The hour is urgent, as darkness is dispelled by the light of 00:00:01.60\00:00:07.00 God's word. 00:00:07.00\00:00:07.84 A new day begins. 00:00:08.10\00:00:09.44 Jesus, the light of the world is shining. 00:00:10.37\00:00:13.14 Prepare your hearts to proclaim the final cry. 00:00:13.78\00:00:16.91 This is 3ABN Summer Camp Meeting. 00:00:17.45\00:00:20.65 Good morning, friends, and welcome to 3ABN Summer Camp 00:00:24.79\00:00:27.19 Meeting. 00:00:27.19\00:00:28.79 Good morning. 00:00:28.79\00:00:29.96 Now, if you're in another part of the world where it's night, 00:00:30.06\00:00:32.09 excuse us, it's a beautiful day here. 00:00:32.79\00:00:34.56 We just had some showers of blessings. 00:00:35.00\00:00:37.43 And oh, that today they might fall. 00:00:38.63\00:00:41.74 We thank you for taking the time. 00:00:42.87\00:00:44.07 If you have not joined us for the prior messages, you can go 00:00:44.14\00:00:47.28 to 3ABN Plus and catch up on those messages that have been 00:00:47.28\00:00:51.98 already preached. 00:00:51.98\00:00:52.65 But this morning, we're asking for the Lord to bless, to 00:00:53.18\00:00:57.39 strengthen the messenger for this hour, to give wisdom and 00:00:57.39\00:01:00.89 understanding. 00:01:00.89\00:01:04.93 come to our camp meeting. 00:01:04.93\00:01:06.13 Amen? 00:01:06.33\00:01:06.66 Has it been a blessing? 00:01:07.30\00:01:08.10 Surely has. 00:01:09.13\00:01:13.34 Lord's blessing to be with us. 00:01:13.34\00:01:15.34 After the prayer, I'll sing a song and then we'll go to God's 00:01:15.64\00:01:19.31 word. 00:01:19.31\00:01:19.71 Let's pray together. 00:01:19.84\00:01:20.51 Loving Father, gracious God in heaven, we thank you, Lord, for 00:01:22.78\00:01:27.95 the early and latter rain. 00:01:27.95\00:01:30.69 We pray that your presence and power will be with us. 00:01:31.35\00:01:36.83 And we know, Lord, that you said little is much when God is 00:01:36.83\00:01:42.36 in it. 00:01:42.36\00:01:43.37 And so we ask you to lead us and guide us this morning to 00:01:43.57\00:01:46.77 send your Spirit, Lord, into this place and do what only you 00:01:46.77\00:01:51.67 can accomplish. 00:01:51.67\00:01:52.47 So now, Father, we commit ourselves to you. 00:01:53.34\00:01:55.51 We submit ourselves to you. 00:01:55.58\00:01:58.58 And we thank you. 00:01:58.58\00:01:58.61 In Jesus' name. 00:02:00.25\00:02:01.25 Amen. 00:02:02.25\00:02:02.72 Shall we gather at the river Where bright angels' feet have 00:02:11.86\00:02:23.27 trod With its crystal tide forever, Flowing by the throne 00:02:23.27\00:02:35.42 of God. 00:02:35.42\00:02:37.45 Yes, we'll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful 00:02:39.79\00:02:49.53 river, Together with the saints at the river, That flows by the 00:02:49.53\00:03:02.01 throne of God. 00:03:02.01\00:03:05.45 Looking forward to that day. 00:03:05.91\00:03:07.22 Soon we'll reach that shining river, Soon our pilgrimage will 00:03:10.59\00:03:21.13 cease. 00:03:21.13\00:03:21.83 Soon our happy hearts will quiver With a melodious peace. 00:03:23.43\00:03:35.88 Yes, we'll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful 00:03:37.85\00:03:47.79 river, Together with the saints at the river, That flows by the 00:03:47.79\00:04:00.14 throne of God. 00:04:00.14\00:04:02.60 Yes, we'll gather at that river, The beautiful, the 00:04:05.11\00:04:14.35 beautiful river, Together with the saints at the river, That 00:04:14.35\00:04:26.46 flows by the throne of God. 00:04:26.46\00:04:30.03 That flows by the throne of God. 00:04:38.51\00:04:42.08 Amen. 00:04:48.48\00:04:48.85 There's been a little change in the speaker for this morning. 00:05:01.03\00:05:03.70 And we just want to be candid with you. 00:05:06.40\00:05:08.47 We want to keep Shelley Quinn in our prayers. 00:05:08.47\00:05:10.44 So, let's just pray right now. 00:05:14.78\00:05:17.18 Loving Father in heaven, as we come to you in Jesus' holy, 00:05:19.01\00:05:22.68 precious name. 00:05:22.75\00:05:23.69 Lord, we come knowing that your strength is perfect when our 00:05:24.85\00:05:30.96 strength is gone. 00:05:30.96\00:05:31.86 We ask, precious Savior, now that as we commit to this 00:05:32.86\00:05:35.96 message, that we will know that your presence and power is with 00:05:35.96\00:05:40.24 us. 00:05:40.24\00:05:42.74 That you will tend to her as the great physician. 00:05:43.54\00:05:46.47 And you'll bring to her the strength and healing she needs. 00:05:46.98\00:05:49.71 And we ask this in Jesus' holy and precious name we pray. 00:05:50.25\00:05:53.82 Amen. 00:05:55.02\00:05:55.52 The message is entitled, The Impregnable Church. 00:05:58.09\00:06:00.92 The Impregnable Church. 00:06:01.66\00:06:03.73 If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Matthew, 00:06:04.29\00:06:06.59 chapter 16. 00:06:06.70\00:06:07.76 And we're going to look together at verse 18. 00:06:07.76\00:06:09.90 Matthew, chapter 16, and we're going to look together at verse 00:06:10.97\00:06:14.90 18. 00:06:14.90\00:06:15.60 You know, so many people today think the church is in trouble. 00:06:16.40\00:06:19.34 I say the church is not in trouble. 00:06:19.67\00:06:21.34 The people in the church are in trouble. 00:06:21.74\00:06:23.35 God did not build a church out of cookie crumbles. 00:06:24.78\00:06:28.18 He did not build a church out of plywood. 00:06:29.02\00:06:31.32 Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18, reads as follows. 00:06:32.72\00:06:36.02 Jesus is speaking to Peter. 00:06:36.56\00:06:38.53 And he says, And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter. 00:06:39.26\00:06:43.20 And upon this rock I will build my church. 00:06:44.07\00:06:46.37 And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 00:06:47.07\00:06:49.64 So I'm going to begin by saying today, God's church is going 00:06:49.64\00:06:53.48 through. 00:06:53.48\00:06:53.88 What do you say? 00:06:53.91\00:06:54.44 Amen. 00:06:54.71\00:06:55.41 God's church is not going to fall. 00:06:55.54\00:06:57.25 But the challenges of the last days is simply this. 00:06:57.61\00:07:00.82 The challenges of these days has caused there to be two 00:07:00.82\00:07:05.45 types of Christians. 00:07:05.45\00:07:06.52 How many types did I say? 00:07:06.55\00:07:07.52 Two types. 00:07:08.22\00:07:09.06 Those that focus on crisis and those that focus on Christ. 00:07:09.46\00:07:14.56 If you keep your eye on the crisis, you'll always have 00:07:15.33\00:07:18.00 reasons to be concerned. 00:07:18.00\00:07:19.47 But if you keep your eyes on Christ, there will be no reason 00:07:20.64\00:07:24.31 to be concerned at all. 00:07:24.31\00:07:25.94 Because Jesus is able to carry the church that he built to its 00:07:25.94\00:07:31.28 final destination. 00:07:31.28\00:07:32.01 My wife and I fly quite a bit, and we know that once the 00:07:33.35\00:07:36.58 flight attendants say the door has been closed, they always 00:07:36.58\00:07:40.82 say, If your final destination is not... 00:07:40.82\00:07:45.03 This is a good time to get off the plane. 00:07:45.03\00:07:47.40 But when the doors are closed and the plane takes off, 00:07:48.20\00:07:50.63 nobody's getting off. 00:07:50.93\00:07:52.57 Nobody asks to get off. 00:07:53.07\00:07:54.84 And I want to say this point. 00:07:54.84\00:07:56.24 When the church is going through turbulence, the pilot 00:07:56.87\00:07:59.91 would say, The fasten your seatbelt sign has been ignited. 00:07:59.91\00:08:04.31 Please follow flight attendant rules and just stay seated. 00:08:04.45\00:08:07.52 Buckle your seatbelts. 00:08:08.05\00:08:08.88 Brethren, the church is going to go through turbulence. 00:08:09.58\00:08:11.65 But don't get off the plane. 00:08:12.89\00:08:14.56 I mean, isn't it ridiculous to ask the flight attendant, You 00:08:15.79\00:08:18.06 know, I heard that there's a turbulence coming. 00:08:18.06\00:08:19.49 Could you let me out? 00:08:19.56\00:08:20.60 No, brethren. 00:08:22.60\00:08:27.27 down. 00:08:27.27\00:08:27.50 And then make sure that you're not distracted. 00:08:28.47\00:08:30.47 Put away your tray tables. 00:08:30.87\00:08:31.97 Return your seat in the upright and locked position. 00:08:32.21\00:08:34.21 Store away all the things. 00:08:34.58\00:08:35.48 Put away the large electronic devices. 00:08:35.74\00:08:37.35 You could tell I fly too much. 00:08:37.58\00:08:39.08 But we have to make sure that when we are on our way and 00:08:40.38\00:08:43.99 turbulence hits, that we are buckled in because Jesus can 00:08:43.99\00:08:47.72 carry us through. 00:08:47.72\00:08:48.92 So today the security of the church is not dependent on our 00:08:48.92\00:08:52.66 problem solving proficiency, but on the providences of God. 00:08:52.66\00:08:56.60 When the Lord built the church, Jesus made sure that the 00:08:57.27\00:09:01.80 foundation was going to be solid. 00:09:01.80\00:09:03.81 And He is the foundation of His church. 00:09:04.27\00:09:07.24 When we think about it, David the Psalmist makes it so clear 00:09:07.98\00:09:10.45 in Psalm 8, verse 3 and 4, he talks about the ability of God 00:09:10.45\00:09:15.18 to preserve. 00:09:15.18\00:09:19.15 each other, if the Lord can keep all the stars stable from 00:09:19.15\00:09:23.43 generation to generation, if we can trace ourselves back 00:09:23.43\00:09:26.66 thousands of years by simply looking at the position of the 00:09:26.66\00:09:29.46 planets, is God able to preserve His church? 00:09:29.46\00:09:32.07 David the Psalmist says in Psalm 8, verse 3 and 4, When I 00:09:33.20\00:09:35.84 consider your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon 00:09:35.84\00:09:39.84 and the stars which you have ordained, I love this part, 00:09:39.84\00:09:43.18 what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of 00:09:43.18\00:09:47.98 man that you visit him? 00:09:47.98\00:09:49.85 Praise God. 00:09:50.15\00:09:51.19 If God can keep billions of galaxies from crashing into 00:09:51.35\00:09:55.69 each other, God can maintain the veracity and the integrity 00:09:55.69\00:10:01.13 of His church. 00:10:01.13\00:10:01.73 Amen somebody. 00:10:01.83\00:10:02.43 So the Lord is making it very clear to us in Jeremiah 32 and 00:10:03.47\00:10:06.30 verse 27, nothing difficult for God. 00:10:06.30\00:10:08.77 The only way that we can think of things difficult for God is 00:10:09.30\00:10:12.04 if we think, and I say this with total respect because I'm 00:10:12.04\00:10:15.28 a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we have 00:10:15.28\00:10:18.28 administrators and we have leaders, but the security of 00:10:18.28\00:10:21.25 the church is not based on our administrators and our leaders, 00:10:21.25\00:10:24.09 it is based on the one who built the church. 00:10:24.29\00:10:26.45 Jeremiah 32 and verse 27, Behold, I am the Lord, the God 00:10:27.36\00:10:30.73 of all flesh. 00:10:30.73\00:10:32.03 Is there anything hard for me? 00:10:33.03\00:10:35.70 And what is your answer? 00:10:35.70\00:10:36.56 Nothing hard for us. 00:10:37.87\00:10:39.33 So God does not need our assistance to keep His church 00:10:39.33\00:10:43.44 secure. 00:10:43.44\00:10:44.17 You know, flight attendants never ask me to help them when 00:10:44.67\00:10:46.81 the plane goes into difficulty. 00:10:46.81\00:10:48.14 Did you say sir? 00:10:48.28\00:10:49.18 What did they say? 00:10:50.25\00:10:51.01 Remain seated. 00:10:53.11\00:10:54.05 Brethren, when the church is going through difficulty, let's 00:10:54.32\00:10:56.28 say it together, remain seated. 00:10:56.28\00:10:58.69 Why? 00:10:58.75\00:11:01.99 and leave. 00:11:01.99\00:11:02.42 Am I right, Beverly and Leon? 00:11:03.43\00:11:04.76 That's why the folk here at 3AB and they come real early. 00:11:05.23\00:11:07.60 They sit on the front row so nobody can take their seat. 00:11:07.60\00:11:10.30 Brethren, the Lord say, remain seated. 00:11:10.53\00:11:13.80 This ship is going to arrive into port safely. 00:11:14.47\00:11:17.71 But we live in a generation where Satan has hired unstable 00:11:18.21\00:11:22.51 minds to attack God's church. 00:11:22.51\00:11:24.51 And they try to paint God's church as the most insecure, 00:11:25.68\00:11:28.92 confused and unstable place on earth. 00:11:29.55\00:11:32.25 Have you watched YouTube at all? 00:11:32.29\00:11:33.89 Have you heard the controversies flying? 00:11:34.16\00:11:36.29 There's a new movement now. 00:11:36.29\00:11:37.86 Somebody said, they're starting a new church. 00:11:38.03\00:11:40.00 I wish I could make this up, but it's not. 00:11:41.53\00:11:43.40 Somebody said, I'm starting a new Adventist church with no 00:11:43.67\00:11:46.60 Ellen White. 00:11:46.60\00:11:47.24 We don't need her. 00:11:48.60\00:11:49.40 Now let me make a point. 00:11:49.77\00:11:50.47 We don't need Ellen White to be saved. 00:11:50.61\00:11:52.34 But God has blessed this church with her writings. 00:11:52.64\00:11:55.28 Amen. 00:11:55.54\00:11:56.28 There are those now that cannot overcome sin by the grace of 00:11:56.75\00:11:59.45 God and the strength of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:59.45\00:12:00.88 So they want to start a church now where all you need is just 00:12:00.98\00:12:04.79 the cross. 00:12:04.79\00:12:07.32 People are trying to find creative ways of being saved 00:12:07.99\00:12:10.76 without tying into the power that God has made available to 00:12:10.76\00:12:15.80 us. 00:12:15.80\00:12:16.33 And so what the devil does nowadays, he creates conspiracy 00:12:17.07\00:12:21.37 theories. 00:12:21.37\00:12:22.00 Have you heard any of them lately? 00:12:22.20\00:12:23.27 You look on the YouTube and you see this conference leader and 00:12:24.71\00:12:27.51 that conference leader fighting one against the other. 00:12:27.51\00:12:30.01 And I'm convinced that the devil knows that this is God's 00:12:30.28\00:12:32.91 remnant message. 00:12:32.91\00:12:36.85 consistently is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:12:36.85\00:12:39.62 They're not talking about the Baptists and the Catholics and 00:12:40.29\00:12:42.39 the Pentecostals. 00:12:42.39\00:12:43.12 It's us all the time. 00:12:43.16\00:12:44.73 And they're trying to find ways of getting us to be confused. 00:12:45.39\00:12:48.66 But this is not new. 00:12:48.90\00:12:49.93 In the days of Nehemiah, they tried to do the very same thing 00:12:50.43\00:12:53.80 to Nehemiah. 00:12:53.80\00:12:54.50 In Nehemiah 4 and verse 8, the Bible talked about how the 00:12:55.30\00:12:59.11 enemies of God's church worked. 00:12:59.11\00:13:01.28 In Nehemiah's work it says, And all of them conspired together 00:13:01.28\00:13:07.02 to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 00:13:07.02\00:13:10.45 Create what? 00:13:10.55\00:13:11.19 Confusion. 00:13:11.79\00:13:12.29 Let me say something. 00:13:12.55\00:13:13.39 Don't listen to the talking heads on YouTube unless they 00:13:14.09\00:13:18.83 all are from 3ABN. 00:13:18.83\00:13:20.33 I just want to put that together in there. 00:13:21.16\00:13:23.33 And make sure they are on the plain, thus saith the Lord. 00:13:23.80\00:13:26.53 But there's a confusion that's taking the church over. 00:13:27.14\00:13:30.41 People looking at the confusion rather than the Christ are 00:13:31.24\00:13:35.34 thinking of ways, Well, how am I going to be saved if I stay 00:13:35.34\00:13:38.15 in that church or that church? 00:13:38.15\00:13:39.71 Brethren, let's say it together. 00:13:40.48\00:13:42.22 Remain seated. 00:13:43.08\00:13:43.95 Buckle your seat belts. 00:13:44.85\00:13:45.99 It's going to get rough before the turbulence is over. 00:13:45.99\00:13:46.02 But when we land, I say the Lord is going to say, Lift up 00:13:49.06\00:13:53.19 your heads, O ye gates, And be lifted up the everlasting 00:13:53.19\00:13:56.67 doors, And the King of glory shall come in. 00:13:56.67\00:13:58.93 And we will be in his tail. 00:13:58.93\00:14:00.47 He's going to bring us in. 00:14:01.77\00:14:03.14 But there are those nowadays. 00:14:03.51\00:14:04.61 I was recently, somebody sent me an email. 00:14:04.81\00:14:07.01 And for whatever reason, You ever get emails and things that 00:14:07.14\00:14:09.71 are connected to your email have nothing to do with what 00:14:09.71\00:14:11.48 you're looking for? 00:14:11.48\00:14:12.25 So I had an email come to me and there was a little click in 00:14:13.01\00:14:15.65 the top right. 00:14:15.65\00:14:16.52 And it had a little video of Chicken Little. 00:14:17.15\00:14:19.09 You remember Chicken Little? 00:14:20.59\00:14:21.52 And I clicked on Chicken Little just to, Why do you click on 00:14:22.29\00:14:26.46 these things? 00:14:26.46\00:14:27.03 And the video started rolling. 00:14:27.86\00:14:29.40 And I remember, what did Chicken Little, What would he 00:14:29.40\00:14:32.17 say? 00:14:32.17\00:14:32.43 The sky is falling. 00:14:32.93\00:14:34.04 The sky is falling. 00:14:34.30\00:14:35.37 And you see all the other animals running in all 00:14:35.60\00:14:39.37 different directions until somebody says, Who said the sky 00:14:39.37\00:14:43.61 is falling? 00:14:43.61\00:14:44.18 Nobody even questioned all the confusion. 00:14:44.55\00:14:47.02 And so Chicken Little's father said, What do you mean the sky 00:14:48.12\00:14:50.72 is falling? 00:14:50.72\00:14:55.46 on my head. 00:14:55.46\00:14:56.29 It was an acorn. 00:14:57.23\00:14:58.53 Some people are turning an acorn into the church is 00:14:59.29\00:15:03.47 falling. 00:15:03.47\00:15:03.73 Come on. 00:15:03.90\00:15:04.50 The church is not falling. 00:15:05.00\00:15:06.07 God is in charge of His church. 00:15:06.74\00:15:08.07 But if you spend more time on social media than you spend on 00:15:08.84\00:15:12.74 your Bible, it'll look confusion. 00:15:12.74\00:15:14.61 If you spend time on that device that is continuing to 00:15:15.74\00:15:18.85 pull your brain out rather than insert God's word in, it's 00:15:18.85\00:15:22.28 going to look confusing. 00:15:22.28\00:15:23.28 The sole reason that the church is going to succeed, let's go 00:15:23.85\00:15:26.96 to the first one, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 00:15:26.96\00:15:29.16 11. 00:15:29.16\00:15:29.72 The first reason is Jesus is the foundation. 00:15:30.16\00:15:33.03 Say that with me. 00:15:33.13\00:15:33.96 Jesus is the foundation. 00:15:34.46\00:15:37.40 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 11. 00:15:38.57\00:15:41.27 The church is built on Christ. 00:15:41.77\00:15:44.17 The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 11, For no 00:15:45.54\00:15:49.51 other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which 00:15:49.51\00:15:55.42 is who? 00:15:55.42\00:15:55.95 Which is Jesus Christ. 00:15:55.95\00:15:57.65 Come on, say amen, church. 00:15:57.95\00:15:58.92 When you get up in the morning and you pick your Bible up, 00:15:59.82\00:16:02.52 remember, God has given us responsible leaders and I 00:16:02.69\00:16:06.36 praise God for the administrative prowess of those 00:16:06.36\00:16:09.43 in leadership position in this church. 00:16:09.43\00:16:11.10 I've been in this church now going on 40 years as an 00:16:12.63\00:16:14.90 ordained pastor. 00:16:14.90\00:16:15.67 God did not call perfect individuals. 00:16:16.44\00:16:18.51 But Jesus is perfect. 00:16:19.44\00:16:21.01 And He's able to work through all of our inconsistencies. 00:16:21.54\00:16:24.05 He's able to bring His ship safely into port, not because 00:16:24.98\00:16:28.95 we are good sailors, but because He's the master of the 00:16:28.95\00:16:32.32 seas. 00:16:32.32\00:16:33.02 Not because we are good at finding where we are, but Jesus 00:16:33.49\00:16:36.69 can speak to the storms of our lives and say, Peace be still, 00:16:36.69\00:16:40.46 and can calm anything in this church. 00:16:40.73\00:16:42.73 Can I say what Ellen White says? 00:16:43.16\00:16:44.37 Can I say that here? 00:16:44.37\00:16:44.40 Ellen White says there's no need to doubt that the church 00:16:46.00\00:16:48.50 will not succeed. 00:16:48.50\00:16:49.44 God is able to bring the church safely into port. 00:16:49.80\00:16:53.27 And then she goes on and says, If matters need to be adjusted 00:16:53.27\00:16:56.38 even at the head of the work, God will set everything in 00:16:56.38\00:17:00.45 order. 00:17:00.45\00:17:00.92 Come on, say amen. 00:17:00.95\00:17:01.42 So we don't have to worry about our leaders. 00:17:01.88\00:17:03.45 Praise God for godly men like Elder Ted Wilson. 00:17:03.62\00:17:06.32 I know him personally. 00:17:06.86\00:17:07.82 Praise God for people like Pastor Mark Finley and all of 00:17:08.79\00:17:11.63 our conference leaders. 00:17:11.63\00:17:12.66 None of them is perfect, but God is the one working in us 00:17:12.83\00:17:16.26 and through us for His glory. 00:17:16.26\00:17:17.57 But the foundation is built on Christ. 00:17:18.13\00:17:21.07 The church is divinely constructed and humanly 00:17:21.07\00:17:26.04 inhabited. 00:17:26.04\00:17:26.27 Where's the problem? 00:17:28.21\00:17:29.28 The humans that are built inside. 00:17:29.74\00:17:31.38 The church is built perfectly, but it's filled with imperfect 00:17:31.91\00:17:35.92 people. 00:17:35.92\00:17:36.12 But the good news is, one day we're going to be just like 00:17:37.15\00:17:40.02 Jesus. 00:17:40.02\00:17:40.52 When I wake up sometimes and I'm not who I want to be, I 00:17:41.46\00:17:44.59 say, Lord, keep on working. 00:17:44.59\00:17:46.06 Keep on working. 00:17:47.20\00:17:47.93 Don't stop working. 00:17:48.50\00:17:49.40 When you realize that you have more time behind you than ahead 00:17:51.03\00:17:56.74 of you, there's some sobering that comes into play. 00:17:56.74\00:17:59.94 Am I telling the truth? 00:18:00.08\00:18:00.91 You start getting sober. 00:18:01.84\00:18:03.04 You start thinking of all the foolishness you did growing up. 00:18:03.08\00:18:06.05 And then you realize, Lord, I don't have time for that. 00:18:06.11\00:18:08.68 I need to get my life on the right path and stay there. 00:18:09.55\00:18:12.65 There are things that the Lord promises to do, but there are 00:18:12.99\00:18:16.83 things He will not do that He promises He gives you the 00:18:16.83\00:18:19.53 strength and the power to do for yourself. 00:18:19.53\00:18:21.13 You've got to pick up your Bible. 00:18:21.36\00:18:22.70 You've got to pray. 00:18:23.63\00:18:24.63 You've got to study. 00:18:25.30\00:18:26.17 The Lord is not going to do that. 00:18:26.23\00:18:27.67 When you commit to what God has called you to commit to, then 00:18:28.24\00:18:32.01 He'll give you the strength and He'll give you the guidance. 00:18:32.01\00:18:34.04 Thank you so much. 00:18:34.14\00:18:34.94 My wife probably called him and said, tell him to get a tissue. 00:18:35.61\00:18:37.81 When you commit to what God has called you to commit to, He 00:18:41.68\00:18:44.62 will do what He has promised. 00:18:44.62\00:18:45.82 When you read and you pray, the Lord will answer that prayer. 00:18:49.92\00:18:53.03 But don't get this confused. 00:18:53.66\00:18:55.96 The Lord adds people to the church. 00:18:56.00\00:18:57.57 Somebody once said, well, you know, do I have to go to 00:18:57.77\00:19:02.37 church? 00:19:02.37\00:19:02.90 That's another thing that really irritates me. 00:19:03.41\00:19:05.17 I want to be a part, I want to see the Super Bowl, but do I 00:19:06.37\00:19:09.88 have to go to the stadium? 00:19:09.88\00:19:10.98 Now let's eliminate the television part. 00:19:13.78\00:19:16.12 But you've got to be in the stadium. 00:19:17.35\00:19:18.59 What gets me is that people in Chicago, this is no lie, they 00:19:18.59\00:19:23.53 would go to football games in January. 00:19:23.53\00:19:26.36 They'll bring a snow shovel with them to shovel the snow, 00:19:27.23\00:19:31.43 to sit there for two hours with nine layers of clothes on, to 00:19:32.07\00:19:37.34 watch guys in tights kick a pigskin ball right back and 00:19:37.34\00:19:41.71 forth and kick a ball through a pole. 00:19:41.71\00:19:44.18 And folk won't come to churches where the seats are perfectly 00:19:44.71\00:19:47.12 comfortable. 00:19:47.12\00:19:47.68 The skies will just turn gray and they get nervous. 00:19:48.52\00:19:51.05 Brethren, we've got to have more dedication than sports 00:19:51.95\00:19:54.96 fans, because the church has been added for a particular 00:19:54.96\00:19:58.79 purpose. 00:19:58.79\00:20:02.56 church? 00:20:02.56\00:20:02.96 The Bible says in Acts 2 and verse 47, and the Lord added to 00:20:03.77\00:20:07.97 the church daily those who were being what? 00:20:07.97\00:20:11.41 Saved. 00:20:11.67\00:20:12.24 Why did God put a church together? 00:20:12.44\00:20:14.04 Why are you in the church? 00:20:14.11\00:20:15.34 Some of you need somebody else's iron to sharpen your 00:20:15.84\00:20:19.88 iron. 00:20:19.88\00:20:20.38 You won't know how justified you are and how much God's work 00:20:21.08\00:20:24.02 is being accomplished in you until you meet somebody with an 00:20:24.02\00:20:27.86 attitude just like yours. 00:20:27.86\00:20:29.32 Am I right? 00:20:33.53\00:20:34.20 So the Lord is saying, there's somebody coming to church this 00:20:37.23\00:20:40.54 morning that's going to test you. 00:20:40.54\00:20:42.00 We had a lady come to church one Sabbath morning. 00:20:42.57\00:20:44.31 Not here, I was pastoring in California and she walked on 00:20:44.37\00:20:47.31 the floor and she said, Pastor, I'm angry and don't try to get 00:20:47.31\00:20:49.41 me to stop being angry. 00:20:49.41\00:20:50.51 And she was serious. 00:20:51.61\00:20:52.81 I had another church where a member brought a baseball bat 00:20:53.11\00:20:55.42 to church and she threatened to beat up the head deacon. 00:20:55.42\00:20:58.69 Now I didn't pray for her to go home. 00:21:00.16\00:21:01.39 I said, Lord, get that evil spirit out of here. 00:21:01.49\00:21:03.76 And between Sabbath school and church, she went home and left 00:21:03.96\00:21:06.70 her bat and came back, but still, the head deacon kept his 00:21:06.70\00:21:10.50 eye on her because she still had the look on her face. 00:21:10.50\00:21:15.00 No, brethren, this is God's hospital. 00:21:15.74\00:21:17.77 Or is it his insane asylum? 00:21:19.21\00:21:21.34 Because sometimes we wonder ourselves whether or not we're 00:21:22.54\00:21:26.65 going to make it based on some of the challenges we bring to 00:21:26.65\00:21:29.55 our own brothers and sisters. 00:21:29.55\00:21:30.82 But the Lord added to the church daily those who were 00:21:31.29\00:21:33.76 being saved, but he did not just add them to the church. 00:21:33.76\00:21:36.26 Go to John 1 verse 12. 00:21:36.32\00:21:37.43 There's something else he did. 00:21:37.63\00:21:38.59 He didn't just add them to the church to a fellowship, but he 00:21:38.89\00:21:42.36 called them to do something else. 00:21:42.36\00:21:43.93 The Lord added them to the church, and when he added them, 00:21:43.93\00:21:48.07 something changed. 00:21:48.07\00:21:48.94 John 1 verse 12. 00:21:49.97\00:21:50.87 What happened? 00:21:50.87\00:21:50.91 When he added to the church, something changed. 00:21:52.14\00:21:54.61 The Bible says, But as many as received him, to them he gave 00:21:54.94\00:21:59.15 the right to become children of God to those who believe in his 00:21:59.15\00:22:03.75 name. 00:22:03.75\00:22:04.25 Let me make a very important point. 00:22:04.59\00:22:05.72 When you are added to the church by the work of the Holy 00:22:06.02\00:22:08.69 Spirit, you're not just a member, 00:22:08.69\00:22:10.69 I've got to get that because often times I've heard people 00:22:14.00\00:22:16.10 say, you know, I'm only human, I'm just a sinner. 00:22:16.10\00:22:19.30 Let me just, hopefully if you're watching, I want to kind 00:22:20.07\00:22:23.00 of correct this. 00:22:23.00\00:22:25.94 You are a sinner before Jesus comes into your life. 00:22:26.54\00:22:29.88 In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 00:22:31.68\00:22:36.58 When you give your life to Christ, 00:22:36.85\00:22:38.45 you are under construction. 00:22:43.96\00:22:44.73 Help me out somebody. 00:22:44.83\00:22:45.63 Paul never said, greet the sinners in Rome. 00:22:46.96\00:22:49.73 He said, greet the saints in Rome. 00:22:50.53\00:22:52.60 But the word saint has been so distorted that we are afraid to 00:22:53.60\00:22:56.50 call ourselves saint. 00:22:56.50\00:22:57.51 I believe if we understand that we are saints under 00:22:57.91\00:23:00.58 construction, God is finishing the work he began in us, we'll 00:23:00.58\00:23:04.31 start acting like saints rather than like sinners that continue 00:23:04.31\00:23:09.48 to excuse the behavior 00:23:09.48\00:23:10.82 The Lord calls us saints, but you've got to receive him, not 00:23:14.29\00:23:17.19 just membership. 00:23:17.19\00:23:17.99 Too many people settle for membership. 00:23:18.66\00:23:20.23 You have to settle for being a child of God, knowing that what 00:23:20.60\00:23:24.00 he has started in you, he is able to complete. 00:23:24.00\00:23:27.50 And when we become children of God, Jesus begins a process 00:23:28.07\00:23:32.41 that reproduces his character in our lives. 00:23:33.91\00:23:37.05 More and more I'm convinced, and I just heard this on the 00:23:37.71\00:23:40.08 news and I'm not going to get into that at all, but there's a 00:23:40.08\00:23:46.45 statement that really caught my attention and it is this. 00:23:46.45\00:23:49.46 They said, we are concerned as to whether or not this person's 00:23:49.66\00:23:53.90 character is fit to occupy that office. 00:23:53.90\00:23:56.80 And let me just make it clear, I'm not talking about our 00:23:56.93\00:23:58.70 president. 00:23:58.70\00:23:59.30 I'm talking about something else in the Department of 00:23:59.87\00:24:01.40 Defense or different places. 00:24:01.40\00:24:02.37 They said, we're concerned about whether or not the 00:24:02.64\00:24:04.74 person's character 00:24:04.74\00:24:05.54 should be concerned about their character as children of God. 00:24:14.02\00:24:16.92 God has given us the beautiful privilege, and I believe one of 00:24:18.05\00:24:20.86 the reasons why more people don't come to Jesus is because 00:24:20.86\00:24:24.46 they see the character of those claiming to be children and 00:24:24.46\00:24:28.66 they say, I don't want to be in that family. 00:24:28.66\00:24:30.40 But if they see what? 00:24:32.97\00:24:35.14 Love, joy, peace, long -suffering, gentleness, 00:24:35.54\00:24:40.01 meekness, patience. 00:24:40.31\00:24:41.54 If they see in us that we are transforming, when you come 00:24:42.04\00:24:45.88 into somebody else's presence, they need to know that you are 00:24:45.88\00:24:50.49 part of a royal family. 00:24:50.49\00:24:51.69 We are a holy nation. 00:24:52.52\00:24:53.89 What kind of priesthood? 00:24:54.12\00:24:55.12 A royal priesthood. 00:24:55.42\00:24:56.86 So, God is saying, I've given you the power every day to live 00:24:57.23\00:25:01.43 as you are a royal priesthood. 00:25:01.43\00:25:03.70 But now there's another component to that. 00:25:03.83\00:25:05.30 We are children of God when? 00:25:05.63\00:25:07.24 Say it again, when? 00:25:08.47\00:25:09.44 1 John 3 verse 2, turn your Bibles there. 00:25:10.07\00:25:12.17 This is something we have to get in mind because a lot of 00:25:12.54\00:25:14.38 times people say, well, you know, I can't wait till I get 00:25:14.38\00:25:17.38 to heaven. 00:25:17.38\00:25:19.55 Not till you get to heaven. 00:25:20.42\00:25:21.55 And if you're children, when I was growing up in New York and 00:25:22.08\00:25:25.05 Brooklyn, they would say, see, we grew up in the day and age 00:25:25.05\00:25:29.06 where the neighbors would spank you. 00:25:29.06\00:25:30.43 Anybody know what I'm talking about? 00:25:30.53\00:25:31.56 Have you ever had that experience where they grab you 00:25:32.96\00:25:34.36 by your ear and take you home? 00:25:34.36\00:25:35.46 They say, you wait till your dad gets home. 00:25:41.14\00:25:42.64 It's like three strikes, you're out. 00:25:43.41\00:25:44.81 Nowadays, you can't touch anybody. 00:25:45.24\00:25:46.84 But they always say, did you know how your son was behaving? 00:25:47.68\00:25:53.15 They always connect the behavior to the parents. 00:25:53.45\00:25:55.78 And parents say, don't you embarrass me. 00:25:56.18\00:25:58.09 Have you heard that before? 00:25:58.15\00:25:58.99 Brethren, we should not embarrass God. 00:26:00.16\00:26:02.12 Amen. 00:26:02.56\00:26:03.02 We are his children now. 00:26:04.23\00:26:05.16 1 John 3 verse 2. 00:26:05.19\00:26:06.80 Now, he's still working, but here's the reality. 00:26:07.13\00:26:08.90 Beloved, what's the next word? 00:26:08.90\00:26:11.00 Now, we are children of God. 00:26:11.57\00:26:13.84 And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. 00:26:14.20\00:26:17.17 Meaning, he's not finished yet. 00:26:17.21\00:26:18.54 But we know, those are words of confidence, that when he is 00:26:19.71\00:26:23.35 revealed, we shall be what? 00:26:23.35\00:26:25.01 Like him, for we shall see him as he is. 00:26:25.55\00:26:29.95 Praise God for that. 00:26:30.35\00:26:31.99 Now, why is that important? 00:26:32.75\00:26:33.86 Because there are angels right now. 00:26:33.96\00:26:35.36 You've got an angel. 00:26:35.36\00:26:36.36 That every now and then goes back to heaven and says, Lord, 00:26:38.26\00:26:40.83 are you sure you want to let them in here? 00:26:40.86\00:26:42.46 Because I saw something today. 00:26:43.87\00:26:45.30 I don't know, because, you know, what they did is worse 00:26:47.57\00:26:51.24 than what Lucifer did. 00:26:51.24\00:26:52.64 I don't know. 00:26:53.31\00:26:56.21 Remember that, there's a judgment coming. 00:26:56.34\00:26:57.88 They're writing stuff down. 00:26:58.45\00:26:59.55 You don't know what they said today. 00:26:59.81\00:27:01.68 And by the way, Lord, they haven't returned an honest 00:27:02.18\00:27:04.25 tithe in six months. 00:27:04.25\00:27:05.75 They all of a sudden stop breathing. 00:27:09.82\00:27:11.36 So the reason why God has to finish the work in us is 00:27:14.36\00:27:17.77 because he has to ensure that we are safe to occupy a sinless 00:27:17.77\00:27:24.61 environment. 00:27:24.61\00:27:25.17 So he said, I'm not done yet, but let's go to Philippians 1, 00:27:26.54\00:27:29.11 6. 00:27:29.11\00:27:29.68 You've got to stay in the process. 00:27:29.94\00:27:30.98 Say that with me, you have to do what? 00:27:31.11\00:27:32.38 Stay in the process. 00:27:32.88\00:27:33.85 Look at Philippians 1, verse 6. 00:27:34.15\00:27:35.62 And this is beautiful. 00:27:35.62\00:27:36.99 I'm giving you blessed assurance this morning. 00:27:37.09\00:27:38.89 Words of confidence. 00:27:39.39\00:27:40.22 Now we are children of God. 00:27:40.42\00:27:42.26 Look at Philippians 1, 6. 00:27:42.86\00:27:44.39 This is important. 00:27:44.43\00:27:45.23 If you remain in the process, Jesus will finish what he 00:27:45.63\00:27:49.80 started. 00:27:49.80\00:27:50.07 Philippians 1, 6. 00:27:50.87\00:27:52.20 What's the first two words? 00:27:53.27\00:27:54.34 Being what? 00:27:55.10\00:27:56.10 Confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good 00:27:57.27\00:28:04.38 work, in you, room by room, attitude by attitude, will 00:28:04.38\00:28:10.55 complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 00:28:10.55\00:28:13.86 Isn't that good news? 00:28:14.39\00:28:15.36 So you might wake up one day and say, I don't even think 00:28:16.06\00:28:19.39 about smoking anymore, but I still can't stand, brother, so 00:28:19.39\00:28:22.80 and so. 00:28:22.80\00:28:23.30 Notice I'm looking at the trees. 00:28:27.37\00:28:28.94 Because some of us boast about what we have overcome, but we 00:28:30.17\00:28:34.78 don't talk about what we're still struggling with. 00:28:34.78\00:28:36.71 But let me say something. 00:28:36.71\00:28:38.08 God sees the struggle. 00:28:38.35\00:28:40.12 And if Jesus calls us to be his children, which he does, he's 00:28:40.95\00:28:45.12 able, over here, he's able to complete what he started. 00:28:45.12\00:28:47.96 What do you say? 00:28:47.96\00:28:47.99 Being confident. 00:28:49.69\00:28:50.73 He looks at our rough edges. 00:28:51.13\00:28:52.43 And sometimes I believe one of the reasons why the Lord allows 00:28:52.89\00:28:55.23 us to go through trial, as he did with Peter, sometimes we 00:28:55.23\00:28:59.17 need a satanic shake-up to wake up. 00:28:59.17\00:29:01.80 So sometimes the Lord commits us to the enemy, as Paul the 00:29:02.54\00:29:05.67 Apostle is speaking about those who just refuse to be people of 00:29:05.67\00:29:08.94 integrity in the Corinthian church. 00:29:08.94\00:29:10.68 He said, commit such a one to Satan that he may buffet him, 00:29:10.88\00:29:16.52 that in the end his flesh may be saved. 00:29:17.52\00:29:19.89 And as a pastor, I see sometimes church members going 00:29:20.32\00:29:22.99 through difficulty, and I say, Lord, I'm not going to touch 00:29:22.99\00:29:25.79 that. 00:29:25.79\00:29:26.29 I had a church member once, he knows who I'm talking about, I 00:29:27.30\00:29:30.67 had a church member once that was going through stuff, and I 00:29:30.67\00:29:33.54 saw it all over his face, and I said, what are you going 00:29:33.54\00:29:37.01 through? 00:29:37.01\00:29:38.17 I said, okay, well, I'm going to just pray that God will keep 00:29:38.24\00:29:40.14 you in the oven until he's done. 00:29:40.14\00:29:41.91 Am I right? 00:29:43.78\00:29:44.55 Some of us get in God's way while God is dealing with his 00:29:45.25\00:29:48.98 children. 00:29:48.98\00:29:49.48 Jesus didn't even get in Peter's way when the devil 00:29:50.65\00:29:52.99 wanted to sift him. 00:29:52.99\00:29:54.12 He didn't say, I'm not going to let him sift. 00:29:54.49\00:29:55.89 He said, I'm going to pray that when he's done, your faith will 00:29:55.89\00:29:58.46 not fail. 00:29:58.46\00:29:59.16 So the sifting is not to get you out. 00:29:59.66\00:30:02.06 The sifting is to get the sin out and to strengthen the Jesus 00:30:02.06\00:30:07.34 within. 00:30:07.34\00:30:08.07 But some people are not going to endure the sifting because 00:30:09.04\00:30:11.34 they want the sin to stay in and the sin is not going to 00:30:11.34\00:30:15.34 stay in. 00:30:15.34\00:30:18.31 it's just built on Jesus. 00:30:18.58\00:30:19.85 Say with me, it is what? 00:30:19.88\00:30:20.98 Built on Jesus. 00:30:21.48\00:30:22.55 Jesus is the foundation. 00:30:22.72\00:30:24.32 The second reason I know this is God's church, let's go to 00:30:24.62\00:30:27.36 Revelation chapter 14 verse 12. 00:30:27.36\00:30:29.06 The second reason is God's church honors his commandments. 00:30:29.29\00:30:34.20 Revelation 14 verse 12. 00:30:35.40\00:30:37.10 Here it is. 00:30:37.57\00:30:38.63 Revelation 14 verse 12. 00:30:39.03\00:30:40.14 And notice, here is the patience of the sinners. 00:30:40.94\00:30:44.11 That's right, brethren. 00:30:45.64\00:30:46.61 You got to get that text right. 00:30:46.68\00:30:47.94 Here is the patience of the saints. 00:30:48.34\00:30:51.08 Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the 00:30:51.45\00:30:54.95 faith of Jesus. 00:30:54.95\00:30:56.05 You know, if I were the devil, I would tell people revelation 00:30:56.22\00:30:58.32 is not able to be understood either because if he tells them 00:30:58.32\00:31:01.79 that revelation is easy to understand, they might find 00:31:01.79\00:31:05.46 this text and leaders might start teaching their church 00:31:05.46\00:31:08.60 that God's commandments can be kept by the strength and power 00:31:08.60\00:31:12.23 of his Holy Spirit. 00:31:12.23\00:31:13.50 Isn't that a beautiful passage? 00:31:14.87\00:31:15.84 Here are those who do what? 00:31:16.07\00:31:17.64 Keep the commandments of God. 00:31:17.87\00:31:19.31 Somebody told me, they said, you can't keep God's 00:31:19.37\00:31:22.68 commandments. 00:31:22.68\00:31:23.38 And I said to them, not even the devil believes that. 00:31:23.81\00:31:26.18 Because the devil is upset with those who keep the commandments 00:31:27.58\00:31:30.65 of God. 00:31:30.65\00:31:31.22 The devil is angry with the woman who does what? 00:31:31.89\00:31:34.59 Keep the commandments of God. 00:31:34.76\00:31:36.56 So I said to somebody, the devil doesn't even agree with 00:31:37.26\00:31:39.63 you on that. 00:31:39.63\00:31:40.33 And it shocked them into reality. 00:31:41.00\00:31:42.73 So people are telling you lies that the devil won't even tell 00:31:43.60\00:31:46.10 you. 00:31:46.10\00:31:46.57 God's commandments can be kept by the indwelling Christ. 00:31:48.24\00:31:50.71 When you think about the commandments of God, it is a 00:31:52.54\00:31:54.84 role of sanctification. 00:31:54.84\00:31:56.18 What did I just say? 00:31:56.24\00:31:57.11 Justification is the Lord brings you out of Egypt just as 00:31:58.88\00:32:02.05 you are by the blood of the lamb and by the broken body of 00:32:02.05\00:32:05.69 Jesus. 00:32:05.69\00:32:08.39 have to do anything to get out of Egypt. 00:32:08.39\00:32:10.03 Simply partake of the body of Jesus, the lamb, and cover 00:32:10.86\00:32:16.20 their homes with the blood of Christ. 00:32:16.20\00:32:18.37 That's a complete divine act. 00:32:18.97\00:32:20.97 You're not justified by anything you do. 00:32:21.34\00:32:23.44 We are saved by grace through faith. 00:32:23.57\00:32:25.34 It is the gift of God not of works that anyone should boast. 00:32:25.34\00:32:28.31 You cannot do anything to be justified. 00:32:28.38\00:32:30.31 You are covered by the blood of the lamb. 00:32:31.18\00:32:33.11 You are redeemed by his broken body. 00:32:33.72\00:32:36.02 But here's the thing that concerns me nowadays and I hear 00:32:37.15\00:32:39.65 this new thing starting to rise up in Adventism. 00:32:39.65\00:32:43.73 People asking questions like, do you know what salvation is? 00:32:45.39\00:32:47.76 You don't know what salvation is and the church doesn't know 00:32:48.00\00:32:50.43 what salvation is and people don't know whether or not 00:32:50.43\00:32:52.03 they're saved. 00:32:52.03\00:32:52.67 Brethren, no, wait a minute. 00:32:52.67\00:32:53.30 Wait a minute. 00:32:53.50\00:32:57.14 as to whether or not we know what salvation is. 00:32:57.14\00:32:59.77 A lot of these young whippersnappers, you don't know 00:33:00.34\00:33:01.84 what salvation is. 00:33:01.84\00:33:02.71 No, brethren, we know what salvation is. 00:33:02.78\00:33:04.48 But salvation is not just justification. 00:33:04.85\00:33:06.75 Salvation is not just coming out of Egypt. 00:33:07.35\00:33:09.55 Salvation is getting Egypt out of us. 00:33:10.29\00:33:12.72 That's why the Lord took 40 years. 00:33:14.02\00:33:16.06 Some of you have been in the church 30 years. 00:33:17.93\00:33:19.93 You've got 10 more years and you're completely out. 00:33:20.40\00:33:23.16 You know that, am I telling the truth? 00:33:24.10\00:33:25.33 So this is the part of the Gospel that's often left out. 00:33:26.13\00:33:28.57 Yes, we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone through 00:33:28.84\00:33:32.71 his grace. 00:33:32.71\00:33:33.48 But, John 17, 17, let's go there. 00:33:34.18\00:33:36.61 John 17, 17. 00:33:37.18\00:33:38.58 You know what it is. 00:33:38.61\00:33:39.51 You ready for it? 00:33:40.72\00:33:41.45 What's the first word? 00:33:41.72\00:33:42.55 Sanctify. 00:33:43.39\00:33:43.92 Sanctify them by your truth. 00:33:44.69\00:33:47.06 Your word is truth. 00:33:47.49\00:33:49.66 Now wait a minute. 00:33:50.13\00:33:51.06 That means if you exclude God's word from your life, you cannot 00:33:52.46\00:33:57.30 be sanctified. 00:33:57.30\00:33:58.27 If God's word is not being ingested, you're getting the 00:33:59.40\00:34:02.37 wrong vitamins. 00:34:02.37\00:34:03.17 If God's word is not being input into your life, into your 00:34:04.31\00:34:07.44 mind, my wife and I have just finished the book of Luke. 00:34:07.44\00:34:09.88 We're now starting on the book of John. 00:34:10.01\00:34:11.51 This is our second time through as a couple. 00:34:12.25\00:34:14.35 We were going to try to do it in a year. 00:34:15.55\00:34:16.79 It took us like seven years to get through the Bible. 00:34:16.85\00:34:18.89 You know why? 00:34:19.42\00:34:20.06 Because it was so good. 00:34:20.06\00:34:21.62 We did not want to run a path. 00:34:21.62\00:34:24.43 We did not want to rush past God's Thanksgiving dinner. 00:34:24.63\00:34:28.30 God's word is good. 00:34:29.50\00:34:30.47 Somebody help me out. 00:34:30.67\00:34:31.57 And sometimes, my wife has done this for me on several 00:34:32.77\00:34:35.17 occasions. 00:34:35.17\00:34:35.77 Sometimes I'd come home exhausted and she'd say, let's 00:34:36.77\00:34:39.01 read our Bible. 00:34:39.01\00:34:39.67 I said, honey, I'm just so tired. 00:34:39.81\00:34:41.28 Okay, let's just read a few passages. 00:34:42.58\00:34:44.58 And when God's word gets in there, all of a sudden it's 00:34:45.95\00:34:48.55 like my gas tank starts filling up. 00:34:48.55\00:34:50.02 And it's like maybe 1045 at night. 00:34:50.75\00:34:53.46 And she gets up really early in the morning. 00:34:54.09\00:34:55.79 All of a sudden she drops this holy gasoline in me. 00:34:56.22\00:34:59.39 And I want to read the rest of the passage. 00:34:59.79\00:35:01.70 And she says, I got to go to bed. 00:35:02.40\00:35:04.03 I got to wake up early in the morning. 00:35:04.07\00:35:05.07 I said, honey, you just started a fire. 00:35:05.17\00:35:06.57 She said, go out in the living room. 00:35:08.30\00:35:09.57 Go out in the kitchen. 00:35:09.74\00:35:14.94 'clock the Lord woke me up and I got to tell you what. 00:35:14.94\00:35:17.55 You ever had that experience? 00:35:17.55\00:35:18.75 And you pull out your Bible and you start reading and you wake 00:35:19.71\00:35:22.98 up in the morning. 00:35:22.98\00:35:23.79 It's like you get up in the morning fired up. 00:35:24.02\00:35:25.75 She said, why are you so spunky? 00:35:25.75\00:35:25.79 I said, honey, last night between 345 and 512, God and I 00:35:27.72\00:35:33.26 were studying our Bibles together. 00:35:33.26\00:35:35.13 She said, how was that? 00:35:35.66\00:35:36.46 I said, on my phone. 00:35:36.53\00:35:37.60 Amen. 00:35:37.87\00:35:38.33 The phone has some positive uses. 00:35:39.63\00:35:41.54 And I said, look at all these notes. 00:35:42.67\00:35:44.57 Look at all these notes. 00:35:44.74\00:35:45.61 I was wondering while you were moving around. 00:35:47.51\00:35:48.98 I thought you were restless. 00:35:49.11\00:35:49.84 I said, no, honey, I was not restless. 00:35:50.01\00:35:51.31 I was resting in Jesus. 00:35:51.38\00:35:52.75 When you allow God's Word to be in your life, sanctification 00:35:53.92\00:35:58.65 happens. 00:35:58.65\00:35:59.35 And sanctification, which is living by God's Word, notice 00:35:59.85\00:36:03.83 what it produces. 00:36:03.83\00:36:04.59 It produces unwavering faithfulness to Biblical truth. 00:36:05.56\00:36:10.53 Secondly, spiritual discernment and resistance to deception. 00:36:11.20\00:36:16.20 Now, don't run past that one. 00:36:16.20\00:36:17.61 Because if you don't know God's Word, anybody can tell you what 00:36:17.84\00:36:21.01 they think God's Word says and you'll believe it. 00:36:21.01\00:36:23.85 And that's what's happening nowadays. 00:36:23.85\00:36:25.15 People are saying, did you know? 00:36:25.71\00:36:27.32 And then if you don't know, then they could deceive you. 00:36:27.68\00:36:30.65 And deception is high nowadays. 00:36:30.92\00:36:32.29 The third thing it produces is sacrificial commitment to God's 00:36:32.42\00:36:36.99 mission. 00:36:36.99\00:36:37.39 Brethren, we are not just connected to a church. 00:36:38.63\00:36:40.33 We are connected to a mission. 00:36:40.63\00:36:42.40 And separation from worldliness. 00:36:47.00\00:36:49.67 Now watch this. 00:36:50.17\00:36:50.97 My good friend Pastor Doug Bachelors said this, and I have 00:36:51.34\00:36:53.58 to give him the credit for it. 00:36:53.58\00:37:00.52 Bible will keep you from what? 00:37:00.52\00:37:02.08 Sin. 00:37:02.32\00:37:05.95 First, Jesus is the foundation. 00:37:10.83\00:37:12.76 Secondly, God's church keeps His commandments. 00:37:14.03\00:37:15.86 Thirdly, the evidence that we are in God's church is it is a 00:37:16.33\00:37:19.43 worldwide mission. 00:37:19.43\00:37:20.34 Come on, say amen. 00:37:20.50\00:37:21.20 Why is it a worldwide mission? 00:37:22.00\00:37:23.07 Go to John 10, 16. 00:37:23.10\00:37:24.17 Let's look at that together. 00:37:24.21\00:37:24.97 Why is God's church a worldwide mission? 00:37:25.07\00:37:27.41 Why is it a worldwide mission? 00:37:28.48\00:37:30.61 And this is important. 00:37:32.18\00:37:33.52 Because we often say, and this is true, the majority of God's 00:37:33.98\00:37:37.39 people are still where? 00:37:37.39\00:37:38.52 Out in the world or in other churches? 00:37:39.02\00:37:40.76 The words of Jesus verifies that point. 00:37:41.32\00:37:43.39 John 10, 16. 00:37:44.13\00:37:45.36 The Word of God says, And other sheep I have which are not of 00:37:45.79\00:37:50.43 what? 00:37:50.43\00:37:50.80 This fold. 00:37:51.57\00:37:52.50 Let's put a pin right there. 00:37:52.80\00:37:54.10 This fold. 00:37:54.57\00:37:55.47 So therefore there must be a fold that Jesus identifies 00:37:55.94\00:38:00.31 with. 00:38:00.31\00:38:00.78 Amen. 00:38:00.88\00:38:04.01 would just say, other sheep I have. 00:38:04.01\00:38:05.65 But He said other sheep I have that are not of this fold. 00:38:06.48\00:38:09.65 And I want to give you a hint. 00:38:09.92\00:38:11.12 The devil knows what fold he's talking about. 00:38:11.35\00:38:13.69 Amen. 00:38:13.96\00:38:14.42 But he doesn't stop there. 00:38:15.02\00:38:16.39 What does mission do? 00:38:16.39\00:38:17.29 He says, them also I must bring. 00:38:17.53\00:38:19.43 And how does that happen? 00:38:19.49\00:38:20.46 And they will hear my voice. 00:38:20.73\00:38:23.10 And there will be one flock or one fold and one shepherd. 00:38:23.73\00:38:26.40 Now let me do a survey. 00:38:26.43\00:38:27.50 How many of you were in different churches before you 00:38:27.90\00:38:31.87 accepted the Advent message? 00:38:31.87\00:38:32.81 Raise your hand. 00:38:32.94\00:38:33.68 Wow. 00:38:34.48\00:38:34.88 That's huge. 00:38:35.38\00:38:36.11 You know why? 00:38:36.51\00:38:37.05 You heard God's voice. 00:38:37.08\00:38:37.91 Come on, say amen. 00:38:37.91\00:38:38.91 You heard God's voice. 00:38:39.15\00:38:40.05 As a 17-year-old, I think I was about maybe 15 or 16, not even 00:38:40.38\00:38:43.62 17. 00:38:43.62\00:38:47.36 world. 00:38:47.36\00:38:47.79 And I had this crazy internal desire. 00:38:50.43\00:38:54.13 I wanted to still be a disc jockey and still be saved. 00:38:54.73\00:38:58.67 I partied from Thursday to Sunday. 00:39:00.64\00:39:03.00 I still went to church. 00:39:03.51\00:39:04.74 I was in the building, but I was not in Jesus. 00:39:04.97\00:39:07.38 And at the time, this is shortly before I started dating 00:39:09.24\00:39:12.61 Angie. 00:39:12.61\00:39:12.98 And we're still dating. 00:39:14.45\00:39:15.45 Thursday night is our date night. 00:39:17.29\00:39:18.49 And I went to a Nazarene church and it was a Sunday morning, 00:39:21.39\00:39:25.33 and I went to their youth group and I'm not trying to throw any 00:39:25.66\00:39:28.50 aspersions against any denomination, but this 00:39:28.50\00:39:30.30 particular instance, I asked in the class, I was trying to get 00:39:30.30\00:39:36.37 away from the Sabbath. 00:39:36.37\00:39:37.31 I was not yet converted. 00:39:37.31\00:39:38.87 I said, why don't we keep the Sabbath and the Bible and the 00:39:38.94\00:39:41.68 youth pastor said, come with me. 00:39:41.68\00:39:43.38 I thought he was going to carry me to show me the reason. 00:39:43.48\00:39:46.41 It was on the lower level in that building and I could still 00:39:48.55\00:39:51.45 see it today. 00:39:51.45\00:39:55.02 steps, outside the church and said, don't you ever come back 00:39:55.02\00:39:58.46 here. 00:39:58.46\00:39:58.79 And I got on my bicycle and I rode home. 00:40:01.56\00:40:04.10 I went to a apostolic church next, which was right across 00:40:05.10\00:40:10.97 the street from my house. 00:40:10.97\00:40:12.01 They had bought out this big Catholic cathedral, big old 00:40:12.17\00:40:15.14 bishop, brother bishop, big brother like Pastor Ryan 00:40:15.14\00:40:20.88 Johnson. 00:40:20.88\00:40:21.25 No holes, just all solid rot. 00:40:22.42\00:40:24.92 So I said, so one evening after the services, I went to his 00:40:25.89\00:40:29.46 office and said, I need to ask you a question. 00:40:29.46\00:40:31.99 Could you tell me why you don't teach your members to keep the 00:40:31.99\00:40:35.10 Sabbath? 00:40:35.10\00:40:35.43 This blew me away. 00:40:37.13\00:40:38.40 And I was just starting to read the great controversy so I knew 00:40:38.67\00:40:41.97 this, Karen. 00:40:41.97\00:40:42.64 He said, now don't tell me that in 320, 180, Roman Emperor 00:40:43.44\00:40:46.44 Constantine changed the Sabbath to Sunday. 00:40:46.44\00:40:49.34 And he started rattling off history and I thought, whoa, he 00:40:49.64\00:40:53.38 knows. 00:40:53.38\00:40:53.85 He said, I'll be right back. 00:40:54.35\00:40:55.52 I sat in that seat for about 45 minutes and he never came back. 00:40:55.88\00:40:59.45 And I saw my way out. 00:41:00.06\00:41:02.32 I had one more shot. 00:41:03.46\00:41:04.86 We had a Catholic priest. 00:41:05.69\00:41:06.83 His name was Father John. 00:41:07.03\00:41:08.40 Sunday after the services, he would take the kids in the 00:41:09.46\00:41:11.97 community to get ice cream. 00:41:11.97\00:41:13.40 I benefited from the ice cream on many occasions. 00:41:14.97\00:41:17.21 So as I got older, I remember I went to the rectory and rang 00:41:18.54\00:41:25.41 the doorbell. 00:41:25.41\00:41:25.81 He let me in. 00:41:25.81\00:41:26.78 And I asked him the same question, why don't we keep the 00:41:26.95\00:41:31.09 Sabbath? 00:41:31.09\00:41:31.39 He said, that's very simple. 00:41:32.69\00:41:33.92 Our church was instrumental in changing it from Saturday to 00:41:34.42\00:41:36.73 Sunday. 00:41:36.73\00:41:37.16 And he said this, but we're too far gone to change now. 00:41:38.16\00:41:41.13 He's the only one that told me the truth. 00:41:41.73\00:41:43.83 So I thought, Lord, I can't get away from the Sabbath. 00:41:45.03\00:41:47.34 So what did they say? 00:41:48.24\00:41:49.30 If it's so high, you can't go over it. 00:41:50.61\00:41:53.01 If it's so low, you can't go under it. 00:41:54.28\00:41:56.54 If it's so wide, you can't go around it. 00:41:57.21\00:41:59.01 So what do you have to do? 00:41:59.45\00:42:00.38 You got to go what? 00:42:00.42\00:42:01.08 You got to go through it. 00:42:01.45\00:42:03.02 Thus, I decided, I got to give up this jockeying and become a 00:42:03.95\00:42:09.29 Sabbath -keeping Christian. 00:42:09.29\00:42:10.66 I heard the Lord's voice. 00:42:13.50\00:42:14.96 One Friday evening, when I was visiting with my girlfriend, 00:42:16.46\00:42:18.67 who's my wife, who's still my girlfriend, Friday evening 00:42:19.53\00:42:23.71 worship at her home, she asked me a question. 00:42:23.71\00:42:28.01 She said, have you ever heard of the great controversy? 00:42:28.01\00:42:29.94 I said, I think I did when I was growing up. 00:42:30.68\00:42:32.65 She said, hey, let's read it. 00:42:32.65\00:42:34.18 See, she was not allowed to date. 00:42:34.35\00:42:35.72 She had five Jamaican brothers, just like Fort Knox, trying to 00:42:35.92\00:42:41.89 date their youngest sister. 00:42:41.89\00:42:43.12 She's the youngest girl out of three girls. 00:42:43.36\00:42:45.23 And so I had to get through five. 00:42:45.86\00:42:47.03 So the only reason I could go to her house was for family 00:42:47.03\00:42:49.16 worship. 00:42:49.16\00:42:49.50 So this Friday evening, we're having family worship. 00:42:50.30\00:42:52.43 And she said, have you heard of the great controversy? 00:42:55.27\00:42:57.37 I said, I have. 00:42:57.97\00:43:00.98 read it. 00:43:00.98\00:43:01.88 Now keep in mind, my plan was to go to a party right after 00:43:02.21\00:43:05.51 family worship. 00:43:05.51\00:43:06.21 That was my pattern. 00:43:06.28\00:43:07.22 They would invite me to come over. 00:43:07.62\00:43:08.75 She said, I can't invite you over as a date, but I can 00:43:08.78\00:43:11.72 invite you over for worship. 00:43:11.72\00:43:13.46 That was my safety cover, worship. 00:43:14.56\00:43:16.42 That's how we dated through worship. 00:43:17.06\00:43:18.36 That Friday evening, she had me read a chapter in the great 00:43:19.06\00:43:23.00 controversy. 00:43:23.00\00:43:23.57 Now, remember, I'm living. 00:43:23.93\00:43:25.17 I'm deep into sin. 00:43:25.63\00:43:26.50 And guess what the first chapter was that she had me 00:43:28.00\00:43:29.94 read? 00:43:29.94\00:43:30.34 The Time of Trouble. 00:43:31.24\00:43:32.84 That shook my core. 00:43:35.01\00:43:36.38 I fell to my knees that Friday evening right there in her 00:43:36.95\00:43:40.28 living room, and I cried my heart out saying, Lord, forgive 00:43:40.28\00:43:43.62 me. 00:43:43.62\00:43:47.29 of Christ Return. 00:43:47.29\00:43:48.32 And I want to tell you, that did something to me. 00:43:48.79\00:43:50.53 I didn't go to that party that night. 00:43:50.56\00:43:52.23 And the next morning, I was in church. 00:43:53.26\00:43:55.13 But I had one more party left. 00:43:56.10\00:43:57.97 Seriously, I was invited to be the disc jockey for a wedding. 00:43:59.20\00:44:02.54 And I said, OK, Lord, let me just do this one more time. 00:44:02.87\00:44:05.14 You cannot bargain with God. 00:44:05.34\00:44:06.84 It's dangerous. 00:44:06.84\00:44:07.58 So here was a Sunday morning. 00:44:08.24\00:44:10.05 I was not the wedding officiant, but after that, I 00:44:11.08\00:44:14.05 was supposed to be the disc jockey at a wedding in the 00:44:14.05\00:44:16.12 Bronx. 00:44:16.12\00:44:16.69 And I had a small Honda Civic. 00:44:19.12\00:44:23.32 Does anybody remember when Honda Civics were small? 00:44:24.13\00:44:26.93 I mean, we're talking like, that's it. 00:44:27.96\00:44:30.87 Two doors. 00:44:31.77\00:44:32.60 I had two 15-inch speaker cabinets in the back, about 400 00:44:32.93\00:44:37.21 albums, two power amps. 00:44:37.21\00:44:39.71 And I think the equipment was heavier than the car. 00:44:40.81\00:44:44.38 And so here I am on Lafayette Avenue, on DeKalb Avenue in 00:44:45.68\00:44:48.98 Brooklyn, going downtown to get to the bridge. 00:44:48.98\00:44:52.09 And in front of me, I'm going to go way back. 00:44:52.72\00:44:54.76 Some of the guys that like cars remember this phrase, a deuce 00:44:54.89\00:44:58.09 in the quarter. 00:44:58.09\00:44:58.59 Anybody know what that is? 00:44:58.73\00:44:59.53 Electra 225, a deuce in the quarter. 00:45:00.83\00:45:03.03 And it was raining just lightly, and I pressed the 00:45:04.20\00:45:07.10 brakes on that car, and that Honda slid into the back of 00:45:07.10\00:45:13.64 that deuce in the quarter. 00:45:13.64\00:45:14.38 That big American car did not move. 00:45:14.78\00:45:16.91 I bent the steering wheel, broke the windshield on my 00:45:18.31\00:45:20.68 side, Angie broke the windshield on her side, and 00:45:20.68\00:45:23.59 this thought came to my mind, if you had died here, you'd 00:45:23.59\00:45:26.72 have been lost. 00:45:26.72\00:45:27.52 Monday morning, I took a whole list of all my albums to Bank 00:45:28.69\00:45:32.93 of America, where I worked downtown in Wall Street, gave 00:45:32.93\00:45:35.93 them all away. 00:45:35.93\00:45:36.70 Now, I'd have thrown them away now. 00:45:37.50\00:45:39.30 But you know, when you spend thousands of dollars on albums, 00:45:39.97\00:45:42.30 that was, you know, sinners have to get something back. 00:45:42.77\00:45:44.94 The wages of sin, you got to get some of those wages back. 00:45:45.47\00:45:48.14 And the Lord pulled me out of that life. 00:45:49.84\00:45:52.45 And God has an amazing sense of humor, because God knew what 00:45:52.45\00:45:58.22 his plans and his dreams for my life were. 00:45:58.22\00:46:00.66 You know what he did? 00:46:01.89\00:46:06.93 Anybody from Brooklyn? 00:46:07.03\00:46:08.00 That's a stretch. 00:46:08.76\00:46:09.70 Okay. 00:46:10.53\00:46:11.13 And here I am, people cussing and arguing and playing their 00:46:11.97\00:46:15.64 heavy music, and here's old brother John, got my big old 00:46:15.64\00:46:19.74 boombox, come on. 00:46:19.74\00:46:21.11 And I'm playing the heritage singers in a park in Brooklyn. 00:46:21.11\00:46:27.45 I am willing, Lord. 00:46:29.95\00:46:32.39 How's that for evangelism? 00:46:33.15\00:46:34.62 And God, knowing what his plans were for my future, the very 00:46:36.39\00:46:40.86 first album that I got that was not secular was a heritage 00:46:40.86\00:46:46.27 singer's album. 00:46:46.27\00:46:47.40 Someone gifted it to me, never knowing that I would be in that 00:46:47.90\00:46:51.67 group in my future. 00:46:51.67\00:46:53.44 Is God good or not? 00:46:53.74\00:46:54.91 What am I saying? 00:46:55.54\00:47:03.69 Nobody could have told me that this former disc jockey, 00:47:04.09\00:47:07.19 gambler, partier, pool hustler, carouser, nightlife, living for 00:47:07.29\00:47:10.89 the city, would ever be a preacher one day. 00:47:10.89\00:47:14.30 So God sees us in our brokenness. 00:47:15.26\00:47:17.10 And let me tell you, that was not the last brokenness all 00:47:17.10\00:47:19.70 throughout life, even throughout ministry. 00:47:19.70\00:47:22.57 The Lord still sees in us things that need to be pulled 00:47:23.20\00:47:25.87 out, and every now and then he allows the enemy to get access 00:47:25.87\00:47:29.18 to us so that we could straighten up, because God is 00:47:29.18\00:47:33.98 going to bring his church through. 00:47:33.98\00:47:35.32 What am I saying? 00:47:35.78\00:47:36.55 When you live according to God's purpose, you become a 00:47:36.95\00:47:40.02 missionary. 00:47:40.02\00:47:40.76 You become a what? 00:47:41.12\00:47:42.12 There are those who need to know the message, but you are a 00:47:43.16\00:47:45.99 missionary. 00:47:45.99\00:47:48.03 disciple, you are a missionary. 00:47:48.03\00:47:49.43 That's why the mission of the church is so vitally important 00:47:49.80\00:47:53.80 to the relevance and the saving of precious souls in the church 00:47:53.80\00:47:59.14 and in the world. 00:47:59.14\00:48:00.31 There are people in the church that need to know Christ 00:48:00.38\00:48:03.51 better, and they're looking at our lives to see whether or not 00:48:03.51\00:48:06.48 they can find Jesus in our lives. 00:48:06.48\00:48:09.08 One more thing. 00:48:09.48\00:48:10.32 Let's go to the book of Acts. 00:48:10.59\00:48:11.82 I'm going to show you the devil's last strategy. 00:48:12.45\00:48:15.22 Whenever a person is committed to the word of God, it shakes 00:48:15.59\00:48:20.10 the devil's kingdom, and he wants to find ways of breaking 00:48:20.10\00:48:25.60 down the effectiveness of God's work. 00:48:25.60\00:48:28.20 And he first goes after the messengers of God. 00:48:28.67\00:48:30.64 He knows that if the shepherd is struck, if the shepherd is 00:48:30.64\00:48:33.94 damaged, the sheep would stray. 00:48:33.94\00:48:35.34 Notice what he does. 00:48:35.44\00:48:36.41 Acts chapter 13, verse 46 and 47. 00:48:36.91\00:48:39.08 Now, Paul and Barnabas are in the city of Antioch, and they 00:48:39.08\00:48:42.65 are preaching the word of God with tenacity and conviction. 00:48:42.65\00:48:46.25 And they're preaching it to the Jewish community. 00:48:46.72\00:48:49.06 And the Jewish community did not recognize that they were 00:48:50.49\00:48:55.60 those who heard the message that wanted to hear it again by 00:48:55.60\00:49:02.07 invitation. 00:49:02.07\00:49:02.34 So the next Sabbath, the Bible says in Acts 13, almost the 00:49:03.47\00:49:06.74 whole city came together to hear the word of God. 00:49:06.74\00:49:10.41 What bothered me is that the folk that came in from the city 00:49:11.58\00:49:17.45 didn't know that some of the church members had a favorite 00:49:17.45\00:49:20.76 seat. 00:49:20.76\00:49:21.19 So they came in and sat in Brother so-and-so's favorite 00:49:26.26\00:49:29.30 seat. 00:49:29.30\00:49:29.80 And they got upset. 00:49:33.37\00:49:34.87 You read the story in the book of Acts. 00:49:35.74\00:49:37.21 And when the whole city filled up that place of worship, got 00:49:38.21\00:49:43.11 the church members so angry that they began contradicting 00:49:43.11\00:49:46.58 and blaspheming what was spoken by Paul and Barnabas. 00:49:46.58\00:49:49.85 Let me tell you something. 00:49:51.65\00:49:54.59 place up, I'm going to say, to God be the glory. 00:49:54.59\00:49:56.59 Church members, y'all sit over there. 00:49:57.43\00:49:59.03 Let the city fill it up. 00:49:59.49\00:50:00.53 Come on, say amen, somebody. 00:50:00.56\00:50:01.53 What did Paul and Barnabas say? 00:50:02.53\00:50:03.73 And this is very significant. 00:50:03.80\00:50:04.80 In Acts chapter 13 verses 46 and 47. 00:50:04.80\00:50:07.37 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, It was necessary 00:50:08.24\00:50:12.61 that the word of God should be spoken to you when? 00:50:12.61\00:50:14.78 First. 00:50:15.34\00:50:15.88 But here's the danger. 00:50:16.41\00:50:17.48 But since you rejected and judge yourselves unworthy of 00:50:18.21\00:50:23.15 everlasting life, behold, we do what? 00:50:23.15\00:50:25.22 We turn to the Gentiles. 00:50:25.85\00:50:27.39 That's the mission. 00:50:27.69\00:50:28.59 For so the Lord has commanded us. 00:50:29.22\00:50:31.69 I have set you as a light to the Gentiles that you should be 00:50:31.96\00:50:36.97 for salvation to the ends of the earth. 00:50:36.97\00:50:38.83 The message of salvation is our responsibility. 00:50:39.73\00:50:43.74 Not salvation, but the message of salvation is our 00:50:44.57\00:50:48.84 responsibility. 00:50:48.84\00:50:49.64 The three angels' messages is our responsibility. 00:50:50.61\00:50:53.18 Before you leave, get some three angels' messages and 00:50:53.28\00:50:55.78 summary booklets. 00:50:55.78\00:50:56.69 Get some of the investigative judgment booklets. 00:50:57.12\00:50:59.75 I looked at that booklet that was written by Pastor James 00:50:59.82\00:51:02.02 Rafferty. 00:51:02.02\00:51:02.39 Phenomenal! 00:51:03.29\00:51:03.79 That doctrine is under attack. 00:51:04.73\00:51:06.43 Let's attack back by God's word. 00:51:07.73\00:51:09.50 Get some of those books. 00:51:10.40\00:51:11.23 Make sure you carry them home. 00:51:11.33\00:51:12.33 Three angels' messages. 00:51:12.70\00:51:13.67 Get the truth series. 00:51:13.97\00:51:15.07 What happens when you die? 00:51:15.30\00:51:16.47 Get the books. 00:51:17.07\00:51:17.71 God's church does not affirm LGBTQ. 00:51:18.07\00:51:20.68 God's church does not support abortion. 00:51:21.18\00:51:22.91 Come on, say amen to the body. 00:51:23.04\00:51:24.08 Get the gospel out there. 00:51:24.58\00:51:25.78 Let the people understand the message of veracity that God is 00:51:25.78\00:51:28.62 not playing. 00:51:28.62\00:51:32.72 those who think differently than his word actually teaches. 00:51:32.72\00:51:35.79 But let's look at what they did. 00:51:37.96\00:51:39.33 This is called the steps of apostasy. 00:51:40.20\00:51:42.20 What happened? 00:51:43.06\00:51:43.60 Look at verse 45. 00:51:43.90\00:51:45.37 Look at verse 45 of Acts chapter 13. 00:51:45.77\00:51:48.00 The Bible says, But when the Jews saw the multitude, they 00:51:50.31\00:51:52.57 were filled with what? 00:51:52.57\00:51:53.68 Envy. 00:51:53.68\00:51:54.54 And contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed to 00:51:55.11\00:51:57.78 the things spoken by Paul. 00:51:57.78\00:51:59.71 Three steps of apostasy. 00:52:00.15\00:52:01.48 The first one, they were filled with envy. 00:52:01.52\00:52:03.05 Don't ever allow somebody's response to the gospel to make 00:52:03.89\00:52:06.79 you envious. 00:52:06.79\00:52:07.49 Be careful when the spirit of envy rises up in you because 00:52:08.62\00:52:13.53 people are coming to the Lord. 00:52:13.53\00:52:15.13 The spirit of envy. 00:52:15.63\00:52:16.63 And what's amazing about that is the opposition wasn't just, 00:52:17.20\00:52:20.74 I was looking this up in the Bible commentary, the 00:52:20.84\00:52:23.71 opposition wasn't just theological, but it was 00:52:23.71\00:52:25.87 emotional. 00:52:25.87\00:52:26.47 They were filled with envy. 00:52:26.54\00:52:28.24 They were jealous that Paul's success in leading large crowds 00:52:29.21\00:52:33.42 to Jesus interrupted their church service. 00:52:33.42\00:52:36.82 And it made them envious and angry. 00:52:38.09\00:52:40.22 The second thing they did was they started contradicting and 00:52:40.59\00:52:43.36 blaspheming. 00:52:43.36\00:52:43.69 What is that? 00:52:44.59\00:52:49.03 the truth. 00:52:49.03\00:52:50.67 Active opposition to the truth. 00:52:51.97\00:52:53.54 Now, brethren, this is dangerous. 00:52:53.74\00:52:55.04 There are those who are actively living in opposition 00:52:56.07\00:52:59.34 to the truth. 00:52:59.34\00:53:00.14 And here's the thing. 00:53:00.14\00:53:01.01 They don't want it, but they don't want you to want it. 00:53:01.74\00:53:04.21 There are those on YouTube and Facebook constantly posting 00:53:05.25\00:53:10.49 reasons why you should no longer be a Seventh-day 00:53:10.49\00:53:12.62 Adventist, why you should no longer believe the 00:53:12.62\00:53:15.06 investigative judgment, why you should no longer believe that 00:53:15.06\00:53:18.09 the Sabbath is relevant, why they don't want it, but they 00:53:18.09\00:53:22.40 don't want you to want it. 00:53:22.40\00:53:23.43 That's satanic. 00:53:23.83\00:53:24.70 But that's not new. 00:53:25.37\00:53:26.30 They did that in Paul's day, contradicting and blaspheming. 00:53:26.77\00:53:30.34 That's why you have to stay away from those ministers of 00:53:33.31\00:53:35.48 darkness on YouTube. 00:53:35.48\00:53:36.34 You know what it always gets me? 00:53:36.44\00:53:37.75 Those people that are always talking about God's church and 00:53:38.38\00:53:40.68 the junk in it, they don't ever talk about their junk. 00:53:40.68\00:53:42.82 Have you noticed that? 00:53:42.85\00:53:43.75 They don't ever talk about the struggles they have in their 00:53:45.75\00:53:47.96 own life. 00:53:47.96\00:53:48.79 God says, how would you feel if every time you met somebody 00:53:52.26\00:53:55.06 they were saying something bad about your wife? 00:53:55.06\00:53:57.23 God's wife. 00:53:59.00\00:53:59.87 God's church. 00:54:00.54\00:54:01.47 Internal resentment against truth always resulting in 00:54:02.37\00:54:06.04 outward rebellion against the truth. 00:54:06.04\00:54:09.21 And that kind of stuff is going to die out. 00:54:09.78\00:54:11.51 You cannot build a ministry on negativity only on the light of 00:54:11.95\00:54:16.22 God's word. 00:54:16.22\00:54:16.92 Anything negative is not going to last. 00:54:17.12\00:54:19.25 Public opposition against truth always results in outward 00:54:20.09\00:54:24.29 attacks against the truth. 00:54:24.29\00:54:26.23 That's why it says they were opposing the things spoken. 00:54:26.43\00:54:29.96 So, brethren, you know what we're going to keep doing? 00:54:30.83\00:54:32.60 We're going to keep speaking. 00:54:33.03\00:54:33.87 Come on, say amen. 00:54:34.07\00:54:34.74 We're going to keep preaching. 00:54:35.27\00:54:36.24 We're going to make the message clear. 00:54:36.74\00:54:38.27 And as Elder Brooks told me, he says, preach it if it's not 00:54:38.31\00:54:41.48 clear. 00:54:41.48\00:54:41.81 Make it clearer. 00:54:42.21\00:54:42.88 If they don't hear it, say it again. 00:54:43.31\00:54:45.01 God calls us to integrity in these last days. 00:54:46.15\00:54:51.52 So, brethren, 2 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 8. 00:54:52.15\00:54:56.32 Will the church fail? 00:54:56.76\00:54:58.49 Is the question. 00:54:59.06\00:54:59.79 What's the answer? 00:55:00.33\00:55:01.10 Let me tell you why. 00:55:01.60\00:55:03.03 Here's the reason. 00:55:03.60\00:55:04.33 Let me tell you why. 00:55:05.07\00:55:06.00 Here's the reason. 00:55:06.57\00:55:07.30 2 Corinthians 13, verse 8. 00:55:07.54\00:55:09.07 This is the reason why God's church is not going to fail. 00:55:09.20\00:55:11.57 And I'm so glad for this passage. 00:55:12.27\00:55:13.71 Thank you, Paul. 00:55:14.21\00:55:15.11 Verse 8. 00:55:18.78\00:55:19.55 I'm going to repeat it and then I'm going to have you join me. 00:55:20.28\00:55:22.48 For we can do how much? 00:55:22.55\00:55:24.89 Nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 00:55:26.32\00:55:29.46 How much can you do to stop the truth? 00:55:30.59\00:55:32.33 Say it. 00:55:32.93\00:55:34.36 Nothing. 00:55:34.60\00:55:35.13 How much? 00:55:35.30\00:55:35.93 Nothing. 00:55:36.20\00:55:36.63 The devil was trying. 00:55:37.03\00:55:38.13 He's trying. 00:55:38.23\00:55:39.00 He's continuing to try. 00:55:39.30\00:55:43.51 But the apostle Paul says, you can try all you want. 00:55:43.51\00:55:46.68 You can't do anything against the truth. 00:55:46.98\00:55:48.64 Hallelujah. 00:55:48.71\00:55:49.18 You can't do anything against the truth. 00:55:50.08\00:55:51.65 But there's one more thing we must do. 00:55:51.81\00:55:53.52 First of all, Jesus is the foundation. 00:55:53.72\00:55:56.32 Secondly, God's church is the commandment-keeping church. 00:55:56.52\00:55:59.29 Thirdly, God's church is a mission-focused church to lead 00:55:59.52\00:56:03.29 those in darkness into this marvelous light. 00:56:03.29\00:56:05.63 But now what do you have to do? 00:56:06.29\00:56:07.36 Let's look at the last passage. 00:56:07.46\00:56:08.96 Luke chapter 6, verse 47 and 48. 00:56:09.23\00:56:11.23 There's something that we must do. 00:56:11.27\00:56:13.03 There's something that in a time of storm and controversy, 00:56:13.54\00:56:16.24 this is what we must do. 00:56:16.47\00:56:18.37 Luke 6, verse 47. 00:56:19.07\00:56:20.44 Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings and does them, I 00:56:21.81\00:56:26.82 will show you whom he is like. 00:56:26.82\00:56:29.05 This is your daily day. 00:56:29.08\00:56:30.45 He is like a man building a house who dug how? 00:56:31.35\00:56:34.39 Deep. 00:56:34.66\00:56:35.19 You got to dig deep in God's word. 00:56:35.49\00:56:37.19 And lay the foundation on the rock. 00:56:37.93\00:56:39.46 Who's the rock? 00:56:39.49\00:56:40.16 Jesus. 00:56:40.16\00:56:40.73 And when the flood arose, and the stream beat vehemently 00:56:41.86\00:56:46.43 against that house, and could not shake it, for it was 00:56:46.43\00:56:51.34 founded on the rock. 00:56:51.34\00:56:53.31 Amen, church? 00:56:53.51\00:56:54.34 The Advent message founded on the rock. 00:56:54.91\00:56:57.75 The remnant message founded on the rock. 00:56:57.85\00:57:00.52 God's people need to stay on the rock. 00:57:00.92\00:57:03.08 So when it gets rough, what do you say? 00:57:03.72\00:57:05.52 Remain seated. 00:57:06.29\00:57:07.32 When it gets tough, you have to get off. 00:57:07.92\00:57:11.06 Because when this plane lands, when this old ship of Zion 00:57:11.26\00:57:15.06 pulls into port, it should be your commitment that you follow 00:57:15.06\00:57:18.77 the Lord from the beginning, and when the journey is over, 00:57:18.77\00:57:21.64 you will be there in the end. 00:57:21.70\00:57:22.80 What do you say? 00:57:22.87\00:57:23.51 Jesus is the rock, His word is the anchor, and when we remain, 00:57:24.27\00:57:28.28 we are in the impregnable church. 00:57:28.38\00:57:30.18 God bless you. 00:57:30.81\00:57:31.51