Participants:
Series Code: 17GYC
Program Code: 17GYC000004A
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00:33 If you have your Bibles, please turn to Psalms 43.
00:38 I mean, turn them open or turn them on, 00:39 whatever you have to do. 00:41 Psalms 43, 00:42 43 is after 42 in most translations 00:45 I'm aware of. 00:47 If there, please say amen. 00:51 We're reading the entire psalm of Psalm 43. 00:56 It's only five verses so stop freaking out. 00:57 Verse 1. 01:00 The Bible says, "Vindicate me, O, God, 01:03 and plead my cause against an ungodly nation 01:06 and deliver me from the deceitful 01:08 and unjust man! 01:10 For You are the God of my strength. 01:13 Why do you cast me off? 01:14 Why do I go mourning 01:16 because of the oppression of the enemy? 01:18 O, send out your light and your truth, 01:22 let them lead me, 01:23 let them bring me to your holy hill 01:25 and to your tabernacle. 01:27 And then I will go to the altar of God, 01:29 to God my exceeding joy, and on the heart, 01:32 on the harp I will praise you. 01:35 O, God, my God. 01:37 Why are you cast down, O my soul? 01:40 Who are you disquieted within me? 01:43 Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, 01:47 the help of my countenance and my God." 01:50 Speaker tonight is Chris Holland. 01:53 He is the speaker, director of It is Written, Canada. 01:58 What does that mean? 02:00 It means he has a weekly television broadcast, 02:03 he writes his own scripts, 02:05 he does major evangelistic campaigns 02:07 throughout Canada. 02:09 For those of you 02:10 who are geographically challenged, 02:11 that is the large country north of here, 02:15 not north of Arizona, north of America. 02:18 He trains pastors and lay people 02:20 in effective outreach, 02:22 and he writes books and articles. 02:25 Chris is a pastor. 02:28 You may be wondering where. 02:30 He's been in Illinois for about 10 years, 02:32 the Chesapeake Conference, that's like Maryland, 02:34 Delawareish area, 02:35 and he's worked for the NED at ASI. 02:39 He has a DMin in church growth and evangelism, 02:42 and MDiv and BA for Andrews. 02:44 And what does that mean? 02:45 That means, he is very smart. 02:49 Chris and his wife, Debbie, had been married for 21 years. 02:54 What does that mean? 02:56 That means his wife is very patient. 03:01 Chris is a friend of GYC. 03:05 He started his GYC career early 03:08 as a part of their affiliate program 03:10 at Great Lakes. 03:11 He was the vice president of evangelism. 03:14 And back then, he is part of a powerhouse team 03:18 with people like Amy Ratsara, Sebastien Braxton, 03:23 and Kyle Allen. 03:25 Tonight, Chris is our evening speaker. 03:30 What does that mean? 03:33 That means, listen up. 03:36 That mean, turn your cell phones 03:40 to airplane mode. 03:42 That means, end all personal conversations. 03:46 That means, plead for the Holy Spirit 03:50 to speak through this man. 03:52 That means, pray for him tonight. 03:55 And if you don't receive a blessing, 03:57 pray for him tomorrow night. 03:59 And if you don't receive a blessing, 04:01 pray for him Saturday night. 04:03 And if you don't receive a blessing, 04:04 pray for your own soul. 04:08 Chris is a first class gentleman, 04:12 he's a scholar, 04:13 a wise pastor, and someone passionate about evangelism. 04:17 But he is someone who reminds me of Jesus. 04:22 I know we prayed a lot. 04:24 But would you join with me for one short prayer 04:27 for our evening speaker. 04:29 Please bow your heads. 04:34 Gracious Father, 04:38 for some reason, You speak through human beings. 04:43 Father, may the blood of Jesus, Your Son, 04:45 be attributed upon him. 04:48 And may he speak to us without filter, 04:52 without ambition, without self. 04:56 Father, if there are people in this room 04:59 who have been hurt by close minded, 05:02 close hearted people, 05:05 we ask that Your Holy Spirit may heal 05:08 and cause hearts and minds to open, 05:12 and to listen to tonight's message. 05:15 This is our prayer in Jesus' name, amen. 05:39 Beautiful Savior 05:45 King of creation 05:50 Son of God 05:56 And Son of Man 06:02 Truly I'd love Thee 06:08 Truly I'd serve thee 06:14 Light of my soul 06:19 My Joy 06:21 My Crown 06:29 Fair is the sunshine 06:34 Fairest is the moonlight 06:39 And all the twinkling 06:44 Starry host 06:49 Jesus shines brighter 06:54 Jesus shines purer 06:59 Than all the angels heav'n can boast. 07:07 O Beautiful Savior 07:13 Lord of the nations 07:18 Son of God 07:23 And Son of Man 07:28 Glory and honor 07:34 Praise, adoration 07:39 Now and forever 07:44 Forevermore more be Thine 07:50 Now and forever 07:56 Glory and honor 08:00 And glory 08:04 Praise, adoration 08:09 Now and forever 08:13 More 08:14 be Thine 08:22 Amen. 08:30 Well, good evening, GYC. 08:33 That was rather uninspiring. 08:35 Let me try again, good evening, GYC. 08:37 Good evening. 08:39 Now I feel like I'm home. 08:41 Bring you greetings from Canada, 08:44 the largest geographical territory 08:46 of the North American division, 08:48 six time zones from East Coast to West Coast. 08:52 When you're in St John's Newfoundland 08:53 closer to London England than you are to Vancouver, 08:57 British Columbia. 09:02 And now I feel very much at home. 09:07 I'm looking forward to sharing with you 09:09 over the next three nights. 09:11 And I asked that you would pray 09:14 that God would pour out His Spirit. 09:18 The year was 1986 09:22 Cape Canaveral, Florida. 09:25 The date was January 22nd, 09:28 STS- 51-L was scheduled for launch 09:34 at 2:42 Eastern time. 09:38 But there was a delay 09:39 and rescheduled to January 23rd 09:41 and then a rescheduled to January the 24th, 09:46 then it was rescheduled to January the 25th 09:48 because there was bad weather in Dakar, Senegal, 09:52 the abort landing field. 09:56 And then January the 26th, 09:57 bad weather at Kennedy Space Center 09:59 caused yet another delay. 10:04 And now the Space Shuttle Challenger 10:07 was scheduled for launch on January the 27th 1986 10:13 at 9:37 am Eastern Time. 10:18 Mechanical errors and high winds 10:19 caused yet another scrub of the launch 10:22 and the new date was January the 28th. 10:26 However, a new problem arose. 10:32 That evening prior to launch 10:34 temperatures fell there 10:36 in Florida to negative 8 Celsius, 10:41 18 degrees Fahrenheit. 10:43 The problem was simple, 10:44 the space shuttle was blasted into space primarily 10:47 by two solid rocket boosters and these solid rocket boosters 10:52 had never been launched 10:56 at a temperature under 12 degrees Celsius. 11:02 The solid rubber o rings were believed 11:05 to harden in such temperatures 11:08 and the engineers of those solid rocket boosters 11:12 at Morton Thiokol were concerned 11:15 over any such launch. 11:19 The evening before the scheduled launch 11:21 engineers from Morton Thiokol along with engineers from NASA 11:26 had a conference call to discuss the launch. 11:29 The Thiokol engineers continued to express 11:34 major concern over the safety of launching the space shuttle. 11:39 They urged 11:42 that they would wait. 11:46 The morning of January 28th was so cold, 11:50 ice covered most of the launch pad 11:53 and several parts of the space shuttle. 11:59 The temperature was negative 2 Celsius, 12:01 28 degrees Fahrenheit. 12:04 Once again a conference call was made. 12:08 They discussed the launch. 12:11 The engineers at Morton Thiokol along with Rockwell, 12:16 the group that oversaw the totality of the shuttle 12:18 experience extreme cautioned 12:21 however under the pressure of finances, 12:24 under the pressure to stay on schedule, 12:28 under the pressure of yet another delay... 12:34 they decided to go forward. 12:38 There was the right, and prudent, 12:39 and safe thing to do. 12:42 And then there was that which pressure 12:44 dictated they would do. 12:48 Roger Boisjoly one of the main engineers 12:50 had studied and he knew 12:52 that there would be certain disaster. 12:54 He was so certain that there would be disaster, 12:56 he would not even watch the launch. 13:00 He believed that the space shuttle 13:02 would explode right on the launch pad. 13:05 At 11:38 am Eastern Time on January the 28th, 1986, 13:11 the Space Shuttle Challenger fired its three main engines, 13:15 the solid rocket boosters fired, 13:17 the hydrogen vent arm retracted, 13:20 but did not latched, 13:21 however it did not strike the vehicle. 13:25 To the shock of Roger Boisjoly, 13:28 the shuttle actually lifted off. 13:32 However, he nor anyone else noticed 13:35 the small black plume of smoke, 13:38 it was only after in slow motion replay 13:42 that they were able to see it, 13:44 the shuttle after it lifted from the launch pad 13:47 climbed higher and still higher. 13:51 But unbeknownst to the ground crew 13:53 or the crew on board at 37seconds into the flight, 13:57 gases began to escape 13:59 the solid rocket boosters. 14:04 A stronger than normal wind shifted the vehicle, 14:07 the gap between the joints 14:12 widened and more gas leaked. 14:17 Now there was a flame coming from the solid rocket booster, 14:21 hydrogen was now leaking from the external tank, 14:24 no one knew that there was a problem. 14:27 At 68 seconds into the launch, Commander Dick Scobee 14:31 answers Roger at throttle up. 14:34 At 72.5 seconds into the flight 14:37 the space shuttle suddenly jerks 14:40 in an acceleration. 14:43 At 73 seconds, just under 73 seconds 14:46 pilot Mike Smith says 14:49 uh-oh. 14:52 And at 73.142 seconds into the flight, 14:56 the dome of the external tank failed 14:58 as one of the solid rocket boosters 15:00 broke forth and struck it, 15:02 the external tank released its hydrogen and oxygen 15:05 all at once and instantly ignited the shuttle 15:09 and disintegrated it in the sky. 15:11 At 73.12... 15:13 excuse me 162 seconds the entire vehicle 15:18 was in pieces, 15:21 except for the ominous two solid rocket boosters 15:27 as they strayed 15:28 from the disintegrating shuttle. 15:31 On that day, 15:34 Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, 15:39 Ellison Onizuka, 15:42 Judith Resnik, 15:44 Ronald McNair, 15:46 Gregory Jarvis 15:49 and the teacher Christa McAuliffe, 15:52 all of them died 15:57 because of the decision of leaders to go, 16:02 instead of waiting. 16:05 They placed money, efficiency, 16:08 and busy schedules above the safety 16:12 and the very lives 16:14 of seven astronauts. 16:19 Just two days later, 16:21 the temperature returned to normal. 16:26 And they would have been able to launch in safety 16:29 if they would have simply followed that one word, 16:34 "Wait." 16:36 Dear friends, could it be that this tragic story 16:41 contains a vital lesson to us here 16:44 at GYC 2017. 16:47 Could it be that while the call 16:50 is to arise and shine, 16:55 there is a certain key element that must come first? 17:01 Could it be that the rising 17:02 to action must be preceded by something? 17:09 Today, we will open the scriptures 17:12 and seek an answer to this all important question. 17:17 Let's pray together. 17:26 Heavenly Father, 17:27 we have gathered here this evening. 17:29 We come as a generation longing for Your work 17:32 on this earth to be finished. 17:35 We have come here to Phoenix 17:37 longing for You to answer the most fundamental questions 17:40 in each of our lives. 17:42 We have come here yearning for the ultimate answer, 17:46 how will You use each of us in finishing Your work 17:50 in us and through us. 17:53 Please dear God, answer that prayer today, 17:57 in Jesus' name, 18:00 amen. 18:03 If you have your Bibles with you, 18:04 I'd invite you to open to the Isaiah 60. 18:09 Isaiah 60:1 and 2. 18:13 It is the theme of this very conference 18:17 you are attending. 18:19 Reading from the New King James Version, 18:21 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, 18:25 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 18:29 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, 18:32 and deep darkness the people: 18:34 but the Lord will arise over you, 18:36 and His glory will be seen upon you." 18:45 Rise and shine. 18:50 It is the gospel commission, the commission to go, 18:55 the word arise appears 18:56 in the New King James Version 143 times. 19:00 And of those 143 times the word arise 19:03 is accompanied by the word go, 99 of them. 19:07 You see, it's natural to arise and go, 19:11 to arise and take action. 19:16 However, before we grab our Bibles and dash off, 19:21 there's an all important word 19:23 that comes after the word shine. 19:27 Arise and shine and what's the next word, 19:32 for, for your light has come. 19:36 That is the Hebrew word key. 19:39 It is a word that has assertive value. 19:41 It introduces something that is the result 19:44 of some other fact or action. 19:50 The word here says 19:52 before you arise and shine, 19:55 something needs to happen. 19:58 And it is here, in fact, that Isaiah 20:01 is presenting a universal ever present, 20:04 everlasting principle of the kingdom of God, 20:08 and that is this. 20:10 Before you arise, 20:13 He must arise. 20:16 It is that phrase, for your light has come 20:19 we cannot ignore it. 20:21 And I will tell you, 20:23 this is a reality that I struggle with. 20:26 I'm a person of action. 20:28 Before the word go is said, I'm up on my feet and moving. 20:33 But the principle here 20:36 that God is trying to teach us 20:37 is that before we go, we must wait, 20:41 we must wait upon Jesus Christ, we must wait upon the Father, 20:45 we must wait upon the Holy Spirit. 20:48 In fact, in every great moment of salvation history, 20:52 you have this very time of waiting. 20:56 Before the children of Israel made 20:58 their Exodus out of Egypt, 21:00 there came the Passover table. 21:03 Before Israel made their conquest 21:07 into the Promised Land, there was a time of dedication 21:11 in which they all committed themselves to God. 21:14 And before the disciples left on their commission 21:17 to go ye into all the world, 21:21 there was the upper room. 21:24 And I wonder tonight out loud, could it be 21:27 that the great challenge we face, 21:29 the great challenge we face 21:30 in God finishing the work on this earth 21:33 in our generation begins with us. 21:38 Could it be that many of us want to experience 21:41 the power of Latter Rain Pentecost 21:43 outpouring without first 21:46 spending time in the upper room, 21:50 without first laying ourselves before God? 21:54 The passage says, arise and shine 21:57 because it is absolutely essential 22:02 that the light of God has come 22:04 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us. 22:08 We in and of ourselves have no light to share. 22:12 We can only reflect the glory of the Lord's light 22:17 coming upon us. 22:19 This word light is the same Hebrew word 22:22 used in Genesis 1 at the creation of the world 22:26 when God creates light. 22:30 Light is the opposite of darkness. 22:34 Which is why verse 2 goes on to say, 22:35 "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth 22:38 and deep darkness the people, 22:39 but the Lord will arise over you." 22:43 The only hope of the dark world that we live in today 22:46 is that the Lord would arise on each and every one of us. 22:51 God solution to the darkness of this world to the darkness 22:55 that may exist in your life 22:58 is that He must arise. 23:03 This light of God is critical. 23:06 In the ancient world, 23:08 many cultures worshiped the sun. 23:13 But Genesis 1 makes it clear that God is not the sun, S-U-N, 23:19 He is separate from the sun, He created the sun, 23:22 He created the light. 23:25 This is why, in fact, 23:27 that light was created separately 23:31 from the sun. 23:33 The light generated by the sun is, in fact, 23:36 a creation of God Himself. 23:41 The light generated by the sun 23:45 is only able to happen 23:50 by God's creating that light. 23:53 Light points directly to the reality 23:55 that God is the creator of all things, 23:58 He is the author. 24:01 You see in order for us to arise and shine, 24:03 He must arise upon each of us. 24:06 Our shining has nothing to do with self produced light. 24:10 The only way we can shine is to reflect the glory of God. 24:14 The reason we reflect that light 24:16 is because the light of the glory of God 24:18 has risen upon us. 24:20 He must arise. 24:23 The Israelites depended upon the light of God 24:26 as the pillar of fire that gave them guidance 24:30 through the darkness. 24:32 Throughout the Bible God's light 24:34 arising in our lives 24:36 is actually the very key to our survival. 24:42 But what is God's light? 24:44 What does it mean for His glory 24:48 to be upon us? 24:49 What does it mean for His light to arise over us? 24:54 There are several passages of scripture 24:57 that will help us understand what this really means. 25:01 In Numbers 6:25, 25:06 the priestly blessing. 25:11 You know it well, 25:12 "The Lord make his face to shine upon you 25:17 and be gracious to you." 25:20 That phrase actually occurs five times in addition 25:23 to Numbers 6:25 throughout the Book of Psalms. 25:30 It is that word, that phrase, 25:32 the Lord make His face to shine upon you, 25:35 is the asking for God's saving 25:37 and restoring presence to be with His people 25:41 because God's presence dispels 25:44 and destroys darkness, 25:48 so the light of God is salvation and restoration. 25:53 He must arise. 25:57 In Psalm 4:6. 26:02 Psalm 4:6, 26:05 there are many who say, 26:08 "Who will show us any good? 26:10 Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us." 26:14 God's light is His goodness. 26:19 He must arise. 26:22 Psalm 27:1, 26:26 "The Lord is my light and my salvation, 26:28 whom shall I fear? 26:29 The Lord is the strength of my life 26:31 of whom shall I be afraid?" 26:34 God's light is salvation and strength. 26:38 He must arise. 26:43 In Psalm 36:7, 26:45 "How precious is your lovingkindness, O, God! 26:48 Therefore, the children of men put their trust 26:50 under the shadow of your wings, they are abundantly satisfied 26:55 with the fullness of your house and you give them drink 26:58 from the river of your pleasures, 26:59 for with you is the fountain of light in... 27:02 excuse me, the fountain of life 27:05 in Your light 27:07 we see light." 27:09 You see, God's light is the fountain of life. 27:14 He must arise. 27:17 Psalm 89:15. 27:21 "Blessed are the people 27:24 who know the joyful sound, 27:27 they walk a Lord in the light of Your countenance, 27:30 in Your name they rejoice all day long, 27:32 and in Your righteousness they are exulted, 27:35 God's light is His righteousness. 27:39 He must arise." 27:45 Psalm 119:105, you know it well, 27:49 let's say it together. 27:51 "Your word is a lamp 27:55 unto my feet and a light 27:58 to my path." 27:59 You see God's light is His Word. 28:04 He must arise. 28:07 Proverbs 6:23, 28:10 "For the commandment is a lamp, 28:11 and the law a light, 28:13 reproofs of instruction are the way of life." 28:16 God's light is His law. 28:20 He must arise. 28:24 In summary as we look at these texts 28:26 and the many others speaking of the light of God. 28:30 God's light, the light of God 28:32 that must arise over us is His very character. 28:37 His character, 28:38 His very presence 28:40 must arise over us. 28:45 But what is this practically mean? 28:49 What does the reality of God arising 28:52 in our life look like? 28:56 King David provides in part 28:59 an answer to that question. 29:02 King David's life is one of extremes. 29:08 His life gives us hope that in the midst of failure, 29:11 the Lord can still rise upon us 29:14 and redeem us from the ashes. 29:19 But the story of David 29:21 after his great fall with Bathsheba, 29:25 and then his restoration before God, 29:27 his life still demonstrates a struggle. 29:30 He struggled to live the life that God had in fact for him 29:35 and had in store for him 29:39 because of David's sin with Bathsheba. 29:42 And the fact that he struggled to be restored fully in God 29:45 and allow God to fully arise in his life. 29:48 He felt that he was not able to rule in the way 29:51 that he should. 29:53 He lost the confidence of the people, 29:55 he lost the confidence of his family 29:57 and most especially, 29:58 he lost the confidence and respect of his sons. 30:04 You see because when David saw others do things 30:10 for which he had set the example of in his sin, 30:15 it was difficult for him to reprove them. 30:19 His sense of shame constantly hung over him. 30:24 And he did not lead as he was called to lead. 30:29 You know the story well. 30:31 Later in the reign of King David, 30:33 a terrible thing happened. 30:36 David's son Amnon 30:39 forced himself on his own sister Tamar 30:42 and violated her. 30:46 The Bible says that David was angry. 30:50 But what is more chilling is what the Bible does not say. 30:55 There is the absence of David doing anything. 30:58 David did nothing. 31:04 And so Absalom as you well know killed Amnon. 31:10 An Absalom's act 31:14 also went unpunished. 31:18 And then Absalom began to formulate his plan. 31:22 How he would deceive the people 31:27 and become king. 31:30 Absalom rebelled against his father 31:32 and through various forms of deceit 31:34 and nefarious activities, 31:37 Absalom was named the King and David fled. 31:42 And it is here 31:44 where something interesting happens 31:47 and teaches us the importance of God 31:52 arising over us. 31:55 As David traveled out of the city. 32:00 2 Samuel 15 32:03 records 32:06 something fascinating. 32:10 2 Samuel 15:24. 32:14 The Bible says this, "There was Zadok also, 32:19 and all the Levites with him 32:20 bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God, 32:22 and they set down the ark of God, 32:24 and Abiathar went up unto, until all the people 32:28 had finished crossing over from the city. 32:31 Then the King speaking of David said to Zadok, 32:36 'Carry the ark of God back into the city. 32:39 If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, 32:42 he will bring me back and show me both it 32:45 and his dwelling place.'" 32:49 What? 32:51 Why would David 32:53 send the Ark of the Covenant 32:56 back to Jerusalem? 32:59 And I don't want you to miss this. 33:02 Why would he not want with him the great article 33:06 that had led to so many victories? 33:11 Don't miss it. 33:14 You see David knew. 33:16 David knew in his heart 33:18 that the ark alone 33:21 would not ensure victory. 33:25 The ark was not some magic filled box 33:29 that guaranteed victory, 33:31 but the ark was about something vital, 33:34 the ark was about the very presence of God. 33:39 And David knew that in this quest 33:42 that he was about to be on 33:44 that as he was removed physically as king, 33:48 there was something far greater going on here. 33:51 There was a spiritual warfare going on. 33:55 There was a spiritual battle because David knew 33:59 that more than needing the ark, and article, and symbol 34:04 what he needed is a right heart before God. 34:10 And so David knew, he must lead his people 34:12 and himself to have a right heart 34:15 through the presence of God and him arising over them, 34:19 that is what would bring true victory. 34:22 And the Bible records where David went next. 34:26 David didn't go and sulk in the corner. 34:30 Verse 30 says, 34:31 "So David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives," 34:37 and listen, "and wept as he went up. 34:41 And he had his head covered and went barefoot. 34:46 And all the people who were with him 34:48 covered their heads 34:50 and went up weeping as they went up." 34:57 David in this act of humility before God, 35:01 lays it before God in verse 32 then records, 35:05 now it happened when David had come 35:09 to the top of the mountain. 35:11 What did he do? 35:13 He worshipped God. 35:18 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 735 says this, 35:21 "Upon reaching the top of the Mount, 35:23 the king bowed in prayer, 35:25 casting upon God the burden of his soul 35:28 and humbly supplicating divine mercy." 35:32 And it is there that it is believed 35:34 that David had the experience recorded 35:36 in Psalm 43 that Justin read earlier, 35:40 "Vindicate me, O, God and plead my cause 35:44 against an ungodly nation. 35:46 O, deliver me from the deceitful 35:48 and unjust man, 35:50 for you are the God of my strength. 35:52 Why do you cast me off? 35:54 Why do I go mourning 35:55 because of the oppression of the enemy?" 35:58 And here it is, 36:00 "O, send your light and your truth. 36:04 Let them lead me, 36:06 let them bring me to your Holy hill 36:09 and to your tabernacle, 36:11 then I will go to the altar of God 36:13 to God my exceeding joy 36:16 and on the harp I will praise you, 36:17 O, God, my God," 36:20 the prayer of David in the midst of crisis. 36:24 "Lord, send Your light and send Your truth." 36:29 David knew before anything else 36:31 that the light of the glory of the Lord 36:34 must arise upon him, transform his life, 36:37 and make him new. 36:40 Because David knew that before he could arise, 36:44 God must arise. 36:46 The light illumines the darkness, 36:49 truth defines the way, God sends His light 36:52 in His truth to lead him to himself, 36:55 to lead us to the son who is light and truth. 37:00 Only God's light can dispel darkness, 37:04 only God's light can dispel the darkness of grief 37:07 and depression. 37:11 The light of God brings deliverance, healing, 37:15 and guidance back into His presence 37:21 where we can worship Him in spirit 37:25 and in truth. 37:28 You see God must be first. 37:30 He must be above everything else, 37:32 His character, His law, His word, His truth, 37:36 it all must be all in all. 37:38 You see, David desired more 37:41 than just a symbol of His presence with the ark. 37:45 David desired to be 37:47 in the very presence of God. 37:51 He desired that presence, that real presence 37:54 that comes through an encounter 37:57 with His Word. 38:01 How can we have such an encounter? 38:04 How can we have the Lord to rise over us? 38:07 How can we have the light of the Lord to arise over us? 38:12 1 John 1 describes that experience. 38:16 1 John 1:1-4, 38:21 the experience that John wrote about 38:25 that which was from the beginning. 38:28 Notice the sequence which we have heard 38:33 that which we have seen with our eyes 38:36 that which we have looked upon 38:37 and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. 38:41 The life was manifested, 38:42 and we have seen, and bear witness, 38:44 and declare to you that eternal life 38:47 which was with the father and was manifested to us, 38:50 that which we have, what does it say there? 38:52 Seeing and what? 38:54 Heard. 38:55 We declare to you 38:57 that you also may have fellowship with us. 38:59 And truly our fellowship is with the Father 39:01 and with His Son Jesus Christ. 39:03 And those things we write to you 39:05 that your joy may be full, you want your joy to be full, 39:09 then God needs to arise 39:12 that we would experience His very presence. 39:15 The experience of John 39:17 the Apostle is one where they saw, 39:20 where they heard, where they handled. 39:24 How can we have such an experience? 39:28 Some of us will say... 39:33 Jesus is no longer here. 39:35 I can't see Him, I can't hear Him, 39:39 I can't handle Jesus. 39:43 Jesus makes an interesting comment about 39:46 how you can experience His presence fully. 39:53 John 16:7. 39:58 Jesus speaking to His disciples 40:00 just before His crucifixion said these words... 40:10 "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, 40:16 it is to your..." 40:18 What does it say there? 40:20 "It is to your advantage that I go away, 40:23 for if I do not go away, 40:26 the helper will not come to you. 40:27 But if I depart, 40:30 I will send him to you." 40:34 That word there advantage 40:38 is the word literally translated helpful, 40:41 better, more profitable, more expedient. 40:46 You see Jesus says that it is more profitable 40:49 that He departed this earth for you and for me 40:52 that we would have the experience 40:54 of His divine presence through the Holy Spirit. 40:59 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us 41:02 how we have that experience with Jesus. 41:07 All scripture, how much of scripture? 41:10 All scripture is what inspired by who? 41:15 The Holy Spirit. 41:17 You see the Holy Spirit inspired men and women 41:22 to write the words of this very book 41:25 that we would have an experience 41:26 that Jesus Himself describes as more advantageous 41:30 than the disciples who walked with Him. 41:33 Through His Word we can see Jesus, 41:35 and hear Jesus, and handle Jesus, 41:39 and that the light of God would arise over us. 41:45 We would experience the real presence of God 41:47 through His Word. 41:50 You see the most miserable Christians, 41:52 the most miserable Adventists on this planet 41:55 are those who know of Christ, but are not living in Him. 42:00 They have not had Jesus arisen over them. 42:04 They have the worst of both worlds, 42:07 they are no longer satisfied in their old life 42:09 yet neither are they satisfied in the Lord. 42:13 It is only in the presence of the God 42:16 where real joy comes 42:18 and the work of restoration leads 42:22 to that joy 42:23 that's inexpressible in Jesus Christ. 42:30 David understood. 42:33 In order that he would arise, 42:37 God must arise first. 42:41 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 738 says this, 42:44 "Had God permitted David to go on in unrebuke sin 42:50 and while transgressing the divine precepts 42:52 to remain in peace and prosperity upon his throne, 42:56 the skeptic and infidel might have had some excuse 42:59 for citing the history of David 43:01 as a reproach to the religion of the Bible. 43:04 But in the experience 43:05 through which he caused David to pass, 43:07 the Lord shows that He cannot tolerate or excuse sin. 43:12 And David's history enables us to see also the great ends 43:17 which God has in view in His dealings with sin. 43:21 It enables us to trace even through darkest judgments 43:25 the working out of his purposes of mercy and beneficent." 43:30 You see the promise of God's Word in Malachi 4:2, 43:34 "But to you who fear my name, 43:37 the son of righteousness will arise 43:43 with healing in his wings." 43:45 This word healing literally is translated restoration, 43:49 health, remedy, deliverance, and forgiveness. 43:53 You see when God is first when He arises, 43:56 He brings healing. 44:00 When God is first, 44:03 when His real presence exists in our life, 44:07 we know more than just about Jesus, 44:10 but we actually know Jesus. 44:14 John 3:17, 44:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world 44:19 to condemn the world, but that the world through Him 44:22 might be saved." 44:24 The Greek word Sozo translated salvation, 44:28 but also translated to be made well. 44:32 You see Jesus wants you to be well. 44:37 And as He arises over you 44:40 and restores you physically, mentally, spiritually 44:45 that then you would be able to arise and shine. 44:50 His real presence is in direct contrast 44:53 to the temporal satisfaction of human or earthly joy 44:57 that stands in the way 45:02 of God arising in our lives 45:04 and for us to experience the unchanging, 45:08 always dependable beauty of the light 45:11 of the glory of God. 45:14 Are you hurting today? 45:16 Invite Jesus to arise over your life. 45:19 Are you depressed today? 45:21 Invite God's light to come into your life. 45:27 Are you living a life that is dominated 45:29 by two masters? 45:30 Allow Christ to be first in your life. 45:36 His Word, His law, His joy, His character 45:39 to be first and foremost in your life. 45:44 Darkness is eradicated by the light. 45:50 Could it be that the great darkness 45:52 that exists on this planet is in direct correlation 45:56 to the lack of God's light in God's church? 46:00 Could it be that the darkness that exists on this planet 46:04 before we point fingers at church leaders 46:07 is in actual direct correlation 46:10 to a lack of God's light, 46:13 in my own life? 46:16 He must arise with healing in His wings, 46:21 through the light of His glory. 46:23 What will you do? 46:24 Will you allow Him to a rise in your life? 46:32 During the ministry of Jesus, 46:33 He and His disciples needed to return to Galilee. 46:38 But the Bible says that Jesus needed to go to Samaria. 46:44 You see, He needed to go through this land 46:46 that the Jews despised. 46:48 He needed to walk on this ground that 46:51 other Jews wouldn't step foot on 46:53 because their hated Samaritan cousins live there. 46:58 And there He met the woman at the well. 47:02 She drew water late in the day so she could avoid any stares 47:07 and smears, so she could avoid overhearing 47:10 the salacious gossip about her. 47:12 She was a woman who was hurting physically, emotionally, 47:17 mentally, and spiritually. 47:21 Society saw her as trash, 47:24 as an outcast. 47:27 Jesus saw her as a missionary. 47:31 He wanted to call her to arise and shine. 47:35 But before she could arise and shine, 47:40 He needed to arise in her life. 47:45 And there next to that well, 47:47 Jesus offered to arise in her bruised, ruined, 47:52 and wasted life and said those words, 47:57 "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. 48:02 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him 48:06 will never thirst again. 48:09 But the water that I shall give him 48:12 will become in him a fountain of water springing up 48:15 into everlasting life." 48:19 It's the same principle, 48:20 but a different analogy. 48:24 You see before you can provide for the thirsty, 48:29 you must first drink 48:33 from the river flowing from Jesus Christ. 48:38 He must arise, 48:42 so only then that you can arise. 48:47 And then once you arise, you will shine. 48:52 We'll discuss those two things in the next two nights. 48:56 But tonight, 48:59 He must arise. 49:04 What holds you back? 49:06 Are you thirsty? 49:08 Come and drink. 49:11 Let Him arise. 49:13 Are you desperate for Him to arise? 49:17 What will you do? 49:20 Tonight if it's your desire 49:22 that the Lord would arise 49:25 in your life, 49:27 I'd invite you to stand. 49:30 Now as you stand, 49:34 I want to let you know that the next 49:37 three nights that we are together. 49:39 Going to make an appeal, every single night give you 49:41 an opportunity to respond. 49:45 Tonight the Advent Heralds are going to sing. 49:49 And I'm making three specific appeals. 49:53 Very specific. 49:56 Tonight, if you've not been baptized 49:58 and you sense your need for the Lord 49:59 to arise in your life, that His character 50:03 would arise over you and envelop you 50:05 that you would be His and He would be yours. 50:09 Tonight, if you want to commit yourself 50:10 to prepare to be baptized, I invite you to come forward. 50:15 Maybe you're here tonight, 50:18 you were baptized very young and you know that 50:20 you have strayed far from the Lord. 50:23 And you need to rededicate yourself in a special way, 50:27 I invite you to come forward. 50:29 Second appeal, if you've come to GYC, 50:33 looking for God to answer a specific prayer in your life, 50:37 I don't know what it is or what it is for, 50:40 it's not a general appear, 50:42 you've come here with a specific prayer 50:45 you want to answer. 50:47 Tonight I invite you to come forward, 50:48 I want to pray with you. 50:50 And third, 50:53 if you've heard God speak to you 50:54 tonight in a special way, that still small voice 50:58 saying to you 50:59 that there's something preventing Him 51:01 from arising in your life, 51:03 maybe it's a relationship, maybe it's a habit, 51:09 whatever it may be tonight, God's calling you 51:13 and convicting you to come forward and reprioritize. 51:17 He would be first 51:19 and He would arise in your life you come forward. 51:24 And continue coming forward as the Advent Herald sing, 51:28 "There is a fountain." 51:49 There is a river 51:56 And it flows 51:58 From deep within 52:05 There 52:08 Is a fountain 52:15 That frees the soul 52:19 From sin 52:24 Come to this 52:29 Water 52:32 There is a vast 52:37 Supply 52:42 There is a river 52:50 That never 52:53 Shall run dry 53:00 There was 53:02 A thirsty woman 53:10 She was drawing 53:13 From the well 53:19 See, Her life was ruined 53:24 And wasted 53:28 And her soul 53:31 Was bound for hell 53:37 But then 53:40 She met the master 53:47 And He told 53:49 Of her sin 53:56 He said, if you drink 54:01 This water 54:04 You'll never 54:08 Thirst again 54:15 There is 54:19 A river 54:23 And it flows 54:26 From deep within 54:33 There is 54:37 A fountain 54:42 That frees the soul 54:45 From sin 54:51 Come to 54:55 This water 54:59 There is a vast 55:04 Supply 55:09 There is 55:13 A river 55:17 That never shall 55:22 Run dry 55:35 Do you believe there's a river 55:38 and that it will never run dry. 55:42 He's called us to arise and shine. 55:45 Well, before we arise and shine, 55:47 He must arise in our lives. 55:50 Tonight, I'm going to pray for all of you 55:52 if you have come forward for baptism, 55:55 I want you to make sure 55:58 to come right over to this side of the platform. 56:02 There's someone there that wants to scan your tag 56:06 so we can follow up. 56:09 Is also a number that will appear on the screen 56:11 that you can text in so someone can follow up. 56:15 We cannot leave GYC with a half baked decision. 56:21 God's calling us to follow 56:25 all the way through. 56:28 He will arise. 56:30 We will arise. 56:32 And we will shine. 56:35 Let us pray. 56:38 Heavenly Father, 56:42 do You want to finish the work of the gospel 56:46 on this earth in this generation. |
Revised 2018-08-09