Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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Hello and welcome to
another Anchors Of Truth series.
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This is hard to believe,
but this is the fourth and final
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program here of this
series by Elder Alvin Kibble.
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It's entitled, A Christian's
View of Suffering and Heartache.
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And I have to say, the
four meetings have gone by fast.
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They say, when you're
having fun it goes by fast.
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But I have to say, when you're
being ministered and blessed to,
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time can certainly
go by fast as well.
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And we have truly been blessed.
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You know, Elder Kibble, he's
a man with a lot of experience,
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and he's a man
that loves the Lord.
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And that comes through,
doesn't it, in his messages
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and his love for humanity
and how he's been portraying
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Jesus Christ as someone who
loves us in a very individual
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personal way.
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You know, before we came on,
Jill and I ran home real quick
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and we had a little...
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I don't know what
type of bird it was.
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It hit our sliding glass
door and was just laying there
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on the back deck
with his mouth open
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and his wings all
stretched out like that.
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And as it just sat there, after
a while it brought its wings in,
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it closed its
mouth, it blinked its eyes.
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And then a few
minutes later, it flew away.
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But what struck me
was about Elder Kibble,
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he was talking about God's
care for us as individuals.
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And the Bible
mentions about the sparrow,
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doesn't it, that
falls to the ground.
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And as that bird was
sitting there, I was thinking
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the Lord took notice of that.
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But how much more are we worth
than a sparrow, Christ says.
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So praise God
for these messages.
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Elder Kibble, as Danny
mentioned earlier this morning,
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he has spend 45
years in the ministry.
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That's a lot of years, isn't it.
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And as he was
sitting behind us back stage,
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he was kind of
scrolling through his iPad.
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And I just asked him, I said...
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Oh man, I mean he
was just scrolling...
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And these were all folders.
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And I said, "How
many sermons do you have?"
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"Oh," he said, "in
this iPad I have about 600."
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He said, "But I think I have
maybe a thousand sermons or so.
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I just haven't downloaded
them into my iPad yet."
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This is a man that loves the
Lord, has a message to preach,
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and we have truly been blessed.
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We have, we've been so
blessed the last four meetings.
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This is the fourth
and the final meeting.
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The first night, he
spoke on Jeremiah 18,
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"Cannot I do with
you as the potter?"
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We are the clay
in the Master's hand.
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And he said, "Stay
in the Master's hand."
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The next night, he
took his sermon from Mark 5,
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"If I may just reach out and
touch the hem of His garment."
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And of course, this
morning was from Revelation 2,
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the church of Smyrna,
"Be thou faithful unto death,
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and I will give
you a crown of life."
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This afternoon will be, Seeing
Trouble With Christian Eyes.
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And the thing I like about
when Elder Kibble preaches,
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when he presents the
Word of God, he's sharing from
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his experience with
Jesus, from his own walk
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with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And that's a beautiful thing.
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It truly is.
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And before we get
started, I know you're going to
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introduce the
music in just a moment.
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Let's have a word
of prayer as we invite
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the Lord to be with us.
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Father in heaven, Lord
again, we're so blessed.
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Lord, so blessed that You sent
Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die.
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Lord, if it were
for just one person,
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You would have sent Your Son.
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We thank You for that
love that You have for us
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that You sent Your
only Son to die for us
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so we have the
gift of eternal life.
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Lord, I just pray again that
You would bless Elder Kibble
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as he brings us the message.
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Lord, he has spent many years,
Lord, in Your service; 45 years.
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And Lord, just
continue to bless him.
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Pour Your Spirit
through him to us.
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And Lord, may we have open
ears, Lord, to what You have
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to say through him to us.
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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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Before Elder Kibble
presents the Word of God,
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we're going to
have a message in music.
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Our very own Mike
and Celestine Berry
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will be with us again.
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Celestine happens to be the
secretary here at our church.
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They're just a
wonderful Christian couple.
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We love their ministry in music.
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And the song they're going
to do is, Lift Up Your Hands.
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After the music, the next
thing you will hear is the
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voice of Elder Alvin Kibble.
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Life is not at all
that bad, my friend,
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if you believe in yourself.
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If you believe there's Someone
who walks through life with you,
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you'll never be alone.
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Just learn to reach
out and open your heart.
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Lift up hands to God
and He'll show you the way.
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And He said, "Cast
your burdens upon Me,
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those who are heavily laden.
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Come to Me, all
of you who are tired
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of carrying heavy loads.
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For the yoke I
will give you is easy
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and My burden is light.
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Come to Me and I
will give you rest."
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When you feel the world
is tumbling down on you,
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and you have no one
that you can hold on to,
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just face the rising
sun and you'll see hope,
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and there's no need to run.
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Lift up your hands to God and
He'll make you feel all right.
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And He said, "Cast
your burdens upon Me,
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those who are heavily laden.
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Come to Me, all
of you who are tired
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of carrying heavy loads.
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For the yoke I
will give you is easy
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and My burden is light.
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Come to Me and I
will give you rest."
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And He said, "Cast
your burdens upon Me,
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those who are heavily laden.
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Come to Me, all
of you who are tired
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of carrying heavy loads.
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For the yoke I
will give you is easy
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and My burden is light.
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Come to Me and I
will give you rest.
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Come to Me and I
will give you rest."
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That was beautiful.
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That was beautiful.
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And I want to thank all of
the psalmists and the music
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artists who have ministered
to us during this series.
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This has been a
wonderful experience for me.
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And I've come to know so many
of the staff members of 3ABN.
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And what a
wonderful family they are.
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God has truly
blessed this ministry.
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And I am sure that 3ABN has
been a blessing to you as well.
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And we want you to continue
to tune in and to make 3ABN
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your priority station so
that you might be enriched
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and inspired
through the Word of God.
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Our message this evening
is a summary of what we have
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been discussing
over the past few nights.
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We started out with that
remarkable story out of the
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book of Jeremiah on
saints in construction.
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And we learned that
our lives, like the clay,
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are in the Potter's hand.
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And that we have the assurance
that though we may be flawed,
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and though there
may be some impediments,
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that as long as
we stay in His hands,
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that everything is
going to be alright.
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How grateful we are
that God is the Potter.
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And I know if you
or I were in charge,
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we're so prone to
give up even on each other.
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And sometimes on ourselves.
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But God is patient.
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And the Bible says He is not
willing that any should perish,
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but that all would
come to repentance.
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What a marvelous God.
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And then on last night,
we talked about the testimony
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of a touch.
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And I know that God intended
that message to be presented,
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because even though I
had studied and prepared
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that message for
an earlier night,
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He brought it back to me again.
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And if that
message was indeed for you,
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know that it was God's
way of letting you know
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that He knows you in
your undone condition.
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That He cares for you.
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He can find you in the crowd,
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and He can even
feel you in the crowd.
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God can heal on contact.
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And then again, we had
an opportunity this morning
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to uncover another
anchor truth and that message on
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being faithful unto death.
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Because there are some times
when our prayers are delayed,
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but they're not denied.
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God is fully able to
fulfill every promise
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that He has ever made.
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He is not short, the Bible
says, concerning His promises
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as some men are.
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But He is longsuffering.
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And His timing is perfect.
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Years ago the elders
in my church use to sing,
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"He may not come
when you want Him,
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but He's always on time."
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So tonight we're
looking at the subject,
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Seeing Trouble
With Christian Eyes.
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Seeing Trouble
With Christian Eyes.
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Before I speak with you, please
join me as we talk with God.
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Jesus, You're
the center of my joy.
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All that's good and
perfect comes from You.
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Through Your spoke word
tonight, we would ask that
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You might be lifted up.
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Because You have said,
"If I, if I be lifted up,
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I will draw all men unto Me."
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So it is my prayer
tonight that through the
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inspiration of this
moment, and through the words
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that You might place
upon my lips, that You indeed
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might be lifted up
before this vast audience.
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And that individuals
might come to know you,
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whom to know is lift eternal.
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In the precious
name of Jesus, amen.
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There is a Christian lifestyle.
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There is a Christian world view.
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There is a Christian way of
seeing practically everything.
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There's a way that
Christians ought to look upon
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current events.
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There's a way that,
as Christians, we should
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look upon wealth and
money, or position and status,
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or marriage and family,
or fatherhood, or motherhood.
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There's a Christian
way that we should approach
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the subject of
wisdom or education.
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There is a true education, and
then there is a false education.
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There's a Christian way
that we should look upon
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labor and management
and fame and achievement.
00:16:05.01\00:16:10.49
And so this afternoon
I'd like to talk to you about
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how Christians
should look at trouble;
00:16:14.94\00:16:18.93
seeing trouble
with Christian eyes.
00:16:20.02\00:16:24.88
In all life there is a
living and eternal hope.
00:16:26.24\00:16:30.99
People everywhere in all
ages have longed and dreamed of
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a time when trouble
would no longer cast its shadow
00:16:35.63\00:16:40.51
across life's pathway.
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And it doesn't matter of
race or religion or culture,
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or even region of the earth.
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Wherever people have
lived, they have hope for that.
00:16:50.81\00:16:55.02
And if your
thoughts and your fancies
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cause you to ponder and consider
and hope for such a time
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when no trouble will plague
us, you are part and parcel
00:17:04.94\00:17:09.90
of the great human family.
00:17:10.39\00:17:13.35
For all people
have wished for this.
00:17:13.96\00:17:17.12
John Lennon, the
Beatles of Beatles fame,
00:17:18.21\00:17:23.93
in his cloudy troubled and
desperate struggle and search
00:17:24.50\00:17:29.40
to imagine a world
without the barriers of borders,
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or the divisiveness of
religion or nationalities,
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a life unattached to
material possessions,
00:17:38.73\00:17:41.98
penned these words,
"Imagine there's no heaven.
00:17:42.08\00:17:47.20
It's easy if you try.
00:17:48.06\00:17:49.87
No hell below us,
above us only sky.
00:17:50.88\00:17:54.15
Imagine all the
people living for today.
00:17:54.18\00:17:58.92
Imagine there's no country.
00:18:00.03\00:18:02.67
It isn't hard to do.
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Nothing to kill or die
for, and no religion too.
00:18:05.60\00:18:09.28
Imagine all the
people living life in peace."
00:18:09.31\00:18:13.66
Now that's kind of an
interesting take on things.
00:18:14.32\00:18:17.01
Would you not agree?
00:18:17.04\00:18:18.34
"You may say that I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
00:18:19.29\00:18:23.95
I hope someday you'll join us,
and the world will be as one."
00:18:24.30\00:18:30.86
For some, religion is
just a matter of confusion
00:18:34.34\00:18:40.32
with one denomination
saying that they have it right
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and another
denomination declaring that
00:18:45.06\00:18:49.70
they have it right.
00:18:49.73\00:18:50.94
And then with the
different faith groups
00:18:50.97\00:18:54.49
throughout the world.
00:18:54.84\00:18:56.21
And some have
become tired of the debate.
00:18:56.78\00:19:00.23
If only they could get a
clear word from the Lord.
00:19:02.53\00:19:06.72
If only they could come
to know Him, who to know
00:19:08.37\00:19:13.16
is life eternal.
00:19:13.36\00:19:14.82
The Greeks had their
notion of the Elysian Fields
00:19:15.54\00:19:20.73
somewhere
located in southern Italy
00:19:22.98\00:19:26.26
where their peace would reign.
00:19:26.72\00:19:28.83
The Hindus who think of
life as a bead on a necklace,
00:19:29.78\00:19:34.13
whose other beads
represent past and future life,
00:19:35.17\00:19:39.61
strive to ascend the
scale of merit through a
00:19:40.18\00:19:43.45
succession of reincarnations
hoping to win liberation
00:19:43.48\00:19:49.00
from the worldly
existence in order to achieve
00:19:49.03\00:19:52.91
union with Brahman.
00:19:52.94\00:19:54.85
The Buddhist have their
nirvana; their state of bliss,
00:19:56.74\00:20:01.22
or emptiness
attained by escaping the wheel
00:20:01.25\00:20:06.31
of life and rebirth.
00:20:06.66\00:20:09.53
Birth is sorrow, age is
sorrow, death is sorrow.
00:20:09.56\00:20:14.06
All the world is
sorrow and suffering.
00:20:14.09\00:20:18.15
The Islamic world has
its paradise where there are
00:20:19.89\00:20:23.30
no troubles and no conflicts.
00:20:23.33\00:20:26.87
And the Bible
speaks of such an account
00:20:28.90\00:20:32.61
in the Garden of Eden.
00:20:33.53\00:20:35.40
It places man's
perfect untroubled condition
00:20:36.70\00:20:40.69
in the childhood of our race.
00:20:40.72\00:20:43.66
All of man's hopes are assigned
either to some lost paradise
00:20:44.87\00:20:50.22
that is behind us or
to some future paradise
00:20:50.95\00:20:55.42
that is ahead.
00:20:55.45\00:20:56.79
There is no way of
escaping our need to hope.
00:20:58.31\00:21:03.73
And those of us who are
Christians have to view our
00:21:04.95\00:21:08.52
troubles, not only in
terms of what we hope,
00:21:08.55\00:21:12.31
but what we are
going to be loyal to
00:21:12.34\00:21:16.33
in terms of our God.
00:21:16.36\00:21:19.05
We have to look at
things that happen to us
00:21:20.34\00:21:23.24
that we would normally call
bad with the eyes of believers.
00:21:23.27\00:21:28.99
If we don't do that, then
we're really not Christians.
00:21:30.30\00:21:34.88
The Bible says in
Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 27,
00:21:35.84\00:21:39.65
"Moses, by faith, forsook
Egypt not fearing the wrath
00:21:40.26\00:21:46.59
of the king; for he endured
as seeing Him who is invisible."
00:21:46.62\00:21:53.96
Paul said in 2
Corinthians 5 and verse 7,
00:21:55.65\00:21:58.57
"For we walk by
faith and not by sight."
00:21:58.60\00:22:05.57
And he said again over in
Romans chapter 8 and verse 28,
00:22:06.61\00:22:10.48
"For all things work
together for good..."
00:22:10.68\00:22:15.43
He didn't say,
"All things are good."
00:22:15.53\00:22:17.72
He said, "All things
work together for good
00:22:17.75\00:22:21.67
for them that love the Lord."
00:22:22.87\00:22:26.33
And just as in the matter
of our professional calling
00:22:26.78\00:22:34.07
or work, or in our
stewardship and money,
00:22:34.10\00:22:38.32
or in our
blessing and good fortune,
00:22:38.42\00:22:41.07
we have to have the eyes
of faith when we look upon
00:22:42.05\00:22:47.57
the things that happen to us.
00:22:47.60\00:22:49.72
Now while talking
about the hopes of people,
00:22:51.61\00:22:54.60
there are those who consider
themselves to be very modern
00:22:55.20\00:22:58.10
and up to date who
sneer at our rather innocent
00:22:58.13\00:23:03.79
approach to living.
00:23:04.63\00:23:07.21
And they call such feelings
and such faith, primitive.
00:23:07.86\00:23:13.17
Sometimes they even
suggest that that's childish or
00:23:13.27\00:23:16.74
even immature.
00:23:16.77\00:23:18.66
But those same people who
speak in such derogatory terms
00:23:19.08\00:23:24.11
toward the faith of the
Bible immediately have a snare
00:23:24.14\00:23:30.60
or a trap or a
pitfall of their own making.
00:23:30.63\00:23:34.35
So that by and large
Hollywood, aka Tinseltown,
00:23:36.12\00:23:42.44
whose values are characterized
by decadence and narcissism
00:23:43.37\00:23:48.47
and drug use and
extra-marital sex,
00:23:48.50\00:23:52.00
when they try to represent the
great liberal mind of America
00:23:53.26\00:23:57.90
and insisted that they
were on the cutting edge of
00:23:57.93\00:24:00.80
societal beliefs and actions,
00:24:00.83\00:24:03.02
implied that everyone should
live the lifestyle of Hollywood.
00:24:06.45\00:24:13.38
"Welcome to Hollywood.
00:24:13.41\00:24:15.53
What are your dreams?
00:24:15.84\00:24:17.36
Everybody comes here.
00:24:17.59\00:24:19.54
This is Hollywood.
00:24:19.75\00:24:21.18
Land of dreams.
00:24:21.48\00:24:23.33
Some dreams come
true, some don't.
00:24:23.36\00:24:26.34
But keep on
dreaming, this is Hollywood.
00:24:26.64\00:24:29.81
Always time to dream.
00:24:30.01\00:24:32.26
So keep on dreaming."
00:24:32.46\00:24:34.18
The cocky presumptuous
and supposedly sophisticated
00:24:39.65\00:24:43.56
Carl Marx, who
called himself a realist,
00:24:43.59\00:24:48.05
and all these dreams
and hopes, primitive ideas,
00:24:48.96\00:24:54.30
constructed his own idea of time
when there would be no troubles.
00:24:54.74\00:24:59.25
Beyond the logic of Hegel,
beyond thesis and antithesis,
00:24:59.99\00:25:04.79
he called it a classless society
where there was no conflict.
00:25:05.07\00:25:10.83
And our democracy
follows in a similar path.
00:25:12.50\00:25:20.69
Each of our groups, our
political families, as it were,
00:25:23.76\00:25:30.29
believes that all of
our troubles will be over
00:25:30.49\00:25:33.80
as soon as we
elect a new President.
00:25:34.10\00:25:37.31
And I'm not talking
about the President.
00:25:38.34\00:25:40.48
But it is an illusion
of democracy to assume
00:25:42.76\00:25:46.74
that as soon as we
throw the rascals out
00:25:46.77\00:25:51.57
and get a new crowd in,
that all of our troubles
00:25:52.36\00:25:56.17
will be over.
00:25:56.37\00:25:57.74
I want you to know
that our Lord knew nothing
00:25:59.33\00:26:01.70
of that kind of thinking.
00:26:01.73\00:26:03.32
It wasn't His kind of logic.
00:26:04.15\00:26:06.30
With all of His optimism
and comfort and encouragement
00:26:08.57\00:26:12.56
while trying desperately
to get people to follow Him,
00:26:12.59\00:26:17.91
He, at the same time,
seemed to go out of His way
00:26:19.19\00:26:22.95
to shoo them away.
00:26:23.32\00:26:25.00
For He does not talk about
any quiet comfortable times.
00:26:26.15\00:26:30.69
If you're trying
to recruit somebody,
00:26:32.21\00:26:34.31
His was the
strangest way I know of
00:26:35.41\00:26:38.45
to get someone to follow you.
00:26:39.14\00:26:41.29
"If you elect me," the
political candidate says,
00:26:42.96\00:26:46.49
"I will fix your problems."
00:26:46.52\00:26:49.02
But Jesus didn't say that.
00:26:50.35\00:26:52.20
He said, "Follow Me."
00:26:53.53\00:26:55.21
But not to some
calm untroubled waters.
00:26:56.11\00:27:00.09
What a strange way
to disciple others.
00:27:01.30\00:27:06.71
"Follow Me," but He does not
promise a perpetual spring time
00:27:07.49\00:27:12.24
untouched by frost.
00:27:12.87\00:27:14.85
He, in fact, seems to go
out of His way to dissuade
00:27:15.90\00:27:20.60
anyone who is just a
well-wisher, a tag-a-long.
00:27:20.80\00:27:25.65
He says there will be signs
in the sun, moon, and the stars.
00:27:26.88\00:27:32.78
He talks about an
awful cosmic warfare,
00:27:33.45\00:27:37.23
a great pushing and
shoving in the universe.
00:27:38.45\00:27:41.82
You read it. It's there.
00:27:41.85\00:27:44.07
He says there will be
earthquakes and famine
00:27:45.21\00:27:48.17
and pestilence
and terrible sights.
00:27:48.20\00:27:51.27
Nation shall rise
up against nation.
00:27:51.30\00:27:53.89
He says that the
people who are following Him
00:27:53.92\00:27:57.80
will not be exempt.
00:27:57.83\00:28:00.21
They will not
simply be spectators.
00:28:01.82\00:28:04.16
They won't have on Teflon suits.
00:28:04.99\00:28:08.03
He says, "Before all of this,
they shall lay hands on you.
00:28:09.82\00:28:15.17
And they shall persecute you.
00:28:16.36\00:28:18.57
And they shall
deliver you up to the citadels
00:28:20.35\00:28:23.96
and prisons, and you will be
brought before kings and rulers.
00:28:23.99\00:28:28.45
Why?
00:28:28.48\00:28:29.62
Why?
00:28:30.48\00:28:31.69
For My name's sake."
00:28:33.01\00:28:34.80
Some years ago I watched a
movie entitled, Dragon Seed.
00:28:38.19\00:28:44.75
And it portrayed how
Japanese soldiers came into a
00:28:45.92\00:28:49.18
Chinese village
and terrorized the aged
00:28:49.21\00:28:53.21
and assaulted and
violated the women.
00:28:53.24\00:28:56.19
And when the men
tried to defend them,
00:28:56.71\00:28:58.94
they were shot
down in the streets.
00:28:58.97\00:29:02.47
Jesus says that the
moment we bargain to
00:29:04.51\00:29:12.29
invite Him into our lives,
00:29:12.32\00:29:14.67
when we come to that point
where we choose to throw our lot
00:29:17.55\00:29:22.50
in with Him, that
there is going to be trouble.
00:29:22.53\00:29:29.07
Not in spite of, but because of.
00:29:30.28\00:29:35.57
"Because of My name's sake."
00:29:36.50\00:29:39.18
"They," He says. "They."
00:29:40.55\00:29:42.52
Well who are "they?"
00:29:42.91\00:29:44.98
And He doesn't
describe them so carefully.
00:29:47.09\00:29:53.15
But I think it's clear
enough for us to understand
00:29:54.49\00:30:00.62
that there are
those who are for Christ,
00:30:00.65\00:30:04.22
and there are those
who are against Christ.
00:30:04.25\00:30:07.89
Jesus said, "You're either
for Me or you're against Me."
00:30:10.41\00:30:14.02
There is no
spiritual Switzerland.
00:30:14.05\00:30:17.58
There is no neutrality.
00:30:19.11\00:30:21.19
He says they will malign
and they will scandalize.
00:30:22.83\00:30:26.10
And they will attempt
to do so under the veneer
00:30:26.30\00:30:33.55
of right doing.
00:30:36.06\00:30:37.78
They will accuse you when
you seek to serve the Lord.
00:30:40.48\00:30:44.19
Your very attempt
to be loyal to Jesus
00:30:44.95\00:30:47.98
will get you in trouble.
00:30:48.18\00:30:49.96
Because people will
label you a fanatic,
00:30:51.97\00:30:54.77
an enemy of the state,
00:30:55.83\00:30:58.71
a jolly do-gooder,
a holy Joe or Jane.
00:30:59.52\00:31:03.57
"You come here
with all this talk about
00:31:04.38\00:31:07.29
no sex out of marriage,
abstinence, temperance,
00:31:07.49\00:31:11.56
clean healthful
living, Sabbath observance.
00:31:11.86\00:31:14.78
You're a trouble maker."
00:31:17.83\00:31:19.29
A trouble maker?
00:31:22.11\00:31:23.56
You feel that the
family is a sacred institution.
00:31:26.41\00:31:30.18
You feel that those
who have been marginalized
00:31:33.95\00:31:37.38
and who are less
fortunate should have a voice.
00:31:37.72\00:31:42.68
That they should be
included and not excluded.
00:31:43.83\00:31:46.98
God said that it would happen.
00:31:50.19\00:31:52.73
And He said that some
of them would even be found
00:31:53.66\00:31:58.75
in our own families.
00:31:58.78\00:32:00.83
Such unpleasant
talk that the Lord gives.
00:32:02.45\00:32:06.16
You shall be betrayed.
00:32:06.96\00:32:09.49
Relatives, kin people, kin folk.
00:32:10.01\00:32:12.76
What do you do?
00:32:13.22\00:32:14.47
They shall persecute you.
00:32:20.23\00:32:22.01
"Who do you think you are?
00:32:23.18\00:32:24.76
Do you think you're
better than everybody else?"
00:32:26.00\00:32:28.49
Now let me identify this "they"
as people who are misguided.
00:32:29.79\00:32:36.59
Jesus does not
identify them too closely here,
00:32:38.21\00:32:41.31
but He does in other places.
00:32:41.51\00:32:42.97
And He said once to Simon,
00:32:43.00\00:32:45.51
when he was about to
be shaken and tested,
00:32:47.56\00:32:50.84
He said, "Satan has
desired to sift you as wheat,
00:32:50.87\00:32:55.58
but I have prayed for you."
00:32:55.61\00:32:57.95
Luke 22 and verse 31.
00:32:58.17\00:33:00.59
Over in Matthew 13 and
verse 24, He talked about
00:33:02.60\00:33:06.12
how someone planted a field,
and later tares were found
00:33:06.15\00:33:10.84
in the field.
00:33:10.87\00:33:13.51
And He said it
wasn't an accident.
00:33:14.13\00:33:16.87
He said, "An
enemy has done this."
00:33:16.90\00:33:20.26
I don't want to describe
the enemy too carefully,
00:33:21.41\00:33:24.33
but there is an anti-God.
00:33:24.36\00:33:26.65
An anti-Christ,
an anti-authority,
00:33:27.28\00:33:30.26
an anti moral responsibility,
an era of rebelliousness.
00:33:30.29\00:33:37.06
And He told us to pray.
00:33:37.61\00:33:39.51
"Deliver me not
into temptation."
00:33:40.79\00:33:46.34
Deliver us not.
00:33:48.58\00:33:50.11
But put this down...
00:33:52.29\00:33:54.07
There is a great
warfare that is taking place.
00:33:54.81\00:34:00.66
Make no mistake about it.
00:34:01.92\00:34:03.70
We are in a fight, a real fight.
00:34:04.76\00:34:07.19
The great hymn
that we use to sing,
00:34:09.37\00:34:11.91
"My soul, be on thy
guard, ten thousand foes arise;
00:34:11.94\00:34:16.07
the hosts of sin
are pressing hard
00:34:16.27\00:34:18.52
to draw thee from the skies.
00:34:18.55\00:34:20.69
O watch and fight and pray;
the battle ne'er give o'er.
00:34:20.72\00:34:26.69
Renew it boldly every
day, and help divine implore.
00:34:27.15\00:34:31.95
Never think the victory
won, nor lay thine armor down;
00:34:32.83\00:34:36.95
the arduous
work will not be done
00:34:36.98\00:34:39.76
till thou obtain the crown."
00:34:39.86\00:34:42.68
Do you feel the fight?
00:34:44.29\00:34:45.92
Do you sometimes
sense yourself shaken?
00:34:47.40\00:34:50.50
"They," Jesus
said, "are responsible."
00:34:51.66\00:34:54.30
And what are we to
do when seized upon
00:34:55.19\00:34:58.46
and trouble comes our way?
00:34:59.36\00:35:02.05
I read somewhere, "Let those who
are perplexed with temptation
00:35:03.45\00:35:08.36
go to God in prayer.
00:35:08.58\00:35:10.58
Persevere in prayer and watch
there unto without doubting.
00:35:11.24\00:35:16.86
And the Holy Spirit
will work in the human agent
00:35:16.96\00:35:20.48
bringing heart and
mind into subjection
00:35:20.51\00:35:24.00
to right principles.
00:35:24.50\00:35:26.13
All heaven is watching with
intense interest to see whether
00:35:26.98\00:35:31.64
we will look unto Jesus and
submit ourselves to His will,
00:35:31.67\00:35:36.31
or whether, in temptation,
we will follow the inclinations
00:35:36.34\00:35:40.74
of the natural heart and the
solicitations of the evil one.
00:35:40.77\00:35:46.64
Those who, through faith,
are kept by the power of God
00:35:48.33\00:35:52.57
learn good and precious things.
00:35:52.60\00:35:55.74
And they
experience a peace in Christ
00:35:56.45\00:35:59.44
which passes all understanding.
00:35:59.47\00:36:03.21
In resisting temptation,
you refuse to be confederate
00:36:03.83\00:36:08.86
with the adversary,
and you place yourself
00:36:09.36\00:36:12.14
under the banner
of Jesus Christ."
00:36:12.17\00:36:14.55
That's like being in
the hands of the Potter.
00:36:14.58\00:36:17.98
"In the sight of heavenly
agencies and intelligences,
00:36:18.01\00:36:23.27
you develop as a conqueror.
00:36:23.47\00:36:27.44
And it is manifested
that you are indeed a son
00:36:28.30\00:36:33.29
and a daughter of God."
00:36:33.66\00:36:35.66
And then I read somewhere
else what we're not to do
00:36:36.62\00:36:40.65
as Christians.
00:36:40.68\00:36:41.93
We're not to talk of
discouragement and gloom.
00:36:42.10\00:36:46.64
When we do, Satan
listens with fiendish joy.
00:36:48.08\00:36:52.26
For it pleases him to
know that he has brought us
00:36:52.36\00:36:55.97
into bondage.
00:36:56.00\00:36:57.33
Now Satan, we know,
can't read our thoughts.
00:36:57.36\00:37:00.07
But he is a
student of human life.
00:37:00.10\00:37:05.75
And he can observe
our actions and our words.
00:37:05.78\00:37:12.16
And from his long
knowledge of the human family,
00:37:12.19\00:37:15.51
he can shape his
temptation to take advantages
00:37:15.79\00:37:20.43
of our weakest
point of character.
00:37:20.61\00:37:23.61
How often we give him
the secret of how he can
00:37:24.28\00:37:27.75
obtain victory over us.
00:37:27.78\00:37:30.13
So we must not
talk discouragement.
00:37:32.06\00:37:36.11
There are some people who
are just a testimony of gloom.
00:37:37.83\00:37:44.94
Number two, we must not
think that the anger of the Lord
00:37:47.93\00:37:51.30
is upon us.
00:37:51.33\00:37:52.54
God brings us into
trial in order that we might
00:37:53.44\00:37:56.92
be drawn to Him.
00:37:56.95\00:37:58.44
The psalmist says, "Many are
the affliction of the righteous,
00:37:59.00\00:38:03.50
but the Lord delivereth
them all," Psalm 34:19.
00:38:03.70\00:38:08.68
So affliction will come
in the providence of God
00:38:09.62\00:38:13.79
in order that we might
see that Christ is our Helper,
00:38:14.11\00:38:18.61
and that in His
love and constellation
00:38:18.72\00:38:22.18
that we should abide.
00:38:22.21\00:38:24.20
We must have such
an experience with God
00:38:25.89\00:38:28.66
that when affliction comes we
will not depart from the faith.
00:38:28.86\00:38:34.81
Then number three, we are not
to become weary in well doing.
00:38:37.08\00:38:41.52
Can't afford it.
00:38:42.33\00:38:43.41
You can't quit when
the going gets rough.
00:38:43.44\00:38:45.93
If you are a Christian,
when it looks like everybody is
00:38:46.56\00:38:50.42
against you, that is the very
time you've got to press on.
00:38:50.45\00:38:55.04
"Weeping," the Bible
says, "may endure for a night,
00:38:58.18\00:39:01.15
but joy cometh in the morning."
00:39:01.18\00:39:04.98
So you've got to hold on.
00:39:05.75\00:39:07.56
And as we said last
night, if you can hold on,
00:39:08.17\00:39:12.46
you can hold out.
00:39:12.49\00:39:13.92
It is in these times
that we are able to see
00:39:15.37\00:39:18.51
more clearly than ever the
hand of God upon our lives.
00:39:19.34\00:39:24.60
When people or circumstances
seem to be laying a trap for us,
00:39:25.56\00:39:30.12
it is then that we take the
things that were meant for evil
00:39:30.22\00:39:34.62
and God uses them for good.
00:39:35.62\00:39:38.77
He says, "I will
turn your stumbling blocks
00:39:40.37\00:39:44.08
into stepping stones."
00:39:44.11\00:39:46.16
When we look back upon
the events on the surface
00:39:47.67\00:39:51.36
that appear to have
been the work of Satan,
00:39:51.39\00:39:53.85
we discover that all
of these things resulted
00:39:54.87\00:39:59.56
in strengthening
our walk with the Lord.
00:40:00.09\00:40:03.17
So hold on.
00:40:03.47\00:40:04.90
And then, we can't
fight in the enemies armor
00:40:05.66\00:40:12.91
or with the devil's weapons.
00:40:12.94\00:40:15.53
It doesn't work.
00:40:16.12\00:40:17.89
Vengeance, the
Bible says, is God's.
00:40:19.62\00:40:24.76
Hebrews 10:30.
00:40:25.06\00:40:26.78
"I will repay," Jesus says.
00:40:27.14\00:40:30.40
You can't take up
the world's weapons.
00:40:30.78\00:40:33.15
You can't return the
same spirit upon which
00:40:34.46\00:40:42.54
you have been the recipient.
00:40:42.85\00:40:44.67
A friend of mine was
robbed on two occasions.
00:40:45.27\00:40:48.77
And I heard from another
friend that he had asked someone
00:40:50.00\00:40:52.94
how he could buy a gun.
00:40:52.97\00:40:54.60
You can't do that.
00:40:55.99\00:40:57.50
It doesn't work.
00:40:58.93\00:41:00.34
But you can be sure of this...
00:41:01.57\00:41:03.94
That God comes most
powerfully at the terminus
00:41:04.42\00:41:08.89
where trouble occurs.
00:41:09.71\00:41:11.56
Now that's the way I see it.
00:41:12.52\00:41:14.34
And you've got to
see it that way too.
00:41:15.26\00:41:17.35
And even though in
the face of the world
00:41:18.10\00:41:21.20
you might seem helpless; never
fear, but that God will win.
00:41:21.40\00:41:28.66
How did James
Russell Lowell put it?
00:41:28.69\00:41:31.08
"Truth forever on the scaffold,
wrong forever on the throne;
00:41:31.25\00:41:35.06
yet the scaffold
sways the future,
00:41:35.09\00:41:37.00
and behind the dim unknown,
standeth God within the shadows,
00:41:37.03\00:41:42.90
keeping watch upon His own."
00:41:43.19\00:41:46.62
There is a God.
00:41:46.65\00:41:48.25
Make no mistake about it.
00:41:48.83\00:41:50.49
And our elders
spoke of it in many ways.
00:41:51.40\00:41:54.88
There is a God who
rules above with hand of power
00:41:54.91\00:41:59.40
and heart of love.
00:41:59.43\00:42:01.03
And if I am right,
He'll fight my battles.
00:42:01.06\00:42:06.11
I shall be free some day.
00:42:06.78\00:42:09.53
Trouble is the
terminus where God arrives
00:42:10.22\00:42:13.46
to relieve most
powerfully His people.
00:42:13.66\00:42:17.55
Trouble, Christian, is the
sticky soil out of which the
00:42:17.58\00:42:21.43
rose of faith will blossom.
00:42:21.46\00:42:23.21
Trouble is the crisis
that God employs to dramatize
00:42:23.24\00:42:27.67
the issue so that they;
our co-workers, our neighbors,
00:42:27.70\00:42:31.69
our extended
family, can no longer ignore
00:42:31.79\00:42:35.92
the source of our strength
or the center of our joy.
00:42:35.95\00:42:39.38
We all know that we
need to talk to the Lord,
00:42:39.41\00:42:42.41
but we seldom get around to it.
00:42:42.51\00:42:44.74
Trouble is the instrument that
God uses to change our lives
00:42:44.77\00:42:49.32
from a tragic
effort to live in monologue
00:42:49.35\00:42:52.91
rather than in dialogue.
00:42:52.94\00:42:54.83
Trouble is the dark
terrible sky out of which the
00:42:54.86\00:42:58.64
bright and morning
star shines most clearly.
00:42:58.67\00:43:01.73
Trouble is the way by which God
manifests Himself to His people.
00:43:01.76\00:43:06.52
As the song writer has
said, "If I never had a problem,
00:43:08.65\00:43:13.43
I wouldn't know that
God could solve them.
00:43:14.17\00:43:16.86
I wouldn't know what
faith in God could do."
00:43:17.33\00:43:20.71
When our souls
are sore distressed,
00:43:21.39\00:43:23.85
when we are up against
the wall, we discover then
00:43:24.34\00:43:29.95
as at no other time that
there is a balm in Gilead
00:43:29.98\00:43:34.45
which makes the wounded whole.
00:43:35.15\00:43:37.41
You look through the
Bible, when Israel of old
00:43:38.40\00:43:41.94
came to that place with
the thunder of the chariots
00:43:41.97\00:43:45.60
of Pharaoh behind them,
and those turbulent waters
00:43:45.63\00:43:50.15
before them, they stood there
like a deer in the headlights,
00:43:50.18\00:43:55.45
trapped.
00:43:55.72\00:43:56.90
Do you get it?
00:43:57.41\00:43:58.63
No way out.
00:43:59.17\00:44:00.53
No means of protection, no hope.
00:44:01.03\00:44:03.81
They were in trouble.
00:44:04.01\00:44:05.52
And right then and right
there, Moses, speaking under the
00:44:07.82\00:44:12.02
inspiration of God, said, "Stand
still and see the salvation
00:44:12.05\00:44:18.31
of the Lord.
00:44:18.34\00:44:19.43
For the Egyptians
whom ye have seen today
00:44:19.75\00:44:23.59
ye shall see
them no more again."
00:44:23.69\00:44:28.73
Look well, for that
which you see today,
00:44:30.61\00:44:34.54
you will see no more forever.
00:44:34.99\00:44:37.33
It was when Mary and Martha's
brother had been gripped
00:44:38.13\00:44:41.80
by a fatal sickness
that they saw Jesus as the
00:44:41.83\00:44:46.13
resurrection and the life.
00:44:46.16\00:44:47.61
It was not until Paul
despaired of ever being able
00:44:47.71\00:44:51.88
to carry on that he
discovered that God's way
00:44:51.91\00:44:55.68
and His grace is sufficient.
00:44:56.57\00:44:58.91
Three times he said, "I sought
the Lord and word came back,
00:44:58.94\00:45:02.48
'Paul, Paul, My
grace is sufficient.
00:45:02.51\00:45:08.14
For My strength is
made perfect in weakness.'"
00:45:08.24\00:45:13.58
And I'd like to close
this afternoon on the record
00:45:15.70\00:45:24.78
of the 91st psalm.
00:45:24.81\00:45:26.72
For God does not say, "Maybe."
00:45:29.12\00:45:32.83
He says, "I will."
00:45:34.15\00:45:36.02
The first part
of the 91st psalm...
00:45:37.84\00:45:39.99
And you can read it after the
service or when you get home.
00:45:40.02\00:45:44.84
...it deals with what I call,
00:45:46.13\00:45:48.73
the imperfect,
affective, auxiliary verb.
00:45:49.79\00:45:53.56
Here, the psalmist
David is expressing his faith.
00:45:54.74\00:45:58.68
"Surely he shall deliver thee.
00:45:59.87\00:46:02.83
Surely he shall cover
thee with his feathers,
00:46:03.87\00:46:07.01
under his wings
shalt thou trust.
00:46:07.47\00:46:10.31
Thou shalt not be afraid
for the terror by night."
00:46:10.99\00:46:16.11
And on and on.
00:46:17.61\00:46:19.14
But when God starts talking, it
changes from "shall" to "will."
00:46:19.64\00:46:26.66
Read it, oh it will
give you inspiration.
00:46:26.86\00:46:29.83
The psalmist cries out now.
00:46:32.18\00:46:34.43
And God is the one, is
the voice that is speaking.
00:46:34.79\00:46:38.05
He says, "Therefore
shall no evil befall thee."
00:46:38.08\00:46:43.42
Not "will." "Shall."
00:46:43.45\00:46:45.08
"Shall" is stronger than "will."
00:46:45.59\00:46:48.71
"He shall give his
angels charge over thee."
00:46:49.11\00:46:53.00
And the psalmist, he
says, "Because he hath set
00:46:58.42\00:47:01.00
his love upon me,
I will deliver him.
00:47:01.03\00:47:05.67
I will set him on high.
00:47:06.12\00:47:08.31
I will be with him in trouble.
00:47:08.34\00:47:10.92
I will deliver
him and honor him.
00:47:10.95\00:47:13.78
And with long life
I will satisfy him."
00:47:13.81\00:47:18.84
Are you troubled?
00:47:22.10\00:47:23.35
It is God's opportunity.
00:47:25.10\00:47:27.58
And He will never be so real
to you as He is when it seems
00:47:28.13\00:47:33.64
that your soul is in despair.
00:47:33.67\00:47:36.26
Jesus Christ suffered,
not to save us from suffering,
00:47:36.83\00:47:41.62
but that our suffering
might be like His suffering
00:47:41.65\00:47:46.24
and have meaning.
00:47:48.52\00:47:50.26
It takes us from
the pain of suffering
00:47:51.15\00:47:53.82
and from the agony of suffering
to the victory of suffering.
00:47:54.34\00:48:00.18
If we can bear persecution
for His dear name's sake,
00:48:00.69\00:48:05.47
His love becomes the
ruling power in our hearts.
00:48:05.67\00:48:09.37
And we have the assurance
that nothing can separate us
00:48:09.40\00:48:14.22
from the love of God.
00:48:14.25\00:48:15.76
Never is the tempest-tried so
more dearly loved by his Savior
00:48:15.79\00:48:20.62
than when he is suffering
reproach for the truth's sake.
00:48:20.65\00:48:24.65
When, for the truth's sake,
the believer stands at the bar
00:48:25.27\00:48:29.01
of the unrighteous tribunal,
Christ stands by his side.
00:48:29.04\00:48:33.51
All the reproaches that
fall upon the human believer
00:48:33.88\00:48:37.44
fall upon Christ in
the person of that saint.
00:48:37.64\00:48:43.52
"I will love him," saith Christ.
00:48:44.11\00:48:48.17
"I will manifest Myself to him."
00:48:48.20\00:48:51.76
And when, for the truth's sake,
the believer is incarcerated
00:48:52.62\00:48:56.57
in prison walls,
Christ will manifest Himself
00:48:56.90\00:49:00.82
and ravish his heart with love.
00:49:01.32\00:49:04.43
When, as believers, we
suffer for Christ's sake,
00:49:05.97\00:49:08.92
as some of our brothers
and sisters are now suffering
00:49:09.22\00:49:12.32
in various parts of the
world, Christ says to us,
00:49:12.35\00:49:16.62
"They may kill the body,
but they cannot hurt the soul.
00:49:16.65\00:49:21.55
Be of good cheer, pilgrim,
I have overcome the world."
00:49:21.58\00:49:26.64
One of my favorite illustrations
is the story of an old
00:49:29.57\00:49:33.49
Norwegian fisherman
who took his two sons
00:49:34.26\00:49:38.53
and went out on a
daily fishing run.
00:49:38.56\00:49:40.96
The catch was good.
00:49:41.95\00:49:43.34
But by mid afternoon a sudden
storm blotted out the shoreline,
00:49:44.46\00:49:50.75
leaving them groping
for the direction home.
00:49:51.84\00:49:56.58
Meanwhile, a fire broke out
in the kitchen of their cottage.
00:49:58.11\00:50:02.06
And before it could
be extinguished, the fire
00:50:03.25\00:50:06.05
had destroyed the
families earthly possessions.
00:50:06.08\00:50:10.25
Finally, the father and
the sons were able to row
00:50:12.11\00:50:16.09
their boat ashore.
00:50:16.12\00:50:17.86
The man's wife was waiting to
tell him of the tragic incident.
00:50:18.67\00:50:23.31
"Carl, Carl," she cried out,
"fire has destroyed everything.
00:50:23.52\00:50:30.53
We have nothing left."
00:50:31.60\00:50:33.26
But Carl was
unmoved by the report
00:50:34.47\00:50:39.72
that his wife was sharing.
00:50:39.92\00:50:41.94
"Didn't you hear me, Carl?
00:50:42.48\00:50:44.20
The house is gone.
00:50:45.49\00:50:47.31
Everything we own, everything
we possess is gone, Carl.
00:50:47.82\00:50:52.25
It's gone."
00:50:52.28\00:50:53.72
"Yes I heard you," replied Carl.
00:50:56.00\00:50:58.28
"I heard you.
00:51:00.33\00:51:01.53
But a few hours
ago, we were lost at sea.
00:51:02.94\00:51:08.19
And for hours, we
thought that we would perish.
00:51:09.31\00:51:14.46
But something happened.
00:51:15.20\00:51:16.69
I saw a dim yellow
glow in the distance.
00:51:18.00\00:51:22.24
It grew larger and larger.
00:51:23.36\00:51:26.06
And so we decided to turn
our boat toward the light.
00:51:26.89\00:51:30.78
Sweetheart, the same
blaze which destroyed our home
00:51:32.14\00:51:35.74
is the light
that saved our lives."
00:51:36.45\00:51:39.59
Trouble.
00:51:40.47\00:51:41.72
Trouble is so often
triumph when seen from a
00:51:42.97\00:51:48.22
different point of view.
00:51:48.53\00:51:50.39
My dear friend and
former preacher and director
00:51:53.41\00:52:00.27
of the Breath of
Life television ministries
00:52:00.30\00:52:02.98
said to me one day
when he was going through
00:52:04.82\00:52:07.58
a very dark valley,
00:52:08.48\00:52:10.08
he said, "Alvin...
00:52:12.83\00:52:14.72
...God sends us
blessings every day.
00:52:19.13\00:52:24.65
They just get
filed under, 'ordinary.'"
00:52:29.37\00:52:32.32
God sends us
blessings every day.
00:52:35.27\00:52:39.69
They just get
filed under, "ordinary."
00:52:42.61\00:52:45.22
And as we close out this series,
00:52:47.94\00:52:50.46
I can only tell you
that I once thought I knew
00:52:53.47\00:52:59.00
how to define a blessing.
00:52:59.03\00:53:00.97
I sincerely felt when
things were going well,
00:53:02.30\00:53:06.99
and when I was
receiving these peace offerings,
00:53:08.89\00:53:17.98
that that was a blessing.
00:53:19.36\00:53:20.79
If I had a bonus or if I
was able to buy a favorite
00:53:22.80\00:53:31.94
appliance, or replace my
car, or someone got a promotion,
00:53:31.97\00:53:39.42
I thought that
that was a blessing.
00:53:39.85\00:53:41.46
If the family was doing
well, God is blessing us.
00:53:44.39\00:53:49.10
But I have sincerely come
to the place where I cannot
00:53:51.34\00:53:54.85
properly define a blessing,
because the God we serve
00:53:56.03\00:53:59.68
is so incredibly wonderful
that He can turn anything
00:53:59.71\00:54:05.78
into a blessing.
00:54:06.28\00:54:07.76
Stay in love with Jesus.
00:54:11.36\00:54:15.06
Stay in love with Jesus.
00:54:16.62\00:54:18.69
Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world.
00:54:20.39\00:54:24.30
Because if anyone is so
captivated by the world,
00:54:24.64\00:54:30.66
the love of the
Father cannot be in them.
00:54:30.69\00:54:34.63
Stay in love with Jesus.
00:54:34.66\00:54:36.62
And He will keep
you in perfect peace
00:54:38.25\00:54:42.33
whose mind is stayed upon
Him, because you trust in Him.
00:54:43.53\00:54:53.33
Let us bow our heads as we pray.
00:54:57.79\00:54:59.71
And now, our Father, as we
bring this series to a close,
00:55:01.56\00:55:06.31
we would pray that You
would fortify our faith
00:55:07.96\00:55:11.47
and that You would
determine that You would help us
00:55:12.92\00:55:15.42
to determine to let nothing
separate us from Your love.
00:55:15.45\00:55:21.04
We know who You are.
00:55:21.97\00:55:24.13
You are the one who made us, and
You are the one who bought us
00:55:26.47\00:55:31.23
at an eternal price.
00:55:32.32\00:55:34.24
Thank You, Savior.
00:55:36.31\00:55:39.48
Thank You for considering
us in our undone condition.
00:55:40.28\00:55:46.39
Please be with those who
are struggling to know You,
00:55:49.27\00:55:56.29
who have all but given up,
00:55:57.29\00:55:59.38
who are about to lose faith.
00:56:01.11\00:56:03.37
And with that, any
hope of the future.
00:56:05.21\00:56:09.38
Let them know that
nothing will keep You
00:56:10.96\00:56:15.26
from loving them with
the tenderest of love.
00:56:16.81\00:56:20.75
Help them to feel Your presence
and to sense Your love for them.
00:56:22.83\00:56:30.52
Give them the gift of
faith, that they might believe.
00:56:32.69\00:56:36.78
And then begin to
order their steps,
00:56:38.17\00:56:41.39
that they might fulfill
Your purpose, run this race,
00:56:43.97\00:56:50.86
complete this journey, and
arrive in Your precious kingdom.
00:56:52.65\00:57:01.12
In the worthy
precious name of Jesus, amen.
00:57:02.45\00:57:07.90
Thank you very
much, Elder Kibble.
00:57:13.24\00:57:14.80
May the Lord bless
you in your ministry.
00:57:14.83\00:57:16.39
Thank you for coming to 3ABN.
00:57:16.42\00:57:18.29
I know that we've been blessed.
00:57:18.49\00:57:19.70
And I know you at
home have been blessed.
00:57:19.73\00:57:21.65
There's a lot of heartache
and sorrow in this world,
00:57:21.75\00:57:23.96
but this world is not our home.
00:57:23.99\00:57:25.60
Jesus is coming soon.
00:57:25.63\00:57:27.23
Be faithful to that end.
00:57:27.26\00:57:28.55
- God bless
you. - God bless you.
00:57:28.58\00:57:29.91