Participants:
Series Code: BTLP
Program Code: BTLP000170S
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00:38 Hello, and welcome to Behold the Lamb Presents.
00:40 I'm Chris Shelton, your host. 00:42 I want to thank you for joining us today. 00:45 Today we are blessed to bring you a guest speaker, 00:48 our nephew, Terry Jean Shelton. 00:51 Terry has long had a love for Jesus 00:53 and a desire to serve Him wherever and whenever possible. 00:57 The title of Terry's message for today is A Jealous God. 01:02 I'm sure that when many of you Bible students 01:04 read this statement in Joshua 24:19, 01:09 it may have startled you a bit, wondering 01:11 why Joshua would refer to God as a jealous God. 01:15 No doubt that Terry will be addressing 01:18 the meaning of this statement as well as its implications 01:21 upon each and every one of us living today. 01:25 So stay tuned. 01:26 I'm certain that this message will be a blessing 01:29 as with every message that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 01:33 But first, we also have here with us today, 01:36 Celestin Dickens and her daughter, Farrah Barry, 01:39 who will be sharing the song entitled The Savior is Waiting 02:05 The Savior is waiting 02:10 To enter your heart 02:15 Why don't you let Him 02:19 Come in 02:23 There's nothing in this world 02:28 To keep you apart 02:33 What is your answer 02:37 To Him 02:41 Time after time 02:45 He has waited before 02:50 And now He is waiting 02:54 Again 02:58 To see if you're willing 03:02 To open the door 03:07 Oh how He wants to 03:11 Come in 03:27 If you'll take one step toward the Savior, 03:32 My friend 03:35 You'll find His arms 03:38 Open wide 03:43 Receive Him, 03:45 and all of your darkness 03:48 Will end 03:52 Within your heart He'll 03:55 Abide 04:00 Time after time 04:03 He has waited before 04:07 And now 04:09 He is waiting again 04:15 To see if you're willing 04:19 To open the door 04:24 Oh how He wants 04:28 To come in 04:51 To see if you're willing 04:55 To open the door 05:04 Oh how He wants to 05:12 Come in 05:43 We want to welcome you to Behold the Lamb Ministries 05:45 today on this beautiful Sabbath day. 05:48 And I'm thankful to be here and to be the guest speaking, 05:53 thankful for those of you who have come today 05:55 and thankful for those who will, excuse me, 05:58 be viewing whether it's some online portal 06:00 or some recording made it afterward, 06:03 but I always appreciate the privilege 06:05 and the opportunity to share God's Word with you. 06:08 Let's just begin with a moment of prayer. 06:11 Heavenly Father, we come to You in Jesus' name this morning, 06:15 and we ask, Father, that Your Spirit would attend 06:19 our Bible study that we're going to engage 06:23 upon this morning that our hearts and our minds 06:26 will be open to what Your Spirit has to say 06:29 to the church today. 06:30 And I pray that You will be with me, Lord, 06:33 and allow me the privilege of speaking on behalf of you 06:37 and to say just what You want me to say this morning. 06:41 In Jesus' name, amen. 06:43 Amen. 06:45 I want to begin with a fictional story 06:50 of my own creation. 06:52 And I have to give a disclaimer. 06:54 It's not based on any person that I know 06:56 or any group of people that I know. 06:58 It's just something that occurred to me 07:00 a number of years ago. 07:01 But I want to tell you a fictional tale 07:03 about a man named George. 07:06 Now George is 47 years old and he's married 07:11 and he has three children. 07:13 All of whom are teenagers. 07:16 George is a very mild-mannered individual 07:20 and he gets along with his family very well, 07:23 except for that third child who really 07:26 just pushes George's buttons. 07:30 George has worship with his family 07:35 sometimes, occasionally every now and then 07:37 when they get around to it. 07:40 George enjoys sports and sports, 07:44 he says helps him to unwind. 07:47 And he can sit for hours at a time 07:50 in front of that television watching sports. 07:55 Yet he yells at that teenager for spending hours at a time 07:59 staring at the video game console. 08:03 George is a member 08:05 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 08:07 And he's very active in his church. 08:10 Last year, he gave a book to a guy 08:15 that he saw in a convenience store, right? 08:17 Yeah, George, good job. 08:20 He also supports all the various functions 08:24 of the church. 08:25 The year before that he gave $5 08:29 to a local charity. 08:32 Now George makes his living at a small software company 08:37 where he brings home $2,150 08:41 every two weeks. 08:43 And just like clockwork, on Friday, 08:46 he writes out his tithes check 08:49 for $215. 08:52 He's very prompt in giving his tithe. 08:55 Exactly 10%. 08:59 George attends church on Sabbath 09:03 two or sometimes three times a month. 09:08 He reads his Bible three or four times a week. 09:13 And he has an active prayer life. 09:16 He prays three times a day, 09:19 at breakfast and at lunch and at dinner. 09:25 Do you know anyone like George? 09:28 Do you see any of George in your life? 09:33 With the life of George and mine, 09:35 I want us to go to God's Word. 09:38 I invite you to open your Bibles 09:39 to the Book of revelation Chapter 3. 09:43 Revelation Chapter 3, and we're going to read 09:48 about the lukewarm church. 09:53 Revelation Chapter 3, beginning with verse 14. 09:56 Now, if you have a Bible like I do, you will, 09:59 some of you will see that the words are written in red. 10:03 So we understand that Jesus Christ is speaking to John 10:07 as He is giving this message. 10:09 And it reads as thus, "And to the angel of the church 10:14 of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, 10:20 the Faithful and True Witness, 10:22 the Beginning of the creation of God:' 10:25 I know your works, 10:28 that you are neither cold nor hot. 10:32 I could wish that you were cold or hot. 10:36 So then, because you are lukewarm 10:38 and neither cold nor hot, 10:39 I will vomit you out of My mouth.'" 10:42 That's what my Bible says in New King James. 10:46 "Because you say. 10:48 'I am rich and increased and have become wealthy 10:54 and have need of nothing' 10:57 and do you not know that you are wretched, 11:00 miserable, poor, blind, and naked. 11:06 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, 11:11 that you may be rich, and white garments, 11:16 that you may be clothed, 11:18 that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, 11:22 and anoint your eyes with eyesalve 11:26 that you may see.'" 11:29 Reading on, 11:30 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. 11:34 Therefore be zealous and repent. 11:38 Behold I stand at the door and knock. 11:40 If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 11:43 I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me. 11:48 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me 11:51 on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down 11:56 with My Father on His throne." 11:59 And he concludes with the message. 12:01 "He who has an ear, 12:03 let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." 12:07 May God add a blessing to the reading of His Word? 12:11 Now Laodicea, 12:14 the word itself means judging 12:18 or justice of the people. 12:21 And with all the seven churches mentioned there 12:24 in Revelation Chapter 2 and 3, they were literal places. 12:29 History indicates that the city of Laodicea 12:32 was founded somewhere around 250 BC. 12:37 And in its time, Laodicea was one of the most important 12:42 and flourishing cities in all of Asia Minor. 12:47 History rerecords that Laodicea once suffered 12:50 a great earthquake in the year, round the year AD 60. 12:55 But the citizens refused the help of neighboring cities 13:01 stating that they had everything they needed 13:04 to rebuild on their own 13:07 due to their massive resources. 13:11 Now by the time that John had wrote the Revelation, 13:13 it was known as a very wealthy city, 13:17 a city which housed a great medical school 13:21 and was a major center for science and literature. 13:26 And because of their wealth, 13:28 the citizens were very proud and arrogant, 13:33 you might say and self-satisfied, 13:38 but a spiritual message is applicable to both them 13:43 and to a time in the last moments 13:46 of earth's history. 13:50 Now one may ask, why would God say 13:55 He would, rather we be cold or hot. 13:59 I mean, in a spiritual condition, 14:02 cold is not good, right? 14:05 Hot is good. 14:06 We all want to be hot for Jesus, right? 14:10 But to be lukewarm is not a good condition? 14:15 Why would God rather that we be cold rather than lukewarm? 14:20 I'll tell you why? 14:21 Because God can do more with a drunkard on the street, 14:25 the prostitute in the brothel, 14:27 the drug dealer in the crack house 14:30 than he can do with a lukewarm Christian. 14:33 Because a lukewarm Christian says, 14:34 oh, I'm doing pretty good. 14:37 I read my Bible every now and then, 14:39 and I don't have any bad habits. 14:41 And I quit swearing a couple of months ago. 14:43 Boy, I'm just doing just fine. 14:47 How many of us have been in a church service 14:52 and the pastor preached something 14:54 that really was designed to step on our toes. 14:57 And you might say, that didn't, 14:59 that was a pretty good sermon I guess, you know. 15:01 Hopefully the pastors are giving sermons 15:03 that step on our toes and show us our true condition. 15:07 God can do more with someone who's cold 15:11 than with someone who is hot. 15:13 Why? 15:14 Because the person who is spiritually cold, 15:16 at least at some point in their mind comes to a realization 15:20 that I am pitiful and I need help, 15:22 but the lukewarm Christian thinks they're doing 15:24 just fine on their own. 15:28 So let's look at those descriptive words that have big 15:33 become a part of the Laodicea and condition wretched. 15:38 What do you think of when you think of wretched? 15:43 I went through the dictionary and by the way, 15:45 I don't use any newfangled dictionary 15:47 because they change the words on you these days. 15:49 I like an old dictionary, dating back to 1956 15:52 Webster's dictionary, which says that wretched say 15:55 is no focus, deep, 15:58 sunk deep in misery and in woe. 16:02 You mean God is saying to the church, 16:04 His church down at the end of time 16:07 that they are sunk in deep misery and woe, 16:10 how can that be? 16:13 And miserable. 16:14 You ever been miserable? 16:16 Yeah. 16:17 We've all been miserable at some point another, right? 16:19 Maybe whether it be physically or mentally 16:21 or whether it be some spiritual condition, 16:23 we've been miserable before. 16:26 It means to be very unhappy or worthless, 16:32 but should God's people 16:36 be miserable or unhappy. 16:42 Messages to Young People, page 38 says, 16:45 "Those who in everything make God first and last and best, 16:50 are the happiest people in the world." 16:54 Are you counted among the happiest people 16:57 in the world? 16:59 Do people notice the happiness 17:01 that Jesus has given you in your life? 17:04 Or do you look like this all the time? 17:07 And then say, God is so good to me. 17:11 He's so good to me. 17:12 He's done, oh, friends, what somebody once said, 17:16 if you're happy, let your face know it. 17:17 Right? 17:19 I think I heard that on a 3ABN radio commercial. 17:21 If you're happy, let your face know it. 17:24 And then other people will know it as well. 17:27 Smiles and sunshine are not banished 17:31 from their countenance. 17:34 Nobody likes to be around somebody who's miserable. 17:37 If God hasn't done something good for you, 17:39 that you can be happy about it and tell people, 17:41 then you need to go back to God and say, 17:43 Lord, please wake me up, change me or something. 17:47 What's another word that is described there? 17:50 Poor. 17:52 We all know what it means to be poor, don't we? 17:55 I'm looking around and I don't see 17:57 any millionaires out here with us today. 17:59 So I think we all know at some point 18:01 what it is to be physically poor, right? 18:06 But what do the Laodicean say versus what God said. 18:10 The Laodicean say, 18:11 I am rich and increased with goods 18:16 and I have need of nothing. 18:19 See the world's ideas of rich and poor 18:22 are different than God's ideas 18:25 of rich and poor. 18:29 Jesus once said, blessed are the poor in spirit, 18:32 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 18:36 Poor. 18:37 So what I like about the rest of the words, 18:41 when John was saying that, that you're miserable 18:44 and wretched and vine and all these things 18:47 as we continue to read on an we did already, 18:50 God not only presents the problem, 18:52 but He presents the solution as well. 18:55 So what is the solution to being poor? 18:59 Gold. 19:03 Now gold is something that I don't personally own, 19:07 unless I think there's probably a little bit of gold plated 19:09 parts inside my computer. 19:11 But beyond that, I don't have any gold, 19:14 but God is talking about something different 19:17 than actual gold. 19:19 He said, let me go back and read it. 19:22 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire. 19:27 What does that mean, gold refined in the fire? 19:30 It's purified. 19:32 Desire of Ages, page 280 says, 19:34 "Faith and love 19:36 are the gold tried in the fire." 19:38 Councils on Health, page 402, 19:40 "The gold tried in the fire represents love and faith." 19:46 And Faith and Works, page 23 says, 19:48 "The divine love of God, 19:50 which is represented by the gold tried 19:53 in the fire." 19:57 Why tried in the fire? 19:58 Fire burns away impurities 20:02 and defects. 20:05 Do you remember the story of Shadrach, 20:09 Meshach and Abednego? 20:11 And we know that they were tied up 20:14 and they were thrown into that furnace, 20:16 but what does this Bible say that the king observed 20:20 as he saw them inside the furnace? 20:25 First of all, I don't know how a furnace is so big 20:26 that you walk around in them. 20:28 That's pretty good size. 20:29 I've never seen anything like that myself. 20:31 But were they tied inside the furnace? 20:34 No, no. 20:36 They were loosed and what? 20:37 Walking around. 20:40 Yet, the scripture, the story goes on to say 20:42 that when they came out that their clothes 20:45 and their hair didn't even smell like smoke, 20:47 but something was burned up. 20:48 What was it? 20:50 That which tied and held them down. 20:53 They were purified in the fire 20:57 and that which was holding them down and keeping them bound. 21:02 They had been set free. 21:04 Praise the Lord. 21:05 Fire burns away impurities and defects. 21:10 Our love must be pure, as it said, 21:13 not selfish and self-serving. 21:16 Our love must be tested in the fire 21:19 to see whether we are truly in love with Jesus 21:22 or in love with ourselves. 21:25 Our faith must become pure and holy, 21:28 not flawed and weak. 21:33 And the next condition that is described, 21:35 I'm going to skip the one that's printed. 21:37 I'm going to go to the last one, naked. 21:41 Naked, God's people. 21:42 God, you mean God was pronouncing 21:44 that His people were naked. 21:47 Now there's literal nakedness 21:50 and there is spiritual nakedness. 21:54 We understand that when God created Adam and Eve, 21:57 we read in Genesis 2:24-25, 22:00 "Therefore shall a man leave his father 22:01 and his mother and cleave unto his wife, 22:03 and they shall be one flesh. 22:04 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, 22:07 and they were not ashamed." 22:09 Why is that? 22:10 We understand we've been told, but they had a robe, 22:13 a robe of light of the righteousness 22:16 that surrounded them and covered them. 22:18 But in the next chapter, we find them 22:23 hiding from God because they were naked. 22:28 And God had to ask them the question, 22:30 who told you that you were naked? 22:31 Have you eaten of the fruit? 22:33 Yes, they had. 22:36 And then, of course, we had the scandalous story 22:40 in the scriptures of people. 22:41 Thousands of years later, 22:43 God's people dancing around a golden calf 22:46 at the bottom of Mount Sinai. 22:47 And the scripture says that they were unrestrained 22:50 or they were naked. 22:52 God's Laodicean Church 22:55 has been stripped spiritually naked. 23:00 What is the answer? 23:01 He gives it to us right there. 23:04 "And I counsel you to buy white garment, 23:07 that you may be clothed, 23:09 that the shame of your nakedness 23:10 may not be revealed." 23:12 What is that white raiment? 23:14 It is the righteousness of Christ. 23:18 Remember that story that parable that Jesus told. 23:23 There was a man who had come to a wedding feast 23:27 and he had come and all the people were there, 23:29 but he didn't have on the correct garment. 23:33 He didn't have on the official wedding garment. 23:35 And so the host came to him and said, 23:38 "How did you get in here without the right garment?" 23:43 And if we read between the lines of the passage, 23:48 we will see that he wore his own garment, 23:52 thinking that it would be okay, I'll be accepted anyway, 23:55 because I have my garment on. 23:57 No, no. 23:59 In the parable he was put out. 24:06 Or how about the time 24:09 on the Mount of Transfiguration, 24:11 where it says, and Jesus, His raiment became shining, 24:16 exceeding white as snow. 24:17 Snow is no fuller than earth can white them. 24:20 Jesus appeared to James and John 24:23 or his close disciples with Elijah and Moses. 24:27 And there was a bright shining light. 24:29 It's like God was giving him a little bit of that glory 24:32 that he had when he was in heaven, 24:33 just so that the disciples could see it, 24:36 how beautiful it must have been. 24:40 And in Revelation 3:5, it says, "He that overcometh 24:44 the same shall be clothed in white raiment. 24:50 And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, 24:52 but I will confess his name 24:54 before My Father and before His angels." 24:58 Faith and Works, page 23 says that 25:00 "The white raiment is Christ's pure character." 25:04 That is what we must have 25:06 covering our spiritual nakedness. 25:08 And then we have one more condition, 25:12 blindness. 25:16 Now we all know what it is. 25:19 Maybe having not experienced it firsthand, 25:22 but we understand what blindness is. 25:25 It means you can't see. 25:28 But what is the spiritual application here? 25:33 Go with me to the Book of Deuter... 25:35 I'm sorry, of Jeremiah. 25:37 Jeremiah 5:20, 25:42 "Declare this in the house of Jacob 25:44 and proclaim it in Judah, saying, 25:48 'Hear this now, O foolish people, 25:51 without understanding, 25:53 who have eyes," 25:55 but what? 25:58 "They do not see or see not and who have ears," but what? 26:02 "Do not hear." 26:05 God would repeat this again to the Prophet Ezekiel, 26:09 where he would say, "Son of man, 26:11 now dwells in the midst of a rebellious house, 26:13 which have eyes to see and see not, 26:15 they have ears to hear and hear not, 26:18 for they are a rebellious house." 26:21 That's Ezekiel 12:2. 26:24 So what is the solution? 26:28 What is the solution to this blindness that we, 26:33 the Laodicean Church have? 26:35 He tells us right there, "And anoint your eyes 26:39 with eyesalve that you may see." 26:45 Now let's talk about that for a moment. 26:48 Eyesalve something that will clear the vision. 26:54 If you're like me, and if first of all, 26:57 if you're a glasses wearer, 26:59 I can't stand to have spots on my glasses, 27:03 any kind of fingerprint or anything, 27:05 it drives me crazy. 27:06 I have to clean them things 27:07 and sometimes you even make it worse 27:09 when you try to clean them. 27:11 But clear eyesight is important just to walk around 27:16 and function in society. 27:17 But even more spiritually, eyesight, 27:23 the vision that God wants us to have. 27:28 Review and Herald 10-26-1905 says, 27:31 "We need, O so greatly! 27:34 keen discernment, clear spiritual eyesight, 27:39 our eyes need to be anointed with the heavenly eyesalve 27:43 that may see all things clearly." 27:46 The power of clear discernment. 27:48 That's what God wants us to have 27:51 discernment between good and evil. 27:53 Now, what helps God's people 27:58 have clear eyesight? 28:01 Go with me to the Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 9, 28:06 and let's read one passage, verse 9, 28:11 "Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, 28:15 he spoke thus: 'Come, let us go to the..." 28:19 What's the next word? 28:20 "The seer, for he who is now called a prophet 28:25 was formerly called a seer." 28:29 Now, who were the prophets 28:33 sent to in times past? 28:37 Were they sent to the heathen nations of the world? 28:41 No. Who were they sent to? 28:43 God's people, those who claim to be a part 28:47 of God's chosen people, 28:50 God sent prophets to them. 28:52 And then those people were to take the message of God 28:55 to the rest of the world. 28:57 And what gifts do prophets have? 29:02 Sometimes we have this thinking that prophecy means 29:07 telling of the future and it's way more than that. 29:09 There is a little bit of that, but in times past 29:12 what we have seen is that 29:14 God's prophets were speakers for God. 29:18 Mouthpiece, thank you very much. 29:20 A messenger for God, right? 29:22 To bring a message. 29:25 And in times past God's people 29:27 had the help of a prophet to guide them. 29:31 Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 29:37 John the Baptist. 29:38 These were all prophets. 29:40 Now, what are we told about prophets? 29:42 I'm going to, I'm not going to ask you to read them again 29:45 'cause we've got several here. 29:46 I'm just going to read through them. 29:48 I'll give the quotations. 29:49 If anybody wants to write down or look them up or whatever. 29:51 But in Amos 3:7, it says, 29:54 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, 29:58 but He revealeth His secret unto His servants 30:01 the prophets." 30:03 So what do they do? 30:04 They are to reveal, to disclose, 30:06 to make known the will of God. 30:10 In 1 Samuel 3:1, it says, 30:12 "And this child Samuel ministered 30:14 unto the Lord before Eli. 30:16 And the word of the Lord was precious in those days." 30:19 And it says, 30:20 "There was no open vision." 30:24 So God wasn't really speaking as much as He wanted to, 30:27 to the people during the time of Samuel. 30:31 In 1 Samuel 28:6, it says, 30:33 "When Saul inquired of the Lord 30:37 and the Lord answered him not, 30:39 neither by dreams, nor by Urim nor by the prophets. 30:44 And in Proverbs 29:18, it says, 30:46 "Where there is no vision, 30:48 the people perish, 30:51 but he that keeps the law happy is he." 30:55 And then what began to happen over time was the prophets, 30:58 people began to take the name of prophet 31:00 and they weren't really prophets. 31:02 Jeremiah 14:14 says, 31:04 "Then the Lord said unto me, 31:06 the prophets prophesy lies in My name. 31:08 I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, 31:11 neither speak unto them. 31:13 They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination 31:17 and a thing of not, and the deceit of their heart." 31:22 And he went on to in Jeremiah 23:16, he says, 31:25 "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 31:27 harken not unto the words of the prophets 31:29 that prophesy unto you. 31:30 They make you vain, they speak a vision of their own heart 31:34 and not out of the heart and mouth of the Lord. 31:37 Are we getting the fact that not everybody who says 31:39 they have a message from the Lord 31:41 indeed has a message from the Lord? 31:44 Isaiah 8:20 says, "To the law and to the testimony! 31:48 If they speak not according to this word, 31:49 it's because there is no light in them." 31:51 We've got all kinds of ministers and pastors 31:53 and so-called teachers, Bible teachers, 31:55 and prophets out there, hopefully not in our church, 31:58 but in other churches out there who claim to have a message 32:00 from the God and I'm telling you that message 32:02 is not from God, because what they prophesy 32:06 and what they say goes contrary 32:07 to what God has already said in His Word. 32:12 So what are some general statements about prophets? 32:14 God uses prophets to reveal things to His people. 32:18 And there have been times of prophetic starvation. 32:23 Prophetic starvation leads to death. 32:27 Isaiah saw things 32:29 that he was to reveal to God's people. 32:30 And there are false prophets 32:34 that speak from their own heart 32:37 instead of the mouth of God. 32:41 So let's get back to Laodicea. 32:43 They have this condition of blindness. 32:46 Apparently they have eyes, but they don't see, 32:50 they have ears, but they don't hear. 32:53 How does this apply to the Laodicean condition? 32:57 Why are they blind? 33:00 Is it because there is no vision? 33:04 Stay with me. 33:09 Is there no vision? 33:11 There is lots of it. 33:15 Something we call the little red books. 33:19 God has given His people, 33:22 His remnant people, the vision. 33:26 But do we like our glasses? 33:30 Do we lay them down 33:32 or do we pick it up? 33:37 Have we purposely closed our eyes 33:41 so that we don't see the true gift of prophecy? 33:47 Let me read you something from the author of these books. 33:51 Here's what she says, Testimonies for the Church, 33:54 number 31, page 45. 33:57 "You have neglected the Scriptures. 34:01 You despise and reject the testimonies 34:04 because they reprove your darling sins, 34:08 and disturb your self-complacency. 34:12 When Christ is cherished in the heart, 34:16 his likeness will be revealed in the life. 34:20 Humility will reign 34:23 where pride was once predominant." 34:29 And furthermore, what did the author 34:31 of these little books say about her own readings? 34:33 Here's what she said. 34:35 Little heat is given to the Bible. 34:37 And the Lord has given a lesser light 34:41 to lead men and women to the greater light. 34:46 What can we deduce? 34:48 We can deduce that God would never have 34:50 had to give these little red books 34:52 if God's people were truly digesting and eating 34:56 and studying this book right here. 35:00 But I'm glad he did because I find things 35:05 in some of these little books that really minister to me. 35:11 I'll give you a challenge, this not in the sermon. 35:13 I'll give you a challenge though. 35:16 Who knows what the shortest verse in the Bible is? 35:20 Jesus wept. 35:21 Now, does that verse bring a lot of meaning and heart 35:24 and does that really minister to you? 35:27 I guess it can, but I would invite you to go to the book, 35:31 Desire of Ages. 35:32 And go find the chapter that talks about Jesus weeping 35:36 and read why He wept, 35:37 that will minister to you in my view. 35:42 It is, thank you very much, sister. 35:44 It is incredible. 35:46 Now I want to shift gears before we run out of time. 35:51 Go with me to the Book of 1 Kings Chapter 19. 35:57 1 Kings 35:58 Chapter 19:19, 36:04 "So he, being Elijah, departed from there 36:06 and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, 36:09 who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, 36:12 and he was with the twelfth. 36:14 Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. 36:18 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, 36:21 'Please let me kiss my father and my mother, 36:23 then I will follow you.' 36:25 So he being Elijah said to him, 'Go back again, 36:29 for what have I done to you?' 36:31 So Elijah turned back from him 36:33 and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them 36:35 and boiled their flesh and using the oxen's equipment, 36:37 gave it to the people and they ate. 36:39 Then he arose and followed Elijah and became his servant." 36:42 Now, let's go to Luke Chapter 9 36:46 and beginning with verse 57. 36:49 Now let me point out that in the previous verse 36:51 that we just read that that mantle 36:54 was like a cloak or a loose garment 36:57 today, we might call it a cape, a loose fitting shawl. 37:01 And the act of laying his mantle on Elisha 37:05 was a symbolic act. 37:07 It was Elijah's recognition 37:09 that Elisha had been called by God 37:12 to continue the ministry that Elijah started 37:15 to the office of prophet or seer. 37:21 Now perhaps Elisha didn't really understand at first 37:26 and describing that's maybe why he was reluctant. 37:29 Well, let me go back and you know, 37:31 and kiss my father and my mother first, 37:32 but let's see what Jesus has to say. 37:34 Luke 9:57, "Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, 37:38 that someone said to him, 'Lord, I will follow You 37:40 wherever You go. 37:42 And Jesus said to him, 37:46 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, 37:49 but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' 37:51 Then he said to another, 'Follow Me.' 37:54 But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' 37:58 And Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, 38:02 but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' 38:05 And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, 38:07 but let me first go and bid them farewell 38:09 who are at my house.' 38:12 But Jesus said to him, 'No one, 38:15 having his hand to the plow and looking back is fit 38:19 for the kingdom of God.'" 38:22 Now it is believed that Jesus had the story 38:24 of Elijah and Elisha in mind, 38:26 when he spoke these things to these different ones 38:28 He had called to follow, called to follow Him. 38:32 When we turn our faces toward God, 38:35 our backs will automatically turn away from the world 38:39 and its attractions, 38:42 but too many Christians are trying to do this all the time, 38:47 back and forth, back and forth, 38:50 looking behind when we claim to be going forward 38:54 only partially turning toward God, 38:59 constantly looking back, even if, just for a moment. 39:02 If you take one step forward and one step back, 39:06 how far are you going to get? 39:08 You not going to get anywhere, right? 39:11 Pastor Doug Batchelor once referred to the Christian life 39:16 as being on an escalator. 39:17 You ever as a kid, see these escalators, 39:20 and the escalators going down in the mall or something. 39:22 And you say, I'm going to go against the grain. 39:24 I'm going to go, I'm going to run up and get to the top 39:26 going the wrong way. 39:27 And you can do it, right? 39:28 If you put energy and effort into it, 39:30 you can get to the top. 39:32 But what happens if you stand still, 39:36 you automatically go back down to the bottom. 39:38 That's the world, in the world if you stand still 39:41 the world is going to drag you to the bottom. 39:43 And you've got to put forth your own effort 39:46 by the power of the Holy Spirit in order to overcome 39:49 and make it to the top. 39:52 So why preach this sermon today? 39:55 Because God's last day remnant church 39:58 is full of occasional Christians. 40:03 We're followers of God when it suits us, 40:07 when it's convenient or when we can fit Him 40:09 into our busy schedule. 40:12 We're trying to make God, share us 40:16 with our worldly pursuits and our interests. 40:18 But I got news for you. 40:19 God is a jealous God. 40:24 Go with me to Deuteronomy Chapter 4. 40:27 Deuteronomy 4:23. 40:32 Deuteronomy 4:23, "Take heed to yourselves, 40:35 lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, 40:38 which He made with you, 40:39 and make for yourselves a carved image 40:41 in the form of anything 40:43 which the Lord your God has forbidden you. 40:45 For the Lord Your God is a," what? 40:48 "A consuming fire, 40:51 a jealous God." 40:54 And one more, Exodus 24. 40:57 You got to read this one. 40:58 "Take heed to yourselves, lest you make a covenant 41:01 with the inhabitants of the land 41:02 where you are going, lest it be snare in your mist. 41:05 But you shall destroy their altars, 41:07 break their sacred pillars, 41:08 and cut down their wooden images, 41:10 for you shall worship no other god, 41:14 for the Lord whose name is Jealous, 41:19 is a jealous God." 41:23 Now what is jealous? 41:26 To be jealous is to be suspiciously vigilant, 41:30 or to be anxiously, careful 41:34 and concerned for. 41:37 God is a jealous God. 41:38 You know why it says that God is a jealous God? 41:43 I have it in me to be jealous. 41:46 I have my precious wife sitting down here. 41:48 And if I see another man come moving 41:50 and wanting to sit close to her or talk to her, 41:53 I'm going to move in there too. 41:56 And I'm going to get between the two of them 41:57 because I'm jealous not of her, 41:59 I'm jealous for her. 42:03 God does not want to 42:06 and ultimately will not share you with anyone. 42:10 That's why God is jealous. 42:14 You might say, well, wait, 42:16 I thought God was a God of love. 42:17 He is, but He can't change who He is. 42:20 And if sin is in the way, 42:22 sin cannot stand in the presence of God. 42:24 We saw, we read it that He is a consuming fire. 42:30 Remember what he told the Laodicean Church. 42:32 I wish that you were cold and hot, 42:34 but because you're lukewarm, 42:36 I'll spit you out, vomit you out of my mouth. 42:40 On a really nice, on a good hot day 42:42 and you're working outside a nice cold drink is nice. 42:46 And when it's really cold outside, 42:48 a nice warm cup of decaffeinated tea is nice, 42:51 but who likes lukewarm drinks? 42:53 Most people don't. 42:56 So we can relate. 42:59 God will not share you with sin. 43:05 Thank you. 43:09 Testimonies for the Church, number 22, page 189, 43:15 Testimonies for the Church, volume 22, 43:16 "In these days of iniquity and peril, 43:19 the character and works of professed Christians 43:22 will not generally bear the test, 43:25 nor endure the exposure when examined by the light 43:28 that now shines upon them. 43:30 There is no concord between Christ and Belial. 43:33 There is no communion between light and darkness. 43:35 How then can the spirit of Christ 43:37 and the spirit of the world be in harmony? 43:40 The Lord, our God is a jealous God. 43:42 He requires the sincere affection 43:45 and unreserved confidence 43:47 of those who profess to love Him." 43:51 One might ask the question, 43:55 why is God so jealous for me? 43:59 Why won't He permit me to mingle a little of the world 44:04 with my relationship with Him? 44:09 I turn my question to those married folk here today. 44:13 Do you want to share your wife or your husband 44:16 with a little bit of somebody else, just even a little bit? 44:18 No, of course not. 44:21 And God, because of His love that He loved you so much, 44:25 He will not share you with any other thing 44:29 that pulls you away. 44:31 So God's jealousy is for our benefit. 44:36 Jesus said it, no man can serve two masters. 44:39 Either he will hate the one and love the other. 44:41 Or he will be loyal to one and despise the other. 44:46 You cannot serve God and mammon. 44:50 You remember the story of Elijah 44:52 standing on Mount Carmel? 44:55 Prophet Elijah had prepared sacrifices 45:00 and he stands up strong and he announces to the people. 45:04 How long will you falter between two opinions? 45:07 If the Lord is God, follow Him, if Baal, follow him. 45:13 In other words, stop your vacillating. 45:15 Make up your mind, serve God or serve man, 45:19 because Jesus said it's not possible to do both. 45:24 If you want to make God your Lord and master and savior, 45:28 put your hand to the plow and walk in that direction. 45:33 Stop looking backward. 45:35 Someone once said, don't look, 45:36 quit looking behind you're not going that way. 45:41 Too many Christians today 45:44 are trying to mix heavenly things and godly things 45:48 with things of this world. 45:50 And you come up with a sour combination, 45:54 and Satan is the one who tries to make you think 45:58 I'm doing a good job of riding the fence. 46:00 I'm walking the fine line. 46:02 I'm maintaining a balance. 46:04 No, you're not. 46:06 It's not how it works. 46:08 One final quote here, 46:09 Review and Herald 8-8-1889. 46:14 So that'd be August 8th, 1899, Review and Herald. 46:21 "There are some who are seeking, 46:23 always seeking for the goodly pearl. 46:27 But they do not make an entire surrender 46:31 of their wrong habits. 46:33 They do not die to self that Christ may live in them. 46:37 Therefore they do not find the precious pearl. 46:41 They have not overcome unholy ambition 46:44 and their love for worldly attractions. 46:48 They do not lift the cross and follow Christ 46:52 in the path of self-denial and self-sacrifice. 46:58 They never know what it means to have peace 47:03 and harmony in the soul, 47:07 for without entire surrender there is no rest, no joy. 47:12 Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, 47:18 they seem near the kingdom of heaven, 47:21 but they do not enter therein. 47:24 Almost but not completely saved means 47:29 to be not almost but completely lost." 47:32 Amen. 47:33 That's right. 47:34 It's one or the other. 47:37 And there is no middle ground. 47:40 Friends, Joshua said it best. 47:43 Joshua 24:14-15. 47:46 We have a habit of quoting in our home on a daily basis, 47:49 not the whole thing, but, "Now therefore fear the Lord, 47:54 serve Him in sincerity and in truth, 47:58 and put away the gods which your fathers served 48:01 on the other side of the River in Egypt. 48:04 Serve the Lord! 48:06 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 48:10 choose for yourselves this day, whom you will serve, 48:13 whether the gods which your fathers served 48:16 that were on the other side of the River 48:17 or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. 48:20 But as for me and my house, 48:24 we will serve the Lord." 48:26 Praise God. 48:28 Amen. 48:29 Yes. 48:30 And you know the wonderful thing about it. 48:34 I'm reminded of a passage. 48:35 It's not in my notes, but I'm reminded of a passage 48:37 that says, if God before us, 48:41 who can be against us. 48:44 I love that passage. 48:46 If God before you, 48:50 who can be against you. 48:54 In our final moments that we have together, 48:56 I'm kind of looking at this clock here. 48:59 I want to share something personal 49:00 that the Lord has impressed me 49:03 with over the last couple of weeks 49:05 that I've been trying to practice it whenever I can. 49:08 And I recommend, I want to give you a recommendation 49:10 that you try and do the same thing. 49:13 Get yourself when you're studying your Bible, 49:17 get yourself a little journal or a notebook of some sort 49:23 that you can write in. 49:25 And our dear sister, Miss Shelley Quinn shared this 49:28 with us a few weeks ago. 49:30 And it really ministered to me. 49:33 I'm trying to talk and open to a verse at the same time 49:35 and I can't seem to do both. 49:38 But when you are reading the scriptures, 49:41 like for you to try this. 49:45 When you are reading the scriptures, 49:48 find a passage and apply it to your life 49:54 directly, to your life. 50:00 I'll give you an example. 50:03 In Isaiah 41:8-10, it says this, 50:07 "But you, Israel, Are my servant, 50:09 Jacob whom I have chosen, 50:11 the descendants of Abraham My friend. 50:13 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth 50:15 and called from his farthest regions and said to you, 50:18 'You are my servant, 50:21 I have chosen you and have not cast you away. 50:24 Fear not, for I am with you, 50:27 be not dismayed, for I am your God. 50:30 I will strengthen you. 50:32 I will help you. 50:34 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 50:38 And then you take your little journal or your notebook, 50:41 and you write something to the effect 50:43 of God is with me. 50:47 He's with me. 50:49 He says, I shouldn't be dismayed 50:52 because He will strengthen and every time I write me, 50:55 I always write capital letters, Me. 50:57 He will strengthen me, He will help me. 51:00 He will serve as my stronghold. 51:06 And then He said, and I will uphold you. 51:09 I say, He will help me by holding me up 51:14 With his righteous right hand. 51:16 The scripture is full of promises 51:19 that you can take and apply to your own lives 51:23 as to make the scriptures become alive and real for you. 51:28 It's not just some words. 51:30 Yeah, there's a lot of history in there. 51:31 There's a lot of philosophy, other things, 51:33 but there are precious golden promises 51:37 that you can make 51:40 a part of your life. 51:44 Fear not, Virginia, for I am with you. 51:49 Fear not, Mark, I'm with you. 51:54 Fear not, Ben, I am with you. 51:57 Fear not, Bryan, I'm with you, God says. 52:01 If God before us, who can be against us. 52:06 Let's pray. 52:09 Our Father in heaven, 52:13 Lord, we hear the message of the Laodiceans. 52:16 And we know that it applies to us. 52:19 We are living in the final moments of earth's history 52:23 and the message to the Laodicean people 52:25 is a message to us. 52:27 But we thank you for giving it to us. 52:30 Otherwise, how would we know our condition? 52:32 But You've told us our condition. 52:34 And not only do you tell us our condition, 52:36 but you show us a way out. 52:38 You give us the remedies 52:42 for what affects our poor spiritual condition. 52:47 So, Father, I pray that this message today 52:50 will reside in our hearts throughout this week 52:53 that it will show us the path to take. 52:58 It will show us that we need 53:00 to constantly dependent upon You. 53:03 And we must submit everything to You 53:06 if we are going to be saved in Your kingdom. 53:10 Father, You don't ask us to give up anything 53:11 that's not for our good, and I thank You for that. 53:16 So I pray, Father, that as we go into the next week, 53:20 that our hearts and our minds will be uplifted, 53:22 help us to feast upon Your Word daily. 53:25 And I thank You in Jesus' name. 53:27 Amen. 53:28 Amen. 53:30 Hello and welcome back. 53:31 Joshua was right about God being a jealous God 53:35 for all the right reasons, namely your salvation. 53:40 God does not want any of us to be swept away 53:44 from His loving care, by the deceptions of the enemy, 53:47 nor is there even another God to serve in existence. 53:51 Satan wants to be like God, 53:53 you may read about this in the Book of Isaiah 14:14, 53:58 and people may choose to serve him, 54:01 but he will never, ever truly be a God 54:05 or even come close to being like our heavenly Father. 54:09 His days of existence are numbered. 54:11 He knows that he has, but a short time of life left 54:14 before his ultimate destruction. 54:17 Friends, if this message a jealous God by Terry Shelton 54:21 has blessed your heart today. 54:23 And you would like to add this message 54:25 to your personal Bible study library. 54:28 We want to make this happen just for you. 54:31 We will gladly mail this program to you 54:33 for a love gift of just $8 or more. 54:36 Don't forget that little more. 54:37 We need your blessings. 54:39 We also are offering a free book today 54:42 that we will gladly send you for just the asking 54:45 and it is entitled, The Great Controversy. 54:48 Simply contact us here in the United States 54:51 at (618) 942-5044, 54:54 that's Central Time and ask for the DVD, 54:57 a jealous God 54:59 again for a love gift of just $8 or more, 55:02 or request your free copy of the book, 55:05 The Great Controversy. 55:07 You may also write your request to Behold the Lamb Ministries, 55:10 PO Box 2030, Herrin, Illinois 62948 or you may email us 55:16 at Contact @BeholdTheLambMinistries.com 55:20 Visit us on our website, BeholdTheLambMinistries.com 55:24 Also take time now, right now 55:26 to subscribe to Behold the Lamb Ministries' 55:30 YouTube channel for weekly releases 55:32 of different messages 55:34 and become our friend 55:35 on Behold the Lamb Ministries' Facebook page. 55:38 Until next time may our precious Lord 55:41 continue to richly bless you and yours. |
Revised 2021-09-13