Participants: Pr. Jesse Wilson
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000080
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00:11 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from Oakwood University
00:16 in Huntsville, Alabama. 00:17 When The Battle Goes Bad, with Dr. Jesse Wilson. 00:22 Hello, and again we welcome our worldwide audience 00:24 and our audience here in the house to what is sadly 00:28 our last program. 00:30 Hopefully, this will be just the last program for this sitting 00:33 and we'll be able to come back and do this again. 00:35 I have it on good authority from the president of this 00:38 fine institution, we're going to try as best we can 00:41 to do this once again. 00:42 At least one more time and perhaps many, many more times. 00:45 We have been so blessed to be on the campus of Oakwood University 00:49 and the preaching has been powerful. 00:51 Dr. Byrd the first night, Debleaire Snell the next night, 00:55 James Doggette, our president Les Pollard this morning. 01:00 And now this afternoon, our last presentation but certainly not 01:04 our least presentation will come from Dr. Jesse Wilson, 01:07 Associate Professor of Religion here at Oakwood University. 01:10 And he also is the director of the Pastoral Evangelism 01:13 and Leadership Conference that takes place every December; 01:17 to which many of us come each and every year for training, 01:20 for encouragement, for enlightenment, 01:22 and inspiration as we seek to do the work of God. 01:26 It has been a wonderful, wonderful sitting, has it not. 01:28 Has not the preaching been powerful and pointed? 01:32 Each sermon... 01:33 And I don't want to say better than the next, 01:36 because you don't really compare sermons. 01:38 God gives each man a message. 01:40 And that message is delivered to our hearts. 01:42 And each one of those messages helps us take 01:46 one more step along the road that leads to glory. 01:49 And I'm sure this afternoon will be no exception 01:53 as sadly we have to say goodbye to this very, very fine 01:56 Anchors Of Truth series. 01:58 And the title of his message again is, 02:00 When the Battle Goes Bad. 02:03 Got to be something to preach about in that title, 02:05 When the Battle Goes Bad. 02:06 I have said, when I came out of my prostate surgery, 02:10 I was teasing my boss, Jim Gilley. 02:13 He wanted to be the first face I saw when I came out of surgery. 02:18 And so I was groggy, came out of surgery, 02:20 and there was Jim Gilley looking at me. 02:22 And I said, "Boy, is this all that there is? 02:24 Is this the first face I can see?" 02:26 And he said, "You know, God is good." 02:29 But I said to him, "You know, God is good 02:33 when things are good. 02:35 But when things go bad, that's when God is great." 02:38 That's when God really shows Himself. 02:40 And so, we know that when the battle goes bad, 02:44 God gets great. 02:46 So I'm looking forward to this message this afternoon. 02:48 Before we hear from the good doctor, I'm going to call a 02:52 good friend of our ministry who has spent many, many hours 02:55 at the 3ABN studios, Elder T. Marshall Kelly. 03:00 A great friend of our ministry. 03:01 He is going to pray. 03:02 And then after he shall have prayed, the group Serenity 03:06 is going to offer our very special music. 03:08 They're going to be singing the song, "Free." 03:10 And then the next voice that you will hear 03:12 will be that of our pastor, our friend, our teacher 03:15 and preacher, Dr. Jesse Wilson. 03:20 Eternal Father in heaven, You know exactly what we need to 03:25 hear today to meet the challenges that will face us 03:29 the next six days. 03:32 We ask that you will let Your manservant down 03:35 and use him to Your glory. 03:36 Exalt Jesus Christ as the answer to our greatest needs. 03:41 Thank You for each one who is here today 03:44 and each one who listens around the world. 03:46 We are brothers, we are sisters. 03:50 We long to be together in Your presence. 03:53 So guide and direct and bless. 03:56 In Jesus' name, amen. 05:25 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 05:29 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 05:33 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 05:38 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 05:42 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 05:46 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 05:50 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 05:55 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 05:59 Now once upon a time in a perfect land, 06:03 there was an angel who was second in command. 06:07 Now jealousy and pride inside of him, 06:11 he was cast out of heaven and the world he tried to win. 06:16 His name was Adam, her name was Eve; 06:21 while in the garden, they were deceived. 06:25 Separated from God, they're bound to sin; 06:29 the plan of salvation would now begin. 06:33 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 06:38 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 06:42 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 06:46 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 06:51 Now once I was a prisoner bound to my sins; 06:55 the only things I wanted were the pleasures within. 06:59 But then Jesus came and He rescued my soul; 07:04 He turned my ground and He made me whole. 07:08 My God in heaven sent His Son for me; 07:12 Jesus the Savior died on Calvary. 07:16 Satan tells lies expecting the fee, 07:21 but he didn't know God would deliver me. 07:25 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 07:29 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 07:33 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 07:38 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 07:42 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 07:46 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 07:50 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 07:55 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 08:02 I am free from pain and sorrow. 08:08 Jesus has risen so now that I know I am free. 08:12 My burdens have been lifted. 08:17 Praise the Lord, I've been set free. 08:26 I'm free from my past of depression and heartache. 08:32 Oppression; I'm free from the chains of sin. 08:36 Yes I'm free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 08:41 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 08:45 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 08:49 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 08:54 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 08:57 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 09:01 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 09:06 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 09:10 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 09:13 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 09:18 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 09:22 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 09:27 Free, free. Praise the Lord, I'm free. 09:31 No longer bound, no more chains holding me. 09:35 My soul is resting, it's such a blessing. 09:39 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 09:44 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 09:48 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 09:53 Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, I'm free. 10:06 Free from all my heartache. 10:12 Free from all my worries. 10:20 Free from all my burdens. 10:28 Free. 10:33 I am free. 10:50 Come on, let's put our hands together and thank God again 10:53 for Serenity. 10:56 Happy Sabbath, everyone. 10:58 This is the day that the Lord has made. 11:01 How many of you all are going to rejoice and be glad in it? 11:04 Let's stand to our feet as we go to God's Word this afternoon. 11:09 We're going to ask each of you just to stand. 11:11 And as you're standing, why don't you shake the hand of 11:12 the neighbor next to you and just let them know that 11:14 you're glad to see them on this Sabbath. 11:16 Tell them, "Happy Sabbath. Glad to see you." 11:19 Amen. 11:21 We thank God for 3ABN, this Anchors Of Truth series. 11:28 Has this been a tremendous time? 11:30 This has been a tremendous time. 11:32 The messages have been so powerful. 11:34 I thank God for 3ABN. 11:36 They are able to share what we are exposed to every day. 11:39 Am I right about it? 11:40 We thank God for them. 11:42 We thank God for the pastor of this church, Carlton Byrd; 11:44 my president, Dr. Pollard, and first lady, Prudence. 11:48 Many of you all don't know this, but I use to pastor Dr. Pollard. 11:52 Yes, yes. 11:54 You might not believe it, because I'm significantly 11:56 younger than he is, amen. 11:59 But we are having a serious revival on this campus. 12:02 We thank God for the leadership of both of them. 12:07 I want to direct your attention to a passage that has 12:12 been the subject of my attention this year. 12:16 1 Samuel chapter 22. 12:19 And we're going to read just two verses. 12:21 I'm going to pray and then you can be seated. 12:24 The Bible says in 1 Samuel chapter 22 verse 1, 12:29 "David therefore departed thence and escaped to the cave Adullam. 12:35 And when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, 12:39 they went down there to him." 12:41 Look at this. 12:43 "And every one that was in distress, and every one that 12:47 was in debt, and every one that was discontented, 12:51 gathered themselves unto David; 12:54 and he became a captain over them. 12:57 And there were with David about four hundred men." 13:02 I want to talk from the subject today, as we close out 13:05 this Anchors Of Truth series, When The Battle Goes Bad. 13:10 When The Battle Goes Bad. 13:11 Now God, we thank You for Your presence in this place. 13:15 We thank You for all of the tremendous services 13:17 that we've experienced this week. 13:19 We will never be the same. 13:21 Now, as we bring this series, Anchors Of Truth, to a close, 13:25 we pray that You would speak. 13:27 We need to hear a word from the Lord. 13:30 And we will be careful to praise You for what takes place 13:34 in this service. 13:35 In Jesus' name, amen. 13:37 Amen. You may be seated. 13:40 When The Battle Goes Bad. 13:44 My brothers and sisters, I want you to notice that 13:47 David, in our passage this afternoon, is in a cave. 13:52 It is absolutely amazing how quickly things 13:55 can change in your life. 13:56 Am I right about it? 13:58 I looked at the bulletin and I noticed that Dr. Pollard, 14:01 earlier today, talked about David and Goliath. 14:05 But I came to tell you that some amazing things have 14:07 taken place in David's life since this morning's sermon. 14:12 David has gone through some tremendous life changes. 14:17 You look at the passage and I want you to look at what 14:19 Ellen White says about this very incident. 14:22 David is not fighting in the valley of Elah. 14:25 Now he's hiding in the cave of Adullam. 14:29 That slingshot is not working for him now. 14:32 Those five smooth stones won't work for him now. 14:38 Brothers and sisters, what David is beginning to understand, 14:40 and I wanted to tell you this as we close this series out, 14:44 that we believe that the battle is the Lord's. 14:47 How many of you believe that the battle is the Lord's? 14:50 We also believe that giants fall. 14:53 But every now and then, giants do fall, but they fall on you. 14:58 And the question that we need to look at as we leave, 15:01 as we revel in what we've heard these last couple of days, 15:05 and as we, with confidence, think about the fact that 15:09 our lives are in God's hands, the question is, 15:13 what do you do when this battle goes bad? 15:17 The reality is, it is not long before you realize that 15:22 life has a mind of its own. 15:26 You didn't hear what I just said. 15:28 Life has a mind of its own. 15:31 No matter who you are, no matter where you've come from, 15:34 it's not very often that life turns out exactly 15:37 the way we planned life. 15:41 We have a tendency to plan life in A, but we live life in B. 15:47 Plan A for students is that grade you thought you'd get. 15:51 Plan B is that grade that you earned. 15:53 Come on, somebody. 15:55 Plan A, when you look at the way life takes changes, 15:58 is that house that you saw. 16:00 Plan B is that apartment that you have. 16:05 Plan A is that car that you thought would 16:09 turn everybody's head. 16:11 And plan B is that car that always seems to be in the shop. 16:16 Plan A are those Cosby kids you thought you raised. 16:19 Come on, somebody. 16:21 Plan B are those... 16:24 Somebody says Bebe's Kids. 16:27 Those crazy kids that you have. 16:29 Come on, somebody. 16:31 The reality is that no matter how hard you try, 16:34 no matter what you do, life seems to take 16:36 some interesting changes. 16:38 And it changes without warning. 16:42 It's not as if you have a television on, or it's not as if 16:46 you're at a motion picture. 16:47 When a change is about to take place at a motion picture, 16:50 you know that something is about to happen 16:52 because the music changes. 16:55 There's a soundtrack and you know that Jason 16:59 is in the closet. 17:00 And you know that there's a monster under the bed. 17:03 Or you know that there's a shark that's about to surface. 17:05 But there are no soundtracks in life. 17:10 And life can take some immediate severe changes. 17:14 It'll take you without warning. 17:16 Nobody plans to be pregnant at sixteen. 17:22 Nobody plans to be incarcerated at eighteen. 17:26 Nobody plans to be divorced, nobody plans to be distressed. 17:31 You didn't plan to visit your child in jail. 17:36 You planned to visit your child at Oakwood. 17:39 But that was plan A. 17:41 We live our lives, most of us, in plan B. 17:45 Can I get a witness in this place? 17:48 Before you know it, your plan A has shifted to plan B. 17:51 And you're wondering, "How in the world did I get here?" 17:54 But brothers and sisters, let me park right here and tell you. 17:56 When you're struggling in plan B, it's best for you to 17:59 take a look at the cross. 18:01 Come on, somebody. 18:02 Whenever you're living in plan B and it has taken you by 18:05 surprise, you need to realize that God's plan B is better than 18:10 any plan that you could have ever devised. 18:13 God's plan A was for us to rule and reign. 18:17 God's plan A was for us to have uninterrupted 18:21 fellowship with Him. 18:22 God's plan A was for us to have a fantastic 18:26 relationship with Him. 18:27 But because of our sin, He had to move to plan B. 18:32 The cross, incidentally, is every plan B... 18:34 Listen to me. 18:36 The cross is every plan B wrapped up into one. 18:40 There was darkness at the cross. 18:42 There was confusion at the cross. 18:45 There was depression at the cross. 18:47 When Mary saw her Son on the cross, she was desperate. 18:51 When the disciples saw their Rabbi on the cross, all of their 18:55 plans were dashed. 18:56 But brothers and sisters, the cross teaches us that 19:00 God can take the devil's worst blow, 19:04 God can take the devil's most intricately designed plan 19:09 against us, He can take all of our B's and wrap them 19:14 into His sovereign will. 19:16 And He can take us exactly to where He wants us to be. 19:20 Because the Bible says that all things work together for good 19:24 to those of us who love God, who are called 19:26 according to His purpose. 19:27 Come on, say, "Praise the Lord." 19:29 We serve a God who is in control. 19:33 What do you do when the battle goes bad? 19:35 Sooner or later it's going to happen. 19:37 It happened to David. 19:39 David is in a cave. 19:43 Nothing about David's life seems to be going according to plan. 19:49 Certainly not plan A. 19:51 From the time that the Lord spoke to David and He said, 19:55 "You're the one," few things have gone exactly according 19:59 to plan A for David. 20:03 When he defeated Goliath, and you know the story, 20:06 he became the darling of the nation. 20:08 But as soon as he defeated Goliath, 20:11 King Saul burned with jealousy. 20:13 He tried to kill him, so David had to run. 20:18 David, listen, lost his position. 20:21 David lost his wife, Michal. 20:23 David lost his mentor, Samuel. 20:26 David lost his best friend, Jonathan. 20:29 And more than that, now David is 26 miles away from Jerusalem 20:35 in the caves of Adullam. 20:37 And to make matters worse, listen to me, 20:39 archeologists believe that this cave, this cave, 20:44 is walking distance from the spot where David 20:48 defeated Goliath. 20:52 Walking distance from the point of his greatest victory. 20:55 Walking distance from that place where people shouted his name. 21:00 But now instead of screaming out in victory, 21:03 he's crying out from a cave. 21:05 Listen, life can go from A to B in a split second. 21:11 And what do you do when life takes a turn? 21:13 What do you do when the battle that you're fighting 21:16 takes a desperate turn? 21:17 Brothers and sisters, I came to tell you, 21:19 God has already made provisions for that. 21:21 Come on, say amen. 21:23 You missed what I just said. 21:24 God has already made provisions for you 21:27 when your A's turn into B's. 21:31 I came to remind you that God does some of His best work 21:34 in dark times. 21:36 You missed what I just said. 21:38 I said, God does some of His best work in difficult times. 21:41 Somebody says, new days actually begin at night. 21:46 You missed what I just said. 21:48 New days and new possibilities actually begin at night. 21:53 Come on, Seventh-day Adventists. 21:54 The Sabbath didn't begin this morning. 21:56 The Sabbath began last night. 21:59 Days, new days and new possibilities come on us 22:04 not when we are in a blaze of applaud, 22:08 not when we have food like we've never had it before, 22:12 not when everybody is patting us on the back. 22:15 Those are some wonderful times, but you really learn what 22:18 you're made of when you don't have money in your pocket, 22:22 and when you don't have food in your cupboard. 22:25 New days, I came to tell you, begin at night. 22:28 And God does some of His best work at dark times. 22:32 Come on, say amen. 22:33 And David... 22:34 I want to leave you with three things, three pieces of advice, 22:39 that David leaves for us when the battle goes bad 22:42 and when our plan A's turn to plan B. 22:46 I want you to look with me at Psalm 57. 22:49 What book did I say? 22:51 Psalm chapter 57. 22:53 And it is from this, a cave, that David wrote these words. 22:58 The Bible shows us something. 22:59 David gives us three things that we need to remember 23:03 when our plan A's turn into plan B's. 23:06 Has anybody's plan A ever gone to a plan B? 23:09 David wants to give us three pieces of advice when our 23:12 battle goes bad. 23:14 His first piece of advice, and we're going to read it here, 23:17 is that you need to remember where you are. 23:20 The second piece of advice that David is about to give us 23:24 is that you need to tell God how you feel. 23:28 And then thirdly, you need to praise God in advance. 23:33 Piece of advice number one comes from Psalm 57 and verse 1 23:37 where David says, "Be merciful unto me, O God, 23:42 be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in Thee. 23:47 Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, 23:51 until..." Listen, "...until..." 23:53 Somebody say, "until." 23:54 "...until these calamities be overpast." 23:57 Come on, say amen. 23:59 These problems that you are wrestling with, 24:01 they've come, but they've come to pass. 24:04 And the first piece of advice that David gives us 24:08 when our battle has taken a difficult turn, 24:10 when our A's are turning into B's, is that you really need to 24:14 remember where you actually are. 24:17 You see, the Bible says and David says that I'm in the 24:20 shadow of God's wings. 24:23 It might look as if I'm in a strait place, 24:25 but I'm actually in the shadow of God's wings. 24:29 And in the shadow of God's wings, I will take my refuge. 24:33 Somebody say, "refuge." 24:36 God is my refuge, "chasah." 24:39 In the Greek, "asulon." 24:40 I should say, in the Greek it means, "God is my harbor." 24:45 God is my safe haven. 24:48 And so, though it might look as if everything around me has 24:52 changed, I'm actually in the safe harbor of God. 24:58 Things might look bad, but I'm in the arms of God. 25:01 You might look like you're in a hospital room, 25:04 but you're really in God's care. 25:07 You might seem to be in an auto accident, but you're actually 25:11 in God's care. 25:13 You might look to be in a court room, but you are 25:16 actually in God's care. 25:19 The Bible says that God is my refuge and strength. 25:22 He's a very present help in the time of trouble. 25:25 Come on, say amen. 25:27 Brothers and sisters, that's what I appreciated about 25:29 Dr. Doggette's message last night. 25:31 Because he told us that no matter what your situation is, 25:36 no matter how bad your condition is, you are in the arms of God. 25:42 And so it might look like my situation is bad, 25:45 but I'm already standing complete in Him. 25:48 That's what the Bible says. 25:49 I'm complete in God, I'm forgiven by God. 25:52 And that message of righteousness by faith 25:55 that he raised last night is so precious. 25:58 Come on, say amen. 26:00 We need to always recognize that no matter what our situation 26:04 looks like, we're always in the hands of God. 26:09 The Bible says that when we become children of God, 26:12 we become joint heirs. 26:13 Come on, somebody. 26:14 I like that, we become joint heirs with God. 26:18 Somebody says, we have a joint account with God. 26:21 I just like the way that sounds. 26:23 So I have a joint account with God. 26:27 I was preaching a couple of years ago. 26:30 And that came out to me so clearly when my older son 26:35 was a freshman at Oakwood. 26:37 And my son... I love my son. 26:39 Now he's in California, went back to his home. 26:43 But I made the mistake, Dr. Pollard, when Justin 26:46 came to Oakwood, I forgot to cut him off from my account. 26:53 You all missed what I just said. 26:54 See, we had a joint account in Memphis. 26:58 But I didn't want that joint account status 27:01 to continue in Huntsville. 27:03 See, because he didn't have anything in his broke account. 27:07 I had the money in my account. 27:09 But because we had a joint account, he was taking out 27:12 stuff he didn't put in. 27:14 Come on, say amen. 27:15 And brothers and sisters, I came to tell you 27:17 that when you have a joint account with Jesus, 27:20 you can take out stuff that you didn't put in. 27:24 You didn't put in anything but sadness, 27:26 but you can take out joy. 27:28 You put in pain, but you can pull out pleasure. 27:31 Sometimes the devil puts in disease, but God will heal you. 27:36 Come on, say amen. 27:37 You and I have a joint account with Jesus Christ. 27:42 I'm feeling my help right in here. 27:44 Come on, say amen. 27:45 Brothers and sisters, I'm glad that David, who has gone 27:50 through something, left us some words of counsel. 27:54 And can I tell you something? 27:56 David makes it clear that when you are going through, 28:00 you need to seek counsel from somebody who has gone through. 28:05 Let me say that again. 28:06 When you're going through, you want to seek counsel 28:09 from those who have gone through. 28:12 I spoke to a friend of mine just before I came to this service. 28:17 And he was talking about the pain that he still wrestles with 28:21 because of the lifestyle that he led. 28:25 And he talked about the temptations that still 28:28 ravages his body. 28:29 Particularly when he's around certain people. 28:33 And he said, "Doc, you need to pray for me. 28:34 You need to fast with me because I'm just feeling like giving up. 28:39 Because it seems like I'll never get done with these urges. 28:43 These temptations seem to be strong." 28:45 And I told him, "We're going to pray for you. 28:48 We're going to fast with you. 28:50 But let me tell you something, brother. 28:52 You will never have the type of testimony, 28:56 there will never be a better opportunity 28:59 to give a testimony to those who are struggling 29:02 than the testimony you can give right now." 29:05 In other words, God might tell you after we pray, 29:09 He might tell you after we fast, He might tell you the same thing 29:13 that He told Paul. 29:15 He might say, "My grace is sufficient." 29:19 So that form that you're trying to get rid of might be there 29:23 because it can be your testimony. 29:27 And so, David tells us first of all that when you 29:31 are experiencing life that has taken a drastic change, 29:35 when your plan A has moved to plan B, 29:39 the first thing that you should remember is where you are. 29:43 If you understand that, say amen. 29:46 Number two, not only should you remember where you are, 29:49 David says you need to tell God how you feel. 29:53 Look at what he says in verse 2 of Psalm 57. 29:57 "I will cry unto God most high; unto God that 30:03 performeth all things for me." 30:07 I like that. 30:08 He says, "I'm going to cry aloud to a God that I can go to 30:16 confidently, because I know He performs all things for me." 30:22 Look at it. 30:23 I have confidence that He can perform all things for me. 30:29 But I've got to cry aloud. 30:31 Now I'm not dealing with volume here. 30:34 Talking about the necessity for us to go to God 30:37 and tell Him what we want. 30:38 Come on, say amen. 30:40 Brothers and sisters, David said, "Listen, there comes 30:42 a point in life when you've got to just let 30:44 God know how you feel." 30:46 If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, 30:48 don't tell your neighbor; tell God. 30:51 You all missed what I just said. 30:52 "And why, Brother Pastor, do I need to tell God? 30:56 God knows my heart." 30:57 Yeah, He might know your heart, but He needs to hear your voice. 30:59 Come on, say amen. 31:01 Because it's the passion that it illustrates. 31:04 That's what I'm talking about. 31:06 God wants to know how bad do you want it. 31:10 Yeah, the battle has turned and you want God to do something 31:15 about this plan B that you're living in, but God want to know 31:20 how badly do you want it. 31:24 Yeah, see God says, "I know something about you." 31:28 And it's reflected in the fact that God knows that 31:36 we will seek Him and we will find Him when we do what? 31:41 When we search for Him with all of our heart. 31:43 Jeremiah said, in reality is God says, "Now some of you all 31:48 sought after a husband with more passion than you seek after Me. 31:54 And that's why you're married, but you're 31:56 disconnected from Me." 31:58 He says, "There are some of you who have searched after 32:00 homes and scholarships with more passion than 32:04 you searched after Me. 32:06 And that's why you're in school but you seem to be 32:08 out of relationship with Me." 32:12 And God is telling us that there comes a point 32:15 when we need to lay it bare before God. 32:19 If we want to get out of the situation that we're in, 32:23 or if we want God to give us the strength to bear the 32:26 situation that we're in, or if we want God to reveal the 32:29 purposes of the situation that we're in, 32:31 we need to go to God with passion. 32:34 Come on, say amen. 32:36 Some of us are too quickly deterred. 32:38 People get on our nerves. 32:40 Somebody roll their eyes at us at church, 32:41 we stop coming to church. 32:43 Come on, say amen. 32:44 Nobody is that valuable to me. Come on, say amen. 32:46 You've got to keep on pressing to God. 32:47 You've got to keep on coming to church when you don't 32:49 feel like coming to church. 32:51 You've got to keep praying when you don't feel like praying. 32:54 Because God sometimes will take you about as far, 32:57 allow you to go about as far as you can go. 33:00 And just when you're on the verge of giving up, 33:02 He steps in and shows Himself strong. 33:06 Come on, say amen. 33:08 Brothers and sisters, David says number one, 33:12 when the battle turns, when things take unusual turns, 33:17 we need to remember where we are. 33:20 And then secondly, David tells us that we 33:22 need to learn how to pray. 33:24 Come on, say amen. 33:25 We need to tell God how we feel. 33:28 And then thirdly and finally, we need to do something 33:32 that is always interesting to me in its time. 33:37 We need to praise God in advance. 33:41 Somebody say, "right now." 33:44 We need to learn how to praise God in advance. 33:48 The Bible says in that same 57th chapter verses 7 to 9, 33:54 this is David speaking, "My heart is..." What, everybody? 33:58 "...fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. 34:04 I will sing and give..." What, everyone? 34:08 "Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp. 34:11 I myself will awake early." 34:14 Brothers and sisters, let me let you in on something. 34:17 David is singing praises unto God, but David is 34:22 still in the cave. 34:26 Nothing has changed about his situation, 34:29 but he's praising God in the middle of the situation. 34:34 David teaches us that we have to trust in God enough 34:39 to tell Him, "Thank You," when the situation is still bad. 34:44 "I'm not thanking You for the trouble, 34:46 I'm thanking You for keeping me in the trouble." 34:50 It takes discipline to praise God in advance, 34:53 because praise will validate your faith. 34:55 Come on, say amen. 34:56 Praise really demonstrates. 34:58 There's nothing mystical or magical. 35:01 I hear the way praise and worship is banded around 35:03 these days as if it has some kind of mystical capacity. 35:07 Praise actually validates your faith. 35:11 It is a stamp that something is actually going on. 35:16 Come on, say amen. 35:18 When I go to a restaurant every now and then, 35:20 I make sure that my ticket is validated. 35:23 Come on, somebody. 35:25 When I'm validated, it is proof that I've been there. 35:29 And when you begin to praise God in the middle of an 35:32 unusual situation, it is a sign that you recognize that 35:36 you've been there and God's been there too. 35:38 Come on, say amen. 35:40 Praise will validate your faith. 35:42 But not only will praise validate your faith, 35:45 but praise will elevate your joy. 35:48 I said praise will elevate your joy. 35:52 I know some folk get a little nervous about their joy 35:55 being elevated, but let me tell you something. 35:56 When you've been struggling long enough, 35:58 you just want to feel better. 35:59 Come on, say amen. 36:01 Every now and then, you just want to feel better. 36:03 And the Bible says that God, listen, He inhabits the praises 36:10 of His people. 36:11 I like that. 36:13 He inhabits the praises of His people. 36:17 And what's happening is, God, who is always with us, 36:20 seems to sit down when you respect Him enough to 36:23 just praise Him in the middle of a storm. 36:25 Come on, say amen. 36:28 Our praises not only validate our faith, they elevate our joy. 36:33 And I learned that there are some things... 36:36 Listen to me now. 36:37 There are some things that really won't move 36:42 in your life. 36:43 I'm not talking about a formula. 36:44 I'm not talking about something I heard. 36:46 I'm talking about something I've seen. 36:48 Come on, say amen. 36:49 Okay, don't mistake this for some faith formula. 36:52 But there are some things in your life that won't move until 36:55 your faith goes to another level. 36:59 You missed what I just said. 37:00 The just shall live by faith. 37:05 And there are some things that just won't move 37:08 until you move to a new level of faith. 37:12 I read a book years ago, Joseph Garlington, 37:14 psalmist in Pittsburgh, I believe. 37:16 He says he was observing a gentlemen, he was 37:20 looking at an artist and he was looking at a 37:22 potter produce vessels in a traditional... 37:26 Listen, he was looking at a potter produce vessels 37:31 in a traditional clay furnace. 37:34 You hear me, you follow me now? 37:35 Looking at a potter and he's making these vessels 37:40 in a traditional clay furnace. 37:42 And what he couldn't understand was that this traditional 37:46 clay furnace, Dr. Doggette, didn't have a timer on it. 37:52 But the pottery kept coming out perfectly. 37:57 Just always on time. 38:00 Never undone, never too done. 38:03 And Joseph Garlington began to wonder, "How in the world 38:06 do you know when it's time to bring that piece of pottery 38:11 out of the fire?" 38:13 I don't know about you, but every now and then, 38:16 I kind of want to wonder, I kind of want to know, 38:19 how much longer am I going to struggle with some of the 38:23 struggles I'm struggling with? 38:24 That isn't good English, but that will preach. 38:26 Come on, say amen. 38:28 Every now and then you want to know, when is trouble 38:31 going to pass over? 38:33 And so, Joseph Garlington said he went to the guy. 38:36 He said, "Let me ask you, how do you know when it's 38:40 time to bring the pottery out?" 38:42 And he said, "It makes a sound." 38:47 He said, wait a minute, "It makes a sound. 38:51 When you hear this hiss, when you hear this sound, 38:54 then you know it's time to bring it out of the fire." 38:57 Come on, say, "Praise the Lord." 38:59 And so Joseph Garlington couldn't believe it. 39:01 But he got close to the furnace. 39:04 And when it was about time for that piece of pottery 39:07 to come out... 39:08 It might have been a vase, it might have been an 39:10 intricately designed plate. 39:12 ...he looked at the potter and the potter listened, 39:16 and it began to hiss. 39:18 And when it began to make a sound, it was an indication 39:22 that it was time to come out of the fire. 39:25 Brothers and sisters, I came to tell you that one of the reasons 39:28 we stay in fire as long as we do is because every now and then 39:33 God wants us to make a sound of faith. 39:36 Come on, say amen. 39:38 I don't know what your sound is. 39:39 I'm not promoting sounds in this service. 39:41 Come on, say amen. 39:42 Your sound might be, "Lord, I trust You." 39:45 Your sound might be, "Lord, I believe in You." 39:48 Your sound might be, "The Lord's been good to me." 39:51 I don't know what your sound is, but your sound should be 39:54 an indication that, "My faith has gone to a new level." 40:00 So David tells us that if we want to live through 40:07 these situations in life that just don't seem to make 40:13 any sense, when our plan A's have moved to plan B or C, 40:21 D, E, there are some things that you need to remember. 40:28 But the most important thing that you need to remember 40:31 is to trust in God. 40:34 I've told this story, I don't have it in my notes, 40:36 but I can tell it by heart. 40:37 And if you've heard me preach before, 40:39 you know I can tell this by heart. 40:41 I was doing a crusade in Indonesia. 40:45 And it was right around the time when the tsunami had hit. 40:50 And we did like a three week crusade. 40:52 I'm not sure, three or four weeks. 40:53 And when I was about to leave Indonesia to come back home, 40:59 one of the pastors said, "Doc, I need to talk to you." 41:02 I said, "Okay." 41:03 And we sat down and he told me about a situation that 41:07 happened to one of his brothers who was a Christian 41:11 in the Aceh District in Indonesia." 41:15 He said, "Doc, my brother is a believer, he's a 41:19 Seventh-day Adventist believer in the Aceh District." 41:22 Which is predominately Muslim district in Indonesia. 41:24 And he said, "For years they got progressively more discouraged. 41:32 Because they couldn't figure out why God couldn't take better 41:35 care of them than He was." 41:38 Have you ever felt like that? 41:41 Yeah, sometimes you're wondering, 41:43 "If You have all of that power, why won't You spend 41:48 a little of that power on me? 41:52 If You have all that wisdom that we've been taught to understand, 41:56 why don't You use some of that wisdom and get me out of 41:58 the mess that I'm into." 42:00 And pretty soon, if you begin to speak to yourself like that, 42:03 you can discourage yourself. 42:07 So he said, listen, he said, "Year after year, 42:10 these folk in this Aceh District, these Christians 42:13 in the Aceh District who were persecuted by the Muslims, 42:17 they were never allowed to participate 42:19 in the Christian festivals." 42:21 They couldn't celebrate Easter, they couldn't celebrate 42:24 the sacraments, they couldn't celebrate... 42:25 Listen, they couldn't celebrate Christmas. 42:28 He said, "But one year, they said, 'We're tired of 42:31 begging you to allow us to celebrate Christmas. 42:36 We're Christians and we're going to celebrate Christmas. 42:39 We don't understand why God is taking us through 42:42 the way He's taking us through. 42:44 But we're going to celebrate Christmas this year. 42:46 You won't give us permission to celebrate Christmas 42:49 in the city square, so we're going to celebrate 42:50 Christmas in the mountains.'" 42:54 And so the brother said, "My brother and that congregation 42:58 complained all the way up the mountain. 43:02 'Why can't You do us no better than You're doing us, God? 43:05 Why can't You listen to our prayers? 43:07 We're in the middle of a Muslim enclave and You can't 43:10 take care of Your children?'" 43:12 He said they complained all the way up the mountain. 43:15 But he said when they got to the mountain, when they began to 43:18 praise and magnify God, thinking about the goodness 43:22 of their God, he said their attitudes changed. 43:25 And as they came down from the mountains, they saw the 43:29 buildings that had become devastated by the tsunami. 43:34 They saw the schools that were devastated by the tsunami. 43:38 They saw the churches that had been, and mosques that had 43:41 been devastated by the tsunami. 43:44 And they realized that they would have been devastated 43:48 by the tsunami if God had not driven them to the mountains. 43:55 And every now and then, you need to thank God 43:58 for your mountains. 44:00 The song writer said, "Thank Him for your valleys, 44:03 and thank Him for the storms that He brought you through. 44:07 Because if I never had a problem, I'd never know that 44:10 God could solve them. 44:11 I'd never know what faith in His word could do." 44:15 But the song writer said, "Through it all, 44:17 I learned to trust in Jesus." 44:20 There's something about the mountains that God allows us 44:23 to be driven to that give us an entirely different 44:26 perspective on life. 44:34 We serve a good God. 44:39 Brothers and sisters, there are many people 44:41 under the sound of my voice... 44:43 You can start playing for me now. 44:44 There are many people under the sound of my voice 44:47 who really actually certainly have almost come to the 44:53 point of desperation because life has not gone the way 44:59 that they planned life to go. 45:04 The battle has gone bad. 45:07 As a matter of fact, sometimes your struggle is not so much 45:10 that the battle has gone bad as much as it just didn't go 45:14 according to plan. 45:18 I was thinking as I was driving here, driving to this service, 45:23 that I was a student at Oakwood. 45:27 And even before I was a student at Oakwood, 45:29 I would come here from Memphis to camp meeting services. 45:33 And I heard one evangelist after another almost 45:37 guaranteeing us that Jesus is coming. 45:42 Jesus is coming. 45:44 When I got to Oakwood, one of my favorite pastors, 45:46 Elder Ward, was right here. 45:48 And he preached the second coming with such conviction 45:52 that sometimes I was scared to get out of my seat. 45:55 Because I was absolutely convinced that before I got to 46:00 my dorm, Jesus would be coming. 46:04 I was convinced I wasn't going to get married. 46:06 I knew I wasn't going to have kids. 46:07 Because Jesus was coming. 46:09 And there was no Seventh-day Adventist over the age of 46:12 20 or 30 who was not absolutely convinced 46:16 that you would have been in heaven by now. 46:19 Am I right about it? 46:21 But the reality is, that's not all that they said. 46:26 They told us to have a faith in God that was so strong 46:32 that we could occupy until God came. 46:36 And sometimes, this occupation comes with pain. 46:38 Sometimes this occupation comes with trial. 46:41 And sometimes this occupation comes with tribulation. 46:44 And then so for that reason, we have these series like 46:46 the Anchors Of Truth. 46:48 Where we can stand on our two feet and say, "I might be in 46:51 plan B, but God is still in control." 46:56 And if you've come to the point... 46:58 Listen to me. 47:00 If you've come to the point where you're just about 47:03 giving up because you've strayed away from home, 47:06 or you've about given up because the plan that somebody laid out 47:10 for you is not consistent with the plan that you're living, 47:14 I came to tell you that God can take you from wherever 47:20 point you are right now and bring you home. 47:24 You all missed what I just said. 47:25 God can take you from wherever you are 47:29 and bring you home from that point. 47:32 Messed up life? He can bring you home. 47:35 I was in Tampa... 47:37 And I'm going to bring Serenity on to close this out. 47:39 I was in Tampa doing a meeting in Tampa. 47:43 And when I left my hotel, I wasn't familiar with Tampa. 47:48 So I kept getting lost. 47:52 But I had a little gadget in my phone that had a GPS. 47:56 Come on, say amen. 47:58 And I found out that wherever I was, if I need to 48:03 get to my hotel, which was home, all I had to do was punch in 48:07 "current location." 48:10 And it would take me right to where I needed to be. 48:14 I got lost all over Tampa. 48:17 But whenever I got lost, I just put in "current location." 48:21 And that global position system would take me home. 48:24 Then one time, I was in a lane, I'll never forget. 48:26 This guy, I saw where I needed to go. 48:29 I was absolutely sure about where I needed to go. 48:31 But the guy didn't give me enough space. 48:32 He cut me off. I went the wrong way. 48:36 But I put in "current position" and it took me right back 48:40 to my hotel. 48:41 I want to leave you with this. 48:44 I don't care where you are in life, if you can just 48:48 call up to God your current location, He can get you home. 48:54 It might be in a messed up marriage, 48:57 just dial in current location and He can get you home. 49:01 It might be in an abusive relationship, 49:03 get some help, get out. 49:05 God can get you from that current location safely home. 49:12 We serve a God who loves us so much 49:17 that He can make up for the years that the locusts... 49:23 Anybody here trust Him? 49:25 Father, we thank You 49:29 for this series, Anchors Of Truth. 49:32 This series that has reinforced our faith. 49:35 We love You. 49:36 We love You so much that we want to serve You 49:39 when we don't have strength to do what we want to do. 49:43 So live out Your life within us. 49:47 And we will be careful to give You the praise. 49:51 In Jesus' name, amen. 49:53 Put your hands together and thank God. 50:32 A better day, after while, 50:39 there will be a better day. 50:48 A better day, oh child. 50:55 There'll be a better day after while. 51:13 A better day, after while, 51:20 there will be a better day. 51:29 A better day, oh child. 51:36 There'll be a better day after while. 51:51 I'm gonna trade all my troubles in 51:57 for a lifetime of smiles. 52:02 And I'll forget how hard it's been 52:07 to run these last few miles. 52:13 Then when Jesus says to me, 52:18 "Welcome home, My child," 52:23 all the bitter heartaches here 52:28 will surely be worthwhile. 52:34 A better day, after while, 52:41 there will be a better day. 52:49 A better day, oh child. 52:56 There'll be a better day after while. 53:11 I'm going to trade all my troubles in 53:17 for a lifetime of smiles. 53:22 And I'll forget how hard it's been 53:27 to run these last few miles. 53:32 Then when Jesus says to me, 53:37 "Welcome home, My child," 53:42 all the bitter heartaches here 53:47 will surely be worthwhile. 53:54 A better day, after while, 53:59 child, it will be a better day. 54:08 A better day, oh child. 54:15 There'll be a better day after while. 54:31 I'm gonna ride on the rainbow road, 54:36 travel on the Milky Way. 54:41 I'm gonna live in a home where there is no more rent to pay. 54:51 No more storm and no more rain; 54:55 one long clear summer day. 55:00 Lord, I pray for the coming of the day 55:05 when I will fly away. 55:14 Lord, there'll be a better day after while. 55:25 It will be a better day, 55:30 a better day, oh child. 55:39 There'll be a better day after while. 55:49 There'll be a better day, oh child. 55:59 There'll be a better day, oh child. 56:08 There'll be a better day, oh child. 56:18 There'll be a better day after while. 56:42 I often think how sad it would be, how apocalyptically sad 56:46 it would be to sit where we have sat these past several days, 56:49 to feel what we have felt these past several days, 56:52 to experience what we have experienced these past 56:55 several days, and then come down to judgment day 56:59 and have Jesus say, "Depart from Me, 57:03 I don't know you. 57:04 I saw you stand and scream and shake and wave and sing, 57:09 but you never took time to develop a relationship with Me." 57:13 This mean nothing unless we pledge in our hearts 57:17 this day that we're going to be one with Jesus on that Day. 57:23 Because that's what it's all about. 57:25 That's where the anchor is. 57:27 God bless you. 57:29 Let us promise to meet in the earth made new 57:32 at the foot of Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17