Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000050
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00:18 Good evening and welcome again to Give Me The Bible series.
00:22 This is a Kenneth Cox production that is coming to you live 00:26 from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:27 And we are so thankful 00:30 that you have joined us tonight 00:31 and believe that you will be 00:33 thankful as well. 00:34 This has been an incredible series, has it not? 00:37 This is the fifth message of The Elijah Message, 00:41 and it's all about turning the hearts of the fathers 00:44 to the children and the children to the fathers. 00:47 All about family values. 00:49 And we have had such wonderful messages. 00:52 We had several in the audience last night who said 00:54 they just hated to see this series come to an end. 00:58 Tonight is going to be the 50th message. 01:02 Do you realize that? 50 sermons; 50 major themes 01:06 that Pastor and Evangelist Kenneth Cox has spoken on. 01:10 And this will be The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord. 01:15 A day that is both great and dreadful. 01:18 But this is going to be something that if you've missed 01:21 any of these, they're all available on DVD. 01:25 And what a library... what a wealth of knowledge 01:29 that you'll have at your finger- tips if you get these DVDs. 01:32 Before Pastor and Evangelist Kenneth Cox comes 01:36 to give us this lesson, first we'll have Tammy Larson. 01:41 And she's going to be singing a beautiful song 01:44 Remind Me, Oh Lord. 02:05 The things that I love 02:09 and hold dear to my heart 02:13 are just borrowed... 02:16 they're not mine at all. 02:21 Jesus only let me use them 02:25 to brighten my life. 02:29 So remind me, 02:31 remind me, dear Lord. 02:37 Roll back the curtain 02:41 of memory now and then. 02:45 Show me where You brought me from 02:49 and where I could have been. 02:52 Just remember I am human 02:56 and humans forget. 03:00 So remind me, 03:02 remind me, dear Lord. 03:39 Nothing good have I done 03:43 to deserve God's own Son. 03:47 I'm not worthy of the scars 03:50 in His hands. 03:55 Yet He chose the road to Calvary 03:59 to die in my stead. 04:03 Why He loves me I can't understand. 04:11 Roll back the curtain 04:15 of memory now and then. 04:19 Show me where You brought me from 04:23 and where I could have been. 04:26 Just remember I am human 04:30 and humans forget. 04:34 So remind me, 04:36 remind me, dear Lord. 04:55 Just remember I am human 05:00 and humans forget. 05:03 So remind me, 05:06 remind me, dear Lord. 05:11 So remind me, 05:13 remind me, dear Lord. 05:24 Thank you Tammy Larson. 05:26 Remind Me Again. Enjoy that? 05:29 That's great. Thank you again. 05:30 Well we welcome each of you tonight. 05:33 Appreciate you being here very much all of you that have come. 05:37 And those that are watching by television 05:40 or listening on the radio 05:41 we welcome you again tonight. 05:43 Appreciate you tuning in 05:45 and being with us as we've gone 05:46 through this series 05:48 on The Elijah Message. 05:50 Talking about a message that God has 05:54 that's to take place right down at the end of time. 05:58 We've looked at that, 06:00 and we hope it's been a blessing to you. 06:03 Our next series that we're going to be doing... 06:06 the next series that we're going to be doing is entitled 06:14 You know what the apple of God's eye is? 06:16 Well, the scripture says the apple of God's eye 06:20 is His church. That's what it says. 06:22 And so we're going to look at that in our next series. 06:25 We're going to have subjects like: Why a Church? 06:28 Why have a church? 06:31 What's the purpose of the church? 06:32 How much authority does the church have? 06:35 We're just going to take a look at what the scripture has to say 06:38 about the church. And then we're going to one night 06:42 talk about The Front Door of the Church. 06:45 The Front Door of the Church. 06:47 And then the next one's going to be on the Back Door 06:50 of the Church. 06:52 We're going to talk about both the front door 06:54 and the back door. 06:56 We're going to talk about The Church Victorious. 06:58 Those are some of the subjects we'll be looking at 07:00 as we talk about The Apple of His Eye. 07:05 Very, very important subject... so we hope all of you will 07:09 tune in next month as we take a look at the subject of 07:14 the church. 07:15 And then of course tonight we're down to the closing one 07:19 on our series here on The Elijah Message: 07:29 We have looked at the coming of Elijah. 07:34 How that God said he would come. What his message would be. 07:37 And we found that as we looked at Malachi 4 verses 5 and 6 07:43 that his message dealt with the home. 07:47 That it would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 07:50 the heart of the children to their fathers. 07:53 And so we talked about the home. 07:55 We talked about the responsibility of fathers. 07:59 We talked about family worship. 08:02 We talked about God's blessing on the home. 08:05 But tonight we're going to take a look at The Great 08:09 and Dreadful Day of the Lord... 08:11 referring to the coming of Jesus Christ. 08:15 And so we'll look at that this evening. 08:17 We hope that it will help you 08:20 prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. 08:23 Tonight Dona Klein is going to sing for us a song entitled 08:29 Wasted Years. 08:48 Wasted years, 08:52 wasted years, 08:55 oh how foolish. 09:01 As you wander 09:05 in darkness and fears; 09:14 Turn around, 09:17 turn around 09:21 God is calling. 09:26 He's calling you 09:30 from a life of wasted years. 09:40 As you wander along 09:46 on life's pathway, 09:52 have you lived without love 09:58 a life of tears? 10:05 Have you searched 10:09 for the great 10:12 hidden meaning? 10:16 Or is your life 10:22 filled with long and wasted years? 10:30 Wasted years, 10:34 wasted years, 10:37 oh how foolish. 10:43 As you wander 10:47 in darkness and fears; 10:57 Turn around, 11:00 turn around 11:02 God is calling. 11:07 He's calling you 11:12 from a life of wasted years. 11:20 He's calling you 11:25 from a life 11:27 of wasted years. 11:52 Gracious Lord, 11:54 we come to You tonight 11:57 asking that Your blessing may rest upon us. 12:01 That as we look at Your Word 12:05 and we understand the times in which we are living... 12:09 that Jesus is coming soon. 12:13 We pray, Lord, that we each might understand 12:19 what You want and that our hearts will be open 12:23 and they'll be soft, pliable. 12:27 That Your Holy Spirit can speak to us and guide us 12:30 and lead us. Help us, Lord, to walk 12:34 as You lead us and that we might just reach out and 12:38 take hold of Your hand... 12:40 walk with you all the way into the kingdom. 12:43 For this is what we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 12:52 Evidently God was wanting to 12:57 emphasize to mankind... 13:00 emphasize to us... 13:02 uh, the importance of being ready for His coming. 13:05 Because as I mentioned when we come to the last book 13:10 of the Old Testament, the last chapter of the Old Testament 13:14 the last two verses in that chapter it says: 13:24 Now, when it speaks of the great and dreadful day of the Lord 13:29 that is talking about the coming of Jesus Christ. 13:32 That's what it's referring to is the coming of Christ. 13:35 And it tells us certain things that were to be done 13:39 or cared for in order for us to be ready 13:43 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 13:45 And the scripture emphasizes that that day will come 13:50 quickly because it says here in Zephaniah 13:53 the first chapter and verse 14 it says: 14:05 So what it's saying... As we see these things 14:09 take place, that they will take place in quick succession. 14:14 And so it says the coming of the Lord will come quickly. 14:19 And you and I need to be prepared for that day. 14:22 It continues in verse 15 and says: 14:30 So it's going to be a time - the coming of the Lord - 14:34 in which the whole world will be involved. 14:36 It will be a time of wrath, a time of distress. 14:39 A day of devastation and desolation. 14:43 A day of darkness and gloominess. 14:45 This will not be a good time and, dear friend, above all 14:50 you and I need to make sure that we have 14:55 our lives fully and completely 14:59 set in Jesus Christ. That our foundation is firm. 15:04 That we are not moved around. 15:06 That we have laid hold of the hope that there is 15:10 in Christ our Lord. 15:12 Because it's going to affect people. 15:14 It says: "Men's hearts failing them for fear... " 15:18 So it's not an easy time. 15:27 So we need to be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ. 15:32 So tonight that's what we're going to look at. 15:36 We're going to look at what do I need to do to be prepared 15:41 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 15:51 Now, have you ever just stopped and thought about it... 15:58 what it's going to be like when Christ comes? 16:00 And will you and I greet that with joy 16:06 and expectation? Because it says it will be 16:10 a fearful time indeed. 16:12 So how to prepare for the coming of the Lord. 16:17 Well to begin with, tonight I would like to talk 16:25 to those... maybe here in the audience, 16:29 maybe you're watching by television, 16:32 or maybe you're listening on the radio... 16:35 but I'd like to talk specifically to those who know 16:39 at this point that if Christ was to come you'd be lost. 16:46 That you know without a question of a doubt 16:48 that you're lost 16:52 and that you would not make it if Christ would come. 16:56 So what can you do as an individual 17:00 to be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ? 17:03 Well the first thing I would say to you 17:06 is it tells him to do this. Listen carefully to this text. 17:10 And it's about the Elijah message, and it says: 17:22 Now listen... 17:31 So it says that what Elijah was doing 17:34 was to make these people who are disobedient 17:38 to turn them to the just 17:41 and prepare them for the coming of the Lord. 17:44 So that's what we want to do tonight. 17:46 We want to make sure that if you know that you 17:51 are not saved, 17:54 you know that you are lost, 17:56 then I'd like to share with you what you can do 18:00 to be ready for the coming of the Lord. 18:02 So the first thing I would tell you is accept Christ. 18:08 There's no other way. I can't take you 18:12 some other way and tell you do this and this and this 18:16 because THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. 18:18 To begin with, you must accept Jesus Christ 18:22 as your personal Savior. 18:25 Because, dear friend, let people say what they want to 18:29 but there is no salvation outside of Him. 18:34 That's the only way you're going to find it. 18:36 This is what it says: 18:50 No other way. Only in Jesus Christ. 18:54 And it's really this simple. 18:57 There's nobody else... 19:00 nobody else in the universe... 19:04 nobody else ever... that died for mankind. 19:11 Nobody came and bore your sins and mine 19:15 except Jesus Christ. 19:18 And He came and died in your place. 19:22 And therefore, dear friend, if you want salvation 19:27 you must come to Christ 19:29 and accept Him as your personal Savior. 19:32 I can't offer you any other way. 19:36 Only in Christ Jesus. 19:39 Secondly, you must accept Christ 19:44 but you also must understand 19:49 that you and I must surrender self. 19:54 You cannot hang on to the old man of sin 20:00 and go through and think that you'll make it. 20:04 That is contrary to Christ, 20:07 and therefore I must surrender. 20:10 I must surrender myself 20:12 to the work of the Holy Spirit. 20:15 Please understand that when it comes in this question 20:20 of preparation for the coming of the Lord 20:23 this is not something that you and I can do 20:27 of our own strength. 20:30 You can't do it. 20:32 It's basically when we talk about that 20:35 that is an impossibility 20:38 for you and I to do what is necessary 20:42 of our own strength. 20:44 I cannot change 20:48 to the degree that I need to change 20:51 of my own strength. 20:53 I must have the Holy Spirit 20:55 when it comes to understanding this book. 20:59 When it comes to understanding what it says, 21:04 I can't in my own intellect. 21:07 It's just not there. That's the reason it says this: 21:20 That is the work of the Holy Spirit. 21:22 He will teach you all things. 21:25 I must get into the Word of God. 21:28 And as I get into the Word of God 21:31 the Holy Spirit will teach us. 21:35 So the Holy Spirit's necessary. 21:37 But the Holy Spirit cannot work 21:42 in you or it cannot work in me 21:46 if self is not surrendered. 21:52 If self is predominant in your life, 21:56 the Holy Spirit can't work there. 22:04 This is the work of the Holy Spirit: 22:07 to make me different... 22:13 to make me different than I am. 22:19 I can't do that... but the Holy Spirit can do that. 22:24 And that's why it says 22:27 that the Holy Spirit gives to us - if you please - 22:31 the fruits of the Spirit. 22:34 You see, by nature 22:37 these things just don't take place. 22:41 But only as the Holy Spirit comes into your life 22:45 do you become loving. 22:48 See? By nature... not very loving. 22:54 But the Holy Spirit can bring that into your life 22:57 and make you a loving person. 23:01 He can make you so that you care about others. 23:04 He can bring about that change. 23:06 It's the Holy Spirit that gives you joy. 23:09 Gives me peace, longsuffering... 23:21 You see... you having troubles? 23:25 Are there habits that plague your life 23:30 and you can't seem to get over it? 23:34 Well dear friend, what you need here is the Holy Spirit 23:38 because the Holy Spirit is what brings self control. 23:41 That's not what comes of our own self. 23:45 That's the work of the Holy Spirit. 23:47 So I have to surrender my life to the work of the Holy Spirit. 23:52 Now I'm talking specifically to those of you out there 23:56 that know you're lost. 23:58 And I'm saying forget this thing 24:02 of thinking you're going to change yourself 24:04 and you're going to make yourself different. 24:07 I know people - have known them for 30, 40 years - 24:10 that all this time they've been trying to change themselves 24:13 and they're just as worse off now as they were back then. 24:17 You see, you can't do that. 24:19 That has to be the work of the Spirit of God in your life. 24:25 So dear friend, QUIT TRYING and surrender. 24:29 You see, in Christianity victory does not come by fight, 24:35 it comes by surrender. 24:39 That's how it comes. 24:40 OK. Also... quit being disobedient. 24:46 I'm talking specifically to those of you 24:49 that are not saved. 24:51 Quit being disobedient! 24:54 That's what it says. That's what the Elijah message is. 24:58 It says: "the disobedient... He will turn them from that 25:02 to obedience. " 25:04 And so I have to come to the place where I am willing 25:08 to follow God's commandments. 25:17 So dear friend, if you find yourself 25:22 being on the rebellious side and disobedient, 25:28 then, dear friend, you've got to surrender it. 25:31 You've got to give it to the Lord and say "OK, 25:34 I will follow You. " 25:39 Talk about it all you want to... 25:52 That's the whole duty of mankind. 25:55 Now let me just say this to you. 26:00 And I hope you... those of you that are considering 26:04 accepting Christ and giving your heart to Him... 26:07 understand simply this: 26:10 there's nothing you can do... 26:13 NOTHING you can do... to add to salvation. 26:18 Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Jesus Christ did everything 26:23 that was demanded. 26:26 He did everything. There's nothing you can add to it. 26:30 There's nothing you can put to it. 26:33 You can't do anything. 26:34 The only thing you can do 26:38 is accept what Christ has done for you. 26:42 See? So when it comes to salvation, 26:45 you can't add anything to it or do anything to it. 26:48 Christ did it all. 26:50 Your responsibility, my responsibility 26:55 is simply to obey. 26:58 OK? It's just that simple. 27:02 He did it all. I accept what He did. 27:04 My responsibility is simply to obey. 27:09 So if you want to be prepared 27:12 for the coming of Jesus Christ, 27:14 then give your heart to the Lord. 27:16 Surrender your life to the work of the Holy Spirit 27:19 and be obedient. 27:22 It will make a great, great difference in your life. 27:25 All right. Now I want to talk to those 27:30 who have accepted Christ. 27:33 Maybe you have been a Christian for years 27:37 and you have followed the Lord. 27:40 I want to talk specifically to you. 27:43 And what the Elijah message has to say to you and to me 27:48 concerning the times in which we are living in 27:51 and what we need to do to be prepared for the Lord... 27:54 because there's some of us that have been going along here 27:57 for a long, long time now 27:59 and we need to be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ. 28:03 So Elijah gives us a little insight into some of the things 28:07 that we need to do. And it says here... 28:10 In I Kings 17 verse 1 it says: 28:27 Never in history... never in history 28:32 when you have had a king like Ahab 28:36 that led all of Israel the opposite way 28:40 away from God and you had national apostasy... 28:44 Every time that has happened in history God has always 28:49 had a man like Elijah. 28:51 Every time! 28:53 And so He called Elijah and He said: "You go in there 28:56 and you tell Ahab that if he does not change 29:00 his way it will not rain for 3-1/2 years. " 29:06 And Elijah left the court of Ahab 29:12 and Ahab didn't see him for 3-1/2 years. 29:17 And it didn't rain for 3-1/2 years. 29:22 And dear friends, Israel - 29:25 who even in the days of Ahab 29:29 was still a very fertile, beautiful country, 29:34 lush - became a desert. 29:40 Not a drop of rain for 3-1/2 years. 29:46 And after 3-1/2 years God told Elijah... 29:51 He said: "You go see Ahab. " 29:54 Said: "I don't want to go see Ahab. He's looking for me. " 29:57 And said: "Well you go see him. " 30:00 And you remember he got out there and his servant, 30:03 Ahab's servant found him, and Elijah told him: 30:06 "You go tell Ahab I'm here. " 30:07 He went and told Ahab he was there, 30:09 and it says this is what happened: 30:20 You know, dear friends, it always is interesting to me 30:25 how that the one that's doing the troubling 30:30 thinks somebody else is. 30:32 You know, he said: "You're the troubler of Israel. " 30:35 Listen to the words of Elijah: 30:53 He said: "No, I'm not the one who's troubling Israel. 30:56 You and your household who have forsaken the commandments 31:01 of the Lord and have followed the Baals. " 31:07 Tonight I'm talking now specifically to those 31:12 that have given their heart to the Lord. 31:15 Have you forsaken God's commandments? 31:18 Are you keeping them? 31:23 I'm not talking about one... I'm talking about all ten. 31:29 Are you true to what those commandments say? 31:33 Are you walking in the commandments of the Lord? 31:36 Are you violating some of them? 31:40 He said: "You've left the commandments of God. 31:42 You're following the Baals. " 31:45 And then we find that Elijah said to the people... 31:49 They called them all up on top of Mount Carmel. 32:08 You see, dear friend, you cannot... 32:13 you just cannot follow God 32:18 and follow the world. 32:20 I'm sorry... you can't. 32:25 You can't take and put those two together. 32:29 No more than you can put God and Baal, 32:32 you can't take God and the world and put them together. 32:37 And tonight if you're caught up in the world 32:41 then dear friend I plead with you 32:44 take a good close look 32:47 because we're coming down here 32:49 in which the Lord is coming back. 32:52 We need to be ready for His coming. 33:06 All the prophets of Baal... By the way, 33:09 you know how many of them there were? 33:13 Eight hundred and fifty. 33:16 There were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the grove. 33:21 Eight hundred and fifty of them there. 33:25 And they gathered around there and they pled with Baal 33:29 to send down fire from heaven... 33:32 by the way, he was the god of fire... 33:36 to send fire down from heaven and burn up the sacrifice. 33:44 Now they had prayed all morning long 34:04 Said, you know: "Cry louder, 34:07 talk louder. Maybe he's not hearing you. " 34:11 And they continued to pray 34:16 all afternoon. 34:34 Took knives and cut their bodies and they cried all afternoon 34:40 praying that Baal would do something in their behalf. 34:53 That's late afternoon. 35:03 I mean, and all this noise, when it was all said and done 35:09 nobody answered. 35:12 Now folks, learn something. 35:17 This old world isn't going to answer your problems. 35:25 This old world isn't going to give you 35:31 satisfaction. 35:33 It's not going to give you peace. 35:37 It's not going to give you joy. 35:40 It's not going to give you any of those things. 35:43 When it was all said and done, there was no one... 35:47 there was no answer, there was no one that gave them 35:51 any attention. And so if you're looking to this world 35:55 to find an answer for your problems 35:59 I'll tell you right now: you won't find it in this world. 36:03 And then it says that Elijah said: "that's enough. " 36:08 He went over to where the altar of God had stood 36:12 and he had them rebuild it. 36:14 Took and put on that altar a sacrifice 36:18 and then had them bring up seven barrels of water 36:22 and dump over that until the water drenched everything 36:28 and filled up the ditch that they had dug around it. 36:30 And then it says 36:34 Elijah went over and he knelt 36:36 and he said: "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac 36:40 and the God of Jacob, if Thou be the God of Israel 36:44 send fire and burn up this sacrifice. " 36:47 The scripture says here: 37:05 Fire fell. I mean it burned up everything. 37:10 It even licked up the water and the dust of the ground. 37:15 And Israel fell on their faces and they said: 37:17 "The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God. " 37:20 And I plead with you this evening, 37:24 dear friend, get it clear in your heart and your soul 37:28 who you believe in. 37:30 If you believe in God, believe in Him. 37:34 Don't be half-hearted about it. 37:36 Believe in Him. If you're not going to believe in Him, 37:38 then follow the world. 37:40 But I can tell you for sure, when it all ends up 37:45 nothing in this old world is going to do for you 37:49 what you need to have done. 37:51 Because it says: 38:07 That means 38:11 that you've got to make a decision. 38:14 You've got to get your priorities in the right place 38:18 and say: "Well, this is what I believe 38:20 and this is what I'm going to do 38:22 and I'll put nothing ahead of it. Nothing! " 38:27 Wife. Mother, father. 38:33 Brother, sister, child. 38:35 Nothing that I have must come between me and God. 38:50 What am I telling you? 38:55 If you have anything... 38:58 if you have anything 39:02 that comes between you and God, 39:06 that's an idol. 39:10 If you have anything that comes between you and God, 39:16 that's an idol. 39:19 And you want to just find out whether it's there or not? 39:23 I'll just simply how you can tell whether it's there or not. 39:26 If you've got anything - I don't care what it is - 39:31 and you can't walk away from it, 39:34 it's an idol. 39:39 I have to be willing to forsake everything that I have 39:45 for Jesus Christ. 39:48 I must be willing to give up 39:52 everything that I have for Him 39:56 or else it comes between me and Him. 40:01 It's an idol. 40:05 If you leave them, OK? 40:07 That house is more important to you than Jesus Christ, 40:10 then it's an idol. 40:25 I have to be willing to give it up 40:29 for the Lord Jesus Christ. 40:31 OK. Now you need to understand where we are. 40:37 We're talking about the Elijah message. 40:39 We're talking about where we are... what we've got to do 40:42 to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. 40:44 And so there's some facets here that we've got to understand. 40:48 One: 41:03 Babylon has fallen. 41:09 I cannot be permitted to be caught up into Babylon. 41:15 In God's eyes, Babylon has fallen. 41:21 But you see the problem is - 41:23 and we're drawing a comparison here, folks. 41:25 You remember the children of Israel were carried where? 41:28 In the captivity they were carried to where? 41:30 To Babylon. 41:32 But what people don't understand 41:35 is life was good in Babylon. 41:41 See? They were there. 41:44 You remember Daniel had gone there. 41:46 Daniel had become the prime minister of the country. 41:49 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been elevated 41:53 to some of the very top positions in the country. 41:57 And therefore, things were great in Babylon. 42:02 Babylon was the richest nation on earth. 42:08 I mean, Nebuchadnezzar had lavished all kinds of wealth 42:12 upon that city. It was a wonderful place to live. 42:16 They had things that nobody else had. 42:18 It was a great place to live. 42:20 Things were nice in Babylon. 42:22 They all had good jobs. 42:29 They not only had good jobs, 42:32 they had plenty of food. 42:35 In fact, historians tell us that if they closed the gates 42:39 to the city of Babylon, they had enough food inside the city 42:43 to take care of them for 40 years. 42:47 So food was plentiful... all of it you wanted. 42:50 They had good houses... good homes. 42:54 All those things were there. 42:56 They had been in Babylon for seventy years... 43:01 and life was good. 43:06 And God said: "Come out of Babylon. " 43:12 That's what He's saying to you today. 43:15 Spiritually God is saying "Babylon is fallen. 43:19 Come out of Babylon. " 43:23 Do you know where He's asking you to go? 43:25 Hmmm? Where was He asking them to go? 43:29 Oh, He's telling them to go back to Jerusalem. 43:33 Well, life in Jerusalem was hard. 43:37 Life in Jerusalem wasn't easy. 43:41 I mean, it was just the opposite of Babylon. 43:45 There were no jobs. 43:48 There was no city. 43:50 Everything in Jerusalem was in ruins. 43:55 Food was scarce. 43:58 No housing; everything was in bad shape in Jerusalem. 44:04 And He's saying: "Come out of Babylon. 44:07 Go to Jerusalem. " 44:13 I'm not offering you tonight an easy way. 44:19 God's not offering it to you. 44:21 He says in these last days "Babylon is fallen. " 44:24 He's saying: "Come out. " 44:26 It may not be easy, folks. 44:30 I can't promise you that. 44:32 It may be very, very difficult. 44:35 But God is calling you, He's calling me 44:40 to leave this world behind. 44:43 Leave the things that this world offers behind 44:48 and put our eyes on Jerusalem... 44:51 because that's where God says we're going: 44:54 to a city "whose builder and maker is God. " 44:58 That's what we're looking for. 45:00 A new place where we are. 45:15 See? It's a call. 45:19 It's a call out... out of the world. 45:23 And He says that you and I need to understand this. 45:27 We need to decide we're willing to do this 45:30 because He's coming back 45:32 and we need to be prepared for His coming. 45:35 And it says that while He's coming... 45:37 here we're talking about the ten virgins... 45:39 it says: 45:47 Hmmm. 45:50 Do you think... I'm going to ask you a question... 45:53 Do you think the bridegroom has been delayed? 45:57 Huh? 46:00 Oh, absolutely. 46:02 No question: the bridegroom has been delayed. 46:06 So you know, if we didn't have anything else telling us 46:10 where we are, that itself ought to tell us where we are. 46:13 The bridegroom is delayed. 46:16 And it says that all the virgins did what? 46:21 Slumbered. 46:23 It does not say five of them didn't. 46:26 It says they all slumbered and slept. 46:30 All ten of them. 46:34 But what happened? 46:36 There was a call. 46:39 There was a cry saying: "Wake up! 46:43 Wake up! The bridegroom's coming! " 46:46 And so they woke. 46:56 And I hope, dear friend, tonight you know the time. 47:08 If there was ever a period of time 47:11 in which mankind has lived and are living today, 47:15 now is the time to wake out of sleep. 47:17 Wake up 47:20 because Jesus Christ is coming back. 47:23 So how do I wake out of sleep? 47:25 They ALL slumbered and slept. 47:29 How do I wake up? 47:32 Well, let me share some things with you. 47:41 How am I drugged? 47:46 I'm drugged by taking in the drugs of this world. 47:52 And let me tell you some of the things 47:55 that we're doing that's drugs 47:59 that are keeping us asleep. 48:01 One of those things that we're doing 48:03 is we're watching too much television. 48:06 Dear friend, you cannot... 48:10 you cannot spend 5-6 hours a day 48:14 watching television and maintain a Christian belief. 48:20 That is totally impossible. 48:24 You and I must... we must not spend time 48:29 in television. We need to spend time in the Word. 48:33 We need to spend time there. 48:36 I'm not saying don't watch TV. 48:37 I'm saying stop spending the hours and hours and hours 48:41 that people spend. I know people come home from work 48:44 5 o'clock and they sit in front of that thing 48:47 until 10 o'clock at night. 48:50 You can't do that. 48:54 You've got to spend time in the Word of God. 48:58 You see what you're doing... 49:01 you're eating the wrong type of food. 49:06 That's what you're doing. 49:08 The same thing that Christ told the disciples. He said: 49:12 "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. " 49:17 You and I are feeding our souls 49:20 with the wrong type of food. 49:25 This book... this book 49:28 has the power within it 49:31 to change your life. 49:33 Do you understand that? 49:35 That is... here is the power to change your life 49:40 and to make things different. 49:42 And you and I must spend time in it 49:45 so that our lives are changed. 49:48 And people today are drugged. 49:54 They know more about actors 50:00 and sport figures 50:02 and all that than they know about the Word of God. 50:05 You can ask them and they can tell you all about 50:08 these people but they can't tell you anything 50:10 about the Word of God. 50:11 And I'm not talking about people who claim to not, 50:14 you know, claim to be non-Christian. 50:16 I'm talking about people that claim to know the Lord, 50:19 and they know more about sports 50:21 than they know about the Word of God. 50:23 No! That cannot be 50:27 if I'm going to be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. 50:31 Thirdly: not listening. 50:37 We're just not listening. We don't have our ears open. 50:41 It says: "They have ears, but they do not hear. " 50:45 I can't hear the still small voice of the Lord. 50:51 I can't hear it because I am deaf 50:57 to the Spirit of God and the voice of God. 51:02 See, I've got to listen. I've got to understand. 51:06 I've got to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. 51:08 Finally, need to change your lifestyle. 51:14 The lifestyle needs to be changed. 51:18 I'm talking about why people are... what needs to happen 51:23 for them to wake out of sleep. 51:25 You can't continue to have a lifestyle that doesn't 51:29 spend any time with the Lord Jesus Christ. 51:32 That doesn't spend any time. I'm amazed 51:37 at people who call themselves Christian 51:42 and they may spend an hour or two hours a week 51:48 in Christian activity and that's it. 51:51 And they thing they're going to make it 51:54 into the kingdom of heaven? 51:56 Dear friend, they are asleep and they will remain asleep. 52:02 You and I have to wake out of sleep. 52:05 We have to prepare our souls for the coming of the Lord. 52:09 And if we don't, we'll miss it. 52:13 These are things that have to take place, 52:16 and this is what the Elijah message is about: 52:18 calling people to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. 52:22 Necessary. 52:33 See? I need to be watching. 52:38 I need to be looking. 52:40 I need to be prepared 52:42 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 52:45 Are you ready 52:47 for Jesus to come? 52:49 Are you faithful in all the things that you do? 52:54 Can you look up and say 52:56 "This is my God! " 52:59 Are you ready for Jesus to come? 53:03 Let's pray. 53:05 Father, we ask You tonight 53:11 that we might prepare our hearts and our souls 53:15 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 53:20 Help us, Lord, to not permit anything 53:26 of this old world to come between us and You. 53:30 Take away all the idols of our hearts. 53:35 May we be willing to forsake it 53:39 and to follow You. 53:41 Bless each one. 53:44 Give them, Lord, the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. 53:49 May they know the joy and the peace that only Christ can give. 53:54 May they respond in love to You. 53:59 And may each one of us day by day, 54:04 hour by hour, 54:07 keep our eyes fixed upon You 54:11 and be prepared to enter into Your kingdom. 54:16 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 54:22 Well, our next series: The Apple of God's Eye. 54:28 The Apple of God's Eye... 54:31 which is the church. 54:33 So we're going to take a look at what the scripture has to say 54:36 about the church. Very important. 54:39 Why do we need a church? 54:41 What is its purpose? 54:43 Why did God speak of a church? 54:47 And how am I, how are you, supposed to relate 54:51 to the church? 54:52 Is it just something that I go to once a week? 54:57 You know... Or does it have a real purpose and a calling? 55:02 What God desires to do with the church. 55:06 This is what we'll be looking at in our next series. 55:09 So we hope you'll join us. 55:10 Thank you for being with us, folks. 55:12 God bless you. Take care. 55:14 We'll talk to you next time. 55:18 Although they're small and seemingly insignificant, 55:22 soybean pods fill the farm fields of the United States. 55:26 What a treasure they are for the farmer at harvest time. 55:30 Nearly all soybeans in this country 55:33 are processed for their oil which is then refined for 55:36 cooking or sold for biodiesel production 55:40 as well as for many other industrial uses. 55:43 Because of the high demand for soybeans, 55:46 a farmer must be able to harvest large quantities 55:49 in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. 55:52 One of the best ways to do this 55:54 is to use a combine harvester. 55:57 These massive machines give the farmer 56:00 the ability to quickly harvest and haul 56:03 the beans at an incredible rate. 56:06 Have you ever considered what one farmer can do today 56:09 with the help of modern tools? 56:11 The farmer of the past could hardly imagine it. 56:14 Within hours, one man and a machine can harvest 56:18 and deliver untold bushels of soybeans to the market. 56:22 His goal is to obtain the largest yield possible 56:25 at harvest time. 56:27 Like the farmer today, we must do the same. 56:30 In Luke 10 and verse 2 56:33 Jesus said: "The harvest truly is great 56:35 but the laborers are few. " 56:38 And in John 4:35 He looked over the wheat fields 56:41 and said to His disciples: 56:43 "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields 56:46 for they are already white for harvest. " 56:49 In both passages, Jesus referred to men and women 56:52 of this world as He proclaimed that the harvest is here 56:56 and the work must be done. 56:59 When I was a boy, 57:00 the corn harvest was all done by hand. 57:03 We literally had a horse-drawn wagon, 57:06 and we would walk along beside it and pull the corn 57:09 off the stalk and throw it onto the wagon. 57:12 But folks, the time is short, 57:14 so the Lord has provided the most marvelous technology 57:18 to enable us to harvest more souls through television, 57:22 radio, and other media. 57:24 Today we can take the message 57:26 to the multitudes around the world at the speed of light. 57:30 Such ability was far beyond the imagination 57:34 of the evangelists of the past. 57:37 The harvest is here, but we can't do it without you. 57:42 Won't you help us? 57:43 Please consider what you can do 57:45 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:48 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:50 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:04 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:06 through television and radio. 58:08 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 58:10 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17