Participants: John Dinzey (Host), Pr. Edward Bryan
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000037A
|
00:19 Hello, and welcome to Foundation of Our Faith.
00:23 And it is a pleasure to be with you during this hour. 00:25 My name is John Dinzey. 00:27 And it is a pleasure for me to introduce to you 00:30 our speaker and musical guest during this hour. 00:33 During this hour, 00:34 you will hear a message from God's Word 00:36 from a man that God has selected 00:39 to bring to you the message that you will hear. 00:42 He has been praying and this is a man 00:45 that the Lord called out of darkness 00:49 and into His marvelous light. 00:50 He was brought up as a Christian, 00:52 but as a youth 00:53 he separated himself from the Lord, 00:55 but the Lord called him and rescued him 00:58 from a world of crime, and a world of drug abuse. 01:02 And he has been a brand plucked from the fire. 01:06 And called into ministry, dedicated his life to ministry, 01:10 and has been preaching all across the US 01:14 and in different parts of the world, 01:16 along with his wife Senia, 01:17 they are a powerful team for God's kingdom. 01:20 We also have a musical guest 01:22 that we are happy that he is with us. 01:24 It is Brother Mark Prentice. 01:26 And at the age of three, 01:28 the Lord blessed him with the musical ability. 01:31 As a matter of fact 01:33 he was singing along with his brother 01:34 at the age of three, 01:36 and they thought it was somebody 01:37 on the radio playing. 01:39 Soon his mother discovered 01:40 that God has placed this talent to bring praises to his name, 01:45 not only does he sing but he also writes, 01:47 and he also prepares music. 01:50 He has three albums 01:52 and you can find him easily on Facebook. 01:54 His name is Mark Prentice 01:55 and you will be hearing from him in a moment. 01:57 But before we continue, 01:59 we'd like to go to the Lord in prayer. 02:01 We like to ask for God to bless you 02:03 those that are around you 02:04 but those that are joining us around the world. 02:06 So let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:10 Our loving heavenly Father, 02:12 we thank You so much for Your goodness and mercy. 02:16 In this moment Lord, we ask for You to bless 02:20 our speaker Pastor Bryan with your Holy Spirit. 02:24 We pray that Pastor Edward Bryan 02:27 will receive the unction from one high 02:29 direct from Your throne of grace 02:31 to speak to Your children. 02:34 And Father, we pray that 02:35 You will also use our musical guest. 02:38 We pray that he too 02:40 will be blessed by Your Holy Spirit 02:41 to bring the message through song 02:44 that will reach hearts around the world. 02:46 And we thank You, Lord, 02:47 for this opportunity to come before Your throne of grace, 02:51 and we ask for these blessings, in Jesus' name, amen, amen. 02:56 In a moment you'll be hearing a message entitled 03:00 Burn, Baby Burn through Pastor Edward Bryan. 03:04 But first we would like to hear 03:06 Brother Mark Prentice come forward. 03:08 As he brings us the song We Know not the Hour. 03:12 May God bless you. 03:32 We know not the hour 03:38 Of the Master's appearing 03:43 Yet signs all foretell 03:48 That the moment is nearing 03:52 When He shall return 03:56 'Tis a promise most cheering 04:01 But we know 04:04 We know not the hour 04:09 There's light for the wise 04:13 Who are seeking salvation 04:18 There's truth in the book 04:22 Of the Lord's revelation 04:27 Each prophecy points 04:30 To the great consummation 04:35 But we know 04:38 We know not the hour 04:43 But He will come 04:49 Let us watch and be ready 04:53 He will come, oh, yes 04:57 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 05:02 He will come in the clouds 05:06 Of His Father's bright glory 05:11 But we know 05:14 We know not the hour 05:24 I want to be ready 05:27 Don't you want to be ready 05:31 So we'll watch and we'll pray 05:35 With our lamps trimmed and burning 05:39 We'll work and we'll wait 05:43 Till the Master's returning 05:48 We'll sing and rejoice 05:52 Every omen discerning 05:57 But we know 06:00 We know not the hour 06:05 But He will come 06:07 He will come 06:09 Let us watch and be ready 06:14 Jesus will come 06:18 Hallelujah! 06:21 Praise His name 06:23 He will come in the clouds 06:27 Of His Father's bright glory 06:32 But we know 06:35 We know not the hour 06:40 He will come 06:47 I want to be ready 06:49 When Jesus, Jesus 06:53 When He comes 06:55 Hallelujah! 06:56 Praise His name 06:59 He will come in the clouds 07:04 Of His Father's bright glory 07:08 But we know 07:11 We know not the hour 07:16 He will come 07:23 I want to be ready 07:25 When Jesus, Jesus 07:29 When He comes 07:31 Hallelujah! 07:32 Praise His name 07:35 He will come in the clouds 07:40 Of His Father's bright glory 07:44 But we know 07:47 We know not the hour 07:54 He will come 07:56 He will come 07:59 Let us watch and be ready 08:04 He will come 08:09 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 08:13 He will come in the clouds 08:19 Of His Father's bright glory 08:23 But we know 08:26 We know not the hour 08:32 We know not the hour 08:42 We know 08:49 Not the hour 09:01 Church be ready 09:06 Be ready 09:18 Praise the Lord for that beautiful song 09:22 that speaks the truth to our heart 09:24 that we know not 09:25 the hour of the Lord's appearing. 09:28 Today's message is entitled 09:32 Burn, Baby Burn. 09:35 Now I realize that sounds like a hellfire and brimstone 09:41 topic or subject. 09:43 However it's actually the contrary. 09:46 Today's message is going to be showing us 09:50 how to stand in the presence of a Holy God 09:54 and not be consumed. 09:56 But before we jump into the Word, 09:57 I invite you to bow your heads 09:59 as we go to the Lord with a word of prayer. 10:04 Dear heavenly Father, 10:06 Lord, You've just lifted our hearts to heaven 10:09 through that beautiful song. 10:12 Now I pray that 10:13 You would make an impression on our hearts 10:15 through scripture. 10:16 Do what only Your Holy Spirit can do Lord, 10:19 and speak a practical word in season to our hearts, Lord. 10:23 In Jesus' name, amen. 10:31 We're going to be studying out of the Book of Exodus, 10:34 I invite you to join me if you would in Exodus 3. 10:39 I'll begin reading in verse 1 10:40 and I'm reading from the New King James version, 10:44 it says, "Now Moses was tending 10:47 the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, 10:50 the priest of Midian. 10:52 And he led the flock to the back of the desert, 10:57 and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." 11:02 So Moses is tending these animals, 11:04 and he's in the back of the desert 11:05 wherever that is. 11:08 And I can't imagine it's the most exhilarating 11:11 or the most eventful line of work. 11:15 I'm sure it was productive, I'm sure it was necessary. 11:18 However 11:20 unless the flock was attacked by some wild beast, 11:23 it probably wasn't the most exciting job in the world. 11:27 But Moses was at a point 11:28 where he probably was ready for a quiet life. 11:32 Actually he lived a quiet life, simple life 11:35 for the last 40 years. 11:37 If you recall when he had left Egypt, 11:40 40 years earlier, 11:42 he was practically a fugitive 11:45 escaping for his life. 11:50 Therefore this loci existence 11:52 was probably favorable to Moses. 11:56 But while this started off like any regular day, 12:00 there was about to be a dramatic twist, 12:02 we read about it in verse 2 of Exodus 3. 12:06 It says, "And the angel of the Lord 12:08 appeared to him in a flame of fire 12:11 from the midst of a bush. 12:13 So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, 12:18 but the bush was not consumed." 12:22 Who is this angel of the Lord that the biblical text tells us 12:27 appeared to Moses in the flame of fire 12:30 in the midst of the bush? 12:33 Well, as we continue to read 12:34 you actually see that it's God Himself. 12:38 That root word for angel can be translated messenger, 12:42 ambassador, representative. 12:45 So this messenger of God, 12:47 who is later identified in verse 4 as God. 12:51 I will tell you 12:54 is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. 12:59 As a matter of fact I will make that emphatic claim 13:03 that whenever God appears to man 13:08 in a physical and tangible sense 13:11 on this earth, 13:13 the Bible is actually referring to God the Son, 13:17 who we know by his post incarnate name Jesus Christ. 13:21 Now Moses is not going 13:22 into the wilderness looking for God. 13:25 As a matter of fact at this point 13:26 he didn't even realize that that was God in that flame. 13:31 He didn't go looking for Jesus, he didn't go looking for fire. 13:35 To the contrary God saw Moses, 13:38 He saw Moses out 13:39 and He used His burning bush to get Moses' attention. 13:44 Friends, God got his attention, not vice versa. 13:48 At times, I may speak when sharing my testimony 13:51 about how God delivered me from a life of crime and vices. 13:56 And I say that one day when I found God, 14:00 everything changed 14:02 when nothing could be further from the truth. 14:05 God had been in relentless pursuit of me my entire life. 14:08 And one day, God was finally able to get my attention. 14:13 And that's when everything changed. 14:16 Now God often uses unusual circumstances 14:19 in order to get our attention 14:21 as He's doing in this story with Moses. 14:25 I don't know how common it was to traverse 14:27 through the desert and come upon a burning bush, 14:33 probably wasn't too common. 14:35 However I'm sure when Moses ever did like in this case, 14:38 he probably just sat there and watched it burn out, 14:42 in order to kill the monotony, that was his life. 14:47 However in this scenario 14:49 it was actually quite strange the bush the Bible says, 14:52 "Did not consume," it did not burn out. 14:55 Out of the thousands of bushes in the desert 14:57 and all of the plants that were available, 14:59 for some reason 15:00 Moses had stumbled upon the only flame resistant bush 15:06 in the entire wilderness. 15:08 And this was blowing his mind. 15:10 Look what happens in verse 3, and then Moses said, 15:14 "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, 15:17 why the bush does not burn." 15:23 Once again, we see that 15:24 God had gotten his attention utilizing this bush 15:27 because it was distinguished from all of the other bushes. 15:29 This part, this is important, I want you to hold on to stuff. 15:32 It had gotten his attention because it was distinguished 15:34 from all of the other bushes in the wilderness. 15:38 And now that he's got Moses' attention, 15:40 Moses took the bait, 15:41 God begins to draw him near to reel him in. 15:47 Yes, God was a fisher of men even before the incarnation. 15:53 See, you may read that verse 15:57 since it says, 16:01 "Moses came aside to see the great site, 16:04 and assume that it was his curiosity 16:07 that had led him to this encounter with God. 16:11 But John 16 tells us that whenever we are led to truth, 16:15 it is actually the Holy Spirit that is guiding us there. 16:19 Whenever we are led to truth, 16:20 it's the Holy Spirit that is guiding us there. 16:23 Once again, let's make this practical. 16:25 You might have been seeking truth 16:27 when you stumbled upon the gospel and God's Word. 16:31 You may have been seeking truth 16:32 when you got an invitation to a prophecy seminar, 16:34 and decided to surrender your life to the Lord. 16:38 You may have been seeking truth 16:39 when you stumbled upon this church, 16:40 or when you were flipping through the dial friends, 16:43 and came across this network. 16:46 However don't get it twisted, 16:48 you are only here 16:49 because the Holy Spirit was prompting you 16:54 to search out the Lord. 16:56 You are here because the Holy Spirit 16:59 was motivating you 17:00 to get into a saving relationship 17:02 with Jesus Christ. 17:03 And praise the Lord that you're here. 17:04 You know what? 17:06 Praise the Lord 17:07 that we cannot easily run from His spirit. 17:10 You know sometimes 17:12 we try to run from God as Moses did. 17:13 You know when Moses left Egypt, 17:15 he thought he left the Israelites behind, 17:18 and I'm not sure what his spiritual state was. 17:20 However he couldn't leave the God of Israel behind. 17:25 Not even in the desert could he hide from God. 17:27 And, friends, 17:28 there's nothing that we can do to hide 17:30 from an omnipresent God. 17:33 Think about it. 17:35 You can't even hide from the student loan people. 17:38 Or if you owe child support or federal taxes, 17:41 they will find you. 17:43 How much less can we hide from an all seeing God, 17:46 who is relentless in His pursuit of us? 17:48 Now don't get me wrong, 17:49 I realize that we can commit the unpardonable sin 17:53 and commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 17:55 Tell we want nothing to do with him, 17:57 yet it takes a whole lie to get to that point. 18:02 Luckily Moses did not commit the unpardonable sin. 18:05 When God tried to get his attention he responded. 18:08 When God called him, 18:11 let's look at God calling him in 3:4. 18:15 It says, "So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, 18:19 God call to him from the midst of the bush 18:23 and said, 'Moses, Moses!'" 18:27 And he said, "Here I am." 18:31 Praise the Lord 18:33 that Moses was willing to listen and react 18:37 to the voice of the Lord calling him. 18:39 There he goes again, God luring Moses, 18:42 this time even calling him by name. 18:45 Some of us need 18:46 a more direct appeals than others, right? 18:49 And I want you to notice 18:51 this and this will be important a little later. 18:54 God is utilizing the bush, 18:56 the burning bush to reach out to Moses. 18:59 He's speaking to him through this burning bush. 19:03 The next words that God 19:04 decides to direct at Moses are very interesting. 19:07 And that's where we're spending the majority of our study. 19:10 It's verse 5. 19:13 Then he said, "Do not draw near this place. 19:16 Take your sandals off your feet, 19:17 for the place where you stand is holy ground." 19:23 Isn't it strange that the Lord will go 19:25 through all of this effort 19:27 and go through such extraordinary means 19:29 to get Moses' attention, to draw him near, 19:31 and then to call him by name 19:33 only to tell him to stop in his tracks, 19:37 to pump his brakes. 19:39 And get right before he perceives any further. 19:44 Notice, God did not... 19:47 He did not request, He did not suggest, 19:52 He did not propose that Moses remove his sandals, 19:55 He instructed Moses 19:57 to remove his sandals off of his feet 19:59 before approaching holy ground. 20:02 What was the difference about the ground 20:04 that Moses was approaching as opposed 20:08 to the rest of the wilderness? 20:11 What was it that made that ground holy in particular? 20:17 Correct, it was the presence of God, 20:21 the presence of God. 20:22 The story seems to imply 20:23 that while God longs to draw us near to Him. 20:27 While He longs to draw us near to Him, 20:29 His divine and holy nature 20:32 requires adequate respect and reverence. 20:37 This is something He deserves, 20:38 it's not simply a right which God reserves, 20:42 it's something that He actually deserves. 20:44 Why does God deserve this? 20:45 Well, He created us for one, 20:48 and the rest of the on looking universe, 20:50 and then when we sold Him out, 20:53 hence forfeiting our own salvation, 20:56 He purchased us by His only blood, 21:00 and then paid the penalty for our sins. 21:03 Praise the Lord, is that not worthy of awe? 21:07 Is that not worthy of respect, of reverence? 21:12 You may be asking yourself 21:13 but doesn't God want us to come to Him 21:16 freely and boldly. 21:19 Absolutely, 21:20 that's one of my favorite verses in the Bible. 21:21 Hebrews 4:16 it says, 21:25 "Let us therefore come boldly 21:29 to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy 21:32 and find grace to help in time of need." 21:37 God wants us to approach Him confidently. 21:39 He wants us to approach His throne 21:43 where we can find mercy and grace. 21:46 That's what God is full of. 21:49 However we must realize that 21:54 God does not cease to be holy simply 21:58 because He has an open door policy for sinners. 22:02 I like the way that one inspired writer 22:05 articulated this in a book called 22:09 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 252. 22:12 It says, "Humility and reverence 22:14 should characterize the deportment of all 22:16 who come into the presence of God. 22:19 In the name of Jesus 22:21 we may come before Him with confidence, 22:23 but we must not approach Him 22:26 with the boldness of presumption, 22:29 as though He were on a level with ourselves." 22:34 Now I really want to read the rest of this quote to you 22:37 'cause it's powerful 22:39 and I'll finish reading it in just a moment. 22:40 But let's retake that quote 22:44 and what we've read so far for granted. 22:47 I want to pause for a moment 22:49 and look at the story through modern eyes. 22:53 I want to make it very practical. 22:55 Therefore at this point, 22:56 I'm going to take a few liberties 22:59 in making application, 23:00 but they're all grounded in biblical principle. 23:03 I'm going to ask you three questions 23:05 and we'll spend the rest of our time together 23:08 answering these three questions. 23:10 One is where? 23:13 Two is what? Three is who? 23:18 Where? What? Who? 23:22 The first question, where is this holy ground? 23:27 Where is this holy ground? 23:30 Is it... 23:31 Well, depending how little you want to be 23:34 apparently it's the back of the desert somewhere. 23:36 So is that where you need to go 23:37 to form and establish a relationship with the Lord. 23:41 Get on an expensive flight and get out to the Middle East. 23:43 No. 23:45 Some of you would say the holy ground is where? 23:48 The sanctuary in the local church, 23:50 that you're on holy ground now. 23:51 After all we do sing the song, 23:53 we are standing on holy ground, right? 23:56 Many of us sing that to usher in 23:58 a worship service on Sabbath. 24:02 Where is this holy ground? 24:04 Well, I'm going to tell you 24:06 where I thought the Lord impressed on my heart. 24:09 This holy ground is anywhere. 24:13 This holy ground is anywhere. 24:15 Now you ask yourself, what do you mean it's anywhere. 24:18 If the holy ground was everywhere, 24:20 then there would be nothing special 24:22 about that specific plot of land. 24:23 No, it's not everywhere, it's anywhere. 24:26 Holy ground is anywhere where God's presence resides. 24:33 And therefore as long as God's presence is there, 24:35 the ground can be holy. 24:37 Think about the song Holy Ground. 24:39 Let's recite the lyrics real quickly. 24:41 And I hope I don't get them wrong. 24:43 We are standing on holy ground 24:46 and I know that there are angels 24:48 all around. 24:50 Let us worship Jesus now, 24:52 we are standing in His presence on holy ground. 24:58 Now think about those lyrics for just a second. 25:02 Is the church and the sanctuary the only place 25:06 where you want to be standing in God's presence? 25:10 Is it the only place 25:11 where you want the holy angels all around? 25:13 You want it limited to the church grounds? 25:16 Absolutely not. 25:17 I would say we probably want holy ground where? 25:21 Probably in our homes, right? 25:24 We probably want holy ground, 25:25 if you see all the craziness going on in the news 25:28 and happening at the local schools 25:30 where we're sending our children, 25:31 we probably want some holy ground 25:33 in the school grounds. 25:35 How about your jobs, 25:36 you never thought about that, huh? 25:37 Would you not like to be standing on holy ground 25:40 at your workplace? 25:42 How about in our vehicle? 25:44 And you may be thinking 25:46 that's not even grounded that moves. 25:48 Well, holy ground is not a geographic location, 25:51 it's about who is dominating the environment. 25:56 I'm going to give you some very practical explanations 25:58 as to what I'm talking about here in just a second. 26:01 But let's think about the home. 26:03 We often worry about the attacks, 26:05 the assails of the enemy on the church. 26:09 We talk about how the enemy has infiltrated God's church, 26:13 and He's at war with the church. 26:14 But in reality what is the church? 26:17 The church is comprised of what? 26:20 Of individuals and of families. 26:24 The enemy's primary attack is not on your church, 26:28 on the building or on the worship service. 26:31 The enemy's primary attack is on the families 26:35 that make up the church. 26:38 That's why we need what good does it do us 26:41 to come weekly, and stand on holy ground, 26:45 and then go back home and live mundane lives 26:50 where we're vulnerable 26:51 to the attacks of the enemy constantly. 26:53 That same aspiring writer 26:55 that I quoted a moment ago also says 26:57 this in a book Adventist Home, 26:58 "God wants the home to be the happiest place on earth, 27:03 the very symbol of the home in heaven." 27:08 God intends for our homes to be a slice of heaven. 27:14 Sadly enough for many Christians 27:15 that's not their experience, 27:16 for many home is actually 27:18 a slice of the very opposite, right? 27:21 And it's interesting 'cause we get wrapped up 27:22 in politics sometimes even as Christians 27:25 and we start debating viciously our right to have prayer, 27:31 and to talk about Jesus in public schools. 27:39 Meanwhile, oftentimes we don't even have prayer 27:44 and we're not even talking about Jesus and sharing Jesus 27:47 in our own homes with our children. 27:51 And most importantly modeling him at home. 27:54 I think we need to be very careful sometimes 27:56 even what we're asking for because sometimes, 27:59 we're talking about when we say religious liberty 28:01 is trying to really Christianized say 28:03 public schools and legislative halls. 28:07 But we realize 28:08 when we study prophecy that our actual threat 28:11 when it comes to religious liberty... 28:16 is the government imposing counterfeit worship. 28:22 But I'm getting off-track 28:24 so let me get back to this study. 28:29 We should all, friends, be making time in our homes 28:34 for personal time with Jesus. 28:37 We should all be carving out times 28:40 for family time with Jesus. 28:42 If we really want to be on holy ground, 28:45 that's not something that takes place once a week, 28:48 that will make a weak Christian. 28:50 That's something that has to take place in our home 28:52 but it requires intentionality. 28:53 We should all be making time 28:56 to pray both individually and with our families. 28:59 We should be making time to read the Bible 29:02 as much as possible with our families, 29:04 to sing the praises of the Lord, 29:06 to share testimonies with each other 29:08 and encourage each other in our walks with Jesus. 29:11 Jesus is willing to convert your living room 29:15 into holy ground. 29:16 He wants to convert your bedroom 29:18 into holy ground, your basement, 29:22 any space He want to do this if you give Him an invitation. 29:26 That's an invitation He will never turn down. 29:28 As a matter of fact Revelation 3:20 tells us that 29:31 "Jesus actually stands at the door and knocks. 29:36 He's longing to come in." 29:40 Now I just mentioned that true Christian education starts 29:45 in the home, but it extends beyond the home. 29:48 Many of our children, 29:49 they spent most of their active hours where? 29:53 At school. 29:56 They spend their active hours in school 29:58 during the most influential years 30:01 of their life. 30:02 Don't we want them to be somewhere 30:04 where holy ground can be established? 30:07 I tell you, I believe in Christian schools, 30:11 especially, you know, SDA schools. 30:14 They're not perfect, 30:15 they're not perfect by any means. 30:16 However realizing how much time 30:19 and how influential this is on their lives, 30:22 I want to make sure I'm putting my kids 30:23 where they have the best opportunity 30:25 to learn about Jesus Christ 30:27 and establish a relationship with Him. 30:28 I realize that this is not a reality for many. 30:32 Personally I think that home school when done right, 30:35 when focusing both on the spiritual 30:37 as well as the academic 30:40 is the best education one can get. 30:41 But if that's not available Christian education, 30:45 SDA education is important, it's pivotal. 30:51 However if you have no choice 30:52 but to put your kids in a public school, 30:54 you better be establishing holy ground at your home, 30:57 and teaching them and training them 31:01 how to have a personal relationship 31:02 with Jesus Christ 31:03 that they may go to any sphere and create holy ground. 31:09 Yes, I said create holy ground. 31:10 And they may take Jesus with them, 31:12 that they may spend time in prayer, 31:13 that they may share Jesus Christ 31:15 with their fellow students 31:18 and create holy ground just like a hotspot. 31:22 Now you guys familiar with hotspots? 31:24 Look at this here, what's this? This is a cell phone. 31:28 Well, I can log into the WiFi in the building, 31:32 when there is no WiFi in the building, 31:34 I could turn on a hotspot, 31:37 and not only have reception and connection, 31:40 but though others who do not have connection 31:42 would actually be able to log in to my hotspot, 31:46 connect to my hotspot and get connection. 31:49 And the Lord works in the same way. 31:51 If we teach our children to be connected with Him 31:55 to create holy ground right there at home, 31:57 they can go on to their school, and to any environment, 32:00 and they should be able to establish holy ground, 32:03 and share Jesus, 32:04 and get others who would never otherwise see holy ground 32:07 on to holy ground. 32:12 I want my job to be holy ground. 32:17 Don't you? 32:19 I want to be in communion with the Lord 32:20 throughout the day, 32:21 I want to have Him by my side nine to five and beyond. 32:27 Now you're probably saying, 32:28 "Okay, Pastor, well, that's easy for you to do 32:30 'cause you work at a church." 32:32 As for me, my coworkers they cuss and they swear, 32:36 and they're blasphemous, and they, 32:39 you know, they have suggestive jokes, 32:42 and they're lusting all day. 32:43 It's hard, I realize it's hard. I wasn't always a pastor. 32:46 I remember being converted and almost immediately... 32:52 I was about to lose my job 32:54 because I want going to work on a Sabbath, 32:56 God got me another job. 32:57 And I went over there, 32:59 and I started dealing with all sorts of temptation 33:00 that enemy was throwing everything 33:01 he could at my way on a daily basis. 33:03 I remember getting in my cubicle often and praying. 33:06 On one occasion 33:08 I was even sitting and praying in my cubicle, 33:10 and the manager came up, 33:12 he laid his hand on my shoulder, 33:13 he leaned over and he said, 33:15 "Ed, man, you can't be sleeping on the job." 33:19 And I remember leaning over to him and say, 33:20 "I'm praying." 33:22 Now I don't know 33:23 if he actually believed me or not, right? 33:26 But that's actually what I was doing. 33:28 He knew I was a Christian. 33:29 But that's actually what I was doing. 33:30 But there're times 33:32 when the attacks will get so intense, 33:33 there was times when the noise going on around 33:37 just distracted me. 33:38 And I would have to find somewhere else, 33:41 somewhere more private. 33:44 And I often found myself going to this one rest room 33:47 that was very seldom utilized. 33:50 And going into a stall at the back of that restroom, 33:53 I would put the lid down, I would sit down, 33:54 and I would pray, and I would pray. 33:56 And you know what? 33:57 It was in that bathroom stall 33:59 that the Lord gave me many a victories. 34:00 It's in that bathroom stall 34:01 that the Lord gave me strength and courage. 34:04 When I would pray about my home situation, 34:06 when I would pray about the temptations 34:08 that were coming my way, 34:09 when I would pray about the salvation 34:11 of family members or friends, 34:12 God heard the prayers in that bathroom stall. 34:17 While it may sound ridiculous to some, 34:19 that bathroom stall became holy ground 34:24 when I allow the Lord's presence 34:27 to pervade it. 34:31 I want my car, friends, to be holy ground. 34:34 Do you realize that for as much time 34:35 as we spend talking about threats to our lives 34:41 that are very unlikely to happen. 34:45 Every time you get into your vehicle, 34:49 there is a likelihood 34:50 that you could have an accident and die. 34:53 We talk about ISIS, we pray when we get into a... 34:55 When we're about to board a plane, 34:57 we're so scared of heights. 34:58 And you know what, that's okay. 34:59 I think that's right, 35:01 we should pray about these things. 35:02 But you realize how much more likely 35:04 you are to die in a car accident, 35:05 and that's why I will not turn the key in the ignition 35:07 without lifting up a prayer before the Lord 35:10 without singing the same tune about holy ground, right. 35:13 Asking for God's presence, 35:14 asking that He's around us with His angels, 35:17 I'm not getting on the road without doing that first. 35:20 I don't want God to come in as a passenger even. 35:22 I want Him to be the conductor, 35:26 get me to my destination safely. 35:28 But how? 35:30 How does one create holy ground say in a vehicle? 35:34 Simple. 35:36 What conversations you have in your vehicle? 35:38 What are you bringing in to the atmosphere? 35:40 Does God have a welcome mat? 35:41 I'll tell you one thing, I praise the Lord, 35:43 I got 3ABN radio at one of my churches. 35:45 And I had one in my previous district, 35:47 and I would drive around and listen to it. 35:49 I can't just depend on the community to listen to... 35:51 No, I would listen to it 35:52 and it would fill me with the Spirit of God. 35:56 I would listen to Christian music as well, 35:58 elevating music. 36:01 And it would put me in the right spirit. 36:03 I listen to audio sermons, I listen to audio books, 36:06 and it completely changes my demeanor, my attitude 36:11 as opposed to how I would usually 36:13 react and respond to situations 36:14 when I'm in the vehicle even. 36:17 When I get in the car, 36:19 I want to get out feeling closer to Jesus, 36:21 not get out feeling the frustration of the world 36:23 and taking it out on those who I love most. 36:27 Holy ground is what we're talking about. 36:28 Now I asked where is this holy ground 36:32 and the answer was what? 36:35 Anywhere. Anywhere. 36:39 Now here goes question number two, what? 36:43 What are the sandals? What are the sandals? 36:50 Anything, the sandals are anything. 36:53 What? It doesn't seem to make sense, yes. 36:55 The sandals are anything that is inappropriate 36:59 to be in the presence of God in a given context, 37:03 anything is inappropriate to be in the presence of God 37:05 in a given context. 37:07 Now you may be saying 37:08 what are you talking about, how does context matter? 37:10 Context absolutely matters. 37:13 Look at this. 37:15 Moses was asked to remove his sandals. 37:18 I tell you something, 37:20 if you came to the United States 37:22 and removed your shoes 37:24 to enter into an important building, 37:26 you would probably be escorted out 37:30 'cause that's not 37:31 what is culturally appropriate here. 37:33 However I can go and have the same worship service, 37:37 give the same message on the other side of the sea 37:39 with some of our brothers and sisters, 37:41 and that's exactly what they do. 37:42 And it's actually biblical as we just saw, 37:44 they remove their shoes. 37:46 And that would be perfectly fine, 37:47 I would not go to another church and say, 37:49 "You know what, I'm going to buck the system, 37:51 and refuse to take off my shoes when I walk in." 37:54 They have the right to do that, 37:55 it is what is appropriate in that particular context, 37:59 especially when entering into the presence of God. 38:01 However here in United States 38:02 we have a different set of things 38:05 that are deemed appropriate or inappropriate. 38:10 Usually when you walk into an important space, 38:13 a gentleman would remove his hat, right? 38:16 If I were not entering in shorts. 38:20 How about cell phone? 38:22 Oh-oh, now I'm getting dangerous. 38:24 Now I'm getting dangerous 38:26 because I'm touching almost prized possession, 38:29 the cell phone. 38:31 But yes, the cell phone is not appropriate 38:33 in many settings, think about it. 38:36 It's not appropriate to be driving 38:37 and looking at your cell phone, was that... 38:41 distracted driving, right, 38:42 because you can become distracted. 38:44 For the same reason 38:45 that it's not appropriate 38:46 to utilize in school or in class, 38:48 you can get it confiscated. 38:50 And for the same reason 38:51 it's not appropriate in a courthouse 38:54 to utilize while court is in session. 39:00 However, 39:03 have you ever sat on a balcony 39:04 and looked down over a church, God's house? 39:08 And noticed how often 39:10 this is actually being utilized. 39:12 And I'm not trying to... 39:14 Please, I'm not trying to hurt or offend or condemn anybody 39:17 if you're using it right now, praise the Lord. 39:21 But just as it's distracting in all those other settings, 39:23 this is distracting in our own setting. 39:25 You know, people are increasingly... 39:29 doing away with this book and not carrying it 39:33 and utilizing this instead. 39:38 Yes, this has a Bible but you know what else it has? 39:41 It has Facebook, it has Twitter, 39:43 it has Instagram, it has Snapchat, 39:44 it has email, it has text message, 39:46 it has sports updates, it has news updates, 39:49 it has politics, it has every distraction. 39:50 See, God has a thousand ways to save us 39:53 of which we know none 39:54 and the enemy has a thousand ways 39:55 to distract us of which we know none. 39:58 And oftentimes that's what happens. 40:02 So, you know, I think the simple thing, 40:05 the logical thing to do is to cut it off. 40:10 But here's the thing. 40:15 We can easily excuse or say, you know what? 40:21 It's not practical to take it off, 40:23 I mean to turn it off just as Moses, right? 40:25 When Moses was approaching God, 40:26 he was told to take off his sandals, 40:28 he could have bucked, 40:30 he could have said, you know what? 40:31 Why would I remove my sandals, it's hot out here. 40:35 We're the desert, the sand is hot, 40:37 it's even hotter 40:39 because of this fire that won't be consumed. 40:40 No, I'm just not going to do it, Lord. 40:44 But he would have never gotten the opportunity to focus 40:47 and hear the message 40:48 that God was going to give him. 40:50 God was about to do something incredible to Moses. 40:52 He was going to deliver the Egyptians 40:54 I mean, the Israelites out of Egypt. 40:57 But he would have never been able 40:59 to get Moses' attention 41:02 if Moses hadn't come with that spirit 41:04 'cause really the problem is not the sound of the phone, 41:06 is not message in cell phone, it's a spirit that we take, 41:10 and the way that we prioritize or fail to prioritize things. 41:15 You know, I've realized 41:16 when I do my personal devotionals 41:19 that I'm better off turning this thing off. 41:20 I've realized at church I'm better off 41:22 just turning this thing off 41:24 or leaving it tucked away somewhere. 41:25 Why? 41:26 Because it just becomes a distraction, 41:28 sometimes I'll do my personal devotional 41:29 and I'll come across a verse and I say, 41:31 "Wow, that's beautiful. 41:32 I got to share that with the world 41:33 and I'll share it 41:35 and then I'll try to get back to reading my Bible. 41:36 And I look, "oh somebody liked that on Facebook. 41:40 Oh, somebody left a comment. 41:41 Oh, now I got to reply to the comment. 41:43 Oh, I got an email work related. 41:46 Oh, I just got a text message from my wife, I got to reply. 41:54 For the same reasons we won't use it elsewhere. 41:59 We should probably decide to put it away, 42:01 I'm talking about sandals here. 42:03 We're talking about sandals. 42:06 And, you know, 42:07 we have an example in Moses' nephews. 42:10 We have an example of strange fire coming down 42:14 and actually... 42:16 Well, not strange fire, 42:17 God who's referred to in Hebrews 42:20 as consuming fire. 42:22 Coming down and making an example 42:25 out of Moses' nephews 42:27 for bringing strange fire into the house of God. 42:30 If God is a consuming fire, 42:31 then what would be strange fire? 42:33 I would almost say it could be a counterfeit, 42:35 it could be an idol, right? 42:40 We make idols 42:42 and counterfeit gods of many things. 42:45 And many times I've realized 42:47 that when we are unwilling to relinquish or moderate 42:51 our use of something 42:52 it's because it has taken priority to God. 42:55 Let me ask you a question. 42:58 How much time do you spend 43:02 on the phone or on a computer 43:05 looking at Facebook 43:07 versus how much time you spend with your face in this book? 43:13 How many times a day do we go to this device 43:17 and read a text message or send a text message 43:21 versus how many times do we come here 43:24 and read a text in search of a message? 43:28 How often do we go here 43:33 and talk about our day, the things that went good, 43:36 the things that went bad and talk about others? 43:40 And how many times do we go here on our knees 43:45 to talk about the same things with a God 43:47 who can actually do something about it? 43:51 Friends, there are sandals in our lives, 43:54 things that need to be removed. 43:56 Now, I will say this. 44:00 There are some things 44:01 that have no place in a Christian's life 44:03 and we have to understand that too. 44:04 Some of us our favorite Bible verse is 44:06 everything in moderation, everything in moderation. 44:09 Can somebody give me that text? 44:12 No, you know why? 'Cause it doesn't exist. 44:15 1 Thessalonians 5:22 44:18 actually tells us to abstain from all forms of evil, 44:20 so there's things that are just inherently evil 44:23 that are not compatible with Christian principle, 44:27 that needed just be expelled from our lives, 44:29 those are not sandals that need to be left 44:34 out front and put back on later, 44:36 those just need to be thrown in the trash. 44:39 But there's things in our lives 44:40 that are good in moderation at the appropriate time. 44:44 And those things we need to learn 44:46 how to utilize and balance in moderation. 44:51 Vehicles. 44:54 I talked about wanting to be on holy ground 44:56 wherever I am, even in my vehicle. 44:58 So if I can listen to Christian music, 45:02 listen to messages that uplift God, 45:04 get on my phone on speaker, 45:06 and pray with others and encourage others, 45:09 and I can create an atmosphere where I am on holy ground 45:12 even in my vehicle, 45:15 then you think that I can also do things 45:18 that would push God out of my life 45:21 while sitting in a vehicle. 45:23 Most likely there are sandals there too. 45:26 You know what? 45:28 My choice of entertainment, maybe my choice of music, 45:31 I realize that there are some things 45:33 that to me feel fine in moderation, 45:36 you know, listening to the news, 45:38 maybe keeping update on 45:39 with what's going on in politics, 45:41 maybe checking up on a sports score or something. 45:45 But you know what? 45:46 Some of us allow these things to consume our lives 45:50 to just absolutely consume us. 45:52 It's sad that even in Christianity 45:54 you can log on to social media and see that. 45:59 Sometimes we're just as divisive, 46:01 just as spiteful as everybody else in the world. 46:05 You know, we're living in very divisive times 46:07 and it's sad that some of us get sucked into that 46:08 but it's because rather than making time for God, 46:10 and making time for God's Word, 46:12 and spending time in prayer, and dwelling on holy ground, 46:15 we're caught up in all this other stuff. 46:17 And we bring it into our schools 46:19 and we bring it also into our church sometimes, 46:21 you bring it to the potluck tables. 46:24 And God says, you know what? 46:26 Some of those are sandals, 46:27 you need to check those at the door. 46:30 You need to check them at the door. 46:33 That's why even Sabbath rest sometimes, 46:35 God can't even get that 24 hour period. 46:38 I'm telling you oftentimes 46:42 Sabbath is Facebook Fridays and social media 46:45 Sabbath Saturdays. 46:49 And we spend more time talking politics 46:52 and worrying about the concerns of the world 46:53 than actually allowing God to come in 46:57 and do a transformational work that He desires to do. 47:02 There are sandals in our homes. 47:04 I'll tell you one of the big ones. 47:05 I already mentioned, entertainment. 47:07 There's things that have no business in our lives. 47:08 You know what? 47:09 If I do a family worship, 47:11 if I do a family worship but the second it's through, 47:14 I'm putting all sorts of ungodly things on the screen, 47:17 brothers and sisters. 47:21 Who am I laying the welcome mat out for? 47:23 Or am I flipping the welcome mat around 47:25 and laying the red carpet out for the enemy 47:26 to come in and have his way? 47:28 There are certain things that we need to do away 47:30 with in our lives. 47:32 How about cherish things? 47:34 Some of us have these cherished things 47:35 that we're fine with, 47:36 we're quick to condemn somebody for their sin 47:38 but we have the secret cherished sins 47:40 that we hold on to. 47:42 God's presence can only dwell in our homes 47:46 and transform our lives 47:48 as we are willing to surrender to Him 47:49 that which we realize is keeping us at bay. 47:54 But I'll say one of the huge ones 47:55 is our attitude. 47:57 Our attitudes, friends. 48:00 You know, 48:02 it's easy if you want to call oneself a Christian 48:05 but by their fruits you shall know them, 48:07 fruits of what? 48:08 Fruits of the Spirit. 48:09 Can we see the fruits of the Spirit 48:11 in our lives? 48:12 Is there joy in our life? Is there peace in our life? 48:15 Are we long suffering with others? 48:17 These things are very telling. 48:19 Those are sandals. 48:23 These things need to be removed. 48:24 As a matter of fact like I said those aren't even sandals 48:25 'cause we can't put those back on. 48:27 See when Moses took off his sandals, 48:29 he went in, God gave him a word, 48:31 he came out, he put them back on 48:32 and he went about the Lord's business, 48:35 that's what I'm saying with the cell phone, right? 48:36 I could very easily turn the thing off, 48:39 spend time with the Lord, hear from Him, come out, 48:42 share that Bible verse. 48:43 Call people and encourage their day. 48:45 I can utilize it, 48:46 but there's some things you just can't be utilized, 48:47 God can't use a nasty critical spirit. 48:49 There's no fixing that, 48:51 that's not a sandal, that's garbage, 48:52 throw it away, remove it from your life. 48:56 A self-righteous spirit, a envious heart. 49:01 These are the things that have no business 49:03 in a Christian's life. 49:08 Church, we talk about, it is holy ground. 49:11 Church is holy ground. 49:14 And increasingly we're not treating it as such. 49:20 I'm realizing that many times 49:22 we take to the podium with our agenda 49:28 and write God's Word down 49:29 to make people comfortable in sin. 49:33 But the problem is this is not a podium, 49:36 it's a pulpit. 49:37 And this is not our platform 49:39 to express our agendas and our views. 49:41 This is the house of God. 49:42 This is His sanctuary, we need to treat accordingly. 49:45 It's getting increasingly difficult at times 49:47 to distinguish between the music that actually... 49:54 is created to glorify a holy God 49:59 and that which is created intentionally 50:02 to arouse the basis passions of men. 50:06 It's hard to distinguish between the two sometimes. 50:08 We need to be careful not to be jumping 50:10 to just do any old thing for God. 50:12 You know, Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, 50:15 "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, 50:17 and draw near to hear 50:19 rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, 50:22 for they do not know that they do evil." 50:26 Some of us seems to do like Moses and pump our brakes 50:29 before we get to running out into Egypt to do things 50:31 for the Lord before we come running 50:33 into the house of God to do things for the Lord. 50:34 We need to really think and analyze this thing. 50:41 Talked about bringing distractions 50:42 into the house of God. 50:44 But even clothing, 50:46 as most things you can't really touch on it 50:47 because nobody wants to hear that 50:48 talking about appropriate dress and attire, 50:51 telling somebody to remove 50:53 a ball cap or something in God's house. 50:55 And I'm not telling you to go out 50:56 and tell anybody do anything, 50:57 I'm saying we need to apply 50:59 these principles in our lives and lead by example. 51:02 But it's funny that we can recognize 51:04 what is appropriate 51:06 in the secular areas of our lives. 51:08 I've never turned on a television 51:10 and seen somebody walking around 51:11 the White House with a hat, with shorts 51:16 utilizing disrespectful conduct. 51:19 I haven't seen it inside of the White House. 51:23 However it's too common a scene in God's house. 51:30 You know, there was recently 51:31 the team that won the NBA championship... 51:38 was invited to the White House as it's customary. 51:40 The president will usually 51:43 invite the winner of any major sporting event 51:45 to come to the White House, and spend time there, 51:48 and getting to know him and his family. 51:50 And one of the players that won the championship 51:52 and they actually won the game, 51:54 they went back into the locker room, 51:55 and they were partying with their shirt off, 51:57 and all these pictures surfaced. 51:59 And then they were at night club 52:00 with the rest of the team in Las Vegas 52:02 and they were partying still shirtless 52:04 and the pictures got out. 52:08 And then they showed pictures of them 52:09 of the team jet arriving back in the city, 52:12 the corresponded to the team 52:13 and he gets off the team jet, private jet 52:16 and he's still shirtless. 52:19 And then they do the parade almost a week later, 52:22 they're driving to the city doing this big parade, 52:25 and sure enough he's still shirtless. 52:26 Well, guess what? 52:27 When the president called the coach 52:31 about two weeks after they had won the championship 52:33 to give him the invitation, 52:34 it was actually recorded, and he said, 52:35 "Hey, congratulations on that awesome victory. 52:37 I want to invite you and the team 52:39 to the White House. 52:40 Oh, but one last thing, 52:43 tell JR to put his shirt on 52:45 'cause we don't play that in the White House." 52:48 And, you know, it's funny how we recognize that 52:51 and we'll have respect 52:54 for secular quarters. 52:58 But sometimes most of them will have forgotten. 53:00 I'm going to finish reading that quote 53:02 from Patriarchs and Prophets at page 252, 53:03 it said, "There are those who address 53:06 the great and all-powerful and holy God, 53:08 who dwelleth in light unapproachable 53:10 as they would an equal or even an inferior. 53:16 There are those who conduct themselves in a house, 53:19 in His house 53:20 as they would not presume to do 53:21 in the audience-chamber of an earthly ruler. 53:24 These should remember 53:25 that they are in the sight of Him 53:26 whom seraphim adore, 53:28 before whom angels veil their faces. 53:31 God is greatly to be reverenced, 53:32 all who truly realize His presence 53:35 will bow in humility before Him." 53:40 Friends, it's that 53:41 which is appropriate in God's house 53:42 and that which is not. 53:44 And I'm going to mention another sandal. 53:45 Once again we've talked about in homes, 53:46 let's talk about in the church, attitudes. 53:49 These things are just not appropriate in God's house. 53:50 You know what? 53:51 When Jesus gave 53:53 the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee 53:55 which one left justified? 53:57 The publican 'cause he came in with a humble attitude, 54:00 he didn't come in beating his chest saying, 54:02 "I am worthy, I hit the check list. 54:04 He didn't come in criticizing others." 54:06 I don't even like preaching sermons on reverence 54:08 only because some of us feel 54:10 like we have authority and we are empowered 54:12 to turn around and give a death stare 54:14 to a child making noise, 54:15 to sit there and gossip about, 54:17 and tear down somebody who's dress... 54:20 inappropriate it may be. 54:22 But that doesn't give us permission 54:24 to be un-Christ like and uncompassionate. 54:29 The real mark of Christianity... 54:34 is seeing in our Christ like character 54:37 which is never more evident than when we are compassionate 54:41 with the most vulnerable among us. 54:44 Oh, I got to end with this last question 54:46 because we're running out of time here. 54:48 So the first question was where is this holy ground? 54:52 It's anywhere. 54:56 What is the sandal? It's anything. 54:59 The last question is who is the burning bush? 55:02 Who is the burning bush? 55:06 Notice I said who, now what? 55:08 It's any one, any one. 55:11 Now you may say, "Hold on, hold on, hold on. 55:12 I thought we said that was God." 55:14 No, the flame in the midst of the bush was God. 55:20 But the bush itself is anyone. 55:23 Anyone who has a fire of Jesus Christ 55:26 burning in his bosom 55:28 can be a burning bush. 55:34 Jesus desires to be in our heart 55:37 and to have us on fire for Him. 55:42 When we spent time with the Lord, 55:44 this is the natural result catching fire for Him. 55:49 You remember when, on the road to Emmaus, 55:52 Cleopas and his friend, they had Jesus in their home, 55:56 it became holy ground. 55:57 And afterward they said 55:59 was our heart not burning within us, 56:02 that's that holy fire, friends. 56:04 God wants us to be on fire for Jesus 56:06 but it doesn't just happen any old way, 56:08 we have to be rooted on holy ground. 56:12 There's things in our lives they have to be removed 56:15 so that God can come in and do the work 56:16 that He desires to do and help us catch fire. 56:18 And you know that this is how natural evangelism happens, 56:21 it doesn't happen by throwing up 56:22 half of the strangers. 56:24 Yes, that can help but it happens 56:26 when as we saw in the experience 56:28 of the burning bush, 56:29 when God gets people's attention through us. 56:34 When He draws them near, when He calls them by name, 56:37 when He speaks through us 56:38 that He spoke through that burning bush. 56:41 This is how God wants to utilize us 56:44 to bring others in to His fold. 56:49 Friends, this sermon is not about hellfire like 56:52 I said at the beginning, it's about the opposite, 56:55 it's about being able to stand in the presence of a holy God, 56:59 and not be consumed. 57:01 God wants us to be burning bushes. 57:05 That when He returns and we know not the hour, 57:09 we might be able to stand in His presence not consumed. 57:13 But we must learn now 57:15 to be rooted in the holy things of God. 57:18 Friend, I want to invite you today. 57:21 If there's something in your life 57:22 that needs to be done away with, 57:24 do away with it, 57:25 to make holy ground in your home, 57:27 to spend time with Jesus. 57:30 Amen. |
Revised 2018-01-18