Participants: Frank Fournier
Series Code: 13ASIC
Program Code: 13ASIC000002
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00:33 We're pilgrims on the journey
00:37 Of the narrow road 00:40 And those who've gone before us line the way 00:48 Cheering on the faithful 00:51 Encouraging the weary 00:55 Their lives a stirring testament 00:58 To God's sustaining grace 01:04 Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses 01:11 Let us run the race not only for the prize 01:18 But as those who've gone before us 01:21 Let us leave to those behind us 01:25 The heritage of faithfulness 01:28 Passed on through Godly lives 01:33 Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful 01:41 May the fire of our devotion light their way 01:48 May the footprints that we leave 01:52 Lead them to believe 01:55 And the lives we live inspire them to obey 02:01 Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful 02:08 Amen. 02:16 After all our hopes and dreams 02:20 Have come and gone 02:24 And the children sift through all we've left behind 02:30 May the clues that they discover 02:34 And the memories they uncover 02:38 Become the light that leads them 02:41 To the road we each must find 02:45 Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful 02:53 May the fire of our devotion light their way 03:00 May the footprints that we leave 03:03 Lead them to believe 03:06 And the lives we live inspire them to obey 03:16 Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful 03:24 May the fire of our devotion light their way 03:31 May the footprints that we leave 03:34 Lead them to believe 03:38 And the lives we live inspire them to obey 03:44 Oh, may all who come behind us 03:48 Find us faithful 03:56 Oh, may all who come behind us 04:00 Find us 04:06 Faithful 04:10 Faithful 04:17 Amen. 04:22 Thank you for that music. 04:25 Thank you for coming to ASI. 04:29 Thank you for preparing your hearts 04:31 to receive a spiritual blessing. 04:33 I would like to invite you to turn with me to Colossians, 04:37 that's the book of Colossians 04:38 we are going to turn to chapter 3. 04:46 Several weeks ago 04:49 the program chair called me up at home 04:51 and said that it was urgent, 04:54 they need to have a title for the keynote address 04:58 what I'm doing this evening and a description of it. 05:04 In my heart I thought it was fairly hard 05:08 to describe something that didn't exist 05:11 much less give it a title, but I had to 05:15 because they were under pressure, 05:19 they need to be ready, the program needs to be ready 05:22 and I should have been ready by then. 05:25 I was being influenced that the time 05:27 by what I was reading in the Spirit of Prophecy 05:30 and I was reading a vision 05:33 and a dream in the little book Early Writings 05:36 and so because I had these thoughts in my head, 05:40 because these things were running around in there 05:43 I gave them a title right off the spot 05:46 and right off hand 05:47 and it was "Look a Little Higher." 05:51 Now that's a good title 05:53 and actually it's even good counsel. 05:57 We need to look higher, we need to look up. 06:00 I had you turn with me to Colossians Chapter 3, 06:04 Colossians Chapter 3, we're gonna look right with verse 1, 06:09 "If ye then be risen with Christ," 06:14 now in the book of Romans it talks about baptism, 06:19 it talks about being buried with Christ, 06:21 it talks in Galatians 2:20 it talks about being crucified 06:27 with Christ and dying in Him. 06:29 Nevertheless we are alive 06:31 because He is alive through us, 06:33 tremendous blessing. 06:35 And when He died we died in Him 06:38 and when He was buried in Him we were buried 06:41 and when He was resurrected 06:42 we also resurrected with Him to newness of life. 06:45 This is what this is talking about here. 06:47 "If ye then be risen with Christ, 06:50 to newness of life." 06:52 If you had a change of heart. 06:54 If you been born again. 06:56 If you have new desires 06:57 and new directions and new hopes, 06:59 if you want to be like Jesus I know how you can get there. 07:04 This is what this is saying here. 07:05 "By beholding we become changed." 07:08 Do you know that there is not many other ways 07:11 to become like Jesus? 07:13 By beholding we become changed. 07:15 And I would like to suggest you tonight 07:18 that we need to do a lot more beholding than we do. 07:22 And sometimes we behold a lot of other things 07:25 that corrupt what happens in our hearts. 07:28 We are still there in verse 1, 07:30 "If ye then be risen with Christ, 07:34 seek those things which are above, 07:39 where Christ sits on the right hand of God. 07:41 Set your affection on things above, 07:44 not on things of this earth." 07:48 What a wonderful counsel that is. 07:51 Thinking of that little vision that I was seeing, 07:53 that I was reading about at the time a few months ago, 07:56 a young lady by the name of Ellen Harmon 07:59 had her very first vision and in her very first vision 08:03 she says she was lifted up far above the earth. 08:07 This is what it says. 08:08 So you got to get that in your mind 08:09 and the emphasis in my mind is that 08:11 she was far above the earth, she went up. 08:15 But when she was up there she decided to look 08:17 for the advent people, that's what she called them. 08:20 These are God's true people in the earth. 08:22 So she's scanning the earth and she can't find God's people 08:27 and she is wondering why in the world is that 08:29 except that the angel said to her, 08:31 "Listen, you want to look up, look a little higher." 08:37 That's what he said. 08:39 And when she looked higher she saw a path, 08:42 the way to salvation. 08:43 She saw a path from the city of destruction 08:45 to the celestial city. 08:47 And at the beginning of the path 08:49 there was bright light called the Midnight Cry 08:51 that shone all the way up the path, 08:53 all the way to the celestial city 08:55 and the people were not to deny that bright light behind them. 08:59 And you know I don't have time this evening to it-- 09:01 this evening to explain 09:02 what that bright light was all about except to say 09:05 that the Midnight Cry shone its light, 09:09 it magnified, it emphasized the moving of Jesus 09:12 from the holy place of the sanctuary 09:14 into the most holy place of the sanctuary. 09:16 And God said, we must never lose sight of that fact 09:20 because if we do we'll fall off the path 09:22 to the dark world below. 09:24 And she was also instructed for the people sake 09:27 that they needed to keep their eyes on Jesus. 09:32 Now the people were high above her. 09:34 So here she is far above this world 09:38 and God's people are higher up still 09:41 and so there is symbolism here 09:44 and I think the symbolism is fairly clear, 09:47 God's people are meant to be different. 09:50 God's people are meant to be peculiar. 09:53 God's people have been meant the high 09:55 to have higher standards. 09:56 God's people have a higher calling. 10:01 If you remember Pilgrims Progress 10:03 and I don't know if I can tell you 10:05 exactly where it is, but this pilgrim Christian 10:09 is making his way through all these adventures, 10:12 through all these experiences. 10:13 He comes to somebody's house 10:15 I forgot the name of the person whose house it was 10:17 and this house had many rooms 10:19 and when he looked into one room 10:20 he saw a man with a muck-rake 10:23 and the man was occupied with this muck-rake 10:25 drawing to himself dust and sticks and straw 10:29 and all the while there is hovering above the man 10:33 an angel preferring to him the gift of eternal life 10:36 but he is so focused on the dust and on the sticks 10:40 and on the straws of this world that he is missing 10:43 what God is offering him from above. 10:46 He is not looking up, he is looking down 10:49 and that's the symbolism of that. 10:53 When I continued to read this vision 10:55 the vision went on to show 10:57 that all this was about the 144,000. 11:02 Now you can read all about 11:03 the 144,000 in Revelation Chapter 14, 11:06 they have the father's name written on their foreheads. 11:11 They have the character of God in their frontal lobe. 11:14 They are people that are pure. 11:16 They are not defiled with women 11:18 and the symbolism of women in the scriptures 11:21 especially when it is symbol represents a church 11:24 and being that they are not defiled with these women 11:27 then obviously these women are corrupt somehow 11:29 or these churches are corrupt 11:31 and these people are not corrupted by these things. 11:35 Besides that they sing a new song, 11:37 a song that was never sung by anyone in this world 11:40 but will be sung by these people 11:42 in the last days the 144,000. 11:46 I would like to learn that song, wouldn't you? 11:49 Oh, yes. Yes. 11:51 They follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, 11:54 not only will they follow the lamb 11:56 but they follow Him now. 11:58 And Jesus would lead us to the bedside of the sick. 12:01 Jesus will lead us to the prison houses. 12:04 Jesus will lead us to where people have real needs 12:07 so that through us He can begin to meet 12:10 the needs of those who have those needs. 12:12 Do you know that Desire of Ages says 12:14 "From the soul that feels his need, 12:17 nothing is withheld." 12:18 And there must be people out there 12:20 who feel their need who are appealing to God 12:22 and we are God's hands, aren't we? 12:25 Yes, we are. 12:26 And this is what the 144,000 are going to be like. 12:30 They are going to be in God's hands, 12:31 they are going to be used by heaven. 12:33 They are going to go forward 12:34 and they are going to be through God meeting 12:36 the needs of the people around them. 12:38 Get ready, do it now 12:40 there are lot of people who have needs. 12:43 In point number five, of course talking about the 144,000 12:46 it says they have no guile in their mouth. 12:50 No deception. 12:51 Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks 12:54 and when their mouths are open 12:56 everything that comes out is pure, 12:58 it's coming from the throne of heaven. 13:00 These folks are simple, 13:02 they have an eye singled to the glory of God. 13:05 Their hearts burst with gratitude 13:07 for what Jesus has done for them. 13:09 Their hearts are on fire for the truth of God 13:12 and for Jesus Christ and for helping other people 13:15 for doing evangelism 13:16 and what comes out of their mouth is all pure. 13:20 Well, friends, if this is so we got to make sure 13:23 what goes into our hearts, don't you think? 13:25 Oh, yes. 13:27 Oh, yes, because if we allow corruption in there 13:30 what you think is gonna come out? 13:32 Yeah, it's an amazing calling really, isn't it? 13:35 It's an amazing thought that God would have us 13:38 to focus so purely on pure things, 13:43 so much on Jesus alone that we receive 13:47 none of the nonsense that this world 13:49 would like to fill our hearts with, 13:50 that the enemy would like to fill our hearts with. 13:53 When all this is all over then the last verse 13:56 in Revelation Chapter 14, 13:58 the last verse describing the 144,000. 14:01 It says that they stand faultless 14:04 before the throne of God. 14:07 That's amazing, that's what I want. 14:10 Friends, I hope that you and I can-- 14:14 as the Spirit of Prophecy says, 14:16 "Striving with all the power that God has given us 14:21 to be among the 144,000." 14:23 And I think the emphasis there 14:25 is on all the power that God has given on to us. 14:29 I think there is a lot of people 14:30 who have been wanting to be part of 144,000 14:34 who focus on all the law, who focus on all the standards, 14:36 who focus on all the-- all the do's and don'ts 14:39 that we have to do. 14:40 And friends, I wouldn't knock that down for anything. 14:43 No, I want to be like Jesus 14:45 and my whole life ought to reflect 14:47 what He was like and what He would do. 14:49 But listen we are not going to do it in our own strength 14:52 and this has been our problem. 14:55 We are to strive with all the power 14:57 that God has given us to be among the 144,000. 15:02 And I'm trying to remember a verse, 15:06 Jesus spoke, He says, 15:07 "He that dwells within me, he doeth the works." 15:09 He was talking about His father. 15:11 Well, it should be the same thing for us. 15:13 He that dwells in us he will do the work. 15:16 He is promised to do it for us. 15:18 And so my thought for today is, hey, look up. 15:23 Set your affections on things above 15:25 and not on the things of this world 15:27 and look a little higher. 15:30 We have a right to because we have a need to. 15:33 If you will turn with me to Luke Chapter 21, 15:37 you will recognized that Luke Chapter 21 15:40 is a prophetic chapter, it's same as Mark, 15:44 excuse me, Matthew 24 this great chapter 15:47 where Jesus outlines for us to Signs of the Times. 15:49 This is the very same chapter 15:51 it just happens to be in Luke and it's in Luke 21, 15:54 and we're going to look together at verse 26. 15:58 This is talking about the day in which we live. 16:01 Now I assume you have a sense of the day in which we live. 16:04 I don't know anyone 16:06 in the Seventh-day Adventist church that 16:07 doesn't know that we are living in the last times. 16:10 We are living in the last time and we can see it 16:13 and there are so many things happening out there. 16:15 I didn't write any of these down, 16:17 I mean, we don't have to. 16:19 When we look at the economy 16:20 we know that it is held up artificially. 16:23 If somebody would let this thing fall apart 16:26 the whole world would collapse. 16:27 Can you imagine what the world 16:28 would be like if the whole world-- 16:30 the whole financial world would collapse? 16:33 It would be terrible 16:35 if the whole moral world would collapse, 16:37 if the whole religious world would become a mess. 16:40 Babylon as it says in the scriptures 16:42 there is going to be terrible scenes before us, 16:45 now it's amazing to me what it says here in verse 26 16:48 but we are not the only ones that are recognizing 16:52 what is happening in the world today. 16:55 "Men's hearts failing them for fear," what for? 16:59 "For looking after those things which are coming on the earth 17:01 for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." 17:03 And so people are seeing some things. 17:07 Are you? Yes, you are. 17:09 There is no doubt in my mind 17:10 that you are seeing what's coming, okay. 17:13 And there's got to be a solution to this-- 17:20 does your heart burn with fear 17:23 for seeing those things that are coming? 17:25 Well, if you look two verses down 17:28 it says there that yours and mine heart 17:30 may well recognize what is happening in the world, 17:33 can see how dangerous it is but our hearts are not fearful. 17:38 Look at verse 28, "And when these things 17:41 begin to come to pass," do what? 17:44 "Look up, lift up your heads 17:47 for your redemption draw nigh." 17:51 We may recognize all that is happening 17:53 and it's a funny thing. 17:54 I don't know about you 17:55 but I get a lot of email messages, 17:58 lot of conspiracy theories coming my way. 18:00 Is there anybody, am I the only one 18:02 that's getting all this stuff? 18:04 It's coming from a lot of places 18:06 and it's constant and it's constant, 18:08 and it's constant conspiracy theories. 18:10 Well, listen, all of it is not a lie. 18:14 Much of it, I suppose much of it will be the truth 18:17 but I would like to ask you a question here. 18:19 Are you ever heard of conspiracy theory 18:22 that was positive? 18:25 Have you ever heard a conspiracy theory 18:27 that will end up, that will end up blessing somebody? 18:32 No, all the conspiracy theories are negative 18:35 and they seemed to be geared to make people afraid. 18:38 Isn't that right? 18:39 Now is this the kind of people that God wants, 18:42 a fearful people? 18:44 And if you spend all of your time 18:46 reading conspiracy theories and passing conspiracy theories 18:49 and studying conspiracy theories 18:52 what you suppose will happen in your heart? 18:54 Is this what we've been looking at? 18:56 Is this what we would call looking up? 18:58 I don't think so. I don't think so. 19:01 And what's amazing to me thinking in terms 19:04 of God's unfolding of the future, 19:07 God's prophetic word it always ends up positive 19:11 when it's talking about His own people. 19:14 Now does that tell us anything? 19:17 Well, friends, it tells me something. 19:20 Yeah, just what we are speaking about this evening. 19:25 Put this conspiracy theories aside. 19:27 They are mostly speculation, half of it won't happen. 19:32 Even if it does so what, don't you know 19:36 that we have a God in heaven? 19:39 Don't you know that He is more powerful 19:41 than all that men can think to do? 19:43 How long as the Illuminati been in this world? 19:47 So we know where they want to go with their objectives. 19:51 We know what they are charged to do. 19:53 We know what they are up to 19:55 and if they haven't been able to accomplish that 19:58 in 500 and 600 years 20:00 so why are we afraid of it today? 20:04 Do you know that there is a God who measures all that 20:07 and He allows nothing to get past Him? 20:10 And when you look at His prophecies, 20:13 all of these things end up 20:15 on the positive side for God's people. 20:19 Now don't get me wrong, 20:20 I know that there is a time of trouble coming. 20:24 And you might think that that's a terrible time, 20:27 it's going to be terrible than anything we understand. 20:30 There is no doubt about that, 20:31 I know that morally the world is sinking, 20:33 financially the world is sinking, 20:35 politically and religiously 20:37 but friends, will God's people 20:39 be swept away with that current? 20:42 No. No. 20:44 Not if we keep our eyes on Jesus. 20:50 Not if we abide in Him. 20:54 In Psalms 91 it's talking about the seven last plagues. 20:58 Yeah, it says, 20:59 "No evil shall come nigh thy dwelling." 21:04 No evil, why? 21:07 Because we inhabit the Lord Jesus Christ 21:10 that's why, that's all. 21:12 And so who cares what this conspiracies tell us. 21:17 Who cares? 21:18 Look up, set your affections 21:20 on things above, rehearse God's promises. 21:23 And friends, do you believe God's promises? 21:27 How much do you believe God's promise? 21:30 Can I test whether you really believe God's promises or not? 21:34 Yeah, let's turn together to Matthew Chapter 5, 21:38 Matthew Chapter 5, it's a common story. 21:42 This is the centurion-- Matthew--excuse me, 21:48 I think it's Matthew Chapter 8 I got that wrong. 21:51 Matthew Chapter 8, it's verse 5, 21:53 "When Jesus was entered into Capernaum, 21:57 there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him." 22:00 Now what's a centurion? 22:03 Well, it's a soldier. 22:04 And in that day it was a Roman soldier 22:07 and the Roman soldier in that day had a pagan background. 22:11 This man was not anything like a pagan 22:13 but this was his background. 22:16 So here comes a man whose background is pagan, 22:19 he is a centurion, he is a solider over, 22:22 what, 100 men. 22:24 Is he is a pussy cat? 22:25 No way, he is not a pussy cat. 22:27 This is a hard man, a strong man 22:30 and he comes to Jesus 22:31 and he makes a request of Jesus. 22:34 And friends, listen if this man is hurt, 22:36 watch verse 6, 22:38 "Saying, Lord, my servant lies at home 22:40 sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 22:43 And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him." 22:46 How much time he lapses 22:48 between the time that the men soldier makes a request 22:51 and Jesus responds to the request. 22:53 There is no time, it's immediate. 22:55 And if Jesus would respond to a centurion that way, 22:59 if Jesus would be immediate, as soon as He senses a need, 23:03 as soon as He finds the man who feels His need 23:06 from the soul that feels His need, 23:08 nothing is withheld, God is right there. 23:10 Come to Me, tell Me your need, 23:12 I will meet your need. 23:13 That's what this guy did. 23:14 He came to Jesus a Roman soldier 23:17 and Jesus says I'm coming right now. 23:19 Right now, I'm coming. 23:21 Don't you suppose He would do the same for you? 23:24 Whatever is happening in this world, 23:26 Oh, friends, God is so gracious. 23:29 I would just hope that we would have faith. 23:31 More faith than we ever experienced before 23:34 as much faith as this man demonstrates. 23:37 He says in verse 8 after Jesus says I'm coming. 23:41 He says, "Lord, I am not worthy 23:45 that you should come under my roof, 23:47 but speak the word only, 23:48 and my servant shall be healed." 23:50 Now what's interesting here in Luke Chapter 7, 23:52 we have the same story and the Pharisees 23:55 were there in Luke Chapter 7 23:57 they are there here too but they are just not mention. 23:59 And the Pharisees hearing 24:01 what this intention of this man was runs ahead 24:05 of the centurion comes to Jesus 24:07 and they say to Jesus this man is worthy 24:10 because he has built us a synagogue. 24:13 Now the man turns around, he gets to Jesus 24:16 and Jesus says, "I'm coming" 24:17 and the man says, "I'm not worthy." 24:20 Well, there is dichotomy here, 24:22 is he worthy or is he not worthy. 24:24 Well, friends, listen nobody is worthy. 24:27 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 24:30 And what blows my mind 24:31 is that the Pharisees were seminarians. 24:34 The Pharisees had been to rabbinical schools. 24:37 The Pharisees had been to the schools of the prophets. 24:39 They were students of the Bible, 24:41 they were theologians in their day 24:44 and they missed the most basic fact 24:48 in theology that humanity are sinners 24:53 by nature unworthy of anything. 24:56 We are here in this world 24:57 because of the cross of Calvary. 24:59 Jesus paid the price, we have life today 25:02 because He paid that price. 25:04 Now the theologians of today don't understand it. 25:08 Its amazing, isn't it? 25:09 And a pagan Roman soldier comes along 25:12 and says no, I understand this, 25:15 I understand this. 25:16 I been close enough to Jesus, 25:18 the closer you come to Jesus the more faulty 25:20 you will appear in your own eyes that's what it says. 25:23 So somehow this man has been coming 25:25 closer and closer and closer to God 25:27 and he begins to see the contrast between himself 25:30 and his God and he feels unworthy. 25:34 But it's something more beautiful to look at here. 25:36 In spite of the fact that he feels unworthy 25:39 did it stop him from coming? 25:41 No, because he understood grace also. 25:46 What is grace? 25:49 Unmerited favor that's what it is 25:51 to the utterly undeserving. 25:53 In spite of the fact that this man felt 25:55 utterly undeserving it didn't stop him from coming 25:59 because for whatever reason he knew who Jesus was 26:03 and the proof of the fact that he knew that Jesus was God 26:06 which is another amazing fact 26:08 coming from a Roman soldier is that he said to Jesus 26:14 all You have to do is speak and the thing will happen. 26:18 Yeah, then he illustrates it in verse 9, 26:21 "For I am a man under authority, 26:23 having soldiers under me, 26:24 I say to this man, Go and he goes 26:25 and to another, come, and he comes 26:27 and to my servant, do this, and he does it." 26:30 He had power in his word 26:32 and as a captain in the army all he had to do is say, 26:35 jump and the man jump. 26:37 It's something like all of you mothers in here 26:39 when you speak to your children 26:40 and you say do this, they do it, right. 26:46 Well, they ought to do it. 26:49 They ought to be power in your word. 26:51 Well, I understand we are not as powerful in our word 26:55 as we think we are ought to be. 26:57 We are not as powerful as a captain in the army 27:00 because they have methods that make men move. 27:03 Yeah, but the illustration is true. 27:08 The man understood who Jesus was. 27:13 And do you know that Jesus was surprised? 27:16 Jesus was surprised. 27:18 Now, you can't catch Jesus by surprise, can you? 27:22 But look at verse 10 "When Jesus heard it, 27:27 he marveled," he marveled, yeah. 27:32 "And he said to them that followed, 27:34 verily I say to you, I have not found 27:39 so great faith, no, not in Israel." 27:43 Who is Israel? Sure. 27:47 In that day was God's chosen people. 27:50 It was God's own church, 27:51 it was the true church of the days 27:53 so Jesus comes down from heaven, 27:55 He is God, He comes down to this world. 27:57 He comes to His own people, 27:58 to His church and he looks for faith 28:03 and He can't find it. 28:04 He finds it in a Roman soldier way back there 28:09 and Jesus is scratching His head 28:11 and He marveled how does this happen? 28:15 Really how does this happen? 28:18 Yeah, if Jesus should come down today 28:21 and come to your church would He find a kind of faith 28:25 that he found in this Roman soldier, 28:27 do you think? 28:30 Yeah, I'm looking at a couple of new Adventist 28:35 and they are saying, yes. 28:36 I'm looking at the old Adventist 28:38 and they are going like, I don't know. 28:43 I love the faith of new converts. 28:46 Yeah. 28:48 Everything is positive and it ought to be positive 28:50 and if everyone was positive the thing we were positive 28:53 about would turn out to be positive 28:55 because God could bless this thing. 28:57 God could bless us, yeah, yeah. 29:00 Well, we're not gonna pick on our churches. 29:04 What about this auditorium today? 29:06 How much faith is represented here? 29:08 Do you believe like this man believed 29:11 that every word that God has spoken will come to pass? 29:16 If you believe it and by the way 29:19 that is the condition here we can see that 29:21 in verse 11, "I say unto you, 29:24 that many shall come from the east and west, 29:27 and shall sit down with Abraham, 29:28 and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 29:30 But the children of the kingdom" 29:32 the church members 29:34 "shall be cast out into outer darkness, 29:37 there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 29:39 Isn't that sad? 29:41 "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 29:42 Go your way and as you have believed, 29:46 "proportionate to the faith invested 29:49 in the word of God and promises of God 29:51 "so be it done unto thee. 29:53 And obviously his servant was healed 29:55 from the selfsame hour." 29:56 Because he believed. Because he trusted Jesus. 30:01 Because he knew who Jesus was 30:03 and when Jesus made a promise the thing was cash right there 30:07 he knew he could count on it 30:08 and he knew he could bank on it. 30:10 Now friends, I would wish, 30:12 I would desire, I would like to see 30:14 that in our individual hearts we had that kind of faith. 30:19 So that every promise in the book 30:20 it's been lately, it's been bugging me. 30:22 I've been going through the scriptures, 30:24 I go through the scriptures a lot, 30:26 my own personal devotion or because I'm having 30:28 to prepare sermons all the time, 30:30 I go through the scriptures 30:31 and some time, sometimes I like upon a promise 30:35 that makes no sense that is bigger than 30:38 we are used to in this world and we don't credit it. 30:43 I don't credit it, maybe I should say it that way. 30:47 Very simple verses, 30:48 "God so loved the world that He gave His Son." 30:52 Now is this the Adventist world that He loved? 30:56 Is this the Christian world that He loved? 30:59 It's everyone in the world that He loved. 31:01 And He do to everyone in the world? 31:03 He gave His son to everyone in the world. 31:07 He did it. 31:08 He did it before we were born. 31:10 He did it before we were born again. 31:12 He did it while we were yet enemies, 31:14 while we were yet without strength. 31:16 While we were yet ungodly He did it. 31:18 He gave His son to everyone in the world. 31:21 And do you know that in Romans 8:32 it says, 31:25 "And with His son He has freely given us--" 31:27 What? "All things." 31:29 Do you have all things tonight? 31:31 You have all things tonight. 31:33 Do you believe it? 31:34 That's it. That's it. 31:39 Was telling someone yesterday, 31:40 I telling a group of someone's yesterday 31:43 that there was a time when I had wished 31:44 that I could be wealthy like some people are wealthy 31:47 until I woke up to the fact that I'm wealthy 31:50 just because God has put money in people's pockets 31:52 and put money in trust to this people 31:54 doesn't mean I don't have it. 31:56 Because my God will supply what? 31:59 All my needs if I believe that my God 32:02 would supply all my need 32:04 what would I ever, ever worry about. 32:07 I could not worry because my God 32:10 will supply all my needs, He said so. 32:12 It's a promise. 32:13 Can't you hear the promise? 32:15 Do you ever worry? 32:16 Is there anyone in here that never worries? 32:18 Don't raise your hands, 32:20 well, you probably won't. 32:23 There is no reason to, can you see it? 32:27 Can you see that you have all things? 32:29 Can you see what it means to be a Christian? 32:31 Can you see what Jesus did at the cross of Calvary? 32:35 He paid the price, turns around gives us His righteousness 32:38 and in his righteousness His righteousness 32:41 is invested with all things. 32:45 And you can call upon all things 32:47 and it is true from the-- 32:50 to the soul that feels His needs. 32:52 Nothing is withheld that's for sure. 32:55 Well, if we believed that promise 32:58 we would have all things. 33:01 In Luke 6:38, I'm not going to turn there, 33:06 I don't know if I have a lot of time 33:07 or if I don't have a lot of time 33:08 but I'm going to finish before I'm over. 33:11 Luke 6:38 it says, 33:17 "Give, and it shall be given to you, 33:20 shaken together, pressed down, heaped up." 33:24 With what measure you mete it 33:25 shall be measured to you again? 33:26 That's pretty well a paraphrase 33:28 but you read the verse before and that's what it says. 33:31 Proportionate to your fate, 33:32 proportionate to your giving it shall be given to you 33:36 if you really believe this promise. 33:39 If you really believe that you cannot argue God, 33:42 if you really believe that 33:43 you will gain more by giving more. 33:46 I just preached a sermon that the title of which was 33:50 "He Gains Most Who Gives Most." 33:53 Now if we really believe this promise 33:55 given it shall be given to you more than you've given 33:58 than how much would you give if you really believed it? 34:03 All, yeah. That's right. 34:09 Can you begin to see that perhaps our faith 34:12 is not as strong as we think it is? 34:15 Oh, we would like to say that we are Christians. 34:18 We would like to say that we believe every word that 34:20 proceeds out of the mouth of God 34:25 but we act not exactly like the promise, 34:29 the promises give us the promise, you understand. 34:32 Yeah. 34:34 Philippians 4:13, 34:37 "I can do all things through Christ 34:39 that strengthens me." 34:41 Yeah, yeah. 34:42 Jesus said the Father that dwells in me 34:45 He shall do the-- He doeth the works. 34:47 Than He says, verily, verily I say unto you 34:50 He that believes on me, he that exercises faith in me, 34:57 greater works than these shall he do 35:00 because I go to my Father. 35:03 Is it true? 35:06 So if you really believe that what would you do? 35:10 Would you say no when the call comes? 35:14 How many people have been called of God to serve? 35:17 You know that Mark 13:34 says, 35:21 to every man, to every woman, 35:23 to every Christian is given His work 35:27 and it would be interesting to know 35:28 how many excuses have been made 35:30 as to why we can't do that work. 35:35 I'm too old. I'm too young. 35:37 I'm too fat. I'm too tall. 35:39 I'm too skinny. 35:40 I'm too-- I'm not educated. 35:43 I have too many children. I don't have any children. 35:45 You know, we can come up 35:46 with all the excuses that are in the book. 35:52 And the real reason is, 35:53 first of all, maybe first of all 35:56 we are afraid that we can't do it. 36:00 While the promise is I can do all things 36:05 though Christ that strengthens me. 36:06 Is it true? 36:08 Matthew 7:20, says, 36:11 nothing shall be impossible unto you. 36:15 What amazing promises that is? 36:17 If you knew you couldn't fail what would you attempt. 36:21 Well, friends, I wouldn't want you attempting 36:22 just anything, that wouldn't be right 36:25 but God has a purpose for you and life. 36:28 God can determine what He want's from you? 36:31 God will ask something that is bigger of you, 36:34 than you think you are. 36:35 And he does that 36:36 because He wants to reveal Himself. 36:39 It is through weakness that he shows strength. 36:41 When I'm weak then am I strong. 36:46 And if I didn't believe that one 36:48 I wouldn't be standing here tonight. 36:51 And there's a lot of people in this room 36:52 who wouldn't be standing here at all ever 36:56 because it be scared to death of standing here. 37:00 But if God would call you to it don't back off 37:04 because you can do all things. 37:06 Nothing shall be impossible unto you. 37:10 And all that it means, is believing every word 37:14 that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 37:17 All things for we know, it says, for "we know 37:21 that all things work together 37:23 for good to them that love the Lord." 37:26 Everybody knows that promise. 37:28 Everyone, almost everyone has this promise memorized, 37:32 the problem with this promise 37:34 of course is we don't believe it. 37:37 I had a friend came to us in Zambia. 37:39 He was an ophthalmologist, 37:40 he came to do some cataract surgery. 37:42 He was 82-years-old, 37:43 he hadn't done cataract surgery in quite some times, 37:46 he was quite nervous about doing cataract surgery 37:49 but when he did do it he did a fantastic job, 37:52 this was wonderful. 37:53 But one day he heard me preaching on Romans 8:28, 37:57 "All things work together for good to them 37:59 that love the Lord." 38:00 And he was angry. 38:01 We had lunch together and he was stewing 38:04 and finally he just exploded 38:06 because he said there is one verse in the Bible 38:08 that isn't true and I can prove it. 38:11 Now how many of you would like to be-- 38:13 would be able to say I know one verse in the Bible 38:15 that isn't true and I can prove it? 38:17 Well, wouldn't stretch ourselves that far 38:20 but he was sure that he could prove it. 38:21 You see, he had been in a concentration camp 38:24 in Japan for four years 38:26 and he said nothing good ever came off this. 38:31 Well, friends, he didn't realize 38:34 that if you don't believe a promise 38:36 you negate the promise that you don't believe, 38:38 it's just that simple. 38:39 Obviously nothing good came of it 38:41 because he couldn't trust God to draw out that 38:44 which was good in that situation. 38:48 Not very long ago 38:51 and I don't know if my daughter is watching 38:54 I'm going to tell the story on her. 38:56 She called me some three, four years ago. 38:58 I was at a gas pump in Loveland, Colorado 39:02 and my phone rings and it's my daughter 39:05 and she is crying. 39:07 She is crying, God doesn't love me anymore. 39:10 He doesn't hear my prayers anymore. 39:12 I mean, I don't know what to believe anymore 39:14 and on and on she had been trying to buy a house, 39:17 this was house number three or four or whatever it was 39:20 and every deal had fallen through 39:23 and she was so discouraged 39:24 because she just, just couldn't get to buy a house 39:28 she wanted one passionately. 39:30 So I said to her, 39:32 well, Julie, don't you know that all things work together 39:36 for good to them that love the Lord. 39:37 Yes, I know that's what it says but it's not true for me. 39:42 I said, well, that's true. 39:43 It's not true for you because you don't believe it. 39:47 So I went home being a dad and doing what a dad should do. 39:51 I went home and wrote an email, 39:53 actually it was a sermon in an email on Romans 8:28 39:59 and I sent it to her. 40:00 She called me back two or three days later 40:03 and I answered the phone and she said, "Dad." 40:06 I said, "Yeah." 40:08 She said, "I repent." 40:14 Little while after that the Lord gave her the house 40:17 that she wanted and she is gonna live 40:19 happily ever after maybe. 40:23 Yeah. Yeah. 40:26 Hard to believe God's promises, right. 40:30 In Luke 19:10 it says, 40:33 "Nothing shall by any means hurt you." 40:37 Nothing? 40:39 It doesn't make any sense at all. 40:41 Oh, friends, it doesn't make 40:42 any sense at all unless you believe it. 40:45 Do you know that God can override anything? 40:49 You know that God means exactly what he says. 40:52 In Luke 10:19 40:54 Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples. 40:58 And when He is speaking directly to His disciples 41:00 He is speaking directly to you, He is speaking directly to me. 41:04 If you claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ 41:07 and His word to you and I is 41:09 "Nothing shall by any means hurt you." 41:12 Do you know what nothing means? 41:17 Now I suppose you stubbed your toe, 41:18 I supposed you hammered your nail, 41:20 I suppose you bit your lip or your tongue 41:22 and it hurts, right. 41:24 This isn't what Jesus is talking about. 41:26 Jesus is looking at the big picture 41:28 and He says I don't care what the devil throws at you. 41:31 By the time its over, big picture, 41:34 nothing shall by any means hurt you 41:36 because I will take what the devil throws at you, 41:39 I will turn it to your advantage. 41:41 Can you believe it? 41:43 Oh, friends, it's true, it's true. 41:47 It's been true in my life. 41:49 You know, a lot of people I guess would like to say 41:51 yeah, yeah, it's true for a little while 41:54 but wait someday something is going to happen 41:56 and you're gonna question whether this is true or not. 41:59 Well, I don't know. 42:00 I had been a Seventh-day Adventist for 39 years 42:03 and it's been true for 39 years. 42:06 Yeah, yeah, but you are getting older 42:09 and wait until you hit 70, 75, 80, 85. 42:13 I don't know if I'll get that far 42:14 but if I should hit that, 42:16 you know, after that nothing works 42:17 together for good, nothing works at all. 42:21 Well, that means just for some. 42:24 Yeah. I don't know really. 42:29 Yeah, now it's still true. 42:33 God has a good thing going, He really does. 42:36 Do you know that He brings us into this world 42:39 young and vibrant and healthy and strong 42:44 and the older we go the more we weaken? 42:47 The temptation when we are strong 42:49 is to trust in our strength. 42:51 Does that make sense? 42:52 Of course, and He has given us talent 42:54 and when we are young, we are good looking 42:56 and when we are young we are powerful 42:58 and when we are young we are on top of the world 43:01 and everything is wonderful 43:03 and its hard to believe or its hard to be dependent 43:06 on someone outside of yourself 43:08 when you have everything inside of yourself, you see. 43:11 But God says, I've got a plan, 43:13 I've got a plan. 43:16 You know, what's gonna happen? 43:17 You're gonna grow old. 43:20 And year by year this strength 43:22 and this beauty and this intelligence 43:24 and everything else 43:25 that you are banking on today will decline. 43:28 It will decline. 43:32 And the older we get the more dependent 43:34 we are on people around us 43:36 and the more we begin to feel our weakness 43:39 and the Bible says 43:40 "When I'm weak then am in strong." 43:44 Do you see how God has organized it 43:46 so He can save us? 43:47 Yeah. 43:49 What is justification by faith the question that 43:52 Ellen White ask and she answers? 43:55 She says it is the work of God, two things. 43:59 I'm gonna tell you the second thing is to do for man 44:02 what the man cannot do for himself. 44:04 I would like for God to do everything for me 44:06 that I cannot do for myself. 44:08 But He can't do it unless He does that first thing. 44:11 And do you know what it is? 44:13 To lay the glory of man in the dust. 44:17 He has to do that for every soul in the world. 44:19 It's a promise. 44:21 It's a promise and He will do it. 44:24 In Heavenly Places, page 265, it says, 44:30 "He is the orderer of all our experiences." 44:34 How many? 44:35 All. 44:36 Does that make any sense? 44:38 Ministry of Healing, 417, 44:40 and He only orders that which His providence is best. 44:44 Nothing happens to you by chance. 44:48 Mount of Blessing, 71, I don't have it here, 44:51 I'm having to depend on my poor brain. 44:53 But in-- I'm going to paraphrase it. 44:56 In Mount of Blessing, 71, 44:59 Ellen White pictures God's people abiding in Jesus 45:03 and when we are abiding in Him we are surrounded by Him 45:06 and everything that comes to us, 45:08 has come to us through Him. 45:10 And nothing gets to us but by His permission. 45:14 And what He permits will work together 45:18 for good to them that love Him, 45:20 to them that abide in Him. 45:22 What amazing promises 45:24 and how positive, how optimistic, 45:28 how full of faith, how full of confidence, 45:31 how full of joy should God's people be. 45:34 Shouldn't we? 45:36 Yes, because we have a God who has made promises 45:39 that are out of this world, that blow me away. 45:42 If they don't blow you, they blow me away. 45:44 In Desire of Ages, 224, it says, 45:47 if we could see the end from the beginning 45:49 we would chose no other way to be led 45:53 than the way in which we have been led. 45:55 Now I got to bring a balance to this for sure, 45:58 not everything works together for good, 46:00 did you know that? 46:02 Now it says everything 46:03 but it's everything outside of you that comes at you 46:06 that works together for good. 46:08 You what comes from inside of you can destroy yourself. 46:13 You can me decisions, 46:15 you can tell God to go jump in the lake. 46:17 You can tell Him you don't want Him in your life. 46:19 You can turn your back on God. 46:21 You can devote your life to sin. 46:23 You can, and if you do you will suffer the consequences, 46:28 this will not work together for good. 46:30 I say that but I've seen in my own life 46:33 when I've made mistakes 46:34 that God has taken them to my advantage. 46:36 So there are some things we do, 46:38 some decisions we make 46:40 that do work together for good 46:43 but you can't kill yourself. 46:44 You can't destroy yourself, yeah. 46:47 If we could see the end from the beginning 46:51 we would chose no other way to be led. 46:54 When we get to heaven 46:56 and we decide we're gonna look back at our lives, 46:58 do you think at any time that 47:00 we are going to point at some place in our experience 47:03 where God made a mistake, do you think? 47:07 Now we may be able to point to many places 47:09 where you and I have made mistakes 47:11 and we have made plenty of mistakes 47:13 but you will have a hard time finding 47:15 for God has made a mistake in your case. 47:18 There is no doubt about that. 47:21 Can you point, you expect 47:26 anything negative in your future, don't. 47:31 Go with me to-- 47:32 and we are done, just 3 minutes, 47:35 Jeremiah 29 you know the verse very well. 47:39 Jeremiah 29, I wish I had a different translation, 47:43 this is the King James, Jeremiah 29:11. 47:48 God speaking He says, "I know the thoughts," 47:52 I know that plans, 47:54 "that I think toward you, saith the Lord, 47:56 thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 47:58 to give you an expected end." 48:00 To give you a wonderful future. 48:04 This is God's plan for your life. 48:07 Is it true? 48:11 Even today is it true, 48:13 when we watch the world where we see 48:15 what's happening in the world is it still true? 48:18 Will it be true in the time of the trouble? 48:20 Will it be true during the battle of Armageddon? 48:23 Oh, friends, listen, God's promises are true. 48:29 They are true to God's people all the time. 48:32 I'm not saying that we are not gonna have a hard time 48:35 during the time of trouble. 48:36 It will be the worst time, it will be the worst time 48:39 that we ever experienced, ever. 48:43 But if you have focused on Jesus during your lifetime 48:47 before the time of trouble, if you have made Him your God, 48:52 if you have believed His promises, 48:55 if He means everything to you 48:57 and you do mean everything to Him by the way. 49:01 Then whether we go through a time of trouble 49:03 or the battle of Armageddon or a little time of trouble 49:05 or the national Sunday law, or we get thrown in jail 49:08 or we get exiled on an island it won't matter a hoot 49:12 because God will be there. 49:16 Lift up your heads is what the Bible says. 49:19 Look up, look a little higher and keep your gaze up there. 49:24 Don't be grappling in the things down here below. 49:26 Set your affections on things above 49:29 and not on the things of this world. 49:31 And friends, the Lord will carry us through. 49:35 How many people are negative and pessimistic 49:40 and discouraged and depressed? 49:43 Now I understand there's chemical depression 49:45 has nothing to do with faith or lack of faith. 49:48 I understand there is lot of variables 49:50 still in all, still in all. 49:52 Is God not there and His word is it not true? 49:59 What do you think? 50:00 Oh, yes. 50:02 I would like to invite you to just bow with me 50:06 and we're gonna talk to the Lord about this. 50:10 Heavenly Father, Lord, its a blessing 50:13 to look at Your promises. 50:16 To see how big they are. 50:19 To see what they mean. 50:23 To see what they would do for us 50:24 if we actually believe them. 50:27 If we actually made decisions in harmony 50:30 with the will of God the promises 50:32 will all be fulfilled to us and we thank You 50:34 and we thank You and we thank You. 50:36 We know that You are God. We know that You love us. 50:40 We know that You gone to the cross. 50:42 We know that You paid the penalty. 50:44 We know that You offer us Your own righteousness. 50:46 Oh, Lord, my assurance is in what You have done 50:50 and in nothing that I've done 50:52 I depend on your merits, You are God. 50:56 Thank You for being my God and our God 51:00 and bless us this weekend heavenly Father, 51:03 bless with thy Holy Spirit. 51:06 Everyone that is going to speak here in this pulpit 51:09 and in the seminars and may we go home with power. 51:13 We thank You in Jesus name, amen. 51:19 God bless you. 51:39 My heart is filled with thankfulness 51:47 To Him who bore my pain 51:53 Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace 52:01 And gave me life again 52:08 Who crushed my curse of sinfulness 52:15 And clothed me in His light 52:21 And wrote His law of righteousness 52:29 With pow'r upon my heart 52:47 My heart is filled with thankfulness 52:55 To Him who walks beside 53:01 Whose wisdom is my perfect peace 53:09 Whose ev'ry thought is love 53:15 For ev'ry day I have on earth 53:21 Is given by the King 53:27 So I will give my life, my all 53:35 To love and follow Him 53:55 My light is filled with thankfulness 54:02 To Him who walks beside 54:07 Whose wisdom is my perfect peace 54:14 Whose ev'ry thought is love 54:19 For ev'ry day I have on earth 54:26 Is given by the King 54:31 So I will give my life, my all 54:39 To love and follow Him 54:51 To love 54:53 And follow Him 55:28 When you prayed beneath the trees 55:32 It was for me, O Lord 55:36 When you cried upon your knees 55:40 How could it be, O Lord? 55:44 When in blood and sweat and tears 55:48 You dismissed your final fears 55:52 When you faced the soldiers' spears 55:56 You stood for me 56:01 O Lord 56:09 When their triumph looked complete 56:14 It was for me, O Lord 56:18 When it seemed like Your defeat 56:21 They could not see 56:24 O Lord! 56:26 When You faced the mob alone 56:30 You were silent as a stone 56:34 And a tree became Your throne 56:38 You came for me 56:42 O Lord 56:59 When you stumbled up the road 57:03 You walked for me 57:05 O Lord 57:08 When you took your deadly load 57:12 That heavy tree 57:14 O Lord 57:16 When they lifted you on high 57:21 And they nailed you up to die 57:26 And when darkness filled the sky 57:30 It was for me 57:33 For me, 57:37 O Lord |
Revised 2015-02-26