Imagine with me the absurdity
00:01:00.52\00:01:03.52
of turning back
from finishing the race
00:01:03.55\00:01:07.52
when the finish
line is right in sight.
00:01:08.40\00:01:12.00
Let's just say for this
purposes of our illustration
00:01:12.03\00:01:16.00
that you are running a marathon,
00:01:16.03\00:01:17.12
is that 26.4 or 24.6,
I always get confused?
00:01:17.15\00:01:21.12
26.4 is it? Whatever it is.
00:01:21.17\00:01:25.17
Imagine with me that,
00:01:27.39\00:01:28.55
that you have just
run this very long race,
00:01:28.58\00:01:30.84
whatever it is and you are
within the last tenth of a mile.
00:01:30.87\00:01:34.84
And you are going
to finish the race.
00:01:36.34\00:01:39.21
And more than that you
are going to finish first
00:01:39.24\00:01:43.21
and then you just suddenly
apparently, spontaneously
00:01:43.53\00:01:47.43
in a moment of what can only be
describe as temporary insanity,
00:01:47.46\00:01:51.16
you stop and you
don't finish the race.
00:01:51.19\00:01:54.04
Just imagine that.
00:01:54.07\00:01:57.36
Many Christian people are doing
00:01:57.39\00:01:59.07
and will continue
to do this very thing.
00:01:59.10\00:02:01.57
I have seen it with my own eyes
and it is happening even now.
00:02:01.60\00:02:04.36
People turning
back from the race
00:02:04.39\00:02:06.39
when we are just about
to cross the finish line.
00:02:06.42\00:02:10.39
Ellen White put it
this way, she said,
00:02:11.95\00:02:15.09
"In vision I saw two
armies in terrible conflict."
00:02:15.12\00:02:19.09
How many armies? Two.
00:02:20.05\00:02:21.42
"Two armies in
terrible conflict.
00:02:21.45\00:02:24.11
One army was led by banners
bearing the world's insignia,
00:02:24.14\00:02:29.22
the other was led
00:02:29.25\00:02:30.29
by the blood-stained
banner of Prince Emmanuel.
00:02:30.32\00:02:33.94
Standard after standard
was left to trail in the dust,
00:02:33.97\00:02:38.20
as company after company from
the Lord's army joined the foe,
00:02:38.23\00:02:43.24
and yet tribe after tribe
from the ranks of the enemy
00:02:43.27\00:02:46.54
united with the commandment
keeping people of God."
00:02:46.57\00:02:50.69
Apparently just
before the close,
00:02:50.72\00:02:53.32
apparently just
before this thing wraps up,
00:02:53.35\00:02:55.76
there's going to
be some wholesale,
00:02:55.79\00:02:58.20
wide spread changing of sides.
00:02:58.23\00:03:04.08
She saw company upon company
00:03:04.11\00:03:06.11
going from this
side to this side
00:03:06.14\00:03:08.01
and tribe upon tribe,
00:03:08.04\00:03:09.26
incidentally tribes
are larger than companies
00:03:09.29\00:03:11.11
going from this
side over to this side.
00:03:11.14\00:03:13.15
So there's going to
be a wholesale defection
00:03:13.18\00:03:15.93
on both sides
just as we are about
00:03:15.96\00:03:18.37
ready to cross the finish line.
00:03:18.40\00:03:21.04
How do you know you are
not going to be one of those
00:03:21.07\00:03:23.17
that defects
from the Lord's side?
00:03:23.20\00:03:25.99
Please do not say
what Peter would say
00:03:26.02\00:03:29.11
where he here do not say,
00:03:29.14\00:03:31.14
I am ready to go with you
both to prison and to death.
00:03:31.17\00:03:34.76
That would be of
anything, prima facie evidence
00:03:34.79\00:03:37.25
that you just
might change sides.
00:03:37.28\00:03:40.42
So how can you be
sure that you will not
00:03:40.45\00:03:42.72
in fact be one
of those defectors?
00:03:42.75\00:03:45.86
Well, I would do
my very best today
00:03:45.89\00:03:47.57
to give you ten
reasons why not to do that
00:03:47.60\00:03:49.66
and hopefully in
light of this knowledge,
00:03:49.69\00:03:51.85
why not to turn back,
why not to look back now.
00:03:51.88\00:03:55.46
We will see in this something
that will give us the elixir
00:03:55.49\00:04:00.23
from turning away for
the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:04:00.26\00:04:03.63
And so I present to
you reason number one,
00:04:03.66\00:04:05.71
open your Bibles with me if you
would to Luke 17, Luke 17:32.
00:04:05.74\00:04:11.78
One of the shortest
verses in the Bible, Luke 17:32.
00:04:11.81\00:04:18.75
Our presentation is
entitled "Don't look back now."
00:04:18.78\00:04:24.68
This is not the
time for back sliding,
00:04:24.71\00:04:26.47
this is the time for
forward sliding if you would.
00:04:26.50\00:04:32.54
Luke 17:32, this
is really the verse
00:04:32.57\00:04:35.71
from which we derive our
title, "Don't look back now."
00:04:35.74\00:04:39.78
Jesus said, right in
the middle of this homily,
00:04:39.81\00:04:43.35
right in the
middle of this sermon,
00:04:43.38\00:04:44.83
this discourse
on end time events,
00:04:44.86\00:04:46.65
it says, though He
pauses for just a moment
00:04:46.68\00:04:48.74
and He says in verse 32
00:04:48.77\00:04:50.08
by the way,
"Remember Lot's wife."
00:04:50.11\00:04:58.08
Remember who,
everyone? Lot's wife.
00:04:58.11\00:05:00.65
What happened to Lot's wife?
00:05:00.68\00:05:03.11
She looked back
and in looking back
00:05:03.14\00:05:05.08
she turned into
a pillar of salt.
00:05:05.11\00:05:08.11
So reason number
one to not look back now
00:05:08.14\00:05:11.23
is you could turn into
a pillar of salt or worse.
00:05:11.26\00:05:16.50
When she turned around it
was not so much the physicality
00:05:16.53\00:05:20.87
of turning her
body in that direction,
00:05:20.90\00:05:23.22
what she was demonstrating
was that the intentions
00:05:23.25\00:05:26.46
and the desires of her
heart were really back in Sodom.
00:05:26.49\00:05:30.23
So though she was
walking in this direction,
00:05:30.26\00:05:32.80
her heart was back there
00:05:32.83\00:05:34.43
and she casts a furtive
glance back to her homeland
00:05:34.46\00:05:37.95
because that's where
her heart was all along.
00:05:37.98\00:05:42.23
Jesus in Luke 9, in
fact we are so close,
00:05:42.26\00:05:44.74
we may as well just go there.
00:05:44.77\00:05:45.80
Look at the very
last verse of Luke 9.
00:05:45.83\00:05:50.05
Luke 9:62 and here we
find this very same concept,
00:05:50.08\00:05:54.58
the idea of looking
back at the wrong time.
00:05:54.61\00:05:57.57
Luke 9 and I am
reading in verse 62,
00:05:57.60\00:05:59.45
last verse of that
chapter, "But Jesus said to him,
00:05:59.48\00:06:02.66
'No one having put his
hand to the--" what, everyone?
00:06:02.69\00:06:07.03
"To the plough, and--" what?
00:06:07.06\00:06:08.65
Turning around
and leaving the plough
00:06:08.68\00:06:10.07
and evacuating the premises?
00:06:10.10\00:06:12.43
No, no, no. And what?
00:06:12.46\00:06:14.99
"Looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God.'"
00:06:15.02\00:06:19.38
Two times Jesus says that
00:06:19.41\00:06:21.08
someone is actually
headed in the right direction,
00:06:21.11\00:06:24.11
their body, their anatomy
00:06:24.14\00:06:26.19
is actually headed
in the right direction
00:06:26.22\00:06:27.93
but they look back demonstrating
that their affections
00:06:27.96\00:06:32.43
are really in that
which they have left.
00:06:32.46\00:06:35.96
Reason number one why this
is no time to look back now
00:06:35.99\00:06:38.43
is you could turn into
a pillar of salt or worse.
00:06:38.46\00:06:43.36
There is no
guarantee, young person,
00:06:43.39\00:06:45.80
if you backslide that you are
going to live to tell about it.
00:06:45.83\00:06:51.30
There is a great
danger in telling testimonies
00:06:51.33\00:06:55.63
and listen, I love
to hear a good testimony
00:06:55.66\00:06:57.78
and I love to
tell my own testimony
00:06:57.81\00:06:59.61
but we need to be very careful
00:06:59.64\00:07:01.21
in the
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:07:01.24\00:07:02.42
that we are not communicating
that the best or most important
00:07:02.45\00:07:05.88
or most remarkable
testimonies are those
00:07:05.91\00:07:08.13
in which people were way
out and then they came back in
00:07:08.16\00:07:12.81
because for every testimony
that you hear of somebody
00:07:12.84\00:07:15.59
who was way out and came back in
00:07:15.62\00:07:17.70
there's another hundred people
who were way out and died.
00:07:17.73\00:07:24.12
Solomon says in
Ecclesiastes 7:17,
00:07:24.15\00:07:27.62
"Why will you die
before your time."
00:07:27.65\00:07:30.08
That tells us that you can
die before you are supposed to.
00:07:30.11\00:07:34.55
If you are necessarily place
yourself on Satan's ground,
00:07:34.58\00:07:38.50
you too some degree relinquish
the protection of Holy Angels,
00:07:38.53\00:07:42.20
Heavenly Angels and you
can be killed by Satan himself
00:07:42.23\00:07:46.31
or by one of his forces while
you are outside of the faith.
00:07:46.34\00:07:49.99
If you turn back
now, if you look back now
00:07:50.02\00:07:52.75
what guarantee do you have
00:07:52.78\00:07:54.17
that you are going to live
long enough to change your mind?
00:07:54.20\00:07:58.18
The answer is you don't.
00:07:58.21\00:08:01.54
Now you are not just playing
00:08:01.57\00:08:02.69
with just a mildly
risky proposition here,
00:08:02.72\00:08:05.01
you are playing with
your eternal life. Amen.
00:08:05.04\00:08:09.73
If you go out to
sow your wild oats
00:08:09.76\00:08:11.87
because after all you heard
David Asscherick's testimony
00:08:11.90\00:08:14.48
and you heard Doug
Batchelor's testimony
00:08:14.51\00:08:15.89
or you who heard
somebody else's testimony
00:08:15.92\00:08:18.01
and after all they were
out and they came back in,
00:08:18.04\00:08:20.57
that is not a guarantee
that if you go way out,
00:08:20.60\00:08:22.99
you will even make it back.
00:08:23.02\00:08:25.90
As we said last
night, if you were in a room
00:08:25.93\00:08:27.84
it is illogical to think
that you must leave the room
00:08:27.87\00:08:30.73
in order to come
back into the room.
00:08:30.76\00:08:32.28
Somebody say, amen. Amen.
00:08:32.31\00:08:34.36
So reason number one why
this is no time to look back now
00:08:34.39\00:08:36.75
is what guarantee do you have
that you will ever get back.
00:08:36.78\00:08:39.34
Reason number two,
open your Bibles to John.
00:08:45.08\00:08:48.65
We go from Luke to John,
00:08:48.68\00:08:49.74
Matthew, Mark,
Luke, John, John 6.
00:08:49.77\00:08:53.57
Reason number two
is that you may become
00:08:53.60\00:08:55.76
so jaded by the world
00:08:55.79\00:08:57.46
that you will never turn
back to the correct path.
00:08:57.49\00:08:59.78
I am in John 6 and it is
coincidently amazing to me
00:08:59.81\00:09:05.23
that John 6:66
says what it does.
00:09:05.26\00:09:09.36
That would be John 6:66.
00:09:09.39\00:09:13.27
John 6:66 and of course we know
00:09:13.30\00:09:15.84
that the versification
was added much later
00:09:15.87\00:09:17.61
but it is nevertheless
a remarkable coincidence
00:09:17.64\00:09:21.46
and perhaps God
even had His hand in it
00:09:21.49\00:09:24.14
that John 6:66
should read this way,
00:09:24.17\00:09:29.32
From that time Jesus
had been in the temple
00:09:29.35\00:09:32.25
discussing with His disciples
00:09:32.28\00:09:34.54
began to say some things
that they didn't understand
00:09:34.57\00:09:36.58
and frankly some things
that sounded counter and two
00:09:36.61\00:09:39.43
and even outright
repulsive to them.
00:09:39.46\00:09:41.67
He began to say things
like, "Except you eat the flesh
00:09:41.70\00:09:43.33
of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
00:09:43.36\00:09:44.62
you have no life in you"
and this was revolting to them.
00:09:44.65\00:09:47.23
This was disturbing to them.
00:09:47.26\00:09:49.17
And Jesus, when He sense
00:09:49.20\00:09:50.91
that there was a
murmur among the people,
00:09:50.94\00:09:52.49
He actually intensified it
and the Bible says in John 6:66,
00:09:52.52\00:09:57.40
because of those
words from that time
00:09:57.43\00:09:59.81
many of His decuples went back
and walked with Him no more.
00:09:59.84\00:10:05.53
Now according to that
verse the people that walk away
00:10:05.56\00:10:08.98
and never came
back were disciples.
00:10:09.01\00:10:13.63
They were what,
everyone? Disciples.
00:10:13.66\00:10:15.56
They were-- isn't
it remarkable that
00:10:15.59\00:10:16.88
that's what John
6:66 should say? Yeah.
00:10:16.91\00:10:19.31
From that time
many of His disciples
00:10:19.34\00:10:20.77
walked with Him no more.
00:10:20.80\00:10:21.83
These were people who
had been following Jesus,
00:10:21.86\00:10:24.74
who believed in Jesus.
00:10:24.77\00:10:25.94
The Bible calls them disciples
and they walked away from Jesus
00:10:25.97\00:10:29.69
and what John says
is, they never came back.
00:10:29.72\00:10:34.63
Reason number two why this
is no time to look back now
00:10:34.66\00:10:37.41
is you could become so jaded
and disenfranchised by the world
00:10:37.44\00:10:43.40
that you never even
think to come back to church.
00:10:43.43\00:10:47.79
There's this amazing
thing called deception.
00:10:47.82\00:10:52.01
Have you ever heard of
deception before? Yeah.
00:10:52.04\00:10:55.35
Yeah, deception is
exceedingly dangerous
00:10:55.38\00:10:57.38
and what makes deception
so very dangerous is that
00:10:57.41\00:11:00.20
the very essence of deception
is that you are unaware,
00:11:00.23\00:11:03.28
you are being deceived.
00:11:03.31\00:11:07.74
Nobody who is being deceived
00:11:07.77\00:11:09.63
thinks of
themselves as being deceived.
00:11:09.66\00:11:12.59
If you are
sitting there this evening
00:11:12.62\00:11:14.09
thinking to yourself,
well, I am not deceived,
00:11:14.12\00:11:16.62
the problem is,
is that is exactly
00:11:16.65\00:11:18.40
how deceived people think
00:11:18.43\00:11:19.91
because no deceived
person thinks they are deceived.
00:11:19.94\00:11:22.28
The essence of
deception is you don't know it.
00:11:22.31\00:11:26.64
I've used this
illustration before
00:11:26.67\00:11:27.92
but as I am repeating
its little bit like sleeping.
00:11:27.95\00:11:30.77
Have you ever noticed
00:11:30.80\00:11:31.83
that you didn't know you
are asleep until you wake up?
00:11:31.86\00:11:36.81
And after you woken
up, then you have context
00:11:36.84\00:11:39.24
with which to
evaluate your former slumber
00:11:39.27\00:11:41.74
and you can say,
"Oh, I was asleep"
00:11:41.77\00:11:43.90
but the only
reason that you know
00:11:43.93\00:11:45.31
you were sleep is
that now you are awake.
00:11:45.34\00:11:48.96
You can go out into the world
and you can literally start
00:11:48.99\00:11:51.55
buying in to the
world's paradigm,
00:11:51.58\00:11:54.00
the lust of the flesh,
00:11:54.03\00:11:55.27
the lust of the eyes
and the pride of life.
00:11:55.30\00:11:57.31
You can become so jaded,
loose a biblical worldview
00:11:57.34\00:12:00.33
that you wouldn't
even know you were lost.
00:12:00.36\00:12:05.90
Reason number
two, according to John,
00:12:05.93\00:12:09.17
he says these disciples
turned away and never came back.
00:12:09.20\00:12:14.04
Now reason number three,
we will stay here in John 6.
00:12:14.07\00:12:18.31
Reason number three, why
this is no time to look back now
00:12:18.34\00:12:21.34
is really, I mean
frankly, honestly,
00:12:21.37\00:12:27.53
what are you
going to go back to?
00:12:27.56\00:12:31.29
Amen. I mean, be real.
00:12:31.32\00:12:38.00
What are you
going to go back to?
00:12:38.03\00:12:40.93
The ashes and
vomit and aimlessness
00:12:40.96\00:12:44.00
of your
pre-Christian life? No way.
00:12:44.03\00:12:48.97
I am in verse 67
of the same chapter.
00:12:49.00\00:12:51.59
Then Jesus said to the twelve
00:12:51.62\00:12:53.09
as Jesus was watching the
other disciples walk away,
00:12:53.12\00:12:56.89
He turned His
attention to the twelve
00:12:56.92\00:12:58.61
and he said, "Do you
also want to go away?"
00:12:58.64\00:13:03.00
The heart of Jesus is breaking.
00:13:03.03\00:13:05.96
He turn His attention to
the inner sanctum, to the core
00:13:05.99\00:13:09.56
and He addresses
them and He says,
00:13:09.59\00:13:11.55
"Do you also want to go away?"
00:13:11.58\00:13:13.23
And in verse 68,
Peter speaks up on behalf of
00:13:13.26\00:13:15.48
the rest of the apostles
and I love Peter's response.
00:13:15.51\00:13:18.90
Simon Peter answered him,
00:13:18.93\00:13:19.96
and said, "Lord,
to whom shall we go?
00:13:19.99\00:13:24.91
You have the
words of eternal life.
00:13:24.94\00:13:28.24
And we have also
come to believe and know."
00:13:28.27\00:13:32.48
Believe in what, everyone?
00:13:32.51\00:13:34.40
Not believe and
hope, "believe and know
00:13:34.43\00:13:37.10
that you are the Christ,
the Son of the living God."
00:13:37.13\00:13:41.37
Think about that
for just a moment.
00:13:41.40\00:13:42.46
The other
disciples are walking out,
00:13:42.49\00:13:44.00
Jesus turn His
attention to the twelve
00:13:44.03\00:13:45.60
and He says, "Do
you want to go too?"
00:13:45.63\00:13:50.33
And in that moment,
in that unusual, awkward,
00:13:50.36\00:13:53.63
poignant moment,
Peter turns to Jesus
00:13:53.66\00:13:56.45
and says, "Lord, if we
left, where would we go?"
00:13:56.48\00:14:01.38
That's the
question I have for you.
00:14:01.41\00:14:02.67
Where are you going to go?
00:14:02.70\00:14:04.83
Really, where
are you going to go?
00:14:04.86\00:14:09.58
Peter says basically You
are the only show in town.
00:14:09.61\00:14:13.20
We don't
understand everything You say.
00:14:13.23\00:14:14.74
We don't
understand everything You do
00:14:14.77\00:14:17.03
but we believe that You
have the words of eternal life
00:14:17.06\00:14:19.30
and we have come
to know and to believe
00:14:19.33\00:14:20.67
that You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
00:14:20.70\00:14:22.71
Where else you're
going to go beloved?
00:14:22.74\00:14:28.57
Back to the vomit and
aimlessness of your old life.
00:14:28.60\00:14:33.15
Do me a favor, do not make
00:14:33.18\00:14:34.78
eternal decisions
about your welfare,
00:14:34.81\00:14:38.00
do not make eternal decisions
about your spiritual experience
00:14:38.03\00:14:41.28
while you are
watching a sitcom. Amen.
00:14:41.31\00:14:46.58
Sitcoms and beer commercials
and Must See TV is not reality.
00:14:46.61\00:14:53.62
You are not choosing between
00:14:53.65\00:14:56.54
Seventh-day
Adventism and some sitcom show.
00:14:56.57\00:15:00.21
That is not reality.
00:15:00.24\00:15:01.65
If you really want to
know what you are turning to,
00:15:01.68\00:15:04.00
just spend a little alone
time, a little quiet time,
00:15:04.03\00:15:06.95
turn off the mp3
player, turn off the cell phone,
00:15:06.98\00:15:10.92
Lord have mercy
and sit and be quiet.
00:15:10.95\00:15:15.17
And start to think about
the confusion, the questions,
00:15:15.20\00:15:19.53
the forebodings, the
doubts that were in your mind
00:15:19.56\00:15:23.40
before you became a Christian.
00:15:23.43\00:15:25.36
Think about the despair
00:15:25.39\00:15:27.01
and the depression
that you know you had,
00:15:27.04\00:15:29.11
the great and grand questions
that plagued your every day
00:15:29.14\00:15:33.15
before you came
to faith in Jesus.
00:15:33.18\00:15:35.02
Get that picture in your mind,
00:15:35.05\00:15:36.69
that's what
you'd be going back to.
00:15:36.72\00:15:39.26
You are not going back
to some artificial world
00:15:39.29\00:15:41.39
that's been created by
some charlatan in Hollywood.
00:15:41.42\00:15:44.20
You are going back to despair.
00:15:44.23\00:15:48.28
Only in Christ do you find
00:15:48.31\00:15:50.25
origin, meaning,
morality and destiny.
00:15:50.28\00:15:53.20
Only in Christ is
your life even make sense
00:15:53.23\00:15:56.04
and so Jesus says to you today,
where are you going to go?
00:15:56.07\00:15:58.66
I mean, really,
where are you going to go?
00:15:58.69\00:16:04.66
If you are struggling in
your Christian experience,
00:16:04.69\00:16:06.94
if you don't have all
the answers join the club
00:16:06.97\00:16:11.71
but in those
difficult, sometimes depressive,
00:16:11.74\00:16:14.33
sometimes frustrating
moments please, please, please
00:16:14.36\00:16:17.68
do not chose between that
and some artificial option
00:16:17.71\00:16:21.48
that doesn't really
exist in the real world.
00:16:21.51\00:16:24.25
Take some time
alone and remember
00:16:24.28\00:16:26.91
what it was like
before you came to Jesus.
00:16:26.94\00:16:29.57
Think about the
ashes that your life was
00:16:29.60\00:16:32.74
before you came
to faith in Christ.
00:16:32.77\00:16:34.32
That's where you
would be going back to
00:16:34.35\00:16:35.83
and don't kid yourself about it.
00:16:35.86\00:16:38.73
Someone say, amen. Amen.
00:16:38.76\00:16:43.07
You think you
are going to freedom,
00:16:43.10\00:16:44.49
you are really
walking headlong into bondage.
00:16:44.52\00:16:48.50
That's reason number
three not to turn back now.
00:16:48.53\00:16:52.77
Where are you going to go?
I've just got to throw this in.
00:16:52.80\00:16:59.15
Now this will be a
little sophisticated
00:16:59.18\00:17:00.74
for which I don't apologize.
00:17:00.77\00:17:07.50
As we said in our
opening presentation,
00:17:07.53\00:17:09.26
there are only two
kinds of universes possible.
00:17:09.29\00:17:14.20
You think with me just
for a moment philosophically.
00:17:14.23\00:17:17.14
There are only two
possible kinds of universes.
00:17:17.17\00:17:22.46
We either live in
a theistic universe
00:17:22.49\00:17:24.74
that is a universe in
which God exists and is real
00:17:24.77\00:17:27.55
or we live in a
non-theistic universe,
00:17:27.58\00:17:29.68
that is to say in a
natural universe in which
00:17:29.71\00:17:32.03
everything you see around
you is simply matter in motion.
00:17:32.06\00:17:36.05
You have two
fundamental components
00:17:36.08\00:17:37.82
that make up
everything you see around you,
00:17:37.85\00:17:39.40
from chairs to people to pianos
00:17:39.43\00:17:41.96
and that is
matter and energy. Okay.
00:17:41.99\00:17:45.35
These two world views
could not be further apart.
00:17:45.38\00:17:48.37
On this side you
have a personal creator
00:17:48.40\00:17:50.42
that has fashioned
you in His own image
00:17:50.45\00:17:52.33
and on this side you
have matter in motion
00:17:52.36\00:17:55.02
and these two world
views are totally antithetical.
00:17:55.05\00:17:58.85
If what I am saying
makes sense say, amen.
00:17:58.88\00:18:00.90
Amen. Okay.
00:18:00.93\00:18:01.99
If you go over
into this world view,
00:18:02.02\00:18:04.10
where all you have to
work with is matter and energy.
00:18:04.13\00:18:07.56
You are not
allowed to take the ladle
00:18:07.59\00:18:09.65
and dip into that world view
00:18:09.68\00:18:11.58
to take the
things out that you like.
00:18:11.61\00:18:13.70
In this world view
you don't have God,
00:18:13.73\00:18:16.11
so you don't get
any of the benefits
00:18:16.14\00:18:17.84
or blessings or amenities that
come in a God centered universe.
00:18:17.87\00:18:22.67
You are stuck
with matter and energy
00:18:22.70\00:18:26.27
and are winning in philosophy,
you are stuck with it.
00:18:26.30\00:18:29.80
Now what does life look like?
00:18:29.83\00:18:32.56
Well, let me tell
you what it looks like.
00:18:32.59\00:18:37.07
All of the things that
you consider to be virtuous
00:18:37.10\00:18:39.85
just immediately evaporated.
00:18:39.88\00:18:41.92
There is no such thing
as virtue in this universe.
00:18:41.95\00:18:46.52
We do not laud
Martin Luther King Junior
00:18:46.55\00:18:48.99
or Mother Teresa or
any other great person
00:18:49.02\00:18:51.97
for the wonderful
things that they have done
00:18:52.00\00:18:53.94
because in this world you
only have matter and energy
00:18:53.97\00:18:56.77
and in a world of
just matter and energy,
00:18:56.80\00:18:58.76
there is nothing such as virtue
in the transcendence sense.
00:18:58.79\00:19:03.50
In this world view
there is no difference
00:19:03.53\00:19:05.74
between caring for your neighbor
00:19:05.77\00:19:07.40
and killing your neighbor
and cutting his head off.
00:19:07.43\00:19:10.72
In this world view
everything that you think of,
00:19:10.75\00:19:13.22
the dreams that you have,
the passions that you have,
00:19:13.25\00:19:15.84
the sense of
honor that you have,
00:19:15.87\00:19:17.89
everything that the movies
really make their money off of,
00:19:17.92\00:19:21.68
all of that
virtue and joy and honor
00:19:21.71\00:19:24.60
and the guy gets
the girl, it disappears.
00:19:24.63\00:19:29.11
You cannot sustain that
kind of a moral world view
00:19:29.14\00:19:32.69
when all you have to work
with is matter and energy.
00:19:32.72\00:19:37.13
If you want those niceties,
if you want those amenities,
00:19:37.16\00:19:39.88
you got to step
into God's world view
00:19:39.91\00:19:42.18
because God
alone as a moral figure
00:19:42.21\00:19:44.91
can create a moral context
00:19:44.94\00:19:47.04
with which to make
sense out of life. Amen.
00:19:47.07\00:19:49.93
So if you are over
there, you are not allowed
00:19:49.96\00:19:51.98
to dip the stick in over
here and still hope for things
00:19:52.01\00:19:55.27
like virtue and
wise and meaning in life.
00:19:55.30\00:19:59.56
It's gone. But so
much more is gone.
00:19:59.59\00:20:03.73
You are gone because
you think that you exist.
00:20:03.76\00:20:09.38
You think that you are a
person that has personality
00:20:09.41\00:20:12.69
and desires and
hope and ambitions,
00:20:12.72\00:20:15.50
you believe that you
exist but guess what, over here
00:20:15.53\00:20:18.71
you are only what you
think is you is only illusory.
00:20:18.74\00:20:24.06
You are nothing more than a
bag of biological stuff in which
00:20:24.09\00:20:29.12
physiological and physical
processes are taking place
00:20:29.15\00:20:32.81
that creates the
illusion of personhood
00:20:32.84\00:20:35.56
but you are not a person
in the most emphatic sense.
00:20:35.59\00:20:41.03
In fact the love that you
feel for your sweet someone,
00:20:41.06\00:20:43.80
the love that you
feel for your spouse,
00:20:43.83\00:20:46.20
the tenderness that you
might feel toward your children
00:20:46.27\00:20:48.23
or toward your mother,
00:20:48.26\00:20:49.59
all of that is not one bit
different from gas or diarrhea.
00:20:49.62\00:20:55.41
They are just physical processes
00:20:58.81\00:21:00.45
taking place in
a physical organ.
00:21:00.48\00:21:02.45
We attach happy feelings to one,
00:21:02.48\00:21:04.69
namely love and
all of those things
00:21:04.72\00:21:06.22
and unhappy
feelings to the other
00:21:06.25\00:21:07.54
namely gas and indigestion
00:21:07.57\00:21:09.25
but they are physical processes
taking place in a physical being
00:21:09.28\00:21:12.89
and they are
essentially, quantitatively,
00:21:12.92\00:21:15.18
qualitatively the same
in a physical universe.
00:21:15.21\00:21:19.68
Now tell me that's how
you are living your life.
00:21:19.71\00:21:22.48
Tell me that when
you see your spouse,
00:21:22.51\00:21:25.04
you don't attach very
different feelings to that
00:21:25.07\00:21:27.87
then when you have indigestion.
00:21:27.90\00:21:33.85
Now we kind of
chuckle but beloved,
00:21:33.88\00:21:35.50
I want you to think about this.
00:21:35.53\00:21:36.98
In this universe when
all you've got to work with
00:21:37.01\00:21:39.99
is matter and energy you cannot
get the niceties and amenities
00:21:40.02\00:21:45.21
of living in a moral
frame where you can't get them.
00:21:45.24\00:21:49.02
Beloved, if you get rid of God,
00:21:49.05\00:21:50.85
you don't just get rid
of some old bearded man
00:21:50.88\00:21:53.16
living on a cloud in the sky,
00:21:53.19\00:21:55.04
your whole life breaks down
as you presently understand it.
00:21:55.07\00:22:00.41
By the way, what makes you, you?
00:22:00.44\00:22:04.57
I am going to venture a guess
00:22:04.60\00:22:05.84
that you actually
believe that you have a mind.
00:22:05.87\00:22:09.48
That you have a what, everyone?
00:22:09.51\00:22:10.90
Mind. A mind.
00:22:10.93\00:22:12.44
And I am going to
hazard a guess that you believe
00:22:12.47\00:22:14.77
that you are actually a
person that actually exists
00:22:14.80\00:22:19.08
but in a physical, in a strictly
physical world over here,
00:22:19.11\00:22:22.62
minds do not
exist, only brains do.
00:22:22.65\00:22:28.82
Now there is a
difference you understand
00:22:28.85\00:22:31.38
between a brain and a mind.
00:22:31.41\00:22:33.45
Amen, yes or no? Yes.
00:22:33.48\00:22:35.14
Okay, so you
could cut my head open,
00:22:35.17\00:22:36.85
I hope you don't choose to
do that but you could do that
00:22:36.88\00:22:39.57
and you can take out my brain
and you could look at my brain.
00:22:39.60\00:22:42.55
You could weight it,
you could measure it,
00:22:42.58\00:22:43.61
you could smell
it, you could touch it,
00:22:43.64\00:22:44.99
you could throw it, you could--
00:22:45.02\00:22:46.05
you have a physical
object that you could manipulate
00:22:46.08\00:22:49.00
and weigh but I could
never show you my minds.
00:22:49.03\00:22:54.43
But I couldn't
reach my pocket and say,
00:22:54.46\00:22:55.51
let me show you my mind, right.
00:22:55.54\00:22:57.79
When we say, I've lost my mind,
00:22:57.82\00:23:00.26
you didn't really loose it,
00:23:00.29\00:23:01.44
it's not like
it's under the couch.
00:23:01.47\00:23:05.58
Now think about this for just
a moment, where is your mind?
00:23:05.61\00:23:10.77
Your mind is not your brain,
they are different things.
00:23:10.80\00:23:13.17
The brain is a physical organ
00:23:13.20\00:23:15.17
that is subject to
physical processes.
00:23:15.20\00:23:17.29
It is true that the mind
has its seat in the brain
00:23:17.32\00:23:20.15
but the brain and the
mind are not synonymous.
00:23:20.18\00:23:22.23
Are we all on the
same page, yes or no?
00:23:22.26\00:23:24.15
Yes. Have you ever seen a mind?
00:23:24.18\00:23:29.08
Has anyone in this
room ever seen a mind?
00:23:29.11\00:23:32.42
Okay, how many people in this
room believe that minds exist?
00:23:32.45\00:23:37.00
Okay, so every
one of you believes
00:23:37.03\00:23:38.91
in something that
you have never seen.
00:23:38.94\00:23:42.82
Every one of you believes
in multiplied millions of minds
00:23:42.85\00:23:46.88
and yet you have never
seen a single one, guess what.
00:23:46.91\00:23:49.50
In this world over here,
in this world view over here
00:23:49.53\00:23:52.42
where all you have
is matter and energy,
00:23:52.45\00:23:54.94
immaterial things cannot
exist in a material world.
00:23:54.97\00:23:59.64
Non-material things do
not exist in a material world.
00:23:59.67\00:24:02.43
What are you going to
make a mind out of? Carbon?
00:24:02.46\00:24:06.26
What are you going to
make a mind out of? Helium?
00:24:06.29\00:24:08.38
Guess what, in
this world over here
00:24:08.41\00:24:11.56
your very personality, your mind
what makes you, you is gone.
00:24:11.59\00:24:19.56
Only over here in a biblical
world view can we make sense
00:24:19.59\00:24:24.01
out of immaterial things
like minds and spirits and God.
00:24:24.04\00:24:30.11
Now here is the point.
00:24:30.14\00:24:31.17
If you've been able to
stay through with this,
00:24:31.20\00:24:32.72
the point is this.
00:24:32.75\00:24:33.78
If you decide to leave God,
00:24:33.81\00:24:35.70
you are not just leaving
an old bearded man in the sky,
00:24:35.73\00:24:38.51
you are leaving
intelligible life
00:24:38.54\00:24:40.81
as you know it
and understand it.
00:24:40.84\00:24:43.53
And guess what?
00:24:43.56\00:24:44.93
Even atheists who believe
00:24:44.96\00:24:47.30
their philosophy intellectually
cannot live that way.
00:24:47.33\00:24:53.09
If an atheist is-- if an
atheist has his wife murdered,
00:24:53.12\00:24:57.66
he has a sense of justice,
00:24:57.69\00:24:59.79
he has a sense of
vengeance, why? Why?
00:24:59.82\00:25:05.10
There is nothing like
justice in his world view,
00:25:05.13\00:25:07.20
there is nothing like
honor in his world view,
00:25:07.23\00:25:09.36
there is nothing like
punishment in his world view,
00:25:09.39\00:25:11.58
there is nothing like
wise in his world view.
00:25:11.61\00:25:13.57
All he has is carbon and helium
00:25:13.60\00:25:16.84
and energy and
that's it, matter.
00:25:16.87\00:25:22.54
Reason number three why this is
no time to leave is simply this.
00:25:22.57\00:25:25.66
When you get rid of God,
you are getting rid of a lot
00:25:25.69\00:25:28.13
more than a bearded old
patriarchal figure in the sky,
00:25:28.16\00:25:31.40
you are getting rid
of life as you know it
00:25:31.43\00:25:33.90
and understand it and love it.
00:25:33.93\00:25:38.19
If that make
sense say, amen. Amen.
00:25:38.22\00:25:40.63
We need to be
teaching this by the way
00:25:40.66\00:25:42.03
to our young
people in the schools.
00:25:42.06\00:25:43.96
We need to be teaching
that Christianity is fiercely,
00:25:43.99\00:25:47.32
philosophically,
intellectually credible.
00:25:47.35\00:25:51.32
They need to understand that
the bankruptcy of materialism,
00:25:51.35\00:25:55.17
they need to
understand the bankruptcy
00:25:55.20\00:25:57.70
of a strictly materialistic
view of the universe.
00:25:57.73\00:26:00.44
They need to see that
Christianity is not just
00:26:00.47\00:26:02.97
a fuzzy-woozy feels
good stuff, it's true. Amen.
00:26:03.00\00:26:08.43
So that that if
they are turning from--
00:26:08.46\00:26:09.85
if they are turning from Christ,
if they are turning from faith,
00:26:09.88\00:26:12.71
if they are turning
from the biblical world view,
00:26:12.74\00:26:14.79
they are in my estimation
00:26:14.82\00:26:16.38
and I think many philosophers
have made a good case for this,
00:26:16.41\00:26:18.52
they are turning from
rationality itself. Amen.
00:26:18.55\00:26:24.62
Number four, reason
not to turn back now,
00:26:24.65\00:26:28.78
Jesus is coming soon. Amen.
00:26:28.81\00:26:31.49
This would be a
bad time to look back.
00:26:31.52\00:26:35.79
Two hundred and fifty
plus thousand people are swept
00:26:35.82\00:26:40.11
into oblivion and non
existence by a single tsunami.
00:26:40.14\00:26:45.51
My Bible says in
the Gospel of Luke
00:26:45.54\00:26:47.06
that the waves of
the sea would be roaring.
00:26:47.09\00:26:50.99
Earthquakes and false
christs and false prophets,
00:26:51.02\00:26:54.08
a state of confusion
in the religious world,
00:26:54.11\00:26:57.16
the United State just
increasing, increasing,
00:26:57.19\00:26:59.42
increasing in its
political potency and power
00:26:59.45\00:27:02.66
and do I need to say anything
00:27:02.69\00:27:04.24
about the first
beast of Revelation 13,
00:27:04.27\00:27:06.69
gaining influence,
gaining influence not just
00:27:06.72\00:27:09.63
over the Christian
churches but also over Islam
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.42
and reaching out his hand in
variety of different directions.
00:27:12.45\00:27:14.88
The Lutheran
church just ready now
00:27:14.91\00:27:17.49
to step back up under
the banner of mother Rome
00:27:17.52\00:27:19.89
and of course the Methodists
are doing this and others.
00:27:19.92\00:27:23.28
It's all happening.
00:27:23.31\00:27:24.49
Our whole end time
scatological picture
00:27:24.52\00:27:27.27
is being fulfilled right
before our very eyes. Amen.
00:27:27.30\00:27:31.03
Everything I see
communicates to me
00:27:31.06\00:27:34.48
in the plainest language
that Jesus is coming soon,
00:27:34.51\00:27:37.41
that our end time
picture which incidentally
00:27:37.44\00:27:40.16
Ellen White communicated in
the book, The Great Controversy,
00:27:40.19\00:27:42.29
some hundred plus years
ago and she did not have
00:27:42.32\00:27:46.11
the perspective of
history that we do today.
00:27:46.14\00:27:47.88
I mean things that
she said in that book
00:27:47.91\00:27:49.91
were so plainly prophetic.
00:27:49.94\00:27:51.51
In my estimation
you have to be a fool
00:27:51.54\00:27:53.49
to deny the
prophetic significance.
00:27:53.52\00:27:55.65
Amen. They are happening.
00:27:55.68\00:28:00.37
Jesus is soon to come.
00:28:00.40\00:28:02.12
As we've already
suggested the post 9/11 world
00:28:02.15\00:28:04.51
looks nothing
like the pre 9/11 world
00:28:04.54\00:28:06.59
and it's only
going to intensify.
00:28:06.62\00:28:08.57
Now don't ask me
to put a date on it.
00:28:08.60\00:28:09.97
I don't know if Jesus is coming
in five years or in 10 years
00:28:10.00\00:28:12.66
but I will tell you this,
00:28:12.69\00:28:14.01
everything is in
place for Him to come. Amen.
00:28:14.04\00:28:17.85
Everything, every single time
prophecy has been fulfilled.
00:28:17.88\00:28:20.63
The 1260
fulfilled, 1290 fulfilled,
00:28:20.66\00:28:22.95
1335 fulfilled,
2300 day prophecy,
00:28:22.98\00:28:25.40
the longest time prophecy in all
the bible was fulfilled in 1844,
00:28:25.43\00:28:28.62
that was a 150 years ago,
the time prophecies are done.
00:28:28.65\00:28:31.92
We are waiting on nothing. Amen.
00:28:31.95\00:28:37.08
Jesus is soon to come.
00:28:37.11\00:28:38.51
It's not just a
cliche, it's true. Amen.
00:28:38.54\00:28:44.84
This is no time
to be looking back.
00:28:44.87\00:28:49.16
What guarantee that you
have that Jesus won't return
00:28:49.19\00:28:52.47
while you are out sowing
your veritable wild oats?
00:28:52.50\00:28:56.96
Reason number five, open
your Bible with me to Luke 14.
00:28:56.99\00:29:02.84
Reason number five why this
is no time to look back now.
00:29:02.87\00:29:04.99
Others will mock you
00:29:05.02\00:29:07.96
and potentially be
lost by your poor example.
00:29:07.99\00:29:10.70
Now I know that's not
happy fuzzy warm feelings
00:29:10.73\00:29:14.52
but the reality is
that the religion of Christ
00:29:14.55\00:29:17.15
will loose
significant credibility
00:29:17.18\00:29:19.81
with those within
your circle of influence.
00:29:19.84\00:29:22.37
Luke 14:28,
Jesus said it, not me,
00:29:22.40\00:29:28.30
"For which of you,
intending to build a tower,"
00:29:28.33\00:29:30.97
intending to build
what, everyone? Tower.
00:29:31.00\00:29:33.11
"A tower does not sit
down first and count the cost
00:29:33.14\00:29:37.20
whether he has
enough to finish it."
00:29:37.23\00:29:38.67
Verse 29, "Lest after
he has laid a foundation
00:29:38.70\00:29:41.04
and is not able
to--" what, everyone?
00:29:41.07\00:29:43.57
"Finish, all who see it will
begin to--" what? "Mock him."
00:29:43.60\00:29:49.38
Jesus says this is a story
of a man who begins to build
00:29:49.41\00:29:53.10
but he's not able to
finish the building project
00:29:53.13\00:29:55.48
because he didn't
have enough resources,
00:29:55.51\00:29:57.21
he didn't count the cost.
00:29:57.24\00:30:01.78
Beloved Jesus has been
00:30:01.81\00:30:02.91
unequivocal
about what the cost is.
00:30:02.94\00:30:06.13
He who seeks to save
his life will lose it,
00:30:06.16\00:30:09.58
the cost is everything.
00:30:09.61\00:30:11.62
The cost is
taking up your cross,
00:30:11.65\00:30:13.28
the cost is giving up your life
00:30:13.31\00:30:16.35
so that you can
find your life in Christ.
00:30:16.38\00:30:18.30
So you can never say, oh, I
didn't know what the cost was.
00:30:18.33\00:30:20.53
The cost is everything.
00:30:20.56\00:30:22.11
If Jesus gave
everything for you,
00:30:22.14\00:30:23.96
what makes you think that
you can give any less to Him.
00:30:23.99\00:30:27.02
Amen. Amen.
00:30:27.05\00:30:30.63
And so one reason
why not to turn back
00:30:30.66\00:30:32.86
is that others within
your circle of influence
00:30:32.89\00:30:35.32
will mock you and
then will potently be lost
00:30:35.35\00:30:38.24
by your turning back.
00:30:38.27\00:30:39.59
Look at verse 34
of the same chapter,
00:30:39.62\00:30:41.37
salt is good but if the
salt has lost its flavor,
00:30:41.40\00:30:46.35
how shall it be seasoned?
00:30:46.38\00:30:48.39
I could say
Christianity is good.
00:30:48.42\00:30:50.74
Christians are good
but if the Christians
00:30:50.77\00:30:52.48
has lost its Christianity,
how shall it be seasoned?
00:30:52.51\00:30:56.94
"It is neither fit for
the land nor for the dunghill,
00:30:56.97\00:31:00.30
but men throw it out.
00:31:00.33\00:31:01.36
He who has ears to
hear, let him hear."
00:31:01.39\00:31:05.99
If you are on fire for Jesus
00:31:06.02\00:31:07.70
and you are living for
Jesus and talking for Jesus
00:31:07.73\00:31:10.63
and preaching for Jesus
and all of the sudden you stop,
00:31:10.66\00:31:14.19
do not tell me
that, that will not have
00:31:14.22\00:31:16.33
a reverberating and redounding
00:31:16.36\00:31:18.19
decidedly negative
influence on those around you
00:31:18.22\00:31:21.41
who saw you as a
Christian person.
00:31:21.44\00:31:25.45
Amen. Amen.
00:31:25.48\00:31:27.25
Be responsible about
your Christian witness.
00:31:27.28\00:31:30.35
It's not all about you.
00:31:30.38\00:31:32.67
If you chose to turn away,
this will not only affect you,
00:31:32.70\00:31:36.65
it will have
reverberating consequences
00:31:36.68\00:31:38.95
for those around you.
00:31:38.98\00:31:40.77
Amen. Amen.
00:31:40.80\00:31:44.00
Now you might not like that
and you might not like that,
00:31:44.03\00:31:46.80
oh, here comes the big
"R" word, responsibility.
00:31:46.83\00:31:51.14
But beloved, here's
something never forget this.
00:31:51.17\00:31:53.43
Your salvation is wrapped up
with other people's salvation.
00:31:53.46\00:31:59.74
Who you are and how you live
00:31:59.77\00:32:01.60
and the decisions you
make are not only yours.
00:32:01.63\00:32:04.26
You are not some autonomous,
isolated island unto yourself.
00:32:04.29\00:32:08.14
If you chose to live for
God, then you can reverberate
00:32:08.17\00:32:11.26
and send out good vibrations
00:32:11.29\00:32:12.87
if you will to those around you
00:32:12.90\00:32:14.45
and if you chose
to turn from that,
00:32:14.48\00:32:16.65
it will redound
not to the glory of God
00:32:16.68\00:32:19.64
but to the glory of Satan
and people will be influenced
00:32:19.67\00:32:22.39
and even horror of
horrors potently lost
00:32:22.42\00:32:25.13
because of your
negative influence.
00:32:25.16\00:32:31.49
Reason number six is
very similar to that.
00:32:31.52\00:32:35.55
Others could be lost
00:32:35.58\00:32:37.43
but you could have been
instrumental in helping to save.
00:32:37.46\00:32:42.21
Ezekiel 33, go there
with me if you would.
00:32:42.24\00:32:46.21
This is not happy scripture
but it is true scripture
00:32:46.24\00:32:50.21
beginning in verse 1.
00:32:56.26\00:32:59.17
Ezekiel 33:1, reason number six,
00:32:59.20\00:33:01.87
others maybe lost
that you could have been
00:33:01.90\00:33:04.42
instrumental in helping to save.
00:33:04.45\00:33:09.24
Ezekiel 33:1, "Again the
word of the Lord came to me,
00:33:09.27\00:33:11.45
saying, "Son of man, speak
to the children of your people,
00:33:11.48\00:33:13.41
and say to them, 'When I
bring the sword upon a land,
00:33:13.44\00:33:15.25
and the people of the land
take a man from their territory
00:33:15.28\00:33:17.24
and make him their watchman,
00:33:17.27\00:33:18.41
when he sees the
sword coming upon the land,
00:33:18.44\00:33:20.41
he blows the trumpet
and warns the people."
00:33:20.44\00:33:21.94
Verse 4, "Then whoever
hears the sound of the trumpet
00:33:21.97\00:33:24.26
and does not take
warning, if the sword comes
00:33:24.29\00:33:26.35
and takes him away, his
blood shall be on his own head.
00:33:26.38\00:33:29.86
He heard the
sound of the trumpet,
00:33:29.89\00:33:30.94
but did not take warning,
his blood shall be upon himself.
00:33:30.97\00:33:33.22
But he who takes
warning will save his life.
00:33:33.25\00:33:34.94
But if the watchman
sees the sword coming
00:33:34.97\00:33:36.42
and does not blow the trumpet,
and the people are not warned,
00:33:36.45\00:33:38.64
and the sword comes and takes
any person from among them,
00:33:38.67\00:33:41.71
he is taken
away in his iniquity,
00:33:41.74\00:33:43.19
but his blood I will
require at the watchman's hand.'
00:33:43.22\00:33:47.15
"So you, son of man.
00:33:47.18\00:33:48.21
I have made you a watchman
for the house of Israel,
00:33:48.24\00:33:49.74
therefore you shall
hear a word from My mouth
00:33:49.77\00:33:51.55
and warn them for Me.
00:33:51.58\00:33:52.72
When I say to the
wicked, 'O wicked man,
00:33:52.75\00:33:54.51
you shall surely die!'
00:33:54.54\00:33:55.57
and you do not speak to warn
the wicked man from his way,
00:33:55.60\00:33:57.74
that wicked man
shall die in his iniquity,
00:33:57.77\00:33:59.47
but his blood I will
require at your hand."
00:33:59.50\00:34:04.46
The Apostle
Paul said in Romans 1
00:34:04.49\00:34:06.25
that he was a deader to
both the wise and to the unwise,
00:34:06.28\00:34:10.08
to the Greek and
to the Barbarian,
00:34:10.11\00:34:11.74
he was a deader.
00:34:11.77\00:34:12.80
He was a what, everyone? Deader.
00:34:12.83\00:34:14.40
What he meant by
that is he knew the truth
00:34:14.43\00:34:16.74
and now he was duty bound,
00:34:16.77\00:34:18.94
debt bound to
communicate the truth
00:34:18.97\00:34:21.85
to others in
whatever way he could.
00:34:21.88\00:34:27.62
Now that does not mean--
00:34:27.65\00:34:28.77
and I want to be
crystal clear about this,
00:34:28.80\00:34:30.27
that does not man you
have to be a Mark Finley
00:34:30.30\00:34:32.45
traveling around the
world with a veritable you know,
00:34:32.48\00:34:36.49
or made of satellite technology
00:34:36.52\00:34:39.04
but what it does mean is in
you little sphere of influence,
00:34:39.07\00:34:43.07
you can tell others
what you have come to know
00:34:43.10\00:34:45.87
about God and Jesus
and salvation. Amen.
00:34:45.90\00:34:50.64
You are responsible.
00:34:50.67\00:34:52.83
God has entrusted this to you,
00:34:52.86\00:34:55.26
now you need to use
it to the glory of God.
00:34:55.29\00:34:58.91
Amen. Amen.
00:34:58.94\00:35:00.78
People say, oh, pastor,
oh, that's that a guilt trip.
00:35:00.81\00:35:03.21
Oh you are going to give
them a guilt trip, pastor.
00:35:03.24\00:35:06.06
Let me tell you something.
00:35:06.09\00:35:09.13
If somebody accuses me
of being a drug trafficker,
00:35:09.16\00:35:12.83
somebody says, Pastor Asscherick
is really a drug trafficker,
00:35:12.86\00:35:14.57
all of his national,
international travels is just--
00:35:14.60\00:35:17.27
it's a cover up for
drug trafficking, right.
00:35:17.30\00:35:20.42
You can accuse me
of that, you can put me
00:35:20.45\00:35:21.99
in front of a high court,
you can accuse me of that.
00:35:22.02\00:35:23.49
You know what, I would
never ever feel guilty about it
00:35:23.52\00:35:27.57
because I am innocent.
00:35:27.60\00:35:29.60
Have you ever noticed if
there is a direct correlation
00:35:29.63\00:35:31.52
between having a
guilt trip put on you
00:35:31.55\00:35:33.98
and actually being
guilty? Are you with me?
00:35:34.01\00:35:37.98
I can't put a guilt trip on you.
00:35:41.43\00:35:44.19
If you are guilty you
know it, that's the point.
00:35:44.22\00:35:46.48
The Holy Spirit is
the one that says to you,
00:35:46.51\00:35:49.06
be more
responsible with the gifts
00:35:49.09\00:35:50.86
that I've entrusted you.
00:35:50.89\00:35:51.99
Someone say, amen. Amen.
00:35:52.02\00:35:53.60
It's not a guilt
trip, it's the truth.
00:35:53.63\00:35:56.57
A metallurgical
engineer who had zero charisma,
00:35:56.60\00:36:01.18
zero charisma is the one
who studied the Bible with me.
00:36:01.21\00:36:05.10
His name was Josh
and he talked very slow.
00:36:05.13\00:36:09.10
And I remember the
first time I ever met Josh,
00:36:15.08\00:36:16.74
I had been going into this
vegan vegetarian restaurant
00:36:16.77\00:36:19.52
and I just enjoy their
food and as I've already said,
00:36:19.55\00:36:22.81
I had purple hair,
blue hair, long hair,
00:36:22.84\00:36:24.19
no hair,
dreadlocked hair, crazy hair.
00:36:24.22\00:36:25.74
I was a punk rocker and I told,
00:36:25.77\00:36:27.51
I thought these
people were weird
00:36:27.54\00:36:28.76
because they call one
another brother and sister,
00:36:28.79\00:36:30.22
they were just weird people.
00:36:30.25\00:36:32.32
And I would ask
questions about the Bible
00:36:32.35\00:36:34.93
and I was kind of
curious about you know,
00:36:34.96\00:36:36.23
how biblical people thought.
00:36:36.26\00:36:37.56
Frankly I thought
these people were naive
00:36:37.59\00:36:39.09
and just uninitiated.
00:36:39.12\00:36:40.91
And it came up, the
lady that on the restaurant,
00:36:40.94\00:36:44.41
Mary, she said, would
you like Bible studies
00:36:44.44\00:36:46.05
and I thought well,
it's a novel idea, sure.
00:36:46.08\00:36:49.47
And so I made the arrangement
to have Bible studies
00:36:49.50\00:36:51.65
at the restaurant
and when I came in,
00:36:51.68\00:36:52.94
I thought I was Bible
studying with Mary, right?
00:36:52.97\00:36:57.54
But she did the switch rule
00:36:57.57\00:36:59.36
and I ended up
Bible studying with Josh.
00:36:59.39\00:37:03.36
And from the
moment that I met Josh,
00:37:06.70\00:37:09.36
I was so frustrated by him
00:37:09.39\00:37:10.86
because I wanted to finish every
single one of his sentences.
00:37:10.89\00:37:16.29
And we would sit down
and in our Bible studies
00:37:16.32\00:37:19.50
that should have taken
every bit of 45 minutes
00:37:19.53\00:37:21.92
would some times
take two hours or more.
00:37:21.95\00:37:25.92
But that
brother in his own armor
00:37:33.33\00:37:37.65
with his great
big lack of charisma
00:37:37.68\00:37:40.05
and he would not
mind me telling you
00:37:40.08\00:37:41.41
that he is a
wonderful godly Christian man.
00:37:41.44\00:37:43.94
He was a
student, he was in school,
00:37:43.97\00:37:46.62
he wasn't studying theology,
he was studying engineering,
00:37:46.65\00:37:49.72
he was not a great charismatic,
00:37:49.75\00:37:52.04
eloquent person
but he took time.
00:37:52.07\00:37:56.60
He took what? Time.
00:37:56.63\00:37:57.99
He took time to sit down
with the purple haired freak
00:37:58.02\00:38:01.75
and explained the
gospel to him. Amen.
00:38:01.78\00:38:04.78
And hallelujah, that
purpled haired freak believed
00:38:04.81\00:38:08.92
what was communicated
00:38:08.95\00:38:10.00
and today he is
a preacher. Amen.
00:38:10.03\00:38:12.64
No my friend Josh,
it is highly unlikely,
00:38:12.67\00:38:14.54
though all things
are possible with God,
00:38:14.57\00:38:16.16
it's highly unlikely
00:38:16.19\00:38:17.22
that he would
ever stand up in front
00:38:17.25\00:38:19.31
as I am today making a
presentation like this, right?
00:38:19.34\00:38:23.35
He just wouldn't do it.
00:38:23.38\00:38:25.02
But the point is
this, every soul that I win
00:38:25.05\00:38:28.14
is a star in that
brother's crown. Amen.
00:38:28.17\00:38:30.91
You see, you might not be a Paul
00:38:30.94\00:38:32.50
but maybe you could win a Paul,
00:38:32.53\00:38:35.34
you might not be a Peter
00:38:35.37\00:38:36.40
but may be you
could win a Peter.
00:38:36.43\00:38:37.80
By the way Peter was
won by his brother Andrew.
00:38:37.83\00:38:41.07
Andrew is the one
that brought Peter
00:38:41.10\00:38:42.66
and it's so
interesting because every time
00:38:42.69\00:38:43.90
you read the Bible it says,
00:38:43.93\00:38:45.46
it says Andrew and then it says,
00:38:45.49\00:38:46.56
Simon Peter's brother.
00:38:46.59\00:38:49.66
It's really
funny because you know
00:38:49.69\00:38:50.76
you know nothing about Andrew.
00:38:50.79\00:38:51.82
If I give a piece of paper
00:38:51.85\00:38:52.88
and I said write down
10 things about Andrew
00:38:52.91\00:38:54.20
you couldn't do it.
00:38:54.23\00:38:55.45
But you could write
down a hundred things
00:38:55.48\00:38:56.79
about Peter, right.
00:38:56.82\00:38:58.16
But who won Peter?
00:38:58.19\00:38:59.78
Andrew brought Peter to Jesus
00:38:59.81\00:39:01.91
and so may be
you are not a Peter,
00:39:01.94\00:39:03.69
may be you are an Andrew. Amen.
00:39:03.72\00:39:07.78
Do not think for a moment
00:39:07.81\00:39:09.01
that you have to
go to some school,
00:39:09.04\00:39:10.29
you have to have
some kind of a degree
00:39:10.32\00:39:11.60
or whatever it is in order
to be able to share the gospel,
00:39:11.63\00:39:15.48
start sharing what you have.
00:39:15.51\00:39:17.05
God has
entrusted the truth to you
00:39:17.08\00:39:18.93
and just start sharing,
God will open doors. Amen.
00:39:18.96\00:39:24.15
That's reason number
six, why not to turn back
00:39:24.18\00:39:26.46
because others that you could be
00:39:26.49\00:39:27.83
instrumental in
saving and by the way
00:39:27.86\00:39:29.74
I just got to say this
because I am here at south--
00:39:29.77\00:39:32.20
where am I? Southern
Adventist University.
00:39:32.23\00:39:36.75
I knew it was an
educational institution,
00:39:36.78\00:39:39.31
I just couldn't
remember which one.
00:39:39.34\00:39:43.24
And then I just
suddenly remember
00:39:43.27\00:39:44.30
it was the best one. So
then it came to my mind.
00:39:44.33\00:39:46.00
We do not always have to steer
00:39:57.66\00:39:59.61
the most spiritual
kids into theology.
00:39:59.64\00:40:04.94
I think that we do need
to take some of our best
00:40:04.97\00:40:07.17
and encourage them to go
in the direction of theology
00:40:07.20\00:40:09.77
but we are
sending a subtle message
00:40:09.80\00:40:13.51
that goes something like this.
00:40:13.54\00:40:14.72
If you are
spiritual and you are on fire
00:40:14.75\00:40:16.72
and you love the Lord
00:40:16.75\00:40:17.82
and you have the
gift of communication,
00:40:17.85\00:40:19.05
you have the gift of
preaching, become a pastor.
00:40:19.08\00:40:21.65
Okay, there's
nothing wrong with that
00:40:21.68\00:40:22.95
but beloved, we
need some of the most
00:40:22.98\00:40:24.92
spiritual people
to be doctors too.
00:40:24.95\00:40:27.87
We need some of the
most spiritual people
00:40:27.90\00:40:29.16
to be accountants too.
00:40:29.19\00:40:31.23
We need some of the
most spiritual people
00:40:31.26\00:40:32.55
to be nurses too
and to be bankers too.
00:40:32.58\00:40:34.71
Are you with me,
everyone? Amen. Amen.
00:40:34.74\00:40:36.39
And so let's not
create this unnecessary
00:40:36.42\00:40:38.73
almost papal dichotomy
00:40:38.76\00:40:40.24
that the clergy are
the ones who study Bible
00:40:40.27\00:40:43.59
and the clergy are the
ones who give Bible studies
00:40:43.62\00:40:45.94
and the clergy
are the one who know
00:40:45.97\00:40:47.77
the inner oracles of the God.
00:40:47.80\00:40:49.00
No, no, no, as a doctor,
00:40:49.03\00:40:50.88
just for example
you have an inner avenue
00:40:50.91\00:40:54.83
into the lives of people
that a pastor will never enjoy.
00:40:54.86\00:40:59.41
I mean, you are a doctor,
people know you are smart.
00:40:59.44\00:41:01.27
They think of you as
smart and they trust you.
00:41:01.30\00:41:04.68
So you say
something about Jesus,
00:41:04.71\00:41:06.65
you have a prayer
with your patient,
00:41:06.68\00:41:09.38
you mention something about
what God has done in your life
00:41:09.41\00:41:12.48
and it means so much more
coming from a doctor. Amen.
00:41:12.51\00:41:17.82
Are we all together, yes or no?
00:41:17.85\00:41:19.35
We need spiritual
pastors, of course we do
00:41:19.38\00:41:21.42
and I am not in anyway
diminishing that, no doubt.
00:41:21.45\00:41:23.61
We also need spiritual bankers,
00:41:23.64\00:41:24.96
we need spiritual pastors,
we need spiritual doctors,
00:41:24.99\00:41:27.40
we need spiritual plumbers,
we need spiritual carpenters,
00:41:27.43\00:41:30.00
we need spiritual people
00:41:30.03\00:41:31.60
who see that
their vocation in life
00:41:31.63\00:41:34.39
is simply an avenue to
get them access to people,
00:41:34.42\00:41:37.98
not just to put money and
zeros in the bank account. Amen.
00:41:38.01\00:41:42.80
And I'm hoping and praying
and I hope and believe it
00:41:42.83\00:41:45.26
by the grace of God that,
00:41:45.29\00:41:46.32
that sense of spiritual urgency
00:41:46.35\00:41:48.84
and infection
will saturate Southern.
00:41:48.87\00:41:53.03
That's what you need.
00:41:53.06\00:41:54.28
You need a spiritual
urgency in every department.
00:41:54.31\00:41:58.81
Not just in the
theology department,
00:41:58.84\00:42:00.52
of course especially
there's reason number six.
00:42:00.55\00:42:02.05
Reason number seven,
let's do this more quickly,
00:42:02.08\00:42:05.66
one reason not to turn back,
00:42:05.69\00:42:06.95
reason number seven frankly
is the terror of the Lord.
00:42:06.98\00:42:12.51
You will be judged more severely
00:42:12.54\00:42:14.41
if having knowledge of the truth
00:42:14.44\00:42:15.96
and of Him who is
the truth you turn back.
00:42:15.99\00:42:19.24
You don't believe
me, look at Luke 12
00:42:19.27\00:42:21.01
if you would
very quickly, Luke 12.
00:42:21.04\00:42:23.28
These are the words of
Jesus not the words of David,
00:42:27.20\00:42:29.28
Luke 12 beginning in verse
41. What verse, everyone? 41.
00:42:29.31\00:42:33.05
Luke 12:41, "Then
Peter said to Him,
00:42:33.08\00:42:35.12
"Lord, do You speak this parable
only to us, or to all people?"
00:42:35.15\00:42:38.83
Then the Lord
said, verse 42 of Luke 12
00:42:38.86\00:42:43.52
"Who then is that
faithful and wise steward,
00:42:43.55\00:42:45.36
whom his master will
make ruler over his household,
00:42:45.39\00:42:47.23
to give them their
portion of food in due season?
00:42:47.26\00:42:49.42
Blessed is that servant
whom his master will find
00:42:49.45\00:42:51.44
so doing when he comes.
00:42:51.47\00:42:52.59
Truly, I say to you
that he will make him ruler
00:42:52.62\00:42:54.21
over all that he has.
00:42:54.24\00:42:55.61
But if that
servant says in his heart,
00:42:55.64\00:42:57.21
'My master is
delaying his coming,'
00:42:57.24\00:42:59.40
and begins to beat the
male and female servants,
00:42:59.43\00:43:01.23
and to eat and
drink and be drunk,
00:43:01.26\00:43:03.01
the master of that
servant will come on a day
00:43:03.04\00:43:04.69
when he is not looking for him,
00:43:04.72\00:43:05.96
and at an hour
when he is not aware,
00:43:05.99\00:43:07.62
and he will cut him in two
00:43:07.65\00:43:08.70
and appoint him his
portion with the unbelievers.
00:43:08.73\00:43:10.83
And that servant--" now
look at this carefully here,
00:43:10.86\00:43:12.86
"who knew his master's will,"
00:43:12.89\00:43:16.06
that servant who
what, everyone? Knew.
00:43:16.09\00:43:17.93
"knew his master's will,
and did not prepare himself
00:43:17.96\00:43:20.34
or do according to his
will, will be beaten with--"
00:43:20.37\00:43:22.58
what? "Many stripes."
00:43:22.61\00:43:24.75
Verse 48, "But
he who did not know-
00:43:24.78\00:43:28.80
he who did not know,
00:43:28.83\00:43:30.23
yet committed things
deserving of stripes,
00:43:30.26\00:43:32.00
shall be beaten
with--" what? "Few.
00:43:32.03\00:43:34.62
For everyone to
whom much is given,
00:43:34.65\00:43:36.57
from him much will be required,
00:43:36.60\00:43:38.16
and to whom much
has been committed,
00:43:38.19\00:43:39.40
of him they will ask the more."
00:43:39.43\00:43:40.89
What Jesus is saying is simple,
00:43:40.92\00:43:42.49
your condemnation
should you be lost
00:43:42.52\00:43:44.50
will be in direct proportion
to the light that you rejected.
00:43:44.53\00:43:48.95
Did you get that?
00:43:48.98\00:43:50.01
Your condemnation
should heaven forbid
00:43:50.04\00:43:51.80
you'll be lost will
be in direct proportion
00:43:51.83\00:43:53.80
to the light that you rejected.
00:43:53.83\00:43:55.60
That only make
sense, that's the only way
00:43:55.63\00:43:57.02
that the justice of
God could make sense.
00:43:57.05\00:43:59.41
If God punished
everybody absolutely equally
00:43:59.44\00:44:01.67
that is an unjust system.
00:44:01.70\00:44:03.21
Our punishment is tied
to what we turn away from.
00:44:03.24\00:44:06.96
Incidentally
this is why Lucifer,
00:44:06.99\00:44:08.40
Satan's
punishment is the most severe
00:44:08.43\00:44:10.11
because he dwelt in
the very presence of God.
00:44:10.14\00:44:13.92
Are we all in the
same page here? Yes.
00:44:13.95\00:44:16.75
Beloved, it's not
going to be pretty,
00:44:16.78\00:44:18.34
when Jesus uses the language,
00:44:18.37\00:44:19.79
weeping and gnashing of teeth,
00:44:19.82\00:44:21.21
He's not painting a
hallmark card picture.
00:44:21.24\00:44:25.10
It's going to be
hideously ugly and terrible.
00:44:25.13\00:44:28.20
Now someone here some
softy is bound to say,
00:44:28.23\00:44:31.94
oh, you are using fear
00:44:31.97\00:44:33.55
and fear is not a
legitimate motivator.
00:44:33.58\00:44:35.57
That is patently untrue.
00:44:35.60\00:44:37.57
Fear is a legitimate motivator,
00:44:37.60\00:44:39.37
it's just that it's
not the only motivator.
00:44:39.40\00:44:41.80
Amen. Fear works.
00:44:41.83\00:44:44.99
In fact the Apostle Paul,
00:44:45.02\00:44:47.03
he said, knowing
the terror of that Lord,
00:44:47.06\00:44:49.76
2 Corinthians
5:11, we persuade men.
00:44:49.79\00:44:52.96
He also said
it's a fearful thing
00:44:52.99\00:44:54.29
to fall into the
hands of the living God.
00:44:54.32\00:44:56.26
Fear is a proper
motivator in its proper sphere.
00:44:56.29\00:45:00.05
It's not the only
motivator but let' be honest,
00:45:00.08\00:45:02.59
God employs fear as a mechanism
00:45:02.62\00:45:05.78
not the only mechanism
00:45:05.81\00:45:06.84
and not even the
primary mechanism
00:45:06.87\00:45:08.29
but as a mechanism to
arrest the attention of people.
00:45:08.32\00:45:11.35
Someone say, amen. Amen.
00:45:11.38\00:45:12.72
I do it with my kids. Right.
00:45:12.75\00:45:16.72
Most of the time I say,
"Landon, come talk to papa."
00:45:18.24\00:45:21.33
Right we have a little--
there he goes right there.
00:45:21.36\00:45:22.65
So, Landon, come talk to papa.
00:45:22.68\00:45:25.96
And sometimes we can
have it out that way.
00:45:25.99\00:45:28.18
You know he's five
now and he's getting it.
00:45:28.21\00:45:29.63
You know, I am able to reason
and we are working on that
00:45:29.66\00:45:32.67
but sometimes he finds
things like screwdrivers
00:45:32.70\00:45:35.91
and he wanders around the house
00:45:35.94\00:45:37.21
and tries to find
places to poke them.
00:45:37.24\00:45:39.34
And one place that he
might want to poke them,
00:45:39.37\00:45:40.95
I've seen him trying
poking is into the light socket.
00:45:40.98\00:45:43.68
Well, that's not a time for,
you know, sweet niceties. Amen.
00:45:43.71\00:45:48.64
No! That's a time for
outright panic, right.
00:45:48.67\00:45:52.21
And so I run to
Landon and I grab him
00:45:52.24\00:45:55.90
and he of course is
absolutely totally terrified
00:45:55.93\00:45:58.84
and I pick him
up and I throw him,
00:45:58.87\00:46:00.73
no I am just
kidding, I don't throw him.
00:46:00.76\00:46:03.55
Just want to see if
you are paying attention.
00:46:03.58\00:46:04.80
I pick him up and I
say, "Landon, don't ever put
00:46:04.83\00:46:08.32
a screwdriver in a light socket.
00:46:08.35\00:46:09.97
You will die, your
brains will be fried
00:46:10.00\00:46:12.28
inside of your
head." And he is just...
00:46:12.31\00:46:16.04
and then I will say,
"Are you clear on that?"
00:46:20.09\00:46:22.10
he say, "Yeah, yeah."
00:46:22.13\00:46:23.39
I say, "All
right, let's go outside."
00:46:23.42\00:46:26.56
But let me tell you it works.
00:46:26.59\00:46:29.36
Now that is not
the only motivator
00:46:29.39\00:46:31.11
but it is a
motivator. Amen. Amen.
00:46:31.14\00:46:36.22
I mean go read the Psalms
00:46:36.25\00:46:37.61
if you think that
fear is not a motivator.
00:46:37.64\00:46:39.29
One of the things I love
to do is to read the Psalms
00:46:39.32\00:46:41.44
and the reason is that more than
any other book in the Bible,
00:46:41.47\00:46:44.18
the Book of Psalms gives me a
sense of a biblical worldview.
00:46:44.21\00:46:49.92
I mean you have David
saying things like Lord,
00:46:49.95\00:46:51.76
let the righteous dwell
in your presence forever
00:46:51.79\00:46:53.76
and let the wicked be
eaten by jackals, right.
00:46:53.79\00:46:59.16
We are bunch of softies,
like we've gone so soft,
00:46:59.19\00:47:01.82
God has become nothing more than
00:47:01.85\00:47:03.16
the big teddy bear in the sky.
00:47:03.19\00:47:04.93
Go read the Psalms,
00:47:04.96\00:47:06.08
David had a biblical
worldview and the reality is,
00:47:06.11\00:47:08.80
is that God is a
rewarder of those who seek Him,
00:47:08.83\00:47:11.70
God loves people
but God has no time
00:47:11.73\00:47:14.38
for those who
consistently and obstinately
00:47:14.41\00:47:16.94
reject His offers
of mercy and grace.
00:47:16.97\00:47:19.17
They are dooming themselves
and it's not going to be pretty.
00:47:19.20\00:47:24.57
That's another
reason not to turn away,
00:47:24.60\00:47:26.22
it's not going
to be pretty time,
00:47:26.25\00:47:27.74
happy time, it's
going to be ugly.
00:47:27.77\00:47:31.26
You don't want
to be there. Amen.
00:47:31.29\00:47:34.62
Reason number eight
00:47:34.65\00:47:37.31
when you turn back you are not
turning from a belief system,
00:47:37.34\00:47:43.74
you are not
turning from Adventism,
00:47:43.77\00:47:45.56
you are turning from a person
00:47:45.59\00:47:46.98
and that person is
the man Jesus Christ,
00:47:47.01\00:47:48.88
the great lover of your soul.
00:47:48.91\00:47:52.73
Remember what Peter said,
00:47:52.76\00:47:53.99
"How could we leave
You, how could we leave You.
00:47:54.02\00:47:56.27
You have the
words of eternal life."
00:47:56.30\00:47:57.89
Think of it this way, if
you leave, if you turn back
00:47:57.92\00:48:00.52
you are not leaving a church
you are leaving your savior.
00:48:00.55\00:48:04.36
Now my wife is right over there.
00:48:04.39\00:48:10.35
I married my wife and we
are engaged in this thing
00:48:10.38\00:48:13.58
called the
institution of marriage.
00:48:13.61\00:48:16.41
Are you with me?
00:48:16.44\00:48:17.66
Follow this, the
institution of what?
00:48:17.69\00:48:19.98
Marriage. Marriage, okay.
00:48:20.01\00:48:21.34
If I walk away from my
wife, if I just decide today
00:48:21.37\00:48:25.42
and I am madly
in love with my wife
00:48:25.45\00:48:26.69
more so today
than I've ever been
00:48:26.72\00:48:28.23
but if heaven forbid,
00:48:28.26\00:48:29.69
I just change my
mind and walked away.
00:48:29.72\00:48:32.27
Follow the analogy here,
00:48:32.30\00:48:33.68
I am not leaving
primarily an institution,
00:48:33.71\00:48:36.65
I am leaving a
person. Are you with me?
00:48:36.68\00:48:40.45
If you leave the church,
00:48:40.48\00:48:42.47
you are not leaving
primarily an institution,
00:48:42.50\00:48:45.20
you are leaving a person
that heads that institution
00:48:45.23\00:48:47.71
and it's not any
person, it's Jesus Christ. Amen.
00:48:47.74\00:48:53.64
That's another reason
00:48:53.67\00:48:54.70
that this is no time
to turn back, beloved.
00:48:54.73\00:48:56.75
You are not leaving a
culture, you are leaving Jesus.
00:48:56.78\00:49:02.39
Reason number nine,
it is absolute folly
00:49:02.42\00:49:04.53
for you to turn back,
00:49:04.56\00:49:05.72
you are guaranteed
to finish the race.
00:49:05.75\00:49:09.99
philippians 1:6, "Being
confident of this very thing,
00:49:10.02\00:49:12.98
that he which hath begun a
good work in you will--" what?
00:49:13.01\00:49:16.43
"Perform it or complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ."
00:49:16.46\00:49:19.24
You are not turning away
from the potential of salvation,
00:49:19.27\00:49:22.45
you would be
turning away from salvation.
00:49:22.48\00:49:25.68
You are going
to finish this race
00:49:25.71\00:49:27.58
as we communicated this morning.
00:49:27.61\00:49:28.94
If you keep getting up
and you stay with Jesus,
00:49:28.97\00:49:31.03
getting up and stay with
Jesus, you stay on that ladder.
00:49:31.06\00:49:33.87
Let me say it in the
plainest possible language.
00:49:33.90\00:49:35.96
Let me be a
Baptist here for a moment,
00:49:35.99\00:49:38.00
you will be saved.
00:49:38.03\00:49:42.13
It's okay to
say that by the way.
00:49:42.16\00:49:45.14
You will be saved
00:49:45.17\00:49:47.16
if you put your faith
in Jesus Christ. Amen.
00:49:47.19\00:49:50.98
Is that plain enough,
you will make it to heaven,
00:49:51.01\00:49:54.19
you will be saved
00:49:54.22\00:49:56.40
if you put your
faith in the Lord
00:49:56.43\00:49:57.62
Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.
00:49:57.65\00:49:59.43
So if you turn away,
you are not turning away
00:49:59.46\00:50:01.34
from the potential of salvation,
00:50:01.37\00:50:02.98
you are turning away
from salvation. Amen.
00:50:03.01\00:50:07.43
That's number nine.
00:50:07.46\00:50:09.19
And finally, number
ten, the last reason
00:50:09.22\00:50:12.88
why this is no
time to look back now
00:50:12.91\00:50:14.58
is that you are robbing others.
00:50:14.61\00:50:16.34
Listen to this carefully
because I can almost guarantee
00:50:16.37\00:50:18.22
that many of you have
not thought about this.
00:50:18.25\00:50:22.02
Reason number ten, why this
is no time to turn back now,
00:50:22.05\00:50:24.14
you are robbing
others of the privilege
00:50:24.17\00:50:26.32
and uniqueness of your
personality throughout eternity.
00:50:26.35\00:50:31.60
Think of it. You will be gone.
00:50:31.63\00:50:36.40
Terminally, irrevocably gone.
00:50:36.43\00:50:42.92
Your mother will
never hold you again,
00:50:42.95\00:50:46.91
you will never
laugh with your friends,
00:50:46.94\00:50:50.94
you and your children
will never run together
00:50:50.97\00:50:53.18
holding hands again,
00:50:53.21\00:50:54.85
you would be
selfishly robbing others,
00:50:54.88\00:50:57.33
my self included of
the beauty of knowing you
00:50:57.36\00:51:00.18
as a close friend throughout
the ceaseless eternal ages.
00:51:00.21\00:51:04.16
Chiefly, of course
you would be robbing God,
00:51:04.19\00:51:06.58
your maker of your
own unique personality.
00:51:06.61\00:51:09.59
You are the only you that
has ever been or ever will be.
00:51:09.62\00:51:13.95
In eternity, I
can be the best friend
00:51:13.98\00:51:15.92
of every person in this room.
00:51:15.95\00:51:18.32
Isn't that right?
00:51:18.35\00:51:19.70
Because I can spend the
first 10,000 years with you
00:51:19.73\00:51:22.93
and then you
will get tired of me
00:51:22.96\00:51:24.05
and I can spend the
next 10,000 years with you
00:51:24.08\00:51:26.02
and then you get
tired of me and then,
00:51:26.05\00:51:27.61
I mean, there are
going to be millions saved
00:51:27.64\00:51:30.16
and so just think about
it, you can spend 10,000 years
00:51:30.19\00:51:33.11
and cycle
through all of the saved.
00:51:33.14\00:51:35.60
And by the time you
cycle through all the saved,
00:51:35.63\00:51:37.84
then you can start
back with that person
00:51:37.87\00:51:39.53
that you were with multiplied
millions of years ago.
00:51:39.56\00:51:43.23
You literally have
the time to get to know
00:51:43.26\00:51:46.02
everyone in a very powerful,
00:51:46.05\00:51:48.20
very profound,
very intimate way.
00:51:48.23\00:51:50.48
One of my
favorite things about life
00:51:50.51\00:51:51.74
is this thing
called friendship. Amen.
00:51:51.77\00:51:54.65
But the
difficulty of life is that
00:51:54.68\00:51:56.14
you only have so much
time, isn't that right?
00:51:56.17\00:51:59.84
I guarantee there
are people in this room
00:51:59.87\00:52:01.73
that under
different circumstances
00:52:01.76\00:52:03.02
could be your very
best friend in the world.
00:52:03.05\00:52:05.59
Why aren't they?
00:52:05.62\00:52:07.24
Time limitations,
space limitations,
00:52:07.27\00:52:09.21
geographical limitations,
I mean they are just--
00:52:09.24\00:52:11.25
but in heaven that disappears
because time is limitless.
00:52:11.28\00:52:15.86
If you are not saved,
00:52:15.89\00:52:17.22
we'll never have the
privilege of knowing you.
00:52:17.25\00:52:19.97
The only you that has
ever been or ever could be
00:52:20.00\00:52:22.76
and most terribly, God.
00:52:22.79\00:52:26.46
You will be absent
from the very heart of God.
00:52:26.49\00:52:28.86
There will be a vacancy,
00:52:28.89\00:52:30.78
a void in the very heart of
God that only you could fill.
00:52:30.81\00:52:34.78
If it's going to
break your mother's heart,
00:52:39.88\00:52:44.66
how much more would it break
your heavenly father's heart.
00:52:44.69\00:52:49.97
Reason number ten, why
this is no time to turn back
00:52:50.00\00:52:52.69
because you
would be robbing others
00:52:52.72\00:52:56.61
of your unique, inimitable,
00:52:56.64\00:53:00.91
wonderful personality. Amen.
00:53:00.94\00:53:04.96
God loves you and He
wants you to be saved.
00:53:11.19\00:53:17.60
Jesus is coming soon.
00:53:17.63\00:53:20.69
There are myriad of
reasons to not turn back
00:53:20.72\00:53:24.67
but the chiefest
of reasons is Jesus.
00:53:29.23\00:53:33.23
Jesus loves you,
00:53:37.51\00:53:40.12
He lived for you
and He died for you.
00:53:40.15\00:53:41.85
That's not just a
nice children's story,
00:53:45.32\00:53:47.45
it's not just something we sing,
00:53:47.48\00:53:48.90
Jesus loves me this I know
00:53:48.93\00:53:50.19
for the Bible
tells me so, it's true.
00:53:50.22\00:53:51.97
Jesus loves you and
He wants you to be saved
00:53:54.27\00:54:00.13
and He wants to spend
eternity with you in heaven.
00:54:00.16\00:54:02.24
Do you want to spend
eternity with Him? Amen.
00:54:02.27\00:54:05.85
Then stop entertaining these
00:54:05.88\00:54:07.67
ridiculous
notions of turning back.
00:54:07.70\00:54:11.92
Turning back is indefensible
and totally illogical.
00:54:11.95\00:54:17.51
You are not just
turning from a church,
00:54:17.54\00:54:18.99
you are not just
turning from a culture,
00:54:19.02\00:54:20.75
you are turning from
your maker and your savior.
00:54:20.78\00:54:23.56
Disabuse your mind of
these thoughts right now.
00:54:23.59\00:54:26.39
Say, Lord, I am going
to stick it out with You,
00:54:26.42\00:54:28.27
I am going to
believe Your Bible promise
00:54:28.30\00:54:30.03
that You will
complete the good work
00:54:30.06\00:54:31.54
that You have begun in me
00:54:31.57\00:54:32.73
and by Your grace I am
going to stay with Jesus. Amen.
00:54:32.76\00:54:36.99
I am not perfect man,
I am not a perfect woman,
00:54:37.02\00:54:39.55
I might make
mistakes, I might fall down.
00:54:39.58\00:54:41.78
It is likely that I
will need to repent again
00:54:41.81\00:54:44.00
and still again but I am
going to stay with Jesus. Amen.
00:54:44.03\00:54:48.42
Make up your mind.
00:54:48.45\00:54:50.88
You are the only
one that can do it.
00:54:50.91\00:54:52.31
I can't make up
your mind for you.
00:54:52.34\00:54:54.14
You can choose
today to be saved.
00:54:54.17\00:54:59.61
You can choose
today to know Jesus
00:54:59.64\00:55:02.23
as your
personal Lord and Savior,
00:55:02.26\00:55:04.37
not just once but
for the rest of eternity
00:55:04.40\00:55:07.05
you can choose today.
00:55:07.08\00:55:10.72
This is no time
to be looking back
00:55:10.75\00:55:12.29
or even thinking about
what you have left behind.
00:55:12.32\00:55:14.95
What did the Apostle Paul say,
00:55:14.98\00:55:16.34
forgetting those
things that are behind,
00:55:16.37\00:55:18.39
I reach forward into
those things that are before,
00:55:18.42\00:55:20.51
pressing on toward
the mark of the prize
00:55:20.54\00:55:22.07
of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.
00:55:22.10\00:55:24.05
Press on.
00:55:24.08\00:55:25.11
What are you turning to
if you turn away from Jesus?
00:55:28.70\00:55:32.55
Vomit, aimlessness,
despair, depression,
00:55:32.58\00:55:37.05
the sitcoms have lied. The
beer commercials have lied.
00:55:37.08\00:55:41.29
They do not portray reality.
00:55:41.32\00:55:43.56
If you turn from
God, you don't just turn
00:55:43.59\00:55:45.88
from the patriarchal
bearded figure in the sky,
00:55:45.91\00:55:48.89
you are turning from life,
00:55:48.92\00:55:50.87
meaningful, emotive,
wonderful, glorious life.
00:55:50.90\00:55:57.08
The Bible says, in Him is life.
00:55:57.11\00:55:58.92
You turn from life and
death automatically ensues.
00:55:58.95\00:56:02.14
What are you going to turn to?
00:56:02.17\00:56:06.61
Stay with Jesus.
00:56:06.64\00:56:09.35
Are there going to be
difficult times? Perhaps.
00:56:09.38\00:56:12.15
Are there going to be questions
you don't have the answers to?
00:56:12.18\00:56:14.43
Likely but stay with Jesus.
00:56:14.46\00:56:17.35
All the
hypocrites in the church,
00:56:20.67\00:56:22.27
yes, but if you leave it only
means that there's one less.
00:56:22.30\00:56:27.55
Are there
inconsistencies in the church?
00:56:27.58\00:56:29.60
Yes, but beloved, your
devotion is primarily to Jesus
00:56:29.63\00:56:33.51
and Jesus is the
head of the church.
00:56:33.54\00:56:35.78
Let Jesus take
care of the church
00:56:35.81\00:56:37.73
and you take care of you. Amen.
00:56:37.76\00:56:42.68
God wants to do great things
through you, young person.
00:56:42.71\00:56:46.13
Do not limit God.
00:56:46.16\00:56:47.28
One of the first
things I tell people
00:56:47.31\00:56:48.58
when they come to ARISE is,
00:56:48.61\00:56:50.28
the greatest single limitation
of what God can do through you
00:56:50.31\00:56:54.97
is your own conceptions of
what God can do through you.
00:56:55.00\00:56:59.43
God has huge plans for
you, limited only by your belief
00:56:59.46\00:57:04.26
and your ability to
embrace those great promises
00:57:04.29\00:57:06.76
that God has for you.
00:57:06.79\00:57:09.85
And so I plead with
you on behalf of Christ
00:57:09.88\00:57:11.86
and frankly I suppose in
a moment of vulnerability,
00:57:11.89\00:57:14.54
I am pleading for
you on my own behalf
00:57:14.57\00:57:17.51
because I love
to get to know you
00:57:17.54\00:57:19.05
and spend eternity with you.
00:57:19.08\00:57:20.41
So won't you choose Jesus?
00:57:20.44\00:57:25.71
Don't look back now.
00:57:25.74\00:57:28.45
This is no time to look back.
00:57:28.48\00:57:33.01
The finish line
is just before us.
00:57:33.04\00:57:37.37
Jesus is soon to be here
00:57:37.40\00:57:40.79
and I want you and I
want to be one of those
00:57:40.82\00:57:43.40
who will look up into heaven
00:57:43.43\00:57:45.84
and say, "Lord, this is my God.
00:57:45.87\00:57:49.84
I have waited for Him
and He will save me." Amen.
00:57:52.32\00:57:59.80
Isn't that what you want? Amen.
00:57:59.83\00:58:04.04
As we close this week of
spiritual emphasis this weekend,
00:58:04.07\00:58:07.99
we've already made
the impassioned appeal,
00:58:11.47\00:58:13.22
we've been down that road.
00:58:13.25\00:58:17.43
This is an appeal
from the very Lord
00:58:17.46\00:58:19.41
of your heart into your heart.
00:58:19.44\00:58:24.45
He says, "My son,
give me your heart.
00:58:24.48\00:58:27.96
My daughter, give me your heart.
00:58:27.99\00:58:31.63
I love you, I made
you, I own you, I want you.
00:58:31.66\00:58:35.75
I want to walk with you.
I want to live with you."
00:58:35.78\00:58:42.06
He is the great
desire of your heart,
00:58:42.09\00:58:45.08
don't turn from Him.
00:58:45.11\00:58:48.52
Embrace Him, receive Him,
00:58:48.55\00:58:52.50
believe on Him and live forever.
00:58:52.53\00:58:57.98
God is awesome, amen. Amen.
00:58:58.01\00:59:02.55
The spirit of God
has touched your heart,
00:59:02.58\00:59:03.79
I want you to raise your hands
00:59:03.82\00:59:04.85
and say, Lord
has touched my heart.
00:59:04.88\00:59:09.16
You want to turn back?
00:59:09.19\00:59:10.22
Anybody here who
want to turn back?
00:59:10.25\00:59:11.34
Me neither.
00:59:15.48\00:59:19.17
Beloved, I commend you the Bible
00:59:19.20\00:59:20.52
and I commend you
the God of the Bible.
00:59:20.55\00:59:22.22
He is real, He is alive,
He is powerful, He is awesome,
00:59:22.25\00:59:28.07
get to know Him.
00:59:28.10\00:59:30.49
Not only does your
salvation depend upon it
00:59:30.52\00:59:33.41
but a meaningful life in here
and now utterly depends on it.
00:59:33.44\00:59:37.77
God has great plans for you.
00:59:37.80\00:59:39.46