SWYC 2011: Lest We Forget

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GYC Southwest

Dave Fiedler

Adventist History Nugget: Issues from 1888

Issues from 1888, Part 1

Issues from 1888, Part 2

Issues from 1888, Part 3


Good morning. I have the privilege of trying to at least interest you in the events and the circumstances and the history of 1888 in 3 brief sections throughout this day. So we're going to start at the beginning. 1888 is a very large topic. You could write a whole book on it and sometimes it seems like everyone who's anyone in Adventism has already done that but We won't be able to encompass everything today, but we're going to start with the beginning.

How's that? If a person is sick the spirit prophecy tells us that the first thing to do is to ascertain the true character of the sickness And then go to work intelligently to remove the cause. Trying to treat something other than the real cause of a sickness is just a bad idea. You get in all sorts of problems. That's a sensible approach when it comes to physical health.

I think it's a sensible approach when it comes to spiritual health. And so we're going to try a diagnosis first of all now fortunately Ellen white makes that fairly simple for us Because she's done that for us This is the classic statement She says now it has been Satan's purpose determined purpose To eclipse the view of Jesus and lead man to look to man and trust to man and be educated to expect help from man This is a serious problem Simply put people are going to let you down. Even when they try to do the best for you, right? If you are, notice the wording there, she says educated, if you are educated to expect help from man, you're going to be disappointed When you find out how completely incapable people are when it comes to helping you when you really need it the most. Hopefully, as a result of that, you'll be disappointed in your education and you'll go looking for a better approach to life.

But, the statement goes on, so we will continue. For years, she says, the church has been looking to man and expecting much from man, but not looking to Jesus in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. Looking to man is not only a bad idea because man cannot help you in the end, but because it takes your attention off of Jesus. At 1 level or another, this is probably an obvious idea, obvious observation to all of us, but some of you are thinking, that's nice, but what has this got to do with 1888, and righteousness by faith, and Jones and Wagner, and all that related stuff? Well, that's what the next sentence is all about.

Ellen White continues, same quotation here. She says, Therefore God gave to his servants, elders Jones and Wagner, A testimony that presented the truth as it is in Jesus. Now this is huge. This is so basic to the history of the last what's it been? 123 years now since 1888 that If you miss out on this relationship, you're going to just be utterly and hopelessly confused.

That's my opinion at least Note the detail here the word therefore We lose a mic that would happen Okay Can you hear me anyhow should I go on? Okay, that's what diaphragms are for This one's good audio verse. I'll just have to tone this down later. Yes. Audio verse is on, correct?

Yes. OK. OK. Very good. Technology is so wonderful when it works.

Everything good? Okay, notice the word therefore. What does the word therefore mean? Because of what just went before, right? Okay?

It's like this. The patient was dying of malnutrition, therefore the doctor recommended a change in diet. Pretty simple, okay? Let me suggest that any explanation of 1888 message that doesn't recognize the basic illness being treated is probably not going to be very helpful. There we go.

We're back. The problem is that church members were looking to man instead of looking to Jesus. That was the problem. That's what she says. This was the pre-existing problem.

Therefore, God sent the 1888 message. This was the treatment that God chose. He sent 2 ministers with a testimony about Jesus. That Makes sense to me. If you want people to focus on Jesus, you tell them something about Jesus that will get their attention, right?

But there's 1 more point to catch. Notice that this message of Jones and Wagner's was, continuing the sentence there, the third angel's message in clear distinct lines. That's quite an endorsement. To say that their teaching on righteousness by faith was the third angels message is a very strong endorsement especially within Adventist circles Okay Let's read another 1 of Ellen White's statements. It's even a little more emphatic on this.

She says, some of our brethren have expressed fears that we shall dwell too much upon the subject of justification by faith. But I hope and pray that none will be needlessly alarmed for there is no danger in presenting this doctrine as it is set forth in the Scriptures if there had not been a remissness In the past to properly instruct the people of God there would not now be a necessity of calling a special attention to it Okay in this passage. No White calls Jones and Wagner's teaching Justification by faith just note that much for more we read a little bit more now Satan has cast his own dark shadow between us and our God that we may not see the true character of God. The Lord has proclaimed himself to be merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." Now, remember the last quotation from Testimonies of Ministers. It said, there it is, it has been Satan's determined purpose to eclipse the view of Jesus and lead man to look to man.

Okay, so what's an eclipse? Anybody into astronomy? What's an eclipse? It's when something gets in the way of something else, right? The moon gets in the way of the Sun or some such thing, okay?

Ellen White is using that as an illustration in both of these quotations. And 1 she uses the eclipse, and the other 1 she says that Satan has cast his own dark shadow, okay. What that means is that she's equating in 1 statement, She's equating man with Satan's dark shadow in the other statement. That's a serious problem. So we go on.

Continuing this quotation again here now, she says, Several have written to me inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel's message? And I have answered. Now notice right there. The idea that the 1888 message was the same as the third angel's message wasn't just a one-off idea. It wasn't just something that just came popping up in Ellen White's mind 1 day This was enough of an issue that people were writing to her Saying is this the same thing Justification Justification by faith third angels message are they the same so she answered she wrote back and she said It is the third angels message in verity so my question is does that make any sense?

Could you explain how justification by faith is the third angel's message? Tracks roomies on this Justification by faith is kind of a pleasant topic Here's an example a Little Bobby gets home 1 night and realizes he should not have taken those grapes from the grocery store without paying for them. And so he takes his little handful of quarters, goes back to the grocery store, pays the nice grocery man, apologizes, goes home that night and prays for Jesus to forgive him for stealing those grapes. And Jesus does, and Bobby goes to sleep that night with a clear conscience. That's justification by faith, is it not?

Sure, okay. When was the last time you read the third angel's message? Now you heard it last night, okay The third angel's message is a little bit different than what we commonly think of as justification by faith Here it is just to refresh your Memories a little bit if anyone worship the beast in his image right where's he end up? Okay I'm going to skip over that not because it's a verse. I'm ashamed of but because the time here Maybe I'm focusing too much on minor details.

It seemed a bit negative but The threat of eternal torment. I know it's not eternal right, but you know the threat of forever and ever torment does not sound as pleasant to me as the idea of justification by faith the way I usually think of it. It's a little disconnect there. So let me try and help you out. What is the connection?

How are they the same thing? In verity, how are they the same thing? Imagine for a moment that you are a raw recruit in the Army. You are a private, the lowest guy on the totem pole. 1 day, your friendly drill sergeant asks to have a word with you, And it goes something like this.

I don't do a very good drill sergeant impression. So ratchet the volume up a few hundred decibels and make it sound much meaner than I can do it. But anyhow, the drill sergeant says something like this. Soldier! Take this shovel, dig a ditch, 5 feet wide, 4 feet deep, 20 feet long, do it now.

That's your drill sergeant. What are you doing now? You are digging. You are digging. Okay.

You are digging a ditch, of course. Why are you digging a ditch? Is it because it suddenly became clear to you that the world would be a better place if there was, if you personally took on the job of relocating 400 cubic feet of dirt and rock? Is that why you're digging that ditch? You're kind of self-motivated here.

Really? No. No. Why are you digging that ditch? You're digging the ditch because that sergeant has the ability to make your life absolutely miserable.

That's probably reason enough for most of us. Truth is, you are afraid of that sergeant and what he can do to you. With good reason, under those circumstances, I might add. So, have you ever heard these words? That shouldn't be there.

What happened? I think I just lost something. That's okay. The words that were supposed to be there Are fear God and give glory to him those are the words that's the first angels message, right? Okay, I Know that fear can also mean respect But you're going to have to ignore a great deal of scripture if you want to dismiss completely the idea of being afraid of God.

No, it's my mistake. It's okay. Just, it's good. I think I left the screen out of the presentation actually. If you're going to dismiss the idea of being literally afraid of God if you get on his wrong side, you're going to have to dismiss an awful lot of scripture.

I don't think that's smart, okay? But let's go on with our story. You are now enthusiastically digging this ditch. You don't really know what's going on with this ditch. For all you know, it could end up being your grave.

But you're digging because that drill sergeant can make your life miserable. But while you're digging, a major walks up to the side of your hole there, and in the major's hand is a little piece of paper. It doesn't look like much, but it must be important, because the Major is already talking to you. And he says, Soldier, take this note to Colonel Smith, Headquarters, 45th Regiment, on the double, go! What are you doing?

You are now running. Why are you running? Because the Major is even scarier than the Sergeant. Okay? Now about the time that your legs are going to give out on you, There's a sudden screech of brakes and the sound of skidding tires.

What's more, the gentleman in the Jeep has 4 shiny stars on his chest. And he says, Soldier, get in the Jeep now! Well, that probably seems like a pretty good idea. It beats running anyhow, okay? But still, there might be a downside to this whole situation because all of a sudden, you as a buck private have come to the attention of a guy with more rank than you know what to do with, Okay?

It's not a good idea to argue with the general. Why not? Because he has the power to make your life seem a lot like purgatory. And Adventists don't even believe in purgatory, but it's okay. So now you're in the Jeep, and all of a sudden you remember the ditch.

And the message for Colonel Smith. Oh no! You've got things to do. You can't go for a joyride with some general. You're going to get killed when the sergeant and the major find out you didn't obey.

Or will you? No. Why not? Truth is, you'll be fine. Here's the key.

Because the authority who can hurt you the most is also the 1 who can protect you from all lesser authorities. And that's why the test over the Mark of the Beast is the perfect test for faith. The world says, worship on Sunday or we'll kill you. And God says, don't do that or I will throw you in brimstone. That could qualify as between a rock and a hard place.

Problem is, 1 of those rocks is molten. Okay. Everyone on earth will show who they trust most. Who they believe can protect them from the other authority. And right then, smack in the middle of the time of Jacob's trouble, Satan's most devastating weapon will be the claim that you are too guilty to be saved.

Only the faith that has been strengthened through life and death conflict over the seal of God and the mark of the beast will be strong enough at that time to believe that Jesus has forgiven His people. That's why a message encouraging us to trust Jesus fully in every detail of life, including justification, is the needed antidote for looking to man and trusting man and expecting help from man. And that's at least 1 way, it seems to me, justification by faith can match up with the Third Angel's message in Verity. This media was brought to you by Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse, or if you

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Adventist History Nugget: Issues from 1888

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