Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000060
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00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from Puerto Rico.
00:21 Good afternoon and welcome again to the house of God. 00:24 We are at the beautiful, and I do say beautiful, 00:27 Bella Vista Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:29 on the mountain here in Mayaguez Puerto Rico. 00:32 And we have had a wonderful time in the Lord 00:36 preaching and singing and praising His name. 00:39 We come now to the last of our five meetings 00:43 in this Anchors Of Truth series that we have called, 00:46 Growing In Christ; growing up in Jesus. 00:50 And we are so happy that our audience has joined us here at 00:54 Bella Vista, and those of you who are watching 00:56 from around the world. 00:57 We have a bit of a change. 01:00 Listed on your program for this afternoon was 01:02 our founder, Danny Shelton. 01:04 But he has succumbed and is under the weather a little bit 01:07 and had to cancel. 01:09 And so we asked our friend, Pastor Lomacang, to sort of 01:13 pinch hit and, as it were, be our ram in the thicket to stand 01:17 in the gap and bring us the message for this afternoon. 01:20 And he graciously consented to do so. 01:25 The title of his message is, One Thing. 01:27 And so we are thankful that Pastor Lomacang 01:30 has become a missionary volunteer. 01:34 The term we use to use years ago; the MV. 01:38 Those of you who are in my age bracket will remember that term; 01:40 missionary volunteer. 01:41 Well, he's the missionary volunteer for this afternoon. 01:44 His wife, Angie, is smiling. She's also in that age bracket. 01:47 She knows MV also; missionary volunteers. 01:50 So he is the preacher, the missionary volunteer 01:53 for this afternoon, and he is going to be preaching 01:57 on the title, One Thing. 02:00 It is my privilege to ask to join me on the platform 02:03 Lori, oh let me see this, Leduc-Cruz. 02:07 I hope I got that right. 02:09 If you'll come and join me, we're going to ask her to 02:10 bring our prayer for this afternoon. 02:13 We certainly want to start this service with a word of prayer. 02:17 As we talk to the Lord, I ask you now to join me and Lori 02:20 as we talk to the Lord. 02:24 Let's bow our heads in prayer. 02:27 Our Father in heaven, Your people have come together 02:31 united today to praise Your name. 02:34 We want to thank You for giving us life. 02:37 We want to thank You for giving us the privilege 02:39 of being Your children. 02:40 But most of all, we want to thank You for the 02:43 gift of salvation. 02:45 Dear Lord, this afternoon maybe there's someone here in the 02:49 audience, maybe someone in their home watching by TV 02:52 or by internet, that feels sick or not well. 02:56 Please put your hand upon them. 02:58 Maybe there's someone that's lonely, that has just 03:03 lost a close one to them. 03:05 Let them know that they are not alone, Lord. 03:07 That You are with them. 03:09 Maybe someone who is discouraged, 03:11 maybe someone who has lost their way in the faith. 03:14 Please bring them back to You. 03:17 Now this evening, we ask that You open our hearts to be 03:21 receptive to this message. 03:23 And Lord, help us also in leading and guiding, 03:27 taking Your message to others. 03:30 To every kingdom, nation, and tongue, 03:32 help us to take Your gospel of everlasting salvation. 03:36 And most of all, Lord, when You come in the clouds of heaven, 03:39 save us and take us with You. 03:41 In Thy name we pray, amen. 03:45 Thank you so much, Lori. 03:46 One of the things that we have discovered in coming to 03:50 this particular church is that it has a wealth of talent. 03:54 There are a number of individuals here who God has 03:58 given speaking talent and singing talent. 04:01 One such person is Gabriela Bruno. 04:04 I'm going to ask her to come forward now and bring us 04:06 our special ministry of music. 04:08 And then the next voice you will hear following Gabriela 04:11 will be that of our pastor, our friend, Pastor John Lomacang. 04:15 Senior pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day 04:18 Adventist Church in Thompsonville, Illinois. 05:05 When I gaze into the night sky 05:16 and see the work of Your fingers; 05:24 the moon and stars suspended in space. 05:39 But, what is man that you are mindful of him? 05:54 You have given man a crown of glory and honor, 06:02 and have made him a little lower than the angels. 06:16 You have put him in charge of all creation; 06:23 the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, 06:30 the fish of the sea. 06:44 But what is man, 06:51 but what is man that You are mindful of him? 07:04 O Lord our God, 07:10 the majesty and glory of Your name 07:22 transcends the earth and fills the heavens. 07:36 O Lord my God, 07:41 little children praise Him perfectly. 07:50 And so do we. 07:56 And so would we. 08:13 Alleluia, alleluia, 08:26 the majesty and glory of Your name. 08:37 Alleluia, alleluia, 08:50 the majesty and glory of Your name. 09:01 Alleluia, alleluia, 09:14 alleluia, alleluia. 09:31 Alleluia, alleluia, 09:47 the majesty and glory of Your name. 09:59 Amen. 10:06 Amen. 10:13 Alleluia. 10:18 Alleluia. 10:34 Amen. 10:42 Can we say amen again? 10:45 Thank you so much for that wonderful song. 10:46 We do appreciate it very much. 10:50 When we talk about the Lord, I think it's always appropriate 10:52 to say "amen." 10:55 I believe, as I was listening behind the door, 11:00 she was speaking about the majesty of the name of Jesus. 11:05 And there is no other name among men given 11:08 by which we must be saved; in the name of Jesus. 11:12 And all God's people, in Spanish, said amen. 11:16 Amén. 11:17 Now I know that sounds the same in both languages. 11:19 Praise the Lord for that. 11:23 This opportunity is suppose to be for Brother Danny Shelton. 11:27 So I've got to preach as energetically as he would. 11:32 And we thank you all for being able to come out every day and 11:35 join us via satellite or whatever medium you've 11:38 chosen to use to join us on the program. 11:40 But I want to top off this series by just 11:43 talking about one thing. 11:45 The difference between an abundant life 11:48 and a humdrum life. 11:50 The difference between a powerful life 11:53 and the lifeless life. 11:55 I believe that in Christ, we all can have a powerful existence 12:00 if we simply tap into the One who is all powerful. 12:05 Now we say "all powerful" sometimes and we try to 12:08 compare things on earth. 12:09 But I've discovered lately that there is nothing and no one 12:12 on earth that we can use to compare with the 12:15 power that's available in Jesus Christ. 12:18 My wife and I, sometimes we sit down, and I'm one 12:21 that likes astronomy. 12:22 Not astrology. 12:24 Astrology is all those signs, you know, Scorpio and Leo. 12:28 But I'm the kind of person that likes to sit down sometimes and 12:31 look out into the heavens and look at the stars. 12:35 And one evening I had an opportunity, I like to go to 12:37 the internet, and I began to research our planet 12:41 in comparison to other planets and other suns and other stars. 12:48 And I've discovered that there is so much more beyond our world 12:53 that I'm not going to settle for just being on this world. 12:56 I'm looking forward to all that Jesus has in store 12:59 for those that love Him. 13:00 Can you say amen? 13:02 And when you fail to understand what that is... 13:05 I've noticed here in Puerto Rico you can sit down on or 13:08 maybe stand by the beach, or on one of these mountains 13:11 stand up and look at the skies, and you can begin to get a 13:14 glimpse of how beautiful the glory of God is. 13:18 And scientists tell us that beyond our solar system 13:23 there are possibly billions of solar systems 13:27 that we'll never be able to see with our own strength. 13:31 And so when Paul the apostle says, "Eyes have not seen 13:34 nor ears have heard the things that God prepares 13:37 for those that love Him," I'm looking forward to 13:39 seeing all those things. 13:40 I am not settling for one thing called planet earth. 13:45 And so before I go into the Word tonight, I invite you to 13:47 bow your heads with me as we focus on that one thing 13:49 that can change and transform our lives. 13:52 And that is the power available through Christ. 13:56 Our Father in heaven, we thank You, Lord, this evening. 13:58 It's Your time, it's Your opportunity. 13:59 I'm simply the vessel that You will use for 14:03 Your honor and for Your glory. 14:06 And so Father, send Your Holy Spirit to do 14:08 what humanity cannot do. 14:10 In Christ's name I pray, amen. 14:13 If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of John. 14:17 John chapter 9. 14:22 You know, it is amazing how big a difference one thing can make. 14:28 John chapter 9 is where you're turning. 14:31 My wife and I were invited to the University of North Dakota 14:35 to speak. 14:37 Actually, I was invited to speak. 14:38 My wife runs sound for me wherever we go. 14:41 And I was invited to speak to the college students 14:44 on a secular university to talk about God, 14:47 to talk about my faith. 14:49 A very difficult thing to do in a secular environment. 14:53 But a wonderful opportunity. 14:54 I'd rather talk to people that don't know Jesus about Jesus 14:58 than people that know Jesus that don't get excited about Jesus. 15:02 So I was on the University of North Dakota. 15:04 And they told me just a few weeks before I arrived to 15:08 speak there that Spike Lee... 15:10 Does anybody know who Spike Lee is? 15:13 Spike Lee, he's one of the greatest New York Knicks 15:15 basketball fans. 15:17 Just put that name "Spike Lee." 15:20 He use to be in hip hop music. 15:23 He's very noted for being flamboyant and very expensive. 15:27 And they told me that two weeks or so before I arrived 15:30 at the University of North Dakota 15:32 that Spike Lee was speaking in that same room 15:38 to a similar group of students that I was 15:41 speaking to that night. 15:42 They invited me there to talk about Jesus. 15:45 They said, "Share your faith. Be very open. 15:47 Share what's on your heart. Tell them what you believe. 15:50 Tell them about your faith. 15:51 And then open up the floor for them to ask questions." 15:55 After my hour was all done, then they told me that 15:59 when they invited Spike Lee, they paid him $25,000 to speak 16:05 for 45 minutes. 16:08 $25,000 is a lot of money in any language. 16:13 And I want to say, they did not pay me $25,000. 16:17 They didn't pay be $25. 16:20 But what I heard after that was something that gave me the 16:22 courage and the strength to continue going on. 16:25 They said, "The students enjoyed what you had to say 16:28 far greater than they enjoyed what Spike Lee had to say." 16:32 And the point is, when you talk about Jesus, 16:35 He's far greater a subject matter than anything that the 16:38 world can choose to talk about. 16:41 And so tonight... 16:44 But the reason I brought that story up... 16:46 Got to go back to the reason I brought the story up. 16:48 ...is I'm talking about the difference that 16:49 one thing can make. 16:52 We were, I believe, in Detroit Michigan catching our 16:55 connecting flight to go to North Dakota. 16:57 And we came from a large airplane and went down to a 17:00 commuter size airplane. 17:01 Went to another part of the terminal. 17:03 And we were sitting at our gate waiting for our plane 17:07 so that we can take it to our last destination. 17:10 And my wife and I were the only one's sitting at the gate. 17:13 And I thought to myself, "Well, I guess we're the only one's 17:15 going to North Dakota." 17:17 Because there was no one else sitting at the gate. 17:19 And I was looking at my watch and I said, "Well the plane 17:21 is going to leave in about 45 minutes, but the plane 17:23 is not even here yet. 17:24 So I guess we are well ahead of schedule 17:26 and everything is going to be just fine." 17:29 Well, about 30 minutes before the plane was suppose to leave, 17:31 that's suppose to be boarding time, 17:33 and the plane was still not there. 17:35 But I decided, "We're at the right gate. 17:38 Let's wait at this gate. This is the gate. 17:41 I heard no announcements about a change of gate. 17:43 This is where we need to be." 17:44 The difference that one thing makes. 17:46 And so about, oh, 10 minutes before the plane was suppose 17:51 to leave, I decided, "You know, I need to check." 17:53 Because even if we're the only one's going to North Dakota, 17:56 we at least need an airplane to get there. 18:00 So I went over to the service desk and I asked. 18:03 And I asked. 18:04 And they said, "Oh, your gate is not gate number 69. 18:08 It's gate number 68. 18:11 And your plane left 15 minutes ago." 18:15 The difference that one thing can make. 18:18 You can get on the wrong plane and miss your destination 18:23 by simply choosing one wrong gate. 18:27 You can dial a phone number and get a completely different 18:30 person by choosing one wrong number. 18:33 And I'm convinced that many are separated from the life that 18:37 God desires for them just by one thing, one choice, 18:42 one decision. 18:46 And so many will never understand how beautiful 18:49 the life is in Christ unless they make that one decision, 18:53 that one choice. 18:54 They spend their lives living a life, building their own 18:57 building blocks, refusing to let go of, often times, one thing 19:01 that can make a difference between where they are 19:05 and where Christ wants them to be. 19:07 And so this story tonight talks about that one thing. 19:10 If you have your Bibles, you're in John chapter 9. 19:12 John records one of the most detailed accounts 19:16 about a miracle performed by Jesus. 19:18 It was also, in my research, one of the most disputed miracles 19:23 ever performed by Jesus. 19:25 After Jesus did His thing, as only He can, 19:29 performing miracles as only He can, 19:32 a great debate followed about how He did it. 19:37 And it all came down to simply one thing. 19:40 Now before we read the story, let me set the stage. 19:45 There are three main characters in this story. 19:49 There's the blind man, the Pharisees, and Jesus. 19:54 The blind man, the Pharisees, and Jesus. 19:58 But if you look at the entire cast of the story, 20:01 there's the blind man, his parents, the neighbors, 20:06 the Pharisees, and Jesus. 20:09 Five included in the story. 20:11 The main theme is believing that Jesus can do anything. 20:17 I believe that Jesus can do anything. 20:19 What about you? 20:21 The Bible says, "I can do all things through Christ 20:24 who strengthens me." 20:25 One of the reasons I know that the Lord can do anything is 20:27 because He has me now preaching the gospel. 20:30 And about 30 years ago you would never be able to convince me 20:33 that I would be preaching the gospel. 20:36 Pastor C.A. knows, as one that attended a church there in 20:39 New York that he pastored. 20:40 As a young man, I'd come to church and I'd be sleeping. 20:43 Like so many come to church and sleep on Sabbath morning. 20:46 I'd party when the sun set. 20:48 I would party from Thursday to Sunday. 20:50 I'd hang out in clubs, I was a gambler. 20:53 I played pool for money. 20:54 No one could have convinced me that the Lord could have 20:58 changed my life. 20:59 As a matter of fact, if someone said to me, 21:01 "Do you know that one day you're going to be preaching 21:03 the gospel," I'd say, "You're out of your mind. 21:04 Because there's no way." 21:05 Matter of fact, I didn't even want to 21:08 be a preacher of the gospel. 21:09 But the good thing about Christ is, He can take a person with 21:12 no desire to preach the gospel, fill him with His Holy Spirit, 21:16 and awaken the desire to do all that he can 21:18 for the glory of God. 21:20 One thing. 21:22 I'd go to work every day with my mind set 21:25 on partying and gambling. 21:27 And one Friday evening, I had an encounter with Christ 21:30 as my girlfriend introduced me to Jesus. 21:32 From Friday; pool stick and boom box. 21:35 Monday morning; Bible and Great Controversy. 21:38 It's amazing how much of a difference one encounter 21:42 with Christ can make. 21:44 This young man was faced 21:50 with believing that Jesus can do anything. 21:54 But the great question of the story... 21:56 And you have to follow this very carefully. 21:58 ...is not that he's blind. 21:59 But the great question is... Who's blind? 22:02 The man, his parents, the neighbors, or the Pharisees? 22:08 But there are three issues in the story. 22:10 There are birth issues, there are life issues, 22:14 and there are faith issues. 22:17 The Bible introduces this man, in verse 1, different from us. 22:22 But at the same time very much like us. 22:26 Notice John chapter 9 and verse 1. 22:29 And the Bible says, "Now as Jesus passed by, 22:36 He saw a man who was blind from birth." 22:41 Now let me just stop there for a brief moment and make a point. 22:44 Jesus never just passes by. 22:50 Did you get that? 22:51 Wherever Jesus is, He's always there for a missionary reason. 22:57 Jesus is never anywhere by accident. 22:59 Every place that Jesus was, was predetermined, preordained. 23:03 Because Jesus came seeking and saving those who were lost. 23:07 And Jesus was where He was because He had an encounter 23:11 to make that evening, a connection to make that evening, 23:14 with a man who needed Christ. 23:18 And like somebody who has something to sell, 23:21 you always do a demographic study. 23:22 You know what that is, a demographic study? 23:24 You go on the internet and find out what kind of 23:27 people live in the neighborhood. 23:28 Whether they are high income or low income. 23:30 Whether or not they're rich or whether or not they're poor. 23:32 Jesus did a demographic study and discovered that 23:35 there's a blind man here that needs an encounter with Jesus. 23:40 Because the bottom line is, Jesus had to find the blind man 23:43 because the blind man could not find Jesus. 23:47 Blind people can't find Jesus. 23:51 So Jesus set the schedule. 23:53 Look at verse 2. 23:55 The Bible says in verse 2, "And His disciples asked Him, 24:03 saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, 24:09 that he was born blind?'" 24:11 When I read that, I thought to myself, "Was there something 24:14 wrong with the disciples perception of their own Master?" 24:17 And I came to discover that the reason why they asked Jesus 24:20 that question is because the people of His day were affected 24:24 by a teaching called, the doctrine of transmigration. 24:30 Can you say that in English? 24:31 Transmigration. 24:34 Now let me explain what that big word means. 24:37 Because that's the framework of the question. 24:39 Transmigration means that the souls of men 24:44 were sent into other bodies for punishments of sins 24:49 which they had committed in a pre-existing state. 24:53 Transmigration. 24:54 The Pharisees, the Greeks, and the Asiatics 24:58 held to this belief. 25:00 And so the disciples, being in that region 25:03 under those teachings, listened to the Pharisees 25:06 and scribes and Sadducees. 25:08 The religious leaders of that day were all affected by the 25:10 idea that if you suffered from something, it had to be the 25:14 result of when you lived in a former life. 25:19 And notice the categories as they broke them down. 25:21 Because many in the far east today still hold to that belief. 25:24 As a matter of fact, many professed to be able to pinpoint 25:27 the sins of your past that are connected to the 25:30 suffering of your present. 25:31 In other words, if you have a broken leg, they say, 25:33 "Well, the reason why you have that broken leg now..." 25:36 If you were born with a bad leg, "The reason why 25:38 you have that bad leg is because of something you did 25:41 when you use to live in another life." 25:44 Listen to how they break the categories down. 25:46 For example, under the belief of transmigration 25:49 they believed that if you suffered from headaches, 25:52 listen to this very carefully, 25:54 they said that you spoke irreverently against your 25:56 father and your mother in a former life. 26:01 In other words, when you use to be American, 26:06 transmigration would say, "You're Latino now, 26:08 but you use to be Jewish." 26:11 Or maybe you use to be Russian. 26:14 Because you lived a life prior to this. 26:16 So they say, in that former life; the reason why you 26:19 suffer with headaches now is because in your former life 26:21 you spoke irreverently against your father and your mother. 26:25 But it keeps going. 26:27 They said if a person is born mad, that person 26:30 was disobedient to their father or mother or spiritual guide 26:36 when they were living in their former life. 26:38 If you had epilepsy, they said you were being punished 26:41 for poisoning somebody that you poisoned in your former life. 26:47 If this is ridiculous, say amen. 26:50 But that's what they believed. 26:51 They also said that if you had eye pain, 26:55 it's because in a former life you were coveting another 26:58 man's wife or another woman's husband. 27:03 Don't look around. Nobody has eye pain. 27:08 But pertaining to this man, they said the reason why he was 27:11 born blind was because he may have been punished 27:14 for having killed his mother in his former life. 27:19 But added to that they said, before his new birth, 27:23 before his new life, he had to suffer torment in hell for 27:26 many years to pay for the debt of the sin in the former life. 27:30 And then be born blind in this new world. 27:34 So when they said, "who was born blind," they meant 27:37 there had to be a reason why he's born the way he was. 27:43 He's either being punished for the sins of his parents 27:47 or he's being punished for his sins. 27:51 But the problem is, how could he have sinned 27:55 before his birth? 27:58 None of us have sinned before our birth. 28:02 How we are born is not as important as, that we were born. 28:08 Who we were is not as important as who we can be. 28:12 How we were is not important as much as how we 28:16 can become in Christ. 28:18 Who I was before Christ is no comparison 28:21 to who I am after Christ. 28:23 Can somebody say amen to that? 28:25 I was a guy that liked to hang out. 28:27 I thought that life was living and partying in New York and 28:30 partying in Manhattan. 28:32 But now that I've given my life to the Lord, 28:34 the Lord has taken us all over the world for His honor 28:36 and for His glory. 28:37 Now I'm really having fun. You know why? 28:40 Because I can go to bed at night with a clear conscience, 28:44 wake up in the morning with a clear conscience, 28:47 date my wife and my girlfriend, who is also the same person... 28:52 Amen somebody. 28:54 ...and live a life, preach a sermon, 28:56 and don't have to worry about anybody coming forth saying 28:59 I'm guilty of anything with anybody else's woman. 29:02 Amen. 29:04 Clear conscience. 29:08 I can preach on any subject 29:10 and go to bed with a clear conscience. 29:12 The power of putting one's life in the hand 29:18 and under the glory of God. 29:20 But the reality of it is, there are certain things that 29:24 affect us that have nothing to do with anything that 29:26 we have done since we were born. 29:29 The reality of it is, everyone of us is who we are, 29:33 not because of what we have done, but because 29:35 of who Adam was. 29:37 The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 22, 29:40 "as in Adam," how many of us die? 29:44 All die. 29:46 But it continues, "Even so in Christ, 29:48 all shall be made alive." 29:50 In other words, somebody once said, 29:52 "We all have the same father, but different mothers." 29:57 Adam is your father. 29:59 Adam is your father. 30:01 But when you're born again, you are born to the last Adam. 30:05 Now my Father and your Father, if you are in Christ, 30:08 you are children, sons and daughters, of the most high God. 30:12 Amen. 30:13 And you know, sometimes you ought to think about that. 30:14 Because sometimes we walk around the world 30:16 talking about all the things that happened to us 30:18 prior to the time we were born. 30:19 Things that we can do absolutely nothing about. 30:25 And I know that very well. 30:27 Being born to an unwed mother. 30:30 My mother was born in the Virgin Islands, 30:32 of Filipino descent. 30:34 My family is all mixed up. 30:36 I am every nationality. 30:38 Just pick it, I'm probably that nationality. 30:40 I am red and yellow, black and white. 30:42 And Hispanic. 30:46 Oh, you think I'm kidding. 30:47 You ought to come to my house and see my photo album. 30:49 You would think I stole somebody's photo album. 30:52 I have people of all different hues and all different races 30:56 and all different classes. 30:57 And the bottom line is, my mother and father 30:59 got together long enough to conceive me. 31:03 They were never married. 31:05 They were not even Christians. 31:07 But look at what God can do to a son born 31:11 in an illegitimate situation. 31:13 To God be the glory. Right? 31:15 That's why I don't ever say that there are illegitimate children. 31:18 There are illegitimate parents. 31:21 Because the child has done nothing to be in that situation. 31:25 Amen. 31:28 We have all kinds of words that the world uses. 31:31 Nothing wrong with the child. 31:32 Something wrong with the parents. 31:34 Neither of them knew the Lord. 31:36 Gave me life. 31:37 But Jesus has now given me the hope of eternal life. 31:40 So they look at this man's life. 31:42 And the Lord responds very clearly. 31:44 When they analyze the situation, Jesus makes it very, very clear. 31:47 And this is very powerful. 31:49 Look at verse 3 of John chapter 9. 31:51 John chapter 9 and verse 3. 31:54 The Lord says, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, 31:59 but that the works of God should be revealed in him." 32:03 Now before you say "amen," let me break that down to you. 32:07 Everyone of us was born so that the works of God 32:11 could be revealed in us. 32:15 Let me say it another way. 32:16 Do you know that the only reason why Jesus has chosen you is so 32:19 that He can reveal to the world who He is through your life. 32:22 Let me say it another way. 32:24 The world will never know Jesus where you live 32:27 unless you live as Jesus would have you live where you live. 32:31 Let me say it another way since you still didn't get it. 32:34 Until you let your light shine, which is the light Jesus Christ, 32:39 there will always be darkness in your neighborhood. 32:41 God chose you so that He can turn on the light 32:45 through your life. 32:48 Some still didn't get it. 32:49 Let me say it one more way. 32:51 For God so loved the world that He chose you so the 32:55 world can know about Jesus. 32:59 Everyone of us were born so that the works of God 33:03 could be revealed in us. 33:06 How else can a man hooked on drugs one day be a powerful 33:10 preacher for the glory of God? 33:12 How else can a girl who lived out a life of sin, 33:16 lived out in the world, made one bad decision after the other, 33:19 life in honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ? 33:22 How can a woman named Mary Magdalene be the very 33:25 vessel that Jesus chooses? 33:27 And He says wherever the gospel is preached, 33:29 her name will be mentioned. 33:31 And when you follow the bloodline of Jesus, 33:33 He identifies with Rahab the harlot. 33:35 How else can that be except by the power and transformation 33:39 of the righteousness of Christ? 33:41 Everyone of us are born that the glory of Christ 33:45 may be revealed in us. 33:46 And so whenever you think about what you can't do, 33:48 think about what you can do. 33:50 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," 33:52 the Bible says. 33:53 "With God all things are possible." 33:55 And 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, "If anyone is in Christ..." 33:59 If who is in Christ? 34:02 If who is in Christ? Anyone. 34:04 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 34:09 Old things have passed away; behold..." 34:12 How many things? 34:14 "...all things have become new." 34:18 So what Jesus said about that man is also true about us. 34:20 We are all born so that the works of God 34:23 could be revealed in us. 34:25 But Jesus pointed to a blind man. 34:27 But notice what He did. 34:29 He pointed to the blind man, but what He did to that blind man 34:33 is similar to what He wants to do to us. 34:36 For us to experience the same deliverance. 34:38 Look at verse 6 and verse 7. 34:41 I have to move on now. 34:42 And I can do that. 34:44 Verse 6, it says, "When He had said these things, 34:52 He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; 34:58 and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 35:05 And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,' 35:11 which is translated, Sent. 35:14 So he went and washed, and came back seeing." 35:20 Now this is powerful. 35:21 This is powerful. 35:23 You see, Jesus could have said, "Let Me open your eyes 35:26 so you can find the pool of Siloam. 35:29 Then you can go wash and everything will be complete." 35:32 But Jesus sent him before He restored his sight. 35:37 And as he went, his sight was restored. 35:41 In other words, Jesus did not restore the young man's sight 35:45 until He changed the young man's direction. 35:50 Follow very carefully. 35:52 Jesus changed his direction before the restoration 35:56 was complete. 35:57 Sometimes, the change in direction comes 36:01 before the restoration. 36:02 Let me make it very clear what I'm talking about. 36:04 When I first gave my life to the Lord, when I said, 36:06 "Okay, Lord I'm giving you my life," 36:07 there was a whole lot of changes that needed to be made 36:10 in my life before I was where God wanted me to be. 36:13 You see, when we come to Christ, that's called justification. 36:16 We are accepted, we are forgiven. 36:18 And at that very moment, the death penalty no longer 36:21 hangs over our head. 36:22 Amen. 36:23 We're taken off of death row. 36:24 However, the day that you get baptized is not the 36:27 end of your journey, it's the beginning of your journey. 36:30 You've got to begin to unlearn all the things 36:31 you did in your past. 36:32 You've got to begin to unlearn how to tell people off, 36:35 unlearn how to be dishonest, unlearn how to steal, 36:39 unlearn how to lie, unlearn how to dance. 36:42 Amen. 36:43 You've got to begin to unlearn. 36:45 So Jesus, before He restored his sight, He changed his direction. 36:50 In other words, my point is this. 36:52 Restoration is a touch from Jesus that requires 36:55 a change in your direction. 36:57 Which means, you cannot come to Jesus and ask for change 37:00 and go in the same direction. 37:07 You can't say, "Lord, change my life," and go back to the clubs. 37:11 You can't say, "Lord, change my life," 37:12 and go back to that music. 37:14 You can't say, "Lord, change my life," 37:15 and go back to the way you lived before you found Christ. 37:18 You cannot ask for a change in your sight 37:22 if you don't want a change in your direction. 37:25 When the Lord changed my direction, He restored my sight. 37:34 And David, the psalmist, knows wonderfully what that means. 37:36 Because David, the psalmist, says, "Open my eyes 37:39 that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." 37:43 Until God opens our eyes, we cannot see wonderful things. 37:49 But one of the reason why many are still in the same condition 37:51 is because they want the change of condition 37:54 without the change of direction. 37:57 In other words, "Save me, give me a pill, Lord, 37:59 so I can have success. 38:00 But I don't want to change the way I live." 38:02 And the world is just that way. 38:04 There are a lot of people that want to come to Christ. 38:06 And you know, sometimes we sing that song, 38:08 "Just as I am." 38:09 "Just As I Am" is a good song, right? 38:11 You know, "Just as I am..." 38:13 That's a good song, right? 38:15 Amen? 38:16 But Jesus accepts you just as you are, 38:19 but He never leaves you just as you were. 38:24 If I can remember how the preacher said it... 38:28 Let me not even try to copy that. 38:30 I may forget it and mess it up. 38:32 But the point is very clear. 38:33 He accepts us as we are, but He never leaves us 38:36 the way He finds us. 38:38 Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. 38:40 Some of you came to Christ with your problems. 38:42 Those problems have been solved. 38:44 But every problem, every difficulty we face in life, 38:48 Jesus can remedy that. 38:50 But we have to want a change in direction, 38:52 not just a change in our eye sight. 38:57 But secondly, there's not only birth issues, but life issues. 38:59 In other words, unless we have an encounter with Jesus, 39:02 there will never be a change in the direction of our feet 39:05 and in the strength of our sight. 39:07 In other words, you can't see the life the Lord has for you 39:09 until your eyes are opened. 39:10 I would never have imagined. 39:12 My wife and I talk about this sometimes. 39:14 We say, "Can you imagine now..." 39:16 And one of the reasons why we always pray to be humble 39:18 is because, you know what, I believe that the Lord 39:21 can replace any of us on any day once we begin 39:24 to think it's all about us. 39:27 But if we always think it's about Christ, 39:29 He can still use us. 39:30 But the moment it becomes about us, the Lord will move us 39:35 out of the way and use somebody else. 39:36 Remember what Elijah said? 39:40 He said, "Lord, I'm the only one left." 39:41 And the Lord said, "No, no. I have 7000 that never 39:45 have bowed their knees to Baal." 39:46 We are not the only one. 39:47 However, no one can show the world how Christ lives 39:52 through you except through your life. 39:54 There is nobody else like you. 39:56 The Lord doesn't want a duplicate. 39:57 He wants your life to be the vessel through which the world 40:00 gets to know about Him and His transforming grace. 40:04 But look at this category. 40:05 The Lord gave him sight, restored his sight. 40:07 Look at verse 8, 9, and 10. 40:10 Look at what the Lord does after He restores our sight. 40:15 Verse 8, the Lord gave him back his sight. 40:21 He went and washed and he came back seeing. 40:23 Change in direction, change in sight. 40:26 But notice what happens. 40:27 He has a clash with those who knew him how he use to be. 40:31 Verse 8, "Therefore the neighbors and 40:33 those who previously had seen that he was blind said, 40:37 'Is not this he who sat and begged?' 40:39 Some said, 'This is he.' Others said, 'He is like him.' 40:43 He said, 'I am he.' 40:45 Therefore they said to him, 'How were your eyes opened?'" 40:49 That was an opportunity for that young man to tell 40:52 how Jesus changed his life. 40:53 Amen, somebody. 40:54 You see, the reason why the Lord allowed him to have an 40:57 encounter with his neighbors is because one of the things that 41:00 the Lord does is, whenever He opens your eyes, 41:02 one of the first things He does, whenever God changes you 41:06 He immediately gives you an opportunity to witness 41:09 for His goodness. 41:11 "You're in the church now? How did that happen?" 41:14 "The Lord changed my life. The Lord delivered me." 41:16 "The Lord took me off of drugs." 41:18 "The Lord took me out of clubs." 41:19 "The Lord took me out of a bad relationship." 41:21 The Lord put you in touch with those who knew you 41:23 when you were. 41:25 That's why sometimes when I go back to New York City, 41:27 they say, "Are you the same guy?" 41:28 And I say, "I'm the same guy in DNA, but I'm not the same guy. 41:31 Because the Lord has changed me." 41:32 Amen, somebody. 41:34 We may be the same fingers, same toes, same eye shadow, 41:36 everything else, but when the Lord comes into your life 41:39 you are not the same, because you are now 41:41 a partaker of divine nature. 41:43 We are not the same. 41:45 We are royalty, we are sons of the most high God, 41:48 daughters of the most high God. 41:49 Can somebody say amen? 41:52 We're not born to stay down here. 41:54 We have a greater world waiting for us. 41:57 God opened this man's eyes and led him 42:00 to the first witnessing opportunity. 42:03 But that's not where it ended. Look at verse 11 and 12. 42:08 "He answered and said, 'A Man called Jesus made clay 42:12 and anointed my eyes and said to me, "Go to the pool of 42:15 Siloam and wash." 42:16 So I went and washed, and I received sight.' 42:18 Then they said to him, 'Where is He?' 42:21 He said, 'I do not know.'" 42:24 You know why he said that? 42:25 I like this. 42:26 Because sometimes you've got to put yourself... 42:29 Well let me make it very, very clear. 42:31 You have to have a greater desire to find Jesus 42:36 than rely on somebody else who has been changed by Christ. 42:42 It has to be personal. 42:44 There are some folk that are living right across the street 42:46 or right down the hill or right in your neighborhood, 42:49 and the church is just a block away or maybe footsteps away, 42:52 and they say, "Well, how can I find deliverance? 42:54 How can I find Jesus?" 42:55 If they would simply leave their houses and go to where 42:58 Jesus is, they will find Him. 43:01 So the neighbors had to have their own personal drive 43:04 to get in touch with Jesus. 43:06 It could not be on the shoulders of this man 43:09 who had received his sight. 43:11 It's always personal. 43:12 We always have to have that deep encounter, our own desire 43:15 to get in touch with Jesus. 43:17 But there's another encounter. 43:19 There's the encounter with the Pharisees. 43:21 And this one is amazing. Look at verse 13 to verse 15. 43:28 "They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees." 43:31 And by the way, what I like about this one; 43:32 this is where testimony clashes with theology. 43:35 Sometimes the Lord does things that you haven't 43:37 read in the Bible. 43:44 Follow, follow carefully. Follow what I mean. 43:47 "They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 43:50 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay 43:53 and opened his eyes." 43:54 It was what day? 43:56 It was what day? 43:58 Okay. 43:59 "Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he 44:03 had received his sight. 44:04 And he said to them, 'He put clay on my eyes, 44:08 and I washed, and I see.'" 44:11 Do you need any other explanation? 44:13 Now you know what amazes me? 44:14 When the Lord performs a miracle, the one person 44:17 you should not have to explain it to over and over and over 44:19 is your pastor. 44:21 Amen. 44:23 Somebody comes to church that had been praying for a job, 44:28 and they have a job. 44:29 And the pastor spends all his time, 44:30 "Wait a minute, wait a minute. How did you get that job again?" 44:33 "I prayed, the Lord answered my prayer, 44:36 and now I have the job." 44:38 "I was blind, the Lord touched my eyes, 44:40 and now I see." 44:41 The pastor says, "I understand that, but how did He do it?" 44:46 "Okay, He spat on the ground, He put the clay on my eyes, 44:51 He told me to go to the pool. 44:52 I went before I could see anything. 44:54 I found the pool by the direction of the Spirit of God. 44:58 My eyes were opened. I came back. 45:00 And this is how it happened." 45:01 "I know that's what you said, but how did it happen?" 45:05 That's the encounter. 45:06 And the only reason for that kind of encounter 45:08 is because they were religious, but they were not transformed 45:12 by the power of Christ. 45:14 That's why we've got to pray for preachers and teachers 45:17 that are transformed, not just theologically, 45:20 but spiritually. 45:21 Because spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 45:23 And sometime God does not have to explain it to the preacher 45:26 before He does it in your life. 45:28 If somebody is delivered, to God be the glory. 45:31 But look at verse 18 to verse 21. 45:34 They still want to find out. 45:35 The Pharisees are continuing to investigate. 45:38 Now they take it to the next level. 45:41 They go to the parents. 45:43 "But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had 45:45 been blind and received his sight, until they called the 45:48 parents of him who had received his sight. 45:51 And they asked them saying, 'Is this your son...'" 45:56 You've got to get the picture. 45:57 Church is done on Sabbath. 45:59 The pastor gets the head deacon, the head elder, 46:03 head Sabbath school teacher, 46:07 and some of the trusted leaders of the church, 46:09 and they say, "Now we'd like you to go with Brother Santos. 46:12 Go with Brother Santos, go to his house. 46:15 And I want you to ask his parents how 46:17 he received his sight. 46:18 Because I don't believe his story." 46:21 So they go to his parents. 46:22 "He's at church, he can see." 46:25 There's nobody that can open our eyes better than Jesus can. 46:28 So they go to the parents. 46:29 Look at the parent's response. 46:31 "'Is this your son, who you say was born blind? 46:37 How then does he now see?' 46:39 His parents answered them and said, 'We know that this 46:42 is our son, and that he was born blind. 46:45 But by what means he now sees we do not know, 46:49 or who opened his eyes we do not know. 46:51 He is of age; ask him. 46:53 He still can speak for himself.'" 46:56 In other words, I've said, when you don't have an answer, 46:58 put the answer on somebody else's shoulder. 47:02 This was his opportunity to tell his own testimony. 47:05 Amen. 47:07 Your parents can't tell your story like you 47:10 can tell your story. 47:11 Because Jesus doesn't touch you through your parents. 47:15 Jesus touches you directly. 47:17 In other words, they didn't want to get on the bad side 47:19 of the pastor, so they said, "Ask him, he'll tell you." 47:22 They didn't want to lose their membership, 47:24 so they said, "Ask him." 47:25 Sometimes you've got to put membership on the line 47:29 when it comes to testifying about Jesus. 47:31 Amen. 47:32 If testifying for Jesus means I may lose my membership, 47:36 God has got another building for me to worship in on Sabbath. 47:38 What do you say? 47:40 Don't get radical now. 47:41 Don't follow this all the way to the hilt. 47:44 But sometimes God bypasses all those who want to make 47:47 something clear and gives us something that can only 47:52 be explained by our faith walk with Him. 47:55 But it keeps going. 47:57 Verses 22 to 24. 47:58 I'm almost done. 48:03 "His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, 48:07 for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed 48:10 that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue." 48:14 Didn't I tell you their membership was on the line. 48:17 "Therefore his parents said, 'He is of age; ask him.' 48:21 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, 48:24 'Give glory to God! 48:27 We know that this Man, that is Jesus, is a sinner.'" 48:31 Have mercy. 48:33 But my sermon is entitled, One Thing. 48:36 One Thing. 48:39 Verse 25, "He answered and said, 'Whether He is a sinner 48:46 or not I do not know. 48:50 One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.'" 48:58 Wow, you've got to say "amen" like you're from Puerto Rico. 49:02 "Though I was blind, now I see." 49:05 Amen. 49:07 God's glory revealed in the life of a man 49:10 that the theological leaders still can't pin down. 49:13 It doesn't matter whether or not people can explain 49:17 how the Lord has saved us, it doesn't need an explanation. 49:22 It just needs a testimony. 49:23 Confessing about Jesus, whether it is popular or not, 49:27 is the best thing to do. 49:29 Because when He empowered His disciples, He said in 49:32 Acts 1 and verse 8, "You shall be witnesses unto Me." 49:35 In other words, "Let Me hear you glorify Me." 49:39 And whether or not people believe it, that's up to them. 49:42 You see, brethren, the Lord wants to transform our lives. 49:44 But sometimes He wants to lead us where we don't want to go. 49:47 He wants to transform us and change us 49:49 where it's not convenient for us. 49:51 But if you want to be like this man whose eyes were anointed, 49:54 whose eyes were opened, whose eyes saw the glory of God, 49:56 whose eyes and life were transformed for the 49:59 glory of God, God can give you a testimony. 50:03 But I believe there's one thing, everyone of us has one thing 50:06 in our lives that we're confronted with. 50:08 And today, as I close this sermon with a song, 50:12 there's one thing, I believe, that's keeping some of us 50:15 from being free from our past. 50:17 One thing that's keeping us from seeing Jesus 50:20 the way He wants to be seen. 50:22 There's one thing that is barring us from moving 50:24 and knowing the power of God. 50:27 But if you let Him lead you, if you let Him guide you, 50:29 He will always guide you. 50:31 Sometimes though the water, sometimes through the flood, 50:37 sometimes through the fire, but He'll never guide you 50:41 unless He guides you through His blood. 50:44 As I close with this song, if it's your desire 50:47 for the Lord to change and transform... 50:49 You may be religious, you may even be a Christian, 50:52 but I believe that you have not yet seen the power of God 50:54 as He wants to reveal it in your life. 50:56 If there's one thing barring you from that abundant life. 51:00 But as I sing this closing song, if you want to have that 51:02 abundant life, if you want to know the power of God, 51:06 if you want God to empower even in the walk that you have, 51:09 as I sing this song I want you to simply stand to your feet 51:13 so that we can have a word of prayer together as I close. 51:16 But listen to the song. 51:17 May the Lord touch your heart through it. 51:39 In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet, 51:48 God leads His dear children along. 51:58 Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet, 52:07 as God leads His dear children along. 52:17 He leads some through the waters and some through the flood, 52:27 some through the fire, but all through the blood. 52:38 Some through great sorrows, yet God gives a song, 52:46 in the night season and all the day long. 53:09 When sorrows befall us and Satan oppose, 53:18 God leads His dear children along. 53:25 Through faith we can conquer and defeat all our foes, 53:34 as God leads His dear children along. 53:41 He leads some through the waters and some through the flood, 53:50 some through the fire, but all through the blood. 54:03 Some through great sorrows, yet God gives a song, 54:12 in the night season, 54:22 in our night seasons 54:27 and all the day long. 55:01 You know, there's one thing between us today and Jesus. 55:07 As we close this service this afternoon, I want to ask you to 55:10 recommit yourself to the Lord. 55:13 Every day, my wife and I, we come to the intersection of 55:16 the University of Puerto Rico right there where those 55:19 red walls are located. 55:22 And every time we make a red light, 55:27 there's one man or the other that comes out in the street 55:31 with a cup in his hand asking for money. 55:36 Or there's someone that comes out giving out 55:39 flyers or pamphlets or tracts. 55:44 I have yet to see a Seventh-day Adventist 55:49 at that light giving out something that will 55:52 plant the seeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ for eternal life. 55:57 Wouldn't it be nice that at those intersections where 56:01 the light is really long, that there's somebody 56:04 passing out a message that will transform someone's life? 56:07 Amen? 56:08 And I want to challenge you today, if you stand with me, 56:11 I want to pray with you that you will use your life 56:13 as a place where the Lord's glory can be revealed. 56:15 Remember, the testimony is true. 56:19 This has happened. 56:20 Everything that happens to us happens so that the wonderful 56:24 works of God can be revealed in us. 56:27 And so the question is, how is God's works 56:29 being revealed in you? 56:30 The works are always for His glory, never for our glory. 56:34 But when we desire, God sends us, 56:37 transforms us in our journey. 56:40 And only as we are transformed can we behold with our eyes 56:44 how beautiful the glory of God really is. 56:47 You know, this man, it doesn't say a whole lot about 56:50 this incident, what happened to his life. 56:53 But I can guarantee you, there was nobody in his neighborhood 56:56 more excited than he was 56:57 that his eyes had been opened by Christ. 56:59 When your life is transformed and you find the glory and the 57:02 joy of the Lord, then you'll lead others to find that 57:06 same walk with Christ as he found. 57:08 So let's pray that God can do the same for us. 57:11 Let's bow our heads. 57:13 Our gracious Father in heaven, transformation is what every 57:16 one of us is in need of. 57:18 And so Father, here in Puerto Rico, 57:20 You want to transform lives. 57:22 You want us, not just to be comfortable sitting in 57:24 buildings, but be comfortable standing on the street 57:27 carrying the gospel, reaching out, touching lives, 57:31 touching hearts, touching homes, touching neighborhoods. |
Revised 2014-12-17