Hello and welcome to
3ABN's Fall Camp Meeting...
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our Fall Homecoming 2018.
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Have we been blessed so far?
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Amen! What an
incredible blessing!
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This theme this Camp Meeting
has been Covenant Identity.
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And I know my
heart has been blessed
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and convicted by the messages
that have been brought to us
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by the Word of God.
And we welcome you at home.
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Thank you for joining us.
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Our speaker this hour is my
pastor: Pastor John Lomacang.
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He's the pastor of the
Thompsonville SDA church
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and also director of
world evangelism for 3ABN.
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He's a man of
God... a man of the Word.
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And his message today
will be Coming With Clouds.
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It's not about
the second coming.
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It's instead about how
God reveals His character
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through clouds.
Before he speaks to us
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Pastor C.A. Murray will
minister a song entitled
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I'll Tell The World.
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After Pastor
C.A. shall have sung
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the next voice that you
will hear is that of our pastor
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and friend John Lomacang.
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I'll tell the world
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that I'm a Christian.
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I'm not ashamed
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His name to bear.
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I'll tell the world
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that I'm a Christian
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and I'll take Him with me
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everywhere.
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I'll tell the world
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how Jesus saved me
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and how He gave me
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a life brand new.
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And I know
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that if you trust Him
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that all He gave me
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He'll give to you.
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I'll tell the world
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that He's my Savior.
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No other one
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could love me so.
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My life, my all
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is His forever
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and where He leads me
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I will go.
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I'll tell the world
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Jesus is coming
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and it may be near
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or far, far away.
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But we've got to live
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as if that coming
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could be tomorrow
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or today.
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For when He comes
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and life is over
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for those who love Him
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there's more to be.
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Eyes have never seen the wonders
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that He's preparing
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for you and me.
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Go tell the world
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that you're a Christian.
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Don't be ashamed
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His name to bear.
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Just tell the world
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that you are a Christian
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and take Him with you
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everywhere.
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I'll tell the world
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how Jesus saved me
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and how He gave me
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a life brand new.
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And I know
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that if you trust Him
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that all He gave to me
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He'll give to you.
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I'll tell the world
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that I'm a Christian.
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I'm not ashamed
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His name to bear.
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I'll tell the world
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that I'm a Christian...
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I'll take Him with me
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anywhere...
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I'll take Him with me
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anywhere!
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Amen! Amen...
thank you, Pastor C.A.
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That's what the
sermon is all about:
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telling the world
that we are a Christian.
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I'd like to invite you
to bow your heads with me
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as we invite the presence
of God to continue with us.
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Loving Father in
heaven, we thank you
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that You have
given us the mission
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to tell the world
that we are Christians.
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This afternoon, Lord,
speak to us in a very real
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and daily way
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that we may recognize that
we are the ones to proclaim
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that Jesus is real.
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And now anoint
this message, Father,
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that You may be glorified.
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In Jesus' name I
pray, Amen. Amen!
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Coming With Clouds.
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I'm going to begin with
a scripture in Revelation
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that really has nothing to do
with the second coming of Jesus
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directly but has
everything to do with
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getting ready for the second
coming of Jesus indirectly.
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Revelation
chapter 1 and verse 7.
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If you don't have your Bibles,
the text will appear on the
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screen. And we read together:
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It was 1983. My
wife and I were moving
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down to Orlando, Florida.
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We just got
married May 22, 1983.
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And in our quest to move...
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as a matter of fact, trials
caused us to make that decision
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we were going from
Orlando down to Miami, Florida.
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And if you've lived
in the South at all,
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you know that there are no
rainstorms like the rainstorms
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in the South. We were not
too far outside of Orlando -
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maybe about an hour -
and before us we saw a wall
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that was black.
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You've gotta be in
Texas or in the Midwest
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or in the South to
understand what I mean.
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The wall was black and ominous.
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And we were driving in a
1976 rusted-out Toyota Corona
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that did its best to
keep any water out at all.
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And because we were
going and our minds were set
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on our destination we knew
that we had to meet this cloud
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that we understood was a
representation of the torrential
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rains that Florida can produce.
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When we entered that raincloud -
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that black, ominous wall -
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the rain began to
hit our car like BBs.
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Like marbles.
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It began to blast away
everything on the outside
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of our car. We couldn't see.
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The rain began to
come into our vehicle.
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It was so dark when
I decided to pull over
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under an overpass I
almost hit a cyclist
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who had pulled over
before me. But it was so dark,
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the rain was so
heavy that we couldn't see.
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But when the rains were over
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there was not a
speck of dust on my car.
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You couldn't manufacture one.
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If it was there,
it was blown away
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by the torrential downpour
that Florida can produce.
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And I learned a valuable lesson.
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It is oftentimes, through
the torrential downpours of life
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that God employs clouds and rain
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to remove the dust and
the clutter of our lives.
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So today I invite
you on a journey with me
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where clouds are dominant.
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Go back with me to the
heavily-overcast moments
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of your life. Come
with me to the gloomy days
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when coldness and uncertainty
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even challenged your prayers.
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Today we're going to discover
something that we often forget
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in moments of prosperity...
in moments of "much. "
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In moments of a lot
of fun and security,
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when the bank account is stable
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and the children
are behaving well
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and our marriage is smooth
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and there are no interruptions
in our church relationships.
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Today we'll discover
something that is often obscured
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by the prosperity of life.
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For you see, it
is on cloudy days
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that disappointments
penetrate our human armor.
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Isn't that right?
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Cloudy moments. It
is on dark days that
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we tend to forget
that God is never absent.
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But I thank Him for the
promise: "I will never? "
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"leave you and I'll
never forsake you. "
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But it's on those dark
days we tend to believe that
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somehow God is absent.
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It is on stormy days that
our deepest dreams and desires
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seem to begin to fade
and we begin to lose grip.
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I was recently in Colombia.
My wife and I were there
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and I was looking
through somebody's Facebook page
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that had actually
tagged me in a photo.
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And I was painfully introduced
by one of the locals there
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of a young lady
that was a good friend
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of one of those that
had gone to school with her.
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And they said:
"Isn't this a nice photo? "
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They showed my wife and I
when we were having dinner
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that evening with them.
And they said: "This young lady
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took her life six months ago. "
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Jumped off of a
bridge in Argentina.
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Could not handle
the clouds of life.
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She had everything
going for her. She had made it
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through college, was in
her internship... but somehow
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the clouds became so intense
that she could not handle it
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and ended her life.
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And then I kept
thumbing down on that page
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and I saw a beautiful picture
of a tall, stately pastor
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that I recognized.
I said: "I know him;
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I've seen him at ASI. "
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And I read the
disheartening story...
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he took his life
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because the difficulty of
life he could not handle it.
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And it is those things
that we confront in our lives
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that sometimes get
us to the place where
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we tend to think
that God is absent.
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It's on stormy days
that our deepest dreams
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begin to fade. But today...
today we will rediscover
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that even in the darkest moments
God's blessing can be realized.
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Amen!
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Even in the darkest
events of our lives -
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let me say this clearly -
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God is still God.
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Amen.
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But it's not about how
God changes because God never
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changes. But what
happens in our lives
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for to us clouds often
appear as sorrow and suffering
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and circumstances. The
circumstances of our lives
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that seem to somehow
momentarily eclipse who God is
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and contradict
the character of God.
00:13:58.30\00:14:01.57
However, the Lord showed me
as I was reading a devotional -
00:14:02.37\00:14:05.94
I'll share some of
those excerpts with you -
00:14:06.14\00:14:07.88
from July 29th in one of
my second-favorite authors
00:14:08.08\00:14:11.11
by the name of Oswald Chambers.
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God was revealing to me through
that July 29th devotional...
00:14:13.35\00:14:16.38
In our own journey - my
wife and I... in our own journey
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growing together
still after 35 years...
00:14:20.16\00:14:22.52
God was revealing to me
something very pertinent
00:14:23.83\00:14:26.23
that day when we read
that devotion together
00:14:26.43\00:14:28.36
which has become the impetus
to the birth of this message.
00:14:28.56\00:14:31.73
But even in the darkest
moments and events of life
00:14:31.93\00:14:34.87
God is still God.
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And I discovered
something very powerful
00:14:37.61\00:14:40.01
and very potent. I want you
to really focus on this message
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today because I believe...
I've preached a lot of sermons
00:14:42.91\00:14:45.68
but I believe that this
to me is one of the most
00:14:45.88\00:14:49.38
relevant and
significant messages
00:14:49.58\00:14:53.05
that are going to help you
when you leave Camp Meeting
00:14:54.32\00:14:56.59
when the clouds
come into your life.
00:14:56.79\00:14:58.13
'Cause they're going
to come... they're coming.
00:14:58.33\00:15:01.63
I've learned that God
sometimes employs clouds
00:15:05.70\00:15:09.20
to reveal to us His character.
00:15:09.40\00:15:13.01
One of the most insightful
reasons why God comes to us
00:15:13.41\00:15:17.01
with clouds is to remind us,
00:15:17.21\00:15:20.12
and listen to
this: we don't follow God
00:15:20.32\00:15:23.39
because we can see. We
follow God because HE can see.
00:15:23.59\00:15:27.39
Amen? What does Romans 1:17 say?
00:15:28.22\00:15:30.96
Look at the text:
00:15:31.16\00:15:32.49
If you can see
everything that God sees,
00:15:37.13\00:15:40.14
you will be God.
00:15:40.34\00:15:41.94
You don't need to see
everything that God sees.
00:15:42.14\00:15:45.47
We need to know that God is God
00:15:45.67\00:15:48.34
and that is good enough for me.
00:15:48.54\00:15:50.75
Why would you not
trust? That's why last night
00:15:52.18\00:15:54.15
I said on the Bible
panel: "If you can't trust God,
00:15:54.35\00:15:57.49
who can you trust? "
00:15:57.69\00:15:59.19
If you have
questions about whether or not
00:16:00.26\00:16:01.99
God is trustworthy,
00:16:02.19\00:16:04.23
then please don't put a
second person on that list
00:16:05.29\00:16:08.76
until you clear up
your misconception about God
00:16:08.96\00:16:12.33
because I can guarantee
you the problem is not with God
00:16:12.53\00:16:14.94
but with us.
00:16:15.14\00:16:16.47
It is through clouds
that God is re-teaching us
00:16:18.41\00:16:21.14
the walk of faith.
00:16:21.34\00:16:23.38
If there were never any clouds,
00:16:23.58\00:16:25.45
there would be no need of faith.
00:16:25.65\00:16:28.88
But there are clouds.
00:16:29.28\00:16:30.82
One of my favorite hymns
00:16:31.12\00:16:33.39
is There Shall Be
Showers of Blessing.
00:16:33.59\00:16:36.32
But it was not until recently
that I came to grips with the
00:16:37.33\00:16:40.30
fact that... hear
me carefully... unless
00:16:40.50\00:16:43.47
there are clouds
there won't be any showers.
00:16:43.87\00:16:48.00
Amen!
00:16:48.20\00:16:49.80
Showers are always
preceded by clouds.
00:16:51.14\00:16:57.11
Like the little boy
that stood in the midst of a
00:16:57.98\00:17:01.05
praying church.
One morning the pastor
00:17:01.25\00:17:04.82
got together
with the congregation
00:17:05.02\00:17:06.42
somewhere in the southwest
where the rain had not come
00:17:06.62\00:17:09.49
for many months and
they were praying for rain.
00:17:09.69\00:17:11.23
True story. I don't
remember where I read it
00:17:11.43\00:17:13.19
but it never left my mind.
And they were praying for rain
00:17:13.40\00:17:16.16
and he said: "This
afternoon at 3 o'clock
00:17:16.36\00:17:18.93
we're going to gather together
again and wait for the rain. "
00:17:19.13\00:17:21.54
And when they gathered together
that little boy's face was
00:17:22.34\00:17:25.51
so confirmed that
God was going to respond
00:17:25.71\00:17:27.61
that when he came back he had
something that nobody else had:
00:17:27.81\00:17:31.98
he had an umbrella.
00:17:32.18\00:17:33.52
And he said to the pastor:
"Where's your umbrella? "
00:17:34.48\00:17:36.69
If you believe that God
is going to send the rain,
00:17:37.19\00:17:39.89
we need a spiritual umbrella
to confirm the fact that
00:17:40.09\00:17:43.73
God's promises are reliable.
00:17:43.93\00:17:45.99
Amen!
00:17:46.19\00:17:47.53
But so often we
pray and our prayers are
00:17:47.56\00:17:49.46
covered by the brass
ceilings of our lack of faith
00:17:49.66\00:17:52.43
that troubles our
hearts of uncertainty.
00:17:52.83\00:17:55.14
Showers don't
fall on cloudless days.
00:17:56.20\00:17:59.21
Showers are always
preceded by clouds.
00:17:59.41\00:18:01.98
Showers don't
produce showers... clouds do.
00:18:02.18\00:18:05.51
Without clouds
showers will never appear.
00:18:05.91\00:18:08.88
Without clouds
the grass will wither
00:18:09.08\00:18:12.02
and the earth will
suffer from thirst.
00:18:12.22\00:18:14.82
Without clouds rivers
become parched and dried up.
00:18:15.02\00:18:20.20
Without clouds, flowers
will bow their heads in defeat
00:18:20.40\00:18:24.40
and the harvest will be delayed.
00:18:24.80\00:18:29.30
So I'm getting to the place now,
I'm getting a little older...
00:18:29.70\00:18:32.44
I should have had a hearty
amen from the whole people...
00:18:36.85\00:18:39.45
but then you
don't want to admit it.
00:18:40.92\00:18:43.22
As I get older, I'm realizing
00:18:43.72\00:18:45.59
that it's not so bad to
get older and have some marks
00:18:45.99\00:18:50.03
of the war that God
has brought us through.
00:18:50.23\00:18:52.73
Amen. Am I right?
00:18:52.93\00:18:55.20
I mean, it's those wars
that make Bible study real
00:18:55.60\00:18:59.07
and make church
service something you long for.
00:18:59.27\00:19:03.17
That makes prayer meeting
an event that nothing will
00:19:03.57\00:19:06.21
stop you from getting
to. Just a few nights ago
00:19:06.41\00:19:08.84
we had one of our
dear church members
00:19:09.04\00:19:10.88
due to trials in her own life
God sent two people in her life
00:19:11.08\00:19:14.52
that she helped. And she
came late to prayer meeting
00:19:14.72\00:19:17.02
and we thought... and people
when she walked in thought:
00:19:17.22\00:19:19.32
"Yeah... late
for prayer meeting. "
00:19:19.52\00:19:21.09
But when she told
us why she was late -
00:19:21.99\00:19:24.06
helping lift
somebody else's burden -
00:19:24.56\00:19:27.36
we said: "That's a
good reason to be late. "
00:19:28.33\00:19:30.73
In the Bible clouds
are often and almost always
00:19:33.10\00:19:36.57
associated with
God. Let's walk through
00:19:36.77\00:19:39.04
some examples in scripture
'cause we've gotta move here.
00:19:39.24\00:19:42.08
Look at Genesis
chapter 7 and verse 4.
00:19:42.28\00:19:43.88
It was through clouds that
rain introduced God's judgments
00:19:44.08\00:19:47.15
to a world hardened by sin.
00:19:47.35\00:19:49.28
Genesis 7:4...
notice what the Bible says:
00:19:49.48\00:19:51.85
You see, while the
gathering clouds spelled doom
00:20:05.40\00:20:08.97
to the antediluvians... to
those who did not know God...
00:20:09.17\00:20:12.31
the clouds became a
confirmation to Noah
00:20:13.01\00:20:16.34
of the validity
of God's promises.
00:20:16.85\00:20:20.12
And I'm beginning to
see clouds differently now.
00:20:20.32\00:20:22.72
There was a time when I
would say: "Not another cloud. "
00:20:23.02\00:20:26.05
But after so many clouds
00:20:26.45\00:20:28.69
and behind them realizing
that it is true: behind every
00:20:28.89\00:20:31.73
cloud there is a? Silver
lining. No... there is a God.
00:20:31.93\00:20:35.63
Ah, got you.
00:20:37.30\00:20:38.70
Behind every cloud there is God!
00:20:39.53\00:20:41.27
The Shekinah glory of God
was there. Behind every cloud
00:20:42.20\00:20:45.61
God was there.
So I assure you that
00:20:45.81\00:20:48.84
it is in the
cloudy occurrences of life
00:20:49.04\00:20:51.88
that the promises of
God become more meaningful.
00:20:52.08\00:20:55.78
Which brings me
to my first point:
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.35
clouds are a precursor
to the promises of God.
00:20:59.55\00:21:03.12
Say that with me?
Clouds are a precursor
00:21:03.32\00:21:06.36
to the promises of God.
00:21:06.56\00:21:08.16
Look at Psalm 23 and verse 4.
00:21:08.36\00:21:10.03
You see, when we live
by the promises of God
00:21:10.23\00:21:11.97
our reaction to the
clouds in our lives,
00:21:12.37\00:21:14.90
our reaction to the
difficulties in our lives,
00:21:15.10\00:21:17.64
ought to be different
from those that don't know God.
00:21:17.84\00:21:20.88
Did you hear what I just said?
00:21:21.71\00:21:23.04
How can a person that knows God
00:21:23.18\00:21:25.25
and a person
that does not know God
00:21:25.45\00:21:27.42
have the same reaction
in the moments of trial?
00:21:27.62\00:21:30.22
I mean, where would
that person who knows not God
00:21:30.99\00:21:32.92
look? He should look to us.
00:21:33.12\00:21:35.19
And we are told in Revelation
the character of God's love
00:21:35.59\00:21:38.06
is going to be
revealed in His people.
00:21:38.26\00:21:39.89
But how can a person
who does not know God
00:21:40.10\00:21:41.66
look to somebody
who claims to know God
00:21:41.86\00:21:43.37
as they are both in the same
boat and they're both hopeless?
00:21:43.57\00:21:46.43
But look what
David the Psalmist said.
00:21:46.84\00:21:49.50
Psalm 23 and verse 4:
00:21:49.70\00:21:51.17
You gotta know that.
00:22:02.48\00:22:03.82
That cannot be a text;
that's gotta be a confirmation;
00:22:03.85\00:22:07.56
that's gotta be etched in
the experiences of your life.
00:22:07.76\00:22:10.49
"You are with me. " God
is with me when we don't
00:22:10.69\00:22:13.36
see Him. "Your rod and
your staff: they comfort me. "
00:22:13.56\00:22:17.20
He keeps the enemy
away from us with the rod
00:22:17.60\00:22:19.80
and the staff He
keeps us from running away.
00:22:20.00\00:22:22.47
Hooks us while we're
running in the wrong direction.
00:22:22.67\00:22:24.81
"Your rod and Your
staff... they comfort me. "
00:22:25.21\00:22:27.38
One of the most
beautiful promises of God
00:22:27.88\00:22:29.84
was also ratified with clouds.
00:22:30.05\00:22:32.58
Look at Genesis
chapter 9 verses 12 to 15.
00:22:32.78\00:22:36.02
He's with us in our clouds.
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.42
Even in the valley of
the shadow He's there.
00:22:38.62\00:22:40.89
One of the most beautiful
promises was also ratified by
00:22:41.09\00:22:43.43
clouds: Genesis 9
beginning with verse 12.
00:22:43.63\00:22:45.53
The beautiful hues
00:23:18.79\00:23:20.13
of the unchanging
colors of the rainbow
00:23:20.16\00:23:21.96
are revealed in
the presence of clouds.
00:23:22.16\00:23:24.13
And I like the covenant:
00:23:24.33\00:23:27.44
Can somebody say Amen?
00:23:43.08\00:23:44.49
Amen! But here's
what I got out of that:
00:23:44.69\00:23:46.55
even the severest
storms of life cannot cancel
00:23:46.96\00:23:50.33
God's unchanging covenant. Amen!
00:23:50.53\00:23:53.63
Think about your storms.
00:23:54.93\00:23:56.50
A few days ago
Mollie Steenson and I and
00:23:56.70\00:23:58.53
my wife and another
young lady were sitting down...
00:24:01.40\00:24:05.91
No, I was trying to
think about the other person.
00:24:06.11\00:24:08.34
She's a board member of 3ABN.
00:24:10.35\00:24:11.81
I just kind of...
Carmelita! Carmelita Troy.
00:24:12.01\00:24:14.52
We were sitting at the
table there and Pastor C.A.
00:24:14.92\00:24:17.29
and others were
there at the table.
00:24:17.49\00:24:18.82
And Mollie began to walk
us through the challenges
00:24:18.99\00:24:21.32
of her life. And she said:
00:24:21.52\00:24:23.59
"I will never let the difficul-
ties of life shake my faith. "
00:24:23.79\00:24:28.33
She said: "I said that, and
the difficulties of life came
00:24:28.53\00:24:31.27
and shook my faith. "
00:24:31.47\00:24:32.83
That's when she
was a Sunday-keeper.
00:24:33.23\00:24:35.64
That's when she was the pastor's
wife of a Sunday pastor:
00:24:35.84\00:24:39.47
Hal Steenson.
God sent the clouds
00:24:39.67\00:24:42.54
to get her from where
they were to where she is.
00:24:42.74\00:24:45.98
Amen! They would
have never become
00:24:46.18\00:24:48.72
Seventh-day Adventists had
the Lord not allowed clouds
00:24:48.92\00:24:52.15
to come their way.
00:24:52.35\00:24:53.72
And she said... She went
through a list, a retinue of
00:24:53.92\00:24:56.76
things that fell apart in
her life. And so somebody said
00:24:56.96\00:24:59.26
"I'm praying for you
through your difficulties. "
00:24:59.46\00:25:02.10
She said: "Which ones? "
00:25:02.30\00:25:03.73
But she said "I would
never have become... "
00:25:05.33\00:25:08.04
and Danny said to her: "When
everything that you trust in
00:25:08.24\00:25:10.77
is no longer there, there's
a space for you here at 3ABN. "
00:25:10.97\00:25:14.64
And she came here and
worked at 3ABN for five years
00:25:15.04\00:25:17.55
before she became an Adventist.
00:25:17.75\00:25:19.08
'Cause we loved her in. Amen!
00:25:19.88\00:25:23.59
Sometimes you've
got to let God be God.
00:25:23.79\00:25:25.99
I don't believe
in premature birth.
00:25:26.49\00:25:28.49
It leads to stillbirth.
00:25:28.89\00:25:30.96
God loved her in
through the trials of her life.
00:25:31.89\00:25:34.30
But we have to remember
that no clouds, no rain;
00:25:35.16\00:25:37.30
no rain, no rainbow;
no rainbow, no covenant.
00:25:37.50\00:25:40.04
When we forget God's promises
00:25:41.04\00:25:43.10
He sends the clouds.
00:25:44.21\00:25:46.11
The Bible also reveals
another profound truth about God
00:25:47.28\00:25:49.98
and this is going
to mess your mind up.
00:25:50.18\00:25:51.68
I'm warning you ahead of time.
00:25:51.88\00:25:53.21
You're going to shake your head
00:25:53.65\00:25:55.05
'cause that's what I did
after I read this scripture.
00:25:55.45\00:25:57.75
A profound truth about God
00:26:00.89\00:26:03.49
that many of us
have never learned.
00:26:03.89\00:26:06.33
And I'm just saying that because
I've been preaching for 31 yrs.
00:26:06.73\00:26:09.83
and for whatever
reason this text eluded me.
00:26:10.23\00:26:15.07
At the end of Nahum 1:3
the Bible say, look at this:
00:26:15.47\00:26:19.27
Do you know
what that says to me?
00:26:27.88\00:26:29.48
When there's dust in your family
00:26:30.39\00:26:34.09
God is walking by.
00:26:34.29\00:26:35.66
God's in the neighborhood.
00:26:36.93\00:26:38.83
When there's
dust in your marriage
00:26:39.23\00:26:41.73
God is in the
neighborhood. Come on, somebody.
00:26:42.13\00:26:44.57
Amen! When
there's dust in your job
00:26:44.77\00:26:47.74
that you cannot get rid
of... Don't get rid of the dust
00:26:47.94\00:26:50.47
because the clouds
are the dust of His feet.
00:26:50.87\00:26:56.81
God's passing by.
00:26:57.21\00:26:59.01
It is so good to know that when
the clouds and the dust come
00:26:59.21\00:27:02.15
into my life from now on I
can have the Blessed Assurance
00:27:02.35\00:27:05.42
that God is in the neighborhood.
00:27:05.62\00:27:08.26
Amen! If there's
dust in your church,
00:27:08.46\00:27:11.63
if there are
clouds in your mind,
00:27:11.83\00:27:13.60
if there are clouds in your job,
00:27:13.80\00:27:15.40
if there are clouds
in your relationship,
00:27:15.60\00:27:17.47
link it to the presence of God
00:27:17.67\00:27:20.34
not the abandonment by God.
00:27:20.74\00:27:24.21
Because so often
that's what happens.
00:27:24.91\00:27:26.71
Which leads me
to the second point:
00:27:27.11\00:27:28.94
clouds are a confirmation
of the presence of God.
00:27:29.61\00:27:32.48
Together: clouds are a what?
00:27:32.88\00:27:35.18
CONFIRMATION of
the presence of God.
00:27:35.38\00:27:38.29
They confirm that God is around!
00:27:38.49\00:27:40.12
Look at Exodus
33 verses 9 and 10.
00:27:40.32\00:27:42.52
Some examples... evidence #1:
00:27:42.92\00:27:45.33
He had to shield His glory lest
He consume, incinerate Moses.
00:28:03.48\00:28:07.25
"Each man in his tent door. "
00:28:18.93\00:28:21.83
What does that say?
00:28:22.66\00:28:24.37
God sometimes
has to bring clouds
00:28:24.67\00:28:29.47
to get us back to the
place where we worship Him.
00:28:29.67\00:28:33.38
When they saw the
cloud they worshiped Him.
00:28:36.58\00:28:39.61
When they saw the
cloud they worshiped Him.
00:28:39.91\00:28:42.88
When there are
clouds in our lives
00:28:43.08\00:28:45.65
nothing matters more
than our time with God.
00:28:45.85\00:28:49.86
My wife and I... I could tell
you stories about my wife and I.
00:28:50.06\00:28:52.79
We've been through some stuff.
00:28:52.99\00:28:54.33
If you've been married more than
20 years you ought to say Amen
00:28:56.10\00:28:59.23
unless one of you is brain dead.
00:28:59.43\00:29:01.60
'Cause when people tell
me they don't have trials
00:29:03.44\00:29:05.01
I say "One of
you is brain dead. "
00:29:05.21\00:29:06.68
"One of you has
been forbidden to talk. "
00:29:06.88\00:29:09.11
We are both New
Yorkers... I mean we talk.
00:29:09.31\00:29:11.25
We "tolk" as
they say in New York.
00:29:12.21\00:29:14.15
And we get real... we get real.
00:29:14.65\00:29:17.42
We deal with the issues head on.
00:29:17.82\00:29:19.55
And if I'm trying to be
evasive she yanks my coat tail.
00:29:20.16\00:29:22.76
If she's trying to be evasive
I say: "Where you goin'? "
00:29:22.96\00:29:25.06
"Don't try to avoid
it... let's talk about it. "
00:29:25.76\00:29:28.96
God sometimes has to do that.
00:29:30.07\00:29:31.77
Sometimes God has
to bring the clouds.
00:29:31.97\00:29:33.64
And notice they
didn't sit down and complain
00:29:33.84\00:29:36.10
when the
presence of God was there.
00:29:36.30\00:29:37.64
They rose up and they worshiped!
00:29:37.84\00:29:40.54
Nothing can change your
attitude about the difficulty
00:29:40.74\00:29:43.08
and the clouds in your life
00:29:43.28\00:29:44.61
better than choosing to worship
God when you can't see Him.
00:29:45.61\00:29:50.89
That's what they did.
00:29:51.29\00:29:52.62
They worshiped God
when they couldn't see Him.
00:29:52.65\00:29:53.99
When the Israelites
were freed from slavery
00:29:54.29\00:29:56.93
another example
in Exodus chapter 14
00:29:57.13\00:29:59.06
God used a cloud to protect them
00:29:59.26\00:30:02.33
from the pursuing
army of the Egyptians.
00:30:02.73\00:30:04.93
Look at this:
Exodus 14 verses 19 and 20.
00:30:05.13\00:30:08.97
Clouds don't
stand... God stands.
00:30:28.59\00:30:32.16
Whoo! Now I want to get this.
00:30:51.21\00:30:53.31
Whoo! OK... calm down.
00:30:54.38\00:30:56.02
The cloud was a
darkness to the enemy
00:30:57.89\00:31:00.69
but it was light to
the children of God.
00:31:00.89\00:31:03.12
Amen! I'm so glad to know that
00:31:03.32\00:31:05.83
when the enemy is
pursuing me and I see clouds
00:31:06.03\00:31:08.86
it's not the
evidence of him catching up
00:31:09.06\00:31:11.90
it's the evidence of
God shutting him down!
00:31:12.10\00:31:14.70
It's the evidence of God
blocking because you know what?
00:31:15.30\00:31:18.51
Some of you have had
experiences where you can smell
00:31:18.91\00:31:21.58
the sneakers of Satan
00:31:21.78\00:31:24.31
runnin' after you.
Come on, now. Amen!
00:31:25.58\00:31:27.62
You can smell him burning rubber
00:31:27.82\00:31:29.48
in his pursuit
to catch up to you.
00:31:29.68\00:31:31.22
All of a sudden he
runs into a wall called God.
00:31:31.62\00:31:34.26
A cloud between the
Egyptians and the Israelites.
00:31:34.92\00:31:39.69
A cloud between us and God.
00:31:40.10\00:31:42.16
Praise Him for that
00:31:42.36\00:31:44.30
because if the devil
had unbroken access to us
00:31:44.70\00:31:48.30
he would destroy us at his whim.
00:31:48.70\00:31:50.64
But God knows how
to put his brakes on
00:31:50.84\00:31:54.11
when he doesn't
stop running after us.
00:31:54.31\00:31:56.04
Can somebody say Amen? Amen!
00:31:56.24\00:31:58.08
I'm convinced that in eternity
00:31:58.28\00:32:01.08
when the rest of
the story is revealed
00:32:01.28\00:32:02.72
God will disclose to
us... God will disclose to us
00:32:02.92\00:32:05.72
that when clouds
appeared in our lives
00:32:05.92\00:32:08.72
they were not a
sign of God's disapproval
00:32:08.92\00:32:11.63
but a sign of
God's protection. Amen!
00:32:12.03\00:32:15.90
Exodus chapter 14
verse 24, another one.
00:32:18.43\00:32:21.60
When God freed them
look at what He did.
00:32:22.70\00:32:24.77
Verse 24 of Exodus 14.
00:32:26.07\00:32:28.54
God just peeked through
the clouds at the Egyptians.
00:32:39.72\00:32:43.43
The pulpit is shaking.
00:32:54.20\00:32:55.80
When we are in trouble
00:33:03.45\00:33:06.01
and God steps into the picture
00:33:07.68\00:33:09.58
He transfers the
trouble from us -
00:33:11.79\00:33:15.52
listen carefully -
00:33:15.92\00:33:17.26
to the enemy that's pursuing us.
00:33:17.53\00:33:20.40
Did you get that?
00:33:24.50\00:33:25.83
They were troubled
00:33:27.64\00:33:29.70
while the Israelites
were having breakfast.
00:33:29.90\00:33:33.17
The enemy was troubled.
00:33:34.68\00:33:36.85
He troubled the
army of the Egyptians.
00:33:39.25\00:33:44.15
So I'm learning now to
trust God when I can't see Him.
00:33:50.53\00:33:54.43
God cannot reveal Himself
00:33:55.63\00:33:57.93
sometimes in the
way we want Him to
00:33:59.67\00:34:02.00
but He always reveals
Himself through clouds.
00:34:03.91\00:34:07.94
Because if God revealed Himself
without His glory being veiled
00:34:08.34\00:34:11.85
Hebrews 12 and verse 29 says:
00:34:12.25\00:34:14.12
We couldn't handle
the presence of God.
00:34:16.92\00:34:18.82
We would cease to
exist if God came to us
00:34:19.02\00:34:22.06
without shielding His glory.
00:34:22.26\00:34:23.86
That's why when Moses
asked: "Show me Your glory"
00:34:24.26\00:34:26.66
the Lord said to
Moses: "You cannot see My face
00:34:27.16\00:34:29.50
for no man can see the
face of God and live. "
00:34:29.70\00:34:31.77
So the Lord said to Moses:
00:34:32.17\00:34:33.70
"Why don't you hide behind
that little pebble over there? "
00:34:33.90\00:34:35.80
It was a rock to Moses but
it was a pebble to somebody
00:34:36.77\00:34:39.47
who created unnumbered galaxies.
00:34:39.67\00:34:42.41
"Hide behind that pebble.
00:34:43.51\00:34:45.35
When I pass by, peek. "
00:34:46.05\00:34:48.78
And he peeked...
and just that peek
00:34:50.25\00:34:52.69
made his face
light up with such glory
00:34:53.79\00:34:55.99
that his face had to be veiled
00:34:56.73\00:34:58.59
from the power and
the presence of God.
00:34:58.79\00:35:00.76
Remember, clouds are a confir-
mation of the presence of God.
00:35:01.60\00:35:06.27
The servant of the
Lord also revealed to me
00:35:06.67\00:35:09.10
another beautiful
thing. Go to Matthew 27:45.
00:35:09.30\00:35:12.17
Look at this:
Matthew 27 verse 45.
00:35:12.37\00:35:14.71
At the darkest hour
in the life of Jesus
00:35:14.91\00:35:18.05
His Father was
there in the clouds.
00:35:18.35\00:35:22.12
Look at Matthew 27 verse 45
00:35:22.32\00:35:24.59
because you know what
Jesus said: "My God, My God,
00:35:24.79\00:35:27.82
why hast Thou forsaken Me? "
00:35:28.02\00:35:30.46
And sometimes... The reason
why He said that is because
00:35:30.66\00:35:33.19
He was expressing in
human terms the way we feel
00:35:33.40\00:35:36.23
in many of our experiences.
00:35:36.43\00:35:38.40
We feel forsaken. Don't
we feel forsaken sometimes?
00:35:38.80\00:35:41.40
It's those
moments that even 28 or 29
00:35:41.90\00:35:44.47
or 30 fundamentals
don't do any difference.
00:35:44.67\00:35:46.64
And so Jesus - the
Author of salvation -
00:35:47.51\00:35:50.31
in human form
said: "I feel forsaken. "
00:35:50.51\00:35:52.48
But listen, Matthew 27:45:
00:35:52.98\00:35:55.62
But look at this
quotation from Desire of Ages.
00:36:00.59\00:36:02.62
Powerful!
00:36:02.82\00:36:04.16
Let me make a point.
00:36:39.86\00:36:41.20
Get this: if the
Lord allowed His own Son
00:36:48.57\00:36:52.07
not to be comforted
in His moments of trial,
00:36:52.27\00:36:55.48
do not equate that
with God abandoning His Son.
00:36:55.68\00:36:59.28
What does that mean to us?
00:37:00.42\00:37:01.95
We have had trials that
nothing can comfort us in.
00:37:02.75\00:37:06.15
Come on, now.
00:37:06.55\00:37:07.89
We've had trials that we
cried ourselves to sleep.
00:37:08.16\00:37:10.93
We've had trials that we
stayed in the house for days
00:37:11.63\00:37:14.73
where we don't want
anybody to see our face
00:37:14.93\00:37:17.93
because our face will be a
billboard of distrust to God
00:37:18.13\00:37:21.60
because the trials are so great.
00:37:22.30\00:37:24.04
We've seen family
members taken away unscheduled
00:37:25.37\00:37:28.11
and don't know
what to do with it.
00:37:28.31\00:37:29.64
We said: "God why did
You allow this to happen? "
00:37:29.81\00:37:32.25
But God allowed
Jesus - His own Son -
00:37:32.45\00:37:34.95
not to be
comforted by His presence
00:37:35.15\00:37:37.55
but He was there with His
holy angels beside the cross.
00:37:37.75\00:37:41.12
So remember this: the
discomfort of our trials
00:37:42.72\00:37:46.70
do not equal the absence of God.
00:37:47.20\00:37:49.76
The discomfort of our trials
00:37:50.70\00:37:53.80
do not equal the absence of God.
00:37:54.00\00:37:57.01
Which brings me
to my third point:
00:37:57.41\00:37:59.11
clouds are a
preparation for the revelation
00:37:59.51\00:38:03.68
of the glory of God.
00:38:03.88\00:38:05.21
Clouds are a what?
Preparation for the?
00:38:05.81\00:38:09.22
revelation of the glory of God.
00:38:09.42\00:38:11.05
I Peter 4:12-13. Look at
that very quickly with me.
00:38:11.25\00:38:14.19
I Peter chapter
4 verses 12 to 13.
00:38:14.59\00:38:16.66
This text ought to have been
e- mailed to every one of us
00:38:16.86\00:38:20.06
on the day of our birth.
00:38:20.26\00:38:21.60
Look at what it says:
00:38:21.80\00:38:23.13
"Beloved, do not think it
strange concerning the fiery
00:38:24.10\00:38:27.14
trial which is to try you
00:38:27.34\00:38:29.27
as though some strange
thing happened to you. "
00:38:29.47\00:38:32.51
And this, I want
to be honest with you,
00:38:32.91\00:38:35.08
I'm getting closer to verse
13 but I'm not all the way there
00:38:35.28\00:38:37.91
yet. "But rejoice to the extent
00:38:38.11\00:38:41.98
that you partake
of Christ's suffering.
00:38:42.18\00:38:44.29
That when His glory is revealed
00:38:44.69\00:38:46.86
you may also be glad
with... " What kind of joy?
00:38:47.06\00:38:50.39
"exceeding joy. "
Sometimes the glory of God
00:38:51.16\00:38:53.83
is revealed through trials.
00:38:55.03\00:38:58.47
Now I'm not yet... I
have to confess it...
00:38:58.67\00:39:01.80
sometimes the devil still
comes with trials that throw me
00:39:02.00\00:39:04.67
for a loop. Can I
get an Amen anywhere?
00:39:04.87\00:39:06.68
I'm not yet at the
place where I rejoice
00:39:07.64\00:39:09.54
because I see another trial
being delivered to my house.
00:39:09.74\00:39:12.01
I don't say to my
wife: "Ooh! New trial! "
00:39:12.91\00:39:15.15
And you don't either.
00:39:15.65\00:39:17.12
But I'm not belittling that.
00:39:18.15\00:39:19.72
But I'm getting closer to
the point where I keep saying
00:39:21.26\00:39:24.39
"OK, Lord, You were
with me in the last one
00:39:24.79\00:39:27.60
and the one before that
00:39:27.76\00:39:29.96
and the one ten years ago
00:39:30.17\00:39:32.27
and the one fifteen years ago
00:39:32.47\00:39:34.54
and the one when I
first started in ministry.
00:39:34.74\00:39:37.04
You were there when they
tried to torpedo me out of the
00:39:37.24\00:39:39.57
ministry in '95.
00:39:39.77\00:39:41.51
You were there... "
And I keep going back.
00:39:41.71\00:39:43.68
And God says: "Turn
to page 2 in your book. "
00:39:43.88\00:39:46.55
You were there, too,
00:39:47.05\00:39:49.35
and because You're the
same You're here today.
00:39:50.55\00:39:53.02
Paul in Romans 8
and verse 18 says this:
00:39:55.32\00:39:58.53
In us... IN us!
00:40:14.31\00:40:16.98
Look at this quotation
from my favorite book...
00:40:17.18\00:40:19.25
one of my favorites:
My Utmost For His Highest
00:40:19.45\00:40:21.85
the devotion of July 29th.
00:40:22.05\00:40:23.89
Oswald Chambers says:
00:40:24.29\00:40:25.89
The greatest blessing is not
the glory of God revealed to us.
00:40:48.04\00:40:51.81
Hear me:
00:40:52.21\00:40:53.62
The greatest blessing is
the glory of God revealed IN us.
00:40:53.82\00:40:58.25
The challenge with many of us
is we focus so much on the cloud
00:41:00.46\00:41:03.89
we forget that God is
behind those clouds. Amen.
00:41:04.09\00:41:07.76
Look at I Peter 1:6-7.
00:41:07.96\00:41:09.80
Look at the evidence of that.
00:41:10.00\00:41:11.33
Look at the
evidence of that. He says:
00:41:11.37\00:41:16.14
You see, this
is powerful because
00:41:47.50\00:41:49.30
when clouds come
many of us change our view
00:41:49.50\00:41:55.38
of God. I've heard
people say: "It's like the devil
00:41:55.58\00:42:00.68
doesn't exist in
some Christian's lives. "
00:42:00.88\00:42:03.02
"Why did God
take? Why did God allow?
00:42:03.42\00:42:06.19
Why did God do?
Why didn't God? "
00:42:06.39\00:42:08.76
As though God is some
kind of dispenser machine
00:42:09.92\00:42:13.50
that we only
expect warm water out of.
00:42:14.50\00:42:17.77
And the devil sits
around and says: "That's right!
00:42:18.67\00:42:20.44
Talk to God again. "
00:42:20.64\00:42:22.64
But look at Numbers 21:5.
00:42:23.84\00:42:26.01
Look at what
happened to the Israelites.
00:42:26.21\00:42:27.54
And we are no different!
00:42:27.58\00:42:28.91
That's why some of us...
Anyway, let me not go there.
00:42:49.56\00:42:53.34
Some of us ain't going to
eat healthy until unhealthy food
00:42:55.27\00:42:58.54
is no longer around.
00:42:58.74\00:43:00.08
But the focus of this text
is complaining against God.
00:43:05.01\00:43:07.85
And the servant of the
Lord makes it so beautiful.
00:43:08.15\00:43:10.79
Look at Signs of the
Times, December 4, 1884.
00:43:10.99\00:43:13.36
Look at this
quotation. Powerful... powerful!
00:43:13.56\00:43:15.62
Relevant!
00:43:15.82\00:43:17.16
Because it's not important
to know where the clouds
00:44:06.44\00:44:08.71
are coming from,
but it's important
00:44:08.91\00:44:10.25
not to damage God's character.
00:44:10.45\00:44:12.41
Yeah. I believe more
people will be Christians
00:44:14.05\00:44:17.42
if it weren't for the stuff
we talk about around our family
00:44:17.62\00:44:20.09
tables. Some of our
members in our family
00:44:20.29\00:44:23.22
would want to join our church
00:44:23.43\00:44:24.76
if we weren't so down on
everything in the church.
00:44:24.86\00:44:27.60
If we didn't talk
about the GC president
00:44:28.16\00:44:30.53
and what's
happening in our schools.
00:44:30.73\00:44:33.07
And airing our dirty laundry
because we didn't feel good
00:44:33.27\00:44:36.17
that day... and Facebook
00:44:36.37\00:44:39.97
and damaging God's
character almost irreversibly.
00:44:40.18\00:44:44.28
People hear us talk
in certain ways and say:
00:44:44.78\00:44:47.92
"If that's how he or she talks
and they claim to know God,
00:44:48.12\00:44:52.12
I am not gonna
become what they are
00:44:52.62\00:44:56.29
'cause it's
worse than what I am! "
00:44:56.49\00:44:58.33
Look at this quote
again. My Utmost for His Highest
00:44:59.89\00:45:02.36
July 29th:
00:45:02.56\00:45:04.73
Is that powerful?
00:45:21.65\00:45:22.98
You see, if you know somebody,
no matter what somebody's saying
00:45:25.05\00:45:29.02
to you, you will refuse to
damage that person's character
00:45:29.22\00:45:32.33
because you'll say: "I
know him! I know her! "
00:45:32.53\00:45:35.10
And right now you know
what's going on in Congress.
00:45:35.56\00:45:38.13
I ain't even goin' there.
00:45:38.33\00:45:39.77
But everything happening in
America and around the world
00:45:40.17\00:45:42.30
is about character.
What more demand is there
00:45:42.50\00:45:46.81
than the character of God to
be upheld without damaging it
00:45:47.01\00:45:50.48
among God's people?
00:45:50.68\00:45:52.25
In this hour when
character is on trial
00:45:54.48\00:45:56.85
we must be like Job.
In Job 13:15 Job said:
00:45:57.45\00:46:00.82
And this quotation continues
in My Utmost For His Highest.
00:46:08.10\00:46:11.40
I tell you, it's in my personal
devotions that God speaks to me.
00:46:11.60\00:46:14.24
My wife and I,
sometimes we pause in our bed
00:46:15.34\00:46:18.07
after reading a devotion.
We just look at each other
00:46:18.27\00:46:19.97
and talk about where we
came from and pray and thank God
00:46:20.18\00:46:23.21
for where He's leading us.
00:46:23.41\00:46:24.85
Listen to what
Oswald Chambers said:
00:46:25.05\00:46:27.42
That means when we
don't understand something
00:46:45.17\00:46:47.07
we say: "But that's not God. "
00:46:47.27\00:46:48.74
So what do we know about God?
00:46:49.04\00:46:50.67
Quickly: Isaiah 41 verse 10.
00:46:50.87\00:46:52.47
What do we know about God?
00:46:52.67\00:46:54.24
Here's what Isaiah
the prophet said. He says:
00:46:54.44\00:46:56.18
Can we get an Amen?
00:47:08.32\00:47:09.66
Amen! That's what
we know about God.
00:47:09.86\00:47:11.39
He says: "I'm with you! "
00:47:11.59\00:47:12.93
"Don't be
dismayed... I'm your God. "
00:47:13.06\00:47:15.00
And what other God can
you have other than that God?
00:47:15.20\00:47:17.63
Isaiah 43 verse 2,
notice what he says:
00:47:18.53\00:47:21.37
When those
difficult trials come:
00:47:21.77\00:47:23.77
I've got suits with
the smell of smoke on it
00:47:38.12\00:47:40.26
but I'm still here. Amen!
00:47:40.46\00:47:42.59
Thank you, Jesus.
00:47:45.19\00:47:46.53
And I can look
through my wardrobe;
00:47:50.93\00:47:52.93
I can turn to bulletins
that are still left in my Bible
00:47:53.23\00:47:57.31
and remember God was there.
00:47:58.41\00:48:02.21
And He said to
Joshua in Joshua 1:9
00:48:03.24\00:48:05.31
and I like this. He didn't say
"Have I not suggested to you. "
00:48:05.51\00:48:09.68
Look at what He said to Joshua:
00:48:09.88\00:48:11.25
Amen! And we know that.
00:48:27.20\00:48:29.97
Every country we
touch God is with us.
00:48:32.24\00:48:35.81
We were down in New Guinea
00:48:36.01\00:48:37.65
at an Adventist
college in the jungle.
00:48:38.01\00:48:40.45
And I never forgot that because
after I did about 13 sermons
00:48:41.85\00:48:45.79
and counseled during the
day. A sermon in the morning;
00:48:45.99\00:48:47.49
a sermon in the
evening for nine days.
00:48:47.69\00:48:49.82
Maybe 18 or 17... whatever.
00:48:50.03\00:48:51.86
Preached my brains out.
00:48:52.26\00:48:53.60
When I come home people
say: "How was your vacation? "
00:48:53.63\00:48:55.20
I just want to hit them
with an old pair of sneakers.
00:48:55.50\00:48:58.60
But here we are in the jungle
00:49:00.14\00:49:01.64
and people don't even
have money to get food to eat
00:49:01.84\00:49:05.91
were giving people stuff
to help them make it from
00:49:06.11\00:49:08.24
their trials one to the other.
00:49:08.44\00:49:09.78
And I remember
when we left the campus
00:49:09.84\00:49:12.38
while we were
taken back to the airport
00:49:12.68\00:49:15.18
the people that
were taking us back
00:49:15.38\00:49:17.12
one of the instructors and
the financial manager, he said:
00:49:17.32\00:49:20.92
"I want to tell you about
the success of this week. "
00:49:21.12\00:49:23.43
I said: "OK. " He
said: "Every time we have
00:49:23.83\00:49:27.43
a week of prayer
or any kind of revival
00:49:27.63\00:49:30.40
Satan always manifests
himself through somebody. "
00:49:30.60\00:49:34.14
"There's always a
display of demon possession
00:49:34.54\00:49:37.11
on this campus because
many people among this campus
00:49:37.31\00:49:41.38
some of them are sent by
the government, they're not
00:49:41.88\00:49:43.24
Adventists, they're
not even Christians.
00:49:43.45\00:49:44.91
They have demon
practices in their family. "
00:49:45.11\00:49:48.22
He said: "It is always displayed
among every one of these
00:49:48.42\00:49:50.89
weeks of prayer. " But he
said: "This is the first time
00:49:51.09\00:49:53.25
it never happened. "
00:49:53.66\00:49:55.22
'Cause my wife and
I... we go to bed praying,
00:49:56.32\00:49:58.86
in our Bible. We wake
up praying, in our Bibles.
00:49:59.26\00:50:02.46
We don't walk out that door
00:50:02.66\00:50:04.33
before we pray.
00:50:05.77\00:50:07.34
And if nobody else
prays for me, my wife
00:50:08.34\00:50:11.37
holds my hand and says:
00:50:11.57\00:50:12.91
"They may have prayed for you
but let me pray for you again. "
00:50:13.01\00:50:15.54
And not one event
of Satan's displeasure
00:50:16.38\00:50:21.18
was revealed on that campus.
00:50:21.38\00:50:23.05
Which brings me
to my last point:
00:50:23.45\00:50:25.22
Clouds are employed by God
00:50:26.45\00:50:31.66
to get us to
focus only on Jesus.
00:50:31.86\00:50:36.36
Not on ourselves. Look at
Mark chapter 9 verses 7 and 8.
00:50:38.27\00:50:42.24
On the Mount of Transfiguration
00:50:43.74\00:50:45.94
an experience of the revelation
of the second coming of Jesus
00:50:46.14\00:50:49.94
the Lord invited three
of His closest companions
00:50:50.15\00:50:53.72
Peter, James, and John
00:50:54.88\00:50:56.22
and He said: "Stay
awake! " And they couldn't.
00:50:56.25\00:50:59.82
"Stay awake as you
struggle with your haystacks. "
00:51:00.22\00:51:04.53
"Stay awake! "
And they couldn't.
00:51:04.73\00:51:08.13
And I understand. They
couldn't stay awake for Jesus
00:51:08.93\00:51:11.33
so I don't feel bad.
00:51:11.53\00:51:12.87
And when the cloud was
there... look at verses 7 and 8
00:51:14.67\00:51:18.27
of Mark 9:
00:51:18.47\00:51:19.84
Now what does this text
have to do with anything?
00:51:55.74\00:51:58.15
When the clouds
come in your life
00:51:59.48\00:52:01.72
just like it came
into their experience
00:52:02.98\00:52:05.09
and they turn around to
look to find out what's going on
00:52:06.19\00:52:09.76
I'm praying
like they experienced
00:52:10.16\00:52:13.46
that you also when
you look around your life
00:52:13.66\00:52:16.83
in the cloudy, un-
questionable challenging moments
00:52:17.03\00:52:21.20
of your faith that
you see no one but Jesus.
00:52:21.40\00:52:25.41
Did you get that?
00:52:26.47\00:52:27.88
Because if you don't,
it's only going to get darker
00:52:29.04\00:52:31.95
until you get to the place
00:52:32.15\00:52:34.42
where there is no one
any more but Jesus alone.
00:52:34.62\00:52:39.15
They saw no one but only Jesus.
00:52:39.85\00:52:44.76
And I believe one of the reasons
why there are some clouds
00:52:46.73\00:52:48.86
that have to come
into the lives of... us,
00:52:49.06\00:52:51.13
many of us... is because we're
still looking at everybody else
00:52:51.33\00:52:55.00
when the clouds come.
00:52:55.20\00:52:56.54
We're blaming that person
for the cloud and that person
00:52:57.07\00:52:59.64
for the cloud and that set
of circumstances for the cloud.
00:52:59.84\00:53:02.88
We don't know that
God is sending the cloud
00:53:03.08\00:53:05.51
to get us to look to Jesus.
00:53:05.71\00:53:07.45
"Look unto Jesus, the Author
and Finisher of our faith. "
00:53:07.95\00:53:10.85
My brothers and my sisters,
there's a quote in Ellen White's
00:53:11.05\00:53:13.56
writings. It's not on the
screen but I'm going to read it
00:53:13.76\00:53:15.26
very quickly. "The last
rays of merciful light... "
00:53:15.46\00:53:19.36
from Christ's Object
Lessons page 415 paragraph 5
00:53:20.43\00:53:24.23
"The last rays
of merciful light,
00:53:24.87\00:53:27.40
the last message of
mercy to be given to the world,
00:53:27.60\00:53:30.94
is a revelation of
His character of love.
00:53:31.14\00:53:34.88
The children of God
are to manifest His glory
00:53:35.28\00:53:38.45
in their own life and character.
00:53:38.75\00:53:41.18
They are to reveal
what the grace of God
00:53:41.38\00:53:44.69
has done for them. "
00:53:44.89\00:53:47.06
And how could that happen?
00:53:47.46\00:53:48.79
Why would you
need the grace of God?
00:53:48.89\00:53:50.66
Because the trials
of life are coming.
00:53:51.06\00:53:55.26
The difficulties
of life are coming.
00:53:55.46\00:53:57.13
And you know what I'm
so glad about right now?
00:53:57.33\00:53:59.07
As we're sitting here I am so
glad that the Lord has not sent
00:53:59.27\00:54:02.40
me an e-mail saying: "You have
62,000 more trials on the way. "
00:54:02.60\00:54:06.88
I'm glad I don't
know how many are coming.
00:54:09.21\00:54:11.85
But I do know this: He
will never allow anything
00:54:12.35\00:54:14.98
to be placed on my shoulder
that He cannot bear for me.
00:54:15.18\00:54:19.05
Amen!
00:54:19.25\00:54:20.59
Right? So when you
are tempted to complain,
00:54:20.62\00:54:24.16
when you are tempted to murmur,
00:54:24.56\00:54:26.49
when you don't
understand what's going on
00:54:26.90\00:54:29.50
and it doesn't make sense,
00:54:29.70\00:54:31.30
when you're standing by
the bedside of a loved one
00:54:31.50\00:54:34.17
whom the doctors have
exhausted their resources
00:54:34.37\00:54:36.87
but there are no
answers, when your children
00:54:37.07\00:54:40.48
turn their backs and walk
out into the unknown world
00:54:40.68\00:54:43.68
and begin to meander
in the maze of corruption,
00:54:44.08\00:54:47.28
when your
marriage is challenged,
00:54:48.25\00:54:49.95
your job has just
been pulled from under you
00:54:50.82\00:54:52.75
the day before Christmas,
00:54:52.95\00:54:54.29
when your car breaks down on
the way to the most important
00:54:54.72\00:54:57.79
event of your life and you get
news from the doctor that now
00:54:57.99\00:55:02.26
you have a terminal illness
00:55:02.46\00:55:04.17
and nobody's
there to pray for you,
00:55:05.60\00:55:07.97
the pastor forgets to visit you,
00:55:09.20\00:55:11.71
it may be that God just
wants you all to Himself
00:55:12.91\00:55:17.25
to talk to you by Himself.
00:55:17.65\00:55:21.02
He wants to draw near to
you without any distractions
00:55:22.15\00:55:25.62
like He took Jesus into the
garden, into the wilderness,
00:55:25.82\00:55:29.29
into the mountain...
just He and His Father
00:55:29.49\00:55:32.56
so that the
greatest trial ahead of Him
00:55:34.36\00:55:36.40
He was willing to bear for us.
00:55:36.70\00:55:39.23
So I end with a question:
00:55:39.63\00:55:41.04
first a
statement then a question.
00:55:42.47\00:55:43.94
You see, this message is
not about the eventual cloud
00:55:44.14\00:55:46.84
that will one day
welcome the return of Jesus.
00:55:47.04\00:55:50.05
It is about the frequent clouds
00:55:51.01\00:55:54.42
that daily introduce to
us the presence of Jesus.
00:55:54.82\00:56:00.36
Can I say that again?
00:56:00.56\00:56:01.89
It is not about the eventual
cloud that will one day reveal
00:56:02.62\00:56:05.23
the return of Jesus
00:56:05.43\00:56:07.10
but it about the frequent clouds
00:56:07.30\00:56:09.83
that reintroduce us
to the person of Jesus.
00:56:10.03\00:56:14.47
And I was in the back
with Seth and with Ben
00:56:17.37\00:56:21.51
and the Lord gave me a closing
statement that made the hair
00:56:22.74\00:56:25.91
on my arms raise my
shirt about 4 inches.
00:56:26.11\00:56:29.15
I said: "Lord, how do I
end a sermon like this? "
00:56:31.99\00:56:34.42
He said: "This is
what you need to say:
00:56:35.89\00:56:38.93
why is Jesus
coming back with clouds? "
00:56:40.06\00:56:43.63
"Why is He coming with clouds? "
00:56:45.73\00:56:47.40
"Because He always has! "
00:56:48.67\00:56:51.11
He always has!
00:56:54.11\00:56:55.64
He always has!
00:56:56.44\00:56:58.31
"And He walks with
me and He talks with me
00:56:58.51\00:57:01.82
and He tells me
that I am His own;
00:57:02.22\00:57:04.55
and the joy we share
00:57:04.75\00:57:06.92
as we tarry there
00:57:07.12\00:57:08.92
none other has ever known. "
00:57:09.12\00:57:11.49
My brothers, my sisters,
those watching this program:
00:57:11.89\00:57:14.36
the clouds are coming.
00:57:14.56\00:57:15.90
"Behold, He is
coming with clouds
00:57:15.93\00:57:17.63
and every eye will see Him. "
00:57:18.03\00:57:20.64
Keep your eyes on the
God who controls the clouds
00:57:20.84\00:57:26.41
and don't become
enamored and overshadowed
00:57:26.81\00:57:28.91
by the clouds themselves.
00:57:29.11\00:57:30.98