NEC 2014 Camp Meeting: Transformed Agents

Kameron DeVasher

NEC Youth

Questions Angels Ask

I'm going to be speaking to you about the great controversy.

And I hope there is a tension, I feel, just so you can know personally.

White makes some strong comments about young ministers, especially, seeking to be original.

I don't want to come here trying to have just some new shiny thing or new theory just to woo and sorcel your mind and kind of get you, think, but, On the other side of that, we are called to be faithful and to take the truths that we have and dig into them and try to understand them on a deeper level than we ever have.

So my challenge today to myself and for you is to present and study the concepts entwined in the great controversy in such a way that it's not some newfangled thing.

It's standing firmly on the platform of Bible truth, but going deeper than perhaps we typically go.

Does that make sense, what our objectives are?

So as we begin, we're gonna start with a word of prayer, and I hope you have the word of God with you.

All right, digital, you can use paper, whatever it is, but we're gonna be in the Word of God today, and we'll be looking at some very familiar things, but hopefully putting them together in such a way that you'll say, I did not see that there before.

And maybe the Lord will give you depth in your experience with Him.

So to that end, let's ask the Lord for His blessing and then dive into our study.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this beautiful day.

Thank you for this opportunity to come apart from the rest of the world for just a few moments, Lord.

And Lord, As we study your word, we ask that you send the same Holy Spirit who wrote it long ago to now write it on our hearts and minds so that we may become the people you intended us to be in the very beginning, representatives of your likeness and your character.

Please turn with me to the book of Matthew, specifically chapter 13, Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew chapter 13, as you're finding your way there, I'll let you know about Matthew chapter 13.

I'm going to, by the way, I'm going to cover things that typically take a very, very long time to get into.

We're going to get the concentrated version here because we only have a few messages this week, and so we're going to just dive right into the meat of these things.

But in Matthew chapter 13 basically it's a list of parables.

Jesus was on a storytelling venture that day and there's parable after parable after parable and in the middle of Matthew chapter 13 he hits a parable.

He says a thought that festered in the minds of the disciples because of all the parables he told that day, only 1 did they come back and say, we need an explanation to that parable.

And it's the 1 that begins in Matthew chapter 13, verse 24, And it reads, another parable he put forth to them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?

We're not gonna get too much into the interpretation yet, but let me ask you a question.

In the parable, who is speaking to the owner of the field?

I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but are the plants talking?

The conversation isn't between either the good seed or the bad seed.

It's not the, don't wanna give it away, but the righteous or the wicked.

The conversation is happening between the owner of the field and his own servants.

Again, verse 27, So the servants of the owner came and said, Sir, did you not so good seed in your field?

Pausing here Again, in this parable, we haven't even gotten into the interpretation yet and who all these symbols refer to, but the question on the servant's mind has to do with the presence of the tares.

They do not understand why the tares are there.

They're faithful, you know, these are not derelict, these are not lazy, these are not corrupt stewards, they are good faithful servants.

They work for the owner of the field and as they look at the field they notice that what they see does not correspond to what he said.

He had said, I sowed good seed, and they took his word for it.

But now they look and they see tears, and they ask the owner, did you not sow good seed in your field?

The implication is, you said this thing, we see this thing, so we need to address the question to you.

Verse 28, he said to them, an enemy has done this.

By the way, I'm so glad that the parable does not say, and he said to them, yeah, oops.

He doesn't say, yeah, I'm sorry, I forgot, yeah, there's an enemy, I forgot to build a fence, you know, I'm sorry, that's my bad.

Or, you know, I didn't even think of it, where was my brain?

You can ask me the question, I'll give you the answer.

The servant said to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up?

Apparently, 1 of their jobs is not only to, because the job is not to sow the seed, is it?

But their job is to tend to it, to cultivate it, and when the time is right, to do what?

And they say, well, now that we notice it's here, do you want us to come in now and harvest?

Do you want us then to go and gather them up?

And this is gonna be 1 of the key thoughts for the entire time we're together.

Lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them.

By the way, in this parable, again, we haven't gotten to the interpretation, but does the owner want to get rid of the tares?

Yes, but he doesn't do it right then the moment it was spotted.

Because it's out of his concern for the wheat that he leaves the tares in the field.

We're gonna have some thoughts that might be a little bit bending to the mind.

Apparently it's in the best interest of the wheat for the tares to remain.

It's good for the wheat for the tares to remain.

But he continues, verse 30, here's his plan.

Is he going to let this go fallow and just go on and on and on?

And at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, first gather the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn.

Now, obviously, by the way, this is the end of the parable.

Next verse it says, another parable he put forth to them, and he goes on.

But this stuck in their mind, this must have been scratching where they were itching a little bit.

Ministry of Angels

This entire week, the theme for camp meeting, not just for this particular department of the youth, but all throughout the camp, but we are here in this youth division, has been transformed agents.

And I have been impressed that every message presented has worked together in such a way that we've impressed upon you, at least it has been my prayer that the impression has been made that we need to be transformed, not merely informed, but transformed into the agents that God wants us to be.

And I will tell you this week, I love the great controversy presentation.

If you've missed the rest of it, I'm sorry, but very quickly we understand from the parable of Matthew chapter 13 that Jesus gives that the destruction of Satan, the elimination of wickedness and evil and this planet and this universe is not an instantaneous thing it's a process step by step the Lord is taking his time to get it right so that when the final destruction of Satan and all of his followers who choose his way over God's will even they will be forced not by repentance but by the sheer weight of evidence, to admit, to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Now I pray That we see these things now before they're presented and panorama above the New Jerusalem at the end of the Millennium I Pray that we see in God's Word his plan of redemption and choose this day whom we will serve.

Amen So have we have we've come to the conclusion of that process from Satan's initial casting out from the courts of heaven, then from his being cast out from the sympathies of heavenly beings 4, 000 years later at Calvary.

Prayerfully by the Lord's grace, we are now casting Satan out of the sympathies of our hearts as well.

And someday, after Christ comes, after the work of judgment has been complete, every knee shall bow, and Satan will have lost what used to be universal influence, now he will stand alone, and even he will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We have completed that cycle, we've looked at that from Scripture.

Now There's plenty more we could say about it, but I have a burden on my heart this morning to shift from transformed.

Most of it, you know, there's 2 words, transformed agents in the theme.

And for most of this week, most of the time we have spent together has been talking or dealing or referring to the transformation process.

We're not merely transformed for the sake of transformation, we're to be used of God to transform others.

We're not just transformed, but we're transformed agents in his service.

That's the burden of our message this morning.

But before we begin any study of God's word, we should always begin with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, I thank you, and I Thank you for life itself.

You did not have to create us, yet you did, and you certainly did not have to redeem us.

But through this power of your word, you sent forth that Same creator to now become our savior.

And Lord, we are doubly yours, once by creation and once by redemption.

And as we Come together now for a study of your word.

We would ask that you send the power of the Holy Spirit.

Not necessarily to give us a new sensation, but to give us a deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ and his mission for our lives.

Help us to truly be your transformed agents for we pray it in Jesus name, amen.

Please turn with me to the gospel of Luke.

Luke chapter 11, we'll begin with verse 1.

The gospel of Luke, Matthew, Mark, Luke chapter 11 beginning with verse 1.

Here Jesus was with his disciples and he was coming out of a season of prayer and apparently our Savior was a praying man Apparently he would spend long hours in prayer.

He would spend nights an entire prayer and As he comes out he says here chapter 11 verse 1 apparently his disciples noted this and they asked for instruction in prayer.

Now it came to pass, Luke 11, verse 1, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that 1 of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Now this is, you have to understand, the same Jesus who said, do not pray in vain repetition.

I don't believe he was giving this template to be a formula.

You say these words and the words themselves have the power, but the concepts, the format, he says pray with this mindset, pray with this idea, With this thought process notice what he says here when you pray say our Father and where is our father in heaven?

Now I know this seems elementary But God is in heaven and we are on earth.

Yes So he says our Father in heaven Hallowed be or what name and of course name is synonymous with character He basically says our Father you are indeed.

Holy you are righteous You are love and we pray to you now.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, how?

Where you dwell in heaven, there is a way in which your will is done, and it was the prayer of Christ's heart that that way would be reflected here.

That what happens there would be seen here.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now, when you see on earth as it is in heaven.

Now, when you see on earth as it is in heaven, there's 2 ways you could read as it is.

1 way you could read it at the same time that it is.

So as that is happening, let this be happening as well.

But I believe that Christ had something more in mind than just make sure that the timing is at the same time.

That the way you operate in heaven, oh Lord, would be seen in your operations here on earth.

That the way you work there would be the way we work here.

That your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So it would behoove us if the prayer of Christ's heart to his Father was that the Father's will would be done here the same way that it's done there for us to stand how Christ operates, how God operates his government there.

If we're going to see it here, we need to understand the template of how it works there.

Revelation chapter 4 gives a beautiful picture of the throne room, the government seat of God.

Revelation chapter 4 and verse 1, after these things I looked, writes the apostle John, and behold, a door standing open, where?

And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, come up here and I will show you things which must take place after this.

A very simple rule of thumb, if you ever see a door standing open in heaven and a voice tells you come up here, go.

Verse 2, immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a throne set in heaven and 1 sat on the throne.

This John is seeing the throne room to which Christ was sending up his prayer to our Father who art in heaven.

And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald, around the throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

And from the throne proceeded lightning, thundering and voices.

7 lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the 7 spirits of God." Now we'll pause here.

Nowhere in the book of Revelation do you find the term Holy Spirit, but repeatedly you find reference to the 7 spirits of God, and as this is a book of prophecy and imagery, we understand that numbers and colors and those types of things have significance.

This is the number of God, 7 is a cycle all throughout, not just the book of Revelation, all of Scripture, and this is an indication of divinity, yes?

This is the Holy Spirit standing before God the Father.

We have the 24 elders enthroned around the central throne, And he goes on in verse 6, Behold the throne, before the throne, there was a sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were how many?

4 living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

Before him is the Holy Spirit, represented as 7 spirits of God.

We have the 24 elders on their thrones, and we also have the 4 living creatures.

Now, The only thing missing in Revelation chapter 4 is Jesus Christ.

There's no Jesus in Revelation chapter 4.

Chapter 5 in verse 1, and I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back sealed with 7 seals.

Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?

And no 1 in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to look to open the scroll or to look at it.

So I wept much because no 1 was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.

But 1 of the elders said to me, Do not weep.

Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its 7 seals." By the way, this is an answer to 1 of the questions.

How do you know that Jesus Christ is divine?

God the Father, and what question was asked?

And no 1 was found in heaven and it was in God the Father's hand By the way, does that mean that God the Father is unworthy of anything slow down But is it possible that God the Father and God the Son have different jobs?

Chris Buttery

Sacramento Central SDA Church

The Smile of God

I wonder how many here are familiar with the term or the term refrigerator mom.

Refrigerator mom, anyone heard of that before?

It was a label for mothers of children diagnosed with autism or schizophrenia.

And these moms were often blamed because of their children's behavior, which involved speech difficulty or isolation, self-isolation among other things.

The refrigerator mother label was given because it was believed that autistic behaviors stemmed from the emotional frigidity or the coolness exhibited by these children's mothers.

So you can only imagine how this left or how this left these mothers feeling considering up until the 1970s this was the prevailing medical belief.

Bernard Rimland came along and I think we have a little picture for him, of him for you up on the screen.

Bernard Rimland obtained his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Penn State University in Pennsylvania.

A few years later, his son Mark was born, who was eventually diagnosed with early infantile autism.

It was his son's diagnosis that propelled Bernard Rinland into a quest to understand autism along with its causes and its treatments.

In 1967 he established the Autism Research Institute and eventually showed that autism was not necessarily the result of poor parenting skills but it had a neurological cause.

Later on his profession, he received quite a bit of flack from his peers, or some of his peers, because he linked the rise in autism with vaccinations, or more specifically, thiomersal, which is a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines.

Still a very controversial discussion even today.

Well, Bernard Rimland conducted a fascinating study that didn't necessarily have to do with his main theme, his main passion for life.

He did a study that he entitled the altruism paradox.

Each person involved in the study was to write down or list 10 people that they knew best, and then they were to label next to each of those 10 individuals which ones were happy and which ones were unhappy.

Then they were to go through that list again after they had done that and list by the size or next to those same names, those that they perceived to be selfish or unselfish.

And he used this definition of selfishness, a stable tendency to devote one's time and resources to one's own interests and welfare, an unwillingness to inconvenience oneself for others.

In categorizing the results, guess what Rimland found?

He discovered that all of the people labeled happy were also labeled unselfish.

In other words, the happiest people are those that help others.

Rimland wrote, quote, those whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness are far less likely to be happy than those whose efforts are devoted to making others happy.

Now this doesn't surprise us at all because it was Jesus who said it is more blessed to do what?

And there was a group of individuals, 70 as a matter of fact, and we're going to read about them in Luke chapter 10, so if you have your Bibles turn there with me if you'd be so kind.

Jesus had gathered together these 70 individuals to go out and they experienced this blessing as well according to the story.

They had been gathered together to go out and proclaim the good news, to visit people in their homes and to connect with individuals.

He told them that the harvest was great, You can read about it in Luke chapter 10 and verse 1.

He told them that the laborers were few and so in sending them out he said, as you go pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out or send forth laborers.

And apparently their mission to visit and to minister to people in the region was very successful and they came back happy and about how they had been used by God.

As a matter of fact, we read in Luke chapter 10 and verse 17 these interesting words.

This is after they return, and the 70 returned again, what's the next word?

The 70 returned again with joy saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name, joy.

That's not a word we use every day, gotta admit.

Someone comes by and they ask you, how you doing?

You don't say, oh, I'm very joyful, thank you very much.

I've not heard that, I don't say that myself.

We don't use it frequently ask young people how you doing yeah all right I'm okay yeah cool man thanks different expressions we use today we're not accustomed to saying joy we say we're happy we're fine we're good thank you very much The word joy that is used here in Luke 10, verse 17, denoting the experience of the 70 when they returned from their missionary activities, carries with it a sense of calm, delight, deep satisfaction, or a type of holy happiness, as opposed to exuberant jumping up and down.

When Jesus shared his 3 parables in Luke chapter 15, stressing the need for the rescued to go out and rescue those who needed rescuing.

He painted a picture of the atmosphere in heaven when 1 sinner repents.

Jesus said, I say unto you that likewise there will be joy in heaven over 1 sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance.

The word joy, joy in heaven, is very similar to the word expressed in Luke chapter 10 and verse 17 with regards to the 70 when they returned with joy, calm, delight, cheerfulness, deep satisfaction.

The angels are therefore portrayed here by Jesus as not partying, as sometimes is suggested, but rather it is with calm happiness, with deep satisfaction that they observe the conversion of a sinner.

Paul, He wrote to the Thessalonians, the Thessalonians in Thessalonia, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, 19 and 20, he asked a rhetorical question.

He asked, for what is our hope or our joy or our crown of rejoicing?

And he continues by answering, Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

For you are our joy, glory rather, and our joy.

It is you, ready when Jesus comes back, ready to meet him when he returns.

This is our joy, this is where we get deepest our deepest satisfaction from.

Paul in effect was saying that the conversion of a sinner and their readiness for the coming of Christ brought him this type of joy, this type of cheerfulness.

He also felt that way about the Philippians.

The Philippian believers, when he called them in Philippians 4 verse 1, his joy and his crown.

Those that Paul had brought to the Savior and had remained faithful followers of the gospel were his joy, were his calm delight.

It brought deep satisfaction to him you see, it made him feel well-off.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

Questions Angels Ask

51m

Ministry of Angels

1h 7m

The Smile of God

44m

The Secret to Shake the World

38m

Last Generation Victorious

55m

Stirred but Not Shaken

35m

Building the Church

56m

Ambassador for Christ

50m

Accepted

41m

What is Freedom?

14m

Where Are the O-Rings in Your Faith?

1h

Man’s Walk Through the Sanctuary

51m

Sound Doctrine