Participants:
Series Code: GYC
Program Code: GYC180002A
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00:34 Have you heard the story told
00:38 Of the Man whose heart was sold 00:43 To save my dying soul? 00:47 Oh, what love untold 00:51 To the end He's always sought me 00:55 To the end He's always loved me 01:00 To the end I long to follow 01:04 For He bore my cross of sorrow 01:08 I will stay here in the hollow of His care 01:14 And I will go anywhere 01:19 To the end 01:21 This witness I will bear 01:25 To the end 01:34 In the grove I heard Him say 01:38 "Oh my Father please just stay" 01:42 Through broken hearted pain 01:46 He did pave the way 01:50 To the end His heart is faithful 01:54 To the end His hand is able 01:58 To the end I can now follow 02:02 For He bore my cross of sorrow 02:06 I will stay here in the hollow of His care 02:12 And I will go anywhere 02:17 To the end 02:19 This witness I will bear 02:23 To the end 02:31 As they took Him off to die 02:35 There His friendship I denied 02:39 Forgiveness in His eyes 02:43 He did not despise 02:47 To the end His love constrains me 02:51 To the end He has restored me 02:55 To the end I will still follow 02:59 For He bore my cross of sorrow 03:03 I will stay here in the hollow of His care 03:09 And I will go anywhere 03:14 To the end 03:16 This witness I will bear 03:20 This witness I will bear 03:26 To the end 03:30 To the end 03:42 You may be seated. 03:44 Good morning, and happy Sabbath. 03:47 Have you been blessed this morning? 03:50 How many of you went to the prayer room? 03:52 Praise the Lord, amen? 03:54 Latter rain power right in there. 03:57 It's my privilege this morning to introduce to you 04:00 our morning devotional speaker, 04:02 you'll be hearing him every morning. 04:05 His name is Michael Goetz. 04:07 How many of you heard about Michael before? 04:09 All right, I see a couple of hands. 04:10 Praise the Lord. 04:12 Michael is originally from Oregon. 04:15 And he's currently the lead pastor 04:17 at the Campion Adventist Church. 04:20 But he began his ministry serving as a police chaplain. 04:24 He served as a pastor also in Pennsylvania, 04:26 and on the campus of Andrews University. 04:30 When I asked him, "Michael, mountains or beach?" 04:34 He said mountains. 04:37 Which makes sense, since he loves climbing 04:38 and currently he pastors in Colorado, 04:41 a place that has a couple of mountains, I think. 04:44 His favorite food is Italian food. 04:46 So if you ever want to take him out, 04:48 you know where to go. 04:49 When I asked him about his favorite place 04:51 that he has ever visited, 04:52 he said South Africa and Germany which is a bummer, 04:57 considering that my home country of Austria 05:00 exceeds them all. 05:02 I'm mostly kidding. 05:04 Michael is married to Melanie, 05:06 and they had probably the most dramatic honeymoon 05:09 you can imagine. 05:11 They almost died because of a storm 05:13 and the landslide, 05:14 and were stuck on an island for three days 05:17 without proper access to food or water. 05:21 But praise God, 05:22 it only made their marriage stronger. 05:25 And today, they're thankful for two children, 05:28 Cana and Michal. 05:30 Amen? Amen. 05:33 If Michael could give advice to his 20-year-old self, 05:37 he would say the following, 05:39 "Be a radical for God and for every part of life." 05:44 So let's listen to that kind of advice. 05:47 I first met Michael a bit over 10 years ago 05:50 in Germany 05:51 at the equivalent of GYC in Germany 05:54 called Youth in Mission. 05:56 It was a very special time in Europe 05:58 because we had just started these movements over there. 06:02 And Michael spoke there at Youth in Mission. 06:04 He and others were used by God to influence thousands 06:09 to have a closer walk with Jesus, including myself. 06:12 And I thank God every day 06:14 for doing that and for using Michael 06:16 in such a special way. 06:18 And it is my prayer that God will do 06:19 the same for you this morning. 06:23 Open your Bibles with me to the scripture reading 06:26 for Michael's presentation this morning in Acts 1:4 and 5. 06:32 Acts 1:4 and 5, the Bible says... 06:39 "And while staying with them, 06:43 He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem 06:47 but to wait for the promise of the Father, 06:51 which he said, 'You heard from me.' 06:54 For John baptized with water, 06:57 but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit 07:02 not many days from now.'" 07:04 Amen. 07:06 Let us bow our heads as we pray. 07:10 Father in heaven, thank You for the Sabbath. 07:16 Thank You that we can unplug from the world, 07:19 the stress, 07:20 and plug into You to enter into this holy time, 07:25 into the present of Your presence. 07:27 And, Lord, as we have already been refresh this morning 07:30 in the prayer room, 07:32 as we have experienced 07:34 the glimpse of the power of the Holy Spirit, 07:36 Lord, we pray for more. 07:39 This morning, I pray that You will anoint Michael 07:41 as he speaks to us. 07:43 Speak through him, speak through Your Word, 07:46 and touch our hearts, convert us, Lord, 07:49 we need more of You 07:51 and make us radically committed to Your cause. 07:55 Lord, may only You be seen this morning. 08:00 This is our earnest plea. 08:02 And we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. 08:23 If you'll listen, my friend 08:28 Tonight 'ere you rest 08:32 I'll tell you the story 08:36 The best in the world 08:39 How a marvelous thing that 08:43 All people should know 08:48 Happened in Bethlehem 08:52 Long, long ago 09:09 There were stars in the heavens 09:13 All shining and bright 09:17 And a new star was rising 09:21 O'er Judah that night 09:25 For within a poor stable, 09:29 A baby was born 09:33 And that beautiful baby was Jesus 09:40 Our Lord 09:41 It's a story of wonder 09:46 And glory and awe 09:49 Filled with heavenly love 09:53 And the goodness of God 09:57 Learn it well 09:59 Take it with you 10:01 Wherever you go 10:07 The most beautiful story 10:11 That's ever been told 10:28 Though the folk in the village 10:33 Were all fast asleep 10:36 There were shepherds out watching 10:41 That night with their sheep 10:44 When a legion of angels 10:49 Came down from on high 10:53 Singing and bringing 10:56 Great tidings of joy 11:01 It's a story of wonder 11:05 And glory and awe 11:08 Filled with heavenly love 11:12 And the goodness of God 11:16 Learn it well, take it with you 11:20 Wherever you go 11:26 The most beautiful story 11:31 That's ever been told 11:35 In a manger, He lay 11:39 As the angels had said 11:43 While Mary and Joseph 11:47 Kept watch by His bed 11:51 For the babe was our Savior 11:55 The Father's own Son 11:59 Sent to love all His children 12:03 And bless everyone 12:13 It's a beautiful story 12:17 The sweetest I've heard 12:21 Full of comfort and hope 12:25 And it's true every word 12:29 So remember it always 12:33 And everywhere you go 12:38 Tell this sweet story 12:42 To someone you know 12:46 It's a story of wonder 12:51 And glory and awe 12:54 Filled with heavenly love 12:58 And the goodness of God 13:02 Learn it well 13:03 Take it with you 13:06 Wherever you go 13:11 The most beautiful story 13:16 That's ever been told 13:41 Wow. Beautiful. 13:46 Father in heaven, 13:49 would it be that this morning 13:51 You have a word for us? 13:55 Let it be a gentle tap to our shoulder 13:58 or an arrow to our heart. 14:01 But let us leave here changed from the inside out 14:06 because of exposure to Your Word. 14:11 In the name of Jesus, amen. 14:14 Amen. 14:18 I have a little tradition, 14:21 little experience 14:25 on Sabbath mornings for me. 14:30 I go to the pantry 14:32 and get to choose my cereal. 14:38 There are three Sabbath cereals. 14:44 I am not trying to sanctify these particular cereals, 14:50 but there are three that I choose from 14:52 on Sabbath morning. 14:55 The other cereals have their chance 14:57 Sunday through Friday, but on Sabbath morning, 15:01 I choose from cornflakes, oat squares, or puffins. 15:07 Those are my three options, choices. 15:11 And any one of the three 15:14 in my opinion 15:16 work for a Sabbath morning breakfast. 15:20 Grab your Bibles, 15:22 go to the first chapter of Acts. 15:26 Our theme is birthed out of this narrative, 15:30 Acts 1:4, 15:34 just read to us moments ago. 15:37 Acts 1:4, 15:39 "And being assembled together with them, 15:44 He, Jesus commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem 15:49 but to wait for the promise of the Father." 15:51 Did you hear the language, Dr. Luke? 15:55 Employees, He commanded them. 16:00 This is the same master 16:02 that used His command 16:04 to remove the demons from the demoniacs 16:09 and throw them into the pigs. 16:12 This command, non negotiable, cogent, unequivocal. 16:18 It must be done, there is no option. 16:22 "He commanded them, not to depart from Jerusalem, 16:26 but to wait for the promise of the Father which He... 16:30 "You've heard from me," 16:32 He says, 16:36 "you've heard it from me. 16:40 For John truly baptized with water," 16:42 verse 5, "but you shall be baptized 16:44 with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 16:47 And so comes this command, not an option, 16:51 but a command from Jesus. 16:52 You've got to stay here 16:54 and wait for the promise of the Father. 16:56 Everything is going to be a result of this. 17:00 John 3:16, "For God so loved the world 17:03 that He sent Jesus." 17:04 And then Jesus is now saying, 17:05 "Look, everything I've done is now going to be poured out 17:10 through this gift. 17:11 So don't move without it." 17:15 It's not like my Sabbath morning practice 17:18 of going to the pantry and choosing. 17:22 There are things, there are options 17:24 that we can choose. 17:26 But when it comes to this, 17:29 this was a command from Jesus. 17:32 You must wait and pray and work with the Holy Spirit. 17:36 You can't do it without Him. 17:40 This was not an option of different cereals. 17:43 You do it your way, I'll do it my way. 17:46 This was the way. 17:49 Amen. 17:55 So let's journey through the narrative, 17:57 verse 12. 18:01 We're in Acts Chapter 1. 18:03 "Then they returned to Jerusalem 18:04 from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, 18:08 a Sabbath day's journey." 18:11 So they're coming off the higher plain, 18:14 there of Mount Olivet, about a Sabbath day's journey. 18:19 It's led some to wonder. 18:20 Could it have been that Jesus ascended 18:22 on a Sabbath? 18:26 And when they entered, they went into the upper room 18:29 where they were staying, 18:30 and then it begins to list off their names 18:32 as they've come together. 18:34 Verse 14, "These all continued with one accord 18:38 in prayer and supplication, 18:39 with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, 18:41 and with his brothers." 18:43 They knew 18:46 that this was not optional. 18:50 This was a command of Jesus. 18:51 It was the only way in which it could be effective, 18:55 that is the life of Jesus. 18:59 The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus 19:01 was now all centered in this gift. 19:06 It was to be mobilized through its power. 19:10 So they came together in one accord. 19:12 Luke likes to use that expression. 19:18 It's only used one other time. 19:19 Paul uses it in Romans Chapter 15. 19:22 But Luke uses it 10 times this one accord, 19:26 and it's a difficult word to express. 19:31 It's a combination of two words 19:34 homo, we're familiar with that word. 19:39 Vitamin, 19:40 we're not so familiar with how to combine those two. 19:47 But it's some likeness, 19:49 they came together in some agreement. 19:53 We know it wasn't absolute agreement 19:55 about everything 19:56 because the next thing they do in the narrative 19:59 is they elect a replacement for Judas. 20:02 And in that replacement, 20:03 they have options that apparently 20:05 they disagree on. 20:07 Some thought, well, Matthias. 20:10 Some thought, "No, no, no, 20:13 we've got to look for someone else." 20:17 So between Joseph Justus and Mathias, 20:19 they have to make decision. 20:21 We know that they think this through. 20:23 So they're not in just total agreement about everything 20:29 but they are... 20:30 There is a sense of mission, 20:33 missional agreement that draws them together. 20:37 Jump down to verse 15, 20:39 "In those days, 20:40 Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, " 20:42 altogether this is a parenthetical statement 20:44 in our Bibles. 20:45 "Altogether the names were about 120." 20:48 Interesting note. 20:50 According to Jewish law, 20:51 in order to start a new community, 20:53 you had to have 120 people together. 20:58 So Dr. Luke says, "Hey," parenthetically, 20:59 "I just want to let you know, 21:01 that they met the requirement to start a new movement." 21:06 A hundred and twenty, Jewish law. 21:10 Peter stood up, 21:13 and now begins 21:15 this conversation of an election, 21:17 church in business. 21:22 Jumping down to verse 24, they prayed about it. 21:26 They said, "Lord, 21:31 you know the hearts of all," 21:35 which implies that we don't. 21:38 And let me just add as an aside here 21:41 that we ought to be very beloved, 21:44 very careful 21:47 on how we interpret and decide 21:50 what someone else's motive or heart is. 22:00 Church, be very careful 22:05 in interpreting the hearts of someone else. 22:11 The implied though is we don't know their hearts. 22:14 You alone, oh, God, know the hearts of men, 22:17 and so we've got to leave this choice in Your hands, 22:20 but we will use the practical methods 22:22 we know to follow Your lead. 22:26 And so they cast lots. 22:28 That would get you cast out of the church today. 22:32 They cast lots. 22:35 We would just do it by majority vote. 22:41 But that, birthed in prayer and couched in prayer, 22:45 they understood, 22:47 would lead them to understand God's guiding. 22:52 But they didn't all agree. 22:53 Otherwise, Joseph Justus 22:54 wouldn't have been on the docket. 22:57 He was the one not elected. 23:02 And some theologians say, 23:03 "Hey, look at where Paul shows up." 23:05 Just a short while later, Paul shows up. 23:07 It's almost as if God had Him in the wings that he was... 23:10 But Dr. Luke doesn't mind any of this. 23:14 He's not distracted by the fact 23:21 that the church had to do business, 23:24 that they came together and made some elections, 23:26 and made some decisions. 23:28 That was okay. 23:30 But what they could not disagree on 23:32 was coming together 23:34 in a missional movement of prayer 23:36 for the Holy Spirit. 23:38 That was commanded. 23:43 But the church, 23:44 as it came together and did business, 23:46 and then as it came together and prayed for the Holy Spirit, 23:50 as those two things came together in a community, 23:57 John Stott says, 23:59 "The stage was then set for the Holy Spirit." 24:06 Church, beloved, these two elements, 24:11 the church coming together to do business, 24:13 making decisions, it can be distracting. 24:17 But Dr. Luke, "No, that's fine. The church can do its business. 24:23 It's necessary. 24:28 But it must have this component of prayer, 24:31 praying for the Holy Spirit." 24:36 The stage was then set 24:39 for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 24:43 Oh, could we set the stage again? 24:48 Could we set the stage again? 24:54 I wanna take you 24:57 to pulling back the curtain 25:00 and looking at what was happening in heaven 25:04 during this time. 25:06 I wish we had more, but we do have just a glimpse. 25:10 We're back in... 25:11 We're still here in Acts Chapter 1, 25:14 now the very first verse. 25:21 I'm sorry, we're in Acts Chapter 2. 25:23 I said the very first verse of Acts Chapter 1 is also good. 25:26 But Acts 2:1, 25:28 "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, 25:30 they were all with one accord." 25:32 There's Luke using the word again, 25:34 in one place. 25:36 "And suddenly, there came a sound from heaven, 25:40 a rushing mighty wind, 25:42 and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." 25:45 These 120 coming together, 25:48 doing business, and praying together, 25:52 heaven opened its doors and poured out on them 25:57 the Holy Spirit. 26:00 Verse 33, Acts 2:33, 26:06 Peter is giving a sermon, preaching, 26:10 and he gives us a glimpse. 26:13 He says, "This Jesus was raised up 26:15 of which we are all witnesses." 26:17 Verse 32, verse 33, 26:19 "Therefore, He been highly exalted 26:22 to the right hand of God 26:23 and having received from the Father 26:25 the promise of the Holy Spirit, 26:26 He then poured out this 26:28 what you now see and hear." 26:31 Luke says, "Look, Jesus was resurrected, 26:35 He went back to heaven, 26:36 and then He was exalted 26:37 to the right hand of the throne of God." 26:40 That is an interesting thought. 26:46 We'll get there in a minute. 26:48 The Father then gives permission 26:51 for the Holy Spirit to be poured out. 26:53 Jesus takes that permission, 26:54 and He pours it out without a hesitation. 26:58 He can't wait until His church is mobilized, 27:02 His community. 27:05 Because everything He had done, 27:07 His life, His death, His resurrection 27:10 was now going to be funneled through the Holy Spirit 27:16 and ultimately, through us. 27:23 John, John the revelator. 27:29 Now, you wanna leave your little... 27:32 You got these little ribbons in your Bible. 27:34 You wanna leave that little ribbon 27:36 in Acts Chapter 1. 27:37 But go to the Book of Revelation, 27:40 the final picture. 27:45 Revelation Chapter 12. 27:51 We read this verse just last night 27:52 or this passage. 27:55 Acts Chapter... 27:57 Revelation Chapter 12, stick with me. 28:02 Starting in verse 1, 28:06 what was heaven doing during this moment? 28:17 We'll back up. 28:18 John starts, 28:21 "Now a great sign appeared in heaven. 28:24 A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, 28:28 on her head a garland of 12 stars." 28:34 Beloved, we could spend a lot of time 28:36 in Revelation Chapter 12. 28:38 So I invite you 28:40 just to move quickly with me. 28:45 From our study of Revelation Chapter 12, 28:47 and this sign, 28:49 this symbolic picture of a woman 28:51 clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, 28:54 on her head a garland of 12 stars, 28:56 we understand that to be... 29:00 We call it the church. 29:02 That can be confusing to some because the church isn't until, 29:05 at least the terminology 29:07 that we use isn't until the New Testament, 29:09 but we could say the community of God. 29:13 All right. 29:16 "Then being with child, she cried out in labor 29:18 and in pain to give birth." 29:20 Here is the faithful community of God. 29:24 And she becomes pregnant with a child. 29:27 She cries out in labor and pain to give birth. 29:30 That child is Jesus. 29:36 So John is watching the symbolic movement. 29:41 Here's this woman representing the community, 29:45 the faithful church of God. 29:49 And that child will be delivered, Jesus. 29:55 Then he introduces us to these other players, 29:59 verse 3, "And another sign appeared in heaven. 30:02 Behold a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads, 30:05 and ten horns, and seven diadems 30:09 on his heads." 30:10 Who is this? 30:13 We don't have to guess, beloved. 30:14 Who is this? 30:16 This is Satan. 30:19 Satan shows up. 30:20 And there's this bit of sequential order 30:24 as John is introducing these players. 30:30 Here's the woman. 30:31 Now she's pregnant 30:33 and she's in labor to give birth. 30:39 On the scene, shows up this fiery red dragon, 30:45 "His tail, by the way," John says, 30:47 "drew a third of the stars of the heavens, 30:49 and threw them to the earth." 30:51 What's that about? 30:55 That's the beginning, 30:57 the visible beginning of the great controversy. 31:01 When Satan was separated from heaven, 31:03 He said, "You can't be here any longer." 31:08 A third of the angels, 31:11 so we think there's something to this. 31:14 And so they pack up and head out with Satan. 31:18 That's way back, 31:20 way back, pre Adam and Eve. 31:28 But now that dragon stood before the woman 31:30 who was ready to give birth to devour her child 31:33 as soon as it was born. 31:34 And so now we've moved forward. 31:37 This is an overview of the Great Controversy. 31:41 And that dragon has now moved forward, 31:43 he's standing before the woman, 31:44 almost indifferent to the woman at this point. 31:48 He knows that who he needs to be targeting is that child. 31:58 Oh, he doesn't like the woman, the faithful woman. 32:03 But he's almost indifferent to her in this moment 32:06 as he stands before her, he wants to devour the child. 32:11 He knows if he can get to Jesus, 32:14 he can get it all. 32:23 Verse 5, 32:25 "She bore a male child who was to rule all nations." 32:29 And now we know why he wanted to get at Him. 32:32 "He was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. 32:37 And her child was caught up to God 32:41 and His throne." 32:44 He becomes the problem for the dragon. 32:47 The dragon knows, 32:48 "If I'm going to rule all nations, 32:49 I've got to get to him." 32:52 But he misses his chance. 32:54 Jesus does His work and then ascends, 32:57 He's caught up to the throne of God. 32:58 Peter, in his sermon, explains it. 33:01 He's caught up to the right hand 33:02 of the throne of God. 33:07 He missed his chance. 33:09 "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, 33:12 where she had a place prepared by God 33:14 that they should feed her there 1,260 days." 33:20 So the woman then had to go into hiding, 33:25 as it were, a wilderness time, 33:27 538 AD to 1798, 33:31 those years where the church 33:34 almost becomes invisible, 33:38 the faithful church. 33:41 J. Wiley describes this as the period, 33:45 it's the midnight of the world, 33:48 wasn't a dynamic, faithful, visible representation of God. 33:57 But you see the sequential order. 34:00 Beloved, this is important now 34:02 because there's a sequential order 34:04 where He moves one player at a time. 34:06 Here's the faithful woman, she's pregnant, 34:08 introduces the dragon, 34:10 he's going to stand before the woman, 34:11 he's going to try to devour the man-child, 34:13 the man-child is taken. 34:15 All right, now he moves the woman forward 34:17 into the wilderness. 34:20 He moves her forward, and then he steps back 34:24 and catches up on the child and the dragon. 34:30 Verse 7, 34:32 "And war broke out in heaven. 34:33 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 34:35 and the dragon and his angels fought." 34:39 Let me ask you a question, beloved, and be slow to answer. 34:42 When is verse 7? 34:51 When is verse 7? 34:53 Here we have this sequential order 34:56 of the players moving forward, 34:59 and then the man-child 35:01 is taken up to the throne of God, 35:03 the woman then is moved into the wilderness, 35:05 and then there's war in heaven. 35:10 When does verse 7 happen? 35:13 And within my community of faith, 35:15 we've often just written it off as something 35:19 that John is referring to in the distant past. 35:27 He's been moving forward the entire time, 35:29 and then we just rip it out. 35:31 So, you know, that was thousands of years ago. 35:39 There's been war in heaven ever since the dragon took 35:42 that third of the angels, 35:46 but there was some sort of pause, 35:48 almost pause, I don't want to... 35:49 There was always war. 35:51 There seems to be some sort of pause. 35:56 The Book of Job 35:58 lets us know that Satan stood before God, 36:01 claiming representation of this planet. 36:04 The Gospel of John, Jesus Himself says, 36:07 "Satan has been standing before God accusing you." 36:12 So we know that Satan had been allowed 36:15 or permitted in some sense 36:18 to stand before the throne of God. 36:23 But now, 36:25 that man-child has died and been resurrected, 36:29 and is now ascended, and Peter says, 36:32 "He is going to take the place next to the throne of God 36:35 representing this earth." 36:39 And Satan now has, 36:41 for thousands of years since his removal, 36:44 been standing before God, saying, 36:45 "I have been going to and fro on the earth. 36:48 I represent the earth." 36:50 Jesus arrives and says, "I beg to differ." 36:55 Hallelujah. 36:58 And now we have two standing before the throne that say, 37:02 "They both represent us." 37:06 There was war. 37:09 There was war in heaven. 37:11 When Jesus returned as our now representative, 37:16 He said, "I've been chosen. 37:17 I have given my blood. 37:19 I have the right to represent that planet." 37:24 There was war. 37:25 Satan wasn't about to give up his position. 37:31 "But he did not prevail," verse 8, 37:34 "nor was there a place found for them in heaven any longer." 37:38 John is saying, there had been a place permitted for them 37:41 for a time 37:44 but no longer was there a place found for them in heaven. 37:47 They had to go, and they had to go permanently. 37:53 So the great dragon was cast out, 37:55 that serpent of old called the devil and Satan. 37:58 Heaven never had a question about who Satan was. 38:04 But he was finally removed before the universe, 38:07 the serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, 38:09 who deceives the whole world, 38:10 he was cast to the earth and his angels 38:12 were cast out with him. 38:17 "Then," verse 10, 38:19 "I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 38:21 "Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God 38:24 and the power of His Christ has come 38:27 for the accuser of our brethren 38:28 who accused them before our God day and night." 38:32 Satan's been in heaven a lot 38:35 in those first 4,000 years. 38:38 He'd been accusing us before God day and night. 38:43 You wanna talk about a patient God. 38:47 "He'd been accusing... 38:52 But the power of Christ has come. 38:54 And the accuser of our brethren who was accused them 38:56 before God, day and night, has been cast down." 39:00 Verse 11, "And they overcame him 39:01 by the blood of the Lamb, 39:03 and by the word of their testimony, 39:04 and they did not love their lives to death." 39:06 Verse 12, "Therefore rejoice, 39:08 O heavens, and you who dwell in them." 39:12 Heaven is now forever ridden of Satan. 39:17 He's done. He can no longer return. 39:20 Spirit of Prophecy clues us in. 39:22 It says, "The unfallens will not even talk 39:25 to Him anymore." 39:30 They won't even talk. 39:33 "Rejoice, O heavens, we are done with that." 39:39 Oh, oh. 39:42 "But woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, 39:46 for the devil has come down to you 39:49 having great wrath, 39:50 because he knows he has a short time." 39:56 Did you catch that, beloved? 39:57 The heavens can rejoice now because they're done with him 40:02 in that place. 40:03 But now, he has moved 40:05 from his indifference to the woman 40:07 to now turning his undivided... 40:09 The man-child has beat him. 40:13 He's now been removed, 40:17 he can't accuse us before God day and night, 40:19 so he has only one thing left to do. 40:23 And that is to plague us. 40:25 "Woe to you, inhabitants of the earth. 40:28 The devil has come down being cast out of heaven, 40:31 knowing he has a short time." 40:41 So step back. 40:45 Meanwhile on planet earth, 40:50 the 120 have gathered together to do church business 40:54 and then to pray for the Holy Spirit. 40:59 And so they're praying, they're seeking God's direct, 41:02 they're asking, they're pleading 41:04 for the Holy Spirit. 41:07 That's all that they can see. 41:10 But if you were to pull back the curtain 41:14 to the supernatural, 41:17 Jesus is now on the right hand of the throne of God. 41:20 Satan is standing there saying, "No, no, no, no, no. 41:23 I've been here for thousands of years." 41:25 I, I. 41:27 And Jesus just stretches out his hands, 41:30 revealing the scars of His sacrifice. 41:35 And there's war in heaven. 41:37 Satan is thrown out, he's removed. 41:40 No longer does he have a place before the throne of God 41:43 accusing us. 41:44 And the moment that that happens... 41:50 The moment he's removed from heaven permanently, 41:54 God says, "We now have the legal right of pouring 41:59 Our Spirit out on that planet." 42:04 Before Satan could accuse, "No, no, no, no. 42:06 You can't pull Your Spirit out. You can't do it. 42:09 I am their representative and they don't want it." 42:13 But now, 42:15 Jesus stands before the throne and says, 42:19 "Father, they want it." 42:33 And like a man and a woman who are deeply in love, 42:36 when they see each other 42:38 after a pause or after a brief time apart, 42:44 there is no delay in their reunion. 42:46 They don't look across the room and say, 42:49 "I'll catch you after the service." 42:52 They come together immediately. 42:54 And so it is that Jesus is saying, 42:57 "We've got to pour it out. 42:58 They're ready." 43:04 GYC, let's do it again. 43:09 Beloved, let's do it again. 43:17 Could it be that that little group 43:19 of faithful prayer warriors in Acts 43:23 gave Jesus the proof as He stood before the throne 43:28 that they indeed were ready for the Holy Spirit? 43:34 Could it be that when a group, a community come together, 43:39 doing church business but praying, 43:43 pleading for the Holy Spirit? 43:46 Could it be that always gives Jesus proof 43:52 that we're ready for the Holy Spirit? 43:55 Could it be in our final moments 43:57 of earths' history 43:59 that heaven is again in need 44:03 of a community, praying? 44:07 Let's do it again, GYC. 44:10 Let's do it again, church. 44:13 Let's do it again. 44:17 One of my favorite prayer authors E.M. Bounds 44:21 lays it out very clearly. 44:23 "Praying is a spiritual work. 44:25 Human nature does not like taxing spiritual work. 44:27 Human nature wants to sail to heaven 44:30 under a pleasant breeze in a full smooth sea. 44:34 Prayer's a humbling work, 44:36 it abases our intellect and pride, 44:38 crucifies vainglory, 44:39 and signals our spiritual bankruptcy, 44:42 all of these are hard for the flesh 44:43 and blood to bear. 44:45 The past has not exhausted the possibilities, 44:48 nor the demands 44:49 for doing great things for God." 44:52 Let's do it again. 44:58 My favorite, favorite lines. 45:01 Someone handed them to me on a slip of paper, 45:03 I still have in the back of my Bible. 45:07 It's a letter Ellen White wrote while she was in Australia, 45:11 1899. 45:13 She addresses it to Sister Henry. 45:16 Listen to these words. 45:19 "When the third angel's message 45:21 shall go forth with a loud voice, 45:23 and the whole earth shall be lightened with His glory, 45:26 the Holy Spirit is poured out upon God's people. 45:29 Heavens going to do it again. 45:32 The revenue of glory has been accumulating 45:35 for this closing work of the third angel's message. 45:38 Of the prayers that have been ascending 45:40 for the fulfillment of the promise 45:43 that is sent to the Holy Spirit, 45:44 not one has been lost. 45:48 Each prayer has been a drop in the vase filling it up. 45:53 Each prayer has been accumulating, 45:54 ready to overflow 45:56 and pour forth a healing flood of heavenly influence 45:59 and accumulated light for the world. 46:03 Let's do it again. 46:09 I live in a little town called Johnstown 46:12 outside of a larger community, 46:14 Loveland in Fort Collins in Colorado. 46:17 Our little town 46:20 built a new sports store, 46:24 sporting goods store called Scheels. 46:30 Scheels puts a Ferris wheel in the middle of their store. 46:36 It's huge. 46:38 We're a little town, but we're next to this larger community, 46:40 and they built this huge sporting goods store. 46:45 And in this sporting goods stores, 46:47 this huge Ferris wheel. 46:52 For a fundraising event and publicity, 46:54 Scheels and the mayor of our little town, 46:57 Johnstown got together and the mayor said, 47:01 "I'll ride that Ferris wheel for 50 hours straight 47:06 as a fundraiser." 47:08 Fifty hours on a... 47:10 Have you been on a Ferris wheel? 47:12 Fifty hours? 47:13 I'm good with five minutes. 47:15 Five minutes, done. 47:17 Fifty hours. 47:19 So last year, the mayor of Johnstown 47:21 got on that Ferris wheel and rode it 47:24 for the next 50 hours. 47:31 In case you're wondering, He started on Thursday, 47:36 rode it all Thursday night, 47:39 all day Friday, all day Friday night, 47:42 all day Sabbath, into Sabbath night. 47:46 Raised $22,000 for feeding the hungry, 47:49 $22,000 for 50 hours. 47:52 Seems a little low for me, but... 47:57 His name is Scott James. 48:00 Reading the story, 48:02 50 hours on the Ferris wheel. 48:05 But here's, beloved, what I'd like to bring to you. 48:09 If a little town mayor 48:12 is willing to ride a Ferris wheel for 50 hours 48:15 in order to raise $22,000, 48:18 what is the Church of Christ willing to do 48:22 for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? 48:26 You want to talk about persistence? 48:27 Talk to the mayor of Johnstown, 50 hours he's stuck with it. 48:32 Ellen White is saying, 48:33 "Look, every prayer is added to the cup, 48:35 and it will fill up 48:37 and it will one day be poured out. 48:38 But keep praying the prayers. 48:42 Jesus is beside the throne representing us. 48:45 He is crowned King, 48:48 He represents us now, He knows we want it." 48:53 But let's demonstrate it to the unfallen universe. 48:57 We are ready for the Holy Spirit 49:02 from our crowned representative. 49:07 It's a bit of a cheesy line, 49:12 but it speaks to me. 49:14 A little young boy went to bed one night. 49:17 Grandfather clock he would listen 49:19 to in the hallway would chime, it's hours. 49:22 As the time passed, 49:24 this little boy is in his bed though, 49:25 and he is sleepless, he just can't fall asleep. 49:29 He listens to the clock hit 10, and then 11, and then midnight, 49:34 and he just can't go to sleep. 49:42 He hears the clock chime again what now should be 1 o'clock, 49:48 but the clock malfunctions and it begins to chime 49:52 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 49:55 10, 11, 12, 13. 50:02 With horror, he jumps from his bed 50:05 and runs down the hallway, 50:06 launching himself on to his parents' bed crying, 50:09 "Wake up, wake up. 50:13 It's later than ever before. 50:18 It's 13 o'clock." 50:23 Beloved, it's 13 o'clock. 50:31 So Jesus Himself gives us the invitation. 50:34 Luke Chapter 11, just listen to these words, 50:37 let them cover you. 50:42 "I say to you," says Jesus, 50:45 "ask and it will be given to you. 50:47 Seek and you will find. 50:49 Knock and the door will be opened. 50:52 If you then, though you are evil, 50:53 know how to give good gifts to your children, 50:55 how much more will your Father 50:58 in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" 51:02 That's the invitation of Jesus thrice repeated, 51:05 so we wouldn't miss the point. 51:06 Ask, seek, knock, 51:08 the Father wants to give the Holy Spirit. 51:15 Little book in your registration packet 51:18 called "Steps to Personal Revival," 51:20 if you read page 11, it will read, 51:23 "This special invitation shows us 51:24 that according to Jesus, 51:26 something essential, something essential, 51:29 it cannot be done without is missing. 51:31 When we don't persistently ask for the Holy Spirit, 51:35 He draws it to our attention 51:36 that we absolutely need the Holy Spirit." 51:39 Who gives it to us? 51:41 Peter tells us, 51:42 our now Representative, our Crowned Prince 51:46 will take that promise and pour down on us. 51:49 And so, beloved, to the very end, 51:54 God is calling a people 51:57 that will ask, seek, and knock. 52:01 They will stay in Jerusalem to do business, of course, 52:03 but then they will pray 52:05 and plead with all of their hearts. 52:08 I saw a picture of the prayer room 52:09 this morning 52:11 while we prepare it in the back. 52:13 Hallelujah. It's happening. 52:14 Let's do it again. Let's do it again. 52:18 Could it be that Jesus, 52:20 the Crowned Prince needs a church 52:22 that will press together one more time 52:25 for a final throw-down of Satan? 52:29 He's been cast out of the heavens, 52:30 but woe to the earth. 52:31 Let's do it again. 52:34 One more time, 52:35 let's remove him from this planet now. 52:42 So before the unfallen 52:44 and the fallen witnesses in this place, 52:48 I would invite you to make a decision 52:50 that your crowned representative is Jesus, 52:55 that you will stand for Him, "Jesus, you're mine." 53:01 And then a commitment 53:02 that you will press together in prayer. 53:05 Beloved, start a prayer group in your church. 53:08 Go at 8 AM and pray till 9. 53:12 Invite the pastor, the elders, invite everyone. 53:18 We must do it again. 53:22 It will happen the same way. 53:25 A group of people praying, 53:27 Jesus, our crowned prince will come down 53:31 and remove Satan again. 53:36 Let's do it again, GYC. 53:37 I would invite you. 53:39 Could it be that today we would stand, 53:42 we would stand as a physical representation 53:44 to the fallen and unfallen 53:46 that we accept Jesus as our crowned prince? 53:50 He represents us 53:51 and we will press together in prayer 53:53 until the Holy Spirit can be poured out. 53:56 Could be that standing here? 53:58 We make that statement. 54:00 Hallelujah. 54:03 I'll invite you in standing, 54:05 then to sing 54:06 this commitment song "Crown Him." 54:10 Crown Him with many crowns, let's crown Him again. 54:13 He's our representative. 54:14 And we are ready for the Holy Spirit. 54:27 Let us sing together. 54:33 Crown Him the Lord of peace 54:37 Whose hand a scepter sways 54:42 From pole to pole that wars may cease 54:47 And all be prayer and praise 54:51 His reign shall know no end 54:56 And round His pierced feet 55:01 Fair flowers of paradise extend 55:06 Their fragrance ever sweet 55:11 Crown Him the Lord of years 55:15 The potentate of time 55:20 Creator of the rolling spheres 55:25 Ineffably sublime All hail 55:30 Redeemer, hail 55:34 For Thou hast died for me 55:38 Thy praise shall never Never fail 55:43 Through all eternity 55:52 "And it shall come to pass in the last days," 55:54 says God, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. 55:57 Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. 56:00 Your young men shall see visions. 56:01 Your old men will dream dreams. 56:03 And on my menservants and on my maidservants, 56:05 I will pour My Spirit in those days." 56:11 Let it be in our generation, oh, God, amen. |
Revised 2019-03-28