The Midnight Cry

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: TMC

Program Code: TMC000011A


00:19 From night to night Dona Klein has seen to it
00:22 that we have enjoyed just the best in music
00:25 during The Midnight Cry series.
00:27 She has talked with musicians across this land
00:31 and invited them to come and share with us.
00:33 And tonight is no exception.
00:36 Those of you that are watching by satellite
00:38 you are familiar with the music of Pam and Jimmy Rhodes.
00:42 And we are thrilled that they have come this weekend
00:45 to share their music ministry with us.
00:48 They're here tonight, and they're coming again
00:50 in their own way. Please welcome again...
00:52 Well, here they are: Jimmy and Pam Rhodes.
00:56 Glad you're here.
01:01 As I sing this little song
01:04 think about the time when Jesus became real to you.
01:17 I went down to Mexico
01:21 to have a little fun.
01:24 To hang around, see the town,
01:28 and lie out in the sun.
01:32 As I walked along one evening
01:35 just outside of town
01:39 I saw the little chapel
01:42 and I heard a pretty sound.
01:46 Curiosity carried me
01:49 in to stay for a while
01:53 and I heard things I hadn't heard
01:57 since I was a child.
02:00 They sang about God's saving grace
02:04 right there in that little place...
02:07 I found Jesus down in Mexico.
02:14 I know that I
02:18 never shall forget
02:21 all the pretty things I saw in Mexico, and yet
02:28 the most beautiful and precious
02:31 ever told
02:35 was salvation that I found
02:38 in Mexico.
02:50 I may never see that little
02:53 Spanish town again.
02:57 But I'll always think of it
03:00 as when my life began.
03:04 Every day I'm lifted up
03:07 just knowing that I'm loved.
03:11 I don't have to worry
03:14 about life way up above.
03:18 I'm depending on God's power
03:22 to keep me safe through every hour.
03:25 Eternity is beautiful to me!
03:32 I have a better life, I know,
03:36 I tell it everywhere I go:
03:40 I found Jesus down
03:42 in Mexico.
03:47 I know that I
03:50 never shall forget
03:54 all the pretty things I saw
03:57 in Mexico, and yet
04:00 the most beautiful and precious
04:04 ever told
04:07 was salvation that I found
04:11 in Mexico...
04:14 I found salvation down in old
04:18 Mexico...
04:21 I found salvation
04:23 down in old Mexico.
04:42 Those of you at home will have the opportunity
04:44 of enjoying the music of Dona Klein and Jimmy Rhodes.
07:26 I said to you on last evening
07:28 that Pastor Cox has preached this wonderful series
07:31 around the world.
07:34 And we are fortunate that we here in North America
07:37 and other places have the privi- lege of hearing these sermons.
07:41 He's here again tonight to pre- sent an all-important subject,
07:46 one that you don't want to miss. If you're watching
07:49 by satellite now, please let them know that the time
07:52 has come for the evangelist to come and tell you
07:55 a little about the features that are coming, and then
07:57 shortly after that he will have the message for the evening.
08:00 But join me now and let's welcome Evangelist Kenneth Cox.
08:04 Tomorrow night our subject is The Everlasting Covenant.
08:09 What would it mean to you... what would it mean to you
08:14 if God was to say to you
08:17 "If you will follow Me, if you will obey My voice,
08:22 then I will be your God
08:25 and you will be a special treasure to Me
08:29 above all the people of the earth. "
08:32 Would that mean anything to you?
08:34 Well tomorrow night we're going to take a look at this covenant
08:38 that God wants to make with you. A special covenant.
08:41 This is a very very important meeting because God has
08:45 great things He promises in this covenant that He wants
08:49 to make with you. So tomorrow night you'll want to be here
08:52 for that. Tonight we're going to take a look at the subject:
09:00 We hope that that will be a subject that will
09:03 help you understand your relationship to God;
09:07 help you as you walk with Him day by day.
09:11 And I'm sure that you'll be blessed in a special way
09:14 if you follow carefully as we talk about
09:16 Why Don't They Just Tell The Truth?
09:18 You see, when you take a look at this old world
09:23 and all the things around us
09:25 and all the things that clamor for our attention
09:29 let me tell you, friend: there's only one person
09:33 that can satisfy your soul.
09:35 Things of this world won't do it.
09:39 Education won't do it.
09:41 Only Jesus can satisfy your soul.
09:45 Listen as Pam and Jimmy Rhodes bring us that beautiful song.
10:01 This world will try to satisfy
10:07 oh, that longing in your soul.
10:12 You may search this wide world o'er
10:17 but you'll be just as before.
10:22 You'll never find true satisfaction
10:27 until you find the Lord.
10:32 Only Jesus
10:35 can satisfy your soul.
10:42 Only Jesus
10:46 can satisfy your soul.
10:52 Only He can take your life
10:57 and make it whole.
11:01 He'll give you peace you never knew,
11:06 sweet love and joy
11:09 and heaven too...
11:11 only Jesus
11:15 can satisfy your soul.
11:22 If you could have fame and fortune
11:26 and all the wealth you could attain,
11:31 yet if you didn't have my Jesus
11:35 you see your living would be in vain.
11:40 There's going to come a day when death will call you;
11:46 riches will not help you.
11:50 Come to Jesus...
11:53 only He will satisfy.
12:00 Only Jesus
12:03 can satisfy your soul.
12:09 Only He can take your life
12:14 and make it whole.
12:19 He'll give you peace you never knew,
12:23 sweet love and joy
12:26 and heaven too...
12:29 only Jesus
12:32 can satisfy
12:35 your soul.
12:46 Only Jesus
12:50 can satisfy your soul.
12:55 Only He can take your life
13:01 and make it whole.
13:05 He'll give you peace you never knew,
13:10 sweet love and joy
13:12 and heaven too...
13:15 Only Jesus
13:19 can satisfy
13:23 your soul.
13:44 Heavenly Father, tonight
13:48 we just simply come to You
13:51 asking that You will fulfill Your Word
13:55 that says that the Holy Spirit
13:58 will lead and guide us into all truth.
14:02 Bless us tonight.
14:04 We ask that our hearts may be open
14:07 that the Holy Spirit may have access
14:11 and that each one of us may see and understand
14:15 the relationship that Jesus desires to have with us
14:19 and that we all might rejoice
14:22 in the salvation that we have in Him.
14:25 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen.
14:37 We live in an age...
14:40 we live in an age in which there is not
14:45 a great lot of emphasis placed on telling the truth.
14:51 In fact, I'm sure that all of you
14:53 some time or other have been in an airport
14:58 and you had a plane to catch.
15:03 And some reason the plane is delayed
15:08 and you have been told all kinds of things
15:12 other than what was actually the truth.
15:16 Sat on the runway for two or three hours
15:19 and they tell you well there's just bad weather or something
15:21 somewhere. But it'd just be great if we
15:25 were just told the truth.
15:28 Seems that there's not a great emphasis
15:31 on telling the truth such as this one:
15:39 You know? Why don't we... you know...
15:43 state the truth? Or even in advertising
15:47 when they put advertising and they tell you
15:50 "Oh, cigarettes won't hurt you. "
15:53 No, they won't hurt you... they'll kill you.
15:57 OK. We just... We don't put much emphasis
16:01 on telling the truth and yet the Lord
16:04 puts great interest on telling the truth.
16:08 Makes it extremely important that we know the truth.
16:11 The Scripture tells us here in John 8 verse 32, it says:
16:21 So the Scripture says that if you know the truth
16:24 the truth is what will set you free, friends.
16:27 And I can assure you that is absolutely true!
16:32 To know the truth will set you free.
16:36 That's what the Lord wants to do for you and I.
16:38 And He has given us certain ways by which we can know
16:43 the truth. The Scripture has laid it out very clear.
16:47 We don't have to be in doubt as to what the truth is.
16:50 Jesus said in John 14 verse 6:
17:05 So Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life...
17:09 and if you want to know truth...
17:13 if you want to know truth, then look at the life of Jesus
17:17 because His life is truth
17:20 and in Him you can find truth.
17:22 It also says in John 17:17, it says:
17:31 So dear friend, this Book is truth.
17:34 And when I say it's truth it is not relative truth
17:40 it is absolute truth.
17:42 From cover to cover in this Book is truth
17:46 in every respect of the word.
17:48 There are some people that don't understand it
17:52 and they wrestle with it and they have a hard time
17:56 understanding God's Word. There's a reason for that.
17:59 And let me tell you what that reason is:
18:01 this Book... this Book here will harmonize
18:05 all the way through.
18:07 There are people that never understand the truth
18:11 because they try to build a belief on one text.
18:16 You cannot build a belief on one text.
18:20 You can't be like the fellow... He was... his way
18:24 of trying to find inspiration for the day
18:27 was he would get up in the morning had he would take
18:29 his Bible and let it fall open
18:31 and the first text his eyes fell on well that was his inspiration
18:35 for the day.
18:36 And so this particular morning he got up
18:38 and opened his Bible up. First text his eyes fell on
18:42 said: "Judas went and hung himself. "
18:45 You know, wasn't really very inspirational
18:49 so he closed his Bible up and let it fall open again.
18:52 And he looked at it and it said: "Go do thou likewise. "
18:54 You see, you don't build a belief on one text...
18:58 doesn't work that way.
19:00 And people who many times never understand the Word of God
19:04 because they build a belief on one scripture.
19:08 You can't do that. Secondly,
19:10 Paul and Moses will never disagree.
19:15 Never! Moses and Matthew will never disagree.
19:21 Daniel and John will never disagree.
19:25 That Bible will harmonize from Genesis to Revelation.
19:30 Therefore, if you read something over here
19:32 in the Old Testament and it doesn't harmonize
19:35 with what's taught in the New Testament
19:38 then dear friend you need to keep studying!
19:42 Follow me? You need to keep looking
19:44 and it will harmonize all the way through.
19:47 Those are principles in understanding truth.
19:51 It also says in the 119th Psalm
19:56 verse 142... it says:
20:08 In other words, the law of God is truth.
20:11 So tonight if you want to know what truth is,
20:14 if you want to see what truth is,
20:16 then look at Jesus Christ,
20:19 study the Scripture,
20:21 and look at God's law... and in those three things
20:24 you will find truth. No question about it.
20:28 And the Bible says the Holy Spirit will lead you
20:30 into truth. It will guide you and lead you into exactly
20:34 what truth is. So tonight we want to look
20:37 at what the Scripture says about truth.
20:40 There are three very very special words in the Scripture.
20:47 Three words that you need to put down in your mind
20:51 that have very very special meaning.
20:54 One of those words is the word hallowed.
20:58 That word is not used very often in Scripture.
21:02 In fact, that word is used only 22 times in the Bible
21:07 when it says hallowed.
21:09 What does that word mean?
21:12 It means to make something holy.
21:15 OK? Remember what it says here:
21:28 Holy... holy is Your name. That's what it's saying.
21:32 "Hallowed is Your name. "
21:35 So that means something that's made holy.
21:37 Do you know what makes something holy, folks?
21:40 Do you know what makes something holy?
21:43 Well do you remember the time when Moses was up on the
21:45 mountain he saw this bush burning?
21:47 And you remember he got close to it
21:49 and the voice said: "Moses, take off your shoes
21:53 'cause the ground you're standing on is holy. "
21:57 What made that ground holy?
22:00 Presence of God!
22:02 That's what makes something holy.
22:04 So he said: "Make sure... understand
22:07 that that is special... it's holy to God. "
22:10 The other word is sanctified.
22:13 That word sanctified is used
22:16 forty times in the Bible.
22:19 The word sanctified has a very special meaning.
22:23 And it says in John 17 verse 19:
22:34 The word sanctified simply means to be set apart
22:39 for sacred purpose.
22:41 That's what the word sanctified means.
22:43 It means that object, that person
22:46 has been set apart for a sacred purpose.
22:51 Timothy talks about it.
23:08 That means set apart... he's a vessel of honor.
23:11 Set apart for what?
23:14 Huh? Set apart for the Master's use.
23:18 That's what he's set apart for.
23:19 "And useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. "
23:23 So when it uses that word sanctified
23:26 it means that has been set apart.
23:31 OK... the other word is blessed.
23:33 Now that word blessed is used numbers of times:
23:37 it's used 307 times in the Bible.
23:40 Uses the word blessed.
23:42 And that means that God has put a special blessing
23:46 on something. And I'll give you an example
23:50 when it talks about a blessing that God has put on it.
23:53 You remember the case of Joseph?
23:55 You remember he was sold
23:58 to the caravan of Ishmaelites that had bought him.
24:04 Sold him and they put him on the auction
24:07 and you remember Potiphar bought him. You remember that?
24:11 You want to see what happened because of Joseph?
24:14 This is what the Scripture says happened:
24:44 Well what does it mean when it says He blessed
24:47 his house? Huh? What did that mean?
24:51 What did that do for Potiphar?
24:54 Nothing? Didn't do anything for him?
24:59 Or did it do something for him?
25:01 You'd better believe it did something for him.
25:08 It meant he prospered; he prospered wonderfully
25:12 because God blessed it.
25:15 OK... so when God says something is hallowed,
25:19 something is sanctified, and something is blessed
25:23 you'd better believe that has special meaning.
25:25 And when God blesses something, folks,
25:28 it doesn't change. Watch:
25:50 So I mean, he said: "You blessed it, Lord,
25:53 it will be blessed forever. "
25:55 There are not very many places in the Scripture
26:00 where it uses all three words for something.
26:06 Now I know of one place in the Scripture
26:09 where it uses two words.
26:12 You can find it in the book of Revelation
26:14 where it speaks of two words. Revelation 20 verse 6:
26:33 So the Scripture says that these people are blessed
26:36 and they're holy. OK?
26:41 Now friends, I know of only one place in Scripture
26:47 that it uses all three of those.
26:51 Only one place where it applies
26:53 blessed, hallowed, and sanctified
26:57 to one particular thing.
27:00 Look at it with me and let me tell you something:
27:02 when God says: "Listen, this is blessed;
27:05 this is hallowed; this is sanctified"
27:08 you'd better put it down
27:11 and you'd better put it down for sure
27:13 that that is special to God.
27:16 OK? Listen carefully:
27:38 All right... now this is God speaking.
27:40 God blessed and sanctified the seventh day...
27:52 Let's continue on...
27:58 So here it's talked about the Sabbath
28:00 and it says it is blessed,
28:03 it is hallowed,
28:05 it is sanctified. I don't find anything else
28:10 in the Word of God that it gives those 3 words to.
28:15 And when you and I take that particular day
28:19 that God said: "Listen, I'm blessing this day;
28:21 I'm hallowing this day; I'm sanctifying this day"
28:24 and attach no importance to it
28:27 then dear friend, let me tell you something:
28:29 God does.
28:31 God places GREAT importance upon that day.
29:17 I mean, that day as far as God is concerned
29:22 is special. It has been sanctified.
29:26 That means it has been set apart.
29:30 It has been hallowed.
29:32 That means God's presence is in that day.
29:36 And it has been blessed, and it means that God will prosper you
29:41 if you will follow Him in keeping it.
29:44 That's what it means!
29:46 And God will not fail. Never!
29:50 'Cause He took that day and He said: "It has very
29:53 very special meaning to Me. "
29:58 You see, if it's been sanctified,
30:01 it's been hallowed,
30:03 it's been blessed,
30:05 it's been set aside for sacred use.
30:09 That's what it's set aside for.
30:11 And God expects you and He expects me
30:15 to use it for sacred use.
30:18 You say: "Does it make any difference? "
30:21 "Does it really make any difference whether I do
30:24 or whether I don't? "
30:25 I want you to listen to something and you decide
30:28 whether it really makes any difference or not.
30:31 Jerusalem... you're looking at Jerusalem.
30:35 You're seeing the Dome of the Rock.
30:38 Listen to what the Scripture says in relation to
30:41 this question of the Sabbath.
30:43 Now listen. I'm talking about the Jewish nation.
30:46 I'm talking about Jerusalem; I'm talking about this city
30:50 in relationship to the Sabbath.
31:20 Now this is God's instruction to them.
31:22 He said: "Listen, take the Sabbath.
31:25 Set it aside. Don't carry a burden on the Sabbath.
31:29 Don't work on the Sabbath as I have told your forefathers.
31:33 Hallow it! "
31:35 You want to see what would have happened
31:37 if they would have done that?
31:40 I'm talking about does it carry any consequences
31:43 if I do it... what difference would it have made?
32:02 They said: "Nah... we're not going to do this. "
32:07 What would have happened if they would've?
32:10 This is what would've happened if they would've.
33:09 Huh, huh... I can tell you, dear friends,
33:12 when God blesses and God hallows
33:16 and God sanctifies something
33:18 you'd better believe that is tremendously important to God.
33:24 And He says: "Listen, I will bless you
33:26 marvelously if you will follow what I say...
33:30 if you'll just do what I say. "
33:32 "I'll care for you; I'll bless you in a special way. "
33:36 Blessed! We found out the bless- ing means God would prosper you,
33:41 right? "Blessed is the man... "
33:55 When God says: "You want to be blessed? "
33:58 "You want God to care for you and bless you in a special way?
34:03 Then be faithful in keeping the Sabbath. "
34:07 That's what He's telling you.
34:08 It makes a great difference to Him.
34:13 Why? 'Cause Jesus... Jesus says
34:18 that He - HE - is the Lord of the Sabbath.
34:34 Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
34:36 Why would Jesus be Lord of the Sabbath?
34:39 Why would it say that He, Jesus Christ,
34:43 is Lord of the Sabbath?
34:46 When I first gave my heart to Jesus Christ,
34:50 accepted Him as my Savior,
34:51 and I began to pick up the Bible and read it,
34:56 I came across something.
34:59 And when I came across that and began to understand it
35:02 the whole Bible just began to open up like a new book
35:05 and I began to understand things I had never seen before.
35:09 I want to share just a few texts with you
35:11 because it has to do with Jesus being Lord of the Sabbath.
35:14 It says in John 1:1:
35:38 All things were made through Jesus Christ.
35:44 Are you with me? That's what the text is saying.
36:04 So Jesus Christ the Scripture says
36:06 is the One that created this world.
36:08 He's the One that made it.
36:09 Let me give you a couple other texts about that.
36:37 So the Scripture says clearly that Jesus
36:40 was the One that made the worlds.
36:42 Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
36:44 One more text... Colossians.
37:10 So Jesus Christ is the One who made this world.
37:16 All right... Now apply what you just learned.
37:33 Is that talking about God the Father
37:37 or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?
37:42 Who created the world?
37:44 Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is Jesus that created this world.
37:48 Therefore, it was Jesus Christ that gave the Sabbath.
37:53 'Cause He is the One that rested and gave the Sabbath.
37:57 So that's the reason it says that Jesus is
38:00 "Lord of the Sabbath. "
38:10 So Jesus Christ is the One that said: "Listen,
38:14 I created this world... made it all.
38:18 And for you to remember... for you to remember
38:22 that I'm the One that made the world,
38:25 I'm the One that made you,
38:27 I'm taking this day and I'm sanctifying it
38:32 and I'm making it holy
38:33 and I'm blessing it so you will remember
38:36 that I'm the One that made this world and I created you. "
38:41 That's what God is telling you;
38:43 that's what God is saying to you, dear friend.
38:45 He's the One that made it.
38:47 Therefore, when you and I take a look
38:50 at this question it says:
38:56 Jesus Christ rested from all of that.
39:07 Now OK.
39:10 He said to you and to me, Jesus is talking
39:14 and He says here in Mark 27... 2:27...
39:17 He said to them:
39:26 Well, what He was saying He said: "I made that
39:29 Sabbath to be a blessing to you. "
39:32 That's what Jesus said. He said: "Listen,
39:34 I'm making that Sabbath to be a blessing to you. "
39:36 And let me tell you tonight: if you keep it,
39:41 if you follow the Lord and keep the Sabbath,
39:44 He promises in this Book, and He won't fail...
39:48 He will not fail; He promises in this Book
39:50 that He will bless you. Promises that.
39:54 That if you will just follow Him and keep His Sabbath.
39:59 But He made the Sabbath to be a blessing
40:02 to you and to me.
40:05 He made it as a day of rest.
40:08 A day in which you and I
40:12 are to rest from physical labor.
40:26 So God rested and refreshed. He made it
40:29 as a day in which you and I are to cease
40:33 physical labor.
40:37 God says: "Don't labor on the Sabbath...
40:40 you are to rest. "
40:55 So the Lord says: "I want you to take that seventh day
40:59 and I want you to set it aside. It is to be a day of rest...
41:03 physical rest. "
41:05 Not only that, dear friend,
41:07 it's to be a day of spiritual rest.
41:14 You say: "What do you mean spiritual rest? "
41:17 Well, let me tell you something:
41:20 I know some people who keep... well, I shouldn't say they keep
41:24 the Sabbath. They think they keep the Sabbath...
41:26 let's put it that way. 'Cause I know some people
41:30 who, when it gets close to the time of the Sabbath,
41:33 they try to get ready for the Sabbath. You know?
41:36 You know what I'm talking about?
41:38 They're going to get their house clean and all the dishes done
41:41 and all this kind of stuff.
41:43 And they go after that and they get all that done
41:45 and by the time the Sabbath comes
41:47 nobody can live with them they're so out of sorts.
41:50 That's not Sabbath-keeping. You want to understand me?
41:53 It's not the way you keep it.
41:55 Yes, I need to get ready for the Sabbath
41:57 but I must get ready spiritually.
42:01 I must get ready spiritually.
42:04 Let me tell you a little bit of what's involved
42:07 in resting spiritually.
42:46 You see, what I'm trying to tell you tonight
42:49 is salvation...
42:51 salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.
42:56 Salvation is not found, friends, in what you can do.
43:02 It's not found in your ability.
43:05 It's not found in how good you are.
43:08 It is found only and completely in Jesus Christ.
43:11 And so when that Sabbath comes around
43:15 I must learn to rest
43:17 totally and completely in Jesus Christ.
43:22 When you learn to turn everything over to Him
43:28 and rest in Christ Jesus
43:30 then you're really keeping the Sabbath.
43:35 That's what it's talking about.
43:48 What are you going to rest in?
43:52 You've got to rest in what Jesus Christ has done for you.
43:57 That's what you rest in.
43:58 You don't rest in your works;
44:00 you don't rest in your ability.
44:02 You rest in what Jesus Christ has done for you.
44:13 So when I come to the Sabbath every week
44:16 and that seventh day rolls around
44:19 and I'm approaching the Sabbath day
44:21 the Scripture tells me "cease your labor,
44:27 stop your work. "
44:28 But it also says: "Kenneth Cox, stop! "
44:33 Think about it. Understand that it's resting in Jesus Christ
44:39 and what He has done for you that you find salvation.
44:44 That's what the Sabbath is about.
44:45 That's what it's to teach you.
44:47 That's what it's to teach me.
44:49 The Sabbath, the Scripture says:
44:54 That's what it was set aside for.
44:57 Not only was it a time that I was to rest
44:59 but it's a time that we are to worship God.
45:04 Acts 13:42, and there may be some of you here tonight
45:09 that are saying: "Oh, Brother Cox,
45:12 that Sabbath, that was given for the Jewish people. "
45:16 Well, if you think it was given for the Jewish people,
45:19 then you need to take a look at this Scripture.
45:22 Listen to what it says here:
45:43 These aren't Jews asking for the Word to be preached to them.
45:46 It's Gentiles! They're saying: "Paul, preach to us
45:50 the next Sabbath. "
45:52 You'd better believe it was given to the Gentiles.
46:07 They preached to them. Watch what takes place
46:10 here... what happens:
46:20 These are Gentiles! They poured out
46:23 on the Sabbath to hear the Word of God preached.
46:26 That promise about the Sabbath, dear friends,
46:29 is given to you. And God says: "Listen,
46:33 if you will honor Me, if you'll keep My Sabbath,
46:38 if you'll set it aside,
46:40 I'll bless you, I'll bless you in a special way. "
46:44 That's a promise that God gives to you...
46:46 gives to me.
46:49 In fact, the Scripture even tells you that you're
46:52 going to keep the Sabbath in heaven.
46:56 Now if you're going to keep it in heaven, friend,
46:59 wouldn't it be well to start keeping it here?
47:02 This is what it says... Isaiah 66:22:
47:18 So it says that as a new heavens and a new earth
47:22 so shall your name remain.
47:24 And it goes on in Isaiah and it says:
47:27 "From one Sabbath to another and from one new moon to another
47:32 all flesh shall come to worship before Me saith the Lord. "
47:36 God tells us very clearly.
47:39 It says that you and I are to meet together
47:42 on the Sabbath. It says:
47:57 So He says as you see the Sabbath approaching
48:00 that you need to worship God. The Sabbath was given
48:03 as a time of worship.
48:06 You see, Jesus Christ took that Sabbath
48:11 and He blessed it, He hallowed it, and He sanctified it
48:16 because He said: "This is special time
48:20 I want to spend with you. "
48:22 That's what it is!
48:24 It's special time that God wants to spend with you.
48:27 And dear friend, when you say: "Ah, doesn't make any
48:30 difference" and you go on about your own way
48:32 and you pay no attention to it,
48:34 that's very very special time that you're giving up
48:38 that you could have spent with Jesus
48:41 'cause He set it aside for that.
48:45 Isaiah 58:13.
48:48 I've told you as we've gone through from night to night
48:51 there are certain texts in the Bible that I've told you
48:53 you need to highlight, underline, and so forth.
48:56 Well this is one of them.
48:57 OK... Isaiah 58:13:
49:03 That means trodding it under- foot. That's what it means.
49:05 Don't trod it underfoot.
49:13 God says, you know, "Stop forgetting about Me
49:16 and going about and doing your own thing. "
49:18 All right?
49:37 In other words He's saying: "Don't treat that day common.
49:40 This is not a day when you're to do your own thing. "
49:43 Said: "Don't treat it that way. "
49:45 Watch what He says He will do for you
49:48 if you will treat that day special:
49:58 You want to delight yourself in the Lord?
50:00 Do you want the Lord saying to you:
50:02 "I'm very very pleased with you? " OK?
50:15 That's blessings, folks.
50:17 He said: "If you'll just do that,
50:19 I will abundantly bless you in a very very special way. "
50:37 That's a promise that's given to each one of you
50:41 if you will spend some time with the Lord.
50:45 You say: "Well Brother Cox,
50:47 can I really know which day is the Sabbath? "
50:51 "Is that possible? "
50:53 "Can I really know which day is the Sabbath? "
50:55 Absolutely you can know which day is the Sabbath
50:58 without any question of a doubt at all.
51:03 You don't have to be in the slightest doubt about it.
51:06 To begin with, languages.
51:24 In German their word for Wednesday is?
51:29 Anybody tell me?
51:31 Mitwoch.
51:33 You know what that means? That means middle of the week.
51:39 Now if Wednesday is the middle of the week,
51:42 let me see you find any other day
51:45 but Saturday be the last day of the week.
51:49 We don't have to be in doubt at all.
51:51 You take something as simple as the Jewish people.
51:54 I mean, here you have a group of people
51:56 that have kept the Sabbath in a sense
52:01 since God gave it all the way down through time.
52:04 Their calendar that hangs on their wall
52:07 still is clear as to exactly when the Sabbath is.
52:10 It falls every week on Saturday, friends.
52:14 We don't have to be in doubt as to which day is the Sabbath.
52:20 Your calendar, the calendar that hangs on your wall,
52:24 clearly tells you that the seventh day is Saturday.
52:29 You don't have to be in doubt about that.
52:32 But you can do away with the calendar.
52:34 You can do away with all those things
52:36 and you and I still don't have to be in doubt.
52:38 All you have to do is take a look
52:40 at the death of Jesus Christ
52:44 and it will tell you clearly
52:46 which day is the Sabbath. Listen:
52:57 So it tells us that the day on which Jesus died
53:03 was the day before the Sabbath.
53:05 We call that day Good Friday.
53:10 That's the day that He died on.
53:12 It was called The Preparation Day.
53:15 Watch as Luke continues:
53:39 OK... they rested on the Sabbath.
53:41 That's the next day.
53:43 That's the very next day: Saturday, the Sabbath Day.
53:48 Watch as Luke continues.
53:50 He doesn't leave you in any doubt.
54:08 They came to the tomb on the first day of the week.
54:12 Jesus was not there... He had risen, right?
54:15 And we refer to that day, we call that day...
54:24 We call that day Easter Sunday,
54:27 the first day of the week.
54:30 Now folks, if I know which day
54:34 is the day that Jesus died on
54:37 and I know which day He rose on,
54:40 do I have any trouble knowing which day is the Sabbath?
54:43 None at all.
54:45 Scripture is perfectly clear on this.
54:49 No question about it.
54:57 Only the Sabbath Day... no other day.
55:02 Therefore, what I'm trying to tell you tonight
55:08 is God has taken one day of the week
55:13 and He's put His blessing upon it.
55:17 Let me illustrate it for you.
55:19 Let's say I have seven glasses of water up here.
55:23 All the glasses are just exactly alike
55:28 and the water in the glasses is all just exactly alike.
55:34 They're all the same.
55:37 When I come down to the seventh glass
55:41 God said He did something special with it.
55:45 He blessed it, He hallowed it, He sanctified it.
55:49 So if I come down to that seventh glass
55:52 and I put some concentrated juice in it
55:58 and I bless it. I take it, hallow it,
56:03 sanctified it, is it like the other six?
56:06 No... never will be, friends.
56:08 You see, the Sabbath... God's not asking you now
56:14 tonight folks... God's not saying to you
56:18 "Make the Sabbath holy. "
56:21 He's not asking you to do that.
56:22 God's the One that makes the Sabbath holy.
56:24 He tells you and I to keep it holy.
56:27 Only day we can keep holy
56:29 is the one that God made holy.
56:32 That's why that day is special.
56:35 That's why that day is different.
56:37 That's why God is inviting you
56:40 to keep that day special.
56:43 And He says: "If you will do so,
56:46 I will bless you in a special way. "
56:48 The Sabbath is a very very special time
56:53 that God has set aside.
56:59 Holy Sabbath Day
57:04 of rest,
57:08 by our Master
57:12 richly blessed.
57:17 God created
57:21 and divine
57:27 set apart
57:30 for holy
57:33 time.
57:41 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.
57:42 Father, we thank you...
57:46 thank you for Your interest in us,
57:50 asking us, Lord, to keep the day that You've blessed,
57:54 that You've hallowed, and You've sanctified.
57:57 Bless each one here tonight.
57:59 May they find this very special time with You.
58:05 And we pray that each one of us
58:08 may be able to rejoice with You in heaven
58:11 because we've given our hearts to Jesus Christ.
58:14 For this we ask in His name, Amen.


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Revised 2019-03-13