Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: 15WAC
Program Code: 15WAC000007A
|
00:16 Good evening everyone.
00:19 It's so good to see you out this Friday evening, 00:22 and we know that if you're here, the Lord is here. 00:31 Oh can you can say "Amen" to that. 00:33 Because He said in His word, "Where 2 or 3 are gathered, 00:37 there I am in the midst of them." 00:41 I want you to pray tonight because something 00:48 divine has to take place here tonight, 00:50 and I know that my human vessel is not sufficient 00:54 to do what God wants to be accomplished here tonight. 00:59 So as I pray, I would invite you to pray with me 01:02 before we go to the Word of God. 01:05 Let's bow our heads together. 01:08 Heavenly Father, Thank You that opportunities 01:12 like these remind us that God is great. 01:18 And so Lord, tonight, send Your Spirit to do what 01:22 none of us is qualified to accomplish. 01:28 Send Your Holy Spirit into this place Lord, 01:30 and speak to our hearts, 01:31 we pray in Your precious and holy name... Amen 01:38 Now tonight, they tell me that my topic is supposed to be 01:41 entitled: THE PROPHECTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LATTER RAIN 01:47 I've summarized all that with 3 words... "PREACH THE WORD" 01:52 Tonight, if you have your Bibles, 01:53 open with me to the book of Acts 4:31 01:57 Now as you read this, I want you to keep in mind 02:00 that the early church experienced a glorious 02:07 outpouring of God's Spirit without measure. 02:11 And God's desire is to do that again... 02:15 to pour out His Spirit without measure, 02:17 on His last day church. 02:20 But as you read the text, what I want you to also 02:22 acknowledge and understand is - before the disciples 02:26 could receive the outpouring of the Spirit of God 02:29 to preach the Word, they had to walk with the Word. 02:34 They walked with the Living Word 02:36 before they can preach the written word. 02:39 So tonight, when you read this verse, 02:41 understand that what is described here 02:43 wasn't something that happened instantaneously, 02:46 they lived a daily life, a connection with the 02:49 Living Word before they were 02:51 qualified to preach the written word. 02:54 The Bible describes the success of the New Testament church. 02:58 The Bible says in Acts 4:31- "And when they prayed, 03:03 the place where they were assembled together was shaken, 03:07 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, 03:12 and they spoke the Word of God with boldness." 03:17 Now there's a quotation that I'm going to ask 03:20 for them to put on the screen behind me 03:22 because I want you to follow along this quotation 03:24 as I read it, it's very significant. 03:26 And let me just qualify the purpose that I chose 03:30 this particular quotation. 03:32 You know, we talk about the latter rain, 03:34 and we say that in order for the latter rain to come, 03:36 we must pray for the latter rain. 03:38 But there is something more that we must do 03:40 than just pray for the latter rain. 03:44 And the reason why the sermon is entitled - "PREACH THE WORD" 03:46 is because the Word of God is indelibly connected 03:51 to the outpouring of the latter rain. 03:52 Without the Word of God in your life, 03:54 before the latter rain, you are not qualified 03:56 to receive the latter rain. 03:58 Listen to what Ellen White says: 04:00 And the quotation appears on the screen. She says... 04:54 Can you say "Amen" to that? 04:55 What she's saying is - When we study God's Word, 04:58 and when we pray for the infilling of God's Spirit, 05:01 if we do what we must do by the direction of God's Spirit, 05:05 only then will He open the windows of heaven 05:08 and pour upon us the latter rain. 05:10 That's why today, with all these electronic devices... 05:13 As-a-matter-of-fact, just recently at my church 05:15 in Thompsonville, we began a new youth group called 05:18 "I.D. FOR CHRIST" 05:20 And as we put this group together, we said, 05:23 "We know that your Bible is on your iPad, your iPhone, 05:27 and your android, but what the church needs 05:29 is we need to carry a physical Bible. 05:31 The devil is not afraid of a sword 05:34 if you only have a picture of it. 05:36 Come on - say "Amen" to that! 05:38 And what we ought to understand is 05:41 it's good to be in electronic form, but what's missing 05:44 in our day is we are being desensitized and neutralized 05:48 by the digital media because if there is a power 05:51 outage, the Word of God disappears! 05:53 But if there's a power outage and you have a 05:55 physical Bible in your hand, 05:56 the Word of God continues. "Amen" somebody. 05:58 So whether you know it or not, there is still a need 06:02 for the written Word of God, and by the way, 06:05 it is the only piece of the armor of the Christian 06:09 that is offensive... 06:10 Which means the devil does not care how nice 06:13 your uniform looks; how strong your helmet is; 06:17 how all the other components of the Christian armor look, 06:22 if you don't have a sword, 06:23 you are not prepared for the battle! 06:26 So tonight, let's talk about the most important, 06:29 and the most powerful weapon on earth... 06:31 the Bible - is that all right? 06:34 Listen carefully, the Bible can outlast any onslaught 06:37 and transform any life. 06:39 It can humble the exalted and educate the simple. 06:42 It is a light to those in darkness, 06:44 and a pathway for the lost. 06:46 It can encourage the weak, and comfort the weary. 06:49 If you are hungry, it will feed you. 06:51 If you are thirsty, it will soothe you. 06:53 I speak of nothing other than the Holy Bible. 06:56 This Book reveals the mind of God; the state of man; 06:59 the way of salvation; the doom of sinners, 07:01 and the happiness of believers. 07:03 Its precepts are binding; its history is true; 07:06 its decisions are immutable. 07:09 Read it to be wise; believe it to be saved; 07:12 practice it to be holy. 07:14 It contains light to direct you; 07:16 food to nourish you, and comfort to cheer you. 07:19 It is the traveler's map and the Christian charter. 07:23 It can't lie, but it can detect one. 07:25 It has no pulse and yet it lives. 07:27 Come on, say "Amen" somebody! 07:28 In it, paradise is restored, heaven opened 07:32 and the gates of hell closed. 07:34 Christ is its grand subject. 07:36 Our good, its design, and the glory of God 07:39 is its end; read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. 07:43 It is a mind of wealth, a paradise of glory, 07:46 and a river of pleasure. 07:48 It will reward the greatest labor, 07:50 and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents. 07:53 Paul turned the world upside-down with it. 07:56 Elijah called down fire through it. 07:59 And God created the world by it. 08:01 It can't be stopped, prevented, denied or destroyed. 08:05 It will outlast any novel, and outlive any show. 08:09 It is divine, dynamic, didactic, and delightful. 08:13 It is a conundrum to the proud, 08:15 and a solution to the humble. 08:16 It can open and close eyes at the very same time. 08:20 It can confound the scoffer and enlighten the seeker. 08:23 THE BOOK! The Book of Books; the Book of Life; 08:26 the Book of God; the Bible; the Revelation of God 08:29 to man, but it comes with a warning. 08:31 This Book will keep you from sin 08:33 or sin will keep you from this Book. 08:35 Reading and confessing this Book will do the following: 08:39 terrify the devil, stupefy the rebellious, 08:42 mystify the world, pacify the critic, 08:44 ratify the covenant, edify the church, 08:46 magnify the Word, glorify the Lord, 08:49 and guess what? It is still the best 08:51 selling book of all time. Can you say "Amen?" 08:53 THE BIBLE! The only Book that will 08:56 outlast any novel ever written, any electronic device 09:00 ever created... The Bible! 09:01 And Ellen White says in the book, "Darkness Before Dawn," 09:05 she says, "None but those who have fortified the mind 09:10 with the truths of the Bible 09:11 will stand through the last great conflict." 09:14 That's why you should never come to church without 09:17 the most important and potent weapon of all time, 09:21 the only book that the devil is 09:23 nervous about - The Word of God. 09:25 You know, when Jesus outlined the conditions of the last days, 09:29 in the book of Matthew 24... He described a condition 09:33 that will soon become a worldwide pandemic. 09:37 Open your Bibles to Matthew 24:7-8 with me, 09:40 and read what Jesus described. 09:42 This pandemic is on its way! 09:44 Matthew 24- The condition of the last days according 09:49 to the One who knows best, hear the Word of the Lord. 09:54 Matthew 24 beginning with verse 7 and the Bible says: 09:57 "For nation will rise against nation and kingdom 10:02 against kingdom and there will be famines, pestilences, 10:10 and earthquakes in various places. 10:13 All these are the beginning of sorrows." 10:17 Now when you read that list, most of the last day signs 10:21 describe a catastrophe, epidemic and depravation. 10:25 But there is one of those signs that God tucked in that 10:29 description that has a spiritual application, 10:34 and that word is "famine." 10:36 There is a famine coming. 10:37 Now notice how the Bible describes famine, 10:41 but let's begin with a description from 10:43 Webster's Dictionary - A famine is described as a widespread 10:48 scarcity of food caused by crop failure and population unbalance 10:55 In other words, when there is too many people, 10:59 and not enough food, it leads to a famine, 11:02 but follow closely. 11:03 It is then followed by malnutrition 11:07 and increased causalities. 11:09 Now my wife and I have, to date, traveled to more 11:12 than 50 countries and I've got to tell you, 11:15 that there is a famine happening in many 11:19 Seventh-day Adventist Churches around our world. 11:21 I hate to say that and I say that as a Seventh-day Adventist 11:25 pastor in good and regular standing... 11:28 Come on, say " Amen" somebody! 11:29 Because, you know, a lot of times, we can hear that 11:31 from people that are not connected to the church 11:34 and we can say, "Well they're throwing darts at the church, 11:36 or they don't like the church," I love this church! Amen? 11:40 This is God's church! 11:41 As-a-matter-of fact, let me even go further... 11:43 When Ford fails and Apple no longer produces computers; 11:47 when there's no longer an Android phone or an iPhone; 11:51 God's church is still going to be standing, 11:53 come on - what do you say? 11:54 This is the only organization that you can work with 11:57 that's going to last through the great, final conflict. 12:01 God's church! And He said... 12:03 Here's the guarantee that was printed on the side of God's 12:06 church when He built it... 12:07 He said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail 12:10 against My church." What do you say? 12:12 So if you're a part of the church, it's going through! 12:14 It may look like it's going to fall, 12:17 but sinners will be sifted out and the righteous will remain. 12:21 So when people criticize the church, you can criticize it, 12:24 but let me just say this... 12:25 Just like the Ark, sometimes the church may stink, 12:29 but I'd rather be inside of this kind of ark, what do you say? 12:33 Sometimes it's like animals, but I rather be in a 12:37 floating church, than in a sinking world. 12:41 So I don't criticize the church because I want to 12:44 throw darts at it, but we travel around the world, 12:46 and we hear complaints about famine in the church. 12:48 The most common thing we hear is people say, 12:51 church members say, "Pastor, we don't hear sermons 12:53 about the second coming, about prophecy, 12:56 about Sabbath truth..." just to name a few. 13:00 But the faithful prophet, Amos, describes exactly 13:03 why that occurs even in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 13:07 Go to Amos 8:11- Notice what the Bible describes... 13:12 What's always amazing to me is we have more books, 13:14 I believe, than any other denomination on the earth. 13:17 Isn't that right? 13:18 The problem is we don't need more books. 13:21 We need the Holy Spirit. 13:24 It is not what we don't know that's the problem. 13:27 It is what we know is the problem. 13:29 Most of the time, people are not in darkness because of 13:33 ignorance, they are in darkness because they 13:35 refuse to do what they know. 13:39 So another book is not going to change the condition. 13:41 Notice how Amos describes it. 13:43 He says, The famine that's coming... 13:46 "Behold, the Bible says, the days are coming, 13:51 says the Lord, that I will send a what church? 13:54 "a famine on the land." 13:57 Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, 14:01 but of the hearing of the Word of the Lord. 14:06 I have a soapbox, my church members know that. 14:10 I don't know if you know what a soapbox is. 14:12 It's an old-fashioned term that means... 14:16 "There he goes talking about that again." 14:19 I never hesitate to tell my church members... 14:22 "You need to be in church on Wednesday night." 14:25 "You need to be present when the sermon is being preached." 14:27 Whenever there is a spiritual activity at the church, 14:30 you need to make sure to be there." 14:31 You know why? Because the privilege 14:33 we have to be in this church without the doors being shut 14:38 by the law of the land, is a privilege 14:40 that's not going to last very long. 14:44 And I'm amazed that people will stand in the cold weather 14:49 at a football game; they'll run to the front 14:54 in a concert; they'll spend the night 14:59 in cold weather to buy the first ticket to a 15:03 championship game, but when they come to church, 15:07 you have to bribe them to come to the front. 15:11 I say, in church, that the best seats 15:15 are still free... Amen somebody? 15:17 I read a quotation one day, as-a-matter-of fact, 15:19 I was doing an evangelistic series as a young man, 15:22 and, that's when I still had black hair - don't worry 15:27 about it, I'm not getting older, I'm getting wiser, 15:32 and an old Adventist man came up to me and he had a 15:35 quotation on a card... 15:36 Charissa, this is an amazing quotation, 15:38 you can use it whenever you want to. 15:40 But, he showed me the quotation and 15:43 he said, "Now this is a part of the Ellen White Estates. 15:47 I worked for them many years ago and I wrote this down as 15:50 I was going through the archives. 15:52 Whether or not it made the published writings, 15:54 I don't know, but here it is:" 15:56 "Read it to the congregation tomorrow night." 15:58 And Ellen White says this: "Whenever the message of God 16:02 is being preached, and there are empty chairs between the 16:06 preacher and the congregation, those chairs are occupied 16:09 by evil angels to prevent the hearer 16:13 from receiving the Word of God." 16:15 I mentioned that the night after; 16:17 I mentioned that the next night and everybody in the back 16:19 moved to the front. 16:22 I was hoping that this side would just get excited 16:25 and just get up, but that's okay, you're all right tonight. 16:28 They'll be in the front row tomorrow. 16:31 But the fact of the matter is, we should be so excited 16:34 that God has seen fit to preserve the Word of God 16:39 against every attempt to extinguish the Word of God. 16:42 I call the Word of God, the anvil that has 16:45 worn out the hammers of persecution 16:47 through the Dark Ages, God's Word still survives! 16:52 A number of years ago, John Carter can tell you that 16:55 when he held an evangelistic series in Russia... 16:57 And those of us who are part of 3ABN know the story... 17:00 When the Kremlin was opened and people that had been in 17:03 darkness for more than 40 years heard that God's Word 17:06 was being preached, and the hall could not 17:09 contain anymore, there were people breaking the windows 17:12 in the ground floor of the building just to get in. 17:16 They had to close the doors! 17:18 People were begging - "We have been waiting more than 17:20 70 years to hear God's Word, PLEASE don't keep us out!" 17:27 They said - old people were climbing through windows 17:29 that you could hardly slip through under the base 17:32 of the building, climbing up the back way steps. 17:37 And the stage was filled with people that had been 17:40 waiting for decades just to hear the Word of God. 17:44 When they mentioned that they were giving out Bibles, 17:46 even the police officers said, "Please give us a Bible." 17:53 I was so excited, I think I may have shared this yesterday, 17:55 but I repeat it again. 17:56 And you know what's good about God's Word? 17:58 God's Word never returns to us void. 18:02 If you want to plant something that will grow, 18:04 plant God's Word. 18:06 It may not grow in your time, 18:07 but it's going to produce harvest. 18:09 God's Word is living and powerful and quick. 18:12 If you want to see results, plant God's Word, 18:14 and leave the results to God. 18:16 In our church school there in Thompsonville, Illinois, 18:19 right there where 3ABN is located, 18:20 there is a young man that had been in our church school 18:23 ever since he was in the first grade, 18:25 and he was a part of a different family. 18:29 He was not an Adventist, and for many years, 18:31 because his family members worked with 3ABN, 18:34 they provided education for him at a very reduced rate, 18:38 and he went one year after the other, after the other. 18:41 And now he is one of the graduating students. 18:44 He graduated actually last year and he's now in the 9th grade. 18:48 And he is back in our school taking correspondence courses. 18:53 But it took him all of 8 years to write what he wrote 18:58 on Facebook yesterday. 19:01 This young man... I'm so excited, 19:03 I cannot wait to get back, I cannot wait to get back 19:05 to Thompsonville just to hug him. 19:07 He said, and I wish my wife could bring that up... 19:09 Do you still have that page, if you could find it, please, 19:12 I don't know, but it's powerful! 19:13 I'll just try to paraphrase it.. 15 years old 19:17 He said, "I can no longer deny my conscience." 19:24 He said, "I've been Baptist all my life and I did not 19:27 even know why, but I know now, God is 19:30 calling me to be a Seventh-day Adventist, 19:32 come on, say "Amen" somebody! 19:33 He said, "Because I've studied God's Word and now I 19:36 know what God's Word has taught and I can 19:39 no longer deny my conscience." 19:42 He said, "I know that many of my family 19:44 members and friends are going to be angry with me, 19:46 but I've made my decision, I'm following God, 19:49 and following the truth of His Word." 19:51 Amen church? 19:52 Young folk, you've got an advantage to know that God 19:57 has preserved the Word to get down to you. 19:59 That's why, whenever I preach, I don't preach philosophy, 20:02 I don't preach opinions, I preach God's Word. 20:05 It's the only guarantee that I have 20:08 that somebody's life is going to be 20:10 changed to preach the Word. 20:11 When you think about the famine here that Amos 20:13 talks about, it almost suggests that God is the one 20:17 sending the famine because the Bible says, 20:19 The Lord said, "I will send a famine in the land." 20:22 It almost seems as if God is responsible for 20:26 the famine, but follow me carefully. 20:28 He's not responsible for the famine, 20:29 but if God is giving you something that is contrary 20:34 to your appetite and you don't eat it, 20:36 the natural result is famine. 20:38 You see, the children of Israel had an appetite 20:41 for what God was not giving. 20:42 They desired what God was not going to produce, 20:45 and they looked for things that God was not going to give them. 20:48 The point of the matter is... If your appetite is not 20:51 for the Word of God and the Word of God is 20:53 the only thing that God is going to give you, 20:55 and you refuse to eat it, 20:57 the only result is going to be famine. 20:59 So when the Bible says that God is sending a famine, 21:01 He is not sending a famine, He's sending His Word! 21:06 And if you don't eat it, you're going to die of hunger. 21:08 Brothers and sisters, God's Word tastes too good 21:12 to die of hunger... Come on, somebody. 21:14 You got to taste it, "Taste and see 21:16 that the Lord is good!" 21:18 I remember when I came back to the Lord, 21:20 I had a Bible that only had Genesis to Revelation. 21:25 But I had even more than that, I had a desire to 21:28 find out about something that I had not been exposed to, 21:30 God's Word, and sometimes the Word of God can be difficult 21:34 to read, so I told somebody just recently, 21:36 I said, "Whenever you read God's Word, 21:38 if you're not accustomed to reading God's Word, 21:41 begin like you would approach your assignments in college. 21:45 Read it because you have to, not because you want to." 21:48 But what you don't understand is 21:50 the brain has a physiological and maybe some of the 21:52 physicians here can confirm this... 21:55 The brain has a physiological operation that God 21:58 built into it - that when you begin something new 22:01 that you've never done before, 22:03 the first time, the brain says, "What are you doing? 22:05 You've never done that before." 22:08 But you do it tomorrow and the brain says, 22:10 "You did it again." 22:11 And the next day, the brain says, "I get it." 22:15 And the fourth day, the brain says, "I'll cooperate." 22:19 And it begins to build groves in your brain that says, 22:24 "I'll work with you on this new project." 22:27 You see, one of the reasons why some of you are 22:29 good at what you do is because you do it over and over, 22:31 and over and over again. 22:33 If you read the Bible because you have to 22:36 you'll develop an appetite 22:37 to read the Bible because you want to. 22:40 You cannot become an avid lover of God's Word 22:44 if you don't read it because you have to. 22:46 Let me tell you something... 22:47 When I carry my Bible and I give Bible studies, 22:51 when I get home, my wife says, 22:52 "You haven't eaten for hours," 22:55 and you know what, the best diet is reading the Word of God. 23:01 You don't need diet plans and shots and vitamins, 23:04 just give a Bible study. 23:05 Let me tell you from experience, when I give Bible studies, 23:08 I lose all desire for physical... 23:11 I can talk about the Bible for hours! 23:15 Based on my shape, you can tell I've done 23:16 that quite a bit. Amen? 23:19 If you want to get me going, as-a-matter-of-fact, 23:22 some nights, my wife, we would sit down after a long day, 23:25 and I'm laboring at church, and prayer meeting, 23:27 and counseling and Bible studies and dealing with 23:29 conflicts and I come home, I'm just completely 23:32 tired and drained and praise God for a godly wife. 23:36 She says, "Let's read something before you go to bed." 23:39 And, she'd pick a devotional or maybe a couple of 23:42 chapters in the Bible to read, and, Andre, all of a sudden, 23:50 God will shine a light on a particular word 23:53 in what we just read and she'd start a fire that would last 23:57 in me for the next 3 hours. 23:59 And I said, "Honey, I... She said, "Come to bed." 24:01 I said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute." 24:03 You know, I don't know if you know what it's like, 24:05 but sometimes... when God reveals something 24:08 to you - you can't wait to write it down tomorrow, 24:11 you know what I'm talking about? 24:12 You gotta write it down right now, 24:13 you gotta dig even deeper. 24:15 It's like getting a glimpse of your favorite sandwich, 24:18 you can't wait until tomorrow because it will be stale! 24:21 You gotta get a bite of it right away... 24:22 Come on - say "Amen" somebody! 24:24 Sometimes God's Word is like a good sandwich, 24:27 you just get a whiff of it and you know it's 24:29 in the kitchen cooking, and you can't wait until 24:30 tomorrow, you got to get up and say... 24:31 "It's like a good cinnamon twist!" 24:34 Oh, you're not American, you don't know what that is. 24:37 But cinnamon CALLS you! You know what I'm talking about? 24:40 Cinnamon CALLS you! 24:42 Certain foods that you like, it CALLS you! 24:45 When you study God's Word, and you develop an appetite 24:48 for it, you say, "I smell it." 24:51 As-a-matter-of fact, we had a friend at the "Heritage Singers" 24:54 When we were in California... you'd like this, 24:56 she came into our room, I never forgot her, 24:59 and she said to my wife and I, 25:00 "You room smells like Bible studies." 25:05 That's a good smell... right? 25:07 It didn't smell like cigarettes or alcohol. 25:09 She said, "Your room smells like Bible study." 25:12 Friends, I tell you, "You can never go wrong, 25:16 when you study God's Word." 25:18 A famine is when you are looking for what God is not giving; 25:21 waiting for what God is not sending; 25:23 praying for what God is not answering. 25:26 God does not answer every prayer! 25:29 God always answers when we pray in harmony with His will. 25:33 Never pray for God to take away your appetite for His Word, 25:36 He will not answer that prayer... 25:38 Because the church's greatest need is an increased 25:41 appetite for the study of God's Word. 25:44 I have a hobbyhorse and I firmly believe 25:47 that those that are waiting for the coming of the Lord 25:49 will take advantage of every opportunity 25:54 when the Word of God is being proclaimed, 25:56 when the Word of God is being given. 25:58 Like I said last night - it fits again because there 26:00 are more people... "Never ask the question 26:03 "Who is preaching?" that's a bad question. 26:07 You don't go to the restaurant and ask, "Who is cooking." 26:12 You don't go to the mall and ask, 26:15 "Who is working in the clothing store?" 26:17 You don't ask, "Who is delivering your mail?" 26:19 It's an insult to ask, "Who is preaching?" 26:22 You gotta ask, "WHAT are they preaching?" 26:24 If they are preaching the Word, you ought to be there. 26:27 Amen - somebody! 26:29 Because the opportunity is to feast on this Book, 26:31 The Word of God, the Bread of Life, 26:34 the Book that continues to nourish, 26:36 is an opportunity that this generation is being robbed of. 26:41 We read today, just all these new electronic gadgets 26:44 that are being developed and created and I'm a gadgetarian. 26:49 you don't know what that is... 26:50 You know what a vegetarian is, but I'm a gadgetarian. 26:53 You'll figure that out, it's not in the dictionary. 26:57 A gadgetarian is a person that likes gadgets! 27:03 Our world is presently locked into a pursuit 27:07 to make us slaves to gadgets. 27:10 I read an article today, my wife brought to my attention 27:13 that the CEO of Google said, "That not too long from now, 27:19 the internet will no longer exist. Google executive" 27:24 We read that article today. 27:26 He said, "Not too far from now, the internet 27:30 will no longer exist. It will cease to exist." 27:32 But he went on to follow the article... 27:33 He says, "As Michio Kaku, a futurologist," that many 27:39 scientists consult about what's happening in the future, 27:41 he said, "the internet will be nowhere, 27:45 but it will be everywhere. 27:47 Computers will cease to exist as a handheld device. 27:49 They will be nowhere but they will be everywhere... 27:53 Because they are building around us a virtual 27:56 world that will exist, not only in our presence, 28:00 but also in our imagination." 28:02 Now let me tell you where that's headed... 28:04 Satan is trying to get our world like the world 28:07 like the world just before the flood came, 28:10 where we are so bombarded by media, that our thoughts 28:13 and intentions of our hearts will only be evil continually. 28:18 You gotta be careful... the devil is trying to 28:20 find ways to completely bombard our minds with man-made media 28:25 so that God's Word is no longer desired. 28:27 Let me tell you how he's doing that... 28:29 If you can type on the internet and get information 28:33 within a matter of seconds, and that's the kind of 28:37 life you live - on your phone you're texting, 28:40 and somebody in Russia or in Europe, 28:42 you get an answer back in a matter of seconds, 28:44 as we all are familiar with that, then you're accustomed 28:48 to getting answers immediately. 28:50 But then you go home and you pick up the Word of God 28:53 ... this antiquated Book, and you turn pages, 28:55 and answers are not coming within a matter of milliseconds, 28:59 and the devil says, "Isn't that boring?" 29:04 But I want to tell you, don't handle the Bible like 29:08 the internet, handle the Bible 29:10 like you're digging for hidden treasure. 29:13 You may call a guy that's a gold miner - a fool, 29:17 but when he strikes the vein, and he's on the front page, 29:21 and now he's a multibillionaire, 29:23 you say, "Man, he wasn't a fool after all!" 29:27 DIG in God's Word - there's good and there's treasure here 29:31 that you cannot find and it cannot be replaced 29:34 with any instantaneous access to modern technology. 29:38 Read the Word of God, spend time like Martin Luther 29:42 and Zwingli, Huss, Jerome and Wycliffe... 29:44 Men that were willing to give 29:45 their lives to sustain the Word of God. 29:48 I praise God today for those pioneers during the Dark Ages 29:52 that stood up against the Church of Rome 29:55 when they tried to block out the Word of God. 30:01 Those men whose names are 30:03 still etched on the wall of the faithful. 30:05 Those men who I believe will be 30:07 coming forth in the first resurrection. 30:08 They stood firm for what they understood 30:10 and what they believe. 30:11 Well how much more responsible are we? 30:14 We have much more information 30:16 than they will ever have access to. 30:18 But how do we handle that? 30:20 Are we willing to give our lives for it? 30:22 If we lost our Bible, how would we feel? 30:24 I was in the Heritage Singers, once again I remember this 30:26 very well... and after a concert, 30:28 we were driving away in the bus, and I went to my locker 30:32 thinking my Bible was there, and I ran to the front 30:35 of the bus and I said to the bus driver, 30:36 "Wait, wait, wait, my Bible is in the church!" 30:39 And I ran back to the church, ran to every door, 30:43 banging to see if somebody was in the building, 30:45 calling and we could not get anyone, 30:48 and they said, "Well the church is locked up, 30:50 they're not going to open again until Monday," 30:52 and this was a first day church. 30:54 Wherever we did concerts, I always carried my Bible. 30:59 And they said, "John, we're not going to be able 31:01 to get your Bible... What are you going to do?" 31:03 You know what? I'll be very honest with you, 31:05 nobody could talk to me for two days. 31:08 You know why? I was mourning over the 31:11 loss of my Bible. 31:13 But I'm amazed, as a pastor, people come to our church 31:16 and in our Lost and Found, we've got two shelves 31:20 of Bibles and peoples names in it, and I could almost 31:24 guarantee pastor may have had the same experience. 31:26 People come to church and leave their Bible, 31:28 and there is no phone call saying, 31:30 "Did you find my Bible?" 31:35 And then you go to some peoples' homes 31:36 and they say, "Well I have many translations." 31:38 I'm not concerned about the translations you have, 31:40 but HAS the Word of God translated you? 31:46 The devil is not afraid of Bibles that are new. 31:49 He's only afraid of lives that are new. 31:52 He doesn't care if it's on the coffee table, 31:54 but he's concerned if it's in your heart. 31:56 This is the generation that needs to restore 31:58 the meaning of the Word of God. 32:00 You need to have a physical Bible. 32:02 Don't settle... you know why? 32:03 Somebody said in the youth group that we're 32:05 developing now... Somebody said to me, 32:07 "You know, Pastor, we already have a Bible... 32:11 it's on our iPad, it's on my iPhone." 32:13 I said, "If you're out on a field trip or on a 32:16 camporee somewhere, and your iPhone dies, 32:18 so does your Bible study." 32:20 He said, "You have a good point." 32:22 So now, they're getting their own Bibles 32:25 pulling it together so that wherever they are, 32:28 the Word of God never dies. Can you say "Amen" church? 32:31 And the reason why it's so vitally important is 32:33 when we look at how we got into sin, 32:35 we got into sin and the tactic that Satan used to 32:39 get us into sin, is the same tactic he is using today. 32:43 Why invent anything new when the old stuff still works? 32:47 What do I mean by that? 32:48 He questioned Eve on whether or not she understood 32:52 God's Word. 32:53 He said, "Has God really said?" 32:55 And here's the point, the application, 32:57 if you don't know what God has said, 32:59 you may be caught in a predicament 33:03 as you stand to make a decision between the 33:06 knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil. 33:09 If Eve had been faithful to God's Word, 33:12 she would not have been in a predicament where she 33:14 made a decision for the for the knowledge of evil. 33:18 If she had only been true to God's Word. 33:21 The very same issue is today. 33:23 We go to colleges and schools and university 33:26 and if your mind is not encapsulated by God's Word, 33:30 you may take home, rather than truth, you might be filled 33:34 with a knowledge of evil. 33:37 That's why the Lord said, in Hosea 4:6, 33:39 "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." 33:44 Not because knowledge does not exist, but he says, 33:47 "Because you have rejected knowledge." 33:49 In other words, when there is an unquenchable desire for 33:53 something other than the Word, it becomes increasingly 33:57 difficult to ingest the Word. 34:01 My wife is a good cook, and as we travel, 34:03 one of the challenges we have is appetite. 34:06 You know, we visit with people, we stay in hotels, 34:08 we stay in homes. 34:09 We are staying with a wonderful couple, Pastor Artu 34:17 and his lovely wife, Leslie, and they've introduced us 34:19 to some Italian food... if we come back again, 34:24 we'll stay there again! "Amen" somebody. 34:28 Last night he got together and whipped up something 34:30 I never had before and I thought, "Man, if he could do 34:33 that and really titillate my appetite, 34:38 what can God put together to nourish our spiritual appetite. 34:42 The recipes in God's Word are there 34:45 if we would simply stick to God's Word... 34:47 And let me also add another thing to that... 34:48 You know, the other challenge of the modern day church, 34:51 the last day church, the Adventist Church 34:52 is that we have to follow the pattern of Jesus. 34:56 When Jesus was in the wilderness and He was faced 34:59 with temptation, He said something that gives us 35:02 an indication that the only place we find our strength 35:06 and our security and our safety is in doing what Jesus did. 35:10 Never try to win an argument by vain philosophy 35:14 or human intelligence. 35:15 You can only win yourself in a moment of darkness 35:18 by simply saying, "It is written." 35:21 Now if "It is written," was needed for Jesus 35:24 in His hour of temptation, how much more do we need 35:28 God's Word in our hour of increasing temptation. Amen? 35:32 If it worked for Jesus... If He needed to quote 35:35 the Word of God in His moment of temptation, 35:38 how much more do we need the Word of God 35:41 in our day of temptation? 35:42 Keep this in mind, there are a lot of good messages, 35:45 but when you think about all the messages 35:47 in the world today; all the churches; all the movements; 35:49 and all the denominations, and those of you that are 35:51 in the shadow of "Hillsong," I'll be back... 36:00 Don't adopt their commission 36:05 because they will not adopt our commission. 36:09 Our commission is the "Three Angels Message." 36:11 Our commission is the "Sabbath Truth," 36:12 "The Second Advent," "Righteousness by Faith." 36:16 Don't try to do what they do, 36:18 they need to try to do what we do. 36:21 You cannot sustain revival by music, 36:24 and I'm saying that as a musician... I love music. 36:28 But Paul didn't say, "Sing the song," 36:30 he said, "Preach the Word." 36:32 He didn't say, "If you throw your CD on the water, 36:34 it will come back after many days." 36:36 He said, "If you throw your bread on the water, 36:38 it will come back." What do you say? 36:40 The seed of God's Word; Jesus did not go forth 36:45 planting iPods! 36:48 He went planting SEED! 36:50 There's nothing wrong with the seed of God's Word. 36:53 Get back to our commission. 36:55 The only thing that will sustain 36:56 growth is the planting of God's Word. 36:59 You see, if we keep planting the Word, 37:01 there will be no crop failure. 37:04 If there's no crop failure, they'll be no malnutrition. 37:07 If there's no malnutrition, there will be no causalities. 37:10 We gotta preach the Word. 37:12 What did I say? We gotta do what? 37:13 Preach the Word... and when you preach it, 37:17 don't put ice in it, and don't water it down. Amen! 37:25 Don't try to make it soft, let the Spirit of God 37:30 take the Word of God, and accomplish what only 37:33 God intends for the Word to accomplish - preach the Word! 37:36 I'm the kind of person that I don't 37:38 apologize for telling the truth. 37:39 Sometimes I'm put off by pastors that... I heard a story, 37:44 as-a-matter-of-fact, a sermon that I preached 37:45 just before I came here was entitled, "A Train is Coming," 37:49 and I was thinking about my sermon, studying my sermon, 37:53 and I got a call from one of our very animated 37:55 church members in Fairfield, California that I was pastoring 37:58 a number of years before, and she called me and said, 38:01 "Oh, I'm so glad I have the right phone number." 38:05 I said, "Is this - and I named her name." 38:09 She said, "Pastor, I am so glad to hear your voice." 38:13 She said, "I put your name in the hat." 38:14 I said, "What hat?" "To be our pastor." 38:18 She said, "But I know you're not going to accept it. 38:19 I just did it, because I know you're at 3ABN. 38:22 I know you're not going to come but I just did it to let them 38:24 know I know you." 38:27 She said, "But I'm so glad I'm talking to you now." 38:30 She said, "We just got rid of our pastor." 38:32 I said, "What do you mean, you got rid of your pastor?" 38:34 She said, "You know, we had had enough of it." 38:35 And I said, "What do you mean by that? 38:38 She said, "Because he would preach anything but the Word. 38:42 I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "Well he, now he'd 38:43 preach, but it would be 38:45 a message you could hear anyplace else. 38:47 It was not an advent message." 38:49 And she walked up to him one day and she said, 38:51 "Pastor, do you know that a train is coming?" 38:56 He said, "I know a train is coming, but the church 38:58 is not ready to hear that yet." 39:00 And she said, "Pastor, so you mean to tell me 39:03 that you know the train is coming and you are content 39:07 to have your church members just sit on the platform, 39:10 drinking their coffee and their sodas, 39:14 and fiddling with their phones and their iPods, 39:17 and you know that the train is coming, 39:18 and you're not going to blow the horn and tell them 39:20 that destruction is coming... 39:21 You know the train is coming, but you're not going to say it?" 39:24 She said, "When he said, "No, they're not ready for it," 39:26 she said, "Well that did it. I got together with the 39:28 church board and we prayed about it, and we didn't 39:31 say for him to leave, but God moved him." 39:36 And I don't want to sound like I'm the only one. 39:39 I want to be an Elijah. 39:40 There are so many more... you got a good preacher right here. 39:43 Sister Charissa Fong, Amen somebody. 39:46 Gifted and anointed by God, and so many others that 39:49 are a part of this Witness Conference. 39:50 I'm not the only one, but I praise God 39:53 for those who are willing to not 39:55 put their candle under a bushel, 39:58 but they want to be a city that's set on a hill, 40:00 and allow the light of God's Word to continue shining. 40:03 This is not the generation that 40:05 needs to be turning the light off. 40:06 As-a-matter-of-fact, in America, there's a hotel 40:09 or a motel chain called, "Motel 6" 40:11 and I was so upset when I heard their slogan... 40:13 because their slogan should be our slogan! 40:16 And the slogan was, "We'll keep the light on for you." 40:21 Brothers and sisters, we ought 40:22 to keep the light on for the world... What do ya say? 40:24 Because Ellen White says, "That this church, 40:26 the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been established 40:29 by God as a sentinel in the world." 40:32 Do you know what a sentinel is? 40:33 A keeper of the gate to make sure that nothing passes 40:38 that can bring destruction and she also says, 40:41 "If the devil can shut us down, I'm paraphrasing... 40:44 "If he can shut us down, he has captured 40:48 the entire Christian world." 40:50 So I still preach about the mark of the beast. 40:53 Even though it's not popular. 40:55 I still warn people about the movements in the Vatican. 40:58 and the coalition of apostate Protestantism and Catholicism... 41:02 I still preach that, it's out of date you know, but you know 41:05 what I did, I went to the archives... You didn't get that! 41:08 I went to the library and I went to a section called, 41:13 "Out-of-Date Sermons" and I took those sermons 41:16 and revived them again. 41:17 This church still needs to hear what Revelation 41:21 has made relevant for us! 41:23 Don't be apologetic... you know why? 41:26 Because if God's people are still in Babylon, 41:29 how are they going to come out of Babylon 41:31 if we don't make the trumpet clear? 41:34 Give the trumpet a certain sound and don't apologize. 41:37 Do you know why? Because you don't have to say 41:38 you're sorry to somebody if you 41:40 say to them - You're house is on fire - come on out of it. 41:43 Babylon is going down. 41:44 We're simply saying, "You better get out before it comes down." 41:48 So every time somebody comes and joins our church 41:50 in Thompsonville, I praise God... 41:53 Whether they're old or young... 41:54 One Wednesday night, we had a young man, 79 years old. 41:59 come to our church and his wife and he stood up, 42:01 and I said, "Are you - after prayer meeting... 42:06 "Are you visiting 3ABN?" "No" 42:11 Southern Illinois accent... "No" 42:14 I said, "Are you an elder?" Cause he looked like 42:16 he could be an elder. "No" 42:18 "Are you a deacon?" "No" 42:21 "Well, what are you doing here?" 42:22 He said, "Well, a couple of months ago, 42:25 when you were doing a Bible program on 3ABN, 42:28 you challenged me... You said, "I'm going to give you 42:30 5 words - take these 5 words, 42:32 SABBATH SUNDAY, 7TH DAY, FIRST DAY AND SABBATH 42:36 and look them up, and whatever you find, take it to your pastor 42:39 and ask him to explain it to you." 42:41 He said, "I did that - that's why I'm here." 42:44 I said, "Tell me the story." 42:46 He said, "Well, I want to tell you, I've been a 42:47 Presbyterian for 40+ years, my wife for 39 years. 42:53 I've been an elder in the Presbyterian Church 42:54 all my life, all my life, and she's been 42:58 the treasurer 37 years. 43:00 When I found what you told me to look for, 43:03 I took it to my pastor and I said, "Pastor, could you 43:06 please tell me why we're not keeping the Sabbath?" 43:09 And he proceeded to hear the Pastor say, "Now look, 43:12 I'm the pastor, you're the member, I preach you listen." 43:17 "He said, "Pastor, that's not good enough for me." 43:20 So he said, the pastor proceeded to take him out of office. 43:24 He removed him from being a Sunday school teacher 43:27 because he began now - to teach what God revealed 43:30 to him in his research. 43:34 So he got so upset, he went away for 2 months, 43:37 and... sorry for 2 weeks, and he and his wife 43:41 they said, they just prayed for 2 weeks and kept 43:44 studying God's Word to make sure that they were right. 43:46 And they came back to his pastor... 43:48 "Pastor please, tell us why is it that 43:51 we don't keep the Sabbath?" 43:53 And he looked over at his pastor's Bible and he saw 43:56 highlights all throughout his pastor's Bible 43:58 and, for a brief moment, he said, "Pastor, I am 44:01 so glad that you're a man that studies the Word." 44:04 He said, "What do you mean?" 44:05 He said, "All those highlights." 44:06 And he said his pastor said, "Oh no, those places that 44:09 are highlighted... See when we were in Bible College, 44:12 ... This blew my mind... He said, "When we were in 44:14 Bible College, all those highlights in my Bible 44:18 are things that we were taught in seminary NOT to preach about" 44:24 So wherever the highlights were, whatever was highlighted, 44:28 he said, "We don't preach about that." 44:31 And then he said, "Pastor, please tell us once." 44:34 And his pastor, he said, "He got louder and arrogant." 44:36 He said, "Look, you got the problem, you fix it." 44:38 He said, "We're fixing it, we're gone." 44:41 We're going to join the Adventist Church." 44:42 They're still members today, what do ya say? 44:44 When I finished that conversation that Wednesday 44:46 night, he said to me, "How old is too old to be baptized." 44:49 I said, "Are you breathing." 44:53 And we baptized he and his wife. 44:55 We had another Baptist couple come to our church, 44:58 and when I met them on a Sabbath afternoon, 45:01 they said, "We only have one regret." 45:02 I said, "What's that." "That we didn't do this sooner" 45:06 They studied our message for 4 years. 45:08 They went to the internet. 45:10 I said, "Do you ever get tempted to go back?" 45:12 They said, "No we never get tempted." 45:14 I said, "Why?" They said, "Because we 45:15 searched the internet, we know about all 45:17 those things that people say about Ellen White. 45:19 We've heard all the arguments; how she's not a true 45:22 messenger of God; how she's a false prophet; 45:24 we read all about plagiarism, 45:26 but we are convinced that God has called her!" 45:29 Baptists saying that! 45:32 And Adventists walking away talking about - she's irrelevant 45:36 You're irrelevant! Amen? 45:40 You want to know what's going to happen tomorrow? 45:42 Read the "Great Controversy" She's relevant! 45:46 If a woman could read like that and write like that 45:48 with only a 3rd grade education... 45:50 Somebody once said, "Ellen White can't be true, 45:52 she does not understand Greek." 45:54 And somebody replied, "Why would she need to understand 45:56 Greek, when the God who inspired her understands Greek? 46:00 Amen? So they said, "Pastor, 46:06 our minds cannot allow us to go back... back to what?" 46:14 And there they are, actively involved in our church, 46:17 and this young man that just came out of the Baptist Church, 46:21 and I want to caveat that by saying, 46:23 there are many lovely Christians in every denomination. 46:25 What do you say? 46:26 But that's not it, you see, we often say 46:30 that God loves you where He finds you... 46:34 But I never stop that, God never leaves you where He finds you. 46:39 He said, "Howbeit when He the Spirit of Truth is come, 46:42 He will lead you and He will guide you 46:44 into how much truth?" Come on! 46:45 All truth! So don't settle for some, 46:49 if you can have it all. 46:51 Why settle for less when God wants to give you more? 46:56 And so, today, Church, if the preaching of the Word 46:59 was needed at the inauguration of the church, 47:01 how much more is it needed as we get ready 47:05 for the coronation of the church? 47:07 If the Word was needed by Christ, 47:09 how much more is it needed by us? 47:13 If the world was created by the Word, 47:15 lives are transformed through the Word, 47:17 and the world will be prepared for the coming of Christ 47:20 by the proclamation of the Word... 47:22 We ought to do what the New Testament Church did... 47:24 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke 47:28 the Word of God with boldness. 47:31 So now, when I travel, I have at least two things with me, 47:34 and I apologize of using the word "thing," 47:37 but I cannot preface it by saying it a different way. 47:42 I make sure that I'm equipped with two very special items... 47:45 my wife and my Bible. 47:49 You know why, because I'm getting ready 47:52 for the latter rain. 47:53 So my brothers and sisters, my message is simple. 47:57 Get back to the Word. 48:00 We are told that the church was prepared for the 48:03 outpouring of the Spirit because they were walking 48:06 with the Living Word. 48:07 You cannot be prepared for the spoken Word. 48:10 until you start walking with the Living Word. 48:13 If you're walking with the Living Word, 48:14 you have to be connected to the spoken Word. 48:17 So, if you're looking forward to seeing the Living Word, 48:19 you got to get together with the spoken Word. Amen? 48:22 So I end with these words, remember this... 48:24 We've traveled together my Bible and I, 48:27 through all kinds of weather with smile or with sigh, 48:31 In sorrow or sunshine, in tempest or calm, 48:34 thy friendship unchanging my lamp and my Psalm. 48:38 We've traveled together my Bible and I, 48:40 when life has grown weary, and death has drawn nigh. 48:44 But all through the darkness of mist or of wrong, 48:47 I found here a solace, a prayer and a song. 48:51 So now, who shall part us, my Bible and I, 48:53 Shall isms or schisms or new light, just try. 48:57 Shall shadows for substance or stone for good bread, 49:01 supplant thy sound wisdom and give folly instead? 49:04 Oh yes, my dead Bible exponent of light, 49:08 the sword of the Spirit will put error to flight. 49:11 And still through life's journey until my last sigh, 49:15 we'll travel together, my Bible and I. What do you say! 49:18 Preach the Word! Don't apologize for it. 49:22 Don't hide it and be equipped by a solder. 49:26 As a soldier should be equipped. 49:27 The only thing that makes the devil tremble 49:30 is a praying Christian and a Christian 49:32 filled by God's Spirit and God's Word. 49:35 Tonight, my appeal is simple... 49:37 Do you want to get back to the Bible? 49:40 I'll be right back... Let's try that again. 49:42 You want to get back to the Bible? "Yes" 49:44 If that's your desire tonight, stand with me as we pray. 49:47 Getting back to God's Word... The famine is coming. 49:50 If you're filled, you won't be starving 49:53 when the famine arrives. 49:54 Heavenly Father, This is Your church, 49:58 we are Your people. 50:00 We hunger and we thirst, Lord, sometimes for the wrong things. 50:04 Lord, tonight as we continue in this Witness Conference, 50:08 how can we be witnesses except we are filled and 50:12 fortified by Your Living Word. 50:15 Heavenly Father, may the subjects of the Bible 50:18 not be a fleeting thought, but a burning thought, 50:22 an ignited flame, a passion that cannot be quenched. 50:26 And Father, as we love Your Word, we are one day 50:30 preparing to see the Living Word. 50:33 Oh Lord Jesus, I'm looking forward to the day 50:35 when the heavens part as a scroll and I see the Rider 50:40 on the white horse, upon which His thigh will 50:44 reflect the Words, The Word of God. 50:47 So cause us to be faithful. Cause us to be urgent, 50:52 and may this church militant one day stand strong 50:55 as the church triumphant because of what 50:58 You have done in our lives. 51:00 This we pray and thank You, in Jesus precious name, 51:03 and God's people said... Amen |
Revised 2015-04-28