Auburn SDA Church
Great Controversy - Part 4
  • When We All Get to Heaven
  • The Wonder of It All
  • In the Garden

      • Mark 6:34NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:27NKJV

      • Proverbs 24:5NKJV

  • Marvelous Grace

      • Revelation 20.10NKJV

  • George Whitefield was a famed English evangelist in the 1700s. He led many meetings where hundreds of people come to Christ. His ministry had great affect around England and was instrumental in sparking a revival in the land. Yet for all the good he did, he was not without his critics. He very often received letters of criticism, mockery, or hateful correction. Sometimes he would become discouraged by the letters, but he soon learned that the best response to a critic was openness and honesty. After receiving a letter of personal attack he wrote one simple reply to its sender:
    “I thank you heartily for your letter. As for what you and my other enemies are saying against me, I know worse things about myself than you will ever say about me.”
    With Love in Christ, George Whitefield
    Source: Daily in the Word, February 22, 2011

    Where are we in the Great War?

    Lucifer Rebelled
    Accusations against God.
    God is not loving.
    God is not trustworthy.
    God’s government is not good.
    “I could do better”
    God’s law is not necessary.
    Fall of Adam and Eve
    We joined Satan’s rebellion.
    Christ promised to save us.
    Universe is watching
    Truth is unfolding.
    God proves accusations wrong.
    Cross:
    God is love.
    God is trustworthy.
    God’s law is just.
    God’s law can be kept.
    God can save repentant sinners.
    So....
    Why are we still here?
    If all the questions
    in the GC were solved
    at the cross,
    why are we still here?
    Perhaps they weren’t
    solved completely.

    How Does the Old Testament Sanctuary Explain More?

    The sanctuary on earth
    was just a mini model
    of the sanctuary in heaven.
    Hebrews 8:1–2 ESV
    Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand — of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.
    In heaven,
    there is a sanctuary
    That God built!
    Jesus is the true Priest.
    Earthly sanctuary,
    just a little tent to
    help us understand
    what Jesus is actually doing
    in heaven as Priest.
    Help us understand
    more about the
    plan of salvation.

    What about the 7 feast days?

    There are lost of
    different denominations
    that keep the Sabbath.
    SDA church is by far
    the largest one.
    Among those denominations
    most of them
    also keep the feast days.
    What are these feast days,
    why don’t we keep them?
    Previous sermon
    go into much more detail.
    Seven Feasts:
    Passover
    Unleavened Bread
    First Fruits
    Pentecost
    Trumpets
    Day of Atonement
    Tabernacles
    The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no recognized days for their religion as other religions did. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, “Case dismissed.'” The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling saying, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter, etc. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Hanukkah. Yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays.” The judge leaned forward in his chair and said, “But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.”
    The lawyer said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.”
    The judge said, “The calendar shows April 1st is April Fools Day, and Psalm 14:1 states: 'The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.”—Source Unknown

    Spring Feasts

    The first 3
    Passover
    Unleavened Bread
    First Fruits
    happen consecutively.
    First Month
    14th - Passover
    15th - Unleavened Bread (1 week)
    16th - First Fruits
    Main thing we need to know
    each feast
    Jesus fulfilling
    aspect of the
    plan of salvation.
    Passover
    Jesus died
    exact day - 14th of day of 1st month.
    Jesus represents
    lamb that dies
    to save us from
    destroying Angel.
    Jesus died to
    save us from our sins.
    Paul says:
    1 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
    Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
    A pastor stood at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and watched as a man in tears lay a wreath at the base of the memorial. The pastor put his hand on the man’s shoulder, and the man said, “Twenty-five years ago he stepped into the line of fire for me, the least I can do is say, ‘Thanks.’”
    Jesus did that
    on the cross for us.
    He took stepped into
    the line of fire
    Died the Second Death.
    But He did more
    answering questions
    of the GC.
    He wasn’t just
    saving sinners from earth.
    He was on a mission
    to make the universe
    secure from
    lies of Satan.
    Cross:
    God is love.
    God is trustworthy.
    God’s law is just.
    God’s law can be kept.
    God can save repentant sinners.
    Unleavened Bread
    Starts the next day.
    7 days,
    no yeast in the house.
    Yeast represents sin.
    Matthew 16:6 ESV
    Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
    Leaven (yeast) = sin.
    During feast,
    took leaven from house.
    Jesus fulfilled this by
    cleansing the world of sin.
    A little boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon. Suddenly out of nowhere a bumblebee flew in the car window. Since the little boy was deathly allergic to bee stings he became petrified. His father quickly reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. But as soon as he let it go, the young son became frantic once again as it buzzed by the little boy.
    The father sensed his son’s terror. Once again he reached out his hand, but this time he pointed to this hand. There, stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. “You see this?” he asked. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ve taken the sting for you.”
    The Christian does not need to be afraid of death because Christ has taken the sting out of death and sin.
    1 Corinthians 15:55-56: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”
    First Fruits
    During this feast,
    they took grain
    first harvest of year
    celebrated the harvest.
    The spiritual harvest
    of the earth happens
    at the Second Coming
    when saints resurrect.
    A man and his five-year old son were driving past a cemetery and noticed a large pile of dirt next to a freshly dug grave when the little boy said, “Look, Dad, one got out!”
    Next time you drive past a cemetery, think of the One Whom the grave could not hold.
    Source: Unknown
    But Jesus
    like the firstfruits
    of the harvest because
    He already resurrected.
    Jesus came out of tomb,
    on the day of the
    firstfruits feast.
    Paul says:
    1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV
    But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
    Pentecost
    Means 50 days,
    because it happens
    50 days latter.
    Exactly 50 days after
    during the feast,
    Holy Spirit is Poured out.
    Acts 2:1–4 ESV
    When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. — And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
    It happened
    on the exact day.
    The planned symbolism
    fulfilled in each
    of the Spring Feast.
    The were fulfilled
    around Jesus death.
    During Christ’s 1st coming.

    Fall Feast

    Fall feasts also have
    symbolic fulfillment
    as part of the
    plan of Salvation.
    But these feasts,
    occur closer to
    2nd coming.
    Feast of Trumpets
    The purpose of this feast
    was to tell everyone
    Day of Atonement was
    almost upon them.
    Everyone must be warned
    about the coming
    Day of Judgment.
    I’ll explain how
    this was fulfilled shortly.
    Day of Atonement
    The day of Atonement,
    as I already said,
    was a day of Judgment.
    On this day,
    (as some other feasts)
    special sacrificial ceremony.
    Remember,
    sanctuary was a place
    people came with sacrifices
    every day
    throughout the year.
    But during feast days,
    special sacrifices.
    Of the fests,
    none was more solemn
    than the Day of Atonement.
    (Day of Judgment).
    To understand
    special sacrifice
    on the day of Atonement
    it would be helpful if
    we review how they
    use the sanctuary
    daily, throughout year.

    Daily Service

    Sinner convicted of wrong
    feels guilty and
    wants to be cleansed.
    Bring sacrifice
    (like a lamb)
    to the temple.
    Sinner places hand on lamb
    makes confession to God
    kills the lamb.
    (sinner does it).
    Priest does rest
    brings blood into
    the holy place.
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    Important truths concerning the atonement are taught by the typical service. A substitute was accepted in the sinner’s stead; but

    We must understand,
    during this service
    “the sin was not canceled”.
    Most teach that,
    during this service
    sinner is forgiven
    that is.
    What we must understand
    not quite that simple.
    There was more
    than one step
    in the forgiveness
    process.
    Atonement and complete cleansing
    was a two-stage process.
    This was just
    the first stage.
    During this stage
    sins are not fully forgiven.
    Instead,
    they are symbolically
    transferred to
    stay in the sanctuary.
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    By the offering of blood the sinner

    This daily service,
    the first phase of atonement
    was completed at the cross.
    Jesus, Lamb of God
    died for the sins of world.
    As Christians,
    we look to what Christ
    accomplished at the cross
    as essential for our salvation.
    By faith,
    we accept His sacrifice,
    express faith in
    His saving grace.
    This act of faith
    is the first stage of
    cleansing
    forgiveness
    atonement
    salvation.
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    The ministration of the priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary, “within the veil” which formed the door and separated the holy place from the outer court, represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at His ascension. It was the work of the priest in the daily ministration to present before God the blood of the sin offering

    ...
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father,

    A beautiful young mother in New York City reterned to the building in which her little infant lay asleep and was appalled to see the building in flames. The firemen could not restrain her and she dashed through the flames and rescued her child, but in doing so, she was so severely burned that her face was horribly disfigured for life. When she looked at her face in the glass after it was healed, she was shocked at her disfigurement, but was comforted by the thought that when her little girl grew up she would appreciate the sacrifice that her mother had made to rescue her. The little child did grow up to be a young woman of uncommon beauty.
    One day there was an excursion up the river and both mother and daughter went. The beautiful daughter was on the front deck surrounded by a host of admirers, laughing and talking. The disfigured mother was on the rear deck looking after the wraps and other things. The mother had occasion to go to the front deck to speak to her daughter. As she drew near, a young man asked the beautiful young girl, “Who is that hideous looking woman?” In a low tone, the beautiful daughter said, “I don’t know.”

    Yearly Service

    During the special feast
    the yearly Day of Atonement
    there was another
    sacrificial ceremony.
    This yearly service
    would teach the
    second phase of
    the atonement.
    On this day
    “Day of Judgment”
    The High Priest
    make a sacrifice.
    Leviticus 16:30 ESV
    For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins.
    Two goats
    Lord’s goat
    Scapegoat.
    Go into Most Holy Place.
    Put blood on mercy seat.
    Come back out,
    to the scapegoat
    take all the sins
    confessed and stored in sanctuary
    place them on scapegoate.
    Leviticus 16:21 ESV
    And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
    Scapegoat = Satan.
    He will be
    held responsible
    for sins of the world
    that he tempted and
    rebellion he created.
    This ceremony was called
    “cleansing of sanctuary”
    because it cleansed sins
    stored there throughout year.
    Leviticus 16:16 ESV
    Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
    During cleansing
    of the sanctuary
    it wasn’t about
    physically cleaning
    a building.
    Cleansing of Sanctuary
    was cleansing of sins there.
    By extension,
    this was actually,
    cleansing of the sins
    of the people who
    confessed those sins
    throughout the year.
    But it was called
    “day of judgment.”
    What was judgment?
    Well...
    Not all sins
    were cleansed away.
    Leviticus 23:26–27 ESV
    And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord.
    Gets more specific:
    Leviticus 23:30 ESV
    And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
    So there were some,
    who were not
    cleansed...
    who were not
    forgiven!
    The people who did not
    affict their souls
    were not forgiven...
    But what does that mean?
    Practical Forgiveness.
    If person says,
    I’m sorry but
    does not acts sorry.
    You begin to wonder,
    if they really are
    sorry at all.
    If they go on
    to willfully and purposefully
    sin against you,
    disregarding your hurt,
    you may think twice
    about letting go of
    your forgiveness for them.
    God is same.
    when someone prays,
    “Lord, I’m sorry,
    please forgive me.”
    Christ records
    confession next to that sin
    in the sanctuary in heaven.
    But that sin,
    is not fully forgiven.
    God waits to see
    if we are truly repentant,
    seeking for victory
    over this besetting sin.
    As we are experiencing
    power of sanctification
    God-given power of
    victory over that sin
    we complete the
    second stage of forgiveness.
    At that time,
    God blots out sin.
    The record of that sin
    is removed from
    the books of heaven
    (blotted out!)
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded.

    ...
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    But before this can be accomplished, there must be an

    The Feast of the Day of Atonement
    was called the day of Judgment
    because on that day,
    God investigated who
    was truly repentant.
    Those who were
    repentant had been
    experiencing sanctification
    Godly power of transformation.
    There was a king who had suffered much from his rebellious subjects. But one day they surrendered their arms, threw themselves at his feet, and begged for mercy. He pardoned them all. One of his friends said to him, “Did you not say that every rebel should die?”
    “Yes,” replied the king, “but I see no rebels here.”
    Now that we
    understand that
    process of cleansing from sin,
    we can ask...

    When Would This Cleansing Occur For Us?

    As we say,
    Spring Feasts
    fulfilled around 1st Advent.
    Fall Feasts
    fulfilled around 2nd Advent.
    Trumpets
    The Feast of Trumpets
    warning that Judgment day
    was almost upon us.
    When did that happen?
    Greg Covered this
    in the SDA History Class.
    William Miller
    studied 2300 days
    Daniel 8:14 ESV
    And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”
    Calculated date correctly
    1844.
    S. S. Snow calculated exact day:
    Oct 22, 1844.
    That was to be
    the date of the
    Day of Atonement
    in the year 1844.
    The final eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980 was not a sudden event. For two months prior to the massive blast—the most deadly and destructive in American history—earthquakes and volcanic activity signaled a major event was underway. Authorities had plenty of time to sound the alarm and warn those living nearby of the looming danger. Yet despite the seriousness of the threat, some people chose to disregard the warnings.
    Probably the best known of those who refused to evacuate was Harry Randall Truman. The eighty-three year old man was the owner and caretaker at the Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake. He had survived the sinking of his troop ship by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland during World War I, and he was not about to leave just because scientists thought there was danger. Truman told reporters, “I don't have any idea whether it will blow. But I don't believe it to the point that I'm going to pack up.” On May 18, 1980, Truman and his lodge were buried beneath 150 feet of mud and debris from the volcanic eruption. His body was never found.
    In 1844,
    God was send
    a special warning
    to the world that
    judgment was about to begin.

    Great Disappointment

    There was a problem.
    They calculated
    the date correctly.
    They knew it was
    cleansing of Sanctuary.
    “Day of Judgment”
    But they thought
    this was in reference
    to the 2nd Coming.
    They told everyone:
    “Day of Judgment is here”
    “Jesus is coming”
    Oct. 22, 1844.
    But Jesus never came...
    Well,
    to be more precise,
    He never came to the earth.
    It was the:
    Day of Judgment
    Cleansing of Sanctuary
    Day of Atonement.
    Instead of coming
    to the earth,
    Jesus came to
    Most Holy Place
    in the Sanctuary above
    to begin the
    final work
    of Atonement.
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended.

    ...
    Great Controversy Chapter 23—What Is the Sanctuary?

    Thus those who followed in the light of the prophetic word saw that, instead of coming to the earth at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing work of atonement preparatory to His coming.

    Since 1844,
    we live in the
    day of Judgment.
    Christ has begun
    final stage of atonement.
    But if you remember,
    cleansing of sanctuary
    actually cleansing of people.
    And the people
    were required to
    cooperate with this cleansing
    by “afflicting their souls.”
    This means they were
    searching their heart.
    Allowing Christ to
    cleanse every corner.
    Empowering us to
    be truly repentant of
    sins we have
    sought confession for.
    Great Controversy Chapter 24—In the Holy of Holies

    In the typical service, when the high priest entered the most holy place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation.

    —

    How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us.

    The story is told of a prosecuting attorney in a small town courthouse called his first witness, an elderly woman, to the stand. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”
    She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy. And, frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot, but you haven’t the brains to realize you will never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”
    The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”
    She replied, “Why, of course I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, and has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.”
    At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both lawyers to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, “If either of you ask her if she knows me, I’ll hold you both in contempt of court!”

    Final Atonement

    I must return
    question started with:
    If the cross solved the questions in the Great Controversy, why are still here?
    The answer:
    clearly the cross
    did not solve all problems.
    It only solved
    first stage of atonement.
    Here we stand
    in the final stage
    of the atonement process.
    Are you cooperating
    with this cleansing?

    Where are we at in the process?

    Which of the Feasts have happened?
    Passover = Cross
    Unleavened Bread = Jesus Cleanses Word of Sin
    First Fruits = Christ’s Resurrection
    Pentecost = Outpouring of Holy Spirit on Church
    Trumpets = Loud Cry Preceding 1844
    Day of Atonement = 1844 to Present
    Tabernacles = Heaven after 2nd Coming

    Why Don’t We Keep the Feast Days?

    Because they were
    symbolic ceremonies
    that were types
    they were prophecies
    of the plan of salvation.
    Once Christ fulfilled
    each of them
    type met antitype
    we didn’t need them
    anymore.
    The Signs of the Times June 3, 1886: The Permanence of Truth

    He came just as the prophecies foretold that he would come. In his life and death, type met antitype, and the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish church found their fulfillment.

    In May of 1948 three men robbed a bank in Hoyt, Kansas, getting away with $1,000. Shortly thereafter two men were killed in a car wreck, and police thought they were the robbers and the case was closed. Four years later, however, something unusual happened. On a Sunday morning at the Seward Avenue Baptist Church a young man named Al Johnson stepped to the pulpit and revealed to the congregation that the day before he had gone to the district attorney and confessed his role in the crime.
    “I thought about the bank robbery many times,” Johnson, who was a teenager when the crime occurred, said, “I prayed about it and asked the Lord to give me an answer. It seemed that He would give me only one answer and that was to give myself up.”
    He returned money to bank.
    Went to police, confessed.

    Appeal

    We have completed
    all the feasts
    before 2nd Coming.
    Time for serious spirituality
    “Afflict Souls”
    Pursue Repentant
    Pursue Sanctification
    though God’s
    grace
    power.
    Still have,
    more questions...
    Why are we still here?
    Why is the cleansing time
    taking so long?
    How does
    final events
    Book of Revelation
    bring this to resolution?
    Stay tuned.

      • Hebrews 8:1–2NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 5:7NKJV

      • Matthew 16:6NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:20NKJV

      • Acts 2:1–4NKJV

      • Leviticus 16:30NKJV

      • Leviticus 16:21NKJV

      • Leviticus 16:16NKJV

      • Leviticus 23:26–27NKJV

      • Leviticus 23:30NKJV

      • Daniel 8:14NKJV

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Auburn SDA Church
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