Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000136
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00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:22 Well we're so happy that you could join us here 00:24 in West Frankfort, Illinois at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:31 And I tell you, it's been a beautiful day here 00:34 in southern Illinois. 00:35 Finally getting a little bit cooler. 00:38 And we have had an unbelievably comfortable summer. 00:43 And then all of a sudden we had a late summer 00:45 right here at the end. 00:46 And it has been like it usually is earlier. 00:51 But now today was pretty pleasant. 00:54 Especially pleasant for me because I spent all day inside. 00:59 The air conditioning was working just fine at 3ABN. 01:04 We're so happy that our local pastor, 01:07 pastor of the Thompsonville church, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:12 is going to be presenting our Anchors Of Truth. 01:16 Everybody knows John. 01:17 Tonight they asked me, "Should we give you a sheet about John?" 01:21 They were teasing me, of course. 01:23 But he has been here longer than I. 01:25 Thirteen years as pastor here of this congregation 01:30 that meets in the 3ABN Worship Center. 01:34 And he and his wife, Angie, are just two people that 01:38 we love so very much. 01:41 And we appreciate them. 01:42 They travel around the world. 01:44 Last week they were just getting back from Africa. 01:47 I think John may be over the jetlag by now. 01:50 But he was feeling it for a few days, as you always do 01:54 when you go off that distance. 01:57 A few weeks ago, John spoke on the danger zone 02:02 here at church. 02:03 I was very impressed with the message that he brought. 02:08 And I said to him, "John, could you do that for Anchors?" 02:13 He said, "I have a series that I have done with this subject. 02:18 And I would be happy to." 02:20 Well we were thinking about that for some later time, 02:23 and then C.A. Murray, who was scheduled to actually have 02:27 the Anchors at this particular time, had as you mostly 02:31 all know by now, had open heart surgery bypass. 02:37 And he's in good shape. 02:39 We interviewed him today for a program we're going to be 02:43 showing tomorrow night. 02:45 So be sure to watch late tomorrow night. 02:49 You'll see C.A and you'll see how he's doing. 02:53 But I am excited about these subjects. 02:57 Tonight will be, The Danger Of Neglect. 03:00 Tomorrow night, The Danger Of Unbelief. 03:03 Friday Night, The Danger Of Not Maturing. 03:07 And then, The Danger Of Drawing Back, Sabbath morning. 03:10 And the final on Sabbath afternoon, 03:13 The Danger Of Refusing God. 03:17 I'm looking forward to this series. 03:19 This is very important. 03:20 You need to call your friends, tell them that this is something 03:24 they do not want to miss. 03:27 Before Pastor John comes, Lisa Yeager is going to 03:31 be singing for us. 03:33 Lisa and John are members of this church. 03:36 John helps and works at 3ABN in sound. 03:39 In fact, he's back there on the soundboard tonight, I can see. 03:43 I can't see you, John, but I can see your forehead. 03:45 There you are. 03:47 So I know that he's there. 03:49 And he raised his hand, he is there. 03:52 But it's kind of hard to see them behind all that 03:55 big edifice they have to work behind in sound. 04:00 But Lisa is one of the worship leaders here 04:04 at the Thompsonville church. 04:06 I love it when she leads worship. 04:08 I love when they all do. 04:09 I love the worship songs that we have here. 04:12 But I just feel real special when Lisa does. 04:17 And right now she's going to sing for us, 04:20 We Cry Out. 04:39 Father of life seated on Your throne of grace, 04:47 it's only by Your mercy we are saved. 04:55 Lord, You have said if we call upon Your name, 05:03 we and our families will be saved. 05:10 So we cry out Your name; 05:18 El Shaddai, God of grace, 05:26 Lord most High, 05:32 Jesus Christ. 05:39 We rely on Your grace, 05:47 Adonai crowned in praise; 05:54 Lord most High, 06:02 Jesus Christ. 06:11 Father of love, never failing to forgive; 06:19 each moment is a gift from You to live. 06:26 We're only here to tell the world about Your grace, 06:34 until the day You take us all away. 06:40 So we cry out Your name; 06:47 El Shaddai, God of grace, 06:55 Lord most High, 07:01 Jesus Christ. 07:07 We rely on Your grace, 07:14 Adonai crowned in praise; 07:21 Lord most High, 07:27 Jesus Christ. 07:34 We rely on Your grace, 07:40 Adonai crowned in praise; 07:47 Lord most High, 07:54 Lord most High, 08:02 Lord most High, 08:07 Jesus Christ. 08:25 Thank you, Lisa. Can we say amen to that? 08:28 What a wonderful song, We Cry Out. 08:33 I believe that by the end of this series, 08:35 and those of you who are joining us, 08:36 will discover that because of the dangers that we're going to 08:40 be outlining from night to night, the best thing to do 08:43 is to cry out to the Lord for salvation. 08:45 Can you say amen? 08:48 I didn't plan for this series. 08:50 It just, the lot just fell on me. 08:53 And because God never is a God of coincidence or accidents 08:58 or luck, I believe that God ordained for this to be so. 09:01 And so tonight I want to invite you to bow your heads 09:04 with me as we go before the Lord asking for His guidance. 09:10 Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You, Lord, that 09:13 this opportunity will not be wasted on humanity, 09:16 but will rely on divinity. 09:20 Come tonight, Lord, and speak not only to my heart, 09:22 but speak to those who have gathered around this hour 09:27 to hear from You. 09:29 And as we outline the dangers that are found in Your Word, 09:32 we pray that Your purpose of salvation may be accomplished 09:36 in and for every one of us. 09:39 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 09:46 The Danger of Neglect. 09:49 About 20 years ago when I was living in northern California 09:52 in the Northern California Conference where I was 09:55 pastoring, I sat down and read the book of Hebrews, 10:00 which actually started a number of years before. 10:03 I mention the story as I was traveling back from 10:06 Taipei, Taiwan when I was in the Heritage singers. 10:10 And the plane was shaking during the time that meals 10:13 were being served, and a movie about George Burns 10:17 entitled, "Oh God, You Devil," was being shown, and 10:20 they tried to sell me headsets. 10:22 And I thought, if there is ever a dangerous thing to do, 10:24 is to buy headsets to watch a blasphemous movie 10:28 while we're relying on God to get us home safely. 10:31 So I decided not to buy the headsets. 10:34 And people were watching this movie. 10:36 And I was sitting down reading my Bible, 10:38 I was reading the book of Hebrews. 10:40 Two Bibles ago. 10:42 I go through Bibles. 10:44 And I remember that very well. 10:46 And it sparked my interest about the overall theme of the 10:50 book of Hebrews. 10:52 And then one day I began to sit down and I looked through it 10:54 methodically, and I found out in its pages there are 10:57 five dangers outlined. 11:00 How many dangers did I say? 11:01 Five dangers outlined. 11:03 And as you follow these dangers, you'll discover that every one 11:07 of them is a progressive step that finally leads to the 11:12 irreversible step of the very last one. 11:15 That is the danger of refusing God. 11:18 The danger of neglect, the danger of unbelief, 11:21 the danger of not maturing, the danger of drawing back, 11:23 and finally the danger of refusing God. 11:26 Tonight, if you have your Bibles, we're going to 11:28 begin by going to the book of Hebrews chapter 2. 11:31 And we're going to look together at verse 3. 11:34 Hebrews chapter 2, and I'm going to read briefly verse 3. 11:41 "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, 11:45 which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, 11:48 and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him..." 11:52 How shall we escape? 11:57 My wife and I just got back from Nairobi, Kenya. 12:00 And when we said to our brothers and sisters, 12:05 and our members alike, that we were going to Kenya, 12:07 they said, "Are you sure that's a safe place to go?" 12:10 And truly, we questioned whether or not it was safe 12:12 because of all the things that are happening 12:15 in different parts of the world that are really 12:17 putting our safety at risk. 12:19 But what I discovered is that we live in one of the most 12:22 dangerous generations in recorded history. 12:24 Doesn't have to be in Nairobi. 12:26 It could be anywhere in the world. 12:28 And we are living in the most dangerous generation 12:30 in recorded history. 12:32 Our world is replete with dangers. 12:35 Every day we are confronted with danger avoiding decisions. 12:40 In our own homes. 12:41 Our homes are dangerous. 12:42 I think about some of those who put up light bulbs 12:45 and fall off ladders. 12:47 It's a dangerous world we live in. 12:48 Our homes are dangerous. 12:49 Every day, if we can make it through our homes without 12:52 killing ourselves we've avoided the obvious dangers. 12:55 I read a statistic once, how many deaths occur in our homes; 12:59 from drowning, from children dying from asphyxiation 13:02 messing with the plastic that comes with your clothing 13:05 when you pick it up from the cleaners. 13:07 Our homes are dangerous at times. 13:09 There are countries that are dangerous to visit. 13:12 There are mountains that are dangerous to climb. 13:15 I was reading a story just recently about a place 13:17 in China called Culu, China. 13:23 And I think about our children traveling to school 13:26 not too far from here. 13:27 And the article pointed out that every day children travel 13:31 five miles to school through the mountains. 13:35 And the path is only one foot wide. 13:37 And I thought, that's dangerous. 13:39 And then there's also in the Philippines where children 13:41 go to school on a day by day basis, and in one of the 13:44 provinces, to get to school they float on a rubber tire, 13:48 inflated rubber tire, across a muddy river 13:51 just to get to school. 13:53 That's dangerous. 13:55 Then there are foods that are dangerous to ingest. 13:57 Matter of fact, it's dangerous to drink alcohol 14:00 and abuse drugs. 14:02 But it's also now dangerous to drive and text. 14:05 When I was growing up, it use to be dangerous 14:07 to disrespect your parents. 14:11 There are growing dangers from countless insecurities, 14:14 if you follow the list. 14:15 And I've said nothing about the senseless shootings 14:18 that occur in our schools in civilized America. 14:23 Or the growing number of home born terrorists; 14:26 another avenue of danger. 14:28 Or the increased militarization of the urban centers 14:32 of our nation; like what happened in St. Louis. 14:35 Dangerous cities. 14:37 How about the increasing fear over the spread of Ebola? 14:40 When we got back from Africa someone said to my wife, 14:44 "If you start feeling sick or you start getting a fever, 14:47 you can stay home." 14:48 Because they were concerned about the Ebola virus 14:50 coming back with us. 14:51 These are dangers that lurk in our minds from day to day. 14:56 But the fact of the matter is, it wouldn't be danger unless 14:59 the possibility of harm was imminent. 15:02 Think about that. 15:03 It wouldn't be danger if the threat of safety 15:05 were not a probability. 15:07 It wouldn't be danger unless ignoring it made 15:11 the risk of death likely. 15:14 But all I've mentioned so far does not measure up with the 15:17 most dangerous circumstance of all. 15:20 Look at this one in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1 to 3. 15:24 At the intersection of death and eternity, the apostle Paul 15:27 shouts these words. 15:29 And here they are. 16:07 I don't believe that the apostle Paul would have put these words 16:10 in Scripture if there was not a possible loss of salvation 16:15 in this text. 16:16 Danger; "How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" 16:21 Every day when I wake up, I think about salvation. 16:23 I think of where I was and where I am today. 16:25 And I praise the Lord for His salvation. 16:26 Can you say amen to that? 16:28 If we think of our lives before Jesus, 16:30 BC; before Christ, and AC; after Christ, 16:34 we can see that the best decision we have ever made 16:37 is to accept His grace, to accept His salvation. 16:41 But how can we escape if we neglect? 16:45 How can we ignore the word spoke by the Lord 16:48 and expect a different outcome from those that ignore 16:51 the word spoken by angels? 16:53 So allow me tonight to begin our series as we unfold 16:57 the steps that lead to danger. 17:00 The writer of Hebrews demands us to read the obituary of 17:04 those that ignored the counsel of God; 17:06 those that God gave all the privileges and opportunities, 17:10 those that God has blessed. 17:13 The write of Hebrews said "Read their obituary. 17:15 Look at their DNA. 17:17 And as you learn what they've done, 17:19 choose not to do it." 17:21 By the way, if you follow that carefully in the lives of the 17:24 children of Israel, and when you study their lives, 17:26 we are told that if you look at the way they lived, 17:29 it is almost a parallel to the way that Christians live today. 17:33 We can learn a lot by their failures. 17:36 We can learn a lot of what not to do by the things that 17:39 the children of Israel did. 17:40 We can learn what to avoid by the things 17:43 that they chose not to avoid. 17:45 We can learn about the decisions to make 17:46 by the decisions that they did not make. 17:49 And so when I read the life of Israel, I discover 17:54 that a people that had all the advantages that God had made 17:57 available to them lost because they did not make the proper 18:01 spiritual decisions. 18:03 They lost their salvation because of neglect. 18:07 If ever there were a people that had it all, 18:09 it was the Israelites. 18:11 And by the way, when we look back and think of them 18:13 having everything, look at your own life. 18:15 Are we not blessed? 18:18 We are blessed abundantly. 18:20 My wife and I were talking about that today, and I said, 18:22 you know, as I sat down and I thought about 18:24 where our lives where and how we have gotten to 18:26 the place where we are today, I think back to the fact that 18:30 we are just little ole John and Angie from Brooklyn, New York. 18:36 Two knuckleheads, as it were, that just simply turned their 18:38 lives over to the Lord. 18:40 And it's amazing what God can do if we avail ourselves, 18:44 of ourselves, and put our lives in the hand of the Lord. 18:48 Everything that Israel had, God blessed them with. 18:51 And He blessed them, not because of who they are, 18:54 but because of who He is. 18:55 Amen, church? 18:56 But look at Deuteronomy chapter 7. 18:58 The Bible outlines this very carefully 19:01 about God's blessing to the children of Israel. 19:03 And you'll discover that what He did for them 19:05 He wants to do for us. 19:06 Look at Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 6 to verse 8. 19:12 And the Lord speaks of the children of Israel by saying... 20:03 Everything that God did for Israel, church, 20:05 He wants to do for us. 20:08 And by the way, if you don't know that, we are special 20:10 in the sight God. 20:12 We are not special because of who we are, 20:14 but we are special because of who He is. 20:16 If God takes the time to bless us, He chooses to bless us 20:19 that His glory might be seen. 20:21 He chooses to equip us so that His message can go forward. 20:25 He chooses to make us a vessel of honor to Him. 20:30 When I began to look at that and break that down, 20:32 I was sitting there thinking, 20:33 "Lord, what made them so different? 20:34 What made them so unique? 20:36 What did You do for them that You could not do for us?" 20:39 And I'll think about it. 20:41 He saved them from the slavery of Egypt; 20:45 and He saves us from the slavery of sin. 20:47 He made them a holy people; He makes us a holy people. 20:51 Amen? 20:52 He brought them out of the land of darkness; 20:54 He brought us out of a life of darkness. 20:58 Look at 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. 21:01 Go there with me, 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. 21:05 All the Lord did for Israel, He has done for us. 21:11 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10 now almost 21:14 parallels Deuteronomy, but this time it's not about Israel. 21:18 This time it's about us. 21:21 Let's read this together. 21:22 The Lord speaks of us and He says, 21:24 to John and Angie He says... 21:56 Can you say amen to that? 21:57 I go back to my gang life, if that's the word I can use... 22:01 And David knows what I'm talking about. 22:02 I could go back to the streets of New York City 22:05 and recall the fights that I had with those that 22:08 had knives, and those that held me up at gunpoint, 22:11 and those that broke a broomstick over my head. 22:13 I can go back to that, 22:14 look at the deliverance of God and say that where I am today 22:17 is not because of coincidence, nor is it because of my plan, 22:22 but it is always because of the plan of God. 22:24 Can you say amen to that? 22:26 So we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. 22:29 And sometimes, when I think about it, sometimes 22:32 we ought to take that into consideration. 22:34 We're not just another people, but we are a special people. 22:37 We're not just a generation, we are a chosen generation. 22:42 Does that not ring your bell? 22:45 Think about it. 22:46 Out of all the people on earth, God chose you. 22:51 Out of all the individuals that could have done the work that 22:53 you do, God chose you. 22:57 Out of all the ones that are saved on a day by day basis, 23:01 God chose you. 23:03 God chose me. 23:05 When I think about that, I'm not just another person. 23:07 Every time I go back to New York City and I 23:09 run into the friends that I had when I was growing up, 23:12 I go into the neighborhoods that I lived when I was growing up, 23:15 I go into the places where many years before 23:17 you can see the crack vials and the butts left from 23:21 marijuana, you can see the broken glass, 23:23 and sometimes you can see an empty bullet shell, 23:27 and I think of all those things that God brought me through, 23:29 and I think of where I am today, and I realize in fact 23:33 that when I sing Amazing Grace, I need to realize 23:36 how amazing God's grace really is. 23:40 His grace is amazing. 23:41 But I'm talking about salvation tonight. 23:42 We're going to begin by talking about the most important thing 23:45 in the Christian life. 23:46 God has saved every one of us. 23:51 But the problem is that sometimes we do what Israel did. 23:54 We look to God for the wrong things. 23:56 Look at Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 7 tonight. 24:01 Israel served God for His temporal benefits 24:04 and missed out on the greatest benefit of all; 24:07 the benefit of salvation. 24:08 Look at Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 7 to verse 9. 24:17 The Bible says... 25:08 Think about that. 25:09 You know, I was sitting down today, and every now and then 25:14 I peruse the internet to see what's new. 25:17 And when I say, "What's new," 25:18 I mean I'm somewhat of a gadgetarian. 25:20 I like to see what's coming out, what's new. 25:22 And then I see what's new and I think, 25:25 "Wow, you know, how much does that costs?" 25:28 And then the thought came to me today when I went back 25:31 and I thought about the blessings that God 25:33 brings to us and how when we focus on just the 25:36 temporal things, they lose their impact in our lives. 25:40 But when we focus on the eternal things, 25:42 they never lose their impact in our lives. 25:45 I was thinking about when we got our first vehicle, 25:47 our very first new vehicle when we were married. 25:50 You know, in New York City my wife had a Toyota 25:53 that her brother gave her. 25:54 And it had only, it didn't have a reverse gear. 25:57 It only went forward. 25:58 We called that our Christian vehicle, it only went forward. 26:02 And the first time we used it for pleasure, it broke down 26:05 on the George Washington Bridge. 26:10 Whenever we took it to prison ministry, 26:12 it always worked. 26:13 Whenever we went to a Bible study, it always worked. 26:15 The moment we used that for our own pleasure, 26:17 it broke down at the toll booth on the George Washington Bridge 26:22 over the Hudson River. 26:25 After I paid the toll and I pressed the gas pedal, 26:29 and the guy at the toll booth looked at me like to say, 26:31 "Aren't you leaving?" 26:33 "I'm trying." 26:34 And the engine was just revving and I was going nowhere fast. 26:37 And all I could hear was the gears grinding 26:40 and I could hear the oil pouring out. 26:42 And almost imperceptibly in my mind, I began to rock to maybe 26:46 hopefully I could add some momentum to this vehicle. 26:49 But because God was merciful, He allowed us to be at the 26:51 apex of the bridge, which from the toll booth 26:54 it was downhill from there. 26:55 Amen, somebody. 26:57 And so I was able to get that thing going by really pressing 26:59 and revving up the gears, and it was all downhill from there. 27:04 No brakes, and the cars are whizzing by us 27:07 at 35 or 40 miles an hour. 27:09 But we were going just a good ole cool 25, and eventually 30, 27:13 and maybe 35 at the highest peak of our coasting. 27:17 And we made it all the way down the George Washington Bridge 27:22 until we broken down and left the car on the street 27:24 under the bridge. 27:26 And I think about that, when I was living the life 27:28 that I didn't live, there were broken things in my life 27:31 all the time. 27:32 I had my own car. 27:33 I remember that very well. 27:35 Finally got my own Toyota. 27:36 It was broken down too. It had cancer. 27:39 But when we both dedicated our lives to the Lord, 27:42 when we got married, the Lord took the old things 27:45 out of our lives and put the new things in. 27:47 Come on say amen, somebody. 27:49 I remember getting our very first vehicle 27:51 in Orlando, Florida, our Toyota Forerunner. 27:54 And I was excited about that. 27:57 But that was back in 1987, and that's old now. 28:01 Then I think about getting the one in 1996 28:03 when we traded that one out and got another Forerunner. 28:06 But that's old now. 28:08 And I think about the 2005 Nissan Armada. 28:10 But that's old now. 28:13 You see, things on earth get old. 28:15 But God's salvation and His mercies are new every morning. 28:19 What do you say? 28:20 That's the salvation that never lets us down. 28:23 That's the salvation that brings to us every day 28:27 the honor and the security that comes only 28:30 from the newness that the Lord has brought into our lives. 28:34 Our lives are new. 28:35 Our lives are new every day. 28:37 And when Israel served God for the newness that was divine, 28:41 and the newness that was spiritual, 28:42 they never lost their connection with God. 28:46 That's why today when I think about the church that we are 28:48 a part of, there's no movement on earth 28:50 that can claim a connection with God as intimate as His church, 28:55 as powerful as the connection that we have 28:58 because we serve Him. 28:59 There is no insurance policy that can give us the assurance 29:02 that we can find in a relationship with Jesus. 29:05 That's what salvation means, that's what salvation really is. 29:11 When the apostle says, "How shall we escape 29:15 if we neglect so great a salvation," 29:18 I had to ask the question, "What makes salvation great?" 29:22 What makes salvation great? 29:25 Salvation is great because its Author is God. 29:30 The Author and Finisher of our faith. 29:34 Salvation is great because God made a way 29:37 for sinners to enter the kingdom. 29:38 What do you say? 29:39 Salvation is great first because of the Author, God. 29:43 Think of God. 29:44 And every now and then when I look at these 29:46 planets, and every now and then I look at the stars 29:50 and I see the skies, and I compare what I see to this 29:54 little earth, and I think God could have easily wiped out 29:57 this earth, and nobody would have missed us. 30:02 But because of God's plan of salvation, 30:04 He made a way that this little dot within a dot, 30:07 a speck within a speck, and us on the speck, 30:10 that we can be citizens of an eternal kingdom. 30:13 Amen? 30:14 That's salvation. 30:15 Salvation is great because of its Author. 30:18 Second reason salvation is great is because of the price 30:21 that was paid; the life of Jesus. 30:24 Now who do you know that would be willing to die for you? 30:27 Who do you know? 30:30 I can only think of mothers being willing 30:33 to die for their children. 30:35 Or fathers being willing to die for their children. 30:37 But outside of that, the Bible says, "For scarcely would 30:40 anybody die for a righteous man, let alone a sinner." 30:43 We have to look for reasons to give our lives. 30:46 And often those reasons are things that are beneficial. 30:48 "Why should I die for you? 30:49 What have you done for me?" 30:51 But the Lord died for us. 30:53 "In that while we were yet sinners, Christ did.." What? 30:56 "...died for us." 30:59 Third reason why salvation is so great is because 31:02 of its accomplishments. 31:04 Our redemption. 31:08 Now I was expecting a whole hallelujah chorus on that one. 31:12 Salvation is great because we are redeemed. 31:18 We're not just members, we're redeemed. 31:20 We're not just church attenders. 31:23 We are one day going to attend the banquet of the ages. 31:27 We are not just in a building, we are in God's will. 31:31 We are not just citizens on an earth, 31:33 we are going to be citizens on the new earth. 31:36 We are getting ready for that transaction that's going to make 31:40 our lives far greater than it is today. 31:42 Look at the words of David the psalmist 31:44 in Psalm 103 verse 4 and 5. 31:46 Look at these words. 31:47 He describes salvation, what makes it so great. 31:51 He describes salvation and what makes it so great. 31:53 Look at what he says about God. 32:18 Salvation is the divine transaction 32:22 that transforms us from the enemies of God 32:25 to the children of God. 32:27 Salvation is the transaction that transforms us 32:33 from enemies of God to children of God. 32:37 I think about that video that I watched on CNN. 32:41 It's actual a repeating video. 32:43 They showed the mother that pleaded for her son. 32:47 Pleaded to this terrorist group, this Islamic group called, ISIS. 32:55 This terrorist group. 32:57 And she looked in the camera and she pleaded the case. 32:59 She said, "Please spare my son's life. 33:03 Please spare my son's life." 33:06 And I'm moved at the fact that she lost her plea 33:09 and they executed her son. 33:12 And then I looked in God's Word and I asked myself the question, 33:14 what happened when Jesus pleaded our case? 33:18 What happened when Jesus pleaded for our salvation? 33:22 Look at a book that most likely wouldn't have the answer. 33:25 The book of Lamentations. 33:26 It sounds like a sad book, but look at that book. 33:28 Lamentations chapter 3 verse 58. 33:32 Look at what it says about what happens when 33:34 Jesus pleads our case. 33:37 And here's what it says. 33:47 When He pleads our case, He does what to our lives? 33:49 He redeems our lives. 33:51 And I tell you, as my mother told me when I met her, 33:54 she said, "If I raised, you'd probably be a drunk 33:59 on the streets of the Virgin Islands. 34:02 You surely wouldn't be what you are today." 34:04 And I think of even my abandonment as a plan 34:06 of God's eternal will. 34:08 To take me from what I could have been 34:10 to make me what I am today. 34:12 God redeems us. 34:14 He looks at the situations developing in our lives 34:17 and He has a plan that interrupts what the enemy 34:21 wants to do in our lives. 34:23 That's why when Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3 34:26 proclaims it, the question is asked again, 34:28 "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" 34:32 How can we escape? 34:33 I was sitting in the airport on our way, my wife and I were, 34:37 on our way to the University of Nebraska about five years ago. 34:41 And I was invited there to speak to a class of students 34:45 at a secular university. 34:46 And they said, "Come, we'd like you to share 34:48 with this university some things about what it means 34:52 to be a pastor, what it means to be an Adventist." 34:54 And what an opportunity to be able to do that 34:56 at a secular university. 34:59 But I was sitting at the airport thinking about neglecting. 35:04 I was sitting at the airport, and we transferred from 35:07 one plane, and we were sitting at the next stop 35:09 to make the next connection. 35:11 And we got to our gate and we were sitting there. 35:15 And I said to my wife, "Seems like we're the only ones 35:19 going to North Dakota." 35:21 Or Nebraska. 35:23 And I said, "I guess so. 35:24 You know, we're early. Our plane is not here yet." 35:26 And we sat down and went back to the food counter 35:31 and got something to eat. 35:32 And we thought about it, and we came back, 35:36 and we realized that we were at the wrong gate. 35:41 We realized that after our plane left. 35:45 You know why? Because we neglected to check our ticket 35:49 with the sign. 35:51 And it was only one number different. 35:53 Flight 1135, and I saw flight 1134. 35:58 One number, we neglected to compare the two. 36:01 We thought we were the only ones. 36:03 I thought everybody else was wrong and I was right. 36:05 Sometimes we can neglect the finest things in our lives 36:08 and forget to realize that God's Word is always right. 36:12 We should always assume that we are wrong 36:15 and God is always right. 36:16 Can you say amen to that? 36:18 That's why when I think about the goodness of God, 36:19 there is no escape from death other than Jesus, 36:22 there is no escape from the pain of life other than Jesus, 36:25 there is no escape from condemnation other than Jesus. 36:29 There's no real joy outside of Jesus. 36:32 There's no lasting peace without Jesus. 36:35 There is no hope beyond the grave apart from Jesus. 36:39 There's no possibility of eternal life 36:41 unless we have Jesus. 36:43 What do you say? 36:44 Jesus is the focus. 36:45 I've got to begin this series by looking at Jesus, 36:48 because I can't have salvation if it were not for Jesus. 36:52 The only one that can heal my hurts is Jesus. 36:55 The only one that can dry my tears is Jesus. 36:58 The only one that can calm all my fears is Jesus. 37:02 The only one that can bring me through 37:04 whatever I'm going through is Jesus. 37:06 What do you say? 37:07 The only one that can lift us up is Jesus. 37:10 And the only one that can keep us from falling is Jesus. 37:16 So why should I neglect that kind of Friend? 37:19 Why should I neglect somebody who will never let me down, 37:22 who's always there for me? 37:24 That's why the most wonderful statement ever made 37:26 to human ears is found in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21. 37:30 Look at it, it's on the screen. 37:31 I want you to read it with me. 37:33 The most wonderful statement ever made to humanity. 37:35 Here it is, Matthew 1 verse 21. 37:48 That's a guarantee. 37:50 He doesn't save us in our sins, He doesn't fix us up. 37:53 He saves us from our sins. 37:55 He saves us from the penalty of our sins. 37:58 Every day, He saves us from the power of sin. 38:01 And one day He's going to save us from the presence of sin. 38:04 That's the good news to me. 38:05 I think about where I could have been. 38:08 When I read this story about neglect, the sad message 38:11 of the apostle is not that salvation is rejected, 38:15 but salvation is neglected. 38:17 Salvation is disregarded. 38:19 Salvation is postponed. 38:20 Salvation is minimized, relegated. 38:22 And salvation is ignored. 38:25 And so allow me to put in that DVD, 38:28 allow us to walk through the life of those 38:31 that did not escape. 38:35 Let's go together to the movie entitled, Neglect, 38:38 as we read the transcript in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 38:42 verse 1 to 11. 38:43 Look at the movie, look at all the credits. 38:46 Here's what Paul writes about those that did not escape. 40:15 What a movie. 40:16 If you could see that movie, you would tap on the screen 40:18 and say, "Wait, wait, don't do that. 40:21 Don't make that decision. 40:23 Don't ignore that kind of Friend." 40:25 But I looked at some of the things that were similar. 40:27 Look at the things that they had in similarity. 40:29 There's a great lesson here. 40:30 They were all under the cloud. 40:32 In other words, they all enjoyed God's protection, 40:35 but they still neglected salvation. 40:38 They all passed through the sea. 40:40 They all enjoyed God's deliverance, 40:41 but they still neglected salvation. 40:44 They all were baptized into Moses. 40:47 We can experience baptism and still neglect salvation. 40:52 They had the same spiritual food. 40:53 We can have doctrinal unity and still neglect salvation. 40:59 And they had the same spiritual drink. 41:01 We can experience God's provision 41:03 and still neglect salvation. 41:06 And so allow me now to outline the five step plan 41:10 to neglect salvation. 41:13 The first one, nurture a desire for things that lead you back. 41:22 You know, I could never forget when we were driving 41:24 to California a number of years ago. 41:25 And I'm going to make this short because I want to 41:26 cover the entire message. 41:28 And we stopped in Texas on our way to California 41:30 to begin ministry. 41:31 And we parked at a hotel, I think it was in Houston, Texas. 41:35 I'm not exactly sure what city it was. 41:37 But we got up in the morning and began our journey 41:40 I thought on the way to California, until my wife said, 41:43 "You know, there's a restaurant just like that behind us." 41:47 And then we saw a metal dinosaur, something like that. 41:50 She said, "There's a dinosaur that looks just like 41:52 that behind us." 41:54 And I didn't realize it until I looked at the signs. 41:58 10 east when I was suppose to be going 10 west. 42:04 My point is, when you start seeing the things 42:09 that you passed showing up in your life again, 42:13 you're going in the wrong direction. 42:16 The children of Israel nurtured a desire for the things 42:20 that led them back. 42:21 Look at Numbers chapter 14 and verse 4. 42:23 Look at what they said. 42:24 They complained when God separated 42:27 them from the things of Egypt. 42:28 They said in Numbers 14 verse 4, the desire was so deep 42:30 they said to one another... 42:38 Now can I make a testimony today? 42:40 Can I make a testimony, can I give a testimony? 42:42 I ain't going back to the way life use to be. 42:44 Come on say amen. 42:46 I ain't going back to that. 42:48 I know what would happen, I know the certainty 42:50 of what would happen if I go back to the way I lived before. 42:53 But I want you to also understand, 42:54 the devil doesn't take my declaration as a, 42:57 "Don't bother him anymore." 42:59 He looks for convenient times. 43:01 He tries to find ways to get me to say it differently. 43:03 So he redresses the sin. 43:06 So don't nurture a desire for things that will lead you back. 43:11 Secondly, step two, they established a religion 43:17 that preferred pleasure above service. 43:21 The Bible says in verse 7 of 1 Corinthians chapter 10... 43:34 Oh, that's a dangerous one. 43:35 If all you like is fellowship lunch after the sermon, 43:38 you do nothing to advance the cause of God, 43:40 you're in the same category. 43:44 If all you're concerned about is the food after the food, 43:47 and you don't hit the street with the gospel beat 43:49 to let others know, you fall in the same category. 43:52 The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 43:57 They didn't neglect salvation because they didn't like it. 44:00 But the things that they chose to do instead of 44:03 what God called them to do. 44:06 And thus the second step was they established a religion 44:09 that preferred pleasure and ease above service. 44:13 Look at step three. 44:17 They fed their sensual passions. 44:20 Look at verse 8 of 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 44:35 Can you imagine at the end of the day, "How many people died?" 44:37 "Twenty-three thousand died today." 44:41 Now I don't want to make a comparison, but 44:44 how many of our members would die during the week 44:48 if we knew the secrets of their lives? 44:50 "Whatever happened to so and so?" 44:51 "He died." 44:53 "From what?" 44:54 "Sexual immorality." 44:58 Don't take their story seriously and ignore your story. 45:02 When you follow the life of the Israelites, 45:04 when the men went out to war they won every battle 45:07 that they faced. 45:08 But the devil decides, "Okay, you can win against 45:11 the men that you fight, but I'm going to send some 45:14 Moabite women and see how much you win." 45:17 And that led the men of Israel down the path of 45:20 sexual immorality. 45:21 And all those victories became failures 45:24 because they nurtured and they fed their sensual passions. 45:28 That's the third step. 45:29 You've got to watch that. 45:31 When those passions arise, throw some water on it and 45:34 call on Jesus. 45:38 Like somebody once said, "We run away from sin like..." 45:42 Really slowly. 45:43 You've got to do like Elijah; run for your life. 45:47 Because you stand up, you'll discover that the things that 45:49 you think you can handle will end up handling you. 45:52 Look at the fourth step. 45:54 The fourth thing that they did, they pushed the boundaries 45:57 of God's grace. 45:58 They pushed the boundaries of God's grace. 46:01 Look at verse 9 of 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 46:03 We ran through that. 46:04 They tempted Christ, in other words. 46:14 Now how did they tempt Christ? 46:19 How do you tempt God? 46:22 Well I did my homework. 46:24 They tempted God by insisting on retaining their old habits, 46:29 their old practices, their old appetites, 46:32 and their old customs. 46:34 God was getting them ready for Canaan, 46:37 and they continually complained about all the things that God 46:41 made them abandon in Egypt. 46:43 Forgetting that it was in Egypt that they were slaves. 46:46 Let me make the point; you can't go back 46:48 to the life you had before and expect the devil to not 46:50 make you a slave again. 46:53 It's not a possibility. 46:54 "Let's go back to Egypt," 46:55 thinking that if you come back voluntarily, 46:57 then this time you and the devil will be on the same grounds. 47:00 I'm always amazed by people that get upset with God. 47:04 They get mad at God. 47:05 If you get mad at God and you're a Christian, 47:07 who do you talk to? 47:09 "I'm not on talking terms with God." 47:11 Are you on talking terms with the devil? 47:14 How do Christians do that? 47:16 They push the boundaries of God's grace. 47:18 That was the fourth step. 47:20 And the fifth step. 47:24 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10, look at this. 47:38 They complained. 47:39 They criticized God's leading. 47:43 You know, I learned this one really well. 47:44 Because after we came to California, I'll never forget 47:47 the time when... 47:49 You know, I don't want to be too detailed. 47:51 But you know, sometimes the Lord sends you some place 47:56 and you never see the wisdom of God sending you there. 47:58 Like the first big church that we had. 48:01 I want to tell you, for the first three years 48:03 we walked through the valley of the shadow of death. 48:06 It was one battle after the other, 48:08 one torment after the other, one trial after the other. 48:11 And I never knew why God allowed us to go through that. 48:14 But I look back on it now and I say, "Thank the Lord." 48:17 Thank the Lord for the difficult battle then, because 48:19 the difficulties of the past gives you thicker skin 48:22 for the battles of the future. 48:25 If you don't go through the difficult trials of the past, 48:27 you never can handle the difficult ones that are coming. 48:30 As somebody once said, "David killed the lion and a bear." 48:34 His lion and his bear got him ready for his giant. 48:39 So I learned not to complain when God allows things to come. 48:42 Never complain about God's leading. 48:45 And I'll never forget that; my wife and I, you know, 48:47 God led us to California. 48:48 We knew that. 48:50 But how do you do... 48:51 I mean, what do you do when you get to California 48:53 and all you have is four hundred and something dollars left, 48:55 and you're 3000 miles away from home, 48:57 and you can't find an apartment in northern California? 49:01 What do you do? 49:03 You go back, or you call God. 49:07 Or you could say, "Lord, You could have give me 49:09 some more money. 49:11 You didn't have to send me to California with 49:13 only 400 dollars left. 49:15 How am I going to get an apartment in California?" 49:17 I've learned that there's nothing impossible for God. 49:21 Can you say amen? 49:22 So I don't criticize God anymore. 49:24 I may not understand at the moment what God is doing, 49:27 but I don't criticize God anymore. 49:30 Sometimes it gets close. 49:31 Can we testify? 49:32 Sometimes we get close. 49:33 "Lord, You didn't have to do that." 49:36 But I don't criticize God anymore on long term basis. 49:39 You know, when I read the book of Job, 49:40 this is an amazing thing, 49:42 when the Lord's servant, when the book of Job says 49:46 Job did not sin nor charge God foolishly, 49:52 I went to the book of Job and I thought, 49:53 well maybe he sinned right there. 49:55 Or maybe he sinned right there. 49:56 I looked at all the things that Job said and I thought, 49:58 well he sure would have sinned if he said that. 50:00 He said so many things, but God did not allow Job's humanity 50:05 to cancel God's blessing for that man's life. 50:09 So sometimes we say things, and God does not account 50:13 our foolish words as a sin. 50:15 Because He understands our weaknesses. 50:17 Amen to that? 50:18 Because when you read the book of Job, 50:20 and I see a whole lot of complaining, 50:23 but it says Job did not charge God foolishly. 50:28 Even his wife tried to get him to curse God. 50:31 And He didn't say anything to her. 50:34 Good thing He didn't. 50:39 Israel lost God's protection when they complained 50:42 about God's provision. 50:44 I want to tell you today, as we are winding up this first night, 50:47 God is a God who is beyond any estimate that we can 50:51 ever add to anything on this planet. 50:53 What do you say? 50:54 What's so great about salvation? 50:57 The fact of the matter is, God did not deliver Israel to death. 51:01 God delivered Israel from death. 51:05 God does not deliver us to death, 51:08 God delivers us from death. 51:12 God did not take Israel from the best, 51:15 God was getting Israel ready for the best. 51:18 We're going to talk about that tomorrow night, 51:20 what God was getting Israel ready for. 51:22 We're going to talk about that tomorrow night 51:23 under the title, The Danger of Unbelief. 51:26 You've got to come back for that. 51:27 And you don't want to miss, The Danger of Not Maturing. 51:32 You don't want to miss, The Danger of Drawing Back. 51:35 And you surely don't want to miss, 51:36 The Danger of Refusing God. 51:39 They thought that God was taking them from the best. 51:41 The best is not the life that I use to live. 51:44 The best is the life that I live now. 51:46 And it's going to get better. 51:47 One day we're going to see the best that God has to offer. 51:51 And I'm staying on the ship so that I can benefit 51:54 from the best that God has to offer. 51:56 The five step plan for neglecting salvation 52:00 is going to be immediately replaced with the 52:03 one step plan to escape neglect. 52:06 Here it is. 52:07 I'll close with the one step plan. 52:09 Are you ready? 52:10 Here's the one step plan. 52:11 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13. 52:13 How shall we escape? Here it is. 52:16 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13. 52:20 The apostle gives the answer. 52:51 So right now can I escape? 52:53 You know what, I don't have to worry about 52:55 whether or not I'm going to escape. 52:56 I just call on my Deliverer. 52:59 I don't have to worry about, can I get out of this? 53:01 I just call on the Lord. 53:02 And the Bible says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord 53:05 shall be..." What? 53:06 "...shall be saved." 53:07 So I don't worry about, can I get out of this? 53:09 Just call the Lord. He'll get me out. 53:11 When you don't see a way out, He said there is a way to escape. 53:14 And you know, just like that Rubik's Cube; 53:16 there's always a way to line life up. 53:17 But don't try to line it up. 53:19 Call on the Lord and He'll line it up. 53:22 Don't try to make heads out of tails, and tails out of heads. 53:25 Just simply put it in the Lord's hand, 53:28 and He'll make all that doesn't make sense 53:30 one day it's going to make sense. 53:32 So I don't have to worry about whether I'm going to get out. 53:36 I'm just going to call on my Deliverer. 53:38 My favorite text for tonight is this, Psalm 34 and verse 19. 53:42 I want you to read this with me as I close. 53:44 Notice what the Lord says. 53:46 Don't neglect the greatest blessing you have. 53:48 But here it is. 53:57 Out of most of them? 53:59 Out of some of them? 54:01 Out of how many of them? 54:02 All of them. 54:04 But how does He do that? 54:06 You can't neglect salvation and expect God to be your Deliverer. 54:10 You've got to embrace salvation, 54:12 and then He becomes your Deliverer. 54:15 You can't work out your situation, 54:17 you've got to give God the opportunity to work it out. 54:20 You can't fix what only God can fix. 54:26 I've had afflictions. 54:27 But I'm standing here today because the Lord is faithful. 54:30 Is He not, Karen? 54:31 He delivers us out of them all. 54:33 So tonight as I close, remember these words; 54:35 Jesus is the ear that is never stopped, 54:38 and the arm that is always stretched out to save. 54:41 How shall we escape? 54:42 We can escape if we take hold of that arm. 54:45 Jesus is the door that is never closed, 54:48 and the gate that is always open. 54:50 He is the river that never runs dry, 54:53 and the sun that always shines. 54:55 Jesus promised never to leave me, 54:58 and He's always been there for me. 55:01 So how shall I escape if I neglect so great a salvation? 55:04 I'm not going to neglect it. 55:05 How can I neglect a friend like Jesus? 55:08 Well I tell you, it's going to get rough before it gets better. 55:12 But when it gets better, Bob, it is going to be better eternally. 55:15 I look at the life of the children of Israel, 55:17 I look at the life of my friends, 55:20 I look at the things that some people struggle through, 55:22 and I have a simple saying that I live by. 55:25 "I'm going to learn from your mistakes." 55:28 I won't have to say... I don't have to make the same... 55:30 Am I right, honey? 55:31 I always say, "I'm going to learn from..." 55:32 I've seen people choking on smoking; I ain't trying it. 55:37 I've seen people end up in the hospital because of drug abuse; 55:40 I ain't trying it. 55:42 Sadly enough, there are those that know about salvation, 55:44 there are those in church today that know about salvation, 55:48 but are neglecting the parameters of a safe 55:51 and thriving relationship with Jesus. 55:54 There are those that have been given every advantage, 55:56 like the children of Israel, but they're still serving God 55:59 for the benefits and not for the long term blessing. 56:04 We've got to get out of the category of asking 56:05 God to bless us. 56:07 We've got to start praying for God to make us holy. 56:09 What do you say? 56:10 We're living in the blessing generation. 56:12 "Ask God for your blessing." 56:14 "Pray for your blessing." 56:15 "Beseech the Lord for the blessing." 56:17 Like one preacher recently said, he said, "When I get to heaven, 56:19 I'm not going to get there broke." 56:23 And so he's swindling individuals 56:24 to pad his bank account so he can get to heaven with wealth. 56:27 But what he doesn't know, you can't take anything to heaven 56:29 with you but your character. 56:35 But there's something else you can take. 56:37 And that's the gift of salvation. 56:39 Come on, say amen. 56:40 And so tonight, I'm embracing that gift. 56:42 I'm holding onto that gift. 56:44 I'm holding onto the unchanging hand of the One 56:48 who has extended that gift so that every one of us 56:50 can be saved. 56:51 How shall we escape? 56:53 I'll escape through the life and the righteousness 56:57 and the power of Jesus. 56:58 Can you say amen? 57:00 Let us pray. 57:01 Our Father in heaven, we begin our series tonight 57:06 on the danger of neglect. 57:09 Lord Jesus, we want to have such a thriving connection with You 57:14 that when we are beset by the dangers that can cause us 57:17 to neglect so great a salvation, Lord, may Your Spirit 57:20 tap us on the shoulder that our hearts 57:22 may be in tune with Yours. 57:24 And may our eyes behold the greatness that You 57:27 desire for us to experience. 57:29 And may we find deliverance by trusting You 57:32 with our whole heart. 57:34 Keep us, Lord. Deliver us, Lord. 57:37 And save us, we ask, in Your eternal kingdom. 57:40 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17