Anchors of Truth

A Life Of Power, Or A Lifeless Life?

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Lomacang

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000060


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.


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Revised 2014-12-17