Participants: C.A. Murray
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000045
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00:22 Good afternoon, friends, and welcome once again
00:25 to the 3ABN Worship Center here in Thompsonville, 00:28 Illinois... southern Illinois. 00:30 If you're in the vicinity and you'd like to come by and 00:32 join us for this final meeting in the series of 00:35 The Winds of War, we surely do encourage you to come 00:39 and spend the day with us. 00:40 But if you've been tuning in from wherever you are 00:42 in the world, we welcome you once again. 00:44 And we have been blessed as we've discovered 00:46 that Pastor Murray has not been talking about wars 00:49 like World War I and the Vietnam War 00:52 and whatever war your country may have had. 00:54 But he's talking about the war that continues to rage 00:57 in our heart. This afternoon we pray that you will 00:59 set your mind on the day when there will no longer be 01:03 any kind of war. 01:05 And Pastor Murray is bringing that message to us entitled 01:08 War No More. 01:10 We were blessed this morning with the challenge of 01:13 how do we win the war? When War... Who? 01:16 or When War... How? Very unique titles. 01:19 But I encourage you to invite the Spirit of God to come 01:22 and to speak to your hearts as we once again 01:24 open our ears to hear what the Spirit has to say to us. 01:28 So before we introduce our speaker 01:30 let's go to the Lord in prayer. 01:32 Gracious Father, We thank you... 01:34 The blessing of the Word of God can never be estimated 01:38 in the natural sense. 01:40 But truly, Father, these spiritual seeds are being 01:42 planted to produce in us trees and fruits 01:46 for eternal life. 01:48 We pray that You will bless once again your manservant 01:50 Pastor C.A. Murray. Bring these words to life. 01:55 Give us the hope and the courage that we need 01:59 to not only hear but the strength to follow 02:02 and live out in our lives all that You intend for us to be. 02:06 And thank you, Father, that You promised that one day 02:08 there will be war no more. 02:11 We thank you in Jesus' precious name. Amen. 02:15 And now our speaker for this afternoon: Pastor C.A. Murray. 02:28 How quickly time flies. 02:32 Seems like we were just at the beginning of our sojourn 02:35 together and now we come down to the last presentation. 02:38 Want to thank Pastor John for sticking by me. 02:43 The brethren ran off and left me this week. 02:46 Everyone had something to do. 02:47 Pastor Jim is away preaching. 02:49 Danny is away speaking. 02:51 And this was one of the weeks when 02:55 Pastor John was in town. And so it was good to have him 02:59 sort of come on for me there. 03:05 We have been talking about war and drawing lessons from war. 03:11 My sister said the other day: 03:13 "Bet you can't go through those titles without looking. " 03:17 And, I assured her that I could. 03:21 What War... When? 03:23 When War... Why? 03:25 Why War... Who? When War... How? 03:28 War No More. 03:29 Very easy. 03:35 But this afternoon it's War No More. 03:37 And I would invite you to turn with me if you will 03:40 to Revelation chapter 20. 03:44 20th chapter of the book of Revelation. 03:49 And we will consider a fairly lengthy 03:56 passage of scripture - just verses 5 through 10- 03:59 in Revelation 20. 04:10 Gracious Father, again we call upon You 04:13 to be our teacher. 04:15 To mentor us as we seek to learn from Your Word. 04:21 We thank you already for what You have promised 04:25 to do whenever we open the Word of God in faith. 04:32 And so fail us not. 04:34 Teach us again we do pray. 04:36 And thank you in Jesus' name, Amen. 04:39 Revelation 20 verse 5. 04:43 I am reading from my New King James 04:47 and the words should be there on the screen just momentarily. 04:50 The Bible says: 06:19 Now before I leave this text 06:21 I want you not to get too hung up and afraid 06:24 or ashamed or chagrined by "forever and ever. " 06:28 That is not saying that they will be burning 06:32 forever and ever. One of the reasons we know that 06:35 is we jump back to verse 9: "fire came down 06:38 and devoured them. " Burned them up. 06:40 Forever and ever. The quickest way to translate that is 06:43 for as long as it lasts. 06:46 That is a sermon in itself that perhaps we ought to 06:48 just wrestle with one day. That's a good hour's worth of 06:51 Bible study. But it doesn't mean they're going to be burning 06:53 forever and ever because verse 9 says "they will be devoured. " 06:56 But they will be totally devoured. 06:59 The fire will burn as long as is necessary to do the work 07:03 that needs to be done. 07:05 Amen. 07:06 Now I want you to close your eyes for just a moment 07:08 and I want you to think about heaven. 07:15 You're thinking about heaven. 07:18 Now open them up and look at me. 07:21 Yeah, you're still here. 07:24 It occurs to me that when you ask someone to think about 07:27 heaven you really do them a disservice 07:30 because "eyes have not seen, ears have not heard. " 07:33 We don't really have a concrete idea as to what 07:37 heaven is like because there is simply nothing 07:40 to compare it to. 07:42 So we are reduced to thinking about the best thing 07:46 on planet earth and making it better... and that's heaven. 07:52 So if the best thing for you is ice cream, 07:57 then heaven is all ice cream. 07:59 I'm sure glad heaven is more than ice cream. 08:02 Amen. Amen? 08:04 If the best thing on earth to you is health and freedom 08:09 and not getting up in the morning with any aches or pains, 08:12 well that's a little more of the heaven that I want to go to. 08:17 But "eye hasn't seen; ear hath not heard. " 08:19 We don't really know precisely what to expect. 08:22 And that may be part of the excitement of the whole thing. 08:25 We're going to go to a place for which there is no parallel. 08:28 We've never seen it before. 08:31 We certainly have never experienced it before. 08:34 Likewise, if we were asked to think about 08:39 a world where there is no war, 08:42 that's a difficult thing for humans to imagine. 08:48 I was doing a little research the other day online. 08:51 And a number of historians, paleontologists, 08:55 archaeologists came together 08:57 and they have determined that in the last 4,500 years 09:03 of recorded human history 09:05 there have been 279 years of peace on planet earth. 09:10 279 out of 4,500. 09:14 We've been at war a long time. 09:19 I want to go to Revelation 14 for just a moment 09:23 because there is housed in that wonderful chapter 09:29 messages from the three angels. 09:33 Beginning at verse 6. 09:35 The messages of the three angels are solemn messages. 09:40 The messages of the three angels are warning messages. 09:45 The messages of the three angels are final messages. 09:52 The constitute the last and most urgent 09:57 of the warning messages given to God's people 10:01 in this truly lost and dying world. 10:06 Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake about it: 10:09 we inhabit a lost and dying world. 10:15 One of the television stations that my wife and I 10:19 have begun to watch since we got the new G9 dish 10:22 that 3ABN and all of the Adventist channels have moved to 10:26 is a station called Al-Jazeera 10:28 It's an international news station. 10:30 out of Dohar in Qatar or Qatar... depending on 10:34 which side of potato/potato you flip on. 10:37 Dohar, Qatar. 10:38 And they have a London bureau 10:41 but being an international station they cover 10:45 international news. 10:47 And we tend to watch a little of that each evening 10:50 because it gives you a view of the world that we live in. 10:54 And one of the things that you quickly realize 10:57 when you watch Al-Jazeera or any international news 10:59 station is that this planet is in trouble. 11:02 There's not a corner of the earth where there's not 11:05 fomentation and aggravation 11:07 and drama and trauma and bloodshed 11:11 and war and killing and death and cheating 11:15 and treachery across the globe. 11:17 What must it be like to be God and daily have to watch 11:21 the drama and the death and the trauma that this world 11:26 is going through. 11:29 Truly this world is lost and dying. 11:35 And it is very difficult for we humans - 11:38 even converted Christians - to drink in the reality 11:43 of the times in which we live. 11:47 It seems very hard for us 11:50 to maintain the readiness 11:54 and close contact and connection with God 11:58 that these times demand. 12:00 The hour, ladies and gentlemen, is very late 12:04 and Christ is coming very soon. And yet 12:08 it seems almost impossible for God's people to focus 12:13 on that and to stay focused on that. 12:16 It's very easy to lose our focus and forget 12:19 the times in which we find ourselves. 12:23 So that first angel gave a stirring message. 12:26 "Fear God 12:29 and give glory to Him 12:32 for the hour of His judgment is come. " 12:38 Amen? 12:39 "And worship Him who made heaven and earth 12:43 sea and springs of waters. " 12:45 "Fear God... give glory. " 12:48 This is not a suggestion... it is a command from God. 12:51 It is time to fear God, respect God, 12:54 and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth. 13:01 And in these last days that command is both corporate 13:06 and personal. 13:10 The corporate aspects stand out much clearer 13:13 in the second and third angel's messages, but all three 13:17 are corporate message and personal message. 13:20 Make no mistake about it: these messages demand... 13:23 they demand attention and response from God's people. 13:26 These are not messages that you can ignore. 13:29 I am so glad that when the Lord impressed Danny Shelton 13:34 to start this network He gave him the title 13:38 Three Angels Broadcasting. 13:41 That's right up there with Seventh-day Adventist 13:46 because it speaks a message. 13:47 It's a message that comes from God. 13:49 Now there are other... there are other... 13:51 There's Trinity Broadcasting Network and other kinds 13:53 of networks. But Three Angels Broadcasting 13:57 speaks a message just like Seventh-day Adventist 14:00 speaks a message every time you call it. 14:04 That didn't come from a man... it came from God. 14:08 For indeed "Babylon has fallen" 14:13 and we must come out of her. That's the corporate reality 14:18 that there are systems of worship that are bankrupt. 14:23 That's the reality: 14:26 that every system of worship is not the same. 14:30 The truth is that there are individuals 14:35 who are worshiping God but they are doing so 14:39 in ways that are unacceptable to Him. 14:43 Now that sounds very bigoted in this pluralistic society. 14:47 Because the world we find ourselves in today 14:51 is conditioned to accept everybody and everything. 14:54 I've had pastors say to me: "Well that's your truth... 14:58 this is mine. " 15:01 "And when last I looked, pastor, truth is truth. 15:05 Not your truth and mine. " 15:07 And all 33,000 Christian denominations can't be right. 15:11 Somebody's got to be wrong. 15:14 Either the train is on the track or off the track. 15:20 Either the Sabbath is crucial and important or it's not. 15:26 And I remind you, ladies and gentlemen, we serve 15:29 a particular God. Amen. 15:31 We're coming to that toward the end of this message. 15:34 God is not a slip shod, half-hearted, 15:38 do-it-any-kind-of-way God. God is VERY particular, 15:42 and when He says one in seven He means one in seven. 15:46 And when He designates which one in seven 15:48 either He means it or He doesn't. 15:51 Either it is important or it is not. 15:55 If He gives you ten commandments 15:59 all ten are important. 16:01 Amen? 16:04 If I'm towing your car with a ten-link chain 16:07 and the chain breaks at link number four, 16:12 is it broken? 16:14 Can I pull you? 16:18 If it breaks at link number nine, is it broken? 16:22 Can I pull you? 16:25 Donna? 16:31 If the chain is broken, it's broken. 16:37 Doesn't matter what link because in order for the chain to work 16:43 all links have got to function. 16:46 And if it breaks at link number four or number one 16:49 or number ten or number nine doesn't matter... 16:52 I can't pull you with a broken chain. 16:57 So our God is very particular. 17:00 He is very, very particular 17:03 and the truth is: everybody cannot be right. 17:07 Now that's a fact, Jack. 17:15 And even in this pluralistic age everything is not OK 17:20 and everything is not acceptable to Him. 17:22 Now that is not... that is not a commentary 17:25 on any Christian or anybody's Christianity. 17:28 It is a commentary on worship systems that God has said 17:33 are bankrupt. 17:35 They're not acceptable. 17:37 Now there may be honest Christians in them. 17:40 That is why the call comes: "Worship Him 17:44 in Spirit and in truth. " 17:49 And if you're in a system that is teaching or preaching 17:53 something that is unlike God, you've got to "come out" 17:58 and follow the truth because so much of the Christian world 18:03 prizes tradition over truth. 18:08 The Catholic bishops went into conclave. 18:12 Stayed in 18 years 18:15 and in 1558 at the Council of Trent they came out and said 18:18 "tradition is equal to truth. " 18:24 And the Catholics accepted it and Protestants accepted it. 18:28 And now we believe if you can do something long enough 18:31 and get enough people to do it it's gotta be right. 18:36 But that's not the Word of God. 18:39 Tradition cannot trump truth. 18:44 Doesn't matter how many people believe it, 18:46 truth will always be truth. 18:52 And so many people refuse to study for themselves. 18:57 You know II Timothy 2:15: 18:59 "Study to show thyself approved. " 19:02 Sit down in front of the TV. Open up your head and let 19:06 some televangelist pour in truth? 19:09 Study it for yourself. 19:11 The secular world is godless and ranges from mildly intolerant 19:16 or mildly tolerant to apathetic to openly hostile 19:19 against the things of God. 19:21 And much of the religious world Ellen White tells us 19:24 is in a spiritual stupor. 19:27 They rely on the comfort of familiarity 19:32 and of tradition. And a lot of people think and I've heard it 19:36 "If you've got a guy who has 30-40,000 people listening 19:40 to him every week, he's got to be right! " 19:47 I want to say something but it may not be kind. 19:50 Let me say it this way: 19:54 Everybody loves a circus. 20:00 Amen? 20:03 Everybody loves a show. 20:06 But worship is not a show. 20:09 Worship is an affirmation of a connection between man and God. 20:16 And if we look at the Bible history 20:18 the majority has never been right. 20:23 God doesn't deal with neither is He impressed by 20:29 the majority. 20:32 Many don't want to know 20:37 and so they just don't know. 20:41 Many don't care because the cost of caring 20:45 is just a little too high 20:47 and is more than they're willing to pay. 20:50 I've had two pastors that I've studied with. 20:53 One, the pastor of a large Methodist church. 20:56 Studied the Word of God together and after we were done 21:00 he said: "Murray, I've got to ask you a question: 21:06 how much money do you make? " 21:10 So I told him. He said: "Oh. " 21:14 "Does the church buy you a car? " 21:18 I said: "No. " 21:21 Said: "Oh. Does the church pay for your house? " 21:26 "No. " "Ooh. " 21:31 "Does the church buy you a boat? " 21:34 "No. " 21:37 He said: "Oh. " He said: "Well I'll tell you frankly... 21:43 I like your doctrine but I can't take that pay cut. " 21:49 What he told me! 21:50 Brian, he told me: "I love your message; 21:54 can't take that pay cut. " 21:56 He said: "I'm making $92,000. " 22:00 This was in the 80's. 22:02 "I get a new car every 18 months 22:05 and give the old one to my wife. 22:07 My church is paying for my house 22:10 and they just bought me a new boat. " 22:16 Told me it was about a 36-, 40-footer. 22:19 Cabin cruiser, sleeps 6. Two screws, flying bridge. 22:23 I said: "Wow! My church bought me a TV set. " 22:32 He said: "I love your message but I can't take the pay cut. " 22:35 So he turned his back on God. 22:38 But I did baptize his associate pastor. 22:44 Amen. 22:46 So some don't care because the cost of caring 22:52 is a little more than they are willing to pay. 22:55 II Peter chapter 2 verse 5. 22:57 says that there are some who are "willfully ignorant. " 23:03 They don't know because they don't want to know. 23:09 And there are some who have settled down in ignorance. 23:11 I remember being on a certain Christian network 23:16 before I came to 3ABN. 23:18 And we were supposed to be talking about my book 23:20 and the pastor tried to embarrass me. 23:23 And, um, he read half of a text 23:28 and he sort of sat up on the chair and said: 23:31 "So what about that? " 23:35 And after I got myself composed I said: 23:38 "You only read half the text. 23:40 You read the other half... 23:42 your answer is in the other half of the text. " 23:46 And I said: "Anyway, how many times is that text that you're 23:51 referring to in the Bible? " He said: "Oh, hundreds. " 23:54 I said: "No... just once. " 23:57 Said: "You know where it is? " 23:59 He couldn't think of that. 24:01 I said: "Well here is where it is and here is what it means. " 24:05 Study to show THYSELF approved. 24:09 So some don't know because they don't want to know. 24:14 Some don't know because the cost of knowing is too high. 24:18 Some don't know because they simply preach and teach 24:22 what they have heard... 24:24 what tradition teaches them. 24:29 Ellen White says in Selected Messages page 443 24:33 that "ignorance is inexcusable. " 24:37 Did you know this? 24:39 We are told that one of the things we're going to be 24:41 judged on is the stuff that we could have known 24:47 and should have known but were too lazy to know. 24:53 Um-hmmm. 24:56 You could have known it and should have known it 25:01 but you were watching Gunsmoke. 25:09 God knows. Bibles collecting dust on coffee tables 25:14 while we're looking at our iPads, iPods, iPhones, 25:18 yada, yada, yada. 25:23 Ignorance is no excuse. 25:26 The world must know and God's people must know 25:31 and we must teach them. 25:36 The warning must be sounded 25:38 inside and outside of the church. 25:42 You know, Dick O'Fill, Richard O'Fill, 25:44 said something last month... We were at a Summit together 25:47 with Pastor Stephen Bohr. 25:49 He said something very intriguing. He said: "You know, 25:52 so many of us spend a wonderful Sabbath with the Lord 25:58 and sit in heavenly places. 26:01 Then we go home, turn on the television, 26:05 and crawl right back into the gutter. 26:09 Isn't that interesting? 26:11 He said: "Spend a little more time with Jesus. " 26:14 Take the time to spend with Jesus 26:18 and a little less time polluting our minds 26:22 with the things that the world has to offer. 26:27 Spend a little more time with the Lord. 26:32 Ellen White says: "Our Christian experience ought not to be 26:37 a ceaseless round of sinning and repenting. " 26:40 We wonder why so many times our Christian experience is 26:43 up and down and up and down and up and down 26:46 and up and down 26:47 and why so many times we lose focus on the things of God. 26:53 The Bible says: "The hour of His judgment IS come. " 26:59 True worship is not something you just do in church. 27:05 True worship is a lifestyle. 27:10 True worship is a 24/7 experience 27:14 that includes corporate worship. 27:18 But true worship is something you do with your life. 27:21 II Peter chapter 3 verse 11 says 27:25 in speaking about the times of the end: 27:42 Amen? 27:43 What'd you ought to live like? What'd you ought to be like? 27:46 What'd you ought to act like? What ought you to do 27:50 with your life? The tenor of the times 27:53 and the lateness of the hour demand attention 27:57 from God's people. 27:59 Luke 21:34 says: 28:20 King James say, I think, "unawares. " 28:23 In other words, God is saying "Heads up, ladies and gentlemen. 28:29 Be aware of the times. Don't get so concerned with the 28:33 things of this life that you forget Jesus is coming soon. 28:38 I was looking at my friend and fellow director 28:42 here at 3ABN. We were all so pleased. 28:45 A couple years ago I married Robert and Nadia. 28:49 Now Robert and Nadia have this gorgeous little baby. 28:51 He's a director here. 28:52 And they were in the back of the church this morning. 28:56 And everybody is looking at the little baby 28:58 and she's such a cute little child and she's gorgeous. 29:01 Looks like Nadia... not like Robert. 29:06 And it's very easy to get caught up in stuff like that. 29:10 We have grandkids, and grandkids are fun. 29:13 They are the ultimate present. 29:14 You can play with them, have fun with them, and as soon as you 29:17 get tired you send them back home to their parents. 29:19 What could be better than that? 29:22 But we can get caught up in these things, can we not? 29:25 Children and grandchildren and parents and children 29:29 and car notes and house notes and mortgages and repairs 29:34 and clothing and food. And all of these things 29:36 which are necessary and not bad in themselves 29:40 and yet the Bible is saying: "Don't get so caught up 29:43 in these things that you forget the times which you find 29:46 yourself because one day, like it or not, 29:49 ready or not, believe it or not, 29:50 Christ is coming. Amen. 29:54 So we've got to live in the reality, the expectancy 29:57 of that time: the fact that Jesus is coming very, very soon. 30:02 "Take heed to yourselves 30:04 lest that day come upon you unexpectedly. " 30:09 There are people on earth today - even Adventists - 30:14 who think they have more time than they really have. 30:21 And the truth is that the last movements 30:25 will move and fly with lightning rapidity. 30:30 Lightning speed. 30:32 Look at Revelation chapter 13. 30:34 We are told that this nation will one day speak as a dragon. 30:39 And things are happening, ladies and gentlemen, 30:41 in this world that we never believed could happen. 30:43 I used to wonder: "How are we going to get the word 30:46 into the Soviet Union? " 30:48 The Soviet Union no longer exists. 30:51 There's no such thing as Soviet Union 30:53 and now the gospel is in Russia. 30:55 We know because we carry it there 30:58 and others carry it there. 30:59 How are we going to get the gospel into some of these 31:01 Arab countries? Some of these countries which are so locked 31:04 down and so closed up? And in the last several months 31:07 we've seen this Arab Spring take off. 31:10 And now dictatorships that are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years old 31:15 no longer exist 31:18 and opportunities are being made for the opening of the gospel. 31:22 God is going to move things and open things 31:25 and open things up, and God's people have to be ready 31:29 to go in with the gospel and do the work that God has called us 31:31 to do. And there's not going to be a lot of time to get it done. 31:35 You've got to know what you believe and be ready 31:39 to give a reason for the hope that is within you. 31:45 So Revelation 13 says that this country will speak like 31:47 a dragon, will repudiate its heritage, 31:51 withdraw freedoms and cherished rights from its own people. 31:57 We're going to be compelled to fall in line 32:02 under the pretext of either national security 32:05 or some other pretext. But things are going to change 32:08 and we will have to know Him 32:12 in whom we have to believe. 32:14 We cannot draft on the faith of others... 32:16 you've got to know it for yourself. 32:18 You cannot have the Bible on your iPad... 32:20 it's gotta be in your head. 32:26 Knowing our faith and being able to defend it 32:31 will be crucial in these last days. 32:37 One day each of us will be called to give a reason 32:41 for the hope that is within us, 32:43 and I pray that we'll be ready on that day. 32:50 The answer cannot be: "I forgot my iPad. " 32:54 "Forgot my iPhone. " 32:57 "Forgot my iPad. " 32:59 The Bible says the Word's got to be hidden in your heart... 33:04 right here. Amen? 33:07 Everybody's going to be tested. 33:12 Armageddon is the corporate cosmic culmination 33:17 of the age-old struggle between good and evil, 33:20 right and wrong, error versus truth. 33:24 But I submit that each of us in a greater or lesser way 33:30 will be brought to our own personal Armageddon 33:33 and experiences where our stand for the right 33:38 will be sorely tested and we will have to make a decision 33:42 not in a closet but before kings, priests, 33:46 and princes. 33:47 And my fear is that we may not be ready. 33:51 My prayer is that we will all be. 33:55 Ellen White indicates in the Great Controversy page 608 34:01 that some saints are going to spend some time in jail. 34:07 Some saints are going to spend some time before magistrates. 34:13 Some saints are going to spend some time hidden in forests. 34:17 There is coming a time, she says, when: 34:32 Standing up for Christ 34:35 is going to be treated like treason. 35:03 All that live in Christ will suffer persecution. 35:58 Amen? 35:59 We're going to have that same test. 36:01 We're going to have that same set of trials. 36:03 We are going to have to fight through as they fought through. 36:08 All that live godly shall suffer 36:14 persecution. 36:18 This is my fear: that I, we, particularly in this country 36:23 may not be ready for severe trial. 36:28 Let's look at this sobering statement. 36:30 I'm in Great Controversy 609. 36:36 Sorry, 610. 36:38 610. 37:04 So when you step out for Jesus you pick up at least one enemy. 37:09 Amen? And as long as you're on Jesus' side 37:12 he's going to be there. 37:14 She says: "Evil men and angels will try to tempt you out. 37:17 And if that doesn't work, Satan will use raw force, 37:21 threats, insults, and suffering. " 37:24 First he'll try to trick you out. 37:26 Then he'll try to entice you out. 37:28 And if that doesn't work, he'll try to just force you out. 37:31 He'll use your friends; he'll use your family members; 37:35 he'll use anybody he can. 37:37 You know there are people in this church today right now 37:39 who are suffering silently for their faith in God. 37:43 Family members have turned their backs. 37:45 When my mom became a Seventh-day Adventist 37:47 her family said: "Hm-mmm, not going to have it. " 37:51 And they just stepped back. 37:54 That's not a single incident. 37:56 There are many whose families have said: "We don't want you 37:58 in that faith, and as long as you're there 38:00 we're not going to support you. " 38:03 Praise God Christ says: "When mother and father and 38:06 family and friends desert you, I'll be your family. " 38:13 So he turns friends, family members, co-workers. 38:19 We must be prepared to stand for Christ 38:23 at all costs. 38:26 It is hard for us to think that things will get that bad. 38:29 And yet the Bible tells us it will be that way 38:33 before Christ comes. 38:34 We can go where we please now. 38:36 We can do what we want now. 38:38 We can worship as we please now. 38:40 It's difficult to see a time 38:42 when freedom-loving people will not be able to exercise 38:46 their faith, and yet that time is coming. 38:53 I'm reading now from Great Controversy, 610. 38:58 Ellen White says: 39:12 Praise God! Christ is holding things back now. 39:40 Amen... Amen. 39:45 Their lifestyles say that. 39:54 Amen? 39:55 The devil's got some in there; so does God. 40:01 Ellen White says that "the Advent Message of 1844 40:07 was the first angel's message. " She called it "a glorious 40:10 manifestation of the power of God. " 40:13 It had its flaws; it had its mistakes; 40:15 but it turned men's hearts toward heaven. 40:19 Then one of my favorite passages: 40:24 Great Controversy page 611. 40:26 This is something that God's people need to hold onto. 40:50 Isn't that a powerful statement? 40:52 I want to be part of that. 40:55 I don't know how much longer I have on planet earth. 40:59 I'm not an old man... I don't feel like an old man. 41:01 Hopefully I don't act like an old man, Pastor. 41:04 But I want to be a part of that loud cry. 41:08 I want to be a part of that great manifestation. 41:11 You know, it's funny. When I was colporteuring... 41:13 I'm not a good colporteur. If I had to live selling books, 41:16 I would starve to death. Can't do it. 41:18 People have certain talents. 41:21 Selling books door to door is not my thing. I tried it. 41:23 Had to do it in school before we could get our degree 41:25 so I spent a summer. I first of all would starve to death. 41:28 I'm a sucker... I use that term for every story. 41:30 I want to sell you a book. You say to me: "I don't have the 41:32 money. " I'm going to give you the book. 41:33 Well that means you've got to take the money out 41:35 of your pocket. 41:37 And I remember once going up on this porch. 41:40 There was a lady there, and I wanted to get a... 41:44 I had given her the book and she said: "Come back next week 41:47 to get the money. " And I came back the next week 41:51 and she had an attack cat on her porch. 41:56 This wasn't an attack... this was an attack cat. 42:00 Big, thick, furry, mountain lion-looking cat. 42:04 And as I went up on the porch it would raise up and... 42:07 This was an attack cat. I've never seen a cat that vicious. 42:11 And I said: "Lord, You've got to get me in that house 42:14 'cause I need this money. " And my,... 42:16 You know, your group leader said: "You've got to 42:19 collect this week. " 42:21 And this... hissing... and just an attack cat. 42:25 I said: "Lord, how'm I gonna... how'm I gonna? " 42:29 You know, this cat is backing me up. 42:32 Grown man, a college student, basketball player. 42:34 Six foot tall; 170+ pounds 42:38 and this little ball of fur is backing me down. 42:44 And I had to wait the cat out. 42:47 Finally he got bored and went away. 42:50 I sat there an hour waiting for that cat to leave. 42:54 I said: "I will starve to death trying to sell books 43:00 for the Lord. " 43:01 And yet that text says 43:06 God is going to send a power to finish the gospel 43:10 like He did on the Day of Pentecost. 43:12 I want that power. 43:14 I want to be part of that. 43:15 I want to see miracles wrought like never before. 43:18 I want to be there when the earth is lighted with the glory 43:22 of the third angel's message. When men and women 43:25 hear and know and understand to keep the Sabbath day. 43:28 I want to be... I want to see that with my own eyes. 43:31 More than that, I want to be part of that. 43:35 The work is not going to close with less of a manifestation 43:38 than when it began. I want to be a part of that! 43:45 But Satan will not stand idle. 43:48 He's not going to stand by and see us work unfeathered 43:54 or unfettered, rather. 43:56 We are going to experience a time of unfettered evil 44:00 as never before that will attend the unfettered power 44:04 of the Lord. I'm in Great Controversy 613 now. 44:06 Great Controversy 613. 44:36 This is crucial. 44:40 Satan's going to throw this world into chaos 44:44 in one last attempt to trip up the people of God. 44:48 You know, I ran out of time the other night. 44:50 Didn't get a chance to tell you. You need to read 44:53 Early Writings. I think it's page 147 44:57 where Ellen White gives this vision. She saw Satan. 45:00 She saw him sitting with his head resting in his hand 45:05 just thinking. And she described the vision. 45:08 She says he's a large-framed angel. 45:12 She said his skin hung loosely from his face. 45:16 She said he still bears the mark of a superior being 45:21 because he is an angel, but she says you can see 45:23 what sin and evil has done. How it has carved itself 45:26 into his features. 45:28 She said he was thinking about Christians. 45:33 Then she says an evil, Satanic smile came across his face. 45:39 And she said that's the smile that he gets 45:43 just before he claims another saint. 45:49 Just before he destroys another soul 45:52 that's the smile that he gets. 45:55 Don't think that Satan is going to stand idly by 45:58 and watch God do His work. 46:04 In Great Controversy page 620 she says: 46:45 Now I want to put my finger there 46:46 You hear what she's saying? 46:48 If you think you can sneak by with a little something 46:54 you're opening the door to your own defeat. 46:58 Every sin must be confessed. 47:01 Every sin must be forsaken. 47:05 Little things and big things must be put away 47:10 and we must be spotless if we're going to stand 47:14 in that final battle. 47:16 It is Satan's plan to think: 47:18 "God's not that particular about little stuff. 47:20 So I get mad and blow up. 47:24 I'm a Christian 99% of the time. 47:26 I'm fine... " when ALL must be surrendered to Him. 47:30 Even the little things. 47:32 And if we don't check the little things, we are opening the door 47:36 to our own defeat. 47:39 Now let me pick it up where I left off. 47:45 That's me. That's Pastor Lomacang. 47:48 That's Pastor Steve. That's every deacon, 47:51 every deaconess. That's John Dinzey. 47:53 That's Danny Shelton. That's Mollie Steenson. 47:56 That's Shelley Quinn. That's Jim Gilley. 47:59 That's the General Conference president. 48:01 That's everybody who is in a position of trust and honor. 48:22 Huh? 48:24 So when you get to be pastor, elder, deacon, 48:27 church treasurer... The higher your position 48:31 the more God calls upon you to follow Him. 48:40 So if you've got a high position, you've got to be 48:43 closer to God because Satan's comin' after you. 48:58 When the winds blow and the storm comes 49:01 it's too late to start working on your character. 49:05 You do it now so that when the wind comes 49:10 and the storms blow your character is already set 49:13 and fixed on Jesus Christ. Can you say "Amen? " 49:18 And the more God gives you, the more He expects from you. 49:22 Huh? 49:51 They used to say: "Get it now while the gettin' is good. " 49:56 Get it now while it's possible 49:59 because if you wait till the time of trouble 50:01 it's going to be too late. 50:06 So you see why I keep saying 50:09 "Examine yourself; examine yourself; examine yourself; 50:12 examine yourself. " 50:13 Take a look at your own works 50:15 and make sure of where you stand. 50:18 Our time is getting away so I've got to make 50:20 a couple of quick turns. 50:22 Revelation 16:13. 50:23 Revelation 16:13. 50:25 I'm not going to read it all... just refer to it. 50:28 "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs... " 50:31 I cannot read this text at all without thinking about my pastor 50:33 and unclean spirits. But... "I saw unclean spirits 50:36 like frogs... out of the mouth of the dragon, beast, 50:40 false prophet. " Satan, paganism, spiritualism, 50:44 and its ecclesiastical arm an apostate Protestantism. 50:49 The world is whipped up into a frenzy for the spiritual 50:53 showdown called Armageddon. 50:56 It is a spiritual showdown between the forces of good 51:00 and evil. So don't look for tanks and guns 51:02 and battles in the Middle East. This is a showdown 51:05 right and wrong, good and bad, good versus evil. 51:11 There may be and will be a physical manifestation 51:15 because people are involved. 51:18 Don't look for a rebuilding of Jerusalem. 51:20 Don't look for a regathering. 51:23 Look for a battle between good and evil, 51:28 and in rapid succession we see a number of things happening. 51:33 Seven vials, seven bowls being poured out. 51:35 The dissolution of Babylon the Great. 51:38 The second great call... that call of the second angel 51:43 repeated in Revelation 18 just like it was in Revelation 14. 51:48 And then we move to Revelation 19 51:50 and we see a great multitude 51:52 called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 51:55 Here's where I want to pick up the story. 51:59 At the coming of the Lord, there will be four classes of people 52:03 and I've got just 5 minutes to get this done. 52:05 There will be first of all righteous dead. 52:09 When Christ comes, you're going to fall in 1 of the 4 classes. 52:12 You'll be righteous dead, unrighteous dead, 52:15 unrighteous living, or righteous living. 52:20 Three of those are taken care of in I Thessalonians 4:16-17. 52:48 Now... New King James on the screen, 52:52 my head is a King James head. So you'll forgive me? 52:55 When I did my memory it was in King... 52:56 I think you're like that too, Pastor Lomacang. 52:58 You know, you start out learning the King James 53:00 and it's hard to get that King James out of your brain. 53:04 So we dealt with righteous dead, righteous living. 53:08 We're going where? 53:10 Going with Jesus. 53:13 II Thessalonians 2:8 deals with the third class: 53:18 unrighteous living. 53:20 "And then the lawless one will be revealed 53:24 whom the Lord will consume with His breath 53:27 and with the brightness of His coming. " 53:29 So there's going to be a group of people who are not righteous 53:32 who are not ready and don't want to see Christ coming. 53:35 They'll be slain by the brightness of His coming. 53:39 Paul is targeting in that particular text 53:41 actually when you look at it he's targeting 53:43 a religious system. But when you read the ensuing verses 53:47 it goes for those unrighteous living also. So... 53:49 if you're righteous living, you are running to Jesus 53:56 but you've got to get in line behind the righteous dead 54:01 because they rise first. 54:06 If you are unrighteous and living, 54:09 you'll be slain by the brightness of His coming. 54:12 That leaves just one group: 54:14 that's the unrighteous dead. You follow me? 54:19 That's where the story is picked up 54:21 in Revelation where it says "the rest of the dead" - 54:25 we're in Revelation 20, 54:27 our reading for the beginning of the message - 54:30 "lived not again until the thousand years were passed. " 54:37 Time does not afford for me 54:41 to give you the complete scenario. 54:44 Safe to say one of the things we're going to do during that 54:47 thousand years is look over the books and ratify 54:51 and certify that all the things that God said and did 54:54 were just. Then the new earth is coming back down here 54:59 because this is going to be the permanent home. 55:02 At that point the rest of the dead are resurrected 55:07 and Satan goes about to deceive. 55:13 They think they can take the city 55:16 because of their numbers and because there's no reason 55:20 for them not to because there's absolutely no Holy Spirit 55:23 working now. This is under the total control of Satan. 55:26 Then the Bible says "fire comes down and destroys them. " 55:31 And ladies and gentlemen, just that quick 55:34 it's over! 55:37 It is. 55:39 Just that quick. 55:45 Then there will be a new heaven and a new earth 55:49 in which dwells righteousness 55:55 and sin will never rise again. 56:01 It's done... once and for all 56:06 and it will never come back again. 56:12 I long for that time. 56:16 I long for a time when everybody can get along. 56:21 When there's no anger, no malice, 56:25 no hate, no temper tantrums, 56:30 no lying, no stealing, 56:34 no covetousness, no death. 56:38 no dying, no aging, and no more tears. 56:44 It'll all be over! 56:48 We'll be with Christ. And I don't know about you, 56:52 I've got a million questions to ask Him 56:55 so you may have to get in line behind me. 56:59 I've got a lot to ask Him 57:02 but I've got a million years to ask them. 57:06 Amen? Amen. 57:08 And there will be truly 57:12 war no more. 57:19 Are you excited about that day? Amen. 57:21 Are you preparing for that day? 57:24 Are you doing all you can? 57:28 For that day is coming. |
Revised 2014-12-17