Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU180016A
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00:01 Music...
00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming... 00:24 Music... 00:31 Hello Friends and welcome to another 00:34 3ABN Australia Homecoming 2018, 00:37 my name is John Lomacang, this is John Malkiewycz. 00:40 The two Johns... 00:42 That's right, 1st John and 2nd John... 00:43 you decide which one is which 00:45 but we are so glad that you have taken the time 00:47 to tune in for this beautiful... 00:48 this has been a power-packed Holy-Spirit-filled Homecoming. 00:54 Can you all say, "Amen" to that? 00:55 Amen. 00:56 And today is not going to be any different. 00:58 No, it's going to be a... 00:59 a day where you're going to be spiritually fed 01:02 and you will come to know God even better 01:05 and more than you did before. 01:07 That's right, and I'm so thankful for the theme, 01:09 "Knowing God... " 01:10 because knowing information 01:12 and knowing God are not the same 01:14 and we have been knowing the Lord in beautiful ways, 01:16 I've seen the Lord anoint the different Speakers 01:19 and the musicians and the ministers of music 01:21 and this is going to be a wonderful time. 01:23 Tell us a little bit about what's happening now 01:25 before I share about the Speaker for this hour. 01:28 Okay, our special item today is with a young lady, 01:31 she's a beautiful young lady, 01:32 she's committed her life in singing for the Lord, 01:34 and that's Marleta Fong and she's going to be accompanied 01:38 with Sanja Kitevski on the piano 01:41 they both go together and play together 01:43 and they enjoy one another's company 01:45 and she's going to be singing, 01:46 "For God So Loved The World" John. 01:48 Wow! You know it's wonderful about the minister of music 01:52 is she's the sister of the Speaker of the hour, 01:56 The Bible says, "I will pour out my Spirit 01:59 on My manservant and our maidservants" 02:01 and we know God has poured out His spirit on Charissa Fong 02:04 and her message is going to be, 02:06 "Through His faithfulness and trustworthiness. " 02:10 But she told me a different title... 02:11 It's still the same thing. 02:13 Okay, the title... the sub-title is: 02:15 "We're getting married. " 02:16 I heard that. 02:18 And it's going to be amazing, I know, 02:20 but before Charissa Fong comes to... to bless our hearts, 02:25 we're going to be blessed as we invite Marleta Fong 02:28 and Sanja to come and bless us with the song, 02:30 "For God So Loved The World. " 02:32 Pause. 02:38 More pause. 02:46 Piano... 02:54 For God so loved the world 03:03 God so loved the world 03:10 that He gave His only 03:17 begotten Son 03:26 that whosoever believes 03:34 Whoever believes 03:41 Shall not perish 03:48 but have everlasting life 03:56 For God so loved this fallen world... 04:04 He left His glory above 04:12 To carry my cross 04:19 For God so loved 04:26 our world. 04:32 Piano... 04:38 more piano... 04:44 some more piano... 04:51 For He came not to condemn... 04:59 He came not to condemn 05:05 but that the world through Him 05:12 might have everlasting life 05:20 For God so loved this fallen world 05:28 He left His glory above 05:34 to carry my cross 05:42 For God so loved... 05:47 For God so loved, 05:55 For God so loved 06:02 piano... 06:06 our world. 06:09 Piano... 06:18 Amen. 06:20 Audience: Amen. 06:23 Pause. 06:26 Good morning everyone. 06:27 Audience: Good morning. 06:29 Lovely to see you all so bright and early this morning. 06:32 Our subject today is: 06:34 Knowing God through His faithfulness and trustworthiness 06:37 so let's open with a word of prayer. 06:39 "Our loving Father in heaven, 06:41 it's so good be together to study Your Word 06:44 and as we do, we invite the Holy Spirit 06:47 to be present in our midst. 06:48 I pray that You would speak to our hearts 06:51 that Jesus would be lifted up 06:53 and we would leave this place loving Him more 06:56 is our prayer in Jesus' name, amen. " 06:59 Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about weddings lately, 07:04 actually, I've been thinking a lot about weddings lately, 07:08 and the reason why is because earlier this year, 07:11 my former boyfriend took me on a drive 07:15 to a beautiful national park 07:17 surrounded by mountains and trees 07:19 and a beautiful river flowing by, 07:21 we got out of the car 07:23 and he walked down to the edge of this cliff... 07:25 it wasn't really a cliff but it was like that 07:28 and he got down on one knee and to cut a long story short, 07:32 he asked me to be his bride and I said, "Yes. " 07:35 Audience: Clapping. 07:37 And when I said, "Yes" praise the Lord, 07:40 when I said, "Yes" my whole world changed. 07:42 Nobody else was there to experience this moment, 07:45 it was very special, it's just me and him... 07:47 the Lord... the angels... 07:49 there was a family 07:50 that was swimming on the other side of the river 07:53 and they watched the whole thing happen 07:56 and when it was over, 07:58 they looked at us and they said, "Well... " 07:59 and I said... this... 08:01 and Justin said, "She said, 'Yes'" 08:04 and they... we don't know who they are 08:06 they don't know who we are but they just started rejoicing 08:09 and clapping and shouting... sharing our joy 08:12 and I've since discovered, everybody loves a wedding... 08:16 everybody loves a love story 08:18 and Friends, I'm here to tell you this morning 08:20 that heaven is no different. 08:22 Heaven gets excited about a wedding as well 08:25 so if you have your Bibles, please take them... 08:28 come with me to Revelation chapter 19 08:32 and notice with me verses 6 and 7. 08:36 Revelation chapter 19 verses 6 and 7. 08:41 The Bible says, "And I heard as it were 08:46 the voice of a great multitude as the sound of many waters, 08:50 and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying Alleluia: 08:55 for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. 08:57 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give Him glory: 09:01 for the marriage of the Lamb has come, 09:04 and his wife has made herself ready. " 09:06 Now, I'm just going to begin by telling you an Amazing Fact. 09:10 Did you know that the word, "Hallelujah" 09:13 appears four times in the Bible 09:15 and all of them right here in Revelation chapter 19 09:19 which makes this chapter the original Hallelujah Chorus. 09:22 Audience: Laughing. 09:24 Amen. 09:25 In fact, the Hebrew of this phrase in the book of Psalms 09:29 is translated as, "Praise the Lord" 09:31 and it's this one word that drives everything in chapter 19 09:36 of the book of Revelation. 09:38 It's like the whole of the New Testament... 09:40 all 26 books and 18 chapters 09:43 has been telling us the story of Jesus 09:46 how He came down from heaven, 09:48 died on the cross, rose from the grave, 09:51 ascended to heaven 09:52 sent the Holy Spirit 09:54 raised up His church 09:55 and has ministered in heaven's holy sanctuary for us 09:58 and now, all that's left is for him to come 10:01 and for everybody to shout a resounding, "Hallelujah" 10:04 of praise to God. 10:06 The marriage supper of the Lamb has come. 10:10 Oh, friends, the Bible is the greatest love story 10:13 telling us about the greatest lover that there ever was. 10:18 You see, many years ago, in a garden called "Eden" 10:22 a paradise of pleasure... 10:25 God made man in His image 10:27 and the relationship that He shared with Adam and Eve 10:31 was very special. 10:32 There was no fear... perfect love 10:35 and there was perfect joy... no shame... 10:38 but then one day, things went wrong, 10:40 lies were believed... trust was broken... 10:45 and the heart of God was shattered. 10:47 The Bible tells us that sin separates us from God 10:52 and any of us who have been through betrayal of trust 10:55 will have experienced the pain of a broken relationship, 10:59 you know just a little of the pain that God's heart 11:03 went through that day in that garden 11:06 and so, because sin caused a separation between God, 11:10 sin divorced man from His presence, 11:13 God was not content to let that be permanent 11:16 and so, He told Adam and Eve, 11:18 "I have a plan and I am going to do everything that I can 11:22 to restore our relationship again 11:26 friends, love always finds a way 11:29 and so for the last 6,000 years, 11:32 God has been seeking to woo us to Himself. 11:36 Ask Hosea about it, He can tell you the story. 11:40 Boil it down and the whole salvation story 11:43 is about the faithful, tireless pursuit of God, 11:48 the injured bridegroom for His prodigal bride... His people. 11:52 Now, I just want to share with you 11:54 a little lesson that I got from nature. 11:57 Did you know that when it comes time 12:00 for a female eagle to choose her mate, 12:03 many mates come along... potential... rather... 12:06 potential mates come along and she looks over her suitors 12:09 and she has this little test that she puts them through, 12:13 she will pick one... she'll fly with him... 12:16 and during the course of the flight, she will come down, 12:20 she'll pick up a stick and she'll fly up high with it 12:23 and at some point, she will drop that stick 12:26 and if he's a good suitor, he will be watching... 12:29 he will see the stick come down 12:31 and he will swoop down and catch it 12:33 and that will impress her and so, she'll do it again. 12:36 She'll pick up a bigger stick, she'll fly a little bit higher, 12:40 she'll drop it and again, he has to catch it. 12:43 She keeps doing this process 12:45 and if an any point along the way... he drops the stick, 12:49 well, she just moves on and finds somebody else. 12:51 She'll do this until she can pick up the biggest stick 12:55 that she can find... drop it, 12:57 and if he catches it, he's the one. 12:59 Why does she do this? 13:01 Well, interestingly, if they settle together 13:06 and little eaglets come along, 13:07 one day, they will build their nest high up somewhere 13:11 and in the process of time, 13:13 those little eaglets are going to learn how to fly 13:16 and it's possible that one of them might fall out of the nest 13:19 and that's where his role comes in. 13:21 He's going to swoop down and faithfully get them. 13:25 Now, I love this picture 13:27 because, you know, the attributes of God 13:29 are clearly seen in nature. 13:31 God has been faithfully trying to woo us to Himself 13:35 through His faithfulness throughout Bible history. 13:39 God kept trying to win the heart 13:42 and affections of the human race 13:44 and to a man named Abraham 13:46 He made an amazing covenant promise, 13:49 He told him that he would make of him a great nation 13:53 and that through them, 13:55 all the nations of the earth would be blessed 13:58 and friends, by an absolute miracle, 14:00 God kept His promise, did He not? 14:03 He kept it faithfully and Isaac was born 14:06 and through Isaac, the nation of Israel was born 14:10 and through Israel, Jesus came as well. 14:14 Then we come to the New Testament 14:17 and suddenly this relationship pursued 14:20 that God has been on with His people... 14:22 it takes a totally new turn 14:25 that no one in the universe was expecting. 14:27 I remember one Sabbath, 14:29 I was welcoming people to my local church 14:32 and this young man showed up, I've never seen him before 14:36 and he showed up at the church, I shook his hand 14:38 and this is what he said to me, straight up... 14:40 after I welcomed him, he said, "I'm here to find a wife. " 14:43 Audience: Laughter. 14:45 I couldn't help him 14:47 but when Jesus came to this world, friends, 14:51 He came to take a wife. 14:54 The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25, 14:58 "Husbands, love your wives, 15:01 just as Christ also loved the church, 15:05 and gave Himself for her. " 15:08 That's a high calling for any husband, by the way, 15:11 what an example! 15:13 What a standard we have in Jesus! 15:15 But understanding this concept, 15:18 I tell you, it will change your life, 15:20 and that's kind of what I hope 15:22 you will catch a glimpse of today. 15:23 You see, in Jewish culture, when a man loved a woman, 15:27 proposed to her and she said, "Yes" 15:29 then the wedding process would take place 15:32 in the following stages. 15:34 Number one, the bridegroom would go to the bride's home 15:38 and he would negotiate a bride price 15:42 with the father of the bride 15:43 and he would pay that price to the father. 15:46 and although it was paid to the Father, 15:49 the idea was that when she was married, 15:52 the father would actually give that inheritance... 15:55 that dowry to her for her to take into her married life. 16:00 Friends, 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ left heaven... 16:06 the Father's house... 16:07 to come down to this earth where He would die for His bride. 16:12 The Bible says in Romans 5 verse 8 16:15 that God demonstrates His own love toward us 16:19 in that while we were not sinning...? 16:20 while we were still sinners, Christ died for us at Calvary, 16:28 as the Lamb of God, 16:30 Jesus came and He took away the sin of the world 16:33 and He came to pay the bride price for us 16:37 with His own blood. 16:38 Can we say, "Amen. " 16:39 Then after this, in a Jewish wedding ceremony, 16:43 there was a thing called the Betrothal Ceremony 16:46 and this had three parts to it, number one, 16:49 there was a thing called the Katuba or a Covenant, 16:53 a contract that was drawn up between them 16:56 and signed by both of them 16:58 and it would contain promises of the bride to her groom 17:02 and of the groom to her husband... 17:04 and an original of this contract was actually kept 17:07 in the local synagogue. 17:09 It was considered to be a legal document 17:12 and that meant that the only thing that could break it 17:15 was adultery or unfaithfulness. 17:17 This was to try and give security to the bride. 17:21 Then, after this contract was signed, 17:24 the couple would drink from a shared cup as well. 17:28 There was also, I understand, 17:30 a practice of ceremonial washing involved, prior to all of this, 17:35 where the couple separately would wash to cleanse themselves 17:39 but also to say that we are now keeping ourselves 17:43 for each other. 17:44 Isn't this beautiful? 17:46 Friends, when we commit our lives to Jesus 17:48 through the waters of baptism, 17:50 we are saying a public "Yes" to Jesus 17:53 in a public "no" to everybody else, 17:55 we're saying that we choose Him and Him alone. 17:58 Then, after the betrothal ceremony, 18:02 the custom was that the bridegroom 18:05 would return to His father's house, 18:07 to prepare a place for his bride 18:10 and it wasn't uncommon 18:12 for the groom to actually build on to his father's house, 18:15 if they weren't rich, he would just build an extra room 18:19 onto his father's house 18:21 and then, before he left to do this, 18:23 he would even tell his bride, 18:25 "I go to prepare a place for you 18:27 and if I go to prepare a place for you, 18:30 I will come again and receive you to myself 18:32 that where I am, there ye may be also. " 18:35 When Jesus said those words to the disciples, 18:38 they knew, this was wedding language, 18:40 Jesus was going to prepare a place for them 18:43 and not only this, it gets even better than that. 18:48 The Rabbi was actually supposed to inspect the place 18:52 that the groom was preparing for the bride 18:54 to make sure that... get this, 18:57 that it was better than the place she was leaving behind. 19:01 Audience: Laughter. 19:03 How does the Bible finish? 19:04 It tells us all about heaven 19:06 and how much better this heaven is 19:09 compared to the world that we live in... 19:11 do death, no wars, no tsunamis, 19:14 no heartache, no cancer, no pain... all gone... 19:17 all good... forevermore, can you say, "Amen. " 19:20 Not only that, but while he's preparing a place for his bride, 19:24 the bride would stay in her father's house 19:27 and she would prepare herself for the wedding. 19:30 She would wait for her groom they say... up to one year, 19:34 no more than that 19:35 and right now, that's what we're doing. 19:37 We're waiting for the bridegroom to come, 19:39 we're waiting for Jesus to come 19:42 and when both bride and place were ready, 19:45 then the groom would come to get his bride 19:49 and he would take her to his father's house, 19:52 the wedding would take place 19:53 and it would be topped off with a marriage supper 19:56 where they would celebrate with friends and family 19:59 on this joyous occasion. 20:01 What a God! 20:02 What a groom! What a lover is Jesus, amen 20:08 and I just can't stop being so excited about it, 20:11 maybe it's because I'm engaged as well right now 20:14 and this all just takes on new meaning 20:16 but when I come to the book of Revelation, 20:18 I see John, he gets a glimpse 20:21 of our heavenly bridegroom and he... 20:23 he gives him release... he finds He has four names 20:26 here in the passage which we're about to read, 20:28 so come back to Revelation 19 and notice with me, verse 11. 20:32 It says, "Now I saw heaven opened, 20:36 and behold a white horse; 20:38 and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, 20:42 and in righteousness He judges and makes war. " 20:46 Hollywood can't compete with this, 20:49 this day is the brightest day of human history 20:51 and it makes human history's brightest day 20:54 look like midnight. 20:56 In Revelation chapter 13, a question was asked 20:59 by those who follow the beast and worship him, 21:02 and it was this, "Who is like the beast? 21:05 and who is able to make war with him? 21:08 Well, friends, Revelation 19 is the answer to that question, 21:13 for the first time John sees heaven opened, 21:16 not just the door open in heaven... 21:18 he sees heaven opened and he sees Jesus 21:22 our heavenly bridegroom coming into view, 21:27 bursting into view as a mighty warrior 21:30 on a magnificence white horse 21:32 at the midnight of human history. 21:34 Forget, "Here comes the bride" 21:36 here comes the groom and he is wonderful. 21:40 The last time the world saw Jesus, 21:42 they saw Him with a crown of thorns, 21:45 when John sees Him in Revelation 19, 21:47 He is crowned with many crowns. 21:49 The last time the world saw Jesus, 21:51 He rode on a donkey. 21:53 When John see Him here in vision, 21:54 He sees Him riding on a white horse as a conqueror 21:57 and a victorious warrior. 21:59 Friends, Jesus is coming back not as a lamb slain 22:03 but as a redeemer of the world, 22:05 as our redeemer and our victorious king. 22:07 He's coming to reign and rule, 22:11 and names in the Bible, you and I know, 22:14 they're very significant 22:15 because they tell us about a person's character. 22:18 When He introduced Himself to Laodicea, 22:21 He called Himself, "the faithful and true witness" 22:24 and here, we meet our champion of eternal justice, 22:28 our warrior groom, 22:29 He wants us to know that He is called, "faithful and true. " 22:34 Study God's Word and every verse, every chapter, 22:40 every story will tell you the same thing, 22:42 "God is always faithful even unto the point of death, 22:47 He's never been unfaithful... 22:50 He has never let us down... always faithful" 22:53 and that's a quality of a groom. 22:56 He's faithful to his bride. 22:58 Faithful and true 23:00 which is why Joshua could say in Joshua 21 verse 45, 23:04 "Not a word failed of any good thing 23:08 which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; 23:11 all came to pass. " 23:13 God always keeps His promise, 23:16 this means, that we can trust Jesus in sickness and in health. 23:21 For richer or for poorer, even till death, 23:25 we can trust Him to the very end 23:27 because He says, "Be thou faithful unto death 23:29 and I will give thee a crown of life. " 23:31 When the Bible speaks of God's faithfulness in Lamentations, 23:35 it tells us, "His faithfulness is great. " 23:38 In the book of Psalms... Psalm 36 verse 5, 23:41 it tells us, His faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 23:44 The next time you soar 37,000 feet, 23:48 remember that God's faithfulness reaches you there 23:51 and it's higher still. 23:52 Have you experienced the faithfulness of God 23:55 in your life? 23:56 I have... 23:58 just this year, I was on my way to American Samoa 24:01 for a church meeting 24:02 and to get to American Samoa, you have to leave the airport 24:06 in Apia and you fly... 24:08 do a little island hop on a little plane 24:10 that looks like a mosquito 24:12 and I was all ready to go on this plane, 24:14 I was waiting in the waiting room 24:17 and then this official came and said, 24:19 "Ms. Fong, you can't get on the plane. " 24:21 I said, "Okay. " 24:22 they took me out the back 24:24 and they sat me down in their office and they said, 24:26 "I'm sorry, but you don't have a visa 24:28 to enter American Samoa. " 24:30 Now, we didn't know this visa existed, 24:32 I've traveled to the States many times 24:34 and never had a problem getting into America 24:37 but American Samoa... I was not permitted to go. 24:40 So, we prayed, 24:42 and praise the Lord, I have an aunty 24:45 who's a very strong woman and she... 24:48 my family actually watched the plane 24:50 that I was supposed to get on take off, 24:52 they were all waving that plane off thinking I was on it, 24:55 and I came out running from the airport, 24:57 I said, "Hey, I'm still here. " 24:59 They said, "What are you doing here?" 25:00 I said, "I don't have a visa. " 25:02 So, my aunty got on the phone, 25:04 and this is how God works, 25:05 it just so happens and I didn't know this 25:07 but I have an uncle who is the Chief of Immigration 25:11 in American Samoa. 25:12 Audience: Laughter. 25:14 I didn't know this man existed until this trip, 25:17 but when my aunty got on the phone to Uncle Dennis, 25:20 she called him and she said, 25:22 "Dennis, you get Charissa on the next plane, 25:24 she's supposed to be there and take a meeting 25:26 in American Samoa tonight. " 25:28 And so, I don't know what he did 25:30 but he did something 25:32 and I ended up sitting in the co-pilot's seat 25:35 all the way to American Samoa 25:38 and actually, I'm very nervous about flying, 25:41 flying is a spiritual experience for me 25:43 but the pilot... he looked at me and he said, 25:46 "You see that button there on the door?" 25:48 He said, "When I tell you to press it, press it. " 25:50 I said, "Anything you say, I'll do it. " 25:52 So, the plane takes off, he says, "Put it down. " 25:55 So I put the button down, we get up... 25:59 He says, "Bring it up" so I brought it up... 26:01 everything he said, straight away I did it 26:02 because I did not want this plane to crash. 26:04 Praise the Lord, we got there 26:06 but just before we got there, he looks at me and he says, 26:09 "That's a very important job you have right there" 26:11 and I said, "Great, what... what is it?" 26:13 He said, "That's the air conditioning. " 26:15 Audience: Laughter. 26:16 So... but God was faithful. 26:18 God... God made... 26:21 He made a way for me to this island place, 26:24 where there was no way... God did it. 26:27 To me that was just the most exciting answer to prayer. 26:31 When I left American Samoa, I get to the desk in Immigration 26:35 and the lady says, 26:36 "Oh, the boss wants to talk to you... the Chief... 26:39 I knew it was Uncle Dennis and I said, 26:41 "Well, I don't have a phone number here, 26:43 I don't have a phone and I can't call him. " 26:44 So, said, "Okay" she gets her phone 26:46 types a number in and says, 26:48 "Chief, I have Ms. Fong here. " 26:50 He said, "Give the phone to her. " 26:52 I get the phone, "Hello, Uncle Dennis... " 26:54 I've never met the man before 26:56 and he says, "Is everything okay? 26:58 because if you ever need help, just let me know 27:00 and I'll get you anywhere you need to go. " 27:02 But... how good is God? 27:04 Like, right when we needed something, 27:06 He had Uncle Dennis there, ready to go 27:08 and God moves like that, 27:11 whenever we come to the end of our resources, 27:14 God is just beginning, 27:15 He's just about to come through and provide what we need. 27:18 So, the first name that John sees that Jesus has 27:22 in the book of Revelation is, 27:24 He is called, "Faithful and True. " 27:27 Our heavenly groom is faithful and true 27:31 but not only that, there's more. 27:33 Look at verse 12, Revelation 19 verse 12 says, 27:38 "His eyes were like a flame of fire, 27:41 and on his head were many crowns; 27:44 he had a name written, 27:45 that no one knew, except Himself. " 27:48 Friends, this is the same Jesus who we saw, 27:52 walking through the candlesticks 27:53 when he was ministering to the seven churches there 27:56 at the very beginning of the book. 27:58 He is the same Jesus 28:00 who has tenderly, lovingly cared for His church bride 28:04 in every age of human history and He says to us... 28:09 He presents Himself to us, rather, as One who sees all, 28:12 knows all and rules all, amen 28:16 and he is wearing so many crowns, 28:19 John can't even count them. 28:21 You know, that's interesting because the beast... 28:23 we're told how many crowns the beast and the dragon wear 28:27 John can count them, there's ten there, 28:29 but when he looks at Jesus, 28:31 there are so many crowns, he cannot count them. 28:33 By the way, there are two words for crown in the New Testament, 28:37 One is Stephanos, which is a victor's crown, 28:40 this is what is promised to those who overcome 28:43 in the book of Revelation, if we are overcomers, 28:46 Jesus will give to us the victor's crown 28:49 and the other is a "Diadem" which speaks of a royal crown 28:53 and guess what, Jesus wears both. 28:55 He wears both the Stephanos and the Royal Crown 28:59 because He overcame the evil one 29:01 and it is because He overcame the evil one, 29:05 that we too can overcome. 29:07 When I do this, you can say, "Amen. " 29:09 So, amen... He overcame. 29:14 Now, what is this about the name that nobody knows? 29:17 Obviously, I don't know it so I can't tell you what it is 29:20 but listen to this... reminds me of a story. 29:23 When the angel of the Lord met the parents of Samson, 29:27 the Bible tells us that Manoah said in Judges 13:17 and 18, 29:32 Manoah said to him, "What is your name, 29:35 that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?" 29:38 And the angel of the Lord said to him... " in verse 18, 29:43 "Why do you ask me my name, seeing it is wonderful?" 29:47 That is, if I were to translate that a little differently, 29:51 "It is too wonderful for you to understand. " 29:54 Friends, there are aspects of God's character. 29:58 Christ's character which are too wonderful for us 30:02 to even begin to understand. 30:04 He's more than wonderful. 30:07 Jesus is better than the best thoughts 30:09 that you have ever had of Him, 30:11 He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive, 30:14 He's more wonderful than my heart can believe, 30:17 He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams, 30:20 He's everything that my soul ever longed for... 30:23 everything He's promised and so much more... 30:26 that's what Jesus is to all of us 30:29 and by the way, to the overcomers, He even says, 30:34 that I will give to them a new name which no one knows. 30:37 Beautiful. 30:39 So He comes, He is faithful and true, 30:41 our groom comes and He has a name 30:43 which is too wonderful for us to even comprehend. 30:46 He's better than our wildest dreams 30:48 and our highest imaginations, 30:50 and more than that, notice what it says in verse 13, 30:54 it says, "He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: 30:57 and His name is called The Word of God. 31:00 And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, 31:03 white and clean followed Him on white horses. 31:06 Now, out of His mouth goes a sharp sword 31:09 and with it... that with it He should strike the nations: 31:12 and He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron: 31:15 He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath 31:19 of Almighty God. " 31:21 How many grooms do you know 31:23 that when they show up to their wedding, 31:26 they come with an army? 31:27 Pause. 31:29 That's what Jesus does when He comes back 31:31 and even Enoch... 31:33 the only recorded words of Enoch in the Bible, 31:35 in the book of Jude, he said... the Bible says, 31:38 "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these things 31:41 saying, "Behold, the Lord comes 31:44 with ten thousand of His saints. " 31:46 There's something almost ruggedly handsome 31:49 about Jesus returning with the armies of heaven... 31:52 all the angels of heaven and the Bible telling us 31:55 that His robe is dipped in blood. 31:57 You say, "Charissa, this doesn't sound handsome to me. " 32:01 Well, let me just share with you the devotional application 32:03 I take from this. 32:05 When I was in Primary School, I was bullied quite bad, 32:09 so bad that I dreaded going to school. 32:12 I would cry... I'd come home and I'd beg my mom, 32:16 "Please, don't send me back to that place, 32:18 I don't want to see those... those people again. " 32:21 And my mom would hug me... she would comfort me, 32:23 my sister would come... she would comfort me 32:26 and speak consoling words to me, 32:28 and when my dad walked by the room 32:30 and he saw me sitting there crying... being comforted, 32:33 and he said, "What's the matter?" 32:35 We told him... 32:36 and my dad's response was always very simple, 32:39 always the same... 32:40 he wanted to know their name, 32:42 what they looked like and where they lived. 32:44 Laughter... 32:45 He was read to fight for me, 32:47 when I see Jesus here in this passage, 32:49 I see Him pictured 32:51 not as someone who's not been doing anything for us, 32:53 but as someone who's engaged 32:56 in the conflict of battle with sin for us 32:59 to save us, to rescue us, to fight for us 33:01 and any time that... in the process of Jewish wedding, 33:06 while the groom was away preparing a place for the bride, 33:10 and the bride is waiting for the groom to come, 33:12 if at any time in that process, 33:15 the bride started to get worried... 33:17 started to distrust... maybe think... 33:19 "Maybe he won't come back for me. " 33:21 Guess what she could do? 33:23 She could go to the local synagogue 33:25 and pull out the Ketubah... contract 33:27 and she could open it and she could read the promises 33:31 that her groom had made to her. 33:33 Has God left to us a Ketubah? 33:36 God has left to us promises in His Word, 33:40 He'll keep them... 33:41 whenever we feel like we can't make it, 33:44 read God's Word. 33:45 Whenever we feel like we're abandoned, 33:47 read the promise that He made to you here 33:49 where He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. " 33:53 God keeps His promises... He's faithful and He is true 33:57 and here, John sees Him, not only with that name 34:00 and the name that nobody knows, 34:02 he sees Him here as the Word of God 34:04 and we know from the Word that God's Word is powerful. 34:08 Jesus speaks and the waves are stilled, 34:11 He speaks and a fig tree withers, 34:13 He speaks and soldiers are knocked off their feet, 34:17 He speaks and the dead come forth, 34:20 and when the Word of God comes, when Jesus comes... 34:23 that He will speak and the dead in Christ will rise 34:26 amen, 34:27 so we see, there is power in God's Word, 34:30 the Bible says, 34:31 "By His Word were the heavens made. " 34:34 So, beloved Church, and I can call you that 34:37 because you are His beloved bride, 34:40 read God's Word... study God's Word... 34:42 claim the promises therein, love it and share it... 34:46 because when we do that, 34:47 this Word is a living and a powerful thing 34:50 an extension of Himself and it will change our lives 34:53 pause... 34:56 but it gets even better than that, 34:58 He's faithful and true, 35:00 He has a name too wonderful for us. 35:03 He's the Word of God but look at how this ends 35:07 in verse 16. 35:08 It says, "And He has on His robe and on His thigh 35:13 a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. " 35:17 I don't think John slept very well after he saw this vision. 35:23 If I were him, I think I'd be awake for a very long time. 35:28 You know, the composition of Handel's Messiah... 35:32 it took him just 24 days to compose the whole thing. 35:36 Isn't that amazing? 35:38 It's a remarkable piece of work 35:39 and the highlight of that work, 35:41 perhaps its most famous part, 35:43 is Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. 35:46 I love the Hallelujah chorus, 35:48 They play it at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, 35:50 "Carols by Candlelight" at Christmas time 35:52 and you see fireworks in the air 35:55 and you hear the Hallelujah Chorus coming 35:57 and it's like a little foretaste of the coming of Jesus... 36:01 that's what it feels like, 36:02 but one day, according to the accounts, 36:04 after Handel was writing his Handel's Messiah, 36:08 an Attendant of his was looking for him in his house, 36:11 called out to him... no response... 36:13 and so, finally the Attendant comes... 36:16 opens the door to Handel's Office... Study... 36:19 where he was working 36:20 and he finds Handel with tears streaming down his cheeks 36:24 and he says, "What's the matter?" 36:25 And Handel held up the Hallelujah Chorus... 36:28 the score he had just finished writing 36:31 and he said this, "I did think I saw heaven opened 36:35 and did see the face of God. " 36:37 Pause... 36:39 John... sees heaven opened and he sees the face of God 36:45 and he sees Him coming back as King of Kings 36:48 and Lord of Lords 36:49 and if John was a wedding photographer, 36:51 he would make a good one 36:53 because he doesn't miss any detail 36:54 he even catches that the name on His thigh 36:57 matches the name on the robe, 36:59 this is not someone else's robe, this robe belongs to Jesus. 37:04 This is a picture of a Covenant-keeping God as well, 37:07 if you look at the story in Genesis 24, 37:10 but listen, there are many kings 37:13 but He is the King of all those kings. 37:15 There are many Lords 37:17 but He is the Lord of all those lords. 37:19 Did you know that the admirers of Charlemagne... 37:23 the great Charles the Great, 37:25 they sat his corpse up in its grave, 37:28 they crowned him with a crown... 37:30 put a scepter in his bloodless fingers 37:33 and they said... this was their way of honoring a king. 37:37 Friends, when Jesus comes back, He's a living King. 37:40 He is the King of kings and Lord of lords... 37:44 He's God's Son... He's the sinner's Savior 37:47 He's honest... He's unparalleled... 37:49 He's the miracle of the ages, 37:51 He is able to supply all of our needs 37:54 everything that we have ever needed, 37:56 His hand has provided, 37:58 He's available for the tempted and the tried, 38:01 He forgives, He saves, He sympathizes, 38:04 He delivers... He defends... He blesses the young, 38:08 He blesses the old... He serves the unfortunate, 38:11 He beautifies the meek, this is our King. 38:14 He's the King of kings and the thundering hoofbeats 38:19 in the book of Revelation in chapter 19 38:22 tells us of a White Horse Rider who is heaven's bridegroom 38:27 and He loves us more than we can ever know. 38:30 When we accepted the proposal of Jesus, 38:33 when we accept Him and His love for us 38:36 and we accept Him as our Savior, everything changes. 38:39 So, we can say, "Ride on King Jesus, 38:42 no man shall hinder Thee. " 38:44 All heaven is excited about the coming climax 38:48 of this romance of the ages between Christ and His people 38:52 His church... it's all it had... 38:55 He's coming soon. 38:56 The marriage supper of the Lamb, He's coming 38:59 and an eternal honeymoon awaits. 39:01 This is the wedding of the ages, friends, 39:05 and it's not far away. 39:06 I'm excited about it today. 39:08 This isn't fake news that I'm sharing with you. 39:12 It's true, it's faithful, 39:14 it's as real as the Bible you hold in your hands. 39:16 There's no budget constraints to this wedding, 39:19 there's no guest-list limitations to this wedding. 39:22 Prince Harry... Meghan Markle had a beautiful wedding. 39:26 Apparently, they spent an excess of 50 million Australian dollars 39:30 on their wedding... 39:31 it was beautiful... 39:33 hey, don't be amazed... 39:34 this wedding's going to break the bank... 39:37 it's going to be more amazing than that wedding... 39:40 a billion times more spectacular. 39:42 Friends, the groom is ready, 39:44 the armies of heaven are ready, the place is ready. 39:49 The meal is ready. 39:52 The decorations are ready, can't wait to see... 39:55 choir is ready... but what about the bride? 39:58 There's no wedding without a bride 40:01 and I'm a bride-to-be right now 40:04 and my question when I read this passage is this, 40:08 "How do you prepare to meet a groom like that?" 40:12 I had a nightmare before I was engaged. 40:15 I had a nightmare once and it said... 40:18 in my dream I dreamt that I was decorating a church 40:22 for my wedding 40:23 and everything was in place 40:26 and after I finished the final decoration, 40:29 I realized that I had forgotten to get a dress 40:32 and I remember I woke up in a cold sweat... 40:35 it was the terrible realization to come to. 40:38 What would it be to not be ready 40:41 to meet the bridegroom of heaven? 40:45 What would it be to not be ready to meet our royal groom? 40:50 Well, we're still in Revelation 19, just go back... 40:54 look at what it says again in verse 7 40:56 and we'll read through to verse 9. 40:58 The Bible says, "Let us be glad and rejoice 41:03 and give Him glory! 41:04 For the marriage of the Lamb has come, 41:07 and his wife has made herself ready. 41:10 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, 41:15 clean and bright 41:16 for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 41:20 Then he said to me, 41:22 'Write, blessed are those who are called 41:24 to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' 41:26 and He said to me these words, 41:29 'These are true saints of God. '" 41:32 Friends, there are only two women in the book of Revelation, 41:36 and it's not hard to tell which one is the bride. 41:40 She looks like a bride... she's radiant... she's glowing, 41:45 she looks so beautiful in white. 41:48 When the Bible says 41:50 that the garment is the righteous acts of the saints, 41:54 it means that God's bride... His church... 41:57 will develop a character that is like their Lord's... 42:02 that is like her groom's 42:05 to make her ready to spend an eternity with Him 42:09 but can we manufacture a character like Jesus? 42:13 No... our best attempts are embarrassing 42:18 so, listen to this, 42:19 it just keeps getting better 42:21 because the word in the Greek for "granted" 42:24 actually means, "given. " 42:26 It's given... 42:28 the white robes are not self-made 42:31 purchased on eBay 42:33 or supplied by any other wedding shop, 42:37 they're supplied by Jesus. 42:39 Audience: Amen. 42:41 And given to the redeemed. 42:43 He does it all... 42:44 He paid the price... He's paid the bride price... 42:47 He has prepared a place 42:50 and now we find, He provides the garment too. 42:53 He is the One who presents us faultless before His glory 42:57 with exceeding joy. 42:59 He is the One who washes us whiter than snow, 43:03 how does He do it? 43:04 Little detour because I like detours... 43:08 Joni Eareckson Tada... you familiar with her? 43:11 I was reading about what she said 43:15 about the day she got married 43:17 and for those of you who don't know, 43:18 Joni Eareckson Tada dived into shallow water 43:21 when she was a teenager and became a quadriplegic. 43:24 When I was a teenager, her testimony... her story 43:27 was very impactful on me 43:28 and this is what she says about her wedding, 43:31 I'm just going to read it here because she says it well. 43:34 She said, "I felt awkward as my girlfriend strained to shift 43:38 my paralyzed body into a cumbersome wedding gown. 43:42 No amount of corseting and binding my body 43:45 gave me a perfect shape. 43:46 The dress just didn't fit well and then, 43:48 as I was wheeling into the church, 43:50 I glanced down and noticed, 43:52 I'd actually run over the hem of my dress 43:54 leaving a greasy tire mark. 43:56 My paralyzed hands couldn't hold the bouquet of daisies 44:00 that lay off-center in my lap 44:02 and my chair, though decorated beautifully, 44:05 was still a big, clunky, crane machine 44:08 with belts and gears and ball bearings. 44:10 I didn't feel like the picture-perfect bride 44:13 in a bridal magazine. 44:14 I inched my chair close to the last pew 44:17 to catch a glimpse of Ken in the front. 44:20 There he was, standing tall and stately 44:23 in his formal attire. 44:24 I saw him looking for me, 44:27 craning his neck to look up the aisle, 44:30 my face flushed 44:32 and I suddenly couldn't wait to be with him. 44:35 I had seen my beloved. 44:37 The love in Ken's face 44:39 had washed away all my feelings of unworthiness. 44:41 I was his pure and perfect bride. 44:44 How easy it is for us to think that we are utterly unlovely 44:49 especially to someone as lovely as Jesus 44:52 but He loves us with the bright eyes of a bridegroom's love 44:55 and cannot wait for the day 44:57 until we are united with Him forever. " 44:59 The reason I took that detour 45:02 was because when I asked the question, 45:04 "How do we prepare to meet a bridegroom like Jesus?" 45:07 There's one step in a Jewish wedding 45:10 that I deliberately skipped over, 45:12 and that is this, as part of the betrothal, 45:15 before the bridegroom... 45:17 but when the bridegroom would leave, he would send a gift... 45:20 a betrothal gift to his bride 45:23 again, as a promise that he would come again... 45:26 a token of his love and a promise 45:28 that he would be coming back. 45:30 Did Jesus leave us any gift? 45:33 He gave to us the Holy Spirit 45:36 and what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? 45:40 To empower us and to teach us to live for Jesus 45:44 and to be like Jesus. 45:45 He's the One who changes us. 45:47 When I surrender my life to Him, 45:49 He does all the changing that needs to take place 45:52 from the inside 45:53 so that I will be ready to meet my bridegroom on the outside, 45:57 amen. 45:58 Have your surrendered your heart to Jesus today? 46:02 Have you allowed... are you allowing the Holy Spirit 46:06 to work in your heart day by day 46:08 so that you will be ready to meet heaven's bridegroom. 46:12 When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, 46:14 the fruit of the Spirit will be seen in our lives 46:17 and the righteous acts of the saints. 46:19 That's the fine linen that is spoken of here in our text. 46:22 Friends, Jesus is our Ephesians 5 Bridegroom 46:26 coming back to our Proverbs 31 bride 46:29 and I find this all personally very overwhelming. 46:33 When we commit our lives to Jesus, 46:35 we become part of His bride... part of His church. 46:39 The King of kings is not just a King, 46:42 He's an engaged King 46:44 and soon, He will be a married King. 46:46 So, I've got news for you today, 46:48 we're all getting married. 46:50 By God's grace we'll be married to the King of kings... 46:54 all of us... to Jesus. 46:56 With earnest longing, Christ desires to bring us to His home, 47:00 to share forever with us. 47:03 We are engaged to Him but are we fully engaged to Him? 47:06 Let me read to you this quote from the Spirit of Prophecy, 47:09 she says, "The church is the bride, 47:13 the Lamb's wife. 47:14 She should keep herself pure, sanctified, holy. 47:18 Never should she indulge in any foolishness; 47:22 for she is the bride of a King. " 47:25 Listen to this, 47:26 "Yet, she does not realize her exalted position... " 47:29 and here is the best part... 47:32 "if she understood this, 47:34 she would be all-glorious within. " 47:38 Huh, this all can change our experience with Jesus 47:43 because we are loved by a warrior groom 47:47 who is faithful and true... 47:49 more wonderful than we can ever comprehend. 47:52 He is the Word of God, the King of kings 47:55 and one day, by God's grace, if we surrender to Him, 47:58 day by day, we will see Him face to face. 48:01 Revelation 19 invites us to think about something 48:05 more than our Facebook accounts, more than our studies, 48:08 more than our degrees and our work, 48:11 it invites us to remember 48:12 that we ought to be preparing for a royal wedding. 48:15 Pause. 48:17 John saw it... imagine it... 48:19 the coming conqueror of conquerors, 48:22 coming down with the ranks upon ranks of heaven's army 48:26 riding down the pathways of light... 48:28 past galaxies and systems and worlds unknown, 48:31 coming to this earth to claim His bride 48:35 and take her home, it's a beautiful picture. 48:37 Tell me a more wonderful picture than this. 48:40 Truly the high point of human history 48:43 will be the appearance of the captain of our salvation 48:46 on the field of battle. 48:48 Audience: Amen. 48:49 Beloved Church, 48:51 momentous times are ahead of us, 48:53 you read about it here in the Bible's last book. 48:56 Does Jesus have your heart? 48:58 Because He loves you. 49:00 This is why today and every day, 49:02 you and I must embrace the victory of the cross 49:05 and surrender our lives and our hearts to Him 49:09 who is the lover of our souls. 49:11 He conquered by His love today 49:13 so you'll be ready to be taken with Him when He comes. 49:17 This defeat to be conquered by the love of God 49:21 is a blessed defeat if there ever was one. 49:24 There is nothing better... nothing sweeter 49:28 than to be shipwrecked on God and stranded on omnipotence. 49:33 So Friend, when things aren't going your way, 49:36 trust that God would lead you through, 49:39 He will make a way through the disappointment. 49:42 Pause. 49:44 When death seems to gain the upper hand, 49:46 trust that your groom... God... He will bring you through 49:51 and He will bring life 49:53 when people disappoint and fail you. 49:57 Trust that your heavenly bridegroom will never fail you, 50:02 He has never failed us yet. 50:05 When you don't see God at work... 50:08 pray... rest in His peace 50:12 and know that your heavenly bridegroom... 50:15 He knows all about it. 50:17 Jesus' final words in the book of Revelation is simply this, 50:21 He says, "Surely, I come quickly. " 50:25 And what is John's response? 50:27 I love it how he says it, 50:29 He says, "Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus. 50:33 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. " 50:37 After John has just seen heaven's bridegroom, 50:40 seen the place that the bridegroom has prepared 50:44 for His bride, 50:46 all that's left to say is, "Amen... 50:49 and even so, come, Lord Jesus. " 50:52 Has this picture of Jesus encouraged you today? 50:56 Audience: Amen. 50:58 It encourages me, 50:59 I look on the church differently now, 51:01 I see her as a bride waiting for her lover... for Jesus Christ 51:06 and there is no greater lover than Jesus. 51:09 So, do you want to be ready for Him when He comes? 51:12 Then, beloved church, let's be prepared 51:15 and let's allow the Holy Spirit 51:17 to do whatever it takes in our hearts 51:19 so that we'll be ready to see Jesus, let's pray, 51:22 "Our loving Father in heaven, 51:25 we thank you so much 51:27 that You are the lover of our souls 51:30 and You have faithfully, tirelessly pursued our hearts 51:35 and Lord, today as we have seen Your love again, 51:39 we see what You have promised, we see all that You have done, 51:43 our hearts have been conquered by Your love, 51:45 we want to be ready when Jesus comes, 51:48 make us a captive to Your love, 51:50 and so, Lord, as we pray this prayer, 51:53 I invite the Holy Spirit to come into my heart, 51:57 and I pray that everybody here with their heads bowed 52:00 would do the same, 52:02 that we would allow the Holy Spirit 52:03 to come into our lives, You didn't leave us orphans, 52:06 You sent to us the comforter so that we would never be alone 52:10 and so that we could make us to be more like You, 52:13 so Lord, we give You permission 52:15 to work in our hearts and to change them, 52:18 so that when Jesus comes... our heavenly bridegroom... 52:22 we'll look up and we'll be ready to meet Him, 52:24 until that day, Lord, keep us faithful is our prayer, 52:29 You've been so faithful to us, 52:31 all we want to do is be faithful to you, 52:34 so give us the strength to do that, 52:36 we pray in Jesus' name, amen. " 52:38 Audience: Amen. 52:43 Piano... 52:50 more piano... 53:08 some more piano... 53:26 Hallelujah... 53:30 Hallelujah... hallelujah... 53:34 our God reigns... 53:38 Hallelujah... 53:41 Hallelujah 53:44 Hallelujah, hallelujah 53:48 And He shall reign forever. 53:52 Piano... 54:13 And He shall reign... 54:23 And He shall reign forever... 54:28 Hallelujah, hallelujah 54:34 Hallelujah, Hallelujah... 54:39 And he shall reign forever. 54:45 Hallelujah... 54:48 Hallelujah, 54:51 Hallelujah... Hallelujah 54:55 And He shall reign forever. 55:00 Piano... 55:39 Hallelujah... 55:41 Hallelujah 55:42 Hallelujah, Hallelujah... 55:46 And He shall reign forever. 55:50 Hallelujah... 55:52 Hallelujah, hallelujah... 55:57 Hallelujah... 56:00 And He shall reign forevermore. 56:06 Piano. |
Revised 2019-04-09