3ABN On the Road

A Snapshot Of Jesus: The Unique Son Of God

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Ron Halvorsen

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000858


01:00 You know, when I sing for Ron as I have,
01:02 as I have in his churches, in his crusades around
01:06 the country, its always easy to know what to sing
01:09 about because he always preaches about Jesus.
01:15 A couple of months ago, I was singing for
01:16 Mark Finley in Melbourne, Australia and I asked him
01:19 what's your subject tonight, he goes 666.
01:25 Yes, that's a little hard one to match but
01:26 you know I want to tell you something I don't care
01:29 what Ron is preaching about 666, stay the dead
01:34 whatever, he always is preaching about Jesus.
01:40 And so folks I hope that this will be an emphasis
01:42 in a message to us tonight that everything that
01:46 we should do in life, whether its plumbing
01:49 or driving a truck or farming, people should
01:53 look at us and always be able to tell that
01:56 we are about Jesus, our theme of, in life is Jesus.
02:20 A little boy is crying for affection.
02:27 A little girl needs a hand to hold.
02:35 And oh, how he loves those little children
02:42 How he longs to be a friend to young and old.
02:51 His tender spirit welcomes all who seek Him.
02:57 His giving heart asks little in return.
03:05 And I have found his promises faithful.
03:12 I seek to live my life that I may learn
03:19 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus.
03:34 To be the one I was created to be.
03:47 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus.
04:00 May all who see my life find Him in me.
04:20 When I received His supreme salvation
04:26 His perfect love filled my earthly soul.
04:34 And I became a new creation.
04:39 My brokenness He made completely whole.
04:46 And through the darkness of this
04:48 world I've been commissioned
04:51 To be a light that shines for Him alone.
04:59 Surrounded by His infinite mercy,
05:06 May my life always be known
05:12 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus.
05:29 To be the one I was created to be.
05:42 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus.
05:58 My only earthly goals fulfilled
06:05 When I'm centered in His will.
06:12 May all who see my heart find Him in me.
06:47 Amen. Amen.
07:04 Behind every great son is a great mother
07:08 I know his mother and, a beautiful woman,
07:13 lovely son, he was one of our students at
07:16 South Western while I was Pastor at that church
07:20 and he blessed my life but when God moves
07:23 in spontaneously when it just comes that's
07:26 when you hear great music and that's when you hear
07:29 great sermons when it comes from the heart,
07:34 Jesus unique son of God. Let's bow our heads
07:38 in a word of prayer as we seek his presence.
07:40 Gracious Father, who art in Heaven,
07:42 I thank you for the possibilities of what
07:45 you want to do for us here tonight.
07:49 People have come expectantly hoping,
07:53 but you will move in someway in their own
07:55 personal lives, that you'll move in in someway
07:57 in their own personal needs, that you'll touch
08:00 them in the area they need to be touched,
08:02 that you'll heal them in the ill area they need
08:04 to be healed that you'll save them for the
08:09 kingdom of God. And so tonight,
08:12 we wanna focus on you, we wanna be brought
08:14 again into your presence, we want a snapshot
08:17 of Jesus Christ, in his name, Amen.
08:22 Have you ever wished that you had a
08:24 snapshot of Jesus, to be carried your wallet.
08:28 I mean someone com up and say well Jesus,
08:31 I never and he say oh, oh let me introduce you,
08:34 pull it out and it's like me with my grand kids.
08:37 I will have it on the cell phone my four
08:39 grand kids looking at me. But, wouldn't it be nice
08:42 just to take a snapshot of Jesus and be able
08:44 to show someone what he was like and to see
08:48 his features, to see who he really was
08:50 and I got stirred in that direction some months ago
08:54 and I wrote a series on that snapshots of the
08:56 Savior and we did a Hope Channel special of eight
09:02 meetings on the snapshots.
09:04 I wanna incorporate some of those into what
09:06 we were talking about this camp meeting.
09:08 Especially, about the uniqueness of
09:09 Jesus Christ, you know today we find a
09:12 culture in crises. We find a culture in
09:18 search of meaning, a culture tottering on the
09:22 brink of disaster, I mean like a great ship
09:24 adrift in a stormy sea without a rudder.
09:27 Post modern man, all kids of questions,
09:33 few answers. Post modern man all kids of needs,
09:39 no solutions, a culture in need of a destiny,
09:44 a culture in need of purpose.
09:45 A culture in need of Christ.
09:50 It's like the prophetic word of God said because
09:52 that when they knew God that glorified him
09:54 not as God. Neither gave thanks,
09:57 but became vain in their reasoning
09:58 and in their foolish hearts was dark in professing
10:02 themselves wise, they became foolish.
10:04 Romans 1:21 through 23 that's our culture.
10:09 Post modern man is trying desperately to
10:12 avoid an encounter with Jesus Christ of history.
10:16 But, it's amazing isn't it? I mean millions upon
10:19 millions upon millions of people everywhere
10:21 around the world they're still talking about
10:23 Jesus Christ even in post modern Christian era.
10:28 In spite of secularism, humanism, modernism,
10:31 determinism, atheism, agnosticism
10:34 and other isms we're still taking
10:36 about Jesus Christ. There are still many
10:38 who respect him and honor him and
10:41 who love him, amazing isn't it? Jesus Christ
10:43 is still the center of this world.
10:46 The center of our universe, bookstores
10:50 are libraries auditoriums are galleries
10:53 and rims of music are all written about
10:55 Jesus Christ to give honor, to give glory
10:58 to Jesus Christ. We talk about him,
11:00 we sing about him, we honor him.
11:02 Television programs, whole stations,
11:05 like our own 3ABN, about Jesus Christ
11:10 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
11:12 I mean at this very moment somewhere in this world,
11:15 someone is talking about Jesus besides
11:18 Ron Halvorsen at the Oklahoma Camp Meeting.
11:22 Now, what other figure in history has been
11:24 so honored as Jesus Christ the Savior?
11:27 I mean what figure in history has been
11:30 so revered, philosophies, political schemes,
11:33 religious movements have been arrayed against him.
11:36 Have tried to defeat him, enemies have tried
11:38 to defeat him. But, Jesus still remains
11:40 unvanquished, undefeated,
11:42 he is unconquerable, amen. There is no one
11:47 anywhere that's foolish enough to say that
11:50 he does not impact our culture even today.
11:53 He is real Jesus Christ, he is the
11:56 Messiah Jesus Christ, and in spite of all this,
11:59 there is still a misconception
12:00 about Jesus. There are still myths being written
12:04 about him, surrounding him. I mean he's been
12:06 attacked on every hand, in every possible way,
12:09 the skeptic says Jesus Christ is
12:11 wishful thinking, he is a myth. Some try to say
12:16 that he is an iconoclastic Jew.
12:18 Who lived in time pass, some have even said
12:21 that he's a revolutionary, I mean even to say
12:25 he was just a human being, an attack not only
12:28 on the person of Christ but on the supernatural,
12:32 on the power of this Jesus that he
12:34 become incarnate, that, that was a miracle
12:36 that Mary received the seed of God,
12:39 when she bore forth this son Jesus Christ.
12:44 So, we need to look at him, we need to get
12:47 a snapshot of him, of the real Jesus Christ.
12:50 Jesus Christ is the unique son of God.
12:53 There is the historical Jesus and there is
12:55 the biblical Jesus. And if ever a culture needed
12:58 Christ it's this culture now, can you say amen?
13:01 Amen, no question Jesus was real, not like
13:05 the artists try to portray him, not like
13:07 the sculpture, I mean has tried to portray him,
13:11 like that particular sculpture, there on that
13:13 mountain a mile and half above the city of
13:16 Rio de Janeiro, Christ Redeemer statue.
13:21 One thousand three hundred tones,
13:23 its positioned on a mountain, a mile
13:26 and half above the city.
13:27 The famous Christ Redeemer statue it's not
13:30 like that though. Looking closer,
13:34 see this statue with Jesus with blind eyes.
13:39 But, you say Ron Halvorsen,
13:40 all sculptures, all art has blind eyes.
13:46 But, you see the artist intended them
13:48 to be blind. He didn't even put pupils
13:50 there to suggest this statue,
13:52 that this Jesus Christ had eyes to see,
13:55 blind eyes, a Savior with blind eyes who never
13:58 sees this falling, hurting people at his feet.
14:02 Sinning, hurting, dying human beings.
14:06 But, secondly if you notice that great statue,
14:10 there's a Valentine's heart on the outside
14:12 of the cloak, a stony heart trying to portray
14:17 Jesus with blind eyes, trying to portray
14:20 Jesus Christ with a stony heart,
14:22 a Valentine's stony heart on the outside
14:26 of the cloak. What kind of redeemer,
14:30 what kind of Jesus is this? Heart made of stone,
14:35 held together not with passion and compassion,
14:38 but held together with concrete and mortar,
14:40 what kind of redeemer is this, with blind eyes
14:43 and a stony heart that's not the Christ
14:45 of the scripture. That's not the Christ
14:47 of the Bible. Listen to me this bronze Galilean
14:50 who had been officiated or authenticated
14:53 by the eyewitnesses, Peter the fisherman,
14:55 Matthew the tax collector,
14:57 Luke the doctor, Mark the teenager.
14:59 In fact they write with pens dipped in the red
15:02 blood ink of Calvary. The pens of inspiration
15:05 and write the words of the life of Jesus Christ.
15:10 Biographies about Jesus written a few years
15:12 after the resurrection confirm the fact that
15:15 historically he lived, historically he walked
15:17 the face of the earth, historically he died
15:20 on the Roman cross and rose from Joseph
15:23 of Arimathea's grave. Three send out the gospels
15:28 and the gospel of John, Paul writing his letters
15:31 proceed the gospels with eyewitnesses
15:33 to Damascus and the road encounter.
15:36 At least seven secular sources substantiate
15:41 that Jesus was real, that he lived
15:44 and he walked the hills of Galilee.
15:45 That he was real, he touched lame legs
15:47 and men walked. That he was real,
15:49 he touched blind eyes and men saw.
15:51 That this Jesus had power as no one else
15:54 in history. That Jesus Christ was unique
15:56 in history. Amen. But, he was also unique
16:03 in his duty, he was Jesus the unique son of God.
16:07 If you have your Bibles I want you to turn
16:09 with me to Second Corinthians and let's read
16:12 the word of God together tonight
16:14 and see the uniqueness of this Jesus.
16:16 That's Second Corinthians and I want you to notice
16:19 here in the 4th chapter and verses 4 through 6.
16:29 That's the 4th chapter and verses 4 through 6,
16:35 whose minds that God of this age has blinded,
16:39 who do not believe, lest the light of the Gospel
16:42 of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,
16:45 should shine unto them. For we do not preach
16:48 ourselves, but Jesus Christ, the Lord,
16:50 and ourselves your bondservants for
16:53 Jesus sake. For it is the God who commanded light
16:57 to shine out of darkness, who has shone
17:00 in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
17:02 of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
17:06 And then we read later on we read in the book
17:10 of Philippians I want you to notice here
17:12 in the book of Philippians the word of God notice
17:16 what the Bible says in the book of Philippians
17:19 chapter 2 and verses and 9 and 10,
17:22 it's substantiates this unique Jesus,
17:25 it substantiates the unique Christ.
17:27 Notice here in verse 9 and 10 of the 2nd chapter
17:30 of the epistle to Philippians,
17:32 notice what he says. Therefore God also has
17:36 highly exalted Him and given Him a name
17:38 which is above every name, that at the name
17:41 of Jesus every knee should bow,
17:42 of those in heaven, and of those on earth,
17:45 and of those under the earth,
17:47 and that every tongue should confess
17:49 Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
17:52 God the Father." Amen. Bible tells us Jesus Christ
17:56 is unique son of God. He was more than just
17:58 a good man, he was more than just a
18:00 religious leader, he was more than just a
18:03 historical person, he was more than just
18:05 a son of Mary. He was more than just a
18:07 Jewish leader, he was the son of God,
18:10 now this unique, there's four ways in which
18:12 he was unique, he was unique in his origin Jesus.
18:15 He was unique in his name Jesus,
18:17 he was unique in his salvation Jesus,
18:20 and he was unique in his promise.
18:22 First of all, he is unique in his origin,
18:25 there never was another in history.
18:27 Then never was another was a human child
18:30 but at the same time a divine son never.
18:34 Then there was another who was wounded
18:36 by Satan yet at the same time crushed
18:39 Satan under his heal never, there never
18:42 was another who walked the earth before
18:44 he was born, never. There never was another
18:47 who wrote the law with his own finger
18:49 and yet 2000 years later would come under
18:52 the dictates of that holy law never.
18:54 There never was another who saved himself,
18:57 who could not save but could not save others
19:00 but could not save himself, never.
19:03 There never was another who was King of glory
19:05 and yet wore no earthly crown, but a crown
19:08 of thorns never. Then never was another
19:10 who was the Lord of the Sabbath yet at the
19:12 same time was called and accused as being
19:15 a Sabbath breaker, never. There never was another
19:17 who was called the truth and yet at the same
19:20 time called the liar, a hypocrite, an imposter,
19:24 never. Jesus is unique, who was as old as
19:27 his heavenly Father, ages older then his
19:30 earthly mother, never. Then never was another
19:32 for he was the Creator, he was the creature
19:35 and the servant and the Savior,
19:37 there was never one like Jesus Christ.
19:40 Amen. He is unique in his origin Jesus.
19:45 Colossians tells us, for by him are all things
19:48 created that were created. Ephesians 3:9
19:51 speaking of this Jesus says, that he created
19:54 all things, or all things, excuse me,
19:57 were created by Jesus Christ.
20:01 It is from him Jesus who poured forth
20:05 all the seas and the lakes and the rivers out
20:09 of the crystal chalice of eternity and yet
20:11 on a cross he tries I thirst. Jesus uniquely
20:17 the living water. Cries out I thirst,
20:21 it was Jesus who spoke and the green grass
20:23 sprout and the little flowers blossomed
20:25 and the pine tree pointed finger to the sky
20:27 and the oaks spread out his arms
20:29 and lakes curdled down in the hurdles
20:30 of the ground and rivers ran down to the sea.
20:35 It was Jesus Christ the unique Creator.
20:38 That we have all things that we enjoy,
20:41 he is inclusive, inclusive in his origin.
20:44 And because of the unique origin
20:46 brother and sister, he is the sum and solution
20:49 of all man kind's paradoxes, because
20:51 of his unique origin. He is the end of all
20:54 mystery Jesus Christ, because of His
20:56 unique origin, he is the reason and the
20:58 explanation of all man's uniqueness.
21:04 He is the only one from eternity
21:08 who was incarnated, born of a virgin.
21:14 His birth place with dictated by
21:16 imperial senses. His birth place was predicted
21:20 by the divine prophecy. Jesus, He is truly unique,
21:24 He is unique in His origin, Jesus.
21:26 His origin is different then anyone else.
21:30 You can talk all you want about being like
21:32 Christ but you'll never be like Christ.
21:35 You will always have an earthly daddy.
21:40 He is unique in his origin. But secondly,
21:45 this Jesus Christ is unique in his name.
21:50 Jesus name hold forever beauty, the name of Jesus.
21:54 I mean it holds variety, it holds proportion,
21:56 it holds perfection, it holds power.
21:58 Emmanuel, God with us.
22:05 From the incarnation when Christ came through
22:07 the back door of eternity and came down
22:10 into this world and was born in Bethlehem's
22:12 manger and lay in Bethlehem's manger.
22:14 For that moment on, the poor could never say
22:16 God you don't understand poverty,
22:18 from that moment on the sick could never say
22:20 to God you don't understand sickness.
22:23 From that day on the dying could never say
22:24 to God you don't understand dying,
22:26 because he suffered for us, he became poor
22:30 for us and he died for us, hallelujah. Amen.
22:35 Jesus is unique, he is the Emmanuel,
22:40 God is no longer distant, he is not a God confined
22:44 with temple or to a church. He is here with us,
22:50 and wherever we walk he is there with us.
22:53 Jesus is unique by the way he's with you
22:57 when you walk and he's with you when you fall.
23:00 Never forgot that, heard someone reprimanding
23:05 her son, told him you better not go there son
23:08 because Jesus won't go with you.
23:11 Why don't you teach them to love Jesus so much
23:13 he's not gonna wanna go there.
23:16 But, my Bible says if I, if I make my bed in hell
23:19 thou art there, if I ascend to heaven
23:21 thou art there. You can never hide from him.
23:27 He is the omnipresent you know as a teenager
23:31 when I came to Christ people didn't have
23:33 to preach to me about this what you wear,
23:35 what you do, I mean it was natural because
23:38 you see I wanted, I didn't wanna bring Jesus
23:41 there. But, he would have followed me
23:44 into the gates of hell. A girl came to my office
23:47 when I was a pastor at a college church,
23:49 I knew she was having a tough time,
23:51 she must have broke up with her boyfriend,
23:52 I figured that out. And she was trying
23:54 and telling how terrible it was and I was
23:56 thanking God because I knew the boy.
24:03 And she said, my prayers don't go beyond
24:05 the ceiling. And so what do you think God's
24:09 confined above the ceiling.
24:11 Crawl under your bed, he will crawl under
24:13 with you. If I make my bed in hell,
24:16 thou, he is unique with us, he is omnipresent
24:19 with us. He is everywhere with us,
24:21 when I go out boating, my fishing,
24:23 he is there with me. I took my boy when
24:26 he was little, fishing. And if you have a son,
24:29 you got to do that father listen to me.
24:32 I have two children they're both preachers,
24:35 my boy Ronnie and my girl Diane,
24:38 I know how that will set with some of you,
24:39 but that's alright.
24:44 Take them fishing and I took my grandson fishing
24:46 we weren't catching anything,
24:48 my son he is a pastor of a large church,
24:51 one of the largest churches in America
24:53 and kind of you know very spiritual person,
24:55 very deep theologian, very deep thinking
24:58 person, was sitting in a boat and my little
25:00 grandson his little lips quivering, he wants to
25:02 catch a fishy, he is not catching, he has this
25:04 bobber out there and pappies is the number
25:06 one fisherman one that river, now I'm saying
25:08 that humbly. It's true when I go out my boat
25:12 they follow me, but anyway I say well lets
25:16 pray about it. My son looked at me with
25:19 that theological look dad, like God must have more
25:26 important things to do, I said I don't think so,
25:29 I think this is important to God
25:31 for this little boy, and I said lets pray,
25:33 so my grandson he always listens his
25:35 pappies and so he bows his head and
25:37 we're praying, I said Lord, help Ronnie to catch
25:41 his fish and we opened our eyes just
25:43 then a bobble went down, a big fish jumped
25:45 out of the water and I looked at my son.
25:49 I got more pleasure from that fish looking
25:52 at my son. Omnipresent in the boat,
25:55 omnipresent at work, omnipresent when
25:59 you're hurting at home all alone,
26:01 omnipresent when you've gone through that
26:03 terrible divorce and you're hurting deep.
26:07 God's omnipresent, Emmanuel, God with us.
26:13 He is unique in his name, I mean he is God's
26:17 eternal purpose consummated,
26:19 he is love's eternal dream dramatized.
26:22 He is justice married to mercy.
26:25 He is creator wedded to his creation.
26:27 Then is none, he is always the unlike
26:29 Jesus Christ. Even the name Emmanuel describes
26:34 it the unlikeness and so I went to the
26:37 alphabet to try to find his name.
26:38 I look for his name in his office it was
26:40 everywhere, he is the Alpha and the Adam
26:43 and the advocate and the anointed
26:45 and the author of faith and he is the A man
26:48 of salvation and he is the ancient of days.
26:52 I went to the alphabet to find his name,
26:53 because it's his name he says,
26:55 and I went to alphabet and I found the beginning
26:57 and the begotten and beloved and the branch
27:00 and the bridegroom, the brighten morning star
27:02 and the bread of life. I went to the alphabet
27:06 to find his name Jesus, he was everywhere,
27:08 for he is the creator, the counselor,
27:10 the comforter, the child, he is the cornerstone,
27:14 he is the deliverer and the day star
27:16 and the desire of nations and he is the
27:18 divine son of God, can you say amen
27:21 in Oklahoma? Amen.
27:22 I went to alphabet to find his name Jesus,
27:25 he was everywhere this Jesus.
27:27 He is the faithful, he is the Emmanuel the elect,
27:31 the eternal, the everlasting one.
27:33 He is the faithful and the father
27:35 and the friend and he is the faithful witness.
27:38 I went to the alphabet to find his name,
27:40 he is the good shepherd and governor
27:41 and the guide and the glorious Lord.
27:43 He is the husband man and the help
27:45 and the holy one, home of salvation,
27:48 end of all things. He is our heavenly
27:51 high priest, amen. I went to the alphabet
27:54 to find his name Jesus He is everywhere,
27:56 for He is the immortal one, the invincible one,
27:58 the invisible one. He is the judge and the just
28:01 and the Jesus and Jehovah.
28:02 He is the King of glory and the King of Israel.
28:05 He is the King of kings and he is.
28:07 I went to the alphabet to find his name
28:09 He is everywhere Jesus, He is the light
28:11 and the life and love and the lion and the lamb.
28:14 And the law giver, amen.
28:20 He is the mediator and the master,
28:25 and the mighty God and he is our Messiah. Amen.
28:31 I went to the alphabet to find his name,
28:33 he is everywhere, he is the omega,
28:36 the only begotten, the offering, the offerer,
28:39 the Passover, the potentate, the prophet,
28:41 the propitiation. He is the priest and
28:43 he is the physician, he is to all people
28:46 all things Jesus. He is the righteousness
28:48 and the Rabbi and the ransom and the rest
28:50 and root of Jesse and the rose of Sharon
28:52 and the resurrection in a life. Amen.
28:56 I went to the alphabet to find his name,
28:58 he is the ruler and redeemer and he is the
29:02 rock of ages. He is the stone and the shepherd
29:06 and the son of God and the savior.
29:07 He is the truth in the tabernacle
29:09 and the testator. He is the witness
29:11 and the word and the way,
29:13 he is the wisdom of God and he is the wonderful.
29:15 He is all the way forever, amen.
29:19 Oh! You people here, I have at least five days
29:23 this week to stir your heart.
29:25 Get you moving saying amen once in a while,
29:30 get excited. Someone came to me,
29:34 he said I knew you 30 years ago, you still seen
29:37 to have that enthusiasm, I say I'm still saved.
29:42 Hasn't changed, and by the way let me set
29:45 you in with a clue. I'm not more saved now,
29:50 then I was as a gang banger at 17 years old
29:52 when I first gave my life to Christ. Amen.
29:55 Now I'm living a little better, but I'm not
29:58 more saved. Friend, don't you see that,
30:04 salvation is a free gift. And by the way you don't
30:07 have to pay the payments, just enjoy the house.
30:13 And I've enjoyed it for these 50 some years.
30:16 And listen to me I told to my wife the other day
30:19 I said honey if I die before the Lord come,
30:20 I want you to put a pulpit in the casket
30:22 because I'm coming up preaching, I'm coming up
30:27 preaching. The name above every name,
30:34 he was the perfect son of God.
30:38 We humans born in sin so much bad in the best
30:41 of us and so much good in the worst of us.
30:43 It behoves any of us to judge the rest of us.
30:48 History show us how short we've fallen,
30:51 for 1000 of years man has tried perfect,
30:55 being perfectible, we tried to go con God
30:59 with our with, and our charm, and our culture,
31:01 and our religion, and our rules, and our standards
31:03 and by the way it's whoever you're talking to.
31:06 Some think if the dress isn't long enough
31:08 you're not going to heaven, some think well
31:09 if it's short enough you're not what.
31:15 We play a religious game, we pray and
31:19 we promised him. We pleaded with him,
31:21 we prostrate ourselves before him but
31:23 we failed him. History has shown our failure,
31:28 even the holiest of our heroes,
31:30 I mean the prophets, and the priests,
31:32 and the patriarchs and the apostles,
31:33 they have failed us. Some of the stories
31:39 from the Holy Scriptures are more like adventures
31:41 from Sinbad the sailor come on now,
31:44 be honest. In fact I wanna talk about the
31:47 somethings the prophets called out and
31:49 cried out to God. Their doubts, and our God
31:53 handled it. But, they failed us,
31:59 Adam look at him, adorned in fig leaves,
32:05 stained lips, hiding behind the tree.
32:08 Not so perfect, I mean there's Noah,
32:12 master boat builder but not a master of his
32:14 own habits, lies drunken naked before his son.
32:17 As it was in the days of Noah,
32:18 so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man.
32:21 If you're looking for perfect people
32:23 when he comes wake up and smell the roses.
32:25 Work in the inner cities where I work,
32:28 take yourself out of your little comfortable,
32:30 comfort zones come down into the cities
32:33 and work where I work and given myself
32:35 as a missionary for these 50 years to Christ
32:38 in the cities of America. Let's so poke in our
32:42 heroes Moses, hey when the Jews talk about
32:45 perfection they pointed to Moses. Moses?
32:47 Throwing down his staff in a temper tantrum,
32:50 receiver of the law, breaker of the law.
32:55 Saw God's back and by the way he did a few
32:58 things behind God's back, come on now
33:00 that's Moses. And there was Aaron,
33:07 he was the right hand man of Moses
33:09 remember Aaron? If he's so perfect what
33:13 he is doing, aerobics before the golden calf
33:17 at the foot of Mount Sinai, not so holy,
33:20 not so perfect. In need of a Savior,
33:25 in need of a God, in need of salvation.
33:30 Look around you, look at these pages of scripture,
33:33 David, a man after God's own heart,
33:37 giant slayer, songwriter, poet.
33:44 But, there's disgrace, he did a few things
33:50 behind God's back. Listen to me,
33:56 we talk about these things and sweet little
33:59 air conditioned churches where little people
34:02 talk about big theology. Suddenly your Sally
34:06 theologians who sit around blowing bubbles
34:09 about nothing. Hey, when it comes right down
34:12 to it I'm gonna tell you what it's all about.
34:13 Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells
34:18 me so. That's what it's about, making mountains
34:23 out of mold hills. Samson, swooning on
34:26 Delilah's couch, drunk with wine perfume
34:29 so he's thinking if she leaves the room.
34:31 Oh she's getting into something more
34:33 comfortable, she is saying where did I put
34:35 those scissors. He was a judge in Israel,
34:42 not so perfect. You see this book is not for
34:45 perfect people, this book is about hurting people.
34:48 This book is for people who are hurting inside,
34:50 people who are falling, people who are making
34:53 a mess, people who need to be covered
34:55 and loved and cared for and.
35:05 You see they were to their generation
35:06 what you and I are to our generation.
35:10 The Old Testament ends in failure,
35:13 prophets can't save the people,
35:15 Moses can't for sure.
35:21 A priest cannot minister the sacrifice to save
35:24 the people. The patriarchs can get out of bondage
35:26 of slavery, but they cannot get us out of
35:28 bondage of sin, you see then he enters Jesus,
35:31 he comes, there's uniqueness in his origin.
35:33 There's uniqueness in his name,
35:34 there's uniqueness in his salvation.
35:40 They must be a crib before there's a cross,
35:46 the only way he could save us,
35:49 was to come close to us. He could not save us
35:53 from the far reaches of heaven.
35:55 He could not relate to that, he had to come
35:58 into the world as we came into this world.
36:00 He had to be tempted as we're tempted.
36:02 He had to feel pain as we feel pain,
36:05 he has to suffer and be killed.
36:10 As we the sons of Adam have, for generation.
36:16 He comes not because we are worthy of his love
36:19 or his care. But, because we need it,
36:24 that's why he comes not because I deserve it.
36:30 But Lord I've done all these things and make
36:31 you a list, check it twice like he's Santa Claus.
36:38 God is not Santa Claus.
36:43 Comes to planet rebellion, he comes to
36:46 wicked hearts, he comes to cool minds wherever
36:49 you are in your life he comes to you,
36:51 whether you're on the hills of East Texas
36:54 or whether you're here in Oklahoma,
36:57 Oklahoma is just a suburb of Texas isn't
37:00 or is it the other way around,
37:01 I've been trying to get that straight.
37:05 It's the other way around okay.
37:10 He enters into our rebellion,
37:12 I mean even after a generation stripped
37:14 him naked, he enters to save us to die,
37:16 he enters and what are we do? We strip him
37:19 naked and then we lacerated the
37:20 incarnated flesh. And we place a crown of
37:23 thorns on his, you say I didn't do that,
37:25 you did every sin present on the hill that
37:27 day is present here in Oklahoma camp meeting.
37:42 It's my sin that put him there,
37:45 It was my sin that he died for.
37:49 And your sin he died for.
37:51 And when ever I think of that,
37:53 if I was the only sin in the world or I had
37:55 committed the only sin in the world he would
37:56 have come and died, I can't fathom that,
37:58 I've spent all my life trying to
38:00 understand that for me.
38:08 I tried to understand that for,
38:11 he places his live around us,
38:14 he places his heart around us, to protect us,
38:17 even in the judgment. J.C. Massee I don't know
38:21 if you've ever heard about him but he was one
38:22 of those great southern preachers,
38:24 you know in the old days they used to preach.
38:26 Come on in, may I make a suggestion,
38:28 come on nowadays. Sounds like a pop
38:31 psychology class, come on. You're good,
38:34 I'm good, you know we like bubbling
38:36 brooks happy little, but some of the days
38:40 they scorched the earth when they preached.
38:43 Put up the big tents and preach in the big tents
38:46 I used to do that, shows how old I am.
38:49 I had saw dust in my veins. I'm going back
38:54 to Brooklyn, this sermon preaching in a big
38:56 tent in Brooklyn. I made the full circle from
39:00 Brooklyn to Brooklyn. Anyway he used to preach
39:05 in those big tents and they come out
39:08 and hear him preach and they used to love
39:10 to hear him preach and J.C. Massee.
39:12 His mother used to come and she was so proud
39:14 of her preacher son. By the way,
39:16 I remember the first time I heard my boy preach,
39:18 that was in Lincoln, Nebraska, I was up in the
39:20 balcony of church and he was preaching my boy.
39:22 And I almost fell out of the balcony.
39:25 Come on, I mean there is a holy pride I mean
39:29 you know that's my sin I'm sorry but.
39:34 Then I would hear my daughter preach,
39:36 that's quite another thing too,
39:38 she has a little fire of her daddy in her.
39:41 But, I was so proud, Sister Massee is so proud
39:44 of her son he is preaching caught up
39:45 in the spirit one day and he says my mother
39:47 has a sin, oh and everybody looks
39:50 and isn't it amazing? I mean if you talk about
39:56 something good about someone known,
39:58 the moment you find something bad
40:00 you think something bad, you stop
40:03 and they're all looking at her and
40:04 she's flipped out in her seat and she looks up
40:06 at the son and she says yeah, my mother
40:07 had a sin, pride, pride that time she's under
40:11 the chair. And everybody's Sister
40:14 Massee sweet little southern belle, pride.
40:20 And then he laughed, he said my momma had pride
40:24 that she had the whitest sheets in South Georgia.
40:29 And said in fact there was law in our house
40:31 that said you never went to the feather bed
40:34 with the whitest sheets in South Georgia
40:36 till you had a bath and wearing clean pajamas
40:39 that was the law of the Medes and Persians
40:40 in that house. One day JC was playing out
40:44 by the barn you know where the eves
40:46 of barn and it was raining and water
40:49 and mother was milking the cow, I don't know
40:51 how they do it, but I get mine in the
40:54 grocery store. I thought chocolate
40:57 milk for years came from chocolate cows,
40:59 I mean I didn't know the difference.
41:01 First time I saw a cow in the rough was
41:03 I was 17 years old. So, you know what
41:06 I know about it, and so JC said he was playing
41:09 in a mud puddle, isn't it that what kids
41:12 come on now, especially with that new sneakers.
41:16 I mean they find every mud puddle in the
41:18 neighborhood. These playing in a mud
41:21 and splashing over and he goes in the barn
41:23 and he says mom I have to go to house to do
41:25 what little boys have to do when they go
41:26 to house and she said, you go JC but you remember
41:29 you come right back. And he knew what that meant,
41:35 no such thing as a time out, I give you a break.
41:39 Time out son as he rips a wall off
41:42 or calls 911 on you.
41:49 So, JC took care of what he had to take care
41:53 in the house and he's walking by
41:54 and there in the bedroom was the big
41:56 feathered bed, the white sheets in
41:59 South Georgia. A voice comes says JC,
42:04 wouldn't it be nice to climb up on the bed
42:07 and take a dive into the feather bed.
42:09 You know what voice that is, come on now.
42:12 come on, you don't have to a theologian
42:14 or a rocket scientist. Then the other voice came
42:18 back said naughty, naughty JC remember
42:20 what mama said. And so we went by
42:22 and got as far as the back door and reached
42:25 for the door knob and the voice kept just
42:26 one little dive, boy ran back as fast
42:29 and he could got, got up on the bed stead,
42:32 he took a dive, mud flying everywhere.
42:38 Isn't it the way it happens,
42:40 come on remember before you knew Jesus,
42:42 you went from one dive to another dive,
42:44 to another dive come on.
42:47 Just one dive so comes back,
42:48 he does a back dive. And he's having fun man,
42:51 don't let anybody tell you sin is not fun
42:53 for a while. Come on, it's true even the
42:57 Bible tells you that. And he's splashing
43:01 and he's diving and he's tumbling
43:03 and just then he looks and momma's standing
43:06 in the door way. The fun is over,
43:13 she has the look in the eye, did your mother
43:15 have that look in the eye?
43:16 My momma had the look. And she had a switch
43:23 in her hand and judgment in her eye.
43:28 White sheets dirty, muddy, whitest sheets
43:31 in South Georgia and so he does the first thing
43:34 he tries to cover it.
43:38 No way, can't cover it,
43:43 so he does the second best thing he builds up
43:46 the tears, did you do that when you were a kid?
43:48 My boy was great at it. When he was a little boy
43:52 he would cry harder before he got it.
43:57 Don't hit me, everybody in the neighborhood
43:59 thought I was a child abuser,
44:00 don't hit me daddy, don't, please dad,
44:04 you know come on, tears burst like a dam.
44:13 So, he's having the tears flowing just then
44:15 he hears the noise at the window,
44:16 he looks and his big brother is sitting
44:18 on a horse looking in the window.
44:22 And the big brother sees mom with the switch
44:24 and she sees and he sees the muddy sheets
44:29 he throws open with window
44:30 and he says wait mom, stop, don't do it.
44:32 He crawls off wet and coming back
44:35 from the irritation, he's sopping wet,
44:38 he crawls through the window into the bedroom.
44:43 He runs over to JC and he lays over JC.
44:48 JC scrunch now, there is no word scrunch
44:51 there should be. He's scrunch under
44:55 his big brother, he waited for the switch.
45:04 Nothing happened, he then looked out from
45:08 under his big brother he notice momma
45:10 was standing there with the switch at her side
45:13 and the tear in her eye. She said to him,
45:16 you big lug, get him and get out of here.
45:19 He said he, my big bother picked me up,
45:22 he didn't run for the door, he ran for the
45:23 window, on the horse, boom to the barn.
45:30 We all dirtied the sheets in one way or another.
45:36 For all have sinned and come short of
45:39 the glory of God. Amen. But, God so loved
45:44 the world that he gave his son that
45:48 whosoever believes in Him should not perish
45:50 but have everlasting, He gave himself fully
45:56 and the value of the gift is always in the love
46:00 of the giver. No one cares for us like Jesus,
46:07 no one else cared quite like Him
46:14 and so he's unique in His salvation.
46:18 But, also Jesus Christ is unique in His promise,
46:25 He is unique in His promise. I'm with you,
46:32 I'm with you as long as you do right.
46:36 Come on I'm with you, I'm with you only
46:40 when you dress like you should do,
46:42 no I'm with you always, always.
46:48 When Moses said, here I am, send Aaron.
46:57 When Samson whispered to Delilah,
46:59 when Saul rode against David, when David schemed
47:03 against Uriah, God didn't give up.
47:05 When Peter denied him, and John and James
47:07 fought for a position, when Judas kissed
47:09 the kiss of death, when Pilate washed it,
47:11 God did not give up. You see listen carefully,
47:14 forget everything, listen now.
47:16 He would give up on his own son before
47:19 he'd give up on you. Amen.
47:23 For God so loved the world,
47:29 he gave and the value of the gift is in the love
47:36 of the giver. When I was living at Keene,
47:41 well before Keene, I was pastoring a church
47:46 and my little girl she was just,
47:49 she's 6 foot now she was, my boy is 6' 7" now
47:53 so you know, but anyway they were just
47:55 little ones, we have the law in our house,
47:57 it was for our Medes and Persians,
47:58 when daddy is in his office studying the word
48:00 of God you're not to come there,
48:01 you're not to disturb him as to law.
48:05 He will play with you when he comes out,
48:06 he will spend all the time you need.
48:09 But, when he is in his office,
48:12 writing, studying, praying. One day I left the
48:15 door open just a crack and I heard a noise
48:18 of door and I looke and there was my little
48:19 Diane looking in through the crack in the door.
48:21 Beautiful blue eyes sparkling and beautiful
48:25 blonde hair freckled in the sunlight
48:28 and these little things have such a look
48:33 on a face. I said Diane, and she remembered
48:38 the law, so she started to run,
48:41 I said stop and she stop and in those days
48:43 they stopped. Now you read books on it,
48:49 you can't stop them, even throw a book at them
48:51 they don't stop. I mean the book you're
48:54 reading about it, I said honey, come here,
48:57 she came as far as the door.
48:58 She remembered the law, law said,
49:02 she pushed opened the door.
49:03 And there was that invisible line,
49:06 I said honey, come in, you see what sin had bond,
49:08 grace did much more to bond,
49:10 she bonded in, amen. And she stood before me
49:13 she says daddy, I have gift for you, a gift,
49:16 hey now the law went out of the window
49:18 come on now. I said a gift honey? She says,
49:21 yeah daddy, I have a gift for you,
49:23 I said, oh tell me what is it.
49:26 And she said guess, guess.
49:31 So, she wanted to play the game,
49:33 I could play the game. I said honey,
49:35 is it a new boat and she laughed and giggled
49:36 and her eyes sparkled, no daddy.
49:38 So, I guessed the normal things I would like
49:40 to have and I couldn't have.
49:42 And she laughed and played the game,
49:44 but I was getting impatient and finally
49:45 I said, no, I can't stand, give me the gift.
49:48 You know how you talk to kids,
49:49 you have another language.
49:54 Come on, you don't speak in tongues to your kids,
50:00 it's another language. And she said,
50:07 and she took it out and it was a lamp made
50:12 of noodles, a noodle lamp. I took my best
50:17 Kmart painting off the wall and I put up a
50:24 noodle lamp. People come in my office
50:27 and look at the noodle lamp.
50:32 The value of the gift is in the love of the giver.
50:42 God so loved the world,
50:50 God would give up on his only Son,
50:54 I have good news for you tonight.
50:58 God would give up on His only Son before
51:02 He would give up on you, or me.
51:08 And he made a promise, He made a promise,
51:14 think of the majesty of that miracle.
51:18 The first Adam was wounded in the side
51:21 and there came forth eve His bride,
51:26 the second Adam was wounded in his sided
51:27 at Calvary and there come forth a new Eve,
51:30 the church of Jesus Christ. Amen.
51:37 I'm with you always, I'm with you always.
51:48 It turns his embryo in a womb of a woman.
51:54 He is dead now, but he's alive, he's alive, alive.
52:06 I was holding a meeting in San Bernardino,
52:08 California just a few years ago. Lord poured
52:11 out his spirit there in San Bernardino.
52:13 San Bernardino is one of the toughest
52:15 cites in America. Crime rate per capita
52:17 is the worst in that city. The worst gangs ever
52:19 came out of there, hells angels came out of there,
52:22 it was born in San Bernardino and
52:23 and Satan worship by the way.
52:26 Center of Satan worship started there in
52:28 San Bernardino, California. So, God sent me there
52:31 in San Bernardino just a few years ago,
52:36 of course all the ministers were skeptical,
52:38 I had to go almost a year trying to prove
52:40 to the Adventist ministers you could hold
52:41 evangelism still, that's amazing isn't it?
52:45 You can't do that here brother Ron Halvorsen
52:48 we're in post modern age. You know we're trying
52:51 to figure out the post modernism.
52:53 We're trying to figure out the problem
52:54 when Jesus has the solution.
52:58 They spent more time on trying to find
53:00 a program to reach them by that time
53:02 they're lost. They go to their graves
53:05 without Christ, I'm amazed at that stupidity.
53:09 So I, we went to orange, the orange center
53:15 there in San Bernardino and the Lord blessed
53:19 the opening night, we had over 3900 people.
53:22 We baptized in that meeting over 300 people,
53:28 but anyway I was preaching one night,
53:30 I shared the conversion from the gangs to Jesus
53:32 and there were two gangs there that night
53:35 and it was amazing what God did,
53:36 we baptized lawyers and doctors and we baptized
53:39 gang bangers and the homeless and they all come
53:42 to the same pool, I baptized them in the
53:44 Loma Linda swimming pool on Saturday afternoon,
53:46 that was a new day. And this gang banger
53:51 came down, he was 27 years old he spend
53:55 14 years incarcerated of his 27 years.
54:00 He had all the gang tattoos you know
54:02 and you see what's happening today the
54:04 music is trying to ghettoize our children.
54:07 I thankful to God when he got me out
54:09 of the ghetto, they're trying to bring them back
54:11 to the ghetto. All this tattooing,
54:14 all this stuff to try to imprison their mind
54:16 and their soul, anyway this kid come down,
54:20 not a kid he's 27 years old and
54:24 he cried on my shoulder, people are leaving
54:27 the auditorium, they didn't know what God
54:29 was doing that night you never know what
54:30 God is doing. If you only knew what God
54:34 was doing some times in those meetings,
54:37 he's weeping on my shoulder.
54:40 I led him to Christ there by that platform
54:43 that night. Came back every night, every night.
54:49 Scars, tattoos, every night. I was sure glad
54:55 some saint didn't sit next to him there at
54:57 that meeting. I will tell you. It's amazing
55:04 what they say and what they do in the
55:07 name of Christ, a gang banger came.
55:12 So, he came to my Bible class, my baptism class,
55:15 we were planning on baptizing them in the pool
55:17 with the others on Saturday.
55:21 On Thursday night he was standing on the porch,
55:26 by the way I was gonna have a wedding
55:27 on Friday night and a baptism on Saturday night.
55:30 You have to do that a lot nowadays,
55:33 have the wedding and then the baptism.
55:35 We had the wedding all planned, he had the little
55:37 18-month-old baby. She was standing on one
55:41 side of porch, he was on the other and car came
55:44 around the corner boom, blew him away,
55:46 killed him right there. I got word that
55:50 Friday night and I stood up and told the people
55:53 about this young gang banger and his plans
55:56 to be baptized and now he's dead.
56:00 I took up an offering that night to bury
56:02 the young man and got $ 5000 to bury him
56:06 that night. I buried him in the sweetest, prettiest
56:11 cemetery in Loma Linda. Because when
56:14 he comes up in a resurrection I want the
56:16 saints to see what a sinner looks like
56:18 transformed by the grace of God. Amen.
56:22 You people I don't know, I hope I didn't
56:24 waste my time.
56:29 You know what a miraculous thing that is?
56:31 Do you know what a changed life is?
56:35 Do you know what that is for that boy,
56:37 the only hope he ever had, I am with you.
56:47 I shed tears for him. I let him know before
56:52 he died, before that night he was killed,
56:55 I let him know that God lived in the hood,
56:59 that God roams the street of the hood.
57:02 That God died for gang bangers,
57:06 and he received Christ and he'll be received again.
57:14 I'm with you always. Listen to me carefully
57:18 when times get hard and they will, look to Jesus.
57:25 He'd listen to me, when people don't listen
57:28 to you and don't really care, look to Jesus.
57:36 When tears come and won't stop, look to Jesus.
57:45 When you fall down and you fail and you mess up,
57:52 look to Jesus. 'Cause He does not have
57:56 blind eyes, but does he have a stony heart.
58:02 Father, which art in heaven, I thank you
58:03 for that truth tonight.
58:10 Oh! God, be real to everyone here,
58:14 may they feel your softness.
58:18 May they see your smile, may they know
58:22 your tenderness and your forgiveness.
58:29 And may they love you more,
58:31 now then they ever did before,
58:35 everyday you get sweeter, amen.
58:44 Remember you leave this place but
58:47 you never leave the presence of God.


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Revised 2014-12-17