Participants: Chester Clark, III
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000753S
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01:00 Have you had a good Sabbath today?
01:03 Yes. 01:04 Good. 01:05 We're going to sing for a few minutes. 01:09 And praise God and reminisce a little bit 01:13 about how good God is. 01:15 And I want to introduce to you, 01:18 Christine Harding and Del Jean Matthews 01:22 who are going to help me out 01:23 with my poor vocals tonight. 01:27 It seemed to be... 01:31 needing a little help and they are excellent help. 01:33 So thank you. 01:34 And also, Lily Diehl. 01:38 Have you enjoyed her piano playing? 01:42 What a blessing, Lily, and thank you for that. 01:46 We want to start out by singing 01:50 kind of an old timer hymn. 01:52 Some of you younger bucks may not know it too well, 01:57 but you'll learn it 01:59 because we're going to do all four stanzas. 02:02 A wonderful Sabbath evening hymn. 02:05 And it's a prayer, "Dear Lord and Father of mankind." 02:09 Let's sing. 02:19 Dear Lord And Father of mankind 02:24 Forgive our foolish ways 02:30 Reclothe us In our rightful mind 02:36 In purer lives Thy service find 02:43 In deeper reverence praise 02:50 In simple trust Like theirs who heard 02:57 Beside the Syrian sea 03:03 The gracious calling Of the Lord 03:10 Let us, Like them without a word 03:17 Rise up and follow Thee 03:24 Just a little bit faster. 03:26 Drop Thy Still dews of quietness 03:32 Till all our strivings cease 03:38 Take from our souls The strain and stress 03:45 And let our ordered Llives confess 03:52 The beauty 03:55 Of Thy peace 04:00 Breathe thro' the heats Of our desire 04:07 Thy coolness and Thy balm 04:14 Let sense be dumb, Let flesh retire 04:21 Speak thro' the earthquake, Wind and fire 04:29 O still small voice of calm 04:40 Did you enjoy singing that prayer? 04:45 Another prayer song. 04:48 Teach me Father, 04:51 what to say? 04:53 How to be like Jesus? 04:57 All together. 05:11 Teach, me, Father, what to say 05:18 Teach me, Father, how to pray 05:24 Teach me all along the way 05:31 How to be like Jesus 05:38 I would be like Jesus 05:45 I would be like Jesus! 05:53 Help me, Lord 05:56 To daily grow 06:01 More and more 06:05 Like Jesus! 06:20 We didn't have the second stanza, 06:21 so we sing another. 06:28 Man, in memory of a former ASI President 06:34 Keras Lada. 06:36 Anytime you talked about being like Jesus, 06:38 he wanted to... 06:40 In fact he would burst out, 06:41 if he were in the audience singing, 06:46 "Be like Jesus." 06:48 And the key is G. Here we go. 06:52 Be like Jesus, this my song 06:57 In the home and in the throng 07:03 Be like Jesus, all day long! 07:11 I would be 07:14 Like Jesus 07:19 I think we can do that again. 07:21 Be like Jesus, this my song 07:27 In the home and in the throng 07:33 Be like Jesus, all day long! 07:41 I would be 07:44 Like Jesus 07:53 Everyone knows the tune 07:55 of "What a friend we have in Jesus," right? 07:58 Almost everyone. 08:01 We want to sing the music 08:05 for "What a friend we have in Jesus," 08:06 but a friend from Australia wrote some words. 08:11 They're not very many Sabbath hymns 08:14 to close out the Sabbath. 08:17 And so... 08:21 We have a friend Esther. 08:26 Was it Gross, Esther Gross? 08:30 Wrote these words, 08:32 and if we can find them on the overhead, 08:36 we will sing it. 08:38 Otherwise I don't think I can teach you all the words. 08:43 Here we go. 08:45 Sabbath hours Are swiftly passing 08:52 Sun is sinking in the west 08:58 On this sacred day of worship 09:05 We have been divinely blessed 09:11 Now, A brand new week is dawning 09:18 Untried hours before us lie 09:25 May we live this week For Thee, Lord 09:32 Under Thine approving eye 09:39 There are souls out there who need Thee 09:45 May we, Lord, Thy mouth piece be 09:52 Telling out the old, old story 09:59 Jesus died for you and me 10:05 May we seek To fill each day Lord 10:12 With some worthwhile task For Thee 10:19 And when Sabbath Comes again Lord 10:27 We will praise 10:29 And worship Thee 10:35 Do you like it? 10:36 Amen. 10:39 I heard two violins over here, 10:43 a few hours ago, 10:46 playing a song that I used to love as a child. 10:49 And I'd like to sing 10:51 just the first stanza and chorus. 10:55 Now a cappella. 10:58 You know what a cappella is? 11:01 There is... 11:03 Do we have some words? 11:05 There is a place 11:09 Of quiet rest 11:14 Near to the heart of God 11:20 A place 11:23 Where sin cannot molest 11:29 Near to the heart of God 11:36 O Jesus 11:39 Blest Redeemer 11:44 Sent from the heart of God 11:51 Hold us 11:54 Who wait before Thee 12:00 Near 12:01 To the heart of God 12:09 All right. 12:10 I think we're going to do 12:12 "Victory in Jesus," that we did this morning. 12:16 Just like to sense it 12:17 because I have two ladies 12:21 who can hit that last high note. 12:24 And, so, 12:26 just to refresh your memory 12:27 in case some of you weren't here, 12:29 let's just do the chorus one time, Lily. 12:37 I have victory in Jesus 12:42 Just one step at a time With Him 12:47 Take my heart, O Lord, And seal it 12:51 Make me holy, and wholly Thine 12:56 Through the grace And power of Jesus 13:01 With a new heart Your gift to me 13:05 I will go forth to win Over self and sin 13:11 I have victory in Him 13:19 The stanza now. 13:33 I long to be in His will With my whole heart 13:38 But still something within It keeps 13:42 Turning my heart from Him 13:45 How can I know Him my Father 13:49 My Lord and my God 13:55 I have victory in Jesus 14:00 Just one step at a time With Him 14:05 Take my heart, O Lord, And seal it 14:10 Make me holy, and wholly Thine 14:15 Through the grace And power of Jesus 14:20 With a new heart your gift To me 14:25 I will go forth to win Over self and sin 14:31 I have victory in Him 14:37 Next line. 14:43 Sometimes When struggling with self 14:46 I feel my heart is made of steel 14:50 Then I assures me that 14:53 His love is with me still 14:56 Now I can know Him my Father 14:59 My Lord and my God 15:05 I have victory in Jesus 15:11 Just one step at a time With Him 15:16 Take my heart, O Lord, And seal it 15:21 Make me holy, and wholly Thine 15:26 Through the grace And power of Jesus 15:31 With a new heart Your gift to me 15:36 I will go forth to win Over self and sin 15:41 I have victory in Him 15:52 Amen. 15:53 Now it's time for our theme song. 15:55 If you'll stand, we'll do "Lift up." 16:07 I cue you and here we go. 16:21 Lift up the trumpet 16:23 And loud let it ring 16:26 Jesus is coming again! 16:31 Cheer up, ye pilgrims Be joyful and sing 16:36 Jesus is coming again! 16:41 Coming again Coming again 16:46 Jesus is coming again! 16:52 Echo it, hilltops Proclaim it, ye plains 16:57 Jesus is coming again! 17:02 Coming in glory The Lamb that was slain 17:08 Jesus is coming again! 17:14 Coming again Coming again 17:19 Jesus is coming again! 17:26 Heavings of earth Tell the vast, wondering throng 17:31 Jesus is coming again! 17:37 Tempests and whirlwinds The anthem prolong 17:43 Jesus is coming again! 17:48 Coming again Coming again 17:55 Jesus is coming again! 18:02 Nations are angry By this we do know 18:07 Jesus is coming again! 18:13 Knowledge increases Men run to and fro 18:19 Jesus is coming again! 18:25 Coming again Coming again 18:31 Jesus 18:32 Is coming again! 18:39 Amen. 18:40 Thanks. Thanks a lot. 18:49 You may be seated. 18:56 Good evening. 18:58 I hope that all of you 18:59 have been as blessed as I have been 19:02 throughout this ASI Convention. 19:04 Amen. 19:05 And this afternoon, 19:06 I was once again challenged 19:08 with "Tell the World, Tell them Now" theme. 19:12 I believe that the greatest ambition 19:15 any human being can have 19:18 is to tell the gospel to the world 19:21 in this generation. 19:23 In fact, my students at Ouachita Hills 19:24 are very familiar with the passage in Education, 19:29 page 262. 19:31 We read this, 19:32 "Success in any line demands a definite aim. 19:37 He who would achieve true success in life 19:40 must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. 19:44 Such an aim 19:45 is set before the youth of today. 19:49 The heaven-appointed purpose 19:51 of giving the gospel to the world in this generation 19:55 is the noblest that can appeal 19:57 to any human being." 20:00 Oh, my friends, what a grand purpose 20:03 God has placed before us, 20:05 and what a privilege 20:07 to be alive in this hour of earth's history. 20:10 This evening, 20:11 I want us to ask ourselves the question, 20:14 are we telling them now? 20:16 The main thought that I want you to understand 20:19 as we look at the scriptures together 20:22 is that telling them now 20:24 is an essential part 20:27 of being ready for Jesus to come. 20:29 It's an essential part of reflecting His character, 20:32 because the God that we serve 20:34 is a God who believes in telling them now. 20:38 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 20:40 Father in heaven, 20:41 today we recognize 20:45 the monumental task that lies before us. 20:48 And yet we claim today the promise 20:53 that this gospel of the kingdom 20:54 will be preached in all the world 20:57 for a witness to all nations. 20:58 And then the end will come. 21:01 And, Father, tonight, we just wanna pray 21:03 in our last few minutes together 21:05 in this corporate body, 21:08 that You will still speak to our hearts, 21:10 that You will use my lips, 21:12 that You'll hide me behind the cross of Christ, 21:15 that Jesus might be seen 21:17 and that we might become more like Him. 21:19 And we thank you in Jesus' name. 21:21 Amen. 21:23 It was April 10, 1912. 21:27 And one of the most luxurious ships ever built 21:32 was leaving the harbor, 21:34 2228 passengers were on board, 21:38 including the rich and famous. 21:41 A parlor suite on the Titanic 21:44 would have cost $69,000 in today's money. 21:49 And that was a one way voyage. 21:52 As they were leaving the harbor, 21:55 they very narrowly missed disaster, 21:58 the passenger liner New Yorker 22:01 was tied up there 22:02 and the great weight caused by the Titanic's moving 22:07 broke the moorings 22:08 that tied the New Yorker to the dock. 22:11 And some quick thinking by the captain of the Titanic 22:14 as well as a very quick thinking 22:16 tugboat operator 22:19 managed to avert disaster. 22:21 The two ships missed each other by either one or two inches. 22:28 The captain of the Titanic, 22:31 Edward J. Smith, 22:33 had written this several years earlier. 22:36 When anyone asks me how I can best describe 22:39 my experience of nearly 40 years at sea. 22:41 I merely say an eventful. 22:44 Of course there have been winter gales 22:46 and storms and fog and the like. 22:49 But in all my experience, 22:50 I have never been in any accident 22:52 or any sort we're speaking about. 22:54 I've seen, but one vessel in distress 22:57 in all my years at sea. 23:00 I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked 23:02 or nor was I in any predicament that threatened to end 23:05 in disaster of any sort. 23:07 You see, my friends, 23:08 the passengers on the Titanic were confident. 23:12 They would have a smooth and uneventful trip. 23:16 Little did they know that in just a few short days, 23:20 that great ship, the Titanic would meet its watery grave 23:25 1000 miles due east of Boston, 23:28 and 2 miles beneath the surface. 23:33 Friends, today our world 23:36 is on a collision course with disaster. 23:41 If you like me will turn on your television 23:44 or look on the internet or read your newspaper, 23:47 you will notice that something is happening. 23:49 Our world is fast headed towards the final events. 23:53 And many of the world's inhabitants 23:56 like the passengers on the Titanic 23:58 are completely unaware of the doom 24:02 that is soon to come upon this world. 24:04 We are a part, we are on a planet 24:06 that is destined and doomed 24:08 for destruction. 24:10 It all began in the Garden of Eden, 24:11 if you'll turn with me there in your Bibles 24:13 to Genesis Chapter 3. 24:15 Genesis Chapter 3, and we're going to be looking 24:17 at a number of passages together 24:19 here tonight. 24:20 Genesis Chapter 3, we know the story. 24:23 But I just want you to contemplate it 24:24 from a little different perspective. 24:27 Genesis Chapter 3, 24:29 God has informed Adam and Eve of the dangers, 24:33 of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 24:36 And in Genesis 3:6, 24:40 perhaps, what is the saddest verse 24:43 in the scriptures. 24:44 "When the woman saw 24:46 that the tree was good for food, 24:48 and that it was pleasant for the eyes, 24:50 and a tree to be desired to make one wise, 24:52 she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, 24:55 and gave also unto her husband with her, 24:59 and he did eat." 25:02 In direct disobedience to the command of God, 25:06 our first parents 25:08 ate of the tree of the knowledge 25:09 of good and evil. 25:10 And thus sin entered this planet. 25:14 Since then we have been living in a fallen world. 25:18 But what is interesting in this chapter 25:20 as I thought of the Tell the World, 25:22 Tell them Now theme of ASI this year. 25:26 What I realized was that from this very first day 25:31 on which sin entered the human experience, 25:35 God has exhibited an urgency 25:40 in telling the world 25:42 the good news of the gospel. 25:44 You see, God did not wait for a day or two 25:47 to go by. 25:48 He didn't wait for a week or two. 25:50 He didn't wait for Adam and Eve 25:53 to sort of suffer in the shame of what they had done. 25:57 As they sewed together their fig leaves 25:59 and they hid in the garden. 26:00 No. 26:01 In fact, in the very day, 26:03 some perhaps only a few hours after sin came, 26:06 God came to the garden not to condemn mankind, 26:10 not to tell the first parents 26:11 how awful what they had done really was. 26:14 God came to the garden on that night, 26:16 the very day which sin entered this planet, 26:19 He came to tell them the good news of the gospel. 26:24 You see, my friends, my Bible tells me 26:27 that as soon as there was sin, 26:29 there was a savior. 26:31 Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain 26:32 from the foundation of the world. 26:34 And God would not sit by idly in heaven 26:38 to allow our first parents to go on in ignorance. 26:41 He would tell them. 26:43 And in Genesis 3:15, 26:45 we find the gospel presentation given for the first time. 26:49 He says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 26:52 between thy seed and her seed, 26:53 it shall bruise thy head, 26:55 and thou shalt bruise his heel." 26:57 Here we find the promise of a Savior to come. 27:01 What a wonderful promise this must have been 27:03 for Adam and Eve. 27:05 God would not allow them to go on in ignorance. 27:07 He had to tell them and He would tell them now. 27:09 You see, we must notice this one thing 27:12 about the character of God. 27:14 God is not a God 27:16 who enjoys keeping people in ignorance. 27:19 If God knows something good, He is going to tell them. 27:22 God is a God who has to share 27:25 what is beneficial, what is helpful, 27:27 what is saving salvific for mankind. 27:32 And here we find 27:33 that Jesus let our first parents know 27:37 that there would be a Savior. 27:39 The reason that God did not wait 27:42 to tell the gospel news 27:44 is because He is a God who tells them now. 27:47 It is a part of who He is. 27:50 It is a part of the character of God. 27:52 In Amos 3:7, we read, 27:55 "Surely the Lord God will do," how much? 27:58 "Nothing, 28:00 but He reveals His secret 28:01 unto His servants the prophets." 28:04 God is a God who loves to disseminate 28:06 and share information. 28:08 He doesn't keep it to Himself. 28:09 He tells the world. 28:12 And He wants to tell them now. 28:14 After the fall of man, 28:16 God could no longer walk and talk face to face 28:21 with the human family. 28:23 And so He depends upon human agents 28:27 to take His message. 28:28 They may have been prophets, they may have been laypeople, 28:31 they may have been the priests, 28:32 but they were all given a job to do. 28:35 God's people were placed in this world 28:37 to be light bearers, 28:39 to tell the world of the good news of salvation 28:42 and to tell them now. 28:44 And you see, my friends, 28:46 it was Nathan the Prophet, 28:47 who was sent to David, 28:49 not weeks or months later, but immediately. 28:52 God wanted to give David that message. 28:55 Isaiah, Jeremiah, 28:57 they were given messages for God's people 28:59 that were relevant for their day. 29:01 They were given those messages and expected to tell them now. 29:05 God loved even heathen Nineveh so much 29:08 that He gave the Prophet Jonah a message. 29:12 And Jonah, you know, rebelled. 29:14 He said, "I don't wanna go to Nineveh. 29:17 I'll run from the call of God to tell them now." 29:20 And so Jonah went on a ship, the opposite direction. 29:24 God loved Nineveh so much, my friends, 29:27 that He sent a storm, 29:29 and in the midst of that storm, Jonah was thrown overboard, 29:32 but God loved Nineveh so much 29:35 that He sent a fish, a great fish, 29:37 and He swallowed Jonah, preserved his life, 29:41 spewed him out on the shore by Nineveh 29:43 and said, "Go and tell them now." 29:46 You see, my friends, God loves the world. 29:49 And He has only us as human instruments to use 29:54 in order to tell them His message. 29:58 Oh, God is a God 30:00 who wants to tell them now, 30:02 it's who He is. 30:04 So many times 30:05 throughout the history of God's people, 30:07 they failed to tell them now. 30:09 And sometimes calamity had to come upon Israel. 30:13 They had to be scattered to the heathen nations in order 30:17 that they might tell them now 30:19 of the good news of a God in heaven. 30:22 Throughout the gospels, 30:23 we find the character of God represented. 30:26 Mark, the Book of Mark. 30:27 Turn with me there, Mark Chapter 1. 30:29 I love the Book of Mark, 30:31 because it encapsulates the urgency. 30:34 Everything in the Book of Mark 30:35 is straightway and forthwith and immediately. 30:38 And in Mark Chapter 1, we read a few verses here. 30:41 In verse 16, 30:43 "Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, 30:45 he saw Simon and Andrew his brother 30:47 casting a net into the sea: 30:48 for they were fishers." 30:50 Verse 17, 30:51 "Jesus said unto them, 'Come ye after me, 30:54 and I will make you to become fishers of men.'" 30:57 And the Bible says in verse 18, 30:59 "And straightway they forsook their nets, 31:02 and followed Him." 31:04 You see the time to follow Jesus is now. 31:07 It is when God calls upon your heart. 31:09 That is the time. 31:11 Don't wait until tomorrow. 31:12 Don't wait for a better day. 31:13 Don't wait until you're more prepared. 31:16 Follow Jesus now. 31:17 As we continue on, 31:19 "When he went a little farther," 31:20 in verse 19, 31:22 "He saw James the son of Zebedee, 31:23 and John his brother, 31:25 who also were in the ship mending their nets. 31:26 And straightway," 31:28 Jesus was not wasting time. 31:30 He would call them now. He would tell them now. 31:32 He would send them forth, straightway. 31:34 "He called them: 31:35 and they left their father Zebedee 31:37 in the ship with the hired servants, 31:38 and went after him." 31:39 Verse 21, again, 31:41 "And they went into Capernaum, 31:43 and straightway on the Sabbath day 31:46 he entered into the synagogue, and taught." 31:48 Oh, my friends, Jesus was on a mission. 31:51 And it wasn't about telling them 31:52 sometime in the future. 31:54 He would tell them now. 31:56 As we continue on in Mark, 31:58 we can look on and a few verses later, 32:03 a few chapters later. 32:04 Well, let's look first in verse 28. 32:06 "And immediately his fame spread abroad 32:10 throughout all the region round about Galilee." 32:12 Now turn with me to Mark Chapter 6, Mark 6:49. 32:19 Mark 6:49. 32:22 Here we find this story of the disciples 32:24 rowing rather disheartedly across the Sea of Galilee. 32:30 And in John 6:49, 32:32 we find that Jesus is walking along 32:35 on top of the water, 32:37 and He frightens His disciples. 32:39 Now the disciples had actually been 32:41 a little bit of... 32:43 They had been a little bit rebellious. 32:45 Jesus had sent them off 32:47 and they had just really resented 32:51 the fact that Jesus stopped them 32:53 from doing what they wanted to do 32:56 in crowning Him King. 32:58 So they were talking complaining, 32:59 and Jesus could have said it 33:01 would serve them right to be a little scared, 33:02 don't you think? 33:03 But in verse 49, we read this, 33:05 "When they saw him walking upon the sea, 33:07 they supposed it had been a spirit, 33:09 and cried out: 33:12 For they all saw him, and were troubled." 33:14 Verse 50 says. 33:15 "And immediately he talked with them, 33:18 and saith unto them, 33:20 'Be of good cheer: 33:21 it is I, be not afraid.'" 33:24 Oh, my friends, the very character of God 33:26 is to tell them now. 33:29 He doesn't hold it back. 33:31 He doesn't just enjoy the blessings of knowledge. 33:34 He shares it, and the early Christian church, 33:37 follow the teachings of Jesus. 33:39 Jesus said, 33:40 as one person was called to follow Him, 33:44 and they said to Him, 33:45 "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 33:48 Jesus said in Luke 9:60, 33:50 "Let the dead bury their dead: 33:52 but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." 33:55 Tell them now. 33:58 Another said to the Lord, "I will follow You. 34:00 But first let me go bid them farewell 34:02 which are at home at my house." 34:04 Jesus said, "No man having put his hand to the plow 34:06 and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." 34:09 You see, my friends, 34:11 we must tell them now. 34:15 The Apostle Paul 34:17 adopted the urgency of the gospel message. 34:22 In Galatians 1:15, he said, 34:24 "But when it pleased God, 34:26 who separated me from my mother's womb, 34:28 and called me by his grace, 34:30 to reveal his Son in me, 34:33 that I may preach him among the heathen, 34:35 immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood." 34:38 You see, when Paul was called to preach, 34:40 he didn't waste time. 34:42 Immediately, he would tell them and he would tell them now. 34:45 In Acts 9:18, we read the story, 34:48 "And immediately there fell from his eyes, 34:49 that's Paul's eyes, as it had been scales: 34:51 and he received sight forthwith, 34:53 and arose, and was baptized." 34:55 Verse 19, 34:57 "And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. 34:59 Then was Paul certain days with the disciples 35:01 which were at Damascus." 35:03 And in Acts 9:20, 35:05 "And straightway he preached Christ 35:08 in the synagogues, 35:09 that he is the Son of God." 35:14 Oh, Philip in Acts Chapter 8. 35:16 Turn with me there. 35:17 In Acts Chapter 8, 35:20 the disciple Philip is having 35:22 a fantastically successful evangelistic campaign. 35:27 And the Spirit of God comes upon him. 35:29 Turn with me to Acts Chapter 8, 35:31 and let's read verses 26-28. 35:35 The Bible says, "The angel of the Lord 35:37 spake unto Philip, saying, 35:38 'Arise, and go toward the south 35:41 unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, 35:44 which is desert.'" 35:45 Notice, there were no specific details about 35:49 who he was to meet or where he was to meet them. 35:53 There was simply a call, a command, 35:56 go and tell them, right? 35:58 Go and you will find. 36:01 As we know what happened, 36:03 Philip finds this Ethiopian eunuch. 36:06 We read about it in verse 27. 36:11 Acts Chapter 9. 36:13 I'm sorry in verse 17. 36:19 Acts Chapter 8, I'm sorry, verse 17. 36:22 I'm getting confused here. 36:23 "And he arose and went: 36:25 and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, 36:26 an eunuch of great authority 36:28 under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, 36:30 who had the charge of all her treasure, 36:32 and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, 36:35 and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet." 36:40 Now, get this picture in your minds. 36:43 This man is traveling. 36:45 God brings Philip from one direction 36:47 and the Ethiopian eunuch from the other direction. 36:50 And just as he is traveling and sitting in his chariot 36:53 and reading the Prophet Esaias, 36:55 there God brings Philip to talk to him. 36:59 Now that's what I call a divine appointment. 37:04 Let me ask you a question. 37:07 Is it possible that if Philip had not gone immediately 37:10 where God called him to go, 37:13 that he would have missed 37:15 that divine appointment? 37:17 What if Philip had simply said, 37:18 I think I'll go tomorrow? 37:21 I think I'll go get some better equipment 37:23 or better training or better materials. 37:25 I think I'll do something 37:27 I'll do it next month or next year. 37:29 He would have missed that divine appointment, 37:32 but Philip was one whom God could trust 37:36 with divine appointments. 37:37 When He told him to go, he went. 37:40 And he met the Ethiopian eunuch, 37:43 just where God knew that he would. 37:46 Oh, we could go through Peter. 37:48 We could see how, 37:49 when Peter had that vision of the sheet 37:52 coming down from heaven in Acts Chapter 10. 37:56 And this was repeated three times. 37:59 As soon as Peter understood the message from God, 38:03 that the Gentiles 38:05 were not to be called common or unclean, 38:07 immediately, it says in Acts Chapter 11, 38:09 there was a knock at Peter's door, 38:13 tell them now. 38:14 The urgency, the immediacy, 38:17 this is what God wants us to understand. 38:20 You see, God is not a God of future ambition. 38:24 He is a God of immediate action. 38:28 Tell them now 38:30 is verily a reflection of the character of God. 38:33 It reflects who He is. 38:35 God cannot sit on good news without sharing it. 38:39 He has to tell them now. 38:41 Like the four lepers of Elisha's day, 38:43 we do not do well, 38:46 if we don't tell the good news. 38:49 Those who reflect the character of God 38:51 must in fact live ASI's theme for this year, 38:56 Tell the World and Tell Them Now. 38:59 Sometime ago an 18-year-old girl 39:01 in Washington State 39:02 attended a worship service. 39:05 For the first time in her life 39:07 she heard the gospel message. 39:11 On Tuesday, the week following this Sunday, 39:15 when this girl had attended church 39:16 for the first time, 39:18 on Tuesday, the church received a letter. 39:20 And this is what it said, 39:22 "Dear church members, 39:23 last Sunday, I attended your church 39:26 and I heard the preacher. 39:27 In the sermon the preacher said that all men have sinned 39:30 and rebelled against God, 39:31 because of the rebellion and disobedience 39:33 they all face eternal damnation and separation from God. 39:37 But then, he also said, 39:40 that God loved men 39:42 and sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world 39:45 to redeem them from their sins, 39:46 and that all those who believe in Him 39:48 would go to heaven and live with God eternally. 39:51 My parents died recently in rapid succession. 39:56 I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ, 40:00 whom you call the Savior of the world. 40:03 If what you believe is true, 40:07 they are lost. 40:10 You compel me to believe 40:13 that if what you say is true, 40:17 either you yourself don't really believe it 40:21 or that you don't care. 40:24 You see, we live only three blocks 40:26 from your church, 40:27 and no one ever told us." 40:33 My friends, telling the world is a part 40:37 of being like Jesus. 40:40 The Bible says, in Isaiah 60:1, 40:43 "Arise and shine, for thy light is come, 40:47 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." 40:50 We understand this predicts the time 40:54 when God's people will rise with the character of God 40:56 reflected in their own characters. 41:00 And they will shed the light of truth around the world. 41:03 This, my friends, 41:06 is the work of the church. 41:07 And I believe tonight, 41:10 now is the time. 41:12 Now is the time for God's people 41:14 to set aside the bickering among themselves, 41:18 to set aside the non essentials in their lives, 41:21 and to become seriously committed 41:25 to becoming like Jesus. 41:27 Not becoming like Jesus, 41:28 so they can look around at their fellow church members 41:30 and criticize what they see. 41:32 But to get busy telling the world 41:35 the good news of Jesus' coming, 41:37 to get busy sharing the Three Angels Messages 41:40 with a world that is fast headed 41:42 towards eternal destruction. 41:44 Now is the time for us to be like Jesus. 41:47 Oh, my friends, sometimes I think we have a warped idea 41:50 of what it means to be like Jesus. 41:52 We think we must seclude ourselves 41:55 into an enclave 41:56 maybe far up in the mountains 41:57 where there we can perfect the character of Christ. 42:00 But Jesus was among people, my friends, 42:02 and telling them of the good news. 42:05 This is what it means. 42:07 This is an integral part 42:08 of what it means to be like Jesus. 42:12 John Harper 42:14 was born into a Christian family. 42:15 He became a Christian when he was 13 years old. 42:19 He started a church in London, 42:22 which started with 25 members and grew to 500 members. 42:25 He was called some 13 years later, 42:29 to pastor at the Moody Church in Chicago. 42:33 And so in 1912, 42:35 as the Titanic left its moorings, Liverpool, 42:39 John Harper and his daughter 42:41 were among those on the boat. 42:45 After the ship struck an iceberg 42:47 and began to sink. 42:49 John got his daughter, Nana, into a lifeboat, 42:54 but evidently made no effort to follow her. 42:58 Instead, he ran through the decks 43:01 of the Titanic, 43:02 shouting women, children, 43:05 and unsaved into the lifeboats first. 43:09 When the ship finally slipped beneath those dark waters, 43:14 John Harper jumped into the murky depths, 43:18 clinging to a bit of debris 43:21 because he had given his life jacket 43:23 to somebody else. 43:25 Four years later, 43:27 at a meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, 43:30 a man gave this testimony. 43:32 He said, I am a survivor of the Titanic. 43:36 When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, 43:39 the tide brought Mr. Harper of Glasgow 43:42 also on a piece of wreck near me, 43:44 man, he said, "Are you saved?" 43:47 "No," I said, "I am not." 43:50 He replied, 43:52 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 43:54 and you will be saved." 43:56 The waves carry John Harper away 43:58 but a few minutes later, for some reason, 44:00 they carried him back by this man. 44:02 And he said that, John Harper once again said, 44:05 "Man, are you saved now?" 44:08 And he replied, 44:09 "No, I cannot honestly say that I am." 44:13 Again John Harper said, 44:14 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 44:17 and thou shall be saved." 44:19 Shortly after that, 44:21 John Harper slipped beneath the water. 44:25 But there alone in the night, 44:28 with two miles of ocean beneath him, 44:31 this passenger gave his life to Jesus. 44:35 I, he said, 44:37 "I'm John Harper's last convert." 44:41 We may not feel as John Harper did, 44:44 the urgency of the hour, 44:46 but friends, we need to. 44:49 People are dying. 44:52 Jesus says to us today, "Whom shall I send? 44:57 And who will go for us? 44:59 Then said I, 45:01 here am I, send me. 45:41 I have chosen you 45:43 Chosen you for service 45:47 I have chosen you 45:49 To be children of the Lord 45:53 I have chosen you I have chosen you 45:56 Shall be my will 45:57 I have chosen you I have chosen you 46:01 You are precious in my sight 46:04 Chosen you for nation 46:08 Chosen you for glory 46:11 Chosen you for nation 46:13 I can't believe that died 46:17 You shall be my children 46:20 I shall be your shepherd 46:23 Forever and ever 46:29 For I have chosen you for love For I have chosen you for love 46:35 Before that universal glory Wasn't filled 46:41 Before us spoke the word 46:43 and made a brand new world 46:47 Before my hand reach out, It made a name 46:53 Before the dawn of time 46:55 I had you be my man 47:02 I have chosen you 47:05 Chosen you for service 47:08 I have chosen you 47:10 To be children of the Lord 47:14 I have chosen you I have chosen you 47:17 You shall be my will You shall be my will 47:20 I have chosen you I have chosen you 47:22 You shall be pick In morning pride 47:26 Chosen you for nation 47:29 Chosen you for glory 47:32 Chosen you for nation 47:34 I can't believe that died 47:38 You shall be my children 47:41 I shall be your shepherd 47:45 Forever and ever 47:50 For I have chosen you for love 47:56 For I have chosen you For love 47:59 Chosen you for love Chosen you for love 48:02 Chosen you for love Chosen you for love 48:09 I have chosen you for love 48:24 Amen. 48:34 Let us stand for the benediction. 48:39 And after I'm finished benediction, 48:41 I'll ask you to remain seated 48:42 for just a few brief announcements. 48:44 Let us pray. 48:45 Thank you, dear God, we have come to the end 48:47 of these sacred hours, 48:48 these past 24 hours of Your time. 48:51 And also the end 48:52 of this 59th International ASI Convention. 48:56 I want to thank You so much 48:58 for the time You have spent here. 48:59 Thank You for the blessings for Your Sabbath hours. 49:02 And like our spiritual forefathers 49:03 before us, 49:05 we cry out how long, how many more Sabbaths, 49:07 how and more conventions on this rebellious planet. 49:10 And yet Your Word speaks us clearly 49:13 as reflected on our theme during this convention. 49:16 Tell the World and Tell Them Now. 49:18 So as we've been equipped, 49:20 inspired and challenged this weekend, 49:23 please remind us every day of our commitment 49:25 so we may fulfill our part in this theme 49:28 is our prayer in Jesus' name. 49:30 Amen. |
Revised 2020-01-08