Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW190029A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome 01:11 to this wonderful hour of blessing. 01:13 We are glad to tell you, 01:15 have a happy and blessed Sabbath day. 01:17 Amen. Amen. 01:19 And I am glad to be with you. My name is John Dinzey. 01:21 And I am accompanied by part of the family. 01:23 And I would like to introduce you to them. 01:26 I'm going to start on my left. 01:28 We have Matthew Andrew, could you please tell us 01:30 a little bit about what you do at 3ABN? 01:32 Well, I've been here a number of years, 01:34 worked in a number of places including Pastoral, 01:37 right now I'm the editor for The Dare to Dream network. 01:40 Wonderful, wonderful. Welcome. 01:42 And we have Jay Christian, you may have heard, 01:46 but now you also see. 01:48 Jay Christian, tell us a little bit 01:49 about what you do? 01:51 Well, I've been here for 20 years, 01:54 and I've only had one job and that's radio. 01:58 So that's quite a handful, really. 02:02 And you are the voice we hear 02:06 in one of the most popular programs 02:08 is musical variety program. 02:09 What is the name of that program on radio, 02:11 3ABN Radio? 02:12 It's Musical Meditations. 02:14 Musical Meditations! 02:15 I enjoy Musical Meditations. 02:17 And you have the... 02:18 What is it, the Bible Question of the day? 02:20 Yeah, yeah, Bible question, health tips, Bible quiz, 02:23 the health tips and different Bible texts. 02:28 It's always fun to do. 02:29 Amen. Amen. 02:31 We really enjoy that. Praise God. 02:32 And we are now going to my right. 02:34 And I think this is the first time 02:36 we have Pastor Claude Turner with us 02:41 and you are a volunteer at 3ABN. 02:45 But you have pastured where... 02:49 You also serve as a chaplain, 02:50 could you tell us a little bit about that? 02:52 Well, I spent 24 years in Illinois as chap, as pastor, 02:58 Springfield, Downers Grove and several churches here. 03:03 Wonderful experience within, went out to Loma Linda 03:06 and became chaplain out there until I retired. 03:10 Very good, but you didn't quite retire 03:12 because now you volunteer here in the pastoral ministries. 03:16 Well, I guess I'm the new kid on the block. 03:20 I've been here about two years, 03:22 answering the telephone pastoral department, 03:25 enjoyed very much. 03:26 Amen. Amen. 03:28 Well, you are the father of one of the workers 03:32 that was here for many years, Dave Turner. 03:35 And I'm sure our viewers remember seeing his name 03:38 in the credits many times because he was the carpenter. 03:40 Yes, I think he was here about 27 or 28 years 03:44 into the carpentry division. 03:46 Mm-hmm. Thank you very much. 03:48 And we have JD, he is here. 03:52 Tell us a little bit about what you do. 03:55 And how Pastor Turner 03:56 got involved in pastoral ministries? 03:58 Well, I've been here since 2005, 04:01 absolutely, 04:02 probably the best thing that ever happened to me. 04:05 My life has been transformed since being here. 04:07 And I thank Jesus every day for that. 04:10 Claude is one of those rare gifts that you get. 04:13 Claude is only 99 years old. Praise the Lord. 04:16 It's unbelievable 04:18 that he's got the energy of people our age, 04:22 you know, but he does make 04:23 a major difference in people's lives. 04:25 People all over the world call in 04:27 and he gets to talk and... 04:30 Whenever you're 99 years old, and with his background, 04:34 you have so many life experiences, 04:35 so much wisdom to share in this. 04:39 Not only are the people who call him blessed, 04:41 but we in pastoral are blessed. 04:43 Amen. Yes. 04:44 And we are certainly blessed by you being here 04:46 and tell us a little bit... 04:49 Can you tell, share one of the experiences 04:51 you've had in pastoral ministries 04:53 that has been a blessing to you? 04:55 Well, it's hard to... 04:57 It's hard to pick out the best one. 04:58 Okay. 05:00 But there was a lady called in 05:03 and said she was in dire straits financially, 05:08 and she didn't know what to do. 05:11 And I got to thinking, she's a nurse 05:15 and we have Mrs. Clark here that needed some help. 05:22 And I just said, 05:23 "Why don't just two of you get together." 05:26 She needs employment. 05:28 And we need someone 05:31 to take care of this elderly person. 05:33 And so it worked out. 05:36 So there's been many cases like that where in pastoral 05:41 we had the opportunity to help people. 05:44 And the main thing is I see 05:47 the work of pastoral is to give people hope. 05:50 Amen. Amen. 05:51 Amen. And that's our work. 05:54 Amen. Amen. Well, praise the Lord. 05:56 How tremendous memory he has 06:00 and we just are grateful to the Lord for His goodness. 06:03 And we are coming to you on what we call the Sabbath. 06:06 And just want to, 06:08 just say a little bit about that, 06:09 because some of our viewers are wondering 06:11 what in the world is the Sabbath, you know? 06:13 Is that state of mind or what is that? 06:17 Well, the Sabbath is what the Bible calls 06:19 the day of rest for God's people. 06:22 And we have scriptures that tell us 06:24 that God wants us to remember that. 06:26 Perhaps, I don't know 06:27 if one of you would like to share about the Sabbath. 06:30 We have the commandment in the Book of Exodus 20. 06:35 I'll start by reading that, 06:36 because this is what God wants us to do. 06:40 This is one of the Ten Commandments, 06:42 which for the most part, I would say that the majority 06:47 of the Christian world has forgotten 06:49 about this commandment or set it aside 06:52 or believe that it has been changed. 06:55 But God has not changed it. 06:57 And man has tried to change it, 06:59 but it remains God's day of rest, 07:02 it is the day of the Lord. 07:05 And so in Exodus Chapter 20, 07:07 I am going to start reading to you, 07:10 verse 8 unto 11. 07:12 And the Bible says the fourth commandment, okay? 07:16 This is, "Remember the Sabbath day 07:19 to keep it holy. 07:21 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 07:25 But the seventh-day 07:27 is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 07:30 In it, you shall do no work. 07:32 You, nor your son, nor your daughter, 07:36 nor your male servant, 07:38 nor your female servant, nor your cattle, 07:40 nor your stranger who is within your gates. 07:44 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 07:49 the sea, and all that is in them, 07:52 and rested the seventh-day. 07:54 Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 07:58 and hallowed it." 08:00 So praise the Lord for the Sabbath day. 08:03 Now notice that it says that even your animals 08:07 are supposed to be given a break 08:09 on the seventh-day, 08:10 and the seventh-day we recognize and understand, 08:14 and it is true that is Saturday. 08:17 And according to the Bible, the days of the week 08:20 begin with the evening portion. 08:22 That's why when it comes to Friday sunset, 08:26 the Sabbath has begun 08:28 and continues until Saturday evening 08:32 when the sun sets, that's the Sabbath day. 08:36 Any comments from our gentlemen here? 08:38 No. You did pretty good. 08:40 Well, thank you for the encouragement. 08:43 Well, I also like Isaiah 58:13,14, 08:46 because we're talking here, 08:48 it mentions that it's the day that honors the Lord. 08:52 And if I can just read it, Isaiah 58:13, 14. 08:56 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath 08:58 from doing your pleasure on my Holy Day 09:00 and call the Sabbath a delight." 09:01 He's saying, call the Sabbath a delight, 09:03 "The Holy Day of the Lord honorable shall Honor Him, 09:09 shall Honor God but not doing your own waste 09:11 or finding your own pleasure, or speaking your own words. 09:14 And then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." 09:18 Thank you, Jesus, 09:19 because I think that's the ambition 09:20 of all Christians. 09:22 "You shall delight yourself in the Lord 09:23 and I will cause you," 09:25 this is capital, this is God, 09:26 "I will cause you to ride on the high heels of the earth 09:29 and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, 09:31 the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 09:34 The mouth of the Lord has spoken. 09:35 Amen. Well, thank you so much. 09:38 Pastor Turner, you have 09:40 perhaps kept the Sabbath longer than anyone else has. 09:44 Could you maybe tell us 09:46 how it has been a blessing to you? 09:48 Well, my parents were Seventh-day Adventists 09:52 when I was born, which I thank the Lord 09:55 for this wonderful privilege. 09:58 I had the privilege of going 09:59 to church school most of my life, 10:03 my grade school and then I went to Campion Academy. 10:09 That was a wonderful experience. 10:12 But few years later, after graduating from college 10:15 and spending two years in the ministry, 10:18 they asked me to come back to that very school, 10:21 Campion Academy, and be the Bible instructor. 10:24 Oh, wonderful. 10:25 So that was a really wonderful experience for me. 10:28 Excellent, excellent. 10:30 Well, praise the Lord. 10:31 I was just... Let me bring out this. 10:32 This to me is a great story in Adventism. 10:35 I mean, most of us heard of HMS Richards. 10:38 Now, your father was a farmer, right? 10:41 Right. Okay. 10:42 And you were telling that story 10:44 I don't know a little while ago, 10:45 about something that he dedicated to the Lord. 10:48 I thought this was a great story, 10:50 'cause now we're going back 80 years, 90 years, 10:53 something like that, maybe it's unbelievable. 10:56 Well, my father and HMS Richards 10:59 grew up together. 11:01 Their families were good friends 11:03 and HMS Richards had a lot to do 11:07 with Campion Academy and Loma Linda, 11:10 that's well known there. 11:14 My father was, as you say, 11:16 was a dirt farmer out in eastern Colorado, 11:19 then later moved to the western part of Colorado. 11:23 But he raised cattle as well as dirt farming. 11:28 And every year he set aside a calf for Voice of Prophecy. 11:33 Amen. 11:35 Little later he started giving two calves 11:37 to the Voice of Prophecy. 11:39 In fact, market them and, of course, 11:42 the proceeds went to supporting the Voice of Prophecy. 11:47 And for those that don't know what is Voice of Prophecy? 11:50 Well, Voice of Prophecy is Elder HMS Richards 11:54 really started that years and years ago 11:57 and it's still going. 11:59 And it's doing a wonderful work. 12:01 So I suppose that some of the contributions back there 12:06 was like Three Angels Broadcast. 12:10 It started a great movement. Amen. 12:12 And Voice of Prophecy has helped thousands of people 12:16 find their way into the kingdom. 12:18 That's right. That's right. 12:19 And the Voice of Prophecy is the radio program, 12:23 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 12:25 one of the radio programs 12:26 because now there are many more. 12:28 And we praise the Lord for the work 12:30 of the radio program, HMS Richards, 12:34 then his son took over and eventually 12:38 we had Lonnie Melashenko and others, 12:40 and today it's Shawn Boonstra. 12:43 Right. 12:44 Director and speaker of Voice of Prophecy. 12:47 And what a blessing it has been. 12:49 Amen. Well, I... 12:51 Today, we're gonna talk about... 12:52 continue talking about something that 12:56 we believe is an anchor, a truth so wonderful, 13:03 so sublime, if you want to say that way, 13:05 so great and marvelous that the whole world 13:09 should have this in their heart. 13:12 And I would like to read the text 13:15 from which we get the title for the program for today. 13:18 And this is found in the Book of Titus. 13:23 I'm going to start reading in Chapter 2 verse 13, 13:27 I will also read verse 14. 13:29 But in Titus Chapter 2, we have these marvelous words, 13:34 "Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing 13:41 of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 13:45 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us 13:49 from every lawless deed and purify for himself, 13:54 his own special people, zealous for good works." 13:59 That's Titus 2:13, 14. 14:03 So this blessed hope, 14:05 the hope of the soon return of Jesus Christ 14:10 burns in our heart, as it were. 14:12 And maybe later on 14:14 we can read the words of that beautiful hymn. 14:16 We have this hope... Amen. 14:19 That has marvelous words. 14:22 But I would like to go to the Lord in prayer 14:24 before we continue. 14:25 Ask the Lord to continue blessing, 14:27 what we share 14:28 and everyone that is joining us all over the world. 14:32 And, Brother Jay, 14:34 would you please lead us in prayer? 14:36 Sure. 14:37 Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You 14:41 for this opportunity to praise You. 14:43 And we ask that our viewers and listeners praise You 14:47 along with us. 14:49 We thank You for everything that You do for us. 14:52 You know, there's so many things 14:53 that You do for us that we don't even know about, 14:56 we don't experience, we don't understand. 15:00 We will find out one day and will be amazed 15:03 that so many of the things that happened in our lives 15:06 that were for the good came from You. 15:09 Right now, Lord, we just go to You in true faith 15:13 and say we thank You for Your guidance, 15:16 Your prayers, Your help, always for all of us. 15:20 And I speak not just for those of us at this table, 15:22 but everyone in our audience as well. 15:25 We ask for You to be with us and guide us. 15:29 We ask for Your presence in our lives. 15:31 We ask for Your presence during this program, 15:35 so that we can reach as many eyes and ears as possible. 15:40 Lord, be with us. 15:41 We ask in Jesus' name. 15:43 Amen. Amen. 15:44 Amen. Amen. 15:46 So I would say that one of the things 15:50 that I would like to see or know that has happened 15:54 and we welcome your comments, 15:55 those of you at home or wherever you are, 15:58 we say, those of you at home, 16:00 but there may be people in prison or in hospitals, 16:02 listening to us. 16:04 So our hope is that you that this hope of the soon return 16:08 of our Lord and Savior, 16:10 Jesus Christ will reawaken, 16:13 become a reality in your life as a result of this program. 16:16 And if you don't have this hope that by the time we are done, 16:21 you will have this hope 16:23 and you will have this encouragement, 16:25 and this confidence 16:27 that the Lord loves you, and He will soon return 16:31 to end all suffering. 16:32 But I think we have a great suggestion 16:37 from Brother Jay, what... 16:39 We should define the word hope, 16:42 because it seems that as time has continued 16:45 this word hope has, kind of, 16:48 changed a little bit in meaning. 16:50 You say something to people. 16:52 So are you going to pay me tomorrow the $200 you owe me? 16:57 Well, I hope so. 17:01 And it has an air of doubt. 17:03 Sometimes as people expressed it, 17:05 so what does the word hope mean? 17:08 Who would like to start on that one? 17:11 Well, Jay, you read us earlier, 17:14 which we were jumped into this in everything 17:17 and then you brought what maybe 17:19 we should have the definition of hope. 17:21 And so you gave us a definition. 17:24 And like Johnny was saying, there is that... 17:29 I remember, what do you bring your baby? 17:33 You know, you... 17:35 the proud parents come out, 17:36 you know, and they love all those, baby says, 17:38 "Oh, I hope that this young... 17:41 this young baby will grow up to be a mighty warrior 17:43 for the kingdom of God." 17:45 And so then, you know, as the child matures, 17:48 "Well, I hope that I'll be able to attend college." 17:52 But then it seems like as you mature in Christ, 17:55 you begin to get another grasp of what blessed hope means. 17:59 Today, I'm looking forward to the blessed hope. 18:02 I'm not just looking for the things of today 18:05 that the darkened material things 18:07 that I might get. 18:09 But I'm looking at the spiritual application. 18:12 And then I was listening to someone not too long ago 18:16 and they brought out that hope in the Greek myth, 18:18 eager expectation. 18:20 Yes. 18:21 So now all of a sudden, there's a difference here 18:24 in receiving doubtfully, 18:27 where do you begin to look eagerly. 18:29 And if you get into God's Word here you begin 18:32 and you look at it with hope meaning 18:34 eager expectation. 18:36 Wow! And that's the blessed hope. 18:39 You know that you know that you know 18:41 that there is a home waiting for us. 18:45 And so you might pick it up from here, Jay, 18:49 in the definition what Webster says, 18:51 but, you know, as we progress, if I put the little seed 18:56 that I would like to plant is look at it 18:59 from an eager expectation standpoint 19:01 rather than a standpoint of doubt. 19:03 Yeah, and that's exactly where this goes. 19:06 One of the things that I learned a long time ago 19:10 was that often we have a misunderstanding of words. 19:15 They're used, I don't know differently than 19:18 what they meant originally. 19:21 And I wanted to learn that, I began going to the Bible... 19:26 to the dictionary. 19:29 Well, I go to the Bible too 19:30 'cause I look at lot of those words. 19:32 Amen. 19:33 But I started going to the dictionary 19:35 and reading about the words and it makes a difference. 19:39 Here is the definition of what most people think 19:43 hope means to want something to happen, 19:49 or to be true. 19:51 Guess what we want? 19:52 I hope I'll save a million dollars 19:55 by the time I retire. 19:57 I hope I'll have the new car that I want. 20:00 I hope I'll have salvation. 20:02 You know, these types of things we hope, 20:05 we want it to happen. 20:07 But it's focused on us. 20:09 It's focused on the things that we want. 20:15 And what is real good definition to me 20:18 is to cherish a desire with anticipation. 20:24 Okay. I anticipate. 20:27 Amen. That it's going to be true. 20:29 And looking at one of the older definitions of hope, 20:34 it has a synonym in trust. 20:36 Yes. 20:38 And so I trust the Lord. 20:42 The Lord is my trust and my hope. 20:46 And so when we look at it from that standpoint, 20:51 it's to cherish a desire with anticipation. 20:56 I anticipate spending eternity with you guys. 20:59 Amen. 21:00 I anticipate spending eternity with my family and friends, 21:05 with Jesus, with God, the Holy Spirit, with people 21:09 that we will meet for the first time, 21:11 they said, I saw you guys on TV. 21:15 That's a good thing to look forward to, 21:17 a cherished hope. 21:18 And the cherished hope is Jesus. 21:21 Amen. Amen. 21:22 He provides all of that. Amen. 21:24 That's wonderful. 21:26 I'm looking here also at a definition, 21:27 which has these words that you mentioned, 21:30 anticipation, eager expectation 21:35 and it also adds a word, 21:38 anticipation with pleasure. 21:41 Now because when we think of the blessed hope, 21:43 we have a pleasure in believing and understanding 21:48 and in the reality of the soon return 21:51 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 21:54 And so we'd like to talk about how people can get this hope. 21:59 You know, we live in this wicked, 22:01 evil world, perhaps, I even thought about, 22:04 even now for people that are wondering about hope. 22:07 And those that have ever fallen in love, 22:11 you know, people say fallen in love, 22:12 but they also had fallen in love. 22:16 When they develop a relationship 22:20 and they come to the point, 22:21 they have hope 22:23 that the love they have for the other person 22:26 I remember, you know, 22:27 hoping Idalia would agree or say yes to, 22:32 you know, be my girlfriend, marrying me, you know, 22:35 you have that hope and that joy, 22:36 expecting the yes and that's the hope, 22:39 you know, you have the desire for a positive answer, 22:43 you know, and you prepare yourself 22:47 and you know, present, I love you, would you marry me? 22:52 And then you're waiting 22:53 with eager anticipation for the answer. 22:56 Yes. 22:58 I think perhaps that may help some people 22:59 that have gone down that line. 23:01 And so, Matthew, anything you would like to share 23:06 concerning the blessed hope? 23:07 I have been listening to this 23:09 and my mind has been taking a little journey 23:11 as I've been listening. 23:13 As we began here, we sort of started out 23:16 with your little talk about the Sabbath 23:19 which takes us back to the beginning. 23:20 Yes. 23:22 The very beginning and we were talking 23:23 about why that was important. 23:25 And that was important for us to know 23:28 the Sabbath day tells us 23:30 what God is the God of the Bible, 23:32 the Creator God, 23:34 the one who made all those things in the beginning, 23:36 who made everything perfect, and had a perfect family. 23:39 But way back then 23:42 something went wrong in the big plan. 23:44 Everything went wrong. 23:46 Sin came in, you know, people fell, we fell into sin. 23:49 But there was a promise made 23:52 that there will be one who would make it right. 23:54 Amen. Yes. 23:56 And so as we sort of go back to the beginning, 23:58 I mean, now we're looking forward, 23:59 they had, they were hoping, you know, 24:02 we've lost our even, our garden home, 24:04 we've lost our Eden home, 24:06 will there ever be hope for us? 24:08 And they said, "Yes, one will come." 24:10 So every mother said had that hope. 24:13 Maybe this child will be the one 24:15 who will be the Redeemer of the world, 24:17 all those generations waiting for that Redeemer, 24:20 the one to come. 24:22 And then Jesus came and did His work of redemption, 24:26 salvation for us. 24:28 And when He went back, He gave us a promise, 24:31 I will come again. Yes. 24:33 And so we have that from the beginning 24:36 to where we are. 24:37 And we're not just looking for hope 24:38 that I'll get my bills paid. 24:40 We're looking for the greater hope 24:42 that the world could be made a better place. 24:45 That we don't have this sickness and suffering, 24:47 and illness and murder, and strife and envy, 24:50 all these things will be put away. 24:52 So as I look at this, 24:54 I've just sort of seeing this thread 24:55 from the beginning to where we are now. 24:57 Why do I need hope? 24:59 We need hope because 25:00 we live in a world without hope. 25:02 And people are desperate, 25:03 they're looking for something to hope in. 25:05 They're looking for a glorious future. 25:08 That's right. 25:09 So is that hope available to us all? 25:12 I would think so. Yes. 25:13 Let me read here what Paul has to say 25:15 to the Colossian church. 25:17 This is Colossians 1:5-6, "Because of the hope 25:22 which is laid up for you in heaven." 25:24 Amen, that's each of us, 25:26 "Of which you heard before 25:27 and the word of the truth of the gospel." 25:30 In other words, he's talking to Colossians. 25:31 Hey, you've heard this before in the word of the gospel, 25:34 which is, "Come to you, as it is also in the world 25:37 and is bringing forth fruit." 25:39 Amen. Yes. 25:41 And it's also, "As it is among you 25:43 since the day that you heard 25:45 and knew the grace of God and truth." 25:47 So hope is available to us all if we will just reach out, 25:51 if we will give him permission 25:53 to assist us in our time of need. 25:56 And as we said, 25:57 people are looking for hope yesterday. 25:59 I mean, everywhere. Yes. 26:00 Yesterday I had an opportunity to visit with a young man. 26:05 And I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. 26:11 I want hope. 26:14 Wow, this just kind of fell into what we're talking here. 26:17 And so couple of us was this in with him 26:19 and everything and says you know, 26:21 it is available. 26:23 And we just kind of started taking some steps, 26:25 you know, and that's what he was, 26:28 most people are looking for hope of some type, 26:30 nobody's too old or too rich or too poor, 26:34 not to want hope. 26:37 What do you think, Claude? 26:39 Well, I have a little problem with the word hope 26:42 because to me, hope is a wishful desire. 26:48 But you know, 26:50 heaven is more than a wishful desire. 26:53 I like what is recorded here in John 14:1-3 26:59 where it says, 27:00 "In my Father's house are many mansions, 27:03 if it were not so, I would have told you. 27:05 I go to prepare a place for you and if..." 27:10 And we now He went. 27:11 Amen. 27:13 "If I go," He did go, 27:15 He's going to prepare a place for you. 27:17 "And I will come again." It's not a wishful desire. 27:21 It's a promise based upon God and Jesus Christ Himself. 27:26 "I will come again and receive you unto myself 27:30 that where I am there you may be also." 27:33 He is going to prepare a place. 27:38 JD, you live out there, you have a house, 27:41 you have a garage, 27:43 you have a garden too, don't you? 27:44 I do. 27:45 You know, I heard him telling but that tomato he picked. 27:49 JD said, "Claude, would you stop 27:52 by my place sometime?" 27:55 No, that's a permanent situation. 27:59 There's a building. There's all the material thing. 28:02 You know, Jesus said, I go to prepare a place. 28:06 Amen. 28:07 And I'm just wondering, 28:11 I hope is more of a wishful desire 28:14 based upon the promise of God. 28:17 I hope that I can live in my place 28:20 that He's gonna prepare. 28:21 Amen. 28:23 But wouldn't be terrible 28:24 if there was a vacancy sign on my place. 28:30 You know, that promises, 28:33 there's security and promise and assurance 28:38 that He's going to prepare a place. 28:40 The question is, I want to live so that I can feel that place. 28:44 Amen. 28:46 Well, the... Go ahead. 28:48 You know, we have the Lord bringing to our attention, 28:54 the offer and reality that all can, 29:00 all have the opportunity. 29:03 All thanks to the great sacrifice 29:07 that Jesus Christ made on the cross for us. 29:09 Yes. 29:10 And for this reason, I like to quote John 3:16, 29:14 because it says, "For God so loved the world, 29:18 that He gave His only begotten Son, 29:21 that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, 29:26 but have ever lasting life." 29:29 In that place. Yes, in that place. 29:33 So the blessed hope is something 29:36 that everyone can have, 29:38 because Jesus Christ has made provision. 29:40 He has died for our sins, 29:42 you know, we are in this situation, 29:44 as Matthew, very well presented, 29:48 that sin came into the world, Adam and Eve sinned. 29:53 And that's why we have suffering in this world, 29:55 not just because of Adam and Eve sinned, 29:57 but because people keep on sinning. 29:59 And people keep making things worse, 30:01 because the Bible also says what you sow, 30:04 you shall reap. 30:05 And so calamity and trouble comes upon people 30:09 because they have sowed the seeds 30:12 that will bring calamity and trouble upon themselves. 30:14 So I like to read also from Ephesians Chapter 2, 30:17 which talks about the opportunity 30:20 and continuing on this thought of salvation 30:24 is available to all. 30:26 But if people have to make a decision to believe, 30:31 and to do something with that belief. 30:34 Yes. 30:35 Because that's another word that people sometimes 30:38 put a little bit of doubt into. 30:39 I believe, I can with a little bit of doubt. 30:45 But here in Ephesians 2:8, 30:51 I like to read in verse 7 too, because this is just wonderful, 30:56 "That in the ages to come, 30:57 He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, 31:03 in His kindness toward us, in Christ Jesus, 31:06 for by grace, 31:08 you have been saved through faith, 31:10 and that not of yourselves, 31:12 it is the gift of God, not of works, 31:16 lest anyone should boast. 31:18 For we are His workmanship, 31:19 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 31:22 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 31:28 And so the opportunity is available for all, 31:32 you know, if salvation was only available to the rich, 31:36 well, a lot of us poor people will not have the opportunity. 31:39 But the Bible says, whoever believes in Him, 31:42 and it says, "By grace, you are saved," 31:44 and perhaps somebody can help me with a nice, 31:48 clear definition of grace. 31:49 What is grace? 31:51 To me, grace is divine assistance. 31:54 You know, it's unmerited favor. 31:56 I mean, that's what most people say, 31:58 but it's a gift that He gives to each one of us. 32:02 In Romans 5:1-2, and I'll follow this up, 32:05 having been justified, in other words, 32:06 "Having been saved by faith, 32:07 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 32:11 So now we're talking about claiming those promises 32:13 that we were talking about, claiming the promises 32:16 through whom we have access by faith into this grace, 32:21 His grace in which we stand and rejoice 32:23 in the hope of the Lord God of glory of God, 32:27 talking about eager expectation into the eager expectation 32:30 that He does have promises for us. 32:33 As you've just said, 32:34 He has gone to prepare us a place, 32:37 as you said, you know, that He gave up His only Son 32:40 that we could have life. 32:42 And so I think, at least in my own life, 32:45 my own testimony is, the more that I read His Word, 32:49 the Bible, 32:50 the more I see the promises they have, 32:52 the longer I live, 32:54 I see that those promises come true. 32:57 And so that enhances my thread of belief. 33:02 I know that I know that I know that He is coming again. 33:06 And I'm looking forward to, I'm not gonna get into that, 33:11 because you told a wonderful story earlier about, 33:14 you know, 33:16 your great niece or grand, great, whatever, you know, 33:20 but I am not gonna get into that right now. 33:22 About some day whenever 33:24 we do experience the blessed hope 33:25 and you get to visit with them. 33:27 But the main thing is please get into His Word. 33:31 Please start learning what the promises are. 33:33 And then please claim those promises. 33:36 Amen. Amen. Amen. 33:38 Now get back on the grace. Yes. 33:43 Matthew Andrew, you have some thoughts you'd like to share? 33:45 Oh, well, I was, 33:47 you just took it back to grace. 33:48 I was actually thinking there's also another word 33:51 that kind of goes with this to me, 33:52 and that is confidence. 33:54 You were kind of leading in that direction. 33:56 Yes. Confidence, okay. 33:58 This Jesus promised that He would come back. 34:02 How do I know He will do that? 34:04 How do I know that He has that kind of power? 34:06 How do I know that 34:08 He has the ability to raise the dead 34:10 and take me to that place that He has the power, 34:13 the ability to make that place 34:15 that He's forming for me that I can go to someday? 34:18 How do I understand that? How do I know that? 34:20 I have confidence that He can do that, 34:23 because of what I have seen in His life 34:26 through reading His Word through the gospels, 34:29 and what I see that this is the God 34:32 who commands the winds and the waves 34:35 and they obey Him. 34:37 He raises the dead to life. 34:39 He feeds the 5000, then the 4000. 34:42 He has done these things, 34:45 to prove I am who I am who I say I am. 34:50 I am that Messiah. 34:51 I am the creator God who made all things. 34:54 So I have that ability. 34:56 Now I have confidence, 34:57 having seen the things that He's done, 35:01 raising the dead, healing lepers, 35:03 nobody just speaks and does that today, 35:06 that He has this power, 35:08 and therefore I have confidence in Him 35:10 that whenever He says He will do, 35:12 He will do and has the power and ability 35:15 and the desire to go ahead. 35:17 Amen. 35:19 How about, Jay, when you think of God's grace, 35:21 and some of the definition of grace, 35:23 and what does grace mean to you? 35:26 Well, it gets down to me 35:29 to just exactly what you guys have been talking about so far. 35:34 And that is that we don't deserve 35:37 the good treatment that we get. 35:38 We just don't deserve it under no circumstances. 35:42 And when we talk about the blessed hope, 35:44 our blessed hope is our trust in Jesus. 35:49 Amen. 35:51 And for me, there have been things 35:52 that have happened in my life and I'm sure with you, too, 35:55 with the people in our audience, 35:56 things happen that we don't like, 35:59 we don't want to have happen, we lose jobs, we get sick. 36:03 We have car accidents, we have, you know, 36:06 things that we would say are bad things. 36:09 And so then we start to say, 36:11 Well, I hope Jesus is who He says He is 36:15 and gets back to this, 36:17 I wonder if it's true or not definition of hope. 36:21 And we need to turn it around to trust, 36:24 the old definition of hope. 36:26 And that's trust, trust in Jesus. 36:30 And that's all that it is. 36:32 If there's something that I want, 36:35 and Jesus doesn't want it for me, 36:40 then I don't want it. 36:42 If there's something I don't want, 36:45 and this seems to happen too often. 36:48 Something I don't want, that Jesus wants for me, 36:53 then I want it. 36:54 Does that make sense? 36:56 It makes sense. Okay. 36:57 And so that's the direction I try to go. 37:00 And so when something 37:03 that I am not happy with happens. 37:07 What I've learned to do over time, 37:10 is to say, okay, Lord, 37:12 there's something in this here for me. 37:14 Why is this happening? 37:16 I don't know but You do. 37:19 And there's been so many times in my life, 37:22 that I haven't wanted something to happen 37:25 that over time, 37:28 I see that I had a blessing. Yes. 37:30 There was a good reason that it happened. 37:32 I had some bad things happen in my life, 37:35 seemed like all at once. 37:37 And everything just fell apart. 37:41 It was before I met Christ, but it brought me to Christ. 37:45 Amen. 37:46 And so it started the things in action 37:51 that God knew was going to happen 37:55 that brought me to Him. 37:57 Now, if you asked me 37:59 when I go back to 1989 38:03 and have things to be different. 38:06 Now, if you were to ask me that in 1989, 38:09 I'd have said, "No, I don't want that. 38:11 I want things to be different. 38:14 I don't want this bad thing to happen. 38:19 Am I glad that it happened today? 38:22 Absolutely. 38:23 Wow. Yes. 38:25 I'm glad that it happened today. 38:28 Today, I'm glad that it happened. 38:30 But back then 38:31 it was one of the worst things that happened in my life. 38:36 And so it's that trust, it's the hope in Jesus Christ. 38:41 So the hope/trust. Yes. 38:45 And so when we can do that and trust in Jesus, 38:50 it's always going to be right. 38:54 Amen. Amen. 38:55 You mentioned grace. 38:58 I've been reading this book. 39:01 What's so amazing about grace, that's a wonderful book 39:06 but this is not only grace, 39:10 this is a deed to the kingdom of heaven 39:12 that Jesus is coming. 39:14 Excellent. And... 39:19 One definition of grace is unmerited favor. 39:22 I have experiences of unmerited favor. 39:25 May I tell you a little experience? 39:26 Please. 39:28 Back in the 1800s, going back a long way. 39:33 None of us can say that. 39:34 I wasn't there, no. You weren't there, okay. 39:36 I wasn't there 39:38 but my grandfather and grandmother 39:43 buried five children within about three weeks 39:48 from diphtheria. 39:51 Why? 39:52 I don't know. 39:53 Why was their lives cut short? 39:56 And here, I'm still in this world today. 40:00 Why? 40:01 It's unmerited favor. 40:03 I don't deserve it. 40:05 But it's the gift of God. Amen. 40:07 Gift of God. 40:09 Well, thank you for sharing that. 40:11 You know, there are many things 40:13 that happen in our lives or in the lives of people 40:16 that we know including friends and family. 40:19 And we may ask ourselves now, why is that happening? 40:22 Sometimes when things happen to people, 40:25 we say, "Well, I wonder if that's because, 40:28 you know, he kicked a dog 40:29 or because he did some bad thing." 40:31 But we don't know what's all behind 40:35 the why things happen. 40:37 We are living in a world 40:38 that is involved in a great controversy 40:41 between good and evil. 40:42 And Satan is playing his little games. 40:44 And unfortunately, we are not always 40:49 able to see clearly that he does things, 40:54 some bad things to people. 40:56 And then people blame God for it. 40:58 And I'm sure he's delighted himself in the idea 41:01 that people are believing 41:03 God did these bad things happen to people 41:06 when in fact, you can go to the Book of Job 41:08 and see some evidence 41:10 that the devil gets involved in people suffering, 41:12 including taking the lives of people, 41:15 and causing storms 41:17 and destroying the property of Job. 41:20 He is still doing this today. 41:22 And many times people blame God, 41:25 well, look what God allowed to happen, 41:27 or God did this. 41:29 But going back to what we call the great controversy 41:34 between good and evil, you know, 41:36 we see evidence in the Bible that God wants to do us good. 41:41 He says, "Ask and you will receive." 41:43 Now, why would God tell you things like 41:45 ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, 41:49 and then there's that text, perhaps somebody can find it, 41:52 cant' think of where it is right now. 41:54 It says, "For I know the thoughts 41:57 that I have told you." 41:58 Jeremiah 29. 41:59 Jeremiah 29:13. Yes. 42:02 Thoughts of peace, to give you a hope, 42:05 to give you an expected end, 42:07 and so God has thoughts of peace. 42:10 Now, when we understand and believe 42:13 that God has thoughts of peace, 42:15 and wants to do good things to us. 42:17 And then when bad things happen to us, 42:20 there must be a good reason 42:22 for these bad things happening to us. 42:24 Or there's something we can learn from these things. 42:27 I would like to read to you, 42:29 because we've been also talking about the reality 42:32 that we can all have the blessed hope 42:34 that we can all have salvation. 42:36 And you know, 42:39 you mentioned a million dollars not too long ago, 42:42 maybe in the minds of some people still. 42:45 So if I had a million dollars, which I don't, 42:49 if I had a million dollars, and I say to 100 people, 42:54 I have a million dollars, 42:57 and I am giving it away right now. 43:00 And I put my hand out like that, 43:02 how many people do you think will come rushing 43:03 to get the million dollars? 43:07 They would believe you. They will believe me. 43:09 They will trust you. 43:10 Now, here's a text 43:12 that I would like to read to you 43:13 from 1 Timothy 6:12. 43:16 Because we've been talking about that whoever believes 43:21 can have eternal life. 43:22 It says in 1 Timothy 6:12, 43:25 "Fight the good fight of faith, 43:29 lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called, 43:34 and have confess the good confession 43:36 in the presence of many witnesses." 43:39 Now, this scripture speaks of something 43:44 as it's out there 43:47 because I had before me a glass of water. 43:51 In order for me to partake of that glass of water, 43:53 I have to lay hold of the glass of water, 43:58 so I can enjoy the water 44:00 and if the water's before I'm thirsty, 44:02 I would like to drink some water. 44:04 And I keep saying I'm thirsty, 44:06 I would like to drink some water 44:07 and the water is right there. 44:09 But I don't really hold of the water and drink it, 44:12 then I cannot enjoy the water. 44:14 So here God is saying, lay hold on eternal life. 44:18 It's right there. 44:20 God is offering eternal life to us. 44:22 But we must accept it by faith, and believe that we have it. 44:27 Not only that. 44:28 Believe that we have it. Yes. 44:30 Not only that, but like you said, reach out. 44:32 Yes. That's our part. 44:34 That's our part. Yes. Our part is to accept. 44:37 Well, I don't want to get into arguments 44:39 or discussions about works, 44:42 what's works and what's not works. 44:44 But to me, it makes sense that the Lord offers us 44:49 eternal life. 44:50 He offers us salvation. 44:54 And our part is what? 44:57 Accept that. 44:59 To reach out and accept it. 45:01 Yes. Yes. 45:02 And when we do that, we have it. 45:05 God does not ever force anything on us. 45:10 That's a tactic from Satan. 45:11 Satan will try to force stuff on us. 45:13 But from God, He offers it, please take it, here it is, 45:17 it's yours forever for eternity. 45:21 Just reach out and take it. 45:24 Amen. Amen. 45:25 And like the text said, lay hold of. 45:29 And it's a perfect example for me 45:32 of our part in salvation. 45:34 Amen. Amen. 45:36 You know Jay, you mentioned works. 45:38 That's a good thing. 45:40 You know, there's a lot of works for a Christian. 45:44 We Christians probably work harder than anybody else. 45:48 And we try to give out tracks and Bible studies and sermon. 45:53 Christians are full of good works. 45:56 But the good works are not means to attain. 46:00 Right. 46:02 Good works are gratitude for the gift. 46:04 Amen. Amen. 46:06 Thank you, that's very good. 46:07 Yes. Amen. 46:08 So we need to have faith that works by love. 46:11 Amen. And purifies the soul. 46:13 I remember reading that, I can't remember quite where, 46:15 but it's a good understanding of what happens in this. 46:20 I would like to read you the words from a hymn, 46:24 a song that has meant so much to Christians, 46:29 Seventh-day Adventist Christians, in particular, 46:32 and really anyone that has the belief 46:35 in Jesus Christ's returning. 46:36 Reading the words or singing the song, 46:40 you will see that they are full of meaning. 46:43 And this is the song we have this hope. 46:46 And so it has two verses. 46:49 And it says, 46:51 "We have this hope that burns within our hearts. 46:54 Hope in the coming of the Lord. 46:57 We have this faith that Christ alone imparts faith 47:02 in the promise of His Word. 47:05 We believe the time is here, 47:07 when the nations far and near shall awake and shout 47:11 and sing Hallelujah, Christ is king. 47:15 We have this hope that burns within our hearts, 47:18 hope in the coming of the Lord. 47:21 We are united in Jesus Christ our Lord. 47:24 We are united in His love, 47:26 love for the waiting people of the world. 47:29 People who need our Savior's love. 47:32 Soon, the heavens will open wide. 47:35 Christ will come to claim His bride. 47:38 All the universe will sing, hallelujah, Christ is King." 47:44 We have this hope, 47:46 this faith and God's great love, 47:49 we are united in Christ. 47:52 And so this is a hymn 47:54 that has meant so much to Seventh-day Adventists for 47:56 since the 60's 47:57 and it's almost like our theme song 48:01 if you wanna say that way. 48:03 And really when you think about it, 48:05 we have this hope that burns within our hearts. 48:07 Hope in the coming of the Lord. Why? 48:09 Because this world is not really our final home 48:12 in its present condition. 48:15 We want the better world. 48:16 What do you say, Pastor Claude? 48:18 Well, that hope that burns, 48:21 it means that something's on fire. 48:23 When something's on fire, 48:25 we scream, we yell, we broadcast it. 48:30 Your house is on fire. 48:33 We're anxious to tell you that. 48:36 Christians should be anxious 48:38 to tell others about this blessed hope. 48:40 Amen. 48:42 I had an experience here the other day. 48:44 Friend and I were down to a little cafeteria here. 48:48 And we went through line 48:50 and well there were some vegetables, 48:52 there were some meat. 48:54 I said, we'll take some of the vegetables, 48:57 we're vegetarians. 48:59 Oh, they looked at us staring at us 49:01 if we were something strange. 49:06 Oh, are you a vegetarian? 49:09 Well, we just feel that's a better thing to eat. 49:13 And so we went on through line, 49:17 got our plate and went to a table 49:19 and sat down, enjoying our vegetarian food, 49:24 and pretty soon the lady that took our money 49:28 came and sat down on the table opposite and said, 49:32 I want to ask you folks some question. 49:34 Why are you vegetarians? 49:36 Well, we just said, 49:38 "We think it's a better way to go 49:40 and we have better health, we believe." 49:44 She looked at me. 49:45 She said, may I ask you a question? 49:48 Oh, sure. 49:50 How old are you? 49:52 Well, my partner said, "You wanna make a guess? 49:57 She said, "Well, late 60s." 50:01 Thank you. 50:04 I had great hopes. 50:08 But pretty soon she started telling us about her dilemma, 50:13 real dilemma. 50:15 Her son was incarcerated, family is in trouble. 50:20 We had the opportunity to share our hope with her. 50:25 And to me that's the goal of Three Angels Broadcast 50:29 to share this blessed hope. 50:31 We have the deed to the kingdom. 50:33 Amen. 50:34 It can be theirs as well as ours. 50:36 Amen. 50:37 We want to let them know that they too can have that hope. 50:41 Amen. 50:42 Amen, thank you very much. 50:43 Good news. Amen. 50:45 Well, we have come to almost the end of this. 50:48 And I think it's time to give everyone an opportunity 50:51 to give a final message to our friends 50:55 that are home, or hospital or prison, 50:59 wherever you may be. 51:00 We'll start with Jay. 51:01 What final words do you have for our friends? 51:03 You have about a minute to share from your heart. 51:07 Okay, some final words. 51:09 When you say a minute that's, 51:11 you know, often not long enough. 51:14 But it all I think to me comes down to, 51:19 you know, again, to talk about the hope and the trust, 51:22 and everything that we do, everything that we think of, 51:27 everything in our lives comes down to this. 51:32 And the trust in the Lord. 51:36 This is the thing that we need to develop I think the most. 51:39 Trust in what the Bible says is true. 51:44 Amen. 51:46 And the more we live from the Bible, 51:48 the more examples we have, of this being true 51:53 and so as we focus on that, 51:55 and as life goes on, 51:57 and we get closer and closer to Christ, 52:00 that's the goal. 52:03 We remember all of these lessons 52:05 that we have learned, 52:06 and we've heard some wonderful stories from Claude. 52:10 You know, some of the things that have happened in his life. 52:13 And I'm sure that he could go on with these stories 52:16 for a long time. 52:19 These are the things that we need to remember. 52:21 The stories of the success, the stories of the love, 52:25 the stories of the trust of Jesus Christ. 52:28 Amen. 52:30 Matthew Andrew? 52:32 I just wanna leave this I think with just a scripture. 52:37 I think that's the best way for me to end it. 52:40 I was just thinking of that. 52:41 We have this hope. 52:43 But many don't have this hope. 52:44 In fact, many people scoff at the idea that 52:48 well, things have been going on like this 52:49 forever and ever and ever. 52:51 You guys are crazy. 52:52 These are old wives tales. 52:54 But the word of the Lord says this in 2 Peter 3:3, 52:59 "Knowing this first 53:01 that scoffers will come in the last days 53:04 walking according to their own lusts, 53:05 and saying, 53:07 'Where is the promise of His coming 53:09 for since the father's fell asleep,' 53:11 all things continue as they were 53:13 from the beginning of creation, 53:15 for this day will fully forget that by the word of God, 53:18 the heavens were of old 53:20 and the earth standing out of the water 53:21 and in the water, 53:23 by which the world that existed perished 53:26 being flooded with water. 53:28 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved 53:32 by the same word are reserved for fire 53:34 until the Day of Judgment and perdition of godly men.' 53:38 " But Peter goes on to says, 53:39 "But beloved, do not forget this one thing, 53:43 that with the Lord one day is as a 1000 years 53:45 and 1000 years as one day. 53:47 In other words, time is no big deal to God. 53:49 It's He owns it all. 53:51 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 53:54 as some count slackness. 53:56 But He is long suffering toward us 53:58 not willing that any should perish, 54:01 that that all should come to repentance." 54:03 Amen. Amen. Thank you very much. 54:05 Pastor Claude Turner. 54:07 Well you struck on the point 54:10 not willing that any should perish. 54:13 If we are real Christians, we don't think, 54:17 well, now I've got to pass out so many tracks. 54:20 I've got to do all these works 54:22 and I've got to keep the Sabbath. 54:24 I've got to do this and this. 54:26 You know, would you say that song our hearts burn within us. 54:30 We have this hope that burns within us. 54:32 Right, we just can't keep it within us. 54:34 We got to tell it. 54:36 And, you know, 54:38 when I come here to, 54:40 I don't want to say come here to work. 54:43 When I come here to answer the telephone, 54:46 I'm glad I can walk right past that time clock. 54:50 And to me it's not work, 54:51 it's a privilege to share this blessed hope. 54:55 Amen. Amen. 54:56 Amen. Thank you. 54:58 I want to share real quickly, Romans 15:13. 55:01 I absolutely love this scripture, 55:02 Romans 15:13, 55:05 "May the God of hope is your expectation, 55:08 may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 55:11 and believing that you may abound 55:14 and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 55:16 And as I was reading this last sentence today, 55:20 for this morning's devotional, 55:21 His Word is like the mountain stream 55:24 fed by unfailing springs, 55:26 whose cool sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, 55:31 refreshing, the weary the thirsty, 55:33 the heavy laden, 55:34 having hope in Jesus will indeed quench your thirst. 55:40 Amen. Thank you very much. 55:41 And speaking of hope, 55:43 when we listen to the newspaper and the news, 55:47 it sounds like that hope isn't very far away. 55:51 Amen. 55:52 The second coming of Christ is the next great event. 55:55 Amen. Amen. 55:57 Well, I have a couple of scriptures 55:59 to share with you, you know, to have this hope 56:01 you need to have Jesus Christ in your heart. 56:04 And so, I'm reading to you from Colossians 1:27, 56:10 "To them, 56:11 God will make known 56:14 what are the riches of the glory of this mystery 56:17 among the gentiles, 56:18 which is Christ in you the hope of glory." 56:21 Amen. 56:22 And, you know, Revelation 3:20 says that, 56:25 "Jesus Christ, it says, Behold, 56:27 I stand at the door and knock." 56:28 Amen. 56:30 "If any man hears my voice and opens the door, 56:32 I will come into him 56:33 and sup with him and he with me." 56:36 So Christ wants to come into your heart, 56:38 to bless you with eternal life 56:41 so that you can have this hope, 56:42 the hope of the coming of the Lord, 56:45 the hope of redemption through Jesus Christ, 56:47 and to have eternal life where there is no pain, 56:50 suffering or sickness or death. 56:51 And I'm going to read as much as I can 56:53 from Revelation 21:1-4. 56:56 "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 56:59 for the first heaven and the first earth 57:01 had passed away also, there was no more sea. 57:03 Then I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, 57:06 coming down out of heaven, 57:08 from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 57:11 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 57:14 "Behold, 57:15 the tabernacle of God is with men, 57:17 and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people, 57:20 and God himself will be with them." 57:23 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes 57:26 and there should be no more death, 57:27 nor pain or suffering for the former things 57:30 have passed away." 57:31 Thank you. May God bless you. 57:33 Amen, amen. |
Revised 2019-09-12