Participants: John Lomacang, Pastor
Series Code: POF
Program Code: POF000010A
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00:26 Well, hello and welcome to Pillars of Faith.
00:29 I want to thank all of you for joining us. 00:31 As we continue in this five part series 00:35 with Pastor John Lomacang. 00:36 The title of his series is the Anatomy of the Crisis. 00:41 You know, something that I believe, 00:42 it was pastor alone, 00:44 our Pastor Murray, C. A. Murray, 00:46 said concerning these messages 00:48 that are coming to us through Pillars of Faith 00:51 is a word for today in today's world. 00:54 So I want to encourage all of you to get you Bibles, 00:58 open them up, follow along with Pastor Lomacang, 01:01 as he brings you this fifth message, 01:03 the title of the message today 01:06 is Solving the Christian Crisis. 01:10 Now crisis number one was the crisis in heaven. 01:14 The second message was the crisis in the garden. 01:18 The third crisis was the crisis in the family, 01:21 thus fourth one was the crisis in the heart, 01:25 and today we're looking at the Christian crisis. 01:28 So get your Bibles, 01:30 follow along because all of us need to have hearts purged, 01:34 we need to have clean hands 01:36 and we need to put our self in right relationship with God, 01:40 and I want to remind you once again 01:43 that the scriptures declare that faith comes by hearing, 01:47 and hearing by the Word of God, 01:48 I want to encourage you to get this whole five parts series. 01:53 Listen to it over and over, it will build your faith, 01:56 it will encourage you and it will give us clean hands 02:00 and pure hearts as we stand before the Lord. 02:03 But before we have Pastor Lomacang come 02:06 and bring this last dynamic message, 02:10 I would like to share with you the scripture reading, 02:12 the scripture reading is out of Exodus 3:2 02:17 and the scripture says, 02:19 "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him 02:22 in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. 02:26 So He looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, 02:30 but the bush was not consumed." 02:32 You know, Jesus didn't come to consume us, 02:35 He came to ignite us, He came to bring us life 02:39 and that life more victoriously. 02:42 So as Pastor Lomacang is coming, 02:44 I would like to pray and ask the Father 02:47 by the power of His Spirit to ignite every one of us. 02:50 How many of you would like to be ignited tonight 02:54 by the power of God's word, 02:56 that the world will watch us burn 02:58 for the Lord Jesus Christ. 03:00 Let's pray. 03:01 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, 03:03 praising You and thanking You Lord 03:05 for the power that is in Your word 03:07 to change us, to conform us to Your image and likeness. 03:11 We ask You, oh God today that as this word goes forth, 03:15 it will ignite us, it will bring fire, 03:18 that it will breathe breath of life upon that word 03:21 that is with in us. 03:22 Stir up those gifts so God that are within us, 03:25 that we would be a vessel of honor in Your kingdom. 03:28 We pray now for Pastor Lomacang as he comes 03:31 that You'll stir up that gift that is within him, 03:34 that the word will come forth with might and with power 03:37 and it will change us all into Your image 03:40 and into Your likeness. 03:41 Now I would like for us to welcome Pastor Lomacang, 03:45 the pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist church. 03:48 My Pastor and my friend, I welcome you, Pastor Lomacang. 03:52 Thank you, Mollie. 03:53 Thank you for that wonderful introduction again 03:55 and welcome again friends 03:57 to the final in a five part series 04:00 of the Anatomy of Crisis. 04:02 We thank you so much for tuning in 04:04 and for those of you who are kind enough 04:06 to join us here locally 04:08 for the unfolding of this message. 04:11 This message, the final in the five part series 04:13 is one that particularly pulled out of me 04:17 something that I know was not in me 04:20 but something that I know was only revealed to me 04:23 by Lord through His word and through His Holy Spirit. 04:28 It is a powerful revelation of how any crisis, 04:32 in particular how the crisis in the Christian life 04:35 can find resolution. 04:38 How the crisis in the Christian life 04:40 can come to a point of being solved. 04:43 And if you have been serving the Lord 04:46 for a number of years 04:48 or if your desire is to give your life to Jesus, 04:50 you'll find a housed in this message 04:54 the answer to the crisis 04:56 that you may be presently facing. 04:59 I know Mollie prayed for me and but I believe 05:01 that I need to ask the Lord to take this message 05:03 and bring it in a way 05:06 that will find in each of your hearts fertile soil, 05:11 a ground where God can plant deeply in your heart 05:15 and in your life, the plan He has for you. 05:18 Let's pray together. 05:20 Loving Father in heaven, as we open Your word, 05:24 we pray that You open our hearts, 05:28 that the work that You have started will be continued 05:32 for Your glory and for Your honor 05:36 in Jesus name surely I pray. 05:39 Amen. 05:41 Solving the Christian Crisis. 05:44 Now if you've been a church member 05:45 any length of time 05:46 or a part of any kind of a fellowship, you know, 05:49 that there is no such thing as a perfect church. 05:53 Matter of fact the only perfect church 05:55 is an empty church, a church with no attendees, 05:57 the chairs may be perfectly symmetrical, 06:00 the walls may be perfectly square, 06:02 the windows may be perfectly clean 06:04 but anytime one or two people join a church, 06:06 the perfection of that church goes out the window. 06:08 There is no such thing as a perfect Christian, 06:11 no matter how long you've been a member 06:14 of any fellowship, 06:15 there is no perfection in any of us. 06:18 The perfection only comes 06:20 because of the presence of Christ in our lives 06:22 but this sermon in particular, 06:24 if I can give it a second title, 06:26 if I could give it another title 06:28 other than solving the Christian crisis, 06:30 I would give it this one. 06:32 Based on the scripture reading, 06:33 let me read the scripture once again 06:35 and here's the second title 06:36 that I would introduce to this message. 06:38 Exodus 3:2, "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him..." 06:44 That is to Moses. 06:46 "In a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. 06:51 So He looked, 06:53 and behold, the bush was burning with fire, 06:59 but the bush was not consumed." 07:03 I read that story many, many times. 07:05 I've read the Bible through once before, 07:08 my wife and I on our second round through the Bible 07:11 and I've crossed the road of this passage 07:14 on several occasions 07:15 but on this particular occasion, 07:18 I can tell you from my experience, 07:19 there are times that you are confronted with the reality 07:23 that God's word is inspired 07:25 because you have what I called the all of a sudden experience. 07:29 All of a sudden something you read 07:31 many, many times before suddenly comes to life. 07:34 Something that seemed to have been a quandary 07:36 is now solved, 07:37 something that was mysterious is all of a sudden resolved. 07:41 The Lord turns on what I may refer to 07:43 as a halogen light of spiritual proportion 07:46 and brings out something that was missed 07:48 by your human eyes in the past. 07:51 And so hold on my brothers and sisters, 07:53 I believe that what God reveal to me, 07:56 He's gonna reveal to you through this message 07:58 entitled Solving the Christian Crisis, 08:01 a.k.a the burning bush. 08:03 You see Moses was arrested. 08:06 They're on the mount, 08:07 when he went up to receive the commandments of God. 08:09 Moses was arrested by an unusual spectacle. 08:15 Now the burning bush was unusual in and of itself. 08:20 A bush burning before the eyes of Moses. 08:25 He stood, captured by a sight 08:28 but what captured him more than anything else 08:30 was not a bush that burnt, 08:32 because I'm sure that Moses in his many years, 08:37 in the third section of his life, 08:40 40 years in Egypt, 40 years as a shepherd. 08:43 Now 40 years beginning his third stint of 40 years 08:47 to be the leader of God's people. 08:48 I'm sure that in all that time, 08:51 he has seen a bush burn before but what arrested his minds, 08:55 what became to him an unusual spectacle 08:59 is that the bush was burn, 09:01 the phenomena was the bush was burned 09:05 but the bush was not consumed. 09:08 It was ignited, it was on fire, it was flaming 09:11 and Moses waited to see 09:12 whether or not the bush would be consumed 09:14 but to his surprise, it was burned 09:16 but it was not consumed. 09:18 Some people have made attempts 09:20 to solve this apparent quandary, 09:24 this unexplainable phenomena. 09:26 In the book Holman illustrated Bible dictionary, 09:29 page 244, 09:30 listen to what is said by a Bible commentator. 09:34 Some attempts had been made to explain the phenomena 09:38 by claiming that the bush had foliage 09:41 of a billion fiery colors, some people say 09:45 or that it's leaves reflected the sunlight 09:48 of an unusual manner. 09:50 They say, what they actually saw was a strange tree 09:52 with strange leaves 09:54 or the sunlight hit the tree at a strange angle 09:56 that made it look like it was on fire. 10:00 But I like what they continue to say, 10:03 it is best however to regard the burning bush 10:08 as a unique act of God. 10:12 You see, friends, let me begin to unfold the story 10:14 as I walk through this, 10:16 the uniqueness of this bush was not that it was different 10:20 from any other bush on the planet, 10:22 there were similar trees that had no leaves, 10:25 that had no foliage. 10:26 That had nothing in and of itself to boast, 10:29 but God shows a bush 10:31 that seemed to be of no visible importance 10:34 to reveal and reflect the glory of God. 10:37 The burning bush became an anti-typical representation 10:41 of the exalted God. 10:43 The attractive, the unattractive nature 10:46 was a forecast, hear me carefully, 10:48 of how Jesus would be revealed. 10:52 You see in the Old Testament, God used may examples 10:55 to forecast the coming of Jesus. 10:58 In the Garden of Eden, He said to Adam and Eve, 11:00 He said I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 11:03 and thy seed and her seed. 11:05 He put the devil on notice, 11:07 I'm gonna put enmity between your seed and her seed. 11:11 The seed he referred to Jesus 11:12 as will bruise and crush the serpent's head 11:15 but in the process, Jesus' heel will be bruised. 11:19 He said, I'm gonna, this seed is going to crush your head 11:22 and then through the ceremonial services, 11:25 Jesus was now anti-typically represented 11:28 or typically represented in the lamb. 11:31 He was the lamb slain 11:33 from the foundation of the world. 11:34 So when Jesus came in, 11:35 in the antitype the lamb of God, 11:38 those who had been involved 11:40 in the services of the sanctuary, 11:42 the anti-typical lamb, 11:43 they knew right away that this was the Christ. 11:47 The symbol was the lamb, the symbol was the seed 11:50 but amazingly enough, 11:53 the unattractive nature of Jesus, 11:56 the work He does in our lives was typified 11:59 through an unattractive burning bush 12:03 that was ignited to the glory of God, 12:05 yet it was not consumed. 12:06 Notice the words of Isaiah the prophet. 12:08 Isaiah 53:2-3, 12:11 "For He shall grow up before Him 12:13 as a tender plant 12:16 as a root out of dry ground. 12:21 He has no form or comeliness. 12:24 And when we see Him, 12:27 there is no beauty that we should desire him. 12:30 He is despised and rejected by men. 12:33 A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." 12:37 If you listen to that passage very carefully, 12:39 every particular of that language 12:41 used by the Prophet Isaiah describes a burning bush, 12:45 unattractive, no glory, no form, no beauty, 12:50 nothing to be desired 12:51 but on the opposite to be despised than rejected. 12:56 What would you do if somebody gave you a plant 12:58 and it was dried up. 13:00 No flowers, no leaves and they said to you, 13:03 "I love you so much, I've brought you a plant." 13:05 And they put that plant in your hand 13:07 and it was nothing but a dried up bush, 13:10 buried in soil. 13:12 You would say, "How can you love me 13:13 with a plant that appears to be dead." 13:16 How can you express your love with the plant 13:18 that seems to have no leaves, no flowers, no roses, 13:22 nothing at all to describe the way you feel about me 13:25 and you'll say to them, "I do love you." 13:28 You see friends amazingly enough, 13:29 God said to me when we come to Jesus, 13:33 we often come in a very unattractive manner 13:36 and God does miraculous things through that 13:39 which is often rejected by the natural eye. 13:42 In one of my favorite books Desire of Ages, page 23, 13:45 paragraph 2, listen to what inspiration says. 13:49 God's glory was subdued and his majesty whaled 13:55 that the weak vision of finite man might behold it. 14:00 His glory was whaled, 14:02 His greatness and majesty were hidden 14:05 that He might draw near to sorrowful and tempted man. 14:08 So the Lord did not come, if this tree was filled 14:11 with the most gorgeous divine plants, 14:14 somebody would say "Wow, wow, wow." 14:17 We could expect a beautiful glorious well clothe Messiah 14:21 when He shows up, but when Jesus showed up, 14:24 He didn't have any kind of form that man said, 14:26 "Hey, this is the kind of guy that I want to follow, 14:29 look at the way He dresses. 14:30 Look at the kind of car He drives, 14:32 look at the kind of big account He has. 14:34 Look at His fame and fortune and notoriety." 14:36 Jesus did not come to wealthy men, 14:39 He came to every man, 14:40 from the poorest to the wealthiest. 14:42 He came in such a form, 14:44 that He had nothing to recommend Himself 14:47 to humanity. 14:48 He came humble, a burning bush, 14:50 and so the simplicity of the revelation of God 14:54 does not equal a simple God. 14:57 Let me say that again. 14:58 The simplicity of the revelation of God 15:01 does not equate to a simple God. 15:04 You see in this burning bush, 15:06 it was a prefiguring of the coming of Jesus 15:09 but don ever mistake for any moment 15:11 that Jesus is a simple God, not at all. 15:14 That's why I was often offended by 15:16 there's a particular denomination 15:17 that says that Jesus is not really God, 15:20 He's a second God. 15:22 He's a mighty God but not an almighty God. 15:25 If He's not a mighty God, how could He save us? 15:28 If He's not our creator, how can He redeem us? 15:30 How can He pay the price of our redemption 15:33 when He Himself as some allude to was created Himself. 15:37 That's not supported by God's word. 15:39 In him was life, and the life was a light of man, 15:42 un-borrowed life, un-derived, He found His glory 15:46 in none other than the glory of the Father 15:49 and He shared from the very beginning. 15:51 You see God use an ordinary bush 15:55 to reveal an extraordinary God. 15:58 The Bible says, the angel of the Lord appeared. 16:03 The angel of the Lord appeared. 16:06 That comes from the Hebrew word Jehovah, 16:09 it means the self existing one. 16:12 This bush and when Moses, 16:14 I can take myself back to the spot 16:17 when Moses look at this bush, 16:20 it appeared as though the fire came form nowhere 16:23 but from the bush. 16:25 It appeared as though the bush produced the fire, 16:29 yet the fire more glorious than the bush 16:32 did not consume the bush. 16:34 That's why the simplicity of the revelation of God 16:37 does not equal a simple God. 16:39 When Moses began to investigate the bush, 16:42 grab this, the bush began to investigate Moses, 16:47 because God's presence was resident in the burning bush. 16:52 Look at Exodus 3:3-4. 16:54 Look at Exodus 3:3-4 the Bible says, 16:58 "Then Moses said, 17:01 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, 17:05 why the bush does not burn.'" 17:08 It was ignited but not consumed. 17:10 So when the Lord saw, that it turned aside to look, 17:15 God called to him from the midst of the bush 17:20 and said, "Moses, Moses." 17:23 He said, "Here I am." 17:25 You see it was from a seemingly worthless bush 17:30 that Moses was reminded of his worth. 17:33 He was also reminded 17:34 that he was in the presence of divinity. 17:36 A seemingly worthless bush, 17:39 when the voice of God began to be heard, 17:41 Moses was reminded 17:43 that he was in the presence of divinity. 17:48 Exodus 3:5-6 notice this... 17:57 "Then He said..." 17:59 God said to Moses, "Do not draw near this place. 18:05 Take your sandals off your feet, 18:08 for the place where you stand is holy ground." 18:14 The place where this bush was burning 18:16 was described as holy ground. 18:18 How could the ground be holy except the presence of God 18:22 was reveled in that bush? 18:25 Take your sandals off... 18:27 And He says in verse 6, "Moreover, He said, 18:30 "I am the God of your Father, the God of Abraham, 18:33 the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 18:36 And Moses hid his face, 18:40 for he was afraid to look upon God." 18:44 The burning bush, the presence of God. 18:47 You see God also instructed Moses 18:49 that they are to be a difference. 18:52 Moses' behavior changed 18:54 in the presence of this burning bush 18:56 but God also told Moses 18:58 that there should be a difference 19:00 in our behavior and attitude, when we are on holy ground, 19:06 which brings me to a very important point. 19:08 You know, when you come to worship, 19:10 we should not only reverence the God of worship 19:13 but we should reverence the house of worship. 19:16 The attitude that we display in church 19:18 is a gage of our reverence towards God. 19:22 Notice He said, take of your shoes 19:24 for the ground on which you stand is holy. 19:27 When we come into the house of God to worship, 19:28 we should treat the house of God 19:30 as though the presence of God were here, 19:32 and by the way, He promises to be here. 19:34 Wherever two or three are gathered, 19:36 I'm there in their midst. 19:38 So when we come to worship, when we come to pray, 19:41 when we come to sing, 19:42 when we come to offer our gifts to God, 19:44 we should always come with an attitude of reverence, 19:47 for the Lord is always in the presence of His people, 19:52 His holy ground. 19:53 We should teach our children to respect it as holy ground. 19:57 Our family members 19:58 to dress as though they come to honor a holy God 20:01 in this place of worship, a holy place, 20:04 a holy God, holy ground. 20:06 The church is not a playground where reverence is absent. 20:09 When we come to worship, 20:11 we should remember that God is here, 20:12 that church is not a club where we purchase a membership. 20:15 We don't join a church because it agrees with us, 20:18 but because it agrees with God. 20:20 That's why when I preach sermons, 20:21 I don't preach sermons, 20:23 I don't find subjects to tickle the fancy of our membership, 20:28 I sometimes preach to myself 20:31 because every sermon should remind us 20:33 that God is much holier than we are, 20:36 the ground upon which we stand is holy, 20:38 the presence of God is there. 20:40 The church is a rescue mission where sin bound are set free. 20:44 The church is a surgical room where the sin is removed 20:47 and the sinners are made whole. 20:48 The church is a school 20:50 where we unlearn sin and we learn righteousness. 20:55 So when you come, 20:56 come recognizing the presence of God, 20:58 come knowing that the Lord is there 21:00 to do a work in your life 21:02 and through your life and for your life 21:04 that cannot be done anywhere else. 21:07 But look at the point, 21:09 the bush was not burning anywhere else 21:12 but on the mountain where God met with Moses. 21:16 You'll find in the fellowship of worship things 21:18 that you'll never find outside of the fellowship of worship, 21:23 and the reverence that God calls for 21:25 should be the reverence that God receives. 21:27 Look at Hebrews 12:28-29, the Bible says, 21:31 "Therefore, since we are perishing, 21:34 since we are receiving..." 21:36 Sorry, "A kingdom which cannot be shaken, 21:39 let us have grace, 21:42 by which we may serve God acceptably..." 21:46 How? 21:47 "With reverence and godly fear. 21:50 For our God is a consuming fire." 21:55 Our God is a consuming fire. 22:00 Another one of my favorite books, 22:01 the faith I led by this quotation 22:03 brought to me an understanding 22:04 of the deeper content of this text. 22:07 It says, "God is high and holy and to the humble, 22:10 believing soul, His house on earth, 22:14 the place where His people meet for worship, 22:16 is as it were the gate of heaven." 22:21 Moses understood that 22:22 when He came into the presence of God, 22:24 he understood that there should be a difference. 22:26 He understood that where he came to meet with God 22:29 should be different than his house, 22:31 the street, the store, the marketplace 22:35 when we come bringing harder reverence to God, 22:37 we receive from God the presents that He promises 22:40 can only be received by His awesome presence. 22:44 That's why, friends, 22:45 the Lord calls us not just to keep the Sabbath 22:47 but the Lord calls us to reverence the Sabbath. 22:50 Leviticus 19:30, the Lord says, 22:54 And you will shall keep my Sabbath 22:55 and reverence my sanctuary, for I am the Lord." 23:01 Not only should we reverence the sanctuary of God 23:03 but we should also reverence the Word of God. 23:05 We should also reverence the Word of God. 23:08 You see when I was raised my mother always said to me 23:10 and I have learned this through the years from people 23:13 that have a wonderful relationship with their Bible. 23:15 This is my travel Bible smaller than my, my home Bible. 23:18 My home Bible is bigger and thicker, much heavier 23:21 but as you know the limitation of the weight on the planes 23:24 so I carry my smaller Bible, 23:26 it makes it easier to carry it in my bag pack. 23:30 But the size of the Bible should never be equated 23:33 for its insignificance. 23:35 Some people have large Bibles that when they open the pages, 23:38 they just fall in place. 23:41 The Bible should always be handled with reverence. 23:44 I don't throw my Bible on the ground 23:46 or put other books on top of my Bible. 23:48 It's the closest book to me at all times. 23:51 The Bible, the only thing on earth 23:52 that still contains the spoken word, 23:55 the inspired Word of God. 23:56 We should reverence this book 24:00 because this is the only book the devil is upset with. 24:03 This is the only book he tried to destroy 24:05 during the Dark Ages. 24:06 This is the only book 24:08 that emperors have tried to stamp out 24:10 and tyrants have tried to destroy. 24:13 But this is the only book 24:14 that still endures against every attack, 24:17 against the living Word of God. 24:19 Reverence God's word. The reason is clear. 24:25 The attitude that we display toward God's word 24:29 is the attitude that we have towards the God 24:33 of his word. 24:35 That's why when we come to the church, 24:37 let's come not thinking that we come to a lecture hall 24:40 where the messages are graded. 24:42 The Word of God is not to be examined by men 24:45 but men ought to be examined by the Word of God. 24:48 The church need not keep apologizing 24:51 for preaching straight. 24:53 God never told us to preach because people agree with it. 24:56 In 2 Timothy 4:2-5 listen to what the Lord says, 25:00 He says to us, "Preach the word!" 25:04 Once again He says what? 25:06 Preach the word, be instant in season, 25:10 and out of season' reprove, rebuke, 25:13 exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, He says, 25:18 for the time will come," 25:19 and I believe the time has come, 25:21 "when they will not endure sound doctrine." 25:25 Let me pause and say something. 25:27 There is some churches that say they don't teach doctrine. 25:29 If you are part of a church that does not teach doctrine, 25:32 they don't use God's word 25:34 because when you open the Word of God, 25:35 doctrine simply means teachings, 25:37 understanding the truth about God, 25:39 understanding the truth about His character, 25:42 understanding the truth about His revelation, 25:44 understanding the truth about His will for your life. 25:47 They say that we don't teach doctrine 25:49 so that they can attract you 25:50 to an empty mindless meaningless sabotaging, 25:56 icing only Christian experience, 25:58 anything that has no depth, 26:00 it's nothing that can anything to your life. 26:02 Anything that shallow can never reveal to you 26:05 the deep things of God. 26:08 Don't settle for shallow things, 26:09 preach the word. 26:11 The Bible says, "For the time will come 26:13 when they will not endure sound doctrine, 26:15 but what will they do? 26:17 But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves 26:21 teachers, having itching ears 26:27 and they shall turn away their ears from the truth 26:29 and shall be turned unto fables." 26:32 But watch, He says to this young man Timothy, 26:34 "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, 26:39 do the work of an evangelist, and then He says, 26:42 make full proof of thy ministry." 26:44 You see the only one 26:46 that we will give account to is God, 26:48 the one that is called us to ministry. 26:50 The only one that we are accountable to 26:52 is the one in whose word, 26:55 His will for our lives is revealed, 26:57 so if people don't like it, I would say respectfully tough. 27:02 I am more concerned about the God 27:03 that can give me eternal life 27:04 than the men that cannot take away my eternal life. 27:07 So I'd rather be persecuted by man for telling the truth 27:11 than prosecuted by God for avoiding telling the truth. 27:14 If truth brings me to a place of unpopularity, 27:17 the popularity that I seek is only hearing these words, 27:22 well done thou good and faithful servant. 27:24 I am not concerned about men 27:26 and how they feel about God's word. 27:28 God is called us to be men of the hour, 27:30 men of the word. 27:32 But the modern church wants to do all it can 27:35 to avoid affliction. 27:37 But I'm gonna tell you this. 27:38 There is no such thing as a polite gospel. 27:41 The Bible is not the Q-tip of the spirit, 27:44 the Bible is the two-edged sword 27:45 of the spirit. 27:47 Don't soften it, preach it as God has written it, 27:51 amen somebody. 27:52 We have arrived at a time in history 27:54 when the church is being threatened 27:55 for standing for righteousness. 27:58 The devil is warning us 27:59 that if we keep preaching against the kingdom, 28:01 against his kingdom we are going to get in trouble. 28:03 I thought about that once, 28:05 you know somebody once send me a letter 28:07 and matter of fact, I met with one of my friends 28:10 and colleagues in ministry and he said to me, 28:13 he said to me, "John, 28:14 are you staying out of trouble?" 28:15 I said no, why should I. 28:17 And though he snickered for a moment, he said, 28:19 now really, are you staying out of trouble? 28:21 I said no, I am not staying out of trouble. 28:23 I am always in trouble. 28:24 I said as the matter of fact, 28:26 as the preacher it's good to be in trouble. 28:27 Jesus was always in trouble, 28:29 the apostles were always in trouble, 28:31 the disciples were always in trouble, 28:33 the prophets were always in trouble. 28:35 Any time you stand for the kingdom of God, 28:37 you cannot avoid trouble. 28:40 You got to know where you stand. 28:42 You have to know for whom you stand 28:44 and when you stand on the side of immortal God, 28:47 you have no fear for mortal man. 28:50 Joshua made it very clear 28:52 when the Amorites came up against Israel 28:55 and threatened Israel. 28:56 They thought that they could stamp out the men of God 28:58 but notice what Joshua 10:24-25 says 29:01 about how useless it is to fear men 29:06 that can do nothing against you. 29:07 Joshua 10:24 and 25, notice this, 29:11 "So it was, 29:13 when they brought out the kings of Joshua 29:15 or to Joshua, 29:17 that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, 29:20 and said to the captains of the men of war 29:22 who went with him, "Come near, 29:26 put your feet on the necks of these kings." 29:29 And they drew near 29:31 and put their feet on their necks." 29:33 Verse 25 of Joshua 10, "Then Joshua said to them, 29:38 'Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed' 29:42 be strong and of good courage, 29:44 for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies 29:49 against whom you fight." 29:51 What God promises is when you stand on His word, 29:55 God will stand on those that stand against His word. 29:59 When you stand for the right, 30:00 God will stand against those who stand against of right. 30:04 When you stand for the light, 30:05 God will fight against those who fight against the light. 30:08 Don't worry about the people that are against you 30:10 because the Bible says, they that are with us 30:13 are more than they that be with them. 30:15 You're always on the side of right 30:17 when you stand on the side of light. 30:19 Joshua 10:21, Joshua said again, 30:23 "Not one moved his tongue 30:26 against any of the children of Israel." 30:29 And I like that in Mathew 30:30 the converted tax collector said it. 30:32 "Upon this rock, Jesus said I build my church 30:35 and the gates of hell together shall not prevail against it." 30:40 When we stand on the rock, the ones that are gonna come, 30:43 the waves are gonna to come, 30:44 the powers of hell are gonna be unleashed against us 30:47 but it cannot bring down a house 30:50 built on the enduring rock Christ Jesus. 30:53 Praise the Lord for that. 30:55 Certainly not just reverence God's house 30:59 and not just God's word 31:01 but one more thing that's missing in today's society, 31:03 we should reverence or honor those that represent God. 31:07 You know the attitude we display toward those 31:10 that God chooses indicates our reverence to God. 31:13 In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, 31:15 Jesus made that point, 31:17 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for ignoring the word of Moses, 31:22 the prophet. 31:23 Look at Luke 16:31," But He said to him, 31:28 'If they did not or do not hear Moses and the prophets, 31:32 neither will they be persuaded 31:34 though one rose from the dead.'" 31:37 He said, I sent prophets, you persecuted them. 31:41 I spoke through my servant Moses, 31:43 you ignored him. 31:44 If you won't hear Moses, 31:46 if you won't honor my representative, 31:48 there is no way that you are gonna honor me. 31:50 And I tell you friends, he was exactly right 31:53 because the very ones that He called to honor Moses, 31:56 that did not honor Moses, 31:57 that persecuted the prophets were the very ones 32:00 that called for the persecution of Jesus. 32:03 That's why Stephen, 32:05 at the closing moment of his life, 32:07 he rebuked the religious leaders 32:10 for their indifference to God's attempt 32:13 to win their hearts. 32:15 Stephen said, 32:19 " Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? 32:22 And they killed those who foretold 32:25 of the coming of the Just One, 32:26 of whom you now have become the betrayers 32:30 and the murderers." 32:32 They murdered Jesus 32:34 because they ignored the messengers of Jesus. 32:38 That's why Paul, that faithful apostle, 32:41 he says to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 and 13, 32:46 "And we urge you, brethren, 32:48 to recognize those who labor among you, 32:51 pray for your preachers, 32:52 pray for your leaders, pray for your elders, 32:55 pray for your deacons and deaconesses, 32:56 pray for your administrators. 32:58 Don't take the self-centered position 33:01 that your opinion is greater than the people 33:04 that God has chose. 33:06 Never put yourself in that category. 33:09 "We urge you, brethren, 33:10 to recognize those who labor among you, 33:12 and are over you in the Lord and admonish you. 33:16 And verse13, "And to esteem them 33:19 very highly in love for their work's sake. 33:24 Be at peace amongst yourselves." 33:26 You see, when I continue to study 33:31 the message of the burning bush. 33:33 Something that jumped out of me was amazing. 33:35 This apparently worthless bush that had no glory of its own, 33:41 why would God chose such an instrument 33:45 to reflect His righteousness, to reflect His glory, 33:49 to say to Moses you are on holy ground, 33:51 to say to Moses you are in the presence of God. 33:53 Why would God not use a rose bush? 33:57 Why would God not use a tree 34:00 filled with avocados or mangoes? 34:02 Why would God not use a vineyard 34:07 filled and replete with nothing 34:09 but juice filled grapes of every hue? 34:12 Why would God use a bush 34:15 that seem to have no properties of any attraction. 34:20 You see for the benefit of those 34:22 scratching their heads, 34:23 there is an epiphany in the burning bush. 34:25 What is an epiphany? 34:27 Just for those of you who don't know. 34:29 An epiphany is a sudden intuitive perception of 34:34 or insight into the reality 34:37 or essential meaning of something, 34:39 usually initiated by a simple homely 34:43 or common place occurrence or experience. 34:46 In other words, 34:48 there is another message from the burning bush. 34:51 The message that the Lord brought to me and I say, 34:54 I thank you Lord for the message. 34:56 You see, it begins to border on why we are, what we are, 35:02 what we were when He found us, when God found us. 35:05 What we used to be when Jesus called us. 35:08 What we felt we were when He discovered us. 35:11 What we had when He rescued us to what we are today. 35:15 To God be the glory. You see here is the point. 35:18 Follow my reasoning very carefully. 35:20 If Jesus is the light of the world and He is, 35:24 and He calls us to be the light of the world which He does. 35:29 Could it be that when God used the burning bush 35:35 to prefigure the presence of the coming Messiah, 35:38 that Jesus chooses bushes like us 35:43 to reflect the glory and the righteousness of Jesus. 35:48 Could it be... 35:49 Could it be that God calls us in our uncompleted form, 35:54 in our form of lacking ability and skill, 35:58 in the dried places of our inability 36:01 or disqualification, God looks at us as we are, 36:05 but He doesn't leave us the way He finds us. 36:07 You see the experience of the burning bush 36:10 is anything but simple. 36:14 What was happening to the burning bush 36:16 was anything but homely. 36:18 What was reflected through the burning bush 36:20 was anything but common place. 36:23 The most powerful revelation of God, 36:25 the most powerful revelation of God's dream for us 36:30 is revealed in the message of the burning bush. 36:34 I was amazed when I thought about that 36:36 because I look back at my life, three months old, 36:39 abandoned by my mother and my father, 36:41 in the home of people that are strangers. 36:44 Later on we grew into our relationship. 36:46 Later on they became mother and father to me. 36:48 I met my dad for the first time at 13 years old, 36:50 my mother for the first time when I was almost 26. 36:53 I was nothing but a bush. I had no anger. 36:56 I had no home and wish to find my identity 36:59 but the abandonment that God allowed 37:01 became the first step in this burning bush 37:05 that would one day begin 37:06 to produce fruit to the glory of God. 37:10 He sees us in our condition but He does not leave us there. 37:13 He sees us in our brokenness, in our barrenness, 37:16 and He says, I can use this bush to reveal my glory. 37:20 Praise the Lord somebody. 37:21 You see the most powerful revelation 37:23 of God's dream for you, my friend, 37:26 is revealed in the burning bush. 37:29 Look at the questions. Look at the questions. 37:32 How could God that is so profound 37:35 choose a bush that is so common? 37:38 How could a God that is so abundant 37:41 select a bush that is so barren? 37:44 I remember when I started singing years ago 37:47 when I was a teenagers, 37:49 there in the home when my family, 37:51 the family I was raised in from the West Indies, 37:53 they would play calypso music. 37:56 And I would hear my uncles' voices resonating 37:58 as they sang worldly calypso music, 38:00 and in my room I would hum along with them, 38:02 and I always thought that I had a good voice. 38:04 I always thought that I could sing very well 38:06 until one day God said to me, buy yourself a tape recorder 38:09 and tape your own voice. 38:10 Listen to what you really sound like. 38:12 You see sometimes we think we are something 38:14 when we are nothing, 38:16 and sometimes God has to pull on our coattail 38:18 and says, "Examine yourself 38:20 to see whether or not you are in the faith. 38:22 If you think your gift is something, 38:25 start examining your gifts. 38:26 If you think your work is something, 38:28 examine your works. 38:29 Don't glorify in what you think you have. 38:32 Examine what you think you have. 38:34 So I bought a tape deck and to my surprise, my brother, 38:38 to my surprise when I listened to that tape recorder, 38:41 I said, Lord have mercy. 38:42 I thought I was on key. I was anything but on key. 38:45 I was all around the key. I was off key. 38:48 I was off the note, and the Lord said, 38:50 I have given you a rough gift. 38:51 I have given you a burning bush gift, 38:54 take that gift and develop it to my glory and my honor. 38:57 I did not at that moment understand what that all meant. 39:01 But I came to discover years later 39:03 because I took that voice that God had given to me. 39:05 I began to sing for the world. 39:07 I began to play guitar in bands that played worldly music. 39:11 I would sing, use my voice at parties. 39:13 I would sing for secular events 39:16 not knowing that the Lord found me as a dried bush 39:20 and He wanted to take that gift 39:21 and develop it just for His glory. 39:26 What did I do? 39:27 I thought I was adequate. I thought I was profound. 39:30 I thought I was where I should be. 39:32 I thought I had arrived and the Lord was looking at me, 39:34 you're nothing but a burning bush. 39:36 You see, friends, I ask you the question again. 39:38 How could a God who is so profound 39:41 choose a bush that is so common? 39:43 You may be at a place in your life, 39:45 where you look back on where you came from 39:47 and you say to God be the glory. 39:48 If I'd only known, if I'd only known 39:51 that God could do this through me, 39:53 I would have given God the chance 39:55 to do whatever He called me to do. 39:57 But the problem is we don't see ourselves as God sees us. 40:01 We see ourselves in our own human abilities 40:05 that's why whenever God calls you, 40:06 be careful to say I can do that, 40:08 'cause it's not us that do it anyway. 40:10 It is God who works in us both to will 40:12 and to do of his good pleaser. 40:14 It is God who says, the work I began in you, 40:17 I will complete it. 40:18 It is God who says to us, 40:20 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 40:23 God is the one that pulls the strings. 40:26 God is the one that fills us with His spirit. 40:28 God is the one that says to us it is not by might, 40:32 nor by power but by my spirit. 40:34 Praise the Lord somebody, 40:36 I look my life today where I was, 40:38 that little boy on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, 40:40 that little boy that involved in street life 40:43 and fighting gangs fights and living in clubs 40:46 and disco halls, and drinking, and gambling, and partying, 40:51 and hustling. 40:52 And I look at myself today and I say, Lord, 40:54 you saw me as a burning bush but to Your glory, 40:56 You have allowed these fruits to show just for Your glory. 40:59 How could God who is so profound 41:02 choose a bush that is so common? 41:04 I want to tell you today, 41:06 when your life is in the hand of God, 41:07 you are not common, 41:08 you are a fruitful tree in the making. 41:10 You may just have roots, your branches may be empty, 41:14 but God is about to turn your life inside out 41:16 for His glory. 41:17 How could God that is so abundant 41:19 select a bush that is so barren? 41:21 You may say I don't have anything. 41:22 I cannot sing,. I cannot preach. 41:24 I can't give a Bible study. Oh, brethren, let me stop you. 41:27 Sister, let me prevent you from self destruction, 41:30 it's not what you do, 41:31 but if there is thirst to willing heart, 41:34 if there is thirst to willing heart, 41:35 you are accepted according to what you have 41:37 and not according to what you don't have. 41:39 God can turn you into a vessel for His honor. 41:42 He can fill you with the spirit. 41:44 And the glory that will be revealed in you 41:47 is not your glory but the glory that resides in God alone. 41:53 How could the inadequate reflect the divine? 41:57 How could the homely reveal the heavenly? 42:01 You see the story of your life and mine. 42:03 I want to say this very clearly. 42:05 The story of your life and mine 42:08 is not that we have a great heritage 42:11 but that we have a great God. 42:15 The story of my ministry and your ministry 42:18 is not in our training but it's in our transformation. 42:21 The story of our accomplishments 42:23 and our goals is not in our plans 42:25 but in God's plans. 42:27 You see it's not where you came from 42:29 but it's what God always envisioned that you can be. 42:32 Look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 a powerful passage, 42:36 a powerful verse helping us to see that we are the bushes 42:40 that are called to reflect the glory of God. 42:43 Paul says, for you see, 42:46 verse 26-29 of 1 Corinthians Chapter 1, 42:52 "For you see your calling, brethren, 42:55 that not many wise according to the flesh, 42:59 not many mighty, not many noble are called." 43:02 God is not looking for people that think they're qualified. 43:05 He is looking for people that are humbled. 43:07 God is not looking for men and women 43:08 that think they got it all together. 43:10 Now let me just point and pause right here 43:12 for a brief moment before I go to verse 27. 43:15 It's important to get education 43:17 but don't ever think your education can go on 43:21 and make you successful without the divine presence of God. 43:24 It's important to get a degree, 43:26 but remember the most important degree 43:28 you need is a BA, Born Again. 43:31 It's important to get a doctorate degree 43:33 or master's degree, 43:35 all the things you desire to accomplish, 43:36 but remember, it is not what you fill yourself with 43:39 but only when you're filled by the power 43:42 and the presence and the spirit of God 43:44 that your life can be transformed. 43:45 I want to talk to the young ladies today. 43:48 You may be in a home that you feel 43:49 that your value has been diminished 43:51 but God can turn your life around. 43:53 I want to talk to the young men today. 43:54 You may be in a home where you are ignored, 43:56 where you're overlooked, 43:57 where you seem to come back to the... 43:59 You seemed to end about the back of the line. 44:01 God is gonna turn that young man's life around, 44:04 that young lady's life around 44:05 if you simply realize that God has a plan for you young man, 44:10 for you young lady. 44:12 You may be stuck in a dead end job 44:15 wondering where tomorrow is gonna be. 44:16 Let me tell you my testimony. 44:18 When I was working down in the Wall Street 44:20 at one of the bank and insurance companies. 44:22 I remember working for an insurance company 44:24 and they said to me, they said to me 44:26 that starting from now on twice a month 44:29 we are going to call you to work on Saturdays. 44:32 Now I was not in the church as I should be, 44:35 but I remember the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy. 44:37 It's amazing I am living sinful 44:39 but I am keeping the Sabbath holy, 44:40 help me Lord. 44:42 I didn't forget that, 44:43 I would not work on the Sabbath 44:45 even though I had nobody to tell me not to, 44:46 but God had placed it in my heart 44:49 when I was a young man. 44:50 My mother put that there and the Bible says, 44:52 if you train up a child 44:53 in a way he should go when he is old, 44:54 he will not depart from it, so I knew that. 44:57 But they scheduled me to work on Sabbath 45:00 and I said to my supervisor, I am not showing up. 45:02 He said but you have to. I said I don't have to. 45:04 I am not gonna be here. 45:05 He said but you're obligated to do. 45:07 I said I am not gonna be here. 45:09 He scheduled me, I didn't show up. 45:11 Monday morning he called me into the office, 45:12 he said you didn't come. 45:13 I said is that a surprise to you, 45:15 I told you I wouldn't be here. 45:16 I told you I am not coming. 45:18 He said but it's your responsibility, it's your job. 45:20 I said my accountability is to my God. 45:23 He said you have one more chance, John, 45:25 in two more weeks we're gonna schedule you again. 45:27 I said let me tell you, 45:28 let's not, let's not waste the time. 45:30 I felt like the Hebrews in front of Nebuchadnezzar. 45:32 Let's not waste time here, 45:33 in two more weeks I'm not gonna show up at all. 45:36 At that time they scheduled me, I didn't show up. 45:38 I got fired on Monday morning. I got fired on Monday morning. 45:42 Now some folk would say, 45:45 if you have a job unless you are wealthy 45:48 you cannot afford to get fired. 45:50 Let me tell you the real story. 45:52 If you have a job, 45:55 your wealth is not based on what you have. 45:57 The Bible says our God is rich in houses and land. 46:01 He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 46:04 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 46:06 The gold and silver is mine. 46:08 And the Lord even says if I will hungry, 46:11 I wouldn't even tell you. 46:13 So don't be fearful that men may threaten you 46:16 to compromise the truth of God's word. 46:18 When somebody says to abandon your principles 46:21 and truth of God's word to sustain your life, 46:23 that's the worst decision you can make. 46:25 But when you stand for what is right, 46:27 God will sustain you. 46:29 Look at 1 Corinthians 1:27 back to the burning bush, 46:34 God will provide for you. 46:36 The Lord says, "But God 46:38 has chosen the foolish things of the world 46:41 to put to shame the wise, 46:43 and God has chosen the weak things of the world, 46:46 the bushes of the world, 46:49 to put to shame the things which are mighty. 46:52 And the base things of the world, 46:55 that seem are unimportant, 46:57 and the things which are despised, 46:59 God has chosen. 47:01 If you're despised God is calling you. 47:04 If you seemed to be overlooked and ignored, 47:05 God is calling you and here is why, 47:08 and the things which are not, 47:11 to bring to nothing the things that are, 47:14 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 47:19 I want to tell you, friends. 47:20 The only flesh that receives glory is the human flesh 47:25 that has been consumed by the power 47:27 and the presence of that divine God, 47:30 that burning bush. 47:32 Oh, I'll tell you one day 47:33 that burning bush is gonna produce fruit. 47:35 That burning bush, 47:36 that's one of my sermons I preached before 47:38 is gonna to begin to produce 60, 30 or 100 fold 47:41 not because of his or her abilities, 47:43 not because of his or her education, 47:45 not because of his or her intellect, 47:47 but because of the power and the presence of God 47:49 in that person's life. 47:51 Well, I'll tell you today, the glory of God 47:54 was revealed in a bush that burned. 47:57 Let's look at that text again, 47:59 the one we began the story with, 48:00 the one I began my sermon with. 48:03 And the Lord, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him, 48:07 Yahweh appeared to Moses in a flame of fire 48:12 from the midst of a bush. 48:13 So he looked and behold the bush was burning with fire 48:20 but the bush was not consumed. 48:24 You see the title of this message 48:25 was solving the Christian crises. 48:29 How do we solve the Christian crises? 48:31 How do unfruitful Christians 48:34 become fruitful workers for God? 48:38 How do unproductive church member 48:39 sitting in church from week to week 48:41 become active in the field of God's work? 48:43 How do people that seem as though they have no calling, 48:46 no gifts, no abilities, 48:48 all of a sudden become effective, 48:50 vibrant excited workers in the kingdom of God. 48:54 The bushes of the congregation, the bushes of your family. 48:58 The burning bushes 48:59 that seemed to have no ability of their own, 49:01 how do they get placed, 49:05 where they become valuable in the sight of humanity? 49:08 You see the question is, very careful. 49:10 How will the Lord appear to the world 49:13 except He lights a fire in us. 49:17 Now get this. 49:19 Jesus was revealed in the bush, 49:22 the glory of God appeared to Moses, 49:25 but there is another glory that the world needs to see. 49:27 The world needs to see the glory of God. 49:31 And here is the point, my friends, 49:32 the only way that the world will see the glory of God 49:35 is if we let God light us up for the glory of His name, 49:41 for the glory of His kingdom, for the work of His kingdom, 49:44 for the majesty of the holy one. 49:47 That's why He says in the Bible, 49:48 let your light shine before men, 49:50 let your light so shine before men 49:53 that they may see your good works 49:55 and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 49:59 The glory belongs to Him. 50:01 But God has called us to be the bushes of the world, 50:04 to allow Him to light us up. 50:05 How will they know the love of God 50:07 except Jesus is reflected in us and through us? 50:13 You see when you love the unlovely, 50:15 when you accept those who have been caste away, 50:17 when you put your arms around 50:19 those who have been pushed away, 50:20 when you lift the burden of somebody 50:22 who is down on his last cent. 50:25 Jesus is letting your bush reflect His glory. 50:29 When you stand for those things that are right, 50:31 though the heavens fall. 50:33 When you take the stand that seems odd, 50:35 but you do it for the glory of God, 50:37 your light is reflecting of the glory of God. 50:40 How will the world hear about salvation 50:43 except they hear it through us? 50:46 You see our pit fall is to think 50:49 that we were chosen because we were special. 50:53 We became special when we were chosen. 50:56 Let me say that again. 50:58 The pit fall to many of us to think that we were chosen 51:01 because we were special, because we were qualified, 51:04 because we were gifted. 51:06 But the reality of the story is we became special 51:10 when we were chosen. 51:12 The Lord made us special by His character, 51:15 by His righteousness, by His glory, by His gifts, 51:19 by His ability, by His light, by His power, 51:22 by His Holy Spirit, not by anything of our own. 51:26 We were just bushes until Jesus came in. 51:29 And so people hear of salvation, 51:31 they can see the love of God, 51:32 they can see the fire of God's kingdom 51:34 only as we allow Him 51:36 to consume our humanity that His divinity may be seen. 51:40 You see when Jesus found us, we were dry bushes 51:45 with no glory to speak of and no fruit to brag of. 51:48 But listen to John 15:16 51:51 as I begin to close this message. 51:53 Jesus made it clear as He said to Moses, 51:56 He called Moses to lead the children of Israel 52:00 against a recalcitrant pharaoh 52:03 and an army of Egyptian soldiers 52:06 that were born on the most powerful army 52:08 in the then known world. 52:10 How could this one man who couldn't hardly speak 52:14 fulfill the commission of God with his brother Aaron, 52:17 and his sister Miriam, how could they do that? 52:20 Listen to what the Bible says John 15:16, 52:24 the Lord says to us today, you did not choose me 52:28 but I choose you, that's good news friend. 52:31 You didn't choose me, John, I chose you. 52:34 You didn't choose me, Terry, I chose you. 52:37 You didn't choose me, Danny Shelton, I chose you. 52:40 You didn't choose me, whomever you may be. 52:42 God chose us that you He said should go and bear fruit, 52:48 and that your fruit should remain, 52:50 that whatever you ask the Father 52:53 in My name He will give it to you. 52:56 You see, friends, it's not what we can do 52:58 but it's what God promises He can do. 53:00 It's not our choice, it's his choice, 53:03 so don't shy away from a God who sees you as you can be 53:08 and not just as you are. 53:10 One of my favorite verses in the Bible have become 1 John 3. 53:14 I want to share this with you. 53:15 It's not in my script but I want to share it to you 53:17 because it's a powerful passage. 53:19 1 John 3:1. 53:21 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 53:25 that we burning bushes should be called 53:29 children of God! 53:30 Therefore the world does not know us, 53:33 because it did not know Him." 53:35 But I like the second verse, 53:36 "Beloved, now we are children of God 53:40 and it has not yet been revealed." 53:43 You see people see us as bushes, 53:44 it has yet not been revealed we shall be the Bible says, 53:47 but we know that when He is revealed, 53:53 you see when we see Jesus again, 53:55 we're not gonna see Him crucified. 53:56 We're not gonna see Him tormented. 53:58 We're not gonna see Him in Pilate's judgment hall. 54:00 We're not gonna see him with thorns of crown, 54:02 a crown of thorns on His head. 54:04 We're not gonna see Him nailed on a cross. 54:05 We're gonna see Him in unsolid glory. 54:08 We're gonna see Him reflecting divine, beauty and radiance 54:11 that we have never seen with human eyes before. 54:13 And so the same is true about us. 54:16 People may see us now, but the Bible assures us 54:20 that when Jesus is revealed, we shall be like Him, 54:25 for we shall see Him as He is. 54:27 One day a burning bush 54:29 is gonna look like the crucified savior 54:31 risen again glorified and never to die again. 54:35 And so my brother and sisters, here is the simple formula. 54:38 If you died yourself, if you died of sin, 54:40 you can live to the glory of God. 54:42 But if you live to sin, 54:44 you will die and the glory of God 54:46 will never be revealed in your life. 54:49 The fact of the matter is 54:51 only Jesus can turn barren bushes 54:55 into flourishing fruit trees. 54:58 In ministry we can get caught up 55:01 in trying to be so many things but now listen carefully. 55:07 I used to want to be this and that 55:08 but now all I want to be is a burning bush 55:13 ignited for the glory and the honor of God. 55:17 You see, I spent so many years trying to avoid the fire, 55:21 but I finally realized that we're called 55:24 to embrace the fire, 55:26 the fire that consumes everything about us, 55:29 every thought about us, every action from us, 55:32 every dream of ours, that God's glory, 55:35 that God's dream, that God's vision, 55:37 that God's plan, that God's purpose, 55:39 that's God's future can be revealed 55:41 not only in us but through us for others and for us. 55:46 And so today I embrace the burning fire. 55:49 I used to run from it. 55:50 And, friends, when you run from what God is trying to do, 55:53 you never become like Him. 55:55 But the fact of the matter is 55:57 the fire that God has kindled in the burning bush, 56:00 get this now, let's go back to the bush. 56:02 The bush was not burned up, but it was on fire. 56:05 You see the fire will refine us 56:08 and consume whatever does not reflect Christ. 56:12 Oh, friends, the fire will not, 56:15 the fire of God is not to destroy us 56:18 in the fires of hell. 56:19 But the fire that Jesus wants to ignite in our lives 56:23 is that the glory of God might be seen. 56:25 Jesus did not come, He said that in John 3:17 56:28 "For God sent not his Son 56:30 into the world to condemn the world, 56:32 but that the world through him might be saved." 56:36 Today, you want to be a burning bush 56:37 for the glory of God. 56:39 You want to be a plant reflecting the glory of God. 56:41 Remember these two very important phrases. 56:44 Jesus did not come to burn us up, 56:48 but He came to light us up. 56:50 Hallelujah. 56:51 He did not come to burn us up, he came to light us up 56:55 that the world may see in our ignited lives, 56:58 the glory of the incorruptible God. 57:02 So don't get, don't get caught up in what you are 57:06 but grab the vision that God has for your life. 57:08 And one day you will see yourself 57:11 the way He has always seen you. 57:13 The mission of Jesus is not to consume us 57:18 but to ignite us. 57:20 I pray that all of the bushes watching this program one day 57:23 will embrace the fire of God 57:24 that the glory of God will finally be seen. 57:27 God bless you. |
Revised 2016-08-29