In the 12th chapter
of the Book of Matthew,
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in Matthew chapter 12, we
find the almost incredible
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story of the unbelief,
the Scribes and the Pharisees,
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the religious
leaders of Jesus time.
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In verse 22, it
says they brought him
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a demon possessed
man, who was blind and mute
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and Jesus healed him so
they could both talk and see.
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You know, I've often
thought, I just wish,
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I could have been
alive and there when Jesus
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was on this earth,
wouldn't you love to
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just see him open
the eyes of a blind man?
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Wouldn't you love to
been there and watch the
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expression on the man's
face when the very first
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thing that he sees is
the face of his savior.
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You think the
people would have just been
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rejoicing and
shouting Hallelujah,
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but they were
astonished and they asked, Could
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he be the son of David?
Could he be the Messiah?
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The Pharisees
heard this, they said no,
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it's only by
Beelzebub, the prince of demons,
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that this fellow
drives out demons.
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Now they saw Jesus
with his own hands open
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the eyes of the blind
man, the mouth of the dumb,
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they saw the
miracle, they were right there
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and yet instead of
believing and trusting him,
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they went and asked
their pastors, what about him?
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Now don't misunderstand
me, I'm not against pastors,
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we have a good pastor
here sitting on the front row
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and I'm a pastor, but
we don't take the place
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of God, when God
speaks, when Jesus speak
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we believe that
whatever any pastor says. Amen.
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And so they went and asked
that pastor, the pastor said
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no, no it's just
Beelzebub the prince of demons.
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Now, this is an old
trick that the devil has
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used forever, he
still uses it today.
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It goes like this, if
you can't fault the message
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then shoot the
messenger, isn't that right?
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They couldn't prove
Jesus wrong, everything that
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he said day after
day, night after night,
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it was right there
from the word of God,
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they couldn't prove him wrong.
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So, the next best thing
to do is, oh! He's occult,
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don't go there,
don't listen to him,
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he is the chief of
demons, possessed by demons.
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Some of you've
already heard that,
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some of you have been warned,
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don't go to
Revelation Now, that's occult.
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You've heard it, if you
haven't you're gonna hear it.
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If you can't fault the
message shoot the messenger.
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They tried it with
Jesus it didn't work because
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he came up again
three days later. Amen.
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And so they said no,
this isn't the son of David,
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this is Beelzebub,
the prince of demons
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that he drives out
demons and Jesus said,
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he said I tell you
every sin and blasphemy
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will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy
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against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven
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and that is the
unpardonable sin.
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God will
forgive every sin except
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for blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit.
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Now, why does God
not forgive blasphemy
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against the spirit,
because it's the agent
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of the spirit of God
that God uses to reach
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our hearts to bring us
to the point of repentance
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to confess our sins and
when we severe ourselves
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from the Holy Spirit
then there is no way for God
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to reach us, there
is no way to repent.
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Well, what is
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
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I want to know, I want
to be sure I never do it.
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Blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit is what we've just seen,
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Jesus worked a miracle
and it was obvious that
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the Holy Spirit
of God was at word,
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but they said no
that's the Devil.
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In other words,
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is
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attributing the
work of God to the Devil.
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Oh! I'm glad I know that,
I'll be sure I never do it.
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Well, that's good, I
hope you don't ever do it.
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But it doesn't take the
unpardonable sin to be lost.
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People are going to be lost
for plain old unpardoned sin,
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but the second reason
that that's kind of a dangerous
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approach to take is
that those Pharisees,
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those Scribes,
those religious preachers
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of the day at first
they never dreamed that they
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would ever
blaspheme the Spirit of God.
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They never thought
they would ever do that.
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Well, then how did they do it?
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How do they ever get
to the place where they
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were willing to
knowingly say that the
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work of the Spirit
of God was the Devil?
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That's the mysterious way of sin
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and that's what we
want to talk about tonight.
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How did they
arrive at the place where
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they could see
the obvious working
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of the Holy Spirit
and say no that was
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not the Spirit of
God that was the Devil?
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How did they get there?
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Jesus shows us right
here in Matthew chapter 12
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in the verse right
before the one we just read,
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verse 30, he who is
not with me is against me
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and he who does not
gather with me, scatters.
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If you're not with God
then you're against God,
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if we are not gathering
with God, we're scattering.
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In other words, in one sentence
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Jesus is saying that you
cannot be neutral about God.
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They were trying to be
neutral, you can't be neutral,
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you cannot come
to the word of God
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and discover the truth about God
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in his word and
walk away from it
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the same person that
you were before you came.
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The moment you
encounter the truth of God
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in any form or in
anyway or at anytime you have
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to make a decision,
are you with him or not
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and if you are with
him then you're with him,
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if you're not then
you're against him.
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You cannot be neutral about God,
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you can't say,
it doesn't matter,
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can't say not important.
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If God says, I
want you to be baptized
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and you
understand that that's what
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the Bible says and
if you were to say well,
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I don't think it's
important to be baptized
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I've been a
Christian for 20 years.
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That puts him against God,
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if you're not with
me you're against me.
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If God says,
remember the Sabbath day,
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you're convinced that
that's what the Bible teaches
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and someone says well, I
understand that that's Bible
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says, but I don't see
why it's all that important.
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If you're not with
me you're against me.
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If you're not gathering
with me you're scattering.
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You see we can't
be neutral about God,
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we can't say well
you do what you do and
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I do what I do and it'll
all be okay, it doesn't work
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that way. Why? Why is it?
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And this is the part
that we have to understand.
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When someone attempts to
be neutral about God's truth
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and by neutral I
mean indifferent.
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Yeah, it's true, but you know
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it's not important
enough for me to change my life.
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When someone tries to be
neutral about God's truth
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then sooner or later
they will be forced to make
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an excuse to
explain their neutrality
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and that excuse will
make them the enemy of God.
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You believe the Bible says
that you should be Baptized.
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Yeah, it says that.
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Why were you Baptized?
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I've been a
Christian for 20 years and
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God has answered my prayers and
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I can heal and do miracles.
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I don't think
it's necessary for me,
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that makes them
the enemy of God.
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You see when a
person tries to be neutral,
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sooner or later
they're gonna have to
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explain why they're neutral.
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They'll have to
make an excuse and
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that excuse make
us the enemy of God.
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And it was excuses that paved
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the way to the unpardonable sin.
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He who's not
with me is against me
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and he who does not
gather with me scatters.
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I tell you, every sin and
blasphemy will be forgiven
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man, but the
blasphemy against the spirit
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will not be
forgiven. Since it was excuses
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that explained the way
for the unpardonable sin.
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I want to take a
look at how excuses work?
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I mentioned that those Scribes,
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those religious
leaders, those Pharisees
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at first never
dreamed that they would ever
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blasphemy the Spirit of God.
00:11:48.54\00:11:50.19
But you see from
the very beginning,
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there were indicators
that Jesus was the son of God.
00:11:55.29\00:12:00.67
There was even a prophecy
00:12:01.35\00:12:02.86
that would
predict about the time,
00:12:02.89\00:12:05.05
the time that the Messiah
would begin his ministry.
00:12:05.08\00:12:07.75
There were all
kinds of indicators.
00:12:09.14\00:12:10.90
Jesus showed that he
was something special,
00:12:10.93\00:12:14.40
but they tried to be neutral.
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They didn't accept him.
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They would make an excuse.
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Now, when we know the
truth and refuse to act
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on the truth and make an
excuse, it works back on us.
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You know that when you know
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what's right
and you don't do it.
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It kind of bothers
your conscious doesn't it
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and not only that
if you refuse again,
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it bothers your
conscious a little less.
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You know what I am
talking about, 'cause
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sin works back and it
makes it easier to do it again.
00:12:50.42\00:12:53.92
So they saw Jesus.
They had to decide.
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Is this the Messiah?
They said no, made excuses.
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But, then the
evidence continued to built
00:13:03.50\00:13:05.68
and as the evidence
builds, the excuses build
00:13:06.46\00:13:09.42
and each one is just
as easy as the one before,
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because it works back on us.
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It takes away
our spiritual acumen,
00:13:15.72\00:13:18.20
our spiritual discernment.
00:13:18.23\00:13:19.86
And as the evidence
that Jesus was a Messiah
00:13:21.58\00:13:24.73
continued to build
more and more and more,
00:13:24.76\00:13:26.88
the excuses went more
and more and more right
00:13:26.91\00:13:29.37
with it and it was
just as easy to make
00:13:29.40\00:13:31.33
the last excuse as it
was the one before it.
00:13:31.36\00:13:34.05
Until finally the evidence
was abundantly clear that
00:13:35.32\00:13:40.16
Jesus Christ was
performing miracles,
00:13:40.19\00:13:43.36
even opening the
eyes of a blind man
00:13:43.39\00:13:46.04
and it had to be by
a supernatural power,
00:13:46.07\00:13:49.50
so they were
forced to chose either
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it was God or the devil
and they chose to believe
00:13:51.67\00:13:55.45
that it was the devil
and it was just as easy
00:13:55.48\00:13:58.43
for them to say
that was Beelzebub
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as it was to make the
first excuse in the beginning.
00:14:01.14\00:14:04.34
You see that's the
mysterious way of sin,
00:14:05.98\00:14:08.98
that's how it
works on our minds.
00:14:09.01\00:14:11.54
And I discovered as I studied
through the New Testament
00:14:13.01\00:14:16.92
that when Jesus was on
this earth, he heard excuses.
00:14:18.25\00:14:24.17
I read through and I
kind of marked in my Bible
00:14:26.76\00:14:29.10
the excuses Jesus
heard, I found five of them.
00:14:30.41\00:14:34.03
And you know the
amazing thing to me is?
00:14:35.16\00:14:37.25
That I hear those
same five excuses today.
00:14:38.44\00:14:43.15
So, what kind of
excuses did Jesus hear?
00:14:44.95\00:14:48.51
The first one is what I
call unanswered questions
00:14:49.55\00:14:55.91
Unanswered questions, in
John the 9th chapter verse 28,
00:14:56.80\00:15:03.54
they hurled insults at Jesus.
00:15:04.62\00:15:06.50
They said you, at the disciples.
00:15:06.53\00:15:08.88
They said, "You are
this fellow's disciple!
00:15:08.91\00:15:11.27
We are disciples of
Moses! We know that God
00:15:11.73\00:15:16.73
spoke to Moses, but this fellow,
00:15:16.76\00:15:18.89
we don't even know
where he comes from.
00:15:19.31\00:15:21.56
Who is his father anyway?"
00:15:21.74\00:15:23.87
See unanswered questions.
00:15:25.31\00:15:28.81
Remember the other night.
00:15:28.84\00:15:29.81
Elijah has to come first.
00:15:29.82\00:15:32.30
What about that,
unanswered questions?
00:15:32.33\00:15:35.06
In fact, in chapter
7 verse 41, verse 40,
00:15:38.50\00:15:42.36
on hearing his
words some people said,
00:15:42.39\00:15:44.22
"surely this
man is the prophet."
00:15:44.25\00:15:45.95
Others said, "No,
he is the Christ."
00:15:45.98\00:15:47.85
Still others said, "How can
the Christ come from Galilee?
00:15:47.88\00:15:50.55
Don't the scripture say
that the Christ will come
00:15:50.58\00:15:53.33
from David's
family and from Bethlehem
00:15:53.36\00:15:55.29
and the town where David lived?"
00:15:55.32\00:15:57.15
See unanswered questions.
00:15:57.18\00:15:58.86
In fact the unanswered
questions got so intense.
00:15:58.89\00:16:02.24
In verse 43, it
said, "Thus the people
00:16:02.27\00:16:04.98
were divided because of Jesus."
00:16:05.01\00:16:07.10
The one who came to bring us
00:16:08.67\00:16:09.94
together was dividing people.
00:16:09.97\00:16:12.19
Sometimes people tell me,
00:16:13.71\00:16:14.90
Oh! This can't be right
because it brings confusion.
00:16:14.93\00:16:17.06
The truth
doesn't bring confusion.
00:16:19.41\00:16:21.85
But Jesus
himself brought confusion
00:16:22.73\00:16:25.71
not because of who he was,
00:16:25.74\00:16:27.12
but because of what
they were saying he was.
00:16:27.15\00:16:29.42
God told Eve and
Adam, she said, he said
00:16:31.36\00:16:34.63
you can eat the
fruit from any of the trees
00:16:34.66\00:16:36.91
in the garden,
but there is that one.
00:16:36.94\00:16:38.84
Don't eat from
that one or you'll die.
00:16:38.87\00:16:40.73
There is nothing
confusing about that, is it?
00:16:41.54\00:16:44.28
That's not confusing,
but the devil comes along
00:16:44.31\00:16:48.23
and says, you won't die,
your eyes will be opened,
00:16:48.26\00:16:50.51
you'll be like God.
Now it gets confusing.
00:16:50.54\00:16:52.60
You see the only
time things get confusing
00:16:54.03\00:16:56.28
about the truth is when
you get your nose out of
00:16:56.31\00:16:58.57
scripture and look around
what's going on in the world.
00:16:58.60\00:17:01.01
So keep your nose in here, Amen.
00:17:01.04\00:17:03.37
Follow the lamb and
it doesn't get confusing.
00:17:03.40\00:17:06.54
Second excuse, we find it
in verse 22 of John chapter 7.
00:17:10.81\00:17:18.07
The Pharisees heard the
crowd whispering such things
00:17:18.10\00:17:20.32
about him and then the
chief priests and the Pharisees
00:17:20.35\00:17:23.05
sent temple
guards to arrest Jesus.
00:17:23.08\00:17:25.10
Go arrest him,
so picture this now.
00:17:26.02\00:17:28.18
Here these guards go all
the way up wherever Jesus was.
00:17:28.21\00:17:31.18
They go all the way
up to arrest him and
00:17:31.21\00:17:33.67
they hear him speak
and then they come back
00:17:33.70\00:17:35.80
and in verse 45, when he
came back they asked him,
00:17:36.25\00:17:40.07
well, why didn't
you bring him in?
00:17:40.74\00:17:42.27
And I love this.
00:17:43.53\00:17:44.71
Why didn't they
bring him in to arrest him.
00:17:45.75\00:17:47.54
Listen, verse 46, no one ever
spoke the way this man does,
00:17:47.57\00:17:54.22
they went to arrest
him, heard him speak
00:17:55.35\00:17:58.02
and it went right
straight to their heart.
00:17:58.64\00:18:00.96
No one ever spoke like him.
00:18:00.99\00:18:03.66
Don't you like that?
00:18:03.69\00:18:04.75
And so the Pharisees said,
00:18:08.15\00:18:10.89
"You mean he has
deceived you also?"
00:18:11.67\00:18:14.70
Have any of the rulers or
the Pharisees believed in him?
00:18:16.65\00:18:20.88
No, just this mob
that doesn't know anything.
00:18:20.91\00:18:23.93
There is a curse on them.
00:18:23.96\00:18:25.01
Here's how it sounds today.
00:18:27.34\00:18:29.10
If the things they teach
00:18:30.32\00:18:31.87
in Revelation Now are
true and let's face it.
00:18:31.90\00:18:34.28
The biggest
thing is the Sabbath.
00:18:34.31\00:18:35.70
If that's true, why
doesn't everybody else see it.
00:18:37.53\00:18:42.37
If all the popular
evangelists see it, no,
00:18:44.53\00:18:48.39
if it's true why
don't they all teach it too?
00:18:51.32\00:18:53.41
What about all the
big Churches in town?
00:18:53.44\00:18:55.51
All of these Churches.
00:18:55.54\00:18:56.54
Can they all be wrong and
just this little one right?
00:18:56.57\00:18:59.58
No way, if it was the truth
00:19:01.37\00:19:04.81
everybody would see
it, you've heard it.
00:19:04.84\00:19:07.41
Just asking that question,
just asking that questions
00:19:12.76\00:19:19.59
if it's true why
doesn't everybody see it?
00:19:19.62\00:19:23.02
Just asking that question
should show you the power
00:19:23.05\00:19:28.30
of the Antichrist
because you don't find truth
00:19:28.33\00:19:34.71
by what everybody else sees.
00:19:34.74\00:19:36.88
The truth has never
been popular on this earth.
00:19:39.33\00:19:42.98
It was not popular
in the days of Noah,
00:19:44.33\00:19:47.34
we learned that last
night, a 120 years preaching
00:19:47.37\00:19:51.32
of spirit filled
powerful preacher.
00:19:51.35\00:19:53.78
A 120 years and he
only got 7, his own family.
00:19:53.81\00:19:58.06
Suppose the Gallup
poll would have been around
00:19:59.21\00:20:03.81
when Noah was preaching
and they decided to do a poll.
00:20:03.84\00:20:08.88
Is he telling the truth?
00:20:08.91\00:20:10.60
Is there gonna be a
flood, destroy the whole world?
00:20:10.63\00:20:13.58
What do you think the
answers would have been?
00:20:13.61\00:20:15.84
99.99992% say no
and 0.00001% say yes.
00:20:18.83\00:20:26.83
What about in
the time of Christ?
00:20:29.66\00:20:32.08
You're walking down
the road to Jerusalem
00:20:33.85\00:20:35.90
and you see on the outside
of the city, three crosses.
00:20:35.93\00:20:39.18
Two men, they're thieves
and one of him in the middle.
00:20:43.01\00:20:45.60
You've never
seen anybody like him.
00:20:46.60\00:20:48.70
In fact, there is a sign on
the top of the cross it says,
00:20:49.58\00:20:52.27
this is Jesus of
Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
00:20:54.06\00:20:57.65
Well, he doesn't look like
a King hanging on the cross,
00:20:59.27\00:21:02.46
but you look at
him and you think,
00:21:02.49\00:21:04.91
Wow! Man, there is
something about this guy.
00:21:04.94\00:21:07.08
So you ask the Roman
soldiers standing there.
00:21:07.11\00:21:09.74
You ask him, is he
really the King of the Jews?
00:21:09.77\00:21:12.77
And the solider just
smiles, does he look like it?
00:21:12.80\00:21:15.97
You're not
convinced, so you go into town.
00:21:19.95\00:21:23.57
You go to the
biggest temple in town.
00:21:24.45\00:21:26.64
And ask the
priest, the high priest.
00:21:28.23\00:21:31.24
Surely if
anybody knows he would,
00:21:31.27\00:21:33.28
that man out there
in the cross priest.
00:21:34.81\00:21:36.80
Sign says, he is
the King of the Jews.
00:21:38.15\00:21:40.33
Is he really? The
priest smiles, no.
00:21:40.36\00:21:46.18
He is deluded, he is
Beelzebub, prince of demons.
00:21:47.38\00:21:50.78
And then you see
one of his disciples
00:21:52.84\00:21:56.89
walking across the courtyard.
00:21:56.92\00:21:58.44
Peter, you tell me
Peter. Is Jesus the Messiah?
00:21:59.19\00:22:04.75
Peter says, I never
knew that cursed man.
00:22:05.76\00:22:09.19
How do you find the truth?
00:22:11.66\00:22:13.30
By taking a survey,
00:22:13.33\00:22:15.23
going door to door
or the word of God.
00:22:16.20\00:22:21.23
You see Jesus said,
broad is the way that leads
00:22:22.25\00:22:28.29
to destruction and
many are going to go there,
00:22:28.32\00:22:32.30
but straight and narrow
is the way that leads to life
00:22:33.55\00:22:37.27
and only a few
are gonna find it.
00:22:38.06\00:22:40.84
If that's true and it has to
be because Jesus said it right.
00:22:42.09\00:22:45.94
If that's true then
that means that if everybody
00:22:46.76\00:22:50.57
believes
something, watch out because
00:22:50.60\00:22:56.18
the truth is not
gonna be popular.
00:22:56.21\00:22:58.13
Third excuse, it cost
too much to follow Jesus.
00:23:05.59\00:23:12.96
Rich young man came
up to Jesus one time.
00:23:13.68\00:23:17.26
What should I do
to be saved master?
00:23:17.29\00:23:20.39
And Jesus said,
keep the commandments.
00:23:20.42\00:23:22.69
Oh! I've already
done that all my life.
00:23:22.72\00:23:24.72
Jesus said, yeah,
but you lack one thing.
00:23:26.03\00:23:28.69
Sell everything you
own, give it to the poor,
00:23:29.66\00:23:33.15
take up your
cross and follow me.
00:23:33.18\00:23:35.31
The rich young
man just hung his head
00:23:36.96\00:23:40.36
and walked away
because he was afraid it
00:23:41.62\00:23:45.65
would cost too
much to follow Christ.
00:23:45.68\00:23:49.23
And sometimes today we face
00:23:52.43\00:23:54.22
the same kinds of challenges.
00:23:54.25\00:23:56.57
The Bible says,
six days you'll labor
00:23:59.29\00:24:03.74
and do all of your
work, but the seventh day
00:24:03.77\00:24:06.67
is the Sabbath on
it you won't work.
00:24:07.82\00:24:10.46
I don't know if
you've noticed it or not.
00:24:10.49\00:24:12.23
But the world is not
setup for that today.
00:24:12.26\00:24:15.30
On it you won't work.
00:24:20.45\00:24:22.03
Oh! Man, that's my
busiest day at work,
00:24:22.06\00:24:25.09
they'll never let me off,
00:24:25.12\00:24:26.37
got to earn a
living for my family.
00:24:29.39\00:24:32.22
God knows that. Doesn't he?
00:24:33.56\00:24:35.27
You know what
Jesus said about that,
00:24:35.30\00:24:37.76
you know people
coming to me all the time,
00:24:37.79\00:24:39.02
you know, God said
to work he wants me
00:24:39.05\00:24:41.02
take care of my
family, of course he does.
00:24:41.05\00:24:43.14
He is the one
who created families.
00:24:44.26\00:24:46.68
You know what
he said about that.
00:24:48.10\00:24:49.64
He said, your heavenly
father knows that you need food,
00:24:50.69\00:24:55.25
a place to
live, you need things.
00:24:56.33\00:25:00.51
Seek ye first his
kingdom and his righteousness
00:25:02.14\00:25:08.10
and he'll take care
of the things you need.
00:25:09.05\00:25:11.32
You believe that. He will.
00:25:12.46\00:25:14.84
Now it doesn't say he'll
give you everything you want.
00:25:15.45\00:25:18.84
But he says, he'll
provide what you need.
00:25:20.38\00:25:24.80
It takes faith to follow God.
00:25:25.67\00:25:28.57
But when we take
that step with faith,
00:25:31.17\00:25:33.18
he always comes through.
00:25:33.21\00:25:34.84
Just two nights
ago, a young lady came up
00:25:36.51\00:25:39.42
to me and said, you
know Pastor I prayed about it
00:25:39.45\00:25:42.26
and I wanted to do
what the Bible says.
00:25:42.57\00:25:44.57
I went up and talked
to my boss and told him
00:25:44.60\00:25:47.55
that I believe that the
Saturday is the Sabbath day.
00:25:47.58\00:25:49.79
And I can't work
on Sabbaths anymore?
00:25:49.82\00:25:52.24
And the boss said,
well, I am not going to put
00:25:52.27\00:25:54.85
an obstacle on your way
to keep you from walking
00:25:54.88\00:25:56.89
down the pathway
that God's leading you.
00:25:56.92\00:25:58.89
She said it was easy.
00:26:00.10\00:26:01.45
Sometimes, I think
we make it too hard.
00:26:02.86\00:26:05.08
Just follow God.
00:26:06.22\00:26:07.19
You know sometimes,
you know, God does test us.
00:26:07.20\00:26:09.85
He let's us be tested anyway.
00:26:10.36\00:26:12.52
I remember one
lady had just been,
00:26:13.43\00:26:16.65
had been working in a
large department store
00:26:16.94\00:26:19.09
for years and years and
she was a department manager
00:26:19.12\00:26:22.36
there and had
really worked her way up
00:26:22.93\00:26:25.25
and she came to
Revelation Now and decided
00:26:25.58\00:26:29.16
that she wanted to
start keeping the Sabbath.
00:26:29.19\00:26:32.08
So, she had went into
talk to the store manager
00:26:32.93\00:26:37.32
and the store manager
says, what are you saying,
00:26:38.00\00:26:40.40
you are not going
to be able to work on
00:26:40.43\00:26:41.55
Friday nights and Saturdays
anymore and she said well,
00:26:41.58\00:26:45.16
I just I have to do
what the Bible says.
00:26:45.19\00:26:47.24
Can you help me?
00:26:49.33\00:26:50.30
And he said, well, I guess so,
00:26:51.30\00:26:52.83
we can help you
find another job.
00:26:52.86\00:26:54.39
She said after all these
years, you're gonna let me go,
00:26:56.57\00:26:59.58
you know that's our biggest day,
00:26:59.61\00:27:00.87
we need you
here and besides that
00:27:00.90\00:27:02.98
it's really too bad
because we're just opening up a
00:27:03.01\00:27:05.68
brand new store on
the other side of town and
00:27:05.71\00:27:08.68
we had decided that you
are the one that should be
00:27:08.74\00:27:11.78
the manager, double
her salary, brand new car.
00:27:11.81\00:27:15.17
Do I have to work on Saturdays?
00:27:16.56\00:27:18.02
Yes, you will.
00:27:19.37\00:27:20.34
She said, I can't.
00:27:20.35\00:27:22.04
So, they even had a
farewell party for her,
00:27:25.54\00:27:27.85
I mean she was finished.
00:27:28.41\00:27:29.61
She lost her job.
00:27:29.64\00:27:30.83
Had a farewell
celebration party Monday night,
00:27:32.39\00:27:35.57
Tuesday, she was unemployed.
00:27:35.60\00:27:37.19
Wednesday phone rang.
00:27:39.66\00:27:41.33
We don't know what to
do without you around here.
00:27:43.19\00:27:44.91
Can you come back?
00:27:44.94\00:27:45.91
Do I have to work on Saturdays?
00:27:47.04\00:27:48.58
No. God comes through. Amen.
00:27:48.61\00:27:53.00
Seek ye first his
kingdom and his righteous
00:27:54.06\00:27:56.05
and he will take care of
the things that you need.
00:27:56.08\00:27:57.65
God will never
let you down, never.
00:27:57.68\00:27:59.48
Now don't misunderstand that.
00:28:00.65\00:28:02.43
I am not saying that
if you take your stand
00:28:02.46\00:28:04.71
for the Sabbath
and you lose your job,
00:28:04.74\00:28:06.34
that God will
give you a better one
00:28:06.37\00:28:07.77
or that God will
get it back for you.
00:28:07.80\00:28:09.68
I am not gonna tell you that,
00:28:09.71\00:28:11.10
because I believe
the Bible shows the time
00:28:12.42\00:28:15.05
is coming when people
are gonna lose their lives
00:28:15.08\00:28:17.22
over the way they worship God.
00:28:17.25\00:28:18.65
But I'll tell you
this, you take your stand.
00:28:20.00\00:28:22.81
You do what God says and
he is gonna take care of you.
00:28:23.46\00:28:26.87
He will never let you down.
00:28:27.51\00:28:28.83
He is going to take care of you.
00:28:29.29\00:28:30.69
It doesn't cost too
much to follow Jesus?
00:28:32.14\00:28:34.46
The truth is, it cost
too much not to follow Jesus.
00:28:34.49\00:28:39.19
One of these days,
we are going to walk
00:28:40.94\00:28:42.32
in to those mansions up
there on the streets of gold,
00:28:42.35\00:28:44.89
nothing on earth is worth that.
00:28:44.92\00:28:46.74
Just to be in the
presence of Jesus,
00:28:47.67\00:28:49.48
it cost too much
not to follow him.
00:28:51.02\00:28:52.93
The next excuse number 4,
this is the toughest of all.
00:28:53.67\00:28:58.35
The devil doesn't ever
play by the rules folks.
00:28:59.70\00:29:02.20
He is not afraid to
kick when you're down,
00:29:02.70\00:29:05.75
stomp and this
one hurts the worse.
00:29:05.78\00:29:09.41
I hear it like this Pastor.
00:29:10.59\00:29:12.52
I really want to get baptized.
00:29:13.13\00:29:14.89
I really wanna be a Christian.
00:29:15.23\00:29:16.74
I really wanna follow Jesus.
00:29:16.77\00:29:18.23
I really want to
become a part of the Church,
00:29:18.26\00:29:20.78
I've never been a
part of a Church family.
00:29:20.81\00:29:22.74
But my husband
or my wife is saying
00:29:24.51\00:29:27.18
if I do that they'll leave me.
00:29:27.21\00:29:30.42
I hear that a lot, a lot
more then you might think.
00:29:31.32\00:29:35.07
Jesus said, some of
the hardest words for me
00:29:38.10\00:29:42.02
to understand that Jesus
ever spoke is on this topic,
00:29:42.05\00:29:46.32
Matthew chapter 10, verse 34,
00:29:46.96\00:29:49.03
do not suppose that I've come
00:29:50.06\00:29:52.23
to bring peace to the earth.
00:29:52.26\00:29:53.86
I did not come to bring peace,
00:29:55.14\00:29:57.28
but a sword and
it's Jesus speaking.
00:29:57.31\00:30:00.00
For I have come to turn
a man against his father,
00:30:01.43\00:30:03.52
a daughter against her mother,
00:30:03.55\00:30:04.75
a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law,
00:30:04.78\00:30:06.37
a man's enemies will be the
members of his own household.
00:30:06.40\00:30:09.13
Anyone who loves his
father or mother more than me
00:30:10.10\00:30:12.37
is not worthy of
me, anyone who loves
00:30:12.40\00:30:14.71
his son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me.
00:30:14.74\00:30:17.13
Wow! I thought how
can he ever say this,
00:30:19.01\00:30:21.59
I mean that is hard,
00:30:23.20\00:30:24.61
didn't come to
bring peace but a sword.
00:30:26.01\00:30:28.67
I thought he was
the prince of peace.
00:30:29.46\00:30:31.23
You see the truth is
at the moment you accept
00:30:33.32\00:30:38.73
Jesus Christ as your savior,
00:30:38.76\00:30:40.60
at that moment
you're at peace with God.
00:30:41.91\00:30:46.20
At the same moment,
00:30:48.92\00:30:50.21
you've become an
enemy to the world.
00:30:51.15\00:30:54.11
And, don't be surprised,
if the ones who hurt you
00:30:57.96\00:31:01.39
the most come
from your own family,
00:31:01.42\00:31:03.42
but you know what I found out,
00:31:05.88\00:31:07.41
that if you can
just hang in there
00:31:09.22\00:31:11.52
and put Jesus
first then you're doing
00:31:11.95\00:31:15.87
the one thing that
can strengthen your family
00:31:16.70\00:31:19.21
more than anything
else, because you see
00:31:19.24\00:31:22.18
a family relationship
between husband and wife
00:31:22.21\00:31:24.84
is triangular,
did you know that?
00:31:24.87\00:31:28.00
It's a triangle,
you're at one corner
00:31:28.81\00:31:31.38
and the husband
and wife at the other
00:31:31.41\00:31:33.25
and God is at the
top, and you see the
00:31:33.28\00:31:36.56
closer you come to God, the
closer you get to each other,
00:31:36.59\00:31:41.20
it's only when we put God first
00:31:41.54\00:31:43.66
and some of you are
here without spouses,
00:31:44.42\00:31:46.74
your husband,
your wife hasn't come.
00:31:47.09\00:31:48.87
If you were to know the
truth and try to be neutral,
00:31:50.36\00:31:53.41
they know what you believe,
00:31:53.81\00:31:54.96
they know what you're doing.
00:31:54.99\00:31:56.16
If they know that God wants you
00:31:58.82\00:32:00.00
to be baptized for example,
00:32:00.03\00:32:01.47
but they say no,
you can't be baptized
00:32:02.59\00:32:04.74
and if you
refuse to be baptized,
00:32:06.29\00:32:07.80
you're saying to
them what you think
00:32:08.72\00:32:12.19
is more important to
me then what God thinks,
00:32:12.22\00:32:15.96
and you've tied God's hands,
00:32:17.05\00:32:18.67
you can't use it to reach
to the ones you love the most.
00:32:19.63\00:32:23.50
But when you're step
forward and take your stand
00:32:24.33\00:32:29.00
for God in spite
of the opposition then
00:32:29.03\00:32:33.16
you're doing the one thing
that enables God to use you,
00:32:33.19\00:32:36.70
to reach out to the
ones that you love the most.
00:32:37.00\00:32:39.56
Now, I'm not gonna
guarantee you that if you take
00:32:40.37\00:32:43.02
your stand that your husband
or your wife is just gonna
00:32:43.05\00:32:45.74
automatically fall all
over you to do and to follow,
00:32:45.77\00:32:49.24
they've to make
their own decisions.
00:32:49.62\00:32:51.52
But, I do guarantee you
when you take your stand,
00:32:51.55\00:32:54.21
you're doing the one
thing that enables God
00:32:54.24\00:32:56.72
to reach out to the hearts
of the ones you love the most,
00:32:56.75\00:32:59.47
husband, wife,
father, mother, son, daughter,
00:32:59.50\00:33:02.12
you're doing the one thing
00:33:02.15\00:33:04.19
that frees up God to reach them.
00:33:04.92\00:33:07.92
We were in
Louisville, Kentucky doing a
00:33:10.04\00:33:13.68
Revelation Now
Meeting years and years ago
00:33:13.71\00:33:16.05
and a young couple sat
right on the front row,
00:33:17.00\00:33:21.92
first three nights
right down there, every night.
00:33:22.40\00:33:25.85
Fourth night, she
was sitting there,
00:33:26.94\00:33:30.42
but George was
gone, wasn't there.
00:33:30.45\00:33:34.15
So, after the
meeting, I went down and say,
00:33:34.18\00:33:35.85
Hey, where is George? I
got to know him already.
00:33:35.88\00:33:38.48
Where is George?
00:33:38.51\00:33:39.77
She said, oh! He is not
00:33:39.80\00:33:41.12
gonna come anymore,
00:33:41.15\00:33:42.23
why not?
00:33:42.26\00:33:43.23
Well, he just
says he lost interest,
00:33:43.24\00:33:45.41
you're gonna keep coming,
00:33:45.92\00:33:46.89
oh! yeah, yeah I'm coming,
00:33:46.90\00:33:47.93
I just wanna follow Jesus.
00:33:47.96\00:33:49.55
So, every night she came
and she learned about baptism
00:33:49.84\00:33:54.09
and learned about
different things and she decided
00:33:54.12\00:33:56.83
you know I wanna be a Christian,
00:33:57.30\00:33:58.71
I'd never been
baptized, had an alter 'cause
00:33:59.32\00:34:01.79
so I came down to the front,
00:34:01.82\00:34:02.85
she said, Pastor I
wanna to be baptized
00:34:02.88\00:34:04.95
and I said praise the Lord.
00:34:06.05\00:34:07.14
So, she went
home and told George,
00:34:07.88\00:34:09.55
George I'm gonna get baptized
00:34:09.58\00:34:11.58
and George said
over my dead body,
00:34:13.02\00:34:16.37
you're not getting baptized.
00:34:17.78\00:34:19.58
What would you do?
00:34:22.55\00:34:23.52
I mean it's easy for
us to sit and answer well,
00:34:23.53\00:34:29.32
I do it anyway, I mean
what would you really do.
00:34:29.35\00:34:31.88
So, the next night she came,
00:34:34.27\00:34:36.29
she said Pastor, George
said I can't get baptized.
00:34:37.26\00:34:39.85
I don't know what to do,
00:34:40.68\00:34:42.80
what should I do, I said well,
00:34:43.87\00:34:47.70
what does the Bible say?
00:34:48.70\00:34:50.36
The Bible says that
I should be baptized
00:34:52.85\00:34:55.20
and I said look
just follow the lamb,
00:34:56.37\00:35:00.11
follow the lamb,
you'll never go wrong.
00:35:02.02\00:35:06.28
She says, I'm gonna do it,
00:35:08.72\00:35:10.23
so she decide to be
baptized the next night.
00:35:11.23\00:35:13.63
Her friend went to pick
her up and George locked her
00:35:14.95\00:35:18.86
in her bedroom and
she couldn't get out
00:35:19.70\00:35:23.18
and she opened the
window, stuck her head out
00:35:24.85\00:35:28.20
the window and
hollered at her friend,
00:35:28.23\00:35:29.85
George locked me in
and I can't get out.
00:35:30.16\00:35:32.42
Well, he was
really mad about that,
00:35:33.83\00:35:35.74
whole neighborhood
knows what's going on.
00:35:35.77\00:35:37.94
So, he opens
the door and he says
00:35:38.94\00:35:41.49
okay, you can go,
but don't come back.
00:35:41.52\00:35:47.08
What would you do?
00:35:49.68\00:35:51.29
She showed up at
the meeting that night
00:35:55.16\00:35:56.98
with a little
bag, she had a towel,
00:35:57.01\00:36:00.60
a change of clothes and
she said I wanna be baptized.
00:36:00.63\00:36:08.04
Wow! What courage! You know,
00:36:10.05\00:36:14.15
I'll never forget when
she came out of that water.
00:36:14.18\00:36:16.32
The next night
George was sitting
00:36:20.38\00:36:26.41
right next door
in the front row.
00:36:26.44\00:36:28.88
Seek ye first my
kingdom and my righteousness
00:36:32.17\00:36:38.31
and it opens the
door for God to do
00:36:39.62\00:36:41.47
all kinds of great
things in your life.
00:36:41.50\00:36:43.68
Put God first and then the
next excuse, don't rush me,
00:36:45.43\00:36:55.46
give me more time, call
me at a convenient season,
00:36:57.80\00:37:03.50
I need to study more, you
know, you don't realize it,
00:37:04.94\00:37:12.38
but you probably know
more about the Bible now
00:37:14.14\00:37:16.73
than 90% of the people
that live in this town,
00:37:16.76\00:37:19.22
not because I'm
such a great teacher,
00:37:19.97\00:37:22.00
it's because of the
message that God has given,
00:37:22.58\00:37:26.10
the three angels
messages of Revelation.
00:37:26.57\00:37:28.95
It make sense, makes the Bible
00:37:29.38\00:37:32.07
easy to
understand and you probably
00:37:32.10\00:37:36.02
don't realize this,
but in the last four weeks,
00:37:36.05\00:37:39.55
24 meetings, that's over
six months of going to church.
00:37:39.58\00:37:46.37
I need more time, six
months worth of going to church,
00:37:48.34\00:37:53.78
I don't think we've
realize how dangerous
00:37:55.20\00:37:57.37
it is to put off following God,
00:37:57.40\00:38:01.68
to put off doing
what God is speaking to
00:38:03.02\00:38:05.76
your conscious to
do, you can't play games
00:38:05.79\00:38:10.41
with the devil,
if you try playing
00:38:10.44\00:38:13.43
his games folks
you're gonna lose every time.
00:38:13.46\00:38:16.15
Its like, like getting a
new job that requires you
00:38:19.96\00:38:27.98
to get up about an hour
earlier in the morning and
00:38:28.01\00:38:32.95
so you set your big
alarm clock in the morning,
00:38:32.98\00:38:35.59
that things goes off
and Oh! Man you're not ready
00:38:36.58\00:38:39.85
to get up yet, I
mean that's an hour early,
00:38:39.88\00:38:42.80
bed is so warm and cozy
and comfortable and soft
00:38:42.83\00:38:47.96
and you forgot
to put the heater up
00:38:47.99\00:38:49.23
and it's cold out
there and Oh! Man you reached
00:38:49.26\00:38:51.94
out there and you hit
the snooze button, if I can
00:38:51.97\00:38:53.82
just get five more minutes,
that would feel so good.
00:38:53.85\00:38:56.52
So, you hit that
snooze button, you sleep five
00:38:57.51\00:38:59.83
more minutes, it goes off
again and you drag yourself
00:38:59.86\00:39:02.54
out of bed off to work,
next morning the alarm goes off
00:39:02.57\00:39:07.18
Oh! Man I'm not ready to
get up yet snooze button,
00:39:07.21\00:39:10.54
you know, that last
five minutes of sleep that
00:39:10.85\00:39:13.15
you get after the
alarm goes off is the best
00:39:13.18\00:39:15.75
five minutes of the
whole night, you sound
00:39:15.78\00:39:18.92
like you're talking
from experience of that, I'm.
00:39:18.95\00:39:21.68
Then, the next morning
you know hit the snooze button
00:39:23.78\00:39:26.46
until onetime you wake up
and you hear sounds that are
00:39:26.99\00:39:32.07
different from what you've
been hearing, and you notice
00:39:32.10\00:39:35.43
the angle of the light is
just a little different coming
00:39:35.46\00:39:37.85
into your window and you
look at that clock and you
00:39:37.88\00:39:41.21
realize, Oh! I'm
already late for work, you grab
00:39:41.24\00:39:45.93
that clock, you shake
it and why didn't you ring?
00:39:45.96\00:39:48.80
When you look at it you
realize it did ring just
00:39:51.58\00:39:53.71
as loud and longer
than it ever rang before,
00:39:53.74\00:39:56.83
it rang all the way
down and you didn't hear it.
00:39:56.86\00:39:58.87
So, the next
day, on next, that day
00:40:03.31\00:40:05.22
on the way home from work,
00:40:05.25\00:40:06.22
you stop at the hardware store
00:40:06.23\00:40:07.64
and you buy one of those
old fashioned alarm clocks
00:40:07.67\00:40:10.44
with the double
clanging bell on top.
00:40:10.47\00:40:12.67
And, you wind that thing
up as tight as it will go
00:40:14.63\00:40:17.04
and you set that there
on your bed in the morning
00:40:17.07\00:40:19.20
that things goes
off, you shut it off
00:40:19.43\00:40:22.37
and when your
heartbeat settles down
00:40:22.40\00:40:23.81
just a little bit,
you jump out of bed,
00:40:23.84\00:40:25.30
get dressed and off to work.
00:40:25.33\00:40:26.67
You see, God made us,
so that we can tune out
00:40:28.63\00:40:36.27
the things that distract
us and annoy and bother us,
00:40:36.91\00:40:42.74
he made us so that we can sleep
00:40:44.12\00:40:45.94
through an alarm
clock ringing if we want to.
00:40:45.97\00:40:48.40
In fact, I remember I was
assigned to sack crew B-52,
00:40:51.19\00:40:57.42
somebody just coming
here tonight, said I was
00:40:57.45\00:40:59.73
in the sack too and one
of the things we had to do,
00:40:59.76\00:41:03.96
we had to spend seven days
in a row, a whole week living
00:41:03.99\00:41:11.58
out in a little building
on the end of the runway right
00:41:11.61\00:41:14.63
next to those airplanes fully
loaded with fuel and nuclear
00:41:14.66\00:41:18.55
weapons ready to go to
war at a moment's notice.
00:41:18.58\00:41:20.81
First day after
intense target study
00:41:22.42\00:41:25.81
and preparation and
learning what our mission was,
00:41:25.84\00:41:28.65
where we would
go, we went to war.
00:41:28.68\00:41:30.93
I crawled into
my bed that night,
00:41:31.54\00:41:33.46
I mean I was bone tired,
00:41:34.03\00:41:36.33
just wanting to sleep,
00:41:36.36\00:41:37.95
I don't know if you've
ever tried sleeping out
00:41:38.58\00:41:40.64
on the end of the runway
with the 8 engines of a B-52
00:41:40.67\00:41:45.21
jet roaring over
your head all night long.
00:41:45.24\00:41:48.17
I would just
about would be dozed out
00:41:48.20\00:41:50.45
and roar there goes an airplane.
00:41:50.48\00:41:52.49
Oh! What was that?
00:41:52.52\00:41:53.85
Just about to go to
sleep again and roar,
00:41:54.39\00:41:56.65
here comes another one.
00:41:56.68\00:41:57.91
I hardly got a
wink that first night.
00:41:59.02\00:42:01.16
Second night, I managed to get
00:42:02.09\00:42:03.78
a little bit more,
third night a little more
00:42:03.81\00:42:05.86
by the time that week was over,
00:42:05.89\00:42:07.99
I could sleep
through the whole night
00:42:08.02\00:42:09.87
and never hear an
airplane going off.
00:42:09.90\00:42:12.27
You see God made us
to tune out distracting,
00:42:13.33\00:42:16.55
I remember when
I was a bachelor,
00:42:16.58\00:42:18.54
a single Pastor and
I go to grocery store
00:42:18.57\00:42:23.75
every week to get my
weekly bag of beans and rice,
00:42:23.78\00:42:27.18
it's only thing I knew
how to make and what I see
00:42:27.21\00:42:31.85
the mothers there, their
kids hanging on their skirts,
00:42:31.88\00:42:35.75
jeans and things falling
out off the carts and kids
00:42:35.78\00:42:40.45
knocking stuff off
the aisle and I'm thinking
00:42:40.48\00:42:42.24
how do they keep their
sanity? You know, now I know.
00:42:42.27\00:42:45.75
See God makes us, so that
00:42:47.08\00:42:48.73
we can tune out,
distracting to us.
00:42:48.76\00:42:51.76
Given a Bible study one time,
00:42:51.79\00:42:53.46
studying the
Bible in the living room
00:42:53.49\00:42:54.82
with a young lady
who had a little boy,
00:42:54.85\00:42:56.67
you know, about that big,
00:42:57.19\00:42:58.50
I don't know, if you've ever
00:42:58.53\00:42:59.50
done this when you're visiting
00:42:59.51\00:43:00.60
with people who have little kids
00:43:00.63\00:43:01.60
they gotta go and get
every toy out of their toy box
00:43:01.61\00:43:03.96
and coming and show you,
00:43:03.99\00:43:05.00
wow! This kid had
a brand new airplane
00:43:05.03\00:43:07.19
and a train, and he had
that I'm trying to study the
00:43:07.22\00:43:10.15
Bible with his
mother and Wahaaaoo!!
00:43:10.18\00:43:13.70
You know, and
choo, choo, choo, choo,
00:43:13.73\00:43:15.74
all up and down my pants
leg and I'm just not even
00:43:15.77\00:43:20.45
thinking, can't figure
out what's the next, text,
00:43:20.48\00:43:22.70
what am I supposed
to say next and she says
00:43:22.73\00:43:24.90
Oh! don't pay attention to him,
00:43:24.93\00:43:26.10
I don't even hear him.
00:43:26.13\00:43:27.10
You see God made us that way,
00:43:30.09\00:43:32.17
otherwise these
distracting things
00:43:32.88\00:43:35.06
would just drive us insane and
00:43:35.09\00:43:40.54
he made us that way spiritually.
00:43:40.57\00:43:42.88
You know, you
can study the Bible
00:43:44.98\00:43:46.96
and discover God's
truth and then if a person
00:43:47.75\00:43:53.60
doesn't act on it, it bothers
their conscious, doesn't it.
00:43:53.63\00:43:59.95
If they still
don't act it, it bothers
00:44:00.70\00:44:02.61
them less and
then less and less and
00:44:02.64\00:44:07.08
then it doesn't
even bother him anymore.
00:44:07.11\00:44:08.64
I remember Bill, a
young man who was coming to
00:44:08.67\00:44:11.55
Revelation Now meetings,
he was a pastor of a church
00:44:11.58\00:44:13.89
and they were a
Sunday church, a nice little
00:44:13.92\00:44:16.48
group, I met some of
them, a great fellow.
00:44:16.51\00:44:18.96
We got to be friends
and then when I covered
00:44:18.99\00:44:21.54
the Sabbath he
came up to me afterwards
00:44:21.57\00:44:24.25
he says, wow!
They didn't teach me
00:44:24.28\00:44:26.38
that in the seminary,
I said what do you think?
00:44:26.41\00:44:29.65
It makes sense, he
said, every word of it.
00:44:29.68\00:44:32.08
Saturday is the Sabbath
day, crystal clear to me,
00:44:32.82\00:44:36.86
I said well Bill, what
are you gonna do about it?
00:44:36.89\00:44:39.82
Well, that's a
different story he said.
00:44:40.04\00:44:42.25
If I started preaching
that in my church, they'd run me
00:44:42.80\00:44:45.16
out on a rail and my
wife already thinks I'm crazy
00:44:45.19\00:44:48.28
just for coming to
these Revelation Now meetings.
00:44:48.31\00:44:50.89
I said, yeah, but Bill the
most important thing to you,
00:44:52.79\00:44:57.96
you said was to follow the lamb
00:44:57.99\00:44:59.64
isn't that right?
Boy, he took a deep breath,
00:45:00.20\00:45:05.42
I could just see him agonizing,
00:45:05.45\00:45:07.65
I said what are you
gonna do this Sabbath, Bill.
00:45:08.78\00:45:11.64
Man, I work in a lumberyard,
00:45:11.67\00:45:13.46
pastor, didn't have
enough people to pay his
00:45:13.97\00:45:16.24
enough salary, he
had to have another job,
00:45:16.27\00:45:18.49
that's our busiest day,
I said Bill, you're gonna
00:45:19.18\00:45:23.04
follow the lamb and
he said I'll be there.
00:45:23.07\00:45:27.01
So, Sabbath morning
I was looking for him,
00:45:28.18\00:45:30.33
he didn't show up
and that night he came
00:45:30.98\00:45:34.23
to the meetings and
he didn't even to look
00:45:34.26\00:45:36.07
at me, and I don't
know why and its not me,
00:45:36.10\00:45:39.65
but he just looked down,
sat down, he wasn't the same.
00:45:41.15\00:45:45.14
So, I ran over there
after the meeting, I said
00:45:45.79\00:45:47.61
what happened Bill, he
said man I just couldn't do it.
00:45:47.64\00:45:51.02
He said I know I
should have been here
00:45:51.61\00:45:53.30
and my conscious has
been bothering me all day,
00:45:53.33\00:45:55.54
but I just had to go to work.
00:45:55.92\00:45:57.81
I said, well there's
another time, next week, he says
00:45:59.85\00:46:03.55
okay, next
Sabbath, didn't show up,
00:46:03.58\00:46:05.43
didn't come to the
meeting that night.
00:46:05.86\00:46:07.91
I mean this man was
so under conviction,
00:46:08.47\00:46:11.07
it was bothering him so bad,
00:46:11.10\00:46:12.99
but he didn't do it,
didn't come Sunday night,
00:46:13.98\00:46:18.35
first two nights he
missed, so the next Monday
00:46:18.87\00:46:23.01
I went to see
him and he said Jac,
00:46:23.04\00:46:26.12
said that I've
enjoyed Revelation Now,
00:46:26.15\00:46:28.01
but I'm not
gonna comeback anymore,
00:46:28.04\00:46:29.77
I said why not Bill?
00:46:30.53\00:46:31.87
He said I went to see
my district supervisor and
00:46:31.90\00:46:34.00
he said yeah, he says the
Bible teaches Saturday is the
00:46:34.03\00:46:37.20
Sabbath day, but that's
not as important, what's
00:46:37.23\00:46:40.42
important is that you teach
people to love one another.
00:46:40.45\00:46:44.83
That's what God was all
about, it's all about love,
00:46:45.59\00:46:48.35
doctrines come second,
don't worry about doctrines
00:46:49.33\00:46:53.06
just love, teach love,
preach love, just preach Jesus.
00:46:53.09\00:46:58.62
That's all and he said
Jac, I'm gonna do that,
00:46:58.65\00:47:03.27
I'm just gonna preach Jesus.
00:47:03.30\00:47:04.66
I said you know Bill, that's
what we're supposed to do,
00:47:06.18\00:47:09.60
we supposed to preach Jesus,
00:47:10.71\00:47:12.51
but tell me which
Jesus are you gonna preach?
00:47:13.06\00:47:16.55
Are you gonna
preach the one who said,
00:47:19.23\00:47:20.63
if you love me
keep my commandments
00:47:20.66\00:47:23.71
or are you gonna
preach the Jesus that said
00:47:24.96\00:47:26.91
commandments aren't important,
00:47:27.82\00:47:29.35
which lamb are you gonna follow?
00:47:29.96\00:47:31.28
And he said, I
just don't believe
00:47:34.03\00:47:37.84
it anymore, just like that.
00:47:37.87\00:47:41.30
See that's the
mysterious way of sin,
00:47:42.04\00:47:44.81
don't give the devil an inch
because he'll take your life.
00:47:45.88\00:47:50.05
I think we've
realized the danger
00:47:52.74\00:47:54.86
in delaying and putting it off.
00:47:54.89\00:47:56.90
So, you buy that big double
clanging alarm clock on your
00:47:57.53\00:48:00.98
way home, you wind it up
00:48:01.01\00:48:03.09
as tight as it'll
go the next morning.
00:48:03.12\00:48:04.73
Oh! You're hearts' beating,
00:48:04.76\00:48:05.99
but you get out of
bed and get dressed and
00:48:06.02\00:48:07.74
next few days you respond
instantly just like that.
00:48:07.77\00:48:11.16
And, you know what after about
00:48:12.03\00:48:13.15
two or three days
of that, you don't need
00:48:13.18\00:48:15.73
that old double clanging
bell on top anymore; do you?
00:48:15.76\00:48:18.76
A clock radio works fine,
you keep responding to that
00:48:19.25\00:48:22.82
clock radio and pretty soon
you can hear that little click
00:48:22.85\00:48:28.91
before the music even
comes on, and if you respond to
00:48:29.34\00:48:33.05
that, then soon you won't
even need the radio anymore.
00:48:33.08\00:48:38.44
See, I've had those
kind of experiences too.
00:48:38.59\00:48:41.03
God made us, so that we can
00:48:42.45\00:48:45.68
tune out those
distracting things,
00:48:45.71\00:48:48.03
in fact the Bible tells
us in First John 4 verse 2,
00:48:48.06\00:48:51.62
such teachings come
through hypocritical liars whose
00:48:51.65\00:48:54.13
consciousness have been
seared as with a hot iron.
00:48:54.16\00:48:56.63
You see, he made us that way,
00:48:57.34\00:48:59.21
he made us so
that we can reject him,
00:48:59.24\00:49:02.39
because he made us that way
so that we could be free ages.
00:49:02.42\00:49:04.87
We can choose to accept Christ
or we can choose to reject him
00:49:04.90\00:49:08.74
and we can reject him
and live with that choice,
00:49:08.77\00:49:11.12
see if he made
you so that every time
00:49:11.15\00:49:13.19
you rejected Christ
your conscious bothered you,
00:49:13.22\00:49:15.63
more and more and
more and more every time
00:49:15.66\00:49:18.17
then soon you'd be driven
either insane or you would
00:49:18.20\00:49:21.26
have to obey and so he
made us, so that we can
00:49:21.29\00:49:25.64
reject him and be
comfortable with that choice.
00:49:25.67\00:49:30.05
And our conscious
becomes seared with a hot iron.
00:49:30.49\00:49:34.28
Some people say
that's the unpardonable sin.
00:49:34.31\00:49:37.36
The unpardonable sin is
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
00:49:37.90\00:49:41.90
It's dangerously
close, I've been there,
00:49:42.57\00:49:46.84
I've said no to God
over and over again,
00:49:47.40\00:49:50.09
I've been to the
place where I couldn't hear
00:49:50.12\00:49:52.22
the Spirit calling me anymore,
00:49:52.25\00:49:53.72
I've sat in church and
I've seen people's tears
00:49:53.75\00:49:56.46
streaming down their
cheek and I'm laughing at them,
00:49:56.49\00:49:59.90
that isn't the unpardonable
sin praise God for that.
00:50:01.18\00:50:04.50
The unpardonable sin is
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,
00:50:05.63\00:50:08.22
I was close
somehow God got through
00:50:08.25\00:50:11.65
and if you just
respond some of you here
00:50:12.30\00:50:14.58
maybe wondering, have I done it?
00:50:14.61\00:50:15.99
If you're wondering, you
haven't committed it yet.
00:50:16.02\00:50:18.40
You maybe close,
but you need to respond
00:50:18.89\00:50:22.42
and as you respond, its
just like that alarm clock,
00:50:22.45\00:50:25.11
it's just the Bible
says that light gets brighter
00:50:25.14\00:50:27.67
and brighter and
brighter until the perfect day.
00:50:27.70\00:50:30.09
But don't wait
until it's too late.
00:50:32.69\00:50:34.82
In verse 10, of Second
Thessalonians chapter 2,
00:50:40.35\00:50:44.06
oh, let me start at verse 9,
00:50:45.23\00:50:46.51
the coming of the lawless one
00:50:46.54\00:50:47.51
will be in accordance
with the work of Satan
00:50:47.52\00:50:49.05
displayed in all kinds
of counterfeit miracles,
00:50:49.08\00:50:51.33
signs and wonders
and in every sort of evil
00:50:51.36\00:50:53.86
that deceives
those who are perishing,
00:50:53.89\00:50:55.62
they perish because they
refuse to love the truth,
00:50:55.65\00:50:59.12
it doesn't say
they perish because
00:51:00.13\00:51:02.18
they didn't believe the truth,
00:51:02.21\00:51:03.66
you can believe the
truth without loving the truth,
00:51:04.09\00:51:08.02
loving the truth is believing
it so much that you embrace
00:51:08.45\00:51:11.83
it and bring it into
your heart, in your life and
00:51:11.86\00:51:14.11
you'll obey it, you can
believe it without loving it,
00:51:14.14\00:51:16.89
they perish because
they didn't love the truth.
00:51:16.92\00:51:19.69
They didn't believe
the truth, they didn't
00:51:19.72\00:51:21.66
believe it enough to
bring it into their hearts.
00:51:21.69\00:51:24.79
Now, listen to
this, some of the most
00:51:25.44\00:51:27.18
frightening words
in scripture verse 11,
00:51:27.21\00:51:29.25
for this reason God
sends them a powerful
00:51:29.28\00:51:33.12
delusion so that
they will believe a lie.
00:51:33.15\00:51:36.55
God sends it and
they'll believe that lie just
00:51:40.42\00:51:44.59
as sincerely as
they believe the truth.
00:51:44.62\00:51:46.94
Why does he do it?
00:51:50.38\00:51:52.04
Because God gave us the choice,
00:51:53.08\00:51:56.16
we can choose to love him,
00:51:56.63\00:51:58.63
and we can choose to reject
him and live with that choice.
00:51:59.82\00:52:04.70
Not real peace, real peace only
00:52:05.61\00:52:07.47
comes if we surrender to God
00:52:07.50\00:52:08.97
I don't think we understand
how dangerous it is to delay
00:52:12.58\00:52:16.65
and put off serving
God, a young boy who was born
00:52:17.19\00:52:20.86
into a poor family in the
Swiss Alps, his father didn't
00:52:20.89\00:52:25.62
even earn enough
money to feed his family.
00:52:25.65\00:52:27.68
So, this young boy, his father
taught this young boy, how
00:52:28.55\00:52:32.46
to go out into the woods and
look at the nest of big eagles.
00:52:32.49\00:52:37.10
Oh! He could find, he
could spot those eagles nest
00:52:37.69\00:52:40.06
where nobody else could see them
00:52:40.09\00:52:41.40
and he studied those
nests and he knew when just the
00:52:41.89\00:52:44.54
right time was he
could climb up the tree,
00:52:44.57\00:52:46.55
take the eagle eggs out
of that nest and keep the
00:52:46.58\00:52:49.26
mother eagle laying eggs
just as long as possible,
00:52:49.29\00:52:51.87
he knew how to do all
that, and that was the way
00:52:51.90\00:52:53.69
he helped to take
care and feed his family.
00:52:53.72\00:52:56.04
One day he spotted an
eagle nest high up on a ledge,
00:52:56.61\00:52:59.58
he kept
watching it and watching,
00:53:00.07\00:53:01.97
he knew now the time is right,
00:53:02.00\00:53:03.07
he need to go up
there and get those eggs.
00:53:03.10\00:53:05.11
So, he went to
the base of the cliff
00:53:05.14\00:53:07.90
and just shear straight wall,
00:53:07.93\00:53:10.50
he couldn't
climb up, but he knew
00:53:10.53\00:53:12.97
those mountains like
the back of his hand.
00:53:13.00\00:53:14.72
So there, I can go
around the backside
00:53:14.75\00:53:16.46
and go up the top and
then go down to the ledge,
00:53:16.49\00:53:18.39
so he went around the backside,
00:53:18.42\00:53:19.86
he got up to the
top and discovered
00:53:19.89\00:53:21.95
that the ledge was
actually underneath an overhang,
00:53:21.98\00:53:24.74
it was beneath and below him,
00:53:24.77\00:53:26.15
there's just no way that
he could climb down to it.
00:53:26.18\00:53:28.57
Still no problem
because he had a rope,
00:53:29.07\00:53:30.59
all he need to do is tie
his rope to a tree, let it down
00:53:30.62\00:53:33.37
over the edge and then lower
himself until he could just
00:53:33.40\00:53:36.59
swing over there and
bend down to pick up the egg.
00:53:36.62\00:53:39.46
So, he carefully tie that
rope to a tree, check the knot,
00:53:39.49\00:53:44.05
really good I mean he
was way up, way up high
00:53:44.08\00:53:47.26
and then he puts some little
knots in the end few inches
00:53:47.97\00:53:50.17
apart, so his hands wouldn't
slip and he lowered himself
00:53:50.20\00:53:55.03
over the edge of that cliff
on the rope, hanging up there,
00:53:55.06\00:54:00.27
hundreds of feet up in the air,
00:54:00.68\00:54:02.92
one slip, instant
death on the rocks below.
00:54:03.37\00:54:07.40
He wasn't even
afraid, he had done that kind
00:54:08.18\00:54:10.65
of things so many times,
so he just lowered himself
00:54:10.68\00:54:13.44
down to his feet
where leveled with the ledge
00:54:13.47\00:54:16.07
and then he started
to swing on the rope,
00:54:16.47\00:54:18.64
wider and wider and wider
until all he had to do was
00:54:19.06\00:54:23.49
just step off on the
ledge and he bend down to pick
00:54:23.52\00:54:28.08
up those eggs out of the
eagle's nest and suddenly
00:54:28.11\00:54:31.17
he froze in a moment of
panic because he realized
00:54:31.20\00:54:36.00
he had let go of the
rope, and he turned to watch it
00:54:36.36\00:54:40.14
swinging away, you know,
in times like that, it seems
00:54:40.17\00:54:43.55
like your mind just races
at an incredible speed and
00:54:43.58\00:54:46.23
he thought, now I
gotta climb up, he couldn't.
00:54:46.26\00:54:47.94
Sheer overhand,
he couldn't climb up.
00:54:47.97\00:54:49.69
I'll climb down,
oh! too straight,
00:54:49.72\00:54:51.72
he couldn't do
it, call for help,
00:54:51.75\00:54:53.93
there is nobody is going
to hear me I'm so far away.
00:54:53.96\00:54:56.84
And he also realized
that in just a few days
00:54:57.67\00:55:00.08
he would become so weak,
00:55:00.11\00:55:01.10
he'd be easy prey
for that mother eagle
00:55:01.13\00:55:03.00
and she would just
tear him to shreds.
00:55:03.03\00:55:04.81
He knew his only
hope was the rope
00:55:06.74\00:55:11.74
and by now it was coming back,
00:55:12.31\00:55:14.64
he also knew that the
first time that rope came back,
00:55:15.35\00:55:18.56
it would be as close
as it would ever get,
00:55:19.51\00:55:22.54
if he waited
till the second time,
00:55:23.17\00:55:25.20
it would be further out
there and the third time
00:55:25.58\00:55:28.66
even further until
if he waited too long,
00:55:28.69\00:55:32.06
it would just be
hanging motionless
00:55:32.49\00:55:34.38
far out of his
reach, the rope was coming
00:55:34.41\00:55:38.09
he had to make the choice
and he had to decide quickly,
00:55:38.68\00:55:41.75
so he stood up on the cliff,
on the edge, his toes hanging
00:55:42.78\00:55:47.50
over the edge of that cliff,
hundreds of feet up in the
00:55:47.53\00:55:49.67
air and one slip and it was
all over and he waited until
00:55:49.70\00:55:54.10
that rope came and at
just the precise moment, when
00:55:54.13\00:55:57.97
it hung motionless there in
front of him and just before
00:55:58.00\00:56:01.74
it began to swing away,
he flexed his muscles in his
00:56:01.77\00:56:05.74
legs and with all of
the energy he could muster,
00:56:05.77\00:56:08.92
he just threw himself
out into space, grabbed hold
00:56:09.34\00:56:14.64
the rope and
climbed up to safety.
00:56:14.67\00:56:18.48
The rope is
still swinging for you,
00:56:21.60\00:56:24.88
the rope is Jesus and he
is reaching out with all of
00:56:26.23\00:56:30.65
the love that he can
pour out of his heart to you,
00:56:30.68\00:56:32.95
it will never be any easier
for you to make your choice
00:56:35.76\00:56:40.81
to follow the lamb
then it is right now,
00:56:41.88\00:56:45.35
the longer you wait,
just like that rope the
00:56:46.43\00:56:50.43
further it would be out
there and more difficult
00:56:50.46\00:56:53.48
it's gonna be, that's
why the Bible says today,
00:56:53.51\00:56:56.98
today if you hear his voice,
00:56:57.84\00:57:00.87
harden not your heart,
this is the day of salvation.
00:57:01.72\00:57:06.34