Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU180011A
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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. 00:29 Hello, and welcome to 2018 3ABN Australia Homecoming 00:34 down under, that's kind of a mouthful. 00:36 Yes. 00:38 We are delighted that you have joined us at home. 00:40 Amen. 00:41 And we are so thankful to be in the presence, 00:44 the church of the Avondale Memorial 00:46 Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:48 and for their hospitality with this event. 00:51 A special thanks to Pastor Abel, 00:53 the pastoral team and the church board 00:55 for opening up their church for this event. 00:58 My name is Jill Morikone, and I'm from 3ABN in the US. 01:01 And I'm standing here with my friend Angela Lomacang 01:05 who is 3ABN Radio producer and host. 01:08 And, Angie, we're having a wonderful time. 01:10 Oh, we are having a blessed time. 01:12 And you know what? I love meeting people. 01:14 I am made in a part of the family of God, 01:17 some of you for the first time 01:18 and some of you I have met before 01:20 since coming to Australia. 01:22 And we are going to have a blessed time here. 01:25 Absolutely wonderful time. The Spirit of God is here. 01:29 Amen. 01:31 We're divine service, this is Sabbath today. 01:34 And where the message, 01:36 the entire theme has been knowing God 01:40 based on John 17:3 and this is life eternal... 01:42 That's right. 01:44 That they will know you, the only true God, 01:46 and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 01:50 The theme for this particular message 01:52 is knowing God through His truth. 01:55 Amen. 01:57 And our speaker today is Pastor John Lomacang 01:59 who happens to be my pastor, 02:01 and he's kind of special to you too. 02:02 Yeah, he's very special to me. He's my husband. 02:05 And he's been... 02:07 I told him, you're going to be my pastor 02:08 for the rest of my life. 02:12 And we've been married for 35 years. 02:15 I can't believe it's gone so fast. 02:17 We have no children. He always says we have sheep. 02:23 And so I am thrilled. 02:24 We are thrilled to be here to be a part 02:27 of this wonderful worship and this wonderful weekend, 02:30 and we're looking forward to God's blessings. 02:33 Amen. Absolutely. 02:35 Elder John Lomacang is a man of God, 02:37 he and his wife. 02:39 He's a man of the Word 02:41 and a man who stands for principle. 02:43 Yes. 02:44 And I'm looking forward to what God is going to do 02:46 in and through him for this divine worship hour. 02:49 But before he speaks... Oh, yes. 02:51 We're going to hear from Tim Parton and Ryan Day. 02:55 Tim is the general manager 02:57 of the Praise Him Music Network, 02:59 and Ryan Day is his assistant. 03:00 And the song they will be ministering 03:02 is "Where No One Stands Alone." 03:05 After they shall have sung, the next voice you will hear 03:09 is that of our pastor and friend Elder John Lomacang. 03:13 Thank you. 03:24 Once I stood in the night 03:30 With my head bowed low 03:35 In the darkness 03:38 As black as could be 03:45 And my heartfelt alone 03:50 And I cried, oh Lord 03:56 Don't hide 03:58 Your face from me 04:05 Hold my hand all the way 04:10 Every hour, every day 04:16 Come here to the great unknown 04:26 Take my hand 04:31 Let me stand 04:36 Where no one stands alone 04:51 Like a king 04:54 I may live 04:57 In a palace so tall 05:03 With great riches 05:06 To call my own 05:14 But I don't know a thing 05:19 In this whole wide world 05:26 That's worse 05:28 Than being alone 05:36 Hold my hand all the way 05:42 Every hour, every day 05:47 Come here to the great unknown 05:58 Take my hand 06:03 Let me stand 06:08 Where no one 06:11 Stands alone 06:18 Take my hand 06:23 Let me stand 06:30 Where no one 06:35 Stands alone 06:53 Amen. 07:01 Can the church say amen again? 07:03 Amen. 07:09 Let us pray. 07:15 Our Gracious Father in heaven, 07:17 this is a moment that belongs to You. 07:23 And we invite Your holy angels to come 07:27 and inhabit this place. 07:32 Send your all sufficient Holy Spirit today 07:38 to speak to our hearts. 07:42 And when this message is done, 07:43 may Your work continue in our hearts 07:46 and in our lives 07:50 that we may be ready for that great and glorious day 07:54 that is just over the horizon. 07:58 Lord, I give You my heart, and my hands, and my voice, 08:01 and I pray that even now, 08:03 I will recognize as I stand here 08:08 that I do not stand alone. 08:11 Take Your word anointed 08:17 and find the heart that needs to hear it 08:20 in this urgent hour. 08:22 In Jesus' name I pray. 08:25 Amen. 08:28 John 17:3 has been the scripture reading 08:31 for this entire homecoming, 08:37 and I'd like to begin by pointing us back to it. 08:41 My title is "Knowing God by His Truth." 08:46 John 17:3, and we read as follows. 08:51 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, 08:57 the only true God, 08:59 and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 09:04 My brothers and my sisters, 09:06 Jesus links salvation not only to knowing Him, 09:10 but to knowing the truth. 09:13 He not only says 09:15 that eternal life is knowing Him, 09:16 but He also says in John 8:32. 09:19 "And you shall know the truth, 09:20 and the truth shall make you free." 09:25 There's quite a difference between being set free 09:27 and being made free. 09:29 You see, being set free is a singular act, 09:32 but being made free is a continual day by day, 09:37 moment by moment 09:40 connected relationship with Christ. 09:43 You can set a prisoner free, 09:45 but until he's free in his life, 09:47 until he's free in his mind, 09:49 he will return from whence he had been set free. 09:53 And so the Lord has not come 09:55 to just set us free, 09:57 He wants us moment by moment, day by day, hour by hour, 10:03 experience by experience 10:06 to maintain a relationship 10:12 that is being made, 10:14 that is making us free by our walk with Christ 10:17 on a day by day basis. 10:19 The truth makes us free, 10:21 the truth does not just set us free. 10:24 But Jesus did not stop there. 10:26 My brother, please don't tear me down, 10:28 just kind of keep it up there for me. 10:30 Appreciate it. 10:32 And John 14:6, Jesus continues, He says, 10:35 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 10:40 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 10:43 These words burned like brass 10:47 in the minds of the apostles 10:50 when the Lord commissioned them 10:52 after the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. 10:55 They were able to ignite the world 10:57 because these words burn supreme in His mind, 11:00 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 11:03 They knew very well that the truth of God 11:07 could not be disconnected 11:08 from the commission of the gospel. 11:11 And so they went forth conquering 11:13 and to conquer as Revelation shows us 11:16 the rise of the church of Ephesus. 11:18 Nothing was able to withstand the progress of the gospel 11:22 because when you go forward in the power 11:26 and the glory that comes only from God, 11:29 the Bible says, 11:31 "If God before us, who can be against us?" 11:36 And when you study the Book of Acts, 11:37 12 times in the Book of Acts, 11:39 the success of the early church was linked 11:44 to the preaching of God's Word every juncture, 11:47 at every point in all 12 of those references, 11:52 each time the success of the early church was linked 11:58 to the proclamation of the gospel. 12:01 I would suggest today 12:03 that we need the proclamation of the Word 12:07 to be linked to the ending of the gospel. 12:10 Come on, say amen somebody. 12:12 As the church is winding down, 12:14 we ought to adopt and go back to the very foundation 12:18 that God inserted in the church as the church was winding up. 12:24 In Acts 4:31, 12:27 Dr. Luke writes the following words, 12:28 and he says, "And when they had prayed, 12:34 the place where they were assembled together 12:37 was shaken, 12:39 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, 12:43 and they spoke the word of God with boldness." 12:47 Now I'm in Australia, but I started in New York. 12:51 And if you've never been to New York, 12:53 allow me to introduce you to a New Yorker, 12:57 where we do everything with boldness in New York. 13:01 Case in point, Donald Trump. 13:07 But God took the mind of this New Yorker, 13:10 He synchronized my word, my words to His Holy Spirit 13:15 because when I was being raised, 13:17 my mouth was in fifth gear but my mind was in first. 13:21 But somewhere along the way, God inserted His Holy Spirit 13:26 to make sure that my mouth 13:28 and His will were synchronized together. 13:35 In these last days, 13:37 the people of God must pray for their minds 13:40 and the truth of God's Word to be synchronized together. 13:45 Because if you believe that the devil was subtle 13:49 and intense in the Garden of Eden, 13:52 and subtle and determined 13:54 as the Israelites journey from Egypt, 13:57 and his theory intensified 13:59 as the New Testament church was born and began to grow. 14:02 If you think that he was intense 14:04 at those times in history, 14:07 he is more intense today than ever before. 14:11 Now I want you to stay awake this morning 14:13 because right now, 14:16 the devil might make you think 14:18 that you're sitting on a mattress. 14:21 This is not St. Mattress Cathedral. 14:23 Come on, say amen. Amen. 14:25 So be awake. 14:26 After the sermon is done, you can sleep in the foyer, 14:30 in the aisles. 14:31 But be awake, be sober, be vigilant, 14:33 God has a message for you today. 14:37 The servant of the Lord in the book 14:39 "Darkness Before Dawn" writes the following words. 14:43 And she says, 14:45 "None but those who have fortified the mind 14:49 with the truths of the Bible will stand 14:51 through the last great conflict." 14:53 So to know God, you got to know His truth, 14:55 not just say you know Jesus, because today, 14:58 there is this impotent Christianity 15:01 that's inserted into our church. 15:02 Many of our churches are walking away from truth 15:05 and saying, all we need is Jesus. 15:07 If all we needed was Jesus, He would not give us His Word. 15:12 It's time to get back to the Word. 15:14 Can you say amen? 15:15 But not just get back to it, fortify your mind with it. 15:18 That means, allow your soul, your will, 15:23 your life, to be permeated, to be infused like medication 15:28 throughout your life, throughout your thoughts, 15:31 throughout the way you live, fortify. 15:35 She says, "To every soul will come the searching test." 15:39 And here it is, it's come and it's alive. 15:42 "Shall I obey God rather than men? 15:46 The decisive hour is even now at hand." 15:50 And those of you in Australia where so much apostasy is born, 15:55 you know it better than I do. 15:58 We've got apostasy in America. 16:01 We've got the arsenal of Satan against our institutions, 16:04 our churches, our schools, 16:06 we've got disharmony brimming over at the rim, 16:10 we've got people shouting their likes and dislikes 16:13 from the congregation, 16:14 we got people that hate and like our leadership, 16:17 the devil has aimed his arsenal at our church. 16:20 It is time for God's people to once again 16:23 rededicate themselves 16:25 to following Jesus and His Word. 16:27 Can you say amen? That's right. 16:30 And so much is happening in our world today, 16:32 we're being pulled in one direction or the other 16:35 forgetting that the Bible says, "Look unto me, and be saved. 16:37 For I am God, and there is no other." 16:40 I'm not looking at who's in Parliament 16:42 or who's in the White House, 16:44 my mind today is set on the right house 16:46 and they tell me that Jesus is still on the throne. 16:51 But she goes on to say, 16:53 "Are our feet planted on the rock 16:55 of God's immutable Word? 16:57 Are we prepared to stand firm in defense 17:02 of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?" 17:07 The apostles were commissioned to preach the Word 17:11 because the preaching of the Word was not intended 17:13 to just stimulate the mind, but to sanctify the life. 17:18 You know, we have people that have degrees, 17:19 and there's nothing wrong with a degree. 17:21 But if all the degree has done, 17:23 has stimulated you intellectually, 17:25 not sanctified your life, it is of no value. 17:28 God is calling us for the Word of God 17:30 to not stimulate our minds, but also to sanctify our lives. 17:34 The Word of God ought to effect the change in the way we live. 17:39 That's why the Apostle John writes the words of Jesus, 17:41 and I love it because Jesus Himself said 17:44 in John 17:17, 17:45 "Sanctify them through thy truth, 17:47 thy word is truth." 17:50 And effective discipleship 17:52 begins in a relationship with the living word, 17:57 but continues in a relationship with the written word. 18:04 It begins with Jesus, but it doesn't end there. 18:07 And we cannot connect to the living word 18:10 and disconnect from the written word 18:14 because in the Book of Acts, 18:17 when you chronicle and follow the success 18:19 of the New Testament Church, the apostles preached, 18:23 not caring who heard what, 18:26 and because of their faithfulness, 18:27 the Bible says, but the Word of God grew 18:29 and multiplied. 18:30 Acts 12:24. 18:33 And I must say today, 18:35 if the preaching of the Word was needed 18:37 for the inauguration of the church, 18:39 the preaching of the Word is needed 18:40 for the coronation of the church. 18:42 For soon and very soon, Jesus is going to come, 18:45 and I'm excited about that. 18:47 What about you? Amen. 18:49 But if the preaching of the Word was needed 18:50 to get the church started, 18:52 how much more is the preaching of the Word 18:55 needed to keep the church going, 18:58 getting ready for the coming of our Lord and Savior? 19:02 The preaching of the Word. 19:05 "In the beginning," the Bible says, "was the Word, 19:07 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 19:09 And there is some today that are denying 19:11 whether or not Jesus is even the eternal Word of God. 19:15 They come to you with their suggestions 19:17 ever so subtle, but ever so satanic, 19:21 somehow making you believe that unless you believe 19:23 that Jesus is somehow a being that was born 19:26 or begotten somewhere in the eons of time, 19:30 that somehow your salvation is affected. 19:33 My brother, it is too late, my sister, it is too late 19:36 to deny the divinity of Jesus. 19:40 No amens necessary. 19:43 In the beginning was the Word. 19:46 The Bible tells me in Revelation, 19:47 "When Jesus come, 19:49 He was clothed with a robe that dipped in blood 19:52 and His name is called the Word of God." 19:55 The Living Word of God is the alpha 19:58 and the living Word of God will be the omega. 20:03 The Apostle Paul outlined the condition of the last days. 20:06 And he inserts a pandemic condition 20:09 that is affecting not only the world 20:11 but affecting us. 20:12 Go to 2 Timothy 4:3-4 with me. 20:16 This pandemic is becoming widespread. 20:18 And the amazing thing about a pandemic, 20:21 you see, a pandemic is much larger 20:23 than just a cold or a disease. 20:25 It affects society on a grand scale. 20:28 And Paul the apostle, talks about a pandemic 20:31 that's not only affecting the world, 20:33 but it's also affecting the church. 20:35 2 Timothy 4:3-4. 20:39 The Bible says, "For the time will come..." 20:42 And let me alter that, 20:43 "For the time has come 20:47 when men will not endure sound doctrine, 20:50 but according to their own desires, 20:52 because they have itching ears, 20:55 they will heap up for themselves teachers, 20:58 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, 21:02 and be turned aside to fables." 21:07 It's very simple to me. 21:08 If the Bible doesn't support it, 21:10 don't preach it 21:13 Very simple. 21:16 And I don't have a problem with the words of inspiration. 21:19 I believe firmly that God inspired Ellen White. 21:28 But when people begin to arise, 21:31 questioning the validity of God's Word 21:37 and beginning to erode our foundational principles, 21:41 our teachings, 21:43 and begin to question whether or not 21:46 what God has revealed to us 21:49 through hours and months and weeks 21:51 and years of prayer and Bible study, 21:55 we ought to know that the time has come 21:57 that men will not endure sound doctrine. 22:00 What we ought to keep in mind is Satan's first attack 22:02 and his last attack will be identical. 22:05 Satan rejected God's truth and authority in heaven. 22:09 He led the first woman 22:10 to doubt the truth of God's Word, 22:14 and he's seeking to do it again to the last woman. 22:17 Look at Acts 20. Acts 20:28-30. 22:22 The first woman in the Garden of Eden, 22:24 he led her to doubt the truth of God's Word, 22:27 and he's seeking to do it again as we near the end. 22:34 Acts 20:28-30. 22:38 We are told by Dr. Luke, 22:41 "Therefore take heed to yourselves 22:46 and to all the flock, 22:48 among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, 22:52 to shepherd the church of God 22:55 which He has purchased with His own blood. 22:59 For I know this that after my departing, 23:03 savage wolves..." 23:04 What kind of wolves? 23:06 "Savage wolves will come in among you, 23:09 not sparing the flock. 23:10 Also from among yourselves, men will arise up, 23:15 speaking perverse things, 23:18 to draw away the disciples after themselves." 23:23 Savage wolves will come in with the intent 23:25 to destroy the flock. 23:27 I've had to deal with this in my church in Thompsonville. 23:29 You would think that 3ABN is immune to that, 23:31 but the devil goes where he can get 23:33 the most bank for his buck. 23:35 So he goes to our institutions, 23:38 he goes to those of higher learning 23:40 and high degree, 23:42 he goes to men and women 23:43 who have established credibility through the years 23:45 and finds an opening in their armor 23:47 where they have not allowed that opening to be closed. 23:51 If the devil can find a way to get into our lives, 23:54 he'll use all of our experience 23:56 and twist it as he did to Uzziah. 23:59 Uzziah was a king for 58 years, 24:02 and all 58 of those years were linked to the success 24:06 of everything he did. 24:07 But in the 58th year of his life, 24:10 he stepped over a line that God established, 24:14 and all of his credibility went out the window. 24:17 And today, my brothers and sisters, 24:19 no matter how credible somebody is, 24:21 no matter how long they've been around, 24:24 everything that we are told must be measured 24:26 by the Word of God. 24:29 And by the revealed inspired words 24:32 that God has gifted this church with. 24:37 Can you say amen? 24:39 Check it out 24:40 because there's some great minds among us, 24:43 minds that are far greater than ours, 24:45 minds that are intellectual. 24:47 And I've been around the world, my wife and I were in Colombia 24:50 and we became aware of the great battle 24:52 that our church is undertaking even as we sit here 24:54 in Autumn Council, 24:56 Satan is trying to divide our church. 24:58 Let me make a point that's very clear. 25:00 It doesn't matter to me 25:04 who's in the first seat in the conference office, 25:08 who is in the union office, 25:12 who is in the division office, 25:14 or who is in the general conference, 25:17 because my mind is set on the immutable 25:20 Word of God which never changes. 25:22 And as long as God is still on the throne, 25:25 I'm going to make it in. 25:28 But I want to say something else. 25:31 When God puts a man in leadership, 25:33 you ought to study the Bible, 25:35 you ought to study every attempt 25:37 that adverse powers made to overthrow men 25:41 that God put in power, 25:42 God never put men that are perfect 25:46 and beyond reproach in seats of power. 25:51 But don't forget what David said about Saul, 25:54 he said, "Touch not, the Lord's anointed, 26:00 and do my prophet no harm." 26:02 If anybody had the right to unseat Saul 26:05 and to take revenge against Saul, David did. 26:08 I read a story. 26:09 My wife and I are reading our Bibles together, 26:11 I read a story, as David came to soothe Saul in his moments 26:16 of internal conflict, and he was playing his harp, 26:21 Saul picked up a spear and threw it at David 26:24 with the intent of pinning him to the wall. 26:29 But for the grace of God, servant of the Lord says, 26:31 an angel deflected that spear so it did not hit David. 26:35 And David saw Saul sleeping, he could have taken his life. 26:37 But what he did? 26:39 He took just a clip up his robe 26:40 to show him that I cannot even touch you. 26:42 I may not agree with you, 26:44 but don't ever place yourself in the position 26:49 where we believe that it is our responsibility 26:53 to correct somebody who only God can correct. 26:59 Because God remove any adverse position out of the way, 27:02 God has taken leaders down, God has removed men. 27:05 You look at Nehemiah, 27:06 all the adverse powers that came up against Nehemiah 27:10 when his only desire was to rebuild the walls 27:13 of Jerusalem. 27:17 And when they could not do it... 27:21 When they could not do it, they made a statement, 27:23 they perceived after the work was finished in 52 days, 27:26 they perceived that the work have been done by God. 27:29 Let me make a very important point. 27:30 The work is not being finished by us, 27:33 it's being finished by God. 27:35 God will finish the work. 27:37 Those of us who exist in this short span of life 27:41 described by James as a vapor, we ought to handle this dash 27:46 between our birth date 27:47 and our death date with humility 27:50 and not with intent to do a work 27:51 that only God can do. 27:54 Savage wolves will come in, from inside men will rise up 27:59 attempting to distort the truth. 28:01 I don't have any fear today. Listen to this quotation. 28:04 And it's not on the screen, 28:06 but I'm going to go ahead and read it to you. 28:07 In the devotional book, "The Faith I Live By" page 282. 28:10 The servant of the Lord says, "There is no need to doubt, 28:13 to be fearful that the world will not succeed. 28:16 God is at the head of the work..." 28:22 Presidents come and go, 28:24 but God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. 28:28 "And He will set everything in order. 28:33 If matters need adjusting at the head of the work, 28:36 God will attend to that." 28:39 Who will attend to that? 28:41 Not committees, not men writing articles, 28:46 not people publishing material 28:49 that Satan can use to split this church, 28:51 but God will do it. 28:56 God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. 29:01 Let us have faith that God 29:02 is going to carry the noble ship 29:04 which bears the people of God safely into port. 29:08 Read about Adventist history. 29:10 You discover we had earthquakes along the way, 29:12 we had our butlers, 29:14 we had all of the controversies 29:17 that are still stirring up our church today. 29:20 But every president that come and went, 29:23 every leader that came and was replaced by another, 29:26 the one consistency that God's Church has is God. 29:30 He's always there. 29:33 Amen, church. Amen. 29:36 What does the Bible mean when it says perverse things, 29:39 headstrong, stubborn, tenacious, willful? 29:42 Their intentions will be to draw away disciples 29:45 after themselves. 29:46 But I want to make a point as you go to John 10. 29:49 John 10:1-5. 29:51 Look at this, a very powerful part of scripture. 29:53 John 10:1-5. 29:57 You see, Satan knows who to target, 29:59 he does not come after everyone. 30:01 He sets a trap for those who do not listen to the voice 30:03 of the shepherd. 30:05 Look at John Chapter 10, a very profound truth 30:08 that Jesus taught. 30:10 Beginning with verse 1, the words of Jesus, He said, 30:14 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 30:17 he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, 30:20 but climbs up some other way, 30:22 the same is a thief and a robber." 30:26 I've had to deal with issues in my church. 30:29 And through the years of pastoring, 30:31 31 years of pastoring, and 35 years of marriage, 30:34 I've been in congregations where people will come in. 30:37 They come in through the door, 30:38 they come in through another way, 30:39 not through the door. 30:41 They come in through the back door, 30:45 they climb up another way. 30:46 And the only way you know that they are there 30:50 is you begin to hear the rumblings 30:51 among your members of people 30:53 teaching things that are perverse. 30:56 I've been in churches where I've had to deal 30:57 with the Shepherd's Rod, and the Brinsmead, 30:59 and the Fordyce, and the Davidians 31:00 and the list goes on and on. 31:07 And if you think the past hasn't taught us something 31:10 about the future, the one thing it has taught me 31:12 is that the devil has come down having great wrath 31:17 because he knows he has but a short time. 31:21 Verse 2, the Bible says, in John 10, 31:24 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 31:28 To him the door keeper opens, and the sheep hears His voice, 31:32 and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 31:38 And when he brings out his own sheep, 31:40 he goes before them, and the sheep follow him..." 31:43 And why do they follow him? Look at the reason why. 31:46 "For they know His voice." 31:49 Knowing God through His truth, they know His voice. 31:54 I'm going to reiterate what I said 31:55 to lead into this text. 31:57 The devil doesn't come 31:58 after those that study God's Word, 32:00 he can't. 32:02 He can't. 32:04 It's impossible for a person that is established 32:08 on the unchanging Word of God, 32:10 it is impossible for them to be shaken. 32:14 That's why the Bible says, 32:15 "If it were possible, 32:17 he shall deceive the very elect." 32:18 What makes the elect elect? 32:20 Because they study God's Word, 32:23 and their faith is established on God's Word. 32:26 "Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God." 32:30 Romans 10:17. 32:31 When you spend time studying God's Word, 32:33 I worked in a Bank of America, 32:35 Downtown Manhattan in the Wall Street area. 32:38 And when I got the job there, they told us, they said, 32:41 "We want you to study the real money. 32:44 Look at the real currency." 32:46 If you study real currency, 32:49 you can spot the fake the moment it shows up. 32:53 The problem with us 32:55 is we spend time studying fake currency. 32:59 Let me make it even clear. 33:00 We spend time studying books that people write 33:04 to try to gain access to our minds. 33:06 The reason I don't waste time with that 33:08 'cause I study the real currency. 33:09 Come on, somebody say amen. 33:11 When you study the real currency, 33:13 you can smell a counterfeit message 33:15 a mile away. 33:19 And so people come in subtlety, they say, 33:21 "Well, if you would just simply study this, 33:23 maybe you'll see the truth that I have seen." 33:25 Well, in just a moment, I'll tell you 33:26 why error is never harmless. 33:30 And verse 5 ends by saying, and I love this passage. 33:33 John 10:5, 33:35 when all the adverse voices come, 33:37 the Bible says, 33:38 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, 33:42 but will flee from him, 33:44 for they do not know the voice of strangers." 33:47 When you study God's Word, you know the voice of God. 33:49 Amen somebody. 33:50 You can tell if somebody says, like, 33:52 I remember reading years ago 33:54 Jehovah's Witness material and they quoted, 33:56 they tried to give it to the Sabbath. 33:57 They said, they quoted the passage 34:00 in Ephesians 2 and it says 34:04 that the Lord did away with the commandments 34:08 and they quoted that part of the passage. 34:10 You know, doing away with the commandments, 34:13 but they deleted contained in ordinances. 34:17 And so when one of the Jehovah's 34:19 Witnesses gave me that material, 34:21 I said to them, "What happened to the rest of the passage?" 34:24 He said, "The rest of the passage..." 34:26 I said, "The rest of the passage..." 34:27 There are three words missing contained in ordinances, 34:32 which completely changes what God said in His Word. 34:37 It's happening in our church. 34:39 People are taking bits of Ellen White quotes 34:41 here and there. 34:42 I had a very good friend that was a Shepherd's Rod. 34:45 He tried his best to gain access to my mind, 34:47 and for time I studied with him when I was a young man 34:49 before I became an Adventist pastor. 34:53 And the one thing it did for me was I went back 34:56 and studied through the... 34:58 I studied the whole picture. 35:00 I didn't just take a piece here and a piece there. 35:02 I study what Ellen White said 35:04 before three pages and three pages after 35:08 what they showed me. 35:10 And I came to discover 35:13 that Satan is more clever 35:14 than we even give him credit to be. 35:19 But when we don't study, 35:21 our minds are open to deception very easily. 35:25 My brother and my sister, the time has come 35:28 that the Apostle Paul said would come 35:31 and we must be a people of the Word. 35:33 Can you say amen? 35:35 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, notice what we are told. 35:39 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, 35:43 what kind of attitude... 35:46 We are told, 35:47 the Apostle Paul speaking of the deception 35:49 of the last days, he says, 35:50 "And with all unrighteous deception 35:53 among those who perish, 35:56 because they did not receive the love of the truth..." 36:00 Notice, it didn't say the truth, 36:02 it said, "The love of the truth, 36:06 that they might be saved. 36:08 For this reason 36:10 God will send them strong delusions, 36:12 that they should believe the lie, 36:15 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth 36:20 but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 36:22 My brothers and sisters, error is never harmless. 36:26 This is the words of Ellen White 36:28 in Testimony Treasures. 36:30 Listen to what she said. 36:32 "Error is never harmless." 36:36 I'll move aside so you can see it. 36:39 "Error is never harmless. 36:41 It never sanctifies, but always brings," what? 36:46 "Confusion and dissension." 36:48 One of the earmarks of error, confusion and dissension. 36:53 "It's always dangerous. 36:56 The enemy has great power over minds 36:58 that are not thoroughly fortified by prayer 37:03 and established in Bible truth." 37:06 That's why I guard the new people 37:08 that come to my church. 37:09 Anytime new people walk into my church, 37:11 I can always see those adverse influences 37:14 trying to find out where they sit 37:15 for fellowship lunch, 37:17 and I can always see them waiting for them 37:18 when they're walking out the church, 37:20 they stand by the front door and they say, 37:21 we want to give you something to read, 37:23 and I have my elders say, 37:24 "Go get what they gave that person, 37:26 we must guard the flock that is among us." 37:28 Come on, pastor, say amen. 37:30 Got to guard the flock. 37:32 And somebody said to me, 37:33 "Pastor, but you don't want to offend them?" 37:34 Yes, I do. 37:38 Of course, I want to offend. I'm from New York. 37:40 I offend everybody. 37:43 Not really. 37:45 But if telling the truth offends you, 37:48 the problem is not me, it's you 37:50 because my good brother who's now resting in Jesus, 37:53 Elder Brooks said, Elder C.D. Brooks said, 37:55 "Sometimes we preach a message and one person likes it, 37:58 the other person has an issue with it." 37:59 He said, "Sun melts butter, but it hardens clay." 38:05 The issue is not the sun, 38:06 it's the condition of your heart. 38:09 But error is never harmless. 38:11 And Satan comes to those 38:12 whose minds are easily engaged through the same subtle methods 38:17 he used to engage Eve. 38:20 The deception of Eve started with a simple conversation. 38:23 Let's talk about what God said. 38:26 Have you forgotten David Koresh. 38:29 He was a young man that gave Bible studies 38:31 about 15 miles away from where my church was. 38:34 Sabbath afternoon, he began, had Bible studies with people, 38:37 young people that wanted to have Bible studies. 38:39 People like Bible studies, so he had Bible studies. 38:43 You know the rest of the story. 38:46 Burned down in Waco, Texas. 38:50 But it all began 38:52 with the same subtle invitation. 38:53 Let's talk about God's Word. 38:54 You want to talk about God's Word, 38:56 go to your pastor. Come on, somebody. 39:00 No amens on that one. 39:02 That's okay. 39:04 I'm working hard for you, Pastor. 39:07 Our churches ought to be the place 39:08 where the truth of God can be communicated 39:10 without fear of distortion. 39:16 And my aim is to make sure that my leaders don't teach 39:18 what another leader is not teaching. 39:22 When I have people among our church, 39:23 whether in leadership or otherwise 39:25 that become confused about what they believe, 39:28 I would personally sit them down and iron it out 39:31 because we must maintain unity at all costs, 39:37 and unity is never to be sacrificed 39:41 on the platform of something that's called a new light. 39:46 Look at Testimony Treasures, volume 2, page 104, 39:51 the devil introduced a lie to Eve and she fell for it, 39:53 but he hasn't stopped. 39:54 Notice what happens. Notice what happens. 39:58 "One accepts some new and original idea 40:01 which does not seem to conflict with the truth." 40:03 That's how it always begins. It doesn't seem to conflict. 40:06 "He talks of it and dwells upon it 40:10 until it seems to him 40:12 to be clothed with beauty and importance, 40:16 for Satan has power to give this false appearance." 40:21 It goes on to say, 40:23 "At last, it becomes the all-absorbing theme, 40:28 the one great point 40:30 around which everything centers, 40:33 and the truth is uprooted from the heart." 40:36 That's what's happening to this whole idea 40:37 about the Holy Spirit not being the Holy Spirit, 40:39 and Jesus being a lesser God created somewhere in eons past. 40:43 You could believe that foolishness if you'd like. 40:46 But I'm not going to put myself 40:47 the salvation on line offending the work of God's Holy Spirit. 40:51 No, not me. 40:54 Grieve not the Holy Spirit 40:58 whereby you are sealed until the day of redemption. 41:03 How could he not be divine? 41:06 How can he not be the third person 41:08 of the Godhead? 41:09 Peter made it very clear to Ananias and Sapphira. 41:11 When they came to Peter and lied, 41:13 Peter said to Ananias and Sapphira, 41:15 how has Satan filled thine heart 41:17 to lie to the Holy Spirit? 41:19 You have not lied to man, but to God. 41:23 Nowadays, all of a sudden, 41:26 the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent 41:29 to finish the work 41:32 is all of a sudden, not really the Holy Spirit, 41:36 but some force that's just floating around 41:39 amongst our leadership and our church. 41:41 My brother, 41:42 the devil has come down having great wrath 41:44 because he knows he has a short time. 41:47 And I had seven quick keys 41:49 and I'm going to hit very quickly 41:50 before I end the sermon. 41:51 But one of those is... 41:53 One of the earmarks of apostasy 41:54 is it creates rebellion and attacks the unity. 41:58 Did you hear that? 41:59 It creates rebellion and attacks unity. 42:02 That's why I like what Jesus said 42:03 in John and Matthew 16:18. 42:05 He says, "Upon this rock I build my church 42:08 and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." 42:10 The church is not built on our institutions, 42:13 the church is not built on our administration, 42:16 the church is built on the rock Christ Jesus. 42:18 Amen. 42:23 And I've learned if I hang on long enough, 42:25 the storm will pass over. 42:27 If I stay in the boat with Jesus, 42:29 He'll calm the waves. 42:31 If I stay in the ship with Jesus, 42:34 He'll say to the waves chill out, 42:37 and to the wind, shut up. 42:40 And we'll make it safely into port. 42:43 So I'm not getting blown away by one theory here, 42:46 I have people come to me ever so sincerely. 42:48 They say, "Pastor John, have you studied this?" 42:51 I say, "Young man, how old are you?" 42:54 I'm 60. That's right. 42:56 I'm a good looking 60 by the way. 42:59 I must say that since I know you're thinking that. 43:05 But I've been around long enough. 43:07 My wife and I've covered 60 different countries, 43:10 well, maybe 62 or whatever the case may be. 43:12 We've been in various fields. 43:16 We've seen God's Word suffering 43:18 because they don't understand how Satan works. 43:23 And people always having some new method 43:25 to draw them away. 43:27 They create rebellion. 43:31 But as the Lord made it very clear to Saul, 43:35 rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft 43:38 and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. 43:42 Don't join any movement 43:44 that determines to be rebellious. 43:49 When you find yourself in the camp 43:51 that wants to overthrow leadership, 43:55 you better watch out. 44:02 And when the church becomes more absorbed 44:03 in women's ordination than evangelism, 44:05 something's wrong. 44:10 I'm leaving next week, 44:11 so I got to tell you like it is. 44:17 The amounts of millions of dollars spent 44:20 trying to figure out whether or not 44:21 a woman should be ordained. 44:26 Does ordination, 44:29 all of a sudden, give you the right to speak? 44:34 I didn't think so, 44:35 but maybe somebody had a different answer. 44:39 I don't disrespect gender. 44:41 I believe everybody is gifted 44:43 and God has called every one of us 44:45 to proclaim this message. 44:46 Come on, say amen somebody. 44:48 But I'm not spending my life 44:49 trying to figure out whether or not 44:52 when the voice of the church is expressed 44:54 in general conference session, 44:56 and we determined to go in a different direction, 44:58 we are standing on unsafe ground. 45:07 Maranatha, page 60, look at this quotation. 45:10 Don't understand how Satan is working in secret. 45:13 Once again listen to this. 45:17 You can't see him coming? Here is why. 45:19 "Therefore Satan's step is noiseless, 45:23 his movements are," what? 45:25 "Stealthy, and his batteries masked. 45:29 He does not venture to show himself openly, 45:33 lest he arouse the Christian's dormant energies 45:37 and send him to God in prayer." 45:39 He doesn't say I'm on my way, he just shows up. 45:44 He shows up through issues, he shows up in newsletters, 45:48 he shows up in magazine articles, 45:50 and unless we are sanctified by the truth of God's Word, 45:53 unless we are not distracted by side issues. 45:58 There are enough side issues 46:00 to build all the denominations you want to build, 46:03 but I'm keeping my eye fixed 46:05 because the Bible says the road 46:06 that leads to eternal life is a narrow path 46:09 and few there be that find it. 46:11 I'm staying on the narrow path. 46:12 Come on, somebody else, can you say amen? 46:15 Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, 46:18 walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 46:22 Satan is not interested in a church 46:25 that doesn't keep God's commandments. 46:28 And whether you know it or not, 46:30 like I said to a Congressman on Capitol Hill, 46:32 I was invited to Washington DC 46:34 when Pope Francis was invited to speak to Congress. 46:37 And a Baptist Senator invited me into his chambers 46:40 with his entire staff. 46:43 And he said to me, 46:44 I don't support Roman Catholicism, 46:46 I'm a Baptist. 46:48 He said, "But why don't you tell me 46:49 what you think is happening here today." 46:54 That's like telling the dog to succumb. 46:57 I began in Daniel 2, went to Daniel 7, 47:02 then Revelation 13, then Revelation 14, 47:07 Revelation 17, Revelation 18, 47:10 I had the ear of a US Senator for 47 minutes 47:15 and his entire staff, you know why? 47:18 Because I believe what the Apostle Paul says, 47:20 "One plants, 47:22 another waters, 47:24 but God gives the increase." 47:28 But I also remember something very clearly. 47:29 And I said to him, my brother... 47:32 Dear, Congressman, 47:34 America is the only nation 47:41 that Rome is interested in 47:44 because it was established 47:48 to guarantee religious freedom. 47:52 It's the final battalion, 47:54 the final gauge 47:56 against Rome's universal dominance. 48:00 That's why they're interested in America. 48:03 Now let me segue on my point. 48:05 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 48:07 has been established as a fortress of truth. 48:12 And the Bible says, 48:13 and the dragon is angry with the woman, 48:16 and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, 48:19 which keep the commandments of God 48:22 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 48:23 That's why all the major controversies 48:25 are aimed at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 48:28 You got the Brinsmead, the Shepherd's Rod, 48:30 the Davidians, the Fordyce, the Feast people. 48:39 I got to take a breath. 48:43 And the new ones 48:45 that kind of like a hurricane from the down under, 48:49 just finds its way in America. 48:51 I had to cut people off on my Facebook page. 48:54 I'm not a Facebook junkie. 48:58 Amen somebody. 49:00 But I had Australians argue with me 49:02 about the nature of Jesus. 49:04 And I said to them, 49:05 being on my page is a privilege, 49:06 not a right, click. 49:11 I'm not giving them room on my wall 49:13 to spread their cancerous lies. 49:21 And there are people that are suggesting 49:23 that doctrines are more controversial 49:26 than unity. 49:27 There're even some churches 49:28 that claim not to teach doctrine at all. 49:30 But I'm going to give you a few more points 49:32 before I close because the clock just 49:33 is refusing to stop. 49:36 Go to 1 Samuel 17 with me. 49:39 Look, I had a couple of passages. 49:42 1 Samuel 17, 49:44 how should we deal with issues 49:48 that have not been tested 49:51 by God's Word? 49:53 1 Samuel 17:38, 49:57 notice what happened. 50:02 "So Saul clothed David with his armor..." 50:07 Let me make a point. 50:08 Watch out 50:09 when people want to give you their armor. 50:13 Did you get that? 50:15 Your armor ain't my armor. 50:19 And he put a bronze helmet on his head. 50:26 People are trying to get to your head. 50:29 So he clothed him with a coat of mail, 50:32 weighed him down, little guy, little kid. 50:37 David fastened his sword to his armor 50:40 and tried to walk powerful, powerful analogy. 50:45 Giving, taking things from people 50:47 that challenge your walk. 50:51 Why did he have a hard time walking, 50:53 for he had not tested them? 50:56 And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, 51:00 for I have not tested them, so David took them off. 51:04 Ooh! 51:07 On Monday morning, you're going to wake up and say, 51:09 "Hallelujah, it's going to sink in." 51:14 Don't let people put on you 51:18 what the devil has put on them. 51:27 Don't let them cover your head 51:30 with what's messing up their head. 51:37 And if they have been wearing an armor 51:39 that can't straighten out their walk, 51:42 their armor is not going to straighten out your walk. 51:48 Do you know who Saul was? 51:51 Saul ended up at a witch's table, 51:54 eating lunch with a witch, 51:56 claiming divine protection 52:00 until God spoke the words of final judgment 52:03 to that king and apostasy. 52:09 If it has not been tested by the Word of God, 52:12 take it off. 52:13 Matter of fact, don't even put it on. 52:17 The Apostle Paul says, "Prove all things, 52:20 hold fast that which is good." 52:23 1 Thessalonians 5:21. 52:26 When we preach the Word, 52:27 we don't need immediate evidence 52:29 that the Word of God is going to make a difference 52:30 because the Lord says in Isaiah 55:11, 52:32 "My word shall not return to me void." 52:36 I don't even rush people into baptism. 52:38 I'm not after numbers 52:40 'cause I believe that premature birth 52:42 leads to premature death. 52:45 I'm not into numbers. 52:46 If you cannot believe this message, 52:47 you don't need to be a part of this church 52:52 'cause this is not my church. 52:54 Somebody once said, 52:55 "Is this what you require of me?" 52:57 I said, "No, that's what God requires of us." 53:04 So let's talk about 53:06 the most powerful weapon on earth, 53:09 the Word of God. 53:11 It can outlast any onslaught and transform any life. 53:16 It can humble the exalted and educate the simple, 53:18 the Word of God. 53:20 It is a light in darkness and a pathway to the lost 53:23 to the Word of God. 53:24 It can encourage the weak and comfort the weary. 53:27 If you are hungry, it will feed you. 53:29 If you are thirsty, God's Word will soothe you. 53:32 I speak of nothing other than the Holy Bible, 53:34 the book of truth. 53:36 This book reveals the mind of God, the state of man, 53:39 the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, 53:40 and the happiness of believers. 53:42 Its precepts are binding, its history is true, 53:46 and its decisions are immutable. 53:49 Read it to be wise, 53:50 believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. 53:54 It contains the light to direct you, 53:56 food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. 53:58 It is a traveler's map, the Christian's charter, 54:01 it cannot lie, but it can detect one. 54:04 It has no pulse and yet it lives. 54:06 In it, paradise is restored, 54:08 heaven opened and the gates of hell are closed. 54:10 Can you say amen? 54:12 Christ is the grand theme are good is its design 54:16 and the glory of God its end. 54:18 Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. 54:22 It is a mind of wealth, a paradise of glory, 54:24 a river of pleasure. 54:26 It will reward the greatest labor 54:28 and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents. 54:31 Paul turned the world upside down with it. 54:34 Elijah called down fire through it, 54:37 and God created the world by it. 54:39 It can't be stopped, prevented, denied, destroyed, 54:42 it will outlive any novel and outlast any show. 54:45 It is divine, dynamic, didactic, and delightful 54:49 at the same time. 54:51 It is a conundrum to the proud and a solution to the humble. 54:54 It can open and close your eyes at the same time. 54:57 It can confuse the scoffer and enlightened the seeker. 55:00 The book, the book of books, the book of life, 55:03 the book of God, the Bible, the revelation of God to man, 55:06 and it comes with a warning. 55:08 This book will keep you from sin 55:10 or sin will keep you from this book. 55:13 Reading it and confessing this book 55:15 will terrify the devil, 55:16 stupefy the rebellious, mystify the world, 55:19 pacify the critics, ratify the covenant, 55:22 edify the church, magnify the Word, 55:25 and glorify the Lord. 55:27 And it is still the number one bestselling book in the world. 55:29 Can you say amen? 55:30 So I tell you as I close, 55:32 they didn't give me enough time, 55:33 but I'm going to tell you this. 55:35 Wherever I go, I carry my Bible with me. 55:37 I carry my God with me, 55:38 I carry the truth of God with me, 55:40 I carry my wife with me. 55:42 We got plans on spending eternity together, 55:47 knowing God through the truth, 55:49 knowing God through His Word. 55:51 We've travelled together my Bible and I 55:53 through all kinds of weather 55:56 with smile or with sigh! 55:57 In sorrow or sunshine in tempest or calm! 56:00 My friendship unchanging my lamp and my psalm 56:04 We've travelled together my Bible and I 56:07 When life has grown weary and death even nigh! 56:09 But all through the darkness of mist or of wrong 56:12 I found there a solace, 56:14 a prayer and a song. 56:16 So now who shall part us my Bible and I? 56:19 Shall "isms" or "schisms" or "new light" just try? 56:24 Shall shadow for substance 56:25 or stone for good bread supplant thy sound wisdom 56:28 and give folly instead? 56:31 And, no, my dear Bible exponent of light! 56:34 Thou sword of the spirit put error to flight! 56:37 And still through life's journey 56:38 until my last sigh, 56:41 we'll travel together my Bible and I. |
Revised 2019-03-14