Participants: Kelly Linder
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000777
|
01:00 Hi, there. My name is Kelly Linder.
01:04 And I'm a Bible worker from the Detroit area. 01:08 I'm going to be presenting a message today 01:10 entitled, "Where Were You." 01:13 Not where were you but where were you. 01:17 And before I start I'd like to ask for prayer 01:23 on this very, very important subject. 01:26 So let's bow our heads. 01:28 Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I want to thank you 01:33 so much for the way you lead us 01:36 and the many messages that you give us. 01:39 Lord, you gave me this message because I needed to hear it. 01:43 And Lord I believe that you have 01:45 inspired me to give it to other people 01:49 who need to hear it as well. 01:51 Lord, I pray that you'd be with me today. 01:56 Please pour your presence into all of us 01:58 and pour your Holy Spirit on us. 02:01 We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. 02:06 Now as I said, I'm a Bible worker 02:09 in the Detroit area and in my work a lot of times, 02:13 I run into--I would say, actually most of my studies 02:18 are with nonreligious people. 02:21 People that are irreligious. 02:23 They weren't brought up in religion 02:26 and most of them have rejected religion. 02:28 I myself was not brought up in religion. 02:33 And actually I'd like to share a little bit of my testimony. 02:38 Prior to my conversion, Seventh-day Adventism 02:44 I had kind of grown up on the wrong side of the tracks. 02:48 I was, you know, one of many, 02:50 I was in a Detroit hardcore band. 02:52 I was the singer and a lot of the people 02:56 I hung out with were, you know, 02:59 it was kind of--it was kind of like the junky, 03:01 drunkard, criminal, violent 03:04 sort of crowd, you know, dysfunction. 03:08 Lot of people I knew grew up with broken homes 03:11 without their father etcetera, etcetera. 03:13 And most of us had pretty much, 03:17 like I said, rejected religion. 03:20 Now part of the reason we rejected religion 03:23 is because the things that we had ever seen in religion 03:27 were very unattractive, very unappealing. 03:30 The last thing in the world that we wanted 03:32 was to be church people. 03:34 Okay, and so we embraced that decadent in lifestyle. 03:39 I would say that, we were the modern day equivalent 03:41 of the tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes, 03:45 drunkards, lepers, and publicans 03:48 who had rejected religion. 03:51 And there came a time 03:54 when I finally was able to see true religion. 03:57 But you know, at this point, 03:59 like I said, I had indulged in that decadent lifestyle. 04:02 I myself, you know, was an alcoholic prior 04:06 to having become a heroin addict. 04:09 I had about a $150 to $200 a day heroin addiction. 04:14 And I really just didn't feel like 04:16 there was any place for me in this world 04:18 or any real reason to live. 04:20 And so again, religion wasn't part of my hope 04:24 I embraced that lifestyle. 04:25 But in the process of being an addict 04:28 I came to a point where I finally hit rock bottom. 04:32 And it was at that point that I fell on the rock 04:34 and was broken by that rock. 04:36 Now what I can tell you about myself 04:41 is that when that happened 04:44 I realized I needed to find God. 04:46 I needed to go out and find God. 04:50 But I wasn't going to settle 04:53 for anything that was counterfeit. 04:56 I wanted to have relief from the pain and suffering 04:59 I was in but not enough 05:01 that I was gonna throw reality to the side. 05:04 If I was gonna find God it had to be a real God. 05:08 It had to be the real deal. 05:11 Well, I remember I ended up 05:13 going to a church, a Christian Church. 05:16 I don't remember what denomination it was 05:18 but I walked in with my old boss. 05:22 I sit down and I just started to listen 05:24 and it's the same old thing I had ever heard anywhere else. 05:29 Here I'm on a mission to find God 05:31 and I go into church 05:33 and I find the same old nonsense 05:35 I ever found before that I rejected. 05:37 And I remember the voice of reason speaking to me 05:39 which I now recognized to have been the voice of God 05:43 saying to me, "Get up and leave 05:45 you're not gonna find it here." 05:47 And that's exactly what I did. 05:48 I got up and walked out. 05:51 I went back home. I was very depressed. 05:54 And I thought, "You know, what is there to live for?" 05:58 And I was desperate. 06:00 I had no noble reasons for coming to Christ. 06:03 It was desperation and pain. 06:07 I got down on my knees that very day. 06:09 And this is the prayer that I prayed. 06:13 "God, I know you exist. 06:15 It's intellectually sound 06:17 you can't get away from it, there must exist a God. 06:21 But I don't have enough intelligence or time 06:24 in this world to look under 06:26 every rock and to read every book 06:27 and to visit every religion, every church. 06:30 You need to show me. 06:33 If you want me and I want you, 06:36 I ask you to show me the way you want me to go. 06:40 And I pray that you would give me an indicator 06:43 that this is the way you want me to go." 06:47 Within days of saying that prayer 06:51 I was introduced to Seventh-day Adventism. 06:54 And not only was I introduced to it 06:57 but I was given the indicator 06:59 that I was asked-- that I had asked for. 07:01 The indicator that signaled to me 07:03 that this is something I need to look into. 07:06 And so as I said before, I'm coming from this 07:08 really rough background. 07:09 I rejected religion my whole life. 07:11 But all of a sudden here is something 07:14 I'd seen that had authority to it. 07:16 Over here I'm seeing something that made sense to me. 07:21 Over here I'm seeing something that wasn't 07:23 unattractive and I jumped right in. 07:27 I jumped right in, I read the "Great Controversy." 07:29 I went through "The Conflict of the Ages." 07:31 I studied prophesy. I was in it. 07:33 And I'm even more in it today 07:35 seven years later than I was then. 07:40 So with that said, I wanna tell you that 07:43 in the work I do, doing Bible work 07:46 what I have discovered is a lot of people I studied 07:49 with are my old friends, punk rock friends, 07:51 you know, bikers, and you know, 07:53 a lot of these people from the underbelly. 07:56 These are the people I study with. 07:57 And what I've discovered is just like me. 08:00 They--most of them have rejected religion 08:04 but when they hear the message of the Seventh-day Adventist. 08:08 When I share that with them they are forced to 08:11 recognize something real here. 08:13 And most of them do acknowledge 08:15 that they're hearing something that's different. 08:18 Something that's better than anything they ever heard. 08:21 Now I'm gonna talk about that more in a few minutes. 08:24 At this point, I'd like to say that 08:27 one of the most commonly asked questions 08:29 that I get as a Bible worker, especially from those 08:33 friends of mine I just mentioned is the question, 08:37 Where was God? Where was God? 08:42 09/11/2001, where was God? 08:46 New Orleans, where was God? 08:50 The Tsunamis, where was God? 08:53 The Holocaust, where was God? 08:56 Homelessness, famine, pestilence, age, war, 09:01 etcetera, etcetera, on and on, where was God? 09:07 Where are you, God? Where are you? 09:12 Well, for the record, God has answered that question. 09:17 He has answered that question. 09:19 And we're gonna talk about that later. 09:20 I'm gonna share that answer that many of you already know. 09:25 But now I wanna go back to my nonreligious friends 09:28 that I was just speaking of. 09:31 Now as I was saying before when it comes to sharing 09:34 the wonderful, incredible truths of the SDA message? 09:38 Most of the un-church people I know 09:41 are really open to hearing it. In fact most of them accepted. 09:46 So I'm thinking this is great. I'm leading people to God. 09:50 I'm leading people to Christ. They're accepting it. 09:54 Now all I have to do is to get them 09:57 to transition into the church. Now we have a problem. 10:02 This is where we run into a real stumbling block. 10:07 When I ask these friends of mine, 10:09 what it is that stops them from 10:14 becoming a part of the church, from coming to the church, 10:16 from getting involved in the church. 10:19 I get all kind of answers. All kinds of answers. 10:25 You know, some people just aren't ready. 10:27 You know, that's a valid, that's a valid answer. 10:30 You know, they have to come in their time. 10:31 They can acknowledge the truth. 10:32 A lot of people learn the truth. 10:34 They are impressed by truth 10:35 but they never come into the truth. 10:36 It's not convenient enough, okay. 10:39 So there's and I can accept that, 10:40 I can accept that that happens. 10:42 When I first heard it I was in the overnight success. 10:45 It took me two years before I fully came in 10:48 and was baptized before I get over smoking, 10:50 drug addiction, alcoholism, etcetera, etcetera. 10:56 So I can understand that 10:58 but then I get these kind of answers. 11:00 These are the ones that stump me 11:03 or at least they used to stump me. 11:05 This is the real obstacle. 11:09 These are the valid objections. 11:10 People say, church people are boring, okay. 11:14 They say church people are hypocrites. 11:18 We're talking about church people here. 11:20 Church people are generic. Church people are phony. 11:26 Church people are one dimensional. 11:29 Church people are weird. Church people are arrogant. 11:35 Church people are weak. Church people are gullible. 11:39 So you're gonna hear all these. 11:41 Church people are stupid. 11:43 Church people have blind faith. 11:46 Church people are judgmental. Church people gossip too much. 11:51 Church people are Fanatics. 11:54 Church people are narrow-minded. 11:56 Church people are grumpy. Church people are mean. 11:58 Church people are insane. Now that's my old attitude. 12:03 You know, what I, I stand to gain nothing 12:05 by becoming a church person. 12:06 I didn't come into this to be a church person. 12:09 Church calls it turns me off. 12:10 I came in because I love Christ. 12:14 I love the man and He makes sense to me. 12:17 He touches my heart. That's what brings me into it. 12:21 What keeps me into it. 12:22 Well, that's what we're talking about today. 12:25 Okay, now with that said I have to say again these are-- 12:33 I admit these are all valid objections. 12:35 These are things I struggle with. 12:37 I still struggle with when I first came 12:39 into the church it was hard. 12:43 You know, I'm hearing hymns and you know 12:45 and I'm running into, you know, 12:48 the way people talk and the way people dress 12:51 and it was just-- it was foreign 12:53 and I just wasn't impressed by it. 12:56 Again that's not what impressed me. 12:59 Those are valid obstacles that people run into. 13:02 Church people do display some of those objectionable traits 13:05 that I just mentioned those flaws. 13:09 And Satan is so cunning, so crafty, 13:14 such a antichristian, antichristian genius. 13:22 You know, the way he uses these flaws 13:25 and these defects to turn people away. 13:27 He uses every one of these flaws 13:30 to either repel the outsiders, 13:33 keep them away, or to drive out the insiders. 13:39 Again I ought to know. 13:42 Before I was a Christian 13:44 these were the very same types of things 13:46 that repelled me. 13:48 Okay and I'll give you another for instance. 13:51 Probably about 15 years ago, 13:53 no, actually about 17 years ago 13:56 I was working as a gas station attendant, cashier. 14:00 It was the middle of the night. 14:03 I worked the midnight shift and you know I'm in there. 14:06 I told you I was in the punk rock and hardcore. 14:10 And I'm in there working, you know, 14:11 and I can remember what I was wearing and everything. 14:13 I had a black T-shirt on it 14:14 had little white skulls all over it, okay. 14:17 I had dyed black hair. You know, the pierced ear. 14:21 Pair of ripped up Levis jeans on 14:25 and Brooks leather jacket, 14:28 you know the motorcycle leather. 14:29 And I had music cranking in there. 14:30 It was really super loud 14:32 and it was the band Jane's Addiction, okay. 14:35 About his decadent as you can get. 14:37 This was really I was into. 14:40 And I seeing this station wagon pulls up. 14:45 And all these people get out of the station wagon. 14:49 And right away I don't know how I knew it, 14:52 but I knew, I knew that these guys were "Christians." 15:01 I knew that, I don't know how I knew 15:03 but they were clean-cut. 15:04 They had the Alligator shirt on. 15:06 You know, the clean-cut, 15:07 the squeaky hairdo, etcetera, etcetera. 15:10 They're coming into the store and I know 15:13 they're coming into witness to me, "To Witness." 15:17 So I'm standing there behind the, 15:19 behind the-- behind the register 15:22 and the guy who was driving he comes in. 15:26 I see him come in, like I said 15:27 I know what he is about to do. 15:29 And he's heading for the cash register 15:31 and he comes up and I tell you I'm not making this up. 15:34 He says to me, just like a game show host. 15:37 This guy says to me. 15:38 "Hey, guy, what's that shirt all about?" 15:42 I mean, just like that, just like that. 15:44 I'm not making this up and I look at my shirt 15:47 and I'm almost embarrassed to answer 15:48 because of, I know he knows what skulls represent. 15:53 They represent death. Just plain and simple. 15:56 But I answered him anyway. I said, "Represents death." 16:03 And he says, "Hey, I'm here to tell you about 16:06 life, death, who needs that. 16:08 Do you know Jesus Christ is 16:10 your personal Lord and Savior?" 16:12 And I said to him, "Okay, I get it. 16:17 You're witnessing to me." 16:19 And then I went to my knees 16:20 and I accepted Christ and the rest is history. 16:22 Right? Right? Wrong. 16:27 This--what this guy did was actually turn me off 16:29 and push me that much further away. 16:31 And I said to him, "Look, man, 16:32 I understand what you're trying to do here 16:34 you're witnessing to me. I go but it's not working. 16:38 So I can--I realize you have nothing to tell me, 16:41 nothing real to say, except for your 16:44 preprogrammed rhetoric so you can just 16:46 turn around and walk right back out." 16:49 Which is exactly what I said 16:50 and that's exactly what he did. 16:52 Now with that said that's another one of those 16:56 characteristics I was just talking about. 16:57 I was repelled by that. 16:59 This is--these are the kind of things 17:01 that I would run into and that my friends 17:03 would run into to create this idea of 17:07 what church people are like. 17:09 So now we come to the Adventist message, 17:11 yes, yes, yes, but we run into 17:13 church culture and it's no, no, no. 17:16 That's the hard part as I said before. 17:19 Now that you know, as I said, 17:21 that's what kept me out before 17:22 but now that I'm an insider I can't even begin to tell you 17:29 how many times Satan has tried to drive me out of the church. 17:35 How many times I've been tempted to walk, okay. 17:39 But I reject that answer. Walking is not the solution. 17:43 Staying out is not the solution. 17:44 If you're a true seeker of God 17:47 or you're truly committed to Christ 17:49 you're not gonna leave for such shallow stupid reasons. 17:53 That, that is no reason to walk away 17:56 from your responsibility and your commitment to Christ. 17:59 Now I'll talk more about that as we go. 18:02 Just stay with me. Stay with me, okay. 18:08 By the way I don't want to separate myself 18:12 from the defects that I mentioned earlier. 18:14 I have defects too. I'm imperfect. 18:17 I've played a part in those collective flaws. 18:21 I can't separate myself from that so I won't. 18:24 I have to admit I play a part in it. 18:27 Now I'm gonna change gears here 18:29 for a minute, for a little while. 18:32 Did you know that each one of us 18:36 has been called of God by name? 18:40 Every single human being that has ever existed 18:45 has been called of God by name, okay. 18:51 And hopefully when this message is over 18:56 all of us will have an easier time 18:59 being able to recognize His voice calling us by name. 19:04 Okay, now these are things I haven't always known. 19:07 I've learned it in hindsight 19:09 that God has called me by name 19:11 and called other people by name. 19:14 Now if you have your Bible handy 19:18 turn to Revelation Chapter 2, verse 17. 19:24 Very interesting passage. 19:26 That's Revelation Chapter 2, verse 17. 19:34 Where it says, "He who has an ear to hear, 19:39 let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 19:42 To him who overcomes, 19:44 I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. 19:47 And I will give him a white stone 19:50 and on the white stone a new name written 19:53 which no one knows except him who receives it." 19:57 Now I know this isn't filler. 19:59 I've come to realize in my study of the Bible-- 20:01 I'm a Bible student, and I've come to realize 20:04 and I'm convinced there are no filler words in the Bible. 20:09 You hear something like this said 20:11 you need to automatically realize 20:14 that there is a purpose to it. 20:17 It means something and I would look at that 20:20 and I would wonder what does that mean? 20:22 I will receive a new name that nobody knows accept me 20:25 and of course the one who gave me that name, okay. 20:28 And that's the name we've been called by. 20:31 Now I have to quote one of my favorite writers. 20:36 He is not an Adventist. 20:38 I'm not in--I'm not in complete harmony 20:41 with everything he says but I believe that 20:43 God gifted this man to be the greatest apologist 20:47 of our--of our times C.S. Lewis. 20:50 And I want to read a couple of quotes by him 20:53 on the subject and they're absolutely amazing. 20:56 So go with me one moment, okay. 21:02 This is what he says. 21:03 This is from the book "The Problem of Pain." 21:06 Now anybody who has read C.S. Lewis 21:08 knows that this man has intellect. 21:11 You can feel your Christian brain 21:13 growing larger as you read his writings. 21:16 God really did gift him. 21:18 It says, it is said, "To him that overcometh 21:21 I will give a white stone, and in the stone 21:23 a new name written, which no man knows 21:26 saving him that received it. 21:29 What can be more a man's own than this new name 21:33 which even in eternity remains a secret between God and Him. 21:38 And what shall we take this secrecy to mean? 21:41 Surely, that each of the redeemed 21:45 shall forever know and praise some one aspect 21:49 of the divine beauty better than any other creature can. 21:55 Why else were individuals created but that God, 21:59 loving all infinitely, should love each differently? 22:03 And this difference, so far from impairing, 22:06 floods with meaning the love of all blessed creatures 22:10 for one another, the communion of the saints. 22:14 If all experienced God in the same way 22:17 and returned Him an identical worship, 22:20 the song of the church triumphant 22:22 would have no symphony, it would be like an orchestra 22:25 in which all the instruments played the same note. 22:28 For doubtless the continual successful 22:31 yet never completed attempt by each soul 22:33 to communicate its unique vision 22:36 to all others and that by means 22:38 whereof earthly art and philosophy 22:40 are but clumsy imitations is also among the ends 22:44 for which the individual was created." 22:47 That's incredible. That is absolutely incredible. 22:50 And he is absolutely right on the money, 22:54 we're not clones, we're not clones. 22:57 God didn't intend for us to be conformist. 23:01 And as David Asscherick says, 23:04 "Unity is not the same as uniformity." 23:07 God created us to be individuals. 23:09 Bring your personality into the church we want it. 23:13 Now I wanna read one more quote. 23:15 Another one, it's a little shorter 23:17 but it's just as potent in connection. 23:21 It says--I love this quote. I love it. 23:24 It says, "I would prefer to combat 23:27 the I'm special feeling not by the thought 23:30 that I'm no more special than anyone else 23:32 but by the feeling everyone is as special as me." 23:37 Okay, "In one way there is no difference 23:40 I grant for both, remove the specialty. 23:43 But there is a difference in another way. 23:46 The first might lead you to think, 23:48 I'm only one in the crowd like everyone else. 23:51 But the second leads to the truth 23:53 that there isn't any crowd. 23:56 No one is like anyone else. 23:58 All are members, organs in the body of Christ. 24:03 All different and all neccessary to the whole 24:08 and to one another. 24:10 Each loved by God individually 24:13 as if it were the only creature in existence." 24:17 Man, that's incredible. 24:18 "Otherwise you might get the idea that God is like 24:22 the government which can only deal with people in a mass." 24:27 That brings me so close to Christ 24:29 to hear this touches my heart. 24:32 'Cause I look at my children like that. 24:34 They're not-- they're individuals. 24:36 I love them. I love their personality. 24:38 God feels that way about us. And I know it's true. 24:42 This strikes a quote in me and it brings me 24:44 that much closer to the Father 24:47 to hear this and I know its right, I know its right. 24:51 Okay, now what's the purpose of a name 24:56 to take that concept a little further? 24:59 A name is what we employ to distinguish 25:02 one person, place, or thing from another. 25:06 Person, place, or thing. There is Detroit. 25:12 Here comes, Larry. 25:14 That thing over there is a nutcracker. 25:17 You know these are the titles. 25:19 These are the titles we give them. 25:20 Now when it comes to people 25:24 let's use last names as an example. 25:27 Okay, in English we have last names 25:30 that are, that are titles. 25:33 Names like Miller and Smith and Farmer 25:37 and Hunter and Johnson and Robertson, 25:42 Jackson and Hanson and so it goes, okay. 25:47 So we have that example, last names. 25:49 Last names tell who these people are. 25:52 We have first names. 25:54 Now a lot of people don't realize it 25:56 and I hope nobody will make 25:58 fun of me after they hear this. 26:00 But my first name is Sherman, Sherman. 26:06 And I'm just saying that because in the movies 26:08 and in stories every time there is a kid name Sherman, 26:11 he's always a short fat kid with glasses, okay. 26:15 So don't tell anybody. My first name is a Sherman. 26:19 Now in the old English, the meaning of the Sherman 26:24 is literally the shear man, okay. 26:29 And what they're talking about is 26:30 there was a guy who was down there 26:33 cutting the wool of the sheep that's what he did. 26:38 He was the cutter of sheep's wool, 26:41 pretty interesting. 26:43 Well, I'm gonna tell you why I go by Kelly. 26:46 That's my middle name. My middle is a Kelly. 26:48 And I know, it's been turned into a girl's name 26:51 but it hasn't always been a girl's names. 26:52 It used to be primarily a boy's name, a man's name. 26:57 And from what I understand in Gaelic, 27:00 the name means, courageous, 27:03 brave warrior, faithful to the king. 27:08 See why I go by that name? 27:10 Why would go I by Sherman if I can go by Kelly? 27:13 You know that's the name I like. 27:15 Hopefully I live up to that title, okay. 27:18 And I wanna use another example, the Native Americans. 27:23 I'm not sure if everybody knows it, 27:25 but the Native Americans, they don't name themselves 27:29 like, Bob, or Jerry or Louis. 27:32 The name they give each other is what that person is. 27:37 I'll give you an example from a movie. 27:40 A film called "Dances with Wolves." 27:42 I had seen this movie. I still love this movie. 27:44 Anybody seen it? You'll know that, 27:47 the main character played by Kevin Costner, 27:51 that's his name in the movie. 27:54 His name appointed to him by the natives. 27:57 The natives Americans, this particular tribe 28:01 is watching Kevin Costner, you know, 28:03 as they're spying on him and they see him 28:05 out there frolicking with the wolves. 28:08 And so they name him, "Dances with Wolves." 28:11 That's him right there. That's his title. 28:13 That's what does. So these just, 28:16 these are just a few examples, okay. 28:19 Again names are titles. 28:22 They tell others who you are, 28:26 what you are and what it is that you do. 28:32 God designed who I am, what I am 28:36 and what it is that I should do. 28:38 Whether or not I do it's a different story 28:40 but God has designed my name, my title. 28:45 He created me with a purpose, okay. 28:50 And only He knows the full extent of the name He gave me. 28:53 I don't even know it at this point. 28:55 According to Revelation I won't know until the end. 28:57 When He gives me that white stone, okay. 29:00 I'm sure it's unpronounceable in this world, okay. 29:05 Now he--now I think of God sometime an artist. 29:08 You know, I paint and I draw and I sculpt. 29:11 And you know, I've always been creative, you know, 29:14 that's why I was in a hardcore band. 29:16 I wrote lyrics. I drew all the band logos. 29:19 And the flyers and you know I did all the PR work. 29:25 And you know I can relate to an artist 29:29 because of that and I always think of God, 29:30 God is the original artist. 29:33 God is the original--He not only is my Father. 29:35 He is my Father but he's also the original artist, okay. 29:41 Now not--He is not merely creating a piece of art, okay. 29:47 See I create pieces of art and then I sell them, 29:50 you know, or I print them or I hang them on my wall. 29:54 There is my art, I don't lay down with that art. 29:57 I don't kiss that art. I don't hug my art. 30:00 I don't use my art for any particular thing. 30:03 It just hangs there on the wall 30:05 and it has aesthetic value. 30:07 There it is. Look at my painting. 30:08 Does it touch your heart? There it is, okay. 30:10 It might touch your heart. It might move you. 30:12 It might, you know, make you sad, 30:15 you know, whatever. 30:17 But when it comes to God, 30:19 boy, His art is so much more interesting, 30:22 so much more interesting, human being, being the canvas. 30:27 The original artist created us 30:29 as living functional works of art. One of a kind. 30:35 The only one of our kind 30:37 and I like what C. S. also says here, 30:39 "A species unto our individual selves." 30:44 Man, how can you not love that? 30:47 That's who we are. 30:49 I want you to remember that, okay. 30:51 I want you to remember that 30:53 and decide that you're gonna live 30:54 according to that in God's service, okay. 31:01 And as David says, 31:03 "Fearfully and wonderfully made," right? 31:07 I've heard people say, 31:08 "Until you realize what a scumbag maggot you are 31:11 God can't help you. 31:13 Well, I understand humility 31:15 but I'm not going that row, you know. 31:18 If that was the case I'd be--if I said that 31:21 I'd be insulting God's workmanship. 31:23 God created me to be fearfully and wonderfully made, okay. 31:30 And we need to see ourselve in light. 31:34 Ellen White says, in light, not an exact quote 31:37 but she says something to the effect. 31:39 We need to see ourselves in accordance 31:43 with the price He paid for us. That's pretty valuable. 31:47 That's pretty valuable. That's pretty precious, okay. 31:50 I need to see myself that way. 31:52 I need to see each and every one of you 31:54 that way, okay. 32:00 We are specifically designated and designed to do 32:07 what no other creature in all existence, 32:12 not merely human, but even in the infinite heavens 32:16 we are designed to do something 32:17 and to be something and to be someone 32:20 that nobody else can't do or can be, okay. 32:25 Now don't forget that this message, 32:28 "Where Were You?" Okay. 32:31 Is written as an appeal to people 32:33 to either come into this church 32:35 or to stay in this church. 32:38 Now let's talk about the word church. 32:43 A lot of people don't know 32:44 but that word comes for the Greek word Ecclesia. 32:48 I hope I'm saying it right. 32:50 But that's how it reads to me, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesia. 32:54 The word Ecclesia translates into the English literally 32:58 I mean no variation called out. 33:02 When you say church 33:03 what you're saying in definition is called out. 33:07 The called out ones. 33:09 Now sadly Satan using human agency 33:13 has reduced the word church to merely men 33:17 or that building we go to every Sabbath 33:20 and that we sit at. 33:21 No, no, no, man, get this, get this. 33:27 This is a special thing we go to when we go to church. 33:32 Very, very special. 33:36 Church is a brotherhood fellowship. 33:40 A brotherhood fellowship of those who have been 33:45 called out by God, by name, 33:50 you know like, come out of her my people. 33:52 We are called out by God by name. 33:57 You know, I'll just say it seven years ago, 34:00 I heard God calling my name 34:01 but I didn't know I heard Him 34:02 calling my name but He was. 34:04 When I sat in that church and I recognized that, 34:07 that typical nonsense that was going in that church 34:11 I heard God calling me. 34:12 Get up and leave you're not gonna find it here. 34:15 You know, He was calling me 34:16 by name in a deep, deep sense, okay. 34:21 Again church is a brotherhood fellowship 34:24 of those God has called out by name, 34:29 called out individually 34:31 and specifically to bring a secret recipe, 34:33 dish to pass to the proverbial potluck. 34:37 Okay, I bring into that makes an angle, 34:39 a flavor, a viewpoint, a musical note 34:44 that no one else has been selected 34:46 to bring to this body but me. 34:49 I'm a member of this body, okay. 34:54 If I'm a foot and I stay away the body limps. 34:58 Without the foot the body limps. 34:59 I have something to share with you 35:02 and you have something to share with me. 35:06 Here's the point. Again here is the point. 35:10 The point of this whole message. Come to church. 35:14 Can you do that? 35:15 Come to church the called out ones. 35:20 Come into this God is calling you, okay. 35:25 And stay in church. Stay in the church. 35:29 Don't just be a church person come into this church 35:32 and fulfill your destiny, okay. 35:37 When you-- When you avoid 35:39 the ecclesiastical gathering of the called out by name 35:44 you deprive yourself from something that you need 35:48 and can only get from the body. 35:52 And at the same time you deprive the body of something 35:57 that only you are prepared to supply to the body. 36:00 And God will hold you accountable. 36:03 God will hold you accountable for holding back 36:07 and barring the talent that He gave you to gain more, 36:11 something that would have benefited 36:13 and served the fellowship or else He will reward us 36:18 for putting our two pennies into the dish, okay. 36:21 The old woman didn't have much. 36:23 She put in what she had and Jesus said, 36:25 "She put in more than all of you." 36:27 See God holds us accountable. 36:29 He rewards us or He punishes us. 36:32 He holds us accountable for what we bring in to the mix. 36:37 Now I also wanna say a couple of things here. 36:41 Jesus said, "If you separate yourself from the vine 36:44 you're gonna die." 36:46 Basically, in a nutshell you're going to die. 36:48 If you don't come into the body 36:51 you kill yourself, you hurt us. 36:53 I mean, we're gonna be impaired. 36:55 We're not gonna be able to work as effectively 36:57 without your presence 36:59 but you will die spiritually without the church. 37:05 You need us. We need you. 37:09 We want you. We desire you but you need us. 37:14 We need the church, okay. 37:18 Now again as I was saying earlier 37:21 from an inside point of view, I can't count, 37:25 and I mean, literally, I can't count 37:27 how many times Satan has tempted me 37:30 to leave the church and never come back. 37:32 Man, look at these weirdos. I'm out of here. 37:35 Get away from these people. 37:36 Man, there's so much fun to have out there. 37:38 Why am I even doing this? 37:40 Seem so meaningless, so dead, so dry, 37:43 you know, so generic, so phony, 37:46 all the things I said earlier. Church people do this. 37:49 Church people do that. So and so was rude to me. 37:53 Thus and so misjudged me. This person snubbed me. 37:57 Those people talked about me behind my back. 38:01 That guy gave me a dirty look. 38:03 That person is unfriendly, blah, blah, blah, blah, okay. 38:09 That's always my first human nature reaction. 38:12 I'm leaving. 38:13 That's always my first gut reaction. 38:15 I'm out of here. It's my reflex. 38:18 But then divine nature trumps my human nature 38:23 and comes to the rescue and I realized 38:28 that's exactly what Satan wants me to do. 38:32 Now when I realized what's going on 38:35 I actually become even more determined 38:39 and dedicated and committed to stay in the church. 38:46 To stay in the church 38:48 and to fulfill my mission, my mission. 38:51 I mean, I actually get fired up. 38:53 When I realized what the devil is trying to do, 38:56 he's trying to drive me out. Amen. 38:59 Like everybody else I must be pretty special. 39:01 Everyone else is as special as me 39:03 but that doesn't negate the fact 39:05 that I'm special and I must be really special 39:08 'cause he is trying to destroy me 39:10 and chase me out of here. I must have a mission. 39:14 I must have a mission. 39:15 Therefore I'm going to stay here 39:18 in spite of the trial. I'm on trial. 39:21 Is my faith genuine? Is it fake? 39:23 I am on trial and I'm gonna stay here 39:25 in spite of my trial and fulfill my mission. 39:30 We all have one. We all have one. 39:34 We're all parts of the body. We all serve a function. 39:39 And what is my mission? 39:43 Now my mission is what my secret name is. 39:49 That's what my mission is. My secret name. 39:52 The name He gave me. The name He called me by. 39:57 Stay with me, okay, just stay on with me while we-- 40:01 while we continue on them. 40:02 Remember names are titles that distinguish one person, 40:07 place, or thing from another person, place, or thing. 40:11 And they tell who you are, what you are, 40:14 and what it is that you do. 40:17 Now we have to go in this a little deeper. 40:23 If I come into the church 40:26 and I notice hypocritical behavior. 40:33 That is God saying to me, 40:36 "I showed you that for a reason 40:38 and you noticed that for a reason. 40:41 Part of the name I give you 40:43 is the opposite of hypocrisy," okay. 40:50 Do what you're saying you're gonna do. 40:52 Do practice what you preach. That's part of your name. 40:56 Now go lead by example. Go lead by example. 41:00 There is deficiencies there go lead by example. 41:04 If I noticed judgmental behavior in the church, 41:07 God is saying to me, 41:09 "I showed you that for a reason." 41:11 Part of the name I call you by is non-judgmentalism. 41:16 Go and fulfill your mission. 41:18 I've called you by name 41:19 to go in there and lead by example." 41:23 If I noticed phony behavior in the church, 41:27 God is calling me one of my names authenticity, okay. 41:33 Authenticity, I've called you by name. 41:35 I showed you that for a reason. 41:37 Go in there to your brothers and sisters 41:39 and lead by example, okay. 41:43 And on the subject just a little side note. 41:46 We don't need to try to be real. 41:48 We are real people. 41:50 We're real human beings with real personalities. 41:53 But we have to remember 41:55 that the devil is a great counterfeiter 41:58 that's what he does. He is a phony. 42:01 We must guard ourselves from being phony. 42:05 We must vigilantly keep our guard up 42:08 to not become disingenuous, okay. 42:13 We don't need to try to be real 42:14 but we do have to try and guard ourselves 42:17 from being a false counterfeit, okay. 42:22 Finally, I'll use another one more example. 42:26 If you come in the church and you noticed that I'm-- 42:31 you know, one of my struggles, I'm being honest, 42:33 is sometimes I come across 42:35 kind of harsh and impatient, 42:39 okay. And I don't mean to. 42:40 I think it's just old habits 42:42 that still kind of linger on little bit. 42:45 But if you noticed that 42:48 then part of the name God is calling you by 42:51 is the opposite of rude and impatient. 42:54 God is calling you to be patient and kind, 42:58 patient and loving, okay. 43:05 You know, we are called to lead by example 43:07 in the name of Jesus. 43:09 In the name of Jesus, we are called to lead by example. 43:13 Jesus sanctifies my name with His name. 43:17 I have to say that since I've been in this church, 43:21 since I've been a disciple of Christ 43:25 all of my advancements, all of them, 43:28 every single one of them have come 43:31 as a result of witnessing christ-like goodness 43:36 in either Christ Himself or in Christ followers, okay. 43:43 I was supported in my weaknesses. 43:46 I was supported by their strengths, their examples. 43:51 Now I wanna give a few examples, okay. 43:54 Few examples of their examples, okay. 43:58 When I was early on in my conversion, 44:03 I would, I would look at children right now. 44:07 I didn't have children at that time. 44:09 And frankly I didn't dislike children 44:13 but I didn't like them and I was more indifferent. 44:15 I didn't wanna be bothered. I didn't wanna be bothered. 44:19 But I'm reading my Bible one day 44:22 and I read the story about how Jesus was teaching the people, 44:27 the little kids were trying to get to Him and the disciples 44:30 blocked the little children from getting to Him. 44:33 First of all, I read that story and I realized, 44:37 wow, whatever Jesus had going on in His personality 44:40 and demeanor those children were attracted to it. 44:44 They were trying to get Him--to Him. 44:46 And I just--it made me love Christ even more to imagine 44:49 what He must have been like that 44:51 those little precious children were trying to get to Him 44:54 I used to be a little kid. 44:55 I know what kind of demeanor 44:57 I was attracted to when I was little. 44:58 So I remember that and I think, 45:00 wow, Christ had that going on, 45:02 you know, so I am attract to that. 45:04 Now I looked at the situation there 45:09 and I--and Jesus, you know, He stands up, 45:11 He tells the disciples 45:12 suffer the children and come onto me. 45:14 Stop blocking them. I want them to come onto me. 45:18 And I read this and here I was-- 45:20 I was indifferent 45:21 and yet when I read that it touched my heart. 45:25 I mean, it really touched my heart. 45:26 And I thought, man, 45:28 I recognized the deficiency in myself. 45:31 Christ example made me realize my deficiency 45:35 but that example also motivated me 45:39 to be more like Christ. 45:41 From that point on even though my feelings weren't there 45:44 I went out on my way to start being nice to children. 45:47 I'd smile at children. 45:49 I'd give the children a compliment. 45:51 I'd mess their hair up. I put my arm around them. 45:54 You know, whatever little opportunity 45:55 I could do successfully and honestly I would do. 46:00 And you know what, since that time 46:03 I have come to absolutely love and adore little children 46:08 and they love me. See this is amazing. 46:11 That's what happens when we support each other. 46:14 That is Christ example. 46:15 Now I'll use another of Christ examples. 46:17 I have a good friend. 46:19 One of my best friends in the entire Adventist Church 46:22 by the name of Jose Kaboski and he goes to Oakwood 46:25 where I go to church in Taylor. 46:27 Now when I first came to-- 46:28 I can tell you this guy has mentored me. 46:31 When I first came to the church I had seen that 46:34 more than anybody else that I had met in the church 46:36 this guy had leadership ability. 46:38 That was just amazing. 46:40 And whatever the task was this guy would tackle it. 46:43 He jumped on it in spite of the criticism, 46:45 in spite of the inconvenience whatever the case, 46:49 this guy would jump on it. And I watched Joe. 46:52 You know what, man, he is a real example of leadership. 46:57 And I thought, man, I don't have that. 46:59 I don't have that. I'm deficient there 47:01 but I watched his example and guess what, 47:04 now I have many of those same leadership abilities, 47:08 not to the same degree, but he has taught me something. 47:11 My deficiency was there. 47:13 Christ fills my deficiency, okay. 47:16 Another example would be a friend of mine, 47:19 Brad Danowski in the church. 47:21 This guy Brad, he always has a smile on his face. 47:24 He is always approachable. Always friendly. 47:30 I just look at Brad sometimes 47:31 and I go, man, I wish I was that friendly. 47:34 I wish I could smile so easily. 47:36 And guess what, since having known Brad 47:39 I smile more easily, 47:40 I'm a little more approachable. 47:42 I like that, okay. 47:45 This would be the last example I use 47:47 but I have a friend, he went to Arise with me. 47:50 He is from Australia by the name of Rodney McCallum. 47:53 Probably the one most responsible for me being 47:56 on this platform today. 47:59 Rodney is probably the strongest example 48:04 of charm manners and excellence 48:07 that I've ever seen in my life. 48:10 And that's I'm not exaggerating. 48:12 And from the beginning, for the last two years 48:16 I'm so attracted to that 48:18 Christ-like character attribute. 48:23 I'm absolutely attracted to it. 48:25 And I've noticed that since I met Rodney 48:28 some of that has rubbed off on me. Not all of it. 48:31 He has it more than I do but I have some of that now. 48:34 I recognize the deficiency pointed out by his strength 48:37 and as a result I am supported. 48:39 I gained that same strength that he has, okay. 48:43 So these are just a few examples. 48:45 Comparatively speaking I'm only a child, 48:48 okay, in my walk with God. 48:50 But I have these older and much more matured 48:51 brothers and sisters, okay. 48:54 And they lead me by example. 48:56 They lead me by very good example. 48:59 And every single one of them have spoken to my deficiencies 49:03 and I've been supported 49:04 by these friends in my weaknesses. 49:07 Instead of being looked down upon for my weaknesses 49:12 or being having people backbite me or, 49:17 you know, gossip-which-- these are horrible 49:20 and spiritually deadly sins, backbiting, okay, gossip. 49:26 Instead of doing that I'm tenderly and lovingly 49:30 lead by the examples of my stronger Christian family. 49:34 And then as I'm strengthened 49:35 I pass on that strength to my friends, 49:39 my family in the church who are weak albeit, 49:43 you know, maybe they gossip. Well, I lead by example. 49:46 I don't gossip and hopefully they'll catch on to that. 49:50 Get my drift. 49:51 Understand what I'm saying? 49:53 Okay, now I want to say 49:58 I heard a really awesome illustration 50:00 recently by my pastor, 50:04 Pastor Bill at the Taylor Church. 50:06 And he said, he went to visit the Redwood Forest 50:09 and he had seen the giant trees, 50:11 you know, how big they are. I've never been there. 50:13 But from what I understand they are huge, 50:15 as big as a house. 50:17 And he said, he thought those roots must go way, 50:21 way down to support the weight and the height of these trees. 50:24 Then he came to find out, 50:25 he was surprised to find out the roots didn't go very deep. 50:29 They didn't go very deep, 50:30 deep at all but they grew out 50:33 and they grasp the roots of the other redwood trees 50:36 and that's why they stood. See that's amazing. 50:39 They reach together. 50:41 Ellen White said, "She got a message from God." 50:43 So that means it's our message too. 50:45 Press together, press together. 50:48 Church family press together. 50:50 See this is, this is, good news. 50:52 This is wonderful news. 50:54 Man, in comparatively speaking, 50:55 I went to Florida two months ago 50:57 and I had seen long palm trees 51:00 falling over all over the place. 51:02 Blown over by the wind, all by themselves. 51:05 They're just laying there. It's a very good illustration. 51:08 We need to press together. 51:10 Go live up to your name, 51:11 your God give a mission in Christ name. 51:15 God shows deficiencies for a reason. 51:16 I've heard people saying, "Don't look at the people 51:18 you'll be disappointed and you'll leave." 51:20 I agree with what they're saying. 51:21 We need to keep our eyes on Christ. 51:23 But Paul does say, "Follow me as I follow Christ." 51:27 So on the one hand that's true 51:28 but on the other hand we need to look at other people. 51:31 We need to look at their strengths and deficiencies 51:34 and then we need to strengthen each others, 51:37 strengths and deficiencies. 51:38 Be strengthened by their strengths 51:40 and strengthen their deficiencies, okay. 51:44 Now I wanna read this wonderful quote 51:46 from "Steps to Christ." 51:48 One of the most amazing books I've ever read. 51:51 I've read it many, many times, okay. 51:55 She says, "The impenitent sometimes excuse themselves 51:59 by saying of professed Christians, 52:01 I am as good as they are. 52:02 They are no more self-denying, sober, 52:04 or circumspect in their conduct than I am. 52:07 They love pleasure and self-indulgence 52:09 as well as I do. 52:10 Thus they make the faults of others 52:11 an excuse for their own neglect of duty. 52:14 But the sins and defects of others do not excuse anyone, 52:18 for the Lord has not given us an erring human pattern. 52:21 The spotless Son of God has been given as our example, 52:24 and those who complain of the wrong course 52:26 of professed Christians are the ones 52:28 who should show better lives and nobler examples. 52:33 If they have so high a conception 52:35 of what a Christian should be, is their own, 52:37 is not their own sin so much the greater? 52:40 They know what is right, and yet refuse to do it." 52:45 That's great. That's good stuff. 52:47 It's kind of like of what JFK-- 52:48 I think what JFK had said, 52:50 "Ask not what your country can do for you 52:53 but what for you-- 52:54 what you can do for your country." 52:56 That's beautiful notes. 52:58 I'm not gonna look for people to make me feel good. 53:00 I'm gonna go out and make other people feel good. 53:03 Stay in the church. Come into the church. 53:05 Fulfill your destiny. 53:08 We can look back at 9/11 and question, where was God? 53:12 We can blame God but the fact remains 53:15 God stands beyond all accusation. 53:18 I know that most people here know that. 53:20 And in this "Great Controversy," 53:21 only He knows all the variables. 53:24 And we know that He allows bad things to happen, okay. 53:29 In this world He doesn't violate freewill. 53:32 He doesn't remove the repercussions of sin 53:34 but what He does do is He provides grace 53:37 to bear up under it, okay. 53:40 He gives us His Son to lead us by example. 53:43 Jesus doesn't say, "Look at all these monstrous, 53:47 you know, abominations, these human beings. 53:49 I'm going to avoid them and stay away." No. 53:52 He converts to one of us. He becomes one of us. 53:55 He comes down to our level 53:57 and leads us by example as one of us. 54:00 Okay, this is good. That's our pattern. 54:03 That's our example right there. 54:05 His example points out my deficiency 54:07 and then fills it. 54:09 Where was God? 54:10 Well, God's grace was revealed at the cross. 54:13 At 9/11 grace will continued its work in the firemen, 54:17 the policemen, the rescue workers, 54:19 the volunteers, those who donated their money 54:22 and their time to relief suffering, 54:25 those who sacrifice their own lives in rescue 54:28 attempts at ground zero. That's where God was. 54:32 God was at ground zero, okay. 54:34 God is called you by name to be His, 54:39 to fulfill your mission, 54:40 to join the body and benefit others, 54:42 to live up to that name He called you by. 54:45 In the judgment no one will ask God, 54:47 where He was? 54:48 Everyone will know in the judgment. 54:51 We don't wanna stand to that awesome presence 54:53 and hear God say to us, I called you by name, 54:57 where were you? 54:59 That's what we don't wanna hear. 55:01 We don't wanna hear that. 55:02 Now I've an appeal today, strong appeal 55:07 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church 55:09 and to those who are making their decisions 55:11 to join this church. Recommit yourself. 55:16 Recommit yourselves this very moment 55:19 to follow the masters' example. 55:22 Today, right now, stand up and if you're unable 55:28 to stand up in your heart and stand for Christ 55:33 follow His example, take His name in our own name, 55:40 take His name not in vain but in true character, 55:44 the character of Jesus that He may work in us. 55:49 We will not denounce our Christian family. 55:52 We will not gossip and tear one another down, 55:55 devouring one and other, but in His service 56:00 we will lead and be led in this body in Jesus name 56:06 and this is our prayer. Let's pray it right now. 56:13 Dear God, Heavenly Father, we love you so much. 56:18 You teach us these excellent ways, 56:21 the ways of Christ. You lead us by example. 56:24 These ways are so attractive 56:26 and so appealing and so wonderful. 56:29 May we ever live to glorify you in this world. 56:34 Father, please pour your Holy Spirit upon us. 56:38 May we be a force for good. 56:40 May we, may we do all the things 56:43 that make you look good in this world 56:44 and lead people into the church, Lord, 56:47 and may they come into the church, 56:48 may they even counter all those negative stereotypes. 56:52 Father, I pray that the true seekers of God 56:55 will look at the church and go, 56:57 this is something I desire. Father, this is my prayer. 57:03 This is the prayer of the church. 57:06 Lord, this is not just another moment. 57:08 I thank you for these things in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17