I want you to open the word of God to the book of Amos. 00:00:24.43\00:00:26.71 What book did I say? 00:00:26.75\00:00:27.72 The book of Amos chapter 3. 00:00:27.73\00:00:30.33 Amos chapter 3 in your Bible, Amos chapter 3. 00:00:30.36\00:00:34.74 And we are going to begin reading the word of God 00:00:34.77\00:00:39.11 in Amos chapter 3. 00:00:39.15\00:00:41.75 I'm in Amos chapter 3, and I am beginning at verse 7. 00:00:41.78\00:00:46.62 Amos is a little book there, just before Obadiah. 00:00:46.65\00:00:51.42 Amos chapter 3:7, but before we read the word of God lets 00:00:51.45\00:00:57.02 talk to our Father in heaven. 00:00:57.06\00:00:58.66 Heavenly Father, we thank you for this word which is a lamp 00:00:58.69\00:01:02.76 unto our feet and a light on the path that shines before us. 00:01:02.80\00:01:07.36 And we ask dear Lord for Your power, and Your presence to be 00:01:07.39\00:01:11.92 felt in this place. 00:01:11.96\00:01:13.54 We want Jesus to be seen and Jesus to be heard and 00:01:13.58\00:01:17.91 Jesus to be lifted up. 00:01:17.94\00:01:20.14 Oh Father, speak to our hearts this night so we may know 00:01:20.17\00:01:25.26 who Jesus is and we thank you in Jesus name, Amen! 00:01:25.30\00:01:28.90 In Amos 3, beginning at verse 7 the word of God says this: 00:01:28.93\00:01:38.57 Let's go on, I am in verse 7, or rather verse 8: 00:01:54.84\00:01:59.84 That is where our title comes from, A Lion Has Roared. 00:02:11.85\00:02:15.33 God says in His word that He will do nothing except 00:02:15.36\00:02:23.64 He reveals it to His servants the prophets. 00:02:23.67\00:02:27.50 God is not going to do anything to, or for, or through, 00:02:27.53\00:02:33.36 or with this world, unless He gives us fair warning. 00:02:33.40\00:02:39.20 Can you say Amen? 00:02:39.23\00:02:40.52 We do not serve a sneaky God. 00:02:40.55\00:02:42.96 We do not serve a surreptitious God. 00:02:42.99\00:02:46.08 We don't serve a God who likes to pull a fast one on people. 00:02:46.11\00:02:50.52 And so whenever God is going to do something big, something 00:02:50.55\00:02:55.71 momentous, God always gives us, gives His people a warning. 00:02:55.75\00:03:00.87 So when God is going to do something catastrophic, 00:03:00.91\00:03:04.81 like bring the world to an end, 00:03:04.85\00:03:07.51 don't you think He's going to warn somebody? 00:03:07.55\00:03:09.83 Don't you think He's going to tell someone? 00:03:09.87\00:03:12.12 You know I like how this text is 00:03:12.16\00:03:13.95 portrayed in the Living Bible. 00:03:13.99\00:03:15.72 The Living Bible does have some uses. 00:03:15.75\00:03:17.47 You do not want to start out with a Living Bible, and you 00:03:17.50\00:03:20.16 do not want to use a Living Bible for doctrinal study. 00:03:20.20\00:03:22.80 Every now and again after you have looked at several other 00:03:22.83\00:03:26.09 translations, you can get a nice slant on the Living Bible. 00:03:26.13\00:03:29.94 Here's what the Living Bible says: "A trap doesn't snap shut 00:03:29.97\00:03:34.07 unless it is stepped on by someone. Your punishment is well 00:03:34.10\00:03:41.49 deserved, the alarm has sounded listen and fear, for I the 00:03:41.53\00:03:47.11 Lord am sending disaster upon your land, but I always first 00:03:47.15\00:03:53.21 warn you through My prophets, this is what I now have done. " 00:03:53.24\00:03:59.27 This is from the Living Bible: "The lion has roared, 00:03:59.30\00:04:03.67 so tremble in fear, the Lord God has sounded your doom 00:04:03.70\00:04:08.03 and I dare not refuse to proclaim it!" 00:04:08.06\00:04:12.58 I say again, when God is going to do something big, 00:04:12.62\00:04:16.89 He always warns us. 00:04:16.93\00:04:19.14 So when He was talking about the first coming of Christ, 00:04:19.18\00:04:24.00 did He not send warning? 00:04:24.04\00:04:25.93 Indeed He did, as early as Genesis chapter 3, 00:04:25.97\00:04:29.90 God began to warn the world, to prepare the world that 00:04:29.93\00:04:34.14 something big is coming. 00:04:34.17\00:04:35.80 Salvation is on it's way. 00:04:35.84\00:04:37.40 Jesus is going to be born a baby in Bethlehem and scores 00:04:37.43\00:04:41.35 of promises, Legion upon Legion of promises, and illusions state 00:04:41.38\00:04:47.40 the fact that Jesus is going to be born of a virgin. 00:04:47.44\00:04:51.45 That He would live, and die, and suffer, and pay the 00:04:51.48\00:04:55.46 penalty for your sins and for mine. 00:04:55.49\00:04:58.65 Well Brothers and sisters I submit to you that the 00:04:58.69\00:05:02.32 Lion has roared, and just in case you are not sure 00:05:02.35\00:05:05.95 who that Lion is, the text explains. 00:05:05.98\00:05:10.39 The text itself says: "the Lord God has spoken, 00:05:10.42\00:05:14.29 who can but prophesy. " 00:05:14.33\00:05:16.37 This ladies and gentlemen is the real Lion. 00:05:16.41\00:05:19.84 This is not to be confused with that fake lion 00:05:19.88\00:05:23.28 in 1 Peter 5:8. 00:05:23.31\00:05:25.49 Where the Bible says the devil goes around 00:05:25.52\00:05:27.52 roaring like a lion. 00:05:27.55\00:05:30.23 You see Satan is making a lot of noise in this world. 00:05:30.26\00:05:33.19 Saying a lot of things, a lot of things are going on. 00:05:33.23\00:05:37.09 He is roaring like a lion, but this text talks about 00:05:37.13\00:05:40.97 the real Lion, and the only real Lion is the Lion 00:05:41.00\00:05:44.81 of the tribe of Judah. 00:05:44.85\00:05:46.36 It has to be talking about who? 00:05:46.40\00:05:47.58 It is talking about Jesus. 00:05:47.61\00:05:49.37 So Amos says, we have, dare I say, the real deal. 00:05:49.41\00:05:54.12 We've got a real Lion who really roars. 00:05:54.16\00:05:57.16 Revelation chapter 5 calls Him the Lion tribe of Judah, 00:05:57.20\00:06:00.81 and other texts refer to Him. 00:06:00.84\00:06:04.18 Judgment ladies and gentlemen is about to 00:06:04.21\00:06:07.80 come on planet Earth. 00:06:07.83\00:06:09.44 This planet is about to be judged and Jesus is coming again 00:06:09.47\00:06:15.43 God does not want that to happen in a corner, 00:06:15.46\00:06:19.09 or a closet so He is warning us over and over and over, 00:06:19.12\00:06:24.48 in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament. 00:06:24.52\00:06:26.76 There is this affirmation that Jesus is coming again. 00:06:26.79\00:06:31.95 Luke 21:34, what book did I say? 00:06:31.98\00:06:35.94 Luke 21:34 tells us: 00:06:35.98\00:06:40.19 God is saying keep your head up, don't look down. 00:06:55.39\00:06:59.71 Don't get so caught up in the bill paying, 00:06:59.74\00:07:01.91 and the note paying, and education and the degrees. 00:07:01.95\00:07:05.07 In all of these things don't get caught up in the things 00:07:05.11\00:07:07.50 of this world until you forget the ever present fact that this 00:07:07.53\00:07:12.83 world will not last forever. 00:07:12.87\00:07:15.27 Ladies and gentlemen, this world is coming to an end. 00:07:15.30\00:07:20.58 You know the scientists are saying that if this world lasts 00:07:20.61\00:07:24.16 long enough we are all going to be walking on water. 00:07:24.19\00:07:26.57 Polar ice caps are melting; we are running 00:07:26.61\00:07:30.02 out of fossil fuels. 00:07:30.05\00:07:31.32 This world is coming to an end, unexpectedly ready 00:07:31.36\00:07:35.09 or not it is going to come to an end and Jesus is saying, keep 00:07:35.12\00:07:39.06 your head up, and keep your eyes up because something 00:07:39.10\00:07:43.58 catastrophic is going to happen to this world. 00:07:43.62\00:07:45.93 Verse 31 of the same chapter, it says: 00:07:45.97\00:07:49.76 In other words the message for this time, for this hour, 00:08:00.11\00:08:04.33 is don't get so caught up in the things of this life that you 00:08:04.37\00:08:09.33 forget that you got an eternity to worry about. 00:08:09.37\00:08:13.34 That Jesus is coming soon and we have to be ready. 00:08:13.38\00:08:17.01 Verse 25 tells me: 00:08:17.05\00:08:19.94 That is a very important text, the sea and waves roaring. 00:08:36.48\00:08:40.91 You can see it in the air, you can read it in your newspapers, 00:08:52.83\00:08:56.30 you can hear it on the radio and see it on the television. 00:08:56.33\00:08:59.76 Something is happening to this world. 00:08:59.80\00:09:02.22 This world is not like it was when I was a child. 00:09:02.25\00:09:06.24 It is much more dangerous than those days. 00:09:06.27\00:09:09.83 There are more ways to get sick, more ways to get hurt, 00:09:09.86\00:09:13.18 and more ways to die ladies and gentlemen. 00:09:13.22\00:09:15.61 The truth is Satan is playing for keeps and so God's people 00:09:15.64\00:09:20.39 have to be very, very serious about what they are doing 00:09:20.43\00:09:25.15 and how they are living. 00:09:25.18\00:09:27.65 Not only does God say that Jesus is coming, 00:09:27.69\00:09:31.18 He also gives us warning signs. 00:09:31.22\00:09:33.17 He says they are going to be signs in the sun, the moon, 00:09:33.20\00:09:35.91 the stars, there is going to be distress of nations. 00:09:35.95\00:09:39.30 If you can breathe you can almost smell the fact that 00:09:39.33\00:09:42.65 Jesus is coming soon. 00:09:42.68\00:09:44.02 It is in the very air we breath, I'm in Matthew 24. 00:09:44.05\00:09:47.00 What book did I say? 00:09:47.04\00:09:48.14 Matthew 24:3, the word of God says: 00:09:48.18\00:09:54.68 They said listen Jesus tell us what's going to happen. 00:10:10.59\00:10:13.58 Tell us what's going on and Christ began to enumerate that 00:10:13.61\00:10:16.71 there were be wars and rumors of wars, distress among nations. 00:10:16.75\00:10:19.81 Look at our world today, war in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, 00:10:19.85\00:10:24.23 war in Africa, war in Asia, war in South America, 00:10:24.27\00:10:27.41 there is scarcely a place where men are not fighting. 00:10:27.45\00:10:30.55 There could be a war in Iran, 00:10:30.59\00:10:32.63 there may be a war in Pakistan, 00:10:32.67\00:10:34.66 there may be a war in Sudan, 00:10:34.69\00:10:36.61 there could be a war even in Korea, 00:10:36.64\00:10:38.59 we just don't know but there are wars and rumors of wars. 00:10:38.62\00:10:42.24 And every day when you wake up you are not surprised to hear of 00:10:42.27\00:10:44.99 another country terrorizing another country. 00:10:45.03\00:10:47.93 We've got a war on terrorism. 00:10:47.97\00:10:51.07 We've got a war on drugs. 00:10:51.10\00:10:54.14 We've got all kinds of wars, wars and rumors of wars, 00:10:54.17\00:10:58.79 it is in the newspapers and it is everywhere we turn. 00:10:58.82\00:11:03.40 James 4:1 asks an interesting question, it says: 00:11:03.44\00:11:09.36 "You lust and you do not have, you murder and covet 00:11:19.92\00:11:25.34 and cannot obtain. " 00:11:25.38\00:11:27.86 Not only is there national conflict in our world, 00:11:27.90\00:11:33.59 there are also personal conflicts. 00:11:33.63\00:11:37.40 I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, that one of the signs 00:11:37.43\00:11:41.71 of the second coming of Christ is not so much the 00:11:41.74\00:11:45.05 nation's fighting, but the interpersonal conflicts that 00:11:45.09\00:11:49.17 take place as never before. 00:11:49.20\00:11:50.93 We have wars in our offices, we have wars in our streets, 00:11:50.97\00:11:55.87 we have wars in our marriages, 00:11:55.90\00:12:02.63 we have wars in churches, Amen! 00:12:02.66\00:12:09.35 James says, these outside wars come from the internal 00:12:09.92\00:12:15.01 wars that go on in our lives. 00:12:15.04\00:12:17.34 The reason that we are fighting everybody else is 00:12:17.37\00:12:20.05 because we are not at peace with ourselves. 00:12:20.08\00:12:22.26 These external wars are just symptoms of the internal 00:12:22.29\00:12:27.05 wars that take place in our own lives. 00:12:27.09\00:12:29.74 If man was happier with himself, he wouldn't be so unhappy 00:12:29.77\00:12:33.66 with the world around him. 00:12:33.70\00:12:35.16 But it is a sign ladies and gentlemen of the 00:12:35.20\00:12:38.16 second coming of Jesus Christ. 00:12:38.19\00:12:39.87 When you see people who just cannot get along, 00:12:39.91\00:12:43.88 that is a statement that Jesus is coming soon. 00:12:43.91\00:12:47.82 He says you lust any do not have, you murder and covet 00:12:47.85\00:12:51.24 and you cannot obtain. 00:12:51.27\00:12:53.52 On 3ABN just recently, we had a lady who with her 00:12:53.55\00:12:59.46 husband went out for a night on the town and left 00:12:59.50\00:13:05.38 their four sons at home. 00:13:05.41\00:13:07.92 And when they returned home they saw the police cars 00:13:07.95\00:13:13.09 and the flashing lights, and they weren't even allowed to 00:13:13.12\00:13:16.88 get back into their own house. 00:13:16.92\00:13:18.41 While they were away, someone went in and murdered their 00:13:18.44\00:13:25.37 sons, took their four sons lives. 00:13:25.40\00:13:30.58 They went out for a night of fellowship and came 00:13:30.61\00:13:33.74 back to four dead children. 00:13:33.77\00:13:35.45 They really suspected the parents, a terrible tragedy. 00:13:35.49\00:13:41.72 When they asked, when they found the young man who 00:13:41.76\00:13:47.93 committed the murders, and they asked him why did you do it? 00:13:47.96\00:13:53.75 Why did you go in and senselessly take the lives of 00:13:53.78\00:13:57.59 four individuals and do you know what his answer was? 00:13:57.63\00:14:01.40 His answer was, you people are too happy. 00:14:01.43\00:14:06.89 You had too much joy, always laughing, always singing, 00:14:06.93\00:14:13.34 always praying, your family was too happy. 00:14:13.38\00:14:17.04 I had no joy and so I decided to take yours. 00:14:17.07\00:14:20.70 Isn't that something? 00:14:20.73\00:14:23.13 That was his reason, you had too much joy, I had none 00:14:23.16\00:14:28.33 and so I'm going to take yours. 00:14:28.36\00:14:29.80 I am saying we see that kind of thing happen, 00:14:29.83\00:14:33.61 this senseless slaughter of life, it is a sign, 00:14:33.64\00:14:37.28 ladies and gentlemen, that Jesus is coming again. 00:14:37.32\00:14:40.89 It is not just the war in Korea, or the war in Afghanistan, 00:14:40.93\00:14:44.78 or the war in Iraq, it is the war within our own hearts. 00:14:44.82\00:14:48.64 The war within our own breasts, we cannot get along 00:14:48.67\00:14:51.67 with each other when there seems to be senseless hate, 00:14:51.71\00:14:54.67 senseless violence. 00:14:54.71\00:14:56.25 That is a sign, ladies and gentlemen, 00:14:56.28\00:14:58.68 that Christ is coming again. 00:14:58.72\00:15:00.05 Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, 00:15:00.09\00:15:02.79 not just armed aggression but economic war, 00:15:02.83\00:15:05.49 trade wars, stock market wars. 00:15:05.53\00:15:09.15 Look the language we use. 00:15:09.18\00:15:10.17 I had someone the other day say I made a killing in 00:15:10.21\00:15:13.75 the stock market, well who did you kill? 00:15:13.79\00:15:15.94 Or someone say I just got killed, I got murdered 00:15:15.98\00:15:19.88 in the stock market. 00:15:19.92\00:15:21.33 We even use a language of war, it is in our mentality, 00:15:21.36\00:15:25.80 it is in our mindset. 00:15:25.83\00:15:26.95 I saw an article not long ago, it was entitled Wall Street 00:15:26.98\00:15:30.69 article, it said, murder on Wall Street. 00:15:30.72\00:15:33.16 He was talking about the Hoeffel take over of one company 00:15:33.19\00:15:35.97 to another, a sign of the last days. 00:15:36.00\00:15:39.23 Famine, pestilence, earthquakes in diverse places. 00:15:39.27\00:15:43.96 Who can forget December of 2004? 00:15:43.99\00:15:47.68 When an undersea earthquake touched off a tsunami that 00:15:47.72\00:15:53.60 took 257,000 lives, can you imagine? 00:15:53.64\00:15:58.06 257,000 lives gone like that. 00:15:58.10\00:16:04.33 It is one thing to sit and wring your hands and say, 00:16:04.37\00:16:09.25 oh how terrible. 00:16:09.28\00:16:10.87 But God is saying, more than just sit and wringing our hands 00:16:10.91\00:16:14.74 and sobbing your tears, you need to look up. 00:16:14.78\00:16:17.82 Because Jesus is coming soon! 00:16:17.86\00:16:21.20 But corresponding with these national and global disasters, 00:16:21.24\00:16:25.93 I think there is an indication of interpersonal 00:16:25.97\00:16:28.77 and social collapse. 00:16:28.81\00:16:30.68 It is not just the countries that are fighting, ladies and 00:16:30.72\00:16:34.34 gentlemen the people are fighting too. 00:16:34.37\00:16:36.07 When I was in school, you know they would have little 00:16:36.10\00:16:40.29 disagreements and we go outside and they would have a 00:16:40.33\00:16:44.45 little knuckle sandwich, there would be a little fistfight. 00:16:44.48\00:16:46.78 They would say, fight, fight and everybody would 00:16:46.82\00:16:48.70 run to see the fight. 00:16:48.74\00:16:49.72 But not today, today we bring guns and knives to school. 00:16:49.76\00:16:53.44 Again, Satan is playing for keeps. 00:16:53.47\00:16:56.55 These are just as much a sign of the end of the age, 00:16:56.59\00:17:03.29 as the wars and rumors of wars. 00:17:03.32\00:17:04.91 I want you to go to the book of 2 Timothy with me. 00:17:04.94\00:17:06.64 What book did I say? 00:17:06.68\00:17:07.65 2 Timothy 3:1-2 and then we will go to 3 and 4. 00:17:07.66\00:17:15.88 2 Timothy is truly a commentary on our times. 00:17:23.20\00:17:26.99 The word of God says: 00:17:27.02\00:17:28.94 Unthankful and unholy. 00:17:55.85\00:17:58.71 Now I have a graphic I would like you to put up right now. 00:17:58.74\00:18:00.91 Look at that, it says: boy accused of killing mother. 00:18:00.94\00:18:07.61 Nice little boy, 13 years of age, he got tired of 00:18:07.64\00:18:14.27 his mother nagging him to go to school. 00:18:14.30\00:18:16.47 He got tired of his mother telling him, clean up your room. 00:18:16.51\00:18:20.48 He got tired of his mother telling him, be a good young man 00:18:20.51\00:18:23.81 don't hang out with bad friends, make something of yourself, 00:18:23.84\00:18:27.10 study and get good grades. 00:18:27.13\00:18:28.74 So his grades weren't good, his room was filthy, 00:18:28.78\00:18:32.70 he had skipped school, and he decides the way to get 00:18:32.74\00:18:36.60 around this is to go upstairs to the attic and rummage through 00:18:36.63\00:18:40.03 the boxes and find his dad's gun. 00:18:40.06\00:18:42.93 And then go all the way downstairs to the basement, 00:18:42.96\00:18:45.35 and rummage through boxes and find the bullets, 00:18:45.39\00:18:47.71 load the bullets and come and take his mother's life. 00:18:47.75\00:18:51.40 13 years of age, and when they asked him why, 00:18:51.43\00:18:55.08 he said I'm sick of going to school and tired of 00:18:55.12\00:18:58.73 my mother trying to make me. 00:18:58.77\00:19:01.02 So he killed his own mom. 00:19:01.06\00:19:03.24 Children unthankful, unthankful to parents, blasphemous, 00:19:03.27\00:19:09.91 heady, high-minded, we ought not to be fooled by these things 00:19:09.94\00:19:15.30 We ought not be to the signs of the second 00:19:15.34\00:19:20.02 coming of the Lord, signs of the coming of Christ. 00:19:20.05\00:19:24.70 Let's pick it up with verse 3: 00:19:24.73\00:19:27.28 2 Timothy 3:3, the Bible says: 00:19:27.32\00:19:29.84 And I am saying when we see this senseless slaughter of 00:19:53.19\00:19:58.22 men and women, without reason, it is a sign that Jesus is 00:19:58.25\00:20:03.24 coming again ladies and gentlemen. 00:20:03.28\00:20:04.89 From Columbine, and the Columbine copycats, 00:20:04.92\00:20:09.28 to a suicide bombings, to drive by shootings, to children who 00:20:09.32\00:20:14.26 murder their parents, or parents who murder their children, we 00:20:14.30\00:20:18.77 are filled with polluted air, polluted water, polluted food, 00:20:18.80\00:20:23.24 polluted cities and polluted people. 00:20:23.27\00:20:25.90 We are living in a world and an age when there is no respect 00:20:25.93\00:20:30.90 for law, no respect for rights, women are afraid to walk down 00:20:30.93\00:20:35.87 the streets by themselves, the Bible has said a Lion 00:20:35.90\00:20:39.73 has roared, and this earth is coming to an end. 00:20:39.77\00:20:42.98 And God's people have got to be ready. 00:20:43.01\00:20:45.15 Amos says, sound the alarm, listen and fear, 00:20:45.19\00:20:51.09 we are in the thick of it and we are in terrible 00:20:51.13\00:20:57.00 and unprecedented times. 00:20:57.04\00:20:58.90 You know they say that next years election will be an 00:20:58.93\00:21:03.41 unprecedented election in the history of the United States. 00:21:03.45\00:21:08.63 Unprecedented, we could elect our first Mormon president. 00:21:08.67\00:21:15.57 We could, we could elect our first African-American president 00:21:15.61\00:21:22.62 We could, we could elect our first president with multiple 00:21:22.65\00:21:29.62 marriages, we could elect our first woman president. 00:21:29.66\00:21:35.98 We could, in fact a friend of mine told me the other day, 00:21:36.02\00:21:42.48 he said, you know if they elect that lady, I'm packing 00:21:42.51\00:21:48.93 my bags and leaving the United States. 00:21:48.97\00:21:51.49 I told him I'll help you pack, because I am not going anywhere. 00:21:51.53\00:21:57.49 Because it occurs to me that regardless of who gets in the 00:21:57.53\00:22:02.22 White House, God is still God. 00:22:02.26\00:22:05.38 God sits on the throne, and God sets them up, 00:22:05.41\00:22:09.34 and God takes them down, so I am not going anywhere. 00:22:09.38\00:22:13.30 If there is anybody here that believes that the answers to 00:22:13.33\00:22:21.48 the moral dilemma that is engulfing this nation can 00:22:21.51\00:22:25.30 be found in Washington DC, you are fooling yourself. Amen! 00:22:25.34\00:22:31.60 Congress can't solve the problems, the Senate cannot 00:22:31.64\00:22:37.08 solve the problems, the Supreme Court cannot solve problems, 00:22:37.12\00:22:41.42 and the president be he black, white, Mormon, or a woman, 00:22:41.46\00:22:45.73 cannot solve the moral dilemma that this country 00:22:45.76\00:22:50.03 finds itself in. 00:22:50.07\00:22:51.50 So if you are looking to Washington DC to solve 00:22:51.53\00:22:54.60 your problems, your looking to the wrong town, AMEN! 00:22:54.63\00:23:00.50 Jeremiah 10:23, Jeremiah 10:23 the word of God says: 00:23:00.54\00:23:06.37 Look at the murder rate in this country; 00:23:22.62\00:23:25.15 I have a graphic I want to put up. 00:23:25.19\00:23:26.65 There are a number of murders that have taken place to kind of 00:23:26.69\00:23:31.26 show where were at, look at this! 00:23:31.29\00:23:32.86 Here's a murder: 00:23:32.90\00:23:36.07 when asked in court she said, I don't like Monday so 00:23:45.34\00:23:48.09 I went out and killed people. 00:23:48.13\00:23:49.48 Patchy Purdy: 00:23:50.27\00:23:55.59 I want to go to the playground and 00:23:55.62\00:23:56.59 spray people with bullets. 00:23:56.60\00:23:57.58 Eric Houston: 00:23:57.62\00:23:59.44 when I got a failing grade I got a spanking and that was it. 00:24:05.17\00:24:10.15 Michael Carneal: 00:24:10.18\00:24:12.81 people were praying in the hallway, he didn't like them 00:24:19.98\00:24:22.65 praying in the hallway so he opened fire on them 00:24:22.68\00:24:25.27 and kill them. 00:24:25.31\00:24:26.28 Kip Kinkel: 00:24:26.29\00:24:27.26 Dylan Klebold: 00:24:32.42\00:24:34.38 You know this one. 00:24:34.41\00:24:36.33 That was Columbine, kids. 00:24:44.21\00:24:46.91 Jeff Weise: 00:24:46.95\00:24:47.92 Charles Roberts: 00:24:54.79\00:24:57.12 Remember that, I remember that so very, very well. 00:25:04.79\00:25:06.84 And then Seung-Hui Cho: 00:25:06.88\00:25:08.81 This was just last year! They're on the campus of Virginia. 00:25:16.42\00:25:19.62 What's happening ladies and gentlemen? 00:25:20.60\00:25:21.92 Are these just isolated, sad incidents of people who are 00:25:21.96\00:25:25.20 losing their minds, no sir! 00:25:25.23\00:25:26.59 They are calculated of the devil to destroy mankind, 00:25:26.62\00:25:31.48 but what I am saying is when you see these things is not enough 00:25:31.51\00:25:35.73 to say how sad, Oh how sad, it's time for God's people to stand 00:25:35.76\00:25:39.94 up and look up and pray up, 00:25:39.98\00:25:43.50 because they are emblems of the fact that Jesus is 00:25:43.53\00:25:46.14 coming very, very soon. 00:25:46.18\00:25:49.60 The Lion has roared and I say again that Jesus is coming. 00:25:49.63\00:25:53.59 The answers are not in Washington DC. 00:25:53.62\00:25:55.80 Now, if you want your sewer cleaned, if you want the 00:25:55.84\00:25:59.45 sidewalk cracks repaired, if you want the street lights 00:25:59.48\00:26:02.69 to shine brighter, if you want more books in the children's 00:26:02.72\00:26:05.87 library, then you need to look to Washington, or to the 00:26:05.91\00:26:09.02 Statehouse, or to the White House, 00:26:09.06\00:26:10.63 or the capital of your country. 00:26:10.67\00:26:12.17 But if you need your life cleaned up, the answer to that 00:26:12.21\00:26:16.16 cleaning is not in Washington DC, or the Statehouse, 00:26:16.19\00:26:20.11 or the White House. 00:26:20.14\00:26:21.12 If you need a broken heart mended, 00:26:21.16\00:26:23.34 you have to look someplace else. 00:26:23.38\00:26:25.49 If you want the light of God's love to shine in a darkened 00:26:25.53\00:26:28.85 soul, you will not find it that in Washington DC. 00:26:28.88\00:26:31.49 You will find that in the word of God. 00:26:31.52\00:26:34.03 If you would like to read a book that will change your soul, 00:26:36.28\00:26:38.54 this is the one. 00:26:38.58\00:26:39.74 David said in Psalms 121:1: 00:26:39.77\00:26:42.64 "my help comes from the Lord" and so in these last days God's 00:26:50.41\00:26:57.02 people need to lift up, and look up. 00:26:57.06\00:27:00.13 There is no constitution, no enactment, no law or precedent, 00:27:00.16\00:27:06.36 no by law, or state constitution or statute that can change 00:27:06.40\00:27:12.56 the human heart, God's got to do that. 00:27:12.60\00:27:16.01 The Holy Spirit alone cannot do that. 00:27:16.04\00:27:19.38 You can make me eat next to someone, you can make me sit 00:27:19.42\00:27:24.13 next to someone, you can make me ride the school bus next to 00:27:24.17\00:27:28.61 someone, you can make me share a hospital room with someone, 00:27:28.65\00:27:34.16 or even a church pew, but only the Spirit of the living God 00:27:34.20\00:27:39.67 can make me love that person. 00:27:39.71\00:27:42.16 No law passed by man can touch my heart, 00:27:42.19\00:27:47.23 Jesus has got to do that. 00:27:47.27\00:27:49.76 And so this proliferation of hate, ladies and gentlemen, 00:27:49.80\00:27:54.77 is a sign that Jesus is coming soon. 00:27:54.81\00:27:59.34 You can't get help from Washington, or Jerusalem, 00:27:59.37\00:28:02.91 So you have to look to Jesus. 00:28:02.94\00:28:04.52 So I want to tell you a story of that I heard some time ago. 00:28:04.56\00:28:06.60 I do not know don't know if it's apocryphal true or false or 00:28:06.64\00:28:09.42 what, but I thought it's a cute story and it makes my point. 00:28:09.46\00:28:12.20 There is a certain Evangelist that has been 00:28:12.24\00:28:15.05 preaching for years. 00:28:15.09\00:28:16.20 When he goes to have a meeting in a town, he likes to prayer 00:28:16.23\00:28:22.50 walk around the town. 00:28:22.54\00:28:23.97 Just walks up and down praying before the meeting starts. 00:28:24.00\00:28:27.27 He was out one day praying, and the meeting is getting 00:28:27.31\00:28:30.54 ready to start in a few hours, and he got lost. 00:28:30.58\00:28:32.18 He wasn't paying attention where he was going 00:28:32.22\00:28:33.79 and he got lost. 00:28:33.82\00:28:34.82 Couldn't find his hotel, couldn't find the Convention 00:28:34.85\00:28:36.73 Center where the meetings were supposed to be held. 00:28:36.77\00:28:38.57 So he was just wasting time and his time is running out. 00:28:38.61\00:28:42.35 He was looking at his watch, or my goodness 00:28:42.38\00:28:44.66 my time is running short. 00:28:44.70\00:28:45.67 So he sees a young man there and he says, young man can 00:28:45.68\00:28:50.34 you help me find the way to the Convention Center? 00:28:50.37\00:28:54.69 The young men said, oh that is easy. 00:28:54.73\00:28:57.34 You go down this street to the very end, you make a left and 00:28:57.37\00:29:01.79 then you go to the end of that street and make another left. 00:29:01.82\00:29:05.24 And then you go to the very end of the third street and there 00:29:05.28\00:29:08.66 is the Convention Center. 00:29:08.70\00:29:10.03 The Evangelist was so thankful that he said thank you 00:29:10.07\00:29:13.65 young man so very much I was lost, now are you going to 00:29:13.68\00:29:17.22 come to the meetings tonight? 00:29:17.26\00:29:18.55 The young man thought and he said, I don't think so. 00:29:18.58\00:29:22.31 And he said, you mean you don't want 00:29:22.35\00:29:25.49 to come to the meetings? 00:29:25.52\00:29:26.80 And the young men said, Nah! I don't want to come. 00:29:26.84\00:29:30.83 Then the Evangelist said, well don't you want to come and 00:29:30.87\00:29:34.05 let me show you the way to Jesus? 00:29:34.08\00:29:36.25 The young man said, show me the way to Jesus, you don't even 00:29:36.28\00:29:41.53 know how to get to the Convention Center. 00:29:41.57\00:29:42.69 How are you going to show me the way to Jesus? 00:29:42.73\00:29:45.60 Point being that you cannot give what you do not have. 00:29:45.64\00:29:51.71 You cannot show the way unless you know the way. 00:29:51.74\00:29:55.06 So if you are looking for Washington to solve your 00:29:55.10\00:29:58.35 questions and your problems, it is not going to happen. 00:29:58.38\00:30:02.34 You ought to look to Jesus because only real joy and peace 00:30:02.37\00:30:06.30 come from Jesus. 00:30:06.33\00:30:08.65 Isaiah 26:3, what book did I say? 00:30:08.68\00:30:11.94 Isaiah 26:3: the word of God says: 00:30:11.97\00:30:17.87 That's the text that God's people ought to commit 00:30:26.85\00:30:28.61 to memory in these last days. 00:30:28.65\00:30:30.61 The fact that we are kept in perfect peace even though this 00:30:30.65\00:30:33.79 world seems to be spinning out of control. 00:30:33.83\00:30:37.16 What do you do when somebody cuts you off? 00:30:37.20\00:30:40.50 On the street? 00:30:40.53\00:30:42.28 Happened to me just today, do you pray? 00:30:42.31\00:30:45.90 Do you bite your lip? Or do you embarrass 00:30:45.93\00:30:49.48 yourself and your God? 00:30:49.52\00:30:51.05 What do you do when somebody says something unkind to you? 00:30:51.09\00:30:54.86 Do you say something back? 00:30:54.90\00:30:57.47 Or do you bite your tongue? And praise God! 00:30:57.50\00:31:01.35 You know I was pastoring and something happened to me, 00:31:01.39\00:31:03.68 and it only happened one time, and once was enough actually. 00:31:03.71\00:31:06.13 I had a member say to me, she said, Pastor, 00:31:06.17\00:31:11.67 I don't like you. 00:31:11.70\00:31:14.20 That is what she said. 00:31:14.24\00:31:16.24 So as a Pastor you want people to like you so I said, 00:31:16.28\00:31:19.34 did I do anything, say anything, did I offend you? 00:31:19.38\00:31:22.41 She said, no! I just don't like you. 00:31:22.44\00:31:26.04 So now I am concerned, what do you mean you don't like me? 00:31:26.08\00:31:29.66 She said, I don't like you, there is something about you, 00:31:29.70\00:31:33.24 I just don't like, I don't like you. 00:31:33.28\00:31:36.06 She said, you haven't done anything to me, you haven't said 00:31:36.09\00:31:38.36 anything to me, you haven't done anything wrong, you preach 00:31:38.39\00:31:40.97 good sermons, and you are nice guy, I just don't like you. 00:31:41.00\00:31:43.54 And she said, oooh, I just don't like you. 00:31:43.58\00:31:47.99 And we have some Pastors here, what do you do? 00:31:48.02\00:31:52.39 You just have to say well, God bless you. 00:31:52.43\00:31:54.68 There is nothing I can say, I hope that the Lord 00:31:54.72\00:31:58.46 changes your heart. 00:31:58.49\00:31:59.65 The Bible says, perfect peace have they, 00:31:59.69\00:32:01.82 whose minds are stayed on Thee. 00:32:01.85\00:32:03.37 I had a member tell me one time, You know the Lord has put 00:32:03.40\00:32:05.76 me in this church to keep you in line. 00:32:05.80\00:32:07.02 That's what she has told me, God has put me here 00:32:07.05\00:32:09.56 to keep you in line. 00:32:09.59\00:32:11.08 I told her, I'm going to keep you busy. 00:32:11.12\00:32:13.25 Thou will keep him in perfect peace 00:32:15.96\00:32:18.79 whose mind is stayed on Jesus. 00:32:18.82\00:32:23.23 That's a promise, as they say, take to the bank. 00:32:23.27\00:32:26.21 God will keep you in peace so that you can walk through 00:32:26.25\00:32:29.91 the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. 00:32:29.95\00:32:33.58 Not everybody is going to like you. 00:32:33.61\00:32:35.13 Not everybody is going to care for you. 00:32:35.17\00:32:36.67 Not everybody's going to treat you fair. 00:32:36.70\00:32:38.14 But you can be fair to everybody because you got Jesus in your 00:32:38.17\00:32:41.97 heart, and even in these last days when there is 00:32:42.01\00:32:45.92 want and destruction of life, and terror all around, 00:32:45.95\00:32:50.08 God's people can have peace, ladies and gentlemen. 00:32:50.12\00:32:54.21 Psalms 16:11, I love this one. 00:32:54.24\00:32:58.49 Psalms 16:11, the word of God says: 00:32:58.53\00:33:01.51 God is saying, the Bible is telling us, that even though 00:33:14.49\00:33:17.79 there is chaos all around, when we are in the presence of 00:33:17.82\00:33:22.07 God there can be fullness, joy, there can be peace even 00:33:22.10\00:33:26.31 in these last days. 00:33:26.35\00:33:28.10 You know I have to make a confession, I have to confess 00:33:28.14\00:33:33.66 something and I don't want you to tell anybody. 00:33:33.69\00:33:36.35 Promise me you're not going to tell anybody? 00:33:36.39\00:33:39.01 Because it is a confession. 00:33:39.05\00:33:41.02 I stole something years ago and I never really asked 00:33:41.06\00:33:45.58 forgiveness for it. 00:33:45.62\00:33:46.86 I stole something, almost 30 years ago and I still have it. 00:33:46.90\00:33:53.35 I kept it and have never asked for forgiveness. 00:33:53.38\00:33:56.60 I just stole it, I have to set the scene. 00:33:56.63\00:34:00.02 I want you to hold on to your seats of the little bit of a 00:34:00.06\00:34:03.26 rough story because it's set the course for my ministry. 00:34:03.30\00:34:06.47 My ministry was 30 years in New York City 00:34:06.50\00:34:08.69 before I came to 3ABN. 00:34:08.72\00:34:09.82 This happened early in my ministry and it set the tone 00:34:09.85\00:34:12.55 for my whole ministry. 00:34:12.59\00:34:13.93 Friday night, it was Mother's Day weekend and I am traveling 00:34:13.97\00:34:20.29 from Brooklyn, and Angie Lomacang came too. 00:34:20.33\00:34:24.24 Coming from Long Island New York with a car full of flowers 00:34:24.28\00:34:26.82 for Mother's Day, you know we give out flowers to the mothers, 00:34:26.86\00:34:29.37 the oldest mother, the youngest mother, on Mother's Day. 00:34:29.40\00:34:31.84 It is about eleven o'clock at night and I am pastoring 00:34:31.87\00:34:33.96 a small church, and when you pastor a small church as 00:34:33.99\00:34:36.01 the Pastor, you are the deacon, your are the elder, you are 00:34:36.04\00:34:38.74 the chief cook and bottle washer. 00:34:38.77\00:34:39.91 You do it all, so I picked up the flowers and was bringing 00:34:39.95\00:34:42.52 them back to the church for the next day. 00:34:42.55\00:34:45.93 Got just passed LaGuardia Airport in Queens, 00:34:45.96\00:34:49.27 traffic came to a dead halt, so we all sat in our cars 00:34:49.31\00:34:53.63 for about 20 or 30 minutes. 00:34:53.67\00:34:55.50 And after 20 minutes of just idling my engine, 00:34:55.54\00:34:58.24 I turned it off because we weren't going anywhere. 00:34:58.27\00:35:03.55 They have to forgive me, I do a lot of wiping, in fact the 00:35:03.58\00:35:07.05 makeup crew has a bet going to see how fast I wipe off all the 00:35:07.08\00:35:10.51 makeup, you know, that they put on me. 00:35:10.54\00:35:13.52 We start off nice and dry with make up and by the time it's 00:35:13.56\00:35:15.64 over all the makeup is gone. 00:35:15.67\00:35:17.22 So we are sitting there and I am wondering what is going on. 00:35:17.25\00:35:22.47 Traffic has stopped so I got out of my car and just began 00:35:22.51\00:35:26.46 to walk around, people began to mill around on the highway 00:35:26.49\00:35:30.41 because traffic was stopped for what was 45 minutes 00:35:30.44\00:35:32.43 at that time. 00:35:32.46\00:35:33.74 I happen to see a police officer because he noticed the clergy 00:35:33.77\00:35:36.16 sticker in my car and he said, come with me. 00:35:36.19\00:35:38.54 I asked them what was going on officer. 00:35:38.58\00:35:40.76 This is the story he told me. 00:35:40.79\00:35:42.03 He said, to young people got into their sports car and they 00:35:42.07\00:35:49.01 took their car, we figure, up to about a 110 miles an hour. 00:35:49.05\00:35:55.96 At that point, they hit something in the road and the 00:35:56.00\00:36:00.50 car went airborne and crossed over, 00:36:00.54\00:36:03.19 flew over into oncoming traffic. 00:36:03.23\00:36:05.81 Now I want you to hold on to your seat. 00:36:05.84\00:36:08.39 The policemen told me, the first car that this flying car 00:36:08.42\00:36:14.13 struck, it sheared off the roof and decapitated the two 00:36:14.17\00:36:19.84 occupants of that first car. 00:36:19.87\00:36:21.38 And then this flying car came to rest in the front seat of 00:36:21.42\00:36:27.81 another car, instantly killing its occupant. 00:36:27.84\00:36:31.45 And the two drunk young people, in the car going 110 miles 00:36:31.48\00:36:39.38 an hour walked away with nearly a scratch. 00:36:39.41\00:36:43.43 That is what he told me. 00:36:43.46\00:36:45.10 He said, there were so many side wrecks because people saw 00:36:45.13\00:36:48.75 this car flying towards them and they began to scatter, 00:36:48.79\00:36:52.42 and cars and cars and cars, he said there was this one 00:36:52.45\00:36:56.05 fellow there, and he said would you come and pray 00:36:56.08\00:36:58.91 for this fellow? 00:36:58.95\00:37:00.04 I guess he thought I was a Catholic priest and you need to 00:37:00.08\00:37:01.65 have last rites for this other guy. 00:37:01.68\00:37:02.98 I said I'm not a Catholic priest, I'm a Protestant 00:37:03.02\00:37:04.76 minister, but I would be glad to pray for him. 00:37:04.80\00:37:06.47 And we began to pray and they took them off to the hospital. 00:37:06.51\00:37:10.08 And then I saw for the first time 00:37:10.12\00:37:16.32 a body lying on the ground. 00:37:16.36\00:37:19.05 As they were put in the bag and taken them to the hospital. 00:37:19.09\00:37:25.10 Then I saw this Jaguar, with this flying car resting in the 00:37:25.14\00:37:31.12 front seat of the car, on the chest of the driver 00:37:31.15\00:37:35.74 who was there. 00:37:35.78\00:37:36.90 Crushing him instantly and the carnage was so thick. 00:37:36.93\00:37:45.19 It was so sad, and even the police officers, 00:37:45.22\00:37:48.74 New York City policeman, tough New York City policeman 00:37:48.77\00:37:53.51 weeping and crying, and as I began to walk around the car 00:37:53.55\00:37:58.26 just sort of inspecting the wreckage and praying 00:37:58.29\00:38:01.01 with people and just talking. 00:38:01.04\00:38:02.19 Actually I went in and grabbed a couple flowers that 00:38:02.23\00:38:05.27 I was going use for Mother's Day and gave them 00:38:05.31\00:38:06.93 to some of the people. 00:38:06.97\00:38:08.13 I saw on the bumper on this Jaguar, 00:38:08.17\00:38:13.18 something that I had to have. 00:38:13.22\00:38:16.00 I took it, I stole it and I have it to this day. 00:38:16.03\00:38:20.66 On the bumper of that Jaguar was a bumper sticker that arrested 00:38:20.69\00:38:26.97 my attention, I'm going to put it up on the screen. 00:38:27.00\00:38:29.84 Can you see it, that is what it said. 00:38:29.87\00:38:32.28 It said, get it through your head Jesus is dead! 00:38:32.32\00:38:38.54 Can you imagine, and when I saw that bumper sticker, 00:38:38.58\00:38:44.77 I had to have it. 00:38:44.80\00:38:45.97 That is the graphic, here is the original, just a small 00:38:46.01\00:38:50.72 bumper sticker that I peeled off of the bumper. 00:38:50.76\00:38:54.35 Get it through your head Jesus is dead. 00:38:54.39\00:38:59.61 I've had this in my possession since 1979, the year I got 00:38:59.65\00:39:05.64 ordained and it has served as motivation for my ministry. 00:39:05.67\00:39:11.60 Because as the wrecker pulled that flying car out of the front 00:39:11.63\00:39:16.72 seat of that Jaguar they literally gathered up the pieces 00:39:16.76\00:39:21.83 of that drivers body, it occurred to me that he has put 00:39:21.87\00:39:26.87 get it through your head Jesus is dead, and he now is dead 00:39:26.90\00:39:32.78 and my Jesus is very much alive. 00:39:32.82\00:39:36.94 It set the tone for my ministry because it says to me, 00:39:36.97\00:39:41.40 Murray that you have to tell everybody you can that Jesus 00:39:41.43\00:39:44.90 is coming soon, because there are actually people out there 00:39:44.94\00:39:48.38 who believe Jesus is dead. 00:39:48.41\00:39:52.58 Or that Jesus doesn't care, or that Jesus has gone off on 00:39:52.62\00:39:56.73 vacation, or that Jesus doesn't hear prayer, or that Jesus 00:39:56.76\00:40:00.04 doesn't follow you in the middle of the night when your 00:40:00.08\00:40:03.84 pillow is wet with tears that Christ has no use for you. 00:40:03.88\00:40:07.61 There are people that actually buy the fact that 00:40:07.65\00:40:10.05 there is no God. 00:40:10.08\00:40:12.04 It is a lie of the devil and the trick of the devil to 00:40:12.07\00:40:18.16 fool people into believing that there is no Jesus, 00:40:18.19\00:40:24.24 when Jesus is crying out to men and women, 00:40:24.28\00:40:29.13 to let them know that Christ is coming soon. 00:40:29.16\00:40:33.57 Ladies and gentlemen we have got to be ready. 00:40:33.61\00:40:37.95 Think about it in your life, what is going on in your 00:40:37.98\00:40:42.89 life that is so good that it wouldn't be better with Jesus? 00:40:42.92\00:40:47.79 Or so bad that it wouldn't be better with Jesus. 00:40:47.83\00:40:54.78 Aren't you tired of this world? 00:40:54.81\00:40:58.23 You know what I'm tired of, I'm tired of 00:40:58.27\00:41:01.65 mortgage payments, I am. 00:41:01.69\00:41:04.87 I'm tired of paying the bank every month for my mortgage. 00:41:04.90\00:41:08.24 I'm tired of paying, I have to say this advisedly, 00:41:08.27\00:41:12.16 the government, I don't like paying taxes. 00:41:12.20\00:41:14.81 In case anybody is watching I do pay my taxes, 00:41:14.84\00:41:17.42 I am faithful to pay my taxes. 00:41:17.46\00:41:19.18 And I am faithful to pay my mortgage, because if I don't 00:41:19.21\00:41:21.17 pay my taxes, I don't have a house. 00:41:21.20\00:41:22.91 If I don't pay the government, I don't have freedom. 00:41:22.94\00:41:27.26 So I pay my taxes, and I pay my mortgage, and I pay 00:41:27.29\00:41:31.54 my car note, and I pay my electricity, and I pay my phone, 00:41:31.57\00:41:35.11 and I pay my water, and I pay my garbage, 00:41:35.15\00:41:37.95 and hopefully that's all, 00:41:37.98\00:41:41.39 and I pray the one credit card I have, I only have one. 00:41:41.43\00:41:43.76 And I am tired of paying them all. 00:41:47.29\00:41:49.43 I would like it rid of every one of them, but I can't, 00:41:49.46\00:41:53.37 because the government won't let me. 00:41:53.40\00:41:55.44 But you know Jesus is coming soon, and one day I won't have 00:41:55.48\00:41:59.60 to pay my mortgage, I won't have to pay my car, in fact I will 00:41:59.63\00:42:03.72 be able to move around without a vehicle. Praise God! 00:42:03.76\00:42:07.40 Won't have to pay water, because I have a sea of glass. 00:42:07.44\00:42:11.05 Won't have to pay electricity, 00:42:11.08\00:42:14.75 because Jehovah is the light. Amen! 00:42:14.79\00:42:17.92 Won't have to pay the government, 00:42:17.96\00:42:20.69 because God is the government. 00:42:20.72\00:42:23.42 And He owns everything. 00:42:23.46\00:42:24.82 Won't have to pay my car note. 00:42:24.86\00:42:26.61 Won't have to pay my credit card, Amen! 00:42:26.65\00:42:30.92 I can go where please, eat what I please, live as I please 00:42:30.96\00:42:37.62 in Jesus, house in the city, house in the country, Amen! 00:42:37.65\00:42:43.98 And Jesus all year round, my wife even likes that she is 00:42:44.02\00:42:50.32 smiling, but Jesus is coming soon. 00:42:50.35\00:42:54.97 How sad it would be if we were not there to meet Him, 00:42:55.00\00:43:00.97 if we were not ready to greet Him. 00:43:01.00\00:43:03.52 Let me go to John 14, this is a familiar text. 00:43:03.55\00:43:07.39 John 14, you can turn there, but I know you know 00:43:07.43\00:43:11.24 it almost by heart. 00:43:11.27\00:43:12.24 John 14:1-3, the word of God says: 00:43:12.25\00:43:19.50 Heaven will not truly be heaven until all of God's 00:44:09.72\00:44:13.44 people are there and in all of us there is this Jesus shaped, 00:44:13.48\00:44:19.11 heaven shaped vacuum that we are not going to be satisfied 00:44:19.14\00:44:24.74 until Jesus comes again. 00:44:24.78\00:44:27.61 And ladies and gentlemen I assure you, He is coming soon. 00:44:27.64\00:44:32.41 The Lion has roared and this old earth is not long to be. 00:44:32.45\00:44:37.19 But Christ is coming again, Praise God, 00:44:37.22\00:44:41.92 Jesus is coming again. 00:44:41.95\00:44:43.76 John I want you to prepare to come now and sing 00:44:43.80\00:44:48.06 something for me as we prepare to wrap up and to 00:44:48.09\00:44:52.32 commit ourselves Jesus. 00:44:52.35\00:44:53.56 Aren't you ready are you waiting Don't you want Him to come? 00:44:53.59\00:45:00.79 Think about that as John sings. 00:45:00.82\00:45:03.96 The Savior is waiting to enter your heart 00:45:24.45\00:45:34.16 why don't you let Him come in? 00:45:34.19\00:45:41.58 There is nothing in this world to keep you apart 00:45:43.09\00:45:52.19 what is your answer to Him? 00:45:54.17\00:46:00.60 Time after time He has waited before 00:46:02.60\00:46:11.52 and now He is waiting again 00:46:11.56\00:46:19.55 to see if you are willing to open the door. 00:46:21.06\00:46:30.47 Oh, how He wants to come in 00:46:30.51\00:46:38.27 If you'll take one step towards the Savior, my friend 00:46:46.50\00:46:55.98 you'll find His arms open wide. 00:46:56.02\00:47:02.35 Receive Him and all of your darkness will end 00:47:05.55\00:47:14.56 within your heart He will abide. 00:47:16.77\00:47:23.27 For Time after time He has waited before 00:47:26.08\00:47:35.63 and now He is waiting again 00:47:35.66\00:47:42.66 to see if you're willing to open the door. 00:47:45.03\00:47:54.30 Oh, how He wants to come in. 00:47:54.33\00:48:02.53 Oh how He wants to come in. 00:48:04.34\00:48:11.77 So why don't you let Him come in? 00:48:14.87\00:48:24.75 Thank you John! 00:48:42.00\00:48:43.92 I know that you want to be saved. 00:48:45.85\00:48:53.51 I know it in my heart. 00:48:53.54\00:48:54.67 I have often told the story of my own father. 00:48:54.70\00:48:58.98 My dad was the kind of person that watched a little TV Sunday 00:48:59.02\00:49:06.29 morning and he felt that was all 00:49:06.33\00:49:08.49 God required of him. 00:49:08.53\00:49:09.79 He had some habits that he wasn't really willing to give up 00:49:09.82\00:49:12.22 He liked to smoke little bit, every now and then 00:49:12.25\00:49:16.47 he would take a drink. 00:49:16.51\00:49:17.48 He wasn't an alcoholic by any stretch, 00:49:17.49\00:49:19.40 he was a social drinker. 00:49:19.44\00:49:20.67 He liked to play cards and some other little things. 00:49:20.70\00:49:25.17 He just couldn't see given those things up for the Lord. 00:49:25.20\00:49:29.64 He ran from the Lord for 70 plus years. 00:49:29.67\00:49:36.69 We would talk to him about the Lord and he didn't fight it, but 00:49:36.73\00:49:41.77 he just wasn't interested. 00:49:41.81\00:49:43.23 He would say, that is good for you, but it is not for me. 00:49:43.27\00:49:47.03 I joined the church as a young man, 9 years of age, 00:49:47.06\00:49:51.65 I got baptized at 10. 00:49:51.68\00:49:52.99 I really wanted my family to be in the kingdom and so 00:49:53.03\00:49:57.25 later on my sister, Donna, 18 months older than me, 00:49:57.28\00:50:01.47 joined the church. 00:50:01.51\00:50:02.74 Then I did a week of prayer and I appealed because 00:50:02.77\00:50:05.51 I wanted my mom to join, and I knew she was ready. 00:50:05.55\00:50:08.22 I was make an appeal and she was sitting in the chair rocking 00:50:08.26\00:50:11.09 and crying, rocking and crying, tears coming down, 00:50:11.13\00:50:13.39 rocking and crying. 00:50:13.43\00:50:14.40 I said if I could just say the right word I know 00:50:14.41\00:50:16.65 I can get my mother this night. 00:50:16.68\00:50:18.17 It was a Friday night and I was preaching and making 00:50:18.21\00:50:19.96 this appeal, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes 00:50:20.00\00:50:23.95 and I am still appealing. 00:50:23.99\00:50:24.96 I said I know she's coming, she is going to fall, 00:50:24.97\00:50:27.49 she's going to fall, and after 20 minutes she finally 00:50:27.52\00:50:30.06 stood up and I said, oh, praise God! Let's go home! 00:50:30.10\00:50:32.56 And my mother joined the church but I couldn't get my dad. 00:50:32.60\00:50:35.86 I really wanted to get my dad. 00:50:35.90\00:50:37.13 And then as time passed he had a little small stroke and 00:50:37.17\00:50:44.83 he walked with a limp. 00:50:44.87\00:50:46.06 That slowed him down just enough to begin thinking about 00:50:46.09\00:50:50.15 eternity, sometimes the Lord has got to give us a little 00:50:50.18\00:50:54.20 tap to let's think about eternity. 00:50:54.24\00:50:56.86 During that time when he couldn't get around like 00:50:56.89\00:51:00.00 he liked to, my dad was a great cook. 00:51:00.03\00:51:02.28 In fact, he was far superior to my mother, and on holidays he 00:51:02.32\00:51:05.34 wouldn't even let my mom in the kitchen. 00:51:05.38\00:51:06.73 He'd say, No! my kitchen today, you stay in bed. 00:51:06.76\00:51:09.52 He will get up at six o'clock and cook meals on holidays, and 00:51:09.55\00:51:13.39 just shoo everybody out of the kitchen. 00:51:13.43\00:51:15.26 Well he couldn't do that anymore, and it really hurt him. 00:51:15.30\00:51:18.55 He began thinking about his life and he called me home 00:51:18.59\00:51:21.81 and we studied the Bible together. 00:51:21.85\00:51:24.84 He decided I'm going to give my heart to Jesus, my dad. 00:51:24.87\00:51:30.19 We set the day for the baptism, October 1979, same year. 00:51:30.23\00:51:35.48 The heating system went out in the church, in Buffalo New York, 00:51:35.51\00:51:41.38 in October. 00:51:41.41\00:51:43.69 Baptismal water down to 40 degrees. 00:51:43.72\00:51:46.98 I stood in there with the Pastor numb from the waist down. 00:51:47.01\00:51:51.41 I felt bad, I didn't want to put my dad's face down in that 00:51:51.45\00:51:55.27 cold water, we were going to cancel it but it was my father 00:51:55.30\00:51:59.09 that said, go ahead, let's do it. 00:51:59.13\00:52:00.85 So I said I baptize him in the name of the Father, and of His 00:52:00.89\00:52:04.96 Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and I put his face down 00:52:05.00\00:52:08.42 in the water shivering. 00:52:08.46\00:52:09.88 We had to baptize him in a chair, we strapped him in 00:52:09.92\00:52:12.33 and tilted him back. 00:52:12.37\00:52:13.42 We got him and he came up shivering, we were all shivering 00:52:13.45\00:52:15.73 and crying, hugging, it was really wonderful time. 00:52:15.76\00:52:18.42 In 40 degree water, and we were so excited that at close 00:52:18.45\00:52:25.34 to 80 years of age my dad came in. 00:52:25.37\00:52:27.68 Then one month later, 30 days exactly, November 28, 27th, 00:52:27.71\00:52:36.50 his birthday would have been a November 28th, my mom said come 00:52:36.53\00:52:39.89 home, your dad has had a massive stroke and died. 00:52:39.92\00:52:43.01 So we went home for his funeral, and people must have thought 00:52:43.04\00:52:48.89 that Donna, my sister and I were a little touched in 00:52:48.92\00:52:52.43 the head, because we weren't crying at that funeral. 00:52:52.47\00:52:55.94 In fact we were kind of giddy. 00:52:55.98\00:52:58.42 We were kind of glad, we were happy, we weren't thinking about 00:52:58.45\00:53:04.31 the death, we were thinking about the resurrection. 00:53:04.35\00:53:10.67 We were thinking that he ran from the Lord 00:53:10.71\00:53:15.70 for 70 plus years. 00:53:15.74\00:53:18.91 He only got to serve Jesus one month, but you know that Matthew 00:53:18.95\00:53:26.44 says, he gets the same penny that everybody else gets, those 00:53:26.47\00:53:33.93 that come at nine a. m., those that come 00:53:33.96\00:53:35.93 at noon, those that come at three, those that get in just 00:53:35.97\00:53:39.02 before midnight, they don't get the backside of heaven, 00:53:39.05\00:53:42.07 they get the same heaven. 00:53:42.10\00:53:43.42 That is how good God is, and we were praising God 00:53:43.45\00:53:47.86 that we got him in before he died. 00:53:47.90\00:53:51.84 We were giddy with anticipation, because I knew 00:53:51.88\00:53:55.71 at that moment, that when I get to glory 00:53:55.75\00:53:58.83 my dad is going to be there. 00:53:58.86\00:54:01.61 Then just one year ago, my mom died, in Jesus. 00:54:01.65\00:54:08.17 So I have both of my parents in, God put them to sleep. 00:54:08.21\00:54:13.20 Ladies and gentlemen they are not going to be sleeping 00:54:13.24\00:54:18.19 much longer, soon and very soon Jesus is coming. 00:54:18.23\00:54:25.38 How many want to be ready? 00:54:25.41\00:54:27.78 If you want to be ready won't you stand to your feet, 00:54:27.81\00:54:32.40 just stand to your feet. 00:54:32.44\00:54:34.70 If you want to be ready when Jesus comes, 00:54:34.73\00:54:37.75 you don't want to be lost, 00:54:37.78\00:54:39.13 you don't want your friends lost, 00:54:39.17\00:54:40.55 you don't want your family members lost. 00:54:40.59\00:54:42.60 Ladies and gentlemen the signs are fast fulfilling, 00:54:42.64\00:54:46.36 He is coming! 00:54:46.40\00:54:47.58 Don't get so caught up in the things of this world, 00:54:47.62\00:54:51.59 that you forget the most important fact of all. 00:54:51.62\00:54:55.92 The coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:54:55.96\00:55:00.22 Shall we pray! 00:55:00.26\00:55:02.80 Heavenly Father, we love You and the song asked the 00:55:02.83\00:55:09.57 question being played now, are you ready for Jesus to come? 00:55:09.61\00:55:17.14 Are you faithful in all that you do? 00:55:17.17\00:55:23.93 Are you ready for Jesus to come? 00:55:23.96\00:55:29.41 We are asking ourselves that question right now dear Father, 00:55:29.44\00:55:33.15 because we want to be ready. 00:55:33.19\00:55:35.42 We want to be able to look up and say as the song says, 00:55:35.46\00:55:40.43 this is my Lord, have we fought a good fight? 00:55:40.46\00:55:44.15 Are we living for the right? 00:55:44.18\00:55:46.27 Can others see Jesus in us, Oh Lord, 00:55:46.31\00:55:49.63 we want them to see Jesus in us. 00:55:49.67\00:55:53.19 Are we ready to stand in our place? 00:55:53.23\00:55:56.41 Are we ready to look in Your face? 00:55:56.45\00:55:59.56 Lord we want to be ready when Jesus comes and 00:55:59.60\00:56:05.54 the time is short. 00:56:05.57\00:56:07.47 Father please, those in this house and those around the 00:56:07.50\00:56:14.27 world who are listening, please dear Lord, 00:56:14.31\00:56:18.69 don't let anybody be lost. 00:56:18.72\00:56:21.72