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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP190112A
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00:11 ♪♪ 00:21 ♪♪ 03:07 >> You can be seated. Isn't it great to come together to praise God in this new year? 03:11 We have a God worthy of our praise, and the next couple songs we're going to sing are 03:15 two of my favorite hymns. "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know." That's good news, isn't it? 03:22 And "Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine." As we're starting this new year, 03:27 as we're thinking about how God has revealed himself in scripture, as we're coming 03:32 together, let's remember these important messages, these simple, basic, essential truths 03:38 of our faith. 09:15 Amen. Stand with me as we sing our last song. 09:19 I hope that that blessed assurance is something that you feel today. 09:25 And I hope that that is something that means the world to you, that walking through 09:29 life with Jesus as your best friend and savior. Today, you might be going 09:33 through some challenging times, some stressful times, or there's something weighing on your 09:38 heart, that's keeping you down. And Christ wants to take that from you, and so, today, as we 09:43 sing this last song, I invite you to bring that to him, symbolically, by coming to the 09:48 front, and we'll pray for them together. Stand as we sing "There's No 09:52 Problem Too Big that God Cannot Solve It." ♪♪ 10:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:04 >> Let's pray. Oh, God. So, we're asking, new year, new 13:09 life, new chapter, new something. Be a vision. 13:15 Cast a vision. Let us see clearly today. In Jesus' name, amen. 13:23 So, I'm trying to find the oldest letter in my possession. 13:28 I'm thinking, "Man, what's the oldest letter I have?" 13:32 I know there's a box out in the garage with Karen's and my love 13:36 letters when we were teenagers, but that's not old. 13:40 There's got to be something out there. 13:42 And then I thought of it. 13:46 I found an envelope. Sure enough, it was in the back of my family file. 13:52 Sylvia Fagel, who, with her family, used to be very active members in this congregation. 13:58 A few years ago, she sent me an envelope with a letter in it, and I shall be forever indebted 14:03 to that woman. Because inside the envelope, there is -- 14:07 Now, I was gonna bring it here today, but I said, "No, I don't want to risk losing this. 14:11 I don't want it disappearing." So I took a photocopy of it. But inside the envelope, there 14:16 is a folded -- many times folded -- piece of onion-paper stationery. 14:21 We're talking about very thin. It's been opened and unfolded and folded a hundred times. 14:28 Her dad carried that in his wallet, Frank Marsh, the great professor, Emmanuel Missionary 14:34 College, Andrews University -- Dr. Marsh, biologist. He carried this folded-up letter 14:42 in his wallet for years. Do you know who the letter's from? 14:46 It's from my great-grandfather. Go figure. I could not believe it. 14:51 My great-grandfather, Lewis Azariah Hoopes, one of the first presidents of 14:55 Union College, made his way in his retirement years over to Chicago. 15:00 He's in the Hinsdale Sanitarium. He's being cared for by some young, male nursing attendants. 15:09 They're nursing students, but they're moving on. And one of those attendees... 15:17 was Frank Marsh. My great-grandfather, Lewis Hoopes -- L.A. Hoopes, 15:25 they called him -- dictated this to a woman at his bedside. He died a few days later. 15:32 So I have the photocopy right here. And it's in all caps because she 15:35 wrote it down and then typed it up on an old typewriter. You don't know what those are, 15:40 but lookit -- it turns out like this. "To my dear boys..." he writes. 15:45 This is what he dictated. "...if it must be that I must soon be laid away to rest in my 15:51 narrow home -- " that would be the grave -- "it is my request that the dear boys who have 15:58 cared for me and so tenderly smoothed my pillows and my bed and who have cared for me as 16:04 gently as a nurse does a tender babe, should be the ones to carry my earthly remains to 16:10 their last resting place. And when you come to look into my face for the last time, may 16:17 you see a smile, which shall be a mute token of appreciation of your last loving and tender 16:24 service. And may it be your unspeakable privilege to welcome the great 16:30 shout and trumpet call to a land of bliss, where there will be a glad reunion. 16:36 I want to see all your faces there, and we'll all shout hallelujah! 16:43 Lewis Azariah Hoopes," who died a few days later, May 14, 1925. Wow! 16:53 And I have that letter -- the last letter. Oh, I'll treasure that till I 16:58 die, until Jesus comes. You know what? Don't feel so envious of me, 17:04 'cause the truth is, there is a letter you possess, just like this one, dictated just like 17:12 this one, deep, with affection, just like this one, that anticipates the reunion on the 17:18 great resurrection morning. There is a letter you possess. It's the last letter ever 17:24 written. And I want to invite you today to turn to that letter. 17:29 Open your Bible to the Bible's last book, the Apocalypse, the last letter. 17:32 I want to tell you something, this is about as close as we will ever get, you and I, to 17:37 ripping open an envelope and finding a letter from Jesus to us, signed, sealed, and 17:41 delivered. Revelation, the last letter. Revelation 3. 17:49 Revelation 3. Find it in your Bible. I'll find it in mine. 17:52 I'm in the NIV. Whatever translation you have is fine. 17:56 You're watching on livestream, come on, grab that Bible, pull your phone out, whatever. 18:01 Let's go. Revelation 3:14. And by the way, those of us that 18:06 have red-letter Bibles, hoo! This is all -- This is a sea of red. 18:11 Every scholar has agreed these are the words of Jesus himself, the risen, ascended, soon-coming 18:19 savior of the world. These are his words. Okay. So this is 18:22 Revelation 3:14. Jesus sends a message to you and me. 18:38 "I have given myself three names, especially for you, Laodicea. 18:45 And here are my three names -- number one, you may call me Amen." 18:50 Have you ever known anybody who has a name "Amen"? Everybody loves the word "amen." 18:54 Even atheists love the word "amen." Everybody uses it. 18:58 You say the word in Greek, you say the word in Hebrew, you say the word in English, it's the 19:01 same word -- amen, or ah-men. You know what it means? "Yes, what you just heard is 19:07 absolutely, truly so." When you say "amen" -- If I say to you, "Yo, God has 19:15 been really good to you," and you say, "Amen," to me, what you're saying is, "Boy, I want 19:20 to tell you something. What you just expressed is absolutely, all-caps, yes!" 19:27 And so... That's why Paul comes along -- Before John-boy wrote 19:33 Revelation, Paul came along, and he wrote a line, and he gave Jesus the name first. 19:38 Look at this. This would be 2 Corinthians 1:20. 19:42 Look at these words on the screen. "For no matter how many 19:45 promises --" Oh, I love this. 19:55 Jesus is the "amen" of God. He's the all-caps, absolutely, truly, "it is so," "you can take 20:01 this to the bank" assurance that any promise God makes is ratified in Christ. 20:08 You may be 12 days into the new year, and you're already feeling lonely. 20:12 You're already feeling like it's just -- "This is not gonna be a good year for me, just like last 20:18 year." There's a promise somewhere. I think it's Hebrews 13:5, where 20:23 this, amen, God says, "I promise you, I will never leave you or forsake you." 20:28 Wow. "I'll never leave you." Jesus is the amen, all-caps, 20:33 absolutely true, "you can take it to the bank" assurance God will never leave you. 20:40 This year, you're gonna meet Jesus in a way you have never met him before. 20:44 This year, you are gonna speak to Jesus -- not to Alexa, not to a parrot -- you're gonna speak 20:48 to Jesus in a way you've never talked to him before, and he's gonna talk back -- with your 20:53 name. Amen. I was talking with a friend of 21:00 mine. We grew up in Japan together. I call her every so often, every 21:04 few Friday afternoons. Called her yesterday. Landlord came and said, "You got 21:10 to move out of this house" they've been in since 2003. "Where we gonna move? 21:16 The car -- broke, it's dead. It's not even working." Husband, dentist. 21:26 Lost his job. And she's struggling to stay alive. 21:33 I've never seen a more buoyant, exuberant young woman. Not so young. 21:39 We're the same age -- which, of course is young. I said to myself, "Boy, she must 21:48 believe the promise in Psalm 37:25. David says, "I've been young, 21:53 and I'm old now, but I have never seen the righteous forsaken. 21:56 Never, never, never! I've never seen a friend of God forsaken or his children, her 22:00 children begging bread." Some of you wondering how you're gonna feed your children next 22:03 week. "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or the children begging 22:08 bread." Jesus says, "I am the absolutely yes, true, amen, all-caps 22:14 assurance that that promise will come true." I'm telling you what, I love his 22:19 name, Amen. I love that name. I'm gonna call you -- 22:22 Jesus, may I call you Amen? "Amen," he says. The other day, I was having a 22:27 pity party. You ever have those, where you're the only one invited to 22:30 the party? [ Laughter ] Yeah. 22:32 I was having a pity party, feeling sorry for myself. Man, this dumb ice-capades 22:36 business, what were you thinking? A guy with your kind of brains, 22:41 walking out on ice like that? And not just walking on it, skating on it? 22:46 Oh, pitiful. Why'd I go skating? Why did I have to fall? 22:52 Fracture your shoulder, fracture your hip. [ Scoffs ] 22:56 I mean, God, come on -- couldn't you -- You could've stopped that. 22:59 You didn't have to let it go. You just stop it. When you get -- injure -- 23:04 "Poor pity me" parties, you're not rational anymore. You're not thinking clearly. 23:10 God says, "What are you talking about, boy? Who do you think kept your head 23:14 from hitting that concrete wet? Who kept your head up? You're telling me that I failed 23:20 you?" Well, then, I'm in tears. "No, no, no, you didn't. 23:25 You didn't." That's the problem with pity parties. 23:28 Elijah had one, Moses had one -- they all have them. John the Baptist had one. 23:32 Everybody has a pity party now and then just to feel good. And I tell you what, I don't 23:39 know what happened to you in 2018, and I'm not sure what's gonna happen to anybody in 2019, 23:43 but this much I know -- there is a promise somewhere in the Bible -- I think it's 23:46 Romans 8:28, where it says, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who 23:52 love God and are called according to his purpose." You have nothing to fear in the 23:56 new year -- nothing! Jesus is the amen, all-caps, yes, absolutely true, "take that 24:01 one to the bank, boy," "girl, take that to the bank," I am with you till the end. 24:06 You have nothing to fear. I don't care what happens to you. 24:10 And sometimes it's very bad that happens to us. But God says, "I'll make it very 24:15 good one day. Stay with me. Don't bail on me now." 24:20 Jesus says, "You can call me the Amen," but he has another name, too. 24:23 He has three of them, Jesus. 24:32 "The faithful and true witness." Wow. Now there is a title. "You may call me faithful and 24:36 true witness." The Greek word for "witness" is "martur." 24:40 From whence comes the English word "martyr." "You can call me the faithful 24:46 and true martyr." You want to -- You want to complain about your 24:51 suffering? The moment we stand at the foot of the cross, there is no 24:54 complaint left. The human cup of suffering has been drained to its dregs by the 25:00 God of the Universe, who climbed all alone -- Oh, guys, that song that you -- 25:05 that song that you sang, man, I didn't think I'd get beyond it. But he carried -- 25:10 If he carried the world, Josh -- If he carried the world upon his shoulders, my brother, my 25:18 sister, he can carry you. He can carry you anywhere he wants you to go. 25:26 He'll carry -- Let him carry you. Don't be the big hero of your 25:29 story. Let him be the hero. Let him carry you. 25:33 If he carried the world upon his shoulders. Oh, we could've stopped the 25:37 service right there. He is the Great Sufferer, Calvary, the cross, the last 25:43 letter. Now, here's the deal. The last letter has the passion 25:47 of the Christ of the universe, who willingly exchanged his place in heaven for our place in 25:54 hell. Trade places. "You live, I die forever." 25:58 Pbht. The faithful and true martyr. The faithful and true witness. 26:02 But he has three names, and the third name is the Ruler of God's Creation. 26:05 Now, some of your translations read "The Origin of God's Creation" or "The Source of 26:10 God's Creation" or "The Beginning of God's Creation." [ Chuckles ] 26:13 It doesn't matter. It's all the same. I did something really cool over 26:16 the holiday. I downloaded, for my phone, that is really smart now, and a very 26:23 cool astronomy app. This app is so neat that, in the middle of the night, you can 26:29 take it in the dark, and you can point it at any star that is over your head or on the 26:34 horizon, and it immediately identifies it, and at the bottom of the screen, tells you all 26:38 about that star or that planet or that constellation. I mean, what is so cool about 26:44 that. By the way, did you know this? There are a trillion galaxies in 26:51 this universe. Trillion. That the creator -- the origin 26:55 of God's creation -- created himself. A trillion. 26:58 And do you know how many stars that makes? 1 septillion. 27:01 "Hey, Dwight, how big is 1 septillion?" Septillion -- it's a one with 27:07 24 zeros -- pssh! -- behind it. Go calculate that number. "I created them all." 27:15 And, by the way, the Bible says he has named every star in the universe. 27:18 Every star, he has a name. Boy, he has a name for you, apparently. 27:24 You're worth way more than a star to him. Wow. 27:31 So, listen, whatever he's gonna say to us in this letter, whatever he's gonna ask of me, 27:34 whatever he's gonna ask of you, let us be sure and clear now that he surely has all the power 27:40 necessary in the universe to make what he asks of us come true. 27:44 We will not have to make it come true. He will make it come true, with 27:47 our permission. Pfft! There's nothing he cannot do. 27:52 Septillion? Go figure. Please indulge me. 27:55 Let me share with you one of my favorite quotations from the book, a classic, 27:58 "A Desire of Ages." Put it on the screen for you. "The gift of Christ --" 28:02 Oh, I love this -- "reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts 28:07 of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' It --" the gift of Christ -- 28:10 "declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death --" oh, here it comes -- 28:14 "His love for the sinner --" that would be you and me -- "His love for the sinner is stronger 28:19 than death." Keep reading. 28:34 "Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift" -- and it only 28:37 keeps getting better. Keep reading. 28:39 "The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save." 28:44 That's you and me. 29:05 You may be an agnostic, you may be an atheist, you're hearing these words for the first time, 29:09 but there's gonna be a spark of hope that springs in your soul, in your mind. 29:16 You're not an accident left to fend for yourself. Somebody's emptied the treasury 29:21 of heaven to save the likes of you and me. Wow. 29:27 And who are the lucky recipients of the last letter? Once upon a time, they were a 29:32 church of young Christians who lived in a real ancient city, called Laodicea. 29:39 And, by the way, your friend and mine, Ranko Stefanovic -- Oh, he's just started. 29:44 Have you started studying your Sabbath School theme study guide for these three months? 29:50 It's the whole Book of Revelation. The whole book. 29:54 We're gonna spend the same amount of time on just one letter. 29:58 But he does it every day. Oh, make sure you get ahold -- Before you leave this church, 30:02 ask for a copy. "I got to have that little booklet on Revelation." 30:05 Lookit, the scholars are clear. Of course, there were seven actual cities in Turkey today, 30:10 but scholars are also just as clear that those seven churches represent seven epics, seven 30:16 chapters of Christianity in the Christian church, from the New Testament church in the 30:20 1st century to the last church in the last century, the final century. 30:25 Thus, the last letter to Laodicea is especially applicable. 30:28 Hold on, now. 30:29 And earnestly targeted to the last generation of believers and 30:32 followers of Christ. That could be you. 30:35 That could be me. Why not? 30:40 So, why don't we read through the letter right now, together, 30:43 you and me? "Excuse me. 30:44 Excuse me, Dwight. Thank you so much. 30:46 Great suggestion, but I'd just as soon not. 30:49 I have never found this letter very interesting, frankly." 30:52 Oh, really? Hmm. 30:56 Well, what if we borrowed a page from Kellogg's marketing 30:58 campaign that was brilliant for Corn Flakes -- "Taste them again 31:01 for the first time." 31:03 How can you do anything -- do anything again for the first time? 31:06 That was brilliant. Why do we read this letter for the first time? 31:11 Read it again for the first time. Let's do it. Come on. 31:16 It's only nine verses. This is nothing but a short letter. 31:20 Let's read it out loud. No, no, don't read it out loud. Let's read it just off the 31:24 screen or in your Bible. Verse 14. 31:46 The New King James reads, "I'm about to vomit you out of my mouth." 32:10 Verse 19 -- "Those whom I love --" there are only two letters where he even mentions 32:15 love, and it's this church, Laodicea, and Philadelphia. Singled out to be told, "I love 32:22 you." 32:46 Final line -- "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." 32:52 Nine verses long, that's it. But you know what? I guess -- I guess what's so 32:57 embarrassing about the letter -- Hold on, hold on. I guess what's so embarrassing 33:01 about the letter is what's not in the letter. [ Scoffs ] 33:06 I'm gonna run three sample letters by you. I'm gonna ask you after every 33:11 letter, "Did you hear any of this in this letter?" all right? So here's sample letter number 33:15 one -- "Dear Laodicea, thank you for the way you have faithfully remained true to me and to my 33:21 truth. You have lived in the most deceptive and destructive time 33:25 in human history, but you have stood tall for me, and I am so proud of you. 33:31 I'm coming soon, and my reward for you is with me. Well done, good and faithful 33:35 church. You've been faithful over a few things, and now I will make you 33:38 ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord, amen." 33:42 Did you get a whiff of that in that letter to Laodicea, the last letter? 33:45 Nope. Not a line. Not a hint. Well, let's try another one. 33:51 Sample letter number 2. "Dear Laodicea, the most missionary-minded generation in 33:57 all of history. You have felt such a divine obligation to share the glad 34:02 tidings with all the human race. You who have crossed the street and crossed the seas from me, 34:07 bless you. Look at how many will be in the kingdom because of your faithful 34:10 witness. Well done, good and faithful servants. 34:12 Enter into the joy of your lord." Nope. 34:17 Not a hint. Not a hint. [ Scoffs ] 34:21 Okay, let me give you -- Look, I'm getting better at this. 34:23 Give me one last try. Please. "Dear Laodicea, you go, church 34:29 of the end time. You who've kept the commandments of God and have the testimony of 34:35 Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. Wow! You done good! 34:39 You had more divine light shining on your pathway than any other previous generation of 34:44 church. You not only realized the profound privilege it is to be 34:47 the generation upon whom the ends of the earth have come, but you have chosen to live up to 34:51 the light you received, which is why you have become a divine showcase to the world, like I 34:57 intended Israel of old to become, a living testimony to the healing, empowering truth 35:02 and law of God proclaimed in the three angels' messages. Oh, I love your hospitals, your 35:07 schools, your congregations, your people. They have attracted the 35:10 attention of the entire world because of the deep compassion with which you have loved the 35:15 people living around you and each other. And I mean each other, because 35:21 by loving one another -- red and yellow, black and white, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, 35:27 man or woman, straight or gay -- you have loved one another as I have loved you. 35:33 By this, the whole world now knows you are my people. Well done, good and faithful 35:38 church. Enter into the joy of your lord." 35:41 Is there a hint of that in this letter? Not a hint. 35:46 Not a breath. In fact -- [ chuckles ] This is -- This is a bit 35:54 embarrassing to bring it up, which is why, no doubt, none of us enjoys reading this letter at 35:58 all. "Oh, no, don't -- I'm not reading the last 36:01 letter." And that is, because there is not a single word of 36:07 commendation from Jesus in this letter at all. In fact, the letter's content is 36:15 all condemnation. [ Laughs ] Zero, nada, nothing! 36:25 Of any "You go, guys. I'm proud of you." "Hey, Dwight, come on. 36:33 Get off your high horse." [ Scoffs ] "Listen, boy, where's the gospel 36:39 in this? Where's the good news in this? Where's the grace in this?" 36:45 Well, I'll tell you what. There's plenty of gospel, there's plenty of grace, there's 36:50 plenty of good news in the last letter. The problem is, none of it is in 36:54 the recipients of the letter. It's all in the sender. In fact, of the sender, there's 37:03 a line in scripture -- I've got to put it on the screen for you, please. 37:07 Acts 20:28, the sender, the lord of Laodicea, who is he? He's the one "who bought the 37:13 church with His own blood." You understand that? Jesus bought a church called 37:21 Laodicea. He bought us 2,000 years in advance, paid for it, exchanging 37:28 his place in heaven for our place in hell. No, no, no, no. 37:33 Don't you go around pouting about the last letter has no good news, no grace, no gospel 37:37 in it. It has all that you need. It's not in the receiver. 37:41 It's in the sender, and that's the difference. We're kind of miffed because it 37:46 doesn't say anything about us. "Look at us. Look what we done." 37:53 Well, he did. Yeah. Nevertheless -- please hear my 38:03 heart on this -- the only reason I screwed up my courage... to write and preach a series of 38:11 sermons on the most unread and unwanted of letters in the Bible, the last letter, is 38:17 because, apparently -- and this is what I cannot shake -- apparently, it is really, really 38:27 critical that we understand the last letter. I can't blow it off. 38:36 We've done it for decades. We can't dismiss it. We've done it for generations. 38:44 Somebody's gonna have to take this letter seriously. It may be the elixir we're 38:50 waiting for... to turn this whole blooming mess around. 38:57 [ Taps ] 39:00 Ellen White on the screen. 39:37 Ouch. Did you catch that last line? Talking about you and me? 39:56 That hurts. 39:59 The only good news I have to you about hurt is that some guy -- I don't know who this guy is. 40:03 I wish they'd find out. Let's just give the guy a name. Let him stand up and say, "Oh, 40:07 yeah, I'm the guy that invented that phrase. I'm doing therapy now. 40:11 They got this great phrase -- 'No pain, no gain.'" Who thought of that one? 40:18 Did you invent that? [ Scoffs ] Apparently -- [ Laughs ] 40:25 Apparently, what it means is, sometimes the only way to get from here to there is real hurt. 40:36 And we've been trying to have it sugar-coated with honey mixed in with it -- pablum -- and wonder 40:46 why we're in the mess we're still in. Hmm. 40:55 So, I had a dream the other night. And in the dream, a voice or an 41:02 impression -- and I could clearly hear it. That's all I know -- kept 41:07 repeating -- I mean, repeating it -- "You must claim Zechariah 10:1 now." 41:18 [ Scoffs ] Middle of the night. I could hear it as clear as if 41:22 you were talking to me, 3 feet away -- "You must claim Zechariah 10:1." 41:33 I woke up, words ringing in my ears. I fell back to sleep. 41:40 A few days ago. And it repeated itself in that dream -- "You must claim the 41:50 promise of Zechariah 10 --" Look, I've known Zechariah 10:1 for years. 41:55 But why is the voice, why is this impression, whatever -- why am I getting this idea that this 42:00 is the time to do it? In my dream -- and I know, by the way, because I journaled the 42:04 next morning. I wrote it down to make sure that I wouldn't make it up. 42:11 In my dream, I grappled and pushed back against wherever this was coming from and 42:19 thought, "How in the world can you present this promise to a generation that seemingly has no 42:26 interest in so profoundly spiritual a promise like this one?" 42:32 A campus like this... dusty old promise like that -- pfft! 42:41 I'll go somewhere else. I'll read something else. I said, "You can't -- 42:48 You can't be serious." "You must claim the promise of Zechariah 10:1." 42:52 I told Karen about it. Wednesday night, I told my prayer partner about it. 43:00 And he said, "Seems pretty clear to me." I'm gonna share that line with 43:07 you right now as we wrap. Zechariah 10:1. It's the next to the last book 43:13 in the Old Testament. So you find Malachi -- you go Matthew, Malachi, and then 43:16 there's Zechariah, going backwards. Zechariah 10:1. 43:22 Put the words on the screen for you. Ask the Lord for rain --" 43:30 This is the New King James. "Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. 43:35 The Lord will make flashing clouds --" that would be thunderstorms and lightning. 43:38 "He will give them showers of rain." You ask, "He will give showers 43:43 of rain, grass in the field for everyone." You see, in Palestine, there 43:47 were two major rainfalls. The early rain, as they called it, was in the Autumn. 43:50 Just as soon as you put the seeds into the ground, that rain was to help germination take 43:54 place and get these little sprouts going. The final rain comes at the end 43:58 of the cycle of growing. It comes in the springtime, and it's called the latter. 44:03 This is the early, this is the latter. Torrential rains, because the 44:07 grain and crop -- the crops have to now move into full maturity before -- boom! -- the harvest 44:12 comes. The harvest, in scripture, is absolutely clear. 44:15 It's always the end of the world. Always the end of the world. 44:21 So, hearing this simple command, the Lord of Laodicea -- And by the way, the Lord of 44:24 Laodicea is the one who spoke these words. It's the same Christ, it's the 44:27 same savior, the creator of the world. He's admonishing his people, his 44:31 friends, you and me, "When you get to the springtime, when the times look like the season of 44:35 the latter rain -- And I don't know about you, but I've been looking at this 44:38 planet, I've been looking at this nation, and I'm saying, "Something crazy's going on." 44:42 And I don't care what you rise up to defend, we're in a mess. And it has nothing to do with 44:49 politics and everything to do with "Do you have eyes to see what is happening to this 44:52 nation?" Two Sabbaths from now, I'm gonna preach, because I believe the 44:56 letter to Laodicea is a letter to America, and we're gonna spend that whole 30 minutes 45:00 focusing on America. Because America is in a heap of trouble. 45:07 And if we're just gonna sit here as a faith community and twiddle our thumbs and say, "Well, it's 45:11 not affecting me. I'm doing quite well, thank you," then get over it. 45:15 Look beyond your own personal interests. Look at what's happening to 45:19 America. Look at what's happening to the nation, the world today. 45:23 I'm telling you, we can sit here and pretend nothing's up. 45:29 Guess what. We are in the season of the 45:34 latter rain. That's before everything 45:36 collapses and it's over. We are fast there. 45:40 I have no date for you. But I'll tell you this before I 45:43 sit down. I will tell you this. 45:45 That same little lady says, "When the latter rain happens, 45:47 there'll be guys sitting there, saying, 'There's nothing 45:49 happening. There's nothing happening. 45:50 There's nothing happening to me.'" 45:51 They will not see it, and anybody around them, when they 45:53 finally a little something, say, "That's a bunch of fanaticism. 45:56 Don't worry about that." 45:57 When the latter rain is actually happening, you'll be sitting in the middle of that thunderstorm, 46:01 and there will not be a drop falling on you, and you'll say, "What's the problem? 46:05 What's all this excitement about?" Ladies and gentlemen, this is 46:10 not rocket science now. It's called eyes and ears. Something's happening to this 46:16 nation and this world. It's the only way I can explain it. 46:24 [ Scoffs ] "You must claim the promise of Zechariah 10:1." 46:32 On the page of Zechariah 10:1, I scribbled the words of this little American writer that I've 46:38 been quoting here. One more time on the screen. It's from a book called 46:42 "Our Father Cares." All eyes on the screen. Oh, by the way -- 46:46 No, before you put that up, do you know what the rain is? 'Cause we're talking about rain, 46:50 but what's the rain? The Bible's absolutely clear. Let me just put one more line 46:53 up. Isaiah 44:3, put it on the screen, please. 46:56 God says... 47:04 Rain, in scripture, is the Holy Spirit being poured out. The latter rain is a final 47:09 pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon hearts that are able and willing to receive that gift. 47:16 In the season of the latter rain, the command is, "Start asking for it, start asking, 47:21 start praying. I'm not coming up with nobody asking. 47:24 I'm not gonna surprise you and show up. Somebody has to want this." 47:28 Well, you be the somebody, then. With me. Now the words on the screen, 47:35 "Our Father Cares." "The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the 47:38 beginning of the early or former rain." That's Pentecost -- wow. 47:42 "Glorious was the result." 47:54 The last rains. 48:05 This is the time. This is the time. Don't put it off. 48:11 I'm going ahead, and there'll be a bunch of people sitting around you who are going ahead. 48:16 You want to play hard-to-get, that's your game. I'm not trying to get you. 48:21 But the Lord of Laodicea is gonna make a play for your soul. Don't go running away from this. 48:28 "Well, I don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that. 48:30 I'm not gonna hear that. Just give me something else." No, be a man -- take it. 48:36 Be a woman -- take it. Open up yourself. The whole point is, we got to 48:44 ask. What better gift to prepare us for receiving the message 48:49 embedded in the last letter than the Holy Spirit himself. How about a daily baptism of the 48:53 Holy Spirit? How about a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit? 48:57 Subsequent to the dream -- okay? -- after the dream, I pull out my old Helmut Haubeil's 49:05 best-seller now. Over 700,000 of these circulating the planet. 49:08 "Steps to Personal Revival." I pulled it out, and I read the first 40 pages. 49:12 I said, "Wow." You know, a year and a half ago, you and I went through this. 49:16 Many of you have the book. Many of you have it electronically. 49:19 Many of you have it hard copy. Pull the book out. You don't have the book, I want 49:24 to make that book available to you right now. Take out your ConnectCard. 49:28 Come on, let's go. Take out ConnectCard. I'm gonna give you a chance to 49:31 get this book, no charge. Absolutely no charge. You see that ConnectCard? 49:35 Pastor Riley talked about it just a moment ago. I'll pull mine out, too. 49:40 Listen, this is it. We either ask for it, or we don't. 49:44 I'm appealing to you to please ask for the daily outpouring, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 49:52 You know what the latter rain is? It's the Holy Spirit that's 49:55 falling on you, falling on people all around you, so it's happening to multiple, to 49:59 hundreds of people simultaneously. That's all it is. 50:02 It now happens en masse. But if you're not ready en masse, it won't be happening. 50:08 It will not happen. I'm sorry. So, pull this out. 50:14 We can't just go home. My next step today -- Pastor talked about the front of 50:18 the card, back of the card. My next step today, box number one, I'd like to read 50:21 Revelation 3 every week for the first three months of 2019. While this series is going on, 50:26 once a week, read the whole chapter. That'll be Philadelphia and the 50:30 last letter to Laodicea. Just read it. Humor yourself. 50:33 Just see what the Holy Spirit will do. Check. 50:37 Box number two -- please send me an electronic copy of Haubeil's best-selling book on the daily 50:41 baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will send you -- You put a checkmark there and 50:44 turn this card in, in one split second, 'cause you saw them all standing up. 50:47 They're coming to get it. You put a checkmark there, we will send you that website, and 50:51 you will get it. In a second and a half, it will be downloaded for you. 50:56 Read it. Read it, please. And finally, number three, box 51:02 number three, "I will join you in claiming God's promise in Zechariah 10:1." 51:05 I wish you would. I wish it were thousands across America that would begin to 51:10 pray. Maybe you're not living in Berrien Springs. 51:12 Maybe you're not a part of Andrews University. Maybe you're not even living in 51:16 Michigan right now but you're listening. I wish there would be thousands 51:19 of men, women, and children who are every day saying, "Dear God, you said claim Zechariah 10:1. 51:26 I now claim it, in the name of the great Amen, who says, "Absolutely you will have this! 51:32 Absolutely I promise. Ask me." Ushers, thank you so much for 51:38 being patient. Would you please stand? We'll have the prayer at the 51:41 end. But please now receive from us these ConnectCards and our 51:45 morning tithes and offerings. So, God has blessed you, the new year is beginning, and you'd 51:49 like to share that blessing, just put that in the offering plate, as well. 51:52 But your ConnectCard, just drop it, turn it upside down. And we're gonna sing a beautiful 51:57 hymn to Jesus, "Draw Me Nearer." "Draw Me Nearer," Fanny J. Crosby's great gospel 52:02 hymn. ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:05 Oh, God, you must draw us to that cross. We cannot save ourselves. 55:15 The church doesn't have what it takes. The nation doesn't. 55:23 The world doesn't. So, would you please, as we just prayed to you, draw us nearer 55:32 and nearer to your blessed side? Commune as friend to friend. We've made such a dreaded 55:48 obstacle out of the last letter when it is your desperate but loving appeal to find all the 55:57 treasury of heaven in Christ. We must find that truth of Jesus. 56:04 It'll set us free. Baptized by his spirit every day, it will set us free, and 56:11 timid tongues will be timid no longer. Resisting hearts will resist no 56:21 longer. You win. This is what it's been about for 56:26 centuries. And we're the ones in the season of the latter rain. 56:33 So, dear God, do whatever it takes in my life, in my heart, and in the lives and the hearts 56:41 of this people that I love, for the glory of Christ... the finishing of his mission, 56:54 the hastening of his return. We pray in his name. Let all the people say amen. 57:06 >> Thank you for taking the time to join us in worship today. 57:08 I'd like to spend another moment with you here at the end of our 57:11 program to share a word of hope. In fact, that's what this little 57:14 book is all about. In these uncertain times, and 57:16 let's face it, they're uncertain all over this planet, this book 57:19 entitled "The Great Hope" will help you understand not just 57:22 what God has planned for your future but for the future of 57:25 the entire human race. Light keeps shining on this dark 57:28 old world, and new truths long forgotten are being constantly 57:31 rediscovered. If you need a fresh dose of hope 57:34 for your life these days, or you know somebody else who could 57:37 sure use that gift of hope, then I'd like to invite you to grab 57:40 your phone, dial our toll-free number, 877 -- the two words -- 57:43 HIS-WILL. 877-HIS-WILL, and at no charge 57:47 to you, we'll get a copy in the mail to you right away. 57:51 Till the next time we meet, may the peace and hope of the 57:54 Lord Jesus be with you 24/7. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:17 ♪♪ |
Revised 2019-01-24