Participants: Pastor John Lomacang
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000025A
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00:31 I'd like to invite you to pray with me right now.
00:35 The message, the anatomy of peace. 00:38 Let us pray. 00:40 Loving Father in heaven, this is the opportunity, 00:42 Lord, for Your Spirit to speak to our hearts, 00:45 give us ears to hear, 00:48 in Jesus' name, amen. 00:53 The scripture reading for this morning 00:54 is 2 Chronicles 14:2. 00:57 2 Chronicles 14:2, 01:00 it's a very short scripture, but it is power packed. 01:03 It explains the secret 01:07 I believe 01:09 to having a peaceful relationship with God. 01:12 2 Chronicles 14:2 and the Bible says 01:15 in a very short way that we can read this together. 01:18 Let us do so. 01:19 The Bible says, "Asa..." Together, 01:23 "Asa did what was good and right 01:26 in the eyes of the Lord." 01:31 Praise the Lord. 01:34 When I was growing up, 01:37 periodically mama used to say to me, 01:38 "God's watching you." 01:41 And that term used to send shrills through me 01:44 because I didn't really know God for myself, 01:47 and I used to think that God was this big guy somewhere 01:49 that just cannot wait 01:51 to whack me or to push me into the line. 01:55 And then I grew up 01:56 and I heard the phrase on several occasions, 01:59 Big Brother is watching you. 02:02 And I thought, 02:04 "Well, let me look into this Big Brother phrase 02:07 and actually what it means, and where it came from." 02:10 And as one that likes to pull in 02:12 really good stories, 02:14 I want you to walk with me through this whole phrase, 02:17 this idea that God is watching us, 02:19 God is upset with us, 02:21 God is keeping track of everything we do. 02:25 And I believe that when we see God in the right light, 02:29 we would have less fear and more adoration and praise. 02:34 Now I did my homework in 02:36 to discover the phrase Big Brother. 02:38 It seems to be a term that just refuses to die. 02:43 From generation to generation it rises to the surface 02:46 through the interpretive minds of musicians, movie producers, 02:51 songwriters, sitcom writers, 02:55 slogans. 02:57 We've seen them on billboards, 02:59 we've heard them on television programs, 03:02 but I decided where, 03:03 I like to find out where something came from. 03:06 So I'm going to share with you, this morning just walk with me 03:08 through some of the research 03:10 to understand the phrase Big Brother 03:12 in context to our Heavenly Brother who is Jesus. 03:17 According to the record 03:19 Big Brother is a fictional character 03:21 and symbol in George Orwell's novel 03:24 entitled Nineteen Eighty-Four. 03:27 He is allegedly a leader or symbolic figurehead 03:30 of a fictional place called Oceana. 03:34 It is a totalitarian state where the ruling party 03:38 wields total power over its inhabitants, 03:41 Big Brother. 03:43 However, 03:44 according to other sources there is much speculation 03:48 as to the origin of the phrase. 03:50 For example 03:52 in the essay section of his novel 1985, 03:56 Anthony Burgess states 03:58 that Orwell got the idea for the name Big Brother 04:02 from an advertising billboard 04:04 for educational correspondence 04:07 from a company called The Bennett's 04:10 that existed during World War II. 04:14 Burgess suggests that Orwell got the idea 04:17 from a billboard that simply talked 04:18 about educational supplies, 04:20 what the educational system wanted to do for young people. 04:24 The original poster showed 04:26 a man by the name of J.M. Bennett, 04:29 a kindly looking old man offering guidance and support 04:34 to would be students with the phrase, 04:37 "Let me be your father" attached. 04:42 But according to Burgess when J.M. Bennett died, 04:45 his son took over the company, 04:47 and the poster was replaced 04:49 with a picture of a son 04:51 who instead of being kind and compassionate, 04:54 the poster showed an imposing stern son 04:58 in contrast to a kind father with the phrase, 05:02 "Let me be your big brother." 05:05 That's where they suggest the phrase came from, 05:07 "Let me be your big brother." 05:08 But to go a little deeper, 05:10 in the society of George Orwell, 05:12 he describes that every citizen 05:15 and we know this in modern times every citizen 05:18 is under constant surveillance by authorities. 05:22 And in his world, you can see in the movie 05:25 large screens placed at locations around the town 05:30 with a large face of Big Brother 05:31 watching its citizens as they walk the streets, 05:34 as they shop, 05:35 as they do their day-to-day business. 05:37 They call them telescreens. 05:40 People constantly being watched 05:43 and they had under the caption, 05:45 "Big Brother is watching you." 05:48 In the modern culture, 05:50 the term Big Brother 05:51 has transitioned into a synonym 05:55 for the abusive government. 05:57 Today we say Big Brother is watching you, 05:59 I know people that would not use their iPads 06:01 unless they put a piece of tape 06:04 over the camera. 06:06 Don't raise your hand if you're one of those. 06:08 But I've seen people at 3ABN, 06:09 open their computers and there's a piece of tape 06:11 over the camera. 06:13 There are some people that buy iPhones 06:14 and they put tape because they have been told 06:17 in some of these smart televisions 06:19 that they can turn the camera on or off at their whim, 06:21 Big Brother is watching you 06:24 everywhere. 06:27 The government is looking at the things that we do 06:30 in our day-to-day lives so people suggests. 06:34 When my wife and I were in London, 06:36 we noticed that London is the one city in the world 06:38 that is laced with CCD-TVs. 06:41 In other words, cameras watching everything, 06:43 intersection, how you drive, 06:45 and they have in their system in London 06:48 a warning on the GPS 06:51 or the tracking device in your car, 06:54 it will let you know where the next camera is 06:56 so by the time you get there, 06:58 you've slowed down to the legal speed. 07:00 But in our world today, 07:02 the term Big Brother has quite an implication. 07:05 Musicians in our world today like David Bowie and Kanye West 07:09 have both produced songs entitled Big Brother. 07:12 I also discovered that 07:13 in some of the movies we watch 07:14 like as far back as the Andy Griffin Show, 07:17 and CSI Miami, 07:19 in the show Glee they use the phrase Big Brother. 07:22 It seems to be a phrase that refuses to go away. 07:25 And so when we think about Big Brother 07:28 and all the information that is being gathered on us, 07:32 the thought came to my mind, 07:35 if man with his empire of spying devices 07:39 is gathering information on every click, 07:43 on every website we visit on all of our daily activity, 07:47 the phone calls we make, 07:52 the places we travel, 07:53 as we go into Best Buy or into the mall. 07:55 If we are all being continually watched, 07:59 and man is collecting this information, 08:01 how much more does God know about us. 08:07 Now let me go ahead and frighten you 08:08 before I give you comfort. 08:11 Go with me in your Bible to the Book of Hebrews 4. 08:14 Hebrews 4, let's look together at verse 13. 08:17 It is really sobering when you think about the fact 08:21 that all of our activity is monitored by God, 08:25 it is seen by God, 08:27 there is nothing hidden from the eyes of God. 08:31 Notice the writer of Hebrews suggests this, Hebrews 4:13. 08:37 And the Bible tells us, 08:39 "There is no creature hidden..." 08:43 How many creatures? 08:45 None of us hidden from His sight... 08:47 "But all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him 08:52 to whom we must give account." 08:54 When we go to the airport, thankfully my wife and I 08:57 have what's called TSA, 09:00 and for those of you that travel, 09:01 you know what that is. 09:03 We have a TSA pass which means when we go to the airport, 09:07 we don't have to go through those big machines 09:09 where they say put your hands up, 09:10 take everything out of your pocket, 09:11 and they scan you, and the beep goes off. 09:15 I remember before I got my TSA pass 09:16 they would have signs and they'd say, 09:20 "Do you have metal in your head?" 09:22 And I say, "I don't." 09:23 But there'd be a yellow dot and I say, 09:25 "Why is that dot showing up on my brain?" 09:27 These are the cameras picking up something, 09:29 they're looking not only on our outside, 09:31 but they're scanning our insides, 09:34 and they said, "Well, let us know right now 09:35 if there's any metal in your body, 09:37 any metal in your head." 09:38 We're being surveyed internally and externally. 09:42 So is it not a sobering thought, 09:43 Terry, to think that there is nothing hidden 09:46 from the eyes of God? 09:49 And He is the one to whom we must all give an account. 09:54 Let that revolutionize the way you live this week. 10:00 But as that scripture finds fertile soil, 10:04 as was my experience, it tends to plant seeds of fear 10:09 rather than praise and admiration about God. 10:12 So before I dive into the heart of the message, 10:14 let me begin by 10:16 letting you know one of the reasons 10:17 why we have fear when we read scriptures 10:19 like that is because rebellion changes the way 10:22 we perceived God. 10:25 I mean, children will say "My parents are mean." 10:27 When somebody would say, 10:29 "Well, your parents are nice..." 10:30 Rebellion changes the way that we see God, 10:33 but allow me to begin my message by giving you 10:37 an accurate assessment of almighty God. 10:41 Go with me to Psalms 103:8-14. 10:43 Come on now, turn there quickly. 10:45 Want to hear those Bibles turning, 10:47 don't rely on the screen. 10:49 You might want to outline 10:50 or highlight this in your Bible. 10:53 Psalm 10:55 103 and let's look at verse 8-14. 11:01 And the reason why the scripture 11:02 is so necessary at this point is 11:04 because we're going to get into 11:05 some amazing understandings of God and how He works. 11:08 And why it is important to live our lives 11:10 in the side of God now 11:11 because one day we will be living our lives 11:14 in the physical literal side of almighty God. 11:17 But notice the accurate assessment 11:19 of who God is. 11:20 David the Psalmist says in verse 8, 11:22 "The Lord is merciful and..." What? 11:24 "Gracious. 11:25 Slow to..." What? 11:27 "Anger and abounding in..." What? 11:29 "Mercy. 11:30 He will not always strive with us, 11:33 nor will he keep His anger forever." 11:36 Amen, somebody? 11:37 Because sometimes I've been told 11:39 when I was being raised, 11:40 "God is angry with you, go to your room." 11:43 And I'm thinking, "How long is God going to get angry?" 11:44 Until I grew up, 11:46 I understand that God is not this guy 11:47 that's always angry. 11:48 Can you imagine if God was angry by what we do? 11:51 Will God ever be happy? 11:54 And so many people get turned off to God 11:55 because they think, 11:57 "He's this angry guy that's got divine binoculars, 11:59 and he can't wait..." 12:01 Ha! 12:02 But the Bible says, 12:03 "He will not keep His anger forever." 12:05 And then verse 10, this is the hallelujah verse. 12:09 "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 12:14 nor punished us according to our iniquities." 12:17 Somebody said, "If you get in trouble, 12:19 put your life in God's hands." 12:21 Your parents might beat the life out of you, 12:23 but God will keep the life in you. 12:24 Amen, somebody? 12:26 For He says, "For as high, 12:28 for as the heavens are high above the earth, 12:31 so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him." 12:34 That's not afraid but honor, adore, worship Him. 12:38 "As far as the east is from the west..." 12:40 My favorite text, 12:42 "So far has He removed our transgressions from us." 12:46 You know I wish, when I read that text, 12:48 I wish people were at least half 12:50 as nice as God. 12:52 Amen? 12:53 But we live among a society where people 12:55 like to remind others of our sin 12:57 to make them feel good about themselves, 12:59 but look at the next verse. 13:01 "As a father pities his children, 13:04 so the Lord pities those who do..." What? 13:07 "Fear Him, for He knows our frame, 13:10 He remembers that we are dust." 13:15 Is that a beautiful picture of God? 13:19 And I would suggest one of the most damaging lies 13:21 that have ever been told about God 13:24 is that He is exacting, 13:25 that He is judgmental, 13:27 and that He rejoices in our punishment. 13:29 I mean, think about that, 13:30 where else can you find the platform 13:33 for the doctrine of eternal torment? 13:35 Where else can you find support 13:37 for fire and brimstone preaching? 13:39 And I was raised, 13:41 I was raised in an Adventist Church, 13:43 but if the preacher didn't tell you off, 13:45 you didn't feel like you went to church. 13:46 Amen, Pastor CA. 13:48 "You all ain't anything, but a bunch of heathens. 13:51 All you'll help him." 13:53 I mean, they try to frighten Jesus in you, 13:56 when in fact all they did was push us away further from God. 14:00 But when you know that God is not the kind of God 14:02 that's gonna beat you up 14:03 even though He knows you have sinned. 14:06 What did He say to the woman caught in adultery? 14:09 He said, "Neither do I condemn thee." 14:12 But He didn't cradle the sin. 14:15 He said, "Go and sin no more." 14:22 And John 3:17, this is just a credit. 14:25 "For God sent not His Son into the world 14:27 to condemn the world, 14:29 but that the world through Him might be saved." 14:31 He didn't come to condemn us, 14:34 He came to condemn sin. 14:38 And like a toothache, 14:39 don't connect the person with the toothache, 14:41 because that will mean 14:42 the only way to get rid of the toothache 14:46 is give it to the person. 14:48 Praise God, our tooth is separate from us, 14:51 although a part of us. 14:57 But when we read about God's love... 15:00 And you know, the older I get, 15:01 I don't know if this is something 15:03 about the age, Pastor CA, 15:04 or those of you that are getting older, 15:06 there's something about getting older 15:09 that helps us to see God in a more loving light 15:15 than when we were young people. 15:17 And I think a lot of it had to do 15:19 with the way we were raised, 15:21 or the church we went to, 15:22 or the people we were associated with, 15:24 or judgmental pastors, or hardheaded deacons, 15:27 or judgmental deaconesses, 15:29 or elders that always wag their finger in your face, 15:32 but as we get older and we read God's love letter... 15:36 I mean, look at these scriptures very quickly, 15:38 1 John 4:19, 15:40 I praise the Lord for our audio visual team, 15:41 it says, "We love Him because He" what? 15:45 "First loved us." 15:48 That means when you know somebody loves you, 15:51 then it will activate a new love for that individual. 15:54 He doesn't tolerate us, He loves us, and Jeremiah says, 15:58 "With an everlasting love, 15:59 therefore with loving-kindness He draws us." 16:03 And he knows our sin. 16:05 I mean, if anybody knows our sin, 16:07 God does. 16:08 Here's another one, John 15:13, 16:10 "Greater love has no one than this, 16:13 than to lay down one's life for his friends." 16:16 Did Jesus lay down His life for us? 16:18 Yes or no? 16:20 And that was not just love but that was great love. 16:23 And here's one more which is one of my favorites, 16:26 I've said that so many times, 16:27 I have so many favorite scriptures 16:29 so just give me some license, 1 John 4:18, here it is, 16:34 "There is no fear in" what? 16:37 "Love, but perfect love casts out" what? 16:42 "Fear, because fear involves torment. 16:46 But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." 16:51 When your relationship with God 16:52 is a fear relationship, you don't know God. 16:54 I mean, you cannot know somebody who is as loving 16:57 and compassionate and long suffering, 16:59 you cannot know Him and fear Him, 17:03 and even further than that, 17:04 you can't know God 17:06 and pray like God doesn't want to bless you. 17:09 You can't know God and not know that 17:11 that He wants the best for His children. 17:17 You cannot know God and think 17:19 that He doesn't want to hear my prayer. 17:21 As a father pities his children, 17:24 so the Lord pities those who fear Him, 17:29 so you got to understand where this fear came from. 17:31 Timothy makes it clear, 2 Timothy 1:7 makes it clear 17:35 that this fear is not from God. 17:37 If we live in fear, we are not living in God. 17:39 Notice what He says, 17:41 "For God has not given us a spirit of" what, 17:44 church? 17:45 "God has not given us a spirit of fear." 17:47 So the question is where did it come from? 17:50 What did he give us? 17:51 Together. 17:53 "But of power and of love and of a" what kind of mind? 17:57 "Sound mind." 17:58 So when you are living in fear, you've got to know right away, 18:02 God has not put that spirit on you, 18:06 doesn't come from God. 18:08 When people come to church... 18:13 When we are afraid to pray, 18:16 when we are afraid to talk to God, 18:20 that fear has come from someplace else, 18:22 it hasn't come from God. 18:24 And, you know, let me also add this component, 18:26 the reason why this sermon is so important to me 18:28 is because we've got to be people to let others know 18:31 that it's not fearful to come, 18:33 to worship the God we serve. 18:37 If they know that God is the God of love... 18:41 He doesn't excuse sin. 18:44 Let me not make this sermon sound unbalance. 18:47 He does not excuse sin, but He does not deal with us 18:51 according to our sin. 18:54 He doesn't overlook our sin, 18:56 He's a Holy God. 19:01 But, you know, is what we need 19:02 more than condemnation is forgiveness. 19:08 To understand the anatomy of peace, 19:11 let's examine the anatomy of fear. 19:13 Genesis 3:6, 7. 19:15 Look at this. 19:17 Genesis 3:6, 7, 19:19 let's go there. 19:21 To understand where the peace comes from 19:24 or how the peace got robbed, 19:25 let's examine the anatomy of fear. 19:28 The context is, 19:31 Eve is in the garden having a discussion 19:34 with a fallen angel named Lucifer, 19:36 transitioning into the name Satan, 19:39 and so she's at a tree that God told her not to go to, 19:42 and the conversation ensues as recorded. 19:45 "So when the woman saw 19:46 that the tree was good for food, 19:48 that it was pleasant to the" what? 19:50 "Eyes. 19:51 A tree desirable to make one wise, 19:54 she took of its fruit and ate. 19:58 She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." 20:03 I want you to get this 20:04 because we're talking about eyes in the sermon. 20:06 "The eyes of both of them were opened, 20:09 and they knew that they were naked, 20:12 they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." 20:16 They lost the covering of God and they tried to provide 20:19 a substitute covering. 20:21 Let me make it clear. 20:22 There's no better covering than the covering of Jesus. 20:25 You want to be saved, you want to be blessed? 20:27 Let the covering of Jesus be your covering. 20:33 When you examine what happened here, 20:35 Adam placed greater weight 20:39 on what seemed right in their eyes. 20:41 Adam and Eve, it wasn't just Eve, 20:43 Adam and Eve placed greater weight, 20:46 follow me carefully, to what they felt was right 20:50 in their sight than what was right according to God's Word. 20:57 In other words, they said what we see 20:59 doesn't look as bad as what God made it out to be. 21:03 That's why when our sight clashes with God's Word, 21:06 we are on the wrong path. 21:13 We can't trust our sight. 21:15 We cannot trust what we see, whether it's good or bad. 21:19 In so many instances 21:22 our perception of what we see is skewed 21:26 because we don't see like God sees. 21:32 And so what looks good is sometimes bad, 21:35 what looks bad is sometimes good, 21:41 but look at Genesis 3:9, 10, 21:44 as the story continues. 21:46 They got on... 21:47 They made the wrong choice based on 21:48 what they felt was right, according to their own sight, 21:50 and then look at this. 21:52 Fear was born. 21:55 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, 21:57 "Where are you?" 21:58 God wasn't asking for GPS coordinates, 22:00 He was asking for confession. 22:02 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, 22:05 and I was afraid because 22:09 I was naked, and I hid myself." 22:12 When a person is fearful, it often results 22:16 in a person hiding from God. 22:19 You know, when you don't see people, 22:22 when people are locked into the closet of their own decisions, 22:25 into the world of their own choices, 22:27 into the scenario of their own fear, 22:29 when they are locked into this place 22:30 that they cannot seem to get out, 22:32 it's often because 22:33 they have stepped in the direction 22:36 opposite to God's leading, but I need to say this, 22:39 what's beautiful about this verse is God 22:42 didn't wait for Adam to go looking for Him. 22:45 God came looking for Adam. 22:48 That's the true picture of how God is. 22:50 He doesn't wait for us to come looking for Him, 22:51 He goes looking for us. 22:53 That's why Oswald Chambers, one of my favorite devotions... 22:57 If you want to be revolutionized, 22:59 get Oswald Chambers' devotions, powerful. 23:01 He said, "The remarkable thing about God 23:04 is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, 23:08 whereas, if you do not fear God, 23:10 you fear everything else. 23:12 "When you fear God, you don't fear anything else, 23:16 but when you do not fear God, you fear everything else. 23:21 And Satan was successful in leading our parents to believe 23:26 that they needed to see 23:27 more than God was willing to show them. 23:31 In other words, he said, "If you settle for what God 23:33 is telling you is right, 23:35 then you would miss what I want to show you. 23:37 If you let me work on your eyes, 23:40 I will show you more than God is willing to let you see." 23:43 Young folk, let me give you a point of caution here. 23:50 People will approach you and say, "Have you ever seen? 23:54 Have you ever done that?" "Oh, no. 23:56 My parents told me not to do that." 23:58 "Oh, well, really, that's your parents 24:01 but if you let me show you..." 24:05 Let me tell you, if your parents told you it's not good, 24:09 listen to the advice of the experienced 24:13 because it is the same cunning words 24:15 that Satan used on deceiving Eve 24:18 and Adam acquiesce into the deception already completed, 24:22 but he had a choice. 24:24 He did not have to lean, he had a choice, 24:27 but he allowed his eyes to see 24:29 what God never intended for him to see, 24:32 and he let all of us down the path of fear. 24:36 Look at Genesis 3:5, 24:38 which I left for the latter part, 24:41 the anatomy, the lie of the devil, 24:44 "For God knows that in the day 24:46 you eat of it your eyes will be" what? 24:48 "Opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 24:54 From that day unto this, 24:57 Mike, we have ventured into places 24:59 that God never intended for us to go, and we've seen things 25:03 that God never intended for us to see. 25:06 I mean, I can tell you now, 25:09 there're some things in my mind I wish I never saw. 25:11 Can I get a witness? 25:14 There're some places I've been I wish I've never gone 25:16 because the one thing about the human mind is it holds on, 25:19 it banks these things, and it holds them 25:22 for those very moments 25:26 when the scenario of the present reminds us of 25:29 a situation of the past, they come back to our mind 25:32 in vivid 4K high definition like it just happened. 25:41 But here's my point, if God has not revealed it, 25:44 leave it alone. 25:45 Can I get an amen? 25:46 Here's the evidence of it, Deuteronomy 29:29, 25:50 look there with me. 25:53 And by the way, I haven't even gotten to Asaph, 25:54 but I'm going to end on time today. 25:57 I know with no amens, it's all right. 26:01 Deuteronomy 29:29, 26:02 leave the things that God has not revealed to you alone. 26:08 Moses tells us, "The secret things belong to the Lord 26:13 our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us 26:18 and to our children forever, 26:20 that we may do all the words of this law." 26:23 In other words, when God reveals it, it's safe. 26:27 But when God keeps it secret, don't go digging for it 26:33 'cause often we find what we wish we never did. 26:36 They eyes of them both were opened, 26:38 and I can tell you when Eve was finally laid to rest, 26:42 I'm sure Adam wished he had never 26:45 made the decision he made. 26:48 I don't know how Eve died, the Bible doesn't tell us, 26:50 we have no record of that, but if Eve began to slip away 26:53 in the manifestation of some disease 26:55 that has now been introduced into sin, 26:57 I can imagine Adam by her bedside saying, 26:59 "Eve, hold on." 27:01 And she says, "I can't." 27:03 And she could trace that very moment 27:07 back to ignoring God's subtle voice, 27:12 "In the day you eat thereof, you will surely die." 27:17 The first funeral was Adam's son, and I could imagine, 27:20 I don't know how many other children he had, 27:22 but somewhere along the way, he had to lay his wife to rest. 27:25 In all 930 years that Adam lived 27:29 were years of stress, 27:34 where he thought on many occasions, 27:36 "If I'd only allowed God's sight to be sufficient for me." 27:45 You see, a Christian that insists on walking by sight 27:49 is really not a Christian. 27:51 For the Bible says, "We walk by faith, and not by sight." 27:56 This is where the Lord revealed to me 27:58 one of the dangers of being a Christian for a long time. 28:00 And I'll say that again, 28:01 this is where the Lord revealed to me 28:03 one of the dangers of being a Christian for a long time. 28:05 Last night when we were sitting down 28:06 with Dr. Salta and Victoria... 28:10 I said, "I want to share this with you." 28:12 She said, "No, wait till tomorrow." 28:14 So here it is Dr. Salta. Those of you... 28:16 This is a conversation between me and Dr. Salta, 28:18 you can listen in. 28:20 This is powerful. 28:22 And I want to preface it once again by saying, 28:23 God revealed to me 28:25 that one of the dangers of being a... 28:27 There's a danger in being a Christian for a long time. 28:31 And you know what that danger is? 28:32 We get used to trusting our sight. 28:39 Knowledge increases but wisdom belongs only to God. 28:46 What we don't realize is there are certain conditions 28:51 that don't manifest themselves until we are older, 28:54 and I want you to listen with Q-tipped clean ears, 28:59 it's called age-related macular degeneration. 29:04 Let me quote The Medical Association, 29:09 "Age-related macular degeneration. 29:12 More than 10 million people in the United States 29:15 are affected by this condition. 29:18 In fact, it is a leading cause of blindness 29:21 in people over age 65. 29:26 Age-related macular degeneration is a condition 29:29 that affects the center of the retina, called the macular. 29:34 The macular is the part of the eye responsible 29:38 for our most acute vision 29:43 which we use when reading, 29:46 driving, performing other activities," 29:49 get this, "that require fine, sharp, 29:53 or straight ahead vision." 29:56 So when the macular begins to degenerate, 29:59 we don't have sharp, 30:03 fine, straight ahead vision. 30:06 We start looking in different directions 30:09 because the macular is beginning to degenerate. 30:14 Are you ready? 30:15 I'd like to suggest that when we don't 30:17 keep our relationship with God fresh, 30:20 our ability to see sin is also affected. 30:27 The longer, hear me carefully, 30:29 the longer we practice religion without Jesus, 30:32 the more in danger we are in thinking 30:35 that our eyesight is reliable. 30:40 Let me get deeper into the cause. 30:43 "Age-related macular degeneration have symptoms. 30:46 Here's some of the symptoms. 30:48 What you see, according to the AMA, 30:51 what you see begins to appear blurry or hazy." 30:55 Spiritual application, 30:57 teachings that used to be clear clear, 31:00 now that you're older now appear difficult to understand. 31:04 Blurry and hazy. 31:06 "I don't believe in the sanctuary anymore 31:09 'cause I'm smarter now. 31:11 I got more knowledge now. 31:12 When I was young, I was gullible, 31:16 but now that I got more information, 31:18 what used to be clear to me is blurry 31:20 and hazy 'cause I got new vision out." 31:23 When, in fact, you're suffering from degenerated vision. 31:27 Truth never changes, can I get an amen? 31:29 But when you begin looking at things 31:31 that are blurry and hazy, 31:33 what used to be clear looks indistinguishable. 31:39 Another condition about age-related 31:41 macular degeneration, this says, 31:43 "You need brighter light when you are reading." 31:45 Whoa, you need brighter light, come on. 31:48 You need brighter light, 31:50 which means you cannot keep reading material 31:53 that leads you into dark places. 31:55 You need to read with brighter lights. 31:59 David prayed, "Open my eyes that I may behold 32:02 wonderful things out of your law" 32:05 The word of God is a lamp to our feet, 32:07 a light to our path. 32:08 Amen? 32:10 Don't read materials 32:11 from people that produce dark things 32:14 and expect to find bright light there. 32:19 If you've been around long enough, 32:21 you know that the one thing that 32:23 the Adventist message has is enemies, 32:26 enemies of the sanctuary message, 32:29 the health message, the Sabbath message, 32:32 and the list goes on and on and on. 32:34 And these are people that claim 32:35 to have been a part of us at one time, 32:38 but they begin to produce material 32:40 that brings in dark thoughts and dark ideas. 32:44 The evidence of the fact that 32:46 we are being degenerated in our eyesight 32:48 for spiritual things is that we start reading things 32:51 that need brighter light 32:53 to differentiate truth from error. 32:56 We also say, "That as the disease advances, 33:00 there may be dark or blank spots in the vision." 33:04 When it begins to advance, 33:06 there may be dark or blank spots in the vision. 33:09 In other words, what you used to see, you no longer see. 33:12 In other words, you can no longer discern between 33:14 what is right and what is wrong because the dark spots 33:18 and the blank areas now blocked what used to be clear. 33:21 And let me tell you something, that's what sin does. 33:24 It blocks what used to be clear. 33:28 And one of the sign that's really amazing to me 33:34 is one of the other signs of AMD is visual distortion. 33:39 "Straight lines appear wavy." 33:42 That was amazing to me. 33:44 Straight lines, all of a sudden, 33:46 appear wavy because your vision begins to degenerate. 33:49 In other words, straight truth seems to be crooked now, 33:53 straight truth seems to be defective now, 33:56 straight truth seems to be unreliable now. 33:59 Come on, Bishop, give me an amen. 34:01 So when you get older, be careful 34:07 to prevent your spiritual walk with God from degenerating. 34:12 Spiritual age-related macular degeneration is responsible 34:16 for accommodating worldly practices 34:19 and beliefs into the church. 34:21 I mean, think about what's happening in our church. 34:24 Think about what's happening. 34:25 Controversies over scripturally 34:28 appointed gender-specific roles. 34:31 Recently, I entertained a thought that... 34:33 I was trying to figure out... 34:34 And I'm not going to tell you which side I'm on 34:36 but that's not the point of this next comment, 34:39 but we have been fighting, for the last 30 years, 34:42 over women's roles in America. 34:44 Anybody old enough to remember the women's lib? 34:46 Come on. Remember women's lib? 34:49 And I'm not saying that 34:50 you should not be given equal pay 34:52 for equal work, that's not what I'm talking about. 34:53 But there seems to be an agenda that, one time, 34:57 only the world was pushing it 35:00 but now the church is pushing it, 35:05 these gender-specific issues. 35:06 And I thought about 35:08 where it could possibly have come from? 35:09 And my mind was led back, as I was discussing, 35:11 my mid was led back to the idea that ever since 35:14 Eve strayed from Adam's sight, 35:19 women have become uncomfortable 35:22 being subject to godly male authority. 35:26 Think about that. 35:28 What else could be behind this push, this hard push, 35:31 to begin to accept things that are not scripturally based? 35:35 When we see things that are not scripturally based, 35:38 and ignore the Bible, and use voting 35:42 to put it into play rather than the authority of God's Word, 35:46 there's got to be some spiritual macular degeneration. 35:52 Seeing things that are not supported by God's Word, 35:56 but you insist on putting it into play anyway, 35:58 overwriting it, and saying, 36:01 "Adam, what do you think about the tree? 36:02 Well, Eve, what do you think? 36:04 Well, I know what God says, 36:05 but let's go ahead and have a fruit. 36:08 Let's vote. Two to one. 36:10 Eve in favor, Adam in favor" Satan says, "I'm in favor." 36:15 "Okay, God, three to one." 36:16 And we vote and that's what we are today. 36:19 Spiritual macular degeneration. 36:22 And I would suggest it also affects the belief that, 36:26 "I'm not done yet." 36:27 As some of us get older, there is degeneration 36:31 in other areas of our lives that affects the way we see 36:34 the things that are necessary for us. 36:36 For example, some people believe that regular prayer 36:39 and Bible study is no longer necessary. 36:42 "It was necessary when I was young 36:44 and excited about my baptism, 36:45 it was necessary when I first joined a church. 36:47 I was excited about carrying my Bible, 36:49 showing up at prayer meeting, 36:50 being on time for Sabbath school, 36:52 being there for evangelism, volunteering for positions. 36:54 But now that I'm older, 36:58 I've already been there, done that." 37:00 Somebody is spiritually degenerated. 37:03 Come on, help me out. 37:05 Age-related macular degeneration 37:07 in the spiritual areas is 37:09 when we think that service to God, 37:11 with full dedication, is optional. 37:13 There are people today that when you ask them to serve 37:16 in the office, in the church to serve God, not serve men, 37:19 but to serve God, they say, "I don't feel like it. 37:26 I've done this for a long time; it's my chance to rest." 37:29 No, when you die, it'll be your chance to rest. 37:35 Read Samuel, the Lord... 37:39 Come on, his mother's name? 37:41 Hannah. 37:43 Hannah said, "I'm going to dedicate Samuel 37:45 to the work of the Lord as long as he lives." 37:48 Not as long as he wants to. 37:51 Now we got people that serve 'cause they feel like it. 37:54 They are the people that are degenerated in the areas of... 37:56 They think if they work for God, 37:58 that how they treat people don't matter. 38:02 And these are folk that are... 38:05 They didn't just join the church, 38:06 they've been here a long time. 38:08 But as I said, there're certain conditions 38:10 that don't manifest themselves until you get older, 38:18 that's why doing what is right in our sight 38:20 is the prelude to defeat. 38:24 The blessings of God will slip away 38:26 when we feel that our sight is reliable. 38:29 That's why we have to pray the prayer that David prayed. 38:31 Go with me to Psalm 139. 38:33 This is my prayer, I've been praying it more 38:36 'cause you know what? 38:38 I'm going to be one year older tomorrow. 38:41 You figure it out, 38:44 not going to tell you my age. 38:46 But I'll be one year older tomorrow 38:49 and there's nothing that... 38:50 Jim, there's nothing more important, 38:52 and I know you feel the same way. 38:54 There's nothing more important to me than when Jesus comes, 38:58 my name is on His list for eternal security. 39:05 So how am I going to be sure that I'm there? 39:08 Here's the prayer of David, 39:09 shows that our sight is not reliable, we are biased, 39:11 we cannot examine ourselves. 39:13 David prayed the payer, 39:14 "Search me, O God, and know my heart. 39:17 Try me, and know my thoughts and my anxieties." 39:21 And I like this verse 24, "And see" 39:23 Let Him do the examining, 39:25 "And see if there is any wicked way" where? 39:29 "In me, and then lead me in the way everlasting." 39:34 Lord, you do the searching 'cause, I mean, like right now 39:37 I've been comparing myself with other members. 39:40 So there's certain things I can't see. 39:42 And that's part of the problem of being an Adventist, 39:47 or Christian, in any denomination 39:49 for a long time. 39:50 We call them church fathers or church mothers 39:52 whereas one pastor said, he said, 39:54 "That lady has been in the church so long, 39:56 every time she comes to church, she says, 39:57 'I've been in the way for 40 years.' 39:58 " He said, "You have been in the way. 40:00 You've been in everybody's way." 40:03 And there's some people 40:04 that think they are so experienced 40:06 in ecclesiastical obiter dictum... 40:07 Can I borrow the term? 40:10 That they are hindrance 40:12 to those who will need to look to 40:13 an experienced Christian and say, 40:15 "That's who I want to be able to be like." 40:20 And so there's no excuse for being a Christian 40:22 a long time and still being mean, 40:25 there's no excuse for saying 40:26 you've been in second and third generation. 40:28 Don't boast about what you've been 40:30 unless you're like Jesus. 40:37 Why should we let the Lord search us? 40:39 1 Samuel 16:7, 40:43 "For the Lord does not see as man sees, 40:46 for man looks at the" what? 40:48 "Outward appearance, 40:51 but the Lord looks at the" what? 40:53 "Heart." 40:56 So often we have misunderstood things 40:59 because we think that somebody don't want to talk to us, 41:02 and we were sure they saw us, and we know they avoided us 41:08 'cause we see on the outward appearance. 41:13 That's why one of the churches I was in few years ago... 41:18 Few years ago, more like, 15 years ago, 41:21 before I came here. 41:23 I had a Sabbath school class that was a long way 41:25 down the hallway, from my office to the church. 41:27 And I would be, after Sabbath school, 41:29 instead of 41:30 coming down the steps and go around the back, 41:31 like I do here with less interruption, 41:34 I had to go through the whole crowd of people, 41:35 and our church would be jam-packed, 41:38 people in the foyer and, you know. 41:41 And it's like I'm wearing an orange jumpsuit, 41:43 everybody sees me but I don't see everybody. 41:47 And people used to complain "Pastor, 41:48 you ignored me last Sabbath. 41:50 I tried to get to you, you ignored me." 41:52 And so I had to build in this safety net. 41:55 I said, "If you think I ignored you, tell my wife. 42:00 And she'll remind me not to ignore you next week. 42:03 If there's an announcement you need to get to me 42:05 between Sabbath school and church, 42:06 make sure she gets it 42:08 'cause while I'm trying to figure out 42:10 which lane to swim in, 42:12 she has a little bit more time to take that down 42:15 and I will be glad to talk to you." 42:18 But so often, we look with human eyes 42:23 and we do what's right in our sight rather than 42:26 what's right in the sight of the Lord. 42:28 But I'm going to give you some good news 42:29 about age-related macular degeneration. 42:32 There' some good news about it, and the good news is, 42:34 according to the AMA that 42:37 "Age-related macular degeneration is a condition 42:40 that should be monitored closely." 42:44 Now watch this. 42:45 When things begin to appear wavy, 42:47 when the dark spots begin to show up, 42:51 when you begin to have difficulties seeing 42:54 like you used to, start monitoring it. 42:58 And according to the quote 43:00 as I share with you from the AMA, 43:02 "Some changes in your 43:03 age-related macular degeneration 43:06 may only be detected by an eye care professional." 43:10 You can't detect it. 43:12 "So it is important to keep your eye doctor appointments 43:16 as directed." 43:21 You can't detect your degeneration 43:23 unless you come to prayer meeting. 43:27 'Cause what you got on Sabbath, ain't going to keep you 43:30 till next Sabbath. 43:32 And if you don't pick up your Bible, 43:34 you're getting that much more blind by the moment. 43:37 Everything else is coming in, messing with your sight. 43:40 You think that what you hear 43:41 this morning is going to keep you till next Sabbath, 43:43 if you eat one meal today, 43:46 wait till next Sabbath and eat another, 43:47 then wait till the next Sabbath and eat another. 43:49 In a matter of four weeks, 43:51 you will be the most emaciated 43:52 tired Christian walk on the earth. 43:56 You got to monitor that. 43:58 We cannot monitor ourselves, and you cannot trust yourself. 44:01 You got to go to the professionals, the Holy Spirit. 44:04 You got to go to the professionals, the Word of God. 44:06 You got to read God's diagnosis about you, 44:10 and He says in Psalms 119:105, 44:12 "Your word is a lamp to our feet 44:16 and a light to our path." 44:17 Can we say amen to that? 44:18 "Your word is a lamp to our feet." 44:20 God's Word is a what? Lamp. 44:22 You can't trust in your own sight. 44:24 His word is a lamp to our feet and the light to our path. 44:26 If you don't study your Bible, 44:27 you don't have a good flashlight. 44:31 I mean, really, think about it. 44:32 How many of you ever had the lights go off? 44:34 In Thompsonville, that's not unusual. 44:35 The lights just go off for no reason. 44:38 Do you ever hear all the stuff in your house just reset? 44:43 Every time the power go off, my emergency radio comes on. 44:46 Temperature's going to be 65 degrees, 44:48 you probably got up, oh, the auto power just went off 44:50 'cause I always mute it unless it's an emergency. 44:53 And where we live, the power can go off at any moment. 44:55 Let me suggest you, if you're not connected to God, 44:58 the power can go off at any moment. 45:02 So you can't trust in, "Everything looks just fine." 45:08 You got to keep your vision sharp, Bob. 45:11 Right? 45:13 And only God's Word can do that. 45:16 So when you want to ask the question, "Well, how? 45:19 Pastor John, how are we going to prevent 45:22 age-related spiritual macular degeneration?" 45:26 Let God's Word... 45:27 Listen to this quotation from the book, 45:29 "A Call to Stand Apart" a devotion by Ellen White, 45:32 page 69, paragraph 2. 45:34 It's not difficult to have good vision, 45:37 it's not difficult to know what to do in the sight of God, 45:40 but you have to have a guide. 45:42 Here's what she says, 45:45 "There is nothing more calculated..." 45:48 More what? Calculated. 45:50 "To energize the mind and strengthen the intellect 45:55 than the study of the Word of God." 45:58 Nothing, the commentaries ain't sufficient. 46:02 Oswald Chambers, Ellen White, all the theological books 46:06 are not sufficient because there is only one living Word. 46:11 "Nothing more calculated." 46:13 Ellen White is saying that 46:15 so she's not even putting her writings above the Bible. 46:17 There're some people that are Ellen White professionals, 46:21 but she said, "No, our creed is the Bible and the Bible only." 46:26 She goes on to say, "No other book is so potent 46:31 to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, 46:35 as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible." 46:41 You want to have a powerful life? 46:42 Pick your Bible up and read it. 46:44 And all of a sudden, 46:45 a dead moment can become an exciting moment. 46:46 My wife and I do that all the time. 46:48 We're going through the Book of 1 Samuel now. 46:50 And you know what? 46:52 The Bible will beat you up and then straighten you up. 46:56 Ain't I right? 46:57 You read a story in the Bible and say, "Oh no. 47:00 That reminds me of me." 47:02 And, you know, when you know when you've found a story? 47:04 When you're quiet. 47:06 Even the on person says, 47:07 you get quite when you read the text, 47:08 you kind of read it with a low volume 47:11 'cause God is saying, "Terry, reminds you of anybody?" 47:16 Am I right? That's what the Bible do... 47:18 It doesn't let you off the hook. 47:19 It's dramatic. 47:21 You want to find drama? 47:22 Read the Bible. 47:23 You want to find intrigue? 47:25 Read the Bible. 47:26 You want to find mystery, 47:28 if you like war, read the Bible. 47:33 It's got everything that the movie producers 47:37 are trying to duplicate in a factitious setting. 47:42 It's all in there, but you'll never know until you read it. 47:45 Young people, you'll never know how exciting this book is 47:49 until you get out of Facebook and face this book. 47:54 Amen? 47:55 That's why the devil creates those distractions. 47:58 You're reading it... 47:59 You're sending a text rather than reading a text. 48:05 Let God's Word be the text that controls your life, 48:09 young people. 48:11 Be the young people... 48:12 I'm always excited when I see young people 48:14 that are excited about Jesus. 48:16 They're not afraid to tell people about Jesus. 48:20 And so when you think about that, 48:22 she finishes the quotation by saying 48:25 not only is no other book 48:27 so potent to elevate the thoughts, 48:28 to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, 48:29 ennobling truths of the Bible, but she says, 48:31 "If God's Word were studied as it should be, 48:36 men would have a breadth of mind, 48:38 a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose 48:42 that are rarely seen in these times." 48:46 Stable folk, stable people. 48:49 Storms are raging, they say, 48:51 "It's all right, it's going to pass over." 48:54 Now go with me to 2 Chronicles 14, 48:57 as I wind up my sermon. 48:58 2 Chronicles 14:2-6, 49:00 we're going to go back to the scripture reading, 49:02 and we're going to see what happens 49:04 in a life that is guided by God's sight. 49:09 And I will suggest you there, you cannot make any changes 49:12 in your life until your sight is guided by God's sight. 49:16 You will never even see the need to make changes. 49:19 When you read this story, what you need to do is 49:22 read a few chapters back or three or four chapters back, 49:25 and you'll discover that the battles of the kings, 49:28 of the leaders in Judah, and in Israel, 49:30 there was one battle after the other after the other, 49:32 defeat after defeat after defeat. 49:35 But all of the sudden, 49:37 when Abijah rested with his fathers, 49:39 Asa, his son, reigned in his place, 49:42 and Asa did what the preceding kings refused to do, 49:46 that is, to trust the sight of God over his own sight. 49:50 Look at what 2 Chronicles 14:2 points out. 49:53 And I want you to see this after Asa did what was right, 49:56 notice the changes he made in his kingdom 49:58 because God was guiding his sight. 50:00 I preface this by saying, 50:01 you cannot make any changes in your life 50:03 until God is leading your sight. 50:07 Verse 2," Asa did what was good 50:09 and right in the eyes of the Lord his God." 50:13 There was nobody else between him and his God. 50:16 And look at what he did, the changes. 50:18 We need to make changes in our lives, 50:20 but we cannot make those changes 50:21 if we're trusting in our eyesight. 50:23 It says, "For he removed the altars of the foreign God's..." 50:26 I'm sure we have foreign gods in our own lives, 50:29 but you can't move those altars 50:31 unless God is guiding your sight. 50:32 Unless God shows you that this altar is foreign, 50:35 it doesn't belong there. 50:36 What you're watching, what you're practicing, 50:38 what you're doing doesn't belong there. 50:42 "He removed the altars of the foreign gods 50:44 and the high places, he broke down the sacred pillars..." 50:47 Not sacred to God but sacred to the false gods. 50:51 "He cut down the wooden images" 50:53 that they worshipped in place of the true God. 50:55 "He commanded Judah to seek the Lord." 50:58 Listen to your pastor. 50:59 I'm commanding our church to seek the Lord. 51:06 "God of their fathers, and to observe the law 51:08 and the commandments. 51:10 He also removed the high places..." 51:12 Spiritual wickedness in high places. 51:16 "And the incense altars from all the cities of Judah..." 51:18 He cleaned up the town. 51:22 "And the kingdom was quiet under him." 51:24 You want peace in your life? 51:27 Let God guide your eyes 51:29 and He'll show you the changes that need to be made. 51:33 "And he built fortified cities in Judah..." 51:35 He strengthened the cities. 51:38 "For the land had rest..." 51:39 For the land had what? Rest. 51:41 Anybody here need rest? You need rest? 51:45 Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, 51:47 I will give you rest." 51:50 And I like this part, "He had no war in those years, 51:55 because the Lord had given him rest." 52:00 How did the Lord give him rest? 52:01 'Cause he did what was right in God's sight. 52:04 He did what was right in God's sight. 52:08 Now let me also take it at the next level. 52:11 The anatomy of peace is doing right in God's sight 52:14 but it comes with an extra blessing. 52:16 Now not only do we want rest, 52:17 but some of us have wars in our lives 52:19 that have not yet been settled. 52:21 Go with me to Proverbs 16:7. 52:23 Proverbs 16:7, let's look at that. 52:25 Proverbs 16:7. 52:28 Look at that, this is powerful. 52:30 God not only will give you peace in your days, 52:33 but He wants to do something else. 52:35 When I read this text, 52:36 and I start living in harmony with it, 52:38 I started noticing... Let me testify. 52:40 I started noticing that folk that didn't like me, 52:43 all of a sudden started talking to me. 52:46 And I would bring them... 52:48 I'd come home to my wife and say, 52:49 "Guess who was talking to me today?" 52:50 She said, "No! 52:53 What happened?" 52:55 "I don't know." 52:57 But then the Lord sent me the text. 52:58 Here it is. 53:00 Are you ready for it? 53:01 "When a man's ways please the Lord, 53:04 He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." 53:09 Amen? 53:10 You know why so many of us are still battling? 53:12 'Cause our ways are not pleasing to God. 53:19 We don't live a life pleasing to God. 53:21 But it even goes further, 53:23 the anatomy of peace is not only the promise 53:25 of your battles being fought and finding peace, 53:28 but it's also the anatomy of blessings. 53:30 It gets better. 53:31 1 John 3:22. 53:34 Alice, could you come and play softly for me. 53:37 1 John 3:22. 53:41 Look at this. It gets... 53:42 When you let God guide you, 53:44 He will not only give you peace and settle the wars, 53:47 He'll fight your battles, 53:48 He'll make your enemies at peace with you, and then... 53:51 This is where so many of us live, 53:53 but I want to tell you, the secret is in this verse. 53:57 1 John 3:22, "And whatever we ask 54:01 we receive from Him..." 54:03 Whatever we what? Ask. 54:05 We receive from where? 54:06 Him, not from everybody else. 54:09 He'll move on the hearts of people 54:11 when you're living right in His sight. 54:13 He'll say to people... 54:15 Somebody will call you and bless you and you say, 54:19 "Where'd that come from?" 54:21 Somebody will say, "I want to do this for you" And you say, 54:24 "Why did they think about us?" 54:26 Somebody will say, "I want to take you somewhere with... 54:28 And all your expenses are covered." 54:31 "Why'd you think about us?" 54:34 I told you, my wife and I had entered 2017 in our Bibles 54:37 and on our knees, and God revealed to us in Isaiah 60, 54:41 "You will have double honor 54:43 but you got to live right in my sight." 54:45 And my wife and I have come to the place, 54:47 we're so excited about what God is doing, 54:49 we don't want to do wrong in God's sight. 54:51 Look at the blessing, "And whatever we ask 54:55 we receive from Him because we keep His commandments..." 54:59 Come on, commandment keepers. 55:00 "And do those things 55:04 that are pleasing in His sight." 55:08 "We talk about keeping the commandments," He say, 55:09 "What are you doing when nobody else is around? 55:12 Who are you when you ain't at church? 55:15 Who are you when you're driving to the store? 55:17 Who are you when you're walking in a mall? 55:20 Who are you when you're visiting with people 55:21 that are not Christians? 55:23 Who are you?" 55:25 See, how we live in private 55:27 and how we live in public are the seeds of blessings. 55:30 I'm going to just throw this one and I think 55:31 there's extra credit, but Matthew 6:6, hear it, 55:35 "Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." 55:41 Ain't that a blessing, Rosemary? 55:43 He sees you in secret, Gary, but He rewards you in openly. 55:46 You see, if we plan to live in the kingdom of holiness, 55:53 do you hear me? If we plan... 55:55 If you plan on living in the kingdom of holiness, 55:58 now is a good time to start. 56:03 You're not going to get righteous 56:04 when you step into heaven. 56:07 He that is just, let him be just still. 56:09 He that is holy, let him be what? 56:11 Holy still. 56:12 It is good to get used to living holy lives now. 56:20 How do you do it? 56:22 By inviting Jesus in by constant prayer, 56:25 by reading your Bibles, by practicing His Word. 56:29 We experience deliverance from wars, we find peace, 56:34 we get what we ask for if it's in harmony with God's will. 56:38 And the reality is, Big Brother is watching us. 56:42 Not to condemn us, but to bless us and bring us peace. 56:47 After all, Jesus is the prince of peace. 56:54 Now I end with this verse, 56:57 2 Chronicles 16:9, just a portion of it. 57:01 2 Chronicles 69, I'll just read it and you're hearing, 57:05 "For the eyes of the Lord..." 57:07 You see, Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 57:09 "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro 57:14 throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong 57:18 in behalf of those 57:20 whose heart is loyal to Him." 57:26 Do you got somebody loyal? 57:29 You won't be afraid to give him the keys to the business. 57:32 If you have somebody who is loyal, 57:33 you won't be afraid to say, "Make this deposit for me." 57:36 Am I right? 57:37 If you have somebody who is loyal, 57:40 you won't be afraid to put your life in his or her hand. 57:44 If we're loyal to God, He will fix the broken things 57:47 of our world, put us in His will, 57:50 and bless us, quiet our wars, 57:53 give us peace, and get us ready for eternity. 58:00 My appeal is simple, is there somebody today, by standing, 58:04 you're saying, "I want to experience the anatomy of peace 58:09 and blessings." 58:10 Is there somebody here today? 58:13 It may sound hard, but all you got to do 58:17 is do what's right in the sight of the Lord. 58:23 Loving Father in heaven, bless Your people. 58:27 Give us spiritual discernment 58:29 to do what is right in Your sight. 58:31 Not what seems right, not what appears right, 58:34 because what appears right to us 58:37 could lead us to the way of death. 58:38 Bless our hearts, and our minds, our bodies, 58:40 our hands, our relationships with one another. 58:44 Bless our worship in our homes with our family, our children. 58:47 Help us to guide them, not in the areas of comfort, 58:50 but in the areas of holy living 58:52 and they will then find comfort living a holy life. 58:57 May Your people of this earth 58:59 prepare for the kingdom of peace 59:02 and may You be the Lord that guides us all the way. 59:05 In Jesus name we pray, and everyone said amen. 59:09 Amen. |
Revised 2018-07-16