Life Discovery Series

Are We Almost There? - Where Is The Promise Of His Coming?

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Jim Reinking

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Series Code: LDS

Program Code: LDS000023


00:47 We're an anchor for those
00:50 who are hurting
00:54 We're a harbor for those
00:57 who are lost
01:00 Sometimes it's not always easy
01:07 bearing Calvary's cross
01:13 We've been ridiculed by those
01:17 who don't know Him
01:20 And mocked
01:22 by those who don't believe
01:26 Still I love standing up
01:29 for my Jesus
01:33 Cause of all that He's done for me
01:39 That's why I am not ashamed of the Gospel
01:46 The Gospel of Jesus Christ
01:52 I am not afraid to be counted
01:59 But I'm willing to give my life
02:05 See I'm ready to be
02:08 all He wants me to be
02:13 Give up the wrong for the right
02:18 No I am not ashamed of the Gospel
02:24 No I am not ashamed
02:28 of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
02:44 For every moment His hand
02:48 has held mercy
02:51 For all the love that's He's show
02:54 on my life
02:57 A simple thanks doesn't say what I'm feeling
03:03 Now I get tears in my eyes
03:11 So, as for me, I'm gonna keep on believing
03:17 In the one who's been so faithful to me
03:24 I'm not out to please this
03:26 whole world around me
03:30 I've got my mind on eternity
03:36 That's why I am not ashamed of the Gospel
03:44 The Gospel of Jesus Christ
03:49 No I am not afraid to be counted
03:57 But willing to give my life
04:02 See I'm ready to be
04:06 all He wants me to be
04:10 Give up the wrong for the right
04:16 No I am not ashamed of the Gospel
04:22 No I am not ashamed
04:26 of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
04:41 No I am not ashamed of the Gospel
04:48 No I am not ashamed of the Gospel
04:54 I've got too much behind me
04:59 to let this world blind me
05:02 To some He's a name,
05:05 but to me He's my everything
05:09 I am not ashamed of the Gospel
05:14 No, I am not ashamed of the Gospel
05:20 of Jesus Christ
05:32 Of Jesus Christ
05:54 You know, it's like Elder Bob Parker once said,
05:57 we--you know we can miss the mark by 18 inches
06:01 as preachers and evangelist and that is the,
06:04 this is between the mind and the heart
06:08 and both need to be engaged, don't they?
06:11 And as we talked about last night
06:13 we certainly have a message that is intellectually sound
06:16 and you know for those of us
06:18 who are particularly intellectual,
06:19 you know, orientation,
06:20 you know, we just love the intellectual part
06:22 of the message and it is a beautiful thing.
06:26 But the heart must be engaged as well
06:28 and that is the power of the union
06:31 between the spoken word
06:33 and the power of the gospel in music.
06:36 And I-- you know there are just new answers that
06:39 or expressed in song that the spoken word
06:42 just can quite reach.
06:44 Have you noticed that?
06:46 So anyway-- so we're talking about loving the Jesus,
06:50 talking about not being ashamed that the gospel,
06:53 well, we love the Lord Jesus Christ,
06:55 we will love His appearing.
06:58 We will look forward with great anticipation
07:01 to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
07:04 And as we began sharing last night
07:06 you know, that is the beauty of the biblical message.
07:09 It is a message that is founded in the gospel
07:11 and then essential part of the gospel, is prophecy.
07:16 It's not the gospel or prophecy
07:19 there are part and parts of the same,
07:22 for what Jesus did at the cross of Calvary,
07:24 place out over time.
07:26 As I shared last night it means two fundamentals things
07:29 what Jesus did at Calvary means,
07:31 there is an end coming to the horrible mess
07:34 that we are in because of sin.
07:36 All the suffering and pain and the death is going on and--
07:40 and He give a moment
07:41 it's coming to an end my friend, that is actually good news.
07:45 And then we have this wonderful future
07:48 that God has planned for us in that new heaven
07:51 and new earth that we just touched on last night.
07:53 We are gonna get into much more details
07:55 about those things but anyway it's--
07:57 it's a wonderful thing if we understand it
08:00 in his it's proper-- proper context.
08:02 Take your Bibles and turn with me
08:03 the 2 Peter Chapter 3,
08:06 2 Peter 3 and beginning with verse--
08:10 we'll be looking at verses 3 and 4 to begin with,
08:14 the subject is entitled
08:15 "Where is the promise of His coming."
08:18 Where is the promise of His coming,
08:20 2 Peter 3 and beginning with verse 3,
08:23 where it's says, well, I'm in 1 John,
08:26 so let me move over to the next page,
08:27 where it's says, "No this first of all
08:30 that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking,
08:36 following after their own lusts."
08:38 You notice what their agenda is all about,
08:41 just pleasing themselves doing their own thing.
08:44 And they will be saying verse 4,
08:46 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?"
08:49 where is it?
08:50 "For ever since the fathers fell asleep,
08:52 all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."
08:58 And something they think about isn't it?
09:00 You know, since the very beginnings
09:02 of the advent movement we have been declaring
09:06 the eminent return of Jesus Christ,
09:09 the eminent return of Jesus.
09:11 The very foundations of this moment
09:13 the advent moment are founded on the belief
09:16 that we are living in the last days,
09:18 the closing hours of earth's history.
09:21 And we have been proclaiming this message
09:23 for over one hundred and sixty years
09:26 from our very subjected human perspective.
09:29 That seems like a very longtime, doesn't it?
09:32 We've been proclaiming it for again a longtime.
09:36 But not only are there--
09:38 are there those outside of the church scoffing
09:41 at the idea of the coming of Jesus the promise of it.
09:45 But they are those even within the church
09:47 that are asking the question, where is it?
09:49 Is it really gonna happen,
09:50 we've been preaching this so long?
09:52 Well it ever happen?
09:54 Well, I'm gonna take you back in time,
09:56 you know, it's interesting
09:57 as you look at our movement historically,
10:00 there's some parts that-- but I remember J.F. Kennedy,
10:04 how many of you remember J.F. Kennedy
10:05 when he began the run for president of the United States.
10:09 And I remember-- I remember some of the things
10:12 that were being said in the church
10:13 at that period of time,
10:14 do some of you that go back remember
10:16 what they were saying, First Roman Catholic President.
10:19 Oh, we know prophecy is got to be fulfilled,
10:22 we know the end has to be right upon us, right?
10:27 And then right on heals of that I--
10:29 I remember some talking about 1964.
10:32 Do you know 1964?
10:33 At least for some it was a very important year.
10:37 Because it marked a 120 years since 1844, 120 years
10:42 and I remember the text being quoted from Matthew 24,
10:45 where Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah
10:48 so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man."
10:51 And since Noah preached his message for 120 years
10:54 and then the end took place.
10:56 You've got kidding now Roman Catholic president
10:58 and then you've got--
11:01 a 120 years we've been proclaiming it.
11:03 You know, this kind of stuff goes on, it goes on.
11:08 Then there are those, those who talk about the fact
11:12 we are on the verge of the 7th Millennium.
11:17 In fact, I've heard somebody put a date to it,
11:19 it's just a few years from that.
11:21 Did you know that?
11:22 All these dates I mean I wish people will get the--
11:25 you know Matthew 24,
11:27 Jesus said, "No man knows day or the hour."
11:32 So this idea of day setting
11:33 we know, we are in the time of the end
11:35 we just don't know the day or the hour of it.
11:37 But they are those who say,
11:38 we're on the verge of the 7th Millennium
11:40 and of course we know the 7th Millennium
11:42 we're gonna be spending in heaven.
11:46 And we have seen these things come and go.
11:48 And let me tell you it is like crying wolf, wolf
11:53 and for those who us have gone through those experiences,
11:56 you go through enough of these experiences
11:57 it gets to the point where you--
11:59 where you just want to say,
12:00 please spare me, please spare me.
12:05 When we preach the-- when we preach the prophecies
12:09 and they are biblical
12:11 and that's I pointing out there truly Christ centered
12:13 if properly understood.
12:15 When we preach the prophecies we need to do so responsibly.
12:21 And have been guilty sometimes are making predictions
12:27 we've been guilty of you know making representations
12:31 that I know some have come to regret.
12:35 I remember being in a workers meeting,
12:37 it would be the summer of 1972,
12:40 I would guess that you were there
12:42 because it was at my wedding
12:44 and I remember he happened to be an evangelist
12:47 and he had a-- he was appointed to speak to us pastors
12:52 and I remember that he was
12:54 predicting an eminent financial crisis,
12:58 the whole financial system was gonna go down
13:00 because we were leaving the gold standard.
13:04 J. R. was his first two initials and I remember that
13:08 and here we are right in another financial crisis.
13:13 So what are we're gonna do with it?
13:16 We can't totally ignore it
13:17 but we know that is part of the size
13:20 that we expect to be taking place
13:21 before the coming of Jesus, can we say this is it?
13:25 No, we have to be responsible in a representation of prophecy.
13:29 Do I hear an, amen out there at all?
13:31 Amen.
13:32 Yeah, we need to be responsible about it.
13:34 Could it happen? It could.
13:36 The point is we must be ready, regardless.
13:39 Amen.
13:41 But let us be careful
13:42 because we give the message a bad name.
13:45 We give prophecy you know, these representations
13:49 under mind the significance of prophecy.
13:53 And when these things come and go,
13:54 nothing really, really comes of it,
13:57 nothing really happens.
14:00 I remember-- I remember
14:01 when I was at college and I don't have any idea,
14:04 if you're hearing some of these things
14:05 but I sure was picking it up.
14:08 You know, how can we as a church
14:11 continue to be talking about the amendment return of Jesus
14:16 when it has been so long?
14:19 How can we be--
14:20 be talking about His eminent return?
14:23 And some have concluded
14:24 that we can no longer in good faith,
14:27 we can no longer continue to proclaim the message
14:30 as we have and as a result
14:32 through significant segments of the church,
14:35 the message has been torn down and we lost to a certain extent
14:40 the sense of the urgency
14:42 of the times that we are living in.
14:44 And within the sense of the mission
14:46 that we've been called to as Christians,
14:50 and let me tell you this is a message
14:51 not just for Seventh-day Adventist Christians,
14:54 this is a message for all people of faith,
14:57 because it's biblical, amen. Amen.
15:00 It's not exclusively ours,
15:02 but God is very specially called us
15:05 for the purpose of getting this message out.
15:08 And others would have to stop those archaic,
15:11 those archaic 19 century practices
15:14 of evangelizing and proclaiming the prophecies.
15:20 Where are we in the stream of time?
15:23 This is gonna be the question
15:24 we are gonna be spending time out.
15:25 Where are we in the stream of time?
15:27 Are we indeed in the last days? Are we truly in the last days?
15:31 Is it just something we say,
15:32 something that's in the list of the things
15:34 that we supposedly believe?
15:37 Where are we in the stream of our time?
15:40 And my friend, as we look at the inspiration
15:43 it becomes clear we are in a time of delay.
15:48 We are in a time of delay.
15:51 You see the reason for the delay,
15:52 really should be a concern
15:53 for every true believer in Jesus Christ,
15:57 who looks forward to the coming of Jesus.
15:59 If indeed there is a delay, why is there a delay?
16:02 And I take you back to 2 Peter 3,
16:04 as we pick it up verse 9, in verse 9.
16:08 We're gonna read the first part of it.
16:10 I want you to notice the response
16:11 that we find in the word of God to this question, the mockers,
16:14 you know, where is the promise of His coming?
16:16 And here is the answer verse 9,
16:17 "The Lord is not slow about His promise,
16:20 as some count slowness, but His patient toward you,
16:25 not wishing for any to perish."
16:28 The Lord is not slow about His promise
16:30 as some would count slowness.
16:34 Right, some would count slowness.
16:36 You see, we have a very limited subject
16:39 due of time, don't we?
16:42 God has His own view about time, right?
16:47 The one who inhabits eternity,
16:50 I mean, the angels pass to Him
16:53 as if they were today
16:55 and what is going to be
16:56 as if they that already happened.
16:58 So God has a perspective about time
17:02 that we can't really, fully appreciate it, understand.
17:06 So this time the issue we really out not get too,
17:10 too carried away with, don't you think?
17:13 God has His timing and notice the first reason
17:17 we find is we look at verse 9,
17:19 why the promise has not yet been fulfilled
17:22 is because it says,
17:24 of the patience of God toward you, toward us.
17:29 Let me ask you the question,
17:31 where would you and I be, individually
17:33 where would be as a people
17:35 if it wasn't for the patience of God?
17:39 And the patience God speaks of the mercy of God,
17:41 doesn't it?
17:42 Of His great love and compassion is behind.
17:46 Really, why there's a delay is fundamental
17:48 to why there is a delay His patience toward you.
17:51 He doesn't wish for any to perish.
17:55 And by the way that's why we do evangelism
17:58 is because of the deep love that God has for those
18:01 who are lost and the tremendous desire
18:04 that He has that all would come to repentance,
18:08 yes, He would have all here
18:09 in Corvallis come to repentance.
18:14 You know, we were talking about this the other Jill,
18:16 and I-- we put up 49,000 broaches
18:18 wouldn't be wonderful, if we got 15%.
18:20 Wow, where will we have the meetings?
18:23 If we had just 10% response from the 49,000,
18:27 I mean-- we could still have a problem, wouldn't we?
18:29 We would figure it out, believe me,
18:30 we would figure it out, wouldn't we Jill,
18:32 by God's grace.
18:34 If we had 1% return but we don't see that,
18:38 this is the times that we live in,
18:40 this is the good old United States
18:42 its part of the culture, its part of the prosperity
18:46 I guess that is a part of-- of our way of life.
18:50 And at some point that all that sense of--
18:53 you know, and that's gonna be disturbed at some point.
18:56 It's gonna disturb that sense of security
18:59 and I think things are gonna open up.
19:01 So what do we do?
19:04 It's tough, you know, they are not coming up
19:07 by the hundreds and thousands
19:08 we are not seeing Pentecost today,
19:09 not in the United States.
19:11 So we're just gonna wait, we're not gonna do anything.
19:15 No we're not just going to do anything
19:17 because the love of Jesus is a dynamic force in ones life.
19:23 And collectively the dynamism of the love and grace of Jesus,
19:29 is what moves us to share,
19:33 to reach out not just to share the doctrine of it
19:38 but to share the experience from it
19:42 that experience that is against centered in Jesus Christ
19:45 that is centered in the relationship.
19:51 And it's vital, absolutely vital.
19:54 I remember my-- my oldest son who is 27,
19:57 just turned 27, David was three months old
19:59 when I began this work.
20:00 So you can figure out the math on that.
20:02 Three months old when we--
20:04 when we went on the road fulltime my family
20:07 until he was halfway through his first grade year.
20:11 That was an interesting experience
20:12 to put my two sons through.
20:15 And when you're in ministry
20:16 often you are one of the first ones at that meeting
20:18 and you're usually one of the very last
20:21 you often end up turning the lights off,
20:23 making sure the doors locked as you leave.
20:26 And I remember this one occasion,
20:27 David was probably three or four
20:30 he could have been five I guess but that age preschool
20:33 and I have been visiting with people
20:36 as at end of the meeting and David came up to me finally
20:40 and he took a hold that me and he look at me and said,
20:42 daddy, you are so poking.
20:46 You know and my oldest son is ADHD
20:49 that's the Attention Deficit Hyperactive
20:53 its part of the disorder,
20:56 you know my son was always on the go,
20:58 always knew at some point he would channel
21:00 that all that energy into something productive
21:04 and these in the process of that I believe.
21:06 But anyway so why,
21:07 you know, he wanted to get going.
21:11 I don't know how you feel about
21:12 this matter of the coming of Jesus
21:14 but I know that some of us, I hope most of us maybe
21:20 and all of us have that sense
21:22 when we think about that-- that earnest desire that,
21:26 it will happen that Jesus will come.
21:30 But you see sometimes we get just a little bit
21:32 too comfortable in the here
21:34 and now we get just a little bit too comfortable
21:37 let's be honest about it.
21:39 You know, most of us have a really pretty good ear,
21:45 maybe too good.
21:48 And so-- so have we lost our sense of anticipation.
21:53 And again why has a Lord not come?
21:56 Let me share with you a statement
21:57 this is from volume 2 The Testimonies, page 194
22:01 and notice the date of the statement 1868.
22:03 That's quite a long time ago from our perspective.
22:07 And this is what inspiration tells us,
22:09 "The long night of gloom is trying,
22:12 but the morning is" is what?
22:16 The word defer that's another word for delay.
22:20 The morning is delayed in, in what?
22:23 In mercy out of love. God is never arbitrary.
22:29 It is out of mercy,
22:30 it is out of His love that it is deferred
22:33 and this was been said back 1868.
22:36 "Because if the Master should come"
22:38 this is the reason.
22:39 "If the Master should come
22:40 so many would be found unready."
22:44 God can hardly stand the idea that His children would be lost.
22:49 And He sees there are
22:50 so many that are lost who are not ready,
22:52 if He should come they would be lost.
22:55 And He's not willing.
22:57 My friend, God is not going to act
23:00 prematurely in bringing it to an end.
23:04 God has a very specific plan, He has a very specific purpose
23:08 that's gonna be carried
23:09 and is been carried out in the end time.
23:11 There are certain things that have to be in place
23:15 before it ends
23:17 and that's where our understanding
23:19 of an insights prophecy are so vital,
23:23 because it helps us to understand
23:25 some of those essential things that are a part of God's plan
23:28 that must take place before the end happens.
23:33 And so--So many would be found unready,
23:36 as a reason and it goes on say
23:38 "God's unwillingness to have His people."
23:40 Now this gets a little bit closer to home.
23:41 That's you and me who profess the name of Jesus.
23:46 "God's unwillingness to have His people perish,
23:49 has been the reason of so long a delay."
23:55 So long a delay 1868, it's been even longer today
24:01 and that tells us that Jesus could have come long ago.
24:04 Of course you know, that one to be our advantage
24:06 because we would never been here
24:09 and if that means we will never be there.
24:13 But how long are we really let this go on
24:15 for future generations it's a never endless thing
24:17 if we begin to think about it.
24:20 My friend, Jesus sacrifice opens up
24:22 this whole wonderful future.
24:25 It's gonna happen in due time it's gonna happen.
24:27 2 Peter 3 and looking at verse 15,
24:32 2 Peter 3:15 and regard talking about the patience of God.
24:37 "Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation."
24:43 And it is for the purpose of our salvation.
24:46 Just again consider in your own experience,
24:49 many of us know something about the patience of God.
24:52 God has waited for some of us a longtime
24:55 before we responded
24:57 and before we came to Him, right.
24:59 I say it again where would we be
25:01 without the patience of Jesus?
25:05 Which means, if God's patience with us
25:07 we are to be patience with one another,
25:09 shouldn't we?
25:12 And for the same reason that He is patience
25:14 because of love.
25:16 Love is not something to be hold something,
25:18 love is something to be spread and shared
25:24 and that is what gives
25:26 the proclamation of the message a power,
25:30 when as the love of Jesus,
25:31 experienced and shared by His people.
25:35 That is what you know
25:37 that's often the element that's missing.
25:39 It's really are, it really-- this is all about people.
25:43 It's all about you, it's all about me,
25:47 it's all about the people out there in Corvallis,
25:49 it's all about those are lost.
25:51 You know, again we do evangelism
25:54 because of the high price that God paid for our redemption.
25:58 It is because what Jesus was willing to do at Calvary,
26:01 the value He place on a single soul
26:05 is the reason why we do, what we do.
26:10 And there is no other reason
26:11 and if there are another fundamental reason,
26:13 then it really in some ways a departure
26:17 from that fundamental reason
26:18 of why we do, what we do?
26:20 So it is vital. It's important.
26:25 These are my two sons, David and Kevin.
26:27 David on the right side
26:29 we had this from a couple of years ago,
26:32 we have been to Bend, Oregon.
26:33 We have gone to ski and it rained the whole time.
26:39 It was slushy and so anyway but anyway then at Bend
26:45 and but I'm going back,
26:46 I'm gonna share a story about them
26:47 going back to the spring of 2004,
26:49 my youngest son Kevin,
26:50 the one on the left side there Kevin and called him my--
26:54 used to call him my mellow fellow Kevin
26:57 decided to try living on his own.
26:59 He moved in with some friends at a duplex.
27:03 And one evening my oldest son
27:05 David was there with Kevin and some of their friends,
27:08 they were playing videogames and--
27:09 you know having a good time together.
27:11 When some suddenly somebody burst in
27:13 through the front door with a gun drawn
27:15 a young man with a gun drawn.
27:18 And he came in nobody knew him,
27:19 but he came in demanding to know where is it?
27:24 In fact he came over to my oldest son
27:27 and he pointed that gun right in his face
27:31 and he cocked it and he said, I want to know where it is?
27:34 What they didn't know my son's didn't know
27:37 that previous renters have been dealing in drugs.
27:40 So we don't know if they were after drugs,
27:42 money or just what it was but he was intense.
27:46 And in fact he then turning the gun
27:49 pointed towards my youngest son and fired it.
27:53 That bullet lodged in the wall.
27:56 My sons kept this from their parents
27:58 for a period of time.
28:02 But finally shared it and I will tell you those of you
28:05 who are parents you understand
28:07 I just had that's sinking feeling,
28:10 I just was so thankful
28:11 that you know something horrible hadn't happen
28:13 but it could have happened.
28:15 Had been the preacher that I'm I couldn't help
28:17 but saying to my son
28:18 I turned to preach too much at them.
28:21 Okay, you know there is a disadvantage growing up
28:23 and a preachers home because, you know,
28:25 you are living with a preacher.
28:27 So you know I tried to modulate that a little bit
28:30 but I couldn't help to saying to them David,
28:31 Kevin, if that have been the end of your days,
28:34 where would you have spend the eternity,
28:36 because that was in my heart and have this in my mind
28:40 because I want them to be saved,
28:42 I want them to be there.
28:48 Let's look at 2 Peter 3 again,
28:51 let's read verse 9 we didn't read all of it.
28:55 2 Peter 3:9,
28:58 "The Lord is not slow about His promise,
29:00 as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
29:03 not wishing for any to perish
29:06 but for all to come to repentance."
29:09 We've been talking this, for all to come to repentance.
29:12 In 1 Timothy 2:4 it says,
29:14 "Of God who desires all men to be saved
29:17 and to come to the knowledge of," what?
29:21 He wants them to be saved
29:22 and He wants them to come to the knowledge of the truth.
29:25 And the truth is about whom? It's a truth about God.
29:28 It's a truth about God
29:30 and when He is done for the human race,
29:32 it's the truth about His love,
29:34 it is a truth about His salvation.
29:37 And every thing, every element or truth
29:40 that we find in this book, this powerful dynamic book
29:44 in some way relates us
29:47 to a deeper understanding of who God is,
29:50 what's in His mind and what is in His heart
29:53 toward us His children
29:56 that's what it really is all about.
29:58 But He wants all to the come to the knowledge of the truth.
30:02 And my friend, that's what we're sharing,
30:03 we're sharing something about the truth,
30:05 the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.
30:08 There is no other truth than that
30:10 which is been given to us.
30:12 And He longs, He longs for us to be ready,
30:15 and He longs for us to help
30:17 others to be ready for His coming.
30:20 In Acts of the Apostles page 110
30:22 a statement that was given in 1911,
30:25 I'm giving you a little bit of the historical background
30:28 by giving you the dates.
30:30 Inspiration tells us "Long has God waited
30:34 for the spirit of service
30:36 to take possession of how much to the church?
30:40 "Of the whole church so that everyone
30:43 shall be working for Him
30:45 according to his or hers ability."
30:50 God never ask us to do something
30:52 for which we are not qualified to do
30:55 and thus we have talents
30:56 and we have gifts-- spiritual gifts.
30:59 That qualify us to play our--
31:02 do our part in sharing the message.
31:07 And that's why I said the announcement
31:08 I know if we picked it up.
31:10 I said let's go together, okay.
31:13 This is just to sit back
31:14 and let's let the evangelist preach,
31:16 let him do all of the work,
31:18 we're paying him to do
31:19 and then the pastor his getting paid too he can help out.
31:24 No, this is for all of us and I invite you,
31:27 be a part of the spiritual process.
31:28 There is a blessing in this,
31:30 there is true joy, be a part of it.
31:33 I tell you this is gonna be-- there is joy in this.
31:36 The next six weeks
31:37 that we are gonna be spending together.
31:39 We're gonna have people to-- to get to know,
31:42 that we are gonna make some really wonderful decisions.
31:45 I tell you-- it really,
31:46 it's just all about people
31:47 I just finish a series at Thousands Oaks, California.
31:50 I had an Syrian orthodox believer coming
31:55 44 years of old, he was an engineer
31:58 didn't know that about two months before that series
32:00 he had brain cancer and had an operation.
32:04 And was continuing,
32:05 has similar neurological problems
32:07 that became a little more apparent
32:08 as we were going through.
32:11 That one night three weeks into the series
32:14 he had a grand mal seizure
32:15 right in the middle of our series of meetings
32:18 and I tell you we just paused to pray for him, for Edwin.
32:23 And I tell you that the Lord was just
32:26 you know and he was opened
32:28 I think what he was going through really opened him up.
32:32 And I remember as we were talking about his faith
32:36 and his up brain he said, it was so ritualistic.
32:39 You know, its some ritualistic
32:41 and I said, yeah, yeah, the Bibles with golden case
32:44 and they had jewels over them
32:45 and the priest probably kissed that Bible at certain point
32:48 and he said, yeah,
32:49 but they never taught us anything.
32:51 Didn't teach us anything from the Bible
32:54 and he was just thrilled
32:56 to be hearing night by night
32:57 the truth to discover the beautiful truths
33:00 that we just sometimes say for granted
33:02 for the word of the God and the excitement,
33:04 here he has a grand mal seizure,
33:05 911 is called the ambulance shows up,
33:08 they stabilize him they want to take him to the hospital,
33:10 he said, I came to hear the subject
33:11 I'm going back in and he did.
33:19 It's about people who don't know.
33:23 Same series of meeting I had two--
33:26 two Muslims who came to our meetings.
33:30 And I remember Mona
33:32 she was struggling with this all the world religions
33:34 but she was wondering something
33:36 about Christianity it had been in the process of learning
33:38 about Christianity for sometime
33:40 but she was trying to sort this all out I said,
33:42 Mona, you know you try to figure
33:44 this out about all of the world religions,
33:46 Buddhism and all of it it's gonna take you a lifetime
33:48 and you still won't figured out,
33:50 it really comes down to this one fundamental issue.
33:54 Most religions will agree there is a problem with sin
33:57 and the question is, does one need a Savior?
34:02 Does one need a Savior?
34:03 And I said there is only one world religion
34:05 that offers a Savior it's the Christian religion.
34:09 And you know that--
34:11 that is what let her to make a decision
34:14 and when she made her decision to be baptized into Jesus Christ
34:18 and by the way it was fascinating,
34:20 when several weeks into this series
34:23 she made the discovery that Jesus in His humanity was a Jew.
34:28 She hadn't known that.
34:31 And you could imagine,
34:32 you know, but you know that she was alright with that.
34:35 And then her older brother John
34:37 who was coming and studying the Bible I tell you--
34:40 it was a thing a beauty to see
34:42 what the spirit of Jesus was doing
34:44 in their life and experience.
34:47 And to see Mona make that experience
34:49 and that's her testimony.
34:50 And my friend Mike Brownfield
34:52 one of the pastors in that church
34:54 said to me I wish I had a videotape for 15 minutes
34:57 just spontaneously she was sharing her decision for Jesus.
35:01 She said, I decided I needed a Savior.
35:05 That was a great decision to make,
35:08 I needed a Savior.
35:09 So that's all what is all about, isn't it?
35:12 But how its gonna happen?
35:14 You know, each of us working for His service it says,
35:18 "When the member of the church of God
35:20 do their appointed work in the needy fields
35:22 at home and abroad,
35:23 in fulfillment of gospel commission,
35:25 the whole world will soon be warned
35:27 and the Lord Jesus will return to this earth
35:30 with power and great glory."
35:32 One of the things that is a part an essential part
35:35 of God's plan is that the message
35:38 must go to the whole world.
35:39 We talk about this so we know this, don't we?
35:42 And when He gone through the whole world
35:44 under the mighty power of the Holy Spirit
35:45 it will be finished, this called the latter rain.
35:49 When it is finish that He will come.
35:52 That is where-- what the prophecies tell us,
35:54 He will come but He has ordained
35:57 and He has purpose that He is going to finish
36:00 His work through His people.
36:03 He could do it through angels, He could Himself do it.
36:07 He is always behind it but my friend,
36:09 He's ordained us for this purpose to share it
36:15 and its not gonna be done and--
36:17 and well that gives a lot of responsibly on us
36:20 but remember all of God's biddings are in their beliefs
36:25 that which God ordains us to do He qualifies
36:28 and empowers us to do
36:32 through the grace of Jesus, right?
36:33 Amen.
36:35 So we're not looking you know,
36:37 go out there and finish it.
36:38 No, we must make ourselves available.
36:41 And so there's gonna be a sweeping revival
36:42 that's gonna come, that's gonna prepare
36:44 the way for the work to be done.
36:47 So God-- God has given us a prophetic message
36:50 He has to prepare us for the coming of Jesus.
36:55 It's an interracial part--
36:56 prophecy is an interracial part of God's last day message
37:00 and we will establish as a people for this purpose.
37:03 We will.
37:04 Take a look at 2 Peter 3:10.
37:08 2 Peter 3:10 it's says,
37:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
37:13 in which the heavens will pass away with a roar
37:16 and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
37:19 and the earth and its works will be burned up."
37:22 I mean that's-- that's kind of stuff.
37:23 If you really just focus in on that's kind of fearful
37:26 the world's gonna coming to an end
37:27 it's gonna be burned up is what it's talking about.
37:31 And I can remember when I was living in places
37:34 like Washington as a little kid preschool
37:37 probably four or five years of age
37:38 I was playing it was summer
37:39 I was playing several blocks
37:41 away they were building a church,
37:43 a Lutheran church if I remember correctly
37:46 and they had all these mounts of dirt.
37:48 It was just perfect playground for boys of my age
37:52 with all the little cars and stuff
37:53 and so I was there with some of my playmates,
37:56 playing and I happen casually to look up into the blue sky
38:00 and I saw this cloud
38:01 which in my childish imagination
38:03 I probably been hearing in the Sabbath school
38:05 or maybe my from my mother
38:09 but I looked over the sky and I saw this cloud
38:11 which in my childish imagination looked like a man's hand.
38:16 And I thought to myself
38:17 and I forgot all about playing immediately,
38:20 I thought you know Jesus is coming.
38:23 I got up and I began running to home
38:25 and I was thinking
38:26 I don't know that I'm ready.
38:28 When I was at four or five years,
38:29 I don't know if I'm ready.
38:31 And so I'm going through I'm reviewing my life you know,
38:34 you know reviewing my life
38:36 because I was this mischievous little kid.
38:38 Okay, mischievous maybe I had hyper active things too
38:41 that my oldest son inherited probably from me.
38:44 And so I'm running home,
38:45 I'm going through reviewing my life, yeah,
38:47 you know I'm getting in trouble
38:49 and but then I began to think yeah,
38:52 but you know at night
38:53 when you're sleeping you can't get into trouble.
38:56 So I thought like it was like scales
38:58 of baby weight out you know,
39:00 because you seem like you did a lot of sleeping at that age,
39:03 you know, and his parents should say
39:06 praise the Lord they do a lot of sleeping
39:08 those little once that are active, right?
39:11 But you know and it's not really
39:13 that way we don't weight out that way.
39:16 But think about it
39:17 how so being it really would be on one hand
39:20 when Jesus really does come
39:21 and again the vital question is,
39:23 are we going to be ready?
39:26 I will refer you to do parable
39:29 of the other virgins, the ten virgins.
39:34 Remember that in Matthew 25 remember it's says,
39:38 "While the bridegroom tarried
39:41 they all" wise and foolish, they all what?
39:45 "Slumbered and slept."
39:48 My friend, were asleep? Were asleep?
39:53 And God is trying to stir us.
39:55 And that's why some of these things are happening,
39:57 He's trying to stir people.
39:58 He is trying waken them up to things.
40:01 Not in the church but outside of the church,
40:04 He's trying to stir us up, He's trying to waken us.
40:09 And again we must--
40:10 we must be ready for His coming.
40:12 Take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5,
40:15 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6.
40:21 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5
40:24 and here it is if we begin with verse 2.
40:28 Where, it's says, "For you yourselves"
40:30 you yourselves "know full well that the day of the Lord
40:33 will come just like a thief in the night.
40:36 While they are saying, 'Peace and safety,'
40:38 then destruction will come upon them suddenly,
40:41 like labor pains upon a woman with child
40:43 and they shall not escape."
40:46 It's gonna come suddenly
40:48 it is as over and over in the scriptures.
40:51 It's gonna be unexpected.
40:55 And what a shame it would be having known this message
40:58 that it would be catch us by surprise
41:00 when it really does happen.
41:03 That would be pretty horrible
41:04 wouldn't that actually having known
41:06 but yet you know, we have been asleep.
41:09 Because of verse 4 says,
41:10 "But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
41:13 that the day would overtake you like a thief,
41:16 for you are all sons of light and sons of day.
41:19 We are not of night nor of darkness,
41:20 so then let us not sleep as others do,
41:23 but let us be alert and sober."
41:27 In other words he is saying
41:28 we got wake up, we got to wake up.
41:33 And again it's a beautiful thing,
41:34 it's a wonderful thing, it's starling yes--
41:39 it does mean that final crisis is gonna come,
41:42 yes it means that,
41:43 but remember the consummation of all our hopes
41:47 is what it really is all about.
41:51 Because we're talking about the coming
41:53 the return of Jesus
41:55 and that's the one that loved us
41:58 with an everlasting love.
42:00 He is the one that died for us.
42:02 He is the one that has captivated us
42:06 and brought us to Himself
42:08 and He is the one that is returning.
42:12 This is so relational I don't know
42:14 how much more relational prophecy can be then that.
42:17 Don't you think?
42:19 He hasn't forgotten us. He's coming back for us.
42:24 You know, when-- when I was younger
42:27 I seemed to be always to be finding.
42:29 I am time at 15-16 I seemed to be finding out
42:31 I went through a series of girlfriends
42:33 and they all seemed to be living miles away.
42:35 I don't know what that says like.
42:36 About I was little bit Mosses like
42:37 so they want a lot of young Christian women
42:41 of my age where I was at.
42:43 But I found myself writing these voluminous letters.
42:47 I remember my first girlfriend Linda Streeter
42:49 who lived in Stanwood, Washington.
42:51 I met her at camp meeting,
42:53 camp meetings are wonderful thing you know.
42:54 I met her at Auburn camp meeting.
42:56 And so she was going to Auburn Academy
42:59 I was a freshman that year.
43:01 So were writing these letters, this pre-email,
43:04 believe it or not young people pre-email.
43:07 We didn't have cell phones
43:08 and what this is called
43:09 with something you rarely ever did.
43:12 I remember sneaking down to a payphone
43:15 and making a long distance, I just have talk to her.
43:19 I haven't seen her, I haven't talk to her for--
43:21 I just had talked to her and I didn't know the operator
43:23 when I said charge it to my home number.
43:25 He would actually call up that number
43:27 and my father answer the phone.
43:30 And but did I hear a lecture he let it go through but--
43:33 but did I get a lecture about you
43:35 just don't make long distance call, Jim.
43:37 Don't ever do that again.
43:41 So, you know, I would read these letters
43:43 she would send
43:45 and oh, you know I'd been in my room
43:47 that I would write, you know,
43:48 I go through one draft, two draft
43:50 I wanted her to know that I was articulate.
43:52 So sometimes it was three drafts I'd to send it all.
43:55 And then I would wait with anticipation for her to write.
44:00 Eventually, she stopped writing
44:02 that was pretty horrible at that point to go through
44:05 but let me tell you going through that process.
44:08 As wonderful as those letters were
44:10 it was never the same
44:12 as when I was able to be with her
44:15 even to hold her hand, you know.
44:18 And my friend, as wonderful as God's word is
44:21 and it's wonderful as thou should be
44:22 as this Sabbath morning and another Sabbaths.
44:25 My friend it is not the same
44:28 as it's going to be when Jesus comes
44:30 and we see Him face to face.
44:33 And we're in the presence of a power
44:37 that is so overwhelming and yet so loving
44:42 or just gonna be filled with joy
44:44 just over flowing with joy.
44:47 But you know that begins here now.
44:50 That's what's really it's all about.
44:55 And so, oh yes Katrina. I remember Katrina.
44:58 Do you remember Katrina?
45:00 2004 wasn't it somewhere back then 2005
45:03 I guess it was.
45:04 I remember they were interviewing a lady
45:05 who was living on the Gulf Coast.
45:10 You know, all the damage that taking place.
45:12 This is I think Mississippi coastline.
45:15 And so they're interviewing her
45:17 and she is talking about the fact,
45:19 you know, we've lived here
45:20 for a very long time for decades
45:21 they actual lived there.
45:23 In a beautiful home right there on the coastline.
45:25 And she said, "We've heard these warnings
45:27 before, they come and gone."
45:30 But she said, "You know, we always get these warnings
45:33 but the storms would come."
45:34 And but in the background
45:38 you could see they didn't survived this one.
45:40 The house was totally devastated.
45:43 They heard the warnings
45:45 so often they just kind of came to ignore it.
45:50 That surely couldn't happen to us, could it?
45:53 Could it?
45:55 I'd hope it wouldn't happen to us.
45:57 Matthew 24:44
45:58 "For this reason you be ready too,
46:00 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
46:02 when you do not think He will."
46:05 When we think He isn't, it couldn't happen now
46:08 it couldn't happen now.
46:09 It is the very time in which it could happen.
46:11 Going through the Testimonies page 255,
46:14 the statement 1873.
46:16 "Faith in the soon coming of Christ is waning.
46:19 'My Lord delayeth His coming'
46:21 is not only said in the heart, but expressed in words
46:23 and most decidedly in works."
46:25 Stupidity in the sense of a stupor.
46:29 Okay, the word stupor is what it should be used here.
46:32 "In this watching time
46:34 it's sealing the senses of God's people
46:36 as to the signs of the times."
46:37 That's a danger, particularly those of us
46:40 who known us for so many years,
46:41 those of us who have been raised in it,
46:43 we've heard this, we've would known this,
46:45 we refer to preach,
46:46 that we read it in Sabbath school.
46:48 You know, we know these things about
46:51 but just kind of after a while, you know, you've heard it
46:55 so often it just kind of rolls off your back.
46:59 That's the danger of it.
47:02 And you know, there is one that wants us
47:03 to just roll off a back
47:04 I was holding a series in little Cathlamet, Washington
47:07 back in the spring of 2004.
47:08 I had a Pentecostal couple attending
47:10 and in new process
47:12 we covered up Spirit of Prophecy
47:14 had some of the Ellen White's writings.
47:17 And Trina picked up
47:18 a few of her books took them home
47:21 and the first one she read
47:23 was this book right here this compilation
47:26 "Last Day Events."
47:27 Then take about a few days to read it
47:29 and she came back early to the meeting
47:31 one night before anybody was coming.
47:33 And she told me, she said, I just read this book
47:35 and I've got a couple of questions
47:36 I want to ask you.
47:37 She said, first of all she said,
47:39 "I want to know do you people really believe this?"
47:42 I'll tell you this thing has so stirred her,
47:45 what she had read in this book
47:47 about the end times had so stirred her,
47:49 she wanted to know, do you people
47:50 really believe this?
47:53 Of course I tried to assure her that we did
47:55 but then her next question was
47:57 if you do what are you doing about it?
48:01 What are you doing about it?
48:03 That really caused me to search my heart.
48:06 What are we doing about it?
48:09 And then I want to end the 2 Peter 3:11, 12.
48:14 2 Peter Chapter 3
48:17 and I'm gonna end here in this chapter.
48:20 And beginning what did I say?
48:22 Its 2 Peter not 1 Peter we want.
48:24 2 Peter 3 and I said verse 11 here it is.
48:27 It says "Since all these things
48:29 are to be to be destroyed in this way,
48:32 what sort of people ought you to be
48:35 in holy conduct and godliness."
48:39 One of the crucial questions in all this
48:41 is how do we get ready for the coming of Jesus?
48:44 And by the way we've started a revival this morning
48:48 when we were doing evangelism
48:49 and I were doing the revival Sabbath morning
48:51 for the church.
48:52 And the next presentation, next Sabbath morning
48:56 the revival is Christ our righteousness
49:00 in which I'll share with you
49:01 how we get ready for the coming of Jesus.
49:06 Holy conduct and godliness, what is that talking about?
49:09 Holy conduct comes out of a holy relationship
49:13 I'll say that much.
49:14 Verse 12 "Looking for
49:15 and hastening the coming of the day of God."
49:19 Now we're looking for but it says we have to hasten
49:22 and we can hasten it by making ourselves
49:24 available to be used of God, right?
49:31 Last statement, in which it says
49:34 "Christ is waiting with longing desire
49:37 for the manifestation of Himself"
49:41 the manifestation of Himself where?
49:44 In His church.
49:46 He is not waiting for us to become
49:48 more doctrinally clear,
49:51 He is waiting for the manifestation
49:55 for us to make ourselves available
49:57 for the manifestation of Himself.
49:59 You see, there is far more
50:01 in this matter of sharing the gospel
50:03 with the whole world than just-- getting up
50:06 and proclaiming it and preaching and teaching it
50:08 that it is a part of it, it is a part it.
50:10 But there is something that is much deeper,
50:12 much more powerful,
50:13 it must come out of one's heart,
50:15 it must come out of one's experience.
50:17 And it must not just be the pastor or the evangelist,
50:19 it must be our collective experience in Jesus.
50:23 Jesus Manifested through us
50:25 that's what we're talking about.
50:28 And my friend, that is a thing of beauty.
50:31 The doctor never approach, doesn't really focus in on that
50:34 so much but it's Christ in you
50:37 the hope of glory that we're talking about.
50:41 "So it's the manifestation of Himself in His church.
50:43 When the character of the Savior."
50:45 And the character of the Savior is in the word,
50:49 "love, compassion, and mercy."
50:53 "When the character of the Savior
50:54 shall be perfectly reproduced in His people,
50:57 then He will come to claim His own.
51:02 It is the privilege of every Christian,
51:03 not only to look for,
51:04 but to hasten, the coming of our Lord.
51:07 Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory,
51:10 how quickly the whole world would be sown
51:13 with the seed of the gospel.
51:15 Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened,
51:18 and Christ would come."
51:19 In the last moments we know, they will be very rapid ones,
51:22 but they're gonna come out of the people,
51:25 us revived and stirred
51:28 by the love and grace of Jesus
51:30 the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
51:31 and all of those things we know.
51:34 It's our privilege to experience.
51:37 Here now, here now and let it begin here.
51:42 Yeah, they're longing in your heart,
51:43 your long to see Jesus, the long that to see Him come,
51:47 just raise your hand where you're at
51:49 and I want you to listen as we conclude
51:52 as Janice sings this beautiful song
51:55 "When the Time Comes."
52:14 Cleanse me, Lord
52:19 Of all my silly, sad charades
52:26 How I want to be
52:31 all and only Yours
52:36 Take away the clutter
52:39 in my life everyday
52:45 And make me like a child at play
52:58 Give me joy
53:02 I love to laugh and cry with You
53:08 You've become a friend
53:13 with me all the time
53:19 Help me to be patient
53:22 as I watch and as I pray
53:29 Growing in Your love each day
53:36 Lord, show me the way
53:41 When the time comes
53:46 I want Him to know me
53:50 When the time comes
53:55 I want to be there
53:58 When the time comes
54:04 I want to be ready
54:11 When Jesus
54:16 comes to take me,
54:19 take me home
54:36 Fill me, Lord
54:42 I want Your love to overflow
54:48 Running free through me
54:53 to a lonely world
54:58 Let me share that simple truth
55:02 that sets people free
55:07 How I want them all
55:11 to see Lord
55:16 how it can be
55:20 When the time comes
55:24 I want Him to know me
55:29 When the time comes
55:33 I want to be there
55:36 When the time comes
55:43 I want to be ready
55:50 When Jesus comes to take me
55:58 When my Jesus
56:05 comes to take me
56:08 When Jesus
56:16 comes to take me
56:21 Take me home


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Revised 2014-12-17