Welcome to 3ABN's Fall Camp Meeting 00:00:24.33\00:00:27.53 Homecoming 2010 featuring inspired messages 00:00:27.73\00:00:31.63 from your 3ABN family 00:00:31.83\00:00:33.60 along with uplifting Christian music 00:00:34.86\00:00:37.40 all to prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord. 00:00:37.63\00:00:40.90 Hello and welcome to 3ABN 2010 Fall Camp Meeting. 00:00:45.83\00:00:50.93 We're so glad that you're joining us from around the world 00:00:51.13\00:00:54.23 whether you're watching on the television or the Internet 00:00:54.43\00:00:57.23 or perhaps listening by the radio we just welcome you 00:00:57.43\00:01:00.60 and we know that you're going to be blessed today. 00:01:00.90\00:01:04.10 And I particularly want to thank all of my brothers and sisters 00:01:04.33\00:01:07.53 who are here. This is such a beautiful church, 00:01:07.73\00:01:11.40 isn't it? And I'm not talking about the building. 00:01:11.70\00:01:14.16 You know the church is the one who goes in and out the doors. 00:01:14.46\00:01:17.73 And you all are a beautiful church and we're glad that 00:01:18.03\00:01:21.73 each and every one of you are here. 00:01:21.93\00:01:23.56 Today we're going to have Pastor C. A. Murray 00:01:23.86\00:01:27.10 who is our production manager at 3ABN. 00:01:27.30\00:01:30.26 He also is the producer for our flagship program 00:01:30.46\00:01:35.06 The Today Program, and he is a powerful preacher of the Word. 00:01:35.26\00:01:40.13 Wouldn't you agree? He is going to be teaching today 00:01:40.33\00:01:43.96 on the will. Now don't think he's talking about how you 00:01:44.16\00:01:48.53 leave your legacy to someone else. 00:01:48.73\00:01:50.60 It's the will that is your own legacy. 00:01:50.80\00:01:53.80 And before he does that, though, we have with us 00:01:54.10\00:01:57.43 two very special friends of 3ABN. 00:01:57.63\00:02:00.20 We love them; they are precious, precious people. 00:02:00.20\00:02:03.60 And I'm speaking of Jimmy and Pam Rhodes. 00:02:03.60\00:02:05.90 And you know, I was asking Jimmy back stage: 00:02:06.20\00:02:08.33 How many instruments do you play? 00:02:08.53\00:02:11.80 He was a band director so he can play them all. 00:02:12.00\00:02:14.43 But he kind of majored in the brass and in keyboard. 00:02:14.63\00:02:19.13 And then we have our beautiful Pam. Thank you, Pam. 00:02:19.43\00:02:22.43 She's going to be singing a very upbeat song, 00:02:22.63\00:02:25.50 and it's a reason to be upbeat because the title 00:02:25.70\00:02:28.13 of the song is My Sins Are Gone. 00:02:28.33\00:02:31.03 You ask me why I'm happy 00:02:42.60\00:02:45.03 so I'll tell you why: because 00:02:45.33\00:02:49.06 my sins are gone. 00:02:49.36\00:02:52.13 I say... my sins are gone. 00:02:56.10\00:03:00.73 They're underneath the blood of the cross of Calvary, 00:03:01.03\00:03:05.80 as far away as darkness is from dawn. 00:03:05.80\00:03:10.13 In the sea of God's forgetfulness... 00:03:10.43\00:03:12.63 that's good enough for me! 00:03:12.83\00:03:14.53 Praise God, my sins are gone. 00:03:14.83\00:03:19.30 Amen. Praise God, my sins are gone! 00:05:15.06\00:05:17.70 You should all have in your hand - 00:05:21.60\00:05:24.10 and if not on your chair... you're sitting on them - 00:05:24.30\00:05:28.36 a little thing that we're going to talk about 00:05:31.20\00:05:34.60 called The Human Will. 00:05:34.90\00:05:37.53 This is not wills and trusts... that's another seminar. 00:05:37.83\00:05:40.56 This is the human will, 00:05:40.86\00:05:43.46 and we want to spend just a little time talking about that 00:05:43.76\00:05:48.13 for the next little bit. 00:05:48.33\00:05:50.43 Would like to refer you to a text - 00:05:50.73\00:05:55.23 a familiar one to most of us - found in 00:05:55.63\00:05:59.40 Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13. 00:05:59.60\00:06:03.20 Philippians 2:13. 00:06:03.50\00:06:05.60 The Bible says: "For it is God who works in you 00:06:06.96\00:06:10.06 both to will and to do 00:06:10.26\00:06:13.46 for His good pleasure. " 00:06:13.76\00:06:17.60 Shall we pray. Father God, 00:06:17.90\00:06:19.40 we do praise you and thank you for the privilege we have 00:06:20.50\00:06:24.76 of coming before You. 00:06:25.90\00:06:27.43 For the call that brought us out of darkness into light 00:06:27.73\00:06:31.40 and error into truth. 00:06:31.70\00:06:34.56 And we thank Thee that we serve a loving God 00:06:34.86\00:06:37.70 who is concerned about each and every aspect of our lives 00:06:37.90\00:06:42.26 and who wants more than anything 00:06:42.56\00:06:46.26 to be at one with us. 00:06:46.46\00:06:49.90 So we ask You now, Lord, to teach us 00:06:50.40\00:06:53.16 those things that You would have us to know 00:06:53.36\00:06:55.20 and then help us to do them... because it is in the doing 00:06:55.50\00:06:59.10 that we are made like Christ Jesus. 00:06:59.30\00:07:01.13 And we thank you in His name, Amen. 00:07:01.43\00:07:04.46 I have as of late begun to re-study 00:07:04.96\00:07:08.70 the lives of the pioneers 00:07:08.90\00:07:11.73 and, um, I found a number of interesting things. 00:07:12.03\00:07:15.06 I wanted really to know what kind of man, 00:07:15.26\00:07:19.16 Dr. Blanco, could be married to the prophetess of the church. 00:07:20.80\00:07:24.96 And that's... that's... I wanted to see what kind of guy 00:07:25.16\00:07:27.70 James White was. I have read so much about Ellen White... 00:07:27.90\00:07:30.93 Know of her strength, know of her love for the Lord. 00:07:31.13\00:07:34.23 I wanted to know who's the guy that could... 00:07:34.53\00:07:38.60 that could marry an Ellen G. White. 00:07:38.80\00:07:41.63 And... and so I began studying the lives of the pioneers. 00:07:41.63\00:07:44.03 I read about Joseph Bates. 00:07:44.26\00:07:46.20 Read about James White. 00:07:46.40\00:07:47.46 Read about E. J. Waggoner. 00:07:47.76\00:07:50.60 Several books on Ellen White. 00:07:50.90\00:07:52.13 And I found out a number of things that these men and women 00:07:52.43\00:07:56.83 were men and women of like passion just like we were. 00:07:57.06\00:08:00.43 They had the same trials that we have, 00:08:00.63\00:08:03.06 the same struggles that we have. 00:08:03.26\00:08:04.80 Um, James White was an incredibly strong person. 00:08:05.10\00:08:08.86 We talk about Ellen White's three years of schooling... 00:08:09.06\00:08:11.43 well James White only had about 18 months of formal education. 00:08:11.63\00:08:16.43 And yet before he was done he edited the Adventist Review - 00:08:16.73\00:08:21.43 Review and Herald then - and taught high school. 00:08:21.73\00:08:24.03 He was a brilliant man. 00:08:24.26\00:08:25.40 Very strong-willed individual. 00:08:25.70\00:08:28.53 Very, very strong-willed individual 00:08:28.83\00:08:30.50 and had a penchant, interestingly enough, 00:08:30.80\00:08:34.46 for turning a buck. James White knew how to make money, 00:08:34.66\00:08:38.46 and he gave away tons of money 00:08:38.66\00:08:41.43 to the fledgling church. 00:08:41.63\00:08:43.93 But he could find money where no one else could find money. 00:08:44.23\00:08:46.56 There's an interesting story 00:08:46.76\00:08:48.20 where James White actually took Ellen White 00:08:48.40\00:08:51.03 on a cattle drive. He found... he found that you could buy 00:08:51.23\00:08:55.50 cattle in Abilene at one price, 00:08:55.70\00:08:58.16 herd them to Denver, and sell them for three times the money. 00:08:58.36\00:09:03.30 And he said: "Well the church could use that money. " 00:09:03.50\00:09:05.73 So he dragged Ellen White along on his cattle drive. 00:09:06.03\00:09:08.66 And she was fit to be tied. 00:09:08.96\00:09:11.70 You know that term? She just... 00:09:11.90\00:09:13.60 She said: "He's got me out here bouncing in this wagon 00:09:13.83\00:09:16.66 and bouncing up and down on these horses. " 00:09:16.66\00:09:18.56 And she wrote her son Willie and she said: 00:09:18.76\00:09:20.76 "I will never go on another one of these cockamamie 00:09:20.96\00:09:24.46 adventures with your father again. I'm not doing it. 00:09:24.66\00:09:27.80 I'm cooking for all these rough men. 00:09:28.00\00:09:29.70 You can't get a bath; you can't get a shower. 00:09:29.90\00:09:33.30 You're bouncing up and down in these dusty roads. " 00:09:33.50\00:09:36.00 She said: "This is the last time I go on one of these adventures 00:09:36.20\00:09:39.56 with your father. He can do it without me. 00:09:39.76\00:09:42.20 I should be out serving the Lord 00:09:42.40\00:09:43.90 and I'm bouncing up and down in the back of a wagon. 00:09:44.10\00:09:45.73 Not going to do it again. " 00:09:45.93\00:09:47.03 Uh, so they are people of like passions like we were 00:09:47.03\00:09:49.73 and they struggled to find the truth, 00:09:49.93\00:09:52.06 um, many many times in their lives. 00:09:52.36\00:09:55.30 You know Ellen White - bless her heart - had a penchant 00:09:55.50\00:09:57.16 for falling. Several times in her life 00:09:57.36\00:09:59.56 she fracture her ankle, broke her ankle, twisted her ankle. 00:09:59.56\00:10:02.83 Sometimes had to be carried. She would step out of a wagon 00:10:03.03\00:10:05.43 and hit a stone... down she would go. 00:10:05.63\00:10:06.93 She would miss her step and down she would go. 00:10:07.13\00:10:08.93 She would fall kind of a lot and she asked the Lord about that. 00:10:08.93\00:10:12.30 "Why am I on the ground so much? " 00:10:12.50\00:10:13.90 There was one time when the devil tried to kill them both 00:10:14.20\00:10:16.73 and flipped their buckboard over 00:10:16.93\00:10:18.60 and both of them went flying through the air. 00:10:18.80\00:10:20.46 And she says it was as though the angels put their hands 00:10:20.66\00:10:23.50 under us and we landed softly. 00:10:23.70\00:10:26.36 Praise God! 00:10:26.66\00:10:27.86 So I set that as a backdrop for what we are about to talk about 00:10:28.06\00:10:32.16 because God did not wrap 00:10:33.00\00:10:37.53 Adventist theology in a bow and give it to the church. 00:10:37.73\00:10:41.73 The church had to struggle - to dig deeply - 00:10:42.23\00:10:46.30 to find out truth. 00:10:46.50\00:10:48.36 And there were some times in that continuum of finding out 00:10:48.66\00:10:52.76 truth when they were wrong. 00:10:52.76\00:10:54.06 And they had to realize they were wrong, 00:10:54.46\00:10:57.60 correct their errors, and move on. 00:10:57.80\00:11:00.83 And I think that's a good message for us today. 00:11:01.13\00:11:03.03 Always be in the attitude of a learner. 00:11:03.23\00:11:06.73 You know, Adventists tend to hold their belief 00:11:07.03\00:11:10.20 very firmly. And you should! 00:11:10.40\00:11:11.76 You shouldn't be blow about by every wind of doctrine. 00:11:11.96\00:11:14.50 But by the same token the Bible says 00:11:14.80\00:11:17.46 always to "study to show yourself approved. " 00:11:17.66\00:11:21.60 Always be in the attitude of a learner... 00:11:21.80\00:11:24.43 of one who is ready to learn and accept new truth. 00:11:24.63\00:11:29.10 And so this is the background... the context for 00:11:29.43\00:11:33.36 what we want to talk about today 00:11:33.56\00:11:34.86 because our pioneers had adopted a theological stance 00:11:35.06\00:11:39.00 that really overemphasized... overemphasized 00:11:39.23\00:11:43.36 the position of obedience and law-keeping 00:11:43.56\00:11:47.20 as a way of righteousness. Now, 00:11:47.40\00:11:49.93 I say that they overemphasized the position. 00:11:50.13\00:11:54.16 We know and understand that Jesus says 00:11:54.16\00:11:58.00 "if you love Me... " do what? 00:11:58.20\00:11:59.96 "keep My commandments. " But He said: "If ye love Me... " 00:12:00.26\00:12:04.00 not just flat "keep My commandments. " 00:12:04.20\00:12:07.00 And sometimes in our past we have sort of 00:12:07.20\00:12:10.80 pushed the "If ye love Me" part aside 00:12:11.00\00:12:13.80 and just stumped on the "keep My commandments. " 00:12:14.00\00:12:17.23 And that was the position that many of our early 00:12:17.53\00:12:21.36 church fathers found themselves in. They were... 00:12:21.56\00:12:24.36 they were hammering on the law, the law, the law, the law 00:12:24.56\00:12:27.86 so much they forgot about the love part. 00:12:28.06\00:12:30.63 And love precedes law. 00:12:30.93\00:12:33.40 Amen? "If ye love Me, then keep. " 00:12:33.60\00:12:37.23 Because if you keep and don't love 00:12:37.46\00:12:39.66 well you've got a problem that we're going to talk about 00:12:39.86\00:12:41.63 uh, in just a little bit. 00:12:41.83\00:12:44.20 And so, ummm, they said "If you use your will, 00:12:45.20\00:12:50.93 if you just... " We had developed this theology 00:12:51.23\00:12:54.76 that said: "If you just work harder, 00:12:54.96\00:12:58.63 you can do it. " You know, if you're having 00:12:59.03\00:13:02.13 keeping the law, if you're having trouble serving the Lord, 00:13:02.33\00:13:04.20 just try harder. 00:13:04.40\00:13:06.26 Just... just try more and you'll be fine! 00:13:06.46\00:13:09.36 So we had moved into sort of a legalistic, work oriented 00:13:09.66\00:13:13.36 theology that said: "You've just go to try harder. 00:13:13.56\00:13:16.16 Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you'll be fine. " 00:13:16.36\00:13:19.50 And so beginning 1888... after... a little before 1888 00:13:19.70\00:13:23.50 and through the 90's just before Ellen White went off to 00:13:23.70\00:13:27.96 Avondale and Waggoner went off to London, 00:13:28.16\00:13:31.13 we began to swing the pendulum back to Christ... 00:13:31.33\00:13:34.90 to Christ as the center. 00:13:35.10\00:13:36.40 That righteousness is not just keeping... 00:13:36.60\00:13:39.23 righteousness is being. Righteousness is surrendering 00:13:39.23\00:13:42.16 to Christ and letting Christ live His life out through you. 00:13:42.36\00:13:46.00 And that the correct use of the will 00:13:46.30\00:13:48.33 is to... to surrender to Jesus Christ. 00:13:48.33\00:13:51.20 And so for the pioneers it was obedience. 00:13:51.40\00:13:53.86 For the reformers it was faith. 00:13:54.06\00:13:56.33 They assumed that if you kept the law 00:13:56.33\00:13:58.86 you'd just be fine. But then they found out 00:13:59.06\00:14:01.56 that it was not just law keeping it was surrendering 00:14:01.56\00:14:04.06 to Jesus that made one more and mostly like Christ. 00:14:04.26\00:14:08.60 So, you've got your papers in your hand 00:14:09.00\00:14:11.63 and you can follow along with me and, ummm, 00:14:11.83\00:14:14.96 this information will also be up on the screen. 00:14:15.16\00:14:17.16 Let's define the human will as defined in the 00:14:17.66\00:14:20.46 fifth volume of the Testimonies page 513. 00:14:20.46\00:14:22.50 So your will... your mind... is part of serving God. 00:14:29.66\00:14:34.00 And the Bible says: "Come let us reason together. " 00:14:34.30\00:14:38.06 Pure religion has to do with the will. 00:14:38.36\00:14:40.10 And forgive my typing, my finger slipped there. 00:14:53.43\00:14:54.96 That's away but it should be sway. 00:14:55.16\00:14:56.96 All right? 00:14:57.16\00:14:58.30 The will then is the mindset. 00:15:12.86\00:15:15.50 The will is the attitude that you have 00:15:15.70\00:15:19.20 toward the commandments of God and towards God Himself. 00:15:19.40\00:15:23.56 Suppose you got up this morning 00:15:23.96\00:15:26.53 and you said to yourself and to anyone who would hear 00:15:26.73\00:15:29.90 "Today I will not sin. " 00:15:30.10\00:15:34.10 Or better yet... "I will not to sin. 00:15:35.46\00:15:40.36 I WILL not to sin. " 00:15:40.56\00:15:42.43 How far do you think that'll get you? 00:15:42.63\00:15:44.56 Get out of your bed. Today's the day: 00:15:47.80\00:15:50.53 today I'm not going to sin. 00:15:50.73\00:15:53.33 How long do you think that'll last? 00:15:53.63\00:15:55.26 The very statement is presumptuous 00:16:02.00\00:16:05.60 and... and can be looked at as sin. 00:16:06.10\00:16:10.13 Because you're saying you're going to do something 00:16:10.43\00:16:12.13 that God said you can't do. 00:16:12.33\00:16:14.16 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing? 00:16:15.10\00:16:18.43 Not I. Not you. 00:16:19.56\00:16:21.63 John says - John 15:5- "Without Me 00:16:24.40\00:16:27.53 ye can do nothing. " 00:16:27.73\00:16:29.80 So your promise not to sin is going to last how long? 00:16:30.00\00:16:33.83 About as long as it takes to say it. 00:16:37.63\00:16:40.66 Or you get in your car and get on the road 00:16:40.96\00:16:43.10 in New York City or Atlanta or any other major city 00:16:43.30\00:16:46.46 and your promise is gone. 00:16:46.66\00:16:49.16 Amen? Some of you it doesn't last that long. 00:16:49.46\00:16:52.46 You try to find your car keys and you can't find them... 00:16:52.66\00:16:54.93 Promise gone. 00:16:57.23\00:16:58.93 Today I'm not going to think a bad thought 00:16:59.23\00:17:01.26 or do a bad thing. Last's about that long. 00:17:01.50\00:17:04.33 So our will is not enough. 00:17:06.30\00:17:09.66 We need to link ourselves - link our wills - 00:17:09.96\00:17:14.53 with Jesus Christ through surrender. 00:17:14.73\00:17:17.60 Now I'm going to make a statement and I'm going to 00:17:17.60\00:17:19.20 come back to it several times in the course of our discussion. 00:17:19.40\00:17:22.13 It is my settled belief from my research 00:17:22.43\00:17:26.46 that using the will 00:17:26.76\00:17:30.46 to not do a thing is the incorrect use of the will. 00:17:30.96\00:17:36.93 That's my belief... and I'll come back to that. 00:17:37.43\00:17:40.10 To try to use your will to stop doing something 00:17:40.40\00:17:43.60 is a wrong use of the will 00:17:43.80\00:17:46.26 because on some days 00:17:47.43\00:17:50.80 your biological functions will be stronger than your will 00:17:51.10\00:17:55.86 and you will have the ability through the force of will 00:17:56.06\00:17:59.50 to stop. Other days 00:17:59.70\00:18:02.56 your biology will be stronger than your will 00:18:02.76\00:18:06.13 and you will not... you will fail. 00:18:06.33\00:18:08.40 Some days you can just say: "I'm not going to smoke; 00:18:08.70\00:18:10.83 not doing it. " And some days the habit is stronger than you. 00:18:11.13\00:18:15.50 Amen? So... lasting success 00:18:15.80\00:18:20.13 which we call victory is not by force of will. 00:18:20.33\00:18:26.13 It comes from something else. 00:18:26.43\00:18:28.10 We're going to get back to that in just a little bit. 00:18:28.30\00:18:29.90 Let's look at this: 00:18:30.53\00:18:32.56 How in the world did a person with a third-grade education 00:19:28.96\00:19:32.20 know this stuff? 00:19:32.40\00:19:33.66 This is not human wisdom. 00:19:36.20\00:19:38.16 Certainly not for the time in which she lived. 00:19:38.46\00:19:41.46 It comes from God. 00:19:41.76\00:19:43.56 So she's saying that there is this automatic reaction 00:19:43.86\00:19:47.96 between your mind and your body. 00:19:48.16\00:19:50.16 And if you thing something's going to happen, 00:19:50.36\00:19:52.73 it's going to happen. 00:19:54.00\00:19:55.53 And if you plan in your mind for something to happen, 00:19:55.83\00:19:59.00 it's going to happen. 00:19:59.20\00:20:01.16 So you can affect the surroundings... 00:20:01.36\00:20:05.60 your surroundings by the use of the will and the mind. 00:20:05.80\00:20:09.30 We're going to talk about something a little bit later 00:20:09.50\00:20:10.70 about speaking positive all the time. 00:20:10.70\00:20:12.20 That's why I'm such a fan of Shelley Quinn's books 00:20:12.40\00:20:15.86 that say you need to affirm yourself in the Lord. 00:20:16.06\00:20:18.46 You know, you need to... you need to practice 00:20:18.76\00:20:20.40 speaking positive. You need to practice speaking 00:20:20.60\00:20:24.86 help and healing and hope into your life. 00:20:25.06\00:20:27.43 And when somebody... when someone says 00:20:27.73\00:20:29.60 "How are doing? " 00:20:29.90\00:20:31.23 don't tell them every ache, pain, itch, glitch 00:20:31.43\00:20:34.46 that you've got. Amen! Huh? 00:20:34.66\00:20:38.63 You know, if you see a person and every time you see them 00:20:38.93\00:20:42.36 they're plucking that same string, 00:20:42.56\00:20:45.10 "How're you doing? " "Oh, Lord... oh, just awful. 00:20:45.30\00:20:51.13 The world is awful and the people are awful 00:20:51.33\00:20:53.50 and the church is awful and my life is awful. " 00:20:53.50\00:20:56.23 Ellen White says "talk positive. " 00:20:57.60\00:20:59.93 Sure you've got problems... but know what else you've got? 00:21:00.23\00:21:04.06 You've got Jesus. Amen? 00:21:04.26\00:21:07.43 Amen? Amen. So speak positively. 00:21:07.63\00:21:11.73 We'll come back to that in just a little bit. 00:21:11.73\00:21:13.30 And as you... as you speak, so your life goes. 00:21:13.60\00:21:17.06 It's a proven fact. 00:21:17.36\00:21:19.96 We're on disease now. 00:21:20.36\00:21:22.40 Now, she's not talking about denying the truth. 00:21:58.50\00:22:02.53 If you've... if you've got the measles, 00:22:02.83\00:22:05.53 you've got to accept the fact that you've got the measles 00:22:05.83\00:22:08.53 and get help for the measles. 00:22:08.83\00:22:11.03 Amen. But while you've got the measles 00:22:11.33\00:22:13.90 you can speak positively and think positively 00:22:14.10\00:22:16.80 and act positively and live positively. Amen? Amen! 00:22:17.00\00:22:21.30 God wants you to be happy. 00:22:55.66\00:22:57.23 Doesn't He? You think God wants you to be sad? 00:22:57.53\00:23:00.76 Do you think God wants you to be miserable? 00:23:00.96\00:23:03.13 No He doesn't. He wants you to be happy. 00:23:03.43\00:23:05.93 He wants you to be well and happy. 00:23:06.23\00:23:08.66 You can do things to help yourself. 00:23:19.23\00:23:22.63 Exercise is medicine. 00:23:22.93\00:23:25.33 Exercise is medicine. 00:23:25.63\00:23:29.16 And you don't have to kill yourself. 00:23:29.36\00:23:30.80 You don't have to drive yourself crazy. 00:23:31.00\00:23:33.03 Don't park your car closest to the door of the mall. 00:23:33.33\00:23:37.00 You know, in New York I had a neighbor that lived next to me 00:23:41.13\00:23:44.53 who would get in his car, drive to the end of the block, 00:23:44.73\00:23:48.16 pick up his newspaper, 00:23:48.36\00:23:50.16 get in his car, and drive back home. 00:23:50.36\00:23:52.30 One block. In fact, not even a full block 00:23:54.03\00:23:56.90 because he lived in the middle of the block. 00:23:56.90\00:23:58.10 Drive to the end of the block... pick up his newspaper. 00:23:58.40\00:24:00.20 Heat up that car... burn that gas, 00:24:00.40\00:24:02.43 waste all that time to drive to pick up a newspaper 00:24:02.63\00:24:05.96 and turn around and drive back home. 00:24:06.16\00:24:08.40 So make a little game with yourself. 00:24:08.70\00:24:11.26 Park your car on the far side of the lot - 00:24:11.46\00:24:14.36 Amen? - and walk to the store. Praise the Lord! 00:24:14.86\00:24:19.90 In fact, it will save you a lot of aggravation. 00:24:20.16\00:24:22.06 I remember I bought a car some time ago 00:24:22.36\00:24:24.83 and I was... in that mindset I was going into Radio Shack. 00:24:25.03\00:24:29.03 And I jammed it into a little space 00:24:29.23\00:24:32.50 and a lady got out next to me and she banged it. 00:24:32.70\00:24:36.00 And I... I could feel the dent! 00:24:36.20\00:24:38.76 I knew the dent was there. 00:24:38.96\00:24:40.23 And my blood pressure is rising... you know... 00:24:40.53\00:24:43.80 'cause I know the dent is there. And sure enough, 00:24:44.00\00:24:45.90 there was a dent. 00:24:46.10\00:24:47.76 Nothing I could do, you know. 00:24:48.06\00:24:50.20 Had I parked far away, I probably wouldn't have had 00:24:50.40\00:24:52.30 that problem. Oh, let me tell you something a little cute. 00:24:52.30\00:24:54.73 I was in Panama last year visiting my wife's parents. 00:24:54.93\00:24:58.53 They were all in the... in the mall. 00:24:58.83\00:25:01.90 I didn't feel like walking through the mall so I'm 00:25:02.10\00:25:03.20 in the car. We had rented this little minibus because 00:25:03.20\00:25:06.46 my wife, the kids, grandkids... 00:25:06.66\00:25:08.83 all of us jammed into the little minibus. 00:25:08.83\00:25:10.33 And I'm waiting in the car, 00:25:10.56\00:25:11.66 and someone gets out of the car next door and they 00:25:11.86\00:25:13.83 bang the side of the car. 00:25:14.03\00:25:15.53 Not once... a bunch of times. Bang! Bang! 00:25:15.83\00:25:18.96 Bang! Bang! Bang! 00:25:19.16\00:25:20.73 Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 00:25:21.03\00:25:22.90 And I'm sitting there. Each bang I'm saying 00:25:23.20\00:25:25.16 you know when you take a rent-a-car back, 00:25:25.16\00:25:26.36 they walk around the car and they check for every dent. 00:25:26.56\00:25:29.50 And every time I heard Bang! I hear ching, 00:25:29.70\00:25:31.96 cha-ching, cha-ching. See? And I'm sitting there like 00:25:32.23\00:25:35.80 and I said: "I can't take it any more. " 00:25:37.10\00:25:38.50 So I got out and I walked around the car. 00:25:38.70\00:25:40.06 There was a lady sitting in the car - she was half-asleep - 00:25:40.26\00:25:42.53 and her child was just banging the car door. 00:25:42.73\00:25:44.73 As I began to speak, my eye caught a bumper sticker 00:25:44.93\00:25:48.16 in Panama on the back of the car. 00:25:48.36\00:25:50.86 You know what the bumper sticker said? 00:25:51.06\00:25:52.50 3ABN. 00:25:52.80\00:25:55.43 What are you going to say? 00:25:55.73\00:25:57.36 What are you going to say 00:26:00.20\00:26:01.80 but "God bless you? " 00:26:02.10\00:26:04.86 But praise the Lord it knocked some dust off 00:26:06.73\00:26:09.60 but it didn't dent the car too bad. So God was good. 00:26:09.60\00:26:12.36 So when I saw the 3ABN I froze in my tracks. 00:26:12.66\00:26:14.83 Nothing I could say but wish them well. 00:26:15.03\00:26:16.83 And worse... she recognized me! 00:26:17.03\00:26:20.10 What are you going to say? 00:26:20.60\00:26:23.50 God bless you. 00:26:24.93\00:26:27.20 Let's go down to sin. 00:26:33.70\00:26:34.96 Satan can't force you. 00:26:57.73\00:27:00.90 He can back you in a corner. I remember there was a comedian 00:27:01.20\00:27:03.43 years ago. He said: "The devil made me do it. " 00:27:03.63\00:27:05.46 The devil doesn't make you do anything. 00:27:06.66\00:27:08.00 He can entice you. He can use peer pressure. 00:27:08.30\00:27:12.20 He can use trickery. In fact, 00:27:12.40\00:27:14.73 Satan can use 1,001 methodologies 00:27:14.93\00:27:18.63 that God cannot use. 00:27:18.83\00:27:21.26 All God has is love. 00:27:21.56\00:27:24.43 That's the only weapon He has. 00:27:24.73\00:27:26.66 And Satan can use so many other weapons but he cannot force you 00:27:26.86\00:27:30.83 to sin. You've got to make that decision 00:27:30.83\00:27:33.70 under pressure to sin. 00:27:34.00\00:27:35.80 And that's why preachers have to preach so hard. 00:27:48.03\00:27:49.66 If sin looked bad, smelled bad, and tasted bad, 00:27:49.86\00:27:54.43 we wouldn't have to preach so hard. 00:27:54.63\00:27:56.70 Amen? Amen. But the problem is it looks good, 00:27:57.00\00:28:00.70 smells good and tastes good. But beneath 00:28:00.90\00:28:04.86 the veneer... I was going to say it's like eating at a certain 00:28:05.16\00:28:08.73 fast food restaurant, but I'd better not mention that. 00:28:08.93\00:28:10.56 I may get into trouble. 00:28:10.86\00:28:12.46 But if you eat junk food all of the time, 00:28:12.76\00:28:17.10 junk in and junk out. 00:28:17.30\00:28:20.66 I had a preacher say once: "If you eat fat, greasy food 00:28:20.96\00:28:24.50 you become a fat, greasy dude. " 00:28:24.70\00:28:27.30 So Satan makes it look good. 00:28:33.06\00:28:35.60 Loads it with sugar, fat, and calories and we think it's good. 00:28:35.80\00:28:40.00 That's why we've got to preach so hard against it. 00:28:40.23\00:28:42.16 But the end thereof are the ways of? Death. 00:28:42.36\00:28:45.73 "There's a way that seemeth right unto a man... " 00:28:45.93\00:28:49.36 but when you scratch beneath the surface it's death. 00:28:49.66\00:28:52.70 And so he can't force you to do it. 00:28:53.00\00:28:54.46 He can shine the bright lights in your eyes. 00:28:54.76\00:28:56.80 He can do all of those kinds of things 00:28:57.10\00:28:59.73 but you've got to decide. Amen? 00:28:59.93\00:29:04.20 Amen. You've got to decide to do it. 00:29:04.50\00:29:06.36 I met a sister here from Las Vegas. 00:29:06.56\00:29:08.90 I used to hear what can come out of a city like Las Vegas? 00:29:09.10\00:29:13.50 You know a couple years ago in Las Vegas 00:29:13.70\00:29:15.33 a certain church baptized... oh, I think they had about 00:29:15.53\00:29:18.60 140 baptisms that year. 00:29:18.80\00:29:22.06 And I think somewhere between 50 and 60 of those people 00:29:22.40\00:29:26.26 came to the Lord through watching 3ABN 00:29:26.46\00:29:28.50 and just walked into the church ready for baptism. 00:29:28.70\00:29:32.90 Didn't need studies... didn't need anything. 00:29:33.20\00:29:35.03 Ready to go! So even in a place like Las Vegas - 00:29:35.23\00:29:38.86 any of these big cities, small towns, anywhere - 00:29:39.06\00:29:41.20 Jesus can lift up His standard against the enemy. 00:29:41.40\00:29:44.40 You've got to decide to turn your back on Jesus 00:29:44.73\00:29:47.80 and accept the call of Satan. 00:29:48.10\00:29:49.86 He cannot force you to do anything. 00:29:50.06\00:29:52.83 And Ellen White says in the book Desire of Ages, 00:29:53.03\00:29:55.10 she says: "the weakest Christian... " 00:29:55.30\00:29:57.73 Who's the weakest Christian in here? 00:29:58.96\00:30:00.56 "when he calls upon the name of Jesus 00:30:06.06\00:30:09.80 is more than a match for the hosts of Satan. " 00:30:10.00\00:30:14.03 Amen? 00:30:14.33\00:30:15.86 You've got an army behind you that's ready to fight for you. 00:30:16.06\00:30:20.96 Amen? 00:30:21.26\00:30:22.66 You don't have to waste time shadowboxing with the devil. 00:30:22.96\00:30:25.50 Get your big brother. 00:30:25.80\00:30:28.13 Tell Jesus: "You'd better leave me alone. " 00:30:28.43\00:30:30.96 Or rather, tell Satan. 00:30:32.36\00:30:34.20 Tell Satan "you'd better leave me alone 00:30:34.50\00:30:36.76 'cause I've got somebody behind me that'll beat you up. " 00:30:37.10\00:30:42.30 Fight my battles for me. Amen? 00:30:42.60\00:30:44.46 And so you've got to turn your will over to him 00:30:44.76\00:30:50.40 in order to sin. He cannot make you sin. 00:30:50.70\00:30:53.33 Not at all. 00:30:53.63\00:30:56.10 Um, let me go back to this. 00:30:58.20\00:30:59.90 He just gives you Sabbathitis. 00:31:10.00\00:31:12.20 I found there is a disease called Sabbathitis: 00:31:18.90\00:31:21.80 inflammation of the Sabbath. 00:31:22.00\00:31:24.20 You wake up Sabbath morning... you have aches and pains, 00:31:25.50\00:31:27.63 Matthew, you never had before in your life. 00:31:27.93\00:31:29.36 You went to bed fine Friday night. 00:31:32.03\00:31:34.33 Sabbath morning... stuff hurts. 00:31:34.63\00:31:37.33 Where'd that come from? 00:31:37.63\00:31:39.30 And so you decide maybe I'll go back to bed. 00:31:41.10\00:31:44.56 So you go back to bed with a headache 00:31:46.10\00:31:49.86 or a foot ache or a toe ache or a backache 00:31:50.16\00:31:52.36 or a fingernail ache. 00:31:52.56\00:31:54.90 And you know when that ache stops? 00:31:56.56\00:31:59.53 About 1 o'clock. 00:32:00.80\00:32:04.10 Yeah. When church is over and your blessing is gone, 00:32:04.40\00:32:08.63 you feel fine. 00:32:08.83\00:32:09.86 That's Sabbathitis. 00:32:10.16\00:32:11.66 He got you to stay home. 00:32:11.86\00:32:13.76 Now, had you come to church - 00:32:14.06\00:32:16.90 Amen! - fought through that pain, 00:32:17.10\00:32:20.93 God would have seen to it that you got your blessing 00:32:21.23\00:32:25.26 and the pain probably would have gone away anyway. 00:32:25.56\00:32:29.06 These little annoyances... it's just Sabbathitis. 00:32:29.36\00:32:32.43 It's Satan trying to keep you home - 00:32:32.73\00:32:34.56 huh? - and have you miss your blessing. 00:32:34.86\00:32:38.90 So he doesn't force you to stay away from church... 00:32:39.20\00:32:42.56 he just provides a little temptation, a little motivation. 00:32:42.76\00:32:45.50 And you miss a little this, you miss a little that 00:32:45.80\00:32:48.50 and you don't know it but imperceptibly 00:32:48.70\00:32:51.33 your strength and power are diminishing. 00:32:51.53\00:32:55.50 You know the Sabbath we were having that discussion about 00:32:55.90\00:32:58.40 who's going to be the greatest? 00:32:58.60\00:32:59.73 And a long comes a little demon-possessed boy 00:33:00.06\00:33:02.53 and they try to cast him out and they can't do it. 00:33:02.73\00:33:03.90 They did not know that they'd lost the presence 00:33:04.10\00:33:07.16 and power of the Holy Spirit. 00:33:07.36\00:33:08.46 You've got to stay in constant communication and contact 00:33:09.06\00:33:12.06 with the Lord. Amen? 00:33:12.26\00:33:14.36 So he doesn't force you to do anything, 00:33:14.66\00:33:16.83 but he is a master of temptation 00:33:17.13\00:33:21.30 and dissuasion. 00:33:21.50\00:33:23.16 You can accept or you can refuse. 00:33:23.46\00:33:28.50 And failure is so sad because all of the power 00:33:28.80\00:33:33.80 of heaven is available just to give you success. 00:33:34.00\00:33:37.70 Jesus died to give you success. 00:33:38.90\00:33:42.83 He lives to give you success. 00:33:43.13\00:33:47.20 He ministers before His Father to give you success 00:33:47.50\00:33:52.70 and victory. And we serve a God who can do anything 00:33:53.00\00:33:57.26 but fail. Amen? And Amen. 00:33:57.46\00:34:01.90 You need to drink daily at the fountain of what? 00:34:02.20\00:34:05.06 Truth. Daily... every single day. 00:34:05.36\00:34:07.96 Read, study, pray every day... 00:34:08.26\00:34:11.50 We can do things to strengthen our will 00:34:22.83\00:34:25.80 or do things to weaken our will. 00:34:26.10\00:34:28.60 Amen? Yeah, you can! 00:34:29.10\00:34:32.66 You can do things. You can eat things. 00:34:32.96\00:34:35.00 Take things into your body that strengthen or weaken your will. 00:34:35.20\00:34:38.03 Excessive sugar intake weakens your will. 00:34:38.36\00:34:41.90 It does! We've got to be very, very, very careful. 00:34:42.50\00:34:47.16 You know, another time she says the will is not the taste 00:34:47.46\00:34:49.40 or inclination. You can manipulate your taste 00:34:49.40\00:34:51.40 and inclination. I used to be a sugar-holic. 00:34:51.60\00:34:55.86 Loved sugar. Couldn't get enough doughnuts. 00:34:56.36\00:34:59.53 Couldn't get enough... I liked my drinks 00:34:59.73\00:35:01.70 really, really sweet. 00:35:01.70\00:35:03.76 I went out to eat in the valley a couple years ago 00:35:04.83\00:35:06.46 and I've educated my taste. 00:35:06.66\00:35:09.83 And you can do that... You can... you can train yourself 00:35:11.46\00:35:15.36 and... and educate yourself. And by little actions 00:35:15.66\00:35:19.83 of the will... I didn't think I could eat two meals a day 00:35:20.03\00:35:22.03 and stop eating at 2, 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 00:35:22.33\00:35:25.10 Went out to eat in the valley and that's what we did. 00:35:25.40\00:35:27.43 It ain't so bad. 00:35:29.20\00:35:30.86 Amen? Amen. Train yourself. 00:35:32.83\00:35:35.10 Educate yourself. Fight... win the little battles 00:35:35.33\00:35:38.36 and then move on to the big battles. 00:35:38.66\00:35:40.36 So now I don't like all those sweet things. 00:35:40.56\00:35:42.30 Just... just don't any more. 00:35:42.60\00:35:44.10 Ummm, ummm... and it's better for you 00:35:44.40\00:35:47.13 not to be pumping all that sugar through your body. 00:35:47.33\00:35:50.16 You see, the principle of God's government is freedom. 00:36:28.00\00:36:30.03 He's not going to force you to do anything. 00:36:30.03\00:36:31.76 Amen? Amen. Go with me if you will to Romans chapter 7 00:37:03.13\00:37:05.83 and verse 14. Let me find that really fast. 00:37:06.03\00:37:07.53 Romans 7:14. 00:37:09.80\00:37:12.50 Romans 7 and 14. 00:37:19.60\00:37:21.10 Look at this: "So we know that the law is spiritual 00:37:23.50\00:37:26.16 but I am carnal, sold unto sin. 00:37:26.36\00:37:28.90 For what I am doing I do not understand. 00:37:29.10\00:37:31.20 For what I will to do, that I do not practice 00:37:31.40\00:37:33.73 but what I hate... that I do. 00:37:34.03\00:37:35.86 If then I do that what I will not to do, 00:37:36.16\00:37:38.90 I agree with the law that it is good 00:37:39.10\00:37:42.83 but now it is no longer I who do it 00:37:43.03\00:37:45.60 but sin that dwells in me. 00:37:45.80\00:37:47.53 For I know that in me... that is, in my flesh... 00:37:47.73\00:37:51.40 nothing good dwells. 00:37:51.60\00:37:53.30 For to will is present with me 00:37:53.50\00:37:55.56 but how to perform what is good 00:37:55.76\00:37:58.23 I do not find. 00:37:58.43\00:37:59.80 For the good that I will to do I do not do 00:38:00.10\00:38:03.46 but the evil I will not to do 00:38:03.66\00:38:06.56 that I practice. 00:38:06.76\00:38:09.06 Now if I do what I will not to do 00:38:09.36\00:38:13.50 it is no longer I who do it 00:38:13.70\00:38:16.06 but sin that dwells in me. " 00:38:16.30\00:38:18.80 Paul gives us the basic premise, 00:38:21.66\00:38:24.30 the basic battle that we are fighting. 00:38:24.50\00:38:26.26 Those things I want to do that are good... 00:38:28.06\00:38:32.63 somehow can't find time to do them. 00:38:32.83\00:38:35.93 Those things that I know I should not do 00:38:36.23\00:38:38.83 that are evil and I should stay away from them 00:38:39.03\00:38:42.63 those are the things that I do. 00:38:42.83\00:38:44.60 The law is good; I am not. So how do I a sinner 00:38:45.80\00:38:49.50 serve a righteous God and become righteous? 00:38:49.70\00:38:52.53 As I said before, it is my belief 00:38:52.83\00:38:56.46 that the negative use of the will is incorrect. 00:38:56.66\00:39:00.73 If you are thinking or trying to get the victory 00:39:01.33\00:39:06.96 over lust, 00:39:07.16\00:39:11.26 you can sit and say: "Today 00:39:11.56\00:39:15.70 I will not think about this particular person. " 00:39:15.90\00:39:19.70 So you concentrate on not thinking about that person. 00:39:22.10\00:39:27.13 So in your concentrating about not thinking 00:39:29.43\00:39:32.73 about that person, you are in effect 00:39:32.93\00:39:36.30 thinking about that person, are you not? 00:39:36.50\00:39:40.30 You are thinking about not thinking about that person. 00:39:40.30\00:39:44.10 And to think about not thinking about a person 00:39:44.40\00:39:47.96 is thinking about the person. 00:39:48.16\00:39:50.43 You are always stuck at that person. 00:39:50.63\00:39:54.20 So you're trying to use your will to not think about a person 00:39:54.40\00:39:58.26 who you are thinking about not thinking about... 00:39:58.46\00:40:00.60 and in effect thinking about them. 00:40:04.53\00:40:06.66 So how do you really not think about them? 00:40:06.96\00:40:11.20 By thinking about something else. 00:40:12.90\00:40:16.46 Amen? Amen. So you take your mind off of not thinking about 00:40:16.76\00:40:21.70 them and put your mind on Jesus. 00:40:21.90\00:40:26.03 I'm not going to not think about her. 00:40:27.53\00:40:30.43 I am going to think about Jesus. 00:40:30.63\00:40:34.26 And as I concentrate on Jesus, 00:40:34.56\00:40:37.66 through the act of grace 00:40:37.86\00:40:40.83 Christ imparts in me a strength 00:40:41.03\00:40:44.50 to keep focused on Him. 00:40:44.70\00:40:48.63 Amen? You see, even those victories you get 00:40:48.93\00:40:53.23 without the aid of Christ don't count for anything. 00:40:53.43\00:40:58.33 That's legalism. 00:40:58.63\00:41:00.83 If I could get to heaven by sheer force of the will, 00:41:01.13\00:41:06.10 that makes Christ's death unnecessary. 00:41:06.30\00:41:11.76 Amen? If I could just work my way into righteousness, 00:41:12.06\00:41:16.53 if I could just pull myself up by my bootstraps 00:41:16.73\00:41:19.63 and cease and desist from sinning by my own force of will, 00:41:19.83\00:41:24.46 then what did Jesus die for? 00:41:24.66\00:41:27.03 Huh? 00:41:27.36\00:41:29.86 But that kind of righteousness is the righteousness of 00:41:31.73\00:41:34.90 the scribes and Pharisees. 00:41:35.10\00:41:37.13 I don't do this, I don't do that. 00:41:37.43\00:41:39.50 I don't do that; I don't do that; I don't do that. 00:41:39.70\00:41:42.10 I don't do that and I certainly don't do that. 00:41:42.30\00:41:44.13 You don't get credit with God for that. 00:41:45.76\00:41:48.20 You get credit with God 00:41:48.50\00:41:53.16 by loving Jesus and surrendering to Jesus 00:41:53.46\00:41:58.50 and allowing Jesus to work out His will through you. 00:41:58.80\00:42:03.90 So now when you get victory you not only stop 00:42:04.20\00:42:08.53 doing that thing, you lose the taste for that thing. 00:42:08.73\00:42:14.40 Amen? And the inclination towards that thing. 00:42:14.70\00:42:18.80 And the stain of that thing 00:42:19.56\00:42:24.10 is taken away from you and cast into the depths of the sea 00:42:24.30\00:42:29.26 so it no longer controls you at all. 00:42:29.26\00:42:33.66 It doesn't control your past; it doesn't control your present; 00:42:33.96\00:42:37.96 and it has no effect on your future. 00:42:38.16\00:42:40.73 That's why the Bible says "there is now therefore 00:42:41.03\00:42:44.13 NO condemnation 00:42:44.33\00:42:46.70 to those who are in Christ Jesus. " Amen? 00:42:47.00\00:42:52.16 That's true victory. 00:42:52.36\00:42:54.70 If I stop smoking today, 00:42:55.00\00:42:57.96 I'm fine from today on. 00:42:58.16\00:43:00.66 What about all those years I smoked in the past? 00:43:00.86\00:43:03.13 Who's going to get rid of that? 00:43:03.53\00:43:05.90 Brother Christ has got to take care of that. 00:43:07.00\00:43:08.63 So to stop doing the thing is not enough. 00:43:08.93\00:43:11.63 You've got to get victory over it. 00:43:12.93\00:43:14.63 That means you've got to get victory over past sins, 00:43:14.93\00:43:17.60 and that's only done through the blood of Jesus. Amen? 00:43:17.90\00:43:21.20 So the victory... the victory is not in using your will 00:43:21.60\00:43:26.23 to stop, it's in using your will to surrender to Jesus Christ. 00:43:26.43\00:43:30.46 Is that clear? I'm kind of begging that point. 00:43:30.76\00:43:32.50 Begging that point because it's important 00:43:32.80\00:43:35.53 in our striving for righteousness. 00:43:35.73\00:43:39.00 Now, let's go into it a little further. 00:43:39.30\00:43:41.06 So do you have to wait for something to come in the mail? 00:43:59.23\00:44:02.26 Un-uh... The moment you surrender. 00:44:02.46\00:44:05.60 You see, He's waiting on you to say "I surrender. " 00:44:05.90\00:44:10.33 "Lord, I can't beat this thing; I can't fight this thing. " 00:44:10.56\00:44:14.90 "I need You to work in me to give me victory. " 00:44:15.20\00:44:19.20 You know how long it takes God to answer that prayer? 00:44:19.40\00:44:21.80 The moment it's formulated in your mind 00:44:23.03\00:44:25.63 before it comes out of your mouth, it's answered. 00:44:25.83\00:44:28.13 Amen? Immediately God's going to do that for you! 00:44:28.43\00:44:31.46 "You cannot control your impulses. " 00:44:32.16\00:44:34.90 And I did a little dictionary search on the word impulse 00:44:35.10\00:44:39.06 just to find out what Ellen White is talking about. 00:44:39.36\00:44:43.33 The dictionary describes an impulse as a sudden, strong 00:44:43.63\00:44:46.70 and unreflective urge or desire to act. 00:44:46.90\00:44:51.00 The key word there is unreflective. 00:44:51.30\00:44:53.10 An impulse is something you don't think about... 00:44:53.10\00:44:54.80 you just do. 00:44:55.00\00:44:56.30 Uh-huh... Driving along... 00:44:58.20\00:45:00.30 somebody cuts in front of you. 00:45:00.63\00:45:02.26 Impulse. 00:45:02.56\00:45:04.60 Impulse. 00:45:07.46\00:45:08.96 Or you go to work. You're having a bad day 00:45:09.26\00:45:11.16 and you're not in the mood and someone says: 00:45:11.66\00:45:14.53 "How you doing, ugly? " 00:45:14.73\00:45:16.03 And they're just playing. 00:45:17.46\00:45:18.80 You know... Yesterday that would have been funny. 00:45:19.10\00:45:22.76 Today it's not. 00:45:22.96\00:45:26.16 And the day that you don't need it, guess what? 00:45:26.46\00:45:29.43 That's the day you get it. 00:45:29.63\00:45:31.40 Yeah. Or you go to church and you're kind of in one of those 00:45:31.60\00:45:36.30 it can go either way and you greet somebody 00:45:36.50\00:45:40.73 and they don't quite give you the greeting 00:45:40.93\00:45:43.00 that you think you should get. 00:45:43.00\00:45:45.00 Impulse. 00:45:46.40\00:45:47.76 Um-hmm. 00:45:48.86\00:45:50.33 You can get so close to Jesus through surrender 00:45:51.80\00:45:56.23 that even those impulses are surrendered to Him. 00:45:56.43\00:46:00.70 You know, even those things that come up real fast. 00:46:01.00\00:46:03.60 Ellen White says sometimes you cannot control a thought 00:46:03.80\00:46:05.60 from gettin' there but you can control it from staying there. 00:46:05.80\00:46:10.50 Sometimes something happens and you get something real fast. 00:46:11.50\00:46:13.66 And you can get to the point where even those little impulses 00:46:13.86\00:46:16.86 are surrendered to Jesus. 00:46:17.06\00:46:18.33 Where He controls not only your mouth 00:46:18.63\00:46:21.56 but also your mind. 00:46:21.76\00:46:23.63 You don't even think about saying it 00:46:23.93\00:46:27.13 and you certainly don't say it. 00:46:27.43\00:46:29.40 Amen? Had a conference president - bless his heart - 00:46:29.70\00:46:33.00 bought a brand new car and came down one morning 00:46:33.20\00:46:37.40 and all four doors were gone. 00:46:37.60\00:46:39.50 All four doors. 00:46:41.53\00:46:42.76 Somebody needed some doors, and they took all four doors. 00:46:43.06\00:46:44.93 And he went upstairs... he happened to play the piano... 00:46:46.26\00:46:49.20 he went upstairs and just began to play Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me. 00:46:49.40\00:46:52.46 He just played. His wife came and said: 00:46:53.93\00:46:56.36 "Why are you playing the piano? 00:46:56.36\00:46:57.93 Shouldn't you be at work? " 00:46:58.13\00:46:59.43 He just pointed to the window. 00:46:59.63\00:47:01.23 So she went over there and looked and screamed: "AAAH! " 00:47:02.50\00:47:04.80 And he said: "It's all right. " 00:47:06.53\00:47:09.03 Just played Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me... 00:47:09.23\00:47:11.13 "Call the insurance company. " 00:47:11.43\00:47:13.03 You can get so close to Jesus 00:47:13.96\00:47:15.76 that even those things that would make you 00:47:15.96\00:47:18.50 pull your hair out... you can handle them 00:47:18.70\00:47:21.80 because Christ is in your life. 00:47:22.10\00:47:24.30 Wouldn't you like that kind of peace 00:47:24.60\00:47:26.10 where you can go to bed at night and sleep 00:47:26.50\00:47:28.76 and... and shut down the cares of the world 00:47:28.96\00:47:31.23 because... because... because your life is hid in Jesus 00:47:31.53\00:47:35.23 and nothing can offend you? 00:47:35.53\00:47:38.53 I'm determined there's no one in the world 00:47:38.83\00:47:43.20 who can push, pull, drag me 00:47:43.40\00:47:46.23 out of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 00:47:46.23\00:47:48.10 There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do, 00:47:48.30\00:47:52.23 that would make me leave the Seventh-day Adventist church. 00:47:52.43\00:47:56.53 It... it's settled for me. 00:47:56.73\00:47:59.00 Amen? It's settled! 00:47:59.30\00:48:00.80 There's no issue for me any more. 00:48:01.10\00:48:03.66 It's settled in my mind and I've got peace about that. 00:48:03.96\00:48:07.90 I've search all of the other religions, 00:48:08.13\00:48:10.00 and I have thoroughly searched my own. 00:48:11.36\00:48:13.50 And this is it, ladies and gentlemen. 00:48:13.70\00:48:15.70 Amen! That's settled. 00:48:15.90\00:48:17.43 And so I can come to church 00:48:17.73\00:48:19.50 and the whole church can turn their back and not say anything. 00:48:19.70\00:48:22.63 I wouldn't like it, but I'll be just fine. 00:48:22.93\00:48:27.03 Just fine. You know, all my years of pastoring 00:48:27.33\00:48:30.60 I had a member say once to me... 00:48:30.80\00:48:35.00 She said: "God has put me here to keep you in line. " 00:48:35.20\00:48:39.93 She said: "That's my job: 00:48:44.00\00:48:46.16 to keep all pastors in line 00:48:47.26\00:48:49.46 and I've got my eye on you. " 00:48:49.46\00:48:51.43 Said: "I'm going to keep you in line. " 00:48:51.73\00:48:53.43 You know what I told her? 00:48:53.73\00:48:55.06 "Praise God! 00:48:55.36\00:48:57.36 I'm going to keep you busy. " 00:48:57.56\00:48:59.20 It's settled for me! I'm staying. 00:49:05.36\00:49:08.50 Amen? Amen! I'm in! 00:49:08.80\00:49:10.50 Staying in because this is where God is. 00:49:10.80\00:49:14.76 OK. Let's go down. 00:49:15.06\00:49:16.10 "Talk faith... " I'm down two paragraphs. 00:49:16.40\00:49:18.80 Let's go back up. 00:49:19.13\00:49:21.60 Go back one paragraph. I'm in the section that says 00:49:21.80\00:49:23.63 I'm given to Christ on the second page. 00:49:23.83\00:49:25.23 There's a great little text: Hebrews chapter 13 verses 5-6. 00:49:30.03\00:49:33.63 Says among other things, one: 00:49:33.83\00:49:36.20 He'll never leave you nor forsake you. 00:49:36.40\00:49:38.80 That's good news! 00:49:39.10\00:49:40.33 Then it says... then it says... it says: 00:49:40.63\00:49:45.53 So we can boldly say... "We can boldly say: 00:49:45.73\00:49:50.16 God is my helper, 00:49:50.36\00:49:53.40 what can man do to me? " 00:49:53.70\00:49:56.36 Amen? That's a bold statement. 00:49:56.66\00:49:59.33 I can... I can say it: "GOD is my helper 00:49:59.63\00:50:02.43 and man cannot hurt me. " 00:50:02.73\00:50:04.50 Amen? Had a person say to me once - 00:50:04.70\00:50:06.76 only happened once in my life, I've said this before - 00:50:06.96\00:50:08.83 She said: "Pastor Murray, I don't like you. " 00:50:09.03\00:50:14.33 She said: "You haven't done anything for me. 00:50:16.10\00:50:18.53 You haven't said anything to me. 00:50:18.83\00:50:20.90 I just don't like you... I don't like you. " 00:50:22.10\00:50:25.70 In fact, what she said was: "Oooh, I don't like you! " 00:50:26.00\00:50:29.50 True story. Said: "I just... " 00:50:32.43\00:50:34.73 like something was crawling on her. 00:50:34.93\00:50:36.23 "I just... I don't like you. " 00:50:36.56\00:50:39.86 Well what do you say? 00:50:40.36\00:50:41.53 God bless you. 00:50:42.06\00:50:43.60 There's nothing you can do. 00:50:43.90\00:50:45.60 You can't cry. 00:50:45.90\00:50:47.23 You can't let persons rent space inside your brain. 00:50:47.23\00:50:49.56 You just... you just... you just give it to Jesus. 00:50:49.76\00:50:52.60 Amen? You know, the Bible says: "When a man's ways please 00:50:52.90\00:50:56.66 God he causes even his enemies to be at peace with him. " 00:50:56.86\00:51:01.66 So just keep following Jesus. 00:51:01.96\00:51:04.43 You can't please the world. 00:51:04.73\00:51:08.06 You've got to spend your time pleasing God. 00:51:08.36\00:51:12.26 So "talk faith, " she says. Say "I will believe. " 00:51:12.56\00:51:16.43 Claim the promises of God. 00:51:16.63\00:51:18.03 "It will take at times every particle of will power 00:51:30.86\00:51:35.46 which you possess: but it is God that is working 00:51:35.66\00:51:40.33 for you, and you will come forth from the molding process 00:51:40.53\00:51:45.63 a vessel unto honor. " 00:51:45.83\00:51:47.93 "Talk faith; keep on God's side of the line... " 00:51:48.23\00:51:52.03 "Your life will be noble. 00:52:02.63\00:52:04.33 Your works will be wrought in God. 00:52:04.33\00:52:06.20 There will be a power... " 00:52:06.40\00:52:08.80 Don't we need power in these last days? 00:52:09.00\00:52:10.66 Stop making excuses for failure 00:52:20.50\00:52:24.70 and don't do things that lead to failure. 00:52:24.90\00:52:29.00 There's something I want to get to before we go. 00:52:29.20\00:52:33.23 I want to go over to Can Control Circumstances. 00:52:33.23\00:52:37.96 I need to get to that. 00:52:37.96\00:52:39.06 I see my time is slipping away but I want to get to this. 00:52:39.26\00:52:41.70 She's talking to a particular individual. 00:53:03.43\00:53:04.90 I want to say this to you: 00:53:11.20\00:53:12.93 If character were easy to get, 00:53:13.23\00:53:16.40 they would sell it at Wal-Mart. 00:53:16.60\00:53:19.36 Are you listening to me? 00:53:20.53\00:53:21.83 It's tough to get 00:53:22.60\00:53:25.43 but it is possible to get. 00:53:25.63\00:53:28.96 Don't be so quick to jump out of the frying pan. 00:53:30.13\00:53:36.03 Sometimes God's got you in there 00:53:38.96\00:53:43.13 because that's where you need to be. 00:53:43.33\00:53:47.73 Amen. I don't like working with them 00:53:48.03\00:53:52.50 so why am I next to them? 00:53:52.80\00:53:55.73 Because God wants you there. 00:53:56.03\00:53:59.30 Because just because you've got a problem with them 00:53:59.50\00:54:04.30 doesn't mean God's got a problem with them. 00:54:04.50\00:54:09.16 And they may be in your life 00:54:09.46\00:54:12.46 to work something out in you. 00:54:12.70\00:54:16.16 Amen. 00:54:16.46\00:54:18.36 So don't be so quick to jump 00:54:18.66\00:54:22.30 because God may be working something out. 00:54:22.50\00:54:27.43 Amen. 00:54:27.73\00:54:28.96 In you and in them. 00:54:29.26\00:54:32.73 So you need to pray and self-assess. 00:54:33.03\00:54:37.06 You know they say when you go to church there are two kinds 00:54:37.36\00:54:39.40 of people who bring two implements to church. 00:54:39.63\00:54:41.80 Some bring a rake and others bring a shovel. 00:54:42.10\00:54:45.90 The shovel folk are in church - 00:54:47.23\00:54:49.20 and every time you say "The church needs to get right 00:54:49.20\00:54:51.83 and people need to straighten up" 00:54:52.03\00:54:53.56 they'll say: "Amen, Pastor" 00:54:53.76\00:54:55.46 and they're shoveling it onto the person next to them. 00:54:55.46\00:54:57.56 "That's right, Pastor. That's right, you are right. 00:54:57.76\00:55:00.90 Preach it! " And they're shoveling it all around 00:55:01.10\00:55:03.23 and you need to bring a rake. 00:55:03.53\00:55:05.23 What do you do with a rake? 00:55:05.43\00:55:06.86 You bring it to yourself. 00:55:07.06\00:55:09.83 You bring it close to home. 00:55:10.13\00:55:12.30 So sometimes God puts us in circumstances 00:55:12.60\00:55:16.16 that are designed to develop our character 00:55:16.36\00:55:19.70 and to test our wills in Jesus Christ. 00:55:19.70\00:55:23.80 God has called us to put our wills 00:55:50.60\00:55:54.13 on the side of Jesus. 00:55:54.33\00:55:57.36 To not place ourselves on the enemy's ground. 00:55:57.36\00:56:00.90 To make no provision for the flesh 00:56:01.20\00:56:04.70 and when called upon to surrender our wills 00:56:05.00\00:56:09.03 to the power of Jesus Christ. 00:56:09.23\00:56:11.00 Ladies and gentlemen, we can have 00:56:11.30\00:56:13.66 victorious Christian living. 00:56:13.86\00:56:16.60 That is God's legacy for us. 00:56:16.90\00:56:19.40 That is His desire for us, 00:56:19.70\00:56:21.30 and we don't have to be defeated. 00:56:21.60\00:56:24.13 We don't have to be knocked down. 00:56:24.43\00:56:27.00 We don't have to be destroyed by the enemy. 00:56:27.30\00:56:29.90 We can be victorious in Jesus Christ 00:56:30.10\00:56:33.83 if we will. 00:56:34.03\00:56:37.60 Not by fighting sin. 00:56:37.90\00:56:39.76 Not by using our will to try to serve God 00:56:40.06\00:56:43.73 and keep the commandments 00:56:43.73\00:56:45.13 but by surrendering our wills to Jesus 00:56:45.33\00:56:49.16 and allowing Him to work out His life in us 00:56:49.46\00:56:54.06 and through us so that we can have complete victory 00:56:54.26\00:56:58.30 in this world and eternal joy in the world to come. 00:56:58.50\00:57:02.80 How many want that in their own lives? 00:57:03.00\00:57:04.60 How many really want to serve Jesus? 00:57:04.90\00:57:06.96 The secret is surrender. 00:57:07.40\00:57:10.53 Amen? Always has been... 00:57:10.83\00:57:13.33 is now, always will be. 00:57:13.53\00:57:16.13 The secret is still surrender. 00:57:16.33\00:57:19.90