Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC190002A
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00:49 Hello and welcome back to 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting.
00:52 Y'all having a good time? 00:54 Amen! Wow! Now what did I tell you folks that came early? 00:57 I said: "Before this is over in about 30 minutes 01:00 the place will be packed. " See this? 01:02 Sure enough. I won't tell them what I said about missing heaven 01:04 by 20 minutes. That's a secret between us, right? 01:08 Those who were here early. 01:10 But we're glad that you all are here and those of you at home. 01:12 Thank you for joining us as you do each and every day. 01:15 Tonight we're having a spiritual feast. 01:17 We've already had some very spiritual uplifting music. 01:21 And then tonight it's my privilege 01:24 to introduce the president of the SDA church 01:28 Elder Ted Wilson. 01:30 And he and his wife Nancy are here 01:32 and was at our board meeting today. 01:34 We got to have lunch with them and hear his dreams and visions 01:37 and what's happening for the church as a whole 01:40 around the world. 21,000,000 plus SDA baptized members. 01:44 Many more than that go to church 01:47 every Sabbath all around the world. 01:49 Millions more. The church is growing 01:51 and we're getting closer to Jesus' coming. 01:53 And so he talked to us today about Laodicea. 01:57 We don't need to be in Laodicea right now, right? 01:59 We need to be preparing for the Latter Rain. 02:01 And that's why we love having these Camp Meetings. 02:03 Getting you all here together with us 02:06 so that we can have a great time in the Lord 02:07 and look forward to the second coming of Jesus 02:10 and sitting at the feet of Jesus through eternity 02:13 in heaven. That's time forever! 02:16 No more sickness; no more pain. 02:17 No more sorrow; no more death. 02:19 Hard to imagine, isn't it? 02:21 That's why the Bible says: "Eye hath not seen 02:23 nor ear heard neither has it entered into 02:25 the heart of man the things that God has prepared for him. " 02:28 So tonight it's my privilege to introduce... 02:30 The next voice you will hear after Yvonne Shelton sings... 02:34 She's going to be singing a beautiful song: 02:36 Praise His Holy Name written by Lanny Wolfe. 02:39 And right after that the next voice you will hear 02:42 will be Elder Ted Wilson. 03:43 Praise the Lord 03:49 from whom all blessings 03:53 flow. 03:56 For He has 04:00 washed and 04:04 made me white as snow. 04:10 I'm redeemed 04:17 from all my sin and shame. 04:23 For now 04:26 and forever 04:31 praise His holy name. 04:38 Praise His holy name! 04:45 Praise His holy name! 04:52 To God be the glory 04:56 now and forever 05:00 praise His holy name. 05:29 God is great 05:34 and greatly to be 05:39 praised. 05:42 Above all 05:46 others 05:49 let His name be raised. 05:56 Saints 05:58 and angels 06:03 evermore 06:06 proclaim 06:09 that He alone 06:13 is worthy: 06:17 praise His holy name! 06:23 Praise His holy name! 06:29 Oh, praise 06:32 His holy name! 06:37 To God be the glory 06:41 now and forever... 06:44 praise His holy name! 06:51 Praise His holy name! 06:58 Praise His holy name! 07:05 To God be the glory... 07:09 to God be the glory... 07:14 to God be the glory... 07:16 to God be the glory... 07:19 To God be the glory 07:23 now and forever! 07:34 Praise His holy - Your holy - 07:39 name. 07:51 Praise His name! 07:58 Praise His name! 08:06 To God be the glory 08:11 now and forever! 08:14 Praise 08:17 His holy 08:22 name! 08:33 AMEN! 08:43 Truly praise His holy name! 08:46 Amen! What a blessing! 08:48 Thank you, Yvonne, for that marvelous rendition 08:51 of giving God the glory 08:54 in the right way. 08:57 Turn to Revelation chapter 4. 09:00 Revelation chapter 4 is a magnificent explanation 09:05 of one of the most powerful aspects of worship. 09:11 I begin reading with verse 1 through verse 4. 09:16 "After these things I looked, and behold 09:19 a door standing open in heaven 09:21 and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet 09:25 speaking with me saying: 09:27 "Come up here. " 09:33 Now I pause for a moment before reading further 09:36 for 3ABN Homecoming Camp Meeting 09:40 has chosen as its theme 09:43 Living Above the Crowd. 09:47 "Come up here 09:52 and I will show you things which must take place 09:55 after this. Immediately I was in the spirit 09:58 and behold, a throne set in heaven 10:01 and One sat on the throne. 10:05 And He who sat there was like a jasper 10:08 and a sardius stone in appearance. 10:11 And there was a rainbow around the throne 10:14 in appearance like an emerald. 10:16 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones 10:19 and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders 10:22 sitting clothed in white robes 10:25 and they had crowns of gold on their heads. " 10:30 What an amazing place to come up to! 10:36 John, the beloved disciple, 10:41 who was one of God's greatest agents in helping us 10:45 to understand what the future would hold 10:50 through God's revelation 10:53 gave us this magnificent book, the book of Revelation, 10:57 which is a revelation about Jesus Christ. 11:02 What a powerful way for John to be 11:06 invited to come up higher. 11:12 Living Above the Crowd. 11:16 Living on higher ground. 11:20 Living on holy ground. 11:25 Thank you, Danny, for singing that song earlier 11:28 about we are standing on higher ground. 11:33 What a privilege it is to be at 3ABN. 11:37 Thank you for being here tonight. And for those of you 11:40 who will be staying through the Camp Meeting, 11:42 by God's grace it will be a spiritually-enriching 11:45 experience. Amen! 11:48 Not simply because of the music... which is good... 11:52 Not simply because of the fellowship... which is good... 11:56 but because the Word of God is lifted up. 11:59 Amen! 12:01 And this is the written Word pointing to the Living Word 12:06 Jesus Christ. Amen! 12:08 And that's what John was doing. 12:09 And God called him up higher. 12:14 Living Above the Crowd. 12:18 I really appreciate 3ABN choosing this theme 12:22 which we will develop and which undoubtedly 12:25 my good friend Doug Batchelor, Pastor Batchelor will 12:28 be developing even more over the weekend and even tonight. 12:35 I want to express great appreciation to 3ABN 12:39 for its continuing ministry 12:43 for God's world-wide church. Amen! 12:47 It is a vital part, along with many other ways, 12:51 that the church is using, to touch people's lives 12:56 in all countries around this globe 13:01 preparing people for that great and wonderful final 13:05 call when the Lord says: "Come up higher. 13:11 Be with Me forever. " 13:14 What a marvelous opportunity 13:17 to work together in a powerful way! 13:20 This afternoon we had an opportunity 13:23 to do a nice roundtable discussion 13:26 with Danny and Yvonne 13:29 and Greg and Jill. 13:31 What a privilege it was to be also with the 3ABN family here. 13:35 I want to thank you on behalf of your world church 13:39 for what you are doing. 13:41 What a privilege to be part of this great Advent movement: 13:46 a movement that is focusing 13:48 upon revival and reformation. 13:52 An opportunity for us to be revived in the Lord 13:55 just as you will be here at Camp Meeting 13:58 and then to do something extraordinary through the 14:02 reformation process that Christ alone does through you 14:06 to tell somebody else about it. 14:10 To be involved with understanding God's Word 14:14 and reading His holy Word and believe His prophets. 14:18 Reading the Spirit of Prophecy. 14:20 Understanding that we need to reach the big cities 14:23 of the world in mission to the cities. 14:26 In helping people to understand better health - 14:28 complete health - through comprehensive health ministry. 14:32 All of us working together 14:35 to focus upon Christ's soon coming. 14:39 Total member involvement: 14:43 everybody doing something for Jesus 14:47 for Jesus is coming soon. Amen! 14:51 I believe it with all my heart and I know you do, too, 14:54 otherwise you wouldn't be here tonight. 14:57 All of us doing something for the Lord 15:00 not only for ourselves in coming up higher 15:03 but grabbing the hand of someone else and saying: 15:06 "Come along with me to a higher ground. " 15:11 Amen! Living above the crowd. 15:15 I read from a book written by Ellen White. 15:23 And I make no apologies for using the Spirit of Prophecy. 15:26 Amen! It is one of God's greatest gifts 15:29 to the Seventh- day Adventist Church. Amen! 15:32 It does not take the place of this Holy Word 15:36 but it points us to this Word and to Christ 15:39 and helps to further explain beautiful aspects 15:45 of living for Jesus. Amen. 15:49 I read in the book Testimonies Vol. 9 page 117. 15:53 "The work of God in this earth can never be finished 15:57 until the men and women... " That's all of us... 16:00 "comprising our church membership 16:03 rally to the work and unite their efforts with those 16:07 of ministers and church officers. " 16:10 Everyone doing something for Jesus. 16:14 Amen. Total member involvement. 16:18 So total member involvement does not only involve 16:21 you coming up to a higher plane and living above the crowd 16:26 but it involves you inviting someone else 16:31 to be part of that rich experience... 16:34 all through the power of the Holy Spirit. 16:39 You see, not all of us 16:45 can be called like John was. 16:49 John had a unique opportunity. 16:53 He was asked of God to write the book of Revelation. 16:58 Want to just take a parenthesis here and tell you 17:01 as Seventh-day Adventists, as vibrant Christians, 17:04 whatever church you may belong to 17:07 make yourself a student of the books of Daniel and Revelation. 17:12 Amen! And God will then bring you 17:16 up to a higher plane of understanding. 17:19 Higher ground. But not all of us can experience 17:24 what John did, but I want to tell you all of us 17:26 can live above the crowd 17:30 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 17:33 Through reading God's Word and being drawn into a relationship 17:37 with Him where we can understand better 17:40 what plans He has in store for us. 17:46 One of those individuals who was called 17:49 to a higher ground - a holy ground - 17:55 was that magnificent leader Moses. 17:58 I invite you to turn to the book of Exodus 18:04 and in the third chapter of Exodus we read 18:08 this magnificent account of his 18:14 experience with the Lord. 18:18 In chapter 3 and beginning with verse 1 18:23 it tells us here that Moses was tending the flock 18:27 of Jethro. Now Moses had fled Egypt. 18:31 You know that he was destined to become the next pharaoh. 18:34 He was a leader in Egypt, and I have to tell you 18:38 I love Egypt. That's where I grew up as a young boy. 18:43 I grew up in Cairo in Heliopolis. 18:46 Egypt is part of my DNA. 18:51 It's part of my background. I knew nothing about 18:54 any other place outside of the Middle East 18:57 and Italy for that matter because we visited there also 19:01 when I was a young boy. 19:02 The only thing I knew about the United States 19:04 was that's where blue jeans came from. 19:09 And once in a while my dad would come back from a meeting 19:12 in America and he would bring a record - 19:15 some of you will remember this - 19:17 of Eric B. Hare stories. 19:21 That's about all I knew about the United States. 19:24 So Egypt is a precious place for me. 19:27 BUT Moses - who had been destined by God 19:30 to be the leader for Israel - 19:33 thought he could do it on his own 19:37 and failed miserably. 19:40 God has called each one of you to a special work. 19:44 A work to come up higher above the crowd 19:48 but He asks you to make Him first and foremost 19:53 so that He can take you to higher ground 19:56 not you yourself. Amen. 19:58 Moses tried it on his own 20:02 and failed miserably. 20:04 And because pharaoh and others were after him 20:08 he fled and he went into Midian. 20:12 Now it says that he was tending the flocks 20:15 of Jethro, his father-in-law. 20:18 Actually he offered some kindness 20:24 in terms of being able to show sympathy 20:29 to the seven daughters of Jethro. 20:34 And because he was so sympathetic and helpful 20:38 Jethro gave him one of his daughters. 20:41 Now that's quite a gift, isn't it? 20:44 I'm sure that his wife was a great blessing to him 20:50 because God had ordained and opened the way for her 20:54 to be part of his special ministry. 20:58 But as he was tending the flocks 21:01 it says here he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 21:07 Obviously, because the Bible says 21:09 that Jethro was a priest of Midian, 21:13 obviously he was a believer in the true God. 21:15 And this particular mountain of Horeb was an unusual 21:20 place where God would interact 21:24 and where He was to be a blessing to people. 21:27 "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him... " verse 2... 21:30 in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. " 21:37 Now unfortunately this country and other places have 21:41 experienced a lot of fires in the recent past. 21:45 The terrible fire that took lives and incredible 21:51 amounts of property in the region of northern California 21:57 not too long ago: Paradise, California. 22:01 Fire can move quickly; fire destroys. 22:05 Fire consumes... but this bush did not burn up. 22:12 "So he looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire 22:15 but the bush was not consumed. 22:17 And Moses said: 'I will now turn aside and see this 22:21 great sight why the bush does not burn. ' " 22:26 "Now this is really amazing. Let me find out. 22:28 Let me get closer. I want to see what is happening 22:32 with a bush that doesn't burn up. " 22:40 I have to stop and tell you: 22:43 when I was about 6 years old 22:47 my father allowed me to go on a trip with him - 22:52 living in Cairo - 22:54 but leaving Cairo and going to Mt. Sinai. 22:57 My father took many many people on tours 23:00 of Mt. Sinai, and when I was 6 years old 23:04 he said: "OK, time for you to go with me. " 23:08 I was greatly privileged. I don't have time tonight 23:10 to tell you all about that trip. It was a fascinating trip 23:14 for me. I can remember 23:17 as we crossed the Suez Canal. 23:23 We went over on some kind of ferry, 23:26 but there were some in our party 23:28 that decided to swim from one side of the canal to the other. 23:34 And why would they do that? 23:36 Because they could go home and brag 23:39 that they had been swimming from Africa to Asia. 23:46 Anyway, we got over to the other side. 23:48 Made our way down through the Wilderness of Sin 23:51 and all the different places that we don't have time 23:54 to talk about tonight 23:56 and we came to the base of Mt. Sinai. 24:00 Now there's a traditional mount 24:03 that people claim to be the mountain. 24:07 And then there is another mountain that 24:09 others have said is more likely to be the exact location. 24:18 In fact, I think they call it Jebel Musa 24:21 which means in Arabic Moses' mountain. 24:25 And it is a mountain which better is situated 24:29 to be explained by how Patriarchs and Prophets 24:34 explains the encampment of the Israelites 24:38 from the top of Mt. Sinai. 24:41 We had the privilege of going up Mt. Sinai. 24:43 And I can remember as a little boy climbing up. 24:46 And I made it, but my father helped me along. 24:48 Let me tell you, parents: 24:51 first of all, take a spiritual interest in your children. 24:56 Take an interest in helping them know about things 24:59 of the Bible. Make it relevant; make it happy. 25:02 Make it enjoyable. 25:04 That's what my father did. 25:06 What a privilege. And my mother. 25:08 Precious parents. 25:10 I'll see them soon. 25:12 They're both dead, but soon Jesus is coming. Amen! 25:17 And so we walked up the mountain... got up to the top. 25:21 Beautiful setting. Had a nice service at the top. 25:24 Prayed. It was a marvelous experience! 25:27 But back down at the bottom 25:30 of Mt. Sinai is a monastery. 25:34 An orthodox monastery. 25:36 It's been there for centuries. 25:39 In fact, those monks in the monastery, 25:42 it's called St. Catherine's Monastery... 25:46 It's there today if you visit. 25:49 They know how to exist... the monks. 25:54 In fact, the monks at one particular time 25:59 heard that a group of Islamic believers 26:05 were coming to attack them. And as Christians, 26:08 they would have been decimated. 26:09 And so they built very quickly a mosque in the middle 26:13 of the monastery, and when the invaders came 26:17 and saw the mosque and the minaret 26:21 they said: "Oh, no, we cannot attack that" 26:23 and St. Catherine's continued to exist. 26:27 Those monks knew what they were doing. 26:32 If you were an especially important monk, 26:35 well actually, any of the monks who died, 26:37 they would bury them in the ground and after a few years 26:40 they would dig up the bones and downstairs underneath 26:45 the monastery, and I visited there, 26:47 you can go into one room and you will see all the leg bones. 26:51 In another room you'll see all the skulls. 26:53 In another room you'll see all the arm bones. 26:57 And if you are a particularly important monk 27:01 they would fit the bones back together 27:04 and put your robes on and you would be standing there 27:07 as a skeleton with your robes on. 27:09 I saw it. 27:12 However, just before you get into that area 27:15 of the monastery 27:19 you will come to a bush inside St. Catherine's. 27:25 It's a large bush, and the monks claim 27:30 that that was Moses' burning bush. 27:36 Now I doubt it... 27:38 but it made a good story 27:40 and it made a good attraction 27:43 because that bush did not burn up. 27:49 "When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look 27:52 God called to him from the midst... " verse 4... "of the 27:54 bush and said: 'Moses, Moses. ' And he said: 27:57 'Here I am. ' 27:59 Then He said: 'Do not draw near this place. 28:03 Take your sandals off your feet, for the place 28:07 where you stand is holy ground. ' " 28:15 Come up above the crowd. 28:20 Come up to a higher place. 28:24 Come up to holy ground. 28:29 "Moreover, He said, I am the God of your father, 28:32 the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 28:34 and the God of Jacob. ' And Moses hid his face 28:37 for he was afraid to look upon God. 28:40 And the Lord said: 'I have surely seen the oppression 28:43 of My people who are in Egypt 28:44 and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. 28:48 For I know their sorrows. 28:50 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand 28:53 of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land 28:56 to a good and large land... to a land flowing with 28:59 milk and honey... ' " Etc, etc. 29:04 Moses said to God - because God called Moses 29:09 to a higher position, to higher ground, 29:12 to be the leader of His people - 29:14 And Moses said to God in verse 11: 29:16 "Who am I that I should go to pharaoh? " 29:20 Can you imagine now Moses, who had been 29:23 a great leader in Egypt, 29:26 one of the greatest in strat- egy - in military strategy - 29:31 now humbled by his experience in the wilderness. 29:36 Let me tell you my brothers and sisters 29:38 if the Lord leads you into the wilderness of life 29:41 sometimes... it's for a reason. 29:43 Amen! To teach us to lean on Him. 29:49 So Moses unlearned all the things that he thought 29:53 he knew in Egypt, and now he was even saying to God 29:57 "Who am I that I should go to pharaoh 30:00 and that I should bring the children of Israel 30:03 out of Egypt? " 30:04 So He said... God said: 30:07 "I will certainly be with you and this shall be a sign to you 30:11 that I have sent you. When you have brought the people 30:13 out of Egypt you shall serve God on this mountain. " 30:18 And God kept His word. 30:21 They did come out. There on Mt. Sinai God gave 30:25 the Ten Commandments. You are going to be able 30:30 to get a copy of the book The Ten Commandments 30:34 written by Danny. And what a marvelous opportunity 30:37 to focus upon those Ten Commandments. 30:40 And then it says: "Then Moses said to God 30:43 'Indeed when I come to the chil- dren of Israel and say to them 30:46 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' 30:49 and they say to me 'What is His name? ' 30:52 what shall I say to them? " 30:55 Now when God calls you to live above the crowd, 30:59 when He calls you to be part of something that is 31:02 on higher ground, He will give you the power 31:06 not only to live that life 31:08 but to tell people who made it possible. Amen! 31:14 And so God said to Moses: 31:17 "I AM who I AM. " 31:23 And He said: "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel 31:27 'I AM has sent me to you. ' " 31:35 I AM. 31:37 The I AM is calling you right now 31:43 to be part of something much bigger than you have ever 31:47 imagined. Something much grander; 31:50 something much more filled with potential 31:54 because God has an eternity to spend with you 31:59 at a higher level above the crowds. 32:05 "I AM the great I AM. " 32:09 John 8 verse 58: 32:13 "Jesus said to them: 32:15 'Most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was 32:20 I AM. ' " 32:23 The same I AM that spoke to Moses 32:26 spoke to those in New Testament times 32:30 and speaks to us tonight here in Thompsonville, Illinois 32:35 at the 3ABN Homecoming Camp Meeting. 32:39 "I AM who I AM. " 32:44 In the Spirit of Prophecy we read 32:48 this marvelous explanation about the I AM. 32:53 It says in Testimonies Volume 9 page 260: 32:57 "No one should for a moment fancy that he is able to 33:01 manage those things that belong to the great I AM. 33:06 God in His providence is preparing a way 33:09 so that the work may be done by human agents. 33:12 Then let every man stand at his post of duty 33:16 to act his part for this time and know that God 33:22 is his Instructor. " 33:26 The great I AM. 33:30 In the book Desire of Ages pages 24 and 25 33:35 we read: "By His humanity Christ touched humanity. 33:39 By His divinity He lays hold upon the throne of God. 33:42 As the Son of Man He gave us an example of obedience. 33:48 As the Son of God He gives us power to obey. 33:52 It was Christ who from the bush on Mt. Horeb 33:57 spoke to Moses saying: 'I AM that I AM. ' 34:01 Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: 34:04 'I AM hath sent me unto you. ' 34:07 This was the pledge of Israel's deliverance. 34:10 So when He came in the likeness of men 34:13 He declared Himself the I AM. 34:17 The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Savior, 34:20 is God manifest in the flesh. 34:22 And to us He says: 'I AM the Good Shepherd. ' 34:28 'I AM the Living Bread. ' 34:32 'I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. ' 34:36 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth. ' 34:40 'I AM the assurance of every promise. ' 34:45 'I AM... be not afraid. ' " Amen! 34:50 As God calls you to live above the crowd 34:55 in these very last days of earth's history, 34:57 He is saying: "I am capable of accomplishing it 35:03 in your life. I am able to bring you up to a higher level 35:08 so that you can be a real missionary for Me. " 35:14 The great I AM. 35:18 You see, God intends for us - 35:22 each of us - to be part of God's final last-day 35:27 movement. Nancy... my wife and I 35:31 travel around the world. We see and understand 35:34 that we are living in the very last days. 35:37 And as we see what God is doing around the world 35:41 we see that we can answer the questions 35:45 who will lead us into the uncertain days ahead? 35:50 I AM. 35:52 Who will strengthen us and encourage us 35:55 in the difficulties we face today and in the future? 35:59 I AM. 36:00 Who will open the way for the accomplishment of TMI: 36:05 every one of us being a part of God's great proclamation? 36:10 I AM. 36:12 Who will help us today in our work and in our homes 36:15 and in our lives in witnessing for the Lord? 36:21 The great I AM. 36:24 The I AM will lift you above the crowd 36:27 and give you the power to proclaim this amazing message. 36:34 You see, in that beautiful hymn 36:40 Higher Ground it says: I'm pressing on the upward way; 36:46 new heights I'm gaining every day. 36:49 Still praying as I onward bound 36:52 "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. " 36:55 Lord, lift me up and I shall stand 36:58 by faith on heaven's tableland. 37:02 A higher plane than I have found 37:04 Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. 37:09 That last verse: 37:12 I want to scale the utmost height 37:17 and catch a gleam of glory bright. 37:23 But still I'll pray till heaven I've found: 37:26 "Lord, lead me on to higher ground. " 37:31 Lord, lift me up 37:35 and I shall stand 37:37 by faith on heaven's tableland. 37:42 A higher plane than I have found 37:46 Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. 37:52 Amen. 37:53 What an opportunity for each of us to understand 37:56 that in a practical sense of living 37:59 God is calling for us not only to be justified 38:03 by His righteousness. 38:05 I want to tell you we are only saved by the grace of Jesus 38:09 Christ. Amen! There is no way the Bible tells us 38:12 in Ephesians 2 that we can work our way to heaven. 38:16 It is a gift of God. 38:19 And we praise God for that. Amen! 38:22 But along with justification comes sanctification. 38:29 Both of them part of Christ's all-encompassing 38:33 righteousness. And when you accept the Lord in your life 38:37 to lead you to higher ground 38:40 He then works in you to will and to do of 38:43 His own good pleasure 38:45 to make you a wonderful, powerful missionary for Him. 38:51 A person who lives a pure life. 38:54 A happy life; an enjoyable life; 38:57 a powerful life... 38:58 all through the power of the great I AM. 39:04 Jesus Himself gives us that marvelous opportunity 39:09 of living for Him. 39:11 And when you live for Him 39:14 as Paul says 39:17 chapter 12 of Romans 39:21 "I beseech you, therefore, brethren 39:23 by the mercies of God 39:25 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice 39:29 holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable 39:32 service. " Give your all to the Lord. 39:36 If you want to live above the crowd, 39:39 you are going to be totally sub- mitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. 39:44 Completely surrendered to Him. 39:47 Verse 2: "And do not be conformed 39:51 to this world, but be transformed by the renewing 39:55 of your mind that you may prove what is that good and 39:59 acceptable and perfect will of God. " 40:03 Now in the Phillips translation of that verse 40:07 my father, who was also a pastor, 40:11 and in fact my grandfather was a pastor... 40:14 What a privilege to have a grandfather 40:18 and a father as pastors. 40:21 My father loved the Phillips translation of this particular 40:25 text, and it said essentially if you look it up 40:28 "Don't let the world around you squeeze you 40:32 into its own mold. 40:35 Be transformed by the living power of God" 40:38 to bring you up to a higher plane, 40:42 higher ground, holy ground. 40:45 Living above the crowd... 40:49 all through the power of Jesus Christ 40:54 who imputes to you righteousness 40:57 and imparts to you His righteousness. 41:01 Justification and sanctification all Christ's righteousness. 41:07 For living the holy life is all due to our connection 41:13 with Jesus. Our daily Bible study, 41:16 our daily prayer, our daily interaction with God 41:20 an understanding that in sharing our faith 41:24 we are doing more good for our own spiritual experience 41:28 than for those who are even hearing our testimony. 41:31 The Holy Spirit working through us in a powerful and wonderful 41:36 way. And in that beautiful rendition 41:40 of powerful Christian living that Paul explained 41:45 in I Thessalonians chapter 5 41:49 it say in this beautiful chapter 41:52 that we are all sons of light and sons of the day 41:56 and daughters of light and of the day. 41:59 "We're not of the night nor of darkness" in verse 5. 42:02 It says: "Let us watch and be sober" in verse 6. 42:06 It says that those who sleep sleep at night 42:11 and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 42:13 "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on 42:18 the breastplate of faith and love 42:20 and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 42:24 For God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain 42:27 salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. " 42:31 Living above the crowd. 42:35 Living on a higher plane all because of our connection 42:39 with Jesus Christ: our Creator, our Redeemer, 42:44 our High Priest, our coming King, and our best Friend. 42:49 Amen! Living above the crowd. 42:53 Paul goes on to say in verse 14: 42:56 "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly. 43:00 Comfort the fainthearted; uphold the weak; 43:03 be patient with all. See that no one renders evil 43:07 for evil to anyone but always pursue what is good 43:11 both for yourselves and for all. " 43:14 Don't render evil for evil 43:17 but pursue what is good. 43:22 I don't know about you but I'll just tell you: 43:24 this week and many weeks, you know, I 43:28 face interesting challenges, situations. 43:32 I don't know how to get out of situations that I don't have 43:35 the answers for. I want to tell you 43:39 I lean on Jesus. Amen! 43:43 I ask Him in prayer. I mean, I send up 43:46 prayers all day long. Little sentence prayers, 43:50 little word prayers, thought prayers. 43:53 Don't be afraid to pray to God always. Amen! 43:59 I faced a challenge this week. 44:02 Didn't know what to expect. 44:05 It was a tough meeting. 44:09 I went into it with some apprehension, but finally I just 44:13 basically gave it to the Lord. What else can you do? 44:16 And I saw God work in a powerful way! Amen! 44:22 When you lean on Him and give everything over to Him 44:25 He will take you through. 44:27 Now it doesn't mean that you're not going to go through 44:29 the wilderness as we've already understood with Moses. 44:32 But at the end of the road 44:34 as Matthew 28 tells us in the Great Commission 44:38 He will be with us to the very end of time. 44:43 Amen! Don't ever doubt God. 44:46 Verse 16: "Rejoice always. " 44:49 This is living now above the crowd. 44:51 Living on a higher plane. 44:53 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing. 44:56 In everything give thanks 44:57 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus 45:00 for you. Do not quench the Spirit. 45:03 Do not despise prophecy. 45:05 Test all things; hold fast what is good. " 45:10 I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, 45:12 we are coming to a time - and you see it - 45:14 where all manner of strange theological and religious 45:20 winds are blowing. Don't ever veer anywhere 45:25 except on this Word of God. Amen! 45:28 Stay close to this foundation 45:31 and truly you will through God's power 45:35 live above the crowd. 45:39 The Bible goes on to say: 45:41 "Abstain from every form of evil. 45:44 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you 45:48 completely. " Verse 23: 45:50 "And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved 45:54 blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. " 46:00 "He... " and this is the promise 46:03 for living on a higher plane; living above the crowd. 46:09 "He who calls you is faithful 46:13 who also will do it. " Amen! Praise the Lord! 46:18 Lean and depend wholly upon Jesus. 46:25 Accept Him: the promise of justifying and sanctifying 46:31 righteousness. 46:34 Nancy and I yesterday were 46:38 in the Baltimore/Washington International Airport. 46:43 We had just seated ourselves 46:48 in the Southwest Airlines section. 46:54 I think it was gate 14 we were to leave. 46:57 And someone came up to us. "Elder Wilson... " 47:01 I've had to get used to that because at airports and other 47:05 places people will come up - people I don't know... 47:10 Be careful what you do wherever you are! 47:16 People are watching you. 47:22 And a gentleman came up. He said: "My name's David Ortiz. 47:26 This is my wife Beverly. " 47:31 They don't live too far from us: Catonsville, Maryland. 47:36 They attend a church which I have visited. 47:41 And David and Beverly began to relate their story. 47:46 Some of you who were at the Camp Meeting a few months ago 47:49 may have heard their testimony. 47:51 And maybe they'll tell it again here, so I'm not going to steal 47:54 their thunder, but I want to tell you something: 47:56 I was so impressed 47:59 by how the Holy Spirit brings someone 48:03 from a particular living standard 48:07 to higher ground. Amen! 48:10 To living above the crowd but interacting with the crowd 48:15 ever to give a witness for Jesus. Amen! 48:19 I praise God for how Beverly 48:24 who grew up knowing the truth, 48:32 never gave up the truth but somehow drifted 48:37 from perhaps daily living the truth all the time 48:41 but never gave up that kernel of truth. 48:46 I want to tell you: you may have a son or daughter, 48:50 a loved one who once knew this precious truth 48:54 and lived on higher ground but has slipped away. 48:58 Don't ever stop praying for them, 49:00 for that which has been planted in their hearts will remain 49:04 and the Lord can use it to bring them back to higher ground. 49:10 Beverly explained that... and David did... 49:16 they would be tussling and literally arguing 49:20 about the seventh-day Sabbath and what it meant. 49:26 And finally Beverly got tired of arguing 49:30 and didn't want to pursue it any longer. 49:34 You can read the story right here in the 49:39 3ABN World. 49:47 Beverly said to the Lord: 49:50 "Do whatever it takes to help David understand truth. " 49:59 The Lord does not... is not the originator of sickness 50:04 or difficulty, 50:07 but the Lord allows certain things to happen. 50:12 I won't tell the whole story but David developed a very 50:14 serious illness and he became scared because 50:20 he realized he was a mortal 50:22 and this may be the end. 50:25 And through a series of events including 50:27 connection with the local church... 50:30 Let me tell you: there is no substitute for belonging 50:34 to a local church. Praise God for 3ABN, 50:38 for Hope Channel, for AWR, for Amazing Facts... 50:41 all of these things that are over the networks. 50:44 But I want to tell you: don't allow that to become 50:47 your substitute for a local church. Amen! 50:50 Get involved with a local church. 50:53 And through connection with the local church 50:57 David realized he needed spiritual healing 51:02 and he was anointed. He wasn't a member of the SDA 51:07 church but he was anointed. 51:09 And then somehow he was able to fix his attention 51:14 as he was going through channels on 3ABN, 51:20 and the explanation about the Sabbath 51:26 became a reality to him. 51:29 And he says: "I get it! I understand it! " 51:32 You see, the Holy Spirit can use anything to bring you 51:36 to the foot of the cross. Amen! 51:41 Wasn't too long after that 51:46 that David and Beverly were baptized 51:51 and joined the Seventh-day Adventist church, 51:55 accepting Jesus and all of His power in bringing them 51:59 up to higher ground. 52:02 What a blessing! 52:04 And I want to tell you as of today 52:08 David is cancer free. AMEN! 52:12 Praise the Lord for His power! 52:14 And if you want a good story... 52:17 David and Beverly, just stand for a moment. 52:20 I'm not going to embarrass you too much... 52:22 Just stand. If you want a good story sometime 52:25 during this weekend get acquainted with these two 52:28 precious people. Talk to them and they will just 52:31 give you a wonderful testimony. Thank you so much. 52:42 Yes, we are pressing on the upward way. 52:48 New heights we're gaining every day. 52:51 And we're praying as we're onward bound 52:53 saying: "Lord plant my feet on higher ground. " 52:59 One of these days very soon 53:02 we're going to look into the eastern sky. 53:05 We're going to see a little cloud appearing. 53:07 It'll be dark in nature, about half the size of a man's hand. 53:13 That's what we're told. And it will get brighter and brighter 53:16 and larger and larger and it will fill the sky 53:19 with all the glory that heaven can bring 53:22 for every angel of heaven will be there. 53:27 And the world will see it 53:30 whether you're in Thompsonville or whether you're in Mumbai, 53:35 whether in Johannesburg or in Tokyo, 53:39 whether you're in New York or in Sydney 53:41 you're going to see it at the same time. 53:43 Not through satellite television but through the miracle of God. 53:47 Amen! Every eye will see Him. 53:51 Jesus' coming will be a visible coming. 53:55 It will be an audible coming. 53:57 The trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first! 54:02 And those of us who are alive, and I hope every one of us 54:07 in this audience will be alive, 54:09 I believe it will be soon, 54:10 we will follow those into the air. 54:14 And as we see Jesus coming 54:17 we will look up, and Jesus will call us to the ultimate 54:23 higher ground. Amen! 54:26 To the ultimate living above the crowd. 54:30 Jesus will call us to eternal life with Him. 54:35 Amen! I want to be there that day. 54:39 We'll look up and we'll say: "This is the God 54:41 whom we have waited for: He will save us! " 54:45 And Jesus will look down and say: "Well done, 54:48 good and faithful servants. Enter into the joy 54:51 of your Lord. " "Come up higher... " 54:55 in essence that's what He's saying. 54:58 What a privilege to be part of God's great movement! 55:04 To understand the He's calling us to live above the crowd 55:08 but to be part of sharing in the crowd. 55:13 Living on a higher plane. 55:17 I know the Lord will bless Pastor Batchelor 55:21 as he speaks to us next. 55:23 But I want to ask you a question: 55:26 As you prepare in your heart 55:30 to be part of God's soon second coming 55:34 how many of you would like to pledge tonight 55:38 "Lord, lead me to higher ground 55:42 and help me to tell someone else about it. " 55:47 Would you stand to your feet right now? 55:58 Father in heaven, we come to You 56:02 in the quietness of this evening with the theme 56:06 Living Above the Crowd. 56:08 We pray Your blessing on the 3ABN Homecoming Camp Meeting. 56:13 We ask that You will bless every attendee here 56:16 and who are watching through the amazing ability 56:21 of satellite and cable and Internet television. 56:26 But help them to know, each one, 56:29 that You are calling them to a higher ground, 56:33 to a holy ground. And as You told Moses 56:37 You tell us also 56:40 that when You send us out You tell people 56:43 that the One who has sent us 56:46 is the great I AM... the One who can lift us up 56:50 to higher ground and the One who can lift them up 56:53 to higher ground. So Lord, we have committed ourselves 56:57 now to living with You 57:01 both now and in the future. 57:04 Be with us as we walk with You 57:08 on higher ground. 57:11 In Jesus' name we ask it, Amen. Amen! 57:16 Please be seated. 57:22 Thank you very much. We're pressing on the upward way 57:25 aren't we? New heights we're gaining every day. 57:27 Stay tuned. We'll be right back with Pr. Doug Batchelor. |
Revised 2019-10-29