Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU200005S
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00:11 And this is the record
00:13 that God hath given to us eternal life 00:16 and this life is in His Son. 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:30 Thank you for being part 00:32 of our 3ABN Australia Homecoming, 2020. 00:35 I'd like to welcome all our audience here 00:38 and those of you who are watching 00:40 through whatever means 00:41 by the internet, via satellite, 00:44 and in Australia in particularly 00:45 if you're watching on VAST, special welcome to you. 00:48 You know, we're talking about preparing for eternity. 00:51 Preparing means actually doing something. 00:53 We're going through the book Steps to Christ. 00:55 And there's a picture here 00:57 and there are many, many versions 00:58 and different covers for this book, 00:59 which we're covering 13 chapters. 01:01 And this one here shows 01:03 Jesus Christ knocking at the door. 01:05 Preparing for eternity is really you opening the door, 01:09 and allowing Jesus to come in 01:11 and learning about 01:12 what He has to teach and tell you. 01:14 And, you know, before we get into today's program, 01:16 I just want to recap 01:18 the last speaker was David McKibben. 01:20 He spoke on Chapter 4, and it was confession, 01:23 that's an important part of preparation for eternity. 01:27 David summarized his presentation 01:30 by five points. 01:32 Genuine confession is specific and makes no excuses for sin. 01:37 Confession leads to freedom from the burden of guilt. 01:41 Confession is the doorway to God's grace 01:44 and the blessing of the gospel. 01:46 Number four, 01:47 genuine confession is accompanied by change. 01:50 Interesting. 01:51 Number five, 01:52 God promises forgiveness 01:54 and cleansing to the one who recognizes his or her need. 01:59 You know, before we begin with our program, 02:03 I want to introduce to you Pastor Abel Iorgulescu. 02:06 It's a bit like my name John Malkiewycz. 02:09 His is a little bit harder, but you know, 02:11 it's a name really represents a person. 02:15 And he will be speaking on Chapter 5 02:18 and that's another step and it's called Consecration. 02:21 You know, consecration is making holy, setting aside. 02:25 And before he will speak, 02:27 we are very privileged to have Marleta Fong 02:30 and Sanja Kitevski, 02:32 and they will be presenting an item called, 02:36 "You Are My All In All." 02:39 Now these two ladies have been singing, 02:41 working together. 02:43 I asked them before the program 02:44 for about 9 or 10 years. 02:46 And so God has blessed them 02:47 and I'm sure they're going to bless you with this song. 03:14 You are my strength 03:16 when I am weak 03:19 You are the treasure that I seek 03:23 You are my all in all 03:30 Seeking You as a precious jewel 03:35 Lord, to give up I'd be a fool 03:39 You are my all in all 03:45 Jesus, 03:49 Lamb of God 03:53 Worthy is Your name 04:01 Jesus, 04:04 Lamb of God 04:08 Worthy is Your name 04:17 Taking my sin, my cross, my shame 04:21 Rising again I bless Your name 04:25 You are my all in all 04:32 When I fall down You pick me up 04:36 And when I am dry You fill my cup 04:40 You are my all in all 04:47 Jesus, 04:50 Lamb of God 04:55 Worthy is Your name 05:02 Jesus, 05:06 Lamb of God 05:10 Worthy is Your name 05:18 Jesus, 05:21 Lamb of God 05:25 Worthy is Your name 05:33 Jesus, 05:36 precious Lamb of God 05:41 Worthy is Your name 05:49 Worthy is Your name 05:57 Worthy is Your name 06:28 Marleta and Sanja, 06:29 thank you very much 06:31 for drawing us closer to the throne room of God, 06:34 through music. 06:35 Isn't music a beautiful gift? 06:37 It is a way that our hearts, our entire being is touched, 06:40 it's touched like no other way. 06:43 I like us to invite, I mean God is already here. 06:46 It's always the privilege to be in God's presence. 06:48 But I'd like to really acknowledge 06:50 and invite the power of the Holy Spirit 06:51 to work through us and in us 06:53 as we spend some time preparing for eternity. 06:57 So please bow your heads with me as we pray. 07:01 Loving Father, it is always a privilege for us 07:04 to come into Your presence. 07:06 And today at this very moment, 07:08 we ask that Your Holy Spirit will minister to us. 07:11 We want to be ready for Your soon return. 07:14 We want to be standing looking towards heaven, 07:17 as You return to take us home. 07:19 And, Lord, as we are getting ready 07:20 for Your soon return, 07:22 may others be ready for that day as well. 07:24 So please, minister to our hearts, 07:26 teach us new things. 07:27 In Jesus' name we pray. 07:29 Amen. 07:30 From the very beginning, 07:32 I like to plant a question in your mind. 07:35 And this question will stay with us 07:37 for the rest of our time together. 07:38 We'll try to unpack it, 07:40 we'll try to answer it 07:41 and hopefully will be a question 07:43 that we take with us and ask others as well. 07:46 So here's the question. 07:47 What is the greatest battle that was ever fought? 07:52 What is the greatest battle that was ever fought? 07:57 Just ponder on this question for a moment, let it sink in. 08:01 Because just as I said, 08:02 we are going to spend the rest of our time together 08:05 trying to answer this question, 08:08 what is the greatest battle that was ever fought? 08:13 Now, if you were to go down the road, 08:15 probably not so much these days. 08:17 But when you had people on the road, 08:19 and you could ask the question, you know, 08:20 what is the greatest battle that was ever fought? 08:23 People would come up with various answers 08:25 from examples of ancient battles, 08:28 to wars closer to our home, such as the Second World War, 08:31 which, according to historians 08:34 was the deadliest military conflict 08:36 in human history. 08:39 They are saying that close to 85 million people perished 08:45 during the Second World War, 08:47 which represented 3% of the population 08:51 at that stage. 08:53 But think for a moment, was Second World War 08:56 the greatest battle that was ever fought 08:59 on planet earth? 09:02 Christians, you know, would come up 09:03 probably with other answers. 09:05 But there is a battle 09:06 that I want to bring up to your attention, 09:08 I want to present to you. 09:09 It is a battle that you and I are part of. 09:12 And I think that if we look in the Word of God, 09:14 we're going to find more clarity 09:16 about this battle, 09:17 the greatest battle that was ever fought. 09:20 So I'd like to invite you 09:22 to open up your Bibles with me 09:24 in the Book of the Prophet Joel, 09:26 in the Old Testament, 09:28 and I'll be reading from 3:14, 09:31 and I believe that 09:33 this verse sets the platform for our conversation, 09:37 understanding the battle and how to fight it properly. 09:40 In the Book of Prophet Joel 3:14, 09:44 I think Joel tells us a very important message for us 09:49 as we are preparing for eternity. 09:52 So this is what it says, Joel 3:14, 09:56 "Multitudes, " 09:58 and then Joel repeats that again, 10:00 "Multitudes in the valley of decision! 10:06 For the day of the Lord is near 10:09 in the valley of decision." 10:13 What the prophet says here 10:14 is that that many, many people have gathered into one place, 10:20 that everyone, you and I, 10:22 those that are present here today, 10:24 and those that are watching us 10:25 and those that will continue to watch us into the future. 10:28 Every single one of us is in the valley of decision. 10:33 There are multitudes, multitudes, 10:36 for the day of the Lord is near. 10:40 The day when Jesus Christ will return 10:43 to take His children home, 10:45 the day when Jesus Christ will call out those 10:48 that have died in their faith, come back to life, 10:51 come and inherit the kingdom of heaven. 10:53 Everything that happens in this world 10:56 tells us with clarity, 10:58 one big message 11:00 that Jesus Christ will return very soon. 11:03 Someone was saying that 11:04 as we look at the events of the world, 11:07 we can hear the footsteps of a soon coming King. 11:13 Amen. 11:15 That is the good news. 11:17 But Joel says, 11:18 we all know that the day of the Lord is near. 11:22 But he emphasizes the problem 11:25 that multitudes, 11:26 multitudes of people are still where? 11:31 In the valley of decision. 11:34 And I'd like to suggest to you today 11:37 that the greatest battle 11:39 that every single person has to fight 11:42 is actually right there in the valley of decision. 11:46 Because for a person to make a decision for God, 11:52 in a world that presents you with every single reason 11:55 to turn away from God 11:58 is the greatest battle 12:01 that human history has ever seen. 12:04 For a decision, for a person that finds himself or herself 12:08 in the valley of decision, 12:10 with the temptations and the distractions, 12:13 and the glory and the shine 12:15 that the world promotes 12:17 for that person to make a decision for God. 12:20 As that day draws near, 12:22 as we are preparing for eternity, 12:25 it represents the greatest battle 12:28 that was ever fought. 12:29 Did you know, life is made up of choices? 12:34 You've made a choice to be here. 12:35 Those that are watching, 12:37 they've made a choice to watch us. 12:38 Life is made up of choices. 12:40 In fact, scientists believe that 12:42 about an average person 12:45 makes about 35,000 decisions 12:50 or choices a day. 12:52 Just think about it, 12:54 35,000 choices a day. 13:00 And if we accept the fact that 13:02 a person may sleep about seven hours a day, 13:06 and thus blissfully choice free, 13:10 that leaves us with about 2,000 decisions per hour. 13:17 We're about one choice every two seconds. 13:22 One choice every two seconds. 13:23 And some of the decisions are very, you know, minimal, 13:26 trivial, you know, 13:27 what are you going to have for breakfast, 13:28 cereal or toasts or nothing? 13:30 You know, that is a decision. 13:32 For example, you're making a decision 13:33 whether to listen to me or not at this very moment, 13:35 whether to think of something else or not. 13:38 Every single second, we are making decisions. 13:41 Some of the decisions are very insignificant. 13:44 But some decisions, 13:46 as the Prophet Joel tells us here 13:49 in the valley of decisions. 13:51 These are decisions 13:54 that are impacting a person's life for eternity. 13:59 Being in the valley of decision, 14:02 and choosing to follow God 14:06 in a world that tries to stop you from that 14:09 represents the greatest battle that was ever fought. 14:15 And I want to share with you a beautiful paragraph 14:18 from the famous book Steps to Christ, 14:22 Chapter Consecration. 14:25 And this is what the servant of the Lord wrote, 14:29 "The warfare against self 14:34 is the greatest battle that was ever fought." 14:39 And let's just pause for a second. 14:41 We acknowledge the wars 14:43 that have taken place in this world. 14:46 We acknowledge all the many battles 14:48 that are taking place every day. 14:51 But Ellen White, guided by God, 14:54 she wrote that the warfare against self 14:59 represents the greatest battle that was ever fought. 15:03 And she goes on saying, 15:04 "The yielding of self, 15:06 surrendering all to the will of God 15:10 requires a struggle, 15:13 but the soul must submit to God 15:15 before it can be renewed in holiness." 15:19 So why is this the greatest battle? 15:21 Why is it so hard? 15:23 Just think for a second 15:25 what happened to Adam and Eve once they sinned? 15:28 What was their reaction? 15:30 Did they run to God and say, 15:31 "God, we need Your help, look what we've done." 15:35 Or they did quite the opposite, 15:37 they became afraid, they were terrified, 15:40 and they hid themselves from the presence of God. 15:43 And what this tells me is that it is natural for you and I 15:47 to run away from God, 15:50 to hide, to do the opposite. 15:53 But God calls us into His presence. 15:55 Therefore, the surrendering of self to God 15:59 represents the greatest battle 16:01 that was ever fought on planet earth. 16:05 And I'd like to add another paragraph in the book, 16:07 Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings. 16:09 I like how in this second paragraph, 16:11 Ellen White unpacks this idea 16:14 of the surrendering of self to God, 16:16 because consecrating our lives to God 16:18 represents the greatest battle 16:20 that you and I will ever fight in this world. 16:22 Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, 16:24 this is what she wrote, 16:25 "The Christian life is a battle and a march." 16:30 Now, if you read this sentence, 16:31 and then you still be sort of terrified, like, 16:33 how am I going to win this battle? 16:35 How am I going to win this march? 16:37 You know, is there strength within me 16:39 to make it to the end? 16:41 But look what she says next. 16:42 "But the victory to be gained is not won by human power." 16:49 Isn't that good news, 16:50 that the victory to be gained is not by human power. 16:56 She goes on saying, 16:57 "The battle which we have to fight, 16:59 the greatest battle that was ever fought by men," 17:02 again, the same phrase, 17:03 the greatest battle that was ever fought by men, 17:06 "is this surrender of self to the will of God, 17:10 the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love." 17:16 This is how God is described. 17:19 Precious people, those that are here 17:21 and those that are watching us, 17:22 when we are invited to consecrate our lives, 17:26 we are not invited 17:27 to consecrate our lives to a dictator, 17:31 or to a tyrant king, 17:32 or to someone that hates us and seeks to destroy us. 17:37 But to the one that is defined by love, 17:42 His very essence is love. 17:45 We've got nothing to lose by doing that. 17:47 And she finishes off by saying, 17:49 "The old nature, " 17:51 which we all have, 17:52 "born of blood and of the will of the flesh, 17:54 cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 17:57 The hereditary tendencies, the former habits, 18:00 must be given up." 18:03 You see, my friends, 18:05 God's desire for you and for me is to have a new life. 18:09 A life that is defined by joy, 18:12 a life that is defined by peace. 18:14 God wants us to be prisoners of hope. 18:19 Don't you like that, to be prisoner of hope, 18:22 to not allow the current events that are happening in the world 18:26 to take away from you the faith 18:28 that was placed in Jesus Christ, 18:30 to be a prisoner of hope. 18:32 God wants to bestow upon us 18:34 the most precious gift 18:35 and that is the gift of Jesus Christ 18:37 and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 18:40 He wants to, 18:41 He wants us to have the fruit of the Spirit. 18:43 And this happens only when we choose to fight 18:47 the greatest battle that was ever fought. 18:51 And that is to surrender self to God, 18:55 to surrender your will. 18:57 And to say, God, it's me, it's my entire being. 19:01 I give it all to you, my mind, my hands, my feet. 19:08 I'm just reminded all of a sudden 19:09 as I speak to you, 19:11 at this moment, 19:14 when the priests in the Old Testament, 19:17 they were consecrated for this service, 19:21 there was a sacrifice that was made on the altar. 19:24 And Aaron was instructed to take blood from the animal 19:29 that was sacrificed. 19:31 And with his fingers, 19:33 he was meant to apply the blood on the ears of the priests. 19:37 Probably you remember the passage 19:39 in the Old Testament, 19:40 just on the lobe of the year, and then on the thumb, 19:45 and then on the toe. 19:47 So here you had the priests 19:50 and the nation was watching 19:53 and they were consecrated. 19:56 And you will wonder, 19:57 why would they apply blood on the ear 20:00 and why would they apply it on the thumb? 20:02 And why would they apply it on the toe? 20:06 You can think of many ways. 20:08 But what I came up with to understand is that, 20:11 that their ears were consecrated, 20:13 they were to listen only to the voice of God, 20:17 that in this service, 20:18 they were going to resemble their consecration to God, 20:22 that their hands is they're engaged in the work. 20:27 Whatever their hands would do with do it 20:30 for the glory of God. 20:31 And why the toe? 20:33 That whatever path they may choose to walk in, 20:36 would be the right path. 20:38 So what God is inviting you and me? 20:41 Is that we may consecrate ourselves to God, 20:44 our entire being. 20:46 This is the greatest battle that was ever fought 20:51 to surrender self to God. 20:54 My friend, the choice is ours, 20:57 whether to be set free from sin, 20:59 and live this glorious life that God has in mind for us, 21:03 or to continue to remain a slave to Satan. 21:07 The reality, according to the Book of Joel, 21:10 is that we are all in the valley of decision. 21:15 And right there in the valley of decisions, 21:18 people are choosing 21:19 where they're going to spend eternity. 21:22 In order to understand 21:23 more about this process of consecration 21:26 and the work 21:28 that God is willing to do in our lives. 21:29 I'd like to invite you to look with me 21:31 the life of one of the kings in the Old Testaments, 21:35 excuse me in the Old Testament. 21:36 And I want to take you on a journey 21:38 beginning in the Book of 2 Kings Chapter 21. 21:42 And in order to understand more about consecration, 21:46 and the call that God puts into our lives, into our heart, 21:50 we're going to understand 21:51 about this individual King Manasseh 21:54 and the way he was placed in the valley of decision. 21:58 So I'm here in 2 Kings Chapter 21 22:01 and I'll be reading verses 1 and 2. 22:04 This is what it says. 22:06 "Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, 22:09 and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 22:14 His mother's name was Hephzibah." 22:17 Or guess you can pronounce it differently. 22:19 But I've chosen to pronounce her Hephzibah. 22:23 And, unfortunately, verse 2 is not very promising. 22:27 "He did evil in the sight of the Lord, 22:30 according to the abominations of the nations 22:33 whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel." 22:39 Before we look at Manasseh's actions, 22:40 let me share with you a bit about Manasseh. 22:44 His father was King Hezekiah. 22:47 And if we know anything about King Hezekiah, 22:49 we know that he was the king, that on his deathbed, 22:54 reached out to God, and He prayed, 22:56 "God, you know, mercy, heal me and lengthen my days." 23:03 And beautifully, his prayer was answered, 23:05 and he lived another 15 years. 23:09 Now, Manasseh's mother was, as we can see, Hephzibah. 23:13 Now the Bible doesn't give us much information 23:15 about Hephzibah. 23:17 But what Jewish tradition tells us is that 23:19 she was the daughter of Prophet Isaiah. 23:22 And the reason why I bring these two elements together, 23:25 the king that prayed and his life was lengthened, 23:28 and this woman 23:30 that comes from a special house, 23:33 what I'm understanding from here is 23:34 that Manasseh grew up in a beautiful, 23:37 God fearing family. 23:41 He was taught the right way. 23:43 He knew what it looked like to worship God. 23:48 He had the right environment. 23:51 And yet Manasseh 23:53 being in the valley of decision, 23:57 he chose to rebel against God. 24:01 And in order to fully appreciate 24:03 Manasseh's journey, 24:05 we need to understand 24:07 a couple of things that he has done in his life. 24:10 And look with me at verses 4 to 6. 24:14 The reason why, 24:16 the reason these things are recorded in the Bible 24:18 is to give us an understanding 24:21 of how far from God this king traveled, 24:26 because he traveled into the depths of sin 24:28 while he was in the valley of decision. 24:32 Verse 4, it says, 24:34 "He built altars in the house of the Lord, 24:36 of which the Lord had said in Jerusalem, 24:39 I will put my name. 24:41 And he built altars for all the hosts of heaven, 24:44 in the two courts of the house of the Lord." 24:47 So instead of worshiping God 24:49 and using the altars to praise God, 24:51 he was worshiping every host of heaven. 24:54 He was worshiping basically everything but God. 24:59 And verse 6, 25:01 "And he made his son pass through the fire, 25:05 practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, 25:08 consulted spiritists and mediums. 25:11 He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, 25:14 to provoke Him to anger." 25:17 Probably you've read about Manasseh before. 25:19 But now as you hear these verses once again, 25:21 what do you think about this individual? 25:24 Did he choose a good path 25:25 as he was in the valley of decision? 25:28 Was he preparing himself for eternity? 25:32 The answer would be no. 25:35 But why does the Bible go to such extreme length 25:38 to describe us what he did? 25:40 I mean to pass your own son through fire. 25:46 I'm not sure if you've seen pictures of those idols 25:49 they had back then, 25:51 there was these big metal idols. 25:54 And there was a fire 25:56 that was burning within the metal idol 25:58 in order to heat up the metal structure. 26:02 And the way they shaped 26:03 and to design that metal structure 26:05 that had the fire within, the idol had some, 26:09 I'll stretch arms like this. 26:11 So whenever someone was worshipping, 26:14 was sacrificing their son to the idol, 26:19 they would place that baby 26:22 on the burning arms of the child. 26:28 I mean, how far do you have to go from God 26:31 to be willing to do something like this? 26:34 The one that grew up in, 26:36 in a house with Hezekiah as a father, 26:38 Hephzibah as a mother, knowing about God. 26:43 The reason why I'm going on about this story is that 26:45 many people are in the valley of decisions, 26:48 and many are choosing the path of Manasseh. 26:54 Choosing to walk away from God, 26:56 choosing to do what is wrong. 26:59 So what about you and me? 27:03 What about your children? 27:06 What about your relatives? 27:09 What about the friends you may have? 27:12 What about people you may know? 27:15 Definitely, 27:16 every single one of us is thinking of someone 27:19 that just like Manasseh has walked away from the Lord. 27:25 And our hearts are heavy because we're wondering, 27:29 how can she, how can he be ready for eternity? 27:38 But the greater question is this. 27:41 What does God do in moments like this? 27:45 Where is God when someone wanders away, 27:49 when they refuse to surrender? 27:52 Because we know we've discovered 27:54 the greatest battle is to surrender self to God. 28:03 Look at what it says in verse 9, 28:05 about Manasseh. 28:06 "They paid no attention, 28:08 and Manasseh seduced them 28:11 to do more evil 28:12 than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed 28:15 before the children of Israel." 28:21 Manasseh not only rebelled against God, 28:24 but he also influenced others to do the same. 28:29 Did you know that 28:30 every single one of us influences people 28:33 within the circle, 28:35 either for good or for bad? 28:39 Every single one of us 28:41 influences people one way or another. 28:43 And sadly, what we discover here about Manasseh 28:46 is that he influenced them 28:48 to turn away from God, to run away. 28:53 And let's pause for a moment and let's ask ourselves, 28:56 how have I influenced people around me? 28:59 As people are spending time in the valley of decision, 29:03 am I influencing them in such a way 29:06 that they can prepare for eternity? 29:10 Am I influencing my own family 29:13 in order so they can be ready for eternity? 29:16 These are questions that we can, 29:18 we need to reflect on. 29:20 Ellen White draw the following. 29:21 Every act of our lives 29:24 affects others for good or evil. 29:27 Every act affects someone's life, 29:30 either for good or for evil. 29:32 Our influence is standing upward 29:35 or downward, 29:37 it is felt, acted upon, 29:39 and to a greater or lesser degree 29:41 reproduced by others. 29:44 And the reason again why we're going through 29:46 the story of Manasseh, 29:48 the one who was in the valley of decision, 29:50 the one who was mentored to fight the greatest battle 29:52 and chose to run away from God 29:54 is that not only he ran away from God, 29:56 but he took the nation with him 29:58 and together, they ran away from God. 30:02 But what is my influence upon others? 30:05 What is your influence upon those around you? 30:09 Are we inspiring them, 30:12 so they can be ready for eternity? 30:15 And in order to finish this sad chapter 30:19 in Manasseh's life, 30:20 allow me to read from 2 Kings 21:6-18. 30:26 It says, 30:27 "Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, 30:32 till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, 30:38 besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, 30:40 in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 30:44 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, 30:46 in all that he did, 30:47 and the sin that he had committed 30:49 are they not written 30:50 in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30:53 So Manasseh rested with his fathers, 30:55 and was buried in the garden of his own house, 30:59 in the garden of Uzza. 31:01 Then his son Amon reigned in his place." 31:07 And this is how the story of Manasseh ends 31:09 according to 2 Kings. 31:12 Is that an inspiring story? 31:14 Is that a positive story? 31:16 Is that a story that you rejoice 31:18 about someone that was in the valley of decision 31:20 and chose to run away from God, 31:23 chose to deflect fighting the greatest battle 31:26 of surrendering self to God? 31:29 Isn't that sad? 31:31 That according to Kings that life ends like this, 31:34 not only he's sinned, 31:35 but he says he influenced others to sin, 31:38 he influenced the nation, 31:40 and God, it seemed that 31:41 He sent all these prophets to him. 31:43 But he shed much innocent blood. 31:48 He shed much innocent blood. 31:50 In the book Prophets and Kings, 31:52 Ellen White wrote 31:53 that Manasseh had a way 31:55 of silencing every voice of disapproval. 32:00 And interestingly enough, his name Manasseh, 32:02 in fact, means one who forgets, as if it was prophetic. 32:08 One who forgets 32:09 because he indeed forgot the way of the Lord. 32:13 He forgot the law of God 32:14 by which the entire nation should have been guided by. 32:17 And it was during his time during his reign 32:19 that the law of God was lost, 32:22 and was later on discovered by his grandson Josiah. 32:26 But his name one who forgets 32:28 really, really became a reality in his life, 32:32 because he forgot God, 32:33 he forgot what is right 32:35 and he led the entire nation away from God. 32:39 So the question is this, 32:41 what happens when you travel into the depths of sin? 32:45 What happens when you turn your back to God? 32:48 What happens when you choose to worship everything else 32:51 that this world offers you, 32:52 when you worship everything but God? 32:56 What happens then? 32:57 Is that the end of the journey? 32:59 Is there any hope left for Manasseh? 33:04 Is any hope left for you and me? 33:08 What about any hope left for those whom you love, 33:13 but have chosen to walk away from God? 33:16 Is there any hope for them? 33:20 Can they still fight the greatest battle 33:23 of surrendering self to God? 33:26 I want to bring a message of comfort of encouragement 33:29 because we are here 33:30 to prepare our lives for eternity. 33:34 And I want to bring hope into our lives 33:36 by telling you 33:37 that the story of Manasseh is not over. 33:41 That the Book of Kings, 33:43 2 Kings doesn't tell us the full picture. 33:47 Because what the Book of Kings tells us is, 33:49 isn't the rest of his actions recorded in Chronicles? 33:54 Well, let's go to Chronicles 33:55 and discover what happens in Manasseh's life. 33:59 So I wanna invite you to open your Bibles with me, 34:02 or to go with the 2 Chronicles 33:10-11. 34:08 And here we are picking up from a point 34:10 that 2 Kings no longer records, 34:13 but here in Chronicles is recorded for us. 34:16 Because it tells us 34:18 that even when someone walks away from God, 34:21 God does not give up on them. 34:24 So 2 Chronicles 33:10-11. 34:28 Please pay attention to what it says here. 34:30 "And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, 34:34 but they would not listen." 34:35 So here we have God Himself 34:37 speaking to Manasseh and to his people. 34:40 How did he do it? 34:41 Of course through the prophets. 34:43 He would send prophet after prophet. 34:45 Now what did Manasseh do to the prophets? 34:49 He killed them, he silenced every voice of disapproval. 34:53 He filled the streets of Jerusalem 34:55 with their blood. 34:57 And after he killed one and another, 34:59 God did not give up on Manasseh. 35:02 He continued to speak to him, 35:03 because this is the God that we serve that 35:05 while we're in the valley of decision, 35:07 when we are engaged 35:09 in fighting the greatest battle on earth, 35:11 and we choose to run away from God, 35:13 God does not give up on us. 35:17 And verse 11, 35:19 "Therefore the Lord brought upon them 35:22 the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, 35:25 who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, 35:29 and carried him off to Babylon." 35:32 So after all the failed attempts 35:35 through the prophets, 35:37 God resorted to one last attempt. 35:40 Grabbed him by the hook was placed in his nose, 35:45 grabbed him by that 35:46 and carried all the way to Babylonian prison. 35:53 One last attempt to reach out to this stubborn, 35:58 rebellious king. 36:04 And you may not like this picture, 36:06 but I find a lot of comfort. 36:08 Because God tries over and over again 36:13 to reach out to someone's heart 36:15 in various means, in various forms. 36:19 Now, what happens next is very, very fascinating. 36:25 Look at me in verse 12. 36:27 Actually, I'll read 12 and 13. 36:30 This is, I mean, Manasseh is already in prison. 36:32 In Babylon, 36:34 the kingdom was taken away from him. 36:36 He's by himself. 36:37 Look what it says. 36:39 Now, when he, talking about Manasseh, 36:43 when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, 36:47 and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 36:54 Have you read these verses before? 36:56 This is the same king 36:58 that filled the streets of Jerusalem 37:00 with the blood of the prophets. 37:01 This is the same king that sacrificed his son 37:04 on the altar of false gods. 37:06 This is the same king 37:07 that silenced every voice of disapproval. 37:10 This is the same king 37:11 that destroyed the altars of God 37:13 in order to establish all their other altars. 37:16 And this is the same king who in the valley of decision 37:19 turned away from God. 37:21 But this is the same king 37:23 who God in His mercy and love continue to pursue. 37:27 And when he ended up in prison, 37:29 this stubborn king 37:32 chose to fight the greatest battle on earth, 37:37 the battle of surrendering self to God. 37:43 Verse 13, 37:44 "Manasseh prayed to God, 37:47 and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, 37:50 and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. 37:54 Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God." 38:01 I'm sure if you're understanding, 38:02 if it comprehending the full picture. 38:05 But here in prison in that Babylonian prison, 38:08 when Manasseh was still in the valley of decision, 38:12 Manasseh fought the greatest battle, 38:15 that is out there in the world, 38:16 the battle of surrendering self to God. 38:21 Commenting on this passage, Ellen White wrote, 38:24 "In the case of Manasseh, 38:26 the Lord gives us an instance of the way 38:28 in which He works. 38:31 He has not left His backsliding people 38:33 to the will of the enemy, 38:38 but has borne long with them, even during obdurate apostasy. 38:42 We have reason to offer thanksgiving to God, 38:46 that He has not taken His Spirit 38:49 from those who have refused to walk in His way." 38:53 And the only thing I can cry out 38:55 at the end of such a statement is hallelujah. 38:58 Because if someone chooses to walk away from God, 39:01 God does not remove His Spirit from them immediately. 39:04 He pursues them, 39:06 He brings opportunity after opportunity before them. 39:09 And if this doesn't work, 39:11 God will come up with another plan 39:12 because this is the God we serve. 39:15 This is the God we worship. 39:16 It is a God that wants us to fight the greatest battle, 39:20 and it's the battle of surrendering self to God, 39:22 because He wants us to be ready for eternity, 39:25 He wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. 39:28 In that prison, Manasseh became a free man. 39:33 He experienced freedom like never before. 39:36 In that Babylonian prison when Manasseh implored God 39:40 and he humbled himself, 39:42 he experienced freedom from the chains of the devil. 39:46 He experienced freedom 39:48 from whatever he did in his previous time. 39:50 He experienced freedom like never before in his life. 39:55 All he had to offer at that stage, 39:58 all he had to offer, 39:59 do you know what it was? 40:02 A sin polluted heart. 40:06 That's all. 40:08 And sometimes we think 40:10 that consecration is such a hard thing to do. 40:14 How can I give my entire being to God, 40:16 when in reality, 40:18 all we give to Him is a sin polluted, 40:22 selfish, stubborn, 40:24 rebellious, wicked heart. 40:30 That's what He's asking for. 40:33 That He may bring about healing, 40:35 that He may bring about restoration, 40:38 that He may bring about renewal, 40:40 that He may bring about reformation, 40:42 that He may bring about a new person, born again, 40:48 walking not according to the flesh, 40:50 but according to the Spirit. 40:53 Right there in that prison, 40:56 Manasseh experienced freedom. 40:59 It was in that prison 41:01 where Manasseh chose to fight the greatest battle on earth. 41:05 Despite all the damage that he's done 41:08 and this is where I hope you find, 41:11 you know, assurance for yourself 41:12 and for those around you. 41:14 Despite all the damage that he has done, 41:17 despite all his crimes, 41:20 despite all the hurt he's inflicted upon the nation, 41:24 God was willing to forgive him. 41:28 As Jesus Christ Himself said in John 6:37, 41:32 "The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out." 41:38 And I thank Jesus today 41:41 that He didn't put any conditions, 41:43 He didn't say, 41:44 the one who lived the beautiful, perfect life 41:47 can come to Me. 41:49 He didn't say, 41:50 the one who loves Me above the world 41:52 can come to Me and I'll receive him. 41:55 He didn't give any prerequisites. 41:58 But rather, He said, the one who comes to Me, 42:03 and the invitation that was addressed to Manasseh 42:05 in that prison 42:07 thousands of years ago, 42:08 is the same invitation 42:10 that is addressed to you and to me, 42:12 to you that are watching, 42:13 to those that will watch us in the future, 42:15 the one who comes to me. 42:18 God says, come to Me with your problems, 42:21 with your broken life, with your broken heart, 42:23 with your addiction, with your shortcomings, 42:25 with your failures. 42:27 Come to Me as you are and I will not cast you out. 42:32 I will receive you 42:33 just as He has received Manasseh, 42:37 He will receive us as well. 42:39 There is no better time 42:41 to fight the greatest battle on earth 42:43 of surrendering self to God than today. 42:47 Why is that? 42:49 Because tomorrow is gone. 42:53 Apologies, yesterday is gone, 42:55 tomorrow doesn't belong to us. 42:59 All we have is today, now. 43:02 And as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 43:05 I can bring before you only the words of the Bible, 43:08 and the Bible says this, 43:09 today is the day of salvation in the valley of decision. 43:16 If we want to be ready for eternity, 43:19 if we want to be ready for the day when Jesus returns, 43:22 please hear the words of Christ 43:24 that says today is the day of salvation. 43:29 Come to me as you are today. 43:34 And in response to God's love, 43:36 Manasseh turned, surrendered self. 43:39 He says, take my sins, take my broken life, 43:42 take my stubborn heart. 43:45 And you know what's amazing? 43:46 God not only forgave him, I mean, He could have like, 43:50 couldn't forgive Manasseh 43:53 and allow him to die in that Babylonian prison. 43:56 But no, do you know what happens? 43:58 God forgives him, God forgives Manasseh, 44:01 sets him free from the Babylonian prison 44:04 and appoints him king again in Israel. 44:10 I mean, can you see more of God's mercy and goodness? 44:15 After everything he has done, 44:16 I mean, just allow him to rot and die in that prison. 44:21 The blood of the innocents are crying out to God. 44:24 But we don't understand 44:26 because God's ways are not our ways. 44:28 His thoughts are not our thoughts. 44:30 We are dealing here with a great controversy. 44:34 And God's character is on display for the universe. 44:38 This wicked king not only was forgiven, 44:41 but he was allowed to return to Jerusalem. 44:45 But I'd like to talk to you is that 44:47 it was in that prison 44:48 where he surrendered self, 44:50 where he fought the greatest battle, 44:51 where he consecrated himself to God. 44:55 And what happens next, 44:56 tells me that his consecration was authentic. 45:00 Because consecration to God brings about transformation, 45:07 brings about renewal. 45:09 You are empowered to live a life 45:11 that will influence others for eternity, 45:13 will empower you to live a life 45:15 that will bring glory and honor to God. 45:18 And it really follows 45:20 from the previous talks on repentance, 45:22 because true repentance is 45:24 as it was mentioned in the past, 45:25 it's not just I'm sorry for this sin, 45:27 but it's also a desire, 45:29 I don't want to go back there in anymore in that mess. 45:31 I don't want to do that anymore. 45:33 Look what Manasseh did? 45:35 Verses 15 and 16 45:37 and we'll bring it to close very soon. 45:41 This is Manasseh back in Jerusalem, 45:44 a new man, new heart, 45:46 worshiping the true God of heaven. 45:48 It says, 45:49 "He took away the foreign gods 45:51 and the idol from the house of the Lord." 45:53 He was the one that brought him there. 45:55 But now because he has consecrated himself, 45:57 his life was giving evidence of the transformation. 46:00 He removed temptations for sin. 46:05 "And all the altars that he had built 46:07 in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, 46:10 and he cast them out of the city." 46:13 The reformation that now was taking place in Jerusalem 46:16 was a mere evidence 46:18 of the reformation that God had produced 46:21 in his own life, in his own heart. 46:25 Finally, verse 16, 46:27 "He also repaired the altar of the Lord." 46:32 Who had destroyed it? 46:34 It was him. 46:36 But now he's a new person. 46:38 He had repaired the altar of the God. 46:40 "He sacrificed peace-offerings, 46:41 thank-offerings on it, 46:43 and commanded Judah 46:44 to serve the Lord God of Israel." 46:48 In the past, he was a negative influence. 46:51 But now he was trying to lead people back 46:54 into a relationship with God. 46:57 And this tells me, 46:58 that consecration when we surrender self to God, 47:03 brings about renewal, transformation. 47:07 We have new desires, the things that we once loved, 47:12 we now hate. 47:14 And the things that we once despise and rejected, 47:18 we now embrace 47:19 because God has given us a new heart. 47:23 So how is that possible? 47:25 How is that possible as we coming to an end? 47:28 How is it possible to fight the greatest battle 47:33 that was ever fought, of surrendering self to God, 47:35 of consecrating ourselves to God? 47:38 I wanna leave you with inspiring words of Paul 47:43 recorded in Philippians 2:13, 47:48 in the context of fulfilling God's plan for you. 47:53 This is what he says in Philippians 2:13, 47:58 "For it is God who works in you both 48:02 to will and to do for His good pleasure." 48:08 What Paul says here is that 48:09 God gives you both the desire for what is pure, 48:14 but He also gives you the power. 48:16 I mean, if you have the power, but you have no desire, 48:20 that doesn't help. 48:21 If you have the desire, but have no power, 48:24 that doesn't help either. 48:26 But God gives you both. 48:27 That's why salvation is by faith 48:30 through the grace of Jesus Christ. 48:32 He gives you both a desire to fight the greatest battle. 48:37 And He gives you the power to do it, 48:39 of surrendering self, 48:41 surrendering all to the will of God. 48:44 If you take a moment and you read, 48:45 not now but read Matthew Chapter 1, 48:50 beautiful chapter, genealogy of Jesus Christ, 48:53 lot of names, 48:55 you know what you're going to find? 48:56 You're going to find Manasseh there. 49:00 This rebellious, wicked, stubborn king 49:03 that chose to rebel, 49:05 being part of the genealogy, 49:08 being part of the family of Jesus Christ. 49:11 It is a message that you can turn back to God. 49:17 It is a message for those that have wandered away 49:20 that today God is calling them back. 49:23 It is a message for those whom you love, 49:25 and are fighting against God, 49:29 that God is still pursuing them. 49:32 He has not given up on them. 49:34 He wants to bring them back home. 49:36 He wants them to be ready for eternity, 49:39 just like He wanted Manasseh to be ready for eternity. 49:43 We are serving a mighty and amazing beautiful God 49:48 who seeks to save the lost. 49:55 There's a passage that I want to share 49:56 as we close 49:57 from Christ Object Lessons. 50:01 It is a passage that I hope will become our prayer 50:04 as we make a decision 50:07 to fight the greatest battle on earth. 50:11 In Christ Object Lessons, 50:13 Ellen White wrote the following. 50:14 "Lord, take my heart, 50:18 for I cannot give it. 50:22 It is Thy property. 50:24 Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. 50:29 Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. 50:35 Mold me, fashion me, 50:38 raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, 50:41 where the rich current of Thy love 50:43 can flow through my soul." 50:51 Those that are here with me, 50:53 and those that will be watching us 50:54 in the future, 50:56 the appeal is that today, 50:58 God is inviting us to pray this prayer, 51:04 to fight the greatest battle that was ever fought 51:08 of consecrating our lives to God, 51:11 of surrendering self, 51:13 of giving Him our sin 51:15 polluted, stubborn, hardened heart. 51:19 See God take it, I cannot fully give it to You, 51:22 but You take it, and You keep it pure, 51:25 for I cannot keep it for Thee. 51:27 Today is the day of salvation in the valley of decision. 51:33 May we all that are present here, 51:35 and those that will hear this message in the future 51:38 surrender to God, 51:40 fight the greatest battle and surrender self to Christ. 51:43 Amen. Amen. 51:45 Let's bow our heads as we pray. 51:47 Almighty Father, creator of heaven and earth, 51:50 we want to thank You 51:51 for Your mercy and goodness towards us sinners. 51:54 Lord, I want to thank You 51:56 that even when we rebel and run away from You, 51:59 You choose to pursue us, to remind us, 52:02 and to bring us back home. 52:04 Lord, I want to thank You 52:06 that the picture that we have of Jesus Christ 52:07 is the one who continues 52:09 to knock on the door of our hearts, 52:11 is waiting to be invited in. 52:14 And, Lord, today, 52:15 we boldly proclaim 52:16 and we invite you into our lives. 52:18 Help us to surrender self to You. 52:21 Help us to give it all to You. 52:22 May we experience that true consecration 52:24 in the transformation that comes 52:26 as a result of You indwelling within us. 52:29 And, Lord, we cannot finish our prayer without those, 52:32 without praying for those 52:33 that are still in the valley of decision 52:35 and haven't made a decision for You, Lord. 52:37 Our hearts ache, 52:39 and we want them to be in Your kingdom 52:41 forever and ever. 52:42 So, Lord, please continue to work in their hearts, 52:45 bring them back home, 52:47 that we may all rejoice in Your presence in heaven. 52:50 So this is our prayer, in the name of Jesus. 52:53 Amen. 52:59 I want to thank Pastor Abel. 53:01 You know, it is a decision we face every day of our life. 53:05 When you wake up in the morning, 53:08 let Jesus in, open the door, 53:11 and He will transform your life, 53:14 He will work from within and change you. 53:17 This has been part, this is what God wants. 53:19 That's what He did with Manasseh. 53:21 And you know what? 53:22 It takes time to understand what God wants you to do. 53:28 And He's waiting for you. 53:29 He's just waiting for you 53:31 to open the door 53:32 and begin that transformation of your heart. 53:34 He loves you. 53:36 I'm sure you are being blessed by these programs. 53:39 And I know that 53:40 as time draws on and eternity becomes closer. 53:44 The closer you get to Jesus, the more prepared you'll be. 53:50 So spend time every day in the Word of God. 53:53 Spend time on your knees, 53:55 asking for the heart of Jesus to be developed within you. 54:01 I want to thank you all, 54:03 especially those that are here during this COVID-19 time. 54:06 May God richly bless you 54:08 and we look forward to seeing you 54:10 in the next program. |
Revised 2021-03-22