Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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The Truth As It Is In
Jesus with Ron Halvorsen.
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Hello and welcome to
the 3ABN Worship Center.
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And thank you for
joining us for Anchors Of Truth.
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I also just want to say a
big "thank you" for those of you
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around the world that
are watching and supporting,
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praying for 3ABN and
supporting us financially,
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as we endeavor to take
this gospel of the kingdom
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into all the world.
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I'm thankful for our home
church, for those of you that
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come week after week,
those of you that support.
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Many of you work at 3ABN.
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Many of you are
from the communities.
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This has been a great series.
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Elder Gilley, and I think John,
C.A., and a number of others
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said we need something.
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And we had been talking
about our Pillars Of Faith.
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We've done a Pillars
Of Faith series in music.
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We've done a Pillars hymns.
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And they said we need to keep
getting truth out to the world
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because that's what we
as Seventh-day Adventists
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believe that our message
is; to take present truth
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into all the world.
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Am I right?
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And so, we can do
that in a number of ways.
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And one of the ways is to
take advantage of the wonderful
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facility that God has given us
right here in southern Illinois,
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West Frankfort,
Thompsonville area,
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the 3ABN Worship Center.
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That we literally have
the cameras, the equipment,
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and can take this gospel to
the kingdom around the world.
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I'm amazed that this
signal will go up today,
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22,300 miles to space.
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It'll hit ten different
satellites around the world
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and virtually
anywhere on planet earth.
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Where there is
people inhabited continents,
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people will get this
signal and can watch it.
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I've been in those recently.
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I was down in Australia and New
Zealand and could watch 3ABN.
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Half way around the world.
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It took me 30 some
hours, from the time
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I left home to get there.
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But you turn on the
channel and it's a good crisp
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channel coming out.
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And those of you out
here that work at 3ABN,
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a good clear
picture is everywhere.
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I was in Chile some time
ago with Jorge and others
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and we saw the
signals down there.
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So God has blessed.
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And we have a
message to take to the world.
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It's the undiluted
three angels messages.
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One that would
counteract the counterfeit.
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And today, Elder
Halvorsen is part of that.
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We have him as our speaker.
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Formally introducing
him, he's a prayer coordinator
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for It Is Written.
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It says he's going to
Las Vegas to do prayer walks
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for the upcoming series there.
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But he's also an author
as well as an evangelist.
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He has, From Gangs To God.
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That's a very interesting
book. It's a great book.
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His story is incredible.
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And also, Prayer Warriors.
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Which all of us
need to read this.
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I think it helps tune us
up for the power of prayer.
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And so, Elder
Halvorsen and his wife.
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I'm glad that she's here.
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I hadn't really met her
before, but we've had some time
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to get to know each other.
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Wonderful people.
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Wonderful man of
God, a couple of God,
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who has been in
evangelism for 50 some years.
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The devil has tried to
kill him in a number of ways,
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but he's still here.
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Still giving the
gospel message to the world.
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That's what it's
all about, isn't it.
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What I'm going to do is ask
you at home, if you want to,
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and those of you here, if
you want to bow your heads
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with me today.
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We're going to ask God's
blessings on this program.
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Heavenly Father, we thank
You today for Your blessings
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and Your love and
Your plan of salvation,
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for this beautiful Sabbath
day that we can worship You.
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And Lord, we pray today for the
anointing of Your Holy Spirit
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upon everything that's said
and done in this service today.
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And we pray that
You'll bless Elder Halvorsen
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as he's never
been blessed before,
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and those that are
listening around the world.
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You've already prepared
their hearts, our hearts.
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Because no matter how
long we've been serving You,
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there's always something that
we can do to draw closer to You.
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And help us to be open
today to the truth that we'll be
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hearing today
about salvation and You.
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In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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They've asked me to sing a song.
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And I'm going to do a little
song that the Lord gave me
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this past year
entitled, All My Praise.
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All my praise,
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I give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a sanctuary
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so deep within my heart.
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And all my praise
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I offer up to You.
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I love You Lord,
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oh how I love You Lord.
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I bear my heart and soul to You.
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I'm an empty broken vessel
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filled with
hurt and pain inside.
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Still I offer up
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all my praise to You.
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Fill me Lord,
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oh please fill me Lord
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with Your Holy Spirit.
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Fill me now.
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For I long for Your anointing
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that I may work for You.
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Fill me Lord,
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touch me Lord just now.
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All my praise,
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I give You all my praise.
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That's all I have to offer You.
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I now build a sanctuary
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so deep within my heart.
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And all my praise
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I offer up to You.
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Oh, and all my praise
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I offer up to You.
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That's beautiful, isn't it.
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Give Him all our
praise, give Him all our praise.
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First, I want to take a
little time to welcome our
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viewing audience, wherever
they are around the world.
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We welcome you to
this very special series
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on Anchored In The
Truth As It Is In Jesus.
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This is the fourth
in a series of five.
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This afternoon at 3:00 o'clock,
I'll expound the Word of God
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and take you back again
to Jesus and the promise;
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coming again.
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When the New
Testament Christians met,
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they use to say, "Maranatha."
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"Maranatha."
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"Jesus is coming again."
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I don't know about you, but
I've been excited as I've been
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looking at Jesus and seeing Him
in a different way every evening
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and afternoon.
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This afternoon I'm
looking forward to it.
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I love to talk about Jesus.
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In fact, I was at a church and I
had been there about two years.
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And after I had
finished preaching about Jesus,
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I came off the platform
and a woman came up to me
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and she looked
a little agitated.
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Well she was flat mad, I guess.
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But anyway.
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She said, "Pastor, all
you do is preach about Jesus."
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I said, "Thank you, ma'am."
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And I went on my way.
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What else is worth preaching?
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Every Bible message
should begin and end with Jesus.
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Today's message perhaps
will shock you, some of you.
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Perhaps if you like
these pretty little messages
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with bubbling brooks and,
you know, positive attitudes,
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and sweet and sugary words,
this sermon is not for you.
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The Truth About Radical Grace.
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Let's bow our heads
in a word of prayer.
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Gracious Father, I thank
You for the love of Christ.
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The love that brings us together
from different walks of life,
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from different churches,
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from different
areas of theology,
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to bring us
together in one purpose.
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And that's to know
Jesus Christ better.
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I pray, God, that You will
speak to us through Your Word
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as You spoke unto me as
I wrote these words down.
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And now, bless this service
to Your honor, to Your glory.
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Until the day we
look in Your face.
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In Christ's name, amen.
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And amen.
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My text this morning is taken
from the book of Ephesians.
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It's one of the great texts
of the entire New Testament.
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In fact, not one text do we have
that explains the eternal gospel
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as this text.
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This text
describes the good news.
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This text describes
and destroys work religion.
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In fact, the Bible
says right here in Ephesians
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the second chapter:
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The Bible tells us
clearly in those words.
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Some years ago, I had
the privilege of attending a
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Sabbath school with my grandson.
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He was 14 years old and he
was into the guitar at the time.
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And he had dedicated
his guitar to the Lord,
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and so he was going to play
special music at Sabbath school.
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So I said, "I'm going to
go be with my grandson and
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listen to that
magnificent solo."
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And so anyway, I arrived
at the Sabbath school and
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he did a great
job, let me tell you.
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Because, you see,
there's an overriding principle,
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and it comes from the text.
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It's not how perfect
its played that matters,
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it's who plays it that matters.
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He's my grandson.
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And that's true of
our spiritual life.
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It isn't your ability,
it's your relationship.
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I stayed in this class
and proudly sat with him
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for the entire lesson.
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A squeaky clean middle
aged man, black suit, dull tie,
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and harsh
countenance, taught his lesson.
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He thumped away at
the kids for 40 minutes.
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The rules and the laws and
obedience and the standards,
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and the rules and
the laws and obedience;
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character development.
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I still wonder how we
can develop bad characters,
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make them better?
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That's English. No,
that's Brooklyn East.
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I know it's not
good English. But anyway.
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Either is that
thinking good theology.
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Well anyway, at the end of
the 40 minutes of listening,
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hoping he would end, boring,
his lecture on do's and don'ts,
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his cultish Christianity,
he ended with this,
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I'll never forget it,
"Now remember, boys and girls,
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God loves good boys and girls."
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And he sat down.
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I wanted to stand up.
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I mean, I wanted
to refute that gospel.
00:13:04.63\00:13:07.23
Like Paul the apostle did
in 2 Corinthians chapter 11
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and verse 4 when he wrote these
words and said these things.
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Another gospel.
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I wanted to read the text
in Ephesians and numerous other
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texts that totally refute
all he was saying to those kids.
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Bible texts, which by the way,
was lacking in the presentation.
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Christ, which was
lacking in the presentation.
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But I shouldn't
have been surprised.
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I mean, it wasn't new to me.
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I've been in this for 50 years.
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I heard it before.
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I heard it from
saintly preachers.
00:14:00.40\00:14:02.97
Sanctimonious preachers laying
their hands on little kids heads
00:14:03.00\00:14:06.52
saying, "God loves
good little boys and girls."
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Sweet sugary words of advice.
00:14:10.12\00:14:13.76
I've been quiet long enough.
00:14:14.60\00:14:16.94
I've watched from a distance.
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I've listened to the crowd.
00:14:20.79\00:14:22.77
And tried to, as my mother
said, "Hold your tongue, son."
00:14:24.24\00:14:28.97
But I can't any longer.
00:14:30.49\00:14:32.08
My heart is sick.
00:14:32.68\00:14:34.16
So I cannot be
silent any longer.
00:14:35.03\00:14:37.26
I'm totally sick of seeing kids
and adults being manipulated,
00:14:37.29\00:14:41.97
emotionally abused, intimidated
by some pious fanatic
00:14:42.00\00:14:47.60
who thinks because they
have memorized a few quotations
00:14:47.63\00:14:50.48
that they have a
right to judge others.
00:14:50.49\00:14:53.07
Injuring godly pastors,
injuring godly administrators,
00:14:54.47\00:14:58.35
injuring church members.
00:14:59.35\00:15:01.57
God does love good little
boys and good little girls.
00:15:02.18\00:15:05.59
But He loves bad little
boys and bad little girls.
00:15:05.62\00:15:09.43
And there are more of
them than there are the good.
00:15:09.46\00:15:12.51
Perhaps if the bad little
girls and the bad little boys
00:15:15.29\00:15:19.04
knew that, they would be
better boys and better girls.
00:15:19.05\00:15:22.60
And that's what makes
Christian God so loving
00:15:24.67\00:15:27.40
and so different from
all the gods of works.
00:15:27.43\00:15:30.88
You see, this sermon is
what I call, "in your face"
00:15:31.13\00:15:33.13
type of sermon.
00:15:33.16\00:15:34.24
I mean, it's a kind of sermon
that won't be accepted by some.
00:15:34.27\00:15:37.61
I mean, especially
the self righteous,
00:15:38.09\00:15:40.24
the pious, the holier than thou.
00:15:40.66\00:15:43.66
I mean, it's not for
the super spiritual elder
00:15:43.69\00:15:46.51
that I found in one
camp meeting recently
00:15:46.54\00:15:49.05
who told me he
hadn't sinned in 5 months.
00:15:49.76\00:15:53.08
I said, "You just did.
00:15:53.11\00:15:54.37
The Bible says that if
you say you have not sinned,
00:15:54.40\00:15:56.24
you're a liar and
the truth is not in you.
00:15:56.27\00:15:57.93
Excuse me." And I walked away.
00:15:57.96\00:16:00.40
I walked away.
00:16:02.47\00:16:03.92
They wouldn't listen anyway.
00:16:04.68\00:16:06.29
It's not for the minister
who abuse their children
00:16:06.87\00:16:09.11
by dressing them as if
they lived in another century,
00:16:09.12\00:16:11.67
another age, humiliating them.
00:16:11.70\00:16:13.58
I mean, acting as if
there dress will assure them
00:16:13.61\00:16:16.28
a place in the kingdom of God.
00:16:16.31\00:16:18.07
They wouldn't listen anyway.
00:16:20.40\00:16:22.16
It's not for the conference
employee who thinks himself
00:16:23.02\00:16:25.69
or herself, or church
leader themselves, important
00:16:25.72\00:16:28.55
and godly because
they run the church.
00:16:28.58\00:16:30.39
I mean, they
wouldn't listen anyway.
00:16:30.40\00:16:32.49
It's not for those who stayed
away from the crowd or the world
00:16:33.30\00:16:36.57
afraid that they
might become like the world
00:16:36.60\00:16:38.84
instead of changing the world.
00:16:38.87\00:16:41.50
They wouldn't listen anyway.
00:16:42.09\00:16:43.87
It isn't for the red hot
zealot who boasts all the time
00:16:44.24\00:16:47.16
about his good
works and the commandments
00:16:47.19\00:16:48.89
I've kept from my youth.
00:16:48.90\00:16:50.10
I mean, we've
read that in the Word.
00:16:50.13\00:16:51.89
It's not for the
fearless or the tearless.
00:16:51.92\00:16:54.89
It's not for the complacent
or the hoisting over their
00:16:55.19\00:16:57.48
shoulders a tote bag
full of honors and degrees,
00:16:57.51\00:17:00.76
as if education, as if
knowledge will get them into
00:17:00.78\00:17:03.70
the kingdom of heaven.
00:17:03.73\00:17:04.92
They won't listen anyway.
00:17:05.02\00:17:07.13
It's not for the legalist,
surely, who would rather
00:17:08.22\00:17:10.45
do it right than do it
at all, who sweat it out,
00:17:10.48\00:17:13.84
who work it out, who try
harder and harder and harder.
00:17:13.87\00:17:16.72
I mean, and
make it harder on us.
00:17:16.75\00:17:19.54
Who live by the laws and
rules as if the laws and rules
00:17:24.16\00:17:27.70
give them right to
enter the kingdom of God.
00:17:27.73\00:17:31.11
Thinking they're right
and everybody else is wrong.
00:17:33.29\00:17:35.94
And they're good and
everybody else is evil.
00:17:36.46\00:17:39.11
Who are fanatical and
who are not really faithful.
00:17:39.67\00:17:42.23
I mean, strong in the
way they feel about things,
00:17:42.26\00:17:45.12
but not strong in the way they
feel about people's feelings.
00:17:45.15\00:17:48.32
They won't listen anyway.
00:17:49.40\00:17:51.19
Then who is this message for?
00:17:51.67\00:17:53.57
As you listen and look
at it on television and
00:17:53.67\00:17:56.09
listen to the
Word of God on radio,
00:17:56.12\00:17:58.19
then who is this message for?
00:17:58.22\00:17:59.72
It's the beat up.
00:17:59.75\00:18:01.15
It's for the bruised.
00:18:02.16\00:18:03.86
It's for the battered.
00:18:04.38\00:18:06.07
It's for the burned
out and the burdened.
00:18:06.52\00:18:09.43
It's for the inconsistent.
00:18:09.46\00:18:12.05
It's for the wobbly, weak
kneed, church member and leader
00:18:12.08\00:18:15.67
and Christian who
don't have it all together.
00:18:15.68\00:18:18.26
I mean, it's for the
poor and the weak and the
00:18:18.29\00:18:20.86
hereditary faults
that limit talents.
00:18:20.89\00:18:24.23
I mean it's for people,
ordinary people like you and me,
00:18:24.26\00:18:27.22
everyday people, earthen
vessels who shuffle along
00:18:27.25\00:18:31.63
on feeble feet of clay.
00:18:31.64\00:18:33.22
Who is this message for?
00:18:34.14\00:18:35.60
It's for the bent over
people, the bruised people.
00:18:36.00\00:18:39.71
It's for that mother in the
tenement who's trying to raise
00:18:40.01\00:18:42.54
five kids in a
Christian atmosphere in a world
00:18:42.57\00:18:45.52
of crack cocaine, in a
world of drive by shootings,
00:18:45.55\00:18:49.66
in a world...
00:18:49.69\00:18:51.37
It's for those who
feel there lives are a
00:18:53.73\00:18:58.41
grave disappointment to God.
00:18:58.42\00:19:00.27
And it's for those
who know they're stupid,
00:19:01.91\00:19:03.97
and down deep they
know they're scalawags.
00:19:04.67\00:19:07.27
Because they do
look in the mirror.
00:19:07.81\00:19:09.71
Now for you today,
this message will either
00:19:11.28\00:19:12.85
bring joy and hope.
00:19:12.86\00:19:13.94
To those it will
bring joy and hope.
00:19:14.94\00:19:16.74
But others, only anger.
00:19:17.27\00:19:19.05
Most of all, it
will be the truth.
00:19:20.24\00:19:22.69
By the way, present truth.
00:19:23.25\00:19:25.33
For Jesus is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
00:19:25.95\00:19:30.37
And it's called, radical grace.
00:19:31.03\00:19:33.98
It's what brought
Sims to know Christ.
00:19:34.55\00:19:38.89
I went to Hawaii.
00:19:38.90\00:19:39.90
The other night I told
you how the brethren use to
00:19:39.91\00:19:42.49
send me to the hard cities and
they'd go to the Philippines.
00:19:42.52\00:19:45.41
They'd go to 10,000,
they'd send me to preach to 100
00:19:46.77\00:19:50.14
in the inner city.
00:19:50.17\00:19:51.18
But anyway, my
friend called me to Hawaii.
00:19:51.64\00:19:54.63
And I went to
Hawaii, and as I do in all my
00:19:54.66\00:19:56.73
evangelistic
crusades, I prayer walk.
00:19:56.76\00:19:59.33
And I always pray for
the meanest, toughest,
00:20:00.63\00:20:02.43
snortenest,
fightenest person in the city.
00:20:02.46\00:20:04.91
Because they make
the best disciples.
00:20:04.94\00:20:07.10
And so I was praying that
God would bring the meanest,
00:20:08.83\00:20:10.82
toughest, snortenest,
fightenest person to the meeting
00:20:10.85\00:20:14.02
and that they might get saved
and give their life to Christ.
00:20:14.05\00:20:16.97
About the second night
in walked Sims, a Samoan.
00:20:17.98\00:20:22.56
I mean, a big Samoan.
00:20:23.46\00:20:25.39
And those
Samoans are really big.
00:20:25.42\00:20:27.54
If you're listening to me
in Samoa, listen, you are big.
00:20:28.50\00:20:33.42
And he came, boom,
boom, boom, down to the front.
00:20:34.26\00:20:37.14
I said, "Lord, here's
the meanest, toughest,
00:20:37.17\00:20:39.65
lookenest, snortenest.
00:20:39.68\00:20:41.02
You answered my prayer."
00:20:41.76\00:20:43.55
All that night I preached,
I preached only to the Samoan.
00:20:44.54\00:20:47.92
There were 1200 people there,
yet I preached to the Samoan.
00:20:47.95\00:20:53.41
And after the
meeting, he came out.
00:20:53.98\00:20:55.42
And I'm usually a
hugger, but whoa, this guy.
00:20:55.72\00:20:59.13
It took me days to get
enough courage to put my arms
00:21:01.25\00:21:03.92
half way around
him, that Samoan.
00:21:03.95\00:21:08.15
But I wish you'd been there
when God took hold of his heart.
00:21:09.08\00:21:12.20
It's for the Sims' of the world.
00:21:13.37\00:21:15.81
When God came into his life and
Jesus took control of his life,
00:21:15.82\00:21:19.92
I wish you had been there.
00:21:19.95\00:21:21.34
You didn't need to
tell him what to do.
00:21:21.37\00:21:23.67
Why are we trying to take away
the work of the Holy Spirit?
00:21:23.70\00:21:27.47
The great problem
with the church today;
00:21:28.66\00:21:30.13
you don't want to catch
fish, you want to clean them.
00:21:30.16\00:21:32.78
That was worth
coming to church for.
00:21:34.30\00:21:35.94
Sims came forward and
gave his life to Christ.
00:21:39.23\00:21:41.80
And you know, I
don't have five day plans,
00:21:42.86\00:21:44.68
ten day plans, to help
people with their tobacco,
00:21:44.71\00:21:46.88
their alcohol, their drugs.
00:21:46.91\00:21:48.11
I have a five minute plan.
00:21:48.12\00:21:49.27
It's found in the book of James.
00:21:49.30\00:21:51.14
The anointing.
00:21:51.42\00:21:52.64
I wish you'd been there
when he brought his crack
00:21:53.01\00:21:55.66
and he brought his marijuana.
00:21:55.69\00:21:57.79
I wish you'd been there when he
brought his fists and alcohol.
00:21:57.80\00:22:00.20
I wish you'd been there when
he brought his shopping bag,
00:22:00.23\00:22:02.61
and he wanted to be
saved and set free from that.
00:22:02.64\00:22:07.04
I wish you'd been there
when I prayed and tears streamed
00:22:07.07\00:22:09.20
down his face.
00:22:09.23\00:22:10.29
I wish you had been there...
00:22:10.32\00:22:12.03
...when the Lord delivered him.
00:22:17.27\00:22:19.04
That young man, in his
first year with the youth group,
00:22:20.45\00:22:24.95
they baptized over a hundred
people in the kingdom of God.
00:22:24.98\00:22:27.62
I just got a phone
call a few months ago.
00:22:28.11\00:22:30.39
He started an
evangelistic meeting.
00:22:30.42\00:22:32.40
He called me
just a few weeks ago.
00:22:32.43\00:22:33.93
He said, "Pastor Ron,
I really feel burdened
00:22:33.94\00:22:36.96
to go into ministry.
00:22:36.98\00:22:37.97
Will you pray for me."
00:22:38.09\00:22:39.14
I'm praying for him
that God will provide for him
00:22:39.17\00:22:41.45
so he can go and
become a minister of the
00:22:41.48\00:22:43.40
gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:22:43.43\00:22:44.57
I tell you, it's
for the down and out.
00:22:44.60\00:22:46.02
It's for the down trodden.
00:22:46.03\00:22:47.38
It's for those who realize
in their heart that without God
00:22:47.41\00:22:50.78
they're lost, they're
damned, they're doomed,
00:22:50.81\00:22:52.66
and they're bound for hell.
00:22:52.69\00:22:54.16
He discovered radical grace.
00:22:57.75\00:22:59.74
Something the church in many
quarters have yet to discover.
00:23:00.52\00:23:04.09
May quarters of the church
today accepts grace in theory,
00:23:04.61\00:23:07.23
but denies it in practice.
00:23:07.24\00:23:09.34
We say that we believe
in the reality of grace,
00:23:09.81\00:23:12.23
but we don't act it.
00:23:12.72\00:23:13.77
The first time I saw grace,
I was a little boy in Brooklyn.
00:23:13.78\00:23:17.29
And I was always in trouble.
00:23:17.73\00:23:19.24
My mother use to say to
me, "You're always in trouble."
00:23:19.79\00:23:22.41
And I was walking by the school,
it was after school hours.
00:23:22.89\00:23:25.99
And I saw a big
rock and I picked it up.
00:23:26.33\00:23:28.17
And I saw the windows, you know.
00:23:28.20\00:23:30.34
And I stood back and threw
the rock through the window.
00:23:32.27\00:23:34.99
And I started to
laugh and I started to run.
00:23:35.02\00:23:37.87
And I ran right into
the arms of the Irish cop
00:23:37.90\00:23:39.89
for 60th precinct.
00:23:39.92\00:23:41.83
He lifted me up, and my
legs and feet were still moving.
00:23:43.18\00:23:46.79
Still moving.
00:23:48.03\00:23:49.49
And he said,
"Young man, you just threw
00:23:50.34\00:23:51.62
a rock through the window."
00:23:51.63\00:23:52.63
I said, "I didn't
do that, officer."
00:23:52.64\00:23:54.04
Come on now.
00:23:54.07\00:23:55.07
He said, "I saw you.
00:23:56.17\00:23:57.43
You're going
down to the precinct.
00:23:58.17\00:24:00.16
You're going to
jail, young man."
00:24:00.44\00:24:02.49
Jail.
00:24:02.77\00:24:04.59
And as he was carrying me
towards the 60th precinct,
00:24:05.48\00:24:07.81
my feet moving, he said
and I thought, "Whoa, jail?
00:24:07.84\00:24:14.58
Black and white stripes.
00:24:14.61\00:24:16.47
My dad would come down. Oh no."
00:24:18.77\00:24:22.13
But then I
thought, "Oh, no not my dad.
00:24:24.53\00:24:26.61
My mom will come down."
00:24:27.24\00:24:29.50
And up the steps
to the 60th precinct.
00:24:32.18\00:24:33.93
And just as we got to
the door, he set me down.
00:24:33.96\00:24:36.75
He looked in my
eyes and he said,
00:24:37.91\00:24:39.25
"Young man, will
you ever do that again?"
00:24:39.28\00:24:40.93
"No, officer. No."
00:24:40.96\00:24:42.82
He said, "Alright, go ahead."
00:24:42.85\00:24:44.18
And I ran as fast as I
could, and I ran toward home.
00:24:44.85\00:24:47.41
Never again, come on.
00:24:48.51\00:24:50.31
Grace.
00:24:52.81\00:24:54.23
An Irish cop taught me grace.
00:24:55.38\00:24:57.92
Unconditional.
00:24:59.11\00:25:00.60
"Go on now.
00:25:01.89\00:25:03.17
Don't do it again."
00:25:04.62\00:25:05.82
Grace is the unmerited
favor of God given... What?
00:25:08.26\00:25:13.08
...freely to sinners.
00:25:13.11\00:25:15.15
We all know that. We quote it.
00:25:15.18\00:25:16.80
We use it to our own benefit.
00:25:17.44\00:25:20.17
But in all practicality, we
deny the unconditional giving
00:25:21.82\00:25:25.25
and such unconditional love.
00:25:26.01\00:25:28.19
We talk glibly
about grace as a gift,
00:25:28.66\00:25:30.95
and then go on with the
buts, "But, but what's my part."
00:25:30.98\00:25:34.04
"But what's...
but, but, but, but."
00:25:34.07\00:25:36.06
The character stuff.
00:25:36.09\00:25:37.77
We're like the Wall
Street Exchange of works
00:25:38.66\00:25:42.71
where our gospel
is just for the elite.
00:25:42.74\00:25:45.30
The elite are honored
and the ordinary are ignored.
00:25:47.24\00:25:51.22
David G. Benner, in his
book, Surrender To Love,
00:25:52.76\00:25:55.05
page 46, says this.
00:25:55.08\00:25:56.86
Listen carefully.
00:25:57.33\00:25:59.96
"Grace is totally
alien to human psychology."
00:25:59.99\00:26:03.95
He goes on to explain.
00:26:04.70\00:26:06.11
"We want to get
our house in order..."
00:26:06.14\00:26:08.73
Come on now.
00:26:08.76\00:26:09.84
"...and then let
God love and accept us.
00:26:09.87\00:26:12.83
The psychology of
works, righteousness,
00:26:12.86\00:26:15.47
and self certification is
fundamental or foundational
00:26:15.50\00:26:19.22
to human psyche and
totally at odds with grace."
00:26:19.25\00:26:23.28
You don't say you
believe in grace and spend the
00:26:24.11\00:26:26.52
rest of your life
trying to pay for it.
00:26:26.55\00:26:29.16
But unconditional love
always demands surrender.
00:26:31.21\00:26:34.44
Example, a person
wanted to be baptized.
00:26:34.54\00:26:36.50
He delays it, he puts it
off. "Don't know enough."
00:26:36.53\00:26:39.47
As if knowledge would
give him the kingdom of heaven.
00:26:39.51\00:26:42.13
"Oh, I can't live that life."
00:26:42.75\00:26:44.91
As if our living, our
living, will give us that life.
00:26:45.24\00:26:51.00
"Well, I have too
many sins in my life."
00:26:51.01\00:26:53.85
As if everybody
baptized didn't have sin.
00:26:53.88\00:26:57.01
I guess that's the reason I'm
baptized, because I have sin.
00:26:57.04\00:27:00.25
"Oh no, I can't be baptized."
00:27:02.43\00:27:04.66
The real reason...
00:27:07.82\00:27:08.99
...is our fear of love.
00:27:11.47\00:27:13.51
Our nature resists
unconditional love.
00:27:16.37\00:27:20.59
We want to
contribute to the deal...
00:27:21.24\00:27:24.27
Come on now.
00:27:24.30\00:27:25.41
...of eternal life.
00:27:26.06\00:27:27.70
My faith, my
effort, my love, my belief.
00:27:27.93\00:27:32.75
But the bottom line is
that perfect love, grace,
00:27:32.78\00:27:36.39
grace love meets me where I am.
00:27:36.42\00:27:38.87
And as only I open my
heart to receive the love which
00:27:38.90\00:27:42.03
I long for, which I need.
00:27:42.06\00:27:43.93
I mean, surrender is
the hardest thing for us.
00:27:43.96\00:27:47.76
And because we do not
really trust in God's grace,
00:27:50.42\00:27:53.28
our love is stifled,
00:27:54.97\00:27:56.52
our freedom is shackled.
00:27:58.24\00:27:59.99
Our lives refute our faith.
00:28:01.20\00:28:02.94
Now there are something
things obvious about the text.
00:28:04.15\00:28:05.94
You don't have
to be a theologian
00:28:05.97\00:28:07.74
or think you need a theologian.
00:28:07.77\00:28:09.39
It's clear as clear,
that we often overlook it.
00:28:10.15\00:28:13.14
Men especially suffer
from this; overlooking things.
00:28:13.87\00:28:16.30
Come on.
00:28:16.33\00:28:17.33
You know, looking for
something and not finding it.
00:28:19.17\00:28:21.15
"Honey," here I am at the
drawer, "I can't find my socks."
00:28:22.65\00:28:29.00
She comes in...
00:28:29.50\00:28:30.50
"Dear, where are my keys?"
00:28:33.90\00:28:36.17
54 years of this.
00:28:37.62\00:28:39.63
"Here."
00:28:40.00\00:28:41.04
Something right in front
of you that you're missing.
00:28:45.02\00:28:46.71
Come on.
00:28:46.72\00:28:47.79
Let's look at the text carefully
with open minds, open hearts.
00:28:49.56\00:28:53.81
Listen.
00:28:53.84\00:28:54.94
Put away your prejudices.
00:28:55.87\00:28:57.45
Your this group and this is this
group and that's that group.
00:28:58.81\00:29:01.55
And then the liberals,
and then the moderates,
00:29:01.56\00:29:03.25
and then the conservatives.
00:29:03.28\00:29:04.32
And who's who and who's what.
00:29:04.33\00:29:05.33
Forget that stuff.
00:29:05.34\00:29:06.82
And let's look at the
text from a heart in need.
00:29:07.57\00:29:11.35
Because we may not all sin
alike, but alike we all sin.
00:29:12.06\00:29:17.02
I should have more
"amens" here, but maybe I'm
00:29:18.50\00:29:20.83
speaking to the wrong group.
00:29:20.86\00:29:22.37
I want you to have spiritual
insight and clear vision.
00:29:25.75\00:29:28.44
To define grace, simply
let me tell you a story.
00:29:30.11\00:29:32.88
Jesus had a way of doing that.
00:29:34.21\00:29:36.22
He took complicated
things and made them simple.
00:29:36.58\00:29:39.23
We too, evangelists
today, we take simple things and
00:29:39.26\00:29:42.49
make them complicated.
00:29:42.50\00:29:43.56
Have you noticed that? Come on.
00:29:43.57\00:29:45.17
We spend more time talking about
angels than we do about Christ.
00:29:46.27\00:29:49.64
We spent more time about
the Pope than about Christ.
00:29:51.00\00:29:53.29
We know more about
the 144,000, so we think,
00:29:53.32\00:29:56.37
than we do about Christ.
00:29:57.40\00:29:59.18
Let me tell you a true story.
00:30:00.01\00:30:01.34
It happened in my city,
New York, a long time ago.
00:30:01.83\00:30:04.65
Mayor LaGuardia, he
served as mayor of New York City
00:30:04.66\00:30:09.57
through World War II.
00:30:10.94\00:30:12.42
He was called "Little
Flower" because he wore a
00:30:13.30\00:30:15.90
little button
flower here on his lapel.
00:30:15.91\00:30:18.73
He wore a sombrero.
00:30:18.76\00:30:19.95
So you know he was a
different individual.
00:30:19.96\00:30:22.14
He was a colorful character.
00:30:24.00\00:30:25.92
He use to ride the
New York City fire trucks,
00:30:25.95\00:30:28.74
and he use to raid the
speakeasy's with the police.
00:30:28.77\00:30:31.95
I mean, he was so
unusual, yet everyone loved him.
00:30:31.98\00:30:35.93
He'd take whole
orphanages to the ball game.
00:30:38.34\00:30:41.37
That's Mayor LaGuardia.
00:30:42.47\00:30:44.71
And when the
newspaper went on strike,
00:30:45.66\00:30:49.23
he read the funnies
over the radio to the
00:30:49.26\00:30:51.51
little children
throughout the city.
00:30:51.54\00:30:53.15
I mean, he was well loved.
00:30:53.18\00:30:54.92
And you can understand why.
00:30:54.95\00:30:56.69
One bitterly cold
night in January 1935,
00:30:57.69\00:31:00.57
the mayor turned
up at a night court
00:31:00.60\00:31:02.57
that served the
poorest ward of the city.
00:31:02.60\00:31:05.11
LaGuardia dismissed the
judge and took the place.
00:31:05.85\00:31:08.59
There, a tattered old lady came
and was brought in before him
00:31:09.58\00:31:14.19
charged with
stealing a loaf of bread.
00:31:14.22\00:31:17.48
She told LaGuardia
that her daughter's husband
00:31:19.15\00:31:21.04
had deserted her,
her daughter was sick,
00:31:21.07\00:31:23.77
and her two
grandchildren were starving.
00:31:23.80\00:31:25.58
So she stole the loaf of bread.
00:31:25.61\00:31:27.82
Now the shopkeeper, he
was very angry because he was
00:31:30.16\00:31:32.29
getting ripped off, I guess.
00:31:32.32\00:31:34.01
And he said, "She has
to be shown, your Honor.
00:31:34.02\00:31:37.76
She has to be punished to
teach other people a lesson."
00:31:37.79\00:31:42.16
LaGuardia sighed.
00:31:43.54\00:31:45.06
He turned to the woman and
said, "I have to punish you.
00:31:45.59\00:31:48.85
The law makes no exception.
00:31:49.88\00:31:51.62
Ten dollars, ten days in jail."
00:31:52.64\00:31:55.20
But before he finished
the sentence, he was reaching
00:31:55.23\00:31:59.49
for his wallet.
00:32:00.23\00:32:01.94
And he took out ten dollars
and dropped it in the sombrero.
00:32:02.19\00:32:05.01
And then he said, "I'm
going to fine every one of you
00:32:05.66\00:32:08.51
fifty cents each for
making it that a little old lady
00:32:08.54\00:32:14.51
has to steal a loaf
of bread in our city
00:32:14.52\00:32:16.71
to feed her
starving grandchildren."
00:32:17.41\00:32:19.21
That is grace.
00:32:19.22\00:32:22.11
Do you get it?
00:32:22.14\00:32:23.36
You get the drift?
00:32:23.39\00:32:25.21
That is grace.
00:32:26.13\00:32:29.88
Give and give him
a standing ovation.
00:32:30.64\00:32:35.27
Because the people,
when he had said that,
00:32:35.30\00:32:38.20
stood and
applauded Mayor LaGuardia.
00:32:38.23\00:32:44.59
You see, if you
really understand the gospel,
00:32:46.20\00:32:48.25
the true gospel, not the false
gospel but the true gospel,
00:32:48.28\00:32:52.26
you'll
understand that good works
00:32:52.29\00:32:54.57
is just a standing ovation for
what God has already done, amen.
00:32:55.13\00:33:01.16
What God has
already done; that's grace.
00:33:01.17\00:33:04.47
Now, three important things
about our text in Ephesians 2
00:33:04.50\00:33:07.27
verses 8 and 9.
00:33:07.30\00:33:08.83
There are three
very important things.
00:33:08.84\00:33:10.72
First of all, the
need of salvation.
00:33:11.09\00:33:14.59
"By grace..."
00:33:15.97\00:33:16.98
It is the means of
grace that we go to heaven.
00:33:16.99\00:33:19.85
Secondly, the way is by
faith; the act of grace.
00:33:19.88\00:33:25.11
And then there is the
reward of our salvation;
00:33:25.14\00:33:27.53
which is the reward of grace.
00:33:27.56\00:33:30.04
There is need of grace, act
of grace, and reward of grace.
00:33:30.18\00:33:33.81
Too many people think
that justification comes by
00:33:33.84\00:33:36.32
faith and by grace,
but then sanctification
00:33:36.35\00:33:39.49
is the work of a lifetime.
00:33:39.52\00:33:41.42
No, it's not the
work of a lifetime.
00:33:41.43\00:33:43.69
It's the work of God working
on our life for a lifetime.
00:33:43.72\00:33:46.97
It's still grace.
00:33:48.09\00:33:50.00
It's still grace, the
unmerited favor of God.
00:33:50.81\00:33:53.60
We don't deserve it.
None of you deserve it.
00:33:53.63\00:33:57.05
I don't deserve it.
00:33:59.22\00:34:00.82
I deserve to be lost.
00:34:01.31\00:34:03.45
But this gracious loving caring
God I've been talking about
00:34:03.94\00:34:06.87
this week, this
gracious God, He gives us grace,
00:34:06.88\00:34:10.45
He gives us the unmerited favor.
00:34:10.48\00:34:12.40
He gives us what He
deserves so that we might
00:34:12.43\00:34:16.59
give Him our hearts.
00:34:16.62\00:34:19.70
Unmerited giving.
00:34:21.93\00:34:25.73
It's a gift from above.
00:34:26.23\00:34:27.33
Never forget that.
00:34:27.34\00:34:28.34
Acceptance based upon
the need and the desire
00:34:28.35\00:34:30.66
of one who receives it.
00:34:30.69\00:34:32.42
It's a new standing before God.
00:34:32.45\00:34:34.71
I was saved, by
the way, in 1954.
00:34:35.14\00:34:38.46
I was 16 years old.
00:34:39.56\00:34:41.27
I was a ruffian kid in
the streets of Brooklyn.
00:34:42.24\00:34:45.76
God saved me that moment.
00:34:45.79\00:34:47.25
By the way, I was not saved
to a degree and now more saved.
00:34:47.28\00:34:51.23
God didn't put a down
payment on your house.
00:34:52.88\00:34:55.16
He paid for it.
00:34:55.17\00:34:56.17
Why do you think you
have to pay a mortgage?
00:34:56.18\00:34:58.61
If He only paid the part
and you have to pay the rest,
00:35:02.03\00:35:04.73
then it's no
longer a gift, is it.
00:35:04.76\00:35:06.81
You don't say to your kid,
"Here's you a little bicycle.
00:35:07.38\00:35:10.53
It's 42 dollars.
00:35:12.24\00:35:13.26
I paid 30 dollars of it,
I want you to pay the rest."
00:35:13.27\00:35:16.14
It's no longer a gift.
00:35:17.20\00:35:18.57
Don't you
understand that it's so simple
00:35:19.38\00:35:21.64
it's like the nose on your face?
00:35:21.67\00:35:23.81
And yet, we get so mixed up.
00:35:24.16\00:35:26.59
You see, listen to me.
00:35:27.44\00:35:28.60
I was ready for heaven the
moment I gave my life to Christ.
00:35:31.33\00:35:36.94
I'm no more ready now
after 50 years of serving Him.
00:35:38.32\00:35:42.39
And by the way, some
people say, "I like the works."
00:35:42.42\00:35:44.60
Hey, you like works?
00:35:44.61\00:35:45.61
Then I'm way ahead of you.
00:35:45.62\00:35:47.01
I've spend 50 years
living in hotel rooms, and
00:35:48.13\00:35:53.00
going into the barrios,
and preaching the Word of God
00:35:53.03\00:35:56.32
and baptizing 15,000
people in the kingdom of Christ
00:35:56.35\00:35:59.63
and this church.
00:35:59.66\00:36:00.68
Listen to me, if good
works then I'm ahead of you.
00:36:00.71\00:36:03.14
Thank God it's grace.
00:36:03.17\00:36:05.23
Thank God it's grace.
00:36:06.32\00:36:08.44
The unmerited favor of God.
00:36:09.05\00:36:10.88
I mean, whew.
00:36:11.76\00:36:13.79
I'm very suspicious of people
who try to lay a heavy burden
00:36:14.54\00:36:17.32
upon other people
in these last days.
00:36:17.35\00:36:20.54
"Oh, we've got to be
different, last days."
00:36:20.57\00:36:22.40
No, God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
00:36:22.43\00:36:24.72
Noah found grace in the sight
of the Lord, never forget it.
00:36:25.39\00:36:28.08
I mean, "We need
to be better, purer,
00:36:28.11\00:36:31.26
because we live
in the last days."
00:36:31.29\00:36:32.80
What heresy.
00:36:32.81\00:36:33.81
God does not
change. "I change not."
00:36:33.82\00:36:36.51
His salvation was
by grace through faith,
00:36:36.52\00:36:38.68
and it is a gift.
00:36:38.71\00:36:39.74
It was a gift in the
beginning, it is a gift now.
00:36:39.77\00:36:42.41
Even at this moment as
I receive Him as the gift.
00:36:42.44\00:36:46.08
In Matthew 24 verse 37, you'll
notice what the Bible says.
00:36:47.33\00:36:51.44
Notice, "the Son of man," what?
00:36:57.81\00:36:59.71
As the days of
Noah, it shall be.
00:37:00.11\00:37:02.64
Genesis 6 verse 8 tells us:
00:37:02.67\00:37:04.39
By the way, he
needed to find grace.
00:37:07.27\00:37:09.01
He comes out of
the Ark, he gets drunk,
00:37:09.04\00:37:11.37
he lies naked
before his children.
00:37:11.40\00:37:13.44
Surely, Noah needed grace.
00:37:13.47\00:37:16.21
He found grace.
00:37:18.18\00:37:19.76
Hmm, boat builder found grace.
00:37:20.89\00:37:23.49
He's an example
of our generation.
00:37:26.10\00:37:27.78
Because the Bible says,
"As was in the days of Noah,
00:37:27.79\00:37:29.33
so shall it be in the..." What?
00:37:29.36\00:37:30.45
"...days of the
coming of the Son of man."
00:37:30.48\00:37:32.29
And yet, this perfect
person gets out of the Ark
00:37:35.30\00:37:38.46
and he gets
drunk and lays naked.
00:37:39.16\00:37:40.55
His nakedness
was covered by grace.
00:37:42.64\00:37:44.74
Our generation will
be like that generation.
00:37:45.23\00:37:47.23
Do you hear me? You'll
be like that generation.
00:37:47.26\00:37:49.26
Grace rescues us.
00:37:50.41\00:37:51.51
Take a look at that powerful
text found in Colossians
00:37:51.54\00:37:53.98
the second chapter.
00:37:54.01\00:37:55.57
The second
chapter of Colossians.
00:37:55.60\00:37:57.38
And I'm reading here.
00:37:57.41\00:37:58.50
God made you alive.
00:38:09.51\00:38:11.42
I became alive when grace came.
00:38:11.45\00:38:14.07
God forgave you.
00:38:15.01\00:38:16.30
I was forgiven when God came.
00:38:16.31\00:38:18.18
I mean, the debt was
cancelled when God's grace came.
00:38:18.21\00:38:21.90
God took away the record.
00:38:21.93\00:38:23.50
I mean, God stripped
the spiritual rulers.
00:38:23.51\00:38:25.69
God won the victory.
00:38:25.72\00:38:27.02
Why walk around like losers?
00:38:27.05\00:38:29.25
You are victorious
because Christ is victorious.
00:38:29.55\00:38:33.26
God shows the whole
world the way to victory.
00:38:36.84\00:38:39.30
The question is,
who is active? You or I?
00:38:40.09\00:38:42.80
Well, God.
00:38:44.14\00:38:45.25
Who is trapped?
00:38:46.70\00:38:48.09
And who comes to
rescue us, you or God?
00:38:48.77\00:38:51.44
Who throws a life preserver?
00:38:53.28\00:38:54.62
Many read books
about life saving.
00:38:54.65\00:38:57.48
We've read all the
books about life preservers.
00:38:59.14\00:39:01.34
But you never had to wear one.
00:39:02.32\00:39:07.24
Trapped.
00:39:09.51\00:39:10.74
You know something?
00:39:12.21\00:39:13.32
I'm not more saved
now than I ever was
00:39:14.12\00:39:16.22
when I first found the Lord.
00:39:16.25\00:39:17.79
I enjoy my walk better.
00:39:18.09\00:39:19.91
Romans chapter 1
verses 16 and 17.
00:39:22.12\00:39:24.57
Listen to the Word of
God. Listen to what it says.
00:39:24.76\00:39:26.85
He calls it, "faith to faith."
00:39:58.45\00:40:00.33
What is faith? Faith is trusting
Jesus Christ for your salvation.
00:40:01.33\00:40:05.90
Faith to faith is trusting on
a continuing bases in salvation.
00:40:06.27\00:40:10.72
For everyday faith, it is
the spirit that gives me faith.
00:40:10.75\00:40:14.19
It's the spirit filled life that
fills me with faith to faith.
00:40:14.22\00:40:18.14
And that allows me to visualize,
00:40:18.17\00:40:19.90
accomplish
mountain moving faith.
00:40:19.93\00:40:22.09
It originates in my
soul only as a gift of God.
00:40:22.12\00:40:25.31
Salvation is always by faith.
00:40:29.14\00:40:31.04
And that is why he
says, "faith to faith."
00:40:31.73\00:40:33.54
We begin our walk by trusting.
00:40:34.29\00:40:36.78
Then somehow we get all
messed up in our heads, somehow.
00:40:37.98\00:40:40.88
Maybe it's us preachers who
have been filling you with this.
00:40:40.91\00:40:44.30
Sorry.
00:40:44.57\00:40:46.26
Sorry.
00:40:47.70\00:40:49.42
We get so messed
up and start trying.
00:40:50.01\00:40:52.36
You talk about a person,
"How's your spiritual life?"
00:40:53.16\00:40:54.97
"Oh, I'm trying."
00:40:55.00\00:40:56.32
As if trying is going to help.
00:40:59.36\00:41:00.86
As if receiving and
keeping salvation is
00:41:02.16\00:41:04.09
two different things.
00:41:04.12\00:41:05.71
I don't receive it by
faith and keep it by works.
00:41:08.03\00:41:10.69
"Not by works, lest
any should..." What?
00:41:11.37\00:41:13.18
"...boast."
00:41:13.19\00:41:14.80
Self effort,
self sanctification,
00:41:15.96\00:41:18.07
self justification
is not the way of faith.
00:41:18.10\00:41:20.33
The way of faith is
what He inspires in us.
00:41:20.36\00:41:22.28
The process is so
clear we overlook it.
00:41:22.31\00:41:24.85
God forgives us,
accepts us, establishes us
00:41:24.88\00:41:27.53
in a right relationship.
00:41:27.56\00:41:28.78
He then goes on
from faith to faith.
00:41:28.81\00:41:31.79
He engenders a hunger in us.
00:41:34.99\00:41:37.13
A hunger.
00:41:38.24\00:41:39.61
When I first
came to know Christ,
00:41:41.01\00:41:43.06
I had a hunger in my heart.
00:41:43.85\00:41:45.75
You didn't have to tell me.
00:41:47.96\00:41:50.19
In fact, I'm
tired of you tell me.
00:41:51.11\00:41:53.18
You didn't have to tell me.
00:41:55.08\00:41:56.87
The Holy Spirit told me.
00:41:57.45\00:41:59.29
Don't tell me, "You've got
to give up this, give up that."
00:42:00.04\00:42:02.47
The Holy Spirit moves.
00:42:02.50\00:42:04.60
Not by works,
self justification.
00:42:06.20\00:42:08.57
Listen to me, faith to faith.
00:42:09.20\00:42:11.13
We cannot force
ourselves to have faith.
00:42:11.16\00:42:13.87
Faith can only originate in
the soul by the gift of God.
00:42:15.21\00:42:18.09
And by the way, it comes by
the Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
00:42:18.12\00:42:20.61
You can't have faith
without the Holy Spirit.
00:42:20.64\00:42:23.05
Don ever think you're going
to live without the Holy Spirit.
00:42:23.08\00:42:25.32
You can't have faith
without the Holy Spirit.
00:42:25.35\00:42:27.49
You can't cry out to
God without the Holy Spirit.
00:42:27.52\00:42:30.25
You can't say your
prayers without the Holy Spirit.
00:42:30.26\00:42:32.97
It's the Spirit that convicts
you and brings you to faith.
00:42:33.00\00:42:35.98
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, if
I had time I'd read it for you.
00:42:41.55\00:42:45.92
But they have me on a clock.
00:42:45.95\00:42:47.46
In this passage, we have
nineteen gifts of the Spirit.
00:42:48.39\00:42:50.97
Did you notice?
00:42:50.98\00:42:52.20
Kathismata, the grace gifts.
00:42:53.49\00:42:57.51
The indwelling
of the Holy Spirit.
00:42:58.55\00:43:00.58
We study the Holy Spirit like
it's a class; Holy Spirit 101.
00:43:01.45\00:43:05.78
It's not a class.
00:43:05.81\00:43:07.20
It's an experience.
00:43:07.23\00:43:09.33
It's sensing Him, it's
feeling Him in your heart.
00:43:11.64\00:43:14.54
It's being convicted when
you get up off your knees.
00:43:14.57\00:43:17.64
I mean, it's the Holy
Spirit that enwraps around you.
00:43:17.67\00:43:20.38
It's the Holy Spirit that
makes you look towards Christ.
00:43:20.41\00:43:23.10
It's the Holy Spirit
that makes you want to pray.
00:43:23.13\00:43:25.45
It's the Holy Spirit that
makes you want to do for God.
00:43:25.48\00:43:28.23
It's the Holy Spirit.
00:43:28.26\00:43:29.65
Give Him glory and credit too.
00:43:29.66\00:43:32.24
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord,"
except by the Holy Spirit.
00:43:36.43\00:43:44.12
If you are of the belief
that someday you'll live without
00:43:48.30\00:43:50.72
the Holy Spirit, you
are a deluded people.
00:43:50.75\00:43:53.27
That is what Paul said.
00:43:54.59\00:43:55.97
You will not be able to say
in that day, "Come, Lord Jesus."
00:43:56.00\00:43:59.66
Because it's the Holy Spirit
that puts it in your mouth.
00:44:00.66\00:44:04.80
It's the Holy Spirit
that puts it in your eyes.
00:44:04.83\00:44:08.97
It's the Holy Spirit
that puts it in your ears
00:44:09.70\00:44:11.54
so you hear God.
00:44:11.57\00:44:13.20
It's nurtured and grown by
faith and trust and belief.
00:44:16.71\00:44:22.04
It means those of us who
have been given the capacity to
00:44:22.94\00:44:25.38
trust Christ unreservedly
for our salvation are now
00:44:25.41\00:44:28.67
afforded a special confidence
to believe what He can and
00:44:28.70\00:44:32.02
will do in our circumstances.
00:44:32.05\00:44:33.66
It's a mountain moving faith.
00:44:33.69\00:44:35.55
The faith that does
not shrink from the task.
00:44:36.64\00:44:39.02
The faith that sees
what God wants to be done,
00:44:39.05\00:44:41.51
and sees that it's done.
00:44:41.52\00:44:43.93
I always marvel
at this station here.
00:44:46.08\00:44:48.11
Because when you first started,
00:44:49.46\00:44:51.11
vision, you saw something.
00:44:53.09\00:44:56.55
The leaders saw something.
00:44:57.42\00:44:59.10
It was out of
that magnifying faith
00:45:00.24\00:45:04.55
you see what's happening now.
00:45:05.25\00:45:06.86
You see, the person
who has the gift of faith
00:45:08.05\00:45:11.23
asks, "What does God want?"
00:45:11.26\00:45:13.69
"What does He want in
this particular situation?"
00:45:14.47\00:45:17.10
"What would Jesus do in
this particular situation?"
00:45:17.70\00:45:21.02
"What does He expect in
particular circumstances?"
00:45:21.05\00:45:23.98
First, faith asks it.
00:45:24.01\00:45:25.74
Secondly, faith has the courage
to believe that it will be done.
00:45:25.77\00:45:29.05
We all live on the
edge of some complexity.
00:45:29.08\00:45:31.31
Listen to me.
00:45:31.32\00:45:32.32
Most of us
expect little from God.
00:45:32.33\00:45:35.46
And that's why
we're not disappointed.
00:45:35.49\00:45:37.26
The majority of
Christians I know do not have
00:45:40.08\00:45:41.91
a lively expectancy
which comes from faith.
00:45:41.94\00:45:45.96
Faith seen is the gifted life.
00:45:45.99\00:45:48.45
They have enough faith
to accept Christ at Calvary.
00:45:48.48\00:45:50.77
But they don't have
enough faith to accept Him
00:45:50.80\00:45:52.86
in our culture, in
our moment with our need.
00:45:52.89\00:45:56.57
Now the question
is, how do I get it?
00:45:58.32\00:45:59.88
Well, the answer is
clear as the nose on your face.
00:46:01.17\00:46:03.90
More of the Holy Spirit.
00:46:04.94\00:46:06.42
The One who enables to believe
in the beginning will help you
00:46:08.87\00:46:15.07
meet the
challenge of the future.
00:46:15.10\00:46:16.85
The moving of faith to faith
to faith to faith to faith.
00:46:16.88\00:46:21.87
Not faithful,
mind you. To faith.
00:46:23.39\00:46:26.04
"Got to be more faithful
if I'm going to have this."
00:46:28.62\00:46:30.18
Faith.
00:46:30.21\00:46:31.97
If you haven't asked Jesus
Christ for eternal salvation,
00:46:36.16\00:46:38.32
ask Him now.
00:46:38.35\00:46:39.59
You can, right at this moment.
00:46:40.14\00:46:42.15
You can ask Him now.
00:46:43.40\00:46:44.82
Boldly claim the gift of faith.
00:46:44.85\00:46:47.01
And if you've never known
the enabling power of faith,
00:46:47.44\00:46:49.56
you who are here at
church, you've never known the
00:46:49.59\00:46:51.56
indwelling, the overflowing
of the Holy Spirit in your life,
00:46:51.59\00:46:54.42
then ask it now.
00:46:54.45\00:46:55.70
There's a wonderful
story about a first grader.
00:46:58.45\00:47:00.11
A little boy, he was
leaving the class his last day
00:47:00.80\00:47:04.15
and he shook the hand
of the teacher and he said,
00:47:04.18\00:47:06.12
"Teacher, I really like you.
00:47:06.88\00:47:08.50
I sure wish I
could stay here forever.
00:47:10.36\00:47:12.52
But I've been promoted.
00:47:13.46\00:47:15.02
Boy, I wish you knew enough to
teach me in the second grade."
00:47:15.65\00:47:19.17
We laugh at that.
00:47:24.18\00:47:25.47
And then we know the Holy
Spirit who gave us the gift
00:47:26.71\00:47:28.74
of primary faith
knows more than enough to
00:47:28.77\00:47:31.17
give us powerful faith.
00:47:31.20\00:47:32.70
For instance, what is faith?
00:47:35.85\00:47:38.21
Well if I had a
chair, I'm sitting on a chair
00:47:38.24\00:47:41.32
and there's a chair over there.
00:47:41.33\00:47:42.43
I'd say, "Will
that chair hold me?"
00:47:42.46\00:47:44.60
You say, "Well, I don't know."
00:47:44.63\00:47:46.44
Well, you'd have to
get up and walk over and
00:47:46.47\00:47:48.12
sit on that chair, right?
00:47:48.15\00:47:49.69
You see, I get up off
the chair and I walk over and
00:47:49.72\00:47:51.70
I sit on that.
00:47:51.71\00:47:52.68
Before I knew Christ,
before I knew salvation,
00:47:52.71\00:47:55.20
before I knew the
gift of eternal life,
00:47:55.23\00:47:57.35
I was sitting on myself.
00:47:57.36\00:47:59.35
I was depending upon myself.
00:47:59.38\00:48:01.94
And then all of a
sudden, it dawned on me.
00:48:01.97\00:48:03.54
I needed to go over and
I needed to put my weight
00:48:03.57\00:48:06.02
on Jesus Christ.
00:48:06.05\00:48:07.91
And that's powerful faith.
00:48:14.50\00:48:16.06
The faith that unshackles us.
00:48:17.24\00:48:19.09
I was a pastor in Cleveland,
Tennessee and I worked
00:48:19.57\00:48:21.34
in prison ministry.
00:48:21.37\00:48:23.56
I worked with a
young man at the prison and
00:48:24.32\00:48:25.96
he gave his life to Christ.
00:48:25.97\00:48:27.69
There was a real
transformation of his life.
00:48:28.24\00:48:31.11
You can't come into the presence
of Jesus and not be changed.
00:48:31.12\00:48:35.13
His life was changed.
00:48:37.49\00:48:39.34
One day when I was visiting
him, he said, "Pastor Ron,"
00:48:39.37\00:48:41.48
he said, "I really
want to be baptized."
00:48:41.51\00:48:43.70
And so I went to the
prison officials and I said,
00:48:44.32\00:48:46.24
"He needs to be baptized."
00:48:47.09\00:48:48.94
"Well, we don't
have a baptistery here."
00:48:48.97\00:48:50.43
I said, "Well, I
have one in my church."
00:48:50.46\00:48:51.99
They said, "Well, I
don't know if we can do that."
00:48:52.90\00:48:54.02
I said, "No, the man..."
00:48:54.05\00:48:55.06
And they saw a transformation.
00:48:55.09\00:48:57.23
And so they said,
"Alright, Thursday afternoon."
00:48:58.84\00:49:01.10
So I went and filled up
the water and got it ready and
00:49:01.80\00:49:05.39
in walked the
prisoner, shackled.
00:49:06.41\00:49:09.63
Shackled.
00:49:11.33\00:49:12.45
He walked in and I said,
"Take those shackles off him.
00:49:13.34\00:49:16.36
He's a born again
Christian. He's new in Christ."
00:49:16.37\00:49:19.22
They said, "Well, I
don't know if we can."
00:49:19.25\00:49:21.38
But they did.
00:49:21.41\00:49:22.63
He went down in the water,
baptized in the kingdom of God.
00:49:24.29\00:49:26.71
He came up; the glow,
the beauty in his face.
00:49:26.74\00:49:31.16
He went back to
prison to serve his term.
00:49:31.85\00:49:33.72
And I moved away from the
church, but the church would
00:49:35.05\00:49:37.14
get a tithe envelope
every so often from this
00:49:37.17\00:49:39.96
box number in Tennessee.
00:49:40.46\00:49:42.69
And they'd send it, the name.
00:49:44.11\00:49:46.66
One day, the church
was sanctimoniously sitting
00:49:47.05\00:49:49.11
in a board meeting wondering
what the church manual says
00:49:49.14\00:49:52.14
about a person who
doesn't attend church.
00:49:52.15\00:49:55.02
They forgot they
should have asked Immanuel.
00:49:55.45\00:49:57.96
Get the drift? But anyway.
00:50:00.71\00:50:02.52
And so they said,
"Well, where is this person.
00:50:04.18\00:50:07.42
We never see him at church."
00:50:07.45\00:50:08.69
And then the treasurer
said, "Oh, he sends faithfully
00:50:09.38\00:50:12.80
offerings and
tithes from a box number."
00:50:12.83\00:50:14.97
A few years later, a man walked
into the church in a cheap suit.
00:50:16.45\00:50:22.70
And they said, "Oh, are
you a visitor, a guest?"
00:50:24.70\00:50:26.65
And he said, "No, I'm a member."
00:50:26.68\00:50:28.05
He told them the story.
00:50:29.53\00:50:30.98
Unshackled.
00:50:31.67\00:50:32.89
Unshackled.
00:50:34.16\00:50:35.27
That's the story of grace.
00:50:36.08\00:50:38.55
And that's the
story of quantum grace.
00:50:39.22\00:50:41.60
Bill Tamerly talks
about quantum grace.
00:50:42.09\00:50:43.96
I like that.
00:50:43.99\00:50:44.99
Listen to what he says.
00:50:45.29\00:50:46.54
"Barely visible mustard
seed, mover of mountains.
00:50:46.57\00:50:51.48
Ever smaller, we search
for the ultimate indivisible.
00:50:51.51\00:50:55.64
We find unimaginable
force from an atom split.
00:50:55.67\00:50:58.82
Yet even electrons,
neurons, and beyonds
00:50:58.85\00:51:01.52
infinitesimal,
invisible, and still divisible
00:51:01.55\00:51:05.25
by the lowest and the
highest common denominator.
00:51:05.68\00:51:09.28
Faith, the
smallest and the greatest,
00:51:09.31\00:51:11.98
the evidence of
things hoped for,
00:51:12.01\00:51:13.61
the substance
of things not seen,
00:51:13.64\00:51:15.76
the building block
of all that matters,
00:51:15.77\00:51:17.78
the power of the
infinite, at our disposable."
00:51:17.81\00:51:20.82
I like that.
00:51:21.97\00:51:23.11
That's grace through faith.
00:51:24.18\00:51:26.81
The unmerited gift of
God's giving, of God's giving.
00:51:26.84\00:51:33.63
Years ago...
00:51:34.62\00:51:35.62
And I tell this
story wherever I go.
00:51:35.65\00:51:37.24
You've heard it, perhaps.
00:51:37.25\00:51:38.27
If you haven't, you should.
00:51:38.30\00:51:39.45
If you have, it's gets
better with the telling.
00:51:39.86\00:51:42.81
I was sent to Harlem.
00:51:44.45\00:51:45.80
The brethren were
sent to the Philippines.
00:51:46.31\00:51:48.05
Get the drift?
00:51:48.08\00:51:49.26
And so I was there
in January in Harlem.
00:51:50.57\00:51:52.33
January.
00:51:52.34\00:51:53.80
And I was to
preach the Word of God.
00:51:54.97\00:51:57.00
The first night, I
stood up to preach and
00:51:58.86\00:52:00.60
the church was packed out.
00:52:00.63\00:52:02.24
They had to get on the subway,
and they had to go through
00:52:03.21\00:52:05.18
the snow, and they had to
get on buses, those people.
00:52:05.21\00:52:08.06
But they were faithful.
00:52:08.07\00:52:09.68
If the rain drops are
falling, we stay home.
00:52:09.71\00:52:12.54
We can see it on 3ABN.
00:52:12.57\00:52:14.03
Give me a break.
00:52:14.04\00:52:15.58
I hope the second
coming comes through 3ABN,
00:52:15.98\00:52:18.38
or else some of you
will be left behind.
00:52:18.41\00:52:20.36
And so I was preaching,
and I noticed in the second row
00:52:25.99\00:52:28.59
a woman with a gold afro.
00:52:29.63\00:52:34.17
A big gold afro.
00:52:35.36\00:52:36.84
Now I teach preaching
in some of our colleges.
00:52:37.71\00:52:40.94
And I told my preachers, don't
keep looking at the same people,
00:52:41.29\00:52:44.03
or else they'll think
you're preaching about them.
00:52:44.06\00:52:45.71
And so, I
looked and a gold afro.
00:52:46.25\00:52:48.74
I mean, you
could hardly miss it.
00:52:48.77\00:52:50.00
So I tried to turn away.
00:52:50.25\00:52:51.69
But everywhere I
turned, I looked and...
00:52:51.70\00:52:54.00
...I saw that gold afro.
00:52:55.54\00:52:57.15
And on the way out, as
the people coming by are
00:52:58.57\00:53:01.30
shaking their
hands, she shook my hand.
00:53:01.31\00:53:03.27
She said, "Hi, I'm Goldie."
00:53:03.30\00:53:04.93
I said, "Yea."
00:53:04.96\00:53:06.05
She went out in the
night and the deacon came over.
00:53:07.64\00:53:10.34
He said, "You know who she is?"
00:53:10.37\00:53:11.61
I said, "Yea, Goldie."
00:53:11.62\00:53:12.60
He said, "No, she's the
prostitute from 145th Street,
00:53:12.63\00:53:15.35
Amsterdam Avenue."
00:53:15.38\00:53:16.58
Now I never knew how
the deacon knew that.
00:53:16.61\00:53:18.11
But anyway.
00:53:18.14\00:53:19.14
And so me being who I
am, I did a holy dance.
00:53:21.93\00:53:24.98
Can't show you Adventists,
but when I get to heaven
00:53:25.01\00:53:26.99
I'll show you it.
00:53:27.02\00:53:28.08
I went home and
prayed that night.
00:53:30.85\00:53:32.19
Couldn't sleep that night.
00:53:32.20\00:53:33.20
All night I prayed for
Goldie, that she'd come back
00:53:33.21\00:53:35.34
and listen to the Word of God,
that Jesus would take her heart.
00:53:35.37\00:53:37.69
Next night, she was there.
00:53:38.74\00:53:39.85
And the next night and
the next night and the next.
00:53:39.88\00:53:41.63
By that time, I'm in the
third heaven, preaching from
00:53:41.87\00:53:44.73
the third heaven.
00:53:44.76\00:53:45.86
And one night she
comes out and I said,
00:53:47.10\00:53:48.31
"Goldie, I'm going
to come visit you."
00:53:48.34\00:53:49.77
Her head dropped.
00:53:50.95\00:53:52.09
She said, "Preacher, you don't
want to visit me where I work.
00:53:53.24\00:53:55.21
Because where I work, I live."
00:53:55.24\00:53:56.88
You see, I never
read in the Scripture,
00:53:57.24\00:53:58.83
"Office hours
between 10 and 12."
00:53:59.33\00:54:01.56
Give me a break here.
00:54:01.59\00:54:02.98
What's happened to us?
00:54:03.47\00:54:05.08
We're so professional.
00:54:06.45\00:54:07.89
What's happened to us?
00:54:08.36\00:54:09.92
I said, "No." I
didn't even know where.
00:54:11.73\00:54:13.42
"I'm going to come."
00:54:13.43\00:54:14.43
She said, "Pastor, I work where
I live and I live where I work."
00:54:14.44\00:54:16.99
I said, "That's
alright. I'll be there.
00:54:17.07\00:54:18.63
Would Thursday afternoon
be alright, 2 o'clock?"
00:54:18.66\00:54:21.30
On the way home,
I said to my wife,
00:54:21.67\00:54:22.80
I said, "Honey, I'm going
to a house of prostitution
00:54:22.83\00:54:24.37
on 145th Street on Thursday.
00:54:24.40\00:54:26.08
Would you like to
come?" She said, "Yea."
00:54:26.10\00:54:27.64
Drove out on Thursday,
my wife parked the car.
00:54:35.29\00:54:37.95
I took my Bible; you keep
out of trouble with your Bible.
00:54:37.96\00:54:40.29
I told you the other
night, when I'm visiting the
00:54:41.20\00:54:43.49
inner cities, whether it's
in the barrios of Los Angeles,
00:54:43.52\00:54:45.88
or San
Bernardino, I carry my Bible.
00:54:45.91\00:54:47.98
They've got to shoot through
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus
00:54:48.01\00:54:50.04
to get to me.
00:54:50.07\00:54:51.07
I said to my
wife, I said, "Pray,"
00:54:52.94\00:54:54.79
She kept the car
running, and praying.
00:54:55.12\00:54:56.74
I ran up the
stairs, down the hall.
00:54:57.04\00:54:58.44
The customers were waiting.
00:54:58.47\00:54:59.75
I knocked on the door.
00:55:01.28\00:55:02.28
They said, "Hey
man, where you going?"
00:55:02.31\00:55:03.33
I said, "I'm
going to see Goldie."
00:55:03.36\00:55:04.34
I gave them my
best Christian smile.
00:55:04.35\00:55:06.03
They said, "So are we."
00:55:06.61\00:55:07.62
I said, "Yea, but for the
wrong reason; I'm a preacher."
00:55:07.65\00:55:09.35
That got them nervous.
00:55:09.40\00:55:10.51
I knocked on the door.
00:55:12.38\00:55:13.38
She said, "Who is it?"
00:55:13.39\00:55:15.27
I said, "Brother
Ron, Pastor Ron."
00:55:15.30\00:55:17.68
She said, "Oh Pastor, wait."
00:55:18.08\00:55:19.17
And I waited for a
customer to go out.
00:55:19.20\00:55:20.44
And I went in.
00:55:21.40\00:55:22.40
What do you say?
What do you preach?
00:55:22.43\00:55:24.88
Come on, 2300 days?
00:55:25.38\00:55:27.38
Come on.
00:55:28.45\00:55:29.75
What do you talk
about? Healthful living?
00:55:29.78\00:55:31.83
Come on.
00:55:31.86\00:55:33.03
What do you preach
about? The Sabbath?
00:55:34.12\00:55:36.01
Get real.
00:55:36.23\00:55:37.75
You tell them that there's a
God in heaven that loves them.
00:55:38.30\00:55:40.83
And this God
doesn't want them to perish.
00:55:41.80\00:55:44.44
And He loved them with
such a cost He gave His own Son.
00:55:45.05\00:55:49.32
You tell them that
there's a God who loves them.
00:55:49.35\00:55:51.23
I said, "Goldie,
Jesus loves you."
00:55:51.26\00:55:53.48
And she started to cry.
00:55:54.24\00:55:55.79
And I started to
cry too, big lug.
00:55:56.29\00:55:58.46
She said, "You know, I learned
something in Sunday school."
00:55:59.60\00:56:01.86
By the way, I met
prostitutes from Sunday school
00:56:01.89\00:56:03.68
and I met some
from Sabbath school.
00:56:03.71\00:56:05.19
And she said, "I
learned something in
00:56:08.20\00:56:09.99
Sunday school when
I was a little child."
00:56:10.00\00:56:11.25
I said, "What is it?" "A song."
00:56:11.28\00:56:13.13
I said, "A song? What is it?"
00:56:13.14\00:56:14.94
"Jesus loves me, this I know.
00:56:14.97\00:56:18.99
For the Bible tells me so.
00:56:19.80\00:56:21.92
Little ones to Him belong."
00:56:22.98\00:56:26.04
I said, "That's it."
00:56:26.07\00:56:27.51
The older I get,
the more I understand.
00:56:28.77\00:56:33.54
That's it.
00:56:34.30\00:56:35.55
That's it.
00:56:37.26\00:56:38.42
Jesus loves me, this I know.
00:56:39.22\00:56:42.55
And there I led her
to her knees to pray.
00:56:43.33\00:56:45.57
And I said,
"Goldie, say a prayer."
00:56:45.60\00:56:47.06
She said, "I can't, I
don't know how to pray."
00:56:47.09\00:56:48.66
I said, "Well just
talk to Jesus, He loves you.
00:56:49.07\00:56:51.29
Just talk to Jesus as you love."
00:56:51.32\00:56:53.19
She said, "I
don't know how to love."
00:56:53.22\00:56:54.93
I said, "Just tell
Him what's in your heart."
00:56:56.48\00:56:59.08
I heard the most
beautiful prayer I've ever heard
00:56:59.69\00:57:01.31
this side of glory.
00:57:01.34\00:57:02.78
A prostitute on 145th Street,
Amsterdam Avenue; Goldie.
00:57:04.01\00:57:08.52
A few days later,
she came forward to
00:57:09.60\00:57:13.06
give her life to Christ.
00:57:13.09\00:57:14.64
She received the
unmerited favor of God.
00:57:15.26\00:57:18.05
And she became a Bible
worker to serve God now,
00:57:18.83\00:57:23.62
and be with God forever.
00:57:23.95\00:57:26.89
The unmerited giving is yours.
00:57:28.07\00:57:31.58