Participants: Ron Halvorsen
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000131
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:23 Well hello and welcome. 00:24 We're so glad that you could join with us tonight 00:28 right here in West Frankfort, Illinois 00:31 at the 3ABN Worship Center where we'll be presenting 00:34 another Anchors Of Truth. 00:37 We're so excited about this series. 00:39 We've got a tremendous line-up for the rest of this year. 00:42 Already working on next year's line-up. 00:45 And we are excited about it. 00:48 If fact, you know, people are watching from all over the world 00:51 and all over this country. 00:53 I was talking to an individual today from Montana. 00:58 And Camille and I spent our first year of ministry 01:01 and marriage in a little place near Jordan, Montana. 01:06 And Jordan is where we went to church. 01:08 Jordan is where I would try to preach. 01:11 And I'm sure that those people had a lot of patience 01:16 with this young preacher, because that was 01:18 my first real outing. 01:19 I'd preached once or twice before, but when I got there 01:22 that was the first time I'd done much regular preaching. 01:25 And so I say "hello" to those in Jordan who have already 01:29 let us know that they're watching. 01:31 And may God bless you each one. 01:34 I know that some of you are not well now, 01:37 that you're in nursing homes. 01:39 We just pray the Lord will be with you. 01:42 And especially the Brusette family, because they were 01:46 so gracious to us. 01:48 And my good friend Fern Shellriff who was the 01:51 superintendent of the schools there, and was our boss. 01:54 We just say "hello" to each and every one of you. 01:57 And thank you, we heard from you today. 02:00 And we heard that you are watching 3ABN. 02:03 There are people that write to us, call us, we hear from you 02:07 all the time, and from all around the world. 02:10 And it's always exciting to hear these good 02:15 reports that you have. 02:16 And sometimes you give me a little rough time 02:19 about something I've done or said. 02:20 And that's alright too. 02:22 I want to hear from you in spite of even if 02:26 it might be criticism. 02:27 Our speaker tonight we can never criticize; 02:31 Ron Halvorsen. 02:33 I've knows Ron for many, many years. 02:35 I first met him when he was a seminary student, 02:38 I was a college student. 02:40 I had a cleaning route and I picked up his cleaning. 02:45 Because he and his family were already married, 02:50 and he was married. 02:51 And so Camille and I were married too, but I was 02:54 working as a cleaning person and picking up cleaning, 02:58 dry cleaning, and I would stop by every week at their place 03:04 to see if they had an order for me. 03:06 But ever since then we've been acquaintances, 03:10 and became good friends when we worked together 03:12 in southern New England. 03:14 And Ron is God's man. 03:18 A Miraculous way that Jim Landis was used by God 03:24 to bring Ron Halvorsen to Jesus. 03:27 It's a story that most of you have heard. 03:29 And if you haven't heard it, you want to hear that story someday. 03:35 Ron was a gang leader in New York City. 03:38 And he was anything but a Christian. 03:42 And then the Holy Spirit spoke to him. 03:44 Jesus reached down and snatched him up. 03:47 And ever since that, in fact even as a young man 03:52 he held his first evangelistic series. 03:54 Hundreds of thousands of people have accepted Jesus 03:59 and been baptized as a result of Ron's ministry. 04:04 This past year it was a great pleasure for us 04:08 to carry the series from Carolina that he did. 04:12 And we are still playing it on 3ABN, 04:15 and also on Proclaim. 04:17 It's an outstanding series of messages. 04:22 I get an opportunity every once in a while 04:24 to view them again. 04:26 And I enjoy them every bit. 04:29 Ron is going to be presenting a series on, 04:32 Jesus, the Radical Teacher. 04:34 He's going to talk about the Beatitudes tonight. 04:37 The Good Samaritan tomorrow night. 04:39 Friday night, The Good Shepherd. 04:41 Sabbath morning, Horns and Halos in Human Nature. 04:45 And Sabbath afternoon, The Bridegroom Cometh. 04:49 I'm looking forward to every single one of these messages. 04:54 Ron's wife, Carol, is with him. 04:56 And we're so happy that you are here, Carol. 04:59 And they have two children, both are in ministry. 05:01 Dianne is a chaplain, and their son Ron Jr. is the president 05:07 of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 05:11 He too is a soul winner. 05:13 And I had the great pleasure of listening to him preach 05:18 so many times when he was pastoring in Keene, Texas. 05:21 And you know, they say the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. 05:26 And that acorn certainly did not fall far from the tree. 05:33 Well tonight we're going to be able to hear the tree, 05:35 but before we do we're going to be blessed by 05:39 music by Pastor C.A. Murray, my good friend. 05:44 And he's going to sing, I Lay My Sins On Jesus. 06:02 I lay my sins on Jesus, 06:09 the spotless Lamb of God; 06:17 He bears them all and frees us 06:24 from the accursed load, 06:31 from the accursed load. 06:38 I bring my guilt to Jesus 06:45 to wash my crimson stains 06:53 white in His blood most precious 07:00 till not a stain remains, 07:07 till not a stain remains. 07:22 I bring my wants to Jesus, 07:29 all fullness dwells in Him; 07:36 He healeth my diseases, 07:43 He doth my soul redeem, 07:51 He doth my soul redeem. 08:12 I long to be with Jesus 08:19 amid the heavenly throng, 08:26 to sing with them His praises 08:34 and learn the angels' song, 08:41 and learn the angels' song. 08:49 I lay my sins on Jesus. 09:17 Thank you very much for that beautiful song. 09:20 Wonderful song. It's good to be here. 09:22 And I want to welcome all those who are the viewing 09:25 audience on Anchors Of Truth. 09:30 I want to introduce you this week to the radical Jesus. 09:34 I mean, not the kind of weakling type Jesus 09:37 portrayed by some artist during the Middle Ages. 09:40 I mean, I want to talk about the bronze Galilean 09:43 who stood up against evil and was God's Son here on earth. 09:48 And we're going to look at some very radical things 09:50 that He said, and I hope you get to know Jesus Christ better. 09:53 That's my desire. 09:55 See, Jesus' teaching isn't just general statements, 09:59 but a whole new concept of living and dying. 10:04 You see, Jesus didn't just tell people to love. 10:07 Rather, He showed them how to love unconditionally. 10:11 You see, Jesus didn't just give us good thoughts, 10:14 but a whole new way of thinking. 10:17 You see, Jesus didn't just give us some wise suggestions, 10:21 but rather He gave us the final word, the commands 10:24 of a King to His people. 10:26 Jesus didn't just give us moral law, 10:29 I mean, but He gave us an eternal law 10:33 written in heaven and written in the heart of the believer. 10:36 The radical teachings of Jesus Christ, 10:40 so radical men hate them even today. 10:44 So radical, the teachings of Jesus, 10:46 that they fight against them. 10:48 I mean, they try to deny them. 10:50 So radical that our cultures try to eliminate Him 10:53 from our world. 10:55 But He lives on. 10:56 And the message that He preached back there upon that hill 11:00 He still speaks through His servants today. 11:03 So radical that we live out the commands of Jesus Christ. 11:09 So let's, these few days together, let's study 11:11 carefully and uncover the radical Jesus 11:15 and the stories that He told and the message that He gave. 11:19 Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. 11:20 Gracious God, I pray that You'll send Your Holy Spirit 11:23 to open our minds to the wonderful teachings 11:26 of Jesus Christ. 11:28 May we be radically changed. 11:30 I pray in Christ's name, amen and amen. 11:37 The Beatitudes; 11:39 the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. 11:42 In the second year of our Lord's ministry here upon earth, 11:46 Jesus walked up a hill on the northeast shore 11:49 of the Sea of Galilee. 11:50 Also called Gennesaret. 11:53 And there He taught His disciples. 11:56 Now this short journey up that mountain 11:58 would impact the whole world as no other journey in history, 12:02 except that walk up the mount called Calvary. 12:05 You see, the story begins here in Matthew chapter 5 12:09 and looking at verse 1 and 2. 12:11 And if you have your Bibles, I want you to turn with me. 12:14 The Bible tells us... 12:27 In the history of truth, Moses the patriarch 12:31 ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law, 12:34 an anchor of truth. 12:36 In the history of truth, Jesus ascended 12:38 the Mount of the Beatitudes to interpret the law. 12:42 You see, in the history of truth, Jesus climbed 12:45 the mount called Calvary to satisfy the demands 12:48 of the broken law. 12:50 And it was the custom of Jewish rabbis 12:52 that Jesus sat down to teach. 12:55 I mean, the Rock sits upon a rock. 12:57 I mean, that's symbolic, isn't it. 13:00 And when He spoke, this mountain became a sanctuary 13:06 where divinity touched humanity. 13:09 When Jesus Christ spoke on that mountain, 13:12 the sermon He preached, it became a sacred classroom 13:17 for the greatest sermon ever preached 13:18 by the only Savior that's ever lived. 13:22 Now as far as we know, the mountain 13:23 wasn't a very large mountain. 13:24 It was kind of like a Florida mountain, you know. 13:27 I mean, it was s small hill there in Galilee. 13:31 It sloped up gently from the northeast shore 13:34 of the Sea of Galilee. 13:35 Now in the history of redemption, 13:36 there are two great mountains, I mean symbolically 13:39 there in the New Testament, that rise above the 13:42 landscape in the days of Jesus. 13:43 One was the Mount of Beatitudes, 13:45 and the other was the mount called Calvary. 13:47 The Mount of the Beatitudes introduces us to the Teacher. 13:50 Mount Calvary introduces us to the Savior. 13:55 I want to try to picture the scene. 13:57 I want to try to paint a picture for you, 13:59 because we need to go back in time, 14:02 we need to feel and sense the pastoral time 14:06 in which Jesus spoke. 14:07 It's hard for us urbanites to realize and understand it. 14:10 I think it must have been a beautiful and tranquil moment 14:15 when the sun first rises in the morning 14:17 and the coolness of night meets the warmness of the day, 14:21 and creating a light fog that gently rolled down 14:25 into the valley like a jeweled scarf 14:27 thrown over a lady's shoulder. 14:30 It was there that the dawn met the day. 14:34 The sounds of birds were singing somewhere, I'm sure. 14:36 And the little children that had followed with the crowd, 14:39 with mothers and fathers, they must have been 14:41 scampering about playing games that little children 14:45 in the first century they played. 14:48 The gray of night sky faded into the pale blue of dawn, 14:53 painting the sky turquoise. 14:56 The bright morning clouds danced to the tune of a new day. 14:59 But there was another cloud invisible to the human eye; 15:03 a cloud of heavenly visitors there that day. 15:06 I mean, there were angels, I'm sure, that surrounded the hill 15:10 when Jesus Christ spoke the Beatitudes. 15:13 All nature that day was tranquil. 15:17 All nature was peaceful. 15:20 But not so with human nature. 15:22 Not so with those who crowded about. 15:25 Not so even with the disciples, those twelve men 15:27 that argued for position. 15:29 Those twelve men that had to walk with Jesus 15:31 three and a half years, and then later they would 15:34 come to know the peace that passeth understanding. 15:37 It was a turbulent crowd, 15:39 I mean, from the turbulent culture. 15:42 The first century was filled with many problems. 15:45 And I mean, they had seen the actions of the crowd that day. 15:48 The land was occupied by a tyrannical military government. 15:52 It was a world of absolute rulers, 15:54 an antithesis of democracy. 15:57 It was a world of persecution and people were 15:59 shackled to Romans. 16:01 I mean, taxes consumed a third of their wages and income. 16:06 Racial prejudism was prevalent to the point that men 16:10 no longer knew who their neighbor was, 16:12 according to Luke chapter 10 when that lawyer asked 16:15 that question, "Who is, who is my neighbor?" 16:21 Slavery was as rampant then. 16:23 I mean, there was approximately three slaves 16:25 for every free citizen. 16:28 The three groups of religious people 16:30 were not really religious. 16:31 I mean, they put on the facade, they looked like it, 16:35 but they really weren't. 16:36 I mean, the three sects of the Jews added to the problem, 16:40 the problem with the culture. 16:41 Because righteousness exalts a nation, 16:43 but sin is a reproach to any people. 16:45 I mean, they offer no solution really. 16:47 There were the zealots. 16:48 I mean, they were the terrorists of that day. 16:51 "Don't worry about your spiritual life," they said. 16:53 "We will win with military might." 16:55 They were the Taliban of the first century. 16:57 They existed there. 16:59 There were the Sadducees. 17:01 They said, "We can only survive if we compromise with Rome, 17:06 if we compromise with the government and be cautious. 17:09 Negotiate the best bargain that you can." 17:12 Compromise; that was the Sadducees. 17:15 They were not much help. 17:16 Then there were the Pharisees, I mean, with their cloaks 17:19 and their little bells on the bottoms of their cloaks 17:22 to jingle as they prayed, so people would say, 17:24 "Ah, look at those holy men." 17:26 They said, "Live a clean life, ritually pure life, 17:29 defined by the rabbi. 17:30 Trust God and then everything will work out." 17:33 They followed human tradition and put a hedge 17:35 around the Torah. 17:37 That was the time in which Jesus lived. 17:39 That was the time in which He spoke these words. 17:41 It had been said of the Sadducees that they 17:43 bargained with Rome. 17:45 It was said of the Pharisees they bargained with God. 17:49 And that was the climate in which Jesus Christ 17:52 gave that sermon, the greatest sermon ever preached, 17:57 by the only Savior who has ever, ever lived. 18:03 Now with that background, I must take you to two mountains. 18:06 They cannot be separated. 18:07 By the way, the Mount of the Beatitudes cannot be 18:09 separated from the Mount of Calvary. 18:11 I'm going to show you that this evening. 18:12 I mean, they were brought together by this Christ. 18:15 They were brought together. 18:16 Now the Beatitudes were delivered the second year 18:19 of Christ's ministry on earth. 18:20 It was a time when His ministry had reached the height. 18:23 You see, He was now preaching, but He was mostly healing. 18:26 He was the Healer. 18:27 Blind men saw, and the crowds followed Him 18:30 for the miracles everywhere. 18:31 Lame men walked, and they were amazed 18:34 at what Jesus Christ was doing when He touched lamed legs 18:37 and men stood and praised God. 18:39 I mean, they were amazed. 18:40 Wherever Jesus went the crowds followed. 18:42 Because they're always looking for a miracle. 18:46 The crowd would rather have the miracle 18:48 than the message. 18:49 And so Jesus begins ministry attracting the multitudes 18:53 there with the miracles, the miracles of that day. 18:58 I mean, Jesus was there at the height of popularity 19:02 in His healing ministry. 19:03 The Bible says in Matthew 4, it describes that, 19:05 before we get into the Sermon on the Mount. 19:43 And because of that power and popularity, 19:45 He had already had two altercations with the Pharisees 19:50 and with the Jewish rabbi. 19:52 First of all, having rejected the doctrine of the zealots 19:55 and the Sadducees and Pharisees, Jesus taught about the 19:59 need of genuine repentance. 20:01 His message was to repent of your sins 20:04 and turn back to God. 20:05 I mean, that's found there in Matthew chapter 4 20:08 and verse 17, the Bible tells us that. 20:18 I'm looking at repentance. 20:19 What does that mean? A definition. 20:21 Have a change of heart; 20:23 and from one's sins change one's ways. 20:26 To change, not just to conform. 20:30 You see, in the sermon Jesus challenges people 20:32 to a standard of living that is radically different 20:35 from anything the world ever heard before. 20:39 This sermon does not say, "Live like this 20:41 and you will be a Christian." 20:42 But rather, "Because you're a Christian, 20:45 you will live like this." 20:49 This sermon shows how Christians are meant to live. 20:52 Jesus is not just asking men to change a few 20:55 of their behaviors. 20:56 I mean, what they eat or some bling. 20:59 He was talking about deeper things 21:00 and more important things. 21:02 He was talking about, He was talking about 21:04 things of his soul within the inner man. 21:06 The spiritual law. 21:08 That spiritual law. 21:09 You see, our problem is we spend more time 21:12 getting people out of the pigpen, 21:14 but Jesus spent His time getting the pigpen out of people. 21:18 Out of people. 21:20 And that was the change, and that was the difference 21:21 in the preaching of Jesus. 21:24 Maybe this is what our problem is 21:26 when the brethren mistakenly call personal evangelism, 21:29 according to Romans 12 verse 1, that personal evangelism 21:32 where they talk about this personal evangelism, 21:37 where is says... 21:52 When non-Christians visit Christians churches 21:55 at times, they see a group of people with long faces, 21:59 who are about as cheerful as a coroner's inquest. 22:03 And no one wants a religion that makes people miserable. 22:07 I mean, however absolute the call to repentance, 22:10 it was a message of joy. 22:11 It was a message of fulfillment and happiness. 22:13 And that's why when He talks about the Beatitudes, 22:16 and the sermon, He says, "Happy is the man." 22:18 When one comes in contact with Christ, 22:20 there should be joy, happiness. 22:23 I mean, chill out. 22:26 He saved you. 22:28 That should bring you joy. 22:30 He saved you. 22:32 That should bring you joy. 22:33 And so Christ talks about repentance, 22:35 He talks about forgiveness, He talks about our sin. 22:39 And the Pharisees didn't like to do that. 22:41 They had prosperity messages. 22:44 Happy messages with bubbling brooks. 22:46 And our society today, culture today, they like 22:49 little sermons with bubbling brooks. 22:52 But not with Jesus when He climbs that hill. 22:55 Conversion, repentance, are accompanied by joy 22:59 and happiness. 23:00 You see, the parable in Luke 15 bears testimony to that joy. 23:04 When the prodigal son came home, 23:05 the father was there to greet him. 23:07 And the father threw a party, and they were joyful. 23:10 Rejoicing, for the boy had come home. 23:14 I think that's trying to tell us, the church, 23:17 that when a sinner comes to Christ 23:19 we should be full of joy. 23:21 Full of joy. 23:22 I've met people in a church who were almost angry 23:26 because a new person was coming to Christ. 23:28 Almost angry. 23:30 In the parable, the prodigal pictures that conversion. 23:33 I mean, "This my son was dead, and is alive again." 23:38 I mean, from that moment on he was alive again. 23:41 Luke 15 and verse 24. 23:46 Now the sermon shows Christians how they're meant to live. 23:50 Jesus Christ climbed the first mountain 23:52 to preach the Beatitudes. 23:54 Because of what He preached He had to climb 23:56 the second mountain, I mean, called Calvary, 23:59 to practice what He preached. 24:03 Mount Beatitudes is where He spoke. 24:05 Mount Calvary is where He suffers and dies 24:08 for what He said. 24:11 Word travels fast among the people of Palestine 24:13 when they hear that blind see and deaf hear and lame walk. 24:16 And so they're following close at hand. 24:18 Now there's been a theological discussion whether 24:20 He was speaking just to His disciples or the multitudes. 24:23 I think there were multitudes close enough 24:26 that they could hear what He was saying. 24:28 Even though His purpose was for His disciples. 24:32 For His disciples. 24:34 Most people are interested in miracles and not the message. 24:40 They turn from Him, forgetting His ministry is to teach them. 24:44 And by teaching them, He heals them. 24:48 I mean, in Matthew 5 Jesus suddenly interrupts 24:50 that successful ministry. 24:52 And He does not negate miracles, He doesn't negate His healing. 24:56 But rather He says, "I've come to teach." 24:59 And make no mistake, the miracles that Jesus did 25:01 were important signs, as we shall see. 25:04 But listen, over and over again Jesus makes clear 25:07 that the main event of ministry is teaching. 25:09 Why? Because if He heals the body and does not heal the soul, 25:12 what profit is it? 25:14 Why? If He takes away pain and suffering 25:17 but does not teach us to maintain faith in spite of it, 25:20 what good is it? 25:21 Why? If He heals the heart and leaves a scar tissue 25:25 that hardens it, what good is it? 25:28 Why? To get people chasing for a miracle but not serve Him, 25:31 what good is it? 25:35 It is the mind of healing that comes. 25:38 And Calvary teaches that Jesus was wounded, 25:40 first of all, in the mind. 25:42 They placed a crown of thorns on His head, 25:45 because all sin begins at the mind. 25:48 Symbol of fact that sin dwells there. 25:52 Therefore in Matthew 5 verse 1, we begin. 25:55 "And now when He saw the crowds..." 26:04 Keep in mind, the Beatitudes cannot be taken alone. 26:08 The Beatitudes are not ideals. 26:10 I mean, they are hard facts. 26:13 They're realities, inseparable from the cross of Calvary. 26:16 You see, what He taught on the Mountain of Beatitudes 26:18 was self-crucifixion, to love those who hate us, 26:22 I mean, to pluck out eyes, cut off arms, 26:24 listen, in order to prevent sinning, to clean the inside 26:28 of our passions and clamor for satisfaction on the outside, 26:32 to forgive those who would put us to death, 26:35 to overcome evil with good, to bless those who curse us. 26:38 He attacks that hypocrisy. 26:43 He says, in a fact, "Stop mouthing freedom 26:49 until we have justice and truth and the love of God 26:54 in our hearts as the condition of our freedom." 27:00 To live in the world and still keep one's self unpolluted 27:02 from it, that's the question. 27:04 You see, to deny ourselves sometimes legitimate pleasure 27:08 in order to better crucify our egotism, 27:11 all this is to sentence the old man of us to death. 27:14 To adhere to such revolutionary teachings is to die, 27:18 to be crucified. 27:19 Stand up in a crowd in the culture and speak that message, 27:23 and you too will some day come under the 27:26 death penalty and threat. 27:29 The moment our Lord blessed, spoke of such things, 27:34 that moment He sentenced Himself to death on Calvary. 27:39 "Blessed are..." 27:41 This has been called, the Sermon on the Mount. 27:46 It's amazing how much truth and controversy are wrapped up 27:49 in those simple sayings. 27:50 There are two expressions heard over and over again, 27:53 these are the radical teachings; "Ye have heard..." 27:56 "Ye have heard..." "Ye have heard..." 27:58 "...but I say into you..." 28:03 In these words that He said, "Ye have heard," 28:06 you have heard the Mosaic law of Moses, 28:08 the eightfold way of Buddha. 28:11 I mean, the rules of being a gentleman of Confucius. 28:14 Natural happiness of Aristotle. 28:16 You've heard broadness of the Hindus, 28:18 and humanism is taught by many today. 28:20 Those who translate some of the old codes in their own language 28:24 and call them, new way of life. 28:26 Of all the compromises, it says, "You have heard..." 28:28 "...but I say unto you..." 28:33 "I say unto you, Christians..." 28:36 This Sermon on the Mount contradicts all that our 28:39 culture promotes. 28:42 It's at variance with the world and the things that seem 28:48 important to this world. 28:51 The sermon is at so much variance with all that our 28:54 world holds dear that the world will crucify anyone 28:57 who holds dear the values of that sermon; 29:02 by the word, and eventually by deed, crucify him. 29:07 Everybody wants happiness. 29:09 And so Jesus begins His sermon; "Happy..." 29:12 And Jesus turns the world upside down by that 29:15 teaching that day; the Beatitudes. 29:16 Someone has rightly said, "In the Beatitudes, 29:18 our Lord takes those eight flimsy catch words of the world; 29:22 security, revenge, laughter, popularity, getting even, 29:27 I mean, sex, arm might, and comfort, 29:30 and He turns them upside down. 29:34 To those who say, "You cannot be happy unless you're rich," 29:37 He says, "Blessed are the poor." 29:41 To those who say, "Don't let him get away with it," 29:44 He says, "Blessed be the patient." 29:47 To those who say, "Laugh and the whole world laughs with you," 29:50 He says, "Blessed are those who mourn." 29:55 To those who say, "If nature gave you sex instincts, 29:58 you ought to give them free expression, 30:00 otherwise you will become frustrated," 30:03 He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart." 30:07 So at variance with the culture and with our world. 30:12 To those who say, "Seek to be popular and well known," 30:15 He says, "Blessed are you when men revile you 30:19 and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you 30:22 for My name's sake falsely." 30:24 To those who say, "In times of peace, blessed are the mighty, 30:27 the warmonger," He says, "Blessed are the peacemakers." 30:32 And this is why Mount of Blessing 30:35 is connected to Mount Calvary. 30:37 For those who live in contrary to the popular, the secular, 30:41 the government, the human way, must die. 30:46 Christ does not call Christians to a rose garden. 30:51 He called us to a battle and to a war. 30:55 You see, the sermon is revolutionary. 30:58 It's radical. 31:00 It disturbs anti-religion and the religious. 31:04 This sermon is not like that of today 31:06 which comes from pale plastic preachers 31:08 preaching behind plastic pulpits. 31:11 I better be careful. 31:17 This sermon is not some little happy homily 31:19 that strikes no conviction, only contentment; 31:22 the prosperity gospel. 31:24 It's a sermon that leads the preacher to his death. 31:26 It is, I mean, it's against everything that 31:29 culture peaks about. 31:31 And the culture cries out to those who follow its commands. 31:34 They say, "Intolerance." 31:37 Atheism, and agnosticism, and secularism; 31:40 it teaches Christian and eternal truth 31:42 about our culture that only mediocrity survives. 31:48 And those who call black, "black," and white, "white," 31:52 are sentenced for intolerance. 31:58 Intolerance. 32:00 Why? 32:02 Only the grays live in our culture. 32:08 Only the grays are appreciated in our culture. 32:16 The world has always considered Jesus Christ 32:19 and Christianity as intolerant. 32:22 And that's true then, it's true today. 32:24 Speak out for Christ on university campuses 32:30 and see what kind of love you get. 32:33 Speak out for a principle of the Beatitudes 32:35 which Christ taught you and see what kind of love you get. 32:40 You see, intolerant. Why? 32:43 Why do they use that word? 32:44 Because it destroys everything that they believe in. 32:47 You see, Christianity; it's not modern teaching. 32:50 His words clash with hypocrisy of that day and this age. 32:53 Intolerance; why? 32:55 Because He not only spoke them, He lived them. 33:01 He radically changed people by them. 33:05 I was working in Greenwich Village. 33:07 When I was a young preacher they sent me to hard places. 33:10 The brethren went off to the Philippines, 33:12 they sent me to the Village, to Harlem, to south or east L.A. 33:19 But anyway, I was sent to Greenwich Village 33:21 to have a meeting in a small church in the Village. 33:23 And the Village is very interesting. 33:25 On the east side we had the heroin addicts, 33:27 on the west side we had the homosexuals. 33:29 And I kind of was in the middle. 33:31 And I was giving out literature and trying to 33:33 invite people to my meetings. 33:34 In those days, they didn't give you much money 33:37 to do evangelism, you know. 33:39 And we had to give out handbills; my wife 33:41 and my two children, and the pastor and his wife. 33:43 They showed up, at least. 33:46 And I was there passing it out the Village, 33:49 and it started to rain. 33:50 I was feeling sorry for myself and I said to the Lord, 33:52 I said, "Lord, Billy Graham doesn't have to do this." 33:56 And the Lord said, "You're not Billy Graham." 33:58 And so I went on giving out my literature. 34:02 They came by and said, "Are you gay?" 34:03 I said, "Oh, I'm happy." And they went on their way. 34:07 And finally, it was teaming rain, 34:10 and I got rid of all my handbills. 34:12 The people would take it and walk a little, 34:14 throw it in the gutter and keep going. 34:19 But that evening when I opened up my series of meetings 34:21 in the Village, there weren't many people. 34:23 Maybe a hundred. 34:26 But walking in the back was two very nice looking young people. 34:33 And later I got to meet them there. 34:35 Rick and Gwen Shorter. 34:36 At the time they weren't married but they were living together. 34:39 She was a soap opera star and he was a music director 34:44 for off Broadway play. 34:46 And he said he was coming home from a party at Janice Joplin's, 34:53 who was a rock and roll singer. 34:56 He was high on coke. 34:57 Not Coca-Cola, but coke. 35:00 He was making his way along and the Lord spoke to his heart 35:03 and said, "Pick up that pamphlet." 35:10 It's floating in the water. 35:11 He picks it up. Doesn't know what for. 35:14 He takes it home, puts it on the heat register. 35:16 There on the heat register. 35:17 They go on to sleep, you know, and twelve hours later wake up 35:21 and look at this and there's a handbill on that heat register. 35:26 And he picked it up and he looked at it and said, 35:30 "Oh, this seems interesting. 35:33 Let's go. 35:35 Let's go." 35:37 And they showed up. 35:39 And I mean, listen to me, whew, they showed up. 35:44 And the grace of God touched them and the Holy Spirit 35:47 touched their lives, and they too gave their hearts to Christ. 35:50 And we married them and baptized them. 35:53 And they became great witnesses for God. 35:55 And they're still witnessing for Christ. 35:57 She has a wonderful prayer chain across America, 36:00 Gwen and Rick, and they're still ministering for Christ 36:04 now in California. 36:06 Listen to me, the Word radically changed their life. 36:10 You see, no one wants... 36:11 People in this world don't want that. 36:15 We run from it, turn our backs to it. 36:19 You see, the world believes in the world of money, 36:26 the world of stocks and bonds. 36:28 the world that believes in the primacy of the economic. 36:31 And let him stand in the marketplace where some 36:33 men live by collective profit and bargain, 36:36 and listen, what happens especially if he lives 36:39 what he preaches, to teach and practice the Beatitudes, 36:42 will lead to object poverty. 36:47 He speaks and lives with such self-sacrifice, 36:50 that He will be so poor that during His life 36:53 He will have nowhere to lay His head. 36:54 He has not a place or roof over His head. 36:58 A day will come when He will die without anything 37:00 of economic worth; Christ. 37:02 In His last hour He will be impoverished, that they will 37:05 strip Him of His garments, and even give Him a stranger's 37:08 grave for His burial. 37:09 A strangers crib when He enters the world, 37:12 and a strangers crypt when He leaves the world. 37:15 Nothing. Object poverty. 37:20 And that's why I say this sermon is His last will and testament. 37:27 And by the way, it's ours. 37:31 For let Him come into this world that proclaims the gospel 37:35 of the strong, which advocates hating your enemies, 37:38 and which condemns Christian virtues, it's what they call 37:41 soft virtue, and say to the world that teaches, 37:44 "Blessed are the powerful, for they shall control nations," 37:47 let Jesus say to them, "Blessed are the patient," 37:50 and He will one day feel the scourge of the warmonger 37:54 and they will lay a whip across His back, 37:56 and they will strike Him on the cheek by mockery, and fists. 38:00 And one of His trials, He will see men take a sickle 38:03 and cut the grass from the hill called Calvary. 38:05 And He will experience the pain as they take a hammer and 38:08 pin Him to a cross to test His patience. 38:16 Patience in the One whom endures the worst 38:19 that evil has to offer. 38:24 So He was the only One that really could say that, 38:28 "Blessed are the patient." 38:32 "Blessed are the patient." 38:35 So He might love the evil doers and not their evil. 38:41 And that is why I say the Beatitudes are His last 38:44 will and testament, because He knew the moment He spoke them 38:46 on that hill there by the Sea of Galilee 38:49 that He would have to crawl and climb up that hill 38:52 called Calvary. 38:53 He knew at the moment He talked about this message 38:57 of hope, He talked about self-crucifixion. 39:04 And that's why I love Him. 39:08 Even more now than I ever did. 39:13 This is His final will. 39:15 This is His legacy. 39:17 This is His testament. 39:19 And everyone after who adheres to His Beatitudes 39:22 will one day feel the pain and the suffering of a 39:25 crucified life in a secular world. 39:29 You think you have problems now, 39:33 let him come into a world which ridicules the idea of 39:36 sin is morbidity, consider reparation for past 39:39 guilter's guilt complex, and preach to that world 39:42 "Blessed are they who mourn for their sins," 39:45 and he will be blindfolded and mocked as a fool. 39:49 They will take His body, Christ, and scourge it 39:51 until His bones can be numbered. 39:54 And they will crown His head with thorns 39:56 until He begins to weep with soft tears, 39:59 but crimson beads of blood. 40:01 And they laugh at the weakness of Him 40:04 who will not come down from the cross. 40:10 You can never separate the sermon, the Beatitudes, 40:16 on that mountain from the mountain where our Lord 40:20 preached seven words in His death. 40:27 In His death. 40:29 To adhere to these Beatitudes will lead us to crucifixion. 40:40 "Blessed are they who hunger and who thirst after truth. 40:45 Which I am." 40:46 And they will, there broad mindedness, 40:48 give the mob the choice between Christ or Barabbas. 40:51 And they'll give you the choice. 40:56 And they'll crucify Him with thieves 40:59 to make the world think that God is no different 41:02 from a batch of robbers who are His bed fellows in death. 41:08 And in turn, all who adhere to His spoken word 41:14 will feel the scourge of secular barbarism. 41:18 To all who adhere to the Beatitudes and seek for 41:21 holiness, they too will be called down from 41:23 the cross of self-denial. 41:24 Join the crowd; compromise your faith. 41:29 This happens today. 41:31 You've read it in the newspaper. 41:33 In Iraq, a Christian woman. 41:39 "Renounce your Christianity, join the Muslim faith, or die." 41:51 To all those someday who do adhere to them, 41:54 they will feel the scourge and die, according to Revelation. 42:00 They will hunt us down. 42:03 They'll hunt us down to kill us. 42:07 Better be strong now... 42:09 ...for the day is coming. 42:16 That is why Mount of Beatitudes and Mount Calvary 42:18 are brought together by the hands of Jesus. 42:22 That is why I say it's His last will and testament. 42:26 For all our Lord suffered, we will suffer. 42:31 Let him come into the world which says, 42:33 "Thy neighbor is hell," that, "All which is opposite 42:35 me is nothing," that, "The ego alone matters," 42:39 that, "My will is supreme law and what I decide is good," 42:42 that, "I must forget others and think only of myself," 42:45 come into a world like that... 42:47 Sounds like the political leaders today. 42:51 ...and say to them, "Blessed are the merciful," 42:57 and you'll find, as Christ did, no mercy. 43:02 And that day He fulfilled the Beatitudes, 43:04 His life, then death, were opened five streams of blood 43:07 out of His body. 43:09 And they will pour vinegar and gall into His mouth. 43:11 And even after His death, so merciless they'll plunge a spear 43:15 into His side. 43:18 The Sermon on the Mount is His last will to the world, 43:21 and testament. 43:23 And it's ours. 43:26 All that Christ suffered in a pagan world, 43:30 we suffer in a secular world. 43:36 And it's our duty to stand anchored in His truth. 43:48 Anchored in His truth. 43:52 It reminds me of a story. 43:55 It said about Henry Ward Beecher, that he was a boy, 44:00 and he had a teacher at school who asked one of the boys 44:03 in class a question, which the boy answered. 44:08 Now the teacher became angry and told the boy 44:11 he was wrong, and commanded him to sit down. 44:15 The boy was obviously confused because 44:17 he thought he had answered correctly, 44:19 it was the right answer. 44:21 But he sat down abruptly. 44:24 Several boys were asked the same question 44:26 and they gave the same answer, promptly rebuked by the teacher. 44:29 Finally Beecher stood up. 44:32 And the teacher said, "What's the answer?" 44:34 And he gave the same answer. 44:37 And he was commanded to sit down. 44:39 But Beecher held his ground. 44:41 The teacher got angry and rushed to him angry. 44:44 And Beecher stood his ground. 44:46 And the teacher stopped and said, "Beecher is right. 44:51 You all had the right answer. 44:53 But Beecher was willing to stand for it." 45:02 Beecher was willing. 45:05 Are you willing to stand for it? 45:10 Many people in these last days have lost faith in Christ 45:13 because they simply lack the courage 45:16 to stand for what they believe. 45:19 They've grown so use to apologizing for their faith 45:23 that when someone mounted a serious challenge to that faith, 45:26 they just surrendered. 45:28 They sat down. 45:33 Standing up for the beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount. 45:37 Let him come into the world which tries to interpret 45:39 man in the terms of sex, which regards purity as coldness, 45:43 and chastity as frustrated sex, and self-containment 45:47 as abnormality, and the union of husband and wife 45:50 unto death as boredom, which says that marriage 45:53 endures only as long as glands endure, 45:55 that one may unbind what God has bound 45:58 and unseal what God seals. 46:00 Say to them, "Blessed are the pure." 46:07 My granddaughter, a college student, 46:10 they were discussing the sex life, or whatever. 46:16 And they all admitted that there wasn't a virgin around. 46:21 And all the girls admitted. 46:23 But my granddaughter, she stood up and she said, 46:25 "I'm a virgin." 46:26 And they ridiculed, they laughed at her. 46:29 But she stood her ground. 46:31 I was so proud. 46:34 I was so proud. 46:36 She stood her ground. 46:39 A Beatitude written in her heart, "Blessed are the pure." 46:47 And those words strike a chord in the heart of Christ, 46:52 who would find Himself hanging naked from the cross. 46:58 Made a spectacle to the world. 47:06 And they'll cry out, the multitude and crowd, 47:08 "Crazy, affirmation of purity is abnormal." 47:13 That virgins are neurotics and that carnality is right. 47:16 Speak of marriage in terms of man and woman 47:18 and see what hatred comes from the world. 47:23 Let him who stands and adheres to the Beatitude 47:28 of purity know that he or she too will suffer 47:33 and find themselves naked before the crowd, 47:36 and mocked and ridiculed. 47:38 The Beatitude is the last will and testament. 47:40 If we adhere to the sacred teachings, we will be 47:43 crucified by the crowd in word, and finally in deed. 47:47 "Ye have heard," it says, "the method of war." 47:49 Let him come to the world that believes that one 47:51 may resort to bullets and bombs and power 47:54 in order to conquer the world, carrying doves of peace 47:57 with stomachs full of bombs and bullets. 47:59 Say to them, "Blessed are the peacemakers." 48:05 The Beatitude is His last will and testament. 48:08 If we adhere to those sacred teachings, 48:11 we too will be crucified by the crowd, 48:13 by word and by deed. 48:15 Jesus says, "Ye have heard the method of war." 48:22 Let him come into a world which believes that one must 48:24 resort to bullets and bombs and power in order to 48:26 conquer the world, carry doves of peace with stomachs 48:29 full of arms, say to us, "Blessed are the peacemakers," 48:32 "Blessed are they who eradicate sin that there may be peace," 48:36 and he will find himself surrounded by men 48:38 engaged in the silliest of wars, of wars against the Son of God. 48:44 Making violence with steel and wooden pins in His hands, 48:50 and gall in His mouth. 48:53 And setting a watch over His grave, that He who lost 48:55 the battle would not win the day. 49:01 Standing up and speaking out, 49:03 while knowing that every act and word would 49:05 infuriate the godless. 49:07 Knowing that every act and word would infuriate the humanist. 49:11 Standing up and speaking out knowing that every act 49:14 and every word would infuriate the rich. 49:16 Knowing that every act and word would infuriate. 49:19 That is why the four woes come; "Woe unto you who are rich. 49:23 You have your comfort already. 49:28 Woe upon you who are filled full. 49:32 You shall be hungry. 49:35 Woe upon you who laugh now, but you shall mourn 49:43 and you shall weep. 49:45 Woe upon you when all men speak well of you. 49:52 You shall be hated and despised." 49:55 By the way, that's found in Luke's gospel, 49:58 chapter 6 verses 24 through 26. 50:03 Crucifixion cannot be far away from when the Teacher says, 50:06 "Woe to the rich, the happy, the popular." 50:10 Why was the sermon His last will and testament? 50:13 Why? He died the opposite of the four woes. 50:16 He died poor, died abandoned, died sorrowful, and despised. 50:20 Let him come into the world that believes our whole life 50:23 should be geared in flattery, and influencing people, 50:26 I mean, in the sake of utility and popularity, 50:29 and say, "Blessed are you when men hate you and 50:31 persecute and revile you," and he will find himself 50:34 without a friend in the world. 50:39 An outcast on a hill. 50:42 The mob shouting His death and His flesh hanging 50:47 like purple rags. 50:51 Like purple rags. 50:54 Few men of this century have understood better 50:56 the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 51:02 He seems to have never wavered in his Christian faith. 51:07 Antagonism to a Nazi regime... 51:10 ...although it meant for him imprisonment, 51:12 it meant torture, and danger to his own family, 51:15 and finally death. 51:16 He was executed by a direct order of Heinrich Himmler 51:20 in April 1945 in Flossenburg concentration camp 51:25 only a few days before it was liberated. 51:30 It was a fulfillment of what he had already believed and taught. 51:33 "Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship," he wrote. 51:37 "The disciple is not above his master. 51:42 Following Christ means passio passiva, 51:46 suffering because we have to suffer. 51:49 And that is why Luther reckoned suffering among the marks 51:52 of a true Church, and one of the memoranda 51:55 drawn up in preparation for the Augsburg Confession. 51:59 It defines the Church community of those who are persecuted 52:02 and martyred for their faith. 52:04 Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, 52:08 and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians 52:10 should be called upon to suffer. 52:13 In fact it is a joy and it is a token of grace." 52:21 This man who ministered, he ministered with these people 52:29 till he died. 52:31 Never selfish. 52:34 Always unselfish. 52:36 Because he considered the Beatitudes, 52:39 the sermon on the Mount, a message from his God, 52:46 and to love even his enemies. 52:53 The Beatitudes cannot be taken alone. 52:56 They are not ideals, but hard facts 53:01 and realities inseparable from the cross of Jesus. 53:05 The Beatitudes are indictment against our culture. 53:09 We have no control at all of what is good and peaceful. 53:12 The apocalyptic end is inevitable. 53:15 Listen to what Omar Bradley said about the future. 53:19 It was 1948, Armistice celebration. 53:22 Omar Bradley, one of the generals of World War II. 53:26 And he also went to World War I. 53:28 He remembered as a young man he served in the Army 53:31 in the U.S. and became a General. 53:33 He actually led one of the largest armies 53:36 in history during World War II. 53:37 He spoke at Armistice Day in Boston, Massachusetts, 1948. 53:41 Listen to what he says. 53:45 "With the monstrous weapons men already have, 53:48 humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world 53:51 by its moral adolescents. 53:55 Our knowledge of science has clearly outstripped 53:58 our capacity to control it. 54:01 We have many men of science, but too few men of God. 54:05 We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected 54:08 the Sermon On The Mount. 54:09 Man is stumbling blindly through a spiritual darkness 54:13 while toying with the precarious secrets of life and death. 54:16 The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, 54:19 power without conscience. 54:22 Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. 54:27 We know more about war than we know about peace, 54:32 more about killing than we know about living. 54:39 This is our twentieth century," and twenty-first century, 54:44 "claim to distinction and to progress." 54:46 Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, 54:50 tried desperately to teach us the way to peace, 54:54 the way to contentment, the way to happiness, 54:59 On the Mount, Jesus embraced the cross, 55:03 and bid all His followers to do the same. 55:06 On the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus, He called all His 55:10 followers to hurl themselves on the cross of self-denial 55:17 on the Mount of Calvary. 55:20 And that is why the world hates Christ. 55:23 Because He not only spoke them, but He lived them. 55:29 And that is why the world will hate you. 55:32 And that is why the bright glorious afternoon, 55:34 when our blessed Lord gathered His disciples 55:36 apart from the crowd, was overshadowed by the cross. 55:41 And it was that day He taught us how to be completely happy. 55:47 Blessed and happy are they who follow those 55:52 commands of Jesus Christ. 55:54 In my 60 years preaching for God, 55:58 I have found people who are saddened by life, 56:03 hurt by life, discouraged by life. 56:08 And then the joy of Christ filled their heart. 56:12 The hope of the gospel of God that saves sinners 56:16 came to them as a bright light. 56:19 And from that sorrow and that desperation 56:22 and that despair, a smile played upon their face, 56:26 and joy in their heart. 56:27 And they could say, "Happy, joyful is he that comes to God." 56:36 When I was visiting a family once, this woman lost her child. 56:41 And I invited her to the meetings 56:43 there in Morgantown, North Carolina. 56:44 And she came out. 56:45 She was there at the meeting, and she was so sad. 56:48 Her face looked so sad. 56:50 You could understand why. She lost her baby. 56:52 But I had assured her that someday Jesus would 56:55 put her baby in her arms again. 56:56 Because Christ assured it. 56:58 And then I remember when she gave her life 57:00 to Christ that night. 57:02 And that dear lady came forward. 57:06 And that moment, that sadness dissolved 57:11 and she found that joy and that peace. 57:15 Listen to me, you who are watching this program, 57:18 you too can find that joy and that peace 57:22 and that happiness. 57:24 Have you found happiness today? |
Revised 2014-12-17