Participants: Mark Finley
Series Code: 11HC
Program Code: 11HC000015
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00:48 We've had one beautiful day today. We have... Amen!
00:52 All the people said: "Amen. " All right. 00:55 Wasn't so beautiful outside. I was a day late 00:59 on my rain prediction. Again... Yeah, but it's beautiful now. 01:02 I saw a beautiful golden sunset while ago. 01:04 Oh, I was inside so I missed that. 01:07 But it has been a beautiful day inside 01:11 and we have enjoyed the blessings of God all day long. 01:16 It's just really been a feast... 01:19 a little foretaste of heaven. 01:21 And Elder Bradford just led us to the throne again 01:24 a few moments ago. He did! And when we just went off the air 01:28 if you're watching, Jim and I and John and C.A. were out here 01:31 and we think he was still preaching out back. 01:33 So he might even be preaching... There he is. 01:36 Now he's back here again. He may get up and preach some more. 01:39 That's right, that's right. Praise the Lord. 01:42 He did a great job. Now we have Pastor Mark Finley. 01:44 Yes. And he's assistant to the president of the General 01:47 Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 01:49 And Mark is a long-time friend and been in 01:52 ministry for many, many years and has held numerous positions 01:55 within the church. And we're just thankful that... 01:59 In fact, we just had meetings with him ourselves. 02:01 Yes. Trying to work together for a big... it's evangelistic 02:06 crusade in New York City this coming year. 02:08 You'll hear a lot about it. 02:09 But we need every hand and every person. 02:12 We need people praying, people giving financially, 02:15 people, you know, actually volunteers. Right. 02:17 It's going to be a huge crusade and hundreds of meetings 02:20 going on throughout New York City. 02:22 And 3ABN is going to be part of many other ministries 02:26 joining hands with the church to make this happen. 02:29 And the end result will be souls for the kingdom. 02:32 We appreciate Mark and what he does and his tremendous 02:35 commitment to the cause of God. Not only the Adventist church 02:39 but the cause of God and what he's done world wide. 02:41 Absolutely. I've known him for many years. 02:43 He's probably the hardest working or one of the hardest... 02:48 most hard working individuals that I have ever known. 02:53 And he really works for the Lord. 02:57 And the Lord has blessed his evangelism all over the world. 03:01 For many years the speaker of It Is Written. 03:04 But at the same time he wasn't just in a studio preaching. 03:07 He was out there holding evangelistic meetings 03:10 in some really difficult places around the world. 03:14 And so God has blessed him. And we're going to ask him 03:17 to come now and he is going to introduce the music that we have 03:22 for this particular program. 03:24 Pastor Mark Finley. Thank you, Jim; thank you, Danny. 03:27 In a little while we're going home. 03:32 It was 31 AD. The disciples believed 03:37 with all their hearts based on the prophecies 03:40 of the Old Testament that Jesus was going to come 03:44 and set up His throne. 03:46 They saw Jesus touch the eyes of the blind and they were 03:49 opened. They saw Jesus touch the ears of the deaf 03:51 and they were unstopped. They believed that Christ 03:55 could lead the disciples and the armies of Israel against Rome. 04:00 And even right up to the crucifixion 04:02 the disciples had no idea that Jesus was not going to 04:06 establish His earthly kingdom. 04:08 In fact, for every prophecy in the Old Testament 04:11 that these disciples studied on the first coming of Christ 04:14 there are eight prophecies on the second coming of Christ. 04:17 So when Jesus was crucified the disciples were bitterly 04:21 disappointed. Out of the disappointment of 31 AD 04:24 they looked to the sanctuary 04:27 and there received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 04:30 And out of their disappointment, they went out to preach 04:33 the gospel to the world. 04:35 Fast forward 2,000 years almost. 04:38 In the early 1800's, William Miller and others 04:43 began to study the prophecies. 04:46 And like these disciples in Jesus' day, they too 04:49 misunderstood the prophecies. 04:51 Like these disciples in Jesus' day, they thought Christ was 04:55 going to come to earth in 1844. 04:58 He was... They were bitterly disappointed. 05:02 Shortly after that disappoint- ment, William Miller 05:06 wrote a letter to his friend Joshua V. Hines. 05:11 And this is what Miller said. 05:14 He said: "I fixed my mind on another time. 05:19 And here I mean to stand until God gives me more light. 05:25 And that other time is today and today 05:30 and today until He comes. " 05:33 And I can almost hear the old man saying: 05:36 "And I shall see Him for whom my soul yearns. " 05:42 Tonight with you 05:45 I look forward to the coming of Christ 05:48 and my soul yearns for His coming. 05:51 Listen as Reggie comes and sings 05:54 an anthem of William Miller's words: 05:58 I Have Fixed My Mind On Another Time. 06:19 I have fixed my mind 06:22 on another time, 06:26 on another time. 06:33 And here I mean 06:36 to stand until 06:39 God gives me more light. 06:46 And that is today, today, 06:53 today until He comes. 07:00 I have fixed my mind 07:03 on another time, 07:07 on another 07:11 time. 07:17 I have set my course 07:20 on the narrow way, 07:24 on the narrow way. 07:30 For I know the time 07:33 is close at hand 07:36 for which I watch and pray. 07:42 And that is today, 07:48 today, 07:50 today until He comes. 07:57 I have set my course 07:59 on the narrow way, 08:03 on the narrow 08:07 way. 08:10 Even so, Lord, come quickly. 08:16 This is my fervent prayer. 08:23 For I've caught a glimpse 08:26 of glory 08:29 and I'm longing to 08:34 be there. 08:50 When shall the Son of Man 08:55 appear? 08:57 The trumpet sound its blast? 09:02 And Christ descend 09:06 in glorious power 09:09 with all the saints 09:12 amassed? 09:15 We'll rise with those 09:18 who sleep no more 09:22 to meet Him 09:24 in the air! 09:28 When shall the Son 09:32 of Man appear? 09:39 The Son of Man appear? 09:46 Even so, Lord, come quickly. 09:53 This is my fervent prayer. 09:59 For I've caught a glimpse 10:03 of glory 10:06 and I'm longing to 10:10 be there. 10:13 For I've caught a glimpse 10:16 of glory 10:23 and I'm longing 10:27 to 10:33 be there! 10:39 I have set my course 10:42 on a narrow way, 10:50 on another 10:56 time. 11:10 Amen! 11:16 I have set my mind 11:20 on another time. And that is today, 11:24 today, today. Let's pray. 11:26 Father, as we open Your Word tonight may the Spirit 11:29 that inspired the Word come and touch our hearts. 11:32 May the Spirit that spoke to prophets in ages old 11:36 speak to our hearts. 11:38 May the Spirit that speaks to our hearts every day 11:44 drawing us out to sense that this world is not our home 11:48 may that Spirit heavily rest upon us tonight 11:51 and touch us and change us. In Christ's name, Amen. 11:56 It was just at the end of Sabbath School 12:01 and the teacher was letting the children: 7, 8, and 9 years old, 12:06 go back into the main sanctuary. 12:09 And she thought she ought to give them a little caution 12:13 so she said: "Children, when you go back into the sanctuary 12:19 walk very quietly and don't say anything. " 12:23 "Children, do you know why you have to go back 12:26 into the sanctuary so quietly? " 12:29 One little girl seven years old raised her hand and said: 12:32 "Oh yes, teacher. Because so many people are sleeping 12:35 in there. " 12:38 Take your Bible, please, and turn to Revelation 12:40 the third chapter. My topic tonight is 12:42 The Laodicean Message. Amen. 12:45 Revelation chapter 3. 12:47 If it wasn't so tragic it would be funny. 12:52 Revelation the 3rd chapter. 12:55 We are looking at Revelation chapter 3 and we are beginning 12:58 with the 14th verse. 13:01 Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14. 13:05 The Laodicean message is the last in a series 13:09 of messages that God gave to seven churches. 13:14 Now keep in mind that these were seven literal 13:17 geographical locations. 13:20 There was Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamos and Thyatira 13:23 and Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea. 13:27 The book of Revelation describes the spiritual condition 13:32 of seven literal churches that existed 13:36 in John's day. 13:39 The reason why God chose those particular 7 verses 13:44 is because... or those 7 churches rather... 13:48 is because those 7 churches would represent the church 13:54 down through the stream of time 13:56 in 7 specific epics of time. 14:00 So the spiritual condition of Ephesus, 14:02 the spiritual condition of Smyrna 14:04 and Thyatira and Sardis 14:07 and the spiritual condition of Pergamos and Philadelphia 14:12 and Laodicea would all be represented 14:16 in those 7 ages down through the stream of time. 14:18 In Revelation chapter 3 we begin: 14:21 "And to the angel of the church of Laodiceans write... " 14:25 Where was Laodicea? 14:28 What can we learn from the spiritual condition 14:31 of that church in Laodicea 14:34 that would apply to the church today? 14:37 Well the first thing we notice is that Laodicea is 14:39 the last in the series of seven churches 14:42 so it obviously would speak to the last generation 14:45 of Christians living upon the earth. 14:46 And particularly, if Laodicea is a church, 14:50 the message would speak to God's last-day church 14:52 from the context of the passage. 14:54 The second thing that we would notice about it is this: 14:56 the meaning of the word Laodicea. 14:59 I often ask many audiences what does the word Laodicea 15:02 mean, and typically I do not get the right response. 15:06 But I know this is a well-educated audience 15:08 at 3ABN and I know the audience watching on television is 15:12 well-educated. The word Laodicea: 15:14 do you have any idea? What does that mean? 15:17 Oh, I... The condition is lukewarm 15:23 but the word does not mean lukewarm. 15:25 The word means "a people adjudged. " 15:29 A literal translation of the word Laodicea 15:32 is "a people adjudged. " 15:34 So Laodicea is the last church. 15:37 It is the church in the judgment hour just before Jesus comes 15:41 and its condition is lukewarm. 15:44 Where was Laodicea? 15:46 Laodicea was in southwest Turkey. 15:48 I've visited the site on many, many, many occasions. 15:51 When I first began to visit Laodicea 15:53 it was a very pure virgin site. In other words, 15:56 it wasn't excavated yet. 15:58 And it was marvelous. We would tramp up on the site 16:00 and it's quite a large site. Laodicea was a city 16:03 that had a population of about 150,000. 16:07 Do you know how we evaluate the population base 16:11 of the ancient cities? 16:12 If you take the stadium in the city 16:15 and we can excavate... archaeologists have excavated 16:18 the stadium... If you take the stadium 16:20 and you take the number of people that could be seated 16:25 in the stadium and multiply it by ten 16:28 that's approximately the population size of the city. 16:31 So that stadium in Laodicea 16:33 might seat 10,000... 12,000. You might be able to cram in 16:37 more, but we estimate the population between 120,000 16:40 and 150,000 roughly in Laodicea. 16:43 So this was no backwater city, it was no backwater town. 16:47 In fact, Laodicea was a banking capitol. 16:50 It was extremely wealthy. 16:52 Gold coins were distributed from Laodicea. 16:55 It was a city that was wealth... had a lot of wealth. 16:59 Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake 17:02 in 61 AD... AD 61. 17:05 When Laodicea was destroyed 17:07 the Roman government - because Laodicea was a very... 17:12 city that was loyal to Rome - 17:13 the Roman government said "We will help you rebuild 17:17 your city. " And the Laodiceans said: 17:20 "Forget it. We've got enough money to rebuild the city 17:23 ourselves. " Tacitus, the very famed Roman historian, 17:27 writes about Laodicea, and this what he says: 17:30 "Laodicea arose from its ruins by the strength of her own 17:34 resources and with no help from us. " 17:37 See, that's Laodicea. 17:39 It's wealthy; it's proud; it's affluent. 17:43 "We don't need anybody to help us. " 17:45 Second thing about Laodicea. 17:47 Laodicea had a special type of wool found only there 17:52 in the world really. 17:54 It was a very unique kind of wool. 17:56 They bred a black sheep 17:59 and they had hundreds, thousands of these black sheep. 18:02 And if you shear them, the wool was very glossy. 18:06 And the women were really attracted to these black 18:10 garments. They produced at least 4 kinds of these black garments 18:13 and they shipped them all over the world, they exported them. 18:15 So Laodicea was this fashion center. 18:18 If you wanted to buy the latest in fashion, 18:21 particularly these very finely- woven beautiful black garments, 18:26 you'd go to Laodicea. 18:27 The third thing about Laodicea 18:29 is that Laodicea had a medical center. 18:32 It was an educational medical center. 18:34 They developed the very famous Phrygian eye salve. 18:37 And the salve came either in a powder form 18:39 that you mixed liquid with or it came in a tablet form. 18:43 And it was exported all over the world. 18:44 Somebody has said: "Laodicea was like the Bank of America, 18:49 Macy's, and... " one other one... 18:54 "Bank of America, Macy's, and the Mayo Clinic 18:58 all rolled in one. " That was it! 19:00 Bank of America, Macy's, Mayo Clinic. 19:02 I mean, Laodicea was just this fantastic city. 19:06 It was a city of pride and affluence. 19:09 A city that was self-sufficient. 19:11 A city that believed that it needed 19:13 nothing else from nobody else. 19:16 God chose that city. 19:18 Now what was the church like in Laodicea? 19:21 Do we have any description in the New Testament 19:24 at all that helps us know the spiritual condition 19:28 of the local congregation in this secular, godless, 19:32 materialistic, educated culture? 19:35 Do we have any at all? We do! 19:36 If you take your Bible, please, and turn to the book of 19:38 Colossians. Now Colossae wasn't too far 19:42 from Laodicea. 19:44 And Paul actually wrote a letter to Colossae. 19:48 And according to the book of Colossians 19:50 he also wrote a letter to the Laodiceans 19:52 which eventually was lost. 19:54 But we get a hint of the spiritual condition 19:57 of the church at both Colossae and Laodicea 20:01 from Paul's writing. He writes to Colossae and he says to the 20:04 church at Colossae - chapter 2- 20:06 "Send my letter that I have written to the Colossians... 20:10 send that also to the church at Laodicea. " 20:14 So let them read it. In Colossians 2 verse 1 20:18 Paul talks about the trouble in his soul. 20:21 Paul talks about his spiritual anxiety. 20:25 Paul talks about the fact that he is a spiritual father 20:28 and he's really worried about the church at Laodicea. 20:31 Colossians 2 verse 1: 20:33 "For I want you to know what a great conflict I have 20:37 for you and those in Laodicea. 20:40 For as many as have not seen my face in the flesh 20:43 and their hearts may be encouraged being knit together 20:46 in love and attaining to all the riches of the full assurance 20:49 of the understanding of the knowledge and the mystery of God 20:52 both of the Father and of Christ 20:54 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and 20:57 knowledge. " Now don't miss the last part 20:59 of verse 1 chapter 2. He says: 21:01 "I have a conflict with you. I am troubled in my soul 21:03 for you and for those in Laodicea. " 21:06 In other words, he looked at the church at Laodicea 21:10 and he had gotten reports about that church. 21:12 And he got reports that the church at Laodicea was 21:15 rich, it was cultured, it had a form of godliness. 21:18 It was apathetic; it was sentimental spirituality. 21:23 They had not denied the gospel; they had not denied Christ. 21:26 But this church at Laodicea had the form of godliness. 21:30 They honored God with their lips 21:32 but their hearts were far from Him. 21:35 That was the literal church at Laodicea. 21:38 And so Jesus addresses that church. 21:42 Revelation chapter 3. What an apt description 21:48 of the church living at the judgment hour. 21:51 A church that is proud of her accomplishments. 21:54 Many of them it should be. 21:56 A church that is proud of its institutions. 21:59 A church that is proud of its world-wide membership. 22:03 A people that are proud of their doctrines that they're 22:07 doctrinally right. 22:09 But Jesus addresses a special letter to them: 22:13 the letter to the Laodiceans. 22:16 Let's read it. Revelation 3: 22:19 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: 22:23 these things says the AMEN, the faithful and true witness, 22:29 the beginning of the creation of God. " 22:31 It is so easy to skip over verses that are so fraught 22:36 with meaning. It is so easy 22:41 to skip over verses that speak to our hearts. 22:44 Now let's look at these four descriptions of Jesus. 22:49 He is the AMEN. 22:50 When do you place Amen in a prayer? 22:54 At the end of the prayer. 22:56 So the church at the judgment hour 22:59 is being addressed by the AMEN at the end of human history. 23:03 This is the last church, because after Laodicea there is an AMEN. 23:09 There is no such thing as the remnant of the remnant. 23:13 Does somebody hear me tonight? 23:16 There is no calling out of Laodicea 23:20 for another remnant to arise. 23:23 There is the message to Laodicea 23:26 that brings revival in Laodicea! 23:29 Amen. 23:30 "He that has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the 23:33 churches. " If God says "Amen" after Laodicea, 23:39 it's "Amen" at the end of human history 23:43 and God will have a church. 23:44 The AMEN: the faithful and true witness. 23:47 His witness is faithful and it's true. 23:50 We may want to avoid it. 23:52 We may not want to accept it. 23:55 It may make us uncomfortable and squirm in the pew... 24:00 but it's still true. 24:02 "Pastor Finley, I'm so glad you're preaching the 24:05 Laodicean message. Those brethren need it! " 24:11 "I'm so glad. I can't wait to get this tape to show it 24:15 to my local church because they're not 3ABN fans 24:18 and they really need this one. " 24:21 That attitude defines what a Laodicean is all about. 24:27 Laodicea applies the Laodicean message 24:31 to somebody else. That everybody needs it except me. 24:36 The scriptures says - Revelation chapter 3- 24:40 "These things says the AMEN" - at the end of history - 24:43 "the faithful and true witness. " 24:44 Jesus is witnessing to my heart tonight. 24:48 Jesus is witnessing to your heart tonight. 24:51 His witness is faithful about me. 24:54 His witness is faithful about you. 24:56 He is the faithful and true witness. Now notice: 24:59 He's "the beginning of the creation of God. " 25:04 Now that strange expression: He's the "beginning of the 25:08 creation of God. " What does that mean? 25:10 That God created Jesus first? Not at all. 25:12 In the Greek language there are... the word for beginning 25:16 here is the Greek word arche 25:18 and it means beginner or first cause. 25:20 That Jesus started all creation. 25:23 Keep your finger in Revelation chapter 3. Go back to 25:25 Ephesians 3 verse 9. 25:27 Ephesians 3 verse 9. 25:30 Who is the One that addresses the church at Laodicea? 25:35 Ephesians 3 verse 9. 25:38 "And to make all people see what is the fellowship 25:41 of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages 25:44 has been hidden in God who created all things 25:47 through Jesus Christ. " 25:49 Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God 25:52 in the sense that He is the beginner of the creation of God. 25:56 He is the One that brought forth all creation. 25:59 He spoke and it was done. 26:01 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God 26:03 and the Word was God. And all things are created 26:06 by Him and in Him, and by Him all things are created 26:09 and exist. " So it is the Almighty Creator 26:12 that brought light out of darkness 26:15 that speaks to Laodicea. 26:17 It is the Almighty Creator that hung every star in space 26:21 and caused the planets to revolve around the sun. 26:25 It's the Almighty Creator that said to the tides 26:27 "you come hither and go no further. " 26:30 And it's the Almighty Creator 26:32 that brought life on this earth that speaks to Laodicea 26:35 and says: "I can re-create your hearts. " 26:38 "I can bring light out of the darkness of your mind. " 26:41 "I can turn the form of godliness so that you'll have 26:44 a new beating spiritual heart. " 26:46 It is the Creator that speaks to Laodicea. 26:49 So the Laodicean message is full of encouragement. 26:52 It's full of hope because Jesus, the Creator, says: 26:56 "I can re-create my image in My people. " 27:00 Now listen here. The Faith I Live By page 306: 27:02 "The counsel of the True Witness... " the prophet to the 27:07 remnant says this: "The counsel of the True Witness... " 27:09 What is that? The counsel of the True Witness? 27:11 What's that? The Laodicean message. 27:13 "is full of encouragement and comfort. 27:17 The churches may yet obtain the gold of true faith 27:21 and love and be rich in the blessings 27:24 in the heavenly treasure. " 27:28 The message to the Laodiceans is full of courage and comfort. 27:33 If you think tonight that the Laodicean message is one that 27:37 God has given to whip His people and beat them 27:40 till they feel so discouraged, you've missed the whole point. 27:43 Tonight as we study the Laodicean message 27:46 I want to show you how full of encouragement it is for you. 27:50 There's somebody watching tonight. 27:52 You just happened to tune in. 27:54 You've got a formal religious experience. 27:58 Your prayers don't go any higher than the ceiling. 28:01 You rarely study the Bible. 28:03 God's going to speak to you tonight. 28:05 God's going to touch you tonight. 28:06 Jesus is going to break through. There's somebody here tonight... 28:09 God sent you to this meeting for a purpose. 28:13 You may have come into this meeting tonight knowing 28:16 that there are things in your heart that are not right 28:18 with God. Sure, you're a Sabbath-keeping, tithe-paying, 28:20 health-reforming Adventist 28:21 but you know in your heart that you've lost something. 28:24 That you're missing something. 28:27 That there's a void in your heart. 28:28 That the fire in your soul that once burned was not there. 28:32 You know you have to force yourself to get on your knees 28:34 to pray and then you're on there for about 30 seconds 28:38 and your mind wanders. 28:39 And you have a very superficial prayer life. 28:43 You know that, oh sure, you love to watch speakers on television 28:47 and get your religious teaching second hand. 28:51 But as far as opening the Bible yourself and listening to Jesus 28:54 speak to you and let your heart be warmed, you know 28:57 that those were days past. 28:59 You know that your religious experience with Jesus 29:01 has become quite apathetic and quite superficial. 29:04 That you have a form of godliness. 29:07 You believe the doctrines but you're missing something inside. 29:09 Tonight Jesus is going to speak to you. 29:12 Tonight Jesus is going to touch you. 29:14 Tonight your heart is going to be warmed in some amazing 29:17 new ways as God from the text speaks to your heart. 29:20 Take your Bible, please. 29:23 The True Witness is speaking... 29:25 the One who can re-create our hearts. He says: 29:26 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. 29:29 I wish you were cold or hot. So then because you are 29:32 lukewarm... " Indifferent, apathetic... 29:37 "and neither cold nor hot I will spew you out of My mouth. " 29:41 Notice Jesus says to Laodicea 29:43 "You've taken a bath in lukewarm water. " 29:46 The water in Laodicea was very lukewarm. 29:49 You go visit there today and you look across the valley to 29:51 Hierapolis and you see the hot springs coming up 29:54 out of Hierapolis, and they come across about 6 miles. 29:57 You can still see the ruins of the Roman aqueducts. 30:00 And the water was hot when it came out of the springs 30:04 but by the time it got to Laodicea it was lukewarm 30:07 and it was nauseating. So the church at Laodicea 30:12 had taken a bath in lukewarm water. It was not hot; 30:16 it was not on fire for God. 30:19 But it was not cold; it had not rejected truth. 30:23 So Jesus says: "Because you say: 'I am rich 30:27 and have become wealthy... ' You are doctrinally wealthy. 30:31 You are spiritually wealthy from the sense of doctrine. 30:35 'that you have need of nothing' 30:38 but you don't know that you're wretched, 30:40 you're miserable, you're poor, 30:42 you're blind, and you're naked... ' " 30:44 Laodicea said: "I'm rich. " Jesus said: "You're poor. " 30:47 Laodicea said: "I'm a banking capitol" 30:49 and Jesus said: "You're poor. " 30:51 Laodicea said: "I am clothed with the garments. 30:55 Look at our garments; look at our fashion. " 30:57 Jesus said: "You're naked. " 30:59 Laodicea said: "I can see. We produce this eye salve. " 31:03 Jesus said: "You're blind. " 31:06 And then Jesus makes this offer. 31:07 The heavenly Merchantman comes and knocks on the door 31:10 of Laodicea and knocks on the door of your heart. 31:13 He knocks on the door of my heart tonight. 31:15 What does Jesus offer and what does it mean? 31:20 Jesus says: "I counsel you... " 31:23 The True Witness is speaking. He is speaking to you; 31:27 He's speaking to me. 31:28 If you're here in this 3ABN audience, the True Witness 31:31 is speaking to you. 31:32 The heavenly Merchantman is speaking to you. 31:35 If you're watching by television, 31:37 Jesus is speaking to you. 31:39 "I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire. " 31:43 We stop there. 31:45 What is the gold tried in the fire that Laodicea does not have 31:51 that Christ appeals to us to get? 31:54 What is that? Let's let the Bible tell us. 31:57 First we go to Peter. Take your Bible, please, 31:59 and come to Peter with me. 32:01 The first chapter of Peter. 32:03 I Peter chapter 1 verse 7. 32:07 I Peter chapter 1 verse 7. 32:08 What is the gold tried in the fire? 32:12 The gold that Laodicea needs 32:15 Laodicea needs more than a form of godliness. 32:17 Laodicea needs more than to honor Christ with their lips. 32:21 Laodicea needs more than a doctrinal correctness. 32:24 Laodicea needs more than simply an external label. 32:29 Laodicea needs the gold tried in the fire. 32:32 Gold is precious. 32:35 I Peter chapter 1. We look there... verse 7: 32:40 "That the genuineness of your faith 32:42 being much more precious than gold 32:45 that perishes though it is tested by fire 32:49 may be found to praise, honor, and glory 32:52 at the revelation of Jesus Christ. " 32:54 So the gold is the preciousness of your faith. 32:58 What is faith? 33:00 Faith is trusting God as a friend well known. 33:05 How do you develop faith? 33:08 Romans chapter 10 verse 17 says: "Faith comes by hearing 33:12 and hearing by the... " What? "Word of God. " 33:15 So when Jesus, the heavenly Merchantman, 33:19 invites us to take the gold, He's inviting us to develop 33:24 a faith that will stand the crisis of time. 33:27 He's inviting us to enter into a study of His Word - 33:32 personally, practically - and let the Word of God 33:37 transform our lives to develop a deep relationship of faith 33:41 with Him. Look at what Peter says. 33:44 After he talks about this gold tried in the fire, 33:47 this faith, he says... 33:50 I Peter chapter 1 verse 23: 33:54 "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed 33:58 but incorruptible, through the Word of God 34:01 which lives and abides forever. " 34:03 How is it that when we drift into Laodicean complacency 34:08 we can be born again? How is it that as our experience 34:12 with Jesus becomes apathetic our hearts can be changed? 34:16 That we can be moved from being indifferent? 34:18 Peter tells us. 34:19 "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed 34:22 but incorruptible, through the Word of God. " 34:25 II Peter. What is it that will bring revival 34:30 to God's people? What is it that will transform 34:33 the Laodicean spiritual experience? 34:35 It is as men and women on their knees 34:38 open God's Word and allow the precious promises 34:42 of God's Word to transform their life. 34:44 There is nothing that substitutes in the Christian 34:47 life for taking time with Jesus in His Word. 34:51 You cannot be a solid, vibrant, committed 34:56 Christian unless the Word of God transforms your life 35:00 and changes your mind. 35:02 "We are not conformed to this world but we are transformed 35:05 by the renewing of our mind. " II Peter chapter 1. 35:09 Notice he says... II Peter chapter 1: 35:13 "By which... " verse 4 "have been given to us exceeding 35:18 great and precious... " What? 35:20 "promises that through these you may be partakers 35:24 of the divine nature having escaped the corruption 35:28 of the world that is through lust. " 35:31 We escape the corruption of the world 35:33 and are partakers of the divine nature 35:36 as we fill our mind with God's Word. 35:39 Listen to what James says. James chapter 1. 35:44 There is a danger. The danger is 35:49 that we substitute listening to sermons 35:53 on DVD to listening to the voice of God in His Word. 36:00 I thank God for the media ministries. 36:02 I thank God for 3ABN. 36:04 I thank God for Hope Channel. 36:05 I thank God for every Adventist ministry... all of them! 36:09 Breath of Life... praise God for it. 36:12 It Is Written... praise God for it. 36:15 Amazing Facts... praise God for it. 36:17 But if you think that you're going to develop a deep 36:21 spiritual experience by becoming a religious groupie 36:25 and following your favorite TV preacher 36:29 be it Mark Finley or anybody else, 36:33 that will not provide the depth that God wants you to have. 36:40 The answer to Laodicea is found in the Word of God. 36:46 The book of James. 36:47 There is no substitute for opening God's Word. 36:52 There is no substitute for letting God speak to you 36:56 through His book. There is no substitute 37:00 for the transformation of character that comes. 37:03 The gold tried in the fire 37:07 is the development of faith 37:11 through a mind immersed in the Word of the Living God. 37:15 James chapter 1. 37:18 Verse... looking there in the book of James 37:21 chapter 1 verse 21. 37:24 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and the overflow 37:29 of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word 37:34 which is able to save your souls. " 37:36 The implanted Word! I love that expression. 37:39 Has the Word of God been implanted in your mind? 37:44 Has the Word of God saturated your consciousness? 37:48 Has the Word of God molded and shaped your thinking 37:53 and transformed your life? 37:55 Revival - genuine, authentic revival - will not come to this 38:00 church simply because there's some music that makes you 38:03 want to clap your hands. 38:06 That may lead to false revival. 38:11 A false revival's going to come. 38:13 It's going to be based on emotionalism and sentimentalism. 38:17 And for a people that are not used to disciplined study 38:21 of God's Word and that want a quick fix in religion, 38:25 that want a candy-coated, sugar-coated gospel 38:30 that makes them feel good, 38:32 the devil will provide a counterfeit. 38:36 Shallow calls to shallow 38:39 but deep calleth to deep. 38:41 I do not call you tonight to a shallow, superficial, 38:47 easy-going, crossless Christian experience. 38:52 Tonight I call you to the depths of God's Word. 38:56 I call you to fill your mind for it is written 39:00 none but those who have fortified their minds 39:04 with the teaching of scripture, and I quote: 39:07 "will stand through the final crisis. " 39:11 Revival comes through saturating our minds with the Word of God. 39:15 This is what Jesus is talking about to Laodicea: 39:19 the faith, the gold, the Christian experience 39:21 that comes through God's Word. 39:23 Psalm 119. 39:24 What is the source of revival? 39:27 What is the very heart of revival? 39:30 What is the very essence of revival? 39:32 Psalm 119. 39:35 And we look there in the 119th Psalm 39:38 in the 107th verse... 39:41 Let's look at verses 105, 106, 107. 39:44 Psalm 119 105, 106, and 107. 39:50 "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. 39:54 I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your 39:56 righteous judgments. I am afflicted much. 39:58 Revive me, O Lord, according to Your... " What everybody? 40:03 "Revive me, O Lord, according to... " What? 40:06 "Your Word. " 40:08 What is the source and the heart of revival? 40:11 Revival comes as we pray over God's Word. 40:14 Do you see why the Laodicean message is full of 40:18 as the prophet of God to the remnant says: 40:20 "hope and encouragement? " 40:21 Because as we fill our minds with God's Word 40:24 the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Bible 40:26 inspires our hearts. 40:28 The Creator God who spoke and it was done, 40:31 who commanded and it stood fast, 40:33 the creative energy and I quote again: 40:36 "the creative energy that brought worlds into existence 40:39 is in the Word of God. " 40:41 The same Jesus who spoke worlds into existence 40:45 speaks to us through His Word and our lives are transformed 40:49 through the very Word of God. 40:50 Back to Revelation chapter 3. 40:52 What does the heavenly Merchantman invite us to do? 40:56 First, He comes knocking on the door of your heart 40:58 and He says: "Will you give Me time? " 41:00 "Will you give Me time? " 41:03 In Revelation chapter 3: 41:05 "Will you give Me time to build within you a faith? " 41:10 "Will you give Me time to build within you 41:14 a strength of character? " 41:17 "Will you spend time every day 41:21 allowing Me to speak to you from My Word? " 41:25 Revelation 3. 41:27 "I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire 41:31 that you may be rich 41:33 and white raiments that you may be clothed. " 41:37 What are these white raiments? 41:41 Well, Revelation chapter 19. 41:43 Take your Bible there: Revelation chapter 19. 41:46 And you're going to look at Revelation chapter 19 41:49 and you're going to look at verse 9. 41:52 Revelation chapter 19 verse 9. 41:55 What is this white raiment? 41:58 Revelation chapter 19 verse 9 42:01 describes what this white raiment is. 42:05 Revelation 19 verse 9. 42:09 We'll start with verse 7. 42:12 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory 42:15 for the marriage of the Lamb has come 42:17 and His wife has made herself ready. 42:19 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, 42:23 clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteous acts 42:26 of the saints. " What is this white raiment? 42:29 It is Jesus' righteousness that transforms our lives. 42:35 What is Jesus saying when He says: "Come to Me 42:38 and receive this white raiment? " 42:40 He's saying: "Bathe your mind 42:44 in an understanding of My grace and My righteousness. 42:48 You are frail and weak and sinful 42:52 and all your righteousness is as filthy rags. 42:55 Even your righteous acts are tainted by selfish motives 42:59 but come to Me... immerse yourself in Me. " 43:04 I love that old hymn Not I, But Christ... 43:06 be honored, loved, exalted. 43:09 Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard. 43:12 Not I, but Christ, in every look and action. 43:15 Not I, but Christ, in every deed and word. 43:18 Jesus says: "Come and allow Me to fill your heart. 43:22 Come and allow me to change your life. 43:24 Come and allow Me to be your Savior, your Lord. 43:30 Come and allow Me to transform you and make you over again. 43:36 Drink deeply of My grace 43:39 and My love and My salvation. " 43:42 Jesus says to you and to me tonight: 43:45 "Spend time immersing your mind in My grace, 43:51 My goodness, My righteousness. " 43:53 Dwight L. Moody once said 43:55 "The man the world has yet to see: 44:01 that man, that woman who is totally consecrated to God. 44:06 I will be that man. " 44:08 Do you hear the call of God to your heart? 44:12 "I will be that man... I will be that woman. 44:14 Lord, all I want is to reflect Your love. 44:17 All I want is to reflect Your grace. 44:19 All I want is Your grace to flow out of me. 44:22 I want to reveal Jesus 44:24 in kindness and compassion and gentleness. 44:27 I know, Lord, there's no goodness in me. 44:29 I know that there is no way that my righteousness can 44:33 save me. Nobody else has to tell me how wicked I am 44:38 because I know this man's heart, 44:39 I know this man's mind. " 44:43 Nothing in my hand I bring, 44:47 only to His cross I cling. 44:51 Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! 44:54 Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 44:57 Redeemed and so happy in Jesus! 45:00 Laodicea... an appeal to the cross. 45:06 An appeal to kneel before Him 45:09 and praise Him for His righteousness and His goodness 45:13 and His love. 45:14 What is the message to Laodicea 45:16 in Revelation chapter 3? 45:19 It is a message to develop faith and strength of character 45:23 through His Word. 45:24 It is a message to be immersed in His love 45:27 and allow His grace and righteousness and goodness 45:31 to transform your life. 45:35 The last part of the verse says 45:37 "that you may be clothed. " Verse... chapter 3 verse 18. 45:43 "That the shame of your naked- ness may not be revealed. " 45:46 Without Jesus and His righteousness clothing me 45:52 the x-ray of the divine eyes of eternity 45:56 see through my fig-leaf garments of works 46:02 and I'm seen as naked before God. 46:05 But as I fall on my knees and say: "Jesus, I'm a sinner 46:08 but You are altogether righteous. 46:10 Clothe me with Your righteousness, Lord... 46:13 clothe me with Your righteousness. 46:15 Transform my life through that righteousness. " 46:19 As a sinner I am declared righteous through the 46:23 righteous life of Christ. 46:27 But as a sinner, the faith that receives 46:33 His justifying grace is the same faith that receives 46:37 His sanctifying power. 46:40 The same faith that receives justification 46:43 for my past and present failures 46:47 receives His power and sanctification to transform me. 46:52 Salvation comes as I spend time with Jesus in His Word. 46:57 It comes as I cast my helpless soul upon Him 47:02 and let Him clothe me with His beautiful robe of righteousness. 47:06 And He declares me before the universe as righteous. 47:09 And that which He declares me to be 47:13 He promises to me that He's not only the Author 47:16 but He is the Finisher of our faith! 47:19 He promises me that if I stay with Him 47:22 and don't drop out of the school of Christ 47:26 that He will get me through. 47:28 Because "He which hath begun a good work in you" - 47:31 Philippians 1 verse 6- "will finish it. " 47:34 I'm not all that I want to be 47:37 but I will be all I can be 47:41 through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 47:44 He surrounds me and clothes me with His righteousness 47:47 and works in me through His grace and power to transform me. 47:52 So as John says: "Behold... "Behold now are we 47:56 the sons of God. 47:59 But we do not yet know what we shall be. 48:01 But we know this: that we shall be like Him 48:06 because when He appears we shall see Him as He is. " 48:09 Jesus is taking Laodicea, whom He has clothed with His 48:12 righteousness, transforming their hearts to make them 48:17 a loving, kind people to be a witness to the world. 48:20 This is the message of Laodicea. 48:23 Let Jesus do a deep work in your heart. 48:25 Let Jesus finish the work in your heart that He began. 48:28 Let Jesus be not only the Author but the Finisher 48:31 of your faith. Revelation chapter 3 last part 48:33 of verse 18. 48:38 "And anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see. " 48:41 What is the eye salve? 48:43 It is the Holy Spirit bringing us conviction of who we are. 48:46 It's the Holy Spirit showing us our need of Jesus Christ. 48:51 Oh Jesus, I don't want to be so rushed, even in my ministry, 48:57 that I miss receiving the gold 49:00 and that the faith and strength of character is not developed 49:03 in me to stand in the final crisis. 49:08 I don't want to be so clothed in the accomplishments of my 49:12 works that I don't kneel before You 49:15 and receive Your grace. 49:18 Lord, I don't want to be so blind 49:21 that I don't see my nature that drives me to Jesus. 49:26 And Jesus says Revelation chapter 3 verse 20: 49:28 "Behold I stand at the door and knock. 49:31 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will 49:34 come in to him and sup with him and he with Me. " 49:36 In the Eastern world, supper 49:39 was a meal that you sat down in fellowship. 49:42 You don't run by. 49:43 Jesus says: "I'm standing at the door knocking. 49:45 Can I come in? Can I come in? 49:48 I'm standing there at that door and knocking. 49:52 Will you make a total complete surrender 49:55 of your life to Me? " 49:57 "Will you allow Me to fill that aching void in your soul? " 50:02 You're an Adventist. You're a tithe-paying, Sabbath- 50:06 keeping, health-reforming Adventist 50:08 but you're running through life. And deep down in your soul 50:13 there is an aching for a genuine spirituality. 50:16 You are saying: "God, there must be something more! " 50:20 And Jesus says to you: "Come. Come. Open your heart. 50:26 Let Me change your life. " 50:30 I want to read you a remarkable letter. 50:33 This letter was written 50:37 about 40 years ago. 50:41 It was written, in fact, 1968-1970. 50:46 A group of Communist infiltrators came to America. 50:53 They began working on college campuses. 50:56 And a Communist I will say "evangelist" 50:59 converted to Communism a number of American young people. 51:04 One of the young men that accepted Communism 51:09 in the late 60's when Communism was in its hey-day 51:13 he believed in the ideology of Communism. 51:16 That the classless society that Marx had offered 51:21 was the way forward for all the world. 51:24 This young man who had been a Christian left Christianity. 51:28 And he had been dating a Christian girl, and he 51:31 broke up with her. I want to read you 51:34 a copy of the letter that he wrote 51:39 to his Christian girlfriend 51:41 and why, as a Communist, he had to break up 51:44 with a Christian... why they couldn't date. 51:46 "My dear, I am writing this letter to inform you 51:51 that I can no longer continue our relationship. 51:55 I have become a Communist 51:57 and must sacrifice everything for my commitment to the cause. 52:01 We Communists don't have time for fine cars 52:05 and luxurious houses and movies 52:08 and T-bone steaks or fancy clothes. 52:11 We are all consumed by the cause of Communism. 52:15 Communism is my love. 52:17 It is my mistress; it is my sweetheart. 52:21 It consumes my time and absorbs my thoughts. 52:24 Its hold on me grows stronger not weaker every day. 52:28 I give back to the cause every penny 52:31 except for my living expenses. 52:34 And I'm willing to give up my life for the cause of Communism. 52:38 Therefore I can have no relationship that is contrary 52:42 to the cause and we must break up. " 52:46 When I read that I said: "Oh, Jesus, 52:49 oh Jesus, how pathetic 52:55 my commitment to You is at times. 52:57 How superficial! 53:02 Jesus, You are the great Creator. 53:07 Come and re-create my heart. 53:10 Come and transform my life. 53:13 Come and make me like You. " 53:17 Do you hear God speaking to you tonight? 53:19 Is God speaking to your heart? 53:22 Is there the call to something deeper? 53:25 Is it a call to spend time with Him in prayer? 53:28 Is there the call to spend time in His book? 53:31 Is there the call to your heart to a deeper surrender tonight? 53:36 Would you like to bow your heads with me as we pray? 53:40 Is there somebody here that you know God is calling you 53:44 to make a change in your life? 53:48 I don't know what that change is, but you hear His voice 53:50 speaking to you tonight. 53:52 Somebody watching by television: 53:55 God is calling you tonight to make that change. 53:58 Would you just raise your hand right now? 54:00 "Lord, I need a change. Lord, I need a change. 54:03 Lord, I need to be anchored in Your Word. 54:05 Lord, I want to be ready when You come. " 54:07 Jesus, thank you for being the great Creator that'll 54:09 change our hearts. 54:10 Oh my Father, thank you that the message to the Laodiceans 54:14 is so full of hope and encouragement. 54:16 You have not spewed us out of Your mouth. 54:19 You will create a mighty revival, and the winds 54:22 of revival are blowing. Oh Jesus, tonight 54:25 we open our hearts to You. 54:27 Come and fill them with Your power, Your strength, 54:30 Your goodness, Your righteousness 54:33 and use us in Your closing work. 54:36 In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. 54:40 Go tonight knowing... Go tonight knowing 54:45 that you are Christ's and He is yours. 54:49 Amen. Thank you, Mark. 54:51 And all the people said once again: "Amen! " 54:56 Wow! We've had a wonderful time. We want to thank all of you 54:59 for coming... those of you at home for staying with us 55:03 at Camp Meeting. Many of you are watching 55:04 from around the world. 55:06 And this is a spiritual time. 55:08 It's for revival and reformation 55:11 and it's good for all of us. 55:12 And though we're in the business of ministry 55:14 we need to be in the business of coming to Jesus every day, 55:17 right? That's right. Coming to the foot of the cross. 55:19 And sometimes a lot of us are out speaking, 55:22 and it's great to sit down and be fed by other folks. 55:25 Amen. You know, we will have another Camp Meeting 55:28 in the spring. And those dates are: May 30-31, June 1-2. 55:35 And so we're looking forward to that. 55:37 Put it on your calendar and plan to be with us. 55:40 You know the amazing thing, Danny? There are more people 55:43 here at the end of this message 55:45 than there were at the beginning. 55:46 And they just kept coming back in. 55:49 And... I always say when I go to churches on weekends... 55:52 I say: "Most Adventists will miss the second coming 55:55 by about 20 minutes. " Yeah. 55:57 'Cause that's about how late... Church starts at 7. 55:59 By 7: 15 there's quite a few there 56:02 and by 7:30 most everybody that's coming comes, you know. 56:06 That's right. But however late you came 56:09 we're glad that you came and... for sure. 56:12 Well... and what we want to do is leave you with a blessing 56:17 because how many of you have to travel now? 56:21 Got quite a distance to travel. 56:23 We want to pray traveling mercies over you. 56:25 And our prayer, too, is this word that has gone forth 56:29 not just for you here but all of you across the nation 56:33 and throughout the world that have had this word 56:37 that have received so beautifully from Bro. Bradford, 56:39 have we not? And from Pastor Finley. 56:42 That this word that has been planted in your heart 56:45 that it will be sealed there by the power of the Holy Spirit. 56:48 That the enemy can't come and steal... not any of that 56:51 word out of your heart but that that word will be planted 56:54 deeply within your heart and it will produce 56:57 not 30-fold, not 60-fold, but how many of you want 57:00 100-fold return on this word that's gone into our heart 57:04 today? So that's our prayer tonight 57:06 for everyone that's here... for everyone around the world. 57:09 That the power of the Word will be planted 57:11 deeply within your heart 57:13 and that it will have a mighty return for the kingdom of God. 57:16 Amen. Jesus is coming soon. Amen. 57:20 Good night. God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17