Revelation Insights

Hold Fast And Hang On!

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Lyle Albrecht

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Series Code: RIN

Program Code: RIN000022


01:00 I want you to open your Bibles now, please, to
01:02 2 Corinthians chapter 11.
01:07 And I'm going to talk to you for the next few minutes about
01:10 the experiences of the apostle Paul.
01:11 He's one of my heroes.
01:15 Apostle Paul probably understood righteousness by faith in Jesus
01:19 as well as any Christian ever before or sense
01:23 with the exception, of course, of our Lord Jesus Himself.
01:27 And he had some tough times.
01:28 He had some discouraging moments and some hard days.
01:34 Problems.
01:35 If you think you've had a bad day or bad week or
01:39 annus horribilis, take a listen now as I begin to read.
01:45 2 Corinthians chapter 11, beginning with verse 24.
01:50 2 Corinthians 11:24-29
01:57 "By the Jews, five times I was whipped with 39 licks.
02:05 Three times I was beaten with rods and one time I was stoned.
02:11 I've suffered shipwreck, I was a night and a day in the deep.
02:16 I've been in so many travels, in perils in the waters,
02:19 in peril because of robbers and thieves, perils because of my
02:23 own countrymen, perils from the heathen, perils in the city,
02:28 perils out in the wilderness, perils in the sea, and
02:30 perils because of my own brethren. "
02:33 And I want to say, by the way, that those are the worse kind;
02:38 the difficulties that come to us from the saints.
02:41 We'll say more about that in just a little bit.
02:44 In verse 27, he said, "I've been so tired,
02:46 I've been in pain so often.
02:48 I've been hungry, I've been thirsty, I've fasted on
02:51 so many occasions, I've been cold and almost naked.
02:54 And besides all of these things that come from the outside,
02:57 there comes upon me every day the care of my churches.
03:01 Which member is weak and I'm not weak at the same time?
03:04 Which one is offended and I not hurt as well?"
03:08 So the apostle Paul had a pastors heart and a great
03:11 care for his people.
03:13 And those cares caused him pain and heartache and anguish
03:18 and suffering and hunger and thirst and shipwreck
03:22 and beatings, ad infinitum.
03:27 I don't want to compare myself entirely to the apostle Paul.
03:32 I'm certainly not the kind of theologian that he was,
03:35 nor the preacher for that matter.
03:37 But he was an evangelist and I certainly relate to that
03:40 side of his ministry.
03:41 And Peggy and I relate to some of the problems that he had.
03:46 Along the roadside, the shipwrecks and that
03:49 sort of thing.
03:52 This meeting, ladies and gentlemen, happens to be,
03:54 I looked it up just before I came.
03:55 This happens to be evangelistic meeting number 180.
04:01 And I don't mean 180 meetings, I mean 180 evangelistic
04:06 meetings, crusades.
04:09 We're not suppose to say that anymore because it's
04:11 politically incorrect, but I noticed that Billy Graham is
04:14 still talking about Billy Graham crusades.
04:16 And so I'm going to use it here tonight.
04:17 This is crusade number 180.
04:20 That means we've done 180 of these meetings that have lasted
04:24 at least 4 weeks here in the United States,
04:27 and others outside in addition to all of that.
04:30 We have spent the majority of the past 36 years on the road.
04:36 In this city for a while, in that town for a little while,
04:39 in this village for a time, and over in this big
04:42 area for a while.
04:44 And we've put on the old bus, and before a bus, we pulled
04:48 trailers and we've put hundreds and thousands and thousands
04:52 of miles on them.
04:53 Peggy keeps two maps.
04:56 She's a map maker among other wonderful things.
05:01 One of the maps has a little dot on it wherever we
05:04 have held meetings.
05:06 And that map looks like it has the measles.
05:08 Here and there and everywhere.
05:10 Just from country to country, north to south and east to west,
05:13 and coast to coast, and in between.
05:15 "Yea, we had a meeting there. "
05:16 "You remember when we were there and there?"
05:18 I was talking to our boy on the telephone just yesterday
05:21 about the various places we had been during the spring time
05:24 and the many places they'd flown kites.
05:27 And that's just a few of the places that we have been.
05:31 Peggy has another map.
05:34 And this one, I believe, has as many or maybe more spots on it
05:37 than the one of the places we've had meetings.
05:39 This map shows the many places where we have broken down
05:43 along the roadside.
05:44 And we'll drive just a few miles and she'll say,
05:47 "You remember the time the engine blew up here?"
05:49 "You remember when the water pump went out here?"
05:51 "You remember when the tires blew out here?"
05:53 "You remember when... "
05:54 "Yes, I remember, I remember. "
05:58 And it seems like nearly every time we talk with Peggy's
06:01 mother for an extended period, she'll say to us,
06:04 "Stay humble now kids. Stay humble.
06:07 The world's falling in. Stay humble now if you can. "
06:16 A couple of years ago, well less than that now, we were
06:19 headed for Arizona.
06:20 I'd just put a brand new engine in that old bus that we live in.
06:24 And I paid a lot of money for it, big Detroit diesel engine.
06:28 And it went 327 miles and burned completely up
06:33 without any kind of a warning whatsoever.
06:35 And I called the folks that had sold it to me and they said,
06:37 "That's your problem. "
06:39 And so I had to put another one in it.
06:41 And I had not gotten the new engine in the bus,
06:44 I'd left the bus alongside the road to shop down in Utah,
06:48 and got down to northern Arizona, opened the meeting,
06:50 and guess what.
06:51 The motor blew up in the car.
06:53 We had about $27,000 worth of personal expense
06:57 there in two weeks.
06:59 Yea, we've had our problems alongside the road.
07:02 In addition to that, there has been the separation that we've
07:08 known over these 37 years between ourselves and our kids,
07:16 and our families and our grandkids.
07:20 And the many times we've not been able to be home
07:23 for a celebration, anniversary, or a funeral.
07:33 And when the apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy
07:36 and said to him in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 21,
07:41 "Do your best, come to me before winter. "
07:44 He was the only family the apostle Paul had.
07:46 He referred to him there in that passage as his adopted son.
07:49 And so he said, "Please come to me quickly.
07:52 Because if you don't hurry, the winter storms are going to come
07:56 across the Mediterranean.
07:57 If you don't start soon, I'll never see you again. "
08:00 He was looking in the face of death and he knew it.
08:04 And separation from those that he loved was very real to him,
08:08 and we've experienced a little bit of that.
08:11 Leaving the neighbors and the friends and the church families.
08:14 I just get to know you folks, many of you by name, and
08:17 it's time to move on and move on and move on.
08:24 And so Paul had his problems.
08:26 We've had ours.
08:27 But there were a couple of things that really encouraged
08:30 the apostle Paul.
08:31 And I want to read some of those to you as well,
08:34 and then we'll make some comments regarding that.
08:36 1 Thessalonians, would you turn there with me please.
08:39 Chapter 3 of 1 Thessalonians.
08:41 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and I shall begin to read at verse 4.
08:47 1 Thessalonians 3, beginning at verse 4.
08:56 "When we were with you, I told you that you were going to
09:00 suffer tribulation, and you know that it has happened.
09:04 And for this reason, when I couldn't stand it any longer,
09:06 I sent to know about your faith, lest by some means the tempter
09:10 come and tempt you and our labors have been in vain.
09:13 And then Timothy came back from you and he brought such
09:17 good news about your faith and your charity,
09:20 and that he brought such wonderful remembrances
09:23 that we share as well.
09:25 We desired so much to be with you and I discovered that
09:29 you felt the same way about us.
09:31 Therefore then, we were comforted in our afflictions
09:37 and in all of our distresses by your faith.
09:40 And now we're able to live if you folks
09:43 stand fast in the Lord. "
09:45 And so there was the thing that encouraged him.
09:47 And I want to say to you folks tonight,
09:49 the best news this preacher ever hears, is after he's left this
09:53 city or this town or that other place and been gone
09:56 6 or 8 months, or a year or 5 or 6, he gets the word,
09:59 "They're still faithful.
10:00 Those people that were baptized, those that came to
10:03 the family, they're still here. "
10:05 And I look around and see a number of you that
10:07 were baptized the last time we were here, and some of you
10:10 the first time we were here a number of years ago.
10:12 And I thank God for you.
10:14 You bring encouragement to our hearts, Peggy's and mine.
10:20 Your faithfulness brings great wonderful encouragement
10:24 and it's far more meaningful to me to hear that the folks
10:28 have been faithful, that they're still part of the program,
10:30 that they're still in church on Sabbath morning,
10:33 that they're still reaching out to their neighbors and friends.
10:35 It means a whole lot more than when once a month
10:38 out check goes to the bank.
10:40 I promise you that.
10:41 It's far more meaningful.
10:43 I've had the happy privilege to be a part of baptizing
10:46 nearly 5000 people now and I never tire of it.
10:50 Everyone is like the first one.
10:53 Every single one is fresh and new and wonderful.
10:56 And now, the down side.
11:07 You, particularly, who become part of the family in the
11:10 last few moments, or days or weeks, or years for that matter,
11:14 are going to be tempted and tested by the devil.
11:18 Going around like a roaring lion, he knows the
11:20 time is short, he's come down with great wrath.
11:22 And he's going to make life miserable for you.
11:25 And you can be quite sure that someone in your extended family,
11:30 maybe an aunt or an uncle, is going to come to you tomorrow or
11:33 next week and say to you, "You mean you joined that Adventist.
11:37 I can't imagine. Have you lost your mind?
11:40 Are you completely crazy, have you flipped out?
11:42 Surely you didn't do that. "
11:44 You stay faithful.
11:48 And if it's not a parent, it might be a spouse,
11:52 or on the other hand it might be a close friend,
11:55 someone you thought you could count on during the
11:57 toughest times, that he may turn on you
12:00 because you've given your life over to Jesus.
12:02 Did you know, my dears, that your righteousness,
12:05 your following Jesus' footsteps becomes a condemnation
12:09 to those who don't want to do it and won't do it?
12:12 Your righteousness your holiness is a condemnation to them.
12:15 Every time they lift the jug, every time they say
12:19 those filthy words, every time they steal a little something
12:22 out of the grocery store, your righteousness condemns them.
12:26 And so your best friend may well turn on you.
12:29 You stay faithful.
12:31 You hang in there.
12:35 And it's one thing when family members and those outside
12:38 of the church family come down against us,
12:40 one thing when the infidels and the atheists and the skeptics
12:43 and the agnostics come against us,
12:45 but it's something else, something far worse
12:48 in my estimation, when the folks inside the church come after us.
12:53 And the devil will use them as well, and you can be sure of it.
12:57 And I'm giving you fair warning right now, right now.
13:01 It may happen tomorrow, it might be next week,
13:04 could be next month, but some church member is going to
13:08 come to you and say, "I heard you became a member
13:11 of the church there.
13:12 I can't believe it, you surely didn't join with that bunch.
13:16 They're the most legalistic bunch, they don't understand
13:19 the gospel, they don't know about righteousness by faith.
13:22 They're so legalistic I can't...
13:23 Look, you come over and join with us over where we worship
13:26 where we're meeting now.
13:27 We're renting a high school, you come and join with us
13:30 and we understand the gospel.
13:31 And we'll bring you from under that cloud of legalism.
13:34 Come and be with us. "
13:35 Listen, you stay right here.
13:38 Right here.
13:43 Don't you tell me we don't understand about the
13:45 righteousness of Jesus.
13:49 The grace of God has forgiven me every lie I've ever told.
13:52 The grace of God has forgiven me everything I've ever stolen,
13:56 taken that was not mine.
13:58 The grace of God has forgiven me every Sabbath I've ever broken.
14:01 But the grace of God is not permission nor license for me
14:05 to go on lying or cheating or stealing.
14:07 That is not another gospel, that is not grace.
14:10 That, my dears, is disgrace.
14:18 So don't you let anyone tell you or try to convince you
14:22 that the folks here are too legalistic or some other such
14:25 nonsense as that.
14:27 You stay right here.
14:29 And then there is the likelihood that there's going to come one,
14:34 church member, from the opposite direction.
14:37 And their attitude is going to be just exactly the reverse
14:40 from those who've said, "You don't understand the gospel. "
14:42 They're going to say, "You mean you joined with
14:44 that congregation?
14:45 Why, they're the most liberal bunch I've ever known.
14:49 Why, they go to shows, they drink coffee,
14:51 they ya da da, they dress like they...
14:53 Blah-blah, blah-blah, blah-blah.
14:56 You come and join with us.
14:58 We have a group that's meeting over here and you come and
15:01 join in with us.
15:02 We are the Historic Adventist, we're the reformed group.
15:05 You come and be a part of us. "
15:07 No, you stay right here.
15:11 Right here.
15:13 Peggy and I were working over near Salem, Oregon.
15:15 I'm not going to tell you exactly where because you
15:17 might know some of the folks that I'm going to refer to.
15:20 I was out visiting one afternoon.
15:21 The telephone at our home rang and it was a lady
15:25 asking for an appointment with Lyle.
15:29 And Peggy had no idea who they were,
15:31 didn't recognize any names.
15:33 She assumed that these ladies, two, were maybe interested
15:38 and might want to study for baptism or some such thing.
15:41 And so she made for me an appointment the next afternoon
15:44 in the church office at 1:30 o'clock.
15:47 I was there early and a car drove in.
15:50 Two ladies got out and came to the office door
15:52 and I welcomed them.
15:53 They introduced themselves and sat down.
15:58 And within about 2 minutes they began to tear the church apart,
16:01 my church, the Seventh-Day Adventist church family.
16:04 They began to tear it apart.
16:06 "Well the church has lost its way. "
16:08 And one of the ladies, the mouthy one,
16:10 that's, I suppose the best, the most honest way to say it.
16:15 She said, "You're in a position now where you can really
16:17 reach out to a lot of folks.
16:18 You're on television 2 or 3 times a week, and sometimes
16:21 a couple of times a day.
16:22 And you're in a wonderful position to straighten
16:25 things up inside the church and to tell the people
16:28 that the church has now become nothing more than Babylon. "
16:33 I said, "Are you talking about my church?"
16:35 She said, "I'm talking about this Adventist movement,
16:37 the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination. "
16:38 And about that time, I came about that high
16:40 out of the chair.
16:41 And I shook my finger in her face, I said,
16:43 "Lady, don't you ever say anything like that
16:46 in my presence again.
16:47 Because if you do, I'll put you out the door. "
16:53 And she went mouthing on another 2 or 3 minutes
16:58 complaining and whining about how they were the only
17:01 ones that dressed right.
17:02 And by the way, I call that the old Elijah complex, you know.
17:07 You remember when Elijah got discouraged.
17:08 It could happen to the best of us.
17:10 And he went out in the countryside and got down in
17:13 some little grove somewhere out of the sun and began to whine.
17:16 And he said, "Lord, I'm the only one left.
17:18 I'm the only one that dresses right,
17:20 I'm the only one that doesn't go to the movies,
17:22 I'm the only one that doesn't wear all that junk,
17:24 I'm the only one that worships twice a day,
17:27 the morning and evening, I'm the only one that studies
17:29 my Sabbath school lessons seven times,
17:30 I'm the only one that's a vegetarian, I'm the only one. "
17:33 And God said, "Shut up.
17:38 Hush up, man.
17:40 I have seven thousand in Israel alone
17:43 that have not bowed their knee to Baal. "
17:47 So the lady in the office continued to whine.
17:50 I'd given her the warning.
17:52 And in a little bit, she said it again.
17:55 "This church has become nothing but Babylon. "
17:57 And this time I came completely out of my seat,
18:00 and I went around and helped her by the arm out the door.
18:03 "Good-bye. "
18:06 Oh, she had here quotations from those little red books
18:09 that a lot of folks like to put handles on and
18:11 club folks around with.
18:12 And she'd read and quoted two or three.
18:14 And then I said, "Look, I have one also.
18:17 Here's mine.
18:18 It goes like this, lady.
18:19 The church of God on earth, and it's talking about
18:22 this Seventh-Day Adventist movement.
18:25 The church of God on earth, and feeble and defective
18:28 though it may be, is the only object upon earth upon which
18:31 God places His supreme regard. "
18:33 I said, "How dare you speak this way about the object
18:38 of His supreme regard. "
18:39 How dare anybody.
18:43 Now the church has its problems.
18:44 You don't spend 40 years with an organization
18:47 without seeing its flat sides.
18:49 And I have said on more than one occasion that if I had my
18:51 faith in the organization, I would have parted
18:54 company a long while back and gone to work for Bill Gates.
19:00 That'll work, huh.
19:02 You know him.
19:06 But my faith is not in the organization.
19:09 It is in this message.
19:11 And you can fault the organization
19:13 and you can point out the mistakes, and there are
19:15 multitudes of them, but you can't fault the message.
19:21 I've discovered, you cannot fault this message.
19:26 And I have been called to stand before...
19:28 I have been tricked.
19:29 I remember just early in my evangelism ministry,
19:32 and I was green and working in Idaho, imagine that.
19:36 You talk about inexperienced, and no reflection on the
19:40 dear Idaho folks.
19:45 You sure know what I'm doing, don't you.
19:47 I'm trying to keep all of California from moving in.
19:50 That's why I relate and share these kinds of stories.
19:53 But in any event, I was asked one night if I would
19:56 go out to a home.
19:57 The family said, "We have some questions. "
20:00 And I was working alone.
20:02 And so I had them make me a little map.
20:04 And I drove down and I was sure I was at the right place.
20:07 And I went down this lane and there were cars parked on both
20:10 sides of this lane.
20:11 It was a quarter of a mile long.
20:12 I thought, well maybe the guy is in the used car business.
20:14 You know, that's how innocent I was.
20:18 And I knocked on the door and they welcomed me inside.
20:20 And there in the living room and the family room and overflowing
20:24 in the kitchen, kind of an open floor plan,
20:26 there was this whole group of folks that kind of liked to
20:32 fight against the Seventh-Day Adventists.
20:36 And they wanted to get me involved in a debate.
20:39 And they wanted to kind of pick me apart and tear me up
20:42 a little bit and then print about it in the
20:43 little local newspaper.
20:45 And so every time they challenged me,
20:47 I turned to my Bible.
20:49 Every time, I'd open to this scripture, open here.
20:53 And after a while, the leader of the group said,
20:55 "Every time I try to take a poke at you,
20:57 you hide behind that Book. "
20:59 And I thought to myself, that's a pretty good place
21:02 to be, isn't it now.
21:03 Huh?
21:04 Yea, that's why Adventists are known around the world
21:06 as the people of the Book.
21:08 All around the world, the people of the Book.
21:11 And so, you're going to be tempted and tested.
21:14 Now, I want to refer one more time, I want to refer finally
21:18 to the lady who came to visit me over there around Salem, Oregon.
21:24 After sharing my favorite quotation with her from my
21:27 favorite author outside the Bible, I said,
21:29 "Beyond that, I have a verse or two from my very favorite book,
21:34 that I want to read to you. "
21:35 And so I opened this Bible to Romans chapter 16.
21:38 That happens to be the last chapter.
21:40 And I read to her verses 17 and 18.
21:42 And I'm going to read them to you right now.
21:44 Listen up.
21:46 Saying Paul, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren
21:48 to mark those that cause divisions and offenses
21:52 that are contrary... "
21:55 He talking about the church obviously,
21:56 he's writing to the church.
21:58 "Those divisions and offenses that are contrary to the
22:00 doctrines that you before have learned.
22:02 Stay away from them. "
22:04 Is that plain enough?
22:05 That's what Paul said, "Stay away from them. "
22:08 And he goes on to say, "There are such that are not serving
22:11 Jesus Christ but they're serving their own desires and their
22:14 own works, and they're listening to their own speeches
22:19 that come as the result of their simple minds and hearts. "
22:24 That's pretty straight language.
22:27 Pretty plain.
22:28 And so, you folks stay right here.
22:32 I have to be honest with you folks to say to you
22:35 that it's increasingly difficult for Peggy and me
22:40 to leave our easy chairs.
22:44 Mine is a recliner.
22:48 And oh, by the way.
22:51 They have them now for we old folks.
22:54 Special recliners, you know.
22:57 They stand up and you just kind of step back and kind of
23:01 press the button and it'll lay you right down.
23:05 And then you can push the button and it'll stand you up.
23:09 But I read about a fellow who's recliner stand-up chair
23:13 developed a hiccup.
23:15 And he pushed the button and it pasted him against the wall
23:20 on the other side.
23:21 I leave mine unplugged.
23:22 But it's getting increasingly difficult for
23:24 Peggy and me to leave home.
23:27 And when I look out at empty seats, there's a voice that
23:32 whispers in this ear and says, "Why do you do this?
23:34 Man, why don't you go to Boise where the kids and grandkids are
23:38 and on the growing side of the city, hold a meeting and
23:40 raise up a brand new congregation and then
23:42 stay there and be their pastor and you could be at home,
23:45 have your feet by the fire every night.
23:48 Why do you do this?"
23:49 And then another voice says, "If you'd hold one more meeting,
23:53 one more series of lectures, maybe Jesus could come
23:57 one day sooner. "
23:58 And so we'll go on from here to Boise, and then
24:02 to Spokane, and then to Southern Oregon, to Alaska.
24:09 "Be thou faithful," said God, "unto death,"
24:13 Revelation 2:10
24:15 "and I will give to you the crown of life. "
24:20 Revelation 3:11, you know I love the book of Revelation
24:23 so I'll share these final verses.
24:25 Revelation 3:11, "Behold, I come quickly.
24:28 Hold fast to that which you have, let no man
24:31 take thy crown. "
24:35 And like the apostle Paul, I recognize I'm getting
24:37 nearer the end.
24:38 I know now that there's a whole lot more water
24:41 that's gone under the bridge than there is upstream for me.
24:44 I know now that there's a whole lot more road behind me
24:48 than there is ahead of me.
24:56 But I, like the apostle Paul, would say first to Jesus,
25:01 and then to all of you, "I've fought a good fight
25:04 by His grace, I've finished the course, and I've kept the faith.
25:09 And henceforth, there's laid for me a crown of righteousness
25:12 which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at
25:15 that Day, and not to me only, but to all those
25:18 who love His appearing. "
25:26 I don't regret one mile
25:31 that I've travelled for my Lord,
25:34 and don't regret the time that I've trusted in His word.
25:42 I've seen the years go by,
25:45 many days without a song.
25:48 But I don't regret a mile
25:52 that I've travelled for my Lord.
25:57 I've dreamed many a dream
26:04 that never came true,
26:07 I've seen them vanish at dawn.
26:11 But enough of my dreams have come true
26:16 to make me keep dreaming on.
26:20 I've prayed many a prayer and seemed no answer would come,
26:23 though I've waited patient and long.
26:28 But enough of my prayers have been answered
26:32 to make me keep praying on.
26:36 I've sown many a seed
26:43 that fell by the wayside.
26:46 for birds to feed upon.
26:50 But I've held in my hands enough golden sheaves
26:56 to keep me sowing on.
26:58 I've trusted many friends that have left me,
27:02 left me to weep all alone.
27:09 But enough of my friends
27:13 remain true blue to make me keep trusting on.
27:22 I don't regret a mile that I've travelled for my Lord.
27:28 I don't regret the time I've trusted in His word.
27:31 I've seen the years go by, many days without a song.
27:34 But I don't regret one mile that I've travelled for my Lord.
27:40 Let's pray.
27:41 We thank You, Lord, for this privilege
27:43 to be a part of Your family.
27:45 For those who have just been baptized or reaffirmed
27:48 their faith, I thank You so.
27:50 I pray Your continued blessing upon them.
27:52 They're going to be tempted and tested.
27:54 Give them the strength that You promised,
27:56 "My grace is sufficient, I'll be with you to the very end. "
27:59 And one day soon, Lord, may each of us here
28:02 and every family represented, members of the families
28:05 that are not here, some who've gone to sleep in You,
28:08 others who are miles away, let us all together
28:12 be caught up to meet You in the air and let it be soon.
28:15 In Jesus' name we pray, amen.


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Revised 2014-12-17