Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: 16SCM
Program Code: 16SCM000009S
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00:52 Welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting:
00:56 Live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 01:02 And we welcome you once again to the 3ABN Worship Center, 01:07 the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist church, 01:09 and to Spring Camp Meeting 2016. 01:14 We've been having a wonderful time in the Lord. 01:17 And I didn't know if you knew that when the children of Israel 01:20 went to church they were also going to school. 01:23 There was much to learn about the sanctuary. 01:26 It is the one doctrine that is exclusively a doctrine 01:29 as preached by the Seventh-day Adventist church. 01:31 And the sanctuary doctrine tells us so very much 01:34 about who we are, who Christ is, 01:37 and what Christ is doing in the heavenly sanctuary even now. 01:41 So we, too, are going to school. 01:43 And each instrument, each implement, each piece of 01:47 furniture in the sanctuary has a very specific meaning. 01:50 And we have been learning about those things this very night. 01:53 We will again on tomorrow evening and then again on 01:55 Sabbath. Our speaker for this particular hour 01:57 is John Bradshaw who is the speaker/director 02:01 for the It Is Written telecast. 02:03 He is a world-wide inter- national evangelist and speaker 02:07 and he has much to say as his subject this very night 02:10 are... is/are The Golden Candlesticks. 02:14 I think that's an are golden candlesticks 02:17 and yet it is one piece of furniture so it IS the golden 02:20 candlestick... the seven-branch candlestick. 02:23 And there is much to learn about that particular piece of 02:27 furniture in the sanctuary. And we look forward to a great 02:29 blessing from John Bradshaw. 02:33 Husband of one wife, father of two children, 02:37 and a preacher of righteousness for the Lord. 02:38 And we cannot wait to hear a wonderful message from him. 02:42 We've got a group of people standing behind me. 02:44 I'm going to call our founder and president Danny Shelton 02:46 to come forward and let us know just a little bit 02:48 about what is going to happen just now. Oh, we're privileged 02:51 tonight and honored. We have Lanny Wolfe back at the piano 02:54 and Marietta Webster that's here. 02:57 And Lanny has written songs like More Than Wonderful, 03:00 Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place, 03:03 and Whatever It Takes - that we're going to be doing here. 03:06 You didn't write He Touched Me, though, did you Lanny? 03:08 I think that was Bill Gaither. 03:11 OK. Bill who? Well, we won't mention Bill tonight. 03:15 We'll just go... We'll go with Lanny's songs. 03:17 Lanny has written I think over 700 songs 03:20 Grammy Award writer but more importantly 03:23 has been gifted by the Holy Spirit, 03:25 by God to write some of the most incredible songs. 03:28 Lisa, Melody... well, everybody up here 03:31 Tammy, Linda... all of you 03:34 Sandra... all of us... Ladye Love. 03:36 I don't think there's anybody up here that hasn't been singing 03:39 his songs - if we're old enough - I am, I won't... 03:42 I'll let you judge about the ladies here - but a lot of us 03:45 have been singing his songs for 35 or 40 years. 03:47 And it's a real privilege to have Bro. Lanny Wolfe tonight. 03:51 Sr. Marietta, one of my favorite all-time singers 03:54 because you sing under such an anointing 03:57 of the Holy Spirit. 03:58 Tonight we're going to be doing literally one of my 04:02 all-time favorite songs - and yours too for many of you 04:06 who have written to us over the years - 04:07 Whatever it takes for my will to break... 04:10 that's what I'll be willing to do. 04:21 There's a voice calling me 04:26 from an old rugged tree. 04:30 And it whispers: "Draw closer 04:36 to Me. " 04:40 Leave this world far behind... 04:44 but there are new heights to climb 04:48 and a new place 04:52 in Me you will find. " 04:59 We're here at Camp Meeting tonight. 05:01 Camp Meetings are special places, 05:04 and this is a VERY special place. 05:07 I like to come out here to 3ABN. 05:09 So peaceful and quiet... you can see stars in the sky! 05:15 But you know, one of the reasons for Camp Meeting is 05:19 not just so we can get together and see people - 05:21 friends - from last year when we saw them. 05:23 We haven't seen them since then. 05:25 But it's so that we can get together 05:28 and listen to what the Lord is telling His church. 05:31 Amen! And so we have this wonderful place to come 05:35 and get away from the city. 05:37 I thought today about an old song that we used to sing. 05:40 It said: "I'll be somewhere listening for my name. " 05:43 "When He calls me I will answer. " 05:46 Well in this day that we live in 05:49 if you have to live in the city and you have a job 05:52 and you have all the noises that completely saturate our 05:58 time, I'm afraid that's why a lot of people 06:01 aren't hearing Him. They've got so many other noises 06:05 going inside. But we're in this wonderful place 06:08 tonight and tomorrow and tomorrow night. 06:12 And what are we talking about? Christ, 06:15 Amen! Calvary, the Sanctuary. 06:20 That's Jesus calling from an old rugged tree. 06:26 He's calling all the time, but we're just not always listening. 06:29 And so I hope tonight 06:32 and tomorrow night especially when we present this wonderful 06:37 musical celebration about Calvary, I hope that you 06:42 will have your ears tuned to hear what the Lord is saying. 06:45 "Lord, what part do You want me to take in this last day 06:50 when we're trying to get the gospel to the people? 06:53 We want them to listen, Lord. Please use our voice. 06:57 Use our offering... whatever it is that we can do 07:00 to get the gospel around this world. 07:03 Lord, we hear You calling us. " 07:05 There are people who can hear, and I hear it tonight. 07:08 And once you listen and hear Him call you 07:12 and you let Him take you out of this world... 07:14 We're in this world but we're not of it. 07:17 And so if you'll listen, He's going to transport you 07:20 to a higher place... a higher ground. And then that's when 07:26 we can sing the rest of this song. 07:28 All right. But you have to listen first 07:31 and you have to have this relationship with God 07:33 where no one else is in competition for your time. 07:38 Praise the Lord! No one else can get your attention 07:42 when Jesus is trying to get a message to you 07:47 from the cross of Calvary where He died for us. 07:50 NOBODY has done what He's done for me! 07:54 And a lot of people don't know about Him. 07:56 They don't know about Calvary. They don't know! 07:59 And we don't know why He did it. How did He do it? 08:03 You're going to hear some beautiful songs tomorrow night 08:06 about Calvary. And so I just want you to listen. 08:11 There's a voice calling me 08:15 from an old rugged tree 08:19 and it whispers 08:22 "Draw closer to Me. 08:29 Leave this world far behind... 08:34 there are new heights to climb 08:39 and a new place 08:42 in Me you will find. " 10:02 Take the dearest thing to me 10:06 if that's how it must be 10:11 to draw me closer 10:16 to Thee. 10:20 Let the disappointments come 10:23 lonely days without the sun 10:28 if through sorrow - that's all right with me - 10:32 more like You 10:34 I'll become. 11:53 Take my houses and lands, 11:56 change my dreams and my plans 12:01 for I'm placing 12:04 my whole life 12:09 in Your hands. That's the safest place to be. 12:14 And if You call me today 12:18 to a home far away 12:23 Lord, I'll go 12:27 and Your will obey. 13:49 That's what I'll be willing 13:55 to do... 14:01 That's what I'll be willing 14:06 to do... 14:10 Yvonne: That's what 14:15 I'll be willing to do... 14:21 Ladye Love: 14:24 That's what I'll be willing 14:29 to do... Reggie: 14:35 Lord, that's what 14:38 I'll be willing to do... 14:44 Oh... Everybody sing: 14:48 That's what I'll be willing 14:54 to do. 15:05 Thank you, Lord. Amen! 15:08 Thank you. God bless. Lanny Wolfe, Marietta. 15:11 Thank you so much for being here tonight. 15:31 Well, good evening everyone. Good evening! 15:34 Wasn't that music something? 15:36 YES! 15:39 I hope you don't mind me coming out here without an 15:41 actual paper Bible. I intended to. 15:44 But I'll let you in on a little secret: 15:48 these days the Bible is just a prop. 15:53 It's a good one. 15:56 It's a necessary one... it's one I believe in. 15:58 But these days it's a prop. 16:03 Now I have had to explain this in other places. 16:05 But I don't mind... Do you remember the first time anyone 16:09 ever read scripture in church and they read off a phone? 16:11 Remember the first time that happened? 16:14 Did you feel just a little bit conflicted about that? 16:16 Yeah! I did too. 16:18 I had to remind myself: "That's a Bible... 16:21 it's just on a phone. " But I guess the traditionalist 16:25 in me or the something in me just felt a little bit like 16:28 "Well, that seems a little out of place. " 16:30 But the last time it happened you felt less uneasy about it 16:33 because you got over that little hump and you recognize 16:36 it's still a Bible... it's just in a different form. 16:39 Now the first time I saw a preacher preaching from an iPad 16:41 or a Tablet and not a Bible I sort of felt the same. 16:47 Some years ago I turned into my father. 16:49 I remember when we got a video cassette recorder, a VCR, 16:53 at the house many years ago. 16:55 Remember those? Yes! 16:59 They were real modern things once, weren't they? 17:02 I'm sounding like my father. 17:05 And I had to try to teach my father how to program the thing. 17:09 And back them programming a VCR 17:13 was slightly more difficult than piloting a space shuttle. 17:18 And he, he, he just fooled with that for a couple of moments 17:22 and then he said something like "Ahhhhh. " 17:27 And a few years ago I discovered I had essentially 17:30 turned into that man. 17:32 When people are wanting me to us apps and so on 17:35 and they're wanting me to use a Google document 17:37 I mean "Just send me an e-mail. " 17:40 "Oh no, no, no... this is better! " 17:41 "But I have to put in a password to read that 17:45 when I could just read my e-mail. " 17:47 "Oh, you don't understand. " And the reason they say that 17:49 is simply because I don't! 17:53 I don't understand. 17:55 Anyhow, when I saw the preacher come out with the iPad 17:57 I felt slightly conflicted about that. But you know, 17:59 it's OK because if the Bible is on the iPad 18:01 it's still a Bible. You understand how that goes. 18:05 But back to the reason why I just need to explain to you 18:07 lest you think that somehow I'm slightly less faithful 18:10 than you perhaps. I discovered 18:15 that a few years ago Bible manufacturers 18:19 started printing Bibles using much smaller text 18:25 than they used to use. 18:27 Did you notice that? Yes! 18:31 And if you're under 40 and you're sitting there feeling 18:35 smug... yours is coming. 18:42 It's coming... don't feel too cocky. 18:46 So that's that, and I just feel slightly inappropriate 18:50 without the Bible. I meant to bring it out, 18:52 but then truth be told I was listening to the music 18:55 and I was thinking: "Wow, that's great! " 18:57 And uh... forgot it. I got carried away. 19:02 I'm sorry. I really owe you an apology. 19:05 And that's because last night I did not want to begin 19:09 without recognizing the passing of a giant. 19:15 In New Zealand we would say a "totara" has fallen. 19:19 A "totara" has fallen: one of the great trees in the forest. 19:22 A mighty tree has fallen in the forest. 19:25 And I wanted to mention last night, but again, I 19:27 guess I just forgot in the heat of the moment. 19:32 I think it would be inappropriate for me at least 19:35 not to mention the passing of C. D. Brooks. 19:40 I don't know how you can quantify these things 19:43 and maybe this is just what you say when you say 19:45 but in my mind probably the greatest preacher 19:50 I've ever heard. Amen! For me... for me... just for me. 19:54 I was a brand new newly-baptized Christian 19:58 when I first heard C. D. Brooks. 20:01 And I didn't know preaching could sound like that. 20:04 I just didn't know. 20:07 And I didn't know that you could listen to a sermon 20:10 and be set on fire 20:13 like I was having heard the preaching of Elder Brooks. 20:17 As I listened to him I realized he was 20:19 academic without being skeptical. 20:23 He was plain in his preaching without being overly simple. 20:29 He was an orator of the highest order 20:34 but the oratory did not detract from his preaching 20:37 nor was it irrelevant. 20:39 He was self-revelatory. 20:41 I learned a lot about him listening to his sermons. 20:44 But his sermons were not about him. 20:47 He was relentlessly Christ-centered 20:50 and revealed to the world that there was and is power 20:56 in the Word of God. Amen! 21:00 Listening to Elder Brooks the Bible came alive. 21:04 And he revealed to me, long before I preached 21:07 my first sermon that sermons ought to set people aglow. 21:13 Otherwise they are probably not worth preaching. 21:17 And something that I learned reading an interview about him, 21:21 and this came to me as a bit of a surprise. 21:23 Someone asked him about his preaching style and how he 21:26 arrived at his style of preaching. 21:28 And he said in this interview - I think I read it - 21:31 he had never spent more than 5 minutes thinking about 21:36 preaching style... which means he was an original. 21:41 He was not an imitator 21:44 though I suspect he has been often imitated. 21:48 He didn't set out to be anyone or anything other than 21:53 who and what he was... and that was more than enough. 21:57 We have lost a giant. 22:00 And though this is a rather impersonal way of doing it 22:04 I would like to offer my sincere sympathies 22:07 to the Brooks family. 22:10 To his many friends and colleagues who are mourning 22:14 a loss and are feeling an emptiness. 22:17 Just, without wanting to belabor the point, 22:19 I find it fascinating that on day one there was a death 22:24 and people said: "We have lost the greatest. " 22:27 "We have lost the greatest. " 22:30 That was when Muhammad Ali died. 22:32 I recognize Muhammad Ali was a great boxer. 22:35 I don't know too many Christians ought to take joy in that. 22:39 He was also a humanitarian and a civil rights champion 22:42 and by all accounts a wonderful human being. 22:44 But on the very next day I think we lost the greatest. 22:48 Amen! Elder Brooks died. 22:50 C. D. Brooks... we shall see him again. Amen! 22:55 Well, let's pray together. 22:58 Our Father in heaven, we are grateful that we 23:00 can be here together tonight. 23:02 And we are asking in faith 23:06 that Your Spirit will touch our hearts. 23:10 We are grateful for the Bible... it is Your Word. 23:13 And I pray tonight it would be alive... powerful. 23:18 That Your Word would do its work as we open ourselves 23:21 up to Your Spirit. I pray You'd take our hearts; 23:24 make them Yours. If we're dis- tracted, banish the distractions 23:27 and speak in a voice that we will hear. Let it be Your voice 23:31 we hear. We thank you; we pray with confidence. 23:35 We ask this blessing for Your glory 23:38 in Jesus' name. Please say with me - Amen - Amen 23:44 and Amen. If you've ever been to Rome... 23:50 and I don't mean Rome, GA... If you've ever been 23:52 to Rome in Italy then you've been to quite a city. 23:56 It's a fascinating place. 23:58 You might call it a great city. I would say you would 24:01 probably more accurately call it a once-great city. 24:05 In Rome not far from the Forum, very close to the Forum, 24:09 a little further from the Coliseum... not very far... 24:12 but a little further from the Coliseum... is a fascinating 24:15 structure. It's a little over 50 feet high. 24:18 Fifteen and one half meters high it is. 24:20 It's shorter than the Arch of Constantine 24:23 and significantly older. 24:26 The Arch of Constantine was built in 312 AD. 24:30 You can walk pretty much right up to it today. 24:32 It's 1,700+ years old. 24:36 That's phenomenon. 24:39 The Arch of Titus is rather older. 24:44 Built in 82 AD - it's almost 2,000 years old - 24:49 by the Emperor Domitian in honor of his older brother 24:54 Titus. And it recognizes many of Titus's accomplishments: 24:59 some of his military battles and campaigns. 25:03 And one of those that is recognized 25:09 on the Arch of Titus was the siege of Jerusalem. 25:15 And you know about that because it's written of in the Bible 25:18 looking forward to that. It happened in the year 70 AD. 25:22 Jesus spoke of that ahead of time in Matthew chapter 24. 25:26 Jesus referenced expectant mothers and nursing mothers. 25:31 He urged that people would pray that what He was talking of 25:35 would not happen in the winter nor on the Sabbath Day 25:39 when Jews and Christians alike - who all observe the Sabbath 25:44 at that time - would be especially vulnerable. 25:48 Jesus was looking ahead to a time when a Roman general 25:52 would go on to be for a little more than two years 25:55 the 10th emperor of the Roman Empire 25:59 would come and wreak havoc in Jerusalem. 26:03 It was a siege in which thousands and thousands 26:07 of people died. Josephus wrote that at one point one million 26:10 people died in the siege of Jerusalem. 26:12 Historians later say that that number is wildly inaccurate. 26:16 Couldn't possibly have been that many, but the fact was 26:18 that however many it was it was a calamity. 26:24 The temple was destroyed as Jesus said it would be. 26:30 The temple was plundered 26:34 and the armies of Titus carried back to Rome 26:38 many items of great value. 26:41 They took so many riches back to Rome 26:46 that the sale of some of those riches 26:50 realized enough cash that they were able to build 26:54 from the proceeds of the destruction of Jerusalem 26:58 the Coliseum... 27:00 which is sadly ironic I think. 27:07 If you were to look upon the Arch of Titus, 27:09 and you can today, you would notice a fascinating depiction. 27:14 Roman soldiers are depicted on that monument 27:18 as carrying away from Jerusalem 27:22 items of great value. 27:25 They are shown to be carrying away golden trumpets. 27:31 They are shown to be carrying away pans... 27:37 pans that were used for removing ashes 27:41 from the altar at the temple. 27:45 They are shown to be carrying away the table of showbread. 27:52 And they are shown to be carrying away a golden 27:56 candelabrum... the Menorah. 28:00 It is depicted as being spirited away from Jerusalem 28:03 by these invaders. 28:07 Now that golden candelabrum... we shall refer to it as 28:11 the golden candlestick tonight... 28:13 was built by a man talented - gifted by God - 28:19 and hand-picked by God to use his God-given gift 28:24 in the service of God. This reminds me at least 28:27 that if you are given a talent to preach then you preach. 28:31 If you are given the talent to teach, 28:33 then you teach. If you are given the talent to evangelize, 28:37 you are an evangelist. 28:38 If you are given the talent, the gift of being 28:41 an apostle or a missionary, then you use that. 28:44 If you are given the talent - the very practical talent - 28:47 of building or sculpting or creating or fashioning, 28:53 those talents, too, can and really must be used 28:57 for the glory of God. We don't read in the Bible 29:00 that Bezalel preached a single sermon 29:03 but we do read that his work made possible 29:07 the joyful worship of the God of heaven. 29:11 He made beautiful things. He created the laver. 29:16 He created the altar of offering. 29:19 He created the table of showbread. 29:23 All manner of things. The altar of incense... 29:27 these were all items of extraordinary significance. 29:30 God designed that they would be used in the worship 29:35 of Almighty God. In Exodus 31 verses 3 and 4 29:39 God said: "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God 29:43 in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge 29:47 and in all manner of workmanship 29:49 to devise cunning works. 29:53 To work in gold and in silver and in brass. " 29:59 This gifted man and his team including Oholiab of the tribe 30:04 of Dan. Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah. 30:07 This team was commissioned by God 30:09 to build things of magnificent beauty 30:14 including the seven-branch candlestick. 30:19 And if you want to know what that's like, then you look at 30:21 the depiction on the side of the Arch of Titus. 30:26 There was a central shaft and then 3 other branches 30:31 coming out from the stem if I can call it that 30:34 and all ending up at equal height. 30:39 It's now a symbol... a well-known treasured symbol... 30:44 of the nation of Israel, the Menorah. 30:46 We would call it the seven-branched candlestick. 30:50 Let's go in the Bible to Exodus 30:54 and chapter 25. And this is one of those passages 30:58 where if you were reading the Bible from the beginning 31:00 you would start to wonder if right about now 31:04 you'd just leap all the way forward to I Samuel. 31:08 This is when you start to wonder that. 31:11 You start to speed read and say 31:14 "God will understand for surely I don't need to read this 31:18 too terribly closely. " 31:20 You know, what's very interesting is that God put 31:23 some of these arcane details into the Bible 31:25 and they are there for a reason. 31:28 The deeper you dig the more important they seem, 31:32 the greater relevance they appear to take on. 31:35 None of this is put in the Bible because it's irrelevant. 31:38 None of it is there just to fill up space. 31:40 And even if you struggle 31:44 to extract from passages like this 31:47 something of meaning then you pray and thank God 31:51 for the exercise. I've seen dogs chewing on bones. 31:55 And they don't get much nutritional benefit from chewing 31:58 on a bone, but at the very least it sharpens their teeth. 32:02 So you can read passages like this 32:04 knowing that at the least they will make you sharp. 32:09 Exodus chapter 25 and verse 31. 32:11 The Bible says: "And you shall make a candlestick 32:13 of pure gold. Of beaten work shall the candlestick be made. 32:19 Its shaft and its branches, its bowls, its... " It says 32:22 knops in my version of the Bible. Yours might say knobs. 32:25 Knobs reads better. 32:26 "and its flowers shall all be of the same. 32:29 And six branches shall come out the sides of it. 32:32 Three branches of the candlestick out of one side; 32:34 three branches of the candle- stick out of the other side. 32:37 Three bowls made like almonds with a knob and a flower 32:41 on one branch. Three bowls made like almonds 32:44 in the other branch with a knob and a flower. 32:46 So in the six branches that shall come out of the 32:48 candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls 32:52 made like almonds with their knobs and their flowers. 32:56 And there shall be a knob under two branches of the same 32:58 and a knob under two branches of the same 33:00 and a knob under two branches of the same 33:02 according to the six branches 33:04 that proceed out of the candlestick. 33:07 Their knobs and their branches shall be of the same. 33:10 All it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. " 33:15 It's significant, and we'll come back to that point. 33:19 "And you shall make the seven lamps thereof, and they shall 33:21 give... " sorry... "and they shall light the lamps thereof 33:26 that they may give a light over against it. 33:29 And the tongs thereof, the snuff dishes thereof, 33:32 shall all be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold 33:36 shall he make it with all these vessels. " 33:39 And you know roughly how much a talent was. 33:41 Depending on whose scholarship you're reading, this is 33:44 between... somewhere between 60 and 70 pounds. 33:47 That's a lot of gold. 33:49 No wonder this thing is depicted on the Arch of Titus 33:53 as being carried by several men on the way back form Jerusalem 33:56 to Rome. That was a valuable and beautiful thing. 33:59 "And look that you make them after the pattern which was 34:03 shown thee in the mount. " 34:06 God had revealed to Moses the plan, the pattern of 34:10 the sanctuary. He patterned it after the heavenly sanctuary. 34:15 And ladies and gentlemen, if ever there was a suggestion 34:19 that there was no heavenly sanctuary, 34:22 let's just push that right out of our mind now. 34:25 It is no wonder that Satan wants to distract us 34:30 from looking towards the sanctuary of God in heaven. 34:34 God's way is revealed in the sanctuary. 34:37 The way God deals with sin 34:40 is revealed in the sanctuary. 34:42 Somebody wrote a book you know that was titled 34:44 very appropriately The Path to the Throne of God. 34:48 It was a book about the sanctuary and the sanctuary 34:50 services. The sinner would bring a lamb or some other offering 34:54 across that open space down to the sanctuary. 34:58 And into the courtyard the sinner would go. 35:00 Let's presume it was a lamb. 35:02 The lamb would be slain. 35:05 Interesting: the lamb was dead. 35:08 The sin that had been confessed onto the head of the lamb 35:12 had now been transferred from the sinner 35:15 to the animal sacrifice. 35:16 The sinner could turn around and go knowing that 35:18 his or her sin or his family's sin rather. 35:21 It wouldn't be a her. His or his family's sin 35:23 was now gone... at least separated from himself - 35:27 themselves - to the lamb. 35:29 Thank the Lord for that! 35:31 Now friends, that's wonderful. 35:32 We call that forgiveness from sin justification. 35:36 And that's right. When we confess our sins 35:39 He is faithful and just to do what? 35:41 Forgive us our sins. But ladies and gentlemen, 35:44 the verse does not end there. And to do what? 35:46 Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 35:49 Now we do not stand here and salute the flag of heaven 35:54 and claim that in and of ourselves we have arrived. 35:58 But we recognize this is God's plan. 36:01 This is God's work. 36:03 As David wrote: "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth 36:09 me. " God will get the work done in your life. 36:13 "He which has begun a good work in you 36:15 is faithful to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. " 36:20 Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus died for us. 36:22 Can you say praise the Lord? Praise the Lord! 36:24 Jesus died on the cross. Can you say amen? Amen! 36:27 Jesus died for you. Can you say hallelujah? 36:30 Hallelujah! Thank God! But if all Jesus did 36:34 was die for you... 36:36 Can I say this without pushing the envelope too far? 36:40 If all Jesus did was die for you, 36:44 that wouldn't be enough 36:46 because the sanctuary service reveals the path to the throne 36:52 of God. Let's call it the path to sanctification. 36:57 Friends, that's a word we ought to speak more of 37:00 and not less of because the Bible says 37:03 "This is the will of God... even your... " What? 37:07 "sanctification. " That's what the Bible says. 37:10 So the lamb representing Christ died out there in the courtyard. 37:14 And then what did the priest do? He took some of that blood. 37:17 That blood now contains your sin... symbolically so. 37:21 That blood was taken into the 1st apartment of the sanctuary. 37:25 In there it was later... Perhaps on the curtains, 37:28 maybe on the horns of the altar. Usually it was... 37:30 it was ministered down there. 37:33 Inside that first apartment 37:36 on the right-hand side the table of showbread. 37:39 You'll hear more about that this week. But we understand 37:41 that Jesus is the Bread of Life. 37:45 On the left-hand side the seven-branch candlestick. 37:49 More about that in a moment. 37:50 We have just heard about the altar of incense 37:54 that was directly between the entering priest 37:58 and the Most Holy Place. Of course there was a curtain 38:01 there. And then when ministry had been made in the Holy Place 38:05 throughout the year on a special day in the year 38:08 the high priest would then take blood into the Most Holy Place. 38:15 Atonement would be made for sin. 38:17 The people would rejoice! Even the record of their sin 38:21 was gone! They were atoned for... at one 38:26 with the God of heaven. 38:28 Let's understand something: God's plan is that we are at one 38:32 with Him. And thank God we have a High Priest in heaven 38:35 right now - Jesus, the Son of God - 38:37 ministering His blood in our behalf. 38:41 Amen! The death of the lamb, the shedding of the blood... 38:43 that was part one. Was that enough? Yes. 38:47 Sacrificially speaking enough. God could do no more for our sin 38:50 to pay the price for our sin. 38:52 Then the Lamb - Jesus - would die. 38:55 That was an absolutely-complete sacrifice. 38:59 But after the death of the animal now the blood was 39:02 ministered inside the sanctuary. 39:04 Oh, thank God for that! Blood was taken in there. 39:07 Jesus pleads the merits of His shed blood for us tonight. 39:11 Aren't you glad? The Bible says He appears now 39:14 in the presence of God for us. 39:17 That's good news. 39:18 Have you ever wondered if God is really for ya or against ya? 39:20 Of course you have. Don't tell me you haven't. 39:22 Of course you have. If you've suffered a tragedy, 39:24 you've looked up towards heaven and you've said: 39:26 "What do You have? Do you have it in for me God? " 39:30 If you haven't, God bless you. 39:32 If you have, everybody understands. 39:36 You've had a bad day... you wrecked your car. 39:39 There's been a death in the family. 39:41 You're starting to wonder: "Is He for me or against me? " 39:44 We must understand whatever happens 39:49 God is for you. Can you say amen? Amen! 39:53 John the Baptist was languishing in a prison cell. 39:56 Was God for him or against him? For him. 39:58 James was taken out of prison and he had his head separated 40:03 from his body. God was for him. 40:04 Now Peter was in prison sleeping expecting to die the next day. 40:08 How's that for faith? Asleep even though the next day 40:11 he was due to be executed. 40:12 That's faith! And an angel came in. 40:16 Had to strike him to wake him up he was sleeping so soundly. 40:19 Led him out, doorways opening up before him. 40:23 God was for him, too. He lived and he didn't die. 40:26 Hey, let's just let God decide what happens to us. Amen! 40:30 And decide that whatever it is, we believe He is for us 40:35 and not against us. 40:38 GOD IS ONLY GOOD. 40:40 And if you are going to measure the goodness of God by your 40:43 circumstances, let me tell you that's a very very narrow 40:46 measure. God is good. 40:48 And Christ tonight is in heaven for us 40:52 and not against us. In that first apartment of the heavenly 40:56 sanctuary... the earthly sanctuary... heavenly as well... 40:59 was the seven-branch candle- stick. It was made from gold. 41:02 It was beaten. It wasn't molded; it was beaten. 41:06 And here's what happens when the workman starts to beat gold. 41:09 Every now and then if you start to beat it 41:10 then you've got to heat it up again to make it a little more 41:13 malleable so you can beat it some more. 41:15 Can you imagine pounding and heat and pounding 41:19 and heat and pounding and heat? 41:21 Well, that's a little bit like what we go through, 41:24 isn't that right? Trials... God turns up the heat. 41:27 What's He trying to do? Burn the impurities 41:30 out of our lives. Mold us and fashion us 41:33 and make us into what we aren't but what we ought to be. 41:36 Now this seven-branch candle- stick you understand represents 41:39 Jesus. Was Jesus beaten? You know He was! 41:42 Was the heat turned up in Jesus' life? Oh yes it was! 41:47 The Bible says Jesus learned obedience 41:50 through the things which He suffered. 41:52 And here's Bezalel pounding away on that candlestick. 41:57 I'm not talking about Jesus needing to be chastised 42:00 because He was unrighteous or a sinner or unholy. 42:02 But Jesus was drawn closer to the heart of God, 42:06 Jesus learned more about what it was to live as a man, 42:09 Jesus was being prepared for that great test 42:13 when He would lay down His life for us all through His life. 42:17 Jesus was beaten and buffeted, 42:19 very often literally, towards the end of His life. 42:22 Think about this... think about this: 42:24 before the seven-branch candlestick shone, it was beaten 42:29 and subjected to heat. 42:31 It was worked. Think about what Jesus went through 42:35 the night before He died. False accusations, 42:39 ratted out by a friend, 42:42 betrayed by a confidant, 42:46 abandoned by the law. 42:49 The man who should have stood up and said: "This is a travesty" 42:53 was the one who said: "Do whatever you like... 42:55 I am washing my hands of Him. " 42:56 Pilate... that doesn't cut it. 42:59 But Pilate wimped out when he should have stood up 43:03 and played the role of a man. 43:04 Jesus was abused... beaten with a reed. 43:08 He was slapped; He was punched; 43:10 He was whipped. They jeered at Him. 43:13 They cursed Him. They watched Him nailed to a cross. 43:18 After all that what did Jesus do? 43:21 He showed the greatest act of love the world has ever 43:26 witnessed. Jesus went through all of that. 43:28 And instead of saying "I'm done, " 43:30 instead of saying "Curse you all, " 43:33 instead of striking them dead 43:35 Jesus allowed a demonstration of agape love 43:40 when He laid down His life for us. 43:42 After all of that darkness Jesus shone brighter than the 43:46 brightest light you've ever seen. 43:47 See, candlesticks aren't designed to be used in the 43:50 daytime unless you're just keeping them for ornamental 43:52 purposes. Candlesticks are only ever any use 43:56 when there is darkness. 43:59 There was darkness in the Holy Place of the sanctuary. 44:03 There was no light shining in there. 44:04 The seven-branch candlestick gave brilliant light, 44:07 and as the walls were made out of gold, my goodness, the 44:09 light in there was dazzling. 44:11 It was gorgeous and it was glorious. 44:14 The seven-branch candlestick was pounded into being 44:17 and it reminds us... This thing - the 7 branches - 44:21 there was light in there... light for your pathway. 44:25 Now you could say this represents the Word of God 44:27 because God's Word is a lamp to our feet 44:29 and a light to our path. That could be so! 44:32 More... that seven-branch candlestick represents 44:36 Jesus who said: "I am the Light of the World. " 44:40 Christ shone, gave light. In Him was light the Bible says. 44:47 And the light was the what? Life of the world. 44:50 The light of Christ gives life to you, to me... 44:54 to the world. When you look into the sanctuary 44:57 everywhere you look you find Jesus. 44:58 From here to heaven who do you see? Jesus: 45:01 He's the Bread. Jesus: He's the Light. 45:02 Jesus' righteousness going up to heaven mingled with our 45:06 prayers. Everywhere you go: Jesus. 45:08 The Lord's in there. What does that tell you? 45:10 Jesus is the Lawgiver and only through Jesus 45:13 can you obey the law of God. 45:15 Everywhere you look. Jesus: the Lamb who died. 45:19 Salvation is totally, fully, completely dependent upon Jesus. 45:24 Ladies and gentlemen, sometimes we get too cerebral 45:27 with our theology. Sometimes we get too technical 45:30 with our understanding of the Bible. 45:32 It's OK to be theologically minded. 45:34 It's good to understand the techniques, but friend, 45:36 you've gotta know Jesus personally. Amen! 45:39 At the end of the day, Christianity is taking Christ 45:41 by the hand... welcoming Christ into the heart. 45:44 Leaning on Jesus every single step of your journey 45:48 from here to there. Jesus: the Lamb of God. 45:51 Jesus: the Bread of Life. Jesus: the Light of the World! 45:56 Thank God for Jesus tonight. What do you say? 45:58 Amen! Jesus: the Light of the World. 46:01 The seven-branch candlestick: Jesus. 46:05 Now you know that Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, 46:07 as a matter of fact we should turn there, shouldn't we? 46:09 I shall scroll there while I speak. 46:12 Matthew chapter 5. You turn... I'll race ya. 46:14 Matthew chapter 5... are you there yet? 46:16 No you're not? You need one of these! 46:18 Matthew chapter 5. 46:24 I'm resting waiting for you to turn there. 46:27 No... the truth is I can see this, and that's really good. 46:30 Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 46:32 and verse 13: "You are the salt of the earth. 46:35 If the salt has lost its savor wherewith shall it be salted? 46:38 It's henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out 46:40 to be trodden underfoot of men. " 46:42 Verse 14: "You are the... What? "light of the world. 46:45 A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 46:48 You are the light of the world. " 46:49 Jesus said: "I am the Light of the World. " 46:51 Then He said: "You are the light of the world. " 46:53 How can it be both? Oh... very easily. 46:56 As Paul said: "The mystery of the gospel is... " What? 46:59 "Christ in you... the hope of glory. " 47:03 Come on, ladies and gentlemen, THAT is Biblical Christianity: 47:06 Jesus living His life in you. 47:10 And you know what? That's where the rubber meets the road. 47:12 Man, you can know the 28 fundamental beliefs, 47:15 you can recite the Ten Commandments 47:17 and still be lost! That's right. 47:20 You can say: "God bless you. Please turn with me in your 47:23 Bible. Our opening hymn is number so and so... " 47:26 and not even know Christ. 47:30 But that's not the experience God is calling us to. 47:33 If you've memorized the New Testament, congratulations! 47:36 If you don't know Jesus, that memorization is going to 47:39 come back and haunt you in the judgment. 47:42 We are called to not only profess Christ 47:46 but to possess Christ: 47:49 the Light of the World living His life in us. 47:54 "Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel. " 47:57 That's a basket. I forget how many pints, but it's about 48:01 8 gallons. We never grew up with bushels where I was from. 48:05 That was a brand of coffee... Bushel's. 48:09 But being as my father-in-law grew up on a farm 48:11 in North Carolina... inciden- tally an hour from the Brooks... 48:15 I just think that's worth pointing out... 48:19 an hour from the Brooks family. 48:21 Everything was about bushels and half a bushel of that 48:24 and a bushel basket of something else. 48:27 You don't light a candle and hide the thing. 48:32 You don't do that. 48:34 But you put it on a candlestick 48:37 and it gives light unto all that are in the house. 48:40 In another place it says: "You don't light it 48:41 and put it under a bed. " 48:43 Friend, our light is to shine. 48:47 I'm walking up a street the other day near the It Is Written 48:49 office. There's no one around. Coming towards me is some young 48:52 fellow... No, he wasn't young; he was older than me 48:54 so he's like a really old fellow as a matter of fact. 48:58 And he sees me, walks towards me and goes: 48:59 "I've got something for you. God bless you. " 49:01 I'm looking at this thing: it's a tract; it's about the gospel. 49:04 I say: "God bless the man. " I don't know who he is 49:06 or what he believes but you know what he's doing? 49:08 He is letting his light shine. 49:10 There's a thousand ways you can do that. 49:12 That's one way that he's doing it. 49:14 God did not give us all this wonderful truth so that we could 49:17 hide it and keep it from the world. 49:19 If we know Jesus, we ought to tell somebody about Him. 49:21 If He's blessed us, be a blessing to somebody else 49:24 and let them know that God is real and alive. 49:26 The atheists are not shy about proselytizing 49:30 and evangelizing. There is still no law against anybody 49:34 sharing their faith in Jesus. Ya have it? Share it! 49:37 You've got it? Use it! 49:40 Don't hide that light. You don't want to do it. 49:43 "Let your light so shine before men... " 49:46 Why? "that they may see your good works... " 49:48 And do what? "glorify your Father which is in heaven. " 49:53 Now I've got to move quickly here but let me say this: 49:58 That seven-branch candlestick reminds us that Jesus is the 50:01 Light of the World. It speaks to us that we 50:03 are the light of the world. 50:05 But I will say this: "The candlestick isn't there 50:09 to do anything else other than to let the light shine. 50:13 That's what it's there for. 50:14 Friends, that's what we are on this planet for... 50:19 in this world for. 50:21 That's why we are here. Not for us! 50:23 Not to collect... not to relax. 50:27 Not to luxuriate. We are here so that God 50:33 might shine through us. Amen! 50:36 How's the gospel gonna go to the world? 50:37 The Lord could have sent angels to do all the preaching. 50:39 It've been done like that! 50:41 Those would have been some good sermons! 50:43 Instead... God raised up YOU! 50:47 And He wants to preach somehow through you. All right! 50:52 The candlestick only exists 50:56 that through it or by it 50:59 light might go to the world. 51:01 How does that candlestick give light? 51:04 Well you would read in the Bible that those lamps, 51:06 the seven lights, were fed by oil... olive oil. 51:09 That was produced by the olives being beaten as well. 51:14 That oil you understand is a symbol of the? 51:17 Holy Spirit. 51:18 As we read in the book of Zechariah: "Not by might 51:22 nor by power but by My Spirit sayeth the Lord of Hosts. " 51:27 Ladies and gentlemen, we are what we are and God knows that. 51:32 David wrote: "He knoweth our frame; 51:35 He remembereth that we are dust. " 51:38 Your brokenness is never so broken 51:43 that the Spirit of God cannot shine through you. 51:46 Christianity is not something you do... 51:49 it's what you allow the Spirit of God to do in you. 51:52 Amen! Your part is surrendering and cooperating. 51:56 God's part is to fill you with His Holy Spirit 51:59 and shine out of your life so that you are truly 52:03 a light in the world. 52:05 Now I need to say this and I need to say it quickly: 52:07 when you get over to Revelation chapter 1 you see Jesus 52:10 walking in the midst of the candlesticks. 52:14 And there may be some debate as to whether these represent 52:16 the seven-branch candlesticks or not. 52:18 I think that's what they repre- sent, but there are 7 of them 52:22 and they represent... or at least there were many of them... 52:25 and they represent the churches. 52:27 Is that right? That's what it says in Revelation chapter 1. 52:30 Now friends, everywhere you go 52:37 there's always somebody ready to criticize the church. 52:42 That's right. Amen. Now there are reasons for that. 52:47 There are reasons for that. 52:48 The main reason is lack of conversion. 52:51 That's the main reason. 52:52 People who are not converted are happy to "rag" on the church. 52:58 We shouldn't... it's the apple of God's eye, 53:02 weak and enfeebled though it is. 53:04 It is the one object upon this earth upon which 53:06 Christ bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. 53:10 It's God's... be careful how you talk about it. 53:13 But having said that, there are some things in the church 53:16 that makes it very very difficult for some people to 53:18 keep biting their tongue. 53:20 You know, you see... So listen: 53:23 let's see if we can do a deal. I don't think we can, 53:25 but I'm going to propose this hypothetical deal. 53:27 Let's covenant with God that we are willing to have Him 53:31 close our mouths and quiet our criticism. 53:34 Instead of criticizing the preacher we will pray for 53:36 the preacher. Instead of criticizing the administrators 53:39 we will pray for the administrators. 53:41 Instead of bemoaning the lack of activity in the church 53:43 we will be activity in the church. 53:47 At the same time, if you're in a position of leadership 53:50 will you give some of us a break? 53:54 We don't want our kids going off to Camp Meeting 53:57 coming back with their heads full of rock songs. 54:00 And I didn't say praise music. I just said rock songs 54:03 and sometimes that happens. We don't need that! 54:05 And if you are young and you think you are hip 54:07 and together and relevant and you think rock music's 54:10 OK, I have a message for you: 54:12 No it isn't! 54:13 It wasn't - Amen! - it won't be; it isn't; it's not. 54:18 We are dumbing down the standards. 54:21 In too many places we are giving our children 54:24 something that looks a little bit like the Bible but isn't 54:27 really the Bible. It wouldn't be that difficult 54:32 really for people in authority 54:35 to give critics less to be critical about. 54:38 Maybe we should work to that end. 54:40 Maybe that's the other side of the deal. 54:42 I'm just picking on one easy target 54:44 and that's all a little bit too predictable I am certain. 54:47 But friends, the church is God's church 54:50 and you find Jesus in Revelation chapter 1 54:53 walking in the midst of the churches. 54:57 They don't get so bad that Jesus abandons them. 55:02 This is His church. 55:05 We say "Praise the Lord" that He has privileged us 55:08 with the opportunity to be a part of the church. 55:10 And we will work for Christ and work to proclaim 55:14 the everlasting gospel with everything that we have. 55:18 The seven-branch candlestick 55:20 fed by the Holy Spirit of God. 55:24 Friends, are you being filled with the Spirit of God? 55:26 You can be. It's amazing, isn't it? 55:29 It's like if Bill Gates came in and said: "I've got a million 55:31 dollars for everybody. " You'd just grab it. 55:34 Tell me if you wouldn't 'cause I'll grab mine and yours. 55:38 No problem. 55:41 God says: "If you then being evil know how to give good gifts 55:43 to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father 55:46 give... give... give the riches of the Holy Spirit 55:49 to them that ask. " 55:50 Man, this is the best deal of your life. 55:52 Jesus said: "I am the Light of the World; 55:55 I will shine. " But further to that... further to that 55:58 "I want to shine in you. " And when you read in Revelation 56:02 chapter 18 and verse 1 the message of the 4th angel... 56:05 The fourth angel comes down from heaven having great power 56:09 and the earth is lightened with the glory of God. 56:12 You know what the Bible is telling us? 56:13 That one day soon this world is going to be lit up 56:17 with the manifestation of the glory of God. Amen! 56:20 In you... by God's grace. 56:24 How does that happen when today we have 56:26 tough times, and we're battling to get on top of 56:29 our own sinful selves. You know how it happens? 56:32 As you surrender to God 56:34 and God fills you more and more and more 56:37 with His presence. That's how it happens. 56:39 We grow in grace. We accept Christ; we are His. 56:42 We are filled with His right... given His righteousness. 56:46 Covered in His righteousness - 56:48 all right... that's right - and we grow in the grace of God. 56:51 We are His and we are growing. 56:53 Onwards... more, more, more towards His kingdom. 56:55 The best is yet to come. 56:57 Greatest ingathering of saints of all time 56:59 are going to happen. Greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit's 57:02 going to happen. We've got to be part of it. Can you say amen? 57:04 Amen! We must... We must pray to that end. 57:07 Our Father and our God, 57:09 we thank you for Christ represented in the sanctuary 57:12 as the candlestick: the Light of the World 57:15 who wants to be the light of the world in us. 57:17 Let it be so. We are weak but we are willing. 57:20 Do Your work in us we pray in Jesus' name, 57:24 please say, Amen and Amen. God bless you tonight. |
Revised 2023-07-30