ECYC 2013: Something Better

Earl Morgan

Eastern Canada Youth Conference

The Disciples Who Gave Up Everything

My title this evening for this meditation is the disciples who gave up everything The disciples who gave up everything not the pirates that don't do anything but rather the disciples that gave up everything.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we will all be changed.

By your Holy Spirit, you are present here with us, and you require that we make a complete sacrifice.

I pray that you will Open our eyes to our true condition that we are poor, naked, blind and wretched, and that we need your eyesalve that we may see.

We need your very mind, the mind of Christ.

And I pray, oh Father, that you will convert us to your way of thinking, that we can preach and live the entire message, that others looking upon us may see Christ.

At ECYC, we've discussed several topics that are not usually discussed in our home churches.

Points of sacrifice and self-denial, points of change, practical tips.

The Bible tells us that not only are we to go over the principles of salvation and of the doctrine of Christ, but we are to go on to perfection.

We need to discuss every part of the Bible and apply it to our lives.

Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands and of resurrection from the dead and of eternal judgment.

This is not a sermon about perfection, but it is a sermon about being complete.

Let's not omit anything of the Advent message.

There are 2 powers in this world that desire are all.

The power of evil and the power of good, or rather, the lower power and the higher power.

Satan desires are all, but he'll settle for 5%.

God desires all and he can't settle with anything less than 100%.

But if you give Satan 1%, then he knows he has everything.

So it's very important that in reading the scriptures that we accept all of it, not just some.

And that we preach all of it, not just some.

I am reminded of Revelation 14 where it says there's 3 angels flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, and may I suggest the entire gospel.

We know the gospel of repentance, of laying aside our sins, of new life in Christ, but I find that we don't often speak about self-denial in the church, the fact that Christ requires all.

But who's willing to actually give all for Christ?

Luke 14 verse 25 to 27, and there went great multitudes with him.

And he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, He cannot be my disciple.

And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Without an entire sacrifice, you cannot be a disciple.

Many will call themselves Christians, but are you working with Christ?

Is it biblical or right to delay the understanding of people coming to Christ, delay their understanding, is it biblical to delay their understanding of self-denial?

Is it biblical to hold things back from people that they ought to know before they're baptized?

Mind you, the Adventist message and all the truths, they can be pretty long.

When it comes to prophecy and history and biblical hermeneutics, I didn't even pronounce that right.

Obviously you can't learn everything before you get baptized, but you ought to know all points of truth.

Some people may even have odds about people taking the baptismal vow before they get baptized.

Sometimes I feel that they're changing it up, omitting certain points of our faith.

I don't know if there may be some good reasons to abbreviate the length, but quite often I feel that not everyone has gone through all the studies before they got baptized.

The Bible tells us that we should count the cost before we take that step.

Luke 14 verse 28 to 30, For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first, and count the cost, whether you have sufficient to finish it, lest, happily, after you have laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish." We do a disservice when we bring people into the remnant church, but they're not acquainted with the remnant truth.

And they have not been brought to the point of sacrifice.

We believe, I think, that we're supposed to delay the teaching of self-denial.

Whether it's in outward adornment or the way you eat.

But in fact, Jesus requires you to count the cost and to make a decision that will have a sacrifice.

The Bible tells us that it's our reasonable service to give our bodies and minds to Christ.

Romans 12 verse 1 and 2, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I will speak in such a way as to prove from the scriptures that Christ brings us all the way to the line.

Where we give up ourselves and our ways and then we have to think, are we willing to go the rest of the way?

These are the conditions under which Jesus recruits disciples.

Come, he said, and I will make you fishers of men.

Not only the fishers, but he also stopped by the tax collecting booth and picked up Matthew and the other disciples who had other professions and they left their jobs they left their homes and they followed Jesus.

How many of you if Jesus were here today in person, would come and follow me and follow me in my evangelism, my personal evangelism, my world evangelism, come be my helper, How many of you would leave everything and follow Jesus?

How many of you would leave everything and follow Jesus?

Just like all the other prophets, some left the plow, some left Egypt, some left their families to follow Jesus.

Matthew 10, verse 7-10, Jesus is instructing the disciples, He's going to send them out 2 by 2, just like He went today.

As you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.

Don't worry about the money, or the silver or brass in your purses, nor scrook for your journey, neither 2 coats, neither shoes, nor yet stains for the workman is worthy of his meat.

You don't You don't need to wait for money.

They had to adopt Jesus' style of evangelism.

Jesus himself had to pause before he went into ministry.

I'm sure he would have wanted to go into ministry, public ministry, right away when he was 12.

After he realized his mission fully and went to the temple and asked the Pharisees and the scribes questions.

And they were questions that were unanswerable.

And his parents came to get him, come back home with us, and Jesus yielded himself.

Just as it is not our way, but Christ's way.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand, he told them to say.

I wonder if they realized what that meant.

Jonathan Zita

Stop Reading Your Bible

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask for your Holy Spirit to come in our midst.

If there is anything in our hearts that we have done, thought, or said that may keep your Spirit to speak to us, to reveal yourself to us, to teach us, we ask for forgiveness.

And we plead that you may remove it, give us a clear mind, a clear understanding, that we may not only hear and understand, but your Spirit may be able to apply these principles in our lives.

This I pray in the precious and holy name of Jesus.

The title of this workshop is Stop Reading Your Bible.

And when you go through the Word of God, It's interesting that you find people that read the Scriptures, but as far as I have found, you don't find the Scriptures telling us to read the Scriptures.

We are told to to do something else with the Scriptures.

So we're going to look at 1 of the verses.

He's actually speaking to the Pharisees and he says, Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.

So the first principle we find here is that we should stop just reading the Scriptures, and now we are told to search the scriptures so the first principle is to search and the second principle is found in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 it says Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that meeteth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And so what we see is that we should search and we should study the scriptures.

Why do I say we should stop reading the scriptures?

You know, many times we, as Christians, we have this concept we have to have devotions.

And devotions is just a thing that a good Christian should do.

The problem is that many of us are so busy, our lives are a mess, we're running to school, to work, to whatever, and we don't have that quality time that we can spend.

And so if we can just read the scriptures, we feel that our duty has been done, we get maybe a little bit of comfort from it, and then we rush on to do whatever we need to do for our day.

I think it's very important for us to think, what is the purpose of reading the scriptures?

That's why we should stop reading the scriptures and we should start searching and we should start studying.

When you search and when you study, it is for a purpose.

You can read a magazine, you can read tabloid magazines, you can read the newspaper, you can read all kinds of stuff with surface reading and not get anything out of it.

We are told from the plan of inspiration that if we do just surface reading, it's not going to do any good to us.

And maybe it will even do more harm than good because we acquaint ourselves in a very superficial way and it's got kind of like the attitude of oh I know this I know this I notice I know this thing and and and therefore we don't have that that that experience that God wants from us.

So, of course, I'm not saying that we should stop reading in a sense of opening the scriptures and reading, but stop reading it just to read.

What we need to do now is we need to start searching and we need to start studying the scriptures.

Now, there are 4 basic points that I have discovered in my life of what we should be searching and studying for.

So when I open my Bible in the morning or in the evening, I'm not just there just to read a psalm, not just there to be able to get a quick thought, but I'm there to be able to search and study, meaning with a purpose.

The purpose is to find something, the purpose is to study, the purpose is not just to read so that I can put a checkmark and say I have done my Christian duty and then I can go to bed.

I also want to maybe mention a couple of things before we move on.

The first principle is that some people tell me, well John, I don't have time, you know, because to study and to search it takes time.

And it is true, because some of us we are so busy, So what we do is we have a nice devotion from spirit prophecy or from some inspired, you know, some nice writings and so at night we are so tired and we just read a little Bible verse and a little some thoughts on it and we Go to sleep and you know in some instances I don't think there's necessarily something wrong with that.

But the problem is when your life is so busy that that's all that you do.

And therefore you don't get the benefits of the study of the Lord God and therefore we are not strong spiritually.

And when the last days will come upon us or when crisis hits our lives we fall by the way.

And so I think the first principle is that we need to seek to do more study and searching of the scriptures than we do of reading these nice little flowery devotions which are nice, but they definitely do not replace the searching and the studying.

Another principle is that if we want to be able to have quality time with God, we must give Him our best and not give Him what's left.

So many times what happens is we are tired at night and so we can barely focus and the devotions at night or maybe barely when we just wake up we need to run is what we give God what is left.

And there's a little secret that I'd like to share with you.

If you want to wake up early, go to bed early.

I mean it's so simple and many people will think that is not something amazing, but it's funny how We go to bed late so often, but yet we keep telling people and ourselves that, man, I just can't seem to wake up early to spend that time with God.

Basic principle, go to bed early, wake up early.

Some people tell me, John, I'm not a morning person, I'm a night owl.

Well, The truth is that we are all created to be morning individuals.

So the way to rectify your problem is you do it in 3 days.

What happens is if you go to bed at midnight, 11, 1, whatever, in the morning, you're used to going to bed late, then what you need to do is to wake up at 5 or 6 or 5 in the morning depending on how much earlier you need to spend time to study the scriptures and to prayer before heading out.

And that first day you'll feel very tired.

The second day you might still not be able to fall asleep by 10 or so.

So you can go to bed at 11 or 1, whatever you're used to, and then you wake up again at the early time, meaning you don't sleep in.

And as a result, guaranteed by the third day, you will be knocked out by 9, 9.30.

And you'll be able to teach your body to be able to become a morning person.

If any of you have flown, you know that your body simply adjusts to whatever hour eventually that you time zone where you are.

So it's important to try to give God what's best.

Another principle, my wife and I, before we used to, well we still have devotions for example at 7.30 in the evening before our children go to sleep.

At times what we did is that we would wait to have worship, And at times we would wait till just before going to bed when we would have our own worship.

And we realized that that didn't always work because if we go to bed really late because we have projects to do and stuff, we are so tired that we don't get much out of that time that we spend with God.

So what we started to do is we have worship for the children, we put them to sleep, and then we have our own worship right away when our minds are still alert and we are not so tired and feel so knocked out.

So these are certain principles I find has helped a lot.

We need to start searching the Scriptures, start studying the Scriptures.

The question now is, what are we searching for?

So when I open the Word of God, I'm not opening the Word of God just to be able to read some nice flowery thoughts, which by the way is nice and we need them at times, like poems and Psalms are good, but even in the Psalms, you can go deeper, you can understand greater things.

And so, as a result, when I open my Bible, I open with a purpose more than just to say I've read my Bible.

I open with a purpose to be able to search for something and to be able to study something.

And that is what will bring about some benefits in my Christian experience.

And I believe that is what the Holy Spirit is waiting for us to do as Christians, to be able to achieve greater transformation, not only in our lives, but that it may flow out to others.

So the first principle of what we are searching for is actually found in the same passage of John 5.39 which we read.

If we go back there, John 5.39, it says, Search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.

This is the first basic and most important principle.

We are searching the scriptures first and foremost for a revelation of the character of Jesus Christ.

We are not first and foremost searching the scriptures to be able to prove someone else wrong or even for us to be able to discover what we need to do to be better Seventh-day Adventists.

These are good principles, but the main focus that we need to have, and the clearest revelation of Jesus Christ is found in the scriptures.

You know, it's found also in nature and, you know, in other people that God is living through, but most importantly it is found in the Scriptures.

That's the clearest revelation of Jesus Christ.

Why is it so important to be able to focus on the character of Christ?

And mind you, the character of Christ is portrayed in the New and the Old Testament.

I believe that the Old Testament is just as clearly portrayed through types and symbols and even through the stories of individuals than it is just as clearly as it is in the New Testament.

And if you spend time with the Spirit you will discover I believe that too.

In 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 if you can turn there with me verse 18 it says but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

There is something about when we spend time in the Word of God, not just reading the Word of God, but now I'm searching the Word of God.

I'm searching the Word of God to be able to see the character of God through every story, through every promise, through every psalm, through every prophecy.

I'm trying to see what is Christ like, because Christ reveals the Father.

So I'm looking for Christ, I'm looking for God, I'm looking for the character of God.

I'm trying to discover what kind of person they are, what is their thoughts, what is their thinking, what are their emotions.

I'm looking to be able to discover the heart of God.

And when I do that, it's amazing that by beholding, we become changed.

So the more that I behold, the more that I search for that purpose, the more the Holy Spirit has an opportunity to transform my heart and to be able to fashion myself and change me into His likeness.

Friends, The greatest joy that we can have is to fulfill or to magnify or to exemplify the glory of God.

That is what we were created for, His glory, we are told in the Word of God.

In another place we are told whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

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.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

The Disciples Who Gave Up Everything

33m

Stop Reading Your Bible

51m

Something Better

36m

Something Bettering

41m

What You Desire Most

28m

Something Worse

52m

Is the Bible Enough?

52m

To Die is Gain

38m

Manhood and Womanhood

46m

Defining Biblical Purity: God’s Better Plan

1h

Losing Your Mind

50m

And Now for Your Listening Pleasure

47m

Sound Doctrine