Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000001A
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00:33 If you have your Bibles with you this morning
00:35 which I believe many of you do. 00:39 Turn with me to the Book of Acts. 00:50 And we are going to read verse 6 and 7. 00:55 Title of the message is "Breaking the Chains", 00:59 "Breaking the Chains". 01:06 Now it is on the screen if you would like to join me 01:08 in reading the scripture, 01:10 I would like to welcome you to do so. 01:13 The Bible says, 01:15 "And when the Herod was about to bring him out, 01:18 that night Peter was sleeping, 01:23 bound with two chains between two soldiers, 01:27 and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 01:33 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, 01:37 and a light shone in the prison, 01:39 and he struck Peter on the side 01:44 and raised him up, saying..." 01:47 Together, ''Arise quickly!' 01:50 And his chains fell off his hands." 01:55 Bow with me. 01:57 Loving Father, speak to us today... 02:05 and guide us and teach us how the chains in our lives 02:11 can be broken in Jesus' name, amen. 02:16 Amen. 02:21 When God got a hold of Peter's life, 02:23 Peter was enlisted in the war against sin. 02:27 When Peter was converted by God, 02:30 when Jesus found a place in Peter's life, 02:34 he joined Christ in freeing sinners. 02:39 But as you look at the life of Peter 02:40 and his life is one of the most chronicled one 02:42 in the early church. 02:44 We look at John the Revelator, 02:45 but Peter was the one 02:47 that the Lord took particular attention, 02:49 mitch to outline his life, 02:52 to help us see ourselves in Peter's life. 02:56 Look at Luke 22:31 and 32. 03:01 And what's true about Peter is true about many of us. 03:04 And the reason I didn't say true about all of us 03:08 is because until you enlist your life 03:11 in the service of God, 03:12 the devil doesn't really care about what you do. 03:16 Until you are enlisted heart, mind, soul, and prayer life 03:21 into the work of God, 03:22 the devil doesn't care what else you do 03:24 because you are no threat to his kingdom. 03:28 But the devil had been stalking Peter 03:30 ever since Peter accepted Jesus. 03:31 Notice the words of Christ. 03:35 Matthew 22:31, "And the Lord said..." 03:38 This is a chilling scripture in the Bible. 03:42 "And the Lord said, 'Simon Simon! 03:47 Indeed, Satan has asked for you..." 03:53 I don't know if that gets you how it gets me. 03:57 Did he emailed him, did he send him a text message 03:59 that they may meet on the corner 04:00 and somewhere and say, 04:02 "Hey, Jesus, I need Peter, I need Peter, 04:07 I need Louis, I need Will, 04:08 I need Gary, I need Mitch, 04:12 I need JD, I need Jeff. 04:15 Give me Bruce and see what I could do to Bruce. 04:19 I need Mike Babb, I need him, give him to me. 04:24 That's a chilling thought when the Bible says, 04:27 Simon, the devil, my enemy, 04:31 the one who I had a fight within heaven, 04:34 he came to me and he asked me for you. 04:37 I want to tell you something that I, when I read this text, 04:40 I rejoice in that that was not the only part of the verse. 04:45 Amen somebody? 04:46 He said he's asking for you, 04:48 "That he may sift you as wheat." 04:51 I don't know if you've ever been sifted. 04:53 Oh, I've been sifted. 04:55 I've been sifted. 04:56 And I have not been sifted once, 04:59 I'm starting to feel like a bag of flour, 05:01 I get sifted more times than I need to be sifted, 05:03 help me out somebody. 05:04 But the devil... 05:06 the Lord will only allow us to be sifted, hear me today. 05:10 The Lord will only allow us to be sifted, 05:13 if there are things in our lives 05:15 that are still needing to be removed. 05:19 When I was a young boy, 05:21 my mother would give me the flour, 05:23 when she would make homemade bread. 05:25 And because she did it with wheat flour, 05:28 the weevils were always in the wheat flour. 05:31 The weevils never liked bleached flour, 05:34 'cause there was nothing in it. 05:36 You see if there is wheat in your life, 05:37 if you are made of wheat, come on somebody say amen. 05:40 There is some tares and there is some wheat, 05:42 I want to suggest you today, 05:43 we are wheat that's why the devil comes in 05:45 and brings his spiritual weevils into our lives. 05:49 And the Lord says, I got some good wheat, 05:51 but there is some weevils in their lives, 05:52 they got the weevils that keep them from praying. 05:56 Weevils that keep them from prayer meeting. 05:59 Weevils that gives them enough to do at 3ABN, 06:02 they are so busy in production. 06:04 They can't pause to pray 06:06 with the other brothers and sisters of the church. 06:11 I'm preaching today. 06:17 The weevils of half heartedness, 06:22 the weevils of "I", 06:24 I am too tired, I am overworked. 06:28 Oh, brothers and sisters, let me tell you, 06:30 if you are overworked that's all the more reason 06:32 why you need to get together and pray 06:36 'cause you need strengths that does not come 06:39 from your own outline of comfortable Christianity, 06:43 you need prayer. 06:44 When you are overworked, you need to spend time 06:47 at the fountain that never stops flowing, 06:51 the feet of Jesus. 06:53 I like verse 32, the Lord said to Peter, 06:56 you are about to be in serious trouble. 07:00 "But I have prayed for you." 07:04 I'm so glad that I could feel the prayer of Jesus. 07:06 Come on somebody talk to me. 07:08 I am so glad that Jesus prays for us. 07:11 What a prayer life? 07:12 Do you know how many people 07:14 Jesus has to pray for on a weekly basis? 07:17 He said, "I prayed that your faith should not fail, 07:20 and when you are converted 07:22 or when you have returned to Me, 07:26 strengthen the brethren." 07:27 I got to break this down today. 07:29 You see some of us will never be any strength to anybody 07:33 because we ain't converted. 07:36 King James used the word converted, 07:38 New King James returned. 07:40 You've got to get back to where you were with God 07:42 before you can be any strength to anybody else. 07:46 Until you get back, 07:48 until you return to your first love, 07:51 you could never be a source of strength for anybody. 07:59 And then the Lord allowed Peter to be poured 08:02 into the sifting bowl 08:07 of personal aggrandizement. 08:14 Peter thought it was all about him, 08:17 until God had him sifted. 08:21 And then Jesus put before Peter a picture of the cross. 08:24 And Peter thinking that he knew it all, 08:28 said in John 13:37, 08:30 "Peter said to the Lord, to Jesus, 08:33 'Lord, why can't I follow you now? 08:39 I will lay down my life for Your sake." 08:42 Now I would tell you, if somebody said 08:44 they were willing to give their life for me, Gary, 08:46 I think that would be a good person to have around. 08:48 What do you say? 08:49 That's what you want from your secret service. 08:51 Folk that would take the bullet for you. 08:54 Lord, you don't have to go to the crucifixion, 08:56 I'll die for you. 08:57 I'll lay down my life for Your sake. 08:59 You can count on me 09:01 and the Lord looked at Peter and said, clueless. 09:06 You don't have a clue what that means. 09:11 He said, you can't follow me. 09:12 You see one of the reasons why Peter was not yet qualified 09:17 to Father Lord. 09:18 Peter was willing, are you listening? 09:20 Are you ready? 09:21 Peter was willing to die for Jesus 09:23 but Peter was not willing to live for Jesus. 09:29 Lord said, I don't need you to die for me, 09:31 I've already done that, I want you to live for me. 09:35 I want you to live for me. 09:37 People are getting ready for Jesus Christ. 09:40 Now, I've discovered the people that want Jesus to come 09:42 the quickest are people that are tired of waiting, 09:44 they ain't doing nothing. 09:46 Hurry up and get here Lord, I'm tired of waiting. 09:48 If you are so busy working for Jesus, 09:50 you don't have time to worry about when He's getting here, 09:54 but Peter was unwilling to live for Jesus. 09:58 And the fact is, the Lord knew that 10:03 Peter did not have an active prayer life. 10:07 You see, I'm talking about prayer this morning. 10:09 The Lord knew that Peter 10:10 did not have an active prayer life. 10:13 You may remember, 10:15 when Jesus invited Peter, James and John 10:17 to prayer meeting in the mountains. 10:20 Come on, Matthew 26:40 and 41. 10:24 The Bible says, "Then He came to the disciples 10:26 and found them..." what? 10:28 Sleeping. 10:29 And he didn't say to John, 10:31 He didn't say to James, He said to who? 10:33 Peter. 10:34 "What!" 10:36 I like that. That's what, it's not what? 10:39 It's "What!" 10:41 Exclamation. 10:43 "Peter, could you not watch with Me?" 10:46 How long was the prayer meeting? 10:47 Come on. 10:48 Oh, Lord, have mercy. 10:50 I don't feel bad if they could do that to Jesus. 10:56 I've been worrying about 10:58 people not coming to prayer meetings, 10:59 they did that to Jesus. 11:01 So the problem ain't me and the problem ain't Jesus, 11:04 the problem is you. 11:08 I'm gonna preach this sermon today. 11:12 Then He said to Peter, "Watch and pray, watch and..." 11:15 Do what? 11:17 Pray, lest you Peter enter into temptation." 11:21 This is Peter right here. 11:23 "Your spirit is indeed willing Peter, 11:26 but your flesh is in serious trouble. 11:29 It's weak." 11:31 You see one of my favorite writers outside of Ellen White 11:34 is a man by the name of Oswald Chambers. 11:38 Oswald Chambers is deep. Is he not Karen? 11:41 That man had a connection with God, 11:44 that man had a connection with spiritual inside. 11:46 You see Oswald Chambers described Peter 11:50 as a man with natural devotion. 11:53 What kind of devotion did I say? 11:55 Natural devotion. 11:57 He had a natural devotion. 11:59 It wasn't yet spiritual. 12:01 He was a disciple. He was a follower of Jesus. 12:04 He was among one of the chosen 12, 12:08 but he had natural devotion. 12:10 He was an Adventist by osmosis. 12:14 He was a Sabbath keeper. 12:16 He knew about the second coming of Jesus. 12:18 He had his doctrines straight from the master himself. 12:22 He spent time with Jesus. 12:24 Jesus saved him on many occasions 12:27 but one very personal, Jesus kept Peter from drowning. 12:33 Peter had a connection with God, 12:35 he had natural devotion. 12:37 Let me say something to you. 12:41 Very few things are more self defeating 12:43 the natural devotion. 12:45 Natural devotion is often sustained by natural excuses. 12:51 Natural devotion. 12:53 Natural devotion says, 12:54 I know what the Lord wants me to do but I have other plans. 12:59 Oswald Chambers puts it this way. 13:02 Natural devotion, this is January 4th 13:05 of its My Utmost for His Highest. 13:06 He says, natural devotion may be very well 13:10 to attract us to Jesus, 13:12 to make us feel his fascination, 13:14 but listen to this, but it will never make us disciples. 13:18 Natural devotion will always deny Jesus 13:22 somewhere or the other. 13:26 Natural devotion will lead us to deny Jesus. 13:28 You see the problem with 13:30 and Oswald Chambers brought this out. 13:31 The problem that Peter faced was Peter did not know 13:36 where the test was going to come from. 13:39 He thought the test would come in going to the cross. 13:42 The Lord said, Peter that's not where the test is coming from, 13:44 you're ready for that, 13:45 but the devil is going to hit you with a left foot 13:47 that will bring you down. 13:51 Peter did not know the direction 13:53 the test was coming from, 13:54 so he had this natural devotion. 13:56 Natural devotion, can I spend some time on natural devotion? 13:59 You see natural devotion takes time 14:02 to look at everybody else's weakness but our own. 14:05 Natural devotion says... 14:11 and it often begins with the letter I. 14:14 You see when we die to "I" 14:18 then Jesus can live inside of us. 14:21 It is no longer "I" who live but Christ who lives in me. 14:27 When natural devotion is put in the dust, 14:30 we now are no longer in charge of where we go. 14:33 Jesus said to Peter, remember Peter and John 14:36 at the end of the Book of John. 14:38 John was there, Peter was there, 14:40 and the Lord said to Peter, "Follow me." 14:43 And Peter said, "What about him?" 14:45 That's natural devotion. 14:47 What about everybody else? 14:48 The Lord said, "It's none of your business." 14:52 If I have John stand here, remember that Louis, 14:55 it's none of your business. 14:56 If I tell him to stand here till I come back, 14:59 you follow me. 15:01 Natural devotion understands our personal responsibility 15:05 to follow Jesus personally. 15:10 And he said to Peter, you know, 15:12 Peter, the problem is you're old man now 15:14 but when you were young, when you were young... 15:19 I'm gonna just read it right here, 15:21 and I'm going to read John 21:18. 15:25 He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 15:27 when you were younger, you girded yourself, 15:30 walked where you wished, but when you are older, 15:34 you will stretch out your hands, 15:37 and another will gird you and carry you 15:41 where you do not wish." 15:44 And so a lot of us are naturally devoted. 15:47 That's why when certain suggestions come up for prayer 15:49 and study in time in the Bible, we are naturally devoted. 15:53 We don't want to go because we go where we wish, 15:58 when we wish, how we wish on our own schedule. 16:02 But when self is put to death, 16:05 we become a part of God's schedule. 16:10 And we say, are they going to pray? 16:12 I want to be there. 16:14 Are they going to study? I need to be there. 16:16 If you only get 10 seconds, 10 minutes, 16:19 30 seconds, 30 minutes studying as a church together, 16:23 do you not know that the strength of the church 16:25 on the day of Pentecost was they got together, 16:28 they were in one accord in one place. 16:31 They prayed together, 16:33 they put aside their differences. 16:34 How can you put aside your differences 16:37 when you are maintaining your differences 16:39 by natural devotion? 16:46 But somewhere along the way, God got a hold of Peter. 16:50 You see, natural devotion made Peter follow Jesus, 16:55 but Mark 14:54, you don't have to turn there, 16:57 you can go there quickly. 16:59 But Mark 14:54, 17:00 his natural devotion the Bible says, 17:03 "But Peter followed Jesus at a distance." 17:08 At a what? At a what? 17:10 Come on say, distance. 17:12 He followed Jesus but he was never close enough 17:15 for Jesus to make an impact in his life. 17:17 He followed Him at a distance. 17:19 He watched Jesus as he entered the judgment hall. 17:21 Matthew Mark and Luke all cite the fact 17:24 that Peter followed Jesus at a distance. 17:27 And some of us are followers of Jesus 17:29 but we follow Him at a distance. 17:32 We haven't gotten close enough 17:34 for the beautiful flames of Christ 17:37 to consume our natural devotion. 17:43 And then Peter eventually denied the Lord, 17:46 and he heard those words ringing in his ear. 17:50 The rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times. 17:57 He denied Him even with profanity. 18:00 He denied any connection with God. 18:02 How are you willing to die for Me 18:04 when you can't even profess Me? 18:08 And we don't profess God just by our lips, 18:10 we profess Him by our lives. 18:13 Does your life profess the Jesus? 18:17 That's a question God brought to me. 18:18 Does your life John profess me? 18:21 I know your sermons do, but does your life profess me? 18:26 I know your songs do, but does your life profess me? 18:33 You got to ask yourself that question. 18:36 Does my life profess Jesus? 18:38 Or is my life under my direction? 18:40 I want to tell you something, 18:42 God got a hold of Peter and Peter was converted. 18:44 You see, when the resurrection day came, 18:47 Peter and John ran to the tomb. 18:50 Amen. 18:51 You know why? 18:53 Because the Lord broke him, 18:54 when he realized that his denial of Christ 18:56 resulted not only in the crucifixion of Christ 18:59 but the broken relationship. 19:01 When the Lord Jesus died, 19:04 He died with a broken relationship 19:07 between Him and Peter, 19:08 and nothing brought more joy to his heart 19:11 than to get the news for Mary, 19:13 I want to tell you that he's risen. 19:16 Come on, amen. He's risen. 19:18 And so when Peter and John got that news, 19:20 Peter got to the tomb before 19:21 John broken and said, "Where is He?" 19:23 Where is He? 19:24 I need to ask Him to forgive me. 19:28 And Mary said, "He will meet you. 19:30 He will meet you with the other disciples. 19:32 We'll find Him. 19:33 And he found forgiveness in the presence of Jesus, 19:36 amen somebody? 19:37 The Lord forgave Peter. 19:39 And Peter this time, you see, 19:40 I am convinced that those of us who are like me, 19:44 whose mouths are in fifth gear 19:46 and whose lives are in first gear, 19:48 help me out somebody. 19:50 You didn't get that. 19:51 Meaning our mouths are moving so fast, 19:53 our lives can't catch up with it. 19:55 We know what everybody else ought to do 19:57 but we don't know what we ought to do, 19:58 we don't know what we ought to do. 20:00 God said, John, you tell everybody what to do. 20:03 Now I'm going to tell you what you need to do. 20:05 Amen. There you go. 20:12 God got a hold of Peter, 20:14 and the same devil that beat Peter up, 20:18 Peter said, okay, Lord, now you can count on me. 20:21 You can count on me now, I am converted. 20:24 You can count on me now, Lord, I understand my weakness, 20:27 I see where I fell, I know how flesh... 20:35 and spirit are in controversy with each other. 20:39 And now that you have changed my life, 20:42 now that I'm filled with Your spirit, 20:44 You can rely on me. 20:45 And after Peter's conversion, he threw his heart and soul 20:49 into the work of saving others and leading them to Christ. 20:52 Look at Acts 2:38, "Peter said to them, 'Repent...'" 20:55 Do what church? 20:57 "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized 21:01 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 21:05 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 21:09 Amen. 21:10 When you're converted, when your sins are forgiven, 21:13 the Lord will fill you with a spirit 21:14 like He just filled me and Peter got together, 21:17 Peter became a soldier of the cross. 21:20 He finally embraced the power of God, 21:22 where all he had before was the vocabulary of God. 21:28 There is a difference, 21:30 between the vocabulary of God and the power of God. 21:35 Peter finally embraced the power of God 21:38 and then Peter did not care who resisted the gospel. 21:41 You know why Because heaven's agenda 21:44 finally became Peter's mission. 21:47 What you want me to do, Lord? 21:48 I messed up so bad. 21:50 I'll do anything You ask me to do. 21:52 And I want to tell you today, nothing angers Satan more 21:54 than those that offer freedom in Jesus' name. 21:57 Nothing gets the devil more upset 22:00 than when your life is lived fully dedicated to God's cause, 22:05 because your cause has been obliterated. 22:09 Acts 4:13, look at this. 22:12 This is a new Peter. 22:14 Not the timid Peter walking at a distance, 22:16 not the timid Peter hiding behind trees, 22:19 but the Bible says in verse 13 of Acts 4. 22:21 "Now when they saw the..." 22:22 What? 22:24 "Boldness of Peter and John, 22:27 and perceive that they were uneducated 22:30 and untrained, they marveled. 22:33 And they realized..." 22:34 The most important thing, 22:36 "They realize that they had been with Jesus." 22:39 Let me tell you something, brothers and sisters, 22:40 it's good to be an Adventist Christian, 22:42 but above and beyond having good doctrines, 22:45 we need to have a connection with Jesus. 22:48 Amen. 22:49 If you don't have a connection with Jesus, 22:51 you could have the cleanest colon, 22:54 but the most corrupt heart. 22:59 Some Adventists all they know is what we don't do, 23:02 rather than what we need to do. 23:04 We need to be connected with Jesus, 23:05 somebody ought to say amen. 23:07 Amen. 23:08 We need to be connected with Jesus. 23:11 Only as we spend time in His presence, 23:13 will we realize and see our utter deficiencies. 23:18 It is not until we're in the presence of Jesus 23:21 that we see our deficiencies, we see our weaknesses, 23:24 we understand that our lives are not where they ought to be, 23:28 oh, I want to spend time with Jesus. 23:29 What about you? 23:34 When Peter got with Jesus, 23:35 there was only one thing more than being educated. 23:39 Peter wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 23:42 And I want to tell you today, 23:44 nothing causes greater concern to hell 23:46 than a spirit filled Christian. 23:49 Amen. 23:52 Peter had become so spirit filled 23:54 that he could discern Satan's agents. 23:57 Look at the chronicle of Peter Acts 5:13. 24:01 When the church began, 24:03 Satan tried to get some counterfeit Christians 24:04 to join the church. 24:06 Tried to get some people that were counterfeit, 24:08 didn't have a relationship, they try to join the church 24:11 and pollute the early Christian church. 24:13 And Peter, God used Peter to call them out. 24:16 Acts 5:3 notice this. 24:19 "And Peter said, 'Ananias, 24:21 why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit 24:27 and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?'" 24:31 Peter was saying to Ananias, 24:33 half hearted Christianity is not acceptable to God. 24:37 If you give your heart to God, 24:38 you've got to pay the whole price. 24:42 That's what he said to him. 24:43 You've only given half of the price. 24:44 God doesn't want half of the price, 24:46 He wants all of us. 24:48 Didn't want a half hearted Christianity, 24:49 He doesn't want Sabbath keeping Adventists, 24:51 He want people that want to be Christians 24:52 everyday of the week. 24:55 Devotionally, prayerfully taking time, 24:58 inconveniencing your natural self 25:01 to have some spiritual activity with your brothers and sisters. 25:04 Peter was so filled with the spirit, 25:06 he called out the adversary by name, Satan did that to you. 25:10 I know what that's like Ananias, 25:12 he did the same thing to me. 25:16 All of a sudden Satan started noticing 25:18 how God was using Peter. 25:23 He said wait a minute. 25:24 Peter, 25:26 that's why I need to be concerned about Peter. 25:28 His mouth is still big but now he's messing with me. 25:33 Peter, write his name down, Legion. 25:37 What's his name, Satan? 25:39 Write down Peter. 25:40 Let's put a new plan together for Peter. 25:43 Let's find out how we can trip him up, 25:46 shut him up, cut him up, hang him up. 25:50 Get five more evil angels 25:52 and let's study Peter, follow his path. 25:56 And Peter got so bold when he was warned 25:58 not to preach in Jesus' name in Acts 5:29, 26:01 Peter said and the other disciples said, 26:03 we ought to obey God rather than men. 26:06 That's Peter. 26:08 He did not care, 26:09 he knew what the devil had done to him, Karen. 26:11 He says, I'm going to give everything I can 26:13 for the cause of God, and when my mouth opens, 26:16 people will know that it's not just by mouth, 26:18 it's my life, that's standing in behalf of Jesus. 26:25 Peter even called out a man 26:26 that was trying to buy the Holy Spirit with money. 26:30 Do you remember that? 26:31 They saw the power 26:33 of the Spirit of God in the apostle's life. 26:35 In Acts 8:20, 26:36 "But Peter said that this man, 26:37 that tried to buy the spirit of God with money. 26:40 Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, 26:43 because you thought that the gift of God 26:45 could be purchased with money!" 26:46 Oh, how sad it is that today, 26:49 there are so many preachers that are selling out for money. 26:53 They're selling Jesus for money. 26:55 Oh, brothers and sisters, He paid everything for us. 26:58 Let us never put Jesus up for purchase. 27:01 Never allow financial gain to be the motive 27:05 why you serve the Lord. 27:09 The Lord was so on Peter, that Peter was so powerful 27:13 by the spirit working in his life, 27:14 that there were sometimes that Peter would pass through 27:17 a particular town. 27:18 And when you read the story, 27:21 the streets were lined with people 27:24 that were waiting for the shadow of Peter 27:27 to fall on them so that they might be healed. 27:31 That's how God was using that man. 27:32 If his shadow could but just fall on us, 27:35 we think we could be healed. 27:36 Well, a man in God's work. 27:39 And the devil said, 27:41 we gotta find a way to shut him up. 27:45 And now the sermon begins. 27:48 Acts 12:1. 27:52 "Now about that time 27:55 Herod the king stretched out his hand 27:56 to harass some from the church." 28:00 You notice I said that James and John 28:02 are going to come into view. 28:03 What did he do? 28:05 "Then he killed James 28:07 the brother of John with the sword." 28:10 I got one of them. 28:11 See God had a plan for John 28:13 'cause Revelation wasn't yet written. 28:17 So God said, I got him covered but I got a plan for Peter. 28:21 So John you're all right, 28:23 'cause you gonna be the last one. 28:27 And the reality is until we are a threat to Satan's kingdom, 28:31 Satan doesn't care about us. 28:32 That's why the Lord says in Matthew 5:10, His words are, 28:36 "Blessed are those who are persecuted 28:37 for righteousness' sake, 28:40 For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 28:42 I rather be prosecuted by man, 28:47 persecuted by man than be out of the world of God. 28:50 Come on somebody? Amen. 28:51 Because that persecution is temporary 28:53 because the Lord says, 28:54 if you are persecuted for the right reason, 28:56 heaven is yours. 28:58 Not because you bought it 28:59 but because I've given it to you for standing with me. 29:02 If we suffer with Christ, we will also reign with Christ. 29:07 But so many people want to avoid suffering, 29:09 I don't want to say that they might be offended. 29:16 Phooey. 29:23 Offended because I tell you the truth. 29:27 In Christ's Triumphant, page 219, 29:32 we are given a council, 29:33 "It is not safe to lose sight of Christ for one moment." 29:36 It is not safe to lose sight of Christ for what? 29:39 One moment. 29:42 "His followers must pray and believe 29:44 and love Him fervently." 29:51 But know this, 29:54 and when you start loving God fervently, 29:56 and start serving Him fervently, 29:57 and start making time for Him in your life, 29:59 Satan is going to put you on his hit list. 30:03 Look at the next verse, verse 3 and 4 of Acts 12. 30:06 "And because he..." 30:07 That is Herod was "Saw that it pleased the Jews, 30:12 he proceeded further to seize Peter also. 30:18 Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 30:21 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, 30:24 and delivered him 30:26 to four squads of soldiers to keep him, 30:29 intending to bring him before the people after the Passover." 30:34 Now this is powerful. 30:36 He put him in prison, he locked him in prison, 30:38 he locked him to the soldiers, who are locked to the walls, 30:40 who Peter then was locked to the walls, 30:42 he was lock, lock, locked up. 30:46 He was not just in prison ministry, 30:47 he was in prison, prison, prison ministry. 30:50 He was locked up to everybody. 30:53 And it was so serious that these soldiers, 30:55 their responsibility was, 30:56 we're not just putting him behind these two gates 30:59 and plus an iron gate, 31:02 we're going to put you in jail with Peter. 31:04 We're going to lock you to the walls, lock him to you, 31:07 and lock him to the walls. 31:08 And it was their personal responsibility 31:10 that if Peter ever got away, 31:12 they would have to give their lives for Peter. 31:17 So they were diligent 31:19 but this is where intercessory prayer comes in. 31:20 You know why? 31:21 Because there are some people that cannot pray for themselves 31:23 when they are bound. 31:28 Verse 5, "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but..." 31:32 What kind of prayer, church? Constant. 31:34 "Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." 31:40 The church that prays together, 31:43 I am believing more and more 31:45 that there are people that cannot be set free 31:47 until we believe it is our responsibility, 31:51 as a united body to pray 31:53 for the deliverance of our family, 31:55 our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, 31:57 come on somebody say amen. 31:59 God's got to get us to the place 32:01 where somebody else's freedom is our highest priority. 32:08 And sometimes it will never be accomplished 32:10 other than fasting and prayer. 32:17 In the very book about prayer, page 247, 32:19 we are told, 32:22 Peter was preaching his heart out, 32:24 preaching everywhere he went. 32:26 And I love what Ellen White says here. 32:28 She says, "Among God's people there should be, 32:31 at this time, frequent seasons of sincere, 32:35 earnest prayer." 32:36 Did you hear that, Karen? Frequent seasons. 32:38 Not just once in a while. 32:40 "The mind should be constantly in a prayerful attitude." 32:45 We talked about that this week. 32:47 "In the home and in the church, 32:50 let earnest prayer be offered..." 32:52 And listen to this very carefully. 32:54 "In behalf of those who have given themselves 32:58 to the preaching of the Word." 33:02 I am so encouraged, when I walk pass somebody, 33:05 and they say Pastor, we're praying for you. 33:08 You don't know how that makes me feel. 33:12 So I drops an email or maybe a voice message on my phone. 33:15 Pray for you this morning, 33:19 because the life of a pastor is one where, 33:21 we are not allowed to be sinners. 33:25 We're supposed to be perfect. 33:29 Phooey. 33:36 Constant rain softens the ground, 33:40 constant prayer softens the heart. 33:46 When we press into the presence of God, 33:50 we find relief it is thrown 33:52 but when we fail to present to God's presence, 33:55 we fall short of getting to the place 33:56 where living faith is activated 33:58 and where we get strength for the trial 34:00 that is ahead of us. 34:03 We got to press into God's presence through prayer, 34:05 not just study. 34:06 We got to press into God's presence through prayer. 34:12 I remember being on a plane once, 34:14 I tried my best to explain this to my wife 34:17 when I arrived in Miami. 34:19 I was sitting next to a young lady on the plane 34:21 and we struck up a conversation 34:24 and then I open my Bible to begin to pray. 34:26 And I like to sit by the window 34:29 and I was so glad I was at the window that day. 34:34 At 32,000 feet I got so drawn into the presence of God 34:38 and I began to weep. 34:39 I didn't shed a tear, I began to weep. 34:43 And I intentionally turned my body 34:45 and I tried to stretch my head as much as I could 34:47 to the window, so that this young lady 34:49 who I spoke to maybe just a little hour ago 34:52 wouldn't see me weeping. 34:54 I was so in the presence of God, 34:56 I didn't want the plane to land yet. 35:01 It was the announcement of the flight attendant that said, 35:06 we're preparing to land, 35:07 put your tray tables 35:08 in the upright and lock position, 35:10 and bring your seat backs straight up. 35:15 And I got to Miami 35:16 and I tried to explain to my wife 35:18 what happened on the plane, I said, 35:19 she was what was that like and my brother-in-law 35:21 and my sister-in-law 35:22 and my wife was sitting there say, 35:23 tell me what was it like? 35:25 I said honey, 35:27 it was like being in the warm presence of one who, 35:30 I said He sat there and he looked at me. 35:35 And he said John, "Can we talk?" 35:38 And when He said those words, 35:40 I was in that plane but I was in a different place 35:42 altogether spiritually. 35:45 My eyes began to be filled with water. 35:47 You know, 35:49 I've never had that experience like that before. 35:54 And ever since then many more had come after that, 35:56 I'll tell you at a different time. 35:59 But when you're pressing into the presence of God 36:01 something happens there 36:05 that you can't fake. 36:09 That's why the church continued to pray for Peter. 36:13 You see when the Bible said to bring Peter out, 36:16 look at verse 6. 36:18 And when Herod was about to bring him out that night, 36:23 "Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains 36:28 between two soldiers, 36:30 and the guards before the door were keeping the prison." 36:37 Bring him out did not mean set him free. 36:39 Bring him out meant, I am going to humiliate Peter 36:42 as best as I could. 36:44 All the souls he snatched 36:47 from my kingdom. 36:52 Don't fool yourself, the devil takes pleasure 36:55 in humiliating God's children. 36:59 He loves to accuse us. 37:02 And the sad reality is sometimes 37:03 what he says about us is true. 37:05 But I want to say today 37:07 and I praise God for this, only God, 37:09 only Jesus can prevent the devil 37:14 from publicly humiliating us. 37:21 That's why I love verse 7. 37:23 "An angel of the Lord stood by him, 37:25 and light shone in the prison, 37:29 and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up..." 37:33 And he said, what did he say? 37:35 "Arise quickly!' 37:36 'And his chains fell off of his hands." 37:42 You see, can I say this? 37:44 Unless we move at the command of God, 37:48 our chains would never fall off of our hands. 37:54 He didn't say arise, when you feel like it. 37:56 He didn't say, when you get time arise. 37:58 He didn't say think about it arise. 38:00 He said Peter, do it now. 38:03 This is the more arise quickly. 38:06 And when he got up at the command of God, 38:09 when he got up his chains fell. 38:11 I'm so glad that the angels of God 38:13 have never been on an unemployment line. 38:17 "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about those 38:20 that fear him and delivers them." 38:22 But there is something that's very powerful about this verse. 38:24 Very, very powerful and potent in the story and it is this. 38:32 When we are bound and we cannot get to the light, 38:37 the Lord brings the light to us. 38:41 There are lot of people in prison, 38:44 that they find the light of God in prison 38:47 because they can't come to the light. 38:48 I want to say to you in God's mercy, 38:51 He sends His light to us 38:53 even in the dark places 38:55 of our own personal experiences. 39:01 When we find ourselves bound by circumstances, 39:03 bound by a hesitating heart, 39:05 bound by our own traditional Christianity, 39:08 bound by the things we refused to do differently, 39:12 the Lord still allows His light to shine on us, 39:14 hoping that somewhere along the way this light 39:17 will ignite our hearts 39:18 and come from our darkness into His marvelous light. 39:23 I would suggest to you that that angel 39:25 when he lit that prison up, 39:26 it wasn't a dim light, there is no dim light 39:29 that comes from God, it's always marvelous light. 39:34 That's what being in bondage and being in darkness 39:37 is not always the same thing. 39:39 And there is no prison that Satan can bind us in, 39:43 that can keep the light of God from shining on us. 39:46 Now this is very important. 39:51 Peter rose and the chains fell off. 40:01 Peter could not say that he was free, 40:03 if he was still bound in the chains. 40:08 Peter could not say that he was free, 40:12 if he was still bound in the chains. 40:15 You see, the evidence of our freedom in Jesus 40:18 is that we are no longer bound by the chains. 40:23 Addictions fall away, tempers calm down, 40:27 immorality is abandon, 40:29 people begin to smile and love one another, 40:32 but Peter could not say that he was free 40:34 as long as he was still bound by the chains. 40:38 But notice the further obligation, 40:40 and this is huge in light about all I said this morning. 40:43 Acts 12:8, "Then the angel said to him..." 40:46 What did he say? 40:48 Read it together. 40:49 "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals'', 40:52 and so he did. 40:54 Put on your garments and..." What? 40:55 "Follow me." 40:57 Remember, Peter had an argument with Jesus 41:00 not too long before that, why can't I follow you? 41:03 But now he's willing to follow Him. 41:05 You see when self is put to death, 41:08 instead of arguing about how and when to follow Jesus, 41:11 all of a sudden Jesus says follow me, 41:14 and Peter has no rebuttal, I am going to follow you, Lord. 41:18 But here is something that's very powerfully important. 41:21 When the Lord breaks our chains, 41:23 He instantly frees us from the things that bind us. 41:27 Hear me carefully. 41:28 Look up here, you got to get this, 41:29 this is powerful. 41:34 When the Lord breaks our chains, 41:36 He instantly... 41:37 what word did I just use? 41:39 He immediately frees us 41:43 from the thing that bound us. 41:50 But He methodically frees us 41:52 from the circumstances that bind us. 41:58 When God breaks our chains, 42:00 He now asks us to join him in our journey of freedom. 42:07 You see, freedom is not just an immediate act, 42:09 freedom is a continual process. 42:12 That's why Jesus said to the disciples, 42:14 "Follow Me and I will make you." 42:19 Now this is vitally important you see, 42:21 when delivered and Peter didn't, 42:23 for the first time in his life, 42:24 Peter didn't ask God where are we going? 42:26 What are we doing? Where we're going to end up? 42:28 For the first time in his life 42:29 he did not care where he ended up. 42:31 What was more important to him was whom he was following. 42:38 But Jesus wanted to do something else. 42:40 He didn't want to just break his chains. 42:42 Hear me carefully. 42:44 He wanted to change, He wanted to change the place 42:48 where Peter had been bound. 42:53 Look at verse 9. 42:57 "So he went out and followed him, 42:59 and did not know that 43:00 what was done by the angel was real, 43:02 but thought he was seeing a..." 43:04 What? "Vision." 43:06 You know, when God begins to transform our life, 43:09 I have to say this. 43:11 When God begins to transform our lives, 43:16 the reason why we can't believe what we're seeing 43:22 is because God transforms us 43:25 into a vision that only He has of us. 43:31 So when we see what we become in Jesus, 43:36 we say that can't be that, that can't be. 43:41 Am I really seeing Garland. 43:44 That's not the Garland I know. 43:46 Even Garland will say, that's not the Garland I know. 43:51 Because God has a vision for us, 43:53 better than the vision we have for ourselves. 43:57 He says it has not yet been revealed what you shall be, 44:01 but we do know that when He is revealed, 44:03 we shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. 44:08 God's vision for everyone of us which is hard to believe, 44:12 I want to tell you today, it's hard to believe 44:15 that one day I will be like Jesus. 44:20 Oh, but I'm so glad that the Lord sees it. 44:24 Because He sees it, Louis, 44:25 He can work on me and he said, 44:29 thank you Jesus. 44:30 He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. 44:42 I'm preaching to myself. 44:46 Hope you enjoy my sermon to myself. 44:52 God's got a vision for us, 44:53 that's hard for us to even understand. 44:57 But complete deliverance, hear me church as I wind up. 45:01 Complete deliverance is a process. 45:05 Can I say that again? 45:06 Complete deliverance is a, what? 45:08 Process. 45:09 Go to the very next verse, verse 10. 45:12 "When they were past the first and second gate posts, 45:15 they came to the iron gate..." 45:17 Look at all the places, 45:18 look at all the things that locked Peter in. 45:20 Now I want you to get this. 45:21 Peter was free, the chains were broken, 45:24 the chains were broken, Mike... 45:25 Amen. 45:27 But there were gates holding him in. 45:28 And what many of us have to come to the realization of is 45:32 there are gates in our lives, 45:34 there are gates in our lives holding us in, 45:38 even though we say we are free, 45:39 there are gates still ahead of us, 45:41 that we've not gotten through iron gates, 45:44 first gates, second gates, it goes on. 45:48 "Which opened to them of its own accord, 45:51 and they went out and went down one street, 45:54 and immediately the angel departed from him." 46:00 Bondage sin has gates. 46:03 If you've ever been bound by a tenacious sin, you know 46:06 that freedom comes in stages. 46:08 Can I get an amen somebody? 46:09 Yeah, amen. 46:10 You may say, oh, the Lord forgave me, 46:13 but it's going to take me sometime 46:15 to get pass those gates. 46:18 When you get pass the first gate, you say, 46:20 oh, feel better than I did last week. 46:24 And you get pass the next gate, 46:26 feel better than I did week before last. 46:29 And you get pass the iron gate, 46:33 I'm so glad I'm completely out of that situation. 46:37 And when you're out of the situation, 46:39 hear me this morning. 46:40 It is not until you're out of the situation 46:43 that the angel said, 46:44 now I can leave you by yourself, 46:46 you gonna be all right, you're going to be okay. 46:50 The angel had something else to do. 46:52 He delivered Peter from his own circumstances, 46:55 not just from his chains. 46:59 Verse 11, 47:01 "And when Peter had come to himself, he said..." 47:04 Oh, I like this, God does not stop leading 47:06 until we know that we are free. 47:08 God does not stop leading until we know that we are free. 47:11 Peter said to himself, what did he say? 47:13 Together, "Now I know for certain 47:17 that the Lord has sent His angel, 47:19 and has delivered me from the hand of a Herod 47:22 and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." 47:26 The only thing more powerful 47:28 than being bound is being delivered. 47:32 Here the devil had different expectations. 47:35 But now this is where the sermon ends. 47:38 The church is praying, I got to close my Bible now. 47:42 The church is praying. 47:44 Man, I just hope our church is not talked about in this text. 47:48 They are praying in verse 12 to 14. 47:52 "So when he had considered this, 47:53 he came to the house of Mary, 47:55 the mother of John whose surname was Mark, 47:57 where many were gathered together..." 47:58 Doing what? "Praying. 48:00 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, 48:04 a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 48:06 And when she recognized Peter's voice, 48:08 because of her gladness she did not open the gate, 48:11 but ran in and announced 48:12 that Peter stood before the gate. 48:14 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!' 48:16 "Another translation says, you're mad. 48:19 "Yet she kept insisting that it was so. 48:22 So they said ''it is an angel.' 48:24 'So now Peter continued knocking, 48:27 and when they open the door and saw him..." 48:28 They were what? "Astonished." 48:31 Why would God answer the prayers of a church 48:34 that did not believe in prayer? 48:37 I had to wrestle with that, Joe. 48:39 I had to wrestle with that. 48:40 I had to find an answer. 48:42 Why would God answer the prayer 48:43 of a bunch of folk that are praying 48:44 and don't even believe that God can answer prayers? 48:47 Why would He do it, Rosemary? 48:48 Why would He do it? 48:50 And God gave me the answer this morning. 48:51 See I sent Mike Babb my sermon yesterday. 48:54 But I said to Mike, this morning, 48:56 I got a new version. 48:57 Get part two. 48:59 Get the newer version, 49:00 because God gave me some answers this morning. 49:02 This is a part of my devotions this morning. 49:08 And this is divine. 49:09 Our prayers are answered not because of our great faith, 49:12 they are answered because of our great God. 49:15 Praise the Lord. 49:17 Hallelujah, He answers our prayers 49:19 not because we're great but because He's great. 49:26 But this is the close. Listen to this. 49:29 "But motioning to them with his hands to keep silent, 49:35 he declared to them 49:37 how the Lord had brought him out..." 49:57 How the Lord had brought him out? 50:07 "And he said, 'Go, tell these things to James 50:10 and he departed to another place." 50:13 'It's the last point but it's probably the most powerful. 50:17 God not only delivered Peter from his chains, 50:20 God delivered Peter from the places 50:23 he had become familiar with. 50:30 You see, I've learned this week 50:31 that the Lord wants to do things in our lives 50:33 that will astound us. 50:36 When they saw Peter, they were astounded. 50:45 This is not selfish Father... 50:50 but I want my life to be astounding to God. 50:54 I don't want a mediocre life anymore. 50:57 I want my life to be astounding to God, 51:03 so that the next time that the conversation comes up 51:06 between Jesus and Satan... 51:11 and the devil brings up my name, 51:13 the Lord will say, 51:14 you don't want to mess with him this time. 51:16 Amen somebody? 51:19 You forgot the last time. 51:22 We've had trials in our ministry, 51:24 we've had tests all along the way. 51:26 And the test have continued to come, 51:28 sometimes through the frailty of our own self absorption 51:32 and our lack of faithfulness to God. 51:39 And so here it is 2017, 51:41 and I believe one of the reasons 51:43 why so many of us 51:45 keep telling the same old stories is that, 51:48 we're chained to the same places. 51:52 Our chains are broken but we're in the same place. 51:55 You see it's 2017, I'm praying that, 52:01 that God will break your chains 52:05 and give you a better study life. 52:06 Amen. 52:07 He'll take you from the same place 52:09 of a humdrum prayer life 52:11 and turn that prayer life into the power of God. 52:15 That He will take you from the place 52:17 where your spiritual life 52:18 seems to be okay with you, 52:23 but it will become a power in the hand of God. 52:27 So this morning, as this chorus has sung by us. 52:30 If you just put the words up there, 52:32 I don't even need to turn to it. 52:33 I think we need to pray today. 52:35 I think we need to pray today. 52:39 But if you want to pray with me, 52:40 if you want to come up and pray with me. 52:43 We had this song last week. 52:44 I remember, somebody said, Pastor, 52:46 this was the closing song last Sabbath. 52:49 I said, it's going to be the closing song this Sabbath 52:51 because we still need to pray. 52:54 The year just began, we can't just make one Sabbath, 52:57 the Sabbath of prayer, we need to pray. 52:59 And today, what I want you to come forward to do and pray 53:02 in your prayer, if you come forward today 53:03 to pray at the altar with me. 53:06 If God is talking to you today 53:08 and you want to come forward to pray. 53:13 You're praying that the Lord 53:14 will break the chains that bind you, 53:16 whatever they may be, you're too busy, 53:20 you don't feel the need of fellowship, 53:23 you've got other things to do... 53:28 I can be a Christian by myself, 53:32 you want the Lord to break those chains today. 53:36 You don't want to be in the same place in 2017, 53:38 that you were in '16 and '15, and maybe '14. 53:42 I don't know how far back it goes... 53:47 but you cannot enter 2017 with your study life 53:51 chained to the same place, 53:53 your prayer life chained to the same place, 53:55 your spiritual life chained to the same place, 53:58 your devotional life chained to the same place, 54:01 you will never be astounding to God 54:03 with your life chained to the same place. 54:07 See in that same book on prayer, it is said, 54:10 and hear me, before we pray. 54:13 It is a part of God's plan to grant to us, 54:16 and answer to the prayer of faith 54:19 that which He would not bestow, 54:23 did we not thus ask. 54:26 So this morning, I want you in your own prayer circle to pray. 54:31 There is a chain in your life, 54:32 there's a chain and there's a prison in your life, 54:34 there're some gates you've got to get passed. 54:37 There's an iron gate in your way, 54:40 but you've got to arise and follow Jesus. 54:42 You can't ask for directions, you can't ask Father, 54:44 where are we going, you just got to get up and go. 54:48 You've got to submit your life to the guiding angel 54:50 that God has sent to be by your side. 54:53 You've got to pray like you've never prayed before, 54:55 become devoted like you've never been devoted before, 54:58 you've got to change your schedule 55:00 if it's too busy for Jesus, it's not of Him. 55:04 If Jesus is not in it, 55:05 if corporate prayer is not in it, 55:07 if time with your brothers and sisters is not there, 55:10 then it ain't God's schedule. 55:12 Busyness is sometimes Satan's greatest tool, 55:15 and so Father, 55:17 I thank You that You delivered us, 55:20 You delivered us, You delivered me 55:23 from my self absorbed life of activity, 55:27 for my self definition of righteousness, 55:30 for my own definition of 55:32 personal stumblings and bumblings 55:36 and all the chains that Satan had bound me 55:39 with you broke them. 55:41 Thank you Jesus. 55:42 You broke them, 55:45 and my life is in a different place now. 55:48 For Your glory, let us pray. 55:50 Pray independently, I'm going to just pray audibly, 55:54 you pray in your heart that God will speak to you. 55:57 Loving Father, Your people are standing here today. 56:01 You want to breathe into them 56:03 and cause them to be a mighty army. 56:05 You want to take these dry bones 56:07 and cover them what's anew, 56:08 put Your spirit within them 56:10 that we here in Thompsonville 56:14 might stand up a great 56:15 and mighty army unified, 56:19 transformed, spirit filled 56:24 and delivered. 56:27 You don't want us to go forward from this place today 56:30 with the same attitude we brought here, 56:33 with the same agenda we brought here, 56:36 with our beautifully organized calendars 56:38 where Jesus is hardly even seen in it. 56:42 Lord reorder our steps, for You said, 56:44 the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. 56:50 Father, we've been going all these different ways 56:52 but there's a way that seems right 56:53 but in the end we'll realize 56:55 it's just been the way of death. 56:57 We want to go the way of life. 56:59 Amen. 57:00 Some of us are just as impetuous as Peter. 57:03 Our mouths are in fifth gear, and our minds are in first, 57:06 but Lord today... 57:08 the devil's asking for us that he might sift us, 57:11 but Lord today we now know you're praying for us. 57:16 Help us to pray for one another. 57:18 Amen. 57:20 Sometimes You walk through the doors of this church 57:22 and we put our eyes on another brother or sister 57:24 that we just don't like 57:26 and the devil glorifies in that. 57:31 Give us a Pentecostal experience 57:32 on the day of Pentecost pour into us, 57:35 only as we are on our knees praying for unity, 57:39 for our lives to be burnt up, 57:45 for ourselves to be consumed, 57:49 for us to be broken before you 57:52 that we could be whole the way that you see. 57:57 And then finally Father, You can give us a vision 57:59 of who You always saw us to be, 58:02 and when people see us they will be astounded, 58:05 is that who I think it is. 58:09 Oh, Lord, Jesus, thank You for such deep love. 58:12 And so we submit ourselves to you today Father, 58:15 this is not the end all that ends all 58:16 but Lord I pray that this is a humble beginning. 58:20 And this year will be the soul spirit filled 58:21 that this church will be shoulder to shoulder in lives 58:26 that have been set free by our prayers in our work. 58:31 Family members that have been delivered, 58:33 the community that has been delivered, 58:34 our neighbors and friends that have been delivered, 58:37 because we brought them to you in prayer. 58:39 And then we went and labored for their salvation 58:42 because we have been put to death. 58:44 And so, Father, hear our prayers today. 58:46 Now our dear Lord as we pray, 58:50 take our hearts and minds far away 58:53 and may You alone receive all the glory, 58:56 and we pray this in the precious 58:59 and worthy name of Jesus, our savior. 59:02 Amen and amen. |
Revised 2017-02-21