Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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Hello friends, welcome
to our 3ABN Worship Center
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on this wonderful southern
Illinois Sabbath morning.
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We want to great
you with a hearty amen.
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Can the people of God say amen?
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So good to join you
wherever you're tuning in from.
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You may be in south
Florida where it's a lot warmer,
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you may be in
Australia where you have summer,
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you may be in Alaska where
you may be much colder than us,
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or in Canada.
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But we are here
in southern Illinois.
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And as we say here, "If
you don't like the weather,
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just wait; it'll
possibly change."
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But one thing that has
been constant every day
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are the blessings
that we have been receiving
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from Pastor Justin Torossian
as he's been dealing with
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the topic, Called,
Chosen, and Faithful.
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Walking us through the messages
from the book of Revelation,
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and primarily he's been focusing
on Revelation chapter 3,
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the message to the
church of Laodicea.
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As you know, Pastor Justin
is a native of California.
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He was raised in the
northern California area
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and Pacific Union
in the Napa Valley.
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And if you are joining
us from the Napa Valley,
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you are already
in God's country.
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You know, when I was in the
Northern California Conference,
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pastors had a saying, they said,
"Any time you get a call to
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northern California,
it's a call from God."
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Well, I want to transition
that and say a call to the
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Midwest is a call from God.
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Come on, somebody. Amen?
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Now you don't
really believe that.
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But we know that Pastor Justin
Torossian, not only he began
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in northern California,
but right now he's at
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Andrews University
where he's finishing up
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his degree in
theology, his MDiv.
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And he's a growing young man.
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Very tall. He's still single.
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We're not going to
talk about that very much.
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We don't want you to send emails
trying to figure out whether
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he's a candidate for marriage.
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But he's a godly young man.
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One that has his mind focused
on doing the will of the Lord.
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And every day the
messages have really come
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straight from God's Word.
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We began with, The
Laodicean Sindrome.
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Then, The
Physician's Prescription.
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And last night we were
blessed with the one called,
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Wretched,
Miserable, but Victorious.
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Amen for that?
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Because it's one thing
to know your condition.
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It's something all
together different to know that
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there is a remedy to whatever
condition you find yourself in.
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And this morning will be
the message, What Will It Take.
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And then he finalizes
his five part series of,
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Anchors Of Truth, this afternoon
with the message, Overcome.
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Every one of us,
through the strength of Christ,
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can be an overcomer.
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What do you say?
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What do you say?
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Praise the Lord for that.
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It's not where you are,
but it's where you can be.
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That's why now my
favorite Scripture in the Bible
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is 1 John chapter 3.
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"It has not yet been
revealed what we shall be,
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but when we see the Lord,
we're going to be like Him
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for we will see Him as He is."
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So thank you for tuning in.
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Invite your family
and friends to sit down
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and hear what the Spirit has to
say to the church this morning.
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Now I also have the
distinct blessing of
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singing this morning.
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But before we do anything,
we're going to bring our hearts
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before the Lord in prayer.
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If you were
tuning in a moment ago,
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you just saw our Sabbath school.
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And it was a wonderful blessing.
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Our first in our
Anchors Sabbath school,
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and thank the Lord that God
blessed all of our presenters
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for bringing forth the
wonderful messages found
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in the study in Proverbs.
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But now we're going to
turn our hearts to the Lord.
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Let's bow our heads in prayer.
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Our Father in heaven, we
thank You for Your goodness,
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for Your mercy,
and for Your grace.
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Lord Jesus, we know that in
our struggles, in our trials,
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in our tribulations, that
we can trust the changing world
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and our changing lives
to a God who is the same
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yesterday, today, and forever.
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We thank You,
Father, for Your deliverance,
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and for the fact that as
we look away from ourselves
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for the future, we find
that there's a road of hope.
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It may be a narrow path,
but it shortens our distance
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from failure to success.
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And so be with us today, Father.
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We pray a blessing
on Your manservant,
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Pastor Justin Torossian,
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that You'll anoint his
mind again as he brings the Word
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and the bread of life.
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So we give the
service to You and our hearts.
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May all that is done
bring us that much closer
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to our Lord and Savior.
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In Jesus' precious
name we pray, amen.
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Now the song I chose to
sing this morning is entitled,
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Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer.
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And if there's ever a
time that we need to be drawn
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closer to the Lord is
as we listen to the remedy
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that God is speaking to
every one of us that is a member
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of the message of
the church of Laodicea.
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May God draw you
nearer as you hear the
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Spirit's voice this morning.
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Jesus, draw me ever nearer
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as I labor through the storm;
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You have called
me to this passage,
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and I'll follow though I'm worn.
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May this journey
bring a blessing,
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may I rise on wings of faith;
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and at the end of
my heart's testing,
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with Your likeness let me wake.
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Jesus, guide me
through the tempest,
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keep my spirit staid and sure;
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when the midnight
meets the morning,
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let me love You even more.
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May this journey
bring a blessing,
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and may I rise
on wings of faith;
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at the end of
my heart's testing,
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with Your likeness let me wake.
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Let the treasures of the trial
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form within me as I go;
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and at the end of
this long passage,
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let me leave
them at Your throne.
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May this journey
bring a blessing,
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and may I rise
on wings of faith;
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at the end of
my heart's testing,
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with Your likeness let me wake.
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Thank you, Pastor Lomacang.
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That is to be the
prayer of our hearts, amen?
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That in Christ's
likeness we would wake.
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That if we are alive
and remain until He comes,
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that we'll be
transformed into His image
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and be ready to
go home for eternity.
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Happy Sabbath to you.
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It's a privilege to be
here with you once again.
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It's been a blessing.
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And I'm excited to be
sharing today the fourth message
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in our five part
series this, Anchors Of Truth,
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Called, Chosen, and Faithful.
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Before we begin, I'd just
like to invite you to join me
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in prayer through song as
we invite God's presence here.
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Praise God from
whom all blessings flow,
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praise Him all
creatures here below,
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praise Him above
ye heavenly host,
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praise Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost.
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Amen.
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Father, we come before You
to praise You this morning.
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We want to praise You
for Your goodness to us.
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We thank You that Your
mercies are new every morning.
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Great is Thy faithfulness.
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Thank You, Lord, for
Your many blessings to us.
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And thank You for having
spoken to our hearts and minds
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in this year thus far.
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We pray that Your Holy Spirit
would be present once again
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to not only help us
understand Your Word,
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but to give us the
willpower to obey and to follow
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what we are learning.
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May we hear Your voice
speaking to each and every
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one of us today.
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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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I was 10 years old.
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I had watched my friend play
a game of baseball that day.
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And I can still
remember it vividly.
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In my dream I was there, and
the pitcher pitched a fastball.
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And I swung and I
connected with it,
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and the ball was
sailing out of the park.
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I had crushed it.
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I knew it could be a
homerun if I ran fast enough.
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So I ran toward first base.
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I got to first, I rounded
it and went towards second.
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And as I was
running towards second base,
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I can still see it in my mind,
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the referee who manages
second base jumped out and he
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grabbed me and he
said, "What are you doing?"
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I thought, what in
the world is going on?
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I said, "I'm
running to second base."
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What had actually happened
was I had jumped off of the
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top bunk of my bed, I
had ran straight out into my
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families living room.
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I took a ninety degree
turn, and I was running straight
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toward the wall
in the living room.
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And my dad jumped up off
the couch and grabbed me.
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And he said,
"What are you doing?
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What are you doing?"
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And I said, "I'm
running to second base.
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I'm running to second base."
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Trying to make my
way to that second base.
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Friends, it's all too
possible to be fully asleep
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and believe that
we're wide awake.
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Have you ever had a dream
that was so real that you were
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sure you were there?
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That ever happen to you?
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Friends, this is
possible, not only physically,
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but spiritually.
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Let's turn to
Romans chapter 13 together.
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Romans 13 starting in verse 11.
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Here, Paul explains
this is possible spiritually.
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Friends, it is all too possible
for us to be spiritually
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sleepwalking and
think that we're wide awake.
00:13:33.48\00:13:37.45
We've been examining
together Jesus' message
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to the church of Laodicea.
00:13:40.58\00:13:42.42
And we know that beyond applying
to seven local literal churches
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in Asia Minor, Jesus'
letters to the seven churches
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were symbolic of the
time periods of His church
00:13:50.26\00:13:54.33
down through history
until He would come back
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in the clouds of glory.
00:13:57.23\00:13:59.33
We've seen that the
last church on the list
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is none other than
the church of Laodicea.
00:14:03.87\00:14:06.78
Laodicea is a symbol
of God's last day church,
00:14:07.34\00:14:11.51
His last day people.
00:14:11.55\00:14:13.25
We've seen that
Jesus' words are bad news.
00:14:13.68\00:14:17.02
The Message to
Laodicea is a harsh message,
00:14:17.25\00:14:20.06
it's a strong message,
but it's a message of love.
00:14:20.09\00:14:23.46
It's a wake-up
call to His people.
00:14:23.83\00:14:26.26
He says that they're lukewarm,
wretched, miserable, poor,
00:14:27.06\00:14:30.73
blind, and naked.
00:14:30.87\00:14:32.43
But worse than
any of those things,
00:14:32.47\00:14:34.24
they think that they are okay.
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.44
They're deceived.
00:14:36.94\00:14:38.34
Honest in their deception,
but they are deceived.
00:14:38.61\00:14:41.34
We've seen that
Jesus' message to Laodicea,
00:14:42.48\00:14:45.05
though a strong one and
though a bad news message,
00:14:45.08\00:14:49.02
is only bad news so that
the gospel can be good news.
00:14:49.05\00:14:52.45
Because Laodicea, Jesus'
message to them and to us,
00:14:52.49\00:14:55.49
is a good news gospel message.
00:14:55.59\00:14:58.56
The good news, as we saw in
our message on Thursday night
00:14:58.83\00:15:03.50
called, The
Physician's Prescription,
00:15:03.73\00:15:05.53
we saw the good news
that the heavenly Physician
00:15:05.80\00:15:08.27
offer not only a diagnosis
for our spiritual disease,
00:15:08.30\00:15:12.44
but He offers us the
spiritual prescription;
00:15:12.47\00:15:15.74
the gold of faith and love,
00:15:16.14\00:15:18.35
the eye salve symbolic of
the Holy Spirit and the wisdom
00:15:18.55\00:15:21.68
God gives us to
understand His Word,
00:15:21.72\00:15:23.62
and the robe of
Jesus' righteousness
00:15:23.82\00:15:26.45
in place of our
filthy blood-stained
00:15:26.49\00:15:29.29
sinful robes of character.
00:15:29.49\00:15:31.93
As we saw last night,
through the perfect life that
00:15:32.39\00:15:35.26
Jesus lived and through
His death and resurrection,
00:15:35.30\00:15:38.40
He offers to us the
solution to our bondage to sin
00:15:38.60\00:15:43.20
and the fate of
inevitable death.
00:15:43.24\00:15:45.77
He offers us
victory over sin and death
00:15:46.14\00:15:49.38
when our lives have been united
with His through the beautiful
00:15:49.41\00:15:52.98
symbol of baptism.
00:15:53.01\00:15:55.05
Praise God for victory in Jesus.
00:15:56.18\00:15:58.55
Tonight our message is
entitled, What Will It Take?
00:15:59.55\00:16:03.39
What Will It Take?
00:16:03.73\00:16:05.23
This morning,
rather. This Sabbath morning.
00:16:05.53\00:16:07.86
What Will It Take?
00:16:08.56\00:16:09.90
I want to invite you to
turn in your Bibles with me to
00:16:10.67\00:16:12.90
1 Corinthians 10:11.
00:16:12.93\00:16:15.34
1 Corinthians 10:11
00:16:16.17\00:16:17.97
Here, the Bible explains
to us in one of many places
00:16:18.01\00:16:23.68
that it's important for us
as a people, as God's people,
00:16:23.98\00:16:28.05
to understand our history.
00:16:28.08\00:16:29.72
Because God communicates
with us and to us messages
00:16:29.92\00:16:33.82
when we look back at our history
and understand how He has
00:16:34.22\00:16:36.93
led us in the past.
00:16:36.96\00:16:38.53
Paul is directing the Christian
believers to their history
00:16:39.19\00:16:44.80
as God's people,
Israel, down through time.
00:16:44.83\00:16:47.37
And in verse 11 of 1
Corinthians 10 it says,
00:16:47.40\00:16:50.64
"Now all these things
happened to them as examples,
00:16:50.84\00:16:53.94
and they were
written for our admonition,
00:16:54.14\00:16:56.54
upon whom the ends
of the ages have come."
00:16:56.58\00:17:01.32
Friends, the Bible
encourages us to study history.
00:17:02.12\00:17:05.62
You know, until I
gave my life to the Lord,
00:17:06.05\00:17:08.22
I wasn't big on history.
00:17:08.52\00:17:10.19
But when I fell in love
with the study of the Bible,
00:17:10.56\00:17:13.60
when I came to
love Bible prophecy,
00:17:13.63\00:17:15.73
I came to love history.
00:17:15.83\00:17:17.83
Because history is just that.
00:17:17.87\00:17:20.40
It's His story.
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.40
It's God's story of how
He has led and blessed in the
00:17:22.64\00:17:25.61
lives of His people in the past.
00:17:25.64\00:17:27.31
And when we look at history,
we can take courage for the
00:17:27.34\00:17:30.45
present that God is going
to lead us into the future
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.55
into His kingdom when He comes.
00:17:33.58\00:17:35.45
Today we're going to
take a look at history.
00:17:36.05\00:17:39.52
And we're going to look
at Adventist history together
00:17:40.42\00:17:42.32
to understand better
Jesus' message to Laodicea,
00:17:42.36\00:17:45.46
and to know what God
would have us do today.
00:17:45.66\00:17:48.86
The year was 1856.
00:17:50.30\00:17:52.73
It was after the great
disappointment of 1844,
00:17:53.03\00:17:55.54
12 years later, and the
little group of believers
00:17:55.57\00:17:58.91
who had held onto the
faith in Jesus' soon return
00:17:59.14\00:18:02.38
had not given up their
faith, and had really grown.
00:18:02.41\00:18:05.78
This group from all different
denominational backgrounds
00:18:06.18\00:18:09.75
had gathered together,
they'd studied God's Word
00:18:09.78\00:18:12.89
and earnestly sought to
know and understand the truth.
00:18:12.92\00:18:16.49
They had come to a
knowledge of the truth
00:18:16.89\00:18:18.69
on a number of topics:
00:18:18.73\00:18:20.16
what happens when we die;
00:18:20.30\00:18:21.76
what baptism is and what form
of baptism God would have us do;
00:18:22.10\00:18:25.93
the truth of the
seventh day Sabbath.
00:18:26.23\00:18:28.07
And this group of
little believers at first
00:18:28.54\00:18:31.21
had grown now into a
living healthy growing church.
00:18:31.24\00:18:36.78
Now this body of
believers held to the position
00:18:37.31\00:18:39.41
that they were symbolized
by the church of Philadelphia,
00:18:39.65\00:18:43.39
not Laodicea.
00:18:43.65\00:18:44.99
They were actually
believing and sharing that
00:18:45.95\00:18:49.19
they were symbolized by
the church of Philadelphia,
00:18:49.22\00:18:51.89
the sixth church on the list
that Jesus writes a letter to
00:18:51.93\00:18:55.76
in the book of Revelation.
00:18:55.86\00:18:57.60
Now why would they
want to believe that they
00:18:58.60\00:19:01.77
were Philadelphia?
00:19:01.87\00:19:03.51
I want to invite you to
turn with me in your Bible
00:19:04.04\00:19:05.97
to Revelation chapter 3.
00:19:06.01\00:19:07.34
We're going to start in
verse 7 and read together
00:19:07.38\00:19:09.54
Jesus' letter to the
church of Philadelphia.
00:19:09.58\00:19:12.68
We're going to find our answer.
00:19:12.71\00:19:14.18
Revelation chapter
3 starting in verse 7.
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.89
It should also be mentioned
that the church of Philadelphia
00:19:18.79\00:19:20.96
was symbolic of God's
people until the time of 1844,
00:19:20.99\00:19:25.36
the time of the
great disappointment.
00:19:25.39\00:19:26.96
Another reason why it was
logical for them to still think
00:19:27.20\00:19:29.76
that they were Philadelphia.
00:19:29.80\00:19:31.23
But more than that, it
has to do, I believe, with the
00:19:31.47\00:19:34.40
description of Philadelphia.
00:19:34.50\00:19:36.30
Let's listen to Jesus' words,
and read them together as well.
00:19:36.74\00:19:40.54
Beautiful.
00:21:07.80\00:21:09.13
Now let me ask, did
you hear one negative thing
00:21:09.50\00:21:13.57
in that beautiful message
from Jesus to Philadelphia?
00:21:13.60\00:21:16.64
There was not one
single negative thing that
00:21:17.34\00:21:19.87
Jesus said in this message.
00:21:19.91\00:21:21.61
On the contrary, to
the opposite, Laodicea
00:21:22.18\00:21:25.45
had absolutely nothing
positive said about it.
00:21:25.48\00:21:28.75
So which would you rather
be, Philadelphia or Laodicea?
00:21:29.22\00:21:32.45
Philadelphia, of course.
00:21:32.89\00:21:34.66
And remember, we're all
too often prone to think that
00:21:34.89\00:21:38.96
a message of stern
correction applies to others
00:21:38.99\00:21:42.03
and not to ourselves.
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.77
This is exactly what the
church was experiencing then.
00:21:44.30\00:21:47.27
They were actually
believing and teaching that
00:21:47.30\00:21:49.67
they were
symbolized by Philadelphia,
00:21:49.70\00:21:51.67
and at the same time
the other Christian churches
00:21:51.77\00:21:54.81
were symbolized by Laodicea.
00:21:54.84\00:21:57.21
Now this movement of Christians,
this church, would officially
00:22:00.12\00:22:04.29
receive the name,
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:22:04.32\00:22:06.39
seven years later in 1863.
00:22:06.42\00:22:10.23
But at this point in 1856, some
of the ministers of the church
00:22:10.49\00:22:14.20
started to wonder as
they looked around them.
00:22:14.23\00:22:16.87
They started to see
people living double lives,
00:22:17.30\00:22:21.97
living with double
standards, and they wondered,
00:22:22.17\00:22:24.71
"Are we really
symbolized by Philadelphia?
00:22:24.74\00:22:28.54
Or might we be
symbolized by Laodicea?"
00:22:28.58\00:22:31.81
James White specifically
began to study and to pray.
00:22:32.81\00:22:36.48
And you know, he
agonized over this because
00:22:36.58\00:22:38.95
this had been the position
of the church for 12 years now.
00:22:38.99\00:22:42.92
Could they change direction?
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.73
Were they really Laodicea,
not symbolized by Philadelphia?
00:22:46.13\00:22:50.63
Could it be that they
were spiritually sleepwalking
00:22:51.63\00:22:54.84
all of this time?
00:22:54.87\00:22:56.24
Now they had held to this
position for 12 years, but
00:22:58.34\00:23:01.68
James White was
a man of integrity.
00:23:02.04\00:23:04.41
There's an old proverb
that says, "No matter how far
00:23:04.95\00:23:07.55
you've gone down the
wrong road, turn around."
00:23:07.58\00:23:11.29
And friends, no matter how far
we've gone down the wrong road,
00:23:11.59\00:23:14.32
if we're in an
ungodly relationship,
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.62
turn around.
00:23:16.66\00:23:17.99
If you have been hanging
out with a group of friends
00:23:18.03\00:23:20.36
and you're realizing
that they're pulling you down,
00:23:20.40\00:23:22.63
and you're realizing
that rather than helping them
00:23:22.76\00:23:26.50
they are pulling you
down connecting you to the
00:23:26.53\00:23:30.37
things of this earth, friend, if
you recognize that, turn around.
00:23:30.41\00:23:33.27
Do the right thing.
00:23:33.61\00:23:34.94
No matter how far we've
gone down the wrong road,
00:23:34.98\00:23:37.11
we should turn around.
00:23:37.71\00:23:39.28
And this is exactly
what James White did.
00:23:39.85\00:23:43.39
He wrote an article in, Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald,
00:23:43.59\00:23:46.72
the churches paper
then, on October 9, 1856,
00:23:46.76\00:23:50.76
and this article had
a number of questions.
00:23:50.79\00:23:53.29
And I want to read just a
few of them briefly to you.
00:23:54.16\00:23:56.73
Think about this and
listen to the logic here.
00:23:57.33\00:23:59.97
Question number one, he asked...
00:24:00.70\00:24:06.47
And what was the answer?
00:24:25.56\00:24:26.90
Well, yes. Number two...
00:24:27.10\00:24:29.03
That makes
perfect sense, doesn't it?
00:24:36.87\00:24:38.54
If the seven churches are
symbolic of seven time periods,
00:24:38.77\00:24:41.51
how can two different time
periods exist at the same time?
00:24:41.54\00:24:44.75
They can't.
00:24:45.01\00:24:46.35
He continued asking
a number of questions.
00:24:46.38\00:24:48.52
And I'll just share a
few of them with you briefly.
00:24:48.55\00:24:51.52
The answer was yes.
00:25:05.43\00:25:06.77
Moving on later
down, the question was...
00:25:06.80\00:25:09.24
The light bulbs began
going on in people's minds.
00:25:30.86\00:25:35.23
The last question was this...
00:25:35.86\00:25:37.70
Now, he ends it by
appealing to them and saying,
00:25:48.78\00:25:54.32
"Should we not heed the
words of the True Witness
00:25:54.35\00:25:56.79
to the Laodiceans?"
00:25:56.82\00:25:58.29
And he quoted the words of Jesus
there from Revelation chapter 3.
00:25:58.32\00:26:02.32
Now friends, back then
the Review and Herald was
00:26:02.66\00:26:04.59
very different than it is today.
00:26:04.63\00:26:07.46
The Review and Herald was the
hub of all church communication.
00:26:07.50\00:26:11.13
And it was different in the
sense that many, many different
00:26:11.23\00:26:14.64
members would write in to
the church, and their articles
00:26:14.67\00:26:18.21
and responses would be
included in the Review.
00:26:18.24\00:26:21.34
The Review and Herald was
really the pulse of the church,
00:26:21.98\00:26:25.01
if you will.
00:26:25.05\00:26:26.38
And you could
think of it this way:
00:26:26.41\00:26:27.85
that to understand or to find
the churches pulse in the past,
00:26:28.05\00:26:32.89
all you have to do
is go to the Review.
00:26:32.92\00:26:35.42
It's one of the best historical
resources to understand
00:26:35.72\00:26:38.36
the state of God's church.
00:26:38.39\00:26:40.76
Now the Review and
Herald, in the next Review,
00:26:41.13\00:26:43.73
what was the
churches response to this?
00:26:43.77\00:26:46.23
Review and
Herald, November 6, 1856,
00:26:46.27\00:26:48.60
two men responded.
00:26:48.64\00:26:50.01
One of them was S.N. Haskell.
00:26:50.21\00:26:51.54
And he said, "You know, I've
been thinking along these lines
00:26:51.57\00:26:53.84
for some time now."
00:26:53.88\00:26:55.21
Another man, David Hewitt,
called the most honest man
00:26:55.81\00:26:58.48
in town in Battle Creek, said,
"Dear brethren and sisters,
00:26:58.51\00:27:02.28
can we not see from the
nature of the petition..."
00:27:02.48\00:27:05.05
What was the
reaction of the lay people?
00:27:23.24\00:27:26.51
What was the reaction?
00:27:26.74\00:27:28.08
Was it just ministers of
the gospel that were writing in,
00:27:28.11\00:27:31.21
that were saying, "You
know what, we are Laodicea.
00:27:31.25\00:27:33.78
This does apply to us."
00:27:33.82\00:27:35.58
Or were the members
saying that they agreed as well?
00:27:35.82\00:27:39.12
I want to share these
interesting statistics with you.
00:27:39.15\00:27:41.82
Now, the response
from the church was this:
00:27:42.56\00:27:44.63
Sixteen of the
articles that appeared...
00:27:45.19\00:27:47.86
There was a total of
348 items in the Review.
00:27:47.90\00:27:51.43
Sixteen of those
were from James White
00:27:51.47\00:27:53.37
and other editorial writers.
00:27:53.40\00:27:55.00
Seventy were from ministers.
00:27:55.04\00:27:57.04
But 262 of them
were from lay members.
00:27:57.07\00:28:00.98
The members were
saying, "This applies to us.
00:28:01.61\00:28:05.18
I am Laodicean.
00:28:05.21\00:28:07.12
This applies to me."
00:28:07.35\00:28:09.08
Friends, it worked a
revival in God's church.
00:28:10.39\00:28:15.06
It began a strong revival.
00:28:15.26\00:28:17.39
Turn with me in your
Bibles to Psalm 119:107.
00:28:17.43\00:28:22.80
Psalm 119:107
00:28:23.26\00:28:25.73
One of the many verses
in Psalm 119 where David
00:28:26.70\00:28:29.80
prays to be revived.
00:28:29.84\00:28:32.11
Psalm 119:107, he says,
"I am afflicted very much."
00:28:32.41\00:28:38.35
No doubt they read
the message to Laodicea
00:28:38.38\00:28:40.75
and they realized, "Wow, we
are wretched and miserable."
00:28:40.78\00:28:43.45
They felt afflicted.
00:28:43.49\00:28:44.82
"I am afflicted very much."
00:28:45.35\00:28:47.26
But then he prays, "Revive me,
O Lord, according to Your word."
00:28:47.29\00:28:53.33
God began to revive His people.
00:28:53.73\00:28:56.80
He caused a revival
to begin to take place.
00:28:57.00\00:29:00.04
I want to share with you briefly
just a few of the reports
00:29:00.14\00:29:02.67
of the people so we can get
a taste of what was actually
00:29:02.70\00:29:05.97
going on, what the
people were thinking and feeling
00:29:06.01\00:29:08.51
during this time.
00:29:08.54\00:29:09.88
A.S Hutchins, one of the
ministers, reported what was
00:29:10.05\00:29:13.98
happening in the church as
this message was being preached.
00:29:14.02\00:29:17.09
January 8, 1857,
Review and Herald, he said,
00:29:17.29\00:29:20.32
"I wish here to add
that a happy change is
00:29:20.36\00:29:23.26
taking place among us..."
00:29:23.29\00:29:24.86
Now friends, when God
speaks a message to us,
00:29:33.13\00:29:36.71
the time to act is right now.
00:29:36.74\00:29:38.94
If you've heard God speaking
to you over the last few nights,
00:29:39.14\00:29:42.78
friend, act in that very moment.
00:29:42.84\00:29:45.05
Act right now.
00:29:45.08\00:29:46.48
Don't hesitate,
don't put it off.
00:29:46.61\00:29:48.68
God always calls us to action.
00:29:48.95\00:29:50.69
When He does, it's right now.
00:29:50.72\00:29:52.12
Not to give our
lives to Him tomorrow,
00:29:52.15\00:29:54.16
but to commit
ourselves to Him now completely.
00:29:54.36\00:29:56.83
He says, "Now, behold,
now is the day of salvation."
00:29:57.06\00:30:01.86
This is what was happening.
00:30:02.30\00:30:03.87
The message was causing a
revival amongst God's people.
00:30:04.13\00:30:08.10
It was a personal reform.
00:30:09.00\00:30:10.91
Listen to this quote
from A.S. Hutchins again.
00:30:11.01\00:30:13.58
It wasn't just something
where people were pointing
00:30:14.41\00:30:16.24
the finger at each other. No.
00:30:16.28\00:30:17.91
They realized
it applied to them.
00:30:17.95\00:30:19.98
Friends, this man,
A.S. Hutchins, was saying,
00:30:49.31\00:30:51.41
"I have made
mistakes. I have been impatient.
00:30:51.45\00:30:54.68
I've been harsh in my
treating and the way I've spoken
00:30:54.72\00:30:58.22
to people and about people."
00:30:58.25\00:30:59.99
And he said, "I
need God's forgiveness."
00:31:00.29\00:31:01.82
And then he said,
"Would you forgive me also?"
00:31:01.86\00:31:04.89
This worked a reform in
people's hearts and lives.
00:31:05.33\00:31:08.96
The Laodicean message
was causing a revival.
00:31:09.26\00:31:11.87
It was creating change.
00:31:11.90\00:31:13.70
In the words of E.R. Seaman,
00:31:14.70\00:31:17.14
from the Review and
Herald as well, he says...
00:31:17.37\00:31:19.44
What happened?
00:31:48.90\00:31:50.34
You know, I'm sad to
say that this story takes
00:31:51.04\00:31:55.11
an unfortunate turn.
00:31:55.21\00:31:56.75
The message,
although it caused a revival,
00:31:57.88\00:32:00.98
people didn't persevere,
they didn't continue on
00:32:01.02\00:32:03.62
after they received
this message from Jesus.
00:32:03.65\00:32:05.95
They allowed the fire to
grow dim in their hearts.
00:32:06.15\00:32:09.12
And friends, it's easy for
us to enjoy great blessings and
00:32:09.32\00:32:13.43
mountain top experiences
like camp meetings or
00:32:13.46\00:32:16.56
Anchors Of Truth, and go
from them and not continue
00:32:16.67\00:32:20.74
in our personal daily devotions,
and for the fire of God's love
00:32:20.77\00:32:24.47
to grow dim in our hearts.
00:32:24.51\00:32:26.17
Friends, God wants us to
continue walking with Him.
00:32:26.44\00:32:29.21
Amen?
00:32:29.24\00:32:30.58
The mountain top, you
can remember it this way,
00:32:30.61\00:32:32.75
is for inspiration,
but the valley floor is for
00:32:32.95\00:32:36.28
character reformation.
00:32:36.32\00:32:37.92
Christ wants to walk with us.
00:32:38.09\00:32:40.06
And as we go from those
mountain top experiences,
00:32:40.16\00:32:43.39
to carry the fire of His love
burning strong in our hearts
00:32:43.66\00:32:47.43
as we continue in
connection with Him through our
00:32:47.46\00:32:50.63
personal devotional life.
00:32:50.67\00:32:52.57
In the words of James
White, as he explains in 1857
00:32:54.20\00:32:59.27
after the fire had
died out, he said...
00:32:59.31\00:33:02.11
God's people, like the disciples
who couldn't keep themselves
00:33:16.42\00:33:19.79
awake to pray with
Jesus and for Jesus in the
00:33:19.83\00:33:22.23
garden of
Gethsemane, fell back to sleep.
00:33:22.26\00:33:25.97
The sleepiness of their sins.
00:33:26.94\00:33:29.80
And friends, we're
often guilty of the same.
00:33:30.81\00:33:33.48
But by God's grace, now
that He has woken many of us up
00:33:34.41\00:33:39.28
to our condition, the
depravity of our own hearts,
00:33:39.31\00:33:42.95
moment by moment we'll
say, "Lord, I need You."
00:33:43.35\00:33:46.62
The words of the
hymnal say, "I need Thee,
00:33:47.06\00:33:49.02
O I need Thee.
00:33:49.06\00:33:50.69
Every hour I need Thee.
00:33:50.73\00:33:52.73
O bless me now my
Savior, I come to Thee."
00:33:52.96\00:33:56.00
Moment by moment He wants
us to recognize our desperate
00:33:56.16\00:33:59.87
need of Him, to be in
connection with Christ.
00:33:59.90\00:34:02.67
Christ, who is our only hope.
00:34:03.00\00:34:06.34
Friends, they did not
persevere with this message.
00:34:07.98\00:34:12.28
But if they had, the
revival that God had caused
00:34:12.45\00:34:15.82
in His church would have caused
a revival across the world.
00:34:15.85\00:34:20.02
It would have led them to
take the three angels' message,
00:34:20.06\00:34:22.62
the everlasting
gospel, to the entire world.
00:34:22.66\00:34:25.96
And Jesus would have returned.
00:34:25.99\00:34:28.33
The work would
have been finished and
00:34:28.80\00:34:30.50
Christ would have come back.
00:34:30.53\00:34:32.23
And you may be thinking,
"Well that's a bold statement
00:34:33.20\00:34:35.20
if I've ever heard one.
00:34:35.24\00:34:36.57
How does this guy know
with such confidence that
00:34:36.87\00:34:38.61
the loud cry would have
continued and ushered in
00:34:38.64\00:34:41.14
Jesus' return?"
00:34:41.18\00:34:42.51
Well before I explain, remember
that the Laodicean message,
00:34:42.88\00:34:46.41
like the three angel's message,
can be summed up in the phrase,
00:34:46.61\00:34:49.88
"Righteousness by faith."
00:34:49.98\00:34:52.19
It's the everlasting gospel.
00:34:52.39\00:34:54.62
And friends, this was
the message that God was
00:34:55.22\00:34:57.89
preparing the
world to receive in 1857.
00:34:57.93\00:35:01.43
I want to show you from history.
00:35:01.76\00:35:03.30
But first of all, God
gave Ellen White a vision
00:35:03.40\00:35:06.17
in which He outlined His full
plan for giving the Laodicean
00:35:06.20\00:35:09.67
emphasis in the church
right through the subsequent
00:35:09.70\00:35:12.64
issues and events of the
gospel being spread to the world
00:35:12.67\00:35:15.58
and ending with
Jesus' second coming.
00:35:15.61\00:35:18.28
You can study and read
the whole thing if you'd like
00:35:18.71\00:35:20.52
in, Testimonies to
the Church, volume 1.
00:35:20.55\00:35:23.39
But I want to read for
you just one sentence from it
00:35:24.02\00:35:27.26
on page 186.
00:35:27.29\00:35:30.06
Ellen White says this, "And
this message affected the heart.
00:35:30.46\00:35:34.56
It led to deep
humility before God.
00:35:34.73\00:35:37.70
Angels were sent in
every direction to prepare
00:35:37.80\00:35:40.94
unbelieving
hearts for the truth.
00:35:40.97\00:35:42.84
The cause of God began to rise,
and His people were acquainted
00:35:43.27\00:35:47.18
with their position."
00:35:47.38\00:35:48.78
You know, friends, history
shows us that this is exactly
00:35:48.94\00:35:51.81
what happened, though historians
can't really explain it,
00:35:51.85\00:35:54.68
as we're going to see.
00:35:54.72\00:35:56.05
Angels were sent in every
direction to prepare people's
00:35:56.08\00:35:58.89
hearts and minds to
receive the everlasting gospel
00:35:58.92\00:36:02.32
of the three angels' message.
00:36:02.36\00:36:03.99
It is no coincidence
that just a year before this
00:36:04.89\00:36:08.70
God had revealed the
truth of the Laodicean message
00:36:09.00\00:36:11.33
to His remnant church so that
they could wake up to the fact
00:36:11.37\00:36:14.50
that they were spiritually
lukewarm, catch fire for Jesus,
00:36:14.54\00:36:18.07
and give the final call,
the three angels' message,
00:36:18.11\00:36:20.74
to humanity.
00:36:20.78\00:36:22.34
I want to share with you
a few quotes from history
00:36:23.28\00:36:28.12
that sheds some light
on what was happening,
00:36:28.48\00:36:31.22
and that angels were sent out.
00:36:31.25\00:36:34.42
Listen to this, Frank
Beardsley, in his book,
00:36:34.69\00:36:36.83
Religious Progress Through
Religious Revivals, page 39.
00:36:36.86\00:36:39.89
So the churches, many
of the churches in America,
00:36:53.81\00:36:56.24
by and large, most of
them were spiritually dead.
00:36:56.54\00:36:59.81
But something changed.
00:36:59.85\00:37:01.18
Warren Candler,
in his book, says,
00:37:01.62\00:37:03.59
"And now that the wheels
of industry stood still..."
00:37:03.62\00:37:06.05
There was a financial collapse.
00:37:06.09\00:37:08.12
There was a financial challenge.
00:37:08.32\00:37:10.03
And when this happened,
people could finally hear
00:37:10.06\00:37:12.26
the voice of God.
00:37:12.29\00:37:13.63
He says in his book...
00:37:14.13\00:37:15.90
Friends, there was a
national revival called,
00:37:32.58\00:37:35.08
the revival of a
million converts, in 1857.
00:37:35.12\00:37:38.25
And in this revival, many
many people were converted.
00:37:38.45\00:37:42.02
More than thirty percent of
the United States population
00:37:42.49\00:37:46.83
at the time was
converted and gave their lives
00:37:46.86\00:37:49.73
to Jesus Christ.
00:37:49.76\00:37:51.10
Now listen to this amazing
statement that explains to us
00:37:51.37\00:37:55.97
that this was the
result of angels being sent out
00:37:56.00\00:37:59.24
to prepare the world for
the three angels' message.
00:37:59.27\00:38:02.04
Warren Candler, in his book,
00:38:02.24\00:38:03.58
Great Revivals and the
Great Republic, page 189...
00:38:03.61\00:38:06.45
Notice, friends, he
says this was different.
00:38:19.93\00:38:22.63
This revival of a
million converts of 1857,
00:38:22.66\00:38:25.80
it was different in the
sense that there wasn't some
00:38:26.23\00:38:28.97
long neglected doctrine
of grace that was discovered
00:38:29.67\00:38:33.68
and being preached.
00:38:33.71\00:38:35.04
Yet there was this revival.
00:38:35.08\00:38:36.48
Friends, do you know why?
00:38:36.88\00:38:38.21
That long
neglected doctrine of grace,
00:38:38.91\00:38:40.98
that piece of the
puzzle that was missing,
00:38:41.02\00:38:42.92
was the three angels' message.
00:38:42.95\00:38:44.75
The three angels'
message of Revelation 14.
00:38:45.25\00:38:48.59
And it's no coincidence that
God had just woken His people up
00:38:48.62\00:38:51.89
so they could carry
this message to this country,
00:38:51.93\00:38:54.63
and this country could be
a light sending ambassadors
00:38:54.66\00:38:56.80
and missionaries across
the world sharing with them
00:38:56.83\00:39:00.00
the message of the
everlasting gospel.
00:39:00.30\00:39:02.84
Friends, it was the
three angels' message:
00:39:03.17\00:39:05.74
the message that we are to
worship God as our Creator,
00:39:05.77\00:39:08.91
the message that we are
living in the judgment hour
00:39:09.01\00:39:10.95
of earth's history,
00:39:10.98\00:39:12.31
the message of the
seventh day Sabbath,
00:39:12.35\00:39:13.85
the message to
come out of Babylon,
00:39:14.28\00:39:16.62
and the warning not to
take the mark of the beast.
00:39:16.82\00:39:19.55
The message of the
everlasting gospel.
00:39:19.65\00:39:22.42
This was the
message that God sent angels
00:39:22.52\00:39:25.33
to prepare people to receive.
00:39:25.36\00:39:27.70
And we missed it.
00:39:29.36\00:39:30.93
We dropped the ball.
00:39:32.17\00:39:33.50
We missed our opportunity.
00:39:34.57\00:39:37.21
Time went on.
00:39:38.14\00:39:39.47
Time went on, and
God's church continued.
00:39:40.18\00:39:42.64
The preaching in many of
the churches became dry as the
00:39:44.18\00:39:47.12
hills of Gilboa, we're told.
00:39:47.15\00:39:49.35
There was an emphasis
often, and especially the 1880's
00:39:49.38\00:39:52.99
in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, on the law.
00:39:53.02\00:39:55.36
And friends, you know,
Jesus says in John 5:39,
00:39:55.52\00:39:59.33
"You search the Scriptures,
for in them you think
00:39:59.36\00:40:01.30
you have eternal life; and these
are they which testify of Me."
00:40:01.33\00:40:05.70
Friends, the Bible is
all about Jesus Christ,
00:40:06.00\00:40:08.27
and God's law is
centered in Christ.
00:40:08.30\00:40:10.51
Amen?
00:40:10.54\00:40:11.87
You know, one of my
favorite quotes says...
00:40:11.97\00:40:15.24
Sometimes people say,
00:40:15.44\00:40:16.78
"Well, let's not
preach about doctrines.
00:40:16.81\00:40:18.25
Let's just preach Jesus."
00:40:18.28\00:40:19.88
But friends, every true
and biblical doctrine...
00:40:20.02\00:40:22.48
And doctrine
just means teaching.
00:40:22.52\00:40:23.89
Every true biblical doctrine
has Christ at the center.
00:40:23.92\00:40:28.49
Every last one of them.
00:40:28.82\00:40:30.36
And you cannot preach
truth without preaching Jesus.
00:40:30.39\00:40:33.23
You may preach the form of
it, but if it's missing Christ,
00:40:33.40\00:40:36.53
friends, it's
dry and it's empty.
00:40:36.56\00:40:38.70
But true doctrine, true
teaching, always has Christ
00:40:39.03\00:40:42.90
at the very center.
00:40:42.94\00:40:44.37
Christ was not at the
center of the preaching
00:40:46.14\00:40:49.44
in many places for some time.
00:40:49.48\00:40:51.35
And God sent the message
of righteousness by faith
00:40:52.51\00:40:55.38
again to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church in 1888
00:40:55.42\00:40:59.85
in Minneapolis at
the General Conference.
00:40:59.95\00:41:02.22
Revivals again took place
in different pockets of the
00:41:02.59\00:41:05.63
Seventh-day Adventist
Church, but by and large
00:41:05.66\00:41:08.03
the message was
not received by many.
00:41:08.13\00:41:11.83
Now many revivals started
to take place in little places,
00:41:12.57\00:41:16.07
but as these revivals
took place, months later
00:41:16.10\00:41:20.28
they did not persevere.
00:41:20.54\00:41:22.18
And once again, once
again, the fire in their hearts
00:41:22.41\00:41:28.02
died out.
00:41:28.05\00:41:29.72
It started
burning dimmer and dimmer.
00:41:29.75\00:41:32.15
You know, God gave
Ellen White a vision
00:41:34.36\00:41:36.36
after the General
Conference session in 1901.
00:41:36.73\00:41:40.40
And in this vision...
00:41:41.00\00:41:42.96
By the way, you
know, the team here at 3ABN
00:41:43.00\00:41:46.33
has decided to air it.
00:41:46.37\00:41:47.70
And to my knowledge, it's the
first time this is ever being
00:41:47.74\00:41:49.87
aired on satellite television.
00:41:49.90\00:41:52.24
This is a powerful re-enactment
that the General Conference
00:41:52.27\00:41:55.64
of Seventh-day Adventists
has just put out of this vision.
00:41:55.68\00:41:59.45
And don't miss it.
00:41:59.61\00:42:00.95
It's going to be on
right after this message.
00:42:00.98\00:42:02.98
And it could change
the direction of your life.
00:42:03.15\00:42:06.02
Friends, it's powerful.
00:42:06.05\00:42:07.82
Now this GC
session in 1901 took place.
00:42:09.06\00:42:12.89
And afterward, Ellen
White received this vision.
00:42:12.93\00:42:15.76
And in this vision,
she was there in the
00:42:15.96\00:42:17.77
General Conference meeting.
00:42:17.80\00:42:19.17
And as someone was
preaching, a brother stood up
00:42:19.43\00:42:22.17
and he said, "You know,
I understand and recognize
00:42:22.64\00:42:28.31
that the
Laodicean message is for me.
00:42:28.58\00:42:31.25
I've been lukewarm.
00:42:31.71\00:42:33.25
I have been unkind.
00:42:33.85\00:42:35.45
I have been
unchristian to my brother."
00:42:35.48\00:42:37.79
And he went to his
brother and he said,
00:42:37.82\00:42:40.39
"Would you forgive me
for speaking bad about you
00:42:40.42\00:42:43.29
behind your back, and
even being harsh to you?"
00:42:43.53\00:42:46.53
The brother took his hand and he
embraced him and gave him a hug.
00:42:46.80\00:42:49.66
And he said, "I
have been wrong too.
00:42:49.76\00:42:51.87
Forgive me."
00:42:52.03\00:42:53.37
Friends, this started
to take place all over.
00:42:53.77\00:42:56.37
Different people
started standing up
00:42:56.47\00:42:58.11
and going to each
other, making things right,
00:42:58.14\00:43:00.41
mending broken relationships.
00:43:00.44\00:43:02.81
It was a beautiful time.
00:43:03.18\00:43:04.51
The Holy Spirit was poured out.
00:43:04.55\00:43:06.48
And the work was being
prepared to be finished.
00:43:07.92\00:43:11.49
God's church was, they
were right with each other.
00:43:11.65\00:43:14.02
They were in unity, that
unity that Jesus prayed for
00:43:14.06\00:43:16.62
in truth and in love.
00:43:16.66\00:43:18.16
And they were ready to
take this message to the world.
00:43:18.26\00:43:20.80
And then Ellen
White came out of vision.
00:43:21.63\00:43:24.10
The angel told her, "No,
this didn't really happen.
00:43:25.23\00:43:28.90
All of this might have been.
00:43:30.84\00:43:32.97
All of this might have been."
00:43:33.61\00:43:35.38
But friends, people did not
actually humble their hearts
00:43:35.51\00:43:38.65
at that meeting and confess
their wrongs to each other.
00:43:38.85\00:43:42.55
You know, this upcoming
General Conference session,
00:43:43.35\00:43:45.45
some major
decisions are being made.
00:43:45.49\00:43:47.69
At every theological
crossroad in God's church,
00:43:48.09\00:43:52.86
it's more than a
test of theology.
00:43:53.06\00:43:55.60
It's a test of character.
00:43:55.83\00:43:57.63
If we disagree with
someone, how do we treat them?
00:43:58.20\00:44:01.24
If they have taken a
different position to us,
00:44:01.60\00:44:03.67
do we do our best
to speak kindly to them
00:44:03.71\00:44:05.84
and kindly about them?
00:44:05.87\00:44:07.34
You know, on this very issue,
here in this very building
00:44:07.81\00:44:13.05
a few years ago, I
saw the beautiful example
00:44:13.08\00:44:15.92
of two preachers, men
of God, who hold different
00:44:15.95\00:44:20.16
positions on this specific topic
that's going to be addressed
00:44:20.56\00:44:24.66
at this General
Conference session.
00:44:24.69\00:44:26.56
And they embraced each other.
00:44:26.76\00:44:28.43
And they said,
"You know, I appreciate
00:44:28.76\00:44:30.77
your ministry, brother."
00:44:30.80\00:44:32.13
And the other said,
"I appreciate yours too.
00:44:32.17\00:44:33.57
Praise God for what
He is doing through you."
00:44:33.60\00:44:36.24
And friends, every theological
crossroad is more than
00:44:36.54\00:44:40.41
a test of theology.
00:44:40.44\00:44:41.78
Theology is important,
God's Word is very important,
00:44:41.81\00:44:45.31
but it's a test of character.
00:44:45.55\00:44:47.25
Always remember, most
of the sinning that we do
00:44:47.48\00:44:50.22
is when we think
we're in the right,
00:44:50.25\00:44:52.19
or when we are in the right.
00:44:52.22\00:44:53.86
Because we think that
we can say something...
00:44:53.99\00:44:57.09
And think about this in
your family relationships.
00:44:57.13\00:44:59.49
When you're
convinced that you're right
00:44:59.59\00:45:01.10
and your spouse is
wrong, you feel like you have
00:45:01.13\00:45:03.37
the right to say it
how ever you want to
00:45:03.40\00:45:05.27
to get the point across.
00:45:05.37\00:45:06.70
Much of the sinning that we
do is when we are in the right.
00:45:07.04\00:45:10.44
But God wants us to have right
theology and a right spirit.
00:45:10.57\00:45:15.54
That is God's
desire for His people.
00:45:15.98\00:45:18.11
After this General
Conference session in 1901,
00:45:19.05\00:45:22.22
God gave us another
glimpse of how He wants to take
00:45:22.32\00:45:24.85
the everlasting gospel to
the world through His church.
00:45:24.89\00:45:28.49
There was a
Welsh Revival of 1904.
00:45:28.99\00:45:31.73
And I want to share with you
what God did in this revival.
00:45:31.76\00:45:34.46
It was incredible.
00:45:34.50\00:45:35.83
Quoting from the book,
Adventism's Greatest Need,
00:45:35.86\00:45:37.83
chapter 5, and this is
amazing, listen to this...
00:45:37.87\00:45:40.87
"...not a case to try;
no robberies, no burglaries,
00:45:55.62\00:45:58.92
no rapes, no
murders, no embezzlements.
00:45:59.12\00:46:01.42
Crime had simply stopped..."
00:46:01.72\00:46:04.59
Friends, it had been
a tremendous revival.
00:46:33.09\00:46:35.82
Listen to this, "In Wales,
one of every ten citizens..."
00:46:36.06\00:46:38.93
Friends, God again
wanted the three angels' message
00:46:57.08\00:47:00.38
to go across the entire world.
00:47:00.42\00:47:02.28
This was one of the
greatest revivals in the history
00:47:02.32\00:47:04.92
of the English speaking world.
00:47:05.12\00:47:09.92
And God wanted to use it to
take it to the entire world.
00:47:09.96\00:47:13.80
The question comes sometimes,
how are we going to reach
00:47:14.73\00:47:18.03
everyone on the planet?
00:47:18.07\00:47:19.90
Did you realize that 4.45
people are born every second
00:47:20.80\00:47:25.51
on average worldwide?
00:47:25.54\00:47:26.91
And an average of 1.8
people die every second.
00:47:27.24\00:47:30.18
And that averages out to
2.65 more people on planet earth
00:47:30.21\00:47:34.18
every second.
00:47:34.22\00:47:35.55
We have ten more people
on the planet than we did
00:47:39.09\00:47:41.66
when I started snapping.
00:47:41.69\00:47:43.19
The population is
growing incredibly.
00:47:43.73\00:47:45.89
So when people say, "How
are we going to share the gospel
00:47:45.93\00:47:49.10
with the entire
world; how is it possible?"
00:47:49.13\00:47:51.00
And friends, it is
humanly impossible.
00:47:51.03\00:47:53.80
But with God, all
things are possible.
00:47:53.97\00:47:57.34
And it will happen.
00:47:57.37\00:47:59.27
Friends, when the latter rain
begins falling in its fullness,
00:47:59.47\00:48:02.54
all those precious seeds
of truth that have been sown
00:48:02.64\00:48:05.15
into receptive hearts are
going to come to fruition.
00:48:05.18\00:48:08.42
All those tracts
that have been handed out,
00:48:08.85\00:48:10.39
the sermons that people
have listened to and shared,
00:48:10.42\00:48:13.12
downloaded, the
prayers that have been sent up
00:48:13.32\00:48:15.96
for loved ones, many of
them will bear precious fruit.
00:48:15.99\00:48:19.66
And God will bring to fruition
the seed that He has sown
00:48:19.69\00:48:23.57
in our hearts
and people's hearts.
00:48:23.67\00:48:25.63
Friends, thousands will
be joining God's movement
00:48:25.83\00:48:28.50
in a single day.
00:48:28.54\00:48:29.97
We wonder, "How is the gospel
going to go into these countries
00:48:30.17\00:48:32.51
that are closed
to Christianity?"
00:48:32.54\00:48:34.64
Friends, when the Holy
Spirit falls in the fullness of
00:48:34.91\00:48:37.61
the latter rain, God
will do things more miraculous
00:48:37.65\00:48:40.75
than we have ever imagined.
00:48:40.78\00:48:42.12
In Acts 8:26 and onward,
we read this story of the
00:48:42.22\00:48:45.49
Ethiopian eunuch
who Philip baptized.
00:48:45.52\00:48:48.02
The Bible says that after
they went down into the water,
00:48:48.06\00:48:50.83
after the eunuch was baptized,
he came up from the water
00:48:50.86\00:48:54.46
and Philip had disappeared.
00:48:54.86\00:48:57.13
The Bible says the
Holy Spirit caught him away
00:48:57.23\00:48:59.73
and he was found at Azotus,
which is about 10 miles away.
00:48:59.93\00:49:03.61
Friends, the Holy
Spirit transported Philip.
00:49:03.81\00:49:05.84
And in the last days, we
know that the latter rain
00:49:06.11\00:49:08.51
will be even greater than the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit
00:49:08.54\00:49:10.95
in the early rain of the
New Testament church in Acts.
00:49:10.98\00:49:14.28
Friends, God will finish
the work with miraculous power.
00:49:14.88\00:49:18.75
And we're
already seeing it happen.
00:49:19.09\00:49:22.32
We are seeing the
drops of the latter rain.
00:49:22.66\00:49:24.96
Not far from here in a
state nearby, not long ago,
00:49:25.69\00:49:30.57
there was a family who
were an immigrant family
00:49:30.80\00:49:34.34
from a Muslim country.
00:49:34.37\00:49:36.24
And they had their children,
because of a scholarship
00:49:36.54\00:49:39.97
that this conference had
set up, they were able to
00:49:40.01\00:49:42.74
send their children
for free for the first year
00:49:42.78\00:49:45.45
to a Seventh-day
Adventist school.
00:49:45.61\00:49:47.52
And this family was asked
by two ladies of the church,
00:49:48.05\00:49:51.02
the parents, if
they were interested in
00:49:51.12\00:49:52.62
having Bible studies.
00:49:52.65\00:49:54.16
And this family of a Muslim
background said, "Well, yes.
00:49:54.42\00:49:57.89
We'd be happy to."
00:49:57.93\00:49:59.26
So the first day the
ladies said, "Well, what should
00:49:59.33\00:50:01.30
we study with them?"
00:50:01.33\00:50:02.66
And they said, "What
about Daniel chapter 2?"
00:50:02.70\00:50:04.53
And they said, "Well,
no, that story of the statue,
00:50:04.83\00:50:07.04
it's got a story of a king,
an angry king, from Babylon,
00:50:07.07\00:50:12.44
which is the Middle East.
00:50:12.47\00:50:13.84
Let's start with
something like prayer."
00:50:13.88\00:50:16.04
And so they go to the house
and they knock on the door,
00:50:16.51\00:50:19.31
and the husband answers.
00:50:19.81\00:50:21.15
And he looks really
upset for some reason.
00:50:21.18\00:50:23.25
And he said, "Oh,
come in, come in."
00:50:23.49\00:50:26.86
And he invited
them to have a seat.
00:50:27.12\00:50:28.86
And then he said, "You know,
last night I had this dream.
00:50:29.19\00:50:33.03
And as I was in my
dream, I was standing there.
00:50:33.46\00:50:37.47
And in the distance
I saw this large stone
00:50:37.57\00:50:41.14
flying through the air.
00:50:41.17\00:50:42.54
And it was coming
closer and closer.
00:50:42.67\00:50:44.34
And it was about to
strike me on my feet.
00:50:44.37\00:50:46.61
And then I woke up.
00:50:46.81\00:50:48.14
Can you tell me
what my dream means?"
00:50:48.81\00:50:51.31
Friends, they opened
up to Daniel chapter 2
00:50:52.51\00:50:54.78
and they said,
"Let's study together."
00:50:54.98\00:50:56.89
The next week they
knocked on the door.
00:50:57.75\00:50:59.55
And the wife answered,
the husband wasn't home.
00:50:59.59\00:51:01.89
And this woman invited
them in and they sat down,
00:51:02.36\00:51:06.29
and she said, "You know, last
night I had a dream that was
00:51:06.33\00:51:08.10
so real, I was so scared.
00:51:08.13\00:51:11.00
ISIS was coming
and our house was next.
00:51:11.03\00:51:13.90
And I knew it,
and I was so afraid.
00:51:13.94\00:51:16.10
And then I looked to
my right and I saw a man.
00:51:17.21\00:51:19.77
A tall man with white
hair and a white beard,
00:51:20.44\00:51:24.21
and the whitest
white robe I've ever seen.
00:51:24.25\00:51:27.05
And he smiled at me and
he said, 'Don't be afraid.
00:51:28.05\00:51:31.15
I'll give you my robe
and it will cover you.
00:51:31.65\00:51:34.62
And when it
does, you'll be safe.
00:51:34.66\00:51:36.42
They won't be able to see you.'"
00:51:36.46\00:51:38.16
She said she, in the
dream, took his hands and she
00:51:38.49\00:51:42.06
looked and saw that there were
holes in the top of his hands.
00:51:42.10\00:51:44.90
She turned them over and
saw that these holes went
00:51:45.40\00:51:47.34
all the way through.
00:51:47.37\00:51:48.70
And she said, she told
these ladies, "Can you tell me
00:51:48.74\00:51:52.04
who that man in my dream was?"
00:51:52.07\00:51:54.18
They opened up to Revelation
1 and they told this woman
00:51:56.08\00:51:59.11
about Jesus.
00:51:59.15\00:52:00.48
Friends, we're
seeing the beginning.
00:52:00.85\00:52:02.65
God is going to finish the work.
00:52:02.88\00:52:05.65
People who are earnestly seeking
truth with all of their hearts
00:52:06.45\00:52:09.46
are hearing the
truth of the gospel.
00:52:10.03\00:52:11.49
God is doing everything He
can to win the world to Himself,
00:52:11.53\00:52:16.06
so the work can be done,
so Jesus can take us home.
00:52:16.33\00:52:21.50
Friends, the gospel is going
to go forth to all the world.
00:52:22.00\00:52:25.87
What will it take?
00:52:28.54\00:52:30.08
What will it take?
00:52:31.25\00:52:32.58
It's going to take all that
we have and all that we are.
00:52:33.52\00:52:38.42
Friends, nothing but a
complete surrender will do.
00:52:39.25\00:52:42.42
God wants to use us who
have been changed by the
00:52:43.12\00:52:46.73
everlasting gospel to take
it to the dying world around us.
00:52:46.76\00:52:51.00
Friends, we've been
called, we have been chosen.
00:52:52.20\00:52:55.40
Will we be faithful?
00:52:56.07\00:52:57.67
If not us, then who?
00:52:59.67\00:53:02.88
If not now, then when?
00:53:04.78\00:53:07.35
You know, we say we
want Jesus to return.
00:53:09.78\00:53:12.15
Do you want Jesus to return?
00:53:12.62\00:53:14.16
Amen. So do I.
00:53:14.59\00:53:16.06
But often times we say, you
know, "I want Jesus to return.
00:53:16.66\00:53:18.76
Lord, I want you to come back.
00:53:18.79\00:53:20.13
But let me finish
college first, and get a job
00:53:20.16\00:53:23.33
and work for a little
while, and then come back."
00:53:23.37\00:53:25.63
And then we think, "You
know, Lord, I've been working
00:53:26.43\00:53:29.14
for a little while, I
really want you to return,
00:53:29.17\00:53:31.34
but I just want to find
that special someone first
00:53:31.37\00:53:34.64
and get married.
00:53:34.68\00:53:36.21
And then You can
come back, Lord Jesus."
00:53:36.24\00:53:38.38
And then it's, "Lord, I just
want to have a child, just one.
00:53:39.55\00:53:43.49
And then You can come back."
00:53:43.82\00:53:45.49
And eventually it becomes,
"Lord, I'm almost to retirement.
00:53:46.89\00:53:49.92
Just let me get there, and
then come back, Lord Jesus."
00:53:50.03\00:53:53.19
"Lord, just one
grandchild, and then come back."
00:53:55.20\00:53:57.73
Friends, I want to
say something strong.
00:53:59.37\00:54:01.34
And the Lord brought
this home to my heart.
00:54:01.37\00:54:03.44
Aside for the reason
of loved ones who are not
00:54:05.07\00:54:08.11
ready for His return, if we
do not want Jesus to come back
00:54:08.14\00:54:13.98
right now, we don't
really want Him to come back.
00:54:14.08\00:54:18.02
Unless we've come to the
point where we want Jesus
00:54:19.19\00:54:22.19
to come back more than anything,
we want to spend eternity
00:54:22.22\00:54:25.16
with our precious Lord
and Savior more than anything
00:54:25.19\00:54:28.23
that this world has to
offer, even the good things,
00:54:28.26\00:54:30.93
unless we want that more,
00:54:31.37\00:54:33.30
we have to ask ourselves, "Do
I really want Him to come back?"
00:54:34.14\00:54:37.04
What will it take?
00:54:38.67\00:54:40.01
What will it
take so He can return?
00:54:41.01\00:54:43.01
It's going to take us
committing all that we have
00:54:44.15\00:54:47.52
and all that we are.
00:54:48.15\00:54:49.58
Today the Lord has
spoken to your hearts.
00:54:53.02\00:54:58.06
And you've recognized, you know,
"There's someone in my life
00:54:58.79\00:55:01.96
who I need to reconcile with.
00:55:02.00\00:55:03.97
There's someone
who I have hurt."
00:55:04.93\00:55:07.14
Or maybe
someone who has hurt you
00:55:07.17\00:55:08.50
and you feel they
owe you an apology,
00:55:08.54\00:55:10.34
and you need to forgive them.
00:55:10.37\00:55:12.11
Friend, if there's someone you
know you need to reconcile with,
00:55:13.11\00:55:16.31
and you want to say in this
moment, "Lord, I want nothing
00:55:16.71\00:55:19.51
to be between my
soul and the Savior.
00:55:19.55\00:55:21.68
I want there to be
nothing between myself and my
00:55:22.25\00:55:24.82
brother or sister in Christ."
00:55:24.85\00:55:26.52
And you want to commit right now
to say, "Lord, in Your strength,
00:55:27.22\00:55:31.33
by Your grace, I will make
things right with that person."
00:55:31.43\00:55:35.70
I want to invite
you to raise your hands.
00:55:36.16\00:55:38.10
Amen, this is a
pledge to the Lord to say,
00:55:38.87\00:55:40.64
"God, I'm surrendering.
00:55:40.67\00:55:42.37
I need Your help to do this.
00:55:42.40\00:55:44.27
But I know You'll
give me strength."
00:55:44.31\00:55:45.97
Amen. Amen.
00:55:46.17\00:55:48.11
Friend, if you have a
close family member or friend
00:55:50.75\00:55:54.78
who you know, you want
Jesus to come back, but
00:55:54.82\00:55:57.95
you know that were He
to come back right now,
00:55:57.99\00:56:00.92
they would not be saved,
00:56:00.96\00:56:03.36
and you want to say a
special prayer for them,
00:56:04.13\00:56:06.56
I want to invite you to
stand where you are right now.
00:56:07.33\00:56:10.00
We're going to have a special
prayer time here together
00:56:10.03\00:56:12.30
for those who God has
brought into our lives
00:56:12.67\00:56:14.54
who are not
ready for His return.
00:56:14.57\00:56:16.50
Praise the Lord.
00:56:17.27\00:56:18.61
We want to pray that God
will bring them to Himself,
00:56:20.01\00:56:23.48
that they'll be ready to go
home for eternity with Christ,
00:56:24.51\00:56:28.62
they'll give
their hearts to Him.
00:56:29.48\00:56:30.82
Friends, the king's heart
is in the hand of the Lord.
00:56:30.85\00:56:34.76
Like the rivers of water,
He turns it wherever He wants.
00:56:34.79\00:56:37.76
God can answer those prayers.
00:56:38.19\00:56:40.23
Would you like to say, "Lord,
I'm going to pray for others,
00:56:43.00\00:56:46.03
but here I am.
00:56:46.07\00:56:47.40
I've not given
everything to You.
00:56:48.34\00:56:50.77
There's something still
in my life that has not been
00:56:51.47\00:56:55.04
completely surrendered."
00:56:55.08\00:56:56.41
And you want to say,
"God, here is all of me."
00:56:56.44\00:57:00.12
I want to invite you to
raise your hand where you are.
00:57:00.15\00:57:02.18
Amen.
00:57:03.59\00:57:04.92
Let's pray together.
00:57:04.95\00:57:06.29
Our Father and our God,
thank You that Your patience,
00:57:08.86\00:57:14.93
Your delay is for our salvation,
the salvation of those we love.
00:57:14.96\00:57:18.67
Come soon, Lord Jesus.
00:57:19.27\00:57:20.87
Take this beautiful
gospel, the life transforming
00:57:21.24\00:57:23.91
powerful
gospel, to all the world
00:57:23.94\00:57:26.34
so that Jesus can come
soon and we can go home.
00:57:27.18\00:57:29.91
In Jesus name we pray, amen.
00:57:30.75\00:57:33.31