Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC210015S
|
00:01 Three Angels Broadcasting Network
00:02 is pleased to bring you something better, 00:05 a faith inspiring picture of a loving God 00:09 from the Book of Hebrews. 00:11 Welcome to 3ABN's Virtual Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:16 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Fall Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:20 It's hard to believe, kind of sad, actually, 00:22 that we're down to the final message 00:24 of our fall camp meeting, 00:26 but we know that God has been here. 00:28 We felt His presence here. 00:29 What an incredible music hour that we just experienced, 00:32 sweet, sweet spirit. 00:33 We think of the Holy Spirit as He impresses us, 00:36 we need to listen right away. 00:39 Do you all believe in divine providence? 00:43 Do you believe in miracles? I do. 00:46 Let me just share something with you just, 00:48 this is incredible. 00:49 This is pretending to the Rafferty's 00:51 and Pastor James, of course, 00:52 going to be bringing us our last message here, 00:54 fall camp meeting. 00:56 And I'm going to give you the shortened version here 00:57 of how they came to 3ABN. 01:00 You know Mr. Danny and I, we dream some time just say, 01:02 "Man wouldn't it be neat of this and wow, 01:04 wouldn't it be incredible this and we mentioned, 01:06 you know, wouldn't be amazing if the Rafferty's 01:08 'cause somehow joined the 3ABN team?" 01:10 We kind of smiled at each other said, 01:12 "Oh, you know, it's, there's no way. 01:13 They're involved in other work, other ministries. 01:15 There's no way that they would come 01:17 anytime soon to 3ABN." 01:19 I kid you not just a day or two later, 01:22 this is on a Friday, 01:24 and there's a local store here that the farmer store 01:26 and I was there and 3ABN is not open. 01:28 So I was going into the farmer's store 01:31 and I get a phone call from Mr. Danny. 01:32 I picked it up and he said, "Greg," 01:35 he said, "You won't believe this. 01:36 Are you sitting down?" I said, "No. 01:37 I'm actually walking inside this farmer store. 01:39 Let me just step outside." 01:41 He said you know what? 01:42 He said, "I believe the Rafferty's 01:43 can actually join the 3ABN team." 01:45 I said, "You've got to be kidding me." 01:47 So we find out never say never. 01:49 You know, all we do is lay our plans and lives 01:51 before the Lord Jesus Christ. 01:53 That's what they were doing, 01:54 that's what 3ABN was doing and praise God, 01:58 they've joined the team, an incredible team, 01:59 both Pastor James and his wife Rise. 02:03 They are great team players. 02:05 We've just enjoyed having them here 02:06 as part of our team here for the last several months. 02:09 They love the Lord. 02:11 They are passionate for the Lord. 02:14 They love each other 02:16 and they're passionate for each other. 02:18 They love others 02:20 and they're passionate for others 02:22 and souls for the kingdom of God. 02:25 This closing message will be brought to us 02:27 like I mentioned by Pastor James, 02:28 it's entitled, The Finisher. 02:31 I've enjoyed the study through the Book of Hebrews 02:33 that he's presented 02:35 and before he comes and gives us the final message, 02:38 we have a wonderful song being brought to us by Doctor, 02:41 I'm going to call him Dr. John Stoddard 02:43 and it's a beautiful song entitled 02:44 Were it not for Grace. 02:47 Thank you Dr. John. 03:04 Time measured out my days 03:12 Life carry me along 03:19 In my soul I yearned 03:24 To follow God 03:27 But knew I'd never be so strong 03:34 I looked hard at this world 03:39 To learn how heaven 03:42 Could be gained 03:48 Just to end where I began 03:53 Where human effort 03:56 Was all in vain 04:03 Were it not for grace 04:11 I can tell you 04:14 Where I'd be 04:19 Wandering down some pointless road 04:24 To nowhere 04:26 With my salvation up to me 04:33 I know how that would go 04:41 The battles I would face 04:49 Forever running 04:53 But losing the race 04:57 Were it not for grace 05:15 So here is all my praise 05:23 Expressed with all my heart 05:30 Offered to the Friend 05:35 Who took my place 05:39 And ran a course I could not start 05:45 And when He saw in full 05:51 Just how much 05:54 This would cost 06:00 He still went the final mile 06:05 Between me and heaven 06:08 So I would not be lost 06:15 Were it not for grace 06:23 I can tell you 06:26 Where I'd be 06:31 Wandering down some pointless road 06:36 To nowhere 06:38 With my salvation up to me 06:45 I know how that would go 06:53 The battles I would face 07:02 Forever running 07:08 But losing the race 07:11 Were it not 07:15 For grace 07:19 Forever running 07:24 But losing the race 07:28 Were it not 07:32 For grace 07:55 Amen. Amen. 07:57 Praise God. 08:00 Thank you, John. 08:02 I was flying to Florida, 08:04 I had a destination with 3ABN camp meeting, 08:07 set up by a 3ABN organizational expert 08:12 with the initials D.H. 08:18 Okay, Dee Hildebrand, right, right, right. 08:20 Unfortunately, 08:22 our plane was traveling through Salt Lake City, 08:26 and there was a snowstorm. 08:30 We got in late, 08:31 we actually had to land somewhere else and refuel. 08:35 And by the time we got to Salt Lake City myself 08:37 with hundreds of other passengers 08:39 were stranded. 08:41 No planes were leaving. 08:42 And as I tried to rebook, 08:44 there were no planes that I could rebook 08:46 on to get to my destination in time 08:49 for the time slot that D. H, 08:53 Dee Hildebrand had set for me. 08:56 So I was in a lose-lose kind of a situation 08:58 and I was not a happy camper. 09:01 I don't know if you've ever been 09:02 in situations like this, 09:04 where you face the certain trials. 09:06 You have the certain images 09:08 of what's going to happen to you 09:10 when you get on the other side. 09:12 And as you're going through the trial, 09:14 you just feel like what am I doing here 09:18 in this packed out airport, 09:20 with all these people having a time crunch, 09:23 and no way of getting out of here in time? 09:31 It was at that point that God impressed me 09:35 to sit down in this crowded airport, 09:39 to take out my Bible and to study. 09:44 Now, I don't do that very often. 09:46 In fact, nowadays I have it on my phone or my computer 09:49 and nobody really knows 09:51 that I'm studying the Bible, 09:53 but back then it was the Bible. 09:55 I didn't have a Bible on the phone. 09:56 I didn't have it on a computer. 09:58 So it was my Bible. 10:00 This was a few years ago 10:01 and I was somewhat embarrassed with the idea, 10:04 just to be honest with you, 10:06 of sitting around all these people, 10:08 you know, this was a situation 10:10 where you're sitting next to people, 10:13 there's no seats in between, 10:14 there's no empty seats anywhere, 10:16 people are sitting in seats, 10:18 they're sitting on the floor, it's packed out, 10:20 opening my Bible, hello, 10:22 I'm going to be studying the Bible right now. 10:25 I felt like, 10:27 oh, that's the last thing I want to do. 10:30 But the impression was really strong. 10:35 And the other problem was, 10:37 is that I was irritated right now. 10:39 And I thought to myself, 10:40 this is not the time to be studying 10:44 the Word of God. 10:46 And then there was the text, 10:48 I opened up to Hebrews Chapter 12. 10:51 This is the book we've been studying 10:54 for the last few days, 10:56 the theme, Something Better. 10:57 And we've looked at the Languages of Love, 11:00 the Heart Transplanter, 11:04 the Faith of Jesus, 11:09 and now the Finisher. 11:12 So these were the Bible verses that God led me to read 11:16 and I started reading them. 11:17 And in Hebrews 12:1-3, 11:19 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about 11:22 with so great a cloud of witnesses, 11:25 let us lay aside every weight, 11:27 and the sin that does so easily beset us 11:29 and one with patience the race that is set before us." 11:31 And that word just jumped out of the page at me, patience. 11:37 It didn't help. 11:39 And then I kept reading, reading, 11:41 "Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith, 11:44 who for the joy that was set before him," 11:48 joy, I wasn't feeling that, 11:52 "endured the cross, despising the shame, 11:54 and is set down at the right hand 11:55 of the throne of God. 11:57 For consider," verse 3, 12:00 "who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, 12:03 lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." 12:04 I was definitely wearied 12:06 and fainting in my mind. 12:10 "For ye have not yet resisted unto blood, 12:14 striving against sin." 12:16 There it was, verse number 4 12:21 in Hebrews Chapter 12. 12:23 And right away, I had a bone to pick with God, 12:27 because this was a verse, 12:30 I don't know if you have these verses 12:31 that I just didn't understand. 12:33 You have not yet resistant unto blood 12:35 striving against sin. 12:36 What's that? What does that look like? 12:38 Resisting unto blood, striving against sin? 12:40 I don't know if you have them, 12:41 but I have the back shelf Bible verses. 12:44 They're the Bible verses I can't figure out, 12:45 I don't know what they mean. 12:46 So I put them on the back shelf. 12:48 And I just wait for a time and place 12:50 when God will reveal them to me. 12:52 And so I decided since this verse 12:54 was on the back shelf, 12:55 and God was impressing me to study my Bible 12:57 in public in front of all these people, 12:59 and I was in a irritated mood, 13:01 because I was stuck in Salt Lake City, 13:04 and wasn't going to make it to my destination time 13:06 was going to have to meet up with D.H. 13:12 That this was the verse that I was going to study 13:15 and I was going to expect 13:16 that God was going to give me an answer. 13:20 And you know how it is when you challenge God. 13:23 He always comes through because He is faithful. 13:28 So tonight as we finish up this theme on something better, 13:32 we're going to be looking at these texts 13:34 because they contain for us 13:36 not only the closing motto, 13:40 the closing hope that we have 13:44 that Jesus is not only the author, 13:45 but the finisher of our faith. 13:47 And that's in verse 2, 13:49 but they also indicate how it is 13:52 that we are to strive to resist unto blood, 13:58 striving against sin, 13:59 which didn't make sense to me at the time, 14:01 but I believe that God will help us to understand 14:04 what it means this evening. 14:07 Before we dive in, let's just pause for a moment 14:09 and ask God to be with us through His Holy Spirit. 14:12 Father in heaven, thank You again tonight for Your Word. 14:14 Thank You so much for guiding us 14:18 through all of this camp meeting, 14:19 this homecoming fall camp meeting here at 3ABN 14:22 for choosing the speakers, 14:24 the themes, the music, for keeping us on, 14:30 focus on target on time, 14:33 for giving us answers to questions, 14:35 for being with the team here, 14:37 behind the scenes, the sound, the video, 14:40 the tech, all of the technicians. 14:43 For those who've been able to come, 14:45 for those who are listening Father, 14:46 we just thank You for this, 14:47 but we also pray that You won't let us 14:50 end this camp meeting without feeding us, 14:52 without ministering to us, 14:54 without communicating to us through Your Spirit once again. 14:59 We give You this time, we give You this opportunity. 15:02 We're thankful that when we pray You answer 15:04 because we pray in the worthy name 15:05 of Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher. 15:08 And we say, "Amen." 15:11 Well, there I was in this airport, 15:14 not feeling very good, 15:16 and kind of embarrassed a little bit. 15:21 And deciding that I was going to read this verse. 15:23 I don't know why I open up to this verse. 15:25 I can't remember what it was that caused me 15:27 to look at this particular scripture. 15:31 But as I did, I remember thinking in my mind, 15:36 "How do I resist unto blood striving against sin? 15:38 It just doesn't make sense to me. 15:39 Am I supposed to try so hard 15:42 that I start sweating like Jesus 15:44 did great drops of blood?" 15:48 See, I'd always looked at this verse 15:51 from that perspective. 15:52 How do I do this? 15:53 How do I do this? 15:55 How do I do this? 15:56 And I think a lot of times 15:58 when we come to the Word of God, 15:59 that's the perspective we have. 16:00 We read God's Word, and we think, 16:02 how do I get this done? 16:03 How do I get that done? 16:04 And sometimes we even jump ahead of God, 16:07 and we say, "You know, everything you said, 16:08 I'm going to do, I'm just going to do it." 16:11 Kind of like that Old Covenant promise 16:12 that the children of Israel made. 16:15 And as I sat there, I started thinking, 16:18 "How did Jesus do it? 16:20 How did Jesus strive against sin resisting unto... 16:24 What did He do?" 16:26 I started asking a different question, 16:27 not how do I do it? 16:29 But how did He do it? 16:31 I started focusing on Christ. 16:33 That's where our focus needs to be, isn't it? 16:34 It needs to be on Jesus, 16:36 because He's the author, and He's the finisher. 16:37 And so I started focusing on Christ. 16:40 And when I did that, when I asked that question, 16:44 light just started streaming through. 16:46 I mean, in this packed airport, 16:49 with my Bible open 16:50 with all those people around me, 16:52 I actually felt like I was filled 16:55 with the joy of the Holy Spirit. 16:57 And I started seeing this text unfold 16:59 as I never had before. 17:00 This new focus on Christ 17:02 impressed me to ask the question, 17:05 "Well, where was it 17:07 that Christ resisted sin unto blood? 17:11 Where was it He was striving against sin, 17:15 so that He sweat great drops of blood?" 17:19 And the answer, of course, 17:20 that came back was Matthew 26, the Garden of Gethsemane. 17:24 This is where Christ resisted, 17:27 striving against sin unto blood. 17:30 And so I went back to Matthew Chapter 26, 17:32 and I was reading Matthew Chapter 26. 17:33 Now, before this time, I had, you know, an irritated mind, 17:39 but I wanted the patience and I wanted the joy. 17:41 So I was claiming those promises, 17:42 as I was reading, 17:43 and I went to Matthew Chapter 26. 17:45 And I went back to the section where it kind of begins, 17:48 you know, this is just before Gethsemane, 17:50 and I thought, in my mind, 17:51 what was Jesus doing just before Gethsemane 17:55 that prepared Him for the Gethsemane ordeal. 17:58 'Cause I started realizing, 18:00 you know, maybe it's not so much sweating blood 18:03 that God is asking us to do here. 18:04 But maybe it's the preparation that comes 18:07 where Jesus engaged in 18:09 before He went through this experience. 18:12 Matthew 26:20-21. 18:14 Let's look at those verses this evening, 18:16 Matthew, 26:20-21. 18:20 They're powerful verses, the whole story is powerful. 18:22 Everything that we see here 18:24 that Jesus is doing with His disciples, 18:27 this is actually the Last Supper, 18:28 so it's right before Gethsemane and the cross and Calvary, 18:32 Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples, 18:34 He's getting ready to have 18:35 the last supper with His disciples. 18:38 And in verses 20 and 21, 18:41 it says, "Now when the even was come, 18:44 He sat down with the twelve. 18:46 And as they did eat, He said, 18:48 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, 18:51 that one of you shall betray Me." 18:55 One of you shall betray Me. 18:58 Now, the reason why I think this is so important 19:00 is because these are the last moments 19:04 of Christ's life on earth. 19:05 And you and I face, 19:08 or are going to face the final moments 19:11 of our life on this earth. 19:12 And one of the first things that Jesus does 19:14 as He's facing the last moments of His life on earth 19:18 is He exposes apostasy. 19:23 He talks about the apostasy, 19:25 the betrayal that's going to take place 19:27 right within the 12, 19:29 right within the church. 19:31 In other words, He doesn't shy away 19:33 from confronting the elephant in the room. 19:36 Are you following me? 19:38 He confronts the elephant in the room and He says, 19:40 "Basically, one of you is going to betray Me." 19:43 Now, the reason why I think this is so significant 19:45 is because Jesus later tells us that Judas 19:49 or the Bible tells us 19:51 that Judas is called the son of perdition. 19:53 And that son of perdition was to be revealed, 19:56 according to John 13:19. 19:58 So the disciples could have courage 20:01 after Christ's death and resurrection. 20:03 You see, if the disciples 20:05 had not been told about this apostasy, 20:07 when the apostasy came, when Judas betrayed Him, 20:10 it would have put doubt into their minds 20:12 that Jesus was actually prepared 20:14 for what was coming. 20:16 But because Jesus foretold this apostasy, 20:18 because Jesus says in John 13:19, 20:21 "I've told you ahead of time 20:22 so that when it comes to pass, you might believe." 20:24 And He was talking specifically about Judas, 20:26 the son of perdition, according to John 17:12. 20:29 When Jesus told the disciples this, 20:32 it helped their faith 20:34 to know that Jesus knew that this was coming. 20:38 And so I want to say to you this evening, 20:40 that it's so important for us 20:41 because we're told in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 20:46 that there is another son of perdition, 20:47 the lawless one, the Antichrist that is coming. 20:51 And it's so important for us as Christians, 20:53 as Bible believing Christians, 20:56 not to avoid an understanding of this truth. 20:59 Jesus didn't avoid it, 21:01 He didn't avoid exposing the son of perdition. 21:03 A lot of people will read the Bible 21:05 and they'll get to the Book of Revelation, 21:06 they'll say, "I'm not going any further. 21:08 I don't want to even know about that. 21:09 I don't want to understand the Antichrist." 21:11 And then, of course, Satan has all kinds 21:13 of different interpretations to get off, 21:15 get us off base as Christians, 21:16 so we can't even figure out who or what the Antichrist is. 21:19 Is it a computer? 21:20 Is it a beast in a museum somewhere? 21:22 What is this Antichrist? 21:24 Jesus exposes, 21:27 He brings up the conversation because He knows 21:30 it's going to build the faith of the disciples, 21:32 and we need to do the same thing. 21:33 I believe the mark of the beast is like the ace in our pocket, 21:37 so to speak. 21:38 I believe that when we share with people 21:41 what we know about the son of perdition 21:43 and the apostasy that's coming, 21:44 when it happens, 21:46 their faith is going to be built up. 21:47 And God is encouraging us to do this, 21:49 we cannot neglect it, 'cause Jesus didn't. 21:53 This is what prepared Him 21:55 to be faithful to God in the end of time, 21:56 and we need to be prepared. 21:58 We don't want all of these events to happen. 22:00 And people all around to say, "You knew about this. 22:01 You didn't tell us? 22:03 Why didn't you tell us?" 22:04 Now, of course, sometimes it's kind of embarrassing, 22:06 and we feel embarrassed. 22:07 Because what we say how we interpret prophecy 22:12 will sometimes solicit the responsive, 22:14 that's crazy, no way, that can't be. 22:17 But we need to leave that with God. 22:20 They thought no He was a crazy fanatic, 22:22 because He predicted rain, 22:23 they never even seen rain in the antediluvian world. 22:27 Lot, his family all thought that was crazy to leave Sodom. 22:32 In fact, the angel had to basically 22:33 drag him out of there. 22:36 Jesus was called the devil 22:38 because He was faithful with the Word of God, 22:41 and the servant is no greater than the master. 22:45 The next thing Jesus does is found in verses 22 to 25, 22:49 of Matthew 26. 22:51 Let's just look there at 22 to 25. 22:53 "And they were exceeding sorrowful, 22:55 and then began every one of them to say unto Him, 22:57 'Lord is it I?' 22:58 And He assured, He answered and said, 23:00 'He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, 23:03 the same shall betray Me." 23:04 The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, 23:06 verse 24, 23:10 "But woe unto that man 23:11 by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! 23:12 It had been good for that man that he had not been born." 23:15 Then Judas," verse 25, "which betrayed him, 23:19 answered and said, 'Master, is it I?' 23:21 And He said unto him, 'Thou hast said.'" 23:25 Jesus was more specific about who was betraying Him. 23:28 He was more specific. 23:30 Jesus actually identifies Judas. 23:35 Because the unveiling would lead Judas 23:39 to separate from the disciples. 23:41 It was right after this, 23:42 according to John 13:30 that Judas left. 23:46 And we know we face a separation 23:47 in the end of time. 23:49 And we know we have to get specific, 23:51 we need to talk about the details of apostasy. 23:55 Because it's important for us 23:57 not to be overwhelmed and discourage 24:00 when it actually happens. 24:01 You know, we think about things 24:03 that are happening in the church in the world, 24:04 and we go, "Oh, I can't believe it." 24:06 Well, why can't you believe it? 24:07 We've been told it's going to happen. 24:09 God has prepared us for it. 24:11 Don't be so shocked, 24:13 as more in a spirit of prayer, 24:17 weeping in agony, 24:19 for the things that are happening 24:20 in our church and in the world 24:22 and are going to happen in these last days. 24:25 Then we look at Matthew Chapter 26, 24:29 continuing on from verse 26 24:31 and we read all the way to verse 29. 24:33 "And as they were eating, 24:35 Jesus took the bread and blessed it, 24:36 and break it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 24:38 'Take, eat, this is my body.' 24:40 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, 24:42 and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it, 24:44 for this is my blood of the new testament, 24:46 which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 24:49 But I say unto you, 24:50 I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, 24:52 until that day when I drink it new 24:54 with you in my Father's kingdom.'" 24:57 Many times we focus on apostasy. 24:59 We need to know about it. 25:01 We focus on the specifics of apostasy. 25:03 Obviously Jesus did too. 25:04 But we've got to get our focus back 25:08 on the bread and on the wine. 25:11 We've got to get our focus back on Jesus, 25:13 and His great sacrifice for us. 25:15 We've got to get our focus back on fellowshipping with Christ, 25:18 on supping with Him, 25:19 on letting Him in on that personal relationship. 25:21 That's what the whole Book of Hebrews 25:23 has been delivering to us, 25:24 that personal relationship. 25:25 And this section of Matthew Chapter 26 25:28 is all about personal relationship. 25:30 Jesus Christ was able to speak to the disciples, 25:33 He was able to speak about Judas 25:35 because He had a personal close relationship with them, 25:38 and that's what we want with Jesus also. 25:40 We want that close personal relationship 25:43 that is depicted symbolically, 25:45 in our partaking of the bread and of the wine. 25:49 But He also says, 25:51 "I'm not going to drink this henceforth, 25:52 until I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom." 25:56 Jesus exercise faith in the future. 25:59 I'm going to drink it again with you, 26:00 we need to have faith 26:02 that our future is settled, it's sealed. 26:05 We have a hope. 26:07 We have a destiny. 26:08 This is not it. 26:09 If we lose our earthly life, 26:11 we just rest in the grave for a short time, 26:13 and then we go to that destiny that God has for us. 26:17 And this is what Jesus did, 26:18 as He focused here with the disciples. 26:20 And that goes on to say this in verse 30. 26:23 And I love this because this is what 26:25 we've been doing in this camp meeting, 26:26 it's been saturated with it. 26:28 And then it says in verse 30, "And when He had sung a hymn, 26:32 a song, they went out to the Mount of Olives." 26:35 You know, music is powerful, 26:36 and they're going to be many people 26:38 who are going to be in the Kingdom of God 26:39 because of music. 26:41 Because of the musical talents 26:43 that have been dedicated to God service 26:45 by people like John, 26:47 and Dino, and Ryan. 26:52 My wife was telling me on the way over this morning, 26:54 she said, "I sure hope Ryan..." 26:57 When we woke up this morning, sometime this morning, 26:59 "I sure hope Ryan is going to sing some more." 27:01 And I said, "Oh, yeah, Ryan told me 27:02 he's singing more at this camp meeting. 27:04 He hasn't any other camp meeting." 27:05 Oh, good. 27:06 Because song is powerful, 27:09 song is like a weapon to destroy discouragement. 27:14 So I've really been blessed. 27:15 You know, I said, "You like Ryan Day?" 27:18 And she said, "Yeah, I like Ryan Day. 27:19 But I also like Celestine, I like her voice, 27:23 but I also like Yvonne, I like her voice. 27:25 But I also like Danny, I like his voice. 27:27 But I also like, Reggie and Ladye Love, 27:30 but I also like," 27:31 I guess we like everyone singing up here. 27:35 God speaks to us through song. 27:38 And He wants to encourage us. 27:40 And so Jesus sang the song. 27:43 Now one of the reasons why He sang this song 27:44 is because He knew 27:45 where He was going. 27:47 He was going to Gethsemane on the cross, 27:48 and He knew what He was going to experience there, 27:50 is predicted in Psalm 22. 27:52 Just look there in Psalm 22 quickly. 27:54 Keep your hands right here in 27:57 or keep your Bibles open here in Matthew 26, 28:00 because we're going to come back there. 28:01 But Psalm 22:1 28:03 is a prophetic prediction, 28:07 description of the experience of Christ, 28:10 on the cross, and even in Calvary. 28:12 "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? 28:15 Why art thou so far from helping me 28:17 and from the voice of my roaring? 28:20 Oh, My God, I cry in the daytime, 28:22 but thou hears not. 28:23 And in the night season, I am not silent." 28:26 That's exactly what Christ went through 28:28 in Gethsemane and on the cross. 28:30 But notice verse 3, 28:31 because it's really significant. 28:33 You see, God, Jesus Christ was guided by the Holy Spirit. 28:37 He was guided by God in all that He did. 28:40 He was familiar with the scriptures. 28:42 And He was familiar with verse 3 which says, 28:44 "But thou art holy, 28:45 oh, thou that inhabits the praises of Israel." 28:50 Jesus was familiar with this verse 28:52 that was in the context of being forsaken that says 28:55 that God inhabits the praises of Israel. 29:00 And so as He's going to Gethsemane, 29:02 He's going to the cross. 29:03 And He knows and senses 29:04 that God is going to be separating from Him. 29:06 He begins to sing, 29:08 because this promise right here says 29:09 that God will inhabit the praises of Israel. 29:15 God will be in the presence 29:17 of the praises of His people. 29:21 And Jesus believed that God was with Him 29:24 by faith in His Word, 29:26 and so can we. 29:28 In the end of time, 29:29 we're going to feel all kinds of opposition, 29:30 people are going to mock us, 29:32 they're going to make fun of us, 29:33 they're going to say, "Where's your God now? 29:35 Where's your God now?" 29:36 And song is going to be a powerful weapon for us. 29:39 Because as we sing those songs, Satan and his angels, 29:42 those songs that glorify Christ, 29:44 Satan and his angels are going to, 29:46 it's going to sound to them like 29:47 nail scratching a chalkboard. 29:49 They're going to hate it. 29:51 They're going to want to have nothing to do with it. 29:53 And it's going to lift our spirits 29:55 like it lifted the spirits of Christ. 29:59 Verse 31, 30:01 this is where we see some major preparation 30:05 for Gethsemane, 30:07 that is so practical. 30:09 Then saith Jesus unto them all, 30:13 Jesus unto them, the disciples, 30:15 all ye shall be offended because of me this night: 30:17 for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, 30:20 and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." 30:22 Jesus turned to the scriptures. 30:24 And as He turned to the scriptures, 30:26 He became beautifully, excuse me, 30:29 brutally honest with His disciples. 30:32 He turns to the scriptures, 30:33 and He tells them according to Word of God, 30:35 "You are going to forsake Me. 30:38 You are going to forsake Me." 30:39 In the end of time, 30:41 we're going to have to be brutally honest with people. 30:43 We're going to have to be brutally honest 30:44 based on the Word of God. 30:46 You know, sometimes the church kind of lets things slide, 30:49 they let things go by the wayside, 30:50 we're not really on top of stuff, 30:52 we're kind of like, "Yeah, doesn't matter." 30:54 In the end of time, everything is going to matter. 30:56 It's going to be very important for us. 30:58 And we must be honest with our brothers and sisters, 31:02 in the church and in the world. 31:04 Because Jesus has died for all, and we must be honest, 31:07 based on scripture. 31:09 We must go to the Word of God, 31:10 and we must honestly share the Word of God. 31:12 You know, sometimes we're reluctant to do that. 31:14 And then there's some of us 31:15 that don't have a reluctant bone 31:17 in our body, right? 31:18 We'll say whatever it is, 31:19 let the chips fall where they may. 31:21 But there's a verse in Colossians 4:6, 31:23 that's meant a lot to me 31:24 when it comes to sharing the truth. 31:25 It says that our speech should always be grace, 31:29 full of grace, seasoned with salt. 31:32 And I'm Irish, on my mother's side, 31:34 I'm a salt and potatoes guy. 31:37 I like my potatoes with a little bit of salt. 31:39 And if you come over to our house, 31:41 you're going to get potatoes, 31:42 you're going to get rice and beans also, 31:43 because my wife is Hispanic, 31:45 but you're going to get potatoes. 31:47 But if you were to come to my house for dinner, 31:48 and I was to set a plate in front of you, 31:50 and I was to pile on salts, 31:52 I mean, the whole plate is full of salt, 31:54 and sprinkle on a few potatoes on the top, 31:56 what would you think? 31:58 Ugh, right? 31:59 But sometimes that's what we do 32:01 with the three angels' messages. 32:04 We are the salt of the world. 32:06 And we need to have the savior of salt. 32:09 But to make it all salt, 32:12 with a sprinkle of potatoes is like telling people 32:15 about all of the prophecies in the mark of the beast 32:17 and then closing up with the line, 32:18 and by the way, Jesus loves you. 32:21 We need the plate to be filled with grace. 32:24 But don't leave off the salt 32:26 because the world is bland with iniquity. 32:29 We need a combination of the two 32:31 but we need to be heavy on the grace 32:32 according to Colossians 4, 6:4, 4:6. 32:38 If you read the whole book of Colossians, 32:39 you'll find that verse in there. 32:42 So Jesus is honest. 32:45 And then verse 32. 32:47 "But after I am risen again, 32:49 I will go before you into Galilee." 32:52 This is powerful. 32:53 Jesus gave the disciples assurance, 32:56 even though they were going to desert Him. 32:58 He gave them assurance of forgiveness, 33:00 before the denial, 33:01 they have the assurance of forgiveness. 33:03 And after His death and resurrection, 33:04 they knew that they were forgiven, 33:06 and they were dear to the heart of God. 33:08 We need assurance. 33:09 If we're going to get through the end of time, 33:11 we need assurance, 33:12 we need the assurance of God's forgiveness, 33:13 that He's with us 33:15 that we have the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 33:16 And the disciples had that 33:18 and that's what was going to take them through 33:20 even their own betrayal. 33:23 But notice how the disciples respond. 33:26 26:33-34, 33:31 "And Peter answered and said unto Him, 33:32 the all men will be offended 33:34 because of thee yet well, I never be offended." 33:37 You know, that's the way we are, 33:38 especially, I think, 33:40 as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 33:41 well, we know that all the other churches 33:43 are going to apostatize and be offended 33:45 and receive the mark of the beast, 33:47 but we're not going to because we know 33:48 what the mark of the beast is, 33:49 and we would never receive the mark of the beast. 33:52 We're like Peter. 33:54 But notice, 33:55 the other disciples respond in verse 34. 34:00 Excuse me, verse 36, we just read 35, 34:04 oh verse 35, excuse me, we just said 34. 34:06 "And Peter said unto Him, though I should die with thee, 34:10 yet will I not deny thee. 34:11 Likewise said all the disciples." 34:14 They didn't know themselves, 34:16 and many times we don't know ourselves, 34:17 we don't know our weaknesses. 34:19 And so Jesus Christ has to be again, 34:22 honest with us and we have to receive His words. 34:26 But Jesus, verse 35, 34:28 doesn't argue with the disciples. 34:30 And many times, you know, we argue with people. 34:31 Sometimes we need to just put the truth out there, 34:34 we needed to share the Word of God, 34:35 and we need to let the Holy Spirit 34:37 do the convicting. 34:39 And many times when we share the truth with people, 34:42 it's going to take time for it to settle in. 34:44 Share the principles of Bible prophecy. 34:47 Don't worry about how people respond. 34:48 Don't worry if they don't accept it, 34:50 but when they go through the trial, 34:52 maybe they will be more receptive. 34:53 The disciples were not ready to hear 34:55 the straight testimony from Jesus Christ, 34:57 He shared it anyway. 34:58 But He didn't start arguing with them 35:01 when their response was a denial. 35:03 No, no, no, no, no, we'll never do that. 35:05 He didn't argue with them. 35:07 He just left it. 35:08 He just left it. 35:10 Verse 35, He just left it. 35:12 "Peter said unto Him, though I should die with you, 35:15 I will not deny you like all the disciples. 35:17 Then comes Jesus with them 35:19 unto the place called Gethsemane, 35:21 and said unto the disciples, 35:22 sit here while I go and pray yonder." 35:24 So He doesn't argue with them. 35:25 When we share the truth, and people argue against it, 35:30 and resist it, leave it. 35:32 They will go through their own experiences, 35:34 their own trials, 35:35 and hopefully those experiences will bring them to the place 35:38 where they remembered what you shared with them, 35:40 and they'll be open to receiving. 35:43 We're told that 35:44 when the mark of the beast is enforced, 35:46 the seeds that have been sown will spring up and bear fruit. 35:51 And a lot of that will happen 35:52 because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, 35:54 not because of our theological arguments. 35:56 The arguments have all been given. 35:58 Then it says in verse 36, as Jesus goes yonder, 36:01 it says in verse 6, that He went to pray. 36:04 This is one of the most significant preparations 36:07 we can make for the end of time. 36:09 We need to pray, we need to be on our knees, 36:10 we need to be just listening for the voice of God. 36:13 You have nothing to say to God, 36:14 just listen and think about the truths that He's given you 36:17 and He will share with you thoughts. 36:19 He will impress you with exactly what it is 36:22 that you need to say and do. 36:25 I experienced that over and over again 36:28 as I wait in His presence. 36:29 Sometimes we just don't wait long enough. 36:31 We say a quick prayer, and then we're off 36:32 to do whatever is we plan to do 36:34 when God might be wanting to change our plans, 36:36 He might have something else in mind for us. 36:40 And then in verses 37 and 38, 36:42 it says that "Jesus took with Him 36:43 Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 36:46 and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 36:48 And then He said unto them, verse 38, 36:50 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, 36:52 even unto death: 36:53 tarry here and watch with me.'" 36:57 So Jesus asked for help. 36:59 He asked for help. 37:01 He asked people to pray for Him and to pray with Him. 37:04 We need to do that also. 37:06 That's a big part of the ministry here at 3ABN. 37:10 We have prayer requests that come in all the time. 37:12 Sometimes we pray about those requests 37:15 at our staff meetings, at our smaller meeting, 37:16 sometimes I get texts from the management here 37:20 to pray for a specific person. 37:22 We've been praying for a young lady recently. 37:24 And as you know, Danny shared with you, 37:26 God is answering those prayers, praise the Lord. 37:29 God will answer prayers. 37:31 We need to ask people to pray for us, 37:33 we need to pray. 37:34 And then it says in verse 39, 37:35 and this is huge for Jesus, this is huge. 37:38 "And He went a little further, He fell on His face, 37:42 and He prayed, 'Oh, my Father, 37:45 if it be possible, let this cup pass for me: 37:49 nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." 37:54 Jesus Himself, the perfect Holy Son of God, 38:00 separate from sinners, blameless, 38:03 confessed the weakness of His human world, 38:06 of His human nature. 38:08 His human nature shrank from the cross 38:13 as decidedly as ours does. 38:18 He came to meet us where we are. 38:20 And the greatest battle 38:21 we face is the battle against our wills, 38:24 the surrender of the will to God, 38:25 it's like plucking out the eye or cutting off the arm. 38:28 Jesus faced that battle. 38:31 And He surrendered His will to God. 38:34 He said, "Nevertheless, not My will, 38:36 but Thine will be done." 38:37 And that was it, right? 38:38 It was all over. 38:40 He prayed, He made that surrender, 38:41 and it was done. 38:43 And then He went back in verses 40 and 41, 38:44 "And He came to the disciples and He found them asleep, 38:47 and He said unto Peter, 38:48 'What, could you not watch with me for one hour? 38:52 Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation, 38:54 for the spirit indeed is willing, 38:55 but the flesh is weak." 38:56 So He prays to God, 38:58 He surrenders His will to God, He's all filled up. 39:00 And then He goes to the disciples 39:01 and He sees that they're failing, 39:03 and He encourages them. 39:05 He encourages them to be faithful 39:06 and watching in prayer. 39:07 And you know, sometimes when we encourage others 39:10 or sometimes when we see others who aren't being faithful, 39:12 it actually affects us. 39:16 Jesus goes back in verse 42, 39:19 again, the second time and He prayed, saying, 39:21 "Oh, My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, 39:24 except I drink it, Thy will be done." 39:26 He prays the second time to surrender His will to God. 39:31 No, it wasn't done in complete the first time. 39:33 Jesus had to pray again. 39:36 No, it's not good enough for us to just pray in the morning 39:39 to have our devotions in the morning. 39:40 We need to maybe need to pray again in the afternoon. 39:43 We may need to pray again in the midmorning. 39:45 We may need to pray again in the midafternoon. 39:46 We may need to pray every single hour. 39:48 We may need to constantly surrender our will to God. 39:51 Jesus Christ surrenders His will to God 39:53 and then He does it again. 39:57 We need to continue 39:59 surrendering our will to the Lord, 40:02 surrendering it to God again and again. 40:05 And then in verse 43, 40:07 "Jesus goes back to the disciples, 40:08 He came again, He found them asleep, 40:10 again, for their eyes were heavy, 40:12 and He left them and He went away again." 40:15 Jesus Christ doesn't rebuke the disciples this time. 40:18 You know, you can get on people, 40:20 you can write people, you can just tell them 40:21 what they're doing wrong, what they're doing wrong, 40:23 what they're doing wrong over and over again. 40:25 But Jesus tells us, "No." 40:29 We need to tell people, 40:31 we need to be faithful to people, 40:32 but don't write it. 40:33 Leave that with the Lord. 40:35 You've done your job, you've been faithful. 40:37 Now it's time to pray up. 40:39 And it says in that same verse, 40:42 that Jesus, verse 43, 44, 45, 44, 40:47 He left them, He went away again. 40:49 And He prayed the third time saying the same words. 40:51 Sometimes we write other people, 40:53 because we have our own weaknesses. 40:55 And Jesus saying, "No, I have my own issues here. 40:57 I have my own weaknesses, 40:58 I have the thing that I need to surrender. 41:00 And I'm not going to spend a lot of time 41:01 writing other people 41:02 when I need to be surrendering My will to God." 41:04 And so Jesus focuses, this third time, 41:07 on confessing His weakness to God 41:09 and surrendering His will to God's will, 41:11 His human will to God's will. 41:12 And you know, it's really interesting 41:14 that Jesus reveals Himself 41:17 as one with us in this one instance. 41:20 I'm sure that there were many times 41:21 when Christ surrendered His will to God, 41:23 but here, we see it clearly 41:26 in some of the greatest struggles 41:27 that He faced. 41:29 And then in verse 45, 41:31 Jesus comes to the disciples again, 41:34 He sees them sleeping, 41:36 and He says, "Sleep now, take your rest, behold, 41:38 the hour's at hand, 41:40 and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." 41:46 Christ battle is over. 41:48 His personal battle 41:50 with the surrender of His will is over. 41:53 He is at rest, He is at peace with God, 41:57 and He exudes that peace to His disciples. 42:03 He lets them rest, 42:05 because He knows a battle is coming for them 42:07 that they were unwilling to face in this moment. 42:13 So Matthew Chapter 26 42:14 was just exploding open in this airport. 42:20 And I was so excited. 42:21 You know, I was sitting there, I was reading all these verses, 42:23 and I was just like, "Wow, this is amazing. 42:25 Look at all of us." 42:26 This is what it means 42:28 to resist unto blood, striving against sin. 42:29 I see it now, it makes so much sense. 42:31 God isn't asking me to sweat blood. 42:32 He's asking me to follow Jesus, because Jesus is the author, 42:36 and Jesus is the finisher. 42:39 And He wants us to let Jesus finish 42:42 what He's begun. 42:44 He wants us to get our focus on Christ. 42:47 And so I'm in this airport, and I'm just excited. 42:49 You know, I've already tried 42:50 my hardest to get on another flight 42:52 and they just aren't any available. 42:54 But I finally, as I'm done here, 42:55 and I'm kind of happy 42:56 and all that irritation and impatience 42:58 is all gone away, my heart is filled with joy. 43:00 And I'm just looking around and everyone's my friend. 43:03 They're probably wondering, what's happened to this guy? 43:07 I get a brilliant idea, 43:09 I decided to call my travel agent. 43:10 She's the one that booked the flight and asked her 43:12 if she can get me out of this situation. 43:13 So I called her up, 43:15 and I tell her what my situation is, 43:16 and I have to get to Florida. 43:17 That's the destination for the camp meeting, 43:19 the 3ABN camp meeting. 43:20 And I have a certain D.H. person 43:23 that has set my schedule. 43:25 And if I don't make it, 43:27 I'm going to be in big trouble with D.H. 43:31 And she says, "Oh, that's easy." 43:33 She says that's not a problem at all. 43:35 I said, "What do you mean?" 43:36 And she said, "Every flight 43:38 has open seats in first class. 43:43 I said, "How can I get in first class?" 43:46 She said, "You are a premier fly, 43:48 you fly a lot on this airline, 43:50 all you need to do is walk up to the podium 43:53 and tell the flight attendant, 43:54 you really need to get to your destination 43:56 and you would like, 43:57 you would request for them to put you in first class." 44:00 And I thought, "Would that work? 44:02 I mean, it'd be great to be in first class anyway, right? 44:05 Would that work?" 44:06 And so I decided to try it. 44:08 I mean, why not? 44:10 Give it a chance, right? 44:11 So sure enough, I go up there. 44:15 I mentioned that I need to get to this destination. 44:17 I mentioned what my travel agent said 44:19 and I request if they would put me in first class. 44:22 And they did a little bit of, 44:23 you know, button pushing on the computer 44:25 and they looking on the screen 44:26 and they said, "Yep, no problem. 44:29 We can get you in first class on the next plane out of here." 44:32 And I was like, "Yes. 44:34 This is amazing." 44:35 I was so happy. I was so excited. 44:37 I had a sermon for the camp meeting 44:40 in Matthew 26 44:41 in relation to Hebrews Chapter 12. 44:43 I had figured out a verse 44:45 that I put on the back shelf for years, 44:47 I didn't understand, 44:48 what does it mean to resist unto blood? 44:49 And now I was going to fly to my destination. 44:51 I was going to get there on time. 44:53 D.H. was going to be super happy with me. 44:56 That's what I was thinking foremost, of course. 44:58 And I was going to fly first class. 45:01 Well, it was a late flight. 45:02 But I got on the plane, 45:04 I went into first class, I sat down, 45:05 there was another guy sitting next to me. 45:06 And he looked over at me kind of sheepishly, 45:08 and he said, "I don't normally fly first class." 45:11 And I said, "Yeah, I don't either." 45:13 He was a plumber, and I was a pastor, 45:15 and none of us usually can afford first class. 45:16 And we just started talking. 45:18 And long story short, this man was an atheist. 45:22 And I told him, "I was a pastor." 45:25 And he said, "You know, 45:26 I've gone through a divorce recently, 45:27 and my daughter, I think, needs to know a little bit about God. 45:30 So I started going to church." 45:32 And we started having this conversation 45:35 about the Bible, and about God, and it was incredible. 45:38 It was a providential encounter. 45:40 You know, God is overruling. 45:45 He is working together for good to them that love Him, 45:49 and are called according to His purpose. 45:52 And as we started talking, 45:54 they brought us our meals back then, 45:57 and still today, in first class, you get meals. 46:00 And he got his meal and I got my meal. 46:02 And I was a little bit sheepish about what to do. 46:06 Because, you know, I always pray over my meals. 46:07 And sometimes I feel like 46:09 well, he's, you know, like, "What should I do?" 46:11 And he looks at me and he said, 46:13 "Should we pray over our meals?" 46:16 The atheist says to me on this plane, 46:19 "Should we pray over our meals?" 46:20 And I said, "Yeah. Yeah. Let's pray. 46:22 Let's pray." We prayed together. 46:24 It was amazing. 46:26 Anyway, finally, we got to our destination. 46:28 I got into Atlanta, I don't know what time it was, 46:30 it was probably 12 o'clock at night, it was really late. 46:33 And I went to my car rental place 46:36 and it was closed, 46:37 the booth was closed. 46:39 And so are all of the others except for one, 46:42 and the one that was open had a line that was so long, 46:45 it would probably take another hour 46:47 just to get to the counter. 46:48 But I got in the back of that line. 46:49 And I'm telling you I was in the back of that line. 46:51 It wasn't my car rental place. 46:53 And I waited for a long time, 46:55 and I was just hoping that they would have a car 46:57 and that they would rent me a car 46:58 even though I hadn't reserved one. 47:02 So I got to the front of the line. 47:04 Finally I got to the counter. 47:06 And the... 47:08 I told the lady my dilemma, my situation. 47:10 She said, "Oh, yes, yes, 47:12 we can rent you a car, no problem. 47:13 We've got some cars left." 47:15 And so she went to look at what they had. 47:17 And she came back and she said, 47:18 "Well, unfortunately, we've only got two cars left, 47:22 and they're both Ford Mustang GTs." 47:27 Now, that was right back 47:29 when the new old Ford Mustang GTs was coming out. 47:32 I don't know if you remember that, 47:33 you know, when they went back to the old style, 47:35 but they made the new. 47:36 I was like, "You mean the new Ford Mustang GTs?" 47:41 And they said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." 47:42 I saw that is a bummer. 47:44 That's the only two cars you have left. 47:46 Oh, that's going to be tough. 47:48 And they said, "Would you like red or yellow?" 47:52 I said, "Well, driving into camp meeting 47:55 as this pastor speaker in a red Ford Mustang GT 47:59 might be a little bit overwhelming." 48:01 I'm thinking in my brain. 48:03 So I'll take the yellow one. 48:05 And so they went back and they checked, 48:07 and they came back and they said, 48:09 you know, "We're really sorry. 48:10 But the red one is the only one we have left." 48:12 I said, "Well, I'll take the red one then." 48:15 And so here I was, in a situation 48:19 where my plane was delayed, frustrated, impatient, 48:23 impressed to open the Bible and study, 48:26 challenging God with a verse that I put on back shelf, 48:29 and having God finally give me understanding that verse 48:32 in such a way that it blessed my heart, 48:35 and actually gave me a sermon for the camp meeting 48:37 I was going to that I wasn't planning on sharing. 48:39 God redirects us sometimes. 48:41 And then getting a first class ticket, 48:44 a first class seat next to an atheist 48:46 who was seeking God, getting to the airport so late 48:49 that my rental car wasn't available, 48:51 but getting another rental car 48:52 that was a Ford Mustang GT 48:55 that just came out of the factory, 48:57 'cause that's what rental cars use, they use new cars, 48:59 and driving into camp meeting, and I'm telling you, 49:01 it was about 12:30 at night, and when I got to my car, 49:04 I thought, man, "It's going to be so cool 49:06 to see what this thing has under the hood." 49:10 Right? 49:11 That's Bible speak for, 49:13 I want to put the pedal to the metal 49:14 and see how far and how fast I can get down the road. 49:17 So I pulled out of the rental car place, 49:21 and I saw a police officer. 49:22 I thought, "Well, I'm going to have to wait 49:24 a little bit longer." 49:25 Went down the road a few blocks. 49:26 I saw another police officer, I'm like. 49:28 "Whoa, are they waiting for me? 49:30 What's going on here?" 49:31 Maybe God is, and lo and behold, 49:34 I arrived there 49:36 the evening of a motorcycle rally, 49:39 and I discovered that there were hundreds of motorcycles 49:42 everywhere driving through town, 49:44 and there were police everywhere, 49:46 and I wasn't going to get my opportunity to see 49:48 what was under the hood of that fourth Mustang GT 49:51 on my way to camp meeting. 49:54 So I ended up spending the night in town. 49:55 And then I drove the next day down to the camp meeting. 49:58 And I remember coming in there in the daytime, 50:00 and everyone looking at me, 50:03 looking at that Ford Mustang GT 50:05 and figuring out that I was driving. 50:11 I thought, "Well, I can live that down, 50:12 I'll just tell the story. 50:13 You know, that'll get me out of the situation 50:15 where people are wondering why I'm driving a Ford Mustang GT." 50:18 And sure enough, in the camp meeting, 50:21 I open up the Word of God to Hebrews Chapter 12, 50:25 and shared the story, 50:26 the testimony experience that God has just given me. 50:32 God wants to give each one of us 50:34 an experience with Him. 50:37 An experience not only in His Word, 50:39 but an experience from His Word that impacts our lives. 50:44 There are a lot of verses 50:46 that we skip over in the Book of Revelation, 50:49 that identify God's remnant church, 50:52 and we need to stop doing that. 50:54 There's only two that we normally focus on, 50:56 Revelation 12:17, right? 50:58 And Revelation 14:12. 51:00 But you know, there are five other places 51:02 where God's remnant church is described 51:04 in the Book of Revelation. 51:06 And one of them I know we're familiar with, 51:09 one of them is Revelation 12:11. 51:14 You know what it says? 51:16 And they, God's people, overcame him, the dragon, 51:19 by the word of their testimony, and the blood of the Lamb, 51:25 and they love not their lives unto the death. 51:28 Actually, it says it in a different order. 51:30 It says, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 51:32 and by the word of their testimony. 51:34 And I see that in Matthew 26, 51:37 I see the blood of the Lamb, the focus on Jesus. 51:42 I see the relationship 51:44 that Jesus had with His disciples, 51:46 the relationship that God wants us 51:48 to have with one another, 51:49 the relationship that God wants us 51:51 to have in the church, 51:53 and the testimony that He wants us to bear, 51:55 not a testimony, 51:56 that's a one-time testimony 51:58 of how God worked in our life so many years ago, 51:59 that's a powerful, valid testimony. 52:02 All through His life, from the beginning to the end, 52:04 Paul shared that testimony, 52:05 he never stopped sharing his testimony. 52:07 You find it several times in the New Testament, 52:10 in the New Testament experience of the Acts of the Apostles, 52:13 you find Paul sharing his testimony more than once, 52:16 and that's very important. 52:17 But Paul shares other testimonies. 52:20 And when we're in the Word of God, 52:22 and God speaks to us, and we're honest with Him, 52:25 and we tell Him our frustrations 52:27 and our impatience and the things 52:29 that we're struggling with, 52:30 we too will have fresh testimony 52:34 of how God is working in our lives. 52:40 Hebrews is a relational book. 52:42 And we haven't been able to cover 52:44 everything that's in there. 52:45 There's so much here 52:47 that God wants to share with us. 52:49 But there are some basic principles 52:51 that are powerful for us to understand. 52:56 First principle we've looked at is that love is practical. 53:00 It's not just a definition of who God is. 53:03 Love is practical, 53:05 because it communicates in practical ways. 53:07 God communicates His love, Hebrews Chapter 1. 53:10 In giving the gift of Himself, He communicates His love, 53:12 Hebrews Chapter 2, in touching us physically 53:14 becoming one with the human race 53:16 for all eternity. 53:17 He communicates His love, Hebrews Chapter 4, 53:19 in spending quality time with us 53:21 and calling us into the Sabbath 53:23 as a doorway into that eternal rest 53:26 or that salvation rest. 53:30 Because it's by spending time with Jesus and beholding Him 53:32 that we become changed, 53:34 2 Corinthians 3:18. 53:38 We learned also that 53:39 God communicates His love to us 53:43 through acts of service. 53:45 Right now, He's continually mediating in our behalf, 53:48 continually hearing our prayers, 53:50 and covering our sins with His righteousness 53:53 as we confess them to Him. 53:57 And we learned earlier in Hebrews Chapter 11, 54:02 that God is communicating His love to us 54:05 through words of affirmation. 54:07 He affirms us continually showing us what it looks like 54:12 to stand before Him in the investigative judgment 54:14 without the record of our sins, 54:17 to stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, 54:19 to be vindicated by His righteousness, 54:21 and to have all of our failures blotted out, 54:25 cast into the depths of the sea. 54:27 So our record looks like the record of Noah, 54:29 and Abraham, and Moses, and Jacob, 54:32 without a flaw, without a failure. 54:35 And finally, God says, 54:37 as He concludes this book of relationship, 54:41 He says to us in Hebrews Chapter 12, 54:44 "Now don't forget, don't forget, 54:47 I'm the author, and I'm the finisher." 54:51 I began this work of faith, 54:54 and I'm going to finish this work of faith. 54:58 So what you need to do is look unto me, 55:04 so that you can deal with that sin 55:08 that so besetting and lift off the weights, 55:12 have those weights lifted off to you that drag you down. 55:16 But then Paul goes on to say in Hebrews 12:15, 55:19 he says, "Looking diligently 55:24 lest any man fail of the grace of God, 55:28 lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, 55:32 and thereby many be defiled." 55:34 And I think that's going to be our special challenge 55:36 in the end of time. 55:37 I think when we engage with the apostasy, 55:43 that Jesus foretold to the disciples, and that, 55:45 of course, He's foretold us in the Book of Revelation. 55:47 When we deal with betrayal, when we deal with coldness, 55:51 when we deal with what's going to happen in this nation, 55:53 in the world with the deceit, 55:56 the overwhelming evil that's going to come 55:58 against the gospel of Jesus Christ, 56:00 we're going to be tempted to be bitter. 56:04 And there's only one way 56:06 we can get rid of that root of bitterness 56:09 that sometimes we stuff way down, 56:11 hoping that it'll never come up. 56:13 There's only one way. 56:14 We to look unto Jesus, it says, diligently. 56:18 And tonight, I want to make an appeal 56:20 that we would do that. 56:21 We're distracted by a lot of things 56:23 that are going on in the world. 56:24 But God wants us to keep our focus on Christ, 56:27 and we need to do that with all diligence 56:29 now never than ever before. 56:32 pictures of people 56:35 who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 56:39 That's the diligence, wherever He goes. 56:42 Daniel Chapter 12, reveals a people 56:44 who are delivered in the time of trouble. 56:46 Why? 56:47 Because they have been focusing on the name of Christ 56:49 and talking often one to another, 56:51 according to Malachi 3:60. 56:52 Let that be us. 56:54 I'm appealing to you this evening, 56:56 those of you who are listening, 56:57 let that be you, each one of you. 56:59 Let's get our focus on Jesus Christ, 57:01 because He's the only one that can finish 57:04 the work He has begun. 57:06 Let's pray. 57:08 Father in heaven, thank You so much, 57:10 that Jesus Christ is the finisher. 57:12 Thank You so much that He has begun, 57:14 and He promises to finish and calls us 57:16 to look to Him diligently. 57:17 Thank You so much that we can know 57:20 how to resist unto blood, striving against sin 57:24 by following the patterned Jesus Christ, 57:27 the patterned man. 57:29 Thank You so much that He took our humanity, 57:30 our human nature and showed us 57:32 how to surrender our wills and trust You with everything. 57:36 Father, please, for those out there tonight, 57:39 please deliver them, bless them, encourage them. 57:44 And each one of us, Father, we surrender our hearts to You 57:46 and we thank You and praise You 57:48 for this wonderful camp meeting, 57:50 for this wonderful theme, 57:51 in the name of Jesus Christ. 57:53 Amen. |
Revised 2021-12-30