Please stay with us
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3ABN presents
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this closed captioned program.
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Hello friends.
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My name is Michael Kontes
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and I want to welcome you
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to Faith Chapel.
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Today we're going
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to look at "Last Words. "
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Before we do that
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let us pray.
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Father we come to You now
and we thank Thee once again
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for the life
that you've given us.
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Help us as we go
through this study
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to come closer to You.
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Help us to understand You.
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In Jesus name, Amen.
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Words mean something,
sentences mean something.
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Communication means something.
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In the Gospel of
Matthew, chapter 15:18, we read:
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Those things that
proceed from the mouth
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come from the heart.
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In 1996 my wife and I
were leaving to go to Greece
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for fourteen days to
visit my two grandmothers.
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One was 92 years old and
the other was 85 years old.
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The Lord opened
up an opportunity
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for us to go to
Greece, paid for!
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I just want to tell you, I'm
the only Adventist in my family
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and my wife Reagan is the
only Adventist in her family.
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Our faith is
very important to us.
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Maybe I shouldn't say
this, but I will anyway.
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I can't stand
flying. I don't like to fly.
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I'm getting used to it
a little bit better now
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but I didn't like it back then.
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And everyone told me,
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"You're more apt to
die in a car accident. "
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Yes, I understand.
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And I know when it's my
time to go, it's my time to go.
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I understand that.
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But when it's the pilot's turn,
it's everyone's turn to go.
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So for me, flying in an airplane
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made me a bit paranoid.
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So as we're
readying to leave out of SFO
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and my
mother-in-law is going to watch
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the kids for the
next 14 days or so
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as we're walking out I
turn to her and make eye contact
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and I told her, "Carol,
if something happens to us "
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"please, I want
Lucas and Arianna "
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"to be put in a
Seventh Day Adventist School "
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"and go to Seventh
Day Adventist Church. "
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And she looked
up at me and said,
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"Michael, nothing
is going to happen "
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"to you and
Reagan, don't worry. "
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"And besides that, you aren't
flying on the same airplane "
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"because of your fear, so
if something does happen "
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"it'll only
happen to one of you. "
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That made me feel a lot better.
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I was so concerned that if
something was to happen to me
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that I wanted to make
sure the future of my children
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in school as well as
their faith would be preserved.
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Usually, many times
when people come down
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to the closing
scenes of their lives
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They say some
very profound things.
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I'd like to share a
couple of quotes this morning
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from some people at
the end of their lives
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the things they have said.
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Niccolo Machiavelli,
an Italian spokesman said,
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"I desire to go to
hell and not heaven "
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"In the former place I shall
enjoy the company of popes "
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"kings and princes.
While in the latter "
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"are only beggars,
monks and apostles. "
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Mr. Machiavelli was pretty
frank and candid wasn't he.
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He knew where he wanted to go.
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Blackjack Ketchum was
a bank robber and killer.
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And just before
he was hung he said,
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"I'll be in hell before
you finish breakfast boys. "
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"Let 'er rip. "
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Notice he had a
hardness of heart.
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A hardness of heart was
revealed with his last words.
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Leonardo da Vinci said,
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"I have offended
God and mankind "
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"because my work didn't reach
the quality it should have. "
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Notice the perfectionism
that Leonardo da Vinci had.
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The Greek, Socrates
in his last words said,
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"Crito, we owe a
cock to Asclepius. "
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"Pay it, and do not forget. "
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Socrates wanted to make sure
his debts were taken care of.
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Agrippina, Nero's mother
said something very profound.
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"Smite my womb. "
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Do you think she
felt a little guilt?
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Alexander the Great at his
death said about his successor,
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"The strongest. "
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Alexander was a man of power.
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Notice the words reveal power.
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Phineas T. Barnum, the
great businessman said,
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"How were the
circus receipts tonight "
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"at Madison Square Garden? "
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Notice the love of money.
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William Tyndale the
great Christian author said,
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"Lord, open the
King of England's eyes. "
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Notice true love.
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Malcolm X, black
Muslim leader said,
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"Let's cool it brothers. "
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Said when the three assassins
were about to kill him.
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Many of you know of the
Christian H. M. S. Richards Jr.
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His last words to
his daughter Mary were,
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"I had to learn
total relinquishment. "
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And her reply was, "Oh
Daddy that's wonderful. "
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"We all need to
be able to do that. "
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And then he said, "Mary,
I'll see you in the morning. "
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Last words are very important.
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We're going to go
through our Bible this morning
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and we're going to look
at just a snippet, just a few
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last words spoken
by people in the Bible
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and look at the
importance that they carry.
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First, some of the words
that are very profound to me
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comes from the book of Genesis.
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Genesis 4:13-14
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Notice Cain's
words had no remorse
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for the shed
blood of his brother.
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The only thing Cain
cared about was Cain.
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Here God came down to
try to reason with him,
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tried to talk to him,
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tried to ask him,
"Where's your brother? "
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God tried to get
him to humble his heart
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and explain what he just did.
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Yet Cain's last
words recorded in the Bible
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are about his self-absorbed
worry about being a vagabond
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on the face of the earth.
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Cain didn't care about
what he had done to Able.
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All he cared about were the
circumstances that he'd be in
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because of his actions.
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How many times do we fall
into the same boat as Cain?
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God comes and
wants to reason with us.
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And all we do is whine and cry
about the circumstances we're in
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In fact, it's the circumstances
we've put ourselves in.
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"Oh God, why did
You allow me to "
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"have my house go
into foreclosure. "
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And we were spending
our money on the lottery.
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Well, God's not going to
stop things from taking place
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in our lives friends that
we are causing to ourselves.
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A friend of mine had a
very bad addiction to drugs
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and wondered why God
would not have him stop.
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Friends, I can tell
you, God wants him to stop.
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But we always have a choice.
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But until we
exercise the resolve to say,
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"God, I want the
power. I know I've hurt you. "
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"I will no longer do this. "
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If we continue to like the
sin, follow me: Numbers11:18-20.
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God will allow us to
eat 'so much of the quail, '
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that it 'comes
out of our nostrils. '
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You follow me?
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Let's go to the next
story I want to look at
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concerning last words.
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Genesis 50:24
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Notice, Joseph's last words
were that, "God will bring "
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"out of this land. "
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And part of the context said,
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"When you come
out of this land "
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"I want you to take
my bones with you. "
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Now notice that friends.
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Joseph was second
in command in Egypt.
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Egypt had been
very good to him yet
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even in the midst of Egypt
he viewed himself as an exile.
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And his last words were,
"Take my bones out from here "
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"when God takes
all of you out. "
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Notice the champion,
Joseph saw that some day
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his kinsmen would be released.
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He also saw that
he'd give his own body
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as a sign to his people,
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a sign of hope.
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In Joseph's last words we see
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he not only viewed
himself as an exile
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in this foreign
land, but he also saw that
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his bones would be a sign to his
people that they'd be released.
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Through the
centuries of toil that followed
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Joseph's coffin would
be a constant reminder
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of his dying words.
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Now let's take a peek
into the New Testament.
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Now we aren't going to
go over all the last words
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that are here, I don't
have enough time to do that.
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I'd love for you to do your
own private study in this area.
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It's fascinating
what you will find.
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Let's open up to
the Gospel of John.
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Jesus was speaking to Pilate,
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Let's look at the last
words Jesus spoke to Pilate.
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Notice here, Jesus is standing
in front of a politician,
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in front of a ruler who
could probably orchestrate
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events to have Jesus released.
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And yet this politician
tells Him how he has power
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over Him to release Him.
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And the words have to
haunt Pilate continuously
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were, "You have
no power over Me. "
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"You have no power over Me. "
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Notice Jesus'
last words to Pilate.
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Can you imagine friends.
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If your boss
comes to you at work
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and let's say he wants you
to do some unethical thing.
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and you say, "I
don't want to do this. "
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and he says, "Do
you know who I am? "
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"Do you know what
power I have over you? "
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"I can give you vacations "
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"I can take away vacations. "
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"I can give you a raise. "
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"I can take away a raise. "
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I can do whatever I
want with your career. "
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And you look your boss
straight in the eyes and say,
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"That may be true
but ultimately you have "
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"no authority in my life. "
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"My authority is
God, and to do His will. "
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That's profound, isn't it?
00:13:58.63\00:14:03.04
Let us go into the
Book of the Revelation.
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One of the most profound last
words we get in Revelation 22
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Friends, through this text we're
taught that there comes a time
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where mercy will no
longer be extended to sinners.
00:14:50.21\00:14:53.96
In fact we could share that
this text can be translated,
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"Let him who is unjust
continue to be unjust "
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"let him who is filthy
continue to be filthy "
00:15:02.38\00:15:05.41
"let him who is righteous
continue to be righteous "
00:15:05.44\00:15:08.49
"and let him who is
holy continue to be holy. "
00:15:08.52\00:15:11.74
There is coming a time
when the ministry of Jesus
00:15:11.77\00:15:15.40
in the Heavenly
Sanctuary will come to an end.
00:15:15.43\00:15:18.12
There will come a time when
Jesus will lay aside His robe
00:15:18.15\00:15:21.51
after He exclaims the words,
00:15:21.54\00:15:23.87
"Let him who is
unjust be unjust. "
00:15:23.90\00:15:27.16
This is VERY
profound and should be very
00:15:27.19\00:15:33.01
eye opening for us to realize
00:15:33.04\00:15:36.16
Mercy's door will
not always be open.
00:15:36.19\00:15:40.33
In fact, it may be
theologically correct
00:15:40.36\00:15:43.44
to say that there
comes a place where the
00:15:43.47\00:15:46.75
Door of Mercy in our lives
is slowly and gradually closing.
00:15:47.04\00:15:51.30
For some of us the Door of
Mercy can close today, tomorrow,
00:15:51.33\00:15:57.01
next week, next year.
00:15:57.05\00:15:59.71
We don't know.
00:15:59.74\00:16:00.81
But that door is slowly closing.
00:16:00.84\00:16:04.91
In 1996 before I was a Christian
00:16:04.94\00:16:09.37
I was a terrible
individual to be quite candid.
00:16:09.40\00:16:17.85
I was not a good husband
or father, son or brother,
00:16:17.89\00:16:22.19
I was not a good anything.
00:16:22.22\00:16:23.50
I was just a
decent bass fisherman.
00:16:23.53\00:16:25.96
And my wife started praying
for me to find the Lord again.
00:16:25.99\00:16:34.40
And so as she was
praying for me for 3 or 4 months
00:16:34.44\00:16:37.24
the Lord was
working on my heart.
00:16:37.27\00:16:39.44
I began to see things on TV
that I'd never noticed before.
00:16:39.47\00:16:44.18
You know, spiritual things
are spiritually discerned.
00:16:44.21\00:16:46.59
I watched TV as a girl
went to her high school prom
00:16:46.62\00:16:52.80
gave birth to her baby and
put the baby in a trash bin
00:16:52.83\00:16:57.28
and went out to
finish her dance.
00:16:57.31\00:16:59.81
And I said, "Man, something is
really wrong with this world. "
00:16:59.84\00:17:03.90
You see the Holy Spirit
was beginning to touch me,
00:17:03.93\00:17:06.84
was beginning to take
the dust off of my eyes,
00:17:06.87\00:17:10.74
was beginning to show me
that the clock was winding down.
00:17:10.77\00:17:17.30
On another TV program 9 year old
kids were taking guns to school.
00:17:17.33\00:17:21.80
When I was in high
school, graduated in 1995,
00:17:21.83\00:17:24.76
I was just worried
about my biology teacher
00:17:24.79\00:17:28.09
or my chemistry
teacher, Mr. Carroll
00:17:28.12\00:17:30.08
busting me for chewing gum,
00:17:30.11\00:17:32.08
down the hall way or in class!
00:17:32.11\00:17:34.62
And now kids are
taking guns to school.
00:17:34.65\00:17:37.40
And I looked at the TV and said,
00:17:37.43\00:17:39.48
"Something is really
wrong with our world. "
00:17:39.51\00:17:42.55
"really wrong! "
00:17:42.58\00:17:44.74
As God was touching my heart
00:17:44.77\00:17:47.76
I stayed up one night in May,
00:17:47.79\00:17:50.49
May 26th 1996, I was
watching a prophecy show.
00:17:50.52\00:17:54.00
The preacher of
the prophecy show said,
00:17:54.03\00:17:57.81
"Are you ready if Jesus comes? "
00:17:57.84\00:18:02.25
He pointed at the TV and said,
00:18:02.28\00:18:05.29
"Be prepared. The closing events
are rapidly taking place. "
00:18:05.32\00:18:10.66
"All kinds of things
are happening around us. "
00:18:10.69\00:18:14.45
"If you die tonight do
you know where you will go? "
00:18:14.48\00:18:18.73
And I sat there in
my living room knowing
00:18:18.76\00:18:22.22
a battle was taking
place because as I was watching
00:18:22.25\00:18:24.14
I wanted to click off
that channel and go to another
00:18:24.17\00:18:26.71
and I would do it for a second
and the Holy Spirit prompted
00:18:26.74\00:18:28.98
my heart to back
to the prophecy show.
00:18:29.01\00:18:32.36
When someone has served
Satan for their entire life
00:18:32.39\00:18:36.23
the voice of Jesus
can't be understood very well.
00:18:36.26\00:18:41.27
But you can
discern the voice of Satan.
00:18:41.31\00:18:45.02
I was his puppet and
he was the puppet master.
00:18:45.05\00:18:48.20
And I could discern Satan's
voice better than God's voice.
00:18:48.23\00:18:51.20
But God did not leave
me hanging from a cliff.
00:18:51.23\00:18:55.88
You see, as I
sat there I realized
00:18:55.91\00:19:02.03
that if I was to die that night
00:19:02.06\00:19:05.05
I would die without
the hope of salvation.
00:19:06.09\00:19:11.25
That night, I'm sure there were
demons but also good angels,
00:19:11.28\00:19:16.43
and ministering angels trying to
help me understand my condition,
00:19:16.46\00:19:20.30
trying to help me see I wasn't
as good as I thought I was,
00:19:20.33\00:19:23.78
but that I was
bad and really bad,
00:19:23.81\00:19:29.49
in fact, the chief of sinners.
00:19:29.52\00:19:32.22
I remember clicking
off the TV that night
00:19:32.25\00:19:34.84
and walking down the hallway and
getting on my hands and knees
00:19:34.87\00:19:38.38
for the first time and
praying Jesus into my life.
00:19:38.41\00:19:42.11
I asked Him to
forgive me of all of my sins
00:19:42.14\00:19:44.97
and friends, the
next day I woke up
00:19:45.00\00:19:46.73
and it was like 300
pounds was off of my back.
00:19:46.76\00:19:51.02
I was hoping and
skipping and jumping and
00:19:51.05\00:19:54.75
the burdens of
life were taken from me.
00:19:54.78\00:19:57.78
I can tell you
today, I know that night
00:19:57.81\00:20:01.93
was the night of my probation.
00:20:01.96\00:20:03.96
The doors were closing.
00:20:03.99\00:20:05.43
Yet God opened them up
00:20:05.46\00:20:07.62
and reached out
to me one other time.
00:20:07.65\00:20:09.93
My whole life He had
been reaching out to me.
00:20:09.96\00:20:12.43
And my whole life I
had been rejecting Him.
00:20:12.46\00:20:14.68
Do you reject Jesus?
00:20:14.71\00:20:18.94
How long has He
been reaching out to you?
00:20:18.97\00:20:22.62
Has He been reaching
out to you for years?
00:20:22.65\00:20:24.78
Are you neglecting His voice?
00:20:24.81\00:20:26.41
You are allowing
yourself to become a puppet
00:20:26.44\00:20:29.18
of the puppet master,
00:20:29.21\00:20:31.98
the evil one, the
dragon, that old serpent,
00:20:32.01\00:20:34.98
Satan, the devil himself.
00:20:35.01\00:20:37.26
Friends, if Jesus is reaching
out to you, trying to call you,
00:20:37.29\00:20:43.34
if He's trying to give
and extend mercy to you
00:20:43.37\00:20:45.90
today is the day of salvation.
00:20:45.93\00:20:48.85
Today is the day
to accept His call,
00:20:48.88\00:20:51.85
His invitation, His
knocking on your heart's door.
00:20:51.88\00:20:55.02
There will come a day
00:20:55.05\00:20:57.57
when the High Priest will say,
00:20:57.60\00:20:59.16
"It is done "
00:20:59.19\00:21:01.01
in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
00:21:01.04\00:21:02.63
And when that is said
00:21:02.66\00:21:04.85
there will be a chasm opened and
no more reconciliation ministry
00:21:04.88\00:21:07.72
for the people of earth.
00:21:07.75\00:21:10.42
Now let's look at our last
saying which once again comes
00:21:10.45\00:21:13.26
from the Book of the Revelation
00:21:13.29\00:21:14.72
which end the book itself.
00:21:14.75\00:21:17.04
Revelation 22
00:21:17.07\00:21:19.81
Notice that one
of the last words
00:21:35.73\00:21:38.47
in this chapter
that Jesus says is
00:21:38.50\00:21:40.20
"I come quickly and
behold my reward is with Me. "
00:21:40.23\00:21:44.45
This shows the
eminence of His coming
00:21:44.48\00:21:48.26
wanting each
person to be prepared
00:21:48.29\00:21:50.46
for His soon return.
00:21:50.49\00:21:52.03
"I come quickly. " He could
have said many things, friends.
00:21:52.06\00:21:55.18
He could have
said, "I'm coming "
00:21:55.21\00:21:57.59
But why did He say,
"I'm coming quickly? "
00:21:57.62\00:22:00.10
He said he was returning quickly
to inspire us and to motivate us
00:22:00.13\00:22:06.55
to be His people,
00:22:06.58\00:22:09.56
to be confident
and to be serving Him
00:22:09.59\00:22:13.75
out of a pure heart,
out of the right motives,
00:22:13.78\00:22:17.25
not just because He's coming,
00:22:17.28\00:22:20.07
but he's coming quickly.
00:22:20.10\00:22:22.40
Now it goes on in this chapter
00:22:22.43\00:22:26.16
in Revelation 22:17,
00:22:26.19\00:22:29.22
"The Spirit and
the bride say, 'Come' "
00:22:29.25\00:22:32.86
"and let him that
hears say, 'Come' "
00:22:32.89\00:22:36.60
"and let him
that is thirsty come "
00:22:36.63\00:22:42.53
"and whosoever will let him take
of the Water of Life freely. "
00:22:42.57\00:22:48.86
Notice the last words of
Jesus is open mercy to everyone.
00:22:48.89\00:22:54.06
That is how He ends this book.
00:22:54.09\00:22:56.55
He ends the book of Revelation
00:22:56.58\00:22:58.82
by giving an
invitation to mankind
00:22:58.85\00:23:01.95
that everyone who
thirsts to know Jesus,
00:23:01.98\00:23:05.99
everyone who thirsts
to have their sins covered
00:23:06.02\00:23:10.01
by the blood of the Lamb,
00:23:10.04\00:23:12.39
everyone who
desires to not drink
00:23:12.42\00:23:14.71
of the spiritually impure water
00:23:14.74\00:23:18.25
but rather to
drink the pure water,
00:23:18.28\00:23:21.65
we are to come to Jesus,
00:23:21.68\00:23:24.21
to desire, to embrace Jesus.
00:23:24.24\00:23:27.33
We are to desire
Jesus and Jesus alone.
00:23:27.36\00:23:32.96
Jesus said, "I am the
Way, the Truth and the Life. "
00:23:32.99\00:23:37.68
Friends, as we're
closing what are the last words
00:23:37.71\00:23:45.65
that you hear Jesus
speaking to you today?
00:23:45.68\00:23:47.99
Is today the day where
your probation line is drawn?
00:23:48.02\00:23:54.95
Or what are the last words
you've spoken to someone else?
00:23:54.98\00:23:58.28
Have you spoken
words of hope like Joseph?
00:23:58.31\00:24:00.73
where he said, "Take my bones
when you leave this land? "
00:24:00.76\00:24:06.63
Or are you
saying words like Cain?
00:24:06.66\00:24:09.30
"My punishment is too great. "
00:24:09.33\00:24:12.32
"I cannot bear it. "
00:24:12.35\00:24:17.01
What words are you hearing?
00:24:17.04\00:24:18.68
What words are you saying?
00:24:18.71\00:24:20.44
I remember a couple years back
00:24:20.47\00:24:27.10
some of the words
that I used to use
00:24:27.14\00:24:31.86
prior to being a Christian,
I regret it very much.
00:24:31.89\00:24:34.08
I used to hurt people
with the words that I said.
00:24:34.11\00:24:37.31
And some of the words I said
00:24:37.34\00:24:38.72
to some of my
high school friends
00:24:38.75\00:24:39.88
were very hurtful words.
00:24:39.91\00:24:41.77
Then when I became a
Christian I asked Jesus Christ
00:24:41.80\00:24:45.08
to come into my life.
00:24:45.11\00:24:46.27
When He came into my life,
He changed and transformed me.
00:24:46.30\00:24:49.63
I asked him to bring my high
school friends back into my life
00:24:49.66\00:24:52.65
so the last words they heard
from Mike Kontes would not be
00:24:52.68\00:24:55.93
disparaging hurtful words
but be words of encouragement
00:24:55.96\00:25:01.16
and words of remorse.
00:25:01.19\00:25:02.91
And as I prayed for
people to come into my life
00:25:02.94\00:25:05.39
the Lord brought 2 and 3
people back into my life yearly.
00:25:05.42\00:25:08.40
I meet one girl
named Camy McMaster.
00:25:08.43\00:25:13.20
I used to hurt her with
my words in high school.
00:25:13.23\00:25:16.51
She was tall, 6' - 2"
00:25:16.54\00:25:18.69
I used to feel like
a midget around her.
00:25:18.72\00:25:22.58
I'm a 5' - 7" Greek so
I felt inferior to her.
00:25:22.61\00:25:24.82
To make myself feel better
I teased her about her height.
00:25:24.85\00:25:29.33
Years later after I
became a Christian I saw her at
00:25:29.36\00:25:33.44
Sacramento State University
00:25:33.47\00:25:34.72
when I was going to
pick up Reagan, my wife.
00:25:34.75\00:25:37.41
I saw her
walking across the campus
00:25:37.44\00:25:39.84
and friends, I didn't strut
00:25:39.87\00:25:42.63
I didn't walk slow
00:25:42.66\00:25:45.16
I sprinted to her.
00:25:45.19\00:25:48.07
I said, "Hi Camy, how are
you doing ", we started talking.
00:25:48.10\00:25:52.07
I said, "You know those words
I said to you in high school "
00:25:52.10\00:25:56.65
"I'm really sorry. "
00:25:56.68\00:25:58.36
She looked up and said,
00:25:58.39\00:26:00.36
"Don't worry about it
Mike, it happened so long ago. "
00:26:00.39\00:26:02.51
I said, "No Camy, I
don't want those to be "
00:26:02.54\00:26:06.74
"the last words out
of my mouth to you. "
00:26:06.77\00:26:08.62
"I am very sorry. "
00:26:08.65\00:26:09.96
And she looked at me and smiled.
00:26:09.99\00:26:11.53
Another girl, Christy Anderson
00:26:11.56\00:26:15.10
I used to tease her.
00:26:15.13\00:26:16.57
I remember I had
correspondence with her.
00:26:16.60\00:26:19.65
I apologized about
the things I said to her.
00:26:19.68\00:26:22.09
And I realized she was
still carrying scars from those
00:26:22.12\00:26:25.19
last words I
had shared with her.
00:26:25.22\00:26:27.12
I apologized to
her and she forgave me.
00:26:27.15\00:26:32.65
Friends, what are the last
words you are telling others?
00:26:32.68\00:26:36.92
What are the last words
people will remember you by?
00:26:36.95\00:26:40.48
When it's your funeral and
people come to pay last respects
00:26:40.51\00:26:47.80
what will they remember you by?
00:26:47.83\00:26:49.13
What words that you've
shared will they remember?
00:26:49.16\00:26:52.71
Last words are important.
00:26:52.74\00:26:54.39
Will you be able
to exclaim like Christ
00:26:54.42\00:26:57.19
to your co-worker or boss,
00:26:57.22\00:27:01.37
"You have no
authority over me, "
00:27:01.40\00:27:06.06
as Jesus proclaimed to Pilate.
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.18
Will you be able to exclaim like
Paul in his letters to Timothy
00:27:08.21\00:27:13.83
he said, "I have
fought the good fight. "
00:27:13.86\00:27:16.04
His last words, "I
have ran the race. "
00:27:16.07\00:27:19.27
Paul's last words were
words of assurance of salvation.
00:27:19.30\00:27:25.49
What are your last words,
the words that you say and hear?
00:27:25.52\00:27:31.94
Do you have the
assurance of salvation?
00:27:31.97\00:27:34.18
Or are you going to embrace
the call the Spirit says,
00:27:34.21\00:27:39.41
"To him who is thirsty, come. "
00:27:39.44\00:27:42.62
"And whoever will, let him
take of the Water of Life "
00:27:42.65\00:27:48.34
"freely and come. "
00:27:48.37\00:27:50.96
I can share with you,
please embrace the Water of Life
00:27:50.99\00:27:54.44
and come to Jesus.
00:27:54.47\00:27:57.90