And this is the record
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that God hath
given to us eternal life,
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and this life is in His Son.
00:00:16.75\00:00:20.45
Welcome to 3ABN
Australia Homecoming.
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I'm really pleased
that you could join us again
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at our 3ABN
Australia, Homecoming 2020.
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And we're talking
about preparing for eternity.
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I think every one of
us wants to be with Jesus
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when He comes.
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A big welcome to our audience.
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And it's good to see
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some new faces
and to all our viewers
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and those who are watching
and listening, even on radio.
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We welcome you
to, to this program.
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It's a special program
today and we're going through
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the book Steps to Christ.
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And as I said
earlier, there are 13 chapters
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and we're very
privileged to have 13 people
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to come and talk to us on
each one of these chapters.
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Preparing for
eternity means preparing
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and walking with Jesus.
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Now our previous
speaker was Adrian Raethal,
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and he spoke on Chapter
10, Our Knowledge of God.
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And if you can recall,
he talked about the universe
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and how big it is and
how big God really must be.
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And he summarized
his talking this way.
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He says, number one,
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God speaks to us through nature.
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Number two, God
speaks to us through
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His providential workings.
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Number three, God,
speak to us through His Word.
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And today we're very happy
to have Charissa Torossian,
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and most of you
will remember her
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as Charissa Fong, but you know,
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there's something
special here today
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because we've got her teacher
when she was in grade three
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and she's going to grade her.
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I don't know whether
Charissa realizes that,
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but I'm sure she will
enjoy having her teacher here,
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but before Charissa speaks
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and she'll be
covering Chapter 11,
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The Privilege of Prayer.
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It is really a
privilege because God hears
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and answers prayer.
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And before she
does, we have Diane Hope
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and I'm really pleased
to have my daughter-in-law.
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She will be singing
for us, Walking with Jesus.
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Thank you, Diane.
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For most of my life
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I didn't know about you
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You walking right beside me
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But then your love shone through
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You've changed
me from the inside
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And I have never been the same
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I'm covered in
Christ righteousness
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He has taken all my shame
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Walking with You, Jesus
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Is the best thing of all
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You always there to pick me up
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When I stumble or fall
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And You're leading
me to trust You more
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As I grow in you each day
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So take my hand, take my heart,
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Take my all
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Dear God as I journey
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In this narrow way
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Keep my eyes focused on you
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And I can hear you say
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Dear child walk with me
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And we will make it through
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For I have overcome this world
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And I'll fight for you
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Walking with You, Jesus
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Is the best thing of all
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You always there to pick me up
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When I stumble or fall
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And You're leading
me to trust You more
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As I grow in You each day
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So take my hand, take my heart,
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Take my all
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Though I do not
always see a thing
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Though the road
gets rough and I'm scared
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May I walk by
faith and not by sight
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Knowing that
Your Word is my light
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Walking with You, Jesus
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Is the best thing of all
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I can't wait to
be with You, Lord
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When You come to take us home
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So until I see You face to face
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I'll walk with You each day
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So take my hand, take my heart,
00:07:01.18\00:07:06.65
Take my all
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Please take my
hand, take my heart
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Lead me home.
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Amen.
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Praise God for that
beautiful message and song.
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Thank you, Diane.
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And we're going to carry on
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in that theme
together this morning
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about walking with Jesus
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and how we can have a
relationship with Him.
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And so, we're particularly
going to focus on prayer,
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The Privilege and
the Power of Prayer.
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And so I think we should
pray before we go any further.
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Let's pray.
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Our loving Father in
heaven, we thank You, Lord,
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for the privilege that it is
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to be able to bow our
heads and speak with You.
00:08:04.58\00:08:08.02
Lord, as we study
this subject this morning,
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we pray for the Holy
Spirit to speak to our hearts,
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to inspire us, to motivate
us, to draw us closer to You.
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And at the end of this
time, may we sense that
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we have been close with You
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because we ask
it in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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If you have your Bibles,
I invite you to come with me
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to the opening text,
which I have for us today.
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And it's Psalm 77:13.
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And Psalm 77:13.
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It's a very brief
verse, but the Bible says that
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the Psalmist says, "Your way,
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O God, is in the sanctuary."
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Now the
sanctuary was, of course,
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this wonderful 3D teaching tool
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designed by God to show
us how His plan of salvation
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for the human family works.
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It's an ancient GPS of sorts.
00:09:02.14\00:09:04.97
It shows us how
to come to Jesus,
00:09:05.01\00:09:07.48
stay with Jesus
and be ready for Jesus
00:09:07.51\00:09:10.85
when He comes.
00:09:10.88\00:09:12.38
And, of course,
if we cast our minds
00:09:12.41\00:09:14.08
back to that ancient sanctuary,
00:09:14.12\00:09:16.22
we would remember that
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the only way to enter
it was through the gate,
00:09:17.62\00:09:19.82
which brought you
into the courtyard.
00:09:19.85\00:09:21.66
And then as you carried
on through the courtyard,
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you would pass the
altar of sacrifice,
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which was, of course,
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pointing to the cross of Christ,
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where He
sacrificed Himself for us.
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Then there was also the laver,
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which is also a symbol
of the washing of baptism
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that comes when we
commit our life to Jesus.
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And then we would
enter into the Holy Place,
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the first department
of that ancient sanctuary.
00:09:44.58\00:09:47.75
And there were three
articles of furniture
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in that first apartment.
00:09:50.52\00:09:52.12
There was, of course,
the table of showbread,
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which reminds us that God's Word
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is the bread of life.
00:09:57.29\00:09:59.16
By feeding upon God's Word,
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we are sustained and
our faith is strengthened.
00:10:01.36\00:10:04.60
Directly
opposite this on the south
00:10:04.63\00:10:07.87
was the
seven-branched candlestick.
00:10:07.90\00:10:11.41
The basis of light
of which was the oil
00:10:11.44\00:10:14.08
pointing us to the Holy Spirit
00:10:14.11\00:10:15.61
and also of our witness
for Jesus in this world.
00:10:15.64\00:10:19.75
It is, as our hearts are ignited
00:10:19.78\00:10:21.88
by the Holy Spirit
that we are able to go
00:10:21.92\00:10:24.09
and live for Jesus and
be the light in the world
00:10:24.12\00:10:27.19
because He is the
light of the world.
00:10:27.22\00:10:29.96
And then right in front of us,
00:10:29.99\00:10:31.69
as we entered into
this first apartment
00:10:31.73\00:10:34.36
would be the altar of incense.
00:10:34.40\00:10:37.17
And according to Revelation 8:3,
00:10:37.20\00:10:40.84
this represents the
prayers of the saints,
00:10:40.87\00:10:44.37
which ascend to
heaven with this mingled,
00:10:44.41\00:10:47.01
with the sweet merits
of Christ's righteousness.
00:10:47.04\00:10:50.68
That's very beautiful.
00:10:50.71\00:10:52.68
These three things, prayer,
Bible study, and witnessing,
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sharing our faith.
00:10:57.22\00:10:58.55
These are the
means by which our walk
00:10:58.59\00:11:00.46
with Jesus is daily sustained,
00:11:00.49\00:11:03.49
but I don't know
if you've ever stopped
00:11:03.53\00:11:04.96
to think about this.
00:11:04.99\00:11:06.33
At least it's
just struck me a fresh
00:11:06.36\00:11:08.43
as I was preparing
for this presentation,
00:11:08.46\00:11:11.83
that right in front
of the altar of incense,
00:11:11.87\00:11:14.70
on the other side of that veil
00:11:14.74\00:11:17.34
was the Most Holy Place
00:11:17.37\00:11:19.21
where it was located
the Ark of the Covenant.
00:11:19.24\00:11:22.24
And on top of that Ark
of the Covenant was a lid
00:11:22.28\00:11:24.78
with two cherubim on it.
00:11:24.81\00:11:26.72
And that lid was
called the mercy seat.
00:11:26.75\00:11:30.92
It was symbolic
of the throne of God.
00:11:30.95\00:11:34.82
Now think about
the placement here
00:11:34.86\00:11:36.36
for just a moment
because the altar of incense
00:11:36.39\00:11:39.33
was right in front
of this sacred chest,
00:11:39.36\00:11:42.50
right in front of the
throne of God so to speak.
00:11:42.53\00:11:46.37
Friends, nothing brings
us closer to God than prayer.
00:11:46.40\00:11:51.74
Amen?
00:11:51.77\00:11:53.11
Nothing brings us
close to God than prayer.
00:11:53.14\00:11:54.54
In fact, I don't know
if you've been watching
00:11:54.58\00:11:56.31
some of these
beautiful graphics behind us
00:11:56.34\00:11:58.65
here of outer space,
00:11:58.68\00:12:00.62
but Sir Isaac
Newton once said that
00:12:00.65\00:12:02.68
he could take his telescope
00:12:02.72\00:12:04.65
and he could look millions
of kilometers out into space,
00:12:04.69\00:12:08.59
but then he added this
and I'll read my notes.
00:12:08.62\00:12:10.69
He said, "When I lay
it aside, I go to my room,
00:12:10.73\00:12:14.46
shut the door
and get on my knees
00:12:14.50\00:12:16.30
in earnest prayer.
00:12:16.33\00:12:17.67
I see more of heaven
00:12:17.70\00:12:19.43
and feel closer to the Lord than
00:12:19.47\00:12:21.37
if I were assisted
00:12:21.40\00:12:22.74
by all the telescopes on earth."
00:12:22.77\00:12:25.71
Nothing brings us
closer to God than does prayer.
00:12:25.74\00:12:30.58
Think about it.
00:12:30.61\00:12:31.95
Our Lord is only a prayer away.
00:12:31.98\00:12:34.95
Through prayer, we are
brought into connection
00:12:34.98\00:12:37.59
with the mind of Christ.
00:12:37.62\00:12:38.95
And as we go through
00:12:38.99\00:12:40.32
this beautiful
book Steps to Christ,
00:12:40.36\00:12:42.26
we find that prayer
00:12:42.29\00:12:43.63
is the opening
of the heart to God
00:12:43.66\00:12:45.49
as to not his
secretary, not his email inbox,
00:12:45.53\00:12:49.20
but as the opening
of the heart to God,
00:12:49.23\00:12:52.03
as to a friend.
00:12:52.07\00:12:53.87
I quote from page 97,
00:12:53.90\00:12:55.80
she says, "Unceasing prayer
00:12:55.84\00:12:58.41
is the unbroken
union of the soul with God.
00:12:58.44\00:13:01.54
So that life from
God flows into our life
00:13:01.58\00:13:05.81
and from our life purity
and holiness flow back to God."
00:13:05.85\00:13:11.05
And when we look
at the life of Jesus,
00:13:11.09\00:13:12.89
we see that the secret of
spiritual power in His life
00:13:12.92\00:13:16.86
was found in prayer.
00:13:16.89\00:13:18.96
It's an amazing thing.
00:13:18.99\00:13:20.53
Jesus lived His life
00:13:20.56\00:13:21.93
between the
mountain and the multitude.
00:13:21.96\00:13:25.23
Over and over again the
gospel writers tell us that
00:13:25.27\00:13:28.67
Christ withdrew
from the multitude
00:13:28.70\00:13:31.17
to pray on a mountainside.
00:13:31.21\00:13:33.91
If you've never
known what it is to kneel
00:13:33.94\00:13:36.95
where no human
voice can be heard,
00:13:36.98\00:13:39.58
where beneath the tree
00:13:39.61\00:13:41.25
or in the silent
starlight or moonlight,
00:13:41.28\00:13:43.95
you can look up and
open your heart out to God,
00:13:43.99\00:13:46.92
out to God in prayer.
00:13:46.96\00:13:48.89
If you have never
experienced what this is like,
00:13:48.92\00:13:51.19
then you have missed something
that words cannot describe,
00:13:51.23\00:13:55.60
something that
every child of God
00:13:55.63\00:13:58.53
should know by experience.
00:13:58.57\00:14:00.84
You see our Lord, He
prayed early in the morning
00:14:00.87\00:14:04.97
so that no one could interrupt
His communion with the Lord,
00:14:05.01\00:14:08.98
with His heavenly Father.
00:14:09.01\00:14:10.35
He wanted to be undisturbed.
00:14:10.38\00:14:12.21
In fact, I go to Mark Chapter 1,
00:14:12.25\00:14:14.85
just one example.
00:14:14.88\00:14:16.69
Mark 1:35, the Bible
says, "Now in the morning,
00:14:16.72\00:14:22.42
having risen a long
while before daylight,
00:14:22.46\00:14:26.03
He that is Jesus, went out
00:14:26.06\00:14:27.86
and departed to
a solitary place,
00:14:27.90\00:14:30.67
and there He prayed."
00:14:30.70\00:14:33.20
Not only did He get up
early in the morning to pray,
00:14:33.23\00:14:36.17
but the Bible tells us that
00:14:36.20\00:14:37.54
He often prayed all
through the night as well.
00:14:37.57\00:14:41.44
I come over to Luke
Chapter 6 and I read verse 12.
00:14:41.48\00:14:47.42
Luke 6:12, the Bible says,
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.35
"Now it came to
pass in those days
00:14:50.39\00:14:53.25
that he went out to
the mountain to pray,
00:14:53.29\00:14:56.73
and continued all
night in prayer to God."
00:14:56.76\00:15:01.30
You look at the life of Jesus.
00:15:01.33\00:15:02.76
And it's something
amazing to recognize that
00:15:02.80\00:15:05.17
a night of prayer
00:15:05.20\00:15:06.70
proceeded the
ordination of the apostles.
00:15:06.74\00:15:09.70
It also proceeded
the Sermon on the Mount.
00:15:09.74\00:15:12.27
It even proceeded the
Mount of Transfiguration,
00:15:12.31\00:15:16.48
and it proceeded Calvary,
the events that happened there.
00:15:16.51\00:15:21.25
Have you ever
prayed all night through?
00:15:21.28\00:15:24.72
It's quite an experience,
00:15:24.75\00:15:26.15
but if there's one
thing it teaches you,
00:15:26.19\00:15:28.46
it taught me this that
you need to depend on God
00:15:28.49\00:15:31.96
because you are weak
and you need His strength.
00:15:31.99\00:15:36.00
Jesus prayed and
because He prayed,
00:15:36.03\00:15:38.80
He succeeded where
the disciples failed
00:15:38.83\00:15:41.57
because He prayed.
00:15:41.60\00:15:43.20
Jesus could stand unmoved
in Pilate's judgment hall
00:15:43.24\00:15:47.24
because He
prayed Calvary happened.
00:15:47.28\00:15:49.98
Calvary would not have happened
00:15:50.01\00:15:51.35
had Christ not
agonized and struggled
00:15:51.38\00:15:54.38
and gained the victory
in prayer in Gethsemane.
00:15:54.42\00:15:58.25
And so every step of His life,
00:15:58.29\00:16:00.42
we find it was prepared
for and bathed in prayer.
00:16:00.46\00:16:05.29
Even at His
baptism in Luke 3:21-22,
00:16:05.33\00:16:10.70
the Bible says,
"That as Jesus prayed,
00:16:10.73\00:16:14.60
the Holy Spirit descended on Him
00:16:14.64\00:16:17.44
as in the form of a
dove and the heavens opened."
00:16:17.47\00:16:19.71
That happened as He prayed.
00:16:19.74\00:16:22.21
In fact, before every
great achievement in ministry,
00:16:22.24\00:16:25.51
He prayed and after
00:16:25.55\00:16:27.42
every great
achievement in ministry,
00:16:27.45\00:16:29.58
He was praying too.
00:16:29.62\00:16:30.99
I was thinking
about that last night.
00:16:31.02\00:16:33.15
And I was thinking to myself,
you know, I'm good at praying
00:16:33.19\00:16:35.49
before there's a big thing
that I have to do for the Lord.
00:16:35.52\00:16:39.73
But how often do I go back
00:16:39.76\00:16:41.60
and spend time
thanking Him for what He did
00:16:41.63\00:16:44.90
when He has done
something through me.
00:16:44.93\00:16:47.44
Before He ate Jesus prayed.
00:16:47.47\00:16:50.14
And it seems that the busier
00:16:50.17\00:16:51.84
He became in
ministry, the more He prayed.
00:16:51.87\00:16:55.38
Spurgeon actually said this.
00:16:55.41\00:16:57.51
He said, "Sometimes we
think we are too busy to pray."
00:16:57.55\00:17:00.82
That is a great mistake,
00:17:00.85\00:17:02.32
for praying is a saving of time.
00:17:02.35\00:17:06.25
For all of us time
efficient people out there,
00:17:06.29\00:17:08.42
this is a wonderful thing
because we have smart TVs,
00:17:08.46\00:17:12.03
smart phones, smart fridges.
00:17:12.06\00:17:14.00
You can even
have a smart vacuum.
00:17:14.03\00:17:15.86
I just discovered
I'm a bit behind there,
00:17:15.90\00:17:17.67
but you can turn the vacuum on
00:17:17.70\00:17:19.03
and it vacuums
your house for you
00:17:19.07\00:17:20.40
and you don't have to touch it.
00:17:20.44\00:17:21.77
We've got all of
these times saving things,
00:17:21.80\00:17:24.54
but the greatest time
saver of all is prayer.
00:17:24.57\00:17:29.08
R. A. Torrey said,
"We are too busy to pray
00:17:29.11\00:17:31.71
and so we are too
busy to have power.
00:17:31.75\00:17:34.85
We have a great
deal of activity,
00:17:34.88\00:17:36.52
but we accomplish a
little, many services,
00:17:36.55\00:17:39.05
but few conversions,
00:17:39.09\00:17:40.89
much machinery,
but few results."
00:17:40.92\00:17:43.09
Question.
00:17:43.12\00:17:44.46
Are you too busy to pray?
00:17:44.49\00:17:46.63
Or are you too busy not to pray?
00:17:46.66\00:17:50.33
Jesus prayed briefly when
He was with the multitude,
00:17:50.37\00:17:54.74
He would pray a little longer
when He was with His disciples.
00:17:54.77\00:17:58.21
And sometimes as
we've shared already,
00:17:58.24\00:18:00.31
He'd pray all night
when He was on his own.
00:18:00.34\00:18:02.88
We tend to reverse
that order sometimes.
00:18:02.91\00:18:06.45
Jesus prayed for Himself.
00:18:06.48\00:18:08.58
He prayed for individuals.
00:18:08.62\00:18:10.09
He told Peter He
had prayed for him.
00:18:10.12\00:18:12.62
He prayed for His
disciples as a group.
00:18:12.65\00:18:14.62
And He prayed for His enemies.
00:18:14.66\00:18:16.76
Really, when we think about it,
00:18:16.79\00:18:18.39
nothing makes us
love someone so much
00:18:18.43\00:18:20.90
as when we are praying for them.
00:18:20.93\00:18:23.03
If you're
struggling to love somebody,
00:18:23.06\00:18:25.93
pray for them.
00:18:25.97\00:18:27.37
Through prayer and
fasting, He overcame temptation.
00:18:27.40\00:18:30.84
Through prayer
He wrought miracles.
00:18:30.87\00:18:32.81
Through prayer He glorified God.
00:18:32.84\00:18:34.88
Through prayer He
completed the work
00:18:34.91\00:18:37.15
that the Father gave Him to do.
00:18:37.18\00:18:39.71
His life of prayer
even closed with prayer.
00:18:39.75\00:18:44.12
And here is a quotation
from Steps to Christ, 93.
00:18:44.15\00:18:47.52
She says, He is our example
in all things, prayer included.
00:18:47.56\00:18:52.89
"He's our example in all things,
00:18:52.93\00:18:54.43
His humanity made prayer a
necessity and a privilege."
00:18:54.46\00:18:59.83
And if the Savior
of men, the Son of God
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.74
felt the need of prayer,
00:19:02.77\00:19:04.57
how much more should
feeble sinful mortals
00:19:04.61\00:19:08.71
feel the necessity of
fervent constant prayer.
00:19:08.74\00:19:13.45
That challenges me.
00:19:13.48\00:19:15.18
If the Son of God needed prayer,
00:19:15.22\00:19:17.65
what about me, what about you?
00:19:17.69\00:19:20.96
John 15:7,
00:19:20.99\00:19:25.26
these are the words of Jesus.
00:19:25.29\00:19:27.30
He says, "If you abide in
Me and My words abide in you,
00:19:27.33\00:19:31.93
you will ask what you desire
and it shall be done for you."
00:19:31.97\00:19:36.87
There's just a few things I
like to pull out of this text
00:19:36.91\00:19:39.21
because nothing
is discussed more
00:19:39.24\00:19:41.11
and practiced less than
00:19:41.14\00:19:42.64
the subject that
we're talking about, prayer.
00:19:42.68\00:19:44.61
We talk a lot about
prayer, but not often pray.
00:19:44.65\00:19:47.48
The measure of any
Christian is their prayer life.
00:19:47.52\00:19:52.52
According to what
we've just read here.
00:19:52.55\00:19:54.12
If we are abiding in Christ,
00:19:54.16\00:19:56.16
we will pray as Spurgeon said,
00:19:56.19\00:19:58.99
"as stars shine
so do abiders pray.
00:19:59.03\00:20:02.96
When we abide in
Christ, we will pray."
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.67
Not only that,
00:20:05.70\00:20:07.04
but if we are abiding in Christ,
00:20:07.07\00:20:08.74
we will sense our need to pray.
00:20:08.77\00:20:12.01
You see the more we pray,
suddenly we feel dissatisfied
00:20:12.04\00:20:15.58
with what we can do.
00:20:15.61\00:20:16.98
Suddenly we feel dissatisfied
with our own strength
00:20:17.01\00:20:20.15
and we recognize our need
for total dependence upon God.
00:20:20.18\00:20:25.69
The very posture of prayer.
00:20:25.72\00:20:27.99
When I kneel and I
ask God for strength,
00:20:28.02\00:20:30.79
it says that I need
help outside of myself.
00:20:30.83\00:20:34.96
If we are abiding in Christ,
00:20:35.00\00:20:37.17
and if we are
abiding in His Word,
00:20:37.20\00:20:39.33
reading that Word,
believing that Word,
00:20:39.37\00:20:42.17
then He tells us
that we will pray
00:20:42.20\00:20:45.04
in accordance with His will
and He will answer our prayers.
00:20:45.07\00:20:50.08
Amen?
00:20:50.11\00:20:52.15
Now, there are some
conditions to powerful prayer,
00:20:52.18\00:20:56.08
and this is brought out
00:20:56.12\00:20:57.75
in the chapter
in Steps to Christ.
00:20:57.79\00:20:59.15
I encourage you to read it
00:20:59.19\00:21:00.52
if you haven't already,
but just some of the quotes
00:21:00.56\00:21:03.59
that I'll bring out,
00:21:03.63\00:21:04.96
they're just
sentences here and there.
00:21:04.99\00:21:06.36
On page 95, she says
00:21:06.39\00:21:08.40
"One of the first of
these that is conditions is that
00:21:08.43\00:21:11.63
we feel our need
of help from Him."
00:21:11.67\00:21:15.60
Then she says, and she goes on.
00:21:15.64\00:21:17.91
She says, "If we
regard iniquity in our hearts,
00:21:17.94\00:21:20.78
if we cling to any known
sin, the Lord will not hear us.
00:21:20.81\00:21:25.51
But the prayer of the
penitent contrite soul
00:21:25.55\00:21:28.98
is always accepted."
00:21:29.02\00:21:31.62
Amen? That's good news.
00:21:31.65\00:21:33.72
The next condition. So
we need to feel our need.
00:21:33.76\00:21:36.29
We must be penitent and
contrite before God humble.
00:21:36.32\00:21:40.60
But the next condition
00:21:40.63\00:21:41.96
is we must
approach Him with faith.
00:21:42.00\00:21:44.23
The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6,
00:21:44.27\00:21:47.20
"That he that comes to
God must believe that He is.
00:21:47.24\00:21:51.21
And that he is
a rewarder of them
00:21:51.24\00:21:53.51
that diligently seek Him."
00:21:53.54\00:21:56.91
God, doesn't always answer
our prayers the way we expect,
00:21:56.95\00:22:00.98
but He knows what is best.
00:22:01.02\00:22:03.25
And He knows
what is good for us.
00:22:03.28\00:22:05.69
We can trust Him on that.
00:22:05.72\00:22:07.92
Prayer may not
get us what we want,
00:22:07.96\00:22:10.23
but it will teach us
to want what we need.
00:22:10.26\00:22:13.90
She goes on.
00:22:13.93\00:22:15.26
And she says in page 97,
00:22:15.30\00:22:17.13
"If we expect our
own prayers to be heard,
00:22:17.17\00:22:20.84
we must forgive
others in the same manner
00:22:20.87\00:22:24.41
and to the same extent
as we hope to be forgiven."
00:22:24.44\00:22:28.94
Wow, that's a powerful one.
00:22:28.98\00:22:30.75
She also goes on to say,
"That perseverance in prayer
00:22:30.78\00:22:35.02
has been made a
condition of receiving."
00:22:35.05\00:22:38.62
When it comes to
prayer don't hang up,
00:22:38.65\00:22:41.49
hang on, hang on
to God's promises.
00:22:41.52\00:22:44.89
I don't know if
you've ever watched
00:22:44.93\00:22:46.70
somebody trying
to, a stone cutter
00:22:46.73\00:22:49.26
trying to make stones break.
00:22:49.30\00:22:52.27
He might hit that
stone a hundred times
00:22:52.30\00:22:54.97
and you won't see the
slightest crack in it,
00:22:55.00\00:22:57.41
but on the hundred and
first strike it'll crack.
00:22:57.44\00:23:00.81
Wasn't that one
blow that did it?
00:23:00.84\00:23:03.01
It was all of them together.
00:23:03.04\00:23:05.01
So we must pray, pray, pray,
00:23:05.05\00:23:07.68
tarry at God's promises
until He meets us there.
00:23:07.72\00:23:11.32
She says on page 98,
00:23:11.35\00:23:12.69
"That we should
seek every opportunity
00:23:12.72\00:23:15.72
where prayer is
want to be made."
00:23:15.76\00:23:17.63
We should be
looking for prayer meetings
00:23:17.66\00:23:19.56
that we can join.
00:23:19.59\00:23:20.93
We should be looking for people
00:23:20.96\00:23:22.43
that we can pray with
00:23:22.46\00:23:23.97
because it's a
privilege to pray.
00:23:24.00\00:23:26.47
And on page 98, she also says,
00:23:26.50\00:23:29.27
"That we should
pray in the family circle
00:23:29.30\00:23:32.51
and above all
we must not neglect
00:23:32.54\00:23:34.88
secret prayer,
00:23:34.91\00:23:36.31
for this is the
life of the soul."
00:23:36.34\00:23:39.05
I like how someone said it.
00:23:39.08\00:23:40.75
The secret to
prayer is secret prayer,
00:23:40.78\00:23:43.52
nice and simple.
00:23:43.55\00:23:45.55
Where we speak with God
and He speaks back to us.
00:23:45.59\00:23:49.72
It is a two way conversation.
00:23:49.76\00:23:51.86
We must also take time to listen
00:23:51.89\00:23:54.20
to what God has to say.
00:23:54.23\00:23:55.70
And as I look at my
Bible, I recognize that
00:23:55.73\00:23:58.20
every faithful follower of God
00:23:58.23\00:24:00.97
who experienced
00:24:01.00\00:24:02.34
the power of God in their lives,
00:24:02.37\00:24:04.17
they experienced this
00:24:04.21\00:24:06.21
because they had a
powerful prayer life.
00:24:06.24\00:24:09.54
I'm just going to
list some of them here
00:24:09.58\00:24:11.35
to remind us
what the Bible says.
00:24:11.38\00:24:13.25
But the Bible
says that Enoch walked
00:24:13.28\00:24:16.05
and talked with
God for 300 years.
00:24:16.08\00:24:20.29
That's 109,000 days at least.
00:24:20.32\00:24:25.06
He talked with
God for 300 years,
00:24:25.09\00:24:27.30
so much so that
God loved his company
00:24:27.33\00:24:30.20
and He walked him into heaven.
00:24:30.23\00:24:31.83
That's an amazing story.
00:24:31.87\00:24:34.04
Then there was Noah.
00:24:34.07\00:24:35.74
Noah had a
prayer life, didn't he?
00:24:35.77\00:24:38.87
When you look at
the life of Noah,
00:24:38.91\00:24:40.68
God talked to him a lot.
00:24:40.71\00:24:42.64
God gave him
instructions before the flood.
00:24:42.68\00:24:45.85
And then He made a covenant
with Noah after the flood.
00:24:45.88\00:24:50.02
And whatever God
told him to do in prayer,
00:24:50.05\00:24:53.05
whenever He was
speaking with him,
00:24:53.09\00:24:54.92
we find that Noah always
responded with obedience.
00:24:54.96\00:24:58.59
That's the closeness
of their relationship.
00:24:58.63\00:25:01.83
Wherever Abraham
went, the Bible says
00:25:01.86\00:25:04.93
he built an altar
and called upon the Lord.
00:25:04.97\00:25:09.24
Isn't that beautiful?
00:25:09.27\00:25:10.61
He prayed and Lot's
family was spared from Sodom.
00:25:10.64\00:25:14.71
He prayed and
Abimelech's wife was healed.
00:25:14.74\00:25:19.05
In fact, if I look
at the Book of James,
00:25:19.08\00:25:21.18
there's a very beautiful
verse here in James Chapter 2.
00:25:21.22\00:25:26.76
James 2:23, it simply says,
00:25:26.79\00:25:30.46
"The Scripture was fulfilled
00:25:30.49\00:25:32.19
which says,
'Abraham believed God,
00:25:32.23\00:25:35.66
and it was accounted
to him for righteousness.'
00:25:35.70\00:25:38.57
And he was called
the friend of God.'"
00:25:38.60\00:25:44.54
You don't call someone a friend,
00:25:44.57\00:25:47.44
unless there is a level
of intimate communication
00:25:47.48\00:25:50.78
between you.
00:25:50.81\00:25:52.55
And Abraham was a friend of God.
00:25:52.58\00:25:54.48
He was someone that he
exposed his heart to God.
00:25:54.52\00:25:58.15
He exposed his wants, his fears,
00:25:58.19\00:26:00.29
his thoughts to the
Lord and God shared with him
00:26:00.32\00:26:03.93
how He felt and His thoughts.
00:26:03.96\00:26:06.06
And it was a
beautiful friendship
00:26:06.09\00:26:07.96
that they shared.
00:26:08.00\00:26:09.36
Then, of course,
there was Moses, wow,
00:26:09.40\00:26:12.13
Moses for 40 days
00:26:12.17\00:26:14.17
he was on a
mountain alone with God.
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.97
That's six weeks.
00:26:17.01\00:26:19.67
That puts it in a
different perspective.
00:26:19.71\00:26:21.48
For six weeks,
00:26:21.51\00:26:22.84
Moses delighted in the unveiled,
00:26:22.88\00:26:25.68
the comparable glory,
00:26:25.71\00:26:28.52
rapturous glory
of God's presence.
00:26:28.55\00:26:31.59
And when he came
down from that mountain,
00:26:31.62\00:26:33.42
the Bible says his face shone.
00:26:33.46\00:26:36.52
That's how it affected him.
00:26:36.56\00:26:38.33
He loved God's presence so much,
00:26:38.36\00:26:40.43
he didn't want to
leave God's presence.
00:26:40.46\00:26:43.57
In fact, in Exodus
33:11, the Bible says,
00:26:43.60\00:26:47.97
"So the Lord spoke
to Moses face to face
00:26:48.00\00:26:51.14
as a man speaks to his friend."
00:26:51.17\00:26:54.21
There's a common theme there.
00:26:54.24\00:26:56.11
Friendship with God
comes through speaking with Him
00:26:56.14\00:26:59.48
and listening to Him in prayer.
00:26:59.51\00:27:01.62
Friends, when you pray,
00:27:01.65\00:27:03.32
does God's
goodness captivate you
00:27:03.35\00:27:06.55
as it did Moses, he
just couldn't leave.
00:27:06.59\00:27:08.69
Wouldn't, didn't want
to leave God's presence.
00:27:08.72\00:27:11.59
Do you listen for God's
voice speaking back to you
00:27:11.63\00:27:15.06
when you pray?
00:27:15.10\00:27:16.43
You see in every difficulty that
00:27:16.46\00:27:18.40
Moses encountered on his journey
00:27:18.43\00:27:20.47
to the Promised Land,
00:27:20.50\00:27:21.94
we find him turning to
God and asking for help.
00:27:21.97\00:27:25.31
And that should be
also our experience.
00:27:25.34\00:27:28.21
Joshua, there's
another man of prayer.
00:27:28.24\00:27:31.45
Joshua prayed, and the sun,
the Bible says, stood still.
00:27:31.48\00:27:36.15
I read to you from
Patriarchs and Prophets.
00:27:36.18\00:27:38.62
She says, "The man
who commanded the sun,
00:27:38.65\00:27:41.52
stand thou still
upon Gideon and thou moon
00:27:41.56\00:27:44.73
in the Valley of
Aijalon is the man
00:27:44.76\00:27:47.63
who for hours lay prostrate
upon the earth in prayer,
00:27:47.66\00:27:51.53
in the camp of Gilgal.
00:27:51.57\00:27:53.44
The men of prayer
are men of power."
00:27:53.47\00:27:57.41
That's powerful.
00:27:57.44\00:27:59.07
Not only that,
00:27:59.11\00:28:00.44
but because Esther
had knelt before God,
00:28:00.48\00:28:02.84
she was able to
stand before the king.
00:28:02.88\00:28:05.51
The same goes for Daniel,
00:28:05.55\00:28:06.92
because he knelt before God,
00:28:06.95\00:28:08.95
he could stand
before Nebuchadnezzar.
00:28:08.98\00:28:11.49
In fact, Daniel
loved prayer so much
00:28:11.52\00:28:15.06
that when king
Darius made a decree that
00:28:15.09\00:28:17.99
no one should pray to any God
00:28:18.03\00:28:20.43
except the king for 30 days
00:28:20.46\00:28:22.83
or else they would be
thrown into a lions' den.
00:28:22.86\00:28:25.57
What does Daniel do?
00:28:25.60\00:28:27.04
He prays anyway,
00:28:27.07\00:28:28.74
because he
preferred to spend a night in
00:28:28.77\00:28:32.61
with the lions than
miss a day in prayer.
00:28:32.64\00:28:35.51
That's how important prayer is.
00:28:35.54\00:28:38.78
If you're in James
still, James 5:17 says this,
00:28:38.81\00:28:44.45
"Elijah was a man
with a nature like ours,
00:28:44.49\00:28:48.46
and he prayed earnestly
that it would not rain.
00:28:48.49\00:28:51.19
And it did not rain on the land
00:28:51.23\00:28:53.06
for three years and six months."
00:28:53.09\00:28:56.70
Elijah stood
alone before the king
00:28:56.73\00:28:59.33
and the whole nation.
00:28:59.37\00:29:00.70
He was a man who prayed
00:29:00.74\00:29:02.64
and his prayer
affected the whole nation.
00:29:02.67\00:29:05.34
It even changed God
00:29:05.37\00:29:07.08
in answer to his prayer
changed weather patterns.
00:29:07.11\00:29:09.34
That's amazing.
00:29:09.38\00:29:10.78
And yet the Bible is
careful to highlight for us
00:29:10.81\00:29:15.02
that he wasn't different to us.
00:29:15.05\00:29:17.35
He wasn't made from
some different material.
00:29:17.39\00:29:19.92
He was just like us
00:29:19.95\00:29:21.86
because there is no power in us.
00:29:21.89\00:29:24.23
The power is in God.
00:29:24.26\00:29:27.40
And when we pray for
God's will to be done,
00:29:27.43\00:29:30.57
for God's name to be glorified
for His honor to be vindicated,
00:29:30.60\00:29:35.17
we are praying as Elijah prayed.
00:29:35.20\00:29:38.37
Truly, prayer is a
powerful privilege.
00:29:38.41\00:29:42.68
It is the highest use to
which our speech can be put to.
00:29:42.71\00:29:48.22
I like what a lady once,
00:29:48.25\00:29:50.32
she came to a
preacher and ask them.
00:29:50.35\00:29:52.95
I only take, well,
she told the preacher,
00:29:52.99\00:29:54.82
I only take big
things to God in prayer.
00:29:54.86\00:29:57.23
I don't take the
little things to God.
00:29:57.26\00:29:58.86
I want to bother
Him with those things.
00:29:58.89\00:30:00.96
And he smiled
and he said anything
00:30:01.00\00:30:02.93
you take to God is little
00:30:02.96\00:30:05.07
because you can
bring everything to God,
00:30:05.10\00:30:07.84
because even the
big things to you,
00:30:07.87\00:30:10.21
they are little to God.
00:30:10.24\00:30:11.67
You won't burden Him
by opening to your heart,
00:30:11.71\00:30:15.08
opening your heart to Him
and sharing what is big to you.
00:30:15.11\00:30:19.11
There is a beautiful
quotation in Steps to Christ.
00:30:19.15\00:30:22.58
And I read from page 100.
00:30:22.62\00:30:25.15
She says, "Keep your
wants, your joys, your sorrows,
00:30:25.19\00:30:29.12
your cares and
your fears before God,
00:30:29.16\00:30:32.43
you cannot burden Him.
00:30:32.46\00:30:34.16
You cannot weary him.
00:30:34.20\00:30:36.00
He who numbers the hairs of
your head is not indifferent
00:30:36.03\00:30:38.80
to the wants of His children.
00:30:38.83\00:30:40.64
Take everything
that perplexes the mind.
00:30:40.67\00:30:43.94
Nothing is too great for Him
to bear for He holds up worlds.
00:30:43.97\00:30:48.91
He rules over the
affairs of the universe.
00:30:48.94\00:30:51.65
Nothing that in any
way concerns our peace
00:30:51.68\00:30:54.62
is too small for Him to notice."
00:30:54.65\00:30:57.49
There is no
chapter in our experience
00:30:57.52\00:30:59.95
too dark for Him to read.
00:30:59.99\00:31:02.22
There is no
perplexity too difficult
00:31:02.26\00:31:04.59
for Him to unravel.
00:31:04.63\00:31:06.56
That is one of the
many gems I had to pick one
00:31:06.59\00:31:08.76
and I didn't know
where to cut that quite
00:31:08.80\00:31:10.13
because it's so good.
00:31:10.17\00:31:11.50
So I read you the whole thing.
00:31:11.53\00:31:13.44
Just recently
00:31:13.47\00:31:14.80
we have a Bible
worker at our church
00:31:14.84\00:31:16.54
and he shared with us
00:31:16.57\00:31:17.91
how he went door
knocking in our community.
00:31:17.94\00:31:20.81
And he offered
prayer to the people
00:31:20.84\00:31:23.01
that he was door knocking.
00:31:23.04\00:31:24.38
And this one lady
answered the door and she said,
00:31:24.41\00:31:27.25
"Well, you could
pray for my daughter.
00:31:27.28\00:31:28.88
I'm very concerned about her.
00:31:28.92\00:31:30.39
She's not well."
00:31:30.42\00:31:31.99
So he said, "Sure, let me pray."
00:31:32.02\00:31:33.49
So he bowed his head
and he prayed with her.
00:31:33.52\00:31:36.39
And as he walked away,
the lady got a phone text
00:31:36.42\00:31:40.50
saying from her
daughter, and it's saying,
00:31:40.53\00:31:42.36
"Mum, I've never felt better.
00:31:42.40\00:31:43.97
This is the best day,
I'm having the best day.
00:31:44.00\00:31:45.97
Thank you. I just
wanted to let you know."
00:31:46.00\00:31:48.64
And she was so
thrilled with that,
00:31:48.67\00:31:51.31
that she came to our
food pantry last Thursday
00:31:51.34\00:31:54.84
and went looking
for this young man
00:31:54.88\00:31:56.61
who knocked on her door.
00:31:56.64\00:31:58.15
And she wanted to tell him that
God had answered his prayer.
00:31:58.18\00:32:01.58
And so he was
so happy, you know,
00:32:01.62\00:32:03.69
we shared with her some things.
00:32:03.72\00:32:05.62
And then before she
left, she said to him,
00:32:05.65\00:32:08.22
"Oh, could you pray
for something else?"
00:32:08.26\00:32:10.23
So she hands, she tells
him another prayer request.
00:32:10.26\00:32:13.03
And our Bible worker
bows his head right then.
00:32:13.06\00:32:15.23
And he says, "Let's pray."
00:32:15.26\00:32:16.60
He starts praying
00:32:16.63\00:32:17.97
and I was
watching from a distance.
00:32:18.00\00:32:19.50
She did not take
her eyes off him.
00:32:19.53\00:32:22.20
Her eyes were glued to him.
00:32:22.24\00:32:24.11
She was watching
everything he did
00:32:24.14\00:32:25.84
because she believed that
00:32:25.87\00:32:27.64
this young man had a
direct connection with God.
00:32:27.68\00:32:31.98
And, I walked her to her
car afterwards and I told her,
00:32:32.01\00:32:35.88
I said, "Well,
you must be a lady
00:32:35.92\00:32:37.45
who believes in
the power of prayer."
00:32:37.49\00:32:39.05
She said, "All my
life I believed in prayer."
00:32:39.09\00:32:41.86
She said,
"Whenever I lose something,
00:32:41.89\00:32:44.03
I pray to St.
Anthony to help me find it."
00:32:44.06\00:32:46.80
And so, it was just
a wonderful connection
00:32:46.83\00:32:50.10
that she has,
00:32:50.13\00:32:51.70
that God answered her
prayer and that prayer
00:32:51.73\00:32:53.84
on her behalf of her daughter.
00:32:53.87\00:32:55.20
So we can bring
anything to God in prayer.
00:32:55.24\00:32:59.17
And there are many
wonderful Christian people
00:32:59.21\00:33:02.51
throughout history
who have believed this,
00:33:02.54\00:33:05.11
tested it and
found God to be true.
00:33:05.15\00:33:08.02
George Whitfield
00:33:08.05\00:33:09.38
learned the secret of
powerful prayer from Jesus.
00:33:09.42\00:33:12.42
He read the Bible,
saw what Jesus did.
00:33:12.45\00:33:15.29
He saw that those
that are faithful to God,
00:33:15.32\00:33:17.56
how they had this
amazing prayer life.
00:33:17.59\00:33:19.86
Seven times, he traveled
00:33:19.89\00:33:22.10
from England to
America, between 1738 and 1770.
00:33:22.13\00:33:27.07
And when Whitfield
preached in America,
00:33:27.10\00:33:29.67
crowds of up to 30,000
people would come and hear him.
00:33:29.70\00:33:33.58
But guess what?
00:33:33.61\00:33:34.94
Before those
meetings, he would spend hours
00:33:34.98\00:33:38.08
and sometimes
entire nights in prayer
00:33:38.11\00:33:41.72
before he held those
meetings, isn't that amazing?
00:33:41.75\00:33:44.69
Then if you go to London,
00:33:44.72\00:33:46.22
you can visit
John Wesley's home.
00:33:46.25\00:33:49.36
And if you go into
John Wesley's bedroom,
00:33:49.39\00:33:51.29
as you're coming out of it,
00:33:51.33\00:33:52.66
I believe there is a little room
00:33:52.69\00:33:54.40
directly opposite,
00:33:54.43\00:33:55.76
which was his prayer room.
00:33:55.80\00:33:57.47
In that room, the
noise of the traffic ceases.
00:33:57.50\00:34:00.47
It's a very quiet
little room, quiet space.
00:34:00.50\00:34:04.14
And in that room,
there are two chairs,
00:34:04.17\00:34:06.44
a walnut desk, a
Greek New Testament,
00:34:06.47\00:34:09.54
and a candle that sits upon it.
00:34:09.58\00:34:11.75
And if you go to that place,
the guide will tell you that
00:34:11.78\00:34:15.25
this little prayer room
00:34:15.28\00:34:16.99
was the powerhouse of Methodism.
00:34:17.02\00:34:19.42
This is how the
Methodist Church was born.
00:34:19.45\00:34:21.56
He says, "It was
from this little place."
00:34:21.59\00:34:24.03
In fact, I was
even excited to be
00:34:24.06\00:34:26.13
reading that in
the Adventist home,
00:34:26.16\00:34:29.13
Mrs. White
shares a little story,
00:34:29.16\00:34:31.23
how one day her
children were wanting to do
00:34:31.27\00:34:34.74
some things with their friends
and she didn't approve of it.
00:34:34.77\00:34:37.67
And so she
called them to herself
00:34:37.71\00:34:39.81
and she explained to
them that as their mother
00:34:39.84\00:34:42.61
she had a duty by God
00:34:42.64\00:34:45.41
to raise her children
to be faithful to Him.
00:34:45.45\00:34:48.68
And so she wanted
to explain to them,
00:34:48.72\00:34:50.85
why would it be dangerous
for them to choose to do this?
00:34:50.89\00:34:54.59
She explained it to them
00:34:54.62\00:34:55.96
and they agreed
that they wouldn't do it.
00:34:55.99\00:34:57.93
So you know what
she did after that?
00:34:57.96\00:34:59.63
She spent a
whole night in prayer.
00:34:59.66\00:35:02.96
Praying for God to
work in their little lives
00:35:03.00\00:35:07.27
and for the spell of
evil one to be broken.
00:35:07.30\00:35:09.90
I read to you what she says.
00:35:09.94\00:35:11.97
She says, "Although it
costs me a night's labor,
00:35:12.01\00:35:15.01
yet I felt richly paid.
00:35:15.04\00:35:17.21
When my children would
hang about my neck and say,
00:35:17.25\00:35:19.75
'Oh, mother, we are so glad that
00:35:19.78\00:35:21.68
you did not let us
go when we wanted to.'"
00:35:21.72\00:35:24.55
She then adds this a
couple of lines later,
00:35:24.59\00:35:26.99
"Parents, this is
the way you must work."
00:35:27.02\00:35:30.86
Wow. Prayer just
impacts everything.
00:35:30.89\00:35:33.40
It impacts the home. It
impacts your private life.
00:35:33.43\00:35:36.67
It impacts your public life.
00:35:36.70\00:35:38.53
It's the secret
of spiritual power.
00:35:38.57\00:35:41.14
And it was a
secret of spiritual power
00:35:41.17\00:35:43.00
in the early church as well.
00:35:43.04\00:35:44.94
Just think about it.
00:35:44.97\00:35:46.31
The early church
wasn't air conditioned.
00:35:46.34\00:35:49.14
It was prayer conditioned.
00:35:49.18\00:35:51.15
Amen?
00:35:51.18\00:35:52.51
Jesus' death on the
cross had a tremendous impact
00:35:52.55\00:35:55.75
on His followers.
00:35:55.78\00:35:57.12
The disciples before the cross
00:35:57.15\00:35:58.69
were always fighting over
who would be the greatest,
00:35:58.72\00:36:01.52
but after Calvary,
00:36:01.56\00:36:03.02
they humbly knelt
together in prayer,
00:36:03.06\00:36:05.66
acknowledging that there
was no one greater than God.
00:36:05.69\00:36:09.10
The cross radically
changed their lives.
00:36:09.13\00:36:12.53
After the cross, we
see them together in
00:36:12.57\00:36:14.90
an upper room for 10
days, praying, repenting,
00:36:14.94\00:36:18.71
committing their
lives to sharing God's love
00:36:18.74\00:36:21.24
and to sharing the gospel.
00:36:21.28\00:36:22.94
And on the day of Pentecost,
00:36:22.98\00:36:24.98
Peter stands up
and as he preaches,
00:36:25.01\00:36:27.08
he declares that
00:36:27.12\00:36:28.45
the words of Joel
have been fulfilled.
00:36:28.48\00:36:30.92
And I'm going to go there.
00:36:30.95\00:36:32.89
Joel Chapter 2,
00:36:32.92\00:36:35.02
I just think this is
a very important text.
00:36:35.06\00:36:37.63
Joel 2:23, and then
I'll read verses 28 and 29.
00:36:37.66\00:36:42.70
The Bible says, "Be glad then,
00:36:42.73\00:36:45.50
you children of Zion,
00:36:45.53\00:36:46.90
and rejoice in
the Lord your God,
00:36:46.94\00:36:49.10
for He has given you
the former rain faithfully."
00:36:49.14\00:36:53.14
The King James says moderately.
00:36:53.17\00:36:56.04
"And he will cause the
rain to come down for you,
00:36:56.08\00:36:58.85
the former rain
and the latter rain
00:36:58.88\00:37:00.98
in the first month."
00:37:01.02\00:37:02.35
He goes on in verse 28,
00:37:02.38\00:37:04.35
"And it shall
come to pass afterward
00:37:04.39\00:37:06.39
that I will pour out My Spirit,
00:37:06.42\00:37:08.42
God says, on all flesh,
your sons and your daughters
00:37:08.46\00:37:11.96
shall prophesy.
00:37:11.99\00:37:13.33
Your old men shall dream dreams.
00:37:13.36\00:37:15.53
Your young men
shall see visions.
00:37:15.56\00:37:17.73
And on My menservants
and on my maidservants,
00:37:17.77\00:37:20.40
I will pour out My
Spirit in those days."
00:37:20.44\00:37:24.74
On the day of Pentecost,
Peter quoted these words
00:37:24.77\00:37:28.61
and he believed that
Pentecost was the fulfillment
00:37:28.64\00:37:31.85
of these prophetic words.
00:37:31.88\00:37:33.75
But when you think about it,
00:37:33.78\00:37:35.25
the early rain was just
the softening of the ground
00:37:35.28\00:37:38.45
for the gospel
seed to be planted.
00:37:38.49\00:37:40.52
And when you look
at the Book of Acts,
00:37:40.56\00:37:42.59
we see what God did.
00:37:42.62\00:37:44.69
In the Book of
Acts, we see 3,000 people
00:37:44.73\00:37:47.40
baptized in a day in Chapter 3.
00:37:47.43\00:37:49.90
In Chapter 4, there's another
00:37:49.93\00:37:51.53
5,000 added to that number.
00:37:51.57\00:37:54.34
And as you keep
stepping throughout the book,
00:37:54.37\00:37:56.40
I went through in my Bible
00:37:56.44\00:37:57.77
and underlined every multitude
00:37:57.81\00:37:59.34
and every group of people
that was added to the church,
00:37:59.37\00:38:02.18
the number swells
and swells and swells.
00:38:02.21\00:38:05.11
In fact, this is
just the early rain
00:38:05.15\00:38:07.82
and it's a book of miracles.
00:38:07.85\00:38:09.42
So it should be called
the acts of the Holy Spirit
00:38:09.45\00:38:12.09
because it's the acts of God.
00:38:12.12\00:38:14.42
There were miracles
00:38:14.46\00:38:15.79
and angel told
a man named Philip
00:38:15.82\00:38:18.53
to chase down a chariot.
00:38:18.56\00:38:20.76
And when he did,
00:38:20.80\00:38:22.56
he found an
Ethiopian eunuch there,
00:38:22.60\00:38:24.93
reading the scroll of Isaiah.
00:38:24.97\00:38:26.50
He asked him,
00:38:26.53\00:38:27.87
"Do you understand
what you're reading?"
00:38:27.90\00:38:29.27
The man said, "No, I don't."
00:38:29.30\00:38:30.64
So Philip gave him a sermon.
00:38:30.67\00:38:32.64
He shared with him
the story of Jesus.
00:38:32.67\00:38:35.41
And at the end,
the man was convicted.
00:38:35.44\00:38:37.81
The Holy Spirit
moved in his heart
00:38:37.85\00:38:39.85
and he said, "I
want it to be baptized."
00:38:39.88\00:38:41.92
So the chariot stopped.
00:38:41.95\00:38:43.82
He baptized him in the river.
00:38:43.85\00:38:45.69
And then the Bible
says that just like that,
00:38:45.72\00:38:48.22
Philip was caught away
to Azotus something like
00:38:48.26\00:38:50.73
8 to 10 kilometers away.
00:38:50.76\00:38:52.36
Isn't that amazing? This
is all because of prayer.
00:38:52.39\00:38:56.46
This is the work
of the Holy Spirit
00:38:56.50\00:38:58.30
when we're praying.
00:38:58.33\00:38:59.73
And by the end of
this Book of Acts,
00:38:59.77\00:39:02.60
the number of
believers is so big.
00:39:02.64\00:39:04.41
We don't even
know how many there.
00:39:04.44\00:39:07.41
And it all began with
120 praying believers`
00:39:07.44\00:39:11.85
in an upper room.
00:39:11.88\00:39:13.25
The early
evangelists were prangelists.
00:39:13.28\00:39:16.55
They were praying evangelists.
00:39:16.58\00:39:18.89
Prayer is never a
substitute for action.
00:39:18.92\00:39:21.19
As we look at the Book of Acts,
00:39:21.22\00:39:22.69
we see that it is
the stimulus to action.
00:39:22.72\00:39:27.23
And I think about this.
00:39:27.26\00:39:28.70
And then from the time of Acts
right down to our time today,
00:39:28.73\00:39:31.80
there've been many
revivals, some amazing revivals,
00:39:31.83\00:39:35.97
and they've all had
one thing in common.
00:39:36.00\00:39:39.27
They all began
from a prayer movement,
00:39:39.31\00:39:43.45
a recognition of our
desperate need for God.
00:39:43.48\00:39:47.42
I think of Evan Roberts,
00:39:47.45\00:39:50.22
you know his
story well, I'm sure.
00:39:50.25\00:39:52.52
Evan Roberts
was a leading figure
00:39:52.55\00:39:54.49
of the Welsh
revival in the early 1900s.
00:39:54.52\00:39:57.63
At the age of 13, he
began to hunger for God
00:39:57.66\00:40:02.10
and pray for his country, Wales.
00:40:02.13\00:40:04.90
For 13 years, he prayed
for revival in his country.
00:40:04.93\00:40:09.40
And to his understanding,
he didn't seem to see
00:40:09.44\00:40:13.44
much of an
answer to that prayer,
00:40:13.48\00:40:14.94
but he kept praying
00:40:14.98\00:40:16.31
because he was
persisting in prayer.
00:40:16.34\00:40:18.11
He was praying for two things,
00:40:18.15\00:40:19.48
O God, fill me with Your Spirit.
00:40:19.51\00:40:22.08
And, O God, send
a mighty revival.
00:40:22.12\00:40:25.69
And I think we could all adopt
00:40:25.72\00:40:27.82
those two prayer
points in our own lives.
00:40:27.86\00:40:30.13
O Lord, please fill
me with your Holy Spirit
00:40:30.16\00:40:32.93
and O Lord, send a revival.
00:40:32.96\00:40:36.16
At one point in his life,
00:40:36.20\00:40:37.83
he began praying
for 100,000 souls.
00:40:37.87\00:40:42.14
Then he went throughout Wales,
00:40:42.17\00:40:43.51
preaching four things.
00:40:43.54\00:40:44.87
Number one, you must confess
00:40:44.91\00:40:46.61
any know sin to God
00:40:46.64\00:40:48.34
and make it right
and right any wrong
00:40:48.38\00:40:50.88
that you have done to others.
00:40:50.91\00:40:52.25
Number two, he should
put away any doubtful habit.
00:40:52.28\00:40:55.62
Number three,
00:40:55.65\00:40:56.99
you must obey
the spirit promptly.
00:40:57.02\00:40:59.45
And number four,
00:40:59.49\00:41:00.82
you must confess
your faith in Christ.
00:41:00.86\00:41:03.59
What was the
impact of this revival
00:41:03.63\00:41:06.16
that began from prayer
in this young man's life?
00:41:06.19\00:41:09.70
We can read about it.
00:41:09.73\00:41:11.07
I'm reading from a book called
00:41:11.10\00:41:12.43
Adventism
Greatest Need, page 66.
00:41:12.47\00:41:15.20
If you want to look it up,
00:41:15.24\00:41:16.57
it's one of the
best pages in the book.
00:41:16.60\00:41:18.37
This is what happened.
00:41:18.41\00:41:19.74
"The Spirit of God
took hold of Wales by storm.
00:41:19.77\00:41:23.48
In five months,
half a million people
00:41:23.51\00:41:25.78
became Christians.
00:41:25.81\00:41:27.15
Taverns went bankrupt
for lack of patronage,
00:41:27.18\00:41:30.45
unwed pregnancies
practically disappeared.
00:41:30.49\00:41:33.99
Judges were given white gloves,
00:41:34.02\00:41:36.22
not a case to try, no robberies,
00:41:36.26\00:41:38.83
no burglaries, no
rapes, no murders,
00:41:38.86\00:41:41.20
no embezzlements.
00:41:41.23\00:41:42.56
So many coal miners
00:41:42.60\00:41:43.93
turned their lives over to Jesus
00:41:43.97\00:41:45.63
and stopped using foul
language that the horses
00:41:45.67\00:41:48.47
in the mine
slowed down production,
00:41:48.50\00:41:50.74
not what was being said to them
00:41:50.77\00:41:52.71
because they only
understood swearing.
00:41:52.74\00:41:55.18
The revival spread
00:41:55.21\00:41:56.54
to all English
speaking countries,
00:41:56.58\00:41:58.81
including African
colonies and the Northern
00:41:58.85\00:42:01.92
and Central Europe,
India, Japan, China, Korea,
00:42:01.95\00:42:06.15
Indonesia, and Latin America.
00:42:06.19\00:42:08.62
Its impact we have, may, sorry,
00:42:08.66\00:42:11.23
may have exceeded any known
previous awakening in history.
00:42:11.26\00:42:15.20
In Wales,
00:42:15.23\00:42:16.56
one of every 10
citizen was converted.
00:42:16.60\00:42:19.50
That's amazing, isn't it?
00:42:19.53\00:42:22.50
But you know what?
00:42:22.54\00:42:23.94
That's an exciting revival,
00:42:23.97\00:42:25.64
but there's a
greater one coming.
00:42:25.67\00:42:28.14
God's end time
people will be a people
00:42:28.18\00:42:30.85
who are passionate
and earnest in prayer.
00:42:30.88\00:42:35.45
Today with the tanking economy,
00:42:35.48\00:42:37.52
natural disasters,
moral meltdown in society,
00:42:37.55\00:42:40.99
could it be that
COVID-19 is becoming a catalyst
00:42:41.02\00:42:45.03
towards prophecy's great
00:42:45.06\00:42:46.93
and predicted final
awakening, the final revival.
00:42:46.96\00:42:51.13
Because you see the secret
00:42:51.17\00:42:52.50
of spiritual
power hasn't changed.
00:42:52.53\00:42:54.94
The secret of
spiritual power remains the same
00:42:54.97\00:42:57.67
and it's going to
be the same for us
00:42:57.71\00:43:00.21
God's people at the end of time.
00:43:00.24\00:43:02.78
They've been over
2000 years of sowing.
00:43:02.81\00:43:05.38
Since the early rain
00:43:05.41\00:43:06.75
was poured out on
the day of Pentecost,
00:43:06.78\00:43:08.75
the world is going
to be ripe for revival
00:43:08.78\00:43:11.99
before Jesus comes back.
00:43:12.02\00:43:13.46
And I believe it is ripe today.
00:43:13.49\00:43:16.06
There is a greater rain coming.
00:43:16.09\00:43:17.86
It's called the latter rain.
00:43:17.89\00:43:19.69
God gave,
remember the former rain
00:43:19.73\00:43:21.96
moderately he says,
00:43:22.00\00:43:24.00
but the latter rain,
this, there's another Pentecost
00:43:24.03\00:43:27.37
coming with 10 times the power.
00:43:27.40\00:43:30.17
And as the world grows darker,
00:43:30.21\00:43:32.47
God's truth is
going to shine brighter.
00:43:32.51\00:43:35.94
In Revelation 18:1
speaks of this time,
00:43:35.98\00:43:40.65
the Bible says, and I
read it to you and says,
00:43:40.68\00:43:44.25
"And after these
things, I saw another angel
00:43:44.29\00:43:46.92
coming down from
heaven, having great authority.
00:43:46.96\00:43:50.56
And the earth was illuminated
00:43:50.59\00:43:53.53
with his glory to
meet the final crisis,
00:43:53.56\00:43:57.87
the final hour of human history,
00:43:57.90\00:44:00.14
God is going to pour out
an abundance of His Spirit
00:44:00.17\00:44:04.17
in latter rain power."
00:44:04.21\00:44:06.57
Revivals like this have always
00:44:06.61\00:44:09.01
begun with prayer
throughout history.
00:44:09.04\00:44:10.91
Why would it be any
different at the end of time?
00:44:10.95\00:44:14.25
The earth will be lit up
with the character of God.
00:44:14.28\00:44:17.49
The gospel is going
to spread like wildfire.
00:44:17.52\00:44:21.22
The three angels'
messages are going to stir
00:44:21.26\00:44:24.16
the hearts of millions of people
00:44:24.19\00:44:26.49
everywhere as
they respond to Jesus.
00:44:26.53\00:44:29.56
And I have to make this point,
it's slightly chasing a rabbit,
00:44:29.60\00:44:31.83
but I just think
00:44:31.87\00:44:33.20
it's an important point to make.
00:44:33.23\00:44:34.77
Some people are uncomfortable
00:44:34.80\00:44:36.77
with the preaching of
the three angels' messages
00:44:36.81\00:44:39.21
because they feel it
is a negative message.
00:44:39.24\00:44:43.95
But you need to remember
that on the day of Pentecost,
00:44:43.98\00:44:46.51
part of the spirit filled,
00:44:46.55\00:44:48.25
powerful preaching
00:44:48.28\00:44:49.62
that Peter did
included making the multitude
00:44:49.65\00:44:53.19
aware of the fact
that they had been deceived
00:44:53.22\00:44:56.22
by the priests
and rulers of the day
00:44:56.26\00:44:58.79
as to the true
identity of Jesus Christ.
00:44:58.83\00:45:02.30
The Bible says
that all true freedom
00:45:02.33\00:45:04.60
is found in Him.
00:45:04.63\00:45:06.47
And if that is the case in
the second angel's message,
00:45:06.50\00:45:10.11
it addresses the
planet that is bound in lies
00:45:10.14\00:45:13.94
and deception
00:45:13.98\00:45:15.31
that has been
spun by Satan himself.
00:45:15.34\00:45:18.31
And God says
there's no safety in this.
00:45:18.35\00:45:20.65
That is why we must proclaim
this message with its fullness.
00:45:20.68\00:45:24.59
Even if you don't think
00:45:24.62\00:45:25.95
it's a nice thing to tell people
00:45:25.99\00:45:27.46
that Babylon is
fallen, it's the truth.
00:45:27.49\00:45:30.03
And there is no
safety in Babylon.
00:45:30.06\00:45:32.76
You see, this world
is not a playground.
00:45:32.79\00:45:34.83
As Christians we are not part of
00:45:34.86\00:45:36.53
some never ending picnic.
00:45:36.56\00:45:38.60
When we accepted Jesus,
we took a stand for Him.
00:45:38.63\00:45:42.50
We joined Him in
the greatest battle
00:45:42.54\00:45:44.87
that has ever been fought.
00:45:44.91\00:45:46.54
And from which
all other battles stem
00:45:46.57\00:45:48.68
it's called the
great controversy.
00:45:48.71\00:45:51.15
But in this battle,
we can be assured that
00:45:51.18\00:45:54.05
God's truth and God's message.
00:45:54.08\00:45:57.52
God Himself will triumph.
00:45:57.55\00:46:00.46
His work isn't going to flicker
00:46:00.49\00:46:02.46
and go out like a candle
and you just blow it out.
00:46:02.49\00:46:05.36
No, it's going to
be an amazing climax
00:46:05.39\00:46:09.20
to what God has been
doing throughout human history.
00:46:09.23\00:46:12.33
As Andrew Murray once said,
00:46:12.37\00:46:13.84
"The men who mobilizes
the Christian Church to pray
00:46:13.87\00:46:17.67
will make the
greatest contribution
00:46:17.71\00:46:19.74
to world
evangelization in history."
00:46:19.77\00:46:22.08
Why?
00:46:22.11\00:46:23.45
Because we can't do
evangelism unless we pray.
00:46:23.48\00:46:26.51
The two must go hand in hand.
00:46:26.55\00:46:28.05
Only God can change hearts.
00:46:28.08\00:46:29.98
Only God can grow
the little seeds of truth
00:46:30.02\00:46:32.72
that have been
planted in people's lives.
00:46:32.75\00:46:35.79
One day soon, we're going to see
00:46:35.82\00:46:37.83
this harvest just come
to life before our eyes.
00:46:37.86\00:46:41.56
It's a very exciting thing.
00:46:41.60\00:46:43.33
Thousands will share the gospel
and thousands will respond.
00:46:43.37\00:46:48.57
I want to know.
00:46:48.60\00:46:49.94
I want you to
know that I am seeing
00:46:49.97\00:46:51.41
what God is
doing in my own life,
00:46:51.44\00:46:53.68
in my own community.
00:46:53.71\00:46:55.51
And it makes me
very excited about
00:46:55.54\00:46:57.81
what is ahead.
00:46:57.85\00:46:59.18
The greatest days
are just before us.
00:46:59.21\00:47:02.08
I want to share with
you a couple of stories.
00:47:02.12\00:47:04.49
Ten years ago, there
was a man named Peter
00:47:04.52\00:47:07.52
who's, who was a meter reader.
00:47:07.56\00:47:10.16
And one day as
he was going around
00:47:10.19\00:47:12.03
reading people's water meters,
00:47:12.06\00:47:14.76
he met a man who struck
up a conversation with him.
00:47:14.80\00:47:17.67
And 10 years ago,
00:47:17.70\00:47:19.03
this man handed
him a little book.
00:47:19.07\00:47:21.50
A book, I believe it
was the Great Controversy.
00:47:21.54\00:47:24.21
He read that book years later,
was so convicted by that book.
00:47:24.24\00:47:28.58
He went actually
and found out ABC
00:47:28.61\00:47:30.75
and started buying other books
because he liked the author.
00:47:30.78\00:47:33.95
He read all of those books.
00:47:33.98\00:47:35.72
He started
listening to Faith FM,
00:47:35.75\00:47:37.85
and when COVID hit, my
husband gets a phone call
00:47:37.89\00:47:40.82
and he says,
"Hi, my name is Peter
00:47:40.86\00:47:43.43
and I'm just
wondering, can I be baptized?"
00:47:43.46\00:47:46.63
And my husband says,
"Well, praise the Lord.
00:47:46.66\00:47:48.46
Yes, we'd love to do that.
00:47:48.50\00:47:50.07
Maybe we could meet
and have some Bible studies
00:47:50.10\00:47:52.13
together sometime."
00:47:52.17\00:47:53.50
And you know what he
said to him, no, mate.
00:47:53.54\00:47:55.70
He said, "Look,
I've read it all.
00:47:55.74\00:47:57.27
I know it all
already." He's read everything.
00:47:57.31\00:48:00.54
He has no
hang-ups with anything.
00:48:00.58\00:48:02.31
That's the Holy Spirit.
00:48:02.34\00:48:04.35
And I believe that that story
00:48:04.38\00:48:06.45
is just a little
foretaste of all the books
00:48:06.48\00:48:10.19
and all the tracts
and all the literature
00:48:10.22\00:48:13.12
that has been shared.
00:48:13.15\00:48:14.72
They're just little seeds.
00:48:14.76\00:48:16.19
And the Holy Spirit is
working in people's hearts
00:48:16.22\00:48:18.96
and he will draw
them to discover truth
00:48:18.99\00:48:21.76
as they read them.
00:48:21.80\00:48:23.40
I have another
friend, a lady who I met
00:48:23.43\00:48:25.63
at our food pantry and
I've been praying for her.
00:48:25.67\00:48:28.74
I've been trying to share
00:48:28.77\00:48:30.17
the three angels'
messages with her.
00:48:30.21\00:48:32.44
And right when we got to
sharing some testing truth,
00:48:32.47\00:48:35.98
guess what happened?
00:48:36.01\00:48:37.35
I got a text
message saying unfortunately
00:48:37.38\00:48:39.91
I can't do studies anymore.
00:48:39.95\00:48:41.28
I'm too busy. My heart was cut.
00:48:41.32\00:48:44.12
I was so upset, but I prayed.
00:48:44.15\00:48:46.35
I prayed and I prayed
and I prayed for my friend.
00:48:46.39\00:48:49.09
Couple of weeks
later, I get a text from her,
00:48:49.12\00:48:51.79
Charissa, wonderful news.
00:48:51.83\00:48:53.23
Something wonderful
happened in my life.
00:48:53.26\00:48:54.86
She shared what it was.
00:48:54.90\00:48:56.23
Then she says in a text,
00:48:56.26\00:48:58.37
maybe we can start
Bible studies again.
00:48:58.40\00:49:01.27
She says, "I know
you've been praying for me."
00:49:01.30\00:49:04.94
Amen?
00:49:04.97\00:49:06.31
Like I was, I just couldn't stop
00:49:06.34\00:49:08.11
jumping around the house.
00:49:08.14\00:49:09.48
I was so excited
because I knew that
00:49:09.51\00:49:11.48
that was an answer to prayer.
00:49:11.51\00:49:13.88
In fact, just recently
00:49:13.92\00:49:15.25
we had an
evangelistic series online.
00:49:15.28\00:49:19.05
When COVID hit, we
had to change everything.
00:49:19.09\00:49:20.99
Just like we've
changed the 3ABN Homecoming,
00:49:21.02\00:49:23.79
and praise God,
we've not stopped.
00:49:23.83\00:49:25.46
We still have this opportunity
to gather together like this.
00:49:25.49\00:49:29.03
But when COVID hit,
we couldn't do evangelism
00:49:29.06\00:49:32.07
in the same way.
00:49:32.10\00:49:33.44
And so the team at the
conference got together
00:49:33.47\00:49:35.50
and they said, you know what?
00:49:35.54\00:49:36.87
We can't gather
with people anymore.
00:49:36.91\00:49:38.91
So let's take
the message online.
00:49:38.94\00:49:41.61
We put the message online
on YouTube and social media.
00:49:41.64\00:49:45.45
And there was a man
00:49:45.48\00:49:47.08
who was watching
this in Queensland.
00:49:47.12\00:49:49.58
He somehow got
connected with it via YouTube.
00:49:49.62\00:49:52.72
And he started
watching the presentations.
00:49:52.75\00:49:55.06
And when he heard the
truth about the Sabbath,
00:49:55.09\00:49:57.99
he turned off his computer
00:49:58.03\00:50:00.90
and he knelt down in
his room and he prayed.
00:50:00.93\00:50:04.07
And he said,
"God, if this is true,
00:50:04.10\00:50:06.40
then I want to follow it.
00:50:06.43\00:50:07.94
I want to keep Your
seventh day Sabbath."
00:50:07.97\00:50:10.51
He made a commitment.
00:50:10.54\00:50:12.14
He sent in a
request to be baptized.
00:50:12.17\00:50:14.71
I called him and
I discovered that
00:50:14.74\00:50:17.51
this man has already
been keeping the Sabbath.
00:50:17.55\00:50:20.58
He was actually,
when I called him,
00:50:20.62\00:50:21.95
he was getting his
house ready for Sabbath.
00:50:21.98\00:50:24.89
He's been
watching things on YouTube,
00:50:24.92\00:50:27.42
like the Holy Spirit
has been leading him.
00:50:27.46\00:50:29.89
And guess what?
00:50:29.92\00:50:31.26
Just a couple of weeks ago,
the beginning of this month,
00:50:31.29\00:50:33.60
Robert
committed himself to Jesus
00:50:33.63\00:50:36.10
in the waters of
baptism in our church,
00:50:36.13\00:50:38.00
up in Logan Reserve.
00:50:38.03\00:50:39.57
That's the power
of the Holy Spirit.
00:50:39.60\00:50:41.80
And I don't know
if there's somebody
00:50:41.84\00:50:43.17
that is watching this,
00:50:43.20\00:50:44.54
even this
Homecoming presentation
00:50:44.57\00:50:45.97
and this series,
00:50:46.01\00:50:47.34
you've been watching
these programs on 3ABN
00:50:47.38\00:50:49.71
and you feel in your heart
00:50:49.74\00:50:51.48
a desire to respond to Jesus.
00:50:51.51\00:50:53.82
That's the Holy Spirit
that is speaking to you.
00:50:53.85\00:50:56.58
God is drawing you to come
00:50:56.62\00:50:58.62
and make a full
commitment to Him.
00:50:58.65\00:51:00.72
Don't hesitate.
00:51:00.76\00:51:02.09
Reach out, let them know,
let us know via the website,
00:51:02.12\00:51:05.93
contact us because
Jesus is coming soon.
00:51:05.96\00:51:09.36
There's so many
stories that I could tell you,
00:51:09.40\00:51:12.27
but I do need to
wrap up in just a moment.
00:51:12.30\00:51:14.90
You see, if revival
depended upon your prayers,
00:51:14.94\00:51:20.38
would we ever
experience the revival
00:51:20.41\00:51:23.04
that we are looking forward to?
00:51:23.08\00:51:25.58
The definition
they say of insanity
00:51:25.61\00:51:28.08
is doing the same thing
00:51:28.12\00:51:29.45
over and over and
over and over again
00:51:29.48\00:51:30.99
and expecting different results.
00:51:31.02\00:51:33.76
We get out what we put in.
00:51:33.79\00:51:36.22
We have little
prayer, we get little power.
00:51:36.26\00:51:38.86
If we have much
prayer, we receive much power.
00:51:38.89\00:51:41.96
If you are a stranger to prayer,
00:51:42.00\00:51:43.83
you are a stranger to power
because a prayerless Christian
00:51:43.87\00:51:47.57
is a powerless Christian.
00:51:47.60\00:51:50.51
I still remember
being very excited,
00:51:50.54\00:51:53.24
going to the UK.
00:51:53.27\00:51:55.14
And I hopped on one
of those two story buses.
00:51:55.18\00:51:57.68
And we went around
all the sights of London
00:51:57.71\00:52:00.65
and I got to Buckingham Palace,
and I got off the bus there.
00:52:00.68\00:52:04.59
That was one of the only places
00:52:04.62\00:52:05.95
I got off the bus
because I was alone.
00:52:05.99\00:52:07.49
So I got off the
bus and I took photos.
00:52:07.52\00:52:10.13
And with all my heart,
00:52:10.16\00:52:11.49
I just wanted
the queen to come out
00:52:11.53\00:52:12.99
and stand on the
balcony and wave.
00:52:13.03\00:52:14.93
I just wanted to see her.
00:52:14.96\00:52:16.97
When I think about prayer,
00:52:17.00\00:52:18.33
I think that this is
such an incredible privilege.
00:52:18.37\00:52:21.60
I don't have to
wait for God to be
00:52:21.64\00:52:24.57
able to make an
appointment with him.
00:52:24.61\00:52:27.21
I can get on my knees and
I can talk to God anytime,
00:52:27.24\00:52:30.41
anyplace and have
a private audience
00:52:30.45\00:52:32.85
with the King of the universe.
00:52:32.88\00:52:36.05
When I think about
when we get to heaven,
00:52:36.08\00:52:39.59
I think we're going to realize
00:52:39.62\00:52:41.22
when we get to heaven,
00:52:41.26\00:52:42.59
when we look back on this life
00:52:42.62\00:52:44.06
and everything that happened,
00:52:44.09\00:52:45.73
we're going to see that
prayer achieved so much.
00:52:45.76\00:52:50.83
And we're going to
wonder why we didn't pray more.
00:52:50.87\00:52:53.94
If heaven has regrets,
00:52:53.97\00:52:55.87
it will be that
we didn't pray more.
00:52:55.90\00:52:58.37
That we didn't spend
more time on our knees
00:52:58.41\00:53:00.88
that we didn't take
more of the opportunity
00:53:00.91\00:53:03.31
to speak with Jesus in prayer.
00:53:03.35\00:53:06.35
Now is a time for
us to redeem the time
00:53:06.38\00:53:08.98
and to live with no regrets.
00:53:09.02\00:53:11.69
Revival will not
come unless we seek Him
00:53:11.72\00:53:15.62
personally for ourselves.
00:53:15.66\00:53:18.09
Someone once asked their
pastor how to start a revival.
00:53:18.13\00:53:21.90
And his answer is very simple,
and I'd like to finish with it.
00:53:21.93\00:53:25.80
He answered, "Go home,
lock yourself in your room,
00:53:25.83\00:53:29.54
kneel down in the
middle of your floor
00:53:29.57\00:53:31.81
and draw a
circle around yourself
00:53:31.84\00:53:33.78
with a piece of chalk.
00:53:33.81\00:53:35.31
And then pray
while you're inside
00:53:35.34\00:53:37.28
that chalk mark,
that God would send
00:53:37.31\00:53:39.01
a revival
beginning in that chalk mark.
00:53:39.05\00:53:42.05
And after you sense,
the Holy Spirit light a fire
00:53:42.08\00:53:45.45
in your heart,
00:53:45.49\00:53:46.82
that is the
beginning of revival,
00:53:46.86\00:53:48.29
then pray and go forth,
share this with others."
00:53:48.32\00:53:52.09
More than ever before,
00:53:52.13\00:53:53.70
it is time for
us to be intentional
00:53:53.73\00:53:56.06
and deliberate in
seeking God in prayer.
00:53:56.10\00:53:59.00
I want to ask you,
would you like to commit
00:53:59.03\00:54:01.30
to seeking God in
prayer with all your hearts
00:54:01.34\00:54:04.61
more and more as we
see the day approaching.
00:54:04.64\00:54:07.48
Let's pray.
00:54:07.51\00:54:09.21
Our loving Father in heaven,
00:54:09.24\00:54:10.61
I just thank You
so much for prayer.
00:54:10.65\00:54:13.42
What a privilege it is
that we can speak with You,
00:54:13.45\00:54:17.09
that our prayers are
heard by the living God.
00:54:17.12\00:54:20.29
Lord, as we bow,
we just pray that
00:54:20.32\00:54:22.76
You would bless each
one that was here today.
00:54:22.79\00:54:25.26
And also bless those
that will view this message
00:54:25.29\00:54:27.50
later on the various platforms
that they will view it on.
00:54:27.53\00:54:31.53
Lord, may You begin a
revival in each of our hearts
00:54:31.57\00:54:34.54
so that this revival
can spread like wildfire.
00:54:34.57\00:54:37.97
The gospel can go
and that Jesus can come.
00:54:38.01\00:54:40.58
And one day soon when He come,
00:54:40.61\00:54:42.54
we will not need to pray
with our eyes closed anymore
00:54:42.58\00:54:45.08
because we will
see You face to face.
00:54:45.11\00:54:47.42
And the walk that
we have begun with you
00:54:47.45\00:54:49.15
in this life will
continue on and on and on and on
00:54:49.18\00:54:52.65
until eternity.
00:54:52.69\00:54:54.02
We love You, Lord.
00:54:54.06\00:54:55.39
And we thank You
for hearing our prayer
00:54:55.42\00:54:56.76
in Jesus' name.
00:54:56.79\00:54:58.13
Amen.
00:54:58.16\00:54:59.49