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University SDA Church- East Lansing

David Shin

Cosmic Conflict

Cosmic Conflict- Part 1

Cosmic Conflict- Part 2

Cosmic Conflict- Part 3

Cosmic Conflict- Part 4


Today is the last in our four-part series entitled Cosmic Conflict, Issues in the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. And I'd like to begin by a brief review. In your bulletin you'll find a brief study guide which is an outline of today's study from scripture. And this controversy began in heaven in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12-14 the Bible says, How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars, I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high." You'll notice that Lucifer wanted to be like God, and as we said in our earlier presentation, we said that Lucifer, this dazzling being of brightness, wanted a higher position, an exalted throne, rulership, and dominance.

He questioned God's authority, and it's a mystery how a perfect being in a perfect place, created by a perfect God, can sink so low. And we said that in the great controversy page 583, it's there in your study guide, that From the beginning of the great controversy in heaven, it has been Satan's purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator, and though he was cast out of heaven he continued the same warfare upon the earth. Lucifer thought he could do a better job at governance than God and he began by attacking the law of God. Why did he do this?

We noted that in the Ark of the Covenant found in the Old Testament that the law of God was placed inside the Ark underneath the throne of God indicating that the foundation of the entire government of God was founded upon his law. We said that the law was actually a transcript of God's character, because we said that every characteristic of God, God being spiritual, love, truth, righteousness, is also duplicated in his law. His law is also spiritual, love, truth, righteousness, as well as being holy. We have another page, every characteristic of God is duplicated in his law. His law is a transcript of the very character of God.

Love is the foundation of God's law. His law is love, a transcript of God's character and the foundation of God's government. We said in another presentation that at the cross was the greatest revelation of who God was. Amen? Amen.

And we said that the claims of the law had to be met. The wages of sin is death. When Adam and Eve sinned in Edenic perfection, that the law said that they deserve to die. Jesus stood in their place and we made the simple observation that the law of God was so sacred, so unchangeable, that the only way that man could be saved was not changing the law. That would have been an easy thing to do.

You break a requirement, let's just change the law. But God said the law of God was so sacred that the only way that man could be saved was that Jesus had to die. And at the cross, you have the perfect demonstration of justice and mercy. Hallelujah. At the cross, Jesus met the claims of the law, but at the same time, he said, I will die in the sinner's place.

Justice and mercy beautifully exemplified at the cross. Jesus spoke at the cross and said the word it is finished indicating that the seal of Satan the fate of Satan was sealed the great controversy we can know that the last chapters of the book of Revelation are a surety. We know who the ultimate winner is. Jesus achieved that victory at the cross and we can rest in that assurance. Here's our thesis question in our study.

Why are we still here after the cross? Isn't this a fitting question? How many years has it been? Over 2, 000 years after the cross Jesus hung between heaven and earth and said the words, it is finished, the fate of Satan was sealed, and then why are we still here? This is a question that people have even dared to ask because in the last century alone we have experienced multiple wars, multiple genocides.

Hurricane Sandy is just another illustration that we live in a world of sin and suffering and disease and human depravity is apparent all around us, especially when there's a game day. Have you noticed? Just drive down the road and all the partying and the depravity and we're praying here on Sunday morning still that the Lord would cause a revival at Michigan State University. Amen? And that through conversion that all the bars would be closed because no one's buying alcohol Hallelujah praise the Lord, the Lord can do that, amen?

But the question is, why are we still here at the cross? Why doesn't God just finish this thing and come? This is a question that many people have asked and we need to go back to the very beginning in the context of the great controversy and ask these questions. I want to invite you to turn on the screen or look to the screen or turn in your Bibles if you so will. This is found in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27 in the creation of man the Bible says so God created man in his own what does the Bible say in his own image and the image of God he created him male and female When God breathed into Adam and Eve the breath of life and they walked in Edenic perfection, they were what the Bible says the image of God.

I believe that we even share physical characteristics of God. But more than that, Adam and Eve had the character of God. Which means that when God looked at Adam and Eve, he said, they're just like me. Amazing! Just like me.

The law of God wasn't something that they had to even try to keep. Imagine that. It wasn't even a struggle. They didn't wake up and say, oh I need to do this. It was natural.

The law of God was written in their heart. They loved to serve and obey God. That wasn't the way it was in Edenic perfection. They still were free moral agents. But temptation was far different than it is today.

Imagine if today the only way you could be tempted was you had to go to a tree in Alaska. A geographical spot in Alaska and then the devil would have a chance at tempting you. That's the way it was in the entire world. The only place the devil could be was just a radius around this tree. Oh Lord, that was the only way that it was today.

I mean, it would just be tremendous. Naturally, 1 of you, God, on temptation was geographically constricted to an area on planet Earth. God could say, Adam and Eve are just like me. Through the fall of man that changed. That changed dramatically.

A few pages later, here's what happened. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Through sin, Adam and Eve went from being just like God, the image of God, to the place where the Bible says that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Thoughts and feelings make up our moral character. And here, at the very thought, the intent of the heart, man became depraved.

Every person born a child of Adam came into this world, you and I, came with broken equipment, of fallen nature. We have a bend toward evil. And God came in the New Testament to reveal himself to us. And the question is how did God restore the image of God in man? Because this is his ultimate intention.

The image of God had been defaced. It had been marred through sin and now Jesus comes to bring man back to the place where he was before the fall. And this is how he did it. He came down to reveal the character of God to us. This is found in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6.

It's found in your study guide. It says, for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. There's a lot we can say about this verse, but very quickly, what is in the face of Jesus is highlighted on the screen it says the light of the knowledge of the what of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ Jesus came to reveal in his face the glory of God I wish I was living in the first century because if you wanted to know what God was like when Jesus was alive and you happen to live in Palestine, what a privilege. All you had to do was look at the face of Jesus. Amazing.

God personified. Which means every look, every smile, every laugh, Every glance, this is what God was like. The revelation of God, never before exemplified in the face of Jesus Christ. He came to reveal that to the world. But what is that glory?

As a child, and even into my adult years, when I read glory in the Bible, I assumed that glory was like this, you know, this bright light, shining. When children draw glory in the throne of God, they get a yellow crayon and just put all these lights. Because that's what you think, the glory of God is this radiance, this shining coming from the face of Jesus Christ. But here in Exodus chapter 33 verse 18 and 19 Moses had the audacity to ask the Lord show me your glory and he Moses said please show me your glory and God said yes Then he said I will make my goodness pass before you. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.

I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Moses said show me your glory. And God said this is my glory. My glory is my goodness, my graciousness, my compassion.

In other words, the glory of God was the character of God. Which means that in the face of Jesus Christ, you could see the character of God never before revealed, never before personified. All you had to do was look at the face of Jesus Christ, and suddenly you could recognize who God actually was. I believe that the radiance, the physical radiance that comes from Jesus is because of his character. His character is so pure, so beautiful, that there's a physiological radiance that emanates.

I believe it's the same thing with you and I. When we reflect God's character, I believe people can tell. I believe there will be a difference. Glory is character in the Bible. So when Jesus came to this earth, He came to reveal to mankind and to the universe the character and the glory of God.

Why did Christ reveal His character? This is 1 reason. In 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, it says, But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed." Notice that is in the process of transformation. This is not a 1 time thing. The Greek is actually in the sense of an ongoing experience.

It says, "...are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now let's put in that phrase, replace it with character. It says, beholding as in a mirror the character of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image from character to character just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Which means that Adam and Eve were just like God in the beginning. The human race became defaced because of sin.

Jesus came to reveal his character. Why? Because when you reveal his character and you look at the face of Jesus. Amen? Don't look at me.

Oh, heavens, don't look at me. Don't look at your neighbor. We'll all let you down. But look at Jesus. Amen?

He will never let you down. And the beauty of it is that as you look at his face, the glory, the character that emanates, the Bible says you will become changed from 1 character to another character. To another character. How many of you, don't raise your hands, have characteristics, character flaws that you want the Lord to take away. I mean, you don't have to raise your hands, but I'm gonna raise my hand.

Hereditary and cultivated characteristics. I have characteristics that have been passed down from generation to generation. And I can tell because I, before my blessed grandfather passed away, I would visit him and I'd be like, I'm just like him. You ever had that happen before? The genes are so strong.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And some nice characteristics have been passed out, but it's a package, friends. And some other characteristics have been passed out, and I'm just like, Lord, help me, because these characteristics are just, it's like I will naturally behave just like him. And it would drive my parents bananas. My dad would just laugh and just be like, he's just like my dad.

You know, he left Korea and came to the States hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with that and he has a son and I'm just like him. And it's only by the grace of God. It's only by the grace of God because I'm nowhere near where I need to be. But I praise the Lord by beholding Jesus. I'm nowhere near where I was.

Amen? That the Lord took me just the way that I am. But he said, Son, I love you too much to leave you in this condition, because you are miserable." And he transformed me, and he said, just look at me. Keep your eyes on me, and by beholding, you'll become changed. Amen?

I want to continue to behold Jesus. I want to continue to keep my eyes fixed upon Him because that is the source of our transformation. How does God put that character in us? Remember in eugenic perfection, they were just like him. The image of God, the law of God was written in their hearts and then this is what God wants to do in the process of salvation.

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 10, for this is a covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord look at this I Will put my wife I will put my law which is the transcript of God's character in their mind and write them on their heart I will be their God and they shall be my people we will get to the place by the grace of God where the law of God will be written in our hearts. It will not be a law of bondage. By the grace of God we will get to the place where we would love to serve and obey God because God has written it in our hearts. God's law is a transcript of God's character of love. He reproduces his character in his people by writing his law in our hearts.

And this is why the pronouncement in the end of time is this in the great controversy context, Revelation chapter 14 verse 12 here is the patience of the saints, here are they who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This is not an external keeping alone it's a character transformation. The reason we know that is in Revelation chapter 14 verse 1, Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having the Father's name written on their foreheads indicating name in the Bible. In the Hebrew mind was an indication of character. In the end of time, God looks down from heaven, and he says, they are just like me.

Amen? That's the beauty of justification. When God comes down and justifies the sinner, He doesn't see them as a sinner. He sees His righteousness. They are just like me.

The Father's name written in their foreheads. At the second coming of Jesus notice 1 John 3 verse 2. Behold, beloved, now are we the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is." When Jesus comes the second time there will be a people that reflect the character of God to the world as a witness, and then the end will come. There's going to be another group in the end of time, Revelation 6, verse 16. This is the wicked.

And notice the words of the wicked it said fall on us and hide us from the what what is the Bible say from the face notice that as we look at the face of Jesus we are being transformed and by the grace of God when Jesus comes we will reflect his character that is 1 group of people And then the other group of people, when they see Jesus coming in the clouds of glory, they have not been transformed by beholding. Actually they have been transformed, but they've been beholding something else. It says, hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. How many of you have ever seen an angry lamb? It sounds like a paradox.

But there's something about the face of Jesus that causes the wicked to cry and say these words, for the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" These are solemn words, friends, because in the end of time, there's going to be only 2 groups. 1 group is going to reflect the character of God, and the other group is going to reflect the character of the devil. And in the context of the great controversy, here is the demonstration. The revelation of the character of God revealed through humanity. A polarization in the end of time.

1 people that say, I will reflect the character of Jesus. And the other 1 through a process comes to reflect the character of the enemy. Ultimate polarization in the end of time. We come back to the original question very quickly as we close. Why are we still here at the cross?

Here it is in Matthew 24 verse 15, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. Here is the factor. The Bible says that the gospel will be preached where? To all the world and then the end will come. And I praise the Lord for Brian Moroney who's in charge of our web based ministry and just in 1 week, I don't know if you saw that email, we had 22, 000 hits on our online sermon in 1 week from all over the world.

We've gotten to the place with technology today that we can broadcast via the internet to the entire world. And people are logging in, asking questions, asking for study guides, watching online, downloading sermons. And this gospel is being preached to all the world. But I'd like to venture to contend here this morning that the preaching of the gospel is not just with proclamation. So much is emphasized on the words that we speak.

The gospel is to be preached not just with words, but with life. It's not just the words that are uttered, but it's the life that is lived. Why was Jesus able to speak the way that he was? Because no 1 lived the way that Jesus lived. And the final testimony in the end of time is the combination of the 2.

A people that are so transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ that just like in the book of Acts, those Pharisees marveled and said, these people have been with Jesus. They're just like him. And the gospel went to the entire world. The gospel is not just preached with words, it's preached with life. What gives the words power is a transformed life.

The gospel will be preached with our words and with our lives. The dramatic, distinctive life witness will indeed be the good news, the gospel, that Jesus reigns in the lives of men. This message in living color will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come. This is from Christ's author of lessons. Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of himself in his church.

When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people, then he will come to claim his own. Amen. God wants to transform your life. God wants to radically have you reflect the character of God so that when you preach your words will have power because You are a changed individual. When Jesus comes in the clouds of glory, I want to be by the grace of God, just like Him.

Amen? In character. Not because of anything that I've done, but because I've kept my eyes on Jesus. Amen? And through that process of beholding Jesus, He works that continual transformation in my life.

Father in heaven, Lord we thank you for Jesus. Lord this earth was so dark through a misrepresentation of who you actually were. And Lord we thank you that you came down and that we could look in your face and that we could see the character of God as never being revealed before revealed. 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 would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org.

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Series

Cosmic Conflict

Cosmic Conflict- Part 4

Parent Series

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Other Teachings in Series

Cosmic Conflict- Part 1

39m

Cosmic Conflict- Part 2

37m

Cosmic Conflict- Part 3

35m

Cosmic Conflict- Part 4

27m

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