Participants: Donnie Shelton
Series Code: POF
Program Code: POF000027A
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00:24 Hello and welcome once again to, Pillars of Faith.
00:28 I like to call it, a word for today in today's world. 00:31 And we welcome you to session number two 00:34 of our sitting with pastor Donnie Shelton, 00:38 he of Touching Hearts Ministries here in southern Illinois, 00:43 and really stretching around the world. 00:45 On yesterday we heard a powerful message, 00:47 Faith Equals Knowledge Times Light. 00:51 And I like that idea, that faith is knowledge times light. 00:56 Donnie, as you well know, is an energetic and enthusiastic 01:00 preacher of the Word. 01:02 And we like to have men and women who are passionate 01:05 about the things of God. 01:07 And that certainly describes Donnie Shelton. 01:09 As he preaches the word of God you feel that it comes from 01:13 a living experience with the Lord. 01:17 Just found out backstage that we are just about the same age. 01:20 Been in the ministry a good many years, 01:22 and God has blessed his ministry. 01:25 And his searching in the Word has brought forth, 01:29 like I said, our meat in due season for our thirsty souls. 01:32 So we fully expect that again today as you listen to 01:36 his message, which is entitled, My Grace is Sufficient for Thee, 01:42 as you hear that word you will be inspired, informed, 01:46 and given strength to keep on serving the Lord, 01:50 Jesus Christ. 01:53 God has been so good to Donnie, he and his lovely wife, Brenda, 01:57 serving the Lord together. 01:59 And we know that God has many things to give 02:02 to you through him, and so we ask for you and for him 02:08 God's richest blessings. 02:10 I'm going to ask you now to bow your heads with me 02:11 as we pray and formerly ask God to be the center 02:15 and circumference of this meeting. 02:16 And then we will turn you over to the man of God, 02:19 Pastor Donnie Shelton of Touching Hearts Ministries, 02:23 who will deliver the word of God here on, Pillars of Faith. 02:27 Shall we pray. Father God, how we praise You 02:30 and thank You for the power of Your word. 02:35 We thank You, dear Lord, for the fact that when the word 02:40 is preached, it will go to its appointed ends 02:45 and do precisely what You have called it to do. 02:48 That is, touching hearts, changing lives, 02:52 rearranging destinies for all eternity. 02:56 I ask You to bless Donnie in a special way as he preaches. 02:59 Fill him with Your Spirit so that Spirit can flow 03:03 through him to us as we listen to his words. 03:08 May they truly be Your words. 03:11 May our lives be enriched, and may we be given 03:15 courage and strength to continue to serve You 03:19 until You call us from labor to reward. 03:23 Bless now the man of God, bless his words, 03:26 and bless the thousands upon thousands upon thousands 03:31 who will hear. 03:32 And we thank You, dear Father. 03:34 In Jesus' name, amen and amen. 03:37 And now Pastor Donnie Shelton. 03:44 Thank you, Pastor C.A. 03:46 What a privilege it is to be in God's house today and have 03:50 the honor of preaching the lovely Jesus Christ 03:53 to His people. 03:54 We're so glad that you tuned in today. 03:57 Our message today is entitled, There is No Elevator. 04:01 I have several titles for today; 04:03 God's Grace is Sufficient for Thee. 04:06 But where I got this title, There is No Elevator, 04:08 came from my cousin Danny. 04:11 When we talk about God's grace, God's grace, 04:16 grace is merely the fact that everything that 04:19 God does for us, and through us, and in us, is a gift. 04:27 It's unmerited. 04:29 I did nothing to earn the privilege today 04:32 of preaching the lovely Jesus to His people. 04:35 What an honor. 04:36 And you know, I just feel like this: 04:38 within myself, within my capabilities, within my talents, 04:44 I don't have the ability, I do not have the ability, 04:48 to bring this word to you today. 04:50 But through the power of the Holy Spirit, 04:55 which another gift, God will provide me the words 04:59 to speak to you, the words that you need to hear today, 05:03 that no matter what you're going through today, 05:05 what circumstance, no matter how dark it is, 05:08 God is able to supply an avenue to get you out of 05:15 maybe a bad situation. 05:17 Maybe you're in bad financial straits today, 05:20 maybe you got a bad lab report. 05:22 God is able, through His power, and through His mercy, 05:27 and through His grace to deliver you. 05:30 He is able to meet all of our requests 05:33 and our demands today. 05:35 God's grace is sufficient for you today, and for me as well. 05:41 But this title that I threw in today is called, 05:45 There is No Elevator. 05:47 And I'm going to go ahead and read 2 Corinthians 12:9. 05:51 Listen to this. 05:52 "And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: 05:59 for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'" 06:03 You know, when Paul wrote this, he had just been 06:06 knocked off of a horse. 06:09 He was on his way to Damascus. 06:12 And God saw Paul, and that he could be an ambassador, 06:17 a minister of the gospel, that he could take Jesus Christ 06:21 to the Gentiles. 06:22 Now Paul, I'm sure, on the way to Damascus 06:26 maybe to capture some more Christians, 06:28 never dreamed that God was looking down on him 06:33 and God's grace would shine upon him. 06:36 Did Paul deserve to be a minister? No. 06:38 And Paul will tell you that. 06:40 But God thought, "This is the man that I need 06:44 to deliver the message of My Son, Jesus Christ." 06:48 So God, out of love, called Paul into the ministry. 06:53 And then God enabled him, He gave him the talents, 06:57 and the knowledge, and the faith, and the power 07:00 to be the man that God wanted him to be. 07:03 If God is calling you today into a ministry, 07:08 He will enable you, through His grace, 07:11 through His Spirit, to do what He is asking you to do. 07:15 We all have a task, number one priority in everyone's life, 07:19 they should pray, "God, who can I bring to Jesus for You?" 07:26 Proverbs says we're all called to be soul winners. 07:29 So ask God today, "Lord, there's a person out there, 07:33 I pray that You'll use me 07:36 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 07:38 that You will enable me through Thy Word, 07:41 to bring them to Jesus Christ." 07:44 Let's go back to the sermon title today. 07:46 This is the number one part. 07:48 There is No Elevator. 07:50 Many, many years ago, it's been 12 or 13 years ago, 07:53 my cousin Danny Shelton and I were just outside 07:56 this worship center, and we were talking. 07:59 We were talking about my new ministry, 08:02 Touching Hearts Ministries. 08:03 And of course we went right back to 3ABN, 08:05 the miracles that God has done through 3ABN. 08:09 And I said, "Danny, I want to preach here, 08:13 I want to preach there. 08:15 Danny, I want more faith. 08:18 Danny, I want the Lord to give me some more words to speak, 08:21 some more messages. 08:22 I need lots of knowledge, Danny. 08:23 I need an extra measure of the Holy Spirit. 08:26 I want to be what God wants me to be." 08:28 He said, "Donnie, Donnie, slow down. 08:31 Let me tell you, when you start working for Jesus, 08:35 and in His ministries, there are no elevators. 08:42 You will have to take the stairs like everybody else." 08:46 Just like Mark Finley, just like Pastor John Lomacang, 08:49 just like Pastor C.A. Murray, just like Pastor Hal Steenson. 08:52 "You'll have to take the stairs like everybody else." 08:56 We grow in Jesus, not rapidly upward like 09:00 an elevator would take us. 09:02 We have to take the stairs of life. 09:04 And as we walk and as we study the Word of God, 09:08 and as we pray and as we witness, our faith in Christ 09:12 begins to grow. 09:14 And then we gain these experiences in life. 09:17 As we travel for Jesus, as we walk for Jesus, 09:21 we gain valuable experiences that we can put into 09:27 the ministry of bringing people to Jesus Christ. 09:32 Let's go a little bit further here. 09:33 Now, walking with Jesus... 09:36 Like Danny said, there's no elevator. 09:39 You're going to have to take the stairs like everybody else. 09:42 Walking with Jesus is one flight of stairs after another. 09:48 Climbing upward, never staying on the first floor, 09:52 the second floor, or the third floor. 09:55 We should be continually growing in Jesus Christ. 10:00 Now let's go a little bit further with this message. 10:02 Listen very carefully. 10:03 As we walk with Jesus, we will call that again today, 10:09 the walk of sanctification. 10:11 As I move forward for Jesus, we must be always moving 10:16 forward for Jesus, as we gain in faith, 10:19 and strength, and power through the Holy Spirit, 10:23 and through studying the Bible, something takes place within us 10:28 called transformation. 10:30 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man 10:36 be in Christ, he is a brand new creature. 10:38 And old things pass away," and praise God, 10:41 "everything are becomes new." 10:42 It's transformation within you. 10:45 When the Holy Spirit comes to live within you, 10:49 He produces transformation. 10:52 And transformation, listen carefully now, 10:55 will produce motivation. 10:58 The Holy Spirit will produce innovation, 11:02 dedication, and sanctification. 11:05 We need motivation today. 11:09 Motivation is a state or a condition of being motivated. 11:15 It is desire. It is an action word. 11:18 Once I accepted Christ as my personal Savior, 11:22 I said, "Lord," I was like Paul, "Lord, now that You came 11:26 into my life, now that I've been washed in the blood of Jesus, 11:30 now that I've been wrapped in His righteousness 11:33 and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, 11:35 oh God, my faith has been renewed. 11:38 I feel motivated to do something for Jesus." 11:42 We have different speakers out there in the Adventist movement 11:47 that are motivators. 11:50 When I think of Mark Finley, Pastor Mark Finley, 11:52 when he comes on 3ABN the first thing that my wife 11:56 and I do, we go get some handkerchiefs 11:59 because his sermons are tearjerkers. 12:02 You're going to be touched. 12:04 When Doug Batchelor comes on 3ABN, 12:07 we go get all of our study guides. 12:09 Are you with me? 12:11 When David Asscherick comes on 3ABN, 12:13 we go get our dictionaries. 12:16 He uses words about that long. I need a dictionary. 12:18 Sometimes I even need an encyclopedia. 12:20 When my cousin Danny Shelton is on 3ABN, 12:24 we go out, we grab our suitcases, we get our car keys, 12:28 we put our tennis shoes on, because he's a motivator. 12:31 We feel like, man, the blessing is on the, "Go." 12:33 We have to do something for Jesus. 12:35 We need motivators that are filled with the 12:39 power of the Holy Spirit. 12:41 And all of this takes place because of God's amazing grace. 12:46 We don't deserve the gift of the Holy Spirit. 12:49 We do not deserve the gift of faith. 12:52 We don't deserve the gift of love or salvation. 12:55 We don't deserve the gift of eternal life. 12:57 But God, because of His great love toward us, 13:02 because of His compassion toward us, 13:05 His grace, His unmerited favor shines on us. 13:11 And that should motivate us. 13:13 I call it, the grace-given, faith-driven. 13:16 3ABN is grace-given. 13:19 Because they're grace-driven, it causes faith-driven. 13:25 Grace-driven, faith-driven. Grace-given. 13:29 Are you with me so far? 13:30 Grace and faith work hand in hand. 13:35 Because of God's unmerited favor, I have been blessed, 13:39 I have been transformed. 13:41 Not because I deserve it. 13:43 I want to always go back to that. 13:44 I deserve nothing. 13:46 But God loves me, as it says in Jeremiah 31:3, 13:49 with an everlasting love. 13:52 Now that I have the faith, now that I've been motivated 13:58 to move forward, now that I know that God is calling me 14:01 into ministry, I have to have the faith and rely on God, 14:06 that God is able to do what I ask. 14:09 Remember we said in a sermon not too long ago 14:12 that hope is that God will answer our prayers. 14:17 Faith is: God is capable; 14:20 I hope He will answer our prayers. 14:23 But I know that God is able. 14:26 So we're going to go this morning to Exodus 14:14-16. 14:34 Let's read those together. 14:35 Get your Bibles out. 14:37 Grab you a pencil and paper. 14:39 I want you to write these scriptures down. 14:42 And when we're finished with this sermon, 14:45 I want you to go back to these scriptures and study them 14:48 for yourselves as well. 14:49 God is able. 14:53 Exodus 14:14-16, and here's what the Bible says. 14:59 "The LORD shall fight for you," praise God. 15:03 "Hold your peace." 15:04 Verse 13 says, "Fear not, stand still, 15:08 and see the salvation of the LORD..." 15:11 "And the LORD said unto Moses..." 15:13 I love Moses. 15:15 "The LORD said unto Moses, 'Wherefore thou criest unto me? 15:19 Speak unto the children of Israel, 15:21 that they may go forward.'" 15:24 In your walk with Jesus, there is no stopping point. 15:27 There is no rest. 15:29 We must be constantly, consistently, persistently 15:34 moving forward for Jesus Christ. 15:36 "But thou..." Listen to what God told Moses. 15:39 "But thou lift up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand 15:43 over the sea, and divide it." 15:46 Now let's break this scripture down. 15:48 Let me break it down here for you. 15:49 Here we find Moses and the Israelites 15:53 who had just been freed by the power of God 15:59 from the hands of the Egyptians. 16:01 They were trapped now, they were cornered, 16:04 with seemingly no way out. 16:08 Pharaoh behind them and the Red Sea before them. 16:11 Here was Moses, here were God's people. 16:14 They were trapped, it seemed by all appearances 16:18 there was no way out. 16:20 But God is able to get you out of that seemingly 16:24 impossible situation. 16:27 All we need is faith in God that He is able, 16:33 and willing, and wants to help me. 16:37 Is everybody with me so far? 16:38 Let's go a little bit further now. 16:40 God... 16:41 Now I want you to think about this. 16:43 God could have stopped Pharaoh's army from mounting their horses. 16:50 He could have stopped them from manning their chariots. 16:53 He could have stopped them from marching toward their desire 16:56 for vengeance and slaughter of Moses. 16:59 But God did not. 17:01 Now the question here, why did God not stop 17:06 Pharaoh and his army? 17:08 Listen very carefully. 17:09 God's people could have left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, 17:14 and journeyed toward the Promise Land 17:17 without any incidence whatsoever. 17:19 But God... Now listen to this carefully. 17:22 Listen carefully. 17:24 But God allowed the trial, 17:28 even at the beginning of their journey. 17:32 We will go through some fiery trials in this life. 17:37 But these trials are given to us, they are allowed 17:41 to happen to us, for our own good. 17:44 Praise God. 17:45 We need refined. 17:47 When I'm in my darkest hour, that's when I find myself 17:51 on my knees. 17:52 That's when I say, "Oh God, I'm in trouble this time. 17:56 I need Your help." 17:57 I rely on Him. 17:59 And then God miraculously answers my prayer. 18:03 And I find out God is able, God is willing, 18:07 God loves me and He wants to answer my prayers. 18:09 Praise God. 18:11 There are times we need trials to refine us. 18:15 God knows where you stand with Him. 18:18 But maybe there are folks around you today, 18:20 they need to know, they need to see that when you go 18:23 through these trials, that you remain faithful to God, 18:27 because you have studied the Word of God. 18:30 You've prayed, you've testified, and you've walked the walk. 18:35 Listen go a little bit further here. 18:36 Now listen very carefully. 18:38 From the moment we started our journey for Christ, 18:42 being delivered from a crisis situation by the hand of God, 18:47 here's what it does. 18:49 It encourages, it builds faith, 18:53 it builds trust in whom we are following. 18:57 Jesus Christ. 18:59 Every time the Lord allows me to have victory, 19:04 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 19:06 I become encouraged. 19:10 My faith is renewed. 19:13 I learn to trust in Him. 19:16 I learn to rely on Him. 19:19 So these trials, and sometimes they are fiery trials as well, 19:23 they are allowed to happen for my own good. 19:28 I need to know that when I'm in trouble, 19:32 there is someone waiting for me with arms open 19:35 to say, "Donnie, I can help you. 19:37 And Donnie, the only one that can help you is God." 19:40 Let's go a bit further here. 19:42 Now, is God able to heal? 19:48 There are those right now that are praying 19:52 for physical healing. 19:54 They are not healed on some occasions. 19:58 Some occasions they are. 20:00 If they are not healed, is their faith weak? 20:05 Do they doubt? 20:07 If they are not healed, is it their fault? 20:11 Let's talk about that this morning. 20:13 Let's do. 20:14 Is God able to heal? 20:16 Yes, yes, God is able to heal. 20:20 Yes, but of course He's able. 20:23 And at times He honors our prayers and He does heal. 20:28 Sometimes He does not. 20:31 When God doesn't heal, is it our fault? 20:36 Are we lacking in faith? 20:37 Let's study that this morning. 20:39 I want you to get your Bibles out, 20:41 turn to 2 Corinthians with me. 20:44 2 Corinthians the 12th chapter, 20:47 and together let's read verses 7-9. 20:51 We're going to be talking about Paul today. 20:55 One of my favorite writers. 20:57 I just love Paul. 20:59 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 21:04 Read this with me. 21:06 "And lest I should be exalted..." 21:08 Remember, this is Paul speaking. 21:11 "And lest I should be exalted above measure 21:15 through the abundance of the revelations, 21:17 there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, 21:22 the messenger of Satan to buffet me, 21:26 lest I should be exalted above measure. 21:30 For this thing I besought..." 21:32 Paul, this is Paul speaking. 21:35 "For this thing I," Paul, "besought the Lord three times, 21:39 that it might depart from me. 21:41 And he said unto me, 'Paul, Paul, My grace 21:46 is sufficient for thee: 21:48 for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'" 21:52 So Paul said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory 21:57 in my infirmities, that the power of Christ 22:00 might rest upon me." 22:02 Now let's break this scripture down. 22:04 Listen carefully. 22:06 Paul's conclusion on the matter of healing was, 22:12 "It would be great to have this constant 22:15 physical problem removed. 22:19 But if the removal of this infirmity is going to 22:24 cost me my soul, or make my calling as a minister void 22:29 in any way, or put a wall between me and my God, 22:35 then I will glory in my infirmities. 22:38 I will trust that these infirmities 22:41 are for my eternal benefit." 22:45 God does not always heal. Sometimes God does. 22:49 We don't understand. 22:52 God said, "My ways are above your ways. 22:54 My thoughts are above your thoughts." 22:56 It's hard to understand God. 22:59 But I will say this to you: 23:02 In faith, that whether you're healed or not healed, 23:06 God has a plan for you. 23:08 That the trail that you're going through today 23:11 will allow you to lean upon Him. 23:16 He is only one God, the Creator of all things. 23:20 Praise God. Let's go a bit further here. 23:22 Now, listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. 23:29 Here's what Paul says. 23:31 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment..." 23:37 Folks, if you live to be a hundred here on this earth, 23:40 compared to eternity, that's just a short period of time. 23:45 And no matter what we go through here, 23:48 compared to the joys of heaven, 23:51 Paul said it's just a light affliction. 23:54 It's very, very light. 23:56 But listen, let's read it again. 23:58 "For our light affliction, which is but for just a moment, 24:03 worketh for us a far more exceeding 24:06 and eternal weight of glory." 24:08 Here's what Paul was saying. 24:10 Sufferings will end, but the blessings of God 24:15 will endure forever. 24:17 And everybody say amen. 24:19 I mean, compared to the joys of heaven... 24:23 Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard, 24:25 nor has entered into the hearts of men 24:27 what God has got prepared for us in heaven. 24:31 So no matter what we're going through today, 24:34 even though it's a heavy burden, even though we may be 24:38 going through grief or heartache, compared to the 24:41 glories of heaven, the things that God has prepared for us 24:46 out of His love, these are nothing more than irritations. 24:50 They're just light afflictions. 24:53 "So what, Donnie, Brother Donnie, what are the results 24:57 of afflictions, these light afflictions that Paul mentioned 25:00 here in 2 Corinthians the 4th chapter? 25:03 What are the results of the trials, the tribulations, 25:08 and the afflictions that I'm going through today?" 25:10 Listen, afflictions; it purifies and refines our character. 25:18 It cultivates trust and dependence upon God. 25:24 It subdues self wants and self desires. 25:29 Afflictions, listen, they bring the will of the believer 25:34 into a more complete harmony with the will of God. 25:38 No matter what affliction you're going through today, 25:41 I beg of you, I plead, lean upon God. 25:45 Trust in God. 25:48 He's the Deliverer, He's the Savior, 25:50 He's the master Physician. 25:52 And He loves you today. 25:53 Let's go a little bit further. 25:55 Listen, affliction; it allows the exercise of faith. 26:02 Pillars of Faith. 26:04 It all comes from what is inside the Book. 26:08 What Book? The Bible, the Holy Word. 26:12 God's love letter to the world. 26:15 It exercises faith. 26:17 Afflictions, and trials, and tribulations exercise faith. 26:23 I always fall to my knees when I'm in need. 26:28 It seems like if everything's going good and great, 26:32 the wife is fine, the children, the grandchildren, 26:35 it seems like the funds are coming in for the ministry, 26:37 it seems like I don't spend as much time in the Word. 26:42 Are you with me? 26:43 But when the trials come, the first one I turn to 26:46 is the only one that can really help me. 26:48 God the Father. 26:50 Listen, listen, affliction allows us to exercise faith. 26:57 It is in affliction, pain, grief, sorrow that the things 27:04 of the world seem so important. 27:08 Friends, brothers and sisters, today, if you're going through 27:14 a dark time today; it seems like money 27:19 is not a problem anymore, 27:22 those new tires that you needed for the car 27:25 seem inconsequential. 27:28 Because when we're talking about our eternal destination, 27:32 the circumstances in life that will either take us away from 27:38 eternal life or will bring us to eternal life 27:41 through Jesus Christ, it just seems like 27:44 when the heavy burdens come that the things of this world 27:47 don't matter much. 27:48 But when everything is good, and I feel good, 27:52 and I am healthy, and the grand kids are behaving, 27:55 it just seem like I just want to keep digging deeper 27:58 into the cares of the world. 28:00 But I can tell you, God has allowed a trial 28:02 to come into your life so that you'll get your thoughts, 28:05 and your mind, and your eyes off the cares of this world, 28:08 and then turn upward to Him. 28:10 Praise God. And why does God do that? 28:12 Let's say it one more time. 28:13 Because is intensely in love with you. 28:18 There are folks out there that are viewing in today, 28:22 they have a great knowledge of Scripture. 28:26 When God called me into the ministry, 28:29 Touching Hearts Ministries, 28:31 He said, "Donnie, I have a great many people 28:35 with great amount of knowledge. 28:39 They know Me, they know about Me, 28:42 but they don't have a personal intimate relationship with Me. 28:48 So, Donnie, I want you to preach the lovely Jesus to My people. 28:54 I want you to reintroduce Jesus to My people. 28:59 My people have it here, I want them to have it here." 29:03 Praise God. 29:05 So knowledge of Scripture, we must have it. 29:08 Faith; must have it. 29:11 Realizing the grace of the almighty God, 29:14 we must understand that. 29:16 And also we must understand that there's a God out there 29:19 who is able to do anything that we ask. 29:23 Now, we may not always get what we want. 29:28 But God knows what we need. 29:31 Through the trials, the tribulations, 29:33 the dark times, God knows exactly what you need. 29:36 And here's what 1 Peter says. 29:39 My brother, Peter. 29:40 I love him as well. 29:42 In the 4th chapter, 1 Peter 4, let's read this together, 29:46 verses 12 and 13. 29:48 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial 29:53 which is," listen, "the fiery trial which is to try you, 30:00 as though some strange thing had happened to you. 30:03 But rejoice, inasmuch..." 30:06 He said, rejoice. 30:08 "...that ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; 30:12 that when his glory shall be revealed, 30:15 ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." 30:19 You know, no matter what you're going through today; 30:22 you may be fighting drug addiction, alcohol, 30:27 you may be going through a divorce today, 30:29 you may have lost everything that you own, 30:32 all of your property today, 30:34 you may have left the church today, 30:36 you may have lost your faith today, 30:39 but I will say this: no matter what you're going through today, 30:46 no matter what you're going through today, 30:48 no matter how dark it is, 30:50 someone at some time throughout history 30:54 has gone through the same thing you're going through today. 30:58 And they got victory, they won victory through Jesus Christ. 31:04 And James 2 says that God is no respecter of persons. 31:09 You know what that means? 31:11 That when God looks down on this planet, 31:16 He sees right now over six billion babies. 31:22 He's no respecter of persons. 31:24 Black, white, Chinese, German, whatever it might be, 31:29 they're His babies. 31:30 And He loves each and every one. 31:32 And He will treat them all exactly the same. 31:35 Is everybody with me so far? 31:36 Praise God that we serve a God like that. 31:39 Let's go a little bit further. 31:40 So many complaints and murmurings against God. 31:45 When afflictions and trials come, just as did the Israelites 31:50 when they followed Moses through the wilderness... 31:53 Moses was always number one. 31:55 Oh, God was supreme. 31:57 But when the afflictions came and the trials of their journey 32:01 mounted, the people turned on Moses 32:04 and rejected God. 32:06 Now I can't point fingers. 32:08 If I'm not careful, I'm liable to do that as well. 32:11 When everything is going just perfect, 32:14 if we're not careful we sort of stray away from God. 32:17 That's why God, let's say it one more time, folks, 32:19 He allows these trials and tribulations 32:22 to come into your life. 32:23 To keep you in His will. 32:25 To keep you on the path of righteousness. 32:27 Let read a little further here now. 32:29 Is God able to deliver us from the afflictions? Yes. 32:35 But maybe we have rooted ourselves 32:38 in the cares of this world. 32:40 Maybe we have become self-sufficient 32:43 and totally rely on man's laws and upon medical science. 32:48 Maybe for our own good, for our growth, we need a fiery trial. 32:55 Let me interject this while we're here. 32:58 I want to put this in my sermon today. 33:01 There are folks out there that it appears to the human eye 33:07 that they have drifted so far from God, 33:10 that they are so far into sin, with addictions, 33:14 whether alcohol or whatever it might be today, 33:17 that there is no hope for them. 33:20 I have news for you today. 33:23 As long as they're breathing, there's hope for them. 33:27 They may need someone like you to stand in the gap for them 33:32 through prayer. 33:34 Say, "Oh God, it appears to my eyes that they're 33:38 so far out there in sin, they're so far out there in 33:41 in the cares of this world, that there's no bringing 33:44 them back to You." 33:46 But let me say this, my friend. 33:48 I had the privilege of traveling a lot of 33:52 miles the last 14 years. 33:54 Been in a lot of states, and a lot of cities, 33:56 in different countries. 33:57 And just privileged and love preaching the gospel of Christ. 34:00 And so let me give you an example of what 34:03 God is able to do through the power of faith and prayer. 34:11 I was at a meeting, and I won't tell you what city I was in, 34:13 but I was in Iowa. 34:15 A beautiful church there with some great loving people. 34:18 As I began the service... 34:20 We had a really big crowd that morning. 34:22 Praise God. 34:24 ...I looked toward the back of the church 34:26 and there was a young man sitting there. 34:28 Oh, probably about 35 years old. 34:31 He appeared to be about 6 foot 4. 34:35 And so my surprise, he had on one of those muscle shirts. 34:39 Those workout shirts. 34:41 And a pair of jogging pants and tennis shoes on. 34:44 And as I looked at him as I was speaking, 34:46 I noticed he had earrings in and a huge gold necklace. 34:50 And he had large tattoos all over his body. 34:54 And as you could tell, he was a workout fiend. 34:57 I mean, he had big muscles that big. 34:59 The veins in his arms were bigger than my arms. 35:02 He was just a big man. 35:03 About 6 foot 4, I guess he weighted about 250 pounds. 35:07 The message that day was that God will 35:09 take you just as you are. 35:10 As is in that condition. 35:12 Just as you are. 35:14 That no matter what you've done in the past, 35:17 no matter how far in sin you may have sank, 35:20 that God loves you with an everlasting love. 35:23 And that through His grace, and through His mercy, 35:26 and through His love, if you will come to Him 35:29 and humbly bow, He will forgive you. 35:32 And if you remain faithful, you'll be in the kingdom. 35:36 After the service, I noticed that here came that large man 35:41 walking right at me. 35:44 Remember this, he's about 6 foot 4, 35:46 and oh he's about that broad. 35:48 Still had the workout shirt on. 35:50 And he walks up to me and he looks down at me. 35:54 He said, "Pastor Donnie, in the message today 35:59 you said that no matter what I've done in the past, 36:03 no matter what I'm guilty of, no matter how bad the sin, 36:09 that God will forgive me. 36:12 And then you went on to say that if we confess our sins, 36:16 that God is faithful and just 36:17 and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 36:19 I said, "Yes I did." 36:20 He said, "I have a few questions for you, pastor. 36:23 Can I continue to come to this church dressed just like I am? 36:28 Can I do that?" 36:30 And I said, "Well, brother," as I looked up at him, 36:33 "as big as you are, you can do anything that you want to do. 36:38 But I'm asking you this. 36:41 Continue to come to church. 36:44 But as the Holy Spirit guides you and directs you, 36:48 if you decide to cover up your body with a nice t-shirt, 36:53 and the Holy Spirit asked you to do that, would you do that?" 36:56 He said, "I'll do that." 36:57 But he said, "Pastor, you said that I can come to 37:00 God just as I am today." 37:01 I said, "Yes." 37:03 "So I'm asking you, pastor, if I bow down right now 37:07 on my knees, would you bow down with me? 37:12 Would you ask God to save me? 37:16 And if we do, do you promise me, pastor, that God will 37:21 wash me clean in His blood? 37:23 That He'll fill me with His Spirit. 37:25 That I might find out today, oh God, what do you want me to do?" 37:30 I said, "Brother, if you'll bow down with me 37:33 and surrender your life and your will to God, 37:36 you will be a child of the King." 37:39 That big man that in all appearances had gone too far 37:44 out into the world, that there was no hope, 37:47 this big man bowed down there and he gave his life to Christ. 37:53 Praise God. 37:55 We can't go by appearances. 37:58 When the Spirit leads you, continue to move forward. 38:03 When He talks to you, move forward. 38:06 The only way we're going to be able to understand 38:08 God's voice and recognize God's voice, 38:10 we have to spend time in His Word. 38:13 Meditating upon His Word. 38:15 Praying and studying and asking God for an extra measure 38:21 of faith, and power through the Holy Spirit. 38:24 to become the man or woman that God wants you to be. 38:28 Praise God. 38:29 So as we go a little bit further here, 38:30 now if we would have the opportunity to talk to Moses... 38:36 And we will when we walk into that New Jerusalem. 38:40 Praise God. 38:41 If we would ask Moses today, "Is God able to save us, 38:47 to deliver us from every day trials and tribulations, 38:52 extreme situations that seem impossible to overcome," 38:57 you know what he would tell you? 38:58 I'm sure he would say this. 39:00 "How much more extreme a situation than being trapped 39:07 with no way out, but God provided a way of escape 39:14 and parted the Red Sea. 39:16 And I walked across that sea on dry ground 39:19 with one million people behind me. 39:23 And you ask me," Moses says, "is God able? 39:26 Yes, God is able. 39:30 Wow, you know, when God told Moses to put his hand out 39:34 over that sea, it would divide, you know, in Moses' mind, 39:39 sure, I know I would, "How is this going to happen? 39:44 How are we going to get to the other side? 39:47 You know, God said it's going to divide, but is there 39:49 going to be a bridge come across? 39:51 Is God going to build a bridge across the sea? 39:54 Maybe is there going to be a big boat come up 39:56 and escort us across the sea? 39:59 How is this going to happen?" 40:01 But Moses, praise God, when God told him to do it, 40:04 he did it out of faith. 40:06 Because he knew that God is able. 40:11 Praise God. Let's go a bit further. 40:12 1 Corinthians 10:13 40:15 Listen to what the Bible says here today. 40:17 1 Corinthians 10:13 40:19 God is faithful. 40:22 No matter what you're going through today, brother, 40:25 God is faithful. 40:26 He will not turn His eyes from you. 40:29 His eyes are focused upon you. 40:31 "God is faithful, who will not suffer you 40:35 to be tempted above that ye are able; 40:38 but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, 40:43 that ye may be able to bear it." 40:46 Now let's go a little bit further with Moses. 40:48 Surely Moses, when standing at the shore of the Red Sea 40:53 with the charging army of the Egyptians 40:56 and the screams of terror from those freed from Pharaoh's rule, 41:01 surely the temptation was to throw the staff on the ground 41:04 and say, "I don't know what we're going to do." 41:06 But really that's not what he thought at all. 41:08 I'm trying to put into mind's eye what I 41:10 might have been thinking. 41:12 "Lord, what are we going to do now? 41:14 How are You going to perform this incredible miracle?" 41:18 Listen, "And Moses cried," in verse 4, Exodus 17:4, 41:23 listen to what Moses said, "And Moses cried 41:25 unto the LORD, saying, 'What shall I do with these people? 41:28 They're about ready to stone me.' 41:30 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go on before the people, 41:34 and take with thee the elders of Israel; 41:36 and thy rod, wherefore thou smotest the river, 41:40 take in thine hand, and go. 41:42 Behold,'" God said... 41:43 Now listen. This God is able. 41:45 "...I will stand before thee upon the rock... 41:48 ...and there shall come water out of it, 41:51 that the people may drink." 41:53 Now Moses did as he was told. 41:57 When God asks you to do something today or tomorrow, 42:01 just do what you're told. 42:03 God will supply what you need. Praise God. 42:06 Moses did as he was instructed. 42:08 Now remember, in this story here, the people were thirsty. 42:13 The animals were thirsty. 42:14 They were getting desperate. 42:16 Moses did as he was instructed. 42:18 And he struck the rock, and the water began to flow 42:23 in great abundance. 42:24 Listen, over a million people received water. 42:29 And also the herds of the sheep, and the goats, 42:32 and the oxen, and the horses, and the birds. 42:35 And they all took baths. Praise God. 42:38 And they cooked their meals. 42:39 And then they filled their barrels with 42:41 fresh water from the rock. 42:43 And the rock is Jesus Christ. That's the rock. 42:48 So again today, if we have the opportunity 42:53 to say, "Moses, is God able to perform a miracle 42:58 at the midnight hour, at the darkest 43:01 and most doubtful filled hearts," his answer would be 43:05 a resounding, "Yes." 43:09 No matter what you're going through today, 43:12 let me say it one more time, someone has gone through 43:16 that trial, that tribulation. 43:18 And through faith in God, they overcame that whatever. 43:26 Affliction, as we talked about a few moments ago. 43:28 That fiery trial. 43:30 Through their trust, and their reliance, 43:33 and their faith in God. 43:35 Because as we study the Scriptures, we find out 43:40 more about God's character. 43:43 We find out He is a loving God, 43:47 that He's a caring God, 43:49 that He's a merciful God, 43:51 that He is a God of compassion. 43:55 And we find out that He cares. 43:58 I think about King Hezekiah. 44:01 He loved God. 44:02 He kept the ten commandment law. 44:05 He did as he was instructed. 44:08 But the time had come that King Hezekiah was told that 44:13 he was going to die. 44:14 Now he did the first thing that I would do. 44:18 He started to cry. 44:20 But then he got his composure, and he went to God in prayer. 44:26 He said, "Lord," this is King Hezekiah here, 44:30 "I have served You, I have loved You, 44:34 I have kept Your commandments. 44:36 I have adhered to everything that You've asked me to do. 44:40 So, oh God, don't forget Your faithful servant today. 44:45 I'm asking for life. I don't want to die." 44:50 Now I'm asking You today, was God able to save his life? 44:55 And the Bible says, if you'll study, that God gave him 44:59 fifteen more years of life. 45:01 Fifteen more years of life. 45:04 And in those fifteen years, he remained faithful to God; 45:08 through study, through prayer. 45:11 His faith saved his life. 45:14 Your faith today in God and His Son Jesus Christ 45:18 will not only save your life today, 45:22 but your eternal destination as well. 45:25 Because the Bible is very explicit. 45:28 If we happen to pass away, like King Hezekiah did 45:32 fifteen years later, if we pass away 45:36 and we're in the grave, if we have remained faithful to God 45:41 since He called us out of the world of sin, 45:45 and we have remained faithful through prayer, and study, 45:49 and working for Him and His kingdom, 45:52 He's promised that when He comes there will be a trumpet 45:57 that will sound. 45:58 And that the dead in Christ, those that are in the grave, 46:03 those that are asleep in Jesus Christ, 46:05 would raise from the grave. 46:08 And if we are alive and remain at Christ's coming, 46:12 we'll be caught together and go up in the air 46:16 to be with Jesus forever and ever. 46:18 But folks, it takes faith. 46:20 It takes dedication. 46:22 It takes persistence and consistency 46:24 in your walk with Christ, no matter the trails and 46:27 tribulations that you're going through. 46:30 Is God able? 46:31 In Paul's letter to the church of Corinth, 46:35 there was one scripture that really touched me, 46:40 that encouraged me, that boosted and increased my faith. 46:47 We need people in this Adventist movement 46:51 and in our churches today, we need people 46:55 that promote faith, that live faith. 46:58 Why? Because it encourages those around them. 47:02 Paul's life, his dedication, his consistency 47:07 in the work of Jesus Christ, his faith encourages me. 47:11 It boosted my faith in God as well. 47:15 Listen, I'm going to read this to you. 47:18 Paul said, "We are troubled on every side." 47:21 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 47:24 "We are troubled," he said, "on every side, yet not distressed; 47:30 we are perplexed, but not in despair; 47:34 we are persecuted, but not forsaken; 47:37 cast down, but not destroyed..." 47:40 Listen, in Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, 47:44 that one scripture really touched my heart. 47:46 Listen, it was as though Paul was looking 47:50 into our present day lives. 47:53 He could see our world as it is today. 47:57 It was as though he could see that we were about to 48:00 fear terrorism, terror on the streets due to 48:03 murder and rape and abductions. 48:06 It was almost like Paul could see at the end of time. 48:10 That mothers and fathers leaving and murdering their children. 48:15 Our government leaders are constantly found 48:18 in unholy circumstances today. 48:21 So many families in our present day lives 48:24 are without jobs, inflation is at an all-time high, 48:28 pollution of the lands and the seas, 48:31 global warming has changed the weather around the world. 48:34 Listen as Mrs. White said in the spirit of prophecy. 48:38 Storms, fires, and catastrophic events 48:42 would dominate at the end of times, that they would escalate. 48:46 As we see today on the internet, and the television, 48:50 and the radio, the threats of nuclear attack; 48:54 all these things are in our mind. 48:56 You can only smell, sense, and touch that Jesus Christ 49:02 is about to return. 49:04 And everybody said amen. 49:06 Listen to Daniel 12:1, folks. 49:09 Listen very carefully. 49:10 We are living in the last times. 49:14 We need to get right with God today. 49:17 We need to be steadfast and strong. 49:19 Our faith needs to be fortified and solidified 49:23 by studying the Scriptures. 49:25 If you want to be a faithful servant of God, 49:29 you must spend time on your knees and in the Bible. 49:33 Listen to what it says in Daniel 12:1. 49:35 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, 49:40 the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people. 49:44 And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was 49:48 since there was a nation even to that same time. 49:51 And at that time thy people shall be delivered, 49:55 every one that shall be found written in the book of life." 50:00 The bottom line is, no matter what comes in these last days, 50:05 no matter what trials and dark times come in the last moments 50:09 of time, we folks, a Pastor John Lomacang said, 50:14 we are about to step into eternity. 50:17 And if I'm going to step into eternity, I want to be ready. 50:21 Don't you? 50:22 I want to know that my God is able to raise me from the dead. 50:27 I want to have a spiritual, intimate relationship 50:31 with Jesus. 50:33 A one on one intimate relationship 50:36 with my Lord and Savior. 50:38 Now listen, Paul states in 2 Corinthians 50:42 that we are troubled on every side. 50:45 We are surrounded by trouble. 50:47 Yet as Christians we should not be distressed 50:51 because we have God on our side. 50:54 That no matter what I might go through in the last moments 50:58 of time before I step into eternity, if I remain faithful, 51:03 if I remain persistent, and consistent 51:06 in my walk with God, no matter the darkness, 51:10 no matter the trials, if I continue to move forward 51:13 for Jesus, we will be in the kingdom. 51:16 I'm like Paul; I'm running, I'm working toward perfection. 51:22 I haven't reached there yet. 51:24 But as I move forward, if I die before Christ comes 51:30 I must be moving forward for Jesus. 51:35 There's no stopping point. 51:38 I must be continually, as Danny Shelton said, 51:41 taking steps up the stairs, level by level, 51:46 never stopping, never resting, always moving forward for Jesus. 51:52 And He said, "If you're faithful..." 51:55 Boy, that's a big word. 51:57 "If you're faithful and you're moving forward, 52:01 and when you pass away you love Me, 52:03 and you kept My commandments, and you've been filled 52:06 with the Spirit, and you've been washed in the blood 52:09 of Jesus Christ, and you've been wrapped in His righteousness, 52:12 when I come you will go to heaven and 52:15 spend eternity with Me." 52:18 Is God willing? 52:21 God is willing. 52:23 Listen, God is able to give me victory over my slothfulness. 52:30 God is able to give me the desire to study the Word. 52:36 If you say, "Donnie, I study the Word, I get nothing out of it," 52:38 before you study the Word of God, before you open that Bible, 52:41 fall on your knees and say, "Oh God, will you send 52:43 the Holy Spirit to help me interpret what I'm reading?" 52:47 And I always say, if we ask the Holy Spirit 52:50 to help us interpret, that we will have spiritual 52:53 light bulb moments, that as we read the Scripture we'll say, 52:56 "I got it, I got it. I understand it." 52:59 That can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. 53:01 Let's go a bit further. 53:03 God is able to take the ambitions of this world 53:07 and turn them... 53:08 Listen, if you are an ambitious person 53:11 working for material things in this world, 53:14 say, "Oh God, deliver me from that." 53:16 God is able to deliver you today. 53:18 Listen, God is able, through the power of the Holy Spirit, 53:23 to transform us into soul winners instead of soul killers. 53:28 God says, "Either you're for Me or you're against Me." 53:34 There's only two sides. 53:36 "You're for Me or you're against Me. 53:38 If you're against Me, you're taking souls to hell with you. 53:45 You're taking them to the death that there's no return with you. 53:50 But if you're on My side, you're taking them with you 53:55 to the eternal destination of eternal life 53:58 and living in the New Jerusalem." 54:00 You're either with God or you're against God today. 54:04 Listen, you might say, "Oh Donnie, 54:09 you don't know the adversity I'm going through. 54:12 You don't know the trial that is before me. 54:16 I'm at the point, even though I have accepted Christ, 54:20 because of all these trials and tribulations 54:23 I'm about to quit the race. 54:27 I'm so tired. 54:29 I'm so discouraged. 54:31 The road ahead of me, that's in front of me, 54:34 it just seems like it gets steeper, and steeper, 54:37 and steeper; and I am exhausted." 54:40 But friends, if you're going through that today, 54:43 I want you to turn to Romans 5:8. 54:46 Turn there with me. 54:47 Let me read what the Bible says, what Paul said. 54:52 Come to God just as you are. 54:54 Listen carefully. 54:55 "But God commendeth his love toward us..." 55:01 "God commendeth his love toward us, 55:05 in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 55:09 Let me break that down for you. 55:11 In our carnality, in our imperfections, 55:15 in our bitterness, in our defiance towards God, 55:18 it was in this state of our every being that Jesus, 55:23 in His love and His mercy, willfully and joyfully 55:28 gave His life for us. 55:30 I always put it this way. 55:32 That's one of my favorite scriptures, by the way. 55:35 There was a time when I was living in the world, 55:38 that I was living for self. 55:40 And my parents thought, "Donnie has gone just too far this time. 55:45 There's no one that can save him." 55:48 But Jesus Christ went out in the world and He found me. 55:55 It's not like I woke up one day and said, "I tell you what, 55:58 I'm going to go find Jesus today." 56:00 The fact and the truth, that when Jesus came to this world, 56:05 He came to find you. 56:07 He came to find me. 56:09 And Jesus went out into the world of sin 56:11 and He found Donnie in the muck and the mire 56:14 of the sin in this world. 56:15 And Jesus Christ personally picked me up out of this 56:20 muck and mire and He washed me clean in His own blood. 56:23 Not because I was perfect, because I was imperfect. 56:26 I was in sin, but God loved me anyway. 56:28 Jesus Christ wanted to save me. 56:30 So what He did is, when He picked me up, 56:33 He did not just wash me clean in His blood, 56:36 but then He took His robe, His robe of righteousness, 56:42 that pure and spotless and wrinkle-free robe, 56:45 and He wrapped it around me. 56:47 And then in His grace and mercy, He filled me with the power 56:51 of the Holy Spirit. 56:53 And then He said, "Donnie, pick up that Bible. 56:55 It's the lamp, it's the light. 56:57 You need that to continue to grow. 57:00 So I praise God today. 57:02 And I want to tell you today, friend, 57:04 if God can save someone like me, a sinner... 57:10 I'm saved by grace, through His mercy and love. 57:14 ...then if He can save me, friends, I know He can save you. 57:18 Give your life to Jesus today. 57:20 No matter where you're at, no matter how far in the world 57:22 you are today, come back to Jesus and humbly bow 57:25 before Him and say, "Jesus, take me into the kingdom." 57:29 Amen. |
Revised 2017-04-26