Participants: Danny Shelton
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000828
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01:27 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
01:37 Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; 01:48 Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, 01:58 God in three persons, blessed Trinity! 02:09 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, 02:20 Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea, 02:31 Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, 02:41 which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be. 02:53 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, 03:04 Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see, 03:15 Only thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, 03:25 Perfect in power, in love and purity. 04:24 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! 04:36 All thy works shall praise thy name, 04:41 in earth and sky and sea. 04:47 Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! 04:59 God in three persons, blessed Trinity! 05:21 Amen! Thank you choir, beautiful. 05:24 Holy, holy, holy! I'm thankful that we serve 05:28 a holy and righteous and just God, aren't you? 05:32 Once again for all of you viewing 05:35 on 3ABN around the world. 05:37 Thank you for joining us here 05:38 at the Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church, 05:41 the great city of Chicago, Illinois. 05:45 I'm also from Illinois for some of you who don't know, 05:48 but somebody said I talk a little bit different 05:51 than you do around Chicago. 05:52 So I don't know I guess it's because 05:53 I'm several hundred miles south, 05:55 we have a little bit of different accent. 05:57 And, what I always say is I notice some of you 06:00 have accent so in the Chicago area. 06:02 But I was born and raised about 300 06:06 and whatever 20 miles south here 06:07 in a little place called West Frankfort, Illinois. 06:10 And so it's good to be in our home state. 06:12 We travelled around the world 06:13 Last week, Brandy and I were over in Sweden and Denmark. 06:18 And weeks before that we were in many, many states, 06:20 so it's nice to be in our own home state 06:22 here today of Illinois. 06:24 And once again thank you for letting us 06:27 come here to the Shiloh Church. 06:29 I was thinking just a little bit ago. 06:31 Now I'm not a... I will tell you upfront 06:32 since you already here, not likely to leave 06:34 till after the church service. 06:37 I'm not a preacher, nor the son of preacher, 06:40 I'm just a person, a lay person who loves the Lord. 06:43 And I have a testimony to share 06:45 what Jesus has been doing in my life 06:47 over the last many years. 06:48 And so today I just want to share some things with you. 06:51 I made a few notes, I'm not normally a person 06:54 who writes down notes, but a little while ago, 06:56 the Lord was giving me some things this morning, 06:58 whether He changes my course, I don't know. 07:01 But what I was trying to think about 07:03 and what hit me last night and this morning 07:06 is the difference in the early church, 07:09 the Christian church and the church of today. 07:12 Now the early church as you know they came together, 07:16 Acts, we won't go through all of it. 07:17 In Acts, the 2nd Chapter says, 07:19 they all came together in one accord, 07:21 daily they were breaking bread together. 07:24 And I mean people were dividing up their possessions 07:27 and giving and sharing among. 07:29 You know the story right. 07:31 And then I go over to the 4th and 5th Chapter, 07:34 and I see that the disciples were arrested, 07:37 because they were bold, it says. 07:39 Peter and John, they spoke with boldness 07:41 and so the leaders were getting upset. 07:44 So they were arrested and jailed. 07:46 And I saw a movement, where Jesus said, 07:51 "Go ye into all the world", Mathew 28:18-19-20, 07:57 "Go ye into all the world 07:59 preach the Gospel into all the world." 08:00 We see a movement of lay people, 08:03 coming from all different walks of life, 08:06 coming under the annoying of the Holy Spirit, 08:08 and we are seeing blind eye is opened, 08:10 we are seeing the lame to walk again. 08:12 We are seeing many, many tremendous things 08:14 happening under after the day of Pentecost, 08:17 Pentecost under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 08:21 And so now we believe as church members, 08:24 that we are going to see a latter rain, 08:25 an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 08:28 and this is going to be the first rain, 08:31 it's going to be like a little one compared 08:33 to the big one, right. 08:34 I mean there are more profess Christians 08:36 I believe in the world today 08:38 than they were people total back then. 08:42 And so I'm told that including all the Christians, 08:45 there must be something like a billion people 08:47 on this earth they claim to be Christians. 08:49 So I say, well, if the latter rain is going to come 08:53 and this earth is going to be lightened 08:54 with the glory of God. 08:56 Jesus said 200 years ago, 08:58 Go ye into all the world and yet the Gospel 09:01 is still not into the all the world. 09:02 What's the difference in the early church 09:05 and the church of today? 09:07 The early Christians it says, they were arrested. 09:10 They were arrested for going out 09:12 and giving the Gospel with such boldness. 09:14 And it hit me just while ago, 09:16 I sat in the pastor's office and I said, 09:18 Lord, what is the difference 09:19 between that church and us today? 09:21 What could this church? 09:22 What could our church to Christian church 09:24 of today get arrested for? 09:26 The first thing that popped in my mind was loitering right, 09:31 and by with me. That's about the only thing 09:35 most of us would get arrested for, 09:37 it's just sitting around doing nothing right, 09:39 loitering on a street corner somewhere. 09:42 And I said this is no good, I mean Jesus said, 09:45 take the Gospel into all the world. 09:47 These few handful of people began to take it 09:50 to the then known world and great science 09:52 and wonders followed after them. 09:54 And yet today 2000 years later, 09:57 we have technology that, 09:59 well, as we are speaking here today in Shiloh, 10:01 there are people in Russia, India, China, 10:05 just went on China, just a few weeks ago 10:07 reaching much of China, India, Asia, 10:10 countries around the world. 10:11 We get emails and letters from Afghanistan 10:15 as mentioned this morning, 10:16 from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia. 10:19 People are watching this program around the world, 10:24 we are going up to 8 satellites. 10:26 22,300 miles to space down to earth back up, 10:30 back and forth continually around the earth 10:32 all doing it in a split second traveling 10:35 at a speed of 186,200 miles per second. 10:39 And yet it seems like the old saying 10:40 the further we go as Christians, behind we get. 10:44 Something is wrong and something has to happen 10:47 within God's church for Him to come back 10:51 for the second coming to the earth, 10:52 or should back and to see a great and mighty, 10:55 marvelous things happen. 10:56 Revelation 18 says, 10:57 "And the earth will be lightened 10:58 with the glory of God." 11:00 And I'm here today to say to you, 11:02 I believe one of the problems that we have today is that 11:06 we don't take personal responsibility 11:09 for God's great commission of Mathew 28:18-19 and 20. 11:13 As church members, as Christians today 11:15 we depend on our pastors to do it. 11:18 We depend on our church outreach to do it. 11:20 We depend on ministries like 3ABN 11:22 or It Is Written or Breath of Life to do it 11:25 and somehow we think that releases us. 11:28 We can buy somebody a satellite dish 11:30 and think that's all we are supposed to do, 11:31 so they can watch 3ABN, right. 11:34 But see God wants us to get personally involved, 11:37 but it's hard to get personally involved 11:39 if we don't have a personal relationship 11:42 with the Creator of The Universe. 11:44 All right, you are with me so far, okay, all right. 11:47 We are going to take this track 11:49 and we are going with it pretty fast. 11:51 What I call this thing and today 11:53 I didn't know really because I'm not a, 11:55 I don't refer to these sermons. 11:57 I'm just a talker, so today, 12:00 several things come into my mind. 12:02 I didn't know whether to entitle this little talk, 12:05 the devil doesn't fight fair 12:08 or the three L's like H I J K L M N O P, 12:13 I decided let's make it, the thee L's today. 12:16 I'm writing new little book 12:17 it's called the Church Rumor Mill. 12:19 And it talks about how the rumor mill started in heaven. 12:23 You remember he perfect world, 12:25 perfect heaven, but Satan for some reason, 12:28 we will know this when we get to heaven. 12:31 But for some reason he began 12:32 to covet God's position, didn't he? 12:34 And he wanted to be, he says, 12:36 I should be like the Most High God. 12:38 We could read about this in Revelation 12:40 and also back in Isaiah. 12:41 But I should be like the Most High God. 12:44 Well, in order to be the Most High God, 12:47 he has to get some support and he has to build an army. 12:50 So what does he do? He begins to go, talk, talk, 12:54 using his mouth to try to bare false witness against God. 12:58 That's breaking another commandment, isn't it? 13:00 So he covered it and now he began 13:02 to bare false witness, so he could gain supporters, 13:06 so he could overthrow the Creator God of the Universe. 13:08 Now what was he thinking? 13:11 Huh, What was he thinking? 13:13 Wasn't thinking at all was he, he was selfish. 13:16 Now some people say, well, the Ten Commandments 13:19 they only came into effect when God gave them to Moses, 13:23 and the children of Israel, and God gave them 13:25 to Moses on Mount Sinai. 13:26 But I have to tell you the Ten Commandments 13:28 have been here from the beginning of time, 13:30 because the Ten Commandments 13:31 are nothing more than transcript 13:33 of God's own character. 13:35 And the Bible says, in John that God is a God of love, 13:39 that God is love. 13:40 So here we have Satan up here 13:43 and he is breaking the Ten Commandments. 13:45 Well, if there is no sin, if there is no law, 13:47 there is no sin, right? 13:49 If they were no Ten Commandments, 13:50 and he didn't do wrong by coveting, 13:52 by baring false witness, but what happened is, 13:55 as you know and I won't go through the whole story. 13:57 It says in Revelation that Satan, 13:59 that old serpent, the dragon, 14:01 was cast out and a third of the stars of heaven 14:03 went to him to this earth. 14:05 And what happens is Satan began to work 14:07 on this earth to destroy everybody that he could, 14:10 everybody they can? So during... 14:12 what we call the dark ages he began to use 14:16 churches as it will, powers, religious powers 14:19 to kill millions of people. 14:21 Now, I wrote down something that hit me while ago, 14:23 nothing hurts Christianity worse 14:26 than professed Christians not living 14:28 according to the great Gospel commission 14:30 of "Go ye into all the world". Nothing hurts. 14:33 We don't have to worry about what's on the outside. 14:36 Who cares what an atheist thinks, right about God. 14:38 They don't have any right, right. 14:40 I mean, they say or an agnostic. 14:42 Well, I don't believe in God or whatever. 14:44 We don't care what they say, 14:46 because no matter what anybody tells me and says to me. 14:49 I know that God is alive and well because 14:51 he lives in my heart. He is in my mind. 14:53 You can't take Jesus away from me. 14:56 Nobody can influence me on that. 14:58 So we don't have to worry and spend 15:00 all of our time worrying about what the enemy is doing. 15:02 We need to concentrate on God and what he is doing? 15:05 What he has done for us? And what he called us to do? 15:08 So Satan went out and through the church, 15:10 called the Church of Rome at the time began to persecute 15:13 and kill millions and millions of people. 15:15 Now that was his tactics. 15:16 I want to just get rid of all the Christians. 15:18 It's okay to do that back then. 15:19 It was politically correct, right, 15:21 when you are in charge of everything. 15:23 So I can do what I want to. 15:25 So Satan goes out and he says, I will just kill 15:27 all the Christians, but, you know, the story. 15:29 It only spread Christianity as people began to flee, 15:33 you can't put the light out. 15:35 See Jesus is the light of the world, 15:36 so Christianity began to spread. 15:38 So later on after many, many years 15:41 and Satan is not too smart, 15:42 because it takes him a long time 15:43 to figure out some of these things. 15:45 He decided, you know, what I got to quit this, 15:48 this just isn't working. 15:50 All I'm doing is spreading the Gospel. 15:52 What can I do? I mean these early church people, 15:55 they were dividing up their possessions. 15:57 They were sharing with each other. 15:58 They were really coming together 16:00 in one accord and the great 16:03 and mighty and marvelous things was happening. 16:06 But these people today, they don't seem, 16:08 you know, what I think I'll go inside the church now. 16:11 I think I'll go work, I start quit... 16:15 as they say preaching gone to meddling, right. 16:18 He says I think I'll go into the church now 16:20 and I'll start working with people. 16:22 So he likes to come in and deal inside the church 16:26 and so today I believe 16:27 that we are looking at some problems 16:29 and the reason the Gospel is not gone into all the world. 16:33 Satan's tactics are the same, 16:34 but John 10:10 says he is ought to steal, 16:37 kill and to destroy. But we have to remember 16:40 Jesus says I'm come to give you a life 16:42 and give it more abundantly. 16:44 But what Satan did in heaven 16:46 he is now doing today within the church. 16:49 The rumor mill is alive and well, 16:51 I'm sorry to say within the Christian church. 16:53 I know that it's alive and well, 16:55 I've been a victim of it. 16:56 And I've victimized people about it. 16:59 All right, confession is good for the soul, 17:01 yet hard on the reputation, right. 17:03 All right, because I can't stand here 17:05 and point any finger at you all without 17:06 three of them pointing back at me. 17:08 So I've been guilty, 17:11 I've been guilty of doing that myself. 17:13 Oh, what she thinks she is doing up there, 17:15 she can't sing? Oh, did you hear what this person's did? 17:20 No, what they hear. 17:22 And the rumor mill to continues to go. 17:23 See what Satan found out 17:25 he could not physically since God is the spirit, 17:27 he could not physically kill God and take over heaven. 17:31 So he tried to assassinate his character. 17:34 And so many times Satan uses 17:36 Christian people to assassinate each other. 17:40 They are character. No, it's not politically 17:42 correct to kill somebody, 17:44 you know, today and there is laws against it. 17:47 So what we do is as we began to say things 17:50 about people and then act like 17:53 we don't know what happened. 17:55 When it all comes out we don't know 17:56 where that came from? Somebody told me once, 18:00 he said you know how I stop it 18:01 when somebody brings me something, 18:03 they say listen I got to tell you something. 18:06 Did you hear about brother so and so. 18:08 No, I didn't hear about it. 18:10 I want to tell you about it. 18:11 Really. And yeah, can, let me tell you what happened. 18:15 Oh good, that's fine you can tell me? 18:17 But now I can quote, can I? 18:19 Well, that will shut off most people 18:21 they don't want to be quoted, right. 18:23 When people are bringing you something 18:24 and talking about things they shouldn't be, 18:26 they want to be silent, 18:27 they want to be behind the scenes. 18:28 Nobody wants to be quoted on things like that. 18:31 So here we have Satan has learned 18:33 to work within the church. 18:34 A house divided against itself cannot stand, right. 18:38 Satan begins to work on other things 18:40 within the church. There is the thing 18:41 that I call the three L's, one of them is Legalism. 18:46 You probably haven't heard of that before? 18:48 But I want to tell you something 18:49 Legalism is dangerous. 18:50 Legalism crucified Christ. 18:53 Somebody with me, am I telling the truth? 18:56 All right, Legalism crucified Christ. 18:58 Here are the people, the God's chosen people 19:01 preaching the Messiah for hundreds of years, 19:04 waiting for the Messiah to come. 19:06 The Messiah comes in the midst of them. 19:08 They don't have time for Him. 19:09 They don't even recognize Him, 19:11 because they have taken their eyes off of God. 19:13 And they put their eyes on themselves 19:15 and on man and began to put out so many laws, 19:18 man made laws that who could even remember them, 19:21 who could know all of them? 19:22 They didn't even recognize the savior of the world 19:26 and they cried crucify Him, crucify Him. 19:29 Let me explain to you now, 19:30 I'm not a theologian, so you have to forgive me. 19:32 If I'm a little bit CA and both Pastor Murray is here. 19:36 I'm just going to give it thus says Danny, right. 19:38 What it is to Danny this morning? 19:41 Well, let me tell you a little bit 19:42 about Legalism within the Christian church. 19:44 And I'm talking about you Baptist too, 19:46 and you Methodist and Pentecost and all those, 19:49 because I've been to your churches too. 19:51 We are no different, right. We are alike. 19:54 We are sinner saved by grace. 19:56 We all have problems. 19:58 And today what we need before 20:00 the latter rain can be assured in? 20:02 We need to see a revival and reformation 20:05 taken place within our hearts and minds. 20:08 Not so much our church service. 20:09 I'll talk about that just a little bit later on. 20:12 But God wants our hearts, that's really all He wants. 20:14 We need to develop a relationship. 20:16 Now the legalist, I grew up somewhat of a legalist. 20:19 Anybody grow up legalistic Adventist family 20:22 or some other family. 20:24 Oh, now common you are being honest with me. 20:26 I'm the only one here, 20:27 say in this entire auditorium, filled with people. 20:31 Legalism, let me explain to you? 20:33 Legalism has lot of do's and don'ts. 20:36 You don't do this, you don't that. 20:37 You don't do this and you don't do that. 20:39 My parents said, you do it because I told you so. 20:42 And if you don't, you get a whipping, 20:43 my dad use to say. 20:45 He didn't say whipping, he said whipping 20:46 and there is a difference. 20:47 If he hadn't had whipping, 20:49 then you don't what a whipping is? 20:51 It's different than whipping, I guarantee you? 20:55 You remember the whipping, all right. 20:57 So my dad was from Arkansas, 20:59 and he knew how to get say 21:00 and give good whippins for sure. 21:02 So there is a difference, 21:03 but they have said and a lot, I'm thankful to my parents, 21:07 they were great Christians They love the Lord. 21:09 But I grew up, now I like to play ball, 21:11 I didn't care what kind of ball? 21:12 If its basketball, ping-pong, football, 21:15 anything that was a ball, softball, 21:17 baseball that you could have. I liked to play it. 21:18 Now Sabbath's would come along 21:21 and I always wished I was outside 21:23 with my friends playing ball instead of being in church. 21:26 I'm the only one like that, aren't you? 21:28 Okay, yeah, that's amazing. 21:30 I'm talking to you folks there, 21:31 because these folks they don't have 21:33 these problems, all right. 21:35 We all, we found a heaven on earth, right here. 21:38 Everybody has got it all together, all right. 21:41 So I wanted to be out see playing ball 21:44 and having a good time. 21:46 But even when I got out of school 21:48 and ended up getting married away from my folks, 21:52 I still kind of really want to play ball on Sabbath, 21:54 but I didn't because I knew it's wrong, now why? 21:57 I wanted to go to heaven, I wanted to go to heaven, 22:01 so I said well, I want to go to heaven 22:04 more than I want go play ball for instance on Sabbath 22:07 or more than I wanted to do this or that, 22:09 but I didn't do it with a big smile on my face. 22:12 I was willing to sacrifice something I love, 22:16 just so God could see I want to go to heaven. 22:18 Now there is something missing in this, 22:21 what I'm telling you. 22:22 It's called relationship. I didn't really know Jesus. 22:27 I didn't really know Jesus, because I was trying 22:30 to do all the right things, 22:32 as they say for wrong reasons 22:34 trying to do all the right things. 22:36 Though I was doing it because I was taught 22:39 and it wasn't a lack of knowledge. 22:41 I learnt a lot about the Bible growing up. 22:44 My mother was a praying Christian, 22:45 my father they love the Lord, 22:47 we studied the Bible together. 22:49 I knew a lot about the Bible, 22:51 but I did not somehow develop this relationship. 22:54 So now I never went out, lot of you got testimonies. 22:57 I never went out and drink and smoke 22:59 and did all the things and drugs and parties, 23:02 because I want to go to heaven, I want to be saved. 23:06 But that's not what God is wanting? 23:08 It's not my actions, 23:09 I can't work myself into heaven, can I? 23:12 So what I need is a relationship, 23:14 so what happens, many people who were raised 23:16 like I was back in the 50's and 60's. 23:19 Some of you don't even have any idea, 23:21 that's a long ways back to you, right. 23:23 But you raised like I was, 23:25 what I noticed happening in the America in the 60's, 23:28 I was in the high school in the 60's. 23:30 In the 60's in America, we got the hippy movement, 23:33 anybody remember the hippies, all right. 23:36 We had the hippy movement 23:38 and all of a sudden it was a free everything, right. 23:40 And the saying was if you feels good, do it. 23:44 Well, somehow that began to creep into the church. 23:47 Hello, somehow it began to creep into the church, 23:50 because people began to say, well, you know what, 23:53 I don't like all these do's and don'ts. 23:55 I was raised in that, I don't like these do's and don'ts, 23:58 that's Legalism. I hate do's and don'ts, 24:01 I want to get that out of my life. 24:03 So all of a sudden is born the same movement 24:06 if you feels good do it kind of within the church 24:09 to rebel against to me a liberalist, 24:12 is when you rebel against Legalism. 24:14 You didn't like the Legalism, 24:15 so know you want to go the other side. 24:18 See Legalism falls off the boat here, 24:20 Liberalism falls off the boat on this side and by with me. 24:24 So now we start saying, well, you know 24:27 that's not really that important. 24:28 I mean, we don't have to do it this way. 24:31 And you know we have done things 24:32 so long that way, I think it's okay. 24:35 What difference does it make if we do this 24:38 or if we do that? 24:40 And the liberalist, he doesn't mind 24:43 making your church service, your worship service 24:46 look and dress it up like a Hollywood movie set, right. 24:49 I was at a church one time in the south, 24:52 and I was talking there with a conference president 24:55 and one of the people there said, 24:56 you know, I'm really upset because 24:59 our church's celebration churching 25:01 and our church doesn't. 25:03 So this conference president, 25:04 he said, I don't think that's a celebration church. 25:06 I thought it was a very conservative 25:09 right down the line Adventist Church. 25:11 And the lady said well, she is a little old lady, 25:15 she must have been 90 years old about this tall, 25:17 she goes, well pastor, I don't what you call up 25:20 when superman jumps out the baptismal tank 25:23 during church service, 25:24 but that's not what I'm used to, you see. 25:26 But on the liberal side of things, 25:29 we think its okay to start backing away, 25:31 because we don't want our kids raised like we were. 25:34 Now, the liberals wants to go to heaven, right. 25:37 I want to go, he wants to go to heaven, 25:39 but he just don't see the importance, 25:41 because he was turned off by all the do's and don'ts. 25:44 Now you see why I'm calling this, 25:45 does say Danny pastor because this may not fly 25:48 with some of your theology. 25:49 But for me this is what I see and I meet a lot of people. 25:53 So here you got people on one side 25:55 of the boat falling out, because Legalism is not right. 25:57 God wants a relationship and he wants us to serve him, 26:00 because we love Him, and because He first loved us. 26:04 Then on the liberal side of things, 26:06 people still want to go to heaven, 26:08 but we are tired of the old do's and don'ts, 26:10 so now, everything is okay to creep in. 26:14 Well, you know, we don't wear jewelry, 26:16 but now, well, we can just wear a little bit of this. 26:18 Well, if you wear that, maybe a little this 26:20 or hurt or little of that don't hurt 26:22 and the dress doesn't really make any difference. 26:24 God's just looking at your heart. 26:26 We don't care how people dress? 26:27 And you know what I don't think 26:30 it hurts to go to the movies. 26:31 I don't think it hurts to rent videos and CD's 26:34 and some of them maybe though they are rated 26:36 PG or R or whatever. I'm starting to step, 26:39 I'm getting on your nerves now or not. 26:42 All right, I'm getting on your nerves. 26:44 Somebody said only one man said go ahead, come here. 26:49 All right. All right. That's all I needed right there. 26:53 I just needed that one man to say all right. 26:56 All right, he says I can keep going, 26:59 so we have that problem within the church. 27:02 All right, we are not all together, 27:04 somebody is over and somebody is on the left side 27:07 and somebody is on the right side of the church, 27:09 somebody is in the middle, who is in the middle? 27:11 Well we got Legalism as one L, Liberalism as the other L, 27:15 and the third L that's really hurting this, 27:18 I believe keeping the Gospel from going 27:21 into all the world is Lazyism, all right. 27:25 Legalism, Liberalism and Lazyism, all right. 27:31 The lazy guy, he wants to go to heaven too, right. 27:34 He wants to go to heaven too, 27:36 but all he wants to do is he wants to show up 27:38 at the board meetings or business meetings. 27:40 And when they say we need an evangelistic series. 27:42 He is like we don't have the money for that? 27:45 We don't need to do that? 27:46 We need to have a good bank account 27:48 and we need some security here in the church. 27:50 Well, we need to go out and pass out. 27:52 Oh! Well, you know, I don't think we need to do. 27:55 People around here know what we believe 27:57 and I don't believe. 27:58 The Lazyism gets bed sores basically, right, 28:02 because he is willing to just lay around and do nothing. 28:05 But the sad part is I want you turn with me. 28:08 We will go through this very quickly Revelation. 28:12 Revelation, the 3rd Chapter. 28:14 Some of you know where I'm going to go to, 28:16 Revelation 3:14. And it says, 28:20 "And unto the angel of the church 28:21 of the Laodiceans write, 28:23 These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, 28:27 the beginning of the creation of God, 28:29 I know thy works, that thou art neither, 28:32 what? cold nor hot, I would thou wert cold or hot. 28:38 So then because thou art lukewarm, 28:41 and neither cold help me, nor hot, I will do what? 28:45 I will spew you out of my mouth. 28:47 Now this is God almighty speaking 28:49 and in my Bible its read this is Jesus speaking 28:52 that He says that He is going to do what this? 28:55 If we are Laodicean, which I call the lazy Christians, 28:59 that's all right to do, that fit into theology, 29:01 okay pastor. All right, 29:02 the famous Murray says yes, 29:04 the other one is thinking about it. Okay, all right. 29:08 The other Murray is thinking about it. 29:10 He is kind of given a nod. 29:12 Okay, so what happens is the lazy Christian, 29:15 that's really what we are? 29:17 It's not a matter of not having 29:18 technology to go to the world. 29:20 It's not a matter... we have got the Internet, 29:23 we can get the Gospel of the world. 29:24 We've got printed page, we've got radio, 29:26 we've got Television, we've got shortwave. 29:29 I mean we can get the Gospel into all the world. 29:33 But the lazy guy says, well, you know, 29:36 I would really like to get out and do something for God, 29:39 I liked to witness but I don't have the gift of gab, 29:42 like CA Murray does. I don't have the gift of singing, 29:46 like John Lomacang does. I just can't talk? 29:49 And I always think to myself, 29:51 really I have seen some of those folks. 29:53 When they go to town and if they go to restaurant 29:56 and somebody doesn't cook the food 29:58 just the way they want they know how to talk pretty well 30:00 and say look this is what I want? 30:02 Somebody goes to buy a car, and this same person 30:05 that says I'm just too quite. 30:07 He sure knows how to negotiate, 30:08 when it comes to getting 30:09 a good deal on a car, doesn't he? 30:11 See, people do what they want to do? 30:13 I must say that again, 30:15 that's a statement that I grew up 30:16 hearing around my house. 30:17 My dad said, used to tell my mom 30:19 all the time when I was kid, 30:21 people do what they want to do. 30:23 I didn't understand all of it at that time, 30:25 but for instance one time I heard my mother, 30:27 she was on the telephone. 30:28 Somebody had died that we knew was in acquaintance 30:31 not a real close family member or a friend 30:34 but an acquaintance. 30:35 That we knew and she was telling this 30:36 other woman on the phone, you know, 30:38 I really wanted to go to that funeral, 30:40 but I just couldn't, you know, I really want to go. 30:42 She hung up the phone and my dad said honey 30:45 why did you tell her you want to go to the funeral, 30:47 but you couldn't. Well, I didn't want to go, 30:50 he said no you didn't want to go. 30:52 We got a car with some gas in it. 30:53 I was here with the kids, 30:55 I mean if you really wanted to go, 30:57 you would have gone. 30:58 People do what they want to do, right. 31:00 We make excuses, there is a song says, 31:03 Excuses, excuses, I hear them every day. 31:07 The devil he will supply them 31:08 when from church you will stay away. 31:10 Right, there is a song is entitled "Excuses." 31:14 It says you come you say all this. 31:16 You know, the reason I don't 31:17 sit through Sabbath school and churches, 31:19 the pews are too hard. 31:21 But the song says you go to that ball game 31:23 and sit on those old bleachers for hours 31:25 and you don't complain. 31:27 Well, you know, I just don't get excited in church. 31:31 I just think it's wrong too, you know, I like quietness, 31:34 I don't get excited about, 31:35 you know, and show my emotions. 31:36 No! Go to that ball game again, right. 31:39 Let's see how excited you are 31:41 when it comes to something like that? 31:42 Somebody give you a check for million dollar, 31:44 you won't get excited? 31:46 All right, how about the salvation? 31:49 Getting salvation from Jesus 31:50 isn't that worth a lot more than a million dollars? 31:53 People do what they want to do. 31:55 And so therefore the Laodicean, 31:57 the lazy Christian, he just is like, 32:00 you know, everything is okay. 32:03 Don't worry about it, 32:04 I don't think we really have to go do all of this? 32:07 If I understand the Bible right you and me 32:11 when we take on the name Jesus Christ, 32:13 as Christian, we represent Jesus Christ 32:16 and when Jesus says, "Go ye into all the world." 32:19 He commanded it. He didn't ask it. 32:21 He wasn't asking our opinion about it? 32:23 He gave us an order. He said, "Go ye into all the world." 32:26 Now he says, well, some of these people 32:28 just in case they doubt that I said to them 32:32 to go into all the world. 32:34 You look at Mathew 28:18 before you get to 19 and 20 32:39 and Jesus says all power is given me, 32:43 all power is given me, 32:45 go ye there therefore into all the world. 32:47 So what He just said is 32:49 now any time you sinned, man I don't know how to do? 32:51 We can't do that? What are you talking about? 32:53 If you are a Christian, 32:55 Jesus is saying if you are Christian, 32:57 you submit and commit your lives to me. 32:59 And you want to go and do what I have told you to do? 33:02 I have counted my resources in advance 33:04 and found that I'm not wanting. 33:05 And is what one of my board members 33:07 doctor Thomson always says. 33:09 When Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world", 33:11 He counted His resources and surely found in advance 33:14 that he is not wanting right? 33:16 So He says, "Go ye into all the world 33:18 all power is given me." 33:20 So there is nothing that can stop you from getting 33:23 the Gospel into all the world, except for yourself. 33:26 Folks we are our own greatest enemy. 33:28 You heard that before, that's nothing new, right. 33:32 Maybe a little different way you are hearing it, 33:34 but it's nothing new, we are our own greatest enemy. 33:38 Jesus says here in Revelation, 33:42 He says because thou sayest that I'm rich, 33:45 and increased with goods and have need of nothing, 33:48 and known its not, that thou are what? 33:50 Wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, 33:57 He says I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, 34:01 that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, 34:04 that thou mayest be clothed, 34:06 and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, 34:09 and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, 34:12 that thou mayest see. 34:13 And as many as I love I do what, 34:16 I review can I chase them be zealous therefore and do what? 34:20 Repent. Folks if we want to see Jesus coming back, 34:24 there is going to be an awful lot of repenting going on, 34:26 I want to tell you. 34:28 We got to quit looking at everybody around us. 34:31 We got to start looking to Jesus to the Cross of Calvary. 34:34 We need to start developing a relationship 34:37 that's built on Him, 34:38 that nothing else can discourage us. 34:40 You see, I'm like everybody else, 34:42 I don't like when people about me, but they do it. 34:45 And especially if they say things that aren't true. 34:48 And then some things are true, 34:50 maybe you didn't want somebody to know, right. 34:53 So it's no fun, but that shouldn't stop me 34:56 from being a Christian and going into all the world 34:58 and it shouldn't stop you, right. 35:00 You see we don't need to focus 35:01 so much on what the enemy is doing? 35:03 We need to focus on what Jesus says? 35:06 Jesus says that when we come to Him, 35:08 we submit ourselves to Him, we confess our sins, 35:11 He is faithful and just to forgive us from our sins, 35:14 and He will cleans us from all unrighteousness. 35:17 And when He does that, 35:19 God equips you where God guides He provides. 35:22 If He calls you to do something, 35:25 He will equip you to do it. 35:26 If people would have done what Jesus has said to do, 35:30 "Go ye into all the world." 35:32 There wouldn't be a need for us, 35:33 Television and radio, right. 35:35 Because, we could do it word of mouth. 35:38 We could do it word of mouth, but yet we don't. 35:41 So God says I'm going to give you every available tool. 35:44 In fact, He says greater things 35:45 shall you do then I have done. Well that's amazing. 35:49 What greater things can we do than Jesus? 35:51 Well, when He was on earth, 35:52 He spoke to a crowd who just heard him? 35:54 We are speaking to an audience around the world. 35:57 When He went from place to place, 35:58 He walked or took a little boat, right. 36:00 With us we can fly half way around the world 36:03 in a just a matter of hours. 36:05 God is saying I'm going to open up 36:07 all the tools of the universe to assist you 36:10 in getting the Gospel to the world. 36:12 But what happens, folks, 36:13 as you and me have gotten uncomfortable. 36:15 Yeah. I heard almost certain amen, 36:18 I heard a couple umm... you and me have got uncomfortable. 36:21 Come on now don't be afraid to admit it. 36:25 Because the problem is, some people are saying, 36:28 well, I'm not that way, I don't fit that description, 36:31 of course, it says here, that we are poor, 36:33 naked and blind and miserable and wretched, 36:35 but we don't even know it? 36:37 It says I have need of nothing 36:39 and if you look at a Christian church today, 36:41 that's basically the case. 36:43 We have beautiful churches, we have beautiful, 36:46 I mean, whatever we need, we've got what we need? 36:50 But sometimes we are so busy in our religion 36:53 that we forget about our relationship. 36:56 Am I right? You see here's what happens 36:59 and I have told this before, 37:00 so bare with me on the audience. 37:01 But people say, I'll talk to people. 37:04 How long you been a Christian? 37:06 Oh, I have been an Adventist. 37:07 I'm a fourth generation Adventist. 37:09 I say, yeah, but, how long you been a Christian? 37:11 Well, I have been a, you know, 37:13 my grandmother, my great... I've had people say 37:17 I go back to Ellen White. 37:19 You know, well, that's good, that's great. 37:21 How long have you been a Christian? 37:23 And I have people tell me, oh, I'm very religious. 37:27 They will say, oh, my husband, 37:28 he is the most religious man I know. 37:30 I say really have you ever seen 37:32 a Wino how religiously he drinks? 37:37 Have you seen a drug addict how religiously he does drugs? 37:41 People, who smoke, smoke religiously, right. 37:46 You see there is nothing about being religion, 37:48 that's of any spiritual value at all that I can think of. 37:52 What God is wanting from his people is a relationship. 37:56 He wants us to submit and commit lives, 37:59 but He says here as many as I love, 38:02 I rebuke and I chasten. 38:04 God says, He chastises those 38:06 whom He loves, be zealous therefore, and repent. 38:10 You know, we need to as a Church 38:12 and I'm praying for this, 38:13 I'm thankful for Ivor Myers 38:15 and some of the others who started this, 38:17 they were on 3ABN recently. 38:19 A prayer for ushering in the latter rain, 38:21 don't you think, it's time folks? 38:23 Amen. Don't you think, it's past time? 38:25 I mean, honestly its past time 38:27 that God's people reflect His character within our lives. 38:32 The Lord is coming back for a purified church, 38:35 a purified bride, and therefore, 38:37 that means folks that though we look good, 38:40 we dress good, we drive nice vehicles, 38:43 we live in nice homes, we have beautiful churches, 38:46 it doesn't mean that we are doing 38:48 what God called us to do? 38:49 Yes, there is 3ABN Television, there is Hope Channel, 38:52 there is Adventist Radio, there is all of these things 38:55 and it's great and I'm glad, 38:56 that you support all of these. 38:58 But what are you and me doing personally? 39:00 When it comes to the bottom-line, 39:02 God is going to ask us what have we done 39:05 to get the Gospel to the world? 39:07 Everyone one of us, you all sound great, 39:10 but it's not enough just to be up here 39:11 and sing in a choir, right. 39:13 The fields are wide in the harvest, 39:16 but the reapers where are they? 39:18 The Lord is calling each and every one of us, 39:20 but we don't even know what at this point. 39:23 So, you know what I am praying, 39:25 Lord, lot of us look this and say, boy, 39:27 there are people like this in the world. 39:30 We don't even know it's us, 39:32 so I'm saying Lord, if you said, Laodicean people 39:36 are wealthy and have need of nothing, 39:39 they are poor and naked and miserable and blind, 39:43 I'm gonna take your word for it. 39:44 Though I don't think on that way, 39:46 I'm gonna except by faith that I am. 39:49 Now I am going to ask you to come in my life 39:51 and bring me Eyesave to put on me, right. 39:54 On my eyes, so that I can see for myself, 39:58 what I really am. 39:59 You see, if we could see ourselves as we are, 40:02 we wouldn't be very happy, would we? 40:04 We would not to stand up 40:05 in front of people or do anything, 40:07 if we could see how wretched and miserable 40:09 and poor and blind we are? 40:10 But I'm encouraging people don't go by how you feel, 40:14 or how you think, or how you feel what... 40:18 This says Laodicea which includes us, 40:21 I believe that's right with the end church, 40:24 Laodicean Church, the pastors are confirming this. 40:26 If so, there is a problem, we have a huge problem 40:30 and we don't even know it. 40:31 So how do we correct it, 40:32 I'm asking people around the world to go 40:34 by faith and say God, I don't even see how poor, 40:38 naked, blind and miserable, 40:40 I don't even know how bad I am, 40:42 I am asking you to forgive me from those sins, 40:45 to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 40:47 I'm asking for Eyesave on my eyes, 40:49 that I can see now sin for what it really is. 40:53 You see, if we saw sin for what it really is, 40:57 we wouldn't want it. we wouldn't be tempted by it. 41:00 Amen. The reason we are tempted 41:02 by sin is we are in delusion. 41:05 Because sin looks good. Amen. 41:07 Somebody say Amen. Amen. 41:09 Sin looks good, all right, that ought to come 41:11 and sense ought to tell us sin. 41:13 We fit right into this description, 41:15 because here we are sinning, 41:17 and yeah, we think we are okay and we can say, 41:20 yeah, sin looks good. 41:22 No, sin doesn't look good when you put it up 41:25 against God and His character and His nature. 41:28 I said something one time, sometime ago, 41:31 that people in the church what we to tend to do is, 41:34 is do what I was talking about earlier, 41:36 we look over here and we say, 41:37 well, I would really like to be out in the world 41:39 and I would really to do those things, 41:41 but I do want to go to heaven, 41:42 so I'm gonna quit all those things. 41:45 But you over here wishing, you were over there. 41:50 Wishing you were over there, 41:51 because that really looks more appealing, 41:53 but, well, Lord I hope you see, 41:55 I went to prayer meeting tonight 41:56 and stayed out there where I really would look to be. 41:59 Now we don't say it that outward way, 42:01 but we always got this yearning 42:03 for something over here. 42:05 And so we see sin as a piece of chocolate cake 42:10 that is up there and we can see, but we can't have. 42:15 I need to say that again, somebody didn't get that. 42:19 We too often view sin as a piece of chocolate cake 42:23 that we can see but we can't have. Amen. 42:27 I mean, most people here, anybody like chocolate cake? 42:30 All right, now you raised your hands, okay, 42:33 that's all right, that's okay, that's all right, okay. 42:38 So we see sin as a piece of chocolate cake, 42:40 we desire but we can't have. 42:43 But what happens is, now that's not what God 42:47 really wants in our lives. 42:48 Now you have somebody, 42:49 who has been out there in the world, 42:51 they really submit and commit their lives to Jesus, 42:55 and all of a sudden when we look to Jesus 42:57 and get a reflection of who we are, 43:00 we look like an excuses, 43:02 but instead of seeing sin as something beautiful, 43:04 it looks like a pile of dung. 43:08 All right, don't anybody write me 43:09 and tell me I'm talking dirty, okay. 43:11 All right, I'm not, I'm trying to make a point, 43:14 I'm trying to make a point. 43:15 You see sin should not look attractive to us 43:19 and should not beautiful, it should like a dunghill. 43:25 And if it looks like a dunghill, 43:27 you're not gonna to be tempted to eat it, right. 43:30 Somebody say yes, now look at 43:31 all the hands going up, all right, 43:33 sure, you are following me now. 43:35 All right, so that's way it's got to be a now, 43:36 how do we get to that point? 43:39 The way we get to that point is to say Jesus, 43:42 help mine unbelief. Amen. 43:45 We can't just say, okay, all right, 43:48 sin no longer, now is going to be 43:49 a piece of chocolate cake to me, 43:51 it's just going to be a pile of dung. 43:53 No, that's not going to happen that way, 43:56 what's going to happen is, least in my own life is, 43:59 I have to say Lord, help thou mine unbelief. 44:02 I don't want to see that, 44:04 show me sin for what it really is. 44:07 Sin is the transgression or the breaking of your law 44:10 and when I do that, I'm in the hands of Satan. Amen. 44:13 Because Satan is the one who invented sin, all right. 44:18 So when I follow that, I'm not even controlled by you, 44:24 take away my desires for sin in this life, 44:27 only God can do it. Now, if you want God 44:31 to take away your sin in your life. 44:35 Now you are going to have to... I'm gonna say all of us, 44:36 we need to make some changes. 44:38 One of the things that we've done in our house, 44:40 some of you aren't going to like it, 44:42 we've done it this past year, 44:43 it's the best thing that I ever did in my house, 44:45 I got rid all of Television. Amen. 44:50 Got a rid of all Television for a year, you know, why? 44:53 Because I said, Television don't control me, 44:56 I control it. Amen. 44:59 And I don't watch ugly stuff on there, 45:02 but you get gun smoke on there 45:04 and I'd like that pretty well, I had to admit. 45:06 I mean, you know, the cowboys and I like horses, 45:09 I got a few horses and I always say, 45:11 I just like the horses. 45:12 You know, bang, bang, bang, 45:14 we are shooting and we are killing. 45:17 So I get rid of it, because sometimes, 45:20 something like that comes on and you want to watch it. 45:23 And so what I'm learning about is this, 45:26 now the...I have not seen Television, 45:30 basically for a year. 45:31 Now I watch 3ABN, I get the 3ABN channel, right. 45:35 Okay, but I haven't seen Television 45:37 in my home for a year, regular Television. 45:40 Now, if I go anywhere and even a commercial comes on, 45:44 I'm...sometimes almost blushing 45:46 and I'm embarrassed, there are some of the things 45:48 that I see on commercials. Amen. 45:51 I mean, I saw once some lady was stepping on a guy 45:53 and she had hardly no clothes 45:55 and I'm like this is on ABC or something, 45:58 you know, it wasn't on some movie channel, 46:00 and a year or two ago, that might have not affected me. 46:04 But right now I'm almost was embarrassed 46:06 and I'm like that's awful. 46:08 And now anytime, I go somewhere 46:10 and I see stuff on Television, 46:12 my mind is how can people watch that? 46:17 I didn't know till I got away from it, 46:18 what I'm telling you, 46:20 I can just tell you about my own life, 46:22 right now, you have to decide about your own. 46:24 Now I'm not the one who did it, 46:26 I didn't just say, okay, I'm poor, 46:28 naked, miserable and blind. 46:30 But my wife Brandy, who said when we were married. 46:34 you know, I really think, we should get rid of Television, 46:36 we don't need Television in our...I said, 46:38 but I love the news, she said why? 46:42 It's awful, right. Somebody said this morning, 46:46 news is awful and I said why I want to keep up. 46:48 She said, oh, you'll hear from people, 46:49 they will tell you. Amen. 46:52 You won't miss out anything, 46:53 if there is something big going on, 46:55 you will hear about it. 46:57 And so I almost thought it, 46:58 because I'm like wait a minute, 47:00 that's a little bit ridiculous, on Television. 47:02 I mean, we can control it, but I said, all right, 47:05 let's try it, and you know what? 47:07 Now I've learned from that, how much difference 47:10 it makes in my own life when I'm see stuff 47:13 go somewhere else and I am thinking that's terrible, 47:16 I watched that before, I wouldn't have 47:18 thought anything about it. 47:19 Now it looks like the pile of dung 47:21 rather than the chocolate of cake. 47:25 Did I loose anybody, anybody with me still yet? 47:27 Now I'm not gonna to tell you all to go home 47:30 and get rid of your Television, 47:32 I'm not going to tell you to do that. 47:33 But I'm going to tell you, 47:35 if you are serious about the latter rain, 47:38 if you are serious about being a part of giving 47:41 an end time's message to an end time world. 47:43 Do you realize do we realize folks, 47:46 as Seventh Day Adventist Christians, 47:48 the message of the three angels 47:49 that we have to get into the world? 47:51 It is present truth. Amen. 47:55 This is the message, yes, I'm glad, 47:57 God has people in all churches. 47:59 I'm glad, there are many Christians out there. 48:01 But Jesus is coming back 48:03 for a purified bride or a purified church. 48:06 He is coming back for a people, 48:08 who keep the commandments of God? 48:09 And have the faith of Jesus, 48:11 and He has entrusted this solid message, 48:14 the first, second and third angels' messages 48:16 to Seventh Day Adventist Christians, 48:18 to herald it to the world. 48:20 But if we look like the world 48:22 and if we act like the world, 48:24 if we don't see have any more spiritual eyes 48:27 than those around us, 48:29 all we are doing is misrepresenting God 48:31 and His character and people won't want any part of it. 48:35 You see what I found out about probably 48:37 ten or twelve years ago, I was amazed, 48:39 you ever wakeup sometimes 48:41 and just as thought pops in your mind, 48:42 it's like the wildest thing you've ever thought about. 48:45 Now why would I wake up in the morning 48:47 and think of something like that? 48:49 Am I the only one ever done that I figured so, 48:51 okay, all right. 48:52 This audience, I'm the only one that ever did that. 48:55 Okay, one morning, I woke up nothing on my mind, 48:59 I woke up and I quickly grabbed a pencil and paper 49:03 and I wrote this down. 49:05 The Antichrist is nothing more than the spirit of Satan 49:10 garbed in the cloak of Christianity, is that deep? 49:15 Amen. I'm going to say that again, 49:17 The Antichrist is nothing more than the spirit of Satan 49:22 garbed in the cloak of Christianity. 49:26 And I began to think about that and look back 49:28 and I said all through history that's the way it's been. 49:33 War over between religions have killed, 49:37 I've been told more people than any other kind of war, 49:40 religious wars, look at the crusades, 49:42 and all through history. 49:44 Religious crusades have been responsible 49:47 for millions and millions and millions 49:50 of deaths, am I right? Amen. 49:53 So folks, I've only got a few minutes here 49:56 and I want to close this out. 49:59 What is going to happen here 50:00 in order for the latter rain to go 50:03 into all the world that has to start with you and me. 50:07 Don't be in a position where you hear about it, 50:10 if you hear about it something's wrong, all right. 50:14 We don't want to have to hear about it, 50:15 we want to be a part of it. Amen. 50:18 And that means relooking at our values, 50:21 relooking at what we do. 50:23 Though we may look like Christians, 50:25 though we may have all the knowledge. 50:29 If we don't have the love of Jesus in our heart 50:31 and burden for souls, 50:33 we are like the tinkling cymbals and brass 50:36 we are really doing no good 50:37 because we don't really love our fellowman. 50:40 And if we don't love our fellowman, 50:42 we are not going to end up in the kingdom 50:44 with Jesus forever. 50:49 Verse 20 says, Behold I stand, of Revelation 3, 50:55 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, 50:58 if any man hear my voice, and open the door, 51:02 I will come in to him, and will sup with him, 51:06 and he with me. Jesus is talking here folks, 51:10 To him that over cometh will I grant 51:13 to sit with Me on My throne. 51:16 Even as I also overcame 51:18 and I'm sat down with my Father on this throne. 51:22 He that hath an ear let him hear 51:24 what the spirit saith unto the churches. 51:28 Folks this is some heavy, heavy stuff right here. 51:32 What we need to do? 51:33 We have the knowledge to understand where Laodicean. 51:36 But we don't have the spiritual eyesight 51:39 to understand our own personal condition, 51:42 because we are too much like the world around us. 51:45 You see we are to be in the world, 51:47 but not we are of the world, but not in the world right. 51:50 We are not to be like the world, 51:51 we are to be like Jesus, and to be like Jesus, 51:54 we are going to be different. 51:56 If you are like Jesus, the Bible says, 51:58 and this has been tough for me. 52:00 Oh, who lived Godly shall suffer percussion, 52:03 now how many enjoy that? 52:04 All right, now good, not very many hands went up. 52:08 Okay, how many love... I don't love that, 52:11 but the Bible says, we need it, 52:13 we need it to be tried as gold in the fire, 52:16 so when the heavy things come your way, 52:18 we can say thank you, Jesus praise God. 52:22 Let them do and say what they want to say, 52:25 but I'm just going to keep serving you, right. 52:28 I'm just going to keep serving you, 52:29 I won't be detained to the left or to the right. 52:33 Another little illustration I have used for years, 52:36 how we understand that people say, 52:37 but how do you do it? 52:38 I have people write me, everywhere I go to Churches, 52:40 people ask me questions, 52:42 and how do you keep going all the time? 52:45 I mean, they'll say to me, 52:47 you don't understand my situation, 52:49 my husband died not too long ago, my child is sick. 52:53 One person said, I lost my husband 52:55 and a child in the same year, 52:58 I'm having financial problems, 52:59 I'm having every kind of problem in the world, 53:02 there is no reason for me to keep going, 53:04 and where is God when I need him? 53:07 He is not helping me, I've dedicated my life to God 53:10 and I've worked for God, but right now, 53:12 where is He when I need Him? 53:15 Now, how do you answer that? 53:17 And I have told people, you know what? 53:19 Here is the way, I look at it, 53:21 I looked at it a years ago 53:22 Lord gave me this illustration, 53:24 I think He did, it's help me at least. 53:26 People always say, people go to the store 53:29 and they buy a novel for instance. 53:31 Well, they buy the book 53:33 and what they do is they turn to the back cover 53:36 and read it little bit. 53:38 And the back cover of this book says, 53:40 John and Mary rode off into the sunset, 53:42 happily ever after. 53:44 Two hundred page book, now they say that sounds good, 53:48 I like it good positive story, right. 53:50 Nobody got killed or named or hurt real bad, 53:53 so that's sounds like a good story, 53:55 I'm going to read that story about John and Mary 53:57 riding off into the sunset, happily ever after. 54:00 So what happen is one hundred pages into the book, 54:04 John and Mary fall off not only their horses, 54:08 but fall off a cliff, they are hanging on a limb, 54:11 and the limb is cracking and below them 54:13 is two thousand feet to the bottom. 54:16 Now how many of these folks go, 54:19 oh, I'm going to stop this, 54:21 because they are going to die. 54:24 Hello, how many folk who read the back of the book, 54:28 believe John and Mary is going to die? 54:29 Now, instead of getting discouraged, 54:33 instead of getting discouraged and quitting 54:35 and wanting to give up. 54:36 They are going to say, man, I remember reading 54:39 the back of the book and it says, 54:40 John and Mary rode off into the sunset, 54:42 happily ever after. 54:44 Now they get excited even, anticipation, 54:48 I can't wait to read the next few pages 54:50 and see how the author 54:52 is going to get them out of this jam. 54:55 Is there anybody me you know where I'm going? 54:56 Amen. All right, we have read 54:59 the back of the book. What book? 55:02 This book what's the back of the book say. 55:05 The back of the book says, 55:06 say it with me and they overcame him Satan 55:09 by the blood of the lamb. 55:11 And, oh, come on we can do better than that. 55:13 And they overcame him, by the blood of the lamb 55:16 and the word of their testimony, right. 55:19 The back of the book says, let's put it in one word, 55:23 two words, we win, we win. 55:27 Now anybody don't understand that one, 55:29 it's not hard to understand, is it? 55:33 The back of the book says, we win, 55:35 so I want to talk to you and those of you at home 55:38 for just a few minutes, we have left? 55:40 It doesn't make any difference 55:42 what are you going through, right now in your life. 55:44 God was never left you, we leave Him from time to time. 55:49 And we can't go by how good we feel or who died? 55:52 Hey, on planet earth, everybody dies, right. Amen. 55:56 How many people are here that was here 150 years ago, 55:58 raise your hand? All right, good, 56:00 nobody is raising their hands, 56:01 it's a good time not to raise your hand. 56:03 See, everybody, the Bible says, 56:05 it is appointed once a time for every man to die. 56:08 Once a time... Then it says, 56:10 Precious in the sight of the Lord 56:12 or the death of His saints. 56:13 So then we have people saying, 56:15 no, the Lord took my husband, the Lord took my wife. 56:18 Well, it's all right to mourn, 56:20 it's all right to be lonely, and it's all right, 56:23 but we don't blame God, 56:24 because God's not in the business 56:26 of killing your husband. Amen. 56:28 Satan is in the business to steal, kill and to destroy. 56:31 God is here, Jesus came to give us life 56:34 and give it more abundantly. Amen. 56:35 So what we need to be doing as looking at 56:38 the back of the book. 56:39 And I know what it's like to lose loved ones 56:41 and to lose friends, and I know what it is like 56:43 to go through things just like you all do. 56:46 But I'm learning every day, it's not how I feel? 56:49 The Bible says, the rain falls 56:51 on the just as well as the unjust. 56:53 God is not going to say, okay, so you are Christian, 56:55 so nothing bad is going happen to you. 56:58 No, what happens is every day 57:00 that I'm in this old sin sick sinful world, 57:04 I understand how bad I need a savior. Amen. 57:07 And when I understand to how bad I need a savior? 57:10 It helps me concentrate on the spiritual 57:12 rather than the physical. 57:14 It helps me go to word of the God and say God, 57:16 show me sin not as a piece of desirous chocolate cake 57:20 that I want, but show it as that pile of dung, 57:23 because I won't want it and I'll hate it 57:25 and I want to be separated from it. 57:27 Only Jesus can help us overcome sin 57:30 in our life today. Amen. 57:31 Now does that mean anybody here is perfect, 57:34 I'm sure not, that's for sure. 57:36 You are not either, none of us are perfect, 57:39 but it does mean that we can become more like Jesus, 57:42 every day through a process of sanctification. |
Revised 2014-12-17