Welcome to Anchors Of
Truth from Puerto Rico.
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Good afternoon and welcome
again to the house of God.
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We are at the beautiful,
and I do say beautiful,
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Bella Vista
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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on the mountain here
in Mayaguez Puerto Rico.
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And we have had a
wonderful time in the Lord
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preaching and singing
and praising His name.
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We come now to the
last of our five meetings
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in this Anchors Of Truth
series that we have called,
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Growing In Christ;
growing up in Jesus.
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And we are so happy that our
audience has joined us here at
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Bella Vista, and those
of you who are watching
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from around the world.
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We have a bit of a change.
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Listed on your
program for this afternoon was
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our founder, Danny Shelton.
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But he has succumbed and is
under the weather a little bit
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and had to cancel.
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And so we asked our friend,
Pastor Lomacang, to sort of
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pinch hit and, as it were, be
our ram in the thicket to stand
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in the gap and bring us
the message for this afternoon.
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And he graciously
consented to do so.
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The title of his
message is, One Thing.
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And so we are
thankful that Pastor Lomacang
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has become a
missionary volunteer.
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The term we use to
use years ago; the MV.
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Those of you who are in my age
bracket will remember that term;
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missionary volunteer.
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Well, he's the missionary
volunteer for this afternoon.
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His wife, Angie, is smiling.
She's also in that age bracket.
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She knows MV also;
missionary volunteers.
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So he is the preacher,
the missionary volunteer
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for this afternoon, and
he is going to be preaching
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on the title, One Thing.
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It is my privilege to ask
to join me on the platform
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Lori, oh let me
see this, Leduc-Cruz.
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I hope I got that right.
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If you'll come and join
me, we're going to ask her to
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bring our prayer
for this afternoon.
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We certainly want to start this
service with a word of prayer.
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As we talk to the Lord, I
ask you now to join me and Lori
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as we talk to the Lord.
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Let's bow our heads in prayer.
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Our Father in heaven,
Your people have come together
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united today to
praise Your name.
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We want to thank
You for giving us life.
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We want to thank You
for giving us the privilege
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of being Your children.
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But most of all, we
want to thank You for the
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gift of salvation.
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Dear Lord, this afternoon maybe
there's someone here in the
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audience, maybe someone
in their home watching by TV
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or by internet, that
feels sick or not well.
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Please put your hand upon them.
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Maybe there's someone
that's lonely, that has just
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lost a close one to them.
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Let them know that
they are not alone, Lord.
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That You are with them.
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Maybe someone
who is discouraged,
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maybe someone who has
lost their way in the faith.
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Please bring them back to You.
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Now this evening, we ask
that You open our hearts to be
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receptive to this message.
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And Lord, help us also
in leading and guiding,
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taking Your message to others.
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To every kingdom,
nation, and tongue,
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help us to take Your
gospel of everlasting salvation.
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And most of all, Lord, when You
come in the clouds of heaven,
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save us and take us with You.
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In Thy name we pray, amen.
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Thank you so much, Lori.
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One of the things that we
have discovered in coming to
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this particular church is
that it has a wealth of talent.
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There are a number of
individuals here who God has
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given speaking
talent and singing talent.
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One such person
is Gabriela Bruno.
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I'm going to ask her to
come forward now and bring us
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our special ministry of music.
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And then the next voice you
will hear following Gabriela
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will be that of our pastor, our
friend, Pastor John Lomacang.
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Senior pastor of the
Thompsonville Seventh-day
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Adventist Church in
Thompsonville, Illinois.
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When I gaze into the night sky
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and see the
work of Your fingers;
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the moon and stars
suspended in space.
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But, what is man that
you are mindful of him?
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You have given man a
crown of glory and honor,
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and have made him a
little lower than the angels.
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You have put him in
charge of all creation;
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the beasts of the
field, the birds of the air,
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the fish of the sea.
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But what is man,
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but what is man that
You are mindful of him?
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O Lord our God,
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the majesty and
glory of Your name
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transcends the earth
and fills the heavens.
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O Lord my God,
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little children
praise Him perfectly.
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And so do we.
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And so would we.
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Alleluia, alleluia,
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the majesty and
glory of Your name.
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Alleluia, alleluia,
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the majesty and
glory of Your name.
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Alleluia, alleluia,
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alleluia, alleluia.
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Alleluia, alleluia,
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the majesty and
glory of Your name.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Alleluia.
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Alleluia.
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Amen.
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Can we say amen again?
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Thank you so much
for that wonderful song.
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We do appreciate it very much.
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When we talk about the Lord,
I think it's always appropriate
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to say "amen."
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I believe, as I was
listening behind the door,
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she was speaking about the
majesty of the name of Jesus.
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And there is no
other name among men given
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by which we must be
saved; in the name of Jesus.
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And all God's people,
in Spanish, said amen.
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Amén.
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Now I know that sounds
the same in both languages.
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Praise the Lord for that.
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This opportunity is suppose
to be for Brother Danny Shelton.
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So I've got to preach as
energetically as he would.
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And we thank you all for being
able to come out every day and
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join us via satellite
or whatever medium you've
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chosen to use to
join us on the program.
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But I want to top
off this series by just
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talking about one thing.
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The difference
between an abundant life
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and a humdrum life.
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The difference
between a powerful life
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and the lifeless life.
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I believe that in Christ, we all
can have a powerful existence
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if we simply tap into
the One who is all powerful.
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Now we say "all powerful"
sometimes and we try to
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compare things on earth.
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But I've discovered lately
that there is nothing and no one
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on earth that we can
use to compare with the
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power that's
available in Jesus Christ.
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My wife and I, sometimes
we sit down, and I'm one
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that likes astronomy.
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Not astrology.
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Astrology is all those signs,
you know, Scorpio and Leo.
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But I'm the kind of person that
likes to sit down sometimes and
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look out into the
heavens and look at the stars.
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And one evening I had an
opportunity, I like to go to
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the internet, and I
began to research our planet
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in comparison to other planets
and other suns and other stars.
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And I've discovered that there
is so much more beyond our world
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that I'm not going to settle
for just being on this world.
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I'm looking forward to
all that Jesus has in store
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for those that love Him.
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Can you say amen?
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And when you fail to
understand what that is...
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I've noticed here in Puerto
Rico you can sit down on or
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maybe stand by the beach,
or on one of these mountains
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stand up and look at the skies,
and you can begin to get a
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glimpse of how
beautiful the glory of God is.
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And scientists tell us
that beyond our solar system
00:13:18.67\00:13:23.57
there are possibly
billions of solar systems
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that we'll never be able
to see with our own strength.
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And so when Paul the apostle
says, "Eyes have not seen
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nor ears have heard the
things that God prepares
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for those that love
Him," I'm looking forward to
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seeing all those things.
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I am not settling for one
thing called planet earth.
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And so before I go into the
Word tonight, I invite you to
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bow your heads with me as
we focus on that one thing
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that can change and
transform our lives.
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And that is the power
available through Christ.
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Our Father in heaven, we
thank You, Lord, this evening.
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It's Your time,
it's Your opportunity.
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I'm simply the
vessel that You will use for
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Your honor and for Your glory.
00:14:03.06\00:14:05.68
And so Father, send
Your Holy Spirit to do
00:14:06.30\00:14:08.88
what humanity cannot do.
00:14:08.91\00:14:10.59
In Christ's name I pray, amen.
00:14:10.62\00:14:13.49
If you have your Bibles, go
with me to the book of John.
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John chapter 9.
00:14:17.65\00:14:22.52
You know, it is amazing how big
a difference one thing can make.
00:14:22.55\00:14:27.46
John chapter 9 is
where you're turning.
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My wife and I were invited to
the University of North Dakota
00:14:31.25\00:14:35.04
to speak.
00:14:35.57\00:14:36.57
Actually, I was
invited to speak.
00:14:37.00\00:14:38.35
My wife runs sound
for me wherever we go.
00:14:38.38\00:14:41.28
And I was invited to
speak to the college students
00:14:41.31\00:14:44.94
on a secular
university to talk about God,
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to talk about my faith.
00:14:47.95\00:14:49.28
A very difficult thing to
do in a secular environment.
00:14:49.31\00:14:52.76
But a wonderful opportunity.
00:14:53.20\00:14:54.47
I'd rather talk to people that
don't know Jesus about Jesus
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than people that know Jesus that
don't get excited about Jesus.
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So I was on the
University of North Dakota.
00:15:02.77\00:15:04.92
And they told me just a
few weeks before I arrived to
00:15:04.93\00:15:08.16
speak there that Spike Lee...
00:15:08.19\00:15:10.30
Does anybody
know who Spike Lee is?
00:15:10.77\00:15:12.59
Spike Lee, he's one of
the greatest New York Knicks
00:15:13.08\00:15:15.60
basketball fans.
00:15:15.61\00:15:17.04
Just put that name "Spike Lee."
00:15:17.94\00:15:19.61
He use to be in hip hop music.
00:15:20.72\00:15:22.98
He's very noted for being
flamboyant and very expensive.
00:15:23.01\00:15:27.08
And they told me that two
weeks or so before I arrived
00:15:27.09\00:15:30.46
at the
University of North Dakota
00:15:30.49\00:15:32.49
that Spike Lee was
speaking in that same room
00:15:32.99\00:15:37.63
to a similar group
of students that I was
00:15:38.75\00:15:41.01
speaking to that night.
00:15:41.03\00:15:42.38
They invited me
there to talk about Jesus.
00:15:42.78\00:15:45.01
They said, "Share
your faith. Be very open.
00:15:45.04\00:15:47.37
Share what's on your heart.
Tell them what you believe.
00:15:47.40\00:15:50.06
Tell them about your faith.
00:15:50.09\00:15:51.10
And then open up the floor
for them to ask questions."
00:15:51.13\00:15:53.64
After my hour was all
done, then they told me that
00:15:55.01\00:15:59.24
when they invited Spike Lee,
they paid him $25,000 to speak
00:15:59.27\00:16:05.21
for 45 minutes.
00:16:05.24\00:16:06.95
$25,000 is a lot of
money in any language.
00:16:08.24\00:16:10.94
And I want to say,
they did not pay me $25,000.
00:16:13.98\00:16:17.31
They didn't pay be $25.
00:16:17.34\00:16:19.37
But what I heard after that
was something that gave me the
00:16:20.77\00:16:22.96
courage and the
strength to continue going on.
00:16:22.99\00:16:25.78
They said, "The students
enjoyed what you had to say
00:16:25.81\00:16:28.78
far greater than they enjoyed
what Spike Lee had to say."
00:16:28.81\00:16:32.47
And the point is,
when you talk about Jesus,
00:16:32.74\00:16:35.02
He's far greater a subject
matter than anything that the
00:16:35.12\00:16:38.66
world can choose to talk about.
00:16:38.69\00:16:40.91
And so tonight...
00:16:41.93\00:16:43.22
But the reason I
brought that story up...
00:16:44.09\00:16:45.75
Got to go back to the
reason I brought the story up.
00:16:46.01\00:16:47.81
...is I'm talking
about the difference that
00:16:48.58\00:16:49.89
one thing can make.
00:16:49.92\00:16:51.09
We were, I believe, in
Detroit Michigan catching our
00:16:52.50\00:16:55.20
connecting flight
to go to North Dakota.
00:16:55.23\00:16:57.22
And we came from a large
airplane and went down to a
00:16:57.81\00:17:00.72
commuter size airplane.
00:17:00.75\00:17:01.81
Went to another
part of the terminal.
00:17:01.82\00:17:03.12
And we were sitting at
our gate waiting for our plane
00:17:03.54\00:17:07.25
so that we can take it
to our last destination.
00:17:07.28\00:17:09.95
And my wife and I were the
only one's sitting at the gate.
00:17:10.25\00:17:12.73
And I thought to myself, "Well,
I guess we're the only one's
00:17:13.15\00:17:15.27
going to North Dakota."
00:17:15.30\00:17:16.69
Because there was no one
else sitting at the gate.
00:17:17.11\00:17:19.16
And I was looking at my watch
and I said, "Well the plane
00:17:19.19\00:17:21.35
is going to leave in
about 45 minutes, but the plane
00:17:21.36\00:17:23.06
is not even here yet.
00:17:23.07\00:17:24.07
So I guess we are
well ahead of schedule
00:17:24.08\00:17:26.39
and everything is
going to be just fine."
00:17:26.42\00:17:28.01
Well, about 30 minutes before
the plane was suppose to leave,
00:17:29.32\00:17:31.84
that's suppose
to be boarding time,
00:17:31.85\00:17:33.59
and the plane
was still not there.
00:17:33.62\00:17:35.39
But I decided,
"We're at the right gate.
00:17:35.89\00:17:38.05
Let's wait at this
gate. This is the gate.
00:17:38.08\00:17:40.98
I heard no announcements
about a change of gate.
00:17:41.01\00:17:43.07
This is where we need to be."
00:17:43.10\00:17:44.34
The difference
that one thing makes.
00:17:44.37\00:17:46.18
And so about, oh, 10 minutes
before the plane was suppose
00:17:46.87\00:17:51.03
to leave, I decided,
"You know, I need to check."
00:17:51.04\00:17:53.45
Because even if we're the only
one's going to North Dakota,
00:17:53.48\00:17:56.73
we at least need an
airplane to get there.
00:17:56.76\00:17:58.83
So I went over to the
service desk and I asked.
00:18:00.42\00:18:02.88
And I asked.
00:18:03.37\00:18:04.37
And they said, "Oh, your
gate is not gate number 69.
00:18:04.76\00:18:08.94
It's gate number 68.
00:18:08.97\00:18:11.44
And your plane
left 15 minutes ago."
00:18:11.93\00:18:14.43
The difference
that one thing can make.
00:18:15.62\00:18:18.27
You can get on the wrong
plane and miss your destination
00:18:18.57\00:18:23.12
by simply
choosing one wrong gate.
00:18:23.15\00:18:27.35
You can dial a phone number
and get a completely different
00:18:27.38\00:18:30.66
person by
choosing one wrong number.
00:18:30.69\00:18:33.92
And I'm convinced that many
are separated from the life that
00:18:33.95\00:18:37.66
God desires for them
just by one thing, one choice,
00:18:37.69\00:18:42.93
one decision.
00:18:42.96\00:18:44.94
And so many will never
understand how beautiful
00:18:46.34\00:18:49.14
the life is in Christ unless
they make that one decision,
00:18:49.17\00:18:53.25
that one choice.
00:18:53.28\00:18:54.56
They spend their lives living
a life, building their own
00:18:54.59\00:18:57.73
building blocks, refusing to let
go of, often times, one thing
00:18:57.76\00:19:01.94
that can make a difference
between where they are
00:19:01.97\00:19:04.74
and where Christ
wants them to be.
00:19:05.27\00:19:07.05
And so this story tonight
talks about that one thing.
00:19:07.35\00:19:10.47
If you have your Bibles,
you're in John chapter 9.
00:19:10.50\00:19:12.80
John records one of
the most detailed accounts
00:19:12.83\00:19:16.22
about a miracle
performed by Jesus.
00:19:16.25\00:19:18.79
It was also, in my research, one
of the most disputed miracles
00:19:18.82\00:19:23.24
ever performed by Jesus.
00:19:23.27\00:19:25.36
After Jesus did His
thing, as only He can,
00:19:25.73\00:19:29.37
performing
miracles as only He can,
00:19:29.67\00:19:32.17
a great debate
followed about how He did it.
00:19:32.88\00:19:36.67
And it all came
down to simply one thing.
00:19:37.18\00:19:40.27
Now before we read the
story, let me set the stage.
00:19:40.76\00:19:43.26
There are three main
characters in this story.
00:19:45.32\00:19:48.76
There's the blind man,
the Pharisees, and Jesus.
00:19:49.39\00:19:54.12
The blind man, the
Pharisees, and Jesus.
00:19:54.74\00:19:58.55
But if you look at the
entire cast of the story,
00:19:58.94\00:20:01.60
there's the blind man,
his parents, the neighbors,
00:20:01.63\00:20:06.04
the Pharisees, and Jesus.
00:20:06.07\00:20:08.99
Five included in the story.
00:20:09.40\00:20:11.37
The main theme is believing
that Jesus can do anything.
00:20:11.77\00:20:17.29
I believe that
Jesus can do anything.
00:20:17.32\00:20:19.81
What about you?
00:20:19.82\00:20:20.82
The Bible says, "I can
do all things through Christ
00:20:21.18\00:20:24.20
who strengthens me."
00:20:24.23\00:20:25.31
One of the reasons I know
that the Lord can do anything is
00:20:25.34\00:20:27.44
because He has me
now preaching the gospel.
00:20:27.45\00:20:30.77
And about 30 years ago you would
never be able to convince me
00:20:30.80\00:20:33.72
that I would be
preaching the gospel.
00:20:33.75\00:20:35.62
Pastor C.A. knows, as one
that attended a church there in
00:20:36.04\00:20:39.01
New York that he pastored.
00:20:39.04\00:20:40.38
As a young man, I'd come
to church and I'd be sleeping.
00:20:40.72\00:20:43.27
Like so many come to church
and sleep on Sabbath morning.
00:20:43.52\00:20:45.86
I'd party when the sun set.
00:20:46.24\00:20:47.95
I would party from
Thursday to Sunday.
00:20:48.20\00:20:50.41
I'd hang out in
clubs, I was a gambler.
00:20:50.75\00:20:52.99
I played pool for money.
00:20:53.02\00:20:54.58
No one could have convinced
me that the Lord could have
00:20:54.83\00:20:58.36
changed my life.
00:20:58.37\00:20:59.38
As a matter of fact,
if someone said to me,
00:20:59.40\00:21:01.36
"Do you know that one day
you're going to be preaching
00:21:01.39\00:21:03.08
the gospel," I'd say,
"You're out of your mind.
00:21:03.11\00:21:04.72
Because there's no way."
00:21:04.75\00:21:05.96
Matter of fact, I
didn't even want to
00:21:05.99\00:21:08.24
be a preacher of the gospel.
00:21:08.27\00:21:09.46
But the good thing about Christ
is, He can take a person with
00:21:09.49\00:21:12.66
no desire to preach the gospel,
fill him with His Holy Spirit,
00:21:12.69\00:21:16.34
and awaken the
desire to do all that he can
00:21:16.37\00:21:18.92
for the glory of God.
00:21:18.95\00:21:20.38
One thing.
00:21:20.98\00:21:22.15
I'd go to work
every day with my mind set
00:21:22.16\00:21:25.27
on partying and gambling.
00:21:25.30\00:21:27.13
And one Friday evening, I
had an encounter with Christ
00:21:27.16\00:21:30.10
as my girlfriend
introduced me to Jesus.
00:21:30.13\00:21:32.25
From Friday; pool
stick and boom box.
00:21:32.28\00:21:35.69
Monday morning; Bible
and Great Controversy.
00:21:35.72\00:21:38.86
It's amazing how much of
a difference one encounter
00:21:38.89\00:21:42.69
with Christ can make.
00:21:42.72\00:21:44.10
This young man was faced
00:21:44.90\00:21:47.68
with believing that
Jesus can do anything.
00:21:50.10\00:21:52.58
But the great
question of the story...
00:21:54.85\00:21:56.47
And you have to
follow this very carefully.
00:21:56.50\00:21:58.03
...is not that he's blind.
00:21:58.62\00:21:59.90
But the great
question is... Who's blind?
00:21:59.93\00:22:02.29
The man, his parents, the
neighbors, or the Pharisees?
00:22:02.74\00:22:07.49
But there are three
issues in the story.
00:22:08.77\00:22:10.55
There are birth
issues, there are life issues,
00:22:10.96\00:22:14.15
and there are faith issues.
00:22:14.18\00:22:17.12
The Bible introduces this man,
in verse 1, different from us.
00:22:17.15\00:22:21.20
But at the same
time very much like us.
00:22:22.49\00:22:26.13
Notice John
chapter 9 and verse 1.
00:22:26.16\00:22:28.65
And the Bible says,
"Now as Jesus passed by,
00:22:29.83\00:22:36.61
He saw a man who
was blind from birth."
00:22:36.64\00:22:41.50
Now let me just stop there for
a brief moment and make a point.
00:22:41.53\00:22:44.94
Jesus never just passes by.
00:22:44.97\00:22:48.08
Did you get that?
00:22:50.34\00:22:51.34
Wherever Jesus is, He's always
there for a missionary reason.
00:22:51.57\00:22:57.08
Jesus is never
anywhere by accident.
00:22:57.09\00:22:59.64
Every place that Jesus was,
was predetermined, preordained.
00:22:59.94\00:23:03.81
Because Jesus came seeking
and saving those who were lost.
00:23:03.84\00:23:07.28
And Jesus was where He was
because He had an encounter
00:23:07.31\00:23:11.53
to make that evening, a
connection to make that evening,
00:23:11.56\00:23:14.20
with a man who needed Christ.
00:23:14.23\00:23:16.58
And like somebody who
has something to sell,
00:23:18.54\00:23:20.65
you always do a
demographic study.
00:23:21.05\00:23:22.74
You know what that
is, a demographic study?
00:23:22.77\00:23:24.49
You go on the internet
and find out what kind of
00:23:24.90\00:23:26.99
people live in the neighborhood.
00:23:27.00\00:23:28.03
Whether they are
high income or low income.
00:23:28.06\00:23:30.68
Whether or not they're rich
or whether or not they're poor.
00:23:30.71\00:23:32.82
Jesus did a demographic
study and discovered that
00:23:32.85\00:23:35.93
there's a blind man here that
needs an encounter with Jesus.
00:23:35.94\00:23:40.19
Because the bottom line is,
Jesus had to find the blind man
00:23:40.22\00:23:43.81
because the blind
man could not find Jesus.
00:23:43.84\00:23:46.43
Blind people can't find Jesus.
00:23:47.21\00:23:50.39
So Jesus set the schedule.
00:23:51.13\00:23:53.59
Look at verse 2.
00:23:53.60\00:23:54.76
The Bible says in verse 2,
"And His disciples asked Him,
00:23:55.99\00:24:02.22
saying, 'Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents,
00:24:03.40\00:24:09.83
that he was born blind?'"
00:24:09.86\00:24:11.93
When I read that, I thought
to myself, "Was there something
00:24:11.96\00:24:14.17
wrong with the disciples
perception of their own Master?"
00:24:14.20\00:24:16.58
And I came to discover that
the reason why they asked Jesus
00:24:17.12\00:24:20.76
that question is because the
people of His day were affected
00:24:20.77\00:24:24.93
by a teaching called, the
doctrine of transmigration.
00:24:24.96\00:24:30.11
Can you say that in English?
00:24:30.37\00:24:31.66
Transmigration.
00:24:31.67\00:24:33.82
Now let me explain
what that big word means.
00:24:34.14\00:24:36.29
Because that's the
framework of the question.
00:24:37.19\00:24:39.11
Transmigration means
that the souls of men
00:24:39.14\00:24:43.06
were sent into other
bodies for punishments of sins
00:24:44.68\00:24:49.66
which they had committed
in a pre-existing state.
00:24:49.67\00:24:53.41
Transmigration.
00:24:53.44\00:24:54.89
The Pharisees, the
Greeks, and the Asiatics
00:24:54.92\00:24:58.72
held to this belief.
00:24:58.73\00:25:00.82
And so the
disciples, being in that region
00:25:00.85\00:25:03.31
under those teachings,
listened to the Pharisees
00:25:03.34\00:25:06.49
and scribes and Sadducees.
00:25:06.52\00:25:07.99
The religious leaders of that
day were all affected by the
00:25:08.00\00:25:10.88
idea that if you suffered
from something, it had to be the
00:25:10.91\00:25:14.72
result of when you
lived in a former life.
00:25:14.75\00:25:18.11
And notice the categories
as they broke them down.
00:25:19.30\00:25:21.17
Because many in the far east
today still hold to that belief.
00:25:21.20\00:25:24.15
As a matter of fact, many
professed to be able to pinpoint
00:25:24.18\00:25:27.55
the sins of your past
that are connected to the
00:25:27.57\00:25:30.34
suffering of your present.
00:25:30.37\00:25:31.45
In other words, if you
have a broken leg, they say,
00:25:31.48\00:25:33.94
"Well, the reason why you
have that broken leg now..."
00:25:33.97\00:25:36.64
If you were born with a
bad leg, "The reason why
00:25:36.94\00:25:38.93
you have that bad leg is
because of something you did
00:25:38.94\00:25:41.16
when you use to
live in another life."
00:25:41.19\00:25:43.16
Listen to how they
break the categories down.
00:25:44.09\00:25:46.57
For example, under the
belief of transmigration
00:25:46.78\00:25:49.62
they believed that if
you suffered from headaches,
00:25:49.65\00:25:52.66
listen to this very carefully,
00:25:52.69\00:25:54.10
they said that you spoke
irreverently against your
00:25:54.40\00:25:56.76
father and your
mother in a former life.
00:25:56.79\00:25:59.46
In other words, when
you use to be American,
00:26:01.09\00:26:03.11
transmigration would
say, "You're Latino now,
00:26:06.25\00:26:08.48
but you use to be Jewish."
00:26:08.51\00:26:10.53
Or maybe you use to be Russian.
00:26:11.61\00:26:14.04
Because you lived
a life prior to this.
00:26:14.07\00:26:16.41
So they say, in that
former life; the reason why you
00:26:16.73\00:26:19.38
suffer with headaches now
is because in your former life
00:26:19.41\00:26:21.93
you spoke irreverently against
your father and your mother.
00:26:21.96\00:26:24.77
But it keeps going.
00:26:25.79\00:26:26.87
They said if a person
is born mad, that person
00:26:27.49\00:26:30.41
was disobedient to their father
or mother or spiritual guide
00:26:30.44\00:26:35.42
when they were
living in their former life.
00:26:36.03\00:26:38.01
If you had epilepsy, they
said you were being punished
00:26:38.04\00:26:41.64
for poisoning somebody that you
poisoned in your former life.
00:26:41.67\00:26:45.76
If this is ridiculous, say amen.
00:26:47.13\00:26:49.02
But that's what they believed.
00:26:50.19\00:26:51.56
They also said that
if you had eye pain,
00:26:51.86\00:26:54.07
it's because in a former
life you were coveting another
00:26:55.28\00:26:58.35
man's wife or
another woman's husband.
00:26:58.38\00:27:02.10
Don't look around.
Nobody has eye pain.
00:27:03.84\00:27:05.76
But pertaining to this man,
they said the reason why he was
00:27:08.65\00:27:11.01
born blind was because
he may have been punished
00:27:11.04\00:27:14.62
for having killed his
mother in his former life.
00:27:14.65\00:27:18.84
But added to that they
said, before his new birth,
00:27:19.04\00:27:22.97
before his new life, he had
to suffer torment in hell for
00:27:23.00\00:27:26.79
many years to pay for the debt
of the sin in the former life.
00:27:26.82\00:27:30.54
And then be born
blind in this new world.
00:27:30.57\00:27:33.99
So when they said, "who
was born blind," they meant
00:27:34.02\00:27:37.13
there had to be a reason
why he's born the way he was.
00:27:37.59\00:27:43.18
He's either being punished
for the sins of his parents
00:27:43.72\00:27:46.91
or he's being
punished for his sins.
00:27:47.31\00:27:51.40
But the problem is,
how could he have sinned
00:27:51.80\00:27:55.44
before his birth?
00:27:55.45\00:27:57.52
None of us have
sinned before our birth.
00:27:58.19\00:28:02.35
How we are born is not as
important as, that we were born.
00:28:02.38\00:28:07.68
Who we were is not as
important as who we can be.
00:28:08.18\00:28:12.14
How we were is not
important as much as how we
00:28:12.17\00:28:16.75
can become in Christ.
00:28:16.78\00:28:18.13
Who I was before
Christ is no comparison
00:28:18.16\00:28:21.42
to who I am after Christ.
00:28:21.45\00:28:23.01
Can somebody say amen to that?
00:28:23.04\00:28:24.41
I was a guy that
liked to hang out.
00:28:25.16\00:28:27.04
I thought that life was living
and partying in New York and
00:28:27.35\00:28:30.93
partying in Manhattan.
00:28:30.96\00:28:32.22
But now that I've
given my life to the Lord,
00:28:32.25\00:28:33.97
the Lord has taken us all
over the world for His honor
00:28:34.41\00:28:36.77
and for His glory.
00:28:36.78\00:28:37.78
Now I'm really
having fun. You know why?
00:28:37.79\00:28:40.12
Because I can go to bed at
night with a clear conscience,
00:28:40.15\00:28:43.88
wake up in the morning
with a clear conscience,
00:28:44.08\00:28:46.71
date my wife and my girlfriend,
who is also the same person...
00:28:47.88\00:28:52.14
Amen somebody.
00:28:52.17\00:28:53.28
...and live a
life, preach a sermon,
00:28:54.27\00:28:56.58
and don't have to worry about
anybody coming forth saying
00:28:56.61\00:28:59.71
I'm guilty of anything
with anybody else's woman.
00:28:59.74\00:29:02.53
Amen.
00:29:02.56\00:29:03.88
Clear conscience.
00:29:04.48\00:29:05.99
I can preach on any subject
00:29:08.00\00:29:10.18
and go to bed with
a clear conscience.
00:29:10.30\00:29:12.18
The power of putting
one's life in the hand
00:29:12.84\00:29:17.41
and under the glory of God.
00:29:18.21\00:29:19.88
But the reality of it is,
there are certain things that
00:29:20.45\00:29:24.22
affect us that have
nothing to do with anything that
00:29:24.23\00:29:26.73
we have done since we were born.
00:29:26.76\00:29:29.09
The reality of it is,
everyone of us is who we are,
00:29:29.12\00:29:33.25
not because of what
we have done, but because
00:29:33.28\00:29:35.89
of who Adam was.
00:29:35.90\00:29:37.81
The Bible says in 1
Corinthians 15 verse 22,
00:29:37.84\00:29:40.72
"as in Adam,"
how many of us die?
00:29:40.75\00:29:44.33
All die.
00:29:44.84\00:29:46.41
But it continues,
"Even so in Christ,
00:29:46.44\00:29:48.71
all shall be made alive."
00:29:48.74\00:29:50.81
In other words,
somebody once said,
00:29:50.82\00:29:52.37
"We all have the same
father, but different mothers."
00:29:52.40\00:29:55.47
Adam is your father.
00:29:57.36\00:29:58.83
Adam is your father.
00:29:59.18\00:30:00.50
But when you're born again,
you are born to the last Adam.
00:30:01.24\00:30:05.38
Now my Father and your
Father, if you are in Christ,
00:30:05.41\00:30:08.61
you are children, sons and
daughters, of the most high God.
00:30:08.64\00:30:11.99
Amen.
00:30:12.02\00:30:13.14
And you know, sometimes
you ought to think about that.
00:30:13.17\00:30:14.72
Because sometimes we
walk around the world
00:30:14.75\00:30:16.34
talking about all the
things that happened to us
00:30:16.35\00:30:18.30
prior to the time we were born.
00:30:18.31\00:30:19.89
Things that we can do
absolutely nothing about.
00:30:19.92\00:30:21.96
And I know that very well.
00:30:25.25\00:30:26.64
Being born to an unwed mother.
00:30:27.24\00:30:29.48
My mother was born
in the Virgin Islands,
00:30:30.02\00:30:32.22
of Filipino descent.
00:30:32.54\00:30:34.00
My family is all mixed up.
00:30:34.01\00:30:35.69
I am every nationality.
00:30:36.88\00:30:38.24
Just pick it, I'm
probably that nationality.
00:30:38.27\00:30:40.35
I am red and
yellow, black and white.
00:30:40.38\00:30:42.52
And Hispanic.
00:30:42.55\00:30:43.57
Oh, you think I'm kidding.
00:30:46.05\00:30:47.30
You ought to come to my
house and see my photo album.
00:30:47.33\00:30:49.75
You would think I
stole somebody's photo album.
00:30:49.78\00:30:51.86
I have people of all different
hues and all different races
00:30:52.83\00:30:56.12
and all different classes.
00:30:56.15\00:30:57.43
And the bottom line
is, my mother and father
00:30:57.46\00:30:59.85
got together long
enough to conceive me.
00:30:59.88\00:31:03.02
They were never married.
00:31:03.05\00:31:04.81
They were not even Christians.
00:31:05.41\00:31:07.31
But look at what
God can do to a son born
00:31:07.61\00:31:11.19
in an illegitimate situation.
00:31:11.59\00:31:13.35
To God be the glory. Right?
00:31:13.38\00:31:15.16
That's why I don't ever say that
there are illegitimate children.
00:31:15.82\00:31:18.69
There are illegitimate parents.
00:31:18.72\00:31:21.31
Because the child has done
nothing to be in that situation.
00:31:21.32\00:31:25.58
Amen.
00:31:25.61\00:31:26.60
We have all kinds of
words that the world uses.
00:31:28.06\00:31:30.55
Nothing wrong with the child.
00:31:31.30\00:31:32.93
Something wrong
with the parents.
00:31:32.96\00:31:34.93
Neither of them knew the Lord.
00:31:34.96\00:31:36.71
Gave me life.
00:31:36.74\00:31:37.80
But Jesus has now given
me the hope of eternal life.
00:31:37.83\00:31:40.63
So they look at this man's life.
00:31:40.66\00:31:42.48
And the Lord
responds very clearly.
00:31:42.51\00:31:44.85
When they analyze the situation,
Jesus makes it very, very clear.
00:31:44.86\00:31:47.92
And this is very powerful.
00:31:47.95\00:31:48.97
Look at verse 3
of John chapter 9.
00:31:49.00\00:31:50.75
John chapter 9 and verse 3.
00:31:51.11\00:31:52.62
The Lord says, "Neither
this man nor his parents sinned,
00:31:54.22\00:31:59.29
but that the works of God
should be revealed in him."
00:31:59.32\00:32:03.43
Now before you say "amen,"
let me break that down to you.
00:32:03.46\00:32:06.70
Everyone of us was born
so that the works of God
00:32:07.11\00:32:11.43
could be revealed in us.
00:32:11.46\00:32:13.12
Let me say it another way.
00:32:15.30\00:32:16.30
Do you know that the only reason
why Jesus has chosen you is so
00:32:16.57\00:32:19.54
that He can reveal to the world
who He is through your life.
00:32:19.57\00:32:22.40
Let me say it another way.
00:32:22.90\00:32:24.09
The world will never
know Jesus where you live
00:32:24.12\00:32:27.01
unless you live as Jesus would
have you live where you live.
00:32:27.04\00:32:30.78
Let me say it another way
since you still didn't get it.
00:32:31.92\00:32:33.95
Until you let your light shine,
which is the light Jesus Christ,
00:32:34.49\00:32:39.01
there will always be
darkness in your neighborhood.
00:32:39.03\00:32:41.72
God chose you so that
He can turn on the light
00:32:41.86\00:32:45.24
through your life.
00:32:45.27\00:32:46.41
Some still didn't get it.
00:32:48.08\00:32:49.46
Let me say it one more way.
00:32:49.47\00:32:50.78
For God so loved the
world that He chose you so the
00:32:51.52\00:32:55.00
world can know about Jesus.
00:32:55.03\00:32:56.79
Everyone of us were
born so that the works of God
00:32:59.97\00:33:03.96
could be revealed in us.
00:33:03.97\00:33:06.19
How else can a man hooked
on drugs one day be a powerful
00:33:06.22\00:33:10.25
preacher for the glory of God?
00:33:10.26\00:33:11.78
How else can a girl who
lived out a life of sin,
00:33:12.33\00:33:16.16
lived out in the world, made one
bad decision after the other,
00:33:16.19\00:33:19.70
life in honor and glory
to the Lord Jesus Christ?
00:33:19.73\00:33:22.66
How can a woman named
Mary Magdalene be the very
00:33:22.69\00:33:25.58
vessel that Jesus chooses?
00:33:25.61\00:33:27.18
And He says wherever
the gospel is preached,
00:33:27.21\00:33:29.47
her name will be mentioned.
00:33:29.48\00:33:31.33
And when you follow
the bloodline of Jesus,
00:33:31.79\00:33:33.93
He identifies
with Rahab the harlot.
00:33:33.94\00:33:35.95
How else can that be except
by the power and transformation
00:33:35.98\00:33:39.61
of the righteousness of Christ?
00:33:39.64\00:33:41.60
Everyone of us are born
that the glory of Christ
00:33:41.97\00:33:44.98
may be revealed in us.
00:33:45.01\00:33:46.65
And so whenever you
think about what you can't do,
00:33:46.68\00:33:48.79
think about what you can do.
00:33:48.82\00:33:50.04
"I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me,"
00:33:50.07\00:33:52.31
the Bible says.
00:33:52.34\00:33:53.35
"With God all
things are possible."
00:33:53.37\00:33:55.39
And 2 Corinthians 5 verse
17, "If anyone is in Christ..."
00:33:55.42\00:33:59.94
If who is in Christ?
00:33:59.97\00:34:01.69
If who is in Christ? Anyone.
00:34:02.19\00:34:04.37
"If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation.
00:34:04.40\00:34:09.01
Old things have
passed away; behold..."
00:34:09.04\00:34:12.85
How many things?
00:34:12.86\00:34:13.98
"...all things have become new."
00:34:14.01\00:34:16.76
So what Jesus said about
that man is also true about us.
00:34:18.28\00:34:20.73
We are all born so
that the works of God
00:34:20.76\00:34:23.69
could be revealed in us.
00:34:23.72\00:34:25.23
But Jesus
pointed to a blind man.
00:34:25.26\00:34:27.49
But notice what He did.
00:34:27.50\00:34:29.37
He pointed to the blind man, but
what He did to that blind man
00:34:29.40\00:34:33.68
is similar to what
He wants to do to us.
00:34:33.69\00:34:36.68
For us to experience
the same deliverance.
00:34:36.97\00:34:38.70
Look at verse 6 and verse 7.
00:34:38.73\00:34:40.26
I have to move on now.
00:34:41.50\00:34:42.82
And I can do that.
00:34:42.85\00:34:43.90
Verse 6, it says, "When
He had said these things,
00:34:44.78\00:34:49.80
He spat on the ground and
made clay with the saliva;
00:34:52.11\00:34:57.84
and He anointed the eyes of
the blind man with the clay.
00:34:58.81\00:35:02.60
And He said to him, 'Go,
wash in the pool of Siloam,'
00:35:05.18\00:35:11.39
which is translated, Sent.
00:35:11.40\00:35:13.63
So he went and
washed, and came back seeing."
00:35:14.65\00:35:19.94
Now this is powerful.
00:35:20.30\00:35:21.52
This is powerful.
00:35:21.91\00:35:23.03
You see, Jesus could have
said, "Let Me open your eyes
00:35:23.37\00:35:26.73
so you can find
the pool of Siloam.
00:35:26.76\00:35:29.21
Then you can go wash and
everything will be complete."
00:35:29.24\00:35:32.06
But Jesus sent him
before He restored his sight.
00:35:32.81\00:35:36.58
And as he went,
his sight was restored.
00:35:37.01\00:35:41.35
In other words, Jesus did not
restore the young man's sight
00:35:41.38\00:35:45.84
until He changed the
young man's direction.
00:35:45.87\00:35:50.21
Follow very carefully.
00:35:50.53\00:35:51.82
Jesus changed his
direction before the restoration
00:35:52.26\00:35:56.37
was complete.
00:35:56.40\00:35:57.40
Sometimes, the
change in direction comes
00:35:57.56\00:36:00.99
before the restoration.
00:36:01.02\00:36:02.62
Let me make it very
clear what I'm talking about.
00:36:02.65\00:36:04.21
When I first gave my
life to the Lord, when I said,
00:36:04.24\00:36:06.24
"Okay, Lord I'm
giving you my life,"
00:36:06.26\00:36:07.77
there was a whole lot of
changes that needed to be made
00:36:07.80\00:36:10.42
in my life before I was
where God wanted me to be.
00:36:10.45\00:36:13.32
You see, when we come to Christ,
that's called justification.
00:36:13.35\00:36:15.78
We are
accepted, we are forgiven.
00:36:16.08\00:36:18.14
And at that very moment,
the death penalty no longer
00:36:18.17\00:36:21.39
hangs over our head.
00:36:21.42\00:36:22.46
Amen.
00:36:22.47\00:36:23.53
We're taken off of death row.
00:36:23.56\00:36:24.89
However, the day that
you get baptized is not the
00:36:24.92\00:36:27.81
end of your journey, it's
the beginning of your journey.
00:36:27.84\00:36:29.76
You've got to begin
to unlearn all the things
00:36:30.04\00:36:31.79
you did in your past.
00:36:31.82\00:36:32.87
You've got to begin to
unlearn how to tell people off,
00:36:32.90\00:36:35.61
unlearn how to be
dishonest, unlearn how to steal,
00:36:35.64\00:36:38.99
unlearn how to lie,
unlearn how to dance.
00:36:39.00\00:36:42.17
Amen.
00:36:42.20\00:36:43.25
You've got to begin to unlearn.
00:36:43.43\00:36:45.06
So Jesus, before He restored his
sight, He changed his direction.
00:36:45.07\00:36:50.12
In other words,
my point is this.
00:36:50.15\00:36:51.75
Restoration is a touch
from Jesus that requires
00:36:52.15\00:36:55.82
a change in your direction.
00:36:55.85\00:36:57.24
Which means, you cannot
come to Jesus and ask for change
00:36:57.27\00:37:00.82
and go in the same direction.
00:37:00.85\00:37:02.40
You can't say, "Lord, change my
life," and go back to the clubs.
00:37:07.35\00:37:10.29
You can't say,
"Lord, change my life,"
00:37:11.00\00:37:12.56
and go back to that music.
00:37:12.59\00:37:13.93
You can't say,
"Lord, change my life,"
00:37:14.25\00:37:15.63
and go back to the way you
lived before you found Christ.
00:37:15.66\00:37:18.39
You cannot ask for
a change in your sight
00:37:18.42\00:37:21.61
if you don't want a
change in your direction.
00:37:22.65\00:37:24.85
When the Lord changed my
direction, He restored my sight.
00:37:25.79\00:37:31.60
And David, the psalmist, knows
wonderfully what that means.
00:37:34.00\00:37:36.00
Because David, the
psalmist, says, "Open my eyes
00:37:36.03\00:37:39.03
that I may behold
wonderful things from Your law."
00:37:39.04\00:37:43.03
Until God opens our eyes,
we cannot see wonderful things.
00:37:43.06\00:37:48.03
But one of the reason why many
are still in the same condition
00:37:49.39\00:37:51.69
is because they want
the change of condition
00:37:51.72\00:37:53.84
without the change of direction.
00:37:54.24\00:37:56.00
In other words, "Save
me, give me a pill, Lord,
00:37:57.48\00:37:59.33
so I can have success.
00:37:59.36\00:38:00.63
But I don't want to
change the way I live."
00:38:00.66\00:38:02.65
And the world is just that way.
00:38:02.66\00:38:04.15
There are a lot of people
that want to come to Christ.
00:38:04.18\00:38:05.92
And you know,
sometimes we sing that song,
00:38:06.12\00:38:08.17
"Just as I am."
00:38:08.20\00:38:09.46
"Just As I Am" is
a good song, right?
00:38:09.49\00:38:11.07
You know, "Just as I am..."
00:38:11.73\00:38:13.87
That's a good song, right?
00:38:13.90\00:38:14.98
Amen?
00:38:15.01\00:38:16.01
But Jesus accepts
you just as you are,
00:38:16.69\00:38:19.14
but He never leaves
you just as you were.
00:38:19.84\00:38:22.30
If I can remember how
the preacher said it...
00:38:24.74\00:38:26.44
Let me not even
try to copy that.
00:38:28.41\00:38:30.05
I may forget it and mess it up.
00:38:30.57\00:38:32.16
But the point is very clear.
00:38:32.19\00:38:33.68
He accepts us as we
are, but He never leaves us
00:38:33.71\00:38:36.69
the way He finds us.
00:38:36.72\00:38:38.13
Some of you know
exactly what I'm talking about.
00:38:38.60\00:38:40.86
Some of you came to
Christ with your problems.
00:38:40.89\00:38:42.43
Those problems have been solved.
00:38:42.46\00:38:44.16
But every problem, every
difficulty we face in life,
00:38:44.56\00:38:48.22
Jesus can remedy that.
00:38:48.23\00:38:50.65
But we have to want
a change in direction,
00:38:50.68\00:38:52.85
not just a
change in our eye sight.
00:38:52.88\00:38:55.36
But secondly, there's not only
birth issues, but life issues.
00:38:57.09\00:38:59.45
In other words, unless we
have an encounter with Jesus,
00:38:59.48\00:39:02.24
there will never be a change
in the direction of our feet
00:39:02.27\00:39:05.49
and in the
strength of our sight.
00:39:05.52\00:39:07.14
In other words, you can't see
the life the Lord has for you
00:39:07.34\00:39:09.75
until your eyes are opened.
00:39:09.76\00:39:10.76
I would never have imagined.
00:39:10.77\00:39:12.52
My wife and I talk
about this sometimes.
00:39:12.55\00:39:14.26
We say, "Can you imagine now..."
00:39:14.29\00:39:16.12
And one of the reasons why
we always pray to be humble
00:39:16.55\00:39:18.87
is because, you know
what, I believe that the Lord
00:39:18.90\00:39:20.98
can replace any of us
on any day once we begin
00:39:21.01\00:39:24.02
to think it's all about us.
00:39:24.05\00:39:25.46
But if we always
think it's about Christ,
00:39:27.15\00:39:29.24
He can still use us.
00:39:29.27\00:39:30.47
But the moment it becomes
about us, the Lord will move us
00:39:30.50\00:39:34.97
out of the way
and use somebody else.
00:39:34.98\00:39:36.92
Remember what Elijah said?
00:39:36.93\00:39:39.91
He said, "Lord,
I'm the only one left."
00:39:40.25\00:39:41.77
And the Lord said, "No,
no. I have 7000 that never
00:39:41.78\00:39:45.03
have bowed their knees to Baal."
00:39:45.06\00:39:46.49
We are not the only one.
00:39:46.52\00:39:47.62
However, no one can show
the world how Christ lives
00:39:47.65\00:39:52.60
through you
except through your life.
00:39:52.63\00:39:54.84
There is nobody else like you.
00:39:54.87\00:39:56.53
The Lord doesn't
want a duplicate.
00:39:56.56\00:39:57.71
He wants your life to be the
vessel through which the world
00:39:57.74\00:40:00.27
gets to know about Him
and His transforming grace.
00:40:00.28\00:40:03.30
But look at this category.
00:40:04.05\00:40:05.38
The Lord gave him
sight, restored his sight.
00:40:05.41\00:40:07.92
Look at verse 8, 9, and 10.
00:40:07.95\00:40:10.76
Look at what the Lord does
after He restores our sight.
00:40:10.79\00:40:15.89
Verse 8, the Lord
gave him back his sight.
00:40:15.92\00:40:19.82
He went and washed
and he came back seeing.
00:40:21.24\00:40:23.62
Change in
direction, change in sight.
00:40:23.65\00:40:26.27
But notice what happens.
00:40:26.30\00:40:27.38
He has a clash with those
who knew him how he use to be.
00:40:27.41\00:40:31.38
Verse 8,
"Therefore the neighbors and
00:40:31.41\00:40:33.52
those who previously had
seen that he was blind said,
00:40:33.55\00:40:37.14
'Is not this he
who sat and begged?'
00:40:37.17\00:40:39.77
Some said, 'This is he.'
Others said, 'He is like him.'
00:40:39.80\00:40:43.59
He said, 'I am he.'
00:40:43.62\00:40:44.98
Therefore they said to him,
'How were your eyes opened?'"
00:40:45.01\00:40:49.18
That was an opportunity
for that young man to tell
00:40:49.21\00:40:52.46
how Jesus changed his life.
00:40:52.49\00:40:53.78
Amen, somebody.
00:40:53.81\00:40:54.84
You see, the reason why
the Lord allowed him to have an
00:40:54.87\00:40:57.72
encounter with his neighbors is
because one of the things that
00:40:57.73\00:41:00.26
the Lord does is,
whenever He opens your eyes,
00:41:00.29\00:41:02.81
one of the first things He
does, whenever God changes you
00:41:02.84\00:41:06.16
He immediately gives you
an opportunity to witness
00:41:06.19\00:41:09.68
for His goodness.
00:41:09.71\00:41:11.10
"You're in the church
now? How did that happen?"
00:41:11.72\00:41:14.24
"The Lord changed my
life. The Lord delivered me."
00:41:14.25\00:41:16.61
"The Lord took me off of drugs."
00:41:16.62\00:41:18.02
"The Lord took me out of clubs."
00:41:18.05\00:41:19.24
"The Lord took me out
of a bad relationship."
00:41:19.31\00:41:21.08
The Lord put you in
touch with those who knew you
00:41:21.11\00:41:23.96
when you were.
00:41:23.99\00:41:25.20
That's why sometimes when
I go back to New York City,
00:41:25.61\00:41:27.37
they say, "Are
you the same guy?"
00:41:27.38\00:41:28.91
And I say, "I'm the same guy in
DNA, but I'm not the same guy.
00:41:28.92\00:41:31.44
Because the
Lord has changed me."
00:41:31.47\00:41:32.51
Amen, somebody.
00:41:32.52\00:41:33.73
We may be the same fingers,
same toes, same eye shadow,
00:41:34.26\00:41:36.90
everything else, but when
the Lord comes into your life
00:41:36.93\00:41:39.57
you are not the
same, because you are now
00:41:39.60\00:41:41.33
a partaker of divine nature.
00:41:41.36\00:41:43.85
We are not the same.
00:41:43.86\00:41:44.97
We are royalty, we are
sons of the most high God,
00:41:45.00\00:41:47.98
daughters of the most high God.
00:41:48.01\00:41:49.44
Can somebody say amen?
00:41:49.45\00:41:51.08
We're not born
to stay down here.
00:41:52.79\00:41:54.55
We have a greater
world waiting for us.
00:41:54.58\00:41:56.79
God opened this
man's eyes and led him
00:41:57.45\00:41:59.95
to the first
witnessing opportunity.
00:42:00.22\00:42:03.24
But that's not where it
ended. Look at verse 11 and 12.
00:42:03.27\00:42:05.60
"He answered and said, 'A
Man called Jesus made clay
00:42:08.09\00:42:11.98
and anointed my eyes and
said to me, "Go to the pool of
00:42:12.29\00:42:15.18
Siloam and wash."
00:42:15.21\00:42:16.22
So I went and washed,
and I received sight.'
00:42:16.25\00:42:18.78
Then they said to
him, 'Where is He?'
00:42:18.81\00:42:21.52
He said, 'I do not know.'"
00:42:21.55\00:42:23.51
You know why he said that?
00:42:24.08\00:42:25.74
I like this.
00:42:25.77\00:42:26.87
Because sometimes
you've got to put yourself...
00:42:26.90\00:42:29.35
Well let me make
it very, very clear.
00:42:29.75\00:42:31.61
You have to have a
greater desire to find Jesus
00:42:31.64\00:42:36.30
than rely on somebody else
who has been changed by Christ.
00:42:36.59\00:42:42.61
It has to be personal.
00:42:42.64\00:42:44.25
There are some folk that are
living right across the street
00:42:44.28\00:42:46.82
or right down the hill or
right in your neighborhood,
00:42:46.85\00:42:49.19
and the church is just a block
away or maybe footsteps away,
00:42:49.20\00:42:52.41
and they say, "Well,
how can I find deliverance?
00:42:52.44\00:42:54.46
How can I find Jesus?"
00:42:54.49\00:42:55.69
If they would simply leave
their houses and go to where
00:42:55.72\00:42:58.90
Jesus is, they will find Him.
00:42:58.93\00:43:01.16
So the neighbors had to
have their own personal drive
00:43:01.19\00:43:04.72
to get in touch with Jesus.
00:43:04.75\00:43:06.09
It could not be on
the shoulders of this man
00:43:06.12\00:43:09.09
who had received his sight.
00:43:09.12\00:43:11.45
It's always personal.
00:43:11.48\00:43:12.84
We always have to have that
deep encounter, our own desire
00:43:12.87\00:43:15.72
to get in touch with Jesus.
00:43:15.75\00:43:17.22
But there's another encounter.
00:43:17.42\00:43:18.90
There's the
encounter with the Pharisees.
00:43:19.74\00:43:21.14
And this one is amazing.
Look at verse 13 to verse 15.
00:43:21.17\00:43:26.61
"They brought him who formerly
was blind to the Pharisees."
00:43:28.07\00:43:30.99
And by the way, what
I like about this one;
00:43:31.02\00:43:32.75
this is where
testimony clashes with theology.
00:43:32.78\00:43:35.49
Sometimes the Lord
does things that you haven't
00:43:35.52\00:43:37.75
read in the Bible.
00:43:37.78\00:43:39.06
Follow, follow
carefully. Follow what I mean.
00:43:44.37\00:43:46.54
"They brought him who formerly
was blind to the Pharisees.
00:43:47.13\00:43:50.60
Now it was a Sabbath
when Jesus made the clay
00:43:50.63\00:43:53.48
and opened his eyes."
00:43:53.51\00:43:54.75
It was what day?
00:43:54.78\00:43:55.80
It was what day?
00:43:56.86\00:43:58.02
Okay.
00:43:58.29\00:43:59.30
"Then the Pharisees
also asked him again how he
00:43:59.33\00:44:03.23
had received his sight.
00:44:03.24\00:44:04.71
And he said to them,
'He put clay on my eyes,
00:44:04.74\00:44:08.14
and I washed, and I see.'"
00:44:08.17\00:44:11.14
Do you need any
other explanation?
00:44:11.69\00:44:13.53
Now you know what amazes me?
00:44:13.56\00:44:14.85
When the Lord performs
a miracle, the one person
00:44:14.88\00:44:17.19
you should not have to explain
it to over and over and over
00:44:17.22\00:44:19.79
is your pastor.
00:44:19.82\00:44:20.98
Amen.
00:44:21.67\00:44:22.65
Somebody comes to church
that had been praying for a job,
00:44:23.53\00:44:28.01
and they have a job.
00:44:28.04\00:44:29.34
And the pastor
spends all his time,
00:44:29.35\00:44:30.67
"Wait a minute, wait a minute.
How did you get that job again?"
00:44:30.70\00:44:33.07
"I prayed, the
Lord answered my prayer,
00:44:33.45\00:44:36.69
and now I have the job."
00:44:36.72\00:44:38.22
"I was blind, the
Lord touched my eyes,
00:44:38.25\00:44:40.81
and now I see."
00:44:40.84\00:44:41.96
The pastor says, "I understand
that, but how did He do it?"
00:44:41.99\00:44:44.77
"Okay, He spat on the ground,
He put the clay on my eyes,
00:44:46.46\00:44:50.98
He told me to go to the pool.
00:44:51.18\00:44:52.71
I went before I
could see anything.
00:44:52.74\00:44:54.70
I found the pool by the
direction of the Spirit of God.
00:44:54.73\00:44:57.73
My eyes were
opened. I came back.
00:44:58.13\00:45:00.03
And this is how it happened."
00:45:00.04\00:45:01.10
"I know that's what you
said, but how did it happen?"
00:45:01.13\00:45:03.80
That's the encounter.
00:45:05.27\00:45:06.29
And the only reason
for that kind of encounter
00:45:06.30\00:45:08.39
is because they were religious,
but they were not transformed
00:45:08.42\00:45:12.75
by the power of Christ.
00:45:12.78\00:45:14.17
That's why we've got to
pray for preachers and teachers
00:45:14.18\00:45:17.41
that are transformed,
not just theologically,
00:45:17.44\00:45:20.01
but spiritually.
00:45:20.04\00:45:21.43
Because spiritual things
are spiritually discerned.
00:45:21.46\00:45:23.87
And sometime God does not have
to explain it to the preacher
00:45:23.90\00:45:26.91
before He does it in your life.
00:45:26.94\00:45:28.38
If somebody is
delivered, to God be the glory.
00:45:28.90\00:45:31.17
But look at
verse 18 to verse 21.
00:45:31.70\00:45:33.41
They still want to find out.
00:45:34.44\00:45:35.79
The Pharisees are
continuing to investigate.
00:45:35.80\00:45:38.62
Now they take it
to the next level.
00:45:38.80\00:45:40.16
They go to the parents.
00:45:41.39\00:45:42.60
"But the Jews did not believe
concerning him, that he had
00:45:43.00\00:45:45.94
been blind and received his
sight, until they called the
00:45:45.97\00:45:48.84
parents of him who
had received his sight.
00:45:48.87\00:45:50.55
And they asked them
saying, 'Is this your son...'"
00:45:51.84\00:45:56.00
You've got to get the picture.
00:45:56.01\00:45:57.16
Church is done on Sabbath.
00:45:57.50\00:45:59.04
The pastor gets the
head deacon, the head elder,
00:45:59.43\00:46:03.02
head Sabbath school teacher,
00:46:03.74\00:46:05.29
and some of the
trusted leaders of the church,
00:46:07.58\00:46:09.76
and they say, "Now we'd like
you to go with Brother Santos.
00:46:09.79\00:46:12.76
Go with Brother
Santos, go to his house.
00:46:12.79\00:46:15.17
And I want you to
ask his parents how
00:46:15.79\00:46:17.88
he received his sight.
00:46:17.89\00:46:18.89
Because I don't
believe his story."
00:46:18.92\00:46:21.07
So they go to his parents.
00:46:21.44\00:46:22.57
"He's at church, he can see."
00:46:22.60\00:46:24.72
There's nobody that can open
our eyes better than Jesus can.
00:46:25.12\00:46:28.48
So they go to the parents.
00:46:28.78\00:46:29.78
Look at the parent's response.
00:46:29.81\00:46:31.05
"'Is this your son,
who you say was born blind?
00:46:31.94\00:46:36.71
How then does he now see?'
00:46:37.13\00:46:39.59
His parents answered them
and said, 'We know that this
00:46:39.89\00:46:42.56
is our son, and
that he was born blind.
00:46:42.57\00:46:44.82
But by what means he
now sees we do not know,
00:46:45.49\00:46:49.04
or who opened his
eyes we do not know.
00:46:49.07\00:46:51.72
He is of age; ask him.
00:46:51.75\00:46:53.72
He still can
speak for himself.'"
00:46:53.75\00:46:56.12
In other words, I've said,
when you don't have an answer,
00:46:56.15\00:46:58.77
put the answer on
somebody else's shoulder.
00:46:58.80\00:47:02.04
This was his opportunity
to tell his own testimony.
00:47:02.07\00:47:05.76
Amen.
00:47:05.79\00:47:06.84
Your parents can't
tell your story like you
00:47:07.83\00:47:10.76
can tell your story.
00:47:10.77\00:47:11.96
Because Jesus doesn't
touch you through your parents.
00:47:11.99\00:47:15.14
Jesus touches you directly.
00:47:15.17\00:47:17.19
In other words, they didn't
want to get on the bad side
00:47:17.22\00:47:19.61
of the pastor, so they
said, "Ask him, he'll tell you."
00:47:19.64\00:47:21.91
They didn't want to
lose their membership,
00:47:22.91\00:47:24.48
so they said, "Ask him."
00:47:24.51\00:47:25.63
Sometimes you've got to
put membership on the line
00:47:25.66\00:47:29.57
when it comes to
testifying about Jesus.
00:47:29.58\00:47:31.44
Amen.
00:47:31.45\00:47:32.45
If testifying for Jesus
means I may lose my membership,
00:47:32.46\00:47:36.15
God has got another building
for me to worship in on Sabbath.
00:47:36.18\00:47:38.72
What do you say?
00:47:38.75\00:47:39.73
Don't get radical now.
00:47:40.13\00:47:41.38
Don't follow this
all the way to the hilt.
00:47:41.41\00:47:43.57
But sometimes God bypasses
all those who want to make
00:47:44.44\00:47:47.93
something clear and gives
us something that can only
00:47:47.96\00:47:52.08
be explained by our
faith walk with Him.
00:47:52.10\00:47:54.20
But it keeps going.
00:47:55.23\00:47:56.29
Verses 22 to 24.
00:47:57.00\00:47:58.60
I'm almost done.
00:47:58.90\00:47:59.97
"His parents said these things
because they feared the Jews,
00:48:03.34\00:48:07.04
for the Jews had agreed
already that if anyone confessed
00:48:07.07\00:48:10.49
that He was Christ, he would
be put out of the synagogue."
00:48:10.52\00:48:14.49
Didn't I tell you their
membership was on the line.
00:48:14.52\00:48:16.79
"Therefore his parents
said, 'He is of age; ask him.'
00:48:17.09\00:48:20.54
So they again called the man
who was blind, and said to him,
00:48:21.14\00:48:24.37
'Give glory to God!
00:48:24.40\00:48:27.39
We know that this Man,
that is Jesus, is a sinner.'"
00:48:27.42\00:48:30.66
Have mercy.
00:48:31.36\00:48:32.59
But my sermon is
entitled, One Thing.
00:48:33.84\00:48:35.44
One Thing.
00:48:36.40\00:48:37.43
Verse 25, "He answered and
said, 'Whether He is a sinner
00:48:39.02\00:48:46.90
or not I do not know.
00:48:46.93\00:48:49.97
One thing I know: that
though I was blind, now I see.'"
00:48:50.00\00:48:56.57
Wow, you've got to say "amen"
like you're from Puerto Rico.
00:48:58.32\00:49:00.49
"Though I was blind, now I see."
00:49:02.24\00:49:05.34
Amen.
00:49:05.37\00:49:06.79
God's glory
revealed in the life of a man
00:49:07.17\00:49:10.54
that the theological
leaders still can't pin down.
00:49:10.57\00:49:13.49
It doesn't matter whether
or not people can explain
00:49:13.52\00:49:17.69
how the Lord has saved us,
it doesn't need an explanation.
00:49:17.72\00:49:22.05
It just needs a testimony.
00:49:22.08\00:49:23.66
Confessing about Jesus,
whether it is popular or not,
00:49:23.69\00:49:27.56
is the best thing to do.
00:49:27.59\00:49:29.33
Because when He empowered
His disciples, He said in
00:49:29.36\00:49:31.99
Acts 1 and verse 8, "You
shall be witnesses unto Me."
00:49:32.02\00:49:35.52
In other words, "Let
Me hear you glorify Me."
00:49:35.55\00:49:38.46
And whether or not people
believe it, that's up to them.
00:49:39.26\00:49:41.64
You see, brethren, the Lord
wants to transform our lives.
00:49:42.06\00:49:44.38
But sometimes He wants to lead
us where we don't want to go.
00:49:44.58\00:49:47.68
He wants to
transform us and change us
00:49:47.71\00:49:49.58
where it's not
convenient for us.
00:49:49.61\00:49:51.10
But if you want to be like this
man whose eyes were anointed,
00:49:51.13\00:49:54.01
whose eyes were opened,
whose eyes saw the glory of God,
00:49:54.04\00:49:56.91
whose eyes and life
were transformed for the
00:49:56.94\00:49:59.54
glory of God, God
can give you a testimony.
00:49:59.55\00:50:03.09
But I believe there's one thing,
everyone of us has one thing
00:50:03.86\00:50:06.41
in our lives that
we're confronted with.
00:50:06.44\00:50:08.34
And today, as I close
this sermon with a song,
00:50:08.37\00:50:11.62
there's one thing, I believe,
that's keeping some of us
00:50:12.16\00:50:15.13
from being free from our past.
00:50:15.16\00:50:17.89
One thing that's
keeping us from seeing Jesus
00:50:17.92\00:50:20.55
the way He wants to be seen.
00:50:20.58\00:50:21.98
There's one thing that
is barring us from moving
00:50:22.01\00:50:24.82
and knowing the power of God.
00:50:24.85\00:50:27.10
But if you let Him lead
you, if you let Him guide you,
00:50:27.11\00:50:29.87
He will always guide you.
00:50:29.90\00:50:31.30
Sometimes though the water,
sometimes through the flood,
00:50:31.33\00:50:37.00
sometimes through the
fire, but He'll never guide you
00:50:37.50\00:50:41.40
unless He guides
you through His blood.
00:50:41.43\00:50:44.15
As I close with this
song, if it's your desire
00:50:44.48\00:50:47.86
for the Lord to
change and transform...
00:50:47.89\00:50:49.88
You may be religious,
you may even be a Christian,
00:50:49.89\00:50:52.21
but I believe that you have
not yet seen the power of God
00:50:52.46\00:50:54.91
as He wants to
reveal it in your life.
00:50:54.94\00:50:56.84
If there's one thing barring
you from that abundant life.
00:50:56.87\00:51:00.16
But as I sing this closing
song, if you want to have that
00:51:00.19\00:51:02.94
abundant life, if you
want to know the power of God,
00:51:02.97\00:51:06.46
if you want God to empower
even in the walk that you have,
00:51:06.49\00:51:09.23
as I sing this song I want
you to simply stand to your feet
00:51:09.26\00:51:13.34
so that we can have a word
of prayer together as I close.
00:51:13.64\00:51:16.21
But listen to the song.
00:51:16.24\00:51:17.31
May the Lord touch
your heart through it.
00:51:17.51\00:51:18.96
In shady green
pastures so rich and so sweet,
00:51:39.32\00:51:47.44
God leads His
dear children along.
00:51:48.46\00:51:56.45
Where the water's cool flow
bathes the weary one's feet,
00:51:58.41\00:52:07.11
as God leads His
dear children along.
00:52:07.74\00:52:16.09
He leads some through the waters
and some through the flood,
00:52:17.37\00:52:26.39
some through the fire,
but all through the blood.
00:52:27.43\00:52:36.64
Some through great
sorrows, yet God gives a song,
00:52:38.01\00:52:45.72
in the night season
and all the day long.
00:52:46.33\00:52:56.32
When sorrows befall
us and Satan oppose,
00:53:09.50\00:53:18.18
God leads His
dear children along.
00:53:18.38\00:53:25.95
Through faith we can
conquer and defeat all our foes,
00:53:25.98\00:53:34.09
as God leads His
dear children along.
00:53:34.12\00:53:41.96
He leads some through the waters
and some through the flood,
00:53:41.99\00:53:50.44
some through the fire,
but all through the blood.
00:53:50.95\00:54:00.94
Some through great
sorrows, yet God gives a song,
00:54:03.83\00:54:11.88
in the night season,
00:54:12.18\00:54:18.44
in our night seasons
00:54:22.13\00:54:27.38
and all the day long.
00:54:27.68\00:54:37.60
You know, there's one thing
between us today and Jesus.
00:55:01.66\00:55:04.42
As we close this service this
afternoon, I want to ask you to
00:55:07.60\00:55:10.23
recommit yourself to the Lord.
00:55:10.24\00:55:11.79
Every day, my wife and I,
we come to the intersection of
00:55:13.34\00:55:16.06
the University of Puerto
Rico right there where those
00:55:16.08\00:55:19.41
red walls are located.
00:55:19.45\00:55:22.26
And every time
we make a red light,
00:55:22.29\00:55:26.09
there's one man or the other
that comes out in the street
00:55:27.52\00:55:30.85
with a cup in his
hand asking for money.
00:55:31.49\00:55:35.74
Or there's someone
that comes out giving out
00:55:36.28\00:55:39.71
flyers or pamphlets or tracts.
00:55:39.74\00:55:44.07
I have yet to see a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:55:44.60\00:55:48.27
at that light giving
out something that will
00:55:49.26\00:55:52.93
plant the seeds of the gospel of
Jesus Christ for eternal life.
00:55:52.96\00:55:57.46
Wouldn't it be nice that
at those intersections where
00:55:57.49\00:56:01.09
the light is really
long, that there's somebody
00:56:01.12\00:56:04.04
passing out a message that
will transform someone's life?
00:56:04.35\00:56:07.34
Amen?
00:56:07.37\00:56:08.86
And I want to challenge you
today, if you stand with me,
00:56:08.89\00:56:11.02
I want to pray with you
that you will use your life
00:56:11.05\00:56:13.65
as a place where the
Lord's glory can be revealed.
00:56:13.68\00:56:15.95
Remember, the testimony is true.
00:56:15.98\00:56:19.07
This has happened.
00:56:19.10\00:56:20.47
Everything that happens to
us happens so that the wonderful
00:56:20.50\00:56:24.93
works of God can
be revealed in us.
00:56:24.94\00:56:27.26
And so the question
is, how is God's works
00:56:27.27\00:56:29.41
being revealed in you?
00:56:29.42\00:56:30.80
The works are always for
His glory, never for our glory.
00:56:30.83\00:56:33.77
But when we
desire, God sends us,
00:56:34.28\00:56:37.93
transforms us in our journey.
00:56:37.96\00:56:40.48
And only as we are transformed
can we behold with our eyes
00:56:40.71\00:56:44.23
how beautiful the
glory of God really is.
00:56:44.26\00:56:47.57
You know, this man, it
doesn't say a whole lot about
00:56:47.60\00:56:50.55
this incident, what
happened to his life.
00:56:50.58\00:56:53.16
But I can guarantee you, there
was nobody in his neighborhood
00:56:53.36\00:56:56.33
more excited than he was
00:56:56.36\00:56:57.74
that his eyes had
been opened by Christ.
00:56:57.94\00:56:59.92
When your life is transformed
and you find the glory and the
00:56:59.95\00:57:02.47
joy of the Lord, then
you'll lead others to find that
00:57:02.48\00:57:06.22
same walk with
Christ as he found.
00:57:06.25\00:57:08.54
So let's pray that God
can do the same for us.
00:57:08.57\00:57:11.96
Let's bow our heads.
00:57:11.99\00:57:13.07
Our gracious Father in heaven,
transformation is what every
00:57:13.74\00:57:16.77
one of us is in need of.
00:57:16.80\00:57:18.45
And so Father,
here in Puerto Rico,
00:57:18.76\00:57:20.38
You want to transform lives.
00:57:20.41\00:57:21.99
You want us, not just to
be comfortable sitting in
00:57:22.37\00:57:24.38
buildings, but be comfortable
standing on the street
00:57:24.41\00:57:27.32
carrying the gospel,
reaching out, touching lives,
00:57:27.35\00:57:31.05
touching hearts, touching
homes, touching neighborhoods.
00:57:31.08\00:57:33.52