Participants: Pr. Chris Buttery
Series Code: CSH
Program Code: CSH021339
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00:01 (MUSIC)
00:47 >>WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO CENTRAL SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. 00:51 WE WELCOME YOU TO THOSE THAT ARE JOINING US LIVE ON THE INTERNET 00:54 THIS MORNING. THOSE THAT ARE JOINING US ACROSS 00:57 THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD, AND RIGHT HERE IN OUR 01:00 SANCTUARY, WELCOME AND IT IS BY NO ACCIDENT THAT YOU HAVE 01:04 JOINED US TO STUDY GOD'S WORD TOGETHER. 01:07 AS WE USUALLY DO, WE SING TOGETHER BEFORE WE JUMP INTO 01:11 GOD'S WORD WITH OUR PASTOR AND TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION - HYMN 01:15 #462 - 'BLESSED ASSURANCE JESUS IS MINE'. 01:20 THIS COMES AS A REQUEST FROM RAQUEL IN BELIZE, 01:23 LOUISA IN CANADA, KERYL IN FRANCE, SVEINBJORN IN ICELAND, 01:30 AND RICHIE IN NEW ZEALAND. HYMN #462 - 01:34 WE'RE GOING TO SING ALL THREE VERSES. 01:36 (MUSIC) 03:19 >>WHAT A PRIVILEGE WE HAVE THAT THAT IS OUR STORY AND 03:22 THAT IS OUR SONG AND WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE AND THE HONOR TO SHARE 03:26 THAT ALL OVER WITH EVERY PERSON THAT WE COME IN CONTACT WITH. 03:30 WHETHER IT'S AT THE GROCERY STORE, WHETHER IT'S IN CHURCH, 03:33 WHETHER IT'S AT WORK - WHEREVER WE ARE - WE CAN SPREAD THE LOVE 03:36 OF JESUS AND TELL THEM OUR STORY, AMEN? IF YOU HAVE A 03:41 SPECIAL HYMN - A FAVORITE HYMN - THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SING WITH US 03:44 ON A COMING STUDY TOGETHER, IT'S VERY SIMPLE. YOU JUST GO TO 03:47 OUR WEBSITE AT 'SACCENTRAL.ORG', YOU CLICK ON THE 'CONTACT US' 03:51 LINK AND THERE YOU CAN REQUEST ANY SONG IN OUR HYMNAL AND WE 03:55 WILL SING THAT WITH YOU ON A COMING STUDY TOGETHER. 04:00 AS YOU - THOSE OF YOU THAT TUNE IN VERY REGULARLY, YOU KNOW THAT 04:04 WE ARE MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE HYMNAL AND TODAY OUR NEW 04:07 HYMN IS HYMN #70 AND THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT A NEW HYMN TO ME, 04:11 I HAVE BEEN SINGING THIS SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. 04:14 HYMN #70 - 'PRAISE YE THE FATHER'. 04:17 THIS COMES AS A REQUEST FROM JAMES IN CHILE, IMMANUEL IN 04:20 MALAYSIA, HOWARD AND DIANE IN MISSISSIPPI, KEN AND VERNA IN 04:24 NEW HAMPSHIRE, JOHN IN OKLAHOMA, AND DOLORES IN PERU. 04:28 HYMN #70 AND WE'LL SING ALL THREE VERSES. 04:31 (MUSIC) 05:23 >>LET'S PRAY. OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, IT IS AN AMAZING 05:28 PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO COME BEFORE YOU AND CALL YOU OUR 05:30 FATHER AND OUR SAVIOR. AND SO, AS WE OPEN YOUR WORD, 05:35 LORD, JUST SPEAK TO US - SPEAK TO US AND HELP US TO HEAR. 05:39 GIVE US EARS TO HEAR. GIVE US EYES TO SEE YOU MORE CLEARLY. 05:44 WE JUST THANK YOU THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR 05:48 LOVE AROUND THE WORLD. LORD, HELP US NOT TO BE ASHAMED. 05:52 HELP US TO JUST GO BOLDLY BEFORE THE THRONE AND SPREAD YOUR WORD 05:57 SO THAT YOU CAN COME SOON. WE THANK YOU THAT YOUR PROMISES 06:00 ARE TRUE AND THAT YOU ARE TRUE AND FAITHFUL AND THAT WE WILL 06:04 SEE YOU SOON. PLEASE BE WITH PASTOR CHRIS THIS 06:07 MORNING AS HE OPENS YOUR WORD TO US. LORD, JUST FILL US WITH 06:10 YOUR SPIRIT THAT WE CAN BE MORE LIKE YOU. 06:13 I PRAY THESE THINGS IN YOUR NAME, AMEN. 06:17 OUR STUDY THIS MORNING WILL BE BROUGHT TO US BY 06:19 PASTOR CHRIS BUTTERY AND HE IS THE FAMILY LIFE EVANGELISM 06:24 PASTOR HERE AT SACRAMENTO CENTRAL. 06:31 >>THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD MORNING. 06:34 EVERYONE SOUNDED TERRIFIC THIS MORNING - NOT THAT YOU DON'T 06:40 SOUND TERRIFIC EVERY SABBATH MORNING. 06:42 THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR SONG TEAM AND CHORUS TEAM AND 06:47 MUSICIANS AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S PITCHING IN. 06:54 AND THANK YOU FOR SINGING SO NICELY THIS MORNING. 07:01 WE WANT TO WELCOME YOU AND ALSO WELCOME OUR ONLINE VIEWERS AND 07:07 THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING BY TV OR HEARING BY RADIO. 07:12 JUST GLAD THAT WE COULD ALL BE SITTING HERE TOGETHER - 07:15 EVEN IF YOU'RE VIEWING - AND STUDY GOD'S WORD. 07:18 WHAT AN AWESOME THING TO DO. I WANT TO MAKE SURE AS WE GET 07:22 STARTED HERE THAT WE SEND OUT TO OUR VIEWERS - LET THEM KNOW 07:27 ABOUT OUR FREE OFFER AND IT'S THE LITTLE POCKETBOOK 'LIFE IN 07:31 THE SPIRIT' BY JOE CREWS AND IT'S OFFER #155 AND YOU CAN 07:38 COLLECT THIS - THIS LITTLE BOOKLET BY CALLING IN AT 07:41 1-866-STUDY-MORE OR 1-866-788-3966. 07:48 SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU ALONG AND GLAD THAT OUR AUDIENCE IS HERE 07:52 AND CONGREGATION IS HERE SO WE CAN STUDY TOGETHER. 07:54 WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING INTO OUR FINAL - IT'S KIND OF A 07:56 BITTERSWEET - GOING INTO OUR FINAL LESSON THIS MORNING ON 08:00 THIS QUARTER'S SABBATH SCHOOL QUARTERLY, 'REVIVAL AND 08:04 REFORMATION' AND EVEN THOUGH WE'RE GOING TO - IT'S GOING TO 08:09 COME TO A CLOSE THIS PARTICULAR QUARTER, THE WORK'S NOT DONE, 08:15 AND IT'S NOT ALL FINISHED UNTIL WE ACTUALLY SEE JESUS COMING IN 08:19 THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN, AMEN? SURE. AND WE'RE GOING TO - 08:23 WE'RE GOING TO GO RIGHT INTO OUR STUDY HERE THIS MORNING - 08:25 IT'S A GOOD ONE - THE PROMISED REVIVAL, 'GOD'S MISSION 08:29 COMPLETED' AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. 08:33 WE'VE GOT OUR MEMORY TEXT HERE AND IT'S JAMES CHAPTER 5, VERSES 08:37 7 AND 8 AND WE WANT TO READ THIS TOGETHER. 08:42 IF YOU'VE GOT IT THERE IN YOUR QUARTERLY IT'S FROM THE NEW KING 08:45 JAMES VERSION - JAMES CHAPTER 5, VERSES 7 AND 8. 08:49 IT SAYS - AND IF YOU COULD READ WITH ME - "THEREFORE BE PATIENT, 08:52 BRETHREN, UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD. 08:55 SEE HOW THE FARMER WAITS FOR THE PRECIOUS FRUIT OF THE EARTH, 08:59 WAITING PATIENTLY FOR IT UNTIL IT RECEIVES THE EARLY 09:03 AND LATTER RAIN. YOU ALSO BE PATIENT. 09:07 ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS, FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND." 09:12 SO WE'LL - WE'LL LOOK AT A LITTLE BIT OF THAT HERE THIS 09:16 MORNING AS WE STUDY ABOUT GOD'S WORK COMPLETED - GOD'S COMPLETED 09:21 MISSION AND PROMISED REVIVAL. YOU PROBABLY READ IN THE NEWS, 09:27 JUST HERE RECENTLY, ABOUT A 64-YEAR-OLD LADY BY THE NAME OF 09:34 DIANA NYAD - IN THE - IT TOOK A PROMINENT PLACE, AS A MATTER OF 09:42 FACT, IN THE NEWS, EVEN CONSIDERING THE CHALLENGES 09:46 TAKING PLACE OVER THERE IN SYRIA AND SO FORTH. 09:49 BUT DIANA NYAD MADE HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST PERSON TO 09:53 SWIM FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA AND SHE DID IT AT THE AGE OF 64 AND 09:59 SHE DID IT IN 53 HOURS. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME A LITTLE 10:02 BIT LONGER, HOW ABOUT YOU? 53 HOURS - SHE'S A LONG-DISTANCE 10:07 SWIMMER SO I GUESS SHE JUST PREPS AND DOES THINGS LIKE THIS 10:10 AND SHE DECIDED SHE'D GO AHEAD AND TRY THIS - AS A MATTER OF 10:13 FACT, THIS WAS HER FIFTH TRY AND SHE DID IT THIS TIME. 10:17 ANOTHER TIME SHE WAS PREVENTED FROM GETTING ACROSS BECAUSE 10:20 SHE'D BEEN STUNG SEVERELY BY SOME JELLYFISH AND COULDN'T 10:23 FINISH IT. BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF CHALLENGES. 10:26 ON A SUNDAY NIGHT, APPARENTLY, SHE WAS FEELING PRETTY COLD SO 10:32 HER TRAINERS - THOSE THAT WERE WITH HER - BY THE WAY, SHE DID 10:36 THIS WITHOUT A CAGE. SHE DID THIS WITHOUT A CAGE. 10:40 IT WASN'T - IT WAS BACK IN 1997 THAT AN AUSTRALIAN - AND IT'S 10:45 NOT FAIR WHEN AN AMERICAN JUST SIMPLY OUTDOES AN AUSTRALIAN 10:48 LIKE THIS, BUT BACK THERE IN 1997 AUSTRALIAN SUSIE MARONEY 10:54 CROSSED ACROSS THE STRAIT AND SHE DID THAT WITH A CAGE - THE 11:01 FLORIDA STRAIT - SHE DID THAT WITH A CAGE. 11:03 BUT DIANA DIDN'T DO IT WITH A CAGE AND SHE MADE IT ACROSS. 11:07 SUNDAY NIGHT SHE HAD A BIT OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE SHE WAS 11:10 FEELING COLD SO HER TRAINERS DECIDED NOT TO FEED HER AND - 11:14 BECAUSE THEY FIGURED IF SHE WOULD KEEP SWIMMING SHE'D STAY 11:18 WARM, YOU SEE. SHE ALSO HAD SWOLLEN LIPS AND A SWOLLEN 11:22 TONGUE BECAUSE OF THE SUN AND THE SEA WATER AND SHE HAD 11:26 ABRASIONS TO HER MOUTH BECAUSE OF A SPECIAL SILICONE MASK THAT 11:30 WAS MEANT TO KEEP THE JELLYFISH AT BAY. BUT SHE COMPLETED - 11:36 SHE COMPLETED HER GOAL - SHE COMPLETED HER TASK AND SHE WAS 11:39 PRETTY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. IF YOU WATCH THE NEWS CLIPS SHE 11:43 WAS PRETTY EXCITED AND, YOU KNOW, TALKED TO THE NEWS 11:49 BEEN HER GOAL FOR THE LONGEST SHE COMPLETED TIME.HING THAT HAD 11:51 THERE SEEMS TO BE, IN THE HUMAN SPIRIT, AN INNER DRIVE TO 11:56 COMPLETE WHAT WE START, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF US MAY NOT 12:01 COMPLETE SOME THINGS WE STARTED, WE FEEL KIND OF BAD ABOUT THAT 12:05 AND WISH WE HAD FINISHED WHAT WE STARTED. 12:09 AND, FOR ME, I GET INTO IT - I EVENTUALLY GET INTO IT AFTER 12:14 I'VE LOOKED AT IT FROM EVERY - EVERY ANGLE - BUT ONCE I GET 12:17 INTO IT, I JUST DON'T WANT TO STOP. 12:20 AND MY WIFE WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A 12:22 PROJECT, NOTHING IS GOING TO JUST STAND IN MY WAY - 12:25 NOT EVEN FOOD IS GOING TO STAND IN MY WAY. I'M GOING TO GET THE 12:28 PROJECT COMPLETED - THAT IS, IF IT RUNS OVER LUNCHTIME. 12:32 I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT DAYS WITHOUT FOOD, MIND YOU. 12:35 BUT YOU WANT TO COMPLETE WHAT YOU STARTED AND GET IT DONE. 12:41 I GUESS THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF UNWRITTEN BOOKS IN HISTORY AND 12:48 SO SOMEONE COMMENTED ONCE, 'BOOKS' - AND IT'S KIND OF 12:52 OBVIOUS BUT IT WAS A BIT OF A QUIP - HE SAID, 'BOOKS HAVE BOTH 12:55 A FRONT AND A BACK.' BOOKS HAVE BOTH A FRONT AND A BACK. 13:02 THIS PERSON WENT ON TO SAY THAT 'UNFINISHED BOOKS ARE 13:04 WORTHLESS.' FOR SURE THEY ARE. 13:07 THIS SEEMS TO APPLY TO PERHAPS ANY UNFINISHED BUSINESS THAT WE 13:12 MIGHT HAVE AND WE WANT TO GET DONE. 13:14 IT WAS A WISE MAN THAT SAID, 'A DESIRE ACCOMPLISHED IS SWEET TO 13:20 THE SOUL.' AND HE ALSO SAID IN ECCLESIASTES 13:22 7, VERSE 8, "THE END OF A THING IS BETTER THAN ITS BEGINNING;" 13:27 OF COURSE, THIS SPEAKS TO OR SAYS THERE IS PURE SATISFACTION 13:31 WHEN WE COMPLETE A PROJECT AND GET IT DONE. 13:34 I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST OR SUBMIT HERE THIS MORNING THAT FINISHING 13:37 WHAT YOU START IS A DIVINE CHARACTERISTIC. 13:41 IT'S A DIVINE CHARACTERISTIC. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT GOD, HE 13:46 VENTURED INTO CREATING THIS WORLD - SIX DAYS HE WAS MAKING 13:50 IT AND THEN ON THE SEVENTH DAY HE RESTED. 13:52 GENESIS 2:2 AND 3 TELLS US THAT HE HAD FINISHED HIS WORK. 13:57 WHAT GOD SET OUT TO START, HE ENDED - HE FINISHED. 14:00 AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE THINK ABOUT THE CROSS AND JESUS' 14:05 FAMOUS WORDS, 'IT IS' - WHAT FRIENDS? - 'FINISHED.' 14:09 THAT'S RIGHT. JESUS SAID, 'IT IS FINISHED.' 14:11 THE PLAN OF SALVATION WASN'T FULLY COMPLETE. 14:14 HE NEEDED TO GO - BE RAISED AND GO BACK TO HEAVEN AND INTERCEDE 14:16 AND WRAP THINGS UP, BUT AS FAR AS THE PAYMENT FOR OUR - THE 14:21 PENALTY FOR OUR SIN WAS CONCERNED, HE HAD PAID IT. 14:24 IT WAS FINISHED. IT WAS DONE. PAID IN FULL. 14:27 WHAT JESUS BEGINS HE LIKES TO END. 14:30 AND THEN WHEN YOU COME ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOOK OF 14:33 REVELATION, CHAPTER 21, YOU HEAR GOD SAYING THESE THREE WORDS: 14:38 'IT IS' - WHAT? - 'DONE' 'IT IS DONE.' 14:42 ALRIGHT, SO I WANT TO - WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF 14:45 VERSES TOGETHER THIS MORNING - GET RIGHT INTO IT - SOMEONE HAS 14:47 ACTS CHAPTER 3 AND VERSES 20 AND 21 FOR ME. 14:50 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COMPLETED AND FINISHED WORK. WONDERFUL. 14:53 JOHN CHAPTER 4 AND VERSE 34 - YOU REMEMBER JESUS IS - JESUS IS 14:58 TALKING WITH THIS SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL AND HE HAS 15:03 BEEN CONVERSING WITH HER FOR SOME TIME AND THE DISCIPLES ARE 15:07 KIND OF PERPLEXED AS TO WHY HE IS TALKING WITH - A WOMAN #1 AND 15:10 #2 A SAMARITAN AT THAT. AND SO SHE'S - SHE'S IMPRESSED, 15:16 MORE THAN IMPRESSED BY THIS MAN, SHE SENSES THERE'S SOMETHING 15:20 MORE TO HIM - THAT HE'S GOT TO BE THE MESSIAH. 15:22 SO SHE TAKES OFF AND SHE GOES AND TELLS THE MEN OF THE TOWN, 15:26 'COME AND SEE - COME AND SEE A MAN WHO'S TOLD ME ALL THAT I'VE 15:29 EVER DONE.' AND WHILE SHE'S GONE THE 15:32 DISCIPLES COME UP TO JESUS AND THEY - THEY'RE CONCERNED 15:35 BECAUSE, APPARENTLY, HE HASN'T EATEN AND THEY SAID TO HIM, 15:37 'JESUS, YOU NEED TO TAKE SOME FOOD.' 15:39 AND JESUS SAID, 'YOU KNOW, I HAVE FOOD THAT YOU KNOW NOT OF.' 15:42 AND THEN IN JOHN CHAPTER 4, VERSE 34 HE EXPLAINS. 15:45 HE SAYS - "JESUS SAID TO THEM, 'MY FOOD'" - MY MEAT OR MY FOOD 15:49 - "'IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME, AND'" - DO YOU REMEMBER 15:55 WHAT HE SAID NEXT? TO DO WHAT - "'TO FINISH HIS WORK.'" 16:00 JESUS CAME - HIS MEAT - HIS FOOD - HIS ASPIRATION - HIS 16:04 DESIRE IT WAS LARGER THAN FOOD ITSELF, WAS TO DO THE WILL OF 16:11 GOD THAT SENT HIM TO FINISH THE WORK THAT HE GAVE HIM TO DO. 16:16 ACTS 3, VERSES 20 AND 21 - THANKS JOLYNE. 16:19 >>"AND THAT HE MAY SEND JESUS CHRIST, WHO WAS PREACHED TO YOU 16:23 BEFORE, WHOM HEAVEN MUST RECEIVE UNTIL THE TIMES OF RESTORATION 16:27 OF ALL THINGS WHICH GOD HAS SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS 16:31 HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN." 16:34 >>OKAY. SO THIS IDEA - THIS IDEA OF - THIS IDEA OF GOD RESTORING 16:41 ALL THINGS, TALKS ABOUT THERE COMING A TIME WHERE THERE'LL BE 16:45 CONCLUSION TO THIS ISSUE OF SIN AND SALVATION. 16:48 THERE'LL BE AN - THIS WILL COME TO A CLOSE. 16:50 AND WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN 'THAT HE MAY SEND JESUS' - THE TEXT SAYS 16:54 - 'WHO WAS PREACHED TO YOU, WHOM HEAVEN MUST RECEIVE UNTIL THE 16:57 TIME OF RESTORATION.' THERE'LL COME A TIME WHEN THERE 17:01 WILL BE A RETURNING OF THINGS TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONDITION, 17:05 ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD - ACCORDING TO THE MOUTH OF HIS 17:08 HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN, THE TEXT SAYS. 17:11 SO GOD HAS TO FINISH IT. GOD IS GOING TO FINISH THIS THING. 17:17 NOW, CERTAINLY, HE DIDN'T START THIS THING, BUT HE'S GOING TO 17:20 FINISH THIS THING. THE DEVIL AND HIS IMPS CERTAINLY 17:23 STARTED THIS THING. AND THEN OUR FIRST PARENTS BIT 17:26 ON AND THEY TOOK AHOLD OF THIS THING AND SAID, 'YOU KNOW WHAT? 17:29 WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP MOVING - MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS' 17:33 UNFORTUNATELY, BUT GOD STEPPED IN AND SAID, 'WE'RE GOING TO - 17:36 WE'RE GOING TO END THIS THING. YOU STARTED IT BUT I'M GOING TO 17:42 HE SENT HIS SON AND HE CAME TO DIE IN OUR STEAD. 17:46 HE LIVED TO SHOW US HOW TO LIVE. HE DIED AND THEN HE ROSE AGAIN 17:51 AND HE WENT BACK TO HEAVEN TO BE OUR HIGH PRIEST - OUR ADVOCATE - 17:57 AND SO JESUS HAS TO FINISH IT. HE HAS TO COME BACK. 18:04 THERE'S NO POINT COMING AND FORGIVING US - NO POINT COMING 18:08 TO SEND - LEAVING AND THEN SENDING HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO GIVE 18:11 US POWER AND VICTORY OVER SIN AND THEN JUST KIND OF LEAVING 18:14 THE SIN CONDITION TO CONTINUE AS IT IS. 18:17 JESUS IS GOING TO COME AND IT'S GOING TO BE DONE AND IT'S GOING 18:19 TO BE ALL SAID AND DONE AND OVER WITH. HE HAS TO FINISH IT. 18:23 HE DIDN'T START IT BUT JESUS IS GOING TO FINISH IT, AMEN? SURE. 18:28 ALRIGHT, SO WE ENCOUNTER A BIT OF A PROBLEM HERE - IT'S NOT A 18:32 BIG PROBLEM FOR GOD BUT THERE IS A BIT OF A PROBLEM. IN MATTHEW 18:35 24 AND VERSE 14, WE FIND THESE INTERESTING - 18:38 NOT INTERESTING NECESSARILY, BUT FAMILIAR WORDS 18:41 AND POWERFUL WORDS AND HOPEFUL WORDS. 18:44 MATTHEW CHAPTER 24 AND VERSE 14, WE'RE TOLD THESE THINGS, "AND 18:51 THIS GOSPEL" - THIS IS JESUS SPEAKING - "AND THIS GOSPEL OF 18:54 THE KINGDOM WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD AS A WITNESS TO 18:59 ALL THE NATIONS, AND THEN THE END WILL COME." 19:03 AND SO WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE FIRST? 19:06 THE GOSPEL, ACCORDING TO WHAT JESUS SAID. 19:08 THE GOSPEL MUST GO TO THE ENTIRE WORLD. 19:11 NOW, THIS ISN'T JUST ANY GOSPEL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, IS IT? 19:15 YOU REMEMBER YOU GO OVER TO REVELATION CHAPTER 14 YOU'VE GOT 19:17 THESE THREE ANGELS FLYING IN THE MIDST - THERE'S ANGELS FLYING IN 19:21 THE MIDST OF HEAVEN. WHAT DO THEY HAVE? 19:23 THEY HAVE THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL. 19:26 AND SO UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL YOU HAVE THIS 19:29 THREE-POINT MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT AND WORSHIPING THE CREATOR, YOU 19:33 GOT THE MESSAGE THAT BABYLON IS FALLEN, AND THEN THE WARNING NOT 19:37 TO WORSHIP THE BEAST, WORSHIP THE IMAGE, OR RECEIVE ITS MARK. 19:40 AND SO, IT'S NOT JUST ANY GOSPEL - 'HEY, JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS 19:44 FOR YOU' - AND I DON'T WANT TO REMOVE ANYTHING POWERFUL - 19:46 THAT'S POWERFUL - I DON'T WANT TO REMOVE ANYTHING AWAY FROM 19:48 THAT, BUT THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST JESUS SIMPLY COMING TO 19:53 LIVE AND THEN DIE AND RISE AGAIN. AS POWERFUL AS THAT IS, 19:56 AND AS NECESSARY AS THAT IS, THERE IS MORE AND THE BIBLE 20:04 GOSPEL NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO THE ENTIRE WORLD. IT'S NOT JUST 20:07 ANY GOSPEL, IT'S THE EVERLASTING AND PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR IT. 20:12 I THINK IT WAS IN MARK - MARK 16 - JESUS SAID, 'THE GOSPEL MUST 20:16 BE TAKEN TO EVERY CREATURE.' THAT'S EVERYONE ON EVERY STREET 20:22 IN EVERY CUL-DE-SAC, ON EVERY RURAL ROUTE, IN EVERY HIGH-RISE 20:26 APARTMENT - EVERYONE MUST HEAR THE GOSPEL. 20:29 SO THE QUESTION IS: IS IT AT ALL POSSIBLE THAT THIS CAN HAPPEN? 20:35 IN ORDER FOR THIS - THIS ISSUE OF SIN TO COME TO A CLOSE AND 20:39 FOR JESUS TO COME BACK AND IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE GOSPEL CAN BE 20:43 TAKEN TO EVERYBODY BEFORE HE RETURNS? YES, YES. 20:49 IT'S NOT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE WITH GOD 20:51 IT'S MISSION POSSIBLE. I JUST WANT YOU TO CONSIDER SOME 20:54 STATISTICS HERE JUST FOR A MOMENT AND I GOT THESE HERE FROM 20:57 A LITTLE BOOK - IT'S INTERESTING - AND IT SAYS THAT THERE ARE 21:01 SEVEN, OF COURSE, WE REACHED THE SEVEN BILLION MARK ON PLANET 21:04 EARTH NOT TOO LONG AGO. PRESENTLY THERE ARE OVER ONE 21:07 BILLION PEOPLE IN BOTH CHINA AND INDIA. 21:10 THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA HAS JUST TOPPED THE ONE BILLION MARK. 21:13 OF THE MORE THAN SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE ON PLANET EARTH, ONLY 30 21:17 PERCENT OR 2.2 BILLION ARE CHRISTIAN. 21:21 THERE ARE 1.5 BILLION MUSLIM, 1.1 BILLION SECULAR AND 21:26 AGNOSTICS AND ATHEISTS, 900 MILLION HINDUS, 376 MILLION 21:31 BUDDHISTS ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUPS. 21:35 NOW, ALTHOUGH THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IS ONE OF THE 21:38 FASTEST GROWING CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS BAPTIZING ABOUT A 21:41 MILLION PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, WITH OVER 17 MILLION MEMBERS, WE ARE 21:46 APPROXIMATELY ONE PERCENT OF ALL CHRISTIANS, WHICH MEANS WE ARE 21:51 ONLY A FRACTION OF THE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION. 21:56 THIS PROPOSES A POTENTIAL DILEMMA: A VERY SMALL FRACTION 22:00 OF PEOPLE TAKING THIS MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE GLOBE. 22:07 INTERESTING QUESTIONS AND THE LESSON BRINGS OUT SOME OF THESE 22:10 QUESTIONS. HOW WILL THE WORK ON EARTH EVER 22:13 BE FINISHED WITH SUCH A SMALL NUMBER? 22:16 IF IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE GOSPEL, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 22:19 THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES - IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE GOSPEL, IN THE 22:23 CONTEXT OF THE THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES, TO CIRCLE THIS GLOBE 22:26 TO GET TO EVERY INHABITANT IN A SHORT TIME? 22:29 WHAT - AND IF IT'S POSSIBLE, WHAT WILL BE THE BREAKTHROUGH? 22:32 WHAT MECHANISM WILL GOD USE TO BRING THIS ABOUT? 22:36 AND THAT'S WHAT THE LESSON IS ABOUT HERE. 22:37 ROMANS CHAPTER 9 AND VERSE 28 - YOU CAN TURN THAT - LOOK AT THAT 22:42 IN YOUR BIBLES - ROMANS 9:28 - WE HAVE THIS ENCOURAGING THOUGHT 22:45 - ENCOURAGING WORDS - IT SAYS, "FOR HE" - THAT IS GOD - "WILL 22:50 FINISH THE WORK AND CUT IT SHORT IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE THE 22:57 LORD WILL MAKE A SHORT WORK UPON THE EARTH." 23:01 SO WE HAVE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT HERE. 23:03 WHO'S GOING TO FINISH THE WORK? GOD. 23:05 NOW THAT DOESN'T LET US OFF THE HOOK HERE. 23:08 GOD DESIRES TO USE AND WANTS TO USE AND IS GOING TO USE FLESH 23:14 AND BLOOD - PEOPLE - HUMAN BEINGS LIKE YOU AND I. 23:17 THERE'S A PARTNERSHIP THAT TAKES PLACE. 23:18 GOD HAS ASSURED US THAT HE'LL FINISH THE WORK, BUT HE WANTS TO 23:21 INVOLVE YOU AND HE WANTS TO INVOLVE ME. 23:24 THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT. OKAY, HOW DOES HE DO THAT? LET'S GO TO 23:28 SUNDAY'S LESSON 'THE PROMISED POWER' - THE PROMISED POWER. 23:33 WE REMEMBER THE 2003 NORTHEAST BLACKOUT PRETTY WELL. 23:38 I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU READ ABOUT THAT OR HEARD ABOUT THAT. 23:40 IT DIDN'T AFFECT YOU OUT HERE. A MAJOR BLACKOUT ACROSS SOME 23:45 NORTHEASTERN-MIDWESTERN STATES - EVEN INTO EASTERN CANADA. 23:49 AND WE REMEMBER IT WELL BECAUSE WE WERE ACTUALLY MOVING HOUSE AT 23:52 THAT TIME IN 2003. WE WERE LIVING IN CANADA AND, 23:55 FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP A U-HAUL AND GET THAT IN TIME 24:00 BEFORE THE POWER OUTAGE, WHICH OCCURRED AT 4:00 IN THE 24:02 AFTERNOON AND IT LASTED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. 24:05 IT AFFECTED ABOUT 10 MILLION PEOPLE IN ONTARIO, WHICH IS 24:09 WHERE WE WERE LIVING, AND 45 MILLION IN EIGHT STATES HERE IN 24:13 THE U.S. AND IT'S THE SECOND - IT WAS THE 24:15 SECOND LARGEST BLACKOUT IN HISTORY. 24:17 IN 1999 SOUTHERN BRAZIL HAD A MAJOR BLACKOUT AND THAT HAS 24:22 REMAINED AT NUMBER 1. NOW WHAT WAS FASCINATING ABOUT 24:25 THIS BLACKOUT WAS THAT MOST ONTARIANS THOUGHT THAT - OR WHAT 24:32 CONCERNED THEM OR WHAT GOT THEIR ATTENTION WAS THAT 24:35 WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT THE OUTAGE CAME FROM A SOFTWARE BUG 24:38 IN AN ALARM SYSTEM IN THE FIRST ENERGY CORPORATION IN OHIO, 24:46 IT GOT THEIR ATTENTION. 24:48 FOR THE FIRST TIME, ONTARIANS REALIZED THAT THEIR POWER - 24:51 THEIR ENERGY SOURCES - WERE COMING FROM OHIO? 24:56 THIS WAS ODD BECAUSE ON THE COAST THERE, OF LAKE ONTARIO, A 25:00 COUPLE OF POWERFUL NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, WHICH PRODUCES ENOUGH 25:03 ENERGY FOR THE NEEDS IN ONTARIO AND THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY'D 25:09 BEEN BUYING ENERGY FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN THEY'D HAD 25:13 ENERGY RIGHT THERE - POWER RIGHT THERE - IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD. 25:17 THANKFULLY, THE BIBLE TELLS US WE DON'T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE 25:20 ELSE, CONJURE UP ANY OTHER DEVICE TO RECEIVE POWER THAT GOD 25:24 WANTS TO GIVE US FOR A FINISHED WORK. 25:26 JESUS OFFERS THIS TO US FREELY. 25:28 JESUS GIVES US A CLUE AS TO HOW HE PLANS TO FINISH AND COMPLETE 25:33 HIS WORK SO THAT WE CAN LEAVE PLANET EARTH TO BE WITH HIM. 25:36 MATTHEW CHAPTER 28 AND THERE'S - SOMEONE HAS ACTS CHAPTER 1, 25:39 VERSE 8 THIS MORNING - ACTS CHAPTER 1, VERSE 8 - 25:41 RIGHT DOWN HERE. OKAY, FABULOUS. MATTHEW 28:18-20 - YOU REMEMBER 25:46 THESE WORDS OF JESUS - HE SAID - AND HE SPOKE TO THEM AS HE'S 25:50 ABOUT TO LEAVE - HE SAYS, ALL POWER - "'ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN 25:55 GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. GO THEREFORE AND MAKE 25:58 DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF 26:02 THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TEACHING THEM 26:05 TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU; AND LO, 26:07 I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.'" 26:11 SO JESUS GIVES US A CLUE RIGHT HERE AS TO HOW HE'S GOING TO GET 26:16 THE WORK DONE - THROUGH HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 26:19 FIRST, BEFORE HE TELLS THEM TO GO, HE TELLS THEM WHAT? 26:22 'I HAVE GIVEN - I HAVE' - WHAT? - 'ALL POWER - ALL AUTHORITY HAS 26:27 BEEN GIVEN TO ME.' AND THEN HE CLOSES THE GREAT 26:30 GOSPEL COMMISSION WITH THE WORDS, 'LO, I AM WITH YOU 26:34 ALWAYS.' SO TWO THINGS - HE PREFACES HIS 26:39 COMMAND WITH THE ASSURANCE OF TWO THINGS: HE HAS POWER AND 26:43 THAT HE WILL BE WITH US ALWAYS. OKAY, IN LUKE CHAPTER 24 AND 26:48 VERSE 49 - I'VE JUST GOT A COUPLE OF VERSE HERE AND YOU CAN 26:50 TURN THERE OR YOU CAN MARK THEM DOWN, THAT'S FINE. 26:52 JESUS CONTINUES THE THOUGHT. 26:55 HE SAYS, "BEHOLD, I SEND THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER UPON YOU, 26:59 BUT TARRY IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM UNTIL YOU ARE ENDUED" 27:07 AND THEN IN ACTS CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE 8 - THANKS BROTHER. 27:12 >>BUT YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME 27:15 UPON YOU; AND YOU SHALL BE WITNESSES TO ME IN JERUSALEM, 27:19 AND IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA, AND TO THE END OF THE EARTH." 27:23 >>OKAY, WONDERFUL. SO HOW IS IT THAT JESUS WILL BE WITH US 27:27 ALWAYS AS A MAN WHO DWELLS IN HEAVEN? IN A GLORIFIED BODY, 27:32 YOU UNDERSTAND, BUT HE'S - HE HAS TAKEN ON HUMAN NATURE. 27:36 HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT JESUS SAYS HE CAN BE WITH US ALWAYS? 27:39 THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT - THROUGH THE COMFORTER. 27:41 HE SAID, 'WHEN I LEAVE I'M GOING TO SEND YOU A COMFORTER.' 27:43 AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE SAID, 'IT'S EXPEDIENT THAT I DO GO.' 27:47 AND, OF COURSE, THE DISCIPLES WERE PROBABLY JUST BOTHERED BY 27:52 THAT TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. 'HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT'S 27:55 BETTER THAT YOU GO SO YOU CAN SEND THE COMFORTER? 27:57 WE WOULD RATHER YOU.' BUT JESUS WAS TELLING US A VERY POWERFUL 28:01 TRUTH AND THAT IS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT - 'I CAN ONLY BE IN ONE 28:05 PLACE AT A TIME, BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT - EVERYWHERE. 28:10 HE CAN BE EVERYWHERE AND HE CAN BRING TO YOU COMFORT AND HOPE 28:18 I'M GOING TO BE WITH YOU ALWAYS. IT'S GOING TO BE THROUGH THAT 28:21 OTHER PARACLETE - THE COMFORTER - THAT OTHER ADVOCATE - 28:26 THE COMFORTER - THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD. 28:29 AND WHEN HE COMES, THE BIBLE SAYS HE WILL RECEIVE - YOU WILL 28:33 RECEIVE POWER TO BE MY WHAT? WITNESSES. THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES 28:38 UPON GOD'S PEOPLE SO THAT WE MIGHT BE HIS WITNESSES. 28:42 THAT WORD 'POWER' IS FROM THE GREEK WORD 'DUNAMIS' FROM WHICH 28:46 WE GET OUR ENGLISH WORD - DYNAMITE - THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. 28:51 SO POWER - EXPLOSIVE INHERENT POWER READY TO BE PUT TO USE IS 28:55 WHAT GOD BRINGS TO US IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU 29:00 UNDERSTAND. AND WHAT WERE THE RESULTS WHEN 29:03 THE EARLY CHURCH RECEIVED THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 29:06 THERE? WHAT WERE THE RESULTS? 29:08 I GLEANED SOME OF THESE THINGS FROM THE LITTLE - IT'S A 29:14 COLLECTION OF THOUGHTS FROM ELLEN WHITE - 'LAST DAY EVENTS'. 29:18 HERE ARE SOME OF THE - HERE ARE SOME OF THE THOUGHTS AND YOU CAN 29:20 READ THIS IN THE BIBLE. THEY WERE WORDS OF PENITENCE AND 29:23 THERE WAS CONFESSION, MINGLED WITH SONGS OF PRAISE, FOR SINS 29:26 FORGIVEN. THERE WERE THOUSANDS THAT WERE 29:29 CONVERTED. HEARTS WERE SURCHARGED WITH 29:32 BENEVOLENCE. THE GOSPEL WAS TAKEN TO THE ENDS 29:35 OF THE EARTH. BACKSLIDERS WERE RECONVERTED. 29:38 THE DESIRE TO REVEAL CHRIST-LIKENESS AND TO LABOR TO 29:42 ENLARGE THE BORDER OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - ALL OF THESE 29:45 TOOK PLACE UNDER THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT RIGHT THERE - 29:49 BACK THERE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST. 29:51 CAN IT BE THE SAME FOR US TODAY? SOMETIMES WE GET A LITTLE 29:56 CONCERNED AND WE WONDER, 'IS IT POSSIBLE?' 29:58 BECAUSE WE DON'T SEE IT TO THAT EXTENT - LIKE WE SAW IT IN THE 30:01 EARLY CHURCH. WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE THIS HERE 30:05 AS WE GO INTO MONDAY'S LESSON. I'M GOING TO SUBMIT TO US HERE 30:08 THIS MORNING - YES, YES, WHAT WAS PROMISED BACK THEN WE CAN 30:13 EXPERIENCE TODAY. AND WE MUST EXPERIENCE TODAY IF THE WORK IS 30:18 EVER GOING TO GET DONE. SO WE'RE ON MONDAY'S LESSON AND 30:21 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAIN. 30:23 AND HERE'S WHERE WE WILL BRING IT DOWN TO OUR DAY AND AGE. 30:27 IF YOU'VE EVER LIVED IN A DRY STATE - I THINK YOU DO, DON'T 30:34 YOU, YES WE DO - CALIFORNIA - IT'S A LITTLE DRY. 30:38 WHEN THE RAINS COME - PRETTY REFRESHING, ISN'T IT? 30:40 YEAH, IT'S REFRESHING, IT'S NICE, IT'S AWESOME. 30:43 YOU CAN IMAGINE IF YOU LIVED IN PALESTINE WHERE THERE'D BE A 30:48 SEASON OF RAIN - THE RAINY SEASON - YOU CAN UNDERSTAND, 30:53 WHEN THE RAIN WOULD COME IT WOULD JUST BE A MASSIVE RELIEF - 30:56 A REPRIEVE FROM THE HOT ARID SUMMERS, YOU UNDERSTAND. BUT 31:01 MORE SO, IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE - IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT 31:04 BECAUSE OF THE AGRICULTURAL - THE SEASON OR CYCLES. 31:08 WHEN THE RAINS WOULD FALL IT WOULD HELP TO BREAK UP THE 31:11 GROUND AND GERMINATE THE SEED AND THEN AT THE LATTER END OF 31:15 THE - TOWARD THE TIME OF THE HARVEST MORE RAIN WOULD COME, 31:18 WHICH WOULD RIPEN THE HARVEST - VERY IMPORTANT AND SO BACK THERE 31:22 IN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 11, VERSE 14, GOD PROMISED HIS PEOPLE - 31:26 AND YOU CAN COMPARE THIS WITH LEVITICUS CHAPTER 26 AND VERSE 3 31:30 - GOD PROMISED HIS PEOPLE THAT IF THEY WERE FAITHFUL AND THEY 31:33 WERE OBEDIENT AND THEY HONORED HIM AND PUT HIM FIRST IN 31:35 EVERYTHING, HE WOULD SEND THEM THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAIN. 31:41 WE'LL DEFINE THAT IN JUST A SECOND. 31:43 DEUTERONOMY 11, VERSE 14 - AND SOMEONE HAS JOEL 2:23 - WE'RE 31:47 GOING TO LOOK AT JOEL 2:23 - THANK YOU MICHAEL. 31:49 DEUTERONOMY 11:14 SAYS, "THEN I WILL GIVE YOU THE RAIN FOR YOUR 31:54 LAND IN ITS SEASON, THE EARLY RAIN AND THE LATTER RAIN, THAT 32:01 YOU MAY GATHER IN YOUR GRAIN, YOUR NEW WINE, AND YOUR OIL." 32:04 IT'S FASCINATING, WHEN YOU LOOK UP THE WORDS 'EARLY RAIN' AND 32:07 'LATTER RAIN' IN THE BIBLE, THOSE TWO PHRASES APPEAR SEVEN 32:13 TIMES TOGETHER IN THE SCRIPTURES. WE WERE HAVING FUN 32:16 ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT PRAYER MEETING, DISCUSSING THE LATTER 32:19 RAIN AND THE EARLY RAIN AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE TEXTS. 32:22 WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT HERE THIS MORNING, BUT SUFFICE TO 32:24 SAY, EARLY AND LATTER RAINS TO AN ISRAELITE - TO SOMEONE LIVING 32:28 IN PALESTINE, EVEN TODAY - VERY ESSENTIAL. 32:31 MUCH MORE ARID TODAY THAN IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF JESUS AND THE 32:34 DAYS OF THE PROPHETS, YOU UNDERSTAND. BUT IT WAS STILL 32:38 ESSENTIAL BACK THEN AND STILL IS VERY ESSENTIAL TODAY. 32:41 THE EARLY RAINS WOULD FALL - WOULD FALL JUST AROUND THE 32:46 AUTUMN TIME AND THAT WOULD BE ABOUT OCTOBER. 32:50 AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IT WOULD CAUSE THE GROUND TO BECOME 32:53 SOFT SO THEY COULD BREAK IT UP, PLANT THE SEED, THE SEED COULD 32:59 THE COLD WINTER MONTHS WOULD SET WOULIN. THE LAND WOULD BE 33:02 COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON THIS EARLY RAIN. AND THEN, THE LATTER 33:06 RAIN FELL IN THE SPRING JUST BEFORE THE SUMMER AND THAT WAS 33:10 JUST BEFORE THE HARVEST DURING THE MONTHS OF MARCH AND EARLY 33:14 APRIL AND THEY BROUGHT THE CROPS TO FULL MATURITY. 33:19 THE BARLEY HARVEST IN PALESTINE WOULD BE HARVESTED AROUND THE 33:23 MIDDLE TO END OF APRIL AND THEN A MONTH LATER YOU'D HAVE WHEAT 33:27 AND THEN YOU'D GO INTO THE SUMMER AND YOU'D HAVE YOUR 33:29 SUMMER FRUITS LIKE FIGS, ETC. AND THEN OLIVES AND GRAPES 33:33 WOULD COME IN THE LATE SUMMER INTO THE EARLY FALL. 33:36 SO THERE WAS A LOT OF GROWTH TAKING PLACE AND A LOT OF 33:40 HARVESTING TAKING PLACE FROM MARCH RIGHT THROUGH TO THE END 33:45 OF THE SUMMER INTO THE EARLY FALL. 33:48 SO THAT WOULD BE THE LATTER RAIN. 33:50 AND GOD, IT SEEMS, USES THIS SYMBOLISM OF THE EARLY AND 33:53 LATTER RAIN TO SPEAK TO US OF JESUS AND TO SPEAK TO US OF THE 33:56 HOLY SPIRIT. IN HOSEA CHAPTER 6 AND VERSE 3 - 34:00 WE'RE GOING TO GET TO JOEL 2 IN JUST A MOMENT - BUT IN HOSEA 34:03 CHAPTER 6 AND VERSE 3 THE BIBLE SAYS, "LET US KNOW, LET US 34:10 HIS GOING FORTH IS ESTABLISHED AS THE MORNING; HE WILL COME TO 34:13 US" - BY THE WAY, WHO IS THIS TALKING ABOUT? 34:16 IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE LORD - HIS GOING FORTH IS PREPARED AS 34:21 THE MORNING, YOU UNDERSTAND, IF WE PURSUE AFTER HIM - "HIS 34:24 GOING FORTH IS ESTABLISHED AS THE MORNING; HE WILL COME TO US 34:27 LIKE THE RAIN, LIKE THE LATTER AND FORMER RAIN TO THE EARTH." 34:33 TALKING ABOUT JESUS. IT'S VERY INTERESTING, YOU SEE, GOD 34:36 PROMISES TO BRING AN ABUNDANT BLESSING THAT WOULD NOURISH 34:40 AND REVIVE THE SPIRITUAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS. BOTH THE EARLY 34:44 AND THE LATTER RAIN HAVE A PERSONAL APPLICATION. 34:49 THE EARLY RAIN REFERS TO THE DAILY WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN 34:52 CONVERTING US - CONVICTING US - PERHAPS EVEN TEACHING US. 34:57 AND THE LATTER RAIN WOULD SPEAK TO GROWTH IN CHRIST - DEVELOPING 35:02 A CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTER, OF COURSE, ALL THROUGH THE POWER OF 35:06 THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT THERE IS - THAT'S A PERSONAL 35:09 APPLICATION AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. 35:11 THERE'S ALSO A HISTORICAL APPLICATION AND WE'RE GOING TO 35:14 LOOK AT JOEL, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 23. 35:22 YOUR GOD; FOR HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE FORMER RAIN FAITHFULLY, AND 35:27 HE WILL CAUSE THE RAIN TO COME DOWN FOR YOU - THE FORMER RAIN, 35:31 AND THE LATTER RAIN IN THE FIRST MONTH." 35:33 >>OKAY, SO GOD PROMISES TO SEND THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAIN. 35:39 AND NOTICE - JUMP DOWN TO VERSE 28 NOW - JUMP DOWN TO VERSE 28, 35:44 "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS AFTERWARD THAT I WILL POUR OUT 35:46 MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH;" - GOD USES THE SYMBOLISM OF THE EARLY 35:50 AND LATTER RAIN TO SPEAK TO US OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 35:54 THE CONTEXT FOR THIS, IF YOU READ RIGHT THROUGH TO VERSE 31 35:57 IS TALKING ABOUT THE LAST DAYS. GOD WILL POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT 36:01 UPON ALL FLESH RIGHT BEFORE THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE - GREAT AND 36:06 AWESOME - DAY OF THE LORD. THAT WOULD BE JUST PRIOR TO 36:10 JESUS RETURNING AND SO THE BIBLE USES WATER - RAIN - EARLY AND 36:16 LATTER RAIN TO SYMBOLIZE THE HOLY SPIRIT. 36:18 IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME. IN ISAIAH CHAPTER 44 AND VERSE 3 36:22 GOD DOES IT THERE THROUGH HIS PROPHET. HE TALKS ABOUT - 36:24 GOD'S SAYING, "I'LL POUR WATER UPON HIM THAT IS THIRSTY. 36:26 I WILL POUR MY SPIRIT OUT UPON HIM WHO IS DRY." 36:30 AND SO, OF COURSE, THAT'S JUST A COMMON HEBREW PARALLELISM WHERE, 36:35 INSTEAD OF RHYMING WORDS, THERE'S RHYMING THOUGHTS - POUR 36:38 OUT WATER - I'LL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT - YOU UNDERSTAND. 36:42 AND THEN, OF COURSE, JESUS REFERRED TO HIMSELF AS WATER AND 36:49 THE SPIRIT OF GOD AS WATER IN JOHN CHAPTER 7, VERSES 37 TO 39. 36:55 NOW, PETER, ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST - AND WE'RE TALKING 36:58 ABOUT A LOCAL - WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A HISTORICAL APPLICATION 37:01 FOR THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAIN. 37:03 WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A PERSONAL - BRINGING CONVERSION - BRINGING 37:06 CONVICTION, BRINGING CONVERSION AND INSTRUCTION AND THE LATTER 37:10 RAIN - THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING IN US TO DEVELOP A CHRIST-LIKE 37:14 CHARACTER. AND IN A HISTORICAL SENSE, THE 37:16 EARLY RAIN FELL IN THE TIME OF - AT THE TIME OF PENTECOST - 37:20 AT THE TIME OF THE EARLY CHURCH. PETER APPLIED THE VERSES OF 37:24 JOEL 2:28-31 TO HIS TIME. REMEMBER FOLK WERE SAYING, 37:28 'YOU GUYS ARE DRUNK. WHAT'S GOING ON? 37:30 YOU'VE NEVER SAID OR DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. 37:33 YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MINDS.' PETER SAID, 'NO, NO, NO, WHAT 37:36 YOU'RE SEEING TODAY IS WHAT WAS SPOKEN OF BY THE PROPHET JOEL IN 37:39 CHAPTER 2, VERSES 28 TO 31.' IT HAPPENED THEN. 37:43 BUT HERE'S THE QUESTION - HERE'S THE QUESTION - JOEL 2 - IT'S 37:47 CONTEXT - IS FOR THE LAST DAYS. WAS PETER WRONG IN APPLYING 37:51 THOSE VERSES TO HIS DAY? NO, HE WASN'T. HE WAS UNDER INSPIRATION 37:57 AND HE USED THAT VERSE TO DESCRIBE A PARTIAL FULFILLMENT - 38:03 A PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF WHAT TOOK PLACE - A PARTIAL 38:07 FULFILLMENT OF THAT PARTICULAR BIBLE PASSAGE, YOU SEE. 38:11 IT WASN'T WRONG FOR PETER TO USE THAT. HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, 38:14 THE EARLY RAIN FELL AT THE TIME OF PENTECOST. 38:17 THEN IN ACTS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 19 TO 21, IT'S INTERESTING WHAT 38:24 - WHAT PETER GOES ON TO SAY - AND THIS IS ANOTHER SERMON THAT 38:29 HE'S PREACHING - ACTS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 19 THROUGH 21 - HE SAYS, 38:40 "REPENT THEREFORE AND BE CONVERTED, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE 38:42 BLOTTED OUT, SO THAT TIME OF REFRESHING MAY COME FROM THE 38:45 PRESENCE OF THE LORD, AND THAT HE MAY SEND JESUS." 38:53 EARLY AND LATTER RAIN AND THESE REFRESHINGS WILL COME BEFORE 38:57 WHEN? BEFORE JESUS COMES. DID YOU SEE THAT? 39:01 DID YOU READ THAT? THAT HE MAY SEND JESUS WHO HAS 39:06 PREACHED TO US BEFORE, YOU UNDERSTAND. 39:09 IF YOU GO BACK TO ACTS CHAPTER 2 AND YOU LOOK WITH ME OVER THERE 39:12 AT VERSE - OH, SEE IF I CAN GET THAT - YEAH, VERSE 39 - I WANT 39:16 YOU TO NOTICE - 38 AND 39 - HE SAYS, "REPENT, AND LET EVERY ONE 39:20 OF YOU BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE 39:22 REMISSION OF SINS; AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF" - WHOM? 39:26 - "THE HOLY SPIRIT. FOR THE PROMISE IS TO YOU AND TO" - 39:30 WHO ELSE? - "YOUR CHILDREN, AND TO ALL WHO ARE" - WHERE? - 39:34 "AFAR OFF, AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL." 39:38 IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE UNDERSTAND THIS. 39:41 WHAT THEY EXPERIENCED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, PETER SAYS CAN BE 39:46 CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCED - YOUR CHILDREN WILL EXPERIENCE IT, 39:50 THOSE THAT ARE FAR OFF - ANYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE 39:53 LORD CAN EXPERIENCE WHAT WE EXPERIENCED HERE - BACK HERE AT 39:57 THE DAY OF PENTECOST. 39:58 THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, YOU SEE. 40:01 AND WE JUST WENT TO ACTS CHAPTER 3 WHERE PETER TALKS ABOUT THIS 40:04 TIME OF REFRESHING - THE TIME OF THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAIN 40:07 THAT MUST BE POURED OUT BEFORE JESUS COMES BACK. 40:11 WHY MUST THE LATTER RAIN BE POURED OUT? 40:13 WHY MUST THE LATTER RAIN BE POURED OUT? 40:15 WHY MUST THE HOLY SPIRIT BE POURED OUT IN POWER UPON 40:19 GOD'S PEOPLE? WHY? TO RIPEN THE HARVEST. 40:24 ISN'T THAT WHAT THE LATTER RAIN WAS FOR? THAT'S WHAT THE LATTER 40:28 RAIN IS FOR OVER THERE IN PALESTINE TODAY, 40:29 TO RIPEN THE HARVEST. 40:32 YOU KNOW, WHEN JESUS COMES BACK IN REVELATION CHAPTER 14 AND 40:35 VERSE 14, WE'RE TOLD THAT HE - WHEN HE COMES BACK - HE HAS ON 40:38 HIS HEAD A GOLDEN CROWN AND IN HIS HAND A SHARP - WHAT FRIENDS? 40:42 SICKLE - A SICKLE IS AN INSTRUMENT USED TO HARVEST AND, 40:48 AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE ANGEL TELLS HIM, 'THRUST IN YOUR 40:50 SICKLE FOR THE EARTH IS RIPE - READY FOR HARVEST. 40:54 SO BEFORE THERE IS A HARVEST THERE MUST BE RAIN - 40:58 LATTER RAIN. BEFORE JESUS COMES THERE MUST BE 41:00 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 41:03 THE PROMISE IS TO YOU AND TO YOUR CHILDREN AND TO ALL THOSE 41:06 WHO ARE AFAR OFF. THAT'S A WONDERFUL PROMISE FOR 41:09 YOU AND FOR ME. GOD IS HELPING US UNDERSTAND, 41:11 HERE HOW THE WORK IS GOING TO GET DONE. 41:14 THROUGH THE OUTPOURING OF THE LATTER RAIN. 41:17 AND IF YOU READ ABOUT IT AND YOU STUDY ABOUT IT ALSO IN THE 41:19 'SPIRIT OF PROPHECY', YOU COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT'S GOING 41:21 TO TAKE PLACE IS GOING TO BE GREATER THAN WHAT TOOK PLACE 41:24 BACK THEN ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST. 41:26 NOW SOME FOLK GET A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THE LATTER RAIN - 41:28 THEY'RE NOT QUITE SURE WHETHER THEY'RE FITTING THEMSELVES 41:30 GETTING READY FOR - THEY'RE GETTING READY - IF THEY'RE GOING 41:33 TO BE READY TO RECEIVE IT WHEN IT DOES FALL. 41:36 THEY GET ALL CONCERNED AND DISCOMBOBULATED AND ALL FREAKED 41:38 OUT AND THEN THEY START GETTING DISCOURAGED AND BACKPEDAL AND 41:42 THEN THEY LEAVE THE CHURCH AND THEY GET ALL WORRIED. 41:44 THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY. I'VE GOT A LITTLE STATEMENT HERE 41:46 FOR YOU. IT'S FOUND FROM THE DEVOTIONAL 41:47 BOOK 'UPWARD LOOK' - I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS - PAGE 283, 41:51 "WE NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT THE LATTER RAIN." 41:53 NOW, WHAT SHE'S NOT SAYING IS THAT WE NEED NOT - SHE'S NOT 41:57 SAYING WE SHOULDN'T BE PRAYING FOR IT OR WE SHOULDN'T BE 41:59 SEEKING AFTER IT - WE'RE GOING TO COME TO THAT IN JUST A 42:01 MOMENT. "WE NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT THE 42:02 LATTER RAIN. ALL WE HAVE TO DO" - LISTEN 42:05 CAREFULLY - "IS KEEP THE VESSEL CLEAN AND RIGHT SIDE UP." 42:11 NOW SOME OF THOSE THAT WERE WITH US AT PRAYER MEETING, WE READ 42:14 THIS STATEMENT. POWERFUL STATEMENT. ALL YOU NEED TO DO 42:17 IS KEEP THE VESSEL CLEAN AND RIGHT SIDE UP. POWERFUL. 42:22 SHE GOES ON TO SAY, "AND PREPARED FOR THE RECEPTION OF 42:25 THE HEAVENLY RAIN AND KEEP PRAYING. 42:28 LET THE LATTER RAIN COME INTO MY VESSEL, LORD. LET THE LIGHT OF 42:31 THE GLORIOUS ANGEL WHICH UNITES WITH THE THIRD ANGEL" - 42:34 WHAT SHE'S REFERRING TO IS THAT ANGEL FROM REVELATION 18 - 42:37 THE FOURTH ANGEL THAT UNITES WITH THE MESSAGE OF THE THIRD 42:40 ANGEL, WHICH IS JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN VERITY. 42:43 THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, OF COURSE IT ALL ENCOMPASSES THE 42:46 FIRST AND SECOND ANGELS' MESSAGE AS WELL, BUT AS THAT IS BEING 42:49 SWELLED AND AS THE MESSAGE IS GOING TO THE WORLD, THE ANGEL 42:52 COMES DOWN WITH GREAT POWER AND LIGHTENS THE EARTH WITH THE 42:56 GLORY OF GOD THROUGH HIS MESSAGE AND HIS MESSENGERS. 43:01 "LET'S KEEP PRAYING," - SHE SAYS - "THAT THE GLORIOUS ANGEL, 43:04 WHICH UNITES WITH THE THIRD ANGEL, SHINE UPON ME. 43:06 GIVE ME A PART IN THE WORK. LET ME SOUND THE PROCLAMATION. 43:10 LET ME BE CO LABORERS WITH JESUS CHRIST, THUS SEEKING GOD. 43:15 LET ME TELL YOU" - SHE SAYS - "HE IS FITTING YOU UP ALL THE 43:19 TIME GIVING YOU HIS GRACE." NOW IF YOU'RE NOT PRAYING, 43:24 'LORD, FIT ME UP FOR YOUR WORK, DON'T EXCUSE ME ANYMORE, BUT USE 43:27 ME, LORD IN YOUR WORK. MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT FIT FOR 43:32 YOUR USE. USE MY WORDS, USE MY LIFE TO BE 43:35 A BLESSING TO SOMEBODY.' IF YOU'RE NOT PRAYING THAT THEN 43:38 YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT THE LATTER RAIN FALLING ON YOU. 43:40 THE LATTER RAIN IS GIVEN TO, YES, RIPEN OUR CHARACTERS, BUT 43:44 ALSO TO SHARE THE MESSAGE. THE TWO GO HAND IN HAND. 43:48 YOU CAN'T BE GROWING IN GRACE IF YOU'RE NOT SHARING THE LOVE OF 43:51 JESUS WITH OTHERS. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. 43:53 YOU CAN'T BE - YOU CAN'T BE GROWING IN CHRIST-LIKENESS 43:56 UNLESS YOU'RE LIKE CHRIST - HELPING OTHERS AND SERVING 44:00 OTHERS. THE TWO GO HAND IN HAND, YOU UNDERSTAND. 44:03 IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. BUT YOU NEED NOT WORRY. 44:05 KEEP THE VESSEL CLEAN. KEEP IT RIGHT SIDE UP AND PRAY, 44:09 YOU SEE. POWERFUL STUFF. THAT BRINGS US TO TUESDAY 44:11 'THE PREREQUISITES FOR THE LATTER RAIN'. 44:14 HOW IS IT THAT WE CAN RECEIVE THE LATTER RAIN? GOD HAS 44:17 PROMISED IT. IT'S ASSURED TO US. HOW DO WE RECEIVE IT? 44:21 WE GET A LOT OF CLUES, OF COURSE, FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF 44:24 THE EARLY DISCIPLES ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST AND ALSO FROM OTHER 44:29 BIBLE PASSAGES. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A FEW 44:31 HERE, ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 10 AND VERSE 1 - AND SOMEONE HAS FOR ME 44:38 - DOES SOMEONE HAVE ACTS 4:13? YOU DO? 44:42 OKAY, WONDERFUL. ACTS 4:13 DOWN HERE. 44:45 THE PREREQUISITES FOR THE LATTER RAIN. 44:47 I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THESE RELATIVELY BRIEFLY. 44:50 ZECHARIAH 10:1 SAYS, "ASK THE LORD" - DO WHAT, FRIENDS? 44:53 - "ASK THE LORD FOR RAIN IN THE TIME OF THE LATTER RAIN." 44:58 - LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. PROPHETICALLY SPEAKING - 45:00 HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, IS THIS THE TIME OF THE LATTER RAIN? 45:03 IF YOU SAY NO THEN YOU DENY THAT WE ARE NEAR THE SECOND COMING OF 45:08 JESUS. NOW, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN 45:09 THAT'S GOING TO BE, BUT WHAT WE CAN BE ASSURED OF IS THAT HE IS 45:12 NEAR. HE IS VERY NEAR, EVEN AT THE DOOR. YOU UNDERSTAND? 45:16 THIS IS THE TIME OF THE LATTER RAIN SO WE'RE ENCOURAGED TO DO 45:19 WHAT? ASK. SO FIRST PREREQUISITE - ASK. 45:23 'YOU HAVE NOT' - JAMES SAID - 'BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT.' 45:27 JESUS SAID, 'ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU.' YEAH. 45:30 MAN, SOME PARENTS MAY WITHHOLD FROM THEIR CHILDREN SOME THINGS 45:34 THAT THEY NEED, BUT GOD SAYS, 'UNH UH, I'M WILLING TO GIVE YOU 45:38 EVERY GOOD GIFT. I'M WILLING TO GIVE YOU MY HOLY 45:40 SPIRIT, YOU UNDERSTAND, IF YOU JUST ASK." 45:43 THAT'S THE FIRST PREREQUISITE. 45:44 ACTS 3:18 TO 20 - WE READ THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO, WHERE 45:48 PETER SAYS, 'REPENT AND BE CONVERTED - BE CONVERTED THAT 45:54 YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT SO THAT THE TIMES OF REFRESHING' - 45:58 THE LATTER RAINS - 'MAY COME FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD 46:01 AND THAT HE MAY SEND JESUS, WHO WAS PREACHED TO YOU.' 46:04 JESUS CANNOT COME UNTIL THE GOSPEL HAS GONE TO THE WORLD. 46:08 THE GOSPEL CANNOT GO TO THE WORLD UNLESS WE RECEIVE THE 46:09 TIMES OF HIS REFRESHING. WE CANNOT RECEIVE HIS REFRESHING 46:15 - THE REFRESHING RAINS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UNLESS WE REPENT AND 46:19 ARE - WHAT FRIENDS? - CONVERTED. 46:21 SO SECOND PREREQUISITE, WE MUST BE THOROUGHLY CONVERTED. 46:24 JESUS MUST HAVE OUR ENTIRE HEARTS. 46:26 NOT PART OF IT. NOT 99 PERCENT OF IT. 46:28 HE MUST HAVE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF IT. 46:30 NOT SOME - HE WANTS EVEN THAT SECRET LITTLE CORNER WAY BACK 46:33 THERE IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEART. HE WANTS THAT AS WELL. 46:35 WE MUST BE THOROUGHLY CONVERTED, ALLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO 46:38 CHANGE AND TRANSFORM OUR LIVES. AND THEN PSALMS 119:25, THE 46:42 PSALMIST SAID, "MY SOUL CLINGS TO DUST. 46:44 REVIVE ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD." 46:47 WE NEED TO SATURATE OUR MINDS WITH THE WORD OF GOD, AMEN? 46:52 SURE. THEN ACTS 1:14, "THESE ALL" - TALKING ABOUT THE UPPER 46:55 ROOM EXPERIENCE BACK THERE WITH THE EARLY CHURCH - "THESE ALL 46:59 CONTINUED WITH ONE ACCORD" - THAT IS THEY WERE TOGETHER - "IN 47:07 PJESUS AND WITH HIS BROTHERS. SO WE MUST BE PUTTING AWAY ALL 47:10 DISSENTION AND ALL STRIFE. NO CLAIMS FOR THIS POSITION OR 47:15 THAT POSITION. WE ARE ALL BRETHREN. WE ARE TO SERVE WITH 47:18 HUMBLE HEARTS BECAUSE WE LOVE THE LORD JESUS. 47:21 AND THEN ACTS 4:31 SAYS, "AND WHEN THEY HAD PRAYED, THE PLACE 47:24 WHERE THEY WERE ASSEMBLED TOGETHER WAS SHAKEN; AND THEY 47:27 WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THEY SPOKE 47:28 THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS." 47:31 SO ANOTHER PREREQUISITE FOR RECEIVING THE LATTER RAIN IS 47:33 THAT WE MUST BE WILLING TO SHARE WITH OTHERS. 47:37 THAT'S WHY HE IS GIVEN - SO THAT WE MIGHT SHARE IT MORE FULLY - 47:41 MORE POWERFULLY, YOU UNDERSTAND, BEFORE JESUS COMES BACK. 47:45 NOW, WHAT WILL BE THE RESULTS OF THAT? ACTS 4:13 - IF YOU WOULD 47:49 READ THAT FOR US. THANK YOU. >>ACTS 4:13, "NOW WHEN THEY SAW 47:54 THE BOLDNESS OF PETER AND JOHN AND PERCEIVED THAT THEY WERE 47:58 UNLEARNED AND IGNORANT MEN, THEY MARVELED. 48:02 AND THEY TOOK KNOWLEDGE OF THEM THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS." 48:06 >>AMEN. WHAT WAS THE RESULT? 48:09 FOLK WERE ASTOUNDED AT THE TRANSFORMATION THAT TOOK PLACE 48:18 TIME WITH JESUS. CAN THAT BE NOTSAID OF YOU AND ME TODAY? 48:23 THAT FOLKS, 'MAN, THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT 48:27 THAT GUY. AND IT'S NOT A WEIRD DIFFERENT. 48:29 SOMETHING JUST SPECIAL - THE PEACE, THE POWER.' 48:34 CAN IT BE SAID OF US TODAY THAT, 'MAN, THEY'VE SPENT TIME WITH 48:38 JESUS AND IT'S TELLING'? MAN, WHAT A TESTIMONY. 48:41 SO THERE ARE SOME PREREQUISITES FOR US, YOU UNDERSTAND, PRAYING 48:45 AND BEING LED OF THE SPIRIT, FILLING OUR MINDS WITH THE WORD 48:48 OF GOD, BEING THOROUGHLY CONVERTED, BEING WILLING TO 48:51 SHARE THE WORD OF GOD WITH OTHERS. 48:53 WELL, WEDNESDAY'S LESSON TALKS ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF FIRE. 48:57 MAN, I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT BUT BECAUSE 49:00 OF TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE ON. 49:03 BUT JUST SUFFICE TO SAY THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT AND FIRE - 49:07 SAME THING - AND IT SIMPLY REFERS TO TOTAL IMMERSION IN 49:12 THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF GOD. THAT'S ALL IT REFERS TO. 49:15 FIRE IS USED IN THE BIBLE TO SYMBOLIZE GOD'S PRESENCE. 49:19 THE FLAMING SWORD OF THE ANGEL TO FEND OFF THOSE WHO WOULD 49:23 THINK TO ENTER THE GARDEN OF EDEN. 49:25 FIRE CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN THAT CONSUMED THE SACRIFICE THAT 49:29 ELIJAH HAD BUILT AND HAD PRAYED TO GOD ABOUT. 49:32 THE PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT THAT LED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. 49:37 FIRE REPRESENTS THE PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND SO THE BAPTISM 49:41 OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE SIMPLY REFERS TO THE IDEA OF 49:45 BEING TOTALLY IMMERSED AND ENGULFED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. 49:49 LETTING HIM CLEAN UP OUR LIVES. LETTING THE FIRE OF - HIS 49:53 PURIFYING FIRE - CLEAN UP THE DROSS AND THE IMPURITIES OF OUR 49:59 LIVES SO THAT HE COULD PRESENT US AS GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE. 50:03 IT'S GOING TO GET HOT, BUT GOD WANTS TO BURN UP ALL THE SIN IN 50:08 OUR LIVES SO THAT WHEN HE COMES UP WE WON'T BE BURNED WHEN HE 50:12 BURNS UP SIN WHEN HE COMES. HE WANTS US TO BECOME - 50:16 NOT COMBUSTIBLE. HE WANTS TO BURN UP THE SIN SO 50:20 WE CAN STAND IN HIS PRESENCE WITHOUT SIN AND WE'VE GOT TO LET 50:24 HIM DO THAT WORK IN OUR LIVES ON A DAILY BASIS. 50:27 IT'S MORE URGENT THAN WHAT'S TAKING PLACE IN SYRIA. 50:30 WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SYRIA IS IMPORTANT, BUT THIS IS 50:32 FAR MORE URGENT BECAUSE WHEN THIS IS DONE IN OUR LIVES, WHEN 50:38 OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THEN JESUS WILL COME. 50:41 THE WORK WILL BE FINISHED. NO MORE WARS. 50:43 NO MORE RUMORS OF WARS. NO MORE DEATH. 50:45 NO MORE BAD POLITICAL DECISIONS. NONE OF THAT. 50:49 IT'S ALL GOING TO BE OVER. 50:51 AND JESUS WILL COME AND SAY - THIS, MY FRIEND, IS SO 50:54 IMPERATIVE - IT'S SO IMPERATIVE FOR A FINISHED WORK. 50:56 SOMEONE HAD REVELATION 21, VERSE 6. 50:58 OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO READ THAT HERE IN JUST A MOMENT. 51:01 JESUS WANTS TO FINISH THE WORK. IN REVELATION 19:11 THROUGH 16 51:05 YOU HAVE THIS AWESOME PICTURE OF JESUS COMING BACK. 51:08 "NOW I SAW HEAVEN OPENED" - THIS IS VERSES 11 THROUGH 16 - "AND 51:12 BEHOLD, A WHITE HORSE. AND HE WHO SAT ON HIM WAS CALLED 51:15 FAITHFUL AND TRUE, AND IN RIGHTEOUSNESS HE JUDGES AND 51:18 MAKES WAR. HIS EYES WERE LIKE A FLAME OF 51:21 FIRE, AND ON HIS HEAD WERE MANY CROWNS. 51:24 HE HAD A NAME WRITTEN THAT NO ONE KNEW EXCEPT HIMSELF. 51:27 HE WAS CLOTHED WITH A ROBE DIPPED IN BLOOD, AND HIS NAME 51:30 IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD. AND THE ARMIES IN HEAVEN, 51:34 CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN, WHITE AND CLEAN, FOLLOWED HIM ON WHITE 51:37 HORSES. NOW OUT OF HIS MOUTH GOES A 51:39 SHARP SWORD, THAT WITH IT HE SHOULD STRIKE THE NATIONS. 51:43 AND HE HIMSELF WILL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON. 51:50 ALMIGHTY GOD. AND HE HAS ON HIS ROBE AND ON 51:52 HIS THIGH A NAME WRITTEN: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." 51:57 FRIEND, JESUS IS COMING BACK SOON. 51:59 AND WHEN HE COMES HE'S COMING WITH THE ARMIES OF HEAVEN. 52:02 HE'S NOT - HE'S NOT - LISTEN, YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE 52:04 PICTURE HERE - RIGHT DOWN HERE - THE MARK OF THE BEAST ISSUE - 52:07 IMAGE TO THE BEAST ISSUE - AND GOD'S PEOPLE NEED RESCUING. 52:10 SO HE'S ON HIS HORSES AND HE'S COMING TO RESCUE HIS PEOPLE TO 52:14 TAKE THEM - TO GET THEM OUT OF HERE TO TAKE THEM TO BE WHERE HE 52:17 IS SO THAT GOD WILL FINALLY GET WHAT HE WANTS. 52:20 REVELATION 21 AND VERSE 6. 52:23 >>"AND HE SAID TO ME, 'IT IS DONE! 52:26 I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END. 52:29 I WILL GIVE OF THE FOUNTAIN OF THE WATER OF LIFE FREELY TO HIM 52:34 WHO THIRSTS.'" >>AMEN. IT IS DONE! 52:37 DON'T YOU WANT TO HEAR THOSE WORDS? 52:39 A TIME IS COMING, FRIEND, WHEN IT WILL BE SAID, 52:41 'IT IS FINISHED!' A TIME IS COMING WHEN IT IS DONE. 52:45 SICKNESS WILL NOT GET THE LAST WORD. 52:46 DEATH WILL NOT GET THE LAST WORD. 52:48 NONE OF THAT'S GOING TO GET THE LAST WORD. 52:50 GOD GETS THE LAST WORD. 52:51 HE'S GOING TO SAY, 'IT IS DONE!' A MAN - THE DECISION FOR YOU AND 52:54 ME TODAY - THAT IS, THE QUESTION THAT YOU AND I HAVE TO ANSWER IS 52:58 'ARE WE GOING TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION? 53:00 - GOD'S SOLUTION - AND ALLOW HIM TO SO FILL US THAT WE MIGHT BE 53:04 USED OF HIM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN HE POURS OUT THE HOLY 53:08 SPIRIT AND THE LATTER RAIN SO THAT THE WORK CAN BE DONE. 53:11 IT CAN BE FINISHED AND JESUS CAN WRAP THINGS UP IN HEAVEN AND HE 53:15 CAN COME BACK. IT'S THE QUESTION YOU AND I HAVE 53:18 TO ASK - ANSWER. ARE WE GOING TO BE A PART OF THE 53:21 SOLUTION OR ARE WE GOING TO BE A PART OF THE PROBLEM? 53:25 THERE'S A PART WITHIN ME AND I HOPE IT'S WITHIN YOU 53:28 THAT'S PULLING FOR GOD. 53:29 GOD WANTS TO ULTIMATELY BE WITH YOU. 53:32 HE ULTIMATELY WANTS TO JUST BE WITH HIS PEOPLE. 53:35 THAT'S WHAT HE'S WANTED FROM THE BEGINNING AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S 53:37 GOING TO GET WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE BOOK OF REVELATION. 53:40 HE'S GOING TO SPEND TIME WITH US. 53:42 WE'RE GOING TO TABERNACLE - HE'S GOING TO TABERNACLE WITH HIS 53:44 PEOPLE AND THIS PLACE - THIS EARTH - WILL BECOME THE HOME OF 53:48 THE REDEEMED. MAN, CAN'T YOU JUST - CAN'T YOU 53:50 JUST WAIT FOR THAT? NO YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT. 53:53 YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT AT ALL BECAUSE JESUS WANTS IT SO BAD. 53:56 THERE'S GOT TO BE A PART IN US PULLING FOR - PULLING FOR GOD 53:59 AND HOPING THAT HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS. 54:01 MY FRIEND, WE'VE GOT TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD, AMEN? WE'VE 54:04 GOT TO KEEP ALLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO WORK IN OUR LIVES. 54:09 KE 54:11 UPRIGHT. KEEP IT UPRIGHT. 54:12 KEEP IT RIGHT SIDE UP AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE - PRAY LIKE 54:15 THERE'S NO TOMORROW - AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE LATTER RAIN. 54:18 GOD WANTS A FINISHED WORK, AMEN? 54:20 AND I WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT, HOW ABOUT YOU? SURE. 54:24 AND I WANT TO TELL YOU, THESE HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING SERIES OF 54:26 LESSONS AND IT JUST - IT DOESN'T END. THERE'S MORE LESSONS 54:29 TO COME AND WE WANT TO REMIND - WE WANT TO REMIND YOU HERE TODAY 54:33 TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU PICK UP YOUR LESSON. 54:35 I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MOMENT HERE, BUT 54:37 I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT DONE. 54:41 JESUS IS STILL TO COME AND THE BEST IS YET TO COME AS WE 54:44 PREPARE OUR HEARTS AND OUR LIVES FOR THE GREAT OUTPOURING OF 54:48 GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT. HEY, GOD BLESS YOU TODAY. 54:51 WE WANT TO REMIND OUR VIEWERS AS WELL TO CALL IN TO RECEIVE THEIR 54:54 LITTLE GIFT - FREE GIFT - 'LIFE IN THE SPIRIT' BY JOE CREWS AND 54:58 IT'S OFFER #155. YOU CAN CALL IN AT 55:01 1-866-STUDY-MORE OR 1-866-788-3966. 55:06 'LIFE IN THE SPIRIT'. AND YOU CAN CALL IN AND IT WILL 55:09 BE YOURS IF YOU'RE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES AND 55:12 U.S. TERRITORIES. GOD IS GOOD, AMEN? AMEN. 55:16 AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. 55:18 THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WELL ONLINE OR ON TV OR LISTENING 55:21 BY RADIO. GLAD YOU COULD JOIN US AND WE'RE 55:22 LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT TIME. 55:25 >>IF YOU'VE MISSED ANY OF OUR AMAZING FACTS PROGRAMS, 55:28 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT 'AMAZINGFACTS.ORG'. 55:30 THERE YOU'LL FIND AN ARCHIVE OF ALL OUR TELEVISION AND RADIO 55:33 PROGRAMS, INCLUDING AMAZING FACTS PRESENTS. 55:36 ONE LOCATION. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. 55:38 AMAZINGFACTS.ORG. (MUSIC) |
Revised 2014-12-17