In today's troubled world
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people are wondering
"Where We Are Headed?"
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Revelation Today
presents the answers.
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Bible prophecy reveals
what the future holds in store.
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Revelation Today.
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I wonder if you can
remember your first love.
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Now some people
are very fortunate
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and their first love
is also their current love
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and will be their last love.
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Some people I
expect are saying--
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Well, wait a minute, I
haven't met my first love yet
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and that's okay.
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But lot of people remember
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what it was like
to find themselves
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in love that first time,
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there were conversations
that went on endlessly,
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there were gifts
that were bought,
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there were
demonstrations of kindness,
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there were all sorts of things
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and what some
times happens is the guy
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who met the girl and
combed his hair just so
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and dressed just
so and opened the door
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and bought her gifts
and called her sweet things,
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after a while, it
started to lay low,
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hang out and the hair got messy
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and he looked shaggy and shabby
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and didn't see why he can't--
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Why he has to change out
of his favorite sweatpants
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even if they do
have holes all over them
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and forgot when the birthday is,
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and didn't know when they last
celebrated their anniversary.
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It's not good to
lose your first love,
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when that sort
of things happens.
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Things have a
habit of falling apart.
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You don't want to lose your
first love with Jesus either,
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that glow that was there
when you first came to Him.
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You know, you can have
that, you can have that forever.
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And this subject
is lost first love.
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The presenter
of Revelation Today
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continues to be, Ron Halvorsen.
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Well, I'm so happy to--
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to be here this morning.
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We don't have
multimedia on this,
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I just want to
preach "Lost First Love."
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Let us pray.
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Gracious Father, I thank
thee for Jesus Christ our Lord
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and for the
privilege of being here.
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And pray that men and women
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and young
people here might think
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of what I am about to say.
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Perhaps they've lost
that first love for you.
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And I pray that they'll
learn how to get it back.
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And we'll give You
honor in Christ's name, amen.
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Something has gone
wrong not only with the nation
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but with the church.
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If our society is ever to
break out of the spiritual
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and moral malaise that set in,
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the church of Jesus
Christ must be awakened.
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In Revelation Christ,
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the glorified Lord
speaks first to the churches
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and then He
speaks to the culture.
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Seven messages that
offer the church of every age.
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It's God's final call.
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It's God's
passionate call to the church.
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And John puts his
finger on the problem
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and then clearly
shows God's only solution.
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Let me take you
back again this morning
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to that lonely
isle called Patmos.
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John the Revelator is there,
he's almost a 100 years old,
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he's had hard labor.
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It's amazing that he's going on,
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he wants to live on so
that he might finish this,
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the last book, The Revelation.
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And later on, he will go
back to be released from Patmos,
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go back to Ephesus
there, finish the book.
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And therefore fall
asleep in Jesus Christ.
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But the lonely prisoner writes
his appeal to the churches
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and he begins at
the church of Ephesus,
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where the
problem really started.
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Let me read it for you,
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the council of the
church found in the second--
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the second chapter of
the Book of Revelation.
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And if you have your Bibles,
I want you to turn with me
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to the second chapter
in the Book of Revelation
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and I want you to
notice verses 1-4,
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"Unto the angel of the
church of Ephesus write,
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These things
saith he that holdeth
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the seven stars
in his right hand,
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who walketh in the midst
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of the seven
golden candlesticks,
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I know thy works, and thy labor,
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and thy patience, and
how thou canst not bear
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those which are evil
and thou hast tried them
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which say they are
apostles, and are not,
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and hast found them liars,
Hast borne, and hast patience,
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and for my name's
sake hast labored,
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and hast not fainted.
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Nevertheless I have
somewhat against thee,
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because thou hast
left thy first love."
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The year was 1981,
the month was July.
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The day to be
exact was the 29th,
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the 29th day of July, 1981.
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750 million viewers
watching around the globe
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and this was the
Cinderella story.
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This was the
wedding of the century.
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I mean, this
wedding was made in heaven,
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that's what they said.
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I mean this is
the epitome of love,
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and courtship, and marriage.
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The perfect
couple, the perfect match.
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It was the way
wedding should be.
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The world's most
eligible bachelor,
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Prince Charles, Duke of Windsor,
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and the beautiful
lady, Diana Spencer,
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a British aristocrat.
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Millions of men and
women around the world swooned
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as those two lived
out their fantasy that day
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of what love is supposed to be.
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The pomp and circumstances
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you would expect at
a wedding of royalty.
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I mean, the place
was one of the most
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eloquent
churches in all the world,
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London's St Paul's Cathedral.
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I've worshipped
at that church often.
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It's a beautiful church.
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And until you worship there,
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I mean, you have no
idea of the magnificence
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of the
architecture and the splendor,
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I mean, all of
England, and all the world
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thought this was
the perfect wedding.
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This is the perfect marriage.
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Charles stood at
the altar dressed
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in full military splendor,
I mean, he awaited his bride
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and when she entered the church
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dressed in that exquisite gown,
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that long, long,
long, long flowing gown.
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And they repeated
their vows, words of loyalty.
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Vows of
unconditional commitment.
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I mean Diana stared starry-eyed
into the face of Charles,
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and said she would
be his bride forever.
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And Charles stared starry
eyed into the face of Diana
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and said he would
be her groom forever.
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They kissed and that was over,
well, all except the parade.
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That was another thing.
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I mean, what woman
wouldn't want a golden chariot
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pulled by six white horses,
to the cheers of multitudes?
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You know, I've
never met an ugly bride.
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I met a few
grooms that needed help,
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but I never met an ugly bride,
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there's
something about the aura,
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there's something
about the mystique,
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I mean, and there
she was, the bride,
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and they rode
off into the sunset
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to live happily ever after.
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But that was then.
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I mean
something tragic happened.
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The clock struck
12 on the real life
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Cinderella's story,
somewhere lives grew apart,
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tensions mounted,
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love grew cold and
stale and stagnant,
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and this story plays marriage
became common and ordinary
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and they tried
to put on a facade,
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I mean, pleasantries
were exchanged in public.
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Public appearances
were made, holding hands.
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But in reality, it was over.
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December 9, 1992,
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British Prime Minister
John Major cleared his throat,
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broke the news to
the House of Commons.
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Tragically, there
would be a royal separation,
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not a divorce, mind
you, just a separation.
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A truce, mutual coexistence,
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but the fact is
the wedding was dead.
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The honeymoon was
over, the glow was gone.
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And now it's official divorce.
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And now it's even more official.
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The bride is dead.
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And that's as final as it gets.
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England's most
celebrated romance
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has become national disgrace.
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And after
following the Royal Wedding,
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and marriage through the years,
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I thought about our wedding to,
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and marriage to
the Lord Jesus Christ,
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ours is the greatest love story
ever written and ever known.
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The King of kings, the
King of heaven wooed us
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and courted us and won us
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and wedded us and
honeymooned with us.
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Even lived in our lowly living
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and in our lowly human
life in carnal and corrupt
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and weak and
vulnerable human beings,
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this wedding took
place in the visible
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and the invisible
church of Jesus Christ.
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We stood
together before the entire
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angelic host of
the heavenly places
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and here is the story
of the very epitome of love
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and of
courtship and of marriage.
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There was a time when our
hearts were so full of God,
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a time when our hearts
were so full of Christ,
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I mean, there was a
passion about Christ,
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there was, I mean, wow.
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I mean there was an excitement.
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Bible study was life changing.
00:10:00.65\00:10:02.96
When you opened the Bible,
00:10:02.99\00:10:04.17
you felt so sacred to this book
and you trembled at its pages
00:10:04.20\00:10:08.11
and you looked for God to
say something to you from it.
00:10:08.14\00:10:13.99
You looked to find
His face on every page.
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Prayer was heart lifting.
00:10:20.44\00:10:22.62
You believed with such power
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and with such
enthusiasm your prayer life,
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I mean you remember
when it was so into,
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it wasn't
crisis praying like now
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only when grandma's
sick or you are sick.
00:10:31.84\00:10:35.80
I mean it was heart lifting
00:10:35.83\00:10:37.53
and prayer was
so important to God.
00:10:37.56\00:10:39.57
Every prayer you prayed,
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He put it in golden
balls in heaven and stored it
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so when you get there,
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you will read your
prayers through eternity.
00:10:45.74\00:10:50.84
It was life changing.
00:10:50.87\00:10:53.26
Worship was so earth shaking.
00:10:53.29\00:10:56.75
We savored every
moment of His presence
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but that was then,
something tragic happened,
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some our marriage
has gone on the rocks.
00:11:02.72\00:11:07.10
Listen to me here today,
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something has gone wrong
00:11:09.90\00:11:12.46
in your
marriage to Jesus Christ.
00:11:12.49\00:11:14.55
He is no more
first in your life,
00:11:14.58\00:11:16.39
He's secondary in your life.
00:11:16.42\00:11:18.16
And if you can find time for Him
00:11:18.19\00:11:20.36
maybe once a week
or maybe once a month
00:11:20.39\00:11:23.74
or show up at
special holidays for mother.
00:11:23.77\00:11:27.34
Or do it for Father.
00:11:31.12\00:11:34.93
For you, the courtship is over.
00:11:34.96\00:11:38.96
For many, the
separation is complete.
00:11:38.99\00:11:42.08
Divorce
proceedings is in progress.
00:11:42.11\00:11:44.91
Legally, we're
still married to Him.
00:11:44.94\00:11:47.90
But marriage is motion
and commotion but no emotion.
00:11:47.93\00:11:55.82
You don't feel like you felt
00:11:55.85\00:11:57.16
when you first felt the feeling.
00:11:57.19\00:12:00.73
We sing the right
songs at the right time.
00:12:00.76\00:12:02.85
We stand when the
preacher says stand
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and we say the right words,
happy Sabbath, brother Halvor--
00:12:04.69\00:12:07.86
I mean, but we are
not right with God.
00:12:07.89\00:12:13.32
The glow is gone from us.
00:12:13.35\00:12:16.60
The feelings we
felt are no more.
00:12:16.63\00:12:18.50
Sadly to say,
00:12:18.53\00:12:19.56
that's what's
happening to the church today
00:12:19.59\00:12:21.99
and this is not new.
00:12:22.02\00:12:26.37
A separation
happened to the church
00:12:26.40\00:12:28.02
in the first century.
00:12:28.05\00:12:29.32
The church was
so close to Christ.
00:12:29.35\00:12:31.38
The church that had
heard the preaching of Paul
00:12:31.41\00:12:33.65
and the preaching of John
00:12:33.68\00:12:35.17
and the
preaching of the apostles,
00:12:35.20\00:12:36.85
the first church at Ephesus,
they too had lost something.
00:12:36.88\00:12:42.41
The blazing passion pulled off.
00:12:42.44\00:12:45.76
I was baptized
Brother Halvorsen but--
00:12:45.79\00:12:47.70
Oh, did you go to church.
00:12:47.73\00:12:48.76
Oh, no, well I don't see
that time like I used to.
00:12:48.79\00:12:52.16
We fell out of love with Christ.
00:12:56.64\00:13:00.23
And so Jesus with His great love
00:13:00.26\00:13:03.18
seeks to restore that love.
00:13:03.21\00:13:06.92
He seeks to restore
that spiritual fervor
00:13:06.95\00:13:10.42
and initiate a call to them
to restore the relationship--
00:13:10.45\00:13:12.57
Jesus always
makes the first move.
00:13:12.60\00:13:16.18
We'll see that this morning.
00:13:16.21\00:13:18.21
We'll see how the bridegroom,
00:13:18.24\00:13:19.41
Jesus Christ always takes
the first step back towards us.
00:13:19.44\00:13:22.61
He is the one that invites
us and woos us and wins us.
00:13:22.64\00:13:26.23
This morning, God willing,
00:13:26.26\00:13:27.34
we shall see how
love maybe rekindled.
00:13:27.37\00:13:32.74
And that first
love rediscovered.
00:13:32.77\00:13:35.82
So let's look at it carefully.
00:13:35.85\00:13:38.70
I mean in the first
century, back to Asia Minor.
00:13:38.73\00:13:43.16
By the way a trip to
Ephesus was like taking a trip
00:13:43.19\00:13:45.42
to a large city
in America today.
00:13:45.45\00:13:48.51
It was a busiest, thriving,
00:13:48.54\00:13:50.00
most prominent
city in Asia Minor,
00:13:50.03\00:13:52.01
it was like what the New
York is to us here in America
00:13:52.04\00:13:54.17
or Los Angeles or Chicago,
00:13:54.20\00:13:56.40
I mean it was
located just three miles
00:13:56.43\00:13:58.52
from the Aegean
Sea on the Castor River
00:13:58.55\00:14:01.01
and therefore it
was a city of commerce.
00:14:01.04\00:14:04.47
Merchandise was shipped
across the Mediterranean Sea
00:14:04.50\00:14:07.60
and it wound up
there in Ephesus.
00:14:07.63\00:14:10.27
Ephesus stood at the
crossroads of travel,
00:14:10.30\00:14:12.69
four major
highways intersected there
00:14:12.72\00:14:15.55
at Ephesus bringing businessmen
00:14:15.58\00:14:17.86
and merchants from
around the world to the city.
00:14:17.89\00:14:20.88
It was no hick town.
00:14:20.91\00:14:24.54
The city had all the amenities
of a cosmopolitan city.
00:14:24.57\00:14:28.23
It had sports
arenas, it had theater.
00:14:28.26\00:14:33.03
It was the center
of Asia Minor culture,
00:14:33.06\00:14:35.31
it was being a free city,
00:14:35.34\00:14:36.72
it wasn't even under
the dictatorship of Rome.
00:14:36.75\00:14:39.36
It had its own government.
00:14:39.39\00:14:41.50
And yet it was the
center of Pagan worship.
00:14:44.19\00:14:47.58
The temple to Diana
was there in Ephesus.
00:14:47.61\00:14:52.99
I mean this temple
00:14:53.02\00:14:54.20
was one of the seven
wonders of the world.
00:14:54.23\00:14:56.06
It was the size of
three football fields.
00:14:56.09\00:15:01.46
It was a place
of heathen worship
00:15:01.49\00:15:03.01
and idolatry, the temple--
00:15:03.04\00:15:04.77
I mean on the inside
Pagan worship flourished,
00:15:04.80\00:15:07.70
it was a temple,
and in that temple
00:15:07.73\00:15:09.43
they had temple
prostitutes, that's right.
00:15:09.46\00:15:11.52
I mean the grossest perversions,
00:15:11.55\00:15:13.21
I can't even preach about
it in this mixed audience.
00:15:13.24\00:15:17.51
Drunkenness and sexual orgies.
00:15:17.54\00:15:21.08
In the middle of church
00:15:21.11\00:15:22.25
they would solicit
each other in the church.
00:15:22.28\00:15:26.11
Hey, by the way,
those of you here,
00:15:26.14\00:15:28.66
let's say, well, you
know, the apostle said,
00:15:28.69\00:15:30.92
women should be
silent in church,
00:15:30.95\00:15:32.72
this is where they get it
00:15:32.75\00:15:34.11
and you see what was happening,
00:15:34.14\00:15:35.77
Paul was holding
evangelistic meeting like this
00:15:35.80\00:15:38.53
and there were the
prostitutes from the temple
00:15:38.56\00:15:40.62
and at a certain time
in the worship service,
00:15:40.65\00:15:42.67
they stood up
to solicit the men.
00:15:42.70\00:15:44.44
Paul stopped them and said,
00:15:44.47\00:15:45.75
women should be
silent in church.
00:15:45.78\00:15:47.61
That's all, don't
go beyond what it says.
00:15:47.64\00:15:50.75
It's no wonder
that city was so popular
00:15:53.85\00:15:55.94
to the Pagan world, come on now.
00:15:55.97\00:15:58.15
Ephesus truly was a
cesspool of inequity.
00:15:58.18\00:16:01.11
It was there in
this godless city
00:16:01.14\00:16:02.63
that Paul planted
a thriving church.
00:16:02.66\00:16:05.30
There is a
principle here, listen to me,
00:16:05.33\00:16:07.78
it's better to run a
mission at the gate of hell
00:16:07.81\00:16:10.31
than to preach to the choir.
00:16:10.34\00:16:13.19
And God often built a church
00:16:13.22\00:16:15.95
where circumstances
seem the least favorable
00:16:15.98\00:16:18.73
and that's the grace of God.
00:16:18.76\00:16:20.09
And so we see the
setting, there is Ephesus,
00:16:20.12\00:16:22.29
the temple to
Diana, the gross perversion
00:16:22.32\00:16:25.34
and there was a little church
struggling serving Christ.
00:16:25.37\00:16:29.91
Now you notice here in
Chapter 2 of Revelation.
00:16:29.94\00:16:33.27
You'll notice what he
says there in verse 1.
00:16:33.30\00:16:36.78
Onto the angel or the
messenger of the church,
00:16:36.81\00:16:40.20
the messenger of the church
is the preacher of the church
00:16:40.23\00:16:43.16
or the minister of the church.
00:16:43.19\00:16:45.01
And so he says,
00:16:45.04\00:16:46.13
"The minister of the
church at Ephesus write,
00:16:46.16\00:16:48.13
These things that he,
00:16:48.16\00:16:49.75
that hold the seven
stars in his right hand
00:16:49.78\00:16:52.05
who walketh in the midst
of the golden candlesticks."
00:16:52.08\00:16:54.86
What a beautiful
description of Jesus.
00:16:54.89\00:16:58.51
The Lord is dictating
and dispatching his letter.
00:16:58.54\00:17:01.98
He communicates to
the angel or the messenger
00:17:02.01\00:17:04.87
of the church and the messenger,
00:17:04.90\00:17:06.18
the preacher who
has prime responsibility
00:17:06.21\00:17:08.27
of communicating the
gospel to the people of Ephesus.
00:17:08.30\00:17:11.60
By the way, I
say to all preachers,
00:17:11.63\00:17:13.78
your primary responsibility
is to preach the gospel,
00:17:13.81\00:17:17.88
not deal with politics,
00:17:17.91\00:17:20.76
not deal with
some spurious scenario
00:17:20.79\00:17:25.76
but preach the gospel.
00:17:25.79\00:17:27.55
It's the gospel
that changes lives
00:17:27.58\00:17:30.27
and they preach
the gospel faithfully.
00:17:30.30\00:17:32.95
Now by the way, seven
is completeness always,
00:17:32.98\00:17:36.38
that's why the
seventh day Sabbath
00:17:36.41\00:17:37.98
is completeness.
00:17:38.01\00:17:40.79
And He holds the
seven in His right hand,
00:17:40.82\00:17:44.31
by the way, that right hand
00:17:44.34\00:17:45.89
denotes the place of
strictest accountability.
00:17:45.92\00:17:48.26
The church is
accountable to Christ.
00:17:48.29\00:17:50.33
It's strongest protection,
00:17:50.36\00:17:51.81
the church is
protected by Christ.
00:17:51.84\00:17:53.96
You see, there is
strategic usefulness,
00:17:53.99\00:17:57.26
the leaders are surrounded
and kept in Christ's care,
00:17:57.29\00:18:00.70
He holds them in His hand.
00:18:00.73\00:18:04.00
People, God
holds you in His hand.
00:18:04.03\00:18:07.61
You've been baptized,
00:18:07.64\00:18:08.97
you who have come
to profession of faith,
00:18:09.00\00:18:10.74
you have been
following the truth,
00:18:10.77\00:18:12.31
some of you have come
under persecution over it.
00:18:12.34\00:18:14.73
Let you know that God is
holding you in His right hand.
00:18:14.76\00:18:18.60
He will not let you go.
00:18:18.63\00:18:20.74
Think about it, it says
that He must be on location,
00:18:23.47\00:18:28.12
He's right there.
00:18:28.15\00:18:30.37
He assesses us, inspects us,
00:18:30.40\00:18:32.99
He weighs the
church, He evaluates,
00:18:33.02\00:18:34.68
He observes their
spiritual condition.
00:18:34.71\00:18:37.61
Jesus recognizes two things
about the church, the strength.
00:18:37.64\00:18:41.03
They toil and they persevere,
it's a working church.
00:18:41.06\00:18:45.42
And they were strict and sound.
00:18:45.45\00:18:47.96
They were strict
about their faith.
00:18:47.99\00:18:50.50
That doesn't
mean they were mean.
00:18:50.53\00:18:53.23
They were just strict.
00:18:53.26\00:18:55.46
By the way, you
should be stricter
00:18:55.49\00:18:57.78
that you expect them to be.
00:18:57.81\00:19:01.00
The-- Hey, listen,
listen to what He says,
00:19:01.03\00:19:06.33
He says, "I know thy works
and thy labor and thy patience
00:19:06.36\00:19:09.65
and how that cannot
bear them which are evil."
00:19:09.68\00:19:11.82
He goes on to say
the virtues of the church
00:19:11.85\00:19:13.77
and I mean they come to
work in ministry of that church.
00:19:13.80\00:19:16.81
In fact, if I have been
called to a church like that,
00:19:16.84\00:19:18.98
I would've gone.
00:19:19.01\00:19:20.45
They're
sacrificial, selfless serving,
00:19:22.66\00:19:25.98
doing, toiling,
giving, going, what a church.
00:19:26.01\00:19:31.73
I know all about it, he says,
00:19:31.76\00:19:33.19
I know all about
you, your acts of love.
00:19:33.22\00:19:38.11
They love the lost,
00:19:38.14\00:19:40.03
that's hard to find in a church.
00:19:40.06\00:19:42.24
They love the lost and
they were strict and sound,
00:19:42.27\00:19:46.35
they knew the Bible.
00:19:46.38\00:19:48.58
Church would
not endure evil men.
00:19:48.61\00:19:50.75
Now that wasn't meaning
that they didn't work with them.
00:19:50.78\00:19:53.89
That didn't mean they didn't try
00:19:53.92\00:19:54.96
to reach out to
them and love them.
00:19:54.99\00:19:56.03
No, not at all.
00:19:56.06\00:19:57.20
It just meant
that they couldn't,
00:19:57.23\00:19:58.90
I mean, the
closer you come to Jesus,
00:19:58.93\00:20:02.98
the harder it is
for you to survive evil.
00:20:03.01\00:20:09.09
So they set a high standard,
00:20:09.12\00:20:12.40
chose not to
tolerate sin in the camp,
00:20:12.43\00:20:14.08
they aggressively
fought to keep the church pure.
00:20:14.11\00:20:16.27
By the way morality
was black and white here,
00:20:16.30\00:20:19.65
wasn't grey, truth is truth.
00:20:19.68\00:20:23.86
See our culture today says
00:20:23.89\00:20:25.13
there's no such
thing as black and white.
00:20:25.16\00:20:27.43
No such thing
as right and wrong.
00:20:27.46\00:20:28.77
That's why we have
a messed up culture,
00:20:28.80\00:20:30.75
that's why we
have a messed up people
00:20:30.78\00:20:32.48
who are doing messed up things
00:20:32.51\00:20:34.05
and they are supposed
to be serving Jesus Christ.
00:20:34.08\00:20:37.63
That's why.
00:20:37.66\00:20:39.98
Spiritual leaders
approach the person,
00:20:40.01\00:20:41.78
work carefully and then
you are patiently restored.
00:20:41.81\00:20:46.22
Now keep in mind,
these are the people
00:20:46.25\00:20:47.64
who toiled and persevered
00:20:47.67\00:20:48.86
who are actively
involved in ministry,
00:20:48.89\00:20:50.49
they had the right
to confront, by the way.
00:20:50.52\00:20:52.54
You have no right to confront
a person that comes to God
00:20:52.57\00:20:55.94
if you've never
let a person to God.
00:20:55.97\00:21:01.71
You see, the
problem with the church,
00:21:01.74\00:21:03.49
they wanted to clean
fish, not catch them.
00:21:03.52\00:21:08.74
Was worth
coming to church today,
00:21:08.77\00:21:10.23
wasn't it, just for that?
00:21:10.26\00:21:13.03
They want to clean up
the fish, not catch them.
00:21:13.06\00:21:16.85
But that was the church.
00:21:16.88\00:21:18.36
I mean, think about this church,
00:21:18.39\00:21:20.34
I mean this church it
had a 40 year history,
00:21:20.37\00:21:24.25
it was disciplined
by Aquilas, Acts 1836,
00:21:24.28\00:21:27.61
it was taught by Apollos
00:21:27.64\00:21:28.78
could you imagine your
Sabbath school teacher Apollos.
00:21:28.81\00:21:31.32
That's Acts 18:24-25
00:21:31.35\00:21:33.50
and it was pastored by
Timothy, 1 Timothy 1:3,
00:21:33.53\00:21:36.08
it was instructed
by John the Apostle,
00:21:36.11\00:21:38.29
it was recipient of
eight New Testament books.
00:21:38.32\00:21:41.32
It was the citadel of orthodoxy,
00:21:44.30\00:21:46.40
it was the bastion of truth,
it was the fortress of faith
00:21:46.43\00:21:49.69
and they were everything
but they lost the main thing,
00:21:49.72\00:21:52.88
they had one sin.
00:21:52.91\00:21:56.14
Abruptly Jesus
changes the tone of a level.
00:21:56.17\00:22:01.73
The master puts his finger
00:22:01.76\00:22:03.23
on one of the
glaring deficiency.
00:22:03.26\00:22:04.47
One fatal flaw, one deadly sin,
00:22:04.50\00:22:06.88
I mean that sin was so serious
00:22:06.91\00:22:08.35
it endangered the
church's very existence.
00:22:08.38\00:22:10.50
What could it possibly be,
00:22:10.53\00:22:11.96
Jesus said, you've
lost your first love.
00:22:11.99\00:22:16.59
Remember your first love,
00:22:16.62\00:22:18.40
do you remember
yours, I remember mine.
00:22:18.43\00:22:20.78
I have a lot of infatuations.
00:22:20.81\00:22:22.62
In fact, the whole neighborhood
is infatuated with me.
00:22:22.65\00:22:26.33
Not infatuations
but my first love
00:22:26.36\00:22:29.33
I was in
evangelical college, freshman,
00:22:29.36\00:22:32.05
and I looked across the room,
00:22:32.08\00:22:33.79
it was the health
class or something,
00:22:33.82\00:22:35.21
I wanted to take it,
thought it would be easy.
00:22:35.24\00:22:36.88
But anyway, the health class,
00:22:36.91\00:22:39.37
I looked across the
room and there she was.
00:22:39.40\00:22:41.50
I could have wrote a
song across the crowded room,
00:22:41.53\00:22:43.94
I mean it was so beautiful
00:22:43.97\00:22:46.94
and blue eyes, beautiful.
00:22:46.97\00:22:52.58
I said to my friend, I said,
look at that chick over there.
00:22:52.61\00:22:55.31
Now for you
saints, I'll translate,
00:22:55.34\00:22:57.47
that's a good looking girl.
00:22:57.50\00:23:00.49
All right.
00:23:00.52\00:23:01.67
And so I said, wow,
I'm gonna ask her out.
00:23:01.70\00:23:04.09
He said, oh, no, I
heard she is engaged.
00:23:04.12\00:23:05.89
I said she is not married.
00:23:05.92\00:23:08.19
So when she came
out of the class,
00:23:10.34\00:23:11.55
I made those
cool moves, you know.
00:23:11.58\00:23:15.28
You think the fangs was cool?
00:23:15.31\00:23:16.82
No, man, I am cool.
00:23:16.85\00:23:18.82
Then I went up and looking cool,
00:23:18.85\00:23:20.23
I said, hi I'm Ron
and she said I'm Carol.
00:23:20.26\00:23:23.78
I said, would you like
to go out on Saturday night.
00:23:23.81\00:23:26.53
She said, oh,
oh, no I'm engaged.
00:23:26.56\00:23:28.86
I said, you're not married.
00:23:28.89\00:23:32.06
And that started a
battle and I won her heart
00:23:32.09\00:23:36.73
and I've been
married to her 56 years.
00:23:36.76\00:23:40.24
Going on 57.
00:23:40.27\00:23:43.70
Do you remember
it, the excitement,
00:23:43.73\00:23:46.82
the romantic, the passion.
00:23:46.85\00:23:48.56
I mean chemistry happens,
00:23:48.59\00:23:50.27
whoo, mystical
attraction, two hearts heap up.
00:23:50.30\00:23:53.27
I mean romance enflames,
00:23:53.30\00:23:55.09
two lives fall in love,
00:23:55.12\00:23:56.41
get married, and become one.
00:23:56.44\00:23:59.70
Then something happens.
00:23:59.73\00:24:02.87
The daily flow of things,
00:24:02.90\00:24:04.15
the honeymoon is
over, children come,
00:24:04.18\00:24:05.88
the career takes off, come on.
00:24:05.91\00:24:08.03
And suddenly two
people-- bills pile up.
00:24:10.83\00:24:14.20
And suddenly two people wake up
00:24:14.23\00:24:15.61
in the same bed
complete strangers.
00:24:15.64\00:24:19.72
Yes, I am sure, it
happened at Ephesus.
00:24:19.75\00:24:22.74
They worked for Christ
00:24:22.77\00:24:23.84
and fell out of
love with Christ.
00:24:23.87\00:24:26.61
Their ministry
became mechanical.
00:24:26.64\00:24:29.48
Relationships
have become routine.
00:24:29.51\00:24:32.31
I'm reminded of couple,
00:24:32.34\00:24:33.43
they are driving down
the road home from church
00:24:33.46\00:24:35.11
and husband sitting over
there both hands on the wheel
00:24:35.14\00:24:38.08
and puts his hand on
the seat for little bit
00:24:38.11\00:24:40.19
and she is way
over at the window,
00:24:40.22\00:24:41.76
passenger side
and the moon is out,
00:24:41.79\00:24:44.03
big moon and she
says, oh, honey, remember,
00:24:44.06\00:24:47.84
remember when we
used to ride home
00:24:47.87\00:24:50.08
and used to put
your arm around me
00:24:50.11\00:24:52.24
and used to hold me and
he says I haven't moved.
00:24:52.27\00:24:56.80
I haven't moved.
00:24:59.52\00:25:01.48
I hear the disenchanted,
00:25:01.51\00:25:02.90
the back slide always
complaining about the church.
00:25:02.93\00:25:06.90
Discouraged, distanced,
how the church has changed,
00:25:06.93\00:25:10.94
blaming the church for
their separation, their divorce,
00:25:10.97\00:25:13.41
but the church hasn't moved,
00:25:13.44\00:25:14.95
it still holds the same truths
that I became as a teenager
00:25:14.98\00:25:18.09
when I gave my heart to Christ.
00:25:18.12\00:25:19.85
It still believes in the Sabbath
00:25:19.88\00:25:21.46
and the second
coming and baptism by--
00:25:21.49\00:25:23.84
It still believes
in those great themes.
00:25:23.87\00:25:26.06
We have changed.
00:25:26.09\00:25:27.45
Amen, amen, amen.
00:25:27.48\00:25:29.68
So we blame everything and
everybody about our change.
00:25:29.71\00:25:32.85
When the real problem
is, we stopped praying.
00:25:32.88\00:25:37.38
The real problem is
we stopped witnessing.
00:25:37.41\00:25:40.99
The real problem is this
we stopped being involved
00:25:41.02\00:25:44.94
and not being
involved soon you lose your way
00:25:44.97\00:25:47.48
and before you know
it, you're out there.
00:25:47.51\00:25:49.21
And you can't blame yourself,
00:25:49.24\00:25:50.93
you got to blame
someone or something.
00:25:50.96\00:25:55.01
Don't look for a
blame. Look for a way back.
00:25:55.04\00:25:57.60
Amen, amen.
00:25:57.63\00:25:59.76
And Jesus shows
you the way back.
00:25:59.79\00:26:02.88
Here is the solution.
00:26:02.91\00:26:04.86
Look at verse 5.
00:26:04.89\00:26:08.63
"Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen...
00:26:08.66\00:26:11.24
and repent."
00:26:13.16\00:26:15.40
But, Halvorsen,
you've been talking about
00:26:15.43\00:26:16.65
that whole month, repent.
00:26:16.68\00:26:19.78
"And do the first works
00:26:19.81\00:26:21.81
or else I would
come unto you quickly
00:26:23.79\00:26:26.39
and I will remove thy
candlestick out of the place,
00:26:26.42\00:26:28.88
except thou repent."
00:26:28.91\00:26:33.03
Step one back to the first love.
00:26:33.06\00:26:37.17
Are you following?
00:26:37.20\00:26:39.29
Step one,
recovering Jesus Christ.
00:26:39.32\00:26:43.36
Step one, remember.
00:26:43.39\00:26:46.14
Remember back when you
first fell in love with Him.
00:26:46.17\00:26:50.57
Remember back when you first--
00:26:50.60\00:26:52.01
I mean refocus.
00:26:52.04\00:26:53.55
Put you on times
when you really loved Him.
00:26:53.58\00:26:56.10
It may have been
as a child growing up
00:26:56.13\00:26:57.83
at your mother's knee.
00:26:57.86\00:26:59.35
It may have been listening
to your sweet mother's voice
00:26:59.38\00:27:01.64
about Jesus and about the Bible.
00:27:01.67\00:27:03.82
And you were a little
child, you just loved Him
00:27:03.85\00:27:06.14
and you loved to
sing Jesus loves me,
00:27:06.17\00:27:08.13
this I know, for
the Bible tells me so.
00:27:08.16\00:27:11.10
And you just
loved being at church.
00:27:11.13\00:27:12.88
And you loved being
with spiritual people
00:27:12.91\00:27:15.32
and doing spiritual things.
00:27:15.35\00:27:17.01
You may have been a child.
You may had a child like faith.
00:27:17.04\00:27:21.81
But now you're grown up.
00:27:21.84\00:27:24.10
Huh, that's a joke.
00:27:24.13\00:27:27.25
You were smarter as
a child serving Christ
00:27:27.28\00:27:30.27
than adult serving Satan.
00:27:30.30\00:27:34.59
Remember the
excitement of reading the Bible.
00:27:34.62\00:27:37.99
I remember when I
first learned to read,
00:27:38.02\00:27:41.60
I was a teenager.
00:27:41.63\00:27:43.84
When I started
reading, I first began to read--
00:27:43.87\00:27:45.75
I had heard the Bible
00:27:45.78\00:27:47.05
and I received
Jesus without reading.
00:27:47.08\00:27:48.98
You don't have to read.
00:27:49.01\00:27:50.28
There are some
people in our world
00:27:50.31\00:27:51.44
that perhaps can't read.
00:27:51.47\00:27:52.80
Don't worry,
don't feel inferior.
00:27:52.83\00:27:54.62
You can still love Jesus.
00:27:54.65\00:27:56.12
In fact some of those people
00:27:56.15\00:27:57.32
I have known have a
closer faith relationship
00:27:57.35\00:27:59.97
than some who have PhDDDs.
00:28:00.00\00:28:05.78
And God's not against education.
00:28:05.81\00:28:07.50
I am not against education.
But don't feel too superior.
00:28:07.53\00:28:11.82
I found him without
reading and now I read.
00:28:11.85\00:28:17.45
I read, most of you couldn't
keep up with my reading.
00:28:17.48\00:28:20.97
I read.
00:28:21.00\00:28:22.31
Remember the
excitement at Bible camp.
00:28:24.41\00:28:27.36
Come on, remember.
00:28:27.39\00:28:30.80
Remember the
fireside at the night.
00:28:30.83\00:28:33.07
You used to sign
hymns, you remember there.
00:28:33.10\00:28:35.18
Some of you found
Him there at camp.
00:28:35.21\00:28:38.25
Remember you were
in evangelistic meeting
00:28:38.28\00:28:40.20
maybe like this and
you rediscover the truth
00:28:40.23\00:28:42.79
and you rediscovered Him.
00:28:42.82\00:28:44.26
Wow, it's like a great
and wonderful experience--
00:28:44.29\00:28:47.23
Amen, come on.
00:28:47.26\00:28:49.73
Remember, the first time
you heard about the Sabbath.
00:28:49.76\00:28:53.01
You wanted to tell everybody.
00:28:53.04\00:28:55.00
And they all tried to--
00:28:55.03\00:28:57.91
Isn't it amazing?
00:28:57.94\00:28:59.15
Ah, come on, isn't it amazing.
00:28:59.18\00:29:00.85
Amen, amen.
00:29:00.88\00:29:02.18
Preach nine
commandments, they all love you.
00:29:02.21\00:29:04.00
Preach one, they're after you.
00:29:04.03\00:29:07.34
Remember the
first time you heard,
00:29:07.37\00:29:09.53
you decided to
give your life to Jesus.
00:29:09.56\00:29:11.14
Remember the altar call,
00:29:11.17\00:29:12.23
the victories,
the feeling you felt
00:29:12.26\00:29:13.57
when you first
felt that feeling.
00:29:13.60\00:29:14.98
And your baptism.
00:29:15.01\00:29:16.13
Remember the road back to Christ
00:29:16.16\00:29:17.52
begins first by remembering.
00:29:17.55\00:29:19.23
Lest you forget,
00:29:19.26\00:29:20.45
you need to remember that day.
00:29:20.48\00:29:24.37
Memory is the handmade revival.
00:29:24.40\00:29:28.16
Remember the
second step, repent.
00:29:28.19\00:29:33.67
He says remember,
00:29:33.70\00:29:36.66
remember when you first met Him.
00:29:36.69\00:29:39.96
I can close my eyes.
00:29:39.99\00:29:41.53
Listen to me,
close your ears, honey.
00:29:41.56\00:29:45.16
I can close my eyes
00:29:45.19\00:29:46.34
and I can still see
her in that health class.
00:29:46.37\00:29:51.79
Most beautiful blue
eyes I have ever seen
00:29:51.82\00:29:57.15
and her pink cheeks.
00:29:57.18\00:30:00.63
Ooh, I am getting romantic here.
00:30:00.66\00:30:04.01
I better watch out.
00:30:04.04\00:30:06.39
I love her, rushed down
the aisle and kissed my wife.
00:30:06.42\00:30:10.44
I have to wait after church
00:30:10.47\00:30:11.82
but I remember
that first moment.
00:30:11.85\00:30:14.46
I remember the first moment
I heard about Jesus Christ.
00:30:14.49\00:30:19.26
I remember it was 11 o'clock
when I gave my heart to Christ.
00:30:19.29\00:30:22.21
It was a Friday afternoon
00:30:22.24\00:30:23.84
or morning 11 o'clock, 1954.
00:30:23.87\00:30:28.99
See lest you forget
00:30:33.77\00:30:36.41
and then repent,
say you're sorry.
00:30:36.44\00:30:38.89
The hardest thing for those
who have fallen by the side.
00:30:38.92\00:30:40.99
The hardest thing
for the back-slide.
00:30:41.02\00:30:42.61
We don't like to use that word.
00:30:42.64\00:30:43.87
The disenchanted,
00:30:43.90\00:30:45.04
whatever you want to
use, it doesn't matter.
00:30:45.07\00:30:47.00
You're out there.
00:30:47.03\00:30:49.50
God wants you in here.
00:30:49.53\00:30:52.31
You got to repent,
00:30:52.34\00:30:54.31
He says after
you remember, repent.
00:30:54.34\00:30:58.45
Repentance means you
change direction in your life
00:30:58.48\00:31:01.91
to have a heartfelt change.
00:31:01.94\00:31:03.61
I mean turning
around, coming back.
00:31:03.64\00:31:05.86
The Bible says
draw near the God,
00:31:05.89\00:31:07.62
and He will drawn near to you.
00:31:07.65\00:31:09.11
Just say to God,
00:31:09.14\00:31:10.17
God my heart has
been distant from You.
00:31:10.20\00:31:14.39
I have been far away.
00:31:14.42\00:31:15.92
He knows it
already but just tell Him.
00:31:15.95\00:31:19.02
Because then
He'll recognize you,
00:31:19.05\00:31:20.23
you recognize Him and
once you recognize Him,
00:31:20.26\00:31:24.51
you're almost home.
00:31:24.54\00:31:27.00
You're almost home.
00:31:27.03\00:31:30.89
Repent, repent.
00:31:30.92\00:31:35.37
Visiting New York City,
I did a lot of street work.
00:31:35.40\00:31:39.25
I did a lot of
preaching on street corners
00:31:39.28\00:31:41.02
and that's the only place
they would invite me to preach,
00:31:41.05\00:31:43.39
by the way, I mean,
because they couldn't say no,
00:31:43.42\00:31:45.68
I just stood up and preached.
00:31:45.71\00:31:48.37
But I remember I met a man
and one of those occasions,
00:31:48.40\00:31:52.98
I was preaching there
at Broadway or somewhere,
00:31:53.01\00:31:55.29
you know, preaching about Jesus.
00:31:55.32\00:31:57.38
I didn't know
much about the Bible.
00:31:57.41\00:31:59.23
My first sermon, I preached
on David in the lions' den.
00:31:59.26\00:32:04.06
Come on, folks,
you never got near one.
00:32:04.09\00:32:07.23
But I preached
with lot of enthusiasm,
00:32:07.26\00:32:09.01
by the way, the
whole neighborhood
00:32:09.04\00:32:10.19
thought the Bible
had printed wrong.
00:32:10.22\00:32:12.39
And I was speaking in--
and people were jeering,
00:32:12.42\00:32:15.24
you know, and what they do
00:32:15.27\00:32:16.49
when the street
corner preaches in,
00:32:16.52\00:32:19.04
but there was one man,
00:32:19.07\00:32:20.47
after they had
kind of moved away,
00:32:20.50\00:32:22.15
he stood up to me.
00:32:22.18\00:32:23.71
And he said, you know
once I was a Christian.
00:32:23.74\00:32:27.15
And I could see there
was something in his eyes.
00:32:27.18\00:32:30.12
And I said once?
00:32:30.15\00:32:31.98
He said, once I
used to be a Christian.
00:32:32.01\00:32:33.90
I served God.
00:32:33.93\00:32:35.37
He says but now I am a
long way away from God.
00:32:35.40\00:32:38.25
I said, no.
00:32:38.28\00:32:39.51
I said, I don't
know much about theology.
00:32:39.54\00:32:41.54
I don't know much about much.
00:32:41.57\00:32:43.58
I still don't know
much about too much.
00:32:43.61\00:32:49.70
I said, but it's only a step.
00:32:49.73\00:32:54.85
One step, do you
know how to take one step.
00:32:54.88\00:32:59.39
Yeah.
00:32:59.42\00:33:01.22
Take that one step back, repent.
00:33:01.25\00:33:06.14
And there that
man, the homeless man--
00:33:06.17\00:33:08.73
We prayed together,
I held him in my arms.
00:33:08.76\00:33:11.66
And I heard him repent.
00:33:11.69\00:33:14.05
And he went away
with a smile on his face.
00:33:14.08\00:33:15.90
I thought, wow,
simple. Ask us to repent.
00:33:15.93\00:33:21.84
We get so theological,
we scare people away.
00:33:21.87\00:33:25.06
Thirdly, he says repeat.
00:33:27.95\00:33:30.46
Remember, repent,
00:33:30.49\00:33:32.15
hey, this is easy
for you to remember,
00:33:32.18\00:33:33.92
says, thirdly, repeat.
00:33:33.95\00:33:35.71
Listen, do the
deeds you did before.
00:33:35.74\00:33:38.56
A good counseling.
00:33:38.59\00:33:40.06
They were told to repeat
the spiritual activities,
00:33:40.09\00:33:42.40
they did it first.
00:33:42.43\00:33:43.53
In other words, back to basics.
00:33:43.56\00:33:45.23
What are the
first deeds you did.
00:33:45.26\00:33:46.69
Acts 2:42 says,
00:33:46.72\00:33:48.49
"They devoted
themselves to four things.
00:33:48.52\00:33:50.63
To the apostles'
teaching Bible study."
00:33:50.66\00:33:52.97
Get into the Bible.
Take the Bible course.
00:33:53.00\00:33:55.27
We offer you Bible courses.
00:33:55.30\00:33:56.86
There is no reason for
you not to get into the Bible.
00:33:56.89\00:33:59.26
Well, Brother
Halverson, I was busy.
00:33:59.29\00:34:00.52
You're not really
busy. You get home at night.
00:34:00.55\00:34:02.29
You fall into that easy chair,
00:34:02.32\00:34:03.45
it flips you up
and you are spell bound
00:34:03.48\00:34:05.69
for three hours, two
hours, fall into bed,
00:34:05.72\00:34:08.37
open the Word of God
00:34:08.40\00:34:09.57
sit down with a
good commentary and read
00:34:09.60\00:34:12.52
and then look
in that commentary.
00:34:12.55\00:34:14.39
There's a good
Adventist commentary
00:34:14.42\00:34:16.07
that pastor can recommend to you
00:34:16.10\00:34:18.21
and the apostles'
teaching Bible study,
00:34:18.24\00:34:21.89
fellowship, worship.
00:34:21.92\00:34:23.71
You need to be
there on the Sabbath.
00:34:23.74\00:34:26.54
You need to be
there. Not one of these.
00:34:26.57\00:34:28.11
You're not a tourist any
longer, you're a pilgrim.
00:34:28.14\00:34:30.85
And you need to be
there on the Sabbath
00:34:30.88\00:34:32.67
with God's
Sabbath keeping people.
00:34:32.70\00:34:35.02
Your neighbors need to see
you going to church on Sabbath.
00:34:35.05\00:34:37.78
They need to see you
carrying your Bible on Sabbath.
00:34:37.81\00:34:40.79
They need to see
you happy on Sabbath.
00:34:40.82\00:34:45.80
And since they had fellowship,
00:34:45.83\00:34:47.32
worship, Sabbath,
get the prayer meeting.
00:34:47.35\00:34:50.01
I built my whole
churches on prayer meetings.
00:34:50.04\00:34:52.97
We'd have 1,500
people at prayer meetings.
00:34:53.00\00:34:56.04
We're on television
all across the nation,
00:34:56.07\00:34:57.75
our prayer
meeting was on television
00:34:57.78\00:34:59.44
across 200
stations across the nation.
00:34:59.47\00:35:02.95
The fellowship one with another.
00:35:02.98\00:35:05.91
Prayer meeting,
hey, at midnight.
00:35:05.94\00:35:07.22
Well, it's not
interesting. What do you?
00:35:07.25\00:35:08.70
What do you have
to be entertained?
00:35:08.73\00:35:11.11
He didn't say, come
on, I want to interest you.
00:35:11.14\00:35:13.25
He says, come on
out and worship with me.
00:35:13.28\00:35:16.89
Be in my
presence, breaking bread.
00:35:16.92\00:35:19.47
By the way, that
breaking bread is not communion.
00:35:19.50\00:35:21.39
That breaking
bread is socializing.
00:35:21.42\00:35:23.15
You know, I got to
admit something to you people.
00:35:23.18\00:35:25.38
It's hard for me sometimes
to social with you Adventists.
00:35:25.41\00:35:28.86
I'm really, I
mean, I have a hard time.
00:35:31.13\00:35:32.75
I don't know if
you're vegan or not vegan.
00:35:32.78\00:35:33.99
I don't know if
you're this or not.
00:35:34.02\00:35:35.05
I don't know if I,
00:35:35.08\00:35:36.19
I don't know if I eat
popcorn you're gonna get on me,
00:35:36.22\00:35:38.36
get off this stuff.
00:35:38.39\00:35:41.87
Be humane.
00:35:41.90\00:35:43.27
I can't sit down on
and associate with you.
00:35:45.85\00:35:48.35
I don't know if I
am doing quite right.
00:35:48.38\00:35:51.08
Give me a break.
00:35:51.11\00:35:54.51
They broke bread together.
00:35:54.54\00:35:55.74
They laughed
together, that's right,
00:35:55.77\00:35:57.30
you can laugh and
still go to heaven.
00:35:57.33\00:35:59.01
Yes.
00:35:59.04\00:36:00.66
Why so serious?
00:36:00.69\00:36:03.69
Come on, they
enjoyed their faith.
00:36:03.72\00:36:06.97
They weren't trying to
take more away from you.
00:36:07.00\00:36:09.06
They were trying to
give you joy and peace
00:36:09.09\00:36:11.76
and contentment and happiness
00:36:11.79\00:36:13.71
and all the positive things
that God can and will give you.
00:36:13.74\00:36:17.38
Amen.
00:36:17.41\00:36:18.52
Praise Him.
00:36:18.55\00:36:19.61
Amen.
00:36:19.64\00:36:21.08
Praise Him.
00:36:21.11\00:36:23.88
And they prayed together.
00:36:23.91\00:36:25.07
Amen.
00:36:25.10\00:36:26.25
Listen to me, prayer.
00:36:26.28\00:36:29.04
I wrote a book on
prayer, Prayer Warrior.
00:36:29.07\00:36:33.18
You need to get
that book, believe me.
00:36:33.21\00:36:34.84
My wife heads out in
the lobby at Saturday night.
00:36:34.87\00:36:37.10
But you need to get it
not because it's my book.
00:36:37.13\00:36:40.48
You got to get it
because it's on prayer warfare.
00:36:40.51\00:36:42.77
And we're in the
battle right now.
00:36:42.80\00:36:44.47
And it's going to teach
you how to be battle-prepared
00:36:44.50\00:36:46.74
for what's gonna
break on this world
00:36:46.77\00:36:48.54
and what's gonna
break in your home.
00:36:48.57\00:36:50.24
What's gonna break
in your neighborhood.
00:36:50.27\00:36:51.80
What's gonna
break into your friends.
00:36:51.83\00:36:54.76
So I want you to-- I
want you to get that book.
00:36:54.79\00:36:56.28
I want you to read it.
00:36:56.31\00:36:58.57
A lot of pastors use it
for their prayer meetings.
00:36:58.60\00:37:01.52
And get on your
knees and confess your sins
00:37:01.55\00:37:03.58
and tell Him
your desire to change.
00:37:03.61\00:37:05.31
A church that loved Bible study.
00:37:05.34\00:37:07.04
It was faith from
the apostles' teaching.
00:37:07.07\00:37:09.15
A church that
maintains fellowship,
00:37:09.18\00:37:11.43
continuing sharing,
encouraging one and other,
00:37:11.46\00:37:13.64
bearing one another's
burdens, comforting one--
00:37:13.67\00:37:15.70
I would like to
join a church like that.
00:37:15.73\00:37:17.89
Amen.
00:37:17.92\00:37:19.95
These spiritual disciples
00:37:19.98\00:37:22.48
lead us back to the
full love of Christ.
00:37:22.51\00:37:25.25
In Scripture, we
hear about Christ.
00:37:25.28\00:37:26.96
That's why you need to read it.
00:37:26.99\00:37:29.59
In fellowship, we share Christ.
00:37:29.62\00:37:32.51
In the Lord's Table,
we commune with Christ.
00:37:32.54\00:37:34.38
And socially, we accept.
00:37:34.41\00:37:36.12
The first miracle of
Jesus was at a party.
00:37:36.15\00:37:39.78
That's right.
00:37:39.81\00:37:41.58
Amen.
00:37:41.61\00:37:44.72
The prodigals comes
home, he throws a party.
00:37:44.75\00:37:49.14
Amen.
00:37:49.17\00:37:50.72
The shepherd finds his lamb.
00:37:50.75\00:37:53.38
He throws a party.
00:37:53.41\00:37:55.95
The woman finds
a coin, her dowry.
00:37:55.98\00:38:00.54
And she throws a party.
00:38:00.57\00:38:02.39
Why can't the
church throw a party
00:38:02.42\00:38:04.49
when sinners come to
know Jesus Christ as the Lord?
00:38:04.52\00:38:07.58
Fourthly, remain, I
am talking to you now,
00:38:12.17\00:38:17.41
the devil is gonna
throw things at you
00:38:17.44\00:38:19.09
in the next few weeks,
you who have been baptized.
00:38:19.12\00:38:21.19
You've come to God.
00:38:21.22\00:38:22.56
It took great
strength and great faith.
00:38:22.59\00:38:24.88
You could have
walked away, but you didn't.
00:38:24.91\00:38:26.49
You walked towards Him.
00:38:26.52\00:38:27.82
Listen, the devil hates you now.
00:38:27.85\00:38:30.28
Amen.
00:38:30.31\00:38:31.49
Devil will throw
everybody at you.
00:38:31.52\00:38:33.63
They will come up with
text that sound right--
00:38:33.66\00:38:37.30
they will do everything, remain.
00:38:37.33\00:38:39.84
Amen.
00:38:39.87\00:38:42.63
Dig your roots deep.
00:38:42.66\00:38:44.27
Amen.
00:38:44.30\00:38:45.93
Remain, remain faithful to God.
00:38:45.96\00:38:49.97
Amen.
00:38:50.00\00:38:51.03
I don't know if I
told you the story
00:38:51.06\00:38:52.27
but it gets
better with the telling--
00:38:52.30\00:38:55.90
I was holding a
meeting in Hawaii.
00:38:55.93\00:38:57.26
And I met a drunken marine.
00:38:57.29\00:39:00.50
He came to my
meeting with his wife
00:39:00.53\00:39:03.66
because he decided he
wanted to get a Bible.
00:39:03.69\00:39:07.04
He didn't know even why.
00:39:07.07\00:39:09.16
And we were offering a
little revelation Bible.
00:39:09.19\00:39:13.16
So he came in
half drunk that night.
00:39:13.19\00:39:14.89
Sat in about the fifth row
00:39:14.92\00:39:17.06
and his wife came, sat with him.
00:39:17.09\00:39:19.90
And after I had done
preaching, he went out
00:39:19.93\00:39:21.68
and went to the bar
and next day he came.
00:39:21.71\00:39:25.18
I mean, next
time. And next time.
00:39:25.21\00:39:26.48
I think we were
going six nights a week.
00:39:26.51\00:39:29.43
And so came night to
get his Bible, 12 nights.
00:39:29.46\00:39:35.37
He gets on line, at
the back of the line
00:39:35.40\00:39:37.09
when he gets there, we
have run out of Bibles.
00:39:37.12\00:39:41.75
And here's this
half drunk marine
00:39:41.78\00:39:44.62
which I am not gonna mess with.
00:39:44.65\00:39:47.65
And he says, where is my Bible.
00:39:47.68\00:39:50.07
I said, oh, I am so
sorry, we ran out of the Bible.
00:39:50.10\00:39:52.05
He said, I thought there
was some kind of gimmick here.
00:39:52.08\00:39:55.09
I said, no, we
ordered some more Bibles.
00:39:55.12\00:39:57.51
So they're going
to be in on Tuesday.
00:39:57.54\00:39:59.58
Tuesday night, you get
online and we have the Bible.
00:39:59.61\00:40:01.68
Got online Tuesday
night, him and his wife.
00:40:01.71\00:40:04.04
By the time they
got to the table,
00:40:04.07\00:40:05.41
all the Bibles were gone.
00:40:05.44\00:40:07.64
He said, what?
00:40:07.67\00:40:08.76
I said, no, I said,
we sent for more Bibles.
00:40:08.79\00:40:13.35
He said, what are you trying?
Just keep me coming so I get--
00:40:13.38\00:40:17.16
I hadn't thought of
that but that's a good idea.
00:40:17.19\00:40:21.47
And I said, oh, no. I said, no.
00:40:21.50\00:40:24.10
I said, you keep
coming. I went out to visit him.
00:40:24.13\00:40:29.37
He was a marine sharpshooter.
00:40:29.40\00:40:33.68
He knocked the enemy
off from a mile away.
00:40:33.71\00:40:37.94
He had learned
to kill, the marine.
00:40:37.97\00:40:41.96
It was there that I
talked to him about Jesus.
00:40:44.33\00:40:46.19
It was there that he
received Christ into him.
00:40:46.22\00:40:48.46
In the first Iraq
war, he was a sharpshooter.
00:40:48.49\00:40:51.58
In the second Iraq war,
00:40:51.61\00:40:53.36
he was a
Seventh-day Adventist chaplain.
00:40:53.39\00:40:55.58
And he was leading
men and women to God.
00:40:55.61\00:40:57.33
Come on now, give
God some glory here.
00:40:57.36\00:40:59.81
What are you afraid to clap?
00:40:59.84\00:41:02.27
Amen, come on. Amen.
00:41:04.66\00:41:06.96
He remains faithful to this day.
00:41:06.99\00:41:08.99
He is now chaplain
there in Washington State.
00:41:09.02\00:41:11.88
And we were together
just a few weeks ago.
00:41:11.91\00:41:14.06
This is, I don't know
how many years since then.
00:41:14.09\00:41:16.40
And he is so full of God.
00:41:16.43\00:41:17.83
His wife is so
sweet and so full of God.
00:41:17.86\00:41:20.24
They have beautiful children
that are growing up in faith.
00:41:20.27\00:41:22.89
They're so full of God.
00:41:22.92\00:41:24.18
I mean they want to remain,
00:41:24.21\00:41:25.54
they want to be
faithful, and they're faithful,
00:41:25.57\00:41:27.99
and he is a faithful
witness for Jesus Christ.
00:41:28.02\00:41:30.41
Listen to me, the
Bible says, He says, remain.
00:41:30.44\00:41:35.74
After I retired
which I never have retired
00:41:35.77\00:41:37.92
but I thought I retired.
00:41:37.95\00:41:39.50
I signed the papers to retire.
00:41:39.53\00:41:41.68
And then from that moment on,
I have been working ever since.
00:41:41.71\00:41:47.25
But, you know,
when you're retired
00:41:47.28\00:41:48.70
and you preached all your life
00:41:48.73\00:41:49.87
and you did all
this all your life,
00:41:49.90\00:41:51.37
you sometimes say
00:41:51.40\00:41:52.53
what good have I
accomplished Lord?
00:41:52.56\00:41:55.75
And so I had one of
those feel sorry days.
00:41:55.78\00:41:57.90
Yeah, we have them, too.
00:41:57.93\00:41:59.74
And I was at a great convention
00:41:59.77\00:42:01.08
and I was supposed to speak
that night at that convention.
00:42:01.11\00:42:03.40
I said to myself.
00:42:03.43\00:42:04.52
I said, Lord, I
said, what was my work?
00:42:04.55\00:42:06.82
What have I really
accomplished in my work?
00:42:06.85\00:42:09.56
And I said, Lord,
please show me someone
00:42:09.59\00:42:13.21
that I have
influenced for Jesus Christ
00:42:13.24\00:42:16.42
while I am here.
00:42:16.45\00:42:18.34
So I am walking to home
and I hadn't gone five steps.
00:42:18.37\00:42:21.62
And four women
came running over to me.
00:42:21.65\00:42:24.20
They said, you're Ron Halverson.
00:42:24.23\00:42:26.85
I said, yeah in person.
00:42:26.88\00:42:28.60
They said, you baptized us
00:42:31.30\00:42:35.45
in a campaign in New York
00:42:35.48\00:42:39.90
23 years ago.
00:42:39.93\00:42:43.33
I said, thank you Jesus.
00:42:43.36\00:42:44.87
I had prayer with
them. I hugged them.
00:42:44.90\00:42:46.45
I gave them holy
day-- my sisters.
00:42:46.48\00:42:48.03
I gave them a holy
hug. I was rejoicing.
00:42:48.06\00:42:50.25
I was walking now, you know,
00:42:50.28\00:42:52.17
with a holy
ghost feet, you know.
00:42:52.20\00:42:54.78
I mean, I'm walking
with holy ghost feet.
00:42:54.81\00:42:56.62
Some of you don't know that,
I wish I could stay longer,
00:42:56.65\00:42:59.20
I could teach you it.
00:42:59.23\00:43:00.42
And I was all excited.
00:43:00.45\00:43:01.96
I hadn't gone 50 more feet
00:43:01.99\00:43:04.14
and a handsome young black man
00:43:04.17\00:43:05.96
came up to me, dressed well.
00:43:05.99\00:43:08.30
He said you're Ron
Halverson, aren't you?
00:43:08.33\00:43:10.18
I said, I am here in person.
00:43:10.21\00:43:12.21
Touch it, it's alive.
00:43:12.24\00:43:16.29
He said, I was in Harlem.
00:43:16.32\00:43:18.83
And I lived in an apartment
across from this church
00:43:18.86\00:43:20.82
where you were
holding a meeting in January.
00:43:20.85\00:43:23.11
The brethren sent me to
Harlem to preach in January.
00:43:23.14\00:43:26.15
They went to the Philippines.
00:43:26.18\00:43:27.91
I don't know what
they do like that.
00:43:27.94\00:43:30.24
But anyway, I am in Harlem.
00:43:30.27\00:43:32.02
And he says, I was across
and I was a heroin addict.
00:43:32.05\00:43:35.48
He said, but I saw
this sign blinking--
00:43:35.51\00:43:38.17
Revelation.
00:43:38.20\00:43:39.23
I used to go to
Revelation Offers Hope,
00:43:39.26\00:43:40.82
same as Revelation Today.
00:43:40.85\00:43:42.52
Blink, blink,
blink, he was half high,
00:43:42.55\00:43:45.49
half low
whatever you want to coin.
00:43:45.52\00:43:47.16
So he came across and he
said, there at that meeting,
00:43:47.19\00:43:50.84
I gave my heart to Jesus Christ.
00:43:50.87\00:43:53.07
He said wait, no,
it's not done yet.
00:43:53.10\00:43:55.58
He says, by the way,
00:43:55.61\00:43:57.07
he says I am a
Seventh-day Adventist preacher.
00:43:57.10\00:43:59.23
And he told me the
church which he had.
00:43:59.26\00:44:00.56
Amen.
00:44:00.59\00:44:01.71
Give God glory
and give Him honor.
00:44:01.74\00:44:03.83
Remain, 20-30
some years ago remain.
00:44:06.21\00:44:12.90
Why do you be like a
fly annoying, flying away.
00:44:12.93\00:44:18.01
The piece of bread.
00:44:18.04\00:44:19.92
Stay, remain, don't let
the devil knock you out,
00:44:19.95\00:44:25.92
don't let him
whisper, you're a sinner.
00:44:25.95\00:44:27.64
Of course, you are.
But you have a savior.
00:44:27.67\00:44:30.93
Amen.
00:44:30.96\00:44:32.35
Remain, remain, remember,
00:44:36.15\00:44:41.72
repent, repeat and remain.
00:44:41.75\00:44:48.93
Each step
rekindles the first love.
00:44:48.96\00:44:53.41
And Jesus concludes
00:44:53.44\00:44:54.48
with the command
to all believers.
00:44:54.51\00:44:57.02
Every word of scripture
Jesus makes a special appeal.
00:44:57.05\00:45:01.26
Look at
Revelation again, Chapter 2.
00:45:01.29\00:45:04.47
I am here in the
context of this marvelous book,
00:45:04.50\00:45:07.13
this marvelous chapter,
00:45:07.16\00:45:09.71
understanding
this marvelous church.
00:45:09.74\00:45:12.03
And he says,
00:45:12.06\00:45:14.14
"He that hath an
ear, let him hear
00:45:14.17\00:45:19.29
what the Spirit
says unto the churches,
00:45:19.32\00:45:22.61
To him that overcometh
00:45:22.64\00:45:23.70
what I give to eat
of the tree of life,
00:45:23.73\00:45:27.30
which is in the midst
of the paradise of God."
00:45:27.33\00:45:33.31
I remember my baptism.
00:45:33.34\00:45:37.87
I was the only one in
my family there that day.
00:45:37.90\00:45:40.21
I traveled 2 hours each
way on Sabbath to go to church.
00:45:40.24\00:45:44.54
It's amazing now
people have big cars
00:45:44.57\00:45:46.50
and it's hard
for them to make it
00:45:46.53\00:45:47.57
10 minutes down the road.
00:45:47.60\00:45:48.69
Isn't that amazing.
00:45:48.72\00:45:50.01
That's no reason but
you watched your first love.
00:45:50.04\00:45:53.78
And I traveled 2
hours with my friend
00:45:53.81\00:45:55.66
who led me to Christ.
00:45:55.69\00:45:57.99
He was there.
00:45:58.02\00:46:00.25
And I remember I went
down into the watery grave
00:46:00.28\00:46:03.66
and that day God
baptized me in His spirit.
00:46:03.69\00:46:07.64
I came out of that water.
00:46:07.67\00:46:10.92
From that moment on, I
decided I am gonna remain.
00:46:10.95\00:46:15.36
Amen.
00:46:15.39\00:46:17.81
And listen to me.
00:46:17.84\00:46:19.64
They tried to beat me out,
oh, they have all kinds of--
00:46:19.67\00:46:24.13
Hey, listen. You
can't beat me out.
00:46:24.16\00:46:28.04
You can't gossip me out. Amen.
00:46:28.07\00:46:31.34
And you surely
can't teach me out.
00:46:31.37\00:46:33.24
All right.
00:46:33.27\00:46:35.80
So God says remain faithful
to the God that we love.
00:46:35.83\00:46:42.81
Remain faithful to Jesus.
00:46:42.84\00:46:45.26
I mean, Jesus, He
invites you in His praise
00:46:45.29\00:46:49.62
to come to your marriage again.
00:46:49.65\00:46:51.80
To renew your vows here perhaps.
00:46:51.83\00:46:55.11
Perhaps there's some of
you who have wandered away
00:46:55.14\00:46:57.12
and, you know,
if Jesus came today,
00:46:57.15\00:46:58.74
you would be outside the fold
00:46:58.77\00:47:00.45
and like the virgins
without oil in their lamp.
00:47:00.48\00:47:03.46
And you need that oil
00:47:03.49\00:47:04.56
and you need to
come and you need to say
00:47:04.59\00:47:06.29
Jesus I need to
reestablish my vow to you.
00:47:06.32\00:47:09.17
I need to reestablish my faith.
00:47:09.20\00:47:12.61
God maybe speaking to
you here and saying that you.
00:47:12.64\00:47:16.69
God may have been
inviting you all these weeks.
00:47:16.72\00:47:20.44
And his word has
been clear to you
00:47:20.47\00:47:21.92
and you got to say, I got to go.
00:47:21.95\00:47:23.94
I have to return.
00:47:23.97\00:47:25.79
Some of you have to return
to the God of your childhood.
00:47:25.82\00:47:29.12
You have to return
because if you don't return,
00:47:29.15\00:47:34.19
who will you turn to?
00:47:34.22\00:47:37.40
Where will you go?
00:47:37.43\00:47:40.28
I am the way,
00:47:40.31\00:47:42.97
the truth, and the life.
00:47:43.00\00:47:48.15
Jesus said to return.
00:47:48.18\00:47:53.25
Let us pray.
00:47:53.28\00:47:55.39
Father God which art in heaven,
00:47:55.42\00:47:56.75
I humbly bow in Your
presence at this moment.
00:47:56.78\00:48:00.83
I pray for Your spirit.
00:48:00.86\00:48:03.82
I don't want to end this meeting
00:48:03.85\00:48:05.06
without inviting some here
00:48:05.09\00:48:06.52
to return to the
God of their child.
00:48:06.55\00:48:08.91
To return to God.
00:48:08.94\00:48:11.51
They may be a man, a woman,
00:48:11.54\00:48:12.65
a child, a
teenager, I don't know.
00:48:12.68\00:48:14.94
There may be a person here today
00:48:14.97\00:48:16.25
that this is my
last appeal to them
00:48:16.28\00:48:19.59
that they need to return.
00:48:19.62\00:48:21.94
With every head
bowed, every eye closed,
00:48:21.97\00:48:25.45
if you know in your heart
00:48:25.48\00:48:26.51
then you have to
return to Jesus Christ,
00:48:26.54\00:48:29.20
to come home, lift up
your hand where you are.
00:48:29.23\00:48:30.97
I want you to hold
up your hand right now.
00:48:31.00\00:48:32.79
Come on, don't be
ashamed, hold it up high.
00:48:32.82\00:48:35.83
Some of you need to
come back through rebaptism.
00:48:35.86\00:48:38.34
I don't know, God's
spirit will tell you that.
00:48:38.37\00:48:41.44
I don't know.
00:48:41.47\00:48:42.54
But if he does,
you can be a part
00:48:42.57\00:48:45.99
of what God is doing here.
00:48:46.02\00:48:47.72
Father, see the hands
raised to thee, oh, God.
00:48:47.75\00:48:51.09
Bless them.
00:48:51.12\00:48:52.53
Amen. Amen.
00:48:52.56\00:48:55.02
How can I know
God hears my prayers?
00:49:30.31\00:49:32.84
Excellent question.
00:49:32.87\00:49:34.40
And you want to know
00:49:34.43\00:49:36.21
that you know God
hears your prayers.
00:49:36.24\00:49:38.59
And so we're
gonna look in the Bible
00:49:38.62\00:49:40.76
at two verses that are emphatic.
00:49:40.79\00:49:44.14
1 John 5:14,
00:49:44.17\00:49:47.90
"And this is the
confidence that we have in Him,
00:49:47.93\00:49:51.36
that, if we ask
anything according to His will,
00:49:51.39\00:49:54.48
He hears us."
00:49:54.51\00:49:56.36
Now, we can press on from there.
00:49:56.39\00:49:58.47
"And if we know that he
hear us, whatsoever we ask,
00:49:58.50\00:50:02.17
we know that we
have the petitions
00:50:02.20\00:50:04.32
that we desired of him."
00:50:04.35\00:50:05.97
Jesus said if you ask anything
in My name, I will do it.
00:50:06.00\00:50:08.79
Keep in mind when you pray,
00:50:08.82\00:50:09.92
you pray
according to God's will.
00:50:09.95\00:50:11.28
You could pray for a
shiny red sports car,
00:50:11.31\00:50:13.30
God might instead give you a job
00:50:13.33\00:50:14.79
at McDonald's flipping burgers
00:50:14.82\00:50:17.21
because what He knows
you need is discipline
00:50:17.24\00:50:19.26
and you need to
save up some money
00:50:19.29\00:50:20.67
and when you saved enough money
00:50:20.70\00:50:21.73
for a shiny red
sports car, you gonna say,
00:50:21.76\00:50:23.64
you know, I don't
need that after all.
00:50:23.67\00:50:25.57
That might happen.
00:50:25.60\00:50:26.84
You may pray to be
healed of an illness today.
00:50:26.87\00:50:28.55
You might not be
healed of that illness
00:50:28.58\00:50:29.94
until tomorrow or never.
00:50:29.97\00:50:32.37
God knows, He
knows the best thing.
00:50:32.40\00:50:34.73
You might pray for a $1000
00:50:34.76\00:50:36.92
because you
need it to pay a bill
00:50:36.95\00:50:38.56
and God knows that you somehow
00:50:38.59\00:50:41.47
need to get through this
experience in another way
00:50:41.50\00:50:43.34
in a way that
will built your faith
00:50:43.37\00:50:44.72
and trust and hope in Him.
00:50:44.75\00:50:47.43
So, let's not pretend
that we need to tell God
00:50:47.46\00:50:52.46
that we know best.
00:50:52.49\00:50:53.59
We can pray and
prayer changes things
00:50:53.62\00:50:56.02
and prayer will
move the omnipotence
00:50:56.05\00:50:58.03
and God will do
things in answer to prayer
00:50:58.06\00:51:00.10
that He might not
otherwise do had we not prayed,
00:51:00.13\00:51:03.06
that's the truth.
00:51:03.09\00:51:04.95
But prayer is not a
stick with which we beat God
00:51:04.98\00:51:08.61
and we beat Him relentlessly
until He gives us what we want.
00:51:08.64\00:51:11.79
Actually, in
prayer what we do is,
00:51:11.82\00:51:13.73
we come so close to God
that we before we're done,
00:51:13.76\00:51:15.68
we know what God's will
is in certain situation.
00:51:15.71\00:51:18.46
And then we can
pray more intelligently.
00:51:18.49\00:51:20.93
So anyhow, do pray, do
pray for what you want.
00:51:20.96\00:51:23.01
Tell God you want to press
the throne of God, that's fine.
00:51:23.04\00:51:26.12
But pray according to God's will
00:51:26.15\00:51:27.89
and pray trusting
that God knows best.
00:51:27.92\00:51:30.14
How can you know
God hears your prayers
00:51:30.17\00:51:31.89
because God said so.
00:51:31.92\00:51:33.50
Well, I don't feel
like He heard my prayers
00:51:33.53\00:51:35.71
and since when have
you needed to feel like it.
00:51:35.74\00:51:38.19
You just need to believe it.
00:51:38.22\00:51:39.82
Well, I don't have evidence
that God heard my prayer.
00:51:39.85\00:51:42.75
What do you want?
00:51:42.78\00:51:43.81
A confirmation
email, if you look for that,
00:51:43.84\00:51:48.12
you'd probably go to
your spam thing anyway
00:51:48.15\00:51:50.57
because you weren't
expecting an email from God
00:51:50.60\00:51:52.44
and your computer
wasn't set up for it.
00:51:52.47\00:51:54.31
You don't need any of that.
00:51:54.34\00:51:55.89
We are saved by grace,
00:51:55.92\00:51:57.83
not through
evidence but through faith.
00:51:57.86\00:52:00.14
And as you grow as a Christian
and as you read your Bible,
00:52:00.17\00:52:02.58
you'd find more
than enough evidence
00:52:02.61\00:52:05.21
to hang your spiritual head on.
00:52:05.24\00:52:07.25
Now, I believe that
God created the world,
00:52:07.28\00:52:08.99
even though I didn't see it.
00:52:09.02\00:52:10.08
I believe it
because the Bible says so,
00:52:10.11\00:52:11.73
but along the
way, I have picked up
00:52:11.76\00:52:14.23
plenty of what I
consider to be strong evidence
00:52:14.26\00:52:17.51
suggesting that God did that.
00:52:17.54\00:52:19.08
It's not just
that the Bible says it,
00:52:19.11\00:52:20.82
it's that I
believe I have evidence
00:52:20.85\00:52:23.91
that helps me understand that.
00:52:23.94\00:52:25.43
When it comes to
answering my prayers,
00:52:25.46\00:52:27.02
I know God answers my prayers
00:52:27.05\00:52:28.67
because the Bible
says but along the way
00:52:28.70\00:52:31.29
in my Christian journey,
00:52:31.32\00:52:33.46
I have learned
that God is a prayer
00:52:33.49\00:52:35.72
answering God from experience.
00:52:35.75\00:52:37.75
We prayed and seen
God do great things.
00:52:37.78\00:52:40.73
So you pray, expect the
best and you can know by faith,
00:52:40.76\00:52:45.29
God hears your prayers.
00:52:45.32\00:52:46.35
This is not even something
00:52:46.38\00:52:47.94
you need to lose any sleep over.
00:52:47.97\00:52:50.21
Another Bible question now.
00:52:50.24\00:52:51.73
How can God forgive
a sin as bad as murder?
00:52:51.76\00:52:57.74
There are other
things that are terrible too
00:52:57.77\00:52:59.32
and that as a society
00:52:59.35\00:53:00.51
we say that's not
good and it's not good.
00:53:00.54\00:53:04.27
But God forgives.
00:53:04.30\00:53:07.55
How's that?
00:53:07.58\00:53:09.50
Because that's what God does.
00:53:09.53\00:53:11.13
Thou Lord art good
and ready to forgive.
00:53:11.16\00:53:15.42
Jesus asked us to
pray for forgiveness.
00:53:15.45\00:53:19.84
Did you know that?
00:53:19.87\00:53:21.38
He told us to
pray for forgiveness.
00:53:21.41\00:53:23.97
You read in the Lord's Prayer.
00:53:24.00\00:53:25.55
"Our father which art in
heaven hallowed be thy name,
00:53:25.58\00:53:29.67
thy kingdom come,
00:53:29.70\00:53:31.64
thy will be done
on earth as in heaven,
00:53:31.67\00:53:35.84
give us this
day our daily bread,
00:53:35.87\00:53:38.64
and forgive us our debts."
00:53:38.67\00:53:42.17
I'm gonna read that next
little bit in just a moment.
00:53:42.20\00:53:45.09
We've been told to
pray and ask God to forgive.
00:53:45.12\00:53:48.14
He didn't say pray
and ask God to forgive you
00:53:48.17\00:53:51.11
as long as you don't do
something that's too bad,
00:53:51.14\00:53:53.12
He doesn't say that.
00:53:53.15\00:53:54.38
Just pray for forgiveness
and expect it to be so,
00:53:54.41\00:53:58.03
God will forgive him.
00:53:58.06\00:53:59.14
Murder, God forgave Moses.
00:53:59.17\00:54:01.84
Moses was a murderer.
00:54:01.87\00:54:03.32
God forgave David.
00:54:03.35\00:54:04.88
David had Uriah
the Hittite murdered,
00:54:04.91\00:54:07.03
he send him to his
death, that was murder, really.
00:54:07.06\00:54:11.40
Throughout the Bible
there are other people too
00:54:11.43\00:54:12.99
that have committed
the most heinous crimes.
00:54:13.02\00:54:14.89
Paul set people
up to be put to death
00:54:14.92\00:54:17.07
is no better than a murderer.
00:54:17.10\00:54:18.23
God not only forgave
Moses, David and Paul
00:54:18.26\00:54:21.76
which was Saul who became Paul,
00:54:21.79\00:54:23.62
He used them mightily.
00:54:23.65\00:54:26.64
Moses wrote the first
five books of the Bible,
00:54:26.67\00:54:28.79
a murderer.
00:54:28.82\00:54:30.44
The Apostle Paul wrote
00:54:30.47\00:54:31.50
the majority of the
books in the New Testament
00:54:31.53\00:54:33.05
and I'm gonna say for
the benefit of this exercise,
00:54:33.08\00:54:35.13
a murderer or
someone who is an accessory
00:54:35.16\00:54:37.92
after the fact,
before the fact, to the fact,
00:54:37.95\00:54:41.78
an accessory to the fact,
00:54:41.81\00:54:43.78
God can forgive
that how, God forgives.
00:54:43.81\00:54:49.25
You know, murder is the breaking
00:54:49.28\00:54:51.41
of the commandment, isn't it?
00:54:51.44\00:54:52.63
Thou shall not kill.
00:54:52.66\00:54:54.22
What commandments
have you broken lately?
00:54:54.25\00:54:56.41
Thou shall not
be a false witness.
00:54:56.44\00:54:57.80
Thou shall not steal.
00:54:57.83\00:54:58.86
Thou shall have no other
Gods and maybe Carolina Panthers
00:54:58.89\00:55:02.09
have become your God before God.
00:55:02.12\00:55:05.07
And God is
willing to forgive you.
00:55:05.10\00:55:08.58
He is willing
to forgive anybody.
00:55:08.61\00:55:10.56
Jesus died for our sins.
00:55:10.59\00:55:12.34
It just says something to us
00:55:12.37\00:55:14.15
about the depth of
God's grace and goodness.
00:55:14.18\00:55:17.22
Now, that little
phrase I didn't read.
00:55:17.25\00:55:20.08
"Forgive us our debts..."
00:55:20.11\00:55:21.16
This is Matthew Chapter 6,
"as we forgive our debtors."
00:55:21.19\00:55:26.34
God has been
willing to forgive you.
00:55:26.37\00:55:29.69
God would have you be
willing to forgive others.
00:55:29.72\00:55:32.20
Remember that story, it
was a parable Jesus told.
00:55:32.23\00:55:34.82
A man had a lot of
debts, his master forgave them,
00:55:34.85\00:55:38.08
forgave him the
debts that were colossal.
00:55:38.11\00:55:41.58
He goes out and find somebody
who owes him a small amount
00:55:41.61\00:55:45.22
and he treats him terribly
in order to get his money back.
00:55:45.25\00:55:48.45
He didn't forgive that person
00:55:48.48\00:55:50.54
as he had been
forgiven or treated.
00:55:50.57\00:55:54.28
It can be a challenge sometime,
00:55:54.31\00:55:55.62
somebody does
something very terrible,
00:55:55.65\00:55:57.11
but God wants us to forgive.
00:55:57.14\00:55:58.74
If you don't forgive
what is somebody saying.
00:55:58.77\00:56:01.11
It's like taking the poison pill
00:56:01.14\00:56:02.93
and expecting
the other guy to die.
00:56:02.96\00:56:06.27
Forgiveness is good for us.
00:56:06.30\00:56:07.52
Forgiving somebody for
doing something bad to you
00:56:07.55\00:56:09.87
doesn't let them off the hook.
00:56:09.90\00:56:12.04
Doesn't let them off the hook.
00:56:12.07\00:56:13.92
It lets you off the hook.
00:56:13.95\00:56:15.59
Lets you off the
hook of bitterness
00:56:15.62\00:56:17.48
and malaise and unforgiveness.
00:56:17.51\00:56:20.32
It Is Written is dedicated
00:56:27.03\00:56:28.55
to sharing the
gospel around the world.
00:56:28.58\00:56:30.79
To discover more
about It Is Written,
00:56:30.82\00:56:32.62
I invite you to visit
our website, itiswritten.com
00:56:32.65\00:56:36.05
and browse the dozens
of pages that describe
00:56:36.08\00:56:38.60
what we do and how we do it.
00:56:38.63\00:56:40.36
Let's get to know
each other better.
00:56:40.39\00:56:41.86
Visit our website,
itiswritten.com today.
00:56:41.89\00:56:45.92