Participants: Charles E. Bradford
Series Code: 11HC
Program Code: 11HC000014
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00:47 And we're down to the last two meetings of this Camp Meeting.
00:51 And we have really been having a wonderful time. 00:56 We have. And it's been a privilege to be here with... 01:00 have Elder Bradford here - yes - and Mark Finley, 01:02 Pastor Mark Finley. And I don't know about you all 01:05 but I've been blessed. And so we don't get to come 01:07 out here but we can hear from the green room. 01:09 We've finally got us a television up 01:12 a couple years ago so we can sit and listen and enjoy too. 01:15 Right. But through the running back and forth. 01:17 And the great thing is: DVDs will be available - 01:20 they are - for the programs and because I... 01:23 There's a special anointing that they both have - 01:25 yes - and they both have been incredible evangelists 01:28 in the Seventh-day Adventist church for many years. 01:31 So it's been a privilege. And then I've been especially 01:33 also impressed with some of the music that we've had here 01:37 with Reggie and Ladye and with the Lesters that were here 01:40 this afternoon and some of the other folk. 01:42 So we're just thankful for this whole Camp Meeting 01:45 and mostly we're thankful for all of you that're here, 01:47 those of you at home that continue to support 3ABN. 01:51 Yes, and it means so much to us to hear from you 01:55 because, Danny, there's nothing like getting a letter 02:00 that's encouraging. And I got one once. 02:04 I want you to know that. And uh... 02:09 And I still have it on my desk and every once in a while 02:12 I read it. You get the other kind, too, 02:15 where they tell you that your tie wasn't right 02:18 or... or that you said something they didn't approve of. 02:21 You don't get the tie letters any more? 02:24 All right. I was talking with a fellow out here. 02:28 He's a pharmacist. Ray... he's sitting here. 02:30 And he and his wife - she's a nurse/practitioner - 02:33 have watched us for many many years. 02:34 This is their first time. Came down from Michigan 02:36 to be with us. And said the same thing we hear so many times. 02:41 "It's one thing to see it on TV... " 02:43 yeah... "but it's another thing to be in the house 02:46 and experience the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. " 02:48 Amen. It's a whole different world, 02:49 a whole different ballgame. It is... it really is. 02:52 And even though, for those of us that work through this... 02:56 this whole Camp Meeting time, 02:59 it is tiring. Some of you here... I'm looking at you 03:02 and you're thinking those of you that sit through it 03:04 it's tiring, too. But... but I will tell you this: 03:07 that it is so inspiring. We're all ready looking forward 03:11 to the next one. And the next Spring Camp Meeting 03:15 will be May 30-31 03:19 and June 1-2. So put that on your calendar 03:25 right now. May 30-31 and June 1-2, 03:31 2012. 03:34 Lord willing, we'll be right here for another Camp Meeting 03:37 at that time. Well right now we want to sing our theme song 03:41 that we've enjoyed singing: When the roll is called up yonder 03:45 I'll be there. 04:35 Amen. 04:36 Shall we pray? Father God, we thank you 04:39 for this blessed Sabbath day which is now slipping 04:43 into eternity. We thank you for Your presence and Your power. 04:48 For the word that has been preached with power. 04:51 For the music that has been sung under the anointing 04:54 of the Holy Spirit. We thank you, Lord, that You 04:57 have allowed us to sit even for a little while 05:00 in heavenly places and get a brand new glimpse 05:05 of the King and His soon-coming kingdom. 05:09 What we have experienced heretofore 05:12 we ask that we may be privileged to experience it 05:16 once again in this particular meeting. 05:19 Be the honored guest. Speak to us through the music. 05:23 Preach to us through the spoken word. 05:26 Open our hearts and fill our minds with Your love 05:30 and Your Word and Your glory and Your grace. 05:35 Teach us those things that You would have us to know 05:38 and help us to do them 05:40 because it is in the doing that we are made like Christ Jesus. 05:44 Bless us again this night we ask and pray 05:47 and thank you in Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. 05:52 Praise the Lord! 05:53 Well listen, we... we have looked forward 05:57 to this meeting all day 06:01 because this is the time when we will hear 06:05 our two speakers one more time: 06:07 Elder Bradford at this service 06:10 and immediately after our closing service 06:14 will be Elder Mark Finley. 06:16 And the messages we've received already today 06:20 have been such a blessing. Those messages that 06:23 were given this morning and I have been excited about 06:28 every one of them that I've heard. I've learned a lot. 06:32 You know, when you can learn something from a message 06:35 that is new, that is exciting, 06:38 that is something that just inspires you, 06:42 then you know that God is really using that message 06:46 in a very special way. 06:47 Elder Bradford's subject tonight is "Buy That Field. " 06:52 And before he comes to speak to us 06:55 Tammy Chance is going to come back. 06:58 She's going to sing a song that we've already heard once today. 07:01 But we want to hear it again. We want to hear her sing 07:04 He Didn't Throw The Clay Away. 07:08 Jim, I'm chicken. After the Lester's doing it 07:10 I couldn't go after them and do it again. 07:13 You're not going to do it? No. 07:15 Well thank you for telling me. I appreciate... 07:18 That's the crew's job. 07:21 I chickened out. I asked her... I said: 07:24 "Is she going to do that song again? " 07:26 And they said: "Yes, she is! " I sent them over there. 07:30 Sorry. You did chicken out, huh? 07:32 I did chicken... I can't follow them. No. 07:34 She threw the clay away and now she's going to... 07:37 she's going to sing something else, all right? 07:41 What are you going to sing? I'm going to sing 07:42 This World Is Not My Home. All right. 07:50 I hope I don't get fired. 07:57 This world is not my home, 08:02 I'm just a'passin through. 08:07 My treasures are laid up 08:12 somewhere beyond the blue. 08:16 The angels beckon me 08:21 from heaven's open door 08:25 and I can't feel at home 08:29 in this world 08:32 any more. 08:38 Oh Lord, you know I have no friend like You. 08:44 If heaven's not my home, Lord, 08:48 Lord, what will I do? 08:50 The angels beckon me 08:54 from heaven's open door 08:56 and I can't feel at home 08:59 in this world any more. 09:07 Just over in glory land we'll 09:11 live eternally. 09:14 The saints on every hand 09:17 are shouting victory! 09:20 Their songs of sweetest praise drift back from heaven's shore 09:26 and I can't feel at home 09:29 in this world any more. 09:34 Oh Lord, You know, 09:37 I have no friend like You. 09:40 If heaven's not my home, Lord, 09:44 Lord what will I do? 09:47 The angels beckon me 09:50 from heaven's open door 09:52 and I can't feel at home 09:56 in this world any more. 10:01 They're all expecting me 10:03 and that's one thing I know. 10:07 My Savior pardoned me 10:10 and now I onward go. 10:13 I know He'll take me through 10:16 though I am weak and poor 10:19 and I can't feel at home 10:22 in this world any more. 10:26 The angels beckon me 10:29 from heaven's open door 10:31 and I can't feel at home 10:34 in this world 10:37 any more. 10:45 Amen. 10:56 Tell that young lady she can sing anything she wants to. 10:59 Amen. And if these brethren are not nice to her 11:02 she must call me up and I'll let them know 11:04 what side I'm on, all right? Thank you so much. 11:07 And your theme song grips me. What's your theme song? 11:13 Come on... huh? 11:16 When the roll is called up yonder. 11:19 It happened in London they tell me. 11:21 Now many of these stories about hymns 11:24 are different versions of them. 11:26 But my version of this comes from London. 11:28 They began Sunday Schools, you know, there in London. 11:32 They were really almost in contradistinction of the church. 11:36 The church over here and the Sunday School over here. 11:38 And Sunday School workers took care of the children 11:41 down in the slums and they gathered them in, you know. 11:44 They didn't have busses they gathered them in. 11:46 And they had the little talks and Bible plays and so forth. 11:51 And they missed one little fellow. 11:53 They missed him. Couple of times they missed him 11:55 and they went to his little tenement house where he lived. 11:59 Very, very poor section of London. 12:01 And when they walked into his room, he was fading away. 12:05 And they said: "Oh, we missed you. 12:07 We missed you. You know we call roll every Sunday 12:10 and you weren't there. " 12:12 And the people told them he was really dying. 12:14 And he said: "But I will be there... When the roll is called 12:19 up yonder, I'll be there. " 12:22 Amen. That's a little boy's testimony. 12:24 I hope that's the right story about it. 12:26 But it's a good one anyway, isn't it? 12:29 A good one... it's a good one. 12:31 Now tonight I want to talk about that field. 12:35 Buy That Field. 12:39 Our foreparents came here 12:41 and they homesteaded, some of them, didn't they? 12:44 And that property meant something to them. 12:49 The property was precious. 12:52 Family treasure. 12:54 They kept it as long as they could 12:56 in the family. 12:58 It was a disgrace for property to get out of the family's hands 13:04 and control. 13:06 Now tonight I'm going to talk about that field. 13:09 It was lost 13:11 and somebody who owned it was angry. 13:17 And I'll read this text before we pray. 13:20 Twenty-third chapter of Jeremiah. 13:24 Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 20. 13:30 Hear the Word of the Lord: 13:33 "The anger of the Lord shall not return 13:38 until He hath executed 13:42 until He have performed 13:46 the thoughts of His heart. 13:48 In the latter days ye shall consider it" - 13:52 or understand it - "perfectly. " 13:55 Father God, help us to talk tonight about the field. 14:00 It was Yours. You created it, You made it. 14:04 You established it and somehow it slipped away 14:08 from the family of God 14:10 and was in the hands of an enemy: 14:13 a usurper, a pretender king. 14:19 Help us to understand, Lord, of Your anger, 14:22 Your fury, and Your determination 14:27 to buy it back... to bring it back into the family. 14:31 Help us to understand it I pray dear Lord. 14:35 In Jesus' dear name, Amen. Amen. 14:38 Old D. L. Moody... I used to like to read about Moody. 14:44 Great evangelist. Never had an education 14:48 in theological seminaries. 14:51 Was never ordained. He was a layman all his life 14:54 but a great soul winner. 14:57 And sometimes Moody would say 15:01 "Sin leaped into the world full grown. " 15:06 The first child was what? The first child was a murderer. 15:11 So sin doesn't take long to ripen 15:15 and bring death and destruction. 15:20 Poets call earth's history this "vale of wrath and tears. " 15:26 And the Bible records things in reality. 15:31 The Bible is not a nice little romantic tale. 15:35 The Bible gets to the root of the issue 15:39 and the Bible tells you what sin is really all about. 15:44 Unvarnished truth they call it. 15:48 That's what it is in the Word of God. 15:51 I'm going to read you here a few texts 15:54 before we plunge into the middle of our talk. 15:57 Let's go over to II Timothy. 16:01 And that's Paul's writing, you know, to his son Timothy 16:04 in the gospel ministry. And he almost begins that 16:08 II Timothy - it's chapter 3 - with some terrible, 16:12 terrible predictions and dire predictions 16:16 of what is happening when somebody buys the property. 16:21 When the wrong man gets in charge of the property. 16:26 II Timothy 3 and verse 1. 16:29 "This know also that in the last days 16:33 perilous times shall come. " 16:37 We've got to believe that, haven't we? 16:39 "In the last days. " 16:41 I call my little topics that I'm giving to you 16:44 God's End-Time People. 16:47 We're seeing it all. 16:49 Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 16:52 all the rest of the apostles: they looked forward to it. 16:57 But we are surrounded by it. 17:00 Somehow the Lord in His mercy planned this day 17:05 and put us right in the center of it: the end of time. 17:10 This "vale of wrath and tears. " 17:13 So Paul says - he's looking forward to it also... 17:17 One of the passages of scripture has Jesus saying 17:21 Abraham looked for that day. Didn't see it. 17:23 A whole chapter: Hebrews 11, you know. 17:26 Hebrews 11... that entire chapter. 17:28 I once heard Elder M. L. Andreasen preach 17:32 on this, the great Bible scholar. 17:34 Down in Dallas, Texas, he preached on the 11th chapter 17:38 of Hebrews. All of these died without seeing the promise. 17:43 And so in these last days where we are 17:47 "Men shall be lovers of their own selves. " 17:51 You agree with Paul? 17:53 Amen. "Covetous, boasters, 17:58 proud, blasphemers, 18:02 disobedient to parents, 18:04 unthankful, unholy... " 18:07 It goes on. What a list! 18:09 This is more than a little laundry list. 18:12 "without natural affection, 18:14 truce breakers, false accusers, 18:18 incontinent, fierce, 18:21 despisers of those that are good... " 18:24 I'd almost tell Paul "Hurry up and get through 18:26 with this list. " 18:27 "traitors, heady, highminded, 18:31 lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God... " 18:34 And then, this is the frightening part of it... 18:36 "having a form of godliness... " 18:40 You see the picture? 18:42 "but denying the power thereof. 18:46 From such turn away. " 18:50 What a catalog. 18:51 And what a surprise when we find that these people 18:57 who have these traits claim to be religious. 19:01 They have a form of godliness. 19:04 I don't know who they are and I am not to be a judge 19:07 or I am not to make decisions on you or you or you, 19:11 but the Bible said they would exist. 19:13 And the Word of God said: "From such turn away. " 19:18 Yes, we preach the law of God. 19:21 We preach the second coming of Christ. 19:23 Amen. 19:25 We preach that we should live soberly, righteously, 19:28 and godly in this present world. 19:30 Amen. The grace of God that we preach 19:32 is not a grace that gives license... cheap grace. 19:36 The grace of God that we preach tells us that we must live 19:40 in this world under the aegis, the guidance of the law of God. 19:46 Amen. 19:48 The law tells us what sin is. 19:50 We're not going to fight the law because it tells us who we are. 19:56 They tell the story of a woman who was the queen of the tribe. 20:01 They had no mirrors there in those days in that place. 20:05 And along came a tinkerer... 20:08 that is the guy that comes and sells stuff, you know... 20:11 and had a mirror. 20:13 And she said: "That's the only one you have? " 20:15 "Yes. " "I am the queen and I must take the mirror. " 20:19 So she took the mirror. 20:20 Ran into her little hut and looked at herself in the mirror. 20:25 She was shocked! 20:26 She threw the mirror down and stomped on it. 20:29 She said: "Now I still am the most beautiful woman 20:32 in this tribe. " 20:35 But we are not of those why deny what the mirror reflects. 20:41 When I see myself in that mirror I run to Jesus. 20:46 Amen. Elder Finley has a way he teases me about 20:50 saying "the old preachers. " 20:52 Well the old preachers used to preach that... 20:54 that when you break the mirror 20:56 it hasn't changed a thing, has it? Amen. 20:59 Now let me tell you about that mirror. 21:01 That mirror can't clean you. 21:03 Huh? No. But it's still necessary, isn't it? Yes. 21:07 And already when we got ready to come out here 21:10 they examined me back there. 21:14 Your tie, huh? 21:16 Your face is shiny. You need a little something here. 21:19 We'll wipe you off. Do I fight them because of that? 21:22 No. What do I do? Change. 21:24 Now when I see the mirror... myself in the mirror... 21:28 I don't take the mirror and wipe myself up with the mirror. 21:31 I go get some soap and water, huh? Come on now. 21:34 And the mirror sends us to the cross. 21:36 Come on tell me friends it's right. Amen! 21:38 It is right. The mirror... the mirror of God's law. 21:42 "Oh how I love Thy law. 21:44 It is my meditation both day and night. " 21:47 And then Paul comes back and he brings up the question 21:51 again in verse 13. He says: 21:53 "But evil men and seducers 21:56 shall wax worse and worse 21:59 deceiving and being deceived. " 22:02 We've got to be clear headed here. 22:05 We can't be murky and walking as blind men 22:10 that cannot see, groping in the darkness. 22:13 We've got to have a searchlight here 22:15 because there are in the land men, women 22:19 who are giving out their catalog of what they say is right. 22:24 But it's on the other side. 22:27 And they are skillful... they're well-trained. 22:32 They have beautiful voices. 22:36 They sing well. 22:38 They are well-trained and well-groomed. 22:42 And you sit there and you look at them 22:46 and continuing... by beholding we become changed 22:51 and we move our position. And let me tell you friends, 22:55 please don't misunderstand. 22:58 But the more we look at things 23:00 the more we become what we look at. 23:02 Amen. 23:04 It overwhelms us and then we begin to make excuses. 23:07 "Well how can they be so bad when they're so nice looking? " 23:12 Well I don't need to dwell on that. 23:14 The Holy Ghost has put that in your mind already. 23:17 But I'm going to talk tonight about the field that was lost. 23:22 This is Jeremiah's talk. 23:25 Jeremiah dominates my thinking now. 23:28 Look at Jeremiah chapter 20 23:32 and we're going to talk a little bit about Jeremiah. 23:36 Jeremiah is called by some the "weeping prophet. " 23:41 He's always crying, isn't he? 23:43 He said "Oh, I wish my head were a fountain of tears. " 23:47 You know, if we could see sin in all of its enormity 23:53 as God can see it, we'd cry too! 23:56 But the devil has sugar-coated it, hasn't he? 24:00 "Come on, just take a little sip. That's all. " 24:03 And a little another sip... huh? 24:06 And far and far sipped, and you're sipped out of your mind. 24:09 You don't know what's going on; you're confused. 24:11 And you go to the brethren, your neighbors, your preacher and say 24:14 "You think that man is OK? " 24:17 Now friends, you don't need to come and see your brethren. 24:20 You don't need to come and see me; you know what it is. 24:23 "To the law and the testimony. 24:26 If they speak not according to this Word, 24:29 there is no light in them. " 24:32 Do not equivocate. 24:34 Do not get too close and tiptoe around. 24:40 Take your position and say: "If they speak not 24:43 according to this Word... " I don't care how well they sing. 24:48 I don't care how beautifully programmed their message is 24:53 and packaged. I don't care anything about that. 24:55 I care about what it carries. What is it? 24:58 What's the kernel there? And look at the kernel 25:00 and the kernel is not truth, and if they have no light 25:04 in them, get away from them. 25:06 Amen. 25:08 That just came out like that. I didn't plan it to. 25:10 If they... I'm going to say it again now. 25:12 If there is no light in them get away from them. 25:16 And don't ask me if it's OK to look at them. 25:19 Let the Holy Ghost tell you. He's already told you 25:22 "According to the law and the testimony. " 25:26 If they don't speak according to this you get away from them. 25:29 There is no light in them. 25:32 So Jeremiah is here 25:35 and Pashhur, the son of Immer, the priest 25:39 who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, 25:41 heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 25:46 Jeremiah didn't have nice music or anything. 25:49 He didn't have an organ. He didn't have... 25:51 All he had was the Word of God and his harp. 25:54 And then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet. 25:58 Put him in the stocks 26:02 that were in the high gate of Benjamin 26:04 and which was by the house of the Lord. 26:08 Put poor old Jeremiah in jail. 26:12 In jail. In stocks. 26:16 Just for telling the truth. 26:19 Verse 3: "And it came to pass on the morrow 26:22 that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. " 26:27 Took him out. "Then said Jeremiah unto him: 26:30 'The Lord hath not called thy name Pashhur 26:33 but Magor-Missabib. ' 26:35 Can hardly pronounce that. 26:39 All I know it's a terrible name. 26:42 An awful name. 26:45 In my early experience I pastored very humble people. 26:50 I had evang... My wife and I had evangelistic campaigns 26:54 many many very poor places. 26:58 And people came to Jesus, and I want to tell you one thing: 27:01 I don't care whether they came out of those bayous of Louisiana 27:06 or the penthouses in New York City, 27:08 they're all precious in God's sight, aren't they? 27:11 Amen. And so in those days we used to really have 27:14 the Week of Prayer as a solemn time. 27:17 And the brethren at the General Conference sent it down, 27:19 the offices of the General Conference. 27:21 We'd read it to the people. 27:22 You know, in those days when we read those scriptures 27:27 that the brethren sent us from Washington, DC, 27:30 to come part, we took them as from the Lord 27:33 and we read it just like people would read Paul's letter 27:36 in Ephesus. You'd sit there quietly. 27:40 Every now and then a little "Amen. " 27:44 Was the word from the Lord. 27:46 And they gave us, of course, in the Review... 27:50 I got my Review the other day. It's there. 27:52 I don't hear much about it in the churches, 27:55 but they used to send it out and we read it 27:57 and we were carefully looking at it. 27:59 And I would take these dear brethren. 28:01 We wanted them to be elders in the church... 28:03 brand new members... 28:05 and they would take those Reviews and they'd read it 28:09 and they'd read it. And one of my dear brethren - 28:12 wonderful man, godly man, but very humble - 28:17 not schooled in colleges. He was reading it... 28:21 I had them to do it, you know, practice it. 28:23 He was reading it and he came to a word like this 28:26 Magor-Missabib and he just said: "hard word. " 28:33 But I treasure that memory... I treasure it. 28:35 I look back on it. 28:37 A few years later I passed through that little town 28:40 and that brother who couldn't repeat that word 28:43 any better than I do, he said: "hard word, " 28:45 but now he's teaching the Sabbath School lesson. 28:48 Amen! I'm telling you what God can do for poor people, 28:51 humble people. 28:53 Put yourself in the hand of God and He will teach you! 28:57 He will guide you. 28:59 You will not be just ignorant all your life. 29:03 I'm sorry I said that. That's not the right way to go. 29:07 I'm too... I'm not careful enough in my speech. 29:11 But the Lord does lead you and guide you. 29:14 You come to Him just as you are. 29:16 And I heard a preacher here in this meeting say already: 29:19 "but you don't stay like you were when you came to Him. " 29:23 Amen. You begin growth in grace 29:26 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 29:30 Now it says something here. In Jeremiah 26 it says something 29:35 here in verse 8 I want to read you. 29:38 "And now it came to pass when Jeremiah had made an end of 29:43 speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak 29:46 unto the people, that the priests and the prophets 29:49 and all the people took him saying: 29:52 "thou shalt surely die! " 29:53 This is serious. 29:56 Now I have almost at times been run out of town. 30:01 That's right. 30:03 But I've never been threatened to be killed. 30:06 Some of my dear brethren in other communions 30:09 did say "he ought to get out of here. " 30:12 But they never put anybody on me. The only thing that 30:14 I've had... One little old town where we went 30:17 and the sheriff came and he said: "Preacher, 30:20 don't put your loud speaker up too loud. 30:24 We don't like that down here. " 30:26 And you know, I was compliant. 30:28 I turned it down a decibel or two 30:31 and let the church roll on. 30:34 We just went on. But I never had death threats. 30:37 Look in the 37th chapter. Just reading so you can 30:40 catch a little bit of the spirit and the situation 30:43 that Jeremiah had to face. 30:45 It's back over here in 37 verse 16 where he says: 30:50 "When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon 30:54 and into the caverns, and Jeremiah had remained 30:59 there many days. " This wasn't just an in and out 31:04 where they arrest you and take you down and you pay a fine 31:07 and go home. This was incarceration. 31:10 Jeremiah was there in jail for many days. 31:14 Now let's get some hope in here. 31:16 The 32nd chapter of Jeremiah. 31:20 And we're going to look here at... what verse are we 31:22 going to look at now? Jeremiah 32 and verse 17. 31:28 And it says: "Ah, Lord God, 31:30 behold Thou hast made the heaven and the earth 31:33 by Thy great power and stretched out arm... " 31:37 Now here's my favorite: 31:38 "and there is nothing too hard for Thee. " 31:44 There's nothing, Lord, too hard for Thee. 31:48 And we look in the 32nd chapter 31:50 and we go a little bit here. And there is hope, 31:53 there is always hope. The 32nd chapter brings us some hope 31:57 where he says "the word came to Jeremiah... " and so forth. 32:00 The king said - Zedekiah - saying, that's third: 32:03 "Wherefore dost thou prophesy and say: 'thus saith the Lord: 32:06 behold I will give this city into the hand of the king 32:09 of Babylon. He shall take it. ' " 32:11 You know, Jeremiah had to preach some hard messages. 32:15 He had to tell the people of Judah that you're going to be 32:20 taken into captivity. 32:21 And when the brethren said: "Well, we'll get some guns... " 32:26 not guns back then... "some bows and arrows 32:29 and some spears and some shields and we'll fight. " 32:33 Jeremiah said: "No, when they come 32:36 just go quietly with them. " 32:39 They were proud people... they didn't like that. 32:42 Why do you preach that kind of a message? 32:45 It's a terrible thing for you to say these things. 32:48 Why don't you, Bro. Jeremiah, can't you sometimes 32:52 preach something that makes us feel good? 32:54 Ah-ah... a feel-good sermon. 32:57 Hmmm? That's what I want. 33:00 And Paul says in the last days they shall heap unto themselves 33:04 teachers "having itching ears. " 33:08 People who tell us: "Well, you're doing fine. 33:10 Don't worry about it. Everything is all right. 33:15 Just go and enjoy yourself 33:17 and the Lord will breathe down upon you in a nice way. " 33:22 Yes He will breathe upon you, too. 33:24 Jeremiah had to tell the whole... nothing but the truth. 33:28 The whole truth... nothing but the truth. 33:32 And by the way, when we tell the truth they say we are 33:35 preaching doom and gloom. 33:38 "You Adventists... that's all you preach: 33:40 end of the world. Why don't you preach something good? " 33:44 Well, I can preach something good and I do! 33:48 Jesus is coming soon. Amen! 33:52 And by the way, He's my friend. Amen. 33:55 And I want to see my friend in peace. 33:58 I want to see Him with my own eyes. "Then shall I behold Him 34:01 with mine own eyes. " If that doesn't make you feel good 34:05 I don't know what will. Because I've been praying to Him 34:08 since a little child saying my little prayer at night 34:11 "God be with me when I sleep. " Now I'm going to see Him 34:15 about whom I have talked and whom I have imagined 34:20 in my mind what He looks like. Now I'm going to get to really 34:23 see Him. Amen! 34:27 Look at Him. Touch His hands and His feet. 34:33 Look at the hole in His side. 34:36 Fall on my knees as the apostles did and say: 34:41 "Oh Lord, my Savior and my God! " 34:44 There's a popular TV evangelist. 34:46 Now I'm not negative but I'm realistic. 34:49 There's a popular TV evangelist who said: 34:55 "Seventh-day Adventists have nothing good to say. 34:57 They're so depressing. 35:01 Such gloom and doom. " 35:04 Listen up, listen up. That's what they say in my world. 35:08 Listen up! Listen up! 35:10 We are preaching Revelation 14:6-7 35:13 and it tells me God is still on the throne. Amen. 35:18 Now the outlook... dear old H.M.S. Richards, 35:22 my... one of my mentors 35:23 Elder H.M.S. Richards used to preach 35:26 "The outlook may be drear... " 35:29 We've got to preach that list of terrible things that 35:34 Paul said to Timothy... we've got to preach that. 35:38 Don't give people sugar-coated sermons. They don't need them. 35:43 And they tell me we don't need to eat any sugar anyway! 35:47 Huh? Amen! It's not the best for you. 35:51 No, no, we've got to give them that. 35:54 But you know, friends, we do have a message 35:58 that shows that God is in control. 36:03 He hasn't lost it. 36:05 Now He did have a piece of land called earth. 36:11 He made it. 36:14 And that's why we've got to again come back to this creation 36:17 business: He made it. 36:22 Ah, you know... Evolution, evolution, evolution. 36:26 If evolution can produce you or you and you, 36:31 a person with this system that we have, 36:35 this blood circulation, this neurological system, 36:39 this cranium that holds a brain that can... 36:42 better than any computer in the world, huh? 36:44 If evolution can do all that, well I'm going to kneel down 36:47 and worship evolution. 36:50 Come on now. If evolution can do all of that 36:53 I say: "My goodness, evolution is wonderful. " 36:59 But no, He told me and He said this: 37:03 "I made it. It belongs to Me. 37:08 And even if it slips out of the family 37:12 into the hands of an enemy 37:14 I haven't forgotten it... I still own it! " 37:17 Amen. 37:18 "And those who have stolen it may act as if it's there's. 37:24 But the day will come when it will be snatched out of their 37:27 hands and they will perish. " 37:31 So always remember that God has never abdicated. 37:38 God has not... And you can't catch God by surprise. 37:43 Some people act as if something happened and God is surprised. 37:46 God saw it already. 37:48 Hmmm? Do you believe that? 37:50 Amen. He saw it already. 37:51 So if God saw it and understands it and is still on the throne 37:55 why am I worrying about it and losing sleep? 37:58 Amen! Huh? 38:00 God saw it; He made it; it's His. 38:03 He didn't change the title. 38:04 A title to that land... it belongs to Him! 38:09 Now I'll tell you a little story. It came to me out of 38:12 Las Vegas I guess and somebody told me this story. 38:15 I read it in the paper or somewhere 38:16 where one of these fellows that worked on the... on the 38:20 what do you call those boards that they use over there 38:23 to gamble and so forth and so on? 38:25 I've been in Las Vegas a couple of times for meetings. 38:28 I went there... The brethren said go for a meeting there. 38:30 And don't you get me wrong. Don't you come talking 38:32 this foolishness now. I saw... We went to bed one night... 38:37 It was the Educator's Convention. 38:38 We went to bed and I saw a man there just going at it. 38:42 We had a good night's rest. Got up back for a devotion 38:45 early in the morning... he was still there. 38:46 Same man... same place. 38:49 Well one of those fellows stumbled into a big revival 38:54 meeting. The preacher was preaching about creation. 38:56 Preaching about God; preaching about the Word of God. 38:59 And he enjoyed it so much he was almost carried away. 39:03 He went back to the table and his buddies were there. 39:06 Said: "Where were you last night? " 39:07 "Oh man, I went down and I heard an evangelist. " 39:10 "What? You went to an evangelistic meeting? " 39:12 "Yes I did! " "Well what did he preach about? " 39:15 He said: "Well I didn't understand all of it 39:17 but I understood him to say God gave Adam 39:21 a bundle and he blew it. 39:30 God gave Adam the whole thing, didn't He? Come on now. 39:35 Amen. He gave him everything. 39:36 He said: "You've got... you are My manager. 39:39 I put you in charge of this whole planet. 39:42 It's under your stewardship. " 39:45 I believe it. He gave him birds of the air, 39:48 beasts of the field. 39:50 He gave him all things. He gave him a wonderful wife 39:54 and the prospects of eternal life. 39:58 You've got a tree... eat it. 40:00 Eat that fruit. You will never die as long as you keep 40:05 My commandments. 40:08 And he blew it. 40:10 This is not nice language but he blew it. 40:14 It went into the hands of somebody who had been planning 40:20 how he would steal it. 40:24 He went to himself and said: "Ha, ha, I've got it now! 40:30 It belongs to me. " 40:32 And so that list of sins and trials and tribulations 40:37 and terrible blood and wrath and tears - 40:41 the history of it all - happened after he stole it! 40:45 He messed it up... he ruined it. 40:50 I can't be strong enough in my opposition to him. 40:55 He sent tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, 41:00 all the rest of it. He sent... he sent terrible blights 41:03 and your crops failed. And ain't he a terrible fellow? 41:07 He's a terrible fellow. He took this beautiful planet 41:12 and he blasted it. 41:15 He tried his best to destroy it. 41:18 It's mine. You see? Anything... 41:20 We have heard of Midas' touch, you know. 41:23 Midas... the man Midas. Everything he touch turned 41:26 to gold. But this man has a reverse Midas' touch: 41:31 anything he touches burns and dies. 41:36 He touched it and it's dying. 41:39 We've been dying ever since! 41:41 In our time it waxes old... this earth... 41:45 like a garment. But now... 41:49 God is angry. Yes He is. 41:53 But God knows what to do with His anger. 41:56 He understands all about it. 41:57 He has sworn - now this is what I read in Jeremiah 23 42:02 and verse 20... And that's a great text, you know. 42:05 I've been looking at that more than I have in the past. 42:07 Lately it's come to me with a little fresher impact. 42:11 "The anger of the Lord... " See? Anger of the Lord. 42:15 Jeremiah 23 verse 20. 42:18 I've been meditating on it now for the last few years 42:21 or months. "The anger of the Lord shall not return. " 42:25 He won't get over this. 42:28 God is not going to say... Now I have three children. 42:31 I have a daughter... I have two boys. 42:34 And you know who's in My heart. 42:37 My daughter is first. In fact, she's the firstborn. 42:40 And people say every man wants a man child. 42:44 I'd never say that. I said: "Lord, whatever you send 42:46 that's OK with me, I'll be happy. " 42:48 And it came out a daughter. 42:49 And now she's almost... she's turning... 42:52 I won't tell you how old she really is 42:54 because I'm on the public, you know... 42:57 And so... But now when she was a little tyke 43:00 she would do things. Never did anything real bad. 43:03 I didn't have any trouble out of the girl. 43:05 I don't say the same thing about boys, but... 43:08 the girls... And so she'd do little things 43:11 and I would try to warn her and I'd say: 43:14 "Don't do that, don't do that. " 43:15 And I overheard her talking to a little friend 43:17 in the back yard one day and she said: 43:19 "Well Daddy's not going to do anything. He's just going to say 43:22 'you're not going to do that no more' and that's all. " 43:27 That's my daughter who is grown up now and is 43:29 a grandma herself just about. 43:31 And she thinks she's my mother now. 43:44 But God knows how to get His property back! 43:49 There is a... an account in the Old Testament 43:53 of a person known as the Goel. 43:57 The Goel. 44:00 You notice in the Old Testament the Levitical system 44:05 property meant something. 44:07 You know, they didn't let property get out of the family. 44:09 They said: "It's yours forever; you just take care of it. " 44:13 And so when somebody - you know, the children - 44:17 sometimes the children get a little, you know, free-spirited. 44:21 Want to do what they want to do. They don't want to work hard. 44:24 They don't want to make those crops grow and all that. 44:27 And so they fool around, get in debt, 44:30 and lose the property. 44:32 That's a shame, isn't it? A disgrace. 44:35 They lose the property. 44:38 But the system here in the Old Testament among the 44:40 Israelites was that if you had left a family member 44:47 a member of the family who would be under 44:52 the laws of the time responsible to get that property back. 44:57 And that Goel would have to say: "Look, I'm 45:02 going to take over here now and I'm going to raise enough 45:05 money to buy this property back 45:07 so it can be in the family 45:10 and we can have honor restored once again. 45:13 Tired of looking at that property said 45:15 "Used to be owned by Mr. Joel 45:18 and now, uh-uh, those children lost it. " 45:21 A man did come to me one time and said: "Bro. Pastor, 45:24 I want to put all my property in your name. " 45:27 I said: "Oh, no sir. " 45:29 He wept. I said: "No sir, I can't do that. " 45:33 He had children. 45:35 I couldn't put myself ahead of his children. 45:38 He had to work himself out with them. 45:40 But the Goel would say: "I am willing to buy this 45:43 property back. It's a duty, a heavy responsibility. " 45:48 And so he would go and buy it back. 45:51 First thing he had to have was the price, didn't he? 45:54 He couldn't just say: "This used to be my family 45:57 property; give it back to me. " No, the people in there 46:00 own it now. And so he had to buy it back. 46:03 And if the people didn't want to move, he had to have power 46:06 to get them out of there. He had to buy it back. 46:09 He had to get the usurpers off the property. 46:12 He had to be a strong man - this Goel - 46:14 to get the property back. 46:16 He had to move any impediment that kept him, the family, from 46:20 owning their rightful property. 46:23 So he had to be a real strong man. 46:25 Now here is Jeremiah. 46:29 Jeremiah is talking and somebody comes in and says: 46:32 "Wait a minute Jeremiah. 46:34 You've got a relative over there and a piece of property 46:37 in your home town. They took it. 46:39 What you gonna do about it? " 46:41 And then another one came in and said: "Jeremiah, 46:44 will you please buy that field? " 46:47 That's my talk tonight: Buy That Field! 46:51 Jeremiah had been saying... Listen to what the situation, 46:54 let's paint it. The situation is dire. 46:57 The people are going to go into captivity for 70 years. 47:02 Why worry about buying back property 47:06 when you can't use it? 47:08 But the Word of the Lord was upon Jeremiah 47:11 and the hand of God was on him and Jeremiah said: 47:14 "Buy it. I'll pay for it. " 47:16 He said: "Get it notarized. " 47:19 Get a piece of paper to show that it has been transferred 47:25 legally from this family to mine. 47:30 And the family will be happy once again 47:35 together when the family property is recovered. 47:40 So think about my God in glory. 47:44 He's looking down and He sees what happens to Adam and Eve. 47:49 He is not going to take away their power of choice. 47:55 He's not going to make them a robot. 47:59 He is going to give them the ability: "choose ye this day. " 48:04 Come on now. "Choose ye this day whom you will serve. " 48:10 He gives us a... What a great God He is! Amen. 48:15 He doesn't have to fool around with me. 48:18 He doesn't. He doesn't need me. 48:21 But He owns me, hmmm? 48:24 I'm going to get to that a little later. So Jeremiah 48:27 buys this property. 48:29 What a marvelous example of faith in God. 48:33 He buys it. Somebody said: "Jeremiah, 48:36 you're a little touched in the head. 48:39 You're buying a property. You're an old man already. " 48:43 That's like telling me to buy a piece of property 48:46 to live in way some years later. 48:49 I'm not going to spend my money on that. 48:50 I'd rather give it to 3ABN, you see. 48:55 You young people can understand it and believe it and enjoy it. 48:59 But here Jeremiah goes through with it. 49:02 Now he'd been in jail. The people are against him. 49:07 He got so upset one time Jeremiah said: 49:10 "I'm not going to preach any more. " 49:15 When you preach the truth sometimes you feel like that, 49:17 don't you? 49:19 It's serious, friends. 49:21 The poor little man gets up. He's a sinner just like you 49:23 but he has a message to give you. 49:26 And he tells you what the message is and he preaches 49:29 to you what God will do and what the cost will be 49:32 if you go on your own unrequited way. 49:34 He has that mission to preach. 49:38 And the people rise up against Jeremiah. 49:41 And Jeremiah said: "Oh, I'm through preaching! " 49:45 He said that, didn't he? He said: 49:46 "I'm not going to preach any more. " 49:49 But he was called of God and the Lord won't let you go either. 49:53 I know a lot of preachers had to run. 49:55 But one got swallowed by a fish. Come on. 49:57 And when he came back out he said: "Lord I'll go any... " 50:00 "I'll go where You want me to go. 50:02 I'll be what You want me to be. 50:04 I'll preach what You want me to preach. " 50:07 That's what he said. 50:08 And so Jeremiah said: "I'm not going to preach. " 50:12 But he said: "You know, there's a fire in my bones. 50:16 I can't rest. 50:19 I've got a lot to eat but I can't eat. 50:22 I've got a wonderful place to sleep but I can't sleep. 50:26 It's in my bones; it's like a roaring, raging fire. " 50:30 And he said: "I'll come back and I'll preach. " 50:32 Well he even said... I had a young preacher named 50:36 Malcolm Phipps. What a great evangelist he was. 50:40 A little bitty fellow. I used to tell him: 50:42 "You're a little piece of leather but you're well 50:44 put together. " And he preached. That man preached and... 50:48 And I heard him preach one time. He got a little beside himself. 50:51 He said that Jeremiah said: "I'm going into the 50:55 motel business. " Well now the Bible did say 50:59 he was like that wayfarer, you know? 51:01 He'd have a house where the people could come in. 51:02 He wouldn't preach no more... just have a nice house. 51:05 People'd come in, rest, he'd take care of them. 51:07 But he still couldn't do that. 51:09 He had to go back and preach that message 51:12 that God had placed upon his heart. 51:15 And God's strategy is this... God has a strategy: 51:19 God sent His Son. They called Him Jesus. 51:23 On a mission from on high He came to rescue the property. 51:28 All that was lost. Luke 19:10: "The Son of Man 51:33 is come to seek and save that which was lost. " 51:36 And not one square inch of land is going to be left in the 51:41 devil's control. Amen! It's all going to be brought back 51:46 into the family of God. 51:48 He pays the price! You know He paid the price. 51:52 You are not redeemed with silver and gold 51:55 but with the precious blood of Jesus. 51:58 The blood of a spotless Lamb. 52:02 And power to evict the trespassers... 52:05 My God is a mighty man of war. 52:09 When He paid for it on Calvary it was notarized in glory. 52:14 He said: "Now devil, step out of the way! " 52:18 As the preacher told us already every time He met that enemy 52:23 He had the power to cast him out. 52:26 He said: "I saw him fall like lightning. " 52:28 Didn't he say that? 52:29 "I saw him fall like lightning from heaven. " 52:34 Now what is expected of you and me? 52:36 What is my response to all of this? 52:39 Well, He wants me to invest 52:45 in the payment also of the plan 52:50 to buy back the earth. 52:53 He expects me to invest my life. 52:57 This is a life and a death matter: it's life and death. 53:02 We are not in a little tiddlywinks game. 53:07 No we're not. 53:09 This is serious business. 53:11 This whole earth hung in the balance. 53:14 If our Savior hadn't paid the full price, 53:17 the enemy would still be ruling. 53:20 Now what the enemy does is act as if he owned it. 53:24 But I see the title, and the title does not say 53:29 the arch enemy: Satan. 53:32 The devil. Whatever he is called. He has 40-some names. 53:35 That's right. But Jesus has 43 names, huh? 53:40 "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. " 53:43 He is a liar. 53:47 He is a liar; he doesn't own it. 53:50 Now why in the world would I let him have charge of me 53:53 and lead me and guide me when he doesn't even own me? 53:58 He doesn't own me. 54:01 I thank God I'm the property of someone who paid 54:05 the full price. Amen. 54:07 He paid it all. Jesus, come on, paid it all. 54:10 All to Him I owe. 54:13 Sin had left a crimson stain 54:17 but He washed it white as snow. 54:21 What a mighty God He is! 54:24 Ah, I like to think about How Great Thou Art. 54:27 Oh Lord, my God, 54:29 when I in awesome wonder... 54:32 How great Thou art! 54:34 Coming into this world as a little baby! 54:38 Mary's baby... born in a stable. 54:42 Put in a little manger... the feed box for the animals. 54:46 But He was God in the flesh, 54:48 and the enemy couldn't conquer Him. 54:52 You would have... And He did not come with armies and trumpets 54:55 and all the rest of that. 54:57 But He came just like you came. You ever think about that? 55:02 Just like you came He came. 55:06 This is expected of us. 55:08 Do not let that trouble your heart. 55:12 Stop talking about the power of the devil. 55:16 Stop talking about how the enemy can do great things. 55:21 Dear Sr. White said: "Some people talk more about 55:25 the devil than they talk about God. " 55:27 Don't quiver; don't shake 55:33 when he comes near you. 55:35 We humans are part of that lost property 55:37 and the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost. 55:42 And one day I met Him. 55:45 One day I fell at His feet. 55:49 One day I said: "Lord, I want to serve you all the days 55:53 of my life. " We made a transaction. 55:57 He said: "Now my son, you belong to Me 56:01 but I also belong to you. " Amen. 56:05 And so we made a pact there. 56:08 We made a covenant there. 56:10 And He said: "You walk in My path and keep My laws 56:13 and I will protect you and guide you all the days of your life. " 56:19 I don't just have a personal trainer... 56:21 I have a personal governor. Amen. 56:24 And He'll cover me; He takes care of me. 56:28 And every day I must put myself in His hands. 56:31 I must get up and say: "Lord, today is in Your hands. 56:36 What will You have me to do today? 56:38 I'll go where You want me to go. 56:41 I'll be what You want me to be. 56:43 I'm in Your hands, dear Lord. " 56:46 And who here today will say? Who says now 56:49 in response to my little talk "I'm in Your hands, Lord? " 56:52 "I'm in Your hands. " Come on now. 56:53 "I'm in Your hands; I'm in Your hands. " 56:56 God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17