SWYC 2012: Unless the Lord Builds the House

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GYC Southwest

Nicole Parker

Dwelling Outside The Gate

I'm so happy to see you all this morning.

Well, this morning my message is called dwelling outside the gates, talking about the gates of Eden.

But being up here at Pine Springs always makes me think a little bit about Eden.

It's so beautiful, the sky is so clear, the smell of pine trees, it's just a glorious place to be.

So I'm very glad to be here with all of you.

Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Lord, you know this has been a morning of prayer already, but I feel so much the need to commune with you and to ask 1 more time that your spirit will fill me and that you may give a message to every single person listening today, the message that they need to hear, that they may be drawn close to you.

And Lord, I pray that your spirit will also draw me close to you, that the gospel that I preach will be the same gospel that is saving my own soul.

Thank you so much, Lord, that you're willing to use even weak vessels like me.

Well, this morning, talking about dwelling outside the gates, how a sinful world can be better than Eden.

Now when I say that, does that make you wonder if I'm insane?

I know some people may think, what is she talking about?

So maybe I'm about to preach heresy up here and you're gonna find out that I'm wrong and you're all gonna walk away going, that woman was messed up.

Because you've got to be sure that you know I'm not preaching you error.

I'm going to speak for a moment about the Garden of Eden.

What do you think of when you think of the Garden of Eden?

When you compare our present world to the Garden of Eden, what strikes you as different now?

You guys are all thinking the same way I do.

So, in the Garden of Eden, things were perfect.

And how can what we have now possibly be better than that?

All right, well, you remember that in the Garden of Eden everything was perfect.

Now Lucifer had already done his thing and rebelled against God as far as we know that it happened beforehand.

But there was still perfection in the Garden of Eden.

But the love of God was still untested in the minds of those living in the universe.

You see, back at the beginning, even before Eden, even just up in heaven, before Lucifer since, God had this law that he said was the right way to live.

Just trust him on this, he's got it right.

Love God first, love your neighbor as yourself.

As long as Everybody lives like that, everybody will be happy.

But Lucifer came along and he had another idea.

Everybody love yourself first and then you'll be happy.

So God's way was, if you see the most beautiful mango on the tree, because I love mangoes, you pick that mango and go, wow, who could I give this to?

If I see the biggest, most beautiful mango on the tree, what do I want to do with it?

I pick it and I go I got to get that before anybody else right?

This is a familiar thought to us because we have carnal minds.

We think look at that mango I'm gonna get there before anybody else Right, but back before sin happened the first impulse that they naturally had was, wow, I want to give this to somebody.

Who can I show love to by sharing this with them?

Well, in Eden, Adam and Eve were still living that way, right?

God had created them with perfect minds, and they were still looking for ways to serve each other, minister to each other.

Then along comes Lucifer, and he says, you know what?

He said, God's Character is not what he says it is now I want you to remember that because the character of God is what's at issue in the great controversy between Christ and Satan, right?

If you worship me first, that's the happiest way to live.

Worship me first, worship, you know, love others as yourself.

So, when God told Adam and Eve, this is how you got to live, it was a matter of faith, wasn't it?

Just obey what I said and stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So, they were supposed to eat from the tree of life.

Like Elder Lemon last night, stay with me.

When the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life were held up next to each other in Adam and Eve's mind, first the tree of life looked like the best.

But then later on, they started thinking that tree of the knowledge of good and evil Wow You know Lucifer says you want to know you want to know what God is trying to hold back from you I'll let you know You can find out what it is that he's keeping back from you because I'll tell you right now.

He's not love He's selfish and he wants to keep back from you the knowledge of something good, the knowledge of something evil.

Now God had said, have you ever wondered why it's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

Why would it be knowledge of good and evil?

What's wrong about the knowledge of good?

How many of us want the knowledge of good?

Why would God say the knowledge of good and evil?

Why couldn't he just call it the knowledge of evil?

Let me tell you why God called it the knowledge of good and evil because God has a plan to bring good out of evil.

Isn't that the whole great controversy in a nutshell?

God said to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, don't do it, don't do it, don't eat of the tree, obey me, trust me, my way is best.

They did it anyway and God said okay, not just in spite of your sin but actually because of your sin the universe is going to understand my love in ways they never could have if sin hadn't have happened And this is how we can have a richer and better life dwelling outside the gates, because we have a chance to understand the character of God that we never would have had if we had stayed in Eden state.

Now, we're all rejoicing at that wonderful chance to feel pain and suffering, aren't we?

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Dwelling Outside The Gate

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