Participants: Pr. John Stanton (Host), Pr. C A Murray
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL080028
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00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a
00:03 friend and sit back as we explore God's 00:04 word together in this edition of House Calls. 00:22 We want to welcome each and everyone 00:23 of you to another edition of House Calls. 00:26 It's great to have you with us on 00:28 this exciting program. My name is Pastor 00:30 John Stanton. And I am C.A. Murray. 00:32 It's good to have you here again and 00:34 we're just excited about the topic we've 00:35 got today, because pastor Murray we've 00:38 got some very difficult times in which we 00:40 live, and we're gonna talk a little bit 00:42 about that today. Yeah, these are 00:45 times when your meto in Christ is 00:47 tested John as you well know your 00:49 roots need to go deep as you reach for 00:51 the sky, because these are times that 00:55 test your faith, they test your finances, 00:58 and maybe when our finances are tested 00:59 our faith is also tested. And as such 01:02 there is no greater test of our faith than 01:04 our finances, sure. So these are times when 01:06 we need to reaffirm that we are strong 01:08 in Christ and that Christ gives us a 01:09 victory over all circumstances. 01:12 So why not take a program, 01:14 an entire program and devote it to 01:15 helping and encourage people to draw 01:18 closer to Jesus during their own personal 01:19 time of trouble. That's what we want 01:22 to do here today. So, friends if you're 01:24 having some struggles. If you're having 01:25 some troubles, you've come at the right 01:27 place. We're gonna try to do our best 01:29 to show you from God's word how you 01:30 can depend upon Jesus Christ, 01:31 who is the one that can save us from 01:33 everything. Praise God. We look forward 01:35 to Him saving us one day from sin for 01:37 salvation, but you know we need help 01:39 during our daily struggles and so. 01:42 Jesus can do that too. Our professor 01:44 used to tell us you know you do get pie 01:46 in the sky by and by, but you get a 01:48 slice every now and then, again now too 01:50 and it's good to put some practicality to 01:53 our theology, yeah, because we need 01:55 help as we walk the road that leads 01:56 to glory. We need encouragement along 01:58 the away. So this makes it a very practical 02:00 program. Very, very much so. 02:02 You know we want to make sure that 02:03 we address your questions too as 02:05 we get to this question and answer time. 02:07 And so we want to put up our email 02:10 address here so you can address those 02:11 questions to housecalls@3abn.org 02:15 that's housecalls@3abn. org. Please send 02:20 them in because you're a big part of 02:21 this program as we talk about your 02:24 questions here from week to week. 02:25 Before we go to those questions then 02:27 Pastor Murray maybe you would kind 02:29 of lead us into prayer here, at time of 02:30 prayer and then we'll go ahead and begin 02:32 to address some questions. Glad to do so. 02:34 Heavenly Father, we just thank you so 02:36 very much for your privilege. 02:37 We thank you for the word that you've 02:40 given us, the privilege that is the word, 02:42 amen, which is indeed a lamp into our feet, 02:44 a light into our path and we ask that 02:46 you would shine that light into our hearts 02:48 as we seek now to understand your 02:50 word and put your word into practice 02:52 for truly there is comfort and direction 02:55 in the word of God, amen. 02:56 Help us now to make application that 02:59 will encourage us as we walk together, 03:01 and we thank you in Jesus name, amen, 03:03 amen. We have a few questions here and 03:06 again as I say your questions are vitally 03:08 important here to this program and so 03:11 we've got a few real good ones here today, 03:13 and pastor Murray you want to begin 03:14 with the one you have there. Alright, this 03:16 question comes from Lee in Michigan, 03:19 and his question deals with the coming 03:21 of the Lord. Will we see three direct 03:25 distinct individuals when the Lord comes again? 03:29 Will we see the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 03:31 I think Bible is fairly clear on this, 03:34 that Christ is coming back to get us. 03:37 There are number of texts, Revelation starts 03:42 right off as the sun shines from East to the 03:44 West, so shall the coming of the Son of 03:45 man be. Christ said I go and prepare a 03:49 place for you, I will come again. 03:52 I've got my Bible to Acts chapter 1:11 03:55 who also said, Men of Galilee, why stand ye 03:58 gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus 04:00 shall come again which is taken up from 04:03 you will so come again in like manner as 04:05 ye have seen him go into heaven. 04:06 So we get a process that says Christ is 04:08 coming back. Coming back in clouds, 04:10 coming back escorted with heavenly 04:12 intelligences, coming back certainly in 04:14 ensconce, in this retinue of individual, 04:17 but Christ is coming back to get us to take 04:19 us, to present us to the Father. 04:21 So, the entity and I use that term that 04:24 we will see is Jesus. We will see Jesus. 04:27 We will see Him face to face of course 04:28 those who are not saved will run into the 04:30 rocks, into the mountains but those of 04:32 us who are there will see Christ and will be 04:35 caught up to meet Him in the air, 04:37 and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 04:38 So what we will see the person is dare I 04:41 say that will see, will be Jesus. 04:43 Yeah, the emphasis sure seems to be that 04:45 Jesus is the one who's coming to take us 04:47 home, precisely. And I think one of the 04:48 things too is some the misconception that 04:51 the second coming is the end of all things. 04:53 No, no and it's not, no it's not, it's really 04:55 the beginning of the saints being able to 04:58 live in glory with God, yes, yes, 05:00 and it's for that thousand years of time 05:02 or peace in heaven not on earth, 05:04 not on earth yes. And so Jesus is really 05:06 coming to take us home, but you know 05:08 I say home as far as heaven or heavenly 05:11 city, yes, but at that time I think the God 05:14 head itself will deal with the sin 05:16 problem when we finally come back to the 05:17 earth. Yes, yes indeed, indeed. 05:19 You know we will have access to the Father 05:21 and, but Christ has been so instrumental 05:25 in our redemption. Christ has been the one 05:27 who suffered who bled, who died. 05:29 He wants to present his church to His 05:31 Father, as a bride sort of to you know, 05:35 to the Father. So, Christ is going to have 05:38 the privilege dare I say of coming down 05:40 to get us to take us back home. 05:42 And then we'll be with Lord throughout all 05:45 eternity, yeah. And we know from the 05:47 word of God, Paul says that Jesus was 05:49 the first fruit, yes, of the later redemption, 05:51 and the resurrection so He presented 05:53 Himself in fact as Mary cling to Him after 05:56 he was resurrected. He said I'd not yet 05:58 ascended to my Father, my Father. 06:00 It's not that the Father was coming down 06:02 to meet Him to give His satisfaction. 06:03 He was going to the Father, yes, as He 06:05 takes His bride to the Father, correct, 06:07 again to show the Father here is what 06:10 we've accomplished through my blood. 06:12 One of the things that I will be interested 06:15 in delving into throughout eternity is 06:17 the agency of the Holy Spirit. 06:19 You know we it's the one entity that we 06:21 don't have really a handle on because its 06:23 just so hard for the human mind as it is 06:26 not constructed to wrap it's mind 06:28 around what, who the Holy Spirit is. 06:31 But I think one of the things that will 06:32 amaze us is this, how the three work 06:34 together. How they are so intertwined and 06:37 so closely connected. How they have been 06:39 so throughout the history of the salvation 06:41 experience. Of course, we, I think we have 06:45 just this kind of special affinity for Jesus 06:47 because He came down, He bled, He died, 06:49 He lived. And of course He will bear the 06:51 marks of that throughout all eternity, 06:53 but one of the things I think we will be 06:55 pleased to study is how the three work 06:58 together to get us home and get maybe 07:00 little better understanding of this 07:02 personage called the Holy Spirit. 07:04 I think if I go back in my mind far enough, 07:07 you and I did a program on the God head, 07:10 yes, yes, yes. And it generated quite a 07:13 discussion out there and so we know that 07:15 it's kind of a hot topic understanding. 07:17 You know and rightfully so, I mean we don't 07:19 comprehend fully God. I mean how can 07:21 we really know God, right, right. 07:23 Except you know knowing through what 07:25 he's given us in His word but clearly 07:27 Jesus came to glorify His Father and as 07:30 Jesus ascends back to heaven, 07:32 the Holy Spirit is here glorifying Christ in us, 07:35 the real Christ to us. And so I would say 07:39 you know the Holy Spirit isn't living inside 07:40 of you Christ can't dwell there because 07:43 really the agency of the Holy Spirit brings 07:46 Christ into the heart, and so Christ works 07:49 in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. 07:50 But you're right, it's this, it is so hard to 07:53 understand, to grasp, yeah. 07:54 That's beyond just understanding three 07:56 and one. Yeah, we get little glimpses of 07:57 His work John 16, John 14, you know we 08:01 get little glimpses of how he works and 08:04 how he functions and I think throughout 08:06 eternity it will be of course a study, 08:07 we'll get a little better understanding. 08:09 Christ said he shall be with you and shall 08:11 be in you. You know He is the author 08:13 of the new birth experience in our lives. 08:17 How that works, we don't precisely know, 08:21 I'm glad it does work. I am glad He 08:23 is here. I am glad He is here right now. 08:25 He animates our thoughts, it is He draws 08:28 us to Christ. He convicts us, converts us. 08:31 He is with us and we'll understand that 08:33 little bit better by and by. Yeah, yeah, 08:35 you know we had a recent revival series 08:38 at our Church, I prepared a series, 08:40 when you do that you always kind of got 08:42 to be little careful because now in the 08:44 presentation of the revival series because 08:46 we know that the Lord works if people's 08:47 hearts are open. Oh! Yes. To the Holy Spirit, 08:50 but on the heels of a revival series it's 08:52 always a challenge because then it becomes 08:53 a personal time. Oh yes. With each person 08:56 to nurture that experience they've had, 08:58 but you know someone would ask well how 09:00 do you know there is the Holy Spirit 09:02 working in you. How do you know God 09:03 is alive and working in you and we try 09:05 so hard to explain that there is a God and 09:08 to show evidence of God, but until you 09:11 experience that and with this recent of 09:14 Revival Series, a lot of folks don't 09:16 realize you know the pastors revive too. 09:17 Oh! Yes, oh yes. I mean the Revival 09:19 Series and I am sure that I am being 09:21 revived, very much so. I need that as 09:23 much as the congregation would need that. 09:26 But once you finish with a series like 09:27 that or once you have that experience 09:29 with God and the Holy Spirit is in you, 09:32 there is no question that there is the 09:34 Holy Spirit at work. So there is no reason 09:37 to show evidence, external evidence that 09:39 God exists when you've had the experience 09:42 of the Holy Spirit, the experience of God 09:43 working in you. So, often when I've said 09:45 when someone said, well prove there is a 09:46 God. I say you know well you know 09:49 there are evidences that really are 09:51 circumstantial, that you can pile on, 09:54 oh yeah, and most courts would accept 09:56 that as true evidence. But for actual 10:00 experience you've got to have a relationship 10:03 with Christ, yeah, experience the Holy Spirit 10:05 to say there is a God, there is no doubt 10:07 about it. Yes, yes, yes, I alluded to a couple 10:10 of texts and I just wanted to run by 10:13 them John 16:13, each of us has the spirit 10:16 of truth coming, he won't testify of himself, 10:18 he's gonna speak about Christ, 10:19 you know he is gonna to lift him. 10:21 He will glorify me for he will not for he 10:23 will take of what is mine, and declare it 10:25 to you. And then of course the great promise 10:28 in John 14:16, I will pray that Father He will 10:31 give another helper who will abide with you 10:34 forever. So, the Spirit will be there because 10:37 the spirits always been there. 10:39 You know it's since Christ left and 10:42 bequeathed to us the spirit, 10:44 it will be there. But the persons that we 10:46 will see that will come to get us of course 10:48 will be Jesus Christ, and we are so 10:51 thankful for that. And so I agree with 10:53 your words very, very much. 10:54 And a wonderful thing to look forward 10:56 to now when we are having so many struggles. 10:59 You know and I'm right there with all of 11:01 you I've seen my 401K prior to being a pastor 11:05 I was in the you know insurance finance area, 11:08 and had a chance to build up you know for 11:10 myself a nice you know 401K, and if have 11:12 kept that going here even now that I work 11:14 for the church and so forth. But I tell you, 11:17 you know you don't want to have too 11:18 much confidence in these things because 11:19 I've seen that thing hit to the tune of 40 11:22 percent, 30 to 40 percent and it's just 11:24 where to go. Now is not the time to put 11:27 your trust in money, no, no. It's time 11:29 to put your trust in the Lord and knowing 11:31 the Lord is coming soon to take us home, 11:33 that lifts our hearts. So, praise God. 11:36 We thank God for that. Here's a question 11:38 from George, and he's writing to us 11:42 from Milpitas, and I know about that, 11:45 in fact I used to go a water slide in Milpitas 11:47 and actually where George lives. 11:50 He says I do enjoy your show and I'm 11:53 emailing you from San Jose or Milpitas 11:55 right near San Jose, the Milpitas Church. 11:58 My question is about the Book of Moses 12:00 that was nailed to the Cross. 12:02 A person asked me this question if the 12:04 Book of Moses was nailed to the cross 12:06 and is no longer binding then what about 12:09 the dietary laws that are in that book, 12:12 were they nailed to the cross also and if 12:14 not why? So I like to provide a little 12:18 clarification, yes, yes, yes, on what was 12:21 nailed to the cross and to do that I would 12:22 like to go to Colossians chapter 2 and we'll 12:26 get a little clearer picture of exactly what 12:28 was nailed to the cross, because Colossians 2 12:32 is the very text that speaks of this nailing. 12:35 You know what is something being nailed 12:37 with cross. And let's begin with lets see 12:41 here verse 11, 2:11 "In him you were 12:49 also circumcised with a circumcision made 12:51 without hands by putting off the body of 12:53 the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of 12:57 Christ. Buried with him in baptism in which 13:00 you were also raised with him through faith 13:02 in the working of God who raised him from 13:04 the dead, and you being dead in your 13:07 trespasses and in the uncircumcision of 13:09 your flesh, he has made you alive together 13:11 with him having forgiven you all your trespasses. 13:14 Clearly talking about sin, we are getting, 13:16 putting those off, the sins of the flesh 13:18 of the body. Then it says here verse 14 13:20 having whipped out the handwriting of 13:22 requirements that was against us, 13:25 which was contrary to us that he has 13:28 taken it out of the way, having nailed it 13:30 to the cross. So, first of all we see that 13:34 Paul is writing to the church and the 13:39 church here is made up of Jews and Gentiles 13:41 alike. And there's a bit of a dispute as to 13:45 what they should be doing in their traditions 13:47 as they carry on this faith that, 13:50 the Jews especially had carried on for 13:52 many years as Jews. And so he's talking 13:57 about all of these things they used to perform. 13:59 And in many ways many of those things had 14:01 come to a point where it was a way of 14:03 pleasing God for God to accept them and 14:05 the performance of them. But now is the 14:07 time for them to understand that in Jesus 14:09 he fulfilled many of those aspects of the 14:14 book of Moses as our writer talked about. 14:18 So it's not the Book of Moses that was 14:20 thrown out because really if you think 14:21 about the Book of Moses it's got many 14:23 different kinds of laws in it, you have the 14:25 moral law. Well the moral law, 14:27 the Ten Commandments obviously was 14:28 written on stone by God himself, 14:29 but you have the civil laws that govern of 14:32 Israel itself, you have dietary laws. 14:35 How they should eat for health reasons, yes, 14:38 And then you have ceremonial laws which all 14:40 point to Jesus the Messiah who would one 14:42 day come. So this speaking about the 14:44 Messiah who would come to take away their 14:46 sins must be speaking of the ceremonial 14:48 aspect that was nailed to the cross, 14:51 and if you go a little further it confirms that 14:53 verse 15 having disarmed principalities 14:55 and powers, he made a public spectacle 14:58 of them triumphing over them in it. 15:01 So let no one judge you in food or in 15:03 drink or in regarding festival or new 15:06 moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of 15:09 things to come but the substance is of 15:12 Christ. Yeah. So we are looking at 15:13 anything that shadowed, foreshadowed 15:16 Christ the Messiah is what he's 15:18 speaking of, right, that was nailed to the 15:19 cross, because Christ was also nailed to 15:21 the cross. Now, do health laws point to 15:26 Christ? Well, I mean they help us draw 15:29 near to Christ, yes. But they don't directly 15:31 point to the Messiah, correct. 15:32 And so we're not talking about general 15:34 health laws or dietary laws speaking of you. 15:36 When it's saying judging you in food 15:39 or drink. It's often talking, it's really 15:41 talking about the food and drink offerings 15:44 that were made that foreshadowed the 15:46 coming of Christ who fulfilled those things, 15:48 not all those laws. You've got to become 15:49 almost a slave to context here, 15:52 because if you take the words as they 15:53 stand you can really get off. 15:56 It says you see the word Sabbath there 15:58 in verse 16. Not talking about the Sabbath, 16:00 it's talking about just those Sabbath, 16:02 those gatherings, those meetings that 16:05 foreshadowed Christ. The food is not 16:07 any food because there are those who 16:08 will say oh that means any food, 16:10 every food, all food is fair game now, 16:12 that was talking about it, it's food or 16:14 drink offerings. This is the one of the 16:16 few times actually when for me the King 16:18 James actually clears it up a little bit 16:20 when he uses the term ordinances, yeah, 16:21 those kinds of things were to repartee of 16:23 a ceremonial system that looked towards 16:26 the death of Christ. Those things Christ 16:28 fulfilled, but the other things included 16:31 the Ten Commandments would repartee of 16:33 what Moses wrote actually God wrote 16:34 it but it was contained in that Book of Moses. 16:36 Those Books of Moses. Continue to be in 16:39 force even to this day. So, this is the 16:41 kind of text where you really need to give 16:43 study to, and don't takes things just as 16:46 they appear but dig a little deeper beneath 16:48 the surface and look at the context in 16:50 which he is writing and then things become 16:51 a little clearer. Very, very much so, 16:53 you know there is one text I would like 16:54 to share here with you just to give you 16:56 the full import of what C.A. was saying here. 16:59 It's First Chronicles chapter 23 verse 17:03 31, speaking of offerings, offerings made 17:07 to the Lord, listen to what this text says. 17:09 It says and at every presentation of a 17:13 burned offering to the Lord on the Sabbath, 17:16 and on the new moons, and on the set 17:18 feasts by the number according to the 17:20 ordinance governing them regularly 17:23 before the Lord. Notice all the things 17:25 that Paul was talking about, yes, 17:26 is in this verse in the context of offerings 17:30 to the Lord. And those offerings are 17:32 offerings to that foreshadow the offering 17:36 of Jesus in his own body on the tree, 17:39 which is the cross. So, in context here 17:42 Colossians 2, he is talking about ceremonial 17:44 aspects, precisely, not all of the laws found 17:48 in the Book of Moses, 'cause many of those 17:49 laws are for health and for other things, 17:52 that help to govern or to give Israel the 17:55 ability to withstand 6000 years. 17:58 Well we know 2000 had already passed 18:00 but another 4000 years plus of sin, yeah. 18:05 I mean we see just what not paying 18:07 attention to health laws today will do to 18:10 a body, precisely. When you look at the 18:12 laws that were given to the children of 18:14 Israel. God gave those laws, so that 18:17 they could be a more affective witness 18:19 for Him. And of course when Christ died, 18:23 He didn't die to allow us to eat things 18:27 or to bring things into our body that 18:28 would destroy our health. And I think 18:31 you've so rightly said that a lot of the 18:34 diseases that we are suffering today are 18:36 occasioned by our knife and fork. 18:38 You know we're digging the way to our 18:39 graves with the knife and fork. 18:41 And if we follow those health laws as 18:46 described in the word of God we live 18:48 healthier, we live happier, we live holier, 18:51 less trip to the doctor's office. 18:52 You know people will say and we're getting 18:54 very practical. People will say oh you got 18:56 to die of something. Yeah. Well, that is 18:58 true but the question is not do you have 19:00 to die of something, it's are you're gonna 19:01 die of a heart attack at 87 playing 19:03 basketball with your great grandchildren 19:05 or at 42 because of colon cancer, 19:09 because you just didn't live that kind of 19:12 lifestyle that you wanted to. Some times 19:13 we're talking about half of your years gone, 19:15 precisely. Who wants to say I got to 19:17 die of something at 42. Somehow they're 19:19 saying that that's acceptable, right. 19:20 I don't think the same, that's acceptable 19:22 at 42. No, no it is not and the key 19:23 is found in the word of God. The Bible is 19:25 a fantastically as you will know practical 19:28 book for living, that's right, and we can 19:31 live well, we can live healthy. 19:32 The laws and rules are right there, 19:33 so God had a broader picture in mind, 19:37 but he did want us to be healthy, 19:39 happy and holy here on earth as we 19:40 prepare for citizenship in the world which 19:43 is to come. Yeah, yeah, and you know even 19:45 as pastors, you know this as well. 19:46 When you're about to give a series or 19:48 something else the last, the worst thing 19:49 you can do before you step up to that 19:51 pulpit to preach is fill your stomach with 19:53 food right, very true, I mean and that 19:55 alone not just maybe a little snack or 19:57 something just so your stomach is not 19:58 growling but imagine filling your stomach 20:00 up with all kinds of bad stuff. 20:02 I mean you get up there to preach, 20:03 you just and it gets hard to eat all that 20:05 and saving the soul. So, just to give 20:08 you more practical aspects of eating here. 20:10 You have another question there. 20:13 This question, we don't have a name, 20:16 oh we do, no, we don't have a name, 20:20 but he is or she wants to know that about 20:23 the term what is Holy Fire? Now that's 20:27 interesting because I did some quick looking, 20:30 the term per say doesn't exist in Bible 20:32 but there are things that allude to that, 20:34 if we go to Exodus, the last couple of 20:37 chapter we see that unholy fire or was 20:44 offered on the altar of incense. 20:46 There was a fire that was kindle by 20:48 the Lord that was never suppose to go 20:49 out in the sanctuary. And look at this 20:52 Exodus 30 and 39 that fire was never 20:56 supposed to go out that was a type 20:58 of a Holy Fire. There was a fire that 21:01 came down in the days of Elijah after 21:05 the prophets of Baal were destroyed to 21:08 consume his offering, a fire kindle that 21:10 came from the Lord. But we don't see 21:12 that term per say as Holy Fire. 21:16 The closest we come to it would be 21:19 the fire that was kindle by the Lord on 21:20 the altar of incense which is never 21:22 supposed to go out, it was supposed 21:23 always be there and of course I'm 21:25 having a senior moment, need I remind 21:27 you, allowed to go out and they were 21:31 punished for that, because it was, 21:32 it was fire kindled by God which was 21:34 never suppose to be, supposed to go. 21:36 So I don't know precisely what he is 21:38 driving at, as far as Holy Fire that's as 21:40 close as we come to Holy Fire in the 21:42 word of God that I could find you know, 21:44 yeah quickly. The other too that I 21:46 think about here is when it speaks of 21:50 Lucifer with God in the very beginning 21:51 that he walked in the midst of the 21:53 mountain of God, in the midst of fiery stone, 21:55 yes, yes. So, we find that God dwells 21:58 in fire. We find them burning bush that 21:59 God dwelled within the fire. So, you know 22:02 I guess probably the easiest explanation 22:04 for what does it mean by Holy Fire is 22:05 that fire kindled by God or that God 22:08 exists there in, yeah. But you're right, 22:12 the context of the question, I don't know 22:13 exactly where it's going. Yeah, and 22:14 you had a pillar of cloud by day and a 22:16 pillar of fire by night, but that actually 22:19 was a visible manifestation of the 22:20 presence of God. It was a, it appeared 22:23 to them as fire because I suspect that's 22:25 as much as God could show them. 22:28 They saw it as fire, they saw not an 22:30 image or a person they saw a Holy Fire. 22:33 Well that's as closest as I say we are 22:35 coming in the word of God. Yes, very good, 22:37 very good. Our last question here 22:39 today is from Mark, writing from Minnesota. 22:43 And he is saying here, is there anyway 22:45 of approximating the age of the earth. 22:48 If so, can you please send me the applicable 22:50 verses? Well this is a challenge as it has 22:55 been a challenge by many because one of 22:57 the things the Bible does, if you want 22:59 to find verses and really work this out 23:00 for yourself, as many have done before, 23:03 you want to go to the genealogies of 23:06 Genesis, because when you get to about 23:08 the end of Genesis, you can actually 23:10 historically almost apply a time line 23:13 because we know about enough about 23:15 what goes on after that to approximate dates, 23:19 yeah, and times. So you, the really the 23:21 gap is what's prior to the end of Genesis, 23:26 you know from the time of creation 23:27 right to the time of Genesis with God's 23:29 people being delivered from the land of 23:31 Egypt, and even maybe even starting with 23:34 Abraham. But if you want to really begin 23:36 to approximate the age, go to the genealogies, 23:39 you can find the ages of many of the individuals 23:41 there that it mentions and you can go backwards, 23:45 once you attach a firm date you can go 23:47 backwards and add those to that, 23:48 to find an approximate age, but honestly 23:52 this is something many have already done. 23:54 So I would suggest even going on to the 23:56 Internet and you can type in a few people 23:58 who have looked at genealogies and looked 24:00 at the age of the earth and so forth. 24:01 And I think one of the things that most of 24:03 them conclude is that the age of the earth is 24:06 roughly around 6000 years old plus, yeah. 24:10 So we are getting into that 7000 millennial 24:14 year which in fact some people believe that 24:17 maybe that's why the millennium, 24:19 the thousand years of rest is a typical or 24:23 an antitypical type of millennium of rest, 24:27 a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath rest. 24:30 I think and I am trying, not trying to read 24:32 this as my what may occasion as question. 24:36 Even those who stretch it, everyone comes 24:38 under ten thousand; you know everyone 24:40 comes under ten thousand years. 24:42 You've got a scientific community which 24:44 dates it at millions perhaps billion of years. 24:47 You've got a scientific Christian community 24:50 which dates it under ten thousand. 24:53 And those who tie it down a little more 24:56 will tie it to about 6000 give or take plus 25:00 or minus. I think in some of these things we've 25:04 got to trust the word of God. When you go 25:07 to the Bible and as you have said this has 25:08 been done a number of times, 25:10 and it's not that difficult to find. 25:13 You've got a great age of the earth that 25:15 scientists will tell you, you've got relatively, 25:17 and that's a relatively short age of the earth, 25:20 which the Biblical community tends to 25:22 espouse to, scribe to. And the word of 25:26 God is true, and though you may not be 25:28 able to find you know what I remember 25:30 someone saying some time ago, if you want 25:31 to believe there is plenty evidence to believe. 25:34 If you don't what to believe you will never 25:35 find enough to make you believe. 25:38 I tend to believe the word of God would 25:40 pegs in about 6000 years you know and it 25:43 works for me because as a student of the 25:45 word I believe, I believe God. Now when I 25:48 go to school, scientist will tell me thus and so, 25:50 I'm gonna hang my faith on the word of God, 25:53 yeah, I will. Another approach too that I 25:55 find some use just in generally speaking, 25:58 they say well there are 2000 years roughly 26:01 from the time of creation to about the time 26:02 of Abraham and God's people chosen, 26:06 chosen as a nation. And then you got 26:08 about 2000 year, correct, you go from 26:10 there to the time of Christ and now we've 26:12 been about 2000 years from the time of 26:14 Christ first advent, yeah, to where we are 26:16 today. And so, you're finding, you find 26:19 some approximations there as well, 26:21 which is kind of interesting at least it 26:22 makes you go hmm, it does, it does. 26:25 But what it also says Pastor John is 26:27 that the coming of the Lord is soon. 26:29 You know, nature is telling us, 26:31 the Bible says this. You know the earth 26:33 is in this groaning, heaving kind of state. 26:35 You know we're just earthquakes and 26:38 floods and wars and financial disaster, it's 26:43 all sort of coalescing together and it 26:46 is time for God's people really to plant their 26:48 feet solidly on the rock Christ Jesus because 26:53 Christ is coming very, very soon. 26:55 We don't have the hard and fast days, 26:56 but we can approximate the time, 26:58 we know that the time is very, very near 27:00 and Jesus is coming soon. You always say 27:01 you know the God never gave us a date 27:03 but he sure give us a season. He surely did. 27:05 And I know it's cold right now, its winter. 27:07 So, anyway, so enough about that, 27:11 but we thank you so much for sending in 27:12 your questions. Again if you would like 27:14 to send in your questions by email, 27:16 you can send them to housecalls@3abn.org 27:19 that's housecalls@ 3abn.org and if you 27:23 want to just send them by regular mail 27:24 feel free to do that. You can send them 27:26 by regular mail at 3ABN's main address, 27:29 to the attention of House Calls. 27:30 So thank you very much for sending those 27:32 and we appreciate that. Now, it's time for 27:34 our topic for the day and I think a topic 27:37 that really is something that all of us need 27:41 to talk about, or at least need to hear 27:43 that God even though we're having a very 27:45 difficult times is very, very near to each 27:47 and every one of us. As we spend time 27:50 with Him and as we follow Him and trust 27:52 Him with our lives. There was a message 27:55 I gave recently here, just it seems like 27:57 you know with these tough times, 27:59 God's people need to hear a word of 28:01 encouragement, so I've spend the last 28:03 three weeks generally on trying to lift 28:06 their spirits to know God loves them, 28:08 will never leave them, but even in these 28:10 times of struggles and trials that God is 28:12 with them. And that there are promises we 28:14 can hang our head on. And so it's really 28:17 been something that I've been focusing 28:19 on here because I've sensed the need for that. 28:21 And I believe that many out there are 28:23 also having that need. But one of the things 28:26 I used to kind of spring board into that 28:27 is taking a look at hurricanes. You know 28:31 we just got through with hurricane season. 28:33 And we're looking at you know you look at 28:35 these hurricanes, they can do just 28:36 incredible damage and especially over the 28:38 last oh six, seven years we've seen 28:40 just a multiplicity of hurricanes, 28:43 numbers of them and tornadoes especially 28:46 in North America. And you wondered 28:49 what's going on, something is happening 28:51 that is different than the environment 28:53 we had before. And so, I began to look 28:56 at hurricanes and I always wondered how 28:58 hurricanes start. How does a hurricane 29:00 begin, so I did some research on hurricanes? 29:02 I will just share this here briefly with you. 29:05 Hurricanes usually spawn over warm 29:07 waters but not only warm waters, 29:08 but very calm waters, and what happens 29:12 is that as the warm air is generated over 29:15 those warm calm waters, it leaves a lower 29:17 air pressure on the ground as the air begins 29:20 to lift, 'cause warm air rises. Was that air 29:24 lifts and creates that low pressure and 29:26 you have outside air swoop in, yeah, 29:28 and it generates more and more air going 29:31 upward and in North America of course it 29:33 goes counter clockwise, it starts to 29:35 spin upward and then we find ourselves 29:38 you know as you hear in the news ever 29:39 so often, will we have a tropical depression, 29:42 depression sure, and then we have a 29:43 tropical storm, and then the air accelerates 29:46 to the point where now we have a stage 29:48 one hurricane, and then it goes beyond that 29:50 up to stage five, and sometimes can reach 29:52 up to 150 plus miles an hour. But one 29:56 of the most interesting parts of hurricanes 29:58 is that you find those who have experienced 30:01 the eye of the hurricane say that there is 30:03 incredible peace within the eye. 30:05 It's almost like you wonder if it's over, 30:07 yeah, and then the rest of the storm comes 30:10 through and from the other end, 30:11 the other side you'll get hit by one direction 30:13 the other side's swirling and you've got 30:15 the other part of the storm coming through, 30:17 yeah. But anyway this eye of the storm I 30:19 found is a place that not only has incredible 30:24 peace, but it has a real spiritual application 30:26 because today we are living in a time 30:29 where we're in the storm. We are in a storm 30:32 and it's going on, and hurricane is blowing 30:34 winds all around us, and if we can find 30:38 someway to the eye just maybe although 30:41 the hurricane continues to range on we 30:43 just might be able to stay there, yes. 30:46 And as I was reading God's word about 30:48 how Jesus brings us into perfect peace, 30:52 and how he takes us by the right hand to 30:54 lead us. The imagery just jumps out at me 30:57 that what Jesus wants to do is guide us 30:59 through the storm, through those you know 31:01 you got to get through the storm, 31:03 go through the storm to get to the eye, 31:05 and it guides us into the eye of that storm 31:08 and then wants to keep us there and 31:10 shelter us from the incredible things 31:12 happening around us. And so, in this 31:15 program what we would like to do is, 31:17 is talk a little bit about how Jesus does 31:19 that and He promises to give us perfect 31:21 peace as we put our minds and put our 31:24 trust in Him. It says in Matthew 11 verse 28 31:28 to 30, this is the words of Jesus Christ 31:32 "Come to Me, all ye who labor and are 31:34 heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 31:37 That's a strong, strong promise, 31:40 I will do it, yes, there is no question, 31:41 I will do that. "Take My yoke upon you 31:43 and learn from Me, for I am gentle and 31:45 lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your 31:49 souls." You see, you will find it, 31:52 peace isn't something that just comes. 31:57 Peace is something you've got to find. 31:59 Oh! Yes. In a world that we live in today 32:02 you just, if you are waiting for peace to come, 32:05 you're just rolling with the punches, 32:07 you're getting hit left and right and if 32:08 peace doesn't come you just feeling you're 32:09 never gonna find peace. Peace is 32:11 something today that I believe that we can 32:14 find with the help of Jesus Christ, 32:16 our Lord and Savior. Yeah praise God. 32:18 So, it really jumped at me as I was 32:20 looking at this that Jesus wants us to find 32:24 peace in Him, so how do we find that peace? 32:27 I think there is lots of ways that we can 32:28 find that peace, but that's really where we 32:30 want to go today. Yeah, you know what 32:32 pops out at me, and it just came to me 32:36 just now that text you know we bristle at 32:38 the word yoke because we think of yoke as 32:40 weight or something that's been put upon us, 32:43 but the yoke just assures that you're 32:45 working in concert together. You know if 32:48 we are yoked together we have to pull 32:49 together, we have to move together, 32:51 we have to walk together. It's like that 32:52 old three-legged racing thing where you put 32:54 both legs and, yeah, you know I put one leg 32:56 and put one leg in the same sac, so now 32:57 we are bound together when I walk this 32:59 way you have to walk this way and I go 33:00 you know we have to function together if 33:03 we're gonna to move at all, right, 33:04 it's got to be in concert and that's all that 33:05 yoke does. The yoke just assures that your 33:09 movements are in concert with Jesus Christ 33:11 and since He is the author of peace and 33:14 always moves towards peace. When you walk 33:16 with Him, you're going in the same direction, 33:18 you are heading towards peace. 33:19 It is impossible to go any other way when 33:22 you're yoked with Jesus because He is 33:23 heading you, leading towards peace. 33:25 That's right, you know, and when you think 33:26 about that too I like the way you say that 33:28 because if, if we're yoked with Jesus we 33:31 find peace. If we're not yoked with Jesus, 33:33 and we're trying to find our own peace, yeah. 33:35 You never really find it, because you don't 33:37 know where the eye of the storm is, 33:38 the winds are so strong, how you're gonna 33:40 find it. I mean in these days you find it 33:42 with your finances, no. You know are you're 33:45 gonna find it in how the economy is going, 33:48 you find with your gas prices which we 33:51 just on the heels you know we're coming 33:53 off the heels to worst gas prices we in 33:55 America have ever seen. And other things 33:57 no you don't find peace there, but when 33:59 you are with Jesus, when you're yoked 34:01 with Jesus He is always heading towards 34:03 peace. He is the one that promises us 34:04 peace. So how can we make sure that 34:08 we're yoked with Jesus? And I find that 34:11 often in my own life's experience in the 34:13 past that when I'm looking for peace, 34:16 when I'm looking for you know when the 34:19 circumstances around me are too difficult to 34:21 deal with, and I try to find peace on my 34:23 own, I can't find it, yeah. So, our first 34:26 objective then is to find Jesus, right, 34:30 get yoked up with Him, so then he can 34:32 bring us to peace 'cause He knows where 34:33 it is. Give you the realization John you 34:36 know put not your trust in princes or in 34:38 the arm of flesh. People will let you down 34:42 and they may not even intent to. 34:45 It's the nature of the beast when you're 34:48 dealing with human beings. There are 34:50 sometimes when they are quite trust worthy. 34:52 The other times when they are not, 34:55 there are sometimes when they are so 34:56 consumed with their own struggles, 34:58 they don't really have time to take the 35:00 weight of your struggles. It is peaceful to 35:04 know that whenever you come to Christ 35:07 he says I will in no wise cast you out. 35:10 So whenever I go to him day, night He's 35:14 gonna be there. He's got the time for me. 35:17 He's got the ability to deal with me, 35:19 and He has the desire, you know dare 35:22 I say the perfect storm. He's got the time. 35:25 He has the ability and the desire and if 35:28 you don't have all three you still can't help 35:29 me. You may have the time, but you can't, 35:31 your don't have the ability, you may have 35:32 the ability but you don't want to help me 35:33 you know, right. So he wants to help you, 35:35 more willing to give me good gifts than 35:37 Father out to their own children. 35:38 He has the ability, he can do all things 35:41 certainly, and we can do all things 35:42 through Him, and He has the time. 35:44 So we know we are going to someone 35:46 who has a desire and can do what, 35:49 what needs to be done. That's right, 35:50 you know I can hear some talking about 35:52 you know thinking in their minds about 35:54 peace in Jesus and I know what's coming 35:57 to mind in some of them. So we want to 35:58 hit this here quickly, yeah, Matthew 10:34 36:02 says this, these are the words of Jesus 36:04 as well. "Do not think I came to bring 36:07 peace on the earth; I did not come to bring 36:11 peace, but a sword. So, now how do 36:14 we reconcile these two things having peace 36:17 in Jesus but yet Jesus not bringing peace 36:20 but bringing a sword. We need, lets 36:23 define what kind of peace we're talking about, 36:25 there you go, yes. Because you know 36:27 some would say, well, and we pray this 36:30 way C.A. we pray, I pray this way, Jesus, 36:35 we move this challenge for my life. 36:38 You know solve my problem with this person, 36:41 you know change them, yeah, give me 36:46 a different job, give me a little more money, 36:48 so I can you know take care of my family. 36:50 You know it's like we're looking for God 36:52 to change our circumstances, yes, 36:54 to change the storm, to calm the storm, 36:57 when he doesn't really say he's gonna 36:58 calm the storm because here He promises 37:00 that a sword is coming upon the earth 37:03 which you would say is that outer 37:04 parameter of the hurricane. 37:06 So what are we talking about here, 37:08 what kind of peace is Jesus is really saying 37:10 when He is saying I'll give you peace. 37:12 Yeah. There is always and always will be 37:15 a battle between being in Christ and being 37:18 outside of Christ, so there is always tension 37:19 there. But the thing about being in Christ 37:22 is that perfect peace of they whose minds 37:26 are state on him so that the storm exists. 37:30 The thing is to have peace in the midst of 37:31 the storm, so you, we are born into storm, 37:34 you know with the storm is there, 37:35 the thing is to have peace in the midst 37:36 of the storm. So, the sword comes, 37:39 the tension comes when we are stepping 37:41 out of the world and into Jesus, yeah. 37:44 There is always gonna be tension there 37:46 but once you make that step then peace 37:48 is the inevitable result, yeah. So would 37:51 Jesus really once you connect with Him 37:53 and you yoke up with Him as we were 37:54 talking about earlier, you begin to have 37:56 the mind of Christ and you see things 37:58 differently, your perspective changes, 38:00 things change all around you. 38:02 So, the storm is raging on but the objective 38:05 here is that Jesus has brought you into 38:07 the eye of that storm that he is giving 38:10 you peace, you know the peace of mind 38:13 regardless of what's happening to you, 38:14 yeah, yeah, yeah. Paul says, I mean 38:17 there is a war going on within me and in 38:20 Romans 14. I've got this issue because I 38:25 want to be spiritual, but I am at nature 38:28 carnal, and the peace comes once I rest 38:32 in Jesus. You know when we go to Hebrews 38:34 13, he says I will never leave you nor 38:37 forsake you. What can the world do to me, 38:43 you know it's a settling in Christ. 38:46 The storm is always gonna be raging, 38:48 but the peace comes once we make that 38:50 decision to rest in Jesus then the peace 38:54 comes. He will never leave me nor forsake 38:56 me. He can, Paul says 13:5 and 6, 38:59 I can boldly say He is my helper. 39:01 I can sort of thump my chest, 39:03 I am on the Lord's side, world can't hurt 39:05 me now, because I am here in Christ Jesus. 39:07 That gives, that allows you to sleep at 39:08 night and to rest at night. That's right, 39:10 and in a way it brings to mind that song 39:13 let there be peace on earth. But it goes on 39:15 to clarify that and let it began with me, 39:18 with me, so really it begins inside of us, 39:20 the peace that we experience because the 39:22 world's peace as we see it, a lot of people 39:25 pray for world peace and we, 39:27 nothing wrong with praying for world peace, 39:29 but in the end we know that ultimately the 39:32 world is gonna get a lot worse before it gets 39:33 a lot better, yeah, yeah. And there really 39:35 won't be perfect peace in the world, 39:38 but we can still be at perfect peace with Him. 39:39 I was about to say whence cometh wars. 39:42 You know they come from a lack of peace 39:45 within. So world peace begins with 39:47 individual peace and unless there is 39:50 individual peace, and there can be no 39:52 world peace, because world wars are 39:54 simply a macro experience of the turmoil 39:57 going on in our individual lives and we're 39:59 at peace with ourselves, at peace with 40:01 our country, at peace with our God, 40:03 at peace with our fellow man, then there 40:05 is no need for war, yeah. War is just the 40:07 out growing of inner turmoil shown out 40:11 on a worldwide scale. There's a text here 40:14 I wonder if maybe you'd be able to 40:15 read it for us, it's Psalm 107, aha, 40:18 25 to 30, we find some different aspects 40:22 of the storm here in this passage and I 40:24 just like to kind of touch on this a little bit. 40:27 Psalm 107 beginning with verse 25 and then 40:33 through verse 30. Psalm 107 25, 40:39 "For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, 40:41 which lifts up the waves of the sea. 40:45 They mount up to the heavens, 40:47 they go down again to the depths: 40:49 their soul melts because of trouble." 40:52 That's 27. "They reel to and fro, 40:54 and stagger like a drunken man, 40:57 and at their wits end," 28. "Then they cry 41:01 out to the LORD in their trouble, 41:03 and he brings them out of their distresses. 41:06 He calls the storm, so that it waves are 41:11 still." And in verse 30, "Then they are glad 41:15 because they are quiet; So he guides them 41:18 to their desired haven." Oh I love that, 41:21 you know it starts off here by saying that 41:24 sometimes God even brings the storm because 41:27 he commands and raises the stormy winds, 41:29 it talks, it begins with that, and then 41:32 of course those who experiencing that storm, 41:34 it says that they, they go up and down and 41:37 says they go up as they're going up to the 41:38 heavens, they go down into the depth of 41:40 the sea, and their soul melts because this 41:42 trouble that they're in. They reel and fro, 41:44 they stagger around, I mean you know you 41:45 can picture these guys on a boat trying 41:48 to just keep that boat from sinking, yeah. 41:50 and they're at there wits end, then they 41:52 cry out to the Lord, and what he does is an 41:55 amazing thing, he calms the storm, 41:57 so that the waves are still, and they're 41:59 glad because they're at quiet. And I like 42:02 this last part, so He guides them to their 42:05 desired haven, yes. And so, really I wrote 42:10 on here I've got this in my notes so I just 42:12 read it. Sometimes God creates the storm. 42:16 Sometimes the devil creates the storm. 42:19 Sometimes we create the storm, oh yes. 42:23 But no matter what God is with us in the 42:25 storm if we cry out to Him, precisely. 42:28 And so, you know I think of my life and 42:30 sometimes of the past and I've seen the 42:31 storms I've gone through, and I can look 42:33 back honestly, and I can say I brought 42:35 on that storm. You know some times I 42:38 can see that I had done noting wrong, 42:40 and I've been living very close with God 42:42 and the devil brings on that storm. 42:44 Other times I can find that maybe I've 42:47 been drifting away from the Lord a little 42:49 bit you know where he can perceive it 42:50 and I'm not perceiving it so much and 42:51 he creates a storm to turn me back, yes. 42:55 So, sometimes we just don't know always 42:57 where this storm or why this storm has come. 42:59 The key to know is that with this text says 43:02 cry out to God, and no matter who started 43:05 the storm, yes, he can bring you into the 43:07 peace that you need in that storm. 43:09 That's a very important point, why would God 43:13 bring storms because sometimes you do 43:16 need a storm, seamanship is developed in 43:19 rough weather. So, if you're always on 43:20 calm water, don't take my sailor boat 43:22 on calm water, that's right. You develop 43:23 your sea legs when you're wrestling 43:25 against the storm. And sometimes as 43:27 you have rightly said we need a little 43:30 trouble in our lives. You know, one to 43:33 send us to the cross, God doesn't send 43:35 us trouble to defeat us but simply to let 43:37 us know from whence cometh our strength 43:39 and our health. And sometimes you need 43:42 to John Lomacang sings the song sometimes 43:44 it takes the storm you know, yeah there 43:45 you go, allow me to see myself and to 43:48 know that I need a little more help than 43:51 I've been asking for and I cannot do it by 43:53 myself, yeah, very good. The good thing 43:54 to know too is that even though we're in 43:55 a storm, God's word promises that he will 43:58 not allow us to bear beyond what we're 44:00 able. I will go with him, oh yeah, 44:02 so that's a very important thing to know 44:04 even if you are in a storm, that storm 44:06 may have been, maybe lasting for quite 44:08 sometime, but at the same time God is 44:11 watching very carefully, oh yeah. 44:12 You're crying out to him and if you are 44:14 walking with him he will guide you 44:16 finally to your safe haven where you have 44:18 that perfect. I wouldn't even say during that 44:20 guidance He's giving you peace but at 44:22 some point that storm does end, oh yes, 44:25 yesh, the morning does come. Oh! yes that's 44:28 the good thing if you can get through the 44:29 night, you hold on to Jesus, morning is coming, 44:32 and when I guess that you'll be surprised 44:34 how fast it came. You know God doesn't 44:36 he brings us in to bring us out. He didn't 44:38 want to leave us in trouble, and that 44:41 promise is sure and we can thank the Lord 44:43 for that. You know we're, you know we're 44:46 talking about some different aspects here 44:47 about storms, and how to have peace in 44:50 the midst of the storm and you know I know 44:52 some, I know one person especially right 44:55 now who is having a very difficult time 44:57 because the storm seems to be going on 44:58 and on in there, although they have peace 45:00 at times with God in their minds knowing 45:03 that God is with them, the storm rages 45:06 on to at a level that they're just, 45:08 they're at their wits end, as we just read 45:10 this text, they're at their wits end. 45:11 And it brings me to a story here a friend 45:14 of ours we introduced us to the story here 45:16 recently, and you probably know it 45:18 it stuck smack stab in the middle of the 45:19 Bible only appears once very brief only about 45:22 a chapter, chapter and half, but I think it's 45:25 a real important thing for those going through 45:26 these long extended storm. And it's found 45:29 in 2 Kings chapter, end of chapter 6 beginning 45:32 of chapter 7. And while you know we don't 45:34 have to really turn to that, I'll kind of 45:36 give you an abbreviation of it. We find that 45:38 it occurs during the time of Elisha and 45:43 Samaria which is a city at that time, 45:45 not just a region, but a city at that time 45:47 was the capital of the northern kingdom 45:49 of Israel and it was under siege from Aram, 45:52 the nation of Aram which is up in the region 45:54 of Syria. And they had besieged that city 45:58 some estimate for two to three years. 46:01 Now, when your a city back then with 46:03 you know walled in, it's not hard to imagine 46:06 that after about a year you're running out 46:08 of food, oh yes, and you're running out of 46:10 water and everything else that you need. 46:12 And so the story as it's picking up here 46:15 and it begins to take us through what's 46:16 going on in there, it talks of a whole 46:18 dreadful thing about two women who talk 46:20 about eating their sons just to stay alive, 46:22 and you wonder oh that's unconscionable, 46:24 how could someone even think about that, 46:26 or think of doing that. But they are going 46:30 through the worst time they could possibly 46:32 think of. And this is going on for quite 46:34 sometime, but that's not the main part of 46:36 the story I'd like to just comment on here. 46:40 When the King is finally at the end, 46:43 he is seeing his kingdom is falling apart. 46:44 And he goes to Elisha, in fact he wants to 46:46 take Elisha's head off because he thinks 46:47 his partly Elisha's fault. He goes to Elisha 46:50 and Elisha is trying to encourage him there 46:52 is this officer that steps forward, oh yes, 46:54 and the officer says you know Elisha 46:57 prophesied from God and you know what 46:59 this time tomorrow flour will sell for cheap, 47:02 barley will self for cheap, and you'll be 47:04 taken care of. This officer steps 47:05 forward and says that couldn't happen 47:07 even if God opened the windows of heaven. 47:10 Of course Elisha's words are it's gonna happen, 47:12 yeah, but you're not gonna be around to 47:14 see it right. And so we find this story about 47:17 them going back and these four lepers go 47:19 out and they find that the nation, 47:23 the Aramains who have been besieging the 47:26 city fled because they've heard these 47:28 chariots and God had caused them to hear 47:30 the chariots and they were gone and they 47:32 left all their stuff, yeah, and they plundered 47:34 it and they began to eat, now they felt 47:35 guilty so they brought it back to the city. 47:38 Well, we find that as the word gets out 47:41 and all the people go out to get this plunder 47:43 that instantly that very next day we find 47:46 the prophecy come true. Grain, or flour 47:48 sells for cheap and barley sells for cheap. 47:52 Well this guys, this officer who said that 47:54 couldn't happen goes out to the gate and 47:57 he gets trampled. And Rochelle and I've had 48:01 this thing here my wife Rochelle, 48:04 we've been reminding ourselves when we 48:05 get a little bit to wits end like it doesn't 48:07 seem like something is gonna to happen, 48:08 we say to ourselves don't get trampled in 48:10 the gate. And so we know you know I think 48:15 I share that story to say this you know, 48:17 take do a read of 2 Kings 6 and 7, oh yes. 48:21 And then remind yourselves when you're 48:22 almost at the end you can't take it any more. 48:25 When you've been praying to God and 48:26 sometimes it just feels, you feel like he's not 48:28 answering that it couldn't be that if you're 48:30 getting to you wits end. You are coming up to 48:32 the time where a miracle is about to occur, 48:34 yes yes, Don't get trampled in the gate, 48:38 don't say the Lord can't do it, or the 48:40 Lord's not answering he doesn't hear, 48:42 don't get trampled in the gate and sometimes 48:44 I find myself C.A. And let me make this 48:46 personal, I'm not pointing fingers. I'm wondering 48:49 I can't take it any longer when is God going 48:51 to speak, yes, yes. But as Rochelle, 48:55 the good wife reminds me don't John, 48:57 don't get trampled in the gate, I like that, 49:00 and I just you know I just want to share 49:01 that for some people who are at wits end. 49:04 Don't get trampled in the gate. 49:05 Blessings are about to come. God knows 49:07 what you're going through, he will get 49:09 you through that. It's coincidental, 49:10 this year all of my sermons, all of them have 49:13 come from First and Second Kings. 49:14 There is a series of stories that are very, 49:16 very powerful, all dealing with Elijah and more 49:19 Elisha in this particular incident from his 49:22 conversion to his call, just a number of 49:24 things that follow one read on the other, 49:28 powerful, powerful messages. And there is 49:30 a theme running through there that says 49:33 trust God even in the tough times, 49:35 and that is a powerful message for now, 49:37 because we are in tough times. We are in 49:39 tough spiritual times, tough economic times, 49:42 when people don't really know where to turn. 49:45 Well, turn to God because that's where 49:48 help comes from. I'm in Isaiah 41:10 one 49:52 of the texts that's listed here, fear not for 49:54 I am with you, solid promise that gives you 49:57 peace, amen. Be not be dismayed, 49:59 for I am your God. I am your God, 50:01 you know, I am your God, personal. 50:03 Yeah, I will strengthen you, I will give you 50:05 strength, yes I will help you; King James says 50:09 yes, I'm gonna help you, I will uphold you. 50:13 So, I'm not just gonna give you a couple 50:14 of bucks and try to help you out. 50:16 I'm gonna establish, I'm gonna stand you, 50:18 I'm gonna hold you up, with my righteous 50:22 right hand, so that is a solid promise that 50:24 says even in the tough times God is with 50:26 us. He's gonna help us. He's gonna keep 50:29 us from falling and those are things that 50:31 give you peace and comfort in the midst 50:33 of the storm. Yeah, just to know that God 50:35 is with you, here he created you, 50:36 he created the world, I mean he has so 50:38 much you know we have in some of these 50:40 notes the story of the disciples on the water, 50:43 yes, Jesus is sleeping in the middle of the 50:45 storm, yes, and I wonder, I think to 50:47 myself how could anybody have such peace. 50:51 I mean they've got to have water in the boat, 50:53 he's got to be wet, yeah, unless he is up 50:56 you know off the bottom of the boat but 50:57 it says he was down in the barrels of boat, 50:58 he was sleeping, asleep, he's got to be wet, 51:01 and he is asleep, so Jesus knows the kind 51:05 of peace that we need, oh yes. And so if 51:08 he can calm the storm with a word, 51:11 he can certainly as he said to the disciples, 51:14 why are you so afraid, you have no faith. 51:17 He can certainly help us to exercise our faith 51:19 to have peace even though the storm does 51:21 rage around us. But more than that he 51:23 is really the only one that can give us the 51:25 peace that we need in the middle of the 51:27 storm, yes, yes, and so why wouldn't you 51:29 cry out to God, certainly, when you need 51:31 him. Yeah. I think maybe the trick is or 51:34 the difficult part is crying out to God 51:36 before the storm. I've maintained, 51:40 it's almost too late to find him in the storm. 51:45 You establish a relationship before the 51:47 storm and then it will keep you through the 51:50 storm because when you're in the midst of 51:52 the storm, you can't always think you 51:54 can't always reason you're caught in the 51:56 mail storm of activity you know you're 51:59 bailing, trying to keep from sinking. 52:03 There is a sermon I'm working on called 52:05 trajectory. Basically you're going in that 52:07 direction, you know trajectory is a object, 52:10 a moving object going through the air. 52:12 You're going in this direction, so just 52:15 stay on that trajectory you know you've 52:16 been walking with Jesus you've been moving 52:18 in this direction now that you can see your 52:20 way, you don't know left from right you're 52:22 in the middle of the storm, just stay on 52:24 that trajectory, stay on that same path, 52:26 you've been walking this path so long, 52:27 don't deviate now, now stay on that path, 52:30 stay on that trajectory and you, 52:32 it'll lead to the center, it will lead you right 52:33 there to the place of peace. Yeah, 52:36 that's right, you know the other thing too 52:38 is that when you read these things about 52:39 you know the storm it says the people are 52:42 crying out to God. I'm not, I don't think 52:45 that God intends for us to have to cry out 52:47 to him in ways that the disciples cried out 52:50 to Jesus to save them, yeah, I think what 52:53 he wants is when these storms come for 52:54 us to say, Lord, I know you're with me, right, 52:57 trajectory I know you're with me, 52:59 you've been with me, hey yes, you know 53:00 this storm is here. So, Lord I'm putting my 53:02 trust in you and I'm gonna stay at peace, 53:05 because that's the last part we want to 53:06 talk about here, right. How do we stay at 53:08 peace, and we mean it peace with Jesus 53:11 Christ in the midst of the storm going on 53:12 around us. It's not getting off course but 53:14 staying the course and staying at peace 53:16 with God's help. And so, one of the ways 53:20 I think to do that, I mentioned here in our 53:22 notes, just a few things we jotted down, 53:24 peace and contentment. They go hand 53:26 in hand, and I can find, I defined contentment 53:30 here as what it is acceptance of what is, 53:35 yes. And notice it's not just what I have 53:39 but what is so it can be accepting how we look, 53:44 yes. It could be accepting our personal 53:46 disabilities or quirkiness or things that we 53:49 have about ourselves that we might not like, 53:51 how we look. We can also be accepting of our 53:54 family, our friends, the world, the life that 53:57 God has put us in, yes, and of course it's 53:59 clearly acceptance of what we have, 54:01 what we posses, you know the house we have, 54:03 the car and so forth, but contentment, 54:05 acceptance of what is, is so key to peace, 54:09 inner peace, yes, because if you're always 54:11 wanting something more you are always in 54:12 turmoil. Now that harkens back to that same 54:15 text that I was alluding to a little bit 54:17 ago. Hebrews 13:5 where he says be 54:20 content with such things as you have it's 54:22 not a call from mediocrities, not saying 54:24 just sit down and do nothing, don't ever 54:26 strive for something better. But at any 54:27 given point or place along that trajectory, 54:30 we're talking about be satisfied at that 54:32 point where God has brought you, 54:34 as you strive to get better, you strive to 54:35 get closer, you strive to do more, 54:38 but don't miss the blessing in being where 54:40 you are, where God has placed you and 54:42 functioning and flourishing at that point 54:44 in your life and then moving on, but don't 54:46 always you know you're missing where you 54:48 are because you're looking at where you want 54:50 to be, right, that makes you discontented 54:52 and creates turmoil in your own life, 54:55 yeah, so I think it's an important point, 54:56 it's an important foundation for peace to 54:58 be content where you are with what 55:00 you've got. And then let the Lord lead you 55:02 on till the next step, yeah, yeah. 55:05 And I think I like what you say because when 55:06 you, if you're always looking for something 55:08 better you miss the blessing, yeah, 55:11 so God says I'm giving you a blessing, 55:13 I'm giving you some peace here but if you're 55:15 always wanting some better you're never 55:17 gonna really find that peace, precisely, yeah. 55:20 One of the things that just jumps out at me 55:22 here, I'm gonna read from John 14, 55:24 John chapter 14 verse 27. This is recorded by 55:29 the disciple John. The disciple John now if 55:32 you got to look at his background a little bit, 55:34 he's a former son of thunder, oh yes. 55:38 Now, I'm sure that if you're called a son of 55:41 thunder you don't have a lot of outward 55:43 at least you don't look like you have a lot 55:44 of peace. He is always raging, he is always 55:46 doing something along with his brother. 55:49 But here notice what John records in 55:52 chapter 14 verse 27 this is his gospel. 55:56 It says, peace I leave with you, these are the 55:59 words of Christ. My peace I give to you 56:03 not as the world gives do I give to you, 56:05 let not your heart be troubled, neither let 56:07 it be afraid. This quoted by the former son 56:11 of thunder, son of thunder correct. 56:12 So if John could receive peace, evidently 56:16 these words impressed him enough to put 56:17 it in there because this exact phrase does 56:19 not, is not repeated in the else where in 56:21 the gospels, it doesn't, John records it, yes. 56:24 So, if he's got it then somehow we can also 56:28 receive it through our relationship with Jesus 56:30 too. Praise God, wonderful thing. 56:34 Only in Jesus can we find peace in the eye 56:36 of the storm, so our encouragement for you 56:37 today is to look to Jesus for your peace, 56:41 oh yes. There is peace in no other, 56:43 and even if you get some temporary respite 56:46 there is no long term peace. And peace comes 56:49 through, John tells us abiding in Him it's not 56:52 sort of a casual drive by kind of a thing. 56:55 It's turning off your engine and staying 56:57 there in Jesus that's when you get the real 56:59 peace, that's right. I love the way you say 57:01 that, in fact the message that I had given, 57:03 that talked about this, saying how do we 57:04 stay in peace with God, abide, abide. 57:07 With God we abide, there is one preacher 57:09 who said if you want to abide in Christ 57:10 reside, yes. So, we gotta reside in the proximity 57:14 of Christ, and stay with Him. And so as we 57:17 close this program here, we just want to 57:19 encourage you to abide in Jesus Christ and 57:21 let his perfect peace fall upon you, 57:24 abide in his peace the peace that he freely 57:26 give to you in this turmoil, this tumultuous 57:28 time. May God bless you with that perfect 57:31 peace that he offers you each and everyday. |
Revised 2014-12-17