Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO250021S
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00:29 Greetings to each of you who are watching the Worship Hour
00:34 here at 3ABN. 00:36 What a joy it is to be able to focus upon God's Word, to 00:40 understand what He has in store for us for the future. 00:45 I have to tell you in my heart, I hope in yours as well, I 00:50 believe Jesus is coming soon. 00:54 Imminently, it is right at the door. 00:58 We are just about at the point where the close of time will be 01:04 upon us. 01:05 Everything around us gives us an understanding that we are 01:10 just before Christ's return. 01:12 That's why it is so important to stay connected with God. 01:18 Don't allow anything to distract you from this amazing 01:23 opportunity of being a mouthpiece for Jesus at the end 01:28 of time. 01:29 God wants to use each one of you. 01:31 And what a privilege it is to have 3ABN in its tremendous 01:38 evangelistic outreach to be able to touch the lives of 01:42 people everywhere, literally around the world. 01:45 We're grateful for 3ABN as a supporting ministry of the 01:51 Seventh -day Adventist Church. 01:53 The Seventh-day Adventist Church is God's remnant church, 01:57 a precious last-day people who are here to proclaim the 02:03 righteousness of Christ, to proclaim His soon coming, to 02:06 proclaim His Three Angels messages of Revelation 14 and 02:12 the Fourth Angel of Revelation 18, calling people out of 02:17 confusion, out of Babylon, and into the true worship of God. 02:23 3ABN is helping in a dynamic way to do just that. 02:29 What a privilege it is to be able to truly understand how 02:34 God wishes for you to be part of this amazing outreach to the 02:41 world. 02:47 God. 02:48 Don't allow distractions and things around you to, in some 02:52 way, draw your attention away from the things that you are 02:56 supposed to be doing for Him. 02:59 The devil knows us better than we know ourselves. 03:04 He knows where he can introduce something that will cloud your 03:09 mind, will bring discouragement and an unhealthy approach to 03:16 what God wants you to do. 03:19 So God is calling on you right now to be part of this last-day 03:26 movement, this last proclamation to the entire 03:29 world. 03:35 against these distractions. 03:39 In the Book of Romans and in verse 2, we read an amazing 03:48 admonition by the apostle Paul. 03:53 Paul is helping us to understand what is really the 03:58 important part of living the Christian life. 04:03 And God inspired Paul to write these words to remind us to 04:09 stay connected with God and don't allow anything to 04:13 distract your attention. 04:17 In the second verse of chapter 12 in Romans, it says, And do 04:23 not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the 04:31 renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and 04:37 acceptable and perfect will of God. 04:41 Don't in any way be conformed to the world. 04:45 Don't let the world pressure you into its own understanding. 04:50 There is another version of the Bible, a Phillips translation, 04:55 which says in essence, Don't allow the world to squeeze you 05:01 into its own mold. 05:04 Don't be distracted. 05:06 Don't allow the devil to in some way disconnect you from 05:12 God. 05:13 Stay connected with God. 05:16 You see, as we come to the very end of time, and I believe we 05:20 are living in those very end times, but we're going to need 05:25 every connection to the Word of God and to God himself in order 05:31 for us to get through the challenges that are just ahead. 05:36 In the book of Matthew and chapter 24, we read some of the 05:42 most amazing prophecies that Jesus himself shared about the 05:48 very end of time and how things will be so much in disarray 05:55 that people will betray one another. 05:57 There will be false prophets. 05:59 Lawlessness will abound. 06:01 But the Lord says in verse 13 of Matthew 24, But he who 06:06 endures to the end shall be saved. 06:10 So the Lord wants us not to be conformed to this world, but to 06:14 maintain our connection to him at all times. 06:19 Staying connected with God. 06:22 The only way to do that really is on a daily basis to study 06:27 God's Word, to study the spirit of prophecy, and to pray 06:33 earnestly to the Lord. 06:36 One of the most important ways that you can connect with God 06:42 is to spend time in his Word, allowing him to speak to you in 06:47 a very particular way. 06:50 You see the Word of God when you open it, when you read it, 06:53 when you listen to it. 06:55 In fact, some of you may be so busy you might say, Oh, but, 06:58 Pastor, I just don't have time to spend listening or reading 07:03 the Word of God. 07:04 Well, if you're involved in some business activity and 07:08 you're driving to an appointment, if you are going 07:12 to the store in a car, or if you're just walking, you can 07:18 listen to the Word of God. 07:20 You can listen to the spirit of prophecy. 07:22 You can allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, even with some 07:27 of our modern conveniences like iPhones and that kind of thing, 07:31 so that you too can hear the Word of God. 07:36 So don't ever say you're too busy to stay connected with 07:42 God. 07:43 God wants to speak to you in a precious and personal way. 07:49 He wants to be able to help you to know what he wants you to 07:53 accomplish. 07:54 Now, in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we have a 07:56 very important motto or slogan. 08:01 And it's called total member involvement. 08:05 And now, in fact, we have now expanded it. 08:07 So we were saying global total member involvement. 08:11 Everybody doing something for Jesus. 08:14 No one is to be left out. 08:16 Everyone is to be allowing the Holy Spirit to use them to 08:22 proclaim this last-day message. 08:25 But you must stay connected to God. 08:30 God is going to use you in a powerful way as you look at his 08:35 word, as you understand in the last part of that chapter of 08:39 Matthew 24, where it says, Watch therefore, for you do not 08:44 know what hour your Lord is coming. 08:46 Verse 42 and then verse 44. 08:50 Therefore, you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at 08:54 an hour you do not expect. 08:57 You see, God is coming so very soon. 09:01 He's wanting to use you to proclaim that message. 09:06 Don't get distracted. 09:07 Don't let the world around you pressure you and conform you 09:13 into its mold. 09:15 Rather, stay connected with God. 09:20 You see, God is asking us not to be distracted, not to be in 09:27 any way moved by things that are taking us away from the 09:33 word of God and from the mission that he has entrusted 09:36 to us. 09:38 In the spirit of prophecy, and I have to tell you, I am a 09:42 great believer in the writings that God has provided through 09:48 the pen of Ellen G. 09:50 White. 09:56 instruction at the end of time, a fulfillment of Revelation 12, 10:03 17. 10:05 And let me read that verse to you so that you will understand 10:10 it even more clearly. 10:12 It says in verse 17 of Revelation 12, And the dragon 10:16 was enraged with a woman. 10:19 So the devil, the dragon, was angry with the woman or the 10:24 church. 10:25 And he went to make war with the rest or the remnant of her 10:30 offspring. 10:31 And these are the characteristics. 10:34 Those who, number one, keep the commandments of God, and 10:39 secondly, those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10:43 So here we have the marks, the distinguishing characteristics 10:47 of the last day church. 10:51 Those who keep the commandments of God, all the commandments, 10:55 including the fourth commandment, the seventh day 10:58 Sabbath, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 11:03 Now, two chapters later in Revelation 14 and verse 12, 11:09 those words are repeated in almost the same way. 11:13 It says, here is the patience of the saints. 11:17 Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the 11:21 faith of Jesus. 11:23 When we go to Revelation chapter 19 and verse 10, we see 11:30 there that the, and this is quoting directly from the 11:36 Bible, it says there, I am your fellow servant and of your 11:43 brethren, who have the testimony of Jesus, worship 11:47 God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11:53 So God's last day people are going to have two very marked 11:59 characteristics. 12:02 Those who keep the commandments of God, and those who have the 12:07 testimony or the faith of Jesus, and the testimony is the 12:12 spirit of prophecy. 12:14 And as Seventh-day Adventists, we believe firmly that this was 12:19 manifested in the work and the writings of Ellen G. 12:23 White, a simple, humble young lady who was given instruction 12:29 from God, and God's church has been blessed enormously because 12:36 of it. 12:37 And in this beautiful understanding of the spirit of 12:41 prophecy, the Lord is telling us to work together, to come 12:47 together, not be distracted, not to be in some way drawn 12:53 away in a detour from what God has intended for us to 12:58 accomplish. 13:08 it says here, My brethren, allow nothing to come in that 13:13 will separate you from one another or from God. 13:18 Talk not of differences of opinion, but unite in the love 13:23 of the truth as it is in Jesus. 13:28 God wants us to press together. 13:32 He says, she says earlier there, the members of the 13:36 church need now to confess their backsliding and press 13:42 together. 13:44 My dear friends, I don't know what your situation is, I don't 13:48 know where you are in your walk with the Lord, but I ask you to 13:54 come to the foot of the cross to press together with the 13:58 people of God who are anxious to share the word of God with 14:04 others and to realize that the devil wants to come in and 14:08 divide us, but we must stay connected to God through Bible 14:14 study, through prayer, through an understanding of the Holy 14:18 Spirit's role in our lives to present this word to others. 14:23 Stay connected with God. 14:27 God is asking each of us to be part of this last day 14:32 proclamation. 14:34 In fact, everyone is to be involved. 14:36 This total member involvement aspect. 14:39 God wants you to play a major role in helping people prepare 14:45 for Jesus' soon coming. 14:47 I read from Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, page 117. 14:54 Again, written by Ellen White. 14:58 The work of God in this earth can never be finished until the 15:03 men and women comprising our church membership rally to the 15:07 work and unite their efforts with those of ministers and 15:13 church officers. 15:15 Everybody doing something for the Lord, everyone uniting, 15:19 everyone pressing together in one beautiful mission to reach 15:25 the world. 15:28 God has called you to be part of this mission. 15:33 God is asking you to not be in any way distracted, in any way 15:39 going on a detour. 15:43 Listen to individuals who are saying, come out of the Seventh 15:49 -day Adventist Church. 15:50 Be a part of a separate group. 15:53 This was never God's intention. 15:55 God wants all of us to be part of His precious last day 16:01 message. 16:03 What a privilege for us as God's people to be chosen by 16:10 Him. 16:13 To be allowed to be a wonderful voice for God in these last 16:21 days. 16:23 The Lord is asking for us to work with Him in a powerful way 16:27 to bring these truths to people all over the world. 16:33 It says in Testimonies, volume 7, page 138. 16:39 Seventh-day Adventists have been chosen by God as a 16:42 peculiar people, separate from the world, by the great cleaver 16:46 of truth. 16:51 them into connection with Himself. 16:53 He has made them His representatives. 16:55 He has called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last 17:00 work of salvation. 17:01 The greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals, the 17:05 most solemn and fearful warnings ever sent by God to 17:09 man have been committed to them to be given to the world. 17:15 Don't be distracted. 17:18 Stay connected with God. 17:21 Allow Him to work through you in a most marvelous and 17:26 powerful manner. 17:29 Stay connected with Him. 17:33 In the book of Matthew, we come to an extraordinary experience 17:40 and you have undoubtedly read this before. 17:44 Matthew chapter 14, an amazing opportunity that God allowed 17:50 people to use in order to truly understand what it is that God 17:57 wants us to do in staying connected with Him. 18:01 In the 14th chapter of Matthew, the situation had developed 18:07 where John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, had been 18:13 killed by Herod. 18:17 Herod had very inadvisably listened to horrible advice 18:24 that said that this lady wanted to see John the Baptist's head 18:32 brought in on a platter. 18:35 And so here it was that finally the head of John the Baptist 18:43 was brought in and John the Baptist was killed. 18:48 Jesus was distraught about this, of course, and recognized 18:54 that John was the precursor, the forerunner of the wonderful 18:59 Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. 19:03 And Jesus went into a quiet place in order to grieve and to 19:12 think about what was happening. 19:14 Verse 13 indicates when Jesus heard it, this death of His 19:21 cousin. 19:29 But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot 19:33 from the cities. 19:36 You see, Jesus was 100% divine, 100% human. 19:44 I can't explain how that is. 19:46 It's not 200%, it's 100% divine, 100% human. 19:53 And so he had feelings and remorse and grief regarding 19:59 John's death. 20:02 He went to a deserted place, but people heard about it. 20:08 You see, people follow Jesus. 20:11 Even today, people will go anywhere to follow Jesus. 20:17 And it says here, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 20:23 You see, Jesus draws people wherever He is. 20:27 Jesus says, if I will be lifted up, I will draw all people to 20:32 me. 20:33 He was signifying this, of course, in the way that He died 20:37 on the cross, but also that when we lift up Jesus and His 20:41 righteousness, people will be drawn to Him. 20:45 And God is asking you to be part of this. 20:48 And the only way to do that is to stay connected with God. 20:54 Well, it says in verse 14, and when Jesus went out, He saw a 20:59 great multitude. 21:02 And He was moved with compassion for them and healed 21:06 their sick. 21:07 Jesus knew what they needed. 21:10 They needed healing physically. 21:12 They needed healing mentally. 21:14 They needed healing socially. 21:18 And most of all, they needed healing spiritually. 21:22 So God was reaching out to them. 21:27 Jesus is God. 21:29 In fact, let me say, God is God the Father, God the Son, and 21:34 God the Holy Spirit. 21:36 The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes completely and 21:40 wholeheartedly in three persons in one, the Father, the Son, 21:47 and the Holy Spirit, who have existed from eternity and into 21:52 eternity. 21:54 What a privilege to have this beautiful understanding of God 21:59 Himself. 22:05 with compassion for them. 22:08 He healed their sick. 22:10 And when it was evening, verse 15, His disciples came to Him 22:13 saying, This is a deserted place, and the hour is already 22:19 late. 22:20 Send the multitudes away that they may go into the villages 22:23 and buy themselves food. 22:25 So the disciples were worried. 22:28 They were concerned. 22:30 They didn't want to have to take care of this whole 22:32 multitude and all these groups of people. 22:34 They said, Send these people away. 22:37 Let them go ahead and buy some food. 22:39 Well, Jesus kind of pushed the disciples a bit. 22:43 He kind of gave them a challenge. 22:45 And He said, They do not need to go away. 22:49 Verse 16, You give them something to eat. 22:54 Well, the Lord is saying the same thing to each of us. 22:58 Give what God has to others, and you provide that precious 23:06 spiritual food. 23:07 Are you willing to follow through with those 23:10 instructions? 23:11 Well, the disciples were kind of confused. 23:13 They didn't understand what He was meaning. 23:16 And so then He said to them, and they said to Him, We have 23:22 here only five loaves and two fish. 23:25 Verse 17. 23:27 And He said, Bring them here to Me. 23:29 Let me tell you something. 23:32 Little in the hand of God is much. 23:36 God can use your talents. 23:37 He can use your abilities. 23:39 He can help you to be a powerful witness to Him. 23:42 But you must stay connected to Him. 23:47 If in any way you separate yourself from Him, you will not 23:53 succeed. 23:56 God is asking you right now. 23:59 Stay close to Me. 24:01 Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. 24:05 Through the Holy Word. 24:08 Use time spent in connection with God to reinforce your 24:14 ability to truly make a difference in the lives of 24:18 people. 24:20 Well, the disciples were still confused. 24:22 They didn't know what was going on. 24:24 Verse 19. 24:25 You know this story well. 24:27 Jesus commands the multitudes to sit on the grass. 24:30 And He took the five loaves and the two fish. 24:33 He looked up to heaven and He blessed and broke it. 24:37 And He gave the loaves to the disciples. 24:40 And the disciples gave to the multitudes. 24:43 Now, here is an amazing miracle that took place because as 24:48 Jesus broke the fish, as He broke the bread, it continued 24:55 to multiply and multiply so that at the end, the Bible 25:02 tells us, everyone ate and they were filled and they took up 12 25:09 baskets full of the fragments that remained. 25:12 Verse 20. 25:15 Now, when you have had a good meal, when you feel relaxed, 25:20 when you really have enjoyed some special time at a meal, 25:30 you feel good. 25:31 You feel happy. 25:32 You feel relaxed. 25:33 You feel satisfied. 25:36 How many people had been satisfied with just these 25:41 little tiny loaves of bread and two fish, five loaves of bread 25:46 and two fish? 25:47 Well, it tells us there in verse 21. 25:50 About 5,000 men besides women and children. 25:55 So probably if we count that every man had a wife there and 26:02 maybe they even had two children that attended, there 26:05 could have been as many as 20 ,000 people there who were all 26:09 fed from this little lunch of five loaves and two fish. 26:17 Well, as I was saying, how do you feel after you have 26:21 finished a good meal? 26:22 You feel relaxed. 26:23 You feel happy. 26:24 You feel good. 26:27 Now, in the spirit of prophecy, we are told that the disciples 26:33 began to put all of this together. 26:36 They were thinking more about themselves than they were about 26:40 God's mission. 26:44 God is asking you. 26:45 Stay connected with him. 26:49 Get your mind off of your own worries, your own situation. 26:54 Take your minds off of yourselves. 26:57 Put them on God because when you are connected with him, you 27:01 will have his thoughts and his objectives. 27:06 But the disciples weren't doing that. 27:08 They were thinking about themselves. 27:11 They were wanting an earthly kingdom to be established. 27:14 They were wanting something of tangible evidence that would 27:18 make them great in the eyes of others. 27:22 They began to think. 27:24 Now is the time for Jesus to proclaim himself an earthly 27:29 king. 27:30 Now is the time for him to truly make of himself king of 27:38 the Jews and to rid the Israelites of the Jewish, of 27:46 the Roman influence and empire. 27:49 And so the disciples began to circulate amongst the people, 27:57 saying now is the time to proclaim Jesus king. 28:01 Because after all, if Jesus were to become the king, who 28:05 would become the generals and the great leaders around Jesus? 28:10 Of course, the disciples. 28:12 Their minds were being taken off of Jesus and being absorbed 28:17 by their own personal ambitions. 28:21 Stay connected with God, not your own personal ambitions. 28:30 Well, Jesus saw exactly what was happening. 28:36 We're told in the book Desire of Ages that as the people were 28:44 becoming so enthusiastic because of what the disciples 28:48 were saying, when we go against the Romans, people get hurt. 28:53 Jesus can heal them. 28:54 When they get discouraged, Jesus can encourage them. 28:57 When they get hungry, Jesus can feed them. 29:00 Let's make Jesus the king. 29:04 And people were literally moving towards Jesus to lift 29:10 him up as the king of the Jews when Jesus saw what was 29:15 happening. 29:17 Jesus knew that this would destroy his ultimate goal and 29:23 his role as the lamb of God who would be slain on the cross. 29:31 And so he ordered the people to go home. 29:37 Now, I don't know if you've been involved in some large 29:41 event, some huge situation where you have thousands of 29:45 people. 29:47 When people have something on their minds, they have a great 29:53 intention to accomplish that. 29:54 And nothing can change it, especially if they become 29:57 agitated and they become forceful. 30:02 But Jesus spoke with such heavenly authority. 30:07 They could do nothing, but stop, turn around, and go home. 30:15 You see, sometimes God frustrates and changes our 30:19 plans because he knows they will lead to that which is 30:24 absolutely detrimental to his Advent movement. 30:31 God wants you to stay connected with him so that your thoughts 30:34 and your actions will not be of your own, but they will be 30:39 motivated by the Holy Spirit. 30:42 So God, in a very special way, wants to speak to you, to help 30:47 you stay connected with him so that your thoughts and your 30:51 actions will be in alignment with the Holy Word and with the 30:57 direction that the Holy Spirit is giving. 31:00 It says in verse 22, immediately Jesus made his 31:09 disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side 31:14 while he sent the multitudes away. 31:18 So as he commanded these folks to return home, immediately 31:23 they stopped. 31:24 The voice of God had spoken. 31:27 They went home and the disciples' plans were 31:29 frustrated because the disciples were focused on 31:32 themselves. 31:33 They were not in connection with Jesus. 31:39 I can just imagine these disciples becoming so 31:42 frustrated. 31:44 They were wondering even in their own minds, is this really 31:47 the Son of God? 31:48 Is this really the Messiah? 31:51 Maybe he's just an imposter. 31:53 He's not somebody who really came to save. 31:57 He has not used good judgment. 32:00 We are the ones who know how best to accomplish God's tasks 32:06 because we want him to become the King. 32:11 But Jesus knew that that was not in the providential plans. 32:17 And so he tells the disciples, go down to the lake. 32:24 As I see them walking towards the Sea of Galilee, you can see 32:29 in your own mind's eye, these disciples are filled with 32:33 skepticism, cynicism, anger. 32:38 God has frustrated their plans. 32:40 And you can see them kicking the dirt and just shaking their 32:44 heads, wondering if this is even truly the Son of God. 32:51 You see, if you're not staying connected to God on a daily 32:56 basis, on a moment-by-moment basis, you too can fall into a 33:03 great trap of thinking your own thoughts and becoming 33:08 distracted from what God wants you to accomplish. 33:15 And so as these disciples descended down the hill to the 33:22 boats, their hearts were full of bitterness and anger. 33:29 I don't know about you today. 33:32 Is something deeply troubling you? 33:35 Is your heart not in tune with the Lord? 33:39 Are you feeling somehow disconnected from God? 33:45 The Lord is calling out to you today, asking during this 33:50 worship hour that you find a reconnection with him, a 33:57 humbling of your heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to 34:02 change you and mold you to bring you into conformity with 34:07 his will. 34:09 He wants you to stay connected with him. 34:15 Well, the disciples got into the boats and then it says they 34:23 got into the boat, they launched out into the sea. 34:27 And in verse 23, it tells us the secret of God's power, of 34:33 Jesus's power. 34:35 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up on 34:39 the mountain by himself to pray. 34:42 He knew that the power and the energy and the ability to 34:49 accomplish things did not come from thousands of people 34:52 proclaiming him to be a great leader. 34:55 It came from his connection with his heavenly father in 35:00 prayer. 35:01 Stay connected with God. 35:06 I don't know. 35:07 Maybe you have neglected your prayer life. 35:12 Maybe it's been a while since you actually knelt down and 35:15 prayed to God. 35:17 God is asking you right now, take some time, pour out your 35:21 heart to me. 35:24 Allow me to bring encouragement to your heart so that you truly 35:30 can be part of this last day proclamation. 35:34 Proclaiming those three angels messages and the fourth angel, 35:37 bringing people back to the true worship of God, letting 35:42 people understand we are living in urgent times. 35:45 We are living in the end of time. 35:48 Stay connected with God. 35:52 Jesus did that himself. 35:54 That's why he went to the mountaintop to pray, to stay 35:57 connected with heavenly power. 36:02 It says in the last part of verse 23, now, when evening 36:06 came, he was alone there. 36:10 The disciples were out on the sea, in the boat. 36:14 Jesus was on the mountaintop, and he could look down and see 36:19 the disciples in their situation. 36:25 Well, verse 24 gives us the picture now as to what is going 36:30 to develop. 36:31 What happens with these disciples who were stormy in 36:36 their own hearts, and then the Lord really provided a storm 36:40 just for them? 36:42 It says here, the boat was now in the middle of the sea, 36:47 tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 36:52 You see, sometimes God will prepare a storm just for you in 36:57 order that you will turn back to him, in order that you will 37:04 reconnect with him. 37:08 This is exactly what happened to these disciples. 37:11 They were out on that sea, and they were experienced 37:14 fishermen, many of them. 37:15 They knew how to handle sails. 37:18 They knew how to handle a boat. 37:21 They were experienced people, but this storm was special. 37:28 Maybe the Lord has brought a storm into your life right now. 37:33 Maybe you're feeling very frustrated. 37:36 Maybe there's a situation that you cannot solve. 37:40 Maybe you are in some way feeling abandoned by God. 37:49 God never abandons any of us. 37:51 We're the ones who disconnect from him. 37:55 And God is calling you to reconnect with him, to truly 38:00 humble yourself and say, Lord, please clean my life up. 38:08 Fill me with joy from heaven. 38:10 Give me an understanding of my role in these last days of 38:13 Earth's history. 38:14 I want to do your will. 38:17 I want to understand your righteousness. 38:20 I want to understand the prophecies in the Word of God. 38:24 I want to truly be part of your last-day church. 38:32 Well, God had a plan for these disciples. 38:37 He wanted to bring them back from their stormy condition to 38:43 focus upon Jesus, the one who could give them truly complete 38:51 fulfillment and a purpose in their work. 38:57 It says in verse 25, Now in the fourth watch of the night, 39:03 Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 39:08 So Jesus came down from the mountain. 39:10 He saw that his disciples were in real trouble. 39:13 The storm that they were in was one he prepared for them to get 39:17 them to return their thoughts onto spiritual eternal things 39:23 and not on themselves. 39:29 And then he knew it was time to go to them in your situation, 39:35 whatever you're facing. 39:38 Maybe you recognize now God is trying to draw you back to him 39:43 so that you can truly be connected through Bible study, 39:47 through prayer, through the power of the Holy Spirit, 39:50 touching your life in a very special way. 39:56 Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. 40:00 Now, walking on the sea is not a normal activity. 40:05 In fact, no human being can do that. 40:09 Yes, you can ski on a wooden ski or fiberglass ski being 40:15 drawn behind a boat. 40:16 So in essence, you can be going over water. 40:19 But once that boat stops, you sink. 40:23 There's no such thing as a human being walking on water. 40:28 So when the disciples saw what was happening, they looked up 40:32 in verse 26, says the disciples saw him walking on the sea. 40:38 They were troubled saying, it is a ghost. 40:42 And they cried out for fear. 40:45 They said, this is an omen. 40:47 We are going to die. 40:48 This is a sign from God. 40:50 Now, I grew up in Cairo, Egypt as a young boy, and I love the 40:56 Middle East. 40:57 It's a wonderful people, wonderful area. 41:02 And people in that part of the world believe in omens. 41:07 They believe in signs that will then spell out something that's 41:12 going to happen. 41:16 looked and they saw this apparition walking on the 41:23 water. 41:24 And they said, this is it. 41:26 This is a sign. 41:27 We're going to die. 41:30 Well, Jesus recognized that they were very, very 41:35 frustrated. 41:39 And they needed encouragement. 41:42 They needed hope because they had been fighting all along in 41:47 this terrible storm, adjusting the sails just as much as they 41:52 could, throwing things out of the boat to make it lighter, 41:56 taking the oars and trying to keep the boat balanced. 42:02 Nothing was working. 42:05 Many of them experienced fishermen. 42:07 They had been through storms, but the storm was different. 42:11 And finally, they gave up on saving themselves. 42:17 You see, righteousness by your own works will get you nowhere. 42:23 It is only the righteousness of Jesus Christ and his merits and 42:28 his grace that gives us a ticket to heaven. 42:35 We need to lean completely upon him, completely on his 42:39 righteousness, not our own abilities. 42:44 God can use your abilities. 42:45 God can help you to maximize the talents that he's given to 42:50 you, but never think you can earn your way to heaven. 42:57 We are completely dependent on the righteousness of Jesus 43:01 Christ. 43:02 And so the disciples had given up. 43:05 We're going to die. 43:06 There's the sign. 43:08 Look at that. 43:09 It's a ghost. 43:13 Jesus spoke to them, just as he's speaking to you right now, 43:18 bringing you some words of encouragement, whatever it is 43:21 that you're facing. 43:23 Maybe it's a health problem. 43:24 Maybe it's a problem in your work. 43:26 Maybe it's a problem at home between family members. 43:31 Maybe you're depressed or discouraged because of some 43:34 situation. 43:36 God is speaking to you right now with these words that he 43:44 uttered to the disciples. 43:47 It says, but immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, and here 43:52 are the words for you right now, as well as those 43:55 disciples. 43:56 Be of good cheer. 44:00 It is I. 44:02 Do not be afraid. 44:06 You see, whatever you're facing, God will help to carry 44:10 you through. 44:12 God knows your needs. 44:15 He says, Here I am. 44:19 Look to me. 44:20 I will give you encouragement. 44:22 Be of good cheer. 44:25 Now, Peter, who was one of the impetuous ones, he spoke before 44:33 he thought. 44:35 He speaks out, and I suppose Peter, as well as the rest of 44:39 the disciples, felt, Well, we're in this terrible storm. 44:44 What do I have to lose? 44:45 I might as well just speak to this apparition out here. 44:51 Jesus apparently is out there, but we don't know who that is. 44:55 We're not sure what's going to happen to us. 44:58 I'm going to die anyway. 44:59 So, Peter says, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you 45:08 on the water. 45:09 Now, can you imagine Peter's surprise when he hears the 45:14 voice coming back and Jesus says, Come. 45:21 What would you do? 45:25 I suppose, again, Peter thought, I'm going to die 45:28 anyway. 45:29 What's the point? 45:30 Let me just try it. 45:33 So, Peter, it says, when he had come down out of the boat, he 45:43 walked on the water to go to Jesus. 45:49 Now, I suppose that Peter looked out at this terrible 45:53 storm hanging on to the side of the boat, and he probably put 45:57 one foot out and tested the water, and sure enough, he 46:03 didn't sink. 46:04 Then he put the other foot out of the boat, and I'm standing 46:09 on the water. 46:11 He let go of the boat, and he began to walk towards Jesus. 46:19 You see, when you're connected to Jesus, when you're connected 46:24 to God, you are going to have a relationship that will surpass 46:30 anything, and you will have unusual abilities. 46:36 Now, I'm not saying that you can go out and walk on the 46:39 water, but I am telling you, when God says, when Jesus says, 46:44 Come, you obey, and he will provide a miracle. 46:50 Well, Peter, you know, is walking on the water, and I 46:53 suppose he thought, wow, this is really something. 46:59 This is an amazing thing. 47:02 Who walks on the water? 47:05 And he turned around just for a moment to make sure that John 47:14 and Andrew and all the rest of them were watching what he was 47:19 doing. 47:20 You see, when you disconnect your relationship with the 47:26 source of all power, you will do exactly what Peter did and 47:33 what the scripture say. 47:36 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, verse 30, he 47:41 was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out saying, 47:47 Lord, save me. 47:51 When you disconnect yourself from God, you will sink. 47:59 Now, you know, Jesus could have said, you know, Peter, you just 48:02 never learn your lesson. 48:04 You're always thinking of yourself, a very self-focused 48:09 approach. 48:11 If you don't, if you take your eyes off of me, you're going to 48:14 sink. 48:15 So I'm going to let you learn a lesson. 48:17 You know, I'm going to let you go down the water once and 48:20 disappear twice. 48:22 And then maybe I will try and help you out and save you. 48:25 But that's not the way Jesus is. 48:29 What does that next verse say? 48:33 Verse 31. 48:35 And immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and 48:40 caught him and said to him, Oh, you of little faith, why did 48:47 you doubt? 48:49 You see, Jesus recognizing Peter's cry, just as perhaps 48:54 you are crying out to God, Jesus immediately reaches down, 49:02 grabs Peter's hand and pulls him up out of the water. 49:09 Now, I suppose as Jesus and Peter progressed to the boat, 49:14 Peter wasn't just walking as if he was in command of 49:18 everything. 49:24 to be connected with God. 49:27 And as they got into the boat, a miracle took place. 49:34 It says when they got into the boat, the wind ceased because 49:38 the creator of this storm, Jesus himself, was now in the 49:46 boat. 49:48 And he commanded essentially that the storm cease. 49:54 When you are connected with Jesus, you may be going through 49:58 the worst storm, you may be going through whatever it is, 50:01 but when you are with Jesus, you are safe and you can be 50:06 calm. 50:08 Well, these disciples who had been filled with doubt, who had 50:14 been filled with criticism, filled with anger, maybe some 50:22 of you are in that boat right now, a boat of criticism. 50:28 Nobody can do anything right. 50:30 The pastor doesn't know what he's doing. 50:32 Church members are all against you. 50:34 You speak about everything in a negative way. 50:41 I hope your heart will be renewed in the Lord, that you 50:44 will be connected to him, that truly you will understand you 50:49 need to stay connected with God because then your heart will be 50:54 full of happiness. 50:56 Regardless of what you're going through, regardless of the 50:59 storms, regardless of the difficulties, God will take you 51:03 through in a powerful, powerful way. 51:07 He will encourage you. 51:09 He will bring in a new vision, a new light. 51:13 I don't care what you're going through. 51:17 I heard a marvelous story just very recently about one of our 51:23 dear elders in the country of Ukraine. 51:28 This elder had been drafted into the army. 51:35 He was being threatened with all kinds of angry words 51:41 because he would not carry a gun. 51:47 He indicated, basically, I don't take life. 51:51 I want to help people. 51:52 That was the basic premise of his understanding, not killing, 51:57 but helping. 51:59 The commander was so angry at this elder that he berated him. 52:10 He castigated him. 52:13 He spoke all kinds of evil against this church leader. 52:20 And then he brought this church leader, an elder, a local 52:26 elder, into the group of soldiers. 52:31 And he decided to teach this elder a lesson. 52:38 He indicated to this elder, since you will not fight for 52:48 your country, you will die. 52:51 The commander then took a hand grenade released the pin and 52:57 threw it at our elder. 53:05 In just a few split seconds, the elder connected with God 53:11 and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him. 53:15 And in an effort to protect all the other soldiers, he jumped 53:20 onto this grenade so that the blast would kill him, but not 53:27 the rest of the soldiers. 53:31 But nothing happened, because this hand grenade was a 53:37 training hand grenade and would not explode. 53:40 He didn't know that. 53:41 The other soldiers didn't know that. 53:44 But his act of selflessness, because he was connected with 53:49 God and God said, jump on this hand grenade, that act of 53:55 selflessness brought tears to the eyes of the soldiers. 54:02 Now they pray with him. 54:06 They ask him to pray for them. 54:08 They ask him to give them encouragement. 54:12 And the commander allows him to worship on the Holy Sabbath day 54:16 because he showed himself to be one who loved other people, to 54:24 be connected with God and to serve others. 54:30 What a powerful witness for each of us. 54:33 What an understanding that we need to stay connected with 54:37 God. 54:39 Well, what happened to those disciples? 54:42 It says in verse 33, Then those who were in the boat came and 54:50 worshiped him, Jesus, saying, truly, you are the Son of God. 54:57 So those disciples who had been filled with self, who had been 55:00 distracted by their own pride, now turn to the one who truly 55:06 is the Messiah. 55:09 And they give a wonderful testimony of that. 55:14 Of those who truly are connected with God. 55:21 God is calling you to be connected with him. 55:24 As we enter the last days of Earth's history, listen to this 55:28 amazing quotation from Desire of Ages, page 382. 55:33 Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God 55:37 will be overcome by temptation. 55:40 We may now suppose that our feet stand secure and that we 55:44 shall never be moved. 55:46 We may say with confidence, I know in whom I have believed. 55:50 Nothing can shake my faith in God and in his word. 55:54 But Satan is planning to take advantage of our hereditary and 55:59 cultivated traits of character and to blind our eyes to our 56:05 own necessities and defects. 56:08 And listen to this beautiful ending sentence. 56:13 Only through realizing our own weakness and looking 56:20 steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely. 56:28 Stay connected to God. 56:32 Stay in his instruction. 56:36 Stay in his precious word. 56:40 Stay connected with God as we head into the end of time. 56:47 Let me pray with you. 56:50 Father in heaven, we come to you in a special way asking 56:53 that you will guide everyone who has been listening and 56:57 watching that they may reconnect with you on a moment 57:02 by moment basis and that you will carry them through helping 57:06 them to walk securely because they are in connection with 57:11 you. 57:12 Thank you for hearing us. 57:14 In Jesus' name we ask it. 57:16 Amen. |
Revised 2025-05-15