Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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Welcome to Three Angels'
Broadcasting Worship Center
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here in the mighty
metropolis of Thompsonville.
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You know, Thompsonville
is a growing community.
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We have a gas station, a
couple of eating establishments,
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and just
recently a Dollar General.
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Have we arrived or what?
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But you know, what really
puts Thompsonville on the map
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is that truth filled messages
leave the studios of 3ABN
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and literally belt the globe.
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And that's what puts
Thompsonville on the map.
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It's the message of Jesus,
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not any
establishments of business.
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And we just want to welcome you.
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If you're tuning in to us
by television, or internet,
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or radio, we want you to
relax and get your Bibles
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and be prepared for a
wonderful message tonight.
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A message that is
a last day message
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from the book of Revelation.
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The last book of the Bible
to the last day generation.
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We have our speaker this evening
will be Pastor Justin Torossian.
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Pastor Justin comes
to us from California.
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He was raised in
northern California.
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And has been employed by the
Central California Conference
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of Seventh-day Adventists.
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Pastor Torossian has
most recently worked with
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Pastor Stephen
Bohr, a presenter on 3ABN.
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And we really appreciate
and have enjoyed his messages
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throughout the years.
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And Pastor Torossian worked as
an associate in the church that
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Pastor Bohr pastors.
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His message this
evening is entitled,
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Wretched,
Miserable... Victorious.
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I like the last part.
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The first part, truthful
but often a little hard to hear;
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wretched and miserable.
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But we're happy for
the ending; victorious.
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This is the third of a
series coming to you live.
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And live is often a
little bit scary, you know.
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Whatever comes
out, that's what it is.
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Warts, wrinkles, and all.
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But it also gives a
wonderful dynamic when a message
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comes live over television.
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Puts you a little on edge,
but the Lord really blesses.
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And we know that tonight
the Lord is going to bless
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Pastor Torossian as
he opens the Word for us.
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But before Pastor
Torossian comes and speaks,
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we going to be
blessed by music from our own
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Yvonne Lewis.
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Yvonne is our
manager of Dare To Dream.
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And she is going to sing
the song, Wonders Never Cease.
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Yvonne, before you sing though,
let me just pause and have a
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word of prayer both for you
and for Pastor Justin Torossian.
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Father in heaven, we count it
a privilege as the Sabbath hours
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here in
Thompsonville are just beginning
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to be able to come
apart, sit at Your feet,
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and listen as Your
servant speaks, opening the
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Word of God to us.
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We ask that You'll bless
our dear Pastor Torossian.
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Give him words from on high.
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And Yvonne Lewis as
she presents the gospel
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in melody, in singing.
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We pray that You'll also
bless her as she now sings,
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Wonders Never Cease.
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In Jesus' name we ask, amen.
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I heard He walked on
water and opened blinded eyes;
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the deaf were made to hear again
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and the dead
were called to rise.
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Oh, but when I
gave Him all my heart,
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a greater thing took place;
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the Lord of every miracle
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redeemed me by His grace.
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And wonders never
cease as long as I believe
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and place my life
within the nail scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best,
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I stand amazed to see
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His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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He still walks on water
to calm my trouble seas;
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and in the midst of thunder
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I can hear Him speaking peace.
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And though some
believe His miracles
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are just part of yesterday,
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I'm living proof
His changing power
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will never passed away.
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And wonders never
cease as long as I believe
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and place my life
within the nail scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best,
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I stand amazed to see
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His glory never ends.
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Oh, wonders never cease
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as long as I believe
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and I place my life
within the nail scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best,
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I stand amazed to see
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His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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Oh, His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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Amen.
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Good evening.
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Welcome again to our series,
Called, Chosen, Faithful.
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Called, Chosen, and Faithful.
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We've been examining
together Jesus' message
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to the church of Laodicea.
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And before we begin again
tonight, I'd just like to invite
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you to join me in prayer as we
especially ask the Holy Spirit
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to be present to
help us to understand
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and apply God's word tonight.
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Let's pray.
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And join me in prayer
through song if you know it.
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Spirit of the living God,
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fall afresh on me.
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Spirit of the living God,
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fall afresh on me.
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Break me, melt me,
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mold me, and fill me.
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Spirit of the living God,
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fall afresh on me.
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Father in heaven,
this is our prayer tonight.
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We Thank You that You
are more willing to give us
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the Holy Spirit when we
ask than Godly good parents are
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to give good
gifts to their children.
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Thank You, Lord, for Your
presence here with us tonight.
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We ask that as we study
Your Word that we would not
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hear the voice of a man,
but that we would hear the
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voice of the Son
of Man, Jesus Christ.
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Speak to each and every one
of us tonight through Your Word.
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We pray in Jesus' precious name.
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Let all God's people say amen.
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It began as a normal Thursday.
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But that day would turn
out to be anything but normal.
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The men working over 700 meters,
nearly half a mile underground,
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were mining for copper and other
minerals in the San José mine
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in the country of Chile.
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Around lunch time the men
started to feel vibrations.
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And suddenly, it happened.
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There was a massive explosion.
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When the dust
cloud finally settled,
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the 33 men found themselves
trapped by a mega block of stone
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45 stories tall and
weighing twice as much as
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the Empire State Building.
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This block had broken off
from the rest of the mountain
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sealing the men in that mine.
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One of the men, his name Luis
Urzúa, the crews supervisor,
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looked up at the stone, the
flat stone wall as it seemed,
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and said, "It was like the stone
that they put over Jesus' tomb."
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Countries from all over
the world rushed to help form
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a rescue plan together to
get these men out of the mine.
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The rescue team included
three large international
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drilling rig teams,
the expertise of the NASA
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space agency, more than a
dozen multinational corporations
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from nearly every continent.
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The rescue was
truly a global effort.
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No one on the surface
knew if the men were alive.
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Many people doubted
that they were alive.
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And they thought,
"Even if they are alive,
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they most likely
will have starved to death
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by the time we find them."
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But their family members
and friends gathered together
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in a camp above the mine
called, Campamento Esperanza;
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Camp of Hope.
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Friends, these family
members didn't give up,
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and they continued praying.
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And finally, after 17 days
on August 22, a note written
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in bold red letters
appeared taped to a drill bit
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when it was
pulled to the surface.
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It simply read, "Estamos
bien en el refugio los 33."
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"We are well in the
shelter, the 33 of us."
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Everyone of those men
had been miraculously spared
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and their lives had been spared.
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They were alive.
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Finally on October 13, 2010,
an estimated one billion people
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worldwide were watching.
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Maybe you saw it as it happened.
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Finally, after a total
of 69 days, the last miner
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was hoisted up to the surface.
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The world rejoiced.
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Paramedics held up a
sign to TV cameras reading,
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"Misión cumplida, Chile."
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"Mission accomplished, Chile."
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Everyone recognized that
this was truly a miracle.
00:14:03.67\00:14:08.08
This was indeed a miracle.
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A number of books were written.
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And many of them acknowledging
that this was indeed a miracle.
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Author Héctor Tobar says
that, "All 33 men recognized
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their story was their
most precious possession."
00:14:19.32\00:14:22.52
The British
newspaper, Daily Mail, said,
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"A deep religious
faith powered this rescue.
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Miners and families and rescuers
alike believed their prayers
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were answered."
00:14:32.70\00:14:34.04
Chile's
president himself stated,
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"Faith has moved mountains."
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When one of the men, Esteban
Rojas, stepped out of the
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rescue capsule, he
immediately knelt on the ground,
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folded his hands in
thanks to God, raised his hands
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into the air, and
rejoiced and gave glory to God
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for the rescue that
had been accomplished.
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Friends, the world
rejoiced because these men who
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were trapped were finally free.
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They were free at last.
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Our message tonight comes to
us from Revelation chapter 3.
00:15:06.20\00:15:09.94
We've been examining
together Jesus' message to the
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church of Laodicea.
00:15:12.47\00:15:13.84
And we've learned that
beyond just a message to those
00:15:14.21\00:15:17.38
first century Christians
in the local literal churches
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in Asia Minor, these seven
churches and the letters to them
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from Jesus Himself are
symbolic of seven time periods
00:15:24.22\00:15:27.96
of church history down
through time until Jesus would
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come again in
the clouds of glory.
00:15:32.13\00:15:34.76
Friends, as we've
seen, the church of Laodicea,
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as the last church on the
list, the last letter is to
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the church of Laodicea.
00:15:43.10\00:15:44.44
And Laodicea is symbolic
of God's last day people.
00:15:44.47\00:15:49.08
Friends, Laodicea, as
we've seen, was a wealthy city.
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They made eye medication
and they manufactured garments
00:15:55.85\00:15:59.95
that they reported
across the Mediterranean.
00:15:59.99\00:16:02.22
But Jesus said, in spite of
this they were spiritually poor,
00:16:02.62\00:16:06.23
spiritually blind,
and spiritually naked.
00:16:06.26\00:16:09.50
Last night in our message,
The Physician's Prescription,
00:16:10.07\00:16:12.87
we discovered Jesus'
spiritual solution to us.
00:16:13.07\00:16:16.27
The gold that is to make
us rich, the symbol of faith
00:16:16.30\00:16:19.74
and heavenly love combined.
00:16:19.77\00:16:21.51
The eye salve that gives us
wisdom to not only understand
00:16:21.74\00:16:24.85
the Word of God, but
to apply it to our lives;
00:16:24.88\00:16:27.88
which is the Holy Spirit
that aids us with this grace
00:16:28.02\00:16:31.59
and wisdom that we need.
00:16:31.62\00:16:32.95
And of course, the robe
of Jesus' righteousness,
00:16:33.12\00:16:36.56
which not only
cleanses us from our sins,
00:16:36.59\00:16:40.56
but transforms our
lives so that Jesus lives out
00:16:40.76\00:16:44.17
His own life through us.
00:16:44.20\00:16:46.03
And our characters
become more and more like His,
00:16:46.23\00:16:49.60
woven together as one.
00:16:49.80\00:16:51.97
Friends, Christ has
supplied the solution for us.
00:16:52.17\00:16:56.01
The message to Laodicea is
a message of stern correction.
00:16:56.44\00:17:01.52
As we've seen, of all the seven
churches, the letters to them,
00:17:01.78\00:17:05.72
Jesus said positive
things about every single church
00:17:05.92\00:17:09.92
mixed with negative, but
nothing positive about Laodicea.
00:17:10.36\00:17:14.50
There was nothing in this strong
message to soften the blow.
00:17:15.00\00:17:19.83
Jesus was giving a wake-up,
and is giving a wake-up call
00:17:20.14\00:17:23.71
to His people.
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.07
Well friends, as we
see, Jesus doesn't do this
00:17:25.14\00:17:28.68
to hurt us, but to help us.
00:17:28.88\00:17:30.95
Revelation 3:19
00:17:30.98\00:17:33.45
Jesus actually
tells us this very thing.
00:17:33.75\00:17:37.02
He says, "As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten."
00:17:37.05\00:17:41.92
Or as the ESV puts it...
00:17:42.02\00:17:43.36
Friends, when God
gives us a strong message,
00:17:48.60\00:17:51.40
and when loving parents
give us a message of correction,
00:17:51.63\00:17:54.30
it's because they care for us.
00:17:54.34\00:17:56.30
And God loves us too much to
go on thinking that we're okay
00:17:56.47\00:18:00.48
when we're really
spiritually wretched, miserable,
00:18:00.51\00:18:03.24
poor, blind,
naked, and lukewarm.
00:18:03.28\00:18:06.85
God wants us to
come to Him to recognize
00:18:07.42\00:18:10.79
our desperate need of
Him, and not convince ourselves
00:18:10.82\00:18:14.32
that we are okay.
00:18:14.36\00:18:15.69
Praise the Lord that, as
we saw, Christ doesn't just
00:18:16.19\00:18:18.59
diagnose our disease.
00:18:18.63\00:18:20.30
But He offers us
the spiritual solution.
00:18:20.33\00:18:23.16
Now last night we noticed
something that seems rather
00:18:23.77\00:18:26.23
strange in
Revelation 3 in verse 18.
00:18:26.27\00:18:29.27
Actually 17 and 18.
00:18:30.17\00:18:32.71
I want you to look at
verse 17 with me first.
00:18:32.74\00:18:35.24
We're going to count
again together the number of
00:18:35.28\00:18:37.45
adjectives that Jesus gives
about Laodicea in verse 17.
00:18:37.48\00:18:41.48
"Because you say, 'I am
rich, have become wealthy...'"
00:18:41.95\00:18:44.69
How many?
00:18:52.39\00:18:53.73
Five, that's right.
00:18:53.76\00:18:55.10
Now let's look at verse
18 and see how many solutions
00:18:55.60\00:18:59.43
Jesus offers in verse 18.
00:18:59.47\00:19:00.94
And we went through
those in our message tonight.
00:19:00.97\00:19:03.34
So we see that in verse
17 Jesus gives five terrible
00:19:20.19\00:19:24.73
descriptions of Laodicea.
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.36
But in verse 18 He
only offers three solutions.
00:19:26.70\00:19:30.20
Let me ask you, does God
ever do something halfway?
00:19:31.07\00:19:34.37
Absolutely not.
00:19:35.07\00:19:36.40
In fact, we see in the
Bible when Jesus healed someone
00:19:36.44\00:19:39.34
who had a withered hand, their
hand was as good as the other.
00:19:39.37\00:19:42.11
God never does anything halfway.
00:19:42.14\00:19:44.55
Our God, when He
provides a solution,
00:19:44.88\00:19:47.02
it is a complete solution.
00:19:47.05\00:19:49.08
So the question
comes, what is the answer
00:19:49.88\00:19:53.19
to being spiritually wretched
and spiritually miserable?
00:19:53.22\00:19:57.39
Now, the answer is
connected to the last sentence
00:19:57.86\00:20:02.03
of Jesus to Laodicea; verse 21.
00:20:02.06\00:20:04.73
It's not found in this passage,
but it's connected to verse 21.
00:20:04.93\00:20:09.37
Verse 21 of Revelation 3 says...
00:20:09.70\00:20:11.64
You may be wondering
how are those connected.
00:20:22.15\00:20:24.19
Hold that thought, we're
going to come back to it.
00:20:24.79\00:20:26.65
Because you're going to
see by the end of this message.
00:20:26.69\00:20:29.22
Friends, you know why
Jesus doesn't offer the solution
00:20:29.62\00:20:33.93
in this passage to
being wretched and miserable?
00:20:33.96\00:20:36.67
Something I love about
the Bible is that it's deep.
00:20:37.37\00:20:40.54
You know, the more we study
the Bible, the more we realize
00:20:40.87\00:20:44.21
how little we really
know, and how powerful it is
00:20:44.24\00:20:47.61
as not just a book of any
kind, but as God's word itself.
00:20:47.64\00:20:52.01
You know, the Bible gives us the
answers to what it means to be
00:20:52.45\00:20:57.19
wretched and miserable
elsewhere in Scripture.
00:20:57.22\00:20:59.79
God is actually pointing
us to the answer elsewhere.
00:21:00.12\00:21:03.12
Listen to this.
00:21:03.16\00:21:04.49
Providentially, the
word, "wretched," in Greek
00:21:04.53\00:21:07.46
in this form is, "talaiporos."
00:21:07.50\00:21:10.13
And it's only used in one
other place in all the Bible.
00:21:10.17\00:21:13.77
Similarly, the word that
is used here for, "wretched,"
00:21:14.17\00:21:17.24
in the Greek form as
well, "eleeinóteroi,"
00:21:17.27\00:21:21.21
this form is only
ever used one other place
00:21:21.24\00:21:24.08
in all of Scripture.
00:21:24.11\00:21:25.61
So if we go to these
places and study the context,
00:21:26.18\00:21:29.38
we can understand what
God is telling us it means
00:21:29.42\00:21:31.99
to be spiritually
wretched, spiritually miserable.
00:21:32.02\00:21:35.29
And He can give us the
solution there as well.
00:21:35.49\00:21:38.69
Friends, the first
thing that we see is that
00:21:39.53\00:21:45.63
we are spiritually wretched.
00:21:45.67\00:21:47.04
And let's turn
together to Romans chapter 7.
00:21:47.07\00:21:49.40
Let's go to that one
place where this word is used,
00:21:49.44\00:21:53.88
the one other
place in Scripture.
00:21:53.91\00:21:55.54
Now before we read it together,
remember that in order for the
00:21:55.58\00:21:59.21
gospel to be good news,
first we must know the bad news.
00:21:59.25\00:22:04.65
The gospel really can't
be good news unless we know
00:22:05.25\00:22:08.99
and until we know the bad news.
00:22:09.02\00:22:10.63
And the bad news is
that we are wretched.
00:22:10.66\00:22:14.03
We may look alright on the
outside, but many of us inside
00:22:14.06\00:22:17.60
are spiritually dead, wretched.
00:22:17.63\00:22:20.57
Wretched literally
means horrendous, terrible,
00:22:21.40\00:22:25.24
atrocious,
afflicted, tormented, tortured.
00:22:25.44\00:22:30.01
This is the spiritual state
of many, even though on the
00:22:31.51\00:22:34.92
outside they're alright.
00:22:34.95\00:22:36.65
Romans 7 starting in verse 21.
00:22:37.19\00:22:40.32
Here, Paul speaking of the
pre-converted man, he says...
00:22:40.89\00:22:45.29
Friends, here Paul describing
the pre-converted man,
00:23:12.55\00:23:16.76
the state of the pre-converted
man, someone who has
00:23:16.79\00:23:19.29
been awakened to
the disgust for sin,
00:23:19.49\00:23:23.37
there has been inside of
them awakened a hatred for sin,
00:23:23.83\00:23:26.80
but they're still
held captive to it.
00:23:27.27\00:23:29.64
This is a person who
loves their sin, yet they
00:23:29.97\00:23:32.17
hate it at the same time.
00:23:32.21\00:23:33.88
To be spiritually wretched,
we see from this context
00:23:34.58\00:23:37.65
in Romans 7, means to
be held in bondage to sin.
00:23:37.68\00:23:42.85
Friends, you know, sometimes
in the battle against sin
00:23:43.82\00:23:46.29
we don't fight very hard.
00:23:46.32\00:23:48.52
You know, part of us, our
carnal nature wants to sin.
00:23:48.92\00:23:53.06
That certain sinful part of us.
00:23:53.19\00:23:56.03
And rather than running
away from our sin like Joseph
00:23:56.06\00:23:58.93
ran away from Potiphar's wife,
we crawl away from our sin,
00:23:59.13\00:24:03.84
half hoping that it
will catch us somehow.
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.31
Friends, God wants
us to flee temptation.
00:24:06.81\00:24:10.21
The Bible says in
James 4:7 to submit to God
00:24:10.38\00:24:14.12
and resist the devil,
and he will flee from us.
00:24:14.22\00:24:17.59
But often times
we do the opposite.
00:24:17.95\00:24:20.19
We resist God and
we submit to the devil,
00:24:20.36\00:24:23.29
and we end up choosing to sin.
00:24:23.32\00:24:26.26
Friends, God wants to grant
us victory over temptation.
00:24:26.73\00:24:31.77
And if we give ourselves
to Him, He'll give us victory
00:24:32.17\00:24:35.10
over the devil and his wiles.
00:24:35.14\00:24:37.14
Now Paul said, "O
wretched man that I am,
00:24:37.84\00:24:40.64
who will deliver me
from this body of death?"
00:24:40.98\00:24:44.58
Now Paul was speaking
of course of the nature,
00:24:44.88\00:24:49.38
the carnal nature
that is naturally drawn
00:24:49.42\00:24:52.19
to things that are wrong.
00:24:52.22\00:24:53.86
But it's very
interesting that historians and
00:24:54.79\00:24:56.73
Bible commentators
actually note that in Paul's day
00:24:56.76\00:25:01.00
Roman soldiers would sometimes
chain a wounded enemy soldier
00:25:01.36\00:25:06.50
who they found on the
battlefield to a corpse.
00:25:06.53\00:25:10.31
They would chain a soldier to
a dead body so that this soldier
00:25:10.74\00:25:16.21
would be stuck next to
this corpse, and no doubt end up
00:25:16.24\00:25:19.98
being eaten by wild animals
or catching a disease and dying.
00:25:20.02\00:25:24.15
Many commentators suggest
that Paul, when he was saying,
00:25:24.62\00:25:28.56
"Who will deliver me
from this body of death,"
00:25:28.59\00:25:31.43
was talking about this and
making this kind of parallel.
00:25:31.46\00:25:34.46
It's like he was saying
that before a person receives
00:25:35.16\00:25:37.90
the power of the Holy
Spirit into their lives,
00:25:37.93\00:25:40.44
it's like we're stuck,
chained to our sinful selves
00:25:40.67\00:25:45.27
just waiting to die.
00:25:45.31\00:25:47.28
Paul is talking here
about the battle against sin,
00:25:48.14\00:25:51.85
the battle against self.
00:25:52.35\00:25:54.48
And you know, the battle against
self, the battle against sin,
00:25:54.85\00:25:57.79
is the greatest
battle ever fought.
00:25:57.82\00:26:00.29
Alexander the Great
conquered the world,
00:26:00.52\00:26:03.09
but he died at the age of
32 in drunkenness because he
00:26:03.36\00:26:07.30
could not conquer
the enemy of self.
00:26:07.33\00:26:10.33
By the way, did you know
that all sin is selfishness?
00:26:11.33\00:26:15.64
All sin, if you boil it down
to its core, is selfishness.
00:26:16.24\00:26:20.78
You know, don't
take my word for it.
00:26:21.28\00:26:22.61
Let's see it
together from Scripture.
00:26:22.64\00:26:24.15
Now I want to share
an equation with you.
00:26:24.51\00:26:27.22
Don't worry, it's not
a mathematical equation.
00:26:27.38\00:26:29.98
It's a linguistic equation.
00:26:30.02\00:26:32.25
It's a word equation.
00:26:32.52\00:26:34.12
But it's going to
help us clearly understand
00:26:34.29\00:26:36.32
the two opposing principles
in the great controversy
00:26:36.36\00:26:39.59
between Christ and Satan.
00:26:39.63\00:26:42.10
I want to show you
this equation as it's empty.
00:26:42.46\00:26:46.03
Now love; 1
Corinthians 13:5, tells us that,
00:26:46.60\00:26:50.61
"Love seeketh not her..." What?
00:26:50.71\00:26:53.07
"...her own."
00:26:53.38\00:26:54.71
So love, we could then
say, is selfless, right?
00:26:54.74\00:26:58.41
So love is
synonymous with selflessness.
00:26:58.45\00:27:02.42
This is one of the definitions.
00:27:02.45\00:27:05.09
It is what Biblical
agape love really is.
00:27:05.12\00:27:10.76
So another word for
love is selflessness.
00:27:10.93\00:27:13.60
Now in Matthew 22:37-39,
when the lawyer asked Jesus
00:27:13.63\00:27:18.30
what the greatest
commandment was, Christ said,
00:27:18.33\00:27:21.10
"Thou shalt love the Lord
your God with all your heart..."
00:27:21.14\00:27:24.04
So we see here that love is
synonymous with law-keeping.
00:27:32.81\00:27:38.65
This is what Paul said
in Romans 13 when in verses
00:27:39.02\00:27:42.46
8 through 10 he summarized
five of the Ten Commandments,
00:27:42.49\00:27:45.83
and in verse 10 he said...
00:27:45.93\00:27:47.90
So friends, we see that love...
00:27:54.04\00:27:55.70
And we can plug
this into our equation.
00:27:55.74\00:27:57.47
...love results in law-keeping.
00:27:57.51\00:28:00.78
Is that clear
from the Bible? Amen.
00:28:00.98\00:28:03.24
This is why Jesus
said in John 14:15,
00:28:03.28\00:28:05.88
"If you love Me..." What?
00:28:05.91\00:28:08.28
"...keep My commandments."
00:28:08.65\00:28:10.29
So we see that love,
true love, true selflessness,
00:28:10.32\00:28:14.26
leads to not
law-breaking, but law-keeping.
00:28:14.29\00:28:17.63
Now let's continue
filling in our equation.
00:28:18.26\00:28:21.13
Remember with me
the very first time...
00:28:21.46\00:28:24.83
Before we do that, what is
the opposite of selflessness?
00:28:24.93\00:28:28.80
Selfishness, right?
00:28:29.47\00:28:31.37
The opposite of selflessness
would have to be selfishness.
00:28:31.41\00:28:35.54
These are the two
opposing principles, by the way,
00:28:35.91\00:28:38.95
in the great controversy.
00:28:38.98\00:28:40.45
Love and sin.
00:28:40.48\00:28:41.98
Selflessness and selfishness.
00:28:42.02\00:28:44.92
Now what is the
opposite of law-keeping?
00:28:45.59\00:28:48.89
Law-breaking.
00:28:50.39\00:28:51.73
Now remember the very
first on earth that someone
00:28:51.76\00:28:55.23
broke God's law, when was it?
00:28:55.26\00:28:57.07
In the Garden of Eden. Right?
00:28:58.20\00:28:59.77
Eve saw the fruit,
she was tempted by Satan
00:28:59.97\00:29:02.64
through the serpent, and
she took the fruit for herself.
00:29:02.67\00:29:06.98
She took it for herself.
00:29:07.21\00:29:08.68
This was founded in selfishness.
00:29:09.08\00:29:12.38
Now our last verse of
the equation is 1 John 3:4
00:29:12.71\00:29:17.05
where the Bible says, a
familiar verse to many of us,
00:29:17.09\00:29:19.55
that sin is
transgression of the law.
00:29:19.75\00:29:23.53
Sin is defined as law-breaking.
00:29:23.83\00:29:26.63
So here we see our equation
is completely filled in.
00:29:26.90\00:29:30.10
Sin is selfishness,
which leads to law-breaking.
00:29:30.60\00:29:35.74
Friends, these are the
two opposing principles
00:29:35.90\00:29:38.17
in the great controversy.
00:29:38.21\00:29:39.77
The one on top; love,
selflessness, law-keeping.
00:29:39.81\00:29:44.41
That is from
above, it's from heaven.
00:29:44.45\00:29:46.65
The other principle; sin
selfishness, law-breaking.
00:29:47.05\00:29:51.72
They are from Satan's
side in this great controversy.
00:29:51.95\00:29:56.32
They're from the enemy.
00:29:56.36\00:29:57.69
So here we see these
two opposing principles
00:29:57.93\00:30:00.70
in this great controversy.
00:30:00.73\00:30:02.23
And we've seen from
the equation that all sin
00:30:02.66\00:30:05.13
is synonymous with selfishness.
00:30:05.17\00:30:08.47
Ellen White
echoes this when she says
00:30:08.84\00:30:11.14
in 7 volume,
Manuscript Releases...
00:30:11.17\00:30:13.81
And you know, if we
really understood this,
00:30:17.81\00:30:19.58
especially as Christians,
we would be guarded against
00:30:19.61\00:30:23.02
not only
lawlessness and law-breaking,
00:30:23.05\00:30:25.49
but we would be guarded
against legalism as well.
00:30:25.52\00:30:28.49
Think about it.
00:30:29.12\00:30:30.46
Legalism is us trying to
earn our own way to heaven
00:30:30.49\00:30:34.20
by keeping God's
law in our own strength.
00:30:34.23\00:30:37.60
Legalism is "us" focused.
00:30:37.77\00:30:40.20
But friends, the
very principle of the law
00:30:40.54\00:30:42.80
is
selflessness, not selfishness.
00:30:42.90\00:30:45.47
So if we are keeping the
law trying to do it in our
00:30:45.87\00:30:48.71
own power, and trying
to gain and earn heaven,
00:30:48.74\00:30:52.48
friends, that is
breaking the law in principle.
00:30:52.51\00:30:55.38
So legalism is
actually breaking God's law.
00:30:55.42\00:30:58.59
This is why it's been said that
he who attempts to earn heaven
00:30:58.92\00:31:02.89
by keeping the law
in his own strength
00:31:02.92\00:31:04.53
is attempting an impossibility.
00:31:04.56\00:31:06.39
Also because it's
impossible to keep God's law
00:31:06.43\00:31:09.06
in our own strength.
00:31:09.10\00:31:10.43
We need the help
of the Holy Spirit.
00:31:10.47\00:31:12.57
We need Jesus
dwelling in our heart.
00:31:12.93\00:31:15.17
And friends, when He
does, Jesus the law giver
00:31:15.20\00:31:18.67
becomes Jesus the law
keeper in you and through you.
00:31:18.71\00:31:22.78
Friends, when we keep
God's law out of love for Him,
00:31:24.71\00:31:27.98
with Christ swelling
in our hearts by faith,
00:31:28.35\00:31:30.92
it is Christ focused.
00:31:31.02\00:31:32.92
And when our eyes
are focused on Christ,
00:31:33.05\00:31:35.39
we can keep His
law in His strength.
00:31:35.42\00:31:37.76
So we've seen from
Scripture that all sin
00:31:38.39\00:31:40.46
is actually selfishness.
00:31:40.50\00:31:42.86
You name it, whether it's
arrogance, pride, self-pity,
00:31:43.26\00:31:48.47
whether it's anger, impatience,
lying, lust, laziness,
00:31:48.97\00:31:53.04
you name it, this is the fruit,
but the root is selfishness.
00:31:53.24\00:31:59.71
You know, as I was
growing up my grandparents,
00:32:00.82\00:32:03.79
Daniel and Gladys
Kubrock gave tours at Elmshaven,
00:32:03.82\00:32:06.96
Ellen White's last
home in northern California.
00:32:07.12\00:32:09.99
And they gave tours as well
as took care of the gardens.
00:32:10.26\00:32:13.80
I remember going out
with them and helping them
00:32:13.83\00:32:16.40
weed in the garden sometimes.
00:32:16.43\00:32:18.37
And friends, if you've
ever weeded in a garden,
00:32:18.77\00:32:21.27
you know that if you just
rip off the top of that weed,
00:32:21.30\00:32:24.67
even if you can't
really see much of it at all
00:32:24.97\00:32:27.74
or much of the roots, you
know that is only creating
00:32:27.78\00:32:31.41
a temporary
solution to a deeper problem.
00:32:31.45\00:32:34.52
That weed is just going
to grow right back, isn't it.
00:32:35.12\00:32:37.52
Now friends, it's the
exact same in our lives.
00:32:38.02\00:32:40.82
If we try to stop
our sinful outward habits
00:32:41.12\00:32:44.26
but don't allow Christ to
show us the root of the problem
00:32:44.29\00:32:47.53
and allow Him to
remove it from our hearts,
00:32:47.73\00:32:49.86
then it's just going to
come back in one way or another.
00:32:49.90\00:32:53.84
As we submit ourselves to
Him, only Christ as the heavenly
00:32:54.60\00:32:59.04
Gardener, can weed and
pull the weeds of habit
00:32:59.07\00:33:03.21
out of our hearts and give us a
heart of selflessness and love.
00:33:03.24\00:33:07.98
And you know, right in
the middle of that word,
00:33:08.68\00:33:10.22
"selflessness,"
is the word, "less."
00:33:10.25\00:33:13.96
And that should
be our prayer. Amen?
00:33:14.19\00:33:16.22
Lord, may there may be
less of me and more of You.
00:33:16.26\00:33:19.69
This was the prayer
of John the Baptist.
00:33:19.96\00:33:21.66
He said, "He must
increase and I must decrease."
00:33:21.70\00:33:27.50
Now friends, this will be
our prayer when the Holy Spirit
00:33:27.54\00:33:30.34
is working in our lives.
00:33:30.37\00:33:32.27
Paul recognized that
divine help from Jesus
00:33:32.97\00:33:35.64
through the Holy
Spirit was the only answer
00:33:35.68\00:33:38.78
to captivity to
sin, our wretchedness.
00:33:38.81\00:33:42.32
In verse 25 of Romans 7
he discovered the answer,
00:33:42.72\00:33:46.79
he mentions the answer.
00:33:46.82\00:33:48.16
Friends, Paul recognized
that the answer, the solution,
00:33:52.63\00:33:55.66
was in Christ.
00:33:55.70\00:33:57.03
He is the only one who
can provide the solution
00:33:57.27\00:33:59.97
to our disease of sin, to
change our selfish hearts.
00:34:00.00\00:34:04.34
This gospel reality was
beautifully put in the book,
00:34:05.17\00:34:07.94
Christ's Object
Lessons, page 254.
00:34:08.14\00:34:11.15
There it says...
00:34:11.61\00:34:12.95
Friends, only God can do that.
00:34:41.01\00:34:42.78
That is the miracle
that we need from Him.
00:34:42.81\00:34:44.91
You know, you may have habits
that you've tried to kick,
00:34:45.55\00:34:49.32
habits that you've
tried to get rid of.
00:34:49.42\00:34:51.19
And you've tried
and you've failed.
00:34:51.39\00:34:54.42
And you've tried
and you've failed.
00:34:54.82\00:34:56.83
Tried again and you've failed.
00:34:57.13\00:34:59.56
Friend, don't give up.
00:34:59.96\00:35:01.76
In the strength of
Jesus, confess that sin.
00:35:02.16\00:35:05.30
Ask for forgiveness,
and then take the righteous
00:35:05.33\00:35:07.90
right hand of Jesus
and let Him help you up.
00:35:07.94\00:35:10.31
And keep walking in Christ.
00:35:10.34\00:35:12.64
Friends, the answer
when we fall into sin
00:35:12.91\00:35:16.04
is to come to our Savior,
who is the Advocate for us.
00:35:16.24\00:35:19.85
If we sin, 1 John 2:1, we have
an Advocate with the Father;
00:35:19.95\00:35:23.62
Jesus Christ the righteous.
00:35:23.82\00:35:25.99
Praise the Lord
that if you have fallen,
00:35:26.25\00:35:28.99
you can know that if you
confess your sins to Him,
00:35:29.02\00:35:31.86
He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:35:31.89\00:35:35.56
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
00:35:35.60\00:35:38.50
But that blood of Jesus
doesn't just cleanse us.
00:35:38.70\00:35:42.07
It also transforms us.
00:35:42.27\00:35:44.37
You know, just the other
night, last night actually,
00:35:44.87\00:35:48.51
a friend of mine who
I met here, he told me,
00:35:48.54\00:35:52.15
he said, "You know, I
stopped smoking many times,
00:35:52.48\00:35:54.78
but I only quit once."
00:35:54.82\00:35:56.58
Friends, if we fall and
we confess our sins to Him,
00:35:57.25\00:36:01.02
we take His hand, we
get up, and we keep walking
00:36:01.49\00:36:05.29
in His strength.
00:36:05.33\00:36:06.76
There is power in the blood of
Jesus when we come to love Him.
00:36:07.26\00:36:12.60
This is the key.
00:36:12.70\00:36:14.04
When we come to love Him,
there develops in our heart
00:36:14.24\00:36:17.47
a hatred for sin.
00:36:17.51\00:36:19.24
Because it's the sin
that crucified our Savior.
00:36:19.54\00:36:22.74
Remember two points about Jesus'
solution to our wretchedness.
00:36:23.28\00:36:26.88
The first is this.
00:36:26.92\00:36:28.52
When we develop a love for
Jesus, we gain a hatred for sin;
00:36:28.62\00:36:32.89
and the struggle begins.
00:36:33.09\00:36:35.02
And when we hear that word,
"struggle," it doesn't bring up
00:36:35.42\00:36:37.93
positive imagery in our minds.
00:36:38.13\00:36:40.50
But let me ask, is it
good if someone is struggling
00:36:40.70\00:36:43.67
against sin or not?
00:36:43.70\00:36:45.03
Actually, let
me ask it this way.
00:36:46.67\00:36:49.17
If you were on a river and
you were there on a little boat
00:36:49.37\00:36:56.98
on this river, and you
saw someone floating down
00:36:57.01\00:37:01.52
this river and they
were face down in the water,
00:37:01.55\00:37:04.29
just a body floating
down, would you rather see that
00:37:04.59\00:37:07.79
or would you rather see
someone who's, "Help, help."
00:37:07.82\00:37:10.63
Blub, blub, blub, blub.
00:37:10.66\00:37:11.99
"Help." Blub, blub, blub, blub.
00:37:12.03\00:37:13.40
Going back under the water.
00:37:13.43\00:37:14.76
Which would you rather see?
00:37:14.80\00:37:16.23
The second one.
00:37:17.07\00:37:18.40
Someone who is struggling.
00:37:18.43\00:37:19.97
Because the
struggle is a sign of life.
00:37:20.00\00:37:22.37
Friends, the
struggle is a sign of life.
00:37:22.87\00:37:24.67
And when we are struggling
against sin, it means that
00:37:24.71\00:37:27.48
God has placed in us a desire
to be free from that thing.
00:37:27.51\00:37:30.95
And when we realize that
the only solution is in Christ,
00:37:31.28\00:37:34.62
we'll come to Him.
00:37:34.95\00:37:36.28
We'll ask Him to transform us,
to change us, as only He can.
00:37:36.52\00:37:41.16
Struggle is a sign of life.
00:37:42.06\00:37:44.29
You know, sometimes
we fall and mess up.
00:37:46.26\00:37:48.66
And rather than taking
Jesus' hand and getting back up,
00:37:49.56\00:37:52.33
we excuse it and we say, "Well,
you know, I'm only human."
00:37:52.57\00:37:56.50
Or maybe someone
else messes up and we say,
00:37:57.71\00:37:59.84
"Well, they're only human.
00:37:59.87\00:38:02.21
What can we expect?"
00:38:02.71\00:38:04.11
Friends, if you're only human,
00:38:04.81\00:38:07.25
then you're not
really a Christian.
00:38:07.65\00:38:09.45
If you're only human,
you're not really a Christian.
00:38:11.82\00:38:15.52
Don't take my word for it.
00:38:16.19\00:38:17.53
Let's go to 2
Peter 1, 2 Peter 1:3-4.
00:38:17.56\00:38:22.76
This is beautiful.
00:38:22.80\00:38:24.13
Let's start in verse 2.
00:38:24.47\00:38:25.80
"Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of
00:38:25.83\00:38:28.17
God and Jesus our Lord
as His divine power has
00:38:28.20\00:38:31.67
given unto us all things that
pertain to life and godliness,
00:38:31.71\00:38:35.24
through the knowledge
of Him who has called us
00:38:35.28\00:38:36.88
by glory and virtue..."
00:38:36.91\00:38:38.51
Here it is.
00:38:38.58\00:38:39.91
"...by which have been
given to us exceeding great
00:38:39.95\00:38:42.42
and precious promises,
that by these you might be
00:38:42.45\00:38:46.25
partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption
00:38:46.29\00:38:50.26
that is in the
world through lust."
00:38:50.29\00:38:52.03
Friends, as Christians,
we have the privilege
00:38:52.33\00:38:54.30
of being partakers
of the divine nature.
00:38:54.33\00:38:57.03
That means that the divinity
of Christ, as He lives in our
00:38:57.43\00:39:01.10
hearts, is lived
out in our humanity.
00:39:01.14\00:39:03.61
And things can take
place, victory can happen,
00:39:03.91\00:39:06.84
when we failed and tried, and
failed and tried, and failed.
00:39:06.88\00:39:10.05
Jesus can grant us the victory.
00:39:10.15\00:39:12.58
Friends, praise the
Lord that when Christ comes
00:39:14.18\00:39:16.28
to dwell in our hearts,
all things are possible.
00:39:16.32\00:39:18.65
Christ's Object
Lessons, page 333,
00:39:19.15\00:39:21.92
"As the will of man cooperates
with the will of God..."
00:39:22.26\00:39:25.39
Friends, we serve a fair God.
00:39:36.04\00:39:38.17
And He doesn't require
of us anything that is not
00:39:38.21\00:39:40.68
possible in His strength.
00:39:40.71\00:39:42.51
You know, when
Christ dwells in our hearts,
00:39:43.04\00:39:46.45
the One who is
Omnipotent is there.
00:39:46.48\00:39:49.55
And He can grant us
the victory that we could
00:39:49.78\00:39:51.89
never have on our own.
00:39:51.92\00:39:53.42
You know, His blood not only
offers us pardon from the past,
00:39:54.36\00:39:57.63
but power for
victory now in the present.
00:39:57.73\00:40:01.36
To follow Jesus means that we'll
be signing up for the greatest
00:40:02.10\00:40:06.30
battle that was ever fought.
00:40:06.33\00:40:07.97
It's the battle against self.
00:40:08.00\00:40:10.77
But Christ
guarantees us the victory.
00:40:11.34\00:40:14.04
And the reason He can guarantee
us that victory is because
00:40:14.34\00:40:17.28
He Himself has won that battle.
00:40:17.31\00:40:19.81
You see, Jesus walked this
earth, lived in human flesh,
00:40:19.98\00:40:23.35
experienced temptations
beyond what we will ever feel
00:40:23.39\00:40:26.65
because He had capacities
and abilities far above
00:40:26.82\00:40:29.99
what we have, but Jesus never
sinned in one single point.
00:40:30.03\00:40:34.23
He lived a perfect sinless life.
00:40:34.40\00:40:37.10
John 14:30, Jesus said, "The
prince of this world is coming,
00:40:37.73\00:40:41.37
and he has nothing in Me."
00:40:41.40\00:40:43.64
Hebrews 4:15 says, "He
was tempted in all points
00:40:43.87\00:40:46.61
like as we are,
yet without sin."
00:40:46.64\00:40:49.34
1 Peter 2:22, "He did
no sin, neither was guile
00:40:49.71\00:40:54.05
found in His mouth."
00:40:54.08\00:40:55.45
Brothers and sisters, Jesus can
give us the victory over sin.
00:40:55.68\00:40:59.35
Because He Himself
won the battle against sin
00:40:59.39\00:41:04.83
in human flesh.
00:41:04.86\00:41:06.19
Friends, praise God
that Christ has walked more
00:41:06.43\00:41:09.76
than a mile in our shoes.
00:41:09.80\00:41:11.23
He knows what
it's like to struggle.
00:41:11.33\00:41:13.60
But friends, the
same victory that He won
00:41:13.84\00:41:17.91
He wants to grant to us by
living out His life within us.
00:41:17.94\00:41:22.41
Every time He was
tempted to sin, He prayed,
00:41:23.31\00:41:25.95
"Not My will, Father,
but Thy will be done."
00:41:25.98\00:41:28.88
Friends, His heart of love,
as we behold Christ on Calvary,
00:41:30.15\00:41:35.22
the ultimate
display of selfless love,
00:41:36.02\00:41:38.43
His heart of love for us awakens
love in our hearts for Him.
00:41:38.93\00:41:45.23
In the words of Romans
5:5, "The love of God is
00:41:47.00\00:41:50.27
shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit."
00:41:50.31\00:41:53.41
You know, right after
that verse, as we mentioned,
00:41:53.74\00:41:56.14
in Romans 7:25, Paul
launches into Romans chapter 8
00:41:56.18\00:42:00.75
which is all about
victory that Christ offers us
00:42:00.78\00:42:03.69
through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
00:42:03.72\00:42:05.69
And go check out that chapter.
00:42:06.09\00:42:07.49
It is powerful.
You will be blessed.
00:42:07.52\00:42:09.62
Now remember, as we
behold Christ, the sinless One,
00:42:10.03\00:42:13.50
we gain a hatred for
sin; and the struggle begins.
00:42:13.70\00:42:17.43
Second thing to
remember about our wretchedness,
00:42:17.93\00:42:20.20
the blood of Jesus not only
offers us pardon from the past,
00:42:20.30\00:42:23.77
but power for
victory in the present.
00:42:23.81\00:42:26.81
Jesus Himself has
won the victory over sin,
00:42:27.08\00:42:29.91
and He is able to weed
the sins out of your heart
00:42:30.01\00:42:33.31
as well as out of mine.
00:42:33.35\00:42:34.95
So we've discovered the
answer to the first of the
00:42:35.48\00:42:38.45
two dilemma's
about wretchedness.
00:42:38.49\00:42:41.39
The first of the two
dilemma's, which is being
00:42:42.02\00:42:44.39
spiritually wretched.
00:42:44.43\00:42:46.19
Now what about
spiritually miserable?
00:42:46.63\00:42:49.90
Come with me to 1
Corinthians chapter 15.
00:42:50.17\00:42:52.33
1 Corinthians chapter 15 is
the one other place in Scripture
00:42:52.73\00:42:56.07
where this word is mentioned,
this word, "miserable."
00:42:56.34\00:43:01.08
Now it's in the
context, and let's start in
00:43:01.54\00:43:03.98
verse 16 together.
00:43:04.01\00:43:05.51
1 Corinthians 15
starting in verse 16.
00:43:05.91\00:43:07.98
Friends, in verse 19 it
continues on and it says...
00:43:23.06\00:43:26.33
This is that same word.
00:43:33.88\00:43:35.21
And it's in the
context of death.
00:43:35.24\00:43:37.88
First of all, we are wretched.
00:43:38.45\00:43:40.45
And that is in the
context of bondage to sin.
00:43:40.48\00:43:43.28
The second word, "miserable,"
is in the context of death.
00:43:43.45\00:43:46.29
So here, miserable means that we
are facing the death sentence.
00:43:46.45\00:43:51.89
We are facing the death penalty.
00:43:52.36\00:43:53.80
But friends, praise the Lord
for the good news of verse 20.
00:43:53.83\00:43:57.40
Let's read verse 20 together.
00:43:57.43\00:43:58.97
Friends, death
got Methuselah at 969.
00:44:07.68\00:44:10.98
It got Abraham at 175.
00:44:11.01\00:44:14.48
Death got Adam at 930.
00:44:14.52\00:44:16.55
It got Jesus at
33, but He rose again.
00:44:16.58\00:44:20.12
Friends, death could not
hold down the giver of life.
00:44:20.76\00:44:24.19
He rose from the dead.
00:44:24.69\00:44:26.39
And praise the Lord that He did.
00:44:26.80\00:44:28.66
Matthew chapter 28,
the women came to the tomb.
00:44:28.90\00:44:31.60
They waited to embalm His body
because it was a lot of work.
00:44:31.63\00:44:34.40
The Bible says they rested
according to the commandment
00:44:34.60\00:44:37.21
on the Sabbath day.
00:44:37.24\00:44:38.57
When they came to the
tomb, the earth had quaked.
00:44:38.61\00:44:41.28
An angel of the Lord
had descended, rolled back
00:44:41.48\00:44:44.91
the stone from
the door of the tomb.
00:44:44.95\00:44:46.88
The Bible says His
countenance was like lightening.
00:44:46.98\00:44:49.48
His clothing was white as snow.
00:44:49.52\00:44:52.39
In verse 5, the
angel said to the women...
00:44:52.82\00:44:56.22
Friends, you know why
Jesus didn't open the door
00:45:10.97\00:45:14.31
and roll back the
stone from that tomb Himself?
00:45:14.34\00:45:17.25
Because when Jesus
rose from the dead,
00:45:17.55\00:45:19.55
He rose as King of
kings and Lord of lords.
00:45:19.58\00:45:22.85
And Kings don't open doors.
00:45:22.88\00:45:25.22
Servants open doors for them.
00:45:25.39\00:45:27.66
And the angel, His servant,
opened that door for Jesus.
00:45:27.72\00:45:31.09
Friends, Christ conquered death.
00:45:31.29\00:45:34.83
Death could not keep Him down.
00:45:34.86\00:45:36.73
Death could not
keep down our Savior.
00:45:39.13\00:45:41.87
"For God so loved
the world that He gave
00:45:43.00\00:45:46.07
His only begotten Son..."
00:45:46.11\00:45:48.11
Friends, when Jesus
died and rose again,
00:45:54.95\00:45:57.49
He did not just conquer the
first death, the death of sleep
00:45:58.42\00:46:03.02
that we die when we
fall asleep in death here.
00:46:03.12\00:46:06.86
Jesus conquered
the second death.
00:46:07.10\00:46:09.40
This famous verse, John 3:16,
we all know people who have
00:46:09.86\00:46:12.93
given their lives to Christ, but
who have fallen asleep in death.
00:46:12.97\00:46:16.57
This verse is talking about
the second death that Jesus
00:46:16.77\00:46:19.87
conquered and
won the victory over.
00:46:19.97\00:46:22.08
Hebrews 2:14 mentions this.
00:46:22.34\00:46:24.58
It says, "For as much then
as the children are partakers
00:46:24.61\00:46:27.28
of flesh and blood,
He also Himself likewise
00:46:27.32\00:46:30.32
took part of the
same; that through death
00:46:30.35\00:46:33.25
He might destroy him
that had the power of death;
00:46:33.29\00:46:36.56
that is, the devil."
00:46:36.69\00:46:38.43
Friends, Christ,
through His death, destroyed
00:46:38.66\00:46:43.30
the power of the devil,
and the power of death itself.
00:46:43.50\00:46:46.94
Revelation 20:14
speaks of the future reality
00:46:47.20\00:46:51.67
that death itself
will cease to exist.
00:46:51.71\00:46:54.98
Praise the Lord for the
day that death will die.
00:46:57.55\00:47:00.32
"Then Death and Hades were
cast into the lake of fire."
00:47:00.72\00:47:03.92
This is what the Bible tells
us will be a future reality.
00:47:04.75\00:47:08.29
Death itself will die.
00:47:08.32\00:47:10.69
Friends, when Jesus
rose from the dead, He dealt
00:47:10.83\00:47:14.80
the deadly blow to the devil.
00:47:14.83\00:47:16.60
He established the
day that death would die.
00:47:16.70\00:47:19.80
He gave death
the death sentence.
00:47:20.14\00:47:22.80
Death will cease to exist.
00:47:23.07\00:47:25.57
Friends, praise God
from whom all blessings flow,
00:47:25.87\00:47:28.81
that death itself will
one day soon be no more.
00:47:29.11\00:47:32.91
Friends, on that day this will
be a reality; Revelation 21:3-4.
00:47:34.98\00:47:42.22
"Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men..."
00:47:42.72\00:47:46.09
Friends, because
Jesus rose from the dead,
00:48:08.28\00:48:11.22
we too can rise from the dead.
00:48:11.25\00:48:15.12
We too can receive victory
over sin and over death itself
00:48:15.46\00:48:20.53
if we have united our
lives to Him through baptism.
00:48:20.73\00:48:25.03
Friends, we can
receive victory over death.
00:48:25.73\00:48:28.77
And you know, when He
returns with all the angels
00:48:29.00\00:48:31.91
and completes His
rescue mission to those who are
00:48:31.94\00:48:35.14
trapped in this
darkened world here below,
00:48:35.18\00:48:37.61
we will all praise God
for the answers to prayer
00:48:37.65\00:48:40.62
that have resulted
in our deliverance.
00:48:40.65\00:48:43.02
And when we, with the
redeemed from all ages,
00:48:43.25\00:48:45.62
arrive in heaven, I
imagine that the rescue workers,
00:48:45.65\00:48:49.12
the holy angels, will
have banners that say,
00:48:49.16\00:48:51.83
"Mission complete.
00:48:51.86\00:48:53.66
Planet earth, mission complete."
00:48:53.90\00:48:57.13
Now friends, when we
have entered into His kingdom,
00:48:57.53\00:49:00.37
no doubt like that
man, like Esteban Rojas,
00:49:00.54\00:49:05.74
we will have made
it into the kingdom
00:49:06.27\00:49:09.18
just like he made it
out of that Chilean mine,
00:49:09.21\00:49:11.95
and we'll fall on our
knees and we'll raise our hands,
00:49:12.51\00:49:16.82
and we'll give glory to
God, for we will have overcome.
00:49:16.85\00:49:21.12
Friends, because
Christ received the victory
00:49:22.49\00:49:28.00
through His resurrection, He's
given us the victory over death.
00:49:28.46\00:49:33.54
Praise the Lord for
the gift that He has
00:49:34.07\00:49:36.37
given us in eternal life.
00:49:36.40\00:49:38.61
Jesus' final words to
the Laodiceans are for you.
00:49:40.84\00:49:44.75
Revelation 3:21 says...
00:49:46.25\00:49:51.59
Friends, let me ask
you, what if the last man
00:50:03.63\00:50:07.67
trapped in that
Chilean mine in 2010
00:50:07.70\00:50:10.71
sent back word to the top that
he didn't want to come back up?
00:50:11.97\00:50:18.61
What if the last man said,
00:50:20.78\00:50:22.18
"You know, I kind
of like it down here."
00:50:22.22\00:50:24.59
That would be ridiculous.
00:50:26.82\00:50:28.42
But friends, what Christ
has done in the rescue mission
00:50:29.62\00:50:33.96
for us, to offer us
eternity, is infinitely greater.
00:50:34.00\00:50:38.23
But some of us are
content to stay in our sin,
00:50:40.74\00:50:43.84
in our state of wretchedness.
00:50:44.51\00:50:46.68
The Bible says, Luke
4:16, Jesus' first words
00:50:47.34\00:50:51.25
in His public ministry,
He quoted the book of Isaiah
00:50:51.28\00:50:54.45
where it says that He
came to set at liberty
00:50:54.48\00:50:57.19
those who are oppressed.
00:50:57.22\00:50:58.99
Friend, tonight will
you accept the victory
00:51:01.12\00:51:03.73
over sin that He's offering you?
00:51:03.76\00:51:05.89
You know, Christ will
enable us, He'll grant us
00:51:07.63\00:51:10.73
the ability to overcome.
00:51:10.77\00:51:12.83
His promise is sure.
00:51:13.30\00:51:15.04
If we surrender to
Him, He'll live out His life
00:51:15.50\00:51:18.17
through us and in us.
00:51:18.21\00:51:20.28
Tonight there's
something in your life that
00:51:22.21\00:51:23.81
you're struggling with.
00:51:23.85\00:51:25.31
There's a certain sin
that keeps pulling you down.
00:51:26.41\00:51:29.15
You've tried and you've failed.
00:51:29.88\00:51:31.95
You've tried and you've failed.
00:51:32.82\00:51:34.72
And friends, you know that you
cannot enter those pearly gates,
00:51:36.09\00:51:39.89
you cannot
enter into His kingdom
00:51:40.26\00:51:41.70
with this still in your life.
00:51:41.73\00:51:44.80
Maybe it's an addiction.
00:51:45.93\00:51:48.00
Something that's holding
you in chains, and you feel like
00:51:48.84\00:51:52.44
you can't break free.
00:51:52.47\00:51:53.84
Maybe it's a sexual addiction.
00:51:55.01\00:51:56.78
Maybe it's a drug addiction.
00:51:57.41\00:51:59.08
Maybe it's an
addiction to gambling.
00:51:59.91\00:52:01.85
Maybe it's video games.
00:52:01.95\00:52:04.19
Friends, maybe it's something
that's become a part of you
00:52:04.95\00:52:09.29
and engrained
in your habit life.
00:52:09.32\00:52:11.49
Maybe it's lying.
00:52:11.66\00:52:13.03
Maybe it's swearing, impatience.
00:52:13.36\00:52:16.06
You name it.
00:52:17.17\00:52:18.60
Christ can give you
the victory over that sin.
00:52:19.57\00:52:22.17
Christ came to
set the captives free.
00:52:23.37\00:52:25.91
And He's coming back for a
people who will have overcome
00:52:26.34\00:52:29.68
by His blood, who will
have surrendered to Him to the
00:52:29.71\00:52:33.21
point that they would rather
die than sin against their God.
00:52:33.25\00:52:36.58
Maybe it's a combination
of these things, friend,
00:52:38.29\00:52:40.36
but whatever
you're struggling with,
00:52:40.39\00:52:42.32
the Lord has brought
it to your mind just now.
00:52:42.76\00:52:45.03
If you want to
say in this moment,
00:52:47.10\00:52:48.96
"Lord, take this from me.
00:52:49.30\00:52:52.93
Break me free from these chains.
00:52:54.14\00:52:57.17
Lord, I submit myself to
You and I trust You to do the
00:52:57.81\00:53:01.21
work that only You can do.
00:53:01.24\00:53:03.24
God, break me
free from this sin."
00:53:04.41\00:53:06.92
If there's something in your
minds that you want victory for,
00:53:06.95\00:53:10.75
and tonight you want to
say, "God, I give myself to You.
00:53:11.49\00:53:14.26
Live out Your life within me.
00:53:15.02\00:53:16.89
Break me free from this.
00:53:17.56\00:53:19.63
I want to be in Your kingdom.
00:53:20.23\00:53:22.00
I want to be there
for the welcome party.
00:53:22.26\00:53:25.53
I want to see Jesus and
spend eternity with Him.
00:53:25.87\00:53:28.74
Break me free from this sin."
00:53:29.40\00:53:30.87
If that's your desire, I
want to invite you to raise
00:53:30.91\00:53:32.77
your hand where you are
00:53:32.81\00:53:34.14
to say, "Lord, break
me free from these chains.
00:53:34.61\00:53:37.28
I trust You to do so."
00:53:37.78\00:53:39.28
Amen. Amen.
00:53:39.31\00:53:41.58
Maybe you've seen
tonight for the first time
00:53:45.02\00:53:48.52
that through His
death and His resurrection
00:53:49.02\00:53:52.56
Jesus can grant us victory
over both the first death
00:53:52.86\00:53:56.56
and the second death.
00:53:56.60\00:53:57.93
Friends, I want to share
something very important.
00:53:59.17\00:54:01.24
Please listen closely.
00:54:01.34\00:54:02.94
God is a God of courtesy.
00:54:03.87\00:54:05.87
He never forces
Himself on anyone.
00:54:06.81\00:54:09.28
It's against His nature of love.
00:54:11.38\00:54:13.25
And the victory over
death for us, eternal life,
00:54:13.98\00:54:17.99
can only come to us through a
very special union with Jesus.
00:54:18.09\00:54:22.06
I want to invite you to turn in
your Bibles with me to Romans 6.
00:54:23.12\00:54:26.49
The Bible talks
about this special union.
00:54:28.16\00:54:30.73
Romans 6 starting in verse 4.
00:54:33.20\00:54:35.50
Friends, do you want
the assurance tonight
00:55:01.13\00:55:03.47
that if you were to fall
asleep in the sleep of death,
00:55:04.60\00:55:07.70
that when Christ
returns in the clouds of glory
00:55:09.14\00:55:11.94
that you would be raised to
life to spend eternity with Him?
00:55:13.27\00:55:17.71
Maybe you haven't given your
life into the Lord's hands yet
00:55:19.48\00:55:23.65
and given yourself completely
to Him through baptism,
00:55:24.75\00:55:27.59
and you want to say
tonight, "Lord, I want to
00:55:29.79\00:55:31.76
be united with
Christ through baptism.
00:55:31.79\00:55:34.66
I want to be united with Him in
this symbol of death and rebirth
00:55:35.40\00:55:39.57
so that if I should
die before He comes,
00:55:39.87\00:55:42.67
I would be raised to
life to go home for eternity."
00:55:42.70\00:55:45.61
Friend, if that is
your desire tonight,
00:55:47.48\00:55:49.51
I want to invite you
where you are to just stand.
00:55:50.55\00:55:53.28
If you have not yet been
baptized or you want to be
00:55:54.32\00:55:57.45
re-baptized because
you've strayed from the Lord,
00:55:57.49\00:56:00.19
I want to invite you
to stand where you are.
00:56:01.12\00:56:02.52
Praise the Lord.
00:56:02.56\00:56:03.89
Amen, amen.
00:56:04.46\00:56:06.06
And if you're joining us
from home and you want to study
00:56:06.49\00:56:09.00
toward your baptism, please
call the number on your screen.
00:56:09.03\00:56:12.97
Someone from the team here
at 3ABN will put you in contact
00:56:13.40\00:56:16.44
with someone who can come
and study the Bible with you
00:56:16.47\00:56:19.01
and introduce you to more
of the truth of God's word,
00:56:19.54\00:56:22.18
so that you, one day very
soon, can go through those
00:56:22.34\00:56:25.71
sweet waters of baptism and have
the assurance of eternal life.
00:56:25.75\00:56:31.22
Victory, not only over
the sin that binds you,
00:56:31.45\00:56:34.59
but victory over death itself
when Christ comes very soon.
00:56:34.79\00:56:38.93
Amen.
00:56:39.53\00:56:40.86
Friends, let's seal
our decision with prayer.
00:56:40.90\00:56:42.70
Our Father God, we thank You for
the victory that You offer us.
00:56:47.14\00:56:51.67
Lord, we are
wretched and miserable.
00:56:52.91\00:56:56.08
We are battling
sin and facing death.
00:56:56.11\00:56:59.11
But we thank You that Christ,
through the indwelling of His
00:56:59.15\00:57:02.22
Holy Spirit, can live
out His life within us.
00:57:02.25\00:57:05.72
That Jesus can give us victory
over the chains that bind us.
00:57:06.25\00:57:09.52
He can set the captives free.
00:57:09.56\00:57:11.63
God, tonight some of
us have made commitments
00:57:13.23\00:57:16.67
for baptism into Christ.
00:57:16.70\00:57:18.87
We pray that You
will seal those decisions
00:57:19.07\00:57:21.00
for now and for eternity.
00:57:21.04\00:57:23.10
May each of us be there
on that day when You return,
00:57:23.87\00:57:28.01
and we can go home to
heaven with You for eternity.
00:57:28.64\00:57:33.08
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:57:33.68\00:57:36.22