<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Battle Creek Tabernacle SDA Church

These Things We Know

Chris Holland

These Things We Know: God is Faithful

These Things We Know: God is Sovereign

These Things We Know: God is Good

These Things We Know: God Is the Relentless Redeemer

God Still Speaks Part 1

God Still Speaks Part 2

These Things We Know: God Wins

These Things We Know: God is the Deliverer

These Things We Know: God is the Great Teacher

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

These Things We Know: God Knows the End From the Beginning

These Things We Know: God is the Author

These Things We Know: God is the Finisher

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 1

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 2

These Things We Know: God Stands for Us

As this week news came out that the 73 year old pastor of Trinity Bible Church, a leading evangelical church in Dallas, Texas, Steve Lawson, who is also the president of 1 Passion Ministries, was removed from his church for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman other than his wife.

We find ourselves at the end of this week with many being devastated, wondering what is going on, and for many their faith being shaken.

The question is how do we react to all of this?

Today as we come to this table to celebrate the Lord's Supper, symbols of the body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Today as we continue our study of the book of Daniel, it is my prayer that each of us may find hope in Jesus Christ, the only true answer to all of the trials that we face.

Father in heaven, as we open up your word, We are not interested, and I know, Lord, I am not interested in the opinions of man, but we are interested in your truth, dear Lord.

And so I pray that as your servant today, I would speak your truth and there would not be a taint of opinion.

Transform us Lord today, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to open them to Daniel the seventh chapter.

There in Daniel 7 we will study more in depth the entirety of this chapter.

And just so we are clear, while Daniel 7 comes after Daniel chapter 6, chronologically this is prior to the events of Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel has a dream and in that dream he has shown the same history for us to Daniel it would have been the future as that of Daniel chapter 2.

But in Hebrew thinking, Eastern thinking, Daniel 7 represents something called recapitulation, which in simple terms is repeating and enlarging.

Daniel chapter 2 gives us the broad scope of that history being written before it occurred.

Daniel chapter 7 takes a closeup picture.

It is the zoom factor if we were talking about photography.

And Daniel chapter 7 zooms in on the great details of the events of Daniel 2, but in particular, what my mind was drawn to is Daniel chapter 7, verses 21 and 22.

I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them.

And so Daniel is reflecting on this dream, a dream of 4 beasts, unusual beasts that you would never find in the zoo.

A lion with wings, a bear humped up on 1 side, a leopard with 4 heads, and then a beast that Daniel in his best description says was indescribable.

And then out of that beast came a little horn that was doing things that horns don't do.

And in reflecting upon that little horn, here in verse 21, he speaks about that horn, waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the ancient of days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the highest 1 and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

And in these 2 short verses I believe we find something that helps us to understand in more detail and in greater appreciation of the Lord's Supper, the communion table.

As we look at these 2 short verses, we have emerged this little horn power, which we will study in more detail later.

We have the judgment hour, which we will study in more detail later.

But then there is this word that occurs over and over again, the saints.

And what is so powerful about these verses is the Bible speaks about judgment And often the word judgment brings about fear.

I don't know if you've ever had to go to court before, but there is fear often in the judgment.

But these verses help us to understand that the judgment is nothing to fear because judgment is made in favor of the saints.

And not only is judgment made in favor of the saints, but the Bible says, the Bible says that the saints will take possession of the kingdom of God.

The word saint In the Aramaic, which it is written in here, is the word kadasi, which is closely related to the Hebrew word kadosh.

It is the word used to describe the sanctuary.

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament it is the word hagios, which also is the word for holy.

And interestingly enough, the new revised standard version translate the translates the word saints as the holy ones.

And all of that doesn't really matter if we're not a saint.

And what becomes of primary importance as we reflect upon this passage is a fundamental problem that each of us face.

Because Romans 3.23 says, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The Bible says that judgment is made in favor of the saints.

And we have a problem because the Bible also describes us as sinners.

And so as I pondered this passage, The fundamental question that arose for me is, what does it take to be a saint?

First, we need to establish that in order to become a saint, it does not require the vote of the church into canonical law.

The word saint occurs hundreds of times in the Bible, but there is a passage that continued to ring in my mind over and over again that I believe helps us today understand what it means to be a saint.

Revelation, the 14th chapter, in verse 12 says this, Here is the perseverance of the saints.

If you're reading from the New King James or the King James, here is the patience of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

Again, the King James and the faith of Jesus.

This passage seems to outline that there are saints who persevere in the end time, and those saints who persevere in the end of time are defined by 2 primary characteristics.

They keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus or faith in Jesus.

1 of the more modern English translations says it this way, the New English Bible says this, This is where the fortitude of God's people has its place, in keeping God's commandments and remaining loyal to Jesus.

How is it that God moves me from sinner to saint.

We are moved from sinner to saint as we patiently endure in the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

In fact, this passage is outlining very clearly and when we combine it with Daniel chapter 7, we see very clearly in order to be saved and have the judgment made in favor of me, God calls upon me to move from sinner to saint.

And we'll talk about that in just a minute, because it is not by my power, not by my own strength, but by the strength of God, but to move from sinner to saint, that then the judgment is made in my favor, and I will be able to patiently endure the times which are now and will be coming upon the earth.

Patient endurance is the essential quality of any follower of Jesus.

And as we look at that phrase, and that is where I will focus the remainder of my time, is on that faith of Jesus.

It is very interesting because as you look at these words in the original language, the faith of God's people can be either subjective or objective.

It can refer to our faith and trust in God, but it also can describe the faithfulness of God toward us.

Well, the faith of Jesus and the keeping of commandments represent these 2 important aspects of Christian living.

And while the commandments of God are a transcript of God's character, the faith of Jesus is somewhat more subjective.

In fact, in the original language, it can be translated faith of Jesus or faith in Jesus.

And some will want to argue and split hairs over this, And instead of arguing over that, I simply come to the conclusion that John under inspiration wrote this in the original language that today in the 21st century we could understand it not 1 or the other, but in fact in both ways.

It is the depth of that ancient language.

And I say this in all due respect to all English speakers, of which I am 1, But the English language is quite shallow.

The quality of those loves better be different, gentlemen, or we'll be in trouble with our wives.

See in the Greek for example the word love there are multiple words, 4 different words that describe love.

Here as this word is used the faith of Jesus or faith in Jesus, it is to help us understand the very depth, the very depth of what it means to have the faith of Jesus Christ or faith in Jesus Christ.

On 1 hand, it describes the faith that Jesus himself recognized.

His faithfulness, the holy life he lived, the perfect character he developed, and that which is freely given to all who receive him and ask to receive that character.

The faith of Jesus, that faith that led Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when the sins of the world were being poured upon him, when he was being separated from his Father in heaven, a completely foreign concept to Jesus.

Part of the Godhead to be separated from the Father is unfathomable.

Which is why Jesus, when he prayed 3 different times, he prayed if there is any other way, but then ended those prayers with the simple words, not my will, but thy will be done.

The faith of Jesus, and I had the opportunity to teach the youth and young adults this morning, the faith of Jesus is the ultimate expression of understanding that God has a plan, but not necessarily understanding God's plan, yet by faith walking forward in that plan.

And it is the requirement of God's people in these last days where everything is turned upside down.

Where what is right and wrong has been flipped.

It is the ultimate expression of saying to God, I don't understand.

And maybe even at times saying, I don't like it.

But then the faith in Jesus is the avenue through which we come into possession of that kind of faith.

See, too often in the Christian world, we have this very passive understanding of things.

That is the faith of Jesus and I will automatically receive it.

No, we must reach out and we must grasp it.

Because if we do not reach out and grasp it, it would be as if I had a hundred dollar bill here and I said I want to give you a hundred dollar bill.

Back to Menu

Series

These Things We Know

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Luke-- Jesus, Our Savior and Friend

12. Luke: Jesus in Jerusalem

37m

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

07 Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone

24m

Come to the Table

Come to the Table - Part 2

59m

No Greater Love- Communion Message

15m

Weimar - COVID-19

Passover and COVID 19

28m

Sabbath School 3rd Quarter 2024: The Book of Mark

11 Taken and Tried

28m

Christ is Worthy: Be Reverent

48m

Through the Sanctuary by Sean Brizendine

05 The Table of Shewbread

30m

Jesus On Prophecy

Beyond the Reach of Evil, Eternal Celebration

26m

Koinonia

33m

Sound Doctrine