Participants: Lawrence Dorsey
Series Code: UR
Program Code: UR000015
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00:01 Music...
00:57 Good Evening Ambassador Family. 00:58 Good Evening. 01:00 And Good Evening to our Viewing Audience 01:01 I'm Henoc Paulicin, 01:03 Pastor of the Ambassador Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:06 in Lauderdale Lakes Florida. 01:07 You're here to watch an unfolding of a Series 01:11 "Through the Eyes of John" 01:13 which the Lord has allowed a partnership of 3ABN, 01:18 Living Word Ministries 01:19 and Ambassador Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:22 to... this is why this has been made possible. 01:26 For those who are in our Viewing Audience, 01:28 if you ever come to the Fort Lauderdale area, 01:30 please do look us up and come and worship. 01:33 This evening, we are with one of my Ministerial Leaders 01:38 and I'd like for him to introduce himself. 01:40 Good Evening, I am Elder Mark Almy 01:43 and I'd like to welcome each and every one here tonight 01:46 and those around the world. 01:47 I appreciate the opportunity to welcome every one of you. 01:51 Amen. 01:53 Every night, we just look at a passage, 01:55 generally, it's a passage that came up during my devotion 01:59 and this morning, I was looking at the text 02:02 found in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 02:05 which says, "For the message of the cross 02:08 is foolishness to those who are perishing, 02:11 but to us who are being saved, 02:13 it is the power of God. 02:15 Amen... amen... 02:17 The reality is... 02:18 it is amazing how God has allowed us 02:21 to have the technology to preach this message 02:25 to all the world. 02:26 Pastor, as we look at this verse, 02:30 there are some very powerful aspects to it... 02:32 but there's a very sad aspect as well. 02:34 For the preaching of the cross 02:36 is to them that perish... foolishness 02:39 and I pray that for the many numbers of nights 02:43 that we've been listening to Elder Dorsey preach, 02:46 that no longer would it be foolishness to you 02:49 that this is now... this gospel that you can hear... 02:52 that you heard for so many nights... 02:54 it is power... for your life and you can be transformed 02:58 and we thank God that we've had this opportunity. 03:00 Yes, I appreciate that... I believe that God has used us 03:04 at this time for this purpose 03:07 and only when we get to heaven will we know the impact 03:11 of what has been going on. 03:12 Amen. 03:14 Now this Series is being preached by 03:15 Pastor Lawrence S. Dorsey, Sr. 03:18 he's the Speaker and Director for the Living Word Ministries 03:21 and again... the theme that we're working with is: 03:25 Through the Eyes of John: Unfolding the Book of Revelation 03:28 but before we begin, 03:30 we'd like to invite the presence of the Lord 03:32 and so, Elder Almy, if you'd pray for us. 03:34 Let us pray together. 03:36 Pause... 03:37 "Our Father, in heaven... as you've promised 03:39 that right near the end of time, 03:42 this three angels' message would go out 03:43 and it's going out with great power just now. 03:45 It's going out around the world, 03:48 via Satellite... radio wave... 03:51 internet... and we're grateful 03:53 to have been a part of it 03:55 and as we round the corner to finish this crusade, 03:58 we pray that you'll continue to bear with us 04:00 to move us from strength to strength. 04:02 Be with us as the Holy Spirit we pray will be breathed upon us 04:06 that we might indeed have that power 04:09 for our own lives 04:11 that it would no longer be foolishness to us, 04:13 that this gospel would be strength. 04:16 We pray heavenly Father that you would earnestly bless 04:19 Pastor Dorsey... the man of God... 04:21 be with Him... 04:22 make him excited about the Word as he always has been, 04:25 but give him a fresh anointing tonight, 04:27 keep him in your care, keep him from all harm 04:30 and keep him from sin, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. " 04:33 Walking off stage... 04:41 Piano playing... 04:49 more piano... 04:57 Down the Vía Dolorosa 05:03 in Jerusalem that day... 05:09 The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street 05:17 But the crowd pressed in to see 05:20 The Man condemned to die on Calvary... 05:29 He was bleeding from a beating 05:34 there were stripes upon His back, 05:39 And He wore a crown of thorns 05:44 upon His head... 05:48 And He bore with every step 05:52 The scorn of those who cried out for His death. 05:59 Down the Vía Dolorosa 06:03 called the way of suffering 06:07 Like a lamb came the Messiah, 06:11 Christ our King, 06:15 But He chose to walk that road 06:19 out of His love 06:23 for you and me. 06:27 Down the Vía Dolorosa, 06:34 all the way to Calvary. 06:40 piano... 06:43 Por la Vía Dolorosa, 06:47 triste día en Jerusalén 06:51 Los soldados le abrían paso a Jesús 06:59 Más la gente se acercaba, 07:02 Para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz. 07:10 Por la Vía Dolorosa, 07:13 que es la via del dolor 07:17 Como oveja vino Cristo, 07:21 Rey y Señor, 07:24 Y fue El quien quiso ir 07:29 por su amor por ti y por mí. 07:37 Por la Vía Dolorosa 07:43 al Calvario y a morir. 07:48 Piano... 07:50 The blood that would cleanse 07:54 the souls of all men 07:57 Made its way through the heart 08:01 of Jerusalem. 08:08 Down the Vía Dolorosa 08:12 called the way of suffering 08:16 Like a lamb came the Messiah, 08:20 Christ our King 08:24 But He chose to walk that road 08:29 out of His love 08:32 for you and me 08:36 Down the Vía Dolorosa 08:41 all the way 08:46 to Calvary. 08:51 Oooh... oooh... oooh... 08:56 oooh... oooh... oooh... oooh... 09:02 oooh... oooh... oooh... 09:07 oooh... oooh... ooooh... 09:12 Amen. 09:17 Could we say, "Amen. " 09:20 "Amen... " 09:22 I think Michelle was trying to give you a little hint 09:24 on the sermon tonight. 09:26 The sermon is entitled: "The Greatest Day of All Times" 09:29 and that truly was a great day, wasn't it? 09:32 "Amen. " 09:33 The greatest day... well... 09:35 we will see as we continue our in message this evening. 09:39 I hope that you have rested well 09:42 and as you've come out tonight 09:44 that you're ready to dig deep into your Bible 09:47 and that we might experience the treasures 09:50 that the Lord has for us here. 09:52 We just want to say, "hello" to the some of the people 09:54 who have sent e-mails and have called 09:56 one... we have a Carmela from Vermont 09:58 and Carmela, we hope that you're pretty warm up there 10:01 with all of that snow, 10:02 it's nice and sunny here in California... 10:06 but we're getting a little cold... 10:08 Oh, what did I say? Audience: Florida... 10:09 oh, that was a slip Folks, that was a slip... 10:12 that's home... that's home... but God is good to us. 10:14 Prudence and her mom in Toronto... 10:18 they said they've been listening and watching every evening 10:21 and we know that... 10:23 they have to stay warm up there, by God's grace, 10:26 then Richard from the Philippines, 10:28 he is saying... he's having a wonderful time 10:30 with these messages and he is taping them 10:33 and he is sharing them with his friends 10:36 and then we have a different place 10:38 that we're close with tonight 10:39 where we haven't had anything before 10:42 but we're so happy that it's not just one person, 10:44 it's Daniel and Anna 10:46 and the group from the Seventh-day Adventist Church 10:48 in Flanders, Belgium. 10:50 "Amen. " 10:51 So we say "welcome" to you and pray that God is blessing you 10:55 as we have been blessed here in Florida. 11:00 Shall we pray... 11:02 "Loving God, we thank thee 11:03 for your mercy and kindness towards us 11:05 and we ask tonight, once again that you will instill upon us 11:10 the blessings of your Holy Spirit. 11:12 We ask dear Lord that you would remove anything 11:15 that is not like thee from this place 11:17 and fill us Lord with the power of the Holy Spirit. 11:20 Let your words enlighten us... empower us 11:24 and most of all encourage us to be faithful unto the end 11:28 hide me behind the cross of Calvary 11:30 and speak through this human tongue, 11:33 we ask in Jesus' name, amen and amen. " 11:36 "Amen. " 11:38 The greatest day of all times. 11:40 You know, I did something different with this sermon 11:44 and I've preached it before 11:46 but I've done something different with this sermon 11:49 that I have never done before. 11:52 My whole researched introduction 11:55 in comparing days that are supposedly great in history 12:00 I threw it all aside, 12:02 and I went over to the computer... to the internet... 12:07 and I just typed in, 12:09 "What are the greatest days in earth's history?" 12:12 and I said, "We're going to take this approach tonight 12:16 and see what it comes up with. " 12:18 Well, one of the top things that came up 12:22 was the day of the invention of the wheel, 12:26 now we don't have a date on it 12:28 but the invention of the wheel... 12:30 they say that day has to be one of the greatest days 12:34 in earth's history... because it has given us the opportunity 12:38 not only for mobility and transportation 12:42 but the invention of the wheel... it has progressed... 12:45 it has evolved to the point where it came from little carts, 12:49 one wheel... wheelbarrows if you please... 12:52 how many ever pushed a wheelbarrow? 12:53 That's a challenge... if you don't get it right, 12:56 have mercy, it's going to spill over 12:58 and now we have trucks 13:00 that have wheels that are ten feet high, 13:03 that can take all kinds of freight in 13:06 et cetera, et cetera, et cetera 13:08 and it has really made life... life easy. 13:12 Now, that's a good day and I accepted that from the Web 13:16 but, you know, when you look at that word "great" 13:18 great means it's the biggest, it's the largest, it's the best. 13:22 So, I continued to just scroll down and see what day 13:27 that the Web would tell me is the greatest day of all time 13:31 and it came up with the day 13:35 that we discovered Nuclear Fusion... 13:38 "The Manhattan Project" when man... in his intelligence 13:42 learned how to split the atom. 13:44 And that is an impressive feat Ladies and Gentlemen, 13:48 look how long it took for us to do it 13:51 and with this splitting of the atom, 13:54 we have two camps now saying that... 13:56 some people say it's a good thing 13:58 and some people say it's a bad thing. 14:00 The good thing is... you can use nuclear power 14:03 and you can light up cities, you can light up coastlines, 14:07 you can light up so much with the power of nuclear energy 14:12 that would take hundreds and hundreds of barrels of oil to do 14:16 but then on the sad side of nuclear fusion 14:22 and nuclear energy, 14:23 is the fact that it can be used for weapons of mass destruction. 14:27 and if they are placed in the wrong hands by individuals 14:32 who have an agenda that is different from maybe a country 14:36 you know where we are in this world in which we live 14:39 it can be a disastrous thing. 14:42 So when you look at something that is the best 14:44 and it's the biggest... and it's this preeminence, 14:46 we wouldn't want to put something there 14:49 that has a tainted side... 14:52 so I continued to scroll down on the internet 14:55 and I'm looking to see which day is the best day 14:58 and I found one with a date. 15:00 Oh, I know somebody knows what this is, 15:03 the date... I'll give you a hint July 16, 1969 15:08 July 16, 1969 when the Apollo Crew 15:13 on their mission to the moon, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins 15:17 landed on that little sphere 15:21 270,000 miles away and said those words, 15:27 "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" 15:32 and Friends, I remember that, I was a young man 15:34 and I was 19 years old and I looked at that and I said, 15:37 "Wow! that's something... on the moon, 15:39 what are we going to do when we get to the moon?" 15:41 But we just went to the moon. 15:42 Pause... 15:44 And it was a fantastic feat of Science... 15:48 the Encyclopedias say, "it's man's greatest feat of Science" 15:53 but then after that, 15:55 we have all kinds of conspiracy theories, some folks say, 15:57 "They didn't really do it, it was done in Hollywood. " 16:00 You've heard people say that 16:02 then others said, "We could have used that money for education, 16:05 we could have used that money for inner cities, 16:07 we could have used that money for so many other things 16:10 and then we see that that great day... 16:13 that day in history that I remember... 16:16 I remember we were watching it 16:17 that great day has a shaded side also, 16:22 so I'm looking at this thing and I'm saying, 16:25 "Hmmm... these individuals they came up with some good days 16:29 but is there anything more?" 16:31 Then there was a big... a religious controversy, 16:36 oh you're going to like this one, 16:38 there were some that said that the greatest day of all time 16:41 was the day when Jesus was born 16:43 and Ladies and Gentlemen, that was a marvelous day 16:45 and that was something that had been predicted 16:48 hundreds of years before it happened 16:50 and if you would just turn with me in your Bibles 16:52 to the book of Isaiah, we see it there 16:54 and it is something that we are thrilled to know that happened. 16:59 Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14, it says... 17:13 And Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a wonderful day, 17:16 it's a day that we have looked forward to as a human race 17:20 and a day that was fulfilled 17:22 when we turn to the book of Matthew, 17:24 Matthew chapter 1 beginning with verse 18... 18:23 What a marvelous day that was Ladies and Gentlemen, 18:27 what a day it was 18:29 when God became a baby in the womb of a human being 18:37 and stayed there for 9 months and went through the cycle 18:42 and then was born here as a Savior... as predicted. 18:48 Now, Folks, that goes past going to the moon, 18:51 that goes past nuclear fusion, that goes past even the wheel, 18:58 but there's still controversy is that the greatest day? 19:04 Now someone might say, Listen, that day was so great 19:07 that they had a heavenly selection of music by angels 19:12 to say that this day has to be the best day. 19:14 "Amen. " 19:16 Turn with me to the book of Luke, 19:17 turn to Luke chapter 2 beginning with verse... 19:23 verses... and where we are... 12... well, let's go over to 11, 19:29 Luke 2 verse 11, "For unto you is born this day 19:35 in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 19:38 And this shall be a sign unto you; 19:40 You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 19:43 lying in a manger. 19:44 And suddenly there was with the angel 19:48 a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 19:52 "Glory to God in the highest, 19:54 and on earth peace, good will towards men. " 19:59 So Folks, when I look at that, I say, 20:01 "Wait a minute, wait a minute, that one has to be up there, 20:06 it has to be in the top 2 or 3 of the greatest days of all time 20:11 because heaven joined in... 20:14 in song... in praise... at the birth of Christ. 20:18 "Amen. " 20:20 But then, when I start thinking about it as a preacher 20:22 and I start thinking about it as a Christian 20:24 and as I'd start thinking about it 20:26 as someone who is lost without Jesus, 20:29 just because Jesus was born and came to earth, 20:33 that was not enough to save us 20:35 because if He would have just quit, 20:38 if He would have left, 20:40 and He could have done it, 20:42 He could have said, "I don't want to deal with this, 20:44 I don't want to go through with the Plan of Salvation... " 20:46 just because He was born here, that would not have saved us. 20:52 Pause... 20:53 Just because He went through His ministry 20:57 of healing the sick and raising the dead 21:01 and casting out demons, giving sight to the blind 21:04 and letting the cripple walk and all of those things... 21:06 that He did it... and feeding the five thousand 21:09 and feeding the 8,000 21:10 and letting us know He's in-charge of nature, 21:13 you know, when I read my Bible, 21:15 I don't know how people can say 21:16 they can't understand the Bible and it's boring, 21:18 I don't understand it, 21:19 there's more action in the Bible 21:22 than all of Home Box Showtime and everything else... 21:26 when I see my Jesus sleeping... sleeping in the bottom of a boat 21:32 and a storm comes up 21:34 and you know that old devil was in the storm, 21:36 pause... 21:37 and all of a sudden... out of nowhere, 21:39 this storm comes up on the lake and the lightning is flashing 21:43 and the wind is blowing and the waves are billowing... 21:47 billowing and the boat is going upside down 21:50 just about... just about to turn over 21:52 and these fishermen are there 21:53 and it's better than the perfect storm... 21:56 these fishermen are there and they're holding on 21:58 and trying to keep the boat afloat, 22:01 and then when the lightening cracks... 22:02 somebody looks there and they see Jesus 22:04 and they all scream out, 22:05 "Carest thou not that we perish, carest thou not that we die?" 22:10 Pause... 22:12 And then you get a close-up on Jesus, 22:14 He's waking up... 22:15 "O ye of little faith... 22:18 you're worried about a storm? 22:22 Fellows, you're worried about a storm?" 22:27 He stops, He stands up, 22:31 everybody else is rocking and moving, 22:33 He stands up and if you get a subtitle in Spanish, 22:37 He looks up and He says, "Cállate... 22:40 shut up... 22:42 be quiet... 22:44 storm stop... " 22:46 the wind stops blowing, stars come out, 22:52 clouds roll away, 22:54 moon is shining, 22:57 the sea that was rocking and waving 22:59 now becomes smooth as velvet and they're at port, 23:05 He's in control of nature. 23:07 "Amen... amen... " 23:09 Oh yes, that's my Lord, that's my God, 23:10 He gives us all of these things 23:12 to know that He can take care of us 23:14 and that there's no problem that is too big for Him to handle, 23:18 Ladies and Gentlemen, but if I look at all of that, 23:21 all that He did before His death... 23:24 it wouldn't have saved us. 23:28 So now, I have a dilemma, 23:31 my dilemma comes with... 23:34 even though the angels sang on that day, 23:36 when Christ was born... 23:38 and even though it was predicted hundreds of years ago, 23:41 my Bible tells me that Jesus was the Lamb 23:43 slain from the foundation of the world 23:46 and when I look at Him in the revelation 23:48 that we have looked at night after night, 23:50 He is called the Lamb 28 times, 23:53 29 times in the whole New Testament 23:56 but 28 times in the book of Revelation, 23:58 and in each time He's called the Lamb, 24:01 it has to do with our salvation, 24:03 we overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb. 24:07 The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world, 24:10 in other words, 24:11 because of that commitment that He had with His Father 24:14 and His love for us, 24:16 "For God so loved that world, 24:17 that He gave His only begotten Son, 24:18 that whosoever believeth in Him, 24:20 should not perish, but have everlasting life. " 24:22 For God was in Christ 24:24 reconciling the world unto Himself, 24:26 the word... the word "reconcile" means 24:29 "restoring things like they were" 24:31 "Amen... amen... " 24:33 you see, when we get restored, 24:36 the Lord's not going to look at us funny, 24:38 you know, that's the way we do people, don't we? 24:41 somebody lied to you, 24:44 the next time they said something to you, 24:46 you're looking at them kind of funny... 24:49 somebody steals something from you, 24:51 when you see them coming over, 24:54 even though it's a family member you're locking up your stuff, 24:56 you said you forgot them 24:58 huh, you forgave them, 25:00 you know, we don't look at people the same way. 25:04 somebody breaks your heart even though you still love them, 25:07 you have a coldness there and you put something between them 25:10 but the relationship that Jesus will have for us, 25:12 Ladies and Gentlemen, 25:13 will be as though we never sinned, 25:16 we will not walk around heaven 25:18 as strangers that don't belong there, 25:21 we will have the full freedom to walk about the streets of gold 25:25 because He will give us a new name, hello, 25:28 He'll give us a new body 25:30 and we would have developed a new character, 25:33 that has been manifested in this process called "Life" 25:37 by the transforming and the renewing of our minds 25:40 by the power of the Holy Ghost. 25:42 "Amen. " 25:44 But we couldn't have gotten that unless it was that Friday 25:51 hmmm... Good Friday... 25:54 when Jesus died on the hill of Golgotha 25:59 on Calvary's cross for you and for me. 26:04 "Amen. " 26:05 So I look at this and I say, 26:07 even though the birth of Jesus was a great day, 26:10 a fabulous day... a magnificent day... 26:13 angels sang but still... still... 26:16 it can't top the day Jesus died for me. 26:19 "Amen. " 26:20 Can't top that... 26:21 pause... 26:23 but if I just stopped there that the day Jesus died for me, 26:29 and He went into the tomb... I have a little problem... 26:35 pause... 26:37 if Jesus stayed in the tomb and never came out... 26:43 that means something went wrong. 26:46 Pause... 26:48 I turn in my Bible to the book of John, 26:52 what book did I say? 26:54 The book of John, 26:55 I find myself speeding through the pages 26:58 to chapter 20, 27:00 I come to chapter 20, 27:05 I see in verse 1 it says, 27:10 "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, 27:12 when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, 27:14 and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 27:17 Then she runneth, and come to Simon Peter, 27:20 and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved... " 27:22 and we all know that's John... 27:23 "and said unto them, 27:25 They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, 27:27 and we know not where they have laid him. 27:30 And Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, 27:33 and they came to the sepulchre. 27:34 And so they both ran together: 27:36 and the other disciple did outrun Peter, 27:38 and came first to the sepulchre. 27:40 And he stooping down, and looking in, 27:42 saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 27:47 Then comes Simon Peter following him, 27:50 and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 27:54 And the napkin, that was about his head, 27:57 not lying with the linen clothes, 27:59 but wrapped together in a place by itself. 28:01 Then went in also the other disciple, 28:05 which came first to the sepulchre, 28:08 and he saw, and believed. 28:10 For as yet they knew not the scripture, 28:13 that he must rise again from the dead. " 28:16 Now Mary... she stayed there, 28:21 it says in verse 10, 28:22 the disciples went away to their own houses 28:25 but Mary... she stood there... 28:26 You know, I think about Mary 28:28 and Mary is so much like us Folks... 28:33 if you're honest with yourself. 28:35 You see, Mary had a double life... 28:37 pause... 28:40 Mary... was the sister of Martha... 28:44 and the sister of Lazarus... 28:48 and she was known in one town as a good girl 28:52 but in the other town... she had some history... 28:56 pause... 28:58 the Bible tells us, 29:00 that she is the one that Jesus had to cast seven devils out of, 29:04 pause... 29:05 she's the one that came to Simon's house 29:07 and when everyone else was having this big feast... 29:10 and when she came in... the party got quiet. 29:12 pause... 29:13 have you ever had that experience, 29:15 Ladies and Gentlemen 29:16 when everybody knows your business... 29:18 never mind their business but they know your business 29:21 and you're the target? 29:22 And when she walked in there, things got quiet 29:25 and they started looking 29:27 and they wanted to know what she was doing there, 29:29 even Simon himself was saying, "Why is she here?" 29:31 Simon got to the point when he looked at Jesus 29:34 when Jesus was sitting there and Mary approached Him 29:37 and began to wash His feet with her tears 29:40 and to anoint Him with oil from an alabaster box 29:44 and dry it with her hair, 29:46 Simon was looking at Jesus and he said to himself 29:49 as if he didn't know... he was in the presence of omnipotence 29:52 and he said, "This man can't be Messiah 29:55 because He doesn't know what kind of girl is touching Him. " 29:58 Pause... 30:00 A famous Bible commentator, Ellen G. White says 30:03 in the book, "The Desire of Ages" 30:05 Simon could say that about her to a point 30:07 because he was the one that turned her out 30:10 and made her that kind of girl. 30:11 Pause... 30:12 It's so funny how when other people are doing things 30:16 that we have done, 30:18 we can condemn them and be so hard on them 30:21 and we have done the same thing, 30:23 that's why Ladies and Gentlemen 30:24 if there's one thing we must learn, 30:26 we must learn to forgive. 30:29 "Amen... amen... amen... " 30:31 Jesus gave them the lesson, 30:33 He said, "Simon, which one loves me more, 30:36 the one that forgives a little or the one that forgives much?" 30:40 Pause... 30:41 And Simon said, 30:43 "Of course, Lord, who forgives much. " 30:46 And He said, "From the time she came in here" 30:49 pause... 30:50 "she's been wiping my feet with her tears, 30:53 drying them with her hair, pouring out all that she has 30:58 she had a love for me because I forgave her much 31:04 and what did you do Simon? 31:05 You just wanted me here so you could say to the Folks, 31:08 'I'm that close with Jesus, He came to my house to eat. '" 31:11 Hmmm... 31:13 And Simon understood the rebuke and it transformed his heart. 31:17 So here we have this Mary... here... this Mary... 31:21 who has now gained this respectability 31:24 because the people have understood 31:27 that she has had a true conversion experience 31:30 with Christ... but now, Christ is gone. 31:33 Pause... 31:35 The disciple whom Jesus loved went back... Peter went back... 31:38 these individuals who said 31:39 they were going stick through to the end, 31:41 they didn't know where His body was, 31:42 they didn't know what to do, 31:44 they just went back and locked themselves up in the Upper Room. 31:47 Pause... 31:48 But that Mary... 31:50 that Mary... 31:52 boy! love will make you stand by a situation... 31:56 that love that Mary had for Jesus 31:58 had her just there... crying... 32:01 crying... she couldn't face life without Christ. 32:04 "Amen. " 32:05 And Ladies and Gentlemen, 32:07 we need to get to that point in our lives 32:10 where we can't face life without Christ, 32:12 we don't care what the people say or what they think 32:15 or how they look or how they ignore, 32:17 and how they don't speak 32:19 and how they won't invite you over, 32:21 you have to have a relationship 32:23 to know that you are special to Jesus. 32:25 "Amen. " 32:27 And she was there 32:28 crying... crying for Him, 32:31 wondering where He was 32:33 and when He came to her and began to speak to her, 32:35 she thought it was the gardener, 32:36 here this little frail lady is saying, 32:38 "Listen, if you have moved Him, just tell me where He is, 32:41 I'll carry Him away, I'll take care of the body. " 32:45 And then He said, "Mary, Mary. " 32:50 Oh, I can't wait to hear Him to call my name. 32:53 "Amen. " 32:55 I can't wait to hear Him call my name, 32:57 I can imagine the thrill went from the tip of her toes 33:00 up to the top of her head and she understood who He was, 33:04 it was Him, He had been resurrected 33:07 because He's the resurrection and the life 33:08 and she was about to hug and He said, 33:10 "Mary, touch me not. 33:12 you can't touch me, Honey, you can't touch me right now, 33:15 I have not yet ascended to my Father and your Father 33:19 but I'm going to give you a commission to preach the Word. " 33:23 "Amen. " 33:25 "Tell my disciples that I have risen... 33:27 that I'm no longer in the grave" 33:29 and Ladies and Gentlemen, 33:30 when we get so prejudiced among ourselves 33:32 and we say, "Women can't preach... " 33:34 the first sermon of the resurrection 33:36 was preached by a lady... 33:39 for God... for God is not a respecter of persons, 33:45 He's looking for true and contrite hearts 33:49 that have been broken on the foot of the cross 33:52 and have accepted the Holy Spirit 33:54 to come into their lives and transform them and keep them 33:58 empower them and enlighten them. 34:01 Oh my friends, the angels... the angels rejoice 34:07 when the King of Glory came back to heaven on that day. 34:12 So now, if I were a man that 34:15 is still betting or not betting or whatever... 34:18 I could say now, "Wait a minute... 34:21 this has to be the greatest day of all time... " 34:25 I mean, it tops the crucifixion, 34:29 it tops the birth of Christ, 34:32 only because, Jesus is doing more, 34:35 He's died for our sins, it's been accepted 34:38 and He has taken back His life and He's going back to glory 34:42 and He is interceding for us. 34:44 "Amen. " 34:46 And if we could end the sermon right now... the clock ran out, 34:49 we could say that this was a good day 34:51 but Folks, I want you to know... I want you to know 34:53 that is not the greatest day of all time, 34:57 pause... 34:59 the greatest day of all time will not have an anti-climax. 35:07 Pause... 35:09 you see, even though Jesus died, 35:12 even though Jesus was resurrected, 35:15 even though Jesus instructed Mary... 35:18 then instructed the disciples 35:20 and He stayed with them for 40 days, 35:22 and then when He left 35:23 and He told them in Acts chapter 1, 35:25 "I'm going to give you power to go into all the world 35:28 and tell the good news about me, 35:30 the church had some hard times since 2000 years ago, 35:34 pause... 35:36 and we have some hard times ahead of us 35:40 but Ladies and Gentlemen, 35:43 even though we have hard times ahead of us 35:46 and we are living in the early time of trouble, we know that... 35:50 Jesus said the things that we are seeing now, 35:52 Matthew 24 verse 8, "these are just the beginning of sorrows. " 35:56 It's going to get worse, 35:57 the early time of trouble has in that same timeframe 36:01 running side by side with it, the Loud Cry... 36:04 the Loud Cry is going out unto all the world, 36:07 Ladies and Gentlemen, that's why there's satellite system, 36:10 that's why we're having services like this 36:12 where people are hearing the loud cry... 36:14 the good news of Jesus Christ, "Fear God and give glory to Him 36:19 for the hour of His judgment is come 36:20 and worship Him who made heaven and earth... the sea 36:23 and fountains of waters" and it warns them about Babylon, 36:26 it's fallen... it's fallen... 36:27 it warns them of the Mark of the Beast 36:30 and that we might... we should not receive it... 36:33 it tells us all of these things with this loud cry, 36:36 as the Loud Cry goes forth, Ladies and Gentlemen, 36:40 the Reform Movement is taking place among God's people. 36:43 We who are living in the time of the seventh church, Laodicea, 36:47 this lukewarm church... and Laodicea is not a bad word, 36:50 Laodicea means the time of the judgment... 36:52 on the last evening, we looked at it and we saw 36:55 that the judgment is going on now 36:57 according to 1st Peter 4 verse 17 36:59 "judgment must begin with the house of God" 37:02 and it's dealing with us and we understand it 37:04 and we're getting ourselves ready 37:06 because we realize that 37:07 once our name goes into the Lamb's Book of Life, 37:09 it does not stay there unless it matches up 37:13 with all of the other things in the other books... 37:15 and we have the covering of the blood. 37:17 "Amen. " 37:18 Oh the timeframe that we're living in now, 37:21 it's not only the time of the loud cry 37:23 it's not only the time of the early time of trouble 37:26 but it's the time of the Seal of God. 37:28 The Seal of God, Revelation chapter 7 verses 1 through 3, 37:32 where God's people are being sealed by heavenly angels 37:35 not with some tattoo on our heads, Ladies and Gentlemen, 37:38 but by our minds... 37:40 we are sealed with our belief by the Holy Spirit 37:44 in God's Commandments especially the 4th commandment 37:47 that has His name... His title and His territory... 37:51 Exodus 20:8 through 11, it shows us that this Sabbath 37:55 that God gave to us in world without sin... 37:59 I'm talking about Genesis 2 verses 1 through 3 38:03 where mankind... Adam and Eve... met with the Creator 38:06 met with the angels and we see that in Isaiah 66 38:10 verse 23... that when the earth is made new 38:13 it tells us that from one month... 38:15 that's one new moon to another 38:17 and from each Sabbath, all flesh shall come together 38:20 and worship God in a sinless society. 38:24 So the sealing is going on now Ladies and Gentlemen, 38:27 we have an opportunity 38:29 to be sealed unto the day of redemption. 38:31 Ephesians 4 verse 30 tells us plainly and clearly 38:34 it says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit... 38:37 whereby we are sealed unto the Day of Redemption" 38:41 in other words, "Don't resist the power of the Holy Spirit 38:45 to allow Him to come in and transform your life 38:48 and change your life and bring you to the point 38:52 where you will say... as so many have said in times past 38:55 that I will live by the Bible and the Bible alone. 38:58 that's the timeframe we're going in... 39:00 this is the timeframe we're living in, 39:03 we're living in a time, Ladies and Gentlemen, 39:05 when the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out... 39:08 the Latter Rain... 39:09 in other words... what we have is not enough 39:12 the former rain is good and it has brought us to where we are 39:16 but we need the latter rain, 39:18 we need the latter rain so we can live in a timeframe 39:21 where there is no intercessor in heaven 39:24 for when probation closes, Ladies and Gentlemen 39:28 and it moves from the early time of trouble 39:31 to the time of trouble. 39:32 When Jesus stands up and says the words that are recorded 39:36 in Revelation chapter 22 verse 11, 39:40 "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: 39:42 and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: 39:45 he that is holy, let him be holy still. 39:47 He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. " 39:50 When Daniel saw it in Daniel 12 verse 1, 39:52 he saw Michael stand up and he says 39:55 that there will be a time of trouble like there never was 39:58 why? because when Jesus does that, Ladies and Gentlemen, 40:00 the seven last plagues of Revelation 16 40:03 will be poured out on Planet Earth, 40:06 but we would have been sealed by the latter rain 40:09 that will give us the power to go through that time of trouble 40:12 like the earth has never seen, 40:14 it will also give us the power to go forward with a loud cry 40:19 that we will not be afraid... we will not be fearful 40:23 we will not hush our tongues or be intimidated 40:29 because we know that God is coming and God is with us 40:33 and we will go forth with the power that the early church had 40:37 but my Bible tells me and the Spirit of Prophecy tells me... 40:41 it will have more power than it began. 40:42 "Amen. " 40:44 And if those few men could turn the world upside down, 40:46 can you imagine what a world church can do 40:49 that is on fire for Jesus Christ. 40:51 "Amen... amen... " 40:53 and we will see the enemies of God come together 40:58 as it has said in the Bible but Ladies and Gentlemen, 41:02 because of that Loud Cry... because of that Holy Spirit... 41:05 because of Revelation 18 1 through 5, 41:08 we will have a supernatural power... 41:10 a supernatural light 41:12 that will shine to the very dark regions of the earth 41:15 and everyone will have an opportunity to choose Jesus 41:19 and choose life. 41:21 "Amen. " 41:22 It's all building up to something... 41:24 it's building up to the greatest day of all time... 41:29 you see, unmistakenly, 41:32 and I must give credit to the Web... 41:35 there are many, many people that put their two cents in... 41:43 and said, "The greatest day of all time 41:48 will be the day that Jesus returns for His children. " 41:51 "Amen. " 41:52 The day when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 41:55 will come in glory to redeem His saints from the earth. 41:59 "Amen. " 42:01 Oh, Ladies and Gentlemen, when I think about that day, 42:03 my heart begins to beat faster, 42:05 my mind begins to imagine that sighting 42:09 when I will see the King of Glory coming. 42:12 My Bible tells me in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 42:17 verse 16... 42:30 Ladies and Gentlemen, that's enough right there 42:32 to take the case. 42:33 "Amen. " 42:35 To see Jesus... the Lord Himself... 42:38 "Amen. " 42:39 No longer is He walking around with an old purple robe, 42:42 no longer is He wearing a crown of thorns upon His head, 42:46 no longer is He wearing a pair of worn-down sandals, 42:50 He is in His splendor, He is in His majesty, 42:54 He is in His royal robes of righteousness, 42:58 Ladies and Gentlemen, 43:00 He has upon His head... that royal diadem... 43:03 that crown... seven in one... 43:05 pure gold and all types of garnished jewels in it 43:10 and He's coming back for us. 43:13 "Amen... amen... " 43:15 Those people that say, "He's coming in secret... " 43:18 they don't know what they're taking away from people. 43:21 Audience agreeing. 43:22 It's taking away the joy of it all. 43:24 It can't be in secret for Revelation 1 verse 7 says, 43:28 "Behold He cometh in clouds and every eye shall see Him. " 43:32 well Folks, if everybody knows it... it's not a secret. 43:36 "Amen. " 43:37 "And they also which pierced Him... " 43:39 in other words, some folks are going to get 43:41 that special resurrection for what they have done, 43:43 they have doubted Him, they spit on Him, 43:45 they lacerated His back with the cat of nine tails 43:48 and then they nailed Him to the cross, 43:51 they put a cloth over His head 43:53 and they hit Him with reeds, 43:54 and they said, "Prophecy who did it... " 43:56 they will know, Ladies and Gentlemen, 43:59 who they abused on that day 44:01 when they see Him in the eastern sky. 44:04 "Amen... amen... " 44:06 Oh the majesty of Him... 44:09 Angels to the left and angels to the right... 44:13 Friends, every single angel that's in heaven is coming 44:17 when Jesus comes... 44:20 it will not be a little quartet singing... 44:22 it will be the whole choir and they will sing a song 44:27 that will cause the earth to tremble 44:30 as they blow the trumpet 44:31 and they give the praise to the King. 44:34 "Amen. " 44:35 And if that's not enough celebration, 44:37 Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to celebrate down here, 44:40 we're going to celebrate... 44:41 if you die, you're going to be celebrating, 44:43 if you're alive, you're going to celebrate it, 44:45 if you've been in jail for the gospel's sake, 44:47 you're going to be celebrating, 44:48 if you've been in the wilderness... 44:50 hiding in the rocks and the mountains, 44:52 that's okay, just hold on a little longer, 44:54 the King of Kings is coming. 44:56 When you see the earth rock and reel 44:59 and you see those graves open up, 45:01 and the saints from all time... can you imagine... 45:03 from all time... 45:04 you're talking about Adam and Eve coming up, 45:06 you're talking about Abraham and Sarah coming up, 45:08 you're talking about the saints... David... and Jonathan 45:12 and all the saints coming up, 45:13 all over the earth at the same time. 45:16 "Amen. " 45:18 Pause... 45:20 Babies placed in the arms of Christian parents 45:23 who went to the fire, who went to the lion's den, 45:27 who had their heads cut off, 45:29 who had their children butchered in front of them 45:32 but the angels of God had placed a mark on those graves 45:36 and those spots where those bones are 45:39 and when the voice of the majesty of God, 45:41 the Life-giver... the Resurrection and the Life, 45:43 calls them together, 45:45 they are no longer abused... they are no longer tortured... 45:48 they're no longer torn apart by animals, 45:50 they are brand new in Christ, Ladies and Gentlemen, 45:53 and they will be placed in the arm of husband and wife 45:57 and mother and father and families together 46:00 and then we shall suspend the laws of gravity 46:03 and be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. 46:06 "Amen... amen... " 46:08 That's what the book says, that's what's going to happen, 46:11 that has to be the greatest day of all time. 46:13 "Amen. " 46:14 Ladies and Gentlemen, it has to be the greatest day of all time 46:16 when you're standing there... now watch this... 46:18 all of this is coming together, as we're standing there 46:21 and the hailstorms are coming down 46:23 66 pounds on the wicked... 46:25 releasing the saints of God... that's the 7th plague... 46:28 it's being poured out and it's coming down 46:30 and like Daniel has... as David has said in Psalm 91, 46:38 "a thousand shall fall on thy right... " 46:40 huh... "and ten thousand at thy right hand... 46:43 but it shall not come near you, 46:45 you're standing there watching it, 46:47 seeing it happen and then before you know it, 46:50 Ladies and Gentlemen, 46:51 you'll look up and you'll see right into His beautiful eyes 46:54 and all of a sudden, 46:56 you're whole body is going to transform... 46:58 it's going to change... 46:59 it's going to regenerate... it's going to be resurrected... 47:02 it will be brand new in Christ. 47:06 "Amen... amen... " 47:08 Brand new in the twinkling of an eye... 47:10 as my Bible said 47:11 and here's the part I've been waiting for, Folks, 47:13 not only looking in His eyes and His eyes catching mine, 47:16 and Folks, I know one thing... 47:18 even though that's going to be a whole mass of humanity, 47:21 all of the redeemed saved 47:22 and Jesus is going to look at us 47:24 but you'd better believe that when we look into His eyes, 47:28 we will feel that personal connection 47:30 that Jesus will have for us, 47:32 we will see the love... 47:34 we will see the adoring spirit that He has doted on us, 47:38 we will know that we've been forgiven, 47:40 we will know that we'll be with Him forever... 47:43 it will be personal, 47:44 I don't know if I'm going to shout, flip, jump or whatever 47:47 but I know one thing, Ladies and Gentlemen, 47:50 I know one thing that when I'm looking at Him, 47:52 all of a sudden, I will feel myself going up into the air, 47:57 I will feel the earth being down low... 47:59 and I'll be up with my Jesus, I'll pass the sun... 48:02 the moon... the stars... the planet... 48:05 I'm going up in that cloud with my Jesus... 48:08 all the way back to glory, seven days in there 48:12 so everybody can keep at least one Sabbath. 48:15 "Amen... amen... amen... " 48:18 And we will go through the gates of the city 48:22 but before we go through the gates... 48:24 before we go through the gates... 48:27 hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 48:30 before we go through the gates... now... 48:32 this is just my imagination now, 48:36 but the only one left is the Father 48:40 and I bet that when we come to the city... 48:43 after we have gone on through Orion... 48:47 we've had this pre-party... pre-celebration... in the clouds 48:53 with people getting reacquainted with one another, 48:57 with family... with friends... you think GC was fun, 49:00 oh boy, this is going to be something! 49:04 All the saints of all time with Jesus... 49:08 the angels just singing and happy, 49:11 Satan can't tempt us no more, 49:15 death can't stalk us 49:17 sickness can't have us 49:20 no more worry... no more disillusion... 49:23 no more disappointment, it's all joy... 49:26 "Amen. " 49:27 And then, we see it in the distance... 49:29 the heavenly city... 49:32 sitting on a foundation of 12 precious stones 49:37 that have the appearance of the color of the rainbow 49:40 shimmering in all of it's glory 49:43 all of its brightness... all of its light... 49:46 jasper walls... 216 feet high... 49:51 clear as crystal... 49:53 and you're looking through the jasper walls of the city, 49:58 and you see golden streets and golden mansions 50:02 if that's not enough you see the reflection 50:07 of the river of life going through the midst of the city 50:11 and you see the throne of God and the throne of Jesus, 50:15 and behind that, Ladies and Gentlemen, 50:17 we see the majestic Tree of Life. 50:20 "Amen. " 50:21 No need for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, 50:24 we've learned that lesson well, somebody ought to say, "Amen. " 50:27 "Amen. " 50:28 And I know that when we get close to the city, 50:33 I know the sweet fragrance from that Tree of Life 50:36 with all manner of fruit, 12 manner of fruit... 50:40 Ladies and Gentlemen, 50:41 I know that's going to smell good, I mean, 50:43 have you ever walked through the Produce part of the store 50:45 and they have fresh mangoes in there... 50:47 Audience agreeing... 50:50 But from the Tree of Life... with our new nostrils... 50:55 come on now... our new nostrils... 50:58 we will get a little sniff. 51:00 But that's not the cherry on top of the cake, 51:05 Ladies and Gentlemen, the cherry on top of the cake 51:08 is he Father, friends, and you know what? 51:10 This is just me as a preacher, you see, 51:12 when I read the story in Luke 15 51:15 about the prodigal son 51:16 and the prodigal's father was... 51:19 was just waiting for him every single day... waiting for him, 51:22 looking here... every night... every morning... 51:23 looking for his son, looking for his son... 51:25 looking for his son... didn't see him... 51:27 looking for his son... he couldn't go after him, 51:29 the only thing he could do was pray 51:31 and send His Holy Spirit... God's Holy Spirit after him 51:34 but that day... when he looked out... 51:39 and he saw his son afar off... 51:42 he lost all of his so-called dignity... 51:45 they say, the rich men in those days... 51:48 the custom was... they didn't run... 51:50 but he took off after his son 51:54 and his son was coming back saying, in his mind... 51:57 "Well... if I just get back... I'll work as a servant... 52:00 I'll work as a servant... that's okay... 52:02 just as long as I'm in it, I'll get my three square... 52:04 my servants' quarters was better than the pig sty. " 52:07 "Amen. " 52:08 But the father runs to him and he takes off his robe 52:14 and he clothes him. 52:16 Friends, God is going to clothe us with a body like His body, 52:21 He's done that... 52:23 And when He sees us coming... 52:26 when He sees us coming... 52:30 I can see the Father coming to the gate 52:32 and I can see the gates of one pearl open up 52:36 and I can hear the Father singing this song, 52:39 "Welcome home children... " 52:41 "Amen... amen... " 52:43 "Welcome home children... 52:45 welcome home children, 52:47 the battle's over, the fight is over... 52:50 my Son has bought the rest of his brothers and sisters home 52:55 and this will be your splendor... 52:58 this will be your majesty... 53:00 this will be everything, 53:02 you'll be with me forever." 53:05 "Amen. " 53:06 Oh my friends, one day... 53:10 we're going to see Him face to face... 53:15 that will be the greatest day of our lives. 53:21 "Amen... amen... " 53:23 Piano... 53:25 Face to face shall I 53:30 behold Him, 53:35 Face to face 53:39 to see and know, 53:45 Face to face 53:50 with my redeemer, 53:54 Jesus Christ 54:00 who loved me so. 54:06 Face to face 54:11 shall I behold Him, 54:17 Far beyond 54:21 the starry sky, 54:27 Face to face 54:32 in all His glory, 54:38 I shall see Him 54:43 by and by! 54:50 Face to face! 54:54 O blissful moment! 54:59 Face to face 55:05 to see and know, 55:10 Face to face 55:14 with my Redeemer, 55:18 Jesus Christ 55:23 who loved me so. 55:28 O face to face 55:33 shall I behold Him, 55:39 Far beyond 55:43 the starry sky, 55:48 Face to face 55:54 in all His glory, 56:00 I shall see Him 56:06 by and by! 56:13 "Amen... amen... " 56:14 My friends, I want to leave this text with you, 56:18 Isaiah 25 verse 9, 56:23 it says, "And it shall be said in that day, 56:26 Lo, this is our God; 56:28 we have waited for Him, and He will save us: 56:31 this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, 56:35 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. " 56:38 His salvation is there for you, 56:42 all you have to do is just reach out 56:44 and say, "Lord, Jesus save me" 56:48 salvation will begin in your life... 56:53 trust in God... 56:54 keep looking up... and be faithful. |
Revised 2017-04-25