We have an
amazing speaker with us
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all the way from
Australia this morning.
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An amazing and
powerful servant of the Lord.
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Charissa, I would like to pray
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for you this morning. It's okay.
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Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
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thank You so much for
this beautiful morning
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that we were able to wake up to.
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We just thank
You for being here.
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Thank You so much for
bringing us all safely to GYC,
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that we can
praise Your Holy Name.
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I just wanna lift up Charissa
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straight to Your
throne this morning.
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May You anoint her lips.
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May her words be Your words.
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May You empty us all of self.
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And may You fill us
with Your Holy Spirit.
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In Jesus Holy
precious name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Good morning
everyone. Good morning.
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It's great to see
so many of you here
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so early this morning
for our morning devotion.
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Before we go any further,
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I'd just like to
offer a word of prayer,
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just so that I can ask God
to personally bless me as well.
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I thank her for her pray.
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Let's just pray once more.
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Father in heaven,
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I just ask that in
addition to the prayer that
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has been prayed, that You
would take over this morning.
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I pray that You
would speak to our hearts.
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May You take this message
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and apply it to
each and everyone of us
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individually for we
ask it in Jesus name, amen.
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Without a doubt,
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Steve Jobs was unquestionably
the Thomas Edison of our times
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and one of the
greatest visionaries
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that our world has ever seen.
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And when he passed away
in October of this year,
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I thought it was very fitting
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that your
President here in America,
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Obama, he said,
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"There is no great a
tribute to Steve's success
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than the fact
that much of the world
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learned of his passing on
a device that he created. "
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And Steve being
the ultimate showman,
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at 18 of his product launches,
he knew the power of an encore.
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And when he would come out
dressed in his typical jeans
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and black turtleneck top,
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and he would
introduce to the world,
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Apple's latest market item.
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He would finish
introducing the product
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and everybody
would break into applause
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and he would turn and be
about to walk off the stage,
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when suddenly he would stop,
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turnaround, and say, oh,
and there's one more thing.
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And it would be at that moment
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that he would then
unveil yet one more feature,
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one more exciting
feature of the product
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that his audience was
already thrilling over.
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And friends in a similar sense,
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after Jesus had spent three
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and a half years training
and teaching His disciples,
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after He commanded them
to go into all the world
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and baptize people
and to teach them of Him,
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He also added one more
thing to His commission.
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And we find it
in the Book of Luke
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Chapter 24 and verse 49.
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Come with me to the Book of Luke
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Chapter 24 verse 49.
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Luke Chapter 24 and
we read it in verse 49.
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Luke Chapter 24, verse 49,
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Jesus says,
"Behold, I send the promise
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of My Father upon you,
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but tarry in the
city of Jerusalem,
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until you are endued
with power from on high. "
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Now friends,
let's not miss this.
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The same one who commanded them
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to go into all the
world, also ordered them to stay
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and wait however long it took
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until they received
power from the Holy Spirit.
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Can you imagine
how they must have felt
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when Jesus said this to them?
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I mean, He had
just told them to go,
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and they must have
thought how can we wait
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when there is a world to tell
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and the world is
incidentally quite large.
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But friends, Jesus had
good reason for His instruction.
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He always does.
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You see, Jesus knew
that unless they tarried,
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unless they waited for
the Holy Spirit's power,
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they were destined to
failure and here's why.
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We read about it,
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come with me to our
theme story this morning.
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The Book of
Mark, Mark Chapter 9.
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Mark Chapter 9 and
our devotion this morning
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will begin in verse 14.
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Mark Chapter 9 verse 14.
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It says, "And when He
came to the disciples,
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He saw a great multitude
around them. " This is Jesus.
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He saw a great multitude
around the disciples. "
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And scribes
disputing with them. "
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Now friends, as
you read the gospels,
00:05:06.57\00:05:09.19
you very quickly
notice that crowd
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seemed to follow
Jesus like His own shadow.
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Everywhere Jesus is,
there is a crowd there.
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But friends, the
crowd on this particular
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morning was different.
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Nine of the twelve
disciples were locked
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in a theological
debate with some scribes
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and an audience
was standing around
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watching them ringside
like it was a primetime TV show.
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A man had come to Jesus
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that morning looking
for Him to heal his son.
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I imagine it wasn't the
first time that this father
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had gonna looking for help.
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No doubt he had seen
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all the greatest
physicians in Jerusalem
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only to be finally told
by one perplexed doctor,
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"Look, I think your son's case
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is a serious case
of demon possession.
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And there was no
medicine for possession.
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He was privately
destroyed by this news.
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He stopped going to church.
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And nobody seemed to notice.
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In fact, nobody seemed to mind.
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He started to
question the existence of God.
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How could a loving God allow
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this to happen
to his precious son?
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He believed that
nothing was possible
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until one day somebody
said something about Jesus.
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And the Bible
doesn't tell us who it was.
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Maybe it was a young person.
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We don't know.
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Maybe a friend in
Gennesaret e-mailed
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through something about
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how Jesus had
cast out the demons
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from those two wild men
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who lived in the
graveyard along the coast.
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Or maybe he'd be reading
the reports in the papers
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about how the disciples
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were casting out
demons in Jesus name.
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In any case, this father
had put off coming to Jesus,
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perhaps because of something
he read on some website.
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Something about how Jesus
was possessed with Beelzebub
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or something like that.
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But as the attacks on his
son continued and grew worse,
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he decided that
he had to try Jesus.
00:07:15.33\00:07:19.60
And so he did.
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He went looking
for Him that morning
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and he took his son along.
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But when he found his disciples,
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they told him that Jesus was
up a mountain with Peter, James,
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and John and none of them knew
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when He was going to be back.
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And so forced to do
the next best thing,
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he turns to His
disciples and he asks them
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if they can help
him. And in my minds,
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I can see them all
looking at each other.
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Matthew glances at
Philip and he just nods.
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They all look at Thomas
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and he shrugs his
shoulders and says,
00:07:54.20\00:07:56.01
"Well, we've done this before.
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I mean remember
when Jesus sent us out
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two by two to preach,
heal, and cast out demons.
00:08:01.15\00:08:05.88
We were always outnumbered then.
00:08:05.91\00:08:08.73
But now, look,
there are nine of us
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and just one
demon possessed boy,
00:08:11.75\00:08:14.68
how hard can this be?
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And so the exorcism began.
00:08:17.48\00:08:19.91
And the Bible doesn't tell us
00:08:19.95\00:08:22.18
exactly how they went about it,
00:08:22.21\00:08:24.37
but whatever they
did, it didn't work.
00:08:24.41\00:08:28.37
And then to add
insult to injury,
00:08:28.40\00:08:31.24
some scribes happened
to chance upon the scene.
00:08:31.28\00:08:36.17
And as they
watched the disciples fail,
00:08:36.20\00:08:39.35
not just once, or twice,
00:08:39.38\00:08:41.83
but over and
over and over again,
00:08:41.87\00:08:45.32
the smirks on
their faces grew larger,
00:08:45.36\00:08:48.29
and larger until soon
unable to contain themselves,
00:08:48.33\00:08:52.93
they broke into a loud
chorus of mocking laughter.
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Uh, what a joke?
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This is going to be
a YouTube sensation.
00:08:59.82\00:09:03.77
Behold, the mighty
disciples of Jesus,
00:09:03.80\00:09:08.07
is this demon
too powerful for you?
00:09:08.11\00:09:12.35
Embarrassed and crestfallen,
00:09:12.38\00:09:14.69
the confused disciples
just stood there helplessly
00:09:14.73\00:09:19.72
looking at the
scribes and the crowd.
00:09:19.75\00:09:23.21
And the boy writhing
in agony at their feet,
00:09:23.25\00:09:27.64
but nothing could bring
them to face the Father.
00:09:27.67\00:09:32.03
Then a scribe
said something sharp.
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A disciple retaliated.
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A debate began and
soon tempers were flaring.
00:09:37.10\00:09:41.15
The man and his son
lost in a controversy.
00:09:41.18\00:09:44.82
And friends sometimes
it's easy for you and I
00:09:44.86\00:09:48.43
to get caught up in
defending the truth to scribes,
00:09:48.47\00:09:52.99
to people who don't actually
care about the truth anyway.
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Get it right, and
they'll criticize you.
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Get it wrong, and
they'll still criticize you.
00:09:59.40\00:10:02.37
Jesus was never
impressed with the scribes.
00:10:02.40\00:10:05.34
Do you remember
what He said of them?
00:10:05.37\00:10:07.35
He said woe to you,
00:10:07.38\00:10:08.74
scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites.
00:10:08.78\00:10:12.05
They were part of the crowd,
00:10:12.08\00:10:13.94
who condemned Christ
to death on the cross.
00:10:13.98\00:10:16.71
And then rushed
home to keep the Sabbath.
00:10:16.75\00:10:19.41
So friends don't pay
attention to the scribes.
00:10:19.45\00:10:22.41
Pay attention to the
ones who are hurting,
00:10:22.44\00:10:25.37
and searching,
and looking for Jesus.
00:10:25.40\00:10:27.85
Amen, amen.
00:10:27.88\00:10:29.39
Verse 15,
00:10:29.43\00:10:30.91
"Immediately,
when they saw Him,"
00:10:31.83\00:10:34.15
that's the crowd.
00:10:34.18\00:10:35.57
"All the people
were greatly amazed,
00:10:35.61\00:10:37.94
and running to Him, greeted Him.
00:10:37.97\00:10:40.27
And He asked the scribes,
00:10:40.30\00:10:42.14
"What are you
discussing with them?"
00:10:42.18\00:10:45.64
Everyone was
relieved to see Jesus show up,
00:10:45.68\00:10:49.43
because if there was anybody
00:10:49.46\00:10:51.37
who could sort
out this situation,
00:10:51.41\00:10:53.44
well, Jesus could.
00:10:53.47\00:10:55.39
And as soon as Jesus arrived,
00:10:55.43\00:10:57.71
He saw the defeated expressions
on His disciples' faces.
00:10:57.75\00:11:02.45
And He knew something was up.
00:11:02.48\00:11:04.86
And so He turns to the scribes
00:11:04.90\00:11:07.21
and He asks them to
explain the situation.
00:11:07.25\00:11:11.58
But if you notice in
the text, His question,
00:11:11.62\00:11:15.92
they answered with silence.
00:11:15.95\00:11:18.85
And sometimes silence
says quite a lot, doesn't it?
00:11:18.89\00:11:23.22
I remember one day, I got home,
00:11:23.25\00:11:25.91
I walked down the
steps in my backyard,
00:11:25.95\00:11:27.98
and when I got downstairs,
in my backyard, everywhere,
00:11:28.02\00:11:32.63
as far as I could see,
was this foam strewn all over,
00:11:32.67\00:11:37.25
whipped up foam. It
was all over our backyard.
00:11:37.28\00:11:39.93
And there, sitting
in the middle of it all,
00:11:39.96\00:11:42.58
was my dog, my puppy dog.
00:11:42.61\00:11:44.88
His name was Texas.
00:11:44.91\00:11:48.19
Yeah, there you go, amen.
00:11:48.23\00:11:50.27
Yes, his name was Texas.
00:11:50.31\00:11:52.28
He was a miniature toy poodle.
00:11:52.32\00:11:54.06
I know this is
the biggest state,
00:11:54.09\00:11:56.03
but he was a very beautiful dog.
00:11:56.07\00:11:57.95
He had a heart as big as Texas.
00:11:57.98\00:11:59.80
And there he was,
00:11:59.81\00:12:00.83
he was just
sitting in the middle
00:12:00.84\00:12:02.38
of all of this
foam in the backyard.
00:12:02.42\00:12:03.94
And I just looked at him.
00:12:03.97\00:12:05.60
And I said, did you do this?
00:12:05.64\00:12:07.20
And of course,
he didn't answer me.
00:12:07.24\00:12:09.01
But the ears went
down, the head went down,
00:12:09.05\00:12:11.67
the tail went down,
00:12:11.70\00:12:13.54
and he looked back at me
with eyes that said it all.
00:12:13.58\00:12:17.07
And when I think
about the scribes,
00:12:17.10\00:12:18.89
I'm thinking about my dog too.
00:12:18.92\00:12:20.14
Because the
scribes had encountered
00:12:20.18\00:12:23.33
Jesus enough before to
know that they probably
00:12:23.37\00:12:26.55
shouldn't open their
mouths too quickly now.
00:12:26.59\00:12:29.74
And the
disciples they're relieved
00:12:29.77\00:12:31.80
that Jesus was back now.
00:12:31.83\00:12:33.68
They were in no rush to
report their failure either.
00:12:33.72\00:12:39.49
And so the
silence in this moment
00:12:39.52\00:12:42.92
began to grow louder
00:12:42.95\00:12:45.06
and louder until suddenly
a breaking voice was heard.
00:12:45.10\00:12:51.24
Verse 17,
00:12:51.27\00:12:52.44
then one of the
crowd answered and said,
00:12:54.48\00:12:56.70
'Teacher, I
brought to You my son,
00:12:56.73\00:12:59.72
who has a mute spirit.
00:12:59.75\00:13:01.60
And wherever it seizes
him, it throws him down.
00:13:01.64\00:13:04.62
He foams at the
mouth, gnashes his teeth,
00:13:04.65\00:13:07.06
and becomes rigid.
00:13:07.09\00:13:08.81
So I spoke to Your disciples,
00:13:08.85\00:13:10.50
that they should cast
it out, but they could not.
00:13:10.54\00:13:16.24
This man had been just about
to walk away from that crowd
00:13:16.28\00:13:19.34
when Jesus showed up.
00:13:19.37\00:13:21.43
Matthew's gospel tells us
00:13:21.46\00:13:23.45
that he presses
through the crowd
00:13:23.49\00:13:25.50
and he falls on his knees
00:13:25.53\00:13:26.92
before Jesus as
he says these words.
00:13:26.96\00:13:30.19
His eyes were red
from the private tears
00:13:30.23\00:13:33.43
that he'd been shedding.
00:13:33.46\00:13:35.15
His story was
one that would melt
00:13:35.19\00:13:37.76
and elicit pity from
the hardest of hearts.
00:13:37.80\00:13:41.53
His only son, the
Bible tells in Luke's Gospel,
00:13:41.56\00:13:45.70
his only son was
being tormented by a demon.
00:13:45.74\00:13:49.47
He was living an
aquarium like existence,
00:13:49.50\00:13:52.52
where being mute
and deaf he could see
00:13:52.56\00:13:55.55
what was happening around him.
00:13:55.58\00:13:57.11
But he was unable to
respond to what was happening.
00:13:57.15\00:14:01.16
He pictures, if you
like, the plight of our planet,
00:14:01.20\00:14:05.18
filled with pain and suffering,
00:14:05.21\00:14:06.91
but powerless to
do anything about it.
00:14:06.95\00:14:11.00
But friends it was the
last words that he said,
00:14:11.04\00:14:13.82
that I think must
have upset Jesus the most.
00:14:13.85\00:14:17.36
He said, I brought my
son to Your disciples,
00:14:17.39\00:14:20.27
but they couldn't
do anything to help me,
00:14:20.31\00:14:23.16
but they could not.
00:14:23.19\00:14:25.82
I brought my son to the
church, and nothing happened.
00:14:25.86\00:14:31.67
It is sobering for
us to think this morning
00:14:31.70\00:14:34.54
as we reflect on this that
the lack of power in our lives,
00:14:34.58\00:14:39.58
in the lives of Jesus disciples,
00:14:39.61\00:14:42.51
reflects on the
power of God himself.
00:14:42.55\00:14:46.31
Paul Gilbert once said this,
"You and I are writing a Gospel,
00:14:46.35\00:14:50.83
a chapter each day, by the words
00:14:50.86\00:14:54.35
that you say and by
the deeds that you do. "
00:14:54.39\00:14:57.56
Men read what you write,
whether faithless or true.
00:14:57.60\00:15:02.53
Say what is the
Gospel according to you?
00:15:02.56\00:15:06.32
How often we are
guilty of false advertising.
00:15:08.08\00:15:12.67
The disciples had knowledge.
00:15:12.70\00:15:15.52
They had experience.
00:15:15.55\00:15:17.38
They have done this before,
00:15:17.42\00:15:19.22
but they were
severely lacking in power.
00:15:19.26\00:15:23.25
And so Jesus says in verse 19,
00:15:23.28\00:15:26.25
He says, "O
faithless generation,
00:15:26.28\00:15:29.15
how long shall I be with you?
00:15:29.19\00:15:31.86
How long shall I bear with you?
00:15:31.90\00:15:34.54
Bring him to Me. "
00:15:34.57\00:15:37.06
Can you feel the
sting of those words?
00:15:37.10\00:15:39.65
Jesus could see
the real problem.
00:15:41.04\00:15:43.16
The real problem was
not a lack of training
00:15:43.20\00:15:46.21
or a lack of being
relevant or attractive.
00:15:46.25\00:15:49.23
The problem was this.
00:15:49.26\00:15:50.86
The man was trying to get help
00:15:50.90\00:15:53.39
and the disciples
were trying to give it
00:15:53.43\00:15:56.02
all without faith in
the God who could do it.
00:15:56.06\00:16:00.42
And that's why
Jesus looks at them
00:16:00.45\00:16:02.37
and He immediately
sums up their problem.
00:16:02.41\00:16:04.39
He says, "O
faithless generation. "
00:16:04.42\00:16:07.55
They didn't have faith.
00:16:07.58\00:16:09.43
They were unbelieving.
00:16:09.47\00:16:11.25
And Spurgeon once said, he said,
00:16:11.29\00:16:13.41
"Every other crime
touches on God's territory,
00:16:13.45\00:16:17.87
but unbelief aims a
blow at His divinity,
00:16:17.90\00:16:22.44
impeaches His
veracity, denies His goodness,
00:16:22.48\00:16:26.95
blasphemes His attributes,
maligns His character.
00:16:26.99\00:16:31.40
Therefore, God, of all
things, hates first and chiefly,
00:16:31.44\00:16:36.13
unbelief, wherever it is. "
00:16:36.16\00:16:40.31
God has never rewarded unbelief.
00:16:40.35\00:16:44.13
God has never been able
to reward faithlessness.
00:16:44.17\00:16:48.34
The gospels tell us that
when Jesus walked this earth,
00:16:48.38\00:16:51.82
he had to pass whole towns by,
00:16:51.85\00:16:54.36
and was unable to
work many miracles there
00:16:54.40\00:16:57.16
because of
unbelief in those places.
00:16:57.19\00:17:00.65
Unbelief kept the
children of Israel
00:17:00.68\00:17:04.07
wandering in the
wilderness for 40 years.
00:17:04.11\00:17:07.57
And in the Spirit of
Prophecy, Maranatha page 19,
00:17:07.61\00:17:12.29
"It is the unbelief, the
worldliness, unconsecration,
00:17:12.33\00:17:16.98
and strife among the
Lord's professed people
00:17:17.01\00:17:21.24
that have kept us
in this world of sin
00:17:21.27\00:17:23.97
and sorrow so many years. "
00:17:24.00\00:17:27.65
And as you listen to
Jesus, talking to these people,
00:17:27.69\00:17:31.57
it almost sounds like
00:17:31.60\00:17:32.70
He is talking to
Laodicea, doesn't it?
00:17:32.74\00:17:35.34
He says how long
must I endure you?
00:17:35.38\00:17:37.91
By the way friends,
the problem with Laodicea
00:17:37.95\00:17:40.38
isn't so much her temperature.
00:17:40.41\00:17:42.36
That's just the
symptom of her disease.
00:17:42.40\00:17:45.49
Her disease is
this self righteousness.
00:17:45.52\00:17:47.90
She believes that
she is good enough
00:17:47.94\00:17:50.29
to get by on our own,
00:17:50.32\00:17:51.67
but friends we will
never be good enough
00:17:51.71\00:17:53.77
to get by on our own amen.
00:17:53.80\00:17:55.94
We will always need Jesus
00:17:55.97\00:17:58.04
and the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
00:17:58.08\00:18:00.15
And that is why the Holy
Spirit ever speaks of Jesus.
00:18:00.19\00:18:04.79
The Holy Spirit
is Cristo-centric,
00:18:04.82\00:18:07.06
always pointing us to
Jesus as our only hope.
00:18:07.10\00:18:11.99
And Jesus says,
"Bring the boy to me"
00:18:12.02\00:18:14.57
and I like that.
00:18:14.60\00:18:15.84
You have to
underline that in your Bible,
00:18:15.88\00:18:18.67
because when you have a problem,
00:18:18.70\00:18:20.87
don't just Facebook it?
00:18:20.90\00:18:23.04
Give it to Jesus and
let Him face it, amen.
00:18:23.08\00:18:26.47
If the disciples
missed the point,
00:18:26.50\00:18:29.12
don't let them
destroy your faith.
00:18:29.15\00:18:32.02
Take your problem
straight to Jesus.
00:18:32.06\00:18:34.90
Don't try to fix your past,
00:18:34.93\00:18:37.23
your future, your present,
your family, your relationships,
00:18:37.27\00:18:40.99
bring it to me, is
what Jesus says to us.
00:18:41.02\00:18:45.89
And notice verse 20,
00:18:45.92\00:18:48.41
"Then they brought him to Him.
00:18:48.45\00:18:50.45
And when he saw Him,
00:18:50.48\00:18:52.48
immediately the
spirit convulsed him,
00:18:52.52\00:18:54.83
and he fell on the
ground and wallowed,
00:18:54.86\00:18:57.10
foaming at the mouth.
So He asked his father,
00:18:57.14\00:19:00.34
"How long has this
been happening to him?"
00:19:00.38\00:19:03.55
And he said, "From childhood. "
00:19:03.58\00:19:05.38
Verse 22, "And
often he has thrown him
00:19:05.42\00:19:08.76
both into the fire and
into the water to destroy him.
00:19:08.80\00:19:13.39
But if You can do anything,
00:19:13.42\00:19:15.53
have compassion
on us and help us. "
00:19:15.57\00:19:20.91
Peter, James, and
John, the returning disciples
00:19:20.95\00:19:24.13
who had been with
Jesus, just moments
00:19:24.16\00:19:26.29
before on the
Mount of Transfiguration
00:19:26.32\00:19:28.42
cringed at the site before them.
00:19:28.45\00:19:31.31
It was very different
00:19:31.34\00:19:33.00
to what they'd
just seen on the Mount.
00:19:33.04\00:19:35.58
In the presence
of Jesus that demon
00:19:35.62\00:19:38.36
started to behave like a demon.
00:19:38.40\00:19:41.07
And the Spirit of Prophecy
tells us that at this moment,
00:19:41.11\00:19:44.23
the Angels of light and darkness
00:19:44.26\00:19:46.43
were crowning in over
the scene to watch as Michael
00:19:46.47\00:19:50.29
and the dragon met
again on the field of battle.
00:19:50.33\00:19:54.12
And friends, Jesus
is such a personal God.
00:19:54.15\00:19:57.02
Do you realize that
this is the only time
00:19:57.06\00:19:59.90
that Jesus ever asked anybody
00:19:59.93\00:20:02.55
for a case history of the
person He was about to heal.
00:20:02.59\00:20:06.46
It's the first- the only time.
00:20:06.49\00:20:07.77
And I think the
reason why He did this,
00:20:07.81\00:20:10.96
was because He saw
before Him a broken man
00:20:11.00\00:20:14.08
who needed to tell sympathizing
someone of the bitterness
00:20:14.12\00:20:18.74
and the pain that had poisoned
His home for so many years.
00:20:18.77\00:20:23.36
Imagine the
memories that this question
00:20:23.39\00:20:26.62
must have
resurrected for the Father.
00:20:26.65\00:20:29.85
He remembered the first day
00:20:29.88\00:20:31.49
those laughing
eyes had turned wild.
00:20:31.53\00:20:34.72
He remembered the
first moment of madness,
00:20:34.76\00:20:38.57
the first convulsion.
00:20:38.60\00:20:41.02
As he speaks, he
points to the convulsing
00:20:41.06\00:20:44.78
body of his son
covered in sores and scabs.
00:20:44.82\00:20:48.47
And his son's face is locked
in a horrific grimace of pain,
00:20:48.51\00:20:54.36
foaming at the mouth.
00:20:54.39\00:20:55.74
The Bible's
description is so vivid,
00:20:55.78\00:20:58.41
little is left
to the imagination.
00:20:58.44\00:21:01.27
And as these
memories flood his mind,
00:21:01.31\00:21:04.07
finally he is overcome
with grief and emotion,
00:21:04.11\00:21:08.29
that he can bear it no longer
00:21:08.32\00:21:09.78
and so he makes his
earnest plea to Jesus,
00:21:09.82\00:21:13.72
"If You can do anything,
00:21:13.75\00:21:17.04
please have
compassion on us and help us. "
00:21:17.08\00:21:23.79
Satan's plans for
your life and mine
00:21:23.82\00:21:26.52
aren't very
different to the plans
00:21:26.55\00:21:29.22
he had for that boy.
00:21:29.25\00:21:30.68
He wanted to kill that
boy, and that's exactly
00:21:30.72\00:21:34.04
what he'd like to
see of us as well,
00:21:34.07\00:21:35.93
like to get rid of us.
00:21:35.96\00:21:37.35
But friends let me tell you,
00:21:37.39\00:21:39.08
that you and I have never
looked into the eyes of someone
00:21:39.12\00:21:42.76
that doesn't matter
to Jesus Christ, amen.
00:21:42.79\00:21:46.43
We all matter to God.
00:21:46.46\00:21:48.16
The father wanted help.
00:21:48.19\00:21:49.82
Had he come to the right place?
00:21:49.86\00:21:52.28
Luke Chapter 9 verse 56 says,
00:21:52.32\00:21:54.67
"The Son of Man did not
come to destroy men's lives
00:21:54.71\00:21:58.25
but to save them. "
00:21:58.28\00:22:00.04
He wanted compassion.
00:22:00.08\00:22:01.77
Had He come to the right person?
00:22:01.81\00:22:04.61
Psalms 145 verse 8,
00:22:04.64\00:22:07.08
says, "The Lord is
gracious and full of compassion,
00:22:07.12\00:22:11.34
slow to anger
and great in mercy. "
00:22:11.37\00:22:14.37
He'd come to the
right place, amen.
00:22:14.40\00:22:17.33
And friends, the Roman,
well, before I get there,
00:22:17.37\00:22:20.41
let's read the
next verse, verse 23.
00:22:20.44\00:22:22.59
"Jesus said to
him, if you can believe,
00:22:24.02\00:22:28.34
all things are
possible to him who believes. "
00:22:28.38\00:22:32.94
The Roman military
leader Pompey used to boast
00:22:32.97\00:22:37.50
that with one stamp of his foot,
00:22:37.53\00:22:40.49
he could rouse
all of Italy to arms.
00:22:40.53\00:22:43.42
But friends, God with
one word from his mouth
00:22:43.46\00:22:46.89
can summon all
the angels of heaven
00:22:46.92\00:22:49.39
and undiscovered
worlds to His aid.
00:22:49.43\00:22:51.87
He is that powerful,
00:22:51.90\00:22:53.46
which is why as soon as
this man's words are uttered.
00:22:53.50\00:22:57.19
As soon as he
makes his cry to Jesus,
00:22:57.22\00:23:00.54
Jesus takes his words
00:23:00.57\00:23:02.32
and He almost
hurls them back at him,
00:23:02.36\00:23:04.51
and he says listen, I
have nothing to prove,
00:23:04.55\00:23:08.44
look at the record.
00:23:08.47\00:23:09.68
I called
everything out of nothing.
00:23:09.72\00:23:11.79
I'm the great I'm.
I created this world.
00:23:11.83\00:23:16.58
The question is not if I can.
00:23:16.61\00:23:19.68
No, you've put the
if in the wrong place.
00:23:19.72\00:23:23.10
The question is this,
00:23:23.13\00:23:24.65
if you can believe all
things are possible to Him
00:23:24.69\00:23:30.71
who believes.
00:23:30.74\00:23:32.49
It was a call
to faith in Christ.
00:23:32.53\00:23:36.78
And somebody gave me a
wooden standalone cutout,
00:23:36.82\00:23:40.77
I hope that explains it,
of the word faith, you know.
00:23:40.81\00:23:43.40
I dunno-you know
what I'm talking about?
00:23:43.43\00:23:45.35
Yeah, wooden standalone
cutout of the word faith
00:23:45.39\00:23:47.83
and it sits on my bookshelf.
00:23:47.86\00:23:49.72
And every time I
come into my room,
00:23:49.76\00:23:51.37
sometimes when I'm
perplexed or troubled,
00:23:51.41\00:23:53.67
I would come in
00:23:53.70\00:23:54.75
and I just happened
to look at that bookshelf
00:23:54.79\00:23:57.12
and I will see that one word
sermon preaching back at me,
00:23:57.16\00:24:00.63
calling me to
faith in Jesus Christ,
00:24:00.66\00:24:03.66
to believe in God and to
let go and let God be God
00:24:03.70\00:24:07.71
because there is no strength
00:24:07.74\00:24:09.73
greater than the
strength of the Lord.
00:24:09.77\00:24:13.24
The world says show
me and I'll believe.
00:24:13.27\00:24:16.71
Jesus says, believe me
and I'll show you, amen.
00:24:17.75\00:24:22.75
And come over
just keep your finger
00:24:22.78\00:24:24.00
in the Book of Mark,
00:24:24.01\00:24:25.06
but come over to
the Book of Jeremiah,
00:24:25.07\00:24:26.90
Jeremiah
Chapter 32 and verse 27.
00:24:26.93\00:24:30.73
This is another good text,
00:24:30.76\00:24:31.98
Jeremiah
Chapter 32 and verse 27.
00:24:32.02\00:24:36.40
Jeremiah 32 verse 27 says,
00:24:39.56\00:24:42.70
behold, I am the
Lord, the God of all flesh.
00:24:42.74\00:24:47.47
Is there, what?
00:24:47.50\00:24:49.59
Is there some
things too hard for Me?
00:24:49.63\00:24:51.71
Is there any
thing too hard for me?
00:24:52.97\00:24:55.78
Friends, God is big enough
to help you with your problems.
00:24:55.82\00:24:59.75
And yet so many times
00:24:59.78\00:25:01.78
we are caught making the
same mistake as this father.
00:25:01.82\00:25:04.97
We put the if
in the wrong place.
00:25:05.00\00:25:07.69
And we say, if you can help me,
00:25:07.72\00:25:10.34
if you can save me,
if you can forgive me,
00:25:10.38\00:25:15.51
if you can deliver
me, if you can heal me.
00:25:15.54\00:25:19.90
No, that's not what
we ought to be saying.
00:25:19.93\00:25:25.66
If you can believe,
He both can and will.
00:25:25.69\00:25:31.39
And the man's
response is powerful.
00:25:32.38\00:25:34.51
Verse 24, immediately the
father of the child cried out,
00:25:34.55\00:25:39.09
and said with tears,
00:25:39.12\00:25:41.02
Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief.
00:25:41.06\00:25:46.67
It wasn't that
the man didn't think
00:25:47.51\00:25:49.47
that Jesus could help him.
00:25:49.50\00:25:51.93
He woke up that morning
believing that he could.
00:25:51.97\00:25:55.62
But friends, sometimes the
shield of faith gets heavy,
00:25:55.66\00:25:59.16
sometimes
believing isn't always easy.
00:26:00.04\00:26:04.09
It's not easy when you
are fighting with that habit.
00:26:04.13\00:26:08.00
It's not easy when the crowd
is telling you not to believe,
00:26:08.04\00:26:12.79
oh, that's impossible.
00:26:12.82\00:26:14.01
It's not easy when circumstances
00:26:14.05\00:26:16.02
seem to suggest
that God is not there,
00:26:16.06\00:26:18.64
that God is distant.
00:26:18.67\00:26:20.40
It's not always easy to believe.
00:26:20.44\00:26:23.02
The disciples had
already let him down big time,
00:26:23.06\00:26:27.14
but to think that his son,
00:26:27.17\00:26:29.65
might continue to suffer
on account of his inability,
00:26:29.69\00:26:34.61
to believe in Jesus ability
was more than he could handle,
00:26:34.65\00:26:40.30
which is why he chooses
to take a great leap of faith
00:26:40.33\00:26:44.82
and lay hold of the
one who stood before him.
00:26:44.85\00:26:48.71
And as soon as he does that,
00:26:48.74\00:26:51.13
immediately he
becomes aware of his weakness
00:26:51.17\00:26:54.54
of his own weaknesses,
00:26:54.57\00:26:55.94
of a great chasm of
unbelief behind him,
00:26:55.98\00:26:59.57
which is why he says with tears
00:26:59.60\00:27:02.40
kneeling before the son of God.
00:27:02.43\00:27:05.16
Oh Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief.
00:27:05.20\00:27:12.25
And friends, tears are a
language that God understands.
00:27:12.29\00:27:17.54
With all its new technologies,
00:27:18.61\00:27:20.31
the iPod, the iPhone,
the iBook, the I whatever,
00:27:20.35\00:27:25.62
Apple could never create
a response more beautiful.
00:27:25.65\00:27:30.89
Lord, I believe help
though mine unbelief.
00:27:30.92\00:27:36.25
This is the victory
that overcomes the world
00:27:36.29\00:27:41.59
when we are stranded on God
00:27:41.62\00:27:44.73
and shipwrecked
on omnipotence amen.
00:27:44.77\00:27:47.75
It is the courage
of this man's faith
00:27:47.78\00:27:50.52
in being able to
say this that makes him
00:27:50.56\00:27:53.27
one of my greatest Bible heroes.
00:27:53.30\00:27:55.82
Mrs. White, she
actually goes so far as to say
00:27:55.86\00:27:58.87
that when we pray
sincerely this prayer,
00:27:58.90\00:28:01.82
we can never be
lost. You know, why?
00:28:01.86\00:28:04.71
Because we are believing
and the Bible says that,
00:28:04.75\00:28:08.07
whoever believes on Him,
00:28:08.10\00:28:10.06
will not perish, but
have everlasting life.
00:28:10.10\00:28:15.22
I think of the
story of this father.
00:28:15.25\00:28:17.39
He was reading one afternoon
00:28:17.42\00:28:19.48
and his little
five-year-old daughter
00:28:20.32\00:28:22.23
came into his
study. And she said,
00:28:22.27\00:28:24.11
"Daddy, can you please
build me a doll house?"
00:28:24.15\00:28:27.34
And he said, sure, honey.
00:28:27.37\00:28:28.55
And then, up she
went, and he kept reading.
00:28:28.59\00:28:30.66
And as he kept
reading a few moments later,
00:28:31.42\00:28:33.65
he looked out the
window of his study
00:28:33.68\00:28:35.71
and he saw his five year
old going into the backyard
00:28:35.75\00:28:39.33
with an arm full of dolls.
00:28:39.36\00:28:41.52
Then she went back to the house
00:28:41.56\00:28:42.62
and she came out again
with an arm full of toys.
00:28:42.66\00:28:45.65
She went back to the
house, came out again,
00:28:45.68\00:28:47.56
an arm full of dishes, and
little plates, and cutlery.
00:28:47.60\00:28:51.01
And he was a bit confused
and so he asked his wife,
00:28:51.04\00:28:54.42
he said what is she doing?
00:28:54.45\00:28:56.35
And she said,
well, you promised her
00:28:56.39\00:28:58.67
that you would
build her a doll house
00:28:58.70\00:29:00.95
and she believed you.
00:29:00.98\00:29:02.06
She is just
getting ready for you
00:29:02.10\00:29:03.90
when you are ready
to build the doll house.
00:29:03.94\00:29:07.16
And it was at that
moment, it suddenly struck him.
00:29:07.20\00:29:10.37
He dropped
everything that he was doing,
00:29:10.40\00:29:12.16
raced down to
the hardware store,
00:29:12.19\00:29:13.87
bought the necessary materials
00:29:13.91\00:29:15.52
and came back and
built that girl a doll house.
00:29:15.56\00:29:19.46
Why? Because she
had believed his word.
00:29:19.49\00:29:23.15
She had put faith in his word,
00:29:23.18\00:29:25.32
and nothing could keep him
from carrying out his promise.
00:29:25.36\00:29:29.67
And friends I
believe that God wants us
00:29:29.70\00:29:31.60
to have that kind of child
like faith to just believe Him.
00:29:31.64\00:29:35.94
When He says it He will
do it, believe that He will.
00:29:35.97\00:29:40.44
And pray, Lord, I
believe help thou mine unbelief.
00:29:40.47\00:29:45.07
Because the faith that
declares itself publicly,
00:29:45.10\00:29:49.67
yet realizes its
own weakness and pleads
00:29:49.70\00:29:52.57
for help is real faith.
00:29:52.60\00:29:55.25
And, friends, Jesus
took this man's faith
00:29:55.29\00:29:58.78
and He worked with
it. Verse 25 and 26,
00:29:58.81\00:30:02.23
When Jesus saw the
people came running together,
00:30:02.27\00:30:06.76
he rebuked the unclean spirit,
00:30:06.79\00:30:08.73
saying to it,
deaf and dumb spirit,
00:30:08.77\00:30:11.24
I command you
to, come out of him,
00:30:11.27\00:30:13.71
and enter him no more.
00:30:13.74\00:30:15.45
Then the spirit cried out,
00:30:15.48\00:30:17.19
and convulsed him greatly
00:30:17.22\00:30:18.86
and came out of him
and he became as one dead,
00:30:18.90\00:30:22.20
so that many said he is dead.
00:30:22.23\00:30:25.84
The Prince of Peace
gives that wild demon
00:30:25.88\00:30:29.31
his marching orders and
that demon had no choice
00:30:29.35\00:30:32.78
but to get out
and stay out. Amen.
00:30:32.81\00:30:35.66
Casting out demons
has never been a problem
00:30:35.70\00:30:38.62
for Jesus. Satan was cast
out of heaven a long time ago.
00:30:38.66\00:30:43.86
He is a defeated foe.
00:30:43.89\00:30:46.20
But crowds are really optimistic
00:30:46.24\00:30:49.25
and as soon as
Jesus delivers this boy,
00:30:49.29\00:30:51.94
everybody around looks at it
00:30:51.97\00:30:54.04
and they said well, he is dead.
00:30:54.08\00:30:56.08
But Jesus hasn't
gone anywhere verse 27,
00:30:56.12\00:30:59.02
But Jesus took him by the hand
00:30:59.05\00:31:02.34
and lifted him up, and he arose.
00:31:02.37\00:31:05.59
And I just love that,
because the mighty redeemer,
00:31:05.63\00:31:10.14
who a few moments
before had stood glorified
00:31:10.17\00:31:13.31
before His wondering disciples
on the Mount of Transfiguration
00:31:13.35\00:31:17.37
now reaches down to
lift a poor victim of Satan
00:31:17.40\00:31:21.83
who is wallowing in the valley.
00:31:21.86\00:31:24.14
Isn't that a beautiful picture?
00:31:24.18\00:31:26.39
And by the way in this
text the word in the Greek
00:31:26.43\00:31:29.92
for the word lifted
here is the same word
00:31:29.95\00:31:33.20
that also means to rise to life.
00:31:33.23\00:31:37.04
We find the same
word in Romans Chapter 8,
00:31:37.08\00:31:41.17
verse 11 where it says,
00:31:41.20\00:31:44.03
but if the Spirit
of him. Romans 8:11.
00:31:44.07\00:31:46.86
But if the Spirit
of him who raised Jesus
00:31:46.90\00:31:49.66
from the dead dwells in you,
00:31:49.69\00:31:52.53
he who raised
Christ from the dead
00:31:52.57\00:31:54.52
will also give life
to your mortal bodies
00:31:54.56\00:31:57.78
through his Spirit
who dwelleth in you.
00:31:57.82\00:32:01.01
So question.
What is Mark's point?
00:32:01.04\00:32:05.59
I think it might be this.
00:32:05.62\00:32:07.57
That it is only
through death and resurrection
00:32:07.61\00:32:11.51
that the works of the
evil one are destroyed.
00:32:11.55\00:32:15.38
And friends, Jesus is
still in the lifting business.
00:32:15.42\00:32:20.49
Amen. He is still able
to lift us into new life.
00:32:20.53\00:32:25.57
Come with me to
Second Corinthians
00:32:25.60\00:32:27.09
Chapter 5 and Verse 17.
00:32:27.12\00:32:29.51
Second Corinthians
Chapter 5 Verse 17.
00:32:29.55\00:32:37.97
Second Corinthians
Chapter 5, Verse 17.
00:32:38.00\00:32:46.35
The Bible says, Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ,
00:32:46.39\00:32:50.29
He is a new creation,
old things have passed away,
00:32:50.32\00:32:54.19
behold old things
have become new. Amen.
00:32:54.22\00:32:59.29
Jesus is still able to
lift us into newness of life.
00:32:59.33\00:33:03.66
Story is told of a camp
meeting that happened one time
00:33:03.69\00:33:07.99
and a man at this camp meeting,
00:33:08.02\00:33:10.30
he stood up to
share his testimony
00:33:10.34\00:33:12.87
and as he was
sharing his testimony,
00:33:12.90\00:33:15.26
a heckler in the
crowd also stood up
00:33:15.29\00:33:17.58
and he said, Uh, just
sit down and be quiet.
00:33:17.62\00:33:21.27
You're just
dreaming. This isn't true.
00:33:21.30\00:33:24.82
And after he said that,
00:33:24.85\00:33:26.05
he felt a little tug on his coat
00:33:26.09\00:33:28.54
and he looked down
00:33:28.57\00:33:29.79
and there was a
little girl there
00:33:29.83\00:33:31.50
and she looked up at him
00:33:31.51\00:33:32.65
and she said, "Mister, that man
talking over there, is my dad.
00:33:32.66\00:33:37.37
My dad used to be a drunkard.
00:33:37.40\00:33:39.84
He used to spend
all his money on whisky.
00:33:39.88\00:33:43.06
My mum would cry
almost every night
00:33:43.09\00:33:46.09
and she was always unhappy.
00:33:46.12\00:33:48.29
I never used to have
my shoes or anything,
00:33:48.33\00:33:51.58
but look, I'm wearing nice shoes
00:33:51.61\00:33:53.63
and you see this pretty dress,
00:33:53.66\00:33:55.99
my daddy bought this for me.
00:33:56.03\00:33:58.19
And you see that lady over there
00:33:58.23\00:34:00.32
with the big smile on
her face, that's my mummy.
00:34:00.36\00:34:03.59
And she sings now while
she is doing the ironing.
00:34:03.62\00:34:06.82
So if my daddy is dreaming,
00:34:06.85\00:34:08.80
then please don't wake him up. "
00:34:08.83\00:34:10.75
But friends, it's not a dream.
00:34:12.97\00:34:14.62
Amen. God changes lives.
00:34:14.65\00:34:17.35
I know it because I've
seen it happen in my own life.
00:34:17.39\00:34:20.70
I've seen it happen in the
lives of people in my family.
00:34:20.73\00:34:24.01
My dad isn't here unfortunately.
00:34:24.04\00:34:26.85
I have my mum and
my sister with me here,
00:34:26.89\00:34:29.00
which is really wonderful.
00:34:29.03\00:34:30.11
But my dad, he is
back home in Sydney.
00:34:30.15\00:34:32.61
So I can talk about him.
00:34:32.64\00:34:35.27
My dad, he comes from Samoa.
00:34:35.31\00:34:37.91
My last name is Fong
00:34:37.94\00:34:39.00
because his dad
was also part Chinese.
00:34:39.04\00:34:41.52
So I'm all mixed up.
00:34:41.55\00:34:43.23
And-but my dad as soon as
00:34:43.27\00:34:46.32
- well shortly
after he married my mum,
00:34:46.36\00:34:48.12
he stopped going to church.
00:34:48.15\00:34:50.64
But you know what,
my mum prayed for him
00:34:50.68\00:34:53.28
and we prayed
for dad for 25 years.
00:34:53.31\00:34:57.65
And 25 years later,
God got a hold of him.
00:34:57.69\00:35:00.32
The Holy Spirit finally
won the victory in his heart
00:35:00.36\00:35:03.45
and he was re-baptized.
00:35:03.48\00:35:04.68
So I know that
God changes lives.
00:35:04.72\00:35:06.90
Some of you may have fathers,
00:35:06.93\00:35:09.04
or mothers, or
brother and sisters,
00:35:09.08\00:35:11.25
loved ones who
are not in the Church
00:35:11.28\00:35:13.38
or who don't know
Jesus, keep praying for them
00:35:13.42\00:35:16.36
because God is still
in the lifting business.
00:35:16.40\00:35:19.31
He is still able
to lift that cold,
00:35:19.34\00:35:21.25
complacent Christian
out of their complacency
00:35:21.29\00:35:24.07
and into blessing.
00:35:24.10\00:35:25.56
He is still able to deliver
00:35:25.60\00:35:27.57
that person
struggling with an addiction.
00:35:27.61\00:35:30.51
He is still
able to deliver them.
00:35:30.54\00:35:32.84
He is still able to forgive
the sinner burden with guilt
00:35:32.88\00:35:36.33
and He is still
able to forgive them
00:35:36.36\00:35:38.42
even if that sinner is you.
00:35:38.45\00:35:40.93
Friends, our God is still able
00:35:40.97\00:35:43.38
and I imagine as the Father
as He saw Jesus deliver his son
00:35:43.42\00:35:48.83
and when for the first
time, his son looked at him
00:35:48.86\00:35:52.18
and ran to him
and called him dad,
00:35:52.21\00:35:55.25
as he ran to him, I imagine
00:35:55.28\00:35:56.90
it was the
happiest day of their lives.
00:35:56.94\00:36:00.73
Both of them had come to Jesus
00:36:00.76\00:36:03.02
and both of
them had been healed.
00:36:03.06\00:36:05.29
The father of his unbelief
00:36:05.32\00:36:07.41
and the son had been
delivered from this demon.
00:36:07.45\00:36:11.08
The God on the
mountain top had proved
00:36:11.11\00:36:14.34
He was still God
in the Valley. Amen.
00:36:14.37\00:36:17.53
But nine of the
disciples were quite confused.
00:36:17.57\00:36:21.83
They were still puzzled.
00:36:21.86\00:36:23.04
They couldn't
workout what had gone wrong.
00:36:23.08\00:36:26.18
People saw them as men of faith.
00:36:26.21\00:36:29.08
Jesus had given them
the power to cast out demons
00:36:29.12\00:36:32.64
and so in true
Laodicean style though
00:36:32.67\00:36:35.86
they were completely
unaware of their problem,
00:36:35.90\00:36:38.31
and so they
approached Jesus privately,
00:36:38.34\00:36:41.08
which by the way is a privilege
00:36:41.11\00:36:42.70
that you and I have as well.
00:36:42.73\00:36:44.25
When we are perplexed,
come to Jesus privately
00:36:44.29\00:36:47.80
and notice what
happens. Verse 28 and 29,
00:36:47.83\00:36:51.74
and when He had
come into the house,
00:36:51.77\00:36:53.99
His disciples
asked Him privately,
00:36:54.02\00:36:56.21
why could we not cast it out?
00:36:56.24\00:36:58.48
So He said to them,
this kind can come out
00:36:58.52\00:37:01.30
by nothing but
prayer and fasting.
00:37:01.33\00:37:05.21
To paraphrase,
Jesus looks at them
00:37:06.83\00:37:08.68
and it's almost like he says,
00:37:08.71\00:37:10.88
you're not taking God seriously.
00:37:10.92\00:37:13.02
It's as if you're
engaged in a mock battle.
00:37:13.06\00:37:15.99
It's like you're
playing a game or something
00:37:16.03\00:37:18.93
but your enemy Satan,
00:37:18.96\00:37:20.94
he is much stronger
than you are, meet him alone,
00:37:20.98\00:37:24.64
and he will come out
on top every single time.
00:37:24.68\00:37:28.67
The bottom line is
this, you cannot fight.
00:37:28.71\00:37:32.67
You cannot face him without me.
00:37:32.70\00:37:37.86
Friends, they were powerless
because they were prayerless.
00:37:37.90\00:37:43.44
And John Wesley one day
when he was riding along
00:37:43.47\00:37:45.82
he came across a man
who was on his knees,
00:37:45.85\00:37:48.72
breaking stones, dunno
why, with an interesting device.
00:37:48.76\00:37:52.92
And when he saw him
being the preacher he was,
00:37:52.95\00:37:55.80
he immediately made
a spiritual application
00:37:55.84\00:37:58.66
and he said, oh,
I wish I could break
00:37:58.69\00:38:00.64
the hearts of the
people who hear me.
00:38:00.67\00:38:02.55
Some of them, their
hearts are as hard as stone.
00:38:02.59\00:38:05.11
And the man on his knees said,
00:38:05.14\00:38:06.45
well, have you ever tried
breaking them on your knees?
00:38:06.49\00:38:08.72
This is a heavy duty
point because the disciples,
00:38:10.33\00:38:13.04
sorry, the scribes had linked
00:38:13.07\00:38:15.88
the
powerlessness of the disciples
00:38:15.92\00:38:18.60
to the superior
power of the demon.
00:38:18.64\00:38:21.29
But that wasn't the problem.
00:38:21.32\00:38:22.99
They were the ones
that were lacking in power.
00:38:23.03\00:38:25.32
It was the disciples that
were spiritually powerless.
00:38:25.36\00:38:28.55
And friends, on our own,
00:38:28.58\00:38:29.77
we are unable to
overcome character flaws.
00:38:29.81\00:38:33.87
We are unable to overcome
00:38:33.91\00:38:35.59
temptations and
demon possession.
00:38:35.60\00:38:39.11
And yet later
in the same Chapter
00:38:39.12\00:38:41.29
that we are in Mark Chapter 9,
00:38:41.33\00:38:43.12
it's interesting in verse 38
00:38:43.16\00:38:44.75
the disciples came across
00:38:44.78\00:38:46.30
another person
casting out demons.
00:38:46.34\00:38:49.35
This person was doing what
they should have been able to do
00:38:49.39\00:38:52.39
because this
person believed in Jesus.
00:38:52.42\00:38:56.05
And when they saw John tells
Jesus he said, we forbade him
00:38:56.09\00:39:00.69
because he
wasn't part of the 12.
00:39:00.72\00:39:02.65
You see evidently the
disciples had come to believe
00:39:02.69\00:39:05.98
that power was inherent in them.
00:39:06.01\00:39:09.41
But you and I
cannot inherit God's power.
00:39:09.45\00:39:13.24
Just because you're here at GYC
00:39:13.27\00:39:15.20
at a conference
called, "Fill Me. "
00:39:15.24\00:39:17.10
Just because we're
hearing lovely powerful sermons
00:39:17.14\00:39:21.01
and seminars on the
Holy Spirit and God,
00:39:21.04\00:39:23.30
doesn't mean that
you're automatically
00:39:23.34\00:39:25.57
going to
receive the latter rain.
00:39:25.60\00:39:29.10
We only receive this as
we come to Jesus day by day
00:39:29.14\00:39:33.12
and establish a relationship,
00:39:33.15\00:39:36.64
a personal
relationship with Him.
00:39:36.68\00:39:40.13
But that wasn't
even the only problem.
00:39:40.17\00:39:42.45
It seems that
there was another problem
00:39:42.49\00:39:44.74
that went even deeper than this.
00:39:44.77\00:39:46.48
Yes, they were prayerless
and that was a problem.
00:39:46.52\00:39:49.54
But there was a reason
why they were prayerless
00:39:49.57\00:39:52.56
and the Spirit
of Prophecy helps us
00:39:52.59\00:39:54.63
understand what that was.
00:39:54.66\00:39:56.01
And here's a quote
from Desire of Ages.
00:39:56.05\00:39:59.29
She writes the
selection of the three disciples
00:39:59.33\00:40:02.37
to accompany
Jesus to the mountain
00:40:02.40\00:40:05.55
had excited the
jealousy of the nine.
00:40:05.58\00:40:08.66
Instead of strengthening
their faith by prayer
00:40:08.70\00:40:11.65
and meditation on
the words of Christ,
00:40:11.68\00:40:15.15
they had been dwelling
on their discouragements
00:40:15.19\00:40:19.72
and personal
grievances. They were prayerless
00:40:19.76\00:40:24.26
because they were
preoccupied with self.
00:40:24.29\00:40:29.02
In a jealous, self-seeking state
00:40:29.05\00:40:32.22
they had tried to
take on the demons,
00:40:32.26\00:40:35.95
but instead the
demons had taken them on.
00:40:35.98\00:40:39.60
And in another quote that I read
from the Spirit of Prophecy,
00:40:39.64\00:40:42.77
she says I know
of no sins greater
00:40:42.80\00:40:45.04
in the sight of God than
cherishing jealousy and hatred
00:40:45.08\00:40:49.04
toward bethren and
turning the weapons
00:40:49.07\00:40:51.72
of warfare against them.
00:40:51.75\00:40:55.94
In October of 1805, the day
before the Battle of Trafalgar,
00:40:55.98\00:41:01.82
Admiral Lord Nelson he inquired
of his Admiral Collingwood.
00:41:01.86\00:41:07.67
He asked him
where the captain was
00:41:07.70\00:41:09.60
and as soon as he
learnt where the captain was,
00:41:09.64\00:41:12.36
he also learnt
that there was a problem
00:41:12.39\00:41:15.15
between the
captain and Collingwood.
00:41:15.18\00:41:17.87
And so he sent a boat
to bring the captain over
00:41:17.91\00:41:21.06
to where he was and the
boat brought the captain.
00:41:21.09\00:41:24.21
And so when the
captain Collingwood and,
00:41:24.24\00:41:26.42
sorry the captain
was not Collingwood,
00:41:26.46\00:41:28.57
rather Hem was the captain
and Collingwood was the admiral.
00:41:28.61\00:41:32.50
When they both came together
00:41:32.53\00:41:33.72
and these two men obviously
had a problem with each other,
00:41:33.76\00:41:37.69
Lord Nelson, he
took both of their hands
00:41:37.72\00:41:39.87
and he put them together.
00:41:39.90\00:41:41.28
And then with the
sweep of his hand,
00:41:41.32\00:41:43.62
he motioned to
this - the horizon
00:41:43.66\00:41:45.89
where there were
ships gathering for war
00:41:45.93\00:41:48.16
and he said, "Look,
yonder, they are your enemies. "
00:41:48.20\00:41:52.96
You and I don't waste
time fighting with each other.
00:41:52.99\00:41:57.70
We're not the enemy.
00:41:57.71\00:41:58.70
We're ought to be family.
00:41:58.71\00:42:00.40
We're on the same team.
00:42:00.44\00:42:01.68
We're not the enemy.
00:42:01.71\00:42:02.88
And friends, as
soon as that happened,
00:42:02.92\00:42:05.11
they dropped their argument
00:42:05.14\00:42:06.83
and the victory was won.
00:42:06.87\00:42:08.49
Over and over again in
the Book of Acts, friends,
00:42:08.53\00:42:12.25
we see that the early
Church was of one accord.
00:42:12.28\00:42:15.97
And we need the same kind
00:42:16.00\00:42:17.67
of aggressive unity
in our churches today.
00:42:17.71\00:42:21.13
To quote D. L. Moody,
00:42:21.16\00:42:22.17
"There is one
thing that we must have
00:42:22.21\00:42:24.72
if we are to have
the Holy Spirit of God
00:42:24.75\00:42:27.23
work in our midst
and it is unity. "
00:42:27.26\00:42:31.16
Jealousy, criticizing,
fault finding, gossip,
00:42:31.20\00:42:36.62
all of those things will hinder
00:42:36.65\00:42:39.17
the work of God's
Spirit every time.
00:42:39.21\00:42:42.51
I think it's time that
we left the judgment to God.
00:42:42.55\00:42:45.73
Amen. Let God be God.
00:42:45.76\00:42:48.14
To quote again
from The Desire of Ages,
00:42:48.18\00:42:51.02
"In order to
succeed in such a conflict,
00:42:51.05\00:42:53.82
they must come to the
work in a different spirit.
00:42:53.86\00:42:57.11
Their faith must be
strengthened by fervent prayer,
00:42:57.14\00:43:00.36
and fasting, and
humiliation of heart.
00:43:00.39\00:43:03.57
They must be emptied of self
00:43:03.60\00:43:05.94
and be filled with the
Spirit and Power of God.
00:43:05.98\00:43:09.65
Earnest, persevering,
supplication to God in faith,
00:43:09.69\00:43:13.33
faith that leads to
entire dependence upon God
00:43:13.36\00:43:16.69
and unreserved
consecration to His work
00:43:16.72\00:43:19.94
can alone avail to bring man
00:43:19.97\00:43:22.66
the Holy Spirit's
aid in the battle. "
00:43:22.70\00:43:26.58
Friends, before
we go any further,
00:43:26.92\00:43:28.97
it's time, we
remembered that one last thing
00:43:29.01\00:43:31.91
that Jesus said, before you go,
00:43:31.94\00:43:35.63
wait for the Holy
Spirit to empower you,
00:43:35.67\00:43:38.65
come to him, come
to Jesus every morning
00:43:38.68\00:43:41.54
and pray for it and
when you receive it,
00:43:41.57\00:43:44.36
then you can go and share
with the world around you.
00:43:44.40\00:43:47.61
I know that it's tempting
00:43:47.64\00:43:48.98
to be committed to
perpetual activity,
00:43:49.02\00:43:51.68
you just keep go, go,
go, go, go but, friends,
00:43:51.72\00:43:54.57
we need the Holy Spirit's power
00:43:54.60\00:43:56.60
if we are going to
finish this work. Amen.
00:43:56.64\00:44:00.19
Knowledge of Daniel 11 and
12 is not going to be enough.
00:44:00.23\00:44:04.82
Activity will not be enough.
00:44:04.85\00:44:07.80
You and I need
Pentecostal Power.
00:44:07.84\00:44:10.60
This is the only hope
of the Adventist Church
00:44:10.64\00:44:15.02
and I'm reminded
of what will happen
00:44:15.05\00:44:16.91
when we receive that power
00:44:16.94\00:44:18.29
whenever we ask for it
00:44:18.33\00:44:19.61
in Acts Chapter 1 and verse 8.
00:44:19.65\00:44:21.29
Acts Chapter 1 and verse 8
00:44:22.86\00:44:26.03
says, But you
shall receive power
00:44:33.86\00:44:36.69
when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you,
00:44:36.73\00:44:39.39
and you shall be
witnesses to me in Jerusalem,
00:44:39.43\00:44:42.25
and in all Judea and in Samaria,
00:44:42.28\00:44:45.10
and to the end of the earth.
00:44:45.14\00:44:47.89
And, friends, a great change
took place in those disciples.
00:44:47.93\00:44:51.83
Those disciples that
we find here faithless
00:44:51.86\00:44:54.20
a great change took
place in them after Calvary.
00:44:54.24\00:44:57.78
In the Upper
Room before Calvary,
00:44:57.81\00:44:59.74
they were fault finding,
trying to be the greatest.
00:44:59.78\00:45:02.76
But in the Upper Room
on the day of Pentecost,
00:45:02.79\00:45:04.94
they are a
different bunch of people.
00:45:04.97\00:45:07.47
They are humble.
00:45:07.50\00:45:08.56
They are emptying
themselves of themself of self.
00:45:08.60\00:45:12.15
There are of one accord.
00:45:12.18\00:45:13.82
And God marks this with
an outpouring of his Spirit.
00:45:13.86\00:45:17.08
He fills them. What
made the difference?
00:45:17.11\00:45:21.68
Well, I believe that the
cross made a lot of difference
00:45:21.72\00:45:26.77
because the men
in the Upper Room,
00:45:26.80\00:45:28.81
those in the Upper
Room on the day of Pentecost
00:45:28.85\00:45:31.61
had surveyed the Wondrous Cross
00:45:31.64\00:45:34.69
on which the
Prince of Glory died.
00:45:34.73\00:45:37.71
And because of
that, their riches gained,
00:45:37.75\00:45:40.82
they counted that
loss and poured contempt
00:45:40.85\00:45:43.89
on all their pride.
00:45:43.92\00:45:46.13
Friends, in each heart,
there is a throne and a cross.
00:45:46.17\00:45:51.67
Sin, self, and the Savior cannot
occupy the same heart throne,
00:45:51.71\00:45:57.95
which means if
Jesus is on the throne,
00:45:57.98\00:46:01.01
self is on the cross.
00:46:01.04\00:46:03.98
And to quote something
from a book I've been reading
00:46:04.02\00:46:06.66
by LeRoy Froom, The
Coming of the Comforter,
00:46:06.69\00:46:09.51
"As the Holy
Spirit came at Pentecost
00:46:09.54\00:46:12.20
after the enthronement
of Christ in heaven,
00:46:12.24\00:46:15.12
so it is not until
Christ is in enthroned king
00:46:15.16\00:46:17.97
in the individual heart that
the person of Pentecost comes.
00:46:18.01\00:46:22.51
This is our
greatest individual need.
00:46:22.54\00:46:24.90
And therefore our greatest
collective need as well.
00:46:24.94\00:46:29.17
If Jesus had
remained on this mountain top,
00:46:29.20\00:46:32.21
the situation in the valley
would've remained unchanged.
00:46:32.25\00:46:36.23
But, friends, God
so loved the world
00:46:36.26\00:46:38.73
that he came to
this world. Amen.
00:46:38.76\00:46:41.25
The Son of God
became the son of man
00:46:41.29\00:46:43.71
that he might change the
sons of men into sons of God.
00:46:43.75\00:46:47.86
He descended into
our valley of great need
00:46:47.89\00:46:50.86
that He might die
the death that we deserve
00:46:50.89\00:46:53.79
so that one day He could
take us to a better place. "
00:46:53.83\00:46:57.82
I pray as you
listen to the song just now
00:46:57.85\00:47:00.02
and in the prayer
time that will follow
00:47:00.06\00:47:02.16
that you and I will
empty ourselves of self.
00:47:02.20\00:47:05.95
That if there is jealousies
that exist in our heart
00:47:05.99\00:47:08.44
between us and someone else
00:47:08.47\00:47:09.95
that we will ask
God to take it from us,
00:47:09.99\00:47:12.97
give it up that we
will seek God in prayers
00:47:13.00\00:47:15.95
that we can receive His power
00:47:15.98\00:47:17.97
and finish this
work and go home. Amen.
00:47:18.01\00:47:20.59
May God bless you.
00:47:20.62\00:47:21.99
Filled with
compassion for all creation
00:47:40.52\00:47:49.42
Jesus came into a
world that was lost
00:47:49.46\00:47:58.29
There was but one
way that He could save us
00:47:58.33\00:48:08.50
Only through
suffering death on a cross
00:48:08.54\00:48:18.64
God, You are waiting,
Your heart is breaking
00:48:18.68\00:48:27.09
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:48:27.12\00:48:35.35
Stir us to action,
filled with Your passion
00:48:35.38\00:48:44.47
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:48:44.50\00:48:53.56
Great is Your
passion for all the people
00:48:58.68\00:49:06.90
Living and dying
without knowing You
00:49:06.93\00:49:15.08
And having no
Savior, they're last forever
00:49:15.12\00:49:23.51
If we don't speak
out and lead them to You
00:49:23.54\00:49:31.66
God, You are waiting,
Your heart is breaking
00:49:31.70\00:49:39.77
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:49:39.81\00:49:47.82
Stir us to action,
filled with Your passion
00:49:47.85\00:49:56.69
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:49:56.73\00:50:05.54
From every nation
we shall be gathered
00:50:10.63\00:50:21.23
Millions redeemed
will be Jesus? Reward
00:50:21.26\00:50:31.48
Then He will turn
and say to His Father
00:50:31.51\00:50:42.76
Truly my
suffering was worth it all
00:50:42.79\00:50:53.97
God, You are waiting,
Your heart is breaking
00:50:54.01\00:51:02.08
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:51:02.12\00:51:11.95
Stir us to action,
filled with Your passion
00:51:11.99\00:51:28.90
For all the people
who live on the earth
00:51:28.94\00:51:45.82
Would you bow your
heads with me for prayer?
00:51:52.20\00:51:55.20
Dear Heavenly
Father, this morning,
00:51:55.23\00:51:57.32
we have been
taken to your throne.
00:51:57.35\00:51:59.37
And right now, we
invite Jesus to come down
00:51:59.41\00:52:02.20
from the mountain and to
take lodging in our hearts.
00:52:02.24\00:52:06.55
We ask that You
would give us faith.
00:52:06.58\00:52:10.78
And that a faith
founded on the word of God
00:52:10.82\00:52:13.94
would lead us to
unity as your people.
00:52:13.97\00:52:17.17
We're throwing
ourselves at Your feet
00:52:17.21\00:52:19.90
and we're
expecting You to perform
00:52:19.93\00:52:22.55
that miracle in our
lives, in Jesus name. Amen.
00:52:22.59\00:52:28.04