SWYC 2011: Lest We Forget

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GYC Southwest

Adventist History Nugget: Issues from 1888

Dave Fiedler

Issues from 1888, Part 1

Issues from 1888, Part 2

Issues from 1888, Part 3

I have the privilege of trying to at least interest you in the events and the circumstances and the history of 1888 in 3 brief sections throughout this day.

So we're going to start at the beginning.

You could write a whole book on it and sometimes it seems like everyone who's anyone in Adventism has already done that but We won't be able to encompass everything today, but we're going to start with the beginning.

If a person is sick the spirit prophecy tells us that the first thing to do is to ascertain the true character of the sickness And then go to work intelligently to remove the cause.

Trying to treat something other than the real cause of a sickness is just a bad idea.

That's a sensible approach when it comes to physical health.

I think it's a sensible approach when it comes to spiritual health.

And so we're going to try a diagnosis first of all now fortunately Ellen white makes that fairly simple for us Because she's done that for us This is the classic statement She says now it has been Satan's purpose determined purpose To eclipse the view of Jesus and lead man to look to man and trust to man and be educated to expect help from man This is a serious problem Simply put people are going to let you down.

Even when they try to do the best for you, right?

If you are, notice the wording there, she says educated, if you are educated to expect help from man, you're going to be disappointed When you find out how completely incapable people are when it comes to helping you when you really need it the most.

Hopefully, as a result of that, you'll be disappointed in your education and you'll go looking for a better approach to life.

But, the statement goes on, so we will continue.

For years, she says, the church has been looking to man and expecting much from man, but not looking to Jesus in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered.

Looking to man is not only a bad idea because man cannot help you in the end, but because it takes your attention off of Jesus.

At 1 level or another, this is probably an obvious idea, obvious observation to all of us, but some of you are thinking, that's nice, but what has this got to do with 1888, and righteousness by faith, and Jones and Wagner, and all that related stuff?

Well, that's what the next sentence is all about.

Ellen White continues, same quotation here.

She says, Therefore God gave to his servants, elders Jones and Wagner, A testimony that presented the truth as it is in Jesus.

This is so basic to the history of the last what's it been?

123 years now since 1888 that If you miss out on this relationship, you're going to just be utterly and hopelessly confused.

That's my opinion at least Note the detail here the word therefore We lose a mic that would happen Okay Can you hear me anyhow should I go on?

Okay, that's what diaphragms are for This one's good audio verse.

Technology is so wonderful when it works.

The patient was dying of malnutrition, therefore the doctor recommended a change in diet.

Let me suggest that any explanation of 1888 message that doesn't recognize the basic illness being treated is probably not going to be very helpful.

The problem is that church members were looking to man instead of looking to Jesus.

He sent 2 ministers with a testimony about Jesus.

If you want people to focus on Jesus, you tell them something about Jesus that will get their attention, right?

Notice that this message of Jones and Wagner's was, continuing the sentence there, the third angel's message in clear distinct lines.

To say that their teaching on righteousness by faith was the third angels message is a very strong endorsement especially within Adventist circles Okay Let's read another 1 of Ellen White's statements.

It's even a little more emphatic on this.

She says, some of our brethren have expressed fears that we shall dwell too much upon the subject of justification by faith.

But I hope and pray that none will be needlessly alarmed for there is no danger in presenting this doctrine as it is set forth in the Scriptures if there had not been a remissness In the past to properly instruct the people of God there would not now be a necessity of calling a special attention to it Okay in this passage.

No White calls Jones and Wagner's teaching Justification by faith just note that much for more we read a little bit more now Satan has cast his own dark shadow between us and our God that we may not see the true character of God.

The Lord has proclaimed himself to be merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." Now, remember the last quotation from Testimonies of Ministers.

It said, there it is, it has been Satan's determined purpose to eclipse the view of Jesus and lead man to look to man.

It's when something gets in the way of something else, right?

The moon gets in the way of the Sun or some such thing, okay?

Ellen White is using that as an illustration in both of these quotations.

And 1 she uses the eclipse, and the other 1 she says that Satan has cast his own dark shadow, okay.

What that means is that she's equating in 1 statement, She's equating man with Satan's dark shadow in the other statement.

Continuing this quotation again here now, she says, Several have written to me inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel's message?

The idea that the 1888 message was the same as the third angel's message wasn't just a one-off idea.

It wasn't just something that just came popping up in Ellen White's mind 1 day This was enough of an issue that people were writing to her Saying is this the same thing Justification Justification by faith third angels message are they the same so she answered she wrote back and she said It is the third angels message in verity so my question is does that make any sense?

Could you explain how justification by faith is the third angel's message?

Tracks roomies on this Justification by faith is kind of a pleasant topic Here's an example a Little Bobby gets home 1 night and realizes he should not have taken those grapes from the grocery store without paying for them.

And so he takes his little handful of quarters, goes back to the grocery store, pays the nice grocery man, apologizes, goes home that night and prays for Jesus to forgive him for stealing those grapes.

And Jesus does, and Bobby goes to sleep that night with a clear conscience.

That's justification by faith, is it not?

When was the last time you read the third angel's message?

Now you heard it last night, okay The third angel's message is a little bit different than what we commonly think of as justification by faith Here it is just to refresh your Memories a little bit if anyone worship the beast in his image right where's he end up?

Okay I'm going to skip over that not because it's a verse.

I'm ashamed of but because the time here Maybe I'm focusing too much on minor details.

It seemed a bit negative but The threat of eternal torment.

I know it's not eternal right, but you know the threat of forever and ever torment does not sound as pleasant to me as the idea of justification by faith the way I usually think of it.

Imagine for a moment that you are a raw recruit in the Army.

You are a private, the lowest guy on the totem pole.

1 day, your friendly drill sergeant asks to have a word with you, And it goes something like this.

Series

Adventist History Nugget: Issues from 1888

Issues from 1888, Part 1

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Attachments

Steps to Christ

Faith and Acceptance

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Jesus On Prophecy

Christian No More, America’s Last Days of Probation

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End-Time Vindication

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The Great Controversy to 2021

05 Where the Battle Lies

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God is Love?

19-The Mark of the Beast

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The Book Of Revelation

Revelation 14: The 3rd Angel’s Message

36m

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Nahum: The Good News of God’s Vengeance

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07 In Verity

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Being Adventist

The Terrifying Tyranny of Adventist Eschatology

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Into All the World

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The Basis of Everything

46m

Sound Doctrine