Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210039S
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00:25 Hello, friends, welcome to our 3ABN Worship Hour.
00:28 I'm Pastor John Lomacang, 00:29 and I extend an invitation 00:31 and a welcome to you 00:33 and a thank you actually for joining us 00:35 as we divide God's Word together with you. 00:39 You know, the message today is entitled, 00:41 "The Last Line of Defense." 00:43 And not only am I thanking you for joining us, 00:46 but I want to ask for you to be particularly in prayer today, 00:49 because this message 00:51 is one that I'm extending a challenge, 00:53 a special challenge 00:55 to those who name the name of Christ. 00:58 These are fragile times for Christians, 01:01 and in times like these, 01:03 it is imperative for us 01:04 to return to our last line of defense. 01:08 So let us ask for God's Holy Spirit 01:10 to guide us and strengthen us 01:12 as we consider the message for this hour. 01:15 Let us pray. 01:16 Gracious, Father in heaven, 01:18 Your Word is a lamp that has never gone dim. 01:22 It is a light that is connected 01:24 to an unlimited source of power. 01:27 And we pray now for your Holy Spirit 01:29 to reach into the hearts and minds 01:31 of those watching and those listening 01:34 to calibrate their realities and their minds 01:37 to the urgency of the hour 01:40 that the church finds itself in. 01:42 Speak Lord, and may Your servants hear, 01:46 we pray in Jesus' name. 01:48 Amen. 01:51 The Apostle Paul to his protege, Timothy, 01:55 gave some very cautious words to a young man 01:58 who was getting ready to dive into the ministry 02:02 at a time when the Christian Church, 02:05 although thousands of years ago was about to be challenged. 02:09 And we read these words of Paul's challenge to Timothy. 02:13 In 1 Timothy 4:16, the Bible says, 02:17 "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. 02:21 Continue in them, 02:23 for in doing this you will save both yourself 02:27 and those who hear you." 02:30 At a time when the word doctrine 02:32 seems to be deleted from the Christian vocabulary 02:35 and doctrines seem to be held up 02:38 as the culprit of division. 02:40 The Bible is saying that is not the case. 02:42 We know for a fact that doctrine has been twisted 02:44 and diluted and diverted 02:46 and designed to fit men's ideology. 02:49 But there's nothing wrong with doctrine 02:51 because doctrine is simply what the Bible says 02:53 about the character and the person of Jesus. 02:56 But we have entered the most trying hour 02:59 for the Christian Church. 03:01 The winds of false doctrines are blowing away 03:04 those who have no roots in the Word of God. 03:09 And while the people of God are advancing forward, 03:12 Satan is urging them to go backward. 03:15 And the reason is clear. 03:17 Satan is intensely concerned 03:20 about God's last line of defense. 03:24 I read a story that really boggled my mind 03:27 about something called personality regression. 03:29 And I thought to myself, 03:31 well, Christians are going through something 03:32 that is synonymous to the story that I read. 03:35 Let me read it to you. And I'll read it verbatim. 03:37 It is entitled, the woman who grew backwards. 03:41 The lady who grew backwards was a woman 03:43 who lived in Virginia some years ago. 03:46 In the Virginia Medical Monthly, 03:49 her doctor told the story. 03:50 It's an amazing story, listen. 03:52 "She had grown normally, married, 03:54 and had three children. 03:56 Life was happy until the husband 03:58 and father died 04:00 when the children were in high school. 04:02 The mother doubled her devotion to her children. 04:06 And she changed her clothes to those of a girl of 20, 04:10 joined in the children's party and fun. 04:14 In a few years the children noticed 04:16 as they grew older 04:18 that their mother was growing younger." 04:21 She began to behave that way. 04:23 "Psychiatrists call it "personality regression, " 04:27 which means, a person begins in their personality 04:31 and behavior begin walking backwards. 04:34 Usually certain people stop going backward 04:37 at a certain age." 04:38 The story continues. 04:40 "But not this woman. 04:41 She slipped backward at the rate of one year 04:44 for every three or four months 04:47 of time as the time went forward. 04:50 Although she was 61 years old, 04:52 she acted like a 6-year-old child. 04:57 She was sent to a sanitarium, 05:00 where she insisted on wearing short dresses, 05:04 playing with toys, 05:05 and babbling like a child." 05:07 And listen to how the story ends. 05:09 "Then she became like a three-year-old, 05:12 she spilled her food, crawled on the floor, 05:15 and cried "Mama." 05:19 Backward still farther to the age of one, 05:22 she drank milk, curled up like a tiny baby. 05:26 Finally, she went back over the line" 05:29 and the story ended, "and then she died." 05:33 What a tragic story. 05:34 What an amazing account of the woman 05:36 that grew backward. 05:37 Well, why did I use that story? 05:39 Friends, according 05:40 to what we have seen in public lately, 05:43 behavior from Christians, it seems as though the woman, 05:46 the church is growing backward. 05:49 Satan is intensely concerned about the bottom line 05:54 and during earth's most fragile history, 05:57 Satan wants us to abandon our journey to the kingdom 06:00 and begin growing backward, 06:02 or going back to where we were before. 06:05 Kind of like in the Book of numbers, 06:06 when the Lord was leading the children of Israel 06:08 out of Egypt to Canaan, 06:10 notice what they said in Numbers 14:3-4, 06:15 they said, "Why has the Lord brought us 06:18 to this land to fall by the sword, 06:21 that our wives and children should become victims." 06:23 And listen to this, 06:25 "Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? 06:29 So they said to one another, 06:31 'Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.'" 06:37 That's what's happening to the church today. 06:39 Jesus is being abandoned 06:41 as the leader of the Christian Church 06:44 for so many. 06:45 And they are selecting leaders 06:46 and behavior and lifestyle and an attitude. 06:50 The public is seeing a church 06:52 that does not resemble a growing church, 06:55 but a church that's growing backward, 06:57 a church that's caught in personality regression, 07:00 spiritual regression behavior 07:03 that doesn't fit the person of Christ. 07:06 Friends, this is the hour 07:08 that what is ahead of us should consume our interest. 07:12 And what is behind us 07:13 should be purged from our thoughts. 07:16 It is too late in the hour of earth 07:19 to be going back to the way we were. 07:21 This is the time that God's people, 07:25 Christians of every denomination, 07:27 and I include a special invitation 07:29 to Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 07:31 God has given us an understanding of prophecy, 07:34 how the events of the last days are going to unfold. 07:37 It is too late for the church to go backward. 07:40 This is the time to go forward 07:43 and forget those things behind you. 07:45 Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul 07:47 in Philippians 3:13-14, 07:50 listen to what he says. 07:51 He says, "Brethren, 07:53 I do not count myself to have apprehended, 07:56 but one thing I do," 07:58 listen to what he said, 07:59 "forgetting those things which are behind 08:03 and reaching forward to those things, 08:05 which are ahead, " 08:07 and look at the passion. 08:08 "I press toward the goal 08:11 for the prize of the upward call of God 08:14 in Christ Jesus." 08:17 That's what the Christian should be doing 08:19 pressing forward for the goal. 08:21 There is a prize for every one of us. 08:24 The Apostle Paul said it, 08:25 there's a crown of righteousness 08:28 laid up for me and not for me only, 08:30 but for all those who love his appearing. 08:33 You might wonder why this is happening. 08:36 Well, let me tell you why? 08:37 Satan knows his time is short and he made attempts 08:41 many, many, many millennia ago 08:43 to overthrow the government of God. 08:46 And when he failed in his attempt 08:48 to overthrow God's government 08:50 and Jesus won on the cross, 08:52 he focused on trying to cause the church to fall, 08:55 but in a specific way. 08:57 And I'm speaking also not only to Christians 08:59 in general, 09:00 but Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 09:02 He's focusing on trying to overthrow 09:04 your faith. 09:06 Those who keep the commandments of God, 09:08 those who have been called to uphold the faith of Jesus. 09:11 Listen to this amazing quotation 09:13 in the books, 09:14 Councils on Stewardship, page 154. 09:17 Listen to what God's servant says, 09:19 "As the people of God approached 09:21 the perils of the last days, 09:23 Satan holds earnest consultation 09:26 with his angels 09:27 as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith." 09:31 Why? 09:32 "He sees that the popular churches 09:36 are already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. 09:40 By pleasing sophistry and lying wonders, 09:43 he can continue to hold them under his control. 09:46 Therefore, she continues, 09:48 he directs his angels to lay their snares 09:52 especially for those 09:54 who are looking for the second advent of Christ 09:57 and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God." 10:02 That is Satan's focus. 10:04 If you are looking for the second coming of Jesus, 10:07 if you're focused on honoring God's Word, 10:09 keeping God's commandments, 10:11 if you are being true to a thus saith the Lord, 10:14 you are a special concern. 10:16 Satan is concerned about your line of defense, 10:19 and that's why there are certain snares 10:21 that we should seek to avoid. 10:23 One of those is declining interest 10:25 in spiritual things. 10:26 It's too late, my brothers and sisters, 10:28 for your interest in spiritual things to decline, 10:31 that's called lukewarm. 10:33 I'm not for it, I'm not against it. 10:35 But I would say today, 10:37 politics has played a major role 10:38 in declining spiritual interests. 10:40 Also, another thing you should avoid 10:42 is increasing interest in worldly things, 10:46 love of the world. 10:47 Don't allow the love of the world 10:49 to dampen your love for Christ 10:51 and for His eternal kingdom. 10:53 The other thing that's really playing 10:54 on the minds of many in this COVID environment 10:57 is they are weighed down by the cares of this world. 11:01 But Jesus says cast all your cares on Him, 11:04 because He cares for you. 11:06 You see, friends, in this trying hour, 11:08 we're praying about a vaccine 11:10 and people are taking the vaccines 11:11 and we're praying that eventually 11:13 COVID-19 would be a word we have all forgotten, 11:17 but while people are trying to deal 11:19 with the stresses, 11:20 the cares of this life 11:21 and the challenges are weighing them down 11:23 and they're forgetting to cast all their cares on Jesus. 11:26 But what else should we try to avoid? 11:28 Electronic and social media slavery. 11:31 Some people are so bound by their devices. 11:34 Some are so bound to their devices 11:36 that they cannot find freedom in Jesus. 11:39 They have a loss of personal control. 11:42 I pray that you can control your devices 11:45 and not allow them to control you. 11:47 Add to that immorality, love of money. 11:50 It puts God at the bottom of the list 11:52 and also the inability to focus on God's Word 11:56 and they need to be born again. 11:59 The Apostle Paul has an antidote. 12:02 He has a vaccination for those 12:04 who are losing their connection on Christ. 12:06 Ephesians 5:14. 12:09 Notice what he says, notice what he says, 12:12 "He therefore says: 'Awake you who sleep, 12:17 arise from the dead, 12:19 and Christ will give you light.'" 12:22 He is saying to the Christian Church today, 12:24 a church that's being called to the left 12:27 and called to the right. 12:28 He is saying, forget about the left and right, 12:30 look once again to the center. 12:32 Focus again on Christ, focus again on His Word, 12:35 focus again on going forward 12:36 and embracing the truth as it is in Jesus. 12:39 Awake, do not allow the world 12:41 to inoculate you to the point 12:43 where you lose your focus on Christ. 12:46 I recently had an opportunity to read an article 12:49 called Article 113 12:51 in the uniform code of military justice. 12:55 And I thought it's amazing, 12:59 if they applied to the Christian 13:02 what is applied to the military soldier, 13:05 the same penalties, 13:06 if they would sleep during the time of war 13:09 as Christians sleep during the time of war, 13:12 what would happen to the church? 13:14 Listen to this Article 113, 13:16 the uniform code of military justice. 13:19 My question is, 13:20 is it dangerous for a Christian 13:22 to be sleeping 13:23 during the times of these last days? 13:26 During the intensifying of the war 13:28 between light and darkness? 13:30 Listen to what the military concludes 13:31 about a soldier caught sleeping during the time of war. 13:35 And they say, 13:37 "He may be executed 13:38 for failing to uphold his duties 13:40 as a sentinel or lookout 13:44 should he be found guilty while the country is at war, 13:47 if the case is referred capital. 13:51 Even if you escape the death penalty, 13:54 he says, you could face incarceration 13:56 that might last decades. 13:58 At the very minimum, 14:00 a loss of all pay allowances 14:02 and benefits will force you 14:04 to enter the civilian world 14:06 as an extreme at an extreme disadvantage." 14:11 In other words, what happens is 14:12 when they fail to comply by the military code 14:16 of staying awake, 14:18 some severe things could follow 14:20 losing their salary, 14:23 being dishonorably discharged, 14:25 putting their coworkers 14:26 and their other soldiers at risk, 14:28 or maybe even losing their lives. 14:31 Have you thought about it, friends? 14:32 As a Christian, we are at war. 14:35 Satan is intensifying his aim to try to dilute our faith. 14:39 And we must remember that the war that he started 14:41 is going on still today. 14:43 Look at Revelation 12:7-9. 14:45 This war continues today. 14:47 The Bible says, 14:48 "And war broke out in heaven: 14:50 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 14:53 and the dragon and his angels fought, 14:56 but they did not prevail." 14:57 I would say praise the Lord right there. 14:59 "Nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 15:04 So the great dragon was cast out 15:07 that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan." 15:10 What does he do? 15:12 "Who deceives the whole world, 15:15 he was cast to the earth 15:17 and his angels were cast out with him." 15:22 Where was he cast? 15:23 To the earth. Where is he? 15:25 In the earth. Is he by himself? 15:27 No, his angels are with him. 15:30 And from the day that he lost his attempt 15:33 to overthrow God's government, 15:34 from that day to the very present, 15:36 he and his angels had been working intensely 15:40 on trying to get those whose allegiance 15:44 is unequivocally given to God 15:47 to try to change their allegiance 15:49 and give that allegiance to him. 15:50 From the day that he lost that battle, 15:53 every earthly system opposed to God's commandments 15:58 has had the same agenda 16:01 trying to replace God. 16:04 But now let me ask a question 16:06 in order to understand why Satan is so concerned, 16:10 we have to understand 16:12 what God's last line of defense is. 16:15 Here's the question. 16:16 What is Satan worried about? 16:18 What in the last days, according to God's Word, 16:20 causes Satan to be troubled? 16:22 Listen to the words of John once again in Revelation 12:17. 16:27 Here is what the Bible reveals 16:29 is Satan's concern about God's last line of defense. 16:33 And it says, 16:34 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, 16:36 and he went to make war 16:38 with the rest of her offspring, " 16:41 who are they? 16:42 "Who keep the commandments of God 16:45 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 16:49 The Bible makes it very clear. 16:51 Satan is concerned about 16:52 those who are faithful to God's commandments. 16:55 Those who are faithful to the testimony of Jesus, 16:58 which the Bible says in Revelation 19:10, 17:00 the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 17:03 Satan is concerned about 17:05 those who understand prophecy 17:07 and therefore he seeks 17:09 to hold those in the world in his continued grasp. 17:12 But the Christian who is looking forward 17:15 to the coming of Jesus, 17:16 the Christian who says God's Word means 17:18 more to me than anything else. 17:20 He is concerned about that group saying, 17:23 if I can simply get their eyes off of Christ, 17:26 I can accomplish in them 17:29 what I've done to millions of others. 17:32 But let's follow the story, how did it unfold? 17:35 In the Book of Genesis 1:26 following Satan's eviction, 17:40 he made a second attempt to control God's government 17:44 by trying to overthrow God's presence 17:47 among his new creation. 17:48 Listen to Genesis 1:26. What did the Lord say? 17:52 "Then God said, 17:54 'Let Us make man in Our image, 17:58 according to Our likeness, 18:00 let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 18:04 over the birds of the air and over the cattle, 18:07 over all the earth 18:09 and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 18:14 Now understand what this means. 18:16 Satan failed in overthrowing God's dominion, 18:19 but he recognized, wait a minute, 18:20 God just gave man dominion over the earth. 18:23 I need to find a way to overthrow that, 18:25 maybe I could become the God of the earth. 18:28 So in order for Satan to take dominion of the earth, 18:31 he had to gain access to Adam, 18:34 to whom God gave that dominion, 18:36 but he didn't do it directly. 18:38 Look at how he did it. 18:40 Genesis 3:1, the Bible unfolds it. 18:42 What an amazing story. 18:44 "Now, the serpent was more cunning 18:46 than any beast of the field, 18:48 which the Lord God had made. 18:50 And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 18:54 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' " 18:58 Now you may have missed why I read this verse, 19:00 but listen to this. 19:01 He started with the woman. 19:03 I just read a story about a woman 19:05 that grew backward 19:06 and the Bible used the symbol of a woman 19:08 to represent the church. 19:10 He began by appealing to the woman. 19:12 Let me make the connection. 19:13 He in these last days is appealing to the church 19:16 and he's asking them, 19:18 are you sure that you are clear 19:21 about what God's Word says? 19:25 Why is that so vitally important? 19:27 If he can fool the church, as he deceived Eve, 19:31 he can gain access 19:33 to those who have control of the politics 19:35 and religion of the earth. 19:36 As Adam was given control of the dominion of the earth, 19:41 he began with Eve. 19:42 What did she do to give him access? 19:45 What was the step that Eve took 19:47 that opened the door to give Satan access to Adam? 19:51 Look at verse 2 and 3. 19:54 "And the woman said to the serpent, 19:56 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 19:59 but of the fruit of the tree, 20:01 which is in the midst of the garden, 20:03 God has said, 20:05 'You shall not eat it nor shall you touch it, 20:10 lest you die." 20:13 Now, what did she do? 20:15 Eve said to the devil, to serpent, to the serpent, 20:18 to the golden flickering serpent 20:22 that caught her attention. 20:23 She said to him, 20:25 God said that we shouldn't even touch it. 20:29 And the devil grasped 20:30 that fruit placing it in her hands. 20:33 And when she didn't die, 20:34 you've heard the statement he said to her, 20:36 you shall not surely die. 20:40 And when Eve did not die, when Eve did not die, 20:45 she took that fruit and gave it to her husband. 20:47 And the Bible says, 20:49 she gave it to her husband and he ate. 20:52 And we find that short verse in Genesis 3:6, 20:55 she gave it to her husband 20:58 and he ate by not embracing what God said. 21:02 She opened the door for Satan's deception, 21:05 but she gave it to her husband and he ate. 21:08 Now, why is that so vitally important? 21:10 You see, friends, it's one thing for Eve 21:13 to be deceived. 21:15 Let me make the parallel again. 21:16 It's one thing for the church to be going through difficulty, 21:19 but it's something altogether for the church 21:22 to be in such deception, 21:23 that the church is being used 21:25 to deceive the leaders of the world 21:29 who are in fact, 21:30 the ones in control of the dominion of this earth. 21:35 You see the first line of defense 21:37 was broken in the earth, standing 21:39 between Satan 21:42 and the total domination of the earth was Adam. 21:45 And we know that Adam failed 21:47 and the Bible says, 21:48 he opened the door and Satan came in 21:52 and what a sad day it was. 21:54 He lived to see his son die. 21:56 Cain killed Abel. 21:58 Adam lived for 930 years 22:01 to see the result of his transgression. 22:04 The earth began to fall apart so much so 22:08 that by the time the world was destroyed 22:09 by the flood, the Lord said, He was tired. 22:12 He was upset. 22:14 He was sick 22:15 and that He had made man 22:16 because every intention and thoughts 22:19 of their hearts were only evil, continually. 22:23 That was the world. 22:26 But what happens when the church begins 22:27 to display the same behavior? 22:29 When the church begins to look like the world? 22:31 When the church begins 22:33 to lower the character representation 22:35 of Christ to the world? 22:37 We begin to see that 22:38 it's becoming more and more difficult 22:39 to try to find a place 22:41 where the character of Christ 22:43 can be truly represented. 22:46 You see Satan failed in heaven, 22:48 but he was able to successfully take 22:50 the dominion back from Adam 22:52 in the Garden of Eden, 22:55 because Adam's first line of defense was lowered. 22:59 Obedience to God's word was Adam's line of defense. 23:05 And when Adam fell, Satan maintained, 23:08 sway over the earth in so many ways 23:11 for nearly 4,000 years until Jesus came. 23:17 Now, I say until Jesus came 23:19 because the devil knew that Jesus was not just coming 23:22 to save humanity. 23:24 We know that "He came, 23:26 the Son of man comes to seek 23:27 and to save those who are lost." 23:29 Luke 19:10. 23:30 "Call his name Jesus, 23:32 for He shall save His people from their sins." 23:34 Matthew 1:21, 23:36 "Behold the lamb of God 23:37 that taketh away the sin of the world." 23:39 John 1:29. 23:41 "Satan knew that Jesus came to solve 23:43 the sin problem of which he had no pardon. 23:46 He wanted sin to be a permanent thing. 23:49 So he could permanently hold on 23:52 to the dominion of the earth. 23:55 But there's another reason why Jesus came. 23:58 He came to take back the very thing 24:01 that Satan had wrestled 24:03 from the hand of a disobedient man, 24:05 by the name of Adam. 24:07 And when Jesus came, 24:08 the devil was on his footsteps 24:10 from the day of his birth. 24:11 He tried to kill Him when He was a baby. 24:13 But praise the Lord, 24:14 Jesus had secret service protection 24:16 far greater than any earthly dignitary. 24:19 God guided His Son, 24:22 even from the cradle to the cross. 24:25 But when Jesus came, 24:27 He knew that Satan was on his tracks. 24:28 Many, many attempts were made to arrest Jesus, 24:31 but He got away. 24:33 And then he said this statement in John 14:30. 24:36 It's an amazing statement. 24:37 Jesus describes Satan 24:39 the way that Satan was 24:42 because of the fall of Adam. 24:44 Listen to the words of Christ. 24:45 John 14:30, Jesus said, 24:48 "I will no longer talk much with you, 24:51 for the ruler of this world is coming 24:55 and he has nothing in Me." 24:58 Wow! 25:00 Why did Jesus call Satan the ruler of this world? 25:04 He called him the ruler of this world 25:06 because he had successfully for 4,000 years controlled 25:10 in one way or the other 25:12 the manipulations of the human heart. 25:14 Sin was rampant in the earth. 25:16 Men that were supposed to follow the order of God 25:19 began to follow the order of Satan. 25:21 And the church was under an environment 25:24 that was one minute up, 25:26 one minute down, 25:28 God called men to lead the children of Israel. 25:30 And some of those leaders were rebellious. 25:32 They turned away from the cause of God. 25:34 The tribes were torn apart. 25:36 Then the tribe of Judah, 25:37 that was the tribe 25:39 through which Jesus was to come, 25:41 went through an up and down cycle. 25:43 But praise God, 25:44 He sustained the tribe of Judah 25:47 because that was the tribe 25:48 through which Jesus was to come. 25:50 He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, 25:52 but Satan wrestled and he fought. 25:55 And even on the cross 25:58 Satan thought he had succeeded 26:00 in ending the attempt 26:02 that Jesus made to take back His dominion. 26:06 When Jesus bowed His head and died, 26:08 Satan thought that he had won, 26:11 but he heard Jesus utter three words 26:13 just before He bowed His head. 26:14 He said the words, "It is finished." 26:16 And when Satan heard the words, it is finished, 26:20 what he heard in essence was I am finished. 26:22 Not Jesus is finished 26:24 because Jesus said throughout His life, 26:26 I have come to do the work 26:28 the Father has sent Me to do. 26:30 And before He died, praise God, 26:33 He finished the work of redeeming humanity 26:37 and the devil knew it. 26:39 That's why on resurrection morning, 26:41 on resurrection morning, 26:43 Jesus came forth from the tomb victoriously, 26:46 but in the earthly battles between him 26:48 and the arch enemy of heaven, 26:50 notice Satan tried to get Jesus to compromise. 26:53 Look at what he said in Luke 4:6-7, 26:56 before Jesus got to the cross, 26:58 he tried to get Jesus to compromise. 27:01 And the devil said to him, that is to Christ. 27:03 All this authority 27:05 I will give you and their glory, 27:08 for this has been delivered to me. 27:12 And I give it to whomever I wish. 27:15 Therefore, if You will worship before me all will be yours. 27:21 Aren't you glad today, friends, 27:22 that Jesus didn't fall for that lie? 27:24 Jesus, in fact, created the earth. 27:27 He is the creator of heaven and earth, 27:30 but in Satan's control of man's dominion, 27:32 he said, Lord, if you simply worship me, 27:35 you see it's all about worship. 27:36 It's not about religion. It's not about politics. 27:38 It's about worship. 27:40 And oftentimes the character of Christ 27:42 gets distorted in the context of religion 27:45 when in reality, 27:46 the devil knew it is about worship. 27:49 And the question to you is before I finish our message, 27:52 who are you worshiping? 27:55 Has your worship of the true God 27:58 been diluted by politics or money 28:02 or the pursuit of fame or wealth or popularity 28:06 or the worldliness, 28:08 who are you worshiping? 28:10 Even the devil knew it is all about worship. 28:15 But look at what Jesus did, 28:16 which once again gives us a glimpse 28:19 into the line of defense. 28:20 When Satan came to Christ to try to get to deceive him, 28:24 notice the words that Jesus uttered, 28:27 Matthew 4:7. 28:28 Look what He said. 28:30 "Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 28:33 'You shall not tempt the Lord Your God.'" 28:37 Now, couldn't Jesus have simply said, 28:39 look, I created heaven. 28:41 Remember me, 28:42 when you fought against me in the kingdom 28:43 and I won the battle. 28:45 He could have said that. 28:46 He could have said to Satan, 28:48 remember when you were Lucifer, 28:49 I created you and you were defeated already. 28:52 He could have gone at him with an argument, 28:54 a retinue of words and arguments 28:56 that could have been well justified, 28:59 but Jesus made a statement 29:00 that leaves a lesson for you and me. 29:03 He said, "It is written. 29:07 It is written." 29:09 Why would Jesus say that? 29:12 Because the very thing 29:13 that Eve failed to do by saying, 29:15 it is written, 29:17 these are the words of God, Jesus did. 29:20 His line of defense was lifted up. 29:22 It is written. 29:23 The Word of God is our line of defense. 29:26 Jesus knew that by upholding the Word, 29:29 Satan could not defeat Him. 29:32 And by upholding the word, 29:35 the cross was not the end of Jesus' life, 29:38 but the beginning of an endless victory 29:41 for you and for me. 29:42 Praise God for that. 29:44 Matthew 28:18 points out what happened 29:46 when Jesus came forth on resurrection morning. 29:48 Look at the words of Christ, 29:50 "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 29:53 'All authority has been given to Me 29:57 in heaven and on earth.'" 30:00 And the devil knew when Jesus came forth, 30:03 the devil knew. 30:04 When Jesus won the battle in heaven, 30:06 Satan was cast out. 30:08 When Jesus rose from the grave, Satan was cast down. 30:12 Satan knew from that moment 30:14 when Jesus defeated him by coming forth 30:16 from the grave victoriously, 30:17 he knew that there's something that I have to do now. 30:20 I've got to change my approach. 30:23 I've got to find another way to try to defeat the church. 30:25 I have got to find a way 30:27 to slow down the quail of getting rid of me. 30:31 Something he knew happened when Jesus came forth. 30:35 Revelation 12:10. 30:37 Look what the Bible says happened 30:39 when Jesus won on resurrection morning. 30:42 John the Revelator says, 30:44 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 30:47 'Now salvation, and strength, 30:50 and the kingdom of our God, 30:52 and the power of His Christ have come." 30:55 Why? 30:56 "For the accuser of our brethren, 30:59 who accused them before our God," how often? 31:02 "Day and night has been cast down." 31:08 Praise God for that. 31:10 When Jesus won the battle in heaven, 31:12 Satan was kicked out. 31:13 But when Jesus rose from the grave victoriously, 31:16 Satan was cast down. 31:19 His kingdom was defeated. 31:21 And from that day forward, 31:24 the line of defense was reestablished. 31:27 Wow! 31:28 The line of defense was reestablished. 31:30 The Word of God was established as eternal, 31:33 undefiled, pure, impenetrable the Word of God, 31:37 the line of defense was reestablished. 31:40 But something happened when Satan heard that, 31:43 he says I've got one last chance. 31:45 And on the podium of his defeat, 31:48 Satan assembled his final coalition 31:51 for world dominance. 31:53 Now John takes us once again to the scene 31:56 in the heart of this vile assembly 31:59 of criminals, 32:01 in this fallen foe, listen to his words. 32:05 Revelation 12:12, 32:08 "Therefore rejoice O heavens, 32:10 and you who dwell in them." 32:13 But listen to this. 32:14 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth 32:17 and the sea! 32:19 For the devil has come down to you, 32:22 having great wrath." 32:25 Why? 32:26 Because he knows that he has a short time." 32:31 Satan knew that he had one last opportunity 32:36 to dominate the earth, 32:38 but there was one more person standing, 32:40 one more power standing between him 32:44 and total world domination. 32:46 Satan knew that he had failed in heaven. 32:48 He won in the garden. 32:50 He failed on resurrection morning, 32:52 but Jesus has gone now. 32:53 And when Jesus left, 32:55 He imparted His authority to His church. 32:58 He says, I give you authority over serpents and scorpions 33:02 and over all the power of the enemy 33:05 and nothing by any means is going to hurt you. 33:09 Satan heard that, 33:11 the apostles went forth preaching, 33:12 proclaiming God's Word, and the church could not stop. 33:16 Jesus said it before He left, 33:18 the gates of hell will not prevail 33:19 against the church. 33:20 And the church was growing and thriving and succeeding. 33:23 And the devil was fighting 33:24 and the forces of darkness were being defeated 33:27 because the devil saw what Jesus established 33:31 could not be broken down, 33:34 but He didn't stop trying. 33:36 And then the Lord made the statement 33:37 through John the Apostle 33:39 about the one last entity 33:43 standing between Satan and total world domination. 33:48 Let's visit Revelation 12:17 one more time. 33:53 Look at these words. 33:55 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman 33:59 and went to make war 34:01 with the rest of her offspring, 34:04 who keep the commandments of God 34:06 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 34:09 Now, the question is who are they? 34:12 Who is this group that keeps the commandments of God 34:14 and have the testimony of Jesus? 34:16 Let me take you on a short journey 34:18 through the Dark Ages, 34:20 through the growing of the New Testament Church. 34:22 As the New Testament Church began to grow 34:25 the apostles notice 34:26 that the church began to have internal struggles, 34:29 that the church began to face opposition 34:30 from those who formerly claimed connection to God, 34:34 but didn't want to accept Jesus Christ, 34:36 but the church grew. 34:37 The church grew in spite of persecution. 34:40 The church grew in light of persecution 34:43 for Satan's number one attempt 34:45 was to wipe it out at all costs 34:48 and the final disciple, John the Apostle, 34:51 before he lost his life on the Island of Patmos, 34:55 before he gave up his struggle against the forces of darkness, 34:59 God gave him the Book of Revelation. 35:01 That's why we look at it with such respect. 35:03 God told them, hold on. 35:05 And as the last of the apostles began to die off, 35:07 the church went through severe persecution 35:10 from 303 to 313 AD. 35:12 Roman emperor Diocletian 35:14 tried to wipe out the Christian Church, 35:16 but let me say it again. 35:17 The church continued to go forward. 35:19 The church began to grow. 35:21 Every drop of blood from one victim 35:25 was replaced with two individuals. 35:28 Every one life that fell, two grew up in its place. 35:31 Why? 35:32 The gates of hell 35:34 shall not prevail against the church, 35:35 but don't fault the devil for not trying. 35:39 He's tried his best, 35:40 but God's church and God's plan continues to go forward. 35:46 Why? 35:47 Because now that the Lord has established 35:50 a line of defense against darkness, 35:53 a line of defense against error, 35:55 this is the concern that Satan has. 35:59 He is concerned about God's last line of defense. 36:02 During the Dark Ages, 36:04 millions of Christians lost their lives at the rack. 36:07 Millions of Christians were killed in the arenas, 36:10 in the dungeons, 36:11 but they continued hanging on 36:12 and God carried the church through 36:15 until He reestablished through Pentecostals 36:17 and Presbyterians and Methodists. 36:19 Those who didn't fully understand 36:21 God's Word, but they were honest hearted. 36:23 They wanted to serve God according to the truth. 36:27 And they got together and began to search God's Word 36:30 and began to understand, wait a minute, 36:32 I didn't truly understood 36:33 what the Bible says about death, 36:35 but God's Word is not the fault. 36:37 So they studied 36:38 and people that didn't have the similar views 36:41 allowed God's Word to be the last line of defense. 36:46 And they put down their error 36:47 and began to embrace God's Word. 36:49 Yes, when you die, you rest in the grave. 36:52 Yes, when Jesus comes back, it's not gonna be secret. 36:55 It's gonna visible. The entire world will know. 36:57 Every eye will see Him. 37:00 And Satan said, wait a minute, I can't let that happen. 37:02 Then they realize there's something else 37:04 we didn't understand. 37:05 You don't die and burn forever. 37:07 If you're a sinner, 37:08 you burn until the ashes of evil 37:12 are the last line of things 37:14 that are remaining from those 37:15 who turned their backs on God. 37:18 Hell is not an eternally burning place, 37:20 but its results are eternal. 37:22 The devil began to lose the battle. 37:24 He began to lose vehemently and the church continued, 37:27 but what did he do? 37:30 But what did he do? 37:31 He noticed, wait a minute, 37:33 I can begin my own movement 37:35 and he began a movement with a cloak 37:38 that looked like Christianity, but something was missing. 37:41 The commandments of God were missing. 37:44 Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Methodists, 37:47 not so much Pentecostals at the time, 37:48 they were not a movement yet, 37:50 but Presbyterians, Anglicans, 37:52 the Church of Christ during the 1800s, early 1900s, 37:56 they began to unite together. 37:58 And what was the basis of their unity? 38:00 Simply the truth of God's Word, a thus saith the Lord. 38:05 And they were formed into a movement 38:07 that the world began to understand 38:09 as the advent movement, 38:12 then all of a sudden, 38:13 the truth of God's second coming 38:14 began to be proclaimed. 38:16 The truth of the visible return of Christ 38:18 began to be proclaimed around the world 38:21 and people that did not understand it 38:23 to that point 38:24 began to embrace once again God's line of defense, 38:28 His undiluted truth. 38:31 And he recognized, wait a minute, wait a minute, 38:34 who are these people? 38:36 Who are these Seventh-day Adventist? 38:38 What purpose do they have in the earth? 38:40 And he noticed, wait a minute. 38:42 If I could break them down, I could gain access. 38:44 And once again, my domination will be total. 38:48 I read in Selective Messages book two, 38:51 page 12 in paragraph one, this amazing quotation. 38:54 Listen to the behind the scenes. 38:58 "The Seventh-day Adventist Church 39:00 is brought to view in prophecy in the setting of conflict." 39:04 That's Revelation 12:17, 39:07 "For Satan, 39:09 the dragon wages relentless war 39:13 against those who keep the commandments of God, 39:16 and have the testimony of Jesus. 39:19 The great adversary knows 39:22 that if he is successful 39:24 in misleading and confusing Seventh-day Adventists, 39:29 he frustrates the purposes of God." 39:32 Now why is that the case? 39:34 Because they stand on this platform, Isaiah 8:20, 39:38 it's Old and New Testament together, 39:40 Isaiah 8:20. 39:41 Notice Isaiah, 39:43 the prophet established in his word. 39:44 Here's what the Bible says, 39:46 "To the law and to the testimony! 39:49 If they do not speak according to this word, 39:52 it is because there is no light in them." 39:55 Those who began to establish the truth 39:57 about the second coming of Jesus, 39:58 used the Old and New Testament as their guides, 40:02 not an old book passed away 40:04 and a new book that supersedes view 40:06 but the entire Bible. 40:07 Matthew 4:4, 40:09 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 40:11 but by every word 40:12 that proceeds from God's mouth." 40:14 This advent movement 40:15 began to proliferate around the world. 40:17 Every nationality, every nation, every kindred, 40:21 every tongue, 40:22 every people and Satan's concern 40:24 continued to grow. 40:25 Why? 40:27 Because the light of truth began to shine 40:29 in every corner of the globe 40:32 and recognizing the growth of this movement. 40:35 The servant of the Lord wrote the following statement, 40:38 Evangelism page 119, paragraph three, 40:43 listen to what she says, 40:44 "Seventh-day Adventists 40:46 had been set in the world as watchmen and light-bearers. 40:49 To them has been entrusted 40:52 the last warning for a perishing world. 40:55 On them is shining wonderful light 40:58 from the Word of God. 41:01 They have been given a work of the most solemn import, 41:05 the proclamation 41:06 of the first, second and third angel's messages. 41:10 There is no other work of so great importance. 41:14 They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention. 41:19 The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals 41:22 have been given us to proclaim to the world." 41:26 And watch this. 41:27 "The proclamation of these truths 41:30 is to be our work. 41:33 The world is to be warned 41:34 and God's people are to be true to the trust, 41:38 committed to them." 41:40 Now why wouldn't the devil be concerned about that? 41:42 The world being warned, 41:44 getting people ready for the coming of Jesus. 41:47 Of course, of course. 41:49 If you were the devil, that'll concern you. 41:51 If you were interested in darkness and deception 41:54 and false doctrines, 41:55 that would concern you. 41:58 But watch what happened. 41:59 Satan knew that he could not defeat 42:01 the Christian Church. 42:03 So he said to them, 42:04 well, go ahead and read the Bible, 42:07 but don't believe doctrines. 42:08 Why? 42:09 Because the Sabbath was resurfaced 42:11 to align with God's Word, 42:13 the true day of worship. 42:14 The truth about what happens when you die. 42:16 It's the doctrine of the Word of God 42:17 to show the true character of Christ. 42:19 There is no eternally burning hell, 42:21 you burn until everything is done. 42:23 The truth of God's Word, 42:25 another doctrine that began to be resurfaced 42:29 showing the true character of Christ. 42:31 No wonder the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, what he did. 42:35 Let's go back to our original scripture. 42:37 1 Timothy 4:16. 42:39 This is why he said what he did to his protege, 42:41 Timothy. 42:43 Notice what he said. 42:44 1 Timothy 4:16. 42:45 He said, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. 42:50 Continue in them, for in doing this, 42:53 you will get to save both yourself 42:57 and those who hear you." 43:00 Who doesn't want to be saved? 43:02 Well, the Bible says, 43:03 "If you continue in the truth of the doctrine of God's Word, 43:08 you will be saved. 43:09 And those who hear those doctrines 43:11 will also be saved." 43:12 Why do you think the devil says to people nowadays, 43:14 you don't need doctrine. 43:15 Just say Jesus, and that's all that matters. 43:17 Another line of deception. 43:19 Be careful with this false Christ centeredness. 43:24 Yes, Jesus loves us, 43:25 but that's not where the Bible ends. 43:27 If Revelation wasn't important, 43:29 the Lord wouldn't put it there. 43:30 If the truth about these topics I just touched on 43:33 wasn't important, 43:35 it would not be in God's Word, 43:36 but it is there. 43:37 But the devil wants to lower the line of defense. 43:40 And the devil knew that if we follow 43:42 the doctrines of God's Word, 43:44 we could establish a sure line of defense 43:48 against deception. 43:49 Listen to Paul again. 43:51 2 Timothy 4:3-5. 43:54 Notice what he says, 43:55 "For the time will come 43:57 when they will not endure sound doctrine, 43:59 but according to their own desires, 44:01 because they have itching ears, 44:04 they will heap up for themselves teachers." 44:07 And what will happen? 44:09 "And they will turn their ears away from the truth 44:12 and be turned aside to fables. 44:14 But you be watchful in all things, 44:18 endure affliction, 44:21 do the work of an evangelist and fulfill your ministry." 44:27 He said to Timothy, it's going to get rough. 44:28 It's going to get rough. 44:30 But if you stand firmly on God's Word, 44:32 if you stand firmly on sound doctrine, 44:35 you have nothing to worry about. 44:38 You see, friends, today, Christianity is popular, 44:42 but Christianity today is losing its bearings. 44:46 When it flutters away from God's Word 44:48 and thinks that all we need is music and a good feeling 44:51 and lights and camera and action and emotionalism. 44:54 And by the way, there's nothing wrong 44:56 with any of those things. 44:57 But when they supersede the desire 44:59 and the need to stand on a thus saith the Lord, 45:02 then you're in trouble 45:04 because Jesus didn't sing to the devil in the garden. 45:06 He said, "It is written." 45:08 He didn't sing to the devil 45:09 during the time of his temptations, 45:11 He quoted, "It is written." 45:14 That's our line of defense. 45:16 And what's happening? 45:18 The church is growing backward. 45:19 Notice how the Apostle Paul saw this condition 45:23 even in the early New Testament Church. 45:26 Look at Ephesians 4:14-15. 45:29 And this is why so many churches are lifeless 45:31 and listless and cannot defend their faith. 45:34 Here's what he said, 45:36 "That we should no longer be children, 45:38 tossed to and fro and carried about 45:40 with every wind of doctrine, 45:42 by the trickery of men, 45:44 in the cunning, craftiness of deceitful plotting. 45:48 But speaking the truth in love, 45:50 may grow up in all things into Him, 45:53 who is the head. 45:55 And that is Christ." 45:56 Jesus is the head. Praise God for that. 45:59 But He's warning us not to be children. 46:02 Now, what is a child according to the scriptures? 46:05 Look at 1 Corinthians 3:2. 46:07 What does the Bible describe as a child? 46:12 Let God's Word be our guide. 46:15 Here's what we read in the Word of God. 46:18 1 Corinthians 3:2 Paul said, 46:21 "I fed you with milk and not with solid food, 46:27 for until now you were not able receive it, 46:31 and even now you are still not able." 46:37 What is he saying? 46:39 How can you be a Christian for five years 46:41 and 10 years and 15 years and 20 years? 46:44 And when the time comes for you to defend your faith, 46:47 you don't even know where it's found in the Bible? 46:50 How can a person claim to be following the Word of God, 46:53 even reading the Word of God, 46:55 but they can only handle milk and not solid food? 46:58 Paul is saying, 47:00 "Well, those who only handle milk 47:02 are unskilled in the word of righteousness. 47:05 They can't handle what's coming their way. 47:08 The church today is suffering from spiritual malnutrition, 47:11 personality regression. 47:13 When you look at the world and all the things around you, 47:16 the number one attempt to that 47:18 is to get them to forget that God's Word, 47:21 the sword of the spirit is the line of defense. 47:25 If you're so caught off guard by the things 47:27 that are on the news, 47:29 in the media, on your iPad, on your digital devices, 47:33 the things that are happening around the world, 47:35 the exciting things, 47:36 nothing in and of themselves are per se evil. 47:40 But if those things keep you away from God's Word, 47:44 the devil knows I got you 47:46 because when the time comes to face me on the battle field, 47:51 you will not be ready. 47:55 A couple of days ago, 47:56 actually about a little more than a week ago, 47:58 I was invited to go on the internet 48:01 on to a social media platform. 48:03 And I'm just not really much into social media, 48:06 but I decided, well, what's the purpose of it? 48:08 Somebody said, 48:09 "Oh, this is a social media platform. 48:11 You don't have to show your face, 48:13 just come online. 48:15 And they're discussing doctrines. 48:17 And I think you'd like it." 48:19 And they said, "It's just audio, no video." 48:21 I said, "Okay, I could do that. 48:22 I'm not ready to go on video anyhow." 48:25 So I got into this social media room. 48:27 I won't tell you what it was. 48:29 And I began to listen. 48:31 And I found out that in this room, 48:34 there were about a thousand people 48:36 in this chat room. 48:38 And I was listening as the Bible 48:40 was the focal point of discussion. 48:42 And I was thinking, that's not in the scriptures. 48:44 That's not right. 48:46 That's not in the Bible. 48:47 But the people that were hosting this platform 48:50 kept saying, well, this is what the Bible says. 48:52 And I said, Whoa! Whoa! 48:54 And I was thinking to myself, that's not true. 48:55 That's not in God's Word, but one person after the other, 48:59 after the other was falling by the sword so to speak 49:03 because the people that were trying to rebuttal it 49:05 did not know what the Bible taught. 49:09 And I listened intently and I thought, 49:11 I've got to say something. 49:13 I got to say something. 49:14 I said, "Okay, Lord, you're going in. 49:17 I'm going in with you." 49:19 And I decided, let's go in together. 49:20 And I prayed, said, "Father use my mind for Your honor 49:23 and Your glory." 49:25 And I noticed that about two minutes or so, 49:27 the host of the room would in a very disrespectful way, 49:31 cut off the people, asking questions 49:33 and throw some scriptures 49:34 and twisted and will continue to go on. 49:36 But I noticed more than a thousand people 49:38 were in that room. 49:40 And I said, "Somebody is listening for the truth. 49:43 Somebody is hearing." 49:44 So I got in line, 49:46 I raised my hand that is digitally. 49:48 And I went into the audience chamber 49:51 where I was eventually going to be given 49:53 a chance to speak. 49:55 So I was waiting, I was waiting my turn. 49:57 I was waiting my turn. 49:58 During the time of waiting, I put my scriptures together, 50:01 got my thoughts together. 50:03 And when I went to the platform, they said, 50:05 "Okay, Brother John, you're next?" 50:07 And I was given the floor and I said, 50:09 I heard what you said about this particular teaching. 50:12 I heard what you said about that particular teaching, 50:15 but I differ with you. 50:17 And they say, "What's your question? 50:18 What's your question?" 50:20 They were getting ready to cut me off. 50:22 I said, "Well, here's my question." 50:24 And I posed my question. 50:26 They answered my question. 50:27 And I said, "I beg to differ 50:29 because here's what God's Word says." 50:32 And I wanna tell you, friends, 50:33 for the next 20 minutes, to God be the glory, 50:37 for the next 20 minutes, 50:39 I was able to present the truth about God's Word. 50:42 I was able to connect one scripture to the other, 50:45 to the other, to the other, to the other. 50:47 And I thought that this is amazing. 50:49 I'm waiting for any moment for them to cut me off. 50:51 And they tried, 50:52 but somebody said, don't cut him off, 50:53 let him speak. 50:55 And I continued until about 20 minutes 50:58 my good friend, Pastor Ivor Meyer 51:00 invited me to come into the platform. 51:01 And I said, "This is amazing. 51:03 This is amazing." 51:05 And when I was done after 20 minutes, 51:06 I thought to myself, wow! 51:09 What do you say? 51:11 And then I remembered Hebrews 5:12-14. 51:13 Listen to this, 51:16 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, 51:20 you need someone to teach you again, 51:22 the first principles of the oracles of God, 51:25 and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 51:29 For everyone who partakes only of milk 51:32 is unskilled in the word of righteousness, 51:36 for he is a babe. 51:37 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, 51:41 that is, those who by reason of use 51:44 have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 51:50 And I thought, wow! 51:51 Praise God by studying God's Word, 51:54 I could discern both good and evil 51:56 and allow God's Word my last line of defense 52:01 to lead somebody to the truth. 52:03 Well, after I was done, 52:05 they let loose on me so vehemently I disconnected 52:08 and my good friend called and said, "Go back online." 52:10 I said, "Why?" 52:11 This is a terrible platform. 52:12 They're angry. He said, "Go back online. 52:14 And I went online and I found out 52:17 that 47 people decided to follow me. 52:21 And he said, these are the people 52:22 listening to God's Word. 52:24 They wanna find out what you have to say. 52:26 Friends, in times like these, we need a Savior. 52:31 In times like these, 52:33 God is looking for those who would trust His Word. 52:37 So as Tim plays and as he sings, 52:40 I want you to think about it. 52:42 In times like these is Jesus your savior? 52:45 And is His Word your last line of defense? 52:50 Tim? 52:52 In times like these 52:57 We need a Savior 53:01 In times like these 53:05 You need an anchor 53:09 Be very sure 53:13 Be very sure 53:17 Your anchor holds and grips 53:22 The Solid Rock! 53:26 This Rock is Jesus, yes He's the One 53:32 This Rock is Jesus, the only One 53:38 Be very sure 53:42 Be very sure 53:46 Your anchor holds and grips 53:51 The Solid Rock! 53:56 In times like these 53:59 You need the Bible 54:03 In times like these, O be not idle 54:10 Be very sure 54:12 Oh, be very sure 54:16 Your anchor holds and grips 54:21 The Solid Rock! 54:26 This Rock is Jesus 54:29 Yes He's the One 54:32 This Rock is Jesus 54:35 The only One 54:38 Be very sure 54:42 Be very sure 54:46 Your anchor holds and grips 54:51 The Solid Rock! 55:00 I need to ask you a question today. 55:03 Are you so founded on God's Word, 55:05 the solid rock on the person of Christ Jesus? 55:09 Have you remained faithful to God's Word today? 55:15 I want to read a scripture to you 55:16 what Jesus said, John 17:17. 55:19 He said to His followers, sanctify them, 55:22 listen, sanctify them by your truth. 55:26 Your word is truth. 55:28 And then in the book, Darkness Before Dawn 55:30 and I'd like you to see this quote, as I close. 55:32 Why is God's Word so vitally important today? 55:35 Friends, listen to this. 55:37 None but those who have fortified the mind 55:40 with the truth of the Bible will stand 55:42 through the last great conflict. 55:45 To every soul will come the searching test: 55:47 Shall I obey God rather than men? 55:51 The decisive hour is even now at hand. 55:53 Are our feet planted on the rock 55:56 of God's immutable word? 55:58 Are we prepared to stand firm in defense 56:01 of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus? 56:03 Well, friends, today, I'm appealing to you, 56:08 remain faithful to Jesus. 56:11 There is no other rock in times like these 56:13 and the world is crumbling 56:15 because its rock is stone its sand. 56:19 And the sands of time are shifting 56:21 under the foundation of those 56:24 who have not made God's Word their surety. 56:30 Remain grounded on the truth of God's Word. 56:33 Don't be afraid of doctrine, 56:35 but make sure that it points you to Jesus. 56:37 Make sure that it lines up to a thus saith the Lord, 56:41 a truth that cannot be shaken those severely tried. 56:45 Remain faithful to the proclamation 56:47 of the first, second and third angel's message. 56:50 Getting the world ready to meet Jesus in peace. 56:53 Are you at peace tonight with Christ? 56:55 Do you know Him as your savior? 56:58 Do you know Him as your friend? 56:59 Only then, my brother and sister, 57:02 will you have a sure line of defense 57:05 knowing Christ, believing His Word, 57:09 allowing your light to shine to the world. 57:11 And finally make sure that what Jesus has said 57:17 is the converting factor in your life. 57:19 I pray that when Jesus comes, 57:21 that line of defense will be your surety 57:25 and you will meet Jesus in peace. 57:27 God bless you. |
Revised 2021-03-12