Participants: Pr. John Dinzey
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000905
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01:01 Hello, friends, and welcome
01:03 to the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:05 and another meeting of "Where Are All His Miracles?" 01:08 My name is John Lomacang 01:10 and I would like you to join us now 01:11 on our theme song 01:13 that the words will appear on the screen. 01:15 The theme song for our entire series 01:18 "It Took A Miracle." 01:19 Here are the words and join us. 01:21 Let's all stand together as we sing our theme song. 01:25 My Father is omnipotent 01:29 And that you can't deny 01:33 A God of might and miracles 01:38 'Tis written in the sky 01:44 It took a miracle 01:49 To put the stars in place 01:54 It took a miracle 01:58 To hang the world in space 02:03 But when He saved my soul 02:09 Cleansed and made me whole 02:15 It took a miracle 02:19 Of love and grace! 02:25 Though here His glory has been shown 02:30 We still can't fully see 02:34 The wonders of His might 02:38 His throne 'twill take eternity 02:45 It took a miracle 02:50 To put the stars in place 02:55 It took a miracle 03:00 To hang the world in space 03:05 But when He saved my soul 03:10 Cleansed and made me whole 03:16 It took a miracle 03:20 Of love and grace! 03:28 The Bible tells us of His power 03:32 And wisdom all way through 03:37 And every little bird and flower 03:42 Are testimonies too 03:48 It took a miracle 03:53 To put the stars in place 03:58 It took a miracle 04:03 To hang the world in space 04:08 But when He saved my soul 04:14 Cleansed and made me whole 04:20 It took a miracle 04:25 Of love 04:27 And grace! 04:32 Can we say, amen? 04:33 Amen. You may be seated. 04:36 Once again, I like to welcome you 04:38 to these meetings. 04:39 You know, we talk about miracles as though 04:41 there are events that happen outside of our lives. 04:44 You will discover throughout our series 04:46 that we believe the greatest miracle 04:48 is what happens in our lives, 04:51 the transforming grace of Jesus Christ 04:53 and tonight we want to pray for that. 04:55 And so we invite you to bow your heads with us 04:57 as we beseech the Lord to once again continue 05:01 transforming our lives 05:02 through the miracle of His love and grace. 05:04 Let's bow. 05:05 Our gracious Father in heaven, what a blessing it is 05:08 to know that though we began as a pile of clay, 05:12 we are now sons and daughters of God. 05:14 One day to walk on streets of gold, 05:18 one day to tell redemptions story 05:21 throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 05:25 Tonight heavenly Father, we ask for your grace 05:27 to imbue us once again to open our minds 05:30 to heavenly themes 05:32 as the enemy seeks to distract. 05:34 We pray that Your holy angels will waft away any influence 05:38 that will cause our minds to wander. 05:40 But may You also bathe Your man servant tonight 05:44 with a knowledge of what You will have him say. 05:47 May You fill him with Your Holy Spirit to give power 05:51 to the words of life. 05:52 And may those listening and watching 05:54 and hearing Your voice, 05:56 come away with a stronger walk and a stronger dedication 05:59 to know You and to serve You. 06:01 And for these things we thank You, 06:03 that we will experience 06:05 that great miracle of Your heavenly touch. 06:08 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 06:12 You know, we have a wonderful line up of speakers 06:14 and we like to encourage you 06:15 to continue watching this series of, it-- 06:18 we are all His miracles which is in fact, 06:21 "It Took A Miracle." 06:23 On our next series, 06:24 we are gonna have Pastor C.A. Murray 06:26 and then we are gonna have Shelley Quinn, 06:29 JD Quinn, Pastor Hal Steenson, Danny Shelton, 06:33 and then we are gonna have Pastor Jim Gilley, 06:35 all of which are part of the series 06:37 "Where Are All His Miracles?" 06:38 It was a thought that the Lord brought to my mind, 06:41 number of months ago, and I thought 06:42 how wonderful to share about the real miracles, 06:46 the transformed life. 06:47 Tonight we are gonna have our scripture reading by 06:50 participants of our program, a young man 06:52 that we hope you'll see even more often, 06:55 young man by the name of Samuel Dinzey. 06:58 His father is the pastor of our pastoral department. 07:02 He is the head of our pastoral department 07:03 at Three Angels' Broadcasting Network. 07:05 He is also the head of Latino, 07:07 for Three Angels' Broadcasting Network 07:09 and you will also hear from his wife 07:11 wife later on in the program 07:12 and she will be singing an appeal song. 07:14 So let's get our hearts ready as we invite 07:16 this young man to come and share 07:18 from the Word of God, 07:20 the Word of God. 07:23 Thank you. 07:24 Welcome to "Where Are His Miracles?" 07:27 I would like today for you to turn your Bibles 07:31 to Psalms 105:1-5, 07:36 Psalms 105:1-5. 07:48 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! 07:50 Call upon His name, 07:52 Make known His deeds among the peoples! 07:55 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him, 07:58 Talk of all His wondrous works! 08:01 Glory in His holy name, 08:03 Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 08:08 Seek the Lord and His strength, 08:10 Seek His face evermore! 08:13 ! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, 08:16 His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth," 08:18 May God bless the reading of His word. 08:42 I can do all things 08:47 Through Christ who gives me strength 08:53 But sometimes I wonder 08:55 What He can do through me 09:03 No great success to show 09:08 No glory on my own 09:13 In my weakness He is there 09:18 To let me know 09:23 His strength is perfect 09:27 When my strength is gone 09:33 And He'll carry us 09:37 When we can't carry on 09:45 Raised in His power, 09:48 The weak become strong 09:55 His strength is perfect 10:01 His strength is perfect 10:15 We can only know 10:20 The power that He holds 10:25 When we see how truly deep 10:30 Our weakness goes 10:36 His strength in us begins 10:42 When ours comes to an end 10:47 And He'll hear our humble cry 10:51 Then prove again 10:56 His strength is perfect 11:00 when my strength is gone 11:07 He'll carry us 11:10 when we can't 11:13 Carry on 11:18 Raised in His power, 11:21 the weak can become strong 11:28 His strength is perfect 11:33 His strength is perfect 11:38 When my strength... 11:40 ...Is gone 11:45 He'll carry us 11:47 When we can't 11:50 Carry on 11:56 Raised in His power, 11:59 the weak Will become strong 12:06 His strength is perfect, 12:11 His strength is perfect 12:17 Raised in His power, 12:21 the weak Can become... 12:25 ...Strong 12:34 His strength... 12:35 ...Is perfect 12:44 His strength... 12:46 ...Is perfect 13:05 God is good. Amen. 13:09 Today, we are going to study a message entitled 13:12 "The Greatest Miracle," "The Greatest Miracle." 13:16 And before this message is over 13:18 I would like to bring to you, 13:21 what is the greatest miracle? 13:24 Before we do that, 13:25 we would like to invite you to pray one more time. 13:28 I will like to invite you to pray that where you are 13:30 but I will kneel and ask the Lord 13:32 to bring us a message from heaven. 13:35 I will kneel, you may remain seated. 13:39 Let us pray together. 13:42 Our loving heavenly Father, 13:45 we come before You, Lord, 13:47 in Jesus name. 13:49 And in this moment we ask You to bless Your children, 13:53 those present and those all over the world. 13:56 We pray that they will receive the message 13:58 they need in this moment, in their lives. 14:02 And, Lord, I place myself in Your hands and I pray 14:06 that Your Holy Spirit will be poured out. 14:09 And that every word spoken 14:11 will come from Your throne of grace. 14:14 We ask it, Father, in Jesus name, amen. 14:19 His name Jesus, 14:22 he went about doing good from place to place, 14:25 healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, 14:29 and even those that came to find 14:31 a reason to accuse Him. 14:33 Spies were sent to find something 14:35 by which to catch Jesus. 14:38 And when they came back with the report, 14:40 they said, never a man spoke like this man. 14:46 And so this same Jesus-- 14:48 we like to invite you to turn your Bible to Mark 9. 14:52 Mark 9, we are going to read verses 15 and onward. 14:57 Mark 9. 15:03 In Mark 9, we find 15:05 a very interesting thing that took place. 15:07 This was after Jesus was transfigured 15:10 before three of His disciples. 15:13 And His clothing was shining, 15:16 exceeding white as snow 15:18 and He was transfigured. 15:21 However, after this event, beginning in verse 15, 15:24 something interesting took place 15:26 and this is what the Bible tells us. 15:28 "And straightway all the people, 15:30 when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, 15:35 and beheld him, 15:39 and beheld him 15:40 and were greatly amazed running to him saluted him. 15:44 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 15:48 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, 15:51 I have brought unto thee my son, 15:54 which hath a dumb spirit, And wheresoever he taketh him, 15:58 he teareth him, and he foameth, 16:00 and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away 16:03 and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, 16:07 and they could not. 16:09 He answereth him, and said, O faithless generation, 16:13 how long shall I be with you? 16:15 how long shall I suffer you? 16:17 bring him unto me. 16:19 And they brought him unto him, and when he saw him, 16:22 straightway the spirit tare him, 16:25 and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 16:28 And he asked his father, 16:30 How long is it ago since this came unto him? 16:33 And he said, Of a child. 16:36 And of times it hath cast him into the fire, 16:39 and into the waters, to destroy him, 16:42 but if thou canst do any thing, 16:44 have compassion on us, and help us. 16:47 Jesus said unto him, 16:50 If thou canst believe, 16:52 all things are possible to him that believeth. 16:57 And straightway the father of the child cried out, 17:01 and said with tears, Lord, I believe, 17:03 help thou mine unbelief. 17:06 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, 17:09 he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, 17:12 Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, 17:16 and enter him no more into him. 17:20 And the spirit cried out, and rent him sore, 17:22 and came out of him, and he was as one dead, 17:26 insomuch that many said, He is dead. 17:29 But Jesus took him by the hand, 17:31 and lifted him up, and he arose." 17:35 And so it was that Jesus performed 17:37 this mighty miracle before the people. 17:40 The disciples for some strange reason could not cast them out 17:44 and they were confused. 17:47 But when Jesus came upon the scene, 17:49 by the time that Jesus came there, 17:51 the father had already began 17:54 to get weak in faith 17:57 and this is why he asked Jesus 18:00 "If You can do anything?" 18:04 And so Jesus came to him, if you can believe. 18:09 What were the next words? 18:11 All things are possible to them that believe. 18:15 And this is the clue, 18:16 the key for us, brothers and sisters, 18:19 if we believe, 18:21 all things are possible to those that believe. 18:26 There was a great battle 18:28 between the forces of good and the forces of evil. 18:30 The prince of darkness was there 18:33 but the prince of life was there, 18:35 Jesus Christ. 18:36 And when He came upon the scene, 18:39 the prince of darkness tried to manifest his power 18:42 and the child was thrown on the ground, 18:44 and he foamed, and cried out, 18:47 and the people were about ready to run away. 18:50 But Jesus stood there unafraid, 18:53 in full control, 18:55 complete control of the situation, 18:58 and He cast the demon out. 19:00 And not only that He cast him out, 19:02 He said, "Enter him no more." 19:05 So the child was completely set free. 19:08 So the question is, is God doing miracles today? 19:11 Oh, yes. 19:12 There are every where. 19:15 But in some places they seem to be missing 19:18 and part of the reason is because of unbelief, 19:22 because the people refuse to believe. 19:25 But with God all things are possible. 19:29 Is anybody here among those people that believe? 19:31 Amen. Amen. Amen. 19:34 I like to share with you some miracles. 19:36 Some may look as coincidence 19:39 but they are miracles. 19:41 One of the miracles took place this week. 19:44 Many of you know Sister Bonnie. 19:46 She came this week 19:47 to the pastoral department there at 3ABN. 19:50 And she was happy, she was beaming with joy. 19:54 And she said this, "Guess what? 19:57 Today somebody sent $100 for Tracey." 20:01 And as you remember, Tracey is in Bolivia, 20:04 taking care of children in an orphanage. 20:07 She said, "Somebody sent $100, for Tracey." 20:11 And a few moments later, 20:15 Tracey called and said 20:16 "Mom, I'm in great need over here. 20:19 Is there any way you can send $100?" 20:25 And she said, "Yes, I can. 20:27 Just not too long ago, $100 came in." 20:30 And you should have seen Bonnie, 20:32 she said, "God is good. 20:34 God is good. God is good." Amen. 20:37 God is good. Amen. 20:39 And God is doing great things for His people. 20:42 I like to share another story with you. 20:45 This man, I will call him William. 20:48 He was a Federal Meat Inspector. 20:52 His wife was a Seventh-day Adventist, 20:54 he was not. 20:55 In fact, he didn't really want to come to church. 20:58 And his wife would plead with him, 21:00 "Please, come to church." 21:01 "No, you go. I'm staying here." 21:05 I heard his testimony, incredible. 21:10 And he said this, 21:12 he became very sick. 21:16 He became so sick, 21:18 his wife was not there. 21:20 When the doctors reported to him 21:22 "There is nothing more we can do. 21:24 We will have to cut one of your legs off." 21:29 And he bowed his head, 21:31 "Well, if that's what you have to do." 21:36 Shortly after his wife came 21:39 and said, "Dear," he said to her "Dear, 21:42 the doctors came in 21:44 and I'm afraid I'm not gonna be much help to you. 21:48 They said, 21:50 they are gonna have to cut one of my legs off 21:52 and I don't know before how long it will take place 21:55 before they have to cut the other one off." 21:57 And she heard that 21:59 and she said "Give me three days." 22:04 He said "What?" 22:05 "Give me three days. 22:07 I'm going to ask my people to pray for you." 22:11 And he says, "But I want you to make me a promise." 22:14 "What is that?" 22:16 He said, "If you promise me 22:19 that if God heals you, you will tell my people 22:23 what you've seen as the Federal Meat Inspector 22:27 because some of them are still not hearing the message. 22:31 Would you promise that?" 22:33 He figured "What have I got to lose? 22:37 If God heals me, wonderful. 22:40 But if He doesn't, I'll lose my leg. 22:44 Okay, go ahead. 22:46 Ask your people to pray." 22:48 So she went to the church 22:51 and she said, "Brothers and sisters, 22:53 I'm gonna ask you to pray. 22:55 I believe God can heal my husband. 22:57 He's got much information to share with God's children. 23:01 Please pray. 23:03 I have got three days." 23:04 And they prayed and she fasted, 23:07 she fasted. 23:09 Three days later, shortly thereafter, 23:13 the doctors came just before 23:15 they were about to do the surgery, 23:17 did another test or scan, whatever it is they do. 23:21 And they said, 23:22 "We don't understand it, 23:25 there's been a change." 23:28 Praise the Lord. 23:29 "There's been a change, we can't understand this. 23:33 We are comparing the last one with this one 23:35 and there has been a change. 23:37 We do not have to cut your leg off." 23:40 He was overjoyed and he remembered his promise. 23:45 Praise the Lord, 23:47 his leg did not have to be cut off. 23:50 And William, that is not his actual name, 23:54 became a Seventh-day Adventist. 23:57 And then in the year 1993, 23:59 I heard him give his testimony 24:01 of this miracle that I shared with you. 24:04 And he was also telling the people 24:06 some of the horrible things he has seen 24:08 as a Federal Meat Inspector, at that time. 24:12 And if you were there, 24:14 it would have been the last time 24:15 you would eat hotdogs and burgers. 24:18 Because some of the things he shared 24:19 were just terrible to hear. 24:22 As a matter of fact, at that time, 24:25 he said, there was no inspection of seafood. 24:31 And he also revealed 24:32 that there are only so many meat inspectors, 24:36 and they cannot possibly examine every animal 24:39 that goes through, impossible. 24:42 So that you-- the seal that says they have inspected 24:45 is only every so many, 24:47 but this is not the topic for today. 24:49 God performed a miracle in his life 24:51 and he is a walking testimony of God's power. 24:54 Amen. 24:57 There is another miracle, locally. 25:00 I believe it's a miracle. 25:02 Pastor Barnhurst, 25:03 pastor of the Marion Church at that time. 25:05 He said, "John, could you come. 25:08 I wonder if you have time to come 25:10 to the hospital with me in Marion. 25:13 Pastor Simmons is sick 25:15 and there is not much hope for him." 25:18 So I accompanied Pastor Barnhurst 25:21 and there at the hospital was Pastor Simmons, 25:25 unconscious, sleeping, 25:28 his wife, and Pastor Barnhurst, and myself. 25:32 And it was told to us 25:36 that I forget whatever it was that he had 25:38 that they have to keep him sleeping 25:42 so that-- because if he was awake 25:44 it would worsen his condition. 25:47 So there was not much hope. 25:49 His wife spoke as if these were his last moments. 25:53 So we prayed for him. 25:58 And the Lord performed the miracle. 26:00 Because a few days later, 26:02 those of you that remember when the Thompsonville Church 26:04 was just a few miles down over there 26:07 and we used to have prayer meeting in the kitchen, 26:09 the phone rang 26:11 and I was the closest to the phone, 26:12 I answered the phone. 26:14 And the voice surprised me, 26:17 so that I could say, "Praise the Lord." 26:20 It was this voice, he said, "This is Pastor Simmons. 26:25 I'm just calling to let you know 26:27 that I'm alive. 26:29 Some people think I'm dead," he said. 26:32 "But I just wanted to le you know that I'm alive 26:36 and that's all I want to say," he said. 26:37 "Thank you so much," 26:39 and he went on to call other people. 26:40 Because the report was Pastor Simmons was dead 26:44 but God brought him back from that condition 26:48 and he is a walking testimony of God's power. 26:50 Amen. 26:52 And so there are many miracles 26:54 and there are places in the Bible 26:56 where we have, for example, 26:58 in Matthew 13:58, 27:04 Jesus was there, he wanted to do more. 27:07 However 27:10 there are some sad words in Matthew 13:58. 27:13 It says, "And he did not many mighty works there 27:18 because of their unbelief." 27:21 And, brothers and sisters, 27:22 we have to get rid of this unbelief. 27:24 We have to allow the converting power of God 27:26 to come in our lives so that He can work miracles 27:30 for His children, more than we see now. 27:34 And the time will come, 27:36 that this movement, this work of God 27:40 because He said, 27:41 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached" where? 27:44 "In all the world, for a witness unto all nations, 27:46 and then the end shall come." 27:49 When the latter rain is poured out. 27:50 When the Holy Spirit comes in power upon God's children. 27:54 See the work is not going to finish 27:56 with less manifestation of power, 28:00 than it was in the beginning. 28:02 The same amount of power that you saw then 28:05 is gonna be available in the last days 28:07 and there will be great miracles 28:09 that will take place 28:11 that there will no mistake whatsoever 28:13 that God has done it. 28:16 And in these times of news and reports, 28:20 there will be no question, God has done a miracle. 28:24 Unfortunately, at that time, 28:26 Satan will try to take advantage of the situation. 28:29 And the Bible says in Matthew 24, 28:32 and Jesus warned a false... what? 28:35 Christ and false prophets that would come 28:39 in so much as possible to deceive the very elect. 28:43 So I like to invite you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 24, 28:47 and let us look Matthew 24. 28:51 Let's begin in-- there are several places 28:53 where it-- this is mentioned, 28:55 but in verse 23, Matthew 24:23, 28:58 " Then if any man shall say unto you, 29:02 Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. 29:06 For there shall arise false Christs, 29:08 and false prophets, 29:10 and shall shew great signs and wonders, 29:13 insomuch that, if it were possible, 29:15 they shall deceive the very elect. 29:17 Behold, I have told you before. 29:19 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 29:21 Behold, he is in the desert, 29:23 go not forth 29:25 behold, he is in the secret chambers, 29:27 believe it not. 29:29 For as the lightning 29:30 cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, 29:33 so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 29:39 Christ is trying to tell us and help us understand 29:43 how it is that we can avoid being deceived. 29:47 Because false Christs will appear over there 29:49 and over there and over there, 29:51 and it says here they will do what? 29:53 "Great signs and wonders, 29:57 insomuch that if it were possible, 29:59 they would deceive the very elect." 30:01 So we need to learn and understand 30:03 what God's word says, 30:06 otherwise we will be deceived by false miracles. 30:10 We need to study God's word, for the time will come 30:14 when it will be very difficult to determine, 30:16 to distinguish the true from the genuine, 30:21 and we have to be very close to the Lord. 30:24 One of the places where the Bible reveals 30:26 that the devil has done this before 30:28 is Job 1, Job 1. 30:32 In Job 1, something interesting takes place. 30:36 It says there that the sons of God 30:38 came to present themselves before Him. 30:42 And it says that Satan came in among them. 30:47 And God said to him, 30:48 "Where are you coming from?" 30:50 And he said, "I'm coming from the earth, 30:53 from going to and fro and from walking up and down." 30:57 And God said, 30:59 "Have you considered My servant Job, 31:03 a man that's perfect and upright and cheweth evil? 31:06 Have you considered him?" 31:07 Oh, Satan, knew about Job. 31:09 Satan, you know, he had tried. 31:12 And he said, he complained. 31:14 He says, "Well, You have set 31:15 a hedge of protection about him. 31:17 You're protecting him, 31:19 I can't get through," in other words. 31:22 Praise the Lord. 31:25 So this is what the Bible tells us 31:28 there in Job 1:10, 31:33 repeating the words of Satan there, he says, 31:35 "Hast thou not made an hedge about him, 31:37 about his house, 31:38 and about all that he hath on every side? 31:41 thou hast blessed the work of his hands, 31:43 and his substance is increased in the land." 31:46 And Satan challenges God and says, 31:48 "But put forth thine hand now, 31:50 and touch all that he hath, 31:52 and he will curse thee to thy face. 31:55 And the Lord said unto Satan, 31:57 Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, 32:01 only upon himself 32:04 put not forth thine hand. 32:06 So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord." 32:09 And so, continuing on, 32:12 in verse 13, 32:17 "And there was a day 32:18 when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine 32:21 in their eldest brother's house. 32:23 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, 32:25 "The oxen were plowing, 32:27 and the asses feeding beside them, 32:29 and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away, 32:32 yea, they have slain the servants 32:34 with the edge of the sword, 32:35 and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 32:40 While he was yet speaking, 32:43 there came also another, 32:44 and said, The fire of" who? 32:48 "The fire of God is fallen from heaven, 32:51 and hath burned up the sheep, 32:52 and the servants, and consumed them, 32:54 and I only am escaped alone to tell thee." 33:00 Job went through a terrible experience. 33:02 I don't know how many would lift their hands to say, 33:04 "Well, I went something like what Job went through, 33:06 that sounds good to me." 33:08 Because you see some terrible calamity took place 33:11 and that person was not even finished talking, 33:13 and the other one comes in with another horrible message. 33:17 But what's interesting here is 33:19 as well is that, it says that the fire from where? 33:23 The fire from God. 33:25 Was that fire from God causing destruction upon Job? 33:29 No. 33:30 Satan went right to work. 33:33 And he didn't even give the guy a break. 33:35 While one guy was yet talking, another one came. 33:40 And it was not fire from God. 33:43 It was fire from the devil. 33:45 And so it will be in the last days 33:48 that Satan will work certain miracles 33:50 and people will think it is God 33:53 when it is not God. 33:54 Because false Christ will come 33:57 and they will do wonders and miracles 34:00 and we have to be close to the Lord 34:02 so that we will not be deceived. 34:06 Let us go to another familiar place 34:08 in Revelation 13. 34:12 There, in Revelation Chapter 13, 34:15 we are told, 34:16 beginning in verse 11, 34:22 unto verse 15. 34:25 Revelation 13:11-15, 34:28 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, 34:31 and he had two horns like a lamb, 34:33 and he spake as a dragon. 34:35 And he exerciseth all the power 34:37 of the first beast before him, 34:40 and causeth the earth 34:41 and them which dwell there in to worship the first beast, 34:44 whose deadly wound was healed. 34:46 And he doeth great wonders, 34:48 so that he maketh fire come down from heaven 34:51 on the earth in the sight of men, 34:55 and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth 34:57 by the means of those miracles 35:00 which he had power to do 35:01 in the sight of the beast, 35:03 saying to them that dwell on the earth, 35:05 that they should make an image to the beast, 35:08 which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 35:10 And he had power to give life 35:12 unto the image of the beast, 35:14 that the image of the beast should both speak, 35:17 and cause that as many as would not worship 35:20 the image of the beast should be killed." 35:23 And so we see in this passage 35:25 that the beast had power to do great wonders 35:29 even to do what? 35:31 Fire down from heaven. 35:33 And by the means of those miracles 35:36 was able to deceive. 35:40 We need God's help, 35:41 to be able to distinguish 35:44 the true from the genuine. 35:46 I mean, the true from the false, 35:48 because Satan will work with lying wonders. 35:51 And the Bible even goes as far as to say 35:53 that Satan can transform himself into 35:57 an angel of light, the Bible says. 36:01 So if you hear of miracles, 36:04 make sure 36:05 you test these miracles by the Bible. 36:09 We need to study our Bible 36:10 so when these false things begin to happen, 36:15 we will not be deceived. 36:19 Before our time is over, 36:20 we have to talk about the greatest miracle. 36:22 What is the greatest miracle? 36:26 The greatest miracle is God transforming people 36:30 from a life of evil 36:32 to completely blameless undefiled-- 36:36 to a life of righteousness. 36:39 And these miracles are taking place 36:41 over and over again, day by day, 36:44 God is performing these miracles. 36:47 Lives transformed from evil to good. 36:51 Taken away from the hands of the devil 36:54 and set free, through Jesus Christ. 36:57 One such person is Walter, from Columbia. 36:59 You have heard about him before. 37:01 Walter, he was a gang leader. 37:05 And Walter would terrorize the community. 37:08 People, when they would see him 37:10 on the-- coming down the sidewalk, 37:12 would go across the street to avoid coming to him 37:14 because they didn't know 37:15 if he would beat them up, take whatever they had. 37:19 That's the kind of person he was. 37:20 People avoided him. 37:24 But there in Columbia, 37:27 thanks be to the Lord, was 3ABN Latino. 37:31 And one day in his home, 37:33 he finds 3ABN Latino and watches our youth program 37:36 called "The Youth of Today," 37:38 which is an equivalent to team pathways. 37:41 And the youth were talking, 37:43 and he saw something in those young people 37:45 that he did not have. 37:47 It was the light and peace of Jesus Christ. 37:50 He said, "These people have something I don't have." 37:53 And he longed to have it. 37:55 And he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. 37:58 Amen. Amen. 38:00 And his life was transformed. 38:02 He started going to church. 38:05 And people still kept avoiding him 38:06 because they didn't know 38:09 that he was converted. 38:12 And after he was converted, some people even ran into him 38:16 somebody that he had formally beat up, 38:20 came with a boyfriend and said, 38:23 "This is your moment, you are gonna pay back." 38:25 And he said, "Wait, I'm a changed person. 38:28 I'm a Christian now." 38:30 They were surprised. 38:31 "You are a Christian?" 38:33 "Yes. Forgive me for what I've done. 38:34 Please forgive me. 38:36 I would not dare do that anymore 38:37 because I have Jesus in my heart now." 38:40 And they said, 38:42 "We're going to be watching you. 38:43 And if what you are saying is not true, 38:45 you will pay." 38:49 And the conference evangelist, 38:51 the conference president actually, 38:53 Pastor Caicedo, 38:54 was doing an evangelistic series. 38:57 And they said-- he said, "I need some help. 39:00 I need people to go preach in the neighborhoods." 39:02 And they say "We know somebody, Walter." 39:04 "Walter?" 39:06 "He was a gang member but now he is a Christian." 39:08 "Praise the Lord, put him to work." 39:10 And Walter was able to bring 20-- many people 39:13 but of the many that he brought, 39:15 28 people were baptized. 39:17 Amen. 39:18 God is still performing miracles. 39:21 The greatest miracle is lives transformed 39:24 by the power of Jesus Christ. 39:27 My wife Idalia took a call, 39:29 this was almost a year later. 39:31 Walter called and said, "This is Walter. 39:33 You guys have, 39:34 you guys have told my story on 3ABN, 39:36 but I have another part. 39:38 "I am now going to study to be a pastor." 39:41 And we said "Praise the Lord." 39:43 "Praise the Lord." 39:46 And God is bringing people back, 39:48 they have left the church. 39:51 One such young man 39:54 came from one of the Spanish countries 39:56 and lived in the New York area. 39:58 And when he came to America, 40:01 he said all the things of this, America, 40:05 caught his attention, and slowly he left the church 40:09 and was out for a few years. 40:11 And one day, he is coming from the subway train. 40:14 Pastor Lomacang remembers those subway trains. 40:17 And he sees this screen, 40:19 giant screen outside of a church 40:22 and he's somehow drawn to that. 40:24 And he hears the message for that night. 40:28 Pastor Alejandra Bujon, 40:29 one of the evangelists from South America 40:31 was preaching a powerful message, 40:34 and he was touched. 40:35 He said, "Wow, this was good, very good." 40:40 The next day he decided to leave work early 40:43 because when he got there 40:45 the program had already started. 40:46 So he figured, "I've got to leave work early 40:48 to catch the beginning of the program." 40:50 And so he did. 40:51 For the next several days, he kept coming early 40:54 and would catch the beginning of the program. 40:58 But on the next to the last night, 41:00 something happened. 41:02 Pastor Bujon was making an appeal 41:05 and he said, "I'm making an appeal now 41:09 for those that have left the church, 41:12 and Jesus Christ is calling you back. 41:15 And I want you to come forward. 41:17 If you are here in this auditorium," 41:18 he said, "Come forward. 41:20 Give your heart to Jesus. He wants to give you peace. 41:23 He wants to transform your life. 41:24 He wants to forgive you for your sins." 41:27 And some of the people there, in the auditorium 41:30 where the live was taking place, 41:32 in Orlando, came forward. 41:35 But there in New York, 41:36 a church was down-linking the series 41:39 and that's where Walter was. 41:40 They had put the screen outside 41:42 but they had a screen on the inside. 41:44 And he said, "Those of you 41:45 that are in different parts of the world, 41:47 come forward to the screen, 41:49 and the pastors there will pray for you." 41:52 And suddenly through the back doors, 41:54 it opened, boom! 41:56 And there comes running this young man, 42:01 and he goes all the way to the front. 42:03 And with tears streaming down his face. 42:05 And he knelt down by the screen in the front. 42:09 And the people were wondering "Well, who is this person?" 42:14 And he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ 42:18 and he told his story, 42:19 how he was away from the Lord 42:21 and that the message of that night brought him back. 42:26 The greatest miracle, 42:27 lives transformed through Jesus Christ. 42:33 There was an individual 42:35 that I met in California. 42:38 There we were at this event 42:40 with our booth there, with 3ABN. 42:42 I was there with Brother Matthew Andrew, 42:44 and a few tables from us were some Jewish Christians. 42:48 And I was attracted by what they were doing 42:50 and they were talking about their culture. 42:53 And there was a young man there, 42:55 a Jewish young man. 42:57 And I believe his name was Michael, 43:00 and I went to talk to him. 43:03 And I said, "So you are a Christian? 43:04 This is wonderful." 43:06 He says, "Oh, you have no idea what God has done." 43:09 I said, "Tell me about it." 43:11 He said, "Oh, I was a really strict devout Jew. 43:15 I was so into the Jewish religion," he said, 43:19 "It was like in the Bible, in the times of Jesus." 43:22 He said, "If I was walking down the sidewalk 43:24 and I saw a gentile coming." 43:27 I said, "I would walk across the other side 43:30 so that I wouldn't even pass by the gentile," he said. 43:34 "That's how much 43:36 I was into what I was doing. 43:39 Very devout," he said. 43:41 And I said, "Well, how did you become a Christian?" 43:44 He said, "Well, it all happened at work. 43:47 When I would go out for lunch, 43:49 I would sit outside with my food. 43:50 And there came this Christian man, 43:52 and there, and he would start talking to me. 43:55 And then he brought up that name 43:56 I didn't want to hear, Jesus." 44:00 And he said, "Wait a minute." 44:02 And Michael said, "Don't talk to me. 44:03 If you are gonna talk to me 44:04 don't mention that name Jesus to me." 44:07 But that Christian man could not help it. 44:11 He took it as a challenge, 44:13 and would come to lunch, 44:15 and there start talking to Michael. 44:18 And once in a while, 44:19 he would bring up that name again, Jesus. 44:23 You see, there is no other name under heaven 44:25 whereby men should be saved, the Bible says. 44:30 Eventually, Michael said, 44:34 "I was angry one day and I challenged Jesus Christ. 44:38 And this is what I said, 44:40 Jesus, if you're really the Messiah, 44:44 if you're really the Messiah that has already come, 44:47 I challenge you, I give you three weeks, 44:53 to convert my mother and my father, 44:55 very devout Jews." 44:58 And he said, "And my Rabbi." 45:02 And in Michael's mind, when he said, "My Rabbi," 45:05 he said, "Impossible. 45:07 There is no way possible 45:09 that Jesus Christ can convert my Rabbi." 45:15 One week passed, and Michael's parents said, 45:18 "Michael, we want to talk to you. 45:24 We have taught you many things from the scriptures, 45:27 but we have been studying and we have found 45:31 that the Messiah is not coming as we think, among the Jews. 45:35 He's already come, and His name is Jesus." 45:40 Michael was surprised. 45:43 "They used the name Yeshua," he said, Michael was surprised. 45:46 "What, this can't be." 45:47 "Yes, my son, it is. Let us show you." 45:50 "No, no, no." 45:52 And Michael was surprised. 45:54 And that night he said, 45:56 "I can't just believe-- 45:58 my parents have become Christians." 46:00 And he said, "Wait, I still got my Rabbi, 46:05 and I've got two weeks. 46:06 There is no way, no way." 46:09 And in the middle of that third week, 46:12 he said, his Rabbi said, "Michael, come here. 46:16 I want to talk to you privately. 46:18 You are one of my closest disciples, 46:21 one of my closest students. 46:23 And I want to share something with you. 46:26 Let's go through the scriptures." 46:27 And he began to go through the scriptures with him 46:29 and said, "Michael, it is not as we believe. 46:33 We were waiting for the first coming of Christ 46:36 but He's already come. 46:38 His name is Jesus Christ, Yeshua." 46:42 Michael was surprised. 46:44 He says, "This can't be." 46:46 And he remembered his promise. 46:48 He said, "If you can convert my mother and my father, 46:51 and my Rabbi, I will become a Christian." 46:55 And so Michael is a Christian today, 46:58 helping Jews come to the knowledge 47:01 of Jesus Christ. 47:04 The one name under heaven whereby men should be saved, 47:07 the greatest miracles are lives transformed, 47:11 and what a wonderful thing. 47:13 The Bible says, in the Book of John 1, 47:17 too sad but one sad verse and a verse that gets happy. 47:21 It says that, "He came unto his own, 47:25 and his own received him not." 47:27 The following verse is "But as many as received him, 47:31 to them gave he power to become the sons of God." 47:36 And even today, there in 1 John 3:1, it says, 47:40 " Behold, what manner of love God 47:42 has bestowed upon us, 47:44 that we should be called children of God," his sons. 47:49 Brothers and sisters, 47:51 let us follow Jesus with all our hearts. 47:54 Let's us study our Bibles to be prepared 47:57 for what is coming upon the earth. 48:00 Let us trust in the Lord 48:01 and love Him with all our hearts. 48:04 Study our Bible, so that we'll have the assurance 48:07 that no matter what happens, we know God loves me. 48:11 And may be He then answer that prayer 48:13 just as I thought He would, but I know He loves me. 48:18 That we may be able to say with Job, 48:20 "I know that my Redeemer liveth." 48:25 Praise the Lord. 48:27 Let us turn to some scriptures there. 48:32 In Ephesians 2, 48:34 notice these wonderful verses. 48:38 I'll began in verse 4, Ephesians 2:4, 48:42 "But God, who is rich in mercy, 48:44 for his great love wherewith he loved us, 48:48 even when we were dead in sins, 48:51 hath quickened us together with Christ, 48:53 by grace ye are saved. 48:56 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together 49:00 in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 49:03 that in the ages to come he might show 49:06 the exceeding riches of his grace 49:08 in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 49:14 For by grace are ye saved through faith, 49:18 and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, 49:22 not of works, lest any man should boast. 49:25 For we are his workmanship, 49:27 created in Christ Jesus unto good works, 49:32 which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." 49:38 Praise the Lord. 49:41 I would like to invite my wife Idalia to come forward 49:45 to sing a song. 49:48 And I would like you to consider the words 49:50 that she will sing. 49:51 And if you want to say to Jesus, 49:54 Lord, I want that living faith. 49:57 Lord, I don't want to be-- 49:58 to have unbelief. 50:00 I remember that man that we started telling you 50:02 the story of, he said to Jesus, 50:04 "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief." 50:08 And if you have had some type of unbelief, 50:12 it's time to give that up, 50:15 and time to trust in the Lord with all of your hearts. 50:19 I would like to read this verse 50:21 in Hebrews 12:1 and 2, these two verses. 50:25 Notice what it says, Hebrews 12:1, 2, 50:28 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about 50:32 with so great a cloud of witnesses, 50:35 let us lay aside every weight, 50:37 and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 50:42 and let us run with patience 50:44 the race that is set before us, 50:46 looking unto Jesus 50:48 the author and finisher of our faith, 50:50 who for the joy that was set before him 50:52 endured the cross, despising the shame, 50:55 and is set down 50:57 at the right hand of the throne of God." 51:01 So if you consider your life 51:02 and you see that perhaps there is this one little thing 51:06 or may be more than one, 51:07 the sin that doth so easily beset you, 51:10 let's give that to Jesus. 51:12 Let's trust in the Lord, because in Him, there is power, 51:16 and He can transform us. 51:18 And we want that transformation. 51:19 And as Idalia sings, 51:21 I would like to invite you to stand. 51:23 And if you have room, come forward. 51:24 And let's have a prayer of consecration to the Lord, 51:27 asking the Lord to have-- 51:29 to take us, and mould us, and shape us, 51:32 and that we may be fully surrendered to Him 51:35 100 percent. 51:37 And as she sings, if that is your desire, 51:39 we like to invite you to come forward. 51:53 I hear Thy welcome voice 52:00 That calls me, Lord, to Thee 52:06 For cleansing 52:09 in Thy precious blood 52:13 That flowed 52:15 On Calvary 52:20 I am coming, Lord 52:26 Coming now to Thee 52:32 Wash me, cleanse me in the blood 52:39 That flowed 52:41 On Calvary 52:55 Though coming weak and vile 53:01 Thou dost my strength assure 53:07 Thou dost my vileness 53:11 fully cleanse 53:15 Till spotless and pure 53:22 I am coming, Lord 53:27 Coming now to Thee 53:33 Wash me, cleanse me in the blood 53:40 That flowed 53:42 On Calvary 53:56 'Tis Jesus calls me on 54:02 To perfect faith and love 54:08 To perfect hope 54:12 And peace and trust 54:15 For earth 54:18 And heaven above 54:23 I am coming, Lord 54:29 Coming now to Thee 54:35 Wash me, cleanse me in the blood 54:42 That flowed 54:44 on Calvary 55:02 Amen. Amen. 55:05 That precious blood of Jesus Christ 55:09 that was shed for us on Calvary, 55:12 there's still power in the blood. 55:14 You could come forward, this way please. 55:18 Jesus Christ is still transforming lives today. 55:23 And praise the Lord, there are folks here 55:25 whose lives had been transformed. 55:28 And even those that want to give Jesus 55:30 100 percent. 55:32 They still see something 55:35 that Jesus Christ can change. 55:40 And I praise the Lord for your decision. 55:42 I also join you in giving 100 percent to Jesus. 55:47 For I want nothing, nothing to hinder me 55:51 from being 100 percent given to Christ. 55:54 If there's something in your life 55:57 that you feel still needs to be given to Christ, 56:00 give it to Him today. 56:03 There is no need to delay. 56:05 Delay only makes it worse. 56:10 Our faith can grow, in Christ, 56:13 as we actively do something for others. 56:17 Christ want's us all to be involved 56:19 in taking the precious message to the world. 56:24 And He invites us to let our light so shine 56:26 that they may see our good works, 56:29 and glorify our heavenly Father. 56:35 Praise the Lord for your decision 56:37 and there are some listening all over the world, 56:42 join us in giving your heart to Jesus Christ. 56:47 Don't wait a moment longer. 56:49 Don't wait a second longer. 56:52 Give your heart to Jesus and find peace in Him. 56:56 Let's go to the Lord, in prayer. 56:58 And if it's possible for you, let us kneel together 57:01 that we can receive that peace from heaven. |
Revised 2015-12-10