Participants:
Series Code: HHJ
Program Code: HHJ000018S
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00:14 Good afternoon, we want to welcome everyone to the 2020
00:18 Secrets Unsealed Summit. 00:20 We pray that all these meetings have been a blessing. 00:24 Today we're going to be talking about a subject 00:27 titled, Stones of Fire; The Glory of God Restored. 00:34 God has told us through the prophet Haggai, 00:38 when they were rebuilding the temple of God 00:40 after they had come out of Babylon, 00:43 He said, "When you see this temple, I want you to know 00:48 that the glory of the latter house is going to be 00:51 greater than of the former." 00:53 That story in Haggai, Ezra, and Nehemiah, 00:57 it was actually a prophecy of our day. 01:01 For now in our day through the three angels' messages 01:05 God is calling His people again to come out of Babylon 01:10 so that His temple can be rebuilt. 01:13 And His temple is us. 01:16 Let's open in Galatians chapter 3. 01:21 Galatians 3:16 01:25 Remember, we talked earlier about the fact that 01:28 there was going to be a shaking, 01:30 and that the Elijah message was going to have to sound, 01:33 and that the latter rain had to be poured out 01:36 before the loud cry could go forth. 01:38 So this is what we're looking at in this one, 01:40 is the promise of the latter rain. 01:44 In Galatians 3:16 the Lord tells us... 02:05 In verse 29 the Lord tells us... 02:20 This whole series that we have been sharing 02:22 and looking at together with you, 02:24 we have found through the Word of God 02:27 as well as through the testimonies given by His Spirit 02:30 that we have to be in Christ. 02:33 We have to become one with Christ. 02:35 We have to be His bride. 02:37 Otherwise, everything we're doing is for naught. 02:41 The Lord tells us here that if we are Christ's 02:45 we are Abraham's seed, 02:47 and we are heirs according to every promise. 02:53 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us... 03:06 Speaking of Jesus Christ. 03:10 Now I want to show you something, 03:12 because I don't want anyone to misunderstand 03:14 what I'm presenting here. 03:17 It says, "all the promises of God." 03:19 Now we know, speaking of God, 03:21 we're talking about almighty God. 03:23 Jehovah, El Shaddai, Yahweh; 03:26 however, you want to pronounce that. 03:28 Whatever is best for you. 03:29 We know we're talking about the person of God. 03:34 But when you look the word, "God," up in Greek, 03:38 the Greek word is, "Theos." 03:40 And it only has two definitions. 03:42 It means deity or supreme divinity. 03:48 All the promises of God, almighty God, 03:53 are also the promises of being partakers 03:58 of the divine nature. 04:00 They are the promises of divinity. 04:03 And God tells us that all these promises 04:06 are in Christ Jesus, both yea and amen. 04:13 The Bible tells us that Christ is both the author 04:16 and the finisher of our faith. 04:17 He is the Alpha and the Omega. 04:19 He is the promise made, and He is the promise fulfilled. 04:26 That's what this verse is telling us. 04:32 Listen to this statement. 04:34 This is from, Review and Herald, May 27, 1862. 04:39 We are told... 04:48 The last conflict deals with the battle of Armageddon, 04:52 but it also deals more importantly 04:56 with the time of trouble. 04:58 And specifically the time of Jacob's trouble. 05:14 That means we will grow up and mature in Christ. 05:18 We will be filled, not just have a partial fulfillment. 05:27 The time of Jacob's trouble, a lot of people don't, 05:30 they don't understand what that means. 05:32 And what I have found is, the easiest thing to do 05:35 is go back to the first reference of Jacob's struggling. 05:39 That reference can be found in Genesis chapter 32. 05:43 And if you'll go back and study that story 05:45 of Jacob wrestling with Christ, in Genesis 32, 05:50 you'll begin to understand what it is 05:53 that we have to go through now before the time of trouble. 05:58 "As the third message swells to a Loud Cry..." 06:10 Look at that word, "...the faithful..." 06:13 Faith full. 06:15 Those that are full of faith. 06:42 Sister White told us that many had written to her 06:46 asking if the third angel's message 06:49 was righteousness by faith. 06:51 They struggled when they heard Jones and Waggoner 06:53 presenting righteousness by faith in Minneapolis 06:56 at the General Conference that year in 1888. 07:00 And Ellen White replied, "Righteousness by faith 07:05 is the third angel's message in verity." 07:10 In verity. 07:12 So when we look at the three angels' messages 07:14 and we get to that third angel which calls people out of 07:18 Babylon and talks about the mark of the beast, 07:22 we need to also identify that righteousness by faith is there. 07:29 Turn with me in your Bible to Revelation chapter 14. 07:34 I want to look at this and show you something that 07:37 the Lord has helped me to see. 07:40 Most people think about the third angel starting in 07:43 verse 9 of Revelation 14. 08:02 And then it goes on in verse 11 and it talks about 08:06 these people that receive the mark of the beast, 08:08 their destruction. 08:10 And verse 11 says... 08:27 They have no rest. 08:28 Do you know that the seventh day Sabbath 08:31 is the sign that we rest in the power and the promises of God, 08:38 not in our own works. 08:40 Our works are Christ in us, not our own. 08:46 And then it says in verse 12... 09:01 Now look at verse 13. 09:15 And there's different aspects of this, 09:18 but I want to present just one. 09:20 The Bible says we were crucified with Christ. 09:24 "Nevertheless, I live. 09:26 Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." 09:29 In Romans 6:1-6, the Bible says that when Christ died, 09:35 we were buried with Him by baptism into death. 09:41 Here it says, "Blessed are the dead, 09:44 those that have died in the Lord. 09:48 Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors..." 09:53 From their own works. 09:55 "...and their works do follow them." 09:58 God is telling us, blessed are they that have appropriated 10:02 Christ's death as their own. 10:05 For they will rest from their own works. 10:09 It is Christ's work in them that will get them through. 10:19 The Bible tells us... 10:26 The word, "living," means life-giving in Greek. 10:29 It's not just that God is alive. The devil is alive. 10:32 So what makes the difference? 10:34 God is the living, the life-giving, God. 10:37 And He gives His life through His Spirit. 10:49 The apostle Paul tells us, "Know ye not 10:53 that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 10:56 He also says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit 10:59 whereby you have been sealed unto the day of redemption." 11:05 Many Christians are still begging God for His Spirit, 11:08 and God is saying, "When I gave the Spirit to My Son, 11:12 you were in Him. 11:14 And what He received, you received. 11:17 if you are willing to surrender and accept 11:22 by faith His life as yours." 11:39 Remember to lookup that reference in, 11:41 Desire of Ages, page 161. 11:44 From the beginning of creation it was God's purpose 11:48 that every created being, including the seraphim, 11:52 should be a temple for Him to dwell in. 11:55 That was the thing that Satan did not want. 11:58 Satan said, in effect, "I'm a big boy. 12:01 I can do right on my own. 12:04 I don't need Your help." 12:06 You can read, Patriarch and Prophets, chapters 1 and 2, 12:09 and Satan actually told the Lord in heaven 12:12 before he was kicked out, he said, "You made us, 12:16 as the angels, holy. 12:18 We can no more sin than You can. 12:22 I don't need You inside of me, and I sure don't need Christ 12:26 in me to do that." 12:28 That was what caused the fall. 12:32 God tells us through 2 Corinthians chapter 6... 12:59 God has told us all the way back in Psalms, 13:03 "Do you not realize that you are gods?" 13:07 And it doesn't mean that we're God, like the new age. 13:10 It means, "Do you not realize you are gods, 13:13 and all ye are children of the Most High?" 13:17 I want to give that reference to you just in case. 13:20 It's in Psalms 82:5-6. 13:35 Not realizing who they are in Christ. 13:51 Do you know that the apostle John tells us 13:54 almost the very same thing in 1 John chapter 3? 13:58 He says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God. 14:03 And it doesn't not yet appear what we shall be, 14:06 but we know that when He appears we will be just like Him. 14:12 For we will see Him as He is." 14:16 You know, it's interesting, because when a husband 14:19 and his bride come together at the wedding, 14:21 he can't see her because she's wearing a veil. 14:25 Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. 14:30 God is telling us that before Christ returns, 14:33 that veil has to be removed so that Christ, the Husband, 14:38 and we as His bride can become one. 14:46 Signs of the Times, November 27, 1879, 14:50 listen to what we are told. 15:04 How many of us have been through that? 15:07 How many of us have battled with temptation, or with sin, 15:11 or with a stronghold in our life? 15:14 How many of us have battled in our homes, 15:16 with our marriages, our spouse, or with our children 15:19 and we have fought with the arm of flesh? 15:24 Do you know, that's something that I will never forget 15:26 my wife told me when I was struggling. 15:30 Like we talked about last time with the relationship 15:32 between my son and I. 15:33 My wife told me something. 15:35 She said, "Eric, if you're spending 30 minutes 15:37 lecturing them," she said, "why not take the 30 minutes 15:40 and go in the bedroom by yourself alone with God 15:44 and get on your knees?" 15:46 And you know, I began to do that. 15:49 And God started revealing to me His power. 15:52 Because I can't win the heart of someone I love 15:57 by my ability. 16:00 But God can win their heart if you will pray 16:03 and claim His promises in faith. 16:08 The Lord told us... 16:45 This is telling us what the time of Jacob's trouble is. 16:49 We have to learn to wrestle with Christ in faith. 16:53 Do you know what Jacob did? 16:55 Jacob's name actually means, a deceiver. 16:58 A heal catcher. 16:59 That's somebody who's running in a race 17:02 and they trip the guy in front of them 17:04 by catching their heal to cause them to stumble and fall 17:08 so that they can pass them and win. 17:10 Every time Jacob met somebody and they asked him 17:13 what his name was, he had to reach out his hand and say, 17:16 "I'm a deceiver. 17:18 I'm a heal catcher." 17:20 How do you think that went over for him in his life? 17:22 I mean, how would that be if you went up to everybody 17:25 you met and you told them, "Hey, my name is Liar. 17:28 I'm a liar. I mean, I'm a liar." 17:31 They would never trust you. 17:34 But Jacob, in that night of wrestling with Christ, 17:38 the Angel of the covenant, he took hold on Him. 17:43 And Jesus told him, "Let go of Me, for the day is breaking. 17:48 It's almost daylight, and you can't see Me face to face." 17:53 And Jacob took hold of Him and he said, 17:55 "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me. 18:00 Except You fulfill every promise that You swore 18:04 to my grandfather, Abraham." 18:07 And do you know what Christ did? 18:09 He blessed him. 18:10 And He said, "Your name is not Jacob anymore. 18:13 For as a prince, a son of God, thou hast prevailed 18:19 with God and men." 18:21 And He changed his name to Israel; 18:25 one who overcomes. 18:30 God would fully make known here that it was divine power 18:34 and grace alone that can give us the life and peace 18:39 which we crave. 19:07 It tells us that in Luke chapter 4. 19:10 He came to set the captives free, 19:12 to heal the broken-hearted, to open the eyes of the blind. 19:16 God told me one day when I was crying out for help, 19:19 I said, "Lord, which definition is the 19:22 right one for, 'salvation'?" 19:23 He said, "Which one do you need today?" 19:27 And He says that to you and I. 19:30 "God designed to arouse the dormant energies of 19:35 His people to look away from ourselves 19:38 to the One alone who can bring help and salvation." 20:00 Now I want to show you something that really is encouraging. 20:05 We must not wait for the latter rain. 20:10 I have many people that tell me, "Well, when the latter rain 20:13 falls, then I know this will start happening." 20:15 Listen to what Ellen White says. 20:17 "We must not wait for the latter rain..." 20:35 The word, "grace," in Greek literally means, 20:38 the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection 20:42 as it is seen in the life. 20:45 God is encouraging us. 20:48 The latter rain will come if we will claim it, 20:51 and believe it, and thank Him for it. 20:54 "When we gather up the fragments of light," 20:58 the light from God's Word, "when we appreciate the sure mercies 21:03 of God who loves to have us trust Him, 21:08 then every promise will be filled full. 21:12 And the whole earth is to be filled with the glory of God." 21:17 Do you know, there's nothing that can set a church on fire, 21:22 and I mean on fire in a good way, 21:24 there's nothing that can change a family dinner 21:28 or a family worship than for someone to speak faith. 21:32 When everything around us is crashing and 21:35 it seems like it's going up in smoke, 21:38 God wants men and women and children 21:42 that are willing to speak faith in His promises. 21:46 Instead of looking at the darkness, instead of looking 21:49 at the poisoned wounds of the serpent, 21:52 the Lord's servant tells us to look to the power of God 21:56 which cannot fail. 21:58 Speak faith, she says, and we will have faith. 22:05 Now I want to show you what God's Word says 22:08 about the promise of the Spirit. 22:10 In Luke the Lord tells us, Luke chapter 11... 22:15 "And I say unto you..." 22:17 You. Put your name in there. 22:23 That's a promise. 22:30 Now what you have to do is, you have to ask yourself, 22:32 "Is God deceiving me, or is He telling me the truth?" 22:37 I have people tell me, "Yeah, but it doesn't mean that." 22:41 "Well, but..." 22:42 There is no, "Well, but..." 22:44 Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given. 22:48 Seek, and you will find. 22:52 Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." 22:57 There's a parable the Lord told us in the gospel of Luke. 23:00 I believe it's Luke 18. 23:02 And he talks about a widow that was struggling because 23:07 she had an adversary. 23:08 Probably somebody wanting to take the property that 23:11 had been left her from her husband. 23:13 So she was struggling and she could not 23:16 get rid of this adversary. 23:18 So she went to the king or to the unjust judge. 23:22 He was not a righteous man. 23:24 But she went and she knocked on his door. 23:28 And the servant came to the door and answered 23:30 and said, "What is it?" 23:32 She told what the problem was and the king said, 23:35 "I don't have time for this. 23:36 I don't have time for it." 23:37 And she came the next day. 23:39 And the next day. And the next day. 23:42 And finally one morning at probably 5 am in the morning, 23:46 the king hears that knock again. 23:49 And the servant goes to see who it is, 23:51 and he comes back and tell the king, 23:53 "It's that crazy woman again. 23:55 She's banging on the door." 23:57 And the king says, "Ooh. 24:00 You know what, bring her into my chamber, my throne room. 24:05 I'm going to take care of this problem for her 24:07 once and for all, lest she wears me out 24:10 by her continual knocking." 24:14 Jesus says, "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 24:19 For if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 24:25 unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father 24:30 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him." 24:38 The Bible tells us in James chapter 1... 24:53 We must ask in faith. 24:55 And I asked the Lord one time, I said, 24:57 "How do I ask in faith? 24:59 How do I drum up faith when I don't feel any?" 25:03 And the Lord answered in His Word, Romans 10:17. 25:07 Faith will come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. 25:13 So as you begin reading out loud those specific promises 25:20 for your need, your faith will grow and take hold of them. 25:25 And Christ will fulfill His word. 25:28 For He has promised, "My word has gone forth, 25:31 and it shall not return unto me void." 25:36 In Hebrews 11:6, the Lord tells us... 25:52 That's why His name is, "I AM." 25:54 I am what? 25:56 "I am your salvation. 25:57 I am the Lord your righteousness. 26:00 I am your deliverer. 26:02 I am your great physician. 26:04 I am your healer. 26:06 I am the restorer of your marriage and your family." 26:24 God says, "I said not to the seed of Jacob, 26:28 'Seek ye Me in vain.'" 26:31 "If you seek Me with all of your heart, you will find Me." 26:38 In Mark 11, Jesus makes this even clearer. 26:54 He says in another place, "You believe in God, 26:57 believe also in Me. 26:59 I am the word of God." 27:28 Do you know, I have asked so many Christians, 27:31 even pastors, "What does that verse mean, 27:34 'If you say to a mountain, "Be removed," 27:36 and it shall be cast into the sea."'" 27:38 And they say, "Well, it means the mountain of 27:40 difficulty in your life." 27:42 Well, it means this. It means that. 27:45 Do you know what? 27:46 Jesus said, "If you say to a mountain, 'Be removed 27:50 and cast into the sea,' and shall not doubt in your heart, 27:55 it will be done." 27:59 That doesn't mean Jesus has given us a license 28:02 to run around just speaking things everywhere. 28:06 But it means, if Jesus is living in your heart, 28:09 God's Spirit will speak to you and inspire you 28:14 in every situation exactly what to say 28:18 and what to believe. 28:19 You can expect God to do the impossible. 28:23 Ellen White says the reason that we receive such 28:26 meager showers or scantiest showers of blessings 28:30 is because we expect so little from our God. 28:33 If He parted the red sea, what makes you think 28:37 He can't do a greater miracle today? 28:40 They were living in the Old Testament. 28:43 We're living on the bright side of the cross. 28:46 We should expect even greater miracles 28:49 than what the children of Israel saw 4000 and 5000 years ago. 28:56 Jesus goes on in Mark 11 and says... 29:15 That's powerful. 29:16 But do you know what hit me? 29:18 How can I do that? 29:20 How can I know that You're going to answer? 29:23 There's one way that you can be assured. 29:27 Find one place in God's Word where He has 29:31 promised you something, 29:32 and then you know it's His will and that He will do it. 29:36 Because God's promises are yea and amen. 29:40 He cannot lie. 29:41 It's impossible for God to lie. 29:45 Whatsoever things we desire, when we pray, 29:49 when we pray, we are to believe that we receive them, 29:53 and we shall have them. 29:54 That's the wrestling with God in faith. 29:57 Taking God's promises to Him and saying, 30:00 "God, You promised me that You will save my children." 30:04 "God, You promised me that You will 30:06 create in me a clean heart." 30:09 Sometimes I have Christians that will come to me 30:12 and they'll say, "Yeah, but you have to know 30:14 if it's God's will." 30:17 You know, "How do I know it's God's will 30:19 to do such a thing?" 30:21 "How do I know it's God's will to save my children?" 30:25 Find a place in the Bible where He says it's His will. 30:28 Let me show you an example. 30:31 Turn with me if you have your Bible to Ezekiel 36. 30:34 And I'm just going to skip through a couple of statements 30:38 from verse 22 all the down through 36. 30:44 In verse 23 God says, "I will sanctify My great name." 30:49 He says, "I will." 30:51 Therefore, you and I can know that's God's will. 30:56 If He says, "I will," it is His will. 31:00 Then He says in verse 24, "I will take you from among 31:06 the heathen and gather you out of all countries, 31:09 and I will bring you to your own land." 31:13 Verse 25 He says, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you." 31:19 That's a promise. 31:20 But God wants you to claim it. 31:23 Then He says in verse 25, 31:26 "I will clean you from all your filthiness." 31:30 Verse 26 He says, "A new heart also will I give you, 31:36 and a new spirit will I put within you." 31:40 These are promises that God has made. 31:44 But they're only ours if we will claim them with strong faith. 31:50 As you claim the promises out loud to God, 31:55 Take His word to Him. 31:57 Ellen White said there's nothing that makes God 32:00 have more joy than to see us wrestle. 32:03 Do you know, in the Bible it talks about that in the gospels. 32:06 Jesus actually said, "The kingdom of heaven suffers 32:11 violence, and the violent take it by force." 32:14 And I read that and I was like, for years I was like, 32:17 "God, what does that mean?" 32:20 And then I found where the Lord revealed it 32:22 through His servant Ellen White. 32:24 The kingdom of heaven suffering violence, 32:27 it means it tolerates you violently beating on the door. 32:32 It tolerates, just as Jesus tolerated Jacob 32:37 taking hold on Him. 32:39 Jesus is almighty God. 32:42 And yet, He tolerated. 32:44 He suffered Jacob to wrestle with Him. 32:48 The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, 32:52 and the violent take it by force. 32:55 Just like Jacob did, we have to lay hold on that promise 32:58 and not let go. 33:00 Even if Jesus tells you, "Let go of Me. 33:03 It's daybreak." 33:05 Jacob said, "No." 33:08 Can you imagine that? 33:09 Do you know, in the gospels the same thing happened. 33:12 A woman came to Jesus one day when He was there 33:14 surrounded by His disciples, and she had a child 33:18 that was possessed. 33:19 I think it's a little girl that was possessed with a demon. 33:21 And you know, Jesus probably had hundreds, if not thousands, 33:24 of people around Him. 33:27 And the disciples stayed close to Him. 33:29 And you kind of had to get through the disciples 33:31 to get to Jesus. 33:33 So they were like, "Lord, this woman 33:35 keeps trying to get to You. 33:36 You know, send her away. Send her away." 33:39 Jesus said, "Let me see what she wants." 33:41 And she came to Jesus and she said, 33:43 "I need you to deliver and set my little girl free 33:46 from this demon." 33:47 And Jesus looked back at His disciples, and then He 33:50 looked at her, and He said, "It's not right that I should 33:53 give the children's bread to dogs." 33:57 Most women today, you know what they would do 33:59 if Jesus said that to them? 34:01 They would say, "Talk to the hand. 34:03 Whatever. I don't need anything from You. 34:06 You called me a dog." 34:08 But do you know what this woman did? 34:10 She humbled herself. 34:12 She got on her knees and she said, 34:14 "Yea, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs 34:18 from their master's table." 34:20 And Jesus, you know His face had to just light up. 34:24 And He said, "According to your faith, be it unto you." 34:28 We have got to hold on and not let go. 34:32 We have got to press our cases to the throne of grace. 34:36 No matter what the circumstance is. 34:38 God will hear and He will answer if we will not faint. 34:44 God says that in that story in Luke 18, 34:47 "If they faint not..." 34:54 Zechariah 10:1-2, the Lord tells us, 35:01 "Ask ye of the Lord..." 35:04 Remember what Jesus just said? 35:06 "Ask, and ye shall receive." 35:08 Zechariah tells us... 35:37 Men and women have been turning to idols. 35:41 That means, things which we have sought comfort from. 35:45 You know, if I've got a sick person, I run to this person 35:49 or that person, or this doctor, or to this new age healer, 35:52 I'm going to run to acupuncture or to iridology. 35:56 And God is like, "Why don't they seek to Me? 36:00 Why not seek your God instead of seeking these idols?" 36:08 Deuteronomy chapter 32. 36:10 This is a verse that was really eye opening. 36:12 Speaking of the latter rain, listen to what we're told 36:15 in Deuteronomy 32:1-2. 36:46 The latter rain is not God sprinkling magic dust 36:51 on top of us. 36:53 It's God's word that is being proclaimed from heaven. 36:57 And we are hearing, for the first time many of us, 37:01 and we're believing. 37:04 In Hebrews chapter 12 it talks about the latter rain 37:08 and it talks about the fact of God's voice 37:11 is what shakes the heavens and the earth. 37:15 In Hosea 10:12, listen to what the Lord says. 37:38 Do you remember in Isaiah 63:1, and Isaiah 45:17-19? 37:47 God says, "I am the Lord. 37:50 I speak righteousness and I make things right." 37:56 If you have a problem in your family, 37:58 are you going to fix it by striving? 38:02 No. 38:03 You fix the problem by seeking the One who can. 38:08 You go to God, you claim His promises for your life, 38:12 and for your wife, and for your husband, 38:14 and for your children, or whoever it is in your family 38:17 that's lost. 38:19 You wrestle in faith. 38:21 And God promises. 38:23 We are to sow in righteousness. 38:25 That means, speak God's promises. 38:28 Speak God's promises over your loved ones. 38:32 Even if they don't hear you, that doesn't stop God's word 38:36 from doing what He promised. 38:38 When my wife and I were separated and divorced, 38:42 and she was wrestling for those four and a half, 38:44 almost five years, she came to me for the first two years 38:49 battling with the flesh. 38:51 "Eric, you're a man of God." 38:54 "Eric, you're my husband." 38:56 "Eric..." And you know what? 38:57 The more she talked, the farther away from her I ran. 39:02 And the Lord spoke to her one night when she was outside 39:06 crying unto him at our house. 39:08 And He said, "Sarah, are you willing for Me to do 39:13 what only I can do?" 39:15 And she said, "Yes." 39:16 And He said, "Then I need you to get out of the way. 39:20 Stop trying to change Eric's heart. 39:23 Because I'm the only one that can do heart work 39:27 without causing death." 39:31 "Sow in righteousness..." 39:33 My wife began speaking promises over me, 39:36 and I didn't even know she was doing it. 39:38 But God's word did not return unto Him void. 39:41 He fulfilled what He had promised. 39:45 "...reap in mercy..." 39:47 If you have a child that has wondered from the Lord, 39:50 You're not going to win them by telling them, 39:53 "Probation is almost closed. 39:55 You need to get right." 39:56 You win their hearts and you seek the Lord so that He can 40:00 win their hearts on your knees claiming promises for them. 40:04 You speak faith in them. 40:07 "I know that you're a good boy." 40:08 "I know that you're a good girl." 40:10 "You are such a help to me. 40:12 Thank you so much for what you did." 40:14 My wife has told my son from the day that he was born, 40:19 God spoke to her while he was still in the womb and 40:22 told her he's going to be like David. 40:26 And she has told my son, "You are like David. 40:29 Yes, you many have fallen, but God is going to 40:32 raise you up as He did King David." 40:34 Do you know what? 40:36 That same promise we had to claim for our daughter. 40:39 That God would win our daughter's heart 40:41 when she was struggling. 40:42 My mother and my grandmother did the same thing for me 40:46 when I was struggling. 40:48 God will not fail you. 40:52 The Lord tells us... 41:01 You try to break up somebody else's fallow ground 41:04 and you're going to have a fight on your hands. 41:18 Now listen to what it says in Hosea chapter 6. 41:21 This is beautiful. 41:23 "Come, and let us return unto the Lord." 41:25 This is our response to God's calling. 41:30 We're calling our family. 41:43 "After two days, He will revive us. 41:47 And in the third day... He will raise us up, 41:51 and we shall live in His sight." 41:53 That's a promise in Romans 6 and in Ephesians 2. 41:57 The Bible says that when Christ died, we died. 42:00 And on that morning of the third day 42:03 when He was raised, we were in Him being raised 42:09 to walk in newness of life. 42:12 The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 2... 42:15 And I'm actually going to turn there because this is 42:17 too important to just misquote it. 42:22 Ephesians chapter 2, it says, verse 5, 42:26 "Even when we were dead in our sins..." 42:29 That means, your son, your daughter, 42:31 your husband, your wife, whoever you're praying for. 42:34 "Even when they were dead in sins, 42:38 they were quickened together with Christ. 42:42 For by grace ye are saved. 42:46 And God hath raised us up together 42:50 and made us sit together in the heavens 42:53 in Christ Jesus; 42:55 so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches 43:00 of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." 43:08 God has torn, but He will heal. 43:14 Hosea goes on and says... 43:25 John 17:3 tells us, "This is life eternal; 43:30 that we might know God and Jesus Christ 43:35 whom He has sent." 43:37 And the Bible tells us that Adam knew his wife Eve, 43:41 and they were one flesh. 43:44 To know God is to become one with Him. 43:49 "Then shall we know," we shall understand, 43:53 "if we follow on to know the Lord; 43:56 that His going forth," 43:58 His springs, "are as faithful as the morning." 44:05 God shall come to us. 44:16 Turn with me in your Bible to John chapter 14. 44:20 And this is a familiar passage of Scripture. 44:23 But I want to show you something that is 44:25 really, really inspiring. 44:28 John 14:15 44:34 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 44:38 There's another way to read that. 44:41 "If you love Me, I promise you will keep My commandments." 44:45 Ellen White said every command is a promise. 44:48 Accepted by the will and received into the heart, 44:52 it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. 44:56 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 44:59 For I will pray the Father, and He will give you 45:04 another Comforter so that He," God, 45:09 "may abide with you forever." 45:11 Do you know that Jesus said in this section of Scripture, 45:17 He said, "The Father is in Me. 45:21 While I'm talking to you, the words I'm speaking, 45:24 it's not Me speaking them, but the Father that is in Me." 45:28 God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. 45:33 And the disciples were worried now. 45:36 Because Jesus is telling them, "I've got to leave." 45:39 And Jesus is giving them an assurance here, 45:42 "You don't have to worry." 45:45 I remember in John... 45:48 Oh, forgive me. I think it's John chapter 8. 45:50 Let me look here real quick. 45:53 Actually no, it's in John chapter 14, the same chapter. 45:56 Philip asked Him, "Show us the Father and it sufficeth us." 46:00 And Jesus said, "Have I been so long time with you 46:03 and yet you have not known Me?" 46:06 God was in Christ while Christ was here. 46:10 And the disciples now became afraid because they thought, 46:13 if Jesus is leavings, God is leaving. 46:16 And Jesus gives us this promise, "He shall give you another 46:20 Comforter so that He may abide with you forever, 46:25 even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive 46:30 because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. 46:33 But you know Him, for He dwelleth with you 46:39 and shall be in you. 46:43 I will not leave you comfortless. 46:46 I will come to you." 46:49 Praise God. 46:51 Through His Spirit, God and our Savior dwell inside of us. 46:58 And I don't want anyone to misunderstand me. 47:02 Ellen White says, and you can send me an email and I'll 47:04 send you the quote, she says for us to try to understand 47:10 the nature and the presence and the being of God, 47:13 she said it's a mistake. 47:15 She said this is a mystery that has been left to us 47:19 that we have got to accept by faith. 47:23 So I don't try to wrestle and I don't contend with people 47:26 about the presence of God and the presence of His Holy Spirit 47:30 and the presence of Christ. 47:32 But we can know that through the Holy Spirit, 47:36 God and His Son dwell inside of us. 47:42 Joel chapter 2, turn there with me. 47:45 Joel 2:23 47:52 There's a promise there. 47:54 It says, starting in verse 23, Joel chapter 2... 48:02 That's you and I. 48:04 Every one of us. 48:05 All of us that are watching and hearing. 48:15 Christ is not sad. 48:18 He is praising God. 48:20 The joy of the Lord is our strength. 48:46 Most of us, myself included, have never even 48:48 paid attention to that. 48:50 We know when the latter rain is going to fall. 48:53 God tells us in His Word. 48:55 In the first month. 48:56 And people say, "Well, how do I know when that is?" 48:59 Exodus chapter 12, when God brought the children of Israel 49:03 out of Egypt, He told Moses, "This month 49:07 shall be the first of months unto you." 49:10 It's springtime. 49:11 It's the month when Passover took place. 49:15 That tells us that we're on the verge. 49:17 It could be this coming spring, 49:19 it could be the following spring. 49:21 But with the way that things are escalating now, 49:24 I don't think we have long to wait. 49:26 Now is the time for us to be seeking the Lord. 49:32 Acts 2:33 49:36 Let's turn there and look at this, Acts 2:33. 49:44 Listen to this promise. 49:46 Do you remember when Jesus was with the disciples 49:48 in the beginning of Acts? 49:50 He had went to heaven and He'd come back, 49:52 and He was telling them, giving them their instructions. 49:55 And He told them, "I want you to wait in Jerusalem 50:00 until you are endued, imbued with power from on high." 50:08 He was speaking about the promise of the Holy Spirit. 50:12 Listen to what He says here in verse 32, Acts 2:32. 50:56 Now Peter goes on and he's preaching and proclaiming 51:00 these glad tidings to the men there and the women there. 51:04 And then it says in verse 37... 51:32 Look up what Ellen White says about the baptism of Christ. 51:36 Look it up online or look it up on her CD-ROM, 51:39 look up every place she talks about the baptism of Jesus. 51:43 Because she says when Christ was baptized, 51:47 we were in Him being baptized. 51:50 That's why the apostle Paul tells us, "There is one baptism, 51:55 one faith, one Lord." 51:57 It's Jesus' baptism that when we go into the water 52:01 we are claiming as ours. 52:04 "Then said Peter, 'Repent and be baptized, 52:08 every one of you, in the name of Jesus 52:11 for the remission of sins..." 52:14 Remission, forgiveness, deliverance, freedom from sin. 52:20 God tells us in Romans chapter 6, sin does not 52:25 have dominion over us. 52:27 It does not. 52:29 It has no power over us. 52:33 And people say, "Yeah, but I fell yesterday." 52:35 God is saying, "Today is the day of salvation. 52:39 If you will believe what I promised you, 52:41 you will not fall again." 52:45 "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ..." 52:55 The gift, not the wages. 53:12 It's a promise. 53:14 But we have looked at the latter rain as if it were 53:18 something that we earn by straightening ourselves up. 53:24 We've got to seek the Lord because we want Him 53:27 with all of our heart to fill His temple 53:30 of our body and our lives. 53:36 Now turn with me back to Joel chapter 2. 53:39 Let me show you what this gift of the Holy Spirit 53:42 God promises is going to do for each of us. 53:46 Joel chapter 2 starting at verse 24. 53:55 That means, the people in your life, the family members 53:59 that seem like they're impossible to reach, 54:01 God says they're going to become wheat. 54:03 You remember the wheat and the chaff? 54:06 The chaff gets tossed to the side. 54:08 God promises that our floors "shall be full of wheat..." 54:14 "...and the vats..." 54:15 That meant the big pots that you kept 54:17 the grape juice and the oil in. 54:32 Has Satan devoured 20 years of your life 54:36 of you and your husband or you and your wife, 54:38 or your children? 54:40 Have your children been gone from the Lord for 10 or 15 years 54:44 and you think there's no way God can get them back? 54:47 He says, "I will restore unto you the years 54:51 that the locust has eaten." 55:01 Because of our sins and our unbelief, 55:03 God allowed, He removed His hedge of protection, 55:07 and Satan came in to destroy us. 55:10 But God promises, "And then ye shall know..." 55:29 If you have believed on God's word, 55:31 God will not put you to shame. 55:35 When my wife was praying for me, that one woman came to her 55:39 at church and said, "Sarah, all of us are praying for you, 55:43 but we're worried because we're afraid that 55:46 your children, you telling your children 55:48 their daddy is going to come home, if it doesn't happen 55:52 they're going to stop believing in God." 55:54 And my wife looked at that lady and she said, 55:56 "Ma'am, if you don't believe my husband is coming home, 55:58 don't pray for me." 56:00 She said, "God's word says he's coming home. 56:03 There is no 'if he doesn't.'" 56:09 Jesus says in John 4:35... 56:31 There are thousands of people in the town, 56:34 in the community where you live that are waiting 56:37 to hear God's promises spoken to them in faith. 56:43 Our closing verse, Isaiah 61:10-11. 56:48 Listen to what the Lord says. 57:11 Remember Ellen White says we have to appropriate 57:15 Christ's righteousness as our very own. 57:18 That means, claim it as yours because God says so. 57:22 Not because you deserve it, not because you feel it, 57:25 but because God has promised. 58:06 Amen. |
Revised 2021-05-03