Participants: C.D. Brooks
Series Code: 11POFCM
Program Code: 11POFCM000010
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00:48 We come now to the last hour for this evening.
00:52 And... you know, the Bible talks about saving the good wine 00:58 for last. Amen! The vintage wine for last. 01:01 And we have a power-packed speaker, and we are so happy 01:05 that you have chosen to stay by here in our audience 01:08 in Thompsonville and our world audience. 01:12 Now before I introduce the speaker, I need to ask 01:14 a very special personal favor from you. 01:16 I have invited my neighbors to come and be with us 01:20 on tomorrow evening: my neighbors to the right 01:22 and my neighbors to the left 01:24 and they have consented to do so. 01:26 But I want you to pray. The neighbors on the right 01:29 are the Rogers and the neighbors on the left 01:32 are the Newells. The Rogers, the wife of my neighbor, 01:38 her father is the pastor of the local church around the corner 01:41 and he has consented to come also. 01:43 Amen. And so I don't want the devil to get in. 01:46 I want them to come and feel the Spirit of God in this place. 01:49 So would you pray with me for the Rogers and the Newells 01:51 that nothing will hinder them from coming on tomorrow evening? 01:54 That is very, very special to me. 01:58 I do not know when I first met C.D. Brooks. 02:02 It seems as though I have always known him. 02:05 I guess there was a time when I did not... 02:07 but I don't know when that time was. 02:09 When I was in college he was preaching even then 02:13 powerfully for the Breath of Life. 02:15 There was a sermon that he preached called 02:17 Rendezvous at Beth Peor. 02:20 And all of the senior theology majors were preaching 02:23 Rendezvous at Beth Peor. 02:25 We preached it in the mirrors in our bathrooms. 02:27 We watched his gestures and we tried to emulate his gestures. 02:30 Everybody wanted to be C.D. Brooks. 02:32 And you were really good if you had a C in your name. 02:39 And I strutted around Oakwood College 02:42 'cause I was C.A. Murray. 02:43 And people who didn't have C's invented C's 02:47 because everybody wanted to have a C. 02:49 There was C.E. Bradford and C.D. Brooks 02:52 and C.B. Rock and... and just C's everywhere. 02:57 So if you had a C in your name you were destined for greatness. 03:03 But Elder Brooks and Elder Walter Arties began 03:06 a ministry so many years ago. 03:09 Amen. There are at least 13 churches 03:12 in and across the world 03:15 that carry the name Breath of Life that were, 03:18 as we used to say, "preached out" by C.D. Brooks. 03:22 God used him so many years in so many ways 03:27 at the Breath of Life. 03:29 The thing that touches me about this man of God 03:33 is his humility. 03:35 When you meet him you know he's a genuine child of God - 03:40 Amen - who has been used greatly by God 03:43 but who retains a humility that is refreshing, 03:48 humbling, and enduring... 03:52 and endearing. 03:55 He travels with his wife. I know Walterine is here. 03:58 I don't see her but I know she's in the audience. 04:00 She's never far from his side. 04:01 And we are both pleased and blessed to have this man of God 04:05 to come to be with us. This, I think, is his 04:08 third year, and as long as he wants to come 04:11 Jim has said there's a place for him 04:13 because there's always a place for a man of God 04:15 who preaches the plain, simple Word of God 04:18 and has been used by God for so many, many years. 04:24 He is speaking on the topic Growing in Jesus. 04:27 Growing in Christ. 04:29 A very timely topic. And I am sure that God will use him 04:32 in a very special way to touch our hearts 04:35 as we give ear to the man of God 04:38 who will be preaching the Word of God. 04:40 Before he comes, there is a favorite song of mine 04:44 that bespeaks a walk with Jesus. 04:47 We love Christ because He does so very much for us. 04:53 It's no wonder that we love Him. 04:55 When we think of all the things Jesus has done for us 04:58 could we help but love our Savior? 05:18 When I think how Jesus loved me, 05:23 how He waited patiently, 05:28 even when I turned my back and walked away. 05:34 When He knew I wanted everything 05:39 this world could offer me 05:43 then I guess He knew the price I'd have to pay. 05:49 So He watched me stumble downward, 05:54 saw each compromise I made, 05:58 heard each lie I whispered just to get my way. 06:04 Still He waited there to hear me 06:09 when I cried to Him and prayed. 06:14 Then He saved my soul, and that is why I say: 06:20 Tell me, is it any wonder 06:26 that I love Him 06:31 when you consider all He's done 06:35 for me? 06:39 And is it any wonder 06:43 that I long to do His will 06:47 and let His light shine out for all to see? 06:53 And is it any wonder 06:59 that I praise Him 07:03 each time I think of how 07:06 He's made me free? 07:10 And is it any wonder 07:15 that I've given Him my heart 07:19 when Jesus freely gave His life 07:23 for me? 07:38 When I think how Jesus loves me, 07:42 how He watches patiently, 07:47 how His arms are stretched to meet me when I run. 07:54 When I'm feeling down and lonely 07:59 how He's there to comfort me. 08:03 In the darkness He becomes my morning sun. 08:09 When I think of how He's healed me, 08:13 how He's touched me in my pain, 08:18 how His gentle hands have wiped my tears away. 08:24 How He's taken every heartache 08:28 and brought happiness again, 08:32 Oh, I want the world to hear me when I say: 08:39 Tell me is it any wonder 08:45 that I love Him 08:49 each time I think of how He's made me free? 08:56 And is it any wonder 09:00 that I long to do His will 09:04 and let His light shine out for all to see? 09:11 And is it any wonder 09:16 that I praise Him 09:20 each time I think of how 09:24 He's made me free? 09:28 And is it any wonder 09:32 that I've given Him my heart 09:36 when Jesus 09:39 really gave His life 09:44 for me? 10:08 I feel greatly blessed - Amen - 10:11 to come back again to this miracle place 10:15 where everybody is so nice to me. 10:21 My wife and I are glad to be here 10:23 and we appreciate the invitation 10:27 to join in this year's Spring Camp Meeting. 10:32 May God bless you. 10:35 Would you pray with me now? 10:37 Heavenly Father, 10:40 we ask for help because we are always desperate. 10:44 We always need Thee. 10:48 Be our God and use this final segment to Thy glory. 10:53 We humbly pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 10:59 I want to be loyal to my assignment 11:04 and I think I can 11:07 while at the same time switching topics a little bit... 11:10 or titles. 11:14 I want to speak on the title, under the title, 11:19 God and Angels Amazed. 11:23 But first welcome to section D. 11:28 I don't know where I got this or when... 11:32 but it came to my mind. Section D: depression, 11:37 decline, depravity, 11:41 doom, denial, 11:45 decay, debacle, 11:50 dementia, debt, 11:55 deconstruction, dissipation, 11:58 distrust, drugs, 12:03 dilly-dallying, 12:05 despair, devolution, 12:10 danger, dysfunction, 12:15 degradation, divisiveness, 12:23 depravation, deficiency, 12:27 dilemma, damnation, 12:32 death and darkness. 12:38 Welcome to section D. 12:42 Since I met with you last, 12:45 the world remains an unfriendly place. 12:49 If we're not getting tired of it now 12:52 and longing for another place, there's something wrong with us. 13:01 I was reading again from the Psalms... excuse me, from 13:05 Isaiah chapter 59 and these words 13:10 beginning with verse 10: 13:13 "We grope for the wall like the blind. 13:18 We grope as if we had no eyes. 13:24 We stumble at noonday as in the night. 13:27 We are in desolate places as dead men. 13:31 We roar like bears 13:35 and mourn sore like doves. 13:38 We look for judgment but there is none; 13:42 for salvation, but it is far off from us. 13:47 For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee 13:50 and our sins testify against us. 13:53 For our transgressions are with us, 13:56 and as for our iniquities, we know them! 14:00 In transgressing and lying against the Lord 14:04 and departing away from our God 14:07 speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering 14:11 from the heart words of falsehood. 14:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice 14:18 standeth afar off. 14:21 For truth is fallen in the streets 14:24 and equity cannot enter. 14:27 Yea, truth faileth. 14:30 And he that departeth from evil maketh himself afraid. 14:34 And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him 14:38 and there was no judgment. 14:42 And He saw that there was no man 14:49 and wondered 14:52 that there was no intercessor. " 14:58 We have read these solemn accusations 15:02 even against the people of God. 15:05 And when we come to verse 16 15:09 the Bible says: "He saw that there was no man 15:14 and wondered that there was no intercessor. " 15:22 God and angels amazed. 15:27 Ellen White says angels wonder 15:31 that there's so little prayer 15:34 coming from those in such desperate need. 15:39 Angels are amazed; God is amazed. 15:44 The infinite heart of God throbs 15:48 for men in their desperation. 15:52 God wants to hear from us. 15:54 And there will be no growth and no development in Christ Jesus 15:58 until we learn how to pray extraordinary prayers. 16:03 And that's what I wanted to talk about. 16:07 God wants to hear from us. 16:12 The Lord's servant says there will be no revival 16:18 without prayer. 16:22 He who kneels before God can stand before any man. 16:27 As a matter of fact, a lot of kneeling 16:30 will keep you in good standing. 16:35 Rode down the street and saw a sign on a church lot. 16:39 It said: "Our church is prayer-conditioned. " 16:44 That's what God wants from us. 16:48 That's His will for us. 16:51 God wants to bail us out... 16:55 to rescue us from the mess that we're in. 17:00 But He can't reach us unless we are willing to talk to Him 17:06 and develop a relationship with Him. 17:11 He said: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He 17:15 will direct your path. " 17:17 Look what He's offering if we will just acknowledge Him. 17:22 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" 17:25 the Bible says. 17:27 "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, 17:33 and whatsoever you ask believing will be granted. " 17:38 God pledges that. He is a merciful God. 17:43 He wants to be amongst us. 17:47 He wants to do extraordinary things with His remnant church. 17:51 He does not want business as usual. 17:55 God wants us to get something going that will finish 18:00 the work under His direction and power. 18:05 "Like as a father pitieth his children, 18:09 so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. " 18:12 And in case you wanted another touch, Isaiah says: 18:18 "As one whom his mother comforteth. " 18:22 There is no comfort quite like that of a mother. 18:25 I remember once romping through the forest and 18:30 stirring up a whole nest of hornets. 18:34 And they took it out on me. 18:38 I was running and screaming and fighting... 18:41 it seemed for naught. And my mother heard me coming. 18:45 It seemed that when she shut the screen door 18:48 she shut all of them out and all of me in. 18:53 And then she began the ministration to relieve my pain 18:58 and to encourage me 19:00 and to make me feel that big boys don't cry. 19:06 "As one whom his mother comforteth. " 19:10 All of this and yet heaven seems to be incredulous: 19:17 where are the praying saints? 19:20 There's lots of complaining. 19:23 Lots of blaming others; a lot of questioning. 19:27 A lot of theologizing and philosophying. 19:32 All these things we hear all the time, but 19:36 where are the prayers? 19:41 Ellen White makes an unusual statement. 19:44 She suggests that praying three times a day is not enough. 19:49 Now Daniel was a man of power; he prayed three times a day. 19:53 There's a song about it. 19:55 But you have to believe as I believe 19:58 that Daniel prayed a lot more than that. 20:00 These were formal prayers with the windows open. 20:03 These were witnessing prayers. 20:06 But Daniel stayed in an attitude of prayer all the time. 20:13 And the Lord's servant says we've got to come to that. 20:17 And she uses a word that I want to use here tonight: 20:21 we've got to learn to "agonize" in prayer. 20:27 We've got to go to our knees and stay there 20:29 until a change comes. 20:32 Got to stay there until something happens. 20:37 And God is powerful enough to make it happen! 20:40 He loves us enough to make it happen. 20:45 Some of us are tired of our old selves. 20:49 God wants to make a change. 20:52 Ellen White says there's some things God knows to do 20:55 but will not do it until we ask. 21:00 You see, this business of praying and God blessing... 21:04 this is a relationship, an interchange. 21:07 You and God; you and God. 21:10 You as an individual talking to a wonderful God. 21:15 The King James version uses the word "wondered. " 21:21 "God wondered that there was no intercessor. " 21:25 I read some other authorities on this and they said 21:29 that word is too weak to convey the Hebrew meaning. 21:35 And they suggest it comes closer to saying 21:39 God was "desolate" wanting to hear from us. 21:45 Another one says: "He was astonished" 21:49 that we were not praying. 21:51 Section D? All that we live with day by day? 21:57 God is astonished that we can see crime and evil 22:02 on every hand and not cry out in prayer 22:05 more and more and more. 22:09 We've got to agonize in prayer. 22:14 And if we're willing to do it, God is willing to assure us 22:17 "I am not dead! I am alive! 22:22 And I'm ready, and heaven is open for business. 22:26 If you will simply come to Me in prayer, I've got some answers 22:32 that you are in desperate need of. " 22:35 "I will confirm the truth in your heart. 22:39 I will rise up but I'm waiting on you to ask. " 22:45 I see amazing things happening amongst us. 22:48 I've been around a long time. 22:52 My birthday came on Sabbath last year 22:56 and I saw my grandson slipping into my church. 22:59 He goes to another. 23:00 I wondered: "What's he doing here? " 23:03 But then I thought: "Oh, they're going to my house for dinner 23:05 so that's it. " But that wasn't it. 23:09 At a certain point he got up and walked to the rostrum. 23:12 It was prearranged. 23:13 He thanked those for giving him an opportunity to say something. 23:17 And then he said: "We have an unusual thing happening 23:20 in our family this week. 23:21 My grandmother's birthday was Thursday; 23:24 my uncle's birthday is the next day, Friday; 23:28 and today is my Granddaddy's birthday 23:31 and he is 80 years old. " 23:33 I wasn't ready for that to be general knowledge! 23:40 The secret is out now. 23:46 But God's been good to me and I've seen things move 23:51 from this to that. 23:52 And some of the moves are not always encouraging. 23:57 God allowed me to do evangelism for a lot of years, 24:00 and when we ran these big campaigns 24:02 in these various cities, the objections came from men 24:06 out there somewhere. 24:07 Today objections are coming from within. 24:12 We've got people who seem determined 24:15 to change our message. 24:19 They want it to suit them. 24:21 I found something in my Bible. 24:24 If I can find it, I'll show it to you. 24:26 It's something... it's been in here a long time. 24:30 You can't see it but at least you know I have it. 24:33 I copied it from the Associated Press. 24:36 And it says that they found a pig 24:41 in Indonesia 24:43 that is like a pig anywhere else except this pig 24:47 chews its cud. 24:56 And it is said that a certain famous rabbi in Los Angeles 25:02 pronounced it kosher. 25:09 And others say the same thing: 25:13 it can be included in the Jewish diet. 25:18 Then I thought to myself: "How like us that is. " 25:22 We want a pig that chews the cud. 25:28 We're looking for something easier. 25:31 But it's not going to get easier. 25:33 And in case you don't know, I want to explain to you 25:37 the dragon - Revelation 12:17- 25:41 verse 9 tells you who that is - 25:43 " The dragon was "wroth with the church 25:46 and went to make war... " 25:49 Went to make what? 25:50 War! "with the remnant of her seed. " Who are they? 25:54 They keep the commandments of God 25:56 and have the testimony of Jesus. What's that? 26:00 Revelation 19:10: it is the gift of prophecy 26:03 or the Spirit of Prophecy. 26:06 We are at war! 26:10 And there is a terrible enemy who despises 26:15 every loving one of you... and God knows that. 26:19 And he can do you harm if you drop your guard. 26:23 So God is amazed that you don't pray. 26:27 That you don't ask for angelic protection. 26:31 That you don't resist the devil for he trembles 26:35 when the weakest saint is on his knees. Amen! 26:40 That's you; that's me! 26:43 You don't have to be some high professional. 26:46 The weakest saint. 26:51 We are told that before the end of time 26:53 thousands will join the church 26:56 and be baptized in a day. 26:59 And I'm afraid some of us in this country and Europe 27:01 and other places figure that has to pertain to us. 27:04 I want to tell you it's already happening! 27:07 And it's happening among people who can't even read. 27:11 They hear the Word of God. 27:13 They do not object to the standards. 27:16 They are glad to hear these wonderful things 27:19 that set them free! Amen! 27:22 Reminds me of when I was a 10-year-old child 27:25 in a Sabbath-keeping home. 27:29 But we didn't know any better... we just... 27:31 we just did what the Lord said. 27:34 And He didn't tell us how to do it. 27:37 And mother, on Friday evening, 27:39 would be baking long after sunset. 27:43 We didn't know. 27:45 But we finally found the church. 27:47 1940... I was 10 years old 27:50 and we went into the church for the first time. 27:53 And it was as though God spoke to me and said: 27:55 "This is it. " 27:57 And I haven't changed my mind in 70 years. 28:00 Amen! I want to tell you something else. 28:03 When we as a large family heard the standards of the church, 28:07 the standards of God's Word, 28:10 they didn't turn us off... they turned us on! 28:13 We thought: "My, we are joining something special. " 28:18 Amen! 28:20 What is this that all of a sudden 28:22 we want to adjust and change and re-do. 28:27 It's as though we think God made a mistake 28:30 when He did it the first time! 28:33 And so now we are saying: "All right, Lord, 28:35 let's see if we can't get You straightened out 28:38 and get this thing together. " 28:40 God says: "No! " As a matter of fact, in verse 1 28:44 of this chapter I was reading He says: 28:46 "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened 28:49 that it cannot save; neither is His ear heavy 28:52 that it cannot hear. " He's still the same God 28:56 yesterday, today, and forever. 28:58 He can still do as He pleases. 29:01 He's waiting on us... - Amen! - 29:04 so that we can get some things done. 29:08 And then He promises: "No weapon that is formed against thee 29:13 shall prosper. " 29:15 "My sword is the breath of My mouth; 29:18 My heart is set on advancing you. 29:23 Moving you up... making room for others who will come in. 29:29 Now it is true that 'those whom I love I rebuke and chasten' 29:34 and I do it for the development of your character. " 29:37 We try to get this point across: 29:40 nothing that God allows to happen to you 29:43 is against you... only for you. 29:46 Amen! I don't care how rotten it is. 29:49 One of the easiest texts to talk about 29:51 and hardest to put into practice 29:53 is Romans 8: "All things. " How many things? 29:57 All. "All things work together for good 30:00 to them that love the Lord. " 30:02 You've got to believe it and you've got to really believe it. 30:06 And you've got to believe it even more! 30:10 Ellen White says that God's hand amongst His people 30:14 left a mark of prosperity. He still does that. 30:17 He takes better care of us than our complaining hearts 30:21 are willing to admit. 30:24 God knows who He is; do you know who you are? 30:28 Do I know who I am? 30:30 God is saying to us: "I cannot be held up 30:34 nor held back. " 30:36 "I know the thoughts that I think towards you: 30:39 they are thoughts of peace. " 30:41 "I have your best interest at heart, 30:44 and if I don't treat you exactly as I do this man over here, 30:48 it's because you don't need the same treatment he needs. 30:52 I know what I'm doing, 30:54 and if you and I could get into a conversation, 30:58 it would become clear... even to you. " 31:04 There used to be an old man, a great evangelist, 31:08 by the name of J.G. Thomas. 31:11 I don't know if anybody can remember him 31:13 but when I was just a youngster in ministry 31:17 he was a man of great power. 31:20 He was already 82 years old when I called him to do a revival 31:23 at my church. And then after breakfast 31:27 we'd go down by the lake and I would sit at his feet 31:30 and learn and learn and absorb and absorb. 31:33 Now he was a man who had only gone to school 31:37 through the 5th grade, and we talked about it. 31:40 And I said: "But your English is perfect 31:43 and this and that and the other. 31:46 These are things that you find amongst polished men. 31:50 How did you acquire this with a 5th grade education? " 31:54 He said: "Ah-ha, 31:57 the Lord said if we would offer Him a perfect heart 32:02 He would show Himself strong in our behalf. " 32:06 He said: "And I believed God and He did it! " 32:10 Amen. "He did it. " 32:13 He stood in my pulpit like a 20-year-old, 32:16 ramrod straight, and preached with power. 32:19 He rests in Jesus now but I will never forget him. 32:25 You can't bother God. 32:28 He said: "I'll never weary of listening to you. 32:33 You might even pray the same prayer over and over and over. 32:36 Now don't think that I'm hard and not listening... 32:39 I am listening. 32:40 I want you to keep on saying it until you mean it! " 32:45 "I will not weary... " 32:49 Clad with zeal, ready and eager 32:54 to advance the welfare of His children, 32:57 God is often immediately responsive. 33:03 Did you hear what I said? 33:04 Immediately responsive. 33:07 I baptized a fine gentleman and his entire family 33:11 when I was in New Jersey. He drove a big, heavy truck 33:16 for a living. And after he was converted - 33:18 you talk about a man who loved the truth 33:20 and loved the church - but he would leave home before 33:25 the sun came out every morning with that big truck. 33:29 And as he rolled along the highways that were not yet 33:33 filled with traffic, he loved to sing. He sang in church 33:36 and he was good at it. 33:38 And on this particular morning he is going down the road 33:41 perhaps a little too fast, and he is singing 33:43 to the glory of God when all of a sudden that great big vehicle 33:47 went into a spin. There was ice on this curve 33:50 and a steep drop into a ravine. 33:53 And he thought he had had it. 33:56 He called me Chief. He said: "Chief, I cried out 33:59 Lord! " He said: "That's all I had time to say. " 34:04 I said: "Man, that's enough! " 34:05 Amen. 34:07 "That's enough! " Amen! 34:09 "He's up there; heaven is open for business 24/7. 34:14 And when you said 'Lord, ' He connected that to what you've 34:18 been saying all the other times. " Amen! 34:22 "He didn't have time to wait on you to finish your prayer. " 34:25 You remember when Peter was sinking trying to walk on water? 34:28 He said: "Lord save me. " What a short prayer. 34:30 Worked! If Peter had prayed like some of us, 34:33 he would have drowned before he could say Amen. 34:39 And so he cried: "Lord! " And the truck actually ran off 34:44 the road and tilted. 34:46 But he called me Chief. He said: "Chief, you know 34:49 there was an old tree standing there and it was dead! " 34:55 God using a dead tree. 34:58 And he said: "That truck just sort of leaned over 35:02 against that tree and came to its rest. 35:05 And I climbed out the other side and when help finally got there 35:09 we got out of there. And the truck wasn't even damaged. " 35:13 I want you to know, and I could tell all kinds of experiences 35:17 that I have had, God can answer immediately! 35:21 If He waits a while, that's His business. 35:25 We have to keep on talking to Him. 35:28 He wondered; He was desperate 35:33 that there were no intercessors. 35:36 People were politicking. 35:40 They were all stirred up. 35:43 They were active. 35:46 They were busy. 35:48 But God and angels wonder why there are so few 35:54 real prayers coming in. 36:01 I find an objection to standards of the church. 36:04 Do they bother you? 36:08 I don't think the church ought to make up standards 36:10 just to make life dull for young people. 36:13 Don't believe in that. 36:15 But before you cast it out you'd better consider 36:18 whether God said it or a committee. 36:23 You might have some leeway with a committee 36:25 but you be careful how you start moving God's ideas around. 36:30 For some the church is too old-fashioned. 36:34 Somebody told me that one day. 36:37 She said: "You're an old- fashioned preacher. " 36:38 I said: "Doesn't bother me at all. God's old-fashioned. " 36:41 He was, He is, He shall be. 36:43 Been around a long time. 36:46 I'm in good company if I'm old-fashioned! " 36:51 And not only that, He says: "I am the Lord; I change NOT! " 37:00 God does not create a dichotomy between 37:04 the modernists and the conservatives. 37:08 That's something we do. 37:10 We look at people with grey hair and figure 37:12 "They're old-fashioned. No need to listen to them. " 37:16 I don't take it personally 37:20 but I don't see it the same way. 37:25 In Malachi the Lord tells us that the day of Elijah 37:29 will come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 37:32 And when Elijah comes, he... you know what that means... 37:35 he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children 37:38 and children to the fathers. 37:41 The Holy Spirit doesn't divide us. 37:44 He brings us together. Amen. 37:48 I heard a powerful message tonight on unity. 37:53 That's what the Lord does and that's what He wants to do. 37:58 And really, it's what He is going to do. 38:03 The Bible says the enemy comes in like a flood. 38:07 Then the Lord will lift up a standard against him. 38:10 You've got to have something that anchors your soul. 38:13 You know, the devil will get you into retreat 38:16 and you're going backward. Somewhere before you crash 38:19 on the shore there ought to be a rock 38:21 to which you fasten your bark 38:25 and past which you will not retreat. 38:29 God gives you answers from the Word of God. 38:33 And when the devil comes in like a flood, you hold them up! 38:36 And he'll stop dead in his tracks. 38:42 He planned on a mighty onslaught 38:45 and turned all of his big guns on a small target. 38:49 Wicked? Look how he treated Jesus. 38:53 He's no friend. 38:56 Sometimes he'll pat you on the back and make you think he is. 38:59 But he's no... You know what Ellen White says? 39:02 The demons that were cast out of heaven with Satan 39:05 don't even like each other. 39:10 And yet we think we can befriend them and hang out with them. 39:14 Not on your life! 39:16 Worldliness will come in like a flood. 39:19 I want to use this metaphor a little bit. 39:22 Like a flood: television. Now I'm not against television. 39:26 3ABN would be good for nothing without television. 39:30 Is that clear? And I felt the same way about Breath of Life 39:34 and all the other entities that are now carrying the truth 39:38 24/7 to all of the world. 39:40 But there's something attached to our television 39:43 or unattached... it's got a little button 39:46 and you are supposed to know how to work that. 39:48 And there are things you can't look at 39:51 in good and regular standing for Satan has harnessed 39:56 the industry and he sends his temptations by the minute 40:01 over television to reach the corresponding chords 40:07 of our fallen nature. 40:10 And then we get to the place we feel compelled to go along. 40:15 And our minds begin to change. 40:18 Change about modesty. There's a word "they. " 40:23 This is what "they" are wearing. 40:27 It's not a question of whether a Christian ought to... 40:31 it's what are "they" doing. 40:36 You know what? Only those who live up to the light they have 40:42 will receive the Latter Rain says the Spirit of Prophecy. 40:46 Are you weak and sinful? Oh, by the way, there's another one. 40:50 Ellen White said the standards of the church are for 40:53 spiritual people only. 40:57 You're a worldling; standards don't make sense. 41:00 You don't want to hear them. 41:02 But the question is: are you weak and sinful? 41:05 Many of us ARE! 41:09 And yet there are many who are really conscientious. 41:12 They desire to live for Jesus. 41:16 They want to be His. 41:19 He will lead them to eternal life. 41:24 But the enemy runs up with his suggestions 41:27 and makes them see their own faults. 41:30 He makes them dwell on their own weaknesses. 41:36 I quote the Lord's servant: 41:38 "We should not dwell on and indulge anxiety and fear 41:43 whether we will be saved or not. 41:46 Commit the keeping of your soul to Christ and trust Him. " 41:51 The devil's got many wondering: "can you make it? " 41:55 And we become consumed with that. 41:58 We're not supposed to do that. 42:00 We are disturbed over the contending forces 42:05 that want to control our very souls. 42:08 And that will cause us to focus on them 42:11 and stop praying as we ought. 42:15 And the world today is given to reveling... 42:18 to the party spirit. 42:21 The world today wants to have fun: a three-letter word 42:26 that I'm beginning to have a problem with. 42:30 We want everything to be fun. 42:32 What we really mean is we want an easy road. 42:36 We want to be able to go to heaven. 42:37 Oh, don't let us miss that. 42:39 But we want to do it on our own terms. 42:42 We want to do it while not giving up anything 42:46 in particular. We want to do it without sacrifice. 42:52 We want to go to heaven while doing as we please. 42:59 And so active amongst us today are debates over the 43:03 morality of movies. 43:05 A lady approached me one day 43:07 and she wanted to discuss Harry Potter vs. Mother Goose 43:14 in teaching children to read. 43:16 You're wasting your time talking to people sometimes. 43:22 Satan and his imps come in like gangbusters. 43:26 He's not kidding... Satan is DEAD serious. 43:29 Every one of us that he can get to bear his own sins 43:34 makes it lighter on him 43:37 in the final judgment of the devil himself. 43:41 He has great wrath and he will blow you away. 43:46 But I thank God he will be confronted. Amen. 43:51 When you love the Lord and your prayers are ascending 43:54 and Satan makes a beeline towards you, 43:57 angels are on the wing. He will be confronted. 44:02 He can be defeated by Bible study, by prayer. 44:05 I told you three times a day... not enough. 44:08 You've got to "agonize, " Ellen White says. 44:10 And sermons... sermons are meant to buck us up, 44:14 not compromise. 44:20 Who are we kidding? 44:24 Sermons without substance and above everything else 44:28 examples. We have a right to expect to see examples 44:33 in the church. 44:35 And to be taught. Taught by parents while we are yet small 44:42 and taught in a way that it will not leave us. 44:46 Now in case we don't remember it 44:48 the entire world wants to hear the Word of God. 44:53 They don't even know they want to hear it, but they do 44:56 because it's the only thing that satisfies. 44:59 The world is wanting to hear the Word of God. 45:05 Baptized a man in a big effort in Chicago. 45:08 That man would come every night but he'd sneak away as soon 45:11 as we were ready to offer prayer. 45:13 Obviously he lived very well. 45:15 He had a luxury car; he had an outfit the same color... 45:19 the jacket and the pants. And his wife was elegant. 45:21 It was just... everything. 45:23 And I could never get to him because I'm busy shaking hands 45:26 with all the other folk. And one night he showed up 45:29 waiting for me. 45:31 And he said: "Pastor, I need to ask you a question. " 45:33 He said: "I've got a lot of good liquor in my house. 45:35 If I join your church, what shall I do with it? " 45:40 I said: "Well, first of all you're laboring under 45:42 a misapprehension. There's no such thing as good liquor. 45:48 What you mean is you've got expensive liquor. " 45:52 Now you want to know what to do with it. 45:54 First of all, if you give it away and the man goes out 45:56 and has a wreck and kills himself, that's written down 45:58 in heaven against your name. 46:00 Same thing if you sell it. 46:01 The Bible says: 'Woe unto him 46:02 that gives his neighbor drink. ' " 46:03 He said: "Then what will I do with it? " 46:05 I said: "I don't think I'll tell you what to do. 46:07 Let me tell you what I'd do. 46:09 I'd go into my bathroom and declare it a chapel. 46:13 I'd bow down before the toilet and declare it an altar. 46:17 And I would start talking to God about my intentions, 46:22 how serious I was, and I would start uncorking 46:26 and unscrewing and I'd turn them up and let them 46:29 gurgle out into the toilet. 46:32 Amen. And when I finished, I'd thank God 46:34 that I was finished forever. " 46:36 Amen! 46:38 To my surprise he almost snapped his finger. 46:41 He said: "If you had said anything else 46:43 I was walking away from here never to come back. " 46:47 Oh, when he died he was the first elder of the church. 46:52 We're not playing games... this is heaven or hell! 46:56 Oh, there's something else that people want to hear: 46:59 they want to hear voices from outer space. 47:03 They are listening all over the world trying to hear voices 47:06 from outer space. The other day 47:09 a fine lady who had been shot 47:13 said goodbye to her husband and he took off into space. 47:18 The shuttle was making it's last flight. 47:22 On board was a $2 billon instrument. 47:26 Two billion dollars! 47:28 And it would be fastened to the Space Station 47:32 and the scientists back on earth are hoping 47:37 that that $2 billion nothing 47:41 will give them clues as to how the universe began. 47:48 Give me one red penny and I'll tell you. 47:54 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. " 48:01 They want to hear voices from outer space... 48:05 well I've got voices from outer space. 48:09 When I read the Word of God to men and women 48:13 who are languishing in sin today 48:16 they are listening... they are listening to words 48:21 from the land of pure delight. 48:24 When I open my Bible they are going to hear words 48:28 from Beulah Land! Amen! 48:31 Words from outer space. 48:33 Nobody down here could produce what I read from day after day 48:39 after day and what I preach from 48:43 every time I get up, or my preaching isn't worth a dime. 48:49 I've got a message from a land where storm winds are called 48:54 zephyrs... 48:57 somewhere out there in outer space 49:03 where the Tree of Life is. 49:06 Where the leaves of the tree hang over the wall 49:09 and Ellen White says you can pluck them now. 49:12 They're for the healing of the nations. 49:16 Just like that man I baptized with the liquor... 49:19 he got healed and hated what he once loved. 49:26 And Ellen White in her writings, 49:29 let me say it as boldly as I can, 49:32 this is God giving us inside information. 49:37 Amen. You can't get it anywhere else. 49:39 And it is written in the Testimonies that "they are 49:44 given to guide us through the time of trouble. " 49:48 Now when I was reading to you a while ago 49:50 it says we "grope as though we have no eyes. " 49:55 In ancient times, prophets were called seers. 50:00 They could see what ordinary folk couldn't see. 50:04 We have a prophetess. How on earth 50:06 could God supply all the various epochs of His people 50:10 with a prophet and we come down to the most important thing - 50:13 the climax of the gospel, 50:15 the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ - 50:18 and there's no prophetic voice for us? 50:22 YES THERE IS! Amen. 50:25 But some of us think it's smart not to pay attention. 50:30 Young college girl walked up to me and said: "Pastor, 50:33 here are some questions and I want Bible answers. 50:35 I don't want to hear anything Ellen White has to say. " 50:38 I said: "Well that attitude assumes that Ellen White is 50:40 un-Biblical. Now if that's true, you bring yours; 50:43 I'll bring mine. Let's start a fire 50:45 and invite everybody with a Spirit of Prophecy book. 50:48 Pile it on... we'll burn them up! 50:52 Mine and yours to start the fire. 50:55 But before you start that fire you'd better search the 50:58 scriptures and see if God promised such a gift 51:02 to His people. " 51:04 Oh, thank the Lord. "Surely He will do nothing 51:07 but He reveals His secrets to His servants, the prophets. " 51:11 God wants to hear from us! 51:14 Not complaints and fightings... but to hear from us. 51:19 And He will give us answers... inside information. 51:24 I spoke about God answering prayers immediately. 51:29 A man at the General Conference was sitting on a big plane 51:33 headed home. And as he was headed home 51:36 suddenly he heard a racket and all the loose papers 51:40 began to fly up and the top of the plane just peeled off. 51:45 Now that... that's dying time. 51:49 They were told quickly how to take positions 51:52 and get on... and he said as his head was bent over 51:55 he remembered his phone was in his pocket. 51:57 So he called his wife to say "goodbye. " 52:00 And when it didn't explode and finally the papers stopped 52:04 flying around... it had depressurized... 52:06 he decided to call her back and tell her how much he loved her. 52:10 They interviewed him on national television. 52:13 And then subsequently another plane had part of it rip aside 52:17 and they came back to interview him again at the 52:19 General Conference. 52:20 God answers prayer right now! Amen! 52:24 I don't know who else was on that plane, but I know 52:27 that that man was praying. 52:29 Yet God is shocked that the remnant church 52:33 with such a heavy responsibility 52:36 is not praying as it ought. 52:39 In the Congress of the United States they have a very 52:41 important committee called the Ways and Means Committee. 52:45 They make great decisions. 52:47 They determine how your money will be spent. 52:51 Well I want to tell you: God has ways and means committees 52:55 made up of angels. The Holy Ghost is the chairman! 52:59 And when the devil comes in like a flood 53:02 back to that metaphor again: 53:05 these angels lift up a standard against him. 53:09 Now if you don't have that standard, you need to understand 53:13 that a flood is violent. 53:15 You need to understand that a flood will sweep away 53:19 what it took wealth and time to acquire. 53:23 You will understand that a flood takes homes: 53:28 mansions in Malibu, little cabins somewhere else. 53:33 Floods don't care; they strip away the topsoil 53:38 producing stony ground where the Word cannot take root, 53:43 where gullies and debris linger. 53:47 And there are some who grieve away the Holy Spirit. 53:50 The Lord's servant says after they have done it they are left 53:53 in a careless attitude 53:56 thinking they're in the fairway to heaven 54:00 but they are already lost. 54:03 When the enemy comes in like a flood 54:05 he ravages and he desolates. 54:08 A flood is noisy, too, and we have to remember that. 54:13 A flood is noisy. 54:16 The devil comes in like a flood and we get a lot of noise 54:21 that doesn't amount to anything. 54:24 A flood is an equal-opportunity destroyer. 54:28 The educated and the limited, the rich and the poor... 54:32 he doesn't care. When the flood comes in, he destroys 54:38 and ruins and takes away everything that is beautiful. 54:43 Jehosophat was praying when he saw himself in a dilemma 54:48 and knew no answer for. He said: "Oh, Lord, 54:51 we don't have the might to face this enemy 54:54 nor do we know what to do. " 54:56 Now I remember reading that a long time ago 54:59 and I thought: "Here's a king and if he is disheartened 55:03 how in the world can he inspire anybody? " 55:05 But he did! He said: "Lord, we don't have the might 55:08 to face these folk nor do we know how to do it... 55:11 so we are turning to You. " 55:16 Amen! Oh my, what a decision he had made. 55:21 "Lo, we turn to You. " 55:26 God is not overwhelmed by our emergencies. 55:30 God has advantages that He can use. 55:34 God can blink His eyes and people are moved out of their 55:40 places and annihilated. 55:42 God knows how to answer our prayers 55:45 and He's willing to do it! 55:47 He just can't understand why we don't pray more. 55:51 We are going to become a conspicuous church. 55:56 Did you hear what I said? 55:57 We are coming to the point where we will be the focal issue. 56:01 The whole world will pay attention 56:04 and many will make a last-minute decision then 56:07 when the doors of probation have already closed 56:10 for the rest of us. 56:12 It's coming. The church will be conspicuous. 56:16 How could it be and not face problems? 56:20 And not face the assault of the devil for he is at war with us. 56:27 I remember Dr. Chen's book A New Look at God. 56:32 He talked about a machine they had to measure emotions 56:34 and things. And there was this woman 56:37 who was very sick but she was a good Christian. 56:40 And as she was going under the anesthesia 56:43 that woman began to pray. 56:45 And instead of falling to the negative side 56:48 Dr. Chen says the needle swung over to the positive side. 56:52 Something is going on. That prayer is getting out yonder: 56:55 past the skies, past the planets, 56:59 past the galaxy to be anchored in the Throne Room of God. 57:04 God is shocked that we don't pray more! |
Revised 2016-03-15