Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM250021S
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00:01 The hour is urgent, as darkness is dispelled by the light of
00:07 God's Word, a new day begins. 00:10 Jesus, the light of the world is shining. 00:14 Prepare your hearts to proclaim the final cry. 00:18 This is 3ABN Summer Camp Meeting. 00:24 Welcome once again to 3ABN Summer Camp Meeting. 00:29 Praise the Lord, it has been a tremendous blessing since the 00:33 beginning. 00:34 It has been a blessing. 00:35 Would you say amen to that? 00:37 Amen. 00:38 This is the last message of 3ABN Summer Camp Meeting, 00:43 preparing to proclaim the final cry. 00:46 The speaker for this hour is Pastor John Lomacang, and if 00:50 you have seen or heard 3ABN for a while, you will notice that 00:54 Pastor Lomacang loves the Lord, and that the Lord uses him to 00:59 present timely messages. 01:02 He, along with his wife, Angela, have traveled to many 01:05 countries leading people to Jesus Christ. 01:08 He is director of 3ABN World Evangelism, and he also serves 01:13 the Lord in the Illinois Conference as pastor of the 01:18 Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:21 In this hour, he will present the message, standing firm till 01:26 Christ returns. 01:28 I leave you with Pastor John Lomacang. 01:30 May the Lord bless you. 01:33 Amen. 01:39 I was going to say Happy Sabbath. 01:42 Well, it is still Happy Sabbath. 01:48 I'm so glad my wife is here tonight. 01:52 Hello, honey. 01:54 We preach together. 01:57 Let's go to the Lord in prayer for this very sobering message, 02:02 standing firm till Christ returns. 02:08 Gracious Father in heaven, you are the only foundation upon 02:13 which the church is built. 02:16 You are the head of this church, and Father, when you 02:21 invited us on this journey, you guaranteed eternal delivery, 02:27 not only from sin, but from its power and from its presence. 02:32 And we pray, Lord, as the church is being examined 02:34 forensically by the world, we pray that they don't see us, 02:37 but they see Jesus, the one who never failed, the one who never 02:42 was defeated. 02:43 So Lord, send your angels and your spirit to intervene in my 02:48 frail humanity that your glory may be revealed. 02:53 In Jesus' name, I pray. 02:56 Amen. 02:59 I'll begin by going to the book of Ephesians chapter 6. 03:03 It is a passage that when they asked me to preach on the 03:05 message, standing firm till Christ returns, it is the first 03:10 one that came to my mind. 03:11 I just want to say something before I dive into the heart of 03:14 the message. 03:16 We've got to know that we're living in the last days, but we 03:20 also have to know that Jesus has not lost his power in the 03:24 last days. 03:26 He can finish what he started. 03:29 The church is under scrutiny, under examination. 03:32 The world has given us all the reasons why we should be 03:35 discouraged, but I've got one reason why I'm not discouraged. 03:40 His name is Jesus. 03:42 He began it. 03:43 He's going to finish it. 03:44 No force can come against God's church. 03:46 He says, no weapon formed against us will prosper, and 03:51 therefore no weapon formed against him will prosper. 03:56 So when Paul the apostle wrote these words, I'll have you read 03:59 them with me. 04:00 It'll appear on the screen for you. 04:02 Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11. 04:04 Let's read this together. 04:06 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand 04:11 against the wilds of the devil. 04:14 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against 04:18 principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the 04:23 darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 04:28 in heavenly places. 04:30 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be 04:36 able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, say it 04:40 together, to stand, to stand. 04:44 William Birnbeck wrote these words that inspired me. 04:47 He said, if you stand for something, you'll always find 04:50 some people for you and some people against you. 04:56 He continues, but if you stand for nothing, you'll find nobody 05:00 against you and nobody for you. 05:03 And I believe one of the reasons why there are so many 05:05 people against God's church and God's message is because we 05:09 stand for something. 05:11 So when I hear about all the missiles and all the YouTube 05:15 talking heads and all the statisticians giving me reasons 05:18 why I need to be afraid, I say to them, I'm in a storm, but 05:23 Jesus is in the boat with me. 05:25 He is the author and the finisher of our faith. 05:29 He has not become impotent in these closing hours of our 05:32 history. 05:34 And all the demons in hell know that they cannot defeat him. 05:36 That's why the devil himself says he knows he has but a 05:40 short time. 05:41 And so the Apostle Paul talks about God's rhythm. 05:45 There's a rhythm in scripture that the Apostle Paul and all 05:48 of those Old Testament prophets that have found victory in God, 05:52 they found God's rhythm. 05:55 The Apostle Paul highlights God's rhythm in Romans chapter 05:59 8 and verse 31. 06:00 He says, 06:04 If God is for us, what does it say? 06:06 Who can be against us? 06:08 And the answer is nobody. 06:09 I mean, God is God all by himself. 06:12 God does not need an army. 06:14 He does not need nuclear weapons. 06:16 He speaks and things happen. 06:18 God calls one angel to take care of a hundred and eighty 06:21 five thousand fighting men. 06:22 If that God is on my side and I'm on his side, he can finish 06:27 what he started. 06:28 You see, friends, there is a divine rhythm in scripture that 06:31 reminds us that God is able. 06:33 God is dependable. 06:35 And when we feel outnumbered and helpless, lean on God's 06:39 divine rhythm. 06:40 Let's begin with our first character that learned in the 06:43 moment of discomfort and anxiety that God has a rhythm. 06:47 When God called Moses at 80 years old to stand against the 06:53 dynasty of Egypt, Moses responded to God with these 06:58 words. 06:59 And I believe the reason why Moses responded is because 07:02 Moses had a me mirror, not a God mirror. 07:07 And he said in Exodus chapter 3 and verse 11, But Moses said to 07:10 God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should 07:16 bring the children of Israel out. 07:20 Moses had a problem that many of us have today. 07:24 Somehow we believe that it is us that is the formula for 07:29 victory. 07:32 all by himself. 07:34 But God calls us. 07:36 This is amazing about God. 07:37 He calls us. 07:38 He wins the battle and he gives us the credit for simply 07:42 standing firm. 07:47 And so to stand before Pharaoh, Moses realized that he needed 07:53 to embrace God's rhythm. 07:55 And God had a conversation with Moses and God said to Moses in 08:00 Exodus 4 and verse 12, notice what he said. 08:03 Now therefore go and I will be with your mouth. 08:08 Come on somebody. 08:10 And teach you what you shall say. 08:14 I've been in a lot of Bible studies. 08:16 I've spoken to people of different denominations. 08:18 I've been in circles where people were wiser maybe. 08:21 But when you encourage people through the reading of God's 08:24 word, you discover that you're not by yourself. 08:26 God's word is more powerful than any reasoning, any 08:31 intellectuality, any philosophy. 08:33 God said to Moses, you don't need to try to write a script 08:36 to stand before Pharaoh. 08:38 Let the great I Am do the talking for you. 08:42 Long before EF Hutton there was God. 08:45 Come on old people say amen. 08:47 So Moses did not speak truth to power. 08:50 God spoke through Moses. 08:53 God used Moses simply as an instrument. 08:57 And I want to remind those of you that are leaders today, you 09:00 are not the reason for the victory. 09:01 God is. 09:02 We are simply the instruments. 09:04 We are like a vapor. 09:05 We show up and we leave and sometimes when we show up we 09:08 think that we look at God's journey and we say God your 09:12 church is in trouble and the Lord says the reason is because 09:15 you're in it. 09:17 Not because of me. 09:19 Not because of the remnant message. 09:21 The problem with the church is not God's message. 09:24 It's not God. 09:26 It's not the doctrines. 09:27 Come on somebody. 09:28 It's the people in the church. 09:30 And when they focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our 09:35 faith, they will learn like Moses did that God is the only 09:40 source of true power. 09:42 Can you say amen. 09:44 As Moses stood with God, God defeated the Pharaoh in Moses' 09:49 life. 09:50 And God will defeat the Pharaohs in your life. 09:52 The Pharaohs that refuse to let you go from your habits. 09:56 That refuse to let you go from your addictions. 09:58 That refuse to let you go from the things that bind you. 10:02 I know. 10:03 I'm telling you from experience. 10:05 I had some Pharaohs in my life and I'm free today. 10:07 Come on say amen somebody. 10:09 So if you think that Pharaoh is more powerful than God, you're 10:12 in trouble. 10:12 But God's never in trouble. 10:14 God said I'll speak to the Pharaohs in your life. 10:17 And God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a 10:20 mighty hand. 10:21 He did it for them and he'll do it for us today. 10:23 If he did it for his church thousands of years ago, he can 10:27 still do it for his church today. 10:29 Moses stood firmly because he learned that God is the only 10:33 true source of power. 10:35 He finally got into God's rhythm and realized that every 10:38 circumstance, God's rhythm gives the faithful assurance to 10:43 stand. 10:44 But Moses is not the only one. 10:45 Let's ask a young man by the name of Joshua. 10:48 He was the young deacon in the church. 10:51 He was so upset by the way people looked at him. 10:53 He said Lord I'm afraid of their faces. 10:55 I think that was Jeremiah. 10:57 But Joshua was another man. 10:59 Joshua, God had to remind him over and over that when he 11:04 began to count the army against him, he began to fade in the 11:10 area of courage because Joshua's powerless he thought 11:15 equals God's powerlessness. 11:19 But our powerlessness does not equals God's powerlessness. 11:26 I'm not going powerless but God is always powerful. 11:30 So the Lord, I love the way that God said it to Joshua. 11:32 Joshua 1 verse 9. 11:33 Notice what and this is a comeback. 11:35 This is not a first statement. 11:37 It's like God told him before and he didn't hear. 11:39 Notice what God said in Joshua 1 9. 11:41 He said have I not commanded you? 11:44 You haven't heard me the first time. 11:46 Have I not commanded you? 11:48 Be strong and of good courage. 11:50 Do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God 11:54 is with you wherever you go. 11:56 Hallelujah. 11:58 Wherever God sends his messenger, God is the messenger 12:02 with the messenger. 12:05 God doesn't send us by ourselves. 12:08 God sends us on a journey that is in his itinerary. 12:13 So when we are involved in the journey of preaching and 12:15 teaching the gospel message, don't ever confuse yourself 12:18 that somehow you are the reason it's going to fail or succeed. 12:21 No. 12:22 It's all on God. 12:24 The church has one foundation. 12:26 It's Jesus Christ the Lord. 12:28 It's a sure foundation. 12:29 It's a tried foundation. 12:31 It's a stone that has never rolled and a stone that will 12:33 not be broken. 12:35 God is the stone. 12:36 God is the foundation. 12:38 So Joshua got into God's rhythm and notice Joshua chapter 10 in 12:42 verse 25. 12:44 Joshua finally caught it. 12:46 So now Joshua looks at those who are with him and he says 12:48 these words. 12:49 Then Joshua said to them do not be afraid. 12:52 Notice when you get it, somebody else will get it. 12:55 When you as a leader get it, you can encourage your people. 12:58 They'll get it. 12:59 And I believe one of the reasons why members are 13:01 discouraged is because we've got discouraged leaders 13:04 preaching. 13:10 You'll lose a basketball game if your coach is messed up. 13:15 If he says, well, you know the team against us is that they 13:17 never lost. 13:18 You ain't gonna win. 13:20 Sorry, you are not going to win. 13:23 But if your coach says they won four championships, well, we 13:26 will beat them. 13:27 You go out there with a different attitude. 13:29 Am I telling the truth? 13:30 So Joshua finally got into God's rhythm and he said to his 13:34 team, do not be afraid. 13:37 Bring it up. 13:37 Joshua 10, 25. 13:39 Do not be afraid. 13:40 He's repeating what God told him. 13:42 Do not be afraid nor be dismayed. 13:44 Be strong and of what kind of courage? 13:46 Good courage for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies 13:50 against whom you fight. 13:52 He got into God's rhythm. 13:53 That's my message to those watching today. 13:57 Get into God's rhythm and God can take care of the enemies 14:00 against this church. 14:02 God can take care of the enemies against the remnant 14:04 message. 14:05 God can take care of all the YouTube talking heads that make 14:08 you feel like the church is going to fall. 14:10 It may look like it. 14:12 It's a leaning church. 14:13 It's not a falling church because God is propping it up 14:17 by his grace. 14:18 God did not call us into perfection. 14:20 God called us into a journey that when it is over, we're 14:23 going to be like Jesus. 14:24 Stay in the journey. 14:26 Don't get discouraged by what you hear. 14:28 That's why Joshua said, choose for yourselves this day whom 14:31 you serve. 14:32 But you got to make it personal. 14:34 But as for me and my house, come on, say it with me. 14:36 We will serve. 14:37 You've got to leave camp meeting. 14:39 No, it's not about whether the GC or the division or the 14:43 whatever, the conference. 14:44 It's about your decision in the morning. 14:46 Are you going to serve God? 14:48 If you serve God, they ain't no enemies in your family, in your 14:52 job, in your marriage, come on, in your neighborhood, in the 14:56 conference, on YouTube, on slow down, John. 15:01 There ain't no, sorry, there aren't any that are going to 15:06 stand against you when God is with you. 15:08 Amen somebody. 15:09 Remain courageous in the face of opposition. 15:12 In every generation, God's rhythm gives the faithful power 15:16 to stand. 15:18 But they're not the only two. 15:19 Let's ask Daniel. 15:20 Did he find God's rhythm? 15:23 You see, your patterns in times of peace will prepare you for 15:28 your patterns in times of crisis. 15:32 Daniel faced crisis in peace. 15:34 He didn't face peace in crisis. 15:37 Daniel was ready for the crisis because he had a daily pattern, 15:41 Leon. 15:41 He woke up every day and prayed. 15:43 He didn't pray just in Jerusalem. 15:45 He prayed in the Medo-Persian Empire. 15:48 When you've got a pattern, you don't care about circumstances. 15:51 When you've got a pattern, your boss is not the person that you 15:54 need to fear. 15:58 work, you're going to get fired. 15:59 I said, well, you might as well get rid of me. 16:00 I'm not showing up. 16:01 And they fired me, but I'm a preacher now. 16:04 Amen. 16:05 I got fired from two jobs because they could not let me, 16:09 they could not get me nervous. 16:12 God is not respecters of people that think finance and position 16:17 is greater than the Almighty God. 16:19 We all are living on God's breath. 16:22 God can say, shut it down. 16:25 All this electronics, God can say, give me my electricity 16:27 back. 16:29 And all this stuff is over. 16:32 Am I right? 16:34 Daniel's patterns. 16:35 When Daniel heard that they decided they're going to try to 16:38 trap him, Daniel said, they don't know the God that I have. 16:42 Daniel 6, verse 10. 16:44 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, sometimes 16:47 you got to know difficulty is coming and don't change your 16:50 patterns. 16:54 change his pattern. 16:55 Now let me make this clear. 16:57 They couldn't find anything in Daniel's internet searches to 17:01 trap him. 17:03 They couldn't find anything in Daniel's Amazon purchases to 17:05 trap him. 17:07 They couldn't find anything in Daniel's backseat of his car to 17:09 trap him. 17:10 Help me out. 17:11 So they said, how are we going to trap him? 17:13 And the devil will use your dedication to God to try to 17:17 trap you. 17:18 But when you are dedicated to God, it's a trap for the devil, 17:21 not a trap for you. 17:22 When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went 17:25 home. 17:26 Go home and keep doing what God told you to do. 17:28 And in his upper room, this is significant because when you 17:31 worship God, you're not in the lower room, you're in the upper 17:34 room. 17:36 With his windows open toward Jerusalem, the city of peace, 17:41 when you are focused in the right direction, you are in the 17:43 city of peace. 17:45 What did he do? 17:50 and gave thanks before his God. 17:51 And I love this, as his custom since early days. 17:57 I believe one of the reasons why young folk are distorted 17:59 nowadays is because they're not establishing patterns in their 18:02 early days. 18:04 I spoke to young men on Go Daddy yesterday, trying to get 18:10 a website connected. 18:12 And the conversation got good. 18:13 For whatever reason, the Lord gave this technician reason to 18:17 keep asking me, what do I do? 18:18 I said, I'm a preacher. 18:19 What do you do? 18:20 And I began to tell him about myself. 18:22 He said, well, what do you have in your future? 18:23 I said, I'm writing a book called Do You Want To? 18:25 He said, well, tell me about the book. 18:27 And I said, it's the most important question you'll have 18:29 asked yourself. 18:29 Do you want to? 18:32 And he said, well, tell me, read some of it to me. 18:34 I mean, this is a check on the line. 18:36 And we spoke for 47 minutes. 18:39 He said, you know, he said, whatever you do, you are, you 18:42 are inspiring me. 18:44 Can you keep in touch with me? 18:46 Here's my phone number. 18:46 Here's my email. 18:48 And when that he said, right now, I'm searching. 18:50 I'm searching. 18:51 I'm reading about agnosticism. 18:53 I haven't considered Christianity yet, but you 18:54 inspire me. 18:55 I just met you. 18:56 Can you keep in touch? 18:57 When you speak for God, people get inspired. 19:04 So divine allegiance does not seek human permission. 19:07 Daniel prayed not because the Medo Persians gave him 19:09 permission, but because God is all the permission that you 19:12 need. 19:13 Keep your window open and God will shut the mouth of your 19:16 lion. 19:16 Somebody or to say, amen. 19:19 Let's go to the fourth example. 19:21 Esther, Esther, I needed to include a young lady in the 19:26 championship. 19:28 Ladies, you missed a chance to say amen. 19:31 It's not just men. 19:33 Esther, a Jewish young lady incognito where God allowed her 19:41 to be. 19:42 Sometimes God will hide your identity to reveal his 19:45 identity. 19:49 So she heard that her people were being maligned, that there 19:54 was a plan to wipe out all her people. 19:59 And after being prepared for about a year to stand before 20:01 the king, Ahasuerus, Mordecai realized we got an enemy in 20:06 that camp, Haman. 20:09 Let me just put this there. 20:12 Slow down, John. 20:14 So he said, Esther, you've got access to the king. 20:19 Now I want to say what I'm really saying. 20:23 What Mordecai meant was Esther has access to the king. 20:31 When you have access to the king, you're not fearing the 20:35 king. 20:37 But Esther was nervous. 20:39 And he said to her, well, you don't have to say anything. 20:42 Esther four verse 14. 20:46 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and 20:51 deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. 20:54 Let me pause. 20:56 If you choose to shut up in a time of crisis, God will find 20:59 somebody else to speak up. 21:01 But make no mistake about it. 21:02 Look at the rest of the passage. 21:03 But you and your father's house will perish. 21:06 Brethren, this is no time to be silent. 21:09 But you don't have to beat people up with your beliefs. 21:12 You got to point people to Jesus so Jesus can beat up 21:16 their enemies. 21:19 And I love this passage, which is, in fact, a saying that has 21:22 become very popular. 21:24 Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a 21:27 time as this. 21:29 Brethren, the three angels messages for such a time as 21:32 this. 21:34 The investigative judgment message for such a time as 21:36 this. 21:39 I don't apologize for any of our beliefs. 21:41 I don't apologize for the church because it's God's 21:45 church. 21:47 If God need to move some of us out of the way for His church 21:49 to succeed, He'll do that. 21:51 But God's church is not in trouble. 21:53 He's the foundation and He's the head. 21:55 It's the body that's in trouble. 21:58 But if you look at the scriptures, all those that came 22:00 out of Egypt did not go into Canaan, but God did not kill 22:03 them in the wilderness. 22:04 They killed themselves. 22:07 Esther feared losing her life. 22:09 When action was necessary, we must learn that silence is not 22:13 golden. 22:17 the day we become silent about things that matter. 22:21 What happened? 22:25 up. 22:31 Silence is not golden. 22:33 God will hang up the enemies in your life. 22:36 Don't worry about them. 22:40 you around and give you all the glory for what God has done in 22:43 your life. 22:44 You know the rest of the story. 22:46 Example number five. 22:47 Gideon. 22:48 This guy is a joke. 22:52 The angel of the Lord finds Gideon hiding in a vat, hiding 22:55 from the Midianites, threshing wheat in a wine press. 23:00 That's what you're supposed to do in the open. 23:02 Some people are so afraid. 23:03 Let me break this down. 23:05 Some of you are so afraid that you're trying to hide and do 23:08 God's work in silence. 23:11 No, thread, tread wheat where everybody can see it. 23:16 So here's Gideon. 23:23 And the angel shows up and said, Almighty man of valor. 23:29 You know what I love about that? 23:31 God does not just see us in our present. 23:34 God sees us in his future. 23:36 Amen. 23:37 You might be weak now, but you stick with God. 23:39 He'll give you a Gideon sword and a pitcher. 23:42 He'll tell you how to blow that trumpet. 23:43 Amen, somebody? 23:45 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terrible 23:48 tree. 23:52 belongeth to Joash the Abysarite, while his son Gideon 23:55 threshed wheat in the wine press in order to hide from the 23:58 Midianites. 24:00 The Lord said to him, Mighty man of valor, what are you 24:02 doing in there? 24:07 Gideon finally got it together. 24:10 But God had to break down all the things that Gideon relied 24:12 on. 24:14 If you're relying on your bank account, God's gonna take that 24:16 money away from you. 24:18 Gideon had how many soldiers? 24:22 32,000. 24:23 10,000. 24:25 10,000 left. 24:28 And then God used to have too much. 24:30 Go down to the brook. 24:32 And when God was done, now just check this out. 24:35 You got 32,000 on the bank. 24:37 God said all you need is 300. 24:41 Let me say something. 24:43 If all you got in the bank is 300, you got God on your side. 24:46 Come on, somebody. 24:48 We think money is the reason we're gonna succeed. 24:50 God said, no, you got too much money. 24:52 You're relying on your money. 24:53 I gotta empty that bank account. 24:54 Some people don't pray until they only have $300. 24:59 God was with Gideon because Gideon realized when you're 25:04 with God, there are no odds that can be against you. 25:08 Dr. Martin Luther King has so many wonderful quotes. 25:10 He said, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 25:13 in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 25:18 stands in times of challenge and controversy. 25:22 Not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but 25:27 where he decides to stand in times of challenge and 25:29 controversy. 25:30 You know, but I've been in Adventist past and now gone on 25:32 40 years. 25:34 I've been through stuff. 25:36 You know why? 25:39 And God will put you through stuff if that's what he needs 25:42 to do to get you saved. 25:45 There were days when I recognized that I'm still here 25:48 because God is not done with me yet. 25:52 And brethren, let me encourage you as you leave camp meeting. 25:55 You gotta turn off all the dissenting voices and start 25:59 listening for the ascending voices. 26:02 Because you could spend all your time on the left or the 26:05 right, on this network or that network, on this statistic or 26:09 that statistic, on all the YouTube videos. 26:12 Shut it down and light it up. 26:19 Ford's gonna fail. 26:20 Toyota's going down. 26:22 Microsoft is going down. 26:23 One day nobody's gonna want an iPhone. 26:27 But God's Word will endure forever. 26:32 With God, there's no such thing as odds. 26:35 Can you see Gideon now acting like he knew the answer all 26:38 along? 26:40 Out there running with his pitchfork, I mean it's not a 26:42 pitchfork, with his pitch lamp and his sword and his trumpet. 26:47 And when the battle was over, I could imagine Gideon probably 26:50 said, God, you knew all along how it was gonna end up. 26:55 Let me say something. 26:56 God knows all along how the story is gonna end. 27:00 Don't worry about the odds are never against the people of 27:04 God. 27:05 Never against the people of God. 27:07 That's why when the Lord looks at you in your frailty and in 27:09 your crisis moment, He sees us not just as we are, but as we 27:15 are going to be by the work that He began in us. 27:18 God is not just the author. 27:19 He's the finisher of our faith. 27:21 God is not just one that starts and say, I ran out of supplies. 27:24 He's able to end what He started. 27:27 He who has begun a good work where, in you will complete it. 27:31 Amen, somebody. 27:32 So don't be discouraged. 27:33 I'm not discouraged. 27:34 I used to be discouraged. 27:38 When I was a young man, I talked about all the food 27:40 lists, and you can't eat this and you can't eat that. 27:42 And then I realized that yes, there is a health message, but 27:45 sometimes it's not what you're eating, but what's eating you. 27:50 Sometimes it's not what's going in, but what's coming out. 27:56 And I want to say this. 27:57 If you've been here before, just say to people, you heard 27:59 it before, you can have a clean colon and a corrupt heart. 28:05 If the Lord is not in you, there's going to be some 28:08 vegetarians that are going to ignite quick in hell. 28:12 because you know, dried up vegetables go up fast. 28:17 If you don't know Jesus, if you don't know Jesus, you are a 28:21 forest fire waiting for a spark. 28:24 You better know Jesus. 28:27 You better put Jesus before Loma Linda. 28:31 Amen, somebody. 28:33 You better put Jesus before whatever that else that farms 28:36 this and farms that. 28:37 If it's in a can, you're focusing in the wrong place. 28:39 If it's in God's word, your focus is right. 28:42 And I'm not speaking against the health message. 28:45 I look this good because I believe in healthiness. 28:49 No amen is necessary. 28:51 I don't need your approval. 28:55 When you realize there's more time behind you and God is 28:57 holding you together, you can say amen for yourself. 29:01 With God, there are no odds. 29:03 There's another one. 29:04 Let's talk about him. 29:06 His name is Elijah. 29:08 What can we say about Elijah? 29:10 What a man. 29:12 What a man. 29:14 The Lord says in Malachi 4 and verse 5, Behold, I will send 29:17 you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and 29:23 dreadful day of the Lord. 29:25 Who is Elijah? 29:26 When Elijah finished his work, God passed the mantle to 29:32 Elisha, gave him by his request a double portion of the spirit 29:36 that Elijah had. 29:39 And God continued the work through Elisha. 29:42 God took Elijah out of the way because people began to rely on 29:46 Elijah more than on God. 29:49 You gotta read about it. 29:53 You gotta rely on God more than you rely on humanity. 29:57 If God sees you relying on somebody more than on him, God 30:00 will take them out of the way. 30:05 In a time of complacency and corruption, Elijah stood firm. 30:09 In a time of unrestrained compromise and rebellious 30:12 coalitions, Elijah stood firm. 30:16 You see, Elijah understood there was a cadence set by the 30:19 kings of Israel that affected Ahab in his day. 30:23 You see, Ahab married Jezebel because the very first king of 30:27 Israel married Pharaoh's daughter. 30:30 This was the trend in Israel. 30:31 They felt there was nothing wrong with aligning themselves 30:34 with the forces that were against them. 30:36 You gotta watch out when the Bible says, be not unequally 30:39 yoked, it's not just talking about marriage, it's talking 30:41 about everything else. 30:43 You can't be in business with folks that don't honor the 30:45 Sabbath like you honor it. 30:47 You can't expect people that don't believe in the Sabbath to 30:49 embrace the Sabbath. 30:50 And there's nothing wrong with the Sabbath because Jesus is 30:54 Lord of the Sabbath. 30:55 But emphasize Jesus and then they'll find the Sabbath. 30:58 If you give them Jesus first and then show them the Sabbath, 31:02 the Sabbath has a foundation. 31:03 But without Jesus, the Sabbath is just a day. 31:07 But with Jesus, the Sabbath is a relationship. 31:10 Elijah made sure that he never aligned himself with forces 31:14 that eroded his allegiance to God. 31:17 But he was always challenged, always threatened. 31:19 And when you have a wife like Ahab had, she was bad. 31:26 She had all the perfumes in the world, but she had a stink 31:29 attitude. 31:31 She liked to kill folk. 31:34 And she was looking for reasons to just kill folk. 31:37 She was able to seduce the prophets of God to begin to 31:40 worship the prophets, the gods of the Baals, the Asherites. 31:45 And all of a sudden, these weak men, Lord have mercy, pray for 31:48 the men, 31:54 always said, Ahab followed Jezebel not because of the way 32:00 she walked, but because of the way he refused to walk. 32:06 It was not the scent of her perfume that attracted him, but 32:09 the stench of his sin that attracted her. 32:20 When people sense that you smell sinful, God will send 32:25 somebody to align themselves with you that is sinful. 32:30 So Ahab decided to disobey God, and he thought it was no big 32:35 thing to align himself with Jezebel. 32:40 And the prophets of Israel, 450 prophets of Israel and 400 32:46 prophets of Asher or Baal, 850 false prophets. 32:53 Apostasy in the land. 32:54 Now let me pause and say something here. 32:56 Because we could say that Elijah had the odds against 33:03 him. 33:06 They were all prophets, all prophesying the doom. 33:10 They had their gods that they were prepared to worship. 33:13 They had the place of worship set up. 33:15 They would worship their gods day and night, crying to their 33:18 gods, trying to get power from their gods. 33:22 And there are some people that will seek their gods and get no 33:24 response. 33:26 But their addictions to their gods are so great that they 33:30 don't even know that there is no blessing worshiping a false 33:33 god. 33:35 Let me say that. 33:36 Let me make another application. 33:37 Some people are so addicted to their phones. 33:40 They don't realize there is no blessing getting addicted to 33:44 the phone because the phone can't bless you, but it can 33:46 steal your blessing. 33:49 Whatever you are addicted to will rob your blessing. 33:51 It will never bless you. 33:53 It will rob you of your blessing. 33:55 So watch out for your addictions. 33:58 This young man I was talking to on GoDaddy, he said, Tell me 34:03 more. 34:04 Tell me more. 34:05 I said, Let me ask you a question. 34:06 If you decided to take a journey from New York City to 34:09 California, that's a long way. 34:11 It's about 3,000 plus miles. 34:12 He said, Yes. 34:16 went into a store on the way to California? 34:17 How long would it take you? 34:19 He said, It would take me a lifetime. 34:20 I said, Every time young folks stop at a website, they are 34:27 getting off the road, leaving God's journey, and they're 34:33 wondering why their lives are so unfulfilled. 34:38 How long would it take you to get to California from 34:40 Thompsonville, Leon, if you stopped every mile? 34:44 Spend an hour, another mile, another mile, another mile. 34:50 He said, I had never thought about it that way. 34:53 And then he said to me, I know what you're talking about. 34:55 I was addicted to Facebook and to Twitter and to Instagram, 34:59 and I got rid of all of those, and I just narrowed my 35:02 addiction down to Reddit, but I'm now realizing that I'm 35:05 addicted to Reddit. 35:07 He said, When I wake up in the morning, I realize four hours 35:10 passed, and I just got up and just picked up my phone. 35:14 The devil will steal your brain and take away the very place 35:18 that should be the throne of God. 35:20 And we wonder why young folk don't know Jesus. 35:23 That's the reason. 35:25 Because their Jesus has become their device, and they are 35:28 learning from the people on YouTube rather than from the 35:31 inspiration of God's Holy Spirit through the written Word 35:33 of God. 35:34 If you could just flick, flick, flick through 500 pictures in 35:38 an hour, or maybe less than that, why would you want to 35:41 take time digging in God's Word? 35:44 And every flick is an empty calorie. 35:48 But when you eat God's Word, there are no empty calories in 35:51 God's Word. 35:54 It is the Word that always fills, and the Bible promises 35:57 which no social media platform can ever promise. 36:01 If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will be 36:05 filled. 36:06 That's a promise. 36:09 That's God's Word. 36:12 So these prophets got together. 36:15 The Bible says in 1 Kings 16, verse 32, speaking about Ahab, 36:19 then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, 36:23 which he built in Samaria. 36:27 And the appalling decline of Israel was so bad that Elijah 36:30 said, Lord, we need to do something. 36:32 We need to get their attention. 36:34 And God will withdraw the Spirit of God from your life 36:37 until you realize that the reason why there is no Spirit 36:41 of God in your life is because you're focusing in the wrong 36:44 direction. 36:46 Some people realize why they don't. 36:47 They say, I don't feel holy. 36:49 Holiness is not a feeling. 36:51 But when you know God is in your life, oh, what a feeling. 36:55 I know my wife and I, when we start our Bibles, we sit there 36:58 and we ponder what we just read. 36:59 And all day long, we'll pause and say, wasn't that powerful? 37:03 Let me tell you some God's Word will put something in your life 37:05 that will never... 37:06 The evening comes and we're still talking about studying 37:08 God's Word. 37:09 Put something sustaining in your life. 37:12 And so what happened, they decided to find a way to 37:14 persecute and find the prophets to search out Elijah, find a 37:20 way to kill him. 37:22 And Matthew says in Matthew 5 and verse 11, don't worry about 37:25 when people speak badly against you because even that's a 37:28 blessing. 37:31 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you 37:35 and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. 37:38 For my sake is not because of you. 37:39 It's because of Jesus in you. 37:42 What's the next word? 37:44 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in 37:49 heaven. 37:52 If you are persecuted for living right, let the 37:56 persecution come. 38:00 Don't run from it. 38:02 So now there's a warrant out for Elijah's arrest. 38:07 APB, they sent out a bulletin. 38:08 They have a picture of Elijah and all the police cars. 38:12 Got him on the unit. 38:13 Six o'clock news. 38:17 dangerous. 38:20 And then Elijah says, wait a minute. 38:23 Let me make it easy for them. 38:25 I'll turn myself in. 38:28 So he goes, says, tell Ahab I'm here. 38:36 That's really messed up. 38:39 You want to fight? 38:41 Tell Ahab I'm right here. 38:42 And Ahab's servant said, now wait a minute. 38:47 I'm going to go tell him. 38:49 When I come back, you're going to be gone and he's going to 38:52 kill me. 38:53 Elijah said, I'm not going anywhere. 38:55 Let me just say that, brethren, when you stand with God, you 38:58 got to say, I'm not going anywhere. 39:01 So he came back and he stood before Ahab and the Bible says 39:07 in 1 Kings 18 verse 17, then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, 39:13 that Ahab said to him, is that you, O troubler of Israel? 39:18 Can I make a statement here? 39:19 That's good trouble. 39:22 When you are troubling the forces against God's church, 39:27 that's good trouble. 39:29 But I love his response because he pointed out the central 39:33 issue. 39:38 Look at 1 Kings 18 verse 18. 39:40 He said these words, I have not troubled Israel, but you and 39:45 your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the 39:48 commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 39:51 Today, brethren, the problem is not us. 39:54 When people forsake the commandments of God, they 39:56 always make the commandments of God the focus. 39:59 They always say, the commandments of God can't be 40:01 kept. 40:04 The commandments of God can be kept by the indwelling Christ. 40:08 But false prophets always harp on God's commandments when the 40:14 issue is not God's law, but man's carnal heart. 40:19 And I love the way that Elijah settled this issue on Mount 40:25 Carmel. 40:25 You know the story. 40:26 He said, go ahead and have a party. 40:28 Call on your God, and Elijah sat there all day long. 40:32 Let me check my email while they're making all this noise. 40:36 All day long, all afternoon long, yelling to their God, 40:40 cutting themselves with the lances, blood gushing 40:42 everywhere. 40:44 Respond to us, O God. 40:45 Respond to us, O God. 40:47 And God did not respond because God, the God they serve, was a 40:51 dead God. 40:55 In a time of compromise, Elijah decided, I'm standing with God. 41:00 So Elijah, you know the rest of the story. 41:02 He said, at the altar, put the stones, the dirt, the wood. 41:06 Keep putting all the water. 41:07 Keep putting all the water. 41:08 And when Elisha prayed, let me just say something. 41:11 If you have a prayer life, God can send some fire into your 41:14 life. 41:16 He prayed. 41:18 And when they saw the God of Elijah respond, they decided to 41:24 stand up because they had never seen such a display of almighty 41:28 power. 41:29 And when Elijah stood before all those prophets, he said in 41:32 1 Kings chapter 18, verse 21, notice what he said. 41:35 And Elijah came to all the people and said, How long will 41:40 you falter between two opinions? 41:42 Here's the question today, my church. 41:45 If the Lord be God, then do what? 41:47 Follow Him. 41:48 But if Baal, then do what? 41:49 Follow Him. 41:51 And their hearts were so divided, the Bible says, but 41:53 the people answered Him not a word. 41:56 You see, the heart was so under conviction that they could not 42:02 say that they were against God. 42:05 They couldn't say a word. 42:06 You see, when we stand in the judgment, like the Lord when He 42:10 came to the wedding supper and He saw a man without a wedding 42:13 garment, the Bible said, He answered not a word. 42:16 When we know that we are under the conviction of God's Spirit, 42:19 we don't have any excuses. 42:21 He answered not a word. 42:24 Elijah know that he did not have to look for support. 42:28 Elijah was not by himself. 42:30 God was with him. 42:31 And brothers, God is calling for the Elijah's of today to 42:35 stand firm in the face of opposition. 42:38 What do you say? 42:39 And our last example, which is one of my favorite, you might 42:42 have heard about them before, Hennanyah, Mishiel, and 42:45 Azariah, better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and 42:49 Abednego. 42:51 Nebuchadnezzar got beside himself. 42:53 You know what amazes me? 42:54 Powerful people always get beside themselves. 42:58 They somehow think because they could command nations and 43:01 command armies and call on forces and close and open banks 43:05 and cause the stock market to rise and fall. 43:08 Somehow they interpret that they are God somewhere. 43:12 And Nebuchadnezzar thought he was God. 43:14 So he said, you know, since the stock market is based on the 43:17 gold currency, I'm going to build me an entire statue of 43:20 gold. 43:22 And he set it up. 43:24 But here's the point. 43:25 Just like Daniel, these Hebrews did not decide about their 43:29 study life and their prayer life. 43:32 Let me add another one about their diet when they got into 43:36 Babylon, they had all that straightened out before the 43:39 party started. 43:41 Some folk when they go to parties and they see the stuff 43:43 that they used to eat, they say, you're not going to see me 43:48 take a, well I don't know which one is the pork chop, I don't 43:50 know which one is the veggie link, so I just go and take 43:52 either one of them. 43:55 No, they said, we are not eating that stuff. 43:58 And I want you to know, your mind will be clearer, your body 44:01 will be more fit. 44:03 And so Nebuchadnezzar decided I'm going to build me a golden 44:07 image. 44:08 And the very men that he promoted to positions of 44:11 authority in his administration decided they're standing 44:14 against his administration because his administration is 44:17 now standing against God. 44:20 That's why I don't vote anymore. 44:22 You can vote if you want to. 44:23 They're both crooks. 44:26 I vote for the man in the middle, help me out somebody. 44:29 On the cross, there was a thief on the right and a thief on the 44:34 left. 44:36 Don't ask me if I vote for the right or the left. 44:38 I said I vote for the middle, the man in the middle. 44:42 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood with the man in the 44:44 middle. 44:48 when he demanded, where are these guys that refused to bow 44:50 to me? 44:55 what he said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered 45:00 and said to the king, Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, probably said 45:04 that with nice words of pathos. 45:07 But I love what they said after that. 45:08 Sometimes you got to just tell it like it is. 45:11 We have no need to answer you in this matter. 45:16 Let me say something. 45:19 any human vessel for your dedication to the truth of 45:22 God's word. 45:24 Why aren't you keeping the Sabbath? 45:25 Why are you not worshiping on the Sabbath? 45:27 Why are you not coming to work on the Sabbath? 45:29 I don't need to answer you in this matter. 45:31 I've had people that got fired and they won cases against the 45:34 company that fired them for not working on the Sabbath. 45:38 And then they got a job that they don't have to work on the 45:41 Sabbath. 45:42 And God put them in positions where they now organize what 45:45 work schedules are. 45:47 God can turn the tide in your favor. 45:50 They said, We have no need to answer you in this matter. 45:53 If that is the case, here's the key for the night. 45:56 Our God whom we serve is able. 46:02 Is He able? 46:04 He's able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and 46:08 He will deliver us from your hand, O King. 46:11 But notice what they didn't say. 46:12 They didn't say, He will deliver us from the burning 46:15 fiery furnace. 46:17 They said, He's able to do that, but He will deliver us 46:20 from your hand. 46:21 If it means going in the furnace, that's what we'll do. 46:24 And I love the fact that they did not presume on God to say, 46:28 He will deliver me. 46:30 Sometimes God allows you to be a martyr for the glory of His 46:33 name. 46:36 But brethren, don't stand because you have the assurance 46:38 of deliverance. 46:39 Stand because you have a conviction of doing what's 46:41 right. 46:43 Some people say, Well, if I quit, I'll get another job. 46:46 Even if you don't get another job, God will take care of you. 46:49 And I like Daniel 3 and verse 18. 46:51 I'm so glad that they included these three words. 46:54 But if not... 46:56 Come on, help me out somebody. 46:58 But you gotta be a Christian with a but if not in your life. 47:01 The diagnosis is terminal cancer. 47:04 God could heal me, but if not... 47:05 Come on. 47:06 If He chooses to lay you to rest before the time of 47:09 trouble, God is still sovereign. 47:12 I'm praying for my children to come back to the Lord. 47:13 But if not, one pastor said to his son, I've been praying for 47:17 you all my life. 47:20 If you don't make heaven, I'm gonna miss you, but not always. 47:25 I heard one young man say to me, I don't want to go to 47:27 heaven if my brother's not there. 47:28 I said, that's a bad statement. 47:31 If your brother don't make it, you don't want to be there? 47:33 No. 47:37 But I'm gonna go to heaven because Jesus will be there. 47:39 What about you? 47:40 But if not, and you know the rest of the story, the morning 47:43 came, not the morning, the Lord turned it around. 47:49 And I'm just gonna tell it to you. 47:50 So Nebuchadnezzar said, heat that furnace seven times 47:54 hotter. 47:55 Where's Tim? 47:55 Come on out, Tim. 47:56 Heat that furnace seven times hotter. 48:01 You know the story that furnace was so hot that the men that 48:03 put them in the fire were consumed by the fire they 48:07 started. 48:07 Let me pause and say something. 48:08 When people start a fire to burn you up, it'll burn them 48:11 up. 48:12 Don't worry about people that said they could hurt you, or 48:15 they can't hurt you. 48:17 They'll hurt themselves while they're trying to hurt you. 48:19 And I love the story. 48:22 Nebuchadnezzar said, what happened? 48:28 Look. 48:32 Did we not cast three men in the fire? 48:36 But I see a fourth one walking in the midst of the fire. 48:40 And they are not hurt. 48:41 And the fourth is the form like the Son of God. 48:46 Let me make you get this before you leave. 48:48 You're gonna have fires when you go back home. 48:51 But when you stand with God, He'll stand with you not to 48:55 keep you out of the fire. 48:57 But God will deliver you in the fire. 49:00 My brothers and sisters, tonight the odds are not 49:02 against us. 49:03 The statisticians can't stop God's work. 49:06 When God is with us and we are with Him, He will never fail. 49:10 He will never fail. 49:11 He will never fail. 49:12 Compromise is not an option. 49:13 Don't compromise your faith. 49:15 Don't compromise your dedication to God. 49:17 He will be that fourth man in your fire. 49:19 So what's the message? 49:21 Moses stood and God consumed His Egyptians. 49:24 Joshua stood and God conquered His adversaries. 49:27 Daniel stood in prayer and God removed Daniel from the lion's 49:30 menu. 49:32 Esther stood and heaven delivered her people. 49:34 Gideon stood and God put the Midianites to flight. 49:37 Elijah stood and God turned Mount Carmel into a praise 49:40 session. 49:41 The Hebrews stood and Jesus showed up and stood with them 49:43 in the fire. 49:45 Standing firm. 49:46 Standing firm. 49:47 When you leave here, stand firm. 49:50 When you leave here, stand together. 49:52 Stand firm. 49:53 Because God was with me in my fires and God will be with you 49:57 in your fires. 50:01 But in matters of principle, stand by a rock. 50:04 Listen to this message tonight. 50:14 Blessed assurance Jesus is mine He's been my fourth man in the 50:25 fire time after time I'm born of His Spirit washed in His 50:37 blood And what He did for me 50:48 So I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never 51:08 fail, yes, I trust in God, he's My Savior, the one who will 51:18 never fail, he will never fail. 51:29 Perfect submission, my heart is at rest. 51:37 I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps. 51:48 So this is my story, and this is my song. 51:57 I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long. 52:05 Because I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never 52:18 fail, he will never fail. 52:25 I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. 52:35 My Savior, the one who will never fail, 52:41 he will never fail. 52:50 Oh, yes, he will. 52:53 Here's what happened. 52:56 I sought the Lord, and he heard, and he answered. 53:02 I sought the Lord, and he heard, and he answered. 53:06 I sought the Lord, and he heard, and he answered. 53:12 That's why I trust him. 53:14 That's why I trust him. 53:31 You know, I trust in God. 53:36 Come on now, sing. 53:37 My Savior, You're the one who will never fail. 53:48 He will never fail. 53:51 You trust him, play it again. 53:53 I trust in God. 53:56 My Savior, You're the one who will never fail. 54:07 He will never fail. 54:08 One more time. 54:25 He will never fail. 54:32 He didn't fail me back then, He will not fail me today. 54:41 So trust, trust Him all the way to the end. 54:54 Amen, church. 54:56 Trust God. 54:59 Stand firm till Jesus returns. 55:02 Tonight I want to praise God that He stood with us. 55:06 If you're thankful that God stood with you, why don't you 55:08 come on down. 55:11 We're going to go off the end in about a minute and 50 55:13 seconds, but we're going to do so with prayer. 55:15 Thanking God that as He stood with Daniel, as He stood with 55:20 Moses, as He stood with Joshua, as He delivered Esther and 55:25 Gideon and Elijah and the Hebrews, He can do the same for 55:28 us. 55:29 That's what this is all about. 55:31 Proclaiming the final cry. 55:32 That final cry is, God is a delivering God. 55:36 God is an able God. 55:38 Somebody bring my wife down here for me. 55:40 Come on, bring her down. 55:42 Just roll her down here, Donna. 55:43 Somebody bring her on down here. 55:45 God, my wife is sitting down, but she's standing for God. 55:48 Amen, church. 55:52 network and been with us through the camp meeting, know 55:54 this. 55:55 God will order your steps if you trust Him. 55:58 Don't worry about all that the world is saying. 56:02 When you stand with God, God will stand with you. 56:05 When you obey God and trust God and worship God, there are no 56:09 odds against you. 56:11 Nothing that man can do will ever prosper on the children of 56:15 God. 56:15 What do we say, church? 56:17 So don't leave 3ABN camp meeting wondering whether or 56:19 not the church will succeed. 56:20 It's going through. 56:21 The question is, will you be on it when it lands? 56:24 You going to be on board? 56:25 I told you a couple days ago, remain seated. 56:29 When it lands, we're going to be on the ship of Zion. 56:32 Give my wife some room. 56:33 Make her come on down. 56:34 You want my sweetheart right in the middle here. 56:36 I'm going to pray for you while we're going up here. 56:37 Come on, sweetheart. 56:40 God will never fail us. 56:42 My wife and I, 42 years later, God has not failed us. 56:45 We're going all the way. 56:47 Right, honey? 56:48 Together, forever, eternity in view. 56:51 Let us pray. 56:53 stand with. 56:55 Because we stand with you, you promise to stand with us. 56:58 And Father, give us strength to trust you until you return. 57:02 In Jesus' name we pray. 57:03 And all of God's people say... 57:04 Amen! |
Revised 2025-06-09