Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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Well we just welcome you
to a cool rainy night here
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in southern Illinois.
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But it's warm
in this auditorium.
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And we're so happy
tonight to have Dr. Alvin Kibble
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who is going to be our
speaker for this special
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Anchors Of Truth.
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And he's going to be
speaking on a Christian view
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of suffering and heartache.
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Because this is
something that Christians face
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just like everybody else.
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And it's an amazing
adventure in some instances.
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This whole series came
out of a discussion that
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Pastor Kibble and C.A. Murray
and I were having together.
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And this took place at ASI
last August in Orlando, Florida.
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We were talking about an illness
that Pastor Kibble went through
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that was extremely serious.
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I happened to have been
in the office next to him
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during those years.
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We were both vice presidents,
general vice presidents,
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of North American Division.
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And Alvin Kibble had a
cancer battle that was like
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none I have ever witnessed.
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We were so worried and concerned
that we were going to lose him,
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but through the
treatment, through the prayer,
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through all of those
things that took place,
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we saw healing emerge.
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But that road to healing
was a long and rocky road.
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He's going to be sharing
some of those things with us.
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And it is going to be exciting.
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Backstage just a moment
ago, I said something to him
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about this, and he said,
"You know, I wouldn't wish
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what I went
through on my worst enemy.
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But I wouldn't have
missed it for the world,
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for the experience that
God brought me through."
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And he's going to
share that with us.
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Some of you are suffering.
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You may know
someone who is suffering.
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Go to the phone
right now, call them.
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Tell them this
series is for them.
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You know, some
series we do on prophecy,
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some series we do on some of
the exciting issues of today,
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and some we do on things that
are of a very spiritual nature.
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And this is one of those.
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Because, my friend, going
through suffering with our Lord
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can be a deep
spiritual experience.
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And I hope that if you
are going through something,
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that you will not miss the
blessing that comes from it.
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And that's what this
series is going to be about.
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And so we invite you to join us.
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As I mentioned, Pastor Kibble,
Alvin Kibble, is Vice President
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of the North American Division
of Seventh-day Adventists.
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He's a well educated man.
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All of his education in
the early years, of course, was
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Christian education
from academy grade school,
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academy, college,
Atlantic Union College,
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and then Andrews University.
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And then he's done
doctorate studies beyond that.
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So this is a man who
has been very diligent
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in the study of God's
Word and in preparing himself
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for ministry.
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He's a very detailed individual.
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Pastored eight churches.
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Was president of a conference
in addition to having now been
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Vice President of
North American Division.
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He does so many things
there, wears so many hats,
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that it would be
almost impossible for me to
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give you the rundown
of all the committees
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that he chairs.
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He is married to
the former Jewel Peck.
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And Jewel is a lady of
distinction and we just
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love her, Camille and I do.
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She's a registered nurse,
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she's a performance
improvement consultant,
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a musician.
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They have two adult
sons, Santo and Jason,
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one daughter-in-law,
Danielle, three grandchildren,
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Trinity Marie, Jason
II, and Hailey Madison.
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And, my friend, it's
going to be my privilege to sit
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tonight at the feet of a
man who I love as a friend,
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I trust as a brother, and
I believe in as a dedicated
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Christian servant of God.
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And you'll be listening to him.
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He will open the series tonight
with prayer before his sermon.
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But before he
comes, we've invited
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Michael and Celestine
Berry to come and to present
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the beautiful song,
Were It Not For Grace.
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Time measured out my days,
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life carried me along;
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in my soul I
yearned to follow God,
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I knew I'd never be so strong.
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I looked hard at this world
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to see how
heaven could be gained
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just to end where I began
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where human
effort is all in vain.
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But were it not for grace
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I can tell you where I'd be;
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wandering down some
pointless road to nowhere
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with my salvation up to me.
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I know how that would go,
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the battles I would face;
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forever running
but losing the race
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were it not for grace.
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So here is all my praise
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expressed with all my heart,
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offered to a
Friend who took my place
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and ran a course
I could not start.
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And when He saw in full
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just how much
His love would cost
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He still went the final
mile between me and heaven
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so I would not be lost.
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But were it not for grace
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I can tell you where I'd be;
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wandering down some
pointless road to nowhere
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with my salvation up to me.
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And I know how that would go,
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the battles I would face;
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forever running
but losing the race
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were it not for grace.
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Forever running
but losing the race
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were it not for grace.
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Good evening.
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I am so grateful to be with
you as we begin this spring,
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as we begin this spring series.
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I've traveled
pretty much all day,
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but I've had a wonderful day.
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And I've been looking forward
to the time when we would come
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and we would
experience the power of Jesus
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through His preached
and through His divine Word.
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This is the
spring time of the year.
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And spring time for me is
one of my favorite seasons.
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Because it evidences
the promise of renewal.
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It evidences the assurance
that life can start over again.
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And so as we pick up
this Anchors Of Truth series
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I want us to focus
clearly on God's Word
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and His promises to us.
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Because God is never
short concerning His promises,
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but He is long suffering.
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Our message this
evening is taken out of the
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book of Jeremiah.
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And I'd like, if you have
your Bibles, to turn with me
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to the book of
Jeremiah and the 18th chapter.
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And we're going to
look at verses 1 to 6.
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Jeremiah chapter
18 verses 1 to 6.
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Here's what it says.
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"The word which came to
Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
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'Arise and go down
to the potter's house,
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and there I will
cause you to hear My words.'
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Then I went down
to the potter's house,
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and there he was
making something at the wheel.
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And the vessel that he
made of clay was marred
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in the hand of the potter;
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so he made it again
into another vessel,
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as it seemed good
to the potter to make.
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Then the word of the
Lord came to me, saying,
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'O house of Israel, can I
not do with you as this potter?'
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says the Lord.
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'Look, as the clay
is in the potter's hand,
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so are you in My
hand, O house of Israel.'"
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Before I speak to you, please
join me as we talk with God.
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Holy God, our
heavenly Father, speak to us
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the wonderful words of life.
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Rekindle within us the
faith that will ensure us
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the victory through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Demonstrate Your
power once again to save,
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and that mightily.
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In the blessed and
holy name of Jesus, amen.
00:14:15.64\00:14:20.42
Watchman Nee, the
great Chinese theologian,
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said on one occasion
that God is a domestic God.
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Domestic in the sense
that some of His best works
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and many of His miracles
have taken place in a house.
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Assuming that this
divine domestic label that has
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been attached to God is
true, it is no surprise that the
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first public miracle of
Jesus Christ, according to John,
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took place in a house.
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In fact, when you peruse
the Scriptures you discover that
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many of the Scriptures
substantiate the claim
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that our Lord had a certain
affinity with the house motif.
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On one occasion in Saint
Luke's gospel, chapter 19,
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the Bible declares that as Jesus
made His way through Jericho
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He stopped at a Sycamore tree.
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A Sycamore fig tree.
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And looking up, He discovered
a man who was short of stature
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peeking through the branches.
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And Jesus said, "Zacchaeus,
make haste and come down,
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for today I must
stay at your house."
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The gospel of Saint Mark,
chapter 1 verses 29 to 31,
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tells the story of how Peter's
mother-in-law lay prostrate
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sick with a fever.
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When you read the account,
we discover that the panacea
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for the particular problem
was Jesus stopping by her house.
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A few chapters later in
Mark chapter 5 and verse 35,
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we hear how Jairus,
the ruler of the synagogue,
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had received word that while
Jesus was en route to His house
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his daughter had died.
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But the record declares
things got measurably better
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when Jesus went into his house.
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So when you look at
the Scriptures, some merit
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can be made and some validity
can be attached to the fact
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that it was something about
the house that God often used
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to illustrate His point.
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Even when Elijah's
brook dried up, in 1 Kings 17,
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God told him, "Go by the
house of a widow of Zarephath."
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When he died and Elisha
took his place, in 2 Kings,
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there was a woman whose property
was almost in probate court.
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Her sons were about to
be taken as bond servants.
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And Elisha, the man of
God, verse 2, looked at her and
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asked her a question.
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Do you remember what it was?
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He asked, "Tell me, what
do you have in your house?"
00:17:36.57\00:17:44.15
So it is, my brothers and
sisters, that on the canvas
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of this text God has a
special message for us tonight.
00:17:50.75\00:17:57.08
For we discover that
Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah,
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Jeremiah the
prophet, God's mouthpiece,
00:18:02.02\00:18:05.30
God's
prognosticator, God's preacher,
00:18:05.33\00:18:09.05
received commission to arise and
go down to the potter's house.
00:18:09.08\00:18:16.42
Now if we are to understand
the magnitude of this message,
00:18:18.90\00:18:22.25
we have to understand
where Jeremiah is living
00:18:23.91\00:18:27.39
in proximity to where the
potter's house is located.
00:18:27.42\00:18:31.40
Jeremiah is
living up in Jerusalem.
00:18:32.13\00:18:36.21
Up in the plains.
00:18:36.24\00:18:38.00
Which explains why the
text said that he had to go down
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to the potter's house.
00:18:43.99\00:18:45.51
The potter's house was located
south of the Valley of Hinnom.
00:18:46.18\00:18:52.29
And this valley is a
very important valley.
00:18:53.30\00:18:56.76
Most of you as Bible
students will remember,
00:18:57.48\00:19:00.33
in 2 Kings chapter 16, when
King Ahaz was king of Israel
00:19:00.36\00:19:06.61
He used the Valley of Hinnom
as a place of infant sacrifice.
00:19:06.64\00:19:14.60
Turn to your
neighbor and say, "Say what?"
00:19:14.63\00:19:16.82
Infant sacrifice.
00:19:18.50\00:19:21.42
Where their
children, their children,
00:19:22.33\00:19:24.84
their children were set on fire
as offerings to the fire god.
00:19:25.04\00:19:32.02
To put an end to
this abomination,
00:19:33.90\00:19:36.23
the place was
polluted on purpose by Josiah
00:19:36.26\00:19:40.73
who made is ceremonially
unclean by spreading human bones
00:19:40.98\00:19:46.66
all over it.
00:19:46.96\00:19:48.43
After that, it appeared to have
become a cesspool for the city
00:19:49.63\00:19:54.73
where it's sewage was
collected and carried off by the
00:19:55.25\00:19:59.05
waters of Kidron.
00:19:59.08\00:20:01.04
Some years later, due to
the remains that stayed in the
00:20:01.89\00:20:06.05
Valley of Hinnom,
Jews changed the name
00:20:06.08\00:20:09.83
of the Valley of Hinnom
to the Valley of Gehenna.
00:20:09.86\00:20:14.63
Now when you translate the name,
"Gehenna," to the Greek word,
00:20:16.59\00:20:22.58
when you translate the name,
"Gehenna," into the Greek word,
00:20:22.61\00:20:26.71
it means, "hell."
00:20:26.95\00:20:29.15
So to understand where God
was trying to direct Jeremiah,
00:20:30.97\00:20:36.52
you have to understand
the background and the context
00:20:39.02\00:20:43.31
of this message.
00:20:43.86\00:20:45.24
God is saying to Jeremiah,
"I've got a word for you.
00:20:45.96\00:20:49.75
I've got a message for you.
00:20:49.78\00:20:51.55
But in order to get the
message, you're going to have to
00:20:51.58\00:20:54.10
go through some Gehenna.
00:20:54.13\00:20:56.83
You're going to have
to go through some places
00:20:58.97\00:21:01.41
that are not sacred.
00:21:01.61\00:21:04.55
You're going to
have to go through some
00:21:04.58\00:21:06.39
uncomfortable conditions."
00:21:06.69\00:21:08.52
Does anybody understand where
I'm going with this message?
00:21:08.55\00:21:11.51
Often, my brothers and sisters,
God will allow you to go through
00:21:13.12\00:21:19.33
something in order
to get a word to you.
00:21:19.36\00:21:23.09
And I believe that there
may be some who are watching
00:21:25.05\00:21:29.06
this series this evening, or
some of you who are here tonight
00:21:29.09\00:21:33.79
who can testify, "Yes, Pastor
Kibble, God will sometimes
00:21:34.45\00:21:39.52
allow you to go through
something to get a word to you."
00:21:39.55\00:21:43.29
In fact, that might
explain why some of you are
00:21:43.99\00:21:47.77
catching some things right now.
00:21:47.80\00:21:49.78
On your job, in your home.
00:21:50.58\00:21:53.65
Right now.
00:21:54.93\00:21:56.27
Some time ago one of my pastor
colleagues came to my office
00:21:58.79\00:22:02.86
in Silver Spring,
Maryland for a visit.
00:22:02.89\00:22:06.15
And as we talked, he
enquired, "Pastor, why would God
00:22:07.32\00:22:15.04
allow you, a man of God,
to go through that experience
00:22:15.50\00:22:21.35
that you had with cancer?"
00:22:21.38\00:22:23.07
And if I had the time I would
talk a little bit about that.
00:22:24.94\00:22:28.45
One of the most rare
cancers in the world.
00:22:31.56\00:22:34.67
Highest incidences in
China and in North Africa
00:22:34.70\00:22:39.54
among people who
were heavy smokers...
00:22:41.20\00:22:43.69
I had never smoked in my life.
00:22:43.72\00:22:45.60
...people who worked
among formaldehyde...
00:22:46.55\00:22:48.87
I hadn't been
around formaldehyde since
00:22:48.90\00:22:51.72
college biology class.
00:22:51.75\00:22:55.08
...or people who ate a
high diet of salt fish.
00:22:56.96\00:23:01.85
I'm a vegetarian.
00:23:04.76\00:23:06.13
Never ate fish in my life.
00:23:08.23\00:23:10.31
It is because God is
getting ready to take you
00:23:12.17\00:23:16.99
to another level.
00:23:17.02\00:23:18.41
He's getting ready to take
you to a level that is greater
00:23:20.34\00:23:25.23
than your pain predicament.
00:23:26.23\00:23:28.37
A level that is
bigger than your burden.
00:23:29.24\00:23:32.03
But in order to get you
where God is trying to take you,
00:23:33.39\00:23:37.08
you've got to be
willing to go through something.
00:23:37.11\00:23:40.06
I can remember the conversations
that I had with God.
00:23:41.66\00:23:46.53
And we all go through that.
00:23:47.88\00:23:49.71
When something
awful happens to us,
00:23:50.86\00:23:53.83
we are prone to ask, "Why me?"
00:23:53.86\00:23:57.69
And I distinctly remember
God saying, "Why not you?
00:23:59.79\00:24:05.63
Are you better than the child
that was born with brain cancer?
00:24:06.79\00:24:12.03
Or the little girl who was
born with her internal organs
00:24:13.90\00:24:18.46
outside of her belly?
00:24:18.49\00:24:21.49
Are you not mine?" He said.
00:24:22.83\00:24:25.92
"Can I not do
with you what I will?"
00:24:27.10\00:24:31.95
Now some people don't want
to ever go through anything.
00:24:35.09\00:24:40.30
They always want their
streets to be straight,
00:24:41.61\00:24:44.85
they want their
skies to be blue,
00:24:45.35\00:24:47.70
they want their
apples to be shiny,
00:24:48.07\00:24:50.27
they want their
flowers to be in bloom,
00:24:50.52\00:24:53.01
they want their
tides to come in,
00:24:53.04\00:24:55.60
they want their birds to sing,
00:24:55.80\00:24:57.68
they want their
harvest to be bountiful,
00:24:57.71\00:24:59.80
their grass to be
green, their stars to twinkle,
00:24:59.83\00:25:03.47
their hills to be low,
and their eggs sunny side up.
00:25:03.50\00:25:08.26
But every now and then, God
will take us through something
00:25:10.84\00:25:14.75
to get our attention and to
help develop our characters.
00:25:14.78\00:25:19.92
And that's why I've come
to spend this time with you
00:25:22.91\00:25:26.62
and to share with you
out of the general theme
00:25:26.65\00:25:31.61
how Christians view trouble...
00:25:34.09\00:25:38.00
...pain...
00:25:41.68\00:25:42.95
...and heartache.
00:25:45.32\00:25:46.64
He will sometimes take you
through something that will
00:25:50.07\00:25:53.02
test the very
fabric of your faith.
00:25:53.05\00:25:56.39
So God declares to Jeremiah,
"I want to give you something,
00:25:57.15\00:26:00.62
but in order to give
it you're going to have to
00:26:00.82\00:26:04.59
go through something."
00:26:04.62\00:26:06.13
There are some
individuals right now who are
00:26:09.48\00:26:11.57
scratching their
heads trying to figure out,
00:26:11.60\00:26:14.60
"Why am I going through this?
00:26:14.91\00:26:18.53
Why is this happening to me?
00:26:18.83\00:26:21.15
Why is all of this
mess happening now?"
00:26:23.03\00:26:26.40
You've been
faithful in your engagements.
00:26:27.51\00:26:29.95
You have been
exemplary in your deportment.
00:26:30.15\00:26:32.74
You have put a
watch before your mouth.
00:26:32.77\00:26:35.09
You have avoided all
tale bearing and backbiting
00:26:35.12\00:26:38.57
and excessive anger.
00:26:38.60\00:26:40.31
You have been
curbing your temper.
00:26:40.34\00:26:42.22
Your response has been,
"yea, yea," and, "nay, nay."
00:26:42.25\00:26:45.86
You have abstained from alcohol,
you have never touched tobacco.
00:26:45.89\00:26:50.47
You even became a vegetarian.
00:26:50.50\00:26:52.72
You've been cutting
back on dairy products.
00:26:52.75\00:26:55.25
You drink 8 to 10
glasses of water a day,
00:26:55.28\00:26:58.52
exercising regularly.
00:26:58.55\00:27:00.39
You have been returning a
faithful tithe unto the Lord.
00:27:00.42\00:27:04.14
You have been faithful
in your church attendance.
00:27:04.17\00:27:06.41
You have been zealous
in your efforts to advance
00:27:06.44\00:27:09.33
the kingdom of heaven.
00:27:09.36\00:27:10.58
But seemingly the more you
give, the worse things get.
00:27:10.61\00:27:15.36
Am I talking to
anybody here tonight?
00:27:17.01\00:27:19.15
Can I tell you something?
00:27:22.21\00:27:23.73
God may be trying to
take you to another level
00:27:25.72\00:27:29.58
that is greater
than your affliction.
00:27:30.90\00:27:34.36
He might be trying to
get you ready to promote you
00:27:35.21\00:27:38.84
to a new assignment.
00:27:38.87\00:27:40.55
So instead of getting bitter,
you ought to try to get better.
00:27:41.49\00:27:45.60
Instead of getting mad, you
ought to count it all as joy.
00:27:46.07\00:27:50.24
God said to me, "If I
were to have assigned you
00:27:50.74\00:27:54.76
to some serious assignment,
some challenging assignment,
00:27:54.79\00:28:00.11
wouldn't you have accepted it?"
00:28:00.14\00:28:01.84
It was then that I came
to realize that my ministry
00:28:05.16\00:28:09.12
was not something that I do.
00:28:09.15\00:28:12.82
My ministry was who I was.
00:28:15.28\00:28:20.37
My life is the canvas.
00:28:23.24\00:28:26.54
Good, bad, or indifferent,
my life is the witness.
00:28:27.59\00:28:32.58
Not just the words
that come out of my mouth.
00:28:34.04\00:28:36.94
Not just the
activities of my limb.
00:28:37.78\00:28:40.59
My limbs.
00:28:43.13\00:28:44.45
So when you fall
into diverse temptation,
00:28:45.74\00:28:49.01
know that the trial of
your faith worketh patience.
00:28:51.66\00:28:55.58
"Arise Jeremiah, I want you to
go down to the potter's house."
00:28:56.91\00:29:01.13
And the text says that God
sent him to the potter's house.
00:29:03.52\00:29:07.56
And that is significant as well,
because He is not sending him
00:29:09.78\00:29:14.32
to the potter's showroom,
but to the potter's shop.
00:29:14.52\00:29:19.51
And there's a difference between
the showroom and the shop.
00:29:21.51\00:29:24.97
Because the showroom
is where the completed
00:29:26.51\00:29:29.41
vessels are stored.
00:29:29.44\00:29:33.26
The shop is where
clay is under construction.
00:29:35.45\00:29:41.36
And don't you know
that there's a difference
00:29:43.67\00:29:45.77
between seeing you
on the showroom table
00:29:46.24\00:29:51.14
and seeing you in the shop?
00:29:51.17\00:29:52.91
Some years ago my
wife and I decided to buy
00:29:54.51\00:29:58.39
a brand new Toyota Rav4.
00:29:58.42\00:30:01.13
And we went down to the CarMax
dealership and we looked around
00:30:02.36\00:30:08.12
and she picked out
the car that she wanted.
00:30:08.15\00:30:11.71
And we outlined sort of
a budget as to how we were
00:30:11.91\00:30:18.41
going to handle this.
00:30:18.44\00:30:19.75
And a few days later we
got a card from the dealership
00:30:20.12\00:30:25.87
inviting us to come
for a special invitation
00:30:25.90\00:30:31.32
to meet with some of
the mechanics in the shop.
00:30:32.66\00:30:37.80
And we were kind of...
00:30:39.45\00:30:42.05
We were a bit uncertain as
to what this was all about.
00:30:43.32\00:30:47.83
But we decided to take
them up on their offer.
00:30:47.86\00:30:50.53
And so we drove over that
afternoon, and sure enough
00:30:50.56\00:30:56.10
they had some
cookies and some punch,
00:30:56.13\00:30:59.33
and they walked us through
the shop to explain to us
00:30:59.36\00:31:03.69
the mechanics of the car
that we were about to buy.
00:31:03.72\00:31:08.61
You don't really
know what you are made of
00:31:15.68\00:31:18.83
if you only view
yourself from the showroom.
00:31:20.17\00:31:24.78
People really don't know
who you are until they have
00:31:26.35\00:31:29.22
seen you in the shop.
00:31:29.25\00:31:31.02
You can't know me by
looking at my accessories;
00:31:32.52\00:31:37.98
my clothes, my car, my
house, my bank account.
00:31:38.38\00:31:43.98
In order to know
the measure of who I am,
00:31:44.89\00:31:49.19
you've got to watch me
when I am being reviled,
00:31:49.22\00:31:53.07
when I am being persecuted.
00:31:54.12\00:31:56.33
You have to watch me
when people are saying
00:31:56.65\00:31:59.65
all matter of evil against me,
00:31:59.68\00:32:03.56
when my back is
against the wall,
00:32:04.40\00:32:06.72
when I'm way down
yonder all by myself.
00:32:06.82\00:32:11.66
When it's me, it's
me, it's me, oh Lord,
00:32:12.64\00:32:16.35
standing in the need of prayer.
00:32:16.38\00:32:18.89
When I can no longer say the
Lord is blessing me right now.
00:32:20.84\00:32:25.99
"Jeremiah, I want you to
go down to the potter's shop."
00:32:27.15\00:32:30.91
And I'm glad He didn't send
everybody to the potter's shop.
00:32:32.89\00:32:37.22
Because, you know, everybody
can't handle seeing you
00:32:38.38\00:32:41.96
in your raw undone condition.
00:32:41.99\00:32:45.14
While I was sick, and my illness
extended over several years,
00:32:46.50\00:32:52.01
people would call me
from all over the country.
00:32:52.04\00:32:54.98
And sometimes
early in the morning
00:32:55.01\00:32:58.04
and sometimes late at night.
00:32:58.07\00:32:59.74
And when they called,
they expected to hear from me,
00:32:59.77\00:33:03.82
"Great is the Lord and
greatly to be praised."
00:33:05.80\00:33:09.06
But there were some days
that I didn't feel up to that.
00:33:10.54\00:33:15.13
There were some
days I was awfully sick.
00:33:16.55\00:33:20.20
I was on a feeding
tube for over two years.
00:33:22.69\00:33:26.42
I lost my taste buds.
00:33:27.00\00:33:29.08
I lost my saliva glands.
00:33:29.90\00:33:32.28
Tropicana orange
juice tastes like vinegar.
00:33:33.85\00:33:36.80
Haagen-Dazs ice cream
tastes like cold butter.
00:33:37.65\00:33:40.47
I could not chew
a piece of bread.
00:33:42.12\00:33:44.69
My white blood
cells had become so meager
00:33:47.24\00:33:54.90
that if I went to
Wal-Mart and a baby sneezed,
00:33:55.10\00:33:58.33
I could catch pneumonia.
00:33:58.36\00:34:00.03
I had no germ fighters.
00:34:01.07\00:34:02.89
If I got up and took care of
a few things around the house,
00:34:04.04\00:34:08.15
maybe washed a few
dishes, I would have to go back
00:34:08.18\00:34:11.98
and lay down and sleep
for the next four hours
00:34:12.01\00:34:15.69
because I was exhausted.
00:34:15.72\00:34:17.51
I couldn't drive
either of my cars.
00:34:18.46\00:34:20.64
I couldn't take
care of my house.
00:34:20.67\00:34:23.98
I couldn't wear my clothes.
00:34:24.72\00:34:26.54
Of all my clothes, the
only thing that I had left
00:34:28.78\00:34:31.52
that was of any use to me
were my handkerchiefs, my ties,
00:34:31.55\00:34:34.81
my socks; even the
shoes became too big.
00:34:37.50\00:34:40.60
And people were calling saying,
"Well, how are you today?"
00:34:41.76\00:34:44.68
Everybody can't see you
in your raw undone condition.
00:34:46.24\00:34:50.05
I remember one lady
called me one day and she said,
00:34:51.90\00:34:54.63
"Pastor Kibble," she
said, "you don't know me,
00:34:54.93\00:34:59.05
so I don't need
to give you my name.
00:34:59.08\00:35:01.05
But the Lord asked me to
call you and tell you that
00:35:03.35\00:35:07.60
if you're too tired to
pray, "I've got your back."
00:35:07.63\00:35:11.83
"I've got your back."
00:35:13.37\00:35:14.81
Everybody can't
handle the real you.
00:35:20.90\00:35:23.62
And there are two you's.
00:35:25.71\00:35:27.62
Paul talked about that as well.
00:35:30.04\00:35:32.02
There is the you
with your holy habit.
00:35:32.60\00:35:35.66
And there is you, "When it's
me, it's me, it's me, oh Lord,
00:35:37.18\00:35:42.92
standing in the need of prayer."
00:35:43.84\00:35:45.95
But God says, "Jeremiah,
go down to the potter's house.
00:35:49.76\00:35:53.38
Because I want
you to hear My word."
00:35:54.77\00:35:57.27
And verse two says
that Jeremiah gets up
00:35:58.34\00:36:00.66
and goes down to
the potter's house.
00:36:00.69\00:36:02.49
And when he gets to
the potter's house, he sees
00:36:02.52\00:36:05.24
clay under construction.
00:36:05.27\00:36:07.93
Can I take you
through this text?
00:36:09.45\00:36:11.11
And Jeremiah says, "God spoke
to me out of this theophany.
00:36:12.49\00:36:16.92
When I got down to the potter's
house, I saw several things.
00:36:21.38\00:36:25.81
The first thing I saw
was clay being molded."
00:36:25.84\00:36:29.23
And verse three says that when
he got to the potter's house,
00:36:30.27\00:36:34.06
that the potter was
at work on the wheel.
00:36:34.26\00:36:38.43
Now clay being
molded is what I call
00:36:39.37\00:36:42.34
the progression of the clay.
00:36:42.37\00:36:44.68
Because clay does something that
the text does not celebrate.
00:36:45.21\00:36:50.61
And that is,
clay makes progress.
00:36:51.34\00:36:54.20
You see, if you took
the text at face value,
00:36:54.82\00:36:58.70
you would think that the
clay originated in the house.
00:36:58.73\00:37:02.69
Because when you first look
at the text, the first thing
00:37:04.14\00:37:07.01
you learn about the clay is
that the clay was on the wheel
00:37:07.04\00:37:11.30
in the house.
00:37:11.33\00:37:12.58
But that's not
where the clay came from.
00:37:12.61\00:37:15.01
The clay did not come
from the wheel in the house.
00:37:15.43\00:37:18.66
The clay came from
the dirt in the yard.
00:37:18.69\00:37:21.59
And the mere fact that
the clay has come from the
00:37:22.50\00:37:25.32
dirt in the yard to
the wheel in the house
00:37:25.35\00:37:29.32
lets us know that the
clay has made some progress.
00:37:29.62\00:37:33.16
Can you say amen to that?
00:37:33.19\00:37:35.07
Every now and then you
need to stop and give God praise
00:37:36.42\00:37:40.86
for your progress.
00:37:41.07\00:37:42.76
You weren't
always in the church.
00:37:44.52\00:37:46.75
In fact, you were not always
active in the Lord's service.
00:37:49.69\00:37:55.20
You weren't always
singing the hymns of faith
00:37:56.71\00:37:59.57
and walking up
the king's highway.
00:37:59.60\00:38:02.04
Let's be real.
00:38:04.04\00:38:05.35
You were not
always saved, sanctified,
00:38:07.66\00:38:12.81
and filled with the Holy Ghost.
00:38:13.33\00:38:15.81
And the mere fact that
you, like so many others,
00:38:16.27\00:38:20.62
are in progress is
something to celebrate.
00:38:20.72\00:38:24.94
And you ought to turn around
to your brothers and sisters
00:38:25.98\00:38:28.54
and say, "We've
made some progress."
00:38:28.57\00:38:31.15
Because you really have.
00:38:32.06\00:38:33.60
Make no mistake about
it, I love this church.
00:38:42.00\00:38:47.45
I love the message of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:38:48.81\00:38:52.72
I've got the good ole
Seventh-day advent message
00:38:54.15\00:38:57.70
down in my heart.
00:38:58.18\00:38:59.82
There is much to be celebrated.
00:39:04.48\00:39:06.84
And yet, I'm
not in the showroom.
00:39:08.55\00:39:12.03
I'm still in the shop.
00:39:13.34\00:39:14.90
Sometimes if you
ask a fellow member,
00:39:17.13\00:39:19.78
"Are you saved," they
start fumbling and mumbling.
00:39:20.27\00:39:23.78
They're almost scared to answer.
00:39:24.75\00:39:27.02
If somebody
asks, "Are you saved,"
00:39:28.27\00:39:31.24
you ought to be able to
give a resounding, "Yes."
00:39:31.27\00:39:35.34
Because you are saved.
00:39:37.46\00:39:39.76
You have been saved
from the power of sin.
00:39:39.79\00:39:43.27
But you are also in
the process of being saved
00:39:44.66\00:39:48.74
from the presence of sin.
00:39:48.77\00:39:50.88
We are justified,
the Bible says, by faith.
00:39:51.83\00:39:56.56
I am saved.
00:39:56.59\00:39:58.38
God treats me just as
if I have never sinned.
00:39:58.80\00:40:03.11
But I am being sanctified.
00:40:03.31\00:40:05.66
Which is a day by day
process as God pours His life
00:40:05.69\00:40:10.75
into my life and acts
out through me the will to do
00:40:10.86\00:40:17.40
His commandments.
00:40:18.40\00:40:19.83
But finally, I shall be saved.
00:40:21.02\00:40:23.92
That's glorification.
00:40:24.71\00:40:26.46
Saved; past tense.
00:40:27.41\00:40:29.40
Being saved; present tense.
00:40:34.92\00:40:37.97
Will be saved; future tense.
00:40:39.40\00:40:42.60
Did you get it?
00:40:44.00\00:40:45.03
So the clay is not in the
showroom, it's on the shelf.
00:40:46.54\00:40:50.00
But the mere fact that
the clay is in the shop
00:40:50.69\00:40:56.06
on the wheel and not in
the showroom on the shelf
00:40:56.09\00:40:59.56
lets me know that the clay
still has a long way to go.
00:40:59.59\00:41:04.23
But the fact that the clay is no
longer in the yard in the dirt
00:41:05.47\00:41:09.52
but on the table on
the wheel in the house
00:41:09.62\00:41:13.79
lets me know that the clay
has come a mighty long way.
00:41:13.82\00:41:17.46
So you can rightly turn
to your neighbor and say,
00:41:18.53\00:41:20.58
"You know, I've
come a mighty long way."
00:41:20.61\00:41:22.65
In fact, when you look
at the fact that the clay
00:41:25.93\00:41:28.86
is in the house on the
wheel, you'd have to realize
00:41:29.96\00:41:33.66
it has been dug up, it has
been brought into the house,
00:41:33.69\00:41:37.75
it has been washed off,
it has been put on the table,
00:41:37.95\00:41:41.82
and now the clay is in
the hand of the potter.
00:41:41.92\00:41:46.54
Doesn't that sound like
somebody's life that you know?
00:41:48.67\00:41:51.32
And you ought to thank
the Lord that you were dug up
00:41:53.02\00:41:55.83
with the
plowshares of the gospel,
00:41:55.86\00:41:57.94
and that He has
washed you off in that
00:41:57.97\00:42:00.01
fountain filled with blood,
and He has brought you into the
00:42:00.04\00:42:03.22
house of His tabernacle,
and He has put you on the wheel
00:42:03.25\00:42:06.76
of sanctification.
00:42:06.79\00:42:08.11
The hand of the
Lord is upon your life.
00:42:08.14\00:42:11.00
And even now when people
look at you, they realize that
00:42:11.03\00:42:16.34
you are not the same.
00:42:16.37\00:42:18.69
That you have been changed.
00:42:18.72\00:42:21.44
The Bible says if
anyone is in Christ,
00:42:25.06\00:42:27.42
that they are new creatures.
00:42:28.14\00:42:30.65
"Old things have passed away;
00:42:30.68\00:42:32.80
behold, all
things have become new."
00:42:32.83\00:42:35.20
2 Corinthians
chapter 5 and verse 17.
00:42:35.23\00:42:39.06
The old slave picked that up
and said, "I looked at my hands
00:42:39.09\00:42:42.66
and they looked new; I looked
at my feet and they did too."
00:42:42.69\00:42:46.00
We've made progress.
00:42:47.27\00:42:48.77
Jeremiah saw clay being molded.
00:42:50.22\00:42:52.53
Clay being molded speaks of
the progression of the clay.
00:42:53.51\00:42:56.54
The second thing that he saw
was that the clay was marred.
00:42:56.64\00:43:01.47
Which speaks of the
problem of the clay.
00:43:02.12\00:43:04.89
The Hebrew word for,
"marred," is, "shachath."
00:43:06.18\00:43:09.89
It means, defective.
00:43:10.61\00:43:12.12
It means, spoiled.
00:43:12.42\00:43:14.00
It means, ruined.
00:43:14.03\00:43:15.47
The clay had some imperfections,
it had some blemishes,
00:43:15.50\00:43:19.15
some cracks, some damage.
00:43:19.18\00:43:20.80
It was marred.
00:43:20.83\00:43:22.03
But when you keep looking
at the text, you discover that
00:43:22.06\00:43:24.75
though the clay was
blemished it was not banished.
00:43:24.78\00:43:28.60
For it was still
in the potter's hand.
00:43:29.61\00:43:31.66
Do you get it?
00:43:31.69\00:43:32.77
Somebody is not
getting this at all.
00:43:33.47\00:43:35.44
And what excites me in the
text is that the imperfection
00:43:35.47\00:43:39.68
of the clay did not lead to
the rejection by the potter.
00:43:39.71\00:43:44.84
In other words, our hang-ups
don't affect the hand of God.
00:43:46.19\00:43:52.60
And I praise God
that my imperfections,
00:43:54.01\00:43:58.06
my flaws, my blemishes,
are not so disgusting to God
00:43:58.09\00:44:04.55
that He is
willing to throw me away.
00:44:04.58\00:44:07.32
That even though I am
marred, and even though I have
00:44:07.77\00:44:10.65
imperfections, and even though
I still have a plethora of
00:44:10.68\00:44:14.15
problems, that my mistakes and
my hang-ups have not hindered
00:44:14.18\00:44:20.52
the hand of God.
00:44:20.55\00:44:22.11
Because as long
as I am in His hand,
00:44:22.14\00:44:25.05
there's a chance
that I'll get it straight.
00:44:26.57\00:44:29.85
And I want to encourage anybody
who is listening this evening,
00:44:30.80\00:44:34.32
don't give up on God.
00:44:34.65\00:44:36.65
Because God will
not give up on you.
00:44:37.52\00:44:41.64
Don't give up on God.
00:44:42.72\00:44:44.44
I'm talking about His hands.
00:44:45.70\00:44:47.66
Hands that formed man
from the dust of the ground.
00:44:47.85\00:44:51.08
Hands that manage my time.
00:44:51.11\00:44:53.58
Hands that feed me,
hands that guide me,
00:44:53.61\00:44:56.68
hands that uphold me,
hands that were pierced for me.
00:44:56.71\00:45:00.47
Hands that heal
and hands that bless.
00:45:00.50\00:45:03.21
And hands that will one
day wipe tears from my eyes.
00:45:03.24\00:45:07.36
You see, the only thing that
separates me from the person
00:45:08.95\00:45:12.61
that doesn't know the Lord
is not that I am not messed up,
00:45:12.83\00:45:19.35
it's not that I am not marred.
00:45:21.07\00:45:23.43
The only thing that separates
me from the man on the street
00:45:24.23\00:45:28.70
is that I am in the
shop and I am in God's hands.
00:45:28.99\00:45:34.79
I may be talking to
somebody tonight who has
00:45:36.97\00:45:39.79
some real life issues.
00:45:39.82\00:45:41.59
And I am so glad
that I can tell you that
00:45:42.27\00:45:45.06
God can handle your issues.
00:45:45.09\00:45:48.53
I am so glad tonight
that we serve the God who is
00:45:50.19\00:45:54.07
able to deal with your dilemmas.
00:45:54.10\00:45:56.17
He has answers for your agonies,
and blessings for your burdens,
00:45:56.20\00:46:00.30
and cures for your calamities,
00:46:00.33\00:46:02.31
and deliverance
for your distresses,
00:46:02.34\00:46:04.65
and erasers for your errors,
and forgiveness for your faults,
00:46:04.68\00:46:08.49
and grace for your gloom,
and sunrises for your sunsets,
00:46:08.52\00:46:12.71
and beauty for your ashes,
00:46:12.74\00:46:14.73
and the oil of
joy for your mourning.
00:46:14.76\00:46:17.92
We serve a God who is able
to reach down in our humanity
00:46:20.03\00:46:26.23
and who saves from the
uttermost to the gutter most.
00:46:26.59\00:46:31.71
The gutter most
to the uttermost.
00:46:32.63\00:46:34.69
The clay was marred, but it
was still in the potter's hand.
00:46:35.85\00:46:39.69
You know, my dad
had some big hands.
00:46:41.79\00:46:46.03
And as a toddler, I
loved to hold my father's hand.
00:46:50.47\00:46:56.24
My little hand
would just be lost in his.
00:46:56.27\00:46:58.78
We lived in Chicago
and sometimes when we'd
00:46:59.98\00:47:04.87
go walking down in the
loop, that is the downtown
00:47:04.90\00:47:09.80
shopping district, and I was
so proud to hold my dad's hand.
00:47:09.83\00:47:15.87
As I grew up, as a youth
I was sometimes rambunctious
00:47:17.23\00:47:25.58
and rebellious.
00:47:26.04\00:47:27.47
And my biggest fear was when
my father had to raise his hand
00:47:28.36\00:47:34.18
to reprimand me.
00:47:34.21\00:47:35.62
Now my father had big
hands, he also had fast hands.
00:47:37.59\00:47:41.22
And there would be times
when he could quiet down the
00:47:43.81\00:47:46.27
whole back seat of the car
just with one swipe of his hand.
00:47:46.30\00:47:51.55
There were times when I
would pout, shrug my shoulders,
00:47:54.06\00:47:57.62
mumble
something under my breath.
00:47:57.65\00:47:59.60
Times when I would
even talk back a little bit.
00:48:01.10\00:48:03.53
And I knew because I was
marred that I might do something
00:48:06.44\00:48:09.57
that might cause my dad
to have to lay hands on me.
00:48:09.60\00:48:13.42
Well, my dad is now resting
in the Huntsville, Alabama
00:48:15.51\00:48:19.17
Memory Garden awaiting
the call of the life giver.
00:48:19.20\00:48:22.28
But I have another fear.
00:48:23.92\00:48:25.41
Because I am still marred,
because I am still blemished.
00:48:26.98\00:48:30.82
My fear is no longer my
daddy laying hands on me,
00:48:31.45\00:48:35.20
but my heavenly Father
taking His hands off of me.
00:48:35.23\00:48:39.16
You see, every now
and then I've got to say,
00:48:41.83\00:48:44.26
"Father, I stretch my hand
to Thee; no other help I know.
00:48:44.29\00:48:49.81
If Thou withdraw Thyself
from me, wherever shall I go?"
00:48:50.02\00:48:55.84
Jeremiah saw the
clay, it was marred.
00:48:56.14\00:48:59.71
But it was still
in the potter's hand.
00:48:59.88\00:49:02.19
Somebody has made some
mistakes in their life,
00:49:03.97\00:49:06.54
and loved ones
won't forgive you.
00:49:07.21\00:49:09.83
People won't let you forget it.
00:49:10.50\00:49:12.51
But as long as
you stay in His hands,
00:49:14.19\00:49:17.07
everything will be alright.
00:49:17.10\00:49:18.83
Family may not love
you, people may not give you
00:49:18.86\00:49:21.51
a second chance.
00:49:21.54\00:49:22.76
Those who you live with will
hold you hostage to your past.
00:49:22.79\00:49:29.67
But I am glad tonight
to be able to say to you
00:49:29.70\00:49:33.19
that we serve a God not
of just a second chance,
00:49:33.22\00:49:37.50
but of another
chance, and another chance,
00:49:37.53\00:49:40.58
and another chance.
00:49:40.61\00:49:42.51
A God who said to Peter
when Peter had messed up,
00:49:42.54\00:49:47.84
and asked, "Lord, how
many times do I have to forgive
00:49:47.87\00:49:51.44
my brother who has wronged me?
00:49:51.47\00:49:53.35
Seventy times?
00:49:53.55\00:49:55.11
Seventy times seven?"
00:49:55.44\00:49:57.08
And God said, "No, seventy times
seven times seven times..."
00:49:57.28\00:50:01.46
It's an infinity of forgiveness.
00:50:01.70\00:50:06.53
You may still have some
issues, but you're in His hands.
00:50:08.32\00:50:11.20
I've got some
problems, some hills to climb,
00:50:11.86\00:50:14.39
but I'm in His hands.
00:50:14.64\00:50:16.27
Jeremiah saw clay being
molded, which spoke of the
00:50:18.36\00:50:21.36
progression of the clay.
00:50:21.39\00:50:22.67
He saw some clay that was
marred, which spoke of the
00:50:22.87\00:50:28.46
problem of the clay.
00:50:28.49\00:50:29.71
But then he saw
clay being made over,
00:50:29.74\00:50:33.01
which spoke of the
potential of the clay.
00:50:33.04\00:50:35.39
When Jeremiah said, "I
saw clay in his hands,"
00:50:35.95\00:50:38.96
when he testified that the
clay; and it was being molded
00:50:38.99\00:50:42.20
and developed, and the
imperfections and the mar...
00:50:42.23\00:50:45.15
If I had been the
potter, I would have
00:50:45.45\00:50:47.37
thrown the clay away.
00:50:47.40\00:50:48.97
And you know, I couldn't
have blamed the potter if he had
00:50:50.84\00:50:53.28
decided to shove the whole
mass of clay that I represented.
00:50:53.31\00:50:59.29
If you and I had been
the potter, we would have
00:51:02.46\00:51:04.53
probably trashed it.
00:51:04.56\00:51:06.03
You couldn't have
blamed the potter.
00:51:06.49\00:51:08.17
The potter had given the
clay every possible chance.
00:51:08.66\00:51:12.35
Dug it up out of the
ground, washed it off,
00:51:13.35\00:51:15.91
brought it in the
house, put it on the wheel.
00:51:15.94\00:51:18.29
And this old hard-headed
clay would not do right.
00:51:18.32\00:51:22.33
But what I like about the
text is not just the potential
00:51:23.83\00:51:27.89
of the clay, but the
patience of the potter.
00:51:27.92\00:51:30.92
Ah, I'm feeling good now.
00:51:31.60\00:51:33.58
Because the Bible declares
that instead of throwing the
00:51:33.93\00:51:36.98
clay away, the Bible
says that the potter made
00:51:37.01\00:51:40.41
the vessel over again.
00:51:40.44\00:51:42.43
I don't know how
that makes you feel,
00:51:43.67\00:51:45.48
but that makes me feel great.
00:51:45.51\00:51:48.19
Women are not the only ones
who get an extreme makeover.
00:51:53.99\00:51:58.12
God does extreme
makeovers all the time.
00:51:59.72\00:52:04.06
And He made the
vessel over again.
00:52:04.95\00:52:08.47
And as I hasten to close,
I wondered how in the world
00:52:09.35\00:52:13.72
did the potter make
the vessel over again.
00:52:13.75\00:52:16.27
And I came to the
conclusion that the potter
00:52:17.09\00:52:19.95
had to crush the clay.
00:52:20.15\00:52:22.09
You know, the potter
has several instruments.
00:52:25.62\00:52:28.06
He has a shovel
to find the clay,
00:52:29.17\00:52:31.53
he has a table to turn the clay,
he has water to soften the clay,
00:52:32.06\00:52:37.39
he has hands to shape
the clay, he has a furnace to
00:52:37.42\00:52:41.48
strengthen the clay,
but he also has a mallet
00:52:41.51\00:52:44.91
to beat down the clay.
00:52:44.94\00:52:46.88
And every now and then
what the potter has to do
00:52:46.91\00:52:50.11
is to take out the
mallet and beat the clay down.
00:52:50.14\00:52:54.35
The Bible says in
Hebrews 12 and verse 6,
00:52:56.46\00:52:59.21
"Whom the Lord
loveth He chasteneth,
00:52:59.24\00:53:01.95
and scourges every
son whom He receives."
00:53:01.98\00:53:06.13
So that means that every now and
then what the Lord has to do is
00:53:06.99\00:53:11.67
He has to chasten us.
00:53:11.70\00:53:13.56
He has to make us over again.
00:53:13.59\00:53:16.78
When I look back over my life
and I find myself asking God,
00:53:20.00\00:53:25.23
"Why did you have to make
me over again when I thought
00:53:25.26\00:53:28.56
that I had just arrived?"
00:53:28.59\00:53:30.92
When I thought that I
was just getting my praise
00:53:30.95\00:53:34.20
to a certain level.
00:53:34.23\00:53:35.64
When I thought that my
prayer life had just reached
00:53:35.67\00:53:38.51
a certain platitude.
00:53:38.54\00:53:40.19
When I thought that my
devotion was at a certain level.
00:53:40.22\00:53:45.14
God saw some
imperfections in me.
00:53:46.29\00:53:49.60
He saw some blemishes yet.
00:53:49.80\00:53:52.07
And what the Lord did was,
He had to make me over again.
00:53:53.29\00:53:57.55
I don't know who may
be listening tonight,
00:53:58.76\00:54:01.90
but I believe that I
have a witness somewhere
00:54:02.56\00:54:08.25
in the media world, somewhere
in this auditorium tonight,
00:54:08.93\00:54:13.25
that can declare and testify
that when you are in your
00:54:13.28\00:54:18.63
darkest moment, it is
then that the Lord is trying to
00:54:18.66\00:54:26.02
make you over again.
00:54:26.05\00:54:27.41
And so I've come to the
place in my life where I am
00:54:28.23\00:54:31.32
willing to say,
"Anyway You shape me,
00:54:31.35\00:54:34.00
anyway You make
me, I'll be satisfied."
00:54:34.03\00:54:37.68
But I want to ask you is whether
or not you will be faithful.
00:54:43.46\00:54:47.43
God will mold
you, He will shape you,
00:54:48.82\00:54:51.32
He will hold you.
00:54:51.35\00:54:52.91
But you have to be faithful.
00:54:54.01\00:54:55.96
I heard God talking to
Jeremiah and He told him,
00:54:56.52\00:54:59.59
"Jeremiah, did
you see the potter?
00:54:59.62\00:55:01.80
Did you see the clay?"
00:55:01.90\00:55:03.38
He said, "Jeremiah, I am
the Potter and you are the clay.
00:55:03.41\00:55:08.37
Son, it ain't
about you, it's about Me.
00:55:08.57\00:55:12.48
So let Me do it.
00:55:13.82\00:55:15.87
I'm able to mold you,
I'm able to shape you,
00:55:15.90\00:55:19.55
I'm able to hold you.
00:55:19.58\00:55:21.32
And I'm able to
bring you through."
00:55:23.80\00:55:26.70
And the more I read this
Bible, the more I discover
00:55:28.30\00:55:32.38
that it's not about me.
00:55:33.19\00:55:35.14
It is about Him.
00:55:36.01\00:55:37.30
And that's why
it's called good news.
00:55:38.18\00:55:41.14
And I am so glad...
00:55:46.58\00:55:48.35
...because He has me
in the palm of His hands.
00:55:52.34\00:55:56.80
"I've seen the
lightening flashing,
00:55:57.84\00:56:00.13
I've heard the thunders roll,
00:56:00.82\00:56:02.58
I have felt sin breakers dashing
trying to conquer my soul.
00:56:02.61\00:56:07.37
But I heard the voice of Jesus
telling me still to fight on.
00:56:07.69\00:56:12.09
He has promised
never to leave you,
00:56:12.12\00:56:15.18
never to leave you alone."
00:56:15.21\00:56:17.56
I'm nothing but
clay under construction.
00:56:18.72\00:56:22.96
But one of these days when
the Lord gets finished with me,
00:56:23.76\00:56:27.89
one of these days when the Lord
has molded me and shaped me,
00:56:28.31\00:56:33.31
I shall come forth as
gold when I have run the race,
00:56:33.34\00:56:38.16
when I have finished the course,
when I have kept the faith.
00:56:38.19\00:56:41.75
So don't become
weary in well doing.
00:56:43.21\00:56:45.99
For at the proper time
you will reap a harvest
00:56:46.92\00:56:52.08
if you don't give up.
00:56:52.42\00:56:55.53
Your heads are
bowed, your eyes are closed.
00:56:57.22\00:56:59.57
Father...
00:56:59.60\00:57:00.68
Father, we give our
lives to You in full surrender,
00:57:05.29\00:57:13.93
and ask that You will work in
us that which is well pleasing
00:57:16.11\00:57:22.99
in Your sight.
00:57:23.02\00:57:24.33
Through the glory and by the
power of Jesus our Christ, amen.
00:57:28.39\00:57:35.47