Hartland Spring Convocation 2022: Walking in the Light

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Hartland Institute of Health and Education

Stephen Bohr

The Hand that Guides History

Well let's have a word of prayer and then we'll get right into our study.

Father in heaven we thank you for the privilege of being here at Heartland for this weekend revival.

We ask father for the presence of your Holy Spirit that you will enlighten us and not only enlighten us but that you will empower us to see that you have a very important function for us in this world.

Help us Lord to discern what your will is for us.

We thank you for the privilege of prayer, we ask that you will hear this prayer and you will answer not because we have any merit to offer, but because we come boldly in the precious name of Jesus.

I'd like to begin this evening by reading from the book of Isaiah Chapter 46 and verses 9 through 11.

So I would encourage you if you have your Bibles to look up Isaiah 46 verses 9 through 11.

You know people ask me whether I use audio visual aids and I say yes I do use audio visual aids, audio because people can hear me and visual because they can read it in the Bible.

So let's open our Bibles and let's look up Isaiah 46 9 through 11 which is going to set the tone for everything that I want to share here this weekend.

This passage describes what distinguishes God from all false pretenders.

Some people say it's the fact that God is the Creator and that's true, but there's something else that distinguishes God from every other false pretender, and that is mentioned in these verses, it reads as follows.

Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other.

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my good pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel, speaking about Cyrus from a far country.

Indeed, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed it, I will also do it.

So God knows the end from the beginning and therefore God guides events of human history to fulfill His will and it will be done.

Now God's ability to forecast the future and to guide world events is illustrated in the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, and we're going to focus primarily in our study this evening on the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament as an illustration of God seeing the end from the beginning and guiding events so that what God has determined will take place.

So go with me to Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4 we're going to read a lot of scripture this evening Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4.

God had a specific date for the birth of Christ, He did not reveal that date to us, it was not December 25, but God did have on His calendar a specific date when Jesus would be born in this world, and here in Galatians 4 verse 4 we have this made clear, it says.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, when the fullness of time had come.

When the moment reached on God's calendar, the Messiah was born.

You might wonder about that expression fullness of the time, does that mean a specific date?

Yes it does, because there's another verse that uses almost an identical expression and it refers to a specific time prophecy that was fulfilled right on time.

Notice Mark Chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 Jesus has just been baptized, He has just begun His ministry, and notice what we are told about what Jesus said as He begins His ministry.

It says in verse 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, the time is fulfilled, does that sound similar to Galatians 4 verse 4?

The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.

What time was Jesus referring to when He says at the beginning of His ministry the time is fulfilled?

Ellen White makes it clear in Desire of Ages that it was referring to the prophecy of the 70 weeks that at the beginning of the last week Messiah would appear.

So when the Bible says when the fullness of time had come it means that God had a specific date in mind for the incarnation and the birth of Jesus Christ.

I'd like to read a statement from Desire of Ages page 31 and 32 where Ellen White describes the precise moment when the Messiah would be born and how from a human perspective it appeared to be delayed.

Some things appear to be delayed in our minds but not in the mind of God.

The Savior's coming was foretold in Eden.

When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they looked for its speedy fulfillment.

They joyfully welcomed their firstborn son, hoping that he might be the deliverer, but the fulfillment of the promise tarried.

Not for God, God has a calendar of events and God knew that it wasn't time yet.

But the fulfillment of the promise tarried.

Those who first received it died without the sight.

From the days of Enoch the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping alive the hope of his appearing, and yet he came not.

The prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of his advent, but not all rightly interpreted the passage.

Century after century passed away, the voices of the prophets ceased, the hand of the oppressor was heavy upon Israel, and many were ready to exclaim, the days are prolonged and every vision faileth.

Now comes the key portion of the statement.

But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God's purpose is no, no haste and no delay.

So from a human perspective the problem is tarried, but not from the perspective of God, because God has a calendar of event.

In fact every event of the life of Christ was carefully choreographed in the ceaseless ages of eternity past.

Before his incarnation Jesus sat down with the Father and they mapped out in advance every single event of the ministry of Christ.

The exact time of his birth, baptism, death, burial, resurrection, priesthood, and judgment were contemplated in specific prophecies of the Old Testament.

That's why Jesus said in John chapter 5 and verse 30.

I came of myself, I can of myself do nothing.

As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

So everything that Jesus did had already been pre-planned in eternity past even before sin entered the universe, not only as to event but also as to specific timing.

1 of the most fascinating competitions in the Winter Olympics is the figure skating.

I can't help but admire how the figure skaters twist and turn and gyrate and jump so perfectly and so precisely.

The answer is that each twist, each turn, each jump was carefully planned and practiced long before the competition began.

Each and every movement of Jesus likewise was planned by His Father in the ages of eternity.

Before Jesus came to this earth He and His Father sat down and went over every specific detail.

During His earthly sojourn Jesus was in intimate communion with his father through prayer, through Bible study, through the providential acts of his ministry, and through nature.

Jesus day by day was able to discern the will of the Father for Him at that precise moment.

You see before Jesus came to this earth the entire plan was before Him, But when Jesus came to this earth, He only knew what the plan was from day to day as the Father revealed the plan to Him.

We can see an example of this in the story of the man who was born blind.

Go with me to John chapter 9 and verse 2.

The disciples asked Jesus, Rabbi who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind?

Neither this man, verse 3, neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

The impression that we get from this is that this had already been pre-planned, in other words this blind man was there for this precise moment to have this encounter with Jesus Christ.

Now I'm sure that you're aware that many times during the ministry of Jesus, Jesus said that His hour had not yet come, you remember that?

He said my time has not yet come, my hour has not yet come.

Let's notice several examples of that, by the way all of them are in the gospel of John.

Go with me to John chapter 2 and verse 4, John chapter 2 and verse 4.

Here Jesus is at the wedding feast in Cana and of course they run out of the wine, and so the mother of Jesus comes and says they have no wine, and notice what Jesus answers to his mother.

Jesus said to her, woman, now that wasn't disrespectful, children addressed their mother and their father that way in biblical times.

Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?

What was Jesus referring to when He said that?

John chapter 7 verse 6 and then we'll read verse 8.

The context is that the unbelieving brothers of Jesus, sons of Joseph from a previous marriage, are trying to encourage Jesus to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

And Jesus answers them, and I'm going to read first of all verse 6.

Then Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.

And then verse 8 He says to his brothers, you go up to this feast.

I am not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.

Notice John Chapter 7 verse 30, here Jesus says something that really shakes up the Jews that are listening.

He says, My Father has sent me into the world.

Well what Jesus said was I went over like a lead balloon, notice verse 30 of chapter 7.

Then they sought to take him, they wanted to arrest him, in fact during his ministry they wanted to kill him on multiple occasions.

Then they sought to take him, but no 1 laid a hand on him, why?

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