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>>BRANDON SCHROEDER: Good Evening! I have with me Berneice and Daryl. They are from the land down under with AYC. Now AYC started a few years ago. Berneice, when did when did
AYC start? What is AYC? >> BERNEICE CHANG: AYC stands for Adventist Youth for Christ.
We are a movement down in Australia, similar to what you are doing here in the United States
and we actually started with our first conference or convention in 2006. And we were inspired,
actually, when a few of our youth came to the United States for GYC in 2003 and 4 and
they saw the work that the Holy Spirit was doing here and we wanted to do a similar thing
and inspire the youth in Australia back home. So we started with a very small group of a
hundred and fifty youth and we ve grown since then we have three to four consecutive conferences
that will be running back-to-back on consecutive weekends next year. So we are very excited!
>>BRANDON SCHROEDER: So were the youth in Australia, were they chomping at a bit to
do something, were they excited, were they waiting for this opportunity? Or has this
created some energy and some synergy in Australia? >> BERNEICE CHANG: I think yes to both. Australia
is a little bit different in the sense that we are a very secular country. So Adventism
is not as prominent as it is here. We have fifty two thousand Adventists in a country
of twenty million people. And in that fifty two thousand, there are very few youth. So
the youth sometimes feel a little bit isolated like they are not sure how their role in the
local church fits into the global picture of the SDA community. >>BRANDON SCHROEDER:
So do you have some stories, some practical examples of how the youth are related to AYC?
>>DARYL CHANG: Sure Brad, I m gonna share with you a story of Sukhi, one of the youth
who was involve in AYC and continue to be involved as well. She first came to AYC in
2007 in one of the conventions. And she responded to a call to be a Bible Worker for a year
in Mark Finley s campaigning Evangelistic Series in Melbourne. But she soon realized
that even though you come to a GYC or AYC convention, it doesn t end there. Because
revival happens at the convention but she realized that when she went back to her local church
that is where it all started. And so since that time she s gone back to her local church,
she s a counselor she s a small group leader in her local church and she s involve in campus
ministries and that complements her involvement in AYC as well and she realized that youth
that comes to places like this needs to go back to their local churches and do some work.
>>BRANDON SCHROEDER: AMEN! And its exciting to see that when people experience that outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, that encounter with Christ they cannot help but t go back and share it
with other people. Are there other stories, more examples of how AYC has been impacting
lives? >> BERNEICE CHANG: Yes, if I could just share one of the stories that really
warms my heart. We have a school group from one of the Adventist Academies that has attended
AYC for last two years running. And the story behind that is that one of their teachers
actually had attended one of our conferences a year before and he was really inspired,
really touched and blessed by what was happening. And he decided that it was so meaningful and
so wonderful that he wanted every single student in his academy to have the opportunity to
attend. He went through the school board, he made it an official school excursion and
he, out of his own pocket, decided to sponsor sixty percent of the registration fee of any
student that would want to attend. He also organized to meet everyday at the school and
he organized for a school bus to drive them an hour and half to the conference in time
for morning prayer >>BRANDON SCHROEDER: I don t think they understood. This is a teacher,
paying sixty percent of each student s registration, >> BERNEICE CHANG: That s right, yes >>BRANDON
SCHROEDER: organizing to drive them an hour and half. Is this amazing? >>AUDIENCE: Amen!
>> BERNEICE CHANG: And what s more is that this is the most dedicated group of sixteen,
seventeen year olds I ve ever seen. In Australia, we have school uniforms so being an official
school excursion, they all have to dress nicely and wear the school uniform. And one interesting
story was that one morning one, of the boys actually didn t actually wake up in time to
get it to the meeting point at the school before they had to leave. So he lived quite
close to the school and what the whole group of the students and the staff did was that
they drove to his house and one of his friends rung the doorbell and woke him up and he got
ready. He was running out the door five minutes later, Bible in one hand, shoes in the other,
tie in his pocket and they were on time for morning prayer that day. >>BRANDON SCHROEDER:
AMEN! Now for those of you who don t know, what does AYC stands for? >>DARYL CHANG: AYC
actually stands for Adventist Youth For Christ and Brandon, we ve changed that name from
Australian Youth Conference to Adventist Youth for Christ to reflect that AYC is a movement.
AYC is not a conference, AYC is not a convention, AYC is a movement of young people. We ve also
instituted training workshops, evangelistic series, you might have heard Justin sharing
with you, we are aiming to do multi-site public evangelistic series all across Australia to
encourage young people to not only to come to convention and to be revived but to go
back, be trained and to be active in sow-winning for Jesus >>BRANDON SCHROEDER: AMEN! Thank
you guys!
>>PIANO: HOLY HOLY HOLY
>>AUDIENCE: AMEN
>>AARON McNULTY: Good Evening!
I have one brief announcement: For those that are deaf and hard of hearing, there are interpreting
services available on gycweb.org where the services are being streamed live on the web.
So for those that have that, that is available. I wanted to introduce our speaker tonight.
Our speaker tonight is Pastor Kameron Devasher. Pastor Devasher is currently a pastor in the
Michigan conference; he s been there since October. Before that he was pastoring down
in Avon Park, FL. And as a graduate from Southern Adventist University, Pr. Kameron and I was
talking back stage and we had a special connection we both grew up in the great region of middle
Tennessee and so we already have a good bond. Pr. Kameron I would like have a short word
of prayer with you before you start. Father in Heaven, Lord we thank you to be in this
place tonight and we ask that you would speak through Pr. Kameron as he delivers the message
tonight. We ask for the presence of Your Spirit to be in this place. In Your name I pray, AMEN!
>>AUDIENCE: Amen >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Good Evening GYC! >> AUDIENCE: Good evening.
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: That was weak. We'll try it again. Good Evening GYC! >> AUDIENCE:
Good Evening! >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Thank you so much. Has it been a blessing so far today?
Amen? Amen! >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Fantastic! As you ve heard repeatedly, at this point
you should have heard repeatedly at least, that are theme this year is Fill Me, Our Earnest
Plea, and for all intents and purposes that s just a fancy way of saying the topic, the
theme this conference is revolving around is the Holy Spirit s work in our lives. It
s an important theme, and in fact speaking of the absolutely critical role of the Holy
Spirit we are counseled, this is a second manuscript released page 15, It is beyond
the power of language to express the blessings Holy Spirit brings to God s people. If received
and appreciated the Holy Spirit will make us Holy, Christ like. Through its agency we
are united with Christ, partakers of the Divine nature. And here s the key, the reception
of the Holy Spirit in its fullness is the great need of the church today. It is my hope,
in fact it is my most sincere prayer that tonight will be not just another opportunity
to be more informed about the Holy Spirit but by the grace of God and His indwelling
Spirit, be transformed into the character of Christ. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER:
As we begin to study God's word tonight, we must begin with a word of prayer. Please bow
your heads with me. Dear Heavenly Father. Lord, I thank you so much for the opportunity
of bringing these young people together at GYC. I thank you for the theme that's been
chosen and now Lord I thank you that you've promised to give us wisdom through your Holy
Spirit as we open your word. Please guide our minds. Lord, sharpen our minds, And where
is needed Lord soften are hearts so that we may not only hear the word but be doers of
the word. So that we reflect your character to the world, by your grace you may hasten
your soon coming. We pray all of this in Jesus's name. Amen. Above all of the other creatures
that the Lord God made in the creation week. We're going to Genesis chapter 1 by the way,
so I'll give you a head start. Above all the creature that the Lord God made, He gave humanity,
man and woman, man, dominion over everything. And reflect on this for me a moment. Why?
If someone were to ask you, "Why was man given the responsibility and dominion over planet
earth?" what would be the reason. And many of you would say, "Well, of course we were
given dominion. Who else was going to do it?" You know, what are the other options? We're
special. We're unique. We're one of a kind. We're the only one, in fact, we were, and
you might have some theological reasons why we were given dominion of the earth. You might
say, "Well we were formed by the dust of the ground. And while that's true, that doesn't
make us unique. Apparently according to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 19, the Lord God formed
every beast of the field out of the dust of the ground. Well you say, "Ahhh, but we were
designed in a plural man and woman. You know, like, like. The God head works together in
a unity and they created. We've been given the ability to procreate. In fact, we were
commanded to be fruitful and multiply." And that's great and that's true! But the problem
is the birds and the fish were told to be fruitful and multiply even before man was
created. That's not our uniqueness. You say, Yaa, but, but, but, we have the breath of
life. But according to Genesis chapter six and Genesis chapter seven, the flood was given
to wipe out all creatures that had the breath of life in them. So, it's not that either.
And I tell you something. It's not because we're the strongest creatures God ever made.
We're not. It's not because we're the fastest creatures God ever made. It's not because
we're the best swimmers that God ever made. We're not. We don't have the coolest powers
of any of the beings He made. Look around the world. We can't fly. I'd LOVE to fly.
I can't fly. We can't breathe water. Fish can do that. I can't do that. You know, we
don't have bio, what is it called? Luminescence. We don't glow in the dark. That would be awesome.
We don't have, we don't operate by photosynthesis. We're not fueled by the sun, which, think
about it. How great would that be? Every night the sun goes down. Shh When the sun comes
back up. Ggrrrrrraaaa! You know. It's tremendous, you know, when we follow the sun as it goes.
But, I'm living in Michigan now so maybe that's not the best thing, but those people in Florida
and Arizona. >> AUDIENCE: [cheers] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Boy I tell you, you'd be strong!
>> AUDIENCE: [laughter] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: I did not see that coming. I'll be honest
with you. We're not even the hardiest of creatures. We're actually quite fragile. Think about
it. How much luggage did you pack for four days in the wild out back of Houston? >> AUDIENCE:
[laughter] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: All the other animals seem to get by without luggage. We
have to carry on, and pack in, and get. My point is this, what makes us unique is not
any physical attribute, but a spiritual something. Genesis chapter one verse 26 tells us what
that is. We get to eavesdrop on a conversation the Lord has with Himself, which is cool!
It says in verse 26 of Genesis chapter one. Let us make man, what are the next three words?
I'm sorry GYC, I can't hear you tonight, it's so sad. I'm deaf. What is it? In our image
according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of
the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps
on the earth." Verse 27. "So God created man," what are the words? "In His own image; in
the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." The spiritual significance
of humanity is why we've been given dominion. Turn with me to Psalm 8. Psalm 8, and reflecting
on this creation week and the significance, rather the seeming insignificance of humanity
amongst all of the other creatures and beings and created world that the Lord God has established.
Look at what the Psalmist says. Psalm 8, starting with verse three. It says, "When I consider
Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained."
Verse four, "What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit
him?" He's thinking the same thought. Of ALL the things that you made, what are we? Verse
five. "For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him
with glory and honor." Crowned with glory. And then he goes on to say, "You have made
him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet."
But the rationale for that is this crowning with glory and honor. What does it mean to
be crowned with glory and how does it relate to being made in the image of God. You know,
when I think of the word glory, and I guarantee you're thinking this too. When I hear glory,
I think of like, shiny, like a gleam. Dinnngg! You know, when you think about that, when
you think of the Lord returning in All of His glory, you're thinking of brightness and
splendor and shininess, sparkly maybe. But here, something is different being said. Yes,
while there is an outward aspect to glory. The greater importance, the real significance
is the unseen, the inward glory which, we're going to see tonight, is character. Go to
Exodus chapter three. Exodus chapter three. We're gonna move quickly through the Bible
tonight. That's not an apology, I'm just letting you know. Exodus chapter three. This is the
story of Moses of being, coming upon the burning bush. And he decides to inspect it and go
over. And the Lord tells him not to do that. In fact, verse six says, Moreover He said,
'I am the God of your father the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And
notice these words carefully. And Moses hid his face, for he was, what's the word? Afraid
to look upon God." He was afraid to look upon God. But what's fascinating about this is
just go 30 chapters over. Thirty chapters to the right. Go to Exodus chapter 33. And
this same Moses who was afraid to look upon God, now in Exodus chapter 33, makes the famous
request. Verse 18, "And he said," to the Lord God, Please, show me Your, what? Glory. In
Exodus chapter three, He's afraid to look on God. In Exodus chapter 33, He's begging
for more. What's the difference? Well, I would submit to you that he's a different Moses
at this point. The Moses who was wondering around the wilderness, unsure of himself,
not being called into the ministry yet. But now the Lord God has used him at this point.
In a mighty way, he's gone before pharaoh, he's delivered his people by a mighty hand.
He's crossed the Red Sea. They, they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. They received
the law. He's gone up the mountain. He's come close to the Lord. In fact, he's even shared
in the sufferings of the Lord in dealing with the Israelites. So much so that when the golden
calf of Exodus 32 incident occurred, he begged the Lord, If it not possible to redeem them,
put myself in their place. Block my name out. s a different Moses. And now he asks for even
more of the Lord s glory. And this is crucial. This is crucial, the answer given. Verse 19,
Then he said, I will make all of my, what s the next word? Goodness pass before you.
Do you see the equivalence? The glory of the Lord is His goodness. I will make all my glory,
all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.
I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. And skip over to chapter six of verse, chapter 34. When it actually
occurred, this is what happened. And the Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful, and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing
the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers up on the children and the children s children
to the third and the fourth generation. This is the glory of God. This is His goodness.
The glory of God is His character. His goodness, his mercy, his justice, etc. Man s creation
in the image of God and being crowned with glory, means primarily that God established
humanity to reflect the character of his creator. Mrs. White puts it this way in Patriarchs
and Prophets, page 45. Christ alone is the express image of the Father; but man was formed
in the likeness of God. Then she explains what she means by that. His nature was in
harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His
affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy
and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will. You see
it was only with his inward glory, this Godlike character, only while that was maintained,
could the outward glory, the shininess or their garments of light as we typically refer
to it, be maintained. Continue on in the same page, we read these words, The sinless pair
wore no artificial garments. Bioluminescence. They were clothed with a covering of light
and glory, such as the angels wear. And notice the next sentence. So long as they lived in
obedience to God, this robe of light continued to enshroud them. It was this inward glory,
this Christ-like character, that qualified man as that unique creature formed in the
image of God. But of course we know the sacred history. We know that they did not continue
to live in obedience. When Adam and Eve rebelled against their creator, it was this image of
God that was lost. As devastating as it must have been to be thrown out of the garden,
to have increased pain, and to even lose access to the tree of life and the resulting living
forever that came along with it. Those things were subordinate, those things were secondary
to the real lose, which was the image of God in man. How do I say this? Sometimes I think
when we present the great controversy theme, we don t tell enough of the story. We need
to present the greater controversy, if you will. I mean, we ll talk about the great controversy
and we ll say things like, which are true things, we ll go to Genesis chapter on and
two and we ll say, Do you see that Eden was established and it was good, good, good, good,
and on day six it was very good, and it had a good. You know, the water that ran through
it. And you had the tree of life in there. All these beautiful surroundings and perfect
environment, then sin came in and everything, we lost Eden. And we go through the whole
Bible and we get to the end of the Bible and Revelation 21 and 22 and you see the restoration
of the Garden of Eden. And there s the water of life. There s the tree of life. We show
how the book ends of the Bible start with Eden established and Eden restored but (speaker
sighs). As true and as great as that is, here s my point tonight. The restoration of a place
is not the point of the story of redemption. Salvation and Jesus Christ involves the restoration
of people themselves. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Sometimes I fear. Follow this logic.
Sometimes I fear that we focus on Christ s promise to prepare a place for us, while we
neglect the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare us for the place. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON
DEVASHER: Do you see the difference? Put it another way. Redemption in Jesus Christ means
more than simply His promise to physical transport us to heaven. It includes the far greater
promise to spiritually transform us For heaven. Not merely to Get us in, but to Fit us in
before we get there. Do you see the difference? >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: There
s a difference between getting in and fitting in. Mrs. White puts it this way in Christian
Education, page 64 and 65, Sin has marred and well-nigh obliterated the image of God
in man. And notice these words. It was to restore THIS that the plan of salvation was
devised, and a life of probation was granted to man. To bring him back to the perfection
in which he was first created, notice these words, is the great object of life, the object
that underlies every other. So whatever we do beyond that, the foundational issues in
the great controversy is not just restoring a place, it s restoring a people for a better
place. Education, page 125, The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every
other in the whole book clusters. If someone asks you that, What s the essential theme
of the Bible? Apparently that was rhetorical. >> AUDIENCE: [laughter] Jesus >> KAMERON DEVASHER:
But you would say, Jesus and His life. His sacrifice on the cross. You know, to get us
to heaven. The essential theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole
book clusters is the redemption plan. Which she defines as, the restoration in the human
soul of the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in the sentence pronounced in Eden
to that last glorious promise of the Revelation, They shall see His face; and His name shall
be in their foreheads, the burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the
unfolding of this wondrous theme, man's uplifting, the power of God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now of course, because of our sin problem that does exist,
we can t have the open communion with God that our first parents enjoyed. I mean that
promise that Mrs. White referred to in that previous quotation of Revelation 22 that we
shall see His face, sounds nice until you counter balance it with God s warning to Moses
back in Exodus 33, You cannot see my face, for no man shall see my face and, what? >> AUDIENCE:
Live. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Live. You ever thought about the tension that creates? God
s like, re going to see my face, but if you do, you ll die. Is that good news or not?
How can the God of Exodus 33 be the God of Revelation 22? How can we see the face of
a God who declares that no one can see His face and live? I m not going to answer that
question for you right now. It ll be later tonight. But I want you to take that idea,
that contradiction, that paradox, and I want you to place it on a shelf in your mind. Keep
it dusted off cuz we re going to come back to it, kay? But we didn t have the open commune
with God anymore. After the fall, the only way we could see God s glory, was in the veiled
person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter one, verses one through three, describes Jesus
as quote, The brightness of God s glory in the expressed image of His person. Colossians
chapter two, verse nine, says that, In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
So somehow, all the fullness of the Godhead is in a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.
Jesus, himself, in John chapter 14 verses six and seven, made it very plain. He said,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but What? by Me. He
goes on to say, If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on
you know Him and have seen Him. Go to the book of Second Corinthians. Second Corinthians,
go to chapter three. Second Corinthians, chapter three. Starting with verse 18. The apostle
Paul lays out an incredible picture for us. Starting with verse 18, Second Corinthians
chapter three. He says, But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory
of the Lord, are being, what s the word? Transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord. Continue on. Go to chapter four and verse 16. He says,
Therefore, we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet our inward
man is being renewed day by day. That s the amazing thing about this life. It s paradoxical.
The longer you live it, you physically you die. You get closer and closer to death every
day. But if you walk hand in hand with Christ, you actually get renewed in your inner man
day by day. This is what Paul s talking about. The outward man is perishing as the inward
man is being Notice the process language. Not has been or will be but is being renewed
day by day. And he goes on to say in verse 17. For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment. And this is a guy who s been beaten. This is a guy who s been threatened
with his life, he s been ship. I mean all kinds of horrible stuff was happening. He
calls that light affliction. In comparison with the future life. For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
By not only accepting the sacrifice of Christ but furthermore, by beholding the character
of Christ. As witnessed in his sinless life, his sacrificial death, his complete victory
over Satan and every temptation thrown at Him, we see the glory of God and through the
work of the Holy Spirit, we become more and more like him. When Paul writes this, by beholding
Christ, we are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory. He literally
means, that our character, that inward man, is being molded, it s being refashioned. As
if the Lord stooped down once again out of the miry clay and is reshaping you into the
image we were originally created to reflect. Sons and Daughter of God, page 125, The Lord
Jesus came to strengthen every earnest seeker for truth, He came to reveal the Father. He
allowed nothing to divert His mind from, and here s her words again, THE great work of
restoring the moral image of God in man. And we must see that THE great and important work
for us is to receive, not just His offer to get us in but the divine likeness, to prepare
a character for the future life. In Heavenly Place, 142, again, We are individually now
testifying to the world of the power of the grace of Christ in the transformation of human
character from glory to glory, from character to character. Those are her words. In fact,
if you want to look in your little CD ROM. People don t use CD ROM. Your app, whatever.
>> AUDIENCE: [laughter] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: If you want to look up the phrase, glory to
glory, I just don t have time to go into it now, but every single time Mrs. White employs
that phrase glory to glory or she quotes Second Corinthians three verse 18, she always is
being referenced in context of developing within us the character of Christ. In fact,
often times, where it says, glory to glory she will literally insert, right next to it,
in little brackets, character to character. She see an equivalence between the glory of
God and the character of God and that is to be restored in humanity in preparation for
the life we re going to live. See, she goes on. In beholding Christ our pattern, who is
pure and holy and undefiled, we are being prepared for the society of the heavenly angels.
Have you ever been to a party that you didn t fit into? I mean, you got in but once you
got in, you re like, I just do not belong with these people. Either they were, I don
t know. I don t know what the difference between you and them was, but you knew it was there.
They didn t have to say anything, they didn t have a document, they didn t have a list,
you just walked, you re like, The air here is different. Something. It looks. It feels.
Ah! These are not. No, no. There s a difference between getting in and fitting in. Notice
this. She asks this beautiful rhetorical question. It makes so much logical sense. Listen to
it carefully. If Christ is to be our head and Prince in the heavenly courts, it becomes
us to inquire, I love her language. We should ask. It makes sense to question this, If Christ
is to be our head and Prince in the heavenly courts, it becomes us to inquire What is Christ
to us now? Have you thought about that? People who aren t serving God at all, somehow fully
expect to serve Him with joy in the heavenly courts. It s like if you have the audacity
to think you re gonna get in, would you fit in even if He let you. If you re not in to
Him now, what makes you think that your affections will change on the way up? The character that
will be ours for eternity will not be given at the second coming. It will be developed
right here in the life you are right now living this moment. Romans chapter eight. Romans
chapter eight, Paul again comes back to this idea, this theme, of the transformation in
Christ. Romans chapter eight. Again, notice the very similar language to Second Corinthians
chapter four. This time Romans chapter eight, starting with verse 18. He says, For I consider,
and I love how he considers. I consider this. I think about it. I thought of it and I ve
come to the conclusion. I consider. He s not shooting from the hip, Paul s a thinker. I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed, where? In us. But I thought the glory that we were waiting
for was on the eastern sky with, you know, the size of the man s hand and it s gonna
get bigger and bigger. That s the glory we re waiting for, right? He says, Slow down.
s like, The sufferings we re going through this present life aren t anything compared
to the glory which shall be revealed IN US. Look at the next verse. 19. For the earnest
expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing, and you would expect to
say of the son of God. What s your Bible say? >> AUDIENCE: Sons. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: sons.
Small plural. The sons of God. Is it possible that the creation is waiting, not for the
Son of God, but the sons of God to reveal the glory of God in us? >> AUDIENCE: Amen.
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: Hmm. You know, I ll make a shameless plug. There s a fantastic sermon,
there s a lot of fantastic sermons on Audioverse, but one in particular called The Long Campaign,
and the speaker talks about how, if you notice, Christ didn t just destroy Satan immediately.
As soon as he rebelled, He didn t just cast. The casting out of the devil wasn t like straight
from the courts of heaven down to the grave. It wasn t just one shot to the bottom. It
was actually more like a slinky on a staircase. Right? (speaker moves arm in slinky motions)
Sh. Pt. Sh. Pt. My arm can t do that, but you get the gist. You ve played with a slinky.
It goes from one step to. In fact there s four stages of Satan s fall. In the very first
stage when he was originally cast out of the kingdom of heaven, God recognized and rejected
his rebellion. For God knows everything. He sees the heart. He s like, I know what you
re doing. Out! I m not listening. I m not playing along. You have no sympathy here.
You re done! But He doesn t destroy him. Because apparently the rest of the created being has
not fully understood the contrast between the character of Christ and the character
of Satan. But that all changed at the cross. The fury that was within. The violence that
Isaiah and Ezekiel talked about being within was unleashed upon the sinless Savior. In
one climactic moment, the entire universe saw the difference, at least, the un-fallen
universe who can watch from 40,000 feet, saw the difference between the character of Christ
who would GIVE everything, and the contrast between that and the character of Satan who
would take everything, even the life of God if it was possible. Mrs. White says in that
moment, when Jesus died on the cross, in a victorious sacrifice, her words are, the last
link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world were broken. s like there were people
still weighing in the balance. Ya, we re going to be loyal to God but at least let s hear
him out. But when they saw the cross, they said, no more. She goes on to say, Henceforth,
His work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await
the angels as they came from the heavenly courts. They were done with him. And you,
and finally, that s step one is God kicking him out. Step two, he was cast out of the
sympathies of the unfallen heavenly beings. And I m gonna leap over step three and go
to step four. You get the picture. In the final analysis, at the close of the millennium,
when the wicked are resurrected to face the final judgment and execution of judgment,
in that moment, they will to will see the contrast between the character of Christ and
the character they have developed through the deceptions of Satan. And not out of love,
and not out of joy, and not out of repentance, but they will say, they will acknowledge that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of god the Father. So if God recognized and rejected
the rebellion of Satan. And the rest of the universe recognizes and rejects the rebellion
of Satan. And some day even the wicked will recognize the rebellion of Satan for what
it is and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. The question is, what will the people
who now who claim to be Christ s do with that same Christ. Will they allow Christ to make
them heavenly. This is stage three. Will those who claim the name of Christ, live lives of
Christ-likeness. I believe it is to the revealing of these sons of God that the creation eagerly
awaits. Let s continue. Romans chapter 8, go to verse 20. For the creation was subjected
to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. So He bound
this creation under the groaning pain, not just to make it suffer for a while, but there
s good news at the end of it. There s hope! Verse 21. Because the creation itself also
will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children
of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together
until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of
our, what s the word? body. The redemption of our body. Apparently, what we re going
to get at the second coming is a new body. Not a new character. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON
DEVASHER: Let me let Mrs. White help me out here. Christ s Object Lessons, 331, A character
formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this
world to the next. You ever think about that. When Jesus Christ comes, in all of his glory,
will you be ready to step seamlessly from this world to the next. Even more plainly.
I can t think of how you could write it any more plainly. Verse, Our High Calling, page
278, When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, praise the Lord, and made
like His glorious body; but the vile character will not be made holy then. >> AUDIENCE: Amen.
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: The transformation of character must take place before His coming.
>> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Friends there s a difference between simply a transaction
that gets you in and a transformation that fits you in. We need a higher picture of the
plan of salvation. Basically, the change, the glorification that we re promised will
take place when Christ returns is merely the reception of a glorious body that will correspond
harmoniously with the glorious character we have formed through Christ s dwelling within
us. Philippians chapter three. Again, Paul comes back to this same theme. Philippians
chapter three, starting with verse 20. Scripture reads, For our citizenship is in where? I
must wait for you to catch up. I m sorry. For our citizenship is where? In heaven. Notice
it doesn t say, Our citizenship will be in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven right
now, today, if we claim to be Christ s. Now she says, now he says, from which, speaking
of heaven, we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 21, who will
transform our lowly, what? Body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according
to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. I love this
statement. For those who take no pleasure in thinking and talking in this life, will
not enjoy the life that is to come where God is ever present dwelling among His people.
Have you ever thought about that. Somebody has rhetorically asked you, would Jesus enjoy
what you re doing? Could you do what you re doing with God sitting right next to you?
And a lot says, Ah, I hate that question. Ah. But it has some validity, right? I mean,
we re gonna dwell with Him forever. Those who take no pleasure in thinking and talking
of God in this life will not enjoy the life that is soon to come, where God is ever present
dwelling among His people. But those who love to think of God will be in their element.
They re gonna walk in the room and they re like, Ah, this is my place. Breathing in the
atmosphere of heaven. It s like, Ah, this even smells like home. >> AUDIENCE: [laughter]
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: This is good! Those who on earth, love the thought of heaven, will
be happy in its holy associations and pleasures. Then she quotes Revelation 22 again. They
shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. As my friend, David Asscherick
likes to say, God is going to take everyone to heaven, comma, who would be happy there.
The question is, is not God going to get you into heaven, the question is, do you actually
want to fit into heaven or not? Do you really even want to go? Why is character so much,
why did God put such a, a premium on character? Why is it such a big deal to Him. Let s take
that idea off the back of the shelf, the Exodus 33, Revelation 22 paradox. The God who invites
you to see His face but then says, If you see my face, you ll die. How will this be
resolved? I think we find an answer in First John chapter two in verse 28. And now, little
children, three critical words, as we plea fill me, our earnest plea. And now, little
children, abide in Him. Why? That when He appears, a reference to the second coming,
we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. How can we see the
face of a Holy God is by allowing that same God to make us holy before He returns. First
John chapter three. Go one chapter over. First John chapter three. Beloved, now we are children
of God. Present tense, just like our citizenship IS in heaven. NOW we are children of God and
it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. So apparently now you can be a child of
God and there still be growth in the future. I m not preaching instant sanctification here.
I m just saying God has a higher ideal than simply getting you and putting you in heaven.
He wants to make you heavenly first. Now we are the children of God; and it has not yet
been revealed what we shall be, but we know. s like, I don t know exactly what it looks
like but we know this, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him. Not,
we shall be made like Him, or transformed like Him, or changed into being like Him,
we shall be like Him. Why do we know it? For we shall, what s it say? see Him as He is.
You know, when Jesus comes back, He s not gonna be just the veiled glory, no beauty
or comeliness that we might be attracted to Him. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know,
every now and then [I think this is to be a person s name], and his wife talks about
divinity flashing through humanity, like (makes sounds). Little pieces of it shooting. No,
no, no, no, no. When Jesus comes back, He s coming in ALL of His glory. He s gonna burst
through the sky. Shhhwwaaaaa! That s as close as I can come to reenacting it for you, okay,
but? >> AUDIENCE: [laughs] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: But He s not gonna hide. He s not gonna be
veiled. He s like, HERE I AM! Are you ready to look at me yet? Can you even look at me?
The gospel writer says, we are gonna be just like Him because I know we re gonna get to
see Him. And the implication is, and live! Plenty of people are gonna see Jesus come
back, and not live. Do you see the difference? Jesus Himself said it in the most sublime
way, in Matthew chapter five verse eight. Blessed are the pure in heart, why? For they
shall see God. And again, the implication is, and not die from it. That s a blessing,
not a curse. They shall see God. The reason number one why character development is so
crucial. Because it actually gets you through the second coming. It prepares you to meet
a Holy God and live in a holy place in a society of holy beings. Does that make sense, yes
or no? Cuz, Seventh Day Adventists, we have a greater understanding of end time events
than to any other people on the planet. When we present the themes of Daniel and Revelation,
and time prophecy, and we juxtapose that against the snap shot of current world events, it
makes pretty air tight case that Jesus is in fact coming soon, amen? >> AUDIENCE: Amen.
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: That s a powerful message, it s a, an alarming message. It s a stirring
message. It s a needed message. But if that s all we say is that Jesus is coming soon,
that s not necessarily good news for those who don t like Jesus yet. That can t be the
entirety of our message. In his recent book, Adventism s Greatest Need, Pastor Ron Clouzet
writes that Christ is far more interested in our fitness for His return than we should
be in the timing of His return. He tells us He s coming soon, not so that we know the
day or the hour, but so that we can be prepared to go from this world to the next. You know,
when the term Adventist was originally evoked by our pioneers. It wasn t because they expected
to be the people who lived TO the second coming. They wanted to be the people who lived THROUGH
the second coming. And that s a big difference. The earth will be literally Filled with people
who will have lived to the second coming, but how many will survive? I mean, I whole-heartedly
endorse, I embrace, and I, I support the idea that GYC accepts that we will see Jesus return.
And I believe it in my bones that we will see Jesus in our lifetime. >> AUDIENCE: Amen.
>> KAMERON DEVASHER: But friends, living to the second coming has no inherent value. The
question is, will you still be alive after He returns? >> AUDIENCE: Mercy. >> KAMERON
DEVASHER: Or are we just a bunch of the coincidental people who happen to be here at this time
in earth s history? There s a difference between living to it and living through it. That s
reason number one, why character development is so important. But did you know, and this
goes back to the we need to present a greater controversy, there s more involved in the
great controversy in simply saving you. And I know that, to you, that s a big deal, cuz
you re all the you that you ve got. Right? >> AUDIENCE: [laughs] >> KAMERON DEVASHER:
Getting you to heaven is Big To You. And I agree. That should be a motivation. You need
to get ready cuz Jesus is coming. I m fine with that. But did you know that there s more
involved in the great controversy that simply saving you? And I m not even talking about
simply saving other fallen people on this planet. And you re like, Wait a minute. There
s fallen people on other planets? That s not what I m saying either. But the plan of redemption,
what Jesus worked out on the cross, His shed blood does more than simply get fallen people
into heaven. It actually restores the universe and makes it secure for eternity. There s
more to the plan of redemption than simply saving lost people, it s actually recreating
the entire universe into the image and glory of God. Let me explain this to you. In Nahum
chapter one verse nine, God makes a VERY BIG promise. I say it s His biggest promise ever.
And He s made some big promises. Like, I go to prepare a place for you, when, I m gonna
come back and get you. Those are big promises. But Nahum chapter one verse nine. Listen to
the words. What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end, affliction
will not rise up the second time. Once evil has run its course, and the great controversy
has ended, there will not be another controversy. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: So
how can you wrap your minds around it? How can there be a God who creates freewill, free
moral agents, who can choose to do whatever they feel like doing, and yet that same God
can guarantee that sin will never rise again? How can that be possible outside of the development
of the character of Christ in each citizen of heaven? Notice this. Sermons and Talks,
volume two, page 294. Without perfection of character, no one can enter the pearly gates
of the city of God. For it with all our imperfections, we were permitted to enter that city, there
would soon be in heaven a second rebellion. We must be tried and chosen and found faithful
and true upon the purification of our character rests our only hope of eternal life. >> AUDIENCE:
member Amen! Now that s not to say that the Christ-like character causes us to be saved.
Only the blood of Jesus saves sinners. Are we agreed? >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER:
But a Christ-like character is the only guarantee that we will never choose to rebel again.
Think about it, there s a lot riding on your character. Gabriel wants you to be there for
the right reasons. When Jesus was executed on the cross at the cruel hands of Satan,
Gabriel said to Christ, sanctified imagination, He was my friend, that Lucifer, and I really
wanted to see what he s all about, but now I now his true character. He s a murderer.
He deserves to die. Lord the plan of execution can go forward. Then Jesus turns to him and
said, That s great! Thank you! But I want to bring some of them back here. You see my
plan is not just the plan of execution, my plan is the plan of redemption. I don t want
to just end sin. I want to actually save sinners. And I m going to make them your neighbor,
Gabriel. I m gonna take KAMERON DEVASHER: and put him in the palace right next door
to you. And Gabriel s like, Slow down. Ah! You know we keep a record, here, and no, uh
uh, no. Lord, I appreciate that you want to get Him in but he doesn t fit. Christ s like,
Ya, but he will. Let me do some work in him. And He sends out the Holy Spirit. Have you
ever noticed that, I m sorry, we haven t really talked about the Holy Spirit yet and some
of you are like, There s a big signs that s talking about the Holy Spirit right here.
You know I came to GYC. I wanted to learn how to preach better. That s the Holy Spirit.
I wanted to learn how to, you know, I m tired just finding my car keys. I want to speak
in tongues. You know? I want to raise the dead. I want to be a missionary. I want to
do something real for Christ. I want to see the church of God, God s remnant people galvanize
into an organism for evangelism. Like an army with banners. That s why I came to GYC. But
all you re doing is talking about the second coming. You might have a false conception
of what the work of the Holy Spirit actually is. All those things are good things, they
re great things, they re necessary things. They will be given. They re promises of God.
But they re secondary. The primary function of the Holy Spirit is not to make you more
powerful, but to make you more Christ-like. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Do
you see the difference? Primary role of the Holy Spirit is to work IN you to make you
more like Jesus. Please don t have raised all the money to get here. Traveled hours
in stuffy busses and come all the way to Houston over Christmas break just to become informed
about the Holy Spirit. Make a commitment to God that by His grace and indwelling power.
You will be transformed BY the Holy Spirit into a heavenly being who is comfortable in
heaven. >> AUDIENCE: Amen. >> KAMERON DEVASHER: In the book, Education, everybody knows this
famous quote, Higher than the highest human thought can reach is, what? Alright, three
people knew that quote. >> AUDIENCE: [laughs] >> KAMERON DEVASHER: Higher than the highest
human though can reach is, what? s ideal for His children. We all know that sentence, but
do we know the next sentence. Godliness. Christ-likeness. God-likeness is the goal to be reached. You
know, the natural inclination of sinful fallen man to the revelation of the glory of God
is to hide. This is what happened when Adam and Eve were confronted by God who was walking
in the garden in the cool of the day. We were afraid and we hid. This is what happened to
Moses at the burning bush before he was the new man in Christ. He was afraid to look upon
God. And in the book of Revelation, we read the reaction of those who were unprepared
to, who happened to living to the second coming but are not prepared to go through it. Revelation
chapter six, verse 16. They say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the
face of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of His
wrath can come and who is able to stand. And notice, they re not afraid of the sickle or
the sword or the power or the might, they re afraid of His face. I want to close tonight
with Mrs. White s description of what happened when Jesus cleared the temple for the first
time. You can find the Biblical account in John chapter two. But the picture I always
had in my mind, when He cleared the temple, when He purified that place, was that He came
in with a whip, you know. And it was all chaos and the doves and lambs and these money changers
and all. And He just starts ripping the place apart. Ahh! And it s just this chaos and utter
torment. And then all of a sudden, Get out of here! Runs everybody out and it finally
gets quite. You know. And then the little children come in. That s the picture I had.
As He beholds the scene, indignation, authority, and power are expressed in His countenance.
The attention of the people is attracted to Him. When Jesus walks in a room, He doesn
t have to flip over a table, His presence just commands authority. Notice this. The
eyes of those engaged in their unholy traffic are riveted upon His face. They cannot withdraw
their gaze. They feel that this Man reads their inmost thoughts, and discovers their
hidden motives. Some attempt to conceal their faces, as if their evil deeds were written
upon their countenances, to be scanned by those searching eyes. The confusion is hushed.
And notice, He hasn t flipped a table, moved His arm at all. He s just looking. The sound
of traffic and bargaining has ceased. The silence becomes painful. A sense of awe overpowers
the assembly. It is as if they were arraigned before the tribunal of God to answer for their
deeds. Looking upon Christ, they behold divinity flash through the garb of humanity. The Majesty
of heaven stands as the Judge will stand at the last day, not now encircled with the glory
that will then attend Him, but with the same power to read the soul. His eye sweeps over
the multitude, taking in every individual. His form seems to rise above them in commanding
dignity, and a divine light illuminates His countenance. He speaks, and His clear, ringing
voice, the same that upon Mount Sinai proclaimed the law that priests and rulers are transgressing,
is heard echoing through the arches of the temple, Take these things hence; make not
My Father's house an house of merchandise. Slowly descending the stair steps, descending
the steps, and raising the scourge of cords gathered up on entering the enclosure, He
bids the bargaining company depart from the precincts of the temple. With a zeal and severity
He has never before manifested, He overthrows the tables of the money-changers. The coin
falls, ringing sharply upon the marble pavement. None presume to question His authority. None
dare stop to gather up their ill-gotten gain. Jesus does not smite them with the whip of
cords, but in His hand that simple scourge seems terrible as a flaming sword. Officers
of the temple, speculating priests, brokers and cattle traders, with their sheep and oxen,
rush from the place, with the one thought of escaping from the condemnation, not of
His whip. Not of His mighty right arm. The condemnation of His presence. I believe with
all of my heart that this is the generation that will live to the second coming. But that
s note hopeful enough. That s not promise enough. For countless people in the world,
that s just coincidental. The question I want to know for myself, and I want you to be asking
for yourself, is if Jesus, am I ready? I don t want to just go to heaven, I want to be
fit for heaven now. When I walk into those gates, I want to breathe the air and say,
Ah! This makes sense! This is home! Even more than that, when the eyes of my Savior scan
the multitude and land on my eyes, I don t want to be ashamed and hide my face. I want
to be pure in heart cuz I want to see God. Tonight, I want to ask you a question, even
if you disagreed with me, does it at least make sense? Raise your hand. Did it at least
make sense what we re talking about? Praise the Lord. Clear communication. You might all
disagree, but at least you understood the message. Now I want to make an appeal. It
s simple. Won t be long. But if you want to not just think about salvation in terms of
the transaction that gets you in but you re saying, Lord, I want to step on higher ground.
I don t want to be here anymore. I don t want to just be a citizen of heaven, I want to
be, ah, a citizen of earth, I want to be a citizen of heaven, starting right now tonight.
Lord, I want you not to skip me. I want you to fit me in to the society of angels. Lord,
transform my character. Make me like you. If that s your wish, will you stand with me
tonight. That s not the end of the appeal, that s just getting you to your feet. That
was the easy one. Now there might be one person. And I m not looking for the promo video moment
where everyone comes pouring down the aisle. I don t care. But somewhere out there in this
congregation tonight, might be one person who has never made that commitment before.
I don t know why you re here. I don t know how you got here. But someone here has never
made a commitment to Christ. A radical, total, life-transforming. Not just a transaction,
like, okay, I agree. But, Lord, I see bigger picture. I see a higher standard. I want that
greater goal. I want to be like Jesus. Even down to my very character. And, Lord, I want
to make that commitment, right here tonight, in front of this congregation. I ve never
committed my life to Christ before but now I understand the end game, and I want it.
Lord, I m in if you can make me like you. I m ready for that commitment. If there s
even one person who says, Lord, tonight is my night. And I want to make that commitment.
I want to be baptized. I want to die in your death. And I want to be raised into a new
life in Christ. I want you to come down front. Is there even one person tonight? Who says,
Lord, I ve never made that commitment, but by the grace of God, tonight is my night.
Praise the Lord, brother. I m not going to drag it out long, but if there s another one,
praise the Lord. I ll extend the call just a little bit. There might be some older people
here who have made that commitment but for all intents and purposes you ve thrown it
away with YEARS of living away. And the idea of Christ s second coming is not a hopeful
thought, but by the grace of Christ, you see a brighter hope, you see a brighter future,
and you see that God still loves you, he still cares about you, and He s calling you home
tonight. Is there anyone who says, Lord, I m ready to come back home? And I don t want
just to pay for transaction. I don t just want my name on the books, Lord. I want to
be fit in to the society of heaven. Bless you. Bless you. Come on down. I don t know
what your story is, but Jesus is calling you tonight to higher ground. h&v gd7MR hc