3ABN Homecoming 2017

Quicksand

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Lomacang

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Series Code: 17HC

Program Code: 17HC000006A


00:53 We just are so glad you're here with us today.
00:55 And for those who are watching by TV or on the Internet
00:59 or listening on the radio: we welcome you!
01:02 Are you guys having a good time at Camp Meeting?
01:05 If you are, say Praise the Lord!
01:07 Praise the Lord! I think we're having a GREAT time.
01:10 And this hour will be no exception.
01:13 Pastor John Lomacang. I'm privi- leged to call him my pastor.
01:17 And he is such a talented man.
01:20 He began his ministry in song. He was a minister of music
01:24 with the Heritage Singers. Went all over the world with the
01:27 Heritage Singers and then he became a pastor.
01:30 And now he travels the world giving inspired messages
01:35 on the Word of God. And his message today is called
01:38 Quicksand. Clever title.
01:41 But before he comes to speak
01:44 we've got another dear 3ABN family member
01:47 C. A. Murray who is going to sing for us
01:50 Go Free.
02:06 Troubled soul,
02:09 why are you sad and downhearted?
02:15 Don't you know
02:18 He doesn't care where you started.
02:24 Yesterday can't change tomorrow
02:30 so leave behind all your sorrow.
02:35 Go free! Go free!
02:41 In the name of Jesus go free.
02:47 Child of God,
02:50 child adored:
02:53 come to the Lord and go free.
03:07 Trembling soul,
03:11 I know you're so tired of aching.
03:16 Don't you know
03:19 Jesus has cures for the taking?
03:25 His hand of mercy and healing
03:31 can untie the hurt that you're feeling.
03:36 Go free! Go free!
03:42 In the name of Jesus go free.
03:47 Child of God,
03:50 child adored:
03:54 come to the Lord and go free.
04:08 Tempted soul,
04:12 I know you're so tired of fighting.
04:17 Don't you know
04:21 He sees the wounds you've been hiding.
04:27 The battle that rages is so strong
04:32 and you've been a captive for too long!
04:39 Go free! Oh, ya gotta go free!
04:44 In the name of Jesus go free.
04:50 Child of God,
04:53 child adored:
04:57 come to the Lord
05:02 and go free...
05:05 In the name of Jesus go free.
05:10 Child of God,
05:13 child adored:
05:17 come to the Lord
05:22 and go free.
05:25 Go free!
05:28 Go free...
05:31 Now go free.
05:41 Amen!
05:45 Thank you, Pastor C.A. Can you say amen again?
05:47 Amen! That song is fitting for the message this morning.
05:51 Freedom! What we need more than a new car
05:55 is freedom in Jesus. Amen!
05:57 And thank you Pastor C.A. for that song.
06:00 I particularly requested that
06:02 because it fits into the message this morning entitled
06:06 Quicksand. I invite you to bow your heads
06:10 with me as I ask for the Lord to guide.
06:13 Loving Father in heaven, this is the opportunity
06:16 that only divinity can accomplish.
06:20 I pray that you will take my mind
06:24 and the words that are penned on this page
06:28 and bring them to life by Your Holy Spirit.
06:33 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
06:38 Matthew chapter 7 verses 24-26 if you have your Bibles with you
06:42 this morning. Matthew chapter 24...
06:47 Matthew chapter 7:24-26.
06:53 You know, whenever they ask for sermon titles
06:55 it's always a quandary because normally I don't
06:58 decide my sermon title until the sermon is done.
07:02 But Shelley Quinn sent me an e-mail and said:
07:04 "I need your sermon title NOW! "
07:08 And I had been reading and studying
07:11 and the Lord just gave me a single word:
07:15 Quicksand...
07:17 which in fact defines the environment of the world
07:20 we live in today.
07:21 But Matthew - the converted tax collector -
07:24 gives us these words of consideration this morning.
07:27 Verses 24 to 27 in Matthew chapter 7:
07:30 "Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine
07:35 and does them I will liken him to a wise man
07:39 who built his house on the... " Rock! "on the rock. "
07:43 "And the rain descended and the floods came
07:46 and the winds blew and beat on that house
07:49 and it did not fall
07:52 for it was founded on the rock.
07:56 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and
07:58 does not do them will be like a foolish man
08:03 who built his house on the sand.
08:06 And the rain descended and the floods came
08:10 and the wind blew and beat on that house
08:13 and it fell... and great was its fall. "
08:19 Allow me to expand on the words of Matthew.
08:22 If you follow what he is describing,
08:25 he is saying to us: "The collapse of the house
08:28 was facilitated by heavy rains resulting in a flood
08:34 that destabilized the sandy foundation
08:37 on which the house was built. "
08:40 It was not so much the house but the foundation
08:44 on which it was built. And when the trials of life came -
08:47 the rains and the floods - and they combined together
08:50 to liquefy the foundation
08:52 the house was then determined as unsafe.
08:56 Not because of what the house was built OF
08:59 but because of what the house was built ON.
09:03 I began to research and to begin to look into the
09:06 historical effects of quicksand:
09:09 often referred to as sinkholes or other anomalies
09:12 that often hide themselves. And the person that becomes
09:17 the victim to these hidden dangers
09:20 often don't know their existence until they are dragged in
09:25 and pulled under by them.
09:27 And a very impressing story came to me
09:29 September 28, 2015.
09:31 As I looked at the pictures I wanted to show them to you
09:34 but I decided to paint the mental picture instead.
09:37 An Australian waterfront campsite
09:40 in 2015 was swallowed
09:43 by a 650' wide, 160' long
09:49 sinkhole. It swallowed a car, a fifth-wheel
09:55 camping trailer and several tents.
09:58 But fortunately there were no fatalities.
10:01 Amen somebody. Amen!
10:03 But July 14, 2017-
10:06 and the name of this county should be suspect
10:11 when you think about the title:
10:13 in Land of Lakes, Florida -
10:17 two homes were swallowed and five additional homes
10:20 were destroyed by a sinkhole that stretched
10:23 and continued to grow to 260' wide.
10:27 According to the Department of Environmental Protection
10:30 more than 1,900 sinkholes have been identified
10:34 by longitude and latitude coord- inates in the state of Florida.
10:38 I like Florida, but now I'm questioning whether or not
10:40 to live there. Nineteen hundred sinkholes!
10:44 And the residents don't know it until their homes are destroyed.
10:47 Some are sleeping when their homes are swallowed.
10:49 Some return home from work only to find their residence
10:52 is gone. The question is: what is a sinkhole?
10:57 Let me further explain before I get into the
11:00 heart of the message.
11:02 According to the scientists sinkholes occur when
11:05 cave systems and cavities below the ground collapse
11:10 and the sandy soil on the surface starts funneling
11:13 into the collapsed tunnel.
11:15 This can be dangerous enough the scientists say
11:18 but when water is involved that failing or falling sand
11:23 can start to behave like quicksand...
11:26 suddenly sucking in everything in its reach.
11:30 But they also say that long before the devastating collapse
11:33 occurs the process of erosion begins.
11:38 When water slowly seeps into the sand or limestone
11:41 foundation, the result - scientists say -
11:44 is as devastating as quicksand.
11:47 And so the question that I pose to you and those that are
11:50 watching and listening to the message this morning is:
11:52 are we building in these last days on quicksand?
11:56 On what are we taking our stand?
11:59 Is the world shaping our minds? Quicksand!
12:02 Think about it for a moment.. silent but stealthy.
12:05 Quicksand. Blending into the unproductive foliage
12:09 of a barren wasteland.
12:11 Quicksand. Lurking on the innocuous shores of apparently
12:16 safe waterfronts.
12:19 Quicksand. Looks solid until it is disturbed.
12:23 Quicksand. Disguised as a firm foundation
12:28 until you attempt to stand on it.
12:31 Am I getting close?
12:33 Quicksand camouflages itself
12:36 while its danger lies beneath the surface.
12:41 Quicksand. They also say that once you are caught in it
12:45 freedom by yourself is nearly impossible.
12:51 Quicksand. The nemesis of contentment.
12:54 The adversary of progress. Uninvited and crafty
12:58 anxiously anticipating its next victim.
13:02 Quicksand. Quicksand is dangerous
13:05 not because it exists but because - hear me carefully -
13:10 the one that eventually gets caught by it
13:12 does not suspect that each step taken on an unfamiliar path
13:18 carries that person one step closer to quicksand.
13:23 You've seen the movies... Now I must say, those are
13:26 dramatizations... those are exploded, dramatized
13:31 displays of what quicksand does.
13:34 Nobody sinks within a minute up to their neck in quicksand.
13:39 But they also say that the more you try to free yourself
13:43 in quicksand the deeper you get.
13:45 So the remedy is: try at all costs
13:51 to avoid quicksand. Can you say amen? Amen!
13:56 But I must add: at no other time in the church -
14:01 in the history of the church - is the church in more danger
14:05 than when the issues that it embraces
14:08 takes us on a journey on shifting sand.
14:13 Now you know me well enough
14:16 I am not going to ignore the issues that our church
14:19 is confronting. Amen!
14:22 Quicksand indicator #1:
14:24 when the message of human proclamation is not a message
14:29 of divine inspiration.
14:32 When we begin to preach things that God's Word does not ordain
14:37 nor give birth to we are standing on quicksand.
14:41 The danger facing the church is not a cultural shift
14:45 but a gospel shift.
14:47 I'm concerned less... and hear me this morning...
14:50 I'm concerned less about what's happening around us.
14:54 I'm concerned more about what's happening on the inside of us.
14:59 It is not the world that we're concerned about,
15:01 it is the stand we take in the world that is a concern
15:05 to Christ. He calls us to be in the world but not of it.
15:09 And yet as we get closer and closer to the end
15:12 it is amazing to me
15:15 how many things we allow to shift our focus away from
15:19 the urgency of the proclamation of the gospel.
15:22 Knowing that Jesus is soon to come
15:25 Satan has found a way to divide even those
15:28 who claim to be getting ready for the coming of Jesus.
15:32 That's why Paul the apostle says... Go to Galatians 1:8.
15:36 Listen to the words of the church
15:38 in a culturally-shifting society:
15:41 He says in Galatians 1 and verse 8:
15:45 "But even if we or an angel from heaven
15:48 preach any other gospel to you
15:51 other than what we have preached to you
15:53 let him be accursed. "
15:56 Brothers and sisters, there is no better message
15:58 in these last hours of earth's history
16:01 than the urgency of the proclamation of God's
16:04 three angels' messages. Amen!
16:07 That's why I'm so convinced that God called 3ABN
16:11 for such an hour as this.
16:13 To preach an undiluted... Can you say amen? Amen!
16:16 undiluted... unconcerned. We've got to call sin
16:20 what it is - that's right -
16:22 and awaken the people of God as we get closer to the end
16:24 because as you know if you look at the trek of the historical
16:27 journey of the Israelites the devil was not concerned
16:31 that they left Egypt. He was concerned that they
16:33 would enter the Promised Land.
16:35 The devil is less concerned about what you came out of
16:38 he's more concerned about what you're about to enter into.
16:42 So he doesn't mind what you overcame...
16:44 he still wants to overcome us.
16:47 What better decision can we make
16:53 that in our journey to the Promised Land
16:56 to make a determined effort... Now we're not saved by works
17:00 but somewhere along the way
17:01 we've got to put forth some effort.
17:03 Amen! Somewhere along the way we've got to say
17:05 "I'm more concerned about going in than going back. "
17:09 "I'm more concerned about where I'm headed
17:11 than where I came from. "
17:14 That's why Paul says when the gospel begins to shift
17:17 the church is in trouble.
17:18 I read an article by a man by the name of Russell Moore.
17:22 Lifeway Press put this together.
17:24 He said, and the article is entitled "Onward, "
17:29 he said: "The most dangerous threat to the Christian church
17:33 isn't the gale-force winds of a shifting culture
17:37 or political decisions or lack of popularity. "
17:40 He said: "The issue is not what the church is doing to the world
17:44 but the issue is what the world is doing to the church. "
17:48 And when we look at our church today
17:51 I must say as much as I love being a Seventh-day Adventist
17:56 Christian let me preface it by saying
17:57 I would rather be a troubled SDA Christian
18:01 standing on the truth than standing on error
18:05 in a comfortable environment. Amen!
18:08 Because so many people say: "Well we've got so many problems
18:11 here. " Why would the devil leave us alone when he knows
18:15 that God has given us a message that the world is in need of?
18:18 So some people say: "Well I'm going to that denomination
18:21 or that church. " The devil's not concerned about
18:23 folk going in the wrong direction.
18:26 He is concerned about those going in the right direction
18:29 so why would he leave us alone?
18:30 The church must be reminded of its mission today.
18:34 Go to Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20.
18:36 Let's look again at the mission of the church.
18:38 And by the way, the mission of the church hasn't changed
18:42 because Jesus hasn't changed.
18:44 Amen! The times have changed but He's the same - come on -
18:47 yesterday, today, and forever.
18:49 The mission of the church let me remind you again:
18:52 Matthew 28:19-20. A very familiar passage
18:55 but very apropos to the hour in which we live.
19:00 The Lord said - the mission: "Go therefore and make... "
19:03 What? "disciples of all nations,
19:07 baptizing them in the name of... " The word there
19:10 name means the authority of... "the Father
19:13 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
19:15 teaching them to observe... " How many things?
19:17 ALL! "all things whatsoever I command you.
19:22 And lo, I am with you always
19:25 even to the end of the world. " Amen, somebody. Amen!
19:28 The Commission is "go and make disciples. "
19:31 The Commission is not go and make trouble.
19:35 The Commission is not go and find out what we can take
19:37 from the world to make our church stronger.
19:40 The Commission is: "Go and make disciples of all nations. "
19:44 And it also says: "Teaching them to observe... "
19:47 How many things? ALL! "all things that I command you. "
19:51 I'm amazed that some Adventists are becoming
19:53 disenfranchised or disenchanted by some of the doctrines
19:57 that we hold so dear
19:59 and so they're trading them for feelings
20:02 and for emotional Christianity.
20:04 And I've gotta say: if your Christianity is not safe,
20:07 you can't fight against churches that are emotionally charged
20:11 because what feels right is not necessarily right.
20:20 The Commission is connected to the gospel.
20:23 Romans 1:16-17.
20:25 Let us be reminded again of what the gospel is.
20:28 By the way, I must say this in the context of one who
20:31 believes in being healthy: the gospel is not healthy eating
20:38 but the gospel transforms the way we eat.
20:42 The gospel is not whether I dress a certain way...
20:47 but the gospel will influence the way I dress.
20:51 The gospel is not drum or no drum...
20:55 but the gospel will determine what we do WITH a drum!
21:00 I didn't think I'd get so many amen's on that one
21:03 because we villainize instruments when our hearts
21:06 are corrupt. The gospel is Romans 1:16-17.
21:11 The Bible says and I read it very carefully.
21:14 Paul says: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel
21:16 of Christ for it is the power of God
21:20 to salvation for everyone who... " Does what?
21:22 "believes. For the Jew first and also for the Greek. "
21:25 Why? Verse 17: "For in it... " In the gospel...
21:28 "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.
21:31 As it is written: the just shall live by? " FAITH! "faith. "
21:35 Don't forget the gospel
21:37 and don't be ashamed of the gospel...
21:39 for it is the only converting power in the world
21:42 that the church needs. That's why as I get older
21:44 some people once said to me... somebody said to me,
21:47 not too long ago they said:
21:48 "Pastor, I'm really concerned that you're not talking about
21:51 prophecy as much as you used to. "
21:53 You know what I said? "I could be the best student
21:57 in prophecy and all I would do is terrify you
22:00 if you don't know Jesus. "
22:03 Amen! You could have it all lined up
22:06 and you're so fearful because you don't know Christ
22:10 on whom all prophecy points.
22:13 I love prophecy! I did an entire series
22:16 on Revelation. I love Revelation! I love Daniel!
22:19 But I love Jesus more!
22:21 And Jesus is not the cart, and He's not the horse either.
22:25 But He precedes anything that is...
22:28 that takes... let me say this correctly...
22:30 any intellectual stimulation must not be substituted for
22:35 Christ. There are those that understand
22:38 what is going to happen. There are people that,
22:40 even in our church, there are people that are outlining.
22:42 Just recently there was an Adventist that said
22:44 that... I don't know if it was an Adventist or not but
22:47 somebody said the world was going to end on September 23rd.
22:51 It wasn't an Adventist. Amen!
22:55 We have been accused of that.
22:58 But I don't need to know the date the world is going to end;
23:01 I just need to know Jesus. And when I know Him
23:04 the date doesn't matter. Amen!
23:06 The gospel is the power of God to salvation.
23:10 But I must also say when the gospel is preached
23:13 disciples are made. Acts 14 and verse 21.
23:15 Go quickly now. Acts 14 verse 21.
23:19 The Bible says very carefully
23:21 speaking about Paul and Barnabas.
23:24 The Bible says: "And when they had preached the gospel
23:27 to that city and made many disciples
23:31 they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. "
23:35 You see, they went from city to city preaching the gospel.
23:39 When the gospel is preached Satan is upset.
23:44 But if we only talk theory,
23:46 if we only talk about events that are happening around us...
23:48 And by the way, yes, I can see the mad man in Korea
23:51 and the mad man in Washington, D.C.
23:56 But I'm not focused on men.
23:59 And the church ought not be either.
24:01 I didn't get to that point in the sermon yet
24:02 but I'm getting there.
24:03 I could see the devastations taking place
24:07 in the Caribbean... of which my family has become victim.
24:10 But I'm not focused on that because we have had wars
24:12 and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation.
24:15 And even though the intensity is increasing
24:17 our focus needs to be on the "right house"
24:20 not necessarily the White House.
24:22 Amen!
24:24 In Evangelism 186 paragraph 1 Ellen White says:
24:28 "Theoretical discourses are essential that people may
24:31 see the chain of truth link after link
24:34 uniting in a perfect whole.
24:37 But... " she says... "no discourse should ever be
24:41 preached without presenting Christ and Him crucified
24:45 as the foundation of the gospel. "
24:47 Amen! I must say -
24:51 give him credit for it... Pastor C.A. said
24:53 "We have a lot of convicts but not enough converts. "
24:57 Convicted by the message but not converted by it.
25:00 And she says as I end the quote:
25:02 "Ministers would reach more hearts if they would dwell
25:05 more upon practical godliness. "
25:09 That's where we fail. Not on our doctrines.
25:11 There's nothing wrong with our 28 Fundamentals.
25:12 But the most fundamental of it all is what impact
25:18 is it having on your life.
25:20 That's why the remedy to quicksand #1 is
25:23 preach a message that points people to Jesus.
25:27 Any message that does not lift up Jesus
25:30 is quicksand!
25:33 He says: "If I be lifted up, I will draw all people
25:35 to Myself. " Amen, somebody. Amen!
25:38 Quicksand indicator #2:
25:41 are you ready?
25:43 When politics obstructs Christianity.
25:46 You can breathe.
25:49 Jesus made it clear. In John 18:36 He said:
25:54 "My kingdom is not of this world.
25:56 If My kingdom were of this world my servants would fight. "
26:04 I'm looking forward to the day when there is no more politics.
26:08 Amen!
26:10 We talk about sin being erased.
26:12 I'm looking forward to the day when the Lord gets rid of
26:14 politics permanently and when the kingdom of this world
26:17 is based on the government OF God
26:20 not on a government that opposes God.
26:23 I don't know at what point we thought
26:26 that politicians were honest.
26:30 I mean, where did that come in?
26:32 Where did Christians become so converted to follow
26:36 this president because that one wasn't sufficient?
26:41 Where did we get the idea that somewhere along the way
26:43 Washington has replaced the validity of the gospel
26:48 of Christ? And so I did my homework.
26:54 A writer by the name of Brian Roberts
26:57 in a magazine called Relative Magazine...
27:00 He wrote this article in 2016... February 1...
27:03 as the political landscape began to be developed.
27:06 He said some very interesting words
27:08 that I embrace and I share with you. He said:
27:11 "Political discourse is the Las Vegas of Christianity:
27:15 it's a gamble.
27:16 It is the environment in which our sin is excused,
27:20 hate is winked at, fear is perpetuated,
27:23 and strife is applauded. "
27:24 That's what it's doing to the Christian church.
27:26 "Not only are believers excused for their political
27:29 indiscretions but they are often applauded
27:31 for committing them.
27:33 Slander is explained away as righteous anger.
27:36 Winning arguments are esteemed higher than truthful ones
27:39 whether or not the facts align, and those who stir up dissention
27:43 are often given the pulpit.
27:50 In a country where religion should not be a litmus test
27:54 it has become one. "
27:57 But I know that in your minds you're asking questions
27:59 that I'm going to answer right now.
28:01 Should we have an opinion? Yes.
28:03 Should we care about our country? Yes.
28:05 Do we have the right to vote? Yes.
28:08 But it's time that we talk politics in a way that models...
28:12 models the teachings of Jesus rather than mocks them.
28:21 On Sabbath morning there are no Republicans and Democrats.
28:26 Oh, I forgot... no Independents either.
28:31 On Sabbath morning there should be no bipartisanship
28:35 because at the cross we are all sinners saved by grace.
28:39 Amen!
28:41 Let me really mess with your mind this morning.
28:42 Go to Matthew chapter 5 verses 43 to 45.
28:47 After you hear what I'm going to say next
28:49 you might have to go and have some psychological evaluation
28:52 but I'm going to really mess with you this morning.
28:55 Matthew 5:43-45.
28:57 Listen to what Jesus said. You know, what I've learned
29:00 about the gospel is living the Christian life is not easy.
29:05 Anybody that thinks living the Christian life
29:08 does not know what Christianity is.
29:11 How do you live a spiritual life in a natural body
29:14 when the impetus of our world continues to bombard us
29:17 from every angle? We've got to have on the whole
29:21 armor of God not to be affected by the world in which we live.
29:26 Look at the words of Jesus.
29:28 This is revolutionary! This is by no means
29:30 accomplished naturally. He said...
29:33 verse 43 and Matthew 5: "You have heard it said...
29:36 You have heard that it was said
29:38 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ' "
29:42 Are you ready?
29:43 "But I say to you: love your enemies. "
29:46 You try to do that naturally.
29:48 "Bless those who curse you;
29:51 do good to those who hate you
29:54 and pray for those who spitefully use you
29:57 and persecute you
29:59 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
30:01 For He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good
30:05 and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. "
30:09 In that very same article written by Brian Roberts
30:13 he said: "We are called to love atheists who want to keep
30:16 creationism out of our schools. "
30:19 You try to do that. That's what the Christian is called to do.
30:22 "We are called to love atheists who want to keep creationism
30:25 out of our schools... or those who want to keep gay marriage
30:28 and abortion legal... we are called to love them.
30:31 Or those who celebrate death penalty statistics
30:34 and gun ownership... And yes, even the president
30:37 that you may or may not agree with. "
30:39 We are called to love all of them.
30:44 We ought to love people whether they stand or kneel.
30:53 And regardless of what country they migrate from -
30:56 wall or no wall - we ought to love them, too.
30:59 Amen!
31:01 Think about our history. America's not this paradigm
31:03 of virtue.
31:07 Native Americans did not invite the Puritans
31:09 to take over this country.
31:14 Injustice of any nature ought not be praised by Christians.
31:22 And I hope you're ready for the next statement.
31:26 If the flag of any nation becomes more important than
31:28 the cross of Christ your Christianity is in vain.
31:32 Amen!
31:34 One lesson I've learned from the recent natural disasters
31:39 that I've been re-taught is this, and hear me carefully:
31:43 that hunger, thirst, deprivation, pain, death,
31:47 despair, and destruction of property
31:49 are experienced by everyone regardless of race,
31:53 class, or creed.
31:56 You might wonder why God allowed devastation.
31:58 You know, right now in the Virgin Islands where my family
32:01 is hoping to get clean water
32:03 or running water
32:05 or flushable toilets
32:08 or enough electricity to get a generator to start their houses
32:12 thank God, and I praise the Lord... I'm going to go
32:14 to Home Depot right after this.
32:16 God moved some mountains at Home Depot.
32:19 They did something for me that they don't do for anybody.
32:23 They're helping bear the financial cost
32:26 of sending generators down to Florida
32:29 so I can ship them to the Virgin Islands.
32:31 Amen! They said: "We don't do this... but
32:33 we're going to do this for you. "
32:37 When your politics rise above your empathy
32:40 your Christianity is worthless.
32:43 Pity looks down... sympathy gets down.
32:46 Anybody can feel bad about what's happening,
32:48 but it takes a true Christian to do something about it.
32:52 In this society when we are so desensitized
32:55 we've seen more disaster in movies than we ever can
32:58 imagine. And when the movie is more real than the disaster
33:01 that actually occurs, it does nothing to us any longer.
33:04 We say: "Oh how bad for the people in the Virgin Islands. "
33:06 Or: "We feel bad for those in Puerto Rico or those in Texas. "
33:09 We really feel bad but we do nothing to lift our finger
33:12 to even relieve their suffering
33:15 because it might cost us something.
33:19 But the words of Jesus challenge our Christianity.
33:22 He says in Matthew 25 verses 42 and 45:
33:26 "For I was hungry and you gave Me no food;
33:29 I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. "
33:33 And then He says in verse 45: "Inasmuch as you
33:36 did not do it to one of the least of these
33:39 you did not do it to Me. "
33:43 The remedy for quicksand #2 is: let the example
33:47 of Christ define your politics.
33:51 When politics defines your Christianity
33:55 it is all quicksand. Can you say amen?
33:58 Amen!
34:00 The clarion call of Christianity is this:
34:04 "By this all will know that you are My disciples:
34:08 by your love for one another. "
34:14 My third and final point:
34:17 quicksand indicator #3:
34:19 unchanged by the signs of the soon return of Jesus.
34:23 UNCHANGED by the signs of the soon return of Jesus.
34:28 You know, brethren, we have passed the fulcrum point
34:30 of Bible prophecy.
34:32 For those of you that don't understand the fulcrum point
34:35 it's the point of balance.
34:36 It's the center point... it's the middle of the seesaw.
34:39 We are long past the pivotal point of last day events.
34:44 Amen! Amen. We're down to the 7th church.
34:48 We are in the fourth beast of Daniel.
34:52 We are in the last part of the image of metal.
34:56 We are in the toes. Praise God! Amen!
35:01 And the sands of time are running out
35:03 but the quicksand of controversy is bogging us down
35:06 as a church. Listen to these inspired words
35:10 and pray for my throat to clear up somewhere.
35:15 Maranatha page 175:
35:18 "The judgments of God are in the land. "
35:21 Is that true?
35:25 "The wars and rumors of wars; the destruction by fire
35:30 and flood say clearly that the time of trouble
35:34 which is to increase until the end
35:37 is very near at hand.
35:39 We have no time to lose.
35:41 The world is stirred with the spirit of war. "
35:43 How accurate
35:48 are those words!
35:50 "Soon strife among the nations will break out
35:53 with an intensity that we do not now anticipate.
35:58 The present is a time of overwhelming interest
36:01 to all living. Rulers and statesmen,
36:05 men who occupy positions of trust and authority,
36:09 thinking men and women of all classes
36:11 have their attention fixed on the events taking place
36:16 about us. " How accurate can those words be?
36:21 "They are watching the strained, restless relations
36:24 that exist among the nations.
36:26 They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every
36:30 earthly element and they realize... " These are
36:34 unChristian people... "and they realize that something
36:38 great and decisive is about to take place...
36:41 that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. "
36:45 Amen! How accurate
36:49 are those words to the hour in which we live!
36:53 My brother said to me as I spoke to him there -
36:55 they finally got a signal through...
36:57 Everybody's upset with Sprint.
36:59 It doesn't work in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands
37:01 but AT&T does.
37:04 There are no Verizon towers down there.
37:07 So we get the chance to talk on a daily basis
37:09 after they go to the neighbors and plug in their phones
37:11 to get some charge through the night.
37:14 And he said: "Brother, we have had Hugo and Marilyn
37:19 but Irma is unequivocally
37:25 the worst hurricane that ever hit St. Thomas. "
37:30 He said the wind speeds were clocked at 202 miles an hour
37:34 on that small 13 by 4 mile strip of land.
37:39 The trees were raped from their roots up.
37:43 Boats that were anchored down he said they were airborne...
37:47 tossed as though they were made of paper.
37:51 Telephone poles and power poles are laying everywhere.
37:54 On his housetop there is a tree with the wires mingled in it.
37:59 And he said: "The radio announcer said
38:00 don't touch it because they don't know what's live
38:03 and what's dead. "
38:06 And he said: "The mosquitoes are larger
38:08 than I've ever seen them.
38:11 They are just driving us mad. "
38:14 So my sister and I have pushed as hard as we can
38:17 putting together a campaign to raise funds to get my
38:20 family relief. And I'm so glad that... that...
38:22 that... that... I'm so glad that Home Depot
38:26 looked in my eyes - the manager. She says: "I can understand
38:29 your pain and we're going to do whatever we can
38:32 to make a difference. "
38:33 So much concerned that this morning she called me. She said:
38:36 "I hope you're on your way 'cause we want to get this thing
38:38 done as quickly as we can. "
38:43 The signs are all around us.
38:45 And the signs are so thick that the apostle Paul
38:48 was forced to pen what he referred to as the "unnecessary
38:51 letter. " Listen to his words in I Thessalonians 5:1-3.
38:56 Listen to what he said.
38:57 And he's saying this to the Christians
38:59 not to the "worldlians. "
39:01 He said: "But concerning the times and seasons
39:03 brethren you have no need that I should write to you. "
39:07 We don't need another book.
39:09 Come on, say amen somebody. Amen!
39:11 The Great Controversy is the book for this hour.
39:16 Inspiration - I hope I can say that with assurance...
39:20 assurance. Inspiration...
39:23 God has given us an inspiration that we need to lean on now
39:26 as we lean on Christ.
39:28 He says: "Concerning the times and seasons
39:30 you have no need that I should write to you
39:32 for you yourselves know perfectly. "
39:36 You've got the information
39:39 that the "day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
39:41 For when they shall say 'peace and safety'
39:44 then sudden destruction comes upon them
39:46 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.
39:48 And they SHALL NOT escape. "
39:52 In Maranatha Ellen White says:
39:54 "Soon grievous troubles will arise among the nations...
39:57 troubles that will not cease until Jesus comes. "
40:01 We are there! Amen!
40:06 "As never before we need to press together,
40:09 serving Him who has prepared His throne in heaven
40:14 and whose kingdom rules over all.
40:17 God has not forsaken His people -
40:20 Amen - and our strength lies in not forsaking Him. "
40:25 THIS is the hour that we turn back to God.
40:29 You see, the fact of the matter is the world is built on
40:31 quicksand. But it is too late for the church to stand on
40:35 quicksand and not understand that will reap
40:38 the consequences of the foundation on which we stand.
40:42 If I sound sober this morning, understand I sense the
40:45 urgency of the hour.
40:47 We're not living in a time where we could meander
40:50 and tickle the fancy or try to entertain the intellect.
40:53 It is too late for the church to be preoccupied with
40:56 destabilizing issues.
40:58 And so can I get deeper this morning in your hearing?
41:01 When you are more concerned about women's ordination
41:05 than exalting Jesus we are on quicksand!
41:07 Amen! Now I'm not asking you where you stand.
41:12 But if you stand on anything but Jesus you are on quicksand!
41:15 Amen! As the Pope pushes for Christian unity
41:19 Christian unity without Biblical authority
41:21 is quicksand. When the sanctity of marriage
41:25 ceases to be your goal you are on quicksand.
41:29 When you disrespect your parents with impunity
41:32 you are on quicksand.
41:34 When you deny the sanctuary message you are on quicksand!
41:37 When we ignore the personage of the Holy Spirit
41:41 we are on quicksand. Amen!
41:46 And I say this to those who once walked with us:
41:50 when you walk away from God's holy Sabbath and embrace
41:53 man's substitution of Sunday you are on quicksand.
41:57 Amen!
41:59 When the gift of prophecy loses its relevance with you
42:02 you are on quicksand.
42:08 When you live a life of robbing God
42:11 and it does not even phase you
42:14 you are on quicksand.
42:16 When you attempt to live in harmony with any of the
42:20 above-mentioned teachings without the power of Jesus
42:25 you're on quicksand.
42:28 You see, this is an hour
42:31 that demands we get back to the basics of our walk.
42:34 And the basics of our walk is the foundation
42:39 that Jesus has laid that will never shift in a shifting world.
42:43 Can somebody say amen? Amen!
42:46 We are called to stand where people would dare to stand
42:51 in the hour where the church is at its greatest crisis.
42:57 There was a time when I used to... growing up... when I was
43:00 idealistic. I used to think: "Well,
43:03 let me find out what the General Conference decides next
43:07 and then I'll follow it. "
43:09 I pray for our president, Ted Wilson.
43:12 Amen.
43:14 I pray for our conference leaders.
43:18 But why do we have to call it "divisions? "
43:25 We should say: "We have 13 unities. "
43:27 Come on, somebody. We don't need divisions.
43:31 Amen! Why do we call it divisions?
43:34 OK, how many divisions do we have?
43:36 I could give you any number of divisions we have.
43:39 We ought to find ways that the insignificant things
43:42 that do not amount to salvation ought to be taken off of our
43:45 agenda. When I was at the General Conference session
43:47 in 2015 I was amazed how many people came out.
43:51 How many guns were spiritually loaded
43:53 on that day when women's ordination was discussed.
43:57 I was saying to myself: "If we would turn out in such numbers
44:00 for evangelism... " Amen!
44:04 Wasted money on material to convince one way or the other.
44:08 Would to God that the funds He gives to us
44:11 would be used in saving souls.
44:14 My wife and I just came back from Bogotá, Colombia,
44:18 where 3ABN Latino organized an evangelistic series
44:22 where 176 simultaneous messages
44:26 were being preached at the same time. Amen!
44:29 And in less than a week 758 people got baptized! Amen!
44:35 Folk put aside their mortgage to go and preach. Wow!
44:40 People were willing to take their entire paycheck
44:43 and go and preach. But I want to thank you.
44:45 When you sacrifice for Jesus - talking about the year of
44:47 sacrifice - when you sacrifice for Jesus
44:50 He will move your mountains. Amen!
44:54 One young lady who sat in the foyer... my wife and I
44:59 rode with her every day to our different sites...
45:02 and she was waving a hankie and she was going "Whew! "
45:06 And she looked like she was going to cry.
45:08 My wife said: "Are you all right? "
45:09 She said: "God is so good! "
45:12 She said: "I put aside my mortgage to come here to preach
45:19 and my husband has been unemployed for a year.
45:23 But he got a call today... he got a job today. "
45:27 Amen! And when he went to that job...
45:29 Let me tell you something: God will give you what He wants
45:32 to bless you with if you remain uncompromised
45:34 in a compromising world.
45:36 Standing before the potential employer he said:
45:39 "I will not work on Sabbaths.
45:41 I just want to make that clear. "
45:43 And the guy said: "What did you say? "
45:44 He said: "I will not work from sunset Friday to sunset
45:47 Saturday. " He said: "Did I hear you correctly? "
45:49 He said: "Yes. " He said: "Are you a Seventh-day Adventist? "
45:52 He said: "Yes. " He said: "So am I! "
45:56 "I'm going to hire you for that reason. "
45:58 Not for his religious convictions but for the fact
46:02 that he was willing to tell. He didn't have a job for more
46:07 than a year, but I'm not going to take a job
46:09 even though I need funds I'm not going to compromise
46:13 my stand for the sake of financial gain.
46:16 And she said: "And he's making more than I thought he would! "
46:19 So God did not just give her back her mortgage
46:22 but God gave her husband a job. Come on, say amen somebody.
46:26 And when you're busy doing God's work, the devil finds ways
46:28 to stir up difficulty, to stir up trials and tribulations
46:32 and try to get you off course. And I said: "Lord, why did You
46:35 take me to a Spanish country when I speak English? "
46:40 And I said: "Lord, what are their needs. And He said to me:
46:42 "Their needs are just like your needs. They need Jesus
46:45 just like you do. " Amen! So I began to preach Jesus.
46:48 And souls were being touched, and through the conversion of
46:51 language, through the interpretation of language.
46:53 And even Idalia Dinzey. She sat me down. My wife said:
46:57 "John, you've got to sing in Spanish. "
46:58 And my wife and Idalia sat down and schooled me.
47:02 And I was able to sing two songs in Spanish
47:04 without an English accent. Come on, say amen somebody.
47:07 The gift of tongues.
47:10 And I realized again: God doesn't call the qualified
47:13 He qualifies the called. Amen!
47:15 This is the hour that the people of God need to put all these
47:18 ridiculous issues aside because in Manuscript 20, 1889,
47:22 Ellen White said: "It makes every difference
47:25 whether the structure is built upon quicksand
47:30 or on solid rock. "
47:32 It makes every difference!
47:34 It makes EVERY difference.
47:36 So I no longer idolize men.
47:39 I idolize Jesus. Amen!
47:43 I no longer wait to see what the next decision is.
47:45 I read my Bible and get the decision before men make
47:48 the decision. Amen! I'm no longer
47:54 swayed by the number or lack thereof
47:57 that comes to Wednesday night prayer meeting.
48:00 If I'm alive and God has given me the ability to walk
48:04 I will be there.
48:06 I'm tired of begging people to come to church.
48:09 How're you going to beg folk to come to church that say
48:12 they're on their way to heaven?
48:15 Can't spend an hour in prayer meeting but you plan on being
48:18 in heaven? You're going to tell God: "Sorry, I've gotta go home.
48:23 The sermon's too long. "
48:25 What on earth are we doing on Sabbath
48:27 that you've gotta rush out of the sanctity of a beautiful day?
48:30 Some of us keep the Sabbath like Sunday folk.
48:32 We just need a little bit of it.
48:34 I was in a church once where they used to set their watches
48:37 for 12 noon. I would hear it go off: "Bing, bing. "
48:43 And I had to say something. One day I said: "I heard
48:45 the midnight cry but never the mid-day cry. "
48:51 In that very same church people went out on the Sabbath
48:54 looking at the Blue Angels. And I couldn't leave that alone
48:56 either. I said: "You're more concerned about the Blue Angels
48:58 than the three angels! "
49:02 And I got a lot of flack... I got letters.
49:04 I still have them in my library.
49:05 I look back every now and then at them to see how God has
49:07 taken me from all black hair clueless
49:11 to gray hair and well informed.
49:18 It makes a difference whether we're built on quicksand or on
49:23 the Solid Rock. So allow me to interrupt your
49:26 regularly-scheduled thought with good news:
49:28 there is an answer to quicksand. Can you say amen?
49:31 Amen! You see in Matthew 1:21
49:33 the Bible says: "Call His name Jesus
49:35 for He will save His people from... " THEIR SINS!
49:38 "quicksand. " Sin is quicksand.
49:43 Amen! You can't stand on it
49:46 and not understand that it will bring you down.
49:48 Anything that we build on other than the foundation of
49:51 Jesus is quicksand.
49:53 So let me encourage you. Don't do it because somebody else
49:56 is doin' it. Do it because salvation is your determined
49:59 focus. Don't do it because it's popular.
50:02 Don't ask questions like: "Who's preaching? "
50:05 That troubles me.
50:08 People say: "I didn't go to church 'cause you were out
50:10 of town. " You don't have a relationship with Jesus
50:13 if that's why you come.
50:14 You don't come because of who's preaching...
50:16 you come because The Word is preached. Amen!
50:22 You don't come because of popularity of the moment...
50:25 you come because of the sanctity of the moment.
50:29 You pay attention to the foundation on which you stand
50:31 because when you are converted by the obvious
50:34 you are standing on quicksand for the Bible makes it clear
50:36 no other foundation can anyone lay
50:38 than that which is laid which is Christ Jesus.
50:42 Edward Mote reminds me
50:46 of our need for a solid foundation.
50:49 I was very fascinated by the story as I close the message
50:52 with this very important focus. Not just a story
50:55 but a real-life experience.
50:57 Born 1797 to a poor and ungodly family in London, England.
51:03 Young Edward wrote the following words. He said:
51:05 "My Sundays were spent in the streets.
51:08 So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was a God. "
51:13 But at age 16 his schoolmaster took him to hear
51:16 the esteemed preacher John Hyatt
51:19 of the Tottenham Court Chapel.
51:22 There that Sunday morning Edward was genuinely
51:26 converted to Christ.
51:28 And then he wrote the following song
51:30 that you might recognize.
51:32 He said: "My hope is built on nothing less
51:36 than Jesus' blood and righteousness. " Amen!
51:39 But here were the former words:
51:40 "Midst all the hell I feel within
51:43 on His complete work I will lean. "
51:47 "I trust His righteous character, His counsel,
51:49 promise, and His power... His honor and His name
51:52 at stake to save me from that burning lake. "
51:56 Those were the former words.
51:58 And he went on to pen more than 100 hymns.
52:01 But he said, and as his life was closing,
52:04 they said the one that he loved the most was the first one that
52:07 God gave him: On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.
52:10 All other ground is sinking sand.
52:14 But he didn't have those lyrics when he began to pen the song.
52:17 Finally one Sunday morning the Lord impressed him
52:19 to write the song that we now sing:
52:21 On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.
52:23 All other ground is sinking sand.
52:25 And so I say to you today
52:28 in a world that's shifting, a government that's sinking,
52:31 and a church that is shaking
52:33 we need to stand on the Solid Rock, Christ Jesus.
52:36 Amen! When all we have is Christ
52:38 Christ is all we need. Amen!
52:41 When I was in Colombia the other day
52:44 and I dropped a microSD card
52:47 I picked it up and the most amazing revelation
52:49 came to my mind.
52:51 As I was holding onto this microSD card
52:53 some of you were raised so long ago and born so long ago
52:56 that the word microSD card doesn't even make sense to you.
53:00 It's so tiny it looks like a chip.
53:03 And I picked it up and I said to my wife
53:05 "Look how tiny this thing is.
53:08 We can't even take this to heaven.
53:11 And we're tripping about cars and houses
53:15 and things that we can't carry with us to the kingdom. "
53:18 And I said: "Honey,
53:20 if I can't even take this little thing to the kingdom
53:24 why am I worried about it? "
53:26 We've got to hold onto the world loosely
53:29 and hold onto Christ firmly. Can I get an amen somewhere?
53:32 Amen! Everything else is sinking sand.
53:34 We can't pack the bank with funds that we have to leave
53:36 behind. We've got to empty the bank
53:38 so that souls are not left behind. Amen!
53:41 We've got to be more concerned about where we stand
53:44 than on what issue becomes the next political push.
53:47 Because I want to tell you: whether the world ends under
53:49 this administration or there's another one after this
53:52 remember, don't look to any man... look to Christ.
53:55 "Look unto Me and be saved for I am God and there is no
53:57 other. " Amen!
53:59 And He's declared the end from the beginning
54:01 so I stand on His Word.
54:04 When Jesus comes, I want to be ready. What about you?
54:07 Amen! When He comes I want to have the certainty
54:10 that I've been standing in the right place.
54:11 And I want to tell you: I've made this commitment
54:14 in covenant with God and with my wife and I said:
54:16 "Lord, whatever happens, whatever You must do to get me
54:18 into that kingdom, get me in. "
54:20 And you know what? I don't need a mansion...
54:21 I just need a sleeping bag.
54:24 Amen? Amen! If I don't get a sleeping bag
54:27 I'd be glad to sleep on some golden streets.
54:30 I don't need golden spoons or a crown, I just
54:33 want to get in there. Amen!
54:35 I don't care if the door closes... I don't care if I go
54:38 in first or last as long as the door shuts behind me.
54:42 Amen!
54:44 And you're going to find out that you could be saved!
54:47 Faulty as we are, Jesus loves us with an everlasting love.
54:53 But today let me say to you, church,
54:55 in this shifting society,
54:58 in this world where every issue has occupied the mind
55:01 that should be occupied by Jesus,
55:04 let us get back to the solid foundation of Christ.
55:08 Do as David the Psalmist says: "Lead me to the Rock
55:11 that is higher than I. "
55:12 If we follow that Rock that Rock is Christ Jesus.
55:15 If you're not standing on THAT you're standing on sinking sand.
55:21 Let your light shine... don't let it burn.
55:25 And be more concerned about a clean heart rather than just
55:27 a clean colon.
55:30 Don't think too long on that.
55:35 Watch what's coming out of your mouth
55:37 not just what's going in it.
55:40 And treat everybody as you would want to be treated.
55:45 For in the final analysis
55:47 the Lord's not going to ask you only what you believed
55:52 but how you treated people.
55:56 Don't become so desensitized by the drama around the world
56:00 that you forget to reflect Christ in everything you do.
56:03 And don't be vengeful... let the Lord fight your battles.
56:09 Let the light of Christ glow so beautifully from you
56:13 that when you're in the presence of anybody they might say
56:16 "There's something different about that woman;
56:18 there's something different about that man:
56:20 they've been converted and changed. " You see,
56:23 I don't really care about how many songs I sang
56:26 or the tenor of my voice
56:27 or whether the injury is healed or not.
56:29 I just want to get to heaven because I know when I see Jesus
56:32 all the broken places will be put back together.
56:34 Amen! I can't preach my way in.
56:37 I can't sing my way in.
56:38 I can't work my way in...
56:40 so I've chosen today not to stand on what I can do
56:43 but on the Solid Rock, Christ Jesus. Amen!
56:46 My hope is built on nothing less
56:49 than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
56:53 May that be your clarion desire;
56:55 may that be your focus that when He comes
56:59 He'll look around and say to you: "Come up hither
57:02 to stand on the Solid Rock. "
57:05 May God bless you. Let us pray.


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Revised 2018-01-10