Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU180004A
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00:06 "And this is eternal life that they may know you,
00:10 the only true God, 00:12 and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:30 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming 2018. 00:35 Well, Ryan, that's kind of a mouthful. 00:37 But we are so glad that you are joining us 00:39 maybe through TV, radio or the internet. 00:41 What a blessing we've already received here. 00:44 I'm calling it camp meeting, Homecoming, 00:46 however you want to describe it, 00:47 but our audience here, have you been blessed already? 00:51 I don't know if you heard that but there was a hearty amen. 00:53 And I know for Jill and myself, 00:55 what a joy it's been to be here in Australia. 00:58 We've never been here before, 01:00 but wow, what an incredible experience. 01:02 What a blessing to me each one of you. 01:04 That's right. 01:06 Earlier, before we started this program, 01:07 talked to several of you, some have driven, Ryan, 01:10 over 18 hours to come to this event. 01:12 Isn't that amazing? 01:14 That's a lot of dedication. 01:15 Yeah, we were just saying that we flew 01:16 over the Pacific Ocean 15 hours, 01:19 and I can imagine having to drive 18 hours, 01:22 I guess across Australia, 01:23 so that's powerful and that's dedication. 01:26 And yeah, we hope you brought your Bibles at home and here 01:29 because we're going to be having a powerful Bible study 01:32 as we continue on 01:33 with our Knowing God, Homecoming. 01:35 That's the theme, Knowing God. That's right. 01:37 You know, Brother Ryan, you've just joined 3ABN 01:39 over the past few months. 01:40 Right. And you've already... 01:42 He is part of the family. 01:43 It's like you've never... 01:44 It's like you've been here forever. 01:46 That's right. 01:47 But unfortunately, your wife is not able to make this trip 01:48 because she is a teacher, 01:50 so she's teaching the young people 01:51 back home in USA. 01:53 But I know you'd love for her to be here. 01:54 Yes. 01:55 But Ryan and his wife, Stephanie, 01:57 what a blessing they are to 3ABN. 01:58 Yes, it's such a blessing to be a part of the team. 02:00 And I would just give a shout out 02:01 to my lovely wife Stephanie. 02:03 She has actually just finished school 02:05 about 30 minutes ago. 02:06 They got out of the school. 02:08 She's the principal 02:09 at the Thompsonville Christian Academy 02:10 there in the US, so yeah. 02:12 Amen. 02:13 So I have to say our message today, 02:14 I'm really excited about this because I know her, 02:16 she is Jill, she is my wife. 02:19 We've been married for a wonderful 16 years. 02:21 We just passed our 16th wedding anniversary. 02:24 She is a woman of the Word of God. 02:27 She loves to study the Word of God, 02:29 but she's also, she loves people. 02:31 And how you see her, 02:33 and how you've seen her on 3ABN is how she is at home. 02:36 I'm so blessed, God has brought us together, 02:38 and what a privilege it is to minister at 3ABN together, 02:41 to be a part of saving souls for eternity. 02:44 And 3ABN is not just the people you see in front of the camera, 02:49 it's all of you, it's all of you at home 02:51 that make up what 3ABN is all about. 02:53 So today, Jill's going to bring the message to us 02:55 and it's entitled, of course, our theme is Knowing God, 02:58 but then it's through the trials of life. 03:00 But before that, our music. 03:01 Absolutely, actually in the mean time... 03:03 Oh, that's a pretty good segue. 03:05 In the mean time, 03:06 we have a wonderful special number. 03:08 It's going to be brought to us by Tim Parton, 03:10 and the title of the song is "In the Meantime." 03:13 So after Tim, you'll see Jill. 03:15 Thank you. 03:16 If you know the story of Job, these words will ring to you. 03:33 I am broken in a room alone 03:38 Where the only light is You 03:43 And I am beaten 03:46 By the days of tribulation 03:49 I've gone through 03:53 My life has been laid bare 03:57 Right before your eyes 04:00 Today my heart despairs 04:03 And tomorrow I may die 04:09 But in the mean time 04:13 You're the lifter of my head 04:17 And in the lean times 04:20 You're the giver of my bread 04:24 Lord, Your goodness 04:27 Is too wonderful for me 04:34 I believe my redeemer is alive 04:40 Even in the mean times 04:48 I have nothing 04:52 You have given 04:53 And you've taken it away 04:58 Oh but, Lord, I thank you 05:02 For all I really need is you 05:05 And You have stayed 05:09 You formed me from the dust 05:12 Your spirit gave me breath 05:16 I am Yours in life 05:19 And I am Yours in death 05:24 And in the mean time 05:28 You're the lifter of my head 05:32 And in the lean times 05:35 You're the giver of my bread 05:39 Lord, Your goodness 05:42 Is too wonderful for me 05:48 I believe my redeemer is alive 05:54 Even in the mean times 06:07 Lord, your goodness 06:11 Is far too wonderful 06:14 For me 06:20 And I believe 06:23 My redeemer is alive 06:28 Oh, I believe 06:30 My redeemer is alive 06:35 Even in Your mean time 06:52 So much, Tim. 06:54 What a blessing. 06:55 In the meantime, God is on the throne. 06:58 In the meantime, 06:59 we can trust Him with our lives. 07:02 What a tremendous privilege 07:04 to be here down under in 3ABN Australia 07:09 in the Avondale Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church 07:13 for the Homecoming. 07:14 Greg and I had been looking forward to this time 07:17 to come and to share with each one of you 07:19 and you are all wonderful group of people. 07:21 We had the privilege to meet a few, 07:23 and we are looking forward to meeting the rest of you. 07:25 God has people everywhere. 07:27 Praise the Lord for that. 07:30 Our theme this camp meeting, 07:32 Homecoming, is Knowing God. 07:36 The theme scripture, John 17:3 07:39 and "This is eternal life, that they may know you, 07:44 the only true God, and Jesus Christ, 07:48 whom You have sent." 07:50 How do we know Him? 07:52 We know Him by His Word. 07:54 We know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. 07:57 We know Him by His character and through His law. 08:02 We know Him through prayer, through life's experiences, 08:06 and today I'm talking about knowing God 08:09 through the trials of life, 08:12 through the joy and pain, through the grief and loss, 08:15 through the acceptance of what has been 08:18 and the surrender of what might never be, 08:22 through anything and everything, 08:24 knowing that He is good, 08:26 that He is love and that He can be trusted. 08:31 Let's pray. 08:32 Holy Father, just now 08:35 I asked that You would hide me 08:39 behind the cross, 08:41 that You would get me out of the way 08:44 that Jesus could be seen, 08:46 that Your Word would go forth 08:50 and we would be healers and doers of Your Word, 08:55 that we could see the love of God 08:58 in a way that maybe we have never seen before. 09:01 And we thank you 09:03 in the precious and holy name of Jesus. 09:05 Amen. 09:06 It was a Sabbath afternoon, 09:08 Greg and I had just come out of church and greeting people, 09:13 you know, how you do after church. 09:16 It was a... 09:18 We were out west in North America, 09:20 and a lady came up to me 09:22 that I had never seen before and she said, 09:25 "Jill, I want to talk to you for a minute." 09:27 And I thought, "That's great, you know, let's talk." 09:30 She said, "I read an article in the Adventist Review 09:35 that you wrote about your journey with infertility." 09:39 And instantly I thought, "Okay what's coming next." 09:43 Because when you open yourself up to be vulnerable 09:47 and to share some of the issues that you have gone through, 09:50 some people encourage him pray, 09:52 and some people have many suggestions 09:55 or we could say some constructive criticism. 09:57 Have you ever experienced that? 09:59 So I didn't know which direction 10:01 she is coming from. 10:02 "Is this okay? This is an issue Jill," 10:04 or she coming for to encourage. 10:07 So I said, "Okay." 10:09 And she said, 10:11 "I want to thank you for being honest. 10:14 You have helped me a great deal. 10:17 Can I tell you a story?" 10:18 And I said, "Sure." 10:20 And so we kind of step to the side 10:21 because there's all these people 10:23 after church mingling. 10:25 And she said, "My husband and I couldn't have kids, 10:28 and we desperately wanted to have kids and we couldn't. 10:32 And we didn't know what to do and we prayed 10:36 and God put on our heart that we ought to adopt." 10:39 And I said, "That's wonderful. 10:41 Adoptions are great thing." 10:44 She said, "You haven't heard the whole story, Jill. 10:46 So we decided to adopt 10:48 and we were gonna do a foreign adoption." 10:50 Now in the States if you do a foreign adoption, 10:53 it can be expensive. 10:55 You can spend $30,000, $40,000, and $50,000 10:59 to adopt kids from a foreign country. 11:01 She and her husband spent thousands, 11:04 they received the news 11:06 that they were gonna get two little girls. 11:09 They were four and five, 11:11 we'll call the girls, Sarah and Mary. 11:13 And they already named the girls, 11:16 they were so excited. 11:18 They were gonna come home to them 11:19 and they were gonna be a mom and dad. 11:21 They had paid all these money for the adoption. 11:25 Then she said, "We waited and the girls didn't come. 11:29 And we waited and they didn't come. 11:32 And then we got the news that the girls had been sold." 11:38 They lost the money, 11:41 the girls were not just sold to someone else to be adopted, 11:44 neither were they sold to be workers, 11:49 they were sold in the sex trade. 11:52 So the very kids that were to be theirs 11:55 that they had paid money for, that they could adopt... 12:00 They were so excited to be mom and dad. 12:03 Now they had to live with the knowledge 12:06 that those precious little girls 12:09 were possibly dead or worse. 12:12 It had been several years since that time, and she said, 12:16 "Jill, I don't even know how to deal with the pain. 12:19 I can't get over this." 12:20 And I thought, 12:22 "What I've been through is nothing compared to that." 12:24 I can't even imagine going through pain like that. 12:29 How do you find the faith of Christ 12:32 when you are going through pain? 12:34 How do you find Him 12:35 when you can't even feel His presence, 12:38 when you don't even know where to look for Him? 12:43 I want to talk today, knowing God through trials, 12:45 a little different angle. 12:47 We are gonna talk about answers to prayer. 12:50 When I was growing up, I was always taught, 12:52 there were three answers to prayer. 12:54 One is... 12:55 Can you tell me? Yes. 12:57 Then there is one over here which is... 13:00 No, and what's the one in the middle? 13:03 Wait. Right, okay. 13:05 I'm gonna submit to you 13:06 that there is four answers to prayer. 13:09 Over here, number one is, no, not yet. 13:15 That would be the wait, right? 13:17 That would be the maybe, it's the same one. 13:18 We're gonna spend a little bit of time on that. 13:21 How do we know God in the waiting time? 13:25 What do we suppose to do while we wait? 13:27 This is no, not yet. 13:29 Then we have this one, 13:31 which is no, I love you too much. 13:36 How can love be a no? 13:40 We're gonna spend most of our time on that. 13:42 No, I love you too much, how can love be a no. 13:47 Then there is, yes, I thought you would never ask 13:52 and then there is yes, and so much more. 13:57 Let's start with no, the first one was... 14:01 No, what? 14:02 Not yet. No, not yet. 14:04 We'll start with that. 14:05 How do we know God during the waiting time? 14:07 If you're like me, I do not like to wait. 14:11 It drives me nuts when I have to sit and wait, 14:14 that bothers me. 14:15 They say that on average people wait 15 minutes 14:19 at a restaurant for a table. 14:21 Twenty minutes a day for the bus or the train. 14:25 Thirty-two minutes at the doctor's office. 14:27 Now, you know why 14:29 you don't like to go to the doctor's office. 14:31 If you're waiting for a life time... 14:33 If you spend your whole life time, 14:34 if you average out a person's life span, 14:37 people spend six months of their life in line 14:40 waiting for something. 14:42 People spend 43 days on hold 14:45 with that automated phone system 14:47 that you hate so much. 14:48 People spend 27 days of their life, 14:51 waiting at the bus platform and get this, 14:54 and average nine years of your life 14:57 on your cell phone. 14:58 Something's wrong with that. 15:00 The difficulty of waiting... 15:03 Now, the waiting I just talked about, 15:06 waiting at the restaurant, or waiting for the bus, 15:08 that's the type of waiting 15:10 that maybe makes us just a bit impatient. 15:13 For what about when the waiting is something different, 15:16 when you're waiting for the result to the biopsy, 15:20 you are waiting for the door to open, 15:22 for the job you always wanted, or the home you dreamed of, 15:26 or even to have a home at all. 15:30 What if you are waiting for finances for school? 15:34 What if you are waiting your whole life for a spouse, 15:38 or for kids, or for a friend? 15:42 What do you do then? 15:44 Why do we wait? 15:45 We wait because we have no choice. 15:47 If we had a choice, we wouldn't be waiting. 15:49 We wait because we have no answer. 15:52 We wait because we have no way out, 15:55 we are unable to fix it, remedy it or make it better. 15:59 We are incapable of changing our circumstances. 16:06 How do we wait? 16:08 What do we do in the midst of that process? 16:12 I think there's three ways that we wait, 16:14 when God says no, not yet, 16:17 there's three ways that we wait. 16:20 In the midst of that process, 16:21 first we wait and surrender and submission to His will. 16:26 Psalm 40:8, Jesus says, "I delight..." 16:31 Do you know how it finishes? 16:33 "To do your will, oh my God, Your law is within my heart." 16:39 Now that word delight in Hebrew means desire. 16:44 So what is He saying? 16:45 "I desire to do your will." 16:50 Have you ever really desired to do something, 16:52 desired to do someone else's will? 16:54 How do we even know what the will of God is? 16:57 I desired to do Your will. 17:00 In order to know His will, we have to know Him. 17:05 And this is life eternal that they should know Him, 17:08 the only true God in Jesus Christ 17:10 whom Thou has sent. 17:12 We have to have personal firsthand experience 17:16 in order to know Him and to know Him is to love Him. 17:21 To know Him is to desire Him. 17:25 Often, you know, in my waiting time 17:27 when God says no, not yet, you know how I wait? 17:30 I wait in frustration. 17:33 I wait in self-pity. 17:36 I wait in fear and yet God says, 17:41 "Don't do any of those things, 17:43 wait and surrender, and submission to His will." 17:48 I'm not very good with either one of those. 17:51 Surrender and submission, 17:53 giving up my way choosing to accept 17:57 the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. 18:00 One of my favorite poems, I have written, 18:04 typed up in a thinner frame right beside our bed 18:06 and it says, "In acceptance lies peace, 18:10 all my heart be still. 18:12 Let die restless worries cease and accept His will." 18:17 Though this test or though this trial 18:19 is not my choice, it is His. 18:23 Therefore, rejoice. 18:24 In His plan there cannot be anything to make me sad. 18:28 If this is His choice for me, I want to take it and be glad. 18:34 Make from it some lovely thing, to the glory of my King. 18:38 Cease from sighs and murmuring, sing his loving grace. 18:42 This trial means my furthering to a wealthy place. 18:48 From my fear he will get release 18:51 and in acceptance lies peace. 18:53 So how do we wait? 18:55 We wait in surrender and submission to His will. 18:58 Number two, we wait in active service. 19:02 Not in idleness or discouragement... 19:05 Remember the Parable of the Ten Talents, 19:07 and the King sent... 19:09 Remember, he went on a far journey, 19:11 the noble man and he gave to a certain man 19:13 so many talents and others. 19:15 Luke 19:30, he said, "Occupy until I come." 19:22 In other words, practically speaking, 19:24 we don't sit at home and mop in self pity. 19:26 We don't sit in fear, we occupy until He comes. 19:33 We actively choose to engage in service, 19:37 seeking out other people serving with joy. 19:41 First, we wait in surrender and submission to His will. 19:43 Second, we wait in active service, 19:46 not in idealness or discouragement 19:48 and third, we wait in eager expectation 19:52 of what God is going to accomplish 19:55 in our lives. 19:57 Turn with me to Romans, Pastor John said last night, 19:59 Romans is one of... 20:01 I think he said it's his favorite book, 20:02 and it is one of my favorite books 20:05 as well. 20:06 Romans 5, 20:11 we're gonna read verses 3-5. 20:14 Roman 5:3, "And not only that, 20:17 but we also glory in tribulation..." 20:20 Now, I want to stop right there, 20:22 the word tribulation in Greek means internal pressure. 20:26 There's actually two different words for pressure, 20:29 or struggle, or tribulation. 20:31 One means internal. 20:33 There is another one that means external. 20:36 This one is flipsis, which means internal struggle. 20:40 So it says, "We glory in tribulations." 20:42 So that doesn't mean, 20:44 we're glorying in external physical issues. 20:48 The tribulation that Paul's talking about here 20:50 is the mental struggle. 20:51 Would you agree that's the worst kind? 20:53 Any type of trial that we go through, 20:55 it's the battle of the mind, that is the biggest challenge, 20:59 at least for me it is. 21:00 It's a battle to whether 21:01 I'm gonna wallow in self-pity or not. 21:03 It's a battle, 21:05 whether I'm going to get depressed, 21:06 or I'm going to be afraid, 21:07 or I'm going to splash out in anger, 21:10 all of that's the battle of the mind. 21:12 So we glory in tribulations, 21:15 this is that internal struggle or internal pressure, 21:18 knowing that tribulation produces what? 21:22 Perseverance or patience, depends on your version. 21:26 Tribulation produces perseverance 21:29 and perseverance character. 21:32 That is the character that is forged under trial 21:37 and character produces hope. 21:41 Meaning in Greek, eager expectation. 21:45 Now, hope does not disappoint or hope is not an illusion. 21:50 King James says, "Hope maketh not ashamed." 21:53 Because the love of God 21:54 has been poured out in our hearts 21:56 by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." 22:01 So the first category, when God says, "No, not yet." 22:06 And when we are in the midst of the waiting time, 22:09 we wait in surrender and submission to His will. 22:12 We wait in active service, 22:15 not in idealness or discouragement, 22:17 and we wait in eager expectation 22:20 of what God's gonna accomplish. 22:22 Now I told you, I wanted to spend 22:24 the balance of our time with this one right here. 22:27 When God says no... 22:29 I love you too much. 22:33 How can love be a no? 22:40 Now I do not begin to understand this 22:43 and I want to be clear about that. 22:46 This is a deep topic, we could spend days on 22:50 and we can't even truly understand 22:52 the mind of God. 22:53 But in my study, I found three times, 22:57 three reasons... 22:59 And now there's more granted, I'm just saying three, 23:01 we are talking about today. 23:03 Three reasons why love is a no? 23:07 I'll give you three illustrations 23:08 to show them and then we'll unpack each one of them. 23:11 How many of you are parents? 23:14 So three-quarters at least, 75. 23:18 So if you're a parent and your child... 23:22 Say you are boiling something on your stove 23:23 and the child reaches up to touch the hot burner, 23:26 what do you say? 23:28 No. 23:29 What if your child runs out into the street? 23:33 And there's car coming, what do you say? 23:34 No. 23:36 Now, you don't just say, 23:37 "Okay, I guess, don't do that honey." 23:38 No, right, you'll be pretty firm about it. 23:41 No, get out of the street, get your hand of the stove. 23:43 Why? 23:45 Because love is protection. 23:49 Sometimes when God says no, 23:53 I love you too much. 23:55 He said no because He wants to protect you and I 24:01 from stepping outside of the boundaries of His will. 24:05 Love is protection, we'll unpack that in a minute. 24:08 Illustration number two, 24:10 if you're married, a husband or wife, 24:13 if the other one steps outside of the marriage 24:18 into adultery. 24:20 The spouse, say the husband steps out 24:22 and the spouse is the one who says the husband 24:24 just stepped out into adulterous relationship. 24:28 The wife says, "No." 24:31 Why? 24:33 Because love is ownership. 24:37 When you get married, 24:41 and you say "I do," what is that mean? 24:44 You belong as if were, to the other person, 24:48 love is ownership. 24:50 God is saying, "We are His children, 24:53 we belong to Him, 24:55 and anything that comes 24:57 in between our relationship and Him, 25:01 he gets jealous over. 25:03 And he says, "I don't want that." 25:05 Love is ownership. 25:06 We will unpack that more in a moment. 25:08 Number three, 25:09 Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane, 25:12 remember Him prostrate on the ground. 25:17 God, please, I don't want to go to the cross, I can't do it. 25:23 My humanity won't let me. 25:26 Please, if it's possible, God, I don't want to go. 25:30 And God said, "No." 25:34 Why? 25:36 Because love is sacrifice for someone else's salvation. 25:42 First, love is protection, love is ownership, 25:46 and love is sacrifice for someone else's salvation. 25:49 If Jesus had not gone to the cross, 25:52 there would be no hope of salvation for you and for I. 25:55 So let's unpack those three, love is protection. 26:00 Why does God says, "No, I love you too much," 26:03 because He wants to protect you and I. 26:06 His law and His boundaries are really for our protection. 26:12 The Garden of Eden, 26:14 remember when God created Adam and Eve, 26:15 and He said don't... 26:17 What did He say? 26:19 "Don't eat of the fruit 26:20 of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." 26:23 Now, why did He do that? 26:25 It was for their protection. 26:27 If they stepped outside the boundaries of His will 26:31 and if they went and took of the fruit and ate, 26:35 there would be sin, there would be pain, 26:38 there would be separation from God, 26:41 there would ultimately be death. 26:45 He wasn't being harsh, he wasn't being cruel, 26:48 it was for their protection. 26:51 The same thing with The Ten Commandments, 26:52 the law of God. 26:54 God is not giving arbitrary rules, 26:57 He's not saying, 26:58 "Okay, don't go out Jill and kill someone 27:01 because I want to be mean about it." 27:04 What is He saying? 27:05 "I love you and I can enable you." 27:08 So you don't even have hatred in your heart 27:11 toward your brother. 27:13 These are for your protection. 27:16 What about the second one? 27:17 Love is ownership. 27:20 Now remember the example with a husband and wife 27:22 stepping outside? 27:25 Now if I were to ask you, 27:27 is jealousy a good thing or a bad thing? 27:30 How many would say jealousy is a good thing? 27:33 Okay, I saw a little bit. 27:35 Now, how many would say jealousy is bad? 27:37 We could all agree jealousy is bad, right? 27:39 And we know that. 27:41 But could there be a time 27:43 when there's a godly form of jealousy? 27:49 Godly jealousy is God is jealous for us, why? 27:54 Because He owns us. 27:56 You and I, humanly from an ungodly perspective, 28:00 are jealous of other people 28:03 or jealous of other things, why? 28:05 We don't have any rightful ownership over them, right? 28:08 And we're coveting or wanting 28:11 something that doesn't even belong to us. 28:15 Godly jealous, jealous for us is a divine trait. 28:20 Jealous of us is an ungodly or evil trait. 28:25 Why is God jealous for us? 28:27 Because He owns us. 28:28 He made us in the beginning, 28:31 and then He bought us back with the blood of Jesus. 28:36 Turn with me to Isaiah 43. 28:38 This is one of my other favorite books. 28:40 Isaiah 43:1, 28:47 Isaiah 43:1, 28:48 "But now, thus says the Lord, who," 28:51 what's that word? 28:53 "Created you." 28:55 In Hebrew, it literally means to form or shape. 28:59 "Thus says the Lord who formed you." 29:02 He created us, He made us 29:05 in the beginning in the image of God. 29:08 "Thus says the Lord, who formed you, 29:11 O Jacob, and He who formed you, 29:15 O Israel, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you,'" 29:21 So He made us in the beginning. 29:22 We rightfully belong to Him 29:24 because He made us in the beginning, 29:26 then He bought us back. 29:28 We chose to walk away, we chose to turn our back. 29:34 I chose to spit in His face, and yet, Jesus, 29:41 while I was yet a sinner, 29:43 while I was still wallowing in the mud, 29:46 while I still had... 29:49 I was fighting Him like a little kid, 29:50 you know, hitting on the parent. 29:52 I was kicking against Him, He died for me. 29:56 He bought me back, and He said, 29:59 "Jill, all I'm asking, will you make a choice? 30:02 And will you follow Me?" 30:04 Love is ownership. 30:05 No one can claim ownership more than the Lord Jesus Christ 30:08 'cause He made us in the beginning, 30:10 and then He went to the cross to buy us back, 30:14 so that we can belong to Him again for all eternity. 30:19 So sometimes when I pray, 30:22 and I say, "God, why is it a no? 30:25 Why are you saying no to something I so dearly want?" 30:29 He says, "Jill, My daughter, 30:31 I'm saying no 'cause I love you so much. 30:35 There is this certain thing in your life, 30:38 you have made an idol. 30:40 And I not only own you 30:42 and created you in the beginning, 30:43 I bought you back. 30:45 I don't want anything between me and you." 30:48 There's a circumstance, 30:50 a situation something in your life, 30:52 I'm bringing you to a straight place, 30:55 I'm bringing you to a narrow place 30:57 and a hard place, why? 30:58 To show you what is in your heart, 31:01 so that you can give it to Me. 31:03 Psalm 37:4, David says, 31:06 "Delight yourself in the Lord, 31:09 and He shall give you the desires of your heart." 31:14 I remember earnestly praying for something, 31:17 agonizing with God, 31:19 "God, please, I want this please. 31:22 Why can't it be a yes? 31:24 Please." 31:25 And He said, "Jill delight in me," 31:26 and I said, "I am." 31:28 He said, "No, you're not." 31:32 Don't you love it, God's so honest. 31:35 Praise the Lord for that. 31:37 He said, "No, you're not." 31:38 I said, "Why aren't you giving me 31:40 the desire of my heart?" 31:41 And He said, "The desire of your heart 31:43 is not in harmony with My will. 31:48 Surrender that desire, delight in Him, 31:52 I will bring your desires into harmony with Me." 31:58 Turn with me to 2 Corinthians Chapter 12. 32:02 Paul knows what it is like for God to say no, 32:06 to say no because He loved him too much. 32:10 2 Corinthians Chapter 12, 32:13 now we could debate what the thorn in the flesh is, 32:15 but we won't get into that. 32:17 2 Corinthians 12:7, it says, Paul speaking, 32:20 "Lest I should be exalted above measure 32:24 by the abundance of the revelations, 32:26 a thorn in the flesh was given to me, 32:29 a messenger of Satan to buffet me, 32:32 lest I be exalted above measure." 32:36 So Paul prayed, what does it say? 32:38 If you go on the next verse, three times, 32:40 "God, please take this. 32:42 God, I don't want this, please. 32:45 Couldn't it be a yes?" 32:47 Now the Bible doesn't say God said no, 32:49 at least in this passage, it doesn't, 32:51 but what does God say? 32:53 "My grace is sufficient for you, 32:56 for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 33:00 Now I don't know when we get to heaven, 33:02 we would truly understand God's purpose, 33:04 so I can't begin to understand that. 33:07 But at the same time since Paul said, 33:09 "Lest I should be exalted above measure," 33:12 that tells me that there was maybe a little pride 33:16 going on in Paul's life, I don't know. 33:18 But because he said that, you could kind of pick that up, 33:21 and maybe, just maybe the reason 33:25 God said no to removing that thorn, 33:29 to removing that trial was because God had ownership, 33:33 and He said, "Paul, I don't want 33:35 anything in your life 33:36 that would separate you from Me." 33:40 Love is protection. 33:42 Love is ownership. 33:44 Love is sacrifice 33:47 for the salvation of someone else. 33:49 Back in 1956, 33:52 there was a group of missionaries 33:54 who went from America to Ecuador, 33:56 you probably know the story. 33:58 And they went as missionaries 34:00 to the tribesmen there in Ecuador. 34:04 And five of the young men 34:06 in that mission party were killed. 34:09 Two of the most famous would be Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, 34:12 but there were three other men that were killed. 34:13 They were in their late 20s, early 30s. 34:16 Now if I had been involved in that situation, 34:21 if I'd been the wife, if I'd been maybe them 34:25 before they were finally speared to death, and thinking, 34:28 "God, but we came as missionaries, 34:29 but we're on a mission for You, 34:31 but we're seeking to serve You, and we're doing everything. 34:34 Why?" 34:36 And yet God said, "No, I love you too much." 34:38 How could that be love? 34:40 How could You allow the death of my spouse? 34:42 How is that even love? 34:45 And what happened? 34:46 Those women, the widows, they went back to the tribe, 34:52 they not only forgave the people 34:54 who had killed their husbands, 34:56 they lead them to Christ. 34:58 God said, "No," 35:02 so that someone else could be saved. 35:05 Sometimes the difficulties that we go through 35:08 have nothing to do with us. 35:10 Everything to do 35:11 with the salvation of someone else. 35:16 Nate's son, his name is Steve Saint, 35:19 He said, "The distinction 35:20 of the five men and the five women, 35:22 who are even more heroic than the men." 35:24 And I... Wouldn't you agree? 35:26 I mean, I'm a woman, so ignore that. 35:28 But anyways, it seems to me 35:30 that the women were extremely heroic 35:32 because they had all gone as missionaries, 35:34 but the men were killed, 35:35 and now the women are going back 35:37 to the same people who killed their husband. 35:39 That takes tremendous forgiveness and courage. 35:44 He says, "The distinction of the five men 35:46 and the five women, 35:47 who are even more heroic than the men 35:49 is simply that they cared about other people 35:53 and were willing to give their lives, 35:56 so that someone else could live." 35:59 That was Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 36:02 "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from Me." 36:06 And what did He say? 36:07 No, because the whole world then could be saved. 36:11 That would be Esther. 36:13 I don't know anyone 36:14 who wants to go be a concubine for a king. 36:17 Now she became the queen, 36:19 but she didn't know that when she went in. 36:21 Going into a harem, 36:22 I don't know anyone who would want that. 36:24 I'm sure, she begged and pleaded God, 36:25 "Can I have a good Jewish husband? 36:27 Why have You given me this pagan? 36:29 Why am I..." 36:31 And yet God said, "No." Why? 36:34 Because the whole nation was going to be saved. 36:37 Now, I want to be clear. 36:38 This is not saying that the evil, 36:40 and the suffering, and the destruction 36:42 that happens in the world is caused by God. 36:45 We know, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. 36:48 Jesus said, He came that we would have life, 36:51 and have it more abundantly. 36:52 But in the midst of this world of sin, 36:56 God can turn something around for good 37:00 for the salvation of someone else 37:02 or even for our own selves. 37:07 How do we handle the hurt? 37:10 How do we handle the trial? 37:12 How do we handle the pain? 37:15 How do we handle when God says, "No, Jill. 37:18 And I'm saying no 'cause I love you too much." 37:21 What do we do with that? 37:23 I think one of the best ways, 37:25 this is just from my own personal experience, 37:27 and there's many ways we could talk about, 37:29 I just want to talk about one that is to praise. 37:33 Praise is not about God, it's about me. 37:37 It doesn't change God, it changes me. 37:41 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 37:45 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing in," 37:51 only the things I like, 37:53 only the things that make me happy, 37:56 only the things that... 37:57 No, "in everything give thanks, 38:01 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 38:06 I remember when Greg and I first got our diagnosis. 38:09 This was 14 years ago maybe that we couldn't have kids. 38:13 And the doctor called on the phone, 38:15 which is kind of peculiar. 38:17 I don't know why they didn't do that in the office, 38:18 but anyways, he called on the phone, 38:19 Greg was at work. 38:21 And I remember hanging up the phone, 38:25 and running out the front door. 38:27 We live on a gravel road in the country. 38:30 3ABN is really... 38:31 US is really in the country. 38:33 And running down the gravel road, 38:35 and I was just crying, and I couldn't stop. 38:38 Just thinking, "God, it's everything I wanted, 38:41 and thought it was going to happen and dreamed, 38:45 why are You saying no?" 38:47 And it was a sunny day. 38:49 It was April. 38:50 It was spring time, birds were singing, 38:53 but I couldn't feel the sun on my face, 38:55 and I couldn't hear the birds, and I didn't know anything. 38:59 All I knew is I hurt, 39:02 "And God, why did You allow this to happen to me?" 39:07 And I remember, I got a ways down the road. 39:10 And then it was like, 39:11 I felt God tap me on the shoulder now, 39:13 not literally, okay? 39:14 But, you know, you sense the presence of God. 39:18 And He said, "Jill, My precious daughter, 39:20 count your blessings." 39:22 And I thought, "What's wrong with you, God? 39:24 I mean, I'm going through a hard time, 39:27 the least You could offer is some pity, 39:29 the least You could give me 39:30 is to put Your arm around my shoulder 39:32 and give me some comfort. 39:34 Why am I supposed to praise when it hurts?" 39:38 And I didn't understand why, but I made a choice. 39:41 "Okay, God, I'm going to do it anyway." 39:44 And so I said, "God, I thank You 39:46 because You're good, and I thank You 39:47 because You are on the throne, 39:49 and I thank You that Your love even though right now 39:53 it doesn't feel like You are, 39:54 but I'm still choosing to thank You. 39:58 And I thank You for my husband and for ministry and family." 40:00 And you know what happened? 40:03 As I praised, as I chose, 40:07 made a mental choice in my mind to give thanks, 40:11 God began to change my heart. 40:13 And I could feel the sun, and I could hear the birds, 40:18 and it was like the presence of Jesus 40:21 just wrapped me up in a blanket. 40:25 That's what happens when we praise. 40:28 It's not about God, 40:30 it's about the change that He wants to do 40:33 in our lives. 40:34 What does praise do? 40:36 First, praise takes the focus off of me, 40:39 and it turns it to God. 40:42 Psalm 35:28, 40:43 "My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness 40:45 and of Your praise all day long." 40:48 Now have you ever noticed that you can't speak 40:50 about two different things at the same time? 40:52 Now I can definitely think many thoughts at the same time, 40:55 but I cannot speak many things at the same time. 40:58 So if I'm speaking praise to God, what does that mean? 41:03 That means then I cannot be nurturing my own pain 41:07 focused on my own stuff. 41:09 When I'm speaking praise to God, 41:11 it takes the focus off of me, 41:14 and turns it outward and upward on to the Lord, Jesus Christ. 41:18 Number two, praise makes the enemy flee. 41:22 Remember Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, 41:24 when the Moabites and the Ammonites 41:26 came against him, 41:29 that whole chapter is great in 2 Chronicles, 41:32 but verse 22 says, 41:33 "Now when they began to sing and praise," 41:35 what happened? 41:37 "The Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, 41:41 Moab, and Mount Seir," 41:42 who would come against Judah, and they were defeated." 41:45 Praise makes the enemy flee. 41:49 Do you feel surrounded by Satan? 41:53 Do you feel in your life 41:55 like you're going through a hard time, 41:56 you're going through a trial, and Satan is oppressing you. 42:01 Praise makes the enemy flee. 42:05 Number three, praise, especially united praise, 42:10 invites the presence of Jesus. 42:14 2 Corinthians... 42:15 2 Chronicles, sorry, 42:17 turn with me to 2 Chronicles, we're going to verse 5. 42:21 I love this scripture. 42:22 2 Chronicles Chapter 5, excuse me not verse. 42:25 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14. 42:30 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14, 42:35 "Indeed it came to pass 42:36 when the trumpeters and singers were as one..." 42:42 Is that unity, when you come together as one? 42:45 Okay, so when the trumpeters and singers were as one, 42:48 so we have unity, "to make one sound," 42:51 there we have that unity again, 42:52 "one sound 42:55 to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, 42:58 and when they lifted up their voice 42:59 with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, 43:02 and praised the Lord," 43:03 So this is the praise session, a united praise session. 43:07 So they're coming together as one, 43:09 they're lifting up their voices in praise, 43:12 "saying, 'For He is good, 43:15 for His mercy endures forever.'" 43:18 What happened? 43:20 What was the result when they came together as one, 43:23 and when they praised the Lord, what happened? 43:28 That's right. 43:30 "The house of the Lord was filled with a cloud." 43:33 Now that is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 43:37 "So that the priests could not continue ministering 43:39 because of the cloud, 43:41 for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." 43:43 Now that's incredible, because we're not talking about 43:45 a light cloud that just kind of drifted into the tabernacle, 43:49 we're not talking about just the little haze 43:52 and you think, I think, maybe I see a cloud, 43:55 it was so thick 43:56 that they could not even continue ministering. 43:59 What does that mean? 44:00 Praise invites God's presence. 44:06 Do you need the presence of Jesus in your life? 44:08 Choose to praise. 44:10 Praise invites His presence. 44:12 Number four, praise gives strength and joy. 44:17 Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the path of life, 44:21 and Your presence is fullness of joy, 44:24 at Your right hand are pleasures forever more." 44:29 So remember, the united praise, when they came together as one, 44:32 and they praised, what happened? 44:34 The presence of God came. 44:37 Now in this verse, we see that 44:39 if we're in the presence of God, we have joy. 44:44 So if we need joy, we need to praise 44:49 because that will bring the presence of God, 44:52 and then the presence of God brings joy. 44:58 Next verse, Nehemiah 8:10, 45:00 "The joy of the Lord is my strength." 45:03 So the joy leads to strength. 45:08 I was never very good at math. 45:10 I hated algebra, and geometry, and all of those theorems, 45:14 and, you know, those things, 45:16 but I do remember one about like, 45:17 if A equals B, and this equals C, 45:20 then A equals C. 45:21 Remember one of those equations? 45:23 So if I praise unitedly, 45:28 and that brings the presence of God, 45:31 and then if I have the presence of God, 45:33 that gives me joy, and if I have joy, 45:37 that gives me strength. 45:38 What does that mean? 45:39 If I'm weak, if I'm tired, if I'm discouraged, 45:41 if I'm having a hard time, 45:43 I got to go back to the beginning, 45:45 and I need to praise. 45:47 Praise gives us strength. 45:49 Praise gives us joy. 45:51 Praise invites the presence of Jesus. 45:55 Praise allows God to work, that's number five. 46:00 Praise allows God to work. 46:01 Remember Paul and Silas, 46:03 when they were in jail in Philippi, 46:05 what does the Bible say? 46:07 "At midnight," now it could have been 46:08 literally at midnight, but I think even emotionally, 46:11 they felt like it was midnight. 46:14 But they chose to praise and sing praises. 46:18 They were praying and singing hymns to God, 46:20 what happened? 46:22 God showed up, and delivered them. 46:26 So praise takes the focus off myself, 46:28 and it turns it to God. 46:30 Praise makes the enemy flee. 46:32 Praise invites God's presence. 46:35 Praise gives me strength and joy. 46:39 Praise allows God to work in my life. 46:44 Now you might be saying, 46:45 I'm just not real good at praise. 46:47 I remember there was a gentleman, 46:49 all of you from 3ABN US 46:51 would know exactly who I'm talking about, 46:52 who's always happy. 46:54 And so if you say to him, "How you doing today?" 46:57 "Oh, I'm praising the Lord, I'm doing good. 47:00 Oh, God is good, and he's always giving praises, 47:02 and always excited, and happy." 47:04 And I remember he broke his hip a couple years ago, 47:07 and Greg and I went to see him in the hospital. 47:09 And we went to encourage him. 47:11 And, you know what happened? 47:13 He encouraged us. 47:14 So he had broken his hip, and he's in pain, 47:18 and yet he's telling us 47:20 how he's given out literature to the nurses, 47:21 and how he is witnessing for Jesus, how he's... 47:24 And I came away encouraged. 47:26 And the next day, I was at work at 3ABN, 47:28 and there's a lady who's on the other end 47:30 of the spectrum, not on the praise end, 47:33 she could be on the critical end. 47:34 And so I said to her, "How you doing today?" 47:37 We call her Sarah. 47:38 "How you doing today, Sarah?" 47:40 And she says, "It's one of those days." 47:44 And I said, "Guess what, Sarah? 47:46 I went to see this gentleman in the hospital last night, 47:51 and I went to encourage him, and he had broken his hip, 47:53 and he encouraged me." 47:56 And she said, "Oh, some people are just like that." 48:00 And you know what? 48:01 That is true. But do you know why? 48:05 It's a practice, it's a habit. 48:09 You know, when I was a kid growing up, 48:12 they always said, practice makes perfect. 48:14 I don't know, if you teach that in Australia. 48:16 Practice makes perfect. 48:17 Well, I don't believe that because if you practice, Tim, 48:20 if you practice the wrong note on the piano, 48:22 and you always hit a B flat instead of a B, what happens? 48:25 You have it perfectly wrong. 48:27 Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent. 48:33 So that means we can make a choice to praise. 48:40 That can become a permanent habit. 48:45 Greg and I were at the zoo in Florida, 48:48 and I like to look at the big cats, 48:50 that lions, and the tigers, and I love those animals. 48:54 And it just reminds me in heaven, 48:55 we'll be able to sit down with them, 48:57 and what a tremendous blessing. 48:59 So the leopard, I don't remember his name, 49:02 but one of the types of leopards. 49:04 He was in his cage, and it was a nice big cage, 49:07 and he had all kinds of room in it. 49:09 And yet when Greg and I were there, he did this. 49:12 He's walking up one side. 49:14 He's right against the edge of the cage, 49:16 and then he turned around and he started on this side. 49:18 Now he had a whole 49:19 another section over here, right? 49:21 That he could have walked in, he had all kinds of stuff, 49:23 and he walked right along the edge of the cage. 49:26 Now there was nice grass and everything was lush, 49:29 but the grass was gone here. 49:32 And guess what? 49:33 It was dirt, and not only was it dirt, it was a rut. 49:36 A rut had formed where he walked. 49:40 See, you know what, as Christians, 49:43 we, I can fall into a rut, and I start walking, 49:49 "Woe is me, I can't believe 49:51 all the problems I'm having in life." 49:54 Boom, turn around. 49:56 "Oh, I wish someone would give me 49:58 some more affirmation, 50:00 I'm having such a hard time." 50:02 Turn around. 50:03 "Oh, Father, I don't know why aren't You smiling on me, 50:07 and I can't feel Your presence?" 50:09 Turn around. 50:10 But what if I made a choice, and I said, 50:14 "God, I'm stepping out," right? 50:16 "I'm stepping out. 50:18 God, I'm tired of living in the rut. 50:21 God, I'm tired of life with pain, and life with fear. 50:27 I'm tired of life with jealousy. 50:30 I'm tired of life as I'm living it. 50:33 I'm tired of questions. 50:35 God, I want to step out. 50:38 I make a choice. 50:40 Thank you that You're my Father." 50:42 Now I'm half in and half out, right? 50:44 Half on the grass, half on the rut. 50:47 God, I thank You that You've redeemed me. 50:52 God, I thank You that I am Your daughter. 50:55 Another step. 50:56 God, I thank You 50:58 for the privilege of reading Your Word. 51:00 Another step. 51:01 God, I thank You that every experience in life, 51:05 You can turn. 51:06 Romans 8:28, 51:08 "For good to those who love You, 51:11 to those who are the called according to Your purpose." 51:14 And you know what happens? 51:16 Step-by-step, promise-by-promise, 51:21 we walk from the devil's pit, 51:25 from the devil's rut 51:28 right out into the arms of Jesus. 51:33 There's the last two we haven't gotten to. 51:35 God says, "No, not yet." 51:37 What do we do in the midst of the waiting time? 51:40 Then He says, "No, I love you too much. 51:45 I love you, and I want to protect you. 51:49 I love you, and I want to own you, 51:51 and buy you back and redeem you. 51:56 I love you. 51:57 You are mine. 51:59 I love you." 52:02 Even this trial can work for someone else's salvation, 52:06 we can make a choice to praise. 52:08 What about "Yes, I thought You'd never ask?" 52:14 James 4:2, 52:15 "You have not because you asked not." 52:21 Psalm 2:8, 52:23 "Ask of Me, and I will give you the heathen 52:27 for your inheritance, 52:28 and the uttermost parts of the earth 52:31 for your possession." 52:33 What are we to ask for? 52:35 Ask for the conversion of your family, 52:37 your friends, your neighbors, your enemies, the world. 52:41 Ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 52:45 Ask for revival and reformation to spring forth in your life. 52:50 Ask for a new heart, a heart of flesh. 52:53 Ask for God to write His law in your heart, 52:57 and in your mind. 52:58 Ask to become a new creation in Christ Jesus, 53:03 ask that He could be glorified in your life 53:07 in the midst of your trials. 53:10 Ask for spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. 53:14 Ask to have His name written on your forehead. 53:18 Ask to have your name written in the Lamb's book of life. 53:23 Ask to be transformed into His image. 53:26 Ask for grace to endure and strength to overcome. 53:30 Ask for victory from sin. 53:32 Ask for deliverance from bondage. 53:35 Ask for freedom in Christ. 53:38 Ask for a peace that passes all understanding. 53:43 And what do we do? We thank Him. 53:46 Thank Him that all His promises are yes, 53:50 and amen in Christ Jesus. 53:55 What about the last category? 53:57 Yes, and so much more. 54:02 Higher than we can think 54:05 or even imagine is God's ideal 54:10 for you and I, as His children. 54:13 Jeremiah 29:11, 54:16 "I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. 54:19 Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. 54:22 Plans to give you a future and a hope. 54:27 Ephesians 3:20, 54:29 "Now to Him, who is able to do exceedingly, 54:33 abundantly above all 54:35 that we could ever ask or think, 54:37 according to the power of God that works in us, 54:43 to Him be glory in the church 54:45 by Christ Jesus to all generations 54:49 forever and ever." 54:50 Amen. 54:52 So how do we know God through trials? 54:56 What if we're in this stage over here, and we're praying, 54:59 and asking, and waiting desperately for an answer. 55:04 And God's saying, "No, not yet." 55:08 What if we're here, and... 55:09 I know some of you here today are in this place right now. 55:15 Everything you wanted or asked for or dreamed about 55:22 seems like it's just crashing around you, 55:25 and it's been shattered. 55:27 And God says, "No, I love you too much." 55:34 What if you're over here, and God says, 55:39 "Yes, I thought you would never ask." 55:43 Or what if we're all the way over here, and He says, 55:46 "Yes, and so much more." 55:48 No matter where we are today, 55:51 God invites us to know Him. 55:55 He invites us to experience Him as we never have before. 56:01 It all comes down to trust. 56:04 Do I trust Him with my life? 56:08 Do I love Him enough? 56:11 The trust is leading no matter what happens. 56:16 Do I love Him? 56:17 Do I even really know Him? 56:22 "This is eternal life, that they may know Him, 56:26 the only true God, and Jesus Christ 56:29 whom Thou has sent." 56:30 Let's pray. 56:32 Father, we thank You that You are love. 56:35 We thank You that You are good. 56:39 We thank You that You created us 56:42 and formed us from the dust of the ground in the beginning, 56:46 and that You redeemed us at the cross, 56:50 and that you want to recreate in us 56:54 the image of Jesus. 56:57 Father, just now I give my life to You anew, 57:01 and my brothers and sisters here do as well. 57:04 We ask that You would do 57:05 a new thing in our hearts and lives, 57:08 and that we could know and trust You 57:11 even in the midst of the trial. 57:12 And we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2019-02-11