Participants: John Lomacang (Host), Abraham Jules PhD
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000013A
|
00:18 Hello and welcome to Foundation of Our Faith
00:21 here at your 3ABN Worship Center 00:24 located in Southern Illinois, 00:26 where we believe 00:27 this is the biggest small city in the world. 00:29 Can you all say amen to that? 00:31 We know, you're going to be blessed 00:33 as we begin a series in our Foundation of Faith 00:36 with a very good friend of mine, 00:38 Dr. Abraham Jules 00:40 who is a man not only connected educationally, 00:42 but a man that's connected spiritually to the God 00:45 that has been leading him for 32 years 00:48 of pastoral ministry including evangelism. 00:51 He has traveled around the world 00:52 and he's favored tonight by the Lord to come 00:54 and bring to you a message entitled 00:56 "How God makes it possible." 00:59 He's also a native of the country of Trinidad. 01:02 He's a fourth generation Seventh-day Adventists, 01:05 a husband of one wife 01:07 and the father of two children, lovely children. 01:10 He's been married for 12 years now. 01:12 He's the pastor of the Community Worship Center 01:15 in Queens, New York. 01:17 In a conference, the North Eastern Conference 01:19 where he has pastored for a number of years. 01:21 He also has a doctorate degree. 01:23 And I know that God has very well equipped him, 01:26 but he's a man of the word and I know, 01:28 you will not be sorry 01:30 that you've taken the time to sit down 01:32 and listen to what the Spirit has to say to the church. 01:35 He also has been featured, a number of years ago, 01:38 at the 2010 General Conference session 01:41 where he blessed thousands. 01:43 And we are blessed here at 3ABN 01:45 to have him on our world stage at Foundation of Faith. 01:49 But before he comes, 01:50 our Mark Udo Williams who is a musical evangelists, 01:54 a resident of Houston, Texas 01:56 is going to bless us with a song. 01:57 Mark has traveled internationally. 02:00 And he's going to sing a song tonight entitled, "I will go." 02:03 But before he comes, 02:05 I like to invite you to bow your heads with me 02:07 as we invite the Lord's presence. 02:08 Let's pray together. 02:10 Our Father in heaven, we thank You for Your goodness, 02:13 for Your mercy, and for Your grace. 02:16 Lord, we pray tonight as the word is being divided 02:19 that You will speak to the hearts of Your children, 02:21 whether they are here, in the United States 02:23 or joining us from somewhere around the world. 02:26 May You flow through your servant, 02:28 Dr Abraham Jules, fill them with Your spirit. 02:31 We pray Lord, that our hearts may be challenged 02:34 and changed as we learn more about the God 02:38 who knows no failure. 02:39 So come Holy Spirit and do what will uplift 02:43 and honor your holy and precious name, 02:45 we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 02:48 Now, Mark Udo Wilson will bless us. 02:50 And the next voice that you'll hear after Mark 02:53 is that of Dr Abraham Jules. 03:17 Give me ears to hear Your Spirit 03:22 Give me feet to follow through 03:28 Give me hands to touch the hurting 03:34 And the faith to follow You 03:44 Give me grace to be Your servant 03:50 Give me mercy for the lost 03:55 Give me passion for Your glory 04:01 Give me passion for the cross 04:07 And I will go where there are no easy roads 04:13 Leave the comforts that I know 04:19 I will go and let this journey be my home 04:25 I will go 04:31 I will go 04:48 I'll let go of my ambition 04:53 Cut the roots that run too deep 04:59 I will learn to give away 05:05 What I cannot really keep 05:11 What I cannot really keep 05:18 Help me see with eyes of faith 05:26 Give me strength to run this race 05:33 And I will go where there are no easy roads 05:40 Leave the comforts that I know 05:46 I will go and let this journey be my home 05:52 I will go 05:54 I will go 05:58 I will go Lord where Your glory is unknown 06:05 I will live for You alone 06:10 I will go because my life is not my own 06:17 I will go 06:20 I will go 06:23 I will go 06:50 Thank you, Mark, for blessing us tonight. 06:54 John, thank you for your gracious words of introduction. 06:57 It's a joy to be here with you 06:59 for this Foundations of Our Faith series. 07:03 And there's a word for us this evening. 07:08 John 5:1-15, 07:15 it reads after this. 07:18 "There was a feast of the Jews. 07:21 And Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 07:25 Now, there is a Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool 07:29 which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, 07:32 having five porches. 07:35 In these lay, a great multitude of impotent folk, 07:38 a blind hold with it, 07:42 waiting for the moving of the water. 07:45 For an angel went down at a certain season 07:47 into the pole and troubled the water. 07:51 Whosoever then first after the troubling of the water, 07:55 stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 08:00 And a certain man was there which had an infirmity, 08:03 thirty and eight years. 08:06 When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been 08:10 now a long time in that case, 08:13 he said on to him, "Will thou be made whole?" 08:17 The impotent man answered him, "Sir, I have no man, 08:21 when the war is troubled to put me into the pool. 08:25 But while I am coming another step of down before me. 08:31 Jesus said on to him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. 08:36 And immediately the man was made whole 08:39 and he took up his bed and walk, walked. 08:42 And on the same day, was the Sabbath. 08:45 The Jews, therefore said on to him that was cured, 08:48 it is the Sabbath day. 08:50 It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 08:53 He answered them, "He that made me whole, 08:56 the same said on to me, 'Take up thy bed and walk.' 09:01 "Then asked they him, 09:03 "What man is that with set on to thee, 09:04 take up thy bed and walk?" 09:07 And he that was healed wist not who it was. 09:10 For Jesus had conveyed himself away, 09:13 a multitude being in that place. 09:16 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, 09:19 and said unto him, Behold, 09:20 thou art made whole: sin no more, 09:24 lest a worse thing come on to thee." 09:27 The man departed and told Jews 09:29 that it was Jesus which had made him whole." 09:33 Please bow your heads with me as we pray. 09:36 Loving Lord, we pray that You may give utterance tonight. 09:40 Speak a word so that Your people may be healed, 09:42 and blessed, and made whole. 09:45 We know that You are the God of the impossible. 09:48 You can break strongholds, You can turn back the enemy, 09:52 You can change us from within and without. 09:55 Thank you, oh, God, for this word tonight, 09:58 may be a blessing to one and all we pray in Jesus' name. 10:02 Amen. 10:05 Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord of our impossibilities. 10:12 There are many Bethesda hospitals around this country. 10:16 And they are named after the pool of Bethesda. 10:20 Bethesda literally means mercy. 10:24 So Bethesda was considered to be the house of mercy. 10:27 And the people who needed mercy 10:29 had congregated themselves around the pool of Bethesda. 10:34 What was it like to go to the pool of Bethesda? 10:38 Well, imagine if you will, 10:39 a nursing home that is overcrowded 10:42 and understaffed 10:44 with no doctors, and no medical attendance 10:46 to look out for those in need. 10:49 And if you can imagine such a scenario, 10:52 then you've got a limited picture 10:54 of what the pool of Bethesda was like. 10:58 Imagine going to an intensive care unit 11:00 where there are just hundreds of people in that unit 11:03 and there is nobody to minister to them. 11:07 And if you can just imagine such a scene, 11:10 then you've got a mental image 11:12 of what the pool of Bethesda was like. 11:15 The pool of Bethesda was not a pretty sight. 11:18 The clientele around the pool were the lame, 11:21 the halt, the blind, the paralyzed, the wounded, 11:26 wounded in body, wounded in spirit. 11:30 And the closer you got to the pool of Bethesda, 11:33 you could immediately pick up the odors of unkempt bodies. 11:37 You can hear the excruciating pain, 11:39 the cries, the moans, he groans, 11:43 and sense the suffering and the hopelessness. 11:47 They are all around the pool of Bethesda. 11:50 And why are they around the pool of Bethesda? 11:53 They are around this pool 11:55 because of a superstition that got started by somebody. 11:59 A superstition that was not true. 12:02 The superstition was that an angel would come down 12:05 to that pool and stir up the water. 12:08 And agitate the pool 12:10 and the first person to get into the pool 12:13 would be healed of whatever infirmity he had. 12:16 It was just a myth, a silly superstition. 12:21 But we know there was no substance to it 12:23 because the spade of the archaeologists 12:26 has unearthed the pool of Bethesda. 12:28 And we know now that there was a subterranean stream 12:32 that went underneath the pool 12:34 that made bubbles to rise periodically. 12:37 They should have known 12:39 that there was no substance to this superstition. 12:43 You see, the pool of Bethesda 12:45 is literally the size of a football field. 12:48 And with all those many people around there. 12:50 And the story said one guy was there for 38 years. 12:56 Now, if you've been around there that long 12:59 and nothing has happened, 13:01 then you should know 13:02 that there is no substance to the superstition. 13:06 Here are some superstitious people 13:08 putting their hopes in bubbles. 13:11 Fortune cookie solutions to complex problems. 13:15 Just a superstition, silly, silly people. 13:20 And it's, it's understandable. 13:23 It's pre-scientific, it's pre-Galileo, 13:26 but aren't you glad that in this postmodern age 13:29 in which we live, this age of the information superhighway 13:32 and manmade moons, we call satellites. 13:36 Isn't it wonderful to know 13:37 that in our age of eruditeness and sophistication 13:41 that we have moved far beyond these primitive people, 13:45 far beyond putting our hopes in an angel 13:48 coming down and stirring up some water, 13:51 and making bubbles rise. 13:53 And if we could be the first one 13:54 to get into the water, isn't that silly? 13:57 Is that good to know that in this educated age, 14:00 in this enlightened age in which we live 14:02 that we have moved beyond that. 14:05 But I ask you. Have we? 14:08 Because everywhere I go around this country, 14:10 I think, I still see the pool of Bethesda. 14:14 In corner stores, people huddled around 14:16 something called a lotto machine. 14:19 And guess why they're there? 14:20 They are waiting for the angel to come down 14:23 and to stir up their water. 14:25 Hence they take food money, utility money, rent money 14:29 and put their hopes in that pool of Bethesda 14:33 hoping that an angel is gonna come down 14:35 and stir up their water. 14:37 And they're in a city called Las Vegas, I mean Las Vegas. 14:42 You find people at slot machines 14:44 and tables thinking they can get some stirring up the water. 14:49 And then some of us go to the mall and say, 14:52 "If I can just wear this?" 14:54 Is gonna stir up my water. 14:55 And then some of us go to the car lot, 14:58 that is our pool. 14:59 And we say, "If I can just drive this. 15:01 If I can just get the angel to stir up my water, my call, 15:05 all my problems would be fixed." 15:08 We have not graduated 15:10 far beyond those superstitious people. 15:13 Because everywhere you go, you find a pools of Bethesda. 15:17 And they advertise to us. 15:19 They say taste me, buy me, drive me, wave me, snot me, 15:25 smoke me, sip me, lay with me, 15:28 cover me, sleep with me, hold me 15:30 And we find ourselves going to one of these pools. 15:34 And if we're honest, we'll admit 15:36 that we have all spent some time 15:38 around the pool of Bethesda. 15:40 As a matter of fact, some of us have done more than that, 15:44 we have gotten into the pool. 15:46 We actually got in the water, only to discover 15:50 that when we got out of the water and dried off 15:52 that we were just as messed up as when we went into the water. 15:57 Here is a man 15:58 who has been lying around the pool for 38 years. 16:02 And Jesus brought wholeness to him 16:05 with the hopes of teaching us 16:07 that he, Jesus is the Lord of our impossibilities. 16:12 Now, you'll notice that you and I 16:14 can experience the impossible 16:16 when we live by three principles. 16:19 In order to activate impossibility living, 16:22 there are three prerequisites 16:24 and they are right here in this story. 16:27 Prerequisite number one, 16:29 in order to experience the impossible in your life, 16:32 you have to first want the impossible. 16:36 Notice, that Jesus asked him a question in verse 8. 16:39 "Wilt thou be made whole?" 16:42 Now that question doesn't seem necessary, does it? 16:45 Why would you ask a man who has been sick for 38 years, 16:50 do you want me to heal you? 16:52 You would think that that goes without saying. 16:55 You would think that Jesus already knows 16:57 that he wants to be made whole. 17:00 That is like a live God asking a drowning man, 17:03 do you want me to grab you? 17:05 Or that's like someone just got shot 17:07 and the paramedics come and asked this dying man, 17:10 "Would you like me to help you?" 17:13 Some things go without saying or do they? 17:17 This man has been there for 38 years 17:21 which means he's been on his back for 13,870 days 17:26 and that's a long time. 17:28 More than half of his life has been spent sick 17:31 and what Jesus realized 17:33 was what modern psychologists have discovered. 17:36 And that is that many of our physical ailments 17:40 are rooted in our thinking processes. 17:43 To be sure, this man was a paralytic. 17:46 But I would suggest, 17:48 he is probably more of a neurotic 17:49 than he is a paralytic. 17:51 And his neurosis is what has triggered his paralysis. 17:55 We are psychophysical organisms. 17:58 And whatever is going on in the mind 18:01 will register in the body, 18:03 which is to say the way you think 18:05 affects the way you feel. 18:08 It's all interconnected. 18:10 When you're depressed for example, 18:12 you can tell depression 18:13 because of how it impacts your body. 18:15 You lose weight or you gain weight. 18:18 You are so hooked up with your emotions. 18:20 Whatever goes on in the mind affects your body 18:24 which is the basis of a polygraph machine. 18:27 When you tell a lie, 18:28 emotionally it triggers all kinds of endorphins 18:31 in your bloodstream. 18:32 It get nervous and your blood pressure rises 18:35 just by lying because you are not even wired up to lie. 18:40 So Jesus asked this man who perhaps is a hypochondriac, 18:45 "Do you want to get up? 18:47 Do you really want to be healed? 18:50 Because you see as long as he is sick 18:52 and on his back, he's on welfare. 18:54 As long as he is sick and on his back, 18:57 other people have to carry him. 18:59 They got to feed him, clothe him, wash him, 19:02 pick up after him. 19:03 But the minute he gets hold, 19:06 that means he's got to get a job. 19:09 That means he has to take some responsibility. 19:12 And there are a whole lot of folk 19:14 who like to hold on to their illnesses 19:16 in order to evade and dodge responsibility. 19:20 I know a whole lot of folks 19:21 who are bitter who can be better, 19:23 but they just hold on to the past. 19:26 Ten years have passed and they wouldn't let it go 19:29 because they feel good about feeling bad. 19:33 The other person has gone on with his life, 19:36 but they just nurse and rehearse 19:38 all the negativity of the past. 19:41 Now, I know there's an incubating time 19:43 when you've got to overcome some things, but my God! 19:46 38 years, it happened when you were in grade school. 19:51 And here you're pushing fifty and you're still upset 19:55 about something that happened in the school yard. 19:57 There are a whole lot of folks who can give up 20:00 drugging and alcohol but they want to hold on to it. 20:03 They can't even imagine life without the bottle. 20:07 A whole lot of folk could live pure and more lives. 20:09 But they just want to hold on and wouldn't let go. 20:13 God, I want to be whole, but I can't let go. 20:18 I can't give up, can't give up what she does for me. 20:22 She's my pool of Bethesda. 20:25 He is my pool of Bethesda. 20:28 So the question Jesus wants answered is, "Do you want it? 20:34 Wilt thou be made whole." 20:37 Jesus can't help you 20:39 until you desperately want to be helped. 20:44 If you're playing games, 20:45 you need to quit wasting folk's times 20:46 who are trying to help you. 20:48 Before God can help anyone they've got to want a change. 20:52 That's why it's foolish for anybody 20:54 to spend a whole lot of time 20:56 trying to help somebody who doesn't want to be helped. 21:00 God will never be able to fix what you will not face. 21:07 You've got to want it. 21:09 Now secondly in order to be healed, helped, 21:13 and to experience the impossible, 21:15 you have got to obey. 21:17 The second prerequisite is obedience. 21:21 The first is you've got to want it. 21:24 Notice what the man said to Jesus, 21:26 when Jesus asked him, "Do you want to be made whole?" 21:29 Verse 7, he has called Jesus, "Sir." 21:33 Listen to me. 21:34 He was willing to get under the authority of Jesus Christ. 21:39 Whenever something that is over you 21:42 is supposed to be under you, 21:44 it only gets under you when you get under the God 21:47 who is supposed to be over you. 21:50 When you get under he who is supposed to be over you, 21:53 that which is over you gets under you. 21:57 That's the order. 21:58 You can't expect things to get under you, 22:02 when you wouldn't get under who is supposed to be over you. 22:05 So you're wondering 22:07 why some things can get under your feet? 22:09 It's an issue with authority. 22:12 Couple of months ago, 22:13 I was driving through New York City, 22:15 taking my kids to the city for an appointment 22:18 and I was late. 22:19 Traffic had backed up. 22:21 I saw an opening, got around all the cars, 22:25 passed everybody. 22:26 And as I made the right turn, 22:29 a cop was standing on the sidewalk 22:31 and he did this, "Get over." 22:34 Well, I got over. 22:36 But I had a chaplain's badge from the state of New York. 22:39 I gave him my badge. 22:40 He said, "I don't want to see this." 22:42 Then I had a card 22:44 from one of the lieutenants of the NYPD. 22:47 Gave him the card, he said, "I don't want to see this." 22:50 And he gave me a lecture on why I should drive safely. 22:56 And then he went to his car, came back. 22:59 I thought he was going to give me the ticket. 23:00 Didn't give me the ticket. 23:02 But gave me another lecture and then let me go. 23:06 When I drove away, I told my sister-in-law, 23:08 "I was about to give him a piece of my mind." 23:13 But I didn't, that I was under authority. 23:16 And when you're under authority, 23:18 you're in obedience. 23:21 Jesus said that if you will experience 23:24 the impossible in your life, you must be obedient. 23:28 That's the order. 23:30 You can't expect things to get better in your life 23:32 unless you make God, indeed, 23:34 the authority figure in your life. 23:37 It is because you wouldn't get under the authority of God 23:40 that's why we experience failure. 23:42 And the minute you start saying to the Lord, "Sir" 23:44 which means get under his authority, 23:46 certain demons, and devils, and warlocks, 23:48 and witches will start getting under your feet. 23:52 Things that once caused you to worry and fret, 23:54 now don't bother you anymore 23:56 because you've got under the God 23:58 who is supposed to be over you. 24:00 Once he said, "Sir" 24:02 this man submitted to the authority of Jesus Christ 24:05 and Jesus said, "You're under new management." 24:10 And that's what some of us need, 24:12 to be under new management because we are living a life 24:15 where the movie is directed by somebody 24:18 who doesn't have our best interests at heart. 24:20 And we are reciting alliance 24:22 that God didn't write for us to recite. 24:25 So you've got to get under the authority of Christ 24:27 and Christ said to him in verse 8, three things. 24:31 Number one, rise. 24:32 Take up your bed and walk. 24:35 First he said, "Rise." 24:37 Now that seems like a strange command 24:40 because that is the one thing 24:42 that was impossible for this man to do, 24:44 that is to rise. 24:46 But Jesus said, "Rise." 24:48 Notice, Jesus didn't ask the man, 24:50 "Do you feel like rising?" 24:53 Jesus said, "Rise." 24:55 He didn't ask him, "Do you think you can rise?" 24:58 He said, "Rise" which is to say act it and you will feel it. 25:05 Now, we think we've got to feel it 25:07 before we can act it. 25:09 What's the sequence? 25:10 You have go to act your way into a feeling, 25:13 instead of feeling your way into an action. 25:16 In other words, you have to act like 25:17 you've got it together, 25:19 when you don't feel like you've got it together 25:21 because feeling comes under heels of acting. 25:25 You've got to act confident before you feel confident. 25:29 You've got to act blessed, before you feel blessed. 25:33 You've got to act like you're going to make it, 25:34 so you'll get up and quit feeling sorry for yourself. 25:38 You don't have to feel it to act it. 25:41 So smile, laugh, dry your eyes, get on with your life. 25:47 Act the thing and the feeling will come. 25:51 There were times when I didn't feel like preaching, 25:54 but I got up and preached anyhow. 25:56 And the Holy Spirit came 25:57 and when he came, he made me feel like doing it. 26:01 Jesus said, "Rise." 26:04 The best time to act is in front of folks 26:06 who don't think you're supposed to make it. 26:09 The second thing, he said was take up your bed. 26:13 Why? 26:14 The bed is what he's been lying on for 38 years. 26:19 Let me tell you how the devil works. 26:21 How demonic spirits work. 26:24 The minute God gives you a rise breakthrough, 26:27 that's when the devil will come and plant doubt in your mind. 26:31 And he will say, "Wait a minute, man. 26:32 Wait a minute. You've been down for 38 years. 26:35 How do you know your legs are going to hold you up? 26:39 How do you know your ankles aren't going to buckle 26:41 and your knees are not going to give out from under you? 26:44 How do you know? 26:45 Look fellow, you've got seniority back at the pool. 26:49 You've been there for 38 years. 26:53 You're getting ready to lose your place in line. 26:56 So what you need to do is, just in case, 26:59 Jesus doesn't really come through for you, 27:01 and just in case, you don't get what Jesus promised you. 27:05 And just in case, a week from now or month from now, 27:09 you'll start feeling weak again, 27:10 you better make sure that you at least have your bed 27:14 back at the pool, so you can go back. 27:18 Listen to me, folk, 27:20 whenever Jesus gives you a rise breakthrough, 27:23 He wants you to cancel 27:25 whatever reservations you had 27:27 at the place he delivered you from. 27:30 Which means you've got to burn some bridges 27:33 once He heals you and once He delivers you. 27:38 For example, if you've been delivered from drinking, 27:41 was it, watch the devil? 27:43 He'll tell you to stay in touch with your drinking buddies. 27:46 Just in case, you have a relapse. 27:48 Or just in case, you say, 27:50 "I'm not going to be shacking up anymore. 27:51 I'm tired of this, been doing it for 38 years. 27:54 Time to go on with my life." 27:55 The devil says, "That's good. Congratulations. 27:57 But just in case, you become emotionally unglued, 28:00 you've got to make sure 28:01 you don't burn a bridge with him or her, 28:03 so you could always go back. 28:06 But God says us tonight, 28:08 "If I'm gonna deliver you from something, 28:10 you've got to cancel your reservation. 28:13 Rise, take up your bed. 28:17 And then He says, walk. 28:19 He said walk because he had been down for 38 years 28:24 and that means his legs were not strong 28:27 when he first got up. 28:28 And guess what? 28:30 When you first get up, 28:32 you're not going to be that strong. 28:35 But I dare you to take one little step. 28:38 And if you keep on walking, 28:40 God will take you places you've never dreamed possible. 28:45 Do you want to be made whole? 28:49 That's why, folk, when people joined the body of Christ, 28:53 we need to be very patient with them 28:55 because they've just started walking. 28:58 You've got to want it. 29:00 You've got to obey the Lord. 29:02 Rise, take up your bed and walk. 29:07 Say sir. 29:09 Yes, sir, I will. You're under new authority. 29:12 And then finally you've got to know for yourself 29:15 the Lord of the impossible 29:17 because after this man is healed, 29:20 the enemies of Jesus see him carrying his palate 29:23 on the Sabbath day which means he is breaking Jewish law, 29:26 and so they asked him, 29:28 "Who told you to carry your bed?" 29:30 Isn't it amazing how sometimes religious people 29:34 don't have a clue as to what's important. 29:36 This man has been down for 38 years. 29:39 Instead of the church of the living God rejoicing, 29:42 that now he is able to walk, 29:44 they're getting caught up in a theological issue 29:47 about how to keep the Sabbath. 29:50 But look at what this man said in verses 12 and 13, 29:53 the man said, "I don't known who it is that healed me. 29:56 All I know is that I couldn't walk at one time, 30:00 but now I'm on my feet 30:03 after Jesus healed and He left." 30:06 Because Jesus didn't want the attention. 30:08 He had never met Jesus before. 30:10 This man had never met Him before. 30:12 All he knew that he was healed. 30:13 All he knew was that he was doing something 30:15 that he hadn't done in 38 years, 30:19 but he didn't know who had given him the ability do it. 30:22 And in verse 14, Jesus finds him in the temple 30:26 and says to him, "Thou art made whole." 30:30 And anybody that is whole is operating on three things. 30:35 He's whole because he's walking. 30:39 His body is healed. 30:41 He was being carried to the pool, 30:43 but he's walking on his own. 30:45 And one way you experienced wholeness, 30:47 is when you are walking on your own. 30:50 You don't need anybody to carry you. 30:52 You don't need anybody to carry you emotionally. 30:56 You don't need anybody to affirm you, 30:58 or to celebrate you. 31:00 You don't need anybody to applaud you. 31:02 You don't need anybody to pat you on the back. 31:05 You don't need anybody to tell you 31:06 that you are going to make it. 31:08 And if some folk didn't affirm us, 31:10 we would fall apart. 31:12 But now because you are getting yourself whole, 31:14 you are fine. 31:16 If nobody invites to the bank with, 31:19 go head and take yourself. 31:22 You know, I was single for many years 31:24 and when I would get paid, I'll take myself out to dinner, 31:30 and I'll talk to myself while I was eating. 31:34 And on my way back home, I'll say to myself, 31:36 "Jules, didn't we have a good time tonight?" 31:40 Because you've got to learn to enjoy being by yourself. 31:44 When you get whole, you've got Jesus. 31:46 And when you've got Jesus, He's all you really need. 31:50 That's why I get sick and tired of Christian folk 31:52 talking about who they need to make it, 31:54 and talking about I'm tired of being by myself. 31:57 Well, if you are tired of being by yourself, 31:59 who wants to be with tired old you? 32:03 Until you can say, "I like being by myself. 32:07 I'm walking on my own. I'm self-reliant." 32:10 When you are whole, not only does your body change. 32:14 The Bible says, he was walking, 32:16 but his behavior changed. 32:18 He was worshipping. 32:20 Where did Jesus find him? 32:22 Verse 14 says, "In the temple." 32:25 Whenever you get whole, not only does your body change, 32:31 your walking, but your behavior changes, 32:34 you're worshipping, 32:35 which means when Jesus comes in to your life, 32:39 habits will be broken. 32:41 You known you are getting whole 32:43 when things that once had a grip on you, 32:45 you now have a grip on it. 32:48 You know you are getting whole 32:49 when you used to have a nasty attitude. 32:52 But now your attitude has changed 32:54 because your behavior has changed. 32:57 There was a time when you said, "I'm gonna get even." 33:01 But since Christ has come into your life, you realize, 33:05 you can't get ahead by getting even. 33:09 There was a time when you came to church, 33:11 and just watched other people worship. 33:13 But now you've come to church and your behavior has changed. 33:17 You are worshipping all by yourself. 33:20 You don't need any choir to prompt you. 33:23 And you don't need any preacher to invoke you. 33:25 And you don't need cheerleaders around to incite you. 33:29 All you do is just think of the goodness of Jesus, 33:33 and all He has done for you, and your behavior changes. 33:39 You used to be worried about this 33:40 and worried about that, 33:42 but you are not worried anymore. 33:44 Because you know the Lord woke you up this morning, 33:47 started you on your way, 33:49 put food on your table, made a way out of no way. 33:52 God got a roof over your head and He is the one that did it. 33:55 Your behavior changes and you are whole. 33:58 And when you are whole, 33:59 you do not worry about things like you used to. 34:03 You know, Ellen White says that it is a sin to worry. 34:07 And can I give you a principle 34:09 that I believe will bless your life? 34:10 If there are things in your life 34:12 that you don't like 34:13 and you have ability to change it, 34:15 go ahead and change them. 34:18 But if there is something in your life 34:20 that you don't like 34:21 and you do not have the ability to change it, 34:24 do not worry about it, 34:27 because worry has never changed anything here. 34:31 Worry has never paid a bill. 34:33 Worry has never brought a straying husband back home. 34:36 Worry has never ever fixed a problem. 34:40 Worry is a useless activity, and to worry is to sin. 34:46 Learn to leave it in the hands of God 34:49 and let God take care of it. 34:52 He is witnessing. 34:54 He didn't know who it was that healed him. 34:57 But the Bible says, after Jesus introduced himself, 35:00 this man went and found the enemies of Jesus. 35:05 And in verse 15, he tells them, 35:07 "Let me tell, you enemies, who it was that healed me." 35:11 He said, "I that I used to be ashamed to tell you. 35:15 Now I'm bold and I'm not ashamed." 35:17 Because one of the ways you know you are whole 35:22 is because you are bold and you've got confidence. 35:26 You really believe that you can do all things through Christ 35:31 who strengthens you. 35:33 You're not walking around with your head down 35:36 and even if don't have a new suit on. 35:39 And even if don't have new shoes on, 35:41 there is a new 'you'. 35:43 You looked at your hands and your hands look new. 35:44 You look at your feet and your feet look new too. 35:47 Do you want to be made whole 35:50 before Jesus can take you to the next level? 35:55 He's got to get you right on the inside. 35:58 Here you are talking about a new house, 36:01 when what you really need is a new heart. 36:04 Here you are talking about a new car, 36:06 when what you really needs is a new cause. 36:09 Here you are talking about a new man 36:12 when what you really needs is a new 'you.' 36:15 If you get yourself together, 36:17 then some of the things you really need you realize, 36:21 you'll realize that you really don't need them. 36:24 I thought I needed him 36:27 but what I really needed was just to be made whole. 36:32 Jesus can do it because He's the God of the impossible, 36:38 so quit being so pitiful, quit acting depressed. 36:42 Our God is the God of the impossible, 36:46 but He needs your cooperation. 36:48 You've got a great God. 36:50 Quit being defeated. 36:52 He's the God of the impossible. 36:55 Quit livening what you can't have. 36:58 Quit thinking everybody can have it, but you. 37:01 Impossible what? 37:03 He's the God of the Impossible. 37:06 Impossible relationships, impossible crises in your life. 37:12 Crazy children in your home. 37:15 Marriage falling apart. 37:17 God is the God of the impossible. 37:20 There is no limit to what my God can do. 37:25 If you are broke, He can fix it. 37:28 If you are in trouble, He can deliver you. 37:31 "Come here, Abraham. 37:33 Come here, Sister Sarah." 37:36 Brother Abraham and Sister Sarah 37:38 were in an impossible situation, 37:41 but God blessed that old couple to have an impossible baby 37:46 at an impossible age. 37:48 Come here, Moses. 37:51 You're at an impossible Red Sea, 37:54 but God made an impossible Red Sea open up 37:57 for the children of Israel. 37:59 "Come here, Gideon." You are outnumbered. 38:03 You had an impossible task, 38:05 but God gave you victory in an impossible situation. 38:09 "Come here, David." 38:11 You are facing an impossible giant, 38:13 but the giant of impossibility came crashing down. 38:17 "Come here, women with an issue of blood." 38:20 You had an impossible sickness, but you said, 38:24 "If I can just touch the hem of His garment, 38:28 I don't have to talk to Him. 38:30 And the Bible says, she had an impossible sickness reversed, 38:35 because He is the Lord of the impossible. 38:40 So have you any rivers that you think are un-crossable? 38:44 Have you any mountains you can't climb? 38:46 God specializes in things that seem impossible. 38:53 Remember the devil wants you to stay at the pool. 38:56 He doesn't want you to obey. 39:00 He doesn't want you to want a change 39:02 or a miracle in your life. 39:05 He doesn't want you to rise, pick up your bed and walk. 39:09 He doesn't want you to establish intimacy with Christ. 39:13 What will you do today? 39:16 Will you stay at the pool or will you get up? 39:21 Will you give God a chance in your life? 39:25 He wants to make you whole. 39:28 The story says this man never experienced wholeness, 39:32 until he went back to the temple. 39:34 He was healed but he wasn't whole. 39:38 Wholeness only comes 39:40 when you develop intimacy with Jesus Christ. 39:45 He was healed and he was made whole. 39:49 God keeps every promise, 39:53 and one of my favorite promises 39:55 comes through the start of the Book of Philippians. 39:58 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. 40:03 I can do all things through Christ. 40:07 I can, hypernicus victory. 40:11 I can have all victory through Jesus Christ. 40:16 God is able and He keeps His promises. 40:20 For somebody who is listening to me today, 40:22 it might just be that God is speaking to your heart. 40:26 It might just be that God is talking to you, 40:30 and He wants you to develop intimacy with Him. 40:33 He wants you to trust His power. 40:36 He wants you to believe 40:38 that He can make the impossible possible. 40:42 If we would only believe His word, 40:45 if we would only trust His word, 40:47 He has promised to make the impossible possible. 40:51 You know, some years ago, I was overseas preaching 40:54 and I was gone for a while and my wife called, 40:57 and my daughter got on to phone and she said, "Daddy. 41:03 There's something I want and when you get back home, 41:07 I want you to purchase it for me." 41:08 And I said to her, I say, "Sweetheart, 41:11 whatever you want, when I get home, 41:16 I'm gonna purchase it for you." 41:18 Well, I flew back to New York, landed at JFK. 41:22 I was tired, it was about six hour flight. 41:25 Got in my car, drove another two hours to my house. 41:28 When I got home I was tired. 41:29 Took of my clothes, sat on my favorite chair. 41:32 My daughters comes running. She says, "Daddy. 41:37 You remember?" I said, "What?" 41:40 She said, "Daddy, you promised. 41:43 When you got back home, 41:46 you'll purchase for me whatever I want." 41:49 I said, "What is it?" She says, "Well, Daddy. 41:52 We knew you were coming home today, 41:53 so mommy got dressed. 41:56 My brother Dylan got dressed. 41:58 Aunty Helen got dressed. And we are ready." 42:00 I said, "What are you talking about?" 42:02 She says, "Daddy, 42:05 I want you to purchase a little dog for me." 42:08 Now that's story is only interesting because 42:11 I love animals. 42:12 Forgive me, but I don't want to live with them. 42:19 And so I said, "Sweetheart..." trying to put it off. 42:22 I said, "Sweetheart, listen. 42:24 Daddy is going to do this another day for you." 42:26 So she ran upstairs and started crying. 42:29 My wife came down she said, 42:31 "What did you say to her? She's crying." 42:33 I said, "Sweetheart. 42:35 I told her I'll get the dog another day for her." 42:39 Well, my daughter came back downstairs. 42:42 She says, "Daddy, when you are away, you said." 42:47 When she said "You said," I put on my clothes, 42:49 we got into car, drove to Westchester County, 42:53 got to the pet store. 42:54 And she is now, uh, looking at the dogs 42:58 and she scared of them. 43:00 And I said, "Lord, You are Mighty God." 43:02 I've been praying. 43:04 And she's scared of the dogs. 43:06 Finally, my wife, I said to my wife 43:09 and to the rest of the family, "Let's go. 43:12 Let's get back in the car." And they said, "No." 43:15 And my wife goes to her takes one of this little dogs 43:17 and puts it in her arms 43:18 and she finally begins to get comfortable. 43:22 That day I spend over $1,200 for a dog, 43:26 I'm still paying for it. 43:30 But you know, in the Book of Isaiah, 43:33 you know what the Lord said? 43:34 The Lord said, 43:36 whenever you face your impossible situations, 43:39 remind me of my promises. 43:43 And on that day, 43:44 when my daughter reminded me of my promise, 43:48 it caused me to get up and to act. 43:52 I'm a sinful man. 43:53 Can you imagine how God feels 43:56 when we remind Him of His promises? 43:58 And He gave us over 7,000 promises in His word, 44:02 so that we can remind Him of His promises. 44:05 And He says, nothing is impossible because I'm able. 44:11 Today, I believe that God can change our circumstances. 44:16 He can remedy our situations. 44:18 He can change us from the inside out. 44:22 And God can give us victory. 44:24 If we would claim His promises, nothing is impossible with God. 44:29 With all, with God, all things are possible. 44:36 I want you to bow your heads with me as we pray. 44:41 Loving Lord and our Father, 44:46 we are in Your presence this day 44:48 and we have heard that You are Mighty, 44:53 that You are Powerful, that You are Great. 44:57 We have been sitting by the pool for 38 years, 45:01 some of us... 45:04 our lives have been in shambles. 45:07 And it's hard for us to believe that 45:10 You can do anything for us. 45:14 We feel neglected, we feel abandoned 45:17 and for some of us, there is no hope. 45:20 But I'm happy today, Lord, that You said 45:24 that if we want to experience the impossible in our lives. 45:29 We got to want it, we got to want it. 45:33 And so far that there is somebody 45:35 who wants a change in his life today. 45:38 Somebody wants to experience a victory. 45:41 Somebody wants to see a change. 45:47 Somebody needs today Lord also, to not only want it, 45:52 but certainly need to align His life with Yours. 45:57 Somebody needs to surrender to You. 46:02 You said, we not only have to want it, 46:03 but we've got be obedient. 46:06 And then we've got to rise, 46:07 we've got to rise above our feelings. 46:10 We've got to walk away from our past. 46:14 We've got to pick up our bed and not leave it, 46:16 so that we can go back. 46:19 Today I pray for someone's life who might just be listening, 46:24 and has lost hope 46:27 that you would have helped that soul to find you today. 46:32 Forgive us of our sins. 46:34 Help us to get away from the Pool of Bethesda 46:37 and find a healing for our souls. 46:40 Take us to the temple where we can find 46:42 not only healing but wholeness, 46:45 and save us we pray, Father, 46:47 in your eternal kingdom, we ask it, amen. 47:05 All right. Then we got to go back out. 47:08 Not a problem. 47:16 I am weak, but Thou art strong 47:24 Jesus, keep me from all wrong 47:32 I'll be satisfied as long 47:39 As I walk 47:40 Let me walk close to Thee 47:47 Just a closer walk with Thee 47:55 Grant it, Jesus, is my plea 48:02 Daily walking close to Thee 48:09 Let it be, dear Lord, let it be 48:17 Through this world of toils and snares 48:25 If I falter, Lord, who cares? 48:32 Who with me my burden shares? 48:39 None but Thee, Dear Lord, none but Thee 48:47 Just a closer walk with Thee 48:55 Grant it, Jesus, is my plea 49:03 Daily walking close to Thee 49:09 Let it be, dear Lord, let it be 49:18 When my feeble life is o'er 49:26 Time for me will be no more 49:34 Guide me gently o'er 49:40 To Thy kingdom shore 49:44 To Thy shore 49:49 Just a closer walk with Thee 49:57 Grant it, Jesus, is my plea 50:05 Daily walking close to Thee 50:11 Let it be, dear Lord, let it be 50:29 Can we say amen again to that song? 50:32 What a wonderful message tonight, 50:33 how God makes it possible. 50:37 Pastor Jules, come and join me. 50:38 You know, as you've preached 50:40 that sermon tonight with passion, 50:43 I know that it's more than just a sermon from scripture. 50:45 It's a sermon that express the places in your life 50:49 where God found you 50:50 and how God remove all the impossible things. 50:52 Take us, you are from the country of Trinidad, 50:56 the island of Trinidad, the West Indies. 50:59 Takes us at to the beginning of your journey 51:01 and talk about how God 51:02 removed some of those early impossibilities 51:05 to begin your journey in ministry. 51:08 I have always been amazed at the fact that, 51:11 you know, when I was born we were reared in a house 51:16 that was adjacent to the Adventist church. 51:19 We were fourth generation Adventists. 51:21 My great grandmother was an Adventist, 51:23 came from India to Trinidad, couldn't read or write, 51:26 but heard the message of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 51:29 accepted Christ as her Savior, 51:31 and was faithful until her death. 51:33 But while we were in our own home, 51:35 in our house adjacent to the church, 51:37 we would hear everything that went on 51:39 in the Adventist church. 51:41 And I believe, in my life I've seen God prepare me 51:44 even for this day for service to His world church 51:48 from that very humble beginning. 51:51 And God has removed many obstacles 51:52 out of my way to make this possible. 51:54 Each step of the way I have been honored 51:56 that He has called me and continues to use me. 51:59 But I've seen God break down walls, 52:01 I've seen Him put me in places. 52:02 I've seen Him giving me favor. 52:05 When I had no one there to speak for me, 52:06 someone stood up. 52:09 In all of these situations and preparation movements, 52:13 I've sensed the hand of God 52:16 doing what he needed to do for me, 52:19 because He's the God of the impossible. 52:20 That's right. 52:22 Talk about one of those impossible moments, 52:24 'cause you are in Trinidad but you, you make your way... 52:27 Now was it to New York was your next stop. 52:30 Talk about ministry in New York? 52:31 Came to New York when I was a teenager. 52:32 My parents lived in New York and that they came and got us. 52:37 We lived in Brooklyn for many years 52:38 before I went off to Oakwood. 52:41 I finished high school at 16 and went to work at a bank. 52:46 And spent two years working there 52:48 but it was restless, restless. 52:51 And, there were people at my local church, 52:53 Brooklyn Temple in Brooklyn, who would say to me, 52:56 "Young man, I see you being a minister of the gospel. 53:02 And if you go to church, we'll help you. 53:04 Go to school, we'll help you." 53:05 And some of those older people lived long enough, 53:08 who helped me and aided me in school 53:11 to hear me preach the gospel. 53:13 Now, was that a desire of yours when you were young, 53:15 did you want to preach? 53:17 Was that something that was in your bones? 53:19 When I was four years old, 53:20 I knew I was gonna be a preacher. Okay. 53:22 And I never wanted to be anything else but a preacher. 53:25 All right. 53:26 So, so that was a lifelong dream of yours, 53:28 but now the streets of New York, 53:29 where there any challenges there 53:31 that tried to preempt that dream? 53:33 Many challenges and I quickly I'll tell you. 53:36 When I was 17 years old, 53:39 four of my friends died in an accident, 53:43 where I was the one who took little canoe out, 53:45 took them for rides. 53:47 And they died and they brought their bodies to the show. 53:52 We all saw four young people dead. 53:56 And that caused me to turn my back 53:59 on the church for about a year. 54:01 And there were people who are praying for me. 54:04 And about a year after I went back to church, 54:07 about six months later, I was at Oakwood. 54:09 And here I am today because God doesn't give up on us, 54:13 even when we give upon Him. 54:14 Praise the Lord for that. 54:15 Now at Oakwood College, I know that 54:17 whenever we go to Oakwood, I went to Oakwood too. 54:18 Matter of fact, you went to Oakwood the year 54:20 that my wife and I got married in 1983. 54:22 At Oakwood, what were some of the obstacles there 54:24 because we known anybody that goes to Oakwood 54:26 understands obstacles. 54:27 Talk about some of those there? 54:29 I think my challenge was less financial 54:31 and it was much more of a defining my life's purpose. 54:38 It was at Oakwood 54:39 that I really found my footing and found my center. 54:43 It was at Oakwood that who I am today, 54:47 the imprint was made there. 54:49 I was affected by many people who're spiritual people, 54:52 teachers, professors, faculty, staff 54:55 and I praise God to this day for Oakwood. 54:59 Those four years were probably the best 55:01 and most meaningful four years of my life. 55:03 Now you mentioned in your sermon 55:05 that you've been single for a number of years, 55:07 and you had to encourage yourself when you went out. 55:09 I smiled when I heard that. 55:10 Didn't we have a good time tonight, 55:12 Dr. Jules or, Abraham? 55:14 Talk about the obstacles that you overcame to find a wife, 55:17 'cause you've been married now, 55:18 going on 12 years, two wonderful children. 55:20 Talk about that? 55:21 I was very selective, and I took too long. 55:27 I was 42 when I got married, but I wanted to be certain 55:30 that I found someone who had like passions. 55:34 My wife loves the Lord and loves church like I do. 55:39 It's very easy to be around my wife. 55:41 I wanted to be comfortable with someone 55:43 and someone who I felt had the same goal in mind 55:48 which was to make heaven their home. 55:50 And finding my wife was... 55:53 the Lord really gave her to me. 55:56 She was a member of my church. 55:58 And the pastor would often admire the member 56:02 and finally I invited her out to dinner, 56:06 and the rest is history. 56:08 Okay, and I know you know, there's somebody watching 56:10 that may have missed the early part of the sermon. 56:12 I'm going to give you about 30 seconds or so 56:14 to extend a challenge to somebody 56:16 that maybe at that place of impossibilities tonight. 56:19 I shared with you tonight, that our impossible situations, 56:24 our strongholds, our burdens, whatever they are. 56:27 If they are something literally dragging you back 56:30 to this planetary level, robbing you of advancement, 56:34 I preach tonight about the man 56:37 sitting at the Pool of Bethesda for 38 years, 56:39 how by him being an obedience to God, 56:42 wanting a change, wanting a miracle, 56:45 that he followed what Christ told him, 56:47 to rise, take up his bed and walk. 56:50 Turn his back on his past and embrace his future. 56:53 And tonight, I believe that God can do that for you, 56:56 if you would trust Him and claim His promise, 56:59 He can bless you by changing your life. 57:02 Thank you, Dr. Jules. Praise the Lord. 57:04 And, friends, just want to encourage you 57:05 that this is the first in a series of messages 57:08 by Dr. Abraham Jules. 57:10 As you know, a man connected to the word of God 57:12 but as He challenged you tonight, 57:14 if you are at that place in your life 57:16 where you are waiting for some great miracle to come along, 57:20 the miracle is happening tonight. 57:22 Jesus is there waiting to embrace you 57:25 and lift you from your place of dormancy 57:27 and show you that He can move all your impossibilities. 57:31 May God bless you. |
Revised 2015-11-30