospel to the world. "
57:17 Not by might; not by power
57:20 but by His Spirit says the Lord of Hosts. Amen! Amen.


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Revised 2018-07-17