Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC200012S
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00:07 It's time to ignite the flames of revival
00:10 with 3ABN's first Interactive Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:14 It's time to rise and shine... 00:17 we are the light of the world. 00:21 Turn up the light, let it shine bright 00:25 like never before. 00:28 In a world that's dark 00:30 the only hope we have is Jesus Christ. 00:36 So turn up the light, 00:38 let it shine bright... 00:39 turn up, turn up the light! 00:45 Mr. Danny: I just want to say thank you. 00:47 I know that God has given you this message for today. 00:50 I want to say thank you for your leadership. You know 00:52 it's a blessing for Jill and myself to be a part 00:54 of the ministry of 3ABN. 00:56 You think about the 36 years. Whoever would have thought 00:59 that we would have a Camp Meeting without people in a live 01:01 audience, right? But yet God has 3ABN here for such a time 01:05 as this. Thank you for your vision. 01:07 Thank you for your vision for evangelism. 01:09 When you see him talk about evangelism 01:11 when we're in these meetings his eyes sparkle 01:13 like you've never seen before. 01:15 And it's just encouraging to young people 01:18 to see someone that has vision. Never lost that. 01:20 And to see you both as a team working together for the cause 01:23 of God. What an inspiration for young people such as ourselves. 01:28 Thank you for your vision for the ministry of 3ABN and your 01:32 heart for other people and for the cause of Jesus Christ. 01:34 Thank you, though, for bringing us the message today Mr. Danny. 01:37 All right! Praise the Lord! Amen! Yeah... thank you. 01:39 I also want to say I'm so thankful 01:42 to be a part of a ministry that literally is reaching 01:46 around the world. And I especially want to thank 01:49 of course Yvonne but also Greg and Jill Morikone 01:53 for how they have stepped up to the plate in the last few years. 01:57 How God has blessed them abundantly, and they are people 02:00 who are Christians. They love Jesus more than anything. 02:04 They're dedicated to this ministry. 02:07 They have a kind heart for people: for employees, 02:10 for workers... those we work with. 02:12 And honestly I could talk quite a while 02:15 but I'm just uplifting the Jesus in them 02:17 because that's what we should do. Not bragging on people. 02:21 And also with my wife Yvonne. What a tremendous blessing 02:24 that she is. Now today I'm going to be a little bit 02:27 I'm going to say like a duck out of water 02:31 because I don't usually like to use notes. If I do, 02:34 there's maybe 2 or 3 little things that remind me of what 02:37 I should talk about. 02:39 But today because of the subject matter 02:42 and because of the time I'm going to be reading a lot 02:46 using a lot... using a lot of Scriptures 02:48 because I think it's a very important topic. 02:51 The title of the message today is: 02:56 Now before we can answer that question 02:58 we should see what the Bible has to say concerning 03:01 God's last-day remnant church. 03:03 If you'll turn with me now: Revelation 12:17. 03:06 And it says: 03:18 Now, what is a remnant? 03:21 My mother used to work at a dress factory 03:23 and much to the chagrin of my brothers and me 03:26 she would bring home remnant material that her boss gave her 03:29 and she would make shirts for us boys. 03:32 She would use the remnant material from these dresses. 03:35 Believe you me, my brothers and I... 03:38 we weren't very happy about wearing shirts 03:40 that were made from the same cloth as women's dresses. 03:43 But hey, we were poor... so when we'd complain about it 03:46 guess what? My mother'd say: "Hey, 03:49 beggars can't be choosers. " 03:52 So what is a remnant? A remnant - I know this 03:54 from experience - is a mirror-like image 03:57 of the original. So the remnant church 04:00 would be a mirror-like image of the true church of God. 04:05 All right? Now I'm not going to go into the detail 04:08 of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation 04:10 that one might expect when covering this topic 04:13 of the remnant church. 04:15 AND I won't be going into details as to why SDA's 04:18 believe this scripture applies to us as a church. 04:21 Now why not? The intent of this sermon - 04:24 this message - is to be a wake-up call to the church. 04:28 So the rest of you listening: that's OK if you want to 04:31 listen in, but today I really think it's time 04:34 that we talk to the church of God. 04:36 And we want to take a good look at ourselves 04:39 and see if we truly meet the requirements 04:41 of a remnant church. 04:42 It's a church we claim to be: the remnant church. 04:45 I'm not here to judge you and to judge who's going to heaven 04:49 and who isn't. That's God's job... not mine. 04:52 But I am here to say that those who see themselves 04:55 as the very elect better make good and certain 04:58 that you meet the qualifications as part of the remnant church. 05:01 Just being a member of the church, now listen to this, 05:04 just being a member of the church who teaches 05:07 they are the remnant church DOES NOT make you part 05:10 of the remnant group. Now you got that, right? 05:13 Just because we think we are doesn't mean we are. 05:17 As I'm sure you know, politics has woven itself 05:19 into almost everything... including the church. 05:22 I'll assure you that today's sermon 05:25 is based on the Bible and not what's politically correct. 05:29 I'm going to say that again. I'm going to say 05:31 what's based on the Bible today 05:33 and not what is politically correct in the world around us. 05:36 But I'm going to tell you in advance that before this sermon 05:39 is over I'm going to guess now that a number of you 05:42 are going to be upset by what I'm going to say 05:45 and you're going to accuse me of jumping into politics. 05:48 Well how do I know that? I've heard it before. 05:50 But I also want to remind you 05:52 that if your politics get in the way of the Bible 05:56 then what should you do? I think you should get rid 05:58 of the politics, right? 05:59 No matter what side of the aisle you're on. 06:01 So today you're not going to hear me... 06:03 I'm not rooting for Democrats or against them. 06:05 I'm not rooting for Republicans or against them. 06:09 I'm rooting for God. I'm rooting for what we know 06:12 is truth, and God has given us truth as a church - 06:16 a remnant church - to take into all the world. 06:19 I believe God has put this message on my heart today 06:22 to share with you. Some will accept it and some won't. 06:25 That's not for me to worry about. 06:26 The decision will be left in your court... 06:29 you and the Holy Spirit work it out. 06:31 When I'm through please don't write to me that 06:33 you were offended because if you do 06:36 you'll be telling on yourself. Why? 06:38 Because the Bible says: 06:45 Now do I need to repeat that scripture for you again? 06:47 "Great peace have they which love Thy law 06:50 and NOTHING shall offend them. " 06:52 So I'm not a politician; today I'm a "Bibliotician. " 06:56 Now don't ask me to break that word down 06:58 'cause I have to tell you I probably just made it up. 07:01 But it sounded OK... all right? 07:03 I'm not a politician... I'm a "Bibliotician. " 07:05 What we're doing today is I'm going to stick with the Bible. 07:08 Even though I'm talking to the choir 07:10 I want to remind us that according to Revelation 12:17 07:14 God's last-day church - His last-day people - 07:17 are those who have come out of Babylon 07:19 and will be those people who hold the standards high 07:23 in spite of Satan's attacks 07:25 to destroy God's Ten Commandment law. 07:27 These people will be willing to give their lives unto death 07:31 if necessary to keep, protect, reflect, 07:34 and proclaim God's law to a lost and dying world. 07:39 Like those down through the ages who have come out of great 07:42 tribulation God's last-day remnant people 07:44 will reflect the character of God. 07:46 Now, Revelation 12:11: 07:57 We SDA's see the remnant church 07:59 as a visible, historical, organized body 08:02 characterized by the obedience to the commandments of God 08:06 and the possession of a unique end-time gospel proclamation. 08:10 Now you know what that proclamation is. It's called 08:13 the three angels' messages. 08:16 So we understand that a remnant church 08:18 or people alive in the closing moments of earth's history 08:21 is a mirror-like image of the original true church. 08:24 Right? Now though all the world wonders after the beast 08:29 of Revelation, guess what? The remnant people of God 08:32 will not. They'll stand firm to the pillars of the Christian 08:35 faith. The remnant church will be in unity 08:38 as was the original church of God. 08:40 They will be one in faith, hope, and doctrine. 08:44 Now let's consider this: 08:46 If the above is true, would it be a fair statement 08:49 to say that it would be impossible 08:52 for the remnant church to be divided? 08:54 I think the common-sense answer would be: 08:57 the remnant church what? Cannot be divided 09:02 before Jesus comes or it's not the remnant church. 09:04 That probably has some of you confused there. 09:07 Maybe me, too, but that's the way I see it 09:09 because I believe a remnant of the remnant 09:12 will be the bride that Jesus comes to take with Him. 09:15 The Christian church at this point 09:17 has already been divided by false teachings that are 09:20 proclaimed as truth by pastors and teachers and false prophets. 09:24 Many shepherds are not willing to speak truth 09:27 because they're trying to please all the itching ears 09:30 in the pews. 09:32 II Timothy 4:3. Let's read it. 09:34 If you've got your Bibles, go with me. 09:46 Matthew 24:24 says: 10:00 In fact, I'm going to read that part again... 10:02 you do it with me: 10:10 Well, that's an interesting question about who the elect is. 10:15 But I think many of you, many of us, 10:17 believe that we're considered the elect. 10:20 Those who are part of the remnant church, those who have 10:22 given our lives to Jesus, those who literally are willing 10:26 we believe to give our lives for the cause of God. 10:29 Well, when we read these scriptures 10:32 many of us... If you're like me, now I'm going to be honest 10:35 for just a moment, probably never once do we apply 10:39 these to ourselves. When we talk about "able to 10:42 deceive the very elect" we probably are 10:46 you're thinking about me and I'm thinking about you, right? 10:49 Why not? Because many of us 10:51 see ourselves differently from the rest of the Christian world. 10:55 Because we believe - or at least we SAY we do - 10:57 in the sanctity of God's eternal Ten Commandment law. 11:01 Now many of us seem to believe keeping all ten commandments 11:05 of God automatically earns us a spot in heaven 11:08 or makes us part of the remnant church here on earth. 11:11 Now I want to tell you something: 11:13 believing this is a lie. 11:15 It's a lie from the devil. 11:17 Just because you may choose to believe it 11:19 does not make it true any more than if I believe that 11:22 leaving my goat in the garage at the house 11:25 long enough would turn him into a Dodge truck. 11:28 That's a lie, too... right? 11:30 It's a nice thought but it's not gonna happen. 11:46 So we're not saved by keeping the Ten Commandments. 11:50 But if we love God, will we keep His Ten Commandments? 11:53 Jesus said it. He said it in John 14:15: 12:01 The remnant will stand out from the crowd. 12:04 They'll be separated from the rest of the world. 12:07 Let's go to I Peter 2:9. 12:09 Get your Bibles. I hope you have your Bibles, 12:10 your sword, with you: 12:26 Now my question for you would be: 12:30 if a jury made up of your peers, your friends, and your neighbors 12:33 were to weigh all the evidence gathered about you, 12:36 would they have enough evidence to convict you 12:38 of being a Christian? Wow! That's pretty tough. Would they? 12:42 What about this: would they have enough evidence 12:45 against you as s Seventh-day Adventist Christian 12:47 to convict you of living up, to identifying 12:51 the characteristics of the remnant church? 12:53 Or... sadly... would they have to set you free. 12:57 Now I'm talking to myself too. 12:59 Now this may be a shock for many of you 13:01 but from what I gather from scripture 13:04 most of us - I'm going to say this slowly - most of us 13:07 would not now qualify as God's remnant church. 13:11 Now that's not to be offensive. 13:13 I'm just saying the people that Jesus is coming back for 13:17 is a purified bride... a purified church... 13:20 those that have come out of great tribulation. 13:24 So let's turn to I Corinthians chapter 13 13:27 and read what God expects of His church. 13:31 To me, if we're going to be part of the remnant church 13:34 and that's our desire, let's go to the Word of God 13:37 and say: "Well, what are some of these qualifications? " 13:39 I love this: 15:26 I'm reading these scriptures because 15:29 they are describing the identifying characteristics 15:32 or marks of God's last-day remnant church. 15:34 It's all about love and patience towards God 15:39 and towards one another. 15:41 You see, I believe doctrinally that the SDA church 15:43 is the closest to any church that I've seen on this earth 15:47 as far as embracing the iden- tifying marks of the remnant 15:50 church. But remember: the Jewish nation was God's chosen 15:54 people, but their allegiance to their surrounding culture, 15:57 and I'm usin' the word culture... 15:59 It may come up a little later in this sermon so 16:01 think about that... their allegiance to their surrounding 16:05 culture became more important than their allegiance 16:08 to God's law. They committed spiritual adultery 16:11 constantly seeking after other gods. 16:15 Now this can happen to you and me also. 16:18 I want to say that like Paul I am the chief of sinners. 16:22 I'm not standing up here today telling you that... 16:25 pointing my finger at you. Three of them are pointing back at me, 16:28 OK? Nothing I say to you does not apply to me. 16:32 I made many mistakes in my past. 16:34 And guess what? I'll make many more should I live 16:36 a little longer. Hey... but so will you, right? 16:40 When we come to Jesus and confess our sins 16:42 our past is forgiven. Praise the Lord! 16:45 Today I want to talk about the future 16:48 and what God expects of His last-day remnant people. 16:51 Let me ask you... this is very important now: 16:55 is teaching the sanctity of God's Ten Commandment law 16:58 a spiritual teaching from the Bible 17:00 or a jab at one or both political platforms? 17:04 Now do I have to repeat that again? 17:07 Let me do it again, all right? Is teaching the sanctity 17:11 of God's Ten Commandment law a spiritual teaching, 17:15 think about it, from the Bible 17:17 or a jab at one or both political platforms? 17:20 Now remember: I say people keep accusing us 17:23 of jumping into politics. 17:24 That's not our intention today. 17:26 We're going to stick with the Bible. 17:28 Now this is not a trick question. 17:29 I and other Christians including some SDA's are being accused 17:33 by people of just what I said: jumping into politics 17:36 because what we are preaching from the Word of God 17:40 clashes with their politics. 17:42 Did you know that it is now politically incorrect 17:45 to speak out against the breaking of the 17:48 sixth and seventh commandments? 17:50 "Thou shalt not kill" which includes abortion 17:52 and the adultery commandment which includes homosexual 17:55 relationships and same-sex marriage. 17:58 I understand that same-sex marriage is legal 18:01 in the United States of America. 18:02 Same-sex marriage was law of the land that was promoted 18:06 and championed by then-president Barack Obama 18:08 all the way to the Supreme Court where it became law of the land 18:12 in 2015. 18:13 But it is in direct violation of God's law 18:17 and we as a Christian church should not endorse it. 18:20 Same goes with abortion. 18:22 Satan loves to see the precious babies' 18:27 lives taken from them before they ever have a chance 18:31 to breathe their first breath outside their mother's womb. 18:36 Isn't that sad when you think about it 18:38 what Satan has done to God's creation? 18:42 To the institution of marriage: one man and one woman. 18:46 Saying: "No, just as long as you love somebody 18:49 that's all that counts. " Think about these babies. 18:52 What a tragedy! I could talk a lot more on the subject 18:55 but I will move on. 18:57 I understand that people who don't profess Christianity 19:01 I can see them to be blown by every wind of doctrine 19:04 but the shocking truth is that is it fast becoming 19:08 politically incorrect for preachers to preach on 19:11 the sixth and seventh commandments 19:13 in our Christian churches today 19:15 and even including some of our own Adventist churches. 19:18 I think it most interesting that Christians, especially 19:21 SDA's, never before were offended 19:23 when their pastor spoke out against homosexual relationships 19:27 as the breaking of the seventh commandment. 19:29 Or when their pastor spoke out against abortion 19:32 calling it murder and the breaking of the 6th commandment. 19:36 We as SDA's teach that God's law is eternal. 19:39 It was not nailed to the cross as many churches teach. 19:43 Agreed? We seem especially 19:45 to teach the breaking of the fourth commandment 19:48 which is commonly called the Sabbath commandment. 19:51 So my question to you is this: 19:53 has God's Ten Commandment law been done away with 19:57 in the last 10 or 15 years and somebody just didn't tell me 20:00 about it? Right? 20:03 Why do I ask that? Because 15 or 20 years ago 20:06 when nearly any pastor preached against abortion 20:09 or homosexual relationships 20:11 no one... I'm going to say it again... no one in the church 20:14 got angry or upset or called them homophobic. 20:17 Nor did they become angry because the pastor spoke 20:21 on the sanctity of life. 20:22 Fifty years ago many of us can remember 20:25 the 50's and the 60's. 20:27 I'm talking about 1900... 50's and 60's. 20:30 Neither political party ran a platform supporting 20:33 same-sex marriage and abortion. 20:35 Rowe vs. Wade passed in 1973. 20:38 Most Christians polled were against this law 20:41 allowing abortion in the United States of America. 20:45 Now in 2020 when a pastor or a layman 20:48 speaks out against same-sex marriage and abortion 20:52 as sin or a violation against the Ten Commandments 20:54 they're accused by many of being homophobic 20:57 and ridiculed for teaching the same Ten Commandments 21:01 that they taught only a few years earlier. 21:03 If God's law never changes, then why did the vision 21:06 in the church over the breaking of God's Ten Commandment law? 21:10 Now, we as SDA's used to remind people 21:14 that God's eternal law is ten commandments. 21:17 Not nine commandments. We tell folks the Ten Commandments 21:21 are not a smorgasbord where we can pick and choose 21:23 which ones we want to keep. 21:26 Let me ask you: why have SDA's historically 21:30 made such a big deal of the 4th or the Sabbath commandment? 21:35 You think about that for a second. 21:37 How often have we been accused of... I'm going to put 21:43 quotes in this... "harping" on the fourth commandment? 21:46 Is the Sabbath commandment any more important than 21:48 any of the other nine? 21:50 The answer is no, it is not. In fact, 21:53 a number of years ago I wrote a little book 21:55 and it's entitled The Forgotten Commandment. 21:58 Now there's the answer. The reason we spend so much time 22:02 on the fourth commandment is because it seems much 22:05 of the Christian world is either confused 22:08 or ignorant of its importance. 22:10 So we feel it's our duty 22:13 to shine theological light on those in darkness. 22:17 Today, believe it or not, there's a swell among many 22:21 in our college... I'm talking about our SDA colleges... 22:26 teachers and students to support... to support 22:30 the politically acceptable breaking of the 6th and 7th 22:34 commandments in the name of free choice. 22:37 They say that a woman has the right to take her baby's 22:40 life any time between conception through late term. 22:44 They also claim the Bible doesn't limit marriage 22:47 to one man and one woman. 22:49 According to many in our church now 22:51 LGBTQ... I think that's the names they go by... marriages 22:56 are acceptable before God as long as the two people 22:59 getting married love each other. 23:01 Folks, I'm telling you the truth. 23:03 Now how do I know? 23:05 I've had conversations with these Adventists myself. 23:08 We live in a different world now 23:10 where Satan has thousands of ways to detract and deceive 23:13 our young folk as well as the older folk. 23:16 I have to stop and say here: it's not my job to judge others 23:20 but it is my job to enlighten people with Bible truth 23:24 found in Jesus. Any statement I make here 23:27 today... I'm being careful with this... 23:29 any statement I make here today 23:32 is not because I hate or dislike people 23:35 in the LBGT community. I don't. 23:38 I've had friends... I know lots of people... 23:40 We as Christians are to love everybody. 23:43 BUT sin is sin 23:46 and we've been preaching as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 23:49 for so many years that we are to keep all of God's commandments; 23:53 that they weren't done away with. We always say 23:56 either they're all done away with or none. 23:58 And as Adventists we realize and we know and we teach the world 24:02 about that forgotten commandment 24:04 that the commandments have not been done away with. 24:07 So if they're important, why is it that we've not been preaching 24:11 on some of these? And I'm gettin' ready to tell you. 24:14 That's not the case with the seventh. 24:17 I'm going to say that's not the case at all. 24:19 The seventh commandment also teaches against adultery 24:22 between a man and a woman. 24:24 According to the Bible, one sin is no greater than the other. 24:28 Let's let the Bible define for us. 24:31 Want to? What's in it? Because I have my opinion 24:33 of sin; you have your opinion of sin. 24:36 But I think it's amazing so many people 24:38 have their own definitions. Well, let's see what the Bible 24:41 has to say. We can read about it in I John 3:4. 24:56 I'm going to read it one more time. All right? 24:59 You read it with me. If you have your Bible, 25:01 I John 3:4: 25:11 So whether a person is a murderer, 25:14 an adulterer, a practicing homosexual, 25:16 or a thief or a gossiper 25:18 it's all rebellion against God's Ten Commandment law. 25:22 But because of the political climate 25:24 most pastors shy away from the gay and abortion sermons. 25:28 The political influence in the church is so strong 25:32 when it comes to the gay community 25:34 pastors shy away from calling this lifestyle sin. 25:38 Why? Because they are concerned about the negative repercussions 25:42 or feedback they will get from some of the church members 25:45 not to mention people in the community. 25:48 Now I told you that this sermon is not a political sermon. 25:52 And that's true... it's a Biblical sermon. 25:56 Still I can almost assure you 25:58 poor Jill Morikone will be getting all sorts of e-mails 26:01 from people all bent out of shape because they're going to 26:04 be saying: "Danny Shelton is on 3ABN 26:07 right now talking politics. " 26:09 That's how good a job that Satan has done 26:12 in deceiving a tremendous amount of the people in the church. 26:15 They can't seem to separate their politics from the Bible. 26:20 Any time your Bible gets in the way of your politics 26:23 regardless of which side of the aisle you're on 26:26 it's time to get rid of your politics... not the Bible. 26:30 Now a question: when was the last time you heard your pastor 26:34 preach a sermon against homosexuality or abortion? 26:37 Now I'm guessing most of you will have to test your memory 26:40 on that one and say: "Well, if we truly believe 26:43 in the Ten Commandments then why are so many pastors 26:46 and Christian educational leaders silent when it comes to 26:50 the openly breaking of these commandments? 26:53 I can answer that. 26:55 Because many SDA pastors and leaders 26:58 have fallen into the same trap as the world. 27:00 It's not politically correct... 27:03 It's not politically correct to speak against 27:06 homosexuality and murdering of babies by the millions 27:10 right here in America. Would you believe me 27:13 if I told you that many of our oldest and dearest colleges 27:17 and universities allow gay and lesbian student clubs 27:20 to meet on the colleges campuses? 27:23 AND then to add insult to injury 27:26 as the old saying goes they will not allow ministries 27:29 such as the Coming Out Ministry to reach out to gay and lesbians 27:33 with the good news that God can give you victory 27:37 over the sin of the gay lifestyle. 27:40 Pastors will speak out about sin of adultery 27:43 or stealing or breaking the Sabbath 27:45 and victory that we find in Jesus to help us overcome 27:49 those sins, yet many of these pastors 27:51 and educational leaders don't want to even class homosexuality 27:56 as a sin. Why? Because it is politically incorrect. 28:01 If students attending our academies and universities 28:04 aren't told that homosexuality is a sin, 28:07 how will they know? The blood will be on the hands of those 28:10 pastors and educational leaders 28:12 who refuse to call sin by its right name. 28:15 You see, folks: God's law hasn't changed. 28:18 It's many among us who have let their loyalty 28:22 to the political party... They've let their loyalty 28:26 to the political party move them away 28:28 from supporting God's Ten Commandment law. 28:31 Would any of you have ever dreamed that members 28:33 of your own church could stand up against you 28:36 because you believe and continue to uphold 28:38 the Ten Commandment law of God? 28:40 Well, it's happening today 28:42 because we are still divided as a church. 28:45 Now I'm glad I'm not ending this here 28:48 because if I ended this talk here 28:50 this sermon now it's just all bad news. 28:52 But I'm going to give you some good news in a minute 28:54 so hang in there. Again, I'm not scolding anybody. 28:57 I'm not judging anybody. 28:59 I'm just telling you simply God has given us ten commandments 29:03 to live by, and when these laws are being forgotten 29:07 we are responsible to stand up and tell the world about it. 29:11 That's what the Lord told us to do because 29:14 the Ten Commandments law is a transcript of God's own 29:17 character and that's who He is: He's a God of love. 29:21 But He gives us these as ten promises. 29:24 That's what they are. People say: "Oh, I don't like 29:27 to follow those old laws. " "Well, I don't like people 29:29 telling me what to do. " No! God who created life 29:32 knows what it takes to sustain life. 29:34 So therefore what does He do? 29:37 He shows us a mirror image of who He is... 29:42 His character... and says: "This... if you do these, 29:45 if you'll follow these instructions, 29:47 I promise you you won't be tempted 29:49 to go into that lifestyle. " "I promise you 29:52 you won't want to steal. I promise you you won't want 29:55 to kill. " That's the kind of God that we serve. 29:57 I believe that we are the remnant church. 30:00 Doctrinally there's no doubt about it. 30:02 But we as a people are divided. We're going to talk about that 30:05 a little bit more, but I have good news 30:07 so don't go away... don't get upset. 30:09 Don't bother poor Jill. We're comin' back around now. 30:12 OK? All right. Now let me ask you: 30:15 have you ever gone on social media 30:17 only to be shocked about what you read? 30:20 Now social media we're talking about Facebook 30:22 and Twitter... all those type of things. 30:24 Placed there by church members 30:26 these public forums can be read by non-Christian readers. 30:30 Church member against church member 30:32 over race, religion, culture, 30:35 gossiping and accusing others of terrible things. 30:38 And yes, sometimes threatening one another. 30:42 Boy... this is deep! 30:45 There's what's actually called and I've seen it, 30:48 you've probably been on it, chat rooms 30:50 where people mostly just gossip and argue 30:53 about any number of things that they're not happy about. 30:56 Many church members use Facebook and Twitter and YouTube 31:00 and other communication vehicles 31:01 to take their grievances to the public. 31:04 And sadly, it's there for the world to see and hear. 31:09 Hmm... this is something. I Corinthians told us 31:12 that love, patience, and kindness 31:16 are some of the character- istics of the true Christian. 31:19 God's remnant church will reflect His character 31:22 of love to the world. 31:24 Yes, this will be the outstanding characteristic 31:27 of God's remnant church just before the second coming. 31:32 Let's read some more of the identifying marks 31:34 of God's remnant church. 31:37 II Peter... I hope you've got your Bibles now... 31:39 II Peter 1:5. I told you this was a Biblical 31:43 talk today. This is not a political talk... 31:46 it's a Biblical talk. 31:49 II Peter 1:5 says: 32:36 Isn't that a great promise? Isn't that a beautiful text? 32:38 Let me ask you: is this what the world sees in the majority 32:42 of the church members today? 32:44 Again I believe that our church doctrines are sound. 32:48 That's why I'm a member of the SDA church. 32:50 If they were not sound, I wouldn't be a part of it. 32:53 BUT do we as a people really reflect and represent 32:57 the true character of God on this earth? 33:00 At present? I can't speak for everybody 33:03 but for myself as well 33:05 I don't think that we do. 33:06 I don't think when the world hears the name SDA 33:10 that they all of a sudden say: "Oh wow! These are the people 33:13 that are going to be the last-day people. 33:15 These are the remnant people on planet earth. " 33:18 Because they see us as who we are. 33:20 And so it's my prayer that each and every one of us 33:23 before this day is over and this sermon is over 33:26 that we will seek the Lord and ask Him to come into our heart 33:29 and into our life. We should be sighing and crying 33:33 for the outpouring of the Latter Rain to cultivate 33:36 and weed out the tares from among God's church 33:39 that we can rightly represent His character of love 33:42 to a lost and dying world. 33:44 I love Joel 2:28. 34:06 Wow! The good news is that a Latter Rain is coming. 34:10 Isn't that great news? 34:12 The Holy Spirit is coming. It's going to be poured out 34:15 in great measure, but will we as individuals 34:19 and as church members be ready for it? 34:23 It's my hope and prayer that we will be. 34:25 If you were the devil, where would you work the hardest? 34:29 It's a "no brainer. " 34:31 The devil "goes about like a roaring lion seeking 34:34 those whom he may devour. " 34:36 And who is that? We read it earlier. 34:38 Let's read it again. Revelation 12:17. 34:41 Get your Bibles out... open them up. 34:43 Get your iPad... whatever that I'm using here. All right: 34:58 So we shouldn't be surprised to see every kind of evil 35:01 being brought into the church. 35:03 BUT we SHOULD stand up against it 35:05 and call sin by its right name. 35:07 It is our responsibility to protect this end-time message 35:12 that God has entrusted with us. 35:14 It's our responsibility to train our children up 35:17 in the way they should go without compromising 35:20 our foundational beliefs. 35:23 They're being attacked from every side... 35:26 every side. As a church I'm concerned 35:29 that we're either asleep or falling asleep. 35:33 We must repent of our sins and ask God to renew a new heart 35:36 and a new mind in each of us. 35:38 I asked you a question in the beginning of this sermon: 35:41 "Can the remnant church be divided? " 35:46 And the answer is no. 35:47 But we as a people and a church are not there yet. 35:52 As I mentioned earlier, I believe there is a remnant 35:54 of a remnant. It should be each and every one of our prayer 35:59 that we can be a part of that group that rightly represents 36:02 the character of God. 36:05 Yes... right now we're divided 36:08 by the same issues that much of the world is divided by: 36:11 race, culture, politics, doctrinal differences. 36:16 I'll give you an example. 36:20 I received a real wake-up call on this one: 36:23 Some time ago 3ABN had Dr. Ben Carson 36:26 as one of our Camp Meeting speakers this past year. 36:29 He simply gave his testimony 36:31 of how God brought him from a poor, inner-city kid 36:35 to becoming a world-renowned brain surgeon. 36:37 Now he credits his mother, his praying mother, for this. 36:41 Now Dr. Carson did not speak of his appointment 36:43 as HUD Secretary appointed by President Trump. 36:47 He did not talk about politics. He talked about 36:50 Jesus Christ and His power to save. 36:53 Dr. Carson told our viewers 36:55 that his loyalty is to God first not a political party. 36:59 I thought that's incredible for his position to say: 37:01 "You know what? I'm here. I'm working with the government. 37:04 God has placed me here like a modern-day Daniel 37:06 or Joseph, but my allegiance is not to the government. 37:10 My allegiance is to God. " 37:13 So it's amazing he's a member of the President's cabinet 37:16 of the United States of America. 37:18 So doesn't that kind of remind you of a modern-day Joseph? 37:21 A modern-day Daniel? Placed in a high position 37:24 of influence to have an impact on the world. 37:26 Shortly after Dr. Carson's sermon, which was telecast live 37:30 around the world, Yvonne and I received 37:32 nearly 3,000 comments from people on Facebook 37:35 who were so furious that 3ABN had him speak 37:38 that they wrote very unChristian things 37:40 for the non-Christian world to see and hear. 37:43 I won't tell you everything they said, but I will 37:45 tell you I was accused of being a racist, 37:47 homophobic, white supremacist. 37:49 And they even called Yvonne racial names... 37:51 figure that one out... for supporting me. Why? 37:54 Because 3ABN allowed Dr. Carson, who is HUD Secretary 37:58 for the Republican administration 38:00 which is for the United States of America - 38:03 they happen to be who's in office - 38:06 to speak at our 3ABN Camp Meeting. 38:08 Most if not all of the complaints 38:10 came from those on the opposite side of the political aisle. 38:13 Now the devil has done a job dividing the church of God 38:17 on this earth. I had no idea 38:19 how bad the political and racial divide really is 38:22 within the Christian church. I'm not talking about 38:24 just the Adventist church... the Christian church in general. 38:28 We still should love one another. 38:30 Even if we don't agree with each other's politics 38:33 this kind of hate for one another is very telling 38:36 among church members. 38:38 Why? It's evident that there are those among us 38:41 who place their political and cultural convictions 38:44 over their religious convictions and over the principles 38:47 of the Bible. Now, some church members 38:50 claim to be on the political left; 38:52 others claim to be on the political right. 38:55 Now I'm not trying to tell you which side of the aisle 38:58 that you should be on. 39:00 But whatever side of the aisle you're on 39:02 you should never compromise sound doctrine 39:05 to make it fit your political view. 39:08 You won't find truth in any political party 39:11 as their allegiance is to man rather than to God. 39:14 I'm sure we all lean one way or the other 39:17 when it comes to politics, right? 39:19 And if you're honest, you're leaning; you're like us. 39:22 If you're here in the United States of America 39:24 or wherever around the world, 39:25 we're getting close to an election. 39:27 We lean one way or the other. 39:29 You usually can tell by which channel. You watch 39:30 CNN; you watch FOX, you watch MSNBC? 39:34 What do you watch? But we all tend to lean... 39:37 and I lean... to the right side of politics 39:41 though I'm not a registered Republican 39:43 for some of the reasons already stated. 39:45 I don't support abortion and I don't support same-sex marriage. 39:49 Now in the past I've voted both. 39:52 Now it's been a long time. I didn't even vote in the last 39:55 probably few elections. Please don't get upset with me 39:57 about that. Some of you get upset at me and say: 40:00 "Well, you SHOULD vote. " 40:01 But for whatever reasons we chose not to. 40:04 And so I have voted in the past 40:07 both Democrat and Republican depending on who was running 40:10 for office. Again, please don't write me ugly letters 40:13 for what I just said about my leanings to the right 40:15 or it will just show that you are upset because you're 40:18 leaning to the left. All right... balances out. 40:21 Well, we as Christians cannot give our loyalty to any 40:25 organized groups that come in conflict with the 10 Commandment 40:29 law of God, and that includes political parties 40:33 as we were just talking about or organizations such as the KKK. 40:38 Now very few people will be upset I said that. 40:40 But I'm saying it. We can't be part of the remnant church 40:44 and believe that we're going to be here, those willing to give 40:47 their lives unto death if necessary, 40:49 and be part of the KKK organization. 40:51 We can't be part of Antifa. 40:53 We can't be part of the Aryan Nations. 40:55 And guess what? We can't be a part of the Black Lives Matter 41:01 organization. Now all of a sudden feathers raised up. 41:04 And it shouldn't. I'm not talking politics. 41:07 I'm talking Bible here. 41:09 We can't be a part of the Black Panthers. 41:12 And I named all these... the skinheads, whoever else. 41:15 These groups do not reflect attributes and characteristics 41:19 of God's remnant church. 41:21 When you lay the Bible down to join organizations 41:24 whose mission statement is contrary to the Word of God 41:28 you lose your moral and spiritual compass. 41:31 Now, these organizations whose agendas don't match 41:35 their slogans... they disguise themselves as 41:38 social justice organizations 41:40 but the real purpose is a deep change in the 41:42 American values and structure. 41:44 Take the Black Lives Matter organization for example. 41:47 Now as a slogan we all agree that black lives definitely 41:50 matter, right? 41:52 As Christians we must. That's part of our Christian 41:56 walk with the Lord is we love everybody. 41:58 God loves us. He died that NONE should perish 42:01 but all should have everlasting life. 42:03 We all agree about that. 42:04 However, further investigation 42:07 into the platform of the organization 42:09 of Black Lives Matter reveals positions that are anti Bible. 42:14 Now on its website 42:16 BLM we'll call it proclaims... Now I'm going to quote from 42:19 what they say. Now, most of you are OK when we're talking about 42:22 the change of the Sabbath, the Catholic church. 42:24 You don't mind me using what they say 42:27 'cause we're not talking about them. 42:28 So let's don't talk about the Black Lives Matter organization. 42:32 Let's see what they say about themselves 42:34 and then let's you and me line it up with our beliefs 42:37 as SDA Christians and see how they gell, OK? 42:42 Or if they don't gell. 42:43 So on the website, quote: 43:01 So they're against the Biblical marriage one man and one woman. 43:05 They want to disrupt it... that's what they say. 43:07 Then they also say, quote: 44:15 So when you march with Black Lives Matter's organization, 44:19 we're not talking about the Black Lives Matter movement, 44:21 please keep that separate and keep a lot of your wasted time 44:26 sending e-mails. We are not talking about the movement. 44:29 We think the movement is great 44:31 for equal rights. Everybody should have it. 44:34 We are now centering in on organizations. 44:37 Why am I picking this one? 44:38 Because this one has tremendous influence 44:41 that many other organizations don't have right now. 44:44 And it's influencing our church more than any other organization 44:48 I've ever seen. So the Black Lives Matter organization 44:52 when you march with them you are supporting their fight 44:56 by what they just said to end Biblical marriage & the family. 45:00 AND you're standing with them in their fight to free themselves 45:05 from the tight grip of "heteronormative" thinking. 45:09 You are supporting their platform 45:12 that there are more than two sexual genders 45:15 that God created. He, she, they, and I think they say 45:19 something like 109 others. 45:21 It changes all the time. I don't know. 45:23 You are joining their fight to promote leadership 45:26 in all areas of queer and trans people. 45:29 Now I'm not calling names. 45:31 A few years ago that was a bad name but now they wear it. 45:34 They say: "Oh no... we're queer. " So... 45:36 I'll go with whatever they say here. 45:38 So whatever name they like. 45:41 This would include positions... they're going to put you in all 45:44 areas it says center them... would include positions in our 45:48 schools, in our churches. 45:50 Now please understand: again, I don't hate any of these 45:53 people. I don't hate any of the organizations. 45:57 I stand up against what they're preaching, 45:59 what they're teaching because it's influencing 46:02 our people in our schools, our young people & in our churches. 46:06 They have the right to peaceful protest 46:08 and they have a right to their opinion. 46:11 But so do you and I as Christians. 46:13 In fact, we have a mandate from God to go and tell the world 46:17 about His saving power. We have a mandate from God 46:20 to stand up against that which is not true 46:23 and that which is false and that which can lead 46:26 us away from the character of God. 46:29 Now I want to ask you: 46:31 was the information that I just gave you 46:34 from the Black Lives Matter organization 46:36 website a political jump into politics? 46:40 Or was it a Biblical move? 46:43 Think about it. The answer is that it's a Biblical move. 46:47 We do the same when we quote the Catholic church 46:49 on their attempting to change the Sabbath. 46:52 As SDA's we've done it for well over 100 years. 46:55 We don't see ourselves as jumping into politics 46:58 or name calling. We always say that God has people 47:01 in all churches. And we are not talking about a people. 47:04 We're talking about an organization. 47:06 This is exactly the same situation here. 47:09 We believe it is our duty as SDA Christians 47:12 to help people not to be deceived 47:15 by telling them the truth. 47:17 So just to be clear 47:19 black lives matter, right? Black Lives Matter 47:23 the organization I don't agree with. 47:26 But the Black Lives Organ... the Black Lives movement - 47:30 I'm sorry - I do agree with. We believe in fairness, right? 47:33 The movement of black people for fairness 47:36 and equality... I'm with that 100%. Absolutely I am. 47:41 But it's one thing to stand with our brothers and sisters 47:44 for fairness and equality 47:46 and totally a different thing to stand with the BLM organization 47:50 who by their own website says their focus is on 47:54 destroying the Western family unit 47:56 and to promote gay and trans gender people 47:58 and to undo the fact that every- one is born male or female. 48:02 They are anti-Bible. Their own description 48:05 of themselves says so. 48:08 We as Christians cannot allow anyone to 48:10 muzzle us from telling the truth. 48:13 We never have before, right? 48:17 Why would we do it now? 48:18 Because it's so politically "uncorrect. " 48:21 That's why your pastors and your ministers and your 48:23 university professors... You think all these folk 48:26 who have all these degrees don't know the difference? 48:29 They are not smart enough to read the Ten Commandments 48:31 and say: "Duh... this is wrong? " 48:34 Of course, they know that! Of course they know it. 48:37 But they're so worried because these people 48:40 will turn on you. The devil has given so much 48:43 power to these organizations 48:45 that... not just them, many other organizations too... 48:48 that people are afraid of what might happen 48:51 so we stand back from telling the truth. 48:54 My concern is this: we have thousands of SDA members, 48:59 black and white, marching with BLM organization. 49:02 We have conference presidents, university pastors, 49:05 and students all in the name of social justice. 49:07 As Christians we cannot be a part of any organization 49:11 whose mission is to destroy the family, the church, 49:14 the Biblical marriage, and the law of God. 49:16 Now I realize that I have the right to support... 49:19 you know, they have the right to support who they want 49:22 and so do I, but we cannot be silent. 49:26 So I'm asking our leaders and our members of our church, 49:29 those... we should not be so easily deceived. 49:33 I'm yet to hear our pastors and hear church leaders 49:37 denounce this organization that has so much influence 49:41 on the government as well as people all across... 49:43 and within our own churches. 49:45 So what I'm asking today is - 49:48 I know we're running short on time - 49:50 I could go on again... I'm not here... I'm not talking 49:53 politics. I'm just talking about organizations. 49:56 So don't forget: I mentioned KKK. 49:59 I mentioned Aryan Nations, skinheads. 50:01 I mentioned Antifa... all the white things. 50:04 All of these: I denounce all of that. 50:06 But I also denounce this: I just hope that some of you 50:09 all in watching this that have been so caught up 50:12 in the culture of it all that you really compare 50:15 your notes with the Bible and say: "Who do I serve 50:20 right here? Are any of these? Is there a conflict 50:23 in what I believe? I'm out here on this one day. 50:26 I'm in church on Sabbath proclaiming keeping the 50:29 commandments of God and then on the next day, 50:31 the rest of the week anything goes. 50:35 Well I support all of these things. " 50:38 Folks, today we have to make a choice 50:40 and it's my hope and prayer today... I'm sorry that we're 50:43 out of time. Some of you I'm sure wasn't soon enough. 50:46 But I'm going to ask my wife Yvonne to come out here 50:49 in just a moment, but I want to do this: 50:51 I want you to think about your life in the last several months. 50:54 I want you to think about your life. Are the things of earth 50:58 growing strangely dim in the light of Christ's glory 51:01 and grace? Are the things that you once loved 51:04 are you now beginning to hate? 51:07 You see, I'm asking God for a new heart and a new mind. 51:12 I want to put on the mind of Christ. 51:14 Without the mind of Christ all of this preaching, 51:16 all the stuff that we're doing is in vain. 51:19 So Lord, create within me a new heart. 51:22 It's my hope and prayer that you, right now, 51:24 would pray with us. Dear Lord, I just pray for 51:28 each and every person viewing today. 51:30 I pray that they heard what they needed to hear 51:32 not the jumbled up words that I've said. 51:34 And I pray that You will work on our hearts and minds. 51:37 Father, help us to get rid of self, 51:40 to get rid of things on this earth 51:42 that we can truly represent and reflect Your character 51:47 to a lost and dying world. Lord, we want to be 51:50 part of that remnant church. We want to be 51:52 that remnant of the remnant. 51:54 We want to be ready when You come in the clouds of glory 51:57 and we want our lives to so shine before men 52:00 right now that others will see Jesus in us. 52:03 It's my hope and prayer today that people won't be offended. 52:07 They'll take the facts. They'll take this; they'll replay it and 52:10 re-look at it and see "Where do we line up? " 52:13 Do the organizations that we belong to 52:16 that we support, do they line up with the Word of God? 52:19 If not, help us to turn loose of the things of the world. 52:23 Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 52:25 look full in His wonderful face 52:27 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim 52:30 in the light of His glory and His grace. 52:33 Yvonne: 52:47 On the outside 52:50 You think I'm all right. 52:54 There's a smile on my face; 52:58 everything's OK. 53:02 But on the inside 53:06 there's a different story: 53:10 I've stumble down this road 53:14 and I've got so far to go. 53:17 I'm a broken girl 53:22 on my knees again 53:26 longing for a touch from You. 53:30 I need Your hand 53:35 to restore me. 53:39 I need Your mercy! 53:43 Take me 53:47 to the place I used to be. 53:51 Use all the pain and the hurt 53:57 to do a greater work 54:05 and Lord 54:07 restore me. 54:15 I wore my mask 54:18 running away from my past 54:22 Hiding all my scars 54:25 thinking I'd gone too far. 54:29 But You knew my pain 54:33 and Lord, You loved me just the same. 54:37 You promised I'd be free 54:41 if I fall on my knees 54:44 and cry: "Restore me. 54:49 I need Your mercy. 54:53 Oh, take me 54:56 to the place I used to be. 55:01 Use all the pain and the hurt 55:06 to do a greater work 55:15 and restore me... 55:19 restore unto me 55:22 the joy of my salvation, 55:26 so I'll sing again the song 55:29 You wrote for me. Yes... 55:34 Give me a clean heart; 55:37 I want a brand new start 55:41 like the moment 55:43 when I first believed. 55:49 Oh, Lord, 55:52 restore me. 55:56 I need Your mercy! 55:59 Oh, take me 56:03 to the place I used to be. 56:07 Use all the pain and the hurt 56:13 to do a greater work 56:22 and, Lord, 56:26 restore me. " 56:40 Restore 56:44 me. 56:50 Amen! 56:52 Thank you Tim; thank you Yvonne. 56:54 Yvonne, we just have a minute left. I'm really hopin' 56:57 and praying that what I've said today comes across 57:00 with love. I know I get excited and I get 57:02 you know, talkin' loud. But my heart is for 57:06 people that are out of the ark of safety. 57:08 People that have been deceived. Yes. 57:10 "The very elect" as you say which is me and you 57:12 and the folks out here that we all at least will be open - 57:16 yes - to havin' the Holy Spirit work in us and through us 57:21 and maybe like never before. Yes. 57:22 For sure. It's so easy now. You know, the devil 57:26 has so many distractions for us. But I'm so thankful 57:30 that you spoke the truth and you spoke the Bible. 57:32 It's not Danny's opinion. 57:35 This is Bible truth, and so it's important 57:38 that we understand that we are living in the last days 57:42 and that Satan is going to try to deceive us. 57:44 And he's going to use culture to divide, to deceive. 57:47 And so we have to hold on. Study the Word of God. 57:51 Pray and ask for the Lord to root us and ground us 57:55 in the Word. And so I'm thankful for the word 57:58 that you spoke today, honey. 58:00 All right. I want everybody to know, each and every one of you, 58:02 that I love you. That we pray for you 58:04 and we ask for your prayers and your support because 58:08 we're all human beings. Everything that I talked about 58:11 today... I'm not above any of that. 58:13 I've been guilty of all of those things as far as sin goes. 58:16 No, I haven't done certain sins and this sin or that 58:19 but we're all sinners. You've done it, too. 58:21 We're all guilty of sin. 58:23 Yes. So it's my hope and prayer today that we ask Jesus 58:26 to come into our heart. Ask Him to forgive us 58:28 from our sins because He will 58:30 cleanse us from all unrighteousness. |
Revised 2020-11-24