Participants: Pastor Stephen P. Bohr
Series Code: SOP
Program Code: SOP000010A
|
00:13 Well hello, everybody.
00:16 Welcome to session number ten of, The Secrets of Pentecost. 00:21 Today we are going to study the subject, Are You Persecutable? 00:27 But before we do, we want to ask for the Lord's presence 00:31 in our midst. 00:33 Once again, I underline the fact that we should never 00:36 open the Word of God without prayer. 00:39 Because only the Spirit who inspired the Scripture 00:42 is able to come and explain it to us. 00:45 And so let's bow our heads and ask for the presence 00:48 of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the angels. 00:52 Father in heaven, we once again approach Your throne 00:57 with boldness, because we come in the name of Jesus. 01:00 We know that You hear us, not because we have merit, 01:03 but because Jesus has all of the merits in the universe 01:07 to present before Your throne. 01:09 And Father, at this moment we ask for the presence 01:13 of Your Holy Spirit through the ministry of the angels 01:16 in this place. 01:17 We need divine aid to understand the great things from Your Word. 01:23 And so we ask, we implore, Your presence here. 01:28 We know that You have heard this prayer, 01:30 and we know that You will answer it, 01:32 because we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. 01:36 Amen. 01:39 As I mentioned, the title of our study today is, 01:42 Are You Persecutable? 01:45 Now I must say that when I was preparing this presentation, 01:51 I wrote down the word, "persecutable," 01:55 and immediately my computer underlined it in red. 02:00 It said there is no such word in the dictionary 02:04 as, "persecutable." 02:06 So basically what I did was coined the word. 02:10 Because I think that you can understand what the word, 02:12 "persecutable," means. 02:15 Now I could have titled the sermon today, 02:18 Chain Reaction. 02:20 Because we are going to study seven inseparable sequential 02:25 events in Acts 1 through 5, and each of the steps 02:31 is going to impact the succeeding 02:34 or the following step. 02:35 So we're going to follow a very orderly method of study. 02:40 We're going to go through seven steps. 02:42 Now the seven steps in our study are the following: 02:46 Number one, we're going to take a look at the condition 02:49 of the apostles before the day of Pentecost. 02:54 Actually, before the passion of Christ in the garden of 02:58 Gethsemane and on the cross. 03:00 Secondly, we're going to take a look at the active weight 03:04 of the apostles ten days before the day of Pentecost. 03:08 Number three, we are going to take a look at the disciples 03:12 receiving power from on high when the Holy Spirit 03:16 was poured out on the day of Pentecost. 03:18 Number four, we're going to see that when they received 03:22 the power, they immediately began speaking boldly 03:27 with power. 03:28 And then step number five is that we're going to see 03:31 that as a result of their preaching 03:33 there was incredible church growth. 03:36 Thousands upon thousands embraced the message. 03:40 And then we're going to notice the next step 03:42 is that Satan is losing thousands of his subjects. 03:46 And step number seven is that as a result, 03:50 Satan brings persecution against the church. 03:55 So we're going to take a look at these seven sequential steps 03:59 and see how they are all interconnected. 04:02 And then at the end, we're going to learn what lessons 04:05 we need to embrace from this particular study. 04:10 So let's go to point number one, the conditions of the apostles 04:15 before the passion of Jesus Christ in the garden 04:18 of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary. 04:23 I think that as we read the gospels, we can see 04:26 that the disciples were all quite self-centered 04:29 before the passion of Christ. 04:32 Everyone was looking out for number one. 04:35 And number one was each one of them. 04:37 Now let's look at some of the characteristics 04:40 of the apostles before Christ's passion. 04:43 Number one, they were violent. 04:46 We know, for example, that Peter cut off the ear 04:50 of the High Priest's servant in the garden of Gethsemane. 04:54 We also know that James and John were quite violent. 04:58 The were called, the sons of thunder. 05:01 And we have one particular episode in the gospels 05:03 that illustrates the spirit that they had 05:06 and how they would have ruled if Jesus had placed 05:10 one on His right side and the other on His left side 05:12 the way that their mother suggested. 05:15 Notice Luke 9:53-54 what kind of attitude James and John had. 05:22 They had a very violent character. 05:24 That's why they were called, the sons of thunder. 05:27 It says there... 05:28 And by the way, this is when Jesus is on His last 05:31 journey to Jerusalem. 05:32 He asks the Samaritan villages if He can 05:35 go through these villages. 05:36 And they sent word back, they said, "No, we won't let You 05:38 go through our villages." 05:40 So let's pick it up in Luke 9:53. 06:02 Quite violent, I might say. 06:05 They had no regard for saving human life. 06:08 In fact, Jesus said, "I didn't come to destroy people's lives. 06:12 I have come to save people's lives." 06:16 The apostles also were constantly concerned about 06:19 what they would receive because they followed Jesus. 06:22 They were interested in serving for a reward. 06:25 Notice Matthew 19:27. 06:40 So their service of Christ was with a special self-interest 06:45 of receiving some benefit from the Lord for following Jesus. 06:50 They were also concerned about their own dignity and status. 06:55 Notice John 16:6, and then we'll read verse 8. 06:59 You know, when Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples, 07:03 you remember that He took a towel and He began washing 07:06 the feet of the disciples. 07:07 Because none of them, according to, Desire of Ages, 07:10 would lower himself to wash the feet of anyone else. 07:15 And so Jesus now begins washing the feet of the apostles. 07:20 And I want you to notice what it says in John 13:6, 07:24 and then we'll read verse 8. 07:36 In other words, "It is below Your dignity 07:40 to lower Yourself to wash my feet." 07:43 None of them would even think about washing the feet 07:46 of another one of the apostles because that would not be 07:50 up to their own dignity and status, 07:54 which they were very concerned with before the 07:56 passion of Christ. 07:58 And then they were all struggling 08:00 for position and for power. 08:02 They wanted the highest place in the kingdom. 08:05 Notice Mark 9:33-34. 08:09 This is on the last journey to Jerusalem. 08:11 And notice what they were discussing. 08:23 See, they were fighting on the road. 08:35 So they were interested in reward, they were violent, 08:38 they were interested in their own dignity 08:40 and their own status, and they wanted the highest 08:43 position in the kingdom. 08:45 Notice what we find in Matthew 20. 08:50 The mother of James and John comes to Jesus 08:53 and makes a special request. 08:56 She says, "I want one of my sons to be on Your right side 09:00 and the other son to be on Your left side in the kingdom." 09:03 Notice Matthew 20. 09:18 In other words, they wanted the highest cabinet positions 09:22 in the kingdom that Jesus was going to establish. 09:26 They were also interested in their own self-preservation. 09:29 They weren't willing to give up their lives 09:31 for the cause of Jesus. 09:33 Notice Mark 14:50, when Jesus was arrested 09:38 in the garden of Gethsemane. 09:45 Because they all wanted to save their own skin. 09:47 It was all about self-preservation. 09:51 And then in the case of Peter, Peter was embarrassed 09:55 to be associated with Jesus when Jesus was arrested. 09:59 Remember that he denied Christ three times? 10:03 And the third time he actually cursed. 10:05 He said, "I have nothing to do with this Man." 10:07 And Ellen White explains that it wasn't because 10:09 he was afraid of losing his life. 10:12 It was because he would tell people that this was 10:15 the Messiah, and now Jesus was dying 10:17 and he was embarrassed to be associated with Jesus. 10:21 Notice what we find in Mark 14:71 where it speaks about 10:26 Peter's reaction when the third time he denied Jesus. 10:38 So in summary, each disciple was looking out for number one. 10:44 Each had their own personal agenda. 10:47 They were looking out for their own lives, their own reputation, 10:52 their own self-interest, their own dignity, 10:54 their own position, their own financial security. 10:57 In other words, they were filled with self. 11:02 Now when you look at the apostles, you find 11:04 quite a group of misfits. 11:07 We have, first of all, Simon the zealot. 11:10 You know, the zealots were a Jewish sect who wanted to 11:14 overthrow the Roman government by sedition. 11:17 They wanted to overthrow the government by violence. 11:19 They were kind of like guerrilla fighters 11:22 back in the times of Christ. 11:24 And so you have one of the apostles that was a zealot. 11:26 Undoubtedly, he wanted to overthrow the Roman government, 11:29 and he wanted to do it with violence. 11:32 And then you had Judas, the shrewd administrator, 11:37 who had a high opinion of himself. 11:40 And Ellen White says that he thought of all the other 11:42 disciples as ignoramuses, because he suppose that 11:45 they were not as intelligent as him. 11:48 And then you have Matthew, the hated tax collector. 11:51 And James and John, the sons of thunder. 11:55 And then you have outspoken Peter who was foul-mouthed 12:00 when he denied Christ the third time. 12:02 And he always put his tongue in fourth gear 12:05 before he put his brain in first gear. 12:07 And then you have Thomas, the philosopher, who said, 12:10 "I will not believe unless I see." 12:15 The question is, how in the world could Jesus unite 12:18 such a group of misfits? 12:21 But Jesus prayed for the unity of the disciples. 12:25 When He was in the garden of Gethsemane 12:28 He uttered His famous prayer on Thursday evening 12:31 that is found in John 17. 12:33 And I want to read now John 17:20-23 were we can 12:38 grasp the spirit of Christ's prayer. 12:41 This is what Jesus said, speaking to His Father... 13:28 And so Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, prayed 13:31 that somehow this group of misfits who were centered 13:35 only on themselves would come around and they would unite 13:39 in one body. 13:41 And of course, the prayer of Jesus was answered. 13:46 And so Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, 13:50 He died on the cross, He resurrected on the 13:53 first day of the week. 13:54 And then of course, ten days before the day of Pentecost, 13:58 Jesus told the disciples, "You stay in Jerusalem 14:03 and you wait for the power." 14:06 Now, they weren't suppose to just sit around 14:10 and wait without doing anything. 14:13 There were certain things that they needed to do 14:17 while they waited. 14:18 I call it, active waiting. 14:21 Notice Matthew 28:19-20. 14:24 All power had already been given to Jesus. 14:27 And we've already studied that it was given to Jesus 14:30 when He ascended to heaven on resurrection morning. 14:32 Remember, the Father gave Him all power at that moment. 14:36 And notice Matthew 28, actually we'll read verses 18-20. 15:04 So Jesus gives the disciples the command 15:08 to go and preach the gospel to all nations. 15:11 But Jesus told them that they should not go 15:14 before they waited. 15:17 Notice Acts 1:4, and we'll also read verse 8. 15:22 Incidentally, this text from Acts 1 is in the same 15:26 historical context as Matthew 28:18-20. 15:31 It's the same occasion immediately before the ascension 15:34 from the Mount of Olives. 15:35 So it says in Acts 1:4... 15:51 And then notice that when they receive the power, 15:54 then they can fulfill the great commission. 15:56 It says in verse 8... 16:10 So Jesus says, "First of all, you need to wait 16:14 in Jerusalem for ten days until you receive the power." 16:19 Now, what were they suppose to do during those ten days? 16:23 Not simply sit around and wait. 16:26 They were suppose to do something to prepare 16:29 for the receiving of the power. 16:31 I want you to notice something that happened 16:34 on resurrection evening. 16:36 It's found in John 20:21-23. 16:42 And this is very interesting because we usually think of 16:44 the Holy Spirit being poured out on the day of Pentecost. 16:47 And that certainly is true. 16:49 But Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit 16:51 before the day of Pentecost. 16:53 But the purpose was not to fill them with the Holy Spirit 16:57 to enable them to preach. 16:59 The purpose was to give them the Holy Spirit 17:01 so that the Holy Spirit would help them be emptied of self, 17:06 so that then they could be filled with the Holy Spirit 17:08 on the day of Pentecost. 17:09 Notice John 20:21-23, how Jesus on resurrection evening 17:15 gave them the Holy Spirit so that they could be 17:17 emptied of their personal agendas and of self. 17:21 It says there... 17:42 Actually it says, "...they have been forgiven them." 17:45 That's the tense of the verb in the Greek. 17:52 A better translation is, "...they have been retained." 17:56 So they're not really forgiving sin. 17:58 They are simply telling people that on the basis of what 18:01 Jesus did, they can be forgiven. 18:04 Now, what did they do during those ten days 18:07 before the day of Pentecost while they waited? 18:10 Once again, I emphasize that it is active waiting. 18:13 It's not sitting around. 18:15 They had to do something. 18:17 They had to come together in unity like Jesus had prayed. 18:20 Now some of the text that I'm going to read to you 18:23 are from events that took place after the day of Pentecost. 18:27 But in principle, they illustrate the spirit that the 18:31 apostles developed during those ten days. 18:34 Now let's notice, first of all, Acts 1:14. 18:37 What are they doing before the day of Pentecost? 18:44 They're not divided anymore. 18:57 So what are they doing? 18:59 They're intensely praying. 19:02 They're elevating prayers of supplication to the Lord. 19:06 And it says that they were all of one accord. 19:09 In other words, all of these different parts of the body 19:11 are coming together and forming one body. 19:15 Notice Acts 2:42. It says... 19:28 There, once gain, you find the spirit of what happened 19:31 during those ten days even though this is happening 19:34 after the day of Pentecost. 19:35 It says, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' 19:38 doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, 19:41 and in prayers." 19:42 In Acts 2:45, we're told that they're not selfish anymore. 19:47 They're not thinking about what they can get 19:49 out of following Jesus. 19:51 It says there in Acts 2:45, and we're not going to 19:53 read the verse, but you know that basically they took 19:57 all of their properties and they placed them 19:59 on the altar of sacrifice at the disposal of the work 20:03 for the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 20:07 Their focus had changed from what they could get 20:11 from following Jesus to what they could invest 20:14 as they followed Jesus. 20:16 And then in Acts 2:46-47, we find a reflection 20:20 of the spirit that they manifested during those 20:23 days before Pentecost. 20:25 It says in verses 46-47... 20:48 So basically, folks, their central focus had changed 20:53 from self to Jesus. 20:55 During those ten days they had one Lord, 20:58 they had one heartbeat, they had one focus. 21:02 And that focus had shifted from themselves to Jesus Christ 21:08 and the mission that Jesus wanted them to perform. 21:11 And so the second step is the ten days of active waiting, 21:17 preparing to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. 21:22 Step number three is, after waiting they received 21:26 the power that Jesus had promised. 21:29 And we find this in Acts 2:1-4. 21:34 The Holy Spirit is poured out. 21:36 And the purpose of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 21:38 is to give them power to preach the gospel. 21:42 Notice Acts 2:1-4. 21:52 Had they all come together during those ten days? 21:54 Absolutely. 22:22 So what was the purpose of the gift of tongues, 22:24 according to what we've studied? 22:26 Why did they receive the power? 22:28 Folks, they received the power for one purpose. 22:31 They had already been emptied from self by the Holy Spirit 22:35 during those ten days. 22:37 So the purpose of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost 22:40 is not to empty them of self, 22:42 or to give them a high spiritual experience, 22:45 or for self-edification. 22:46 The purpose is so that now they can go out 22:49 and they can preach with power. 22:51 And as we've studied, that's the reason why God 22:54 gave them the gift of tongues. 22:55 So that they could speak in the languages of those 22:58 who were present there so that they could receive the gospel 23:01 and then go back to their countries and proclaim 23:05 the wonderful message about Jesus. 23:08 So step number three was receiving the power 23:11 that Jesus promised. 23:13 Because preaching without power will do absolutely nothing. 23:17 And then we have step number four. 23:19 As a result of receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, 23:24 Peter preached one sermon on the day of Pentecost. 23:29 One sermon. 23:30 Not an evangelistic series of six weeks. 23:34 One sermon under the power of the Holy Spirit 23:39 that he had received. 23:40 And in that one sermon, three thousand souls responded 23:46 to the message that he preached. 23:48 Three thousand souls were baptized in one day 23:53 as a result of one sermon. 23:56 Amazing. 23:57 You know, several years ago there was a plan 24:00 in the Adventist church that was developed that was called, 24:02 The Thousand Days of Reaping. 24:04 Some of you might remember that. 24:06 But Pentecost was the day of reaping thousands. 24:08 It wasn't the thousand days of reaping. 24:11 It was the day to reap thousands. 24:13 And they reaped three thousand. 24:15 And a few days later, they reaped five thousand more. 24:20 So they began preaching with power. 24:22 And I want you to notice several text that speak about 24:25 the power that they now had to proclaim the message. 24:28 Acts 4:13 24:31 It says, "Now when they saw..." 24:33 This is the Sanhedrin. 24:39 How are they speaking now? With boldness. 24:46 It's interesting, the Greek word there is, "agrammatos," 24:50 which means that they didn't know any grammar. 24:54 "Agrammatos," means, no grammar. 24:57 In other words, they didn't have proper grammar. 25:00 And the second word is very interesting. 25:02 "...and untrained..." 25:03 That word, "untrained," is, "idiotes," 25:08 from where we get the word, "idiot." 25:11 And so it says... 25:21 Notice Acts 4:19-20. 25:25 "But Peter and John answered and said to them..." 25:40 "We have to speak," is what they said. 25:42 And they had no fear in speaking. 25:45 Notice Acts 4:29 and 31. 25:48 Once again, the boldness in preaching now that they have 25:51 the power of the Holy Spirit. 25:53 It says there... 25:58 Because the Sanhedrin had threatened them. 26:30 Why is the Word of God not being spoken with boldness today? 26:34 Is it perhaps because we're full of self? 26:38 We haven't done the waiting? 26:40 And because we haven't done the waiting, 26:43 we have not received the power? 26:45 And if we don't have the power, we're not going to 26:48 proclaim the message? 26:49 Do you see the chain reaction that we have here? 26:52 Now let's go to step number five. 26:55 What were the results of the preaching with boldness 26:59 of the apostles? 27:00 I want to read several text to show what happened 27:03 immediately after the day of Pentecost. 27:05 Now in Acts 1:15, we find the number of believers 27:10 that were there before the day of Pentecost. 27:13 It says... 27:23 Those were the faithful. 27:25 But now notice what happens on the day of Pentecost. 27:28 Acts 2:41-42 27:34 That is, the word that Peter was preaching. 27:50 Three thousand as a result of one sermon. 27:53 Notice Acts 4:4. 27:56 This is a short while later still in Jerusalem. 28:10 Wow! Three thousand, five thousand. 28:13 The movement is growing phenomenally. 28:15 Notice Acts 4:32. 28:31 Notice, the multitude of those who believed. 28:35 Notice Acts 5:14. 28:46 Notice the words that are used. 28:47 It says that believers were increasingly added. 28:52 Multitudes of both men and women were added. 28:56 Notice Acts 6:7. 28:58 It wasn't only among the laity that you had conversions. 29:02 Many of the priests also believed in the message. 29:05 It says in Acts 6:7... 29:20 Notice Acts 9:31. 29:23 Once again, the terminology. 29:40 Notice Acts 14:1. 29:43 It's speaking about something that happened in Iconium. 29:57 A great multitude. 29:59 Notice Acts 21:20. 30:02 It says, "And when they heard it..." 30:16 You see, the apostles no longer cared about money, 30:20 power, reputation, dignity, position, or life itself. 30:25 Their central focus was on preaching the gospel 30:29 of Jesus Christ. 30:30 And when they did that with power, thousands upon thousands, 30:35 myriads of the people and the priests 30:37 were converted to Jesus Christ. 30:40 Ellen White describes in, Acts of the Apostles, page 48, 30:44 what was the result of the day of Pentecost. 30:46 Notice what she says. 31:28 Wow! 31:30 What a result from the power on the day of Pentecost! 31:33 And by the way, they needed no mimes, no concerts, 31:37 no dramas, no magic shows, no contemporary Christian music 31:42 to attract the crowds. 31:44 Because Jesus and His word had the power to convert 31:48 human hearts. 31:51 Then you have step number six. 31:55 When they're preaching the message with power, 31:57 myriads upon myriads are coming to the church. 31:59 And the devil is worried because he's losing his subjects. 32:04 That's step number six. 32:06 I want to read from, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings, 32:08 page 29, where Ellen White connects the preaching 32:12 and the exodus of multitudes from the world into the church 32:16 with the persecution that followed, 32:18 and Satan losing his subjects. 32:20 Ellen White says... 32:22 Once again, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, page 29, 32:26 speaking about Jesus... 33:32 So the devil is losing multitudes of his followers. 33:35 And so the devil says, "This is not good." 33:39 So then you have step number seven. 33:42 In order to stop the exodus of multitudes from his kingdom, 33:49 the devil is now going to cause persecution. 33:53 Because he believes that through persecution, 33:56 through killing people, people are going to quit 33:59 leaving the world and joining Christianity. 34:02 I want to read from, Great Controversy, page 46, 34:05 where Ellen White describes this seventh step of persecution 34:09 as a result of Satan losing his subjects. 34:12 Great Controversy, page 46. 35:24 And so step number seven is that the devil now 35:27 causes persecution. 35:30 I want you to notice in the book of Acts the clear connection 35:34 between the preaching with power, Satan losing 35:37 his subjects, and persecution. 35:40 It's clearly in Acts 3, 4, and 5. 35:44 Immediately after the Holy Spirit was poured out 35:47 and Peter preached his sermon, you have persecution. 35:50 I want you to notice the sequence that we find 35:53 in chapters 3 through 5. 35:55 First of all, in Acts 3 we find Peter and John 35:58 healing a paralytic. 36:02 Of course, the religious leaders did not like the idea 36:05 of this healing. 36:07 And so in chapter 4:3, Peter and John were arrested 36:12 and they were held in custody overnight. 36:17 And then the next day they were taken before the Sanhedrin. 36:20 I want you to notice the connection here, folks. 36:24 What is happening here is, the Holy Spirit has been poured out, 36:28 Peter has preached his powerful sermon on the day of Pentecost, 36:31 Satan has lost three thousand souls, 36:34 and the result is immediately persecution. 36:37 There's a clear connection. 36:39 Notice Acts 4:8-13. 36:42 Peter and John are taken the next day before the Sanhedrin. 36:45 And then Peter speaks these words. 36:47 Because they say, "Didn't we tell you not to preach 36:49 in the name of Jesus?" 36:50 Notice what Peter said. 37:17 No political correctness here. 37:43 That's boldness. 37:45 Standing before the members of the maximum governing body 37:49 of the Jewish nation and saying, "We cannot but speak 37:55 about Jesus Christ." 37:59 And I want you to notice verse 13, because it's 38:01 very interesting what Peter says about Jesus. 38:10 When the Sanhedrin sees the boldness of Peter and John. 38:26 And of course now the leaders deliberated, 38:28 after Peter gave his speech, among themselves. 38:31 And then they commanded Peter and John not to speak 38:35 in the name of Jesus. 38:37 They said, "Don't speak in the name of Jesus." 38:39 What do you suppose Peter said? 38:41 Notice verse 20. 38:50 And the religious leaders then threatened and released them. 38:55 And Peter and John went on their own and rendered a report 39:00 to the followers of Jesus. 39:02 In other words, in verses 21-31, we find Peter and John 39:07 taking a report back to those who believed. 39:11 And when they took the report back to those believers, 39:15 they all gathered together and they uttered a prayer. 39:17 And I want you to notice what God did to encourage them. 39:20 Acts 4:31 39:39 And in the very next chapter, Peter and John are out 39:42 in public preaching again. 39:45 And as a result, they're arrested 39:47 and they're thrown in jail. 39:49 But an angel releases them from prison 39:53 and commanded them to go and preach in the temple court. 39:57 Talk about insult to injury. 39:59 Going to the very place where the religious leaders were. 40:03 At the entrance to the temple. 40:05 The angel says, "I'm releasing you so that you go out 40:08 and you..." What? "...and you preach." 40:10 And so they go out and they preached. 40:12 They're fearless now. 40:13 They don't care about their reputation, 40:15 they don't care about their life. 40:16 All they care about is preaching what Jesus is doing in heaven. 40:20 And so Peter and John are arrested again. 40:23 Do you see how the persecution is going on here? 40:25 They're arrested once again. 40:27 And they're taken before the Sanhedrin. 40:29 And the leaders of the Sanhedrin say, "Did we not 40:32 command you not to preach in the name of Jesus?" 40:36 And Peter says, "We ought to obey God rather than men." 40:41 Wow! 40:42 And so it says in Acts 5:33, when they see the boldness 40:47 of Peter and John, it says... 40:54 And then of course you have the wise man, Gamaliel. 40:58 I believe that perhaps we might see Gamaliel in the kingdom. 41:02 He spoke to them and he said, "Folks, not so fast. 41:07 You know, if this is of God, we're not going to 41:09 be able to stop it. 41:11 And if it's not of God, it's going to fizzle out. 41:14 But leave these men alone. 41:16 Don't kill them." 41:18 Notice what we find in Acts 5:41-42. 41:22 Peter and John were beaten. 41:26 And then it says... 41:36 See, they're not ashamed now. 41:37 They say, "It's okay to suffer shame for the name of Jesus." 41:40 Verse 42... 41:50 They had the power, folks. 41:52 That's what made the difference. 41:55 Ellen White, in Great Controversy, pages 39-40, 41:58 describes how persecution arose because of the power 42:02 of the preaching and because Satan was losing his subjects. 42:05 This is a rather lengthy statement, but it's powerful. 42:08 So I'm going to read it. 42:17 That they would be persecuted. 42:35 So the devil's religion is going to be blown out of the water. 42:39 And so now notice what it continues saying. 43:32 Is this going to be repeated again when the latter rain 43:35 is poured out upon God's people, 43:37 and God's people preach with power? 43:38 Absolutely. 43:53 Is that going to happen again? 43:55 Absolutely. 43:56 "...as foes of religion..." Is that going to happen again? 43:59 Absolutely. 44:00 "...and pests to society." 44:02 All of this is going to be repeated when the latter rain 44:04 is poured out, folks. 44:06 So why hasn't the latter rain been poured out? 44:08 We'll come to that in a moment. 44:10 She continues saying... 44:40 The apostle Paul was beheaded. 44:42 Peter was crucified, by his own request, with his head down. 44:47 Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, was martyred. 44:52 He was asked to burn incense in honor of the pagan gods of Rome. 44:57 And this is what he said... 45:01 That is, the slave of Jesus. 45:09 Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, had this to say... 45:39 But you know, the more the devil persecuted, 45:42 the more Christianity grew. 45:44 Tertullian, that church father, said... 45:56 Now what does all this have to say to us? 46:01 In 2 Timothy 3:12, the apostle Paul... 46:07 And you'll notice I've emphasized certain words 46:10 here in the handout that you have. 46:14 The apostle Paul says... 46:20 How many? "...all..." 46:24 That word, "desire," isn't wishful thinking. 46:27 Basically, it's the word for a decision of the will. 46:30 In other words, "Yes, all who choose..." 46:40 And how can you live godly? 46:42 "...in Christ Jesus..." 46:45 "...will..." It doesn't say, "might." 46:47 Perhaps it will happen. No, it says, "...will..." What? 46:51 "...suffer persecution." 46:53 Jesus said in John 17:14, He said, "I have given them," 46:59 that is the apostles, "Your word..." 47:09 Why did the world hate the apostles and hate Jesus Christ? 47:13 Because they were not of the world. 47:16 Their life was different. 47:18 They had placed everything on the altar of sacrifice. 47:22 Notice what we find in James 4:4. 47:39 And in 1 John 2:15-17, this passage that is very well known, 47:44 the apostle John says... 48:13 What does it mean to be a worldly person? 48:16 Folks, it means that you're focused on the here and now 48:20 rather than the sweet by and by. 48:24 You know, we know the saying that says, 48:25 "You are so heavenly minded you're no earthly good." 48:30 But I switch that around and I say, 48:32 "You're so earthly minded you're no heavenly good." 48:35 In other words, to be secular, to be worldly, 48:38 is to be focused upon this world. 48:40 And this means that many Christians are worldly, 48:43 even though they claim to be Christians. 48:46 It means to be earth focused. 48:48 And the clothes we wear, the houses we live in, 48:52 the cars we drive, and the entertainment we choose, 48:56 how we spend our time, clearly reveal where our focus is. 49:03 Do we have time to work, to play, to watch television, 49:07 to go shopping, but we have little or no time 49:11 for Bible study, for prayer, for coming to church, 49:15 and to Secrets Unsealed taping sessions, 49:18 and coming to prayer meeting, and witnessing for Jesus? 49:22 We don't have time for any of those things, 49:24 but we do have time for all of our own endeavors? 49:29 You see, how we use our money, how we use our strength, 49:33 and how we use the gifts that God has given us 49:36 reveals where our heart is. 49:41 In Great Controversy, page 48, Ellen White explains why the 49:46 church is not persecuted today. 49:48 We should not seek persecution. 49:51 But when we're doing what we're suppose to be doing, 49:53 persecution will come. 49:56 And you know, people say, "Well, persecution hasn't come 49:58 because the Lord is merciful." 50:00 Yes, the Lord is merciful. 50:01 But persecution comes when the church gets down to business 50:05 and people consecrate their lives to the Lord. 50:08 And they become heaven focused. 50:10 And they place everything they are and everything they have 50:13 on the altar of sacrifice. 50:15 Notice, Great Controversy, page 48. 50:27 Of who? Not the world. 50:30 That should what? 50:31 "...engage the attention of the churches of today." 50:58 How many reasons are there that there is no persecution? 51:03 Five? 51:05 Well, you know, the stars haven't fallen again. 51:07 You know, we don't have the Sunday law, right? 51:09 So there's no persecution. 51:11 People give all sorts of reasons. 51:12 Ellen White says, "The only reason..." 51:21 It makes me think of this pastor in southern California 51:25 who is in hot water now. 51:27 His name is Eric Walsh. 51:29 Because he's spoken out against things that are happening 51:33 in the world that are sinful against God. 51:35 Now the media and everybody is against him 51:39 because of what he has preached. 51:41 You know, Ellen White says that when we preach the Word of God, 51:45 there is going to be opposition. 51:47 Strong opposition. 51:50 She continues saying... 52:37 So what is it that keeps persecution from manifesting 52:41 itself among God's people? 52:43 The only reason is because the church has conformed 52:47 to the world's standard, and therefore awakens no opposition. 52:54 Now do you think that the devil knows that there's a revival 52:57 about to come among God's people? 53:00 Absolutely. 53:01 The devil knows it. 53:02 He knows that there's going to be a great revival 53:05 among God's people. 53:06 And Ellen White tells us that before the true revival comes, 53:10 the devil will attempt to counterfeit it by causing 53:15 a false revival in the Christian world. 53:18 I believe that today we are seeing in the Christian world 53:22 that counterfeit revival. 53:24 There's lots of dancing and lots of singing, and lots of laughing 53:28 in the spirit, and lots of rolling in the aisles, 53:31 and lots of speaking in tongues, and lots of signs and wonders. 53:35 But the church loves what the world loves. 53:40 The church dresses as the world dresses. 53:43 The church eats as the world eats. 53:45 The church watches the same television programs. 53:49 It's involved with the same type of entertainment as the world. 53:53 In other words, the church has become focused on this world 53:59 and has lost sight of the kingdom to come. 54:04 I believe that there is going to be a revival of primitive 54:08 godliness in this world such as never has been seen. 54:11 Pentecost will be repeated once again, 54:14 but in much greater intensity. 54:17 Because it will not be in Jerusalem alone. 54:20 It will be a global outpouring of God's Holy Spirit. 54:25 But what is God waiting for? 54:27 He's waiting for us to do in the ten days... 54:30 And I'm not saying that it has to be ten days. 54:32 ...but He's waiting for us to do the same thing 54:34 that happened during the ten days that the apostles 54:37 were gathered in the upper room. 54:39 He wants us to make a consecration to the Lord. 54:42 To pray such as we have never prayed before. 54:45 He wants us to study Scripture, particularly the prophecies, 54:49 such as never before. 54:52 He wants us to take everything that we have 54:54 and place it on the altar of sacrifice 54:57 for the preaching of the gospel. 54:59 He wants us to come together in unity, 55:01 to lay aside our own personal agendas, 55:04 and to make the focus of preaching present truth, 55:08 Christ's kingdom, number one in our lives. 55:13 And folks, when that happens, beware, oh devil. 55:17 Because the world will be shaken by as powerful a message 55:23 as was preached by the apostles immediately after 55:27 the day of Pentecost. 55:30 I don't know about you, but I'm longing for that day to come 55:34 when, according to Revelation 18, 55:37 that mighty angel will descend from heaven 55:41 and the whole earth, according to Revelation 18:1, 55:45 will be filled with the glory of that angel, 55:49 which we know as the fourth angel. 55:51 Basically what that angel does is, he gives a boost 55:54 to the three angels' messages. 55:55 You see, we're like a battery that has lost its energy. 56:00 And so what we need is to put booster cables 56:04 on the battery so that the battery is recharged. 56:08 That's what God is waiting for. 56:10 And when the Holy Spirit is poured out, 56:12 I'll tell you, folks, God's people will go all over 56:16 the world preaching present truth; 56:19 the truth that God has given through the remnant church 56:21 for this specific time in the history of the world. 56:25 If there's anything that we need to be praying for, 56:28 it is that. 56:30 If there's anything that we need to be working for, 56:33 it is that. 56:34 Jesus is coming soon. 56:36 As the little song says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 56:41 look full in His wonderful face." 56:44 And what's going to happen as a result, 56:46 when we turn our eyes upon Jesus? 56:48 "The things of earth will grow strangely dim 56:53 in the light of His glory and grace." 56:57 And so God calls upon His people to turn their eyes 57:00 upon Jesus and heaven. 57:02 And the things of earth will grow dim 57:05 and we will long for Jesus to come. 57:08 We will long for that life that we will have in eternity 57:12 with Jesus in the holy city. |
Revised 2016-08-10