Participants: Taj Pacleb
Series Code: 15GYC
Program Code: 15GYC000002A
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00:36 Good morning, everyone.
00:38 We are so excited that we can all be here today 00:41 to come together, 00:43 to be with each other to spend time with Christ 00:48 on this very last day of the year. 00:51 And to realize that we are all a called generation 00:56 to serve the Lord. 00:57 Please join us as we'll be singing 00:58 some songs together. 01:00 Our first song this morning will be 01:02 "Wonderful Words of Life," 01:04 so we invite you to raise your voice 01:06 and praise to God this morning with us. 01:16 Sing them over again to me Wonderful words of life 01:23 Let me more of their beauty see Wonderful words of life 01:29 Words of life and beauty Teach me faith and duty 01:35 Beautiful words, wonderful words 01:39 Wonderful words of life 01:42 Beautiful words, wonderful words 01:46 Wonderful words of life 01:49 Christ, The blessed One, gives to all 01:53 Wonderful words of life 01:56 Sinner, list to the loving call 01:59 Wonderful words of life 02:02 All so freely given Wooing us to heaven 02:08 Beautiful words, wonderful words 02:12 Wonderful words of life 02:16 Beautiful words, wonderful words 02:19 Wonderful words of life 02:22 Sweetly echo the gospel call Wonderful words of life 02:29 Offer pardon and peace to all Wonderful words of life 02:35 Jesus, only Savior Sanctify forever 02:42 Beautiful words, wonderful words 02:45 Wonderful words of life 02:48 Beautiful words, wonderful words 02:52 Wonderful words of life 02:56 Please join us in our theme song. 02:59 Amen, please stand. 03:14 Once to every man and nation 03:19 Comes the moment to decide 03:25 In the strife of truth with falsehood 03:30 For the good or evil side 03:35 Some great cause, God's new Messiah 03:40 Offering each the bloom or blight 03:46 And the choice goes by forever 03:51 'Twixt that darkness and that light 03:57 Then to side with truth is noble 04:02 When we share her wretched crust 04:08 Ere her cause bring fame and profit 04:13 And 'tis prosperous to be just 04:18 Then it is the brave man chooses 04:24 While the coward stands aside 04:29 Till the multitude make virtue 04:34 Of the faith they had denied 04:40 By the light of burning martyrs 04:45 Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track 04:51 Toiling up new Calvaries ever 04:56 With the cross that turns not back 05:01 New occasions teach new duties 05:07 Time makes ancient good uncouth 05:12 They must upward still and onward 05:17 Who would keep abreast of truth 05:23 Though the cause of evil prosper 05:28 Yet the truth alone is strong 05:34 Though her portion be the scaffold 05:39 And upon the throne be wrong 05:44 Yet that scaffold sways the future 05:49 And, behind the dim unknown 05:55 Standeth God within the shadow 06:00 Keeping watch above His own 06:08 Amen. 06:12 You may be seated. 06:13 Good morning GYC. 06:15 Good morning. 06:16 You can do better than that. 06:17 Good morning. 06:19 Good morning. Amen, amen. 06:20 Did you sleep well? 06:22 The few hours that you were actually in your bed, 06:25 I trust and pray that God was with you last night, 06:29 and I appreciate you being here early this morning 06:32 something that I personally appreciate about GYC 06:35 is that there is a blessing all day long 06:38 from the morning to the evening, 06:39 and you will not want to miss out 06:41 on the morning devotional and the reason why is that 06:44 we are incredibly blessed to have speaker Taj Pacleb. 06:49 Taj Pacleb is the director and speaker 06:51 for Revelation of Hope Ministries 06:54 and he and his wife Wati 06:56 have the privilege of traveling around the world 06:59 sharing the gospel. 07:00 And Taj was not born into a Christian home, 07:05 but at the age of 16, 07:07 because of a Bible prophecy seminar, 07:09 he fully gave his life to Jesus. 07:11 Amen. 07:13 And because of that decision 07:15 he has been sharing 07:17 the end time message of hope ever since then. 07:20 And I love what it says here in your booklet 07:23 about Taj Pacleb, it says, 07:25 "He and his wife's mission is to change 07:27 the population of heaven one soul at a time. 07:32 By sharing the hope, health 07:35 and harmony of heaven in all the world." 07:38 And praise God for his message. 07:40 He'll be speaking every single morning at GYC. 07:43 So this morning, Friday morning, 07:46 Sabbath morning, and Sunday morning at 7:30, 07:49 so I encourage you to invite your friends, 07:51 we know that there are more attendees than this. 07:53 Sometimes, it's hard getting their breakfast, 07:55 getting out of the room, 07:57 but I encourage you to bring your friends with you, 07:58 and I know that this will be a blessing. 08:00 So why don't we bow our heads and ask God 08:03 to be with us as we begin. 08:06 Father, 08:09 thank you, thank you, thank you 08:13 for being a God, 08:15 that is incredibly interested in lowly man. 08:21 Lord, we are but dust 08:23 and you still know the hairs on our head. 08:26 You still have incredible care and concern, 08:30 and love for each person here, 08:32 and Father, I pray that 08:33 You would pour out your Holy Spirit 08:35 on these morning devotionals. 08:37 I pray that you would speak through Taj. 08:39 And I pray that our hearts 08:41 would be open to Your working. 08:44 Lord, we give You permission to do 08:46 an awesome work here at GYC. 08:49 And this is not about the speakers, 08:51 this is not about us, this is about You. 08:53 And so we give You all the honor 08:55 and glory this morning. 08:57 We love You, 08:58 we invite Your presence to be here with us 09:01 as we continue to worship You, 09:03 and Father, would You silence the noise of our heart, 09:07 the distractions, 09:08 and we want to turn our eyes upon Jesus 09:12 in your name, amen, amen. 09:32 Time measured out my days 09:38 Life carried me along 09:44 In my soul I yearned to follow God 09:51 But knew I'd never be so strong 09:56 I looked hard at this world 10:00 To learn how heaven could be gained 10:08 Just to end where I began 10:12 Where human effort 10:15 Was all in vain 10:21 Were it not for grace 10:27 I can tell you where 10:30 I'd be Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere 10:38 With my salvation up to me 10:43 I know how that can go 10:49 The battles I would face 10:55 Forever running but losing the race 11:01 Were it not for grace 11:10 So here is all my praise 11:16 Expressed with all my heart 11:22 Offered to the Friend who took my place 11:29 And ran a course I could not start 11:34 And when He saw in full 11:38 Just how much His love would cost 11:44 He still went the final mile between me and heaven 11:51 So I would not be lost 11:57 Were it not for grace 12:03 I can tell you where I'd be 12:09 Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere 12:15 With my salvation up to me 12:20 I know how that can go 12:26 The battles I would face 12:31 Forever running but losing the race 12:37 Were it not for grace 12:44 Forever running but losing the race 12:51 Were it not for grace. 13:01 Amen. 13:02 All right. 13:04 Good morning GYC. 13:05 Good morning, 13:08 I didn't hear anyone respond. 13:10 Is it a good morning? 13:11 Good morning. 13:13 All right. 13:14 I want to just share that it's a very high honor 13:16 and a great privilege to stand before you here this morning, 13:18 and sharing in the morning devotionals. 13:20 I want to thank God first and foremost 13:22 as well as the GYC team 13:24 for orchestrating this wonderful opportunity 13:26 for us to come to press together 13:29 in preparation for our Lord Jesus' soon return. 13:31 How many are thankful to be here at GYC. 13:33 Amen. 13:35 To begin this morning, 13:36 I want to make a few comments upon this year's theme, 13:39 "Called, Chosen, and Faithful." 13:42 These solemn words come from a very powerful prophecy 13:46 in the Book of Revelation 17. 13:48 A prophecy pointing to a time 13:50 when the nations of the world are going to come together, 13:54 not in a one-world government 13:55 or some type of new world order, 13:58 but ecumenical unity were differences are going to be 14:01 put aside for the common good of all. 14:04 It's a time when the nations will come together in one mind 14:07 the Bible says, one goal, one intent, 14:10 one resolve, one agenda 14:13 and they're going to come together in unity and unity 14:16 sounds good in a world that is fragmented 14:18 and divided and torn apart. 14:20 But the Bible tells us in this solemn prophecy 14:23 in the 17th of Revelation 14:24 that the inevitable results of this unity 14:27 is that they're going to look upon the beast 14:30 and they're going to give their power 14:31 and strength to the beast, and it says, 14:33 that they're going to make war with the Lamb. 14:36 And as the world is coming together in unity 14:39 to fight against God and the truth of God 14:42 and ultimately the people of God. 14:45 The Bible tells us that 14:46 in this controversy the Lamb wins. 14:49 Amen. 14:50 And they that are with him are called, 14:54 Chosen and Faithful. 14:56 I'm so thankful, friends, 14:58 that in this war between good and evil. 15:00 And as the world is coming together today, 15:02 to fight against God and the truth of God, 15:05 that we are on the winning team 15:07 when we're on the Lamb's team, amen. 15:09 That we don't have to be afraid of the beast, 15:11 as long as we are connected 15:14 with the wonderful Lamb, Jesus Christ. 15:18 And so this morning and the other, 15:21 in the following mornings 15:23 for our morning devotional time. 15:25 I want to share with you some messages 15:26 that have been crafted to remind us 15:29 that we don't have to be afraid of 15:30 what's happening in the last days. 15:32 We just have to be with Jesus. 15:34 We want to share some messages to remind us 15:38 of what it means to be, Called, Chosen and Faithful. 15:43 I want to share with you two messages really, 15:45 broke it up into four parts, that deal with that theme 15:48 and so this morning's presentation is entitled, 15:51 "Called, Chosen, But Unfaithful." 15:56 Called, Chosen, But Unfaithful. 15:58 I invite you to take your Bible 16:00 and open with me to the Book of Matthew. 16:02 And we're going to go to the 12 chapter 16:03 as we begin our Bible study this morning. 16:06 Matthew Chapter 12, 16:08 as we study, Called, Chosen, But Unfaithful. 16:13 Matthew Chapter 12, 16:15 and notice in this passage the scribes and Pharisees 16:18 and religious leaders of that during the days of Christ 16:22 presents a very vain and immodest requests 16:25 to the Lord Jesus. 16:27 Notice what it says here in Matthew Chapter 12, 16:30 beginning with verse 38. 16:32 But let us pray first. 16:34 Father in heaven, we thank You so much Lord, 16:36 for gathering us together as Your children in this place 16:40 that we might press together, 16:42 that we might draw closer to You, 16:45 and Lord, we just pray that your Holy Spirit 16:47 would fill this room, fill our hearts. 16:50 Give us clarity of thought 16:52 and an open heart to receive the message of this hour, 16:56 speak to us Lord, 16:57 not only corporately as a church, 17:00 but personally and individually as Your child. 17:04 This is our prayer in Jesus' name, amen. 17:08 Matthew 12:38, 17:11 if you are there and if you are ready to study 17:12 the Bible this morning, 17:14 would you let me know by saying amen. 17:15 Amen. 17:17 The Bible says in Matthew 12:38, 17:18 "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, 17:21 "Teacher we would see a..." 17:24 ' What did they want? 17:26 "A sign from thee." 17:28 Here the Pharisees and scribes are asking Jesus 17:31 to perform some type of sign to prove His Messiahship. 17:36 Now we have to understand that these seekers were skeptical, 17:40 but they had no reason to be skeptical 17:42 because they had abundant evidence in the Word 17:45 of the character mission and identity of the Messiah. 17:49 These were the guardians of the Torah. 17:51 The expositors of the second writings. 17:54 These were the facilitators of the temple services 17:56 the shepherds of the flock of God, 17:58 the priests of the Most High. 18:00 These who have been entrusted with much light 18:03 must much knowledge are asking Jesus to perform 18:06 some type of silly sign, 18:08 some miracle to prove himself to them. 18:12 But Jesus response to this presumptuous prayer request 18:15 in verse 39, "And He answered and said to them, 18:18 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, 18:22 and there shall no sign be given unto it." 18:26 Christ here refuses to satisfy the sight of their eyes. 18:31 He would not perform some type of miracle, 18:33 some silly sign to prove His Messiahship. 18:36 Why? 18:37 Because these religious leaders as I mentioned 18:40 already had sufficient evidence 18:42 that He was the Messiah in the prophetic word. 18:46 And therein, 18:47 in the Bible the scrolls of the prophets 18:49 was the character and identity of the Messiah reviewed. 18:53 But these religious leaders are like many religious leaders 18:56 and religious people today, 18:58 they instead of going by what the Bible clearly teaches, 19:00 they wanted to be satisfied with their eyes. 19:03 They want some type of outward demonstration, 19:06 some type of burning in the boot, bosom. 19:09 But Christ refused to do it, friends, 19:10 because our faith is not to be founded upon some sign 19:14 or wonder or miracle but upon the Word of God. 19:18 This is the foundation of faith. 19:21 Bible tells us, 19:22 "We walk by faith and not by sight 19:24 and faith comes by hearing 19:25 and hearing by the Word of God." 19:28 And so Christ refused to perform the miracle. 19:31 He performed many miracles 19:33 but He never performed the miracle to prove Himself. 19:38 Because miracles are not the evidence of true faith. 19:41 God wants us to live by the word. 19:44 However, there is one sign that Jesus would perform 19:49 that would unmistakably verify His identity. 19:54 Verify the fact that He is the Messiah, 19:57 and notice what this sign is in verse 39. 20:01 He continues the rest of verse 39, 20:03 "He said but the sign of the Prophet Jonas" 20:06 verse 40. 20:07 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights 20:09 in the whale's belly, 20:11 so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights 20:13 in the heart of the earth. 20:14 Then the men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment 20:16 with this generation and shall condemn it, 20:19 because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, 20:22 and behold a greater than Jonas is here." 20:26 So here we find Jesus telling the Pharisees 20:29 that there is one sign that He would perform 20:32 that would verify His Messiahship. 20:35 And that was the sign of the Prophet Jonah. 20:38 In other words, Jonah or Jesus is likening 20:40 the experience of Jonah to that of himself, 20:43 as Jonah was three days and three nights 20:46 in the whale's belly. 20:47 So He would be three days and three nights 20:49 not in the grave but in the heart of the earth. 20:54 This my friends, 20:56 this singular sign is the sign 20:59 that Jesus gave to prove his Messiahship 21:02 and we're going to see today as well as tomorrow, 21:05 that it's the same sign 21:07 that proves our discipleship to Jesus. 21:12 It proves His Messiahship 21:14 but it also proves our discipleship. 21:17 We're going to see that this sign is the evidence 21:20 that we have been called and chosen. 21:23 But it's also the power 21:25 that enables us to be faithful in the last days, 21:29 and so the question is this. 21:30 What of Jonah teaches us about Christ? 21:34 And what of Jonah teaches us about ourselves? 21:38 Well now I invite you to take your Bible 21:40 and turn to the Book of Jonah. 21:42 As we look at this very famous story 21:47 and see some things that perhaps 21:48 you've never seen before. 21:50 Notice what the Bible says, 21:51 we're going to the Book of Jonah Chapter 1. 21:54 And as you're turning there, 21:55 first of all who was Jonah? 21:57 He was a prophet of God. 21:59 He was the runaway prophet of the Lord, 22:01 but nonetheless he was one that God had called 22:04 and chosen to do a special work. 22:06 Jonah is a worshipper of the true God. 22:09 He did not worship idols. 22:11 He was the worshipper of Jehovah the true God, 22:13 but the question is, 22:15 what constitutes a true worshipper of God. 22:18 Well, Jesus told us in the Book of John Chapter 4, 22:22 "That the true worshippers 22:23 worship God in spirit and truth." 22:28 Not just in spirit, not just in truth 22:30 but both of these two things together 22:32 constitute a true worshipper of God. 22:37 This is who Jonah is, 22:39 for notice in his very name we find his identity 22:44 and by extension his mission and his message. 22:47 Notice Jonah Chapter 1:1, the Bible says, 22:50 "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of..." 22:54 What is his daddy's name? 22:56 "Amittai." 22:57 Now I want you to stop right there. 22:59 That word Jonah in the original, 23:01 it means dove. 23:04 That's what the word Jonah means, 23:06 it means dove. 23:08 Now what is the dove a symbol of in the Bible? 23:11 It's a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God. 23:15 And the Bible tells us 23:16 that Jonah's father's name was Amittai, 23:18 and that word Amittai 23:20 in the original Hebrew it means, 23:22 ''My truth''. 23:24 What does it mean everyone? 23:26 My truth and so when you look at the very name of Jonah 23:29 which means dove, a symbol of the spirit, 23:31 the son of Amittai, my truth, 23:33 we see that in Jonah's very name 23:36 we find his identity. 23:38 He is a son of truth 23:39 that is to be feared with the spirit, 23:41 a true worshipper that worships God 23:43 in spirit and in truth. 23:45 At least this is what he was called 23:50 and chosen to be. 23:53 In other words, his identity is found in his very name, 23:57 which by extension points out his mission 24:00 and defines his message. 24:02 In other words, Jonah's message is rooted, 24:04 friends, listen, listen to the point. 24:06 Jonah's message is rooted in his name or his identity. 24:12 He is to be a messenger of spirit and truth 24:16 and that's the same for us. 24:18 Now what specifically is Jonah's message? 24:20 Well, let's jump down to verse 9 24:22 Jonah Chapter 1. 24:24 And notice what Jonah said in verse 9. 24:27 This is when he was on the boat speaking to the mariners 24:30 and he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, 24:35 and I do, what everyone, 24:38 fear the Lord, the God of heaven, 24:41 who, did what, made the sea and the dry land." 24:46 So notice what Jonah says here is his message. 24:49 "I am a Hebrew," this is who I am. 24:51 This is my identity and by extension of who I am, 24:55 I fear God the one that made the sea 24:59 and the dry lands, 25:00 the true creator that made all things. 25:03 I fear God the one that made all things. 25:05 And by the way when Jonah went to Nineveh, 25:07 he gave a message of judgment, did he not? 25:10 Basically when he came to the kingdom of Nineveh, 25:14 Jonah's message was that 25:16 the hour of God's judgment is come. 25:20 And so when you put that all together, 25:22 that sounds very familiar, doesn't it? 25:24 I fear God, the one that made all things 25:26 and I'm here to tell you 25:28 that the hour of His judgment is come. 25:29 Friends, this is exactly 25:31 what the first angel declares 25:33 in Revelation 14:7. 25:35 The point is this, friends, 25:37 Jonah's message is very similar to ours, 25:40 our message and our identity is the same as that of Jonah. 25:45 God is calling us, friends, 25:46 not only to be recipients of the message 25:49 but He's calling us to be participants of the mission. 25:53 We're not always to be on the receiving end. 25:55 God wants us 25:57 and He's calling us to be on the giving end. 25:58 And so if you receive the gospel, 26:00 if you've heard the truth, 26:02 if you have been a recipient, 26:03 automatically that enrolls you to be a participant 26:07 because Christianity is not a spectator sport. 26:11 God is calling us to receive so that we can give, 26:15 and so the word came to Jonah first, 26:17 he received this commission. 26:19 And I want you notice what God called Jonah to do? 26:24 Verse 2, notice what it says. 26:27 What is the first word that the Word of God said Jonah 26:30 or called Jonah to do? 26:32 What is that first word in verse 2? 26:33 It says, "Arise". 26:36 Now, friends, I like that word Arise. 26:38 It's a word that calls us to come up higher. 26:42 You see when the word of God comes to us, 26:44 God's word is an uplifting word. 26:47 Man's word brings us down but God's word brings us up. 26:51 Whenever the word of God comes to us, 26:53 it's always a call to come up on higher ground. 26:56 It's a call out of the darkness of deception 26:59 and into the light of truth. 27:00 God's word and call to us is a call 27:03 to come up out of the valley of despair 27:05 to stand upon the mountain of hope. 27:07 It's a call to come out of the raging waves of worry 27:10 and on to the peaceful shore of calm assurance. 27:13 It's a word that calls us out of the bondage of bitterness 27:17 and into the freedom of forgiveness 27:19 out of the slavery of sin 27:21 and into the security of full salvation. 27:24 And so my brothers and my sisters, 27:25 today if you find yourself discouraged 27:28 by your depressing circumstances, 27:30 the Word of God calls you to arise. 27:34 Arise and be encouraged 27:36 but the reality that God is still the sovereign King, 27:40 sitting up on the throne of the universe 27:42 and come what may, He is still in control. 27:45 Arise, realizing that God can make a way 27:49 when there seems to be no way, 27:51 for he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 27:54 He can open the Red Sea like He did for Moses 27:58 and provide a plain path before your feet 28:00 or He will give you the power 28:02 to walk on water like Peter did as a rider of the storm, 28:06 and so I call you in the name of Jesus today to arise, 28:10 arise out of your discouragement. 28:13 If you feel yourself ridden with guilt and shame 28:15 because of the mistakes of your past, 28:17 God's word says to arise. 28:19 Arise and receive the blessed assurance 28:22 of the pardon and forgiveness 28:23 that is so freely offered to us in Christ. 28:27 Bible tells us that we can come to Jesus 28:30 just as we are broken, 28:33 filled with issues, messed up. 28:37 God's love accepts us just as we are, 28:41 but He loves us enough not to leave us as we are, 28:43 amen. 28:45 Stop allowing the devil to rub your past in your face, 28:48 arise and washed in the fountain 28:50 filled with blood flowing from Immanuel's veins, 28:53 because the blood of Jesus is the best detergent 28:56 to cleanse every stain of sin upon the garment of your life. 29:00 And so today, 29:01 if you're ridden with guilt and shame, arise. 29:05 If you find yourself enslaved by the power 29:06 of your own sinful flesh, 29:09 perhaps it's the paralyzing 29:11 addictions of drugs and alcohol. 29:14 Maybe it's the consuming fire of lust, 29:17 pornography, adultery, 29:20 fornication or for others 29:21 it could be the chains of materialism 29:23 in the form of gambling, wasteful spending 29:26 or selfish hoarding that holds you as a slave 29:29 in the bondage to your stuff. 29:32 Maybe it's the captivating lights 29:36 and screens of the entertainment of the world. 29:41 The computer screen or the TV screen 29:43 or your phone screen in the church. 29:45 Hollywood entertainment and social media 29:48 and worldly music all the sound bites 29:50 and the flashing lights, 29:51 whatever the sin, friends, big or small, 29:53 our sovereign God sees it all, 29:56 and today His word is calling us to arise. 29:59 Arise and recognize that Jesus' blood 30:02 not only pardons our path, past but it gives us power 30:05 to live a new life of victorious life 30:08 in the present. 30:09 Arise, stop eating the pig's food. 30:13 why will you live like beggars when your father is rich? 30:16 Arise like the prodigal son did 30:18 and go back to the father's home. 30:20 Arise and come back 30:22 because you've been gone for too long, 30:23 your father misses you. 30:25 His heart weeps for you, 30:27 and heaven is not going to be the same 30:29 if you're not there. 30:31 Arise, and let the father cover your wretchedness 30:35 with his perfect righteousness. 30:37 That's what God's word calls Jonah to do. 30:40 And, friends, when we do that, 30:42 we will see that the chains of bondage 30:44 will fall off from our hands 30:46 as we raise them up into surrender 30:49 to our great God of heaven. 30:50 For he, my friends, is the great chain breaker, 30:53 he is the burden lifter, the undefeated emancipator, 30:57 our faithful father, and so in the name of Jesus, 31:00 I call you today to arise. 31:04 That's what God called Jonah to do. 31:07 It was a call out of idleness and into action. 31:11 It was a call to not be afraid or ashamed of his name, 31:15 his identity, his mission and message. 31:17 It was a call to stand up and to stand out 31:20 and not be afraid to speak up 31:22 and speak out for the cause of Christ. 31:24 And so arise, arise and do what? 31:28 Notice, what is the very second word 31:31 God says to Jonah? 31:32 Arise and then the second word is what, 31:35 "Go". 31:37 Arise and then go. 31:41 Why, friends, because where you are now is not 31:43 where you ought to be, so you have to go. 31:45 Go why, because you've been 31:47 spiritually stagnant for too long 31:49 and if you want to grow, you've got to go. 31:52 Go why because God says, 31:54 I know the thoughts that I think towards you, 31:56 thoughts of peace and not of evil, 31:58 to give you a future and a hope. 31:59 But you won't know unless you go. 32:03 Go why, because there is someone 32:05 that's waiting for your arrival. 32:07 Someone that needs to see the things 32:08 that your eyes have seen. 32:10 Someone that needs to hear the words 32:12 that your ears have heard. 32:14 Someone out there in the world 32:16 that must know the things that you know 32:18 and they won't know unless you go. 32:21 Go and share the message with others. 32:25 That's the same word Jesus said to the disciples, 32:27 isn't that right? 32:28 In that great commission the Lord said, 32:30 "Go to all nations and preach all things." 32:35 You see, friends, human nature is such 32:37 that we are so quick to spread bad news 32:42 and so slow to share good news, 32:44 isn't that right? 32:46 The gospel, that God is calling us to go 32:48 and give His good news, but why is it, friends, 32:51 that we are so hesitant to witness 32:53 and share the gospel. 32:55 You see many books have been written. 32:57 Many sermons have been preached. 32:59 Many seminars have been conducted 33:01 to teach people how to share their faith. 33:05 And yet despite all the books that have been written 33:07 and all the sermons that have been preached, 33:09 there is still a lack of laborers 33:13 to reap the great harvests 33:15 that's all around us. 33:16 And, friends, 33:17 I want to submit to us this morning, 33:19 that what we need is not so much 33:20 more opportunities to be trained. 33:23 What we really needed 33:24 and what we really lack is a personal encounter 33:28 and experience with the divine trainer. 33:32 There's lots of training available to us, 33:35 but what we lack is not training, 33:36 what we lack is an experience. 33:38 You see, my friends, 33:39 when you experience something good, 33:41 it's not hard to share with someone else. 33:44 If you tasted a good food, 33:46 it's not difficult to convince someone else to try it out. 33:52 The expression on your countenance 33:54 and the enthusiasm in your voice is enough 33:57 to convince someone else 33:59 that what you have is good 34:01 and they ought to try it for themselves. 34:03 I'll never forget, one Sabbath morning, 34:06 I was getting ready to preach. 34:09 And that morning I was going to share a message 34:11 on the importance of witnessing 34:13 and sharing our faith. 34:15 And with the mental preparation, 34:16 I also needed the physical preparation of breakfast. 34:20 And that morning or few days before that 34:22 some wonderful church member 34:25 gave my wife and I a bag of mangos. 34:28 And that's what I had for breakfast. 34:30 I must have eaten four or five mangoes 34:33 that morning. 34:34 And it was wonderful. 34:36 How many of you like mangos? 34:38 If you don't like mangoes, 34:40 it's probably because you've never tasted 34:41 a Hawaiian mango. 34:44 Our mangoes in Hawaii are so good. 34:47 And I remember I was eating these mangoes, 34:49 mango after mango 34:50 and I was hunched over the sink, 34:53 just devouring these mangos. 34:55 The juice was flowing down my hands and arms 34:58 and all the fiber was getting stuck in my teeth, 35:00 but I didn't care. 35:01 It was a happy Sabbath that morning, 35:03 let me tell you. 35:04 And as I'm eating these mangoes 35:06 and preparing in my mind to preach that morning, 35:08 I'm asking God, 35:10 Lord, what can I do 35:11 to help others to see how sweet You are. 35:14 Lord, what can I share this morning in church 35:16 that will encourage someone 35:18 to share their faith with their neighbors. 35:21 And then I started thinking about the mango 35:22 that was in my hand, and how sweet and juicy, 35:25 and wonderful that mango was. 35:27 It was filling, it was satisfying, 35:30 and God impressed me just tell the people 35:32 to taste and see that the Lord is good. 35:37 Taste and see for yourself. 35:40 You see, friends, when we taste 35:44 and see for ourselves 35:46 and people see us tasting, 35:49 then they're going to want to taste it 35:50 for themselves as well. 35:52 And so I started thinking about that mango 35:54 and I thought about the word mango 35:56 and in the word mango are two words. 36:02 Man-go, 36:08 that's the great commission friends. 36:11 Man-go that's what God called Jonah to do. 36:15 You see, friends, here's the point. 36:17 It's not hard to fulfill the great commission 36:20 when we have experienced the sweetness 36:22 of the great commissioner. 36:25 Training is helpful, but remember 36:29 that which is your greatest qualification to go 36:32 is your experience with God. 36:35 When you have an experience with the divine mango, 36:40 then it becomes easy to invite others 36:44 to taste and see, amen. 36:47 I hope and pray you never look at a mango 36:48 the same way ever again. 36:51 I love what Ellen White said in the book, 36:54 in the Review and Herald, 36:56 I want you to notice as we read this quotation. 36:59 "Do you think that it is those men only 37:01 who have been ordained as gospel ministers 37:05 that are to work for the uplifting of humanity?" 37:07 Here's her answer, "No, no! 37:11 she says it twice. 37:13 Everyone who names the name of Christ is expected by God 37:18 to engage in this work." 37:20 How many people, friends? 37:21 Everyone. 37:23 "The hands of ordination 37:25 may not have been laid upon you, 37:28 but you are none the less God's messengers. 37:33 If you have, what is the next word, 37:36 tasted that the Lord is gracious, 37:38 if you know his saving power, 37:41 you can no more keep from telling this to someone else 37:45 than you can keep the wind from blowing." 37:49 The point is this, friends. 37:51 When we have tasted and then seen for ourselves, 37:54 when we have an experience, 37:56 training is helpful but it's not really 37:58 the most important thing. 37:59 What we really need is an experience. 38:02 When the wind of the Holy Spirit blows, 38:04 the fire of evangelism is going to grow. 38:08 I'll never forget when I first came to the Lord, 38:11 I was 16 years old. 38:13 And time would not permit me to share my whole testimony. 38:17 But let me give you the short version. 38:19 As a 16 year old, 38:21 I was not raised up in the church 38:22 or any church. 38:23 Growing up, I had no idea what was God or who was God, 38:26 totally ignorant of spiritual things. 38:28 And as a result of not having a strong spiritual foundation, 38:31 I made a lot of mistakes, that was me, I was a druggie. 38:35 Burning up my brain cells, chasing the world, 38:37 not caring about anyone but myself. 38:40 And in this lost condition, 38:43 God send someone to my door. 38:46 Another young person who was 16, 17 years old, 38:51 and these two individuals knocked on my door 38:53 and they invited me to a Bible prophecy seminar. 38:57 Have ever heard of something like that before? 39:00 And I went to those meetings for the first time in my life, 39:06 I learned about Jesus. 39:08 In the context of His prophetic word 39:12 in the Three Angels' Messages. 39:14 And as these wonderful truths were being presented, 39:17 Jesus was magnified 39:18 and the Lord in those meetings rescued me 39:21 from the terrible life of drugs and emptiness. 39:23 He set me free from that love lifestyle 39:26 in one prayer and he sent me a blaze. 39:29 He turned me on fire for Him, I knew Him, 39:32 and as a result my greatest desire 39:35 was to make Him known to others. 39:37 To know Christ and to make Christ know 39:41 'cause what God is calling us to be and do. 39:45 And so what happened was this, I was 16 years old, 39:47 and I went back to my old public high school. 39:50 The place where people used to know me as a chronic, 39:53 as a stony boy, as a pothead, 39:55 I went back to that public high school 39:57 and I just let the light shine. 40:00 I would pass out Steps to Christ 40:01 all over campus in this public high school. 40:04 I would go back to my friends 40:05 who I used to do drugs with them, 40:07 I witness to them 40:08 and they would try to tempt me and say, 40:09 "Oh, you want to get high, don't you?" 40:11 I would say, "No, thanks, I found a better high, 40:12 a spiritual high, 40:14 you got to taste it for yourself." 40:15 I would preach in English class 40:17 and I'll be sharing my faith and the security guards, 40:19 whenever they saw me talking to someone during class, 40:22 they left us alone. 40:23 They didn't tell us to go to class 40:25 because they knew that I was encouraging 40:27 and giving counsel to other students. 40:30 And I held Bible studies every lunch period, 40:33 every single day. 40:34 And I would invite the whole school to come. 40:36 I was 16 years old, 40:38 I was the only one in that school 40:40 that I knew of that was interested in these things, 40:43 and I would invite all my friends 40:44 and many people, 40:46 multitudes would come to this Bible Study, 40:48 students as well as teachers would come. 40:53 I love what John Wesley said, 40:55 "Catch on fire and people will come from miles 40:57 to see you burn." 41:00 And so people are coming to these Bible studies 41:02 and they saw the fire in my life 41:04 and because of that they were open 41:07 to hear proclaimed on my lips. 41:09 Now you have to understand, friends, 41:11 that I was not trained to give Bible studies. 41:13 I've never gone to some type of 41:15 Bible training seminar at that point. 41:16 I was 16 years old, 41:18 just recently converted and baptized, 41:20 and I was the least likely candidate to preach. 41:23 I was slow at speech and introverted and very shy. 41:26 My vocabulary was very limited, 41:28 but nonetheless there was a fire in my heart 41:31 and I just had to share it with others, 41:33 and so every lunch period, 41:34 I would just open my Bible and open my mouth 41:37 and the Word of God would speak, 41:38 and as result of those Bible studies, 41:41 six of my friends and their family members 41:43 were baptized, accepted Christ 41:46 as well as the great truths that we believe, amen. 41:49 It was wonderful. 41:50 Now, friends, I share that simply to say this, 41:53 I'm just a beggar trying to share some bread. 41:56 Nothing special with me, 41:58 nothing that I have to boast about 42:00 except the mercy of God in my life. 42:02 I share that simply to encourage you 42:04 that if God can use someone like me. 42:07 Surely, He can use any one of us, amen. 42:12 So arise and go. 42:15 Training is helpful 42:17 but the most important thing 42:18 that we need is an experience with a divine trainer, 42:21 so come and taste for yourself, 42:23 then go and share with others. 42:25 You are called to come. You are chosen to go. 42:28 Man go, but go where God? 42:30 Notice verse 2, "Arise go to what? 42:35 Nineveh, that great city and cry against it 42:39 for their wickedness is come up before me, 42:41 so notice God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. 42:44 And Nineveh was a great city, 42:45 and Jonah was to give a loud cry message to Nineveh. 42:50 Does that sound familiar? 42:52 In Revelation 14:8 and 18:4, we find the same thing. 42:56 Another great city called Babylon, 42:58 a wicked city that God is calling us 43:01 to give a loud cry message to, 43:03 so friends, Nineveh and Babylon are a type. 43:07 Nineveh is a type of Babylon. 43:09 Babylon is a reflection of Nineveh. 43:11 Nimrod was the same founder of Nineveh and Babylon. 43:15 And in the Bible, 43:16 both Nineveh and Babylon are symbolized 43:19 by the same animal that of a lion. 43:23 The point is this. 43:24 Jonah's mission was to give a message of spirit in truth, 43:29 a loud cried message to Nineveh. 43:31 And that's the same mission that God has given to us, 43:34 so arise and go and give the loud cry. 43:37 My friends, let's never be ashamed of our name, 43:40 our identity, our mission and our message. 43:43 Jonah had a God given name that stood for something 43:46 and so God has given us a name. 43:48 Notice what it says in the book, 43:50 The Faith I Live By, page 304, 43:52 "We are Seventh-day Adventists. 43:54 Are we have shamed of our name? 43:56 We answer, No, no! 44:00 We are not. 44:01 It is the name the Lord has given us. 44:04 It points out the truth 44:05 that is to be the test of the churches. 44:07 The name Seventh-day Adventists 44:09 carries the true features of our faith in front, 44:12 it will convict the inquiring mind. 44:15 Like an arrow from the Lord's quiver, 44:16 it will wound the transgressors of God's law, 44:19 and it will lead to repentance toward God 44:20 and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." 44:23 Jonah had a name that stood for something. 44:26 God has given us a name that stands for something as well. 44:29 Let's never be ashamed of our name or our identity. 44:33 For our name, friends, 44:34 points to the great truth of the great God 44:37 that made all things in six literal days 44:39 and rested on the seventh day of the week to remind us 44:42 that He is the true God, the true creator, 44:45 that we are made in His image 44:46 and He has a plan and purpose for our life. 44:48 Seventh-day reminds us of the God of creation 44:51 and the word Adventist reminds us of that same God 44:54 that made all things who is coming back. 44:56 He's returning to restore all things. 44:59 The name Seventh-day Adventist 45:01 points to the Alpha and the Omega, 45:03 the beginning and the end, and everything in between 45:06 and encompasses the entire gospel message, 45:09 the everlasting gospel from beginning to end. 45:13 The Lord of creation, and the Lord of restoration. 45:18 It glorifies the one that made all things 45:20 and is soon to return to restore all things, 45:23 not only that but our name 45:24 points to the great truth of righteousness by faith, 45:27 for the Sabbath, friends, listen carefully. 45:29 The Seventh-day Sabbath rightly understood highlights 45:33 the fact that we cannot save ourselves by our own works. 45:37 It invites us to rest 45:39 in the completed work of Christ at the cross 45:42 and the continued work of Christ for us 45:44 in the most holy place, 45:46 that's what our name means. 45:48 And so, friends, don't let anyone 45:50 tell you that your name is not important. 45:52 Don't let anyone ever tell you that 45:53 the distinctive doctrines that we hold don't really matter, 45:57 for everything that God has revealed 45:58 from Genesis to Revelation is significant 46:01 and important and relevant. 46:03 Jesus said, concerning the scriptures. 46:04 "These are they which testify of me." 46:07 And the testimony of Jesus is revealed 46:09 in the Spirit of Prophecy 46:11 and that's not just one prophet in the last days, 46:13 but it's God speaking through every single prophet 46:16 from the beginning, all the way to the end. 46:18 And so, friends, let us arise and let us go 46:20 and give our whole message to the world, 46:23 a message founded upon the word, 46:25 focused in Christ, framed in prophecy 46:28 and filled with the spirit. 46:30 Let us go. 46:32 Beware of one-sided preaching that throws us off balance, 46:36 and let us not have anything to do 46:38 with this ecumenical unity, 46:40 this counterfeit unity that is sweeping 46:42 across the world today, 46:43 a unity that sacrifices the truth 46:46 for the sake of the spirit. 46:47 The Bible says, 46:48 "That we are to have no fellowship 46:51 with the unfruitful works of darkness 46:53 but rather expose them." 46:55 And why not because, friends, God, 46:57 like Jonah has given us a name that points to our identity. 47:02 And our identity that defines our mission 47:05 and a mission that reveals our message 47:07 and so when we watered down or change our message, 47:10 it results in an identity crisis. 47:12 So let's not forget our identity. 47:15 Let's not neglect our mission. 47:16 Let us arise and let us go 47:18 and let us live up to the God given name 47:21 that He's placed upon us, amen. 47:23 That's what God called Jonah to do. 47:26 God called Jonah. 47:28 He chose Jonah, 47:30 he was called chosen but unfortunately, 47:34 he was unfaithful. 47:36 Called, chosen but unfaithful 47:39 because notice what happens next, verse 3. 47:42 What did Jonah do? 47:43 But Jonah arose to flee to where, 47:47 Tarshish from the presence of the Lord 47:50 and he went down to Joplin found a ship going to Tarshish. 47:53 He paid the fare there of them went down into it 47:55 to go with them to Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord. 47:58 So notice, friends, Jonah turns from God's mission. 48:02 He rose up simply to go down in disobedience 48:05 and he's fleeing to Tarshish, 48:07 a land of luxury to quiet his conscience. 48:09 You see, friends, 48:11 Tarshish was a port city located 48:13 on the southern coast of Spain 48:14 and this city in the Bible was known for their wealth, 48:17 known for their gold in fact. 48:19 And if you were to do a word study 48:21 on the word Tarshish in the Bible 48:23 you would know that Tarshish was a proverb. 48:26 It was a symbol of a place of ease, 48:29 a place of wealth, a place of comfort, 48:31 and a place of luxury, 48:33 and this is where Jonah is going to 48:35 in order to avoid his mission. 48:37 Instead of doing that which was right, 48:40 he was seeking to do that which was comfortable. 48:43 Because in this crowded city, 48:45 he was trying to silence the voice of risen. 48:48 He was trying to escape his duty 48:50 instead of doing that which was right, 48:52 he was seeking to do that which was easy. 48:54 And which direction did he go 48:55 instead of arising and going up, 48:57 the Bible says that "He went down, 48:59 down, down to Joppa. 49:02 That word Joppa in the Bible means beautiful. 49:05 He's seeking for a place of ease 49:07 and luxury and beauty, 49:08 and even though he's seeking for beauty, 49:10 things are about to get ugly for Jonah. 49:13 Why was Jonah so hesitant in going to Nineveh? 49:17 There are two main reasons. 49:19 Number one, Nineveh was way out of his comfort zone. 49:22 You see Jonah like the rest of the Jews, 49:25 looked upon other nations as unclean. 49:28 Fit only for destruction. 49:29 Jonah was far more comfortable 49:32 preaching and being with his own people. 49:34 He had experience a lot of success preaching to Israel. 49:38 But now, God is calling him to Nineveh. 49:40 It was way out of his comfort zone, 49:42 and Jonah was not willing to do it. 49:44 The second reason why Jonah was so hesitant to go to Nineveh 49:46 is because Jonah had a reputation to preserve. 49:50 He knew that if he went to Nineveh 49:52 and said that it was going to be destroyed. 49:55 And if they repented and God spared the city, 49:57 then Jonah would have been looked upon 49:59 as an alarmist, an extremist, a false prophet. 50:03 He would have been labeled as such, 50:04 and so Jonah did not want to risk 50:07 this taint in his reputation. 50:08 Two reasons, it was out of his comfort zone 50:11 and because he did not want to taint his reputation. 50:16 Friends, Jonah is so many times like a lot of us. 50:20 We who are too concerned 50:22 or more concerned with our own comfort 50:24 instead of God's commission we live many times to guard, 50:28 guard our own reputation 50:30 instead of seeking to glorify God. 50:32 We prioritize that which will bring us 50:34 recognition and success, 50:36 while the mission is neglected. 50:37 We're willing to do something for God 50:39 as long as it doesn't inconvenience 50:41 our nice easy comfortable lives. 50:45 Lord have mercy. 50:46 One day, Jesus called a man to follow him 50:50 and he said, "Lord, let me first go 50:53 and bury my father," 50:55 now that sounds like a reasonable request, 50:57 but the problem was that 50:58 this man's father was not dead yet. 51:01 What he was basically, saying to Jesus 51:04 wait until my father's dead. 51:06 And I don't have this responsibility. 51:09 Then I'll have more time to follow you. 51:12 That's what he was saying. 51:14 Many people are essentially saying the same thing. 51:16 They're saying to God wait until I'm finished 51:18 with this project, then I'll follow you. 51:20 After I graduate from college, after I establish my business. 51:24 Let me first settle down and get married, 51:26 there are other things 51:27 that are more of a priority at this time 51:29 and when things are more convenient, 51:31 then I will follow you. There are people 51:33 who are saying to God, 51:34 "Lord, I will go if I can go to Israel. 51:39 If I can go to Tarshish, 51:41 but if you want me to go to Nineveh, 51:43 you gonna have to wait until I'm old 51:44 and I can't do anything else." 51:46 Many people are want are giving 51:48 the leftover of their lives to God 51:51 and making God a retirement plan. 51:53 For young people, why not give 51:54 the best years of your life to the Lord, amen. 51:56 Jesus gave his best for us, 51:58 let's give the best years of our life to him. 52:01 You see, friends, in this journey called life, 52:03 God does not want us to make him the spare wheel 52:08 that we resort to when we're in trouble. 52:11 God is not to be the spare wheel 52:13 he's to be the steering wheel 52:15 that steers the direction of your life. 52:17 God knows what's best and when we put him first, 52:20 he will never lead us astray, amen. 52:23 Jesus responded to this man. 52:25 And He said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead 52:28 but you go and preach the kingdom of God." 52:32 What Christ was saying is this, 52:34 "Don't put off for tomorrow, 52:35 what I'm calling you to do today. 52:37 Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. 52:42 Let those who care not for eternal realities 52:44 deal with the temporal things of life. 52:46 Let those who do not know the truth, 52:48 deal with earthly affairs." 52:50 Why? 52:51 Because you my child are called to a much higher 52:53 and holier work than caring for the dead. 52:56 You are called to live for something more 52:57 than just flipping burgers and growing produce. 53:00 You are called to live for something more 53:01 than building houses and fixing cars 53:03 and counting money and teaching math 53:05 and pulling teeth and filling cavities 53:07 and prescribing drugs and performing surgeries 53:09 and singing songs and preaching sermons. 53:12 Surely God can use us 53:14 in all of these different contexts and capacities. 53:17 But remember that these things are not an end in themselves. 53:22 This is just a temporal means to an eternal end, 53:25 it is the means of connecting with people 53:27 and all those, all of those different contexts 53:30 so that we can connect them to Christ. 53:32 It is a making, it's making a living 53:33 so that we can show people how to live. 53:36 It's making money so that 53:37 we can move forward the mission. 53:39 I heard it once said that your job is what you're paid for 53:42 but your calling is what you're made for. 53:44 Don't allow your job or your career to be, 53:48 to be an excuse for neglecting your calling. 53:50 But let God use your job and career 53:54 to fulfill your calling. 53:56 Amen. 53:58 You don't need a title or a position to work for God. 54:02 Just do the duty that lies nears, 54:04 be faithful in the little things. 54:06 And though no earthly hand is laid upon you, 54:09 make sure that your life is in the hands of God. 54:12 Amen. 54:14 So Chapter 1 talks about the fact that 54:17 Jonah was called and chosen, 54:20 he had a name which reflected his mission 54:22 and his message. 54:24 But instead of being faithful, he went to Tarshish. 54:29 He was hiding and running from his calling. 54:32 He was unfaithful. 54:34 God sent the storm 54:36 but the storm did not wake Jonah up. 54:39 And so God provided a fish for Jonah, 54:42 not for him to eat but a fish to eat him. 54:47 And tomorrow morning we're going to continue 54:49 our study in Chapter 2 to see that 54:51 what Jonah experience in the belly of the fish 54:54 is the same thing that we need to experience 54:57 in order for us to be called and chosen and faithful. 55:02 And so today as we close, 55:04 are you running from your mission like Jonah was? 55:07 Are you wasting your time and money 55:09 doing your own thing? 55:11 Chasing your own dreams 55:12 instead of following God's will? 55:14 I want to invite you friends to taste 55:17 and to see that the Lord is good. 55:19 And let Him be in control of your life, 55:22 to put Him first. 55:24 Wake up from spiritual seekings. |
Revised 2016-09-19