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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

The Last Words Of Jesus

Brian Hindman

The Last Words of Jesus- Part 1

If you would begin though by opening your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 1, I hope you brought your Bibles today because that is the textbook and we're gonna have a little bit of school today.

You're gonna see in a second you have a quiz coming that you might not have known about.

But first we're gonna look at 2 Peter 1 and we're looking at the importance and significance of the Bible.

I always want to highlight and take every opportunity to encourage and impress upon your minds the value and the significance and the importance of the word of God.

And we're gonna see this here in a few verses as we start in verse 16 and look at a statement and an explanation by Peter, who is describing the transfiguration, something that he would have witnessed many years earlier.

In verse 16, the Bible says, Peter writes, "'For we have not followed cunningly devised fables "'when we made known unto you the power and coming "'of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were, ' what's the next word?

How many senses do you have to receive information?

So keep that in mind, just make a mental note.

Peter says we were eyewitnesses of this incredible event of seeing Jesus transfigured into his glorified form as they were there on the Mount, Peter, James, and John.

For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a what?

A voice to him from the excellent glory, and Now he's actually quoting God the Father, so these are powerful words.

This is my beloved Son in whom I am what?

And this voice which came from heaven, we what?

So there it is again, we heard it, we saw it, and he continues and says, when we were with Him in the holy mount.

Now especially notice from those statements, verse 19, we have also in addition to that evidence a what?

A more sure word of prophecy, a more certain or definite foundation to base our belief and confidence on, a more sure word of prophecy.

And he continues and says, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a what?

Until the day dawn, and then what happens when the day dawns?

So I want you to notice what he's saying.

The Bible is always above any sensory information or input that you could have in any other way.

The Bible is more of a strong foundation to build your belief and your life upon than seeing is believing, than hearing is believing.

The word of God, he says, he's telling his hearers who weren't at the Mount of Transfiguration, you have the same evidence that I do from the scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

And so that evidence that you have is even greater than the eyewitness and the earwitness testimony that I have when I was there.

Now that's important, but it's not as important and as strong as the word of God.

The sure word of prophecy, and so that's what, if we realized how certain and important the word of God is, how much more would we long to study its pages?

And would we be interested in wanting to go to Bible studies and learn and study the things that God has revealed to us that our hearts might burn within us and that our faith might grow stronger and stronger.

That ties in with what we're gonna look at.

We're gonna get there and spend quite a bit of time there.

Revelation chapter 22, let's go to the last chapter and find out what is this day star that is going to arise in our hearts.

Revelation 22 and looking at verse 16, last chapter near the very last verses of the whole Bible and it's stated a little differently by John, this day star.

Revelation 22 verse 16 it says, I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.

And then he says, I am the root and the offspring of David.

How many times can you think in the Bible that you know of is Jesus compared to the light of the world, the son of righteousness?

What does it mean to have the day star arise in your hearts?

It means to have the light of Jesus Christ and his truth be brought to your heart in such a way as it guides and convicts and leads you into the path that Jesus has set out before you, right?

Proverbs 4, verse 18 says, the path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day.

It grows brighter and brighter as the day star, the morning star, which is the herald of the morning.

Of course, the morning, when it comes, it doesn't just stay morning all day.

It grows until it becomes the brightness of the noon day, the brightest part of the day, and that is the description of the experience of the person who follows the light of truth as it's revealed in the Word of God, which points to Jesus.

Let me just read a statement here from Volume 6 of the Testimonies, page 393, speaking about the Word of God as a whole.

The Word of the living God is not merely written, but spoken.

The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, just as surely as though we could hear it with our ears, just as certainly and surely as if we could hear it with our own ears, the Bible is God's voice speaking to us personally.

If we realize this, if we realized it, do you think things would be different in our lives?

And I'm saying this not to rebuke you, but to rebuke myself.

Would I be as excited about who's running for president in 2020 or do I wanna have a Bible study?

Would I be as excited about, you know, who's going to play for the Super Bowl?

Or would I say, wait a second, what does the Bible say about Jesus?

Would I be as interested in who's going to be on the next edition of Dancing with the Stars?

Or would I say, I'm not interested in that, What does the Bible say about Jesus?

That's what I wanna know, and I think that would be the difference.

If we realize this, the Bible is God speaking to us personally, with what awe would we open God's word?

And with what earnestness would we search its precepts?

The reading and contemplation of the scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the infinite 1.

With that in mind, are you ready for the quiz?

I'm gonna put my old teacher hat back on.

It's a short, simple, 10-part quiz on the book of Revelation.

You have Doris here if you need help, if you need to ask someone for help.

I'm just gonna ask you a question that I think someone might have about the book of Revelation, and I just want you to tell me what chapter could I find this information in?

If I'm looking for information, where could I find it, as opposed to just saying, well, it's somewhere in there, and I'll just say this on the front end, there's only 22 chapters in Revelation, so any numbers higher than 22 would not be correct.

So it's between 1 and 22, those are your choices.

If I'm looking for information about some of the events, the description of the millennium, what chapter would I wanna look in to find information on that?

All right, it sounds like the mixed multitude with the murmuring and mumbling here.

I think I heard the correct answer over here.

Anyone over here, what chapter would I look in to find information about the millennium?

Okay, chapter 20, I think I heard some correct answers out there.

Question number 2, where could I learn about the second coming of Jesus coming on a white horse riding with an army of horses coming with him?

The second coming of Jesus, where could I find that in Revelation?

Very good, you're doing very well so far.

Now if I'm looking for a description about the character of the 144, 000, and 144, 000 I'm very strongly convinced are those people living when Jesus comes?

And I don't know about you, but I think Jesus is coming soon, and the character description of the 144, 000 is 1 that I think might be important to be aware of and understand and know about.

Where could I find information about what these people are like from the Bible?

Maybe we need to ask the question faster and not give you time to look around more.

All right, if somebody were to come to you and say, I've heard about this battle that's to take place when Jesus comes called the Battle of Armageddon.

The Last Words of Jesus- Part 2

Father in heaven, Lord, thank you so much for your Sabbath, a time of rest, a time of restoration, a time of focusing on the 1 thing that is the most important in life, and that is Jesus Christ.

May our hearts be in tune with Your Holy Spirit, that we might hear You speaking to us personally is my heart's prayer in Jesus' name, amen.

I believe I read this statement last time when I was here about the importance of the book of Daniel and Revelation, both of those books.

When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience.

Are you content with your religious experience, the condition you are in presently?

Or are you looking and seeking to know more, still more, and more about Jesus?

And to learn of him so that our lives will be transformed by coming into contact with him?

Well, as we study our Bibles, we're gonna find, especially in Revelation, the word means a revealing of Jesus, to see him more fully and more clearly.

You know, I saw a video recently of a famous sports star that was undercover and had put on a disguise and was in a public place.

And it was very interesting to see the reaction and response of how they treated this person when they didn't know who they were, and then the change that came about when they did know who this person was.

Quite a different reaction when they realized it was Cristiano Ronaldo that was just there kicking a ball around.

You can see the way that people were so excited, the cell phones come out, the oohs, the ahs, and the calling for him to notice them and to wave at him or something.

And it just got me to thinking, you know, do we have the same excitement and enthusiasm when we see Jesus revealed.

And that's what the book of Revelation is all about.

To be excited to see and discover what Jesus is doing within the veil, in the sanctuary of the heavenly sanctuary.

So it is so important for us to realize who Jesus is because I think when we see him for who he really is, we will be excited, amen?

We will be so excited that it will be The joy and rejoicing of our heart, as the prophet Jeremiah says, when he came to understand and know Jesus.

It was the joy and rejoicing of mine heart, he said in Jeremiah 15 and verse 16.

So, the revelation of Jesus Christ, There's just 2 things, aspects I'd like to share with you today.

Number 1, insights that I have recently learned.

I'm always wanting to learn and continue to grow.

And number 2, some ideas that have inspired or arrested my attention, and I just wanted to pass those along to you today as we look at the book of Revelation.

And some of this will just be a quick review.

I skipped over some of my notes when I was preaching last time, and you can't do that as easily when you're locked into a PowerPoint.

But Anyway, we did mention, what does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega?

Jesus is described as the Alpha and the Omega because he is the divine alphabet.

The complete word and message of God is contained in Jesus.

Every revelation of God to man comes through Jesus Christ.

From A to Z, from Alpha to Omega, he makes up all of the message, the total package and message of God is found in Jesus Christ.

We also mentioned what is the significance of Jesus being called the Lion of the tribe of Judah in Revelation 5, and in the very next verse, he's described as being a lamb as it had been slain.

And we saw that these 2 symbols represent the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love.

The lion, omnipotent power, the little meek and lowly lamb, self-sacrificing love, which shows in a complete picture, it says here the whole work of redemption was expressed.

The lion and the lamb all together, Jesus is both of those and both of these together represent different phases and aspects of who He is.

He is mighty to save as the lion and He is loving and self-sacrificing to provide our salvation as a lamb.

Number 3, we also mentioned what is the significance of having the faith of Jesus in Revelation 14, 12.

And I just, I love this statement here in volume 12 manuscript release that gives this clear-cut description of what that faith is.

It is a faith that you and I must have, and it says, faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus.

That's what it means to exercise true faith in Jesus, to have that strong of a belief that he can save you in spite of your weaknesses and your flaws and all of the past that you might have, that he has the power to save you and the strength and ability, more than enough, amply means super abundantly, beyond what is just necessary and sufficient, but in a super abundant capacity to save us, that's Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be blessed and to receive grace in Revelation 1, verses 3 and 4?

If you have your Bible, this is right in the front end of the book of Revelation.

Verse 3 says, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand.

Now the word blessing, as I contemplated and looked at that carefully, I came to understand something as you look at it across scripture, the word blessing or blessed can actually be understood all the way back from Genesis chapter 1, where it talks about God created the animals and blessed them.

The fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, he created man and woman, he blessed them, and said be fruitful and multiply.

He blessed the animals, he blessed people.

What does it mean when God gives a blessing?

God created man and animals with certain capacities to do certain things or certain functions.

The blessing of God is the divine empowering to enable them to fulfill the function that God created them to do.

The blessing of God, I'll say that again, is the ability to do what God has created you to do in the first place.

And that can be in a variety of ways, but it is the blessing of God.

It is still from God, it is a divine empowering.

And so we could write it this way, for those of you that take notes, I love you.

Write this down, blessing equals a divine power to fulfill intrinsic function, what God has created you to do.

The ability to do that, God gives us the ability to do that by giving us a blessing.

Now it goes on in verse 4 of Revelation 5 and says, John to the 7 churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from him.

What does it mean when God says to have grace and to receive grace?

Now they're connected and similar in ways, blessing and grace.

Grace is divine empowering for man to fulfill extrinsic, that's outside of himself, ideals.

Blessing comes from doing what God has created you to do naturally by creation, but grace is what God gives you the power to do what you cannot do otherwise.

It's not possible without the grace of God.

So grace empowers the sinner to attain to ideals outside of himself.

Said another way, grace gives us the ability to do what we cannot do for ourselves.

I hope all of you are thinking of a verse right now that comes to my mind right away, and that's Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8, which says, for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

We are saved by grace, the ability, the miraculous power that God gives to us to attain to a condition that we cannot do in and of ourselves.

We cannot do it without God's grace to enable us and empower us to do what he wants us to do.

So there's a simple way of differentiating between these 2.

And if you like birds, I don't know if Ben and Carol Ringer are here today, any other bird people, this will be an illustration whereby you will forever know the difference between blessing and grace.

We have 2 birds before us, we have a canary and we have a crow.

Let's just imagine that you invite both of these birds to sing a song.

1 of them needs blessing and 1 of them needs grace.

The canary has built in created divine properties and potentials to sing.

It only needs the blessing of God in order to be able to sing.

A crow needs grace, which is a miracle from God to live up to outside conditions and ideals that it cannot do in and of itself.

That is the difference between blessing and grace and both are all of God and are given to us by Jesus to help us live and be the people that he wants us to be.

That is an incredible understanding and you can see this across scripture as you understand these things.

It will unfold to you more clearly the meaning and the message in the word of God.

The blessing of God empowers man to fulfill what he can do.

The grace of God empowers man to fulfill what Christ has held as an ideal for him to do.

They both come from God and they are both together.

And the result of that, as it goes on in the next verse and says in Revelation 1 verse 4, and peace unto him, and peace unto you rather.

The result of blessing and grace results in peace because you are right in the middle of the will of God in doing what he has created you to do and what he wants you to do.

I was only gonna have 7 of these because 7 is a prominent number in Revelation and 7 is a complete number but I apologize, I couldn't limit myself to 7, there's 8.

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The Last Words Of Jesus

The Last Words of Jesus- Part 2

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