Fresh Manna 2021

Through the Bible

Cody Francis

Strong Tower Radio

John: The Word of God

Fresh manna fell to the ground as a gift from God while the Israelites were in the wilderness.

It was fresh from the ovens of heaven, baked by the master baker himself.

How the Israelites must have anticipated the taste and the smell of each morning's delivery.

Let's go ahead and we're going to continue our study.

Today we're going to be looking at the book of John.

And we have studied from the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and we saw that as we piece together the different pictures that the gospel paints.

We have a picture of a beautiful mosaic of Jesus.

Now, John was most likely the last book of the Bible that was written and it was written after Revelation.

John probably after he was exiled from Patmos wrote the Gospel of John.

So we're talking about in the mid 90s AD.

Now something else that's interesting is John was also the last living apostle.

He was the last eyewitness of the life and ministry and work of Jesus.

And we can see that John is definitely emphasizing that the message he's trying to communicate is even if you don't have an eyewitness, you can still trust and believe and follow Jesus.

The Gospel of John is unique in that there are no parables in the Gospel of John.

There's only a few, about 6 miracles in the Gospel of John, and 90% of the what takes place in John, we do not have in the other synoptic gospels.

Matthew records Jesus as the King of Israel, the Messiah that was predicted in the Old Testament.

Mark records a biography of Jesus as the miracle-working, but also suffering, Messiah.

Luke records Jesus as the Savior of all mankind, Jews, Gentiles, Pharisees, and publicans alike.

But John records Jesus in a different way.

John chapter 1, Matthew was trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

Mark was writing a biography so the people could learn about Jesus.

Luke was writing as extending the invitation of salvation to the world.

John is writing to strengthen and deepen the commitment of a church that is about to lose its last living witness of the gospel.

John 1, verse 1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, traces Jesus back to the descendant of Abraham and of David.

Luke begins with all of the many events that were surrounding the birth of Jesus.

John simply begins with in the beginning was the word.

He was with God, but more than that, not only was he with God, he was God.

If you read it in Greek, it's basically the same except when you get to the last part.

It says, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and God was the Word." John presents Jesus as the divine Word of God.

And we see that he presents it right there in the first few verses.

He takes us back and says, before time began, from time immemorial, Jesus was with God and He was God.

Now, the word doesn't quite convey the full message that's compacted into the Greek word logos.

When we think of a word, what do we think of?

Okay, that's good, we think of the Bible.

That's a good thing to think of for the word.

If we say word to someone else, they're going to think of a combination of letters that spells something pronounceable that has meaning, right?

It's a mixture of letters that has meaning.

It's where we get our word, lots of words from.

Probably most of us have taken biology, right?

There's lots of ologies, from archaeology, to psychology, to geology, to zoology, to Many, many more.

The ology comes from the Greek word logos, which means we tend to think of it as an ology, as the study of, but it's the concept.

Logos is the big idea, the message, the narrative, the systematic meaning or arrangement of the thoughts.

And so when John says, in the beginning was the Logos, in the beginning was the word, It's the message, the distillation of God's thoughts.

In the beginning was the Word And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Ziar of Ages, page 19 says, he was the Word of God, God's thought made audible.

Jesus was revealing the thoughts and the message of God.

But John doesn't just end with his introduction of Jesus being the Word who is with God.

As we look through the account of the Gospel of John, what we see is John is highlighting an aspect that is not brought out as prominent.

It's there in the other Gospels, but it's not as prominent.

Notice For instance, John chapter 2 verses 24 and 25, we read, But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.

And God, not just did he know man, but he came and experienced as well.

John chapter 3, John records the discussion with Nicodemus.

John 3, verse 13, no 1 has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven.

He's bringing out again that Jesus does not have his origin here.

And then we go to John chapter 4 and in this discussion with the Samaritan woman, he says, oh go and call your husband.

And the 1 that you're living with right now isn't your husband.

Jesus knew that because he knew man and he is God.

He could read the history, the secret history, of her life story.

Jesus as God can read the life stories of each 1 of us here.

John chapter 5 verses 17 and 18 and notice here what John is bringing out, but Jesus answered them, my father has been working until now and I have been working.

Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." What does John say Jesus made himself?

Again and again through John's Gospel, we see him portraying Jesus as the Word of God, the 1 who was with God and the 1 who was God.

Oh, and I'll raise you up at the last day.

Don Mackintosh

Weimar University

The Cross & Its Access

Father in heaven, bless us as we study your word today.

And thank you for what you're doing around the world.

And we ask that you do things here in our hearts today.

In old Greenwich, Connecticut, stands a church with a cross in it.

Unlike most of the churches, whose cross is adorned the front wall behind the preacher, this 1 is bolted down into the concrete floor in front of the platform, not more than 3 feet from where the preacher stands.

His positioning defies reason, art, and convention.

No architect in his right mind would have designed such a placement.

The preacher's words have to pass through it.

The congregation's eyes always have it somewhere in their view, so that even when they look away, it's still there and pressed on the back wall of their retina.

It is a sturdy wooden cross, 10 feet tall.

The cross bar is set high on the vertical beam, so high that it seems out of proportion compared to the other more proportionate crosses that decorate the other more proportionate churches.

It's made of raw, untreated wood, and when you see it up close you think of splinters of something hard and immovable.

It's set deep in the concrete floor as well as bolted to it.

The cross at Greenwich has to be reckoned with.

Weddings, funerals, concerts, baptisms, dedications, prayer meetings, morning services.

Are the bride and groom going to stand on either side of it?

What if the bride's dress gets caught in a splinter?

Every event that takes place in the Church has to accommodate this cross in some way.

It can't be moved like the pulpit or the microphones or the platform chairs or the communion table or the planters of ivy, it's almost as if the church was actually built around the cross, as if it were the first thing put down before the walls went up or the roof went on.

And something tells me that's probably the way it should be.

So as we start our school year here, perhaps the first thing to look at would be the cross.

So we're going to look at the power of the cross.

We're told that a deadly spiritual malady is upon the church, its members are wounded by Satan, but they will not look to the cross of Christ as the Israelites look to the brazen serpent that they may live.

The world has so many claims upon them that they have no time to look at the cross of Calvary long enough to see its glory or to feel its power.

He who has had a vivid view of the cross will hate sin, will love righteousness, and his doubts will vanish away.

Perhaps looking at the cross is the right prescription for us.

So I want to consider several things, the position, the purpose, the power, and finally, the access to the cross today.

For the prophets and the cross, it was pivotal all the way through the Pentateuch and the prophets.

We see the cross alluded to in Genesis 3.

As soon as there was sin, there was a savior.

As soon as there was sin, there was a depiction of the cross embryonically.

Genesis 22, take your son, your only son, sacrifice him, again pointing towards the cross.

And The Exodus, the blood of the Lamb, is a foundation to the sanctuary system and the Exodus itself.

The serpent on a pole, look to the serpent and live.

And then of course that magisterial chapter in Isaiah 53, looking at the cross in advance and the substitutionary atonement in all of its glory.

And then Daniel 9, some of us studied this last week, Daniel 9, We saw how the cross was foretold 500 years in advance.

The baptism, the death, the resurrection, and the ministry of the early church all built around the cross.

And then in the book of Habakkuk, that glory that comes from the nail prints in the hands of Christ and will be there for eternity.

Christ also in the cross kept saying, I must suffer, I must be killed, and rise the third day.

I must suffer many things and be rejected.

Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things to enter into his glory?

So the cross was pivotal for the prophets and central for Christ in his preaching and even the disciples remembered when he had said unto them, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

1 third of Matthew and Mark, 1 fourth of Luke, and a half of John, are all devoted to Christ's last hours.

Perhaps that's why we're told to spend time meditating on the cross.

Apostle Paul said, I am determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And that's because you really can't know anything else unless you know that.

It's the entrance of the entire sanctuary system.

God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead." How many of you want to die to the interest of the world?

How many would like to have the world die to their interest in you?

Sometimes you can tell how interested you are in the world by what shows up on your social media feed or your email because they know what you're interested in.

Even can hear what you're saying on your phone, which is pretty serious.

And pretty soon things show up in your feed And they know what you're interested in, what you're looking at.

For the early Advent movement, the cross also was pivotal.

All the blessings of this life and the life to come are stamped with the cross of Calvary.

This life and the life to come, the stamp of the cross.

And it is the great center of attraction for on it Christ gave up his life for the human race.

The cross of Christ will be the song of the redeemed through all eternity.

In Christ glorified, they will behold Christ crucified.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His own precious blood.

The redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song.

They'll still be singing, lift high the cross in heaven.

The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God.

So the angels are secured by looking at the cross.

It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy.

One-third fell, the other two-thirds are kept safe by looking at the cross.

Without the cross, they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan.

Angelic perfection failed in heaven, human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss.

All who wish for security in earth and heaven must look to the Lamb of God.

The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is our only hope in this world and it will be our theme in the world to come.

I think it's important for us to start this new journey together looking at the cross?

Purpose of the cross is to point out the uncompromising and infinite justice of God.

1 sin unrepentant of is enough to close heaven.

It was because man could not be saved with 1 stain of sin that Jesus came to die on Calvary's cross.

So it's to point out the uncompromising infinite justice of God.

God is not omnipotent in the sense that he can do anything.

God can only do those things which are consistent with his nature.

He cannot therefore readily pardon the sinner because He is a God of infinite justice, but neither can he readily punish the sinner because he's a God of infinite mercy.

Michigan Camp Meeting 2022: Knowing the Time

Tune Up: Marriage Seminar

Tamara Conway

Steven Conway

Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

01 The Manual

You are about to enjoy a presentation recorded at the 2022 Michigan Conference Camp Meeting held at Cedar Lake, Michigan.

We pray that the Lord will bless you as you listen.

Father in heaven, thank you again for this opportunity to meet here.

Lord, we know that you are here and your spirit is here and we are just excited to hear what you want to share with each 1 of us.

So thank you so much for Steve and Tammy.

I pray that you will bless them and bless us.

Our marriages, some here may not be married, but just our relationships helps to grow closer to you.

So I'm a very hyper person, so please forgive me.

And she's right, we're not gonna be bored, okay?

And I'm loud, and so, you know, yeah, let's just have fun together, all right?

But as she said, my name is Tammy Conway.

This is my husband, who can definitely speak for himself.

And we are here to talk to you about the topic of marriage and family and relationships.

And we run into a lot of people like, I don't know if I wanna come to that, I'm not married, or I don't know, I've been married for a while, we've been doing okay, or I don't know if this is really, you know, like confusion about whether or not I wanna be here, right?

1 of our loves when talking about the topic of relationship is that the principles that we share are broad, right?

Because God created every last 1 of us for community.

Everyone is not married, will not be married, but everyone is commissioned by God to have relationships with humanity, right?

Whether we like it or not, it is the truth, all right?

And so, we are hoping that no matter what stage you are at in your life, you will find the things that we're going to share with you this week applicable.

And they discovered something that was mind-blowing to Tamara and I, and you know, it is that the divorce rate is declining.

Unfortunately, it is not declining for those who are 50 and older.

By the year 2030, they believe that it will triple.

That is amongst those who are between the ages of 50 and older, 75, 80 years old.

And unfortunately, we, as we minister in this field of working with people, because that's the thing, people, right?

We find ourselves actually having conversations, right, with those who have been married for 40, 50, 60 years, you know, that they are struggling in their relationships.

But we're going to talk more about that later.

And this is a really difficult story for me because it took place about how many years ago?

I was about 17 or 18 years old when I got my first vehicle, my very first vehicle.

Let me show you what this vehicle looks like.

And listen, I had just graduated high school and I was riding the bus every day and it was cold and I'm from Ohio, do not hold that against me, okay?

And it was just like, oh my goodness, I want a car.

And I started my first year in college and my mom and dad said, okay, you saved the money, we'll take you to get a car.

And this was my very first car and I loved her.

She didn't have heat, but you know, who cared?

We could just wear blankets and stuff like that in the car.

And I- Well, you know, it depends on who you're talking to.

And then 1 day I remember I went to go start the car, and I heard something really weird.

It was just like, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, you know?

And at first I was like, okay, you know, whatever.

You know, I'm gonna just try to keep starting.

And the car, it started, But, you know, I would drive it and then I would stop again and then try to get, you know, from the store and turn it back on and it was not having problems.

I said, daddy, Something's wrong with my car.

I don't know what's wrong." And he was like, what's wrong, sweetheart?

Back to Menu

All Teachings

John: The Word of God

30m

The Cross & Its Access

34m

01 The Manual

55m

02 Wires

1h

03 Spark

1h

04 Filters

56m

05 Top it Off

1h 4m

Prophecies of Church

13m

How Elijah Overcame Depression

36m

Dragons and Dinosaurs

28m

Luke: The Savior of the World

31m

Black History & Adventism

56m

Sound Doctrine