3ABN On the Road

Camp Kulaqua- The Finisher

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: James Rafferty

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000671


01:01 Happy Sabbath everyone, and welcome to North Florida
01:03 Camp Meeting at Camp Kulaqua.
01:06 We're privileged and happy to be
01:08 with each and every one of you today.
01:10 David says,
01:14 "I will sing a new song
01:15 unto thee, O God, upon a psaltery
01:18 and an instrument of ten strings
01:20 I will sing praise unto thee".
01:23 Join with us as we sing praise to Him this evening.
01:34 Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
01:39 Tune my heart to sing Thy grace,
01:44 Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
01:49 Call for songs of loudest praise.
01:54 Teach me ever to adore thee.
01:59 May I still Thy goodness prove.
02:03 While the hope of endless glory.
02:08 Fills my heart with joy and love,
02:13 O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be!
02:23 Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
02:28 Bind me closer still to thee.
02:33 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
02:38 Prone to leave the God I love,
02:43 Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
02:48 Seal it for thy courts above.
02:56 How many times do we feel, the Lord shield about us
02:59 and just know that He is with us.
03:02 That's why we're singing about tonight
03:04 "A shield about me". Join with us.
03:20 You, O Lord, Are a shield about me,
03:31 You're my glory, you're the lifter of my head.
03:44 You, O Lord are a shield about me,
03:55 You're my glory, you're the lifter of my head.
04:08 Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
04:20 Hallelujah, You're the lifter of my head
04:36 You, O Lord, Are a shield about me,
04:47 You're my glory, You're the lifter of my head.
04:59 You, O Lord, Are a shield about me,
05:10 You're my glory, You're the lifter of my head.
05:23 Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
05:35 Hallelujah, You're the lifter of my head
05:50 Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
06:03 Hallelujah, You're the lifter of my head.
06:17 I'm a college student.
06:19 And I have written a schedule for my classes,
06:23 that's easy for me to know,
06:24 what time I need to get the bus
06:26 and what time I need to go to class.
06:29 But it's a week schedule
06:30 and on Sabbath of course I have no class.
06:33 And I wrote on that calendar date,
06:36 O day of rest and gladness, sing with us.
06:48 O day of rest and gladness, O day of joy and light,
06:59 O Balm of care and sadness.
07:04 Most beautiful, most bright, On Thee the high and lowly
07:14 Who bend before the throne
07:18 Sing holy, holy, holy To the Eternal One.
07:31 Thou art a port protected,
07:36 From storms that round us rise,
07:41 A garden intersected, With streams from paradise,
07:50 Thou art a cooling fountain In life's dry, dreary sand,
08:00 From thee, like Pisgah's mountain,
08:04 We view our Promised Land, A day of sweet reflection,
08:17 Thou art, a day of love, A day to raise affection,
08:27 From earth to things above New graces ever gaining,
08:36 From this our day of rest We seek the rest remaining,
08:46 In mansions of the blest
09:11 Would you be free from the burden of sin?
09:16 There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood,
09:21 Would you o'er evil a victory win?
09:25 There's wonderful power in the blood.
09:30 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
09:34 In the blood of the lamb,
09:39 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
09:44 In the precious blood of the lamb.
09:49 Would you be free from your passion and pride?
09:54 There's pow'r in the blood pow'r in the blood,
09:59 Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide?
10:03 There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.
10:08 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
10:12 In the blood of the lamb,
10:17 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
10:22 In the precious blood of the lamb.
10:27 Would you do service for Jesus your king?
10:32 There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood,
10:37 Would you live daily His praises to sing?
10:41 There's wonderful power in the blood.
10:46 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
10:50 In the blood of the lamb,
10:55 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
11:00 In the precious blood of the lamb.
11:05 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
11:09 In the blood of the lamb,
11:14 There is pow'r, pow'r wonder working pow'r.
11:19 In the precious blood of the lamb.
11:26 I would like to invite all of you to stand.
11:28 We would like to introduce,
11:31 the theme song for our camp meeting this weekend,
11:33 "Open our eyes Lord, let us see Jesus".
11:51 Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus,
12:03 To reach out and touch Him, And say that we love Him.
12:16 Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen,
12:28 Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
12:41 Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
12:53 To reach out and touch Him, And say that we love Him.
13:06 Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen,
13:19 Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
13:44 You may be seated.
13:49 I want to welcome everyone this evening
13:52 to North Florida Camp Meeting held here at Camp Kulaqua.
13:56 We appreciate everyone coming
13:58 and as seats continue to fill up.
14:01 We know that God is just gonna
14:03 continue to bless here tonight.
14:06 We have a speaker James Refferty
14:08 that will be up here.
14:10 We want to thank the Gainesville,
14:15 praise and worship team for coming over
14:17 and sharing with us this evening, amen. Amen.
14:20 The Lord has really blessed.
14:22 We want to start out toning with the word of prayer,
14:25 let us bow our heads.
14:28 You are heavenly father are great and wonderful,
14:33 majesty beyond compared.
14:36 Lord, this weekend as we focus upon heaven,
14:41 that place where once again, we'll been reunited with you.
14:46 I ask that you would bless everyone here,
14:50 that you would open up their hearts to receive you in
14:55 that we would see you more clearly,
14:58 because what's happen to us this weekend.
15:01 We asks in Your name and for Your sake
15:04 and may all glory honor
15:05 and praise go to you in Jesus name, amen.
15:11 I want to thank all of our viewers,
15:13 that are joining us via satellite
15:15 all around the world.
15:18 We thank you for being here tonight
15:20 and we look forward to spending more time with you
15:22 as the weekend continues.
15:38 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
15:46 There is no shadow of turning with thee,
15:53 Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not
16:01 As thou hast been thou forever will be.
16:15 Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
16:22 Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
16:30 Join with all nature in manifold witness
16:38 To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
16:46 Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
16:54 Morning by morning new mercies I see,
17:02 All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
17:10 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
17:24 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
17:32 Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
17:39 Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
17:47 Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
17:55 Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
18:03 Morning by morning new mercies I see,
18:11 All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
18:19 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
18:27 Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
18:35 Morning by morning new mercies I see,
18:43 All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
18:51 Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness,
19:00 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
19:38 Good evening, how you are doing this evening?
19:41 Good! Good, I'm so glad to be here,
19:44 it is a divine appointment.
19:46 And now I'll tell you more about that,
19:48 as the weekend goes on,
19:51 but I like you to open your Bibles with me this evening.
19:56 To Hebrews Chapter 12 our theme here at Camp Kulaqua,
20:03 I've to look at that to say it, it's two fold.
20:07 The first one, focus on heaven
20:10 and the second one,
20:12 bound or bonded by the spirit.
20:15 And I can think of a more appropriate
20:17 section of scripture than
20:19 this one in Hebrews Chapter 12.
20:21 This is one of my favorite sections of the Bible
20:25 and it's been a long time since I've looked at it
20:27 and recently my mind was impressed
20:29 to focus on Hebrews 12.
20:32 And amazingly this is part of what our Sabbath school
20:37 quarterly is going to be
20:38 about this weekend, this Sabbath.
20:40 So I'm thankful, that this is the theme
20:43 that God has impressed me
20:44 to share with you tonight and tomorrow.
20:47 Hebrews Chapter 12 beginning with verse 1 says,
20:49 this, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
20:55 with so great a cloud of witnesses,
20:58 let us lay aside every weight,
21:02 and the sin that doth so easily beset us,
21:07 and let us run with patience
21:11 the race that is set before us,
21:13 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,
21:16 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
21:21 despising the shame, and is set down
21:25 at the right hand of the throne of God.
21:27 For consider him that endured
21:30 such contradiction of sinners against himself,
21:33 lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
21:36 For Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,
21:40 striving against sin"
21:44 Some powerful scriptures there,
21:45 wouldn't you say? Amen.
21:47 There are few points
21:48 that I think we should focus on this evening
21:51 from these scriptures.
21:52 The first one is found right here in verse 1,
21:56 it says because we are uncompressed
22:00 or surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses,
22:02 that's Hebrews 11.
22:04 And all the faithful of the past
22:07 who have gone before us, who have paved the way,
22:09 who have left us examples and encouragement and hope.
22:17 Since we're surrounded by all these witnesses,
22:21 we should lay aside every weight.
22:25 And that sin, you know what that sin is, don't you?
22:30 That sin, you know, our eyes kind of shift the other way
22:34 when we get little uncomfortable
22:35 but all of us have that sin,
22:38 that one that so easily entangle us,
22:42 so easily overcomes us, so easily besets us.
22:48 We should lay it aside and all the weights too,
22:51 just lay them all aside.
22:54 Well, that's quite a statement, isn't it?
22:57 What do you think of that statement tonight?
23:00 Do you believe it?
23:02 It's a statement of faith
23:04 and really when you think about it,
23:06 we find in this verse both our solution and our problem.
23:13 The solution is, in the context.
23:17 That we should do it run with patience
23:20 the race that is set before us by what?
23:23 Verse 2, looking unto Jesus,
23:28 that's how, really that's the only way, isn't it?
23:32 By looking unto Jesus,
23:37 here is the solution and the problem.
23:39 Solution we can overcome every sin,
23:44 we can lay aside all of those weights,
23:47 by looking unto Jesus.
23:50 You are awful quite tonight? Amen.
23:52 Amen, amen, see once we respond
23:58 to the spoken word of Gods,
24:01 we open our hearts and our minds
24:02 for the power that word to enter in and transform us.
24:07 We can overcome every sin
24:10 and lay aside every weight by looking unto Jesus, amen.
24:16 Solution, problem, we don't look unto Jesus.
24:22 We look everywhere else.
24:26 We get distracted in side tracked,
24:28 we focus, we don't look unto Jesus.
24:33 And I really like this second verse
24:35 because it says, that we know not only have the solution,
24:40 but we have the author
24:42 and the finisher of our faith.
24:45 Tonight I like to talk to you about the finisher.
24:48 That's the title of our sermon tonight, the finisher.
24:51 I would like to ask you just a pause for moment with me
24:54 and let's pray once more for God to be with us.
24:57 Father in heaven,
24:58 I just want to thank you for this opportunity
25:00 to open Your word to take in the promises
25:04 that You have given to us
25:05 and to understand in this particular Chapter
25:09 in the book of Hebrews,
25:11 the solution we have to the sin problem.
25:14 I pray tonight Father that You would give me words
25:16 and thoughts and utterance that you would speak
25:19 not only to those who are gathered here,
25:22 but our entire television audience
25:25 each one out there listening tonight
25:26 that you would touch their hearts
25:28 and their minds and draw them to Jesus,
25:30 the author and the finisher
25:34 and let all the peoples say, amen.
25:37 The finisher, I really like that.
25:39 Jesus is not the author of our faith.
25:44 Jesus is not the author of our faith.
25:48 Jesus is the author and the finisher.
25:52 Do you like that? Amen.
25:54 That is so key, because you see
25:57 if Jesus is not the finisher of our faith,
26:02 He's not the author.
26:05 If Jesus is not the finisher of our faith,
26:09 He's not the author of our faith,
26:10 because Jesus doesn't author any faith
26:12 that He doesn't finish.
26:15 Now there are lot of faiths out there,
26:18 that are being authored.
26:20 Supposedly some of them have been authored by Jesus,
26:23 but none of them are actually
26:26 genuinely the faith of Jesus,
26:29 unless Jesus is also the finisher.
26:33 Amen. Amen.
26:34 Now the reason I like this so much is
26:37 because each one of us are tempted
26:40 in our Christian experience
26:42 to look to Christ to author our faith,
26:44 to begin our journey,
26:46 to set us on our way and then as time goes on,
26:51 as we grow in experience and strength and grace.
26:55 As we learn more about biblical truth.
26:57 As we become habitual Christians going to church
27:01 and paying our tithe
27:02 and doing the things we're supposed to do.
27:03 There is a temptation even an unconscious,
27:08 temptation for us to become our own finisher,
27:12 to finish our own faith.
27:15 Jesus authored it, but we somehow want to finish it,
27:18 you don't think this is true.
27:19 Just slip back a few Chapters,
27:21 a few books to the book of Galatians.
27:25 The Galatians had the same problem.
27:27 Paul spokes of them quite boldly
27:28 in Galatians Chapter 3.
27:30 He actually called them a name,
27:33 foolish, Galatians 3 verse 1.
27:38 Paul here is speaking to a church
27:40 that began with Jesus as the author.
27:43 These people were Christians.
27:45 They followed the Lord just like us.
27:48 Do you think there is the danger
27:50 that this could happen to us?
27:51 Oh, listen carefully, O foolish Galatians,
27:54 who has bewitched you,
27:56 that you should not obey what, the truth.
28:00 What is the truth?
28:02 Well, tonight the truth is
28:04 that Jesus is the finisher as well as the author,
28:08 that's the truth tonight.
28:10 And so tonight the book of Galatians is telling us
28:13 to be careful not to be bewitched.
28:17 You know, there's a lot of people
28:18 out there being bewitched, you know that, don't you?
28:22 I was on a plane from
28:24 Salt Lake City to Orlando yesterday
28:27 and on these planes
28:28 this longer flights they have movies.
28:31 And this particular movie was all about witchcraft,
28:35 Harry Potter and some something like this.
28:39 And there are people especially young people
28:41 who are going crazy for this and we can look at that
28:45 and we can say aah, I would never get involved
28:48 or let my children get involved
28:50 in anything like that.
28:52 However, there is another kind of bewitching
28:55 that can take place in our Christian experience.
28:59 We can stay away from all that other kind of bewitching
29:01 and yet be bewitched by something else.
29:04 Paul says in Galatians Chapter 3,
29:06 who hath bewitched you,
29:09 who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth
29:13 before whose eyes
29:15 Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth,
29:17 crucified among you?
29:19 This only what I learn of you,
29:21 you receive the spirit what,
29:23 by the works of law or by the hearing of faith,
29:25 which one was it?
29:29 By faith! Are you so foolish having begun in the Spirit
29:34 that you are now made perfect by the flesh?
29:38 The Galatians had begun in the Spirit,
29:40 they begun with the author,
29:41 they had move forward fervently.
29:44 And now they were seeking to finish themselves.
29:48 They were becoming the finishers
29:51 of their own faith.
29:53 You think, it can happen to us?
29:55 Oh, it can happen to us
29:57 and so Hebrews tells us in Chapter 12.
30:00 You can actually lay aside every weight
30:04 and the sin that so easily beset you.
30:09 If you want to know
30:10 whether Jesus Christ is the finisher of your faith,
30:14 all you need to understand in your heart
30:16 and mind is whether or not,
30:19 this promise is something that
30:22 you believe in your heart.
30:25 Sometimes and Satan does this,
30:29 there is this extreme that we go
30:32 to on a Christian experience
30:33 and in fact Satan tries to get us two extremes,
30:36 formalism on the one hand or fanaticism on the other.
30:40 And in relation to this idea of overcoming every sin,
30:43 there are these two extremes.
30:45 The one extreme is, you know,
30:46 I've tried that so many times
30:47 and I've just given up.
30:49 That extreme, we sometimes call up the liberal extreme
30:53 or the new theology extreme.
30:56 That extreme to some degree is based upon our experience.
31:01 We just don't seem to be able to do it.
31:05 And finally we get to the place
31:07 where we can become complacent.
31:09 We just say well,
31:11 I'm just gonna do the best I can and I,
31:13 I don't know, want to see what happens.
31:16 And then there's the other extreme.
31:19 The other extreme doesn't deny the promise.
31:22 The other extreme does believe that
31:24 we can overcome sin every single one of them.
31:27 But it's so busy pointing, looking at,
31:32 focusing on the problems of the Church
31:35 criticizing everyone else,
31:37 that it never gets around to actually doing it,
31:40 that is overcoming sin.
31:43 Because really when the rubber meets the road,
31:45 when we get right down to the nitty-gritty,
31:47 sin is the absence of love
31:51 and the presence of selfishness.
31:55 God is love, and He longs to restore us
32:03 to the image in which we were created.
32:06 He longs to have flow from our hearts and minds,
32:10 this never ceasing,
32:11 never ending natural tendency to love.
32:15 And we can't do it ourselves,
32:16 we can't love others by trying to love others
32:18 and that's why this first point says to Jesus Christ.
32:22 That's why this verse says,
32:23 He is the author and He is the what, the finisher.
32:27 He is going to finish,
32:28 he begun it, He is going to finish it.
32:29 He'd begun a good work and He will also finish it,
32:31 He will perform it.
32:34 He will perform it right up
32:35 until the point when He comes.
32:36 And when Jesus comes in the clouds
32:38 and we see Him and we lift up our heads
32:40 and everyone cries, who will be able to stand,
32:42 Jesus will say to us,
32:43 My grace is sufficient for you. Amen.
32:47 He is the finisher and so we can trust
32:51 the He will fulfilled His promise.
32:53 So sometimes we don't see it, I know.
32:55 But don't depend on yourself, don't get discouraged.
33:01 It says in verse 3,
33:03 "Consider him that endured
33:06 such contradiction of sinners against himself,
33:10 lest ye be wearied and faint, lest ye be loose heart
33:13 and you become discouraged.
33:15 Don't consider yourself,
33:17 don't look at your weaknesses at your faults,
33:20 at your failures, don't do it.
33:22 Keep your focus on Jesus. Amen.
33:27 And He will see you through.
33:31 I like this because it reminds me
33:34 of what He went through for us in verse 2 it says,
33:38 "He endured the cross,
33:39 despising the shame, I like that.
33:43 Last week, last weekend,
33:45 I was in South Carolina,
33:46 I was doing some meetings there
33:48 in a church in Westminster.
33:51 It was a real blessing
33:52 and as I I was engaging in these meetings,
33:55 I felt something going on,
33:58 some kind of transformation taking place in my lips.
34:05 I know it sounds kind of funny, but it's true.
34:07 The first night I was there,
34:09 my lips began to dry out and kind of tingle.
34:14 Now I'm a speaker
34:15 and so that's significant for me,
34:16 I've to be really aware of something like that,
34:19 so immediately I went in the plan,
34:20 plan A, first thing to do get some chaps,
34:23 so I can start putting chapstick on,
34:24 that's why I was doing drinking lots of water.
34:26 The next morning my lips were kind of red
34:29 and just kind of a little swollen,
34:31 but I continue to do the meetings,
34:33 I had a morning a Sabbath worship
34:35 and then I had afternoon meeting with the break
34:37 and then another afternoon meeting
34:38 and then I had a question answers time
34:40 and people want to talk
34:41 and things got going into the night 9:30,
34:45 10 o'clock I was going to bed
34:46 and my lips were getting worst.
34:48 I woke up the next morning
34:50 and my lips were swollen and growing.
34:55 I didn't know what to do,
34:56 I didn't know what was going on,
34:57 I had to catch a plane that morning,
35:00 I had to make two connections,
35:02 so I was going to three different airports,
35:03 the first airport was okay,
35:04 there weren't lot of people there
35:05 and I felt kind of uncomfortable,
35:08 you know, like people might look at me
35:09 and so my lips were so large
35:12 that the best thing for me to do was to smile like this
35:15 and now that would kind of cut them in half.
35:17 So I would smile, you know going through the airport,
35:22 but by the time I got to the next airport
35:24 which was Chicago,
35:27 there are lot more people around
35:28 and my lips were actually larger.
35:32 I had no idea what was going on,
35:33 but they looked really bad, they were all red
35:36 and they were just growing
35:37 and it was getting very hard for me to smile all the time,
35:40 because I didn't feel like smiling
35:42 and no one was smiling back at me.
35:45 People were looking at me.
35:48 I learned a valuable lesson from this.
35:50 I learned that when I see people who are disfigured
35:53 or deformed or look different from me,
35:55 I'm gonna remember that
35:57 maybe all they need is for me to smile at them,
35:59 because I was just longing for me to smile at me.
36:05 By the time I got to Portland,
36:08 my next stop before I got to Eugene,
36:10 I was hiding around the corner waiting
36:12 for them to call my plane,
36:13 I didn't want anyone to see me.
36:14 I was just a recluse, it was so embarrassing.
36:21 I got home and I immediately called Joe
36:24 and I said listen Joe, I say I'm not gonna sure
36:26 I may be able to make it out there
36:28 and I'm nervous about this I've got problem.
36:31 Actually I call Ty, my associate
36:34 and I said Ty, can you feel in for me,
36:36 if I can't make it because I can't,
36:38 I can't even do meetings never mind
36:40 get on television with my lips the way they are.
36:44 And in that moment I remembered the experience
36:49 I had gone through just a couple of weeks before,
36:51 see we live in a area now,
36:53 we've been there for very long
36:54 and my hair was getting kind of long
36:57 and I decided to visit my local barber
36:59 and well it's a new barber, I've never really,
37:01 you know, been to him before,
37:03 so I went there to get a haircut.
37:05 The guy that was leaving right when I went in was,
37:08 in the military, he had a military cut,
37:12 I didn't want a military cut but I got a military cut.
37:16 And I'm telling you what, I was so worried,
37:20 I've got a meeting on TV in two weeks
37:23 and look at my hair,
37:24 is it gonna grow back or what.
37:28 And now, my lips and at that point,
37:34 I didn't care about my hair anymore,
37:36 I wasn't even, I wasn't even concerned about
37:38 what I was going to say,
37:39 I wasn't even nervous or anything,
37:40 I just wanted to be able to come to these meetings,
37:43 that's all I wanted.
37:45 And the Lord in that moment reminded me,
37:47 you know James, I hung up on the cross naked,
37:52 for the whole world to stare at me,
37:54 I was humiliated and I did all of that for you.
37:59 Consider me, focus on me, don't worry about,
38:03 get your mind off yourself.
38:07 Well, you can see my lips healed.
38:10 But I'm so thankful for the experience,
38:12 because it reminded me to look to Jesus. Amen.
38:16 We've got a lot of pride,
38:17 don't we as humans beings, we do.
38:20 And that's why we get nervous up here.
38:24 I know because we're thinking about ourselves,
38:26 but when we get our focus on Christ,
38:28 when we get our focus on Jesus.
38:31 When you look at him who endured
38:33 such contradiction against himself,
38:37 so far we lost sight off and our hearts
38:40 and our minds will be encouraged.
38:42 Verse 4 says, "If you have not resisted unto blood,
38:45 striving against sin".
38:46 Now that is a challenging verse.
38:49 I mean most of us haven't even broken a sweat,
38:53 never mind resisted unto blood.
38:56 What is that mean?
38:59 Please tell me,
39:01 there is only one place in the Bible that I know of,
39:04 that talks about this kind of an experience,
39:07 and that's in relation to Gethsemane and Jesus Christ,
39:14 you remember don't you?
39:15 What happen there as he went to the Father three times.
39:18 It says that he sweat as it were great drops of blood.
39:26 That's the account in the Gospel Luke.
39:28 I want to share with you
39:29 or I want you to open your Bibles with me
39:30 to the account found in Matthew Chapter 26,
39:34 Matthew 26 because I believe
39:38 that what it means to resist unto blood is very practical,
39:46 not necessarily literal, it was for Christ.
39:49 But there is something to the whole experience there
39:51 that Christ went through
39:52 that is very practical for us tonight.
39:55 Who need our finisher, the one who author our faith,
40:01 to give us that victory
40:04 that we so desperately long for that seems to elude us.
40:10 Matthew 23, you know, the story,
40:13 Jesus is preparing to go to the cross.
40:17 He is going to begin this journey
40:20 with the sins of the world
40:21 weighted upon Him in Gethsemane.
40:24 He knows exactly what's coming
40:27 and so the first thing that he does,
40:29 verse 30 of Matthew 26 is he sings.
40:33 He sings a hymn with His disciples,
40:35 I like that, don't you?
40:37 Jesus is telling us,
40:40 that if you want to prepare to resist unto blood,
40:45 you need to incorporate song,
40:49 music into your Christian experience,
40:53 you need to do that.
40:55 Extreme religion will tell you that music is bad,
40:57 it's sinful, it's wrong, no, provoked music is wrong,
41:00 but music is a weapon and we need to use it. Amen.
41:04 Music is a power, didn't you feel,
41:07 didn't you sense that
41:09 this evening as we sung those words
41:11 and those hymns and those songs
41:13 and entered into praise the God.
41:15 You see it all through the scriptures.
41:17 In fact in the book of Revelation,
41:19 note this with me, because it is so powerful.
41:22 In the book of Revelation, the book of prophecy,
41:25 a book that delineates the history of nations
41:28 and moves us from history past,
41:30 present all the way down to the end of time.
41:32 In this book that is jam packed with prophecy
41:35 over and over and over again,
41:37 you find divine interruptions filling our hearts
41:42 and minds and directing us to music.
41:45 One of them is found right here
41:46 in Revelation Chapter 5.
41:48 The seal book has just been taken by Jesus Christ,
41:52 He's about ready to break the seals
41:54 and let for those horsemen of Revelation 6.
41:57 But befor he does that,
41:59 before we get into that prophetic picture,
42:02 we find here in Revelation 5 verse 11 that John sees
42:06 and he hears the voice of many angels
42:08 round about the throne and beasts
42:10 and elders and the number of them was
42:12 ten thousand times ten thousand,
42:17 ten thousands times ten thousand, what's that.
42:21 One hundred million,
42:26 that's a lot angles, isn't it?
42:29 And thousand of thousands, one hundred million
42:35 and thousands of thousands are gathered
42:37 around the throne, what are they there for?
42:39 They are there to sing verse 12
42:41 saying with what kind of voice,
42:43 a loud voice. Amen.
42:45 Are you here tonight,
42:47 is there anyone out there yes a loud voice
42:50 and what are they singing?
42:52 Worthy is the lamb, that was slain,
42:55 to receive power and riches and wisdom,
42:57 and strength and honor and glorycand blessing",
42:59 Verse 13 here it is this is our cue,
43:01 this is when we step in, so far it's a hundred million
43:04 and thousand of thousands in heaven.
43:06 But here we go right here.
43:07 Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven,
43:10 and on the earth", that's us,
43:15 that's us and what kind of voice
43:17 we're suppose to praise God with?
43:18 A loud one. Amen.
43:21 Amen. Amen.
43:23 I've got a mic, so I'm little higher
43:26 but I think that me with the mic
43:29 surely can't out do you without one
43:32 because there are lot of you out there,
43:34 shall we try, shall we see.
43:37 I'll say amen first, and then you say amen second.
43:41 Amen. Amen.
43:44 You got it hands down, now let me just,
43:48 just put a little bit of, I've got some extra time
43:51 and so I want to put a little point just one thing
43:53 and why can't we do that all the time. Amen.
43:59 You see we occult
44:03 by the example of the book of Revelation
44:04 all through Revelation over and over again,
44:06 there is this heavenly interruptions,
44:07 Revelation 7 of this great crowded is gather around
44:10 the throne there in Revelation 7 verse 9,
44:14 "They stood before the throne
44:15 and before lamb a great multitude
44:16 that no man could number
44:18 yet there is the hundred million angles
44:19 and thousands times and thousands
44:20 but there is so many of the redeem
44:22 you can't count them all.
44:23 They are all gather around the throne
44:25 and notice what it e says here in verse 10,
44:27 it says, "And they cried out with a loud voice".
44:31 Salvation to our God, because He is the,
44:36 author and finisher, He is the finisher,
44:38 He is the author and He is the finisher of our faith
44:43 and so they are excited.
44:46 Friends if Jesus is the author
44:50 and the author only, I can understand,
44:53 why there would be silence, but if Jesus is the author
44:58 and he is the finisher, common. Amen.
45:03 Praise God, because
45:06 that's what this group of people are doing,
45:08 the once that can't be numbered,
45:10 they are praising God with a what kind of voice?
45:12 Loud. Loud voice.
45:15 Oh! This is all through scripture
45:17 and it is a power that Jesus used in Matthew Chapter 26.
45:22 Let's go back there to Matthew 26,
45:24 because there are number of other beautiful insights
45:27 that God give us here
45:28 that will help us resist unto blood.
45:31 Jesus is preparing to go to Gethsemane
45:33 where He resisted unto blood.
45:36 What was it that strengthened Him,
45:37 well, first and foremost it was song,
45:40 it was praise and secondly it was hope.
45:45 He had hope, He knew verse 31
45:50 that his disciples who all be offended Him
45:51 and forsake Him, he knew that,
45:53 that they be scattered abroad.
45:55 He knew He was going to the cross to the crucified.
45:58 But he said verse 32, "After I am resin again".
46:06 Praise God, He had hope.
46:10 Do you have hope tonight?
46:14 Are you ever in a situation like Jesus was?
46:19 Where you feel totally forsaken
46:20 and alone where there is no one and nothing,
46:25 because if you do, if you ever do,
46:28 I want you to know tonight that you have hope,
46:31 you have hope.
46:33 God wants to you know that you have hope,
46:36 because you have a finisher, you have a finisher.
46:40 Jesus had hope
46:42 and this helped Him to resist unto blood.
46:46 He also verse 33 had the truth.
46:50 And, you know, sometimes the truth hurts.
46:52 Peter most off all, His disciple was kind of,
46:56 well, he was hard headed, to say the least.
47:02 And he felt like there is no way that I'm gonna do
47:05 what all those other guys are going to do.
47:06 There is no way that I'm gonna deny you,
47:08 they might, but I won't,
47:10 because I get up earlier and I pray longer
47:12 and I study harder and I right.
47:15 What was he doing?
47:17 He was looking at them,
47:18 he got his eyes off the finisher.
47:22 He got his eyes off Jesus.
47:24 And Jesus said, I'm sorry Peter,
47:27 I hate to tell you this, but I've to tell you this.
47:29 See if we're going to be fake,
47:31 if we're gonna be phony, if we're gonna pretend,
47:33 if we're gonna cover it up
47:35 and not be honest with people,
47:37 it's not gonna help us to resist unto blood.
47:40 Our conscience is not going to be pure and undefiled.
47:44 Sometimes we've to tell like it is.
47:47 Make sure we're filled with the Spirit of Christ.
47:48 Make sure the love of God is on our hearts,
47:50 but let's be honest let's be honest.
47:55 The eternal salvation of souls is at stake.
47:58 Jesus was honest,
47:59 He was honest with His disciples,
48:01 to the very end He was honest
48:03 and this helped Him to resist unto blood.
48:07 I've made mistakes in that area
48:08 so many times not being honest,
48:10 being scared, I hurt someone's feelings.
48:13 I don't want to make those mistakes anymore,
48:14 it doesn't help, it doesn't,
48:15 it doesn't really in the long run,
48:19 it doesn't really help.
48:20 It's best to the honest.
48:24 What was the next thing that Jesus did?
48:26 Number 4 verse 36, He prayed,
48:33 he went to the place called Gethsemane
48:36 and He prayed, He prayed.
48:40 We need to pray, don't we?
48:42 We do, if we're gonna resist unto blood,
48:45 we need to be in prayer.
48:47 Number 5, Jesus sought help,
48:53 verse 37, He ask Peter and sons of Zebedee,
48:57 help Me, pray with Me, comfort Me.
49:01 We need help friends. Amen.
49:03 We need brothers and sisters
49:05 who will intercede for us and with us,
49:06 will lift up our hands, who will ask us how we do it,
49:09 we need to help one and other
49:11 if we're going resist unto blood. Amen.
49:13 That's the reason why we haven't overcome,
49:15 that's the reason why we can't lay aside every weight
49:17 because we haven't been helping one another.
49:19 We've been pointing fingers and,
49:21 and giving a checklist etcetera, etcetera.
49:22 We need to help each other, lift each other up.
49:28 And then the next one,
49:31 Jesus the pure faultless son of God,
49:35 confessed His weaknesses.
49:38 Father, I don't want to do this,
49:42 I don't want to go and drink the cup.
49:46 We're so reluctant,
49:47 aren't we to confess our weaknesses.
49:49 We want to look good, right.
49:50 We don't want anyone to see our faults, no not us.
49:53 But Jesus was willing to put it all out there. Amen.
49:57 And then finally what He did he say,
50:00 number 7 "Not My will, He submitted to God".
50:05 And friends tonight, God is encouraging us,
50:11 do you want what Hebrews Chapter 12 is offering.
50:16 Do you want it with all your hearts. Amen.
50:19 Here is the way you can have it.
50:21 Here is the way you can have it give it all to me,
50:24 I'm not just the author, I'm the finisher.
50:28 Let's do that tonight shall we.
50:45 When peace like a river attendeth my way
50:54 When sorrows like sea billows roll
51:03 Whatever my lot thou has taught me to say
51:12 It is well it is well with my soul
51:21 It is well with my soul
51:30 It is well it is well with my soul
51:44 My sin oh the joy of this glorious thought
51:53 My sin not in part but the whole
52:02 Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
52:11 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul
52:20 It is well with my soul
52:29 It is well, it is well with my soul
52:52 And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight
53:01 The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
53:09 And the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
53:19 Even so it is well with my soul
53:28 It is well, with my soul
53:37 It is well, it is well with my soul
53:46 It is well with my soul It is well with my soul
54:04 It is well, it is well with my soul
54:23 It is well with my soul It is well with my soul.
54:55 Thank you Jason, praise the Lord, amen. Amen.
55:00 I just want to thank James
55:02 for the beautiful message this evening.
55:07 How many would people like to raise their hand
55:09 and say praise God that He is the author
55:13 and finisher of our faith, amen.
55:15 Amen! God is just too good.
55:19 Let us bow our heads for prayer.
55:23 Our Father in heaven,
55:24 we come before Your throne once again,
55:27 because You are the author and finisher of our faith.
55:32 And Lord, it can truly be well with our soul
55:34 because we realized how great and might You are.
55:41 Father I ask tonight as we're here at Camp Kulaqua.
55:45 There are many viewers around the world
55:48 that Lord we would set everything aside knowing
55:54 how great You truly are in Jesus name, amen.
56:03 I appreciate everyone being here tonight.
56:05 I especially appreciate our audience around the world.
56:09 God has blessed us here tonight.
56:12 I hope that each and every one of you here
56:13 plan on coming back tomorrow morning.
56:16 And also all you viewers that are around the world
56:20 that you are looking forward to being here tomorrow,
56:24 God has planned many things for us this weekend.
56:28 We're looking forward to get into heaven, amen.
56:30 Amen! We're looking forward
56:32 to being bounded by the spirit
56:36 or bound by the spirit, amen.
56:38 Amen! God has started a great work
56:42 in each and every one of our lives.
56:44 And we're promised in His word
56:47 that He will finish the work that He starts.
56:51 And so I challenge each and every one of you
56:54 to take what James has said tonight.
56:57 Apply it to your life
56:58 and allow God to make the difference.


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Revised 2014-12-17