ECYC 2013: Something Better

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Eastern Canada Youth Conference

Mark Johnson

Something Better

I'd like to say 1 thing over to my wife, because this has to do with the Word of God.

How many of you are individuals who are currently, or have within the last, say, 3 years, been involved in university studies of some kind.

So no wonder you didn't have to write anything down.

But I would like to make a suggestion of something to read if you haven't read it already.

And that is, there is a chapter in the book, The Great Conflict, that really needs to be read carefully in light of what you and I are partnering to do.

And that's the chapter about the Walt Dixies.

You need to read that and you need to read it and read it and read it.

I've read it so many times and I've marked it up so much that I almost need to buy a fresh copy of the Great Converses so I can tell what the highlights are, you know.

But it's important because it talks about how God used individuals at a time of profound difficulty to spread his word in incredible ways.

And back in those days, you couldn't just go to a store and buy a Bible because they didn't have them available, right?

And so individuals painstakingly wrote their own portions of scripture.

Some people had entire Bibles, but most of them just had a portion.

I think from an Adventist home, my grandfather was a farmer, sort of a gentleman farmer who had a ranch farm and also sold farming equipment.

But Grandpa was an individual who became an advocate.

It's an interesting story, And I'll tell it to you at the end if we have time.

But the story about Grandpa was that he wanted to get into the Word of God.

And back in those days, the Bible societies, the UES, United Bible Societies, British and Foreign Bible Society, American Bible Society, United Christian Bible Society, put out little portions of scripture that were shirt pocket size.

And those portions of scripture were generally 1 book of the Bible.

And Grandpa would carry those back in the time when they used horses to plow.

And as he would go down the rows of stuff that he had planted plowing, Grandpa would have on the crossbar of the flower the sacred scripture.

And he would read the Bible back and forth across those fields.

In our home, in our family, we have a rich heritage with the Bible.

It's an important thing because without the Word of God you and I would have no reason to be here today.

So please folks, make it a point to commit the Word of God to your memory and then study it.

Don't use it to argue with individuals, but use it as a basis of faith.

Right now on the seventh day as in the church we're living in a very interesting time in which there are a lot of people who have various views of what scripture teaches.

Some of them are on the internet, presenting an awful lot of very interesting stuff, but most of that stuff is material that when Jesus comes again, it's not going to matter to you.

You need to stay in the Word of God and learn how to live from Him.

Learn what He teaches and applies to this time in the Earth's history.

And learn what the fundamental beliefs of Scripture really are.

And as Alex said, I read the Bible this year in this spot, started, decided that I would do it the 1st of January.

And you know there's 66 books, and I thought I could maybe double up on a couple of these and get it done in 2 months.

And in order to do that, I had to read like the minor prophets all in 1 sitting.

You ought to, because in the Jewish faith, in the Jewish tradition, they used to think that it was kind of like 1 book, right?

And 1 unit, and so as you read it collectively, because if you wonder, you know, how does Hosea, how does Zephaniah, what about, how do these things all fit together?

It's like opening up a box of a jigsaw puzzle and not being sure how those pieces fit together.

Come with me now to the book of Matthew, chapter 10.

Matthew chapter 10 is an exciting passage.

And it talks about Jesus sending out the disciples.

When Jesus sent out the disciples, He sent them out to teach and to preach, and he sent them out to minister among individuals who were burned out by religion.

The folks in the religious circles at the time of Christ had gotten tired of what they were hearing presented.

In fact, you listen when you read scripture and it says, no 1 ever taught like this guy because, the scripture says, he teaches as 1 who has what?

Authority and not as the scribes and Pharisees.

The scribes and Pharisees were the religious folks of the time.

They were individuals who were very deep into the study of the word of God, which goes to show you something that you can study the word of God and not get much better, right?

But what is important about this right here is is that when Jesus spoke he had this convincing power about him.

And every 1 of us here today has the privilege of being as connected with the Father as Jesus was.

Jesus, when he came, people were wondering what Jesus was about.

And you remember on what occasion he said to his disciples, He who has seen me has seen...

Because when you've seen Jesus, you've seen what God is.

He's interested in the specific details of how you live.

And so, as you come into the latter portion of Matthew the 10th chapter, you come to a passage of scripture which is interesting.

And I'm using the ESV, which by the way is a good translation.

I know some of you may like the King James, others may like something else.

But this is probably the easiest way to stay contextually relevant to the biblical manuscripts and pretty close to what King James has to say.

So I'm going to take a look at this passage that Calvin had read.

But first you need to understand that there is a statement of 7 whoever that Jesus is talking about.

And it's an interesting context because here Jesus says, whoever loves his father or mother more than me, verse 37, is not worthy of thee.

This is an interesting statement and it's kind of a paradoxical thing Isn't it?

Because after all if you were raised in a good Jewish home and you were there when Jesus came You would know the 10 Commandments and you would remember that 1 of them says what honor your father and your mother why a right and that you may be you may live a long life and all of this kind of stuff this is very interesting Satan because it almost sounds paradoxically that Jesus is teaching in opposition to what the 10 Commandments say.

But he's making a statement here, Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Is he saying that your family is not important?

Is he saying that you ought to ignore them, that you ought to dismiss them?

You see, the interesting context of this passage of Scripture is that Jesus is saying that when something eclipses him you got a problem.

You see the life in Christ is a life of faith And when Christ has said bring me your burdens come on to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you Rest he's talking about all sorts of burdens that you may be carrying But he's also talking about your burdens with regard to your family.

This morning I've texted or I've spoken on the phone with 2 of our 3 children.

It just happens that today is my grandson's birthday, so when I get out of here, I'm gonna call him.

He's 12 years old, and I'm gonna tell him happy birthday, probably sing it to him and hope that he doesn't miss it.

It's gonna be even better when we get to the New Jerusalem.

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Something Better

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