Participants:
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR001048A
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01:01 I wanted to talk to you today about a subject
01:03 that is so important. 01:06 Many people in the church don't understand it, 01:08 don't realize what's going on. 01:11 They have kind of taken a world view 01:14 and they understand that, oh, you know, 01:16 the grace of Jesus Christ, everything is just fine. 01:19 He, He takes care of everything. 01:21 Well, that's true. 01:22 But there's an interesting scenario 01:25 that the devil doesn't want us to understand. 01:27 And I believe the devil has lied to us for a long time. 01:31 Now, let me explain how I started getting into this 01:35 particular area. 01:37 I had started studying God's word about God 01:39 desiring us to overcome. 01:41 What is that really mean? 01:43 Well, I was sitting down in Guatemala 01:45 near a river one time, 01:46 just a little bit of a vacation actually. 01:48 And the Lord impressed me, I start going through my Bible 01:51 and highlighting every place in my Bible 01:54 where it speaks about the power of God. 01:57 God's desire to change us. 01:59 God's desire to, to help us to overcome. 02:03 God's desire to take us 02:04 from where we are and put us up here. 02:08 The Lord's great tremendous desire to, 02:11 to take us and make us royalty to sit with Him 02:14 in His throne for eternity. 02:16 Well, when I got done, most of my Bible 02:19 was highlighted. 02:20 I was astounded, I was amazed. 02:22 Now I like to show you that Bible today, 02:24 but I can't because that was stolen two years ago 02:27 at the airport in Nicaragua. 02:28 So I can't show you that one. 02:30 But, you know, I think when I get to heaven, 02:32 I'm gonna meet somebody hopefully that walks up to me 02:35 and said, you know, I stole your Bible in Nicaragua 02:38 and it saved my life. 02:39 So I'd praise God. 02:41 You know, God can use anything, right? 02:44 Well, after I did that I thought, 02:45 I wonder what Ellen White has to say on this 02:48 particular subject. 02:50 And I began building a PowerPoint presentation. 02:53 Well, man, after, in no time I had a 100 slides. 02:57 And then I started taking this slide 02:59 and I look at this one, this one is better. 03:00 And I put this one and put it another one, 03:02 this one in, this one out, I did that for two years. 03:05 And at the end of two years I thought it's incredible. 03:08 The woman has so much to say on the subject, 03:10 you can't begin to comprehend it at all. 03:13 It just began jumping off the pages everywhere. 03:17 And then I put all these together the Bible 03:20 and the Spirit of Prophecy. 03:21 Now let me take a moment. 03:23 I ran out earlier because I want to show you 03:24 something in a moment. 03:26 I make absolutely no apologies for sharing 03:29 the Spirit of Prophecy with you. 03:32 Wow. This is quite a church to hear that bigger amen. 03:36 Praise the Lord, 03:37 because God says in 2 Chronicles 20:20. 03:39 "Believe His prophets and so shall you prosper." 03:43 Now, it sounds like a lot of people in here 03:45 want to prosper today. 03:48 I do nothing the Lord says "Except I reveal My secrets 03:51 to his servants the prophets." 03:53 You look at Josiah. 03:54 When Josiah found the law, they began reading the law 03:57 and they thought, we haven't kept the law, 03:59 we're out of God's will. 04:00 What did he do? 04:02 The first thing he did is he got his top men 04:04 in his cabinet and sent them. 04:05 He said go enquire of the Lord. 04:07 And the first thing they did is go enquire of the prophet. 04:13 It's so interesting that the church 04:15 has such a stigma against seeking God's 04:19 will through His prophet. 04:20 Now, I don't know if you have ever seen this, 04:22 since it's here in... 04:24 In Australia but Smithsonian Magazine. 04:27 Smithsonian Magazine, 04:29 at least in the United States is, 04:30 you know, it's a huge scientific magazine. 04:34 They did this particular issue. 04:36 I had to pay $10 for this thing U.S., 04:40 only to share it with everybody though. 04:42 The 100 most significant Americans of all time, 04:46 of all time. 04:48 Now they have a lot of different people 04:50 and a lot of different things in here, 04:51 but this is the one I want to show you 04:53 that is so important and so incredible. 04:57 Ellen White, two pages. 04:59 Hardly anybody else in the book gets two pages of anything. 05:02 Two pages. 05:04 Why are we as Seventh-day Adventists 05:06 want to hide all of this? 05:07 The Barna Group, The Barna Group did a study 05:10 with pastors of all denominations 05:14 and they found that Ellen White in the pastors age 40 05:18 and under was one of their favourite authors. 05:21 This is of all denominations. 05:23 So why do we as Seventh-day Adventists 05:25 gets so freaked out 05:26 when somebody says something about the prophet? 05:28 I'd like to prosper. 05:30 And hence that's what I worked out 05:32 to share with you today is, is the study. 05:35 Now I didn't always... I shared with you this morning. 05:39 I didn't always believe in God. 05:41 Matter of fact, this was my second go around. 05:44 This was kind of a second time. 05:45 I was still a "Seventh-day Adventist Christian" 05:48 at that time. 05:50 I actually wrote a little book called Second Chance 05:52 on that subject. 05:54 But today's study is about transformation. 05:57 How do we get from where we are to what God wants us to be? 06:01 That's what this study is all about. 06:03 "Religion today is not transforming 06:05 people rather it is being transformed by the people." 06:09 It is not raising the moral level of society, 06:12 it is descending to society's own level, 06:14 and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory 06:17 because society is smilingly accepting 06:20 its surrender." 06:22 That's where we are today. Listen to this though. 06:25 "Had Adventist, 06:26 after the great disappointment in 1844, 06:29 held fast their faith and followed on unitedly 06:33 in the opening providence of God, 06:35 receiving the message of the third angel 06:37 and in the power of the Holy Spirit, 06:39 underline that, proclaiming it to the world, 06:42 they would have seen the salvation of God, 06:45 the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, 06:48 the work would have been completed, 06:51 and Christ would have come ere 06:52 this to receive His people to the reward." 06:55 God would have come shortly after 1844, 06:59 after the judgement hour message, 07:00 after waking the world up and shaking the world 07:03 with that incredible message. 07:04 The Lord was ready to come, but His people were not. 07:09 His people were not. 07:12 But in that period of doubt and uncertainty 07:14 that followed the disappointment, 07:16 many of the advent believers." 07:17 Did what? "Yielded their faith... 07:20 Thus the work was hindered, 07:22 and the world was left in darkness." 07:25 God has always had a people, always looking for a people 07:28 that can shed His light to the world. 07:31 He chose at that time 07:32 the Seventh-day Adventist people. 07:36 "Had the whole Adventist body united upon 07:39 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, 07:42 how widely different would have been our history!" 07:47 "How widely different would have been our history?" 07:50 He, Jesus, urged upon men the necessity of prayer, 07:54 repentance, confession, and the..." 07:55 What? "Abandonment of sin." 07:58 That almost sticks in the... 08:00 You know I don't have to say craw here, chickens, 08:02 you don't have craws. 08:03 I'm a little country boy, you know, 08:05 it sticks in your craw to almost see 08:07 that abandonment of sin. 08:10 Yes, God wants us to abandon sin to turn away 08:14 from sin because sin destroys us. 08:17 Sin eradicates anything good in our lives. 08:22 Charles Finney once said, "To persist in sin is, 08:24 not to abandon it." 08:27 Not to abandon it. 08:28 Hebrews 12:29 says, 08:30 "For our God is a consume fire." 08:32 I used to wonder, what does that mean? 08:35 Our God is a consuming fire. 08:37 Well, then I came up with what Ellen White says. 08:40 "In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God 08:44 will consume sin." 08:47 Praise God. 08:48 Imagine, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. 08:51 Remember, He doesn't force entry. 08:53 Stands at the door and knocks, 08:54 if anyone hear my voice. 08:56 He comes in. 08:58 And He comes in, excuse me for the analogy. 09:00 I don't have a better one at the moment, 09:02 but with His multi trillion candle power light 09:06 and He shines it in the room and every place of sin, 09:08 it hit sin, it evaporates, it evaporates. 09:12 He goes in the next room, it evaporates. 09:15 Who is doing all this? Jesus. 09:18 Jesus is doing all this. 09:19 But then He gets over to the basement 09:20 and we kind of stand in front of the basement 09:22 and say, oh, Lord, 09:25 rather you didn't go in that room right now. 09:30 Now when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory, 09:33 His brightness, we know it as a consuming fire. 09:36 There are those that cry for the rocks 09:38 and the mountains to fall on them, 09:39 hide us from the wrath of him to come. 09:42 Why? Because to sin and sinners it's painful. 09:47 It's painful because of His brightness, 09:49 His glory destroys all sin. 09:52 And when this individual over here, 09:54 if he chose to keep Jesus out of one door, 09:57 out of one room of the home, and sin still lingers. 10:01 What happens automatically? 10:03 Automatically that person is consumed. 10:08 God doesn't want that to happen. 10:09 He said, I wish that all would come to repentance. 10:12 I wish that all would invite me in, 10:14 so that I might destroy the sin in their lives. 10:18 Remember the lady caught in adultery? 10:21 Jesus is out there meeting with the people 10:23 and all of a sudden the leadership 10:25 brings this woman, 10:26 cast her down in front of Jesus. 10:27 She's been caught in the act of adultery. 10:31 Jesus never looks up, never says a word. 10:34 He just begins writings 10:35 in the dust of the cobble stones. 10:37 And pretty soon, pretty soon 10:40 all the general conference leadership 10:41 comes up and... 10:44 They were right? 10:47 They began peaking over the shoulder of Jesus. 10:50 That's my sins. 10:53 They evaporate one after the other 10:55 and pretty soon there's nobody around. 10:57 Now praise God. 10:58 I'd like to call your attention to one another thing, 11:00 Jesus with His finger could have 11:02 etched in the stone their sins. 11:05 But He puts him in the dust, 11:07 so that one little blows them away 11:09 and so that no one else knows. 11:11 God loves us so much. 11:13 God is so incredibly caring 11:15 that He does that kind of thing. 11:16 He thinks about every little nuance. 11:19 Woman, where are your accusers? 11:24 She finally dares to look up. There aren't any, Lord. 11:29 Neither do I condemn me. Praise God, halleluiah, right? 11:34 Jesus takes His own righteous robe, 11:36 He wraps it around that woman. 11:40 And God looks at her, He looks at her, 11:42 you are righteous. 11:43 But then He says something else to this woman 11:46 that we, we tend to not think about. 11:48 What is He saying? "Go, and sin no more." 11:52 Five other words. 11:53 Well, Lord, that must be a mistake. 11:55 There's got to be something wrong here. 11:56 Go, and sin no more. You can't be serious. 12:01 Well, how about the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda? 12:07 I had the wonderful opportunity to film there one time 12:10 and that pool was huge, 12:11 it's way bigger than I ever thought it was, 12:13 monster pool. 12:15 But Jesus comes and hears this guy. 12:18 He's 38 years, he's been paralysed. 12:21 He is waiting for the waters to move 12:23 and try to get over there and some saint says 12:26 that if he gets in those waters first 12:28 when they are troubled, he will be healed. 12:31 But it's never happened. 12:32 And Jesus walks up to him and scripture records 12:35 a very interesting thing. 12:38 "Wilt thou be made whole?" 12:41 "Wilt thou be made whole?" 12:44 And that comes to each one of us. 12:45 That, those very words come to each one of us. 12:48 "Wilt thou be made whole?" 12:50 And of course we know the next thing. 12:52 He told that man, take up your bed and walk. 12:54 Wow. 12:56 This guy feels the energy surged through his body, 12:59 he jumps up and down in halleluiah. 13:01 And he shouted and he runs off to the temple to praise God. 13:04 And I would submit to you, anytime you have 13:06 an encounter with Jesus Christ, 13:08 you should run to the temple and praise God. 13:12 And Jesus then, He gets there. 13:14 He gets there. 13:15 He finds this man at the temple later. 13:17 And what does He say? What does He say to this man? 13:23 Boy. 13:26 "Sin no more, Lest a worse thing come upon you." 13:30 Sin no more. 13:31 The first time I said it wasn't a mistake, 13:33 it's not a mistake now, sin no more. 13:37 You see God desire us to separate us from sin. 13:40 He just doesn't want to clothe us and make us 13:42 beautiful looking on the outside. 13:44 He wants us beautiful on the inside too. 13:47 If your children, families... 13:50 You have children... Would you... 13:53 If you have the power to change their lives to, 13:56 that they could have the most glorious, 13:58 happy vibrant life, would you do it? 14:01 Sure. 14:03 I don't think there's anybody in here that wouldn't. 14:04 And God has the power to change us if we allow Him to. 14:09 He doesn't want us to, to continually be burden with, 14:12 with sin and plague with, with filthiness in our lives. 14:17 He wants to lift us higher and higher and higher. 14:21 That's our God. 14:22 That's what He has in store for us. 14:23 He says, "Thou has loved righteousness 14:25 and hated iniquity." 14:28 He loved righteousness, hated iniquity. 14:31 Remember this. Christ always, how often? 14:34 Always separates the contrite soul from sin. 14:37 He came to destroy the works of the devil, 14:39 and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit 14:41 shall be imparted to every repentant soul, 14:46 to keep him from sinning." 14:50 To keep him from sinning. 14:52 That's God's power to keep us from sinning. 14:58 Look it. 14:59 "No conversion is genuine which does not change 15:02 both the character and the conduct of those 15:05 who accept the truth. 15:07 The truth works by love, and love purifies the soul." 15:12 "To Him, God says, who overcomes 15:14 I will grant to sit with Me in my throne, 15:16 that where I am there, you may be also." 15:18 Imagine, me such a sinner who has spit in God's face 15:23 so many times, God says, look, I want to change you, 15:26 I want to clean you up. 15:28 And eventually I'm gonna sit you in my throne to be 15:31 a co-ruler with Me. 15:34 A co-ruler in the... 15:35 I'm gonna bring my, my whole kingdom, 15:38 the whole government down here to planet earth 15:40 and all of those who love me are gonna sit with me 15:42 and rule the universe. 15:44 You know you've been 15:45 faithful over a few things over here. 15:46 Here, I'm gonna give you the set of plants over here. 15:48 You take care of those. 15:49 And you've been faithful over here and this, 15:51 I'm gonna give you this chunk of the universe over here. 15:54 Imagine them, what God is? 15:57 It's unfathomable. It really is. 16:01 How wonderful He is and what He has in store 16:04 for those that love Him. 16:06 What He has in store for those that allow Him 16:09 to work in their lives? 16:14 "It is His purpose 16:15 that the highest influence in the universe, 16:18 emanating from the source of all power, 16:20 shall be ours. 16:22 We are to have a power to resist evil, 16:24 a power that neither earth, nor death, 16:26 nor hell can master." 16:29 Think about it. 16:30 "A power that will enable us to overcome as Jesus overcame." 16:35 Jesus was our example. He came to give us an example. 16:41 "Being then made free from sin..." 16:43 Paul says. 16:44 "You became the servants of righteousness." 16:47 It's in Romans. Found in the Book of Romans. 16:49 Romans is a very interesting book. 16:51 Three chapters are on justification. 16:55 God taking His righteousness and wrapping us 16:58 and making us beautiful on the outside, 17:01 six and a half chapters are on just our sanctification. 17:05 Twice as many. 17:06 Over twice as many chapters on what God can do in 17:09 and through us to transform us on the inside too. 17:13 We need to understand these things. 17:14 Devil doesn't want us to understand this. 17:17 He'd like us to think that, you know, it's pie in the sky, 17:19 I can't do anything in this lifetime 17:21 until after Jesus comes then I will be changed. 17:26 "He restores my soul, 17:29 He leads me in paths of righteousness 17:31 for his name's sake." 17:32 You know I never really understood the 23rd Psalm 17:36 until I understood what God was trying to say here. 17:39 He leads me where? In paths of righteousness. 17:43 He doesn't lead me in the sinful paths. 17:45 He doesn't lead me in this direction. 17:47 Higher and higher and higher is His desire for us. 17:51 Now listen, this is, this is a statement 17:54 that I believe every, 17:55 everyone should write on your... 17:57 pin it on your refrigerator door, 17:58 pin it in the bathroom. 18:01 If you had TV, pin it on the TV. 18:03 "As the will of man co-operates 18:06 with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent." 18:11 Here's the formula. 18:13 My will, god's will, one omnipotent will, 18:17 when they are combined. 18:19 Just think about that. 18:20 God living in your life can do anything 18:23 God wants to do. 18:24 And God wants to make you an overcomer. 18:27 God wants to move you out of the, the everyday sin. 18:30 You know there was a time in my life 18:33 when I continually came home and cried over the same sins 18:37 over and over and over. 18:39 I never even got a chance to get on to any new sins. 18:43 Same thing over and over. 18:46 God wants to deliver us from that. 18:48 God wants to change us from that. 18:52 My will, God's will, one omnipotent, 18:54 all powerful will. 18:57 "Whatever is to be done at His command 19:00 may be accomplished in His strength." 19:02 God says, "All My biddings are enablings. 19:05 Go, and sin no more." 19:08 You see when you look at that, 19:10 "all His biddings are enablings." 19:12 Where is the focus? 19:14 It's on God. It's on God. 19:17 God desires it. 19:18 And God can do whatever God wants to do, 19:21 but we have to allow Him. 19:23 We have to invite Him in to change our lives. 19:27 "It is the will of God to cleanse us from sin, 19:31 to make us His children, 19:32 and to enable us to live a holy life." 19:35 That's God's will for your life. 19:38 Whatever is going on currently in your life, 19:40 that's God's will for your life and He can make it happen. 19:44 "And do not be conformed to this world, 19:46 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 19:52 Wow. 19:53 Interesting statement Paul makes. 19:55 Be not conformed to this world. 19:57 The devil wants every one of us to conform to this world. 20:00 We think we've got to do this, we've got to, 20:01 you know, have this and have that 20:03 and have all these things. 20:05 It's a lie of the devil. 20:06 God says, seek ye first the kingdom of God 20:10 and all these things will be added unto you. 20:11 It's all about priority. 20:13 What are the priorities in your life? 20:17 That word transformed is Metamorpho in the Greek 20:20 or some you may Metamorphoses. 20:23 By the way, excuse me for my accent, right. 20:26 You know I've got an accent down here 20:27 and the fruit that grows in the tree, 20:31 you know, I say that's a date, you'd probably say diet, right? 20:35 Did I get it close? No, didn't even get that close. 20:38 How do you say it? There is a date. 20:41 You know, how come I've seen so many say diet? 20:44 Yeah, well, you know. 20:49 But Metamorphose is change from one form to another form. 20:54 God wants to change us from one form to another form. 20:57 Thus it is that God desires 20:59 to fulfil for us His purpose of grace. 21:02 By the power of His love, through," what? 21:05 Obedience. 21:06 Oh, that's a word that really hangs us up, 21:08 through obedience. 21:10 "Fallen man, a worm of the dust, 21:11 is to be transformed, 21:14 fitted to be a member of the heavenly family." 21:18 To be transformed by the renewing of your mind... 21:21 Well, how does that actually happen? 21:23 Think about this. 21:24 "Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus." 21:28 Philippians. 21:29 ''Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery 21:31 to be equal with God, 21:32 but made himself a no reputation. 21:34 He took upon himself the form of a servant, 21:37 became obedient unto death even the death at the cross." 21:42 Now, that's called basically a chiastic 21:45 structure of you, diagram that out. 21:47 Jesus was up here God, He stepped down, down, down. 21:51 By the way, that spot in Philippians Chapter 2 21:55 is the last time you see Jesus as the same God. 22:00 Because at that moment He took off the power to be 22:03 in all place at once, never again, 22:05 because He took on humanity. 22:06 He's cumbered for all eternity with humanity. 22:09 I don't know exactly what that means. 22:11 I don't know exactly what that sacrifice is. 22:14 But I think through all eternity 22:15 we'll begin to realize the sacrifice 22:18 that Jesus made for us. 22:20 And He stepped down, down, down, 22:24 all the way to the cross, clear down at the bottom. 22:28 And then you find the father for every step Jesus 22:30 takes down lifted Him up, up, up, up, 22:35 until every name confesses the name of Jesus Christ 22:38 to the glory of God, the Father. 22:42 I don't know about you, but there are times 22:44 I'd like to flip that structure the other way. 22:48 I'll climb up, you know, go up a little higher. 22:53 You will appreciate this analogy. 22:54 I was preaching in a church 22:56 and I forgot where it was exactly, 22:57 but it was, it was live, we're at live television. 23:01 And I preached and you know I got out in the car 23:04 and I'm like, Jim, you did a pretty good job. 23:07 Driving down the road and I looked down 23:10 and my fly is open. 23:18 I called a pastor. Pastor, I got a little problem. 23:23 They immediately went and checked the tapes, 23:24 he called me back and said, Jim, you're okay. 23:26 They, you know, your coat covered it. 23:31 It is much better when we humble ourselves 23:35 than having God humble us. 23:39 There's a statement Ellen White made. 23:41 And Wayne Hooper put it to music. 23:43 It goes something like this. 23:44 If we would humble ourselves before the Lord 23:48 If we would humble ourselves before the Lord 23:52 Be kind and courteous, tender-hearted pitiful 23:56 There would be one hundred conversions to the truth 24:00 Where now there is but one 24:04 Having trouble in your church with conversions? 24:07 Wow. 24:09 Humble ourselves, there would be 100 conversions 24:11 to the truth, where now there is but one. 24:16 Makes an amazing difference. 24:18 Allow God to come into your life. 24:20 Allow the mind of Jesus Christ. Well, what was that mind? 24:24 Jesus said I can do nothing. 24:27 "I can do nothing of My own self. 24:29 As I hear, through prayer and study, 24:31 my judgment is just, 24:33 because I do not seek My own will, 24:35 but the will of the Father who sent me." 24:38 There is the key, never seeking our own will. 24:43 Never seeking our own situation. 24:47 I did a little film, 24:49 a little thing for a little series covering, 24:52 model in your life and I played on 3ABN here. 24:57 Driving down the road, there's a guy white hair 25:00 and white beard, he's standing there 25:01 with his thumb out. 25:03 And in the States, I mean, this thumb out, you know, 25:04 he's looking for a ride, trying to hitch hack a ride 25:07 and he's got a little sign, he's holding north. 25:10 I pullover say, you're going north, huh? 25:12 Yep. And you wanted a ride, yeah? 25:15 Well, get in. No, I can't. 25:20 You wanted a ride? Yeah. 25:21 You're going north? Yeah. 25:25 But You're not gonna get in? No. 25:27 Well, what do you want? He says, I want to drive. 25:31 I take off. 25:34 God does not want to be a passenger in your life. 25:39 God wants to be the driver in your life. 25:44 That is so opposite of what we're told so often. 25:47 How we've been raised even in the church. 25:50 Much of the church suffers from the same situation. 25:53 We want to drive. We think we know best. 25:56 And God is the only one that sees the end 25:58 from the beginning. 26:00 God is the only one who steps in and out of time 26:02 and can see how everything fits together. 26:04 And says this is the way, walk ye in it. 26:10 If you are having certain problems, 26:12 may be, may be, 26:15 just may be some of those are because you are not 26:17 allowing God to lead in your life. 26:22 Well, the mind of Christ in prayer, 26:24 we're told that "prayer is the key in hand of faith 26:28 to unlock heaven's storehouse, where are treasured 26:30 the boundless resources of Omnipotence." 26:33 Wow. 26:35 The boundless resources of Omnipotence. 26:38 You need a little help connecting to God in prayer. 26:43 And then Christ knew God's word 26:46 and He applied it in everyday situations. 26:49 You remember the devil, the devil came to Jesus, 26:51 Jesus is out there in the wilderness. 26:53 He'd been there 40 days. 26:55 Man, He's wind blown, He's dust blown, 26:57 He's everything and the devil comes to him 26:59 as an angel of light. 27:01 Says, hey, I've come to warn you about, 27:03 well, matter of fact, you look like the one 27:06 I've come to warn about. 27:08 If you're really not the deceiver, 27:10 turn these stones to bread. 27:12 Well, now I don't know about you, 27:16 but that's never a temptation for me to turn 27:19 stones to bread. 27:23 Well, I can turn bread to stones, 27:25 but not the other way around. 27:28 Jesus, Jesus has got the Lamborghini 27:30 sitting at the stoplight. 27:32 And you know I'm the guy in the VW bug next door 27:35 and I'm not gonna race. 27:37 But you see Jesus had the horsepower under the hood. 27:40 He could do it. 27:42 He could have turned the stones to bread, 27:43 therefore, huge temptation. 27:45 But he said, no, no, 27:46 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:48 but by every word that proceeds 27:51 from the mouth of God." 27:54 He did it the way that you and I need to do it. 27:57 He, He knew and understood scripture. 28:00 If you want victory in Jesus Christ, 28:02 you need to study God's word. 28:06 In 2 Timothy Paul says that, 28:07 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." 28:10 Profitable for doctrine, for correction, 28:13 for reprove, for instruction and righteous 28:14 that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished 28:17 unto all good works. 28:19 That word inspiration is God breathed. 28:23 God breathe and I think about that all the way back 28:26 to Jesus created Adam there in the Garden of Eden. 28:30 And Adam is a good looking pile of dirt 28:35 until Jesus gets down, 28:37 bends over him and he blows into Him 28:40 the breath of life 28:41 and he becomes a living vibrant being. 28:44 You go to Ezekiel. 28:46 Ezekiel is looking out over that field, 28:48 the dead men's bones and God breathes on the bones 28:52 and he's got a living army. 28:55 Jesus before He ascends to heaven, 28:57 He breathes on His disciples and they receive 29:00 the Holy Spirit. 29:02 Brothers and sisters, you want vibrancy in your experience? 29:05 You want real true life, the Christian life that God 29:08 want you to have. 29:10 Get in and study God's word. 29:11 And I don't mean, I don't mean spend, you know, 29:14 five minutes a day 29:16 with your hand in a cup of coffee 29:18 and the other hand on the doorknob 29:19 running out to work. 29:21 No. It will not work. 29:25 If my wife called right now and I said, hello, hello. 29:32 Yeah, who is this? 29:35 Oh, Jeanine, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 29:38 Ladies, if you called your husband 29:43 and your husband didn't recognize your voice, 29:48 how long would you be married? 29:54 We need to spend time with Jesus Christ 29:58 in order to recognize His voice. 30:01 And it's gonna be especially perked it one day soon, 30:04 when He calls forth the people 30:06 in the first resurrection to rise up. 30:10 And if you don't hear that voice, 30:13 you're in trouble. 30:14 You've got problems. I had a day mare one time. 30:17 You know a day mare? 30:18 A day mare is kind of a like a nightmare, 30:20 only happens in the day. 30:22 And, and there I was. 30:25 I came up, I woke up and, and this big bean is 30:28 standing in front of me and says, 30:30 I resurrected you and we can take that city. 30:34 Brothers and sisters, wrong resurrection, 30:38 wrong resurrection. 30:41 You don't want to be in that one. 30:42 And if you spend time getting to know Jesus Christ, 30:45 falling so deeply in love with Him, 30:47 allowing the Holy Spirit to change and transform you, 30:50 you will be in the correct resurrection. 30:56 None. Now listen to this. This applies to all of us. 30:58 "None are so vile, none have fallen so low, 31:01 as to be beyond the working of this power. 31:04 In all who will submit themselves 31:07 to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life 31:10 is to be implanted." 31:12 This is great. 31:13 "The lost image of God is to be restored in humanity." 31:18 That's what God wants to do for you and me to restore 31:21 His image in you. 31:24 Think about this. 31:25 God, whatever is going on in your life, whatever, 31:28 nastiness, filthiness, violence, 31:29 whatever is going on now, God wants to restore 31:32 His image in you and He is capable of doing it. 31:38 He just needs a little cooperation. 31:41 You remember the disciples in Jesus, 31:45 they dock the boat there at the Gadarenes 31:46 and they get out the boat, they start walking up toward 31:48 the graveyard, it kind of shortcut 31:50 I guess to the city. 31:52 And on the way up out comes this screaming maniac. 31:54 I mean he is stark naked. He's been cutting himself. 31:58 He's bleeding everywhere. 31:59 May be he's been tattooing himself 32:01 and cutting holes in himself, all these things. 32:03 By the way you noticed that, 32:05 the closer we get to the end to time, 32:06 the more it seem like devil has control over everything. 32:09 The more people are cutting themselves 32:10 and tattooing themselves and doing all the crazy things, 32:13 that everybody... 32:14 You know I've been out 32:16 and seen the Messiah and interviewed 32:18 Messiah warriors and Messiah ex-witch doctors 32:21 and they have got the big old ears 32:22 that are hanging down till here 32:24 and they have got all these things, 32:25 but they have taken all their stuff off, 32:27 they have taken all the stuff and put it away 32:29 because now they have become Christians. 32:31 They are following Jesus Christ. 32:33 You can just see the world is separating 32:35 more and more and more. 32:37 And this man had broken every restrain, 32:39 every restriction. 32:41 He wanted nothing to hold him back. 32:44 And now, he comes running towards the disciples 32:46 and Jesus and man, they beat feedback to the book. 32:49 They are scared to death. They go wailing and screaming. 32:52 May be I don't know, just my part I added. 32:55 They get back to the boat, they turned around to see 32:56 where Jesus is. 32:58 He's not there. 33:00 They looked and He's clear back there, 33:02 He's clear back there. 33:04 And they finally stir up the courage 33:05 and they head back up that direction. 33:08 And what did they find when they get there, 33:09 is kind of amazing. 33:11 "And they come to Jesus, and see that He was 33:12 possessed with the devil, sitting and clothed, 33:15 and in his right mind." 33:18 Bible records, this man had 2,000 demons, 33:22 at least 2,000 demons in his life. 33:25 He couldn't even openly respond to Jesus, 33:27 but we're told through Sprit of Prophecy 33:30 that his heart yearned to have deliverance. 33:34 And every time he tried to say something to Jesus, 33:36 the demons would speak instead, 33:37 but Jesus read the intent of his heart. 33:40 Brothers and sisters, even if you can't speak, 33:43 God will read the intent of your heart 33:44 seeking for deliverance. 33:46 And God delivered this man. He cast out every demon. 33:49 And by the way there's nothing too hard for Jesus. 33:52 Two thousand demons, no big deal, no big deal. 33:55 You can't... 33:57 You cannot find a place in the Bible where God loses. 34:00 Not one time. God wins every time. 34:03 God is bigger than every problem 34:05 you've got going on in your life right now 34:07 or ever will have. 34:09 He's an amazing God. 34:11 We just need to keep our focus upon Him. 34:15 Now it says, He came there and He clothed. 34:18 He was naked. Where did he get the clothes? 34:20 Well, I like to think that Jesus took off 34:22 His outer garment and wrapped it around this man, 34:25 His own righteous garment. 34:27 And then says, in his right mind. 34:29 Well, what mind is that? 34:31 He's got the mind of Jesus Christ now 34:32 'cause he cast out everything of the devil. 34:35 Praise God. 34:36 This is the most beautiful example 34:38 of what God wants to do in, for and through each one of us. 34:43 The will... Listen to this. 34:44 Now this is, this is critical and key here. 34:46 "The will is the governing power in the nature of man, 34:49 bringing all other faculties under its sway. 34:53 The will is not the taste or the inclination, 34:56 but it is the deciding power, 34:58 which works in the children of men 35:00 unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience... 35:04 The will is the power of... What? 35:07 "Decision or choice." That's what the human will is. 35:10 It's our decision. It's our choice. 35:13 You see God on Calvary died to give us free choice, 35:17 to give us that free will again. 35:19 See, Adam and Eve gave it away. 35:22 They were totally under the devil's control 35:23 until God says I will come, 35:25 I will die as this little lamb has died. 35:28 And He gave us back choice. Now we can make the choice. 35:33 "It was from the Father that Christ 35:34 constantly drew the power that enabled him 35:37 to keep his life free from spot or stain of sin. 35:40 It was this power that enabled him to." 35:43 Do what? "Resist temptation. 35:47 Resist. 35:49 God will give us the power to resist temptation. 35:52 It's not a foregone conclusion. 35:55 Now you remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 35:57 Everybody talks about 35:59 the cross of Calvary and praise God. 36:04 The cross is amazing. 36:05 But it all started back in the garden. 36:08 All started back in the garden. 36:10 Jesus, young man in his early 30s. 36:12 What young man wants to die? 36:14 He came and said, Lord, Lord, here's my situation. 36:18 Devil is telling me that all my sacrifice 36:20 is gonna be worthless, 36:22 all of my disciples have already left me 36:23 and I can't see past the tomb. 36:26 I've never been separated from You in all eternity 36:28 and I can't see past the tomb. 36:32 I don't want to die. 36:35 But, look, what He says. 36:36 "Yet not My will, but Yours be done." 36:40 Jesus is our example. Jesus is your example. 36:45 "Not my will, but Yours be done." 36:48 When you yield up your will to Christ, 36:50 your life is hid with Christ in God. 36:52 It is allied to the power 36:55 which is above all principalities and powers. 36:57 You have a strength from God that holds you 37:00 fast to his strength." 37:02 It's all about God my brothers and sisters, 37:05 all about God. 37:07 Remember Matthew says, "And she shall bear a son 37:10 and you shall call His name Jesus, 37:12 for He shall save His people." 37:14 What? "From their's," Not in. 37:18 From, God wants to separate us from our sins 37:22 to as many as received Him, to them He gave power 37:25 to become the sons and daughters of God. 37:30 God will give us that power. 37:31 You know, they walked to Emmaus. Here's a real key. 37:34 We find, we find a lot in there about, 37:37 what's really going on? 37:38 Cleopas, he was kind of a distant disciple of Jesus, 37:43 but he saw Jesus crucified that day, 37:46 he and his buddy and all of his hopes, 37:48 everything in life were dashed, absolutely dashed. 37:51 And they are walking back to, 37:53 it may seven and half miles down the hill 37:56 and that's the way their life is, down hill. 38:00 And the stranger draws alongside, 38:01 he kind of blinds their eyes. 38:04 And he began sharing with them all the scripture 38:07 concerning himself. 38:09 And by the time they get home, 38:11 the sun has gone down, it's just about night time 38:14 and they are excited now, they are feeling pretty good. 38:17 And they invite the stranger, 38:18 please come in and abide with us. 38:20 Please come in and share with us. 38:22 And apparently the stranger is going to go on by, 38:24 but they pressed the invitation. 38:26 And he finally comes in and he sits 38:28 at the head of the table and like he done so often. 38:31 He takes the bread, He holds it up to bless it. 38:33 And they see the nail prints at his hand, 38:35 it's the Lord, He disappears. 38:37 Man, these guys, they are stuck now. 38:39 They push out the door, head up that rocks drove 38:42 road in the middle of the night and what did they say? 38:44 Did not our hearts burn within us 38:47 as he drew near to us. 38:49 I will submit to you. 38:51 You're not gonna have any burning 38:53 if you don't draw near to God. 38:55 If you don't invite Him to abide with you, 38:57 but if you invite Him to abide in your life, 39:00 you life will burn, your heart will burn just like 39:04 theirs did in that Emmaus road. 39:08 Spend that time with God. 39:10 Get to know Him as your very best friend. 39:13 But many will say to me in that day," 39:15 at the judgment time. 39:16 Lord, Lord! 39:17 You know, did we not prophesy in your name, 39:19 did we not through your name, throw out demons, 39:22 through your name do many wonderful works?" 39:25 This in Matthew 7, you know, 39:26 as a little vineyard of the judgment. 39:28 Jesus is going through the judgment books 39:30 and the church members come up. 39:31 And say, Lord, I've got a right to be there. 39:35 I've done all these things in your name, Lord. 39:37 I was a deaconess in the church. 39:38 I gave food to the poor. 39:41 Well, you remember that, 39:42 you remember that house I painted for the widow 39:44 and on and on and on. 39:46 I cast out demons in your name, healed the sick. 39:47 And Lord say, I'm sorry, what was your name? 39:53 I'm sorry, I never knew you. I never knew you. 39:56 And that, that no is very intimate 40:00 like Adam and Eve knew one another, 40:03 conceived a child, it's very personal. 40:06 Do you have a personal intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, 40:09 that's what gets you to the kingdom, 40:11 not your name on the church books 40:13 or your name on the church books 40:14 maybe an outward sign 40:16 of what's going on inwardly in your life, 40:17 but not necessarily. 40:20 You've got to have that friendship. 40:24 "I never knew you." 40:27 You do not want that said of you. 40:30 As long as we're here on earth we're going to have temptation. 40:33 But temptation, brothers and sisters, 40:35 we need to understand this, is not sin. 40:38 Temptation itself is not sin, 40:41 that only occurs when we accept the invitation. 40:44 Billy Sunday once said these words. 40:46 "Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. 40:49 Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in." 40:53 Big difference. You see the difference? 40:55 Huge difference. 40:57 That's what happened to, to Eve. 41:00 She hung around and she entered into that 41:01 conversation with the devil, it was all over. 41:03 She opened the door and invited him in. 41:07 And here where the whole planet is in a situation now. 41:10 "No man or no one can be forced to transgress. 41:15 His own consent must be first gained, 41:16 the soul must purpose the sinful act before passion 41:21 can dominate over reason 41:22 or iniquity triumph over conscience." 41:26 You see it's all again within our choice, 41:28 within our situation. 41:29 "Temptation, however strong, is never an excuse for sin. 41:34 Jesus knows how strong are 41:36 the inclinations of the human heart, 41:37 He will help us in every time of temptation." 41:42 He will help us in every time of temptation. 41:45 And when you have that binding bonded relationship with God... 41:50 Let me give you an example. 41:53 I'm at the supermarket. I love shopping. 41:55 I love shopping. I love reading every label. 41:57 I think about cooking, you know, 41:58 and doingall these cool things, 42:00 doing all the stuff. 42:01 But then I get up to the checkout counter. 42:03 Checkout counter is the most boring place. 42:05 You know and you're looking around. 42:06 And what do they have at the checkout counter? 42:08 I assume they have it here too, 42:09 the same as they do in the states. 42:11 All these magazines, right? 42:12 And in the states all these magazine 42:15 have scantily clad women. 42:18 Now, ladies, you may say, you know, 42:19 that's just a guy, yeah. 42:21 You're right. It is a guy thing may be. 42:25 And you're looking, wow. The first look is what? 42:29 Temptation. The second look is sin. 42:33 Now someone asked me, 42:34 what if I never take my eyes off 42:36 if it's only one look? 42:43 Let me share something with you. 42:45 One of the big study organizations checked out 42:52 men of faith and some of these 42:54 others big groups lately and checked out 42:56 the Seventh-day Adventist church within. 42:59 Within the church, worldwide, 43:01 not just the Adventist church, churches now, 43:04 pornography is a monster problem. 43:07 Like 50% to 60% of everybody has viewed 43:10 pornography within the last month. 43:14 The devil is trying to destroy us. 43:16 He wants to absolutely destroy us. 43:18 And if it comes on your computer, 43:21 close the computer, rip it out, do something, 43:24 ask God... 43:25 You will have the power if you spend so much time 43:28 with God in your life, when God is living there, 43:31 you will immediately turn away because you'd rather 43:33 die than knowingly commit a sin against your Lord. 43:39 But, man, I speak directly to you at the moment. 43:42 Pornography will kill your life, 43:45 it will ruin your everything, 43:46 it will ruin your marriage, it will ruin your family. 43:49 I had a friend, he worked in the church, 43:53 about 37 years old, 43:54 he's now serving 115 years in prison. 43:58 Thirty seven years old, the most talented young man 44:00 I ever knew and serving 44:02 in a high position in the church. 44:05 It all started, just a little bit 44:06 of pornography here 44:08 and then a little more and little more 44:09 and remember the little grain of sand here 44:11 and there and pretty soon you're suck so far down, 44:13 it seems like there is no way out. 44:15 There is a way out, it's Jesus Christ. 44:18 You grab or hold Him, get in the word. 44:19 Even if you don't like the word, 44:21 get in there and ask God to help you 44:23 in study and pray and help it to come alive for you 44:26 and it will change your life. 44:32 Peter, no, you know, Peter's situation. 44:37 Peter gets up there, 44:39 Jesus, they have taken him out of the garden 44:41 and now it's the inquisition time. 44:43 And Peter goes up, you know, 44:44 and he begins acting like he doesn't know 44:46 who, who this is at all. 44:48 And pretty soon he's cussing and swearing like 44:50 an old fisherman. 44:53 Why did Peter get in a problem? 44:55 I think it's because this text right there in "Mark. 44:58 He followed him from a distance." 45:01 If you follow Jesus from a distance 45:03 you will get into trouble. 45:05 You will eventually sin. 45:07 You will eventually have problems. 45:09 You may end up being out of the church 45:10 if you follow Jesus from a distance. 45:13 This is no time in earth's history to follow Jesus 45:15 from a distance. 45:17 But praise God when Jesus looked back 45:19 and He connected with Peter's eyes. 45:21 He saw no condemnation. I love that. 45:25 He saw no condemnation in the eyes of Jesus, 45:27 only, only hurt. 45:29 Maybe even shed a tear and it broke Peter's heart. 45:32 He ran out all the way back up to the Garden of Gethsemane. 45:35 And I like to think about... 45:37 What was Peter thinking at that time? 45:40 And I think well, may be he thought about this, 45:41 you remember. 45:44 You remember all the way up to the time 45:46 when Peter was in the boat, they thought it was Jesus. 45:49 And Peter said, Lord, if it's really you, 45:52 tell me to get out of the boat. 45:56 How many here would be so stupid as to just step out 45:59 of a good boat? 46:01 In a lake that water is boiling up 46:03 and waves are going everywhere. 46:06 But, the Lord says, yeah, come on out. 46:07 So Peter steps out of the boat and wow, 46:11 it's solid, it's solid. 46:13 He's feeling pretty good 46:15 and he turns around to his buddy, 46:17 say, you guys see me? 46:19 And what happens? 46:20 He turns back around, waves separating him and Jesus, 46:23 he took his eyes off at Jesus. 46:24 And what happens when you take your eyes off at Jesus? 46:27 You sink like a rock. You sink like a rock. 46:31 And, man, he is sinking like a rock 46:33 and he's crying out to God, Lord, save me. 46:35 And praise God, God will do that. 46:39 God will do that. He was right there. 46:40 He lifted Peter up. Now how many of you... 46:44 I always like to ask the young people, 46:45 but how many of you think that Peter swam 46:48 back to the boat that day? 46:50 Anybody? 46:52 Don't see any hands for swimming back to the boat. 46:55 How many think he walked arm in arm 46:57 with Jesus back to the boat? 47:00 Yeah. Amen. 47:01 He became a true water walker that day. 47:04 He realized where the power resided. 47:06 He was clinging to Jesus that day 47:08 and he became a water walker. 47:10 If you want to become a water walker, 47:14 cling to Jesus Christ. 47:16 You can walk above the problems in your life. 47:18 You can walk above the, all the turmoil, 47:21 all the situations in your life if you cling and hold arm 47:24 and arm with Jesus Christ. 47:25 I just can't stress that enough, 47:27 brothers and sisters. 47:29 When we live here in the last moments 47:30 of earth's history, the devil absolutely 47:32 wants to destroy you. 47:34 He wants to destroy you. 47:36 Let me, let me share a story with you. 47:39 And I'm going to deviate from where I was in things 47:42 but I was, I was in Africa and let see we're in Nairobi. 47:49 And I met this fellow that, 47:52 he had been a Seventh-day Adventist 47:53 his whole life. 47:54 Adventist his whole life as a young man, 47:57 but when he got old enough he told the parents, 47:59 I don't want to be an Adventist any longer. 48:02 He headed out. 48:03 And he said, I became a truck driver. 48:04 And as a truck driver he said, 48:06 I did all the things that truck drivers do. 48:08 And he didn't elaborate whole lot and I didn't need 48:10 to hear all the gory details. 48:13 By the way, young people, for those of you 48:16 and everybody who heard me last service talk about 48:20 my own personal life and all the things I had done 48:22 and everything and you know, never followed God and now 48:26 you know, hey, look at him, he's standing up preaching, 48:28 he doesn't look too bad. 48:29 So that means, I can just leave the church 48:31 and I can come back and well, it kind of means, 48:33 maybe I have to leave the church 48:35 in order to have a real experience. 48:37 No. Let me tell you something. 48:39 What you can't see is all the holes 48:41 that I've created in my life, all the pits, 48:44 all the bomb craters 48:46 that I have to continually walk around. 48:49 It's so much better if you follow Jesus Christ 48:52 from the moment of your birth, till the day you go to 48:55 heaven or die because you don't need to be worried 48:58 about all the bomb craters. 49:00 I could share garbage with you 49:02 and it still causes me troubles 49:04 because I had left the Lord's side 49:06 or never knew the Lord or whatever. 49:09 There's a huge difference. 49:10 So please, please, please, seek God, 49:12 stay with God your whole life. 49:15 But this young man he didn't. 49:17 And as a truck driver he always drove 49:19 from the west side of Kenya to the east side of Kenya, 49:23 and that man, he had to go through 49:24 Tsavo National Park. 49:26 Now, for those of you Google it, 49:28 don't do it right now, but it's TSAVO 49:32 and you can put in man eating lions of Tsavo. 49:35 Okay. Pops right up. 49:37 There's the man's eating lions of Tsavo. 49:39 He said, because of that we never wanted 49:40 to drive through there at night. 49:42 But the one time the company calls and you know, 49:45 we really need this load 49:46 through to other end of this country 49:49 and we need it now, we'll pay you big money. 49:51 Wow. Big money, that was the key. 49:55 So he and his partner, they jumped into the truck 49:57 and they are driving and matter of fact I think, 50:01 they were driving on the wrong side 50:03 just like you guys. 50:07 And so he's on the opposite side over here, 50:10 but same side as you and they are driving along. 50:13 And all of a sudden... 50:16 Truck quits. 50:18 Died, dead right there on the spot 50:21 and they are in the middle of Tsavo National Park at night. 50:24 He calls up the company. 50:25 The company said, well, you know 50:27 it's gonna be quite a while before 50:28 we can get to you, at least morning. 50:30 Okay. 50:31 So they roll up the windows of the truck, 50:33 turn on the radio. 50:35 On the radio there's a preacher. 50:37 Today is the day of salvation. 50:38 Today if you hear his voice hardened, 50:40 knocked your heart, reached over, 50:42 they didn't want to hear that, turn it off, 50:44 turn it off. 50:45 Well, they kind of sit there a little bit longer 50:48 and all of a sudden on Ruben side of a truck, 50:52 there's a big old male lion. 50:54 I mean that lion, you know, male lions, 50:56 450, 500 pounds. 50:57 He fills the whole side of the truck. 51:00 Little unnerve. Lion goes down. 51:04 Wanders out a little bit, comes up and stares in. 51:07 Now it's a mid-engine truck, so no hood in the front. 51:12 Stares in at Ruben, stares in at his partner 51:14 and then he gets back, he walks back, 51:16 walks back 20 yards back, meets with the female 51:19 and some cubs and they mingle around for a while. 51:22 He kind of looks and then he takes off, 51:25 and he's at a dead charge, he flies through the air, 51:27 smashes through the window, grabs Ruben's partner 51:29 right out of the truck and begins eating him 51:31 right on the spot. 51:32 Rubens partners is yelling, save me, save me, 51:34 and that's a come to Jesus moment for Ruben. 51:37 He says, Lord, please I'll do anything you want. 51:40 I'll serve you the rest of my life, 51:41 just save me. 51:42 And as his partner continues to scream... 51:47 and it just kept on, kept on, and Ruben said, 51:51 I lost every bodily function, I was so scared, 51:55 I continued to pray to God to help me. 51:57 He said, nothing I could do for my partner. 51:59 And finally everything is over and the lion comes back 52:04 and puts his paws upon the windowless vehicle now 52:06 and looks right into Ruben and then he backs up, 52:10 he backs up. 52:14 Charges again, just like he'd done before, 52:15 he flies through, 52:17 slams his paws upon the vehicles 52:18 and jumps upon the top, 52:21 where he goes to sleep all night long. 52:24 Now what I didn't tell you is, 52:26 just a few minutes earlier this vehicle, 52:29 as Ruben's praying God, deliver me, 52:32 drives up with the lights on and stops. 52:33 It never goes and the Ruben said, I thought, 52:36 I thought this woman was too scared 52:38 to drive on with the person. 52:41 Next morning the guys come, chased the lions away 52:45 and a little tiny lady, I mean real tiny. 52:47 Ruben's about six foot four. 52:49 This lady gets out of her car, wanders over the room 52:52 and pokes her finger in his chest, 52:53 looks at him and says, are you a Christian? 52:58 He says, well, I guess I am. She doesn't know him. 53:03 At least we don't think. 53:06 You need to go home and study and pray. 53:09 She turns and gets in her car and drives away. 53:12 I said, Ruben, who do you think that was? 53:15 Well, he says, I kind of think it was my guardian angel. 53:20 We kind of did too. 53:21 Now Ruben's been faithful to his calling. 53:23 He's a literature evangelist in Kenya now. 53:26 We bought him a motorcycle so he can, 53:28 he can travel around more. 53:29 But I want you to think about this. 53:31 The Bible says, God's word says, 53:33 the devil is as a roaring lion going around 53:36 seeking whom he may devour. 53:39 Seeking whom he may devour. 53:42 But I want to share one of the story 53:44 with you in closing. 53:45 I was down at Madagascar, met this lady, 53:49 that she grew up in a family in a home 53:52 where they openly talked and saw the demons. 53:55 This is not strange for some of these countries, 53:57 but openly talked and conversed just like 53:59 we're talking now with the demons. 54:03 She says, when I was old enough 54:04 the demon said, we'd like to make you a witch, 54:06 we'll give you great power. 54:09 Power sounds good. 54:11 Demon said okay, go down, 54:12 tomorrow we'll meet you at the river. 54:14 She went down to the river where she said, 54:16 she went under water for a day and a half, 54:17 I stopped the interview. 54:19 I said, what did you say? 54:21 I thought, certainly I missed something 54:22 in interpretation. 54:24 See, I went under water for one and half days 54:26 where the demons fed me. 54:28 She said, they gave me power, I could control lightening. 54:31 I could be shot with a gun, it wouldn't hurt me. 54:34 So one day the armies of the country 54:36 came to take over my village, 54:37 I created portions and kept the entry army away. 54:40 It was in all the national newspapers. 54:44 You see the devil at one time 54:46 was the fourth most powerful being in the universe, 54:51 but who's more powerful? 54:53 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 54:58 She said, after a while I made the demons mad, 55:01 I was sick, I couldn't get heal, 55:02 and I went to the doctor, I couldn't get heal 55:04 and one day knocking my door, two young ladies, 55:06 they dressed very nicely and said, 55:08 we represent the king of the universe. 55:10 We understand you're sick and we'd like to pray for you. 55:13 Well, so the demons haven't done anything for me 55:15 lately, go ahead. 55:17 They prayed for, she was healed instantly. 55:19 And then they shared more about Jesus Christ 55:22 and during the interview she stopped me and said, 55:24 Sid, can you help me? 55:25 I said, help you to do what? 55:27 Well, Sid, help me build a church. 55:28 She says, I have 100 people that I've shared about 55:30 Jesus Christ with. 55:34 Praise God. She was baptized. 55:36 I asked, I said, where there any problems 55:37 during your baptism? 55:39 Because I've heard that's a, you know, 55:40 I've seen actually, that's a real problem. 55:42 Sometimes the devil tries to drown 55:43 baptismal candidates in these countries. 55:46 No, she said, because the church prayed for me 55:49 and fasted for me for seven days. 55:51 When is the last time we prayed 55:53 and fasted for seven days? 55:55 She said, but the devil was so mad at me. 55:57 He came, when I came up out of the water, 55:59 my house was right near the river, 56:00 he burned it to the ground. 56:02 You know, she said, as soon as the ash is cool 56:04 they went kicking through the ashes 56:07 and I found my Bible. 56:09 I smelled it, it didn't even smell like smoke, 56:11 it hadn't been touched at all. 56:12 And said, because of that many people 56:15 in my village believed. 56:17 Brothers and sisters, God is more powerful. 56:19 I read my bible, cover to cover, God wins. 56:23 God wins. 56:25 Question is, will you be on the winning team? 56:28 Will you be on the winning side? 56:30 You can be, you can be because by simply choosing God 56:34 and putting your energy, 56:35 your focus in your life in God's direction. 56:40 It's deciding today rather than turn on the television today 56:43 and watch my favourite program, then I'll get into God's word. 56:50 It's rather than, than going to the football game 56:53 or something else, it's, I think I'll stay at home 56:56 and study God's word. 56:58 Get to know my God better 57:02 because that's where the power lies, 57:04 is in that friendship and relationship 57:06 with Jesus Christ. 57:08 How many of you today would like 57:10 to choose that relationship, 57:11 would like to choose that friendship? 57:13 Let me see your hands. Amen. Amen. 57:17 And if you're watching on television, 57:18 I invite you to choose this God. 57:21 Choose Him, join with Him, partner with Him 57:24 and come to a local Seventh-day Adventist church, 57:26 the family will accept you with open arms. 57:29 Let's pray together, shall we? 57:32 Heavenly Father, we desperately need You, Lord. 57:35 We need you so much. 57:37 We can't do it without You Lord, but with You, 57:40 we can do all things because You strengthen us. 57:45 You have pointed us to the way, 57:46 You have pointed us in the direction, Father, 57:48 and You've given us the roadmap, 57:50 Your holy word. 57:51 So please help us to follow you fully and completely. 57:54 Change this, Lord, You've seen everyone raised their hands. 57:57 You know the people at home that are watching this, 58:01 touch every single heart, Lord, and give us Your strength, 58:03 give us Your power and help us to be 58:05 with You in eternity. 58:07 Thank you so much in Jesus name, amen. |
Revised 2015-12-17