Participants: Kenneth Cox, Host: Jim Gilley
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000010S
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00:18 Good evening and welcome to this beautiful auditorium
00:23 here in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 And it's the Three Angels Broadcasting Worship Center. 00:31 And it's a place that 00:32 those of us who live in this 00:34 area love very much. 00:36 And we enjoy the programs 00:38 that are produced here. 00:39 And we are especially enjoying this series 00:42 with Pastor Kenneth Cox 00:45 entitled Give Me The Bible. 00:49 What a... what a great theme that is! 00:53 And tonight he continues his... this series 00:57 which is five nights on the second coming of Christ. 01:00 And the title of the service tonight is "The Night Watch. " 01:04 I urge you to stay tuned 01:08 and to listen to this program 01:11 because he's going to answer a question that you find 01:15 in Isaiah where the Bible speaks of the 01:20 morning and the night coming at the same time. 01:24 A lot of Bible scholars through the years have said: 01:27 "How can this be? How can it be morning 01:29 and how can it be night? " 01:31 And Pastor Cox is going to answer that question tonight. 01:35 So you will be sure that you stay by and call your friends 01:40 and invite them to join this telecast this evening. 01:44 But before Pastor Cox comes, 01:47 Dona Klein is going to play for us 01:50 that fantastic spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. " 03:43 Amen! Thank you, Dona Klein. 03:47 I appreciate that very much! 03:51 Well, good evening to each of you. 03:52 Very happy to welcome you back again tonight 03:55 to Give Me The Bible. 03:57 And we hope that as we've taken a look at the second coming 04:01 of Christ during this season... series, 04:04 we hope that it has helped you 04:06 get a sense of the urgency 04:09 of the hour and that 04:10 Jesus is coming back. 04:12 And that each of us need to be ready. 04:15 Little poem that we mention from night to night: 04:18 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 04:21 This my only question be. 04:24 The signs of Christ's coming are now all around us, 04:29 what says the Bible to me? 04:30 That's what we want to know. 04:32 And so tonight, as we take a look at the scripture 04:36 and what it has to say, we want to take a look 04:39 at where we are in a subject entitled "The Night Watch. " 04:46 What does the scripture say about it? 04:47 And how that that affects you and me. 04:51 Are we to be watching? 04:53 What is it talking about? 04:54 What does the scripture tell us? 04:56 That's what we're going to be looking at. 04:57 And then we just wanted to say a word to you about 05:00 our coming series next month. 05:03 Next month we're going to be talking about the Holy Spirit. 05:07 Going to be dealing with the Holy Spirit. 05:09 We'll have five nights on the Holy Spirit. 05:12 Our first night will be The Promise of the Holy Spirit. 05:16 Promise that's given there of the Holy Spirit. 05:19 And then after that we'll be looking at why 05:22 some people don't receive any benefit from the Holy Spirit. 05:28 Why there's people who, uh, pray for it and all 05:32 but they never receive any benefit from the Holy Spirit. 05:34 Why not? 05:35 And then we're going to take a look at the 05:37 Fruits of the Spirit. 05:38 What does the scripture talk about that? 05:40 The Gifts of the Spirit, and then we're going to close up 05:43 with a subject on The Latter Rain. 05:45 That will be what we'll be looking at on the Holy Spirit. 05:48 So we hope that you can be sure and join us 05:52 as we take a look at the subject of the Holy Spirit. 05:55 Tonight we look at this question of The Night Watch. 05:59 What you and I need to ask ourselves is: 06:03 "How do we stand? " 06:05 How do we stand concerning the coming of Jesus Christ? 06:09 Where are we? What's our situation, 06:12 and what does the Lord expect from you and from me? 06:16 So we're glad that you're here. 06:18 God bless you. We've enjoyed so much 06:21 having Walter Arties with us during this series. 06:25 Great, great friend... 06:27 and we always are blessed by his music. 06:30 He's going to sing for us a song entitled 06:33 "Lord, I'm Coming Home. " 06:44 I've wandered far 06:48 away from God, 06:53 Now I'm coming home; 07:00 The paths of sin 07:03 so long I've trod, 07:08 Lord, I'm coming 07:11 home. 07:15 Coming home, 07:19 coming home, 07:22 Nevermore 07:26 to roam, 07:30 Open wide Thine arms 07:36 of love, 07:38 Lord, I'm coming home. 07:46 I've wasted many 07:49 precious years, 07:53 Lord, I'm coming home; 08:01 I now repent 08:04 with bitter tears, 08:09 Lord, I'm coming home. 08:15 Coming home, 08:19 coming home, 08:22 Nevermore to roam, 08:28 Open wide 08:34 Thine arms of love, 08:38 Lord, I'm 08:41 coming 08:45 home. 08:57 Amen. 09:10 Father in Heaven, 09:13 we look forward to the day when You're coming back. 09:16 The day when we can go home. 09:19 Certainly when you get a glimpse 09:24 of heaven, a taste of the good things 09:30 that You offer to each of us, 09:32 we become pilgrims in this old world. 09:36 We ask Lord tonight as we take a look 09:40 at the admonition that You have given us, 09:43 the counsel concerning Your coming, 09:47 may we take it to heart 09:49 and may our lives be placed in Your hands. 09:53 May we each walk as You lead us. 09:57 For this we pray in Christ's name, Amen. 10:07 Probably without any doubt 10:11 you and I are living in probably one of the darkest periods 10:17 of earth's history: 10:18 the midnight hour. 10:20 And the Bible says that Christ 10:24 will come at the midnight hour. 10:27 That doesn't necessarily mean 10:29 physically, but it will be 10:31 a time of darkness as far as the earth is concerned. 10:34 And you remember the statement that says that at midnight... 10:42 Certainly, morally, it's midnight. 10:48 Across the earth, morality has sunk 10:51 to a great low. 10:55 Mankind today is... doesn't seem to have anything 11:00 that gives them guidance or direction in their life and all. 11:04 When you take a look as we did the other night 11:06 to the resources as far as the world is concerned, 11:10 and some of the things that are absolutely necessary for life 11:13 we're running out of. 11:15 And so we've reached the very, very low period or dark period 11:21 in earth's history. 11:22 And it says that He will come back at midnight, 11:25 and it speaks of the watchman, 11:27 the watchman giving the call. And they ask him the question 11:37 What... what is about the night? 11:40 And it gives a rather strange answer. Listen to this: 11:49 "The morning comes, and also the night. " 11:53 How can you have morning and night 11:56 both coming at the same time? 12:00 Cause that's what he says. 12:01 "The morning comes, and also the night. " 12:03 Both of them come at the same time. 12:06 Well it happens simply this way, folks. 12:09 At the coming of Jesus, 12:11 it's the dawning of eternal day for the saved 12:18 and it's the settling in of eternal night for the lost. 12:23 All happen at the same time here. 12:27 So: "Watchman, what of the night" 12:29 that Jesus Christ is coming back? 12:31 It's going to dawn to eternal day 12:34 Never again, never again to face 12:38 what we have faced on this old earth for 6,000 years. 12:41 Never again will that happen. 12:43 But He's coming to set up His kingdom that will last forever. 12:49 The thing that bothers me... 12:51 the thing that I guess disturbs me as much as anything... 12:56 is I hear people say 12:57 "Oh, we don't know when the Lord's coming back. 13:00 Why it could be a thousand years from now. " 13:05 Or they'll say: "Oh, don't you know that the 13:08 Lord's going to come back like a thief in the night? " 13:11 Well, let me tell you something 13:14 and you can write this down; you can put it in your book. 13:18 If Christ comes back as a thief in the night 13:22 to you or to me, you're lost. 13:26 You're lost. 13:28 I want you to listen clearly to what the scripture says 13:31 about this: 13:38 Now Paul is writing out, and he says here... 13:41 in I Thessalonians 5 he said: 13:43 "Concerning the times and the seasons, I really don't 13:47 need to write to you about this. " 13:49 Because listen to his admonition as he continues: 14:00 And I have people say: "See! Right there it says 14:04 that He's coming back as a thief in the night. 14:06 That's what it says right there! " 14:08 The problem is: that's where they quit reading. 14:12 You've got to read on. 14:14 Listen to what it has to say: 14:26 Said: "It's going to come. 14:28 They won't... won't be expected 14:30 but it's going to come up on them 14:32 when they are least expecting it. " 14:34 And then Paul says: 14:43 Paul said: "No! You're not in darkness. That day's not 14:47 to come upon you as a thief in the night. " 14:50 Listen: 14:58 That's not where we are. 15:00 That's not to come upon you or me. 15:02 So when the admonition is given 15:04 that you and I are to watch, we are to wait... 15:08 I can tell you for sure 15:10 if a thief is coming to my house 15:12 you'd better believe I'm going to be waiting and watching. 15:17 See? And that's what you and I are supposed to be doing 15:20 concerning the coming of the Lord. 15:21 We are supposed to be waiting, 15:23 and we're supposed to be watching 15:25 for the coming of the Lord. 15:35 In other words, I need to spend time in this book. 15:41 I need to be watching what's taking place. 15:46 Dear friends, let me tell you something. 15:48 Get into the prophecies of God's Word. 15:51 Get into this and find out about those prophecies 15:54 and get them in your mind and in your heart 15:57 so you know what is happening. 16:00 In fact, I'll assure you if you'll spend time in the book 16:04 and particularly in the prophecies, 16:06 it should be like you watching a play take place. 16:12 And you should know every actor 16:15 and exactly what's going to happen 16:17 so that as it goes on you know exactly what's taking place. 16:20 And you can do that by understanding the prophecies 16:24 of God's Word. 16:25 You can know where we are. 16:26 You can know what's happening and what's taking place that we 16:30 should watch and be ready for the coming of the Lord. 16:34 It's not! Not to come upon you or to me 16:40 as a thief in the night. 16:42 We are children of light and of day, 16:45 and we are to know what is happening, taking place. 16:55 No, we don't know that. 16:57 We don't know when He's coming back. 16:59 We don't know, as it says here: 17:07 We... we don't know when He's going to come. 17:11 Don't know the day; we don't know the hour. 17:15 But dear friend, that doesn't mean that you and I 17:20 are not to know that it is near... 17:23 even at the door. 17:26 THAT we are to know. 17:28 I don't know the day; I don't know the hour. 17:30 But I should know that it's near... even at the door, 17:42 Be ready. Be looking for the coming of the Lord. 17:45 Watching and waiting for Him to come back. 17:50 That's what we're supposed to be doing. 17:51 The problem is... too many people aren't watching. 17:57 Too many people are going about their daily activities 18:01 really not... not concerned with what's taking place 18:07 in the world. 18:30 OK? He's fought it and said: "Well, he's not coming back. " 18:35 But the master shows up when he's not looking for him. 18:45 Now listen carefully because there's some admonition 18:49 here that applies to you and to me. 19:13 Do you know what God's will is? 19:16 Do you know what God's will is? 19:20 You should! 19:21 I mean, that's not something you can't know. 19:24 God's will, dear friend, is that you're in His kingdom. 19:28 God's will is that... you to be saved. 19:32 That's what God wants. 19:33 That's what Christ came to do. 19:35 So you and I can know God's will 19:38 for His will is that we're saved. 19:41 His will is also that you share... 19:46 that you share what you have. 19:49 That's God's will that you tell somebody else. 19:52 That you and I are witnesses of His grace. 19:56 And therefore, God's will is that we share with other people. 20:01 That's God's will. 20:02 And it says that you and I are to do His will. 20:08 Now listen as it goes on here: 20:23 Person who didn't know, 20:25 didn't understand, 20:27 says he'll be beaten with few stripes. 20:53 Do you understand? 20:58 Do you understand that you have a knowledge 21:04 concerning this book 21:06 that other people don't? 21:08 And that as Christians you and I have the responsibility 21:13 of sharing that with other people? 21:16 That's what it's talking about. 21:18 And since you have a knowledge of that, 21:22 God will hold you accountable for that... 21:25 because you knew and you didn't share. 21:31 Tonight I'd just like to say a word. 21:33 There, out here in the 21:36 television audience, 21:38 people that are watching by television 21:41 or maybe listening over the radio, 21:43 there may be some ministers out there - 21:48 men who studied God's Word, 21:53 men who were called to the ministry 21:58 and they know they were called to the ministry - 22:00 and they've spent time studying God's Word 22:03 and they have left the ministry. 22:06 And they're gone out and they're making a living some other way. 22:11 They're more concerned about making money than they are 22:14 preaching the Word. 22:16 I'd just like to tell you... 22:18 Dear friend, you have a heavy responsibility upon you 22:22 because you KNOW what the book says. 22:25 And God has called you to do that, 22:28 and you need to be back in preaching God's Word. 22:32 We're down at the time when the Lord's coming back, 22:34 and we need to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. 22:37 And dear friend, you're responsible for that. 22:40 I'll take it a step farther. 22:44 There may be some Bible teachers out there... 22:47 teachers that have taught God's Word, maybe in a college 22:53 or in some school and you've done that and you've left that 22:57 and you're not teaching God's Word any more. 22:59 Dear friend, God has called you to teach God's Word. 23:03 You cannot just pass it up. 23:05 You have been given much, 23:07 and much of you will be required. 23:10 And you and I need to come back and follow the book 23:14 and preach it and prepare for the coming of the Lord. 23:17 What God called us to do. 23:21 And I'll take this farther. 23:24 There are some laymen who are very, very qualified 23:30 to be out and witnessing concerning God's Word 23:35 that are not doing it. 23:38 And dear friend, you have been given much 23:41 and much will be required of you. 23:43 You need to be proclaiming God's Word. 23:47 That is a responsibility that you and I have 23:50 to tell people about the coming of Jesus Christ 23:53 and prepare them for that day. 23:57 The Bible talks about ten virgins. 24:03 Those ten virgins are there to meet the Lord... 24:10 to meet the bridegroom. 24:19 Gone out to meet the bridegroom. 24:23 And there's a lot of people, folks, that they're in this 24:27 very situation. They came in, and they 24:31 found the truth of God's Word, and they opened up their hearts 24:35 and they saw things they had never seen before in God's Word. 24:38 And the truth warmed their heart, and they rejoiced in it 24:42 and they accepted it and they were telling everybody 24:46 about what they heard and what they learned, 24:48 and rejoicing in it. And then it says: 25:08 Now you have to get some things clear here. 25:10 We're not talking about... weren't talking about 25:14 five wise and five foolish. 25:16 We're not talking about five church members 25:19 and five non-believers. 25:22 We're not talking about that. 25:24 These are all believers. 25:26 These are all people who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. 25:31 These are all people who believe God's Word. 25:34 These are not people that haven't done that. 25:38 They've done those things, 25:39 but five of them didn't take any oil in their lamp. 25:45 While the bridegroom was what? Delayed... 25:49 Now, you see, they came in. 25:51 They accepted the message; they were excited. 25:54 They believed it; they were sharing it with everybody. 25:57 But the bridegroom delayed his coming and they got discouraged. 26:02 And so they slumbered and they slept. 26:10 Slumbered and they slept. 26:14 Uh, just ask yourself: 26:19 where are you in that picture? 26:25 Are you slumbering and sleeping? 26:29 Or am I ready for the Lord to come? 26:34 What I am telling you this evening 26:36 is you are living in the 26:40 midnight hour. 26:42 That I am telling you. 26:45 You're living in the midnight hour. 26:47 You're living at the time when the Lord is going to come, 26:51 and you and I should be actively prepared for His coming. 27:02 I ask you: how can the signs of the times be shouting 27:06 any louder than they are today? 27:11 How can that take place? 27:13 Telling us that the Lord's coming! 27:15 We need to be telling people about it. 27:18 We need to be preaching it. 27:20 We need to be witnessing concerning the Lord. 27:22 All ten of these virgins went out to meet him. 27:28 All ten of them did. 27:39 All ten of them did. 27:40 Not just five... 27:43 all ten of them went out to meet him. 28:12 You see, dear friend, nobody can do it for you. 28:20 Your wife is not going to get you into the kingdom. 28:24 Or your husband 28:26 is not going to get you into the kingdom. 28:28 You gotta do it yourself. 28:31 Yourself. 28:33 "Go and buy for yourself. " 28:35 Of course we know that the oil referred to here 28:39 is the Holy Spirit. 28:42 And our next series we're going to be talking about 28:45 the Holy Spirit. 28:46 How that fits in there, and I'll be sharing with you 28:49 some things on this very point here in the next series. 28:53 But dear friend, they didn't have the Holy Spirit. 28:57 Oh, they were believers. 28:59 They had accepted Christ. 29:01 They attended church. 29:03 They went out to meet the bridegroom. 29:05 They did all those things, 29:06 but they didn't have enough oil. 29:10 They didn't have enough oil. 29:13 And that is a real problem; we'll talk about that 29:17 when we talk about the Holy Spirit... 29:20 the series on it. 29:32 While they went to buy the bridegroom came. 29:41 I hope that you won't find yourself short. 29:46 I hope you won't say: "Uh, I missed it. " 29:51 You see what's happened here, folks, 29:53 is these five foolish virgins... 29:56 their religious experience was superficial. 29:59 That's the problem. 30:02 It was superficial. 30:03 It wasn't deep; 30:05 it didn't have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 30:08 It didn't have the oil, and they missed it. 30:11 While they were out trying to find this, 30:14 the bridegroom came and those five wise virgins went in. 30:26 Open the door; let us in. 30:29 Most terrible words in scripture, folks... 30:33 I do not know of any words worse than the next ones... 30:45 "I do not know you. " 30:50 The door was not opened; they were not allowed in. 30:55 You and I, folks, I plead with you. 30:59 Now is the time... now is the time to get serious 31:04 about the coming of Jesus Christ. 31:08 You and I need to realize that the things that we see 31:12 happening all around us 31:15 are shouting out that Jesus is coming back. 31:19 We need to prepare... be prepared. 31:22 I said to you the other night. It says: 31:32 You don't know when He's coming back. 31:34 We're not told that; we'll never know that. 31:37 But I need to be ready; I need to be watching... 31:42 looking for Him to come. 31:44 As I said to you the other night, how can you know... 31:53 How... how can I know that? 31:54 Well, I shared something with you. I told you: 32:03 OK? If you're right with the Lord right now, 32:07 then you're ready for Christ to come if He'd come today. 32:13 But I ask you, what about your neighbor next door? 32:20 Have you talked to them? 32:22 Do you even know their name? 32:29 I mean, you have a responsibility 32:33 to talk to them, to say something to them, 32:35 to invite them. 32:36 That's the responsibility that you and I have. 32:40 How? How can I be ready 32:45 for Jesus to come? 32:47 I'd like to share with you how you can be ready. 32:52 Jesus said: 32:55 That's very, very comforting, folks, 32:58 when Christ says: "Don't let your heart be troubled. " 33:07 So if you want to be ready for Christ to come, 33:11 then you must believe in Christ and accept Him. 33:14 I must accept Him as my personal Savior. 33:19 And... and let me tell you, that's not difficult. 33:24 That's not hard to do. 33:26 God's not asking you to climb some mountain. 33:30 He's not asking you to go to the moon. 33:33 All that you and I have to do is come to Him. 33:37 In fact, this is what the scripture says. 33:44 How difficult is that 33:46 to call on the name of the Lord? 33:49 If tonight you know that you're lost, 33:53 you know that if Jesus was to come right now 33:56 you would not make it into God's kingdom, 34:00 you would be lost, then I ask you: 34:02 CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD. 34:06 You remember Peter, 34:09 out there trying to walk on the water. 34:14 Doing pretty good 34:16 until he took his eyes off the Lord 34:19 and he began to look at the waves. 34:23 And by the way, waves can get very, very high on the 34:27 Sea of Galilee. 34:29 In fact, waves can get as high as 14 feet 34:34 on the Sea of Galilee. 34:36 So it was in the midst of a storm 34:40 that Peter was walking on the water. 34:42 And it says this: 34:57 And what did Jesus do? 34:59 Reached down and got him by the hand and picked him up. 35:04 You see, the Lord's wanting to save you. 35:07 He's not wanting to keep you out of God's kingdom. 35:10 Who? Why do we come up with these terrible ideas 35:14 that God's trying to keep people out of His kingdom? 35:16 No, He's not trying to do that! 35:18 He's trying to get you in. 35:20 He's trying to invite you and say come. 35:22 And it says that if you and I will call on the Lord, 35:26 then He'll save us. 35:28 And so tonight if you want to be ready for the coming 35:32 of Jesus Christ, then - dear friend - 35:35 CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD. 35:37 Reach out in faith; take hold 35:40 of the promise that's given 35:43 and it says you'll be saved. 35:45 Secondly, if you want to be saved, 35:50 then surrender your life to Christ each day. 36:08 You see, I need to surrender my life 36:13 to Christ every day. 36:18 When I get up in the morning, right then and there 36:22 I need to commit my life to the Lord. 36:25 Sure, you've accepted Him as your personal Savior... 36:29 but I need to walk with Him day by day, dear friend. 36:32 And I need to surrender my life to Him 36:35 so the Holy Spirit can do its work in my life. 36:40 That's necessary. 36:42 There is no such thing 36:45 as somebody surrendering their life to the Lord 36:50 each day and missing heaven. 36:54 That is not... doesn't work that way, dear friend. 36:57 That person who commits his life to the Lord 37:00 every day will be in heaven. 37:04 See? And you and I need to do that. 37:06 People say to me: "Well, Brother Cox, 37:08 how do you surrender? 37:10 How do you surrender? 37:12 What do you mean when you say 37:13 surrender? " 37:14 Well, there's an excellent example in the Bible 37:18 of what surrender is. 37:20 There was a king of Israel - 37:22 not a good king, 37:24 probably one of the worst. 37:26 His name was Ahab. 37:29 He wasn't a good king. 37:31 And because he did not follow the Lord, 37:35 he didn't have the Lord's protection. 37:37 And the king of Syria, Ben-Hadad, 37:42 came down to overthrow the country of Israel. 37:48 And it says this: 38:02 now listen... 38:14 Quite a letter! 38:15 Wrote a letter and said: 38:17 "Everything you have belongs to me, is mine. " 38:35 That is surrender. 38:37 That's surrender. 38:40 When I will take and surrender everything that I have 38:45 to the Lord. 38:46 And I must do that, folks. 38:49 Each morning I must surrender to Him and say: "Here, 38:54 it's Yours. 38:57 Give me guidance, give me direction today. " 39:01 And I'm talking to you about how to be ready 39:06 to meet the Lord. 39:09 Let me tell you a little secret. 39:13 Five minutes of prayer in the morning 39:17 will save 1/2 hour of confession at night. 39:21 So take the time in the morning to talk to the Lord. 39:26 Pray to Him. And then when you get up and start through the day 39:33 the scripture gives you this counsel: 39:52 It says that you and I 39:56 must walk as He walked. 40:05 So I must walk as Christ walked. 40:10 I must follow His steps. 40:17 That means that sometimes that's not an easy way to go. 40:23 Sometimes that's hard... 40:26 but I have to trust Him; I have to believe in Him; 40:30 I have to follow Him. 40:31 And if I do that, He will lead me and guide me. 40:35 But dear friends, you have been given much! 40:40 Therefore, much will be required of you. 40:45 And therefore walk with Him, 40:48 follow Him day by day. 40:52 And then it just simply says: 41:09 You see, I must learn 41:13 to walk by faith. 41:28 I must learn to walk day by day 41:33 by faith. 41:36 And faith requires me to move out 41:40 in areas where I am uncomfortable. 41:45 Rather interesting. I was flying on a plane... 41:48 Southwest. And if you remember, Southwest right at the front 41:54 has some seats that face each other if you've ever flown. 41:57 And I happened to be sitting in one of those, and 42:00 so there was two people on each side of me 42:02 and three across right in front of me. 42:04 And when I sat down, this man... he was talking about 42:09 a book he had just read. 42:11 I mean, he was all excited about this book he had read, 42:15 and he was going on about what a wonderful book it was. 42:18 And the title of the book was Who Stole My Cheese. 42:22 That was the name of it. 42:24 And he pulled out the book, and it wasn't very big... 42:27 just a little book. 42:29 And he went on raving about how wonderful it was. 42:32 And I don't know why he turned to me, but he said: 42:35 "Would you like to read it? " 42:36 Handed it to me, and the flight was a couple hour flight... 42:39 and I said: "Sure. " 42:41 And so he handed me the book and so I read it. 42:44 And when I finished I gave it back to him 42:48 and said I really enjoyed it. 42:50 And what the book was about, folks, 42:52 was about stepping out of your comfort zone. 42:56 You know, not being in your comfort zone and how 42:59 it's necessary for you to step out of your comfort zone 43:02 in order to grow. See? 43:04 And I said: "Fine, I really enjoyed it. " 43:07 It was a good book. And I reached into my attaché case 43:11 and picked up a book on scripture... on prophecy. 43:15 And I turned to him and I said: "Here's a little book I think 43:18 you'd enjoy. " He said: "Oh, no. No, no. " 43:20 And he absolutely would not take that book, folks. 43:24 You see, he read that book and it did him no good 43:27 because he was not willing to come out of his comfort zone 43:31 at all. See? No! Just drew the line. 43:34 You see, you and I by faith must be willing to get out 43:39 of the comfort zone. 43:40 I must walk by faith. That's required. 43:44 And if I do that, God will lead in a special way. 43:48 Christ had just walked into the city of 43:54 Capernaeum. And as He walked into the city of Capernaeum, 43:58 He was met by a soldier... a centurion. 44:01 And this centurion soldier was pleading with Him. 44:05 He said: "My servant's sick. 44:08 He's paralyzed; he's dying. 44:12 Would You heal him? " 44:15 And Jesus said: "Come. " Said: "Let's go to your house 44:19 and I'll heal him. " That's what Christ said to him. 44:21 And the centurion said to Him, said: 44:24 "Sir, that's not necessary. " 44:27 He said: "I'm a solider under authority. " 44:30 He said: "I have servants under me. " 44:33 And he said: "I tell them where to go, and they go. 44:37 And I tell them when to come, and they come. " 44:40 And he said: "All you need to do is speak the word 44:45 and my servant will be healed. " 44:49 Jesus looked at the crowd and said: 44:53 "I haven't seen faith like this in Israel. " 44:56 And it says: 45:11 The servant was healed that same hour. 45:14 You see, when you walk by faith 45:18 then God can do special things for you. 45:23 Did you know that? 45:24 If you don't walk by faith, God can't do that. 45:27 But if you walk by faith, He can do special things for you. 45:32 We had... when the Iron Curtain came down 45:35 and all we had an opportunity to go to Russia. 45:41 over to a place called Vladivostok. 45:46 I had never been to Russia. 45:49 I can't speak the language. 45:53 I didn't know a soul in Vladivostok, 45:57 but the invitation was there to go do something. 46:02 It was even given by some people outside of Russia... 46:05 not in Russia and all. 46:08 And so a friend of mine by the name of Steve Gifford and I 46:11 decided we would go over to Vladivostok... 46:14 see what we could do. We felt the Lord had opened the door 46:19 that we ought to go. 46:20 And so we got on the plane... 46:22 flew to Vladivostok. 46:25 Got off the plane; didn't know a soul. 46:30 Couldn't speak a word of Russian. 46:34 And we just began to inquire around there and uh... 46:38 and uh, finally we found a fellow 46:41 who could speak some English. 46:43 And we told him what we were needing, and 46:46 he was able to get a taxi cab lined up for us. 46:50 And we told him we would like to go to the 46:52 Seventh-day Adventist church. 46:54 Fortunately, the taxi cab driver knew where it was. 46:58 And we got in the cab and went to the church. 47:03 Got there and it was closed. 47:05 Wasn't anybody there. 47:07 But there was a sign up which this interpreter read for us, 47:11 and it said that the Adventist church met there 47:14 and also the Baptist church met there. 47:17 And it said the Baptists were going to have a meeting 47:19 that night... and so Steve and I went. 47:22 And we got there, and nobody could speak to us. 47:27 In fact, you know, they hadn't seen anybody from the 47:30 United States. They had some real questions about us. 47:33 Who we were and why we were there 47:35 and all that kind of stuff. 47:37 And anyhow, we inquired about it and we found out that 47:41 the Adventist church had a meeting the next night. 47:43 But the caretaker of the church who was a member of the 47:46 Adventist church was there, 47:48 and we visited with him a little bit. 47:49 And much to our sorrow 47:52 we found out that the pastor of the church was gone 47:56 and would be gone for 30 days. 47:59 And that was not good news to us at all. 48:03 Anyhow, we went back the next night. 48:07 Got there. There was 120 people there in church. 48:13 All of them was gray-headed. 48:17 Every one of them! 48:19 All of them... gray-headed. 48:21 Nobody... I mean, not one of them spoke English. 48:25 Not a one. And we tried to talk to them and all. 48:29 We just didn't get anywhere, you know? 48:32 And we finally found out that the pastor's wife 48:36 was still there, and so a couple 48:40 offered to take us over to her house. 48:42 And we went over to visit with her 48:44 and see what we could find out. 48:45 Got there, and she couldn't speak any English either. 48:48 And so the door was closed every way we turned. 48:52 And I mean just couldn't get anywhere. 48:55 And we went back and was at the hotel 49:01 where we were staying and I told Steve. I said: 49:04 "Steve, there's only two planes out of here. 49:07 There's one on Sunday and there's one on Wednesday. " 49:10 And I said: "I know we're scheduled to take the one on 49:15 Wednesday but I think we ought to see if we can get the one out 49:17 on Sunday 'cause we're not getting anywhere here. 49:20 We're not gaining anything. " 49:21 And he said: "Yeah, you're probably right. " 49:24 So, come... that was Friday night 49:28 we visited and all, and talked about it. 49:33 I went to bed that night and I had a dream. 49:37 And in the dream I saw this young man, 49:41 black-headed with Italian features. 49:45 And all it said in the dream was "He speaks English. " 49:49 That's all it said. 49:51 Yeah, I didn't think anything about it. 49:53 I got up the next morning, we were eating breakfast. 49:55 I told Steve about it; we both kind of laughed. 49:57 I said: "I guess I ate too much last night, " anyhow... 50:00 and just passed it off that way. 50:04 Anyhow, we went to church Sabbath. Got there... 50:09 same 120 people; nobody spoke any English. 50:13 And there we sat; couldn't understand a thing 50:16 that was going on all the way through Sabbath School. 50:19 Church started; we were just sitting there. 50:23 The door opened and in came a young man, 50:28 black-headed, with Italian features... 50:32 the exact one I had seen in the dream. 50:35 I poked Steve and I said: "Steve, there he is. " 50:38 And he went over and sat down. 50:41 In a little bit this Russian woman went over and spoke to him 50:46 and he came over and talked to us and spoke to us in English. 50:49 And I said: "Let's go outside. " 50:53 And we went outside, and I introduced myself 50:56 and he introduced himself. 50:58 And I said: "What are you doing here? " 51:02 And he said: "I don't know what I'm doing here! " 51:05 And I said: "Well, why are you here? " 51:07 He said: "I don't know why I'm here. " 51:09 He said: "I don't go to church here. " 51:10 Said: "I go to church across town... 51:13 clear on the other side of town. " 51:15 He said: "I just felt like I should be here. " 51:18 And he said: "We have a whole group of young people 51:21 that meet over there. " 51:22 Dear friend, we went with him back over, and 51:26 met with this group of young people. 51:28 Were able to go back and train 51:31 ten different groups of young people 51:34 to share the gospel there in Vladivostok. 51:37 You see, but what I'm trying to get across to you, folks, 51:40 is you've got to step out in faith. 51:43 You cannot stay in your comfort zone all the time and make it. 51:48 It's required that you and I 51:51 by faith walk with Him, and as we are coming down 51:54 to the coming of Jesus Christ, 51:56 it's going to require that you and I MORE AND MORE 52:00 step out in faith. 52:02 That we have to witness; we have to proclaim 52:06 that Jesus Christ IS COMING BACK. 52:09 And we need to be telling men and women to prepare 52:12 for that coming... to get their lives ready 52:15 because Christ IS coming. 52:18 And so... you want to be right with the Lord? 52:22 Believe in Jesus Christ. 52:26 Give Him your heart. 52:27 Accept Him as your Savior. 52:29 Surrender your life to Him. 52:33 Day by day put it in His hands. 52:37 Walk with Him. 52:38 Walk with Him; follow Him. 52:41 And then, dear friend, follow Him by faith, 52:45 and you and I will have the privilege of walking 52:50 with Him into His kingdom. 52:53 So tonight, are you ready for Jesus to come? 52:59 Are you ready 53:03 for Jesus 53:07 to come? 53:11 Are you faithful 53:15 in all that you do? 53:23 Have you fought a good fight? 53:29 Have you stood for the right? 53:34 Can others 53:38 see Jesus 53:42 in you? 53:47 Are you ready to stand 53:52 in your place? 53:58 Are you ready to 54:02 look on 54:05 His face? 54:10 Can you look up 54:13 and say 54:17 "THIS IS MY LORD! " 54:26 Are you ready 54:30 for Jesus 54:35 to come? 54:48 Let us pray. 54:50 Heavenly Father, please come soon. 54:54 May each one of us here tonight 54:57 whether we're watching by television 55:01 or listening on the radio 55:04 or here in the auditorium, 55:06 may our hearts be surrendered to You. 55:10 Help us to be aware of Your soon return. 55:15 May we each, day by day, stay surrendered. 55:22 We're thankful for the promise that You WILL COME BACK 55:26 and that You're coming back quickly. 55:29 Grant to us that each of us may be in Your kingdom 55:33 with our families. 55:34 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 55:39 May God bless you. 55:41 Keep your eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ. 55:44 Be ready for His return. 55:49 More than 2,000 years have passed 55:52 since Jesus promised to return. 55:54 And through the centuries, the hearts of His faithful ones 55:57 have clung to those precious words. 56:00 But His promise has not yet been fulfilled. 56:03 The Lifegiver's voice has not yet called the sleeping saints 56:06 from their graves. 56:08 Each day many more Christians fall asleep in Jesus 56:12 clinging to the Blessed Hope 56:14 and believing that the next thing they'll see 56:17 is their Savior coming as He promised 56:20 in the clouds of glory. 56:22 But my friends, there are so many who do not have 56:26 this Blessed Hope. And many of them would 56:29 if they just had the opportunity to hear about Jesus. 56:35 That is why we are producing these programs. 56:38 We want to tell them about God's amazing love. 56:41 About our Savior, Jesus Christ. 56:44 About His second coming. 56:45 We want to give each one of them that Blessed Hope. 56:49 Think of it. Even now all of heaven's astir 56:52 preparing for that great day. 56:54 The Lord is waiting for us 56:56 to join Him in spreading the good news. 56:59 Praise God! The time of waiting is almost over. 57:03 Light is gleaming upon the clouds above the mountaintops. 57:06 Soon there will be a revealing of His glory. 57:10 The Son of Righteousness is about to shine forth. 57:12 NOW is the time to prepare for the coming of the Lord. 57:17 Readiness to meet Him cannot be attained 57:20 in a moment's time. 57:22 Each member of our ministry team has focused on doing all we can 57:26 to spread the good news, 57:28 but we cannot do it alone. 57:30 We need your help. 57:31 Each of us must prepare, watch, and wait. 57:35 But we also must work earnestly 57:38 for the salvation of souls. 57:40 Please consider what you can do 57:42 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:44 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:46 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:01 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 58:03 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2020-04-30