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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Brian Hindman Weekend

Brian Hindman

Convicted but Not Converted

Father in heaven, Lord, it is a great honor to be here in this place, here at Advent Hope.

Lord, I just pray for your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and our minds, that we might be transformed by the love, the grace, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and that we might enter into a deeper walk and experience with Him.

Lord may that begin here today as we enter into the sacred hours and moments of your Holy Sabbath.

Drawn near is our humble prayer in Jesus name, amen.

How many of you have seen something that looks like this up here on the screen?

How many of you have seen 1 of these 3D images that is called a stereogram?

Let's see if it's going to work if I do that.

How many of you have seen 1 of these before?

If you're listening online, it's just a picture of some graphics that's supposed to be three-dimensional.

You're supposed to be able to look inside the image and see something.

And I remember these came out or began to be very popular with the way they're laid out here.

When I was in high school, way back in the 1990s, that was back in another century, but at any rate, my chemistry teacher had this exact stereogram, 3D image on the wall that he put on his classroom.

And I remember it's supposed to be something that you can look at and see some special image.

Can any of you see it from where you are?

I don't know if any of you here in house can tell what that is.

Someone in the back, maybe you have a better vantage point.

But I remember thinking, is this just a practical joke and I'm not in on it?

Is it something that, you know, everyone else knows this is not really real or not?

And they would tell me, you just have to look carefully.

You have to kind of cross your eyes and look and back, you know, stand back and forth and just get your eyes to focus differently.

So I remember after class 1 day, I was determined to see it.

So I stood at the wall there, it was about eye level, and for about 15 or 20 minutes, longer than I care to admit, but I guess I'm doing it now, and I kept doing all those things, move forward and backwards, and move your eyes, try to cross, and then finally I saw it.

What is it up in the, can you tell what it is?

And it was exciting to be able to see that.

In fact, they also have a place now, a way that you can create these things and make your own.

So just for fun, really quick, we're gonna move quickly here.

Can any of you see, there are 2 words here.

We're looking at a graphic and on the surface, it looks like there's nothing there.

It is 2 very important words that are Jesus saved.

I don't know if you can see it from the way that the angles are.

I can see it on my computer, but I don't know if you can see it on the screen from the way that different angles and so on.

Well, this is a very interesting point to me because the message to Laodicea is 1 that's described as really 1 that people can't see.

They don't see the real issue at heart with the Laodicean message.

And maybe some of you are like me, a lifelong Sabbath Day Adventist, and you've heard these messages or the description in Revelation 3, 14 through 22 many times.

But it mentions there that this church, which really is all of us, this is the last church before Jesus comes, is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

And those are 5 things that are very serious.

But the worst of all, potentially, is when Jesus says, thou knowest not.

And the Lord has helped convict me that really this describes all of us.

Every single 1 of us, if we're living in this hour, the name Laodicea means judging of the people.

We're living in the judgment hour since 1844.

So, it applies to all of us unless we are connected to Jesus with a vital connection, we are Laodicean in terms of the description that's given there.

Maybe a lot of head knowledge, but how are we in terms of that application of that knowledge in our everyday practical lives?

So the Laodicean Church, they know the theory of the truth, but not the conversion experience of the truth.

And so we find that the Laodicean church is convicted, but the description on the outset is that they are not converted.

They are not converted by the information that they know.

What does it mean to be convicted but not converted?

Well to be convicted is to be fully convinced and persuaded that something is true to believe.

But if it stops there, then that's not a good thing.

To be converted is to actually be changed and transformed by what you believe.

And maybe more specifically, who you believe.

Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.

Old things are passed away, behold, some things are become new.

Bible students, I hope you're all diligent Bible students.

All things are become new if I'm connected to Jesus Christ.

All things, it will be obvious, it will be clear to me and everyone around me if I really am converted.

That verse in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, I think is 1 of the 10 most important verses in the Bible.

That's just my humble opinion because of the way it illustrates the true experience of conversion and a connection, a vital union with Jesus Christ.

And so there is a grave danger that many of us believe the truth but we are not truly actually changed by it.

So let's ask this question, how important is conversion?

Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 18 verse 3 when He says, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children that trust and believe everything that their parents tell them, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

So conversion isn't something that's just helpful or useful, it's absolutely essential and vital, absolutely vital to our Christian experience if we want to live with Jesus for all eternity.

Well, there are several places in the Bible that Jesus has given some warning messages to us.

And so, let's take our Bibles and go to, first of all, in the Old Testament, the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, and we'll look at verses 30 through 32 together.

Ezekiel was a contemporary with Daniel who was taken away to Babylon.

In the first Babylonian assault by Nebuchadnezzar of Jerusalem.

In the second invasion Ezekiel also was taken away to Babylon.

Well, let's notice here Ezekiel 33 and I'm trying to multitask and talk and look up Bible verses.

In verse 30 when you're there, please say amen.

The Secret of Spiritual Growth

Well, this weekend, the theme that I have chosen are practical messages that I hope will help us grow closer to Jesus Christ.

And I mentioned last night as well that I love the deep theology and the deep study of prophecy, and that is all well and good.

But I also enjoy and appreciate things that are very useful and practical that I can apply to my life and that will really make a transformative difference.

So that's what I've chosen to present here this weekend.

Last night, convicted but not converted, the importance of true conversion.

Not my will, but God's will be done in every area of my life.

And then this morning, this is a message that I'm 50 years old and I should have understood this when I was 12, but I didn't really get it, so to speak.

And so it's my hope and prayer that all of you here will in some way learn and grow faster than I caught on to this very key essential piece of spiritual growth.

If we really want to grow, you know, Spirit of Prophecy says if we're not growing, then we're really dying.

So there is no such thing as a plateau or just sort of stationary spinning on a stationary bicycle.

So, we want to be growing active Christians.

So, let's just bow our heads for 1 more additional word of prayer and we'll dive into God's Word this morning.

My Father in heaven, it is such a great privilege to be here with so many talented and very intelligent people, both young and old.

Lord, The talent in this room is tremendous and Lord you want all of us to be closer to you and to have a closer walk With you and so I pray this morning that you would just certainly give a fresh Outpouring of your Holy Spirit on me and on each 1 of the people listening this morning, that we would be transformed by the message that you have for us.

May we hear you speaking to us personally this morning is my humble and earnest prayer in Jesus' name, amen.

Some of you have maybe heard of this person whose name is Simeon the Stylite.

Simeon the Stylite, let me go back, push the button too fast, was a monk, Catholic monk, who lived in the 4th and 5th century AD, and he wanted to be pure from the world.

And so his way of being pure from the world was to restrict and isolate himself by climbing up on a pillar, initially a 9 foot tall pillar, so that he could be away from people that just bothered him, or caused him any maybe consternation.

Well, his fame began to grow, and people began to want to see this monk who was so devoted in wanting to be a holy, godly person that he decided to get an even taller pillar.

Even taller, Reportedly as tall as 50 feet high Five-story building so that he could be separated from all the contaminating people in the world.

Sometimes people would come to talk to him and they would climb up a ladder to try to be able to have some communication.

Tell us, what is, what have you learned from being so holy and so separate from everyone else?

It's reported that his own mother came to see him and Simeon would not let her come up on the pillar with him.

Seems like, isn't there a commandment that says, honor your father and your mother?

Well, on 1 occasion, in fact, this is recorded by Edward Gibbon in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, 1 of the things he liked to do was bow down and touch his head down to his feet in kind of a spiritual exercise.

And someone came to watch and count how many times he did that.

And after 1, 244 times of counting, they gave up.

Because he kept on bowing and touching his head down to his feet and over and over and over again.

Well, after 37 years on the pillar, he died there.

Now, some of you might have questions like I do, like, what about other things that pertain to life?

You know, you'll have to do your own research.

But at any rate, 37 years of isolation and is that really the way that God has called us to live on earth?

I think the answer is probably pretty obvious.

Jesus says in Matthew 5, 14 through 16, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, He says, ye are the light of the world.

A city that is set upon a hill, on a hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick.

And it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

And then here comes the charge, the sacred charge that Jesus gives to us.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see how isolated and separated you are from them, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Yes, Jesus says that he is the light of the world in John 8 verse 12.

He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

If we follow him, if we're connected to him, we will have a light that comes from that connection that others will see and notice and will be by God's grace attracted to.

And then John 1, verse 9, the very beginning of the gospel of John, Jesus is described as the true light, which lighteth, how many people?

Says lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

So we don't have to wonder or worry if we miss out on that.

Jesus' purpose and plan is for us to shine forth and give light to others around us.

We're all probably familiar with the great commission that Jesus has given to us in Matthew chapter 28.

Also though, in Mark 15, the end of Mark's gospel, which we're studying now for our Sabbath school.

I really enjoyed our Sabbath school class this morning.

Thank you to my young brother for teaching over here, the class that I was in.

But Jesus has given us a commission and Mark 15 verse 16, the Bible says, go ye into how much of the world?

All the world and preach the gospel to every creature, every created being, every person that is.

Well, you know, the world is a big place, but sometimes we can forget that that includes people that are close by, particularly in our sphere of influence, my neighbors, my colleagues at work, pretty much anyone that is around me.

Well, what are some of the excuses that we make for not sharing our faith, not sharing it with other people?

Let me just put up a list here and see if, no, it doesn't like me for some reason.

Our first excuse, I don't know enough information.

I'm just going to be very public and admit these have all in some time or another been excuses that I have given For not sharing my faith and I want you to note There's a Bible verse that responds to each 1 of those excuses 2nd Timothy 2 verse 15 when I used to teach Bible class, this was always the first memory verse I would give to my students on the very beginning of the school year.

And it says, study to show thyself approved unto your pastor, unto your parents.

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing, rightly understanding the word of truth, how it fits and connects together.

So we are counseled to study and we should, but we also should share what we know.

And as we share what we know, we will grow.

Well, witnessing is just not really my thing.

I'm here to tell you that witnessing and sharing our faith is really standard equipment.

If you buy a car, you hope that it comes with tires and a steering wheel.

Sharing and witnessing, I believe, is standard equipment when we come to Jesus Christ automatically.

2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, Well, it's not my thing.

Therefore, if anyone, anyone, any man or woman is in Christ, he or she is a what?

A new creature, old things are passed away.

So then that all things becoming new, really, I believe includes a desire to share Jesus with other people.

We will not be able to help wanting to share with other people.

Well, what if you're too scared and too nervous?

I initially took theology when I was in college at Southern Adventist University.

And after I had to take preaching classes, I was so terrified of public speaking that I literally changed my major to education because I said, I can't preach every week, that'll be too stressful.

I mean, I couldn't sleep at night when I had to prepare for my sermon just for classes.

Give Glory to Him

And by the grace and gift of Jesus Christ and his blood, and by the word of their testimony.

And they love not their lives unto the death.

So we overcome by realizing what Jesus has done for us and how He is working in such a marked, incredible way in each of our lives.

So, I used to actually think that I did not have a testimony for a long time, actually.

But as I have grown in my connection with Jesus, I'm so excited that I can share what He's done for me.

And so I know on your screen there, it says, Transformed by the Truth, a Bible study.

My testimony, I weave in and out, Scripture after Scripture, Because that is what has changed me more than anything else.

The Word of God, as I have really thought and studied and prayerfully committed it to memory, it has changed me in an incredible way.

And I pray that What I share today will be a blessing to you as you see, if God can work through that guy, what can he do in your life?

So Anyway, there's a well-known verse there, John 8, 32, it says, And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

But, and that's a powerful passage, but the context for that verse is verse 31, before that.

And that's the key to the whole passage here.

And in verse 31 it's speaking about the people that are listening to Jesus.

And He says, those that are listening to him, how does he say that?

These are, if you continue in my word, it says, then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him.

If you continue in my word, what does the word continue mean?

That you've already started in following the word of God.

If you continue in my word, then are you what?

Jesus defines discipleship as beginning, and not only beginning, but continuing in his word.

And he says, then you really are true disciples and followers of me.

And then comes the promise, and you shall then know the truth.

And that truth will set you free from discouragement, despair, error, deception, darkness.

It will, Because you have begun and continue in the word of God, in listening and following to what God has said.

How many of you have seen this picture before?

It's hanging, there's a copy of this hanging in the White Estate there in Silver Spring, Maryland.

And when I first saw this a number of years ago I was just so captivated.

Ellen White comments that this picture of Jesus looks more nearly like him than anything else I have ever seen.

And of course, in vision we believe over 2, 000 visions that she had, she certainly would have seen Jesus, certainly for the desire of ages and writing those accounts many times.

And what strikes me about this is an engraving by an artist named John Sartain from 1866, an etching that he made.

But what really captures my interest is how ordinary and common Jesus looks here.

And then what comes to your mind, I don't know if it comes to your mind like my mind, Isaiah 53, that messianic passage that talks about how he was despised and rejected of men.

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And when we shall see him, there is no what?

There is no beauty on the outside that we should desire him.

That's what Isaiah 53 says in describing Jesus.

So very much that is what this conveys here.

But what made Jesus beautiful, because he was, was his character, the attributes, the qualities of who he is.

And that's what he wanted more than anything else to impress humanity.

Not that he was bigger and stronger and better looking than anyone else.

You know I wish I knew this Bible verse when I was a young person.

It's been in the Bible obviously for thousands of years in Jeremiah.

But it's a very powerful verse that maybe someone here today that's a lot younger than me can draw benefit from.

The Bible says, Oh Lord, I know, he's saying that for certain, I know that the way of man is where?

It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

It tells us that none of us inherently know what we should do, where we should go, how we should live, and careers, and marriage, and all those things.

There's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Apart from God knowing that I need an outside source to guide and direct me.

Can any of you think of very popular verses that give us that description, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6?

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all your ways, everything that you are doing, or that you are, you know, your entire life, acknowledge Him, and then He shall direct your paths.

It's a guarantee, it's a given, if we meet the conditions and submit everything to Him, and not lean on our own understanding.

Well, my story actually begins before I was even born.

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Brian Hindman Weekend

Convicted but Not Converted

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